South Africa: SA administers over 191 000 COVID-19 vaccines on Wednesday

South Africa has administered 191 264 COVID-19 vaccines, pushing the total to 21 924 915.

According to the Department of Health, of the over 191 000 jabs distributed on Wednesday, 179 094 were given to the adults, while children between the ages of 12 and 17 received 12 170 shots.

This means there are now 86 920 first doses of Pfizer COVID-19 jabs given to children since the start of their inoculation programme.

In addition, 11 999 473 or 29.9% of the adult population are now fully vaccinated, of which 154 047 either received the Johnson & Johnson single-dose shot or the second jab of the Pfizer vaccine in the last 24 hours.

Meanwhile, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), said the country recorded 472 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total to 2 920 581 laboratory-confirmed cases.

The majority of new cases were reported in Gauteng (103), followed by Western Cape (88), KwaZulu-Natal (68), Northern Cape (59), Free State (42), Eastern Cape (33), North West (35), Mpumalanga (32) and Limpopo (12).

This increase represents a 1.4% positivity rate, explained the NICD.

According to the institution, the country recorded more cases on Wednesday compared to the 331 infections recorded on Tuesday and higher than the average number of cases per day over the seven preceding days.

In addition, South Africa lost 62 people to COVID-19 related complications, bringing the death toll to 89 049, while hospital admissions increased by 29 in the past 24 hours.

Globally, as of 27 October 2021, there have been 244 385 444 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 4 961 489 deaths, reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Global view

According to the WHOs COVID-19 weekly epidemiological update, during the week of 18 to 24 October 2021, the global number of new cases increased slightly (4%) compared to that of the previous week, with just over 2.9 million new cases.

The European region accounted for more than half (57%) of global new weekly cases and was the only region that reported an increase.

The largest decrease in new cases was again reported in Africa (21%), followed by the Western Pacific region (17%).

Meanwhile, according to the latest data, the number of new deaths also peaked slightly by 5% during the past week, with over 49 000 new deaths reported.

Increases were reported in the European (14%) and South-East Asia (13%) regions, while the largest decline was observed in the Western Pacific (16%), Eastern Mediterranean (13%) and the African (11%) regions.

In addition, the highest numbers of new cases were reported from the United States (512 956 new cases, 12% decrease), the United Kingdom (330 465 new cases, 16% increase), Russia (248 956 new cases, 15% increase), Turkey (196 850 new cases, 8% decrease) and Ukraine (134 235 new cases, 43% increase).  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-10-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
South Africa: Entrepreneurs urged to build online presence to grow their businesses

Experts have urged small business owners and media entrepreneurs to use digital marketing to their advantage, and grow their online presence and businesses.

The experts from Digify Africa and the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) hosted a masterclass on Wednesday to equip small business and media entrepreneurs with the skills they need to thrive in the digital economy.

Digify Africa is a non-profit organisation that has been delivering free digital skills and literacy to communities across Africa since 2011. The organisation strives to empower communities with digital skills to build sustainable livelihoods in the digital economy.

The masterclass was attended by various small business owners and media entrepreneurs from different sectors.

Digify Africas Business Development Manager, Xolani Sedibe, took the entrepreneurs through training, offering them steps to establish a digital presence and share important information about their businesses to their customers.

He said it is critical for small business owners and media entrepreneurs to have a Facebook business account in order to reach a broader customer base as opposed to just people in their areas.

Sedibe explained how entrepreneurs can utilise the Facebook Business family of apps such as the Facebook Business Suite, and how to make their pages more appealing to customers.

He said that these tools enable businesses to tell customers who they are and what they are able to offer them.

One major thing that drives social media is content. People are on social media to consume content that appeals to them and their interests. As a business, you need to have your consumer in mind and know what they like. As a new business, announce yourself and why you are on the platform and what you are offering.

It is important to understand your target audience before you create advertising posts. This will help you determine whether you should use long texts, images or videos to communicate. It is always imperative to create content that speaks to your audience, Sedibe said.

He explained to the entrepreneurs that the most important part of the business page is the insights sections, which shows the analytics to measure the growth of the page and how many people one has reached with their posts.

He reiterated that this will helps the business owners with managing and measuring their progress, while making changes on what is not working for their businesses.

Sedibe urged entrepreneurs to download the Facebook Business Suite, which helps to manage all their accounts in one go.

Digify Africa will deliver the second session of the workshop, which will explore how to use WhatsApp to grow business, on 17 November 2021.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-10-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Hong Kong: More stringent virus testing set

The Government today said healthcare staff handling COVID-19 cases in the North Lantau Hospital Hong Kong Infection Control Centre must undergo COVID-19 testing every three days.

It explained that staff from high-risk and high-exposure groups will be subject to more frequent regular virus testing to counter the latest development of the epidemic and mutant strains.

The tightened testing arrangement took effect at the centre yesterday, following the same change in testing frequency for airport staff of targeted groups since last week.

All full-time and part-time staff concerned who have completed a COVID-19 vaccination course, are required to undergo a nucleic acid test every three days.

Staff members who have yet to complete a vaccination course, such as those who are unfit to receive vaccination at the moment due to health reasons, must get tested on a daily basis.

All staff of the above two groups have completed a COVID-19 vaccination course, the Government noted.

It added that it will progressively arrange for increasing the testing frequency for the working staff of other high-risk and high-exposure groups in the coming month.

They included staff at designated quarantine hotels, quarantine facilities and relevant designated transport, cold store practitioners, workers at designated container terminals and shipping services as well as community testing centres.

This story has been published on: 2021-10-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
South Africa: Improved data literacy levels can improve service delivery

When the dust settles after the 1 November Local Government Elections, councillors need to quickly adapt, and understand and respond to all community needs, says Social Surveys Africa Director, Dr Tara Polzer Ngwato.

Speaking to SAnews, Polzer Ngwato said after the polls, councillors need to make a crucial shift.

They need to shift from seeking a vote along party lines, to understanding the needs of all residents, irrespective of political party affiliation.

Since we have a very unequal and diverse society, and in many cases, party lines to some extent correlate with class divisions, in some areas race divisions, you often have councillors who do not have very good connections to certain parts of the population in their areas, and maybe didnt vote for them.

Even understanding the variations and diversity of people who did vote for them can be a challenge, Polzer Ngwato said.

She said there were numerous information sources that councillors could use to understand the needs of constituencies. These ranged from census data to administrative information sourced from local government structures. Online tools, such as Wazimap, could be leveraged to their advantage.

In order to use those data sources, the first step has to be councillors being aware that they should be representing the entire community and that there are differences in needs and interests within their populations.

They should know how to access that information, apart from going house-to-house and only listening to people who come to meetings, which is a very small proportion of the population or those who shout the loudest, Polzer Ngwato said.

While councillor requirements currently do not include the possession of any level of education, she said it was important for councillors to have some level of data literacy.

Discussions are underway nationally around the criteria and minimum requirements for councillors.

Induction processes dont usually include training on data literacy and ways of using information about their constituencies to take better decisions.

Theres a real gap in this regard, she said, in terms of the information councillors-elect arrive in the office with, and the data they are provided with once they assume office.

Polzer Ngwato said the training should be extended to councillor support and administrative staff.

We have ward administrators, for example, who can take on a range of these roles and who have been in office for longer periods of time, and who can develop more professional relationships with data sources and provide those to councillors.

She said there were also ways in which municipalities, at higher administrative levels, could support councillors by providing them with ward-level information and regularly supporting and engaging the data.

There are many ways of [using] data maps and other ways in which councillors can better understand their communities, she said.

The data, Polzer Ngwato said, could be used for better consultation and decision-making in council, and ward community meetings and ward development forums.  SAnews.gov.za

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Hong Kong: Bay area education backed

Financial Secretary Paul Chan

Like Lingnan, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is committed to nurturing our youth. They are, after all, Hong Kong's future business, community and government leaders and innovators. And quality education is the key to ensuring that we have all the talent we need and deserve.

That is why, in my recent Budget, I put aside well over $100 billion to meet our recurrent expenditure on education. That, ladies and gentlemen, accounts for nearly 20% of our total recurrent expenditure.

As for university spending, this Government has invested nearly $30 billion in a variety of policy measures to boost academic research. In addition, $26 billion has been made available to upgrade or build new teaching and research-related facilities.

We are building for our youth, and for the future. And that future will, thanks to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Development, greatly expand our opportunities and horizons, taking us from our domestic market from 7.5 million people to a market of more than 86 million people.

Those opportunities will extend to education. And the Government supports our post-secondary institutions in offering educational services in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Creating educational partnerships there to showcase the manifold strengths of our tertiary institutions, while demonstrating Hong Kong's far-reaching promise as an education hub for the region and beyond.

So you have to know I was pleased to hear that Lingnan University recently signed a Letter of Intent on Collaboration with Shenzhen University. Your academic co-operation will include the offering of shared programmes, research and development projects, even the possibility of establishing a joint campus in the bay area.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan gave these remarks at the Lingnan University Gala Dinner 2021 on October 28.

This story has been published on: 2021-10-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
New Study Reveals Potential Concerns for Organizations That Depend on Evangelical Financial Support New Study Reveals Potential Long-term Concerns for Organizations That Depend on Financial Support from Evangelical Protestants



NEWS PROVIDED BY

Infinity Concepts

Oct. 28, 2021



EXPORT, Penn., Oct. 28, 2021 /



These findings come from the new report, The Generosity Factor: Evangelicals and Giving, from Grey Matter Research and Infinity Concepts. The study, which included over 1,000 American evangelical Protestants, examines how and where evangelicals give money. The study also reveals significant age differences in giving, and points to some long-term concerns for donor-supported organizations.



In the 12 months preceding the study, 74% gave to a church while 58% gave to charity. A total of 51% of evangelicals gave money to both a local church and one or more charities or ministries outside of church. Nineteen percent did not financially support either church or charity.



The study also examines evangelical generosity, defined as the total amount of money given as a proportion of household income. Evangelicals who gave to a church averaged 3.2% of household income being used for that giving, while those who gave to charity outside of church averaged 1.4% of household income being used for that purpose.



However, when all evangelical Protestants are considered (including those who didn't give at all), the averages fall quite a bit: 2.4% of household income goes to church support and 0.8% goes to charities or ministries outside of their church. That's a total of 3.2% of the typical evangelical's household income being given away to donor-supported organizations.



Beyond simple percentages and dollar amounts, the study uncovers two critical differences in giving patterns.



One of these is that almost every giving measure  generosity percentages, proportion of evangelicals who give, amounts of money given, etc.  varies dramatically according to the level of engagement evangelicals have with their faith. "There are enormous differences in giving according to how frequently evangelicals read the Bible, attend worship services, and participate in a small group," says Mark Dreistadt, Infinity Concepts Founder and President. "Just as one example, generosity levels are nearly six hundred percent higher among daily Bible readers than among evangelicals who rarely or never read the Bible."



Dreistadt notes that survey research cannot prove causality, but the connection between faith engagement and generosity is undeniable. "We cannot prove through a survey that participating in a small group or reading the Bible more often will result in higher generosity. But the correlation is so clear, strong, and consistent that it lends considerable credence to the position that people are changed in demonstrable ways when they take their faith seriously. One of those ways appears to be their generosity."



The second critical finding is that younger and older evangelicals are very different in their giving. As age increases, all measures of giving behavior increase. For example, 47% of evangelicals under age 40 gave to charity (excluding church) in the past year, compared to 69% of those 70 and older. The median dollar amount the oldest group gives away is almost double that of the youngest group. Total generosity is 5.1% among the oldest group, falling to 2.7% among the youngest group.



None of the age differences will be surprising to experienced fundraisers; for many years younger people have tended to give less, with giving increasing as they age. However, the study points out warning signs that this traditional change may not happen in the same manner for todays younger generation.



"Two factors may heavily influence this," says Ron Sellers, President of Grey Matter Research & Consulting. "One is the rise of the gig economy, which tends to bring more economic uncertainty to people who aren't always sure where and when their next income will come from. This, in turn, can affect giving. The second is that, as our study points out, younger people are far more involved than older people in direct giving, or person-to-person giving."



Sellers points to statistics in the report showing younger people are much more likely than older people to give money through financially helping a friend or family member, helping an individual stranger in need, or crowdfunding. "So the question is, if younger people do increase their giving as they age, as has traditionally been the case, will they also turn towards formal ministries and charities? Or will they just increase their direct giving?" Sellers asks.



To request a copy of the full report, please contact:



 Darrell Law, Infinity Concepts VP & Chief Growth Officer at



 Ron Sellers, President of Grey Matter Research at



Definition of "Evangelical Protestant"

This study uses the definition of "evangelical" favored by the National Association of Evangelicals. Respondents who agreed strongly with four statements about their spiritual beliefs (The Bible is the highest authority for what I believe, It is important for me to encourage non-Christians to trust Jesus Christ as their Savior, Jesus Christ's death on the cross is the only sacrifice that could remove the penalty of my sin, and Only those who trust in Jesus Christ alone as their Savior receive God's free gift of eternal salvation), and who were not aligned with a non-Protestant faith group (e.g. Catholic, Orthodox, Mormon) were included in the study.



About Grey Matter Research:

Grey Matter Research is a marketing research and consumer insights company with extensive experiencing serving both the charitable and religious sectors. The company conducts consumer insights work that helps organizations make wiser, more informed decisions based on knowledge rather than assumptions.



About Infinity Concepts:

Infinity Concepts is a brand communication agency that inspires people of faith to action through consulting, branding, fundraising, public relations, creative, traditional media, and digital media. With almost 20 years of experience, Infinity Concepts specializes in reaching and engaging the Christian audience.



SOURCE Infinity Concepts



CONTACT: Karen Hepp, 724-930-2809,



Share Tweet NEWS PROVIDED BYInfinity ConceptsOct. 28, 2021EXPORT, Penn., Oct. 28, 2021 / Christian Newswire / -- Even though giving and generosity are cornerstones of Christian doctrine, one out of every five evangelical Protestant adults in the US did not give a penny to either church or charity in the last 12 months, and half are estimated to have given away less than 1% of their income.These findings come from the new report, The Generosity Factor: Evangelicals and Giving, from Grey Matter Research and Infinity Concepts. The study, which included over 1,000 American evangelical Protestants, examines how and where evangelicals give money. The study also reveals significant age differences in giving, and points to some long-term concerns for donor-supported organizations.In the 12 months preceding the study, 74% gave to a church while 58% gave to charity. A total of 51% of evangelicals gave money to both a local church and one or more charities or ministries outside of church. Nineteen percent did not financially support either church or charity.The study also examines evangelical generosity, defined as the total amount of money given as a proportion of household income. Evangelicals who gave to a church averaged 3.2% of household income being used for that giving, while those who gave to charity outside of church averaged 1.4% of household income being used for that purpose.However, when all evangelical Protestants are considered (including those who didn't give at all), the averages fall quite a bit: 2.4% of household income goes to church support and 0.8% goes to charities or ministries outside of their church. That's a total of 3.2% of the typical evangelical's household income being given away to donor-supported organizations.Beyond simple percentages and dollar amounts, the study uncovers two critical differences in giving patterns.One of these is that almost every giving measure  generosity percentages, proportion of evangelicals who give, amounts of money given, etc.  varies dramatically according to the level of engagement evangelicals have with their faith. "There are enormous differences in giving according to how frequently evangelicals read the Bible, attend worship services, and participate in a small group," says Mark Dreistadt, Infinity Concepts Founder and President. "Just as one example, generosity levels are nearly six hundred percent higher among daily Bible readers than among evangelicals who rarely or never read the Bible."Dreistadt notes that survey research cannot prove causality, but the connection between faith engagement and generosity is undeniable. "We cannot prove through a survey that participating in a small group or reading the Bible more often will result in higher generosity. But the correlation is so clear, strong, and consistent that it lends considerable credence to the position that people are changed in demonstrable ways when they take their faith seriously. One of those ways appears to be their generosity."The second critical finding is that younger and older evangelicals are very different in their giving. As age increases, all measures of giving behavior increase. For example, 47% of evangelicals under age 40 gave to charity (excluding church) in the past year, compared to 69% of those 70 and older. The median dollar amount the oldest group gives away is almost double that of the youngest group. Total generosity is 5.1% among the oldest group, falling to 2.7% among the youngest group.None of the age differences will be surprising to experienced fundraisers; for many years younger people have tended to give less, with giving increasing as they age. However, the study points out warning signs that this traditional change may not happen in the same manner for todays younger generation."Two factors may heavily influence this," says Ron Sellers, President of Grey Matter Research & Consulting. "One is the rise of the gig economy, which tends to bring more economic uncertainty to people who aren't always sure where and when their next income will come from. This, in turn, can affect giving. The second is that, as our study points out, younger people are far more involved than older people in direct giving, or person-to-person giving."Sellers points to statistics in the report showing younger people are much more likely than older people to give money through financially helping a friend or family member, helping an individual stranger in need, or crowdfunding. "So the question is, if younger people do increase their giving as they age, as has traditionally been the case, will they also turn towards formal ministries and charities? Or will they just increase their direct giving?" Sellers asks.To request a copy of the full report, please contact: Darrell Law, Infinity Concepts VP & Chief Growth Officer at darrell@infinityconcepts.com or 724.930.2801, or Ron Sellers, President of Grey Matter Research at ron@greymatterresearch.com or 602-684-6294.Definition of "Evangelical Protestant"This study uses the definition of "evangelical" favored by the National Association of Evangelicals. Respondents who agreed strongly with four statements about their spiritual beliefs (The Bible is the highest authority for what I believe, It is important for me to encourage non-Christians to trust Jesus Christ as their Savior, Jesus Christ's death on the cross is the only sacrifice that could remove the penalty of my sin, and Only those who trust in Jesus Christ alone as their Savior receive God's free gift of eternal salvation), and who were not aligned with a non-Protestant faith group (e.g. Catholic, Orthodox, Mormon) were included in the study.Grey Matter Research is a marketing research and consumer insights company with extensive experiencing serving both the charitable and religious sectors. The company conducts consumer insights work that helps organizations make wiser, more informed decisions based on knowledge rather than assumptions.Infinity Concepts is a brand communication agency that inspires people of faith to action through consulting, branding, fundraising, public relations, creative, traditional media, and digital media. With almost 20 years of experience, Infinity Concepts specializes in reaching and engaging the Christian audience.SOURCE Infinity ConceptsCONTACT: Karen Hepp, 724-930-2809, karen@infinityconcepts.com
Q & A Is the EU-Canada free trade deal dead in the water?

Since Belgium's French-speaking region of Wallonia decided earlier this month not to back the EU-Canada free trade deal CETA, many questions about the future of CETA and the EUs ability to commit to other international trade deals have emerged.

GALLERY

Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, addresses the General Debate of the 71st Session of the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York, New York, USA, 20 September 2016.

Brussels (dpa) - The future of a landmark EU-Canada trade deal was hanging in the balance Monday, after days of last-ditch negotiations failed to resolve Belgian regional opposition to the deal.The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) is designed to ease the flow of goods between Canada and EU member states, by removing tariffs and trade barriers. Proponents argue that this will boost growth and job-creation, but opponents fear that the deal could undermine European standards and give companies undue clout.This is unlikely to be the end of the road for CETA, which has the backing of all 28 national EU governments. The deal has been hailed as the best and the most advanced that the bloc has ever negotiated with a trading partner.The European Commission signalled Monday that efforts would continue to broker an agreement, with a spokesman calling for "patience" to resolve the outstanding issues.It is thought to be difficult, but not impossible. Walloon Prime Minister Paul Magnette, who heads the Belgian region at the forefront of the blockade, considers many objections to have been resolved in recent days. Written assurances have been issued that environmental and consumer standards will not be eroded, among other things. But a key bone of contention remains the use of special arbitration courts to settle disputes between companies and governments. Some of Wallonias demands will require time to resolve.There were warnings, but nobody appears to have taken them seriously enough. The Walloon parliament had first opposed the deal back in April, its president Andre Antoine told broadcaster RTL on Monday.But many officials within the EU have treated the issue as a domestic Belgian problem which Prime Minister Charles Michel was responsible for resolving, by winning over regional governments in the highly decentralized country.The commission and member states such as Germany are also pointing the finger at one another, following a decision in July to take the unusual step of giving national and regional European parliaments a say over the deal. The commission said it caved in to pressure from member states such as Germany, Austria and France to seek a wider mandate, in an attempt to counter vocal public opposition to free trade deals such as CETA.German Minister for Economic Affairs Sigmar Gabriel, on the other hand, has accused the commission of preferring the "technocratic strong-arming of trade deals." He argues that Berlin and other capitals had merely responded to the "questions and criticism of their population."Both the commission and member states probably share some of the blame for not taking seriously enough the public opposition to CETA - and its sister deal being negotiated with the United States, known as TTIP. But Gabriel has also been accused of playing a double game by advocating CETA while criticizing TTIP.Many fear that the EU will lose its credibility as a global trading partner. The argument is that, if a trade deal is not even possible with Canada - a closely aligned country that shares many EU values - who can the bloc ever reach agreement with? Besides TTIP, this could also be a concern when it comes to Britains exit from the EU and efforts to redraft that trade relationship."Even if the blockage of the EU-Canada trade deal by the Walloon government is solved in the coming weeks, the damage is already done to EU trade policy," former EU trade spokesman and business consultant John Clancy said Monday."The events of the past few days raise profound questions about the EUs ability to fulfil one of its core functions: breaking down the barriers to help European companies do business internationally," he added.
Chinese premier calls for East Asia's economic integration

Xinhua) 08:07, October 28, 2021

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang attends the 24th ASEAN Plus China, Japan and ROK Summit via video link, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 27, 2021. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

BEIJING, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday called for advancing East Asia's regional economic integration and jointly responding to challenges on the public health, energy, food and financial fronts to promote development.

Li made the remarks in Beijing when addressing the 24th ASEAN Plus China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea (10+3) Summit via video link.

"We need to make the most of the mature mechanisms of cooperation and rich experience in crisis response, ... to boost an all-round and balanced recovery of East Asia and safeguard long-standing prosperity and stability in the region," for a more open and inclusive East Asia that enjoys sustainable development, Li said.

Li made a six-pronged proposal, including improving public health governance, deepening regional economic integration, strengthening industrial cooperation, promoting the digital economy, stimulating financial cooperation, and promoting green and sustainable growth in East Asia.

As a signature outcome of East Asian cooperation, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) will soon reach the threshold of entry into force, Li said.

"We need to hasten work for the agreement to take effect as early as possible, and continue to advance free trade and pursue higher-level integration," he said, adding that China will host capacity building programs such as personnel training and experience sharing on RCEP implementation.

In terms of public health governance, Li called for accelerating the building of the 10+3 Reserve of Medical Supplies for Public Health Emergencies to enhance the region's capacity for epidemic response.

China will host a 10+3 forum for cooperation on industrial and supply chains, Li said on East Asia's industrial cooperation.

China supports extending the ASEAN Travel Corridor Arrangement Framework to all 10+3 countries and better harnessing the existing "fast tracks" and "green lanes," he said.

On digital economy, Li said China will host the 10+3 Young Scientists Forum and other activities to help regional countries bridge the digital divide, and will step up exchanges with all parties on cyberspace governance, digital governance and cyber-security.

Li also called for increasing support and input for the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve to better protect regional food security.

Leaders attending the meeting agreed that the 10+3 cooperation mechanism has played an important role in coping with crises and promoting East Asia's regional development.

As next year will mark the 25th anniversary of 10+3 cooperation, more efforts are needed for building an East Asian community, and promoting common growth and prosperity in East Asia and the rest of the world, according to them.

A statement on cooperation on mental health among adolescents and young children was adopted at the summit.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
US risks jeopardizing improving ties with China with Blinkens Taiwan remarks

(Global Times) 08:38, October 28, 2021

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (Photo: Xinhua)

The US is burying the possibility of easing China-US tensions and even escalating tensions due to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's remarks on support for the island of Taiwan's involvement in the UN. Although the US attempt will fail eventually, China still needs to take tougher action, especially military ones, to further warn the US about how dangerous it could be if it continues to challenge China's bottom-line on the Taiwan question, experts said.

It seems like the force which wants to confront China and doesn't want to see any recovery in China-US ties has already dominated the US strategic and decision-making circle, and the force who prefers to handle China-US relations pragmatically is losing influence, said Chinese analysts.

Given the situation, the US would not get the cooperation it wants from China and will feel more pain in the areas that it believes it should compete with China, because Washington has already shown its intention to not only challenge UN Resolution 2758, but also the political foundation of China-US relations.

Blinken on Tuesday called on UN member states to support the island's "robust" participation in the UN system, according to the US State Department website.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian and the Chinese Embassy to the US have expressed strong dissatisfaction and lodged solemn representations in a statement on Wednesday, saying that the one-China principle is a widely recognized consensus among the international community and the bottom line of China's diplomatic relations with other countries, which does not allow the US' challenge and distortion.

Zhao said at a routine press conference on Wednesday that if the US insists on playing "the Taiwan card" this way, it will definitely risk China-US relations, and will seriously harm the peace and stability of the Taiwan Straits, and the interests of the US.

The Chinese Embassy in the US released a statement on Wednesday saying that the Taiwan question is not about so-called "values." By hyping them up, the US is just intentionally distorting this issue and misleading public opinion.

The Taiwan authority has been keeping its diehard position of "Taiwan secession" and adamantly refusing to recognize the "1992 Consensus". With the support and encouragement of its American boss, it is sparing no effort to expand its "international space" and go further down the path of "Taiwan secession," the embassy's statement said.

This is the biggest and real threat to peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits, and the fundamental reason why Taiwan has not been able to participate in the activities of multilateral organizations, including the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), it read.

Jin Canrong, an associate dean of the School of International Studies at the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times on Wednesday that the US is getting nervous about the latest development in the Taiwan Straits as it has seen the strong determination and strength of the Chinese mainland to solve the Taiwan question, and it might not be able to keep the Taiwan card in its hands anymore.

"So it wants to internationalize the Taiwan question, to transfer the matter from China's internal affairs to an 'international issue,' so that it could create more trouble to the process of the reunification of China," Jin said.

Yuan Zheng, deputy director of the Institute of American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Wednesday that Blinken's remarks will not just be "talking the talk," the US will take action, such as launching diplomatic offensives in the UN and relevant international organizations, to further provoke China on the Taiwan question.

The Chinese Embassy in the US said in a statement on Wednesday that "Fifty years ago, the US attempt to create 'one China, one Taiwan' or 'two Chinas' in the UN ended up a complete failure. But today, it is still emboldening and supporting 'Taiwan independence' forces and challenging international law and the basic norms governing international relations, including the one-China principle. Such efforts will be futile and doomed to fail."

China has the ability and influence in the UN and other relevant international organizations to crack down on US attempts to support the Taiwan secessionist authority to gain "international space," and the international community has broad consensus on the "one-China principle," said experts.

Only a few US allies, such as the AUKUS and Quad members, and some Eastern European countries like Lithuania, would follow Washington to provoke China if Washington really wants to launch a diplomatic battle with Beijing in the UN, and the result would be another diplomatic failure for the US and its followers, Jin said.

In the past, the US even dared not to issue any proposal or draft resolution to support the Taiwan secessionist authority in international forums like the World Health Assembly, because the US knows that the result would be a huge humiliation to the US since most countries will stand for the "one-China principle." So "Blinken's remarks show that the top diplomat of the US is trying to bite off more than he can chew," said Lu Xiang, an expert on US studies and research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Although China is capable of cracking down on US diplomatic offensives, a diplomatic response is not enough, because the Taiwan question is about China's core interest and the political foundation of China-US ties, Yuan said, stressing that China would take tougher action, including military action, to warn the US of the seriousness of provoking China's redline.

Jin said that the People's Liberation Army is likely to take more direct action in the Taiwan Straits to respond to US provocations, and the US is the one that should be blamed for further damaging regional peace and stability.

Yuan said that "if the US keeps provoking, it means the PLA's previous warnings through military drills and air patrols have been ignored. Then the PLA will need to deter the US and Taiwan secessionists in other ways, such as sending military aircraft across the island or even conduct live-fire drills around the island."

In recent days, there were some signs that the two biggest economies of the world intended to ease their tensions in some fields, such as economy and trade. These signs included the most recent video conversation between Chinese Vice Premier Liu He and US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and the release of Huawei's CFO Meng Wanzhou, who was illegally detained by Canada under US pressure.

However, Blinken's remarks are likely to bury the hope of the recovery of China-US ties and will even further escalate existing tensions, and the US won't be able to get China's cooperation in areas that it desperately needs help in, said experts.

Lu said it seems the US decision-making circle has now been divided into three parts - the force led by Blinken that wants to gain more power by making more trouble for China-US ties; the pragmatic force headed by professional economic officials like Yellen; and those who care more about the climate issue and need cooperation from China. "President Joe Biden is too weak to keep them all under control and sometimes even gets hijacked by the hardliners."

Jin said the possible recovery of China-US ties in some areas is perishing, and will get buried eventually if the US keeps provoking on the Taiwan question.

Yuan noted that as Blinken wants to cooperate, compete and confront with China when needed, "then we should let him know that there is no way the US could get cooperation from China if they cross China's redline on the Taiwan question, and the competition and confrontation will make the US feel more pain."

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Naval aviation brigade conducts air-to-ground attack training exercise

China Military Online) 08:40, October 28, 2021

A fighter jet attached to a naval aviation brigade under the PLA Northern Theater Command gets in position to take off for an air-to-ground attack training exercise on September 7, 2021. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Liu Xuhong)

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
To promote the common cause of peace and development

09:14, October 28, 2021 By He Yin ( People's Daily

Photo taken on Sept. 14, 2020 shows the outside view of the United Nations headquarters in New York, the United States. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

"We should vigorously advocate peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom, which are the common values of humanity, and work together to provide the right guiding philosophy for building a better world," said Chinese President Xi Jinping on Oct. 25.

He made the remarks when attending a conference marking the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the lawful seat of the Peoples Republic of China In the UN in Beijing. What he said fully demonstrated the major country responsibility of China.

Philosophy points direction for progress, and thoughts decide what actions shall be taken. Today's world is facing changes unseen in a century, and to build a better world is a common pursuit of all countries.

The vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind proposed by Xi has charted the course for the building of the better world. At the General Debate of the 70th Session of the UN General Assembly in September 2015, the Chinese President for the first time put forward the concept that peace, development, equality, justice, democracy and freedom are the common values of all mankind and the lofty goals of the UN.

Ever since, he has expounded on the concept on multiple important bilateral and multilateral occasions, which reflects China's commitment to and practice of the common values of all mankind. The concept mirrors the common causes, ideals and pursuits of people from across the world, and is the greatest synergy of different countries, nations and civilizations. It is more and more recognized and supported around the globe.

Peace and development are ultimate hopes of mankind, as well as a theme of today's world. Peace is like air and sunshine that benefit the world in a silent way. However, without them, the world can barely survive. To protect peace, something more precious than gold, is a responsibility that shall be taken by every country. Development holds the master key to solving all problems, and is an important premise for enhancing human wellbeing. Without development, there's no foundation for peace. The results of a country's development benefit the rest of the world when the country takes care of the reasonable concerns of other countries as it seeks its own interests, and when it promotes common development of the world through its own development.

President Xi's diplomacy reflects China's profound thinking on and practical actions of building a world that enjoys lasting peace and common prosperity.

"The sunshine of peace, development and progress will be powerful enough to penetrate the clouds of war, poverty and backwardness." "Pass on the torch of peace from generation to generation, sustain development and make civilization flourish: this is what people of all countries long for; it is also the responsibility statesmen of our generation ought to shoulder." President Xi has repeatedly showcased his broad mind to establish a world of common prosperity. He takes the aspiration for a better world of the people around the globe as a goal, and calls on all parties to promote peace and development.

The founding of the UN was a milestone in humanity's pursuit of peace and development. The restoration of China's lawful seat in the UN has made the force for world peace and development stronger than ever before.

Over the past 50 years, the Chinese people have stood in solidarity and cooperation with people around the world and upheld international equity and justice, contributing significantly to world peace and development. The commitment to the path of peaceful development made by China, a country with 1.4 billion people, as well as its efforts to pool resources and concentrate on managing its own affairs well, are indeed a major contribution made by the country to world peace and development.

The Chinese people are peace-loving people and know well the value of peace and stability. They have unswervingly followed an independent foreign policy of peace, stood firm for fairness and justice, and resolutely opposed hegemony and power politics. The Chinese people are a strong supporter of other developing countries in their just struggle to safeguard sovereignty, security and development interests. The Chinese people are committed to achieving common development. From the Tazara Railway to the Belt and Road Initiative, they have done what they could to help other developing countries, and have offered the world new opportunities through their own development.

Just as Xi stressed when meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres via video link on Oct. 25, an important experience from the 50 years of cooperation between China and the UN is that China should hold fast to the UN ideals, stay committed to multilateralism, and earnestly contribute to world peace and development.

Amidst changing international circumstances and facing frequent global challenges, all countries should take peace and development as a common cause. They need to strengthen solidarity, not create estrangement; they need to advance cooperation, not provoke conflicts.

Standing at a new starting point of history, China is willing to work with the rest of the world to vigorously advance the common values of humanity, and make greater contributions to the common cause of peace and development, and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Confucius Institute at Zambian university holds job expo to help Chinese enterprises seek local talent

Xinhua) 09:17, October 28, 2021

LUSAKA, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Confucius Institute at the University of Zambia (UNZA) on Wednesday held the fourth jobs and career expo where Chinese enterprises based in the southern African nation showcased themselves and tried to lure the local workforce, especially graduating students.

Sande Ngalande, Director of the Confucius Institute, said the institute was keen to ensure that synergy with the industry continues to exist without any disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"This is the reason we are providing such a platform we are witnessing today. The expo is a platform at which institutions of higher learning partner together with industry to provide highly skilled human resource that is needed in the companies to enhance productivity and economic growth," he said.

Grace Tembo, acting Dean of Students at the UNZA, said the expo provided a rare opportunity for job seekers to get jobs of their choice and begin new career path.

Tembo expressed the hope that the Chinese enterprises would continue to offer young people in the country job opportunities despite the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Li Tie, Managing Director of CAMCO Group, one of the enterprises participating at the fair, commended the Confucius Institute for coming up with the initiative, saying the fair was a rare opportunity for engagement networking and interaction between graduating students and potential employers.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
China an advocate, promoter and practitioner in int'l health cooperation: former WHO leader

Xinhua) 09:39, October 28, 2021

Margaret Chan Fung Fu-chun (R), former director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), speaks at a promotion conference for the health forum in Tokyo, capital of Japan, on Jan. 22, 2019.(Xinhua/Hua Yi)

Its own health system improved, China has also provided medical and health personnel, technology and training to other countries in need, Margaret Chan Fung Fu-chun, former director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO) said, noting that "China has grown from a beneficiary of global health cooperation to an active builder and contributor."

BEIJING, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- China has actively participated in global governance and promoted global health cooperation, said the former director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday in an interview with the Chinese newspaper Global Times (GT).

Margaret Chan Fung Fu-chun, from Hong Kong, China, was elected as director-general of the WHO in 2006, and has since led the response to several major global health crises including the Ebola outbreak and the Zika virus. She was in office till 2017.

Domestically, China has made "remarkable progress in deepening medical reform, health promotion and basic medical insurance," Chan told GT.

Its own health system improved, China has also provided medical and health personnel, technology and training to other countries in need, she said, noting that "China has grown from a beneficiary of global health cooperation to an active builder and contributor."

Photo taken on Aug. 14, 2021 shows "Falcon" air-inflated testing labs for COVID-19 nucleic acid testing at Yangzhou International Exhibition Center in Yangzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province. (Xinhua/Li Bo)

When asked what role China has been playing in the UN framework, Chan briefed GT about the country's actions of sending medical teams abroad, building health infrastructure overseas, and carrying out research cooperations with developing countries.

"All this shows that China has become an advocate, promoter and practitioner of international cooperation in the field of healthcare and is committed to the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," Chan said.

She also spoke highly of China's reactions to the COVID-19, adding that amid the pandemic, countries need to help each other and overcome the difficulties together to reach shared development and progress.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
Huawei presents vision for sustainable future at European Innovation Day

Xinhua) 09:41, October 28, 2021

VIENNA, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese technology giant Huawei held its annual European Innovation Day here on Wednesday. This year's focus was on sustainability, the environment, the digital economy and talent cultivation.

Titled "Innovate for a Sustainable Europe," the event provided a platform for the technology industry as well as local partners, universities, media platforms and governments to interact and exchange ideas.

Former Austrian President Heinz Fischer opened the event saying that "I hope that Huawei will make further contributions in terms of innovation and green solutions to Austria. Let's make joint efforts to contribute to a peaceful, successful and beautiful Austria and Europe."

Huawei's Senior Vice President and Board Member Catherine Chen said that "Together with our partners, we will drive green progress and push innovation to create a more sustainable Europe."

This year's edition of the European Innovation Day was the first to use 5G live streaming to broadcast for global audiences in addition to its normal keynote speeches and on-site panel discussions. The event also saw a 5G demo truck provided by Huawei that gave audiences outside the venue a hands-on experience of 5G applications like smart mining and AR (augmented reality) gaming.

At the event, Huawei showcased some of its sustainability projects. As a key promoter of digitalization within the European market over the past 20 years, Huawei also presented many promising advancements in different economic sectors, including their work deploying 5G-powered robots in hospitals in Vienna.

The event also focused on the promotion of young talent. According to Phillip Gan, president of Huawei's Central Eastern Europe and Nordic Region, the company has trained "more than 30,000 ICT (information and communication technology) professionals in Europe through its programs like "Seeds for the Future." Over the next five years, Huawei will invest about 35 million euros (40.7 million U.S. dollars) in cultivating local talent.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
China to deepen trust, communication, cooperation with Greece: FM

Xinhua) 09:42, October 28, 2021

Aerial photo taken on Feb. 15, 2019 shows the COSCO Shipping Pisces approaching Piraeus port, Greece.(Xinhua/Wu Lu)

China and Greece have the wisdom and ability to develop bilateral relations independently without being interfered, and to play a greater leading role in the unity and friendship of all countries in the world, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said.

ATHENS, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- China expects to further consolidate political mutual trust, strengthen strategic communication, and deepen practical cooperation with Greece, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during his visit to Greece.

By doing so, China and Greece will set an example for the international community of mutual respect and equal treatment between countries of different sizes, solidarity, cooperation and mutual benefit among countries with different systems, and exchanges, mutual learning and common development among countries with different cultures, Wang said during the visit at the invitation of Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias.

This will demonstrate to the international community that China and Greece are committed to developing comprehensive strategic partnership, Wang said in a written interview with Greek newspaper Ta Nea (The News).

China is confident to work with the international community to host a "simple, safe, and wonderful" Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, Wang said, adding that China welcomes Greek athletes to actively participate in the Winter Olympics.

A staff member displays the flame lantern during the welcoming ceremony for the flame of Olympic Winter Games at the Olympic Tower in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 20, 2021. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)

Wang noted that from the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Greece has been actively supporting the Olympic cooperation between the two countries and jointly opposing the politicization of sports.

As an outstanding achievement of China-Greece maritime cooperation, China's COSCO Shipping investment in Greece's Piraeus Port has become a model for China-Greece and China-EU cooperation in jointly building the Belt and Road, he said, adding that with the joint efforts of both sides, the Piraeus Port has rapidly developed into the largest port in the Mediterranean area and has made positive contributions to the economic development of Greece.

Photo taken on Nov. 7, 2019 shows the Piraeus Port in Greece. (Xinhua/Fei Maohua)

Moreover, China will accelerate the expansion of oil tanker terminals and other key projects, focus on energy conservation, emission reduction and digital construction, and continue to enhance the hub status and operational capabilities of the Piraeus Port, so as to build it into a world-class port with diversified development of both land and sea, Wang said.

As to the relations between Greece and Turkey, Wang said maintaining good relations between the two countries is conducive to regional peace and stability and conforms to the common interests of countries in the region and the international community.

It is delightful to see that both Greece and Turkey have recently expressed their willingness to resolve disputes through negotiations, Wang said, adding that China hopes that both sides will firmly grasp the general direction of promoting regional peace, stability and development, resolve historical issues and differences through dialogue and negotiations, so as to jointly boost the development and prosperity of the region.

As to the tripartite security partnership AUKUS, established recently by the United States, Britain and Australia with the plan to carry out nuclear-powered submarine cooperation, Wang stressed that this will inevitably bring about the risk of nuclear proliferation and may trigger a new round of arms race, which will cast a shadow on the peace, stability and development of the region, and cause adverse impact to shipping safety. Therefore, the international community should jointly oppose it, he added.

Both China and Greece are countries of ancient civilizations, Wang said, adding that he believes that the two countries have the wisdom and ability to develop bilateral relations independently without being interfered, and to play a greater leading role in the unity and friendship of all countries in the world.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
Xi calls for deepening relations, championing multilateralism in conversations with foreign leaders

Xinhua) 09:52, October 28, 2021

BEIJING, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated the importance of multilateralism and called for deepening bilateral relations in his phone conversations with leaders of Pakistan, Papua New Guinea (PNG) and France on Tuesday respectively.

The following are some highlights of their phone talks:

DEEPENING BILATERAL RELATIONS

In his phone conversation with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, Xi said the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, with more sources of turbulence and risks around the world.

Under the new circumstances, he called on the two countries to stand together even more firmly and push forward the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership between the two sides, and build a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era.

Xi stressed that China supports Pakistan in exploring a development path suited to its own national conditions and is willing to share China's high-quality development opportunities with Pakistan.

The two sides should maintain close strategic communication, further synergize development strategies and enhance the sharing of experience on governance, Xi noted.

In his conversation with James Marape, prime minister of PNG, Xi said that the Chinese side stands ready to work with PNG to build a community with a shared future for China and Pacific island nations.

Xi noted that PNG has important influence in the Pacific islands region, and China would like to join hands with the country to maintain the general direction of bilateral friendly cooperation.

The relationship between China and PNG has become a role model of peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation among countries of different sizes and different social systems, Xi said.

China firmly supports PNG in taking a development path that suits its national conditions and is willing to work with PNG to push bilateral relations to a higher level, he added.

During his talk with French President Emmanuel Macron, Xi stressed that the multiple major international events of late have once again demonstrated that France is correct in advocating the strategic autonomy of the European Union (EU).

China and the EU, he said, need to continue high-level communication and dialogue, enhance mutual understanding and trust, and reduce misunderstandings and misjudgments.

The two sides also should properly manage differences, and strengthen political guidance for China-EU ties, so as to ensure steady and sustained development of bilateral relations, he added.

PROMOTING PRACTICAL COOPERATION

When speaking with the Pakistani prime minister, Xi said that China will continue to support Pakistan in its fight against COVID-19, jointly build the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor with high quality and strengthen their cooperation in such fields as agriculture, digital economy and people's livelihood.

China will continue to unleash the positive effects of the corridor in promoting growth and improving people's well-being, he said, noting that the two sides should also strengthen counter-terrorism and security cooperation.

In the conversation with Marape, Xi said that the Chinese side is willing to continue to provide PNG with economic and technical assistance with no political conditions attached, and provide various support for PNG in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The two sides should work together to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in areas such as poverty reduction, resource protection and utilization, and promote cooperation in the joint construction of the Belt and Road to reap more fruits, he noted.

Talking with his French counterpart, Xi stressed that China and France, on condition of effective epidemic prevention and control, should advance relevant cooperation, consolidate cooperation in such traditional areas as civil nuclear energy, aviation and aerospace, and expand cooperation in such new fields as artificial intelligence, biopharmacy and ocean affairs.

China, Xi said, is ready to work with France to continue cooperation on biodiversity conservation, deepen green cooperation, implement the Global Development Initiative, and carry out tripartite cooperation in Africa and other regions.

China and France also need to support each other in hosting the Beijing Winter Olympics and the Paris Olympics, he added.

Xi also suggested that the two sides focus on the needs of their enterprises and people, further tap their cooperation potential in such areas as connectivity, digital technology, environmental protection, scientific and technological innovation and health care, and expand the scope of China-EU cooperation.

PRACTICING GENUINE MULTILATERALISM

When talking with Khan, Xi said that China is ready to work with Pakistan to enhance multilateral coordination, practice genuine multilateralism and promote international equity and justice, so as to safeguard common interests and safeguard world peace and stability.

In his conversation with the PNG prime minister, Xi said that the two sides should strengthen coordination and cooperation on international and multilateral occasions, deal with challenges such as climate change, actively carry out the Global Development Initiative, stick to true multilateralism, and safeguard international equity and justice, as well as the common interests of developing countries.

During the talk with the French president, Xi said that since last year, he and Macron have maintained contact in various ways, and the important consensuses they reached on bilateral relations are being effectively implemented with important progress already made.

Noting that the international situation is changing rapidly, he said he and Macron maintaining timely communication and coordination on major issues will help maintain the direction of the China-France relationship and inject more stability into the world.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
Top legislator calls for further developing China-Ireland ties

Xinhua) 09:52, October 28, 2021

Li Zhanshu, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, holds talks with Sean O Fearghail, speaker of the lower house of the Irish parliament, via video link, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 27, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

BEIJING, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Li Zhanshu, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, on Wednesday met with Sean O Fearghail, speaker of the lower house of the Irish parliament, via video link.

Li spoke highly of stable and smooth development of the China-Ireland mutually beneficial strategic partnership, and cooperation outcomes in economy, trade, investment, agriculture, and people-to-people exchanges.

Calling for greater high-level exchanges to enhance mutual political trust, Li said issues related to Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan concern China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and serve as the cornerstone for the sound development of bilateral ties.

He also called on the two sides to tap into the potential of the economic and trade ties, and leverage mechanisms such as China-Ireland technological innovation joint commission, and platforms such as the China International Import Expo and the China International Fair for Trade in Services for more cooperation outcomes.

On people-to-people exchanges, Li said China welcomes Ireland's participation in the Beijing Winter Olympics. He also urged the two countries to uphold true multilateralism and step up cooperation in the COVID-19 response.

The NPC is willing to strengthen friendly exchanges with the Irish parliament. The two sides should maintain close communication to ratify, amend, and roll out legal documents that are conducive to bilateral relations development, Li said.

Noting Ireland attaches great significance to developing ties with China, O Fearghail said the Irish parliament is willing to enhance cooperation with the NPC to benefit the two countries' cooperation in trade, agriculture, culture, education and other fields.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
Chinese provinces raise old-age pension payment standard: ministry

Xinhua) 09:57, October 28, 2021

BEIJING, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- More than half of China's provincial-level regions have increased the payment standard for basic old-age pensions for urban and rural residents, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security said on Wednesday.

According to the ministry, a total of 16 provincial-level regions in China have raised the payment standard, with a maximum rise of 100 yuan (15.7 U.S. dollars) per month in some regions, covering more than 72 million elderly people.

A rise in the standard means that those who are insured will receive a bigger pension every month, said the ministry.

As of the end of 2020, there were over 542 million people in China participating in the basic old-age insurance scheme, most of whom were rural residents.

In the next five years, China will continue to enhance the payment level step by step to safeguard people's livelihoods, according to the ministry.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
China, Brunei call for RCEP's early entry into force

Xinhua) 10:01, October 28, 2021

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang attends the 24th ASEAN Plus China, Japan and ROK Summit via video link, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 27, 2021. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling)

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of China and Brunei on Wednesday called for bringing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) into force at an early date.

They made the remarks at the virtual 24th ASEAN Plus Three leaders' meeting between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and China, Japan and South Korea.

Signed on Nov. 15, 2020, the RCEP is a mega trade deal between the 10 ASEAN member states and ASEAN's five free trade agreement partners, namely China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said at the meeting Wednesday that the RCEP will arrive at a threshold of entry into force soon, and the countries need to speed up their work for it to take effect as early as possible.

The countries also need to continue to advance free trade and pursue higher-level integration, Li said.

Brunei's Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah expressed the view at the meeting that the timely entry into force and implementation of the RCEP agreement will accelerate regional economic recovery efforts, according to a statement from the Brunei government.

China, the world's second-largest economy, completed procedures of the RCEP ratification in April this year. Brunei ratified the agreement earlier this month, becoming the sixth signatory to ratify the RCEP, after Thailand, Singapore, China, Japan and Cambodia.

RCEP signatories have expressed the intention of ratifying the agreement before the end of this year for its entry into force from Jan. 1, 2022.

The ratification by at least six of the 10 ASEAN signatories and three of the five non-ASEAN signatories is needed for the trade deal to take effect.

Once in effect, the deal will eliminate tariffs on as much as 90 percent of goods traded between its signatories over the next 20 years.

Established in 1967, ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Brunei is the ASEAN chair for 2021.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
Xinjiang willing to cooperate on anti-terrorism with China's neighbors: spokesperson

Xinhua) 10:13, October 28, 2021

URUMQI, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is willing to engage in anti-terrorism cooperation with China's neighboring countries, Xu Guixiang, a spokesperson with the regional government, said Tuesday.

Xu made the remarks during a video conference jointly held by the regional government and the Chinese Embassy in India.

Xinjiang has taken a series of resolute and effective measures to crack down on terrorism and extremism, and will actively cooperate with China's neighboring countries in this regard in the future, Xu told Indian participants at the conference.

"Xinjiang is at the forefront of China's fight against terrorism and extremism. We are willing to strengthen the exchange of information with China's neighboring countries and jointly safeguard regional security," Xu said, while stressing that Xinjiang is resolute in combating any forces that dare to threaten the region's stability and the lives and property of its people.

The spokesperson also welcomed people from all countries, including India, to visit Xinjiang to see for themselves the real situation there, saying that "the door to Xinjiang is always open."

Elijan Anayat, another spokesperson for the regional government, noted that India is a major trading partner of Xinjiang and the region's import volume from India increased by 14 percent last year despite the impact of the pandemic.

"Xinjiang is willing to strengthen cooperation with India to bring benefits to the people of both sides and achieve mutually beneficial and win-win results," said Elijan Anayat.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
Commentary: One-China principle non-negotiable

Xinhua) 10:21, October 28, 2021

Photo taken on July 21, 2019 from Xiangshan Mountain shows the Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, southeast China's Taiwan. (Xinhua/Zhu Xiang)

Beijing takes a consistent and clear stand on Taiwan-related issues. There is no room for compromise or concessions when it comes to China's core interests. China and its people have a strong determination, will and capacity when it comes to safeguarding the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

BEIJING, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Washington has recently been seeking every possible opportunity to blatantly challenge the one-China principle. The latest political stunt is shouting support for the Taiwan region's participation in the United Nations (UN) system.

In a statement on Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken tried to sell preposterous rhetoric claiming Taiwan's participation is "not a political issue," and that the Chinese island is excluded from the global community.

Such remarks are an intentional distortion of the status of Taiwan, a highly sensitive and critical issue in China-U.S. relations, as well as a flagrant provocation against international law and basic norms governing international relations, including the universally acknowledged one-China principle.

Resolution 2758 adopted by the UN General Assembly 50 years ago has solved the issue of China's UN representation in political, legal and procedural terms once and for all. So far, a total of 180 countries, including the United States, have established diplomatic ties with China on the basis of adhering to the principle.

The national flag of People's Republic of China is seen at the United Nations headquarters in New York, Oct. 25, 2016. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

It is a global consensus that there is only one China in the world, and the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China.

In the three China-U.S. joint communiques, the most fundamental documents that have guided the relationship of the two major countries, Washington has acknowledged that "there is but one China and Taiwan is part of China," and reiterated that "it has no intention of infringing on Chinese sovereignty and territorial integrity, or interfering in China's internal affairs."

What Washington has done recently has betrayed its promise and tarnished its political credibility. The reason behind the toxic Taiwan stunt is to disrupt China's efforts in reunification and development.

Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, and Taiwan-related issues are a matter of China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, which concern the country's core interests. Thus, Taiwan's involvement in the UN is a serious political issue, and not about "values," as Blinken has claimed.

As a province of China, Taiwan is not qualified at all to become a member of the UN, an inter-governmental organization that only allows sovereign states to join.

A train runs on the Pingtan Strait Road-rail Bridge of Fuzhou-Pingtan railway in southeast China's Fujian Province on Dec. 26, 2020.(Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan)

But this does not mean that Taiwan is excluded from the activities of the international community. On the basis of abiding by the one-China principle, the island enjoys free access to information from the International Civil Aviation Organization, and its medical and public health experts can attend technical meetings of the World Health Organization.

For years, Washington has been making waves on the Taiwan question with such actions as selling weapons and sending officials to the island for visits. Those provocative moves have seriously undermined the two countries' political foundation and poisoned bilateral relations.

Beijing takes a consistent and clear stand on Taiwan-related issues. There is no room for compromise or concessions when it comes to China's core interests. China and its people have a strong determination, will and capacity when it comes to safeguarding the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Washington should stop colluding with separatist forces in Taiwan and bragging about "Taiwan's independence" as soon as possible. Any attempts to violate the one-China principle and split the Asian country will end in complete failure.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
China to defer tax payment for manufacturing SMEs

Xinhua) 10:23, October 28, 2021

Employees assemble products in Quzhou County, Handan City of north China's Hebei Province, Dec. 15, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhu Xudong)

BEIJING, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- China will defer tax payment for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the manufacturing sector to ease the impact of rising costs, a State Council executive meeting decided on Wednesday.

The decision would in effect defer around 200 billion yuan (31.32 billion U.S. dollars) of tax payment for manufacturing SMEs, the meeting said.

The meeting also decided to defer tax payment of around 17 billion yuan for coal-fired power companies and heating firms to ease their operating difficulties.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
S China's Haikou sees bee-eater population rise from 26 to 72 in four years

People's Daily Online) 11:22, October 28, 2021

Four bee-eaters perching on a branch. (Photo/Li Chuanshi)

A record 72 bee-eaters were recently counted at Wuyuanhe National Wetland Park in Haikou, capital of south China's Hainan province, an increase from 26 as recorded in 2018, thanks to local authorities' continuous efforts in environmental protection.

The species is a second-class protected animal in China. As reported, blue-tailed bee-eaters and blue-throated bee-eaters will come to southern China to breed during the summertime and then migrate to Southeast Asia during the winter.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
China's economy to grow despite anti-China media hype: Gulf News

Xinhua) 13:18, October 28, 2021

Workers weld at a workshop of an automobile manufacturing enterprise in Qingzhou City, east China's Shandong Province, Feb. 28, 2021. (Photo by Wang Jilin/Xinhua)

DUBAI, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- China's economy is likely to continue experiencing its ebb and flow, but "ultimately growth in the foreseeable future," Gulf News said in an opinion article published on Tuesday.

Anti-China media hype and propaganda are a double-edged sword, Ramzy Baroud, a journalist and editor to Gulf News which is headquartered in Dubai, wrote in the article.

Baroud said that while Western media coverage, which habitually portrays China in a bad light, benefits greatly from downgrading China's status, Western economies will be the first to pay the price should China enter a long-term economic slow down.

A China-Europe freight train prepares to leave Xi'an International Port for Kazakhstan in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, April 13, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Yibo)

In his opinion, biased Western media coverage is motivated by politics, not decipherable truth. "The centrality of China as the main fuel of global economic growth presents the West with an impossible dilemma. On the one hand, the Western powers want to ensure that China does not enhance its global political power while, on the other hand, they continue to rely on the Chinese economic miracle to keep their own economies afloat."

The Chinese economy is closely intertwined with the global economy. "The saying 'if China sneezes, the world catches a cold' has never been truer," the author of five books said.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
Chinese envoy calls for efforts to create conditions for political process in Syria

Xinhua) 13:23, October 28, 2021

UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Wednesday called on parties in Syria and parties that have influence to create conditions for the political process in the country.

China welcomes the holding of the sixth round of the Constitutional Committee on schedule and notes that it did not achieve the expected results, said Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.

Syria continues to suffer from foreign occupation, unilateral sanctions and terrorism, and there is a serious lack of political mutual trust among parties in Syria, Geng said.

The future and destiny of the country are not entirely in the hands of the Syrian people, and therefore, it is not surprising that the Constitutional Committee has encountered difficulties and hiccups in its work, he said.

The UN special envoy on Syria has called on all parties in Syria to reach an understanding on how to advance the drafting of the constitution. China asks all parties to engage constructively with the special envoy on this, he told the Security Council.

All parties in Syria and the parties that have influence on Syria should take practical measures to follow the Syrian-led and Syrian-owned principle and carry out active cooperation and gradually build up mutual trust so as to create conditions for the political process, lend substantive support to the work of the special envoy and jointly promote the implementation of Security Council Resolution 2254, he said.

Last week saw a terrorist attack in Damascus that caused casualties. China opposes terrorism in all its manifestations, and supports the Syrian government's anti-terrorism efforts. Terrorism is a scourge against humanity. The Security Council should send a consistent and clear signal to the terrorist forces in Syria and reject double standards, said Geng.

The humanitarian situation in Syria is deeply worrying. As winter approaches, Syria's humanitarian needs will further rise. The international community must pay equal attention to humanitarian assistance and economic reconstruction and use a multi-prong approach to help the Syrian people cope with multiple challenges, he said.

China appreciates the large-scale humanitarian relief operations in Syria carried out by the World Food Programme (WFP), the World Health Organization, the UN Children's Fund and other agencies, Geng said.

On Aug. 31, the WFP made a cross-line humanitarian delivery to Idlib from Aleppo for the first time, which was a major breakthrough, he said. China hopes that all parties concerned will work together to develop a plan for inter-agency cross-line operations in Northwest Syria, he added.

China also welcomes the fact that various UN agencies have carried out early recovery and livelihood projects in Syria, repaired infrastructure, cleaned up ruins, and provided training and job opportunities for the Syrian people, he said.

Recently, Syria has cooperated with Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon on natural gas. China encourages regional countries to enhance interaction and mutual assistance to jointly improve the regional, economic and humanitarian situation, he said.

It must be pointed out that unilateral sanctions have exacerbated the economic and humanitarian crisis in Syria and run counter to the international community's efforts and must therefore be lifted immediately, he said.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
China's express industry promotes green delivery ahead of Singles' Day shopping spree

Xinhua) 15:25, October 28, 2021

HANGZHOU, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- China Express Association has called for green delivery ahead of this year's Singles' Day shopping festival, also known as the Double 11.

China's leading courier companies including Alibaba's logistics arm Cainiao Network are taking steps to reduce waste and pollution caused by the logistics industry.

Cainiao uses big data and artificial intelligence to reduce overpackaging. Its 60,000 courier stations are encouraging 100 million consumers to recycle and reuse parcel boxes.

The Singles' Day shopping spree, first designed by Alibaba's e-commerce platform on Nov. 11 in 2009, has now become one of the largest online shopping sprees worldwide.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
Chinese Ambassador bids farewell to Australia as tenure completes

Xinhua) 15:48, October 28, 2021

CANBERRA, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to Australia Cheng Jingye has bid farewell to people from political circle, business, academia, local governments, diplomatic missions and overseas Chinese community before completing his tour of duty.

Through meetings, phone calls and correspondence, he extended his gratitude for their support and assistance during his more than five years' term, and expressed appreciation for their efforts and contributions to promoting China-Australia friendship and cooperation, said a statement from the Chinese Embassy in Australia on Thursday.

He emphasized that a sound and stable China-Australia relationship serves the fundamental interests of both countries and peoples.

The current difficult situation facing China-Australia relations is saddening, Cheng said.

It is hoped that the Australian side will work in the same direction with the Chinese side on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, so as to overcome the difficulties and make joint efforts to bring the bilateral relations back to the right track as soon as possible, he noted.

The Chinese ambassador also thanked the overseas Chinese living in Australia for their efforts to facilitate exchanges and cooperation between China and Australia, building a bridge of friendship between both peoples.

He wished that they could continue to be participants, builders and promoters of China-Australia relations and inject more positive energy into the bilateral relations.

Cheng arrived in Australia in 2016.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
Rural county in east China plants seeds of music for its young students

People's Daily Online) 17:05, October 28, 2021

High-quality music education has become accessible even in the remotest village after a campaign to popularize the harmonica was kicked off in Funan county, Fuyang city in east Chinas Anhui province.

Students are in the middle of a rehearsal at a primary school in Funan county, Fuyang city, east Chinas Anhui province. (Peoples Daily Online/Miao Zijian)

To help students cultivate an interest in arts and improve their artistic literacy, Funan county has required that all primary and middle schools teach students the harmonica as a compulsory course starting in September 2020, the melodious musical instrument being an affordable choice for students living in rural areas. The local government even held training sessions for music teachers and invited experts to offer courses on the harmonica before officially launching the campaign.

At a primary school in Laoguan township, students were recently rehearsing the song Dance of the Golden Snake with the guidance of their teacher.

Last September, all seven primary schools in our township opened harmonica lessons and we gave each of the students a harmonica for free so that they could learn the instrument in the most convenient way they could. Our school also established a harmonica interest club for students who wanted to learn in-depth and systematic knowledge about the harmonica, said Ren Peng, the principal of a local primary school.

Students learn to play harmonica at a primary school in Funan county, Fuyang city, east Chinas Anhui province. (Peoples Daily Online/Miao Zijian)

Dance of the Golden Snake is a fast song with quite a lot of key changes. Whats more, since different musical instruments are used throughout the song, the song is challenging for the students to play. But through repeated rehearsals, the students were able to know more about the harmonica during the process and were doing better and better, said Liu Mengqing, a music teacher who teaches harmonica to primary and middle school students in Laoguan township.

In the past, the music education offered by rural schools in Funan focused only on singing and dancing lessons. The harmonica lessons have aroused the interest of the students and brought positive changes to them.

Students in the middle of a rehearsal at a middle school in Funan county, Fuyang city, east Chinas Anhui province. (Peoples Daily Online/Miao Zijian)

At a middle school in Dicheng township, 90 percent of the schools total student body, or some 232 students in all, are left-behind children. Some students suffer from mental health problems. We also found that it was difficult for them to catch up with their studies and become more self-disciplined. But since the harmonica lessons were launched, we saw that the students had developed a better version of themselves, said Wang Peng, the principal of a local middle school.

A teacher teaches students how to play harmonica at a middle school in Funan county, Fuyang city, east Chinas Anhui province. (Peoples Daily Online/Miao Zijian)

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
President discusses bilateral relations with Equatorial Guinean, Uzbek leaders President Xi Jinping said in a telephone conversation with Equatorial Guinean President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo on Wednesday that China and Africa should strengthen solidarity and closely work with and support each other in maintaining the shared interests of developing countries. China welcomes Equatorial Guinea to join the Global Development Initiative and stands ready to work with all African countries to achieve the sustainable and common progress of developing nations, he said. The initiative, proposed by Xi last month at the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly via video link, is a public good and platform for cooperation that China is providing to the world to jointly address global threats and challenges to build a better world for all. Xi said China-Equatorial Guinea bilateral ties have been at a high level in recent years and China highly appreciates Equatorial Guinea's strong support on issues related to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang and human rights. China will firmly support the African country in safeguarding its national sovereignty, continue to assist it with COVID-19 vaccines and provide the best possible support for its economic and social development, he said. As this year marks the 50th anniversary of China sending its first medical team to Equatorial Guinea, Obiang said that the government and people of his country sincerely thank the Chinese medical teams for protecting people's health. Equatorial Guinea supports and will actively participate in the Belt and Road Initiative as well as the Global Development Initiative, he said. Xi also had a phone conversation with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on Wednesday, after sending him a message on Monday congratulating him on his reelection. Xi said that China will help Uzbekistan build a regional production center of COVID-19 vaccines as part of efforts to deepen bilateral cooperation in fighting the pandemic. He urged the two countries to better align their policies for all-around cooperation and expand trade and investment in areas such as digital finance and cross-border e-commerce. China and Uzbekistan should improve their level of interconnectivity and support their enterprises to continue to carry out cooperation in the oil and gas sector, Xi said. The president also called on the two countries to strengthen cooperation in the law enforcement and security fields to maintain the safety and stability of both countries and the whole region. As next year will mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Uzbekistan, Xi urged the two countries to seize opportunities at the new starting point and strive for more concrete achievements from cooperation to benefit their peoples. Mirziyoyev said he highly praised the people-centered philosophy and the Global Development Initiative proposed by Xi and will learn from China's experience in governance. He also said that his country firmly supports China's position on issues that concern its core interests and opposes attempts to politicize the study of the origins of COVID-19.


China will take action to further curb coal consumption in the years to come as the latest move of the country's concerted efforts to bring carbon emissions to a peak by 2030, according to a plan issued by State Council, the country's Cabinet. The plan unveiled on Tuesday said China will "speed up the pace in cutting coal consumption, strictly and rationally limit the increase in coal consumption during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25) and phase it down during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30)". To achieve the goal, China vowed to promote use of alternative energy sources and spur an industrial upgrade in the coal sector, according to the document. The country will place severe restrictions on new coal-fired power projects, urge newly constructed generation units to reach an advanced level in meeting coal consumption standards on a global scale, phase out outdated coal power capacity, and promote an upgrade to generation units currently in operation to make them more energy-efficient, it said. Other measures will include strictly restricting cross-regional transportation of coal-fired power, encouraging less coal use in energy-intensive industries, promoting eco-friendly coal use, and gradually banning coal burning in sections including residential life, agricultural production, and catering, the action plan said. The plan came as coal supplies had shown signs of picking up under the government's efforts to ramp up output to ensure power and heating demand during the upcoming winter. Experts said coal still plays an important role in ensuring energy supply although going forward, it will take up a smaller part in China's energy structure with rapidly developing new energy sources. Coal will eventually transit into a role of power source that is for ensuring basic energy needs and systematic adjustment in the process of power generation, while new energies will become more essential in guaranteeing energy supplies, experts said. In order to achieve the goal, it is important for energy-intensive industries to have structural adjustments and cut capacity. Government should also take steps to promote low-carbon transition in the coal industry, encourage development of a circular economy, and step up development of tertiary industries, they added. "Currently fast development of industries creates big demand for power, and coal-fired power generation takes up about 65 percent of the total power generated. Taking down proportion of coal in China's energy structure while ensuring energy supplies to both livelihood and industries needs long-term efforts," said Lin Boqiang, head of the China Institute for Studies in Energy Policy at Xiamen University in Fujian province. At present, China is working on price mechanisms on coal and power to balance demand and supply. "Given that coal-fired power generation still takes up a big part of China's current energy mix, how to promote green transformation of the coal-fired power industry will become an area of focus for development in the short term," Lin said. Wu Lixin, assistant to general manager of the Coal Industry Planning Institute of China Coal Technology and Engineering Group, said companies in the coal-fired power sector are already taking measures, such as phasing out outdated capacity, adopting technology-led production procedures, and innovative technologies to reduce carbon emissions, in order to switch to a greener path of development. "Meanwhile, it is important to manage power use in energy-intensive industries such as steel and aluminum, and encourage energy-efficiency technology development in those sectors in the short- and medium-term," Lin said. "While in the long run, new energies and circular economies will see opportunities of growth as China is taking measures to optimize its energy mix with the most recent being encouraging construction of large-scale wind and solar bases in deserts," he added.


By Jun Sheng

The nuclear-powered submarine USS Connecticut recently had a collision incident, but the US military deliberately concealed the details of the incident and delayed the release of relevant information, with only a very vague and short statement released five days after the incident. An anonymous US naval officer confirmed later that the incident happened in the South China Sea.

Sending advanced attack weapons to the doorstep of another country, the US is once again demonstrating its ingrained hegemony to the fullest. The USS Connecticut is one of the three Seawolf-class fast-attack submarines currently serving in the US Navy, boasting the strongest combat force and highest sensitivity. The term attack explains its purpose.

The collision incident reflects the bellicose genes running in the blood of American politicians. According to the statistics of some research institutes, in its history of more than 240 years since America gained independence in 1776, there have been less than 20 years when the country didnt engage in a war. What calls for special attention is that the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 approved by the House of Representatives in September this year will provide the US military with a budget of about USD 778 billion, an increase of USD 25 billion compared with the previous budget proposed by the Biden administration. Being the country hit hardest by COVID-19, the US has done little to fight against the virus, recover the economy and guarantee livelihood, but has nodded to all requests for military spending, which fully reveals its militant nature.

The collision incident reflects Americas addiction to meddling in other countries affairs. The US has a history of resorting to all hooks and crooks in order to maintain and consolidate its hegemony and domination. After the end of the Cold War, it began to interfere in other countries more unscrupulously by exporting Color Revolution to one country after another and leaving them in chaos and ruins. Because of its interference, many countries in Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Western Asia and North Africa are still struggling in political turmoil and their people suffering in the abyss of misery. In his book, Americas Deadliest Export: Democracy, William Blum said the US has tried to overthrow more than 50 foreign governments since the end of WWII, most of which are elected. It has grossly interfered in the democratic election of at least 30 countries and attempted to assassinate about 50 foreign leaders.

Shortly before the collision incident of the USS Connecticut nuclear-powered submarine, the US, Britain and Australia announced to form AUKUS, a trilateral security partnership, under which the US and Britain will help the Australian navy build a nuclear-powered submarine force. Furthermore, the US will also export to Australia the Tomahawk cruise missile that can carry nuclear warheads. These moves seriously violate the spirit of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, send shock waves through the international nuclear non-proliferation system, sabotage the efforts to build a nuclear-free zone in Southeast Asia, and challenge regional security.

Countless facts are telling the world that the US is the No.1 source of the mounting instability and uncertainties in the world today, the egregious saboteur of international rules and world order, and the biggest disruptor of world peace. The USS Connecticut incident is a new reminder that the world should stay on high alert against the US thats obsessed with war and addicted to interference.
The 5th session of Beijing Xiangshan Forum Webinar 2021 (Photo by Li Wei)

By Li Wei

BEIJING, Oct. 28 -- The 5th session of Beijing Xiangshan Forum Webinar 2021 was held on the evening of October 26 around the topic of Strategic Stability: Impasse and Way Out, in which the establishment of the so-called trilateral security partnership, AUKUS, by the US, Britain and Australia and their nuclear submarine cooperation were heatedly discussed.

Fan Jishe, a researcher with the International Strategic Research Institute at the Party School of the Central Committee of CPC, took the so-called trilateral security partnership as a serious shock to the existing international nuclear order and advised the three countries to think twice before making the leap.

Richard Tanter, Senior Research Associate at Australias Nautilus Institute, said the three-state nuclear submarine cooperation may trigger greater concerns of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Jean-Louis Lozier, an advisor at the Security Studies Center of the French Institute of International Relations, said it will likely be emulated by other non-nuclear states in the region.

"The AUKUS created a bad precedent of nuclear states transferring nuclear submarine reactor technology and weapon-grade nuclear materials to non-nuclear states," said Yu Xiaopeng, a researcher with the PLA Academy of Military Sciences. He also pointed out that some countries and regional organizations, including Malaysia, Indonesia and ASEAN, have voiced serious concerns and dissatisfaction with the move.

Participating experts in the auditoria also felt deeply about the speeches made by the representatives and shared their views when interviewed after the session.

Liu Lin, an associate researcher with the PLA Academy of Military Sciences, analyzing from the perspective of middle and small countries, believed that the AUKUS goes against the nuclear non-proliferation mechanism and will pose a challenge to the non-nuclear zone in Southeast Asia. She said that ASEAN has been trying to play a central role in regional security cooperation, but the clique-style multilateral mechanism among the US, Britain and Australia declared that major powers like Britain and the US are more reliant on their own alliance mechanism when tackling regional security issues, which will undoubtedly undermine the ASEAN-led regional security architecture among the Southeast Asian countries.

Ruan Zongze, executive vice president of the China Institute of International Studies, is receiving an interview from the China Military Online. (Photo by Yang Shuai)

According to Ruan Zongze, executive vice president of the China Institute of International Studies, the nuclear non-proliferation system that the international community has worked hard to establish in the past few decades may be subverted by the US and its new trilateral deal. The three-state alliance presumes imaginary enemies and invests resources in confronting with them, which is the embodiment of Cold War mentality. The world today is facing more and more non-traditional security issues, so all countries should work hand in hand to cope with those challenges, but the formation of the US-led military clique exposes the superpowers unilateral and narrow-minded security outlook.

Tong Zhen, an associate researcher at the PLA Academy of Military Sciences, emphasized that the so-called new security partnership of the US, Britain and Australia is essentially a new military bloc under Americas lead that aims at uniting with allies to target the so-called strategic competitors. While the US and Britain are banning Iran and other countries from developing nuclear weapons, they are exporting nuclear submarines and transferring nuclear technologies to their allies. This fully exposes their practice of double standards on nuclear non-proliferation.

Zhao Xiaozhuo, deputy director of the Secretariat of Beijing Xiangshan Forum, pointed out that the three countries actually each had their own calculations although they seemed on the same page about the nuclear submarine cooperation. The US urgently needs a military platform to stand on the forefront of containing and confronting China, Australia is eager to play a bigger role in regional affairs, while the post-Brexit Britain dreams of reliving the past colonial glory in the Asia-Pacific region.
BEIJING, Oct. 28 -- The 7th meeting of China-Laos Military Cooperation/Coordination Committee was held via video link on October 28, 2021. The two sides exchanged in-depth views on military exchanges and cooperation, regional security situation and other issues of common concern during the meeting.

Both sides agreed that the two armed forces should earnestly implement important consensus reached by leaders of two countries and the two militaries, further enhance high-level exchanges, expand practical cooperation, and strengthen multilateral coordination, so as to promote the sustained and in-depth development of the relations between the two militaries, and make positive contributions to the development of China-Laos comprehensive strategic cooperation partnership.
The Chinese military urged the United States to provide a "thorough and satisfying" explanation for the recent nuclear submarine collision in the South China Sea, the Ministry of National Defense said on Thursday.

On Oct 2, the USS Connecticut, a Seawolf-class nuclear-powered submarine belonging to the US Navy, was reported to have collided with an "unknown object" in the South China Sea. The incident injured 11 crew. The damaged submarine is currently at the US naval base in Guam for assessment and repair.

Senior Colonel Tan Kefei, a ministry spokesman, said the "US should seriously address the concerns of various parties, be responsible and provide a thorough and satisfying explanation of the incident as soon as possible to the international community and countries in the region."

In a previous statement on Oct 19, Tan said the Chinese military expressed "grave concern" over the incident, and demanded an explanation from the US.

"For years, the US military has been dispatching aircraft carriers, strategic bombers, nuclear submarines and other advanced military hardware to the South China Sea to flex muscle and cause trouble under the pretense of the of navigation and flight," he said.

Tan said this was the root cause of the incident, and these actions would inevitably affect navigational safety in the South China Sea, and become a source of concern and anxiety for countries in the area.

The US should stop its close-up reconnaissance around China's islands and adjacent waters in the South China Sea, as well as halt military deployment in the region targeting China, he said. It should also stop conducting so-called "freedom of navigation" missions in the area.

Tan said the US military has deliberately delayed and covered-up the details of the incident. The incident occurred on Oct 2, but a short and ambiguous statement wasn't released until five days later.

This irresponsible, cagey action demonstrates a lack of transparency that can easily lead to misunderstanding and miscalculation, he said. China and other countries in the South China Sea have no choice but to question the details of the incident and US intentions.
Sport utility vehicles or recreational vehicles account for more than half of Hyundai and affiliate Kia's sales so far this year.

They sold a combined 157,488 cars in Korea in January and February, and about 52 percent of them, or 81,938 cars, were SUVs. They saw a sharp increase in sales of their flagship SUV models, headed by Carnival (14,196), Tucson (12,602) and Sorento (12,425).

Additionally, Hyundai's premium brand Genesis released its luxurious SUV lineup including the GV70 and GV80, and they are selling well.


Last Friday, 149 out of 249 stores along a 1.2-km strip were clearly empty, which translates into a vacancy rate of around 60 percent and is even worse than the 38 percent in the first quarter of this year estimated by the Korea Real Estate Board.

Just two years ago, Myeong-dong was dotted with posters and signs welcoming Chinese tourists, while hawkers learned Chinese and Japanese to attract customers. But now two out of three stores are empty and "for rent" signs have replaced the banners welcoming tourists.

Store owners who have been doing business there for 30 to 40 years say the coronavirus pandemic is not the only reason that the area is turning into a ghost town.

Seoul's downtown shopping district of Myeong-dong is on a sharp decline. Gone are the days when the glitzy storefronts and bustling stalls in the prime shopping area attracted people of all ages.

One 53-year-old worker who was busy removing merchandise from a shuttered store said, "Stores that closed temporarily while their leases were still running are moving out now they're expiring. I never imaged that such a bustling shopping district would end up like this."

Myeong-dong was hit harder than other areas when tourism ground to a halt because it had focused solely on the tourist market. Kim Seok-soo (62), who has run a coffee shop for 29 years, said, "Even until the early 2000s, there were a lot of unique stores in Myeong-dong, but they all turned into cosmetics shops catering mainly to foreign tourists. All of the marketing efforts were aimed at tourists, while local customers were ignored, so they stayed away."

Hwang Dong-ha, head of the merchants' association in Myeong-dong, said, "Some 82 percent of tourists made a beeline for Myeong-dong, so store owners went all out to capture them. Local shoppers might buy one or two cosmetic products, but foreigners would spend W1-2 million worth per visit, which prompted store owners to focus on them" (US$1=W1,117).

One estate agent in the area said, "Local customers started associating Myeong-dong with Chinese tourists. Even when the pandemic ends, Korean customers won't come back."

Kim Young-keun, who has run an optician's since 1994, said, "In the past, Myeong-dong was the heart of Seoul, but that aura of being home to long-established shops, restaurants, tailors and jewelers no longer exists."

The high rents became another problem, soaring to W1 billion per 3.3 sq.m. Hwang at the merchants' association said, "Building owners have slashed the rent by up to 70 percent, but there are still no takers. The appraised value of the property has doubled, while landlords are practically begging tenants to stay. But even if rent has declined sharply, who in their right mind would think about investing their money to open a shop here now?"

Cosmetics will always have some appeal for Chinese tourists if and when they return, but the district has been hollowed out. Can Myeong-dong recover some of its former glory by going back to basics? Kim, the optician, said, "Store owners in Myeong-dong need to do some hard thinking and look for ways to bring local customers back."
The U.S. State Department announced Wednesday it has issued the first U.S. passport with an X-gender marker for non-binary, intersex, and gender non-conforming persons.

In a release posted to the department website, spokesman Ned Price said the move follows up on a commitment Secretary of State Antony Blinken made in June to make the third gender marker available, "another step toward ensuring the fair treatment of LGBTQI+ U.S. citizens, regardless of their gender or sex."

Price said the State Department will be offering the option to all routine passport applicants, once system and form updates are completed early next year. The department also will provide updates and information on its website.

In comments to the Associated Press Wednesday, U.S. special diplomatic envoy for LGBTQI+ rights, Jessica Stern, said the move was "historic and celebratory," noting they bring the government travel documents in line with the "lived reality" that there is a wider spectrum of human sex characteristics than is reflected in the previous two designations. "When a person obtains identity documents that reflect their true identity, they live with greater dignity and respect," said Stern.


Coronavirus infections are rising again as Korea braces for a phased return to normal starting on Nov. 1.

Tuesday's tally was 1,952 new cases, up 686 from the previous day, and the Seoul metropolitan area accounted for most of them.

Health Minister Kwon Deok-chul said Wednesday, "We must remain vigilant to ensure a smooth return to normal." Another government official said, "People are increasing their activities in anticipation of a return to normal and the colder weather is bringing more people indoors where there is inadequate ventilation."

Health authorities are bracing for another surge this weekend as many gather to celebrate Halloween.


The government on Wednesday decided to give former President Roh Tae-woo a state funeral. But the putschist former president, who died Tuesday, will not be laid to rest at the National Cemetery.

Cheong Wa Dae issued condolences on behalf of President Moon Jae-in but said the president will not be able to attend since he embarks on a nine-day visit to Europe on Thursday.

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum will head the funeral committee, while Interior and Safety Minister Jeon Hae-cheol will oversee preparations.

Roh will be buried on Saturday, and the government will consult his family about the details.
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said, "We may have somewhat different perspectives on the precise sequence or timing or conditions for different steps, but we are fundamentally aligned on the core strategic initiative here and on the belief that only through diplomacy are we going to really, truly be able to effectively make progress, and that that diplomacy has to be effectively paired with deterrence."

The White House on Tuesday distanced itself from attempts by the South Korean government to declare a formal end to the Korean War and woo North Korea by lifting sanctions.

He made the remarks when asked how seriously the White House takes the push to declare the 1950-53 war formally over. The two Koreas remain technically at war because fighting only ended with a ceasefire.

The government here has been suggesting, directly and indirectly, that the U.S. is on board with the quixotic project, which was announced by President Moon Jae-in at the UN General Assembly last month, but the White House has so far maintained a dignified silence.

The feeling in Washington seems to have been that President Moon Jae-in is on his way out -- his term ends next May -- and there is no need to engage too closely with his efforts.

The Moon administration has also been trying to persuade the U.S. to engage the North with humanitarian aid in fighting the coronavirus pandemic and even lift sanctions, but repeated requests have been politely rebuffed.

The U.S. position is that any formal peace treaty must be preceded by "verifiable and irreversible" steps toward denuclearization from North Korea, and the North's recent flurry of missile tests make it a pipe dream. A peace declaration could also have an impact on the presence of the U.S. Forces Korea, which Washington now sees as vital cornerstone in its anti-China strategy in East Asia.

"It's a diplomatic custom not to highlight any differences too much," a former senior diplomat here said. "Sullivan suggested not only that there's a widening gap in opinions between the two countries, but also that Washington is wearying of South Korea's badgering."

Senior South Korean diplomats and security officials have pushed their U.S. counterparts for talks about the peace declaration on no fewer than 10 occasions since Moon made the proposal. On Wednesday, a government official here still said, "We'll continue to have serious and intensive talks in close cooperation [with U.S. officials] on the end-of-war declaration."

Sullivan's mention of "deterrence" has also been read as a veiled criticism of Seoul's persistent attempts to downscale joint military exercises to please the North. A retired Army general here said, "It means that the U.S. is worried and dissatisfied that the South Korean government has downscaled or discontinued joint South Korea-U.S. military exercises and has turned a blind eye to North Korea's provocations."
Digital economy spurs stronger Africa-China cooperation

From:ChinaDaily | 2021-10-25 09:23

NAIROBIAfrica has been accelerating digital transformation since the outbreak of COVID-19 and the continent is now a hot spot for the rapid growth of mobile payments, e-commerce, remote work and online education.

The booming internet market is offering more opportunities for cooperation between Africa and China since both are at the forefront of the world's digital revolution.

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit Africa hard. African countries have imposed sometimes severe restrictions on populations to contain the spread of the disease, including lockdowns and curfews. As a result, digital payments and e-commerce have become a new norm for scores of households, playing a crucial role in scaling up economic recovery on the continent.

"People basically have gone cashless right now, and it's convenient to use mobile money as everyone has one now. It's a win for both clients and us," said Mirriam Maluli, a menswear store owner in the city center of Nairobi, Kenya's capital.

South Africa's leading online payment gateway PayFast reported its transactions via QR code payments surged 412 percent between March 2020 and February 2021, as digital payments are convenient and safe for people whether they are shopping in person or online.

The pandemic has also sparked a surge in internet demand and network connectivity. Kenya's telecommunications service provider Safaricom PLC registered a 39.8 percent year-on-year growth in active 4G devices and a 43.7 percent rise in homes connected for fiber-to-the-home service between April 2020 and March 2021.

A survey by Dalberg Group, a global consulting firm, found digital devices and services have improved the daily lives of 84 percent of Kenyans, while nearly a third said using digital services has boosted their incomes.

A report released in April by Visa Consulting and Analytics, Visa Inc's payments consulting arm, said sub-Saharan Africa registered a 42 percent year-on-year growth in e-commerce sales from 2019 to 2020.

The pandemic provided a growth opportunity for cooperation between Africa and China on digital transformation.

Cainiao Smart Logistics Network, the logistics arm of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, launched an air cargo route between China and Nigeria in June, marking its first China-Africa airfreight service.

"As one of Cainiao's key emerging markets, Africa has witnessed a booming demand from local consumers purchasing items such as apparel, home appliances and electronic accessories from China," Cainiao said in a news release.

Founded by Chinese entrepreneur Yang Tao, Kilimall is one of the major e-commerce platforms operating in East Africa. Lu Xiaoyong, marketing manager at Kilimall, said sales have more than doubled since the pandemic.

Lu said consumers in Africa have moved from offline to online due to pandemic-related lockdown measures, providing an opportunity for e-commerce expansion in Africa.

With more African households embracing online shopping, the e-commerce market will continue to boom following the rising smartphone penetration rate, increasingly mature mobile payment systems and falling mobile data costs, said Lu.

Sitoyo Lopokoiyit, CEO of M-Pesa Africa, Africa's leading fintech platform operator, said there are good opportunities for Africa to partner with China and make digital technology reach more people on the African continent.

OPay, a Chinese-backed Nigerian fintech startup, is expanding rapidly and bringing accessible banking services to more vulnerable people during the pandemic.

Qiu Zhien, CEO of OPay Nigeria, said OPay now has 7 million registered app users across the country, with monthly gross transactions exceeding $3 billion.

Despite the pandemic, Africa has shown strong growth potential. The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa said the continent was projected to grow at a rate of 3.9 percent in 2020 and 4.1 percent in 2021, making the region one of the most attractive markets in the world.

"Our data indicate that the appetite for businesses to move online hasn't slowed down. Digital payments are increasingly becoming the standard for retail in our current climate," Jonathan Smit, managing director and founder of PayFast, said in a statement.

A report produced by Google and the International Finance Corporation estimated that Africa's internet economy would reach $180 billion by 2025, accounting for 5.2 percent of the continent's gross domestic product. By 2050, it could grow further to $712 billion, or 8.5 percent of GDP.

The e-Conomy Africa 2020 report said factors stoking growth are a combination of increased access to faster and better quality internet connectivity, a rapidly expanding urban population, a growing tech talent pool, a vibrant startup ecosystem, and Africa's commitment to creating the world's largest single market under the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement.

Huang Meibo, director of International Development Cooperation Academy at Shanghai University of International Business and Economics, said Africa is one of the regions in the world where the population is younger and growing faster, with 60 percent of people under the age of 25.

Huang said in the long term, Africa is poised to become one of the most promising digital economy markets in the world.

Xinhua
Recently, Germany put forward a new quantum research agenda, looking forward to the research focus and challenges faced by Germany in the field of quantum systems in the next ten years. The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research will then laun...
De Lima seeks inquiry into NEA's mandate after BENECO fiasco

Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima underscored the need to review the mandate of the National Electrification Administration (NEA) to prevent a repeat of the recent leadership squabble involving the government-owned corporation and the Benguet Electric Cooperative (BENECO).

De Lima, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development, filed Proposed Senate Resolution (SR) No. 937 seeking to ensure that it provides sufficient safeguards against abuses that run contrary to the spirit of the Philippine Cooperative Code.

"Nariyan ang NEA para maging katuwang ng mga kooperatiba tulad ng BENECO, hindi para maging hadlang sa mahusay at episyenteng serbisyo nito. Lalo na sa panahon ng krisis, hindi pansariling interes at pagluklok sa poder, kundi pasya at ikabubuti ng serbisyo sa mas nakakarami ang dapat igalang ng mga ahensya ng gobyerno," she said a separate statement.

"With the uproar that this incident has caused, there is a clear need to determine whether the NEA's takeover was valid and legal under our relevant laws."

"NEA's mandate should be reviewed to ascertain whether it exceeded its authority in taking over BENECO in spite of the absence of any indication that the latter is an ailing cooperative," she added.

Notably, Chapter I, Article 2 of Republic Act No. 6938, as amended by Republic Act No. 9520, or the "Philippine Cooperative Code of 2008", declares, in part, that the State shall "foster the creation and growth of cooperatives as a practical vehicle for promoting self-reliance and harnessing people power towards the attainment of economic development and social justice."

Last Oct. 18, NEA officials and appointees, as led by lawyer Omar Mayo, a NEA-appointed caretaker, staged a pre-dawn takeover of BENECO's headquarters.

Just a few days after, last Oct. 20, employees and member-consumer-owners (MCOs) took back the BENECO headquarters prompting staff of NEA-appointed general manager and lawyer Ana Maria Rafael to leave the BENECO compound.

Mayo, for his part, was later declared persona non grata by the Baguio City Council for leading the forceful takeover of the utility serving Baguio and Benguet province.
Press Release

October 28, 2021 Drilon bares tax returns of Pharmally officials, other PS-DBM contractors Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon bared the income tax returns of executives of Pharmally and of other suppliers that bagged multi-billion contracts from the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM). Drilon made the disclosures after moving to make public, in accordance with Senate Rules, the tax records of the suppliers and their officials that bagged the bulk of the P42 billion fund transferred by the Department of Health to PS-DBM. These tax returns were submitted by the BIR to the Blue Ribbon committee in executive session. Despite bagging over P10 billion worth of supply contracts in 2020 alone, the income tax returns (ITRs) of Pharmally revealed that the company claimed a tax credit of P96,089,293 in 2020 and listed an overpayment of P589,163 in same year, according to Drilon. "May utang...may reimbursement pa," Drilon quipped in disbelief. Drilon also urged the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to form a task force for the specific purpose of special audit on the tax returns made by suppliers, which he estimated to yield P7.5 billion in potential tax. "Apart from the overpricing, apart from the unqualified suppliers and apart from the preference on foreign suppliers, it is incumbent upon this committee to look into the tax liabilities of these companies. This is something that we have to look at, " Drilon said. Drilon's move was prompted by the admission of the country representative of Xuzhou Construction that the company did not pay any income tax. The company bagged over P2.23 billion worth of contracts from PS-DBM but did not pay a single peso of income tax. Some of these are Pharmally that cornered over P10.40 billion, Element Trade Limited with P6.99 billion, Sunwest Construction and Development Corp. with P5.22 billion, Xuzhou, P2.23 billion, and Hafid N' Erasmus Corp. with P1.91 billion. "Ang tanong: nagbayad po ba ng buwis? Magkano po ang ibinayad nila?" Drilon asked. "How much income taxes were paid by these suppliers?" he asked. "It appears like there could be violations of our tax laws. We should examine the potential tax liabilities of these companies, officials and employees," Drilon emphasized. Drilon also bared the tax returns of the company's key officials. Its president, Twinkle Dargani, paid only P29,187 in 2018 and P1,000 in 2020. There was no information available for 2019. Her brother, Mohit Dargani, paid P97,241 in 2020 but the BIR record marked it "suspended status." In 2019, the record revealed that Mohit paid P22,062 income tax. Drilon recalled that it was in 2020 and 2021 when Pharmally officials including Twinkle Dargani bought several luxurious cars. Drilon also bared the tax returns of Davao-based businessman Michael Yang, who the officers of Pharmally admitted to have funded their initial contracts with PS-DBM. Based on the BIR submissions, it appeared that Yang did not file his ITRs for taxable years 2014 to 2017. For the year 2018, Yang declared a taxable income of P208,000 and paid P7,600 tax. His records for 2019 and 2020 are unreadable. Meanwhile, there was no record of tax returns for the year 2019 for Pharmally's chairman, Huang Tzu Yen, Drilon noted. Drilon said that based on his own computation, there is a potential income tax of approximately P7.5 billion, out of the P42 billion funds, that should have been remitted to the government. Drilon clarified that his computation is subject to further verification. Assuming the entire amount of P42 billion was fully obligated and disbursed, the government can collect as much as ?P7,560,000,000 in income taxes. The amount is based on the allowable 40% optional standard deductions of the gross sales or receipts, under Sec. 32 (L) of the NIRC providing for the Optional Standard Deduction, Drilon explained. Section 32 (L) provides that "In lieu of the deductions allowed under the preceding Subsections, an individual subject to tax under Section 24, other than a non-resident alien, may elect a standard deduction in an amount not exceeding forty percent (40%) of his gross sales or gross receipts, as the case may be. In the case of a corporation subject to tax under Sections 27(A) and 28(A)(1), it may elect a standard deduction in an amount not exceeding forty percent (40%) of its gross income as defined in Section 32 of this Code."
Press Release

October 28, 2021 ONE News Agenda Interview of Senator Win Gatchalian with Cito Beltran on Energy and Oil issues Q: From the looks of it, while Senator Dick Gordon has essentially started wrapping up the Pharmally anomaly investigations, mukhang umiinit. It seems that this issue on energy, the Department of Energy, and all related matters seems to be heating up. Could you just give us a preamble to all of this Senator? SEN. WIN: Well, Cito, it's part of our mandate of holding the departments to account. That's part of our responsibility, exercising our oversight functions. So, ganyan talaga Cito, that's our system. And it's important that the departments are doing their job and it's important that they're transparent in terms of policy making. So in the realm of energy, there are two things that we are looking at. Number one is the power situation this coming 2022. As we all know, you mentioned earlier, election year next year, and we want to make sure that there is constant supply of electricity throughout the summer season, and then number two, there's this issue of the Malampaya transaction which we investigated and inquired, and we have some conclusions as to what happened, but this is an ongoing still an ongoing evaluation and an ongoing inquiry. Q: Okay. Let's do it, piece by piece. First of all, DOE. Sa DOE the concern is, with all of these problems happening, do we have a functioning Department of Energy Secretary. Kasi marami ang nag-aaccuse sa kanya ngayon na masyado siyang naka-focus sa politics when we have very serious issues on hand. As you pointed out the Malampaya case, there are people who filed cases against him and Dennis Uy of Udenna regarding that deal, and it's a multi billion deal, it seems they claim it was injurious o nalugi ang gobyerno. And then yung presyo ng gasolina kasi ang mga Jeepney drivers at saka mga bus driver ang sabi wala na silang kinikita. So what is your assessment of Secretary Cusi? I want to be objective about it, but it's hard to be objective if everything I see on the front page relates to a political statement or action on the part of the Secretary and nothing to do with energy. SEN. WIN: It's very difficult for me to answer that directly because his political activities and his political inclinations are his own prerogative. What's important for me is what I covered, which is the energy sector and this is a task and a responsibility that was given to me by the Senate. Therefore, I have to do my job, to conduct oversight and to hold the department into account. And this is where all of these things are coming up. For example, as you mentioned, the power situation next year, the Malampaya issue, and then you have the rising oil prices, which cannot be solved overnight, but we need to have a long term solution to this. And all of these things are very serious and very immediate in terms of attention and we need all hands on deck specially this coming next few months because oil prices are going up. Q: Okay. To be fair with the DOE, they have forwarded several suggestions. One was to go to Congress and say pakibigyan nIyo kami ng authority, give us the authority to intervene that in the moment that the prices get out of hand, we can either implement price freeze or push forward for the removal of certain taxes etc. How do you view these suggestions, first on the request of authority to intervene? SEN. WIN: There's merit to that request. I saw the letter of Secretary Cusi to us, the legislators that includes me and Congressman Mikey Arroyo in the House. And there's merit to look at that, especially in the aspect of transparency dahil kapag tumataas ang presyo ng langis, we cannot discount from our mind that there are people who are trying to abuse or trying to take advantage of this increase in prices. So for purposes of transparency, yes we are looking at this law. We're looking at the oil deregulation law and how it can be more transparent, especially at these times but it will take time, amending the law will take time. And that's what I'm saying to the department that if we want to amend the law, we have to plan this because hindi yan mangyayari overnight. We have to debate on this. We have to look at this and it will take time. So the immediate solution is Pantawid Pasada which the DOF already implemented, and it's good to put that in motion because the price of oil is really going up and it will go up in the next few weeks. Q: We have a saying in the Philippines, sa Tagalog 'aanihin ang damo kapag patay na ang kabayo'. What good is the hay if the horse is dead? Now in this Pantawid Pasada I agree with you. It's a good solution. But doesn't it come too late? Because it's already the end of October. By the time they get this on the ground, it will probably require 15 to 20 days by the time it comes out tapos na ang boksing. SEN. WIN: The job of the DOE is to forecast, to forecast supply, to forecast demand, to forecast pricing, to forecast global trends. We all know that we import 99% of our oil, given na yan, Cito and that's not going to change in the next few years. So in other words, our country is very susceptible to changes in global supply and demand as well as global prices. So in other words, the job now of the DOE is to forecast and come up with solutions ahead of time. And that's why to be frank about it, the solutions that were sent to us should have been put in motion 5-6-7 years ago, because we all know that. we're susceptible to price shocks. And in fact, this is not the first time, if you remember when Saudi Aramco refineries were bombed by some terrorists, supply went down and again prices went up as high as 80 dollars per barrel and we all scrambled again. And that's why what's important right now is to put something, a mechanism in place, that we can call on as quick as possible and forecast ahead so that we can budget because even though we have that mechanism kung wala naman tayong pera, then nothing's gonna happen and you're right, the administrative portion, the rolling out portion also takes time, even though we implement it today, drivers will not feel it probably one or two weeks after. Q: I must point out, Senator the last time we did that, the drivers didn't get the Pantawid Pasada until a month after, if not longer. In fact, others were even complaining that they were excluded, but that's a different topic. You mentioned the role of the DOE is forecasting. I think we both agree and many people agree that these problems that we are facing now have been with us in the last 20-30 years. So it is not new. And nothing is being done about it. Why is that? SEN. WIN: We have to approach this both short term and long term. Short term is in my observation and I don't have a crystal ball to predict but relatively you can forecast aberrations in the oil and gas sector. And because we import 99% of our oil, more or less, there are fluctuations at least once a year. And in my six years covering the energy sector, I've seen fluctuations twice, actually three times. So that's more or less once every two years. But to be conservative about it, let's forecast once a year. So meaning we have to keep at least P1.5 billion to P2 billion on standby for those fluctuations so that we can draw money and execute cautioning mechanisms so that our drivers will not feel the pinch. That's in the short term. In the long term, we have to reduce importation. And that's why in the next few weeks, we'll be approving already our first law on electric vehicles and charging stations, and this law will encourage proponents of electric vehicles and proponents of charging stations to come in the country and roll out the necessary infrastructure to adopt electric vehicles and this is a mechanism or a policy that will lower down the importation for it but of course it will take time. It will not happen overnight, but a lot of countries are now rolling out their electric vehicles policy precisely to lower down the consumption of oil. Q: That is the case in fact, napapakamot na nga ako ng ulo because every time I go on the internet, all I see from other countries is electric vehicles, electric buses, electric motorcycles, etc. And in the Philippines when Toyota first introduced its hybrid electric hydrogen car, what the government did was slapped it with a 1 million tax importation and then I have been a proponent for solar for backyard solar adaptation para sa mga Pilipino. But all my friends said, 'Cito we appreciate you championing backyard solar pero parang ang mahal mahal kapag brineak down mo yung taxes andun pa rin.' How do you resolve that issue, Senator? SEN. WIN: Actually, the advocacy on solar rooftops because of the RE law will remove a lot of the taxes. For example, importation, we have removed that. We've also removed taxes for local manufacturers. The biggest problem of solar rooftops is red tape and also the lack of knowledge from the local government units. For example, in my case, I'm putting a solar rooftop in our house and I discovered there's so many things that local governments need to approve and most of the local government don't know how to approve it because it's quite new, relatively new. To simplify, when you buy a solar rooftop, the installer can install it as quickly as possible and connect it to the grid as quickly as possible. So you can buy and sell as quickly as possible, probably less than 14 days, we can do it as quick as that. So the problem here is actually more of the process other than the taxes but you are right these are the things that we should promote so that we can reduce dependence on grid electricity. Q: Yeah, but at the end of the day, none of all of this bright ideas of Filipinos, and there are many brilliant Filipinos who can put up all of this, but there is no real, ewan ko pasensya na Senator, maybe I'm I'm generalizing, maybe I'm being presumptuous, but I have not heard of a real group in government that is solely dedicated to the energy switch. SEN. WIN: The energy transition? Yeah, actually we funded, I managed to insert about P20 million for this year's budget to jumpstart our energy transition. The whole world is moving to that. These are the trends globally. Number one, the whole world is moving into energy transition. Number two, the whole world is electrifying everything from cars, to electricity to other things. Meaning they're going out of oil, and then number three renewables are coming in fast because prices are dropping. So these are the three big trends globally and we need to follow those trends because kung hindi maiiwanan tayo. Kapag maiwanan tayo, the cost will go up because for example, no one's already lending to coal. So meaning the cost of building a coal fired power plant is expensive and that will be passed on to our consumers. So in short, in a nutshell, we need to transition. And we need to fund that transition. And we need people to appreciate that transition or else hindi nila ma-aappreciate yan, legislature can fund all of these transitions, we have done that but at the end of the day, it's the department that will push for the study and jumpstarting of that transition. Q: Abroad, especially in Europe, the political parties that are making a comeback and winning the elections are the parties they call Green parties. The parties who are pro-environment, pro-transition to energy etc. And one of the big picture programs is that countries like the Philippines should adopt a minimum travel, minimum carbon footprint program na kung saan, like you are in Metro Manila, and I'm in Lipa, Batangas, most Filipinos in Metro Manila still get their vegetable from from Bondoc Province, etc. So there is travel etc. And the idea is dapat ang food chain ninyo will not be more than 5-10 kilometers. Ang inyong power supplies dapat solar etc. Do we have a group or a party or leadership or government program towards that where zonal planning, etc considers all of this because I think that like even universities everything is in Metro Manila, spreading it out, Senator. SEN. WIN: Well, Cito, the pandemic will change many many of our activities. It will change our lifestyle actually. For example, you mentioned earlier buying of food or going to work or even driving to work. All of this will change. Like for example, simple things like this, this type of a zoom or teleconference,before it was off but right now even in our office, we're thinking of doing this even post pandemic because it's more convenient. It consumes less oil, you don't waste time in traffic, so it's more efficient. So in other words, the pandemic will change a lot of things. But then again, ang problema kasi to be honest about it, the government has this dinosaur mentality. They like to do things over and over again, and we don't have that reformist mentality to be honest about it. And even if you look at our energy mix in our Philippine energy plan, it's business as usual which is not what we need. What we need is to reform so that we adopt all the new technologies and to make our lives more efficient. Q: Why is it that way? Is it driven by a vested interest group? Is this because the industry's concerned control DOE? I'm not trying to create a conspiracy theory dito pero parang ang tagal na nating problema ito. And taun-taon pagdating ng November, December ang taas ng krudo. Pagdating naman ng Summer ang taas ng kuryente. SEN. WIN: Wala kasi business as usual mentality. Kapag tumaas ang krudo, we react, kapag tumaas ang kuryente, we react. But we don't forecast and we don't reform and reforming takes a lot of political will. And that's what's missing, to be frank about it. Q: You can manipulate all of that when in the budget hearings, like you are now. Pinagbibintangan ka pa ng iba diyan na you are politicking when you investigated the DOE regarding the Malampaya which I want to talk about after the break. But, bakit ganun, bakit hindi natin mabago, why can't we change the business as usual mentality? SEN. WIN: The answer is simple. It's leadership. And if the leader of the department or the leader of the organization is not reform-minded or does not accept change and the mentality is just doing the same things over and over again, yan talaga ang makikita natin. It's a reactive culture, and I've seen that many, many times. We can be certain, many things in the budget. We have enacted many laws to react to new trends, but if the leader itself is not appreciative of reforms and of changes then wala paikot-ikot lang tayo. Q: Senator, I'm going to ask you, regarding the issue of leadership, you said if the leader is not reformist and traditional, nothing will happen. Setting aside whoever is head or secretary of the DOE, is this problem because most of the people who appointed secretaries in the past or even in the present are not really energy experts, kumbaga they're mostly political appointees from the secretary down. So, hindi nila talaga expertise o gamay ang problema. SEN. WIN: Let me just qualify, I'm not pointing to a specific department. When I made that statement, it's not towards a specific person or this specific department. It's a general comment based on my experience. But going to your question, yes, experience is preferred, especially in a very technical industry, it plays a very important aspect. Energy is not an ordinary sector, it's not a general knowledge sector, you need some level of experience to get things done, but what I've encountered in the past, I mean, I've talked to, I've been consulting with our past energy secretaries and a lot of them didn't have energy experience from the start, but they managed to transform themselves and learn the sector very quickly. A case in point here will be Attorney Lotilla and Secretary Vince Perez. Secretary Vince Perez was a well known investment banker. I have high regards for his work and he managed to transform himself into an energy expert in a short time span and I consult with him on many things. And Attorney Lotilla tells us the same thing. He came from the academe but he managed to learn the energy sector and implemented a lot of reforms, especially some of the circulars that we are using right now in the oil and gas sector. But my point is you need to have the drive and passion to learn and you can. It's a difficult sector, admittedly, but you can and once you're in there, and once you learn the intricacies, you need that passion to push for reform so that the sector will transform for the better. Q: Okay, ayaw mong mamersonal. You don't want to target people or be you know, criticize people in particular but given our situation, we have raging fuel prices. We have PUV drivers trying to survive. And we have a Cabinet Secretary for energy, who is heard more because of politics and because of his involvement in the Malampaya sale. I was just reading my notes earlier, and I did not know that Dennis Uy of Udenna actually bought the starlight group or shipping group of Secretary Cusi and now they are linked together so parang ayaw mo mang mag-isip nang malisyoso, it's inappropriate. In the United States, he would already be under investigation. How is it possible that you got involved in this transaction and you have another transaction? SEN. WIN: Correct. Actually Cito and that's the peril of joining the political parade. Again, I make this statement as a general statement, while you are a secretary and at the same time having a political party and during the time of election, the political side will be highlighted a lot and that's the reality of life. And you'd have to be careful that the political pronouncement will not overshadow the policy pronouncements but in this scenario, in this environment, you can help avoid it but the focus will be on the political side and you just have to bear the brunt of negative public perception of leaning towards more in politics. Q: It should be treated as merely you know, public perception or from my point media perception because he is the cabinet, he is the Secretary of Energy, we have issues in the Department of Energy, should he continue as Secretary of Energy or simply let someone else handle that while he can devote his time to the politics of the party. SEN. WIN: Again, I will answer this indirectly. But my philosophy is let the evidence and the facts speak for itself. We have issues at hand and the facts and the evidence will reveal those issues and those issues, the gravity of those issues will be judged by us, the consumers and the constituency. So let those issues come out and I will continue to hear on those issues because in my opinion, those issues are very important issues that we need to resolve. And for me, that's the most important whatever political, whatever political activities that the secondary has, that's his prerogative, but my concern are the issues most specially the controversies that surround those issues. Q: Here's the problem. Senator. You basically, you're overseeing all of this at the Senate, the energy related issues. Now, during the budget hearing, you question the transaction of Udenna Group and the Department of Energy concerning the Chevron and Shell shares. And because you questioned, biglang tinitira ka na ngayon sa diyaryo. You are now being criticized by certain people in the newspapers, as politicking. You're doing your job. Now the question is, is he doing his job? SEN. WIN: Ganyan talaga, I've learned to absorb this type of commentaries, and it's part of the trade. Admittedly ang DOE yung sarili nilang circular circular at ang batas. That's the basic issue here. There's no politics, the facts will speak for itself. Q: For the benefit of our viewers, can you please educate us on what went down because ang alam lang namin, ibinenta na ang Malampaya kasi nalulugi na. Mahina na raw ang idinedeliver na gas. That's what we ordinary Filipinos learn and then suddenly they're all of this. Could you tell us what the situation is? SEN. WIN: This is a very simple issue. And I'll break it down in very simple terms. The oil and gas contracts cannot be sold without government approval. That's in the law, and the law PD 87, Presidential decree 87. To operate this law, to operationalize this law you have the DC 2007, which was promulgated by Secretary Lotilla. So meron kang batas which is PD 87. To operationalize it, you have DC 2007. And in these two documents, very simple lang ang sabi walang bentahan na pwedeng mangyari kung walang approval ng gobyerno. So that's very clear. So what happened here is, the government twisted the law PD 87 and DC 2007 to approve the contract of Udenna buying Chevron. So this is where the problem comes in. Because in the law and in DC 2007, it's very clear. The steps are very clear. You don't need to be a lawyer to follow it. Just follow the steps. You can follow the steps. So inamin nila aprubado ito, but when we look at the documents, we saw that there are a lot of inconsistencies, and I have to point out, all of those documents came from the DOE. Wala kaming star witness. Wala akong star document. It came from them. We just made sense and analyzed piece by piece how they came out with their evaluation and their approval, and we saw a lot of inconsistencies. All of that is reflected in the records and in the hearings. Q: But what about the allegation you are just trying to dig there so that you can gain a lot of media mileage, just like Dick Gordon did. Saan ba nagsimula? How did this issue of the Udenna Chevron Shell thing start? SEN. WIN: Tama ka. This was triggered by a resolution filed by Senator Sotto and Senator Lacson and me in 2019 because there was news that Udenna is buying the chevron portion in Malampaya and we filed the resolution to look at this transaction. So that was triggered two years ago. And since the review is an ongoing review, we conducted ongoing hearings. And this all came out. That's why we didn't have any star witness. We just reviewed the transaction, the transaction in itself, if the transaction is consistent then the conclusion here is they followed government rules. But this one is being reviewed, everything is on record. I'm not inventing now, everything is on record. It came out that the concept review, the evaluation is inconsistent. So how can you approve a transaction where the evaluation is inconsistent and defective? And that's where the controversy comes in. Q: Okay, well, I don't know if what you see in this evaluation and inconsistency is too technical. Ewan ko kung technical kasi ang lumalabas sa diyaryo ang isyu, paanong mabibili o bakit ibinenta kay Udenna kay Dennis Uy yung Chevron shell shares when then Udenna group or dennis Uy, allegedly reportedly in the papers is challenged. Kumabaga nabasa ko pa inutang lang ang pambabayad sa shares na yun. SEN. WIN: The first is hindi nila sinunod ang sarili nilang proseso. The second is the evaluation of the buyer at dito na lumalabas that it is highly leveraged meaning maraming utang and how can they buy and operate this asset, Malampaya if they are in very precarious financial state. We have to remember, to put this in context, Malampaya powers 4 million homes out of the 22 million homes almost. So we have to make sure that whoever operates that has the technical, financial and the legal qualifications. That's all prescribed in the law kaya sinabi ng batas kailangan ng approval ng gobyerno dahil sinisigurado ng gobyerno that whoever steps in is qualified or else wala nang pakialam ang gobyerno whoever steps in. Q: Senator, I'm worried, does Udenna group have a history or technical expertise regarding running a place like Malampaya because Shell does, Chevron does but Udenna is essentially a capitalist organization if I can call it that? SEN. WIN: In fairness to Udenna, they have experience in retail, gas stations in retail. They don't have experience in oil and gas explorations. These are worlds apart, even though they have the same product but activities are worlds apart. One is a gas station, one is an oil and gas platform. And in our hearing it came out, that they don't have any experience and they will just get experience from contractors. What they are saying is yes, we don't have experience but we can contract all of those services. So my point of the matter is these are future pa, iko-contract pa namin ito. So that's some risk, that becomes a risk on our part. Q: Exactly and there's a security clause in all of that? That is bulletproof, tamper proof that those subcontractors will not be foreign contractors kasi that issue was raised, what if they get Chinese contractors or whatever and puts our energy security at risk? SEN. WIN: The geopolitics is another question pa yan ha. That's a whole new conversation actually, to be honest about it if you look at the structure of Udenna... Q: Sabi mo kasi 20% of the power grid is supplied by Malampaya. Eh kung hawakan ng Chinese group 'yan at diniktahan sila ng mainland China, isara niyo yan. SEN. WIN: ....certainly, highly leveraged or highly indebted. It's also the technical experience that is lacking with Udenna. And that's what we are questioning because this is no ordinary, we have to understand hindi ito ordinary asset that you can buy and operate. This is a very technical asset. Q: Last question ko na lang Senator kasi talaga kailangan dito dalawang oras na interview. Pero you said cash challenged ang Udenna and a lot of people have said that in the media. Now the question is, if he's borrowing money to bankroll the purchase of all of those or borrowed money, what were the banks that lent him money? Did he borrow from foreign banks, or did he borrow from local banks? SEN. WIN: Based on our hearing, they borrowed from foreign banks and this was disclosed by the PNOC. Part of it and this is the catch, part of it came from the internally generated funds because Malampaya is generating money, so he used part of that money to pay for Malampaya. Q: Sandali parang binibili ko ang bahay mo, pinaupahan ko ang bahay mo para ibabayad ko sa iyo. SEN. WIN: Correct. That came out from the hearing also. It's called entitlements. And that's why my conclusion there, from a business standpoint, the government should have bought it because number one, it's utang. Government can obviously go and borrow and number two, portion of the payment came from the proceeds itself. So, in other words walang inilabas ang proponent, so gobyerno na sana ang bumili nun so that we control and take all the proceeds. Q: Okay. Among those banks who gave the loans, are they established foreign banks or are they in mainland China banks? SEN. WIN: In fairness, they are foreign banks meaning Western banks, if I'm not mistaken, one of them is A and Z which is a New Zealand bank so therefore, these are established banks, reputable banks. But the point there is, as long as you have revenue coming in those banks will lead you. Q: If the bank forecloses for whatever reason, may control pa ba tayo, if the bank decides to sell it to whoever? SEN. WIN: Actually that's my point also, because what we don't want is the banks owning this. We don't want banks owning our Malampaya assets. We want operators, owning the Malampaya because banks are not operators, and that's another risk if banks will own it eventually, for whatever reason, na-foreclosed yan. How can we run the rig? First of all, they're not here in the Philippines. Second, they don't have technical capability. Then the risk is on us again as Filipinos.
Press Release

October 28, 2021 Lacson: Ex-PS-DBM OIC Lao Violated Anti-Graft Law with Huge Pharmally Contracts More at: https://pinglacson.net/article/lacson-ex-ps-dbm-oic-lao-violated-anti-graft-law-with-huge-pharmally-contracts Lloyd Christopher Lao, ex-OIC of the Department of Budget and Management Procurement Service (PS-DBM), violated the Anti-Graft Law by giving Pharmally Pharmaceuticals Corp. huge contracts way beyond its Net Financial Contracting Capacity (NFCC), Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson bared Thursday. At the Senate Blue Ribbon hearing on irregularities involving the procurement of medical supplies to deal with the Covid pandemic, Lacson said Pharmally had a net working capital of P599,450 and could only be given a maximum contract of P5.994 million. Yet, Pharmally bagged its first contract amounting to P13.86 million - more than twice the maximum - and even got a second contract amounting to P54 million, all within the same year, Lacson said, citing documents so far obtained during the hearing. "Bakit una pa lang na delivery, nasa P13 milyon agad mahigit? May violation agad dito (Why is it that in its first delivery, it already raked in more than P13 million? Here we can immediately see the violation)," Lacson said. "They have no financial capability pero pinapasok nila (Pharmally had no financial capability but got these huge contracts)," he added. He told Senate Blue Ribbon panel chairman Richard Gordon that he may include in his preliminary committee report this "clear violation" of the Anti-Graft Law, where the administrative requirement was not followed. Lacson pointed out that Lao exceeded his authority or did not follow the provisions of the Procurement Law. "Mag-agree kayo sa akin, in-exceed ni Lao ang kanyang authority o hindi sinunod ang alituntunin sa Procurement Law, na times 10 lang ng maximum sa net working capital (You will agree with me that Lao exceeded his authority or did not follow the Procurement Law's provision on the net working capital)," he said. Lacson noted the NFCC is part of the eligibility documents of bidders under the Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB) Resolution 16-2020. Citing Pharmally's Statement of Financial Position, Lacson noted Pharmally in 2019 had a net working capital of P599,450, and an NFCC of P5,994,500. "Dapat maximum na makuhang kontrata ng Pharmally, hindi lalampas ng P5.9M (Pharmally should not have gotten a contract exceeding P5.9 million)," Lacson said. Yet Pharmally, despite its lack of financial capacity, was awarded some P11.11 billion in contracts from the government, Lacson said. "Hindi dapat bigyan ng kontrata na higit sa 10 times ng net working capital. Lumampas sila. Nasundan pa ito ng katakot-takot na delivery (Pharmally should not have been given a contract that is more than 10 times its net working capital. Yet it got hefty deliveries)," he said.
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[October 28, 2021] President of RFG Advisory Shannon Spotswood Speaking at Women|Future Conference and Judging the 2021 Women-Owned Business Pitch Competition RFG Advisory "RFG", an innovative and fast-growing platform for independent advisors, is proud to announce President Shannon Spotswood will be speaking at the fourth annual Women|Future Conference, taking place virtually on November 1-5, 2021. Shannon's panel, "The Smart Woman's Guide to Financial Success" on November 1 is organized around the event's main theme "Cultivate Your Tomorrow." This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005771/en/ The Women|Future Conference 2021 is designed for female entrepreneurs in all stages of life. Attendees will explore a variety of topics from the female perspective, including imposter syndrome, entrepreneurship, lead generation, workplace diversity, marketing advice from women-owned business leaders, and emerging trends ahead. The five-day conference features an incredible lineup of 140+ speakers from around the world delivering invaluable content. A diverse mix of female CEOs, Founders, Entrepreneurs, and Executives leading organizations such as Amazon Web Services (News - Alert) (AWS), Facebook, IBM, Infosys Limited, John Hancock, Pinterest, Quartz, SAP North America, Talkspace, and others, encourages engaging connections, professional and personal development, and mental health and financial wellness through motivational keynotes, educational sessions, and networking. Shannon Spotswood, President of RFG Advisory since 2017, is also putting her enthusiastic passion for the finance industry to work and will be judging for the Women-Owned Business Pitch Competition on November 4. Finalists will pitch their business/product before a panel of judges and conference attendees - 'Shark Tank'-Style - and answer live questions. The first, second, and third place Pitch Competition winners will receive funding to grow their business. "RFG is proud to support this year's women-owned business pitch competition and I'm excited to judge these top pioneers and global innovators" said Shannon Sotswood. "Only 2.3% of venture funding went to female led businesses in 2020. We are on a mission to change that, supporting one female led business at a time."

"RFG is proud that Shannon will be speaking at the Women's Future Conference 2021 as she continues to be an advocate for women in the financial services industry," said Bobby White, CEO and Founder of RFG Advisory. "I strongly believe that Shannon is a force multiplier for the entire wealth management industry. She is empowering a new breed of female entrepreneurs-one who is boldly prepared to lead with confidence and power." For more information and to attend the conference, visit the Women|Future Conference 2021 registration page at www.womenfutureconference.com/register. Questions or comments? Be sure to call Women | Future Conference at 703-547-8389 or e-mail help+conference@stevieawards.com. Follow RFG Advisory on social media at LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. About RFG Advisory RFG Advisory is an innovator in the wealth management industry. Passionately committed to serving independent financial advisors and their clients, RFG Advisory prides itself on being a service company first, a technology company second and a hybrid-RIA third. RFG Advisory delivers a turn-key integrated platform that provides Advisors all of the tools and resources they need to be the CEO of their practice, not the COO, including turn-key technology, institutional-caliber investment management, marketing, compliance, business consulting and operational support. Focused on amplifying independence, Advisors who affiliate with RFG Advisory maintain all of the equity in their business and pay a basis point fee for access to RFG's investment and technology platform. Additionally, through RFG Capital, the firm buys stakes in advisor practices to facilitate succession planning and provide loans to advisors to enable the move to full independence. Securities offered by Registered Representatives of Private Client Services ("PCS"). Member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered by Investment Advisory Representatives of RFG Advisory, a registered investment advisor. Private Client Services and RFG Advisory are unaffiliated entities. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005771/en/

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Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on October 28, 2021

2021/10/28

MASTV: The leader of the Taiwan region Tsai Ing-wen confirmed in a recent interview that US troops are present on the island to help with training. She claimed that the threat from Beijing is growing "every day". What is your comment on this?

Wang Wenbin: The one-China principle is the political foundation of China-US relations. On the Taiwan question, the US should abide by the one-China principle and the stipulations of the three China-US joint communiques, rather than something unilaterally concocted by itself. We firmly oppose official and military ties in any form between the US and the Taiwan region, and oppose the US interference in China's internal affairs. The US vessels have repeatedly flexed its muscles to make provocations and stir up troubles in the Taiwan Strait in recent times, sending gravely wrong signals to the "Taiwan independence" forces and threatening cross-Strait peace and stability. The international community is clear-eyed about who is engaging in "coercion" on the Taiwan question.

The cross-Strait reunification is an overriding historical trend and the right course, while "Taiwan independence" is a retrogression leading to a dead end. The DPP authorities' acts of seeking "Taiwan independence" can not change the iron-clad fact that Taiwan is a part of China, neither will it shake the international community's universal and firm commitment to the one-China principle. Those who forget their heritage, betray their motherland, and seek to split the country will come to no good end.

Seeking "Taiwan independence" leads to a dead end. So does supporting "Taiwan independence". No country and no one should underestimate the resolve, the will, and the ability of the Chinese people to defend their national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Otherwise, they will suffer another defeat.

CCTV: On October 27, the Second Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Neighboring Countries of Afghanistan was held in Tehran, capital of Iran and was attended by foreign ministers of the six neighboring countries of Afghanistan as well as Russia. State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended the meeting by video. Parties agreed at the meeting to have the third meeting in 2022 in China. Can you share more information?

Wang Wenbin: On October 27, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi addressed the Second Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Neighboring Countries of Afghanistan by video.

This meeting was held both online and offline in Tehran, capital of Iran. Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian chaired the meeting. First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber delivered remarks at the opening ceremony and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres delivered remarks via video link. Foreign ministers of Turkmenistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan attended the meeting. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made a speech by video. Special Envoy for Afghan Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Yue Xiaoyong attended the meeting in person.

State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi pointed out in his remarks that China hopes to see Afghanistan enjoy peace, stability, economic development, ethnic harmony and good-neighborliness. Under the new circumstances, we need to, on the basis of respecting Afghanistan's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity and keeping to the "Afghan-led, Afghan-owned" principle, step up coordination and cooperation on Afghanistan-related issues for the purpose of replacing chaos with stability, preventing security spillovers, and helping the country embark on a path toward good governance.

China proposed four points. First, making active engagement and showing guidance. We should attach importance to the opportunity that the Afghan interim government is adaptable and shapable, and get in touch and talk with it in a rational and pragmatic way to increase mutual trust and exert positive influence. Second, expanding multilateral coordination. We need to increase mutual reinforcement and build synergy between the various mechanisms on Afghanistan. The US and other Western countries should take up their primary responsibility in helping Afghanistan emerge from hardship to vitality. Among many others, they should at present lift unilateral sanctions on Afghanistan for its state assets to be used to meet people's urgent needs as soon as possible. Third, strengthening counter-terrorism cooperation. Not only do we need to encourage the new Afghan authority to make a clean break with terrorist forces, we also need to support it in independently, resolutely and effectively combating all extremist and terrorist organizations including ISIL and the ETIM. We need to positively consider holding bilateral and multilateral counter-terrorism dialogues and cooperation with Afghanistan at an appropriate time. Fourth, promoting peace and reconstruction. As Afghanistan's neighbors, we need to take coordinated and robust actions to steadily increase economic and trade exchange with Afghanistan, explore infrastructure connectivity, and help Afghanistan take part in Belt and Road cooperation.

State Councilor Wang Yi also said, at the first foreign ministers' meeting, China announced 200 million RMB yuan worth of emergency humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. The first batch of supplies has arrived at Kabul and the delivery of the remaining is well underway. China will continue to provide support and help to the Afghan people to the best of its capability.

Parties to the meeting stressed that the Afghan situation is at a crucial stage and Afghanistan's neighbors and key regional countries should timely coordinate their positions and play a bigger role. The international community should, on the basis of respecting Afghanistan's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, have active dialogue and engagement with the Afghan side to provide more encouragement and guidance. Countries taking major responsibilities for the current difficulties in Afghanistan should earnestly fulfill their promises and provide much-needed assistance for Afghanistan. The meeting published a joint statement that is rich in content and positive in tone. As agreed by all parties, the third round of the meeting will be held in 2022 in China.

Beijing Daily: The National Land Boundary Law of the People's Republic of China was adopted by the National People's Congress of China on October 23. What's the rationale for and objective of adopting this law?

Wang Wenbin: The National Land Boundary Law was adopted at the 31st Session of the Standing Committee of the Thirteenth National People's Congress of China on October 23. On the same day, President Xi Jinping signed Order No. 99 of the President of the People's Republic of China and issued the document, which is proclaimed to be enforced from January 1, 2022. This law consists of seven chapters and 62 articles. It stipulates clearly the leadership system and division of duties among different departments as well as between military and civilian authorities. It also offers clear provisions regarding delineation and demarcation of national land boundaries, defense and management of national land boundaries and borders, and international cooperation in national land boundary affairs.

China has a land boundary of approximately 22,000 kilometers adjoining 14 countries. The main purpose for formulating and promulgating this law is to further coordinate, regulate and strengthen boundary management and advance international cooperation in relevant fields. This is an important measure China has taken to implement rule of law and a normal domestic legislative activity. It is in keeping with the practical needs in China's national boundary work and consistent with international law and practice.

The law has clear provisions on conducting cooperation with countries sharing a national land boundary with China and handling boundary affairs on the basis of adhering to relevant treaties related to national land boundary affairs and the principle of equality and mutual benefit. It will not affect China's compliance with existing treaties related to national land boundary affairs China has already signed or change China's current mode of boundary management and cooperation with countries sharing a land boundary with it. Nor will it alter China's position and proposition on relevant boundary issues.

NHK: On the test of Chinese spacecraft, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley says that China carried out a test of a hypersonic weapon in an interview. What is China's comment?

Wang Wenbin: I have noted that some people in the US reportedly likened the "test of a hypersonic weapon" to the "Sputnik moment" and said this is concerning. As for China's test of spacecraft, we have already made responses. I want to point out that following the US logic, the US itself is the biggest challenge to the world.

We urge the US to stop making issues out of China or perceiving China as an imaginary enemy, abandon the Cold-War zero-sum mentality, see China's national defense and military development in an objective and rational light, do more that benefits mutual trust and cooperation between China and the US, and do more that is conducive to world peace, stability and development.

People's Daily: We noted that on October 27, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Greece, the first stop on his trip to Europe. Do you have more information on the visit?

Wang Wenbin: On October 27, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Greece, where he met with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and held talks and jointly met the press with Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias. State Councilor Wang further elaborated on China's position on China-Greece relations and bilateral cooperation in various sectors in a written interview with Greek newspaper Ta Nea.

State Councilor Wang said that China and Greece are more than partners for win-win cooperation, but also like-minded friends. A few days ago, the successful flame lighting and torch relay for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics in Greece further invigorated the Olympic spirit. China attaches high importance to relations with Greece and stands ready to work together with Greece to pursue high-quality BRI cooperation, build Piraeus into a world-class port, accelerate efforts to build the China-Europe Land-Sea Express Route, and expand cooperation in emerging sectors such as renewable energy. China welcomes Greece's active part in the Global Development Initiative put forward by President Xi Jinping. The Greek side noted that Greece and China are both home to profound civilizations with much in common, which offer inspirations for resolving geopolitical conflicts of the modern day. Greece believes that China's future is unlimited and is full of confidence in the development of bilateral relations. The Greek side never subscribes to the counter-China or Sinophobia rhetoric. Greece places emphasis on and applauds the Global Development Initiative put forward by President Xi and welcomes Chinese companies to continue investing and operating in Greece. The two sides agreed to make the China-Greece Year of Culture and Tourism a great success and strengthen exchange between localities.

The two sides also had an in-depth exchange of views on the current China-Europe relations. State Councilor Wang stressed that he hopes to convey three clear messages to Greece and Europe through this trip. First, China hopes to jointly carry forward the Olympic spirit together with Europe and welcomes Greek and European athletes to the Beijing Winter Olympic Games. Second, China hopes to jointly advance connectivity with Europe and seek greater synergy between BRI cooperation and the EU's global connectivity strategy to boost global economic recovery. Third, China hopes to work together with Europe to promote dialogue between civilizations and contribute to forging a community with a shared future for mankind.

State Councilor Wang will also visit Serbia, Albania and Italy. Please stay tuned.

AFP: Media reports say that China is building a new security facility in Tajikistan near its border with Afghanistan. Can you confirm this?

Wang Wenbin: I'm not aware of the situation you mentioned.

Radio Television Hong Kong: After the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) revoked the license of China Telecom's US subsidiary by citing national security concerns yesterday, the FBI raided the Florida offices of PAX Technology. Do you have any comment on successive actions of the US on Chinese companies?

Wang Wenbin: I am not aware of the specific situation you mentioned. I would like to stress that the Chinese government always asks Chinese companies overseas to follow commercial principles, international rules, and local laws when engaging in mutually beneficial cooperation. The US should also provide a fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese and other foreign companies operating in the US.

Xinhua News Agency: Yesterday China released a white paper titled "Responding to Climate Change: China's Policies and Actions". As the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference approaches, various sectors of the international community are paying high attention to the measures China has adopted to address climate change. Could you offer some information on this?

Wang Wenbin: Yesterday the State Council Information Office released a white paper titled "Responding to Climate Change: China's Policies and Actions" and held a press conference. The white paper detailed the progress and outcomes China has achieved in addressing climate change and its outstanding contribution to global climate governance, offering a systematic description of China's proposal, wisdom and solution in dealing with climate change.

Addressing climate change is the intrinsic demand for China to realize sustainable development and an international obligation a responsible major country should assume. It's not something asked of us, but something we are doing on our own initiative. China has always been advancing ecological endeavors and climate governance with concrete actions.

In 2015, President Xi Jinping attended the Paris Climate Change Conference and delivered important remarks, making historical contributions to the conclusion of the Paris Agreement. In September 2016, China deposited the legal instrument of China's ratification of the Paris Agreement, facilitating its early entry into force. In September 2020, President Xi Jinping announced at the general debate of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly that China will scale up its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions. In December 2020, President Xi announced at the Climate Ambition Summit a series of additional goals for 2030 including lowering carbon dioxide emissions, developing non-fossil fuels and increasing forest stock volume. In July 2021, China's national carbon market officially started online trading. In September, President Xi Jinping pledged at the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly that China will step up support for other developing countries in developing green and low-carbon energy and will not build new coal-fired power projects abroad. On October 24, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council jointly released a document titled "Working Guidance for Carbon Dioxide Peaking and Carbon Neutrality in Full and Faithful Implementation of the New Development Philosophy", which is the "one" in the "1+N" policy framework for carbon peak and carbon neutrality. On October 26, the State Council released the "Action Plan for Carbon Dioxide Peaking Before 2030", which plays a guiding role among the several documents of the "1+N" framework and lays out the working principles, major objectives and key tasks and outlined a detailed roadmap. China will cut carbon emission intensity more than any other country in the world and move from carbon peak to carbon neutrality in the shortest span in history. This demonstrates the greatest ambition and strongest action and will take arduous efforts.

Addressing climate change is the common cause of all humanity. It takes joint international efforts to make sure we will leave behind a clean and beautiful planet for our posterity. During the over 200-year-long industrialization process, developed countries kept releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Therefore they shoulder unshirkable responsibilities for global climate change. We call on developed countries to earnestly abide by the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, face up to their historical responsibilities, demonstrate greater ambition and action, and take the lead in assuming major emission-cutting responsibilities while helping developing countries increase their capability to address climate change in terms of funding, technology and capacity-building.

Bloomberg: The Indian Foreign Ministry has asked China not use the new land border law to alter areas along its border with India. What is the foreign ministry's response to this request?

Wang Wenbin: I just shared China's consideration behind promulgating the National Land Boundary Law. We hope relevant countries will abide by norms of international relations and refrain from wanton speculations on China's normal domestic legislation.

Global Times: At the East Asia Summit (EAS) on October 27, the Japanese leader interfered in China's internal affairs including Taiwan, Hong Kong and Xinjiang, accused China of activities that violate Japan's sovereignty in the East China Sea and violate UNCLOS in the South China Sea and expressed opposition to economic coercion in the region. Do you have any comment?

Wang Wenbin: On a multilateral occasion, the Japanese leader, in total disregard of facts, has engaged in "smearing diplomacy" and grossly interfered in China's internal affairs. Such acts are not constructive to the healthy and steady development of China-Japan relations and regional peace and stability. The Chinese side has lodged solemn representations with the Japanese side.

Shenzhen TV: According to reports, Russian President Putin said at the East Asia Summit on October 27 that with the termination of the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles, East Asia faces the possibility of a new round of arms race. He called on countries concerned to have serious talks over this issue. On the same day, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said, Russia is concerned over US aspiration to deploy short- and intermediate-range missiles in Europe and the Asia-Pacific. What is China's comment?

Wang Wenbin: The statements by the Russian side reflect the shared concerns of Asia-Pacific countries. We noticed that recently, the US has conducted frequent tests of hypersonic weapons and all forms of intercontinental ballistic missiles, and aspires to deploy intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles in the Asia-Pacific and Europe, advances the deployment of global anti-ballistic system and even blatantly conducts missile cooperation with its allies including Australia and Japan, and transfers nuclear submarines to Australia in total disregard of international obligations. The US has become the source of global nuclear and missile proliferation.

These negative moves of the US have severely undermined regional and international peace and stability, disrupts the process of international arms control and reveals the US true color of pursuing its own interests at the expense of others and seeking military hegemony. China is firmly opposed to this.

We urge the US to earnestly respond to the common concerns of the international community, reverse its belligerent policies, and stop going further down the wrong and dangerous path, otherwise it will only end up hurting its own interests.

AFP: A quick follow-up. Taiwan's Tsai Ing-wen has confirmed a small number of US troops are present in Taiwan to help with training, adding that she has faith that the American military will defend the island in the event of a military maneuver by Beijing. How does Beijing view these comments? Also adding to that, President Biden on Wednesday criticized Beijing's coercive actions across the Taiwan Strait while addressing the East Asia Summit. How do you react to these comments?

Wang Wenbin: I just took a similar question. I want to stress that seeking "Taiwan independence" leads to a dead end. So does supporting "Taiwan independence".

CCTV: According to reports, people familiar with US congressional and diplomatic affairs said, the US is preparing to rejoin UNESCO. The return will help counter China's influence and benefit other US interests. What is China's comment?

Wang Wenbin: I am not aware of the situation you mentioned. I want to point out that all countries should abide by international rules, shoulder international responsibilities and fulfill international obligations. The US should not join and quit international organizations as it pleases. The US withdrew from UNESCO twice, creating negative impacts on the body's work. We urge the US to practice multilateralism with real actions and participate in international cooperation in the spirit of cooperation, instead of pursuing "pseudo-multilateralism" for political confrontation or for self-interests.

CRI: Today, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez tweeted Cuba condemns the US government declarations that attempt to undermine the unity and territorial integrity of the People's Republic of China. He reiterated Cuba's unswerving position in support of the one-China principle and against the interference in its internal affairs. What is China's comment?

Wang Wenbin: China highly appreciates Foreign Minister Rodriguez's statement. The one-China principle is a consensus of the international community and a universally recognized norm governing international relations, which does not allow distortion or challenge.

China News Service: Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Khani said on October 27 that the negotiations to revive the JCPOA will resume before the end of November. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said the same day that International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi will certainly travel to Iran, but did not specify any date. Do you have any comment?

Wang Wenbin: It is in the common interests of the international community to bring the JCPOA back on track as soon as possible and promote regional peace and stability. China welcomes Iran's announcement of its return to the Vienna negotiations before the end of November, appreciates Iran's invitation for the IAEA chief's visit, and supports both sides in resolving differences through dialogue.

Important progress has been made in the previous six rounds of negotiations on the resumption of compliance held in the first half of this year. All parties should make renewed efforts to push for breakthroughs in the negotiations based on the principle of objectivity and justice. The US should thoroughly correct its wrong policy of "maximum pressure" on Iran, and Iran should resume full compliance on this basis. Other parties should also create a favorable atmosphere for achieving the above goals.

China will stay in close communication with relevant parties, take a constructive part in negotiations, firmly uphold the JCPOA and push for the political and diplomatic settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue. At the same time, we will resolutely safeguard our legitimate rights and interests.

Beijing Youth Daily: The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently issued a statement that encourages all UN Member States to join the US in supporting Taiwan's robust, meaningful participation throughout the UN system and in the international community, and highlighted Taiwan's participation in ICAO and the WHO. What is your comment?

Wang Wenbin: The US statement seriously violates the one-China principle and the stipulations of the three China-US joint communiques, violates the promise it has made, violates the basic norms governing international relations, and has sent seriously wrong signals to the "Taiwan independence" forces. China deplores and firmly opposes this, and has made clear its solemn position to and lodged stern representations with the US.

On the issue of the Taiwan region's participation in the UN and other international organizations, China has made its position clear many times. There is only one China in the world. The government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. The Taiwan region is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory, which is a fact based on history and jurisprudence that no one and no force can change. The participation of the Taiwan region in activities of international organizations, including the WHO and ICAO, must be handled in accordance with the one-China principle. Fifty years ago, Resolution 2758 adopted by the General Assembly restored the lawful seat of the PRC in the UN, and has solved once and for all the issue of the China's representation in the UN in political, legal and procedural terms. The system, agencies and the Secretariat of the UN should abide by the one-China principle and UNGA Resolution 2758 when dealing with Taiwan-related affairs. The WHO, ICAO and other relevant international agencies all affirmed this fundamental principle in resolution or in other legal forms.

The Taiwan authorities recalcitrantly stick to the "Taiwan independence" separatist position and refuse to recognize the 1992 consensus. As a result, the political foundation for the Taiwan region to participate in the activities of the WHO and ICAO has ceased to exist. The responsibility fully rests with the Taiwan authorities. In fact, on the premise of the one-China principle, the Central Government of China has made proper arrangement for the Taiwan region's participation in international cooperation in various areas. In the health sector, there is an International Health Regulations Contact Point in Taiwan. Taiwan enjoys unimpeded channel and sound mechanism for information exchanges with the WHO and countries in the world. Medical and health experts in the Taiwan region also regularly attend WHO technical meetings and activities. In the civil aviation sector, the Taiwan region is linked to many cities in the world with convenient flights and has unfettered access to standards, suggested measures and other information from ICAO. The US statement exalts Taiwan's "contributions" in the science and health sectors and endeavors to solicit support for its participation in activities of the UN and other international organizations under such pretexts as a "gap" in the defense against COVID-19 and aviation safety. It is attempting to achieve political goals by fabricating lies to angle for sympathy. The international community has long seen through this sort of political trick. In recent years, when certain countries hyped up Taiwan-related issues on the platforms of the World Health Assembly and the International Civil Aviation Conference, they were opposed unanimously by all countries upholding justice and their attempts were foiled time and again. This fully demonstrates that the one-China principle is the overriding trend with strong popular support in the international community and shall not be defied.

We urge the US side to earnestly abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, comply with UNGA Resolution 2758, stop issuing irresponsible erroneous remarks, stop assisting Taiwan in expanding its so-called "international space", refrain from sending wrong signals to "Taiwan independence" forces, and uphold the political foundation for China-US relations with concrete actions.
Several instruments joined forces to produce this image of the G237 protocluster, identifying its galaxies in different colors representing different wavelengths of observations. The image on the right zooms in on the central region of this massive galaxy shipyard. CREDIT ESA/Herschel and XMM-Newton; NASA/Spitzer; NAOJ/Subaru; Large Binocular Telescope; ESO/VISTA. Polletta, M. et al. 2021; Koyama, Y. et al. 2021

In a rare glimpse at such an object, astronomers discovered a structure thought to be a "protocluster" of galaxies on its way to developing into a galaxy supercluster.

Even galaxies don't like to be alone. While astronomers have known for a while that galaxies tend to congregate in groups and clusters, the process of going from formation to friend groups has remained an open question in cosmology.

In a paper published in the Astronomy & Astrophysics Journal, an international team of astronomers reports the discovery of a group of objects that appear to be an emerging accumulation of galaxies in the making - known as a protocluster.

"This discovery is an important step toward reaching our ultimate goal: understanding the assembly of galaxy clusters, the most massive structures that exist in the universe," said Brenda Frye, an associate professor of astronomy at the University of Arizona's Steward Observatory and a co-author of the study.

The Milky Way, home to our solar system, belongs to a galaxy cluster known as the Local Group, which in turn is a part of the Virgo supercluster. But what did a supercluster such as Virgo look like 11 billion years ago?

"We still know very little about protoclusters, in part because they are so faint, too faint to be detected by optical light," Frye said. "At the same time, they are known to radiate brightly in other wavelengths such as the sub-millimeter."

Initially discovered by the European Space Agency's Planck telescope as part of an all-sky survey, the protocluster described in the new paper showed up prominently in the far-infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum. Sifting through a sample of more than 2,000 structures that could be in the process of becoming clusters, researchers came across a protocluster designated as PHz G237.01+42.50, or G237 for short. The observations looked promising, but to confirm its identity required follow-up observations with other telescopes.

Led by Mari Polletta at the National Institute for Astrophysics in Milan, Italy, the team conducted observations using the combined power of the Large Binocular Telescope in Arizona, which is managed by UArizona, and the Subaru Telescope in Japan. The team identified 63 galaxies belonging to the G237 protocluster. The original discovery was published in a previous paper, and follow-up observations were also obtained using archival data, the Herschel Space Observatory and the Spitzer Space Telescope.

"You can think of galaxy protoclusters such as G237 as a galaxy shipyard in which massive galaxies are being assembled, only this structure existed at a time when the universe was 3 billion years old," Frye said. "At the same time, the genealogy may be closer than you think. Because the universe is homogeneous and the same in all directions, we think that the Milky Way may have docked at a protocluster node similar to G237 when it was very young."

At first, observations of G237 implied a total star formation rate that was unrealistically high, and the team struggled to make sense of the data. The G237 protocluster seemed to be forming stars at a rate of 10,000 times that of the Milky Way. At that rate, the protocluster would be expected to rapidly use up its stellar fuel and subsequently settle down into a complex system similar to the Virgo supercluster.

"Each of the 63 galaxies discovered so far in G237 was like a star factory in overdrive," Frye said. "It's as if the galaxies were working on overtime to the assemble stars. The rate of production was unsustainable. At such a pace, the supply chains are expected to break in the near future, and in a way that permanently shuts down the galaxy shipyard."

Such high yields could only be maintained by a continuous injection of fuel, which for stars is hydrogen gas. Frye said that would require an efficient and unbroken supply chain that drew in unreasonably large amounts of fresh gas to fuel the star-forming factories.

"We don't know where that gas was coming from," she said.

Later, the team discovered that some of what it was seeing came from galaxies unrelated to the protocluster, but even after the irrelevant observations were removed, the total star formation rate remained high, at least 1,000 solar masses per year, according to Poletta. In comparison, the Milky Way produces about one solar mass each year.

"The picture we have pieced together now is that of a successful galaxy shipyard, which is working at high efficiency to assemble galaxies and the stars within them and has an energy supply that is more sustainable," Frye said.

All galaxies in the universe are part of a giant structure that resembles a three-dimensional spider web shape called the cosmic web. The filaments of the cosmic web intersect at the nodes, which equate to the galaxy shipyards in the analogy.

"We believe that the filaments mediate the transfer of hydrogen gas from the diffuse medium of intergalactic space onto these hungry, newly forming protocluster structures in the nodes," Frye said.

Pointing to future research, Polletta said: "We are in the process of analyzing more observations on this and other Planck protoclusters with the goal of tracing the gas that gives birth to these newly forming stars and feeds the supermassive black holes, to determine its origin and explain the observed extraordinary activity."

Frye said she is looking forward to combining data from the Large Binocular Telescope with observations from NASA's the James Webb Space Telescope, to be launched in December.

"Protoclusters offer an opportunity to investigate key questions in astronomy that only this new observatory can answer," she said, "such as what mechanisms drive the prodigious star formation, and when will the hydrogen supply run out, forcing this galaxy shipyard to close its doors and turn into a supercluster similar to the one our Milky Way is in?"



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'Joe Biden is no more Catholic than is Lucifer,' says American Life League

NEWS PROVIDED BYOct. 28, 2021FREDERICKSBURG, Va., Oct. 28, 2021 / Standard Newswire / -- "Joe Biden excommunicated himself almost 50 years ago," according to the American Life League President, who served as a three-time appointee to the Pontifical Academy for Life. "Pope Francis needs to hold Biden accountable and demand he spend every moment he has left on this earth publicly repenting and atoning for the evil of abortion that he has empowered.""Judie Brown has served on the Pontifical Academy for Life in addition to being President of the American Life League," explained Jim Sedlak, Executive Director of the American Life League, which has been defending the life of the preborn for over four decades. Appointed twice by Pope Saint John Paul II and once by Pope Benedict XVI, Brown served the official papal academy in its dedicated mission to promoting the Roman Catholic church's respect for every human being's life.Along with Hugh Brown, American Life League Executive Vice President, Judie Brown urges Pope Francis to not insult the "Body of Christ." They explain, "Sadly, we have learned that Pope Francis will not only be meeting with US President Joe Biden, but could have an opportunity to choose whether or not to give the President the sacrament of Holy Communion. Such an act, if carried out, would be an abomination to faithful Catholics." Cutting to the chase, Hugh Brown notes, "Joe Biden is no more Catholic than is Lucifer."Recalling the teachings of Pope Saint John Paul II, under whom Judie Brown served at the Pontifical Academy, she quoted the previous pontiff, "The Code of Canon Law refers to this situation of a manifest lack of proper moral disposition when it states that those who 'obstinately persist in manifest grave sin' are not to be admitted to Eucharistic communion."The American Life League leadership believes that if the current leader of the Catholic Church does not call Biden to account for his pro-abortion views, Pope Francis will miss an opportunity to reaffirm the uncompromising pro-life teachings that have always been taught and practiced throughout Catholicism.Hugh Brown details how Joe Biden was first elected to national public office in 1972, serving in the United States Senate when abortion was legalized in 1973."Joe Biden has helped usher in the culture of death and is responsible for the deaths of 65,000,000 children by abortion," stated Hugh Brown. "Denying Joe Biden the Eucharist is not only necessary, but required, as he has direct participation and responsibility for these millions of abortions.""Pope Francis needs to show moral courage," continued Hugh Brown, "and defend the faith Christ has entrusted to him. We hope and pray that Pope Francis heeds these words, speaks to President Biden in private, and does not insult the body of Christ by giving His precious body and blood to the most infamous pro-abortion politician in our lifetime."The American Life League has been part of the pro-life abortion debate from its inception. Since 1979, the American Life League has committed to the protection of all innocent human beings from the moment of creation to death with a pro-life integrity that stands up for every innocent human being whose life is threatened by a "culture of death." For more information visit all.org SOURCE American Life LeagueCONTACT: Tom Ciesielka, 312-422-1333, tc@tcpr.net
Thursday, October 28, 2021 at 11:36AM

by Nathaniel R

Time to check in again with Oscar submissions as five more countries join the fray. The highest profile new entry is Italy's The Hand of God by Paolo Sorrentino. He triumphed in this category eight years back with The Great Beauty (2013) which ended the longest drought -- seven years -- that Italy has ever had in this particular competition. If The Hand of God snags the nomination, Sorrentino will have performed this feat twice since Italy hasn't been nominated since. Sorrentino joins Iran's Asghar Farhadi (A Hero) as the only International contender this season who has already led a film to victory in this category. The Hand of God is a memoir about Sorrentino's teenage years and a family tragedy. He's been campaigning enthusiastically since Cannes, recently attending the Middleburg Film Festival to receive an International Spotlight prize.

Other new contenders are after the jump...

BOLIVIA

Bolivia will be sending The Great Movement which won a special jury prize in the Horizons section at Venice. It's about a man who falls ill during a protest with his miner friends and begins seeing a witch doctor. Bolivia has yet to be nominated for an Oscar.

PANAMA

They are submitted Plaza Catedral by Abner Benaim which won both acting prizes at the Guadalajara International Film Festival. It's a thriller about a middle-aged woman and a teenager who stumbles, bleeding, into her home.

RUSSIA

Unclenching the Fists from Kira Kovalenko is the choice. The drama about a woman struggling with her family in a mining town won Un Certain Regard at Cannes this summer. This is only the second time Russia has sent a female director (the first was Anna Melkikian for Mermaids, 2008). Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union Russia has been nominated seven times, winning one (Burnt by The Sun, 1994). Lately though they've had bad luck crossing the finish line. They made the finals in four of the last five years but were only nominated in one of those instances (Loveless, 2017).

SINGAPORE

Signapore has chosen the thriller Precious is the Night by Wayne Peng. It's set in the 1960s and revolves around a doctor who makes an ill fated housecall to a mysterious rich family. Extremely Niche Personal Trivia Note: This is the first International Oscar submission ever to star a non-actor who we've been following on Instagram for years (tee hee). Chuando Tan, who is a 55 year old model / social media sensation (who doesnt look a day over 35) makes his feature debut in the leading role.

more articles on this category

the submission charts (freshly updated)

Oscar predictions (freshly updated)

Letterboxd list (you guessed it... freshly updated)
By Azernews





By Ayya Lmahamad

Azerbaijan presents its products under the "Made in Azerbaijan" brand at the 2021 Haihe International Consumption Summit & Carnival exhibition in Tianjin, China, the Economy Ministry has reported.

Azerbaijani food and agricultural products are presented at the event organized by China's biggest e-commerce platform JD.com.

The ministry reported that the participants in the international exhibition expressed great interest in Azerbaijani products.

"Azerbaijan's online trading house will soon begin operations on the JD.com platform," the report added.

Earlier this year Azerbaijan also participated in the International building materials exhibition MosBuild 2021, Prodexpo 2021, Heimtextil Russia 2021 and the TransRussia 2021 international transport expo in Moscow, Russia, China Food and Drinks Fair, TAOWINE Hotel Show exhibition, and the 31st International Trade and Economic Exhibition China, Global Village International Fair and Arabian Travel Market 2021 held in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.

The Azerbaijani Export and Investment Promotion Foundation's (AZPROMO) acting head, Yusif Abdullayev, earlier said that increasing foreign investments and developing new concepts to expand the geography of Azerbaijans exports would be among AZPROMO's priorities in 2021.

According to the National Export Strategy, Azerbaijan's non-oil exports are planned to be doubled and reach $3.7 billion by 2025 compared to 2020.

In 2020, Azerbaijani entrepreneurs signed contracts worth AZN 14.8 million ($8.7M) during exhibitions in various countries. The value of exports carried out under these contracts amounted to more than AZN 10 million ($5.8M). In addition, 33 export missions and 33 international exhibitions were held in 2020.
By Azernews





By Ayya Lmahamad

The Azerbaijani government and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, which is a member of the World Bank (WB) group, have signed a loan agreement on the regional roads and development project, the Finance Ministry reported on October 27.

The $65-million loan agreement was signed by Azerbaijani Finance Minister Samir Sharifov and WB Country Manager for Azerbaijan Sarah Michael.

The loan funds will be used to reconstruct the Yenikand-Bilasuvar section of the Alat-Astara-Iran state border road, create a model to ensure the efficiency and safety of the road, improve the quality of new road services, manage logistics and market infrastructure in the territories along and other types of technical assistance.

The ministry noted that the project will provide safe and efficient transportation along the Salyan-Bilasuvar road in the south of Azerbaijan and improve access to markets.

People living along this route will have access to improved road infrastructure, economic opportunities, and key service facilities, the ministry said.

Expressing satisfaction over the long-term and strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and the WB, Samir Sharifov noted the bank's financial support for a number of important projects implemented by the state.

Sarah Michael stressed that cooperation between the WB and Azerbaijan as reliable partners will continue. She expressed confidence that the new project will help Azerbaijan to achieve its national development priorities.

It should be noted that Azerbaijan joined the WB in 1992. Since then, the bank has financed over 50 projects with total commitments of $4.4 billion. It started economic cooperation in Azerbaijan to help increase the countrys institutional capacity and to build efficient management of oil reserves. The WB has always supported the large-scale reforms carried out in Azerbaijan.
By Azernews





By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijan Independence Museum has opened a patriotic exhibition in memory of the heroes and martyrs of the 44-day Patriotic War.

The exhibition features photographs and personal belongings of martyrs presented by their families.

The opening ceremony was attended by gazis of the Karabakh war, family members of the martyrs and representatives of the youth, who praised the courage of Azerbaijani soldiers who liberated the country's territories previously occupied by Armenian.

They pointed out that Azerbaijani Army led by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev defeated the Armenian aggressors who occupied Azerbaijani territories for about 30 years.

Now, the whole country will celebrate the anniversary of the Great Victory on November 8.

Particularly touching were the speeches of the martyrs' parents, who proudly talked about their children, who showed true patriotism and love for the homeland.

In conclusion, the museum visitors watched patriotic performance presented by choolchildren and students.

Notably, the exposition will stay open until October 31.

The clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan resumed after Armenia launched large-scale attacks on Azerbaijani forces and civilians on September 27.

The 44 days of war ended with the Russian brokered peace deal signed on November 10 by the Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian leaders.

The peace agreement ended the 30-years-old conflict between Baku and Yerevan over Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh region that along with the seven adjacent districts came under the occupation of Armenian armed forces in the war in the early 1990s.

For about three decades, Armenia failed to implement the UN Security Council resolutions demanding the withdrawal of the Armenian troops, which was the main obstacle to the resolution of the conflict.




By Azernews





By Laman Ismayilova

The Culture Minister Anar Karimov has arrived in Croatia to attend a meeting of the joint commission for economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and Croatia.

As part of his visit, Anar Karimov has met with Croatian Culture and Media Minister Nina Obuljen Korzinek to discuss prospects of cooperation.

Speaking about partnership with Azerbaijan, Nina Obuljen Korzinek stressed that Croatia attaches great importance to the bilateral cooperation.

The Croatian Culture Minister expressed her readiness to share with Azerbaijan the basic principles of the audiovisual sector, which is considered one of the most important areas of development in Croatia.

She stressed the importance of diversifying the book industry, inter-publishing cooperation with Azerbaijan, as well as strengthening the field of translation.

The Croatian Culture Minister also expressed readiness to share the experience of Croatian specialists in the restoration and reconstruction work in the liberated territories of Azerbaijan.

During the conversation, Nina Obuljen Korzinek spoke about her participation in the events held within the Baku Process platform initiated by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in 2008.

In turn, Anar Karimov stressed that cooperation between Azerbaijan and Croatia continues successfully in many areas, and praised mutual support and cultural partnership in international organizations.

He praised Croatia's support for Azerbaijan in demining and reconstruction of the liberated territories.

It was noted that the two countries will continue to work closely on a number of projects in the field of energy and IT in near future.

Speaking about the need to expand cooperation between cultural institutions, Anar Karimov expressed confidence that the ties between the national libraries and state museums of the two countries will expand as well.

The importance of benefiting from Croatia's experience in the field of cultural heritage protection was also noted.

Anar Karimov pointed out that the Culture Ministry has done a number of important measures to strengthen and develop cultural policy based on world experience and stressed the importance of Azerbaijani-Croatian cooperation in this area.

The Minister expressed satisfaction with the Croatian Culture Minister's participation in the call for a global campaign "Peace4Culture" initiated by the Azerbaijan Culture Ministry and the UN Alliance of Civilizations.

The meeting continued with a number of important discussions of mutual interest.
By Azernews





By Vugar Khalilov

Azerbaijan will turn into a museum the ruins of a residential house in Tartar destroyed by an Armenian missile attack during last year's war, a spokesman for the Barda regional culture department has said.

"The fragments of 21 long-range missiles that were launched at Tartar, unexploded munitions, household items from other houses, photos will be exhibited here. Also at this place, it will be possible to get acquainted with the chronology of the terror committed by Armenia against Azerbaijan during the second Karabakh war," Jeyhun Ismayilov said.

The house's 62-year-old owner, Sahib Ismayilov, noted that the family members survived the Armenian Smerch missile attack as they were out when the house was shelled.

"Fortunately, we went out into the courtyard, and after a while, a missile hit the house. The state built a new house for us, which is better than the previous one. I thank the country's leadership for this," Ismayilov said.

It should be noted that the Armenian armed forces deliberately and in a targeted manner shelled Azerbaijans civil settlements in Beylagan, Tartar, Horadiz, Barda, Aghdam, Aghjabadi, Jabrayil cities, using heavy artillery and missiles during the 44-day war in 2020.

On October 4, 2020, Armenia's armed forces launched missile attacks on Ganja, the second-largest and densely populated city located far from the former conflict zone.

On the same day, Mingachevir city, where the largest hydroelectric power station and war reservoir are located, as well as Khizi and Absheron located far away from the area of active hostilities, were targeted by Armenian missile attacks.

As a consequence of these attacks, many peaceful citizens were killed and wounded, civilian objects, historic monuments and cultural property, administrative buildings, and other social objects were heavily damaged.

On October 27, 2020, Armenian troops launched a missile attack on Azerbaijan's Barda city far from the war zone, which killed five civilians and wounded 13 more people.

On October 28, 2020, Armenia launched another bigger missile attack on Barda, which killed 21 and injured 70 civilians.

As a result of Armenia's military aggression, 100 Azerbaijani civilians were killed, including 12 children and 27 women. As many as 454 people were injured, including 35 children. Some 181 children lost one parent, five children lost both parents, one family died. In total, 12,292 residential and non-residential buildings and 288 vehicles were damaged.

Armenia committed war crimes against Azerbaijani civilians disrespecting international law and international humanitarian law since these regulations require distinguishing between combatants and civilians, civilian and military objectives during the hostilities.

A criminal case has been initiated into the death of every civilian in Azerbaijan caused by the Armenian terror, and appeals have been sent to international courts and organizations.

A Moscow-brokered ceasefire deal that Baku and Yerevan signed on November 10, 2020, brought an end to six weeks of fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani army declared a victory against the Armenian troops. The signed agreement obliged Armenia to withdraw its troops from the Azerbaijani lands that it has occupied since the early 1990s.

The peace agreement stipulated the return of Azerbaijan's Armenian-occupied Kalbajar, Aghdam and Lachin regions and urged Armenia to withdraw its troops from the Azerbaijani lands that it has occupied since the early 1990s. Before the signing of the deal, the Azerbaijani army had liberated around 300 villages, settlements, city centers, and historic Shusha city.




By Azernews





By Ayya Lmahamad

On September 27, 2020, in response to a large-scale provocation of the Armenian armed forces along the frontline, the Azerbaijani army launched a counter-offensive operation, later called the "Iron Fist".

The 44-day war put an end to nearly 30 years of occupation, ensured the liberation of Azerbaijan's lands and the restoration of the country's territorial integrity.

Chronicle of 44-day Second Karabakh War: October 28, 2021

- Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has made aposton his official Twitter account.

- President Ilham Aliyev has made a post on his official Twitter account that the Azerbaijani army liberated several villages in Zangilan, Jabrayil and Gubadli regions from the occupiers.

- President Aliyev gave an interview to Russia's Interfax news agency.

- Azerbaijani First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva shared a post on her Instagram account about Armenia's attack on civilians in Barda.

- The territory of Azerbaijan's Tartar district came under artillery fire.

- The list of destroyed military equipment of Armenia was announced.

- Armenian troops shelled Azerbaijan's Tovuz, Gadabay, Dashkasan and Gubadli regions.

- Video footage of the destruction of Armenian military equipment and personnel has been released.

- Death toll in Barda reached 21 and 70 people were injured.

- Azerbaijans units destroyed the enemy, who opened fire on Azerbaijani cities and regions. The enemy's manpower was destroyed by accurate fire.

- Enemy forces fleeing the battlefield were destroyed.

- A video of the moment of Barda's shooting has been spread.

A Moscow-brokered ceasefire deal that Baku and Yerevan signed on November 10, 2020, brought an end to six weeks of fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani army declared a victory against the Armenian troops. The signed agreement obliged Armenia to withdraw its troops from the Azerbaijani lands that it has occupied since the early 1990s.

The peace agreement stipulated the return of Azerbaijan's Armenian-occupied Kalbajar, Aghdam and Lachin regions and urged Armenia to withdraw its troops from the Azerbaijani lands that it has occupied since the early 1990s. Before the signing of the deal, the Azerbaijani army had liberated around 300 villages, settlements, city centres, and historic Shusha city.
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has been interviewed by Russian Interfax agency on October 28, 2020.

Trend presents the interview.

- Thank you, Mr. President, for finding the time for an interview with our agency despite your busy schedule. It was exactly one month yesterday since the counter- offensive of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces began in Nagorno- Karabakh. How would you assess this month from the point of view of the military- political settlement of the conflict?

- The Azerbaijani army has demonstrated its advantage on the battlefield. Significant parts of the occupied territories have been liberated in one month. Given that the Armenian side had been building fortifications in the occupied lands for almost 30 years, there were several lines of defense. Also, the terrain itself is more favorable for the Armenian side. It is mountainous and our servicemen had to overcome both engineering fortifications and mountainous terrain when carrying out the counterattack. Despite all these factors, significant territories in the occupied lands of our country have been liberated in one month, and this shows that the Azerbaijani army is considered one of the most combat- effective armies in the world for a reason. According to the rankings periodically published by organizations that assess the military potential of countries, the Azerbaijani army is among top 50 armies in the world. The professionalism, training, combat effectiveness and, most importantly, fighting morale have certainly contributed to our success in many respects. And, of course, the equipment available to the Azerbaijani army. We have liberated the cities of Fuzuli, Jabrayil, Zangilan, Gubadli, a part of Khojavand district. The successful mission, the successful advance of the Azerbaijani army continues. I have said several times during this month that we want the settlement of the conflict to move from a military to a political phase. But, unfortunately, the Armenian side has grossly violated the ceasefire regime for the third time, attempted to re- occupy the territories we have liberated, and is pushing for a continuation of the confrontation. Therefore, I am answering your question again: the military- political settlement is the only possible way. We would like the military phase to end and issues of further de- occupation of Azerbaijani territories to be resolved at the negotiating table.

- Mr. President, you noted that Baku is interested in completing the military phase as quickly as possible. How long do you think it can last at the present time and is Baku ready to be content with seven districts around Nagorno- Karabakh?

- I have repeatedly said in my appeals to the Azerbaijani people and in numerous interviews this month that we are ready to stop at any moment, even today. But for this to happen, the Armenian side must commit to withdrawing its troops from the rest of the occupied territories. Therefore, I cannot predict how long the military confrontation will last. It depends on the Armenian side. As I said, their constant attempts to recapture our lands have failed. I think this should already be enough for them to understand that they will not achieve anything by military means. Unfortunately, on the political plane they are demonstrating a non- constructive approach, as I said, and have grossly violated the ceasefire three times. Based on this, of course, we will continue to plan on further action. As for the occupied territories, of course, the Azerbaijanis must return to all the occupied territories where they used to live, and this has always been my approach. Not only to the seven occupied districts outside Nagorno- Karabakh, outside the former Nagorno- Karabakh autonomous region, but also to the territories, to the lands they had lived on for centuries. First of all, these are Shusha, Khankandi and other lands that have been inhabited by Azerbaijanis for centuries. I also said that our vision for a settlement lies in the co- existence of the Armenian and Azerbaijani population of Nagorno- Karabakh. It so happened historically that the Armenian population has been living on these lands for 200 years. We all know the history of the resettlement of Armenians from Eastern Anatolia and Iran. But it so happened. They have lived there for 200 years. And we have no objection to the continued presence of the Armenian population. On the contrary, I have always said that thousands of citizens of Armenian nationality live in Azerbaijan, that Armenians and Azerbaijanis live together in neighboring countries and get along quite well. Why can't this be achieved in Nagorno- Karabakh? Our vision is this: Azerbaijanis should return to all the territories they lived in. The Armenian population should also live on this land. And in the conditions of good neighborliness, we will strive to heal the wounds of war.

- So it means that Baku will not stop until Armenian servicemen withdraw from all the occupied territories.

- We need the Armenian side in the person of its leadership to undertake a commitment to withdraw troops from the occupied territories. We haven't heard that yet. As soon as this commitment is made by the Armenian leadership and as soon as it is confirmed and approved by OSCE Minsk Group co- chairs, we are ready to stop military action immediately. And provided that the Armenian side also stops it because all three violations of the ceasefire were committed by the Armenian side. Four civilians, including a seven- year- old girl, were killed as a result of a cluster missile attack on Barda yesterday. This is not a conflict zone. So this is a flagrant violation of the ceasefire, which was agreed in Washington. Prior to that, the ceasefire agreed in Moscow was violated by the Armenian side the next day when they launched a ballistic missile from the territory of Armenia to Ganja. And as a result of this, 10 people died. As a result of the second ballistic missile attack on Ganja, even more people died. There are about 30 victims in a peaceful city. Therefore, it is not our fault that the ceasefire is not observed. Therefore, the Armenian side must undertake that they will withdraw from the occupied territories they are still holding under occupation: these include a part of Aghdam district, the entire Lachin district and most of Kalbajar district. And then we will be ready, of course, to move on to a political settlement. It will cover many aspects. In principle, we have accepted the fundamental principles, while the Armenian side has rejected them. But the Armenian prime ministers aggressive statement yesterday suggests that they say one thing to the mediators and do something completely different.

- Mr. President, you have said that Baku is mainly committed to the fundamental principles. The first point of these principles was the liberation of five districts around Nagorno- Karabakh. But at present, four out of five districts have already been liberated by the Azerbaijani army. It turns out that, at a minimum, the fundamental principles are either not relevant or need some adjustment.

- This will depend on the behavior of the Armenian side again. As you know, negotiations between the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia are to be held in Geneva tomorrow. There we will see how committed the Armenian side is to the fundamental principles. After that, we will give our assessment of how relevant they are now not, although I have repeatedly stated during this month that Azerbaijan accepts them in general, there are certain aspects that do not suit us, of course, but we accept them in general. As for the return of five districts at the first stage, of course, this is no longer relevant because the fundamental principles determined the sequence of territories to be returned  five districts at the first stage, and Kalbajar and Lachin districts at the second. Then comes the return of Azerbaijanis to the territory of Nagorno- Karabakh, in principle, the return of all refugees to the places of their original residence. We have almost completed the first stage. Therefore, if the Armenian side expresses its adherence to the fundamental principles, we will talk about an immediate transfer of Lachin, Kalbajar and a part of Aghdam district that are still under occupation to Azerbaijan. Thus, we will somewhat facilitate the work of mediators because one of the important issues will already be implemented and we will not have to wait for a second stage. It must come right away. If we agree on a political settlement, then Armenian troops should withdraw from Kalbajar and Lachin districts and a part of Aghdam district immediately.

- You have already touched upon tomorrow's meeting of foreign ministers and outlined the overall expectations of Baku. I would like to clarify if Baku still expects the Armenian side to show constructivism and the negotiations to be more substantive, not abstract and broad?

- I think we are still hopeful. Although the aggressive conduct of the Armenian side and the fact that they are flagrantly violating international law, the Geneva Conventions, and committing war crimes does not suggest that they are going to discuss the substance of the settlement issue, of course. Attacking peaceful cities with cluster munitions is a war crime. We have 69 civilians killed and more than 300 injured as a result of Armenian shelling. This is the face of Armenian fascism. At the same time, I think that the defeat we have inflicted on Armenia on the battlefield should nevertheless be a serious signal for them that they can no longer imitate things, deceive us, deceive the co- chairs of the Minsk Group and essentially evade substantive discussions. As for the process of negotiations, there was practically none for the past year, even more than a year. This was the first time this has happened since the 1994 truce. Because since then, the negotiations have been going on with varying degree of intensity and the parties have agreed on provisions of the fundamental principles. They did not fall from the sky. These were the principles proposed by the Minsk Group, its co- chairs, and agreed by the parties. Therefore, there was a process, albeit slow, and some progress was being made. But after the new government came to power in Armenia, they gave us and, as far as I know, the mediators, promises in the first year. But in the second year, they openly demonstrated their true intention that they would not give up a single centimeter of the land. Moreover, they threatened us with a new war for new territories. In fact, these were the words of their Minister of Defense who has been completely discredited as Minister of Defense both in the eyes of his own people and in the eyes of the world community. And after such a humiliating defeat, I am surprised he hasn't resigned yet.

- What is your assessment of remarks by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who on the one hand uses belligerent rhetoric but on the other hand says that Armenia should prepare for painful compromises, then changes his tone again? What is behind this?

- It is hard for me to comment on this. I would probably abstain from an assessment of what is happening to the Armenian prime minister. Probably, this military defeat influenced his state, otherwise how one can explain the series of inconsistent statements and actions that are absolutely irrational and harmful, primarily for himself as the country's leader and dangerous and harmful for his country?

Many people ask why the clashes happened now and not before. Even those who have a biased approach to Azerbaijan and openly support Armenia would ask this question. Twenty- six years have passed since the 1994 truce. There were clashes, there were victims over those years, but not on such a scale. So what has happened? Nothing has changed in Azerbaijan.

I have been engaged in settlement of negotiations for 17 years, and I have gone a long way towards agreeing on the fundamental principles together with the two previous Armenian presidents. That is why it is clear to impartial observers that it is not our fault. This is the fault of the inappropriate, irrational, and dangerous conduct of the Armenian prime minister.

No former Armenian leader ever allowed insulting innuendos regarding the Azerbaijani people. None of them allowed the Nagorno- Karabakh head to be inaugurated in Shusha. None of them prided themselves on the demonstrative violation of the Geneva Convention showing the resettlement of the Lebanese Armenians to Nagorno- Karabakh, including Shusha. And so on and so forth.

So these are the results of the ill- conceived and dangerous activity of Prime Minister Pashinyan. I wouldn't comment on his statements inside the country. But what he does concerning the settlement is very dangerous for Armenia itself. Today, Armenia can clearly see this. That is why I think that the Minsk Group co- chairs should clearly raise this issue before the Armenian foreign minister, who, as I understand, is in a very difficult situation. He has to answer for the inappropriate conduct of his leader, and in fact he deserves sympathy. He will have to get himself out of this and somehow explain his series of inconsistent actions.

On the one hand, he speaks about painful concessions, on the other hand, he says that there is no diplomatic solution. First, he says that he is ready for a compromise but then he says that he will defend Karabakh until the very end. On the one hand, he says that Karabakh is Armenia, but then he says that we should negotiate with Nagorno- Karabakh. This is an absolutely mutually exclusive palette of inadequacy. So I think that many issues of these will be clarified tomorrow.

- In your latest address to the Azerbaijani people, you quite severely criticized the mediators for essentially being inactive. Does this mean that Baku will insist on changing the Minsk Group format?

- ?I have spoken many times about the activity of the OSCE Minsk Group over the past month. And what I said in the address to the Azerbaijani people is the absolute truth. Any format, no matter what it is called and who it involves, should acknowledge its ineffectiveness if it doesn't fulfill the set task. And the set task has not been fulfilled. Although I cannot deny that the Minsk Group made attempts to reach a settlement, because fundamental principles were elaborated with its assistance. They worked and they proposed options. There were some things we didn't agree with, there were some things that the Armenian side didn't agree with. So that was a process that had lasted until Pashinyan came to power in Armenia.

But from the point of view of effectiveness and efficiency, the Minsk Group, of course, didn't justify itself, I mean the activity of the co- chairs. Should the co- chairs be other countries, this could have been explained by their insufficient international weight, by their lack of authority to implement even the UN Security Council resolutions that they had adopted themselves. But when the Minsk Group co- chairs are three members of the UN Security Council, when three nuclear powers cannot exert pressure on Armenia, this, of course, raises a lot of questions.

As for the composition, I have already said that the Minsk Group was set up in 1992. I don't know how it was set up and what principles underlie the choice of its members. But as I said, if we formed a contact group today, its composition would, of course, have been completely different. It would include countries that have their positions in the region and that have potential and authority in the world. Of course, I think the countries that are current co- chairs could probably remain there. But this is not a question for me, because the mechanism and the procedure of forming the Minsk Group and its co- chairs is the prerogative of the OSCE.

I think that we should not cling to formalities in order to settle the conflict. The Minsk Group as such can continue working, but we should think about new cooperation mechanisms between the countries of the region in order to practically reach a political settlement. I think that Russian President Vladimir Putin probably meant the same when he spoke about this.

- In this regard, some experts propose the 2+2 formula. How acceptable is it to Baku?

- Two is Armenia and Azerbaijan, and the other two?

- ?Turkey and Russia.

- ?This would be acceptable to us, because Turkey and Russia are our neighbors and countries with which we have close mutual relations and countries with good potential for cooperation among themselves. It is enough to look at the history of the past few years. Turkey and Russia have reached a high level of mutual understanding on many issues, including the bilateral agenda and the international security agenda. We see that in Syria and in Libya, and in tackling issues of countering international terrorism, to say nothing of energy projects, economic, investment projects.

Even before this escalation, I said that we have always welcomed the rapprochement of Turkey and Russia. I believe that this is an important factor of regional security. Considering that Armenian separatism is the main threat for us, and not only for us but for the entire region, I believe that combining the efforts of Turkey and Russia would benefit the region and could accelerate the political settlement of the Nagorno- Karabakh conflict.

- Mr. President, you have repeatedly said that the mediators should apply sanctions against Armenia in order to secure a breakthrough in the settlement process. What might be at issue?

- ?I have been talking about it for a long time, but regrettably my calls remain unanswered. What sanctions could be applied? Sanctions that would make Armenia fulfill the UN Security Council resolutions and withdraw its troops from the occupied territories. For example, we could have a look at the sanctions that were imposed on Iraq after its occupation of Kuwait. Similar things took place from the point of view of international law. The internationally recognized territory of Kuwait was occupied by Iraq, war crimes were committed, ethnic cleansing occurred, and only the timely reaction of the international community helped stop this occupation. And that happened within a short period of time. Next, economic sanctions, an arms embargo were imposed on Iraq. Iraq became a no- fly zone. War criminals, who committed crimes against humanity, were brought to justice and sentenced.

All these sanctions should be applied to Armenia. Even if one of these sanctions had been applied, I am sure the conflict would have been resolved long ago. There has simply been no political will and desire to apply these sanctions. And more likely the position that prevailed was that as long as there is no escalation, let's leave everything as it is.

-Is it frozen?

- Frozen, of course. Although everyone understood that this cannot last forever. Everyone understood this 10 years ago. The presidents of Russia, the US and France made statements, and said clearly many times that the status quo was unacceptable.

Well, fine. We welcomed this, and I remember this was praised in our country, I commented on this. But what happened next? Then they began to depart from this thesis gradually, stopped voicing it and invented a new thesis that the status quo is unstable. And we can clearly understand that these are completely different things. So the co- chairing countries moved away even from a political attempt to exert pressure on Armenia. And it was common knowledge that the status quo was unstable. And recent events proved this.

This is why, let me repeat that again, it is not too late to apply sanctions in order to end the conflict as soon as possible. I think that co- chairing countries should seriously think about what sanctions could be applied against the aggressor in order to make them leave the occupied lands.

- ?Do you think that the co- chairs managed to remain entirely neutral over the month of the military phase?

- ?Every country, including Azerbaijan, can have its own foreign political priorities. We have closer relations with some countries and less close with others. Our relations with some countries are based on historical factors and with others on pragmatic factors. That is why we have always treated with understanding the fact that there are very well structured and active Armenian communities in the co- chairing countries, in the US, in France, and in Russia. Even when we analyzed this situation, it is very hard to tell where they have greater influence on decision- making. That is why we have always taken and are taking this factor into account.

If there were some deviations at the first stage of hostilities that made us doubt their neutrality, I think now everything is fine- tuned. My contacts with the leaders of the co- chairing countries, as well as, I am sure, international support that Azerbaijan got, resulted in the fact that we can see this neutrality now. Once again, what some people have on their mind is not our business, but, of course, the mediators must adhere to international law and neutrality, otherwise they will just forfeit the right to be mediators. A mediator must be impartial, it must leave emotions at home or leave them for the bilateral format, and as part of the settlement it must take into account the mandate that the OSCE gave it and the desire to settle the conflict in line with international law rather than in line with the wishes of Azerbaijan or Armenia.

- ?You have said recently said that there will be no referendum in Nagorno- Karabakh. This is the new reality. Does this mean that Azerbaijan has changed its position, made it tougher?

- ?I have been talking about this for 17 years, and the OSCE Minsk Group co- chairs know my position. I dont remember how many co- chairs have changed over these years, how many diplomats have been co- chairmen, but all of them can confirm that I have always said that there will never be a referendum on the internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan. Moreover, if we look at the fundamental principles, there is no such word as 'referendum' there. There is a certain wording related to the expression of will, to self- determination there.

We have always said that self- determination is an important principle of international law, but it cannot violate the territorial integrity of a country. Secondly, a country's territorial integrity cannot be changed without the consent of this country. And I naturally adhere to this position today: we will not let a second Armenian state be set up on Azerbaijan's territories. If someone is willing to create a second Armenian state, let them give a part of their territory and let them create it there.

- ?Armenia says that it can recognize the independence of Nagorno- Karabakh if hostilities continue. At the same time, there are calls for countries and international organizations to recognize Karabakh. How likely is this? And what could it lead to?

- ?What you are asking about once again proves the inconsistency and insincerity of the incumbent Armenian authorities, because while failing to recognize Nagorno- Karabakh themselves, they want other countries do that. And their regular blackmailing and threats that they will recognize Nagorno- Karabakh in case of escalation turned out to be yet another bluff. Military confrontation on Karabakh has lasted for more than a month. Why haven't they recognized Nagorno- Karabakh yet?

It is very easy to do, let them just say that they recognize it. This is the essence of their policies, when they have been always trying for many decades, but regrettably they have sometimes succeeded under the cover of other states to have other states solve their problems. This is the essence of the ideology of the present- day Armenian state. It is based on very deep historical roots, it has been this way for the whole history. If we look at the past 200 years of the history of the Caucasus, we can see how many wars started because of them, how many provocations they caused for other countries, and then going to the backstage, hiding behind someone's backs reaped the fruits of confrontation and the fruits of shedding the blood of other peoples.

We know the history of their appearance in the Caucasus well. Historically, there was no Armenian ethnicity in the region. How did they get here? This was their way, trickery, cunning attempts to use a cat's paw to take roasting chestnuts from a fire. They are doing the same now. Hence my call for them in response  recognize Nagorno- Karabakh, recognize its right today. By the way, I have spoken about it quite recently. Let them recognize Nagorno- Karabakh today, but asking other countries to do this once again proves the inappropriateness of the Armenian leadership and very low political literacy. That is why if the Armenian leadership knew at least the basics of international politics a little, it would understand that the whole world recognizes Azerbaijan's territorial integrity. It is common knowledge that we joined the UN and other international organizations as a single state encompassing Nagorno- Karabakh. The Non- Aligned Movement  120 countries  voices unambiguous support for Azerbaijan's territorial integrity. The European Union  27 countries  our document with the EU states the support for the territorial integrity, sovereignty and inviolability of Azerbaijan's borders. Altogether there are almost 150 countries. Should we add the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which, however, includes some NAM members but there are other countries that are not represented in the NAM, we get the whole international community.

Because of Armenia, its whim and caprice to recognize Nagorno- Karabakh, to spoil relations with Azerbaijan, and not just to spoil, as I said this will immediately lead to the rupture of diplomatic relations with any country that will do so, no- one will just do that. Moreover, they don't recognize it themselves. Moreover, they are aggressors in line with the reality on the Earth and in line with UN resolutions. This is why this is a very indecent attempt to pull somebodys chestnuts out of the fire.

- Russia has proposed deploying military observers in the conflict zone. Prime Minister Pashinyan in general agreed to deploying peacekeepers to the conflict zone and didn't rule out that these could be Russian peacekeepers. So is it observers or peacekeepers? What is the position of Baku?

- This issue is reflected in the fundamental principles, but we have never seriously discussed it because we simply didn't get to it. It was planned to dispatch peacekeepers to the region at the final stage of the settlement, when the aftermath of the occupation is mitigated, when refugees return to Nagorno- Karabakh, then, yes, in order to ensure that Azerbaijani and Armenian population can live side by side, disengagement forces will be needed at the first stage. But the fundamental principles don't state for how long they should be deployed and what countries they should consist of. Simply because we didn't reach it. First of all, all main provisions of the agreement must be agreed on.

As for the desire of the Armenian prime minister to see peacekeepers in the conflict zone, then firstly, this is none of his business, because when we speak about the conflict zone, we should understand that this is Azerbaijan's territory. If we speak about peacekeepers at the border of Armenia and Azerbaijan, this is another issue. But as far as I understand, it is the Azerbaijani territory that is in question now, that is why we should have the final say.

And since this topic wasn't broadly discussed, I think it is premature to speak about it. But for my part I would like to note that when we speak about it, we should firstly understand what mandate possible observers would have and where they would be deployed. One should understand that there is no contact line, so where will their posts be? Armenia breaches international law and ceasefire, shelling our cities. Just recently, Euronews aired footage that clearly shows a flying missile flying. And it was flying to our cities rather than military positions. So where they will be, what mandate, composition, numbers, arms, and functions will they have, and who will ensure their security? These questions require very thorough examination, and only afterwards will we be able to say whether we agree to it or not. That is why it is so far premature.

- In general, do military officials of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia discuss any mechanisms of ceasefire monitoring?

-?No, there are no such discussions now.

- Are you ready to go to Moscow for negotiations on Karabakh with the Armenian prime minister? And on what conditions?

-?I haven't received such an invitation. I have repeatedly taken part in trilateral meetings between the presidents of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia, but there have been no such meetings since Pashinyan came to power in Armenia. These meetings were with the previous presidents of Armenia, and I have never avoided such meetings. I considered them to be very positive, because Russia as a co- chair of the Minsk Group plays a special role in the settlement, and historically Russia has always maintained close ties with both Armenia and Azerbaijan. Russia is very actively cooperating politically and economically with Azerbaijan and Armenia these days, it is our neighbor. Therefore, it is natural that most of these meetings have been held in Russian territory, but there have been no such meetings with Pashinyan. I don't know how efficient they are going to be now with regard to the Armenian leadership. But if such a proposal is made, we have always viewed them positively and will continue to do so.

- ?Does this mean that you are ready to go if there is such an invitation?

-?Yes, and without any preconditions as you have said. This is evident from the fact that our foreign ministers will be meeting in Geneva tomorrow also without any preconditions. Moreover, I would like to say that, when the conflict only just began, our foreign minister had plans to visit Geneva to meet with the co-chairs, and he did go there. And the Armenian foreign minister, who had planned to travel there a week before, in early October, refused to go. And when a proposal from Moscow came on a meeting between the foreign ministers to coordinate a humanitarian ceasefire, our foreign minister flew there from Geneva. In other words, we are not setting any terms, but again, I really doubt that the current Armenian authorities are capable of constructively working toward a settlement.

- Prime Minister Pashinyan has repeatedly said that Turkish troops are directly involved in hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh. It was also said that Pakistani special units are also involved. Your comment?

-?These are yet more of Pashinyans lies. I must say that there were no such things in my contacts with previous Armenian presidents. Yes, we are adversaries, we cannot have positive attitudes towards each other, but there have never been such open lies and such allegations at the negotiating table. This is all lies. There are no Turkish special units there. I have repeatedly said that, and there is no such need. He has now said that some kind of Pakistani special units are present here, and by the way I think he got a note of protest in return. This is nonsense, there is no such thing.

These are all attempts to firstly engage other countries into the conflict, make it international in order to conceal his shameful defeat, saying that allegedly it is not Azerbaijan that beats us up on the battlefield, but Turkish and Pakistani special units. He has recently made a ridiculous statement  as I was told  that the terrorists Azerbaijan had allegedly brought from Syria to Azerbaijan sneaked into Russia and staged a terrorist attack in Grozny. Just understand that this is absolute nonsense. Russian special services know for sure who staged the terrorist attack. Previously, he said that Turkey's F- 16 brought down Armenia's Su- 25. Everyone knows this is a lie. Such things are monitored by Russia and other co-chairing countries. We live in the era of technologies and nothing can be hidden.

This was simply idiocy when he said that it wasn't Armenia that had launched ballistic missiles against Ganja, because any launch of a ballistic missile is monitored. Russia, America and France are well aware that this missile was launched and what combat mission it had. The combat mission was to hit a residential neighborhood, and another residential neighborhood for the second time. We have no military bases, no military towns in Ganja. He is simply lying.

And he says it was not us, when hundreds of journalists take horrible footage of these destructions, when foreign diplomats give interviews right from the destruction site, Pashinyan says that it was not Armenia. Then who? Did we strike at Ganja ourselves? Just imagine the level of deceit and, what is more, idiocy. Any reasonable person should understand that this is impossible to hide. It is yet another lie when he speaks about Pakistani and Turkish special units. He will say tomorrow that Martians were brought there in order to liberate territories. Anything can be expected from him.

- I would still like to specify Turkey's future role in the conflict settlement...

-?We see Turkey's role in the settlement as effective. Turkey is a fraternal state to us. Turkey is the only country of the world that borders on three South Caucasian countries. Turkey today has a decisive say in many discussions not only on a regional but also on a global scale. Turkey pursues an absolutely independent foreign policy, thus evoking, as far as I know, much irritation among those who have got used to ordering everyone about. That is why I think Turkey, as a secure partner and friend of Azerbaijan, which has also have very close relations with Russia, will definitely play an important role.

It is already playing this role, and the fact that the presidents of Russia and Turkey, the foreign ministers, and the defense ministers are in constant contact with each other discussing these questions proves that Turkey is already engaged, whether Armenia likes it or not. But I am certain that Armenia is forced to recognize and accept this.

- Is there a risk that the Azerbaijani- Armenian conflict will escalate into a regional confrontation involving big states?

-?Frankly speaking, I cannot fully rule this out, but I must say that for our part we will take no actions that could lead to this, there will be no provocations that would make this conflict international. We dont need this, and I have said many times over the past month that we are against this, and I called on countries to show restraint and not to interfere. I am glad this is happening this way.

Although Armenia's constant attempts to make this conflict international and constant requests of the Armenian leadership for Russia to almost send its troops to fight on Armenia's side are exactly what I was talking about - to pull somebodys chestnuts out of the fire. That is why I am sure that regional countries, and these are the countries that Azerbaijan enjoys close historical, cultural, political and trustworthy relations with  Russia, Turkey, Iran, Georgia  will naturally abstain from any actions that would play into the aggressor's hands.

- Not long ago President Putin said that the death toll of the current escalation on both side is about 5,000 people. Do you have the same data?

-?I said that we would publish the number of killed servicemen after the war is over. As for civilians, we are making data public. I told you about 69 people killed and more than 300 wounded.

As for the losses, I can say what losses Armenia could have according to our estimates. Just look, simple arithmetic, 256 tanks were destroyed as of yesterday, the figure is growing day to day, just multiply it by  how many crewmembers there are, three or four  this is almost 1,000. Next, over 50 infantry fighting vehicles were destroyed, it is roughly clear how many people are there. Hundreds of artillery guns, and each of them has several people, six S-300 systems, about 40 OSA air defense systems, the TOR, KUB, KRUG systems, more than 400 trucks  and the majority of them carried personnel and ammunition when they were destroyed. If we just calculate these figures... And how many people were killed in trenches? We were in those trenches, the contact lines  the footage is on the Internet. So according to our information, 5,000 Armenian troops may have been killed, and the number of wounded during war, as a rule, is two to three times higher.

As for our losses, I have said we will make them public after the fighting is over. But I have to say that they are a lot less, and bearing in mind the nature of the combat clashes, the difficult terrain, and the fortifications that the Armenians have built for 30 years, I believe that every human life is priceless, but our losses are minimal, bearing in mind all these factors.

- Military experts believe that Azerbaijan managed to minimize its losses during the active stage of hostilities thanks to the active use of drones. What is the reason for using drones?

-?Of course, the arsenal of the Azerbaijani army consists not only of drones. We have modern air defense systems made in Russia, in Israel, in Belarus; several air defense systems are crisscross, which shoot down the bulk of missiles being sent from Armenian territory. Unfortunately, we can't shoot down all of them.

Our armor is the most modern: upgraded T-72 tanks, the most modern T-90 tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, modern artillery that has a very long range. This includes Polonez rockets, LORA, Extra, Kasirga, etc. Our approach to the arming of our army was not one-sided.

But modern methods of warfare, of course, are different from those we had back in 1990s, and so unmanned aviation is an important factor of our combat capabilities, especially considering such fortified areas. That is why even the footage that we show on the Internet, just believe me that it is almost nothing compared to what is happening. This is what we can show.

They dug everything they could there. They have many kilometers of interconnected tunnels, rat holes where they get to as soon as they hear noise. There is a rat hole near every gun. That is why it would have been very hard to destroy this without modern hardware, this would result in a large number of casualties. We destroyed many Grad systems, and in this case unmanned aviation, Turkish and Israeli drones, helped us very much.

By using UAVs, we destroyed at least six S-300 air defense systems. In addition, modern UAVs conduct reconnaissance themselves, apart from independently carrying out strikes. They also coordinate artillery, which strikes afterwards. This is why it is an important factor of our success. But as I said, Azerbaijani soldiers and officers are liberating the lands, raising the flag. Because this is our heritage, and it is not by accident that the Azerbaijani army is considered as one of the most effective. I already know that this experience has been studied. In general, this experience will be useful for many countries in order to plan father military build-up.

And even for us. I recently held a meeting with the military and said that we should analyze both successes and shortcomings. And in the future, when we buy military hardware, we should be guided by experience in terms of what we need and what lies idle in storage depots.

- You spoke about Azerbaijan's civilian losses. What is the reaction of the international community to this? Does it condemn it or does everything end with calls to Baku and Yerevan to stop shelling each other?

-?Yes, this is so. And this is not news for us. What kind of condemnation of Armenia has there been over these years of occupation? Has it been condemned? There has been none. Has anyone condemned Armenia for occupation? Yes, UN Security Council resolutions were adopted in 1993, yes, we then attained the adoption of UN General Assembly, the Non-Aligned Movement and even the European Parliament resolutions. Of course, they created a judicial framework, a legal framework for the settlement. But we have heard no condemnation. Even when it was clear that Armenia breached the ceasefire, not a single day elapsed after the ceasefire was agreed on in Moscow when they attacked Ganja.

And now, a day after the ceasefire was agreed on in Washington  and they begged for one, they begged for a ceasefire in Moscow and now, and what was reached thanks to the efforts of the French side  not a single day passed before they shelled Barda. And before that they fired at a funeral procession in Tartar. Four people were killed there. These are inhumane actions. This proves who we have to war against. This means there are no moral norms, no honor, dignity, and no understanding of how wars are fought.

You know, everyone, even an adversary, even an enemy, should be respected to a certain extent, because there are rules, in particular for fighting wars. There is nothing of the kind for the Armenian side. That is why we didn't pin much hope on condemnation. Fraternal Turkey backs us, Pakistan openly supports us. The Turkish president, the Pakistani prime minister have repeatedly voiced their support for us. Many countries support us. And when we say international community, almost every time the Western world is meant. But we haven't expected any sympathy from there.

- Could attacks on Azerbaijan's energy infrastructure, in particular Mingachevir and oil and gas pipelines, create certain risks for supplies of Azerbaijan's oil and gas to the global market?

-?If they do what they promised, that is, the bombardment of the Sangachal terminal, or our oil and gas pipelines, this will certainly pose some risks. I think that they will be condemned in this case. As it is European consumers who need this oil and gas most of all. It is no secret that the gas pipeline from Azerbaijan to a certain extent, certainly not to a large extent, but somehow contributes and will contribute to energy security of some European countries.

As for the oil supplies, some European Union countries get 40 to 50 percent of their oil from Azerbaijan today. If something happens to these oil and gas pipelines, Armenia will face already serious international pressure. However, this does not stop them. They attempted to bomb the Baku-Novorossiysk oil pipeline. This is a pipeline that connects Azerbaijan and Russia, a country Armenia constantly demands special relations from without giving anything in return. Absolutely nothing in both the political sense and international support. It is hard to expect anything different from the Soros team.

That is why the bombardment of the electric power plant in Mingachevir is aimed at destroying Azerbaijans energy system. This, of course, will have an effect to a certain extent, but we have already set up a branched power supply network, and new electric power plants.

This proves the predatory nature of the Armenian side. It is another thing that we have destroyed the majority of these missiles in mid-air, intercepted them, and some of them did not explode. This also speaks about their military potential. But such a threat certainly does exist, and we should respond to it adequately.

I have always said and continue saying that despite the barbaric bombardment of Barda, where a seven-year-old girl was killed and several more children were injured, I say that we are not them. We will respond on the battlefield, we will respond by liberating new lands, by raising the flag in new cities. We will bomb neither cities nor civilians.

Let me give you an absolutely recent example. It is an exchange of dead bodies and prisoners in question. Basically, this subject was first mentioned for humanitarian reasons in Moscow on 10 October. We contacted the Red Cross to say, 'Let's organize a swap.' Moreover, I will give you further detail. I have ordered to maximally preserve the bodies of Armenian servicemen  in refrigerators or cold places. We all understand what happens to human bodies...

- ?They are decaying...

-?Yes, absolutely right. And the Armenian side refuses to take them every time. It says every time, let's do it where battles are under way. So, you understand, to put the lives of civilians in jeopardy. We say no. We have a state border. Let's do it in Tovuz district, in Gazakh district. Let's do it there. So yesterday, I decided to unilaterally hand over the bulk of the bodies of the killed Armenian servicemen. Plus, we have two civilians. These are elderly people who we are also handing over. And so we tried to do it yesterday. We sent cars with the bodies toward the border. We involved the office of the OSCE and the Red Cross. But the Armenian side doesn't accept them. You see, it doesn't take the dead! What are we talking about? How can this even be commented on? What norms of human moral does this fit into? That is why we will transfer the bodies in any case. Currently, we are looking at transferring their civilians and killed people via Georgia.

But if they refuse to accept them, I j
By Trend

The completion of the construction of the Fuzuli International Airport is a landmark event both for the whole of Azerbaijan and for the development of the region, Galina Niyazova, a Russian expert, candidate of political sciences, senior lecturer of St. Petersburg State University (St. Petersburg), told Trend.

"The pace of construction on Azerbaijans liberated lands (from Armenian occupation) shows the huge resources that the state has at its disposal and which weren't depleted as a result of the second Karabakh war. The restoration of territories is an incredible project that develops both the economy of the state itself and diplomatic and business interaction with partner countries," she said.

Niyazova stressed that the Victory in the Second Karabakh War contributed to raising national self-awareness to a new level.

"By actively embarking on the rebuilding of the region, the government has undoubtedly increased the sense of cohesion and faith in the greatness of the nation by creating jobs, enabling displaced people and their families to return to their homeland and using the latest construction technologies. From the point of view of the development of the region itself, the opening of the Fuzuli International Airport will connect the region with the entire world, inscribing it into the global network of communications and interaction. The ability to directly enter the region from anywhere in the world assures that the territory will not be isolated and inaccessible," the Russian expert added.
By Azernews





By Ayya Lmahamad

President Ilham Aliyev has said that the next Turkic Council summit led by Azerbaijan will bring its members even closer.

He made the remarks while receiving the credentials of newly appointed Kyrgyz Ambassador Kairat Osmonaliev on October 28.

As you may know, the next summit of the heads of state of the Turkic Council led by Azerbaijan will be held next month. ... Of course, this summit will bring our countries even closer together. ... As you may know, Azerbaijan has always made great efforts to bring the member countries of our Council closer together, he said.

The president stated that next month the chairmanship will be transferred to Turkey. He added that there are many issues that need to be resolved within the framework of mutual relations and cooperation between Turkic-speaking countries.

Stating that the existing cooperation potential has not been fully realized in recent years, Aliyev underlined the necessity to pay attention to the economic and trade spheres, which can increase the turnover.

Moreover, noting that Azerbaijan is actively investing outside the country, he noted the possibility to discuss investment projects in Kyrgyzstan in detail.

Of course, mutual support in the international arena has always brought our countries closer together. I am confident that we will continue to support each other in the UN, in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and, of course, in the Turkic Council, the CIS and other organizations, he said.

The president also stated that during the Second Karabakh War we felt the support of the people of Kyrgyzstan.

There were many appeals from citizens expressing solidarity with us, and we appreciate that very much. It is a time of restoration of the destroyed territories of Azerbaijan now, and we are working hard to return the former IDPs to their native lands as soon as possible, he added.

It was noted that next year will mark the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between the two countries, and in 2023 the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
By Azernews





By Ayya Lmahamad

President Ilham Aliyev has said that Romania plays important role in the Azerbaijan-NATO cooperation plan, Azertag reported on October 28.

He made the remarks while receiving the credentials of newly-appointed Romanian ambassador Vasile Soare on October 28.

Of course, Romania plays a very important role in the Azerbaijan-NATO cooperation plan. For many years, Romania has played one of the most active roles in the strengthening of this cooperation, he said.

Noting that Azerbaijan-Romania relations cover both the bilateral format and the format of cooperation within international organizations, Aliyev underlined that there are ample opportunities for cooperation in the economic, trade, energy, and transport fields.

He emphasized that Azerbaijan is making great efforts to turn the country into a transport and logistical center of Eurasia.

And great work has been done in this direction. But a lot depends on bilateral relations. Therefore, the existing and planned infrastructure will create alternative opportunities for shippers, the president said.

The president also expressed his hopes that the prospects for cooperation will be as good both in bilateral relations and within the framework of Azerbaijan-EU cooperation.

Therefore, the existing and planned infrastructure will create alternative opportunities for shippers. Thus, we have always been open to cooperation with your country in all other areas. I think we will continue to do so on the basis of mutual interest, Aliyev added.
By Trend

The restoration of houses and facilities destroyed or damaged as a result of missile and artillery attacks from the Armenian armed forces during the 44-day Second Karabakh War [from late Sept. to early Nov.2020] in Azerbaijan is almost completed, the Karabakh bureau of Trend said.

During its visit to the Fuzuli and Jabrayil districts [liberated from Armenian occupation in the 44-day war], the bureau got acquainted with the conditions created in the restored buildings.

The owners of houses and objects said that right after the end of the war, the government agencies began repair and restoration work, which was rapidly carried out and has already been completed. Most of the citizens have already moved into the restored houses, in which all the conditions necessary for life have been created.

The citizens expressed their gratitude to the state for the care and attention provided, stressed that the Azerbaijani state always supports them and thanked the country's leadership for this.

As a result of the Armenian aggression, more than 13,000 houses were damaged in 11 cities and districts of Azerbaijan. As to date, construction and repair work at 11,300 residential and non-residential buildings has already been completed.

Trend presents the video from Fuzuli and Jabrayil districts as below.
By Azernews

By Vafa Ismayilova

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has lauded fraternal Turkey's current crucial place in the international arena.

In his letter of congratulations to Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the occasion of Turkey's national day  the Republic Day, President Aliyev said: Politically, economically, militarily powerful and stable Republic of Turkey, occupies a very important place in the international arena today. Large-scale programs and projects implemented under your leadership contribute to comprehensive progress and prosperity of your brotherly country. Your people's great trust and confidence in you is undoubtedly the most important factor ensuring the success of the strategic development policy that you are pursuing.

Aliyev said that Azerbaijani-Turkish friendly and fraternal relations "based on solid foundations such as the common history, national and spiritual values of our peoples, are a clear manifestation of our unity and solidarity".

The president stressed a "historic period" in Azerbaijani-Turkish relations.

"We are currently witnessing a historic period of these relations. In line with the goals and directions set out in the Shusha Declaration, our allied relations are expanding day by day and being enriched with new content," he added.

The Azerbaijani leader underlined "the decisive, unequivocal political and moral support given personally" by Erdogan, Turkey and the Turkish nation had played a great role in Azerbaijan's struggle for the liberation of its lands.

"Our people will never forget this support, which once again demonstrated the Azerbaijani-Turkish solidarity to the whole world, Aliyev said in his message.

I am confident that we will continue our joint efforts towards further strengthening and developing our unity, and fruitful and active cooperation in all areas in line with the 'one nation, two states' slogan, the head of state added.

On June 15, 2021, Azerbaijan and Turkey signed a memorandum of alliance that cemented the existing military, political and economic cooperation.

The Shusha Declaration on Allied Relations that President Ilham Aliyev and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed during the first official visit to Shusha eight months after Azerbaijans victory in the war with Armenia, also focuses on defence cooperation.

It affirms joint efforts by the two armies in the face of foreign threats. The declaration also pledges joint efforts for the restructuring and modernization of the armed forces. Moreover, the two nations affirm to encourage the execution of joint projects with the aim of developing capabilities in the field of sea, air, and space.

President Ilham Aliyev said on October 26 that the Shusha Declaration signed in the city of Shusha is a historic document. He stressed that the declaration officially raised Azerbaijani-Turkish relations to the level of alliance.

Shusha, which was occupied by Armenian forces on May 8, 1992, was liberated from Armenia's occupation on November 8, 2020. The city, which played a critical role in liberating Karabakh, is located on the road to Khankandi, the region's largest city.

A Russia-brokered ceasefire deal that Azerbaijan and Armenia signed on November 10, 2020, brought an end to the 44-day war between the two countries. The Azerbaijani army declared a victory against the Armenian troops. The signed agreement obliged Armenia to withdraw its troops from the Azerbaijani lands that it had occupied.
By Azernews





By Vugar Khalilov

Turkeys Baykar Company has announced that it will export unmanned aerial vehicles to one more country, Yeni Shafak newspaper reported on October 27.

We have completed the BayraktarTB2 UAV export contract with one more country. With this agreement, the number of countries where BayraktarTB2 UAV was exported reached 13, the company reported on its Twitter account.

However, the company has not yet provided any details about the country an agreement has been reached with.

Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Qatar and Libya have added the BayraktarTB2 UAVs to their military arsenal.

The Turkish UAVs that developed with domestic and national resources have been successfully applied in Syria, Libya, Karabakh and during counter-terrorism operations.

Kyrgyzstans National Security Committee Chairman Kamchybek Tashiev also stated that the country had purchased BayraktarTB2 from Turkey.

"Only five countries have this equipment and Kyrgyzstan will join these countries," he said in an interview with the Russian media.

Baykar is a private Turkish defence company specialising in UAVs and artificial intelligence, which was founded with 100 percent domestic capital in 1984 as Baykar Makina by Ozdemir Bayraktar.

The companys primary goals were the production of automotive parts such as engines, pumps and spare parts to ensure the localization of the automotive industry in Turkey.

In the 2000s the company took steps towards producing unmanned aerial vehicles in line with the developments and progress in the aviation sector.
By Trend

Turkey's expectations are linked to the restoration of stability in the region. In this regard, Turkey's proposals are receiving some positive signals from Armenia, the Minister of National Defense of Turkey Hulusi Akar said, Trend reports.

Akar noted that during his recent visit to Azerbaijan, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan focused on stability in the region.

"In the current situation, it is important for everyone to sit down at the table to discuss ensuring stability and people's living in conditions of trust and prosperity," he said.

The minister added that Turkey offers extremely constructive and logical ways to resolve this issue.

Also, Akar noted that from the first day of the announcement of the cessation of hostilities in Karabakh, representatives of the Turkish Armed Forces began work on mine clearance there.

"As the clearance of mines proceeds, the liberated areas become safer, more favorable for living and sowing," he noted.
The Saudi British Bank (SABB) recorded a net profit after Zakat and income tax of SR2,775 million ($739 million) for the nine months of the year, marking an increase of SR7,622 million or 157% compared to the loss of SR4,847 million for the same period in 2020.



Operating income of SR5,951 million for the nine months ended 30 September 2021, a decrease of SR877 million, or 13%, compared to SR6,828 million for the same period in 2020.



Loans and advances of SR163.5 billion at 30 September 2021, an increase of SR11.6 billion, or 7.6%, from SR151.9 billion at 30 September 2020.



Customers deposits of SR180.2 billion at 30 September 2021, slight increase of SR 49 million during the period compared with SR180.2 billion at 30 September 2020.



Investments of SR66.1 billion at 30 September 2021, an increase of SR2.0 billion, or 1.3%, from SR64.1 billion at 30 September 2020.



Total assets of SR269.6 billion at 30 September 2021, an increase of SR5.6 billion, or 2.1% from SR263.9 billion at 30 September 2020.



Earnings per share is SR1.35 compared to SR(2.35) for the corresponding period of the previous year.



Lubna Suliman Olayan, Board Chair of SABB said: As we review our performance for the year so far, it is worth reiterating that we are in the investment phase of our newly announced five-year strategic plan, where we will be taking the necessary steps to develop the Bank into an institution fit to meet the future needs of our customers. We are investing considerably across the business front-to-back, to ensure that we remain relevant and can create a sustainable banking organisation. Making these sound investments in our business mean we can both support the aims of the Kingdoms Vision 2030 plan but also unlock the opportunities that the economic transformation plans bring.



During the quarter, we continued to formulate our Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy, and I have been particularly pleased with the progress we made operationally. Through our associate, HSBC Saudi Arabia, our customers can now invest in an ESG-compliant fund where customers have direct access to investments that help reduce the impact of climate change.



We also became the first Saudi institution to make a green deposit which will be used to finance purely green activities  this transaction was made via HSBC which again emphasizes the close collaboration and partnership that SABB enjoys with a leading global network. During the quarter, we were awarded The Leading Bank in Financing Sustainable Projects in the Middle East from Global Finance Magazine  demonstrating SABBs growing strengths in this area.



SABBs financial performance in the third quarter of 2021 is a continuation of the resilient progress seen in the first half of the year. Despite the lingering effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, regional economies have started to witness some green shoots of recovery, and with sustained local demand for corporate credit rolling into the third quarter, and continued demand for retail mortgage lending, SABB has performed robustly with a promising set of quarterly financials: we booked a fourth consecutive quarter of loan growth, sustained reduction in non-performing loans, continued low cost of credit risk, and protected our net interest margin (NIM) despite the ever-present competition.



Underlying costs increased, although this was in part driven by our investment plans. Capital levels remain healthy, and funding and liquidity levels are strong  our core financial fundamentals are a position of strength.



To conclude, a few words to express my thanks and gratitude. Firstly, I would like to thank our customers for their confidence in choosing SABB as their bank of choice. Secondly, in an ever-changing environment, the one constant is the hard work and dedication of our staff, senior management and Board members, with which we could not deliver the very high standards our customers and clients expect from us, Lubna Suliman Olayan concluded.  TradeArabia News Service
Schools across the Middle East will be encouraged to ditch the desks as Teach Active makes its debut at GESS Dubai from November 14 to 16, 2021 (Stand UK Zone U1 Pod A).

Teach Active is an award-winning, online tool that provides active lesson ideas to teachers so they can deliver primary maths and English lessons through a range of physical activities.

Hand-picked as one of the top 20 best EdTech products to watch by the UK Department for International Trade (DIT) and the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA), Teach Active has been invited to exhibit at GESS Dubai.

Four out of five children in the UAE fail to exercise for at least the recommended minimum of an hour a day, says Teach Active founder and former PE teacher Jon Smedley. It is my mission to bring more activity into lessons worldwide.

By moving more, we improve the health of our children but we also help them engage with their lessons. Research shows that children retain learning more easily when they are active and having fun.

Inspired by a child he taught many years ago who struggled with engagement in lessons, Jon has dedicated the last 21 years to helping schools inject more activity into the school day. Rather than learning how to tell the time by looking at pictures of clocks on a page or screen, Teach Active pupils get out into the playground, become the numbers on the clock themselves and use skipping ropes as hands to learn the different times. In a spelling lesson, students become dictionary detectives and hop around the room searching for misspelt words.

Dubais The Arbor School and the UKs school of the year, Kensington Primary School, are among 1,000 UK and international schools using Teach Active in their maths and English lessons.

Steve Tindall, a user of the system and headteacher at Holy Family Catholic School says: Teach Active changes the psychology of learning as children forget that its maths or English they are learning while they run round having fun with their friends. Maths used to be our pupils 9th favourite subject, but in our most recent survey it had risen up the ranks to take 3rd place after art and PE. Were delighted about that.

Recognised globally, Teach Active has recently won international and UK awards at both Bett and The Education Resources Award (ERA). They offer almost 3,000 maths and English lesson plans and resources for primary teachers.-- TradeArabia News Service
Dubai Customs has launched at Gitex I-Box smart lockers for storing commercial items or valuable cargo carried by inbound transit passengers.

The initiative enables travellers to keep their valuable goods in the airport customs centre on arrival without paying duty and collect them through self-clearance service on departure from the country, a WAM report said.

Under the theme "Digital Trade for Safe, Sustainable Supply Chains", Dubai Customs is taking part in this years Gitex with eight cutting-edge smart initiatives.

The participation highlights the goals of the organisations strategic plan 2021-2026 towards leading sustainable customs globally by furthering digitisation of services to facilitate trade, protect society and economy, and enhance peoples experience of customs as a service.

The I-Box smart lockers project is set to speed up logistics and handling services for valuable cargo at the airport. The advanced initiative has cut down the process time for delivery of valuable items from 30 minutes to 1 minute only.

The passenger can simply scan the QR code on the locker and use the OTP code sent to his phone number to unlock the locker and pay storage fees online without any paper work. These fireproof lockers boast high-end security systems and are easy to move from one place to another within the airport terminals.

"Dubai has established its global distinction and leadership on building innovative projects that ensure sustainable development in all fields, following the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai," said Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, CEO of Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation and Director-General of Dubai Customs. "His Highnesss forward-looking vision of digital transformation and ongoing disruption of the way the government works has reinforced Dubais leading position as a global incubator for innovators and an attractive environment for businesses and investments."

Ibrahim Al Kamali, Director of Passenger Operations Department at Dubai Customs, on his part said: "Dubai Customs seeks to make travelers happier by offering them quick and easy services that expedite entry procedures and enhance their experience, especially in light of the increasing numbers of traders transiting through Dubai."-- TradeArabia News Service
Petrofac, a global provider of oilfield services, has been awarded an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract, valued at around EUR550 million ($640 million), from PC ORLEN Lietuva to support a comprehensive modernisation, environmental upgrade, and expansion programme at its Mazeikiai Refinery in North-West Lithuania.



The lump sum contract comprises engineering, procurement, construction, start-up and commissioning services, as ORLEN Lietuva invests to expand the existing refinery complex, raise capabilities, meet the requirements for cleaner fuels and improve operational and carbon efficiency of the plant.



The scope of work encompasses mainly greenfield EPC development, with some brownfield modifications, as well as Front End Engineering Design (FEED) of relevant utilities and offsites. The contract includes the addition of a new residue hydrocracking facility and improvement of the existing facility. Project completion is planned by the end of 2024.



Elie Lahoud, Chief Operating Officer  Engineering & Construction, said: We are delighted to have secured such an important refinery project within the European Union as we demonstrate our growth strategy in new geographies.



Petrofac has a well-established track record and significant experience in the refining sector, as customers transform existing facilities to produce higher quality, more environmentally friendly fuels. ORLEN Lietuva is a new customer for us, and we look forward to developing our relationship as we deliver locally, to the highest global standards, on a project that is an important part of Lithuanias energy infrastructure.



PC ORLEN Lietuva is an ORLEN Group company, operating the sole refinery in the Baltic region. The Mazeikiai refinery is important to the Polish and Lithuanian economies. It is one of Lithuanias largest companies, with about 1,500 employees, of whom approximately 90% are residents of Mazeikiai and neighbouring towns. Another 4,500 people are employees of external service providers and subcontractors.  TradeArabia News Service
Infor, the industry cloud company, has announced the acquisition of Lighthouse Systems, a leading provider of manufacturing execution system (MES) software for smart manufacturing.

The companys flagship product, Shopfloor-Online, helps manufacturing companies manage and improve manufacturing operations across production, quality, inventory, and maintenance.

Lighthouse Systems MES solution, which can be fully integrated into Infor CloudSuite ERP (enterprise resource planning) systems, will help Infor address a critical customer requirement of 24x7 manufacturing operations. For those manufacturing companies that are looking to implement ERP and MES together, Infor anticipates that its ability to offer a fully integrated solution out of the box will significantly shorten time to value for customers.

MES solutions are critical for manufacturing organisations that want to ensure data consistency and real-time visibility across all plant operations, said Infor CEO Kevin Samuelson. Integrating these capabilities with our industry-specific ERP systems will help us deliver even more powerful solutions to manufacturing organisations, as they look to digitise their operations and grow their businesses.

Based in Crawley, UK, about 30 miles south of London, Lighthouse Systems has major offices in the UK, the United States and Singapore. Its approximately 100 employees serve customers worldwide in focus industries such as automotive, building and construction, food and beverage, life science, machinery and equipment, packaging, and sustainable energy.

Lighthouse Systems customers include Ball Corporation, Formica, Lucite International, Nissan, Benteler, and the Timken Company.

Tim Barber, company director at Lighthouse Systems, said: We are delighted to join forces with Infor to further the operational excellence initiatives of our manufacturing customers. We have 30 years of experience delivering MES solutions to discrete and process manufacturers worldwide. These solutions are not only key to executing production efficiently, they also are essential building blocks for smart manufacturing and digital transformation.

Lighthouse Systems Shopfloor-Online product enables smart manufacturing by bringing all manufacturing operations into one central software system, which is accessible 24x7. The system, which can be deployed in the cloud or on-premises, connects the factory with a single thread of critical data that is accessible at the shop-floor level and throughout the enterprise.

The company was recognised as one of the Honorable Mentions in the 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Manufacturing Execution Systems report.

Infors acquisition of Lighthouse Systems closed on October 27, and financial terms are not being disclosed.-- TradeArabia News Service
Autonomous cargo transportation company Evocargo International Holdings said it has signed a cooperation agreement with Dubai's Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) to showcase and initiate trials of Autonomous Logistics via its unmanned all-electric hydrogen vehicles.

This comes as part of a long-term strategy to ramp up its presence in the global and regional smart logistics market, stated the company.

The deal was signed on the sidelines of the Dubai World Congress for Self-Driving Transport, which concluded today (October 28). A four-day event, the Congress is a global platform for self-driving transport that gathers prominent experts, policy makers, technology manufacturers, researchers and leading academia.

Evocargo expressed its interest for cooperation with RTA in exploring opportunities to showcase the self-produced unmanned electric logistics platforms EVO.1 (3.5 tonnes full weight) and EVO.3 (44 tonnes full weight) and offer its end-to-end robotisation logistics service that can cut transportation costs by up to 60%.

Andrei Bolshakov, the Founder and Chief Business Development Officer, Limited said, "We have ambitious targets to create awareness of smart logistics service provided by full-size unmanned vehicles EVO.3 (N3 class) and EVO.1 (N1 class), which significantly impacts the logistics industry. With UAE being the best place to develop new business connections and potential clients, our cooperation with RTA of Dubai offers us an ideal platform to highlight our latest Autonomous innovations in Smart Logistics service."

Bolshakov was addressing the gathering at the event along with other prominent speakers including Engineer Muammar Al Katheeri, Executive Vice President, Engineering & Smart City DSOA, Ahmed Bahrozyan, CEO, RTA and Prof Sebastian Thurn, CEO, Kitty Hawk.

"We are delighted to bring the self-driving technology to our customers and the public at large as this will improve our services and also help us achieve our goal to have 25 percent of all transportation trips in Dubai is through smart and driverless modes," stated Ahmed Hashem Bahrozyan, the Chief Executive Officer of RTA.

Along with Evocargo, the RTA showcased the autonomous vehicle during the event in Dubai.

Evocargo tailor makes each customers logistics ecosystem to support smarter, ecological, sustainable and efficient solutions for their business needs with autonomous vehicles bringing innovation and cutting-edge services in the cargo transportation ecosystem.

Earlier, this month, Bolshakov presented a smart logistics service INHUB based on self-produced unmanned electric logistic platforms EVO.1 (3.5 tons full weight) and HUB 2 HUB service based on EVO.3 (44 tons full weight) and announced a Dubai office opening.
Despite increasing cyber-attacks targeting data in the cloud, the vast majority (83%) of businesses are still failing to encrypt half of the sensitive data they store in the cloud, raising concerns as to the impact cyber criminals can have, a report said.



The 2021 Thales Global Cloud Security Study, commissioned by Thales and conducted by 451 Research, part of S&P Global Market Intelligence, added that 40% of organisations have experienced a cloud-based data breach in the past 12 months.



Cloud adoption is on the rise and businesses are continuing to diversify the way they use cloud solutions. Globally, 57% of respondents reported they make use of two or more cloud infrastructure providers, whilst almost a quarter (24%) of organisations flagged that the majority of their workloads and data now reside in the cloud.



In fact, according to a recent study by McKinsey & Company, companies globally have accelerated their cloud adoption by three years compared to pre-pandemic adoption rates. This marks a significant shift in the use of cloud-based solutions, from being purely data storage solutions, to environments in which data is used transactionally and supports day-to-day business operations.



Security in the cloud is mixed



According to the study, one fifth (21%) of businesses host the majority of their sensitive data in the cloud, while 40% reported a breach in the last year. There are some common trends as to where companies turn when considering how to secure their cloud infrastructure, with 33% reporting multi-factor authentication (MFA) as being a central part of their cybersecurity strategy.



However, only 17% of those surveyed have encrypted more than half of the data they store in the cloud. This figure drops to 15% where organisations have adopted a multicloud approach.



Even where businesses protect their data with encryption, 34% of organisations leave the control of keys to service providers rather than retaining control themselves. Where large numbers of organisations fail to protect their data sufficiently with encryption, limiting potential access points becomes even more critical. However, nearly half (48%) of business leaders globally admitted their organisation does not have a Zero Trust strategy, and a quarter (25%) arent even considering one.



Complexity as a concern



Businesses share common concerns about the increasing complexity of cloud services. Almost half (46%) of global respondents claimed managing privacy and data protection in the cloud is more complex than on-premises solutions.



Hybrid models are common with many organisations not moving entirely to the cloud. 55% of businesses have indicated a preference for a lift & shift approach to cloud adoption over re-architecting, as cloud becomes a more integrated part of the business infrastructure.



Sebastien Cano, Senior Vice President for Cloud Protection and Licensing activities at Thales said: Organisations across the world are struggling to navigate the increased complexity that comes with greater adoption of cloud-based solutions. A robust security strategy is essential to ensuring data and business operations remain secure. With nearly every business reliant on the cloud to some extent, it is vital that security teams have the ability to discover, protect, and maintain control of their data.



Fernando Montenegro, Principal Research Analyst, Information Security at 451 Research, part of S&P Global Market Intelligence added from the 2021 Thales Global Cloud Security Study: Protecting customer data is always the priority, and organisations should strongly consider reviewing their strategies and approaches to proactively protect data in cloud. This includes understanding the role of specific technologies including encryption and key management, as well as the shared responsibilities between providers and their customers.



As data privacy and sovereignty regulations grow, it will be paramount that organisations have a clear understanding of how they remain responsible for data security and make clear decisions about who is in control and who can access their sensitive data.



Thales and 451 Research will discuss the global findings in more detail during its upcoming Cloud Security Summit on November 17, 2021.  TradeArabia News Service
Ragheb Alama, the Arab superstar, will bring the world together to celebrate 30 years of his music career and perform his biggest hits, while Nancy Ajram, the queen of Arabic pop, will perform fans' favourite songs at Expo 2020 Dubai on November 12.

Alama and Ajram will each perform live at the Infinite Nights show from the Expo's 360 projection surface inside the Al Wasl dome, streaming to millions of fans around the world, a statement from Expo 2020 said.

Expo ticket holders who wish to attend Ajram and Alama's performances should arrive early to get good seating for the show.

Visitors will also be able to soak up the atmosphere and watch the show on big outdoor screens at Expo's Dubai Millennium Amphitheatre and Jubilee Park.

The concert will also be livestreamed on Virtual Expo Dubai, Expo TV on YouTube, Expo 2020s Facebook page, Shahid, Awaan and Oculus VR (Virtual Reality). TV channels will live broadcast the show including MBC4, Abu Dhabi TV, channel 2020 on Du & E-vision, among others.-TradeArabia News Service
Air Products today announced the completion of the asset acquisition and project financing transactions for the $12 billion air separation unit/gasification/power joint venture (JV) with Aramco, Acwa Power and Air Products Qudra at Jazan, Saudi Arabia.

The JV has purchased ASUs, gasification, syngas cleanup, utilities and power assets from Aramco. The JV owns and operates the facility under a 25-year contract for a fixed monthly fee, with Aramco supplying feedstock to the JV, and the JV producing power, steam, hydrogen and other utilities for Aramco.

Aramco, via its subsidiary Saudi Aramco Power Company, has a 20 percent share in the JV; Air Products 46 percent; Acwa Power 25 percent; and Air Products Qudra (a 51/49 JV between Air Products and Qudra Energy) nine percent in the JV. Air Products' total ownership position is 50.6 percent through 46 percent direct ownership and 4.6 percent through Air Products Qudra.

The JV serves Aramco's Jazan Refinery, a megaproject to process 400,000 barrels per day of the crude oil to produce main products such as ultra-light sulfur diesel, gasoline, and other products. -TradeArabia News Service
Prices of commercial space flights will go down "sometime in the 2030s", a top Russian space industry executive predicted.

Dmitry Loskutov, Director-General of Glavkosmos, the commercial arm of the Russian space corporation, Roscosmos, told the Emirates News Agency WAM, "it would be difficult for the industry to thrive in the next five to ten years without billionaires".

"We always stress the fact that competition is good. It helps to bring the prices down," Loskutov said, predicting that "prices will start going down sometime in the 2030s" and will be affordable for "common people".

"Today, we are talking with the industry players that we have to make everything possible to bring the prices down and I think the industry is listening. We are forward thinkers, looking at how to be more competitive and attractive to our customers."

Blue Origins prices for tickets on future flights range between $200,000 to $300,000, while Virgin Galactic prices start at $450,000. Glavkosmos prefers to provide prices to potential customers when contacting them.

Last month, the Russian government announced that it has allocated more than $60 million to the company to produce a rocket and spaceship for tourist flights by 2024.

"Somebody still has to pay the full price before it goes down," Loskutov continued, explaining that without billionaires who are willing to pay more, the industry would struggle "in the next five to ten years".

Speaking on the sidelines of the 72nd International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2021), taking place at the Dubai World Trade Centre, Loskutov believes the UAE, along with other advanced players, are heading in the right direction.

Roscosmos had collaborated with the UAE on the preparation and training of the countrys first astronaut Hazza Al Mansoori.

"We are proud of the fact that Glavkosmos was part of that contract. Those ties, that we were fostering during the pre-flight preparation and training, are very strong and we see absolutely no problem that the next flight could be taken on another countrys spacecraft," Loskutov said in reference to the emerging competition from the private sector.

"Space is not about unfair competition. Space is about co-operation because no country can go beyond the lower Earth orbit just on its own. And secondly, no private industry can survive without state support."

Commercial space industry dates back to the late 1990s when Glavkosmos, in collaboration with Tokyo Broadcasting System, sent a Japanese journalist, Toyohiro Akiyama, to the then operational Russian Space Station, Mir.

"Toyohiro did not pay from his own funds. He was funded by the Tokyo Radio Broadcasting company. Thats why we consider Dennis Tito as the first tourist to space," Loskutov said.

Businessman Tito reportedly had paid $20 million to fly with the Russians to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2001.

Speaking about Glavkosmos upcoming plans, its Director-General said their next commercial space mission is scheduled for December 2021. Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa and his assistant will travel to the ISS on a Russian Soyuz MS-20 spacecraft.

According to Loskutov, after the mission in December, the next one for Russians will be launched by the end of 2023. "Next year will be a very busy time because we will have a lot of EVA. The professional cosmonauts will have to do a lot of work. So, we are not planning to send tourists into space next year."

EVA is when a crew member leaves the protective environment of a pressurised spacecraft cabin and ventures out into the vacuum of space wearing an extravehicular spacesuit.
With Australia's borders set to re-open to international travellers from November, Emirates is enhancing its operations to the country to meet pent up demand for travel into and out of the country.

With vaccination rates in New South Wales having reached their target, and Victoria being not far behind, the two states will allow vaccinated travellers to return to Australia without quarantine.

In response to the easing of travel restrictions, from November 2 Emirates is stepping up the frequency on flights between Dubai and Sydney to daily operated by a Boeing 777-300ER. Flights to Melbourne will operate as a four-weekly service with the potential to increase in line with demand.

In another sign that the recovery is well underway for Australia, capacity on flights to Sydney and Melbourne will return to 100 per cent, allowing 354 passengers across all cabins to travel on its flights.

Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family members will be able to move about once again, whether travelling abroad or home, as long as they are vaccinated against Covid-19 with a TGA-approved vaccine.

From December 1, the A380 aircraft will serve the Dubai-Sydney route, on a daily basis. It will offer 516 seats in a three-class configuration, with 426 seats in Economy, and 76 and 14 seats in Business Class and First Class, respectively.

Emirates Divisional Vice President for Australasia Barry Brown said: "We are delighted to once again be able to extend our services to Australians, with the capacity and frequency that they deserve. Passengers will appreciate the return to normality  for vaccinated travellers wishing to go home to Australia, this will mean no more restrictions on capacity and no quarantine on arrival into New South Wales or Victoria.

"Starting November 1, Australians will also be able to plan a holiday and travel internationally. Of course that's good news for us as we are ready to serve those customers with access to our network spanning more than 120 destinations via our hub in Dubai."

Customers of Emirates and Qantas have access to an expansive network of destinations thanks to the codeshare partnership between the two airlines.-TradeArabia News Service
Marriott International announced it has signed an agreement with The Red Sea Development Company to develop two luxury hotels as part of the Red Sea Project in Saudi Arabia.

The St. Regis Red Sea Resort and The Red Sea Edition are expected to enhance Marriott Internationals footprint across the Kingdom where it currently has a portfolio of over 30 properties with more than 9,000 rooms across 10 brands.

Marriott International Chief Development Officer, Europe, Middle East & Africa Jerome Briet said: We are excited to be working with The Red Sea Development Company to introduce St. Regis Hotels & Resorts and Edition to one of Saudi Arabias most-anticipated projects.

These milestone signings illustrate Marriott Internationals commitment to the growth of the tourism sector in the Kingdom and highlight increased demand for lifestyle and luxury accommodations and experiences.

The St. Regis Red Sea Resort

The resort, expected to open in 2023, marks the brands introduction in Saudi Arabia and the growth of its portfolio in the Middle East.

Situated on a private island, the resort is expected to feature 90 villas, two signature restaurants, an outdoor pool, fitness centre, and spa, in addition to a Childrens Club.

The Red Sea Edition

Located on the Red Sea Project's main island, Shaura, The Red Sea Edition is slated to open in 2023 with 240 guestrooms, including one-, two- and three-bedroom suites. The hotel plans to offer two signature restaurants, a destination bar, beach bar, fitness centre, a swimming pool, and spa.

The Red Sea Development Company CEO John Pagano said: It is with great pleasure that we welcome Marriott International to our family. Securing recognised brands such as St. Regis Hotels & Resorts and Edition operating our luxury resorts is a step forward for our flagship destination. We are very much looking forward to working hand in hand with Marriott International to deliver immersive guest experiences.

The Red Sea Project, one of the first giga projects announced by Saudi Arabias government, covers 28,000 square kilometres on the west coast. With an archipelago of more than 90 natural islands, as well as dormant volcanoes, desert, mountains and cultural sites, the project is expected to deliver new levels of service excellence.-TradeArabia News Service
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Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) organised a press conference in Delhi on October 27, where activists from Tripura and members of civil society spoke about the communal incidents of the last week and the current situation in the state.

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TRIPURA  Sixteen mosques were vandalized, and three were set ablaze by violent Hindutva mobs in Tripura in the last week, activists have said.

Tripura has been witnessing an alarming series of communal violence and targeted attacks against Muslims in the last week.

According to information relayed by local activists and residents, there have been at least 27 confirmed incidents of Hindutva mobs attacking mosques, houses and individuals in Muslim areas. These include 16 incidents where mosques were vandalised and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) flags were forcibly hoisted on them. At least three mosques, Palbazar mosque in Unnakoti district, Dogra Masjid in Gomati district and Narola Tila in Vishalgarh were set on fire.

There are confirmed reports of Muslim houses being pelted with stones and houses of prominent Muslims being targeted and vandalised. Almost all of these attacks were carried out by various right-wing groups including VHP that had ostensibly gathered to protest anti-Hindu violence in Bangladesh.

The details were provided at a press conference by the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR), where activists from Tripura and members of civil society spoke about the communal incidents of the last week and the current situation in the state.

On Tuesday, the government imposed section 144 of Criminal Procedure Code in Dharmanagar and Kailashahar parts of North Tripura to prevent protests against the violence in the state. However, there has been no action in the areas which saw vandalism by the mob. The state and police authorities are creating an illusion of normalcy by deploying police personnel in a few areas, said Sultan Hussain, a resident of North Tripura, and secretary of Tripura chapter of Students Islamic Organisation of India (SIO).

APCR Secretary Nadeem Khan said that it doesnt seem that the state government wants to end the violence as it hasnt taken any concrete step yet. The government is insisting that the situation is normal and continues to blame incidents in Bangladesh for the violence in the state. The irony is that so far 500 people have been arrested in Bangladesh, but the situation continues to be tense in Tripura, he said.

Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Secretary Malik Moatasim Khan appealed to the government to bring the situation under control and provide compensation for the destruction of mosques and other properties. The Muslims in the state should be provided security and those responsible for the violence and terror should be punished in order to bring peace to the state, he said.
This image provided by the Southwest Research Institute depicts the Lucy spacecraft approaching an asteroid. It will be first space mission to explore a diverse population of small bodies known as the Jupiter Trojan asteroids. NASA reported Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021, that one of the craft's two giant, circular solar panels is only between 75% and 95% extended. A lanyard is holding it in place. (SwRI via AP)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP)  NASA is debating whether to try to fix a jammed solar panel on its newly launched Lucy spacecraft, en route to explore an unprecedented number of asteroids.

The problem cropped up shortly after the spacecraft's Oct. 16 liftoff on a 12-year journey.

After measuring the electric current this week, NASA reported Wednesday that one of Lucys two giant, circular solar panels is only between 75% and 95% extended. A lanyard is holding it in place.

Any attempt at reopening the wing  which is 24 feet in diameter (7 meters)  would not occur before mid-November.

So far, the problem has not affected Lucy's outbound flight, so there's no rush to figure out the next step, officials said. Everything else on the spacecraft  already 3.7 million miles (6 million kilometers) away  is working properly.

The mission's lead scientist, Hal Levison of Southwest Research Institute, said the team is encouraged that the combined power from both solar panels "is keeping the spacecraft healthy and functioning."

It's too early to determine longer range implications to the entire mission, Levison said in an email Thursday. While the problem is concerning, our team is working this very diligently and carefully to find a workable solution.

The nearly $1 billion mission seeks to explore seven so-called Trojan asteroids that share Jupiter's orbit around the sun and another space rock closer to home. Lucy should swoop within 600 miles (965 kilometers) of each target.

___

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BEIJING - China has firmly rejected the recent US statement on Taiwan-related issues, and urges the United States to stop sending erroneous signals to "Taiwan independence" forces and take concrete actions to maintain the political foundation of China-US relations, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a press briefing in response to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's statement on "supporting Taiwan's meaningful participation in the UN system".

Zhao said that the US statement strongly violated the one-China principle and the three Sino-US joint communiques, it went against the commitments the United States has made, ran counter to the basic norms of international relations, and sent highly erroneous signals to "Taiwan independence" forces.

"China is strongly dissatisfied with this and resolutely opposes it," Zhao said, adding that China has already made its position clear and lodged solemn representations to the United States over this.

There is only one China in the world and the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China, the spokesperson said, stressing that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory.

"A total of 180 countries, including the United States, have established diplomatic relations with China on the basis of abiding by the one-China principle," the spokesperson said. "The one-China principle is the consensus of the international community and a universally recognized basic norm governing international relations, which does not allow unilateral challenge or distortion by the United States."

According to Zhao, in the three Sino-US joint communiques, the US unequivocally recognizes the government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legal government of China. "Within this context, the people of the US will maintain cultural, commercial, and other unofficial relations with the people of Taiwan."

"The Taiwan region's participation in the activities of international organizations must be handled in accordance with the one-China principle," the spokesperson said.

United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 2758 has solved once and for all the issue of the People's Republic of China's representation in the UN in political, legal and procedural terms, Zhao noted. He said the system, specialized agencies and the Secretariat of the UN should abide by the one-China principle and UNGA Resolution 2758 when dealing with Taiwan-related affairs.

By touting and whitewashing of Taiwan's so-called democracy and contribution and endorsing Taiwan, the United States is trying to distort concepts and mislead others, Zhao said, adding that the US motives and intentions are seen clearly by the international community.

Fifty years ago, the United States attempted to create "one China, one Taiwan" or "two Chinas" in the UN, only to confront setbacks, Zhao said, adding that if the United States still seeks historical backpedaling today, it is pitting itself against the 1.4 billion Chinese people and the vast majority of countries in the world, and will only face another failure.

Zhao said the Taiwan authorities obstinately stick to the "Taiwan independence" separatist position, refuse to recognize the 1992 Consensus and go all out to expand its so-called "international space", going further down the path of "Taiwan independence" separatism.

"This is the greatest realistic threat to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and the fundamental reason why Taiwan has not been able to participate in the activities of multilateral organizations, including the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO)," Zhao said.

"In fact, the Taiwan region enjoys free access to information from the ICAO and has convenient air connections with many cities around the world," he said. On the premise of observing the one-China principle, medical and public health experts in the Taiwan region can attend related WHO technical meetings, and the Taiwan region enjoys unimpeded access to public health information, including information related to COVID-19.

"The United States is making an issue out of Taiwan's participation in the ICAO and WHO to angle for sympathy. This attempt is miscalculated and futile," Zhao said.

It must be pointed out that the one-China principle and the three Sino-US joint communiques are the political foundation for China-US relations, said Zhao. "The so-called 'Taiwan Relations Act' and 'Six Assurances' unilaterally concocted by the United States gravely violate international law, basic norms governing international relations and the one-China principle," he said, noting that "China has made clear its firm rejection to them from the very beginning."

The spokesperson said that for some time, the United States has been keeping up erroneous words and acts over the Taiwan question, and China has made firm and necessary responses. "If the United States continues to play the 'Taiwan card', it will inevitably pose huge risks to China-US relations, seriously undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and seriously harm the interests of the United States itself."

China urges the US side to honor its commitments, earnestly follow the one-China principle and the three Sino-US joint communiques, abide by UNGA Resolution 2758, stop making irresponsible and erroneous remarks, stop helping Taiwan expand the so-called "international space," avoid sending erroneous signals to "Taiwan independence" forces, and safeguard the political foundation of China-US relations through concrete actions.

At the press briefing, Zhao also responded to a question on media reports that the Czech Senate had recently invited Joseph Wu, head of the foreign affairs department of the Taiwan authorities, to visit the Czech Republic.

China deplores and rejects the malicious provocative act by the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic and the individuals concerned, Zhao said. "We have lodged solemn representations with the Czech side and will make legitimate and necessary reactions."

"The despicable maneuvers by a few individuals in the Czech Republic are doomed to fail, and we urge them to promptly change course, otherwise they will end up swallowing the bitter fruit themselves," Zhao said. "We also warn the Taiwan authorities that seeking 'Taiwan independence' by soliciting external support is a dead end."

Zhao said China's resolution and will to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity is steadfast. "We will take all necessary measures to crush any 'Taiwan independence' plot."
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang speaks during the virtual the 24th ASEAN Plus China, Japan, ROK Summit on October 27, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]

Efforts from regional countries to uphold peace and stability in the South China Sea must be respected, Premier Li Keqiang said on Wednesday.

In a speech made via video link at the 16th East Asian Summit, Li urged various sides to support countries in the region in developing the South China Sea into a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation.

Safeguarding the peace and stability of South China Sea and ensuring the freedom of navigation and overflight serves the common interests of different sides, he said.

The peace and stability of the South China Sea concerns China's vital interests, as China  the world's largest trader in cargo  now sees more than 60 percent of its trade in goods going through the region, he said.

Thanks to the joint efforts of China and ASEAN countries, the situation in the South China Sea has maintained overall stability and there has never been a problem with the freedom of navigation and overflight, Li said.

He said that China is committed to the path of peaceful development, and the country along with ASEAN members have agreed to reach early conclusion of an effective, substantive Code of Conduct in the South China Sea consistent with international law including United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The drug bust includes some 55 million amphetamine tablets and more than 1.5 tonnes of crystal methamphetamine. Smugglers have turned to Myanmar to take advantage of post-coup unrest. For the UN, Methamphetamine is a highly addictive and destructive drug, and once enmeshed in society it will not go away.

Vientiane (AsiaNews/Agencies)  Laotian police recently seized huge quantities of drugs in the Golden Triangle, region that covers parts of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos, i.e., some 55 million amphetamine tablets (called Ya Ba, crazy drug in Laotian and Thai) and more than 1.5 tonnes of crystal methamphetamine.

The lorry that carried the illegal cargo hidden in beer crates was stopped in the northern Laotian province of Bokeo, which borders the other two countries.

This was by far the largest seizure in the history of East and Southeast Asia, said Jeremy Douglas, Southeast Asia regional representative for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

So far, 2021 has seen a record number of drug seizure in Southeast Asia, at least a million methamphetamine tablets and more than 100 kg of crystal meth, ketamine and heroin.

This week Laotian police also carried two other raids netting about 16 million ya ba tablets.

Although the Golden Triangle has been a major drug producing region for a long time, with distribution networks reaching as far as Japan and New Zealand, smugglers have recently turned to Myanmar taking advantage of unrest in that country, following the military coup on 1 February.

This is related to the security and governance breakdown in the Triangle and Shan Myanmar  spillover is hitting the region, Douglas said.

The United Nations had already sounded the alarm back in March about the possible fallout from the coup in the former Burma.

The seizures really took off in May and June, which is coincidentally when we also started receiving reports of huge seizures in Myanmar, Douglas told the Financial Times.

The harm being done to the people in the region is incalculable, he adds. Methamphetamine is a highly addictive and destructive drug, and once enmeshed in society it will not go away.

The post-coup environment is ideal for trafficking. Even with the COVID-19 pandemic, drug traffickers can carry on their businesses through various online messaging apps, while law enforcement in Myanmar have almost completely stopped anti-drug activities due to violence in the country.

In Shan, ethnic militias de facto rule part of the eastern state, and rely on trafficking to finance themselves, by taxing, for example, vehicles passing through their territory.

Methamphetamine prices have remained stable or even dropped. Analysts think this is an attempt by traffickers to enter new markets.

By selling drugs at lower prices at the beginning, it is easier for those who become addicted to be willing to pay more later.

Ya Ba pills are becoming increasingly popular as a street drug, not only in Myanmar, but also in Thailand and Bangladesh.

According to experts, the production of synthetic drugs in the Golden Triangle could also soon surpass Mexicos.
Pope Francis chose one of the current auxiliary bishops as the successor to Cardinal Yeom. A Discalced Carmelite, the new archbishop, 60, will also serve as apostolic administrator of Pyongyang. Known for his commitment to the youth ministry, he asked the faithful to pray so that I can follow in the footsteps of my extraordinary predecessors.

Seoul (AsiaNews) - Pope Francis has appointed Mgr Peter Chung Soon-taek, 60, as the new archbishop of Seoul.

A member of the Order of the Discalced Carmelites, he was one of the current auxiliary bishops of the South Korean capital.

He takes over from Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, 77, who has led the Church in Seoul since 2012 and leaves the post due to age limit.

In making his choice, the pontiff opted for a young pastor to lead the most important diocese in one of the Asian countries where Catholicism has shown greater vitality in recent years.

Significantly, this appointment comes precisely in the year the Church of Korea is celebrating the bicentenary of the birth of its first priest, the martyr Saint Andrew Kim Tae-gon.

As the new Archbishop of Seoul, Mgr Peter Chung Soon-taek will also become the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Pyongyang, North Korea, especially tasked with promoting peace in the peninsula.

At the same time as the Vatican, the Archdiocese of Seoul released a statement in which Archbishop Chung Soon-taek spoke about the task entrusted to him by the pope.

God always goes further. We can never imagine his plans in advance, because he always goes far beyond our thoughts. I am frightened and I ask everyone for their prayers so that I can follow in the footsteps of my extraordinary predecessors.

Archbishop Chung Soon-taek was born in Daegu on 5 August 1961. He studied chemical engineering at Seoul University, before embracing the religious life. In 1992 he took his vows as a Discalced Carmelite and was ordained a priest.

After holding the post of master of novices in his home country, he studied for some years Sacred Scriptures in Rome at the Pontifical Biblical Institute.

In 2005 he became provincial superior of his order in Korea, only to be called back to Rome in 2009 in charge of the Far East and Oceania section in the General Curia of the Discalced Carmelites.

On 30 December 2013, Pope Francis appointed him auxiliary bishop of Seoul. In recent years, together with Cardinal Yeom, he was particularly involved with the youth ministry.

A few years ago, he told young people that The real stars of the youth ministry are not the priests in charge, but you young people. [. . .] it is up to you to deepen your faith, so as to better serve your community.

In announcing his successors appointment, Cardinal Yeom called it a great joy and blessing" that will lead the Archdiocese of Seoul "into a new era".

Let us pray that Mgr May Chung Soon-taek be a pastor who bears good fruit in the eyes of God, in our country and in the whole Church.
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We got what I would call the Rosetta Stone of his fathers documents, basically his application for naturalization, Schwankert said. He had to get all these letters from different employers saying, Yes, he worked for me, and hes an upstanding citizen. The funny thing is, hes submitting all of these documents with these fake names, but hes submitting them under his own name.
What does this ghost want from us might seem like a minor question for an author as important as Erdrich, but again, shes working important territory. Even a bestselling paperback as once ubiquitous (and really bad) as The Amityville Horror arrived here, summoning a so-called ancient Indian burial ground, noting the guilt beneath American ghost stories. No wonder some of our best contemporary ghost books are by Black women  Angela Flournoys The Turner House, Jesmyn Wards Sing, Unburied, Sing. But then women in general often have a finer hand with ghosts than men. Jacksons The Haunting of Hill House might be one of three books Id save from a fire. Chicagos Gillian Flynn followed Gone Girl with The Grownup, a 2015 novella about a young fraudulent spirit medium who stumbles across real spirits. If the men in ghost stories tend to see a ghost as a challenge to the natural order, the women in a ghost story often become vessels for unaired resentment and potential. The mother in The Upstairs House (Harper, $27), Chicagoan Julia Fines unfairly overlooked novel from early this year, is struggling to connect with her newborn daughter. Until the long-dead childrens book author Margaret Wise Brown (Goodnight Moon) moves into her home.
Much of this transformation has been happening behind the scenes  for now. So, take the AACMs deferred 55th anniversary concert on Oct. 30 as a public celebration of its new endeavors. Even that performance, featuring the Great Black Music Ensemble, heralds a milestone: With support from the Minnesota-based nonprofit American Composers Forum, it marks the first time the AACM has ever commissioned nonmember musicians for new works. Ultimately, three artists were selected from some 100 submissions, each with varied degrees of connection to the organization: Adegoke Steve Colson, a veteran member of the AACMs New York chapter who first joined the collective in Chicago; the searingly inventive saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa, who soaked in the sounds of AACM musicians while attending DePaul University in the 1990s; and the Honourable Elizabeth A. Baker, a self-described new renaissance artist getting to know the AACM for the first time.
It's a bit of a departure in one way for APTP. For the first time, the company, which specializes in devised work drawn from a wide array of stories generated within the ensemble and collected in the community, collaborated with an outside playwright. But it's to the credit of writer Isaac Gomez, co-directors Stephanie Paul and Maggie Popadiak, and especially the vibrant cast that the show feels very much like we're hearing these stories for the first time. The voices we meet in this narrative collage feel distinct, not filtered through a sole authorial voice. (Gomez's profile is rising here and around the country. His play "The Displaced," about gentrification in Pilsen, opens at the end of the month with Haven Theatre at the Den Theatre.)
But because this crime is so painful for your family to face, your brother didnt get help, the news that he is a convicted child molester was swept under the carpet, and it seems that he went on to victimize more children, who now carry this burden with them.
Prosecutors had hoped to bolster their case by introducing as evidence a brief video taken 15 days before the protest shootings that shows Rittenhouse watching some men exit a CVS pharmacy and commenting that he wished he had his rifle so he could shoot them because prosecutors say he baselessly thought they were shoplifters. Thomas Binger, the lead prosecutor, said it showed Rittenhouses mindset as a teenage vigilante, involving himself in things that dont concern him. But Judge Bruce Schroeder questioned the relevance of the video to the charges. He ruled it wouldnt be allowed, though he suggested he could reassess that ruling later.
She said Cuomo pulled her in for a hug as she prepared to leave the governors office at the mansion. When she told him, youre going to get us in trouble, Cuomo replied, I dont care, and slammed the door shut, according to her account. Commisso said Cuomo slid his hand up her blouse and grabbed her breast.
Politics, however, was off the table; their parents, raised by parents who fled famine and civil war in China, viewed it as a corrupt, high-risk vocation. They wanted Michelle to go into medicine, along a pipeline of tests and degrees to a stable, happy life, she said. When she left for Harvard  something her parents had hoped for her whole life  Wu was not sure whether she was a Republican or a Democrat.
The three were on a sidewalk in the 700 block of North Trumbull Avenue in Humboldt Park about 1:30 p.m. when an assailant they didnt know opened fire, hitting all of them.
Keeping our children safe is an important public health issue; during a pandemic, it takes on an even greater significance, Dr. Jacqueline Korpics, pediatrician and medical director of the Cook County public health departments COVID-19 response, said in a statement. Measures such as social distancing and wearing a mask remain important but vaccinating as many children as possible keeps the students, staff and everyone in school protected and healthy. We urge parents to vaccinate their children, for the health and safety of all of us.
The top job at the nations third largest school district has become more lucrative in the last year. Interim CEO Jose Torres received a portion of his $335,000 annual salary for a position he held less than three months this year, plus $5,000 to relocate. Former CEO Janice Jackson earned a $40,000 bump in December 2020 to bring her base pay up to $300,000. She left the district in June after three years as CEO.
Our faith in Christ, the incarnate pre-eternal word of God, is the saving response to our ultimate questions, he said. There can be no complete fulfillment of the human existence without Christ as the way, the truth and the life. Christ calls us to proclaim his Gospel, to become the salt of the earth, to place our lamp on a stand, to become a neighbor for those who fall upon thieves in order to support the least of our brothers and sisters, in accordance with his words: As you do it to one of these, the least of my brothers and sisters, you do it to me.
Garcia ran back to his apartment as his girlfriend followed him and he changed his shirt, let down his hair, and fell asleep. When he woke up later, he took the gun and hurled it into a lagoon, said Deboni.
Bankston, of the Northwest Side, died about an hour later of multiple gunshot wounds and his death was ruled a homicide, according to the Cook County medical examiners office.
Firefighters Union Local 2 President Jim Tracy on Thursday said the city had put about 14 paramedics and 12 firefighters on no-pay status for refusing to report their vaccine status. And he said many other paramedics arent answering their phones when the department calls them on their days off to see if they can pick up extra shifts, because theyre worried the call is to order them to report to Fire Department headquarters to report their vaccine status.
Officers responded to the business and the building was evacuated. No injuries were reported and no one was in police custody as of late Wednesday, authorities said.
In the Ramirez case, prosecutors said, between July and September, the lifeguard snuck out of her home so Ramirez could pick her up and take her to his home. They allegedly had sex there as well, and Ramirez then drove the girl to her school later that morning, authorities said.
The case, which laid bare the countrys deep political divide over gun rights and racial inequities, will be undoubtedly the biggest in Schroeders career, but he is not new to the public stage or controversy. A circuit judge since 1983, he has made headlines for decades as he pushed for more flexibility on state-mandated child support rules, imposed a sentence intended to shame a defendant and became among the first judges in the United States to require sex workers to take AIDS tests.
Goldhamer said he was interested in serving people who are deaf because he knew what it was like to be discriminated against. As a newborn in Montreal in 1945, he was put under a radiation machine to remove a birthmark on his hand. The team working with him left him under the machine for too long, and he suffered radiation burns on the entire left side of his body. This caused him to get Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome, a rare disorder involving blood and lymph vessels and abnormal growth of soft and bone tissue, according to the National Institutes of Health. Goldhamer said the syndrome caused him severe pain and he had over a dozen surgeries throughout his childhood.
This is the ancient land of our fathers, of our ancestors, who came into this land and had ceremonies in this land, raised their families in this land. We are descended of those people, and to us, its like coming back home. The spirits who live on this lake, they know who we are. Were not strangers here. Not to the spirits that live here.
But let us be clear, the vaccination mandate is a step toward the real solution: decarceration. As researchers and public health experts have said for more than a year, the only way to truly protect our entire community  from COVID-19 and the well-documented harms wrought by mass incarceration  is to allow incarcerated people to return home to their families. And if more than half the states prison workers choose not to comply with the basic requirements of their jobs, releasing people is a great place to start.
Whats more, traffic stops overall are up more than sevenfold, to more than 600,000 per year, since a 2015 city settlement with the American Civil Liberties Union designed to rein in abusive stop-and-frisk practices. Black and Latinx drivers accounted for more than 80% of stops in 2019  significantly out of whack with their roughly 50% share of the city population.
For now, they are piecing together what puzzle parts they have. Her parents may have been from Selma, Alabama; one set of grandparents lived there, which they know by finding out about the grandparents of the possible first cousin. On that side, one grandparents last name was Calhoun, and his wifes maiden name was Harris, so either names are possible connections to Jane Seneca Doe. She might have relatives in two counties in Alabama: Dallas County or Wilcox County. Johnson sent Jane Seneca Does story to churches in the state, hoping a big congregations connections might glean more information. Alabama media covered the cases family connections.
The map before us today is based on the totality of the input we received from the public, from members of the General Assembly, from stakeholders, from community groups, from communities of interest and I stand behind that map, Democratic Senate President Don Harmon of Oak Park said. Its a good map. Its a fair map. It reflects the diversity of the state of Illinois and gives voice to communities of interest.
Getting there: Travelers flying from the Chicago area could be best served landing at the closest international airport in Fresno, California. We flew into Oakland and drove our rental car across the valley to Yosemite. Getting around within the park via shuttle buses has been the preferred method for many visitors to avoid traffic and enjoy the sights. These buses are currently not operating, so a car is a must.
The Standing Committee of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China's top political advisory body, will convene its 19th meeting from Nov. 22 to 24.

The decision was made on Wednesday at the 60th Chairperson's Council meeting of the CPPCC National Committee, which was presided over by Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the CPPCC National Committee.

During the meeting, Wang emphasized the study of the spirit of a recent conference on work related to people's congresses to deepen the understanding of whole-process democracy, a distinctive feature of socialist democracy with Chinese characteristics.

The meeting heard a report on the operation of the CPPCC's expert consultation mechanism and passed a number of research reports that gave opinions and suggestions on the protection of black soil in northeast China, further integration of physical and academic education, and the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Attendees at the meeting deliberated and voted on personnel matters.
The opening ceremony of the 2021 Luohu digital economy development training session was held at the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUST) on Oct. 25.

Hosted by Luohu financial service agency and organized by SUST business college, the five-day training session saw the participation of 40 staff members from the Luohu District Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Luohu District People's Government.

Wang Shuxun, dean of the finance department of the SUST, Li Ming, former Party chief of the SUST, Huang Tuo, director of Luohu financial service agency, and Li Baoqi, deputy director of the South China school of China Construction Bank University (CCBU) attended the opening ceremony.

Wang Shuxun's lecture on "New opportunities and challenges brought by the development of digital economy to financial services" kicked off the training.

Li Ming pointed out that the Luohu district used to be the earliest financial center of Shenzhen. The district, as a bridgehead of Shenzhen-Hong Kong cooperation, is now facing new opportunities and new challenges. Luohu should recognize its own positioning, strengthen and deepen cooperation with Hong Kong from a holistic perspective, and focus on promoting the construction of Shenzhen-Hong Kong port economic belt.

Li also compared Shenzhen with Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong in terms of the development of banking, securities, insurance, and other financial sectors. He stressed that Shenzhen, as an "engine" in the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, can be positioned as a fin-tech center to drive economic growth.

Huang Tuo noted that, this training, themed industrial work, is to implement the guidelines of the 8th Party Congress of Luohu, which helps to speed up the cultivation of digital economy talents in the district.

He said that Luohu financial service agency will try to integrate all resources and provide high-quality teachers and courses for this training. Huang hoped that the trainees can seize the opportunity of learning, strengthen communication and foster a good learning atmosphere.

Li Baoqi hoped that, based on China Construction Bank Shenzhen branch's close connection with Luohu, the CCBU and Luohu can carry out more comprehensive cooperation in the future.

He wished that the trainees can develop digital thinking and do their jobs to boost the development of digital economy. CCBU will make its contribution to the development of wealth management, science and technology finance, and small and micro-enterprises in Luohu and boost the development of the real economy of Shenzhen, Li added.

The training session serves as a platform for experts and industrial practitioners to hold lectures on such topics as blockchain, cross-border finance, digital currency, digital gold economy and venture investment.

All of the courses are closely related to the development trend of national digital economy and integrate Luohu's industrial upgrading plan, which is of great significance to boost the high-quality development of the district's digital economy and build the district into a pilot zone for financial technology and a demonstration zone for combined industry-finance development.
China's State Council has released a plan on the protection and application of intellectual property rights (IPRs) during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025).

According to the plan, the country expects to see significant improvements in its IPR management capability by 2025. By then, IPRs will become a powerful booster for the country's high-quality economic and social development, it added.

The plan lists tasks as follows: enhancing the protection of IPRs, improving the efficiency of their transformation into tangible results, further developing services, facilitating international cooperation, as well as promoting personnel training and nurturing a favorable sociocultural environment.

To measure the success of the goals, the plan has put forward eight criteria, including "the number of high-value patents possessed by every 10,000 persons."
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Chinese President Xi Jinping said Wednesday that China welcomes Equatorial Guinea to join the Global Development Initiative.

In a phone conversation with Equatorial Guinean President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, Xi said his country stands ready to work with Equatorial Guinea and other African countries to promote sustainable and common development of developing countries.

Xi noted that in recent years, China-Equatorial Guinea relations have maintained a high level of development, with political mutual trust staying solid and practical cooperation yielding fruitful results.

China, he said, highly appreciates Equatorial Guinea's strong support on issues related to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang and human rights among others.

He added that his country will, as always, firmly support Equatorial Guinea in safeguarding its national sovereignty, independently exploring its own development path, and strive for more fruitful results in bilateral friendly cooperation in various fields, so as to create more benefits for the people in both countries.

China, he said, will continue to provide vaccine assistance for Equatorial Guinea's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, deepen bilateral medical and health cooperation, and expand cooperation in various fields within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

The Chinese side is willing to continue to provide as much support as its capacity allows for the economic and social development of Equatorial Guinea, he added.

Noting that the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century at a faster pace, Xi stressed that China and Africa should continue to cement solidarity, strengthen coordination and mutual support, and safeguard international fairness and justice as well as the common interests of developing countries.

China, he added, is willing to work with African countries to make a success of the upcoming session of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), so as to chart the course for future China-Africa cooperation and open up new prospects for China-Africa relations.

For his part, Obiang extended sincere congratulations on the centenary of the Communist Party of China and the 72nd anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Noting that this year also marks the 50th anniversary of the dispatch of China's first medical team to Equatorial Guinea, he said Chinese medical teams have made important contributions to improving his country's medical care capacity and protecting the health of its people, which the Equatorial Guinean government and people are deeply grateful for and will always remember.

Equatorial Guinea, he added, has always regarded China as its most important strategic partner, and sincerely appreciates China's offering of valuable assistance, including COVID-19 vaccines.

He said his country will continue to firmly adhere to the one-China policy, firmly support China's positions on issues concerning China's core interests, and firmly uphold multilateralism.

Equatorial Guinea, he said, supports and will actively participate in the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Development Initiative, and is ready to work with China to enhance bilateral cooperation in various areas as well as cooperation within the FOCAC framework.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping said Wednesday that China and Uzbekistan need to strengthen policy coordination and promote all-round cooperation.

He made the remarks in a phone conversation with his Uzbek counterpart, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, during which he once again congratulated the latter on re-election as Uzbek president.

Xi noted that since the establishment of the China-Uzbekistan comprehensive strategic partnership five years ago, bilateral cooperation in various fields has reached an unprecedentedly high level.

The two sides, he added, have been learning from each other in their undertakings of reform and opening-up as well as development and revitalization, and helping each other in the joint battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.

China attaches great importance to developing China-Uzbekistan relations, and supports Uzbekistan pursuing a development path suited to its national conditions, he said.

Noting that the next year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Uzbekistan, he said bilateral relations will stand at a new starting point.

The two sides should seize the opportunities, build on past achievements, and strive for more tangible outcomes of cooperation for the benefit of both nations, he added.

Xi suggested that the two countries expand the scale of trade and investment and tap into their cooperation potential in such areas as digital finance and cross-border e-commerce.

China, he said, stands ready to import more green and high-quality agricultural products from Uzbekistan.

The two sides also need to lift the level of connectivity, support their enterprises continuing with oil and gas cooperation, boost anti-poverty cooperation, and enrich people-to-people cooperation, he said, adding that Uzbek Olympic athletes are welcome to the Beijing Winter Olympics.

China is ready to deepen cooperation with Uzbekistan in epidemic response, and help the country build a regional vaccine production center and enhance capacity-building in the health care system, he said.

He also suggested that the two countries step up cooperation in such areas as law enforcement and security, so as to safeguard their as well as regional security and stability.

China, he said, supports Uzbekistan playing its role as rotating chair of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and stands ready to work with other members to carry forward the Shanghai Spirit, lift the level of cooperation in all areas, and enable the organization to achieve greater development at a new starting point.

For his part, Mirziyoyev thanked Xi for sending a congratulatory message upon his re-election as Uzbek president and expressing confidence in Uzbekistan's national construction, saying that it is a great encouragement to him and all Uzbek people.

On the centenary of the Communist Party of China, China has made great achievements in economic development and poverty eradication that have been recognized by the world, he noted.

He said he highly appreciates and firmly supports the people-centered philosophy and Global Development Initiative put forward by Xi, and is willing to learn from China's experience in state governance.

The Uzbek president also expressed gratitude for China's selfless assistance for Uzbekistan's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that Uzbekistan firmly supports China's positions on issues concerning China's core interests and opposes the politicization of origins tracing of the novel coronavirus.

Mirziyoyev said that he fully agrees with Xi's views on developing bilateral relations, and that his country is willing to work with China to strengthen practical cooperation in such areas as economy, trade, poverty reduction and connectivity, and deepen the Uzbekistan-China comprehensive strategic partnership.

The Uzbek side, he added, will actively participate in the fourth China International Import Expo, fully supports China hosting the Beijing Winter Olympics, and looks forward to cooperating with China on this great event.

As rotating chair of the SCO, Uzbekistan will work closely with China to push for new development of the organization, he said.

The two sides also exchanged views on the Afghanistan issue.
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Greece is an important partner in building the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and China is willing to continue its effort with Greece to build a high-quality BRI, visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias on Wednesday.

Wang said that Greece is the first stop of his visit to Europe, showing that China attaches great importance to Sino-Greek relations.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, China and Greece have always adhered to the historical perspective, followed the trend of the times and respected, understood, trusted and supported each other, setting a good example for exchanges between different countries and civilizations, Wang said.

The two sides should continue to support each other's core interests and major concerns, further deepen practical cooperation in all areas and push for new progress in China-Greece comprehensive strategic partnership, he noted.

The Chinese foreign minister said that China is pleased to see that the Piraeus Port project, a symbol of bilateral cooperation and a flagship project of the BRI, is moving forward smoothly, boosting significantly Greece's development.

China is ready to work with Greece to build Piraeus into a world-class port, he said, calling for the two sides to expand BRI cooperation in key areas and increase mutual investment.

China welcomes Greek enterprises to actively participate in the China International Import Expo and hopes Greece will continue to provide an open and fair market environment for Chinese enterprises, added Wang.

Dendias said that Greece will implement key cooperation projects under the BRI and looks forward to further expanding economy, trade, energy, maritime and shipbuilding cooperation with China.

Greece believes that China's future is unlimited, said Dendias, adding that Greece is full of confidence in the development of bilateral relations.

Noting that China and Greece share many common development concepts, Wang invited Greece to actively participate in the Global Development Initiative put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping, which according to Dendias is valued and applauded by the Greek side.

Wang also called on the two countries to jointly contribute to accelerating the implementation of the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Dendias said that Greek-China relations have become stronger in the joint fight against the COVID-19 epidemic, and Greece is ready to continue supporting each other and strengthening communication and coordination with China on international and multilateral affairs.

Dendias also briefed Wang on the flame-lighting ceremony for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and said that Greece was proud to work with China on the Piraeus Port project.

The two sides agreed to strengthen exchanges at the regional and provincial levels with the launching of the China-Greece Year of Culture and Tourism in September this year.

Wang said that China and the European Union (EU) are partners, not rivals. They are collaborators, not competitors. China always supports the EU in its development, integration process and enhancing strategic autonomy.

China and the EU should respect each other, conduct exchanges on an equal footing, enhance understanding and manage differences, Wang stressed.

At present, it is especially important to guard against and prevent the attempts of some individual country to challenge the one-China principle and undermine the political mutual trust between China and Europe, he continued.

Dendias agreed with this, adding that EU-China cooperation enjoys broad prospects and will help the EU to become an independent and strong international power.

The two sides also exchanged views on Afghanistan, the eastern Mediterranean, Libya and other issues of common concern.

Greece is the first stop of Wang's European tour, which will also take him to Serbia, Albania and Italy this week.
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Leaders of China and Brunei on Wednesday called for bringing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) into force at an early date.

They made the remarks at the virtual 24th ASEAN Plus Three leaders' meeting between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and China, Japan and South Korea.

Signed on Nov. 15, 2020, the RCEP is a mega trade deal between the 10 ASEAN member states and ASEAN's five free trade agreement partners, namely China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said at the meeting Wednesday that the RCEP will arrive at a threshold of entry into force soon, and the countries need to speed up their work for it to take effect as early as possible.

The countries also need to continue to advance free trade and pursue higher-level integration, Li said.

Brunei's Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah expressed the view at the meeting that the timely entry into force and implementation of the RCEP agreement will accelerate regional economic recovery efforts, according to a statement from the Brunei government.

China, the world's second-largest economy, completed procedures of the RCEP ratification in April this year. Brunei ratified the agreement earlier this month, becoming the sixth signatory to ratify the RCEP, after Thailand, Singapore, China, Japan and Cambodia.

RCEP signatories have expressed the intention of ratifying the agreement before the end of this year for its entry into force from Jan. 1, 2022.

The ratification by at least six of the 10 ASEAN signatories and three of the five non-ASEAN signatories is needed for the trade deal to take effect.

Once in effect, the deal will eliminate tariffs on as much as 90 percent of goods traded between its signatories over the next 20 years.

Established in 1967, ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Brunei is the ASEAN chair for 2021.
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The African Union (AU) on Wednesday announced it has suspended the membership of unrest-hit Sudan.

In a press statement, the peace and security council of the AU, said Sudan's membership has been suspended due to Monday's "unconstitutional change of government", which it said was an affront to the shared values and democratic norms of the continental body.

The statement said the AU has decided in line with relevant instruments, to suspend, with immediate effect, the participation of the Republic of Sudan in all AU activities until the effective restoration of the civilian-led Transitional Authority.

The AU statement also said the continental body will undertake a mission to Sudan to engage with all stakeholders with a view to finding an amicable solution to the political stalemate in the country.

On Monday, General Commander of Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan declared a state of emergency across the country, dissolved the transitional Sovereign Council and the government, and relieved the state governors.

Since then, demonstrators have taken to the street in Khartoum, rejecting the measures announced by Al-Burhan and demanding a civilian government.

Sudan is in a 39-month transitional period and is ruled by a transitional government of military and civilian elements, which was established after the ouster of former President Omar al-Bashir in April 2019. The transitional period is set to be followed by elections to form a new government.
Opponents of Christianity declare that it is dead. Despite their untimely celebration, our faith is very much alive. All over the world. In Africa, its pulse beats strong. In a continent that the world may have forgotten, God is weaving His redemption story.

More Christians now live in Africa than on any other continent. As of 2020, around 49% of Africas population identify themselves as Christian. From less than 10 million Christians in 1900, there are now an estimated 685 million Christians on the continent. Recent growth of Christianity in Africa is partly due to population growth, but also due to African-led evangelism.

African-led evangelism and discipleship is critical for the future of Africas faith. Christianity is not the only influence in Africa. Islam is advancing aggressively across the continent, and in many regions, syncretism of Christianity with traditional religions has marred the truth of the Gospel.

The continent with the worlds fastest population growth, and youngest population on earth, needs to be nurtured by an African Church that is strong in faith and sound in doctrine. For 60 years, African Enterprise has been a trusted champion of the African Church. Reaching across denominational boundaries, AE is passionate about equipping the Church for true evangelism and discipleship.

It is estimated that, by the year 2060, 4 out of 10 global Christians will live in Sub-Saharan Africa. As the Church, we are the body of Christ on the earth. It could be said that, at this moment in history, the beating heart of global Christianity is in Africa. If so, we would do well to remember our brothers and sisters there.

All of you together are Christs body, and each of you is a part of it.

(1 Corinthians 12:27, NLT)
For those who remember there was a week of protests in Melbourne. A lot of angry people who were venting. Melbourne is the world champion of Covid lockdown. Melbourne has had less covid cases than many cities of the same size. For many angry Melbournians this is neither proof nor justification that lockdowns are effective.

As a Melbournian who has watched, listened and read online and local responses to lockdown I saw a familiar pattern. I realised it when I saw the recent lockdown protests. Anger, Disbelief, Shock, Denial, Bargaining, Guilt, Depression.

All of these emotional states are part of the stages of grief. Do some basic internet searching and youll find the list. As the child of a mental health professional I have seen and heard a lot about how maintain your mental health. I understand what needs to be done when your life changes due to loss.

Lockdown is About Loss

Lockdown for all of us in Melbourne has been about loss. Lost jobs, lost connections, lost routine. As of this year it has extended to moving home. Even loss of housing due to not being able to pay rent. For those who were living rough who were taken into hotels, there are soon to be ejected.

When it comes to events that cause stress the top three are death of a loved one, moving house and new job. Loss of routine is big. Loss of connection especially connection to family and friends, that is huge. When your normal routine is shattered you have to find a new one. When you cannot maintain connections loneliness is a huge weight.

When these events occur you have the opportunity to respond to them. You can decide to adapt to the new to make good of the situation. However you will find yourself looking back to what was before. In the media the call for going back to normal was rife last year. It almost did get back to normal. Almost.

Grief on Repeat

Then Melbourne found itself back in lockdown. Back with cases across the western and northern suburbs again. Back to 5km limits, to essential workers only, to 9pm curfew. As a person who has a job that is essential I have not stopped working. Yes I wear a mask delivering pizza but I have not had to stop, yet.

So far I have been talking about grief at a personal level. What happens when a whole city is all at once going through the stages of grief. All at different points of the stages, all at the same time.

A Tale of Two Industries

Construction has been an essential service from the beginning. Like my job construction has not stopped, till a few weeks ago. If you can remember back to April 2020 the same occurred to the Meat Processing Industry. Due to the working conditions and the connections between workers covid was rife and plants were shutdown.

Construction sites were targeted by state authorities. Due to low compliance to covid safe regulations the state government ordered a two week shut down. Union bosses were in reluctant agreement. It was expected that the chain of authority would lead to compliance. It did not.

Unlike the Meat Processing shutdown in 2020 this was different. Early in 2020 the fear of pandemic was very fresh. Lockdown had not occurred and there was no use of the phrases new normal or covid normal. People had not been through the loss of lockdown to emerge and then to find themselves back in lockdown again.

Lockdown Merry-Go-Round

2021 Melbourne was like a cancer patient being told that they are no longer in remission. After doing everything required to get out of care, to only have to return once again to the hospital bed. That devastates entire families. Extrapolate that to a whole city. Big huh.



Normally grief happens everyday. For those unfortunate to have multiple griefs, it compounds. The stress it creates and puts people through...well lets just say a lot. Anger, Despair, Disbelief, Bargaining, Shock, Depression. These are the responses that hopefully we pass through to find an acceptance.

Hopefully. Because I can clearly see through the actions of so many others that they are still going through the phases of grief. It has given me an insight into why people are doing what they are doing. Not to justify poor or problematic behaviour, but to lend you the knowledge to show compassion to those who are burdened and heavy laden.
Im sure theres a passage in the Old Testament somewhere that speaks about The 6 day-work thing. Oh yeah, I remember (pity our church leaders cant) its in Exodus chapter 20.

Let me describe the scene for you. Gods people are at base camp, before Mt Sinai, and while their leader Moses is at the summit, amidst the lightning and thunder, smoke and fire, God speaks to Moses (the mountains tremble) and He says (please take note)

Six days you shall labour and do all your work.

Imagine that, the omnipotent God of the universe, who created you and the planet, commanded us to work. Well, youd never know, if you were relying on your Pastor to tell you.

The sound of silence

Why is there no outrage, no strident voice of indignation from our church leaders, against compulsory vaccination in order to work? Wheres the ecclesiastic valour to defend our divinely given right to work? The right to work which cannot be arbitrarily rescinded by the rulers of the Fourth Reich.

Evidently like little boy blue theyre under the haystack fast asleep. Or maybe they too have fallen prey to the Mass Psychosis controlling the minds of the populace. Well look at this psychological phenomenon later. But for now, I think we can safely say our weak denominational leadership remains largely incognisant of the imperative issued to all mankind Six days you shall labour.

Weak leadership opens the gate to tyranny

Oh yeah, by the way if you missed it, like the Caesars of the 1st century, Dictator Dan has assumed a new title Pontifex Maximus. In case youre not a student of ancient history, that means not only was Caesar the supreme ruler of all the political, military and administrative arms of government, he was also the Great High Priest of the religions of Rome.

It seems that Pope Dan now promulgates ecclesiastic policy. Thus, says Caesar Danielus Andreus All ministers of religion shall from this day forward be double vaccinated or suffer extreme punishment at the hands of my minions, (aka the Victorian Police)

You heard right. The state Premier decides who can administer the sacraments, preach the word and shepherd the flock. And its only the vaccinated.

Hmm  pity! I think I heard a pin drop in the denominational synod chambers around the country. No outcry, no protest and no opposition, from our uncompromising church leaders. Just conformity. My heart breaks! Where are the Elijahs of our day, sticking it to Ahab?

Hey! What about Scomo, after all we all know Daniel Andrews is the anti-Christ, but Scomos a Christian, isnt he?

Well, if you think Scomo is coming to save you, sorry youre wrong. As the PM himself has said and I quote the Bible is not a policy handbook, and I get very worried when people try to treat it like one.

True to his conviction (when it suits), he clearly demonstrates that the Bible has no relevance to our divinely conferred human rights. Because if he did, then he would have spoken against mandatory vaccinations for workers. But instead, he encouraged employers to throw their conscientious objectors under a bus, for not taking part in the worlds largest clinical trial.

But heres the thing, sadly a large cohort of our fellow Australians are now not only unemployed, they are also unemployable, forced into penury, courtesy of our beloved Christian PM.

There is little sympathy for the unvaxed

At the bleeding heart of the mandatory vaccination issue is the divinely bestowed attribute of freedom of conscience. An attribute unique to Gods image bearers. And sadly, one which the law, government and church leadership appear to ignore.

God has given each of us the capacity to know in our heart of hearts what is right and wrong. Paul states the role of conscience very clearly in Romans chapter 2: They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.

And again in Romans chapter 14 when referring to disputable matters.. So, whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves.

Both the vaccinated and the unvaccinated have legitimate reasons for the views they hold on the subject. Its not a matter of whos right and whos wrong. Rather the imperative for Christians and dare I say governments is to grant people the right to dissent from public policy in disputable matters, matters of conscience.

Its contrary to the notion of freedom of conscience to force people to take an experimental vaccine, under duress and coercion, when their conscience tells them its wrong.

The Mass Psychosis gripping our nation and other Western countries is erasing the legitimacy of conscientious objection. Big Pharmas propaganda which is being disseminated through the agency of the fawning-obsequious MSM has convinced governments, health officials and citizens that C-19 is tantamount to the Black Death, and cajoled us into believing that we need to sacrifice our God-ordained freedoms (one of which is the right to work) for safety from the Plague.

As Benjamin Franklin said, The person who trades their freedom for security, doesnt deserve, nor will ever receive, either.

Beware! Were either entering or leaving a new phase of this pandemic, where crisis management is becoming crisis totalitarianism. Our freedoms lost and tyranny is just one step away.
My family immigrated from England to Australia when I was young. My mother never expected to return to England so she took my brother and me to visit historical sites around London before we left.

We went to Buckingham Palace and other residences of the royal family and saw great wealth and luxury. However, my mother always said she was glad not to be part of the royal family. She recognised that all their wealth and fame didnt compensate for their lack of freedom.

And yet many strive for wealth and fame.

Wealth and fame

Many young people are attracted to high-paying careers with little thought as to whether they will find the work fulfilling or meaningful. Many are attracted to reality television shows, believing it will allow them to find fame.

Social media has encouraged false expectations as people watch the very small minority become famous via social media channels.

In 2010, the Barna Group surveyed hundreds of teenagers and found that a quarter of them expected to be famous or well known by the time they reached 25. One wonders where they are today. Are they disillusioned or still seeking the elusive fame they desire?

Jim Carrey, the famous, well-paid actor, is quoted as saying, I wish everyone could get rich and famous and have everything they ever dreamed of so they would know that's not the answer.

What is the answer?

Money and fame arent reliable sources of healthy self-esteem. Material possessions and media attention dont give us a lasting sense of purpose or a meaningful existence.

Whereas God offers us the forgiveness of sins (Ephesians chapter 1 verse 7) for our past; abundant life (John chapter 10 verse 10) for our present and eternal life(1 John chapter 2 verse 25) for our future.

Yet this isnt a life without difficulties. In fact, Jesus promised us trouble. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world (John chapter 16 verse 33).

God is the source of our hope. As Esther discovered when she was abruptly called from obscurity to a palace.
The report "Glass Substrate Market by Type (Borosilicate, Silicon, Ceramic, and Fused Silica / Quartz-Based Glass Substrates), End-Use Industry (Electronics, Automotive, Medical, Aerospace & Defense, Solar), and Region - Global Forecast to 2022 ", The glass substrate market is estimated to be USD 1.49 Billion in 2017 and is projected to reach USD 1.97 Billion by 2022, at a CAGR of 5.7% between 2017 and 2022. The growth of the glass substrate market is primarily driven by the rising demand for glass substrates from industries, such as electronics, automotive, medical, aerospace & defense, and solar, for the manufacture of end-products that include semiconductors, LCDs, sensors, and solar panels.

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Borosilicate-based glass substrates estimated to be the largest type segment of the glass substrate market

The borosilicate-based glass substrates segment is the largest type segment of the glass substrate market. The growth of the borosilicate-based glass substrates segment can be attributed to the unique properties of these substrates that include low coefficient of thermal expansion, high chemical resistivity, and high surface strength.

The electronics industry is the fastest-growing end-use industry segment of the glass substrate market

The glass substrate market in the electronics industry is projected to register the highest growth during the forecast period. Glass substrates are used to manufacture display devices, electronic components, semiconductors, MEMS devices, and information, computing & telecommunication devices. Thus, the high consumption of glass substrates in the electronics industry is contributing to the growth of the glass substrate market.

Asia Pacific is estimated to be the largest market for glass substrates. In the Asia Pacific region, China is estimated to be the key consumer of glass substrates. Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan are other major countries contributing to the growth of the glass substrate market in this region. The increasing demand for glass substrates from various end-use industries, such as electronics, automotive, and medical, is expected to drive the growth of the glass substrate market in the Asia Pacific region.

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Key companies profiled in the glass substrate market research report are AGC (Japan), SCHOTT (Germany), Corning Inc. (US), Nippon Sheet Glass (Japan), Plan Optik (Germany), HOYA Corporation (Japan), LG Chem ( South Korea), OHARA Inc. (Japan), IRICO Group New Energy Company Limited (China), and The Tunghsu Group (China).

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The Glucaric Acid Market is anticipated to reach over USD 1,467 million by 2026 according to a new research published by Polaris Market Research. In 2017, the detergents segment dominated the global market, in terms of revenue. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the leading contributor to the global market revenue during the forecast period.

Increasing application of Glucaric acid in agriculture, chemical, and food industry supports the growth of the Glucaric acid Market. Increasing use in polymer manufacturing further promotes the growth of this market. Glucaric acid is increasingly replacing phosphates in detergents owing to stringent regulations regarding harmful environmental effects of phosphates, thereby supporting market growth. Other factors supporting market growth include increasing awareness regarding environment, and research and development for advancement. Increasing demand from developing nations, and growing use in healthcare sector is expected provide numerous growth opportunities to the market players during the forecast period.

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Asia-Pacific Glucaric acid Market generated the highest revenue in 2017, and is expected to lead the global market throughout the forecast period. The rising use in agriculture and chemical industries in the region drive the market growth. The increasing demand of detergents and growing environmental concerns in the region further support market growth. The increasing demand of glucaric acid for animal feed and growing demand for healthy livestock is expected to accelerate the adoption of glucaric acid during the forecast period.

The well-known companies profiled in the Glucaric acid Market report include Cayman Chemical, Rivertop Renewables, Inc., Carbosynth Limited, Haihang Industry Co., Ltd., Rennovia Inc, Kalion Inc., Alfa Chemistry, AK Scientific Inc., Merck KGaA, and Shanghai Meicheng Chemical Co. Ltd. among others. These companies launch new products and collaborate with other market leaders to innovate and launch new products to meet the increasing needs and requirements of consumers.

Complete Summary with TOC Available @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/glucaric-acid-market

Glucaric acid Market Size and Forecast, 2017-2026 by Type Calcium D-Glucarate Pure Glucaric Acid D-Glucaric Acid-1,4-Lactone Potassium Sodium D-Glucarate Others

Glucaric acid Market Size and Forecast, 2017-2026 by Application Detergents Healthcare Food Manufacturing Corrosion Inhibitors Others

Glucaric acid Market Size and Forecast, 2017-2026 by Region North America U.S. Canada Mexico Europe Germany UK France Italy Rest of Europe Asia-Pacific China India Japan Rest of Asia-Pacific Latin America Brazil Middle East & Africa



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About Polaris Market Research

Polaris Market Research is a global market research and consulting company. We provide unmatched quality of offerings to our clients present globally. The company specializes in providing exceptional market intelligence and in-depth business research services for our clientele spread across different enterprises. We at Polaris are obliged to serve our diverse customer base present across the industries of healthcare, technology, semi-conductors and chemicals among various other industries present around the world. We strive to provide our customers with updated information on innovative technologies, high growth markets, emerging business environments and latest business-centric applications, thereby helping them always to make informed decisions and leverage new opportunities.

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Surgical Masks Market Growth & Trends

The global surgical masks market size is anticipated to reach USD 685.5 million by 2028, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 10.5% from 2019 to 2028. The market growth is associated with the increasing demand for respiratory protection in the healthcare industry, during the COVID-19 pandemic and rising awareness regarding healthcare-associated infections.

Rapid development in medical diagnostics and an increasing number of operations and medical procedures performed throughout the world are factors projected to boost the demand for surgical masks. Furthermore, rising awareness pertaining to the protection provided by these masks against airborne illnesses is expected to supplement the market growth.

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected several countries globally, owing to which the demand for various PPE products, including medical face masks, has increased significantly. Thus, to cater to this increased demand, several manufacturers have increased their production capacities.

Companies focus on integration across various stages of the value chain to gain a competitive edge in the market. In November 2020, Medline Industries, Inc. announced its plans for manufacturing face masks in North America. The company is modifying its Lithia Springs, Georgia-based manufacturing plant and began its production in January 2021.

Request a free sample copy or view report summary: Surgical Masks Market Report

Surgical Masks Market Report Highlights

The basic surgical masks segment accounted for 43.3% of the global revenue share in 2020 on account of the easy availability of the product, increased demand for respiratory protection during the COVID-19 pandemic, and extensive use in the healthcare sector

North America accounted for 25.9% of global revenue share in 2020 owing to the growing healthcare costs, an aging population, rising awareness of hospital-acquired infections, and increased medical tourism

The online end-use segment is expected to witness the fastest CAGR of 11.0% from 2019 to 2028, owing to increased e-commerce adoption in developing nations, as well as customer convenience and simplicity of delivery

In China, the market is likely to witness a CAGR of 14.1% over the forecast period owing to the aging population, rapid urbanization, improving standards of living, and expanding healthcare infrastructure in the country

In April 2020, DuPont de Nemours, Inc. partnered with Cummins Inc. to provide critical material used for manufacturing N95 respirator masks for healthcare professionals, which aid in filtering various airborne particles

Access Press Release@ https://www.grandviewresearch.com/press-release/global-surgical-masks-market

Surgical Masks Market Segmentation

Grand View Research has segmented the global surgical masks market on the basis of product, distribution channel, and region:

Surgical Masks Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2028)

Basic Surgical Mask

Anti-fog Surgical Mask

Fluid/Splash Resistant Surgical Mask

Others

Surgical Masks Distribution Channel Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2028)

Online

Offline

Surgical Masks Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2028)

North America US. Canada Mexico

Europe Germany France Italy Spain UK. Russia

Asia Pacific China India Japan South Korea Indonesia Australia Thailand Malaysia

Central & South America Brazil Argentina

Middle East UAE Saudi Arabia

Africa South Africa



List of Key Players of Surgical Masks Market

3M

DuPont de Nemours, Inc.

Ansell Ltd.

O&M Halyard, Inc.

Medline Industries, Inc.

Cardinal Health

Crosstex International, Inc.

Kimberly-Clark Corporation

AlphaProTech

Dynarex Corporation

About Grand View Research

Grand View Research, Inc. is a U.S. based market research and consulting company, registered in the State of California and headquartered in San Francisco. The company provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services. To help clients make informed business decisions, we offer market intelligence studies ensuring relevant and fact-based research across a range of industries, from technology to chemicals, materials and healthcare.
Market Reports on Saudi Arabia Provides the Trending Market Research Report on Electric Irons Market in Saudi Arabia 2021under Consumer Goods Market Research Reports category. The Electric Irons in Saudi Arabia is projected to exhibit highest growth rate over report offers a collection of superior market research, market analysis, and competitive intelligence and industry reports.

Electric iron is a household small appliance that is used to press or level the clothes and fabrics to remove creases. The heating is commonly done to a temperature of 180 to 220oC, depending on the fabric. In terms of revenue, the Electric Irons Market in Saudi Arabia is projected to register a negative compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of -9.2% over the analysis period of 2021 to 2027.

The report provides up-to-date market size data for period 2017-2020 and forecast to 2027 covering key market aspects like sales value and volume for electric irons. The Saudi Arabia electric irons market is segmented on the basis of product type, end user, distribution channel. By product type, it is categorized into dry iron, steam iron, and garment steamer. By end user, the electric irons market is divided into residential, and commercial. Based on distribution channel, the electric irons market is divided into online, and offline.

The report has profiled some of the key players of the market such as Groupe SEB, Koninklijke Philips N.V., Panasonic Corporation.

The report is an invaluable resource for companies and organizations active in this industry. It provides a cohesive picture of the electric irons market to help drive informed decision making for industry executives, policy makers, academic, and analysts.

Report Scope

Product type: dry iron, steam iron, and garment steamer

End user: residential, and commercial

Distribution channel: online, and offline

Years Considered: this report covers the period 2017 to 2027

Key Benefits for Stakeholders

Get a comprehensive picture of the Saudi Arabia electric irons market

Pinpoint growth sectors and trends for investment

Understand what the future of the electric irons market in Saudi Arabia looks like

Identify the competitive landscape and window of opportunity

Table of Contents

1. Market Definition

2. Research Methodology

3. Market Data & Outlook

3.1 Market Value

3.2 Market Value Forecast

4. Electric Irons Market by Product Type

4.1 Dry Iron

4.2 Steam Iron

4.3 Garment Steamer

5. Electric Irons Market by End User

5.1 Residential

5.2 Commercial

6. Electric Irons Market by Distribution Channel

6.1 Online

6.2 Offline

7. Company Profiles

7.1 Groupe SEB

7.2 Koninklijke Philips N.V.

7.3 Panasonic Corporation

8. Appendix

8.1 About StrategyHelix

8.2 Disclaimer

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The Global Carbon Monoxide Alarms Market Report, in its latest update, highlights the significant impacts and the recent strategically changes under the present socio-economic scenario. The Carbon Monoxide Alarms industry growth avenues are deeply supported by exhaustive research by the top analysts of the industry. The report starts with the executive summary, followed by a value chain and Marketing channels study. The report then estimates the CAGR and Market revenue of the global and regional segments.

Base Year: 2020

Estimated Year: 2021

Forecast Till: 2027

The report classifies the market into different segments based on type and product. These segments are studied in detail, incorporating the market estimates and forecasts at regional and country levels. The segment analysis is helpful in understanding the growth areas and potential opportunities of the market.

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A special section is dedicated to the analysis of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the growth of the Carbon Monoxide Alarms market. The impact is closely studied in terms of production, import, export, and supply.

The report covers the complete competitive landscape of the Worldwide Carbon Monoxide Alarms market with company profiles of key players such as:

BRK Brands

Kidde

Honeywell

Nest Labs

FireAngel

Ei Electronics

Gentex

Universal Security Instruments

Empaer

New-Force

Weinuo Electronics

Heiman

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Carbon Monoxide Alarms Market Analysis by Type:

Wall/Fixed Carbon Monoxide Alarm

Portable Carbon Monoxide Alarm

Carbon Monoxide Alarms Market Analysis by Application:

Home Use

Industrial Use

Carbon Monoxide Alarms Market Analysis by Geography:

North America (USA, Canada, and Mexico)

(USA, Canada, and Mexico) Europe (Germany, UK, France, Italy, Russia, Spain, Rest of Europe)

(Germany, UK, France, Italy, Russia, Spain, Rest of Europe) Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, South-East Asia, Rest of Asia-Pacific)

(China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, South-East Asia, Rest of Asia-Pacific) Latin America (Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Chile, Rest of Latin America)

(Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Chile, Rest of Latin America) The Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Israel, South Africa, Rest of the Middle East and Africa)

Key questions answered in the report:

What is the expected growth of the Carbon Monoxide Alarms market between 2022 to 2027?

Which application and type segment holds the maximum share in the Global Carbon Monoxide Alarms market?

Which regional Carbon Monoxide Alarms market shows the highest growth CAGR between 2022 to 2027?

What are the opportunities and challenges currently faced by the Carbon Monoxide Alarms market?

Who are the leading market players and what are their Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT)?

What business strategies are the competitors considering to stay in the Carbon Monoxide Alarms market?

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LONDON, Oct. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today's Budget and Spending Review provides a welcome boost to the recovery package for cultural institutions, a raft of measures to ease the impact of rises in the cost of living and much-needed relief on business rates for the High Street. However, the Government has missed an opportunity to enhance targeted support for writers in the creative workforce by not increasing funding for schemes such as the Public Lending Right. The Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) recognises the important economic and social value that small businesses, such as high street bookshops, provide to their local communities and how vital they are in supporting a healthy book market (as we highlighted in our Treasury submission). We are pleased, therefore, at the announcement of a "Modern business rates system" which we called for and will go a long way towards supporting the general recovery of the High Street. Moreover, we are encouraged by the provisions set out by the Chancellor to provide a temporary business rates relief of a minimum of 50% for 2022-23, which will aid small businesses in the short term to further recover from the pandemic. We hope these reforms to business rates will help bookshops across the country, which are vital in ensuring a diverse range of books are published and bought by the public.A These stand at an unsustainable disadvantage to online retailers, who pay substantially less in business rates and corporation tax. We will consult with the Government further, therefore, over the Treasury's exploration of arguments for and against a UK-wide Online Sales Tax, which would help to even the playing field between high street and online retailers. We also welcome the announcement of a further A850 million in restoration and upgrade funding for UK cultural institutions such as theatres and galleries. We recognise the value these buildings hold to communities and the need for investment in cultural venues around the country. Regrettably, though, this type of institutional funding has failed to make it to authors in a meaningful way in the past, as little has been allocated to the literary field specifically. We have seen how such recovery packages, in most instances, do not reach creative freelancers in the workforce and are disappointed that no measures were announced to help such a vital aspect of our creative and cultural sectors, as during this time of recovery. However, we are encouraged to learn that part of this funding will go to libraries across the UK, which will be able to apply to a communal pot of A110 million to receive grants. In ALCS's spending review submission, we highlighted the importance of libraries and the Public Lending Right (PLR) scheme, which remunerates authors for loans of their books and provides valuable support for the literary sector. It is disappointing that the Treasury has not responded to our repeated calls to increase the overall pot for PLR, as it would have been a simple and targeted way to help writers during a time when their incomes have suffered greatly. According to surveys conducted by the Society of Authors, 65% of writers had lost income during the first half of the pandemic, a situation which has continued since. The 'portfolio' nature of authors' careers has made them particularly vulnerable to the impact of COVID-19 and it is important for the Government to show its support to this vital part of the creative workforce, who contribute of course to television, film and theatre, too. The overall PLR fund has been frozen for many years and stands at half the level in comparison to countries such as Germany and France. ALCS had hoped the Treasury would acknowledge that an overall increase to PLR would be a perfect opportunity to support the contribution of UK authors who fall outside the best-seller group. Barbara Hayes, Deputy Chief Executive of ALCS, commented: "We are delighted to see our calls to support high street bookshops through a change to business rates have been accepted by the Treasury in the form of a temporary relief of a minimum of 50% for 2022-23, this will aid small businesses in the short term to further recover from the pandemic. Bookshops are vital in supporting a healthy supply chain in the book market, so we are pleased at the announcement of a "Modern business rates system" which will be in fitting with the Governments initiative to level-up and support high street revival across the UK. We are disappointed that targeted and effective support for writers, such as an increase to the overall PLR fund, have not been introduced today. Authors contribute right across the whole creative and cultural sectors, from playwrights to academics to novelists. We hoped the Treasury would acknowledge the contributions made by our members to the successful creative economy, both domestically and internationally, but will carry on engaging with the Government on these issues." Editor's notes: About the Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) ALCS is a not-for-profit organisation that benefits of all kinds of writers and currently has over 110,000 members. It collects and distributes money due for licensed secondary uses of authors' works in the UK and internationally and, at Westminster, is proud to provide support for the work of the All-Party Parliamentary Writers Group (APWG). About Public Lending Right (PLR) PLR pays authors based on public library use of their books, up to a strict maximum (A6,600 in previous years), the scheme ensures that funds reach a wide range of authors, beyond 'top-sellers'. As it is, the size of the PLR fund is relatively small and has not increased for years. At A6 million, net of administration costs, it compares with A14m annually in Germany, A13m in France, A16m in Sweden and A8m even in Finland (which possesses less than 10% of the UK's population). You can find more about ALCS' position on PLR in its Budget submission Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1335368/Authors_Licensing_and_Collecting_Society_Logo.jpg A
- As the world learns to live with COVID-19, we must ask questions of our collective response a and learn how we can do better - Health: A Political Choice a Science, Solidarity, SolutionsA is the latest in a series of titles produced in collaboration with the World Health Organization - The publication launches ahead of the G20 Rome Summit, which takes place 30a31st October LONDON, Oct. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- More than a year since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the world is drawing on lessons learnt to aid a global recovery and prevent the same mistakes from being made again in inevitable future health emergencies. Health: A Political Choice a Science, Solidarity, Solutions, the latest in a series of titles produced in collaboration with the World Health Organization, considers how to best protect the global community against the failings seen during the pandemic and seeks solutions grounded in science that work for all. The first publication in the series called for universal health coverage, while the second called on world leaders to unite in their response to COVID-19. As in previous editions, the publication features bespoke articles from a prestigious line-up of authors. They include Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, Amina J Mohammed, deputy secretary-general of the United Nations, and the Right Honourable Gordon Brown, WHO ambassador for global health financing and former prime minister of the United Kingdom. The 'Solidarity' section explores investment in future health security and new approaches that may pave the road to Health for All. In the 'Science' section, authors including Carlos Alvarado Quesada, president of the Republic of Costa Rica, consider how the world can move forward with lessons from the past and why healthcare must transcend borders. The 'Solutions' section looks at how we can advance health by caring for nature and why we must take the threat of anti-microbial resistance seriously. Health: A Political Choice a Science, Solidarity, SolutionsA is an official publication of the Global Governance Project produced in collaboration with the World Health Organization. The Global Governance Project is a joint initiative between GT Media Group, a London-based publishing company, the Global Governance Program based at the University of Toronto, and the Global Health Centre at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva. View Health: A Political Choice a Science, Solidarity, Solutions online at https://bit.ly/HAPC21A Twitter: @GloGovProjA Contact: Khaled Algaay

Email: connect@globalgovernanceproject.org A

Global Governance Project a GT Media Group Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1671767/WHO.jpg
According to the latest report by IMARC Group, titled, Utility and Energy Analytics Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2021-2026, The global utility and energy analytics market exhibited strong growth during 2015-2020. Looking forward, IMARC Group expects the market to grow at a CAGR of around 20% during 2021-2026.

Utility and energy analytics refers to the analysis of user data concerning electricity distribution and consumption in real-time. They offer inaccessible information on customer consumption patterns, preferences, and decisions. Utility and energy analytics assist in uncovering forecast demand, managing energy constraints, enhancing regulatory compliance, preventing fraud and loss, improving customer satisfaction, etc. As a result, several key companies provide utility and energy analytical solutions that enable improved operations.

As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis takes over the world, we are continuously tracking the changes in the markets, as well as the industry behaviours of the consumers globally and our estimates about the latest market trends and forecasts are being done after considering the impact of this pandemic.

Utility and Energy Analytics Market Trends:

The escalating demand for electricity, the elevating levels of urbanization, and the growing global population are driving the utility and energy analytics market worldwide.Furthermore, the rising utilization of smart water meters and the increasing potable water consumption for domestic, commercial, and industrial applications are also propelling the market growth. In addition to this, the growing data volume and complexity is further increasing the adoption of utility and energy analytics for safe, reliable, and affordable delivery of energy. Moreover, the key manufacturers are providing solutions that can measure information of an asset, such as data history, maintenance records, operating conditions, etc., thereby also bolstering the global market. Apart from this, rising technological advancements to meet the present need for performing complex historical analyses are expected to fuel the utility and energy analytics market in the coming years.

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Utility and Energy Analytics Market 2021-2026 Analysis and Segmentation:

Competitive Landscape:

The competitive landscape of the market has been studied in the report with the detailed profiles of the key players operating in the market.

ABB Ltd., BuildingIQ Inc., Capgemini SE, International Business Machines Corporation, Oracle Corporation, SAP SE, SAS Institute Inc., Schneider Electric SE, Siemens AG, Salesforce.com Inc., Teradata Corporation and TIBCO Software Inc.

The report has segmented the market on the basis on type, deployment, application and vertical.

Breakup by Type:

Solutions

Services

Breakup by Deployment:

Cloud-based

On-premises

Breakup by Application:

Load Forecasting

Customer Analytics

Grid Analytics

Asset Management

Smart Meter Analytics

Others

Breakup by Vertical:

Oil and Gas

Renewable Energy

Nuclear Power

Electricity

Water

Others

Breakup by Region:

North America: (United States, Canada)

Asia Pacific: (China, Japan,India, South Korea, Australia, Indonesia, Others)

Europe: (Germany, France,United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Russia, Others)

Latin America: (Brazil, Mexico, Others)

Middle East and Africa

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If you want latest primary and secondary data (2021-2026) with Cost Module, Business Strategy, Distribution Channel, etc. Click request free sample report, published report will be delivered to you in PDF format via email within 24 to 48 hours of receiving full payment.

Key highlights of the report:

Market Performance (2015-2020)

Market Outlook (2021- 2026)

Porters Five Forces Analysis

Market Drivers and Success Factors

SWOT Analysis

Value Chain

Comprehensive Mapping of the Competitive Landscape

If you need specific information that is not currently within the scope of the report, we can provide it to you as a part of the customization.

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IMARC Group is a leading market research company that offers management strategy and market research worldwide. We partner with clients in all sectors and regions to identify their highest-value opportunities, address their most critical challenges, and transform their businesses.

IMARCs information products include major market, scientific, economic and technological developments for business leaders in pharmaceutical, industrial, and high technology organizations. Market forecasts and industry analysis for biotechnology, advanced materials, pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, travel and tourism, nanotechnology and novel processing methods are at the top of the companys expertise.

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Future Coupons and the promoters have also filed an appeal before the court seeking to set aside the order, the company said. (Photo: PTI)

Chennai: After suffering a setback at the Singapore International Arbitration Centre in the Rs 24,000-crore deal with Reliance, Future Group has filed an appeal in the Delhi High Court against SIACs October 21 order.

The company has appealed for staying and setting aside the operation of the October 21 order and allowing it to conduct the meeting of the shareholders and creditors as directed by NCLT Mumbai on September 28, 2021.

Future Coupons and the promoters have also filed an appeal before the court seeking to set aside the order, the company said.

SIAC on October 21 had rejected Future Retails plea to vacate the interim award by Emergency Arbitrator in October last year in favour of Amazon as it found that the award was correctly granted and has not been vitiated by any subsequent events or proceedings.

The respondents also could not demonstrate that circumstances have materially changed to justify any change to the EA award.
The Gateway's primary export trade lanes are North America and Europe while Asia Pacific and Europe are the key import trade lanes for Bengaluru. (PTI Photo)

Mumbai: DHL Express on Thursday opened its new and expanded express handling airside facility within the Bangalore International Airport with an investment of EUR 22 million (about Rs 200 crore) over the next 10 years.

Spread over in 1,12,000 sq ft of space, and four times larger than the previous one, the facility can handle over 90,000 tonnes of shipment per year when operating at full capacity, the company said.

The additional capacity at the expanded Bengaluru Gateway enables DHL Express to offer 12 to 24 hours faster connection and delivery of imported goods across India, and reduce daily cut-off time for shipment pick-up by up to 60 minutes, it said.

Using 11 DHL-operated intercontinental freighters, 30 international commercial airlines and 70 domestic flights on a weekly basis, the Bengaluru Gateway at present connects both South and West India to over 220 countries and territories through DHL's unrivalled global network.

The Gateway's primary export trade lanes are North America and Europe while Asia Pacific and Europe are the key import trade lanes for Bengaluru.

As one of the world's fastest growing economies, India remains a critical node of the global DHL network. The Bengaluru Gateway is part of our EUR 750 million investment to bolster our infrastructure in Asia Pacific and enhance connectivity for countries and businesses," said Ken Lee, CEO, DHL Express Asia Pacific.

With strong international imports and exports driving the increasing cargo volume in Bengaluru, the new facility supports Bengaluru's strategy to provide capacity of one million tons at its airport in the next few years, he said.

An additional six dedicated intercontinental freighters will join the current fleet by November 2021, bringing the total number of aircraft operating through Bengaluru to 17, DHL Express said.

The expanded Gateway will provide greater capacity to support industries such as electronics, automotive, life sciences and medical, and fashion in Bengaluru, it said.

Coupled with the enhanced infrastructure and additional dedicated DHL flights, these trade lanes will greatly benefit from the increased capacity and speed, according to the company.

Ten years ago, DHL landed its first freighter in Bengaluru and opened its Gateway at the Kempegowda International Airport. Since then, it has seen the international volumes multiply significantly, said RS Subramanian, SVP and Managing Director, DHL Express India

"Our EUR 22 million investment commitment is testament to the growth potential we see in this market. To maintain our market-leading position, we will continually invest ahead of the curve in our infrastructure, technology and people to support the country's economic growth and help Indian exporters and importers expand their business," he said.
The company, which has opened its branch in Hyderabad on Thursday, offers solutions in areas such as autonomous driving, automated defect detection, quality assurance, and quality control, among others. Representational Image. (DC Image)

Hyderabad: Affine, a Bengaluru-based artificial intelligence and data engineering solutions firm, on Wednesday said it would hire up to 400 employees by the end of 2022.

The company, which has opened its branch in Hyderabad on Thursday, offers solutions in areas such as autonomous driving, automated defect detection, quality assurance, and quality control, among others. It is planning to tap the BFSI market and hire 200 employees by the end of the current financial year.

On the rationale behind opening his companys branch in Hyderabad, Affine CEO Manas Agrawal said great work is being done in Hyderabad on Industry 4.0. The city has emerged as the go-to destination for all tech companies.
In 1968, Kale joined as a teacher at a salary of Rs 60. He dedicated his life thereon to also effecting social reforms in his community. (DC Image)

Hyderabad: What would you be likely doing when you turn 86 years old? Checking on the doctors next appointment? Relishing a video call with your great-grandchildren? What are the odds you would be getting dressed for the university convocation to receive your PhD? Unlikely?

Not really. At the Osmania University convocation on Wednesday, amidst the ebullient young and boisterously enthusiastic middle-aged congregation of scholars, a fragile old gentleman, who slowly climbed the steps of the dais, occupied by eminent academics and dignitaries, to receive his doctorate certificate, just did.

Eighty-six years old, a retired headmaster by profession, Ramchandra Rao Kale, from today, would be addressed as Doctor Kale. The star attraction at the 81st convocation of the Osmania University, Dr Kale received his certificate for his dissertation in Hindi (Oriental) on Om Prakash Valmiki ke sahitya main charitrit Dalit chetna (Dalit consciousness as portrayed in the literature of Om Prakash Valmiki).

Speaking to DC after receiving his doctorate, he said, It was a dream which got fulfilled today. Against my strong will, even time and circumstances failed. I persevered relentlessly, against all odds, making sure I fulfilled my dream. My great grandchildren will be waiting for me to see this certificate.

Lifes best moment, easily? Not really. In 1951, he completed the higher secondary school certificate (HSC) from the Kachiguda high school, Hyderabad. History touched, when Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru passed our school thrice.

We were made to wave our hands at him. When I completed HSC, I was the first one in three talukas to study thus far, he reveals with an endearing immodesty.

Lifes greatest moment, surely? No. While Kale was doing his intermediate, in 1955, he was privileged to get to meet Dr B. R. Ambedkar, at Peoples education society at Aurangabad, when Babasaheb visited his college.

It was a silent promise I made to Babasaheb, that I wanted to do a doctorate, just like him, he says nostalgically, overcome by the richness and profundity of the memory.

I had to quit college before completing my intermediate because my father as well as my uncles were sentenced to imprisonment for a murder. The burden of the family fell upon me, he said.

In 1968, Kale joined as a teacher at a salary of Rs 60. Kala dedicated his life thereon to social reforms in his community.

In 1985, I was offered an MLA ticket from Jukkal constituency by TDP founder N.T. Rama Rao for which I had to resign as a headmaster. But later, the ticket was given to someone else, he says without any bitterness.

When questioned about the changes in India, Kale answered, India got its independence when I was a young boy. We got freedom from the British, but I see it only as a transfer of power. For Dalits and most backward classes, we are still living the lives of slaves in this country.

I witnessed the Nizams state getting merged into a united India. I listened to radio news about the end of World War II. When Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated, I fasted for twenty four hours, he says, in quick summary of a rich life lived.

About his personal life, he says, each day I exercise for an hour without fail. It is the only secret for my health. My wife Jayabai Kale takes care of me. I have four daughters, two sons, sixteen grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

Hobbies, we ask, unable to resist. He wins us with an answer smilingly. Of course. I like listening to movie songs, I love dancing, but above all, I love to read and write.
This is the first time a large number of candidates are contesting from Badvel segment. (DC file photo)

ANANTAPUR: Ending allegations and counter-allegations, claims and promises and a lot of political blitzkrieg, albeit for time being, election campaigning in poll-bound Badvel came to an end on Wednesday evening. The bypoll was necessitated following the demise of sitting MLA Venkata Subbaia of YSRCP.

As the major Opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Pawan Kalyans Jana Sena did not field their candidates, the constituency is witnessing a triangle fight among the YSRCP, the BJP and the Congress. In addition to these candidates, 13 others are also contesting as independents.

Badvel constituency is reserved for SC candidates. The YSRCP fielded Venkata Subbaiahs wife Sudha as its candidate while the Congress fielded Kamalamma and the BJP, Suresh.

This is the first time a large number of candidates are contesting from Badvel segment. The TDP and Jana Sena are not in the race, respecting the tradition of supporting the family member of the deceased member.

The BJP carried out intensive campaigning under the leadership of its state unit president Somu Veera Raju, with several union ministers unleashed scathing attack on ruling YSRCP in the state.

BJP leaders exposed lapses in the state government in addition to poor development activities in Badvel. Veera Raju lashed out at the government for the poor amenities in the segment, lack of adequate drinking water and bad condition of roads even though the Centre was releasing necessary funds.

However, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy did not participate in the election campaign but wrote a letter to the people of Badvel seeking blessings to party candidate because of Covid norms. A group of ministers led by Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy led the campaign with YSRC leaders in the segment.

CPI state secretary K. Ramakrishna campaigned for the Congress candidate, blaming both the YSRCP and the BJP for playing drama in the polls.

Meanwhile, The Election Commission identified at least 221 polling stations as troublesome as against a total of 281 in Badvel Assembly segment in Kadapa district. Seven police stations in the segment are kept under the shadow zone following previous poll-related violence.

Kadpa SP Anburajan said additional forces were being deployed to ensure smooth conduct of the byelection. At least three companies of CRPF and CISF forces have been deputed to Badvel Assembly segment. There are already 14 check-posts along with nine special teams, seven flying squads and 20 shadow parties to ensure law and order in the segment.

Non-locals were sent out from Badvel constituency after the campaign ended on Wednesday evening. Police teams are conducting searches at lodges and private residences to send back the leaders.
Srinivas Yadav held the press meet, along with welfare minister Koppula Eshwar and food and civil supplies minister Gangula Kamalakar here in Jammikunta town in Karimnagar district. (DC Image)

Karimnagar: On the day the edge-of-the-seat election campaign ended in Huzurabad, the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) leaders came down heavily on BJP candidate Etala Rajendar and its state unit president Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Wednesday.

Addressing a press meet, animal husbandry minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav said Rajendar developed Huzurabad constituency, but made it clear that he did it as a TRS MLA and a minister in Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Raos Cabinet.

Srinivas Yadav held the press meet, along with welfare minister Koppula Eshwar and food and civil supplies minister Gangula Kamalakar here in Jammikunta town in Karimnagar district.

Srinivas Yadav said if Rajendar won the byelection, he would not entertain anyone who came to him for any work as the government belonged to the TRS. The Opposition parties are unnecessarily blaming the TRS government and are provoking the unemployed youth but the Chief Minister is striving hard to fill around 1.14 lakh jobs through Telangana Public Service Commission (TPCC), he informed.

Taking pot shots against Karimnagar MP and BJP state chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar, Yadav said Sanjay did not even spend Rs 1 lakh for the development of Huzurabad constituency but was making baseless comments against the TRS government. It is the BJP government at the Centre which said it would not purchase food grains, he pointed out.

Meanwhile, excise minister V. Srinivas Goud and vice-chairman of the state planning commission, B. Vinod Kumar held a press meet separately as part of the poll campaign here in Huzurabad on Wednesday.

Goud, speaking to the press persons, said it was Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao who introduced Etala Rajendar to the people of Telangana. Right from his birth, Rajendar said, he had the ideology of Communists and truly believed in the Left parties, but now he joined the right, Goud said and asked if that was what Rajendar called self-respect.

Rajendar did not do anything even for his own Mudiraj community. That is why the Mudiraj community is not supporting Rajendar. He never tolerated any BC leader coming up in front him. Actually, Rajendar is OC from inside even though he claims BC from outside, he alleged.

In another press meet, B. Vinod Kumar assured the people of Huzurabad that the TRS government would transform Kamalapur mandal as an education hub along with development of the twin towns Jammikunta and Huzurabad through formation of JHUDA (Jammikunta-Huzurabad Urban Development Authority).

He also promised that he would take initiatives for laying of railway line from Warangal to Manakondur via Huzurabad and also for the establishment of a paddy-based food processing unit in Kamalapur mandal.

He appealed to the people of Huzurabad to vote for TRS candidate Gellu Srinivas Yadav and elect him with a thumping majority in the byelections which are going to be held on October 30.
New Zealand will be the next prospective member of the AUKUS Defense deal amid problems with France and the European Union. Another low point caused by the submarine pact author by the US may add a nuclear fire to the Indo-Pacific.

The nuclear submarine deal has driven a wedge between allies in the EU. While China and Russia gallivant their unity, allies are now at odds with the US mainly.

After the Afghan fall, Joe Biden made a pivot to the Indo-Pacific after mismanagement of the trust placed on the competence of the United States to lead.

New Zealand considers being AUKUS new member

Despite knowing the fallout of the deal in the EU, New Zealand still wants in the submarine pact. The country's high commissioner to Australia, Dame Annette King, made it clear that the country will be open to more exploratory talks, reported the Express UK.

She added that the collective thrust for peace and stability in the region keeps an international rules-based system. If Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern signs the deal, one limitation is that it will not deal with the development of nuclear-powered submarines.

The question about the country's being part of the deal is whether it would be part of the group, one option is to develop computer intelligence and related science of quantum computing. King added that other nations would be part of it, and in parts of the architecture involved, cited the Swift Headline.

She added what interested them the most is cyber intelligence or artificial intelligence, though it is still up in the air for now in the AUKUS Defense deal.

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

European Commission to oversee trade talks

The inclusion of New Zealand means there will be more dissension to the relationship with Brussels and Canberra, which was snubbed by the US and the AUKUS group. The deal has wrought a division felt hard by everyone, with the White House interfering without heed in EU affairs after the Afghan debacle.

The EU has ignored Australia for a second time when the supposed free trade talks were canceled, but the Australian trade minister Dan Tehan said on Friday that there is a rift. It is caused by the cancellation of Canberra's deal with French for a $40 billion diesel submarine contract, which Washington took, note Reuters.

Mr. Tehan said on the 12th round of talks with the European Union, and they shut down the meeting for a second time. Next time will be on February 2022, when last mid-October was canceled. But, the planned meetings, according to Tehan, will be on for the FTA talks in February next year from sources.

The fallout from the nuclear submarine pact has not been good for Australia, while the US and the EU are status quo. But the loss of free trade has affected Canberra, and Joe Biden has not given the UK an FTA deal either. The EU commission has talked at a standstill, and the 12th round is still up in the air.

Related Article: French President Emmanuel Macron Claims the US Disrespected France By Going Behind the EU's Back To Secure AUKUS Deal

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Russia fires at practice targets during drills in Crimean water as part of wargames after the HMS Defender allegedly provoked the Black Sea fleet. The UK and US have been protesting the annexation of Crimea, but the Kremlin keeps the status quo with the stern message to keep out.

Moscow warned the US and Britain not to involve themselves in Crimean affairs, as the two countries seemed intent on poking Black Fleet. The Kremlin has made it clear that Crimea is Russian territory and will take measures to defend it.

Russian fleet fires at practice targets in the Black Sea war games

Video showing the Russian navy frigate 'Admiral Grigorovich with coastal defense systems that shot at a target, presumably assets of other military forces, reported the Daily Mail.

The massive exercise involves 20 vessels and support ships that simulated defense of the coast, which is close to the black sea peninsula. It was annexed by Russia seven years back, but the US has affirmed support for Ukraine that wants to reclaim the territory.

Most of the firing drills were close to the naval port Sevastopol, missiles systems used are the Bal and Utes for the coastal defense.

The 'Admiral Grigorovich' fired a Shtil anti-aircraft missile that targeted a progress target missile that simulated an enemy attack, striking it at 25 miles, cited Nation LK.

Russian TASS reported that maritime targets were hit by Bal Missile systems, from far and closed distances to the coast, said naval sources.

Two weeks have passed since the wargames were initiated, and Russia fires at practice targets in the same area a British ship breached.

Read Also: British Warship Denies That Russian Military Assets Fired Upon it While in the Black Sea

Britain crosses over Crimean waters prompting shots from Russian partrols

Britain leads NATO forces in deploying patrols with American and Dutch vessels near Crimean waters.

Last June, an incident occurred wherein Russian forces shot at the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Defender that came too close to Russian federation territory caused prompt action. It was an act of support for Ukraine which the Kremlin took as critical.

The vessel that fired at the destroyer is an FSB security service coast guard ship close to the HMS Defender, saying the vessel violated territory by crossing over. London dismissed the claim that Russian planes had bombed the destroyer to veer its course away from the Crimean coast. British PM Boris Johnson denied that it was a major diplomatic incident and said it supported Ukraine.

Not one to let it pass, Mikhail Popov, the deputy secretary of Russia's Security Council, stated the next British ship to enter the same territory will be sunk by Russian forces.

The Kremlin had lodged a strong protest at what happened with the UK warship and the coastguard vessel shooting at it, which followed summons explanation from the British ambassador.

According to an interview with Popov with the media, he stated that the UK's actions and how it reacted to the accusation are confusing. He was furious that the British PM and Dominic Raab, the foreign minister, said another intrusion in foreign territory.

Furthermore, the Russian official threatened that any violation by any nation or provocation should consider what the armed forces are capable of. Popov then said it would not be the officials in the ships but sailors. He accused London and its supporters of ignoring the safety of their servicemen and women.

Related Article: The UK and Kremlin: An Encounter with HMS Defender and Russian Forces in Crimean Sea Causes Row

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The recent meeting by the European Union in Luxembourg to solve the energy crisis facing members has not worked. Without a general agreement, the crisis will drag on to their detriment instead of solving it now.

Recently the Kremlin has said it is willing to increase gas supplies if they renegotiate their contracts, then there will be enough pumped to clients. Also, Joe Biden asked that the supply be increased. However, Moscow ignored the requested flat.

Emergency action is needed to increase energy supplies

Last Tuesday, European policymakers gathered at Luxembourg to explore actions to safeguard consumers against excessive power bills next winter, prompted by escalating gas and electricity costs, reported the Express UK.

Unfortunately, the meeting on energy struggled to find some common ground among the 27 member states, becoming the latest in a series of bitter debates well over the energy problem.

In Autumn, European gas, which is primarily supplied outside the EU, reached record highs, but there seems to be no solution in sight for the bloc's challenges, cited Konitono.

The European Commission accused the Kremlin of using the gas supplies needed by member states, as a tool to raise prices and for political gain.

The controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline is already completed, and the line is connected to Germany. The go signal from the regulatory commission is needed to open the taps.

Hungary and Russia signed a deal, which is a challenge to Ukraine's national integrity which has caused a row with Budapest and Kyiv.

Read Also: Vladimir Putin Tells Attractive US interviewer She's Not Listening Enough to Him During Onstage Interview, Missing Key Points

The commission will look over the better option if the joint buying of gas with members of the EU would be better. Then the EU would utilize a stockpile of reserves of crude for emergency use, noted Reuters.

EU energy commissioner Kadri Simson said that factors must be considered, like who pays for the cost of buying the gas, including storage and bringing the gas where needed.

But the Luxembourg energy minister Claude Turmes has questioned Spain, which sponsored the move to get gas as a group. He added that it was over-promising that joint gas buying would be the solution.

Call for EU energy regulations

This Tuesday, Spain advocated for joint gas procurement, saying that member countries ought to have the ability to opt out of the EU's current energy pricing system. Unfortunately, member countries are reluctant to compromise the EU's power regulations, so the proposal failed to secure momentum.

A total of eight members, including Germany, said the change was unwelcome to revise the energy market. The nine nations said that it would not solve the increase in energy costs caused by the energy shortage. In the end, nothing panned out and nothing short of a solution.

Slovenian infrastructure minister Jernej Vrtovec remarked that the meeting presented no solution that applies to all EU states. Even before the meeting, the bloc had much dissension from member states. Czech PM Andrej Babis had said the European Union's flawed policies caused the energy crisis.

The French President Emmanuel Macron, with nine members, called on the EU to reconsider a good solution for the nuclear energy crisis.

Related Article: French President Macron Says Global Oil System Needs To Stabilize As it Would Compromise Transition to Renewable Energy

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The PLA tested developed underwater explosives for destroying US harbors and ports, which would be applicable should maritime warfare come to the Indo-Pacific. State media bolstered China would use it against the US if any conflict came.

Chinese military planners are trying to add anything they can use or technologies like simple explosives capable of taking out facilities for ships. The US navy uses ports throughout the Indo-Pacific for their ships, crucial to any maritime fleet.

China conducts successful underwater missile test

Military personnel tested the device last Saturday with underwater charges to wreck a dummy pier in an undisclosed location in the mainland, reported the Daily Mail.

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) develops asymmetrical methods to fight a war, and units will be deployed to cut supply lines. They added large ships like destroyers, and aircraft carriers that need support and logistics when taken away will leave vessels wide open, noted What's New 2Day.

Military tests by the Chinese have been one after the other, with the launch of a satellite capable of attacking US space vehicles. But, it was the two-trial launch of a low orbit hyper glide vehicle (HGV) which is referred to as a hypersonic nuke.

It seems whether, in space or underwater, the military's new explosive could wreck a pier with ease, as seen by the loud boom that followed.

Wharves are classified as hostile by sensors on them. If it is, then attacking it will be in order based on the data from it. PLA tested developed underwater explosives as other options to take away logistics from the US.

Read Also: Moon Landing: NASA Planning Artemis Project for Next 'Apollo' Mission

Sources say the development of these specific underwater demolitions is adjusting as the US pacific fleet spreads out, not bunching up. Looking for scattered US vessels will be less of a threat. Washington's plans on hiding forces will still allow a chunk to be found and destroyed.

China's hypersonic missile could destroy US ports

According to a military source, the goal is to wipe out all ports and logistics that will cause their forces to get defeated. The reported launch of the new satellite, the Shijian 21, is used to clear space debris. The technology is new and developed for space clearing.

Washington said that technology is a robotic arm that can be weaponized to take out other satellites by grappling and disabling them, cited SCMP. It sent up another similar satellite to the Shijian 17 back in 2016.

It is supposed to be a communication satellite that looks at space junk but has a robotic arm for object manipulation. The Shijian 17 is a military satellite that is for causing other orbital craft to fail.

According to the head of US Space Command, General James Dickinson, he told congress the presence of a manipulator is no coincidence in its design.

He added that one of Beijing's developments allows the PLA to become a dominant force in space with such technologies utilized for various military purposes. The PLA tested developed underwater explosives is a sign of seriousness.

It can be argued the recent reports of technological progress from drones, HGVs, and spacecraft like the Shijian are all for enabling China to leap ahead of the US. Already the port destroys ordnance is an adjustment to keep the US on its toes.

Related Article: NASA Asks the US Government for Budget To Develop Nuclear Powered Rockets to Prevent Chinese Domination of Space

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Jamaican cult leader died in a car crash while on his way to court. His crimes are connected to the death of two sacrifice victims by his followers, and he escaped getting charged by the law.

In the Kingston crash last Monday, the cult leader, Kevin Smith, 39, was killed with an officer assigned to him.

A week ago, he was apprehended for killing two people in a ritual and injuring three more when he died in the crash. The court issued no formal charges.

Bloody ritual of cult involving a woman as human sacrifice

Smith gave the orders to slash a woman's neck with a knife allegedly, and another killed in the ritual he encouraged, reported the Daily Mail.

It did not end there, with three more victims stabbed viciously where his Pathways International Kingdom Restoration Ministries was last October 17. Investigators are still looking into what caused the car crash, which found the cultist dead cold with the officer taken from the accident. Two officers were severely hurt and critical from the crash, but the third died as killed with Smith, cited Adom Online.

If the cult leader reached Kingston court, he would be given formal charges for the two dead sacrifice victims. Victims whose deaths happened during a three-day convention last October 17.

Cult leader tells followers to leave phones at home

Witnesses from the congregation said their leader was saying that a great flood would come. He asked all believers to wrap their mobile phones in tin foil at their homes, noted the Mirror UK. This Jamaican cult leader who died in the car crash was lucky, he was facing jail time.

Read Also: Axe-Wielding Husband Calls 999 to Confess Ending Life of Estranged Wife

Others told local media that everyone who had a white robe on at the church had to be part of a bloodletting ritual. Smith explained that it would be getting stabbed and slashed.

One lady said that while waiting to get in, a woman was getting slashed at her throat by the followers. Having seen this, it horrified her, and she went away in haste.

The shocked witness said it was so intense that seeing the murder of a younger unidentified woman was a deal-breaker and quickly fled from the horrific scene.

Follower called police to the scene from a smuggled phone

According to those privies to the cultist, Smith covered phones with foil at home, but one did not trust him. Getting it in the church enabled the police to be there to see the deranged Smiths' depravity.

The call allowed the police to come and stop the activities when they stormed in. One was shot dead by the cops, and all 41 cultists were arrested on the spot. All the three who got stabbed as an attempted sacrifice were taken to the hospital for treatment.

Identified as the slashing victim is Tanecka Gardner, but not yet confirmed by the cops.

The Sun had been told that the sacrifice was instructed to strip naked and was stabbed to rid himself of unclean blood.

Smith and an off-duty policewoman, his follower, were giving commands to everyone else. But, the mentally deranged cultist was not satiated. The officers reported more victims, and animals were waiting to be killed. Authorities took fourteen minors away from the twisted church.

Kevin Smith, a Jamaican cult leader who died in a car crash, was guilty of the other crime, like fooling his followers to get money from them.

Related Article: Police Search Gravel Pits for the Body of University Chef Who Went Missing 12 Years; Case Still Remains Unsolved

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Democrats have launched a plan to "make billionaires cry" by imposing a tax on the wealthy to support President Joe Biden's huge spending plans.

Around 800 Americans would be subject to the "billionaires income tax," which would require them to fork over roughly a quarter of their stock profits each year.

It would specifically target the world's two wealthiest individuals, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, whose fortunes are heavily invested in their respective businesses. Musk slammed the move to tax his Tesla and SpaceX shares, which are the foundation of his estimated $230 billion fortune, on Wednesday.

Democrats race to provide a plan for Biden's Build Back Better

Per Daily Telegraph, the tax raid would be similar to a concept presented by Senator Elizabeth Warren during the 2020 presidential election campaign, which Biden rejected because it was seen as too extreme by many Democrats at the time.

The additional tax comes as Democrats scramble to come up with a plan to pay for Biden's "Build Back Better" legislation, which is projected to cost between $1.5 trillion and $2 trillion.

Biden wanted to settle the matter before leaving for Europe on Thursday to attend the G20 meeting in Rome and the Cop26 climate conference in Glasgow. Two conservative Democratic senators, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, have spoken out against the president's favored choice of boosting corporate tax and income tax on the rich.

He needs the backing of every Democrat in the Senate, which is divided 50-50 and has Vice President Kamala Harris as a casting vote. For three years, individuals with either $1 billion in assets or $100 million in yearly income would be subject to the new tax.

Billionaires' assets, such as stocks, would be evaluated, and profits would be taxed at a rate of 23.8 percent yearly. Gains on stocks are currently only taxed when they are sold.

Sen. Joe Manchin said he doesn't think the idea of allowing the IRS to monitor on account activities would make it into the Democrats' social spending package because it is "screwed up," as he put it, Daily Mail reported.

At Biden's house in Wilmington, Delaware, Manchin met with the president and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. Manchin expressed his dissatisfaction with Democrats' simple increase in the reporting threshold from $600 to $10,000 in annual aggregate transactions.

Read Also: Russian Group Linked to SolarWinds Hacking Still Targeting Global Networks; New Efforts Prove Russia is Undeterred With US Sanctions

A spending bill is expected to pass if the price is trimmed down

However, Manchin expressed optimism that Democrats will agree on a final package this week, trimmed down from $3.5 trillion to his preferred amount of $1.5 trillion. At breakfast, he stated that the Democrats' social spending plan and the bipartisan infrastructure measure have a "high possibility of passing in the near future."

On Monday, a group of 99 banks and industry groups sent President Biden a letter encouraging him to reconsider his proposal to pass over transaction data to the IRS, claiming that increasing the criteria had left them disappointed as well.

Organizations claiming to represent business and financial interests encouraged the White House to abandon the bill in favor of "more targeted measures to reduce the tax gap."

Manchin has proposed a minimum 15 percent flat "patriotic tax" to ensure that the wealthiest Americans pay their fair share of taxes. Manchin and another major Democratic holdout, Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema, met with White House officials at the Capitol.

The smaller, bipartisan roads-and-bridges infrastructure meets a Sunday deadline, or funding for basic transportation projects expires.

However, progressive legislators refuse to accept the $1 trillion plan unless the larger Biden proposal is included. Democrats hope that this is a winning formula for bringing the massive bills to a conclusion after months of debate, as per NY News Daily.

Related Article: Joe Biden's Build Back Better Turns Out to Be More of Renovation; Jen Psaki, Nancy Pelosi Urge Democrats to Support Slimmed Down Plan

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On Wednesday, Russia's top diplomat advised Afghanistan's neighbors that they should refuse to host the US or NATO military personnel once they leave Afghanistan.

The Kremlin is concerned about terrorists spilling over from Afghanistan into Central Asia. It cringes at the prospect of the West having a presence in a territory that was once part of the Soviet Union.

During a summit on Afghanistan in Tehran, the diplomat made statements that included China, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

Russia views ex-Soviet territory as a defensive line

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that it was critical to regulate and stem migratory flows from Afghanistan and that criminal and terrorist groups were already attempting to infiltrate Afghanistan's neighbors as refugees, NDTV reported.

According to Kommersant newspaper sources, Moscow views the ex-Soviet territory as its southern defensive line. Still, in June, President Vladimir Putin offered Washington the use of Russian military outposts in Central Asia.

Tajikistan, which shares a long border with Afghanistan, is home to Russia's world's largest military facility. The country has increased its soldier and the army hardware presence there since the Taliban took control.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a video address to participants in a ministerial meeting of Afghanistan's neighboring countries involving Russia, China, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan on Wednesday that Moscow has consistently advocated for the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan and has no plans to impose its recommendations on the country.

On September 8, the first online gathering of Afghanistan's neighbors took place. The focus of today's conference in Tehran is on how to make the creation of an inclusive administration in Afghanistan easier. Levan Dzhagaryan, Russia's ambassador to Iran, will be present.

Read Also: Haiti Fuel Shortages Put Hospitalized Women, Children in Danger as Gangs Tighten Grip

Countries surrounding Afghanistan vow to address the crisis

Per TASS, after the US announced intentions to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan, the Taliban, which is banned in Russia, launched a large-scale effort to seize control of the nation. On August 15, Taliban gunmen rushed into Kabul, Afghanistan's capital, without opposition, forcing Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to abandon the country.

The Taliban proclaimed a temporary administration on September 7, which has yet to be recognized by any country. China, Russia, Iran, Pakistan, and countries in the area around Afghanistan have pledged to work together to address the issues that have engulfed the country since the US forces withdrew.

They've come together at a moment when Afghanistan is on the verge of humanitarian, economic, and security disasters. China, Iran, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan all sent representatives.

The advent of extremist organizations such as the Islamic State (ISIS) that have issued threats outside Afghanistan's borders has been one of the most alarming developments for these nations.

Beijing and Moscow have pushed for regional nations to take the lead on the evolving situation in Afghanistan, where the Taliban rapidly took control from a US-backed government following the withdrawal. The newly constituted Islamic Emirate has yet to be recognized by any government in the globe. However, China, Russia, Iran, Pakistan, and other countries have begun to interact with the new administration in the hopes of preventing additional turmoil.

As ISIS assaults spread across the Middle East, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian emphasized his country's experience fighting terrorists in Iraq and Syria and suffering from US military activity in Afghanistan, as per Newsweek via MSN.

Related Article: Taliban Offers Work-in-Trade Program for Wheat to Boost Employment Amid Afghanistan's Tumultuous Food Crisis

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North Korea has warned its citizens that until the country's border with China is reopened in 2025, they should prepare to consume less food. North Koreans are already suffering from food shortages, but leaders have advised civilians to tighten their belts for at least another three years.

People, on the other hand, have already expressed concern that shortages would make it impossible to see themselves through the winter, much alone several years.

As a preventive step against the transmission of coronavirus, North Korea closed its border with China in January 2020. However, the change had a significant impact on the economy, with prices of basic products skyrocketing as demand outstripped supply.

North Korea plans to reopen border with China

People have been cautioned that the chances of reopening the border with China before 2025 are slim, according to a resident of the city of Sinuiju who requested to remain anonymous.

Despite the challenges that the North Korean people are now through, Kim Jong Un has continued to promote the concept of self-reliance this year. In July, the Central Committee reaffirmed this message by advising the populace to begin raising their own food in preparation for crop shortages, according to RFA.

However, with the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization forecasting that North Korea would be short 860,000 tons of food this year, the Sinuiju resident believes that people's scorn for the country is rising.

According to a second source, the North Korean authorities are seeking to portray the food shortages as the outcome of its successful COVID-19 policy.

Per Daily Mail, the administration has blamed external forces for the country's food shortages, citing sanctions, natural catastrophes, and the worldwide coronavirus pandemic as examples.

North Korea was hit by heavy floods last year, destroying crucial harvests and displacing hundreds of families. Droughts and subsequent flooding have also harmed crops this year.

Heavy rains in northeastern North Korea in August wrecked or flooded 1,170 homes, forcing 5,000 people to flee to safety, according to North Korean official television.

Hundreds of hectares of farmland were washed away in South Hamgyong Province, and several bridges were wrecked. Houses submerged up to their red-brick roofs, a severed bridge over filthy water, and a swollen river were all shown in the footage.

Read Also: Russia Urges Countries Bordering Afghanistan To Avoid US, NATO Forces Presence on Their Territory

North Korea's tense food crisis worsens economic issue

Summer rains in North Korea frequently inflict severe damage to the country's agricultural and other sectors, owing to the impoverished country's inadequate drainage, deforestation, and crumbling infrastructure.

Kim Jong Un has admitted a "tense" food situation that might worsen if all of the crops fail, worsening economic issues already exacerbated by severe self-imposed border and transit restrictions that have reduced commerce to a crawl.

Because North Korea is a hilly country, good farming land is scarce, and many farmers lack access to machinery like tractors, combine harvesters, and threshers. As a result, it is estimated that almost a third of North Korea's population is fed by international goods and aid.

Despite these imports, a 2017 UN survey found that two-fifths of the population is hungry, meaning they lack access to the daily calories required to maintain a healthy weight. A third of North Korean children are believed to be stunted, which means they did not receive enough calories during their early years.

Kim Jong Un is one of the few international leaders who is both highly observed and cloaked in mystery. Since taking control in 2011, the tyrant, who is said to be in his late 30s, has been surrounded by political and diplomatic intrigue.

He has been said to be in ill health on several occasions. His condition and daily whereabouts are so hazy that when he went missing for several weeks in 2020, there was widespread suspicion that he had died until he reappeared in public.

While Kim has so far debunked the claims, recent events imply that behind closed doors, North Korea is preparing for the day when Kim Jong Un is indeed gone, as per Business Insider via MSN.

Related Article: North Korea Launches Short-Range Missile Into The Sea, Tells UN It Has The Right To Test Weapons



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The House Select Committee that is responsible for investigating the events of the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riot and the involvement of former United States President Trump is rearing back on the number of documents they are trying to acquire from the Republican businessman.

The situation comes despite the White House counsel considering the documents and records to be of critical importance to the investigation. The decision was made due to concerns of a potentially lengthy court battle with Trump who is continuing to resist giving access to the documents using executive privilege.

Rearing Back on Trump Records

The incident is the latest development in the efforts by the House committee to investigate how deep Trump's connection was to the rally that led to the unprecedented riot. The documents that the committee is seeking to acquire were made during Trump's presidency. The former president tries to use legal leverage to prevent them from pursuing their objective.

On Wednesday, the National archives announced that it planned to turn over more than 700 pages to Congress by the end of November. This is in addition to several dozen new records that it would turn over in mid-November, which would stack short deadlines for Trump, CNN reported.

In order for Trump to prevent the Archives from turning over documents, he would need to issue a court order. Additionally, a court hearing was scheduled for next week in relation to the issue at hand.

Read Also: Election Officials Detail Harrowing Threats They Received After Donald Trump Lied About Election Fraud; Democrats Push for Voting Rights Legislation

One of the panel's nine members, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, said that the committee was in a "hurry" and did not want to get delayed by a potential legal battle with Trump over the 50-or-so pages. The situation marks the first significant acknowledgment of the committee that some of Trump's records may be out of its reach.

It remains unclear whether the committee decided to delay its pursuit of Trump's records based on the White House's requests or on its own analysis. However, Rep. Jamie Raskin, another member of the committee, said the decision was a "process of give and take" with President Joe Biden's administration, Politico reported.

Investigation Into Capitol Riot

The situation also comes after Biden blocked Trump's second attempt to withhold documents that lawmakers were seeking amid the investigation into the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. In an Oct. 25 letter sent to the National Archives and Records Administration, Dana Remus, Biden's counsel, said that the Democratic president was determined that it was not in the best interests of the United States that an executive privilege be asserted.

On the other hand, a spokesman for Trump, Taylor Budowich, did not immediately respond to comments regarding the situation. Biden blocked Trump's first attempt to withhold an initial tranche of documents earlier this month.

The committee's defense in acquiring the documents was that Congress should understand that they needed to understand the circumstances that led to the Capitol Hill riot. They called the unprecedented incident the "most serious attack on the operations of the federal government since the Civil War."

Biden ordered the archives to provide the requested documents 30 days after Trump has been notified unless a court intervenes in the process, Yahoo News reported.



Related Article: US at Risk of Attack From ISIS-K Within 6 to 12 Months as Insurrection Group Gains Power, Top Pentagon Official Says

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The Child Tax Credit may provide further stimulus to parents and guardians in 2022. If Democrats are successful in extending the program through 2022 as part of President Joe Biden's Build Back Better plan, it would include $600 credits for a total of $7,200.

Some lawmakers want to keep the perk for another year. According to CNBC, the Biden Administration suggested extending the expanded credit until 2025, and some politicians even want it to be permanent.

Will there be stimulus checks next year?

Meanwhile, some parents who have not received their Child Tax Credit payment in October have been perplexed by the Child Tax Credit timetable. Most families were expected to get up to $300 in Child Tax Credits per kid in October.

If you haven't received your October stimulus payment, check with the IRS to be sure your banking and address information are valid and up to date. The opt-out date for November payments is November 1- only a few days away.

Last Monday, President Joe Biden rejected the idea of discontinuing Child Tax Credit payments, indicating that he supports making the stimulus checks accessible to families across the country.

Biden wants to prolong the Child Tax Credit payments for three more years, according to Politico. However, Biden's own Democratic Party has objected to the concept, claiming that it will boost the cost of a spending measure currently being considered in Congress.

Read Also: Delayed or Missing October Child Tax Credit Stimulus Payment? Here's IRS Contact Details To Trace Your Money!

Will you be eligible for Child Tax Credit payments in the future?

The newest round of discussion on the Child Tax Credit comes just days after Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., proposed two key amendments to the plan. In mid-October, Manchin, who has influence in the Senate thanks to his moderate political beliefs and frequently serves as a swing vote, stated he intended to make two big adjustments to the Child Tax Credit requirements:

There must be an "established work" requirement so that those receiving assistance may demonstrate that they are employed.

A household income cap of around $60,000 must apply.

However, Biden rejected Manchin's proposal, seeking to maintain the payments available to the majority of families. The White House said in a tweet that middle-class families will receive a monthly payment of $250 for children over the age of 6 and $300 for children under the age of 6. "Well, that's big."

President Biden and House Democrats are continuing negotiating over the White House's mega-ambitious Build Back Better domestic program, with the goal of lowering the cost of the plan's massive social spending package by eliminating aspects opposed by a few Senate Democrats.

Is it possible that you've been a victim of backdoor deals? The popular Child Tax Credit continuation, which has provided parents of qualifying children across the country with a regular monthly stimulus check since July.

President Biden sought to prolong the arrangement for another three years, which would have meant 36 additional Child Tax Credit stimulus checks every month, as per BGR.

However, in response to West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin's opposition, the White House has agreed to reduce a three-year extension of the Child Tax Credit to only one year (for now).

Of course, this isn't the last word. However, the shift is an attempt to achieve two extremely significant objectives. One of them is to maintain Manchin's support. Remember the Democrats have the tiniest of Senate majorities - and it's just a majority on a technicality.

The Senate is split 50-50, with Democrats gaining a majority only if they all stick together and Vice President Kamala Harris breaks a tie.

Related Article: Others May Receive a Fourth Federal Stimulus Check Worth $1,400; Here's Who Are Eligible and When They Can Get One!

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A New York state trooper has been charged with the death of an 11-year-old Brooklyn girl after reportedly ramming her family's SUV with his police cruiser.

In Ulster County Court on Wednesday, Christopher Baldner was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter, and reckless endangerment in the December 2020 collision that killed Monica Goods, 11.

Trooper intentionally rams to neighbor's car

The Goods family was traveling in a Dodge Journey driven by father Tristan Goods on the New York State Thruway around mile marker 92 on December 22 when Baldner pulled them over for speeding, according to the indictment.

According to Tristan, an altercation erupted, and Baldner lost his temper, spraying pepper spray into the van. Baldner smashed his cruiser into the back of the family's SUV twice, initiating a chase that stopped when the husband and father of two, who said he feared for his safety, raced away.

The automobile slammed a guard rail on the second strike, flipped several times, and ejected Monica from her seat, killing her before coming to a stop upside down. Baldner was arrested and arraigned on Wednesday. His bail hearing is scheduled for November 4. He may face a sentence of 25 years to life in jail if convicted, as per Daily Mail.

After New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed an executive order empowering James to investigate and potentially prosecute Baldner last week, the indictment was issued. He is also accused of ramming his cruiser into other vehicles in two more incidents.

The first allegedly happened in January 2017 and included another person. The second occurred in September 2019, putting the lives of the driver and his two passengers at risk.

Both non-fatal collisions happened in Ulster County on the New York State Thruway. Michelle Surrency, Monica's mother, has launched a lawsuit against the state, citing "reckless negligence."

In the aftermath of Baldner's indictment, lawyer Sanford Rubenstein, who represented Surrency, told the Daily News, "This is a crucial step in the march for justice for the senseless murder of a beautiful little girl and the psychological traumas endured by her sister."

Read Also: With Brian Laundrie Dead, Where Would Gabby Petito Slaying Probe Go Next? Fiance's Attorney Details Days of His Abduction

Victim's sister left in trauma after witnessing her death

Monica's sister, Tristina, 12, was also in the vehicle at the time of the collision, according to the lawsuit, and was questioned by police without a parent present. Tristina suffered physical and emotional trauma as a result of the tragedy, according to her relatives.

The suit also claims Monica's sister, Tristina, 12, who was also in the vehicle at the time of the crash, was questioned by police without a parent present. The family says Tristina endured physical pain from the accident, as well as emotional trauma after watching her sister die.

The community gathered behind the Goods family in their fight for Monica's justice during her burial in January. At the time, Rev. Kevin McCall told News 12 that the police, who were state troopers, opted to use excessive force by rear-ending the vehicle twice, killing her.

To assist the family at this terrible time, a GoFundMe account has been set up. There's also a Justice for Monica Goods Facebook page where people may keep up with the family's progress.

Baldner is also accused of endangering the lives of three passengers in September 2019 by ramming their automobile with his police vehicle, according to the indictment. He surrendered to state police on Wednesday morning, according to authorities. In addition, an indictment claims that in September of this year, Baldner did the same thing.

Related Article: Ex-US Embassy Staffer Accused of Drugging, Sexual Assaulting 24 Women Over 14 Years in CIA; FBI Urges Other Victims To Come Forward



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The Queen will no longer attend public events alone, and will instead be accompanied by at least one other member of the Royal Family, according to sources. This comes after the family was chastised for enabling Queen Elizabeth II to finish a hectic schedule in recent weeks.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Charles and Camilla, and Prince Edward and Sophie are among those expected to step up in support of the monarch. The family has been rallying around Queen Elizabeth amid her health concerns.

Royal family rallying around Queen Elizabeth after hospital stay

The 95-year-old monarch recently spent a night in hospital after undergoing a "preliminary" health check, and her family - including Prince George, 8, Princess Charlotte, 6, and Prince Louis, 3 - have been especially supportive of her in the last few days.

And although she's now returned to Windsor Castle, the royals have been urging the Queen to "take it easy," NZ Herald reported. The Queen - who is the oldest and longest-serving head of state in the world - recently announced she won't attend the COP26 climate change summit in Glasgow after being advised to rest by her doctors.

The monarch was scheduled to attend the high-profile event in Scotland, but she canceled her original plans after undergoing preliminary medical checks and will instead address the delegates "via a recorded video message."

Buckingham Palace said in a statement: "Following advice to rest, The Queen has been undertaking light duties at Windsor Castle. Her Majesty has regretfully decided that she will no longer travel to Glasgow to attend the evening reception of COP26 on Monday, 1 November."

This morning, Prince Charles was doing royal duties at Her Majesty's palace in Berkshire. The Prince of Wales, dressed in uniform, presided over today's investitures, during which he made Dame Maureen Lipman of Coronation Street.

Per Express.co, Prince Charles and Camilla's official Twitter account recognized Dame Maureen, the first member of Corrie's cast to be honored. In recent years, however, the Queen has delegated this responsibility to Prince Charles, Prince William, and Princess Anne.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Queen Elizabeth has only presided over exceptional investiture. Captain Tom Moore was knighted in the Quadrangle of Windsor Castle in July 2020 for his exceptional fundraising efforts during the initial wave of COVID-19 infections.

The Queen had a private meeting with Peter Troughton, a family friend and member of the Royal Collection Trust, in mid-September, while she was still on her summer holiday at Balmoral Castle, to bestow the insignia of Commander of the Royal Victorian Order on him.

Read Also: Judge Sets Deadline For Prince Andrew To Answer Questions in Sexual Abuse Civil Case; Why Lawyer Wants to Keep 2009 Legal Deal Sealed?

Will anyone convince Queen Elizabeth to step down?

According to a royal biographer, Queen Elizabeth II would step down if her health becomes "detrimental to the monarchy," but she will serve out her jubilee year in 2022. The royal family has made a claim to environmental issues, and Queen Elizabeth was expected to bring the family's well-known soft power to British diplomacy, as per Newsweek via MSN.

She will now deliver a video message, leaving the handshakes and small talk to Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Charles, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.

However, at 95, it has long been questioned if she will be able to complete her reign without stepping aside at some time, allowing her eldest son, who is nearly 73, to begin the job he was destined to perform.

The most likely mechanism would be a regency, in which Prince Charles would serve as head of state as Prince Regent, while Queen Elizabeth remained queen but remained in the background.

Related Article: Queen Elizabeth Cancels COP26 Attendance Per Doctor's Advice as Camilla Parker Bowles Shows Readiness When Royal Family Needs Her Most



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Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen revealed that the threat of China attacking the island nation was growing "every day" and confirmed that United States troops were present in the region, ready to defend and support its people from any hostilities.

In an interview on Tuesday, Tsai said that Taiwan was a "beacon" of democracy that needed to be defended so that people worldwide could keep their faith in democratic values. The official said that the island was home to roughly 23 million people who were working hard every day to protect themselves and their democracy. She noted that it was her and her government's job to maintain the freedom that the people deserved.

Taiwan-US Against China

Tsai argued that should Taiwan fall to the hands of China and become a part of the mainland, the people who believed in democratic values would doubt what they should be fighting for. Since the Nationalists retreated to Taiwan at the end of the Chinese civil war some seven decades ago, the region's democracy has flourished.

However, Beijing's Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has continued to view the island as part of its territory and is an inseparable part of the mainland. Recent events have caused the relationship between Taipei and Beijing to be at their lowest in decades, CNN reported.

While Tsai confirmed that American soldiers were currently residing on Taiwanese soil, she did not reveal precisely how many troops were on the island. The soldiers are believed to be conducting training activities in the face of rising Chinese aggression.

Read Also: Joe Biden, Democrats Vow To "Make Billionaires Cry" With Tax on Rich as They Race in Finalizing Spending Package

The Taiwanese president said that the island had a good relationship with the United States and worked together to increase defensive capabilities against potential attacks. Examples of recent incidents that have strained relationships between the two Asian regions are the two times when China flew warplanes near Taiwan's airspace.

Since roughly a year ago, the United States has continued to support Taiwan, sending roughly two dozen special operations troops and support troops to the island. The efforts come as Tsai worries about China's continued aggression. "If it's a threat from China, it's increasing every day," she said, Yahoo News reported.

Chinese Incursions

Tsai also said that she had faith in the United States that its government would help defend Taiwan against any Chinese attack. When asked about America's stance in the Taiwan-China controversy, Tsai said she was confident that the U.S. government would support her and her region.

The Taiwanese president's comments came after the Ministry of National Defense reported that another three Chinese warplanes crossed the region's air defense identification zone (ADIZ). The incident marks the fourth consecutive day that China has inched closer to the island using its military planes.

The statement revealed that the fleet included two People's Liberation Army Shenyang J-11 fighters and one Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare plane. The aircraft reportedly flew into the southwestern corner of the ADIZ.

The Taiwanese government decided to send an aircraft to broadcast radio warnings and deploy its air defense missile systems to ward off the Chinese planes. This year alone, Taiwan recorded a total of 680 incursions as of Wednesday, Aljazeera reported.

Related Article: Russia Fires at Practice Targets in Crimean Waters To Warn Off US and UK From Further Territorial Violations

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Joe Manchin recently forced Democrats to drop their paid leave proposal as part of Joe Biden's Build Back Better program because he disapproved of it.

After weeks of negotiations, Senate Democrats failed to get Manchin's approval to provide sick Americans and those taking care of their ailing relatives' financial benefit.

Before a decision was made, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand confirmed that she presented her idea to Manchin, and the latter looked at the details and compared it with what other countries are doing.

But on Wednesday, it was announced that Senate Democrats were forced to drop the universal paid leave bill because Manchin refused to get on board.

Earlier this week, Manchin said he doesn't think the universal paid leave bill should be part of the reconciliation bill. After all, the latter is a major policy, according to the Huffington Post.

According to reports, only 20 percent of workers in the private sector have access to paid family leave. And only 42 percent have access to paid medical leave while recovering from an illness or injury.

Throughout the past couple of months, Biden proposed a bill that would give employees 12 weeks of paid leave over ten years. In an attempt to get Manchin's approval, the POTUS decided to limit the paid leave to just four months.

Read Also: Sen. Joe Manchin Allegedly Plans to Quit Party if He Doesn't Get His Way on the Build Back Better Bill

Joe Manchin criticized for not supporting universal paid leave bill

However, Senate Democrats still didn't get Manchin on their side.

Following his decision, the senator was criticized by Vicki Shabo, a senior fellow at the New America Foundation.

"The fact that this one older white gentleman, who perhaps has never had to contend with family caregiving or the risk of losing his job or being unable to pay his bills, could stand in the way of paid leave for nearly 20 million people a year is shocking and upsetting," she said via Yahoo! News.

Dawn Huckelbridge, director of Paid Leave for All, also slammed Manchi and said she could not believe one white man could make this huge decision.

However, Huckelbridge also acknowledged that the failed negotiations were a failure on the part of the government.

Joe Manchin refuses to support Biden's climate agenda

Other than the universal paid leave, Manchin and Sen. Krysten Sinema are also blocking Biden's climate agenda. The POTUS's main goal is to reduce US greenhouse gas emissions to half of 2005 levels.

According to the BBC, Biden met with the two senators last weekend to talk about the climate agenda, among other things. Manchin and Sinema are both opposed to the bill that Biden is trying to pass.

Manchin said that he is more amenable to investments in renewable resources as long as they are tied by research to make fossil fuel cleaner.

The coal industry also dominates West Virginia's economy. In 2019 alone, the industry contributed $19.1 billion to the state, and it also provided 27,000 jobs to residents. As such, Manchin's refusal to not support Biden's climate agenda is not necessarily surprising.

Related Article: Joe Biden Ends Bid for Free Community College, Says His Plans for Paid Leave is Shrinking Due to Lack of Support From 50 Democratic Senators

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The bodies of two Arkansas residents and their car that were reported missing in 1998 have just been found.

According to reports, officials recovered a car and human remains in a body of water in Russellville this week. Pope County Sheriff's Office Investigator Erick Riggs said that the discovery could provide some closure to the woman and her baby's family.

Riggs had been in charge of the missing person's case for the past ten years. And he said that he has also found some closure.

"We're very confident. I just don't want to be overconfident, arrogant about it, and say, 'Yeah, we know for sure until we know for sure.' We do believe we have human remains. We don't know how many, and it looks like we have items that are consistent with our case," Riggs said via THV 11.

Read Also: Missing Arkansas Mom Found Wrapped in Old Newspaper, Hidden at Daughter's Home for Months; Suspect Spends Benefit Money

Pope County Sheriff's Office received help from non-profit organization

According to the investigator, he spoke with the woman's other daughter, and she was the one that encouraged him to reach out to the non-profit group, Adventures With Purpose. The non-profit told Riggs that they found the missing woman's car in the water.

Lead diver Douglas Bishop told reporters that they also spoke to the missing woman's family before traveling to Arkansas.

After all these years, Adventures With Purpose managed to find the woman, her daughter, and their car using advanced sonar systems. And it only took the group an hour to find the missing persons. The woman and her daughter's bodies were found inside the car, and the group immediately sent them to the state crime lab for DNA testing.

FOX 13 published a photo of the woman's blue Ford Tempo. The snap shows the vehicle that's upside down being pulled out of the water. It is also covered in mud.

Woman, her daughter never came home

According to KARK, the woman and her daughter were reported missing on Sept. 11, 1998. She was on the way to drop off her daughter before attending a concert in Little Rock.

However, the woman didn't manage to drop her daughter. And she also didn't make it to the concert. Reports also revealed that the woman was pregnant at the time of her disappearance 23 years ago.

More missing persons found in Arkansas

Meanwhile, this isn't the only missing person report in the state of Arkansas in recent months. In July, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation confirmed that the body of a woman reported missing in Fort Smith was found in a pond in eastern Oklahoma.

According to US News, the body of Tara Strozier was found in a pond in Rock Island. Three men were arrested in connection to her death.

Alex Nathaniel Davis, 30, was arrested on first-degree murder and kidnapping warrants. Austin Johnson, 23, was arrested on a murder warrant, and Kaelin Hutchinson, 24, was arrested for obstruction.

Strozier's family reported her missing on July 19, and her vehicle was found abandoned five days later in Cameron. Reports later revealed that the victim was tortured before she was killed. And her body was left in the pond.

Related Article: Arkansas Prisoners Claim Doctor Gives Unproven COVID-19 Treatment Ivermectin to Run Secret Experiments

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Former White House Response Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx recently said that 40 percent of the COVID-19-related deaths in the United States could've been prevented.

Birx spoke to investigators with the House Select Subcommittee on the COVID-19 crisis this month, and parts of her comments were released this week.

The former White House response coordinator also blamed Donald Trump for not doing as much as possible to prevent the 400,000 deaths reported before his presidency ended.

Brix is convinced that Trump's focus was not entirely on the deadly virus because he was also up for re-election when the pandemic started last year.

"I believe if we had fully implemented the mask mandates, the reduction in indoor dining, then getting friends and family to understand the risk of gathering in private homes, and we had increased testing, we probably could have decreased fatalities into the 30 percent less to 40 percent less range," Birx said via the Huffington Post.

Liz Harrington responds to Deborah Birx's claims

Trump's spokesperson, Liz Harrington, responded to Birx by passing the blame to Joe Biden and the news media.

She said that Trump did everything that he could to prevent the spread of the deadly virus. But it was Biden that did not take up the ex-POTUS's approach.

Harrington added that more people died from COVID-19 after Biden became president compared to when Trump was the head of state.

Read Also: Trump Alleges Coronavirus Leaked From China As Classified Intelligence Reports Numerous Body Bags Seen Outside Wuhan Lab

Donald Trump chose Scott Atlas as his coronavirus adviser

According to Politico, Birx and other doctors urged Trump and his administration to intensify their efforts to control the virus. But instead of relying on Birx, the former president tapped Scott Atlas as his coronavirus adviser.

Trump also squeezed out other top government health officials that encouraged him to take COVID-19 seriously, and he also downplayed the seriousness of the deadly virus.

During her meeting with congressional investigators, Birx said that he told Trump that she wouldn't attend meetings where he would create a line in the sand. The former White House response coordinator added that she didn't want the staff at the Oval Office to compare her with Atlas.

Rep. Jim Clyburn, who chairs the select panel, said that Birx's accounts showed how Trump undermined the COVID-19 response because he prioritized his re-election and refused to follow the advice of public health experts.

Clyburn acknowledged Birx's statement that 130,000 Americans could still be alive today if Trump's response to COVID-19 were different and if only he listened to experts.

Donald Trump told lies about COVID-19

Before Biden was elected as president, Trump refused to take COVID-19 seriously. He was also accused of spreading incorrect information about the deadly virus.

For instance, Melania Trump's husband previously said that 99 percent of COVID-19 cases are harmless.

But WHO said that approximately 15 percent of COVID-19 cases could be severe and about 5 percent can be critical, according to The Atlantic.

The ex-POTUS also claimed that children are immune to the virus. However, kids were only less likely to get the virus compared to adults a year ago. But with the new Delta variant this year, kids also became more susceptible to the virus.

Related Article: Donald Trump Claims Americans Are Hesitant to COVID-19 Vaccine As They Are to the Election Result, Biden Administration

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France reportedly detained a British fishing vessel this week as part of an ongoing spat with the United Kingdom over post-Brexit fishing rights.

France's European affairs minister, Clement Beaune, also confirmed that the majority of French ports would no longer be accessible to British boats. Beaune added that three to four ports would remain open to British fishing vessels when the closure takes into effect.

According to France's European affairs minister, they detained two British fishing vessels because they did not respect the rules. One of the vessels was redirected to a French port, and both were also fined.

The second fishing vessel was not registered on the European Union's approved list of UK fishing vessels and was diverted to the French Port of Le Havre, according to CNN.

Owner of fishing vessel slams France

Andrew Brown, director of Macduff Shellfish that owns the detained vessel, claimed that the boat is being used as a pawn in an ongoing dispute between France and Britain.

"On 27 October, Macduff's scallop vessel Cornelis was boarded by the French authorities and ordered into the French port of Le Havre while legally fishing for a scallop in French waters. Access to French waters for the UK scallop fleet is provided under Brexit Fisheries Agreement. Macduff's fishing activity is entirely legal," Brown said via Sky News.

Brown added that they are urging the UK government to defend the rights of those working in the fishing industry. They also hope that their fishing rights provided under the Brexit Fisheries Agreement will be respected by the European Union.

Britain responded to the report by saying that they were investigating the matter. After all, Environment Minister George Eustice said that he saw conflicting information regarding the seized vessel.

Read Also: Biden Aims To Fix Relationship With France Over Call With French President Emmanuel Macron

United Kingdom announces their fishing restrictions

Last month, the United Kingdom was first to announce its decision to allow only a handful of smaller French boats to fish in their coastal water due to the Brexit withdrawal agreement.

Following EU and the UK's separation, the former's boats could only fish in the latter's 6 to 12 nautical mile coastal zone and only if they could demonstrate a proven record of fishing in those areas, according to the Financial Times.

British officials said that they came to a decision after thoroughly investigating the data provided by smaller fishing vessels. The deal also requires boats to prove that they've fished within the zone at least once a year in four of the five years between 2012 and 2016.

France's maritime minister criticizes the United Kingdom

At the time, Annick Girardin, France's maritime minister, condemned the UK's rule. She said that the new rule shows that the British do not want to implement the original conditions of the Brexit agreement despite all the work they have accomplished together.

Girardin added that Britons should not take French fishing hostage for their political gains. But just weeks later, the EU seemingly retaliated against the United Kingdom by detaining two fishing vessels from the country.

Related Article: White House Considers Setting Talks with Xi Jinping; Joe Biden Dodges Question on Pressing China to Stop Blocking COVID-19 Origins' Probe

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Factors that affect the cost of iphone 110v 220v

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on the consumer electronics repair and iphone 110v 220v industries, as governments around the world have imposed blockades and restricted non-essential services to prevent the spread of the virus. Repair and maintenance services are heavily dependent on labor, and the availability of labor during such a pandemic is a huge challenge. Maintenance industries in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, the Middle East and India have also seen increased labor costs due to labor shortages during the blockade. On Average, The Repair Industry Repairs About 25 Million Electronic Devices in A Month, But Because of Lock downs and Social Distance Norms, The Products Are Expected to Pile Up for Repair.

The increase in equipment failure rates and the cost-benefit of servicing old equipment rather than disposing of old equipment is expected to drive the iphone 110v 220v repair and maintenance market. Branded and non-branded low-cost iphone 110v 220v often flood the market and require repairs due to poor material quality or regular maintenance. However, research shows that many merchants are now taking a different approach, building products that are easy to fix, as fixing iphone 110v 220v problems is always more cost-effective than buying new products, thus strengthening customer trust.

Qualcomm may bring faster 5G to low-cost phones has an effect on iphone 110v 220v

Now that 5G phones are cheaper, Qualcomm hopes to make those low-cost devices more popular. The company has introduced three new systems on a chip, all of which promise to improve the performance of cheap 5G hardware. The brightest star is undoubtedly the Snapdragon 695. This sequel to the 6 nm-based 690 adds faster millimeter wave 5G(important to carriers like AT&T and Verizon) while offering up to 30% graphics speed and 15% CPU task speed. Your next mid-range phone may be better suited for gaming and large downloads.

Meanwhile, snapdragon 480 Plus and 778G Plus are iterations of the 480 and 778G that offer a small boost in CPU and GPU performance by increasing clock speed. Think of them as upgrades to entry-level and mid-to-premium phones -- you dont have to use chips from months ago.

There is also a separate LTE chip, the Snapdragon 680, which uses 695 6nm process with no additional 5G costs. It is targeting markets where 5G services are limited or too expensive.

The four components are expected to ship by the end of 2021. Honor, MOTOROLA, Nokia (aka HMD Global), Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi are all looking to use one or more of the new Snapdragons in their phones.

Pragmatism is at work. While 5nm chips such as the 780G are in limited supply, 6nm chips (including the 778G Plus) have helped Qualcomm continue to take a large share of the smartphone market. It is notable, though, that the chipmaker is rolling out so many chips at erratic speeds in the first place  it is clear that it is determined to fend off heavyweights like MediaTek that thrive on budget and mid-range hardware.

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Countless Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 customers have reported experiencing unusual battery drain.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 has been dubbed the Android version of Apple's Series 6 wristwatch. However, soon after its release, it began to receive a number of negative reviews.

Many of them criticized Samsung and Google's sloppy collaboration, especially given the device's unstable user interface.

The objective of this article is to compile a comprehensive list of such concerns, as well as possible explanations that provide a viable remedy.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Battery Life

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Battery drain was one of the most common complaints the company has received.

While the unreliable UI could be to fault, there are other possibilities. For one, the Samsung GW4 is known to have low battery life shortly after purchase.

It may appear to be another typical scenario at first glance.

However, numerous users have mentioned that setting up accounts and downloading updates during the first few days of use might be difficult.

When a person settles into their daily routine, the watch adapts as well. For some users, timely upgrades were said to solve the problem.

Despite this, the number of those who disagree outnumber those who agree.

With that, the LTE variants of the smartwatch seem to have the most battery depletion issues. Bluetooth-only devices have few, if any, reports of such issues.

Read Also: Is Your iPhone Stuck on the Apple Logo for 1 Hour or More? 4 Steps To Fix Your Device

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Issues

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Battery life has been hampered by a number of software issues.

Delay notifications or activity reminders that don't work are two of the most typical Galaxy Watch 4 difficulties. Many of the notifications that were delayed were for apps like Gmail or Whatsapp.

When compared to earlier generations of Galaxy Watches, battery life is similarly lacking. As a result, even when the system is not in use, Battery Statistics show a significant level of system drain.

Furthermore, any voice calls will be transferred directly to the smartphone rather than the earphones. Turning Bluetooth off and on is frequently required to reconnect to the earbuds.

Another commonly asked question is about the several Fitness Trackers that the Galaxy Watch 4 uses.

Fitness objectives are frequently hidden, and gaps in measuring one's progress are common. In one instance, the Samsung Health monitor outperformed the Google Fit version by nearly 15%.

Some of the causes are speculative, while others are at least conceivable.

How To Prevent Battery Drain on Smartwatch

According to Samsung, here are 9 ways we can all observe to alleviate the constant Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Battery drain.

Using the Galaxy Wearable app, keep your watch and app software up to date with the newest software version. Turn off any health-related features on your watch that aren't in use. Delete any unnecessary storage data and close any background apps. When your watch isn't in use, turn off the network and Bluetooth connections. Turn off the watch that is always on. In Bixby or S Voice, turn off voice wake-up. In the Galaxy Wearable app, you may customize your notification settings. Activate the power-saving mode. Avoid exposing your watch to extremely cold or extremely hot temperatures.

Related Article: Apple iPhone vs. Samsung Galaxy: Major Advantages and Disadvantages, Which Is Better?
Google has released a Google tool to help assist guardians of minors and minors in removing their photos from search results.

Minors and their parents can now request that photographs of them be removed from Google search results.

In an announcement by Google, the firm announced the launch of a feature that will allow parents and children under the age of 18 to request that photos be removed from the images tab or that thumbnails in search results no longer appear.

Google's Effort on Safeguarding Minors

The tech company has previously provided options for consumers to request the removal of personal information and photos that fall into categories like "non-consensual explicit" or "financial, medical, and national ID."

It is now expanding this to include images of children.

The majority understands that children and teenagers have specific issues online, particularly when a problematic photograph of them becomes publicly available. This change, Google hope, will give young people greater choice over their digital footprint and where their photographs appear in Search.

Users can now mark URLs of any photos or search results that contain images they want to be removed using the new form.

Furthermore, Google stated its staff will analyze each submission and contact guardians if more information is needed to confirm the removal requirements.

Unfortunately, the firm stressed that this will not completely erase the image off the internet; users will need to contact a website's owner to request that the information be deleted.

Image Removal by Google

The search engine giant will guide how kids, teens, and families can use a new Google Search option that provides minors more control over their photographs.

However, while Google already offers a number of tools for people who want to remove anything from its Search feature, the company takes into consideration that children and teenagers face specific hurdles online, particularly when a photograph of them becomes publicly available.

Anyone under the age of 18, as well as their parent or guardian, can now request that their photographs be removed from search results by following a few simple steps.

This implies that these images will not appear in Google Search's Images tab or as thumbnails in any feature.

Read Also: Is Google Assistant Secretly Spying on Conversations? Safety and Security Features Revealed

How to ask for minors' photographs to be removed from Google search results

According to Google, if you're under the age of 18 and want an image of yourself removed from Google results, you - or your parent, guardian, or authorized representative - can do so by following these steps:

To learn more about the information you'll need to supply when filling out the request form, go to the new policy's help page.

Begin your removal request by filling out the form on this support page.

To report the imagery that appears in search results, fill out the form. Include details such as Image URLs of any photos you wish removed URLs of any search results pages that contain the images

Images can be found by using search query phrases.

Google's staff will analyze your request and contact you if they require any additional information to ensure it meets the conditions for removal.

If the image satisfies the conditions they have set up, representatives from the company will also notify guardians once the requested images have been taken down.

Related Article: Why Is Samsung Not Downloading Apps From Google Play Store? 8 Ways to Fix the Issue
Columbia University professor Joseph Stiglitz, right, responds to questions from Dongkuk University professor Kang Kyeong-hoon during an online meeting during the 2021 Seoul International Finance Conference, Thursday. Screenshot from YouTube



Nobel laureate calls for ban on cryptocurrency transactions



By Park Jae-hyuk



Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz emphasized the necessity of regulations for Seoul to attract more foreign investment.



In contrast to the view prevalent among private financial companies that the city's tough rules have blocked its growth into a global financial hub, the former World Bank chief economist sided with the Korean financial authorities that have remained cautious about relaxing regulations.



"It becomes even more important for Seoul to step up to be one of the critical financial hubs, and to open a transparent, well-regulated financial hub for Northeast Asia," he said in a keynote speech for the 2021 Seoul International Finance Conference, Thursday. "I believe that kind of transparency and good regulation will lead to innovation, the kind of innovation that leads to a financial system that has value-added for society."



Korea's previous experience during the 1997 Asian financial crisis was cited as a reason for his claim.



"Korea had good regulations, regulating capital flows in-and-out of the country," he said. "Then unfortunately, under pressure from the OECD and the U.S. Treasury, it scrapped those regulations in the early 1990s. Capital flowed into Korea, and then when sentiment changed, it flowed out."



The Columbia University professor also mentioned the cases of New York and London to support his claim that their financial deregulatory measures encouraged illegal practices including tax evasion, eventually causing the 2008 financial crisis that dealt a severe blow to the entire global economy, not only to the financial hubs themselves.



From that standpoint, Stiglitz reiterated that regulators all over the world should basically shut down cryptocurrencies, as he has argued over the past few years.



"My view is that digital currencies do not add anything economically to our society," he said. "They are becoming significantly important in terms of undermining the basis of our financial system, the transparency of our financial system. All the bad activity can go through the cryptocurrencies, and they are now becoming politically significant. They are beginning to lobby to continue their socially dysfunctional activity."



The economist also supported regulations on digital platform operators that entered the financial industry, expressing skepticism about the possibility of fair competition in the markets they lead.



He warned that platform operators may intensify discrimination against underprivileged people by using their vast amount of collected personal information to categorize those who do not have any alternative options.





Financial Supervisory Service Governor Jeong Eun-bo, front row fourth from left, and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, front row center, applaud with participants in the 2021 Seoul International Finance Conference at Conrad Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government




North Korea rebuked the United States and other western nations Thursday for having double standards on human rights and racism, taking issue with their absence from a recent symbolic U.N. meeting.







In a note posted on the foreign ministry's website, North Korea criticized the U.S., Britain and others for not taking part in a high-level meeting at the U.N. General Assembly last month to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action that calls for racial justice.







It accused the countries of having "the darkest history" in racism and "pouring cold water" on efforts to protect and improve human rights, while claiming to be "advanced nations" and acting like "judges" in the fields.







"Before western countries dispute here and there of non-existent 'human rights problems' of others, (they) should focus on their own domestic affairs, such as systematic racism and human rights violations," it added.







In recent years, Pyongyang has increased such postings, related to diplomatic and international issues, on the website of its foreign ministry.







An official at South Korea's Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, said that it continues to monitor those messages considered to reflect the North Korean authorities' views. But the official pointed out that such online postings apparently carry less weight in comparison with the ministry's official statements. (Yonhap)


Unification Minister Lee In-young speaks during a parliamentary audit of the ministry at the National Assembly in Seoul, Oct. 21. Korea Times photo



Moon departs for Europe for meeting with pope, attending G20, COP26



By Kang Seung-woo



Unification Minister Lee In-young will be participating in President Moon Jae-in's overseas trip, in a rare move during which he is expected to play a role in promoting peace efforts on the Korean Peninsula, according to diplomatic observers.



Moon departed for Italy, Thursday, where he is scheduled to meet with Pope Francis and attend the G20 summit. Following this, the President will travel to the U.K. for the COP26 United Nations Climate Summit and visit Hungary afterward.



As Moon is scheduled to visit the Vatican, Friday (local time), Lee is expected to talk with officials there about a possible visit to North Korea by the pope.



Pope Francis has repeatedly expressed his willingness to visit Pyongyang, which could help restart inter-Korean talks. A papal trip to North Korea has been put on the backburner since the 2019 Hanoi summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and then-U.S. President Donald Trump ended without a deal on denuclearization.



Along with the Vatican visit, the unification minister is expected to meet with the heads of international organizations to discuss issues regarding North Korea as part of President Moon's efforts to improve inter-Korean ties.



The Lee visit comes as relations between South and North Korea are at an inflection point following President Moon's proposal for a formal declaration to end the 1950-53 Korean War. To this end, the government has stepped up its efforts to seek cooperation from neighboring and relevant countries, including the United States and China.



Currently, South Korea and the U.S. have held discussions on the "end-of-war" issue even though the two sides have differing perspectives on the matter.



Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said Lee's visit carries weight given that it will seek to bolster the Moon administration's push for the declaration and an improvement in inter-Korean relations.



"A large number of headquarters of international organizations are based in Europe and Europe has a bigger say in the U.N., so we need to gain support from European countries," Hong said.



In response to North Korea's recent missile tests, key European countries such as Germany and France issued a warning against the totalitarian state for its provocations ratcheting up tensions in the region.



"Under the circumstances, the unification minister's visit is also aimed at explaining the government's Korean Peninsula peace process from its perspective to the European nations," Hong said.



Hong also said South Korea's appeal to Europe may play a positive role in appealing to North Korea given that the North maintains diplomatic ties with several European countries.



"The Europe tour can provide an indication that the Moon administration is working hard on talks and cooperation with North Korea, which is significant," he said.



Meanwhile, President Moon plans to discuss with other world leaders ways to tackle the climate crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic at the G20 summit, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.



After Italy, Moon will fly to Glasgow, Scotland, to attend the COP26, slated for Monday and Tuesday.



Reducing greenhouse gas emissions will be high on the agenda at the U.N. climate talks, where Moon will deliver a speech. Earlier this month, Moon finalized a decision for South Korea to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent from 2018 levels by 2030, sharply raising its previous goal, as part of efforts to curb the pace of climate change.


Health workers spray disinfectant along the avenue of a popular hangout in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, ahead of Halloween festivities, Oct. 27. Yonhap



South Korea's new daily coronavirus cases surged to more than 2,100 on Thursday, as the virus spread is gaining ground amid efforts to ease the distancing rules and return to normalcy.



The country added 2,111 fresh COVID-19 cases, including 2,095 local infections, raising the total caseload to 358,412, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.



It is the first time in 20 days that the daily caseload has surpassed the 2,000 mark. The daily count was 1,952 the previous day, 1,266 on Tuesday and 1,190 on Monday.



The daily infection tally has moved in the quadruple digits since July 7, including the record high of 3,272 cases on Sept. 25.



The death toll rose by 11 to 2,808. The fatality rate stood at 0.78 percent.



The spike in infections came amid concerns that the country could see yet another virus resurgence as efforts are under way to restore daily life back to the pre-pandemic days, with the planned shift to the "living with COVID-19" scheme on Nov. 1.



Some virus curbs have been already eased since Oct. 18 to allow people to gather in larger groups and certain businesses to operate longer hours.



More relaxed measures will come into force in phases and most virus restrictions will be lifted by the end of January next year, although basic preventive measures, like wearing masks indoors, will stay in effect.



The chilly weather that makes people want to stay more indoors may also help spur the virus surge. Calls for vigilance have grown as many communities are expected to celebrate Halloween over the rest of this week.



Health officials have hinted at speeding up the plan to provide booster shots for vaccinated elderly people and possibly expanding the age groups eligible for vaccination to children under age 12. Details are expected to be announced later in the day.



About 40.97 million people, or 79.8 percent of the country's 52-million population, had received their first COVID-19 vaccine shots as of Wednesday. The number of fully vaccinated people came to 36.97 million, or 72 percent.



Of the locally transmitted cases reported Thursday, Seoul had 788 cases, with the surrounding Gyeonggi Province logging 708 cases and Incheon, west of Seoul, 137 cases.



Sixteen cases came from overseas, putting the cumulative total at 15,040.



The total number of people released from quarantine after making full recoveries came to 330,853, up by 1,195 from a day earlier, the KDCA said. (Yonhap)


In this 2018 file photo, President Moon Jae-in meets Pope Francis. Captured from the website of Cheong Wa Dae



President Moon Jae-in was set to leave for Italy on Thursday for a meeting with Pope Francis and a G20 summit with other global leaders expected to focus on tackling climate crisis and helping the world end the COVID-19 pandemic.



On Friday, Moon will meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican to discuss peace on the Korean Peninsula and efforts to end the pandemic.



Moon and Pope Francis are expected to exchange their wisdom to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula and resolve pending global issues, such as pandemic, poverty and climate change.



Moon and the pope are "expected to exchange their opinions on ensuring peace between the two Koreas," a senior presidential official said in a briefing to preview the meeting.



The pope has called for peace on the peninsula and expressed a willingness to visit North Korea. Moon and the pope are also expected to discuss a possible visit by the pope to North Korea, according to the official.



On Saturday and Sunday, Moon plans to discuss with other world leaders ways to tackle the climate crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic and how to foster global economic recovery during the G20 summit.



The pandemic and the climate crisis are expected to dominate the G20 summit, as COVID-19 is still undermining a fragile global economic recovery.



After Italy, Moon will visit Glasgow, Scotland, to attend the COP26, a United Nations climate summit, Monday and Tuesday.



Reducing greenhouse gas emissions will be high on the agenda at the U.N. climate talks, where Moon will deliver a keynote speech.



Earlier this month, Moon finalized a decision for South Korea to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent from the 2018 levels by 2030, sharply raising its previous goal as part of efforts to curb the pace of climate change.



Moon also confirmed South Korea will achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, as the nation started tackling the challenge of responding to climate change and attaining sustainable growth simultaneously.



South Korea's decision to reduce emissions will be reported to the COP26 talks, officials said.



On the last leg of the trip, Moon will make a state visit to Hungary on Tuesday.



Hungary erected a monument in memory of the 25 South Koreans killed in the 2019 deadly boat sinking in Budapest. The memorial stone was set up near the accident site in the Danube River, where the Korean tourists aboard a sightseeing boat went missing after the vessel collided with a bigger cruise ship.



On Tuesday, Moon will visit the site and pay tribute to the victims, the presidential office said.



Moon will hold bilateral meetings with Hungarian President Janos Ader and Prime Minister Viktor Orban next Wednesday.



In Budapest on Nov. 4, Moon will hold a summit with the prime ministers of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia in the second summit between South Korea and the so-called Visegrad Group.



The Visegrad Group is the second-largest market in Europe, and the visit is expected to help South Korean firms make inroads into the European market in the fields of electric cars and batteries. (Yonhap)


Korea's Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo, right, and his Cambodian counterpart, Pan Sorasak, on screen, pose after signing the two nations' free trade agreement in a virtual ceremony, Oct. 26. Courtesy of Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy





By Kwon Mee-yoo







Korea and Cambodia inked a free trade agreement (FTA), Oct. 26, paving the way for strengthened ties between the two countries as well as helping the economic recovery from the pandemic.







The signing ceremony was held via videoconferencing amid the COVID-19 situation. Cambodian Minister of Commerce Pan Sorasak expressed regrets over being unable to celebrate the special occasion in person.







"Today's signing will be another milestone in strengthening Korea-Cambodia relations despite the difficult challenges of the pandemic," Minister Pan said during the ceremony.







"It is also the desire of both parties that this collateral FTA will further enhance and deepen the partnership between our two economies by optimizing our regional supply chains in mutually beneficial manners."







The Korea-Cambodia FTA was initiated back in March 2019 when Korean President Moon Jae-in visited Cambodia. After two years of assessment and negotiation, the two countries struck a deal in February 2021.







Under the FTA, Cambodia will remove tariffs on 93.8 percent of products, including Korea's major exports to Cambodia  cars, electronics and computers.







Korea will lift tariffs on 95.6 percent of all imports from Cambodia. Cambodia's main exports to Korea are agricultural and textile products.







Korea already signed an FTA with ASEAN, of which Cambodia is a member, and a Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), but the bilateral FTA is expected to further enhance economic and social cooperation between Korea and Cambodia.







"Once in effect, our bilateral FTA will serve as a solid foundation for strengthening our economic partnership and provide the much needed impetus to expand and intensify supply chains across Korea, Cambodia and the Greater Mekong region," Korea's Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo said.







"The Korea-Cambodia FTA will serve as a highway for economic cooperation, linking our two countries, allowing free and fast movement of goods and people in both directions, paving the way to shared prosperity and ushering in a brighter future through more trade, more investment and closer cooperation."







Cambodian Ambassador to Korea Chring Botum Rangsay / Courtesy of Cambodian Embassy in Korea

The Korea-Cambodia FTA not just strengthens trade and investment, but also opens up other new opportunities for the two countries.







"For Cambodia, we're hoping to promote more trade in terms of agriculture, textile, clothing and manufacturing, and at the same time we hope to get more investment in the area of technology and automobiles so Korea can transfer technology and equipment to Cambodia," Cambodian Ambassador to Korea Chring Botum Rangsay told The Korea Times after the signing ceremony.







"Cambodia and Korea have a strong relationship dating back to the early 2000s. We share that special bond in the connection between people to people and trade exchanges. Now we hope to promote that bond and increase cooperation in terms of trade so that we can give opportunity to strengthen economic wellbeing and help each other during this crisis of the pandemic."







The Korea-Cambodia FTA is the first of its kind to include clauses on continued exchanges during pandemics.







"I think this couldn't have come at a better time. The struggle to overcome the pandemic would give an opportunity for both countries to complement each other and promote economy and trade to move out of the economic crisis that has been posed by the pandemic," Chring said.







"This clause is specifying the solution to overcome this pandemic for both countries, which means that we are putting people and the prosperity of both countries at the top of our priorities."







Ambassador Chring noted that Cambodia looks to boost agricultural exports to Korea.







"In Cambodia, we have all-year-round summer so we can definitely complement fruit and vegetable supplies to Korea during winter at a reasonable price," she said.







The ambassador also emphasized Cambodia as a good place of investment for Korean companies.







"We have a pool of human resources around 30 years old, so that's our strength. The majority of the population are in the working age and they're also very dedicated workers, as Korea has already known. Cambodian migrant workers to Korea are dedicated, hardworking and quick learners. So in that way, we're hoping that Korean investors will look to Cambodia to invest," she said.







"Furthermore, we have a new investment law that provides a lot of incentive for foreign investors. We will have an online forum to discuss the investment law and we are inviting interested parties in Korea to attend this forum."







The Cambodian Embassy in Seoul also plans to host a hybrid forum before the FTA goes into effect in early 2022 to share information about the FTA.


A Hanyang University professor who gave a lecture from a bathtub is captured on video during an online class, Wednesday. Screenshot from SBS



By Lee Hae-rin



A professor at Hanyang University allegedly gave an online class while taking a bath, Wednesday.



The professor, whose name was withheld, was giving an online lecture with only audio available. But the camera was accidentally turned on, revealing his upper body above the waterline to his students, according to local broadcaster SBS.



He switched off the camera immediately and continued giving the lecture. However, the sound of water splashing in the bathtub continued, students told the media outlet.



"It was an utter shock. I came in for a lecture, not for a hot bath. The professor made no comment on the incident and went on with the class as if nothing had happened. But we kept hearing the water splash," one of the students said.



The students suspected that this was not the first time for the professor to give a lecture from the comfort of his bathtub, recalling the sound of water splashing during audio-only online classes before, as well as the fact the professor's voice often echoed, as if he was in a tile-walled bathroom.



The professor sent an email of apology to the students to claim that he had a high fever after receiving the second shot of the COVID-19 vaccine and the "unfortunate event" happened because he was trying his best not to cancel the class.



Hanyang University said it will hold a personnel committee meeting to get to the bottom of the incident and decide whether to take disciplinary action against the professor.



The professor told the school that he had never given a lecture while in the bath previously.






South Korea has found more than two dozen bone fragments presumed to be from troops killed in the 1950-53 Korean War during recent excavation work in a former battle site, the defense ministry said Thursday.







The military has discovered 26 bone pieces and 5,132 articles, including combat gear, in the White Horse Ridge, the site inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas. Many of them are thought to be from fallen South Korean troops, the ministry said.







In September, the ministry launched the excavation work there as part of efforts to fulfill a 2019 inter-Korean military accord, including the joint retrieval project. The South currently conducts the project alone, as the North remains unresponsive to calls to join it.







The ministry said that the Agency for Killed In Action for Recovery and Identification will carry out a DNA analysis to identify the bone pieces.







"(The government) will make its best efforts for excavation in all areas, including the DMZ, until the return of the last solider killed in the Korean War to his family and home country," the ministry said in a press release.







The recovery work in the White Horse Ridge followed the conclusion of the yearslong excavation work at the nearby Arrowhead Ridge in June.







At the Arrowhead Ridge, the military recovered a total of 3,092 bone fragments believed to have belonged to 424 troops killed in action. (Yonhap)






South Korea's Defense Minister Suh Wook held talks with the visiting U.S. secretary of the Navy in Seoul on Thursday to discuss security on the Korean Peninsula, the bilateral alliance and other issues, his ministry said.







The talks between Suh and Secretary Carlos Del Toro came as Seoul and Washington seek to ensure their defense readiness, following a recent series of North Korean missile launches, and advance joint efforts to resume dialogue with Pyongyang.







During the meeting, Del Toro expressed expectation that the U.S. and South Korea will closely work together to ensure stability and prosperity in Northeast Asia and maintain the international order in the Indo-Pacific region, the ministry said.







The secretary also voiced hope that close cooperation between the Navies and Marine Corps of the two countries will help further develop the alliance.







Suh used the meeting to congratulate Del Toro on his inauguration in August and again express Seoul's appreciation for Washington's support for its mission earlier this year to evacuate nearly 400 Afghan co-workers and family members to South Korea.







Del Toro was in Seoul as part of his first overseas trip since he took office. The trip includes visits to Japan and other parts of the Indo-Pacific region. (Yonhap)


Captured image of "Kim Ou-joon's News Factory" / Captured from TBS



By Bahk Eun-ji



The Seoul Metropolitan Government is considering cutting financial support for Traffic Broadcasting System (TBS) next year, following continuous complaints over allegedly politically biased radio programs, especially "Kim Ou-joon's News Factory" hosted by left-wing commentator Kim.



According to city officials, Thursday, the city plans to reduce its financial support to the media outlet by around 10 billion won. It offered 37.5 billion won ($31.9 million) this year, which accounted for 72.8 percent of the radio station's total budget.



TBS started as an affiliate of the city government in 1990, but a separate foundation was established in February last year to manage the station independently. However, TBS is not completely independent financially, as more than 70 percent of its budget comes from the city government.





Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
Former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon speaks to journalists after paying his respects at the funeral altar of late ex-President Roh Tae-woo at Seoul National University Hospital in central Seoul, Oct. 28. Yonhap



Former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday mourned the death of late former President Roh Tae-woo, commending the deceased for his post-Cold War diplomacy and North Korea policy.



Ban paid his respects at the funeral altar for Roh at Seoul National University Hospital in central Seoul earlier in the day. Roh, who served as president from 1988-93, died at age 88 on Tuesday.



"From a career diplomat's point of view, Roh is someone who exponentially broadened the horizon for South Korea's diplomacy," Ban told reporters after his visit to the funeral home. Ban served as the director of the foreign ministry's North America department while Roh was president.



Ban said that it was thanks to Roh's signature Nordpolitik, or Northern Policy, that Seoul forged formal diplomatic ties with more than 40 countries under his presidency, including nations in the communist East-European bloc as well as Cold War enemies, like China.






Ruling Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung purchases persimmons at a traditional market in Gwanak District, Seoul, Wednesday. Joint Press Corps



By Nam Hyun-woo



Ruling Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung stirred controversy with his idea of putting a cap on the number of restaurants in the country, which the main opposition party described as "a totalitarian idea."



During his visit to a traditional market in Gwanak District, Seoul, Wednesday, Lee floated the idea, saying, "I have a thought of running a system that puts a cap on the number of restaurants."



Lee mentioned the idea while expressing concerns over the large number of people opening eateries, only to close them down after failing to make ends meet.



"Though debate is required for this idea, I think the system is necessary," Lee said during a meeting with stall owners at the market. "I wasn't able to introduce the system due to concerns that it could infringe on freedom, but I don't think such a cap is a bad idea  It is not freedom to open restaurants randomly and go broke. Good regulations are needed."



The comment came as the pandemic and country's social distancing measures have been dealing a heavy blow to small stores. According to a report by the Korea Federation of Micro Enterprise, approximately 453,000 self-employed people have closed their small businesses during the 18 months since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in January of last year.









Against this backdrop, the remark is interpreted as showing Lee's concern over the saturation of the country's restaurant industry, but at the same time, it has stirred controversy with some by hinting at stricter government control over free market practices if he is elected president.



As the controversy escalated, Lee's camp explained that the candidate did not mean he would introduce such a system, saying, "He reviewed the feasibility of a restaurant cap system in the past, but he now thinks it would be impossible to introduce it."



On Thursday, Lee also told reporters that he does not mean to introduce the restaurant cap right away when he becomes president, but that there is a need to discuss it.



"Many self-employed choose to open restaurants. Though I'm not sure about the exact number, more than tens of thousands of restaurants open and close every year, so I thought about the system in the past," Lee said. "We have a wrong idea that deregulation solves every problem. It is not freedom to choose anything and fail."



Despite the explanation, the conservative main opposition bloc criticized the idea, saying that it is "a totalitarian" approach.



"It is a totalitarian idea," People Power Party (PPP) presidential contender Yoon Seok-youl wrote on Facebook. "Is Lee saying that the country will design each individual's life? The ruling bloc always highlights the good intentions behind its policies, but never recognizes that these do not necessarily result in a desirable outcome."



PPP presidential contender Hong Joon-pyo wrote on Facebook, "It is an unconstitutional idea that profoundly violates the freedom of business."



People Power Party Chairman Lee Jun-seok speaks during a party meeting at the National Assembly, Thursday. Joint Press Corps
Nguyen Thi Ngoc, also known as Bak Jeong-yeon here, receives this year's Hope Award for Migrant Workers at the Busan Foreign Residents' Center, Oct. 21, for supporting migrant workers. / Courtesy of Hope Center for Migrant Workers



By Lee Hae-rin



Vietnamese interpreter-activist Nguyen Thi Ngoc, also known as Bak Jeong-yeon, received this year's Hope Award for Migrant Workers for her contribution to the settlement and counseling of migrants at the Busan Foreign Residents' Center, Oct. 21. The Hope Center for Migrant Workers, a Seoul-based humanitarian NGO, gives the award to an activist of foreign nationality who has been devoted to migrant labor rights since 2020.



Bak, a marriage migrant here, began Vietnamese-Korean interpretation for migrants here in 2012 at Link, a translation center for foreign nationals. Now she handles 3,000 to 4,000 cases of counseling and interpretation a year concerning labor, health and settlement issues for migrants at the Busan Foreign Residents' Center, while educating foreign workers on how to fight for their rights here.



"When I first came to Korea 13 years ago, I didn't speak Korean at all. I was lucky enough to study Korean for the first two years, but most migrant workers can't. They are far away from their homes and family, as well as alone when in trouble or ill. So I wanted to stay by their side and help in any way that I can," Bak told The Korea Times over the phone, Wednesday.



In 2016, Bak helped to defend a group of Vietnamese fishermen who were accused of murder on a deep-sea fishing vessel and detained under investigation. Through countless visits to a Busan prison, Bak provided a thorough and detailed translation to human rights lawyers in Seoul which proved their innocence.



"I contacted the Vietnamese fishermen repeatedly, via phone calls, letters and prison visits. Sometimes I would bring them books to read and encourage them not to give up. They were from the central region in Vietnam and had a very strong accent. It was difficult to understand at first, but as my visits continued, I was soon able to figure it out," Bak said.



"Ms. Bak Jeong-yeon has greatly contributed to publicizing the issue on migrant fishermen's labor rights and making legal improvements. In several in-depth interviews and investigations of their poor working conditions, Ms. Bak has given us decisive help," read a letter of recommendation by Kim Jong-chul, a human rights lawyer from the humanitarian legal counsel, APIL.



"No matter how hard things get, it's all worth it. Some clients visit or call the center again to tell me that their issues have been solved and to thank me again. A family of this one client sent me a box of Vietnamese treats with a handwritten thank-you letter," Bak said.



"This award could make me look special and unique, but there are a lot of activists who are better than me across the country who are working hard to help migrants," she said.



In her acceptance speech, Oct. 21, Bak thanked her fellow migrants and activists. "This award is for all migrant workers who refuse to tolerate mistreatment and discrimination and reach us for help. I send my words of thanks to my colleagues at the Foreign Resident Center who are always by my side, and many other activists who fight discrimination against migrants. Through their effort, the world is turning into a better place," Bak said.



"I will take this award as an encouraging message from my seniors that I must keep going. I hope that in 10 years, I will stand here again recommending a fellow junior activist," Bak said.


By Kim Jin-heon





This writer has been interested in the life of ancient Sogdians for many years. They accumulated many riches through trade with Rome and Tang, and they built marvelous buildings in Samarkand, Uzbekistan that still exist today. They were especially prosperous from the 4th to the 8th century A.D.





Most Sogdians lived near Samarkand, a small-sized city, as descendants of Iranians. The area was a transportation hub as well as a strategic foothold, linking the East and West, between India and the Steppes region.



These geopolitical traits enticed powerful surrounding countries to conquer the region and have hegemony over it. This kind of history caused the tribe to always be subject to colonization. As a way to survive the situation, Sogdians learned various languages and acquired the traits of many cultures. They were known as outgoing and ambitious.





With the desert and the Silk Road as their main "natural" resources, Sogdians were raised at a young age to be merchants. For example, when boys became five, they began to learn foreign languages with the aim to engage in business.





During the 7th century AD, Tang began to control Samarkand and had hegemony over the area. The prosperous Buddhist culture and powerful nation, whose capital, Xian of over 1 million people, was crowded with foreign deputies and merchants thanks to its various engagements and open-door policy with foreign countries.





Sogdians also succeeded in trading with larger nations and introduced Buddhist culture to them. They had quick mobility and up-to-date information as a result of interacting with various cultures and benefiting from their geographical position. This led them to become skilled traders who delivered a variety of thought between East and West.



The Sogdians were very sociable and lived in residential groups in Tang. They also traded with Shilla, selling various kinds of goods imported from Rome, or other countries. While living with citizens in Kyeongju, they were so well liked that their activities were recorded in a literary work called Cheoyongga (a kind of poem).



Within the Buddhist culture among kings and noblemen of United Shilla, the Sogdian guardian stone statue with its hawk nose and deep-set eyes was erected in front of many kings' tombs as they held the belief that the Sogdian tribe's character would be able to defeat all demons of the underworld and guide the dead to the new world.





Meanwhile, Samarkand, where most Sogdians lived, was the only route for travelers, merchants, or monks when they traveled to India, Rome and Tang. A famous monk named Hyecho visited India by going through Samarkand and wrote a book titled "The Memoir of the Pilgrimage to the Five Regions of India."



In those days, close exchanges with foreigners, including Sogdians, encouraged the conservative country to adapt to international culture. Such an open-minded attitude led architects in Shilla to build world class cultural icons such as the Seokguram Grotto, the Bulguk Temple, and Cheomseongdae(observatory).





The writer is an English teacher at Chung-mu High School in South Jeolla Province.


By James M. Dorsey





The Taliban and Pakistan, both viewed warily by the West and others in the international community, appear to be benefitting from mounting concerns about the humanitarian and security situation in Afghanistan.



The European Union, in a move that could put the United States in an awkward position, is close to reopening its mission in the Afghan capital and offering member states to use it as an operational base for their own diplomats.



The move would enhance European engagement of the Taliban but stop short of diplomatically recognizing the group as Afghanistan's new rulers. The Taliban government has yet to win recognition from anyone in the international community.



The EU, its member states, and the United States had moved their diplomatic missions to the Qatari capital of Doha in August as they evacuated Kabul in the wake of the Taliban takeover of the city.



European officials said a reopening of the EU mission was necessary to manage a 1 billion euro emergency humanitarian aid package.



The United Nations' World Food Program (WFP) and its Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said this week that some 19 million Afghans, or 45 percent of the population, were experiencing "high levels of food insecurity." That number is expected to jump to 22.8 million between November and March unless immediate action is taken, according to a report that was just released by the two agencies.



Senior United Nations officials, including Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said earlier that 1 million children were at risk of starvation and death. They said Afghanistan's poverty rate had soared and basic public services were on the verge of collapse. The crisis was worsened by the fact that hundreds of thousands of people had been made homeless as a result of recent fighting in the country.



A reopening of the EU mission in Kabul would effectively align Europe with U.S. allies Qatar and Turkey, Pakistan, a troublesome friend, and America's rivals, China and Russia that all favor some degree of engagement with the Taliban and in most cases a lifting of U.S. sanctions that have blocked the group's access to government deposits and assets abroad.



China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in his first meeting with the Taliban since the U.S. withdrawal, in Doha on Tuesday, called for the lifting of the sanctions, and pledged to help the group to "rebuild the country." China has repeatedly said it was willing to work with the Taliban but has so far refrained from taking concrete steps in that direction.



The reopening of the EU mission serves the Taliban's purpose not only as a breach in the group's difficulty in garnering international acceptance but also because it would extend doubts about the United States' "over the horizon" counterterrorism strategy to the humanitarian and diplomatic realm.



The withdrawal from Afghanistan deprived the United States and its NATO allies of many of their on-the-ground intelligence and information-collection assets. It also means that U.S. drones and aircraft when operating counterterrorism missions will have to fly long distances from "over the horizon" facilities such as a U.S. airbase in Qatar or naval vessels in Indo-Pacific waters.



One beneficiary of cracks in the international barrier erected around the Taliban may be Pakistan that has long been criticized for its alleged support of the Taliban.



Pakistan is like to earn brownie points for reportedly giving the Taliban intelligence and technical support in its fight against the Islamic State's South Asian affiliate, Islamic State-Khorasan. Much of the international community is concerned about the Islamic State but has been unwilling to engage with the Taliban to counter the jihadist group.



The Islamic State has since August launched scores of attacks on Taliban targets although its three most devastating bombings struck Kabul airport in August during the U.S. evacuation and more recently two Shiite mosques in Kunduz and Kandahar. In doing so, the Islamic State has raised doubts about the ability of the Taliban to stabilize Afghanistan.



Pakistan would likely use a successful Taliban offensive against the jihadist group to push the need for others to also engage with the Taliban.



Pakistan and some other proponents of engagement partly pin their hopes for Taliban moderation on the fact that the group is increasingly populated by a generation that came of age during the U.S.-led occupation but has yet to make its mark.



"Routinely portrayed as archaic and extreme by critics and opponents, the new generation of Taliban are in fact a product of their times: more open to the prospect of gradual social change than their forebears yet politically more militant; English-speaking but mistrustful of the West; well-read yet wary of free expression; keen to help their country move forward but defined by its past," said Afghan journalist Fazelminallah Qazizai.



Qazizai could well be correct. If he is, the Taliban have so far been unwilling to communicate unequivocally what their 2.0 means. Pledges on women's rights, including secondary and tertiary education, have yet to be fulfilled.



The Taliban botched an opportunity to inspire confidence when the leader of the notorious Haqqani network, acting Afghan Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, recently convened family members of Taliban suicide bombers to celebrate the actions of their loved ones.



Rather than apologizing to the victims, Haqqani, who has a $10 million bounty on his head because of his close ties to al-Qaida, told the gathering in Kabul's Intercontinental Hotel that was twice targeted by the group that the bombers' "sacrifices are for religion, for the country and for Islam." He said the Taliban would not have been able to fight the United States without the support of suicide bombers.



Haqqani may well have been catering to the Taliban's rank and file in a bid to prevent those who may object to gradual social change from defecting to the Islamic State.



If so, Haqqani was also communicating that the Taliban may for now be in a catch-22 as they walk a fine line between maintaining some semblance of unity within their ranks and garnering the minimal international confidence needed to address Afghanistan's huge humanitarian and security problems.





Dr. James M. Dorsey (jamesmdorsey@substack.com) is an award-winning journalist and scholar and a senior fellow at the National University of Singapore's Middle East Institute.


By Tom Purcell





Halloween was fun while it lasted.



For decades it has been the one day of the year we could all forget our worries and live in the moment.



When I was a kid in the 1970s, Halloween was for kids.



As the weather became chilly and the leaves turned brilliant colors, we knew our annual candy haul would happen soon.



We didn't put much effort into our costumes  any old sheet could be converted into a ghost outfit  but planning our trick-or-treat route took hours.



Since our parents wouldn't let us begin trick or treating until it got dark out  and since we had to be home before 8 p.m.  Tommy Guillen and I refined our routes every year with the intensity of logistics executives.



We'd hit the well-to-do homes on the other side of the railroad tracks first.



Those people gave away full-size delicacies, including Hershey's, Nestle Crunch, Milk Duds, Almond Joy, Snickers, Milky Way, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and my favorite, the Mallow Cup.



The only downside with well-to-do people was that, because their homes are farther apart, we had to travel a greater distance to earn that name-brand candy.



We'd then return to our own neighborhood of modest homes and then hit the small post-WWII ranch homes a few blocks away.



The wonderful people who lived in those houses had only one minor flaw: They favored the budget-conscious, locally made Clark Bar, which was made of peanut-butter taffy and a chocolate coating.



As an adult, I love Clark Bars and love that they are still being made 104 years after they were launched. But as a kid, they weren't as valuable to me. I'd have to trade 10 of them to get a single Reese's Peanut Butter Cup.



I'm incredibly nostalgic about my old trick-or-treating days.



To this day, when I enjoy an occasional candy bar, the taste immediately transports me back to 1972 and the wonderful memory of arriving home with a pillowcase full of sugary loot, my feet raw from the effort.



Here's why I am especially nostalgic about my childhood Halloween memories: it was a time when kids were free to be kids  free to explore, create and blossom  completely unburdened by the worries of the adult world.



In 1972, the Watergate scandal was in full swing, Bloody Friday bombs were exploding in Belfast and the last U.S. ground troops were being withdrawn from Vietnam.



But as those and other awful experiences played out in the wide cruel world, we kids were free to completely immerse ourselves in our innocent and uncomplicated Halloween traditions.



In recent years adults have grown to enjoy Halloween.



Until recently, it was the one day when they, too, could dress up in ridiculous costumes  costumes that often satirized current events or mocked people in the news in very funny ways  and really let themselves have fun.



But now, thanks to the fun-crushing power of social media, those days are over, too.



Politics has infused itself into every waking moment of our lives, including Halloween.



Some schools are canceling Halloween parties and parades. The media offer guidance on what costumes are politically and socially unacceptable.



Everyone is on guard, worried that he or she may be recorded doing or saying something politically incorrect that inadvertently offends somebody else.



It's become a very bad idea to let yourself have too much fun, or one too many adult beverages, at a Halloween gathering.



As I said, our Halloween fun was good while it lasted.





Tom Purcell (Tom@TomPurcell.com) is an author and humor columnist for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. His article was distributed by Cagle Cartoons Inc.


Time to focus on improving income, welfare benefits



The number of irregular workers, including day laborers, part-timers and outsourced workers, totaled about 8.06 million in August, according to Statistics Korea. There were 6.57 million irregular workers in 2017 when the Moon Jae-in administration took office, but the number has swollen by 1.5 million over four years. Considering that one of the government's key policies was turning irregular workers into regular employees, the results are somewhat paradoxical. The total number of wage earners also increased 540,000 this year, but the share of irregular workers rose 2.1 percentage points from last year to 38.4 percent.



Thanks to the government's aggressive push to convert part-time workers into full-time employees, more than 200,000 public-sector workers saw their wages and welfare benefits improve. However, this only resulted in money from taxes being funneled into securing their employment. Private-sector employers were less than enthusiastic about changing the status of their irregular workers to regular ones from the start. Moreover, the steep rise in the minimum wage and the outbreak of COVID-19 forced many employers to trim payrolls. The statistical agency's latest report shows the result.



All of this reveals the limitations of the government's taxpayer-funded job-creation policy. Policymakers should figure out why the private sector avoids hiring regular workers. Given that individual companies' employment environments vary widely depending on their corporate characteristics, eliminating irregular workers is neither possible nor even reasonable. If the government keeps pushing to remove irregular workers without rectifying the job market's dual structure, it could further fuel polarization among salaried employees. Nothing displays this better than the gap of 1.56 million won ($1,330) between the monthly pay of regular and irregular workers in the previous quarter, the widest since 2004.



The Moon government should not adhere to increasing the number of regular workers but switch to a policy of narrowing the gap in pay and other benefits between regular and irregular workers. The problems to address are how to provide more decent jobs and improve the work environment for low-wage workers. The administration, of course, needs to tackle the problem of irregular workers' job insecurity, however, it should solve this by strengthening vocational training and policies to incentivize employers to keep employees on the payroll, while expanding the social safety net.


Deregulation, innovation key to sustainable growth



A private think tank has warned that Korea's economic growth could come to a halt within a decade from now. The Korea Economic Research Institute (KERI) said in a report released Wednesday that a low-growth trend has already become the norm due to the country losing its economic vitality.



KERI said that major economic indicators related to production, consumption and investment have been deteriorating over the past 10 years. The economy grew by 6.8 percent in 2010, but suffered a contraction of 0.9 percent last year. Private consumption contracted 5 percent in 2020 compared with 4.4 percent growth a decade ago. Exports also shrank 1.8 percent against a 13 percent rise in 2010.



It appears somewhat irrelevant to compare the current economic situation to that of 2010, as South Korea is still grappling with the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, the country could not have avoided the overall low-growth trend, if not a recession, even without the pandemic. Therefore it can be said that the public health crisis has only added insult to injury.



More seriously, the potential growth rate  a measure of the growth capacity of an economy  has recently dropped to 2.2 percent from 8.3 percent before the 1997 Asian financial crisis. KERI said the rate has fallen by 1 percentage point every five years since the late 1990s, adding that the rate is likely to slide further to near zero within 10 years.



No one wants to see such a gloomy outlook turn into reality. But it is difficult to rule out the possibility of Korea lapsing into a long-term economic stagnation resembling the "Lost Decades" of Japan. That's why the country should mobilize all possible means to expand its economic potential to maintain growth momentum. Otherwise, we cannot achieve sustainable growth.



Now, the Moon Jae-in administration should admit its economic failure. President Moon's "income-led" growth policy has seen little progress in reviving the economy. He has only focused on increasing the minimum wage sharply, hoping that increases in income would expand private consumption, the production of goods and then investment. But the government has failed to create such a virtuous cycle. The spread of the coronavirus has aggravated the situation. Moon must scrap his ill-conceived policies, and instead push for deregulation and encourage innovation to revitalize the economy. He must take bolder action before it is too late, as his presidency ends next May.



We also call on presidential contenders of the ruling and opposition parties to present policy visions aimed at speeding up an economic recovery and boosting growth potential. For whoever wins the March 9 presidential election, the top priority will be to create more jobs, encourage corporate investment and explore new growth engines. However, it is disappointing to see most presidential aspirants engaging in partisan struggles and smear campaigns without paying much attention to the important economic issues that could improve the people's livelihoods.


By Casey Lartigue Jr.





I remember laughing out loud a few years ago when a freelance reporter called to interview me about a "cottage industry" of North Korean refugee activists. They may look organized to professional talkers, but anyone working with North Korean refugee organizations knows almost all of them are poorly funded one-man operations.



I have also heard the accusation that North Korean refugees rush to give speeches and publish books so they can make money, as if the 2.5 million people (including self-publishers) who publish books in the USA every year weren't thinking about financial gain.



Let's look at the points about a cottage industry of North Korean refugees cashing in and being funded to attack North Korea.



Almost 34,000 North Korean refugees have escaped to South Korea since the late 1990s. What has been the yield of the alleged "cottage industry?" Less than 20 North Korean refugees have published books.



I will generously round up the number to 30, in case I have overlooked some. That generous projection would mean that .09 percent of North Korean refugees who have escaped to South Korea in the last two decades have published books. Whichever well-funded government agency or think tank that is engaging potential North Korean refugee authors apparently has been wasting a lot of money.



How much of a rush were those North Korean refugees to publish books? On average, it has taken North Korean refugee authors a decade to publish their books after arriving in South Korea. Lee Sung-ju escaped from North Korea and arrived in South Korea in 2002 and he published his book 14 years later. Lee Hyeon-seo escaped from North Korea in 1997, arrived in South Korea in 2008 and published her book in 2015. Park Yeon-mi escaped from North Korea in 2007, arrived in South Korea in 2009 and published her book in 2015. Fireball activist Lee Ae-ran arrived here in 1997 and she published her book 16 years later. Jang Yeong-jin escaped across the DMZ in 1997 and he published his book 18 years later.



The exceptions are Shin Dong-hyuk, who published the Korean version of his book after being in South Korea for only a year or two, and Thae Yong-ho, the former North Korean diplomat who published his book in Korean after being in South Korea for only two years.



Other fantastic potential authors are still fantastic potential authors. To cite three I know: Jung Yu-na escaped to South Korea in 2006, Cherie Yang escaped to the USA in 2007, Park Eun-hee escaped to South Korea in 2012. They have all been on TV, host popular YouTube channels, and have been encouraged by fans and friends to write books. For various reasons, they haven't joined that alleged cottage industry constantly growing in the heads of experts.



And what about those "defector-run associations" getting funding from governments and foreign sources? In 2016, a few volunteers with my volunteer association attempted to put together a database of North Korean refugee organizations. It was difficult even tracking down some of them. Just two years later when new volunteers checked again, many of those organizations, associations and projects had already shut down or downsized to the point of being irrelevantand that was before COVID.



What about North Korean refugee activism overall? Sokeel Park of LiNK has been quoted as saying that 1 percent of North Korean refugees were engaged in activism.?Out of 34,000 people, that would mean about 340 North Korean refugee activists. And I have my doubts about that number.



The North Korean refugee I am co-authoring a book with now may one day get lumped in as an activist, even though she isn't. Han Song-mi has a poignant, brutally honest, and yet hilarious human-interest story that can inspire other humans who aren't the least bit interested in North Korea's politics or dictatorship.



I am usually on safe ground when I challenge the critics: Please send me an article, paper or speech where you have psychoanalyzed the North Korean regime or played your connect-the-dots games about the funding sources of you and your peers the way you analyze North Korean refugees. They focus on a handful of North Korean refugees, but ignore or downplay the gangster state they escaped from that threatens or destroys entire families. Unfortunately, many North Korean refugees remain silent because of the possible retaliation to their families by the regime.



So whatever happened to the freelancer making the charge of a cottage industry of North Korean refugees? I heard that he recently accepted a fellowship, paid for by Google. If a North Korean refugee had a similar opportunity to get funded to develop a podcast, newsletters, and other niche products, courtesy of Google, he might dust off his accusation of exaggerating a cottage industry for another article or book.





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).


Naver CEO Han Seong-sook is expected to resign and accept a new post in Europe, after serving more than four years as the CEO. Korea Times file



IT giant sets eyes on overseas market amid tightening regulations



By Yi Whan-woo



Despite denials, sources and officials didn't rule out the possibility of the country's dominant web portal Naver replacing Han Seong-sook as its CEO amid the government's continued crackdown on big tech companies.



On Wednesday afternoon, Naver said reports that Han offered to resign from the top position were "groundless." But the company added, "We're in the process of reviewing various scenarios."



Because Naver is facing multiple challenges regarding the validity of its business structure, sources and officials involved with the issue said the company is inclined to appoint a younger chief executive.



"The essence of the company's management change is the naming of a younger new leader and letting that person handle the overhaul process," Lee Hae-jin, Naver's founder and chief investment officer, said in a message to employees in June.



Investors said the government's tightening control over big tech companies will force Naver to constrain its corporate expansion. Naver and Kakao are the prime targets of lawmakers and government officials for their aggressive expansions into markets that overlap with mom-and-pop stores.



Overhaul



Officials and reports say the current CEO will be assigned to manage Naver's business strategies in Europe. The sources went on to say that the selection of Han's replacement would only mark the beginning of a leadership overhaul, possibly at the end of this year.



Naver is said to have formed a taskforce to come up with an ideal management structure centering on the reshuffle of its top four executives. The four are Han, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Park Sang-jin, Chief Communication and Culture Officer (CCO) Chae Sun-joo and Chief Operating Officer (COO) Choi In-hyuk.



"The Naver board of directors reckon the four executives have been sparing no effort and made remarkable achievements," said Board Chairman Byun Dae-gyu, who initiated the idea of launching a taskforce.



However, Byun said the company has grown too big and that the speed and complexity of its sprawling business structure have grown beyond the capacity of the four executives.



"Such challenges bring the need for an innovation-inspired working environment and faster communication channels through a new leadership structure," Byun said.





Naver is anticipated to capitalize on its Smart Store service to expand into Europe's ecommerce market. Korea Times file
Students take part in an online class offering science education hosted by the BMW Korea Future Foundation in this provided photo. Courtesy of BMW Korea



By Kim Bo-eun



BMW Korea said Thursday it is seeking to offer a new model for multinational companies' corporate social responsibility efforts here.



The carmaker established the BMW Korea Future Foundation in July 2011. Marking its 10th anniversary, BMW is seeking to engage in activities with greater positive social impact. This is centered on training young students to help them discover interest in the sciences and possibly become innovators in the automotive sector.



This year, it launched a new program for high school and college students, which provides automotive training. Participants are able to learn about BMW's advanced technology in the program.



BMW initiated the program in April at Gyeonggi Automotive Science High School and over 500 students have taken part in the program since.



BMW said it plans to offer the program via both online and offline mediums to enable more students to take part.



The foundation also launched an online class for younger students. This is a live online version of BMW Korea's "Junior Campus" program, where a BMW truck renovated into a science lab travels to elementary schools across the country to provide science classes to students.



The online class was initiated amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which made it difficult for the truck to physically travel to schools and offer classes in person.



The first online class was offered in September for 136 students at three schools on Jindo Island in South Jeolla Province. The class seeks to teach students scientific principles and students can also design their own eco-friendly vehicle.



A total of 144,000 children have taken part in the program in the last decade. The vehicle has traveled more than 122,000 kilometers over this period.



BMW is also preparing to launch another project, which centers on using electric vehicle batteries as energy storage systems (ESS). The carmaker is seeking to use ESS to provide electricity for environment-related events, the underprivileged and disaster-stricken areas.



The BMW Korea Future Foundation is the first non-profit foundation of a foreign carmaker to be set up here. In the past decade, a total of 215,000 recipients were provided training or received other forms of assistance via the organization. The foundation made donations amounting to 23.7 billion won as of 2020.


Fair Trade Commission (FTC) Chairperson Joh Sung-wook speaks during a policy briefing before the press at the Government Complex in Sejong, Wednesday. Yonhap



Watchdog to enhance regulations on travel sector in lead-up to 'Living with COVID-19'



By Yi Whan-woo



The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) has reaffirmed that it will complete its reviews of two pending mega deals  Korean Air's takeover of Asiana Airlines and Hyundai Heavy Industries' (HHI) acquisition of Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME)  by the end of this year.



The commitment, made by FTC Chairperson Joh Sung-wook during a media briefing, Wednesday, is seen as a bid to highlight its central role and urge antitrust regulators of the involved countries to act correspondingly to finalize the two deals that have been delayed longer than expected.



The FTC's approval in these two pending deals is a prerequisite for relevant ministries and state-run institutions here to proceed with mergers that are anticipated to reshape related industries in and outside of Korea.



"We'll work cooperate with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport regarding the Korean Air-Asiana Airlines takeover so that we can have our review ready for approval by the end of the year," Cho said.



She noted the FTC and the ministry signed a memorandum of understanding, Monday, for cooperation in the "speedy review of the deal and measures to prevent a possible monopoly that could be caused through the deal."



The 1.8 trillion won ($1.6 billion) takeover of financially-troubled Asiana Airlines by Korean Air will give birth to one of the world's 10 biggest airlines.



The sensitive nature of the deal was behind the postponement of the antitrust review after Korean Air announced the takeover plan in November 2020.



"Cooperation with the ministry is therefore needed to take into account the special circumstances of the airline industry and come up with relevant measures for fair competition," Cho said.



Ko Byung-hee, a senior FTC official who accompanied Cho during the briefing, said, "The FTC's reaffirmation to complete the review should be interpreted as a message for overseas antitrust regulators to hurry up, as we're doing our job."



Korean Air's acquisition of Asiana Airlines is mandated to receive approval from a total of nine antitrust authorities around the world. Three have given the green light so far  Turkey, Taiwan and Thailand  while six others  Korea, the United States, the European Union, China, Japan and Vietnam  have not made decisions yet.



Regarding the progress of the HHI-DSME deal, Cho said that it is "at the final stage" and that the FTC was "monitoring the situation." It has been postponed for two and half years, after HHI signed the deal with the state-run Korea Development Bank, the main creditor of DSME, to buy a 55.72 percent stake in the shipbuilder, which had been mired in a severe cash shortage since 1999.



Of the six remaining authorities  Korea, the EU, China, Japan, Singapore and Kazakhstan  EU approval is seen as especially crucial to wrapping up the deal, as a huge chunk of customers for the two Korean shipbuilders are European shipping firms.



"And our finding shows that the EU will resume its review process shortly," Cho said, noting that the EU review has been pending for months. "Based on such circumstances, we'll make sure to complete the review on our side by the end of this year."



The policy briefing dealt with the FTC's enforcement of regulations on the travel industry, in the lead-up to the "Living with COVID-19" policy beginning in November.



The travel sector faces a spike in pent-up demand, as the country prepares to return to normalcy, and in return, is being exposed to unfair business activities by online accommodation agencies that can abuse their market positions as platform operators.



Cho said that the FTC will make sure accommodation platform operators will not abuse a clause known as the "most-favored nation," in accordance with an order given by the commission in March.



Under the clause, partner hotels are not allowed offer lower prices on other platforms.



The platform operators were accused of exposing some hotels higher in search results after receiving advertising fees from them.






From left, Habitat for Humanity Korea Chairman Yoon Hyung-joo, Daewoo E&C CEO Kim Hyung, Vietnam Ambassador to Korea Nguyen Vu Tung and Wono Temple monk Thic Tuong Thang pose for a photo after signing a four-way MOU to launch a project for constructing temporary housing facilities for Vietnamese nationals residing in Korea, at the Vietnam Embassy in Seoul. Courtesy of Daewoo E&C
In this Oct. 9 file photo, Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen speaks during national day celebrations in front of the Presidential Palace in Taipei. AFP-Yonhap



Taiwan's president says she has "faith" the United States would defend the island against a Chinese attack, as Beijing and Washington trade barbs over Taipei's place on the global stage.



Tsai Ing-wen also confirmed for the first time that US troops were training Taiwanese forces on the island in an interview with CNN broadcast Wednesday  an initiative first confirmed to AFP by a Pentagon official earlier this month.



The comments from Tsai came after US President Joe Biden rebuked Beijing over its actions near Taiwan at a virtual East Asia summit attended by China's premier.



The two world powers had already faced off over Taiwan's involvement with the United Nations, with Washington saying it should be better integrated into the world body for "pragmatic" purposes  and Beijing saying it has no right to join.



The latest statements by Beijing, Washington and Taipei add to an escalation of diplomatic rhetoric and military posturing over the self-governing island of 23 million people.



China considers Taiwan  where nationalist forces fled in 1949 after losing a civil war to the communists  to be a province awaiting reunification, by force if necessary.



In the interview with CNN that was conducted on Tuesday, when asked if she was confident that the United States would help defend Taiwan if necessary against China, Tsai replied: "I do have faith."



She highlighted the "wide range of cooperation with the US aiming at increasing our defense capability," including the US military training of Taiwanese forces.





U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks during a virtual U.S.-Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in the South Court Auditorium of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building near the White House in Washington, D.C., Oct. 26. UPI-Yonhap



'Reduce misunderstanding'



China is regularly setting records with its numerous warplane flights near the island.



At the East Asia summit, attended by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Biden said the United States was "deeply concerned by China's coercive and proactive actions... across the Taiwan Strait."



Such actions "threaten regional peace and stability," Biden told the closed-door session, according to a recording of his remarks obtained by AFP.



Biden last week told a televised forum that the United States was ready to defend Taiwan from any Chinese invasion.



Those comments were quickly walked back by the White House amid warnings from Beijing, continuing a strategy of ambiguity on whether it would intervene militarily if China attacked.



Tsai told CNN that despite China's aggressive posturing, she is willing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in order to "reduce misunderstanding" and address the differences in their political systems.



"We can sit down and talk about our differences, and try to make arrangements so that we will be able to co-exist peacefully," she said.





In this Aug. 27 file photo provided by U.S. Coast Guard, Legend-class U.S. Coast Guard National Security Cutter Munro (WMSL 755) transits the Taiwan Strait during a routine transit with Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd (DDG 100). AP-Yonhap




The Huawei exhibition section is seen at the 18th Optics Valley of China International Optoelectronic Exposition and Forum in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Thursday. Xinhua-Yonhap




A global parts and chip shortage is taking a heavy toll on Japanese firms with seven out of eight automakers seeing global output drop in September, casting doubt over the central bank's view the impact of supply constraints will be temporary.





Toyota Motor said on Thursday it saw global output slump 39.1% in September from a year earlier to 512,765 units, marking the second straight month of falls.





Nissan Motor's global output fell for the third straight month by 27.9% in September, while that of Honda Motor dropped for a four month in a row, by 30%, data released by the automakers showed.





The output cuts by the automakers are starting to affect suppliers including Hitachi, which on Wednesday slightly slashed its consolidated operating profit forecast for the current fiscal year ending in March 2022.





"The impact of (chips shortages) likely was stronger in the third quarter than in the second quarter," Hitachi's chief financial officer Yoshihiko Kawamura told a news conference.





Electric equipment maker Canon Inc also cut its 2021 operating profit estimate by 11 billion yen ($97 million) to 272 billion yen as the cost of procuring parts rose and as factory disruptions in Southeast Asia, caused by COVID-19, hit sales.





With many Asian countries seeing infection numbers fall, some analysts expect supply constraints to ease in coming months. Toyota expects global output to recover to around 850,000-900,000 units in November.





But the output disruptions may deal a severe blow to Japan's economy, which has relied on exports to offset the weakness in consumption as the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic lingers.





The Bank of Japan cut this year's economic growth forecast in a quarterly report on Thursday, citing weak consumption and supply constraints.





But it raised its growth forecast for next fiscal year and described the slowdown in exports and output as "temporary."



Still, the central bank warned of the risk the economy could "worsen further" if supply bottlenecks last longer than expected or if the damage they cause grows.





(AFP)








Extension Agent FCS and 4-H/Youth Development Glacier County Montana State University Extension Glacier County, Cut Bank, MT Brief Position Overview

This position is located in Cut Bank, MT. Extension Agent FCS and 4-H/Youth Development Glacier County The primary areas of focus for the agent in this full-time position will be to provide leadership and educational programming in the disciplines of Family and Consumer Sciences and 4-H/Youth Development, with secondary focus on Community Development. The Glacier County Extension Office is staffed by one other Extension Agent who serves as the Agriculture and Natural Resources and 4-H/Youth Development Agent. We seek individuals who work professionally and effectively with diverse individuals, foster and maintain effective interpersonal relationships, exhibit excellent written and verbal communication skills and have the ability to contribute positively to the academic success of students and the mission of Montana State University. Benefits Eligible Salary commensurate with experience, education, and qualifications County Profile Glacier County is located on the northwest edge of the Golden Triangle area of Montana. Cut Bank is the county seat and has a population of 3,019 according to 2020 U.S. Census estimates. Total county population, according to that same estimate, is 13,594. Other towns and communities in Glacier County include Browning, East Glacier Park and Babb. Cut Bank is located approximately 50 miles east of Glacier National Park and sits about 100 miles northwest of Great Falls. Primary industries in Glacier County include agriculture, tourism, oil and gas exploration/production, and government employment. A large portion of the county is comprised of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and the east half of Glacier National Park. There are seven Hutterite Colonies in the county. The Glacier County 4-H program has 73 youth members, 22 adult volunteers, and four organized clubs. There is an Extension Office on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Browning that serves an additional eight 4-H clubs. In addition to this position, Glacier County Extension is staffed with an Agriculture and 4-H/Youth Development Extension Agent. Duties and Responsibilities Develop, plan, implement, facilitate, and evaluate successful, research-based educational programs in Family and Consumer Sciences, 4-H Youth Development, and Community Development that result in positive community impacts.

Strengthen the impact and scope of the Family and Consumer Science and Community Development programs across Glacier County.

Share leadership for the Glacier County 4-H program and office administrative duties with the Agriculture and 4-H/Youth Development Agent.

Recruit, educate, train, develop, and recognize youth and adult 4-H volunteer leaders.

Collaborate with local Extension staff and stakeholder groups to conduct continuous needs assessments in Family and Consumer Sciences, 4-H/Youth Development, and Community Development to inform programming priorities in Glacier County.

Embrace a team approach to planning, developing, and implementing the overall MSU Extension program in Glacier County.

Build and maintain collaborative working relationships with the county commission and appropriate individuals, groups, boards, agencies, and organizations to leverage educational programming in Glacier County.

Bachelors Degree and relevant work experience in Family and Consumer Science, Youth Development, Human Development, Education, or other closely related field.

Success in providing innovative and effective leadership to educational programming relating to youth development and/or family consumer sciences.

Demonstrated ability to evaluate needs and plan, implement, facilitate, teach, and evaluate educational programs.

Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and effectively with individuals, groups, and community organizations representing a wide variety of youth and adult audiences

Masters degree.

Demonstrated ability to work with volunteers to implement effective programs.

Demonstrated ability to facilitate groups and help them find constructive solutions to local identified issues.

Extension experience.

Possess excellent human relation skills.

Demonstrate a high level of professionalism and the ability to work effectively with other staff members.

Demonstrate evidence of good judgment, flexibility, and innovation to respond to changing needs of people in Glacier County.

Be able to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.

Possess a familiarity with multi-cultural and different socioeconomic audiences, an interest in working with people from diverse backgrounds, and a commitment to the principles of diversity.

Be dedicated to supporting and enhancing Montana State Universitys initiative for diversity, equity and inclusiveness. Required Qualifications Preferred Qualifications The Successful Candidate Will Position Special Requirements This position, if filled at the Masters degree level, will be tenure-track. A successful candidate without a Masters degree will be required to complete their Masters degree, in a program area relevant to their Extension position, within six (6) years of their start date. Failure to do so may result in termination. Must possess currently or be eligible to obtain a valid State of Montana Drivers license and have an acceptable driving record (less than 12 points), or have other reliable means of transportation. Must have access to a vehicle to use for work (mileage will be reimbursed), and have minimum vehicle liability insurance. Do NOT send a copy of the drivers license. This job description should not be construed as an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities or requirements, but a general description of the job. Nothing contained herein restricts Montana State Universitys rights to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. Please note - for this position - Five (5) references have been requested. Diversity Statement Montana State University values diverse perspectives and is committed to continually supporting, promoting and building an inclusive and culturally diverse campus environment. MSU recognizes the importance of work-life integration and strives to be responsive to the needs of dual career couples. Montana State University is committed to providing a working and learning environment free from discrimination. As such, the University does not discriminate in the admission, access to or conduct of its educational programs and activities nor in its employment policies and practices on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, creed, service in the uniformed services (as defined in state and federal law), veteran status, gender, age, political beliefs, marital or family status, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, genetic information, gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation or preference. In support of the Universitys mission to be inclusive and diverse, applications from qualified minorities, women, veterans and persons with disabilities are highly encouraged. Montana State University makes accommodation for any known disability that may interfere with an applicants ability to compete in the hiring process or an employees ability to perform the duties of the job. To request an accommodation, contact the Human Resources Office, PO Box 172520, Montana State University, Bozeman MT 59717-2520; 406-994-3651; recruitment@montana.edu . In compliance with the Montana Veterans Employment Preference Act, MSU provides preference in employment to veterans, disabled veterans, and certain eligible relatives of veterans. To claim veterans preference please complete the veterans preference information located in the Demographics section of your profile. MSUs Non-Discrimination Policy and Discrimination Grievance Procedures can be located on the MSU Website: www2.montana.edu/policy/affirmative_action/ . Click the Apply button in this posting to be directed to the official Montana State University Extension posting and complete the application. Screening of applications will begin on December 1, 2021 however, applications will continue to be accepted until an adequate applicant pool has been established. Montana State University values diverse perspectives and is committed to continually supporting, promoting and building an inclusive and culturally diverse campus environment. MSU recognizes the importance of work-life integration and strives to be responsive to the needs of dual career couples.

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AI/ML - Software Engineer, On-Device Machine Learning Profiling Platform Seattle , Washington , United States Machine Learning and AI Summary

Posted: Oct 26, 2021 Weekly Hours: 40 Role Number: 200304741 Apple's Machine Learning and AI team transform every Apple product and because we fully integrate hardware and software, we can collaborate to deliver amazing experiences while protecting user data. The On-Device ML-Model Profiling team is looking for a strong software engineer to help build and enhance Apple's platform for profiling on-device machine learning models. This platform provides critical insights into the runtime, memory usage, power consumption, and numerical accuracy of models running on-device. Our team's objective is to empower model developers to understand these performance characteristics of their models, and to better-design those models to perform on Apple hardware. It is also our objective to provide end-to-end validation and A/B testing to developers of inference compilers and runtimes at Apple. Our team is solving challenges of measuring performance in an ever-evolving landscape of hardware and software, interpreting and representing those measurements to users of our platform. In this role you will write code that runs on-device to measure performance statistics, develop for a database-backed service, work with UX Research and Design, develop our web user interface, and interact with the Apple engineers that use our platform. This platform is a critical part of developing high-quality on-device ML models at Apple and developing a high-quality inference stack for them to run on. Your work here will impact all on-device machine learning models that run on Apple hardware, both first party and third party. Key Qualifications Excellent programming, problem solving, and debugging skills

Excellent customer support and communications

Creative, collaborative, and product-focused Description In this role, your day-to-day responsibilities will include: - Designing and developing Web UI, client API, and web service components, On-device profiling protocols, Data schemas, Testing infrastructure - Supporting the operations of the platform (during business hours only, no off-hours on-call!) - Supporting our internal users' questions and bug reports - Collaborating across teams to align our feature set with the needs of the teams depending on us, and to motivate development by the teams we depend on. Technologies we use include: Python, Django, Javascript, VueJs, and Splunk. Education & Experience Strong computer science fundamentals required - no matter how you got them. Additional Requirements Experience in designing and building web-based services

Proficiency in Python

Experience with Apple-specific on-device performance markers and tools

Experience developing neural networks

Front-end development experience






Bitnomics Review  Is it an easy solution to buy and sell crypto?

About Bitnomics

Bitnomics is a reliable cryptocurrency exchange platform in a world of digital assets that continues to grow. Offering attractive crypto rates and fast transaction processing, the company has been in the market for more than two years and has a solid customer base that exchanges crypto regularly.

Alt-text: Bitnomics exchange logoSource: bitnomics.coBitcoin remains the most valuable token, and at the time of writing, trades close at an all-time high. Now that both retail and institutional players are heavily involved, services such as the ones provided by Bitnomics are critical. Many people complain that exchanges fail to stand up to the occasion. As the current review will show, that is not the case with Bitnomics.For the time being, Bitnomics covers Bitcoin and Ethereum, the largest cryptocurrencies in the market, based on several metrics like valuations, market capitalization, and daily trading volumes. To buy or sell crypto, users will be using a web-based trading platform with a friendly interface, not requiring any special skills or knowledge.Alt-text: bitnomics buying ratesSource: https://bitnomics.co/en#aboutBitnomics focuses on the top cryptocurrencies, aware that there will be persistent demand for tokens like BTC or ETH. At the same time, this is a licensed exchange based in Estonia, which makes it even more important to cover only cryptos with an established reputation.Payment variety is another key feature when it comes to Bitnomics. Buying and selling crypto can be done easily since the company allows customers to deposit via SEPA, Chaps, Canadian instant transfers, wire transfers, and others. In terms of FIAT currencies accepted, customers can use EUR, USD, GBP, or CAD, depending on what is more convenient for them.All of this shows that Bitnomics is not focused on a single country, but rather wants to attract customers from around the world. Depending on local regulation, however, some jurisdictions might not permit its citizens and residents to sign up for an account with this brand.Alt-text: Bitnomics securitySource: https://bitnomics.co/en#aboutGetting in touch with a Bitnomics representative is fast and easy. As a result, the company provides an official email support address and a phone number on its website. Furthermore, for convenience, Bitnomics also provides the option to communicate via a Contact Us form, The world of cryptocurrencies is not yet well-known by the wider public, which is why Bitnomics relies on a team of experts to make sure that any question asked, is answered by a representative with utmost haste and precision. The Bitnomics support team stands by their customers and that should be another strong incentive to consider this exchange.With interest in Bitcoin and Ethereum surging, Bitnomics turns out to be a promising cryptocurrency exchange platform. Registered and operating in line with strict requirements, it is a secure place where people can either buy or sell crypto at will.Bitnomics advocates for full transparency and ease of use, which is facilitating greater involvement from people that are not yet familiarized with this market.

By S N Chatterjee

Copyright 2021  S N Chatterjee - All Rights Reserved

Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors.

 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.




As the world convenes in Glasgow for the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP26), it is time to recognize Africas role in averting a climate disaster without compromising the continents growth and poverty reduction. The world needs to transition away from fossil fuels. But access to electricity is a human right as enshrined in sustainable development goal 7 (https://bit.ly/3EgE5fm). Electric power is vital for any economy to advance, and relegating African countries to greater poverty is not the solution to the global climate crisis.

The world must transition away from the fuels that powered industrialization in Europe, the U.S., and Asia. Today, coal still accounts for up to 38 percent of electricity generation (https://bit.ly/3bdI7ZC) worldwide, with China, India, the U.S., and the EU remaining the worlds largest consumers of coal. At the same time, international financing institutions are restricting investment in electric power projects in Africa to wind and solar on grounds of environmental concerns. Africas current energy demand is estimated at 700 TW (https://bit.ly/3biDFZM), which is 4,000 times the 175 GW of wind (https://bit.ly/3vRv61a) and solar (https://bit.ly/3pM6t58) capacity the entire world added in 2020. Africa cannot industrialize on wind and solar energy alone.

In sub-Saharan Africa, 12 million new people enter the workforce every year (https://bit.ly/3Bm3CCf). They cannot run successful businesses in the dark. Today, nearly 600 million Africans lack access to electric power (https://bit.ly/3bgFR3R), a number that the International Energy Agency (IEA) projects will actually increase (https://bit.ly/3ny4Xkj) by 30 million due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To create jobs for Africas burgeoning youth population, we need to find ways to power the continents industrialization.

Importantly, Africa bears the least responsibility for the worlds climate crisis but faces its most severe consequences. Forty-eight sub-Saharan African countries outside of South Africa are responsible for just 0.55 percent of cumulative CO2 emissions (https://bit.ly/3bdRQPA). Yet, 7 of the 10 countries (https://bit.ly/3Ek9YUu) most vulnerable to climate change are in Africa. Still, Africa will play a major role in solving the global crisis. The Congo Basin is the worlds second-largest rainforest and vital to stabilizing the worlds climate, absorbing 1.2 billion tons of CO2 (https://bit.ly/3jKjd8z) each year. Without the Congo Basin and the Amazon, the world would be warming much more quickly.

The global transition to renewable energy will mean exponentially scaling up the production of batteries, electric vehicles (EVs), and other renewable energy systems, which require Africas mineral resources. For example, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), accounts for 70 percent of the worlds cobalt, the mineral vital to battery production. Cobalt demand is expected to double by 2030 (https://bit.ly/3BiRfH6). Conversely, 84 million people (80 percent of the total population) in the DRC could still lack access to electric power in 2030 (https://bit.ly/3Bllop1). We believe that we can achieve the global emission reduction targets without constraining Africas development. To power Africas economic growth and prevent the worst consequences of climate change, we propose a four-point agenda for action:

Utilize the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA). The AfCFTA will create the worlds largest free trade zone by integrating 54 African countries with a combined population of more than 1 billion people and gross domestic product of more than $3.4 trillion (https://bit.ly/3CkoIlO). Africas commitment to lowering intra-African trade barriers can attract more private sector investment with larger, connected market opportunities.

Leverage green economic opportunities. Increased demand for electric vehicles, critical minerals, and renewable energy systems is an opportunity for Africa to capture larger portions of supply chains in the new green economy. Nations and firms can collaborate across borders to create a pipeline of bankable power projects to attract investment. Increasing local manufacturing and production capacity for resources, materials, and value-added products vital to green technology will create jobs locally.

Adopt just development finance. The large-scale power projects needed to industrialize economies are capital-intensive and often require investments from development finance institutions. Development finance institution funding should catalyze private sector resources. While we agree on the environmental and economic justification for not financing new coal-fired plants, they should not limit support for natural gas, hydro, and geothermal power generation projects. This policy creates an unjust burden on those economies that require a variety of sources to increase access and build resilience into their power infrastructure. It is hypocritical of the EU, the U.S., and China to utilize fossil fuels while effectively denying others the means to lift themselves out of poverty.

Embrace proportionate responsibility. China, the EU, and the U.S. emit over 40 percent of total global greenhouse gases (https://bit.ly/3BkszxT), while all of Africa emits 7 percent. Prioritizing the transition to renewables and imposing higher emission reduction requirements in the EU, U.S., and China will ease the burden on those nations that still need a variety of power generation methods to increase energy access.

The world is facing an existential climate crisis and must come together in solidarity to stave off the potentially devastating impacts, but leaving 600 million Africans in the dark is not an option. We must avert a climate disaster and expand energy access in Africa at the same time.

SOURCE

The Brookings Institution

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Working in close collaboration with the Africa FinTech Network (AFN), the Mauritius Africa FinTech Hub (MAFH) hosted and successfully delivered the 3rd Africa Fintech Festival (AFF) as a fully virtual series in 2021 around the theme of FinTech, Sustainability and Innovation  The power trio to fast-forward Africas growth.

The first part of the series was held on the 16th June 2021 and concluded with a 3-days event running from the 13th-15th October 2021. The main event was sponsored by Peach Payments, IPT, Switzerland Global Enterprise, MCB, Synthesis and Care Ratings Africa.

In 2019, Mauritius won the right to host the 3rd edition of the AFF, a concept created by the AFN. The association was awarded the hosting rights of this strategic initiative to drive and support the growth of a Pan-African FinTech ecosystem, and to facilitate open collaboration for the purposes of driving innovation and financial inclusion in Africa.

After three successful editions, it was announced that there will be a post-AFF event for Mauritius early 2022 for a formal flag relay, leading to the main 2022 AFF edition to be hosted by the Egypt FinTech Association (EFA).

Some key achievements from this series so far have been to showcase Pan-African FinTech solutions & ecosystems, drive partnerships and funds for FinTech development, discuss regulations to enable and unblock FinTech development, and provide learning opportunities to all.

Commenting on the success of the event, and thanking all the stakeholders from the AFN and viewers for having participated in this 3rd edition, CEO of MAFH, Mr Michal Szymanski stated, It has been an absolute honour to represent Mauritius as a host and to be part of the AFN. We are all working to develop our own ecosystems but its really great for us to see everyone working together to develop Africa holistically in this journey.

This virtual conference series comprised of keynotes, panel discussions and fireside chat interviews revolving around the following main themes: FinTech Innovation, Skills & Capacity Building initiatives, Regulatory & Policy strategies, and Investment & Deal Flow opportunities. The event was open to all the stakeholders in the FinTech and allied fields including entrepreneurs, SMEs, startups, corporations, universities, financial service providers, tech companies, investors and regulators.

MAFH is happy to report the following key statistics around this event series conducted over the year: +1400 attendees from +90 countries to listen and engage with +100 key leader speakers across pan-Africa from private & public enterprises, brought together to showcase innovations, discuss some pressing challenges and opportunities in FinTech. As a result, multiple tangible potential solutions and ways forward were debated and presented for this industry, in order for it to keep growing in a sustainable and inclusive manner over the African continent.

Some key topics that were addressed as follows:

 From building to bridging socio-economic ecosystems in Africa

 Fintechs to the rescue building new roads to compliance

 Designing and Scaling innovation organizations In Africa

 Scaling up in Africa  Keys to successful Pan-African expansion

 Investing in Africa: the Good, the Bad, the Ugly

 Funding: The Marriage with clauses?

 Building a blockchain technology ecosystem in Africa

 Industry First: Building the skills & marketplace for growth

 Building Fintechs Champions of Tomorrow (FFC)

 Drivers of digital transformation in Sub-Saharan Africa

 Outlook on insurance products in Africa

 Regulating for Innovation

Looking back on the impact of the Africa FinTech Festival, it is worth mentioning the following achievements this event has had in the different past host countries Nigeria and Uganda, namely :

 Rapid growth of the ecosystem and increased memberships

 Rise in deal flow and investments in innovations in this industry

 Strengthened relationships and more open dialogue with regulators

Such positive outcomes are expected to happen in the ecosystems for the current host (MAFH) and future ones. Looking forward to the post-AFF edition and commenting on it, Noha Shaker, Secretary General of the EFA and elected Vice President of the AFN said,

It is an honour and a pleasure to be hosting all the Africa FinTech ecosystem in Egypt next year. We have a lot of exciting activities and initiatives to announce, none of which have been carried out in any part of Africa like the Green Finance Hub that we are going to be launching in Egypt in a few months time with key players around the ecosystem from Africa. We are going to have activities in multiple cities so we are not just going to be in Cairo all the time, there is a lot of sight seeing that can be done on the side of the Festival.

On a concluding note, she said,

The presence of the African government of course, and regulators is going to be one thing that we cannot miss on, the Central Bank in Egypt, the Financial Regulatory Authority and the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority which have done enormous work over the past three four years to actually enact laws, to build that regulatory environment that is supportive to FinTech and the financial sector now is actually committing to changes related to Green Finance. Weve had a couple of unicorns coming out of the Cairo this year, during COVID, we see investments that were actually channelled into Egyptian FinTech companies have surged and grown, despite the fact that its been going down and there was a significant reduction in other parts of the world.

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Compiled by university news and communications

Miami Media Highlights displays selected media placements of contributions by Miamians and the local and global impact of the university. Updated weekly, it is accessible on the Miami News website.

Our editors' picks for October provide a snapshot of recent news media coverage:

ABC News, Oct. 2: Tests, background checks can thwart police diversity effort

Rodney Coates, professor of global and intercultural studies, is interviewed in this story about law enforcement entry procedures and the importance of community connection in law enforcement.

Forbes, Oct. 4: 15 Ways to Leverage Facebook Messenger for Conversational Marketing at Scale

Jaime Hunt, vice president and chief marketing and communications officer, shares tips on interacting with customers through Facebook Messenger.

NPR WVXU, Oct. 8: Miami University holding a Day of Reflection to mark the 175th anniversary of the Miami Tribes removal from its homelands

Kara Strass, director of Miami Tribe Relations, is quoted in this preview story of the Day of Reflection, a commemoration of the 175th anniversary of the Miami Tribe's removal from their homelands, held Oct. 11.

Wall Street Journal, Oct. 6: Builders Hunt for Alternatives to Materials in Short Supply

Lisa Ellram, professor of management, is quoted in this article about builders swapping out materials to minimize delays in the housing market.

CBS WBOC, Oct. 6: The College Tour Now Available on Amazon's IMDb TV

Miami University is featured in this innovative series that offers an inside look at college campuses around the country.

Business Insider, Oct. 6 : The pandemic struck the Gen Xers right in the middle of their peak earning years. Its been to their advantage

Megan Gerhardt, professor of management, is quoted in this article about the career advantage of Gen Xers during the pandemic. (Subscription required.)

Cincinnati Enquirer, Oct. 11: A day of reflection: Miami Tribe suffered loss 'measured well beyond' removal, chief says

Miami University President Gregory Crawford, Miami Tribe Relations Director Kara Strass, and Associated Student Government President Madelyn Jett are quoted in this story about the Day of Reflection events commemorating the 175th anniversary of the removal of the Miami Tribe from their homeland.

WVXU NPR, Oct. 11: Miami University licenses the manufacturing of psychedelic drugs (just without the trip)

Interview with Andrew Jones, assistant professor of chemical, paper and bioengineering, and Matthew McMurray, assistant professor of psychology, about their research on manufacturing psilocybin and scaling up for future clinical trials.

Washington Post, Oct. 15: Jazz venues have been hit particularly hard by the pandemic. They are hoping the worst is over.

Tammy Kernodle, University Distinguished Professor of Music, is quoted in this article about how jazz venues struggled financially during the pandemic .

WCPO-CIN, Oct. 13: Supply chain and trucker shortages

Henry Jin, associate professor of management, is interviewed about the effect of trucker shortages on supply chain issues.

WLWT5, Oct. 13: Demand for workers spikes with Kroger now looking to hire 20,000 people nationwide

Scott Dust, associate professor of management, is quoted in this story about Kroger searching for workers.

Government Executive, Oct. 12: Does Happiness Slow Down Cognitive Decline

Sara Mclaughlin, associate professor of sociology and gerontology, co-authored a publication that was highlighted in this story.

Indian Country Today, Oct. 19: Myaamia Tribe commemorates forced removal 175 years ago

Story about the relationship between Miami University and the Myaamia Tribe, and the Day of Remembrance Miami hosted on Oct. 11.

Technology Newsroom, Oct. 18: Why Ford Picked Tennessee for Its New Electric-Vehicle Plant

James Rubenstein, adjunct professor emeritus of geography, is quoted in this story about why Ford placed its electric vehicle plant in Tennessee .

SPNWS, Oct. 18: The TRIO program

Feature about the Miami University Regionals TRIO program that helps college students find necessary resources to succeed. Also in:

Spectrum News.com , Oct. 18: Program helps first generation college students

Austin American-Statesman, Oct. 17: 'We should all honor parts of who we are': Nichole Prescott on reviving indigenous cultures

Feature story about alumna and Miami Tribe of Oklahoma citizen Nichole Prescott (Miami M.A. 00) and how she reconnected with her culture through Miami Universitys Myaamia Center and the relationship between the Miami Tribe and Miami University.

New York Times, Oct. 22: After dropping free community college plan, democrats explore options
National

Cruise drugs case: Aryan Khan, 2 others granted bail

Lawyer Mukul Rohatgi speaks to the media as he leaves the Bombay High court. (PTI)

Mumbai/ PUNE, Oct 28 (PTI) | Publish Date: 10/28/2021 1:26:34 PM IST

Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, was on Thursday granted bail by the Bombay High Court, 25 days after his arrest by the NCB in the case of seizure of banned drugs aboard a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast earlier this month, a drugs bust that triggered a series of controversies and put the central agency and its officials under the spotlight.

However, Aryan Khan is not likely to walk out of the Arthur Road jail, where he is currently lodged under judicial custody, immediately as the court is yet to give its operative order on the conditions imposed while granting bail.

A single bench of Justice N W Sambre also granted bail to his co-accused Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha.

All three applications are allowed. I will pass detailed orders by tomorrow evening, Justice Sambre said even as Aryan Khans counsel Mukul Rohatgi was putting forth his arguments.

Aryan Khans advocates then sought permission to submit cash bail to which the court refused and said surety is to be given.

Hearing on their bail applications started on Tuesday. I could have given the order tomorrow also. But I gave it today, Justice Sambre said.

The legal team of the 23-year-old Aryan Khan will now try to complete the formalities for his release by Friday or Saturday.

Justice Sambre said he would pass a detailed order assigning reasons later.

Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Anil Singh, appearing for the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), commenced his arguments at 2.58 pm and completed the same a little after 4.10 pm. After the NCB, Rohatgi, a former Attorney General, started his rejoinder arguments which went on for about 15 minutes.

His arguments were cut short abruptly by Justice Sambre, who tossed the case related papers towards his staff and said, All three applications are allowed.

This led to a scramble in the courtroom among media persons and lawyers to exit the room.

While hearing the NCBs arguments, Justice Sambre sought to know on what basis the anti-drug agency was saying that Aryan Khan had dealt with commercial quantity of drugs. To this, Singh said Aryan Khan had made an attempt to deal with commercial quantity.

WhatsApp chats show this. The NCB has also obtained a certificate under section 65B of the Indian Evidence Act to authenticate that the electronic evidence has been collected from the accuseds phone, he said. Singh argued that the NCB had got secret information that around 11 persons were going to consume drugs on the cruise, which was raided by the central agency on October 2.

At the time of raid, out of the 11 persons, eight were apprehended and most of them were found with drugs. This cannot be a coincidence. This is why the NCB is saying it is a conspiracy, Singh said.

The court then asked if the NCBs case is that of cumulative effect.

Singh agreed and said, Aryan Khan and Merchant are connected with drug peddlers and hence cumulative effect attracts section 28 and 29 of the NDPS Act.

Aryan Khan, his friend Arbaaz Merchant and Dhamecha, a fashion model, were arrested by the NCB on October 3 and booked under relevant sections of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) for possession, consumption, sale/purchase of banned drugs, conspiracy and abetment.

The NCB opposed their bail pleas and argued that the case attracted conspiracy and abetment charges.Aryan Khans counsel Rohatgi, however, said conspiracy means there has to be a meeting of minds.

Aryan does not know any of the other accused in the case except Arbaaz Merchant. There is absolutely no material to show conspiracy, Rohatgi argued.

So far, 20 persons have been arrested in the drugs case. Singh argued that Aryan Khan and Merchant are habitual consumers of drugs.

Our record shows that Aryan Khan has been procuring drugs in bulk and commercial quantities. These are hard drugs. He (Aryan) has been in contact with drug peddlers, the ASG argued.

There is a chance of tampering with evidence or witnesses in the case. This is NCBs apprehension based on the affidavit filed by one independent witness in the case, Singh said.

He further opposed Aryan Khans arguments that there was no drug recovery from him and said there was conscious possession as he was aware that Merchant was carrying charas which was meant to be for consumption during journey on the Goa-bound cruise ship.

Singh also said there was no need for the NCB to conduct a medical test on the accused to check for drugs as the agencys case is not that they had consumed drugs.

Why should the NCB test when we know that they have been caught for possession and conspiracy? The drugs were meant to be consumed later, he said.

The ASG said sections 28 and 29 (of NDPS Act) for abetment and conspiracy have been applied in the case based on the material available with the NCB which include WhatsApp chats.

Singh added that probe in the case was still on and the agency needs time to ascertain from where the seized drugs were procured.

The ASG assailed the arguments made by Aryan Khan and Merchants lawyers on Wednesday that till date the charges of abetment and conspiracy have not been invoked in the case.

The NCBs first remand application that was submitted to the magistrates court on October 3, four hours after the accused persons arrest, and the other remand applications clearly say sections 28 and 29 have been applied in the case, Singh said.

The arrest memo also says that the accused (Aryan Khan) has been arrested in connection with commercial quantity. This means conspiracy. So it is not right to say that the accused was not aware of inclusion of sections 28 and 29, he added.

If there had been any error then the magistrate would have noted it while hearing the remand plea, the NCB counsel argued.

If the accused are now claiming their arrest is illegal then why have they not challenged the magistrates order remanding them to NCB custody, the ASG said.

In a lighter vein, Singh said the accused persons ought not to have tried to do all this on October 2, which is considered a dry day owing to Gandhi Jayanti.

Drug menace is a serious problem in our society. It is a heinous crime that is worse than culpable homicide and hence has to be dealt with accordingly, Singh said.

The drugs-on-cruise case triggered a slew of controversies related to the NCB and its officials, especially its zonal director in Mumbai Sameer Wankhede, who faced charges of extortion attempt to let off Aryan Khan.

The central agency and Wankhede, who led the raid on the cruise vessel, have refuted all allegations levelled against them.

NCB witness Gosavi held for cheating; sent to police custody
State

Dimapur Police on high alert after firing incidents

Staff Reporter DIMAPUR, OCT 27 (NPN) | Publish Date: 10/27/2021 1:25:35 PM IST

A spate of firing incidents at three separate places in the wee hours of October 27 has put Dimapur police on high alert.

According to police, unidentified gunmen moving in a vehicle, resorted to blank firing at Oriental Colony, Notun Basti and Nepali Basti area between 1 a.m. to 1.40 a.m.

Police said that investigation was ongoing to identify and apprehend those responsible and also to ascertain the motive behind the incident.

Following the incident, a security assessment meeting was also held on Wednesday evening headed by the Commissioner of Police Dimapur. An official said that the police have decided to take appropriate measures to prevent such provocative and disruptive acts.

Meanwhile, the firing incidents have fuelled speculations that they could be faction-related.
International

Italy hosts a climate-focused G20 as geopolitics shift

Rome, Oct 27 (AP) | Publish Date: 10/27/2021 11:52:10 AM IST

The leaders of Russia and China arent coming. Turkey nearly set off a diplomatic incident on the eve of the meeting. And the United States, Australia and France will be at the same table for the first time since Washington pulled the rug out from under Paris $66 billion submarine deal Down Under.

A Group of 20 summit scheduled for this weekend in Rome - the first in-person gathering of leaders of the worlds biggest economies since the COVID-19 pandemic started - is not business as usual. Thats especially true since as soon as the event ends, a bigger United Nations summit devoted to climate change begins in Glasgow, Scotland.

In many ways, the two-day G-20 meeting is serving as a Roman holiday preamble to the 12-day Glasgow summit, with the climate dossier taking center stage at the new Nuvola (Cloud) convention center in the Italian capitals Fascist-era EUR neighborhood.

Some of the participating presidents and prime ministers met at a COVID-focused Group of Seven summit in July, and some passed one another in the U.N. hallways during the General Assembly in New York last month. But this is the first time the leaders of countries that account for 75% of global trade and 60% of the worlds population will be meeting as a group after nearly two years of virus-induced lockdowns.

While economic recovery is a top agenda item, host Italy hopes the leaders will set a shared, mid-century deadline to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions and explore a commitment to reduce methane emissions as well.

The United Nations and climate activists also want the G-20 countries to fulfill their longtime pledges of providing $100 billion a year in climate aid to help poor nations cope with the impacts of global warming.

G-20 members are responsible for over 80% of global emissions. So there is a responsibility when they come together as a group to think about the promise of $100 billion in annual climate financing that is not being met, said Renata Dwan, deputy director of the international affairs think tank Chatham House.

But what can be achieved if the leader of China, the worlds No. 1 carbon polluter and No. 2 economy, doesnt show up in Rome?

President Xi Jinping, who hasnt left China since early 2020, is expected to participate remotely, as is Russian President Vladimir Putin. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador also isnt coming and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida hasnt confirmed his presence due to a weekend national election.

The absence of Xi and Putin sends a signal that Europe should note in particular, said Massimo Franco, international affairs columnist for Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera.

If China doesnt come to Rome, if Russia -- which has a lot of energy to sell to Europe -- doesnt join the G-20, I think that this G-20 will be a confirmation of European fragility from the energetic point of view, Franco said.

Last months announcement of a U.S.-British deal to sell nuclear-power submarines to Australia illustrated Europes geopolitical vulnerability. The deal scuttled Frances $66 billion deal to sell French-made diesel-powered submarines to Australia, and led an French government to take the unprecedented action of recalling its ambassadors to the U.S. and Australia.

U.S. President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron have spoken twice by telephone since the tiff and are expected to meet privately in Rome. Macron is aiming to secure U.S. backing for the establishment of a stronger European defense, complementary to NATO and contributing to global security, the presidential Elysee Palace said.

Macron has not spoken with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison since Frances submarine sale went south, however, and its not clear if the two will meet in Rome.

Carlo Altomonte, a professor of European economics at Milans Bocconi University, said the U.S.-British-Australian deal was clear evidence of shifting strategic priorities and attention to the Indo-Pacific region to counter Chinas increased assertiveness, in this case at the expense of Washingtons traditional European allies.

This in a way obliges the European Union to decide, autonomously, a series of local geopolitical questions at the G-20 level and beyond that until now had long included Washington as the heavyweight partner, Altomonte said.

Turkey, one of the G-20 members, was in a position to cast a pall over the upcoming meeting when it threatened last week to expel the ambassadors of 10 Western nations over their support for a jailed activist. Four of the threatened envoys hailed from G-20 nations Germany, France, Canada and the U.S.

The G-20 also include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the European Union. Spain holds a permanent guest seat.

Italian Premier Mario Draghi, who helped save the euro with his now-famous promise to do whatever it takes, will have his hands full trying to steer the meeting to nudge some solid climate commitments ahead of Glasgow while negotiating a new era for European multilateralism.

Not whatever it takes, but I think hell try to point to the strategic points for Europe, and how Europe can play a role in this mess, newspaper columnist Franco said.
Launched on December 3,1990. Nagaland Post is the first and highest circulated newspaper of Nagaland state. Nagaland Post is also the first newspaper in Nagaland to be published in multi-colour.
International

Sudan arrests three activist as pressure mounts on military

The army and police forces have started an operation in search of the attackers. Reuters file.

Cairo, Oct 27 (AP) | Publish Date: 10/27/2021 11:50:25 AM IST

Sudanese security forces detained three prominent pro-democracy figures, family members and activists said Wednesday, as international pressure mounted on the countrys military to walk back the coup it staged earlier this week.

The overnight arrests in the capital Khartoum came a few hours after the military allowed deposed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and his wife to return home.

Hamdok, a former U.N. economist, was detained along with many government officials and political figures when the military seized power on Monday. The military takeover threatens to halt Sudans fitful transition to democracy which got under way after the 2019 ouster of long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir and his Islamist government in a popular uprising.

The new strongman, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, has pledged to hold elections, as planned, in July 2023, and to appoint a technocrat government in the meantime. But critics doubt the military is serious about eventually ceding control to civilian rule.

The coup came just weeks before Burhan was supposed to hand over the leadership of the top ruling body, the Sovereign Council, to a civilian. The council is made up of civilians and members of the military. Separately, Hamdoks transitional government ran day-to-day affairs.

The activists taken overnight are Ismail al-Taj, a leader with the Sudanese Professionals Association, the group at the forefront of the protests that brought down al-Bashir; Sediq al-Sadiq al-Mahdi, a leader in Sudans largest political party, known as Umma and brother of Foreign Minister Mariam al-Mahdi; and Khalid al-Silaik, a former medial adviser to the prime minister. Thats according to Al-Silaiks wife, Marwa Kamel, and activists Nazim Siraj and Nazik Awad.

Kamel said al-Silaik was detained moments after he gave an interview to Al-Jazeera satellite television.

The three have been outspoken critics of the military takeover. Tens of thousands of Sudanese who took to the streets in the past two days to call for the return of the Hamdok government.

Security forces confronting protesters killed at least four people and wounded over 140 others in the past two days.

On Monday, Burhan, the head of the military, dissolved the Sovereign Council and the transitional government, and declared a state of emergency. He alleged that the military was forced to step in to prevent the country from sliding into civil war.

The takeover came after weeks of mounting tensions between military and civilian leaders over the course and pace of Sudans transition to democracy.
International

US asks UK court to extradite Assange

Julian Assanges extradition to US is blocked by judge.

London, Oct 27 (AP) | Publish Date: 10/27/2021 11:49:39 AM IST

The United States asked Britains High Court on Wednesday to overturn a judges decision that Julian Assange should not be sent to the United States to face espionage charges, promising that the WikiLeaks founder would be able to serve any prison sentence he receives in his native Australia.

In January, a lower court judge refused an American request to extradite Assange on spying charges over WikiLeaks publication of secret military documents a decade ago. District Judge Vanessa Baraitser denied extradition on health grounds, saying Assange was likely to kill himself if held under harsh US prison conditions.

But Baraitser rejected defense arguments that Assange faces a politically motivated American prosecution that would override free-speech protections, and she said the US judicial system would give him a fair trial.

An attorney for the US government, James Lewis, argued Wednesday that the judge erred when she ruled Assange would be at risk of suicide if he were sent to the United States.

He said American authorities had promised that Assange would not be held before trial in a top-security Supermax prison or subjected to strict isolation conditions, and would be allowed in the event of a conviction to serve any sentence in Australia.

Lewis said the assurances are binding on the United States.

US authorities also argue that Assange does not meet the threshold of being so ill that he cannot resist harming himself.

Once there is an assurance of appropriate medical care, once it is clear he will be repatriated to Australia to serve any sentence, then we can safely say the district judge would not have decided the relevant question in the way that she did, Lewis said.

Several dozen pro-Assange protesters rallied outside Londons Royal Courts of Justice before the hearing, which is scheduled to last two days. Assange, who is being held at Londons high-security Belmarsh Prison, had been expected to attend by video link, but his lawyer, Edward Fitzgerald, said Assange had been put on a high dose of medication and doesnt feel able to attend the proceedings.

A video link later showed Assange appearing to listen to the hearing. During previous court sessions, his lawyers said he experienced physical and mental health problems.

Assanges partner, Stella Moris, said outside court that she was very concerned for Julians health. I saw him on Saturday. Hes very thin. It is completely unthinkable that the UK courts could agree to this, Moris said.

I hope the courts will end this nightmare, that Julian is able to come home soon and that wise heads prevail.

The two justices hearing the appeal  who include Englands most senior judge, Lord Chief Justice Ian Burnett  are not expected to give their ruling for several weeks. That will likely not end the epic legal saga, however, since the losing side can seek to appeal to the UK Supreme Court.

US prosecutors have indicted Assange on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse over WikiLeaks publication of thousands of leaked military and diplomatic documents. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison.

The prosecutors say Assange unlawfully helped US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal classified diplomatic cables and military files that WikiLeaks later published.

Lawyers for Assange argue that he was acting as a journalist and is entitled to First Amendment freedom of speech protections for publishing documents that exposed US military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Assange, 50, has been in prison since he was arrested in April 2019 for skipping bail during a separate legal battle. Before that he spent seven years holed up inside Ecuadors London embassy, where he fled in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden to face allegations of rape and sexual assault.

Sweden dropped the sex crimes investigations in November 2019 because so much time had elapsed, but Assange remains in prison.

The judge who blocked extradition in January ordered that he must stay in custody during any US appeal, ruling that the Australian citizen has an incentive to abscond if he is freed.

WikiLeaks supporters say testimony from witnesses during the extradition hearing that Assange was spied on while in the embassy by a Spanish security firm at the behest of the CIA  and that there was even talk of abducting or killing him  undermines US claims he will be treated fairly.

Journalism organizations and human rights groups have urged President Joe Biden to drop the prosecution launched under his predecessor, Donald Trump.

Amnesty International Secretary-General Agnes Callamard said the charges were politically motivated and should be dropped.

It is a damning indictment that nearly 20 years on, virtually no one responsible for alleged US war crimes committed in the course of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars has been held accountable, let alone prosecuted, and yet a publisher who exposed such crimes is potentially facing a lifetime in jail, she said.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-10-28 00:40:44|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- China has firmly rejected the recent U.S. statement on Taiwan-related issues, and urges the United States to stop sending erroneous signals to "Taiwan independence" forces and take concrete actions to maintain the political foundation of China-U.S. relations, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a press briefing in response to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's statement on "supporting Taiwan's meaningful participation in the UN system."

Zhao said that the U.S. statement strongly violated the one-China principle and the three Sino-U.S. joint communiques, it went against the commitments the United States has made, ran counter to the basic norms of international relations, and sent highly erroneous signals to "Taiwan independence" forces.

"China is strongly dissatisfied with this and resolutely opposes it," Zhao said, adding that China has already made its position clear and lodged solemn representations to the United States over this.

There is only one China in the world and the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China, the spokesperson said, stressing that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory.

"A total of 180 countries, including the United States, have established diplomatic relations with China on the basis of abiding by the one-China principle," the spokesperson said. "The one-China principle is the consensus of the international community and a universally recognized basic norm governing international relations, which does not allow unilateral challenge or distortion by the United States."

According to Zhao, in the three Sino-U.S. joint communiques, the U.S. unequivocally recognizes the government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legal government of China. "Within this context, the people of the U.S. will maintain cultural, commercial, and other unofficial relations with the people of Taiwan."

"The Taiwan region's participation in the activities of international organizations must be handled in accordance with the one-China principle," the spokesperson said.

United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 2758 has solved once and for all the issue of the People's Republic of China's representation in the UN in political, legal and procedural terms, Zhao noted. He said the system, specialized agencies and the Secretariat of the UN should abide by the one-China principle and UNGA Resolution 2758 when dealing with Taiwan-related affairs.

By touting and whitewashing of Taiwan's so-called democracy and contribution and endorsing Taiwan, the United States is trying to distort concepts and mislead others, Zhao said, adding that the U.S. motives and intentions are seen clearly by the international community.

Fifty years ago, the United States attempted to create "one China, one Taiwan" or "two Chinas" in the UN, only to confront setbacks, Zhao said, adding that if the United States still seeks historical backpedaling today, it is pitting itself against the 1.4 billion Chinese people and the vast majority of countries in the world, and will only face another failure.

Zhao said the Taiwan authorities obstinately stick to the "Taiwan independence" separatist position, refuse to recognize the 1992 Consensus and go all out to expand its so-called "international space", going further down the path of "Taiwan independence" separatism.

"This is the greatest realistic threat to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and the fundamental reason why Taiwan has not been able to participate in the activities of multilateral organizations, including the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO)," Zhao said.

"In fact, the Taiwan region enjoys free access to information from the ICAO and has convenient air connections with many cities around the world," he said. On the premise of observing the one-China principle, medical and public health experts in the Taiwan region can attend related WHO technical meetings, and the Taiwan region enjoys unimpeded access to public health information, including information related to COVID-19.

"The United States is making an issue out of Taiwan's participation in the ICAO and WHO to angle for sympathy. This attempt is miscalculated and futile," Zhao said.

It must be pointed out that the one-China principle and the three Sino-U.S. joint communiques are the political foundation for China-U.S. relations, said Zhao. "The so-called 'Taiwan Relations Act' and 'Six Assurances' unilaterally concocted by the United States gravely violate international law, basic norms governing international relations and the one-China principle," he said, noting that "China has made clear its firm rejection to them from the very beginning."

The spokesperson said that for some time, the United States has been keeping up erroneous words and acts over the Taiwan question, and China has made firm and necessary responses. "If the United States continues to play the 'Taiwan card', it will inevitably pose huge risks to China-U.S. relations, seriously undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and seriously harm the interests of the United States itself."

China urges the U.S. side to honor its commitments, earnestly follow the one-China principle and the three Sino-U.S. joint communiques, abide by UNGA Resolution 2758, stop making irresponsible and erroneous remarks, stop helping Taiwan expand the so-called "international space," avoid sending erroneous signals to "Taiwan independence" forces, and safeguard the political foundation of China-U.S. relations through concrete actions.

At the press briefing, Zhao also responded to a question on media reports that the Czech Senate had recently invited Joseph Wu, head of the foreign affairs department of the Taiwan authorities, to visit the Czech Republic.

China deplores and rejects the malicious provocative act by the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic and the individuals concerned, Zhao said. "We have lodged solemn representations with the Czech side and will make legitimate and necessary reactions."

"The despicable maneuvers by a few individuals in the Czech Republic are doomed to fail, and we urge them to promptly change course, otherwise they will end up swallowing the bitter fruit themselves," Zhao said. "We also warn the Taiwan authorities that seeking 'Taiwan independence' by soliciting external support is a dead end."

Zhao said China's resolution and will to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity is steadfast. "We will take all necessary measures to crush any 'Taiwan independence' plot." Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-10-28 01:38:00|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang attends the 24th ASEAN Plus China, Japan and ROK Summit via video link, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 27, 2021. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

BEIJING, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday called for advancing East Asia's regional economic integration and jointly responding to challenges on the public health, energy, food and financial fronts to promote development.

Li made the remarks in Beijing when addressing the 24th ASEAN Plus China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea (10+3) Summit via video link.

"We need to make the most of the mature mechanisms of cooperation and rich experience in crisis response, ... to boost an all-round and balanced recovery of East Asia and safeguard long-standing prosperity and stability in the region," for a more open and inclusive East Asia that enjoys sustainable development, Li said.

Li made a six-pronged proposal, including improving public health governance, deepening regional economic integration, strengthening industrial cooperation, promoting the digital economy, stimulating financial cooperation, and promoting green and sustainable growth in East Asia.

As a signature outcome of East Asian cooperation, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) will soon reach the threshold of entry into force, Li said.

"We need to hasten work for the agreement to take effect as early as possible, and continue to advance free trade and pursue higher-level integration," he said, adding that China will host capacity building programs such as personnel training and experience sharing on RCEP implementation.

In terms of public health governance, Li called for accelerating the building of the 10+3 Reserve of Medical Supplies for Public Health Emergencies to enhance the region's capacity for epidemic response.

China will host a 10+3 forum for cooperation on industrial and supply chains, Li said on East Asia's industrial cooperation.

China supports extending the ASEAN Travel Corridor Arrangement Framework to all 10+3 countries and better harnessing the existing "fast tracks" and "green lanes," he said.

On digital economy, Li said China will host the 10+3 Young Scientists Forum and other activities to help regional countries bridge the digital divide, and will step up exchanges with all parties on cyberspace governance, digital governance and cyber-security.

Li also called for increasing support and input for the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve to better protect regional food security.

Leaders attending the meeting agreed that the 10+3 cooperation mechanism has played an important role in coping with crises and promoting East Asia's regional development.

As next year will mark the 25th anniversary of 10+3 cooperation, more efforts are needed for building an East Asian community, and promoting common growth and prosperity in East Asia and the rest of the world, according to them.

A statement on cooperation on mental health among adolescents and young children was adopted at the summit. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-10-28 03:35:56|Editor: huaxia

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BRUSSELS, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- The top court of the European Union (EU) on Wednesday fined Poland one million euros (1.16 million U.S. dollars) per day for ignoring an EU ruling that called for the suspension of the country's Supreme Court disciplinary chamber.

The decision by the Court of Justice of the EU (ECJ) is the latest episode of a clash between Poland and the EU institutions over the rule of law.

The European Commission had requested the financial penalty until the Polish government acts to improve the functioning of the Polish Supreme Court and suspends new laws deemed to undermine judicial independence.

The bone of contention is the Disciplinary Chamber of the Supreme Court, which has the power to discipline judges. Some Polish judges view the chamber as a tool to pressure judges to rule in favor of the governing authorities.

In July, the ECJ ordered the suspension of the disciplinary chamber as an interim measure until a final decision on the matter. However, this was ignored, so the European Commission filed yet another application for financial penalties to be imposed on Poland.

In its decision, the ECJ's vice president said that the dismantling of the chamber of judges "is necessary to avoid serious and irreparable harm to the legal order of the European Union and, consequently, to the rights which individuals derive from EU law and the values on which the Union is founded, in particular, that of the rule of law." Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-10-28 10:45:54|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wentian (L) and Cambodian Information Minister Khieu Kanharith attend a handover ceremony of digital transformation system in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Oct. 27, 2021. China on Wednesday donated a set of digital transformation system to the National Television of Cambodia (TVK), aiming at helping the TV station improve its broadcasting quality and efficiency. (Photo by Sovannara/Xinhua)

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- China donated a set of digital transformation system to the National Television of Cambodia (TVK), aiming at helping the TV station improve its broadcasting quality and efficiency.

Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wentian handed over the equipment to Cambodian Information Minister Khieu Kanharith at an event held at the Ministry of Information on Wednesday.

The system can convert analog video signals from Video Home System (VHS), Betacam, mini DV and other tapes into digital videos such as MOV, MXF, MP4, TS and MPG.

Ambassador Wang said broadcasting sector has been playing a crucial role in helping promote ties and cooperation between China and Cambodia.

"The handover ceremony clearly demonstrates that China has paid high attention to cooperation in the field of broadcasting with Cambodia, and we hope that our cooperation will be bigger in the future," he said.

Kanharith said the equipment is necessary for the TVK as it has planned to switch from analog to digital broadcasting.

"On behalf of the Ministry of Information and the government, I'd like to express my sincere thanks to the Chinese government as well as to the National Radio and Television Administration of China for providing this equipment to us," he said.

According to the minister, the analog broadcasting in Cambodia will be switched off by 2025. Enditem


Source: Xinhua| 2021-10-28 23:21:54|Editor: huaxia

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-- As winter nears, magnesium companies in Fugu, a resource-rich county in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, are striving to realize their annual emission reduction targets while keeping their commissioned furnaces at full steam amid an ongoing upgrade of equipment and technology to save energy and improve efficiency.

-- Fugu, known as the country's "magnesium capital", is sparing no efforts to stabilize the strained global supply of the industrial product.

-- The county meets about half of the world's demand for magnesium -- a key metal material.

by Xinhua writers Chu Guoqiang, Chu Yi, Shi Zhiyong, and Li Hua

XI'AN, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Though production is being slashed to meet emission targets, furnaces that turn raw materials into magnesium burn around-the-clock in China's Fugu County in an effort to stabilize the strained global supply of the industrial product.

Finished magnesium ingots are quickly packaged and loaded onto trucks, with the majority for export, so much so that the warehouses are often empty in Fugu, a sharp contrast with the overstock last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The resource-rich county in Shaanxi Province meets about half of the world's demand for magnesium -- a key metal material.

As winter nears, magnesium companies in Fugu are striving to realize their annual emission reduction targets while keeping their commissioned furnaces at full steam amid an ongoing upgrade of equipment and technology to save energy and improve efficiency.





PRODUCTION CAP FOR ENVIRONMENT

In Fugu Taida Coal Chemical Co., Ltd., several workers are packing and loading finished products prepared to be sent out to the world, with the only one forklift truck busy transporting goods back and forth in workshops.

Photo taken on June 28, 2021, shows a view of Jingfu Coal Chemical Co., Ltd. in Fugu County of Yulin City, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. (Xinhua)

"The magnesium metal enterprises in Fugu County including Taida halted production for 10 days from Sept. 20, which resulted in a shortage of magnesium supply and soaring prices in the global market," said Yang Yongliang, general manager of the company that is now ramping up production.

The suspension was aimed at meeting the energy conservation and emission reduction targets, Yang said. From September to the end of this year, some key energy-consuming enterprises including magnesium smelting ones in Fugu have to cut production for the targets.

"The magnesium industry in Fugu is of global significance. Therefore, we have to strike a balance between energy conservation and production, to ensure the stability of the global supply chain while protecting the environment," said Wang Baolin, general manager of Jinchuan Hongtai Magnesium Alloy Co., Ltd.

Wang said the production cap could be conducive to the whole industry. In the long run, the increasingly strict environmental protection requirements prompt energy-consuming enterprises to reduce pollution and conduct transformation.

With an annual profit of less than 30 million yuan (about 4.7 million U.S. dollars), Shengxin Magnesium Industry Co., Ltd. took the initiative to stop production for three months this year, during which it renovated the equipment and upgraded the production process.

Though we spent three years of profits on renovation, the projects could facilitate cost reduction, technological innovation and management improvement, said Yu Xiong, general manager of the company.

"The energy consumption has been curtailed by 30 percent, and the production efficiency rises by 40 percent," Yu said.





MULTIPLE FACTORS BEHIND PRICE FLUCTUATIONS

Magnesium, dubbed as "industrial condiment," is an essential material for manufacturing aluminum alloy in vehicles, mobile phones, computers and other industries, and has been widely used in areas including aerospace, light industry, metallurgy and instrumentation.

A staff member works at the workshop of Hongtai Yuanhe Magnesium Industry Co., Ltd. in Fugu County of Yulin City, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, on April 27, 2020. (Xinhua/Lyu Xiaohui)

"The world consumes about 1 million tonnes of magnesium for industrial use every year, of which Fugu County consumes about half -- with 500,000 tonnes sold to the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, the Republic of Korea and Japan among other countries," said Chen Mingqi, vice president of the magnesium industry association in Fugu County.

"The pandemic wreaked havoc on the export of magnesium last year, leading to overcapacity and a drop in price to 13,000 yuan per tonne at its lowest. The whole industry suffered great losses, and some companies halted production or reduced production. From last May, the market price of magnesium rose gradually to more than 30,000 yuan per tonne and soared to a maximum of 65,000 yuan since late September," Chen said.

Another reason for the recent soaring prices is reduced magnesium production as a result of China's move to conserve energy and cut emissions. The imbalance between supply and demand leads to a short-term surge in prices, according to Wang Zhenqing, vice head of the association.

Insiders believe the price increase of raw materials also contributes to the price fluctuation in the magnesium market.

"Prices of raw coal and ferrosilicon, the two main materials for smelting magnesium, have risen from around 500 yuan per tonne last year to the current rate of about 2,000 yuan, and from 6,000 yuan per tonne to 19,000 yuan, respectively," said Yang Yongliang, general manager of Fugu Taida Coal Chemical Co., Ltd.

With the gradual recovery of production capacity, the market price of magnesium has stabilized at about 46,000 yuan per tonne, with no sharp rise and fall expected," Chen said.





INDUSTRIAL TRANSFORMATION, UPGRADING

Since 2002, Fugu has vigorously developed the magnesium industry relying on its rich coal resources, with more than 30 magnesium enterprises.

As a high-energy-consuming industry, magnesium is bound to undergo transformation and upgrading with China's increasing efforts on ecological and environmental protection.

Staff members work at the workshop of the Northeast Light Alloy Co., Ltd. in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, on March 9, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei)

"We try to make up for the energy consumption through saving energy and reducing emissions in the downstream industries," said Tian Xiaoning, Party chief of the county.

There are 10,000 heavy trucks in Fugu County. If all the carriages are replaced with magnesium alloy and all the heavy trucks are electric, it would cut carbon emissions by more than 1 million tonnes per year, said the official, adding the county is discussing the plan with domestic car companies.

"We also plan to focus on the use of solid waste, generating 3 million tonnes of magnesium slag per year to be used as building materials," Tian said.

Some companies turn to the local utilization of magnesium, with plans to manufacture safety helmets, bicycle wheel hubs and other products.

"Compared with ordinary helmets, magnesium alloy ones are lighter and have excellent heat dissipation. The market prospects are broad," said Li Heng, general manager of Fugu Hongtai Yuanhe Magnesium Industry Co., Ltd.

"We also plan to make magnesium alloy motor assemblies, electrical integration boxes and some magnesium alloy parts on the new energy vehicles. The launches of these projects can promote the local transformation of raw magnesium in Fugu County and further enhance the added value of metallic magnesium," Li said.

Most magnesium enterprises in Fugu County are still small and medium-sized ones. "It is necessary to integrate resources of these companies next, to enhance anti-risk capabilities as a whole and contribute to the stability of the global industrial and supply chains," said Chen Mingqi. 

(Lei Xiaoxiao also contributed to the story. Video Reporters: Li Hua, Chu Guoqiang, Shi Zhiyong, and Lei Xiaoxiao; Video editors: Zhou Sa'ang and Shi Peng.)


Source: Xinhua| 2021-10-28 21:39:19|Editor: huaxia

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RABAT, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- The African Development Bank (AfDB) will grant Morocco 114 million U.S. dollars to finance the Inclusive and Sustainable Development Support Programme for Agricultural Sectors designed for the North African country, said a statement by the bank's office in Rabat on Thursday.

This financing will help strengthen the resilience of Moroccan agriculture to the effects of climate change in order to improve the living conditions for the rural population, the statement said.

The program aims to intensify agricultural production in a sustainable manner, protect productive capital against the threats of climate change, and support more efficient use of water resources and new soil conservation techniques, it added.

Since 1970, the AfDB group has invested more than 12 billion dollars in multiple strategic sectors of the Moroccan economy, according to official statistics. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-10-28 22:26:21|Editor: huaxia

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ACCRA, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Beads and fabrics have been essential to dressing in Africa for many generations, while a young fashion entrepreneur from Ghana is now seeking to project these on the global stage.

With her nascent fashion enterprise, Joyce Owusu uses Ghanaian and African beads and wax prints for various attractive accessories and exquisite clothing that seek to tell the African fashion story in a wholly new way.

With her love for beads, Owusu left her paid job in 2016, just four years after graduating from the Ghana Institute of Journalism. She started the Purple Trendz Ghana Couture, which fast became one of the brands of choice among Ghanaians both at home and abroad.

"I started playing with beads in 2012 during my national service. I was only having fun, so when I decided to move it into business, I started with just 50 Ghana cedis (8 U.S. dollars). But the business has evolved from making beaded accessories into making hats, fascinators, bouquets, and clothes," she told Xinhua.

Owusu showcases her beautifully designed hand-made beaded fashion accessories such as hats, fascinators, bridal fans, and ladies' handbags, in addition to eye-catching apparel made from African prints in her African clothes boutique at Madina, a suburb of the Ghanaian capital.

Moreover, Owusu also produces for other brands on contract, both inside and outside Ghana, making unisex attires, including kimonos and other colorful clothes for males and females.

"It is important to project African fabrics and beads, which are integral parts of the continent's dressing culture on the global stage. This sense of African fashion should also be instilled in the younger generation," she said.

"I think the products project the Afro-centric nature of our fashion and showcase the beauty of African culture," she added.

Apart from the rich and beautiful beads from Ghanaian communities of Krobo, Kumasi, and the northern parts of the country, the designer also sources beads from Mali, Nigeria, Niger, Kenya, and China.

"For the clothes, I use local fabrics from some of the top textile manufacturers in Ghana. Some fabrics also come from Holland and some African countries. I look for the best materials and beads for my customers," she said.

The young designer uses her communication skills to project the blend of African traditional and modern fashion through social media platforms, including Twitter and TikTok.

"I also have a website that is currently being redeveloped into an e-commerce site so that when you visit, you can buy whatever you want," said Owusu.

Ghanaian workers generally don their African prints to work on Fridays since former President John Kufuor launched the National Friday Wear program in 2004. Ghanaians also sport these, adorned with beads to religious services, festivals, weddings, parties, and awards ceremonies.

Despite the headway she made in the dynamic Ghanaian fashion industry, Owusu told Xinhua that young entrepreneurs in Ghana needed support and high patronage to survive in the competitive business arena.

The young entrepreneur has three employees and has also trained 20 others, including needy single-mothers in vocational skills for free to empower them with decent livelihoods.

With opportunities presented by emerging international trade partnership agreements, Owusu believes the future for her fashion business was bright. She considers the creation of the African Continental Free Trade Area, in particular, a great opportunity through which she could export her products to other parts of the continent. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-10-28 22:52:15|Editor: huaxia

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CAIRO, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank has approved a 360 million U.S. dollars loan to support Egypt's second wave of economic reform in post-pandemic recovery, the World Bank said Thursday.

"The loan aimed at enhancing Egypt's prospects for sustainable and inclusive growth," it noted.

The loan has been approved under the Egypt Inclusive Growth for Sustainable Recovery Program that was launched by the World Bank for creating jobs and providing an inclusive enabling environment for the country's private sector.

According to the World Bank, the Program focuses on enhancing Egypt's macro-fiscal sustainability, enabling private sector development in the domestic market, and fostering women's economic inclusion.

Egypt's first wave of macro-economic reforms that started in 2016 has helped the North African country stabilize its economy, tackle the COVID-19 crisis with greater resilience, and improve fiscal and external accounts, the World Bank said.

"Egypt has remained one of the few countries that have maintained positive growth during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis," it said.

Egypt's first wave of reform secured a three-year loan of 12 billion dollars provided by the International Monetary Fund, which ended in July 2019. The second wave of reform started in April 2021. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-10-28 23:24:49|Editor: huaxia

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GABORONE, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- COVID-19 impact continues to unravel within Botswana's tourism industry, as the sector has been under immense pressure over the past two years.

Chobe Holdings, a Botswana Stock Exchange-listed tourism company has announced that it anticipates a significant group loss before tax for the half-year of 2021.

According to a notice to shareholders issued by the company earlier this week, Chobe Holdings forecast a before-tax loss of between 14.4 million Pula (about 1.27 million U.S. dollars) and 16.6 million Pula.

Another listed tourism outfit Cresta Marakanelo Hotels recently reported a loss for the first six months of the year, as the tourism industry continues to reel on tough operating conditions.

The company's unaudited condensed financial results for the six months ended June 30, 2021 indicate a loss of 34.12 million Pula.

However, the company remains optimistic and anticipates making a rebound, as vaccination rollout gains momentum.

"Vaccination enhances travel sentiment for the market, and it is on its strength that most of the paid guests are opting to postpone their bookings rather than cancel completely," said Cresta Managing Director, Mokwena Morulane.

Kgori Capital, a local asset management firm has reiterated that the tourism industry will spring out of the doldrums.

"We are hopeful that the lifting of the State of Public Emergency (SoPE) and roll-out of the vaccination program will fast track the reopening of the sector," said Tshegofatso Tlhong, Portfolio Manager at Kgori Capital.

As part of efforts to reignite tourism, Botswana Tourism Organization recently embarked on a virtual tour themed 'Botswana Live' to promote the country's fauna and flora.

The initiative aimed to increase awareness of the country's diverse product offering. Launched at the beginning of September, the initiative will close at the end of October, ahead of the festive season.

Another initiative the country has put in place to lure more tourists is an online visa application platform launched by the department of immigration and citizenship in August.

The authorities believe that the e-visa application system will significantly reduce the turnaround time and improve overall efficiency when it comes to the issuance of visas.

Meanwhile, health authorities in Botswana have announced that the country's vaccination program has now transited to the third phase, covering those aged between 18 and 29 years. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-10-28 22:39:02|Editor: huaxia

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BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) concluded its 38th and 39th summits and related summits on Thursday, with commitments to support post-COVID-19 recovery and ASEAN community building.

When addressing the closing ceremony, Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, the Sultan of Brunei, who is also the current ASEAN chairman for 2021, said that leaders of the 10-country bloc had productive discussions on the current state and future direction of the region as well as considered ways to further enhance relationships with external partners.

The Sultan said that ASEAN has stepped up efforts to respond to and recover from COVID-19, including work to help its people by securing vaccines and protecting their well-being through the ASEAN Comprehensive Framework on Care Economy, as the region continues to face the COVID-19 pandemic, especially with the emergence of new variants.

During the summit meetings, ASEAN leaders reaffirmed their commitment to keep markets open and ensure the continued flow of trade and investment, supply chain connectivity, particularly for essential products, and for a strong and resilient post-COVID-19 economy, a chairman's statement on the 38th and 39th ASEAN summits stated.

Noting that tourism is one of the hardest-hit sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic, ASEAN leaders highlighted the importance of strengthening regional and international cooperation to safely restart and rebuild ASEAN tourism industry as a significant contributor to economic and social advancements and a major source of employment, income and livelihoods of people and local communities in the region.

As for ASEAN Community building, ASEAN leaders reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen the ASEAN Community as well as ASEAN's Centrality and unity to address common challenges as well as to advance ASEAN's comprehensive recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

"ASEAN Community-building will always be a work in progress, and that it is thus vital to remain committed to upholding multilateralism and a strong regional architecture to enable meaningful progress for generations to come," Haji Hassanal Bolkiah said at the closing ceremony, before handing over the ASEAN chairmanship to Samdech Techo Hun Sen, prime minister of Cambodia.

The 38th and 39th ASEAN Summits and related summits were held from Tuesday to Thursday via video conferences, which were also joined by leaders from ASEAN's dialogue partners, including China, Japan, South Korea, India, the United States, Australia and Russia, among others.

Founded in 1967, ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-10-28 23:26:11|Editor: huaxia

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PHNOM PENH, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Cambodian government on Thursday unveiled its 10th round of relief measures to assist COVID-19-hit businesses as the Southeast Asian nation still grapples with the pandemic.

In its statement, the government said garment, airline, and tourism-related businesses such as hotels and restaurants still suffer from the impact of the pandemic.

"The 10th round of relief measures aims to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 crisis on social and economic sectors as well as to support and restore businesses in the context of the gradual recovery of social and economic activities in the new normal," the statement said.

To keep businesses afloat and to stimulate economic growth, the government decided to extend tax holidays for airline companies and tourism-related businesses for another three months from October to December, 2021, it said.

Also, unemployed workers in garment, footwear and travel goods sectors would continue receiving 40 U.S. dollars from the government and 30 dollars from the suspended factory per month for another three months, while the jobless in tourism would receive 40 dollars a month from the government for the same period, it added.

Last week, the government also announced to continue providing cash assistance to nearly 700,000 families hit by COVID-19 for another three months from October to December.

Cambodia confirmed 109 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, pushing the national caseload to 118,220, the health ministry said, adding that eight new fatalities were recorded, taking the overall death toll to 2,766.

Additional 272 patients recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 114,063, the health ministry said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-10-28 23:34:46|Editor: huaxia

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COLOMBO, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Sri Lankan government has approved five new airlines to operate into the country before the end of this year to boost tourist arrivals following the easing of the COVID-19 pandemic, Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga quoted in local media reports said here Thursday.

Accordingly, Sweden's Edelweiss Air will operate a weekly flight and Russia's Aeroflot twice a week from Nov. 1, while Air France will fly three times a week from Nov. 3.

In addition, from the first week of December, Russia's AZUR Air and Italy's Neos Air will fly twice a week to Colombo, the Minister said.

The operations of these airlines into the country will be subject to strict health guidelines.

"The aim is to enhance foreign earnings through the revival of the tourism industry and contribute to the national economy," Ranatunga said.

With international travel having begun following the administration of the vaccine against COVID-19 globally, nearly 16,500 tourists had arrived in Sri Lanka between Oct. 1 and Oct. 24, boosting hopes for the crisis-ridden industry.

"If the trend continues, October is likely to record the highest monthly arrivals for this year," Ranatunga said

"With the easing of travel restrictions, there is a growing interest from global travelers to visit the country," the Minister added.

According to official figures, September saw the highest arrival of 13,547 tourists, thereby boosting the first nine months' figure to over 54,768.

The majority of these tourists were from India, Britain, Pakistan, Russia, Germany, Maldives, Canada, France, the United States and Indonesia. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-10-28 23:36:09|Editor: huaxia

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PHNOM PENH, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Thursday took up the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for 2022, vowing to enhance the bloc's centrality, unity and development in all fields.

Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen received the ASEAN chairmanship hammer from Brunei Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, chair of ASEAN for 2021, at the end of the 38th and 39th summits held via video conference.

This is the third time Cambodia leads ASEAN since it became a full-fledged member of the 10-country bloc in 1999. ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Speaking at the handover ceremony of the ASEAN chairmanship, Hun Sen said he was proud that Cambodia took on the ASEAN chairmanship for 2022.

"As the chair of ASEAN in 2022, Cambodia will steer ASEAN's collective efforts to accomplish our important tasks, especially expediting the building process of an equitable, strong, and inclusive ASEAN Community, which are in line with core spirit of ASEAN: One Vision, One Identity and One Community," he said.

KEY PRIORITIES

For political and security area, Hun Sen said Cambodia will focus on strengthening ASEAN centrality and unity. Also, ASEAN must be resilient and strong against the pressure and influence stemming from rising geo-political competition, transnational crime, terrorism, climate change and infectious diseases, etc. to ensure its way forward in peace, security, and prosperity, he said.

On the economic front, Cambodia will promote effective implementation of all initiatives and measures agreed as well as leverage trade agreements to the maximum so as to expedite the recovery of economic growth in the post-COVID-19 period.

Hun Sen added that the kingdom will do its best to ensure that ASEAN remains an attractive and dynamic hub for trade and investment by enhancing both physical and digital connectivity, strengthening the capacity of micro, small and medium sized enterprises and promoting the entrepreneurship amongst women and youth.

On the socio-cultural side, he said Cambodia will strengthen the development of human resources to respond to the needs on the ground for community building, promote the participation of women and youth in building and maintaining peace, and develop an inclusive social protection system.

Another key priority is strengthening people-to-people bonds to enhance the spirit of One ASEAN Identity, he said.

"By and large, Cambodia will continue to mobilize support and cooperation to achieve the goal of building the three ASEAN communities, in line with the ASEAN Community Vision 2025," Hun Sen said.

"As the chair of ASEAN in 2022, Cambodia is committed to leading ASEAN under the theme "ASEAN A.C.T.: Addressing Challenges Together" for harmony, peace, and prosperity in the whole region," he said.

KEY CHALLENGES

Experts said 2022 will be a challenging year for ASEAN as the bloc is facing key challenges such as post-pandemic socio-economic recovery, unfolding political crisis in Myanmar, geopolitical rivalries, QUAD, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue among the United States, Japan, Australia and India, and AUKUS, the military pact among the U.S., Britain and Australia, among others.

"To address these issues, ASEAN needs to advance and deepen regional integration and connectivity, and interdependence is one of the key foundations of peace and prosperity," Chheang Vannarith, president of the Phnom Penh-based Asian Vision Institute, told Xinhua.

Kin Phea, director-general of the International Relations Institute at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said to deal with these challenges, Cambodia should carry out silent diplomacy and consultation to find common ground for regional cooperation among countries in the region.

"The best choice is to push the agendas that bind ASEAN, rather than the issues that divide ASEAN," he told Xinhua. "It's crucial to maintain the unity, solidarity and neutrality of ASEAN."

Joseph Matthews, a senior professor at the BELTEI International University in Phnom Penh, said QUAD and AUKUS have the potential to become a major security threat to ASEAN and the whole Asian region.

"These defense alliances have the potential to trigger arms race, to destabilize peace, to undermine economic development, and to create war-like-phobia in the region," he told Xinhua.

Thong Mengdavid, a research fellow at the Asian Vision Institute, said on regional security issues, Cambodia should focus more on working more closely with other ASEAN member states in advocating the constructive measurement concerning ASEAN security and stability.

"On the economic side, Cambodia can use this opportunity to promote regional digitalization and fintech, enhance regional human resources development and innovation, safeguard the collective actions to fight against COVID-19 and support more development on regional infrastructure," he said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-10-28 20:59:06|Editor: huaxia

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Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic (R) meets with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Belgrade, Serbia, Oct. 27, 2021. (Photo by Predrag Milosavljevic/Xinhua)

BELGRADE, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- The friendship between Serbia and China is indestructible and their pragmatic cooperation has yielded fruitful results, Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said here on Wednesday, stressing that cooperation with China is fully in line with Serbia's current and long-term interests.

The Serbian prime minister made the remarks when she met with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

During the meeting, Wang conveyed the warm greetings from Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to Prime Minister Brnabic.

Wang said that under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China-Serbia relations have stayed as strong as ever, bringing tangible benefits to the two peoples and playing an important role in regional peace and stability.

Noting that bilateral cooperation projects have covered all fields and delivered economic and social benefits, Wang stressed that China-Serbia relations have become a benchmark for mutually beneficial cooperation, a model for the joint construction of the Belt and Road, and an example for cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC).

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Serbia have stood firmly together, and the touching moments of their friendship have left an indelible mark in the history of bilateral exchanges, and become a vivid example of their iron-clad friendship, Wang said.

"To China, Serbian friends are like family, and we are deeply impressed by the warm and heartfelt friendship of the Serbian people," he said.

Wang expressed appreciation for the Serbian side's consistent support for China's core interests and important concerns, stressing that China cherishes its profound friendship with Serbia.

China has taken China-Serbia relations as a priority in its exchanges with Europe, and is willing to jointly pursue common development and prosperity with Serbia, Wang said.

The two sides should promote the joint construction of major projects under the Belt and Road Initiative, expand cooperation in the fields such as green economy, clean energy, efficient use of energy, Internet plus, cross-border e-commerce, big data, cloud computing, smart cities and 5G, in order to provide a stronger driving force for sustainable development, he added.

For her part, Brnabic asked Wang to convey her best wishes to Premier Li.

The Serbian prime minister extended her congratulations on the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC), saying that the Serbian side follows closely and actively supports Chinese President Xi Jinping's proposal for a Global Development Initiative, and sincerely admires the CPC's great achievements in poverty alleviation and promoting economic and social development.

"China is an inspiring example for Serbia to forge ahead and strengthens our confidence in following our own development path," Brnabic said.

The Serbian people will never forget that China provided precious support for Serbia in fighting the epidemic, selflessly helped Serbia to improve people's wellbeing and actively supported Serbia's rapid economic development, she said.

No matter how the world may change and no matter what kind of pressure it receives, the Serbian side will unswervingly pursue a friendly policy towards China, she said.

Brnabic said that her country is willing to work with China to implement the major projects under the Belt and Road Initiative, strengthen cooperation in the fields such as infrastructure, digital economy, artificial intelligence and biotechnology, so as to push Serbia-China relations to a higher level.

The two sides agreed to support and make good use of the cultural centers established in their respective countries so as to consolidate public support for bilateral friendship. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-10-28 21:03:03|Editor: huaxia

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BERLIN, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Germany registered 28,037 new COVID-19 infections within one day, almost 12,000 more than a week ago, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) announced on Thursday.

The seven-day incidence rate soared to 130.2 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, compared with 118 the day before and only 85.6 a week ago, according to the RKI, the federal agency and research institute responsible for disease control and prevention.

In view of rising infection figures, the German Hospital Federation (DKG) warned against an overburdening of hospitals. "We are in a critical situation of the pandemic," Gerald Gass, DKG chairman, told RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland, an editorial team for national content for the Madsack publishing company in Hanover, on Thursday.

Within one week, the number of hospitalized patients went up by 40 percent while intensive care units received 15 percent more patients. "If this trend continues, we will have 3,000 patients in intensive care again in just two weeks," Gass stressed.

According to Germany's intensive care registry DIVI, almost 1,800 COVID-19 patients were currently treated in intensive care units (ICU). At the peak of the epidemic in Germany in January this year, there were more than 5,700 COVID-19 patients in ICUs.

In view of high incidences also among children, pediatricians were hoping for swift "European approval of the BioNTech vaccine for the age group of five to 11 years, which will then also be adopted in Germany," Joerg Doetsch, president of the German Society of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine (DGKJ), told Funke Mediengruppe on Thursday.

On Tuesday, an advisory committee to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) already recommended emergency approval of BioNTech/Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for children up to 11, according to the German vaccine developer. A final decision is still expected.

By Wednesday, around 55.3 million people in Germany had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, bringing the country's vaccination rate to 66.5 percent, according to the RKI. The respective figure for adolescents aged between 12 and 17 is 40.9 percent. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-10-28 21:17:04|Editor: huaxia

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LONDON, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- The dispute over fishing rights between Britain and France has escalated as France threatens retaliatory measures against Britain's fishing industry and the broader trade. It is a fresh sign the sector with tiny economic value continues to exert outsized influence on their post-Brexit relations.

On Wednesday evening, France said it was preparing sanctions, and some measures could be imposed from next Tuesday unless enough progress is made in its fishing row with Britain. The move came after France complained only half of the licenses needed were given to French fishing boats to operate in British territorial waters.

Measures unveiled by France include preventing British fishing boats from disembarking at ports, increasing border and sanitary checks on British goods, tightening security checks on British boats and increasing checks on trucks going to and from Britain. Media speculates further measures could include cutting electricity supplies to the British Channel island of Jersey, as France previously threatened in May.

"France's threats are disappointing and disproportionate, and not what we would expect from a close ally and partner," a British government spokesperson said in a statement.

"The measures being threatened do not appear to be compatible with the trade and cooperation agreement (TCA) and wider international law, and, if carried through, will be met with an appropriate and calibrated response. We will be relaying our concerns to the EU Commission and French government," the spokesperson said.

Britain insisted it has granted 98 percent of licence applications from EU vessels to fish in its waters. British media said since Dec. 31, 1,673 EU vessels have been licensed for fishing, of which 736 were French.

Britain's Brexit Minister David Frost said Britain will be seeking urgent clarification of the French plans and will consider what further action is necessary.

Post-Brexit fishing row between Britain and France started earlier this year after the British Channel island of Jersey's government introduced a new licensing system requiring French boats to show fishing history in Jersey's waters to obtain future permits. It led to both sides dispatching navy vessels to monitor the situation in Jersey's waters in May.

Fishing is politically sensitive to both Britain and France. It is a thorny issue during the time-consuming Brexit talks, with the EU linking British financial firms' access to its market with their fishermen's rights to operate in British waters.

It will appear more sensitive given the French presidential elections next April and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's eagerness to demonstrate his country's control of its own waters after Brexit.

Adam Parsons, Europe Correspondent for Sky News, said Emmanuel Macron has an election next year and knows that sticking up for fishermen plays well with voters in northern France. Boris Johnson, always casting his own eye on public opinion, is well aware that fishing rights became a totemic topic among many Brexit voters.

Neither side wants to be seen to back down too readily. But a resolution will require cool heads, gentle diplomacy and level-headed thinking -- France's decisions to go public with its threats may not help that process, according to Parsons.

Patrick Martin-Genier, professor of Paris Institute of Political Studies, told media that the TCA was signed between the EU and Britain, not France and Britain. "In other words, EU countries must be united on fisheries. The French government has made several attempts to secure the support of EU countries, but Brussels has so far been careful not to add fuel to the fire, only previously expressing regret at the limited number of fishing licenses granted."

France has pushed the EU to increase pressure on Britain over the fishing rights dispute. The Guardian reported earlier this month that 14 EU member states, including France, Belgium, Ireland and Spain, are preparing to issue a joint declaration accusing the British government of risking "significant economic and social damage" to their fishing communities. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-10-28 22:06:38|Editor: huaxia

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A military aircraft flies during a military parade in Thessaloniki, northern Greece, on Oct. 28, 2021. Amid COVID-19 restrictions especially in the northern part of the country, Greece celebrated the annual "Ochi (No) Day" on Thursday with military and student parades. (Photo by Dimitris Tosidis/Xinhua)

ATHENS, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Amid COVID-19 restrictions especially in the northern part of the country, Greece celebrated for the 81st time the annual "Ochi (No) Day" on Thursday with military and student parades.

On Oct. 28 each year, Greece, Cyprus and the Greek communities around the world commemorate the day when in 1940 then-Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas said "no" to an ultimatum from Italy to surrender the country to the Axis forces of Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. This marked Greece's entry into World War II.

In the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, the celebrations culminated with a parade in which military units, including armored vehicles, tanks, infantry and special forces, marched in front of Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou.

For the first time ever, military F-16 jets flew over the city in a formation with a rebuilt Spitfire MJ755 fighter of the 335 Tiger Squadron, the oldest squadron of the Hellenic Air Force established when Greece was under German occupation in October 1941.

"Ochi Day is a day of honor and pride for our nation," Sakellaropoulou said. "A glory moment in our history when the Greeks refused to surrender, they opposed the Nazi invasion and won over the enemy. The Greco-Italian War of 1940 reminds us all of the things we can achieve when we are united."

Due to the recent spike in COVID-19 cases and deaths in several parts of the country, mainly in northern Greece and in Thessaly, the commemorative parades had to be canceled. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-10-29 03:25:53|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on Oct. 28, 2021 shows a view of the media center of the G20 Heads of State and Government Summit in Rome, Italy. The summit of the Group of 20 (G20) leading economies is about to kick off in Italy's capital amid tight security measures and with a packed agenda. (Xinhua/Zhang Cheng)

ROME, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- The summit of the Group of 20 (G20) leading economies is about to kick off in Italy's capital amid tight security measures and with a packed agenda.

The summit will be preceded by a G20 Joint Finance and Health Ministers' meeting, which will also be hosted by Rome on Friday.

VACCINES, CLIMATE AMONG TOP ISSUES

According to Italy, holder of the G20 Presidency since Dec. 1, 2020, the summit's agenda will cover the most pressing global health and economic issues related to the coronavirus pandemic.

These would include the need for the most developed economies to boost their efforts to ensure the fair and equitable global distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, especially to low-income countries.

Earlier this month, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres launched an appeal for some 8 billion U.S. dollars to speed up vaccination. The plan unveiled by the World Health Organization (WHO) aims at immunizing 70 percent of the planet's population by mid-2022.

The G20 leaders are also expected to discuss climate change, digital transformation and sustainable innovation, along with such issues as the situation in Afghanistan, on which Italy called an extraordinary G20 meeting earlier in October.

Since the G20 Summit is scheduled to take place just before the opening of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland (Oct. 31-Nov. 12), the leaders in Rome are expected to discuss a common strategy in coping with climate change.

The G20 countries have yet to agree on whether they should commit to limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius by around mid-century and also on the timing of the related decarbonization process.

Security will be tight in and around Rome's La Nuvola Convention Center in the EUR district, which will host the G20 Summit.

Rome's airspace will be closed from Thursday to Nov. 1., although the city's Fiumicino and Ciampino airports will be allowed to operate.

The Italian capital's police ranks will be bolstered by 500 extra officers, and Carabinieri (military police) and special units will be deployed across the city to ensure security.

Set up in 1999, the G20 serves as a main forum for international cooperation on financial and economic issues.

It comprises 19 countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, India, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, plus the European Union.

Together, the G20 members represent almost two-thirds of the planet's population and accounted for some 80 percent of global gross domestic product (GDP) and over 75 percent of global trade in 2020. Enditem
The High Court has freed, on bail, three alleged economic saboteurs who were arrested last month in a Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe blitz against illegal foreign currency dealers.

The trio is answering to criminal charges for dealing in foreign currency generated from at least $210 475 688 between January and June 2020.

The three include Access Finance boss Raymond Chigogwana, Esau Bwerinofa director of Chemmodities Trading Private Limited and Takudzwa Rafemoyo.

Justice Pisirayi Kwenda admitted Chigogwana and Bwerinofa, who had spent more than three weeks in remand prison, to $200 000 bail each.

Rafemoyo was ordered to pay $50 000.

As part of the bail conditions each of the suspects was ordered to remain resident at their given address, not to interfere with witnesses and surrender their passports and title deeds to one immovable property as surety.

Prosecuting, the State had it that a number of senior managers from various companies were illegally dealing in foreign currency heavily contributing to the weakening of the Zimbabwean dollar against major currencies on the alternative market.

Allegations are that one of the companies had allegedly employed 429 forex dealers who operated in a mafia like modus operandi involving a complicated syndicate with other known companies that are under probe.

The State alleged that the institutions were allegedly still trading using the EcoCash bulk payer lines.

Dream High Investments, represented by Tinashe Paradise Magada, is alleged to have transferred $143 669 348 while Access Finance (Private) Limited allegedly transacted $185 420 444.

Tererati (Private) Limited owned by Samuel Tererai Chiodze is said to have transacted $125 722 079 while Capital Profit Financial Services represented by Taitus Tapiwa Madzara, allegedly transacted $59 237 733.

Raymond Mudonhi Investment (Private) Limited, Justice Mahuni, Kudzai Mudonhi and Juso Global Limited Justice Mahuni allegedly illegally traded $150 128 765.

Dream High Investments, received $143 669 348 from different companies and individuals, which it then transferred using the EcoCash bulk payer line to agents who would buy forex on their behalf from the streets.

Access Finance, which is registered as a bureau de change, is alleged to have bought various Econet lines which it would give to various agents, who in turn used them to buy foreign currency on the streets.

It is alleged that its conduct was against the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe financial regulations. Vision Credit Source Pvt Ltd was jointly charged with Takudzwa Godwin Rafemoyo (42) for illicitly buying foreign currency worth $192 million.

Rafemoyo allegedly opened a bank account for Vision Credit with Steward Bank before registering five separate EcoCash agent lines, which were then used as conduits to move the money to various buyers.

Between January 16 and May 7 the same year, he transferred $49 million into one of his agent lines before transferring another $49 million into the other lines for the purpose of buying foreign currency on the black market.

He went on to transfer amounts ranging between $2 million and $9 million into the other lines for the same reason. H Metro
GOVERNMENT has withdrawn salaries for teachers who have not been reporting for duty citing incapacitation.

Educators Union of Zimbabwe president Tafadzwa Munodawafa yesterday said some teachers had gone for 10 months without pay after government withheld their salaries over absentism.

This, Munodawafa said, was after some school heads submitted names of absconding teachers to the Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare ministry.

Our salaries were also slashed in 2018. Engagements with the government have been ongoing, but it is time that the teaching fraternity must realise that mere engagement will not work, he said.

Of course, the employer will use scare tactics to deter us, and we appreciate that, but what should scare teachers the most is poverty that is staring them in the face.

Other teachers got their salaries basically a week ago, but they are already broke.

There is little that the employer can do, and we should mobilise teachers so that they become aware of their labour rights.

Munodawafa urged teachers unions to join hands to end oppression despite their differences.

The problem that we have is that teachers and their unions are scared. Unions are failing to adequately empower teachers to know their rights, he said.

As a union, we know that it is not an overnight job, it will take time and we are starting with leaders, then we go down to the ordinary teachers.

Public Service minister Paul Mavima said government was committed to paying its civil servants, but would not pay teachers who do not want to report for work.

This government of Zimbabwe has not failed to pay its civil servants even in the hardest of times.

Even teachers who were employed this month got their salaries. Ask them why they were not paid, Mavima said.

If they absconded from work, well, that is a good enough reason. How do you expect government to pay teachers who do not want to work? Newsday


Thirty-nine members of the War Veterans Welfare Pressure Group yesterday appeared at the Harare Magistrates Court charged with participating in a gathering with intent to cause public violence.

Magistrate Barbara Mateko remanded the matter to today for a ruling on their application for refusal to be remanded.

They were represented by lawyer Paidamoyo Saurombe from the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), who complained that his clients were not advised of their offence following their arrest on Tuesday.

Saurombe said they were only advised of their offence a day after the arrest when their lawyers approached Police Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga.

The war veterans further submitted that they were arrested around 10am on Tuesday, and made to appear before the courts around 11am yesterday, an hour after the expiry of the 48 hours stipulated by the law for suspects to appear in court.

They argued that the national Constitution stipulates that an over-detained suspect must be released unconditionally.

But the State denied that the accused persons were over-detained, saying their records were prepared around 9am.

The State alleges that on October 13, the Zimbabwe Liberation War Veterans Association notified the police of its intention to hold a peaceful march in the Harare central business district (CBD).

The State said they were turned down on October 18 on the basis that the country was still under COVID-19 level two lockdown, which meant that all demonstrations were suspended.

On October 26 at around 10am, members of the Police Reaction Group, who were on patrol in the CBD, received information that there was a group of people gathered in Africa Unity Square, corner Third Street and Jason Moyo Avenue in Harare.

The police proceeded to the scene where they engaged the accused persons who indicated that they were war veterans and wanted to hand over a petition to Parliament and President Emmerson Mnangagwas Munhumutapa offices.

The ex-fighters were allegedly advised to send five representatives with the petition, but they refused insisting that they wanted to go as a group.

On the day they were arrested, the police ordered them to disperse, but the accused refused and started singing revolutionary songs, disturbing peace, movement of the pedestrians and motor vehicles.

They were demonstrating over measly pension stipends of $16 000 per month. Newsday
Nairobi, Kenya (PANA) - The International Labour Organization (ILO) has called for the protection of workers in the frontline sector industries including maritime transport, retail staff in supermarkets and employees of mass transit companies from the fast-spreading variants of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
Bamako, Mali (PANA) - The Japanese government, through its embassy in Mali, and the World Food Programme (WFP) Thursday signed an agreement to provide 1billion CFA Francs to Mali to finance a "Food Assistance Programme, an official source told PANA
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - Elected mayors from different Libyan cities have warned against holding the presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for 24 December due to "violations of the law"
Port-Louis, Mauritius (PANA) - A project of the Introduction of Creole in the Mauritian Parliament was launched on Thursday in the context of the celebrations of the International Creole Day 2021
Even the European press has already written about the Russian fraudster-builder Alexander Chikovani, who is currently hiding from justice in Spain. As a result of a journalistic investigation by the British publication the London weekly, the amounts on the accounts, as well as the real estate purchased by the Russian businessman and his family in, who did not pay hundreds of millions of taxes became known.

A native of Kemerovo, Alexander Chikovani was running a construction business in the Russian capital, his company performed contract work for major developers in Moscow and the Moscow region. The businessmans frivolous and irresponsible attitude towards work turned not only his business partners and clients but also their own employees against. To do this, just looking at the reviews about his company written by disgruntled employees who complained about non-payment of salaries 5 years ago would be enough. Chikovani became known after the publication of an article on the Russian Forbes website about the company construction company Gefest, owned by Chikovani. The construction company took a loan of 50 million rubles, but the businessman was in no hurry to return the debts to creditors or did not had any intention at all. During the audit of the company, it was also known that Chikovani did not pay VAT for three years, thus causing significant damage to the countrys budget for about 170 million rubles.

Alexander Chikovani, who is the real owner of the construction company Gefest, instead of paying creditors, withdrew more than 50 million rubles from the turnover in his favor. Despite the absence of a legal link between the owner and the company, the court brought Chikovani to vicarious liability using high technology. It turned out that he was the owner and administrator of the domain where the official site of construction company Hephaestus was located. In addition, the companys accounts were managed from devices whose IP addresses belonged either to Chikovani personally or to companies controlled by him. Forbes.

And, although Chikovani himself denied his involvement in Gefest, law enforcement agencies were able to prove the businessmans guilt by identifying the necessary information from IP addresses, which confirmed that the companys accounts were managed from other companies affiliated to the businessman, most often directly from Chikovanis personal account. A little later it turned out that the company was deliberately brought to bankruptcy for non-payment of debt obligations, for this the entrepreneur was put on the Federal wanted list, from which he had to flee to Spain. At the end of last year, it was found that the enterprising fraudster was hiding in Spain.

His case became a concern for MEPs together with the ex-Minister of justice of Spain the MEPs appealed to the law enforcement agencies of Spain to check whether there are evidence of fraud in Russia and the expediency of harbouring the Russian fugitive on the territory of the EU, which, according to Rootkit is closely linked to ethnic criminal groups. This is just another case of European countries harboring criminals wanted in Russia. for Spain, patronage of criminal elements from Russia or the CIS is not uncommon, even though the Russian authorities seek to cooperate with Spanish law enforcement agencies and in October 2019 issued Spain thief in law Tariel Oniani, nicknamed Taro.

Alexander Chikovani is also closely associated with Russian criminals, contacting ethnic groups in terms of legalizing illegal assets. He was introduced to the criminal world by his uncle, George Chikovani, nicknamed Gogi, who, like Tariel Oniani, was one of the most famous thieves in law.

Giorgi Chikovani  the real godfather of Russian mafia, his authority was unquestioned in the criminal world. He received his first term of 15 years in prison at the age of 19. During his entire life, Uncle Gogi served 26 years in camps and prisons.

The last time Georgy Chikovani visited the owner was in 2004 when the Georgian authorities declared a merciless fight against crime. The 79-year-old Goga was searched and a whole Arsenal of weapons was found. Then the Minister of internal Affairs reported that the thief in law was detained for illegal possession of a large number of weapons. He mentioned that Chikovani is considered the boss of thieves in law and is one of the greatest authorities in the criminal world. Apparently, it was him who paved the way for his relative to enter the criminal world. And, perhaps, it is him who gave the initial capital to create a construction company, earned on murder and extortion. Alexander Chikovanis criminal activities continued and he, like his uncle, decided to involve his entire family in illegal operations and fraud. Trying to keep all the assets for himself, he decided to rewrite all the property to his wife-Ksenia Chikovani. Helping her husband, Ksenia became an accomplice to crimes, since the wife acted as an accomplice of her own husband, she also actively helped Alexander in his scams in Russia and can also be put on the wanted list. Hotels, boarding houses, restaurants and other properties in Spain, which according to our information Chikovani began to purchase, are now owned by Ksenia Chikovani and theyre children. Moreover, the woman is the beneficiary of two companies registered in Spain-Ansada Mediaterranea SL in Barcelona and Nueva Constructora Iberica in Tarragona, which specialize in trading, renting and managing hotels, restaurants, spas and other real estate properties. This information only confirms that the Chikovani family plans to settle in Europe for a long time. This is also evidenced by the accounts found by the London Weekly in their names with decent amounts of money in Austrian banks. Just in case, accounts were opened in Asia, in China and Hong Kong-as a fallback route. At United Overseas Bank Limited in Hong Kong, Ksenia Chikovani has an account with $3,463,746. In the same Bank, Alexander Chikovani has 1,363,008 Hong Kong dollars. He also opened an account at the Chinese Bank Industrial and Commercial Bank of China with $ 1,097,183. In Europe, according to the London Weekly, the Chikovani family keeps their ill-gotten capital in Austria. For example, UniCredit Bank Austria AG registered an account with 4,774,097 euros in the name of Alexander Chikovani, while Ksenia Chikovani keeps 190.667 euros in another Austrian Bank, Kathrein Privatbank AG. For making transactions that resulted in the withdrawal of assets to companies controlled by the businessman, Alexander Chikovani was brought to subsidiary liability by the court for the obligations of debtors totaling more than 200 million rubles. All transactions for the withdrawal of assets for the purpose of personal enrichment were declared invalid by the courts.

In the relations between the Russian Federation and the Kingdom of Spain, The agreement on legal assistance in civil cases of 1990 is still in force. Based on this, the court decided to send a court order to the Ministry of justice of Spain for the provision of international legal assistance.

Pavel Petrovich Kobyak, a bankruptcy Trustee of Chikovanis former company Haephestus, introduced by the Russian authorities, challenged a number of transactions concluded by the debtor during the period when the actual management of GEFEST-Stroy LLC was carried out by Alexander Chikovani. According to the expert, the company was deliberately bankrupted by its owner for the purpose of non-payment of credit debts, and the money was withdrawn abroad, which is confirmed by the information of the British publication. An independent Manager is demanding the seizure of the assets of Alexander Chikovani and his wife in Spain to satisfy creditors claims.

Connections to the ethnic criminal groups can help a fraudster who defrauded a large number of people to escape from justice in the EU forever. Why should people in Spain live next to Russian criminals such as Alexander Chikovani and his partner-in-law Ksenia? At the moment, the Spanish authorities are not in a hurry to co-operate for the fair punishment of criminals, sheltering people accused of fraud, tax evasion, money laundering and with ties with criminal groups on their territory, for which they may pay in the near future, when the criminal family of Chikovani deceives someone from the citizens of Spain. A serious challenge for Europe will be the confrontation with Russian law enforcement agencies, but we are confident that Spain will soon hand over Alexander Chikovani and his entire family to the Russian authorities, along with their ill-gotten property.
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By SA Commercial Prop News - Tinashe Remwa

Limpopo province receives double dose capital investments of R2 billion in a week's time, a new cement plant in Northam, namely Mamba Cement and a regional Thavhani Mall in Thohoyandou.



Good news for Limpopo as the province received double dose capital investments of R2 billion in a week's time, a new cement plant in Northam, namely Mamba Cement and a regional Thavhani Mall in Thohoyandou.

The social and economic influence of these investments will have a substantial impact on Limpopo and its stakeholders, boosting the province economy with retained retail spend and employment opportunities.

Mamba Cement

Banking group Nedbank Capital and the Bank of China in Johannesburg on Tuesday announced the raising of R1.1 billion debt capital to fund Mamba Cement, a new China entrant on the South African cement industry.

According to Nedbank Capital, this is one of the first pure limited recourse project finance deals funded by Chinese entities on the African continent. In other words, the majority of funding comes from banks rather than shareholders.



One of Chinas largest cement manufacturers, the Jidong Development Group, holds a 51% stake in Mamba. Together with the China-Africa Development Fund and significant BEE player, Women Investment Portfolio Holdings Limited (WIPHOLD), it provided the equity required for the project.

Nedbank Capitals infrastructure, energy and telecommunications head Mike Peo said the construction had already started and the project was expected to be completed within 18-24 months.

When completed, the Mamba Cement project will result in a brand new cement plant with a capacity of more than one million tonnes per annum located at an established limestone deposit near Northam in Limpopo Province. Once operational, Mamba Cement will produce and sell cement into the blended cements, readymix and construction industries across South Africa.

Mambas inland plant will compete with Sephakus inland plants in Mpumalanga and North West. Competition within the local cement market is segmented by geography, given the costs of logistics.

Mr Zhikun Qiu, Chief Executive Officer at Bank of China says the deal held particular appeal given the significant economic development potential it holds for southern Africa as a whole.

Thavhani Mall

Meanwhile yesterday, a consortium of property developers featuring prominent player Flanagan & Gerard Property Investments and Thavhani Property Investment, are set to deliver a new R900m shopping centre in Thohoyandou, Limpopos Vhembe District Municipality.

An announcement released yesterday said construction of the new Thohoyandou shopping centre, named Thavhani Mall, will begin in June and set to open in April 2016.

This development is the brainchild of local businessman Khosi Ramovha TJ of Thavhani Property Investments who first had the vision for the mall eight years ago.

The last 30 to 40 years SA Commercial Prop News noticed South African retail market shifted from traditional high street retail to large shopping centres in cities such as Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Pretoria.



Since 1994 there has been a steady increase in retail supply in the former regulated townships, with the latest retail development trend focusing on smaller towns and rural areas.

The mall is estimated to create between 1,500 to 2,000 sustainable jobs after it opens and Thohoyandou to retain around R200 million in retail spend, which is currently being spent outside the town.

The 55,000sqm development is set on a 76ha site at the intersection of the R524 road to Makhado and the new road which links Giyani to Sibasa and surrounding rural areas.

Patrick Flanagan of Flanagan & Gerard said the Malls tenant mix will be led by two supermarket anchors, three fashion anchors and at least two major banks.



He adds: It will introduce several new retailers to Thohoyandou and include a variety of fashion, accessories, furniture, electronics, health and beauty and much more. It will also include a lively food court with restaurants, which will become an exciting meeting place in the mall.

The developers also said Thavhani Mall will incorporate a taxi rank and ample on-level parking.

The Vhembe District Municipality and the Thulamela Local Municipality have outperformed in average economic growth in recent years. The nearly 400,000 residents in this primary trade area comprise almost 90,000 households. They span the full living standards measure spectrum, but are predominantly in the lower LSMs.
Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan has been granted bail by the Bombay High Court in a drug probe case which was levelled against him by the NCB. Although the full court order with reasons and bail conditions will be released by the court on Friday, the support for SRK and his son started pouring in from all corners.

Members of the fraternity took to social media to lend their support to Aryan and rejoiced at the serving of justice by the court.

Director Sanjay Gupta was the first to share his thoughts as he tweeted, "I'm very happy that Aryan Khan has gotten bail but also very upset with a system that kept a young man behind bars for more than 25 days for something he never did. That has to change!!! God bless you and be strong Aryan Khan."

Ranvir Shorey followed by tweeting, "Der hai, andher nahi. #justice."

'Scam 1992' director Hansal Mehta took a dig at NCB as he posted, "I want to have a blast tonight!"

Sonu Sood wrote in Hindi, "When time serves justice, it doesn't call for witnesses."

Ram Gopal Varma, who is known for his unconventional and witty remarks, said, "So if it just took Mukul Rohatgi's argument to get bail for Aryan, does it mean his earlier lawyers were so incompetent that he had to spend so many days in jail needlessly?"

Actor R. Madhavan tweeted, "Thank God. As a father I am So relieved. May all good and positive things happen."

Mika Singh also shared his feelings as he tweeted, "Congratulations to #AryanKhan and to the other accused for getting bail. I'm so happy that it was finally granted, bro @iamsrk 'Bhagwan ke ghar mein der hai andher nahi'. You have contributed hugely to the fraternity. God bless both you and your family."
In a key breakthrough, the Anti Extortion Cell (AEC) of Pune Police arrested absconder Kiran P. Gosavi, the prime 'Panch-Witness' of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in the October 2 cruise party raids who is wanted in several fraud and cheating cases by Maharashtra Police, here on Thursday.

Gosavi, who had sneaked into hiding for nearly a fortnight, was picked up from a lodge in Katraj, brought to the police headquarters and later placed under arrest, Pune Commissioner of Police Amitabh Gupta told mediapersons.

"Let me make it clear. We have arrested him, he has not surrendered," Gupta said of Gosavi, whose selfie with Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan, had gone viral after the NCB swooped on the cruiser.

According to the police, from tech-intel it came to light that Gosavi was moving and hiding in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Jalgaon, Lucknow, Hyderabad and other places in the country, with police teams hot on his chase.

"At times, he used an alias of 'Sachin Patil' and stayed in various placesa He is saying many things. Let's not get into details at this stage," Gupta added.

When pointed out that Gosavi had been offering to surrender for many days, Gupta asked: "He has been saying so, but did he (surrender)?"

The accused, nabbed in an old case registered in 2018, has been claiming to be a private detective, into an export-import business, dealing in electronic gadgets, etc, but Pune Police said all this would be investigated.

Earlier, hunted by the special teams of Pune Police, the AEC cornered Gosavi on the outskirts of the city around 3.30 a.m. on Thursday morning after he was reported missing for the past nearly three weeks when his name first surfaced in the cruise party raids row.

He was detained and taken to the Pune Police headquarters where he is kept in a police lockup prior to completing the post-arrest formalities, and questioned by a team headed by a Pune Deputy Commissioner of Police.

Gosavi, with cases lodged against him in Mumbai, Thane and Pune had sneaked out of the state reportedly moving to various states after his name blew up in the NCB raids case.

Facing a lookout notice, just two days ago he created a midnight drama in Lucknow by announcing his surrender before the Mandiaon Police (Uttar Pradesh), but the move was aborted at the last minute.

Official sources say that his attempts to asurrender' reportedly failed before the police in at least two states, both ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party, and finally he managed to reach Maharashtra where the AEC caught up with him on Thursday morning.

Gosavi is among the 10 persons summoned by the NCB vigilance team from New Delhi, camping in Mumbai, to record his statements in the probe into the alleged corruption charges against Mumbai Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Kedarnath in Uttarakhand on November 5 to inaugurate and also lay the foundation stone of several key infrastructure projects.

Prime Minister Modi will also review and inspect the executed and ongoing infrastructure works in the state.

In a statement the Prime Minister's Office said, "Prime Minister will offer prayers at the Kedarnath Temple. He will thereafter inaugurate Shri Adi Shankaracharya Samadhi and unveil the statue of Shri Adi Shankaracharya. The Samadhi has been reconstructed after the destruction in the 2013 floods. The entire reconstruction work has been undertaken under the guidance of the Prime Minister, who has constantly reviewed and monitored the progress of the project.

"The Prime Minister will review and inspect the executed and ongoing works along the Saraswati Aasthapath. The Prime Minister will also address a public rally.

He will inaugurate key infrastructure projects which have been completed, including Saraswati retaining wall aasthapath and ghats, Mandakini retaining wall aasthapath, tirth purohit houses and garud chatti bridge on river Mandakini. The projects have been completed at a cost of over Rs 130 crore.

He will also lay the foundation stone for multiple projects worth over Rs 180 crore, including the redevelopment of Sangam Ghat, first aid and tourist facilitation centre, admin office and hospital, two guest houses, police station, command and control centre, Mandakini Aasthapath queue management and rain shelter and Saraswati civic amenity building.

Last week Uttarakhand witnessed heavy rain, flood and landslide which affected areas of Devprayag, Ramnagar, Ramgarh, Gaulapar and Rudrapur. Prime Minister Modi had spoken to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami many times since the very first day to take stock of the situation and had assured all assistance from the union government.
Northbrook, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 10/28/2021 -- According to a new market research report "Data Center Rack Market by Component (Solutions and Services), Rack Type (Open Frame and Cabinets), Rack Height, Rack Width, Data Center Size (Small and Mid-sized Data Centers and Large Data Centers), Vertical, and Region - Global Forecast to 2025" published by MarketsandMarkets, the data center rack market expected to grow from USD 3.8 billion in 2020 to USD 5.9 billion by 2025, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 9.4% during the forecast period. Factors driving the growth of the data center rack market include the increasing deployments in data center colocation facilities and increasing server density.



Browse in-depth TOC on "Data Center Rack Market"

108- Tables

41- Figures

147- Pages



Download PDF Brochure @ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=210971325



Based on component, the solutions segment to hold a larger market size during the forecast period



As more organizations are building their own data centers to meet precise performance and cost objectives, the need for flexible racks and cabinets to accommodate this equipment will continue to increase. The current IT infrastructure is unable to cater to the rising data demands of end users. There is a dire need for flexible and efficient infrastructure to support modern data center performance demands. Data center racks and enclosures enable managers to store, cool, power, manage, and secure critical IT equipment.



Based on rack type, the cabinets segment to hold a larger market size during the forecast period



Rack cabinets offer security, better cooling flexibility, and data center equipment protection from harsh environments and conditions. They focus on cooling, power distribution, cable management, and environmental monitoring, thereby providing a reliable rack-mounting environment for mission-critical equipment to function effectively. Rack cabinets are expensive and are generally preferred by organizations that require added security.



Based on rack width, the 19 inch segment to hold the largest market size during the forecast period



19 inch racks enable optimal airflow and cable management that can easily support future data center changes. These racks are mostly used for housing servers in data center facilities. 19 inch racks are the most commonly used for housing data center equipment. 19 inch racks offer the required flexibility and can be easily integrated into individual rack zones.



Based on region, North America to account for the largest market size during the forecast period



North America is expected to contribute to the market, in terms of revenue during the forecast period, by the virtue of being a technologically advanced region, having high number of early adopters, and the presence of major market players. Moreover, this region has the largest cloud services, which is expected to cause an increase in investments related to the technological development of the existing infrastructure, contributing to the growth in the number of data center facilities. The region is also experiencing a high demand for data center rack solutions specifically designed for colocation facilities owing to the presence of large number of colocation facilities in this region.



Speak to Research Expert @ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalystNew.asp?id=210971325



The data center rack market comprises major providers, such as Eaton (Ireland), Rittal (Germany), HPE (US), IBM (US), Cisco (US), Fujitsu (Japan), Dell (US), Schneider Electric (France), Vertiv (US), AGC Networks (India), Legrand (France), Oracle (US), Belden (US), nVent (UK), Panduit (US), Great Lakes Data Racks & Cabinets(US), Tripp Lite (US), IMS Engineered Products (US), Rahi Systems (US), and Chatsworth Products (US). The study includes the in-depth competitive analysis of these key players in the data center rack market with their company profiles, recent developments, and key market strategies.



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The newly-discovered protocluster, named PHz G237.01+42.50 (G237 for short), contains over 60 members, including blue star-forming galaxies and active galactic nuclei. G237 is so far away that its light traveled for more than 10.6 billion years.

This discovery is an important step toward reaching our ultimate goal: understanding the assembly of galaxy clusters, the most massive structures that exist in the Universe, said Dr. Brenda Frye, an astronomer with the Steward Observatory at the University of Arizona.

Initially discovered by ESAs Planck telescope as part of an all-sky survey, G237 showed up prominently in the far-infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum.

The observations looked promising, but to confirm its identity required follow-up observations with other telescopes.

Dr. Frye and her colleagues conducted observations using the combined power of the Large Binocular Telescope in Arizona, and the Subaru Telescope in Japan.

The astronomers identified a total of 63 galaxies belonging to the G237 protocluster.

You can think of galaxy protoclusters such as G237 as a galaxy shipyard in which massive galaxies are being assembled, only this structure existed at a time when the Universe was 3 billion years old, Dr. Frye said.

At the same time, the genealogy may be closer than you think. Because the Universe is homogeneous and the same in all directions, we think that the Milky Way may have docked at a protocluster node similar to G237 when it was very young.

At first, observations of G237 implied a total star formation rate that was unrealistically high, and the team struggled to make sense of the data.

The G237 protocluster seemed to be forming stars at a rate of 10,000 times that of the Milky Way.

At that rate, the protocluster would be expected to rapidly use up its stellar fuel and subsequently settle down into a complex system similar to the Virgo supercluster.

Each of the 63 galaxies discovered so far in G237 was like a star factory in overdrive, Dr. Frye said.

Its as if the galaxies were working on overtime to the assemble stars. The rate of production was unsustainable. At such a pace, the supply chains are expected to break in the near future, and in a way that permanently shuts down the galaxy shipyard.

Such high yields could only be maintained by a continuous injection of fuel, which for stars is hydrogen gas.

This would require an efficient and unbroken supply chain that drew in unreasonably large amounts of fresh gas to fuel the star-forming factories. We dont know where that gas was coming from, Dr. Frye said.

Later, the researchers discovered that some of what it was seeing came from galaxies unrelated to the protocluster, but even after the irrelevant observations were removed, the total star formation rate remained high, at least 1,000 solar masses per year. In comparison, our own Milky Way Galaxy produces about one solar mass each year.

The picture we have pieced together now is that of a successful galaxy shipyard, which is working at high efficiency to assemble galaxies and the stars within them and has an energy supply that is more sustainable, Dr. Frye said.

The findings were published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.

_____

M. Polletta et al. 2021. Spectroscopic observations of PHz G237.01+42.50: A galaxy protocluster at z = 2.16 in the Cosmos field. A&A 654, A121; doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202140612
The Shelleys eagle owl (Bubo shelleyi) was photographed by Imperial College London researcher Joseph Tobias and freelance ecologist Robert Williams on October 16, 2021 in Ghana.

The Shelleys eagle owl is a large species of owl found in the rainforests of Central and Western Africa.

This nocturnal bird is among the largest owls and the less studied bird species in the world.

It measures between 53 and 61 cm (21-24 inches) in length and weighs over 1 kg.

The Shelleys eagle owl was first described in 1872 from a specimen obtained from a local hunter in Ghana by Richard Bowdler Sharpe, curator of the bird collection at the Natural History Museum in London and founder of the British Ornithologists Club.

There have been no confirmed sightings from Ghana since the 1870s, and very few glimpses elsewhere.

The only photographs in existence were grainy images taken in 1975 of a captive individual behind bars at Antwerp Zoo and a pixelated blob from Congo in 2005 that is not certainly the right species.

There have been occasional reports over recent decades from people believing they have heard or briefly seen Shelleys Eagle Owl from a few different localities across West and Central Africa from Liberia to Angola.

Most of these sightings are unconfirmed, and the species has become a holy grail for birdwatchers in Africa and beyond.

This all changed on October 16, 2021, when Dr. Tobias and Dr. Williams visited Atewa forest in Ghana and disturbed a huge bird from its daytime roost.

It was so large, at first we thought it was an eagle. Luckily it perched on a low branch and when we lifted our binoculars our jaws dropped. There is no other owl in Africas rainforests that big, Dr. Tobias said.

The researchers only saw the Shelleys eagle owl perched for 10-15 seconds but in that time managed to take photographs that confirm the identification due to its distinctive black eyes, yellow bill, and huge size, which in combination rule out all other African forest owls.

The fact that a predator of such massive size had become essentially invisible over a large swathe of Africa fuelled speculation as to its current whereabouts and reasons for its apparent rarity.

This is a sensational discovery. Weve been searching for this mysterious bird for years in the western lowlands, so to find it here in ridgetop forests of Eastern Region is a huge surprise, said Dr. Nathaniel Annorbah, a researcher at the University of Environment and Sustainable Development in Ghana.

We hope this sighting draws attention to Atewa forest and its importance for conserving local biodiversity, Dr. Williams said.

Hopefully, the discovery of such a rare and magnificent owl will boost these efforts to save one of the last wild forests in Ghana.
Transport and logistics company, MOVE Logistics Group Limited (NZX: MOV ), has successfully completed the institutional entitlement offer component (Institutional Entitlement Offer) of its fully underwritten 1 for 3.06 pro rata accelerated renounceable entitlement offer (Offer) of new ordinary shares (New Shares) announced on 27 October 2021. A total of approximately $40 million will be raised under the Offer.

Institutional Entitlement Offer and Bookbuild

The Institutional Entitlement Offer closed on Wednesday 27 October 2021. Excluding MOVEs five founder shareholders (who did not take up their entitlements under the Offer), MOVEs other eligible institutional shareholders elected to take up 93% of their entitlements under the Institutional Entitlement Offer. The five existing Australian and New Zealand institutions on MOVEs share register took up 100% of their entitlements.

A bookbuild for the approximately 13.6 million entitlements not taken up under the Institutional Entitlement Offer (Institutional Bookbuild) was conducted on Thursday 28 October 2021. This was strongly supported, with all entitlements offered in the Institutional Bookbuild being allocated to five existing and nine new institutional investors, and retail broker firms, at a clearing price of $1.48 per share. The Institutional Entitlement Offer and the Institutional Bookbuild together raised gross proceeds for MOVE of approximately $27 million.

Lorraine Witten, MOVEs Chair, said: We are very pleased with the support from existing institutional shareholders and to welcome nine new domestic and Australian institutions to our register. We see their investment in MOVE as an endorsement of our new team, strategic direction and investment priorities.

The clearing price of $1.48 represents a premium of $0.08 per share over the Offer application price of $1.40. Institutional shareholders who did not exercise their entitlements or were ineligible to do so will receive $0.08 for each of their unexercised entitlements (net of any applicable withholding tax).

MOVEs shares are expected to resume normal trading on the NZX on Friday 29 October 2021. The New Shares offered under the Institutional Entitlement Offer and Institutional Bookbuild are expected to be allotted and commence trading on the NZX on 5 November 2021 and will rank on issue equally with existing ordinary shares.

Retail Entitlement Offer

As previously advised, the retail entitlement offer component of the Offer (Retail Entitlement Offer) will open for eligible retail shareholders (with a registered address in New Zealand or Australia at 6.00pm (NZ time) on the record date) on Monday, 1 November 2021 at 10.00am (NZ time) and eligible retail shareholders have until 5.00pm (NZ time) on Friday, 12 November 2021 to take up their entitlement for New Shares.

Under the Retail Entitlement Offer, eligible retail shareholders are entitled to subscribe for 1 New Share for every 3.06 existing MOVE shares held as at 6.00pm (NZ time) on the record date of Friday, 29 October 2021, at the same application price as the institutional component of the Offer of $1.40 per New Share.

Given the present uncertainties with respect to postal timing, all eligible retail shareholders that wish to do so, are encouraged to apply online.

Further details, including how to apply, are contained in the Offer Document that is available via NZX and will be despatched to eligible retail shareholders on Monday, 1 November 2021.

Shareholders who have any questions in respect of the Offer can call Link Market Services Limited on +64 9 375 5998 (within New Zealand) or +61 1300 554 474 (within Australia) between 8:30am and 5.00pm (NZ time) Monday to Friday. For other questions, investors should contact their broker, solicitor, accountant, financial adviser or other professional adviser.

The Offer is fully underwritten by Craigs Investment Partners Limited and Bell Potter Securities Limited.

Please see the link below for details

REL- MOVE Completes Institutional Entitlement Offer and Bookbuild

Source: Move Logistics Group Limited

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The targeted killing of minorities is not a new phenomenon in Indian-administered Kashmir.

by Amalendu Misra

October is proving to be a bad month for the non-Muslim minorities and non-natives of Indian-administered Kashmir. Just this month, some eleven civilians have been killed at point-blank range by unknown assailants. So far, the victims have been schoolteachers, street vendors, laborers, and tradesmen. During this same period, close to a dozen Indian military personnel serving in this restive region have been gunned down by these unknown attackers.

Indian authorities have described these attacks as acts of terrorism, but questions remain. Who are these terrorists? Why are they engaged in these targeted killings? Why have things taken such a violent turn in this part of India? Is there a way out of this militancy?

A History of Selective Killing

The religious composition of Indian-administered Kashmir is almost homogenous. Muslims predominate this restive region. The evenness of this Islamic profile is only occasionally broken by the presence of smaller numbers of Hindu and Sikh inhabitants who have lived there just as long as their Muslim counterparts. The region is also home to a few thousand itinerant workers from the rest of India. Of late, however, this demographically insignificant minority has come under violent attackprompting some lawmakers to call it a pogrom against the minorities by Kashmirs hegemonic Muslims.

The targeted killing of minorities is not a new phenomenon in Indian-administered Kashmir. When the Islamic insurgency first arose in the region in the late-1980s, it oversaw the ethnic cleansing of the valleys Hindu Pandit community. It is estimated that some 650 Hindus were killed by militants during that period. Those who were not killed were instructed to leave the valley or die. As a result, some 100,000 Hindus (the bulk of the minority population) fled Kashmir and became refugees in various other parts of India.

Thanks to the continuous political turmoil, the Hindu minority that decided to stay in Kashmir has been at the receiving end of both militants as well as the Indian security forces controlling the valley. While the Muslim militants view the Hindu minority as informants for the Indian establishment, the military has always been suspect of their true allegiance.

The vortex of nationalist insurgent violence is now much more brutal than before. Apart from selectively targeting the minority Hindus and Sikhs, militants are targeting anyone not from Kashmir. Just in October, six laborers and daily-wagers working in the restive valley have been killed by these assailants. We should suspect to see additional killings of civilians are going in the coming weeks and months.

What are the likely motivating factors behind these brutal attacks against innocent civilians?

There are three possible triggers behind the low-intensity ethnic cleansing taking place in Indian-administered Kashmir. First, the abrogation of the provinces autonomy and exclusive status by Indias majoritarian government in August 2019 severely dented Kashmirs exclusive status and autonomy. Kashmir is now considered a Union Territory and is subject to direct rule by New Delhi.

Second, its new status implies Kashmir is open to migration from the rest of India. Theoretically, at least, this new provision stands to severely undermine Kashmirs ethnoreligious profile. According to the police, these targeted killings by militants are intended to scare people from other states away.

Third, thanks to the central government rule, the regions politicians are now effectively a neutered lot. They have little or no say in Kashmirs day-to-day administration and future political trajectory.

Hybrid terrorism

In the official Indian narrative, the rise in targeted killings is part of hybrid warfare in Kashmir that seeks to destabilize a society by influencing its decision-making. Yet what is new now is that attacks against the government and its interests have shifted from the military to civilian domains, mirroring intra-state civil war dynamics.

However, what is most surprising is that such indiscriminate attacks could take place in one of the most heavily militarized regions of the world. In fact, the rise in Kashmiri hybrid terrorism is due to what one might call the participation of part-time terrorists in the conflict dynamics of the region.

Most of the recent targeted killings of civilians and military personnel have been carried out by Kashmiris without any pre-existing record in violence. Thus, they are neither in intelligence records nor being actively monitored. Owing to their clean records, the perpetrators are able to move effortlessly and undetected between areas before mounting surprise attacks against their unsuspecting victims.

What is more, unlike their dedicated and devoted terrorist counterparts, these part-timers prefer to use small arms, as exemplified by the spate of close-range killings of civilians. This allows these hybrid terrorists to escape detection and reprisal because they are focused on quick, one-off killing missions. Once they have accomplished their job of taking out the target, they return to their normal day-to-day life and fully melt into their civilian surrounding.

In the past, the Indian government could undermine traditional terrorism in Kashmir as the threat was primarily from a group of skeletal organizations lacking grassroots support. In todays changed environment, however, the nature of dissent and the resolve to militarily engage with India has attracted a host of characters from across society.

In the case of Indian-administered Kashmir, the ruling government is faced with two sets of challenges. First, its rule is highly unpopular: the central political leadership making decisions on Kashmir is not trusted by the Muslim majority population. Second, the grassroots dissent that has metamorphosed into hybrid terrorism has also become a useful proxy for foreign agitators.

While the central administration in New Delhi that rules the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is vocal about the second challenge, it does not recognize the civilian dissent on the ground that has largely contributed to the hybrid terror attacks in recent weeks.

The Road Ahead

The best antidote to hybrid terrorism is the ruling authoritys ability to foster a sense of trust and goodwill among its constituents. There is a massive trust deficit between the Muslim citizenry of Kashmir and the ruling central administration. The Indian governments abrogation of Kashmirs special political status and heavy-handed policies in dealing with dissent has created an unbridgeable gap between the ruler and the ruled. In the current circumstance, both stand fully alienated from each other.

Faced with the real and imagined fear of losing their dominance over their birthplace and having been made politically insignificant, plenty of Kashmiri Muslims are taking up part-time terrorist missions in resistance against what is fast becoming an unachievable goal.

Owing to the widespread discontent against Indian rule in the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir, any credible solution to the security challenges must be multimodal in character and remit. Capping the threat emanating from hybrid terrorism and bringing an end to the conflict would require inter-sectoral, regional, and international cooperation in this long-running civil war. Under the circumstances, the only credible response to this violence must be non-violent in design and implementation.

Such a conflict resolution approach, however viable it may be, is unlikely to find willing ears in New Delhi. The nationalist Indian government has dug itself very deep in its Kashmir policy. To curb the threat of militancy, it is relentlessly pursuing a deeply militaristic strategy in the region that has only served to alienate the masses and foreclose any possibility of intersectoral dialogue and conflict resolution.

Furthermore, any regional and international cooperation to diffuse tensions is impossible, as New Delhi maintains the uncompromising position that Kashmir is an internal matter and beyond the scope of any external debate, let alone intervention.

Both parties to the conflict in Kashmir are intimately aware of the hazardous roadblocks that prevent them from moving forward in the direction of credible peace. It is this knowledge of the unsurmountable challenge that forces both the Indian government and the restive Kashmiris to dig their heels deep in violence towards the other.

Amalendu Misra is a Professor of International Politics at Lancaster University, United Kingdom, and the author of Politics of Civil Wars (Routledge). Follow him on Twitter @MisraAmalendu. This opinion first appeared in National Interest
Trawlers come at night, three days a week, smuggle colossal amounts of fisheries resources, and damage Sri Lankan fishers nets, causing enormous financial losses. To avoid the trawlers, Sri Lankan fishers often stay at home instead of going out to sea, thus loosing valuable fishing time.

by Prof. Oscar Amarasinghe and Dr. Ahilan Kadirgamar

From the beginning of the early 1980s, trawlers, from Tamil Nadu, have been crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) and illegally fishing in the Palk Bay waters of northern Sri Lanka, damaging the ecosystem by bottom trawling, smuggling fisheries resources, belonging to the northern Sri Lankan fishers, damaging their fishing equipment, and undermining their livelihoods. Diverse types of interventions, by the two governments, dialogues between the fishers of the two countries, involvement of civil society actors, and others, have done little to prevent human suffering, economic losses and the volatile political situation disturbing the relations between two friendly countries that have emerged from this 40-year long story of resource piracy. The northern Sri Lankan fishers, who suffered 30 years of civil war have had enough and there is an urgent need to end this crisis.

Extracting and devastating resources

Both Sri Lankan and Indian fishers used to share the Palk Bay waters (historic waters) in the past, which they did in harmony. However, post-war developments saw radical changes in the structure and organisation in fisheries, the expansion of the market and the establishment of borders separating the Palk Bay region, all of which had tremendous influence on fisheries, especially on the type of technology employed (craft-gear combinations), target species, fishing pressure and area of operation. In this process of change, a tremendous increase in Indian trawlers was observed, which finally resulted in a serious decline of fisheries resources on the Indian side of the Palk Bay and crossing of the IMBL by the Indian trawl fleet to fish in Sri Lankan waters.

In northern Sri Lanka, over 37,000 fishers operate more than 11,650 boats, the majority of which are 18 feet FRP boats propelled by outboard engines of 8 to 25hp. Including post-harvest sector employment and dependents, about 200,000 people in the Northern Province are dependent on the sector. They dont stand a chance against the 2500 odd 30-60 feet trawlers from Tamil Nadu propelled by 70-190hp outboard engines. Indian trawl boats are crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (which was established in 1974 and 1976) to fish on the Sri Lankan side of the Palk Bay. These boats are poaching in Sri Lankan waters in large numbers as well as extracting and devastating the resources belonging to Sri Lankan fishers. Although the process of poaching commenced in a situation where Sri Lankan fishers in the North had limited fishing opportunities due to the civil war. Today the issue has become one of the most important economic and political issues in the country, because with the end of the war in 2009, the Sri Lankan fishers in the North has commenced fishing.

The Palk Bay Pirates

Trawlers come at night, three days a week, smuggle colossal amounts of fisheries resources, and damage Sri Lankan fishers nets, causing enormous financial losses. To avoid the trawlers, Sri Lankan fishers often stay at home instead of going out to sea, thus loosing valuable fishing time. They are forced to adopt less-profitable, near shore operations and/or resort to destructive fishing practices (trawling, wing nets, purse seining, dynamiting, etc.). The social institutions of the fishing communities, particularly fisheries co-operatives present in every village, have been weakened due to the long decline of fishing incomes, where a fraction of such incomes are normally contributed to run the co-operatives. Thus, participatory management and coastal support for fishing communities have been undermined. The long disruption of fisheries after the war has made it difficult for fishing communities to plan for the next season, and many are slowly moving out of the fishing sector to other forms of day wage labour.

In the early years, arrests of Indian trawlers for poaching were made for security reasons, because the Sri Lanka Navy, which was fighting a war, was less interested in fisheries issues. But since the cessation of the war, the Navy arrested the intruders for illegal entry into Sri Lankan territory. The arrests were made under the Foreign Fishing Boat Regulations Act No. 59 of 1979, Immigration Act of Sri Lanka and the Prevention of Terrorism Act. The impact of the arrests in preventing Indian trawl intrusion was neutralised by the arrests of Sri Lankan multiday fishers for poaching in Indian Territory, and detained in Indian prisons. Often, through the intervention of the embassies of the two countries, the Indian trawler fishers arrested and detained in Sri Lankan prisons were released in exchange for Sri Lankan fishers detained in India.

Early Interventions

In trying to deal with this escalating crisis, the two governments drew up an MOU in 2005, which made provision for the establishment of a Joint Working Group (JWG), which among other things, would deal with issues of poaching and arrests. Although several rounds of discussions were held since 2008, no significant developments were reported, other than agreeing that fishers in both countries should be able to pursue fishing activity in a safe, secure and sustainable manner. However, some progress was achieved in the front of fisher-fisher dialogues. Several such dialogues have taken place in the past, initially organised by ARIF (Alliance for the Release of Innocent Fishermen) and later with the active involvement of the two governments. The most important of such dialogues took place in August 2010, where the Indians agreed to stop mechanised trawl fishing in Sri Lankan waters within a period of one year, during which time, only 70 days of trawling were to be allowed. Unfortunately, the governments failed to back up these decisions, and the promises were not kept. Further dialogues took place under state patronage in March 2011 and January 2014, which did not produce any fruitful results.

Post-2015 developments

In April 2015, President Maithripala Sirisena convened a meeting with the various arms of the state and the northern fisher leaders on the request of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA). This high level meeting and continued engagement gave the fisher folk the confidence that their plight was a matter of serious concern to the Government, and initiated bipartisan engagement on the issue, leading to significant progress. The Parliamentary debate in October 2015 on the ecological and socio-economic damage by Indian trawlers, growing awareness through media coverage and the greater involvement of actors in Colombo, raised the fisheries conflict to the level of a national issue, rather than a problem confined to the North. Fisher leaders also took their issue to court and actively sought legal recourse towards prolonged confiscation of trawlers, and a ban of trawling in Sri Lanka. An Amendment to the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Act banning bottom trawling in Sri Lanka was passed by Parliament in July 2017.

On another front, the Indian Government, in 2015, made unambiguous statements that Tamil Nadu trawlers should stop cross-border fishing. Furthermore, the increased media attention on the devastation caused to Northern Fishers exposed Tamil Nadus hypocrisy. The Tamil Nadu Government called for INR 1,520 crore (USD 225 million) package to convert the trawler fleet to deep sea vessels under the Blue Revolution Scheme., of which INR 450 crore (USD 66 million) was approved by the Government in Delhi, and the rest was to come from bank loans. By September 2019, close to 590 trawlers have applied for this facility. Although concerns were raised about whether such a conversion to deep sea fishing and buy back is realistic and sustainable, the engagement from Tamil Nadu pointed to an acknowledgement of the unsustainability of trawling and poaching.

An important development was the setting up of a Joint Working Group in November 2016 during ministerial talks held between India and Sri Lanka (revitalising what was formed in 2005), which would meet every three months and a meeting between the Ministers for Fisheries every six months.

The Terms of Reference for the Joint Working Group (JWG) included: i. expediting the transition towards ending the practice of bottom trawling at the earliest, ii. working out the modalities for the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for handing over of apprehended fishermen, and iii. ascertaining possibilities for cooperation on patrolling. Both Governments agreed on setting up a hotline between the two Coast Guards. Agreement was also reached on the request by the Fishermen Associations that there should be no violence and no loss of life in the handling of fishermen by the Navies and Coast Guards of the two countries. They agreed to encourage the Fishermen Associations of the two countries to meet every six months to take further their dialogue. Yet, many of the decisions taken at the bilateral Ministerial talks were not followed through towards a permanent solution.

As a result of campaigns of small scale fishers from the North, the work of researchers and activists and engagement with the governments of the two countries, and more importantly, the enforcement of the Foreign Fishing Boat Regulations (amendment) Act, a significant reduction in the incidence of Indian trawlers illegally fishing in Sri Lankan waters was noticed by 2018. Yet, the Northern fishers did not even have a breathing space for a new beginning, because the country was hit by the Covid Pandemic in early 2020. Very little action was paid against the poachers and there has been a resurgence of the incidence of Indian trawlers poaching in Sri Lankan waters, drastically affecting fishing livelihoods, which were already being threatened by the pandemic. The aggravated current situation, continues to dispossess the small scale fishers of the North; they were devastated by the war until 2009, crippled by the Indian trawlers in the decade after the war and impoverished by market disruptions with the Covid-19 pandemic since March 2020.

Moving forward

The decision to arrest and retain trawlers that are crossing over the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) by the Sri Lanka Navy, particularly since 2013, places significant pressure on the Tamil Nadu establishment. Yet, the lower levels of arrests over the last two years (71 vessels were arrested in 2017 while only nine were arrested in 2020) is in part due to fears of the Covid-19 virus spreading through arrests. Evidently, expanding deterrence is of paramount importance in dealing with the present crises, which needs strict enforcement of the Foreign Fishing Boats Regulations (Amendment) Act, No. 01 of 2018 to arrest foreign vessels in Sri Lankan EEZ which has provisions for imposing heavy fines on trawl owners ranging from Rs. 4  15 million. The Trawl Ban Act. No. 11 of 2017 should also be implemented. Given that Indo-Sri Lankan relations are currently of great importance, where the priorities for both governments are in furthering trade, investment and defence ties between the two countries, deterrence is to be employed carefully. There is the need for a broader strategy that asserts pressure at different levels to ensure that Tamil Nadu addresses the issue of poaching by their trawlers; particularly given that fisheries is a devolved subject in India. Pushing for joint patrolling operations by the Indian and Sri Lankan Navy could be strategic. The Indian side needs to be convinced to install vessel monitoring devices on their trawlers to track their location. However, these efforts will prove futile unless the incidence of Sri Lankan multiday boats violating Indian maritime boundaries is brought under control.

Raising the issue both by the Sri Lankan Government towards the Indian Government and the TNA and Tamil political actors towards Tamil Nadu would be strategic, given the political realities. Strong emphasis should be made on the devastating impact of resource smuggling on the livelihoods of Northern fishing populations of Sri Lanka. Strategies to work with the newly elected Government in Tamil Nadu in relation to the fishing conflict will be necessary. Engagement by the Tamil fishing community and community leaders from the North will prove important for challenging a change of stance by Tamil Nadu Government and its leaders.

Thousands of nets worth millions of Rupees have been lost in the past decade, with no single fisherman ever being compensated and with no insurance being available. Fishers now deserve financial reparations for their lost assets and for lost fishing days. Financial reparations can also be asked from the Tamil Nadu fishers, the Tamil Nadu government or the Indian government. If such demands, however, are not met in the short term, the Sri Lankan government itself may need to find the required funds. A campaign for reparations for northern Sri Lankan fishers will help consolidate the demand for a permanent solution to the fishing conflict.

The larger aim of interventions in the Palk Bay should be to establish a sustainable, comprehensive, and socially just fisheries. Current data on the state of fish stocks in this region are highly deficient. Similarly, very little scientific knowledge on the damage caused to the environment by trawling is currently available. There is an urgent need for NARA to intensify research in the Palk Bay. This can provide the foundation for developing a rational and legitimate framework for fisheries governance. Such research will also continue to weigh on the need for a permanent solution that ends bottom trawling in the Palk Bay.

While the fisher-to-fisher negotiations conducted in Chennai in 2010 were initially widely acknowledged as promising, the follow-up was poor. Similarly, the Ministerial level talks in November 2016 were significant and even led to considerable changes, however, again follow up was poor. There is a need to build on the tremendous gains of those talks, regardless of the change of Government.

At the current moment there should be a clear plan recognising the realities in Sri Lanka and India, including the political changes in Tamil Nadu and the Covid-19 pandemic to work through a process of consensus building, but with firm resolve to end bottom trawling. There should be no setback on issues agreed at the Ministerial level talks in November 2016, and calls for licensing cross border fishing should be rejected outright.

Concluding remarks

The measures suggested above will be important steps towards resolving the Palk Bay fisheries conflict. Such measures along with the recent national attention on fisheries can also lay the foundation to ensure sustainable governance and management of the natural resource base and the people who depend on it. The establishment of effective interactive platforms (e.g., strengthening fisher community organizations, co-management platforms) and clearly laid down rights and responsibilities of participating actors, along with consultation, collaboration and coordination of all concerned actors can lead to effective and sustainable policies. Indeed, sustaining small scale fisheries in addition to solving the Palk Bay fishing conflict will encompass dialogue among relevant actors, capacity development, law enforcement and empowerment of coastal communities.

(Prof. Oscar Amarasinghe is the Chancellor of the Ocean University and Dr. Ahilan Kadirgamar is a Senior Lecturer, Jaffna University, they are also, President and Executive Committee member respectively, of the Sri Lanka Forum for Small Scale Fisheries  SLFSSF)
Ladakh is no doubt a very charismatic rather enchanting valley legally or illegally under the administration of India. It is bordered by Tibet to the east and Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir to the west. Pakistans area of Gilgit-Baltistan is also in Ladhakhs western neighbourhood.

by Ali Sukhanver

27 October 1947 would always be remembered as one of the darkest days of human history. It was the day when Indian occupation forces landed in Srinagar to occupy, subjugate, oppress, and terrorize the innocent people of the Indian Occupied Kashmir. Now even decades have passed away, the same story of brutality and injustice is still the fate of the helpless Kashmiris. The Indian government is misguided by the notion that it would succeed in keeping the Kashmiri people chained and suppressed because they dont have anyone around to help and support them and save them from the cruel clutches of India but one-day things are going to be changed in favour of the people of Kashmir. Since 27 October 1947, there has not been even a single day when the people of Kashmir have even thought of giving up their struggle for liberty.

Certainly, they need and expect some support from the world around and certainly, they are waiting too for it. Earlier it was only Pakistan there to provide them moral support but now it seems that China would also come to the front and provide support to the people of Indian Occupied Kashmir just to counter Indian negative influence in the Valley. The Indian Occupied Kashmir is strategically very important for China as this Valley provides India easy access and a direct approach to the Ladakh which has been a bone of contention between China and India for the last many decades. Both countries have had many rounds of table talks to resolve the issue but no effort has yet been successful. Recently in the first week of October, the two countries once again tried to reach some conclusion through negotiations but this attempt also went futile.

Aljazeera said in a report published on 11th Oct 2021, Talks between Indian and Chinese army commanders to disengage troops from key friction areas along their border have ended in a stalemate and failed to ease a 17-month standoff that has sometimes led to deadly clashes, the two sides say. The continuing standoff means the two nations will keep troops in the forward areas of Ladakh for a second consecutive winter in dangerously freezing temperatures. China has held India responsible for the failure of negotiations. A Chinese military spokesperson said talking to the media-men, The Indian side sticks to unreasonable and unrealistic demands, adding difficulties to the negotiations. It seems that with the growing cold weather, the situation along the India-China border in Ladakh Valley would get bitterer and harsher.

Ladakh is no doubt a very charismatic rather enchanting valley legally or illegally under the administration of India. It is bordered by Tibet to the east and Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir to the west. Pakistans area of Gilgit-Baltistan is also in Ladhakhs western neighbourhood. To the south of the valley, there is the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. The southwest corner of the Chinese province Xinjiang also touches the Ladakh valley. This area had ever been a bone of contention between India and China. The eastern end, consisting of the uninhabited Aksai Chin plains has been under Chinese control since 1962 but the Indian Government claims it as a part of Ladakh. As far as the ground realities are concerned, Aksai Chin is a part of Chinas Xinjiang province and Tibet and it constitutes the eastern portion of the Kashmir region. This geographical position of Aksai Chin has been the actual root cause of disputes between India and China since the late 1950s.

It is also a point to be noted that during 1950s, China started construction of a 1,200 km long road for connecting Xinjiang and western Tibet. Of this total length, 179 km ran south of the Johnson Line through the Aksai Chin region. This road made Aksai Chin more easily accessible to the Chinese. At the same time, the area became more difficult to reach for the Indians. It was really a hard luck for the Indians that they could not even know about the existence of this road till the road was shown in Chinese maps published in 1958. This road proved a slap on the face of Indian strategic planners who had ever been saying that the Aksai Chin was part of the Ladakh region of India for centuries and that this northern border, as stated by Prime Minister Nehru, was a firm and definite one which was not open to discussion with anybody.

As far as the climatic condition of Ladakh is concerned, for most of the year, Ladakh is always freezing because of its high altitude. In summers, the temperature during the day is just above zero degrees and the night temperature is much below -30C. These weather conditions have made this area almost unapproachable. But such difficult weather never lessens the importance and value of this area for both China and India. Just to make Ladakh approachable and just to save it from the Chinese ingress and make her presence in the Ladakh area possible India started digging a tunnel in 2018 from the Illegally Occupied Kashmir to Ladakh. A report published in The Diplomat says, 6.5-kilometre tunnel, the first of four, is already complete and will make the resort town of Sonamarg accessible during the winter months for the first time. Sonamarg marks the end of conifer-clad mountains before Ladakh begins across the rocky Zojila mountain pass. The $932 million projects last tunnel, about 14 kilometres long, will bypass the challenging Zojila pass and connect Sonamarg with Ladakh. Officials say that the Zojila tunnel will be Indias longest and highest tunnel at 3,485 meters and Asias longest bi-direction tunnel. Military hi-ups in India say that the tunnel project must have been started and completed years back because it is the only way to provide logistics flexibility to the military and give it operational and strategic mobility.

Experts on strategic affairs are of the opinion that it is too late for India to work on the tunnel like projects. Brahma Chellaney, an analyst on the India-China relationship at the Center for Policy Research in New Delhi said, What India is belatedly seeking to do is to improve its defenses by upgrading its logistics but China is already in a position to rapidly move additional forces to the border to potentially strike at India at a time of its choosing by building new railroads, airports and highways in Tibet. Rajeswari Rajagopalan, an expert on India-China relations at Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi also criticized Indias slow working on developing border areas and making them approachable. He said in a statement, The Indian side has been very slow to develop the border areas. They believed if you improved the infrastructure; it would only allow the Chinese to walk into your territory. This was very foolish and naive. Anyhow the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between China and India is getting tense and tense. Though at present China has expressed no prompt reaction against Indias Tunnel Project experts on the subject say that Chinese silence usually results in some very drastic action.
Father Cyril Gamini Fernando was summoned to the Criminal Investigation Department ( CID) to record a statement on his remarks at the online seminar on the 2019 Easter Attacks where the Catholic Priest reaffirmed that he has credible evidence on the events surrounding the carnage.

However, instead of standing tall with his credible evidence as he declared on public domain he is now refusing to appear before the law enforcement agency but sent a third party with a written clarification reasoning his absence, the informed source said.

Fr. Gamini, in his letter, says that he cannot appear before the CID as he believes that this is a civil case where the aggrieved party shall go to court. Apparently, It is clear that Fr. Gamini is now attempting not only to distort the case but also struggling to find his credible evidence for his great revelation on Easter Attacks, a Colombo based legal expert observed.

However, Fr. Gamini in his letter reportedly handed over to the CID noted that he needs at least a week to study the case.

Related Story: Sri Lanka: Catholic Church is Not a Conclave of Liars




Sri Venkata Rangammal Devi was one of the many wives of King Sri Wikramarajasinghe. She was known as a Randoli (chief queen) while the king had more concubines known as Rididolis and Yakadadolis.

by Ama H.Vanniarachchy

The throne of our last king sat in the museum gallery as a doorway to a lost past. The throne, although magnificent, is tragic and doomed. It is the throne of a doomed king of a doomed kingdom. Next to the throne lies the crown of the same doomed king whose entire life was a conspiracy. Next to the portrait of King Sri Wickramarajasinghe at the Colombo National Museums, hangs the portrait of his chief queen, the beautiful and charming, Queen Venkata Rangammal.

Some of her belongings are exhibited here. Among them, her blood-stained jacket is the most heart-touching. It is said that when the treacherous conspirators caught the king and his queens, some of them pulled the queens earrings. While doing so, their ears were wounded as the heavy earrings were mercilessly ripped off. Hence, the frightened queens were all bleeding. The bloodstains in the jacket kept for the exhibition are believed to be due to this incident. The portrait of the young queen touched my heart. Her subtle eyes were filled with unspoken sadness. Her tight lips were not adorned with a smile nor displayed any happiness. I felt that her side tilted head was a gesture of loneliness. Her sadness is so overwhelming that it conquered her charming beauty, and it surely conquered my heart. Her name and tragic end haunted me. Hence, I decided to know more about her. Who was she? Where did she come from? What happened to her? This is a journey we embark on together, to meet our last queen, Venkata Rangammal.

The portrait

The portrait we see today was originally painted by the English artist William Daniel (1749 - 1840). Old descriptions say that she was very young and extremely pretty and was excited to see herself being transformed into a work of art on paper. It is also said that she was graceful and elegant, perfect as a queen. Studying the portrait, one can see that she is seated on a chair, against a mountainous landscape. She seems to be draped in a saree, and a thick shawl wrapped covering her shoulders. The jacket she is wearing has long sleeves. She is wearing several decorated neckpieces, earrings, and a small tilak on her forehead. Her hair is tied and adorned with flowers.

Who was she?

Sri Venkata Rangammal Devi was one of the many wives of King Sri Wikramarajasinghe. She was known as a Randoli (chief queen) while the king had more concubines known as Rididolis and Yakadadolis. She was not a Sinhalese queen although she is the last queen of ours. She was a Nayak or a Nayakkar who were of Telugu origin and spoke Telugu, Tamil, and Sinhala. It is believed that the Kandy Nayak family is related to the Thanjavur Nayak Kingdom that was in power during the 16th - 17th centuries in Tamil Nadu. Historical data says that the Nayaks were the provincial governors appointed by the Vijayanagar Empire. According to history, the Vijayanagar Empire flourished during the 14th - 15th centuries. After its collapse in the 16th century, the provincial governors, the Nayaks declared an independent kingdom and ruled.

How did Nayak Dynasty land in Sri Lanka?

The last known Sinhalese king Sri Veeraparakrama Narendra Singhas randoli or chief queen Pramila was a Madurai Nayak princess. The Madurai Nayaks were of Telugu origin, and their origin was known to be in the states of Andra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Pramila is the first reported Nayak princess to land in Sri Lanka. Sinhalese kings had married princesses from many south Asian kingdoms; they were political alliances. Sinhalese princesses have also been married to princes or kings of other south Asian kingdoms. It is said that when Narendra Singha sent messengers to Madurai in order to bring a princess, descendants of the glorious Madurai Nayak Dynasty, responded to the offer. It was Narenappa Nayakas daughter who was sent to marry the king. Along with the princess, the now fading dynastys family, actually whole kith and kin arrived in Kandy and settled there. When Narendra Singha died without children, he appointed his queens brother to be the next king. He was a Nayak prince. Accordingly, Sri Vijaya Rajasinghe becomes the first Nayak king of Sri Lanka. That is how the Nayak line rose to power in Sri Lanka. The four Nayak kings were known to be good rulers. They were great patronages of Buddhism. They were able to protect the Kandyan Kingdom from the raging foreign invasions. Unless to the vicious Kandyan chieftains, Sri Wikramarajasingha would have been able to secure the power of the Kandyan Kingdom and defeat the British.

The fate of Rangammal, 18 February 1815

The British Governor Robert Brownridge declared war against the king in January 1815. As the king fled Kandy, he was once again betrayed by the Kandyan Nilames and was trapped by the British in Meda Mahanuwara. Several troops were dispatched to capture the king. The troop where Dies Mudali was in met DOyly, Colonel Hardy, Colonel Hook, many senior officers, Mudliars, the British, Ja people, Sepoy soldiers, Ehelepola, Molligoda, Pilimatalawwe, Ekneligoda, Mahavalathanna, and a large number of chieftains (Nilames) on their way to Meda Mahanuwara. While travelling towards Meda Mahanuwara, Ekneligoda and a few more encountered a young village boy. Out of fear the little boy pleaded to spare his life and said that in return he will tell them where the king was hiding. At this point, Ekneligoda tied the little boy with a rope and asked him to take them to the place where the king was. The boy took them towards a house where the main door was guarded by two village women. Ekneligoda knocked on the door and demanded the king to open it. But as the king did not do so, he ordered his people to break open the door. The door broke open. At this moment people who accompanied Ekneligoda rushed inside the house and they tore all the clothes that were worn by the two queens and grabbed their jewellery. They were bleeding as their heavy earrings were brutally removed from their ears. Followed by the two queens the king was brutally forced out of the house. Ekneligoda was verbally abusing the king and had called him a swine. He wanted to tie the king using ropes but Dies Mudali had opposed and then offered his shawl instead. Dies Mudali has reportedly expressed his deep disgust and grief about the manner in which Ekneligoda insulted the king. The two queens shivering out of fear and shame were holding the two arms of Dies Mudali. Upon Dies Mudalis request, Colonel Hardy and Hook arrived at the place within an hours time and treated the royals with due respect and care. They were given clothes and refreshments. Palanquins were brought for them. The king was taken back to Kandy with all honour and respect that a king deserves. It is recorded that not a single Kandyan or Ja people accompanied this parade; only the British and the people of down south were following this parade.

After the doomsday

In 1815, the British and the Kandyan Nilames signed an agreement, popularly known as the Udarata Giwisuma (The Kandyan Convention of 1815), where the sovereignty of the Sinhala monarch was surrendered to the British. Meanwhile, the king, his four queens, his mother, and his relatives were held at Teldeniya for some time before they were sent to Colombo.

In Colombo

Dr. Henry Marshall who was in charge of the kings health while he has held in Colombo says that the king was 5 feet, 10 inches tall, broad, and well-built with a prominent chest. He was handsome and had a very pleasant face with a beard. He describes how charismatic the king was. It is reported that the queens were extremely timid and frightened. They were suffering mentally and physically during these days.

Last days in Vellore...

The king and his family were at Colombo for 10 months and on 24 January 1816, he was sent to Vellore, India. They arrived at Vellore fort on 28 February 1816. The fort where they lived till death was later called the Kandy Mahal at the Vellore Fort.

The king and his family were not encouraged to enjoy life as royals as they were living in Kandy. They were deprived of the luxurious and privileged life that they were born into. The king had once asked to sell some of his valuable clothes and give money as he wanted money to make jewellery for his children. Although it is reported that the king had four daughters and one son, we are not quite sure which ones were of Rangammal. Some sources say that the kings only son was the son of Rangammal. He was born in Vellore Fort and died in 1842, childless. The king died on 30 January 1832, aged 52, and was cremated at the shores of river Palar. It is not accurately reported when Rangammal died or how she spent her last days. A tomb was built for Sri Wikramarajasinha and it was renovated by his great-grandson Vikrama Rajasinga in July 1932. A memorial was built to commemorate the last king and his family and it is called the Muthu Mandapam. The six tombs one can see here belong to the king and his queens. The memorial is looked after by the Vellore District Department of Tourism.

Born into royalty, Queen Rangammal, spent her last days in despair. The beautiful young queen in the portrait still haunts me. Had she ever imagined that her fate will be this tragic and that she will have to leave her beloved royal household in Kandy and live in exile?

Had William Daniel ever wondered the future of this radiant young queen will be so doomed when she was seated in front of him, posing for his portrait?
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if the people of Biafra want Republic of Biafra, it will be a reality during my administration. ----Donald Trump Donald Trump I wi...
In World War II the Allies, of which Swaziland  now Eswatini  was one, faced two common enemies. And two proved a lot heavier than twice one.

Today in Eswatini we are faced with a similar challenge, though with enemies as different as chalk and cheese. No prizes  Im not in the mood  for guessing that number one is COVID-19 and number two is the violence accompanying the myriad of political and other grievances. Both COVID-19 and the unrest have caused a huge amount of damage and neither is yet resolved. Yet there are two fundamental differences. Firstly, in tackling COVID-19 we are united in battle; in national grievances, and how they are viewed and dealt with, we are not. And, secondly, the damage caused by COVID-19 has been largely unavoidable, while the damage to people and structures in the protesting has been avoidable. Destroying schools removes validity from any objective.

Inevitable

Were almost through the third wave of COVID-19. But, according to scientists and medical specialists, the fourth wave will come to South Africa in December, with the inevitable impact on Eswatini; some Christmas present! We cant even celebrate the passing of one wave before we brace ourselves for the next. It is anticipated from a combination of a weak vaccine roll-out and the South African local elections. So

I plead again for the publication of over-16 vaccination figures; for two reasons. Firstly, below 16 years a person is less likely to get, or pass on, a serious dose of COVID-19; secondly it will show the degree of denial in the adult population. The virus cannot be eliminated; only subdued. So lets vaccinate like crazy to be able to accept living with the virus until it fades into insignificance. And lets make vaccination a no-brainer; or no-refuser. Perhaps government cant force, but it can certainly incentivise; and I dont suggest a couple of free Top-Decks at vaccination centres. And then perhaps we wont need herd immunity. The future profile could become a normal lifestyle, with the virus still around, causing the occasional mild outbreak; but that requires vaccination in huge numbers. Is all the required vaccine available? We hear nothing to doubt that.

Damage

On the subject of Enemy Number Two  violence, loss of life and damage to structures, to education and business  its difficult, perhaps impossible, to say anything that hasnt been said already. But one thing is abundantly clear and, I would argue, irrefutable  the longer that violent behavior and damaging words continue, the deeper the disablement will go, until it is irreparable. Is that what everyone wants? Of course not. But some do; and it will take skill, especially in communication and trust-building, to diffuse the anger that exists in our society.

And no one size fits all. On the protesting side, not everyone is a troublemaker with malevolent intentions. But many probably are. You can bet your last dollar on many protesters being under the influence of dagga or alcohol, often to give them Dutch courage. The country is riddled with dagga anyway. But whether or not theyre under such influence, they are products of this society. We are looking at a lot of unhappy people, angry about financial status and job prospects, perhaps bitter about the countrys income inequality, growing corruption and resource wastage. And the damage that theyre doing in the protests is giving them power, perhaps for the first time; dangerously addictive stuff that needs to be stopped in its tracks; but through open, confidence-boosting and reassuring dialogue.

Drastic and rushed political change merely precipitates power struggles; look around the world for evidence. Thanks to diplomatic intervention and a self-injection of local commonsense a truce is now offered to the table. Genuine dialogue, ideally with independent assessment, has to follow, with steady progress, reinforced by mutual political and personal respect to heal the divide.

Destruction

Any violence or destruction in the meantime will merely suggest a desire for anarchy rather than what is best for emaSwati. Thatll get us nowhere. Sibaya is to take place in the new year. A promising step, though embracing a delay that is of some concern, given existing tensions and the threat of a fourth wave, with potential crowd restrictions. Sibaya lies solidly within our constitutional processes, though Section 232 assures delivery of views, so it should not just note the grievances and do nothing about them.

Section 84 provides the right (for the people) to be heard through their freely chosen representatives in the government of the country. So, in the meantime, as confirmed in the July 2021 Sibaya, can the nationwide views be gathered through peaceful submissions to tinkhundla and then taken by MPs to Parliament for discussion, with conclusions delivered to Sibaya?
MBABANE - The Luke Commission (TLC) has resorted to giving away incentives to encourage the nation to vaccinate.

This follows an announcement by TLC that after noticing the decrease in the number of people who vaccinate, they would now be giving away incentives. According to TLC Director Rogers Mamba, to encourage all emaSwati to vaccinate against COVID-19, TLC would be awarding incentives to random people selected in vaccinating sites in the kingdom. The awardees will be given grocery vouchers of between E200 and E500.

We are worried about the decrease in levels at which emaSwati are vaccinating these days. This is an indication that people are not worried anymore about COVID-19 and are now thinking that things are back to normal. Through the initiative of awarding people with the vouchers, we want to highlight the importance of vaccination and to encourage those who have not yet got the jab to do so. Do not wait, vaccinate today, Mamba said. He stated that there would be three categories for the incentives which consisted of grocery store vouchers that would be awarded to people on a weekly basis. He said the first prize was a voucher of E500 worth of groceries, while second prize was a grocery voucher worth E300 and the third being one of E200. Mamba said they would then host weekly gift presentations in the different regions.

He mentioned that the first weekly gift presentation would take place on Friday at The Luke Commission Miracle Campus located in Sidvokodvo. Mamba said they previously received over 650 severe and critical cases of COVID-19 during the third wave. As part of its COVID-19 pandemic response, just prior to the third wave, TLC opened an on-site oxygen production plant, which provided a secure, abundant source of oxygen for COVID-19 patients. We do not want to see patients end up in ICU beds with COVID-19 when they could easily be protected by getting vaccinated, Mamba said. He urged emaSwati not to delay in getting vaccinated as the COVID-19 forth wave was likely to hit the country in December.

Eswatini is blessed to have vaccines available, and we must all vaccinate as quickly as possible. The best way to protect the nation, your family, and yourself from COVID-19 is to get the jab, he said.

Encouraged

Director of Health Services Dr Vusi Magagula also encouraged people to vaccinate in order to reach 70 per cent of herd immunity in the country. COVID-19 has affected a number of sectors in the world, including businesses, health, education and tourism to name a few. If we want all these to go back to being operational, let us help each other by vaccinating .This will also help emaSwati in ensuring that they are well prepared for the future, he said.
MBABANE  After getting paid for three months while sitting at home, Judge Sipho Nkosis impeachment will begin today.

Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body formally levels charges against a high official of government. It does not necessarily mean the removal from office; it is only a formal statement of charges, akin to an indictment in criminal law, and is thus only the first step towards possible removal. Judge Nkosi, who is on suspension, has been called upon to answer on five charges, which include alleged absenteeism, failure to deliver judgments, coming to court late and bringing the administration of justice into disrepute. According to the charge sheet, lawyers and litigants were complaining about Judge Nkosis conduct.

It is further alleged that despite numerous written demands, the judge failed to deliver judgment timeously or at all. He was served with the notice of his impeachment last week wherein he was informed to avail himself before the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) today for the start of his impeachment. Robinson Bertram Attorneys have been given the task to prosecute in the impeachment proceedings, which will be conducted privately. The impeachment process will be chaired by Chief Justice Bheki Maphalala, who is the chairman of the JSC.

Judge Nkosi was suspended on August 12, 2021by His Majesty King Mswati III in terms of Section 158 of the Constitution through Legal Notice No.241 of 2021.

Section 158 (6) provides that; where the question of removal has been referred to the commission, the King may suspend from office the chief justice or other justice as the case may be, for the duration of the enquiry. Judge Nkosi will be the fourth judge to be impeached in Eswatini in 10 years, which is the highest in Southern Africa.

Removed

During the tenure of the late Michael Ramodibedi, Judge Thomas Masuku, who is now a judge of the High Court of Namibia was impeached and removed as a judge of the High Court of Eswatini in September 29, 2009. Ramodibedi suffered the same fate in June 17, 2015 for serious misbehaviour. Former Judge Mpendulo Simelane followed Ramodibedi out the door on July 21, 2017 after being found guilty of serious misbehaviour as well. On July 27, 2021, the JSC served the judge with a letter requesting him to provide a detailed account of what transpired at the Piggs Peak Magistrates Court during the hearing of a rape matter involving his brother-in-law, Sibusiso Vilakati.

In a previous interview, Judge Nkosi confirmed to have received something which he said did not make sense to him. He said the minute that was sent to him did not state what exactly should be explained. He wondered what he was really being called upon to do and described the minute as silent. The judge said he was sticking to what he previously said that he did not do anything wrong in this matter. The judge went on to say he was not apologetic for his actions at the Piggs Peak Magistrates Court.

He said he was sure that he did not break any ethical rules at the magistrates court and neither did he bulldoze anyone using his powers as a judge. Absolutely none, he said emphatically during an interview yesterday. I followed the procedure. I did not ask to be made a priority. I am absolutely not apologetic for what transpired there. I have no doubt that the law took its natural course. Following a raid at his homestead at Mafutseni in April 2021 where his guns were seized, Judge Nkosi said it was not about his brother-in-law but he was being targeted. He said the raid and seizure of the firearms jeopardised his security.

Firearms

The least the police could have done, according to the judge, was to advise that he should renew the licences for his firearms within a certain period. Judge Nkosi also pointed out that there was no incident where he had used a gun to warrant the search and seizure at his residence. The judge alleged that he got hold of information to the effect that somebody had recorded a statement saying that he (judge) had seven guns at his home. He said what he did in Piggs Peak was what most people had done as well. The judge was referring to the act of seeking the release of his brother-in-law to his custody and making an undertaking to produce him to court the following day.

According to Judge Nkosi, even some judges and magistrates have allegedly called a police station to ask that their arrested relatives be released to their custody.

Narrating what happened in Piggs Peak, Judge Nkosi explained that he received a call from his in-laws, who informed him that Vilakati had been arrested and charged with rape. He said he travelled to Piggs Peak Police Station with his lover and her other relatives. The judge said as an in-law, he was interested in knowing what had happened. The police, according to the judge, allowed him to speak to the accused as an elder, not as a judge. He said he requested that the accused be released to his custody and made an undertaking that he would bring him to court on the next day.

Nkosi cut his teeth as a judge when he was appointed an acting judge of the Supreme Court in early 2016. He was appointed a permanent judge of the High Court together with Judge Titus Mlangeni. Some of the judges who were appointed during the same period were Judge Cyril Maphanga and Judge John Magagula. Nkosi was a lecturer at the University of Eswatini in the early 1990s and he is a former president of the Law Society of Eswatini. Judge Nkosi is known for his vast experience in legal issues.
MANZINI - TUCOSWA is adamant that the planned marches in some of the countrys major towns will go ahead today.

This was revealed by the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA) Acting Secretary General, Mduduzi Gina after their meeting with the police and officials from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development yesterday. According to Gina, as leaders of the federation, they notified the relevant stakeholders on time about their plan to march in the six cities and towns today.

He said this was because according to their analysis of the amended Public Order Act of 2017, which governed marches and protest actions, it said they should notify the authorities about the intended gathering, not to seek permission to march. Gina said this after he was asked if he recalled that the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Prince Simelane had, banned local governments from issuing permits for protest marches in the kingdom.

Response

In response, the unionist said they had also received a response from the ministry, which in summary, reminded them that petition deliveries were banned and that local governments were not permitted to issue permits for protest actions. Thereafter, he said the minister, just like local governments, did not have the power to stop marches. He said the minister could rather negotiate for altering routes for marches, as local governments used to do. I should emphasise that the law says, we should notify the authorities, not to seek permission to march, he added.

Section 6 (1) of the Public Order Act No. 12 of 2017, which is about notice of gatherings, says; The convener of a gathering shall as soon as possible, but not later than four days before the date of the intended gathering, deliver by hand to the local authority, a written notice of the gathering, signed by the convener, in accordance with the provisions of this section and substantially in the form set out in Schedule 1.

Notice

On the other hand, in subsection 2 of the section, the Act says; A convener, who is unable to give notice within the limit contemplated in subsection 1, shall give notice at the earliest opportunity, but not later than 48 hours before the commencement of the gathering. In that regard, Gina said the minister did not have powers to change the law and as such, during the march, they had planned to deliver a petition to his office where they would demand that he withdraws his statement, where he prohibited local governments from issuing permits for protest actions.

Once more, he said they were aware that the Prime Minister (PM), Cleopas Dlamini, had issued a statement where he said as government, they did not see a reason for the planned marches. When responding to the PMs statement, Gina said the PM said so because the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Prince Simelane, did not take away any of his rights when he banned the issuance of permits by local government. Again, maybe when the nation does not access internet, he somehow gets it, Gina added.

Thereafter, he said in every civilised State or society, those in authority allowed the people to criticise them. On another note, the unionist said they had also received a letter from the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) which appealed to the federation that its planned petition deliveries march should be postponed indefinitely. In response to the police, Gina said it was only the court that could stop or postpone a planned march because its jurisdiction was unlimited. However, he said even the court could not postpone it indefinitely.

Ahead

Thereafter, he said their march would go ahead as planned today in the six cities and towns; Mbabane, Manzini and Piggs Peak. The other towns are Nhlangano, Siteki and Hluthi. He said in Mbabane, they would deliver petitions to the PMs Office, Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) and Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, together with the police. In the other towns, the unionist said they would deliver petitions to regional administrators (RAs) offices, police and local government.

At the PMs Office and offices of the RAs in the regions, he said they would be demanding a genuine political dialogue, which would be free from any kind of hostilities. He said they would also state the type of dialogue they wanted. On the other hand, at the ministry of ICT, he said they would be reminding it that the internet could not be shut down at the whim of an individual because the country signed the African Charter for Human Rights. He said the African Charter for Human Rights stipulated that people had a right to access internet and that it should not be disturbed unnecessarily. To the police, Gina said they would be delivering a petition calling for an end to police brutality as it might make the nation to consider law enforcers as their enemies.
MBABANE  Prime Minister (PM) Cleopas Sipho Dlamini says all emaSwati are expected to stay away from the streets as this has led to violence and intimidation.

Dlamini was speaking during a press conference held at the Cabinet Offices yesterday. He said government had been made aware that there was a proposed protest action slated for today. The march has been organised by the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA) and has called upon all who wish to take part in it to join them. The march, according to TUCOSWA, will be hosted in six of the major towns in the country. Organisations such as SNAT and NAPSAWU have called upon their members to join the march. The march is expected to be followed by the delivery of petitions to various government departments, touching on various social and political issues.

Purpose

One wonders what the purpose of the march is given that His Majesty has already committed to a dialogue, said the PM during the press conference. He said the nation would recall that government suspended the physical delivery of petitions to tinkhundla centres and, more recently, the issuance of permits for protest actions in towns. He said government was not against the delivery of petitions per se but the fact that these actions had resulted in the blockade of streets, looting, destruction of property and the closing of business by force. He said this unacceptable level of violence and intimidation had infringed on the rights of ordinary people who were not part of the protest actions and also placed their lives in a precarious position.

The PM said governments role was to protect the rights and lives of all emaSwati and residents of Eswatini. He said as government, they had an obligation to protect both the bystanders and the protestors, but to also maintain law and order. He said, therefore, the banning of petitions was a necessary step as these activities had turned violent to the detriment of everyone. The PM also reminded the nation that the Constitution was still effective and operative in the Kingdom; therefore, it will neither be suspended nor set aside even as the dialogue process begins. He said should there be any amendments; these would be done in full compliance with the provisions of the Constitution.

We urge emaSwati to remain calm and united as we prepare for the dialogue, said Dlamini. He urged all emaSwati to heed the call to dialogue. He said government shouted; BAYETHE WENA WAPHAKATHI!! to His Majesty King Mswati III for showing astute leadership in spearheading moves for emaSwati to dialogue, which was what the people have been calling for. His Majesty has continued to pave the way for Eswatini to achieve sustained peace and prosperity, said the PM. He said emaSwati were cognisant and appreciative of the importance of the Incwala Ceremony. Therefore, it is expected that other national activities will be put on hold in respect of this sacred period for all emaSwati.
The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Dubai (Dubai ETO) has commenced operation to assist GCC companies, entrepreneurs, and family offices to set up, retain and expand business operations in Hong Kong.

The opening of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Governments first ETO in the Middle East region will consolidate and strengthen Hong Kongs economic and trade relations with trading partners in the region, in particular, the six member states of the Cooperation Council (GCC) whose trade with Hong Kong in 2020 was HK$100 billion ($13 billion). The UAE accounted for over 70% of the trade with Hong Kong, HK$73.5 billion ($9.5 billion).

The occasion was marked by an opening ceremony held at the Dubai ETO. Addressing the opening ceremony of the Dubai ETO by way of video message, the Chief Executive of the HKSAR, Carrie Lam, said the establishment of the Dubai ETO underscores the importance Hong Kong attaches to the UAE and the five other member states of the GCC, and will facilitate businesses and investors throughout the region to take advantage of Hong Kongs singular opportunities.

The opening ceremony was hosted by the Director-General of the Dubai ETO, Damian Lee; officiating guests included the UAEs Minister of State for Foreign Trade, Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi; the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to the UAE, Ni Jian; the Consul General of the Peoples Republic of China in Dubai, Li Xuhang; the Deputy Director of the Dubai Office of the UAEs Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Rashid Abdulla Al Qaseer; and the Assistant Director General of the Dubai Department of Economic Development, Khalid Ibrahim Al Kassim.

The GCC is one of Hong Kongs most valued trading and investment partners and is home to over 50 million people.

While GCC countries are committed to developing diversified economies, Hong Kong is eminently poised to provide tremendous opportunities for GCC companies and entrepreneurs.

The Dubai ETO will have a dedicated investment promotion unit to assist companies and entrepreneurs in the GCC region to set up, retain and expand their business portfolios particularly under Chinas Belt and Road Initiative and extend their market presence to Mainland China and the Asia Pacific Region.

There are various sectors of mutual interest, from new and traditional energies to smart city, transportation, logistics, financial technology, biotechnology, and jewellery, etc.

Lee commented: At the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Dubai our focus is to promote bilateral economic, trade and cultural ties between Hong Kong and the GCC countries. As well as supporting GCC companies and entrepreneurs to expand their businesses to Hong Kong we will also work with family offices to help them establish a presence in the city, where they will be able to tap into excellent investment opportunities and lucrative projects in the Asia Pacific region.

The geographical coverage of the Dubai ETO includes the six member states of the GCC, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.

The Dubai ETO is Hong Kongs 14th overseas ETO and is the second overseas ETO set up by the current-term Government, following the establishment of the Bangkok ETO in February 2019.

The overseas ETOs are responsible for promoting Hong Kongs economic and trade interests by enhancing Hong Kongs reputation overseas, closely monitoring developments that might affect Hong Kongs interests, and liaising closely with the business and commercial sectors, politicians, and foreign media.

They arrange or co-organise promotional events with other overseas Hong Kong organisations to promote Hong Kongs advantages and latest developments. The HKSAR Government has been actively expanding the network of overseas ETOs to enhance external promotion and exchanges, seeking new business opportunities for Hong Kong.-- TradeArabia News Service
Srinagar, Oct 28 (UNI) A local militant was killed in a brief gunfight with security forces in north Kashmirs Baramulla district on Thursday morning, police said.



They said the brief gunfight broke when militants fired at an area domination party of the Army and police at Cherdari in the outskirts of Baramulla town.



#Terrorists fired on ADP of Army and Police in Cherdari, #Baramulla. Alert parties retaliated and 1 terrorist killed. .01 pistol, 01 loaded magazine & 01 Pak grenade was recovered from his possession, a police tweet said.



The police later identified the slain as Javaid Ahmed Wani, a resident of south Kashmirs Kulgam district. They said the slain had "assisted a militant in the killing of two migrant workers from Bihar on October 2 at Wanpoh Kulgam."

Killed #terrorist is hybrid type, identified as Javed Ah Wani of #Kulgam district and he has assisted terrorist Gulzar (who was killed on 20th Oct) in #killing of 2 labourers from #Bihar in #Wanpoh. He was on mission to target one shopkeeper in #Baramulla, police tweet quoting Inspector General of Police Kashmir said.



Security forces have stepped up anti militancy operations following the targeted killing of migrant workers and minorities in the UT. This month 19 militants have been killed so far in various operations.

UNI MJR ACL0750


remaining of

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The Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) hosted a webinar on the Use of Electronic Invoices for International Trade on 25-26 October. Participants from Customs authorities, Tax authorities, and the private sector in the Americas region discussed the opportunities and challenges that electronic invoices could bring to their international trade operations. Participants emphasized the need for cooperation between Customs authorities and Tax authorities, which would enable the harmonization and facilitation of trade documentations, especially electronic invoices.

The WCO Secretariat presented the WCO Guidelines for Strengthening Cooperation and the Exchanging of Information between Customs and Tax Authorities at the National Level, which was endorsed by the WCO Council in 2016. The WCO Secretariat highlighted issues including the enablers for Customs-Tax cooperation, mechanisms for exchange of information between Customs and Tax authorities, Customs-Tax joint activities, and key principles for Customs-Tax MOU. The WCO Guidelines could be a useful tool for WCO Members to refer to when Customs-Tax cooperation is being considered on a governments agenda for the purpose of facilitating trade, monitoring illicit financial flows, fighting money laundering and tax evasion, etc. The WCO Secretariat also shared some WCO Members best practices in this area and addressed participants concerns regarding the main bottlenecks for Customs-Tax cooperation.
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" " Tourists walk on the glass-bottomed Coiling Dragon Cliff skywalk on Tianmen Mountain in Zhangjiajie, China. Barcroft Media/Getty Images

Acrophobia warning: If you're a wary sort of human who gets woozy on a step stool, or if you've ever bargained with God on a Ferris wheel, then this story probably isn't for you. On the other hand, if you're more of the iron-stomached, extreme selfie type, then the Coiling Dragon Cliff skywalk in southern China may be your ultimate stairway to adrenaline heaven.

Attached 4,700 feet (1,432 meters) straight up the side of Tianmen Mountain in China's Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, the Coiling Dragon Cliff skywalk is almost inconceivable  like something out of a mythical tale about a magical beast who rules over a heart-stopping precipice, luring the intrepid and foolhardy alike to make the daunting journey there to test their bravery and strength.

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As if the harrowing height and sheer drops aren't terrifying enough, at 326 feet (99 meters) long and only 5 feet (1.5 meters) wide, the skywalk is made entirely of glass that is  oh, for crying out loud  only 2.5 inches (6.3 centimeters) thick! So whether you faint flat on your face or into a fetal position, when you open your eyes theyll be met with dizzying views of Tongtian Avenue, aka Avenue of the Sky  a mountain road with 99 tight turns that snakes up the mountain  and of a nearly one mile (1.6 kilometer) vertical drop directly beneath the clear, glass-bottomed floor.

Opened in August 2016, the glass walkway provides intrepid tourists with an experience quite different from the genuinely dangerous, gulp-worthy wooden walkway it replaced, allowing for panoramic views of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park far below.

" " Something to hold onto seems like a good idea. Whatever you do, just don't look down. Barcroft Media/Getty Images

Getting to Tianmen Mountain's skywalk involves a 30-minute ride on the world's longest cable car that slopes more than 4.5 miles (7.2 kilometers) up the mountain, transporting stouthearted adventurers over sheer drops and dramatic mountain peaks and slanting 37 degrees at its steepest point. Keep in mind that if you don't get the optimal selfie on the way up in the cable car, you're sure to get the perfect Insta moment on the ride back down.

And if all that isn't thrilling enough, the gutsiest of visitors to the Coiling Dragon Cliff skywalk can amp up their endorphin rush by taking a zip line flight between the peaks, or (even the mighty can fall?) go bungee jumping.

Now That's Horrifying China has some 2,300 glass bridges, as well as several glass walkways and slides. In May 2021 one unlucky sightseer was left literally clinging for dear life to a frame over a 330-foot (100-meter) drop on Piyan Mountain when inclement weather and high winds blew the glass floor out from under him.
" " The Darien Gap is one of the world's most dangerous places. It's a lawless jungle full of venomous snakes, raging rivers and drug smugglers. LUIS ACOSTA/AFP via Getty Images

Spanning the border of Colombia and Panama is a 10,000-square-mile (25,900-square-kilometer) swath of roadless jungle called the Darien Gap. Only muddy footpaths guide travelers through this mountainous region covered with vast cloud forests, mangrove swamps, raging rivers and densely packed old-growth jungle.

For anyone with a passport and money looking to get from South America to Central or North America, the best decision is to bypass the Darien Gap altogether. Go over by plane or around by sea or else risk being kidnapped by guerillas, robbed by bandits or suffering slow painful death by snakebite from one of the world's most venomous snakes.

But for the 91,000 migrants who have passed through the Darien Gap so far in 2021, over and around aren't options because of Panama's closed border policy. For desperate migrants, the only way to get from one side of the Darien to the other is to go through.

" " The Darien Gap borders Colombia and Panama and is the only break in the 30,000-mile (48,280-kilometer) Pan American Highway. Wikimedia/(CC BY-SA 3.0)

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What Is the Darien Gap?

The isolated tropical jungle is one of the largest areas of old-growth forest in Latin America. It also happens to be the only break in the Pan American Highway, a 30,000-mile system of highways that runs all the way from Argentina to Alaska. Darien National Park, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is thought to be as diverse in its flora and fauna as the Amazon with many endemic plants and animals found only in the Darien.

There you'll find sandy beaches, rocky shores and mangroves along the coast, plus numerous wetlands, rivers and creeks, and the largest lowland rainforest on Central America's Pacific coast. It's also home to capybaras, jaguars, howler monkeys, American crocodiles, venomous snakes and frogs, as well as two Indian tribes.

Though the Darien Gap is rich in biodiversity, its difficult terrain means it's not well-studied. Sofia Rodriguez is an integrative biologist who studied frogs in the Darien Gap in 2015. She was curious if a fungus, called chytrid that was infecting frogs in South America, had made it to frogs in the gap.

She found it hard to plan a trip because there was so little information about the region. "You have this chunk of forest that's not that well-studied," she says. "We're learning more about the Darien Gap by going farther in and talking to people, but it's hard to find information on how to get there."

" " Images like this show why it's so dangerous to navigate the Darien Gap on foot, though record numbers of migrants still try. RAUL ARBOLEDA/AFP via Getty Images

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Snakes, Guerillas and Bandits, Oh My!

Being a human in this hot, wet jungle is inhospitable, to say the least. Without preparation or protection, you could succumb to any of the many dangers of the Darien Gap including fatal pit viper bites, starvation, injury, drowning or attacks by bandits or guerillas.

"The Darien Gap is one of the wettest places in the world, and when it rains it means that a calm river can turn into a raging river very quickly," says Nadja Drost, a Pulitzer-prize winning investigative journalist who did a PBS series on migrant travel in the Darien Gap.

Sometimes migrants must cross rivers 15 times a day, and many have drowned. "If they make camp by a riverbank, and overnight the river level rises, it often sweeps migrants away while they're still wrapped up tents," Drost says.

Even a normally nonfatal injury like a sprained ankle can mean a death sentence to travelers. If this happens, which is often down the slippery slopes of the gap, says Drost, "You can't keep up with your group, you fall behind, or you run out of food and you have to somehow make it out of there by yourself. A lot of people don't; they end up immobilized and starving to death."

Many migrants or travelers aren't prepared for the journey. There isn't a lot of information available as to how long the journey will take, what supplies you need or how to get through safely. Sometimes, paid guides abandon groups a quarter of the way into the jungle. Migrants walk in circles until they escape or starve. Even if they do bring food, tents or money, it's likely bandits will take everything before they leave.

Being a woman has even more risks, too, warns Drost. "Right now, a woman going through the Darien Gap has a very high chance of being sexually assaulted or raped."

When it comes to traveling the gap, you're lucky to get out alive.

Even tourists and researchers have been killed or kidnapped. Orchid-hunter Tom Hart Dyke and his traveling partner Paul Winder were kidnapped in 2000 in the Darien Gap and held hostage for nine months by Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia (FARC) guerillas, only to be suddenly released. In 2013, FARC rebels killed 26-year-old Jan Philip Braunisch, a Swedish tourist they suspected of being a spy.

Many aren't aware of  or ignore  the dangers at first, including Rodriguez. She says she remembers walking trails at night in Darien National Park looking for frogs. When Park Rangers found out, they insisted she travel with a machete.

"They told me, 'You have to take it!' and I didn't understand why, I'm just on the trail. I'm thinking my machete is to cut through the forest if I need to, but I didn't leave the trails," she remembers. But they explained that there were guerillas close by, and they were watching her moves closely. "Then I understood that I need to be armed, to have something to defend myself with. Though nothing happened to me while I was there, I started learning more of the dynamics of the groups inside of the Darien."

" " Two armed soldiers belonging to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) monitor the Berlin pass in southern Colombia. PEDRO UGARTE/AFP via Getty Images

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A Conflicted History

Since the 1990s groups including FARC guerillas and right-wing paramilitaries have found cover in the Darien Gap. Because it straddles the border of Colombia and Panama, it's relatively void of government influence. That makes it the perfect place for drug and weapon traffickers to operate unseen, but groups have often fought each other and attacked unwelcome guests.

After a 2016 peace deal with Colombia, the FARC left the Darien a year later. The paramilitary dissolved in the mid-2000s, but its units turned into drug-trafficking groups. The largest of which, called Urabenos, controls much of the Darien Gap. The channels created by the Urabenos are important routes for trafficking migrants from Haiti, Columbia, Africa and the Middle East seeking passage to Central and North America.

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So, Why Not Just Drive?

Talks about putting a road through the Darien Gap to connect the Pan-American Highway have come up now and then, but the cost of building a passable road would be incredibly expensive and devastating to the ecology. "I hope nobody thinks about building a road through the Darien," says Rodriguez. "It needs to be kept as it is  better than it is."

Despite the lack of roads, adventurers have tried to travel the length of the Pan American Highway in vehicles, including the Darien Gap. In the 1960s and '70s expeditions took weeks or months.

Steep slopes, impassable rivers and dense forest damaged the vehicles regularly. To get the cars over rivers, expeditions had to build rafts and bridges by hand. Though the trips were ultimately successful, the travelers rarely managed to go more than 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) per day and suffered malaria, dysentery and heat exhaustion.

" " Between 1971 and 1972, the British Trans Americas expedition managed to drive from Anchorage, Alaska, to Tierra del Fuego in Southern Chile. But it took two Range Rovers and a Land Rover to complete the drive. Kelvin Kent

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The Darien Gap: A Hub of Human Crises

What would make anyone so desperate to cross the Darien Gap? The reasons that migrants choose to cross have changed over the years, says Drost. "It's really unlikely that in the middle of this isolated jungle, it's actually one of the best places to learn about what's going wrong around the world and what's pushing people out of their countries."

For some, it's war and conflict, others it's devastating poverty and the hope of a better life for their families. For researchers like Rodriguez, however, the Darien Gap is a rare and astounding example of untouched ecosystems that have a lot left to teach us about biodiversity  if only we could get inside without being killed.

" " All roads on the Pan American Highway end here in the river village Rio Chicanaque in the Darien Gap. Flickr/gailhampshire/(CC BY 2.0)

Now That's Interesting British explorer Kent Kelvin was the deputy leader on the British Trans Americas expedition, which started at Anchorage, Alaska, and ended at Tierra del Fuego in Southern Chile. The idea was to make the very first unbroken road journey of the Americas  and do it with two very new Range Rovers. However, after many differentials had broken on the Range Rovers, Kent flew back to Panama and purchased an old, short-wheelbase Land Rover and had it flown into the Darien Gap via a U.S. Jolly Green Giant chopper. His team used it as a pathfinder while they waited for parts for their Range Rovers. The Land Rover allowed them to finish the difficult Darien Gap portion of the expedition just before the monsoon rains arrived, and they continued on in the two Range Rovers through to the tip of South America.
The internet went abuzz with the claim that a former federal lawmaker, Dino Melaye, graduated as the best student at Baze University's Faculty of Law

Over the weekend, the internet went abuzz with the claim that a former federal lawmaker, Dino Melaye, graduated as the best student at Baze University's Faculty of Law.

The university, located in Nigeria's Federal Capital Territory (FCT), held its combined seventh and eight convocation ceremonies on Saturday, October 23, with at least three prominent Nigerian politicians among the graduands.

Ifeanyi Ubah, a current senator and governorship aspirant in Anambra State; Dino Melaye, a former senator and Osita Chidoka, a former minister of aviation, made headlines at the event.

While the convocation was ongoing, claims started circulating on various social media platforms that Mr Melaye graduated as the best student in the school's law faculty.

One of such claims by a group, 'Dorathy Bachor Lovers' had over 3,000 likes and over 400 comments as of the afternoon of Monday, October 25.

"Senator Dino Melaye Graduates From Baze University, Reportedly Emerges Best Graduating Law Student. Congratulations Sir", the post reads.

On ladunlaidinews.com and many other blogs, the story made headlines, with comments attesting to the academic prowess of the ex-lawmaker. Most of the blogs claimed Mr Melaye's aide, Bode Gbadebo, published the claim on his Facebook timeline.

On Twitter, as other platforms, the news was greeted with mixed reactions. While many, who took the information as truth, hailed the academic prowess of Mr Melaye, a few others mocked the university for allowing a politician who likely did not attend many lectures to graduate as best.

"Congratulations to you sir ,but he can never be the best graduating student, what then happened to the full-time student." Aleburu John commented on the Facebook post.

While the back and forth was ongoing, an image purportedly of the three politicians in a cramped classroom, writing an examination surfaced on the internet.

However, Dubawa ran a verification on the image and found it to be one of those classes the trio attended at the university.

As elections draw nearer, it is a common practice by Nigerian politicians to spread positive stories about themselves to attract popularity. This reality prompted Dubawa to run a fact-check on the claim and further trace its origin.

Verifying the main claim

Dubawa put a call to the university's Registrar, Mani Ahmad, who requested a physical meeting to clarify issues.

On Monday, a Dubawa reporter visited the university where he was presented with graduation documents. The documents revealed Mr Melaye never graduated as the best student in law as claimed.

Although Mr Malaye actually graduated from the institution with a law degree, he was neither a first-class student nor the best graduating student from the faculty of Law.

Snapshots taken from the convocation booklets show Dino Malaye actually graduated from Baze University, Faculty of law but not as the best graduating student

Further details revealed that Rosemary Keccy Busari was the best graduating student from the faculty of law and not Mr Melaye as it was widely claimed.

Snapshot from the convocation booklet shows Rosemary Keccy Busari as the first-class student from

Some university officials also...

Messages were sent to Mr Melaye's known lines for comments on the falsehood spread in his name but no reply came from the ex-lawmaker.

Meanwhile, a review of Mr Melaye's social media pages revealed that at no time did he make such a claim or lend support to publications to the claim.

Where did this claim emanate from?

Meanwhile, Dubawa took a step further to reveal the source of the claim. The closest to this was the claim by Ladun Liadi News that an aide to the politician posted the claim.

"Mr Melaye's aide, Bode Gbadebo, posted a picture of him on Facebook, alongside other individuals adorned in an academic dress, with the caption "Senator Dino Melaye graduates from Baze University, emerges best graduating law student," a paragraph in the story reads.

First, this fact-checker checked the Facebook page of Mr Gbadebo, who described himself as 'Online Editor at Leadership News' back till October 20. Although the journalist made several comments within the period, none was attributed to Mr Melaye or his graduation. At that point, it could not be ascertained if Mr Gbadebo deleted any post within this period.

In a telephone conversation on Monday, Mr Gbadebo denied being an aide to Mr Melaye or the author of the claim as widely circulated.

"No, it is not true," he said. "I am not a spokesman to the senator and I did not publish the statement. It first appeared on Samuel Ogundipe' Peoples Gazette and became viral. Please I did not publish that, it's false."

The story on People's Gazzete was titled, "Despite living in Dubai, Dino Melaye emerges best graduating student at Baze University."

"Despite rarely being in Nigeria after losing his reelection into the national assembly in 2019 and currently based in Dubai, it is surprising that the former senator did not only graduate but was awarded the best graduating student with a yet to be confirmed GPA," the story reads in part.

However, in a follow up story, People's Gazette claimed Mr Gbadebo and Mr Melaye misled the publication as newly emerging information showed that the lawmaker graduated with "weak second-class lower."

Dubawa contacted the Editor of People's Gazette, Mr Ogundipe, who explained that his paper contacted both Mr Gbadebo and Dino Melaye before running the first story.

"We got the story right from Bode Gbadebo's Facebook post," Mr Ogundipe said. "He posted it on his Facebook. We called Dino himself and he said 'Yes, yes,' and then hung up", he said, insisting that Mr Gbadebo is Mr Melaye's spokesperson.

In a subsequent conversation, Mr Gbadebo backtracked, saying he indeed shared a post with such a claim but was misled by Mr Melaye's photographer who initially made the claim. He added that he deleted the photographer's post, which he earlier shared, after he realised the claim was wrong.

"On that Saturday, one of Senator Dino Malaye's Photographer (his official Photographer) who was at the convocation. He actually posted that he got first class. He told us later that he assumed that was what he heard, so he posted (the information) with the picture and some of us who are close to him shared. Within the shortest time possible, maybe one hour, we called the senator to congratulate him which he denied so we had to pull it down," he said.

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He gave the name of the photographer as Sam J Noni. Dubawa traced the Facebook page of Mr Noni and found the post was put up on Saturday, October 23, at 11.48 a.m.

Mr Noni did not reply to messages sent to him on Facebook.

To further back his claim, Mr Ogundipe sent Dubawa a screenshot of Mr Gbadebo's post which triggered the stories and social media comments.

The screenshot, which Dubawa confirmed was not doctored, showed that Mr Gbadebo indeed made a post, not shared as he claimed earlier.

"Senator Dino Melaye Graduates from Baze University, Emerges Best Graduating Law Student," he wrote.

Dubawa could not confirm the time the screenshot was made and whether Mr Gbadebo's post preceded that of the photographer.

Mr Gbadebo was confronted with the new information but again, he reworded.

"Yes, the pictures and the post was (were) first shared by Dino's photographer. It was there I picked them from and posted to congratulate the Senator."

This is in contradiction with his earlier position that he never made the claim and subsequently that he only shared a post from the photographer. But the journalist still insisted that he was misled by Mr Noni for a claim he did not confirm before sharing.
Umuahia  The Vice-chancellor of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike (MOUAU), Prof Maduebibisi Ofo Iwe, has decried the low number of students offered admission into the institution by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), describing it as "grossly inadequate."

He expressed his displeasure over the admission quota in his address at the 28th matriculation ceremony of MOUAU, during which the fresh students were formally received into the institution.

According to him, the total admission quota allowed by JAMB for MOUAU this academic session was 5,127, including regular and direct entry candidates.

He further stated that in the 2020/2021 academic session, JAMB allocated a 4,522 admission quota for students to pursue different programmes at MOUAU even when the institution can take in more students.

"This figure is grossly inadequate when compared with the teeming population of candidates seeking admission into the University," the VC said.

However, he noted that the university had no choice but to comply with the JAMB allocation given the prevailing circumstances.

The MOUAU chief executive charged the new students to strictly abide by the moral code of the institution and uphold its core values that staff and students were required to adopt.

He stressed that MOUAU had zero tolerance to cultists, threatening to expel students found to be members of cult groups.

"Furthermore, if you were initiated before you arrived here, you have an opportunity to totally renounce cultist and repudiate it," he added.

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Meanwhile, the institution debunked social media reports claiming that two students died of COVID-19 infection due to an outbreak.

While admitting that two students of the institution died recently, the management clarified that the deaths were "completely unrelated" and had nothing to do with any outbreak of any disease.

The clarification was contained in a statement issued by the public relations officer of the University, Adanma Odefa, disclosing a female student died from complications arising from "botched abortion" while a male student died after collapsing on the walkway.

"The vice-chancellor of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, and the management are appalled at recent attempts to spread panic within the University community with false reports of an imaginary pandemic killing students," she said.

According to the MOUAU spokesperson, "a female student whose identity we will not disclose out of respect for her family, was a new intake. Unfortunately, she had procured an abortion from a quack, resulting in fatal complications."

The statement added: "The second unfortunate death was of a student who collapsed on the walkway and was rushed to the university clinic. When he was brought in, he had no pulse, and his vital signs were failing. He was promptly loaded into the university's ambulance and rushed to the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia, where he was declared dead."

"The management is deeply saddened by the loss of these young lives and heartily condoles with their families," the school added.
With its customers deposits maintaining an upward trend, Tier-one lender, Zenith Bank Plc lead the Nigerian banking sector with 69.9 per cent liquidity ratio as at half year ended June 30, 2021 results.

Under the current guidelines, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) requires that banks maintain minimum liquidity ratios as follows: Deposit Money Banks (DMBs): 30 per cent; merchant banks: 20 per cent; and non-interest banks: 10 per cent.

Liquidity ratios are a class of financial metrics used to determine a bank's ability to pay off its short-term debts obligations. It is the total specified liquid assets of a bank divided by total current liabilities.

Analysis of results of deposit money banks in the country showed that the bank in 2020 financial year reported 66.2 per cent liquidity ratio.

The bank had while commenting on the development stated, "Prudential ratios such as liquidity and capital adequacy also remained above regulatory thresholds at 69.9per cent and 22.0per cent respectively."

Analysis of the bank's results for the period under review sowed that it increased total customer deposits by eight per cent to close June 30, 2021 at N5.77 trillion from N5.34trillion it closed in 2020 financial year to demonstrate growth in the bank's market share.

Out of the 10 investigated banks by THISDAY, Wema Bank Plc has a liquidity ratio below the regulatory requirement.

The bank closed H1 2021 with a liquidity ratio of 25.1 per cent as against 30 per cent it closed 2020 financial year.

The Monetary Policy Committee of the CBN had disclosed that the liquidity ratio in the banking sector was above prudential limits at 41.3 per cent as at June 30, 2021.

Commenting on the development, Prof. Hassan Oaikhenan of the Department of Economics, University of Benin expressed that customers deposits is very critical in determining a bank's liquidity ratio.

According to him, "A bank with higher capacity to boost deposit will have higher liquidity ratio than the one with lower deposit mobilisation capacity. We know Zenith bank has covered the market shares than Wema Bank in terms of deposit mobilization."

Speaking in the same vein, the Vice President, Highcap Securities, Mr. David Adnori stressed that the statutory required liquidity ratio for banks is 30 per cent, maintaining that for Zenith Bank to have a liquidity ratio above 60 per cent is an interesting development.

He explained further that. "If a bank has investment opportunities in the economy, a major portion of that fund that constitutes liquidity ratio is expected to be invested in such investments. That will yield income for the bank for increase shareholders returns on investment and expand in branches network.

"The bank can invest in government bond, treasury and extend credit to customers. There are other areas of investment. However, if a bank has not done all these, it means Zenith Bank is holding a lot of liquid assets in their coffer.

"Is either the management does not have confidence in the operating environment or they are not confidence if they plow into an investment, they yields will be justifiable. It is unexpected for banks to have a very high liquidity ratio but it must be maintained above the regulatory requirement which is 30 per cent."

On Wema Bank with a liquidity ratio of below 30 per cent, Adnori stated that the ratio is below CBN's requirement and it is a warning signal

"If a bank liquidity ratio is below regulatory requirement it means their cover for short-term deposit liabilities is very low and it means short-term deposit the bank carries has been seriously eroded. The bank has to look for more liquid assets to buff up its liquidity ratio."

Analyst at PAC Holdings, Mr. Wole Adeyeye expressed that higher liquidity ratio means a bank stands a chance to its immediate obligations.

On Zenith bank, he said: "It is expected for the bank to have liquidity ratio above 60 per cent due to its nature of businesses and people that are doing business with the bank. The bank focused more on corporate than individual lending. It is expected for bigger banks to have a very strong liquidity ratio."

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On its part, Guaranty Trust Holdings Company Plc (GTCO) reported liquidity ratio closed H1 2021 at 44.71 per cent from 38.9 per cent.

The bank explained that: "Despite the pressure from COVID-19 pandemic and regulatory debits, the Group maintained average liquidity ratio of 40.71 per cent."

Further checks revealed that Access Bank reported a liquidity ratio of 50.7 per cent in H1 2021 from 46 per cent in full year ended December 31, 2020 as United Bank for Africa (UBA) recorded 58.3 per cent liquidity ratio in H1 2021 from 44 per cent recorded in 2020.

The apex bank had assured that deposit money banks in the country have remained stable, robust and resilient despite the disruptions by Covid-19 pandemic.

It had said it would continue to continuously monitor the bank to detect early vulnerabilities to ensure pre-emptive action as well as apply some regulatory measures for the growth of the sector.
THE share price of FBN Holdings Plc recorded marginal decline yesterday after speculators who bought into the bank following the heavy activity on the stock in the course of share purchase by Femi Otedola sold off.

The share price fell by 1.20 percent to N12.40 per share from N12.55 the previous day, while volume traded also took a downward turn, declining to 73.062 million from 350.54 million on Monday, thus representing a 79.2 percent decline in activity level.

Deals also slumped by 28.6 percent to 545 from 763.

Market dealers dismissed the low activity on the stock yesterday as either profit taking or price correction, saying that development in the coming days would determine if, indeed, it was price correction.

A dealer from the stockbroking firm to Otedola told Vanguard, "As you are aware, when we were buying for him (Otedola), it attracted more speculators into buying hoping that the price will go up, especially knowing that a negotiated price of N16.00 was done on the stocks.

"Now that we are not buying, it will be difficult to sustain the price, especially now that some of the third quarter (Q3) results of banks have been released and there weren't any spectacular results.

"Also remember that price fluctuation is part of the market activities. Even when we were buying such price fluctuation was being notice from time to time

"Some speculators do not have the capacity to hold; so once they notice that we are no longer buying for him (Otedola) they begin to sell-off and once you have more sellers than buyers, the price automatically goes down.

"We cannot call this price correction until we see a consistent decline in the share price."

Another dealer, David Adonri, MD/CEO, Highcap Securities, said: "The reason for the rally is now public knowledge.

"It is no longer news capable of eliciting further reaction from investors.

"It appears the major buyer who orchestrated the extraordinary demand has achieved his objective.

"He sees no further need to swarm the market."

Femi Otedola is speculated to be the majority shareholder in FBN Holdings having bought 1.82 billion units of the Holdco's shares to now maintain 5.07 percent equity stake in the bank.

Vanguard News Nigeria
press release

African Development Bank Group President Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina has said low levels of industrial manufacturing are hampering economic growth and development in Nigeria and many other African countries.

He said Nigeria must accelerate its manufacturing sector through integration and a rapid progression up global and regional value chains where it has a comparative advantage. Adesina was speaking at a lecture titled Overcoming Binding Constraints to Competitive Manufacturing for Intra-Regional Trade, which he delivered at the inaugural edition of the Adeola Odutola Lecture Series on Tuesday in Abuja. The series is organized by the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria.

The African Development Bank head said: "The continent has abundant natural resources, oil, gas, minerals, metals, agricultural and forest products, and the blue economy. But tragically and ironically, Africa's massive natural resources have not translated into wealth."

He added: "The low level of industrial manufacturing is at the core of the slow structural transformation of African economies," and represented a race to the bottom characterized by rising poverty, export of jobs, volatile commodity prices, and import dependency."

Adesina recommended several policies, including the setting up of industrial digital skills academies to reskill and retool workers for jobs of the future. He said deepening domestic capital markets would enable companies to access the equity financing they need to grow their businesses. He posited that there should also be massive investments in gas, hydropower resources and large-scale solar energy systems to ensure stable baseload power for industry.

He called on the Nigerian government to actively address infrastructure bottlenecks, which he said were hindering the manufacturing sector.

He also noted the existence of potentially catalyzing external factors like the Africa Continental Free Trade Area, which he said presented a huge opportunity for Nigeria to drive an export-driven industrial manufacturing pathway.

Speaking on the behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari, Secretary to the Government Boss Mustapha, commended the lecture, calling it "erudite and thought-provoking," and said the government would certainly consider the solutions offered.

"The challenge which Dr Adesina has thrown at us today concerning building an efficient and productive manufacturing sector is a challenge we should take seriously in formulating policies that will lead to accelerated growth and diversification of our economy," Mustapha said.

The President of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Mansur Ahmed, praised Adesina, both for his work as Nigeria's former minister of agriculture and for his current role leading the African Development Bank.

To date, the African Development Bank has provided $1.73 billion in low interest lines of credit to Nigerian financial institutions. In the energy sector, it has provided $200 million for the Nigeria Electrification Project, which is designed to close the country's access gaps. The Bank has invested a further $210 million in the Nigeria Transmission project to strengthen grid power evacuation and regional interconnection. In addition, the African Development Bank's Small and Medium Enterprises Financing Facility supports small and medium sized enterprises in Nigeria.

Dr Adesina's speech can be accessed here: https://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/speeches/overcoming-binding-constraints-competitive-manufacturing-intra-regional-trade-46465

Contact:

Ezekiel Chukwuemeka-Francis | Communication and External Relations Department | African Development Bank |Email : e.chukwuemeka-francis@afdb.org|
Jalingo  Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba State has disclosed that there is no access road to the project site of the 3050 megawatts Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Dam.

The governor said the site can only be accessed using an helicopter.

Ishaku spoke at the instance of the Management and Board members of the North-East Development Commission, NEDC, and some members of the National Assembly.

He dropped the hint while reeling his administration's effort on the Mararaba-Biassa-Abong road, which leads directly to the site of the 3050 megawatts hydroelectric power project site.

In his words, "This is the road that leads to the hydro-power site, but I am telling you there is no access road to the site except if you go with an helicopter.

"There is no road to where the hydroelectric power is coming from.

"Hydro power is one of the cheapest source of power generation and this is a 3050 megawatt dam wasting away.

"I urge the distinguished senator to use his good offices to encourage the Federal Government to release funds so that we can continue the road construction from Abong to Kanye-Aka and from there to the project site."

Vanguard News Nigeria
Hundreds have been displaced due to floods in Nigeria this year (file photo).

The Nigerian government on 30 July 2021 submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) its first Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) - the heart of the Paris Agreement encapsulating the post-2020 climate actions by countries to reduce greenhouse gas emission and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

The ratification reinforces President Muhammadu Buhari's 2016 commitment to cut emissions by 45 per cent by 2030. It also signalled the government's commitment to actions that mitigate or reverse the effects of the climate crisis.

The effects of climate change are stark in Nigeria, including frequent massive floods.

For example, in 2012, rivers burst their banks and submerged vast lands in 30 of the country's 36 states, killing over 400 people and displacing 1.3 million others. That disaster resulted in an estimated $17 billion damage, according to the Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

In 2019, a total of 277,555 people were affected by floods and 158 were killed. In 2020 the number of those affected by floods rose to 2,353,647 resulting in the deaths of 69 people, according to Muhammadu Muhammed, NEMA's former head, at the unveiling of the 2021 annual flood outlook by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NHSA).

Reports paint bleak outlook

The NHSA outlook report had predicted that 27 states across the country (see box) were at substantial risk of floods in 2021.

The coastal states of Bayelsa, Delta and highly populated Lagos (23 million people) were projected to be particularly susceptible to floods due to a rise in sea level and tidal surge.

In July 2021, NEMA warned Lagos residents to observe safety precautions because floods had submerged many parts of the state with about 4,000 residents displaced.

The NHSA flood outlook is in sync with the recently released report by the Sixth Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) titled, Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis.

The IPCC report observes an increase in river flooding across countries in West Africa and projects "increases in mean wind speed; increase in heavy precipitation and pluvial flooding."

Flood victims in Nigeria are taken aback by the intensity and relentlessness of weather disasters.

"The flood was so high that it nearly swallowed my car. It was scary. I have never seen that amount of flood in my life," says 42-year-old Bitrus Maina, a resident of Jalingo, Taraba State's capital. Two people died and 300 homes were damaged in Jalingo on 5 August this year.

On the same day of the Jalingo flooding, in neighbouring Bauchi State eight people died, 57 houses, several farmlands and livestock were destroyed following heaving flooding.

States at risk of floods in 2021

Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross-River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Oyo, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba and Zamfara.

"Recently in Katsina state, we witnessed 100 millimetres of rain in just a single day. It has never happened in over 100 years. It shows that these extreme events are being driven by climate change," says Prof. Mansur Bako Matazu, head of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet).

Mitigation measures

However, President Buhari assure Nigeria and other countries are committed to taking measures to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change, including flooding. "I am constantly monitoring the situation and we will ensure that all possible help is extended to victims," he pledged in August, as he commiserated with victims of floods around the country.

Despite current abnormal weather events, the government boasts of surpassing the target it set in 2016 to achieve a 20 per cent emissions reduction by 2020.

"Based on our calculations, we met that 20 per cent emission reduction last year. In fact, I can even say we surpassed it," Mohammad Abubakar, until recently Nigeria's Minister of Environment, told Africa Renewal.

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The government continues to raise awareness among government agencies and citizens of the need for effective waste management, tree planting, land reclamation, landscaping and beautification efforts, as well as for addressing land, water, noise and air pollution and reforestation.

To prevent desertification, the government is creating a "wall of trees" across 11 states under the Great Green Wall of the Sahara and the Sahel Initiative. The wall, spanning 1,500 kilometers in length and 15 kilometers wide, will cover many communities in the so-called desertification frontline states--Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina, Kano, Jigawa, Yobe and Borno. A total of 225,000 hectares of land are expected to be rehabilitated under this project.

To boost agricultural productivity, the country is actively promoting alternative sources of energy, dryland agricultural technology and alternative water sources for human, plant, and animal use through solar-powered boreholes.
"The reshuffle is just another step towards sanitising in the system," the CGI said.

The passport control officer at the Ikoyi passport office under the Lagos State Command of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Ibrahim Liman, a deputy comptroller of immigration, has been removed.

The development is a follow-up to a recent undercover investigation by the NIS acting comptroller general, Isa Idris, who disguised on October 18 as a passport applicant and gained firsthand knowledge of underhand deals by some of his officers.

Mr Liman's counterparts at the Ikeja and FESTAC Town passport offices of the NIS, N.J Dashe and Adeola Adesokan respectively, have also been removed from their offices.

While Mr Liman and Adesokan have been transferred to the service headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria's capital, Mr Dashe has been transferred to the zone 'A' command of the service which covers both Ogun and Lagos states.

A deputy comptroller of immigration service, Abolupe Oladoyin Bewaji, has been appointed as Mr Liman's replacement while Mr Dashe and Mrs Adesokan were replaced by R.L Bukar and S. Umar, both of whom are also deputy comptrollers of immigration.

The new posting is contained in an internal memo exclusively obtained by PREMIUM TIMES and titled, "Senior Staff Posting Order."

The memo, signed by the deputy comptroller general of NIS in charge of human resources, A.B Yarima, noted that the new posting is with immediate effect.

"I am directed to convey approval for the following posting with immediate effect," the memo reads in part, listing eight officers concerned.

Other officers affected

Also affected in the new reshuffle include A.I Bambale, who has been moved from zone 'A' command to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.

Mr Bambale, a comptroller of immigration service, was replaced by Sunday James, who was moved from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja to zone 'A' in Lagos.

Mr James is the immediate past spokesperson for the service who was replaced in June by an assistant comptroller of immigration, Amos Okpu.

About new Ikoyi PCO

Meanwhile, the new passport control officer for the Ikoyi passport office of the NIS, Mrs Bewaji, 56, who hails from Ogbomoso in Oyo State, was until the latest appointment, in charge of irregular migration, visa residency of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and operated from the Lagos State command office in Alagbon, Lagos.

Mrs Bewaji, a 1988 graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, who joined the immigration service on September 24, 1991, participated in the 10th command course in Sokoto in 2019 and passed out with distinction.

Between 2005 and 2006, Mrs Bewaji served with the operation section of the Adamawa State command and was at the visa counters at the Lagos State command between 2007 and 2016. She was posted to Anambra State command in Awka in 2018 where she served with the border management and irregular migration unit.

Promise for continued reform

The acting comptroller general told PREMIUM TIMES that the service will continue to work towards comprehensive reform, saying the integrity of the service as the image of the country was paramount.

Mr Idris, who expressed regret that despite efforts to bring sanity into the service there are still officers who he described as recalcitrant and unyielding to the efforts.

"But we will not give up. We inherited a service that Nigeria was proud of and our own legacy cannot be different. We must be remembered for the good that we do. So we pledge our commitment to taking the service to the peak of glory," Mr Idris said.

The acting CGI called on Nigerians to collaborate with the management in sanitising the service, saying without givers there would be no collectors.

"So, the reshuffle is just another step towards sanitising the system," he added.

Undercover

On October 18, the acting comptroller general visited the Ikoyi passport office at the Lagos State Command of the Nigeria Immigration Service and pretended to be an applicant for an international passport.

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However, the officials he met bargained with him for shady deals for different fees, unknown to them that they were dealing with the comptroller general.

"When I approached the officers, they offered me the menu without recognising me. They said 32 pages of the international passport for five years would cost me N45,000 instead of N27,000. They said 64 pages for five years would cost me N55,000 instead of N37,000, and N95,000 for 64 pages for 10 years instead of N72,000.

"I was asked where I was from and I said Niger State. They also asked me if I had a letter of indigeneship and other documents and I said I didn't have anyone. So they said they would collect N3,500 to provide all the documents for me," the acting comptroller general had told PREMIUM TIMES' reporter on the phone.

He said the officers caught in the act during his unscheduled visit have been documented and that they would be disciplined accordingly.

"The laws are there, and so they will be made to face the law. There are about three of them but we are very sure that it is an organised crime. They are not alone but further investigations would reveal that," he said.
The court holds that the Nigerian government failed to present any new fact to warrant the review of the last year's judgement awarding the N20 million to the ex-death row inmates.

The ECOWAS Court of Justice sitting in Abidjan, Cote D'Ivoire, has dismissed Nigeria government's request for the reversal of a last year's judgement awarding N20 million to two former death row inmates.

The court had in its judgment delivered on November 18, 2020, awarded N10 million to each of then 88-year-old Abu Dennis Uluebeka, and 48-year-old Mary Bahago.

Mr Uluebeka was said to be on death row for 15 years until his release in May 2019.

On her part, Ms Bahago, whose death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment after spending 20 years on death row, remains in the Nigerian Correctional Service facility in Suleja, Niger State. Her case was filed by the Incorporated Trustees of Centre for Peace and Conflict Management.

According to a statement by the court's information unit, Ms Bahago's death penalty was commuted to life imprisonment as from October 27, 2020, and she has since been held at Suleja Prison, Niger State.

But Mr Uluebeka, who was formerly of Kirikiri Maximum Prison, Lagos, has since been released from custody.

The court in its judgement awarded the N20 million to them as compensation for "the inhuman treatment they suffered while in custody".

The Nigerian government had subsequently filed an application at the court to challenge the awards.

But delivering judgement on Tuesday, Januaria Costa, the Judge Rapporteur in the case, stated that the application was inadmissible because of the State's inability to disclose any new fact to the court in accordance with the Rules.

The panel of three judges, led by Dupe Atoki, held that what the applicant relied upon as a new fact seemed to be an ordinary appeal which cannot be brought to the court because of the finality of its judgment.

Grounds of Nigeria's application

Among the grounds of the application was that their judges erred in law and in fact when they "approbated and reprobated" on several similar issues, where uniform pronouncements or holdings ought to have sufficed in their judgment.

The applicant also contended that the court erred when it held the state of Nigeria liable to pay N10 million to each of the applicants for allegations that were not proved beyond reasonable doubt by the applicants.

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Furthermore, the Nigeria government maintained that the judges erred in law and facts when they refused to apply the applicable national laws of the parties before them, but relied on the foreign laws and decisions not recognized, applicable or enforceable in Nigeria.

The applicant also argued that the court contradicted itself in some paragraphs of the said judgment where it ruled in favour of respondents/applicants based solely on "objective conclusion" and not established rules of "proof beyond reasonable doubt."

Therefore, the applicant among others, prayed that paragraphs 184 to 208 and paragraphs 211(b) and 212 in respect of Abu Dennis Uluebeka and others against the Federal Republic of Nigeria in judgment no. ECW/CCJ/JUD/29/20 of November 18, 2020, be expunged and set aside from the court's records.

Responses to application

On their part, in response to the applicant's submissions, the respondents submitted that the applicant failed to reveal any new fact warranting any interpretation or a review of the judgment.

They argued that applicant practically admitted the case of the respondents during the initial proceedings by admitting that the two respondents (then applicants) were in custody and on death row, facts that did not require any further proof and which formed the basis for the court's 2020 decision.

Also on the panel of judges in the suit was Keikura Bangura.
Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, has proposed a budget of N582.12 billion for the 2022 financial year.

The governor presented the fiscal estimate to the state House of Assembly last Monday for consideration and approval, which is N16 billion less than the revised estimate of N598 billion for the 2021 fiscal year.

The budget christened: 'Budget of Redefining Standards', is made up of N260.15 billion for recurrent expenditure and N321.96 billion for capital expenditure.

This is against the N254 billion for recurrent expenditure and N354 billion for capital expenditure for 2021.

The recurrent expenditure of the 2022 budget is made up of N70.58 billion for personnel cost; N117.67 billion as overhead cost; N20.50 billion for social contribution and benefit; N1.20 billion for grant, contribution and subsidies, and N50.20 billion for public debt service.

The total projected capital receipts showed that N13.703 billion would be transferred from the Consolidated Revenue Fund, while the balance of N308.261 billion is to be realised from opening balance from 2021 account of N26.000 billion and Direct Credit Substitute/Receivable Discounting facility amounting to N60billion.

Others include External Bank Loan of N3.990 billion; Grants amounting to N24.168 billion; N25 billion from Ecological Fund; N15 billion from reimbursement from federal government on roads, an Investment Income of N0.200 billion; N15 billion from Exceptional Income; N1 billion from Stabilization Account, and Refunds from the federal government/Federation Account amounting to N137.90 billion.

The sectoral allocation showed that General Administration would gulp N132.57 billion, while N 347.35 billion is for the economic sector; N10.38 billion for law and justice, while regional and social sectors would gulp N1.99 billion and N89.83 billion respectively.

The governor explained that the budget was predicted on an oil benchmark of $57 per barrel at a production rate of 1.88 million barrels per day with an estimated exchange rate of N410.15 for $1 in line with the national budget benchmark projections.

According to Emmanuel, "The policy objectives of the 2022 budget are to stimulate the state economy with a view to creating more opportunities for gainful employment of the citizens through industrialisation and agriculture.

"It is to also ensure economic growth and job-generating infrastructural investments in roads, bridges, renewable energy and communication technologies.

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"It also includes promotion of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) as well as the enhancement of local capacities in manufacturing and use of 'made-in-Akwa Ibom' goods and services to create jobs and achieve self-sufficiency in critical sectors of the state economy, among others."

The governor said the policy thrust of the 2022 budget would focus on the eight-point Completion Agenda which includes industrialisation, education, aviation development, rural and riverine area development, agriculture, small and medium scale enterprises, infrastructure expansion and consolidation, security and human capacity development.

"This comprehensive Economic Agenda cuts across all aspects of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We intend to achieve a sizeable number of the SDGs targets as we implement the 2022 budget," he stated.

He commended the state Assembly members for their passion, commitment and tireless efforts in approving the 2022-2024 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) the Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) and the passage of the 2021 Revised (Supplementary) Appropriation Bill in response to exigencies

While receiving the budget proposal, the Speaker of the Assembly, Aniekan Bassey, assured the governor of a speedy examination and passage of the budget in line with their commitment towards sustaining a robust economy for the state.
Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) and Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, yesterday said the federal government could commence its plans to make deductions from the federation account for payment of consultants for the Paris Club Refund.

Fayemi stated this while fielding questions from journalists on the sidelines of the 27th Nigerian Economic Summit in Abuja.

The federal government plans to begin deduction from the federation account for payment of $418 million private consultants who took part in the Paris Club Refund.

This move by the government is projected to affect the recurrent expenditure of at least 33 states and they may not be able to pay the salaries of their workers.

Hence, Fayemi said the NGF is against the decision.

According to him, a situation where the federal government makes arbitrary deductions without the input of state governors is wrong.

He said the governors had agreed not to collect any allocation from the Federation Allocation Account (FAAC) until the issues are resolved.

"We are dealing with the issue. We would find a resolution to it. As far as states are concerned, they do not accept that funds belonging to federation account could just be arbitrarily deducted without the input of the states, and that's why we are insisting that until this is clarified, we would rather leave the money in the pool until we have all agreed on the direction," he said.
A former minister of Agriculture and Water Resources, Dr Abba Sayyadi Ruma, is dead.

Daily Trust gathered that Ruma died in a London hospital.

Confirming the demise of Ruma, his uncle and Danwairen Katsina, Alhaji Sada Salisu Ruma, said late Sayyadi had battled diabetes for a long time before he eventually passed away this morning.

Born on March 13, 1962, late Ruma was an influential minister during the administration of late President Umaru Musa Yar'adua.

Aged 59, the late Ruma is survived by two wives and nine children.

Details later...
The Nigerian Press Council urges the House of Representatives to make journalists pay royalties to it.

The Nigerian Press Council (NPC) appears to be unrelenting in its quest to regulate the media in Nigeria, as the council has requested the House of Representatives to pass laws that will compel journalists and media houses to register with it.

The Executive Secretary of the Council, Francis Nwosu, while defending the budget of the council on Wednesday before the House Committee on Information, National Orientation, Ethics and Values, said the NPC "needs the money from the registrations to survive."

Mr Nwosu, the Minister of information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, the National Broadcasting Commission and the Chairman of the House Committee on information, National Orientation, Ethics and Values, Segun Odebunmi, have been at the forefront of several efforts to censor the media.

In July, the public hearing on the NBC and the press council bills generated outcry across the country, as media houses stood in solidarity against the bills.

The bills contain several provisions many believe are attempts by the government to gag the media.

Consequently, the sponsor of the bills, Mr Odebunmi, was forced to suspend the bills.

Fresh move

In a new fresh plot to awaken the bills, Mr Nwosu said the press council bill is not just about regulating media houses, but a means to generate money for the council.

He appealed to the lawmakers to consider regulations that will ensure that journalists are compelled "to register with the council, have a licence to operate".

"By this, I mean we need to regulate journalists -- take them to register, the newspapers houses to register as corporate organisations -- pay royalty or some amount of money and renewable revenue to the council; that way we can raise some money," he said.

Responding to Mr Nwosu's request, Mr Odebunmi said the House will be making funds available for the committee "to produce regulations on media". He, however, said the regulation must be a product of wide consultation.

"As regards the pure regulation of the journalists, no doubt about it the leadership will make some funds available for us to engage more critical stakeholders, no doubt about that, unless we don't want this country to stand again," he said.

He asked the council should continue to function within its existing mandate.
Osinbajo has inspired us, says African Development Bank.

A continental and international rally may have begun in support of Nigeria's advocacy to halt plans to defund gas projects, just as the global community moves towards the 2050 net-zero emissions target under the United Nations Climate Change agenda.

Nigeria has been on the forefront of international advocacy questioning the planned defunding of gas projects as one of the moves towards achieving net-zero emissions. Now, the continent-wide Africa Development Bank, AfDB, has thrown its weight behind the clamour during a meeting last week between Nigeria's Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo and a delegation of the bank. So also did a team of U.S. experts recently in a widely published article.

The Vice President for Power, Energy, Climate and Green Growth at the African Development Bank, Kevin Kariuki, had led a delegation to pay the VP a visit on October 21 and expressed the bank's commitment and support for a just energy transition.

His words: "First thing I would like to mention is that you have inspired us a lot in the recent past, through your strong and very well-articulated position on the issue of gas as far as Nigeria and Africa is concerned.

"You clearly stated that gas must be seen to be a transitional fuel for Africa, which is a position that our bank also supports because we do understand that Africa needs to increase its energy access, and you can't increase energy access without utilising some of the resources and energy sources that we have. I believe that this position you have taken was also supported and stated by the Bank's president (Mr. Akinwunmi Adesina) during the ministerial retreat."

Mr Osinbajo has, in recent times, advocated for a just transition to global net-zero emissions, particularly calling on multilateral agencies, and western countries to stop the planned defunding of gas projects in developing countries.

At different national and international forums, including recent meetings with a delegation of the European Union (EU), at the Africa Regional Heads of Government Commonwealth Roundtable, and also at different meetings in London at the High-Level United Nations event on the Energy Transition plan in Africa, among others, Mr Osinbajo had maintained a firm stand against ending investments in gas projects in developing countries during the transition period.

Speaking at the meeting, Mr Osinbajo said, "we are looking at commercial options and climate finance facility is one that we are trying to pay attention to."

On Nigeria's energy transition plan, the VP disclosed that one of the components in the plan included "the use of renewables and bringing that into the general stream of things that we are doing. We have a #SolarPowerNaija project, where we are hoping to connect 5 million homes with solar power, which is part of our Economic Sustainability Plan."

The vice president welcomed AfDB's support and stated that "we look forward to doing far more in the power sector and hope that we would be able to get your (AfDB) support going forward. We know that there are quite a few things that the bank has put resources into.

"Thank you very much for the great support we get from AfDB and also for your willingness and readiness at all times."

Earlier on in his remarks, Mr Kariuki mentioned that at COP26, the AfDB would "be making a strong pitch to developed countries to fulfill their promise of the $100billion per year" that ought to have started in 2020, "because the significance is that today, even if we wanted to address the climate challenge, we really cannot do so because the issue of climate finance needs to be addressed in a big way."

In another development, a number of US-based experienced clean energy policy researchers have argued that "the blunt exclusion of all non-renewable energy projects from development finance is an inequitable and ineffective climate strategy that gaslights over 1 billion Africans."

In a recent article titled "Why banning financing for fossil fuel projects in Africa isn't a climate solution," scholars Benjamin Attia and Morgan Brazilian from the US Payne Institute submitted that "when it comes to carbon dioxide emissions, sub-Saharan Africa is collectively responsible for barely half a per cent of all global emissions over time, while the US, UK, EU, Japan and Russia are responsible for more than 100 times that amount, or about 57%."

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The experts referred to Mr Osinbajo's advocacy on the issue. "Nigerian Vice President Yemi Osinbajo recently described "energy transition" as "a curious term" when applied universally, given the energy shortfalls in countries like Nigeria. He has argued for an energy transition in which Africa can develop quickly and grow."

They noted that indeed "increasing electricity in industrializing regions of sub-Saharan Africa would first power income-generating activities and public services, both drivers of economic growth."

The U.S. experts concluded that "equitable and effective climate negotiations will require nuanced policy considerations that balance the priorities of alleviating energy poverty with urgent climate change mitigation and adaptation. A just energy transition would leave African governments to make and implement policies and deliver on their own national climate commitments under the Paris Agreement rather than shouldering the West's."

Laolu Akande

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity

Office of the Vice President
The Tax Appeal Tribunal dismissed Multichoice's appeal on Tuesday.

South Africa's Multichoice Africa Holdings B.V, owner of DSTV and GOTV cable television brands, has lost the battle over the $342 million tax backlog it was asked to pay by the Nigerian government.

The Tax Appeal Tribunal, on Tuesday, struck out the appeal by South African company with its Nigerian subsidiary, Multichoice Nigeria Limited, citing the firm's non-compliance with the rules of appeal.

The company had filed the appeal to challenge the assessment of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) that its unpaid principal sum of Value Added Tax (VAT) was over $123.7 million.

FIRS also awarded a penalty of $218 million against the firm, bringing the total tax liability to $342 million.

The agency had served Multichoice Africa Holdings B.V. a notice of assessment of unpaid VAT on June 16, 2021, with the company responding with an appeal lodged at the Tax Appeal Tribunal to challenge the assessment.

Multichoice claimed the assessment was excessive.

Judgement

Delivering its judgement on the company's appeal, the Appeal Tax Tribunal upheld the preliminary objection of the FIRS - the appeal tribunal held that the South African company did not comply with Order 3 Rule 6 of the Tax Appeal Tribunal (Procedure) Rules, 2021.

The cited procedural provision requires an appellant to deposit half of the assessed amount being disputed before it can be heard.

The appellant is also required to file along with its appeal an affidavit verifying the payment which the company also failed to comply with.

The sum is to be paid as a security for the hearing of any tax appeal.

"For an appeal against the tax authority, the aggrieved person will pay 50 per cent of the disputed amount into designated account by the tribunal before hearing as security for prosecuting the appeal," the appeal tribunal said.

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But appeal tribunal said Multichoice failed to comply with any of these.

Based on the ruling, Multichoice is expected to pay a total of $342 million tax to the Nigerian government, through the FIRS.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) had reported that FIRS had in July announced its plan to engage some commercial banks as agents to freeze and recover N1.8 trillion from accounts of MultiChoice Nigeria Limited (MCN) And MultiChoice Africa (MCA).

FIRS said the decision to appoint the banks as agents and to freeze the accounts was as a result of the groups' continued refusal to grant FIRS access to their servers for audit and "it discovered that the companies persistently breached all agreements and undertakings with FIRS".
A former Director of Legal Services in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Grace Taiga, was on Wednesday granted bail in the sum of N30 million over alleged complicity in the multiple fraud case involving Process and Industrial Development Limited (P&ID).

Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court, Abuja admitted Mrs Taiga to bail in the said sum, while ruling in her bail application.

The judge also ordered the defendant to produce two sureties in the like sum, who must be residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had, on October 7, re-arraigned Taiga before Justice Egwuatu on nine criminal count charge bordering on money laundering offences.

She pleaded not guilty to all the charges and her lawyer, Chief Ola Olanipekun, (SAN), accordingly moved her bail application, which was granted by the court.

As part of the bail conditions, the judge directed that one of the sureties must have property within the FCT and deposit the titled documents with the Deputy Chief Registrar of the court.

In addition, the two sureties must have evidence of tax clearance, while the defendant (Taiga) must deposit her international passport with the court and must get court permission before travelling outside Nigeria.

The judge then adjourned the matter to January 17, 2022 for commencement of trial.

The EFCC, had on September 20, 2019, arraigned Taiga in an FCT High Court in Apo, for complicity in the controversial contract Nigeria signed with the Irish firm, Process and Industrial Development (P&ID) in 2008.

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Taiga was the third person to be charged by the anti-graft agency.

The federal government had earlier arraigned two representatives of the P&ID before Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja on allegations of fraud.

Justice Ekwo after convicting the two defendants, sentenced the company, incorporated in British Virgin Island to wind up in Nigeria and its properties, forfeited to the federal government.

Ekwo also convicted two directors, Mohammed Kuchazi and Adamu Usman.

Kuchazi and Usman were arraigned on an 11-count charge, bordering on obtaining by false pretence; dealing in petroleum products without appropriate licence; money laundering and failure to register P&ID with the Special Control Unit against Money Laundering (SCUML) as required by law, amounting to economic sabotage against the Nigerian state.

They pleaded guilty to the 11 counts of fraudulent involvement in the contract.

The court in its ruling convicted the suspects and ordered the firm to forfeit all its assets to the Nigerian government.
"The tobacco industry, in at least five countries, engaged in high levels of unnecessary interactions with governments. These took the form of trade and partnerships, enforcement of laws, social activities and economic development agenda."

The tobacco industry stepped up corporate social responsibility activities during the COVID-19 pandemic, exploiting opportunities provided by the infectious disease to engage with government bodies and capitalised on the vulnerability of several African countries facing a shortage of resources, a new report has stated.

The Africa Regional Tobacco Industry Interference Index released Wednesday by the Africa Tobacco Control Alliance (ATCA) stated that the industry greatly influenced government policies in Nigeria, Zambia, and Tanzania.

Of the 14 countries which the report focused on, Zambia and Tanzania topped the list with the highest level of tobacco industry interference in almost all indicators.

"Despite countries putting procedures in place to guide officials to report all meetings with the tobacco industry, a lack of transparency which facilitated deals with the tobacco industry persisted, and was most significant in Zambia, Senegal, Mozambique, and Cote d'Ivoire," the report stated.

"The tobacco industry, in at least five countries, engaged in high levels of unnecessary interactions with governments. These took the form of trade and partnerships, enforcement of laws, social activities and economic development agenda."

Industry interference

Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) seeks to protect tobacco control policies from being influenced by the tobacco industry. It obliges Parties "to protect their public health policies related to tobacco control from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry."

The ATCA report shows a low level of tobacco industry in policy development in Kenya and Uganda. Countries such as Zambia, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Ethiopia experienced the most industry interference.

In Nigeria, for instance, the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment received a tobacco industry proposal on the need for a 'Policy on Conventional Tobacco and Non-Combusted Alternatives to Tobacco Smoking.' Also, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, a government agency, involved the tobacco industry in consultations and drafting of policies on tobacco control.

According to the WHO, there is a fundamental and irreconcilable conflict between the tobacco industry's interests and public health policy interests. Article of the FCTC 13 calls for a ban on tobacco-related CSR activities and Article 5.3 provides guidelines on how to denormalise them.

The report said tobacco companies handed scholarships to poor students, funded poverty alleviation projects, and supported governments during natural disasters.

For instance, in March last year, the Lagos State Agricultural Development Authority (LSADA) officials received 250 kilogramme coal smoking kilns from the BAT Nigeria (BATN) Foundation. At that event, the Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture commended BATN Foundation for its "continuous support to agriculture in Lagos State." The Foundation in July 2020, further partnered with the Abia State FADAMA to distribute certified rice seedlings to smallholder farmers.

The report further stated that the BATN Foundation partnered with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in its Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) Programme which began in 2019. Under the scheme, the youth corps members and young people with viable agri-business ideas are supported with equity-free capital and other associated support they may require to scale up their businesses. In the 2021 edition, the Foundation continued its CSR with the Corps through a financial commitment of N16 million in cash and business support for grantees.

"At a time when African governments are working tirelessly to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, the index reveals that the tobacco industry exploited this situation to undertake Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, providing resources to countries as part of COVID-19 response support," said Leonce Sessou, ATCA's Executive Secretary.

"This presented a great opportunity for the industry to frame itself as a partner that is genuinely concerned with the world's problems, even though it continues to aggressively market its deadly products and fiercely fight tobacco control policies that save lives.

"The FCTC in Article 1(g) highlights that such contributions fall within the definition of tobacco sponsorship and should be prohibited as part of a comprehensive ban, because the aim, effect or likely effect of such a contribution is to promote a tobacco product or tobacco use either directly or indirectly."

'Conflict of interest'

All parties to the WHO FCTC are required by Article 5.3 Guidelines to ensure no conflicts of interest with the tobacco industry for all government officials and employees, and establish rules in protecting public health policies from interference from the industry.

Findings from the report show both current and former public officials working for and in the interest of the tobacco industry

In Nigeria, it said, there are instances of current and former public officials working for and in the interest of the tobacco industry.

"The industry influences public policy through what is dubbed a 'revolving door,' where former or current government officials take up jobs in the tobacco industry and vice versa.

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"In Nigeria, former government officials are currently holding positions in the tobacco industry. For example, the current Chairman of BATNF used to be the Minister of Trade and Industry. Also, the Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2014 to 2015 is currently the Chairman for International Tobacco Company."

While Kolawole Jamodu, the current BATNF chairman, was Nigeria's Minister of Industry between 2001 and 2003; Aminu Wali, the chairman of International Tobacco Company, served as Foreign Affairs Minister in 2014.

Mr Sessou said while the index suggests simple and practical solutions; governments can protect their health policies from tobacco industry interference by establishing a code of conduct guiding interactions between government officials and the industry, and ensuring strict implementation of such codes where they already exist.

"Where codes of conduct exist, regular training and awareness-raising on tobacco industry interference should be undertaken to help keep public officials updated and to maintain their commitment.

"Finally, governments can ensure that under no circumstance does the tobacco industry get to enjoy preferential treatment or undertake Corporate Social Responsibility activities which facilitate interference. It is time for governments to step up their political will and ensure that health policies are not derailed by the tobacco industry."
A family member said they have been in contact with the former senator, but declined to speak further on the matter when asked if the abductors were demanding ransom.

A former senator from Akwa Ibom State, Nelson Effiong, has spent more than 50 days in captivity, since he was abducted by gunmen around September 6 in Uyo.

Antai Effiong, a lawyer and younger brother to the former senator, told PREMIUM TIMES, Wednesday, that he was yet to be set free by his abductors.

"The former senator has not been released, if he had been released the family would have spoken by now," he said on phone.

Mr Effiong said the family has been in contact with the former senator, but declined to speak further on the matter when asked if the abductors were demanding ransom.

Shehu Sani, a former senator from Kaduna State, took to Facebook on Tuesday to express concern over the non-release of his former colleague.

"Senator Effiong (behind me) has spent over 50 days in the hands of kidnappers. My prayers for him and his family," Mr Sani commented on a photo he posted on the social media site, showing him and Mr Effiong back then in the Senate chambers.

Mr Effiong was said to have been abducted at a bar by armed men who drove in a Toyota Camry car.

Abduction for ransom has become one of the prevalent crimes in most states in Nigeria, with criminal gangs going after school pupils and students, politicians, and just anyone they can place some value on.

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The former senator represented Akwa Ibom South District from 2015 to 2019. Before then, he served as the Speaker of the Akwa Ibom House of Assembly.

He is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress.

Shortly after his abduction, the police spokesperson in Akwa Ibom State, Odiko McDon, appeared on a radio programme in Uyo where he said the commissioner of police had ordered an investigation into the incident.

"I believe that in no distant time we will get more information on it. But as I speak, yes, we have received that report and we are working to ensure he can be rescued," Mr McDon, a superintendent of police, said at the time.

The police spokesperson did not respond to calls and a text message seeking comments from him, Wednesday.
analysis

The crisis in Sudan is sending shock waves beyond the continent. The country is the focus of disparate interests, making it difficult for the international community to unite in a decisive stand to save its democracy.

The United Nations (UN) Security Council met in an emergency session Tuesday to discuss the unfolding crisis in Sudan. But the five permanent members failed to agree on a joint statement after China and Russia refused to threaten sanctions against the coup leaders, should they refuse to comply with demands aimed at de-escalating the situation.

"All states have their own interests and ideas about Sudan," Volker Perthes, a special representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sudan, told German broadcaster Deutschlandfunk.

"Yesterday, we saw that the analysis of, for example, Russia on the one hand and the US and Western states on the other hand, are still far apart," Perthes said.

Perthes warned of dire consequences if a "minimum" of unity was not maintained, saying it could potentially resemble the recent conflicts in Libya and Syria.

"Any fragmentation, any major difference in the Security Council between major powers, eventually spills over into the internal situation of countries like Sudan," he said.

Increased pressure on Khartoum

The African Union (AU) acted unanimously on Wednesday when it suspended Sudan's membership.

International pressure at first seemed to produce results after deposed Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok was allowed to go home late Tuesday. But many civilian and military leaders remain in detention. On Wednesday, coup leaders arrested several prominent pro-democracy activists.

The World Bank suspended aid to Sudan on the same day, citing concerns over "the dramatic impact this can have on the country's social and economic recovery and development," according to a statement by President David Malpass. Earlier, the US said they would temporarily suspend $700 million (600 million) in aid.

The European Union has strongly condemned the military takeover. But according to Theodore Murphy, the director of the Africa program at the European Council for Foreign Relations, condemnation alone is not enough.

"When you undertake a coup, you don't expect it to be welcomed," he told DW. "You expect it to be condemned. That's the normal reaction. A statement alone will be interpreted by the military as a statement, meaning that there isn't really going to be consequences."

Calls for Europe to act

The EU has an interest in stability in the region, not least because of the potential of a new wave of refugees. But there are other factors at play, owing to Sudan's central role at the continent's crossroads, according to Murphy.

"Sudan has the potential to play a positive role in Ethiopia, which is of interest to Europe, and in South Sudan, which is also of interest to Europe, and furthermore, in Chad, which is going through its own transition, and, finally, in Libya, to the north," he said. "But the key to all of that is that Sudan has a stable, functioning and democratic government."

Stability and democracy currently seem out of reach in Sudan. Around 60 people were killed and scores more wounded in the street protests that followed the military takeover on Monday. Civilian resistance remains strong and shows no signs of abating.

"The world has a right to be worried," Murithi Mutiga, the Horn of Africa project director at International Crisis Group, told DW.

Repercussions expected beyond the continent

Events in Sudan are bound to have repercussions in Africa and beyond. The military leadership in Khartoum is likely to alter the political dynamics being played out between Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia in the dispute over Addis Ababa's Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, due to the close relationship between the military leaderships of Sudan and Egypt. Sudan could also take a more active role in the Ethiopian conflict by openly siding with the Tigray forces.

"What we are seeing is a reversal from what we had about 10 years ago when Sudan was very close to the Ethiopian administration and therefore supported the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam," Mutiga said.

Although it is difficult to make clear predictions at this point, Mutiga believes that "without question, Cairo might see this [military takeover] as a satisfactory outcome."

There is also a chance that Egypt and Gulf states, like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, will support a regime that is trying to quash democratic resistance -- something they deeply worry about themselves. But according to Mutiga, this would only prolong the crisis, which isn't in anyone's interest.

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Human rights on the line

Mutiga believes the merits of negotiation should not be downplayed by the international community when it comes to mitigating the crisis in Sudan.

"All actors, including the Gulf monarchies, have to be conscious about the need for a negotiated solution," he said.

"There is no way Sudan can easily be run through strongman rule, especially after the Sudanese tasted the fruits of freedom in April 2019," Mutiga added, referring to the people's revolution which brought an end to the autocratic rule of President Omar al-Bashir.

Suspending aid as a means of pressuring a junta may not be the best option, with human rights and people's wellbeing at stake.

"The tragedy is that a lot of this financial support was going to be channeled towards the poorest of the poor, as Sudan is going through a terrible economic crisis," Mutiga said.
People show support for Nabil Karoui at a rally in Tunis, Tunisia, September 13, 2019.

Tunisia's independent media regulator shuttered Nessma TV, owned by President Kais Saied's political rival. Quran Kareem, a religious radio station, was also closed.

Tunisia's media regulator HAICA announced Wednesday it had closed the Nessma TV station, as well as a religious radio station, Quran Kareem.

The television station is owned by Nabil Karoui -- a political rival of Tunisian President Kais Saied -- who is currently in detention in Algeria.

Both media outlets were operating without a license, the media regulator said, though both had been without one for years.

Information as an instrument of influence

Media watchdogs had complained Nessma TV and Quran Kareem were tools of political influence, even before Saied came to power.

"Nessma is owned by a leader in the Heart of Tunisia party, which was reflected in its contents, which violated the principles of freedom of audiovisual communication," HAICA said.

HAICA said it had seized "broadcasting equipment" from Nessma TV.

In addition to Nabil Karoui, former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is a part-owner of Nessma. Quran Kareem is owned by Said Jaziri, a member of parliament from the Errahma party.

Nabil Karoui was arrested in Algeria in early September with his brother, Ghazi Karoui, for illegal entry.

A presidential candidate in 2019, Karoui is the leader of the Heart of Tunisia party, aligned with the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha. His political platform focused on anti-Islamism and the fight against poverty.

Since 2017 Tunisia has prosecuted Nabil Karoui for money laundering and tax evasion. In 2019 he was imprisoned for more than a month and subsequently remanded in custody from December 2020 until June of 2021.

Critics of the president now see the move to close both outlets as a threat to press freedom in Tunisia.

A mismanaged democracy

President Kais Saied consolidated power in what critics charge was a coup on July 25 and then suspended parliament. He gave himself broad powers and began arresting and imposing travel bans on judges, lawmakers and businessmen in what he termed an anti-corruption purge.

Saied enjoys broad support in Tunisia though due to years of poor governance, corruption, mismanagement of the economy, and political gridlock. A deadly surge in COVID-19 cases has aggravated the situation.

Since the Arab Spring in 2011, Tunisia had moved towards democracy.

(AFP, Reuters)
document

More information about Senegal is available on the Senegal Page and from other Department of State publications and other sources listed at the end of this fact sheet.

U.S.-SENEGAL RELATIONS

The United States established diplomatic relations with Senegal in 1960, following its independence from France and the dissolution of the Mali Federation. Senegal has had four presidents in its history, with power transferred peacefully between each administration. The country's fourth and current president, Macky Sall, was elected to a second term in 2019.

Senegal is an important partner of the United States in promoting peace and security in Africa. It shares many fundamental values and international goals with the United States and is a model of democratic rule as well as ethnic and religious tolerance. Senegal is also a major contributor to regional peacekeeping operations. Senegal faces a key challenge in accelerating economic growth to create more opportunities for young people, who are the majority of the population.

U.S. Assistance to Senegal

U.S. assistance to Senegal seeks to increase agricultural productivity, improve health care and health security, expand infrastructure, reform and modernize the energy sector, and strengthen basic education. Bilateral military cooperation bolsters the professionalism and capacity of the Senegalese Armed Forces.

Bilateral Economic Relations

The top three U.S. exports to Senegal include refined petroleum, petroleum products, and automobiles. Senegal's top exports to the United States are agricultural products, minerals, and synthetic fibers. Senegal is eligible for trade preferences under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), and the United States and Senegal have a bilateral investment treaty. The United States also has a trade and investment framework agreement with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), of which Senegal is a member.

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Public Diplomacy Environment

The Senegalese public generally holds a positive view of the United States and of Americans, although favorable perceptions have decreased in recent years. Senegalese media operate freely, and many international press outlets have offices in Dakar. U.S. public diplomacy resources promote and strengthen a positive view of the United States and U.S. foreign policy, highlight awareness of U.S. assistance to Senegal, and empower marginalized groups, particularly youth and women. The nearly 1,000 Senegalese alumni of USG exchange programs include ministers, governors, top academics, and business leaders.

Senegal's Membership in International Organizations

Senegal and the United States belong to many of the same international organizations, including the United Nations, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and World Trade Organization.

Bilateral Representation

Principal embassy officials are listed in the Department's Key Officers List. .

Senegal maintains an embassy in the United States at 2215 M St NW, Washington, DC (tel. (202) 234-0540).
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Nigeria may be Africa's most populous and second largest economy, but it has many poor people, some of whom are stuck in a vicious cycle of want while being branded witches.

Officially, the government says it has passed laws to protect children. Yet many of those languishing on the streets are also labelled practitioners of the dark powers.

So common are the children in Cross River and oil-rich Akwa Ibom states that authorities have struggled to convince the public to stop shunning them.

In Calabar, the capital of Cross River, and Uyo in Akwa Ibom, these children walk about in rags, frail and impaired by malnutrition.

They are labelled witches by so-called seers, especially in new-generation churches, and relatives who want to cheat and deprive them of their rights.

Lilian Ekanem, the chairperson of the Cross River State Child Protection Network, says branding poor children witches or what she calls the child witch syndrome is rampant in every part of the Cross River and Akwa Ibom.

"It is a common phenomenon, a mind-set and cultural norm in which people believe that children can be witches and for being 'witches', they are consequently abandoned," she said.

The situation is more critical, she said, because religiously brain-washed parents habitually drive their children out of their homes, disown them and abandon them to face the harsh conditions of street life.

Adams Utuk, project manager for the non-governmental group Children of the Lord Rescue, described the actions as cruel, insisting that the hapless children are unnecessarily traumatised for reasons that are beyond their control.

"A child does not know how he or she was born, so if the child purportedly has witchcraft powers ... the first person to be queried should be the parents," he said.

Utuk said that some of the children fall sick and die in the course of being tortured in order to compel them to confess to crimes they did not commit. Many die of starvation and ill health.

Social worker Victoria Akpabio said: "All of us are responsible for this problem. In some churches, for instance, you go there and they will call your child a witch. Some claim to have special powers to deliver such children. They torture them under the pretext of exorcising the demon of witchcraft."

She explained that some of the children, out of fear, confess that they are witches, "so, when a child begins to speak in that manner, you should understand that there is a problem somewhere".

Dr Alex Ifeka, a medical doctor and psychologist, dismissed the child witch syndrome, explaining that it is a manifestation of hallucinations among some children. They have terrible dreams, he said, and when they try to narrate the nightmares, people may misconstrue it as confessions of witchcraft.

Dr Ifeka explained that sometimes when children are traumatised, heavily deprived or abused, these conditions can affect their frame of mind.

"When the child is speaking, he or she may be muttering words that are not usual and normal, causing people to blame it on witchcraft manifestations," he said.

"Why not think of other possibilities: the child may be sick; the child may need to see a psychiatrist; the child may be in fear, and you know fear can make one behave abnormally. In actual fact, these children need help but people often decide to call them witches."

Some people brand children witches, he said, as part of a plot to inherit the properties left behind by their dead parents.

"In essence, some wicked relatives drive out these children in a plot to inherit their parents' property and they cleverly resort to branding the unfortunate children witches as part of their Machiavellian tactics."

Some pastors who claim to spiritually cast out witchcraft from the children are deceptive and do not have the divine powers that they claim to have, said Luca Patrick, a senior pastor in the Church of Divinity in Calabar.

"In the process, they get these children brutalised, badly beaten, burnt and facing all manner of inhuman treatment, all in the name of deliverance. This is absolutely wrong and inhumane," he said.

"And community leaders, probably due to their ignorance of the child rights law, which outlaws any form of torture or abuse of a child, allow this kind of wrongdoing to prevail in their communities."

In May this year, charity group African Children's Aid Education and Development Foundation (ACAEDF) rescued 234 children from child witch-branding in the south of Nigeria.

ACAEDF executive director David Umem said on October 14 that some of the children had been reintegrated into the society, with many still drawing support from his group.

Oliver Orok, former Cross River commissioner for social welfare and sustainable development, said states have started implementing the provisions of the Child Rights Act.

The governments have started prosecuting violators of the rights of these children, but Dr Esther Onoyom Ita, the chief executive of Society for Youth Development and Rescue Initiative, said the action was inadequate.

Dr Ita, who also runs a children's home in Calabar, said her group is working to rescue these children "but there are thousands of them out there. How many can we rescue?"

"We work in partnership with the Federal Psychiatric Hospital in Calabar. Some of the children have been diagnosed with conditions like attention deficit disorder, which is a serious problem."

One of the survivors of the child witch syndrome, Dominic Inyang, now an adult, said: "I went through hell in the name of church deliverance. I thank God I was picked up and trained by a Good Samaritan."

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"My life before now was very bad. I was rescued and I have acquired secondary school education."

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said that accusing children of witchcraft amounts to abuse of a grievous nature that cannot be overlooked.

NHRC principal legal officer Kachollom Tachio noted that the rights of the traumatised children were abused and they must get justice.

The United Nations children's agency Unicef said in September that 10 of Nigeria's 36 states and the federal capital of Abuja are yet to domesticate the Child Rights Act that is meant to protect children.

Boco Abdul, a knowledge management specialist at the Unicef office in Enugu, said citizens should hold the government accountable when it is not living up to their expectations, adding that the agency is committed to creating child-friendly communities in Nigeria.

She urged Child-Friendly Communities Initiative volunteers to ensure that they spread the message of child rights, child protection, and sustainable health.

Racheal Adejoh Andrew, chairperson of the Abuja chapter of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (Fida), said they are working to ensure that the Child Rights Act is included in school curriculums so that young children also know their rights early in life.

With proper enlightenment and implementation of the law, she said, the branding of children as witches will end.
Protesters in the streets of the Sudanese capital, Khartoum in April 2019

Sudan's military junta on Tuesday promised to continue with the transition to civilian rule "once the crisis is over", a signal that he is seeking rapprochement with the international community.

Lt-Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan told the media in Khartoum that there will be a new government of experts and technocrats as soon as possible, a day after he controversially dissolved the transitional government led by Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.

"We intend to safeguard all the gains including the peace agreements and the freedoms of the people," Burhan said in Khartoum, where protests have raged since Monday when the military forcibly took power in a coup.

Burhan, who also imposed a state of emergency and cut internet and telecom connections, said the services had been "abused by people who wanted to cause trouble" and argued they will be returned as soon as the protests stop.

"The state of emergency will be lifted once we establish a government of experts and technocrats. We will make reforms and protect those reforms without any conditions. This is not a coup, we acted to protect the transition."

Despite his argument that the takeover was not a coup, international partners disagree. The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (Igad), of which Sudan is the current chair, the African Union, the United Nations and Western allies like the US all demanded resumption of the transitional government. The US even suspended aid worth $700 million until order resumes.

Burhan's soldiers conducted morning raids on Monday, arresting several cabinet ministers and the prime minister himself and his wife.

The cabinet ministers in charge of industry (Ibrahim al-Sheikh), information (Hamza Baloul), and cabinet affairs and communications (Faisal Mohammed Saleh), as well as the spokesman for the transitional sovereign council (Mohammed Suliman), were picked up alongside PM Hamdok and his wife, and shipped to unknown location in Khartoum.

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However, on Tuesday, Burhan suggested the PM and his wife had been isolated from the group, saying "the prime minister is my guest and will be allowed to leave once the crisis is over. He is in good health".

There were no guarantees on when the new government will be formed or who will comprise it. Already, civilian groups who supported Hamdok have rejected the coup. And armed groups who had been negotiating for a peace deal also rejected it.

Abdul Wahid Mohammed Ahmed al-Nour, leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement, one of the groups that had yet to join the government, said the Sudanese must reject the coup and refuse a "blood partnership" with the military.

Burhan did say the new transitional government will play no politics, saying selfish individuals had stalled progress.

The junta, however, suspended flights into and out of the country as protesters continued to demand the release of the officials and the restoration of the transitional government.

The coup came just a month after Burhan claimed forces loyal to ousted leader Omar al-Bashir had attempted to topple the government.

With both Bashir and the military's supporters keen to keep power, some analysts argue they now have a common agenda of staying influential. And it could benefit Bashir, now in jail for corruption.
A Turkish national can breathe a sigh of relief after a petition by three human rights activists seeking to have him deported over allegations of committing various criminal offences was dismissed.

Justice John Mativo said the petition by activists Ms Millicent Odhiambo, Joseph Kipsang and John Onunga against Mr Osman Elsek offends the Privileges and Immunities Act and lacked legal basis.

"I therefore dismiss the petition for non-attendance, being frivolous and lacking merit," said Justice Mativo of the High Court in Mombasa.

Justice Mativo dismissed the case when it had come up for hearing noting that the petitioners were not in court to prosecute the petition and that he had also considered grounds in opposition to the case.

The activists claimed that unless Mr Elsek was prosecuted and deported, victims of the alleged criminal offences will never get justice.

They had filed petition against Mr Elsek, the Attorney General, Director of Public Prosecutions, Ministry of Interior, chairperson of National Assembly Committee on Administration of and National Security and the Republic of Turkey.

According to the petitioners, the victims of the alleged criminal offences were suffering and need justice to be done.

The petitioners claimed that AG, DPP and the Ministry of Interior had failed to respond to the victims' various demands for Mr Elsek to be deported.

The activists alleged that Mr Elsek seemed to compromise officials within the criminal justice system and got away with the crimes.

"Even when he is arrested and charged, apart from corrupting his ways through the justice system, he also thrives in intimidation and threats to witnesses thus many fear testifying against him," part of the suit documents stated.

In his submissions filed in court, Mr Elsek who had urged the court to dismiss the petition said he has been a victim of numerous extortions attempts by many people.

Mr Elsek said he is a law abiding Turkish national, lawfully present in the country where he has been a resident since 2009 engaging in many investments and an employer to many people.

According to Mr Elsek, the petitioners allege and have enumerated various criminal and civil cases where he has either been sued or is a party but had not attached any evidence of a conviction or judgment to demonstrate his culpability.

The DPP argued the petitioners had not followed due process of the law to have Mr Eslek deported thus the petition lacked merit and ought to be dismissed.

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On his part, the AG submitted that the case was bad in law and ought to be dismissed with costs.

The petitioners had further claimed that Mr Elsek seemed to be enjoying patronage of powerful individuals in the country thus the reason for committing the alleged crimes against young girls.

"The failure to arrest, charge and prosecute successfully Mr Elsek is not only contrary to the law but also an affront to the constitution and the rights of the complainants," argued the petitioners.

The activists also claimed that the lack of transparency in the AG, DPP and the Ministry of Interior in their responsibilities to obey the constitution are at odds of the victims' rights to reasonable, lawful, and procedural fair action.

According to the petitioners, by failing to deport Mr Elsek, the AG, DPP and the Ministry of Interior had denied the victims the protection and benefit of the law.

They were also seeking a declaration that AG, DPP and the Ministry of Interior had violated the rights of victims of Mr Elsek's actions.

The petitioners also wanted the DPP compelled to expeditiously handle criminal cases facing Mr Elsek.
Bahati MP Kimani Ngunjiri is among individuals allegedly involved in the grabbing of Kiambu forest land, a parliamentary committee heard yesterday.

Environment Cabinet Secretary Keriako Tobiko claimed yesterday that the legislator is among those illegally allocated a piece of the forest. Also implicated is former Limuru MP Kuria Kanyingi. Kanyingi died in 2014.

The CS had appeared before the Senate Security Committee over a petition concerning the murder of environmentalist Joannah Stutchbury and protection of environment and natural resources.

Mr Tobiko listed Agropack Limited, a company in which Mr Ngunjiri owns shares, among beneficiaries of the illegal excision of the forest land. The parcel hived off by the company was sub-divided into four plots.

Mr Ngunjiri's company reportedly owns 14.5 hectares, which the CS said is forested with indigenous trees. Other Agropack directors are Samuel Ndegwa and Ruth Muthoni. Mr Kanyingi allegedly owns 24 hectares, which are divided into two, and partially developed.

Built residential apartments

Other beneficiaries are Kiambaa (Nyakinyua) women group (39.82 hectares) and M/S Pelican Engineering Company, whose director is Mr Maina Kamau (29.68 hectares).

The firm has already built residential apartments registered as Riverview Estate, while Wibeo Investments, whose director is Mr Bedan Mbugua, owns 25 hectares. About six hectares are owned by faceless individuals.

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"You can see the names in the documents. I'm not making any insinuations, just dealing with facts," Mr Tobiko said.

The CS said the areas owned by Pelican Engineering, Mr Kanyingi and Nyakinyua women group are almost fully developed with accompanying infrastructure.

"This wasn't the case of lack of procedural issues; it was an outright illegality because the laws governing forests are there," he said.

On the murder of Stutchbury, 64, the CS said the matter is under the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and Kenya Forest Service.

"She was murdered while doing her job of protecting the environment not just for herself but even for our children," Mr Tobiko said.

She had a pending case in the Environment and Land Court in Kiambu.

Kisumu Senator Fred Outa, who chaired the meeting, said the committee will table its report in the house before the end of the year.

"The culture of people grabbing public land must stop. Impunity must stop. Before the end of the year, we will come up with a report that will spell out measures of protecting individuals who protect our forests," he said.

Mr Tobiko wants Parliament to consider categorising illegal or irregular acquisition of public gazetted forests as an economic crime.
Treasury bureaucrats are locked in secret negotiations to pay off contractors hired to build the Sh108 billion Arror, Kimwarer and Itare dams in a bid to qualify for insurance compensation for the cancelled projects, the Nation has established.

The negotiations were called after the Italian state-owned insurer, SACE Gruppo CDP, told the Kenyan government that it must pay contractors hired to build the multi-billion shilling dams before it can receive compensation for default on the mega projects.

The highly guarded talks could see taxpayers sink more billions into the doomed projects, as the Italian firm that was paid Sh14 billion to insure loans borrowed to finance their construction waves fine print in the government's face.

The Treasury is already five months behind on the first instalment of Sh19.6 billion for loans taken to construct the Arror and Kimwarer dams.

"Therefore, as a preliminary and necessary step to implement any potential solution, it is necessary to have any overdue amount under the SACE facilities repaid beforehand, in order to restore the consequent claims/losses occurred under the SACE insurance policies," SACE told Kenya in a May 10, 2021 letter seen by Nation.

The three controversial mega dams have already burned a huge hole through taxpayers' pockets, but the lopsided contracts signed by government officials are set to add salt to injury, as all possibilities on the way forward point to the release of more billions.

To activate insurance policies taken against default, Kenya must pay. To wriggle out of the contracts, Kenya must pay.

Still, not the entire Sh108 billion was covered against default, meaning even if the insurance policies were activated today, Kenya will still pay for the unprotected amounts.

Much like most mega contracts signed by the secretive Kenyan government bureaucrats, only a handful of Treasury officials know exactly how much was insured against default.

The Kimwarer project was scrapped in 2019 for being technically and commercially unfeasible, and some of the loans in relation to the project were subsequently scrapped.

Three projects

All the three projects stalled in 2019 after the contractor, Italy's CMC Di Ravenna, collapsed under the weight of debts.

The SACE bombshell comes as Kenya fights off a Sh12.6 billion claim from CMC Di Ravenna for alleged unlawful termination of the Arror and Kimwarer construction contracts.

The government is adamant that the Itare and Arror dams will be completed, with the latter now projected to cost nearly half of the Sh25 billion that it was to initially consume.

While scrapping the Kimwarer Dam project, President Uhuru Kenyatta in September 2019 said that the Arror Dam is viable but had been overpriced.

SACE was the financial fulcrum of financing the three dams.

The Italian firm helped Kenya source for Sh108 billion in loans from commercial banks, which were to be repaid over 14 years starting this year.

The Treasury paid SACE Sh14 billion to insure the loans, which means the Italian firm would step in to service the debt in the event that Nairobi defaulted on repayments.

Correspondence between Kenya and SACE seen by the Nation indicates that Nairobi has sought to have the Italian firm refund insurance premiums for loans that were cancelled following termination of the Kimwarer project.

But SACE now wants Kenya to pay the defaulted installment and overdue premiums before it can step up and pay debts that were covered by the insurance policies.

Even if Kenya pays the insurance premiums and the first Sh19.6 billion installments to be in SACE's good books, taxpayers will still have to fork out billions of shillings for loans that were not covered under the deal.

For the loans that were cancelled owing to termination of the Kimwarer project, Kenya will get a refund of the insurance premiums from SACE.

The insurance deal with SACE has attracted its fair share of controversy.

Finance and corporate experts have in the past revealed that such projects are insured at a maximum cost of 1.5 per cent of the project value.

Insurance policies

SACE charged Kenya 17.5 per cent of the project cost, which means that taxpayers paid 15 times more than the market rate for such insurance policies.

As the Treasury negotiates with SACE, the government is also swatting off an arbitration claim by CMC Di Ravenna at the International Court of Arbitration, seeking compensation for termination of their contracts in the Arror and Kimwarer dam projects.

CMC Di Ravenna has filed the claim against the Kerio Valley Development Authority (KVDA), arguing that it was denied access to the construction sites and kept in the dark over the contracts after the Directorate of Criminal Investigations started probing the two projects, and suffered reputational loss owing to graft links under the collapsed projects.

Interestingly, the Italian firm claims that the Arror and Kimwarer projects were aid-funded projects hence it should not have been slapped with nearly Sh400 million in taxes.

CMC Di Ravenna has made the claim in its pursuit of tax refunds, an allegation that raises more questions on the paperwork for the dams project, as Kenyans have been exposed to repayment of expensive loans that will take more than a decade to complete if the borrowing contracts are honoured to the last claim.

"Regrettably, the works suffered disastrous disruption due to the launch of administrative and criminal investigations into the projects, which seemed to have no purpose other than creating political turmoil in Kenya. It is not for the claimants (CMC Di Ravenna) to say which caused the other. What is certain, is that the chaotic situation that ensued created a self-sustaining circle of public misinformation and political pressure on discontinuing the projects, and insurmountable legal and practical obstacles to claimants' activities," CMC Di Ravenna says in its filings.

The firm holds that payments agreed under its contracts were also delayed after investigations into the projects started, and it wants compensation.

But Kenya has contested the claim, and wants to be compensated by CMC Di Ravenna, which it accused of colluding with government bureaucrats to defraud taxpayers of billions of shillings.

Pay damages

Solicitor General Kennedy Ogeto says that CMC Di Ravenna violated several laws, and now wants the broke Italian firm ordered to pay damages for the alleged collusion to defraud taxpayers.

Mr Ogeto argues that CMC Di Ravenna entered into a contract for construction before any due diligence had been conducted on the project, which would have revealed that the KVDA did not own the land on which the dams were to be constructed.

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He adds that the company failed to get approvals from the National Environment Management Authority and the Kenya Forest Service as required by law, and that it did not conduct sensitisation of the public before signing construction contracts.

The Solicitor General holds that CMC Di Ravenna also failed to ensure third-party oversight of the projects, and failed to obtain a legally required performance bond for the Kimwarer Dam.

The lack of a performance bond, Mr Ogeto says, is enough to void the contract for the Kimwarer Dam.

Sh4 billion paid

More than Sh4 billion paid in advance for the Arror dam was misappropriated and shared among individuals that had no role to play in the construction process, and Kenya wants the money refunded alongside an award of damages.

"In short, the Arror contract and the Kimwarer contract could not be performed at the time of payment of the advance payments as both parties well knew. Notwithstanding this, pursuant to a conspiracy to injure the respondent (KVDA) by unlawful means, the contracts were used as vehicles for the movement of millions of dollars including to third parties who had no legitimate interest in the execution and performance of the said contracts and/or no meaningful work was undertaken in relation to either contract," Mr Ogeto holds.

Kenya wants an investigation into the money paid to CMC Di Ravenna, and for any funds not used towards construction to be refunded.

Kenya also wants the arbitration panel to decide how much CMC Di Ravenna should be ordered to pay in damages for breach of contract and alleged siphoning of public funds.
The High Court in Meru has nullified title deeds for the land on which the Sh70 billion Lake Turkana Wind Power project sits, saying it was acquired irregularly.

Judges Peter Muchoki Njoroge, Yuvinalis Angima and Grace Kemei said the Constitution was not followed when 150,000 acres of community land was allocated to Lake Turkana Wind Power Ltd.

But the judges declined to cancel the title deeds, giving the Marsabit County government, the Attorney-General, the Chief Land Registrar and the National Land Commission one year to regularise the process.

The court ruled that if the process is not completed by the end of the 12 months, the title deeds for the 310MW power producer will automatically be cancelled and the land will revert to the community.

In the landmark ruling that could open the way for the community to seek compensation, the government agencies will be required to hold public participation forums.

The judges highlighted the petitioners' complaint that the wind farm, where the company has erected 365 turbine generators, is on 40,000 acres but the company has cordoned off 150,000 acres.

Mr Mohamed Itarakwa, Mr Kochale Jomo Jale, Mr Issa Jitengwe Gambare and Mr David Tomasot Arakhole, who filed the case, had protested that the community's views were not sought.

Land for grazing

The petitioners, who represented residents of Laisamis constituency and Karare ward, where the project is situated, argued that they are unable to access the land for grazing and to hold communal circumcision rites.

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Through lawyer Amina Hashi, the petitioners emphasised that the acquisition was not done in accordance with the Trust Land Act and the Constitution.

They wanted the title deeds for Africa's largest wind farm nullified and the expansive land given back to the community.

But the judges said that though the law requires that irregularly issued titles be cancelled, they were not inclined to nullify a completed project.

"Titles issued irregularly, by the operation of the law, automatically invite cancellation," said Justice Muchoki, who read the judgment.

Green energy

The project generates 310 megawatts of green energy, equivalent to 17 per cent of the power produced on the national grid.

The case, filed in 2014, had dragged on for years, at one time seeing justices Boaz Olao, Enock Cherono and Lucy Mbugua disqualify themselves in a stormy hearing session.

Lake Turkana Wind Power, Kenya's largest wind power project, recently confirmed the appointment of insider Phylip Leferink as new chief executive.

The green energy project is connected to the national grid by the 438km Loiyangalani-Suswa transmission line.

The plant was commissioned in July 2019 by President Kenyatta.
President Paul Kagame has been awarded for his outstanding contribution to cancer control by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC).

He was honoured with the Outstanding Contribution to Cancer Control Award on Tuesday during the World Cancer Leaders' Summit 2021.

Hosted by the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), the virtual summit was held under the theme 'driving innovation to advance cancer control equitably'.

The award aims at recognising and celebrating the outstanding work of individuals whose efforts have contributed to advancing cancer care and control.

It is given to individuals in two categories; policymaker and civil society categories.

Kagame who has inspired effective policies in Rwanda's health system was honoured under the policy-maker's category.

His role in setting policies has impacted national cancer control.

"The modest gains that Rwanda has made in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer have come by working together with others," Kagame said in his address in which he thanked the UICC for recognising Rwanda's efforts in preventing and treating cancer.

He added; "Cancer diagnosis is frightening, in any setting... however, early detection is only relevant when treatment is available and accessible... but there is a lot that any country can do to control cancer, no matter its income level."

In Rwanda, he pointed out that the national insurance scheme covers annual check-ups for all citizens above age 40, which has continued to facilitate early cancer detection and treatment.

The Rwanda Cancer Centre which has been operational since 2019 offers both radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatments, this means that Rwandans no longer have to travel abroad for many cancer treatments, Kagame said.

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According to Rwandan health officials, the most prevalent cancer is breast cancer followed by cervical cancer with increased cases being diagnosed and treated owing to more screening capacity that allows early detection and treatment.

During this month of breast cancer awareness, the country has rolled out campaigns that teach women and young girls how to self-screen and provide knowledge around the matter.

Of the current achievements, the president also discussed the eradication program for hepatitis C, which screened more than 5 million at-risk people and provided treatment free of charge to those found to be infected.

According to the Ministry of Health, Rwanda's cure rate for the virus is at 90 per cent among recorded infections.

The 2021 World Cancer Leaders' Summit discussed how implementation research can successfully improve the adoption of cancer and NCD interventions in national policy with country-level case studies.

Kagame also announced that next year, Rwanda will inaugurate the Africa Training Centre of the Institute for Research on Digestive Cancers (IRCAD).
National assessments for the three pioneer classes of the competency-based curriculum (CBC) begin on Friday.

The Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) will upload assessment tools for Grade Three and special needs education (SNE) foundational level, as well as well as Grade Four and Five practicals today.

In a circular to sub-county directors of education and heads of primary and SNE schools, Knec chief executive David Njeng'ere urged head teachers to download the tools on Friday.

"Schools are expected to download the assessment tools and instructions then administer, score and upload the assessment outcomes on the Knec portal," said Dr Njeng'ere.

For Grade Three and SNE foundation level, learners will be assessed on five integrated learning areas, with assessment tools available from Friday to December 10. Grade Four and Five practicals and project-based assessment tools and instructions will also be available within the same period.

Heads will be required to upload the results to the Knec portal by December 17.

Grade Three mathematics

Tools for Grade Three mathematics and English Activities, and Grade Four and Five written tests and SNE intermediate level will start on January 29 and end on February 4.

Grade Three SNE foundational level children will be assessed on activities of daily living and communication, social and pre-literacy skills.

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Grade Four and Five regular learners' assessment tools will include Mathematics, English, Kiswahili, Kenya Sign Language, Science and Technology, Agriculture, Music, Art and Craft and Social Studies.

Others are Christian Religious Education, Islamic Religious Education, Hindu Religious Education, Home Science, Physical Education and Health Education.

SNE intermediate level assessment tools will focus on communication, social and literacy skills, daily living skills and religious education, sensory motor integration and creative activities, and numeracy and psychomotor activities.

Dr Njeng'ere has asked schools to ensure they use locally available materials obtained from the immediate school environment or improvise when performing the assessment tasks.

The last assessments were done between January 15 and May 28. Under CBC, learners are required to sit continuous assessments in grades Three, Four, Five and Six.

Summative assessment

Cumulatively, the continuous assessment tests will account for 60 per cent of a learner's score at the end of Grade Six. The summative national assessment will account for 40 per cent.

Their final grade will be determined by what they have scored in the continuous assessments plus the mark they will score in the summative test as they transit to junior secondary.

Knec last month conducted a pilot of the summative assessment in sample schools covering all categories. The first CBC Grade six summative assessments are scheduled for November next year.
Tana River County officials have started distributing livestock drought pellets targeting 1,224 households in drought-stricken villages.

More than 4,600 bags of pellets meant for calves and nursing cows will be given out under the Sh17.9 million programme.

Finance executive Mathew Babwoya said the county has partnered with some organisations to ensure 6,583 more households are helped.

"We are coordinating with our partners to ensure a fair distribution of the drought pellets to the affected communities as we plan towards scaling up our intervention efforts," he said.

The aid had reached 42 villages, he said, and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) had extended the drive to villages in the Tana Delta with 12,400 bags of supplementary livestock feeds.

He said county officials had requested the Treasury to fast-track the release of Sh132 million from the Disaster Risk Management Fund to bolster the interventions.

"The drought is severe and the levels of malnutrition are on the rise among children. We just pray that the auditor-general approves our request on time before we start losing human lives," he said.

The county also wants to replenish the emergency fund through a supplementary budget, hoping that ward reps will approve it.

Among other interventions by the partners are cash transfers from FAO of Sh2.7 million to 1,000 beneficiaries in drought-stricken villages, each getting Sh2,700.

Under the Kenya Livestock Insurance Project, 544 livestock-rearing families received payments of more than Sh5.1 million, with each receiving Sh9,338 by electronic transfer.

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NDMA has also vaccinated 21,365 cattle, 34,430 sheep and 36,997 goats in Bura, Galole and Garsen constituencies.

Meanwhile, residents are awaiting the national animal offtake by the Kenya Meat Commission in the affected counties.

Some 788 cattle will be taken from Tana River, based on the severity of the drought and the number of cattle at risk, a number that residents say is too low considering how many animals are on the brink of death.

More than 15,000 households are at risk of starvation, with 3,000 animals estimated to have died.

Tana River NDMA coordinator Abdi Musa noted that the situation is dire, saying that more than 700 animals will not live past the end of the month.

Red Cross coordinator Gerald Bombe appealed to the government to start dispatching relief food to people in the area, noting that the lives of children are at risk.
Patients wait to be served at Moi County Referral Hospital in Voi, Taita Taveta County (file photo).

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has decried failure of Kenyan health workers to pass English language tests required for UK jobs.

Jobless Kenyan nurses and other health workers recently got a chance to work in the UK as part of a new scheme requested by Kenya this year.

The unemployed health workers were meant to serve in the UK's National Health Service before returning to work in Kenya.

But CS Kagwe revealed Wednesday that only a minority of those who applied qualified for the jobs.

"Out of 300 health workers sent for an English language test only 10 passed. We had negotiated for clinical workers for job exports but this turn of events is unfortunate," he said.

He then urged health workers to work hard to pass the employment standards set for jobs abroad.

Speaking during the Kenya Clinical Officers Association scientific conference in Mombasa, the CS said that despite this, the government will continue to negotiate for Kenyan health workers to work in Europe and the Middle East.

He also refuted claims that the government has resorted to exporting its labour workforce abroad instead of employing them.

"This is a rumour. Geographical boundaries will not stop us from working. Countries we are exporting health workers to are not doing us a favour. We are helping them when they are in need," he said.

He added that Kenya will continue to help people get jobs in Europe and the Middle East.
Herding cattle in conservancies neighbouring the world-famed Maasai Mara National Reserve in Narok County is no longer a big problem, thanks to predator-proof, mobile cattle pens.

The metallic mobile bomas - easily dismantled and reassembled as herders move from one area to another with their livestock - have significantly reduced the number of attacks by lions and retaliatory killings of lions by pastoralists.

One illustration of the positive trend is in Enonskishu (meaning a place of cattle in the Maasai language), a conservancy in the north of the Mara reserve.

It is owned by 30 farmers and sits on 4,000 acres subdivided into 12 grazing blocks, to which cattle are driven on a rotational basis, spending four days in one before moving on to the next.

Speaking during an awareness campaign in the Maasai Mara Ecosystem on Tuesday, one of the beneficiaries, Mr Bernard Leshinka, said the bomas deter lions and other predators from attacking domestic animals at night.

In the past, he said, lions, leopards, hyenas, cheetahs and jackals attacked their animals at night in the manyattas, undermining the livelihoods of residents of the semi-arid area.

"We can now rest easy as our herds of 200 cattle spend the night in a secure predator-proof boma," said Mr Leshinka, a supervisor at Enonkishu.

Fully degraded

Unlike in most conservancies in the Mara, which have mostly patches of grass and eroded land, the signs of uncontrolled grazing and land degradation, Enonkishu is luxuriant, with knee-high savannah grasses, a boon for both the livestock and other grazers like gazelles, zebras and wildebeests.

Mr Leshinka explains that they identify where the grass has been fully degraded and set their mobile bomas there for the four days. The animals leave their manure to fertilise the area, making the soil richer in nutrients and allowing fresh lush grass to grow.

He said overgrazing and over-resting is not allowed.

Apart from securing livestock and stopping human-wildlife conflict, said Enonkishu Manager Rebekah Karimi, the conservancy also teaches herders how to feed cattle on only a third of the grass available while some is left for wildlife.

Ms Karimi said the conservancy is on the banks of the Mara River, which suffers from sediments flowing into it, and mobile bomas are used to control the flow.

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"Having mobile bomas installed on bare ground to rehabilitate the area allows the water to seep into the ground better and reduce runoff into the Mara River," she said.

Create better habitats

In Enonkishu, wildebeests, gazelles and zebras, among other wild animals, graze on the red oat grass, just like cows. The scene is alluring, and tourist vans make occasional stopovers to let the visitors admire the wonders of the Mara.

The World Wide Fund for Nature-Kenya wildlife adviser Drew McVey said the initiative is meant to improve wildlife habitats and inculcate community-driven, climate-smart approaches to diversify income-generating activities for households.

The bomas, he said, allow wildlife, people and livestock to coexist and create better habitats for all and healthier cows.

The idea started after a devastating drought 13 years ago that posed the most serious threat to livestock and tourism.

Pastoralists in the area adopted a new approach to conserving land by creating a viable livestock enterprise using paddocking, rearing fewer and better cattle, cattle fattening and market-oriented ranching.
Moi University has been closed indefinitely and students ordered to vacate the premises by noon on Thursday.

The varsity has suspended all academic programmes with immediate effect at its main campus in Eldoret.

The university's senate, in a meeting held on Wednesday, arrived at the decision following a strike by university staff that has paralysed learning at the institution.

"Senate resolved to suspend teaching and learning activities at the main campus due to the industrial action by staff which has affected university operations," read part of a statement from the office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academics Research and Extension.

The university's workers and lecturers downed their tools on Monday citing delays in payment of their salaries and failure by the institution to implement the 2017/2021 Collective Bargain Agreement (CBA) and consequent salary arrears.

The employees, through their unions Universities Academic Staff Union (Uasu), Kenya University Staff Union (Kusu)and Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Education Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers (KUDHEIHA), vowed to continue with their strike until their grievances are heard and demands met.

The staff allege that most of them had been listed on CRBs and cannot borrow loans as they have un-serviced debts due to lack of salaries. They called on the government and the Ministry of Education to intervene.
The man accused of conning dozens of people while masquerading as a magistrate is not a registered Kenyan citizen, it has emerged.

Sleuths investigating how Mr Victor Kiprono Ng'eno managed to swindle Kenyans for over four years say his fingerprints do not match any biometric data at the registrar of persons.

This means that the government has no record of who the man facing charges of impersonation and fraud is, because he has never registered for any identification documents like an ID or a passport.

Opposing the suspect's request for bond, the prosecution, through an affidavit sworn by Police Inspector Elias Baya, told the court that Mr Ng'eno is a dangerous man whose identity cannot be established.

The court heard that the man has no ID card and that the registrar of persons could not find any record of his biometrics.

"He is unknown to the Republic of Kenya which makes him a very dangerous human being... If released, he might continue committing offences as well as metamorphose into somebody else or simply evaporate," the application says.

Prosecutors told the court that the suspect used his wife, Ms Mercy Chepkirui, to register his mobile phone number, his car's ownership details and to run his illegal business. Ms Chepkirui is also charged alongside him and was in court with their baby on Tuesday.

The couple were jointly charged before Principal Magistrate Isaac Orenge with obtaining money by false pretence on diverse dates between 2019 and 2021.

The court heard that the duo conned at least eight people of different amounts of money totalling to Sh6.5 million.

Mr Ng'eno also faced separate charges of impersonating a judicial officer and making fake forms purporting to be from the Judicial Service Commission and the Law Society of Kenya.

He is also alleged to have masqueraded as a brother of the Devolution Cabinet Secretary while purporting to have connections to help his victims secure employment.

Prosecutors told the court that the suspect's life was at risk as the people that he had conned were baying for his blood.

Supporting the State's application, lawyer Kipkoech Ngetich, for LSK, the Judiciary and some of the complainants, said the activities of the suspect were a threat to the delivery of justice.

But he urged the court to also impose stringent bond terms on Mr Ng'eno's wife.

"The allegations against the suspect are too serious to be treated casually. If allowed out on bond, he is likely to interfere with investigations or vanish, considering his unknown identity," Mr Kipkoech said.

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The application was, however, opposed by the suspect's lawyer, Mr Kipkemboi Sirma, who said his client has a right to bond as he is innocent until proven guilty.

The magistrate freed Ms Chepkirui on Sh1 million bond with a similar surety or Sh300,000 cash bail.

He directed that Mr Ng'eno be held by the police pending his ruling on Tuesday next week.

Wanted in Kericho and Eldoret

At the same time, detectives from Kericho and Eldoret moved to court seeking to have the suspect escorted to those jurisdictions to answer charges of impersonation and obtaining money by false pretence.

In the application filed by Senior Sergeant Dalmas Owuor, police claim Mr Ng'eno is suspected to have conned residents in Kericho while masquerading as a magistrate in an incident reported on August 17.

Sergeant Owuor told the court that he intends to conduct an identification parade of the suspect whose witnesses are college students.

"Requesting the court that he be ordered to be escorted to Kericho Police Station, where am yet to complete investigations before arraigning him in court," he said.

Mr Ng'eno, who was arrested by police in Nakuru, has been in custody for the past two weeks.

His arrest followed a year-long manhunt by police after complaints.

Police allege he conned a resident named Samuel Soi of Sh1.6 million while pretending to be in a position to help his children secure employment with the Judiciary.
ODM leader Raila Odinga has suspended his Countrywide Azimio la Umoja campaigns for two weeks to attend an infrastructure conference in the United Arabs Emirates (UAE).

Mr Odinga and his entourage left the country on Tuesday evening, according to a statement by his spokesperson Mr Dennis Onyango.

His confidant, Suna East MP Junet Mohamed, is among the officials who accompanied the ODM leader.

"Mr Odinga and his delegation left the country at 4pm," the statement said.

The Spotlight on Africa Infrastructure Development conference being held in Dubai brings together high level officials and Ministers in Infrastructure, Energy, Transport, ICT, and Water Sectors as well as private sectors companies.

Mr Odinga, who is also the African Union High Representative for Infrastructure Development in Africa, will brief the conference on second phase of the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA PAP2) being implemented from 2021-2030, and plans to continue to engage stakeholders on the effective delivery of infrastructure on the continent.

The ODM leader has been leading his nationwide peace campaigns dubbed Azimio la Umoja, which now remain on hold until his return.

ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna told the Nation that his rallies will resume on November 12 with the Lower Eastern edition in Machakos, Makueni and Kitui.

"We shall then move to central Kenya (Mt Kenya West) on November 28 to cover the region's counties," Mr Sifuna said.

He said they expect to have the last edition of the meetings in Nairobi on December 6.

He has received endorsement for presidency in all the meetings he attended and is expected to declare his Presidential candidature during the last convention in December.
Canciller Oscar Maurtua ratifico el compromiso del Peru con los principios de la Carta de las Naciones Unidas para construir un mundo mas justo, sostenible y prospero. pic.twitter.com/h6TuNURbyR
El ministro @pedrofrancke afirmo que la delegacion de facultades permitira fortalecer la politica fiscal y tributaria; aumentar la competencia en el sistema financiero y reactivar la economia impulsando la inversion publica y privada.



?? https://t.co/Y80IBYWlzD pic.twitter.com/HbiHIHrqEA
" " Melvin Vaniman, the first engineer of the hydrogen airship America, with the tabby cat mascot, "Kiddo," after boarding the steamship Trent in October 1910. Library of Congress

In 1910, manned flight was still a tantalizing dream, a just-off-our-fingertips notion that promised freedom and glory and the kind of casting off our earthly shackles that had lured in romantics for ages.

And so it was in October of that year that the entire world  or at least a good portion of the eastern United States  looked heavenward, toward the latest fantastical attempt at real, sustained flight. All eyes were pointing toward New Jersey  not exactly heavenward, granted, but you get the idea  where the airship America and its crew aimed to be the first manned flight to cross the Atlantic.

"In the early 1900s ... there's this mystique about aviation. It's futuristic. It's this incredible thing. You have the first powered, heavier-than-air aircraft with the Wright brothers [in 1903]," says Thomas Paone, a museum specialist at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. "Aviation is thrilling. And that excitement is building."

We say manned, of course, because flight in 1910 still was mostly the provenance of men.

And, as it turned out with America, one unruly tabby cat.

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Up, Up and Away

In 1910, there were those who thought that, if long-distance manned multi-passenger flight were to become a reality  if those longing eyes on the ground in New Jersey were to have a real chance to fly to Europe  it would be on lighter-than-air airships like America or the rigid-framed German zeppelins. Both got their lift either from hydrogen or helium. Both had small engines to propel the crafts. The difference was that the zeppelins had a large frame that held up the fabric of the balloon that surrounded it.

The America, then, was basically a big balloon, some 200 feet (61 meters) long, first built in France in an attempt to reach the North Pole. Its owner was American newspaper publisher Walter Wellman, a self-defined explorer and aeronaut. Wellman's try for the North Pole failed miserably but, undaunted, he brought his ship to America, built it bigger and set his sights on the Atlantic.

Wellman and his crew took off from Atlantic City, a small passenger cabin and a wooden lifeboat attached to the bottom. Among those onboard was Wellman, engineer Melvin Vaniman, navigator F. Murray Simon and a radio operator, Jack Irwin.

The flight struggled from the start, fighting bad weather and balky engines that apparently had been infected by sand from the New Jersey shore. Off New England, the engines failed and the ship began to drift southward. The trip seemed doomed at that point.

Even before then, though, the crew had to deal with that darned cat.

" " Walter Wellman's airship "America" attempt to cross the Atlantic Ocean. Photo taken from British ship, RMS TRENT Library of Congress

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The Story of Kiddo

"I'm not sure whose cat Kiddo was," Allan Janus, a museum specialist in the archives department at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, says via email. "He may have been a stray who was adopted by America's crew, though Wellman said he was the pet of one of the crew."

Whatever the case, Kiddo (as he later became known) did not, initially, want to be part of the historic voyage. Later, the navigator Simon gave this account to The New York Times:

"All the time we have been towed to sea I am chiefly worried by our cat, which is rushing around the airship like a squirrel in a cage. I was at the wheel and Jack Irwin, the wireless man, who was seated in the lifeboat suspended from the car of the airship, cried out to me, 'This cat is raising hell; I believe it's going mad.'"

Kiddo, notably, was the subject of the first wireless transmission from an aircraft.

" " Kiddo, the first cat to attempt to cross the Atlantic by airship, and Melvin Vaniman, engineer of the airship America. Kiddo was the subject of the first-ever wireless radio message sent from an aircraft. Library of Congress

"Roy," either Irwin or Vaniman wired, "come and get this - - -damn cat."

The crew was so discombobulated by the cat's antics early in the flight that Kiddo was put in a bag and lowered toward a trailing boat of newspapermen as the America was being towed to sea. The handoff couldn't be completed, though, and Kiddo was brought back onboard.

The cat eventually settled down as the hours passed and the ship drifted from its target. Some 72 hours later, after 1,008 miles (1,622 kilometers) in the air, the America was abandoned at sea near Bermuda  the ship was never to be seen again  and its crew was rescued by a passing steamship. The wooden lifeboat is now among the artifacts at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

Back in New York, the crew was welcomed as heroes. Photos were snapped for The Times with Kiddo front and center. "For a time," Janus says, "he was displayed at Gimbels department store in a gilded cage. Afterward, he retired from aviation and lived with Wellman's daughter in Washington, D.C."

The last flight of America was not, technically, a successful one. But no airship had ever traveled so far (albeit in the wrong direction). America brought the dream of flight, of crossing oceans in a human-made flying machine, closer to reality than it ever had been.

"We sacrificed our airship, but we saved our lives," Simon wrote after America's voyage, "and, above all, as Mr. Wellman and Mr. Vaniman will show when they write their technical reports, we have gathered a vast amount of useful knowledge which will help largely in the solution of big problems relating to the navigation of the air. And we also saved the cat!"

NOW THAT'S INTERESTING The first trans-Atlantic airship voyage was completed about nine years after America was lost, in July 1919, by the British airship R34. The 643-foot (196-meter) ship carried a stowaway kitten named Whoopsie.
" " Calico cats, like this tiny kitten, are almost always female. And "calico" actually refers to the markings on their fur, not their breed. AlexTurton/Getty Images

You might think of only those animals living in the wild as having distinctive coats or markings. Zebras, giraffes and tigers come to mind. But the domesticated calico cat not only wears a unique coat, this fascinating feline also has other intriguing features that make her worth knowing about. Here's a hint: Amazon.

No, not the e-commerce site, though your calico probably loves playing in the empty boxes lying around your apartment. Think more like Amazons, as in the tribe of ancient female warriors. What's that got to do with calico cats? Keep reading.

First, "calico" refers to the tricolor cat's fur. It's not a breed. Calico cats are almost always white with black and orange splotches, although they can sometimes sport other colors like brown or gray. Second, most interestingly (and here's where the Amazons come in), calicos are almost always female. It all comes down to basic genetics.

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Calico Cats and Genetics

Let's do a quick biology review. Eggs have one X chromosome and are contributed by the female. Sperm is contributed by the male and contains either an X or a Y chromosome. When sperm joins with the egg, the combination of XX or XY creates the gender of the cat. The sex chromosomes are referred to as the XX (female) or XY chromosomes (male). Some attributes, like coat color, are passed down in the cat's sex chromosomes, says Dr. Bruce Kornreich, associate director of the Cornell Feline Health Center at Cornell University in New York.

"Normal females are XX and normal males are XY," Kornreich says. "Because females have XX, they can receive coat input from the queens (females) and the toms (males). In other words, if one of the X chromosomes (in a female cat) carries a black gene and the other one is an orange gene, in that case you'll have this (calico) mix. But because males only get one X chromosome, it's not common for them to have this mix. They only get the coat color from the queen alone, from one parent."

Think of it this way: In order for calico to occur, one of a cat's X chromosomes has to carry a black gene and the other might carry an orange gene. If both the female chromosomes are black, then she'll be black. If they're both orange, she'll be orange. If the chromosomes are mixed, black and orange, she'll be calico.

The patches in calicos occur during the early stages of development in a complicated process called "X chromosome inactivation," which happens when genes for black fur and genes for orange fur are randomly distributed all over the fertilized egg. A black patch of fur is created when the X chromosome carrying the gene for orange fur is inactivated. Conversely, an orange patch of fur is created when the X chromosome carrying the gene for black fur is inactivated. Because of this unusual genetic component, no two calico cats are alike. The markings will never be exactly the same, even in twins.

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Male Calico Cats Are Rare

Something else highly unlikely in calico cats? Males. The chances are only one in 3,000, Kornreich says. So, what accounts for that random one out of 3,000? Occasionally a male cat will inherit an additional sex chromosome and becomes XXY.

"There's actually something similar in humans called Klinefelter syndrome," Kornreich says. "But in the case of the cat, it will have an extra chromosome and if both the Xs aren't the same coat color, they can become calico. It's very rare, as the one in 3,000 number suggests, but it does occur."

If being rare wasn't enough of a life hurdle, male calicos are also sterile. And even though they can't reproduce, experts still recommend they be neutered to deal with territorial spraying or other behavioral issues.

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Are Calicos Cool Pets?

As for whether calicos make good house pets, cats in general have a reputation for being aloof or standoffish. Kornreich says there is good science to back up the notion that behavior can be genetically imparted, but that has to do with breeding and calico is all about coloring. Is there any connection between the color of a cat's coat and its behavior? A 2015 study by researchers at the University of California-Davis explored that very idea.

Dr. Liz Stelow, a behavioral expert at UC-Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, and her colleagues, professors Melissa Bain and Phillip Kass, used an internet-based survey to collect data from more than 1,200 "cat guardians." The survey asked these pet owners to rate the frequency of behaviors such as hissing and biting using a five-point scale.

"Guardians reported sex-linked orange female (tortoiseshells, calicos and "torbies") black-and-white, and gray-and-white cats to be more frequently aggressive toward humans in three settings: during everyday interactions, during handling, and during veterinary visits," read the report.

Does that mean calicos don't make good pets? Not necessarily, says Kornreich, describing the study as anecdotal. "It's based on an owner's perceptions," he says. "The notion of calico cats being more aggressive, picky or finicky has always been folklore."

Now That's Interesting Many people confuse the calico and the tortoiseshell cat because both have colorful coats. But they're easy to tell apart. Just remember that a calico cat always has three colors in its coat, and it must always include white. Tortoiseshell cats have just two shades, usually ginger red and black, though they can also have hints of cream, orange or gold mixed in.
" " Cats are born with claws just as humans are born with fingernails. Declawing is an often unnecessary and painful procedure that can have lasting and harmful consequences for a cat. Wikimedia Commons

Does it look as if Jack the Ripper went dog day afternoon on your couch? Does it seem as if Edward Scissorhands continually carves your doorjambs? If you answer yes to these questions, chances are you have a cat.

Cats are notorious for scratching. Some scratch furniture. Some pick at carpets. A few slice human sinew. They use chair legs as scratching posts and shred drapes and tablecloths into rags. Cats scratch. That's what they do. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), says "scratching is a normal behavior of cats." Conversely, "destructive scratching represents approximately 15 to 42 percent of feline behavior complaints."

They don't do it for malevolent reasons, but mainly to mark their territory, sharpen their nails, stretch their tiny cat muscles, protect themselves or remove dead husks from their claws. All of this is natural and instinctive. But because such activities can be destructive, many cat owners resort to declawing their felines, a painful, and many would say, barbaric remedy.

But now, the cats of New York state can now purr a bit louder thanks to a new bill passed by the state legislature in June 2019 that outlaws cat declawing. Pet owners who declaw their cats can face a stiff $1,000 fine. If signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is rumored to be a dog lover, New York will become the first state to make declawing cats illegal.

"This bill will ban declawing of cats except when necessary for therapeutic purposes," Assemblywoman Linda B. Rosenthal told lawmakers just before the vote was taken in the New York Assembly. "There is no reason other than medical necessity, to remove or amputate the bone up to the first knuckle of a cat."

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Make No Mistake, Declawing Causes Pain

Yet, declawing still happens, despite it being complicated and actually quite a brutal practice. The procedure involves, according to the Humane Society, a veterinarian amputating the last bone of each cat toe, sometimes with a scalpel or with a guillotine-like clipper. The vet then has to stitch each cut or bind them with surgical glue. The cat is later forced to walk with bandaged paws. Vets can also use lasers to slice off Fluffy's toes. The intense beam of hot light cuts through the cat's tissue like a light saber. "If performed on a human being," the Humane Society says, "declawing would be like cutting of each finger at the last knuckle."

The third way is to severe the tendon in each toe that controls each claw. That option allows the claw to remain, although the cat can't use it. The claw will continue to grow, which means cat owners still have to trim the cat's nails.

Make no mistake, declawing is a painful procedure, "although," the AVMA says, "there is debate about the degree of pain experienced under ideal or typical conditions." In other words, because cats can't talk, they can't tell anyone how much pain they are in.

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Possible Complications of Declawing

Yet, the AVMA says, "clinical signs of pain following declawing include a 'guarding' posture, reluctance to bear weight on the declawed limb(s), and reluctance to move." After reviewing one study, the AVMA says 61 of 163 cats exhibited signs of pain for one to 42 days after declawing, while 26 percent of cats went lame for one to 54 days. "The risk of lameness increased with longer surgical time and the use of a scalpel blade for disarticulation of the third phalanx."

There can also be complications. Elignor Molbegott, legal counsel of the Humane Society of New York who has been working for years to pass the ban, says declawed cats can have litter box issues. "As a result, cats get turned into shelters," she said in an interview, recalling the time she had found a home for an abandoned cat. The woman who took the cat had the feline declawed. A few weeks later, she wanted to get rid of it, because, Molbegott says, "it was too affectionate." Molbegott took the cat back. They were companions for 20 years. "It's not a benign thing to do," Molbegott says.

With the passage of the measure, the Empire State joins several U.S. cities, including Los Angeles and Denver in banning declawing. While similar bills are being considered elsewhere, Kitty Block, president of the Humane Society of the United States, hopes more communities will make declawing illegal.

Block, in an email, says the procedure is an "unnecessary convenience" surgery. "Complications from declawing include an increase in biting and litter box avoidance, which often results in the cat being surrendered to an animal shelter," she says.

Block says the Humane Society is partnering with the Paw Project and "ethical" veterinarians to educate lawmakers around the country about the issue in the hopes of expanding the ban.

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Why Do People Do It?

If declawing is so painful for cats, why do people choose this option? The reasons vary. Some do it because they love their furniture. Declawing may protect older cat owners, especially those with diabetes or compromised immune systems from suffering life-threatening complications from cat scratches. But let's be real: Instances of cats killing people through infection are rare. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that 12,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with cat scratch fever, resulting in 500 hospitalizations each year. Yet for most people the disease is mild with low-grade fever, fatigue and headaches.

For Assemblywoman Rosenthal and the majority of New York state lawmakers, there is "never any good reason" to declaw a cat, unless the feline suffers from cancer or "other medical necessities."

There are ways to change a cat's scratching behavior. Here are a few from our friends at PetMD:

Invest in a scratching post, or several, and place them strategically around the house. When your cat starts to scratch, don't yell or scold. Pick her up and put her near the post.

Sprinkle cat nip on your cat's scratching post to make it more inviting.

Tack a toy to the post (or buy a scratching post with one). When the cat swipes, she might scratch at the post.

Cover your cat's favorite scratching sites with double-sided sticky tape to deter future scratching.

Spray furniture with herbal sprays that cats will avoid.

Here's another idea: Why not just trim your cat's nails? If your cat isn't a fan of nail trims, consider buyinh plastic colored caps to place around the claws. Not only will the caps save your furniture, but your cat will be stylin'.

Now That's Interesting The claws of lions can grow up to 1.5 inches (38 mm). Suddenly your pet cat's claws don't seem so bad.
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 28, ARMENPRESS. Armenia is ready for the delimitation and demarcation process with Azerbaijan, the Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan told reporters after the Cabinet meeting, adding that one of the important approaches for this is the reciprocal mirror-like pullback of Armenian and Azerbaijani troops, the deployment of border guards of the two countries in the relevant territories and the launch of the delimitation and demarcation.

Weve announced that we are ready to start the delimitation and demarcation process, and we are waiting for a positive signal from Azerbaijan, Grigoryan said, noting that Azerbaijan announced about this in the UN but the process isnt advancing.

Seemingly in September they made such an announcement in the UN, but we are unable to move forward in this regard. Regarding a precondition or something else, I find it difficult to say why Azerbaijan isnt starting the delimitation and demarcation process, Grigoryan said.

Grigoryan mentioned that in the Soviet years the first demarcation began in 1926-1927, and ended in 1929, and the basis for future maps was the map of these years. He said that the maps which should be placed at the basis of the talks have been discussed in the working group.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 28, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian sent a congratulatory letter to the President of the Czech Republic Milos Zeman on the occasion of the national day - the Statehood Day, the Armenian Presidents Office said.

Armenia highlights the consistent development and deepening of the friendly relations with the Czech Republic, based on common values, both at the bilateral and multilateral formats, as well as within the European Union.

I am sure that with joint efforts we will give a new impetus to the partnership of our countries, by recording achievements in different areas, the Armenian President said in his letter.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, 28 OCTOBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 28 October, USD exchange rate up by 0.48 drams to 477.79 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 0.55 drams to 553.90 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.01 drams to 6.79 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 1.67 drams to 657.30 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price up by 176.56 drams to 27577.38 drams. Silver price down by 5.15 drams to 367.98 drams. Platinum price down by 398.55 drams to 15714.61 drams.
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 28, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Colonel-General Sergey Istrakov, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister.

The interlocutors discussed issues related to military-technical cooperation between Armenia and Russia, as well as exchanged views on the current military-political situation in the region.
According to Military Leak, the Colombian Army has received 20 Textron M1117 Guardian 44 armored vehicles, donated by the USA. This marks the first batch of a total of 145 GUARDIANs to have been declared as US Army surplus and earmarked for Colombia, 39 initially, used by the Army.

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In the 2000s, Textron M1117 APCs were purchased by the US Army as a kind of "light Ersatz MRAP " for use in combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan instead of HMMWVs. (Picture source: U.S. DoD)

These vehicles are the APC version, purchased to supplement Colombias recently acquired fleet of BTR-80s; another 39 were expected to enter operational service in 2012. In August 2013, Textron was awarded a $31.6 million contract for 28 Commando APCs with a remotely controlled weapon station. Deliveries were scheduled to begin in November 2013 and be completed by April 2014. On 4 April 2016, the United States Department of Defence made public that Colombia acquired 54 new M1117 APCs.

The 14-ton armored vehicle M1117 Guardian (Armored Security Vehicle - ASV 150), produced by Textron Corporation, is a development of the famous Commando armored personnel carrier dating back to the Vietnam war, originally developed for the American military police. In the 2000s, it was purchased by the US Army as a kind of "light Ersatz MRAP " for use in combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan instead of HMMWVs. In total, the US Army purchased 2,058 units plus 844 M1200 based on them. To date, the main part of the redundant M1117s has been transferred to storage.

The Colombian Army uses the Guardians in internal security missions against terrorist groups. The vehicle features an RWS mounting a 12.7mm machinegun and a 40mm grenade launcher. It uses an Allison MD3560 transmission. The Guardian uses an advanced modular expandable armor package from IBD Deisenroth Engineering, consisting of ceramic composite applique on the exterior and spall liner on the interior. The Guardians armor is designed to defeat small arms fire, mines and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). The armor is angled presenting no vertical surfaces, deflecting many rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) hits. Angled armor is more resistant to attack than vertical armor due to the shape of the V-shape hulls deflecting explosive forces, as opposed to a single-plane hull which takes the entire force impact.

The vehicle can reach 70 mph (110 km/h), while it is capable of fording 5-foot (1.50 m) of water, climbing gradients of 60%, negotiating 30% side slope, and overcoming obstacles of 5 feet. It has an 18-inch (46 cm) ground clearance. Six Guardians can be carried in a single Boeing C-17 Globemaster III. A Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter is able to carry one ASV.
GPs will be given extra federal support to help treat COVID-19 patients at home, ahead of a predicted spike in cases as states and territories reopen.

Health Minister Greg Hunt announced a $180 million support package to help primary carers look after COVID-positive cases at home.

As part of the measures, GPs will get a $25 Medicare bonus if they treat a patient who has COVID-19 or is suspected as being positive.

Funds will also be used to secure extra pulse oximeters - equipment that can detect if a COVID-19 patient's symptoms start to deteriorate.

GP respiratory clinics will also be able to be kept running until at least June 30 next year.

Mr Hunt said more cases of COVID-19 would be treated at home due to rising vaccination rates.

"The balance will shift from hospitalisation to community care. We always knew we were coming to this moment," he told reporters in Melbourne.

"It's to ensure that, where possible, patients who are fully vaccinated will have that treatment at home. And in some cases unvaccinated and partially vaccinated people will be treated by that pathway."

The president of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, Dr Karen Price, welcomed the move.

"We must be upfront about the fact that COVID-19 cases are going to spike significantly across Australia," Dr Price said.

"GPs stand ready to help. We have the skills and expertise to continue caring for COVID-19 positive patients in the community."

The announcement comes as the national vaccine rate for over 16s increased to 76.2 per cent on Friday.

Mr Hunt said the national 80 per cent fully vaccinated rate would be hit in less than 10 days.

Booster shots have started being rolled out to aged care and disability care settings.

While the general public will not be able to access the top-up shots until November 8, Mr Hunt said some GP clinics were already offering the boosters to patients.

It comes as Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews revealed a Qantas flight from North America and a Singapore Airlines voyage from its home base would be the first to land in Sydney when international travel resumes on Monday.

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"It will be fantastic to see those aircraft touch down here in Australia," she told Network Ten on Friday.

Ms Andrews confirmed people would be allowed to meet loved ones at the airport, with a backlog of Australians stranded overseas expected to be cleared in the coming months.

Unvaccinated arrivals will still be required to spend two weeks in hotel quarantine.

While some health experts have criticised scrapping isolation requirements, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the decision was consistent with official advice.

"For those who were double-dose vaccinated, then you should be allowed to go about your life in Australia and obviously catch up with family and friends," he said.

There were 1656 new cases of the virus in Victoria reported on Friday with 10 deaths, while there were 268 new infections and two deaths in NSW.

The ACT recorded 10 new cases.
Sudan's military coup leader, facing pressure to restore power to civilians, says a technocratic prime minister could be announced in a week, and he is still trying to persuade the man he ousted to return and form a new government.

Western countries have cut off hundreds of millions of dollars in desperately needed aid to Sudan since General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan dissolved a power-sharing government led by Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok on Monday.

The power-sharing government was meant to steer Sudan to elections in 2023 after long-serving ruler Omar al-Bashir was toppled two years ago.

Opponents of this week's coup have called for mass demonstrations on Saturday. At least 11 protesters have been killed in clashes with security forces so far this week.

The United States and United Nations dialled up the pressure on Burhan on Thursday, when the Security Council called for the restoration of the civilian-led government and President Joe Biden said his nation like others stood with the demonstrators.

In comments to the Russian news agency Sputnik, Burhan said the new government would be led by a technocrat. "We will not interfere in the choice of the ministers," he said.

The cabinet would be chosen the prime minister who would be "agreed upon by different sections of the Sudanese people", he said.

He also said new members would be appointed to the Sovereign Council, a civilian-military body which he dissolved along with the cabinet.

On Thursday night, Burhan left open the possibility of Hamdok becoming prime minister again, saying the army was negotiating with him to form the new government.

He said in a speech that consultations were underway to select the prime minister.

"Until this night, we were sending him people and telling (Hamdok) ... complete the path with us. Until this meeting with you, we were sending him people to negotiate with him and we are still having hope," Burhan said.

"We told him that we cleaned the stage for you ... he is free to form the government, we will not intervene in the government formation, anyone he will bring, we will not intervene at all".

Story continues

Hamdok, an economist and former senior UN official, was initially held at Burhan's residence when soldiers rounded up the government on Monday. He was allowed to return home under guard on Tuesday.

Hamdok's allies say he has refused requests by the coup leaders to cooperate, and has demanded civilian power-sharing be restored and arrested ministers freed.

The office of the UN representative to Sudan said on Thursday he had offered to facilitate a political settlement towards restoring the transition during a meeting Burhan.

With authorities restricting internet and phone signals, protesters have been handing out fliers calling for a "march of millions" on Saturday under the slogan "Leave!".

Security forces fired at protesters on Thursday night in Bahri, across the river from the capital Khartoum, using live and rubber bullets, witnesses said. A doctors committee said one person was killed in those clashes while two others were wounded and in critical condition.

Burhan, who had been due to hand leadership of the power-sharing Sovereign Council to a civilian soon, has said he acted to prevent civil war, and has promised elections in July 2023.

The coup has led donors to freeze assistance badly needed in a country where more than half the population is in poverty and hardship has fuelled instability and civil wars. After decades of pariah status under Bashir, Sudan had finally won Western aid, which has only recently begun to stabilise its economy.

The United States has frozen $US700 million in assistance, and the World Bank, which granted Sudan access to $US2 billion in financing in March, has halted its disbursements.

The IMF, which approved $US2.5 billion in funding for Sudan in June, said on Thursday it was premature to comment on the implications of the takeover.
A woman cut the support rope for two painters working outside her high-rise apartment in Thailand because she was angry she wasnt told they would be doing work, police said on Wednesday.

The incident  which left the painters dangling 26 floors above the ground  occurred on October 12 outside a condo in Nonthaburi, local publication The Thaiger reports.

One of the painters, a Myanmar national named Song, told the Thai media that he and his two friends had lowered themselves from the 32nd floor to repair a crack on the building.

When he reached the 30th floor, he felt that the rope was heavier and when he looked down, he saw a well-dressed woman on the 21st floor open a window and cut it.

The woman cut the support rope for two painters working outside her apartment in Thailand because she wasnt told they would be doing work, police say. Source: The Thaiger

He tried asking for help from other units, but nobody was in.

The third colleague continued to support them from the top floor, Praphaiwan Setsing, a resident who luckily saw the men and helped save them, told The Thaiger.

Praphaiwan said her British husband noticed one painter signalling for help and called her to talk to them.

This incident is shocking and should not happen at all, she said.

Video footage of the shocking incident shows the men dangling in the air and asking other condo residents for help before climbing onto Praphaiwans balcony on the 26th floor.

One of the painters said when he looked down, he saw a well-dressed woman on the 21st floor open a window and cut his rope. Source: The Thaiger

The 34-year-old woman accused of cutting the support rope is now facing attempted murder and property destruction charges, Police Colonel Pongjak Preechakarunpong, chief of the Pak Kret police station north of the Thai capital, told The Associated Press.

Pongjak did not say what prompted the suspect to cut the rope, but Thai media reports she was apparently frustrated when the workers appeared outside her room, and hadnt seen an announcement by the condo that they would be doing work on that day.

The management of the condo accompanied the painters to report the incident to the police.

Story continues

The 34-year-old woman at first denied she was responsible, but police sent the severed rope for a fingerprint and DNA analysis, media reported.

Worker rescued from outside 26th floor after alleged rope cut - more at https://t.co/hNiKGXBOYG #Thailand

At a 32 story condominium in Nonthaburi, a painter was rescued while dangling outside the 26th floor, alleging that someone cut his safety rope. The incident took place i... pic.twitter.com/aga66zYfWz  The Thaiger (@ThaigerNews) October 16, 2021

On Wednesday, the woman and her lawyer appeared at the police station.

After the police showed her the CCTV footage and the forensic evidence, she confessed but denied any intention to kill the workers.

Pongjak said the suspect was temporarily released.

Police will file an indictment at the provincial court within 15 days, he said. She could face a prison term up to 20 years if found guilty on a charge of attempted murder.

With The Associated Press

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

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It took a while to arrive but fall is, at last, upon us. It is the time for pumpkins and gourds and Indian corn and cornstalks. What a great time to decorate around the front door or the porch. Of course, we think of pumpkins for Halloween, but buy a couple that you will not be making into jack-o'-lanterns, and they will certainly not wilt before turkey day.

Have you seen the mini-pumpkins? They are great for decorating. I was recently at a friends house and they had planted a wooden box, about 20 inches long and 4 wide, with succulents. There were five of them. They were nicely spaced, and between each was a mini-pumpkin. Dollars to doughnuts, they will be replaced with Christmas ornaments. Maybe valentines in February and hardboiled, decorated Easter eggs for that holiday. See how the mind can work?

And then there are the gourds. There are impressive displays of them in stores, and it is almost impossible to find two alike. The shapes are different, and the green, orange and yellow colors are striking. If you get those with long necks, you can string them together and make a garland to hang from the knocker on the front door. If you have a wreath frame and Styrofoam, you can place in some colored leaves, still on branches, as a background and tie the gourds to make a very decorative wreath. Be sure to add a bow made of burlap to make it perfect. Be certain to get enough of them to add to that centerpiece you are making for the table. And if that centerpiece is coming from a flower shop, you can always add your personal touch with three or four gourds. To me, the perfect touch to a Thanksgiving table is to write the guests name on a place card, place it in a slit youve cut in the top of a mini-pumpkin or gourd. Talk about a personal welcome!

I remember the days, years ago, when we sold dozens of door pieces made by tying three to five ears of colorful Indian corn together with a burlap bow, preserved oak leaves and whatever else was at hand. I do not know when I last saw Indian corn, but you can get the same effect with ears of dried corn. Sure, it is yellow! But with a few squirts of readily available orange, brown and red spray paint, you can achieve the same look. For a little creativity, you can have a lovely door piece for under $10.

I did mention corn stalks. Find some. I know that they are around. Ive seen them, but at this moment I cannot remember where. Theyll probably cost you eight or ten dollars for a bundle. Do not just split the bundle and stack half on each side of the door. Divide them, tie them together and put a bow on them. No, burlap will not show up, but a bow made of gingham or bright orange or red will. There you are: Weve taken care of the door, the pumpkins and the cornstalks. Your entryway is now decorated.

Let us not stop there! Lets go into the house. You can do more than mini-pumpkins among the succulents. Have you seen those large bushes of hydrangeas with the very large, dried blossoms around town? If you know someone with such a bush, ask for a few stems. I got five beautiful stems at the Ithaca Farmers Market last week. They were, I believe, $3 per stem. They will look good until I toss them in May because I have grown tired of them.

Why not go out in your own yard and look for treasures. If you have a burning bush, winged euonymus, the leaves will soon be gone and you can cut some of the winged branches and put them into a vase for a conversation piece. Look at the bushes in front of the house and see if you can cut some long evergreen branches of different kinds. They should be 30 inches or more. Remove all the leaves that would be under water and arrange them in a vase. When guests are coming, buy a few carnations or mums to add interest. Be sure to change the water weekly.

Be safe. Mask up.

Carmen Cosentino operates Cosentino's Florist with his daughter, Jessica. He was elected to the National Floriculture Hall of Fame in 1998, and in 2008, received the Tommy Bright award for lifetime achievements in floral education. In 2016, Carmen and Jessica were presented Teleflora's Tom Butler Award, naming Cosentino's the florist of the year at the company's annual meeting in Hawaii. Carmen can be reached at cosenti@aol.com or (315) 253-5316.

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Cayuga County's early voting turnout for local elections has been strong compared to similar-sized counties, but it is on pace to fall short of the numbers observed in 2019.

The Cayuga County Board of Elections said 783 voters cast ballots during the first four days of the early voting period, which began on Saturday. Two years ago, there were 882 early votes in the first four days of early voting ahead of the local elections. That year, the county had 1,886 early voters.

However, Cayuga's early voting turnout rate (1.58%) is the second-highest among 11 counties with between 37,000 and 55,000-plus voters  the county has 49,584 registered voters, according to the local elections board. Columbia has the highest early voting turnout rate (2.67%) in this group.

Cayuga County has three early voting sites  two more than required by state law. The most popular polling location is the Clifford Park Clubhouse in Auburn, which had 587 voters in the first four days. The other two sites, Cato and Venice town offices, had 85 and 111 voters.

The county's best day was Monday, when 271 people cast early votes. There were 202 early votes on Saturday, first of the nine-day early voting period. There were 159 voters on Sunday and 151 on Tuesday.

In the first two years of early voting, which began in 2019, Cayuga County has been one of the top performers in the state. Cayuga's early voting turnout two years ago was 3.91%, sixth-best among New York's 62 counties.

Cayuga County reclaimed its sixth-best standing in 2020, a presidential election year, when early voting turnout was 22.01%.

Early voting continued Wednesday with the second of its two late days. On Tuesday and Wednesday, early voting polling sites were opened from noon to 8 p.m.

The three early voting locations  Cato town office, Clifford Park Clubhouse in Auburn and Venice town office  will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

If you cast a ballot during early voting, you are ineligible to vote on Election Day. The traditional polling locations will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 2.

Online producer Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.

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Beijing (Gasgoo)- Chinas new energy vehicle (NEV) innovator Li Auto celebrated its production of 100,000th vehicle today at its Changzhou production base in Jiangsu province.

Photo credit: Li Auto

Currently, the automaker only has the Li ONE for sale, so the cumulative production volume of the model amounted to 100,000, becoming the first single model to achieve the milestone among all products from Chinas NEV startups, including NIO and XPeng.

Mr. Shen Yanan, president of Li Auto, said that it only took the company 708 days to realize the production milestone of 100,000 vehicles, indicating that the Li ONE is well received by the market and marking that the company has completed the capability building of the full chain, covering R&D and manufacturing system, sales service system and supply chain system.

According to Li Autos product planning, In 2022, it will launch the first model on its X platform, a full-size premium range-extended electric SUV, followed by two range-extended SUVs built on the X platform in 2023. Before the end of this year, it will push the NOA function through OTA.

Li Auto is the third Chinese NEV startup whose cumulative production volume has surpassed 100,000. In April this year, NIO said it had reached the milestone while earlier this month, XPeng also announced the achievement.
DELAWARE  Zuzu Sweet has announced she will return to Cherry.tv for another live show on October 29th from 3 to 5 p.m. PDT.

I had so much fun last time on Cherry TV, so I am coming back for another show! Zuzu Sweet said. I dont usually enjoy sitting for hours on cam and chatting, but Cherry.tv and the fans were so nice to me that I jumped at the chance to return."

An emerging new talent from Prague, Zuzu is already making a name for herself in the adult industry, having shot with major studios such as Brazzers, Reality Kings, FakeHub, and MetArt. When she isnt on camera, Zuzu is passionate about fitness and travel.

Zuzana Kasinski, Cherry.tvs business development and talent manager, remarked: Zuzu Sweets enthusiasm is absolutely contagiousfans were so pumped up last time, and were already seeing the anticipation build, so mark your calendars!

It really was absolutely crazy last time--and so much pleasure for me (literally), I cant wait!" Sweet agreed.

"Thank you so much Cherry.tv and fanscan't wait see you all soon!
Thank you for reading!

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In 1938, 20-year-old filmmaker Richard H. Lyford directed and starred in As the Earth Turns, a science-fiction silent movie about a mad scientist who purposely induces climate change as a way to end world violence.

But the 45-minute film became "lost," only to resurface 80 years later, in 2018, when Lyford's grandniece, Kim Lyford Bishop, discovered it. (After creating the film, Lyford went on to work at Disney and earn an Oscar for the 1950 documentary "The Titan: Story of Michelangelo.")

Bishop then asked music composer Ed Hartman, who was her daughter's percussions teacher, to score it.

Although "As the Earth Turns" was finally released in 2019 and took part in 123 film festivals, it will finally premiere on television on Halloween night, this Sunday on Turner Classic Movies at 9pm PST (watch trailer below).

From The Seattle Times:

Intrigued by the project, Hartman dived in: creating an orchestral score, incorporating newly found scenes, becoming producer of the film, directing a short documentary to accompany it ("It Gets In Your Blood," about Lyford's life and work). Appropriately, "As the Earth Turns" made its theatrical debut right here at home, at the Egyptian Theatre as part of the Seattle International Film Festival in 2019. Since then, it's appeared at 123 film festivals, leading up to the Turner Classic Movies showing. "We're always interested in new discoveries and in showcasing lost films," said Charlie Tabesh, TCM senior vice president of programming, in an email. "Not only is it a fascinating film with a wonderful score by Ed, but the director, Richard Lyford, went on to work on special effects at Disney. Ultimately it's a small piece of film history that I think TCM viewers will appreciate." "As the Earth Turns" is the work of an exuberant, ambitious young man: Lyford wrote, directed and shot the film, and managed to corral a stable of actors and crew to capture his vision. You can see his fascination with the craft of filmmaking: Lyford experiments with miniatures and models (then used in Hollywood films, and a remarkable accomplishment for a barely-out-of-his-teens hobbyist), explosions, earthquakes and special makeup effects, all on a budget of next to nothing.

Here is the trailer, which was released by Harman in 2018:
An American Airlines flight from New York City to Orange County, California was forced to land in Denver when an angry gentleman assaulted a flight attendant. The reason for his behavior? Yes, you guessed it  he was asked to wear a mask.

According to NBC, the airline hasn't given details on the assault or the condition of the flight attendant, but did put out a stern statement:

"Acts of violence against our team members will not be tolerated by American Airlines. The individual involved in this incident will never be allowed to travel with American Airlines in the future, but we will not be satisfied until he has been prosecuted to the full extent of the law. This behavior must stop, and aggressive enforcement and prosecution of the law is the best deterrent."

From NBC:
In 2018, Danville, Ca., police officer Andrew Hall leaped in front of a car making its way around a police cruiser during an attempted stop. Hall fired 9 times into the car, killing its driver, an unarmed and mentally ill man named Laudemer Arboleda. Danville police falsely claimed Laudemer was trying to run Hall over and a jury cleared him of manslaughter.

But the jury did convict Hall of felony assaultthe first such conviction in the county's historyand now the family is receiving a $4.9 wrongful death settlement. Hall faces jail time.

The lawsuit was filed in June 2019, long before criminal charges were brought against Hall earlier this year. The lawsuit claimed that Hall "inexplicably opened fire" on Arboleda, who was unarmed, and that the county and town breached their duty to the public by failing to discipline Hall for the misconduct. The Contra Costa Sheriff's Office, which has a contract to provide police services to Danville, cleared Hall of misconduct after a nine-month investigation into Arboleda's shooting.

While Hall was being investigated, Tyrell Wilson, a mentally-ill black man living rough on the streets, was unfortunate enough to encounter him while "jaywalking".

Hall executed him, too.
Compact equipment manufacturer honors the work of canine and first responder search and rescue teams on National First Responders Day

WEST FARGO, N.D., October 28, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bobcat Company (Bobcat) announced today a new partnership with the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation (SDF), a nonprofit organization committed to strengthening disaster response in America by training highly skilled canine and handler search teams. The partnership spotlights SDFs National Training Center in Santa Paula, California, where shelter dogs are trained to become rescue dogs through simulated rubble piles and mock disaster sites.

Founded in 1996, SDF has trained 180 certified first responder and canine teams that have deployed to 216 disasters and missing person searches. Through this partnership, Bobcat equipment is used to create and maintain realistic onsite training environments at the 125-acre National Training Center, which is designed to simulate conditions in various types of natural and manmade disasters.

"We are excited to partner with the Search Dog Foundation and help support their mission to provide search and rescue training for dogs and their handlers," said Laura Ness Owens, vice president of marketing, communication and public affairs at Doosan Bobcat North America. "The Search Dog Foundation empowers lifesaving work that truly matters to all of us. Bobcat is honored to support these heroic first responders, who act with courage, determination and toughness."

At SDFs National Training Center, dogs must learn to crawl through tunnels, maneuver on ladders, navigate unstable surfaces and detect human scent beneath debris. A Bobcat T750 compact track loader, Bobcat E35 excavator and a variety of Bobcat attachments are used for brush clearing, trenching, road maintenance, moving rubble to create new training courses and learning opportunities, and to modify existing courses for the dogs and their handlers.

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"This important partnership with Bobcat enables us to train the next generation of search teams by constructing realistic environments and more challenging training scenarios at our campus," said SDFs Senior Director of Communications and Handler Operations Denise Sanders. "Bobcats support is helping our teams reach the highest skill levels needed for certification and maintain deployment readiness."

Over the past 25 years, SDF and its dogs and handlers have worked to save lives in hundreds of disasters, such as Hurricanes Katrina, Harvey and Irma, the Oklahoma City bombing, California mudslides, the World Trade Center attacks and earthquakes in Nepal, Haiti and Japan.

Media Resources: Please use this Dropbox link to download photos and video of National Disaster Search Dog Foundations California training center, which includes scenes of rescue dogs and their handlers in action and the use of Bobcat equipment to construct training sites.

About Bobcat Company

Bobcat Company is a worldwide leader in the manufacturing and distribution of compact equipment. Headquartered in West Fargo, North Dakota, Bobcat offers a complete line of compact equipment including: skid-steer, mini track and compact track loaders; excavators; VersaHANDLER telescopic tool carriers; utility vehicles; Toolcat utility work machines; compact tractors; small articulated loaders; zero-turn mowers; attachments and implements. As a global brand with a worldwide network of dealers and distributors, Bobcat is the industrys original innovator, beginning in 1958 with the first compact machine and predecessor to the skid-steer loader. Bobcat continues to lead the industry by offering quality product solutions and technologies to empower people to accomplish more. For more information, visit Bobcat.com.

About National Disaster Search Dog Foundation

Founded in 1996, Search Dog Foundation (SDF) is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization based in Santa Paula, CA. Its mission is to strengthen disaster response in America by rescuing and recruiting dogs and partnering them with first responders to find people buried alive in the wreckage of disasters. SDF pledges to support each of these teams through training and medical coverage for the entire life of each canine, all provided at no cost to their task forces and departments. The organization was founded by Wilma Melville, a retired schoolteacher who was deployed to the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 with her FEMA-certified search dog, Murphy. Returning from the deployment, she was determined to do something about America's severe shortage of canine disaster search teams and created SDF to address this problem. Since then, SDF has recruited hundreds of rescued dogs, and trained 180 certified search teams that have deployed to over 200 disasters and missing person searches.

2021 Bobcat Company. All rights reserved.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005883/en/

Contacts

Media Contact:

Lanelle Vasichek, Director, Brand & Communications

Email: Lanelle.Vasichek@doosan.com

Mobile: 701-219.1699
Belgian prime minister Alexander De Croo during a press conference to discuss rising COVID infections in the country. (Getty)

A rise in COVID infections in Belgium has seen authorities bring back mandatory face masks in most indoor settings.

Belgiums prime minister Alexander De Croo announced the measure on Tuesday, telling reporters that the decision had been made because of a 70% increase in cases.

Remote working is also being encouraged in an effort to tackle what De Croo described as an autumn wave.

He said: The consultative committee met early today. Nobody can ignore the figures. In our country and other countries, you see an autumn wave after a plateau.

Last week we saw a 70% increase in terms of infections.

Daily new confirmed COVID cases per million people across several European countries. (Our World in Data)

The new rule will come into place on Friday, and people will have to cover their faces in shops, shopping centres, healthcare institutions, concert halls, sports centres, libraries and places of worship.

However, masks will not be need in places that accept Belgiums version of a vaccine passport  known as the COVID Safe Ticket (CST).

De Croo insisted that vaccines are the most important weapon against this virus.

Watch: Labour calls for return to mandatory mask wearing

He added: We need to build higher walls of protection, which ensure that our lives still go on.

A free, but cautious life. We must be careful about the number of contacts we have.

Last week, the NHS Confederation and the British Medical Association (BMA) called on UK ministers to activate their winter Plan B for England amid fears the health service could be overwhelmed.

BMA council chair Dr Chaand Nagpaul said the refusal to introduce supplementary measures  including COVID passports, mask-wearing in crowded public spaces and a return to working from home  amounted to wilful negligence.

But Boris Johnson rejected the calls, acknowledging that COVID numbers were high but within the parameters forecast by scientists advising the government.

However, the House of Commons ordered everyone to wear face coverings while on the parliamentary estate from this week  except MPs.

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Health secretary Sajid Javid said on Monday wearing a mask in the crowded chamber is a personal decision for ministers and backbenchers, while Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg last week insisted Tories do not need to wear masks in parliament because with their convivial, fraternal spirit they know each other well.

Some Tory MPs wore face masks in the Commons on Wednesday. (PA)

But some members of the government chose to wear masks on Wednesday for the chancellors budget.

While the prime minister wore a mask alongside other cabinet members, notable exceptions included Rees-Mogg and foreign secretary Liz Truss.

There was also a clear difference on face coverings across the chamber, with universal mask wearing on the opposition benches.

By contrast, there were more Tory MPs without masks in the packed chamber than those with.

The UK reported 43,941 coronavirus cases on Wednesday, with the total down 4% from the previous seven days. It also reported 207 deaths.

Watch: Health secretary defends government stance on COVID masks
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 27) Security agreements  including the trilateral AUKUS deal  should complement, not complicate, the cooperation of nations in the Southeast Asian region, President Rodrigo Duterte said Wednesday.

Duterte raised the topic during the 9th ASEAN-United States Summit, where US President Joe Biden was also in attendance.

"Arrangements such as the AUKUS trilateral security partnership add a new element to consider within the region," Duterte said in his speech.

"We take full account of statements that AUKUS will promote peace and stability in our region and maintain support for ASEAN centrality. But one thing should be clear for all stakeholders: ASEAN's central role in the evolving regional security architecture must be strengthened. And that this or other arrangements must complement and not complicate our working methods for cooperation," he added.

The AUKUS pact  inked by Australia, the US, and the United Kingdom  aims to strengthen peace, security, and defense cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.

Initiatives include "deeper information and technology sharing" among partners, according to the White House. The deal will also see the US and UK support Australia in acquiring nuclear-powered submarines for the Royal Australian Navy.

READ: Biden and UK to help Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines in new pushback on China

Last month, Malacanang said Duterte had expressed concern over the "nuclear arms race." At the time, his spokesperson Harry Roque said the matter would be discussed in their Cabinet meeting.

Meanwhile, Duterte also thanked the US for working with the ASEAN on maritime security and awareness issues. He specifically highlighted America's "strong support" for the 2016 arbitral award on the South China Sea case, which was ruled in favor of the Philippines.

The chief executive likewise reiterated his call for all stakeholders in the South China Sea to "exercise self-restraint to avoid untoward incidents" in the disputed area.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 28)  President Rodrigo Duterte has called for the opening of travel corridors in the region, during a meeting with his counterparts in Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia, as he cited the need to rehabilitate the pandemic-hit tourism industry.

Duterte made the statement during the 14th Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Summit, which he virtually attended on Thursday.

The creation of these travel corridors would allow people to enter certain territories without the need to quarantine, subject to certain requirements such as full COVID-19 vaccination.

The President said similar arrangements to safely reopen borders and mitigate the impact of the global health crisis should also be considered.

"It is vital that we make BIMP-EAGA a major catalyst for transformative change in our region," Duterte said.

During the summit, he also stressed the need to re-establish air and sea linkages disrupted by the pandemic and pointed out the importance of investing in digital infrastructure to address development gaps.

In the latest Bloomberg report which covered 53 countries, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia landed at the bottom 10 in terms of resilience and effectiveness of response to the COVID-19 crisis. Brunei was not included in the nations which were evaluated.

Bloomberg said that while the outbreak in Southeast Asia may have peaked and vaccination has improved, many of the region's nations are "still reeling" from the surge caused by the highly contagious Delta variant.

Philippine authorities questioned the report, saying the country's COVID-19 situation has been improving. They asked about the criteria used in the assessment and why only a fourth of the world's countries were included in the ranking.

READ: Galvez: Calling PH worst place to be during pandemic a 'biased comment'
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 29)  The Philippines remains the seventh worst country when it comes to prosecuting killers of journalists, according to a report by New York City-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

In its latest Global Impunity Index released on Wednesday, the media watchdog noted that the Philippines has 13 unsolved media killings from 11 in 2020.

Data from CPJ also shows that 85 journalists were murdered in the Philippines between 1992 and 2021.

Courtesy: Committee to Protect Journalists

Since 2008, the CPJ annually lists countries where members of the press are singled out for murder and the perpetrators go free.

The media watchdog reported that from Sept. 1, 2011, to August 31, 2021, a total of 278 journalists were killed across the world. It recorded complete impunity in 226 cases, or 81%.

Still on top of the list are Somalia, Syria, Iraq, and South Sudan as conflict, political instability, and weak judicial mechanisms perpetuate a cycle of violence against journalists.

CPJ emphasized that the latest data does fully reflect the increased threat that media workers in Afghanistan are facing. The country ranked fifth again this year.

While the countrys spot on the index did not change, the situation on the ground for reporters deteriorated dramatically in 2021 as the Taliban took control in mid-August amid the withdrawal of U.S. and coalition forces and the flight of President Ashraf Ghani. Hundreds of journalists fled the country because they feared the Talibans brutal record on press freedom and what its rule could mean for journalist safety, it explained.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 28)  Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the British Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (BCCP) said companies from the United Kingdom remain confident about doing business in the Philippines.

"The interest in the Philippines remains high, we've kept it going," BCCP executive director Chris Nelson told CNN Philippines. "Overall, it's been challenging, but pleased to say our members have stayed."

With COVID-19 cases in the Philippines going down, restrictions easing up, and vaccination rates rising, Nelson said the Philippine government can further boost this confidence by passing key economic legislation.

"Economic measures which are currently being debated, particularly the Retail Trade (Liberalization) Act, Foreign Investments Act, Public Service Act, are very important," he said. "If we can get those measures passed, I would see more (investors) coming."

Nelson said the chamber hopes these measures would be passed during the Duterte administration.

The BCCP is also hoping that the next leadership would continue to focus on such measures that would further liberalize the Philippine economy, and promote data transparency and ease of doing business, Nelson added.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines Life, October 28)  Despite the easing of health protocols in the country, cemeteries, columbariums, and memorial parks are closed from Oct. 29 to Nov. 2, similar to last years commemoration of Undas.

Prior to the pandemic, large cemeteries such as the Manila North Cemetery would draw around a million visitors during Undas. Due to restrictions from COVID-19 protocols, only around 20,000 people are allowed to visit per day.

In a CNN Philippines report, one of the visitors attested that the closure of cemeteries is a change of pace, saying that its a more meaningful and peaceful way to remember the departed compared to the usually crowded days of Undas. Akoy nagpunta ng mas maaga para makaiwas din sa hawaan, he said.

Below, CNN Philippines Life photographer JL Javier went to different cemeteries around Metro Manila prior to the Undas closures to capture how visitors are remembering their departed loved ones.

Newly lit candles left behind by visitors illuminate tombs around the Manila South Cemetery. Photo by JL JAVIER

Families in the Manila South Cemetery make their way towards the exit at the end of visiting hours at 5 p.m. on Oct. 26. Photo by JL JAVIER

Many gravesites in the Manila Memorial Park in Paranaque are seen marked with fresh flowers on Oct. 28, the last day before cemeteries close. Photo by JL JAVIER

Guests at a columbarium inside the Manila Memorial Park take a moment to visit. Photo by JL JAVIER

Inside the San Felipe Neri Cemetery in Mandaluyong City, a man reaches for their loved ones grave to adorn it with sampaguita. Photo by JL JAVIER

A visitor uses a marker to fill in the faded text on a gravestone. Photo by JL JAVIER

Visitors entering the Manila North Cemetery are welcomed by police personnel, who inspect items being brought in and remind the visitors to observe health and social protocols. Photo by JL JAVIER

A tomb gets a fresh layer of paint in time for Undas. Photo by JL JAVIER
Note: The article contains spoilers for the "LRT" segment of "Shake, Rattle and Roll VIII."

Its a beautiful sight to behold whenever theres space in the Philippine public transportation system. But during this particular night, the carriage bringing people from Santolan to Recto is deserted, save for a couple of wandering souls. You have the working class clocking in or out of work. An evangelist is in the corner preaching the word of God at this godless hour. Theres the young couple anxious for the sermon that awaits them at home. But something different happens this time. The last trip skips its supposed final stop, and instead, brings its passengers to their final destination, where something deady awaits them.

This is the premise of Shake, Rattle and Roll VIII: LRT. The episode follows Jean (Manilyn Reynes in her fifth appearance in the franchise) and her son Jimmy (Quintin Alianza) as they attempt to escape the underbelly of the Light Rail Transit Line 2. One by one, some of the countrys brightest stars have their hearts ripped out of their chests by the LRTs eyeless monster.

Since it premiered in 2006, Mike Tuvieras survival horror has garnered a cult following. Recalling the production of the segment, Tuviera says, LRT was an absolute blast to make, and what I have received from fans of the episode is that it scares them effectively, but also ends up being quite effective and thought-provoking. You're in for a rollercoaster ride, and end up ruminating on the greater evils out there. To this day, there are still commuters out there that are wary of taking the last trip because of this episode. So how was LRT able to leave a scar on the countrys collective psyche? Why do we find ourselves looking away when we see a bagua mirror? How did the manananggal end up being scarier than Michael Myers? What exactly makes our horror films scary?

Folklore and the real

Theres a dichotomy that can be made when American and Asian horror films are placed side by side. The classic all-American slasher creates terror through its tension and gore. Cue John Carpenters Halloween Theme - Main Title. On the other hand, theres subtlety in the Asian ghost film. Fear is a muse to be wooed with atmosphere and history. In his essay Asian Ghost Film vs. Western Horror Movie: Feng Shui published in Plaridel: A Philippine Journal of Communication, Media, and Society, Tilman Baumgartel recalls Feng Shui as the first horror film he saw in Manila and dives deeper into this dichotomy.

Stills from Chito S. Rono's "Feng Shui."

Borrowing from Robin Woods Freudian and Marxist analysis of horror films, Baumgartel highlights how American horror cinema features the return of the repressed. The slasher films slice of classic Americana provides commentary on Americas social anxieties and traumas. Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers, and Freddy Krueger became placeholders for the patriarchy, neglect, and sexual repression among others. This can ultimately be attributed to Western modernisms attempt to rationalize the world.

This is where Asian ghost films differ. In Japan, they believe in yurei  spirits that have unfinished business on Earth. Its the malevolent spirits of Kayako and Toshio that haunt the cursed house in Takashi Shimizus Ju-On.

In this regard, we share a kinship with our Asian neighbors, whose most successful horror products also borrow from their specific cultural milieu, Tuviera shares. The aswang is what your lola swears she saw in the barrio she grew up in. Sapi is what happened to the friend of your friend during their high school recollection. Balete Drive is the road no driver dares to cross past midnight. Our fears are more than just metaphors.

Philippine cinema conjured up its first horror film in 1927. Jose Nepomucenos Ang Mananaggal scared Filipinos for the first time in black and white. However, the manananggal had always hovered above us, waiting for the right time to strike. In his accounts of the Philippines back in 1589, Spanish friar Juan de Plasencia noted in outlining the priests of the devil, The seventh [kind] was called magtatangal, and his purpose was to show himself at night to many persons, without his head or entrails. In such ways the devil walked about and carried, or pretended to carry, his head to different places; and, in the morning, returned it to his body  remaining, as before, alive. This seems to me to be a fable, although the natives affirm that they have seen it, because the devil probably caused them so to believe.

The story of the manananggal evolved over time and continued to provide fuel for our nightmares. However, with familiarity comes predictability. This is why Kenneth Dagatan, the director of Ma and Sanctissima, believes in the need for reimagination in local horror. But were telling these stories again and again in the same way for the past years. And I think we need to reimagine how we tell these horror stories because all of the elements were looking for are all there, but reimagining how we tell it, to give a new voice, a unique taste, is the hardest part. Director Prime Cruz breathes new life to the manananggal narrative by turning it into a love story in Ang Manananggal sa Unit 23B.

The creature from LRT is also a reimagination of our classic horror. [The idea for the monster in] LRT was born from the popular modern day myth of the snakeman underneath the changing room in a mall. I took that idea and just ran with it, creating something that I hope successfully merges the past and the present, says Tuviera. Over time, our monsters mutate.

Scream queens and commercial sensibilities

Despite her ability to smoothly transition from shock to anguish to indifference in a span of one second, Toni Collettes performance in Hereditary was snubbed by the Academy Awards. In its 92 years of existence, Hollywoods most prestigious film award-giving body has only bestowed trophies to 18 horror films. Katrina Tan, a PhD candidate in Film, Media and Communication, points out how Philippine cinema differs from this. In some Hollywood films, horror films do not [always] have big stars, but ours almost always have popular stars. The combination of genres and stars are some strategies of commercial producers to widen the audience they can target.

Theres a certain kind of prestige that comes with these roles. From Susan Roces to Lorna Tolentino to Kris Aquino, and more recently, Nathalie Hart, it was always a privilege to be frightened to death in the titular role of Patayin sa Sindak si Barbara. Even the pillars of Philippine drama arent afraid to venture into the darkness of horror. Vilma Santos-Recto learns that faith may not always be enough to heal in Chito Ronos The Healing. Maricel Soriano deals with spirits as frightening as her mambabarang wig in Frasco Mortizs The Heiress. In addition, Mikhail Reds Eerie was heavily marketed as the film that would bring powerhouses Charo Santos-Concio [who broke out in the 1976 horror film Itim] and Bea Alonzo together.

Dawn Zulueta in the 1995 remake of "Patayin sa Sindak si Barbara." Screenshot from ABS-CBN FILM RESTORATION/YOUTUBE

Filipino horror understands that a good scream queen is a good investment to have. Eerie writer and media archivist Mariah Reodica links this to our artista culture. It seems like a rite of passage for every celebrity whether they can act or not. We have a strange fascination with seeing stars get spooked. For example, soon after their appearances on Pinoy Big Brother or Starstruck, these promising young stars would find themselves crossing over to the silver screen. Call it the reality competition show to horror film pipeline. This trend persists even until today. Topel Lees Bloody Crayons and Peter Abannas Banal gave top billing to the countrys up and coming stars.

These are the people that the nation wants to root for. Vilmanians would be on the verge of fainting as the possessed Kim Chiu attempted to stab the star for all seasons in The Healing. God forbid anything bad happens to KathNiel in Pagpag. Tension is born out of seeing our favorites in dire situations. This was how we were terrorized alongside the OG scream queen herself. When Lotus Feet showed up in the periphery, the countrys sweetheart Kris Aquino let out the scream in Feng Shui that would launch a series of horror films  and we lived for it.

Catholicism and cultural trauma

Additionally, our horror films pick at the scabs of the wounds of our cultural memory. Filipino horror draws heavily from spirituality, Catholic imagery, and this idea of whats forbidden or sacrilegious. We do have a lot of religious and colonial guilt to deal with, and its expressed potently in a lot of horror films, Reodica says. This type of horror can only come from a country that has undergone centuries of Catholic indoctrination. Historically, the Spanish conquest used the Church as an ideological apparatus.

Here in the Philippines, possession is punishment. Blessed were the good indios for theirs was a place in the colony. Damnation awaited those who strayed. Derrick Cabridos Clarita presents the classic cautionary tale of a woman possessed. Jodi Sta. Maria contorts her body and breaks her bones to warn us of the pitfalls of our waning faith. Theres an extra layer of horror that comes with knowing that you brought your damnation upon yourself. And so we go to church on Sundays and pray that the devil doesnt take us. [T]hese beliefs that were essentially handed down to us are also what punish us, says film critic Emil Hofilena.

Jodi Sta. Maria in Derrick Cabridos Clarita. Screencap from BLACK SHEEP/YOUTUBE

Its a simple premise: the presence of the divine dictates survival. However, that isnt always the case. There are horror films that feature religion and its agents as savior of the possessed character but we also have films which critique religion, Tan adds. We also see this desecration of the sacred in Erik Mattis Seklusyon. The film crafts an atmosphere of fear by tapping into the rich imagery that Catholic iconography has to offer. The Blessed Virgin transforms into a lover scorned, priests become vessels of abuse, and an innocent child bleeds black. However, the fear here ultimately lies in what the film shows at the end. With the blessing of the devil, the greedy, the abuser, and the pedophile are ordained and become part of the institution. If religion cant provide salvation, whats left for us to believe in?

Analog of the anxieties of the nation

In his analysis of the Shake, Rattle and Roll franchise, University of the Philippines professor and media studies critic Rolando Tolentino invites us to view the beloved series as an analogue of anxieties of the nation in general, which contextualizes the series scope of some 30 years of nation-formation. With its first iteration premiering in 1984, Shake, Rattle and Roll has been around long enough to witness the fall of a dictator, the rise of neoliberalism, and the emergence of several national crises from the administrations that followed. Tolentino would argue that the anxieties derived from the film are reactions to the anxieties that are lived out by the audience.

This alludes to the ability of horror films to articulate the nations desires and fears. Set during the reign of a Guatemalan dictator, Jayro Bustamantes La Llorona uses the legend of the weeping woman to echo the call for justice for the Mayan genocide from 1982-1983. The film is a politically-charged slow-burn that tells the story of a community in need of reparation and healing.

Dodo Dayaos Midnight in a Perfect World invites us to stare into the void of our countrys dark horrors and wait for the void to stare back. Midnight in a Perfect World, in particular, has really only gotten stronger for me the longer this pandemic has gone on, since it seems to understand that very specific anxiety that comes from being isolated, feeling like youre losing your senses, and trying to escape the evil of the outside world, Hofilena says. But in this darkness, theres one thing that we can make out. Its allusions to both the Duterte and Marcos dictatorships are clear as day.

Jasmine Curtis-Smith in Dodo Dayao's "Midnight in a Perfect World." Photo from QCINEMA

Despite its release in 2006, LRT'' feels hauntingly familiar. Through the archetypal sacrifice of her beloved, Jean and Jimmy emerge from the claustrophobic LRT station and come forth to behold the stars. The danger has passed and they find safety in the presence of the police. They are taken to the station where they are reunited with the LRTs other survivor, Nina (Empress Schuck). Locked up in a jail cell, it is here that the three learn about the films sinister twist. The LRT monster appears.

LRT in particular, was an attempt to borrow from mythology as well as more contemporary ideas. It's basically akin to the aswang or kapre archetypes, but married into a more contemporary setting where politics even play a greater part in the evil that occurs than just the creature itself, Tuviera says. As if it had predicted the future, LRT would call into question the power and control that the police have. What do we do when the people who had vowed to serve and protect us are the ones shooting our children in the streets, planting evidence, and feeding us to the monster?

Dying in public transport and at the hands of the police  theres probably nothing more horrifying and Filipino than that.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 28)  The Commission on Elections on Thursday defended again the substitution scheme, noting this time that imposing a ban would only hold a political party hostage to the whim of an indecisive aspirant.

"If you take out the ability of a party to substitute against a voluntary withdrawal, in effect you are holding the party hostage to the whim of a candidate," Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez told CNN Philippines' The Source.

"If a candidate files a Certificate of Candidacy under pretense of good faith and then later on says 'ayaw ko na [I don't want to run anymore],' you are going to leave the political party high and dry," he added. "Thats not fair."

Jimenez stressed that substitution for voluntary withdrawals "is still a necessary remedy, particularly for political parties." He said it brings "no damage" to the electoral system but acknowledged that there is a need for regulation.

"There's no damage to the electoral system if substitution happens but again, because of how it is being used now, maybe theres room for some sort of regulation," he said. "But an outright ban would not be ideal."

Lawmakers earlier filed measures seeking to prohibit the substitution of candidates, following speculations that some contenders, like presidential aspirant Sen. Bato dela Rosa, as well as the presidential and vice-presidential bets of Lakas-CMD, are only "placeholders" ahead of the deadline.

Section 77 of the Omnibus Election Code allows a candidate of a registered or accredited party to be substituted in case of death, disqualification, or withdrawal.

Substitution for political candidates in the 2022 polls is until Nov. 15.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 28)  The Department of Health on Thursday laid down the requirements and other details of the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination of children aged 12-17 beginning next week.

DOH Undersecretary and National Vaccination Operations Center (NVOC) chairperson Myrna Cabotaje said the vaccination of all minors in that age group  regardless of their health status  will start November 3 in Metro Manila. It will be rolled out in the rest of the country on November 5.

Requirements

A child who will be vaccinated needs to be accompanied by a parent or a guardian with the documentation requirement to prove their relationship. The only allowed guardians are parents, grandparents, siblings over 21 years old, or heads of orphanages or children's homes.

The parent/guardian must give consent and the child must agree to the vaccination. The child must also present an identification card or a birth certificate.

Local government units (LGUs) have opened their pre-registration process, but Cabotaje said they may also allow walk-in vaccinees.

Vaccination site

DOH said all vaccination sites can be used to inoculate children, but it must have a big enough space to accommodate the vaccinee and the guardians. They should ideally be allotted a separate lane or room to ensure their safety.

LGUs must also ensure they can respond immediately and appropriately if a child experiences side effects after vaccination. Cabotaje suggested that children with comorbidities be vaccinated in hospital vaccination sites or a site near a health center to ensure quick response in case of adverse side effects.

"Hindi pwede gamitin ang pang-adult na pang-response. Ang emergency equipment, iba ang pangbata at pang-adult," the official said.

[Translation: The response for adults and children are different. Different kind of emergency equipment are used.]

A total of 23,727 children with co-morbidities aged 12-17 have received their first dose of Moderna or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine since the start of the phased rollout on Oct. 15. DOH said 25 reported side effects, with three serious cases.

Timeline

Cabotaje said pediatric vaccination will not coincide with the plan to administer third shots to healthcare workers and immunocompromised individuals.

"Hindi siya sasabay sa [It will not be at the same time as the] pediatric rollout," Cabotaje said.

The government hopes to vaccinate 80% of the 12.72 million children aged 12-17 by December.

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. also earlier bared plans to administer additional shots to vulnerable sectors starting November, but the DOH is waiting for the World Health Organization Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (WHO SAGE) to issue its guidance and for the Food and Drug Administration to approved the amended emergency use authorization.

The pediatric vaccination currently covers children with co-morbidities aged 12 to 17 in select vaccination sites in Metro Manila. It will be rolled out in 123 vaccination sites across the nation on Friday, according to the NVOC.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 28)  Patients with mild symptoms of the coronavirus may soon have options for supplementary treatment.

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) said it was eyeing to register lagundi and tawa-tawa with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an "added indication" for COVID-19 "in about three months."

Indication refers to the use of a drug for treating a particular illness. Oftentimes, a registered drug has more than one indication or can be used to treat several diseases.

"'Yung lagundi at tawa-tawa kasi, nagtatapos pa sila ng technical reports nila... Siguro, mga about three months, saka sila mag-a-apply," DOST Undersecretary Rowena Guevarra told CNN Philippines on Thursday.

[Translation: They are still finishing the technical reports for lagundi and tawa-tawa. Maybe they will apply in about three months.]

The DOST said it was also working on the application for the use of virgin coconut oil against COVID-19, but added the process might take longer.

An earlier study by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute had found VCO can ease symptoms of suspected cases.

Meanwhile, the clinical study for lagundi, which ended in August, has shown the herbal medicine "can be safely used for symptomatic, mild COVID-19," Guevarra said.

Trials for tawa-tawa also yielded "positive results," with patients experiencing relief from symptoms within three to five days.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 28)  A number of local governments have eased their testing requirements as new COVID-19 cases in the country decline.

The Department of Tourism said negative COVID-19 test results are no longer required for fully vaccinated individuals to enter the following areas:

- Tarlac

- Pampanga

- Nueva Ecija

- Camiguin

- Batangas

- Oriental Mindoro

- Masbate

- Camarines Norte

- Iloilo

- Guimaras

- Negros Occidental

- Bohol

- Southern Leyte

- Zamboanga del Sur

- Zamboanga Sibugay

- Misamis Oriental

- Bulacan

- Cebu Province

- Davao City

- Ilocos Norte (starting Dec. 1)

Tourists will only need to present their valid vaccination cards, particularly those issued by the Department of Health or their local government unit.

The agency reminded travelers, as well as tourism workers and businesses, not to be complacent and still observe health protocols, given the more relaxed restrictions.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 28)  Select drugmakers in poor countries can produce their own generic version of the antiviral pill molnupiravir, hailed as the first oral medicine that can treat COVID-19 infections.

Pharmaceutical firm Merck announced on Thursday it is signing an agreement with the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) to facilitate affordable global access to molnupiravir, an investigational medicine for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in adults who are at risk of progressing to severe infection and/or hospitalization.

The MPP will select drug manufacturers from 105 low- to middle-income nations who will benefit from the royalty-free license.

"We encourage further efforts in voluntary licensing to ensure that people in low- and middle-income countries can access COVID-19 treatments," Unitaid Executive Director Dr. Philippe Duneton said. MPP is founded by Unitaid, a global health agency that funds initiatives to address major diseases, including COVID-19.

The agreement means Merck Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, and Emory University will not receive royalties for sales of molnupiravir for as long as the World Health Organization classifies the COVID-19 pandemic as a public health emergency.

Emory University invented the drug and licensed it to Ridgeback Biotherapeutic. Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics are jointly developing molnupiravir.

It has only been approved for use in the Philippines through compassionate special permits and it can only be accessed in hospitals for now.

The first batch of molnupiravir is expected to reach the Philippines in November. The five-day molnupiravir treatment plan would range from around 20,000 to 30,000.

Merck has a pending application for emergency use authority before the US FDA. The initial result of the study showed molnupiravir cuts risk of hospitalization and deaths by half. It is the first oral drug developed for early treatment of Covid-19 infection.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 28)  Around 200,000 near-expiry Moderna vaccines can still be used in the government's COVID-19 inoculation program, the country's vaccine czar said Thursday.

Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. was asked what would happen to 400,000 shots of Moderna vaccines from the private sector that would be expiring in November.

"Ang ginawa namin sa 400,000 na 'yan, kinuha muna namin as loan, meaning nandun sa national vaccination operations center at saka nadeploy na natin. Considering that we still have at least 32 days, malayo pa yun...na we will use this as first dose," Galvez said at a briefing welcomg the arrival of 896,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccines donated by the Japanese government.

[Translation: What we did with those 400,000 was get them as loan, meaning they are already at the national vaccination operations center and have been deployed. Considering we still have 32 days and that is still enough time that we will use this as first dose.]

Earlier, health experts said the government should fast-track the approval and release of guidelines for giving a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine as 400,000 Moderna shots are reportedly nearing expiration.

Galvez said half of the vaccine doses have already been used and there was enough time to distribute and utilize the remaining 200,000 vials

"Kayang-kaya po natin yan kasi meron na po tayong experience na 1.5 million AstraZeneca (vaccines) nakaya natin ideploy in one and a half months. So yung Moderna, wala tayong problema diyan. I would like to assure the public that we can use the Moderna as soon as possible," he added.

[Translation: We can still do that because we have experience with 1.5 million AstraZeneca which we deployed in one and a half months. So the Moderna, there is no problem there. I would like to assure the public that we can use the Moderna as soon as possible.]

Galvez said there were also some 4,000 AstraZeneca doses that were close to expiring which can be used as a second dose. They were also conducting "wall-to-wall" inventory to see whether there were more vaccines that would be expiring soon.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 28)  The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said it hopes more students can already return to classrooms by January just weeks after the start of the Department of Education (DepEd)'s trial run of face-to-face classes starting November 15.

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua on Thursday said he is in talks with the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) for protocols for the safe reopening of campuses to schoolchildren despite the COVID-19 crisis.

READ: 90 schools to hold pilot face-to-face classes in November  DepEd

"The most important thing is we pilot, get it started today so that hopefully, the learnings of our pilot in November can be applied to a wider opening in January," Chua told a webinar hosted by the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines. "I am also concerned about COVID but I think we should treat this virus now as part of our lives... We will work with the data and scenarios to get as many of the schools reopened."

DepEd earlier said the pilot test will be done in kindergarten, grades 1 to 3, and technical-vocational programs in senior high school. Classes will be held for half a day and will be conducted every other week in not more than 100 schools in areas identified as low-risk for COVID-19 transmission.

"Students can come twice a week. They can come for one whole week and then spend two weeks to quarantine in case someone has COVID and I think it will work out well," Chua said.

"I can see the rural public school empty on the national highway, they have so many land. I cannot imagine how they cannot have schooling even in the gym or beside the tree or have alternate schedules so that the class is not full," he added, referring to a recent visit to Mindanao.

RELATED: COVID-19 shots now mandatory for teachers in pilot face-to-face classes

The NEDA chief stressed that returning to school-based sessions is significant, as losses in productivity and learning  pegged at 11 trillion in 2020  could double if school closures extend for another year.

Distance learning is also a source of financial constraint, Chua added, with a NEDA survey baring that three in every five families have one parent who skips work to teach their children at home. This results in a 25% reduction in income.

The Philippines is the last to resume face-to-face learning worldwide, with Venezuela having resumed physical classes just this week for millions of students.

The Asian Development Bank earlier called for classrooms to reopen, saying students make slower progress under distance learning.

Chua also cited American research findings which showed online schooling is only 52% as effective as face-to-face classes, and that this would translate to lower future incomes and missing a child's full potential and skills development.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 28)  The total COVID-19 vaccine supply delivered to the Philippines hit over 100 million doses on Thursday, Oct. 28, with the arrival of nearly a million more Pfizer shots.

The cumulative tally reached 100,528,840 after the country received an additional 976,950 Pfizer doses procured by the national government.

The plane carrying the US-made vaccines landed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport at around 8:30 p.m.

Earlier in the day, more than 800,000 AstraZeneca doses donated by Japan were also added to the national inventory.

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez, Jr. said the achievement is not only a product of the country's efforts, "but is also a testament to the strong cooperation and will among international partners and stakeholders."

He noted nearly 30% of the overall supply have been donated by various entities including the World Health Organization-led COVAX facility, as well as several other nations that have also pledged to send more doses.

"We have now inoculated millions of our Filipino people against the deadly disease and are now bringing back a greater sense of normalcy," Galvez added.

The Philippines received its first vaccine shipment, which was Sinovacs CoronaVac donated by China, in late February.

According to the latest government data, 57.49 million doses have so far been administered to around 31 million Filipinos since the rollout began in March. More than 26 million people are now fully inoculated.

Official figures also show that an average of 522,272 persons have received the shots daily over the past week.

The government is optimistic it can reach its 1.5 million daily inoculation target by Nov. 15.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 28) The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Thursday said it will hold three separate in-person debates for the declared presidential and vice presidential candidates ahead of the 2022 polls.

"It will be face-to-face among candidates. Yesterday there was a lot of talk about it being online and people were concerned that online meant the candidates will be virtual as well. They wouldn't be," Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez told CNN Philippines' The Source.

Comelec earlier said it was eyeing a "hybrid" debate in the upcoming polls due to the threat of COVID-19. Now, candidates will be gathered in the same place, but the audience can only watch the debate online.

Jimenez said aside from three presidential debates, the poll body will also hold three separate debates for the vice presidential bets, since a vice president is elected independently of the president.

Meanwhile, Jimenez confirmed that Comelec guidelines for the campaign period will be released soon, primarily containing modifications on the capacity of in-person campaigns that will depend on the alert level system in an area.

"The most prominent feature of it, as far as I'm looking at the review of it, is that we will be regulating the number of people who can participate in in-person campaigns. It is likely going to be determined in large part by alert level in a particular place," Jimenez said.

Comelec has yet to declare the official president and vice presidential candidates for the 2022 elections. So far, key aspirants for the posts are the tandems of Leni Robredo-Kiko Pangilinan, Manny Pacquiao-Lito Atienza, Ping Lacson-Tito Sotto, Bato dela Rosa-Bong Go, Leody De Guzman-Walden Bello, and presidential aspirant Bongbong Marcos, who has yet to announce his running mate.

Aspirants welcome debates

Some of the aspirants have welcomed in-person debates to allow voters to get to know them better.

"Iba pa rin yung physically engaged ang mga kandidato lalo na sa isang debate na inaabangan ng mga Pilipino para makilatis nila ng husto kung sino ba ang iboboto nila upang mamuno sa bansa, kasama na ang demeanor o kilos ng bawat presidential candidate," Lacson said on Thursday.

[Translation: It's different when a candidate is physically engaged, especially in a debate where Filipinos are waiting to know them better in order to discern who is really fit to lead the country, including seeing a presidential candidate's demeanor or how he carries himself.]

Dela Rosa said he also agrees with the proposal to avoid the possibility of bets "using poor signal as alibi for evading hard questions."

De Guzman backed the face-to-face debates as well.

"Dapat magharap ang mga kandidato para pag-usapan ang mga solusyon sa mga problema ng masa. Mainam na makita ito ng publiko para gabayan sila sa kanilang pagboto," he said.

[Translation: The candidates should go face-to-face to talk about solutions to the people's problems. It's better for the public to see this so they can be guided on who to vote for.]

Pacquiao and Robredo also earlier said aspirants should participate in physical debates to fully express their sentiments on social issues that need to be tackled.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 28)  A controversial government medical supplier did not pay taxes last year while a former presidential adviser only paid a fraction of his taxable income in 2018, a senator said on Thursday.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon presented a summary of tax records based on documents from the Bureau of Internal Revenue. In it, he noted that Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. claimed a tax credit worth over 96 million last year but did not pay any tax.

CNN Philippines requested comment from Pharmally on the issue.

Pharmally president Twinkle Dargani and corporate secretary Mohit Dargani, meanwhile, had very low ITRs considering their purchase of luxury cars, as pointed out by Drilon. He added that the ITRs of the company director, Linconn Ong, were all unreadable.

RELATED: Senators to Pharmally's Darganis: Come out of hiding, submit sought documents

Drilon also pointed out that former presidential adviser Michael Yang did not make any filings from 2014 to 2017. However, he paid 7,600 for a taxable income of 208,000 according to the Senate leader. Later in the hearing, the Chinese businessman said he will consult his accountant on the issue.

Resigned Budget Undersecretary Lloyd Christopher Lao, the former head of the agencys Procurement Service, filed his ITRs through the eBIR Forms Online Facility but could not be viewed by the bureau, said the senator. Lao also did not make any filing last year, he added.

Drilon also noted that Greentrends Trading International, a supplier of Pharmally Pharmaceutical, did not file any ITRs from 2015 to 2021. Another company, Xuzhou, had no available records beginning 2017.

Xuzhou Construction, the governments second top pandemic supplier, earlier told the committee it is a state-owned company in China and that it pays income taxes there. It said it doesnt pay taxes in the Philippines since it doesnt accept payments in the country.

Drilons presentation summed up that most of the ITRs of those allegedly involved in the anomalous deals were either not filed, unreadable or incomplete.

On his end, panel chairman Sen. Richard Gordon noted that the said documents were supposed to be for their executive session but emphasized the people's right to information on matters of public concern must be recognized. The committee "is in power" to declassify these, he added.

The Blue Ribbon Committee also adopted a motion urging the Bureau of Internal Revenue to form a task force that will perform a special audit on taxes paid by medical goods suppliers amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tax expert Mon Abrea reiterated during todays hearing that not paying taxes, failure to register with the BIR, not filing tax returns, under-declaring sales, and claiming expenses without supporting documents are grounds for tax evasion and are criminal violations under the National Internal Revenue Code.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 28)  The country received 896,000 more doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Thursday, pushing the country closer to the 100 million mark in vaccine deliveries.

The latest batch of vaccines was donated by Japan and arrived past noon at Terminal 1 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. and Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Kazuhiko Koshikawa were present at the arrival and in a briefing during the arrival. Both officials expressed hope that the vaccines could help the country achieve herd immunity.

"Japan firmly stands by and will continue to cooperate for the Philippines to prevail over this pandemic...We are confident that a better Christmas for Filipinos is now well within reach," said Koshikawa.

Meanwhile, Galvez thanked the Japanese government for the donated vaccines.

"The Filipino people and President Rodrigo Duterte and I thank the Japanese government for your donation of an additional 1.9 million doses, which comprises 3 million doses, that will save the lives of more or less 1.5 million Filipinos," he said.

Galvez said the arrival of the vaccines comes at a crucial time as the government expands its vaccination program that now includes minors aged 12 to 17.

The latest delivery puts the total vaccine doses shipped to the Philippines at 99,551,290. Another delivery later tonight of 976,950 shots of the Pfizer vaccine will breach the 100 million mark in total vaccines delivered to the country.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 28) The Commission on Elections stressed Thursday that formally declared political candidates who give out money during the campaign period will have to undergo "due process" to determine their true intentions.

Speaking to CNN Philippines' The Source on Thursday, Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said there is a case that can be made for vote buying, even for people who reason that they hand out money for "humanitarian purposes."

"Remember, ang depensa ng gumagawa niyan [Remember, the defense of some camps] especially for those who do it in the open is they do it for humanitarian purposes," Jimenez said when asked whether a political aspirant like Sen. Manny Pacquiao can be held liable for handing out money ahead of the campaign season.

"Definitely, magkakaroon ng due process diyan. Magkakaroon ng depensa ang mga gumagawa. But again, sa ordinaryong pananaw ng tao, kapag nakita yan, sasabihin vote buying yan," he added.

[Translation: Definitely, there will be due process there. These political camps that do it will have their own defense. But again, in the eyes of the ordinary people, if they see it, they will think of it as vote buying.]

Jimenez said there is "something wrong" with handing out money to people, since it impacts how voters think about the elections. Political candidates who make such offers during the campaign season also "have a lot of defenses available to them," but their true intent will have to be formally determined.

Pacquiao earlier drew criticism for his supposed premature campaigning where he gave out money during his visit in Batangas. The boxer-turned-politician himself confirmed that he gave out bundles of 1,000 cash in a relief activity, but reasoned that he has been doing it for decades using his personal money.

Jimenez said that for now, what Pacquiao is doing still cannot be considered vote buying, since the campaign period has not yet started. But once the official season begins, it would be another story, he added.

"Kung mapatunayan at malinaw na ginagawa yan kapalit ng boto [If it can be proven that hes doing it in exchange of votes], yes, there is a case to be made for vote buying," he said.

Buying and selling votes are election offenses that are punishable with imprisonment of up to six years, disqualification from holding public office and forfeiture of voting rights, according to the Omnibus Election Code.
Everyone eligible should be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of long-distance travel or employment.

Vaccination should be voluntary but those who don't get vaccinated should be frequently tested for COVID-19 as a condition of long-distance travel and employment.

Both vaccination and testing should be voluntary and not required as a condition of long-distance travel or employment.

I defer to the judgment of lawmakers as long as they base their decisions on a consensus of medical professionals.

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One man was killed and another was seriously injured Wednesday night after a shooting broke out, the Commerce City Police Department said.

Police said the shooting happened about 9 p.m. in a parking lot in the 4800 block of East 62nd Avenue, near the avenues intersection with Vasquez Boulevard.

Responding officers found two men suffering from gunshot wounds at the scene. One was pronounced dead at the scene and the other was taken to a hospital with serious injuries, police said. The surviving victims condition is unknown.

Police have not released any information about what led to the shooting. Its unclear if the victims knew each other.

The investigation into the shooting is ongoing. No arrests have been made as of Thursday morning, police said. No suspect information is available.

Anyone with information is asked to call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867. Tipsters can be anonymous and are eligible for a $2,000 reward.

The identity of the deceased victim will be released by the coroners office after his family has been notified.
Hungarys 4iG has signed a final agreement with PPF Telecom Group to acquire 100% of Telenor Montenegro.

4iG first bid for the unit in July this year. CommsUpdate reports that the deal is on track to close by the end of 2021 providing it clears the requisite regulatory clearances. The final sum has not yet been revealed.

Marek Slacik, Executive Director TMT CEE at PPF Telecom Group, said: Our business strategy focuses on markets offering significant growth potential and solid weighting within our portfolio. Therefore, we have decided to sell Telenor Montenegro to a party that has a long-term interest to develop the mobile operator further.

Gellert Jaszai, President and CEO of 4iG, said: Telenor Montenegro is a mobile operator with a stable growth background, the acquisition of which is an important step through the implementation of our strategy in the Western Balkans. The acquisition may open up additional opportunities for us in the region in the telecommunications and ICT markets.

PPF acquired Telenor Montenegro from its Norwegian parent firm in 2018 - along with Telenors operations in Bulgaria, Hungary and Serbia - in a US$3.3 billion deal. Telenor Montenegro had a 37% share of the market with 475,580 mobile subscribers as of 30th September 2021.
Technology group Liquid Intelligent Technologies and telecommunications carrier Orange have announced a new partnership to leverage each other's existing networks in Africa, allowing them, as they put it, even greater access and opportunity to build their businesses throughout the continent.

This partnership will give Liquid access to Oranges extensive network in West Africa, including the new Djoliba network. Launched in late 2020, Djoliba is described as the first pan-West African fibre backbone. It connects the capitals of Burkina Faso, Cote dIvoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria and Senegal, all of which are natively interconnected with their countrys domestic networks. This will, Orange says, centralise connectivity access for operators and companies.

The agreement will also give Orange access to Liquids pan-African network. The One Africa network from Liquid has 100,000 kilometres of fibre backbone and covers most of sub-Saharan Africa. Network development plans include extending the organization's reach into North African countries like Morocco, Libya, Tunisia and Algeria.

As a result of this access to each others networks the two organizations say they will offer end-to-end high-speed connectivity and services across their networks, allowing existing and new customers in over 20 African countries greater access and opportunity to build their businesses. Liquid customers will also benefit from gaining access to cybersecurity solutions from Orange.

This partnership represents another milestone for Liquid and its aim to become a premier African digital services provider. As for Orange, it says that its networks have been the backbone of its success in the region for more than 20 years and this partnership will serve to strengthen its ability to make digital services more accessible as well as enhancing its contribution to the continents development as a whole.
Truong Chau Huu Danh, Nguyen Phuoc Trung Bao, Doan Kien Giang and Nguyen Thanh Nha stand before the Thoi Lai District People's Court in Can Tho, October 28, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Cuu Long

Five Can Tho residents were sentenced to varying jail terms Thursday after being found guilty of abusing democratic freedoms by posting false information on the Internet.

Truong Chau Huu Danh, 39, was sentenced to four years and six months in jail by the Thoi Lai District Peoples Court in the southern city for abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the State, lawful rights and interests of organizations and/or citizens.

Nguyen Phuoc Trung Bao, Doan Kien Giang, Nguyen Thanh Nha and Le The Thang, aged 36-41, were sentenced to two-three years in jail each on the same charges.

All five were banned from working as journalists for three years.

In August 2019, the five created a group called "Bao Sach" (Clean Journalism) with a Facebook fanpage and a YouTube channel. They wrote several articles regarding on the hot topics of that time.

Authorities said their articles "masqueraded as anti-corruption journalistic works, but were in fact corruption itself."

The court said that while Danh and his accomplices did not use words or images that were explicitly "harmful", the manner in which they presented their articles made their readers believe what they were saying was true. Many readers reacted, commented and shared the posts, using defamatory terms and other vulgar words to describe certain people and organizations, the court noted.

Therefore, the defendants intended to invite people to badmouth the ways and initiatives of Vietnam's Communist Party and the State, the court found.

Prosecutors said the groups actions had severely impacted the reputation of leaders of the Party and the State, sowing confusion and doubts among the people and causing disruptions in society.

Danh was arrested at the end of last year, and the other four soon left the group. They were eventually detained and investigated.

At the trial, Danh acknowledged that his posts had been "subjective, one-sided and not backed by evidence." He said he wanted to "reflect the state of society and wish to contribute and do good," but he was not able to stop the negative reactions.

Danh also said he was accepting the main responsibility for the groups actions. He apologized to individuals and organizations impacted by his actions. His four accomplices also admitted their fault and requested the court for lenient sentences so they could return to their families.
Gender imbalance in the Red River Delta is the highest among all Vietnamese regions, with 115 boys born for every 100 girls, a new report says.

The 2021 Country Gender Equality Profile for Vietnam, released Tuesday by UN Women in cooperation with the Australian Embassy in Vietnam, the Asian Development Bank and the International Labor Organization, notes that Vietnam has "an extreme imbalance in the sex ratio at birth due to son preference and sex-selective abortion."

The report said the sex ratio at birth in Vietnam, according to the 2019 Census, is 111.5 boys born for every 100 girls, placing the country among the five lowest ranked countries in the world. A normal sex ratio at birth would be around 105 boys for every 100 girls, the report says.

Of all the regions in Vietnam, the Red River Delta has the highest sex ratio at birth with 115 boys for every 100 girls, while the Central Highlands has the lowest imbalance at 105 boys for every 100 girls. The localities with the highest sex ratio at birth (above 115) are clustered in northern Vietnam, namely Bac Giang, Hung Yen, Hai Duong, Bac Ninh, Hanoi and Son La, the report says.

Data from the 2019 Census revealed there were about 1.2 million more boys aged 0-19 than girls. The report says the gender imbalance in Vietnams adult population is unlikely to be alleviated over the next few decades, as most of the future adults have already been born.

The report attributes the high gender imbalance in Vietnam to both declining fertility rates and the availability of reproductive technologies. These factors, combined with Vietnams traditional preference for sons as a predominantly patriarchal society, have led to a rapid rise in prenatal sex-selective interventions to produce sons.

The report warns that the imbalance at birth will have a "long-lasting impact on the demographic structure of Vietnam," where a future excess of men would lead to "marriage squeeze," which in turn might heighten gender-based violence, including sexual exploitation and human trafficking.

Vietnam will have around 1.5 million more men than women aged 15-49 by 2034 if the sex ratio imbalance remains unaddressed, the General Statistics Office (GSO) has warned.
Vietnam recorded 4,876 more local Covid-19 cases on Thursday, with surging numbers in Dong Nai and Ha Giang Provinces, pushing the infection tally in the new wave to 900,670.

The three localities with the highest numbers of new infections were Ho Chi Minh City with 1,069 cases, and its neighbors Dong Nai with 745 cases and Binh Duong with 618 cases.

Dong Nai's tally is its highest in three weeks, while the northern highlands province of Ha Giang recorded 184 new cases, its highest daily number ever.

54 deaths were added to the national database on Thursday, with 25 cases in Ho Chi Minh City, six in Binh Duong, four each in Tien Giang, Long An and Tay Ninh, three in Dong Nai, two in Soc Trang and one each in Kien Giang, Can Tho, Dak Lak, Bac Lieu, An Giang and Ninh Thuan.

The total numbers of Covid-19 deaths so far is 21,910 cases, or around 2.5 percent of all infections.

1,649 Covid-19 patients were announced recovered on Thursday, bringing the total number of recovered cases so far to 813,963.

Vietnam has vaccinated 54.5 million people with at least one Covid-19 vaccine shots so far. Around 22.6 million people have been fully vaccinated.
Pha That Luang, a gold-covered large Buddhist stupa, is a famous tourist attraction in Vientiane, Laos. Photo by Shutterstock

Tourists from Vietnam, China and other ASEAN countries would be prioritized when Laos reopens its doors to foreign tourists, a senior official said.

Laoss current focus is to vaccinate at least 50 percent of its population against Covid by the end of this year, Lao Deputy Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Ounthuang Khaophan said in a statement, Vietnam News Agency reported.

As of October 23, 43.55 percent of the Lao population had received at least one dose of a Covid vaccine and 37.24 percent had been fully vaccinated.

Therefore, the country is yet to set a date to welcome vaccinated foreign tourists, the deputy minister said.

After more than 50 percent of the population is fully vaccinated and the pandemic situation improves, Laos will reopen its borders to vaccinated tourists, with those from neighboring countries, especially Vietnam, China and some ASEAN countries on the priority list for entry, he said.

Vietnam also closed its doors to foreign tourists and canceled all international flights in March last year to contain Covid, allowing only Vietnamese repatriates and foreign experts and highly-skilled workers to enter.

The Vietnamese government has recently announced tentative plans to revive international foreign tourists after over two years of border closures.

The localities of Kien Giang, Khanh Hoa, Quang Nam, Da Nang and Quang Ninh, home to many tourist hotspots, have got the green light to welcome foreign tourists starting November.
- Volcano nears end of its sixth week of activity, having begun on 19 September

- New lava flowing into previously formed 'lava tunnels'

- Local council president suggests bombing the lava flows from Cumbre Vieja

- CBS News published incorrect graphic suggesting La Palma, an island, was on mainland Spain.

- Concerns about La Palma air quality after main cone collapse

- Over 35,000 earthquakes and tremors recorded in La Palma over the past month

Useful information

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Watch live coverage from Cumbre Vieja
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian (2nd L) speaks during the Second Meeting of Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan's Neighboring Countries in Tehran, Iran, on Oct. 27, 2021. Iran on Wednesday presented a proposal aimed at "alleviating the people's suffering" in Afghanistan and preventing the rise of "threats" from the country. (Photo by Ahmad Malek/Xinhua)

TEHRAN, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Iran on Wednesday presented a proposal aimed at "alleviating the people's suffering" in Afghanistan and preventing the rise of "threats" from the country.

"There is no doubt that it is not in the interest of any of its neighbors that Afghanistan re-enters a new cycle of civil war," Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said at a conference in Tehran with Afghanistan's neighboring countries, according to an official release.

Given the conditions of Afghan society, a stable development of Afghanistan requires the establishment of an all-embracing government that allows "effective participation" of all "ethnic and religious" groups, based on dialogues and without foreign interferences, Amir Abdollahian said as the first point of Iran's proposal.

Neighboring countries should use all their influence on Taliban leaders and other Afghan parties to encourage and facilitate the establishment of such a government, he added.

Secondly, the foreign minister pointed to "undeniable duties" of the Taliban as "the ruling incumbent" in the country with such responsibilities as ensuring security, fighting terrorism, respecting the rights of "different groups including women," and providing basic needs for the population.

It is also necessary that the Taliban adopts a "friendly approach" towards their neighbors and give assurances that no threat will be posed to its neighbors from Afghan soil, Amir Abdollahian suggested in a third point.

The Afghan people, the Iranian senior diplomat said in his fourth point, have an urgent need for fairly-distributed humanitarian aid.

It requires a solid mechanism, and Iran suggests that aid should be distributed through the Economic Cooperation Organization's program for Afghanistan, he added.

The fifth point proposed was the creation of an intelligence-security cooperation mechanism to fight against possible organized crime and terrorism in Afghanistan.

Amir Abdollahian also voiced Iran's proposition to request the UN secretary general's mediation between Afghan groups over the future political structure of Afghanistan, in case of necessity.

The gathering in Tehran followed a virtual meeting of foreign ministers of Afghanistan's neighbors that was held on Sept. 8, under the chairmanship of Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

Amir Abdollahian expressed his hope that Wednesday's session would act as a platform to discuss practical ways for the Afghan neighbors to work together to tackle common concerns over the crisis.

Afghanistan has entered a new phase of a decades-long crisis since U.S. troops hastily abandoned the country, putting an end to almost 20 years of military occupation as the Taliban militias took power. Enditem

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Editor: Zhang Zhou
Photo taken on Oct. 27, 2021 shows the parliamentary debate on the Portuguese State Budget for 2022 at the parliament in Lisbon, Portugal. The Portuguese State Budget for 2022, presented by the Socialist Party (PS) government, was rejected by the Assembly of the Republic on Wednesday. (Photo by Pedro Fiuza/Xinhua)

LISBON, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Portuguese State Budget for 2022, presented by the Socialist Party (PS) government, was rejected by the Assembly of the Republic on Wednesday.

Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has threatened before the parliamentary debate that he would dissolve the parliament and call for early elections if the budget is rejected.

The Constitution of Portugal provides that early elections should take place within 60 days of dissolving of the parliament.

Prime Minister Antonio Costa has also vowed that he will run in the elections "to be accountable and mobilize the Portuguese to create the conditions of governability that do not exist today."

The political crisis, the first of its kind for a current government since the country entered a democracy in 1974, was caused by the disagreement between the ruling Socialist Party (PS) and its traditional ally Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) and the Left Bloc. Enditem

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Editor: GSY
COLOMBO, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Colombo Fashion Week (CFW) to be held next month will showcase designs adapting to the new normal amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and the venue will include the Colombo Port City for the first time with the Indian Ocean as the backdrop, organizers said Tuesday.

The CFW Swim Week Colombo, scheduled for Nov. 12 and 13 in the national capital Colombo, will showcase works created by 11 local designers. The second day of the event will be held at the Marina of the Colombo Port City.

The Colombo Port City is a China-funded multi-billion dollar project being constructed by China Harbor Engineering Company (CHEC) Port City Colombo (Pvt) Ltd.

The project is being constructed on land reclaimed from the sea, located close to the Colombo Harbor.

The Colombo Port City, the first of its kind being constructed in the country, will attract billions of dollars of investments and will generate at least 80,000 jobs once completed, the Sri Lankan government said.

Founder and Managing Director of CFW Ajai Vir Singh said that they have partnered with the Colombo Port City this year to show the world that Colombo has re-opened and is ready for business once again following the lifting of the COVID-19 related lockdown.

Ajai said the specialty this year will be that designs will cater to the new normal amid the pandemic.

He said it was important to hold the event as it was crucial to get the local fashion industry back on track.

"We chose to have the CFW closer to December as it will capture the December season including weddings. A lot of designers are excited to come back out with creativity," Ajai said.

This year, the CFW will be a hybrid event with limited guests but it will be telecasted live.

Editor: WXL
DOHA, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday briefed the media on his contact with the delegation of the Afghan Taliban's interim government before he left the Qatari capital of Doha.

Wang noted that during his visit to Qatar, he had contact with Acting Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi of the Afghan Taliban's interim government, during which the Afghan side elaborated on the domestic and foreign policies pursued by the Afghan interim government.

The Afghan side has made a more positive statement on issues of China's concern as well as that of the international community, such as increasing the inclusiveness of the government, safeguarding the lawful rights and interests of women and children as well as combating terrorism, Wang said.

Wang said they also talked about bilateral exchanges and decided to set up a working level mechanism, adding that such contact is beneficial and has enhanced mutual understanding.

Wang said when the situation in Afghanistan saw a major turning point, China was the first to put forward a multiple-point expectation for Afghanistan in the future.

First, to build a more open and inclusive political structure in which every ethnic group and faction should participate and play a role.

Second, to implement moderate and steady domestic and foreign policies, including safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of women and children.

Third, to make a clear break with all terrorist forces including the Islamic State and the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement, and take measures to resolutely crack down on them.

Fourth, to pursue a foreign policy of peace and live in harmony with other countries, especially neighboring countries.

The China-proposed expectation has become the consensus of the international community, and the key is how to realize it.

China holds that an attitude of equality and respect should be adopted to contact and communicate with all parties and ethnic groups in Afghanistan, Wang said, adding that China disapproves of constantly pressuring others and opposes threatening others with sanctions.

Noting that Afghanistan is a sovereign state, and a nation with the spirit of independence, Wang said Afghan history and multiple international incidents have proven that pointing fingers at an independent nation will only backfire. Wilful interference in other countries' internal affairs violates the basic norms governing international relations, he added.

As long as the international community keeps patient, proceeds in an orderly way and actively interacts with the Afghan interim government as well as other parties and ethnic groups, it is believed that the Afghan Taliban will more clearly recognize what can be done to better serve the fundamental and long-term interests of the Afghan people and the expectations of all parties, so as to better integrate into the international community, Wang noted.

Wang stressed that China and Afghanistan are neighbors, and the two peoples enjoy long-lasting friendly exchanges. Many Afghan friends said that China is a major country that has never bullied Afghanistan, and a great neighbor of Afghanistan.

China's policy towards Afghanistan is clear and consistent, Wang said. China respects Afghanistan's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, respects the Afghan people's pursuit of a development path that suits their national conditions, and respects the objective reality of the Afghan interim government's rule in the country.

China has never meddled in Afghanistan's internal affairs or sought any private interests, and has no intention to build any sphere of influence in the country, Wand said, adding that China will continue to heed the voices and needs of the Afghan people, help restore stability in Afghanistan within its capabilities and play a constructive role in achieving development in the country.

Wang noted that as for the temporary difficulties facing Afghanistan, China wants to make it clear that the United States and some Western countries have unshirkable responsibility.

China urged those countries to assume their due responsibilities, take practical actions as soon as possible to effectively help alleviate humanitarian crises that may arise, and do concrete things to bring tangible benefits to the Afghan people, he said.

Wang also called on the international community to make concerted efforts to ensure the true implementation of the principle of "Afghan-owned and Afghan-led" in Afghanistan.

Editor: WXL
Yang Xiaodu, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, deputy secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, and chairman of the National Commission of Supervision, holds talks with Khamphanh Phommathath, Politburo member of the Party Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary, Chairman of the Inspection Committee of the Party Central Committee, and president of the State Inspection Authority, via video link, in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 27, 2021. (Xinhua/Liu Bin)

BEIJING, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- China and Laos on Wednesday expressed their willingness to deepen exchanges and cooperation in discipline inspection and supervision.

Yang Xiaodu, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, deputy secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, and chairman of the National Commission of Supervision, held talks with Khamphanh Phommathath, Politburo member of the Party Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary, Chairman of the Inspection Committee of the Party Central Committee, and president of the State Inspection Authority, via video link.

Noting China and Laos are friendly socialist neighbors, Yang said China is willing to work with Laos to implement the important consensus reached by the top leaders of the two parties and countries. China will also deepen exchanges and cooperation in discipline inspection and supervision, promote the clean construction of the China-Laos Railway, and elevate the building of a China-Laos community with a shared future to a new level.

Khamphanh spoke highly of the tremendous achievements made by the CPC in its centenary and its complete and strict governance over the Party.

He also said Laos is willing to work with China to strengthen mutual learning, jointly promote the construction of a clean Silk Road and push for new progress in discipline inspection and supervision cooperation for the benefit of the two peoples.

Editor: WXL
A truck loaded with the first batch of exhibits arrives at the north square of the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), a main venue for the fourth China International Import Expo (CIIE), in east China's Shanghai, Oct. 23, 2021. The expo is set to take place in Shanghai from Nov. 5 to 10 this year. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe)

SHANGHAI, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- A large pumpkin created by avant-garde Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama was transported to the exhibition hall of the 4th China International Import Expo (CIIE) from a bonded warehouse in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone on Monday.

Shanghai Customs said that over 100 artworks from overseas are expected to be exhibited at this year's CIIE via the city's free trade zone, thanks to tax exemption policies tailor-made for the event.

Wang Jiaming, deputy director of an international cultural investment company registered at the Shanghai Free Trade Zone, said that overseas art institutions have been very enthusiastic about participating in the 4th CIIE.

Among the exhibits, there are many "heavyweight" artworks, including paintings, sculptures, contemporary artworks, and cultural relics, Wang said.

To further promote the artwork trading volume and the return of cultural relics, this year's CIIE has established a cultural section in the services trade exhibition area.

The CIIE is the world's first dedicated import exhibition and its three previous editions have seen fruitful outcomes. The 4th CIIE is slated to be held offline in Shanghai from Nov. 5 to 10 this year.

Editor: WPY
Yuriy Shchuklin, logistics market expert, advisor to the Ukrzaliznytsia Head of Board

Railway is the main and irreplaceable shipping means for the Ukrainian grain on the way to Ukraines sea ports. The countrys grain export, its repute as a reliable player at the world market depend on the proper economic situation of the two parties to the logistics process: grain producers and grain shippers.

Since the last millennium, I have been engaged in shipping grain by railway, and I know everything about it (maybe, even some stuff that I should not know). Regrettably, this market has not seen, even until now, normal and mutually beneficial relations between shippers and cargo owners, and there are crises recurring every year. Every autumn, there are not enough railway cars for grain producers, and they are not sure if they can move the cargo. Every spring, the shippers do not have enough cargo, and they are not sure if they have enough work to do. The correct and logical step to help avoid crises and evenly spread shipments throughout a year could be the early planning of shipments. I, and the like-minded people, have more than once raised this issue at different levels. However, it has not been the arguments of real business owners that have been winning in this discussion but the interests of numerous intermediaries and functionaries who get their chances to profit as a result of annual crises in shipments.

Still, there is hope that the new crisis which has begun in the recent days will become the decisive argument to show that it cannot go like this any longer.

I will share the analysis of the key market trends. With the beginning of massive gathering of maize, the hyped demand for renting railway cars of Ukrzaliznytsia has formed. As a result, the cost of renting these cars has grown twofold or threefold, compared to early October. This growth will inevitably influence the pricing policy of the remaining 75 percent of the market because other shippers are already beginning to revise their prices in the wake of these events.

This price corridor is lowering the margin of the production of grain in Ukraine. Grain producers have already been shocked by these prices and are facing the choice: either pay UAH 200-300 more for shipping a ton of grain or change the terms of fulfilling their contracts.

This is why this has happened: Ukrzaliznytsia has 7,000 railway cars for carrying grain, this representing almost 25 percent of the market. However, if privately owned railway cars stock (19,000) has been already hired by cargo owners and shipments with them have already been planned, Ukrzaliznytsya does not have contracted shipments and enters the spot market at the peak of the season offering its railway cars to all who want them, through auctions. When the agricultural producers who want these cars were joined by the army of intermediary forwarders, the price of using these railway cars has immediately risen twofold or threefold, on October 21-22. A chain of decisions has led to the peak rise in prices while every party at the logistics market (producers, infrastructure operators, traders) wanted to realize their interests within short terms without having adequate information on actions of other parties and on possible results. The interest of shippers of agricultural produce and of traders, to realize all their deliveries within one calendar month, led to the hyped demand which, in its turn, has provoked the formation of the price bubble. This is why the main cause of this crisis may be considered the lack of long-term contacts between grain producers and shippers, whereby one party would guarantee the availability of cargo and work to the other, while the other party would guarantee shipping at a certain price.

The current crisis, caused by intermediary forwarders (who will profit from the next price turn) will be a blow at agricultural producers and will inflict damage at the state-owned shipper, Ukrzaliznytsya. Knowing how this market functions, I can responsibly forecast the way in which privately-owned railway-car stock will use this new price turn. They will see the trend that will benefit them: to lure the bigger part of agricultural shipments away from customers, and will do everything possible to push Ukrzaliznytsya out to solely the spot market, lasting for only 2-3 moths every year.

Being a businessman in essence, I do not share the opinion of a number of my fellow business people that the state-owned railway shipper must abandon the grain shipment market. However, the current targets and benchmarks set for the Ukrzaliznytsia managers are leading to this very result. Against the background of the peak rise in prices, the grain shipment segment of Ukrzaliznytsia will demonstrate a rise in revenue, and this will provide the cause for praise. However, from the viewpoint of chances of gaining profit in the long term, Ukrzaliznytsia will suffer as a result of this price change because its agrarian customers will switch to private shippers. The latter are interested in luring the cargo base to their side, and for this sake they will be doing everything that Ukrzaliznytsia has not done until now: they will guarantee the stability of prices and will implement early planning of shipping in order not to create hype and queues during the peak season. The issue remains open as to what private shippers will do and what terms they will offer when Ukrzaliznytsia leaves the market

The state, as the shareholder of Ukrzaliznytsia, and the executive power need to understand with all seriousness: it is now that the risks of losing the market for shipping grain are high as never before, and owners of agrarian businesses and grain producers will be the first to suffer from this. It is my great hope that the state-owned shipper, Ukrzaliznytsia, with its new top management, demonstrates self-reliant mode of actions and begins developing what the market needs most of all at the moment: long-term contracts between shippers and cargo owners. It is this course that will allow to lead the market of the export logistics of grain to the civilized format of relations. Then, grain producers will not face the choice of deciding what to lose, as this is happening now.
Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita is hopeful that the European Union will help resolve issues linked to the gas crisis in Moldova, which is also holding negotiations with its neighbors on alternative energy sources.

"The European Union's support is crucial to ensuring the security and energy independence of Moldova, and bringing policies in this field in line with European standards and joining the EU's energy market remain the government's priority," Gavrilita said at a meeting with European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson in Brussels on Thursday.

Moldova is interested in a constant high-level energy dialogue with the EU, a move that will help resolve priority issues and determine areas where European partners' help is needed, she said.

The gas crisis and ways to diversify sources of gas and electricity supplies to Moldova topped the meeting's agenda, the Moldovan government's press service said.

"The government joined the negotiations on settling this crisis at a time when the country depended on its sole supplier. At the same time, we initiated discussions with the region's countries of projects that will help supply Moldova with gas and electricity from alternative sources," Gavrilita said.

Simson, in turn, underscored the importance of implementing projects that will help enhance Moldova's energy security, reiterating the EU's readiness to extend all necessary support to help Moldova cope with the current difficulties.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday after a meeting with Gavrilita that the European Union is prepared to allocate EUR 60 million to Moldova to help manage the energy crisis there.

Chisinau is holding negotiations on a long-term contract with Russian gas giant Gazprom. Under the terms of the October contract, Moldova shall pay $790 per 1,000 cubic meters, but receive an amount of gas enough to cover only 67% of the country's gas needs. On October 22, the Moldovan government declared an emergency until November 20 over the gas crisis.

The negotiations with Gazprom are continuing, but have not produced any agreement thus far. Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Spinu is currently in St. Petersburg, where he is meeting with Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller.
The European Union is prepared to make EUR 60 million available to Moldova to help manage the energy crisis there, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said.

"EU Commission is making available EUR 60 million to help manage the current energy crisis," she said on Twitter, following a meeting with Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita.

The sixth meeting of the EU-Moldova Association Council takes place on October 28.

This month has seen the start of a gas crisis in Moldova. At the end of September, the gas supply contract between Moldovagaz and Gazprom expired. The contract was only temporarily extended for October, and this month, the Russian company is supplying gas at a price of $790 per thousand cubic meters, that is, notably higher than in September. In addition, only 67% of gas Moldova needs is contracted for October. In connection with this, Moldovagaz has on a number of occasions asked consumers to use gas sparingly, while the authorities have declared that pressure has reduced in gas pipelines. Negotiations between Moldova and Russia on future gas supplies have yet to reach any kind of conclusion.

Russia is ready to supply gas to Moldova at market price with a 25% discount if the country pays its debt in the amount of over $700 million. The Moldovan authorities, in turn, say that the price offered by Gazprom is higher than the market price in the region, and an independent audit is necessary to determine the size of the debt.
Over the past day, 15 attacks by the Russian-occupation forces were recorded in Donbas, as a result of which one Ukrainian serviceman was killed, the JFO headquarters said in a morning report.

"Over the past day, on October 27, 15 violations of the ceasefire were recorded, three of which with the use of weapons prohibited by the Minsk agreements [...] As a result of hostile actions, one soldier was injured incompatible with life," the report says.

In particular, near Hranitne, the occupants fired twice from 122 mm artillery and 120 mm mortars. In the direction of Luhanske, the enemy fired four times, using grenade launchers of different systems, large-caliber machine guns and other small arms. Near Novotoshkivske, the enemy opened fire from small arms. In the direction of Novoluhanske and Vodiane, the mercenaries used hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers. In the area of Lebedynske and Zaitseve, shelling was carried out from grenade launchers of various systems and small arms. Not far from Shyrokine enemy opened fire from heavy anti-tank grenade launchers. Positions near Kriakivka came under fire from 120 mm mortars. Near Hranitne, Russian occupation forces dropped unknown explosive devices using an unmanned aerial vehicle.

In addition, in Donetsk region, the flight of an enemy drone was recorded, crossing the disengagement line.

"As of 7 am, October 28, one violation of the ceasefire was recorded. Near Luhanske, the invaders fired from heavy anti-tank grenade launchers and heavy machine guns.
The Commission on Environmental Safety, Manmade Disaster and Emergency Response of Kyiv will meet on Friday, October 29, deputy head of Kyiv City State Administration (KSCA) Mykola Povoroznyk said.

"For the third day in the capital, the occupancy rate of beds with oxygen exceeds 65%, which means that the city is actually on the threshold of the 'red' zone. The decision to establish the 'red' level of epidemiological danger is taken by the State Commission on Environmental Safety, Manmade Disaster and Emergency Response, but we gather the local commission tomorrow, "he wrote on his Facebook page.

He said that over the past day 1,451 people fell ill, and 39 residents died. There are 3,334 patients in hospitals, including 50 children, with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19, as well as 452, including 27 children with suspected disease.

A total of 2,411 patients are in serious condition. There are 339 patients in intensive resuscitation beds, 59 are connected to a ventilator, another 232 are on non-invasive artificial ventilation.

In addition, according to Povoroznyk, some 2,888 patients need oxygen support.
Up to 2 thousand Ukrainian builders will receive the right to employment in Israel - The Embassy

Ensuring the rights and social protection of Ukrainians who have the right to work in Israel, as well as attracting additional specialists and Ukraine were the subject of a meeting between Ukrainian Ambassador to the State of Israel Yevhen Korniychuk and the head of the Federation of Construction and Wood Industry of Israel Yitzhak Moyal. The Embassy of Ukraine reported this at Facebook.

There was an acquaintance with the organizational structure of trade unions of the State of Israel, areas of cooperation with trade unions of Ukraine. The high level of cooperation with Ukrainian partners was stated. During the conversation, the greatest attention was paid to ensuring the rights and social protection of Ukrainian citizens who have the right to employment in Israel. As of October 2021, about 1,250 Ukrainian builders work in Israel, - the statement reads.

The Embassy notes that the Israeli government has decided to involve an additional 2,000 specialists from Ukraine.

In this context, on November 8-11, with the direct participation of Israeli examiners, a test and selection procedure will be held at the Kyiv Regional Higher Vocational School of Construction, - the statement said.

The parties stated that the existence of clear and transparent rules for attracting labor from Ukraine hinders illegal labor migration to Israel.
In Kharkiv, almost 100% of school and kindergarten teachers are vaccinated against COVID-19, acting Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov has said.

"Today we have the highest vaccination rate among school and kindergarten teachers in the country  about 98-99%. And as a result, not a single kindergarten, not a single school is closed," Terekhov said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

He added that he is opposed to distance learning and therefore asked school and kindergarten teachers to be vaccinated.

"Now the schoolchildren have gone on holidays, then the children will go to school  in masks, with ventilated rooms [all classes will be ventilated during breaks], but they will study permanently. But if necessary, they will again go on holidays, and the educational process will be postponed. And then they will receive knowledge. Otherwise, this is all self-deception and profanation," Terekhov said.

According to Terekhov, the city is provided with a vaccine against COVID-19, and about 480,000-500,000 people have already been vaccinated (some are vaccinated with the first dose of the vaccine, some are fully vaccinated) in Kharkiv with population of 1.5 million people.
Klitschko asking govt to transfer Kyiv to 'red' zone on COVID-19

In the Ukrainian capital, the situation with the coronavirus is rapidly deteriorating, in connection with which mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko is asking the government to transfer the city to the red zone.

Klitschko made the corresponding statement during a briefing on Thursday.

"The decision to transfer the city to the 'red' zone is made by the State Commission for Emergency Situations. And we appeal to the government to make such a decision," Klitschko said.
Today, Ukraine is one of the most attractive countries for Israel in terms of real estate. The Ambassador of Ukraine to the State of Israel Yevhen Korniychuk stated this during the conference Investing in the real estate market of Ukraine: profits and risks, which was held in the mode of the Kyiv-Tel Aviv teleconference.

We and our co-organizers have planned to hold this event to dispel caution and provide the most objective and relevant information on all aspects of investing in projects in Ukraine, - he said.

The head of the Embassy stressed the great interest of Israeli business representatives in this event, which aims to attract Israeli investors to the Ukrainian real estate market and create opportunities to commercialize Israeli investments in the real estate sector of Ukraine with a profit of 10% per annum.

I am especially pleased to emphasize the lively interest of Israeli business representatives. We plan not to stop there and will acquaint Israel with new promising areas of cooperation with Ukraine, - he added.
Since the beginning of this day, on October 28, Russian mercenaries in the area of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) in Donbas have violated the ceasefire seven times, four of which with the usage of weapons prohibited by the Minsk agreements, the JFO headquarters reported on Facebook.

"As a result of hostile actions, two servicemen of the Joint Forces were wounded. The soldiers received medical assistance, they were evacuated to a medical institution. The state of health of both is of moderate condition," the message says.

In the vicinity of Luhanske, the mercenaries fired from heavy anti-tank grenade launchers and heavy machine guns, in the direction of Krymske they opened fire twice from 82 mm mortars. Also, 82 mm mortars fired at JFO positions near Krasnohorivka.

In Novozvanivka area, Russian mercenaries used 120 mm mortars. Small arms were fired towards Troyitske.

In addition, in Luhansk region, an enemy drone, probably Orlan-10, was seen flying over the contact line.

JFO units returned fire and forced the enemy to stop shelling without using weapons prohibited by the Minsk agreements.
Ukrainian lawyer of the head of the executive committee of the National Reforms Council of Ukraine, ex-President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili, Yevhen Hrushovets, states that he is preparing appeals to international organizations and the court in connection with his groundless non-admission to the territory of Georgia and his intention to fly back to Georgia to meet with his client.

"We have real fears about Saakashvili's life and health, gross violation of his right to defense, in particular, the safety of his lawyers, who will still provide him with legal assistance from Ukraine," the lawyer said at a press conference at the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Thursday.

According to Hrushovets, his trip to Georgia was planned in advance, and appropriate appeals were sent to the Foreign Ministry, to the Ukrainian embassy in Georgia. "We have followed all the legal procedures so that I could freely enter the territory of Georgia," the lawyer said.

According to him, Georgian legislation allows providing legal assistance to lawyers who are citizens of other countries. At the same time, he recalled that Saakashvili is a citizen of Ukraine.

According to the lawyer, when leaving for Kyiv, he had to buy a ticket for luggage, as it exceeded the permissible weight. In the luggage, as Hrushovets said, there were working documents among other things.

He said that at the airport in Georgia he was stopped at passport control, the reason for stopping was allegedly questions about the PCR test. "After a while, another officer of the border service said that I needed to leave the territory of Georgia, that I had no right to stay there. It was unexpected for me ... They said that they would inform me about everything later," the lawyer said.

He said that after several hours of staying at the Tbilisi airport, he was "actually forced" to board a plane and fly back to Kyiv, without explaining the reason for the refusal to enter the country. Upon arrival in Kyiv, as the lawyer specified, he never received his luggage. "We have information that my luggage is still on the territory of Georgia," Hrushovets said.

According to him, in this case there are a lot of violations, and "there are also threats to provide high-quality legal assistance to Saakashivili."

"Can I be sure that in this situation with the luggage there will be no provocative actions against me? No, I'm not sure about that. Can I be sure that there was no unauthorized access to the property of the lawyer, the lawyer's secret in the case, which has now received considerable publicity," the lawyer noted.

"When asked if we are planning to try to visit Saakashvili again, I will answer, yes, indeed, we do. We cannot but do this, because this is our direct professional activity," Hrushovets said.

According to him, in this regard, many questions arise for the Georgian side, in particular, why the lawyer is not allowed in, and also "a rhetorical question arises, if we, citizens of Ukraine, can feel safe when today no legal mechanisms give a result." The lawyer said that appropriate appeals to international governmental and non-governmental organizations have been prepared.

"Lawyers in Georgia submit complaints and appeals to the court, respectively, regarding my unreasonable denial of access to the territory of Georgia," he said.

As reported, Saakashvili arrived in Georgia on September 29, and on October 1 he was detained in Tbilisi. He is currently in prison in the city of Rustavi. In Georgia, Saakashvili is involved in several criminal cases. Saakashvili considers his detention illegal, and the charges as falsified.

  
Credit card is seen in front of displayed Visa logo in this illustration taken, (Photo : REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration)

The U.S. Justice Department is probing Visa Inc's relationships with large fintech companies as part of its antitrust investigation of the card giant, the Wall Street Journal reported https://www.wsj.com/articles/justice-department-probes-visas-relationships-with-fintech-firms-11635358833?st=y32csqd9o1sexp8&reflink=article_copyURL_share on Wednesday.



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Antitrust investigators are looking into the financial incentives that Visa gave Square Inc, Stripe Inc and Paypal Holdings Inc, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter.



Visa, which reported its quarterly results on Tuesday, declined to comment.



The company said earlier in March the Justice Department was looking at its debit practices after reports that the United States was investigating whether Visa uses anti-competitive practices in the debit-card market.



The Justice Department had previously investigated the credit card payments industry but settled with Visa and Mastercard Inc in 2010 when they agreed to allow merchants to offer consumers incentives to use a low-cost credit card.


Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, U.S. Army General Mark A. Milley, 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)

The top U.S. military officer, General Mark Milley, has provided the first official U.S. confirmation of a Chinese hypersonic weapons test that military experts say appears to show Beijing's pursuit of an Earth-orbiting system designed to evade American missile defenses.



The Pentagon has been at pains to avoid direct confirmation of the Chinese test this summer, first reported by the Financial Times, even as President Joe Biden and other officials have expressed general concerns about Chinese hypersonic weapons development.



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But Milley explicitly confirmed a test and said that it was "very close" to a Sputnik moment -- referring Russia's 1957 launch of the first man-made satellite, which put Moscow ahead in the Cold War-era space race.



"What we saw was a very significant event of a test of a hypersonic weapon system. And it is very concerning," Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Bloomberg television, in an interview aired on Wednesday.



Nuclear arms experts say China's weapons test appeared to be designed to evade U.S. defenses in two ways. First, hypersonics move at speeds of more than five times the speed of sound, or about 6,200 kph (3,853 mph), making them harder to detect and intercept.



Second, sources tell Reuters that the United States believes China's test involved a weapon that first orbited the Earth. That's something military experts say is a Cold War concept known as "fractional orbital bombardment."



Last month, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall alluded to his concerns about such a system, telling reporters about a weapon that would go into an orbit and then descend on a target.



"If you use that kind of an approach, you don't have to use a traditional ICBM trajectory -- which is directly from the point of launch to the point of impact," he said.



"It's a way to avoid defenses and missile warning systems."



Fractional Orbital Bombardment would also be a way for China to avoid U.S. missile defenses in Alaska, which are designed to combat a limited number of weapons from a country like North Korea.



Jeffrey Lewis at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies summed up fractional orbital bombardment this way: "The simplest way to think about China's orbital bombardment system is to imagine a space shuttle, put a nuclear weapon into the cargo bay, and forget about the landing gear."



Lewis said the difference is that the Chinese re-entry system is a glider.



China's foreign ministry denied a weapons test. It said it had carried out a routine test in July, but added: "It was not a missile, it was a space vehicle."



U.S. defenses are not capable of combating a large-scale attack from China or Russia, which could overwhelm the system. But the open U.S. pursuit of more and more advanced missile defenses has led Moscow and Beijing to examine ways to defeat them, experts say, including hypersonics and, apparently, fractional orbital bombardment.



The United States and Russia have both tested hypersonic weapons.


U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during the virtual ASEAN U.S. Summit, hosted by ASEAN Summit Brunei, in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei (Photo : HOST PHOTO/Handout via REUTERS)

President Joe Biden on Wednesday told a summit of East Asian leaders that the United States was deeply concerned by China's "coercive" actions across the Taiwan Strait, calling it a threat to peace and stability.



Speaking at the virtual event also attended by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and other regional leaders, Biden reiterated that the United States had a "rock-solid" commitment to Taiwan.



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"We are deeply concerned by China's coercive ... actions," Biden said, charging that they "threaten regional peace and stability."



"The U.S. is committed to Taiwan. In fact that commitment is rock solid and consistent across administrations. It continues to be the maintenance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits and within the region," he said.



Biden last week said the United States, which is obliged by a 1979 law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, would come to Taiwan's defense if it was attacked by China. Those comments caused a stir because they appeared to depart from a long-held U.S. policy of "strategic ambiguity" as to how Washington would respond to such a scenario.



The White House said Biden was not signaling a change in U.S. policy toward Taiwan, and some analysts dismissed his comments as a gaffe.



Tensions between Taiwan and China have escalated in recent weeks as Beijing raises pressure on the island it claims as its own with repeated air missions over the Taiwan Strait, the waterway separating the island and the mainland.



China expressed displeasure at Biden's comments last week. Its foreign ministry urged Washington "not to send the wrong signals to the forces of Taiwan independence, to avoid seriously harming Sino-U.S. ties and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait."


Israel moves ahead with thousands of settler homes despite U.S. opposition

A view shows the Jewish settlement of Maale Adumim in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, (Photo : REUTERS/Ammar Awad)

Israel moved forward on Wednesday with plans to build some 3,000 homes for Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank, defying the Biden administration's strongest criticism to date of such projects.



A senior Palestinian official said the decision showed that Israel's new government, led by far-right politician Naftali Bennett, was "no less extreme" than the administration of the veteran leader he replaced, Benjamin Netanyahu.



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An Israeli defence official said a planning forum of Israel's liaison office with the Palestinians gave preliminary approval for plans to build 1,344 housing units and its final go-ahead for projects to construct 1,800 homes.



It will be up to Defence Minister Benny Gantz, a centrist in Israel's politically diverse government, to give the nod for construction permits to be issued, with further friction with Washington looming.



"This government is trying to balance between its good relations with the Biden administration and the various political constraints," a senior Israeli official told Reuters.



The United States on Tuesday said it was "deeply concerned" about Israel's plans to advance thousands of settlement units. It called such steps damaging to prospects for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and said it strongly opposes settlement expansion.



Washington desisted from such criticism when President Joe Biden's Republican predecessor Donald Trump was in office.



A senior U.S. State department official said Secretary of State Antony Blinken had discussed the issue with Gantz on Tuesday. Their phone call was first reported by the Axios news website, which cited Israeli officials as saying the chief U.S. diplomat voiced U.S. opposition to the settlement plan.



The latest projects, as well as tenders published on Sunday https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-advances-plans-new-west-bank-settlement-homes-2021-10-24 for more than 1,300 settler homes, amounted to the first major test case over settlement policy with the Biden administration that took office in January.



"The behaviour of the Israeli government under Bennett is no less extreme than what it had been under Netanyahu," Bassam Al-Salhe, a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, told Reuters.



"The U.S. administration has words, and no deeds, to change the policy that had been put in place by Trump," Salhe said.



There was no immediate comment from Washington on Wednesday.



TIGHTROPE



Walking a political and diplomatic tightrope, Bennett has been facing calls from settler leaders to step up construction. Such projects are likely to be welcomed by his ultranationalist constituents, who share his opposition to Palestinian statehood.



But along with the prospect of straining relations with Washington, Bennett could also alienate left-wing and Arab parties in a coalition governing with a razor-thin parliamentary majority, if they view settlement plans as too ambitious.



Most countries regard the settlements Israel has built in territory it captured in a 1967 Middle East war as illegal.



Israel disputes this and has settled some 440,000 Israelis in the West Bank, citing biblical, historical and political ties to the area, where 3 million Palestinians live.



Palestinians seek to create a state in the West Bank and Gaza, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Israeli-Palestinian peace talks collapsed in 2014.


U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) speaks to reporters after a meeting with White House officials at the U.S. Capitol (Photo : REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz)

Senior Democrats in the U.S. Congress were at odds on Wednesday over a proposal to tax billionaires' assets to help pay for President Joe Biden's social and climate-change agenda, leaving it unclear if the idea had enough support to become law.



The Senate's top tax writer, Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, unveiled the idea early on Wednesday, but by afternoon his House of Representatives counterpart, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, said the idea appeared to be too complex to succeed.



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Biden's Democrats are struggling to reach consensus on the scope of a pair of bills worth about $3 trillion to rebuild the nation's infrastructure, boost social spending and fight climate change. With the narrowest of margins in Congress, and unified Republican opposition, they need near 100% agreement within the caucus to pass anything.



Biden and Democratic congressional leaders have been scaling back their ambitions in order to keep skeptical centrists on board. Several media outlets reported that they dropped a provision on Wednesday that would have provided up to 12 weeks of paid family leave.



Aides in Congress said the billionaires tax, affecting roughly 700 taxpayers with over $1 billion in assets or $100 million in annual income for three consecutive years, would impose a 23.8% tax rate for long-term capital gains on tradable assets, whether or not they have been sold. It would also allow taxpayers to take deductions for losses on assets.



Neal, along with other Democrats had backed Biden's original proposal, which would raise tax rates on companies and the wealthy, but that idea faces an uphill fight in the Senate.



Referring to the billionaires tax, Neal said: "It will be very difficult because of its complexity."



He added that Democrats are discussing imposing a 3% surtax on taxpayers earning more than $10 million.



Senator Bernie Sanders, a leading progressive, said the billionaires tax was a "step in the right direction" but not nearly enough. "Every sensible revenue option seems to be destroyed," he told reporters. Sanders met with Biden on Wednesday, a White House aide said.



The billionaires tax plan was put forth after Senate moderates voiced opposition to the idea of raising corporate tax rates.



"The president supports the billionaire tax," said White House spokesperson Jen Psaki. "He looks forward to working with Congress and Chairman Wyden to make sure the highest-income Americans pay their fair share."



Two other revenue proposals - a 15% corporate minimum tax https://www.reuters.com/world/us/details-emerge-corporate-minimum-tax-plan-us-senate-democrats-cnbc-2021-10-26 and tougher enforcement of existing tax laws - also enjoy backing from the White House and congressional Democrats.



MANCHIN SKEPTICAL



Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, a centrist who has forced Biden to scale back the spending package, reacted with skepticism to the billionaires tax proposal as well.



"I don't like the connotation that we are targeting different people," he told reporters.



Manchin said he would support a minimum 15% tax on wealthy individuals, similar to the 15% corporate minimum tax that Democrats have proposed.



He and Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema, another centrist who has opposed various Democratic proposals, met behind closed doors with White House staffers for roughly two hours on Wednesday.



The minimum corporate tax would dovetail with a global corporate minimum tax recently agreed to by 136 countries https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/us-treasurys-yellen-confident-congress-will-pass-global-minimum-tax-2021-10-10 and aimed at corporations that pay little or no tax by gaming the international tax system.



It would apply to many large American companies, such as Apple Inc, Amazon.com Inc, JPMorgan Chase & Co and Johnson & Johnson.



Some experts say the billionaires tax could be difficult to enforce.



"Government staffers tend to be outmatched by the most sophisticated, best-resourced taxpayers out there," said Steve Rosenthal, a senior fellow at the Tax Policy Center, a Washington think tank.



Top White House tax expert David Kamin wrote favorably about a similar proposal in 2019 while serving as a law professor. But he also noted that it could create "distortions" by encouraging a shift in investments to privately held firms.



Tesla Inc Chief Executive Elon Musk, who early this week was worth https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/teslas-1-trillion-value-double-bonanza-musk-2021-10-25 about $230 billion, criticized the plan on Twitter.



"Who is best at capital allocation -- government or entrepreneurs -- is indeed what it comes down to," he said. Tesla, an electric car maker, has reaped at least $3 billion https://subsidytracker.goodjobsfirst.org/prog.php?parent=tesla-inc in U.S. and local government support, according to Good Jobs First, a subsidy tracker.



Not all billionaires are opposed to the plan. George Soros, the investor and liberal activist, is supportive https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-billionaire-tax-proposal-seems-unite-democrats-will-it-work-2021-10-26, his spokesperson told Reuters on Monday.


The Clooneys' Stumbling into $500 Million Divorce? (Photo : REUTERS )

A year prior, New Idea revealed George Clooney lamented not securing his assets whenever he got the opportunity. As he and his significant other Amal endured a very long time of contentions, the Ocean's Eleven was gazing directly down the barrel of a $500 Million separate. "If the bits of gossip are valid that they're parting, he's dealing with genuine monetary issues and could lose a large portion of his fortune," an insider dished.



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"He must return to work. He hasn't had a hit film in years, so if Amal leaves with a large portion of his fortune or more, and with his two children, he must beginning chipping away at lucrative ventures just." George was compensating his attorneys double-time to attempt to figure out how to save his fortune. The power source added that they might be compelled to record their separation in the UK, "where they are inhabitants because of her citizenship. The reality they wedded there, and their Sonning home is their main living place, he could be in a bad way."



The Clooneys aren't getting separated, and it's conspicuous they won't ever plan to. Since this report went to print, no trustworthy outlets at any point upheld up its cases. They appear to be more enamoured than any other time. However, this was an incredible story in any case since there's no evidence that they've at any point even had a difficult situation. Indeed, George guaranteed last year that he and Amal had never at any point had a contention.



In a meeting with People, George said, "I feel extremely fortunate to have met [Amal] in such countless ways. We haven't at any point had a contention." And from what we can tell about their relationship, we trust it. They likewise pressed on the PDA at George's most recent film debut. It's unmistakable the newspaper needed to work up to show in their relationship. However, it didn't work. The Clooneys keep on being one of Hollywood's dearest couples.



This is not really whenever New Idea first has been off-base with regards to George Clooney. Recently, the newspaper asserted the entertainer at long last shut down a non-existent quarrel with Brad Pitt. Then, at that point, the newspaper announced George and Amal reestablished their pledges and had one more child coming. Also, most as of late, the power source revealed they were moving to Australia. New Idea doesn't have any knowledge of George and Amal Clooney's marriage.


Royal Couple; Kate Middleton, Prince William Breaking Royal Protocol for A Little R & R? (Photo : REUTERS )

Middleton and William have an issue: they'd prefer to travel with their three kids; however, they're overloaded by hundreds of years of rules. One of these standards expresses that beneficiaries of the high position can't travel together. This implies William isn't permitted to go with his dad, nor would he take a similar train or plane with his child George.



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The explanation is self-evident: should something disastrous happen, there would consistently be one more successor all set. The United States has a comparative principle about the Presidential line of progression. One bureau secretary is continually absent at the State of the Union and kept in a solid area. They're known as the "assigned survivor." This implies that if the remainder of the line gets cleared out by a misfortune, there's another authority out there someplace fit to be confirmed.



At any rate, as you'd envision, not having the option to go with your young child can represent somewhat of an issue. William and Middleton are asking Queen Elizabeth for consent to take a flight together. She allowed the authorization in 2014 so the child George could venture out to New Zealand. Be that as it may, this exemption doesn't keep going forever. When George turns 12 in 2025, he'll need to go on an unexpected plane compared to his dad.



Filling your tween child in on why he needs to take his plane sounds like a beautiful unpleasant talk, however not quite as harsh as one Prince Harry could have with his child. The way things are, the 2013 regal progression act implies child Archie would need to ask his authoritative ruler, be it Elizabeth or Charles or William or George, for authorization to get hitched.



Groundbreaking Idea ran a crazy tale about Meghan Markle travelling to the UK to ask Middleton to lift the sculpture, yet that was made up. Archie's not getting hitched for additional years and years. He'll possibly need to get imperial leeway if he remains in the primary six in the line of progression, so an extra youngster for William or even George would knock him down.



Tabloids have a fascination with illustrious dark guidelines. Lady's Day once referred to a 1717 law to guarantee Prince Charles would have full legitimate guardianship of Archie once he became ruler. This wasn't a law by any stretch of the imagination, nonetheless. It was an obsolete regal right and hence would have grandiose ramifications during the 2020s. Would you be able to envision the global outrage if Charles attempted to tear Archie away from his folks? That is an exceptionally terrible look, most definitely.


Thousands of protesters converged on Isfahan in central Iran on Friday to voice their anger after the city's lifeblood river dried up due to drought and diversion, state television said.
President Joe Biden will transfer power to Vice President Kamala Harris during the "brief" time Friday he is under anesthesia for a colonoscopy as part of a regular health check, the White House said.
The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) approved the regulations that govern the instant payment network (IPN) services in the domestic market, the bank announced on Sunday.
The World Bank (WB) has raised its forecasts for Egypts real GDP growth for 2021 to 5.5 percent, up from 4.5 percent predicted in June before hitting 6 percent in 2022.

In its regional economic update report released Thursday, the World Bank expounded that the performance of oil importing countries (OICs) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has been dominated by the recovery of Egypts economy, which accounts for more than half of this groups GDP.

Meanwhile, the report estimated the cumulative cost of the pandemic on the MENA regions GDP in 2021 is expected to be around $200 billion.

These costs are calculated by comparing where the regions GDP would have been if the pandemic had not hit. According to the report, the regions GDP contracted by 3.8 percent in 2020 and is forecast to grow by 2.8 percent in 2021, according to the report.

The report also projected the MENA regions GDP to grow by 4.2 percent in 2022.

The World Bank also predicted that most MENA economies will not reach pre-pandemic levels of GDP per capita, adding that the recovery process will be uneven because the region-wide estimates mask differences across and within countries.

The report pointed out that each economys performance in the region depends heavily on its exposure to commodity-price fluctuations and how well it managed the pandemic.

The pandemics crippling impact on economic activity in the region is a painful reminder that economic development and public health are inextricably linked. It is also a sad reality check that MENAs health systems which were considered relatively developed, cracked at the seams under the crisis, said Ferid Belhaj, WBs vice president for MENA.

Going forward, there must be a stronger focus on building core public health functions and leveraging the power of health data and preventive health systems to accelerate the regions recovery and to prepare for future public health emergencies that may arise due to future pandemics, climate-related disasters and even social conflict, according to Belhaj.

The report projected the region's GDP per capita to grow by only 1.1 percent in 2021 after declining by 5.4 percent in 2020.

By the end of 2021, the regions GDP per capita will still be below the 2019 level by 4.3 percent, according to the report.

As per the report, 13 out of 16 countries in the region will have lower standards of living in 2021 than their pre-COVID levels.

The last two years have shown that pandemic control is essential not only to save lives but also to accelerate economic recovery, which is now tenuous and uneven across MENA. Stressed health systems and lagging vaccinations in many middle-income and low-income countries in the region are harbingers of downside risks. said Roberta Gatti, World Bank chief economist for the Middle East and North Africa region.

On the regions healthcare system, the report showed that that MENAs public health systems were not only ill-prepared to absorb the shock of the pandemic, but that authorities had previously painted an overly optimistic picture in self-assessments of their health systems preparedness; a situation the report attributes to overconfidence.

In this regard, the report urged making improvements in data transparency for public health that can help countries not only address perennial healthcare needs but also prepare for future health emergencies.

The current underinvestment in public health systems thus needs to be urgently addressed by prioritizing investments on core public health functions within public sector budgets, the report concludes, the report said.

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Egypts National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) hailed on Monday President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisis decision not to extend the nationwide state of emergency, calling it "an important step towards bolstering, implementing, and protecting human rights.

El-Sisi announced on Monday that he will not be extending the state of emergency, which has been in place in the last four years, saying Egypt has become an oasis of security and stability in the region.

I have decided for the first time in years to end the state of emergency nationwide, a decision that the Egyptian people have been the true agents of  due to their sincere and faithful participation in all development and construction efforts, El-Sisi wrote on Facebook.

In April 2017, the president declared a nationwide state of emergency after two church bombings that killed 47 people in Alexandria and Tanta. The state of emergency has since been renewed every three months with the approval of the House of Representatives, in accordance with the constitution. It was last extended on 24 July and was due to expire in late October.

The state of emergency is imposed in Egypt during times of war, internal turbulence, or pandemics, and gives the president broader powers to take exceptional measures, according to the Emergency Law.

This includes imposing restrictions on the movement of citizens during certain periods, arresting suspects, referring accused citizens to state security courts, ordering censorship on newspapers and publications, setting working hours for businesses, and halting classes in all educational facilities.

The NCHR said the presidents decision reflects the state of stability and development the country has witnessed thanks to the wise leadership of El-Sisi.

In early October, the NCHR was reconstituted with 27 members and presided over by Ambassador Mushira Khattab.

The NCHR added that the decision sends a message to Egyptians that the state is serious and determined to exert all efforts to strengthen human rights. It is an integral part of an honest and brave implementation of the content of the National Strategy for Human Rights, which was launched by the president in mid-September.

Egypts new human rights strategy addresses civilian and political rights; economic, social, and cultural rights; the rights of women, children, disabled people, youths, and the elderly; and education and capacity building in the human rights field.

The president has stressed that the new strategy reflects Egypts comprehensive concept of human rights. He also called for a broader engagement of civil society organisations in development and protecting human rights at the political, economic, and social levels, declaring 2022 the Year of Civil Society.

The launch of the National Strategy for Human Rights represents an unprecedented chance and a beginning of a great era for a new republic that is founded on respect and the implementation of human rights, the NCHR added.

The great Egyptian people desire and deserve this new republic.

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The African Union (AU) said Wednesday it had suspended Sudan until civilian rule in the country is restored.

The AU said it rejected the military takeover as an "unconstitutional" seizure of power.

The continent-wide bloc said it "strongly condemns the seizure of power" and was suspending Sudan from all AU activities "until the effective restoration of the civilian-led transitional authority".

Sudanese General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on Monday ordered the dissolution of the government and declared a state of emergency, sparking widespread international condemnation.

Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok was placed under military arrest, along with his ministers and civilian members of Sudan's ruling council, sparking angry protests on the streets on Khartoum.

Hamdok was later released under close guard, but other ministers and civilian leaders remain in detention.

Security forces launched sweeping arrests of anti-coup protesters Wednesday, in a bid to end three days of demonstrations against the power grab.

A number of Western powers have called for an urgent meeting with Hamdok, saying they still recognise the prime minister and his cabinet as the constitutional leaders of Sudan.

The AU suspended Sudan in June 2019 after pro-democracy protesters demanding civilian rule were gunned down outside army headquarters in Khartoum.

Their membership was reinstated three months later after Hamdok announced the appointment of Sudan's first cabinet since the ousting of veteran leader Omar al-Bashir.

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Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi ended on Monday a four-year state of emergency nationwide, which was declared after two terrorist attacks on churches in April 2017.

Revoking the state of emergency, which was being renewed every three months in those four years with the approval of parliament, ends the exceptional powers granted to the president under the 1958 Law of emergency.

The terrorist attacks on St George's Church in the Delta city of Tanta and St Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria on Palm Sunday left 47 people dead, prompting the security forces to carry out concerted efforts to combat terrorism.

The president's decision to renew the state of emergency was regularly followed by the Cabinet's renewal of a night curfew  also per the Law of Emergency  in parts of North Sinai, where the army has been battling terrorists over the past years.

The president said on Monday revoking the state of emergency means "Egypt has become an oasis of security and stability in the region."

The decision is a reflection of the Egyptian people's "sincere and faithful participation in all development and construction efforts," El-Sisi added.

Intellectuals, judges, state institutions, human rights activists, and parliamentarians have praised El-Sisi's decision, describing it as a boost for human rights and proof of the state's stability.

MP Farag Fathy, a member of the Senate's Constitutional Committee, told Ahram Online that the decision is of global significance and will positively impact human rights and investments.

What is the state of emergency?

The state of emergency can be declared in Egypt in case public security and order are threatened nationwide or in a part of the nation, according to the Law of Emergency 162/1958.

"The president of the republic's decision either to declare, extend, or lift the state of emergency is an act of sovereignty that is related to the state's supreme political interest," constitutional law professor at Mansoura University Salah Fawzy told Ahram Online.

Threats to public security include wars, states threatening of war, domestic turbulence, general disasters, and pandemics, according to the law.

Effecting the state of emergency requires the approval of the majority of parliament members.

The law of emergency, becoming inoperative once the state of emergency is canceled, gives the president the right to take the measures required to safeguard public security and order.

Why end the state of emergency now?

"The president, who is in charge of declaring, extending, or canceling the state of emergency has his own independent discretion given the indications and reasons for the issuance of this decision," Fawzy, also a member of the Egyptian Scientific Institute, added.

With the public order in place there is no reason to extend the state of emergency, he noted.

In his Facebook post, El-Sisi said "I recall [the sacrifices of] our heroic martyrs, without whom we would have never reached security and stability."

The decision to end the state of emergency comes as the state's war against terrorism continues.

El-Sisi affirmed earlier this month that Egypt "continues to offer martyrs until terrorism is completely eliminated."

What are the outcomes of lifting the state of emergency?

Article 3 of the emergency law allows the president to place restrictions on citizens' freedom of gathering and movement during certain periods, order the monitoring of newspapers and publications, seizing them, and closing their printing outlets.

The law also gives the president the right to set working hours of public shops, evacuate or isolate some places, halt classes at schools, universities, and institutes, and temporarily suspend work at ministries and public authorities, and companies.

The president, as per the law, also has the right to ban general meetings, parades, demonstrations, and celebrations and to oblige visitors from abroad to abide by quarantine measures.

Some of these provisions were only introduced to the emergency law last year as part of the state's efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

"In case the state of emergency is lifted, the procedures stipulated in Article 3 are halted," Fawzy stated.

Concerning demonstrations, Fawzy said citizens will still have to abide by Law 107/2013, according to which the authorities can cancel or reroute the march as per judicial order.

Egypt's protest law, signed by former interim president Adly Mansour, requires a three-day notification before protests take place and gives authorities the right to cancel or postpone protests.

Fawzy said local administrations and the relevant law will also determine the working hours of public shops and other facilities after the end of the state of emergency.

The future of cases at emergency state security courts

The emergency law also sets a different and exclusive judicial system represented in emergency state security courts for misdemeanours and felonies.

Unlike ordinary courts, emergency state security courts do not adjudicate civil disputes and their rulings are unappealable.

Judges in emergency state security courts rule on numerous charges covered by the rules of counter-terrorism, illegal protests, attacks on public properties, possession of explosives, and other crimes threatening national unity and public order.

As per the emergency law, the president of the republic appoints the state security courts' judges and counselors after coordination with the minister of justice and also with the minister of defence in the event of appointing officers.

The law grants the president or his representative the right to refer crimes punishable by the penal code to these courts during the state of emergency.

The rulings of these courts, though unappealable, only become final after the president's ratification.

As per the law, the president has the right to reduce or cancel the sentence issued by emergency state security courts or to order a retrial for a stated reason.

After a retrial, the president is obliged to ratify the verdict in case of acquittal and has the right to reduce, halt, or cancel sentences

Despite the end of the state of emergency, emergency state security courts remain competent to hear cases that had been referred to them. On the other hand, those cases which had not been referred to these courts before the state of emergency ends will be referred to ordinary courts, as per the emergency law.

State security courts' panels are comprised of ordinary judiciary judges from the courts of appeal and with long experience in the criminal judiciary field.

The Cabinet forms judicial panels to review state security courts' sentences and decide on grievances against the rulings.

How can ending the state of emergency enhance human rights?

In a statement, Egypts National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) hailed El-Sisi's decision, calling it "an important step towards bolstering, implementing, and protecting human rights.

The recently-reconstituted council is entrusted with supervising the human rights situation in Egypt, releasing periodical reports, and recommending new legislation that can improve the conditions of human rights.

The NCHR said the decision reflects the state of stability and development the country has witnessed thanks to the wise leadership of El-Sisi.

The council added that the decision sends a message to Egyptians that the state is determined to exert all efforts to strengthen human rights. It is an integral part of an honest and brave implementation of the content of the National Strategy for Human Rights, which was launched by the president in mid-September.

In remarks to the press, George Ishak, a member of the NCHR, described the decision as a positive step for enhancing human rights, noting that the lifting of the state of emergency means canceling the emergency state security courts and refers citizens accused of all crimes to ordinary courts.

Meanwhile, Constitutional Law professor Mohamed El-Zahaby hailed in remarks to Ahram Online the presidential decision, saying Egypt is preparing for a new stage of enhancing human rights, freedoms, and justice over the coming years.

"The continuous extension of the state of emergency creates an impression at home and abroad that we live in an exceptional situation where constitutional guarantees are not fully provided," El-Zahaby said.

"For justice to be perfected, we have to live in normal rather than exceptional circumstances," he stressed.

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Ethiopia's military on Thursday carried out an air strike on the capital of the war-torn Tigray region that a hospital official and rebel sources said killed six people and injured 21 others.

The government said the strike, the latest in a campaign of air bombardments, hit a factory in Mekele used by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF).

The air force "destroyed the second part of Mesfin Industrial Engineering. The facility was used by TPLF terrorist group for maintaining its military equipments," said government spokeswoman Selamawit Kassa.

Dr Hayelom Kebede, research director at Mekele's Ayder Referral Hospital, said a residential area was hit and casualties were inflicted.

"So far six people died and 21 injured. All came to Ayder hospital," he said.

The Tigrai Communications Affairs Bureau, a TPLF-linked information channel, reported the same toll and said the strike hit a residential area.

Earlier, TPLF spokesman Getachew Reda confirmed the strike on Mekele and said the rebels' air defence units were engaging an enemy jet.

Much of northern Ethiopia is under a communications blackout and access for journalists is restricted, making battlefield claims difficult to verify independently.

Tigray was pounded by near-daily aerial bombardments last week as the military stepped up its use of air power in the year-long war against the TPLF.

The government said the facilities bombed in northern and western Tigray were military in nature and aiding the TPLF, the former ruling party in the region.

The UN said two strikes on Mekele on October 18 killed three children and wounded several other people. Another person died in a later strike.

Control of the skies, along with superior manpower, is one of the few remaining areas where the federal government holds a military advantage over the rebels.

The bombings have drawn international censure, and disrupted UN access to the region where an estimated 400,000 people face famine-like conditions under a de-facto aid blockade.

Tigray erupted in conflict in November 2020 after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sent troops to topple the TPLF.

The 2019 Nobel Peace laureate said the move came in response to TPLF attacks on army camps and promised a swift victory, but by late June the rebels had regrouped and retaken most of the region, including Mekele.

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China on Thursday submitted a renewed emissions cutting plan that promised to peak carbon pollution before 2030 but which experts said stopped short of the radical decarbonisation required of the world's largest polluter.

Beijing's new submission to the United Nations, just days before the COP26 climate summit, confirmed its goal to achieve carbon neutrality before 2060 and slash its emissions intensity -- the amount of emissions per unit of economic output -- by more than 65 percent.

Analysts said these amounted to minor improvements on China's existing plan and were far from sufficient from the country responsible for more than a quarter of all carbon pollution.

As part of the 2015 Paris Agreement, all countries agreed to slash emissions in order to limit temperature rises to "well below" two degrees Celsius and to strive for a safer 1.5-C warming cap.

Under the accord's "ratchet" mechanism, signatories agreed to submit new and more ambitious emissions cutting plans -- known as Nationally Determined Contributions, or NDCs -- every five years.

Last year, President Xi Jinping indicated that China would achieve carbon neutrality around 2060 and peak emissions around 2030.

But China had been a major NDC holdout, missing several submission deadlines during the year-long delay of COP26 due to the pandemic.

It was hoped its new plan could build momentum ahead of the summit in Glasgow, which begins on Sunday.

According to the document, published on the UN's climate change website, China will increase its share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to 25 percent, up from the 20 percent previously pledged.

It also plans to increase its forest stock by six billion cubic metres compared with 2005 levels and "bring its total installed capacity of wind and solar power to over 1.2 billion kilowatts by 2030".

However it was not immediately clear how Beijing plans to draw down its emissions in line with what science says is needed to avoid catastrophic levels of heating this century.

- 'Casts a shadow' -

UN climate chief Patricia Espinosa said China's commitment to net-zero emissions before 2060 was a "very positive development".

"Now we need to work with China in trying to bring the 2060 as early as possible, and what we are doing with many countries is to say: that is very good but we need clear plans now," she told a press briefing.

Li Shuo, an analyst with Greenpeace Asia, said China's new NDC "missed an opportunity to demonstrate ambition".

"China's decision on its NDC casts a shadow on the global climate effort," he tweeted.

"The planet can't afford this being the last word. Beijing needs to come up with stronger implementation plans to ensure an emission peak before 2025."

China has been accused of sidestepping calls to stop building new coal-fired power plants, the single largest source of carbon pollution.

Nick Mabey, chief executive of the E3G environmental think tank, said China's new emissions plan was virtually "unchanged" from previous promises.

"This lowers other countries' confidence in the delivery of China's deep decarbonisation pathway," he said.

The UN says greenhouse gas emissions need to be cut nearly in half by 2030 to keep 1.5C within reach.

This week it said countries' latest pledges put Earth on course to warm 2.7C this century.

Its Emissions Gap report also called on countries to start slashing emissions immediately and to align their net-zero plans with the 1.5C pathway.

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At least one protester was killed in clashes in northern Khartoum Thursday, medics said, as demonstrations continue against a military coup earlier this week.

A doctor's committee linked to the protest movement accused "forces from the Janjaweed and putschist military council" of being behind the killing.

The Janjaweed militia was accused by rights groups of widespread rights abuses in Sudan's Darfur conflict, before it was integrated into the ranks of the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group that has long been part of Sudan's security establishment.

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The U.N. Security Council called on Sudan's military leaders Thursday to restore the civilian-led transitional government and immediately release all those detained after the military takeover.

The U.N.'s most powerful body also expressed ``solidarity'' with the Sudanese people and affirmed its readiness ``to support efforts to realize Sudan's democratic transition'' and the peoples' aspirations ``for an inclusive, peaceful, stable, democratic and prosperous future.''

The press statement approved by all 15 council members went through several revisions, diplomats said, mainly to address objections from Russia, which did not want to ``condemn'' the military takeover as originally proposed in the British-drafted text.

The final version instead expresses the Security Council's ``serious concern'' about the military's Oct. 25 takeover, the suspension of some transitional institutions, the declaration of a state of emergency, and the detention of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, as well as other civilian members of the transitional government.'' It noted Hamdok's reported return to his residence.

Protests denouncing Monday's takeover have continued in Sudan's capital, Khartoum, and elsewhere, and many businesses shut in response to calls for strikes. The coup led by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan threatens to halt Sudan's transition to democracy, which began after the ouster of long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir in a popular uprising.

Council members ``underscored that any attempt to undermine the democratic transition process in Sudan puts at risk Sudan's security, stability and development.''

They called on all parties ``to exercise the utmost restraint, refrain from the use of violence, and emphasized the importance of full respect for human rights, including the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.''

The Security Council urged all parties ``to engage in dialogue without preconditions, in order to enable the full implementation of the Constitutional Document and the Juba Peace Agreement, which underpin Sudan's democratic transition,'' and it expressed strong support for regional efforts to end the crisis.

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French authorities fined two British fishing vessels and ``immobilized'' one of them overnight in a port, France's maritime minister announced Thursday as a dispute over fishing licenses between the countries on both sides of the English Channel intensified.

The French Sea Ministry said in a statement that the fines resulted from new boat checks that are ``part of the tightening of controls in the Channel, in the context of discussions on licenses with the United Kingdom and the European Commission.''

``We are reinforcing the checks,'' Minister of the Sea Annick Girardin told French radio network. RTL ``One (vessel) was fined for refusing to let the check take place, and the other one didn't have the right to fish in the zone because it didn't have a license.''

France's Europe minister, Clement Beaune, said Thursday that France ``will do systematic controls, customs, sanitary, security checks at sea for British vessels, We will have zero tolerance, zero indulgence.''

France announced Wednesday that it would bar British fishing boats from some French ports starting next week if no deal is reached with the U.K. in a dispute over fishing licenses. It also suggested it might restrict energy supplies to the Channel Islands, British Crown dependencies that lie off the coast of France.

The U.K. said the threat appeared to breach international law and vowed to retaliate if Paris went through with the move.

``France's threats are disappointing and disproportionate, and not what we would expect from a close ally and partner,'' the U.K. said.

It said the measures ``do not appear to be compatible'' with the U.K.-EU Brexit withdrawal agreement ``and wider international law, and, if carried through, will be met with an appropriate and calibrated response.''

Since the U.K. left the economic orbit of the European Union at the start of the year, relations between London and Paris have become increasingly frayed.

France vehemently protested the decision last month by the U.K. and the Channel Island of Jersey to refuse dozens of French fishing boats licenses to operate in their territorial waters. France says the restrictions are contrary to the post-Brexit agreement that the British government signed when it left the EU.

After weeks of negotiations, British authorities have issued more fishing licenses but the number still only accounts for 50% of what France believes it ``is entitled to,'' French government spokesman Gabriel Attal said Wednesday.

The French ministers for Europe and for maritime affairs said in a joint statement Wednesday that if no agreement is reached by Nov. 2, France will bar British fishing boats from designated ports and tighten customs, security and other controls on any British boats and trucks traveling between France and Britain.

France said it also ``doesn't exclude'' measures in the coming weeks that would target energy supplies to Britain, the statement said. Attal specified that meant the Channel Islands, which are closer to French shores than British ones and rely heavily on electricity supplied by the French grid.

``We have worked with the British, we gave them all the requested data, documents, information to back these (license) requests,'' Attal said. ``Our patience has reached its limits today.''

Britain says it has granted 98% of fishing license applications from European vessels, but there is a dispute over 31 vessels which the U.K. says did not supply evidence to support their applications.

Jersey, which is only 14 miles (22 kilometers) off the French coast, is a British Crown dependency outside of the U.K. As such, it has its own powers over who is allowed to fish in its territorial waters. It has granted licenses based on its interpretation of the U.K.-EU trade deal, and has accused France of acting disproportionately.

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The World Banks Board of Executive Directors has approved a $360 million Development Policy Financing (DPF) loan for Egypt aiming to support the countrys second wave of economic reforms and enhance its prospects for sustainable and inclusive growth, the World Bank (WB) announced on Thursday.

The loan has been approved under the Egypt Inclusive Growth for Sustainable Recovery Programme the WB launched with the aim of supporting Egypts second wave of structural reforms by concentrating on creating jobs and providing an inclusive enabling environment for the private sector to lay the basis for a sustainable recovery.

The WB also states that the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is considering parallel financing for the operation of the same amount using the same package of policy reforms agreed on with the WB in order to provide further support achievement for Egypts development objectives.

The programme strategically addresses some of the long-term structural issues impacting growth through its focus on three thematic pillars, including enhancing Egypts macro-fiscal sustainability, enabling private sector development in the domestic market, and fostering womens economic inclusion, according to the WB.

The first pillar supports improving the management of the state-owned enterprises through enhanced transparency and reporting.

It also fosters debt transparency and debt management by introducing the regular publishing of a wider range of domestic and external debt data. This pillar also promotes and empowers a greener and more sustainable economic recovery through the issuance of green bonds.

The second pillar builds on Egypts first wave of reforms and supports digital and financial inclusion, the streamlining and automation of trade facilitation, and a modernisation of bankruptcy processes that aims to improve Egypts competitiveness and private sector job creation.

It also targets strengthening the regulatory framework for private sector participation in waste management, which provides a basis for greener and more inclusive development in the sector.

The third pillar centres on legislative and regulatory reforms that promote female participation in the labour force and supports Egypts government efforts to address gender-based violence.

It includes steps to remove restrictions on female participation in sectors and limitations on working hours and supports the governments adoption of a national code of conduct that promotes safe and decent transportation for women in railways.

The bank said that Egypts first wave of macro-economic reforms stabilised the economy and allowed the country to enter the global COVID-19 crisis with greater resilience and improved fiscal and external accounts, adding that Egypt has remained one of the few countries that have maintained positive growth during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

It also noted that the reform programme Egypt has implemented since 2015 as well as the quick action on fiscal and monetary measures to streamline the effect of the pandemic on firms and households have supported Egypts economy during the crisis, stressing that there are significant steps that have been taken to address the countrys long-term structural challenges that are helping with the pandemic recovery.

Meanwhile, Egypts Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat stated that Egypts structural reform policies are integral to the states efforts to accomplish a sustainable and resilient economic recovery that enables the economy to weather future shocks.

The WBs new operation will support our efforts to maintain the reform momentum and achieve the milestones necessary for inclusive growth, she added.

Additionally, Marina Wes, the WBs country director for Egypt, Yemen, and Djibouti stated that the bank is proud to support Egypts endeavours to build back better through the new programme.

One of the key objectives of this operation is making Egypts growth more inclusive and more resilient to future shocks, by addressing long term structural challenges and recognising the pivotal role of women in the countrys economic growth, Wes explained.

In response to the harsh impacts of the pandemic, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) provided Egypt  from June 2020 through June 2021  with about $8 billion in loans under the Rapid Financing Facility and the Stand-By Arrangement instruments to support the countrys second wave of reforms and to provide the required liquidity to meet the local markets needs amid the pandemic.

Egypts first wave of reforms was also backed by a three-year-IMF programme with a total loan of $12 billion, which ended in July 2019.

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Alfredo Abad, the regional representative of the European Investment Bank (EIB) in Egypt, asserted that Egypts decision to not renew the state of emergency will positively affect the countrys economy and lure more investments.

President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi announced on Monday that he would not extend the state of emergency that had been renewed every three months since two churches in northern Egypt were subjected to terrorist attacks in April 2017.

Announcing the decision in a Facebook post, El-Sisi said Egypt has become an oasis of security and stability in the region.

In statements to the states news agency MENA, Abad said that this decision will undoubtedly increase the confidence of investors in the Egyptian economy.

He said that international multi-party institutions like the EIB have high expectations regarding Egypts hosting of the UN Climate Change Conference next year.

Abad added that this is a great opportunity for Egypt to post the world on its ideas about means of combating climate change.

He labeled the step as important, especially in light of the EIBs interest in the issue of climate change, asserting that global warming is very important for the EIB.

He noted that the banks portfolio in Egypt stands at about 7.5 billion euros in various sectors, including transportation, water, energy, and small- and medium-sized enterprises.

He added that the bank has extended a financing package of 1.5 billion euros to Egypt since the pandemic began.

Abad had told Ahram Online on Tuesday that total investments by the European Investment Bank (EIB) in Egypt in 2021 are expected to reach 1 billion euros.

He added to MENA that supporting water projects in Egypt is a priority for the bank, in light of Ethiopias intransigence in the negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

Moreover, he said that the bank is ready to discuss opportunities to fund water desalination projects in addition to supporting irrigation and water treatment projects. The bank is also ready to support the priorities of the Egyptian government in this sector.

Abad lauded Egypts issuance of the first green bonds in the region and in Africa, describing the step as very important for the EIB.

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The 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 26) is scheduled to take place between 31 October and 12 November 12 2021 in Glasgow, England.

In a years time, Egypt will follow the same pursuit when it hosts the 27th session (COP27) in Sharm El Sheikh. No doubt it is an opportunity and a responsibility combined.

The COP is the decision-making body responsible for monitoring and implementing the United Nations framework on climate change. It unites the 197 nations involved, and it meets yearly to discuss the implementations accrued and to assess the progress made. During the Conference, countries report back on how much emission reduction each has committed to in the hopes of limiting and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions towards the ambitious net-zero by 2050.

Many of the COP conferences were milestones in themselves. The first COP conference was held in Berlin in 1995; the Kyoto Protocol was signed in Kyoto, Japan, during COP3, in 1997; and the first international climate agreement, the Paris Agreement, was signed in COP21, in Paris in 2015.

The Paris Agreement established a legal and binding obligation, where countries and their governments agreed to work to keep the worlds average temperature below rising to 2C, preferably to keep it below 1.5C and report back every five years. The first five years came up in November 2020, but due to Covid-19, it was postponed to November 2021. This is why COP26 is important since it is the first time after Paris that countries will converge and report on whether they have been able to strengthen their commitment to climate change or not.

COP26 comes at a vital juncture in history, after a summer of scorching unparalleled heat, catastrophic floods, and devastating wildfires. Jeff Tollefsos in Nature considers the conference momentous, as 20,000 people from 196 countriesincluding world leaders, scientists, and activistswill soon converge in Glasgow, UK, for the most anticipated United Nations climate summit in years.

As far as the location of the Conference of the Parties (COP) is concerned, it is rotated amongst the different regions every year. The country chosen takes over the presidency of the Conference of the Parties (COP) and hosts the Conference. And it is Egypts time to shine as the host of COP 27.

The responsibilities involved are immense. First, the host country follows the COP protocol set by the United Nations. The UNs handbook, How to COP, subtitled Handbook for Hosting United Nations Climate Change Conferences, sets the protocol and refers to all the steps that the host country must pursue. It prefaces the information by saying, Host countries will need to appreciate the scale of the undertaking: success calls for a coordinated, cooperative effort on a national scale, which is a fair assumption. The handbook also emphasizes the importance of early planning and working closely with the UN Climate Change Secretariat throughout the planning process.

Another important requirement in the host country is that it be classified as a safe country, and that it has a developed a network of transportation, aviation, communications, and hotel rooms at various levels to accommodate the large number of participants. Moreover, vital facilities such as security, hospitals, vaccination centres, etc., be available Undoubtedly, these are givens that will be followed impeccably by the Egyptian conference leaders.

During the conference, Egypt will speak for all Africa and must present to the world how it is leading the African countries towards a better environment. Although Egypts chairmanship of the African Union ended in 2019, it continues to focus on Africa, with various development projects, and the potential to supply Africa with COVID-19 vaccine. In September Egypt announced its plan to manufacture one billion doses a year of the Sinovac vaccine, and in the process be able to provide Africa with much of its needed vaccine supply.

COP27 is a responsibility for sure, but it is also an opportunity like no other. And the onus lies on the collective effort of all Egyptians to show to the world how Egypt is handling climate change.

More importantly, it is indeed an opportunity to make Egyptians aware of how climate change will affect Egypt. Egypt is vulnerable to the risk of climate change including the potential for flooding along the north coast as the sea rises, the potential for droughts with shortage in water resources caused by lack of rain and hotter weather.

Egypt must exhibit to the world how it has developed and strengthened its climate change campaign and policies. Mega projects are underway to generate solar and wind energy, and to protect sea erosion. Awareness campaigns to rationalize water consumption and lining streams to save water waste, and using modern irrigation systems to save wasted water are all in the works. Hundreds of buses powered by electric power are being built in the hopes of improving air quality, and, soon, Egypt will manufacture the electric cars (E70), with expected production to reach 50,000 cars per year. And in October 2020, the World Bank approved a $200 million project for Egypt to improve air quality, combat climate change and reduce emissions of air pollutants and global warming. And all new cities are considered smart cities that are eco-friendly and greener.

It is also an opportunity to cultivate amongst Egyptian the notions of climate change: how precious water is, what happens to the Nile when it is encroached upon and swamped in waste, and why we should all realize what is happening to the planet.

In 2022, the world will be watching demanding Egypt rise to the moment.

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European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Vice President for Banking Alain Pilloux explains the banks new country strategy for Egypt to Al-Ahram Weekly.

Alain Pilloux, vice president for banking of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), was in Egypt last week for high-level meetings with government officials to discuss its new country strategy for Egypt.

He also explored projects aligned with Egypts priorities and the EBRD strategy such as on green hydrogen and desalination with the CEO of Egypts Sovereign Fund.

The government is really concerned about upgrading and improving the investment and business climate in the country, which is good news, Pilloux said. The authorities do not deny the problems but try to address them. It is not an easy mission; it takes time. I am sure that Egypt will do well in the next few years, he added.

Pilloux noted that Egypt has come through the Covid-19 pandemic better that many peer countries and that it is determined to keep its economy alive and growing.

On the EBRDs new country strategy for Egypt, Pilloux explained that what guides the banks operations in the country is its desire to impact Egypts development. Egypt is a founding member of the EBRD, and since the start of its operations in 2012, the bank has invested more than 8 billion in 136 projects across the country.

Egypt is also the largest country for the banks operations in the Mediterranean region in 2020 and 2021.

According to Pilloux, the new strategy centres on three pillars: inclusion, the green economy, and competitiveness. On inclusion, he said that the strategy focuses on the inclusion of the people in the economy, particularly women, who are a high priority for the bank, and young people entering the job market.

The green pillar, Pilloux said, involves supporting Egypt in its efforts to mitigate climate change-related impacts and to adapt to climate change itself. Another important aspect of this pillar is ensuring the stability and sustainability of the countrys water resources.

In her first official visit to Egypt in April, President of EBRD Odile Renaud-Basso commended the country for giving due attention to the green economy and renewable energy, saying that it was the banks intention to continue to support Egypt in all areas that serve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially desalination projects.

The third pillar of the EBRDs strategy for Egypt means continuing to work on improving the competitiveness of the Egyptian economy in all sectors and making sure that more Egyptian companies are able and willing to export to foreign markets, whether to African markets or those outside the continent, Pilloux said.

We want to ensure that state-owned companies are well-run, commercialised, effective, efficient, and follow the markets latest standards, he said, adding that the bank remains committed to helping Egyptian startups access finance and work in an environment where they can flourish, including by facing obstacles and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Pilloux said there was a need to support enterprises that seek to export. He also stressed the need to secure a level playing field for companies, whether state-owned or in the private sector.

He said the EBRD has a commitment to shareholders to make sure that 75 per cent of its pledges are dedicated to backing the private sector in the countries where it operates, including Egypt. The bank does this in various ways in Egypt, he said, including through loans inked for renewable energy and infrastructure projects.

The EBRD is also a partner of 15 local banks that provide loans for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), he said.

More help is extended to the private sector through a programme called the Advisory for Small Business (ASB), Pilloux said, adding that the good feedback the bank has received has encouraged it to expand the programme.

We are working with the authorities to improve the environment for SMEs in order to ensure the competitiveness that will enable them to succeed and grow, Pilloux explained.

He said that the banks new country strategy for Egypt is subject to consultations with the Egyptian authorities and shareholders, after which it would be posted for public consultation for 45 days and then be submitted to the EBRDs board of directors by the end of January for approval.

The new strategy is expected to come into effect at the beginning of February 2022.

Touching upon the future steps of the bank in the Egyptian market, Pilloux said that the EBRD intends to intensify its partnerships with local banks and supply a wider range of products that can be used to lend to SMEs working in energy efficiency and womens and young peoples empowerment.

We also plan to partner with more local private-equity funds and venture-capital trusts and to invest wisely in startups, he noted.

The EBRD plans to intensify its support for the private sector and the government in Egypt, particularly in infrastructure. Pilloux cited the EBRDs investment in Egypts first land port in 6 October city, adding that the bank intends to invest in another dry port set to be established in 10 Ramadan city.

We are in touch with the government on further cooperation in other infrastructure-related projects, Pilloux noted.

He said that the EBRD plans to sign an important loan to finance part of the future Alexandria metro and of the Cairo metro next year, adding that the EBRD supports such projects because they are 100 per cent green.

The EBRD is considering cooperating with the state in a project to upgrade electricity transmission lines in the country because they will need to be able to transport the renewable energy that will be generated in future, he said.

The EBRD is also eyeing projects related to hydrogen production in line with Egypts plans to be a regional energy hub, which are also supported by the bank, Pilloux said.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 28 October, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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The decision not to extend emergency legislation sends the message that Egypt is now stable and secure, and the government takes human rights seriously.

President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi surprised commentators this week by ending the state of emergency in effect since 2017.

In July the House of Representatives had approved President Al-Sisis decree extending the state of emergency for another three months, from 24 July to 25 October, and most analysts anticipated another three-month extension next week. On Monday, however, President Al-Sisi wrote on his Facebook page that Egypt has become, thanks to its great and loyal people, an oasis of security and stability in the region. As a result, I have decided to cancel the extension of the state of emergency throughout the country.

Let us together move steadily towards building the new republic, inspired by Gods help and support. Long Live Egypt.

On 10 April 2017, the House of Representatives approved declaring the state of emergency in response to bombings that targeted churches in Tanta and Alexandria, leaving 43 dead and injuring more than 100. The Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the attacks.

At the time, Al-Sisi said a state of emergency was necessary to confront the forces of darkness which were tageting Egypts internal security and stability.

Salah Fawzi, a constitutional law professor at the University of Mansoura, said in a TV interview on Monday evening that we know that the job of the army is mainly to defend the countrys borders, and fight invading forces, but with the emergency law it acquired sweeping powers to face internal dangers such as terrorist groups and drug traffickers that threaten national security.

Salah Abu Himila, a member of parliaments Defence and National Security Committee, told Al-Ahram Weekly that when President Al-Sisi declared the state of emergency in 2017, it was in response to a real threat to national security, when terrorist groups  particularly IS in Libya and North Sinai  were attacking army and security forces, places of worship, and the economic infrastructure.

Abu Himila believes the state of emergency was very effective in countering the dangers, particularly the threat posed by IS-affiliated Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis in North Sinai. The group staged a number of deadly strikes against army and police forces, and soft targets such as mosques, churches, and monasteries.

With the introduction of the emergency law in 2017 the army and security forces were able to almost obliterate the group and stem the tide of terrorist attacks, said Abu Himila.

Abu Himila argues that one factor that might have prompted cancelling the state of emergency is that there are no more dangers coming from Libya which has been able to restore much of its stability in the last two years.

MP Amr Al-Sonbati told the Weekly that the decision was made against a backdrop in which several Arab countries are facing security troubles. Countries like Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, and Tunisia face serious terrorist threats and are imposing their own states of emergency.

Egypt, meanwhile, has become an oasis of stability in a region seething with turmoil.

Al-Sonbati argued that cancelling the state of emergency will benefit Egypt economically because a country without a state of emergency is a safe destination for investments and tourist traffic.

Fawzi pointed out that the state of emergency had allowed authorities to refer offenders to emergency state security courts which were quicker in reaching judgements than civilian courts but that, from 25 October, such courts have been terminated.

Senate Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the Wafd Party Bahaaeddin Abu Shoka made the point that the decision has implications on those who face charges for political reasons. Beginning from 25 October, defendants in such cases will be referred to civilian courts. There will be no change, however, in high-profile cases already referred to emergency courts.

Abu Shoka says the decision sends a message to the world that Egypt is a secure and stable country.

I think the president made his decision after concluding that Egypt has won its war against terrorism and that its borders, particularly with Libya and Gaza, are now secure.

MP Ahmed Shalabi, spokesperson for the Guardians of the Nation Party, said lifting the state of emergency will reinforce the national strategy for human rights adopted last month.

The state of emergency in Egypt made it a target of harsh criticism from Western organisations like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. Our message to these organisations is that the state of emergency was not an end in itself, a tool to defeat terrorist groups, and now this has been achieved the country can return to normal.

According to Abu Shoka, the state of emergency did not cause serious harm to public freedoms since it was applied only to terrorist attacks against military and police forces.

Tarek Radwan, chairman of the Human Rights Committee, sees the move as a step towards bolstering human rights.

Every time the government came to parliament to ask for an extension, it stressed that it did not want Egypt to live in a permanent state of emergency and that the emergency legislation was directed only at terrorist threats, said Radwan.

Egypts National Council for Human Rights hailed the move on Monday calling it an important step towards bolstering, implementing, and protecting human rights, adding that the decision sends a message to Egyptians that the state is serious and determined about strengthening human rights.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 28 October, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Israel is stepping up its campaign against Palestinian human rights groups, accusing them of terrorism.

Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz issued an order that put six Palestinian civil society groups on its terrorism list last week, under the pretext that they are funding the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

The move caused an uproar in Palestinian and global circles and even had repercussions within the Israeli government and society.

The targeted Palestinian groups include the Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, the Al-Haq for the Defence of Human Rights Organisation, the Bisan Centre for Research and Development, the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, the Defence for Children International  Palestine, and the Union of Agricultural Work Committees. All of them operate in the Palestinian Territories and have offices in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and Jerusalem.

The Israeli authorities claimed these groups and institutions are linked to the PFLP and fund its activities. The PFLP said the terrorist designation aimed to tighten the siege on the Palestinian people and their institutions, prevent NGOs from playing their part in Palestinian life, and curb their role in exposing Israeli practices and policies.

Israel also accused the groups of receiving large sums of money from European countries and international organisations, passing the funds on to the families of Palestinian prisoners and martyrs, and promoting PFLP activities in Jerusalem.

Kayed Al-Ghoul, a member of the PFLP politburo, said in a statement that this decision aims to disrupt human rights groups and divert attention from their work in pursuing the leaders of the Israeli occupation in European courts and of occupation crimes at the International Criminal Court. It is also an attempt to undermine their role in global circles and end the funding to them.

The decision resulted in a variety of responses, most promptly by the US state department, which did not support the move and said it would continue to investigate the reasons behind it.

State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said that we will be engaging our Israeli partners for more information regarding the basis for Tel Avivs designation of six human rights groups as terrorist, adding that the US had not been given advance warning of the designation.

Many observers viewed this as a shift in the US position on Israeli decisions, which at one point saw the full US approval of all decisions by the Israeli government, especially under the administration of former US president Donald Trump.

To avoid tensions between Washington and Tel Aviv, the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation reported, Israel has sent a special envoy to Washington carrying evidence and information showing that the six Palestinian organisations are involved in terrorist activities.

Meanwhile, the Israeli news portal Walla! quoted an unnamed senior Israeli official as saying that the US administration had been informed in advance about Israels intention to designate the Palestinian organisations in the West Bank as terrorist.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohamed Shtayyeh said in a statement that this designation is a serious violation of international law, since the targeted organisations operate according to Palestinian law and partner with international organisations. There should be an intervention by international groups to condemn the Israeli move and prevent its implementation.

He called on the international community and human rights groups around the world to condemn a step that he said violated international law.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas also rejected the decision, saying that the six Palestinian organisations operate according to Palestinian law and that the Palestinian leadership would continue to support them so they can continue their operations.

The UN Human Rights Office in Palestine expressed alarm about the designation of key Palestinian human rights and humanitarian organisations as terrorist, according to Israels 2016 Anti-Terrorism Law.

It stated that the designations by Israels National Bureau for Counter-Terrorism Financing cite very vague and irrelevant reasons, including peaceful and legitimate activities such as providing legal aid and campaigning against Israel on the global stage. Counter-terrorism legislation must not be used to constrain legitimate human rights and humanitarian work.

A UN statement added that these designations are the latest development in a long and stigmatising campaign against these and other organisations, damaging their ability to deliver on crucial work. Some organisations that were designated as terrorist are key partners with us, namely the Union of Agricultural Work Committees, the Defence for Children International  Palestine, the Al-Haq Organisation, the Bisan Centre, the Addameer Association and the Union of Palestinian Womens Committees.

In Israel, the designations further divided the ruling coalition cabinet, especially since it undermined steps by left-wing parties in the government to move closer to the Palestinian Authority and moderates on the Palestinian side. The Israeli media reported that Gantz had not informed his coalition partners of the decision, including prime minister Naftali Bennett and foreign minister Yair Lapid.

The Arab minister in the Israeli cabinet, who serves as minister of regional cooperation, Issawi Frej also objected to the decision, quoted as saying that there is no relationship between these organisations and terrorism, in Israels Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.

A strong state must know how to deal with criticism. That is the test of our strength, he said.

Israeli Minister of Health Nitzan Horowitz said Israel must be very careful in imposing restrictions on Palestinian civil society. He said he had asked Gantz to submit the motivations and evidence that had led to this decision to the rest of the government.

Minister of Environment Tamar Zandberg said that three of the six organisations were long-established and well-known human rights groups. Both she and Horowitz are members of the Meretz Party, which supports dialogue with the PA.

The Israeli Haaretz newspaper reported that designating Palestinian human rights organisations as terrorist was part of the ideological dispute among members of the incumbent government, threatening its stability.

This is not the first time that Israel has attacked civil society, human rights, and even relief organisations in Palestine. Former Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu openly campaigned against funding for these groups and for terminating their operations, and in this he was supported by Trump.

Israel also earlier arrested Mohamed Halabi, director of the international organisation World Vision, and accused him of similar charges of funding and supporting terrorism. This led to the shuttering of his organisation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, denying thousands of beneficiaries of its services.

Despite Israels accusations against Palestinian institutions with the aim of agitating against them and preventing them from receiving funds from international human rights groups, Palestinian analysts believe Israels move is an attempt to obstruct legal action led by these organisations to prosecute Israel for its abuses against the Palestinians.

Some groups have filed charges, even in Israeli courts, against many Israeli agencies, including the Israeli army. This sometimes investigates crimes against the Palestinians, but mostly finds Israeli soldiers innocent of the charges against them and shields them from prosecution.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 28 October, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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The Fund for Drug Control and Treatment of Addiction (FDCTA) published an infographic on its official Facebook page about the findings of the committee for detecting drug abuse among state employees.

By mid-December will begin the implementation of legislation allowing the dismissal of state employees if they test positive for drugs. The Fund for Drug Control and Treatment of Addiction (FDCTA), headed by Minister of Social Solidarity Nevine Al-Qabbaj, published an infographic on its official Facebook page about the findings of the committee for detecting drug abuse among state employees. Some 400,000 employees were tested between March 2019-August 2021 across the country.

Qabbaj reviewed a report on drug abuse among state employees, which showed that drug abuse dropped from eight per cent to 1.5 per cent since the start of the testing campaign. Anyone who asks for treatment voluntarily is considered a patient and receives free and confidential treatment. Otherwise, by mid-December legislation will be enforced to fire employees who test positive. The new legislation allowed for a six-month grace period before implementation once the president signed it into law, which gave employees who are addicted to seek treatment without facing criminal charges. Since, around 8,275 telephone calls were made to Hotline 16023 by state employees seeking treatment for drug addiction.

The report also revealed that the most common drugs are hashish, tramadol and heroin. Qabbaj gave directives to continue testing campaigns, and anyone who tests positive will face criminal charges as per the orders of the president and cabinet, as part of a plan to create safe work environments that are free of drugs.

School bus drivers are also being closely tested and monitored during the academic year, to ensure they are not abusing drugs.

FDCTA Director and Assistant to the minister of social solidarity Amr Osman said that unannounced testing caravans are expanding and several interventions among state employees were held by directly reaching out to target groups through awareness sessions about the dangers of drug abuse, and the implementation of the new legislation. Over the past five months, the focus of 285 events for state employees across 20 governorates was to motivate those who desire treatment to seek help, before the law comes into force and they lose their jobs.

An informational video was also published titled Know Your Rights and Responsibilities Under the Drug Testing Law which was watched by nearly seven million viewers on social media. There were also television interviews to inform about the new law and how to contest a verdict, but also asserting that the new legislation aims to protect the innocent.

Osman added that drug testing campaigns among state employees are on the rise, in cooperation with the Forensic Medicine Department and the General Secretariat of Mental Health for State Employees, especially among staff that interact with the public. Coordination is also underway among all government departments across the country to provide FDCTA with data on the number of employees and their locations, in order to send out testing caravans there. A communications officer is chosen on site to facilitate testing there.

Qabbaj said that in the first nine months of 2021, the FDCTA provided treatment for 102,407 drug addicts and those in remission who were referred from the Hotline. They were treated at 27 FDCTA rehabilitation centres and hospitals partnering with Hotline 16023 in 17 governorates. Services included consultations, psychiatric support, treatment and rehabilitation according to international standards.

Some 4,914 patients from new housing developments that have replaced slum areas received treatment; of these, 94.46 per cent of patients were males and 5.54 per cent females. These neighbourhoods include Asmarat, Mahrousa, Rawdet Al-Sayeda, Bashayer Al-Kheir, Al-Dawahi district in Port Said and other areas that will be developed such as Sobhi Hussein, Antar Stable, Ezbet Kheirallah in Cairo, Karmouz and Gheit El-Enab in Alexandria.

Qabbaj added that most calls to the Hotline came from Cairo at 33.69 per cent of calls, followed by Giza at 12.42 per cent. This is due to their large populations, ease of communication and proximity to hospitals that partner with the Hotline. It was revealed that the most informative medium to learn about the Hotline was through television advertisement campaigns, followed by the Internet and the FDCTAs website, direct interaction with visitors and receiving patients who are referred by friends.

Osman explained that information from the Hotline is recorded on an electronic form about callers, which helps the FDCTA decide where to establish rehab centres and reveals the most popular drugs among callers, the age they began abusing drugs and other data that helps to decide on anti-drug policy.

He added that the data of callers in the first nine months of 2021 showed that addiction mostly began at a young age for them, whereby 45.17 per cent of them began between the ages of 15 and 20; 33.92 per cent were between 20 and 30 years old; while 14.21 per cent were less than 15 years old. The most popular drugs among callers are hashish at a rate of 45.17 per cent; heroin at 41.91 per cent; tramadol at 33.17 per cent; astrox and voodoo at 12.63 per cent; as well as others that abuse multiple drugs.

Some 55.86 per cent of callers to the Hotline are unemployed and 44.14 per cent work in the private and public sectors. Meanwhile, queries by state employees mostly focused on the confidentiality of information, legal action and deadline for implementing the new legislation.

Osman continued that causes of drug abuse according to the Hotline data are bad company, curiosity, family problems, misconceptions about health issues and virility, as well as pursuing pleasure. The reasons for seeking treatment included poor health, family problems, concern for offspring, death of a relative, financial unsustainability, work problems, family pressure or a drug-related incident.

In the wake of recent awareness campaigns and door to door initiative, contact was mostly made by patients themselves, then mothers, and then siblings. The campaigns nurtured the confidence of patients and their kin in the services of the Hotline, which increased the number of recovered addicts. It also shows that families now have greater awareness and play a role in guiding their members to treatment. As a result, 38 young men and three females submitted to treatment.

Between September 2020 and September 2021, some 108,000 visits among door to door initiative were made to raise the awareness of families about the dangers of drug abuse in new housing developments. In fact, 88 per cent of those who asked for treatment were informed through door to door initiative which is a positive effect of direct interaction. Viral tests for diseases that accompany drug abuse, such as Hepatitis B and C and AIDs, are also provided.

Also, two hundred residents in these areas were chosen to train as volunteers to raise awareness against drugs, and hold storytelling workshops on drug abuse through creative activities which benefited 9,000 residents in new developments. Another 700 children attended workshops about the dangers of smoking tobacco.

Qabbaj said many awareness campaigns are underway in new developments, especially for youth and teenagers to improve their life skills, and raise family awareness which helps society protect against drug abuse. Door to door initiative will continue in these areas with the aim of creating a culture that rejects drugs, while sustaining these initiatives relies on training organic leadership who are residents there. These local leaders are trained in prevention mechanisms, early detection, and communication skills to spread the word among their peers. This enhances community participation among youth in these areas, and develops messages that are appropriate for each target group based on the FDCTAs scientific module.

Osman noted that four new clinics were opened in these areas, where patients are then referred to rehab centres, and the FDCTAs work will continue to expand into more new housing developments.

To raise more awareness, the FDCTA published an informational video on its official Facebook page about the dangers of the drug shabu (methamphetamine) and its impact on brain cells.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 28 October , 2021 edition of Al- Ahram Weekly

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FDCTAs volunteer kiosks at universities raise awareness among students about the harm of drug abuse, including cultural events and drawing classes. The Minister of Social Solidarity gives directives to increase activities and take advantage of students role in educating their peers against drug abuse.

At the beginning of the new school year, the Fund for Drug Control and the Treatment of Addiction (FDCTA), headed by Minister of Social Solidarity Nevine Al-Qabaj, established volunteer kiosks  at several Egyptian universities to meet with students, raise awareness about drug abuse, field questions from students about drug addiction, explain how Hotline 16023 operates, and how to connect to receive free and confidential treatment.

The FDCTAs volunteer kiosks aim to attract university students and educate them about how to avoid drug addiction, answer any questions about the subject, and correct misconceptions about drug abuse -- such as drugs improving concentration, memory and making fun friends.

The kiosks also sponsor volunteer activities and training programmes to combat drug abuse. Young volunteers, for example, organise nature drawing sessions during which there are discussions about the harm of drug abuse, including smoking, on the environment by adding to air pollution that harms the health of humans.

There are also games and competitions to educate, such as the Wheel of Information which is a board with a circle of information about mistaken ideas and beliefs about narcotics, which asks a variety of questions such as: How does smoking harm a womans beauty? And how do drugs lower virility in men? Also, educating about the dangers of smoking hash and cannabis, and the misconception that drugs make you funnier and improve concentration, physical strength and self-esteem.

Qabaj gave directives to increase awareness programmes on college campuses and take advantage of student energies to educate their peers. This is part of the Ministrys plan to raise social awareness among all echelons, especially youth, about the dangers of drugs. She said volunteer kiosks will be permanent FDCTA outlets at universities, and serve as beacons of prevention and education for youth, as well as for recruiting more young volunteers to join in the fight against drugs.

Assistant to the minister of social solidarity and FDCTA Director Amr Osman said the kiosks are located at several universities, including Cairo University, Helwan University, Zaqaziq University and Sohag University. They receive students throughout the academic year to answer questions about drug abuse, educate about this vice, and how to seek help on Hotline 16023 for free and confidential treatment.

Students are also informed about misconceptions and misinformation about drug abuse, and ways of preventing drug addiction.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 28 October, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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The United States has issued its first passport with an X gender designation, marking a milestone in the recognition of the rights of people who do not identify as male or female, and expects to be able to offer the option more broadly next year, the State Department said Wednesday.

Dana Zzyym poses for a photo, Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021, in Fort Collins, Colo. [Photo: AP]

The department did not identify the passport recipient, but Dana Zzyym, an intersex activist from Fort Collins, Colorado, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that they received it. Since 2015, Zzyym, who prefers a gender-neutral pronoun, has been in a legal battle with the State Department to obtain a passport that did not require Zzyym to lie about gender by picking either male or female.

Zzyym (pronounced Zimm) picked up the UPS package with the passport after getting an early morning text and phone call from their lawyer, Paul Castillo of Lambda Legal, that it had arrived. Zzyym had stayed up late celebrating Intersex Awareness Day with two visiting activists.

While Zzyym, 63, said it was thrilling to finally get the passport, the goal was to help the next generation of intersex people win recognition as full citizens with rights, rather than travel the globe, Zzyym said.

Im not a problem. Im a human being. Thats the point, said Zzyym, who has an arm tattoo that reads, Never give up, a reminder of goals to accomplish in life.

Zzyym was born with ambiguous physical sexual characteristics but was raised as a boy and had several surgeries that failed to make Zzyym appear fully male, according to court filings. Zzyym served in the Navy as a male but later came to identify as intersex while working and studying at Colorado State University. The State Departments denial of Zzyyms passport prevented Zzyym from being able to go to two Organization Intersex International meetings.

Zzyym would like a chance to travel to another advocacy conference once they resume after the pandemic or perhaps go sea fishing in Costa Rica but, being on a fixed income, says a road trip to Canada for fishing might be more feasible.

Advocates, who praised the work of Zzyym, said the United States' decision to join over a dozen countries that allow a third-gender option would allow people to travel as their authentic selves and possibly keep them safer doing it.

Intersex, nonbinary, and transgender people need identity documents that accurately reflect who we are, and having mismatched documents can create problems with safety and visibility," said Mary Emily OHara of GLAAD, the worlds largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization,

The U.S. special diplomatic envoy for LGBTQ rights, Jessica Stern, said the decision brings the government documents in line with the lived reality that there is a wider spectrum of human sex characteristics than is reflected in the previous two designations.

When a person obtains identity documents that reflect their true identity, they live with greater dignity and respect, Stern said.

The State Department said in June that it was moving toward adding a third gender marker for nonbinary, intersex and gender-nonconforming people but that would take time because of required updates to its computer systems. In addition, a department official said the passport application and system update with the X designation option still awaited approval from the Office of Management and Budget, which signs off on all government forms.

The department now also allows applicants to self-select their gender as male or female, no longer requiring them to provide medical certification if their gender did not match that listed on their other identification documents.

Stern said her office planned to talk about the U.S. experience with the change in its interactions around the world and hopes that might help inspire other governments to offer the option.

We see this as a way of affirming and uplifting the human rights of trans and intersex and gender-nonconforming and nonbinary people everywhere, she said.
A Kansas sheriffs deputy caught on dashcam video running over a Black man who was fleeing shirtless across a field is now working at the Hutchinson Correctional Facility while under criminal investigation, according to the attorney for the injured man.

Lionel Womack, a former police detective from Kansas City, Kansas, alleges in an excessive force lawsuit filed last year that Kiowa County Sheriffs Deputy Jeremy Rodriguez intentionally drove over him during the Aug. 15, 2020, incident that was captured on dashcam video. Womack says he sustained serious injuries to his back, pelvis, and right thigh, knee and foot.

In a court filing responding to the lawsuit, Rodriguez denied he intentionally swerved his truck to run over Womack. The deputy said he learned later that Womack did not possess a weapon.

Attorney Michael Kuckelman, who represents Womack, wrote in a letter Tuesday to Kansas Secretary of Corrections Jefferey Zmuda and Warden Dan Schnurr that he was shocked to learn in a deposition that they would employ Rodriguez, who works as a master sergeant at the facility.

Kuckelman encouraged them to discuss the ongoing criminal investigations with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

William Townsley, who represents the deputy, told The Associated Press in an email Wednesday that Kuckelman's letter, which was copied to the press, was perhaps an effort to sway opinion and said it's intended to harangue" Rodriguez. He added that it also seems to be an effort to influence state officials, saying they "anticipate that the Secretary and Warden will not be intimidated by his bluster.

A spokesman for the state Department of Corrections said in an email that they are trying to determine the departments position on this and will follow up at a more appropriate time.

Rodriguez testified in his deposition that he was asked by the Department of Corrections to work at the Hutchinson prison, despite the fact that he remains under criminal investigation and is on administrative suspension from the Kiowa County Sheriff's Office, according to Kuckelman's letter. He testified that the decision to allow him to work at the prison was made by Zmuda and Schnurr.

Kuckelman in his letter urged them to review the videos of Rodriguez running down Womack, and to consider whether it's appropriate to have him responsible for supervising prisoners and other prison guards.

"Master Sergeant Rodriguez has been employed by at least 15 different law enforcement agencies and multiple jails/prisons," Kuckelman wrote. It is time to weed Master Sergeant out of all forms of law enforcement and cease covering or overlooking his misconduct as a law enforcement officer.

But Townsley countered that Rodriguez has worked for the Department of Corrections for nearly 13 years, while also working part-time for other law enforcement entities. He said there is nothing new nor nefarious about this practice in law enforcement, particularly given the current shortage of corrections officers across the state.

Rodriguez has not been disciplined or terminated by any previous employer, he said.
KYODO NEWS - Oct 28, 2021 - 15:00 | All, World

France will not support a new trilateral security partnership between Australia, Britain and the United States, known as AUKUS, said the country's envoy for the Indo-Pacific, voicing concern it could escalate tensions in the region at a time of fraught China-U.S. relations.

"The approach is not suitable for us," the envoy, Christophe Penot, said in a recent interview with Kyodo News, referring to the trilateral initiative that would help Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines.

France previously had its own joint submarine deal with Australia before Canberra abandoned it without warning in favor of AUKUS, a move which drew strong outcry from Paris.

Doubtful of the three-way framework, Penot said the problem is it would force countries in the region to choose between China and the United States, and lead to raising tensions rather than resolving them.

"It also causes questions about nuclear submarines and the (international) nuclear non-proliferation regime," he said, suggesting that AUKUS could spur other countries to begin acquiring their own nuclear submarines.

But Penot said France would not ask the United States to cancel the deal, and that with China's increasing influence, the Macron administration would now seek stronger relations with other countries in the Indo-Pacific region.

"This does not change our strategy," he said. "I think this will encourage us to strengthen our ties with Japan and India...when you lose a friend, your friendship with your other friends becomes stronger."

On restoring relations with the United States, Penot said the two countries have since resumed dialogue and it was progressing well.

"The United States is an ally of France," he said. "(It) is also a major player in the Indo-Pacific and we want to coordinate our strategies. That is not to say that we will align (with their plans), but we will discuss to see where we can be complementary."

On the relationship with Australia, Penot said, "It will take time to restore a sufficient level of trust to continue to work together as we did in the past."

Penot, a former ambassador to Australia, assumed the newly created post in October 2020.

The European Union has formulated strategies for the Indo-Pacific region. He said specific measures are expected to be implemented when France holds the rotating presidency of the 27-nation bloc in the first half of next year.

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KYODO NEWS - Oct 28, 2021 - 11:57 | World, All, Japan

A U.N. committee adopted Wednesday a Japan-sponsored draft resolution calling for the total elimination of nuclear arms, prompting a divided response from the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council.

In the vote, 152 countries supported the resolution, while four including council members China and Russia opposed it, with 30 abstaining.

Of the five major nuclear-weapon states, Britain and the United States co-sponsored the document while France, which abstained last year, voted in favor of it.

The draft resolution is expected to be formally adopted at the U.N. General Assembly in December.

"This resolution, as one of the concrete measures to realize a world without nuclear weapons, provides common ground with which all states can work together and thereby bridges the gap between nuclear-weapon states and non-nuclear-weapon states," Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said in a statement.

In consideration of the United States, which provides Japan with nuclear deterrence, the resolution failed to mention the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons that took effect in January.

The resolution includes phrasing about "bearing in mind" the fact that "various approaches exist towards the realization of a world without nuclear weapons and that confidence-building among all States is essential to this end."

The document also uses the word "recognizing" in reference to the "catastrophic humanitarian consequences that would result from the use of nuclear weapons," an expression included in the previous year's resolution and weaker than the "deep concern" mentioned in 2019.

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KYODO NEWS - Oct 28, 2021 - 14:16 | All, Japan, World

Japan's ambassador to Afghanistan on Wednesday met with a senior official of the Taliban's interim government and urged that Japanese nationals in the war-torn country be kept safe and allowed to leave at an early date.

Ambassador Takashi Okada also called on acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to secure safe routes for Japan to provide humanitarian aid to Afghans and to uphold human rights including for women and ethnic minorities, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

The two met in Doha, where Japan has moved its diplomatic operations following the Taliban's return to power in early September. It was the first time the Japanese government has made direct contact with a Cabinet-level Taliban official.

Okada asked that the safety of Afghans who worked at the Japanese Embassy in Kabul and organizations linked to Japan be ensured. He also expressed his hope that Afghanistan would not become a hotbed for terrorist activity, the ministry said.

A ministry official declined to say what Muttaqi said during the meeting.

Related coverage:

At least 47 killed in mosque blast in southern Afghanistan: AP

Afghan evacuees in South Korea discuss life, future in new country

Japan helps evacuate more than 300 Afghans, 140 to arrive from Qatar
By Yuka Nakao, KYODO NEWS - Oct 28, 2021 - 13:17 | Feature, All, Japan

Campaign pledges by most political parties ahead of Sunday's lower house election have increased hopes of legislation to deepen understanding and protect the rights of sexual minorities.

Six major opposition parties promise that they will seek to present bills to parliament next year to help protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people against discrimination and legalize same-sex marriage. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner Komeito vow only to promote public understanding through legislation.

The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and three others -- the Japanese Communist Party, the Social Democratic Party and Reiwa Shinsengumi -- agreed on a common policy of enacting an LGBT equality law. The Democratic Party for the People will consider guaranteeing same-sex marriage under the Constitution.

"We can't wait any longer," said Katsunori Kano, a 42-year-old openly gay owner of small businesses in Iga, Mie Prefecture. "We are not asking for a privilege but at minimum an equal system. This unreasonable situation has been allowed to continue for a long time, with (the government) just making excuses."

Japan ranked second from bottom among 35 members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in a 2019 survey of legal inclusivity of sexual minorities.

Since Tokyo's Shibuya Ward first introduced partnership certificates for LGBT couples in 2015, 130 municipalities that cover about 40 percent of Japan's population have introduced similar schemes, according to a tally by Shibuya city and a non-profit organization Nijiiro Diversity.

Still, legal marriage remains available only to heterosexual couples in Japan. Transgender people can change their sex on their family registries but they must negotiate multiple steps, including gender reassignment surgery.

Public understanding of sexual minorities is improving, according to a nationwide survey by a research group led by Kazuya Kawaguchi, a sociology professor at Hiroshima Shudo University. The number of those in favor of same-sex marriage increased to 64.8 percent in 2019 from 51.2 percent in 2015, the survey showed.

Among 1,051 candidates running in the House of Representatives election, 56 percent support same-sex marriage, said Marriage For All Japan, an organization campaigning to realize marriage equality.

The LDP says in its election pledges that it looks to raise awareness about sexual minorities. However, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, also LDP leader, said his party has no plans to submit a bill on the matter next year and he is also reluctant to recognize same-sex marriage. He said during a lower house plenary session earlier in the month that the matter "concerns the very basis of the family" and requires "extremely careful consideration."

Makiko Terahara, a 46-year-old lawyer and co-leader of Marriage For All Japan, said the scant progress made in establishing policies for the LGBT community in Japan reflects "deeply rooted" discrimination and the lack of diversity among lawmakers, judges and media reporters.

"Statistics show that the younger generation has a greater understanding about sexual minorities. I hope more young people will go to the polls," Terahara said.

Gon Matsunaka, head of a nonprofit group called Pride House Tokyo Consortium that supports sexual minorities, said same-sex marriage could be a test for Japan to become a more inclusive society.

"Same-sex marriage is a symbolic issue that shows whether Japan will join other countries that have reformed their social structure to treat all people equally or remain as it is," the 45-year-old said.

Related coverage:

Japanese LGBTQ icon Ai Haruna reflects on Paralympics 2 months later

Japan PM Kishida vows economic growth, redistribution in 1st policy speech

FEATURE: Tokyo LGBTQ center head hoping Olympics spark social change
KYODO NEWS - Oct 28, 2021 - 20:43 | World, All

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has agreed to forge a "comprehensive strategic partnership" with China, Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah said Thursday, just a day after it was announced that ASEAN would establish a partnership on the same level with Australia.

"I'm especially pleased that ASEAN has agreed to establish comprehensive strategic partnership with both Australia and China, which will foster more substantial and mutually beneficial relationships going forward," Bolkiah, whose country currently holds ASEAN's annually rotating chairmanship, said at the closing press conference for this week's ASEAN Summit and related meetings.

However, details of the content of the two partnerships are still not clear.

The announcement, which comes amid fierce rivalry between the United States and China for influence in the region, appears to show that ASEAN seeks to balance its relations with China and the West.

The recent announcement of AUKUS, a new trilateral security pact among the United States, Britain and Australia that has raised some anxiety and concern, was discussed this week during ASEAN's meetings with some of its so-called dialogue partners, comprising those three countries plus China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Canada, India, New Zealand and the European Union.

"Indeed, we have seen a rise in geostrategic competition," Bolkiah said in response to a question on AUKUS. But he added that "at the same time, we have also witnessed growing cooperation and an increase in the number of countries working with ASEAN."

"We really hope that any new security partnership will contribute constructively towards toward regional peace and stability and complement the regional architecture," he said.

The 10 members of ASEAN are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Related coverage:

U.S., Japan square off with China on maritime security amid tensions

Japan PM Kishida vows to boost Japan-ASEAN ties amid China's assertiveness

ASEAN holds summit without Myanmar, explores balanced approach
Mumbai:

An average 60.07 per cent turnout was recorded at the end of voting hours across 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra on Tuesday with an election official estimating that it may increase after all data comes.

A case was registered against a voter for making a baseless complaint about a glitch in EVM, while another case was registered when a video of voting was found uploaded on social media app TikTok.

Dilip Shinde, additional chief electoral officer, told reporters that polling was still on at some centres and the trend suggested that average voting in the state in the third phase of general elections will be go up.

"Average voting in these constituencies in 2014 was 62.88 per cent," he added.

The final voting percentage in the first and second phase of the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra was 63.04 and 62.88 per cent, Shinde said.

The polling began at 7 am and ended at 5 pm.

As of 5 pm, Kolhapur Lok Sabha constituency had recorded 65.70 per cent voting, followed by Hatkanangale at 64.79 per cent.

The voting figures in other constituencies at 5 pm were as follows: Jalgaon 52.28 per cent, Raver 56.98 per cent,

Jalna 59.92 per cent, Aurangabad 58.52 per cent, Raigad 56.14 per cent, Pune 43.63 per cent, Baramati 55.84 per cent, Ahmednagar 57.75 per cent, Madha 56.41 per cent, Sangli 59.39 per cent, Satara 55.40 per cent and Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg 57.63 per cent.

State BJP president Raosaheb Danve (Jalna) and NCP chief Sharad Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule (Baramati) are among the prominent candidates in the fray.

The Election Commission lodged a complaint against a person in Bhusaval town under the Raver Lok Sabha seat for a false complaint about his vote going to the wrong candidate.

"A complaint was filed with the local police station against Amol Surwade who claimed that he pressed the button of his choice on EVM but his vote went to another party. A mock poll was performed to verify the claim. The machine was functioning properly. The local election office invoked charges under IPC section 177 (furnishing false information) against Surwade," Shinde said.

A case was also registered at Aurangabad, after a video of voting was found on social media app TikTok, and the search was on for the person who uploaded it, he said.
New Delhi:

Amid intense global outrage over the Easter Sunday blasts in Sri Lanka, defence minister Ruwan Wijewardene on Tuesday revealed that one of the bombers, who detonated the explosives, was a woman. The blasts at hotels and churches have so far killed at least 359 people, the deadliest such event in south Asia's history. The ISIS has claimed responsibility for the dastardly terror attack through a series of eight blasts. The group, however, did not give any evidence to back its claim, according to Reuters.

Here are the latest updates from the island nation:

1: Some top intelligence officials hid the intelligence information purposefully. Information was there, but the top brass security officials did not take appropriate actions, Lakshman Kiriella, who is also minister of public enterprise, told parliament.

2: Somebody is controlling these top intelligence officials, the minister said. The Security Council is doing politics. We need to investigate into this.

3: Kiriella also said more than 100 people were likely to be arrested, without giving further details.

4: On the other hand, Sri Lanka has initiated a plan to ban the burqa as interrogation of suspects and other evidence are pointing to the involvement of a large number of women in the blasts.

5: The government is planning to implement the move in consultation with the mosque authorities, the Daily Mirror reported quoting sources.

6: If Sri Lanka adopts the burqa ban, it would join the group of nations in Asia, Africa, and Europe that have done so in the interest of preventing terrorists from using the burqa to evade police or hide explosives.

7: Police carried out a controlled explosion of a suspicious motorcycle parked near a cinema hall in Colombo.

8: The police said that the area near the Savoy Cinema at Wellawatta, South Colombo was cleared and the controlled explosion was carried out by the bomb disposal squad to check the motorcycle which had no owner.

9: No explosives were found in the vehicle. Sri Lankan police have asked all motorists and motor cyclists to leave their contact numbers in their vehicles when they leave them parked in the city.

10: Security forces have launched nationwide search operations to nab the perpetrators of the Easter Sunday bomb attacks.

(With agency inputs)

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Lucknow:

Braving the scorching sun and EVM niggles, voters in Uttar Pradesh recorded a turnout of 61.40 per cent in the 10 constituencies where polling took place on Tuesday in the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections, according to Election Commission's Voter Turnout app.A This is a few percentage point short of the overall 61.48 registered over the same constituencies in 2014.

Prominent UP leaders in the fray in this phase are four members of Samajwadi Party patron Mulayam Singh Yadav's clan, besides senior party leader Azam Khan and actor-turned BJP candidate Jaya Prada.

A The BJP also fielded Union Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar and Varun Gandhi as it fought to retain the seven seats it won in 2014 With the end of this phase, polling is now over in 26 of the 80 constituencies in the state that accounts for the largest number of MPs in Parliament.

A According to the Election Commission, the voter turnout was 63.75 per cent in Moradabad, 60 per cent in Rampur, 63.26 per cent in Sambhal, 62.08 per cent in Firozabad, 57.78 percent in Mainpuri, 62.64 per cent in Etah, 58.98 per cent in Badaun, 58.73 per cent in Aonla, 60.60 per cent in Bareilly and 66.62 per cent in Pilibhit. UP's Chief Electoral Officer L Venkateshwar Lu told reporters that polling was peaceful in the state.

He said there were complaints of electronic voting machines (EVMs) malfunctioning at some booths but they were promptly dealt with. The SP lodged a complaint over the alleged malfunctioning of EVMs with the Election Commission, terming it criminal negligence. When questioned on SP president Akhilesh Yadav's claim that about 300 EVMs developed snags in Rampur alone, Venkateshwar Lu gave a set of figures contradicting it.

"In Rampur, eight ballot units, seven control units and 21 VVPATs were changed during the mock polling. During the actual polling hours, 18 ballot units, 19 control units and 52 VVPATs were changed,? he said, adding that this was 2.67 per cent of the machines. In Firozabad, the ratio of replaced machines was higher at about 5 per cent, according to the CEO.

Earlier, a report from Sambhal said some EVMs developed snags in Chandausi and Asmoli assembly segments of the Aonla Lok Sabha seat. In Pilibhit, polling at a sensitive booth in Kukrikheda started about an hour late due to faulty EVMs. At a booth in Etah zila panchayat, presiding officer Yogesh Kumar was removed after people accused him of forcing them to cast their votes in favour of the SP. "In all, three presiding officers were changed.

Younger brother of Mulayam Singh Yadav, Abhay Singh Yadav after casting his vote at a polling booth in Saifai, Mainpuri #LokSabhaElections2019



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Two in Etah and one in Sambhal parliamentary constituency," Additional Chief Electoral Officer B D R Tiwari said. SP leader and former chairman of Bhargain Nagar Panchayat, Ahmed Nafis, was taken into custody in Kasganj in Etah after authorities anticipated breach of peace.

He was placed in police custody till 6 pm, when polling closed, officials said. SP MP Dharmendra Yadav, who is seeking re-election from Badaun, lodged a complaint against state minister Swami Prasad Maurya, claiming that he was campaigning in the constituency for his daughter and BJP candidate Sanghmitra Maurya.

But a raid at a house by district administration officials failed to locate him. Poll rules bar party leaders from camping in a constituency after the campaigning ends, unless they themselves are registered voters there. The Uttar Pradesh seats where polling took place Tuesday are spread over the Rohilkhand region.

SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav (Mainpuri) and nephews Dharmendra Yadav (Badaun) and Akshay Yadav (Firozabad) are seeking re-election. Pitted against Akshay Yadav, son of Mulayam Singh Yadav's cousin Ram Gopal Yadav, is Shivpal Yadav, another brother of the SP patriarch.

Shivpal Yadav floated a new political outfit, Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia), after falling out with Mulayam Singh Yadav's son and SP president Akhilesh Yadav. In 2014, Mulayam Singh Yadav won both the Mainpuri and Azamgarh seats, but vacated the first one, which was later bagged by another family member, Tej Pratap Singh, in a bye-election. Senior SP leader Azam Khan is contesting from Rampur, which witnessed a new low in campaigning this time with the controversial leader making a derogatory remark against BJP candidate Jaya Prada.

Other political heavyweights in Tuesday's test included Union Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar, who is fighting from Bareilly and BJP's Varun Gandhi from Pilibhit. Altogether 1.76 crore people were eligible to cast their vote in this phase at 20,116 polling booths. Some 120 candidates are in the fray for the 10 seats.

Across the state, the Bharatiya Janata Party faces an alliance of the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Rashtriya Lok Dal. Meanwhile, the state election office said repolling at booth number 455 in Agra's Etmadpur assembly segment will now be held on April 25.

Polling was declared as 'zero' at the booth during the earlier, April 18, phase of voting after the presiding officer wrongly pressed the `close' button. The CEO said action will be taken against the official as per the norms.
Jhansi/Jalaun:

Seeking to woo voters ahead of the April 29 polling for the three out of four Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh's Bundelkhand, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday held a roadshow in Jhansi, the second in two days in the region. On the second day of her Bundelkhand visit, she held the roadshow in a busy commercial area of the city, sitting atop a vehicle in a violet saree and exchanging pleasantries with people lined up on both sides of the narrow and congested roads.

As young voters and Congress workers showered flowers on her cavalcade, she was greeted with slogans of "chowkidar chor hai" from the crowd at some places. Priyanka Gandhi got off her vehicle and offered prayers at Gopal Mandir and Jain Mandir (at Gandhi Road). The roadshow covered almost a distance of 10 kilometres. Former Union minister Pradeep Jai Aditya was also present on the occasion.

She sought votes for party candidate Shiv Sharan Kushwaha, who is Jan Adhikar Party founder Babu Singh Kushwaha's brother. The party has forged an alliance with the Congress. Babu Singh Kushwaha, a former BSP minister, was one of Mayawati's most trusted "backroom boys", and a senior member of the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet.

On April 7, 2011, he was forced to resign after being implicated in the killing of two chief medical officers. Jhansi is the largest town in Bundelkhand, a parched and underdeveloped hilly region spread over Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

In Jalaun, Priyanka Gandhi garlanded the statue of Babasaheb Ambedkar and then offered a chaadar at the mazaar (grave) of Sayyad Padam Pad Shah, before starting her roadshow. Jalaun goes to poll on April 29.

Earlier on Wednesday, Priyanka Gandhi held a roadshow in Mahoba of the Banda constituency, which goes to polls on May 6 and an election meeting in Hamirpur, the voting for which will be held on April 29. Bundelkhand has four Lok Sabha seats - Jalaun, Jhansi, Hamirpur and Banda.

Focusing on the Bundelkhand region, she had also addressed a public meeting in Hamirpur, accusing the NDA government of pursuing anti-people policies. "The Modi government is ignoring the poor, farmers and women. It is bothered only about the power," she had said.

"What have you done in the past five years? What has happened to the promises made five years ago?" she had asked the BJP. "Elect a government, a leader who is your hamdard (sympathiser)," Priyanka Gandhi had said.

While the erstwhile Bahujan Samaj Party government, under Mayawati, had in 2011 proposed to create Bundelkhand state comprising seven districts of UP, outfits like the Bundelkhand Akikrit Party and the Bundelkhand Mukti Morcha wanted the inclusion of six districts of Madhya Pradesh as well.

During canvassing for the 2014 Lok Sabha election, BJP leader Uma Bharti too had promised a separate state of Bundelkhand within three years of her party coming to power. A similar promise was made by the Congress during the last general election.

All the four Lok Sabha seats were won by the BJP in 2014 with a massive 44.86 per cent vote share. In the 2017 assembly elections, the Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and the Congress were not able to dent the BJP's support base here.

The BJP, in 2017, successfully carried on its momentum in Bundelkhand and bagged all 20 assembly seats in the region. The saffron party had dominated the region throughout the 1990s. Beginning with the 1991 Lok Sabha election, the party won all the four Lok Sabha seats in Bundelkhand.

It won all, except Banda (BSP won this seat), in 1996 and again secured a landslide victory in the 1998 election. However, the BJP's domination witnessed a hiatus from 1999 till 2014 when the party made a comeback riding on the 'Modi wave'.

In 1999, 2004, and 2009 parliamentary elections, the BJP could only manage to win once in Jalaun in 2004. During this period, while the BSP bagged three seats in 1999, only to wait till 2009 to win another seat (Hamirpur) in the region, the SP won three seats in 2004 and secured two in 2009.

The Congress won only in Jhansi twice, in 1999 and 2009, ever since it won all the four seats in 1984.
Hyderabad:

Three more Intermediate students, including two girls, allegedly committed suicide reportedly due to failure in their exams across Telangana over the past 24 hours, police said Wednesday.

With this, the number of students, who allegedly committed suicide since the past few days, has gone up to 13, they said.

In a related development, protests against thealleged goof-up inthe declaration of Intermediate examresults continued Wednesday with agitated students and their parents assembling near the Telangana State Board ofIntermediate Education (TSBIE) office here.

Members of different student organisations were also present, seeking justice for students declared failed in the recent exams.

Police said an 18-year-old boy, who failed in Economics and Civics subjects, was found hanging in a shed inthe premises of a school at Madur in Medak district around 6.30 am Wednesday.

On Tuesday late afternoon, a 17-year-old girl allegedly set herself ablaze at her house in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district, they said, adding neighbours found her dead.

The reason attributed for her to resort to the extreme step was that she failed in Civics subject, police said based on preliminary investigation.

In another incident, a 19-year-old second-year Intermediate student, who had failed in Physics and Zoology, hanged herself at her house in neighbouring Ranga Reddy district Tuesday night, police said. According to her family, she was depressed afterfailing in the two subjects, another police official said.

Some student organisations and political parties, who have been holding protests in the city and across the state,alleged that as many as 17 students across Telangana have committed suicide since April 18 as they failed or performedpoorly in the Intermediate exams. Many students and parents have been agitating againstthe Telangana State Board of Intermediate Education alleging"goof-up" in the paper valuation and have been demanding athorough reverification of the papers of those who had failed.

The parents alleged due to the board's "negligence" thestudents were failed or got very less marks. The state government has already constituted athree-member committee to look into the allegations ofirregularities in the declaration of the results.
Kamarpara:

Narendra Modi on Wednesday took a swipe at his rivals over their prime ministerial ambitions, quipping they were all decked up in "Ghunghroo", the ringing bells worn by dancers on ankles, before occupying the hot seat.

The prime minister also took a veiled dig at Congress president Rahul Gandhi, saying people looking at a mirror 10 times a day and aspiring to become PM cannot even win assembly constituencies in their Lok Sabha seat.

Reacting to the remarks by PM Modi, Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, "The remark of was extremely shameful. He has been a chief minister for the longest time and has been the PM for the last five years. His cheap statements are in no way in accordance to his position as the head of a country. He is a 24x7 politician. Forget Congress, he should apologise to the entire nation."

In an apparent jibe at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who has been claiming that she and her Trinamool Congress will play a crucial role in government formation after the general elections, Modi said even leaders whose parties are contesting 20-25 seats, want to become the prime minister.

"Sab ghungroo bandhke taiyar ho gaye (everybody is decked up to take the hot seat)," Modi mocked them while addressing an election rally in West Bengal's Kamarpara.

At another public meeting in Lohardaga in neighbouring Jharkhand, the prime minister targeted Gandhi.

"People who look at a mirror ten times a day and then daydream about becoming the prime minister.... It's ridiculous that they cannot even win the assembly constituencies in their Lok Sabha seat," Modi said in an apparent attack on Rahul Gandhi.

The Congress chief is in the fray from Amethi for the fourth time and is pitted against Union minister Smriti Irani, who had lost to him in 2014. Gandhi is also contesting Wayanad seat in Kerala.

In the 2017 Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, the BJP had won four of the five seats under Amethi Lok Sabha constituency, while the fifth had gone to the Samajwadi Party.

He said the Congress-led opposition, which has been "hurling abuse" at him, was now talking ill of the EVMs after realising the "trend" of three rounds of voting in the general elections, "just like a child who makes excuses to justify his underperformance in exams".

(With PTI inputs)
New Delhi :

Reacting angrily to the denial of re-nomination from the Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha seat, Union Minister of State Vijay Sampla on Tuesday termed the Bharatiya Janata Partys decision a cow slaughter. "Bahut dukh hua, Bhajpa (BJP) ne gau hatya kar di (It is very sad, the BJP has committed cow slaughter)," Sampla tweeted in Hindi.

The BJP fielded its Phagwara MLA and former civil servant Som Prakash for the Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha seat, denying ticket to Sampla from there. The Union minister gave vent to his anger in a series of tweets, hitting out at his party.

In another tweet, the BJP leader sought to present his clean credentials and asked his party what was his fault and why he was denied re-nomination.

"You should have pointed out any fault. What is my fault?" he tweeted.

"There is no corruption charge against me. No one can raise a finger at my conduct," he said.

He also highlighted the development work he undertook during his tenure as an MP. "I got an airport in my region, got many new trains started, got roads built," tweeted Sampla.

"If this is the fault, I will tell my coming generations that they must not commit these mistakes," he said in his tweet.

The BJP on Tuesday announced three party candidates from Punjab, deciding to field actor Sunny Deol from Gurdaspur and renominate sitting MP Kirron Kher from Chandigarh.

The party, however, chose Som Prakash as its candidate from Hoshiarpur in place of Union Minister Vijay Sampla.

With PTI Inputs
Colombo:

Sri Lanka has initiated a plan to ban the burqa as interrogation of suspects and other evidence are pointing to the involvement of a large number of women in the Easter Sunday attacks that killed at least 321 people and wounded nearly 500 others in the island nation, a media report said on Tuesday. The government is planning to implement the move in consultation with the mosque authorities, the Daily Mirror reported quoting sources.

"The government, he said (source), is planning to implement the move in consultation with the mosque authorities and on Monday several ministers had spoken to President Maithripala Sirisena on the matter," the paper reported the source as saying.

It has been pointed out that burqa and niqab were never part of the traditional attire of Muslim women in Sri Lanka until the Gulf War in the early 1990s which saw extremist elements introducing the garb to Muslim women.

Defence sources said that a number of female accomplices of incidents in Dematagoda too had escaped wearing burqas, the report said. A string of powerful blasts, suspected to be carried on by National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ) jihadist group, ripped through three churches and as many luxury hotels frequented by foreigners in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, killing 321 people and injuring more than 500 others, shattering a decade of peace in the country following the end of the brutal civil war with the LTTE.

The bombs tore through three five-star hotels in Colombo: the Cinnamon Grand, the Shangri La and the Kingsbury. At least 38 foreigners, including 10 Indian nationals, have died in the attacks. Forty suspects, including the driver of a van allegedly used by the suicide bombers, have been arrested in connection with the multiple attack.

If Sri Lanka adopts the burqa ban, it would join the group of nations in Asia, Africa, and Europe that have done so in the interest of preventing terrorists from using the burqa to evade police or hide explosives.

Among the nations that have enacted a ban on the item are Chad, Cameroon, Gabon, Morocco, Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Belgium, and Xinjiang, a Muslim-majority province in northwestern China, the paper reported.

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Wayanad:

Dubbed as a crucial seat following Congress president Rahul Gandhis candidature, the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency on Tuesday registered a record polling of 79.77 per cent against the 73.25 per cent registered in the 2014 elections, despite heavy rainfall across the day. Kerala witnessed an overall voter turnout of 76.82 per cent.

The BJP-NDA lodged a complaint against Gandhi alleging he openly canvassed for votes through twitter even while polling was on in the hill constituency. They alleged that he canvassed for votes even after the time limit to openly campaign in the constituency ended at 5 pm on April 21.

Buoyed by the large turnout, the Congress-led UDF claimed a 'record breaking margin' for Gandhi in Wayanad when the votes are counted on May 23.

The CPI-M-led LDF admitted that Gandhis candidature was the reason for the massive turnout in polling stations but claimed that the hard work done by the Left workers for their candidate P P Suneer also contributed towards it.

"He (Rahul) will get record-breaking margin in Wayanad," AICC general sSecretary K C Venugopal, who led Gandhis campaign in the hill constituency, told PTI.

The senior congress leader also claimed that there was a 'Rahul wave' across Kerala.

"The huge turnout of the people in the elections in Wayanad and other constituencies is a befitting reply by people of Kerala to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah for their divisive political agenda," he said.

Shah had branded Wayanad as part of Pakistan during election campaign, Venugopal alleged.

Shah, apparently referring to the green flags of UDF ally the Indian Union Muslim League, seen during the rally organised in Kalpetta soon after Gandhi filed his papers on April 4, had reportedly said Gandhi was contesting from such a seat where when a roadshow was organised "one cannot make out whether the place is India or Pakistan."

His remarks were condemned by the Congress and CPI(M).

Venugopal claimed people were upset with the LDF government and the BJP over playing politics on Sabarimala women entry issue.

The sentiments of the devotees of Lord Ayyappa were in favour of the Congress-led UDF, he said.

Venugopal said people are aware that it was the previous Oommen Chandy-led government that took a sincere stand in the Supreme Court, saying the customs of the hill shrine should not be violated.

Senior IUML leader Sayyid Munavvar Ali Shihab Thangal, who campaigned for Gandhi, also claimed there was a Rahul wave in Wayanad.

"The huge turnout of people including women and youngsters for casting their votes clearly indicate it..... The people see it as an opportunity to vote for their Prime Ministerial candidate," Thangal told PTI.

CPI Wayanad district secretary Vijayan Cherukara said Rahul factor was one of the reasons for an increased turnout of the voters.

"It does not mean that Gandhi is going to get a record breaking margin in Wayanad. It is also because of our hard work done at the grassroot level to mobilise maximum votes for our candidate Suneer," Cherukara said.

NDA candidate Thushar Vellapallys Chief poll agent Sinil Kumar G said the fight in Wayanad was between the NDA and UPA in Wayanad.

"Wayanad is a backward hilly region. They need good roads and other basic infrastructure facilities. The people are aware that only a Modi-led government can unleash development in hill district," Suneer said.

The Wayanad parliamentary constituency on the slopes of the Western Ghats in Kerala shot into the limelight after the congress president chose to contest from there besides his family bastion of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh.

He is facing CPI's Suneer fielded by Kerala's ruling LDF on the soil of legendary king Pazhassi Raja who fought a guerilla war against British colonialists.

The NDA has fielded Thushar Vellappally of Bharat Dharma Jana Sena from the constituency comprising seven assembly segments in Wayanad, Malappuram and Kozhikode districts.

The Wayanad seat, which was created in 2009, shares its borders with Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu and Mysuru in Karnataka.

It is predominantly rural and of its seven assembly segments, three are in Wayanad district, three in Malappuram and one in Kozhikode district.

Two assembly segments in the constituency -- Sulthan Bathery and Mananthavady -- are reserved for tribals who constitute around 18 per cent of the Wayanad's population. Vandoor in Malappuram district is reserved for Scheduled Caste.

Women voters are more in number compared to men in the Lok Sabha seat which has a total of 13,57,819 electors. There are 6,84,807 women voters and 6,73,011 men voters.

There is only one third gender elector in the constituency. Of the 13,57,819 voters, 2,951 are overseas electors.

Senior Congress leader M I Shanavas, who died last year, had been winning the seat ever since the constituency was carved out in 2009.

He had trounced CPI's M Rahmatullah by over 1.5 lakh votes in 2009 and defeated CPI leader Sathyan Mokeri by a margin of 20,000 votes in 2014.

Wayanad has significant Muslim and Christian population.

The Indian Union Muslim League, a major political force in the constituency, is a key ally of the Congress in the State.

Christians, whose forefathers had migrated from Travancore region at least three generations back, form a big electoral block in the constituency.

(With PTI inputs)
New Delhi:

The probe in the murder case of Rohit Shekhar Tiwari, son of late Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand chief minister N D Tiwari, continued to be focused on his wife Apoorva on Tuesday.

Apoorva was interrogated by the Delhi Police Crime Branch for the third consecutive day at her residence.

On Monday, Apoorva, along with her two domestic aides, was taken by police for questioning. She was also questioned on Sunday and Saturday.

Sources that the police are looking at Apoorva as the prime suspect and are collecting evidence to strengthen their case and are close to cracking it.

PTI quoted sources saying that the Crime Branch is waiting for the forensic report to solve the mystery behind Rohit's unnatural death.

Investigators have also collected her DNA samples. Apoorva was made to submit nail and hair samples at the AIIMS. Notably, strangulation marks were found at Rohits neck.

India Today quoted sources saying that Rohit and Apoorva did not share a cordial relationship. The couple had a huge fight last month after which Apoorva started staying at her parents house. However, she returned home on March 30.

Sources further said that Apoorva had a boyfriend before marrying Rohit and was in touch with him even after she got married.

Refuting rumours that Rohit and Apoorva met in the Supreme Court complex, Ujjawla said that they both had met in Lucknow through a matrimonial website in 2017.

They were seeing each other for a year and later took a break in between. Rohit Shekhar maintained distance from her and said he did not want to marry her, she said.

They were not in touch from January to March, 2018. But on April 2 they came to me and expressed their wish to get married, Ujjwala said.

They also discussed mutual divorce several times and later decided to end their marriage in June, she added.

Ujjwala said Apoorva was also against giving a share of property to son of Rajiv Kumar, a relative and aide of Tiwari.

Apoorva always had issues with Rajiv and his wife, Ujjawla said, adding that reports of Rohit Shekhar having affair with Rajiv's wife is "baseless and false".

"My elder son Siddharth expressed his wish to give a share to Rajiv's son Kartik Raj but Apoorva was disappointed and expressed her displeasure over this," she said.

Rohit died on April 16 under mysterious circumstances.

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New Delhi:

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal would release the Aam Aadmi Party's manifesto on Thursday, which is based on the agenda of granting full statehood to the national capital.

The manifesto would be released in the presence of senior party leaders and all the seven candidates who are contesting on the party's ticket from Delhi.

Sources said the manifesto would link different issues, including employment, higher education and women safety, that Delhi faces because of not having the status of full statehood.

The party would come up with its manifesto that would layout the roadmap of how the AAP will take the agenda of statehood forward if elected to power.

"Other than a central manifesto, each candidate would also come up with a constituency-wise manifesto which would list out local issues and how the party plans to counter them," senior party leader Gopal Rai said on Tuesday.

The constituency-wise manifesto would be released in the first week of May.

He also said his party would start the third phase of its campaign after April 25, during which there would be targeted campaigning.

"The first phase was general campaigning, the second was campaigning that connected with floating voters and now in the third phase of campaigning, we would be identifying points that could give the AAP a jump or an advantage in terms of voters," Rai said.

Seven candidates fielded by the AAP are Chandni Chowk candidate Pankaj Gupta, East Delhi candidate Atishi, North West Delhi candidate Gugan Singh, South Delhi candidate Raghav Chadha, North East Delhi candidate Dilip Pandey, West Delhi candidate Balbir Singh Jakhar and New Delhi candidate Brajesh Goel.

Delhi goes to poll on May 12 and the results would be announced on May 23.
Lohardaga (Jharkhand):

Lashing out at opposition parties that claimed the EVMs were being manipulated, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday said the amahamilawatisa have realized they stand no chance after three phases of elections and are looking for excuses to defend their poor show.

Addressing a rally here, Modi said the opposition parties have no option left but to accept defeat.

At a press meet Tuesday, leaders of several major opposition parties raised doubt over the credibility of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), renewing their demand for verification of the machines.

aJust like a child who makes excuses to justify his underperformance in exams, opposition parties have started directing their anger on the EVMs and the voting process for their shortfalls.

aThe response in first three phases of polls have left opposition with no option but to accept defeat,a he said.

Hitting out at the Congress, the prime minister said the aparty that ended up shedding tears when Pakistan threatened India is eyeing the seat in Delhia.

In a scathing attack on Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy for his alleged remark on the armed forces, Modi said those who believe that the poor join the army to make ends meet should drown to death.

aIt takes a lot of courage to fight on the border.A Those that say that only the poor join the army to make ends meet should drown to death,a he asserted.

Insisting that Indians everywhere were the responsibility of the achowkidaara (watchman), the PM said he never discriminated people on the lines of religion or caste.

aWhen 46 nurses were held captive in Iraq, we did our best to get our daughters back. When Kolkataas Judith DaSouza was kidnapped in Afghanistan, we rescued her. This chowkidaar is always concerned about the safety of the countryas daughters,a he claimed.

Expressing gratitude to the people of Jharkhand, who turned up in large numbers for Tuesdayas roadshow in the state capital, Modi said, aThe response that I received in Ranchi was overwhelming. I was touched. It wasnat a planned programme. The state unit of BJP requested me for the show only two days ago and I am glad that agreed to the proposal.a
New Delhi:

In a major relief to Pragya Singh Thakur, the National Investigation Agency Court refused to restrain Sadhvi from contesting Lok Sabha elections on Wednesday. The court said that the matter comes under the jurisdiction of the Election Commission and only the poll body can take the decision. Out on bail, Thakur has been discharged by a court on charges under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in the 2008 case, but is still facing trial under other criminal provisions, including the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. In 2017, a Madhya Pradesh court acquitted Thakur of all charges in connection with the 2007 murder of Joshi, a right-wing activist. Earlier, Thakur had termed her fight from the Bhopal Lok Sabha seat as a "dharmyuddh" (religious war).

The Malegaon blast accused filed her nomination papers on Monday. Singhs decision came as surprise for many as the party had scheduled Tuesday for the formality. News Nation has learnt that Thakur cited shubh muhurat (auspicious timing) for her decision. No big leader was present at the time of the nomination. The 48-year-old is pitted against former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Digvijiya Singh. There are reports that the BJP took the decision under the pressure of its ideological parent body RSS.

Thakur courted controversy over her shraap remark against Ashok Chakra winner Hemant Karkare. But that has not deterred the top BJP leadership in supporting her. Meanwhile, BJP chief Amit Shah defended the party's decision to nominate Thakur as a Lok Sabha candidate saying the allegations against her are false and the real culprits in the Malegaon blast case have evaded the law.

Sadhvi Pragya, who is out on bail in the Malegaon blast case of 2008, has been fielded by the BJP from Bhopal constituency. "It is absolutely a right decision. The allegations against her are baseless. Nothing against her or Swami Aseemanad have been proved," Shah said while addressing a media conference in Bengal.

Claiming that the "real culprits" were let off after being arrested, he said, questions should be asked why they were released. Speaking on the contentious NRC and the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, Shah said refugees need not worry as after returning to power, the BJP will first bring the bill in Parliament and then implement the NRC across the country to weed out infiltrators.

Last week, addressing a gathering of BJP workers at Manas Bhawan auditorium in Bhopal, Thakur, who spent several years in jail after being arrested in the case, alleged she was illegally detained and beaten up by police personnel.

"Jab Mujhe Lekar Gaye, Gair Kanooni Taur Par, 13 Din Tak Rakkha, Pahle Hi Din Bina Kuchh Poochhe, Unhone Mujhe Bulaya, Itna Chauda Belt (showing size by her hand), Ek Belt Se Hath Sooj Jata hai, Doosre Belt Me to Hath Fat Jata Hai. (Police illegally detained me for 13 days. They called me and beat me with a wide belt. Hands get swollen just by one hit of the belt. The second strike can tear hand)," she said. "Ye Jo Belt Marte The, Poora Nervous System Dheela Pad Jata Tha, Sunn Pad Jata Tha, Ye Din Aur Raat Hota Tha. (The strike of belt makes nervous system go blank, this happened day and night)," she said in a choked voice.

(With agency inputs)
Washington:

An Indian national has been sentenced to five years of imprisonment on charges of smuggling foreign nationals into the United States, an overwhelming majority of whom were from India, the Department of Justice has said.

The human smuggling carried out by Yadvinder Singh Sandhu, 61, had resulted in at least one death and endangered the lives of many, an official statement said.

Singh had pleaded guilty early this year. Sandhu, charged in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico on March 15, 2017, use multiple names including Yadvinder Singh Bhamba, Bhupinder Kumar, Rajinder Singh, Robert Howard Scott and Atkins Lawson Howard.

According to admissions in Sandhu's plea agreement, since 2013, he had a leadership role in a human smuggling conspiracy operating out of the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto Rico, India and elsewhere.

Sandhu admitted he personally assisted around 400 aliens to unlawfully enter the US between 2013 and 2015 as part of the conspiracy. He also oversaw and directed co-conspirators operating out of the Caribbean.

Sandhu and other members of the conspiracy made flight arrangements for foreign nationals to travel from India through other countries including Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Iran, Panama, Venezuela, Belize and Haiti ? to the Dominican Republic.

The Dominican Republic was used as a staging area, where foreigners were housed before being transported to the US.

The organisation brought groups of foreigners from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico or Florida by boat. They were then picked up by co-conspirators and taken to stash houses until flights could be arranged to California, New York, or elsewhere.

Sandhu and others arranged for fraudulent identifications for some aliens to use in the US, prosecutors alleged.

The boat trips organised by Sandhu and his co-conspirators to transport foreigners from the Dominican Republic to the US were perilous as old, damaged, cracked, unlicensed, overcrowded and unsafe boats were used to make the journey, they said.

In at least one instance, a foreign national died in a boat on his way to the US, the Department of Justice alleged.

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New Delhi:

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Wednesday asked the Defence Secretary and police chief Pujith Jayasundara to quit after their failure to prevent the deadly suicide blasts despite having the prior intelligence inputs about the attacks, reports Reuters.

The development comes a day after Sirisena said that he would make changes in top positions of the country's defence forces within the next 24 hours.

Addressing the nation for the first time since the Easter Sunday attacks that killed 359 people and wounded more than 500 others, Sri Lankan President expressed his deepest condolences to all those who had lost their lives during the attacks.

"I am hoping to make changes in top positions in the security establishment within the next 24 hours," he said.

Police Chief is facing a lot of criticism for failing to prevent the worst terror attack in the country's history despite having prior intelligence about it. The pressure was being mounted on him to tender his resignation.

Meanwhile, Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara also said on Wednesday morning that 18 suspects were arrested overnight, raising the total detained to 58. The Prime Minister warned on Tuesday that several suspects armed with explosives were still at large, reported news agency AP.

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the devastating Easter blasts in Sri Lanka and identified the seven suicide bombers who were involved in the attacks.

On the other hand, Sri Lanka has initiated a plan to ban the burqa as interrogation of suspects and other evidence are pointing to the involvement of a large number of women in the blasts.

The government is planning to implement the move in consultation with the mosque authorities, the Daily Mirror reported quoting sources.

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New Delhi:

RJD national vice-president and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi on Sunday accused the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) of hatching a conspiracy to poison her husband and party supremo Lalu Prasad, a charge dismissed by the saffron party as baseless.

Prasad, who has been convicted in fodder scam cases, is currently undergoing treatment for multiple ailments at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences in Jharkhand capital.

"The BJP government wants to kill Lalu ji by poisoning him in the hospital. If the Centre as well as the state governments of Bihar and Jharkhand want to kill him, if they want to kill the entire family of Lalu Prasad, they can do so, but their dictatorship will not be accepted," Rabri Devi said in a minute-long video clip posted on her Twitter handle Saturday.

The people of Bihar and Jharkhand will come out on streets if anything untoward happens to Prasad, the senior RJD leader asserted.

"Tejashwi had gone to meet Prasad yesterday, but he was not allowed to do so. The autocratic government came out with an order (yesterday) as per which three persons, usually allowed to meet Lalu ji on Saturdays, were stopped from visiting him yesterday," said Rabri Devi.

The Jharkhand's Birsa Munda jail authorities barred visitors from meeting the incarcerated RJD chief, citing law and order problem.

As per jail norms, Prasad is allowed to meet a maximum of three visitors every Saturday at the Ranchi hospital.

Earlier on April 7, Leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly and the RJD chief's son, Tejashwi Yadav, had alleged he was not allowed to meet Prasad in jail by the "autocratic" BJP government in the neighbouring state.

Tejashwi, who was deputy chief minister in the Bihar's erstwhile Grand Alliance government, also claimed that "a conspiracy was being hatched against Lalu ji. He is in a hospital undergoing treatment amid security, but his room is being raided every day."

Reacting to Rabri Devi's allegations, Bihar BJP spokesman Nikhil Anand said the charges were "baseless and absurd" and that there was no threat to Lalu Prasad's life.

"It is the RJD politics, not Lalu Prasad, which is under threat after two rounds of elections. The Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) is going to be wiped out completely," he said.

Stating that Prasad has been given full security and adequate medical facilities, Anand said, "If they (Lalu's family) think that their legitimate rights are being violated,

then they can approach the court to redress their grievances."

The Supreme Court, on April 10, had dismissed a bail plea of the RJD supremo in the multi-crore fodder scam cases.

A bench, headed by Chief Justice Rajan Gogoi, had rejected arguments by that he had served 24 months, saying "24 months was nothing compared to the 14-year sentence awarded to him".

With PTI Inputs
New Delhi:

A Jet Airways employees' union has asked aviation regulator DGCA to stop allocation of the airline's slots to other carriers till the bidding process for stake sale is complete.

The All India Jet Airways Technicians Association (AIJATA) also cautioned that in case the allocation is not stopped, it would be forced to resort to legal means for a resolution.

Cash-starved Jet Airways suspended operations last week and the authorities are in the process of allocating the airport slots vacated by the carrier to other airlines, amid efforts to increase capacity to meet peak season traffic.

Jet Airways' lenders have invited bids for selling stake in the ailing airline and the final bidders are likely to known by second week of May. SBI is the lead lender.

In a communication to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the grouping has requested the regulator to immediately pause the slot allocation process till the bidding process is complete and to protect the value of the company.

"Otherwise we will be forced to knock the legal doors for a resolution," it said.

The slots allocated to Jet Airways are its properties and the airline is yet to close, AIJATA, which has around 800 members, said.

The grounding of planes by Jet Airways has resulted in capacity reduction in the domestic sector, which has also led to a spurt in airfares in many sectors.

Last week, a senior government official said that as many as 440 slots of Jet Airways that are vacant at Delhi and Mumbai airports would be allocated to other airlines in a transparent manner.

Separately, in an open letter, some employees of Jet Airways have asked SBI Chairman Rajnish Kumar to provide the promised funding to the airline and hasten the process of getting new investors on board.

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Washington:

The strategic Chabahar port project, being developed by India in Iran, is a separate exception and will not be impacted by US President Donald Trump's decision not to renew exemptions that let eight countries including India to buy Iranian oil without facing tough American sanctions, a State Department official said. The Chabahar port, considered a gateway to golden opportunities for trade by India, Iran and Afghanistan with central Asian countries, is located on the Indian Ocean in the Sistan and Baluchistan province of Iran.

The port, which is easily accessible from India's western coast, is increasingly seen as a counter to Pakistan's Gwadar Port which is being developed with the Chinese investment. A State Department spokesperson told PTI that the operation of Chabahar Port is a separate exception.

"The exception for reconstruction assistance and economic development for Afghanistan, which includes the development and operation of Chabahar Port, is a separate exception, and is not affected by yesterday's announcement," the official said.

President Trump, in a move that could have implications on India's energy security, on Monday decided not to grant sanctions exemptions to any oil customers of Iran, further squeezing Tehran's top export commodity.

The US re-imposed sanctions on Iran last November, after Trump pulled out of the landmark 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

The US move, seen as an escalation of the Trump administration's "maximum pressure" on Iran, comes after it gave temporary 180-days waiver to eight countries, including India, China, Turkey and Japan among others last year.

The spokesperson said that the "president's South Asia strategy underscores our ongoing support of Afghanistan's development as well as our close partnership with India".

"We seek to build on our close relationships with both countries as we execute a policy of maximum pressure on the Iranian regime," said the spokesperson in response to a question on the decision taken by Trump.

Iran is India's third-largest oil supplier behind Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Iran supplied 18.4 million tonnes of crude oil during April 2017 and January 2018 (first 10 months of 2017-18 fiscal).

In May 2016, India, Iran and Afghanistan inked a pact which entailed establishment of Transit and Transport Corridor among the three countries using Chabahar port as one of the regional hubs for sea transportation in Iran, besides multi-modal transport of goods and passengers across the three nations.

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New Delhi:

The death count in the deadly Easter blasts in Sri Lanka rose to 359, reported news agency AFP on Wednesday. Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara also said on Wednesday morning that 18 suspects were arrested overnight, raising the total detained to 58. The Prime Minister warned on Tuesday that several suspects armed with explosives were still at large, reported news agency AP. The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the dastardly terror attack through a series of eight blasts. The group, however, did not give any evidence to back its claim, according to Reuters.

According to an intelligence website, which monitors jihadist activities, the terror group has claimed responsibility for the attack through its Amaq news agency.

Those that carried out the attack that targeted members of the US-led coalition and Christians in Sri Lanka the day before yesterday are Islamic State group fighters, said a statement released by Amaq.

On the other hand, Sri Lanka has initiated a plan to ban the burqa as interrogation of suspects and other evidence are pointing to the involvement of a large number of women in the blasts.

The government is planning to implement the move in consultation with the mosque authorities, the Daily Mirror reported quoting sources.

"The government, he said (source), is planning to implement the move in consultation with the mosque authorities and on Monday several ministers had spoken to President Maithripala Sirisena on the matter," the paper reported the source as saying.

If Sri Lanka adopts the burqa ban, it would join the group of nations in Asia, Africa, and Europe that have done so in the interest of preventing terrorists from using the burqa to evade police or hide explosives.

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New Delhi:

Its a good news for all TikTok fans, Madurai bench of Madras High Court on Wednesday lifted ban on TikTok video app. On Monday, the Supreme Court of India also lifted the ban on the app and ordered the Madras High Court to hear company plea on Wednesday.

The top court requested the High Court to decide the application seeking vacation of interim ex-parte stay on the Tik Tok app today.

Earlier, Google had blocked TikTok from the playstore in India. This came after Madras High Court's directive to prohibit its downloads.

The Centre had earlier sent a letter to Apple and Google to abide by the high court's order, as per the IT ministry official. However, the app was still available on Apple's platforms late on Tuesday but was no longer available on Google's Play store in India. Google had said in a statement it does not comment on individual apps but adheres to local laws, news agency Reuters reported. The High Court had on April 3 asked the centre to ban TikTok, saying it encouraged pornography and made child users vulnerable to sexual predators.



The Madras High Court had passed an order to prohibit the download and use of TikTok. The Madurai bench of the High Court passed the order after expressing concern that the app hosts inappropriate content, including pornography, which is available for access to children. The bench had also expressed its concern that minors are also exposed to strangers online through TikTok.

The petition was filed by a Madurai-based senior lawyer-cum-social activist Muthu Kumar. Citing pornography, cultural degradation, child abuse, suicides, he had sought a direction to ban TikTok. Tik Tok, which was launched in 2019, is a social video app owned by China's Beijing ByteDance Co. It reached the one billion download mark in February. It is a popular app worldwide and was the fourth most downloaded non-game app in 2018.




New Delhi:

A high voter turnout of over 66 per cent, including over 80 per cent in Assam, was recorded in the third and largest phase of Lok Sabha elections covering 116 constituencies across 13 states and two Union Territories on Tuesday.

The turnout was low as compared to 69.03 per cent in 2014 with some states as Odisha and Goa recording lower turnouts and a few others like Bihar witnessing a higher participation.

The third phase of polling was marred with complaints of EVM malfunctioning in several states, sporadic incidents of violence in some states and killing of a man outside a booth in West Bengal. Meanwhile, a polling official on duty at a booth under Parjang Assembly segment of Dhenkanal Lok Sabha constituency in Odisha, collapsed and later died, the official said.

As per data available on Election Commission of Indias Voter Turnout app at 11.43 pm, the overall voter turnout stood at 66.42 per cent. Final figures are likely to change as queues of voters were seen at several centres even after the scheduled time for voting ended.

Besides all seats in Gujarat (26) and Kerala (20), voting was held in four seats in Assam, five in Bihar, seven in Chhattisgarh, 14 each in Karnataka and Maharashtra, six in Odisha, 10 in Uttar Pradesh, five in West Bengal, two in Goa, and one each in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu and Tripura.

With Tuesday's polling, voting has been held in 302 Lok Sabha constituencies apart from Anantnag.

Here is a look into how the states voted in the third phase:

West Bengal

A voter turnout of 80.47 per cent was recorded in West Bengal amid sporadic incidents of violence reported in North Bijnapur, Murshidabad and Balurghat.

A group of men attacked 52-year-old Tiyarul Sheikh with sharp weapons following an altercation when he went to vote at a booth in Baligram Primary School under Bhagwangola police station limits in Murshidabad Lok Sabha constituency, police sources said.

Congress candidate of Murshidabad Lok Sabha seat Abu Hena claimed Tiyarul was a party worker and was killed by TMC cadres. The Election Commission sought a report from the Murshidabad district magistrate.

Also, there were reports a polling agent, identified as Babulal Murmum, found dead at his house in Murshidabad. The cause of death is yet to be ascertained.

Bombs were reportedly hurled outside a booth in Balurghat seat of West Bengal, leading to commotion, he said, adding, central forces also allegedly baton charged a mob in Suti area of Jangipur.

Kerala

A total of 76.82 per cent of 2.61 crore voters Tuesday exercised their franchise to elect 20 Lok Sabha members from Kerala, where the ruling LDF and the opposition UDF fought tooth and nail to garner maximum seats. Official sources said the election was by and large peaceful.

The high range constituency Wayanad, which came into national prominence after Congress chief's Rahul Gandhi's candidature, registered a record polling of 79.77 per cent against the 73.25 per cent registered in the 2014 elections.

The BJP-NDA lodged a complaint against Gandhi alleging he openly canvassed for votes through twitter even while polling was on in the hill constituency.

They alleged that he canvassed for votes even after the time limit to openly campaign in the constituency ended at 5 pm on April 21.

In the 2014 polls, 74.02 per cent votes were polled in the southern state, in which the UDF had won 12 seats, LDF 8 while BJP failed to open its account.

Assam

Assam recorded a voter turnout of 80.75 per cent  by far the highest among the 13 states and two UTs which went to polls in the third phase on Tuesday. The four Lok Sabha seats  Dhubri, Kokrajhar, Barpeta and Gauhati witnessed 86.94 per cent, 77.38 per cent, 78.11 per cent and 80.22 per cent voter turnout respectively.

In Assam, noteworthy among those in the fray are sitting MPs AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal in Dhubri and Independent Naba Sarania in Kokrajhar; BPF candidate and state social welfare minister Pramila Rani from Kokrajhar and Congress MLA Abdul Khaleque from Barpeta.

Gujarat

Gujarat recorded a high voter turnout of 63.67 per cent across the 26 Lok Sabha seats in a single phase polling amid reports of glitches in EVMs and stray incidents of intimidation and violence.

Key political leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah, party veteran L K Advani, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Congress leader Ahmed Patel and Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani exercised their franchise at different places in the state.

Uttar Pradesh

Braving the scorching sun and EVM niggles, voters in Uttar Pradesh recorded a turnout of 60.52 per cent in the 10 constituencies where polling took place Tuesday in the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections.

This is about a percentage point short of the overall 61.48 registered over the same constituencies in 2014.

Prominent UP leaders in the fray in this phase are four members of Samajwadi Party patron Mulayam Singh Yadav's clan, besides senior party leader Azam Khan and actor-turned BJP candidate Jaya Prada.

There were complaints of EVM malfunctioning at some booths and were attended to, Chief Electoral Officer L Venkateshwar Lu said in Lucknow.

The Samajwadi Party lodged a complaint over the alleged malfunctioning of EVMs with the Election Commission, terming it criminal negligence.

At a booth in Etah, the presiding officer was removed after people accused him of forcing them to cast their votes in favour of the SP.

SP leader Ahmed Nafis was taken into custody for some hours in Kasganj in Etah after authorities anticipated breach of peace.

SP MP Dharmendra Yadav, who is seeking re-election from Badaun, lodged a complaint against state minister Swami Prasad Maurya, claiming he was campaigning in the constituency for his daughter and BJP candidate Sanghmitra Maurya.

Bihar

An estimated 60 per cent of 89.09 lakh voters exercised their franchise in five Lok Sabha seats in the third phase of polling in Bihar.

Araria recorded polling at 62.38 per cent, Supaul at 62.78 per cent, Madhepura at 59.14 per cent, Jhanjharpur at 56.87 per cent and Khagaria at 58.90 per cent, according to data available at Voter Turnout app.

The electoral fate of 82 candidates, including Sharad Yadav, Bihar minister Dinesh Chandra Yadav, former Bollywood set designer and VIP chief Mukesh Sahni apart from sitting MPs Ranjeet Ranjan, her husband Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, Sarafaraz Alam will be decided in the third phase.

Anantnag

The voter turnout in south Kashmir's Anantnag Lok Sabha seat, where elections are being held in three phases, Tuesday recorded a massive dip as compared to the 2014 general election.

The six assembly segments which went to poll in phase one on Tuesday recorded a turnout of 12.86 per cent. It was 39.37 per cent in 2014 in the corresponding segments

While polling concluded in Anantnag district, voting in Kulgam district will be held on April 29. Pulwama and Shopian districts will go to polls on May 6.

Tripura

Opposition parties in Tripura complained of intimidation of voters by the ruling BJP workers during the Lok Sabha elections Tuesday, and the CPI(M) sitting MP and candidate said he failed to cast his vote as he was in another district to instil courage among the people there.

The BJP, however, denied the charge and said people voted in a festive mood.

An estimated 80.4 percent of 12,61,861 electorate cast their votes till 5 pm in the Tripura East (ST) constituency.

The EC had deferred elections in the seat from April 18 to April 23, saying the prevailing law-and-order situation there is not conducive for holding free and fair poll.
New Delhi:

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday lambasted Congress president Rahul Gandhi over his continuous use of "chowkidar chor hai" slogan while targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in connection with the Rafale deal.

Sitharaman also accused the Congress president of disrespecting institutions such as Supreme Court and CAG, whose verdict and report in the Rafale deal, respectively, she added, have showed there was no issue for the Congress to rake up.

The BJP leader slammed the Gandhi scion for "brazenly" attributing the "chowkidar chor hai" slogan to the Supreme Court after it allowed earlier this month leaked documents to be relied upon by petitioners seeking review of its Rafale judgement.

On April 22, Gandhi had expressed regret in the Supreme Court over his remark in connection with the Rafale judgement, which the apex court had said, was "incorrectly attributed" to it. The SC had directed Gandhi to give his explanation on April 22 on a petition filed by BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi seeking criminal contempt action against him for his remark.

"It was a limited matter where they (the Supreme Court) wanted the papers to be placed (before it), to which we took a position that they were illegally obtained from the ministry," Sitharaman noted.

The minister also alleged the Congress president had no respect for institutions. "Nothing deters him, he has no respect for any of the institutions. It is shame the president of the opposition party continues with his brazen attempt to bring disrepute to the institutions," Sitharaman said.

She replied in the negative when a journalist asked if BJP's Bhopal Lok Sabha seat candidate Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur's controversial "curse" remark about slain Maharashtra ATS chief Hemant Karkare will boomerang on the saffron outfit politically.

"The party has already explained about it...She spoke based on her personal experience. Later, she also retracted it because she respected the martyr who took bullets of terrorists," Sitharaman said.

Notably, Thakur had last Friday said Karkare died during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks because she had "cursed" him for "treating her badly" while she was in custody in connection with the 2008 Malegaon blast case.

With inputs from PTI

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New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a roadshow and take part in the Ganga aarti on Thursday, a day before he files his nomination papers from this Uttar Pradesh constituency, according to a party functionary.

The nomination on Friday will also see a show of strength with several BJP allies, including Shiv Sena's Uddhav Thackeray and Janata Dal-United's Nitish Kumar, expected to accompany PM Modi when he files the papers.

The road show will begin at around 3 pm after the prime minister garlands the statue of Banaras Hindu University founder Madan Mohan Malaviya, according to the schedule available now.

The procession will end at about 7 pm at the Dashashwamedh Ghat, the most prominent of Varanasi's ghats, where PM Modi will take part in the evening prayers.

On Friday, the prime minister will hold a meeting at 9 am with Bharatiya Janata Party workers at a hotel in the cantonment area.

He will then offer prayers at the Kaal Bhairav temple before leaving for the collectorate to file his papers, seeking re-election from the Lok Sabha seat.

Senior leaders from the BJP and other parties in the National Democratic Alliance will accompany PM Modi to the collectorate.

Among the allies attending the event are Bihar chief minister and JDU chief Nitish Kumar, Shiromani Akali Dal leader and former Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal, Lok Janshakti Party leader Ram Vilas Paswan and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray.

Union ministers Sushma Swaraj, Piyush Goyal, J P Nadda and Nitin Gadkari are also likely to attend, party leaders said.

In 2014, PM Modi won the seat by a margin of over three lakh votes against Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal.

This time there is speculation that the Congress may field its general secretary Priyanka Gandhi against him.

According to sources, Priyanka may file her nomination papers from Varanasi on April 29. The Congress General Secretary is also expected to visit the Kaal Bhairav Mandir ahead of filing her nomination.
Baghdad: Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has objected to Arab countries' relations with Israel. He said last Sunday that Arab countries that have normalized relations with Israel last year have "sinned" and that these countries should change their decisions. Ali Khamenei referred to Israel as unfortunate that some governments have made mistakes, made big mistakes and committed the sin of normalizing their relations with Israel's repressive administration.

Khamenei further said that this is an act against Islamic unity. They should return from this path and make up for their big mistake. He further said that if Muslim unity is achieved, the Palestinian dispute will certainly be resolved in a very good way. Ali Khamenei was speaking during a public holiday in honour of the birth of the Prophet Muhammad of Muslims.

In 2020, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco agreed to normalize relations with Israel. In fact, former US President Donald Trump gave priority to Arab-Israeli relations in foreign policy.

Iran Nuclear Negotiator Announces Meeting With European Union Diplomat

Corona outbreak returned to China, 4 million people detained in homes

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Home  Just In  Foreign employment in Nepal: Prosperity at the cost of family relations and social values

The Narayan Chok village in Kanepokhari rural municipality has around 22 houses. Almost every house from the village has a family member in either the Gulf countries or Malaysia. There are a few who have come back, but most of them are working abroad, which has changed the face of the village.

The roofs of the houses have changed as families have become financially better as have their ways of life. But, another thing has plagued this small village as five out the 22 houses have had to deal with the negative impact of foreign employment.

Five years ago, Roshan Rai (name changed) got married and left for foreign employment. He was abroad for over two and a half years and was waiting to come back when his wife eloped with someone else leaving behind their young child.

In another house close to Rais, there are similar incidents. Ram Bahadur Rai (name changed)s wife, like Roshans, disappeared when Ram Bahadur decided to return home. Ramesh Khadka (name changed)s wife left him and remarried, leaving behind two kids who are being looked after by Khadkas parents.

There are plenty of examples like these where women have left their husbands who have gone abroad to work. Some divorce them legally while some elope with others without informing anyone. This has left families devastated and broken.

Relationships and complexities

On July 12, a newborn girl was found dead in Rangeli municipality in Morang. After the childs death, the family buried her in a hush-hush manner. After finding out, the police took the family under control. Upon preliminary investigation, police learnt that the reason the child was killed was foreign employment.

Province 1

Investigations revealed a lady got pregnant when her husband was away in Malaysia to work. When her husband found out his wife had given birth to a baby that was not his, he had a fight with his wife who then killed her baby by suffocating her with a blanket. This case is currently being heard at the Morang District Court.

Senior advocate Meera Dhungana says with a case like this, it is important for both the man and the woman to take equal responsibility as the women alone could not be blamed. That is what the Supreme Court has done recently as it has decided to book both the father and the mother of a child who has been killed after birth.

A different incident was seen in 2017 that puzzled investigators. A man filed a case against his brother on charges that his brother harassed his wife. Investigators say that as the man went to a foreign land on a regular basis, his wife and his brother started to develop feelings for each other. They had sex multiple times. But, as the man returned home, his wife started to get away from her brother-in-law.

As that happened, the brother-in-law started to blackmail the woman telling her that he will show their pictures. He was joking, but one day, that joke turned sour as he mistakenly sent it to his brother. A family drama ensued which reached the police. The elder brother filed a rape case against his brother. When quizzed, both agreed they had consensual sex and things got out of hand after the return of the womans husband.

Province 1 has many incidents like these. It is not just marriage-related issues; many crimes in recent times have been associated with foreign employment. If you visit any district police offices, courts or any of the local units, you will get to hear many examples.

Multiplying problems

Advocate Binod Kumar Timsina says problems triggered by foreign employment have become a major challenge in todays society. He says this is too complex as a lot of incidents in recent times has, in one way or another, been tied to foreign employment.

Whereas foreign employment has financially helped families, children have been the most affected by it as those born through extramarital affairs are not accepted by anyone. These kids are either thrown out of the house or in some cases even killed.

Morang District Court staffer Tikendra Rana says most cases they see are mostly divorce cases. The court mostly tries reconciliation. But, those the cannot be reconciled are fought in court. There are some divorce cases that are to do with child marriage. The rest, however, are to do with foreign employment.

The Supreme Courts report also supports this claim. Divorce cases in the past few years have been on the rise. In the fiscal year 2017/18, there were 93 divorce cases registered at the Biratnagar High Court. That number rose to 142 in the fiscal year 2018/19 and 184 in 2019/20.

According to DIG Arun Kumar BC of Province 1 Police Office, foreign employment has caused a lot of fights within families. This he says will only get worse in the future as these have been related to criminal offences. There have been awareness campaigns to educate the people, but due to Covid-19, that stopped. This ultimately has raised the number of cases related to family fights.

Well start the campaign again because we need to make people aware of this issue, says BC.

Nepal Police spokesperson Basanta Bahadur Kunwar says apart from cases like fraud, rape and domestic violence, foreign employment has also become the root cause of murder in the province. In Province 1 alone, 36 husbands killed their wives while two wives killed their husbands in the last fiscal year.

Broken families

According to the Department of Foreign Employment, around 500,000 Nepalis leave for foreign employment every year. After the Covid-19 pandemic, the number has dropped down to 150,000.

Out of them, around 15 per cent of houses have been affected by it, says former DIG Uttam Karki.

He says while foreign employment has uplifted families financially, it has also broken families apart.

Joint families in villages have become an anomaly. After the guy leaves for foreign employment, their wives take their kids and go live in cities, says Karki.

He says women in cities then get into the wrong circle, after which they end up doing something they do not want to do.

When their kids are small, they keep the moms occupied. But, when they grow up and start going to school, the moms have nothing to do. Most watch TV and stop going to villages to help at home. Foreign employment has been both a boon and curse for many Nepal families, says Karki.

Foreign employment and gender

Thousands of people leave Nepal to work abroad every day.

Karki says a lot of women whose husbands are away come to them with complaints related to cybercrime. There have also been cases where both the man and the woman have relationships with other people.

The District Police Office chief Sanu Ram Bhattarai says cases related to suicide have also been tied to foreign employment.

Once, a man went to work abroad. He sent money to his wife to pay loans, but the wife didnt pay the loans and used it for her own. The boy came back to find out she had an affair with someone else. That broke him and he hung himself to a tree, says Bhattarai.

But, SSP Durga Singh says that women are not the only people to blame for this.

Weve seen cases where men have affairs with other women when their wives go work abroad, says Singh, adding children suffer the most when things like these happen. Their psychology is affected a lot due to issues like these.

The Province 1 Ministry of Social Development secretary Kamal Prasad Bhattarai says foreign employment has done a lot of good amidst some bad.

Yes, weve had problems due to it, but look how the lives of people have changed all across the country, says Bhattarai. That said, we are working towards raising awareness and making sure things like these dont happen in the future.

But, advocate Meera Dhungana says there are various reasons why women leave. Once she gets married, she has to go live with her husbands parents. Once the husband is away, she has to go through a lot there. Some are beaten up, abused and tortured.

When she goes and talks to someone about it, shes called all sort of stuff. That is when she thinks enough is enough and leaves because leaving is better than staying in a toxic environment, says Dhungana.

She says even in cases of pregnancy that happens due to an extramarital affair, they have to bear all the brunt as they cannot openly come out and say if the baby happened due to consensual sex or not. That makes it hard for them to stay in a place where they are no longer treated well and decide to leave.

Some women end up killing the child that has been born because in many cases they know that the child will never be accepted in society as people will call names. Even in cases where the man is at fault, it is the woman who has to face societys wrath, she argues.
Middleberg elementary students learn about ATV safety

Media Contact: Trisha Gedon | Communications Specialist | 405-744-3625 | trisha.gedon@okstate.edu

As superintendent at Middleberg Public School in Grady County, Joel Read does everything in his power to keep his students safe.

When an opportunity arose for his fifth graders to learn more about all-terrain vehicle safety and get hands-on experience, he jumped on the chance.

Were a rural school with outdoorsy kids. ATVs are great tools and a source of family fun, but its important they know how to ride them safely, Read said. Accidents are gut wrenching and can turn tragic so fast.

Liz Taylor, Grady County Oklahoma State University Extension director, said when she learned about the 4-H ATV Youth Riders Course, she knew she wanted to bring it to one of her county schools. Offered to 4-H, FFA and family groups across the state for several years, the course is now open to schools for students aged 10 and older.

I learned about this program expanding its reach while attending a meeting in Stillwater. Before I left town, I was on the phone to the school asking if theyd be interested, Taylor said.

With an open invitation from Read, Jim Rhodes  OSU Extension educator of Oklahoma youth safety  and Aaron Henson  Tillman County OSU Extension director  conducted the ATV safety class for 16 fifth-grade students.

Rhodes said serious ATV injuries affect more than 100,000 people in the United States, and Oklahoma has one of the nations highest rates of injury for riders under the age of 16. Oklahoma averages between 18 and 24 ATV-related deaths each year.

In addition, its estimated ATV injuries result in as much as $6 billion annually, including $868 million in medical costs, $1.2 billion in lost productivity and $3.8 million in reduced quality of life.

Research shows that wearing the proper gear and consistent use of helmets could reduce ATV-related deaths by an estimated 40% or more, and non-fatal head injuries by more than 60%, Rhodes said. In Oklahoma, about 90% of ATV accidents occur when drivers under the age of 16 are driving an adult-sized machine.

The ATV Youth Riders Course covers basic safety tips and techniques such as importance of protective wear, the fit of an ATV, throttle control, weight shift, and how to be a safe, active rider.

While these vehicles often are used for pleasure, they arent a toy, Rhodes said.

Read said Middleberg School has a positive working relationship with the Grady County OSU Extension office and when Taylor brought the class to his attention, he knew it would be beneficial for his students.

As the students progress through the course and learn different skills, Rhodes said he can see their confidence build while doing maneuvers and turns through a series of cones.

Student Bear Mitchell has ridden ATVs at his grandpas house, but said he learned some new safety tips he will use the next time he gets to ride.

After the class, student Kaitlyn Hemby said she will always ride with a helmet and encourages others to take the class if they have the opportunity.

Middleberg School principal Meredith Franklin said its a good idea to get youth started with basic information before getting on an ATV.

Even if our students dont ride ATVs now, theres a good chance theyll be on one eventually, Franklin said. These kids have learned basic safety and riding skills and this information will be beneficial to them later on. Liz (Taylor) is at our school often and we have a great working relationship with Extension. Im happy she brought this opportunity to our kids.

Schools interested in scheduling the 4-H ATV Youth Riders Course should email Rhodes at jim.rhodes@okstate.edu. The class requires a flat area of at least 150 feet by 150 feet with no pavement.

Oklahoma Farm Bureau is a corporate sponsor of the Oklahoma 4-H ATV Youth Riders Course training program. Five Extension educators and three OKFB trained staff serve as instructors who are trained and certified by the ATV Safety Institute.
Cybersecurity

Blinken announces new cyber bureau at State

The State Department is launching a new bureau for cyberspace and digital policy to be led by an official with the rank of ambassador, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced Wednesday in a speech at the Foreign Service Institute.

Blinken also announced a new special envoy for critical and emerging technology. Both officials will report up to Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman.

Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), the co-chair of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, which recommended a new bureau, praised the move on Monday after a phone call with Sherman.

"Secretary Blinken's vision for preparing the State Department to meet the challenges of the 21st century is a further demonstration of his commitment to strengthening the United States' posture in cyberspace," King said in a statement. "We look forward to working together with the State Department to establish these new authorities in statute and provide the necessary tools to the department, resulting in the long-term viability of this new bureau," adding that the passage of the Cyber Diplomacy Act was key to these efforts.

In his speech, Blinken named cybersecurity and emerging tech as critical areas for capacity building at State, alongside climate, global health and multilateral technology.

The focus, Blinken said, "reflects a significant reorientation of U.S. foreign policy that focuses on the forces that most directly and consequentially affect Americans' lives, livelihoods and security, and that will increasingly be at the heart of our alliances and partnerships, and core to our engagement with strategic competitors."

To support these efforts, Blinken said the department will "bring [in] more specialized talent, including STEM expertise" while developing such skills among the diplomatic corps.

Also on the workforce front, Blinken pledged to "build and retain a diverse, dynamic and entrepreneurial workforce" and to "equip and empower our employees to succeed." He noted that the State Department wasn't alone in providing employees with the prospect of a dynamic globetrotting career, and that the agency leaders "need to step up our game" on recruitment and on making sure that "talented people from all walks of life see the State Department as a place where they can belong and they can thrive."

IT spending

State is also looking to modernize its technology internally. Blinken said he would be seeking a 50% increase in its information technology budget, which a State Department spokesperson confirmed referred to a planned 50% increase in State's IT Central Fund from about $300 million to just under $450 million. While much of State's technology spend is spread across different bureaus, the Central Fund focuses on modernizing and maintaining IT services. According to the federal IT Dashboard, State is projected to spend about $2.3 billion on information technology in fiscal year 2022.

"You need better tools to do your jobs flexibly, efficiently, securely, from Washington and from the field. And accessibility must be built into our tech infrastructure from the ground up," Blinken said.

Blinken also touted the release of State's first enterprise data strategy in September.

"The department has vast and diverse data sets, but we haven't done a good enough job making data available to you in a timely and useful way, to help you make missions or management decisions more effectively. Were changing that," Blinken said, adding: "We also havent always done a good job capturing lessons from our work. A learning institution is a strong institution  open to new insights, new information, new ways of working."

This story was updated Oct. 28 with additional information.
Cybersecurity

Lawmakers examine TSA's growing role in cyber

Cybersecurity experts and former federal officials called for streamlined reporting requirements and enhanced information-sharing between the public and private sectors around cyber threats for planes, trains and pipelines during a congressional hearing on Tuesday.

The hearing was held to discuss current and emerging threats to domestic transportation infrastructure and potential new regulatory measures after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced upcoming cybersecurity directives for the aviation and transit industries earlier this month that will strengthen the Transportation Security Administration's authority over cybersecurity.

Democrats on the House Homeland Security committee expressed support for the upcoming DHS directive at the hearing, but also said additional regulations were necessary after a series of recent cyberattacks targeting major railroads and airports, as well as the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack and others targeting oil and gas pipelines.

"Inaction isn't an option," said Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), chairwoman of the Transportation and Maritime Security subcommittee. "When gas stops flowing due to a cyberattack, it doesn't just impact the pipeline's owner. It means Americans struggle to fill up their tanks."

Republicans on the panel noted that there were bipartisan efforts underway to create mandatory cyber incident reporting legislation, but cautioned that industry needs to have a voice in the creation of new rules of the road, including a plan to identify owners of systemically important critical infrastructure.

"It isincumbent on Congress to ensure such a program includes the appropriate guardrails, guidance and built-in mechanisms for industry collaboration," Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.), ranking member of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection and Innovation said in an opening statement.

The upcoming directive for the rail and aviation industries focus on protecting critical airport operators and "higher-risk" railroad and transit assets, according to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Suzanne Spaulding, senior adviser of the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a former undersecretary at DHS, said in her testimony that the directive has so far been described as prescribing a "relatively basic level of cybersecurity measures and plans for incident response."

"The details will be important but, as described, these directives seem like a step in the right direction," Spaulding said. "Moving forward, [the TSA] will need to operate collaboratively with these sectors to ensure that the requirements and timelines drive toward actual improvements in security and resilience."

She added: "No directives or regulations will achieve perfect security."

Other witnesses also called for new regulatory measures that could potentially help increase trust between the public and private sectors around bi-directional information sharing. Jeff Troy, president and CEO of the Aviation Information Sharing and Analysis Center and former deputy assistant director of the cyber division at the FBI, also suggested expanded liability protections were critical to ensure the private sector can comply with any new reporting requirements.

The hearing followed a set of directives issued by the TSA earlier this year requiring fuel pipeline operation to institute new cybersecurity measures aimed at safeguarding their systems from ransomware attacks. Those directives, issued in May and July, feature mandatory reporting requirements for "confirmed and potential" cybersecurity incidents, and require certain pipeline operators to establish mitigation measures and recovery plans around cyberattacks targeting IT and operational technology systems.
FCW Insider: October 28, 2021

Although there have been some gains in the representation of women and minorities in the IC workforce overall, the highest ranks are less diverse.

The secretary of State named cybersecurity and emerging tech as critical areas for capacity building at State, alongside climate, global health and multilateral technology.

The Defense Department has been increasingly looking to recruit civilians to fill its tech talent needs, but some lawmakers are concerned that the mission of uniformed troops could suffer.

Lawmakers on the Homeland Security Committee convened cybersecurity experts and key stakeholders from the transportation industry to discuss new rules in the works for the transportation sector.

Quick Hits

*** General Dynamics CEO Phebe Novakovic told investors the companys IT hardware business continues to feel the semiconductor supply chain pinch that she referenced as a headwind back in the summer. Washington Technology has more on this story.

*** A foundation in open data laid the groundwork for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's artificial intelligence efforts, according to an agency tech official. GCN has the story of USPTO's data journey.
* Biden says new $1.75 billion plan 'historic'

* 'I need you to help me,' Biden tells House Democrats

* Progressives balk on quick vote on infrastructure bill (Recasts with House abandoning infrastructure vote)

By Trevor Hunnicutt and Richard Cowan

WASHINGTON, Oct 28 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden was dealt a setback on Thursday as the House of Representatives abandoned plans for a vote on an infrastructure bill with progressives seeking more time to consider his call for a separate $1.75 trillion plan for climate measures, preschool and other social initiatives.

Biden had sought to unite his party behind the climate and social spending plan with personal appeals on Thursday, and had pressed for a Thursday vote on the $1 trillion infrastructure bill, another main plank of his agenda.

He hoped a framework on the larger measure would convince progressive House Democrats to support the infrastructure bill, but their insistence that the two move together led House leaders to abandon a planned vote, leaving Biden empty handed.

"We have a historic economic framework" that will create jobs and make the United States more competitive, Biden said after a last-minute trip to Congress to enlist progressives' support. He then departed for a summit of leaders from the Group of 20 countries and global climate talks.

He left behind a U.S. Congress bubbling with conflicts and unanswered questions, but one that seemed to be inching towards votes on his economic agenda, perhaps within days.

How, exactly, it could come together remained a puzzle.

"Dozens of our members insist on keeping both bills linked and cannot vote only for one until they can be voted on together," Representative Pramila Jayapal https://www.reuters.com/world/us/negotiating-left-pramila-jayapal-now-center-joe-bidens-agenda-2021-10-28, a leader of House progressives, said in a statement.

The fight over $2.75 trillion in spending that could shape the U.S economy for years to come will play out in coming days with Biden, who has been heavily involved in negotiations, thousands of miles away. He won't return to the Washington until Wednesday.

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In a meeting with House Democrats on Thursday, Biden pleaded for their support, according to a person familiar with the matter.

"I need you to help me; I need your votes," the person quoted Biden as saying. "I dont think it's hyperbole to say that the House and Senate (Democratic) majorities and my presidency will be determined by what happens in the next week."

The White House said Biden's agenda was still on track, even if it was moving through Congress more slowly than the president might wish.

"Were confident that soon well pass both the Build Back Better Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal," White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement.

Biden ran for president on a promise to curb growing inequality in America https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-biden-economy-analysis/can-joe-biden-recreate-the-u-s-economy-he-grew-up-with-idUSKBN2BO50O, using education and social spending paid for by companies and the rich. He vowed to depart from Republican tax-cutting including a 2017 tax reduction under his predecessor, Donald Trump.

The president had hoped to reach an agreement before the Rome G20 summit, where a global minimum tax will be high on the agenda, and a climate conference in Glasgow, where Biden hopes to present a message that the United States is back in the fight against global warming.

"Not everyone got everything they wanted, not even me," Biden conceded in his White House remarks. "But thats what compromise is. Thats consensus. And thats what I ran on."

Former President Barack Obama echoed a similar sentiment. "The Build Back Better framework doesn't contain everything the president had proposed and that some had hoped. But that's the nature of progress in a democracy," Obama said, calling the plan a "giant leap forward."

The White House said the larger spending plan framework Biden presented on Thursday would be fully paid for by repealing certain tax rebates passed under Trump and imposing surcharges on corporate stock buybacks and the earnings of the wealthiest Americans.

The framework includes $555 billion in spending for climate initiatives and six years of preschool funding among other top agenda items.

Many groups including labor unions welcomed the plan. "The reconciliation framework is a pro-worker victory: child care, home care, clean energy jobs, health care, tax fairness, immigration improvements and support for worker organizing," said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler.

But the plan does not include paid family leave or a tax on billionaires. Some influential lobby groups and constituencies were angered by the absence of key Biden administration pledges.

"We are outraged that the initial framework does not lower prescription drug prices," AARP, an advocacy organization for the elderly, said in a statement.

The absence of paid leave, Democrats noted, left the United States as the only rich country and one of the few nations in the world that doesn't pay woman on maternity leave.

Some Republicans support the infrastructure measure but most lawmakers in that party oppose both bills, and Biden can only afford to lose three votes in the House to get either passed. (Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt, Richard Cowan, Jarrett Renshaw, Andrea Shalal, Nandita Bose, Jeff Mason and Susan Heavey; writing by Tim Ahmann; Editing by Heather Timmons, Cynthia Osterman and Grant McCool)
FILE PHOTO: The logo of AB InBev is pictured outside the brewer's headquarters in Leuven

By Philip Blenkinsop

BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world's largest brewer, upgraded its forecast for 2021 earnings growth on Thursday after posting a surprise increase in third-quarter profit, buoyed by beer sales in Brazil.

The maker of Budweiser, Corona and Stella Artois said it expects core profit or EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) to grow between 10% and 12% in 2021, compared with an 8%-12% growth forecast earlier.

The Belgium-based company's shares were up 7.3% at 52.94 euros at 0800 GMT, making them clearly the strongest performers in the FTSEurofirst 300 index of leading European shares, although they are still 20% down from a mid-June peak.

Some analysts had raised concerns about AB InBev even meeting its original guidance. Broker Nomura noted the new guidance was the brewer's first upgrade in several years after it outperformed expectations in every region in the third quarter.

AB InBev said core profit rose 3.0% on a like-for-like basis in the July-Sept period, against an expected 2.3% drop, according to a company-compiled poll.

It said revenue grew 15.3% in Brazil as consumers drank more and purchased higher-priced beers.

Revenue and profits were also higher in Colombia and South Africa, reflecting easing of COVID-19 restrictions, and in Europe as vaccination rates increased.

However, they declined in the United States, where there were supply chain disruptions, as well as in Mexico, a year on from post-lockdown inventory replenishment, and in China, where COVID-19 restrictions disproportionately hit its key regions.

AB InBev's results follow mixed earnings reported by its rivals on Wednesday.

Carlsberg, the world's number three brewer, raised its 2021 profit forecast after higher-than-expected third-quarter revenue, helped by recovery in Europe and China.

By contrast, global number two Heineken reported a steeper-than-expected drop in beer sales in the third quarter, hit by a lockdown in Vietnam, while retaining its forecast for full-year results at below pre-pandemic levels.

(Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop; Editing by Sam Holmes, Vinay Dwivedi and Mike Harrison)
BEIJING, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ambow Education Holding Ltd. ("Ambow" or the "Company") (NYSE American: AMBO), a leading cross-border career educational and technology service provider, today announced that the "China Integrated Circuit Industry Talent Development Report 2020-2021" (the "Report"), formerly known as "White Paper on Talents in China's Integrated Circuit Industry," was officially released at the Fourth Semiconductor Intelligence Conference 2021 in Zhuji, Zhejiang. As one of the Report's primary contributors, Ambow has participated in its research and compilation for five consecutive years.

Ambow collaborates with a distinguished group of industry leaders including the China Center for Information Industry Development (CCID) and the China Semiconductor Industry Association (CSIA) to research and assemble the Report, which examines talent demand trends in China's semiconductor industry and supplies data support for relevant policy and industry research. Ambow's core team of leading integrated circuit experts from Silicon Valley provides research and analysis of talent supply and demand as well as talent structure. For the past four years, Ambow has also assisted in the organization of the Semiconductor Intelligence Conference, leveraging its strengths and resources to promote the development of a positive environment for talent cultivation in the integrated circuits industry.

Dr. Jin Huang, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ambow, commented, "As a pioneer of new technologies and new models in education, Ambow is dedicated to refining and perfecting the talent cultivation model for the integrated circuits industry. Looking ahead, we will actively adapt to the industry's upgrade requirements, build a talent cultivation ecosystem and public service platform based on key links in the industry chain, and facilitate comprehensive industry development."

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About Ambow Education Holding Ltd.

Ambow Education Holding Ltd. is a leading cross-border career educational and technology service provider, offering high-quality, individualized services and products. With its extensive network of regional service hubs complemented by a dynamic proprietary learning platform and distributors, Ambow provides its services and products to students in China and United States of America.

Follow us on Twitter: @Ambow_Education

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates" and similar statements. Among other things, the outlook and quotations from management in this announcement, as well as Ambow's strategic and operational plans, contain forward-looking statements. Ambow may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its reports filed or furnished to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual reports to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements, including but not limited to the following: the Company's goals and strategies, expansion plans, the expected growth of the content and application delivery services market, the Company's expectations regarding keeping and strengthening its relationships with its customers, and the general economic and business conditions in the regions where the Company provides its solutions and services. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and Ambow undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

For investor and media inquiries please contact:

Ambow Education Holding Ltd.

Tel: +86 10-6206-8000

The Piacente Group | Investor Relations

Tel: +1 212-481-2050 or +86 10-6508-0677

Email: ambow@tpg-ir.com

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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ambow-announces-release-of-co-produced-china-integrated-circuit-industry-talent-development-report-2020-2021-301410677.html

SOURCE Ambow Education Holding Ltd.
LEad Plaintiff Deadline is NOVEMBER 23, 2021

NEW YORK, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP reminds investors that a federal securities class action lawsuit has been filed against AppHarvest,

Inc. ("AppHarvest" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: APPH) in the United States

District Court for the Southern District of New York on behalf of all persons

and entities who purchased or otherwise acquired AppHarvest securities between

May 17, 2021 and August 10, 2021, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period").

(PRNewsfoto/Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman )

All investors who purchased AppHarvest, Inc. and incurred losses are urged to contact the firm immediately at classmember@whafh.com or (800) 575-0735 or (212) 545-4774. You may obtain additional information concerning the action or join the case on our website, www.whafh.com.

If you have incurred losses in the shares of AppHarvest, Inc., you may, no later than November 23, 2021, request that the Court appoint you lead plaintiff of the proposed class. Please contact Wolf Haldenstein to learn more about your rights as an investor in AppHarvest, Inc.https://www.whafh.com/archives/case/the-honest-company-inc-nasdaq-hnst

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE CASE

On August 11, 2021, before the market opened, AppHarvest announced its second quarter financial results, reporting a $32.0 million net loss. The Company also lowered its full year sales guidance to a range of $7 million to $9 million, from a prior range of $20 million to $25 million. AppHarvest

attributed the lower than expected results to "operational headwinds with the full ramp up to full production at the company's first CEA facility, including labor and productivity challenges related to the training and development of the new workforce and historically low market prices for tomatoes."



On this news, the Company's share price fell $3.46, or approximately 29%, to close at $8.51 per share on August 11, 2021, on unusually heavy trading volume.

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Wolf Haldenstein has extensive experience in the prosecution of securities class actions and derivative litigation in state and federal trial and appellate courts across the country. The firm has attorneys in various practice areas; and offices in New York, Chicago and San Diego. The reputation and expertise of this firm in shareholder and other class litigation has been repeatedly recognized by the courts, which have appointed it to major positions in complex securities multi-district and consolidated litigation.

If you wish to discuss this action or have any questions regarding your rights and interests in this case, please immediately contact Wolf Haldenstein by telephone at (800) 575-0735, via e-mail at classmember@whafh.com, or visit our website at www.whafh.com.

Contact:

Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP

Patrick Donovan, Esq.

Gregory Stone, Director of Case and Financial Analysis

Email: gstone@whafh.com, donovan@whafh.com or classmember@whafh.com

Tel: (800) 575-0735 or (212) 545-4774

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.

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SOURCE Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 28, 2021) - BAROYECA GOLD & SILVER INC. (TSXV: BGS) (the "Company") is pleased to announce it has finished the first drill hole from its phase 1 drilling program at its flagship Atocha high-grade silver project in Tolima, Colombia.

Baroyeca's initial 2,000m phase 1 drilling program at the La Ye vein system is underway and the company finished drilling its first drill hole, which intersected two mineralized zones as initially targeted. Two shallow mineralized zones were intersected from 14.8m to 16m and from 32m to 33.2m comprised of thin quartz/adularia veins showing disseminated pyrite/sphalerite/galena sulfides. The target larger mineralized zone corresponds to the San Antonio Vein mapped at surface dipping 60 degrees to the northwest, which was intersected from 69.25m to 75.8m. The vein zone is locally very brecciated and spans a wide interval marked by pervasive sericite/pyrite alteration of the host rock and a high density of quartz and coarse sulfides, mainly pyrite. Core samples are being processed and the Company will release results in groups of two or three holes once assays have returned from the laboratory.

Baroyeca will drill a total of three holes from this initial drill pad before moving to the next using multiple drill platforms to follow the vein trend along strike from its northeastern end towards the southwest. It is anticipated to target several stacked and closely spaced parallel silver-rich veins identified at surface with 25m step outs. Drilling will help characterize these veins at depth as well as the distribution of the high-grade silver (and gold) zones found at surface. Depending on results, and as land permits are obtained, the drill program will progress beyond 2,000m, to test other targets.

Raul Sanabria, P.Geo., President of Baroyeca commented: "I was on site during the drilling of the first hole and I was very excited to see us hit the target mineralized zone in the first hole and see the core coming out of the barrel. Hitting the vein with the first hole as planned sets us up well for continuing to define the vein as we step out long its strike."

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The La Ye vein system is a zone comprised of three parallel vein zones over a width of 250m. The northernmost vein is well exposed and appears to be a high-grade shoot with silver values from rock chip samples collected at surface returning up to 948.2g/t AgEq. The central part of the system is comprised of three large parallel veins and several low angle associated vein sets. The best sampling results have come from an exposure of the vein along the San Antonio creek in the north-facing slopes with assay results from rock chip samples returning bonanza grades of 2,544g/t Ag in one vein and 1,317g/t Ag in a parallel vein. Other samples returned more than 300g/t Ag (see previous corporate press releases).

About Baroyeca Gold & Silver Inc.

Baroyeca Gold & Silver Inc. is a mineral exploration company focused on high-grade silver and gold projects located in Colombia. Baroyeca's flagship asset is the high-grade Atocha Silver-Gold Project located in Tolima Department, Colombia. The Company also holds an option to acquire a 100% interest in the Santa Barbara Property, Bolivar Department, Colombia, which is renowned for its high-grade gold mineralization and vein density. Current exploration activities on the Santa Barbara Property involve the bulk sampling of vein structures, which material then feeds into a trial production facility which has consistently been producing gold for over a year. The revenue from the sale of produced gold defrays part of the operating costs. The Company is planning to expand these activities.

The Company's Board and senior management are committed to creating shareholder value through the discovery process, careful allocation of capital, and environmentally and socially responsible mineral exploration.

Qualified Person

Raul Sanabria, M.Sc., P.Geo., President of Baroyeca Gold & Silver Inc. and a qualified person ("QP") as defined by Canadian National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this release.

BAROYECA GOLD & SILVER INC.

Per: "Raul Sanabria"

Raul Sanabria, President

FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:

Rick Wilson - (604) 351-3599

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or the accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/101092
Youll have to forgive me, Ive been thinking a lot about farming -- specifically what it might look like in the future. This is largely due to the recent publication of my Bowery Farming TC-1. Its a 12,000-word feature that really took me down the vertical-farming rabbit hole.

As I allude to in the piece, there are still plenty of question marks around the technology. At the top of the list are profitability and sustainability. And I fear that the former might come at the expense of the latter. What does seem certain, however, is that -- if the category is going to survive and thrive -- robotics and automation will need to play a major role.

"The automation and robotic component is a key part of [the] scalability equation, tied into the farm," as Bowery CEO Irving Fain told me in one of our conversations. We sadly didnt go super deep into the robotics aspect of things -- a lot of this technology is still early and the company is hesitant to pull back the curtain as it looks to one-up competitors like AeroFarms.

Image Credits: Bryce Durbin/TechCrunch

I was, however, able to glimpse one of the robots at their Kearny, New Jersey location, which is deployed to move produce trays from place to place. Thats a key part of the BoweryOS system, which -- among other things -- determines the optimal growing position for a given crop. Automation is also used in the harvesting process, which is performed on-site in order to reduce the steps between the farm and consumer.

Robotics make a lot of sense for these sorts of indoor farms. Theyre much more well regimented than their more traditional counterparts. The Bowery location I visited, for instance, was erected in a building that formerly housed a fulfilment center. And in a sense, creating automation for one isnt entirely dissimilar than for a warehouse. Conditions like lighting are easily controlled and, for the most part, the primary goal is getting a payload from point A to point B.

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Image Credits: Iron Ox

Iron Ox is probably the best example of a robotics company taking on indoor farming. In fact, the company is working on fully automated indoor growing solutions. But fundamentally transforming agtech is going to take more than just the indoor and vertical forms that only represent a sliver of the overall puzzle. Something I learned researching that piece. The average age of a farmer in Japan is 67. The average farmer in the U.S. is only about 10 years younger.

Add to that a crisis filling seasonal jobs and it becomes clear why so many companies think the answer to these problems is automation. Thats obviously a more complicated task, but there are a number of companies looking to tackle it, from startups like Burro to big conglomerates like John Deere, which has acquired a number of robotics firms.

Fabric

Fabric's automated fulfillment center. Image Credits: Fabric

More on that soon, probably. For now, though, we need to talk about Fabrics massive raise. The company already has contracts with some massive names, including Walmart, Instacart and FreshDirect. Theyre all looking for the same thing: something that will make them more competitive with Amazon. Thats a tall order, given the retail giants utter dominance of everything it touches. That includes automation, of course, with Amazon robotics dating back to 2012.

As it is, we already have more demand than we can serve, Fabrics CEO notes. At the same time, we are seeing bigger opportunities beyond the proposition beyond our micro-fulfilment centers, how they interact in the network and the supply chain.

I believe it. COVID has accelerate so much of what was already on an upward trajectory. And even as things return to a semblance of normal, I dont see that demand waning. This latest $200 million round pushes Fabrics valuation north of unicorn status.

Image Credits: Gitai

A bit of space robot news to wind things down this week. The International Space Station got a preview of Gitai Japans S1 robotic arm this week. The autonomous appendage is designed to perform maintenance tasks, including operating switches and assembling structures. It puts it well on its way to potential deployment, having hit seven of nine (not a Star Trek reference, I swear) TRL (not a 90s MTV reference, I swear) or technology readiness levels.

The success of this investigation proves that the GITAI robot can be a solution for space agencies and commercial space companies looking for versatile, dexterous, relatively safe (less exposure to life threatening risks for humans), and inexpensive labor force, NASA said in a statement. Providing this option furthers the goals of commercialization of space.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association's President and CEO Kim Keck issued the following statement on the White House's Build Back Better Act framework.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association Logo (PRNewsfoto/Blue Cross Blue Shield...)

"We are pleased with the Build Back Better Act framework that President Biden announced today, which includes many actions to make health care more affordable, equitable and accessible for all Americans. The extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits will save individuals and families thousands of dollars each year on their health care premiums, and it will help millions of people living in states that have not expanded Medicaid.

"As the package is finalized, it is important for Congress to protect the more than 27 million people covered by the Medicare Advantage program by upholding its current benefits and structure. We will continue to work closely with Congress on items of critical importance to the American people including prescription drug reform, improving health equity, and ensuring long-term fiscal sustainability."

About Blue Cross Blue Shield Association

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association is a national federation of 35 independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies that collectively provide health care coverage for one in three Americans.

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SOURCE Blue Cross Blue Shield Association
A logo is pictured outside the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Geneva

BEIJING (Reuters) - China on Thursday called for the removal of "enormous" farm subsidies in some developed countries as part of Beijing's push for reform of the World Trade Organization.

"There are very unfair rules in the agriculture sector, and enormous subsidies some developed country members are entitled to, that severely distort international agricultural trade," Wang Shouwen, vice minister of China's Ministry of Commerce, told a press briefing.

Agricultural subsidies allowed for developing countries, however, are capped at 10% of the value of production and have "very limited impact" on trade, added Wang, yet are vital for ensuring grain supply and food security.

WTO members including the United States have, however, long complained about China's agricultural subsidies, with Washington winning https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trade-china-agriculture-idUSKCN1QH224 a case against Beijing's price support for grains in 2019.

Wang also addressed issues raised by major trade partners at a recent policy review and said China took the concerns seriously. But it did not accept criticism on issues that fell outside the scope of its WTO commitments.

"We understand hopes from other countries that China should further relax its entry barriers for investment, but using this to criticise China and claiming China has not fulfilled its duties under WTO is not reasonable, fair or acceptable," he said.

The government is willing to negotiate at the WTO or through bilateral investment deals to resolve such concerns, Wang said, adding that China has applied to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trade Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

The United States said last week that China's industrial policies "skew the playing field" against imported goods and services, as well as their foreign providers, and that Washington would pursue all means to secure reforms.

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China's other major trading partners - including Australia, Britain, Canada and the European Union - also called for the world's second-largest economy to further open its vast markets.

China risks slower growth if it does not do enough to spur market competition, a report showed this month.

(Reporting by Stella Qiu, Hallie Gu and Dominique Patton; Editing by Sam Holmes)
AIOps pioneer receives recognition as a leader in multiple industry and analyst reports for excellence in customer satisfaction and business assurance

SANTA CLARA, Calif., October 27, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Digitate, a SaaS-based, leading provider of autonomous enterprise solutions, today announced its recognition as a market and category leader in AIOps by multiple leading analyst firms and industry reports. Digitate earned these merits as a result of its high customer ratings and wide breadth of solutions that span across IT and business operations, as well as assurance.

Digitates flagship product ignio is an end-to-end autonomous solution that uses advanced machine learning and AI capabilities to bring contextual intelligence to IT operations. ignio enables enterprises with a one-of-a-kind closed-loop solution that combines context, insights and intelligent automation to autonomously predict, prevent and prescribe for issues. Digitate is helping Fortune 500 companies harness the power of AI and automation as they scale to meet the demands of their own customers and ease the ever-increasing workload on IT teams.

"Our growth over the past few years speaks to the strength of our solutions in supporting our customers' goals for digital transformation success," said Akhilesh Tripathi, CEO of Digitate. "Digitate is committed to providing customers an AI-driven, closed-loop platform that further improves productivity, business continuity, and customer experience. Our recognition as a market leader by several prominent analyst and industry reports is a validation of our investments and the adoption of our solutions across some of the worlds leading enterprises"

Digitates success is highlighted by several notable achievements and recognition in 2021, including:

Named a leader in the Omdia "AIOps Universe  Selecting an AIOps Solution 2021 - 2022" Report  Due in part to its strong automation capabilities and management control, Digitate was recognized for its commitment to creating value for business functions through automation and comprehensive AIOps capabilities. Digitate was the leader in the overall customer experience with a recommendation score of 96%. To support Digitates all-rounder status, it scored 95% for solution breadth.

Recognized on the Constellation Research ShortList for Using Artificial Intelligence in IT Operations (AIOps) Q3 2021  Constellations list evaluated over 40 most prominent AIOps solutions based on client inquiries, partner conversations, customer references, vendor selection projects, market share and internal research. Digitate was selected based on its noise reduction and enterprise capabilities, among other criteria.

Recognized as a technology leader in Quadrant Knowledge Solutions SPARKS Matrix for Artificial Intelligence for IT Operations (AIOps) Platform 2021 Report The report pointed out some of the key differentiators that include Digitates over 10 000 out-of-the-box automation capabilities and unique, closed-loop system ensuring better ROI and lower time to value.

Highlighted in the IDC Worldwide IT Operations Analytics Software Market Shares Report  Digitate was the second fastest-growing IT Operations Analytics software company for 2020, with a revenue growth rate of 43.5%. (August 2021, IDC #US48125121)

Highlighted in the IDC Worldwide Workload Management Software Market Shares Report  Digitate was the fastest growing WLM software company for 2020 with a revenue growth rate of 75.6 %. (July 2021, IDC #US48063321)

About Digitate

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Digitate is a leading software provider bringing agility, assurance, and resiliency to IT and business operations. Digitates flagship product ignio is an award-winning AIOps software that reimagines enterprise IT and business landscape with its unique and innovative closed-loop approach by combining context, insights and intelligent automation to autonomously resolve and prevent issues. Our customers span across industry verticals and include large, global enterprises that are leaders and innovators in their respective industries. Digitate is headquartered in Santa Clara, California, USA and Pune, India. To stay up to date on ignio news and to learn more how our clients across the globe have benefited from our innovative solutions: Visit us at www.digitate.com, and follow Digitate on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Learn more about our AIOps solution here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xy3FGkbZNDM

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211027005225/en/

Contacts

Colin Rinehart

Senior Account Executive

10Fold/Digitate

digitate@10fold.com
Global Diversified Marketing Groups unveiling of EzLyv brand and the launch of three SKUs marks a significant opportunity in addition to its already strong lineup of CPG products to fuel growth further into the thriving health and wellness sector

EzLyv Gummy Supplements

EzLyv Gummy Supplements

EzLyv Gummy Supplements

ISLAND PARK, N.Y., Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Diversified Marketing Group Inc. (OTC: GDMK) is unveiling its brand and new SKUs that went live via the companys ezlyv.com website. GDMK will market its SKUs in the rapid growth nutraceutical supplements category. These new SKUs of our product lines with a twist hold the potential to attract and serve a wider customer base interested in optimizing health and wellness through high quality gummy supplements which are very desirable as they are easier to take and regarded as a treat snack.



Collagen is known to be the most abundant protein in the human body, found in bones, muscles, skin and hair. The new GDMK Collagen gummies have one of the highest potencies for keeping skin from sagging and aid in maintaining healthy hair, plus many other positive properties. Our Mushroom Complex gummies help keep increased energy, improved muscle recovery, immune and cognitive support. Apple Cider Vinegar gummies contain 1000 mg of mother derived apple cider vinegar which aides with calming acid reflux, curbs hunger cravings and boosts immunity by promoting healthy bacteria in the gut. Our gummies are better tasting, convenient and easy to incorporate into your daily routine. Our slogan speaks for itself: Vitamins for Easy Living.

The global nutraceutical market today has an estimated value of $117 billion USD. The development of more personalized and customizable products has recently gained high popularity. Some of the strategies within the nutraceutical industry involve finding new innovative approaches, verifying health claims of the products and ongoing market research. Consumers are looking to follow healthy lifestyles and obtain key nutrition to help control serious diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and also obesity. The United States, European Union and India are currently the largest nutraceuticals markets in the world.

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Paul Adler, President & CEO of Global Diversified Marketing Group, stated: Being able to diversify our CPG product lines and enter the high growth nutraceutical market is an exciting step for our company to further fuel our business growth. This represents an opportunity to deliver a new product line that is in great and growing demand.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/cc8e83e5-8713-4696-a4a3-3b29586b2f30

About Global Diversified Marketing Group

Headquartered in Island Park, NY - Global Diversified Marketing Group Inc operates as a global multi-line consumer packaged goods (CPG) company with branded product lines and is a food and snack manufacturer, Importer & distributor through its subsidiary in the United States, Canada and Europe. The company operates in the snacks market segment. The snacks segment offers Italian Wafers, Italian filled croissants, French Madeleines, Wafer Pralines, shelf stable Macarons and other gourmet snacks. The company sells its products direct and through various distribution channels comprising specialty, grocery retailers, food-service distributors, DSD as well as vending, pantry and micro market segment.

Safe Harbor Statement

Certain statements in this announcement are forward-looking statements and are prospective in nature. Forward-looking statements are not based on historical facts, but rather on current expectations and projections about future events, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of the Company's control and are therefore subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from the future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.

These statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as "may", "should", "will", "could", "intend", "estimate", "plan", "anticipate", "expect", "believe" or "continue", or the negative thereof or similar variations. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, information concerning the ability of the Company to successfully achieve business objectives, and expectations for other economic, business, and/or competitive factors. Those assumptions and factors are based on information currently available to the Company. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Among the key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information and statements are the following: the ability of the Company to develop the Company's brand and meet its growth objectives, the ability of the Company to complete acquisitions that are accretive to the Company's revenue, the ability of the Company to obtain and/or maintain licenses to operate in the jurisdictions in which it operates or in which it expects or plans to operate. Should one or more of these risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information or statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. The forward-looking information contained in this release is made as of the date hereof and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information that are incorporated by reference herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.

The foregoing statements expressly qualify any forward-looking information contained herein. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking information and statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf is expressly qualified in its entirety by this notice.

Contact:

Global Diversified Marketing Group Inc

Paul Adler, Chairman, President & CEO

800-550-5996

paul@gdmginc.com




When the Arizona Cardinals signed defensive end J.J. Watt to a two-year, $28 million contract this past offseason, one of the big questions surrounding the three-time Defensive Player of the Year was his durability.

He played in all 16 games last season in 2020, but he also had missed a lot of time in previous seasons.

Now that his season might be over for the Cardinals after sustaining a shoulder injury that needs surgery, a trip to injured reserve seems inevitable.

When that happens, it will be his fourth stint on IR in his last six seasons.

Since 2016, he made it through a whole season only twice  2018 and 2020.

He played in three games in 2016, five in 2017 and then 10 in 2019. If he does not play again this season, he will have appeared in only seven games.

Including this season, it means he will have only played 55 of 97 games in six seasons.

This was always going to be the risk.

Watt has certainly made an impact on the team this season, both on the field and in the building. But it is a huge blow to lose him.

He will still impact the team with his presence after his surgery but the Cardinals didnt give him a $28 million contract to be a cheerleader.

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Behind Enemy Lines: Cardinals-Packers Q&A preview with Packers Wire

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New Locations Situated Amongst Over 23 Million People to Open Between Mid-November and Mid-December

TSXV: JK

VANCOUVER, BC, Oct. 28, 2021 /CNW/ - Just Kitchen Holdings Corp. ("JustKitchen" or the "Company") (TSXV: JK) (OTCQB: JKHCF) (Frankfurt: 68Z), an operator of ghost kitchens specializing in the development of delivery-only food brands, is pleased to announce that it has entered into agreements to secure its next three ghost kitchen locations (the "New Locations") in Taiwan. The New Locations will be located in the Zhongzhen and Zhongshan areas of Taipei City, as well as in the Sanchong area of New Taipei City and are all expected to open between mid-November and mid-December of this year. Once opened, JustKitchen will have a total of 21 ghost kitchens operating in the form of either Hubs or Spokes, as per its unique operating model, across Taiwan and Hong Kong.

JustKitchen (TSXV: JK) (OTCQB: JKHCF) (Frankfurt: 68Z) (CNW Group/Just Kitchen Holdings Corp.)

One-third of Taiwan's population of over 23 million people reside in Taipei and New Taipei City. The two locations in Taipei City will add to the Company's seven existing Spokes in the area, for a total of nine ghost kitchens serving a prime target customer base between the ages of 20-45. Based on the Company's data, customers in the Zhongzhen and Zhongshan districts tend to incur the highest average spend-per-meal in Taipei City. The Sanchong location will be situated in the third-most populous district of New Taipei City, which represents a new market for JustKitchen as it is outside of its current coverage area. This Spoke will become one of four JustKitchen locations serving customers in New Taipei City.

"Securing these three new locations is an exciting development for JustKitchen as we move closer to achieving our goal of having 22 ghost kitchens in operation by the end of 2021. I am pleased with our team's ability to add Spokes in the heavily populated and demographically optimal areas of Taipei City and New Taipei City," said Jason Chen, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of JustKitchen. "JustKitchen continues to evolve at a rapid pace and our expectations for growth and profitability, both locally and internationally, are increasing on an ongoing basis. With a portfolio of approximately 30 proprietary and partner food brands, the recently announced addition of JKOS to our proprietary technology stack and a strong financial position, JustKitchen is well positioned to keep strengthening its competitive advantages for its shareholders and stakeholders," added Mr. Chen.

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ABOUT JUSTKITCHEN

JustKitchen is primarily an operator of ghost kitchens specializing in the development and marketing of proprietary and franchised delivery-only food brands for customers. The Company currently operates in Taiwan and Hong Kong with plans to expand operations to the United States and other Asian countries. JustKitchen uniquely utilizes a hub-and-spoke operating model, which features advanced food preparation taking place at larger hub kitchens and final meal preparation taking place at smaller spoke kitchens located in areas with higher population densities. The Company combines this operating model with online and mobile application-based food ordering fulfilled by third-party delivery companies, to minimize capital investments and operating expenses and reach more customers in underserved markets. The Company's other business, JustMarket, is an e-commerce grocery delivery platform that allows customers to purchase groceries for delivery or add select grocery items to meals ordered through JustKitchen.

For more information about the Company, please visit investors.justkitchen.com. JustKitchen's final prospectus, financial statements and management's discussion and analysis, among other documents, are all available on the Company's profile page on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of such statements under applicable securities law. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "anticipates", "plan", "continue", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "potential", "proposed", "positioned" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur including but not limited to the Company's comments regarding the opening dates of the New Locations and the optimal demographic nature of the districts in Taipei City and New Taipei City. These statements are only predictions. Various assumptions were used in drawing the conclusions or making the projections contained in the forward-looking statements throughout this news release. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made and are subject to a variety of risks, including those risk factors identified in the Company's prospectus dated March 26, 2021, and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. The Company is under no obligation, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable law.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Just Kitchen Holdings Corp.

Suite 1430, 800 West Pender Street

Vancouver, British Columbia

V6C 2V6

SOURCE Just Kitchen Holdings Corp.

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M&T Bank, which came under pressure to preserve jobs and invest in communities in its proposed acquisition of Bridgeport-based Peoples United Bank, said it will rollout a five-year plan that will provide $43 billion in loans, investments and other financial support to low- and moderate-income people and communities as well as people and communities of color.

Buffalo-based M&T said the community investment plan will be set into motion once the $7.6 billion acquisition of Peoples United is completed. The deal won regulatory approvals in Connecticut and New York last week, and the purchase is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

The investment plan, developed with the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, will cover M&Ts existing 10-state market, which includes Fairfield County in Connecticut plus what it scoops up in the Peoples United purchase: much of the rest of Connecticut, including Hartford County, Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire and southeastern New York.

Rene Jones, M&T Banks chairman and chief executive, said the bank is committed to taking action to address inequities that have existed for years. This plan is another step in our journey to orient ourselves around what our communities need the most.

The plan includes $23 billion for home purchases, home equity and small business loans and another $20 billion for community development initiatives and affordable housing.

M&T said it also expects to designate as many as 115 branches in its combination with Peoples United as multicultural banking centers. These banking centers would include a bilingual staff to non-English speaking customers.

The bank also will look for ways to bring enhanced services to the rural and urban areas, where there are few banking options.

M&T did not say how the funding would be distributed geographically. But the bank did say it would work closely with community-based organizations as it invests the funding outlined in the plan.

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M&T touched off an uproar in Connecticut in July when it disclosed in a state labor department filing that it would cut 747 jobs  661 of them at the Peoples Uniteds Main Street headquarters. Elected officials, including Connecticut Attorney General William Tong and U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal said they were taken off guard, having understood job loss would be minimal.

Both Blumenthal and Tong pressed for preservation of jobs and other economic investments, especially in underserved neighborhoods and communities.

Subsequently, M&T pledged to employ at least a 1,000 within a year after it combined the operating systems of the two banks. M&T also promised broader economic investment initiatives. particularly in the areas of small business lending and corporate responsibility.

On Tuesday, Blumenthal said M&T Banks investment is significant, but Connecticut needs to see how this money will actually benefit the people in poorer neighborhoods.

I remain deeply concerned about M&Ts substantial number of layoffs in Connecticut and particularly Bridgeport, Blumenthal said in a statement. M&T Bank should demonstrate their leadership in supporting underserved and communities of color by limiting job reductions in these areas.

Tong said M&T showed commitment with the $46 billion plan and his office will continue to monitor their progress to ensure they honor those commitments.

M&T, which has a toehold in Fairfield County with 11 branches, is poised to take over 419 Peoples United branches in five New England states, including 170 in Connecticut and New York. The acquisition would allow M&T to extend its reach deep into New England and quickly bulk up on $60 billion in Peoples United assets, $52 billion in deposits and $44 billion in loans.

Kenneth R. Gosselin can be reached at kgosselin@courant.com.
BUFFALO, N.Y., Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Air Cargo group has partnered with 'Food For The Poor' to ship surgical gowns to hospitals in Jamaica and Haiti. Through this initiative, National has donated 300,000 surgical gowns to 'Food For The Poor' representatives, who will be distributing the items to hospitals in the respective countries.

Packing pallets of donated gowns

Ms. Georgia Goldsmith, Director of HR & Compliance, National Airlines, initiated the processes and coordinated with the US Consul General to Jamaica and the 'Food For The Poor' teams for the needed permissions and pick up of 300,000 Level 3 disposable sterile surgical gowns in 1,750 cartons from National storage facilities.

"National has always practiced a policy of 'business with social commitment.' We have been at the forefront of numerous global crisis as first responders, which includes successful missions delivering COVID-19 medical relief supplies across the globe. This partnership with 'Food For The Poor' is a small token of our shared responsibility to provide needed medical relief supplies around the World. We will continue collaborating with organizations throughout our future."  said Mr. Christopher Alf, Chairman, National Air Cargo Group, Inc.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, National Air Cargo group has been instrumental in swiftly airlifting medical supplies including protective masks, gowns, oxygen cylinders etc. into regions including the United States of America, China, Africa, India, Pakistan and Nepal. National teams also coordinated the safe and secure transport of COVID-19 vaccines to different inaccessible terrains. This is not the first time National has coordinated missions in Jamaica and Haiti, National had previously partnered with the Republic of Haiti to operate B747-400F cargo flights from Shanghai to Port-au-Prince in Haiti as part of COVID-19 relief missions. Critical supplies including respirators, surgical masks, N95 masks, full beds etc. were airlifted during this mission.

Story continues

About National

National Airlines is a U.S. FAA-certificated Part 121 air carrier, with a fleet of six B747-400Fs, A330-200, and B757-200 which provides global cargo and passenger charter services. National Air Cargo offers international freight forwarding, sea-to-air multi-modal transportation and logistics solutions worldwide. Established in 1991, the global reach of National is maintained via global operations centers and strategically located offices in the U.S, Middle East (Dubai), Germany, Spain, Netherlands, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Tokyo. For more information, log on to www.GoNational.com.

Pallets of donated gowns

Loaded and ready to go!

National - We Deliver the World

Cision

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SOURCE National Air Cargo
MELBOURNE, Australia, October 28, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rio Tinto and BlueScope will work together to explore low-carbon steelmaking pathways using Pilbara iron ores, including the use of clean hydrogen to replace coking coal at BlueScopes Port Kembla Steelworks.

The two companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to research and design low-emissions processes for the steel value chain, including iron ore processing, iron and steelmaking and related technologies.

Rio Tinto and BlueScope will prioritise studying the use of green hydrogen at the Port Kembla Steelworks in Australia to directly reduce Pilbara iron ores into a product that could then be processed in an electric melter to produce metallic iron suitable to be finished into steel.

The MOU expands the partnership between the two companies, who were already jointly studying technology to reduce carbon emissions from existing iron and steelmaking processes. It will also allow more projects to be added as technologies mature.

Rio Tinto Iron Ore Chief Executive Simon Trott said "We are excited to sign this MOU with leading steelmaker BlueScope, a key customer of ours in Australia, and extend our partnership to low carbon iron and steelmaking.

"This partnership will benefit from BlueScopes experience and know-how in using electric melters at its New Zealand steelworks, Rio Tintos experience in the Atlantic direct reduction market and the R&D capability and the experience of both Rio Tinto and BlueScope in iron ore processing.

"It is early days, but given both BlueScope and Rio Tinto are committed to net zero carbon emissions by 2050, we realise we need to investigate multiple pathways and strike partnerships across the steel value chain."

BlueScope Chief Executive Mark Vassella said "We are pleased to be working with Rio Tinto, who supply the majority of iron ore to our Port Kembla plant. Its a natural fit for us both and a meaningful opportunity for Australian steelmaking and mining to explore ways of contributing to emissions reduction targets.

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"The new collaboration will focus on utilising green hydrogen for direct reduction of Rio Tintos Pilbara iron ores, which will then be fed into a melter."

"This is an important program  one which will need broad support from governments, regulators, customers and suppliers. At a time when there is much talk and expectation about climate, this is an example of two significant Australian businesses getting on with real action. We are putting our dollars and our people right on the front line of addressing climate change."

The first phase of the collaboration will be to determine the scale of a pilot plant to be based at the Port Kembla steelworks, consisting of a hydrogen electrolyser, direct reduction process and melter.

At an investor seminar last week, Rio Tinto said it was focused on studying three potential pathways towards net neutral steelmaking; using sustainable biomass with Pilbara iron ore to replace coking coal in the iron and steelmaking process; using hydrogen-based hot-briquetted iron (HBI) with high-grade ores in Canada; and using hydrogen direct reduced iron (DRI) with a melter for Pilbara ores.

This MOU aligns with the last potential pathway and shows Rio Tintos commitment to each of them.

At the investor seminar, Rio Tinto announced new targets of reducing its Scope 1 & 2 carbon emissions by 50 per cent by 2030, more than tripling its previous target, and a 15 per cent reduction in emissions by 2025, five years earlier than previously. These targets are supported by around $7.5 billion of direct investments to lower emissions between 2022 and 2030.

riotinto.com

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Contacts

Please direct all enquiries to media.enquiries@riotinto.com

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Media Relations, Americas

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Matt Chambers

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Investor Relations, Australia

Natalie Worley

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Amar Jambaa

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Rio Tinto plc

6 St Jamess Square

London SW1Y 4AD

United Kingdom

T +44 20 7781 2000

Registered in England

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Rio Tinto Limited

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Melbourne 3000

Australia

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Registered in Australia

ABN 96 004 458 404

Category: General
The third quarter of 2021 was a record breaker for Samsung, which posted a revenue of 73.98 trillion Korean won or US$63.1 billion. That's 10 percent higher from the same period last year. It also reported an operating profit of 15.82 trillion Korean won or U$13.5 billion, which is 26 percent higher than the previous quarter's.

Despite the pandemic, the tech giant's semiconductor business posted 26.4 trillion won or US$22.6 billion in revenue, thanks to a strong demand for computers due to companies implementing work-from-home arrangements. Its DRAM sales, mainly for servers, continue to grow and is the leading factor for the division's stellar performance. Samsung says it was able to do business as usual despite the global shortage in chip components "by flexibly operating its product mix."

In addition to its chip business, Samsung's mobile division also contributed greatly to its record-breaking third quarter. It saw an improvement from the previous quarter, with its 28.42 trillion won or U$24.2 billion in revenue, thanks to strong sales of its mass-market lineup and its flagship models. The latter includes its new foldable devices, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3, though the company admitted that the bigger marketing investments for its foldables affected the division's total profits.

It's also thanks to the high demand for its phones that Samsung's display business was able to post 8.86 trillion won or US$7.5 billion in revenue. Display earnings were up from the previous quarter primarily due to the higher demand for small to medium OLED panels despite a sluggish demand for bigger panels.

Samsung remains optimistic for the fourth quarter, as well as for next year, but it didn't provide specific guidance for its chip business due to the ongoing component supply issue affecting various industries. It expects continued high demand for PCs and servers, nonetheless. For the fourth quarter specifically, it's expecting even higher earnings "due to expanded supply of SoCs and related products for launches of new 5G smartphones in 2022."
TORONTO, Oct. 28, 2021 /CNW/ - Sinai Health Foundation is launching the next installment of its brand campaign, called Missing Pieces, offering a look at women's health issues that are often undertreated and misdiagnosed.

The Missing Pieces campaign by Sinai Health Foundation aims to highlight Sinai Healths expertise in womens health, including conditions such as endometriosis and menopause. (CNW Group/Sinai Health Foundation)

The Missing Pieces campaign aims to highlight Sinai Health's expertise in women's health, while acknowledging there are many gaps in our understanding of how to best diagnose and treat pressing women's health issues, such as endometriosis and menopause.

"This campaign illustrates Sinai Health's commitment to women's health care issues," said Louis de Melo, CEO of Sinai Health Foundation. "There are still too many unknowns when it comes to diagnosis, treatment, and cures for these conditions. Sinai Health is committed to filling those gaps, finding those answers, and solving the puzzle of women's health."

Developed by Huge and leveraging footage shot by award-winning photographer Goh Iromoto, the campaign examines a host of women's health conditions, including fertility, complex pregnancies and mature women's health. The campaign also features two mini-documentaries by Mark Rozeluk highlighting the courageous journeys of two patients and how Sinai Health's experts are working to change the understanding of their conditions.

The campaign builds on the spring series of documentaries that established Sinai Health as a powerhouse in delivering happy, healthy families. As home to one of the busiest labour and delivery wards in Canada, Sinai Health welcomes more than 7,000 babies each year and houses one of the largest Neonatal Intensive Care Units in the country.

Meanwhile, the average person who menstruates spends half their life in menopause. About 80 per cent of people undergoing menopause experience symptoms, while 20 per cent are severely affected. Sinai Health's program in Mature Women's Health sees more than 2,000 patients annually from across Southern Ontario and the GTA and is one of the only clinics of its kind in Canada.

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In addition, about one in 10 people of reproductive age will suffer from endometriosis, and many times without even knowing it. It can cause debilitating pain that all too often is dismissed as just "period pain," leading to delays in diagnosis and treatment. In Canada, the time to diagnosis is 5.4 years, but can be as long as 20 years.

"Diseases with a profound impact on women's quality of life are often dismissed and are far less researched," said Dr. Ally Murji, a gynecologic surgeon at Mount Sinai Hospital. "This can mean women are unaware of what to watch for and monitor so they can effectively advocate for themselves."

The Missing Pieces campaign will run from October through December on television, social media and in various locations throughout Toronto. Along with Huge, Sinai Health Foundation partnered with UM on strategic media planning and buying. Visit SinaiCares.ca to learn more about the campaign and how philanthropy fuels the discovery and delivery of life-changing care at Sinai Health every day.

About Sinai Health Foundation

Sinai Health Foundation takes the vision of Sinai Health's physicians, clinicians, scientists, and health care providers and helps turn it into a reality. Philanthropy is essential for advancing research, care, and outcomes for those facing cancer, a high-risk pregnancy, stroke recovery, and other conditions and diseases. Thanks to philanthropy, SHF helps fund world-class facilities and offers patients access to some of the most impactful clinical trials and studies that have taken place over the past 30 years. www.sinaicares.ca

Sinai Health Foundation Logo (CNW Group/Sinai Health Foundation)

SOURCE Sinai Health Foundation

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DUBLIN, October 28, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "South Korea Data Center Market - Investment Analysis & Growth Opportunities 2021-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

South Korea data center market size will witness investments of USD 5.25 billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 7.72% during 2021-2026

This report analyzes the South Korea data center market share. It elaboratively analyzes the existing and upcoming facilities and data center investments in IT, electrical, mechanical infrastructure, general construction, tier standard, and geography. It discusses the industry sizing and estimation for different segments concerning the investment in the facilities.

In the next few years, it is expected that there will be increased investment by new hyperscale and colocation data center operators, propelling the market in South Korea. Seoul is a major market within South Korea, with other locations such as Gyeonggi and Busan not far behind in terms of data center investment. Digital Realty, LG Uplus, Lotte Data Communication, and KT were the major data center investors in South Korea in 2020.

SOUTH KOREA DATA CENTER MARKET VENDOR LANDSCAPE

Arista Networks, Atos, Cisco Systems, Dell Technologies, Fujitsu, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), IBM, Inspur, Lenovo, and NetApp are some of the IT infrastructure providers in South Korea.

Data center operators added over 30 MW of power capacity in the industry between January 2020 and June 2021. The deployment of smart technologies creates lucrative opportunities for data center operators in South Korea.

WHY SHOULD YOU BUY THIS RESEARCH?

Market size available in the investment, area, power capacity, and colocation revenue.

An assessment of the South Korea data center investment in the market by colocation, hyperscale, and enterprise operators

Data center investments in terms of white floor area (square feet) and power capacity (MW) across cities in the country

A detailed study of the existing South Korea data center market landscape, an in-depth industry analysis, and insightful predictions about the South Korea market size during the forecast period

Snapshot of existing and upcoming third-party facilities in South Korea

Facilities Covered (Existing): 33

Facilities Identified (Upcoming): 5

Coverage: 12 Cities

Existing vs. Upcoming (Data Center Area)

Existing vs. Upcoming (IT Load Capacity)

Data center colocation market in South Korea

Market Revenue & Forecast (2020-2026)

Retail Colocation Pricing

Classification of the South Korea market investments into multiple segments and sub-segments (IT, power, cooling, and general construction services) with market sizing and forecast.

A comprehensive analysis of the latest trends, growth rate, potential opportunities, and growth restraints, and prospects for the market.

Business overview and product offerings of prominent IT infrastructure providers, construction contractors, support infrastructure providers, and investors operating in the market

A transparent research methodology and the analysis of the demand and supply aspect of the market.

SOUTH KOREA DATA CENTER MARKET INSIGHTS

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Naver has planned to construct its second facility, the Cloud Ring Data Center in Sejong, expected to be operational by 2023.

LG Uplus Anyang facility will add over 250,000 square feet are of IT space expected to be online by Q3 2023.

Owing to the increase in internet users and the outbreak of the COVID 19 pandemic, the demand for data centers in the country has increased, thereby boosting low latency and high data storage and computation infrastructure.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF THE REPORT:

Diesel generators are adopted widely among data center operators in South Korea, with few operators adopting Diesel Rotary Uninterruptible Power Supply (DRUPS) systems.

Most facilities in South Korea will adopt a medium- to low-voltage switchgear during the forecast period.

LG Uplus Busan facility in South Korea is equipped with a hybrid cooling system and achieves free cooling for around eight months without using chillers.

IT Infrastructure Providers

Arista Networks

Atos

Cisco Systems

Dell Technologies

Fujitsu

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)

IBM

Inspur

Lenovo

NetApp

Construction Constructors & Sub-Contractors

BEHIVE Architects

DPR Construction

GS E&C

HanmiGlobal

ISG

Posco ICT

Samoo Architects & Engineers

Support Infrastructure Providers

ABB

Caterpillar

Cummins

Delta Electronics

Eaton

Fuji Electric

Legrand

Rittal

Mitsubishi Electric

Piller Power Systems

Rolls-Royce Power Systems

Schneider Electric

Vertiv Group

Data Center Investors

Digital Realty

KT

LG Uplus

Lotte Data Communication

REPORT COVERAGE:

EXISTING VS. UPCOMING DATA CENTERS

Existing Facilities in the region (White Floor Area and Power Capacity)

Seoul

Other Cities

List of Upcoming Facilities in the region (White Floor Area and Power Capacity)

SOUTH KOREA DATA CENTER INVESTMENT COVERAGE

Infrastructure Type

IT Infrastructure

Electrical Infrastructure

Mechanical Infrastructure

General Construction

IT Infrastructure

Server

Storage

Network Infrastructure

Electrical Infrastructure

UPS Systems

Generators

Transfer Switches and Switchgears

PDUs

Other Electrical Infrastructure

Mechanical Infrastructure

Cooling Systems

Rack Cabinets

Other Mechanical Infrastructure

Cooling Systems

CRAC & CRAH Units

Chillers

Cooling Towers, Condensers, and Dry Coolers

Economizers & Evaporative Coolers

Other Cooling Units

General Construction

Building Development

Installation & Commissioning Services

Building Design

Physical Security

Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM)

Tier Segments

Tier I & Tier II

Tier III

Tier IV

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/a4syvq

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Contacts

ResearchAndMarkets.com

Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com

For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630

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Starbucks sales miss as COVID-19 resurgence hits China FILE PHOTO: A Starbucks sign is shown on one of the company's stores in Los Angeles

By Praveen Paramasivam and Hilary Russ

(Reuters) - Starbucks Corp missed market estimates for quarterly same-store sales on Thursday, as a COVID-19 resurgence in China closed stores in several major cities and overshadowed a strong performance by its U.S. business.

Fresh lockdowns to curb the spread of the Delta variant in Starbucks' largest growth market of China have also hit businesses of several other restaurant chains, including Yum China Holdings Inc.

The coffee chain posted a 7% decline in China comparable sales in its fourth quarter, missing its forecast of roughly flat growth and offsetting a 22% jump in the United States.

The company forecast global comparable sales growth in the high single digits in its current fiscal year 2022.

Shares fell more than 4% in aftermarket trading.

But Chief Executive Officer Kevin Johnson also said higher prices, higher wages, new unit development, automation in stores, speedier cooking equipment and other investments will help it beat rivals and push its operating margin to its ongoing target of 18% to 19% in fiscal 2023.

"This is the time to take that market share that we know we can take, and that market share gain is permanent," Johnson said in an earnings call.

The company said it would open 2,000 net new locations globally in fiscal 2022 versus 1,173 in 2021, about 75% of them outside of the United States.

Johnson declined to say how much Starbucks would raise prices on Pumpkin Spice Lattes and other menu items.

But he said that "we are taking price and we will continue to take price in an inflationary environment."

The chain will also invest in equipment - like warming ovens and cold brew systems - to speed up operations and let workers perform other tasks.

On Wednesday, Starbucks said it would raise pay for U.S. workers with at least two years of employment and offer $200 referral bonuses, as it grapples with a nationwide labor shortage.

Starbucks is also closing some locations early in order to redeploy staff to other stores, Chief Operating Officer John Culver said during the call.

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The coffee chain also committed to $20 billion of share repurchases and dividends over the next three years.

Analysts say the pressure in China should be temporary as restrictions ease and Seattle-based Starbucks opens more stores in the world's second-largest economy to boost growth.

Global comparable sales rose 17% in the quarter ended Oct. 3, compared with analysts' average estimate of 18.5% growth, according to Refinitiv IBES data.

Starbucks earned $1 per share on an adjusted basis - narrowly beating estimates of 99 cents.

(Reporting by Praveen Paramasivam in Bengaluru and Hilary Russ in New York; Editing by Aditya Soni and Aurora Ellis)
First Patient in Phase 1 Trial to be Dosed in November with Enrollment Completion Anticipated by Early Q1 2022



Preclinical Studies of Inhaled Dry Powder Formulation of Niclosamide Showed a Seven-Fold Reduction in Lung Viral Load in Hamsters When Administered 24 Hours After Inoculation with SARS-CoV-2

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TFF Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: TFFP), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative drug products based on its patented Thin Film Freezing (TFF) technology platform, today announced that it has received approval from Health Canada to begin a Phase 1 clinical trial of a dry powder formulation of niclosamide, an antiviral treatment with potential to address COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.

The Phase 1 study was cleared by Health Canada via a No Objection Letter (NOL) received on October 22, 2021. TFF Pharmaceuticals anticipates the first patient will be dosed in the study in November and that enrollment will be completed by early Q1 2022.

Early on in the COVID-19 pandemic, niclosamide was identified as a highly promising option for treating severe COVID-19 because of its ability to inhibit cellular processes in the human cell that are required for SARS-CoV-2 replication, thereby inhibiting the production of new viral particles from infected cells, said Glenn Mattes, CEO of TFF Pharmaceuticals. Our inhaled niclosamide powder, developed via TFFs unique Thin Film Freezing technology platform, has been shown to reduce COVID-19 viral load in vivo and offers both direct delivery to the site of infection in the lung and more convenient outpatient administration compared to the IV administered approved antibody COVID-19 treatments. We believe that our preclinical results for inhaled niclosamide will translate to positive outcomes in humans and look forward to initiating the study.

First approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in humans in 1982, niclosamide is an oral anthelmintic drug and is included in the World Health Organization's list of essential medicines1. It has been used to safely treat millions of patients and was recently shown to exhibit potent antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-22, but has limited water solubility as well as low absorption and oral bioavailability. TFF Pharmaceuticals Thin Film Freezing technology enables the development of a dry powder formulation of niclosamide that can be delivered directly to the site of viral replication within the lungs by inhalation and administered to patients in an outpatient setting using a standard dry powder inhaler.

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Inhaled niclosamide presents a potentially game-changing solution to addressing ongoing cases of COVID-19, combining a known potent antiviral against SARS-CoV-2 with TFFs Thin Film Freezing technology to allow direct delivery to the lungs, said Jay Peters, M.D., Chief of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and a member of TFFs Scientific Advisory Board. Inhaled niclosamide could also serve as an essential treatment for other infectious diseases that affect the lungs. I look forward to seeing the results of the upcoming clinical trial.

In June 2021, the Company published in vivo pharmacokinetic data in hamsters and rats showing sufficient lung exposure to achieve an antiviral effect. An accompanying GLP inhalation toxicology study showed no toxicity from the inhaled formulation of niclosamide. Recently, the Company completed an in vivo efficacy study that showed a seven-fold reduction in lung viral load in a hamster model when dry powder niclosamide was administered 24 hours after inoculation with SARS-CoV-2 when the disease was already severe.3

The Phase 1 study will consist of a Single Ascending Dose (SAD) phase with single inhalation doses of 0.5, 2, and 6 mg in three cohorts of healthy volunteers, including six volunteers that will receive active drug and two that will receive placebo; followed by a Multiple Ascending Dose (MAD) phase in which two cohorts of healthy volunteers will receive doses of 3 and 6 mg, respectively, every 12 hours (BID dosing) for five days. Following results from the Phase 1 trial, the next step will be to initiate a Phase 2/3 study in patients with COVID-19. Per an agreement initiated in August 2020, UNION Therapeutics A/S (UNION) has an option to exclusively license the dry powder formulation of niclosamide.

We find the pre-clinical work by the TFF team encouraging and appreciate that Thin Film Freezing technology may offer an option to improve the delivery of niclosamide. The use of a dry powder inhaler could help to circumvent the poor oral bioavailability and significantly elevate the local exposure in lungs, the primary site of infection, said Gunter Ditzinger, Chief Technology Officer of UNION Therapeutics. We are looking forward to the results of the Phase 1 program and continuing the partnership with TFF Pharmaceuticals.

About UNION Therapeutics A/S

UNION therapeutics is a privately held, multi-asset, clinical stage, pharmaceutical company focused on immunology and infectious diseases. The company is currently working with two complementary chemistry classes, spanning immunology and microbiology with seven programs in clinical development. UNION is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, and is led by an international team combining biotech entrepreneurs and senior pharma executives, with a collective track record of completing more than fifteen product approvals.

About TFF Pharmaceuticals Thin Film Freezing Technology Platform

TFF Pharmaceuticals Thin Film Freezing (TFF) platform was designed to improve the solubility and absorption of poorly water-soluble drugs and is particularly suited to generate dry powder particles with properties targeted for inhalation delivery, especially to the deep lung, an area of extreme interest in respiratory medicine. The TFF process results in a Brittle Matrix Particle, which possesses low bulk density, high surface area, and typically an amorphous morphology, allowing the particles to supersaturate when contacting the target site, such as lung tissue. Based upon laboratory experiments the aerodynamic properties of the particles are such that the portion of a drug deposited to the deep lung has the potential to reach as high as 75 percent.

About TFF Pharmaceuticals

TFF Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative drug products based on its patented Thin Film Freezing, or TFF, technology platform. Early testing confirms that the TFF platform can significantly improve the solubility and absorption of poorly water-soluble drugs, a class of drugs that comprises approximately one-third of the major pharmaceuticals worldwide, thereby improving their pharmacokinetics. TFF Pharmaceuticals has two lead drug candidates: Voriconazole Inhalation Powder and Tacrolimus Inhalation Powder. The Company plans to add to this pipeline by collaborating with large pharmaceutical partners. The TFF Platform is protected by 42 patents issued or pending in the US and internationally. To learn more about TFF Pharmaceuticals and its product candidates, visit the Companys website at https://tffpharma.com.

SAFE HARBOR

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding TFF Pharmaceuticals, Inc., including the benefits of the Companys TFF platform and its dry powder versions of niclosamide, and the Companys plans to add to its existing pipeline of product candidates. Those forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially. Among those factors are: (i) the risk that the Company may not be able to successfully conclude clinical testing or obtain pre-market approval of its dry powder version of niclosamide, (ii) assuming that the Company is successful in its clinical testing of niclosamide, that the Comnay will be able to enter into a licensing arrangement with UNION on terms favorable to the Company, if at all, (iii) no drug product incorporating the TFF platform has received FDA pre-market approval or otherwise been incorporated into a commercial drug product, (iv) the Company has no current agreements or understandings with any large pharmaceutical companies for the development of a drug product incorporating the TFF Platform, (v) the risk that the Company will not be able to conclude a long-term commercial agreement with any third-party, and (vi) those other risks disclosed in the section Risk Factors included in the Companys 2020 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 10, 2021. TFF Pharmaceuticals cautions readers not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. TFF Pharmaceuticals does not undertake, and specifically disclaims, any obligation to update or revise such statements to reflect new circumstances or unanticipated events as they occur, except as required by law.

Company Contacts:

Glenn Mattes

President and CEO

TFF Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

gmattes@tffpharma.com

737-802-1973

Kirk Coleman

Chief Financial Officer

TFF Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

kcoleman@tffpharma.com

817-989-6358

Investor Relations Contact:

Corey Davis, Ph.D.

LifeSci Advisors

212-915-2577

cdavis@lifesciadvisors.com

Media Contact:

Gwendolyn Schanker

LifeSci Communications

(269) 921-3607

gschanker@lifescicomms.com

Source: TFF Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

WHO. World Health Organization; Geneva: 2007. The Selection and Use of Essential Medicines. Identification of antiviral drug candidates against SARS-CoV-2 from FDA-approved drugs. Sangeun Jeon, Meehyun Ko, Jihye Lee, Inhee Choi, Soo Young Byun, Soonju Park, David Shum, Seungtaek Kim. DOI: 10.1128/AAC.00819-20 Niclosamide inhalation powder made by thin-film freezing: Multi-dose tolerability and exposure in rats and pharmacokinetics in hamsters. Miguel O. Jara, Zachary N. Warnken, Sawittree Sahakijpijarn, Chaeho Moon, Esther Y. Maier, Dale J.Christensen, John J. Koleng, Jay I. Peters, Sarah D. Hackman Maier, Robert O. Williams III. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2021.120701






Data connectors and a new application make it easy for businesses to power modern AI-powered search experiences on their websites.

NEW YORK, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Yext, Inc. (NYSE: YEXT), the AI Search Company, today announced new integrations that enable businesses to seamlessly implement AI-powered search experiences on websites built with Acquia Drupal Cloud, a leading platform for building, delivering, and optimizing digital experiences.

Yext empowers businesses to upgrade their search experiences with its Answers AI search platform, which draws on multiple advanced natural language processing (NLP) algorithms to understand complex questions and deliver direct answers in dynamic forms.

"The customer journey is a conversation, and more than ever, that conversation is digital," said Marc Ferrentino, Chief Strategy Officer at Yext. "Our work with Acquia makes it simple for businesses to be actively involved in that conversation on their digital experiences, by putting the advanced infrastructure needed to understand and deliver answers to complex questions just a few clicks away."

Acquia provides enterprise-grade solutions and services built around Drupal, an open source content management system (CMS), to give companies the ability to build, operate, and optimize websites, apps, and other digital experiences. In collaboration with Acquia, Yext can offer its clients a new set of managed cloud solutions built with Drupal and Acquia solutions.

Businesses using Acquia Drupal Cloud can leverage data connectors to sync information about their employees, places, help articles, events, and more into their own Yext knowledge graph, which stores and structures the data to make it compatible with its AI search platform. Once their data is synced, businesses can simply drag and drop a search bar onto their website using Yext's Drupal application , and be on their way towards the increased conversions, reduced support costs, and new customer intelligence that Yext clients around the world have experienced.

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"We're excited to collaborate with a company like Yext that shares our vision for exceptional digital experiences," said Kevin Cochrane, SVP of Product Marketing at Acquia. "There's true power in being able to combine an enhanced CMS with a modern AI search experience, and we're so excited to see the possibilities these integrations open up for the businesses using our platforms across industries."

For more information about Yext's integrations with Acquia, click here.

All logos, company and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners

About Yext

Yext (NYSE: YEXT) is the AI Search Company and is on a mission to transform the enterprise with AI search.

With the explosion of information and data online, search has never been more important. However, while the world of consumer search has innovated over time, enterprise search has not. In fact, the majority of enterprise search is powered by outdated keyword search technology that only scans for keywords and delivers a list of hyperlinks rather than actually answering questions.

Yext, the AI Search Company, offers a modern, AI-powered Answers Platform that understands natural language so that when people ask questions about a business online they get direct answers  not links.

Brands like Verizon, Vanguard, Subway and Marriott  as well as organizations like the U.S. State Department and World Health Organization  trust Yext to radically improve their business with answers-led AI search.

CONTACT: Amanda Kontor, pr@yext.com

Yext logo. (PRNewsFoto/Yext) (PRNewsFoto/Yext)

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/yext-announces-collaboration-with-acquia-to-deliver-new-ai-search-integrations-301410397.html

SOURCE Yext, Inc.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says justice for 17 Afghan journalists murdered over the past decade is likely to remain elusive after the Talibans takeover and the collapse of state institutions.

Taliban leaders appear even less likely than Afghanistans previous government to respond to local and international calls to end the countrys culture of impunity for crimes against journalists, the New York-based media rights group said on October 28 with the release of its 2021 Impunity Index.

As in the past two years, Afghanistan ranked fifth on the index designed to spotlight countries where journalists are murdered and their killers go unpunished.

But the situation for journalists has deteriorated since the Taliban took control in mid-August as U.S.-led international forces withdrew from Afghanistan, with hundreds of media workers fleeing the country out of fear of the fundamentalist groups harsh record against the media.

Promises made by the Talibans leadership to protect press freedom rang hollow within days of the takeover as its fighters carried out scores of violations against media workers, including beatings and arbitrary detentions, the CPJ said.

Overall, over the past decade, 226 of the 278 journalists targeted around the globe have been murdered with impunity, according to the index.

Somalia topped the list for a seventh straight year, followed by Syria, Iraq, and South Sudan.

Mexico, the Philippines, Brazil, Pakistan, and Russia rounded out the top 10 countries on the index, which calculates the number of unsolved journalist murders as a percentage of each countrys population to determine a ranking. This index does not include cases of journalists killed in combat or while on dangerous assignments.

In Afghanistan, 17 local journalists were murdered over the past 10 years -- including five in 2020 alone -- and their killers walked free.

At least two of those killed last year -- RFE/RL's Radio Azadi reporter Elyas Dayee and freelancer Rahmatullah Nikzad -- had received threats from the Taliban prior to their deaths, leading CPJ to conclude that there seems little chance that Afghanistans new Taliban government will seek out the killers.

Meanwhile, Afghanistans judicial system is collapsing, signaling that impunity for killers may now become further entrenched.

The CPJ said that Afghan journalists also remain at risk of being targeted by the local affiliate of the Islamic State extremist group, which claimed responsibility for an April 2018 suicide bomb attack that killed at least nine journalists as well as the retaliatory murder of journalist Malalai Maiwand in late 2020.
WASHINGTON -- The United States announced it is providing nearly $144 million in new humanitarian assistance to help stem the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

The aid will be directed to independent humanitarian organizations who provide support to impacted Afghans, including Afghan refugees in neighboring countries, National Security Council spokesperson Emily Horne said in an October 28 statement.

The humanitarian organizations that will receive the U.S. aid provide shelter, essential health care, winterization assistance, emergency food aid, water, sanitation, and hygiene services to Afghan and Afghan refugees.

The new aid brings the total U.S. humanitarian assistance this year to Afghanistan and for Afghan refugees in the region to nearly $474 million.



The Afghan humanitarian crisis erupted as the United States pulled out its armed forces out of the country in August after 20 years of fighting.

The pullout led to the dramatic fall of the Afghan government to the militant Taliban.
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
October cant go on without some sort of party for Emma Crawford. Coffins will not race down the streets of Manitou Springs like usual and, for the second year in a row, a smaller affair will be held in Emmas honor this weekend.
So you missed the early-bird deals on season passes. You missed the first, best way to ski a lot and save money. But there are several other t
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Barry Fagin is Senior Fellow at the Independence Institute in Denver. His views are his alone. Readers can contact Dr. Fagin at barry@faginfamily.net.
Commuters wear masks to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus as they ride a bus in Mexico City in March 2020.
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Stephanie Earls is a news reporter and columnist at The Gazette. Before moving to Colorado Springs in 2012, she worked for newspapers in upstate NY, WA, OR and at her hometown weekly in Berkeley Springs, WV, where she got her start in journalism.
In an interview with ANHA commenting on the call made by Co-chair of KCK Cemil Bayik for a reconciliation between the Syrian government and the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria Qaftan said such a bid would terminate the Turkish occupation of Syrian lands.

KCK's Cemil Bayik in an interview with the Lebanese paper al-Nahar said '' the best way is a reconciliation between the AANES and the Damascus Government''.

''we in NES have always approaching all Syrian parts whether the government in Damascus or the opposition saying that no solution could be reached without an intra- Syrian dialogue. Three rounds in this arena were convened but the Damascus government did not respond positively to the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria'', Qaftan said, adding Syria's Future Party, Syrian Democratic Council and the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria are all adopting the call made by KCK advocating a dialogue between Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria and the Damascus government stressing it is the best solution.

Qaftan said ''Turkey accuses any Kurdish part that calls for its rights of connection with the Kurdistan Workers' Party, but in the Syrian issue this is not true for the Syrian Democratic Forces are Syrian ones representing all components. Even the Syria's Future Party was accused of links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party but this is untrue. These peoples recognized that pluralism and decentralization based on democracy is the solution that would strengthen Syria and all Syrians and would result in the termination of the Turkish occupation of Syrian territories''.

Qaftan noted that the Turkish state does not want any rapprochement between the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria and the Syrian government merely to prolong the crisis from which it benefits for any reconciliation would result in its exit from the Syrian lands.

''undoubtedly, the partnership between Kurds and Arabs is a deeply rooted one, in Syria and other countries, since the prime days of Islam up to the struggle against the French and the construction of the Syrian Republic. This is based on citizenships and patriotism, this is not something newly born. Many powers seek to untie this partnership and advocate nationalist or religious orientation foremost the Turkish state.

At the end Qaftan laid stress on the idea of the ''democratic nation saying the Arabs are well convinced that they could not live without other components. It is not important who developed the AANES, a Kurd, an Arab or a Turk, the important point is it serves all Syrians. We highly evaluate these ideas advocated by philosopher Abdullah Ocalan. A lot of Arabs adopted Marxism or capitalism now there is no problem to adopt this thought for we merely do not consecrate figures rather ideas'', he said.

L..A

ANHA
A special exhibition entitled The Parisianer, Chronicles of Our Planet opened at the Changsha Library on October 15, 2021, as part of the cultural exchange activities of the Franco-Chinese Month of the Environment 2021.

The exhibition is curated by the French National Museum of Natural History and the magazine cover team of The Parisianer. It brings to life the great naturalistic discoveries from the geological age to the future through a series of novel illustrations. Twenty-one covers shows the history of the earth and guide visitors tofind out important natural discoveries.

By transforming luminaries like Voltaire and Boufon into humorous drawings, the exhibition enlighten visitors what earth might look like in the future throught illustrations of sci-fi scenarios centered on melting ice caps and migration to Mars.

The friendship between China and France is long-standing and well-established. The French Consulate General in Wuhan has establishedclose contacts with Changsha since its beginning. The Changsha Library has alsomaintaineda long-term and friendly relationship with the French Consulate General in Wuhan with frequent and diverse cultural exchange activities, such asCroisements Festival", "French Time in Changsha", and "Franco-Chinese Month of the Environment".

Following an exhibition themed "Insects that Save the Earth" in April this year, Changsha residents have once again embarked on a romantic, imaginative, yet rigorous and scientific journey.

The exhibition will run until November 15, 2021, and this exhibitionwill be on tour at the member libraries of Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan Public Library Alliance.

Mr. Yann Moreau, science and technology commissioner of the French Consulate General in Wuhan, and Wang Ziyang, curator of the Changsha Library, jointly unveiled the exhibition. After the opening ceremony, Mr. Yann Moreau introduced the exhibition to visitors in French.

Instructions:

Exhibition: The Parisianer, Chronicles of Our Planet Exhibition

Duration: October 15 to November 15

Venue: Changsha Library

Translator: Kuang Zhenzhen
A fund worth $60 million has opened with the aim of increasing the nations cybersecurity capability. The second round of the governments Cyber Security Skills Partnership Innovation Fund offers grants of between $250,000 and $3 million to enhance partnerships between industry, education providers and governments.

Minister for Science and Technology Melissa Price said the fund will build industry capability, improve diversity and create new jobs.

In particular, the government is looking to fund projects that will address the diversity of Australias cybersecurity workforce, particularly those that will boost the participation of women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people based in regional and remote areas and people with neurodiverse backgrounds.

With the cybersecurity workforce expected to grow significantly in coming years, the government is keen to help foster partnerships between industry and education providers.

A number of activities are eligible for support, from helping students into training and career pathways, to building the capability of job-ready professionals through industry traineeships and work experience programs, Price said.

Looking to extend cyber education to students, the government has also just announced a new $14.9 million initiative to boost cybersecurity skills and prepare young people for future careers in cyber security. Questacons Cyber Ready Program uses challenges and teacher training modules for primary, secondary and tertiary students.

This also has a particular focus on underrepresented groups with the goal of strengthening the future cyber workforce by increasing diversity.

A focus on diversity

While the government looks to give funding support to diversity, the industry also recognises its role in improving things.

Founder and executive director of the Australian Women in Security Network (AWSN), Jacqui Loustau sees diversity as vital to help counter rapidly evolving threats by ensuring the industry has all types of people with differing cybersecurity skills and abilities at the table making decisions, solving problems, and communicating with different perspectives.

Loustau said its a collaborative effort between businesses and government, which is going to take time to deliver results, but will be worth it.

Its not only about supporting people of minority ethnic, gender or neurodiverse backgrounds, but also a huge part of this is a collaboration effort between all levels of an organisation to provide a supportive environment where innovation and difference in opinion is valued and everyone can thrive, she told Information Age.

However, Loustau also pointed out that improving diversity is a delicate balance.

An organisations culture needs to be ready and willing in order for it to work.

If you push diversity agendas too strongly and too early, it can make it difficult for the minority groups to feel included as they are treated like the person who go the job just because they were a diversity hire. Being a good role model helps not only create a culture where all staff can get on with their job, but also inspires others to follow suit, she said.

Industry-driven push for culture change

One initiative underway to deal with the internal willingness of organisations to embrace diversity is CyberShift Alliance, a cross-industry association looking to address culture change and improve retention the industry.

The alliance was born from an International Womens Day event run by AWSN and ISACA, the Information Systems Audit and Control Association, to recognise those in the industry want to be responsible for improving the situation.

It will utilise research, awareness raising, measurement and defining actions to improve the culture in cybersecurity.

Laura Less, VP ISACA Sydney, explained to Information Age that if the industry was a great place to work, it wouldnt need the push. A group of industry professionals decided to band together to create the change need to make the industry a great choice for women and diverse minorities

We found our messages resonated widely with the experiences of practitioners across the industry, she said.

Jo Stewart-Rattray, Vice-Chair of ACS' South Australia branch, who helped launch ISACAs global SheLeadsTech program to promote gender equality, believes addressing the gender imbalance is everyones responsibility  men, women, employers, educators and industry associations  and requires a multi-faceted approach to overcome narrow stereotypes and systemic barriers.

It involves businesses providing flexible work options and continuing those put in place during the pandemic lockdowns, sponsoring and encouraging young professionals to understand various career paths and rewards, and instilling in female students the confidence to follow their passion and have resilience, she told Information Age.

On a practical level, this includes improving rural infrastructure, improving educational opportunities through technology-driven remote learning and development opportunities, providing mentors and female role models, and closing the gender pay gap.

Technology is the one common denominator that can mitigate many of the challenges facing women in rural Australia and enhance economic opportunity, education and personal safety, she said.

The innovation fund, which closes on 6 December, is part of the governments $81 million Cyber Security National Workforce Growth Program, itself part of the national Cyber Security Strategy, and will fund specialist cybersecurity courses, professional development, apprenticeships and internships, and establishing cyber labs and training facilities.
Law enforcement agencies are yet to use their new hacking and surveillance powers a full two months after legislation passed.

The Surveillance Legislation Amendment (Identify and Disrupt) Bill 2020 gave the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Australian Crime Commission (ACC) unprecedented powers to hack into accounts of suspected criminals when it passed into law in August.

At its core are three controversial warrants the agencies can apply for that make it legal for them to disrupt data, monitor network activity, and take over peoples online accounts.

Speaking at senate estimates on Monday, AFP Commissioner Rhys Kershaw said his agency hadnt yet applied for the surveillance warrants because administrative arrangements were still being worked out.

The three new powers in this act will significantly enhance how the AFP investigates serious cyber-enabled crime and our investigators are already strategising on how they will use the new powers in active investigations to identify, target and disrupt offenders, he said.

So whats the hold up? An administrative process, according to Kershaw, which has meant the people who authorise the hacking warrants arent themselves authorised to do so.

The AFPs Deputy Commissioner of Investigations, Ian McCartney explained further.

Under the terms of the three warrants, they need to be authorised by either a magistrate and a team member or a judge, McCartney said.

As part of the process, they need to have that authorisation to be able to issue those warrants. As we speak, the Attorney-Generals Department are working through that process.

Times up

Meanwhile, the governments multi-agency ransomware-fighting taskforce  dubbed Operation Orcus  has been left sitting on its hands.

Home Affairs Minister, Karen Andrews, announced Operation Orcus in July, saying times up for the ransomware gangs who have been attacking Australian organisations with despicable technology.

But when Labor Senator Kristina Keneally asked Home Affairs secretaries what kind of activities Operation Orcus has undertaken since its inception, the departments Deputy Secretary of Strategy and National Resilience, Marc Ablong, cited the same administrative matters as the AFP.

So you're waiting for those three warrants that came in under the [Identify and Disrupt Bill] to come into effect? Keneally asked.

Thats correct, yes, Ablong replied.

Home Affairs Secretary, Mike Pezzullo, then jumped in to say that Orcus was an AFP operation that was not solely reliant on the new hacking powers.

He later described Home Affairs offensive cyber activities in a simple three-word phrase: were going hunting.

Were using offensive capabilities, Pezzullo said in reference to Australian agencies attacking ransomware gangs and other cyber criminals.

Once certain administrative arrangements are put in place, youll see the AFP very active.

Unconvinced

While it waits for those administrative arrangements, the AFP is conducting an internal review into its cyber attacking abilities, Kershaw said.

This could also involve another lengthy administrative process.

It may mean a mini restructure internally for us to really have what we call a cyber offensive operation arm of the AFP, which would actually conduct hostile disruption operations on these individuals, the AFP Commissioner told Senate Estimates.

The testimony of Kershaw and his Home Affairs counterparts paints an uncertain picture of the current state of Australias cyber offensive capabilities which are simultaneously going hunting and in the midst of a departmental review and restructure as they wait for new hacking powers to be doled out.

In a statement, Senator Keneally was scathing of the governments slow approach to ransomware and cyber criminals, saying it was all announcement, no action.

In June, we introduced a private members bill to establish a mandatory notification scheme for ransom payments, she said.

But the government has been dithering for nine months while the issue escalated into a crisis. Today, ransomware is a billion dollar a year cost to the nation which threatens jobs and investments.

The Morrison Government should stop announcing and start acting to protect Australians from the scourge of ransomware.

The government announced a mandatory ransomware reporting scheme earlier this month, the details of which may be finalised by the end of the year.
1. Yes. Council members appear to have taken time to review each section carefully.

2. Yes. The council has set up town halls and a public hearing to inform the residents.

3. No. The council should have set up a charter review committee, including residents.

4. No. Some of the items proposed so far benefit the council more than the community.

5. Unsure. Its hard to say until after the public has had more opportunities to weigh in.

Vote

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Aquarium of the Pacific Launches African American Scholar Program for its Second Year

The Aquarium of the Pacific is now accepting applications for its African American Scholar program, which is now in its second year. The program awards funds to support African American students who demonstrate a commitment to studies related to careers in the aquarium field, including ocean education, animal husbandry, water quality, building maintenance or facilities, microbiology, and business management. Through this program, the Aquarium hopes to bring meaningful opportunities in the marine sciences to African American students and to bring diverse minds to solving the issues facing our planet and its inhabitants.

The Aquarium of the Pacific is committed to creating pathways for African American students to pursue careers in our field, and it has been very gratifying for us to collaborate with the first group of scholars from this program as they engage in the Aquariums work. This has included developing new initiatives and serving as a platform for the scholars to connect with other scientists and the next generation of students, said Anthony Brown, chief financial officer at the Aquarium of the Pacific. As the African American Scholar program enters its second year, I hope to see an even larger pool of candidates and encourage other zoos and aquariums to undertake similar efforts to diversify our industry.

In addition to receiving scholarship funds through this program, the recipients are invited to engage in various Aquarium programs. Past recipients have written for the Aquariums member magazine and served as judges in an environmental film festival for high school students. At a symposium this fall, the scholars will have more opportunities to meet with Aquarium staff members, hear guest scientists speak about their careers, and connect with high school students from the Long Beach Unified School District.

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Applications for the 2022 African American Scholar Program are due by December 31, 2021. Recipients will be notified by February 1, 2022, and awards will be presented to the individuals selected for the program at the Aquariums twentieth annual African American Festival on February 27, 2022. For program details and submission guidelines, please visit pacific.to/africanamericanscholar.

This program is possible thanks to funding from individuals and corporate supporters, including Aquarium Board members, staff members, The Boeing Company, and Poms & Associates.
Avan Family Wants DA George Gascon to lead the fight for #Justice4Michelle

For the past three months, Trevon and Nyah Avan, the young adult children of murdered Bank of America executive Michelle Avan have begun to walk the painful path of living the rest of their lives without their beloved mother. Avans life was tragically taken on August 3, 2021, when accused murderer and ex-boyfriend Anthony Duwayne Turner entered her Reseda home and beat her to death.

Exacerbating their pain are the actions of Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon and his refusal to charge Turner with special circumstances as an enhancement to his current charges of murder and first-degree residential burglary. Even more incredulous is DA Gascons refusal to meet with the Avan family or permit a member of his team to do so.

A criminal justice reformer, Gascon promised sweeping policy changes beginning with the district attorneys office. The much-touted Gascon justice reform policies have angered families who have lost loved ones to violent crimes and those same policies have ignited a blazing firestorm resulting in a recall movement. Simply stated, there are many who want Gascon gone.

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As of this writing, the degree of the murder charge has not been decided nor has a special circumstance charge been added to the Avan case. And DA Gascon has not spoken with or met with Trevon and Nyah Avan.

The Los Angeles Sentinel had the opportunity to speak with Trevon and Nyah as well as family attorney Samuel Dordulian to discuss the actions of DA Gascon and the Justice for Michelle Movement.

LA Sentinel: On August 9, LA County District Attorney George Gascon released a statement where he described the murder of your mom as a senseless act of violence resulting in a significant loss for us all. Were you shocked to learn that Gascon decided he would not add special circumstances in her case?

Trevon Avan: Yes, I was. I was extremely shocked to learn that our DA in LA County, George Gascon was unwilling to apply special circumstances to my moms case. The case was originally filed with special circumstances, but DA Gascon denied the request because hes following his personal feelings rather than the law of the state of California.

Nyah Avan: Yes, I also was equally very surprised. What hes doing is really against the law and its surprising to my family and that he can blatantly go against the law and get away with it.

LA Sentinel: Attorney Dordulian, can you explain why it is important to add special circumstances to the murder charge that Anthony Turner is facing in the Avan case?

Attorney Samuel Dordulian: Its important because it really captures the essence of the crime. Without special circumstance being applied, Anthony Turner does not get punished fully. And by that, I mean  no matter what his sentence is, and George Gascon is notorious for highlighting this statement, if Turner gets convicted of first-degree murder, he will get 25 years to life. Well, that sounds good but what he [Gascon] doesnt tell anybody, and the public does not know is that the Elderly Parole Law gives inmates a parole hearing once they are both age 50 and have served 20 years of continuous incarceration. If you are sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, you are not eligible for this Elderly Parole program.

In the Avan case  without the special circumstance enhancement, Turner could not receive a sentence of life without the possibility of parole so when he turns 50 years of age, he would be eligible for release under the Elderly Parole program regardless of how many years are left on his sentence.

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In addition, with the application of special circumstances, Turner would not have necessarily been eligible for bail. Right now, Turner is out and about, shopping at the same supermarket and Starbucks where Trevon and Nyah shop. Is it right that they could come face-to-face with the murderer of their mom because the DA decided that this violent man deserves to be free and out shopping on the streets of LA?

LA Sentinel: To date, DA Gascon has refused to meet face-to-face with your family or allow representatives from his office to meet with you. Was the refusal of your request to meet the impetus for the Justice for Michelle movement?

Trevon Avan: Yes, exactly. Imagine thisour LA County DA  George Gascon, is unwilling to meet with us  the family of the victim, who was my mom, Michelle Avan, a woman brutally murdered by her ex-boyfriend Anthony Turner think about thatyes, its very upsetting that he [Gascon] isnt willing to meet with us to explain why he will not apply special circumstances to her case.

LA Sentinel: If you could speak directly to DA Gascon, what would you say to him?

Trevon Avan: What I would like to know is why? Why are you refusing to apply special circumstances to my moms case and why arent you applying California law? Why arent you advocating for victims and their families as you were elected to do? And why are perpetrators of crimes as violent as this one allowed bail and being protected? Why DA Gascon are you refusing to allow criminals to face the maximum charges?

Attorney Samuel Dordulian: DA Gascon, you say a lot of things. Your statement about Michelles death seemed to be a PR stunt. You wanted it to seem like you were concerned because of the media interest in this case. I was present in court with her children and when we were leaving court, I saw Trevon and Nyah watch the accused murderer of their mom walk out of court with an escort, being protected by the Sheriffs and it was an incredible sight because hes the guy being accused of murder and yet, hes the one being protected. Trevon and Nyah did not get an escort. You could see the anger, the frustration in their faces the frustration of how the system and how you  George Gascon have handled this case. And thats a level of trauma that I dont think you understand. Your perspective from day one has always been about the accused and the criminal. Its never been about the victim and what their rights are, their feelings, and their trauma. I dont think you understand it at allyou dont seem to get it.

LA Sentinel: The circumstances surrounding your moms death have caused you to become outspoken advocates for your family and families of loved ones who are victims of violent crimes. Can you share your feelings about your fight for Justice for your mom  Michelle Avan?

Nyah Avan: It is absolutely disgusting that we must fight like this for my mother when something so horrific, so violent happened to her. Its not like he [Turner] came into our home and shot her. He came into our home and just sat there and literally used his hands to mutilate her face and beat her to death. That takes time.

After the first hit, he could have stopped and left. After the second hit, he could have said let me leave, this is the wrong thing to do. But the fact that he kept goinghitting her over and over and over again shows how aggressive and evil this man is. There is no reason that we should have to fight like this to take him off the streets to protect other women.

There is also proof that this is not his first time doing this and that information has just become known to us since my mothers passing. Its just disgusting that we must fight like this to make sure this violent offender is off the streets for the rest of his life.

Trevon Avan: Its ridiculous. You really dont know what you are up against until youre in the situation. We are ready to fight, willing to fight and we are not going to give up. We will do what we need to do to ensure that criminals like Anthony Turner face charges that their crimes deserve.

Attorney Samuel Dordulian: I think Trevons and Nyahs advocacy is a testament of their love for their mom. It really shows how much they absolutely love their mom to do all these things. I cant imagine losing my mom under the same circumstances that they faced especially coming home and finding her body. They have been amazing. They are both incredible adults, the way that theyve come forward, and how they have held themselves out in public while grieving so painfully for their mom. Its been amazing to watch. They have been an inspiration to me. And thats why I said I would happily help them in any way I could. I was very impressed with both of them.

LA Sentinel: The public is in awe of how you have shown such bravery and tenacity in seeking justice for your mom against the backdrop of an unimaginable loss. What would you like the public to remember most about her?

Nyah Avan: I want the public to remember my mothers work within the community and how this not only affects our family but the community. We want people to understand not only are we fighting for our mother because she was our mother but because she was a profound influence within the community.

She did multiple events within the community, across America and she has helped so many people, so many women, and so many people of color. Her main philosophy was if Im in a higher position than others, it is my duty, my job to reach down and pull those people up with me. Because if I succeed then they should succeed as well. That was really something she instilled in Tre and me throughout our lives.

Attorney Samuel Dordulian: The way Michelle raised those two kids and who they are is a testament to who she was and what she did, and I think that speaks volumes. Being an amazing mom while being such a great community leader is not an easy thing to do. Its a true testament to who she was, and her strong character and I hope the public will remember that about her.

LA Sentinel: What would justice for Michelle Avan look Like?

Trevon Avan: Justice for our mom would be Anthony Turner spending the rest of his life in prison, behind bars, thats where he should be. We know that after our moms passing, we learned that hes an abuser of women, and hes violent towards women that hes in relationships with. He hits women. This is a guy you dont want on the street. This is a guy that should be sitting in prison for the rest of his life.

This case was originally filed with special circumstances. George Gascon denied the request because of his beliefs. And because of his beliefs, there is the potential that Anthony does not get life in prison whichhe so clearlyno questionthat he should be behind bars for the rest of his life. And thats what my sister and I are here to do  to make sure that this guy ends up behind bars in a prison cell where he should have been years ago.

Nyah Avan: Justice for me would look like life without parole like my brother said but even outside of that  justice for me would look like more awareness for women that were like my mother in these situations.

I mean a lot of high-profile women cant come out and arent able to talk about the abuse they are going through. There should be more awareness, more programs, just more things set-up to help women of all profiles, all backgrounds, and all standings. Because it can be people that you would never expect to be in such physically, violent relationships. So, I feel like there needs to be more to help those types of people that feel like they are not able to come out and talk about what they are going through because of their standing in their professional lives or in their communities.

Attorney Samuel Dordulian: A proper justice would mean that he [Turner] would serve the rest of his life in custody and never come out for this heinous, inexcusable crime that occurred.

LA Sentinel: What can the public do to support your demand that DA Gascon meet with you and apply special circumstances to your moms case?

Trevon Avan: The public can start by following our Moms Facebook page. The Facebook address is: https://www.facebook.com/JusticeforMichelleAvan and visiting our website: michellemovement.org.

We are using the Justice for Michelle Facebook page and website as a platform to update my moms village, family, close friends, her circle, or anyone who wants to know the facts of her case and what events we are supporting and participating in especially this month  domestic violence awareness month. That would be a great start.

LA Sentinel: Final thoughts on helping the public understand the importance of special circumstances being applied to violent crimes committed in Los Angeles County.

Trevon Avan: I would love to add something. Im going to make this really simple. Everyone has a woman in their life that they love. Whether its their mother, grandmother, sister, their auntie, their niece  if that woman was beat to death like our mom was  the person who committed that crime would not face life without the possibility of parole and thats because our DA here in LA County, George Gascon, doesnt believe in applying special circumstances even if the crime warrants it. So, if the roles were reversed, you could be in a situation where youre like my sister and I, trying to figure out what we need to do to make sure her killer gets life without parole.

Nyah Avan: We want to make it very clear that because of George Gascon, Anthony is not getting life without parole. So, because of that he will be on the streets again. And the next time it could be someone elses daughter or someone elses mother that he goes and kills again. As we said before, this is not Turners first time committing violent offenses against women.

Because of how aggressive he is and his rage and demeanor I mean anybody that can sit there and beat somebody to death is just an aggressive individual who should not freely walk the streets. So, this could be anybodys brother, dad, mother, auntie, uncle, it can literally be anybodyhe could lose his temper and kill again if he is out on the street.

Attorney Samuel Dordulian: The public can make their voices heard  the louder the better. I would encourage everyone to sign the recall George Gascon petition when it comes out. When Gascon came into office, he promised that we would all be safer. But if you look at the crime rates in LA County, I dont think anyone feels safer and if we all want to be truly safe, then Gascon must be recalled.

LA Sentinel: Final question, what are the next steps for the Justice for Michelle Movement?

Trevon Avan: We are preparing to organize a Walk for Michelle in November. Please visit our website and Facebook page for more details on all the upcoming activities for The Michelle Movement: Justice for Michelle.

A special request from Nyah Avan:

If you or someone you love are in an abusive relationship, please reach out to the national domestic violence hotline. Help is available every day, twenty-four hours a day. Please call 1.800.799.SAFE (7233).
Black Leaders Slam Gov. Newsom for Vetoing Major Civil Rights Bill

Supporters of a bill that would have increased diversity among civil service employees at all levels across California state government are blasting Gov. Newsom for vetoing the legislation.

Assemblymember Chris Holden (D-Pasadena) introduced the legislation, which would have required all state boards and commissions to have at least one member from an underrepresented community. Called the Upward Mobility bill, supporters say the legislation would have also opened up pathways to Blacks and other minorities for promotions, higher salaries and recruitment for state government jobs.

According to Holden, there is documented evidence that some state agencies  the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), for example  have passed over Black and other minorities for promotions.

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For Black Californians, Assembly Bill (AB) 105, was particularly critical and historic, supporters say.

We were asking for more diversity in the HR department of our state, which is the largest employer in California, said Betty Williams, a well-known activist in Sacramento.

Williams, who is also a member of the African American Empowerment Community Council (AACEC), a coalition of Black leaders across the state, said she was especially taken aback by Newsoms decision. Governor Newsom was aware of how important AB 105 was to the AACEC, she explained, and they had urged him to sign it.

Governor Newsom wins 83 % of the African American vote in the recall election, and he vetoes major civil rights legislation in the state right after, is disappointing, she added.

Currently in California, nearly 64 % of all state government employees  including senior management positions  are held by Whites, according to data from CalHR. Whites make up only 34 % of the states overall population of about 40 million people.

Supporters of the bill also explain that, for the first time in the history of the United States, there would have been a law that required state agencies to break down and record the numbers of Black Americans employed in government who are direct descendants of enslaved people.

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I am very disappointed. Look at section six of the bill. We worked with the bills author to include language in AB 105 that would have disaggregated the Black or African American category and created a specific way for gathering information on Black folks who descended from U.S. Slavery and who experienced Jim Crow in the Deep South and elsewhere, said Chris Lodgson, a Sacramento-based community organizer for the Coalition for a Just and Equitable California (CJEC) and the American Redress Coalition of California (ARCC).

Lodgson and both organizations he represents have been at the forefront of the political effort in California to study the history of slavery and Anti-Black discrimination and seek reparation for Black descendants of enslaved people.

Right now, the category of Black or African American, means  and this is from the legal definition the state uses  anybody with origin in the Black racial groups of Africa. That doesnt specifically describe me  whose family comes from slavery in the American South. That definition makes Black descendants of enslaved people invisible in the data. This bill would have changed that.

Like Lodgson and Williams, other Black leaders in the state say they were surprised and let down by the governors decision.

Please stop coming into our house asking for bread pudding and then when you get it, you dont speak to us, or speak to our concerns, when you dont need us anymore, said Cynthia Adams, an education and civil rights advocate in Oakland. This has to stop.

Adams said government should not just include people who have the right skills set.

It should level the playing field and reflect, as well as protect, diversity. This is achieved by recruiting and promoting qualified people who look like the racial, ethnic and cultural makeup of people in the state.

Newsom said he returned AB 105 without his signature, because the bill may have had unintended consequences.

While the goals of AB 105 are laudable, elements of the bill conflict with existing constitutional requirements, labor agreements, and current data collection efforts, the governor said in statement after vetoing the bill. Furthermore, as AB 105 would cost tens of millions of dollars, these one-time and significant ongoing costs should be considered through the annual state budget process.

Responding to the governor, supporters say funding for the bill would have come out of the $42 billion dollar state budget surplus, so cost is not a factor. Lodgson also pointed out that the Office of Legislative Counsel reviewed the bill and found no legal or administrative conflicts.

AB 105 defined the term board member or commissioner from an underrepresented community as an individual who self-identifies as Black, African American, Hispanic, Latino, Asian, Pacific Islander, Native American, Native Hawaiian, Alaska Native, gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. Military veterans with a disability were also included in the definition.

Lodgson says, although the governor vetoed the AB 105, he is still encouraged because both the State Senate Assembly and Senate passed the legislation with solid two-third majorities.

There was also widespread support among Californians, he says.

The governors veto message encouraged the bills author to work with his team to work through some of the issues during the budget process in January 2022, said Lodgson. So, he opened the door for the things in the bill that we are specifically concerned about to possibly be added as early as the first few months of 2022.
Black Lines Matter: The Fight Over Redistricting Lines in Los Angeles

Council Districts (CDs) 8, 9 and 10 saw minimal changes in the final draft map to be submitted to the Los Angeles City Council by the Redistricting Commission.

According to some Black observers, these lines have significant meaning for South Los Angeles and African Americans who reside and operate businesses within the city of Los Angeles. With Los Angeles Black population declining, many people are convinced that it is critical that the lines be drawn to keep African American representation as close knit and unified as possible.

This aspect increases in importance in light of critical factors such as representation and resources, particularly within CDs 8, 9 and 10 as those council seats come up for re-election in future years.

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In the opinion of many African American constituents, Black Lines Matter and in order to retain seats and influence within Los Angeles, these lines play more of a influential role in the Black communitys everyday lives than most people realize.

After months of meetings, discussions, and public testimony from more than 12,000 L.A. residents, the 21-member body adopted the graphical version of the new boundaries of the citys 15 CDs on October 21. The map, along with the commissions final report, will be submitted City Council on October 29.

The actions conclude the commissions role in the redistricting process, which calls for city council district (CD) borders to be adjusted after the completion of each census. Under the L.A. city charter, each district must be approximately equal in population size, which is comprised of about 260,000 people based on data from the 2020 census.

With most African Americans residing in CDs 8, 9 and 10, the Black redistricting commissioners  the Rev. Edward Anderson, Charisse Bremond-Weaver and Valerie Lynne Shaw  made a determined effort to make certain that the concerns expressed by the Black community in those areas were addressed.

Anderson, the pastor of McCarty Memorial Christian Church, was the CD 10 appointee; Bremond-Weaver, president/CEO of the Brotherhood Crusade, was the mayors selectee; and Shaw, a California Community College System governor, and former public works commissioner, was the CD 8 representative.

In determining the final map, the commission weighed in on the discrepancy between economic assets in CDs 8 and 9, deciding to place USC in CD 9, represented by Councilmember Curren Price, and locating Exposition Park in CD 8, which is represented by Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson. For decades, USC, Exposition Park and Leimert Park were located in CD 8, but in the 2011 redistricting process, Exposition Park and the USC campus were shifted to CD 9 and most of Leimert Park was positioned in CD 10.

Currently, the issue of CD 10 representation greatly concerns many South Los Angeles residents since Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas, who was elected to the position, was suspended by the City Council after the U.S. Department of Justice indicted him over allegations of bribery.

Constituents are asking, Who is going to fight and defend the lines of the 10th district? Many people, like the Rev. William Smart, conclude that CD 10 is vulnerable with no voice at the table to defend or accept how the redistricting lines have been drawn.

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As the City Council begins to debate a redistricting plan, it seems to me as a resident of the 10th Council District, that this is a hypocrisy. They just suspended the representative for the 10th, Councilman Mark Ridley Thomas. There seems to be hidden agendas and a serious discrepancy that the very strong voice that is knowledgeable through this process has now been disingenuously eliminated from this process and we in the 10th dont have a voice who will stand and fight for us. We want and need Mark Ridley-Thomas at the table fighting for our district, stated Smart, who is also president of SCLC of Southern California.

Expressing a similar viewpoint, Jacqueline DuPont-Walker, a CD 10 resident and MTA commissioner, said, As redistricting goes to the City Council, a vacant 10th council seat would be tantamount to a Voting Rights Act violation, thus a denial of our civil rights. Our councilman must be restored to his duly elected post immediately.

Los Angeles is not the only community with valid concerns over redistricting and the possibility of creating concentrations of poverty in certain CDs without providing economic assets to balance the impact on the L.A.s most vulnerable residents. City Council President Nury Martinez was equally critical and alarmed over the lines drawn for her San Fernando Valley district.

While some areas kept their assets and neighborhoods whole, poverty was concentrated in other communities that have already suffered from disinvestment and neglect for generations, Martinez said.

In a follow-up statement reported by the L.A. Times, Martinezs spokeswoman said the council president was describing two districts  her own, which includes such areas as Van Nuys, and a proposed district that include Winnetka and other West Valley neighborhoods.

What the [City] Council does after this is up to the Council, said Commissioner Carlos Moreno, a retired judge appointed by City Attorney Mike Feuer, who is running for mayor. But, I think no one can really question that each of us, and collectively, weve done our best.

Despite complaints about the final draft of the map, Commission Chair Fred Ali defended the map, saying the commission is very proud to send the map adopted to the City Council for its review. Our work has been informed by census data, the federal Voting Rights Act and countless hours of public testimony.

In the final adoption of the map, the commission took great care to ensure that traditionally disadvantaged districts included critical economic assets, Ali said, adding that it wasnt the commissions job to protect elected officials, their jobs or their political futures.

The next steps in the process call for the City Council to hold public hearings as well as make changes to the map before adopting the final borders for the 15 districts, which will go into effect on January 1.

Visit laccrc2021.org to learn more or review the redistricting timeline.

Sentinel Executive Editor Danny Bakewell, Jr. and City News Service contributed to this report.
Cal Warns Businesses, Landlords Using Felonies and COVID to Discriminate

The California state government has been reminding businesses across the state that it is illegal to discriminate against job applicants because of they have committed felonies or misdemeanors in the past. Authorities in Sacramento have also taken steps to make sure businesses do not use COVID-related restrictions to deny entry to customers they do not want based on race or other factors.

So far, the state has sent more than 500 notices to businesses informing them that they have violated protections put in place to protect people seeking work.

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The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) announced a new effort to identify and correct violations of the Fair Chance Act, a pioneering state law that seeks to reduce barriers to employment for individuals with criminal histories, a statement the DFEH released last week reads.

The Fair Chance act, which took effect on January 1, 2018, was written to increase access to employment for Californians with criminal histories in an effort to reduce recidivism, among other goals. Employers with five or more employees are prohibited from asking a job candidate about conviction history during the hiring process or when advertising a vacancy.

The DFEH says it is implementing new technologies to conduct mass searches of online job applications that include unlawful statements. For example, some businesses explicitly state in hiring advertisements that they would not consider applicants with criminal records.

Using technology to proactively find violations of the states anti-discrimination laws is a powerful strategy for our department to protect Californians civil rights, said DFEH Director Kevin Kish. DFEH is committed to preventing employment discrimination through innovative enforcement actions and by providing clear guidance to employers.

DFEH also released a toolkit to aid employers in adhering to the Fair Chance Act guidelines. The toolkit includes sample forms and guides that employers can use to follow required procedures; a suggested statement that employers can add to job advertisements and applications to let applicants know that they will consider individuals with criminal histories; answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the Fair Chance Act and an informational video that explains the Fair Chance Act.

In addition, DFEH plans to release an interactive training and an online app in 2022.

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The DFEH also released guidelines for businesses that will be implementing COVID-19 related entry restrictions to protect against discrimination based on race, sex, religious background and nationality.

While businesses have been encouraged to stay vigilant with mask mandates and vaccination verification for entry, the DFEH says it has also found it necessary to preemptively address refusal of entry that could be racially motivated masked as a COVID precaution.

As Californians navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Fair Employment and Housing has provided guidance to protect civil rights and mitigate risk of COVID-19 transmission in employment, housing, healthcare, and, in our guidance released today, businesses open to the public, said Kish. We can and must uphold civil rights while simultaneously disrupting the spread of COVID-19.

DFEH encourages individuals to report job advertisements in violation of the Fair Chance Act or other instances of discrimination.

DFEH is also encouraging the public to report housing ads that include discriminatory language that exclude certain racial groups, immigrants, people with felonies, applicants with Section 8 or HUD vouchers; etc.

Visit the DFEH website to file complaints.
Dave Chappelle Hits Back at Controversy and Asks, Am I Canceled or Not?

Comedian Dave Chappelle said hes been disinvited to film festivals, and no company or studio will entertain his new documentary because of the fallout from his controversial Netflix special, The Closer.

And while hes willing to meet with the transgender community and Netflix employees who voiced outrage over his act, Chappelle made it clear that he wouldnt kowtow to anyone.

To the transgender community, I am more than willing to give you an audience, but you will not summon me, Chappelle said in a video released early Tuesday.

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I am not bending to anyones demands, he insisted.

Chappelle double-downed on his remarks from The Closer in which many in the LGBTQ community called homophobic. I said what I said, Chappelle declared.

He also clarified reports that he has sought meetings with transgender Netflix employees angered by his special.

Its been said in the press that I was invited to speak to the transgender employees of Netflix, and I refused. That is not true  if they had invited me, I would have accepted it, although I am confused about what we would be speaking about, Chappelle remarked in the viral video.

I said what I said, and boy, I heard what you said. My God, how could I not? You said you want a safe working environment at Netflix. It seems like Im the only one that cant go to the office anymore.

Chappelle also said he believed any controversy stemmed from corporate interests, and that hes received support from the LGBTQ community.

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Washington Informer Editor D. Kevin McNeir, who is openly gay, has said he didnt have an issue with Chappelles remarks in The Closer.

I listened closely to what he said and then listened to his explanation for the subjects he had chosen and his rationale for his perspectives. And he made sense. I understood. And I was not offended, McNeir wrote in an op-ed for the Informer.

Chappelle admits that when he takes on a group of people, making them the focus of his jokes, that hes also examining himself, seeking the similarities which he shares with the targets of his musings and working through the human process of better understanding those who walk along different paths, McNeir stated further.

I applaud him for that. And I thank him, too, the editor wrote, noting that, as a same-gender-loving man of color, I have often found myself being unfairly critical of the T portion within the LGBTQ community.

I cannot understand why those who make up the transgender community would go through so much pain and oppression because of how they feel inside. But Ive had my own pain to address and hurdles to overcome. In addition, Im still dealing with male privilege notions and my own prejudices. This is my truth and my cross to bear, McNeir insisted.

Chappelle helped me grow in ways that I believe will remain with me forever. By sharing a brief conversation about a subject that probably confuses a lot of others, he hit a home run.

In his video, Chappelle said he wants everyone to know that even though the media frames it as Chappelle versus the transgender and LGBTQ community, thats not the case.

Do not blame the LBGTQ [sic] community for any of this [mess]. This has nothing to do with them. Its about corporate interests and what I can say and what I cannot say, Chappelle said.

For the record, and I need you to know this, everyone I know from that community has been loving and supporting, so I dont know what all this nonsense is about.

Chappelle also spoke about his upcoming documentary about his summer 2020 comedy tour, claiming that it has now been excluded from film festivals.

This film that I made was invited to every film festival in the United States and some of those invitations I accepted. When this controversy came out about The Closer, they began disinviting me from these film festivals, Chappelle relayed.

And now, today, not a film company, not a movie studio, not a film festival, nobody will touch this film. Thank God for Ted Sarandos and Netflix, hes the only one that didnt cancel me yet.

In the video, Chappelle asked the audience: Am I canceled or not?
DeOnna Tree Young-Stephens and Phumi Morare are named winners of the 48th Student Academy Awards Competition

This year, the 48th Student Academy Awards competition received a total of 1,404 submissions from 210 domestic and 126 international colleges and universities but The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences only voted 17 students as winners17 from 1,404.

Im not a betting woman but I wager that this is definitely the right road toward winning a future Academy Awards aka an Oscar. Thats how Oscar-winner Spike started. He won a Student Academy Awards in 1983, Spike Lee for his short film Joes Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads and we all know how its turned out for the prolific, Oscar-winning director, to date (https://bit.ly/3B0MHVp).

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Two of the 17 winners were women of color: South African Phumi Morare, and African American, DeOnna Tree Young-Stephens.

This year the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medal awards were presented by Oscar-winning filmmaker and 1992 Student Academy Award winner Pete Docter, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Asghar Farhadi, and filmmakers Marielle Heller and Nanfu Wang in a virtual program that highlighted the winners and their films (on Thursday, October 21).

Established in 1972, the international student film competition opens for college and university film students from all over the world. The talent is wonderfully diverse as thousands of gifted storytellers compete for awards and cash grants, with their films being judged in the following categories: Animation, Documentary, Live Action Narrative, and Alternative/Experimental. Past Student Academy Award winners have gone on to win 11 Oscars, and receive 63 Oscar nominations. Past SAA winners include Pete Docter, Robert Zemeckis, Patricia Riggen, Cary Joji Fukunaga, Patricia Cardoso, and the aforementioned Spike Lee.

Hosted by Amandla Stenberg, the 2021 ceremony is now available to view here.

Keeping an eye on the next generation of storytellers, allow me to introduce you to Student Academy Award winner DeOnna Tree Young-Stephens who won for her short doc Not Just A Name, and South African writer/director Phumi Morare for her short narrative When The Sun Sets.

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Not Just A Name by DeOnna Tree Young-Stephens ( @timefortree)

DeOnna Tree Young-Stephens is a writer, director, and producer based in Los Angeles, California. She is currently a member of Women in Film Los Angeles (WIFLA), The International Documentary Association, The Black Womens Film Network (BWFN), and the African American Women in Cinema Society (AAWC).

Currently, Tree works for the Wondaland Arts Society as a producer and helped to produce the Grammy-nominated emotion picture Dirty Computer. She most recently received her MFA from the University of Southern Californias School of Cinematic Arts and received a Student Academy Award for her latest short film documentary Not Just a Name.

When The Sun Sets by writer/director Phumi Morare

Phumi Morare (When The Sun Sets) is a South African writer/director who is passionate about redeeming the African and feminine identity through cinema. Phumis short films have played at prestigious international film festivals including Telluride Film Festival, Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival, and Pan African Film Festival. Phumis upcoming short film, Why The Cattle Wait, was selected for the 2021 Berlinale Talents Durban program. Phumi completed her MFA in Film Directing at Dodge College at Chapman University. She has a background in investment banking at Goldman Sachs in London and management consulting at McKinsey & Company in Johannesburg. She currently freelances as a strategist at Statement Films, a company that incubates African women content creators.

Here is what Student Academy Award winners DeOnna Tree Young-Stephens (Not Just A Name ) and Phumi Morare (When The Sun Sets ) had to share about winning this prestigious award.

LOS ANGELES SENTINEL: What does it feel like to win a Student Academy Awards DeOnna Tree Young-Stephens?

DEONNA TREE YOUNG-STEPHENS: Thank you. You can call me Tree and it feels, amazing.

LAS: Tree, why did you decide to make Not Just A Name?

TREE: I think it touches upon a rare form of discrimination in America, and all around the world, and I also have a personal connection with name shaming. I suffered from it as a child, and I thought it would be cool to reach out, to a few people, that have gone through this and kind of bring awareness to the topic.

LAS: What do you do for your day job when you arent making documentaries and winning awards  shameless plug arriving  like The Student Academy Award?

TREE: My technical term is Lord of Productions and the art stunt gangster for Wondaland Productions.

LAS: Tree, you need an African drum to introduce your job title.

TREE: Thats hilarious.

LAS: So what do you actually do?

TREE: I do a lot of creative development for the company. A lot of research, and reading. What I like about the company (Janelle Monae Wondaland Arts Society and Wondaland Production company) is that they like two tell Black stories, specifically that will change the world.

LAS: Congratulations, its a big deal to win a Student Academy Awards Tell us, how did it feel to know that When The Sun Sets accomplished this?

PHUMI MORARE: It was surreal. I could not believe it because its already an honor being a finalist. I am so honored and I was so surprised and excited.

LAS: Where did the idea for this short film come from?

PM: Its inspired by something that happened to my mother, in the 1980s in South Africa. She saw her baby brother being abducted by apartheid Police, and she had to figure out what to do about it.

LAS: It moved you?

PM: Yes, I was just so moved by [my mothers] courage and my mom is very reserved and soft-spoken and I could not wrap my mind around how she had the courage to confront [South African] apartheid Police who are known to be very violent, and aggressive and it made me think a lot about the quiet heroism of ordinary, African women and how that often that goes unnoticed and unseen. I wanted to take a moment to honor it and acknowledge it. It made me think about how women who are in those kinds of circumstances are not heroes by choice but by necessity, and that was really interesting to me.

LAS: Your background is in investment banking at Goldman Sachs in London and your experience as a management consulting at McKinsey & Company, in Johannesburg, is impressive. I mean, Phumi Morare, you can count.

PM: (laughing) Yes, I can. I always think about how I have a left and right brain, and I am always thinking about how to balance the two.

To learn more about the Student Academy Awards visit: https://www.oscars.org/saa

To Follow Phumi Morare

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/phumimorare/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/phumi.morare/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/phumimorare

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phumi-morare/

Website: https://www.phumimorare.com

Imdb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8472166/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_1

To Follow When The Sun Sets by writer/director Phumi Morare

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lakutshonilangashortfilm/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lakutshonilangashortfilm

Imdb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13819508/?ref_=nm_knf_t1
Grant AME and Everytown For Gun Safety Host Program for Gun Violence Survivors

California Assemblymember Mike Gipson and local nonprofits will also participate in the special event aimed at comforting and supporting victims of gun violence.

Grant AME Church, Everytown For Gun Safety and State Assemblymember Mike Gipson (D-Carson) will co-host a special program to show support for victims of gun violence.

The free event takes place on Saturday, November 6, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., on the Grant AME campus, 10435 South Central Avenue in Los Angeles, announced the Rev. Dr. J. Arthur Rumph, host pastor. Also, attendees are invited to donate personal items of loved ones, which will be placed at the Gun Violence Memorial Project in Washington D.C.

The Grant AME congregation appreciates collaborating with Everytown and Assemblymember Gipson to focus attention on this devastating crisis that affects the Watts community and people throughout the country, said Rumph. We are also thankful for Arvis Jones, one of Grants music directors who recommended the partnership with this highly regarded national violence prevention organization.

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Everytown For Gun Safety is comprised of Everytown Survivor Network, Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action. More than 6 million people are involved in the movement, whose members include mothers, survivors, students, elected officials and everyday Americans.

Jones, a grief, loss and trauma specialist and member of Moms Demand Action, was personally impacted by gun violence when her son, Damon Jones Sr., was killed by a firearm. Ironically, she had already begun her grief ministry prior to that tragic incident. Her efforts were profiled in the L.A. Sentinel in September 2018.

In anticipation of the upcoming gathering, Jones said, This day will be filled with information, resource tables, refreshments, childrens activities and loving support for all attendees.

She added that participants include LAPD Deputy Chief Emada Tingrides, Khalid Shah, founder/CEO of Stop The Violence, Increase The Peace; Dr. Aquil Basheer, founder and executive director of Professional Community Intervention Training Institute (PCIT) and Brotherhood Unified for Independent Leadership Through Discipline Program (BUILD); Kevin Orange, co-founder of Advocates for Peace and Urban Unity; Shari Farmer, field deputy/community outreach coordinator for L.A. County District Attorneys Bureau of Victim Services; and La Wanda Hawkins, founder of Justice For Murdered Children.

To learn more, email Clare Senchyna at [email protected]
Health Officials Recommend Boosters for Vaccinated

On Monday, October 25, The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) reported 5 new deaths and stated 679 new cases of COVID-19. There were 610 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 with 15% of nearly 9,000,000 individuals testing positive with symptoms.

California is leading the nation in vaccinations, with 52 million administered and 86 percent of the eligible population having received at least one dose  todays Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup recommendation on booster shots will help keep the momentum going as we enter the winter months, said California Governor Gavin Newsom. Through our investments in targeted outreach and robust community-based partnerships, our work continues to reach the hardest-hit communities. Vaccines are how we end this pandemic  I encourage all eligible Californians to visit MyTurn.ca.gov to schedule an appointment for their first dose or find a booster shot to keep themselves and their community healthy.

Public Health identified 1,485,769 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 26,552 deaths. Cases across the Southland: Los Angeles County shows 1,407,489 cases, Long Beach with 64,858 cases and Pasadena with 13,422 cases.

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According to race and ethnicity, COVID-19 statistics show: American Indian/Alaska Native with 2,402; Asian with 67,246; Black with 67,650; Hispanic/Latino with 725,845; Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander with 5,196; White with 173,714; those of other race and ethnicity with 119,071 and 246,365 under investigation.

I am grateful that the vast majority of businesses continue to follow the sensible protections in the State and County Health Officer Orders that help ensure our collective well-being and economic recovery, said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. Thanks, as well to the tens of thousands of patrons who are doing their part  getting vaccinated and wearing masks as required. Reducing transmission depends on high compliance with existing safety measures.

Boosters have become available for all three FDA-approved vaccines: Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson to those that are eligible. Appointments are not needed at all Public Health vaccination sites where first, second, and third doses are available.

Los Angeles County residents eligible for a booster dose of Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine include those who received the second of the two-dose vaccine series at least 6 months ago and are either:

-65 years and older

-Age 18 and older who live in long-term care settings

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-Age 18 and older who have underlying medical conditions

-Age 18 and older who work or live in high-risk settings

Those who received the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, booster shots are also recommended for 18 and older vaccinated two or more months ago.

For more detailed information on COVID-19 vaccination plans in L.A. County and to sign up for a vaccination newsletter, visit: www.VaccinateLACounty.com

For more information and statistics on COVID-19 in Los Angeles County, please visit http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/

Always check with trusted sources for the latest accurate information about novel coronavirus:

*Los Angeles County Department of Public Health http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/

*California Department of Public Health https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Immunization/ncov2019.aspx

*Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019- ncov/index.html Spanish https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index-sp.html

*World Health Organization https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus

*LA County residents can also call 2-1-1
The protests across the U.S. have many calling for a renewed national dialogue about race, policing, equity and what it means to be a black person in America today.

And that is good news, said Nicole Mitchell, director of Diversity and Inclusion at Cedars-Sinai.

We have so many people who want to be allies and to be voices, Mitchell said.

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But how do we begin talking about these sensitive issues?

First, people should be mindful and avoid overloading their black friends and family with requests for information, Mitchell said, because every individual is coping with this differently.

I need people to remember that right now, a lot of your black colleagues and friends and family members are hurting and are frustrated and are dealing with their own emotions, Mitchell said. Adding the extra level of stress to them to explain the situations or to help you advance your understanding could just add to that level of stress.

Mitchell says those looking to be better allies to the black community can start by simply doing some research on racial equity. Doing the research first is a great way to come into conversations prepared to ask informed questions and to listen openly to experiences and perspectives.

If we can enter a conversation with an open mind, with a listening ear, and with the fact that weve done some research to help to try to understand more, I feel that will help move the conversation forward, she said.

In her role at Cedars-Sinai, Mitchell works daily to make sure that Cedars-Sinai continues to be a diverse, inclusive organization where everyoneincluding staff, patients and visitorsfeels like they belong. She leads education programs like implicit bias training, which can help in the fight against racial disparities in healthcare.

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From a Cedars-Sinai perspective, we continue to bring that conversation to the table, and were highlighting it even more, which is important in our role as a leader in the community and in healthcare, she said.

But Mitchells fight for racial equality starts at home.

My husband is black, his father is black, and our son is black, and the events that are happening in our country right now, I feel them very personally, Mitchell said. Every day I think about my family and friends, and Im worried about them, as a black wife and a mom. You wonder how your family is when theyre out in the public, when theyre just living their daily lives. What could happen to them? Thats a worry that some people dont have to carry with them every day, but we do.

Talking to Children About Racism

For many, discussing these issues with the children in their households in a healthy, age-appropriate and productive way presents a challenge.

I think that starting the discussion about racism and race is really important, Mitchell said. We have to remember that our children are watching us all the time, and they are imitating us. Were the first role models that they see.

Mitchell said that one of the best things families can do for their children is surround themselves with diversity as early as possible.

One of the biggest things I can recommend is to expose your children at an early age to people who look different than them, to different cultures, and talk about it, Mitchell said.

She recommends surrounding children with books, videos and cultural events in the community that show them a variety of races, cultures, religions, languages and other differences among people.

As children get older, Mitchell recommends starting a dialogue about what they see and hear in their surroundings.

Ask them, Well, what are you seeing? How do you feel about that?' Mitchell said. I think having those open dialogues with our children is really, really important. And I dont think we should shy away from them.

As children become teens, parents can expect them to have more complicated questions, and to start to form their own opinions. Tools like videos and documentaries can help ease families into conversations.

Those are critical years where you can have in-depth and important conversations because were shaping the youth and the next generation, Mitchell said. So lets talk about racism. Lets talk about what that looks like. Lets dive into their feelings on it. What are they seeing?

Spreading Hope in Our Communities

Mitchell is certainly putting her advice into action by taking her 17-month-old son to some of the recent protests.

Even though hes so young, we have taken him out into the community and have joined a couple of the protests and have talked to him about whats happening, she said. Though he may not understand, we think its really important to expose him to that.

We know as parents that its critically important for our son to understand what equity and justice mean, with the hope that when hes older and our age, these things wont be part of our daily lives, she said. But we know that we have to educate and expose him in an ongoing basis, so hes ready to face things that may come up.

Mitchell has also helped clean up her community after looting broke out. She says its part of the obligation we each have to our communities and a key step in the path forward.

I think that we just need to stay focused on making sure that were creating space for people to really have a voice, Mitchell said. I think that the protests will fade, but I think that its laying the foundation to really see change, systemic change, within organizations, within some of these major entities like housing, and were just talking about things differently. I think that the appetite to talk about them is there and Im hopeful that this is going to continue.

Read more on the Cedars-Sinai blog: Faces of Cedars-Sinai: Nicole Mitchell, Director of Diversity and Inclusion
L.A. Rams Donate Meals to Families

The Los Angeles Rams recently partnered with Albertsons/Vons/Pavilions (AVP), Los Angeles Regional Food Bank and Pepsi to host a mobile food distribution event at Compton College. Defensive lineman Sebastian Joseph-Day was in attendance to help serve the hundreds of people that benefited from the event.

The Rams want to tackle food deprivation issues among college students and other underserved communities. For Joseph-Day, issues like this hit home.

Both of my parents are from Haiti, third-world country, when they came here in this country, they gotta work really hard for everything that they got, he said. Haiti obviously isnt doing too hot right now, my parents always raised me in a way of always giving back and always finding a way to help those in need.

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The Rams has partnered with the L.A. Regional Food bank for several years. They are hosting their sixth annual Taste of the Rams event on November 8.

Obviously the Food Bank, I think what theyre doing is attacking a huge issue here that we have in L.A. County residents, Joseph-Day said.

Residents can support these efforts by redeeming offers on Pepsi products at Vons, Albertsons, and Pavilions up until December 28. Pepsi intends to donate the financial equivalent to 10 meals every time an offer is purchased.

As a food and beverage company, PepsiCo feels a responsibility to help support those who are facing food insecurity in our communities, said PepsiCo Beverages vice president of marketing Claudia Calderon. When you join forces with other likeminded organizations, the impact to our neighbors in need can be far greater, thats why we teamed up with Sebastian Joseph-Day, the Rams organization, and our valued customers from Albertsons/Vons/Pavilions to support more than 800 Angelenos struggling with food insecurity. We are looking forward to hosting three additional events throughout the remainder of the year, continuing to fight food insecurity in LA, Orange, and Ventura counties.

The Rams and AVP are fighting food insecurity throughout the Southern California region. On October 28, they will partner with the Second Harvest Orange County Pantry program and give out meal kits to college students. The kits will include eggs, milk, produce, and nonperishable items.

On November 22, the Rams, AVP, and Pepsi will partner with Food Share Ventura County to host a Thanksgiving food distribution. They will be providing turkeys, produce and nonperishable items.

During their fourth annual Community Blitz Day of Service, the Rams will host a holiday food distribution.

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Its about the people and providing services to our people, to our community, Joseph-Day said. Me happening to be a Ram helps do that, then Ill just keep using that platform to help better our community in any way I can.
LA City Council Approves Fines for Slow Container Movement At Port of LA

In another effort to speed the processing of cargo and eliminate a backlog of ships trying to deliver merchandise, the Los Angeles City Council today authorized the Port of Los Angeles to fine companies whose containers linger at the marine terminals.

Councilman Joe Buscaino, who represents neighborhoods around the port, introduced the motion to approve authorization in advance of the Harbor Commission considering the policy change on Friday. Typically, the City Council gives final approval after receiving recommendations from the commission, but the council took action beforehand so the fines can go into effect on Nov. 1. The fines will begin at $100 per container, increasing by $100 per container each day. The Port of Long Beach is planning to impose the same fines.

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According to a joint statement on Monday from the ports, containers set to be transported by truck will incur fines if they remain at the port for nine days or more. For rail containers, fines will be assessed if they are at the port for three days or more.

In my communities, particularly in Wilmington, the impacts are creating a hazard to the people that live there, Buscaino said before Wednesdays vote. Containers are stacked dramatically high and dangerously high, trucks parked with containers in front of peoples driveways, never ending truck traffic in residential neighborhoods. In fact, over 400 citations were given by (the) Port (police department) in the month of September.

President Joe Biden recently announced an agreement for both ports to operate around the clock to help speed the movement of cargo. Last week, Long Beach eased restrictions on the height of stacked cargo containers in hopes of

allowing more container storage at the port and moving ships out more quickly. Buscaino said the switch to 24/7 operations wasnt going to be enough. Were seeing more containers in residential areas because they have

nowhere else to go.

We have seen a container that fell onto another vehicle on Anaheim Street in Wilmington, and thats why we have to take emergency measures to ensure that all hands are on deck to address this crisis, Buscaino said. According to the ports, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, containers for local delivery sat at marine terminals for less than four days, while containers set to be carried by trains remained for less than two days. But those numbers have increased significantly, making it difficult to clear cargo off the terminals and bring in ships at anchor, according to the ports.

We must expedite the movement of cargo through the ports to work down the number of ships at anchor, Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said Monday while announcing the fines.  If we can clear this

idling cargo, well have much more space on our terminals to accept empties, handle exports, and improve fluidity for the wide range of cargo owners who utilize our ports. Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero said immediate action is needed in response to the escalating backlog of ships off the coat. The terminals are running out of space, and this will make room for the containers sitting on those ships at anchor, he said.

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The councils motion also authorized the Board of Harbor Commissions pending approval of a $2.5 million change order to the construction contract with Manson Construction Company to allow for temporary storage of containers on 10 acres of vacant land on Terminal Island.
LACo Health Officials Urge COVID Boosters, Await Approval of Shots for Kids

Los Angeles County health officials again urged eligible residents to get COVID-19 vaccine booster shots, while they also prepared for anticipated federal approval of vaccinations for children aged 5 to 11.

A U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel on Tuesday recommended approval of an emergency use authorization for Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine for children as young as 5. FDA officials still need to approve the recommendation, along with a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory committee and the CDC director.

Pfizers vaccine is currently authorized under emergency use for children aged 12-15, and it has full authorization for people aged 16 and older.

After reviewing safety and efficacy data, the FDAs vaccine advisory panel met today and recommended Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine for children 5 to 11, bringing us closer to expanding vaccine access to 900,000 L.A. County children, county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement released Tuesday. Fully vaccinated children will be better protected at

schools, youth activities, holiday gatherings and celebrations, and homes. Once the CDC issues final approval and guidance, the county is prepared to begin offering doses to younger children as early as late next week through our vast network of countywide providers.

County health officials also continued to advocate for booster shots, 30,000 of which were administered in the county between Friday and Sunday. As of Sunday, a total of 425,000 booster doses of vaccine have been administered in the county.

The county estimates that 3.6 million residents are eligible for the

boosters. Under federal guidelines, boosters are available for people who are:

 65 years of age or older;

 aged 18 and older and living in long-term care settings;

 aged 18 and older with underlying medical conditions; and

 aged 18 and older and living or working in high-risk settings.



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Under federal guidelines, people can receive a different brand of booster shot than their original doses.

People who received the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna shots should not receive a booster until at least six months after their last dose. For the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, people must wait at least two months after their shot. According to numbers released Thursday, 79% of eligible county residents aged 12 and older have received at least one dose of vaccine, and 71% are fully vaccinated.

The county on Tuesday reported 20 new COVID-19 deaths, raising the overall death toll to 26,572. Another 827 cases were also reported, raising the cumulative total from throughout the pandemic to 1,486,614. The rolling average daily rate of people testing positive for the virus was 0.9% as of Tuesday.

According to state figures, there were 650 COVID-positive patients in county hospitals as of Tuesday, up from 629 on Monday. Of those patients, 179 were in intensive care, up from 170 a day earlier.
LAPD Chief: Students Suspended Over Alleged Hamilton HS Sex Assault

Students who allegedly took part in or witnessed an alleged sexual assault in a Hamilton High School bathroom have been suspended while an investigation continues, Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore said today.

Moore, speaking on ABC7, said investigators were working to identify all parties involved, including the assailant as well as those that simply stood by. Its my understanding the school has suspended those individuals and

theyre not in the school location, which Im thankful for, so they dont pose any further risks to the school population, he said.

The alleged assault occurred Oct. 20 in a boys bathroom at the campus in the 2900 block of South Robertson Boulevard. A video of the attack was posted on social media. Students told reporters the video depicts several male

students surrounding and sexually assaulting a female student in the bathroom. Some students told reporters the girl was a special-needs student.

Moore said he is also working with school administrators in hopes of determining how do we prevent this from occurring in the future. Safety of schools is paramount, he said on Channel 7. Kids cannot be educated, they cannot learn and develop into young adults if theyre not in a safe environment and one thats conducive to ensuring a good learning environment.

I recognize this is an isolated incident, but the fact that it occurred, its just untenable. And were not going to allow it to go unmet with prosecutions and the actions against those involved.

The Los Angeles School Police Department, which initially responded to the report of an alleged sexual assault, issued a statement Wednesday saying the LAPD was leading the investigation due to the nature of the

allegations. The safety of students remains a top priority for the staff at Hamilton High School, as well as the Los Angeles School Police Department, according to the agency.

There was no immediate confirmation from the Los Angeles Unified School District about whether students had been suspended, and if so, how many.

On Tuesday, the district issued a statement saying, At Los Angeles Unified, the well-being and safety of our students and staff is of paramount importance. An alleged incident occurred on the campus of Hamilton High School earlier this week potentially involving several students in the boys restroom.

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The school administration immediately and proactively began coordinating with the Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles Unified School Police to investigate the issue. Our school crisis team was also activated and students were given an opportunity to speak to counselors about their concerns.

At this point, this situation is an ongoing police investigation. As such, we are unable to comment further so as not to interfere with the police investigation, as well as to respect the privacy rights of students. At Los Angeles Unified, we take all student matters very seriously, and uphold the privacy and confidentiality of all in our school communities.

The schools principal, Jennifer Baxter, notified parents about the alleged assault via voicemail, reiterating that counseling services have been made available to students. She said police are investigating what she called an incident  involving several students in the boys restroom.
Lewis Metropolitan CME Holds Vaccination Clinic

Lewis Metropolitan CME Church sponsors a free clinic on Saturday, October 30, offering Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines as well as booster shots.

According to Pastor Travis A. Morris and First Lady Garnica L. Morris, the clinic will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the church, which is located at 4900 S. Western Avenue in Los Angeles. Staff from the California Public Health Department will administer the inoculations to all qualifying individuals from age 12 and above.

The COVID-19 virus has taken too many lives and the Black and Brown community has not stepped up to accept that this virus must be taken seriously. The vaccination shot is the way to avoid dying from this virus that has taken too many lives around the world, said Pastor Morris.

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We invite all unvaccinated people to take advantage of our clinic and obtain protection against dire consequences of death by COVID-19, he added. Supporters include County Supervisor Holly Mitchell, Assemblymember Reginald Byron Jones-Sawyer and Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson.

To learn more, call (310) 365-4198.

Elaine Thompson-Esters contributed to this article.
Los Angeles Community College District Welcomes $5 Million in New Funding to Support Umoja Programs and Black Student Success

Umoja provides services specially designed for the success of African-American students

The Los Angeles Community College District welcomes the State Legislatures recent approval of $5 million in additional ongoing funding for Umoja programs at Californias community colleges.

Umoja (a Kiswahili word meaning unity) programs seek to educate the whole studentbody, mind and spiritand to provide robust wrap-around support services. For example, the programs can provide community and critical resources to enhance the cultural and educational experiences of students with positive learning and social environments, counseling, tutoring, cultural workshops, special events, leadership development, mentoring and connections to the network of Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCU). Umoja programs also actively serve and promote academic success for students through curriculum and pedagogy responsive to the legacy of the African and African American diasporas.

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Equity is at the heart of everything we do at LACCD, and there is no better way to ensure that than by making sure valuable programs like Umoja are adequately funded, said LACCD Board President Steve Veres. This additional funding from the legislature allows us to invest in long-term planning that will make sure Umoja programs are here as a student resource for many years to come.

LACCD serves an extremely diverse student body, which makes it important to ensure every student is heard and represented, said LACCD Board Trustee Nichelle Henderson. Securing this additional funding provides stability for valuable Umoja programs that exemplifies the holistic approach we take to each students education.

The additional $5 million in state funding will help shore up resources and ensure the Umoja programs are sustainable at the Districts nine colleges and other community colleges throughout the state. Many Umoja students are the first in their families to attend college and their participation in Umoja helps them successfully navigate a higher education system that can be unfamiliar.

One of the Board of Trustees major legislative priorities was increased ongoing support for targeted student support services, said LACCD Chancellor Francisco C. Rodriguez, Ph.D. Increased funding for Umoja Programs along with other excellent programs such as Puente, and MESA were at the top of our advocacy agenda this year. We are pleased that the Legislature agreed and funded these and other exceptional programs.

The Umoja community is not only a great resource that helps students thrive academically but also gives students the opportunity to connect with one another, said Los Angeles Pierce College Umoja student, Sierra Bledsoe. Through Umoja I have had the chance to meet amazing professors, counselors, and life-long friends. Umoja has opened the door to new experiences like webinars, porch talks, and other events that have helped aid my occupational goals. Increased funding from the legislature for Umoja programs, LGBTQ+ centers and other important student support systems is vital to establishing them as a core part of every LACCD campus.

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LACCD provides equity-minded, culturally competent resources to all members of its diverse student body, helping students succeed both in their academics and career development. Increased funding from the legislature for Umoja programs, LGBTQ+ centers and other important student support systems is instrumental to establishing them as a core part of each LACCD campus.

Seven of the nine LACCD colleges have active Umoja programs, including Los Angeles City College, East Los Angeles College, Los Angeles Harbor College, Los Angeles Pierce College, Los Angeles Southwest College, Los Angeles Trade-Technical College and Los Angeles Valley College. Los Angeles Mission College and West Los Angeles College are currently revising their Umoja programs.

The LACCD Colleges of Los Angeles include: Los Angeles City College; East Los Angeles College; Los Angeles Harbor College; Los Angeles Mission College; Los Angeles Pierce College; Los Angeles Southwest College; Los Angeles Trade-Technical College; Los Angeles Valley College and West Los Angeles College.
Marina Torres is Looking to be the Bridge Between the Law and the People; Running for City Attorney of Los Angeles

The City Attorney of Los Angeles represents the collective community, and their right to be heard in court. Looking to embody that civic duty is Marina Torres, by bringing her own experience as a first generation Latinx woman that served the public under President Obama. Torres will champion the needs of the city with a sense of conviction.

Torres has felt the hardships that plague families with incarcerated ties, she faced those emotions head on. This personal look into the judicial system prepared Torres with a unique level of compassion that is shared through various acts of justice.

The City Attorney candidate is in touch with various needs of the community, paying attention to those that are marginalized and grossly underrepresented. Torres is looking to improve the quality of life for all people, as City Attorney of Los Angeles.

The values Torres integrated into her mission include justice, fairness, and the passion to fight for equity. Torres has dedicated over a decade handling civil and criminal cases where she consistently focused on justice as her number one priority.

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Through her vulnerability, Torres has been able to connect with the community around her. She has looked for alternatives to incarceration and been a part of strategies to make the city safer. Torres understands the core values and needs found under the streetlights of L.A.

Torres witnessed a 16-year-old receive two strikes as a first-time offender; this person was a relative within her family. She woke up to the reality of what representation can afford. Torres set her educational path to pursue criminal justice, at 16, she was accepted to the University of California, Berkeley.

As a student, Torres juggled a full class schedule, student-government activities, and a 20-hour workweek to support her family. Torres final year of college was outlined in Standford. From that point on, she wielded the power and knowledge to serve the public. Torres mission was to align with the voice of people.

She continued to build a unique perspective by providing litigation services to Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago, aiding farmworkers throughout the state who were falling victim to unfair treatment from recruiters and employers. Heading west, Torres came back to California to sit on the executive board of the Stanford Law Review and become co-president of the Stanford Latino Law Students Association.

During her term under President Obama, she assisted with crafting national policies that focused on the concerns of Dreamers who lived with the constant fear of being separated from their families. Her role as an advisor on DACA directives provided her with the authority to guide the Obama administration, from a place of transparency.

As a daughter of undocumented parents, Torres shares a narrative that is found at the core of Los Angeles, the pursuit of a better life. Torres was born in Los Angeles County, before moving to the Inland Empire. Heading down the 60-east freeway, one would find her father working at the Sunkist Factory in Ontario, California, while her mother held various jobs to keep the family afloat.

At a young age, she was aware of her familys position and the fear of family separation never left their doorstep. As City Attorney, Torres is looking to be the voice for people who are living in similar situations.

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In reflection of what this position means, Torres stated, I think that most people dont know who the city attorney is, let alone what they doone of the primary focuses of running is I want to make sure people have an answer to both of those questions.

She continued, I want them to know who the city attorney is and how important the city attorney is to their livesa third thing that I want to make a focus is, I want them to know that their experiences, values, and their beliefs are represented in me, because of what I have lived, because of what I have gone through, that I get it.

The Long Beach Community College Trustee, Sunny Zia supports Torres in her direction to become Los Angeles City Attorney. Zia was captured stating, As an attorney and proud Angeleno, Marina has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the people of Los Angeles, said Zia.

She continued, I believe education is the key to success and Marinas story embodies this truth. Marinas experience and vision for a more just society is what Los Angeles needs. Im thrilled at the prospect of her becoming the next Los Angeles City Attorney.

Public servant, Aja Brown released a statement supporting Torres journey. The former Mayor of Compton said, I know Marina has the right values and priorities to serve as a strategic partner for any mayor striving to improve lives.

Brown continued, As a specialist in economic development and urban planning, I know the importance of creative problem-solving to bring positive systemic change. That means the cooperation between city hall and city attorney. I know Marina is up to these complex tasks of teamwork and leadership.

Former Los Angeles City Attorney Carmen Trutanich was captured stating, As a federal prosecutor, Marina has proven time and again her commitment to justice and improving the lives of every Angeleno.

Trutanich continued, She understands the nuanced way of working within the legal system to improve the lives of every citizen. As the former City Attorney of Los Angeles, I know Marina has not only the experience but also the ability to bring change for good for the city of Los Angeles. I am proud to endorse Marinas campaign and vision for Los Angeles City Attorney.

Torres has a mission to be the bridge between the people and law. Through her experience, she has gained a unique perspective that is relatable. Torres revealed pillars that will guide her if given the privilege to represent the City of Los Angeles. She stated, Its the belief that we can do a lot of good, we can do a lot of change within the officeknowing that I have the experience, as well as the perspective to take the office to another level and make it more responsive to needs and desires of the people of Los AngelesIm going to tell that to myself every day.
More Black Californians Taking COVID Shot as U.S. Reviews Vaccines for Younger Kids



As of Oct. 11, Black Californians were 4.2% of Californians that have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, up from 2.7% in February, according to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). 5.7% of the states population of nearly 40 million people are Black.

Through our investments in targeted outreach and robust community-based partnerships, our work continues to reach the hardest-hit communities. Vaccines are how we end this pandemic  I encourage all eligible Californians to visit MyTurn.ca.gov to schedule an appointment for their first dose or find a booster shot to keep themselves and their community healthy, Gov. Gavin Newsom said last week.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the vaccine equity gap is narrowing across the United States as about 11% of the people who have received at least one dose of the vaccine are Black Americans, a group that makes up 12.4% of the U.S. population.

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U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, spoke with California Black Media last week about the importance of equity in the nations pandemic response.

The way we define success with the vaccination effort isnt just how many people got vaccinated, but how equitably and fairly we get the vaccine to people across our country, Murthy said.

We know that there are communities in our country that have been long underserved by the healthcare system and the victims of structural inequities and structural racism that have prevented them from getting the care that they need, he continued.

Murthy spoke about some of the equity challenges leaders faced at the beginning of the pandemic. The approach the feds took to address some of those difficulties was similar to Californias strategy.

Early on in the vaccination effort, we saw those disparities developing in the adult population with Black communities and Latino communities having lower vaccination rates than White communities, Murthy said.

But the good news is there has been a lot of effort over the last many months, which included a lot of outreach and partnerships with communities of color, with leaders and organizations in those communities, working hard to make sure we had mobile units out getting to communities to bring vaccines to where people are and getting vaccines directly to community health centers where we know a lot of folks get their care. All of these efforts together, along with making sure the vaccines are free and making sure as many doctors as possible have the vaccine in their offices, has helped us close a lot of that equity gap, Murthy continued.

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Even as vaccination booster shots are becoming more readily available around the country, the COVID-19 Delta variant remains a significant threat in the U.S. and around the world. So, public health leaders are focused on expanding efforts get as many people as possible access to vaccinations and booster shots.

California is leading the nation in vaccinations, with 52 million administered and 86 % of the eligible population having received at least one dose  todays Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup recommendation on booster shots will help keep the momentum going as we enter the winter months, Newsom said last week.

California, Oregon, Nevada and Washington state came together last year and created the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup. The group, made up of scientists, medical professionals and public health experts, is charged with reviewing COVID-19 vaccine safety.

Last week, the workgroup recommended booster shots for vulnerable people and those who live or work in high-risk settings  if they have received the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccine prior.

Recipients of the Moderna vaccine may receive a booster shot six months after completing their primary vaccination series, and recipients of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine may receive a booster shot two months after receiving their first dose, the governors office said in a statement last week.

The workgroup also recommended a mix-and-match method, which means people who have received a Moderna vaccine can get a Johnson & Johnson booster shot and vice-versa.

Earlier this month, Newsom announced that California will be the first state in the nation to require children in middle school and high school to be vaccinated once COVID-19 vaccines for children are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The FDA and the CDC will review data from Pfizer during the next two weeks to decide if COVID-19 vaccines are safe for even younger children, ages 5 through 11.

Right now, what is happening is that the FDA is examining the data from Pfizer about clinical trials that concern kids 5-11 and theyre looking for two things: first is to understand if these vaccines work to protect our children from COVID and second, are they safe, Murthy explained.

Until they complete their review and make a decision on whether or not to offer the vaccine, we certainly wont recommend them to the public or make a move to roll out vaccines. Its all contingent upon the FDAs review and the CDCs recommendation, according to Murthy.

Murthy also addressed the myth that young children are somehow immune to the effects of COVID-19.

Even though kids do better than adults when it comes to COVID-19, it is not benign in children. We want to protect our children from the virus, and we also know that COVID has disrupted our kids lives in terms of making school difficult, interrupting youth sports, and making it hard to see friends and family members. So, getting our kids vaccinated is a big step towards not only protecting their health but helping them get their lives back, Murthy said.

Murthy stressed the importance of equity and said that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will continue to employ the same methods for children as they did for adults if the FDA and CDC approve vaccines for children in the 5-11 age range.

We will bring the same commitment to vaccinating kids under 12. We are building on the great partnerships we have with community-based organizations and trusted leaders across the country. We are building on the access points that weve set up in the past and increasing those even further so there will be tens of thousands of places where people can get a vaccine for their children, Murthy said.

California Black Medias coverage of COVID-19 is supported by the California Health Care Foundation.
Remembering General Colin Powell

By now we have all relived the life of General Colin Powell. We are reminded that death often creates sainthood for those who pass on. They become larger than life and are often remembered without fault. This was not the case with Colin Powell.

He was known for his professionalism. But that did not stop him from being a real person. At one point he was invited to come to San Diegos American Legion Post No. 310. It was the time that the Post had a woman commander, Verlene Jones. She had the idea of inviting the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to Post 310.

While everyone laughed at the idea, she sent the invitation.

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General Powell, then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, accepted her invitation and came to San Diego American Legion Post 310. We are hearing time and time again that he was never too big for people and little things. He was not only a soldiers soldier, but a real and sensitive human being.

While General Powell shattered many glass ceilings with numerous first positions. The one that impressed this publisher the most was that he was the, as far as we know, first to rise to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff without graduating from a military academy like West Point. He was a Reserve Officer Training Corp (ROTC) graduate. He also was appointed to that position twice. He was also the first African American to rise to Secretary of State after having served as the first African American National Security Advisor to two Presidents. He was an Army Ranger, no small achievement, and he served two combat tours in Viet Nam. He was both a warrior and a diplomat.

We can honor him and those like him who have given so much by continuing the service and kindness to others that he and those like him gave to others. We can step outside of self, look at what needs to be done and do it.

We dont all have the resources of General Powell, but we all can give of what we have in both attitude and service. We might not have personally known him or met him like the members of American Legion Post 310, but we can learn from him. Lets collectively do so.
Reparations: How Intentional Govt Policy Denied Blacks Access to Wealth

When the Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1863, the Black community owned less than 1% of the United States total wealth, the Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans was told during its fourth meeting.

Mehrsa Baradaran, a professor at the University of California Irvine, School of Law, shared the statistics during the Racism in Banking, Tax, and Labor portion of the two-day meeting on Oct.13.

From her perspective, the power of wealth and personal income is still unequally distributed. And that inequality, in her view, has always been allowed, preserved and compounded by laws and government policy.

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More than 150 years later, that number has barely budged, Baradaran told the Task Force, tracing the wealth gap from the period after the Civil War when President Lincoln granted formerly enslaved Blacks their freedom to the present day.

The gap between average White wealth and Black wealth has actually increased over the last decades. Today, across every social-economic level, Black families have a fraction of the wealth that White families have, she said.

Baradaran has written a range of entries and books about banking law, financial inclusion, inequality, and the racial wealth gap. Her scholarship includes the books How the Other Half Banks and The Color of Money: Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap, both published by the Harvard University Press.

Baradaran has also published several articles on race and economics, including Jim Crow Credit in the Irvine Law Review, Regulation by Hypothetical in the Vanderbilt Law Review, and How the Poor Got Cut Out of Banking in the Emory Law Journal.

A 43-year-old immigrant born in Orumieh, Iran, Baradaran, testified that her work on the wealth gap in America was conducted from a research angle and she respectfully submitted her testimony in that light, she said.

In her research, Baradaran explained that she discovered an intentional system of financial oppression.

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This wealth chasm doesnt abate with income or with education. In other words, this is a wealth gap that is pretty much tied to a history of exclusion and exploitation and not to be remedied by higher education and higher income, Baradaran said.

According to a January 2020 report, the Public Policy Institute of California said African American and Latino families make up 12% of those with incomes above the 90th percentile in the state, despite comprising 43% of all families in California.

In addition, PPIC reported that such disparities mirror the fact that African American and Latino adults are overrepresented in low-wage jobs and have higher unemployment rates, and African American adults are less likely to be in the labor force.

Many issues support these activities that range from disparities around education, local job opportunities, and incarceration to discrimination in the labor market, according to PPIC.

While Californias economy outperforms the nations, its level of income inequality exceeds that of all but five states, the report stated.

Without target policies, it will continue to grow, Baradaran said of the wealth gap. And I want to be clear of how this wealth gap will continue to grow. It was created, maintained, and perpetuated through public policy at the federal, state, and local levels. Black men and women have been shut out of most avenues of middle-class creations. Black homes, farms, and savings were not given the full protection of the law. Especially as these properties were subjected to racial terrorism. The American middle-class was not created that way (to support Black communities).

A June 2018 working paper from the Opportunity and Inclusive Growth Institute written by economists familiar with moderate-to-weak Black wealth backs up Baradarans assessment.

Published by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, the authors of the report wrote that strategies to deny Blacks access to wealth started at the beginning of the Reconstruction era, picked up around the civil rights movement, and resurfaced around the financial crisis of the late 2000s.

Authored by Moritz Kuhn, Moritz Schularick, and Ulrike I. Steins, the Income and Wealth Inequality in America, 1949-2016 explains a close analysis of racial inequality, pre-and post-civil rights eras.

The economists wrote that the median Black household has less than 11% of the wealth of the median White household, which is about $15,000 versus $140,000 in 2016 prices.

The overall summary is bleak, the report states. The historical data also reveal that no progress has been made in reducing income and wealth inequalities between black and white households over the past 70 years.

Baradaran recently participated in the virtual symposium, Racism and the Economy: Focus on the Wealth Divide hosted by 12 District Banks of the Federal Reserve System, which includes the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.

There are some positives that are not typically included in discussions about the challenges Blacks have experience historically in efforts to obtain wealth, Baradaran said. Many African Americans, specifically in California, were able to subvert the systems that discriminated against them.

Black institutions have been creative and innovative serving their communities in a hostile climate, Baradaran said. Ive written a book about the long history of entrepreneurship, self-help, and mutual uplift. Historically Black Colleges and Universities have provided stellar education and Black banks have supported Black businesses, churches, and families.

Californias Assembly Bill (AB) 3121, titled The Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans, created a nine-member commission to investigate inequity in education, labor, wealth, housing, tax, and environmental justice.

All of these areas were covered with expert testimony during the two-day meeting held on Oct. 12 and Oct. 13. The task force is charged with exploring Californias involvement in slavery, segregation, and the historic denial of Black citizens constitutional rights.

Fifty years after the federal Fair Housing Act eliminated racial discrimination in lending, the Black community continues to be denied mortgage loans at rates much higher than their White counterparts.

Banks and corporations have engaged in lending and hiring practices that helped to solidify patterns of racial inequality, Jacqueline Jones, a history professor from the University of Texas told the Task Force.

The Racism in Banking, Tax and Labor segment also featured testimonies by Williams Spriggs (former chair of the Department of Economics at Howard University. Spriggs now serves as chief economist to the AFL-CIO), Thomas Craemer (public policy professor at the University of Connecticut), and Lawrence Lucas (U.S. Department of Agriculture Coalition of Minority Employees).

The Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans will conduct its fifth and final meeting of 2021 on Dec. 6 and Dec.7.
Wells Fargo Pledges One Million Dollars to Support the Los Angeles Urban League Center for Entrepreneurship

The Hot and Cool Cafe, located in Leimert Park, Los Angeles, was recently the venue for a well-attended press conference where Wells Fargo announced a $1 Million Dollars investment in the Los Angeles Urban League, the 100-year-old highly respected civil-rights and economic empowerment organization. The five-year investment will enable the Los Angeles Urban League to increase its assistance to small, Black-owned, and other disadvantaged companies in Los Angeles County. The Urban Center for Entrepreneurship provides business consulting, technical assistance, loan and contract facilitation, and emergency pandemic-related financing to hundreds of business owners annually.

Wells Fargo is honored to be a longstanding supporter of the Los Angeles Urban League and we congratulate the organization on 100 years of helping African Americans and other diverse communities achieve social parity, economic self-reliance, and civil rights, said Charlie Scharf, CEO of Wells Fargo. Weve seen the positive impact the Los Angeles Urban Leagues Entrepreneurship Center and small business programs have had on the Los Angeles community, and we are proud to help expand that impact with the commitment Wells Fargo is making today.

This grant is evidence of the substantial and long-standing relationship between the Los Angeles Urban League and Wells Fargo. We appreciate this sizable grant because it demonstrates Wells Fargo believes in not only the work that the Los Angeles Urban League is doing but the impact that this will have on the communities that we serve, said Michael Lawson, President & CEO of the Los Angeles Urban League. As we celebrate our centennial, it is noteworthy to have partners such as Wells Fargo who assist us in our mission during these challenging times.

Holly Mitchell, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Second District, who was one of the press conference speakers, remarked it gives me great pride to see this iteration of what Leimert Park has become. I am clear it is a reflection of people like me, third-generation Angelenos, who understood the rich history of Leimert Park and we never gave up. We continue to fight and create opportunities for new entrepreneurs and new investments in this space. Following her remarks, California State Assemblymember, Isaac Bryan of the 54th Assembly District expressed that when COVID-19 hit, it hit us the hardest. We lost our homes first, we lost our lives first, we lost our businesses first. At one point it looked like half of every single black business in Los Angeles was going to be closed never to be opened again.

This transformative award from Wells Fargo will expand the Los Angeles Urban Leagues ability to provide best-in-class resources to both start-up and established business owners through our Entrepreneurship Center, said Brian Williams, COO of the Urban League. Our goal is to increase the revenues and net worth of small and minority-owned companies, which in turn will hire more people from the community and stabilize their neighborhoods.

The Los Angeles Urban League Board Chairman, Elliot Hinds, commented that this was an exciting event and announcement. A physical space is very important, we learned that from the incredible year we had this year. Thats why its important we are here in Leimert Park. So, I would like to thank our hosts, Anthony Jolly and Nina Amin, for their generosity hosting this press conference today.

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Young scientists in Cape Town, South Africa are working to reverse engineer the Moderna coronavirus vaccine. That means they will carefully study all the vaccine parts to see how it was made so they can make a similar product.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is supporting the effort. It is organizing creation of a vaccine research, training and production center in South Africa, along with a system to gather needed materials. The effort aims to make vaccine treatments available for the worlds poorest people.

Emile Hendricks is a 22-year-old scientist for Afrigen Biologics and Vaccines, the company trying to reproduce the Moderna vaccine. He said, We are doing this for Africa at this moment, and that drives us. We can no longer rely on these big superpowers to come in and save us.

Some experts see reverse engineering as one of the few remaining ways to deal with the power imbalances of the pandemic. The international organization Peoples Vaccine Alliance reports that poor countries have received about 0.7 percent of COVID-19 vaccines produced so far. The organization says wealthy countries have received almost 50 percent.

The United Nations COVAX program is working to spread vaccine supplies more evenly across the world. But so far, the effort has failed to ease severe shortages in poor countries. Vaccine donations are far fewer than need demands. And, drug makers have resisted international pressure to share vaccine resources.

The Cape Town center aims to expand access to the new messenger RNA (mRNA) technology that Moderna, Pfizer and German partner BioNTech, used in their vaccines. The WHO has never directly involved itself in attempts to reproduce drug products of private companies that object to such efforts---until now.

This is the first time were doing it to this level, because of the urgency and also because of the novelty of this technology, said Martin Friede. He is a WHO vaccine research coordinator who is helping direct the center.

Doctor Tom Frieden is the former head of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He says the world is being held hostage by Moderna and Pfizer, whose vaccines are considered the most effective against COVID-19.

The United States is demanding that Moderna increase its vaccine production for use in poor nations in exchange for the American financial support it received to develop the product. The worldwide shortage through 2022 is estimated to be between 500 million and 4 billion doses.

David Kessler is the head of Operation Warp Speed, the U.S. program supporting COVID-19 vaccine development. He said the U.S. government has been a very important part in making Moderna the company it is.

They understand what we expect to happen, Kessler said.

Moderna has promised to build a vaccine factory in Africa at some time in the future. But some poorer countries refuse to wait any longer.

Petro Terblanche is Afrigens supervising director. She said the company aims to have a version of the Moderna vaccine ready for testing in humans within a year.

We have a lot of competition coming from Big Pharma. They dont want to see us succeed, Terblanche said. They are already starting to say that we dont have the capability to do this. We are going to show them.

If the team in South Africa succeeds in making a version of Modernas vaccine, the information will be publicly released for use by others, Terblanche added.

Mass production of copies of the vaccine could become a property law issue. Moderna has said it would not seek legal action against a company that violated its property rights. However, it also has not offered to help companies that have volunteered to make its mRNA shot.

Moderna leader Noubar Afeyan said the company decided it would be better to expand its vaccine production than to share technology. The company plans to provide billions of additional doses next year.

Im Jonathan Evans.

Lori Hinnant, Maria Cheng and Andrew Meldrum reported on this story for the Associated Press. Jonathan Evans adapted this story for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.

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Words in This Story

rely  v. to trust in or depend on

access  n. the right or ability to approach, enter, or use

novelty  n. something new or unusual

Big Pharma  n. large pharmaceutical companies considered especially as a politically influential group


The mineral-rich island of Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, has a large amount of an ancient rock known as anorthosite. Anorthosite is similar to the rock that astronauts collected from the moon in the early years of American space exploration. Scientists believe anorthosite is nearly as old as Earth itself.

Anorthocite is found in southwestern Greenland. And it has mining companies excited about making money. The rock contains compounds that can be used to make fiberglass and aluminum.

People who support taking the minerals out of the ground note that the money earned may help Greenland reach its long-term goal of independence from Denmark.

But a conflict might be coming.

Naaja Nathanielsen is Greenland's mineral resources minister. She said, Not all money is worth earning. She added that Greenland is willing to make fast decisions when it comes to protecting the environment.

The islands new government campaigned on a platform of environmental responsibility. It recently banned future oil and gas drilling. The government may begin a new ban on mining for uranium. A ban on uranium mining in Greenland was lifted eight years ago.

Effect of a ban

A new ban would halt development of one of the worlds largest rare-earth deposits. The metal deposit area is called Kuannersuit in Greenlandic and Kvanefjeld in Danish. Its operator was in the process of securing a permit to mine there.

The metal deposit was an important issue in the elections held earlier this year. Greenlanders worry that uranium mining could cause environmental problems.

The head of the company that holds the mining rights in the area called the concerns exaggerated, or greater than they need to be. John Mair of Greenland Minerals told the Reuters news agency that uranium is a political issue which is being driven by exaggerated and misleading claims.

If the mine remains operational, the government estimates it could bring in $233 million each year for Greenland.

Currently, the islands 57,000 people mostly depend on money from fishing and the financial support it gets from Denmark. But Denmark would reduce the amount of money it sends to Greenland based on future earnings from mining.

Some Greenlanders believe the mining should stop until the island is independent from Denmark.

Pele Broberg is Greenlands minister for business and trade. He told Reuters, "Under the current agreement, large-scale mineral extraction makes no sense. He added, "Why would we do that while we're subject to another country?"

Local support

But some people in Greenland support mining.

"We have to find other ways to make money. We can't just live off fishing," said Johannes Hansen. He is a local firefighter and carpenter. His town of nearly 160 people is about 50 minutes by boat from a planned anorthosite mine.

Greenland Anorthosite Mining is a company developing the mine. It has a plan to process 120 metric tons of anorthosite for possible buyers in the fiberglass industry.

Anorthosite is a more environmentally friendly choice than some other materials, including kaolin. A spokesperson for Greenland Anorthosite Mining said anorthosite melts at a lower temperature than kaolin. And it produces less waste and greenhouse gases. The company says it hopes to have an exploration permit by the end of 2022.

The bigger aim is for anorthosite to be used instead of bauxite to produce aluminum. Aluminum is one of the minerals important to reducing greenhouse gases. It can make vehicles lighter and is fully recyclable.

Anorthosite also fits in with European Union plans to use different mineral sources. Asuncion Aranda leads an EU-funded research project into anorthosite. She said more research is needed to cut costs and reduce harmful effects to the environment.

"We don't know yet if our process will be competitive from the start compared with the established production method," she said. Aranda added that "if all goes well  we could see the first marketable production in eight to 10 years.

Unearthly goals

While the EU is looking at uses for anorthosite here on Earth, the American space agency NASA has other ideas.

NASA has been using anorthosite from a smaller Greenland mine already in production. That mine is operated by a Canadian-based company called Hudson Resources. The company is testing equipment that could be used for mining on the moon and even establishing communities there.

A scientist at NASA's Johnson Space Center is John Gruener. He said the anorthosite deposits found in Greenland and other places on Earth are not exactly like what is found on the moon. But they are close.

Greuner said, If we are really going to live off the land at the south pole of the moonwe will have to learn how to deal with anorthosite.

Im Anna Mateo. And I'm Dan Friedell.

Dan Friedell and Anna Mateo adapted this story for Learning English based on a report by Reuters. Ashley Thompson was the editor.

What do you think about the mining question in Greenland? Tell us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page.

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Words in This Story

semi-autonomous  adj. partly having the right to govern itself

fiberglass  n. a light and strong material that is made from thin threads of glass and that is used in making various products

platform  n. the official beliefs and goals of a political party or candidate

drill  v. to make a hole in something with a large tool, often used to describe the search for oil or gas

deposit  n. an amount of a substance (such as oil or coal) that exists naturally in the ground

exaggerate  v. to think of or describe something as larger or greater than it really is

extraction  n. the act or process of getting something by pulling it out, forcing it out, etc. : the act of extracting something

recycle  v. to make something new from (something that has been used before)
Blue Origin is the latest American company to announce plans to develop a private space station. The company and its partners said this week that the station, called Orbital Reef, will be operated as a mixed use business park in space.

Blue Origins main partner will be Sierra Space, a part of U.S.-based defense contractor Sierra Nevada Corporation. The project is also backed by Boeing, Arizona State University and other companies.

In a statement, Sierra Space said Orbital Reef aims to open up new markets in space and provide individuals and companies the chance to establish their own address on orbit.

The company aims to begin operating Orbital Reef between 2025 and 2030. The station plans to stay in low-Earth orbit, at about 500 kilometers, which is higher than the International Space Station (ISS).

The developers say Orbital Reef will support 10 people in an area of about 830 cubic meters, nearly the size of the ISS. It will serve a range of private customers. This could include science researchers, space agencies, nations without space programs and technology and manufacturing companies.

Space tourists would also be able to visit Orbital Reef. The visitors would be able to enjoy clear views of Earth and would experience 32 sunrises and sunsets each day, Blue Origin said in an online fact document.

Brent Sherwood is Senior Vice President of Advanced Development Programs for Blue Origin. He said the past development of flight vehicles and space stations by NASA and other space agencies had prepared the way for private space stations to become a reality.

Now, Orbital Reef will seek to expand access, lower the cost, and provide all the services and amenities needed to normalize space flight, Sherwood said.

Blue Origin has already launched a space tourism service that provides rides to the edge of space aboard its rockets and spacecraft capsule. The flights permit passengers to experience a few minutes of weightlessness and observe Earth from afar.

Lindy Elkins-Tanton is Vice President of the Interplanetary Initiative at Arizona State University. She has been involved in planning Orbital Reef. In a Blue Origin video, Elkins-Tanton said she sees the project as a kind of space village.

Think of it as many different organizations and people in their own parts of Orbital Reef, doing their own activities, she added.

Sherwood said that the stations developers will work hard to make sure that Orbital Reef is not just for the entities that have had access to space so far. Instead, he said it will be designed to be humanitys footprint in low-Earth orbit. And that means all the nations and companies and peoples of the world.

Sierra Space has also been developing a space plane called Dream Chaser. It has been awarded a NASA contract to perform at least seven supply missions to the ISS beginning as soon as next year, the company announced in April.

Orbital Reef is one of several private space stations planned in the coming years as the future of the aging ISS is unclear. The ISS project is set to end in 2024 unless its international partners approve new financing to keep it going.

NASA officials have signaled that a continuation of the ISS beyond 2024 is likely. But NASA also holds a contract with a company called Axiom to develop a new space station that will first be attached to the ISS before becoming free-flying.

The ISSs other main supporter, Russia, has said it is considering quitting the project as early as 2025 to build its own space station. Chinas space agency has already deployed a new space station and sent astronauts to visit it earlier this year.

The plans for private space stations have been welcomed by NASA, which announced this year it plans to award up to $400 million in contracts for such projects.

Last week, another private space station project was announced by a group of cooperating American companies. Space services company Nanoracks said it was teaming up with Voyager Space and Lockheed Martin to develop the first-ever free flying commercial space station. The companies say that space station, to be called Starlab, should be operational by 2027.

Im Bryan Lynn.

Bryan Lynn wrote this report for VOA Learning English, based on reports from Reuters, Agence France-Presse, Sierra Space, Blue Origin, Nanoracks and NASA. Hai Do was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

Quiz - US Companies Seek to Develop Private Space Stations Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

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Words in This Story

address  n. the details of where a building is, including the number, road name, town, etc.

customer  n. someone who buys goods or services from a business

tourist  n. a person who travels to a place for pleasure

access  n. a way of getting near, at or to something or someone

amenity  n. a building, piece of equipment or service that is provided for peoples comfort of enjoyment

capsule  n. the part of a spacecraft that people live in

entity  n. something that exists apart from other things
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Since the early 1900s, physicians have traditionally dominated the field of medicine, possessing the power to determine who can provide which services and largely influencing the laws controlling medical practice in each state.

This started to change in the latter half of the 20th century, as cost containment became a large concern for policymakers, organizations and patients alike. Managed care started exerting influence over payment for health care services. What's more, physician shortages created additional needs for advanced practice nurses (APNs), who have more education and specialized training than registered nurses.

To determine the extent to which physician dominance has eroded since the start of the 21st century, researchers at Florida Atlantic University and Iowa State University analyzed 17 years of data.

"What we are seeing is that the public is becoming more comfortable with advanced practice nurses, and this is starting to be reflected more in state policies around the country," said Scott Feyereisen, Ph.D., lead author of the study and an assistant professor in health administration in FAU's College of Business. "While physicians are still viewed as powerful, the growing need for health care providers is winning."

The study, published in the Sociology of Health & Illness journal, did find that physician dominance was declining. However, only in less prestigious medical specialties, such as general practice and OB-GYN. So far, physicians have been successfully defending their turf in more prestigious specialties like anesthesiology, which is largely seen to be one of the most prestigious (and highest-paying) fields to be challenged by APNs.

APNs not only have different levels of autonomy in each field, but it also varies widely among states. Access to care can vary widely based on the extent to which APNs are able to work on their own in accordance with their training.

"What is fascinating about these results is that there are states where physician shortages exist, yet they still offer advanced practice nurses very little autonomy," said Neeraj Puro, Ph.D, a study co-author and assistant professor of health administration at FAU. "We think that states could improve their ability to offer more health care services by increasing the ability of APNs to practice to the full extent of their training."

Feyereisen and Puro worked on the study with FAU's William McConnell, Ph.D., an assistant professor of sociology, and Clayton Thomas, Ph.D., an assistant professor at Iowa State.

In conducting the study, the researchers reviewed scope of practice laws governing APNs for all 50 states from 2001-2017. Laws governing all four types of advanced practice nurses were considered: nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists, certified nurse specialists and nurse midwives.

More information: Scott Feyereisen et al, Physician dominance in the 21st century: Examining the rise of nonphysician autonomy through prevailing theoretical lenses, Sociology of Health & Illness (2021). Scott Feyereisen et al, Physician dominance in the 21st century: Examining the rise of nonphysician autonomy through prevailing theoretical lenses,(2021). DOI: 10.1111/1467-9566.13366
Transmission electron micrograph of SARS-CoV-2 virus particles isolated from a patient. Credit: NIAID

Instead of an invasive nasal swab, researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center are exploring the use of a unique breath test for the rapid screening of patients for COVID-19.

Results from the initial study in patients, published today in the journal PLOS ONE, found the breath test is highly accurate in identifying COVID-19 infections in critically ill patients.

"The gold standard for diagnosis of COVID-19 is a PCR test that requires an uncomfortable nasal swab and time in a lab to process the sample and obtain the results," said Dr. Matthew Exline, lead researcher, director of critical care at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center University Hospital and professor of internal medicine at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. "The breathalyzer test used in our study can detect COVID-19 within seconds."

COVID-19 infection produces a distinct breath print from the interaction of oxygen, nitric oxide and ammonia in the body. The breath detector device, developed by Pelagia-Irene Gouma, researcher and professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at The Ohio State University and Milutin Stanacevic, associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Stony Brook University, can detect the breath print of COVID-19 in exhaled breath within 15 seconds.

"This novel breathalyzer technology uses nanosensors to identify and measure specific biomarkers in the breath," said Gouma. "This is the first study to demonstrate the use of a nanosensor breathalyzer system to detect a viral infection from exhaled breath prints."

The study followed 46 patients in the intensive care unit with acute respiratory failure that required mechanical ventilation. Half of the patients had an active COVID-19 infection and the remaining half didn't have COVID-19. All patients had a PCR COVID-19 test when they were admitted to the unit.

Researchers collected exhaled breath bags from the patients on day 1, 3, 7 and 10 of their inpatient stay. The breath bag samples were tested within 4 hours of sample collection in a lab. The breath print was identified in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia with 88% accuracy upon admission to the ICU.

"PCR tests often miss early COVID-19 infections and results can be positive after the infection has resolved," Exline said. "However, this noninvasive breath test technology can pick up early COVID-19 infection within 72 hours of the onset of respiratory failure, allowing us to rapidly screen patients in a single step and exclude those without COVID-19 on mechanical ventilation."

The use of breathalyzer technology to rapidly diagnose patients with respiratory infections has the potential to greatly improve the ability to rapidly screen both patients and asymptomatic people. Future studies will look at the use of this technology for less severe COVID-19 patients and will explore whether other diseases and infections could benefit from it. The research team has applied to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization of the breathalyzer technology.

Dr. Andrew S. Bowman, associate professor in the Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, contributed to this study.

Explore further Breath tests could sniff out COVID-19
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

In the United States, uncertain consumers tend to prefer middle options as a smart choice, a robust decision phenomenon known as "the compromise effect." So when trying to promote COVID-19 vaccination, presenting it as the common or non-extreme choice may effectively win over those who are not yet vaccinated. However, does that approach hold the same sway in other countries? What about in Latin America and the Caribbean, where compromise options are viewed as weak or ambivalent? Or in areas of Asia where the compromise effect may be valued as demonstrating politeness, avoiding extreme positions that can cause friction?

In other words, when trying to promote the COVID-19 vaccine, where you live drastically impacts the effectiveness of your marketing strategy. That's the crux of the most recent research published by Stacy Wood, a marketing professor in NC State's Poole College of Management, along with colleagues Dr. Kevin Schulman and Muhammad Ali Pate. A paper of their findings, titled "Novel strategies to support global promotion of COVID-19 vaccination," was recently published in BMJ Global Health.

"This is honestly one of the most fascinating research projects I've worked on because we were able to tap into the expertise of marketing and behavior science faculty from around the worldFinland, Brazil, Uganda, India, Australia, Sweden, Israel and more," Wood says. "Almost 100 professors from across the globe put in time to assess the suitability and adaptability of 12 different vaccination promotion strategies."

Globally, they found that all 12 behavioral strategieswhich range from cognitive mechanisms such as using analogies to educate people to social mechanisms like prompting FOMO (fear of missing out) through the offering of incentivescould work well in their countries. Still, most needed regional adaptation in order to make the strategy successful.

To make the research even more impactful, the paper lays out examples of specific tactics that could be used in different regions in order to reduce vaccine hesitancy and increase the numbers of individuals willing to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.

For example, while all people may tend to value things that are scarce, leveraging the scarcity of vaccines to increase their perceived value should be approached, tactically, in different ways across different countries or cultures. Ugandans may need to frame the scarce vaccine as so precious that it is above corruption and explain that it will be distributed equally to all as it's available. In Niger, however, it might be helpful to show how the precious and scarce vaccine is offered first to esteemed leaders like chiefs, kings or religious leaders. Marketing experts in Chile may frame scarcity differently by highlighting the relative scarcity of the vaccine in other countriesand by explaining that since Chile has better access to the vaccine than its neighbors, it would be unfortunate to waste them.

"It is so important that we don't assume research conducted in the U.S. or other so-called WEIRD (Western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic) societies will be applicable to those in other parts of the world," Wood says. "Before offering strategies on how to support global vaccine promotion that have worked in the U.S., it's worth taking the time to collect insights and feedback from experts in various parts of the world. The variability in the advice offered by those experts demonstrates why this kind of research is critical, especially when the stakes are so high."

Explore further Experts tap into behavioral research to promote COVID-19 vaccination in the US

More information: Stacy Wood et al, Novel strategies to support global promotion of COVID-19 vaccination, BMJ Global Health (2021). Journal information: BMJ Global Health Stacy Wood et al, Novel strategies to support global promotion of COVID-19 vaccination,(2021). DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2021-006066
Fig. 1. Schematic diagram of the seven-day shifts, seven-night shifts, followed by seven days off roster cycle. Notes: Schematic diagram of the roster cycle, including flights to and from the mining operation, commute periods to and from the airport, shift type and number. Sleep duration and alertness levels during work time and on days off are provided for each day/night of the 21-day roster cycle. The roster cycle commences with a 0530 flight to the mining operation at the start of day shift 1. Credit: DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2021.103617

Fly-in fly-out (FIFO) shift workers are losing out on valuable sleep due to the design of rosters, individual lifestyle behaviors and the risk of potential prevalence of sleep disorders.

Edith Cowan University (ECU) conducted the biggest study of its kind in the global mining industry, monitoring the sleeping habits of 75 FIFO shift workers in Australia.

Study participants wore a validated sleep and activity tracking device for three weeks over a "two and one" work rotation, which comprises of seven day shifts, followed by seven night shifts and then a week off.

Participants also answered questions about their sleep and lifestyle behaviors.

The research found day shifts starting before 6am and requiring a wake-up time of 4am were reducing the opportunity to sleep and resulted in significant sleep loss prior to the shift.

Sleep duration was 77 minutes shorter following each night shift and 30 minutes shorter after day shifts, which resulted in an accumulated sleep debt before returning home for a seven-day rest period.

Research supervisor Dr. Ian Dunican said such sleep loss may result in poor alertness and fatigue during a shift, or as the number of shifts accumulate over the roster cycle of 14 consecutive shifts.

"The nature of the roster means people are typically working shifts in excess of 12 hours, plus travel, time for eating, exercise and downtime," he said.

"When all these activities are combined it leaves little opportunity to get eight hours of sleep; the reality is many workers are getting less than seven hours of sleep per night."

The study also found up to 60 percent of the participants were at risk of developing sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnoea and shift work disorder, which can contribute further to sleep loss if not treated.

The research is the first to determine the risk of the potential prevalence of sleep disorders in Australian miners.

It also reveals other unhealthy lifestyle factors of concern, such as high levels of obesity (23%) and hazardous alcohol consumption (36%).

The roster design combined with undiagnosed sleep disorders, hazardous alcohol consumption and obesity may be contributing to poor sleep patterns.

"Limited down time and struggles with falling asleep may also be influencing alcohol consumption," Dr. Dunican said.

"People may be turning to alcohol to help them get to sleep, but it's actually having a damaging effect on the quality of their sleep and their overall health."

A shift in thinking needed

Shift work is common in the mining industry as mining companies need to run their operations 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

However, Dr. Dunican said it was concerning to find such high proportions of FIFO workers experiencing acute sleep loss and reduced alertness during a shift.

"This creates a largely preventable health and safety risk," he said, recommending companies reassess their roster designs with an emphasis on ensuring workers are adequately rested.

"Even small changes to shift start and finish times can significantly decrease risk, improve sleep opportunities whilst not affecting production."

He said education on good sleep health practices and healthy lifestyles, along with sleep disorders screening and treatment programs, should be provided to help support the sleep health of shift workers.

"It's imperative we look for ways to improve the design of shifts and rosters and ensure workers are supported to have enough quality sleep and have access to help if they need it," he said.

Dr. Dunican said the study's findings have implications for shift workers from other industries, such as health care, manufacturing, travel, and logistics.

The researcher is currently examining the effectiveness of a sleep education program and biological feedback via smartphone application for FIFO mine workers to improve sleep and reduce risk.

"Digging for data: How sleep is losing out to roster design, sleep disorders, and lifestyle factors" was published in Applied Ergonomics.

More information: Gemma Maisey et al, Digging for data: How sleep is losing out to roster design, sleep disorders, and lifestyle factors, Applied Ergonomics (2021). Gemma Maisey et al, Digging for data: How sleep is losing out to roster design, sleep disorders, and lifestyle factors,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2021.103617
In this Jan. 26, 2016, file photo, a registered nurse draws a blood sample from a student at Eisenhower Elementary School in Flint, Mich. On Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021, U.S. health officials changed their definition of lead poisoning in young childrena move expected to more than double the number of kids with worrisome levels of the toxic metal in their blood. The more stringent standard announced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention means the number of children ages 1 to 5 considered to have high blood lead levels will grow from about 200,000 to about 500,000. Credit: AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File

U.S. health officials have changed their definition of lead poisoning in young childrena move expected to more than double the number of kids with worrisome levels of the toxic metal in their blood.

The more stringent standard announced Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention means the number of children ages 1 to 5 considered to have high blood lead levels will grow from about 200,000 to about 500,000.

Some experts think the change was overdue. The CDC last changed the definition nine years ago and pledged to consider an update every four years. But work on a revision hit obstacles during the Trump administration, said Patrick Breysse, who heads the CDC's National Center for Environmental Health.

Children can be exposed to lead through bits of old paint, contaminated dust, andin some citiesdrinking water that passes through lead pipes. The metal accumulates in the body, and at very high levels it can damage organs and cause seizures.

But it can have insidious effects at lower levels, tooespecially in young children. Kids can absorb four to five times as much lead as adults exposed to the same source, harming children's brain development and leading to attention and behavior problems.

"There is no safe lead level," Dr. Marissa Hauptman, a pediatrician at Boston Children's Hospital who sees children exposed to lead.

When a child is found to have elevated blood lead levels, public health officials are supposed to try to find the source and take steps to clean it up. Hauptman said she hoped the standard change would come with additional funding for that work, but CDC officials said there was now new funding accompanying Thursday's announcement.

Lead poisoning is assessed using a measurement of micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood. In the late 1970s, the average blood lead level in U.S. children ages 1 to 5 was 15 micrograms per deciliter. The most recently reported measure, covering the years 2011-2016, was 0.83 micrograms.

That drop among U.S. kids was attributed to laws that phased out the use of lead in paints and gasoline and other prevention and clean-up efforts. But as overall lead levels dropped, scientists accumulated evidence that even small amounts of lead can affect intellectual development.

In 1991, the standard for children was set at 10 micrograms per deciliter. In 2012, it was reduced to 5 micrograms. The new standard announced Thursday is 3.5 micrograms.

In this Thursday, June 17, 2021 file photo, a lead water service line from 1927 lies on the surface of a residential street after being removed in Denver. On Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021, U.S. health officials changed their definition of lead poisoning in young childrena move expected to more than double the number of kids with worrisome levels of the toxic metal in their blood. The more stringent standard announced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention means the number of children ages 1 to 5 considered to have high blood lead levels will grow from about 200,000 to about 500,000. Credit: AP Photo/Brittany Peterson, File

The change has been in the works for years. Health officials concluded in the waning days of the Obama administration that the standard should be lowered. But during the Trump administration it failed to achieve the necessary signoffs from entities like the White House Office of Management and Budget, Breysse said.

"This administration is more supportive," he said.

David Rosner, a Columbia University public health historian, said the CDC is "vulnerable to the political winds."

"The fact that they are doing it now is an indication they feel a little freed up," said Rosner, who has co-authored books about lead poisoning and other forms of pollution.

Lead exposure can be a problem anywhere, but research shows it's a larger problem in poor communities and is concentrated in cities in the Northeast and Midwest with older housing.

Hauptman said the standard change is complicated by the recent recall of a test kit.

Earlier this year, Magellan Diagnostics Inc. recalled some of its blood lead testing kits because some of them were giving falsely low blood lead levels. This month, the CDC notified doctors that the recall had been expanded to most of the kits distributed in the last year.

"When you are talking about a level of 3.5, that precision matters," Hauptman said.

Health officials have stressed that other types of blood lead testing have remained available. But some also noted the standard change comes at a time they are dealing with other challenges.

For example, the Baltimore City Health Department's lead screening programs were paused last year, as staff and resources were shifted to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. The department plans to resume its lead testing program in January, a spokesman said in an email.

Explore further Lead contamination found in blood of half of young kids in U.S.

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Little biomedical research is more heavily regulated and fraught with controversy than that of the embryo. Most embryos for research were originally intended for infertility treatment, but donors later consented to changing the purpose of their use. As iPS cell technology proceeds, however, eventually donors will only need to give blood samples, which can then be converted by iPS cell technology into sperm and eggs to produce embryos. Two new studies by CiRA bioethicists examine how much tolerance the Japanese public currently has for this type of research, with implications on how much will be permitted by the country.

While human babies being born from iPS cell technology is currently only science fiction, Prof. Misao Fujita of the Uehiro Research Division for iPS Cell Ethics at CiRA who led the studies, says that it will almost certainly be science in the future.

"Researchers have successfully made sperm and eggs from mouse stem cells to generate offspring. It is only a matter of time until we can do the same with humans," she said.

That is, if the science is permitted to continue unbound. A key factor in just how far science will go depends on how much society will allow it. Therefore, Fujita and her colleagues conducted an online survey of over 3000 Japanese at 20 to 80 years old to learn their opinions.

The participants were asked the extent to which they would accept human iPS cells being used for embryo research broken into four stages: not at all; up to the generation of sperm and egg to study embryo development and infertility (first stage); up to the generation of embryos to develop therapies and provide embryos for research (second stage); and, finally, up to the implantation of embryos into women who will eventually give birth (third stage).

"It is important to note that if respondents accept up to the third stage, it means that they accept the first and second stages as a precondition," stressed Dr. Kyoko Akatsuka, another author of the papers.

A clear majority were concerned that research could expose the child to unknown risk and promote designer babies, but the survey also found that the public was almost equally supportive of the four categories.

In other words, said Akatsuka, "more than three-quarters of people accept some level of this research and more than half accept it to create embryos."

Interestingly, those most opposed showed less interest in iPS cell research and a low understanding of its purpose. Furthermore, the acceptance of these embryos for reproductive purposes depended on the couple who would benefit from the research.

For example, the Japanese public was far more receptive if the parents were a heterosexual couple for whom infertility treatment was likely to fail than a homosexual couple, single parent, or even a heterosexual couple if the mother had already reached menopause.

These attitudes are consistent with the circumstances in Japan, explained Akatsuka, who said, "presently, only heterosexual married couples of reproductive age are eligible for infertility treatment in Japan."

Nevertheless, there are some inconsistencies that Fujita would like to see change.

"Japanese guidelines do not allow producing embryos from iPS cell-derived gametes while they allow producing embryos from real sperm and eggs. The Council for Science, Technology and Innovation at the Cabinet Office, where I am a member, has just started to examine the necesity of relaxing the current guidelines. I hope that our data can contribute to the discussion," she said.

Explore further A new breakthrough for treatment of male infertility

More information: Kyoko Akatsuka et al, Public attitudes in Japan toward the reproductive use of gametes derived from human-induced pluripotent stem cells, Future Science OA (2021). Kyoko Akatsuka et al, Public attitudes in Japan toward the reproductive use of gametes derived from human-induced pluripotent stem cells,(2021). DOI: 10.2144/fsoa-2021-0065 Tsutomu Sawai et al, Public attitudes in Japan toward the creation and use of gametes derived from human-induced pluripotent stem cells, Future Science OA (2021). DOI: 10.2144/fsoa-2021-0066
A float rolls down the street as part of the Krewe of Boo parade on Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021, in New Orleans. Credit: AP Photo/Rebecca Santana

New Orleans is largely ending a mandate requiring residents and visitors wear masks indoors as infections of the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus continue to fall, the city's mayor announced Wednesday.

Mayor LaToya Cantrell said in a news release the mandate will be lifted Friday, with some exceptions: Masks will still be required in healthcare facilities, on public transportation and in K-12 schools.

That comes as the city slowly revives some of the large-scale events that it was known for before the pandemic. On Saturday thousands crowded city streets for the first large paradeKrewe of Boosince Mardi Gras 2020. The 2020 parades were largely considered fuel for New Orleans becoming an early virus epicenter. Music festivals and parades that normally draw hundreds of thousands of people, including this year's Mardi Gras, were canceled.

But it increasingly looks as if the city will host Mardi Gras parades next year. On Friday, Cantrell said the parades will go ahead if there's no dramatic rise in coronavirus infections.

The city's mask mandate was implemented July 30 as the fourth coronavirus surge packed hospitals. Soon after, Gov. John Bel Edwards implemented a statewide mask mandate.

At the time, Louisiana had the nation's highest per capita COVID-19 infection growth and hospitals were inundated. New hospitalizations have fallen dramatically since, and Louisiana now has one of the nation's lowest rates of new infections.

A crowd gathers as the Krewe of Boo parades in New Orleans Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021. Witches, goblins and masked creatures took to the streets Saturday night in the city's first large, float parade since the pandemic ended such frivolity. Credit: Scott Threlkeld/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP

The Krewe of Boo parades in New Orleans Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021. Witches, goblins and masked creatures took to the streets Saturday night in the city's first large, float parade since the pandemic ended such frivolity. Credit: Scott Threlkeld/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell talks about evacuation plans at City Hall in New Orleans, Friday, Aug. 27, 2021. New Orleans is largely ending a mandate requiring residents and visitors wear masks indoors. The announcement Wednesday, Oct. 27 by Cantrell comes as infections of the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus continue to fall. Credit: Max Becherer/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP, File

The city's announcement comes one day after Edwards largely lifted the statewide mask mandate, saying the worst of the fourth surge appeared to be over.

But another key city measure requiring people to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to enter certain businesses will remain, the mayor said.

About 60% of New Orleans is fully vaccinated while 75% of those eligible for the shots are fully vaccinated, according to the news release.

Explore further Louisiana lifts mask mandate amid sharp drop in COVID cases

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

A new study casts doubt over claims that people are 'optimistically biased' about the future, a tendency that is thought to contribute to financial crises, people's failure to look after their health, or inaction over climate change.

For decades scientists have believed that people have an 'irrational optimism bias'they look too much to the bright side and underestimate their chances of negative experiences. while overestimating their chances of positive events.This over-optimistic tendency is taken into account by the UK government when planning large infrastructure projects.

However, a new study by researchers at the University of Bath, UCL, and Birkbeck, University of London, demonstrates flaws in research supporting the existence of optimism bias. According to the authors, prior studies have generated 'false positives' - data patterns that look like people are being over-optimistic, where no such bias exists.

The researchers conducted several experiments using a methodology that has been widely accepted in past optimism research. This methodologyknown as 'the update method'has participants estimate their chance of experiencing a life event and then re-estimate it after being provided with the average person's actual chance of experiencing the event.

Typically, this has been done with negative life events, like contracting a disease or getting a divorcebad news cases that would elicit a strong emotional response.

In this new study, published this week in the journal Cognition, the researchers tested the same 'update method' but removed the emotional element, using neutral examples such as participants estimating the chances of the next passing car being the color black.

Despite changing the examples and removing the emotional elements, the same optimistic pattern was observed, leading researchers to challenge the validity of the methods using in research claiming to prove optimism bias.

Lead researcher, Jason Burton, from Birkbeck said that "our experiments show that the method commonly used to evidence such optimism is flawed, giving rise to 'optimistic' belief updating where optimism is not possible. This is not to say that optimism bias cannot exist in the real world, but that new improved methods are needed. Essentially, current methods return false positives."

Co-researcher Punit Shah, Associate Professor from Bath's department of Psychology said that "there is of course evidence for optimism in certain situations, but that is not to say that humans are generally optimistic. Researchers and policy makers have made careers based on the idea of optimism bias, but it is time to reconsider evidence for this psychological phenomenon."

"Optimism bias is continually being used to guide large government projects, seemingly to manage projections about the time and financial costs of project. Our latest research, building on our previous research, supports a re-examination of optimism bias before it guides policy any further."

Explore further Study casts doubt on claim that people are over-optimistic

More information: Jason W. Burton et al, Optimism where there is none: Asymmetric belief updating observed with valence-neutral life events, Cognition (2021). Journal information: Cognition Jason W. Burton et al, Optimism where there is none: Asymmetric belief updating observed with valence-neutral life events,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2021.104939
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Attention beach-lovers seeking a break from the pandemic: Rio de Janeiro is lifting its COVID-19 mask requirement for outdoor areas effective from Thursday, the state's governor said, as once-pandemic-battered Brazil advances quickly with vaccinations.

"We are going to relax the requirement on wearing masks outdoors, which is cause for celebration," Governor Claudio Castro wrote on Twitter.

"More than a year and a half after the state of public emergency was declared over the pandemic, this is an important victory for us all."

The state legislature passed a bill removing the mask requirement Tuesday.

Masks will now be required in the Brazilian tourism capital only in indoor public spaces.

Nightclubs and concert venues in Rio will be authorized to reopen at half-capacity.

The capital Brasilia meanwhile plans to lift its outdoor mask mandate on November 3.

COVID-19 has claimed more than 600,000 lives in Brazil, second only to the United States.

After its immunization campaign got off to a rocky start, the South American country has now managed to fully vaccinate more than half of its 213 million people, and 72 percent of the population have received a first dose.

Explore further Louisiana lifts mask mandate amid sharp drop in COVID cases

 2021 AFP
An employee prepares vaccination certificates at vaccination center center in Dnipro, Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine, Tuesday, Oct.19, 2021. Ukraine is suffering through a surge in coronavirus infections, along with other parts of Eastern Europe and Russia. While vaccines are plentiful, there is a widespread reluctance to get them in many countries though notable exceptions include the Baltic nations, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Hungary. Credit: AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka

Truck driver Andriy Melnik never took the coronavirus seriously. With a friend, he bought a fake vaccination certificate so his travel documents would appear in order when he hauled cargo to other parts of Europe.

His view changed after the friend caught COVID-19 and ended up in an intensive care unit on a ventilator.

"It's not a tall tale. I see that this disease kills, and strong immunity wouldn't be enoughonly a vaccine can offer protection," said Melnik, 42, as he waited in Kyiv to get his shot. "I'm really scared and I'm pleading with doctors to help me correct my mistake."

Ukraine is suffering through a surge in coronavirus infections, along with other parts of Eastern Europe and Russia. While vaccines are plentiful, there is a widespread reluctance to get them in many countriesthough notable exceptions include the Baltic nations, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Hungary.

The slow pace of vaccinations in Eastern Europe is rooted in several factors, including public distrust and past experience with other vaccines, said Catherine Smallwood, the World Health Organization's Europe COVID-19 incident manager.

"We're seeing low vaccine uptake in a whole swath of countries across that part of the region," she told The Associated Press. "Historical issues around vaccines come into play. In some countries, the whole vaccine issue is politicized."

In this Friday, Oct. 22, 2021 file photo, an ambulance worker uses a pause to smoke a cigarette at a city hospital in Kramatorsk, Ukraine.Ukraine is suffering through a surge in coronavirus infections, along with other parts of Eastern Europe and Russia. While vaccines are plentiful, there is a widespread reluctance to get them in many countries though notable exceptions include the Baltic nations, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Hungary. Credit: AP Photo/Andriy Andriyenko, File

Russia on Thursday recorded 1,159 deaths in 24 hoursits largest daily toll since the pandemic beganwith only about a third of the country's nearly 146 million people fully vaccinated. The Kremlin ordered a national nonworking period starting this week and lasting until Nov. 7.

An official in Hungary announced Thursday that private companies can require that employees get vaccinated to work, a measure that could boost in the nation's stagnant vaccination rate. Government employees, including teachers, will also be required to vaccinate, the official said.

Poland on Thursday reported the highest number of daily new infections since May at over 8,000.

In Ukraine, only 16% of the adult population is fully vaccinatedthe second-lowest share in Europe after Armenia's rate of slightly over 7%.

Authorities in Ukraine are requiring teachers, government employees and other workers to get fully vaccinated by Nov. 8 or face a suspension in pay. In addition, proof of vaccination or a negative test is now needed to board planes, trains and long-distance buses.

In this Friday, Oct. 22, 2021 file photo, medical staff prepare a coffin for a body of a patient who died of coronavirus at the morgue of the city hospital 1 in Rivne, 300 kilometers (190 miles) west of Kyiv, Ukraine. Ukraine is suffering through a surge in coronavirus infections, along with other parts of Eastern Europe and Russia. While vaccines are plentiful, there is a widespread reluctance to get them in many countries though notable exceptions include the Baltic nations, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Hungary. Credit: AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka, File

This has created a booming black market in counterfeit documents. Fake vaccination certificates sell for the equivalent of $100-$300. There's even a phony version of the government's digital app, with bogus certificates already installed, said Mykhailo Fedorov, minister for digital transformation.

Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy chaired a meeting on how to combat the counterfeits. Police suspect workers at 15 hospitals of being involved. They have opened 800 criminal cases into such fakes and deployed 100 mobile units to track down users, said Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky. They even caught a former lawmaker with one last week.

Ukraine's low vaccination rate has led to the rapid spread of COVID-19, putting new stress on the country's already overworked health care system.

In this handout photo released by UNICEF, A nurse covers a patient with coronavirus with a blanket at the ICU at the regional hospital in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Friday, Oct. 15, 2021. Ukraine is suffering through a surge in coronavirus infections, along with other parts of Eastern Europe and Russia. While vaccines are plentiful, there is a widespread reluctance to get them in many countries though notable exceptions include the Baltic nations, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Hungary. Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka, UNICEF via AP

The hospital surgical ward in the town of Biliaivka, near the Black Sea port of Odessa, is now treating only coronavirus patients, with 50 of its 52 beds filled. Drugs and oxygen are in short supply.

"We are on the verge of catastrophe, pushed by aggressive opponents of vaccination and the lack of funds," said Dr. Serhiy Shvets, the head of the ward. "Regrettably, five workers in my ward have quit over the past week."

The situation looks similar at a 120-bed hospital in the western city of Chernivtsi, where Dr. Olha Kobevko says she has 126 patients in grave condition.

"I'm weeping in despair when I see that 99% of patients in serious condition with COVID-19 are unvaccinated, and those people could have protected themselves," the infectious disease specialist told AP. "We are left struggling to save them without sufficient drugs and resources."

In this Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021 file photo, medical staff members carry a cart with dead body out of the COVID-19 infection department in a city clinic in Kyiv, Ukraine. Ukraine is suffering through a surge in coronavirus infections, along with other parts of Eastern Europe and Russia. While vaccines are plentiful, there is a widespread reluctance to get them in many countries though notable exceptions include the Baltic nations, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Hungary. Credit: AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File

The current surge seems especially lethal, Kobevko said, with 10-23 patients dying daily at her hospital, compared with fewer than six per day last spring. The number of COVID-19 patients in their 30s and 40s has grown considerably, she added.

She blames widespread vaccine skepticism, influenced by social media and religious beliefs.

"Fake stories have spread widely, making people believe in microchips and genetic mutations," Kobevko said. "Some Orthodox priests have openly and aggressively urged people not to get vaccinated, and social networks have been filled with the most absurd rumors. Ukrainians have learned to distrust any authorities' initiatives, and vaccination isn't an exclusion."

Lidia Buiko, 72, chose to get the Chinese Sinovac shot, citing a falsehood that the Western vaccines contained microchips to control the population.

In this handout photo released by UNICEF, Doctors surgery a patient with coronavirus at the ICU department at the city hospital in Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, on Monday, Oct. 18, 2021. Ukraine is suffering through a surge in coronavirus infections, along with other parts of Eastern Europe and Russia. While vaccines are plentiful, there is a widespread reluctance to get them in many countries though notable exceptions include the Baltic nations, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Hungary. Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka, UNICEF via AP

"Priests have urged us to think twice about getting immunizedit would be impossible to get rid of the chip," she said as she waited in Kyiv.

Vaccine hesitancy exists even among medical workers. Health Minister Viktor Lyashko admitted that about half of Ukrainian medical workers are still reluctant to get them.

Murat Sahin, UNICEF representative in Ukraine, said false and misleading information about COVID-19 poses a growing threat.

"The risks of misinformation to vaccination have never been highernor have the stakes," he said.

Similar skepticism has been seen elsewhere in Eastern Europe, fueled by online misinformation, religious beliefs, distrust of government officials, and reliance on nontraditional treatments.

In Romania, where about 35% of adults are fully immunized, tighter restrictions took effect this week requiring vaccination certificates for many daily activities, such as going to the gym, the movies or shopping malls. There's a 10 p.m. curfew, shops close at 9 p.m., bars and nightclubs are closed for 30 day, and masks are mandatory in public.

In this Friday, Oct. 22, 2021 file photo, medical staff treat a patient with coronavirus at an ICU of the city hospital 1 in Rivne, 300 kilometers (190 miles) west of Kyiv, Ukraine. Ukraine is suffering through a surge in coronavirus infections, along with other parts of Eastern Europe and Russia. While vaccines are plentiful, there is a widespread reluctance to get them in many countries though notable exceptions include the Baltic nations, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Hungary. Credit: AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka, File

So many are "afraid of the vaccines because of the immense (amount of) fake information that has flooded social media and TV," said Dr. Dragos Zaharia of Bucharest's Marius Nasta Institute of Pneumology.

"Every day, we see people arriving with shortness of breath and most of them are feeling sorry for not being vaccinated," he told AP.

Bulgaria, which has only a quarter of its adult population fully vaccinated, also reported record infections and deaths this week. According to official data, Bulgaria has had the highest COVID-19 mortality rate in the 27-nation European Union for the past two weeks, and 94% of those deaths were of unvaccinated people.

Only 33% of Georgia's population has been fully vaccinated, and authorities launched a lottery with cash prizes for those getting shots. Still, Dr. Bidzina Kulumbegov bemoaned the slow pace of vaccinations.

In this Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021 file photo, a train conductor checks the Covid Certificate of passengers, at a train station in Kyiv, Ukraine, Ukraine. Ukraine is suffering through a surge in coronavirus infections, along with other parts of Eastern Europe and Russia. While vaccines are plentiful, there is a widespread reluctance to get them in many countries though notable exceptions include the Baltic nations, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Hungary. Credit: AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File

In this handout photo released by UNICEF, a nurse feeds a patient with coronavirus at the infectious department at the city hospital in Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, on Monday, Oct. 18, 2021. Ukraine is suffering through a surge in coronavirus infections, along with other parts of Eastern Europe and Russia. While vaccines are plentiful, there is a widespread reluctance to get them in many countries though notable exceptions include the Baltic nations, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Hungary. Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka, UNICEF via AP

In this handout photo released by UNICEF, Valeriy, a patient with coronavirus, breathes with an oxygen mask at the infectious department at the city hospital in Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, on Monday, Oct. 18, 2021. Valery died a few days after this picture was taken.Ukraine is suffering through a surge in coronavirus infections, along with other parts of Eastern Europe and Russia. While vaccines are plentiful, there is a widespread reluctance to get them in many countries though notable exceptions include the Baltic nations, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Hungary. Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka, UNICEF via AP

In this Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021 file photo, people take an antigen-test for COVID-19 before boarding a train in Kyiv, Ukraine. Ukraine is suffering through a surge in coronavirus infections, along with other parts of Eastern Europe and Russia. While vaccines are plentiful, there is a widespread reluctance to get them in many countries though notable exceptions include the Baltic nations, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Hungary. Credit: AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File

In this Friday, Oct. 22, 2021 file photo, medical stuff transport a body of a patient who died of coronavirus at morgue of the city hospital 1 in Rivne, 300 kilometers (190 miles) west of Kyiv, Ukraine. Ukraine is suffering through a surge in coronavirus infections, along with other parts of Eastern Europe and Russia. While vaccines are plentiful, there is a widespread reluctance to get them in many countries though notable exceptions include the Baltic nations, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Hungary. Credit: AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka, File

In this Friday, Oct. 22, 2021 file photo, the body of a patient who died of coronavirus lies in a coffin at the morgue of the city hospital 1 in Rivne, 300 kilometers (190 miles) west of Kyiv, Ukraine. Ukraine is suffering through a surge in coronavirus infections, along with other parts of Eastern Europe and Russia. While vaccines are plentiful, there is a widespread reluctance to get them in many countries though notable exceptions include the Baltic nations, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Hungary. Credit: AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka, File

In this Friday, Oct. 22, 2021 file photo, medical staff treat a patient with coronavirus at an ICU of the city hospital 1 in Rivne, 300 kilometers (190 miles) west of Kyiv, Ukraine. Ukraine is suffering through a surge in coronavirus infections, along with other parts of Eastern Europe and Russia. While vaccines are plentiful, there is a widespread reluctance to get them in many countries though notable exceptions include the Baltic nations, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Hungary. Credit: AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka, File

In this handout photo released by UNICEF, Vitaliy Romanov receives a shot of a vaccine against coronavirus in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021. Ukraine is suffering through a surge in coronavirus infections, along with other parts of Eastern Europe and Russia. While vaccines are plentiful, there is a widespread reluctance to get them in many countries though notable exceptions include the Baltic nations, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Hungary. Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka/UNICEF via AP

The government's information campaign "was not designed according to the peculiarities of our country. The emphasis should have been done, for instance, on the Georgian Orthodox Church, because we have many instances when priests are saying that vaccination is a sin," Kulumbegov said.

For Melnik, the Ukrainian truck driver, the fear of getting COVID-19 outweighed all other concerns.

"You can't cheat this illness," he said. "You can buy a counterfeit certificate, but you can't buy antibodies. Ukrainians are slowly starting to realize there is no alternative to vaccination."

Explore further Ukraine registers record daily number of COVID-19 deaths

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
From left, Alexandra Hansard, Sanjay Gokhale and George Alexandrakis. Credit: University of Texas at Arlington

Bioengineers and scientists at The University of Texas at Arlington, in collaboration with Austin's Shani Biotechnologies, LLC, have developed a new noninvasive technology that may help real-time monitoring of key blood parameters, such as hemoglobin, especially in Black patients.

George Alexandrakis, bioengineering associate professor, said the idea is to develop a wearable device, such as a watch or a monitor, "that would read the blood through the skin."

Most currently available methods for monitoring hemoglobin require blood samples and expensive equipment. The available noninvasive spectroscopic methods have a high degree of variability and often are inaccurate in people of color due to differences in skin melanin. There is a significant unmet need for a reliable, noninvasive device to estimate hemoglobin, irrespective of skin color, he said.

The device relies on the spectroscopic properties of hemoglobin in the blue-green light spectra, as opposed to the red-infrared spectra currently used in similar devices. The device is easy to use, utilizing a probe that is placed on the skin and measures reflected light from the skin, Alexandrakis said.

The UTA team is led by Alexandrakis, an internationally recognized expert in the field of biomedical optics, and Sanjay Gokhale, a medical scientist in Alexandrakis' lab whose research focuses on spectroscopic properties of adult and fetal hemoglobin.

In collaboration with Michael Nelson, associate professor of kinesiology at UTA, the team evaluated the novel device in more than 30 participants. They compared the hemoglobin values measured by the device to those measured by currently available point-of-care devices, as well as through standard blood tests. Preliminary results suggest the device can estimate hemoglobin with better accuracy and consistency than currently available comparable methods.

Alexandrakis said a follow-up study will involve patients in Arlington hospitals.

Vinoop Daggubati, MD, CEO of Shani Biotechnologies, LLC, an Austin-based biotechnology sponsor, recently spoke about the device at the 16th annual meeting of the Texas Center for Health Disparities' Community Approaches to Health Equity Conference and said the results are promising.

"We are planning larger studies in a variety of patient populations to advance the clinical development of the device," Duggubati said. "The technology has massive potential in health care settings, remote monitoring and embodiment into wearables. We are committed to closing the racial disparity in these diagnostic modalities to provide better care for African Americans, Hispanics and people of color. Our technology is a steppingstone toward achieving that goal."

Explore further Smartphone photos can be used to detect anemia
In this Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021 file photo, a health worker prepares a dose of China's Sinopharm vaccine during the start of a vaccination campaign against COVID-19 at the Health Ministry in Dakar, Senegal. African health officials and the United Nations warned Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021 of a looming shortage of up to 2 billion syringes for mainly low- and middle-income countries around the world. Credit: AP Photo/Leo Correa, File

African health officials and the United Nations are warning of a looming shortage of more than 2 billion syringes for mainly low- and middle-income countries around the world as the supply of COVID-19 doses rises, and routine vaccinations could be affected, too.

The U.N. children's agency said the shortfall would affect up to 2.2 billion auto-disposable syringes that lock automatically to prevent them from being used again. "We are not anticipating a significant supply shortage of the more standard syringes used in high-income countries," the agency said in a statement. It blamed "significantly higher demand," supply chain disruptions, national bans on syringe exports and an unpredictable supply of vaccines.

The threatened shortage comes as the flow of COVID-19 vaccine doses increases after months of delays to the African continent, the world's least protected region with less than 6% of its population of 1.3 billion people fully vaccinated. Just five of Africa's 54 countries are expected to reach the target of fully vaccinating 40% of their populations by year's end.

"The scarcity of syringes could paralyze progress," the World Health Organization's Africa director, Matshidiso Moeti, told reporters on Thursday. Already, some African countries including South Africa, Kenya and Rwanda have seen delays in receiving syringes, the WHO said.

In this Tuesday, May 25, 2021 file photo, a health worker picks syringes as seniors get vaccinated with the first dose of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine at the newly-opened mass vaccination program for the elderly at a drive-thru vaccination center in Johannesburg, South Africa. African health officials and the United Nations warned Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021 of a looming shortage of up to 2 billion syringes for mainly low- and middle-income countries around the world. Credit: AP Photo/Themba Hadebe, File

Routine childhood vaccinations "are going to be impacted," said Sibusiso Hlatjwako of the health organization PATH, which forecasts that the problem could persist "way into 2022." PATH looked at data from manufacturers and said more than 100 countries around the world use the auto-disposable syringes affected.

Overall, the modeling "shows a sizeable gap now," he said.

The syringe shortage is already complicating COVID-19 vaccination efforts in Rwanda, which has been receiving COVID-19 vaccines with a "very short shelf life" of sometimes a month or two before expiration dates, Sabin Nsanzimana with the Rwanda Biomedical Center told reporters.

"You have to get these syringes in a short timeline," he said, "otherwise you have vaccines expiring in your hands."

Health officials said another complication is that the Pfizer vaccine for COVID-19, used widely across Africa, requires a new and different syringe. There is no global stockpile for the new auto-disposable syringe, and the market for them is "tight and extremely competitive," the WHO said.

In this Friday, March 5, 2021 file photo, a nurse prepares to administer a dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India and provided through the global COVAX initiative, at Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. African health officials and the United Nations warned Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021 of a looming shortage of up to 2 billion syringes for mainly low- and middle-income countries around the world. Credit: AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File

In this June 3, 2021 file photo an elderly patient receives a dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, at a clinic at Orange Farm, near Johannesburg, South Africa. African health officials and the United Nations warned Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021 of a looming shortage of up to 2 billion syringes for mainly low- and middle-income countries around the world. Credit: AP Photo/Denis Farrell, File

The African continent has few syringe manufacturers and none that make the Pfizer one, the WHO said.

COVID-19 vaccine donations to African countries are now surpassing syringe availability, and countries in some cases are having to source syringes separately, WHO vaccination official Phionah Atuhebwe told reporters. "Without a plan, we should be in big trouble."

African health officials say the African continent is seeing a downward trend in new COVID-19 cases and deaths over the past month, but Moeti warned that another increase could come around the approaching holiday season.

The African continent has had more than 8.4 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, including more than 218,000 deaths.

Explore further Moderna to supply Africa with up to 110 million COVID doses

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus V.Makei meets the Ambassador of Vietnam

On October 28, 2021 the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, Vladimir Makei, met with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to the Republic of Belarus, Pham Hai, on the occasion of the completion of his diplomatic mission in Belarus.

During the meeting, the parties discussed the prospects for enhancing political cooperation between Belarus and Vietnam and promoting contacts at the highest and high levels, as well as topical issues of developing bilateral relations in the trade, economic, educational and humanitarian spheres. Special attention was paid to the implementation of joint projects in the field of industrial cooperation.



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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
South African technology services company EOH has released its financial results for the year ended 31 July 2021, revealing the organisation has swung operating profit to R147 million from a R1.3 billion loss last year.

The company said its work to close out legacy contracts and make targeted disposals over the last two years had resulted in more profit from a smaller revenue base of R7.9 billion.

Other notable improvements included gross profit margin climbing from 22% to 28% year-on-year, operating margins increasing to 2% from a -12% last year, and adjusted EBITA margin jumping to 9% from 0%.

EOH CEO Stephen van Coller said he was proud that the company had been rebuilt in such a short time frame.

Just two and a half years ago, the new EOH management team initiated a massive turnaround strategy for the Group, Van Coller said.

For the first time since I arrived, our current assets exceed our current liabilities, and we are well-positioned to progress the transformed EOH in supporting our customers to solve their business challenges using our innovative technology offerings.

Van Coller said EOH was now streamlined, profitable and winning new public and private sector contracts across multiple geographies.

EOH said it was keenly focused on enhancing its end-to-end technology solutions with future generation offerings that will position EOH as the leading technology solutions partner.

Van Coller said the company remained cautiously optimistic around the economys recovery over the next few months and how emerging economic trends may impact its business.

2021 has not been an easy year for EOH, with the company struggling to get away from a history of corrupt dealings.

The companys shares plummeted in August on the back of a public sector blacklisting threat and SIU investigation for corrupt contracts from years ago.

Since then, shares have recovered significantly from R4.60 to R8.09, indicating renewed trust in Van Collers ability to put the corruption to bed and bring the business back from the brink.

Van Coller has been forthcoming about EOHs dodgy past dealings and cooperated with the SIU, Hawks, and State Capture Inquiry in this regard.

That has made the company a soft target for government and law enforcement agencies to show that action is being taken against corruption.

Now read: EOH hammered in 2021
The future of robots is here as Tesla and Amazon have both just announced new robots. You may have heard about robots. In fact, you are almost guaranteed to have heard about them, but did you know that the future of robots -- as they appear in the movies -- has become a reality? In this article I will be talking about why I like the Amazon Astro robot better than the Tesla robot.

Lets look at the details of the Tesla bot by reporting some facts and then opinions. Elon Musk gave some of the facts in a YouTube video called Elon Musk REVEALS Tesla Bot (Full Presentation). First the Tesla robot has a black shiny screen with no eyes and is meant to receive commands from humans. The rest of the robot has a very humanoid form, standing about 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing 125 pounds with a carrying weight of 45 pounds. It has arms and legs and a head that looks relatively human.

Elon Musk states that the robot will be friendly and that most people will be able to overpower it. The robot is also equipped with eight cameras for auto pilot movements. It also has the ability to learn. Though Elon Musk does state that it will be mostly for dangerous jobs, most likely it will be used for restaurant jobs.

In my opinion this will be a bad solution for the economy, as removing jobs might make families who depend on restaurant work go bankrupt and will cause many financial problems. Another problem about using robots in restaurants could be that it can destroy cultures such as in Japan where being ambidextrous is a big thing. It can affect that culture by taking over sushi restaurants because it is very useful for chefs to be ambidextrous because of all the cutting in the process of cooking sushi. Cutting up food can be a dangerous job for humans, but robots wont consider this dangerous as they are made out of steel and cant accidentally cut themselves. This could remove the reason to be ambidextrous.

On the other hand, the Astro or Amazon robot is designed for household purposes. These facts were found on a website called The Verge, in an article by Dan Seifert called Say Hello to Astro, Alexa on Wheels. The Astro can investigate if an unknown human walks inside your house and it delivers a live feed video to the owner of the robot through an app. The robot also has helpful calling abilities, as it can be used as a phone for Facetime. Astro can also be just like Alexa, Amazon's other household robot, as Astro can answer questions and play music. Astros black screen also has the ability to show you the weather and act as a face for Astro.

Astro has three wheels and is equipped with an extendable camera that can adjust for video calls. This cute and useful robot seems more practical for households than the Tesla bot, which is more of a factory bot, so the Astro robot is my choice to purchase.

In conclusion, this is how the reality of robots has come true. As seen in movies, robots will play a role in factories, houses, and restaurants. So ready or not, the future of robots is here and soon they will become part of human life -- just make sure you choose the best bot for yours.

Caden Michela

6th Grade Journalism Class

Robert Louis Stevenson Middle School, St. Helena
Crime-and-courts

Law Enforcement

Update: Man shot by Napa Police dies; familys lawyer questions police account of shooting

Howard Yune, Register file photo Napa Police officers closed off Pear Tree Lane on the city's north side after an officer-involved shooting at the townhouse development Oct. 6. Jeremy Vellenoweth, the 26-year-old man who was shot in the incident, died in a Napa hospital Tuesday.

A day after the death of a 26-year-old Napa man following a shooting by police, a lawyer representing his family has begun questioning the departments account of the Oct. 6 incident.

The Vallejo-based attorney Dan Russo on Wednesday disputed Napa Police statements that Jeremy James Vellenoweth had threatened his father with a gun and then pointed the weapon at officers before his fatal shooting outside a Pear Tree Lane home.

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Furthermore, Vellenoweth was not pointing his firearm at police but upward when he was shot, and evidence points to at least two officers firing on him  possibly using a rifle  rather than one, Russo said in a telephone interview.

It is wrong to say that he threatened anyone with a gun because it is not true, said Russo.

Although Vellenoweths relatives had made no decision on a lawsuit or other legal action as of Wednesday, Russo moved to counter earlier Napa Police announcements that the incident arose after a man pointed a gun at his father during a family dispute and then, holding a firearm, acted in an imminent threatening manner when officers arrived at the home. A police statement on the day of the incident stated that one officer fired his service weapon and struck the man.

Vellenoweth died at 11:56 a.m. Tuesday at Providence Queen of the Valley Medical Center as the result of multiple gunshot wounds, according to Henry Wofford, spokesperson for the Napa County Coroners Office. He had been taken to the Napa hospital after the shooting, which followed a response by multiple officers to a townhouse in the 1600 block of Pear Tree Lane.

Family members decided to take Vellenoweth off life support, and he died 20 days after the shooting, according to Russo.

Update: Napa Police officer shoots armed man after report of family dispute, department says The shooting followed a reported family dispute that drew police to a north Napa townhouse development Wednesday, according to the department.

Attempts on Wednesday to contact Napa Police for comment on Vellenoweths death were unsuccessful. In an email Tuesday before the death was announced, police Lt. Chase Haag said the investigation into the shooting remains in the hands of the Napa County Major Crimes Task Force, with the Sheriffs Office in the lead.

According to Russo, Vellenoweths relatives are awaiting Napa Polices release of body camera video footage of the incident, which California requires law enforcement agencies to release within 45 days of an officer-involved shooting.

We think we know what happened, but we want to see if it is confirmed, and then the family will make some kind of decision, he said.

Russo added that Vellenoweth was likely intoxicated and suffering a mental breakdown, but had no criminal history or track record of violent behavior.

I think he was having a nervous breakdown, a mental health crisis, he said Wednesday. But he had no history of any kind of violence, any kind of fighting, any kind of arrests. He was from all accounts a very sweet kid. Its a tragedy no matter how you look at it.

Vellenoweth had worked at the Veterans Home of California in Yountville for four years, Russo added, an employment confirmed later Wednesday by Lindsey Sin, spokesperson for the state Department of Veterans Affairs that operates the military retirement complex. A Sacramento Bee database of state workers indicates Vellenoweth had been a groundskeeper at the Yountville facility since 2017.

We havent made a judgment on what happened that was actionable, but until we hear differently, it was handled inappropriately, said Russo. The question of whether (the police response) was appropriate in this case is up in the air until we see more evidence.

The death of Vellenoweth follows two other officer-involved shootings that occurred in 2020, both involving deputies with the Napa County Sheriffs Office.

On Oct. 5, Juan Adrian Garcia, a 47-year-old Napan, and father of three, was shot six times during a traffic stop at Highway 221 and Kaiser Road and died the next night. An Oakland civil-rights law firm filed a claim in January against Napa County, a prelude to a potential lawsuit, calling the death an unprovoked murder and saying Garcia was unarmed and not a threat to deputies, and that the deputy did not give him legally required warnings before firing his gun.

The Sheriff's Office said the deputy felt threatened because the man exited his vehicle and continued to approach the officer despite repeated warnings to stop.

Relatives of another man fatally shot by a Napa County deputy on April 24, 2020, filed a federal lawsuit against the county alleging excessive and unreasonable force. The suit, filed in March, arose from the death of the 24-year-old Napa resident Brandan Nylander near Napa County Airport at the end of a car pursuit from the Napa Walmart, where authorities said he stole ammunition and threw a hammer at a store employee before fleeing.

The Sheriff's Office said Nylander got out of his vehicle holding a shotgun and moved as if to seek cover behind his vehicle, which could have put him in a position to fire on arriving officers.
An attempted vehicle burglary outside an American Canyon hotel led to a police pursuit into Vallejo and the arrests of three teenagers early Wednesday morning, according to American Canyon Police.

At 2:30 a.m., officers were sent to the Fairfield Inn & Suites at 3800 Broadway (Highway 29) after reports of an attempt to steal the catalytic converter off a vehicle, according to police Chief Rick Greenberg. On arriving, police saw an Audi sedan speed away from the parking lot, and a check of its license plate revealed the car had been reported stolen in Alameda, Greenberg said.

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After the Audis driver failed to yield to police, a pursuit ensued on southbound 29 into Vallejo and continued until the car crashed on the on-ramp to westbound Highway 37, according to Greenberg. Officers, assisted by Vallejo Police and a California Highway Patrol helicopter, found three occupants hiding in thick brush and detained them, Greenberg said.

One of the suspects, 19-year-old Karina Jaqueline Melara-Barajas of Berkeley, was booked into the Napa County jail for investigation of burglary, vandalism, receiving stolen property, and conspiracy to commit a crime. She was released at 7:20 a.m. Wednesday, according to jail booking records.

The other two suspects, 16- and 15-year-old males from Alameda County, were released to parents, according to Greenberg, who said American Canyon Police will pursue felony allegations against the teens of evading officers.
A group of six males who were arrested after a theft from a Napa clothing store Wednesday afternoon may be connected to other thefts in the county, Napa Police reported.

At 2:17 p.m., the Polo Ralph Lauren shop at Napa Premium Outlets near Freeway Drive reported a group of males grabbing various items and then fleeing, two of them on foot toward Kilburn Avenue and the others into a Toyota Avalon sedan, according to Sgt. Aaron Medina. A Polo employee followed the suspects and got the cars license plate number, Medina said in an email.

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Police officers recognized the Toyota and the description of the suspects as matching a reported theft from the same outlet store Tuesday, the day before, according to Medina.

An officer located the car as it passed him at Highway 29 and the Imola Avenue exit, and police stopped the vehicle near the intersection of Highways 29 and 221 with help from the Napa County Sheriffs Office and a California Highway Patrol aircraft, Medina said, adding that the southbound lanes of 29 were closed during the police stop.

All of the cars occupants were detained by police, and about $2,000 in Ralph Lauren merchandise was recovered, along with items from other outlet stores, according to Medina.

Theft of $30,000 worth of sunglasses in Napa leads to police chase; three arrested A reported theft Friday from the Sunglass Hut outlet led to a pursuit and the arrest of three suspects in Richmond, according to Napa Police.

The only adult suspect, 18-year-old Jorge Murillo Becerra of Vallejo, was booked into the Napa County jail for investigation of criminal conspiracy before being released shortly before 8:30 p.m. Wednesday. Five male juveniles were taken to the Napa County juvenile hall.

The case remained under investigation Thursday, and Napa Police said the Polo incident may be related to other thefts elsewhere in Napa. Police are pursuing charges of grand theft and organized retail theft in the case, according to Medina.

Wednesday's theft was the second reported at the Napa outlet mall in less than two weeks. On Oct. 15, two San Francisco women and a teenager were arrested following a vehicle pursuit after more than $30,000 worth of sunglasses were stolen from the Sunglass Hut, according to police.
A day after the death of a 26-year-old Napa man following a shooting by police, a lawyer representing his family has begun questioning the departments account of the Oct. 6 incident.

The Vallejo-based attorney Dan Russo on Wednesday disputed Napa Police statements that Jeremy James Vellenoweth had threatened his father with a gun and then pointed the weapon at officers before his fatal shooting outside a Pear Tree Lane home.

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register. Special offer: $1 for your first 6 months!

Furthermore, Vellenoweth was not pointing his firearm at police but upward when he was shot, and evidence points to at least two officers firing on him  possibly using a rifle  rather than one, Russo said in a telephone interview.

It is wrong to say that he threatened anyone with a gun because it is not true, said Russo.

Although Vellenoweths relatives had made no decision on a lawsuit or other legal action as of Wednesday, Russo moved to counter earlier Napa Police announcements that the incident arose after a man pointed a gun at his father during a family dispute and then, holding a firearm, acted in an imminent threatening manner when officers arrived at the home. A police statement on the day of the incident stated that one officer fired his service weapon and struck the man.

Vellenoweth died at 11:56 a.m. Tuesday at Providence Queen of the Valley Medical Center as the result of multiple gunshot wounds, according to Henry Wofford, spokesperson for the Napa County Coroners Office. He had been taken to the Napa hospital after the shooting, which followed a response by multiple officers to a townhouse in the 1600 block of Pear Tree Lane.

Family members decided to take Vellenoweth off life support, and he died 20 days after the shooting, according to Russo.

Update: Napa Police officer shoots armed man after report of family dispute, department says The shooting followed a reported family dispute that drew police to a north Napa townhouse development Wednesday, according to the department.

Attempts on Wednesday to contact Napa Police for comment on Vellenoweths death were unsuccessful. In an email Tuesday before the death was announced, police Lt. Chase Haag said the investigation into the shooting remains in the hands of the Napa County Major Crimes Task Force, with the Sheriffs Office in the lead.

According to Russo, Vellenoweths relatives are awaiting Napa Polices release of body camera video footage of the incident, which California requires law enforcement agencies to release within 45 days of an officer-involved shooting.

We think we know what happened, but we want to see if it is confirmed, and then the family will make some kind of decision, he said.

Russo added that Vellenoweth was likely intoxicated and suffering a mental breakdown, but had no criminal history or track record of violent behavior.

I think he was having a nervous breakdown, a mental health crisis, he said Wednesday. But he had no history of any kind of violence, any kind of fighting, any kind of arrests. He was from all accounts a very sweet kid. Its a tragedy no matter how you look at it.

Vellenoweth had worked at the Veterans Home of California in Yountville for four years, Russo added, an employment confirmed later Wednesday by Lindsey Sin, spokesperson for the state Department of Veterans Affairs that operates the military retirement complex. A Sacramento Bee database of state workers indicates Vellenoweth had been a groundskeeper at the Yountville facility since 2017.

We havent made a judgment on what happened that was actionable, but until we hear differently, it was handled inappropriately, said Russo. The question of whether (the police response) was appropriate in this case is up in the air until we see more evidence.

The death of Vellenoweth follows two other officer-involved shootings that occurred in 2020, both involving deputies with the Napa County Sheriffs Office.

On Oct. 5, Juan Adrian Garcia, a 47-year-old Napan, and father of three, was shot six times during a traffic stop at Highway 221 and Kaiser Road and died the next night. An Oakland civil-rights law firm filed a claim in January against Napa County, a prelude to a potential lawsuit, calling the death an unprovoked murder and saying Garcia was unarmed and not a threat to deputies, and that the deputy did not give him legally required warnings before firing his gun.

The Sheriff's Office said the deputy felt threatened because the man exited his vehicle and continued to approach the officer despite repeated warnings to stop.

Relatives of another man fatally shot by a Napa County deputy on April 24, 2020, filed a federal lawsuit against the county alleging excessive and unreasonable force. The suit, filed in March, arose from the death of the 24-year-old Napa resident Brandan Nylander near Napa County Airport at the end of a car pursuit from the Napa Walmart, where authorities said he stole ammunition and threw a hammer at a store employee before fleeing.

The Sheriff's Office said Nylander got out of his vehicle holding a shotgun and moved as if to seek cover behind his vehicle, which could have put him in a position to fire on arriving officers.

You can reach Howard Yune at 530-763-2266 or hyune@napanews.com

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NEW YORK (AP)  Details are still emerging about how Alec Baldwin accidentally shot and killed a cinematographer on a New Mexico film set, but some political onlookers swiftly assigned guilt to one of Hollywood's most prominent liberals.

Right-wing pundits and politicians have long chafed at Baldwin's criticism of former President Donald Trump and his Trump parody on "Saturday Night Live." They wasted little time zeroing in on the actor who pulled the trigger. The hashtag #AlecForPrison ricocheted around Twitter.

Within hours of the shooting, Ohio Republican Senate candidate J.D. Vance asked Twitter to let Trump back on the social media platform that banned him after the Capitol insurrection. "We need Alec Baldwin tweets," Vance wrote.

By Monday, Trump's oldest son was selling $28 T-shirts on his official website with the slogan "Guns don't kill people, Alec Baldwin kills people." The post was later removed.

Gun violence has long divided the country, but the fact that some observers seemed to revel in Baldwin's role in the shooting added a political dimension to the tragedy. CNN host Jake Tapper on Sunday called Hutchins' death "heartbreaking for normal people."

"But there's something about our politics right now that is driving people away from our shared humanity," Tapper said.

Court records provided some details about the death of Halyna Hutchins on the set of "Rust" near Santa Fe, New Mexico. Authorities have said that the assistant director, Dave Halls, handed the weapon to Baldwin and announced "cold gun," indicating that the weapon was safe to use.

In an affidavit released Sunday night, the film's director, Joel Souza, said Baldwin was rehearsing a scene in which he drew a revolver from his holster and pointed it toward the camera, which Hutchins and Souza were behind. Souza, who was wounded by the shot, said the scene did not call for the use of live rounds.

It's not clear yet where the gun-handling protocol failed. Souza said the movie's guns were usually checked by armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and then again by Halls.

At least two people have aired doubts about Halls' safety record.

In an email statement to The Associated Press, a producer for the movie "Freedom's Path" confirmed Monday that Halls was fired from the 2019 production after a crew member suffered a minor injury "when a gun was unexpectedly discharged." The producer, who asked not to be identified by name, wrote that Halls "was removed from the set immediately." Production did not resume until Halls was gone.

Prop maker Maggie Goll on Sunday said she filed an internal complaint in 2019 over concerns about Halls' behavior on the set of Hulu's "Into the Dark" series. Goll said Halls disregarded safety protocols for weapons and pyrotechnics and tried to continue filming after the supervising pyrotechnician, who was diabetic, lost consciousness on set.

Neither Gutierrez-Reed nor Halls have responded to requests for comment on the shooting.

In the affidavit, cameraman Reid Russell said Baldwin had been careful with weapons. Russell was unsure whether the weapon was checked before it was handed to Baldwin.

In the aftermath of Hutchins' death, many in the film industry have argued that real guns should be replaced entirely by computer-generated effects.

"There should not have been a loaded gun on set," actor Riley Keough wrote on Instagram. "We don't need real guns, we can make replicas, and we have CGI. In my opinion, that is the issue here. Not Alec Baldwin."

And yet, as director Gigi Saul Guerrero observed, Baldwin has been the "face to this tragic story." The 63-year-old actor, a vocal advocate of gun-law reforms, has been widely mocked by the far-right on social media.

"Literally not one single thing that Alec Baldwin has said about Donald Trump and his supporters is going to age well," tweeted conservative commentator Candace Owens.

U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Colorado Republican, cited a tweet of Baldwin's last year supporting Black Lives Matter protesters in which Baldwin said he was going to make T-shirts that read: "My hands are up. Please don't shoot me!" Wrote Boebert: "Alec Baldwin, are these still available? Asking for a movie producer."

Boebert received widespread criticism. Actor George Takei said Boebert had "no soul." Actress Rosanna Arquette wrote: "This was a tragic and horrible accident. Ms. Boebart and you should be ashamed of yourself politicizing it." But Boebert stood by her tweet.

"You crazy Blue Checks want to take away our right to defend ourselves with a firearm, and know NOTHING about basic gun safety!" Boebert wrote. "If this was a conservative celebrity you'd be calling for his head."

The film's chief electrician, Serge Svetnoy, blamed producers for Hutchins' death in an emotional Facebook post Sunday. Svetnoy faulted "negligence and unprofessionalism" among those handling weapons on the set, and claimed producers hired an inexperienced armorer.

"I'm sure that we had the professionals in every department, but one  the department that was responsible for the weapons," Svetnoy wrote. "The person who should have checked this weapon before bringing it to the set did not do it. And the DEATH OF THE HUMAN IS THE RESULT!"

A spokesman for the film's production company, Rust Movie Productions LLC, has said it is cooperating with authorities and conducting an internal review. The company said it was halting production on the film but signaled it may resume in the future.

Baldwin has said he is cooperating with the law enforcement investigation and described the shooting as a "tragic accident."

***

Associated Press writers Hillel Italie in New York and Lindsey Bahr in Pittsburgh contributed to this report.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  The family of a mentally ill man who was shot nine times by a police officer in a wealthy San Francisco Bay area suburb has received a $4.9 million settlement from the town and county where the officer worked, nearly three years after the 2018 fatal shooting, the familys lawyer said Wednesday.

The announcement of the settlement in the lawsuit brought by the family of 33-year-old Laudemer Arboleda came a day after a jury convicted Officer Andrew Hall in the related criminal case.

The jury on Tuesday convicted Hall of felony assault with a firearm in Arboledas death but deadlocked on the more serious charge of voluntary manslaughter.

The guilty verdict marked the first felony conviction of a law enforcement officer in Contra Costa County, which is east of San Francisco, over an on-duty police shooting.

The lawyer for Arboleda's family, John Burris, said the countys Board of Supervisors agreed to settle the familys wrongful death lawsuit earlier this month while Halls trial was underway but did not discuss that decision publicly during the trial.

The lawsuit named as defendants the town of Danville, the County of Contra Costa and Hall, who shot Arboleda nine times while he was slowly driving away from police.

I hope the message this sends is that the public will hold police accountable for police misconduct, said Burris. And that cities and counties have some responsibility to train their officers in such a way that they do not use deadly force under circumstance where it is unnecessary.

Officials for the town and county did not immediately respond to phone messages seeking comment about the settlement.

Hall faces up to 17 years in prison for the shooting, which happened on Nov. 3, 2018 after a Danville resident called 911 to report that a man later identified as Arboleda was knocking on doors and lingering outside homes in a cul-de-sac.

Officers who responded saw Arboleda get into into his car and drive away. He then led officers on a 9-minute, slow-speed chase through Danville.

Hall heard about the pursuit over his patrol car radio and pulled his cruiser to an intersection in an effort to block Arboledas car.

Police video shows Hall stepping in the path of Arboledas vehicle and firing a volley of shots into the windshield and passenger-side window. Hall fired 10 bullets and nine hit Arboleda.

The lawsuit was filed in June 2019, long before criminal charges were brought against Hall earlier this year. The lawsuit claimed that Hall inexplicably opened fire" on Arboleda, who was unarmed, and that the county and town breached their duty to the public by failing to discipline Hall for the misconduct.

The Contra Costa Sheriffs Office, which has a contract to provide police services to Danville, cleared Hall of misconduct after a nine-month investigation into Arboledas shooting.

Contra Costas District Attorney Diana Becton was criticized for spending two and a half years reviewing the case before bringing charges against Hall in April 2021.

During that period, Hall fatally shot another 33-year-old man, Tyrell Wilson, a Black homeless man whose family said suffered from depression and paranoia. The shooting of Wilson is still under investigation.

During Halls three-week trial, prosecutors and defense attorneys presented competing narratives, alternately asking the jury to sympathize with the deputys need to make split-second decisions or the troubled victim whose only crime was not stopping for police.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP)  A Maryland congressman announced Wednesday that he has deactivated his official congressional and campaign Facebook and Instagram accounts until their parent company and Congress make substantial reforms to protect children, health and democratic values.

Democratic Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger said his decision follows disturbing whistleblower reports about the company's own research revealing harm to democracy, the mental health of teens and the amplification of hate speech.

In a news release, Ruppersberger cited a report in The Washington Post that Facebooks algorithm at one time treated angry reactions as five times more valuable than likes, disproportionately promoting content that was likely to include misinformation, toxicity and low-quality news.

Facebooks basic business model sows division and disinformation and I can no longer use it  and promote it from my official mediums  in good conscience for the time being, Ruppersberger said. While Facebook must do better to police themselves, Congress must also act and pass reasonable social media reforms.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has previously disputed whistleblower Frances Haugen's portrayal of the company as one that puts profit over the well-being of its users, or that pushes divisive content.

Ruppersberger said his Twitter account will remain active. He also emphasized that he and his staff are available to take constituents calls, emails  even faxes.

See full coverage of The Facebook Papers here: https://apnews.com/hub/the-facebook-papers

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
The best wines come from vines that struggle. Its an old, oft-repeated vine-country saying and theres evidence that its valid.

Dan Berger On Wine: Harvest 2021 in California: smaller in size, phenomenal in quality Californias 2021 harvest will prove to be smaller in size statewide than the average of the last six years, but quality looks phenomenal, almost across the board.

The indignities some vines must endure annually can lead to a tension that winemakers appreciate in many of the worlds finest wines. Of course, no one likes to see vines taken to risky extremes, such as multi-year droughts that are hard to cope with. Resulting wines dont usually benefit from droughts.

Among the commonly known difficulties that some grapevines endure are heat, frost, rain, floods (vines hate wet feet), humidity levels (either too high or too low), and temperature variations that go well beyond the norm. The U.S. West Coast is rarely visited by such plagues.

The above adage suggests that some of the best wines come from vineyards that barely survive. Among the diciest of vineyards are those that grow in truly cold climates, where theres scarcely enough warmth to ripen fruit.

Dan Berger On Wine: Napa Redux: A Judgment of Paris burnout? In Napa they are once more celebrating the 1976 Judgment of Paris, but are the Napa Cabernets of today anything like those that triumphed in Paris 45 years ago?

Defining cold climate in viticulture terms isnt easy, partially because grape varieties differ and weather conditions can have subtle variations, making them unpredictable and occasionally making wines with aberrational aromatics and curious flavors.

And yet many cold-climate wines can be appealing, especially to flexible wine lovers.

In general, the colder a region is, the more divergent its wines are. And diversity can make wines that are fascinating. Its why some people prefer Zinfandels from Dry Creek Valley and others opt for Rockpile.

Berkeley wine merchant Kermit Lynch says he prefers traditional grapes that do best in their historic homelands. In his recent newsletter, he wrote, We look for Chenin Blanc in the Loire Valley, Sangiovese in Tuscany, and Syrah in the northern Rhone  grapes and areas that have a time-honored and deeply ingrained culture.

Then he added, But every now and then, we do come across a gorgeous, terroir-driven Sauvignon Blanc from Alto Adige or Chardonnay from Friuli, and we cant resist. After all, certain grape varieties are exceptionally chameleon-like, able to reflect the unique beauty of their surroundings as much as or more so than any core flavor profile of their own.

Cold vineyards usually do this strikingly, displaying enthralling variations that can provide added personality to a grape variety. Some call for a learning curve.

The Sauvignon Blancs of New Zealands Marlborough district is a case in point. Buffeted by strong, cold winds from both eastern and western South Island coasts, NZSB grapevines react by producing exotic flavors. Twenty-five years ago, they were misunderstood by most Americans; today theyre widely comprehended and appreciated.

New Zealand has other cool/cold regions that produce beguiling flavors that occasionally make for love-or-hate wines. True wine lovers appreciate such distinctive flavors  such as the many Martinborough Syrahs. The same grape also does well in other cold areas  like Australias northern Victoria, Canadas Okanagan Valley, parts of Monterey County, the foggiest spots in Russian River Valley, and perpetually cold, windy Petaluma Gap.

Other North American cool/cold climate wine regions include benchland wind-tunnel Santa Lucia Highlands (Monterey County); marine-influenced Santa Barbara and Santa Maria valleys; Michigans lake-adjacent twin upper peninsulas; New Yorks Finger Lakes district, and both Ontario and British Columbia in Canada.

Also, there are cold pockets in Washingtons cool Columbia Valley; most of Oregons diverse wine country; Snake River Valley in Idaho; portions of western Colorado; Pennsylvania; New Jersey; Rhode Island; Virginia, and Ohio.

(Minnesota and the Dakotas are so cold its best to grow hybrid grapes specially bred to withstand annual snows and freezing temps.)

Some wine experts once derided cold-climate. wines, calling them herbaceous. Today many of the same wines command high prices and are in demand. What makes them similar to one another is that the cold weather generates a distinctive black pepper component in some wines that sophisticated buyers adore.

However, cold-climate wines arent yet widely heralded. Rarely do they get broad recognition. Higher acidity allows them to work great with food and age well, but seldom are such wines called hedonistic or delicious, which seems to be mandatory to grab the attention of some critics.

That may be because such wines occasionally have traces of dried or fresh herbs, which is one of the risks of growing grapes in cold areas. And such wines often are lower in alcohol.

But so what?! They can be strikingly varietal and mesmerizing, especially with food! Yet many of the worlds supposedly authoritative wine journals have long said we are supposed to hate herbaceous wines.

The charisma of cold- or cool-climate wines may be growing.

Lets start with one of the great Riesling areas outside its fatherland, Germany: Australias Clare Valley. It produces fabulous dry Rieslings, even though its not really a cold area. It just has very cold nights

I got a lesson in this about 30 years ago on a visit to the Clare. While walking in a vineyard one afternoon at about 3 p.m., with the temperature well above 100, the grower I was with asked where my jacket was.

In my rental car, I replied.

Youll need it in an hour, mate, he said, and he was right: Clares diurnal swings can exceed 50! Temps drop quickly. By 4:15 I was shivering.

Chardonnay and Pinot Noir also prefer cool weather, but some regions are so cool that neither of those varieties is reliable enough to plant heavily. A year ago, I tasted a wonderful Pinot Noir from New Jersey. The winemaker said he could make a wine that good only every so often!

In southern Napa and Sonoma counties, the Carneros district once was so cool that only Chardonnay and Pinot Noir were recommended for it.

Yet even then, in the 1980s, I was a huge supporter of putting Merlot in the ground there because it was on the edge of disaster there. And oh, my! how wonderful those cooler-climate Merlots were. (Which made it truly sad when a large Sonoma Carneros winery ripped out all of its Merlot and planted more Chardonnay. Marketing people said it was easier to sell another ordinary Chardonnay than a great Merlot.)

Global climate change has warmed Carneros recently, but cool breezes off San Pablo Bay keep it cool enough for Chardonnay and PN. Now some wineries there are finding success with Syrah.

I usually like cold-area wines because they can have a great balance between fruit, acid, minerality, and true varietal identity.

Such wines almost cannot be compromised by the kind of excessive heat, sun, and later-harvesting that seems to be so widespread in California. The Mediterranean climates in most of California make juicier wines that are higher in alcohol and easier for most buyers to sip.

There is a kind of continental-ness to many of the cold-climate wines, many of which are still disparaged by some critics, especially those who wouldnt know a varietal aroma if it slapped them in the philtrum.

Varietal aromatics arent essential in wines, but it surely is one way of looking at the distinctiveness thats part of the terroir of a region  which should be revered, not condemned.

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register. Special offer: $1 for your first 6 months!

Also, the potential of cold-clime wines to age beautifully is widely known. (See Wine of the Week.)

I consider cold-climate wine-growing to be a heros job mainly because it aint easy. It takes a huge commitment to deal with struggling vines. Farmers who do it annually deliver rewards that sophisticated buyers can appreciate. And plaudits to winemakers who cleave to wines like these!

Newcomers to wine, however, can have a hard time understanding such wines, especially on release.

Last week I tasted a 2019 Pinot Noir from grapes off the new, exciting Petaluma Gap appellation. I told the winemaker the aroma was just like a Gap wine, with that trace of cranberry thats typical of the area.

He replied, Thats what you get in cold regions like the Gap, he said. The vines struggle.

I asked if I could recommend the wine to my readers. He said, Thanks, but it wont be out for about two more years. We just released our 2017. This one needs a lot of time.

Cold-climate wine lovers seem to be willing to trade some early accessibility for the glories of maturity.

Wine of the Week

2019 Thirty Seven Riesling, Petaluma Gap ($24)  Grapefruit rind, Granny Smith apples, kiwi, and star fruit mark the dramatic aroma of this completely dry white wine thats so austere that even Riesling sophisticates will realize that serving it chilled isnt necessary. Cool is sufficient. The aftertaste is fascinating with a slight petrol note that will only improve the wine over the next 5 to 10 years! Its a great example of how flavors can develop in cold wine-growing areas such as the Petaluma Gap. It has recently received gold medals at wine competitions. Bottle Barn in Santa Rosa has it for $20.

Dan Berger lives in Sonoma County, Calif., where he publishes "Vintage Experiences," a subscription-only wine newsletter. Write to him at winenut@gmail.com. He is also co-host of California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon on KSRO Radio, 1350 AM.
Man, 29, jumps from Yerevan bridge

Armenia MFA confirms PM Pashinyan's readiness to meet with Azerbaijans Aliyev on December 15

Quake shakes coast of Vanuatu

State minister: Nationwide quarantine, specific restrictions planned to be imposed in Karabakh

Artsakh President convenes National Security Service consultation

Opposition MP: Armenia FM stated that Turkey has proposed new precondition: corridor

Armenia military expert: US Embassy warns its citizens to avoid Karahunj-Davit Bek, Kapan-Chakaten road sections

Armenia opposition MP: Air carrier operating flights from Syunik Province cannot have any security guarantees

Singapore is good example for Armenia, says President Sarkissian

Iran seizes foreign ship in Persian Gulf

2 Azerbaijanis injured in anti-tank mine explosion at Karabakh conflict zone

US, Turkey presidential advisors discuss situation in South Caucasus

Synopsys boss pays tribute to Armenian Genocide victims

Russia peacekeepers escort 15 convoys to, from Artsakh in one week

Catholicos Karekin II to Patriarch Kirill: We appreciate your warm attitude towards Armenian Church, people

China fines Alibaba for violating antitrust law

36 new cases of coronavirus reported in Karabakh

UK Premier Johnson considering boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics

Artsakh President visits Askeran city, meets with regional capitals youth

President to Russia Patriarch: Armenian people highly value your efforts aimed at achieving peace in our region

870 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

8 injured in tragic accident on Yerevan-Gyumri motorway are discharged from hospital

China, Russia, US agree to promote political dialogue on Iran

Azerbaijan mother, son commit suicide on same day

One pedestrian dies on the spot, other hospitalized after hit by car in Armenia village area

US beauty consultant is accused of killing woman by injecting silicone into her butt

Brazil Amazon deforestation reaches highest level in 15 years

Newspaper: Armenia soldiers are prohibited from filming episodes from their service, posting them on internet

Newspaper: Armenia opposition is forming large-scale resistance network

Armenia President visits National University of Singapore

Gia, wanted by French law-enforcement authorities, found at Armenia's Bagratashen checkpoint

Leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia agree to meet in Brussels

European Council: Pashinyan and Aliyev agreed to establish direct communication line at level of defense ministers

Armenia's Representative to OSCE speaks about Azerbaijan's recent attack at Permanent Council's session

Armenia serviceman Meruzhan Harutyunyan, killed in Syunik Province, was buried at Yerablur Military Pantheon

Armenian News-NEWS.am's special report: Drive from Kapan to Tchakatashen is 150 km instead of previous 8 km

3 Armenian servicemen killed during Nov. 16 Azerbaijani attack posthumously awarded presidential medals

Left-wing trade unions hold protest against Turkey's Erdogan in Izmir

Armenia FM presents situation following Azerbaijani attack during meeting with Lithuanian Seimas Vice-President

Armenia delegation covers Azerbaijan's Nov. 16 attack during online meeting of CSTO PA Permanent Commissions

Armenia PM receives delegation led by Vice President of Lithuanian Seimas

Lavrov, Cavusoglu discuss bilateral ties and regional issues

Karabakh: Azerbaijani side, in Shushi, transfers bodies of 3 Armenian soldiers killed on Nov. 16

NEWS.am daily digest: 19.11.21

Armenian Embassy in Russia: Armenia citizens - mother and child - evacuated from Afghanistan

Georgia refuses to be a part of '3+3' format with regard to South Caucasus

The occupied Hadrut of our days (PHOTOS)

Arabologist: Photo of map of Turkic world shown by Erdogan and Bahceli is simply a gift for Armenian diplomacy

Situation is tense in Armenia's Kasakh, residents protesting against acting village head (LIVE)

Opposition With Honor legislature faction MP: No one knows if Armenia petitioned to Russia for military assistance

Armenia opposition MP: There is a threat that Baku will always get what it wants through use of force

Lavrov is certain that the Russia-Armenia-Azerbaijan summit will take place

Ann Linde: OSCE working very closely with Russia to resolve Karabakh conflict

Karabakh FM congratulates newly appointed Abkhazia counterpart

Dollar relatively stable in Armenia

Armenia parliament majority members do not deny possibility of exchange of territories with Azerbaijan

Armenia ruling party MP: Public and competent authorities need to know circumstances behind captures of soldiers

Armenia ruling party MP assures that situation on the border is currently stable

Armenia ruling party MP: Confidentiality of process of preparing for demarcation is strictly necessary

Armenia PM: Citizens of EEU countries will be able to receive loans in all territories of member states

Armenian serviceman, 19, dies in Georgia's Akhalkalaki

Armenia legislature majority faction lawmaker: Russia military intervention is not end in itself

High commissioner: Diaspora is considering ways to help hundreds of Ethiopia Armenians

Opposition With Honor parliament faction: Armenia authorities trying to push territorial losses issue to backburner

Legislature majority faction MP: Armenia authorities do not make any demands on Russia

Opposition Armenia Faction in parliament: Authorities are unable to distinguish between priority and secondary issues

3 more die of coronavirus in Artsakh

Bruno Retailleau: France must support Armenia more firmly against aggressions by Azerbaijan

Armenia parliament majority faction: Border delimitation preparation process will start from point zero

PM: Armenia exports to other EEU countries increased by 27.8%

Armenias Pashinyan: Azerbaijan provocations are aimed at disrupting arrangements reached by trilateral statements

California Armenian couple accused of fraud flee leaving their 3 children behind

799 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Katherine Clark: Azerbaijan must acknowledge and respect Armenian sovereignty

Eurasian Intergovernmental Council enlarged meeting underway in Yerevan

Russia peacekeepers patrol along Karabakh border delimitation line

MOD: According to current data Armenia has 6 military casualties as result of Tuesdays attack by Azerbaijan

Turkish Islamic preachers organization denies reports of his death

Newspaper: What happened to missing Armenia soldiers during recent hostilities?

Armenia MOD dismisses reports about not allowing officers with higher rank than major to go up to combat positions

US virtually completes development of new tactical nuclear gravity bomb B61-12

Newspaper: Officers with higher rank than major not allowed to combat positions during recent hostilities in Syunik

Opposition MP: Granting corridor to Azerbaijan through Syunik Province will be gravest crime against Armenia

US Department of State representative says why Azerbaijan is not invited to Summit for Democracy

Armenian human rights activists to submit letters to ECHR regarding soldiers captured and considered missing

Armenia FM stresses importance of addressable response to Azerbaijan's actions during talk with Greek counterpart

Ex-ruling party official: Armenia authorities found reason for MOD's resignation after his visit to Karabakh

Republican Party of Armenia spokesperson: Nikol Pashinyan gave a confessional testimony in parliament yesterday

Armenia President talks about states' collective responsibility at Bloomberg New Economy Forum

Turkish website reports poisoning of Fetullah Gulen

Armenia FM holds phone talks with Cypriot counterpart, presents situation created after Azerbaijani attack

Mirzoyan, Zas discuss CSTO's possible actions to stabilize situation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border, if necessary

Mothers of deceased servicemen demand Armenia PM's resignation

Azerbaijani Armed Forces open fire at tractor in Armenia's Verin Shorzha village

Putin: Events unfolding on Armenia-Azerbaijan border attest to fact that situation has not calmed down in the region

Lithuania supports Armenia's territorial integrity

NEWS.am daily digest: 18.11.21

Ex-ruling party official: Incumbent authorities created deliberately organized chaos in Armenia

Armenia Prosecutor General's Office to examine news about 6 Azeri servicemen captured and then secretly returned

Dollar goes up in Armenia
Armenia is ready for the process of border delimitation and demarcation with Azerbaijan. Secretary of the Security Council, Armen Grigoryan, noted about this at a briefing with reporters Thursday.

"One of its important approaches is for the mirror withdrawal of the Armenian and Azerbaijani troops, the Armenian and Azerbaijani border troops to be deployed in those territories, and we to start the process of delimitation and demarcation. No such thing is planned until November 10, but you know that we [i.e., Armenia] have announced our readiness to start that work," he said.

At the same time, Grigoryan noted that there are no obstacles for Armenia in this regard at the moment.

"We have announced that we are ready to start the process of demarcation and delimitation; we await a positive signal from Azerbaijan in that regard," Grigoryan said.

He noted that Azerbaijan has made a respective statement before the UN, but this process is not moving forward.

"It seems that they made such a statement at the UN in September, but we are unable to move forward in this regard. As for a precondition or something, I will find it difficult to say why Azerbaijan does not start the process of demarcation and delimitation," Grigoryan said.

He added that the first process of the border demarcation in the years of the ex-Soviet Union had begun in the 1920s, ended in 1929, and the basis of the maps formed later was the map of those years.

" The maps that shall be put on the basis of the negotiations have been discussed in the working group," Grigoryan said.
Members of the British Armenian humanitarian group have called on UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to demand, during his meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, the immediate and unconditional release of ALL Armenian prisoners of war (POWs) and civilian hostages held illegally in Baku prisons. In an open letter to Johnson, they noted as follows:

We urge Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Government to address Britains close economic partner, the government of Azerbaijan during his visit to the UK, for the immediate and unconditional release of ALL Armenian prisoners of war (POWs) and civilian hostages held illegally in Baku prisons, nearly a year after the trilateral Ceasefire Agreement of 9 November 2020 signed by the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia. This huge humanitarian crisis of the Armenian people in homeland and in the diaspora alike, threatens the peace and the stability in the entire region and beyond. Azerbaijan refuses to comply with Article 8 of the Agreement and continues to hold over 200 POWs and civilians. On the other hand, Armenia, fulfilling the terms of the above agreement, has duly returned ALL Azerbaijani POWs, including two murderers imprisoned years before the recent war in Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan, meanwhile, has returned only 108 Armenian hostages until today.

During the height of the global pandemic - in the early morning hours of 27 September 2020 - the armed forces of Azerbaijan launched a large-scale military attack against Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) on the entire length of the contact line. Azerbaijan - under the commandment of Ilham Aliyev and the military support of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan - had recruited around 4000 ISIS mercenaries from Syria, Turkey and Pakistan to fight against ethnic Armenians using the most barbaric methods [1]. The mercenaries were paid $2500 and were promised an extra $100 for every beheading of Armenian civilian or soldier.

In September 2021, the cases of 39 Armenian hostages, who were brutally murdered after the above-mentioned ceasefire, were filed in the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). Azerbaijan continues to conceal the exact number of Armenian hostages held in Baku and systematically refuses to cooperate with the European Court.

Single mother Lusine Darbinyan told the shocking fate of her only child, Gagik, who would have turned 20 on the 14 September 2021. The 19-year-old conscript Gagik Mkrtchyan was captured a month after the Ceasefire Agreement after being lost in the woods with his comrades and waiting to be rescued near Hadrut in Nagorno-Karabakh. In April 2021, Gagiks dismembered body was returned to his grieving mother: decapitated and covered with harrowing wounds. During the interview, Gagiks grieving mother reported that her son was brutally tortured, the skin on his arm was ripped off, his ribs were completely broken, and there were burn marks covering his body. His internal organs were also missing [2]. This kind of brutality only emphasizes that the Ceasefire Agreement is being made a mockery of by Aliyev and demonstrates that Azerbaijan does not foster peace between the two countries or the wider region.

Furthermore, in the summer of 2021, sham trials of 58 Armenian hostages were set up at the Baku Court for Grave Crimes without the provision of legal representation for the hostages. Armenian hostages were banned access to family lawyers and were too intimidated to communicate with their families. The longest sentences (20 years of imprisonment) was given to Lebanese-Armenian citizen Vicken Eujekjian, Armenian servicemen Ludwig Mkrtchyan and Alyosha Khosrovyan under fake allegations which they are unable to challenge. All 58 sentences were carried out without international monitoring or using any international norms which substantiate a fair trial. According to the Third Geneva Convention for prisoners of war, all 58 sentenced Armenian POWs should be immediately returned to their families.

The latest report by Armenias Human Rights Defender of September 2021 contains shocking testimonies from the released hostages about Bakus state-sponsored systematic inhumane treatment of ethnic Armenians held in Azerbaijan. Several prisoners, brave enough to testify, told that they were kept chained with their hands tied to a radiator or heating rod for several days and forced to lie on the floor while others were kept handcuffed in a seated position for days on end [3]. These shocking brutalities were carried out for one simple reason only: their ethnic origin.

As war crimes committed by Aliyevs regime against ethnic Armenians stay unpunished, Azerbaijans military has become more brazen and continues to take further hostages, even from the sovereign Republic of Armenia. The latest incident occurred on the 22 August 2021, when the commander of the local division, Arthur Davidyan (age 32) was announced missing near Sev Lake. We have been campaigning for his release from captivity with his family members living in Bedfordshire, UK.

Among leaders invited to the Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, is Azerbaijans President Aliyev, whose despicable war crimes remain unchallenged by the UK government [4]. Aliyevs twenty-year-old autocratic rule in Azerbaijan has eliminated all opposition in his country, retained the media and press under tight censorship, made his family and the ruling class billionaires and oil magnates, who notoriously bribe foreign politicians and MPs without any hesitation or embarrassment [5]. The recent BBC program Pandora Papers disclosed merely the tip of the corruption scandal associating the Aliyev family with Britain.

We, as members of the British Armenian community and citizens of Great Britain, urge Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Government to discuss the crisis of POWs with President Aliyev during his visit to the UK demanding the following:

 the immediate and unconditional release of all ethnic Armenian civilian captives and POWs;

 urgent access of international bodies, including lawyers, monitors and diplomats, to all Armenian POWs to assess their health, detention conditions and court procedures;

 to disclose the accurate number of Armenian POWs and captives with, whether alive or killed in detention.

We take this opportunity to bring to your attention our global Petition with 35.000 signatures demanding the release of all Armenian POWs and captives addressed to decision makers at the United Nations and the Council of Europe, OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received Substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State at the Holy See, Archbishop Edgar Pena Parra and the delegation led by him. The meeting was attended by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to the Vatican Karen Nazaryan and the Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See Archbishop Jose Avelino Bettencourt.

In his welcoming remarks PM Pashinyan said,

Your Excellency, dear members of the delegation,

Welcome to the Republic of Armenia. I would like to reaffirm our readiness and determination to develop interstate relations with the Holy See, and I am glad that the Apostolic Nunciature of the Holy See was officially opened in Yerevan yesterday. It will be a very strong impetus for our relationship.

Our relations have deep historical basis, and they are also based on common Christian values, which is a very important fact. In this regard, I would like to thank you for the important positions expressed by the Holy See during the 44-day war. I also attach great importance to our cooperation in the preservation of the Armenian cultural and Christian cultural heritage in the territories under the control of Azerbaijan.

We are grateful to His Holiness for his commitment to deepen our bilateral relations. I remember, of course, our telephone conversation with His Holiness during the difficult time. Please convey my greetings to His Holiness and to Secretary of State Cardinal Parolin. I welcome you again, I am glad for this opportunity to meet and discuss the issues on the agenda of our relations.

The Substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State at the Holy See said in his turn,

Thank you, honorable Mr. Prime Minister. Today is the second and last day of my visit. I was in Yerevan on the occasion of the opening of the Holy See Embassy, the Apostolic Nunciature, and took the opportunity to meet with the Armenian authorities. Thank you very much for hosting me and our delegation.

I would like to thank you for this meeting and emphasize that the opening of the Holy See's Apostolic Nunciature will continue to strengthen our bilateral relations, especially in the areas we have already discussed in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other state bodies that are important for our relations.

His Holiness and Cardinal Parolin convey greetings and best wishes to personally you and the Republic of Armenia. We will continue to cooperate on our common agenda, focusing on a number of important issues, including the issue of Armenian war prisoners.

The Prime Minister thanked for the Popes calls for the immediate release of the Armenian prisoners of war held by Azerbaijan, and his readiness to continue the steps taken in this direction, emphasizing that international support is needed to resolve the issue.

The interlocutors exchanged views on Armenia-Vatican relations and regional issues. Nikol Pashinyan noted that the Armenian government is committed to the agenda of opening a peaceful era in the region, but the commitment of all the involved parties to that process is important. Both sides highlighted the contribution of the Holy See and Armenia to the maintenance of global peace.

Edgar Pena Parra assured that the Holy See will continue its efforts to preserve the Armenian religious and cultural heritage in the territories under the control of Azerbaijan and to resolve the issue of the return of Armenian prisoners of war.

The Prime Minister attached importance to the fraternal ties between the Roman Catholic, Armenian Apostolic and Armenian Catholic Churches, which is a solid foundation for Armenia-Vatican relations. Nikol Pashinyan expressed confidence that this dynamic will be maintained and will further develop as a result of the opening of the diplomatic mission of the Vatican in Armenia.
Three horses of one of the residents of Khnatsakh village of Tegh community of Syunik Province of Armenia have crossed over to the Azerbaijani side; two have returned, but one is still on the adversarys side. This is what representative of the administration of Khnatsakh Anushavan Hovakimyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

They took three horses this morning, two of which escaped and came back. They probably tied one horse, the other two escaped and approached our military post. Our border guard called me on the phone and told me to tell the shepherd to go and take the horses, Hovakimyan informed.

Hovakimyan said he and the residents have informed the Armenian and Russian border guards, who are working on returning the other horse.

The cattle go and find themselves on the Azerbaijani side when they are released. There are distant pastures, but we cant take the cattle there due to the snow. This is why we came down to the village. Before the war, the cattle of our village were released in the pastures that are now near the Azerbaijani side. When they are released, the cattle go to that side, Hovakimyan stated.

There have been similar cases in the previous months, and the Armenian side had succeeded in bringing back the cattle.
Theres nothing Egill Bjarnason enjoys more than a good story. Like the October day in 1975 when 90 percent of the women in his native country of Iceland decided to take the day off.

Flights were cancelled, classrooms sat empty, and bankers found themselves answering phones as women gathered in downtown Reykjavik to protest the fact they were paid less and didnt get the same opportunities as men. One woman, anthropologist Sigridur Duna, a child at the time, recalled how the smell of burning meat filled her neighborhood as men attempted to cook, with catastrophic results.

That 24 hours of ringing phones and spoiled dinners would, however, reverberate around the world, as UC Santa Cruz alum Bjarnason writes in his 2021 book, How Iceland Changed the World: The Big History of a Small Island. Five years later, Iceland would elect former theater director Vigdis Finnbogadottir as president, the worlds first democratically elected female head of state, and set the stage for Iceland to become a global role model in gender-equality policy.

That story is just one in Bjarnasons 288-page tome, which the New York Times called a joyously peculiar book that explains exactly how one tiny island has influenced the world. Published by Penguin, the book reflects Bjarnasons time at UC Santa Cruz where he earned a masters degree in social documentation in 2015. His stories are quirky and inspiring, often told through the eyes of everyday Icelanders, an independent, risk-taking, confident people who didnt have a word for nepotism until 1995 since almost everyone is more or less related and thats just how things worked.

Theres the story of the open scorn the feisty Icelanders had for the Nazis who came to explore the island and how the tiny nation helped prevent Germany from winning the Battle of the Atlantic. Another tale documents the role Iceland played in birthing the country of Israel when the islands freshly minted ambassador to the U.N. did what any good Icelander would do and took a job nobody else wanted because Icelanders dont duck responsibility. He ended up heading a U.N. ad hoc committee tasked with deciding what to do with Palestine and delivered a rousing speech urging the international body to vote for a two-state solution, according to Bjarnason.

I think one of the basic principles of Soc Doc [the Social Documentation program at UC Santa Cruz] is about giving voice to people being left out of the local, national, and global conversations, said B. Ruby Rich, emerita professor of film and digital media at UC Santa Cruz, and finding a way to let those voices be communicated and recognized.  I think he [Bjarnason] may very well have used the Soc Doc idea that you can change the lens and see a different version of history and geography for his book.

Bjarnason, now a freelance journalist for media companies from the New York Times to the Associated Press, agreed.

Speaking by phone from his home in the northern beach town of Husavik, Iceland, he said, I always liked the Soc Doc idea that you can initiate change with stories and that stories are the best way to move things forward; to get people to look at an issue and mobilize change.

Bjarnasons career as a storyteller began when he was still a teenager. At 18, he quit school and headed to Palestine to explore and document life there. With the wry sense of humor that permeates his book, Bjarnason explained how, in a country of only 360,000 people, Icelanders tend to be filled with self-importance, which breeds confidence and also risk-taking. So, a failure, like dropping out of school, is easily forgiven in that country.

The way the school system is set up in Iceland, it incentivizes dropouts, Bjarnason, 33, said with a sparkle in his voice. I totally blame the school system.

After Palestine, he got a bachelors degree in political science, worked as a journalist, and then came to UC Santa Cruz as a Fulbright Scholar. At UC Santa Cruz, he said, he not only mastered technical skills but also learned the importance of planning, commitment, and being nimble. His thesis film, Once the Ice Melts, for example, started out as a film about mining and ended up as an exploration of what happens when globalization and climate change meet an Indigenous community in Greenland.

His book was born after he returned to Iceland and began working as a freelance journalist. The Associated Press, he said, approached him about researching and penning a series of pre-written obituaries for influential Icelanders. The AP keeps an archive of obituaries for famous people that can be quickly sent out to other media when someone dies.

And that got me thinking about the theme of my book: how Iceland has made an impact on world history, Bjarnason said.

He spent eight years researching and writing the book, creating a narrative that is both approachable and view-changing.

Now working on a proposal for another book project and penning articles for news organizations, Bjarnason believes Icelands next appearance on the world stage will be centered on environmental solutions to climate change.

Iceland is making an impact on being greener and finding green solutions, he said. I think thats going to be my theme for the next couple of years."
Unprecedented observations of a nearby supernova in 2020 have given astronomers an extraordinarily detailed look at the explosion of a massive star, including images taken immediately before and after the explosion. The result is a complete picture of the death of a red supergiant star when it runs out of fuel, collapses under its own gravity, and explodes in a core-collapse supernova.

"We used to talk about supernova work like we were crime scene investigators, where we would show up after the fact and try to figure out what happened to that star," explained Ryan Foley, an assistant professor of astronomy and astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz. "This is a different situation, because we really know what's going on and we actually see the death in real time."

Foleys team reported their findings in a paper published October 21 in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

The supernova, called SN 2020fqv, is in the interacting Butterfly Galaxies, which are located about 60 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo. It was discovered in April 2020 by the Zwicky Transient Facility at the Palomar Observatory in San Diego, California. Astronomers realized that the supernova was simultaneously being observed by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), a NASA satellite designed primarily to discover exoplanets. They quickly trained the Hubble Space Telescope on it as well as a suite of ground-based telescopes, including at UCs Lick Observatory and at the Keck and Gemini Observatories in Hawaii.

Together, these observatories gave a holistic view of a star in the very earliest stage of destruction. Hubble probed the material very close to the star, called circumstellar material, just hours after the explosion. This material was blown off the star in the last year of its life. These observations allowed astronomers to understand what was happening to the star just before it died.

"We rarely get to examine this very close-in circumstellar material since it is only visible for a very short time and we usually don't start observing a supernova until at least a few days after the explosion," explained first author Samaporn Tinyanont, a postdoctoral researcher at UCSC. "For this supernova, we were able make ultra-rapid observations with Hubble, giving unprecedented coverage of the region right next to the star that exploded."

TESS provided an image of the system every 30 minutes starting several days before the explosion through the explosion itself and continuing for several weeks. The team also looked at Hubble observations of the star going back to the 1990s. Hubble was used again starting only hours after astronomers first detected the explosion. And from studying the circumstellar material with Hubble, the scientists gained an understanding of what was happening around the star in the previous decade. By combining all of this information, the team was able to create a multi-decade look at the star's final years.

"Now we have this whole story about what's happening to the star in the years before it died, through the time of death, and then the aftermath of that," said Foley. "This is really the most detailed view of stars like this in their last moments and how they explode."

The Rosetta Stone of Supernovas

Tinyanont and Foley have called SN 2020fqv "the Rosetta Stone of supernovas." The ancient Rosetta Stone, which has the same text inscribed in three different scripts, helped experts learn to read Egyptian hieroglyphs.

In the case of this supernova, the science team used several different methods to determine the mass of the exploding star. These included comparing the properties and the evolution of the supernova with theoretical models; using information from a 1997 archival Hubble image of the star to rule out higher mass stars; and using Keck observations to directly measure the amount of oxygen in the supernova, which probes the mass of the star. The results are all consistent: around 14 to 15 times the mass of the sun. Accurately determining the mass of the star that explodes in a supernova is crucial to understanding how massive stars live and die.

This is the first time we've been able to verify the mass with these three different methods for one supernova, and all of them are consistent, said Tinyanont. Now we can push forward using these different methods and combining them, because there are a lot of other supernovas where we have masses from one method but not another.

The findings also indicate that the star had a complicated history of mass loss a few years before core collapse. In the years before stars explode, they tend to become more active. Some astronomers point to the red supergiant Betelgeuse, which has recently been belching significant amounts of material, and they wonder if this star will soon go supernova. While Foley doubts Betelgeuse will imminently explode, he does think we should take such stellar outbursts seriously.

"This could be a warning system," said Foley. "So if you see a star start to shake around a bit, start acting up, then maybe we should pay more attention and really try to understand what's going on there before it explodes. As we find more and more of these supernovas with this sort of excellent data set, we'll be able to understand better what's happening in the last few years of a star's life."

Foley noted that these unique observations of a supernova were carried out during the COVID-19 lockdowns in the spring of 2020 and required extraordinary efforts and coordination by a large number of people, mostly working from home. Many observatories were shut down for part of the time, but they reopened soon enough to obtain crucial data for the study.

It was fantastic how people worked together to make this happen, Foley said. A lot of people were involved, and it was logistically complicated, but in the end the data we got were amazing.
The Daily Beast

Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/GettyKENOSHAKyle Rittenhouse, the notorious, gun-toting white teenager accused of murdering two people and trying to kill a third during a police-violence protest last August, has been found not guilty on all the charges against him in a Wisconsin courtroom.Rittenhouse, 18, faced a slew of charges, including first-degree reckless homicide, over his conduct on Aug. 25, 2020, amid unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, after the police shooting of J
Will and James Get Back OUT There to New Orleans in New Video Series With Out Traveler Magazine

Laissez Le Bon Temps Rouler  Let the good times roll in New Orleans, Louisiana, on our sixth episode of Get Back Out There with Out Traveler!

If youve been following us over the past year, youd know that this city holds a special place in our hearts. *Spoiler Alert* Its where we got engaged, won The Amazing Race: Season 32, and where we will be getting married later this year. Every time we visit New Orleans, we experience something new which makes for an exciting destination to revisit because there is so much to see, experience and savor! You might spend your entire trip focused only on the delectable cuisine options or by soaking in the historical and cultural sites of the French Quarter but one thing is for certain, no matter who you are, come as you are because you are destined to receive a warm welcome in the Big Easy.

Exclusive Sneak Peek of Will & Jamess New Orleans Episode of Get Back Out There

Will & James in front of Cafe Lafitte in Exile in the French Quarter

The Rainbow Fleur de Lis Walking Tour with Frank Perez

Particularly during eerie fall nights, visitors to New Orleans might book a voodoo or haunted tour through the French Quarter or the citys graveyards, but with its rich LGBTQ+ history, its worth taking a walking tour to explore it. We absolutely loved and enjoyed the Rainbow Fleur de Lis Walking Tour with Frank Perez (pictured in opening photo), otherwise known as French Quarter Frank.

During the tour youll discover more about queer authors Tennessee Williams and Truman Capote, who both frequented New Orleans and had homes in the French Quarter. The critically acclaimed play A Streetcar Named Desire, written while Williams was living in the city and is named after a streetcar line that passed his apartment on St. Peter Street. The best thing we learned during our experience was that queer and trans folks have long had a major hand in making New Orleans, particularly the French Quarter, what it is today. One such place is the gay bar Cafe Lafitte in Exile located on Bourbon Street, which happens to be the oldest continuously running gay bar in the United States.

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Will and James Get Back OUT There to New Orleans in New Video Series With Out Traveler Magazine

Will gives the birthday boy a kiss at the Higgins Hotel

Carl Macks Mardi Gras Museum of Costume and Culture

Each year Mardi Gras, or Carnival, takes place from January 6 until Fat Tuesday, celebrating the last final day of excess before the deprivation of the Catholic Lent that stretches into Easter. Events are put together by numerous Krewes, the fraternity organizations that host extravagant balls and fabulous celebrations each year. While the pandemic threw the ability to host large celebrations off-course, the traditions are still celebrated as groups anxiously await being able to gather in person again. In order to learn about this special history of LGBTQ+ Mardi Gras traditions, travelers should visit Carl Macks Mardi Gras Museum of Costume and Culture, which is full of showstopping costumes from past celebrations. Its a sequin and rhinestone heaven with beads as far as the eye can see! Mardi Gras is so unique to New Orleans and if you get the opportunity to attend one of the many parades or balls hosted each year, you should take advantage of the opportunity!

Will and James Get Back OUT There to New Orleans in New Video Series With Out Traveler Magazine

Will & James share a laugh at the Peacock Room at the Hotel Fontenot

Bars, Dining, & Drag Show OH, MY!

We happened to be in the city for James birthday and delighted in a delicious dinner at the newly opened Peacock Room at the Hotel Fontenot. This entire space had such a vibe! From the moment you walk in, you cant help but be enchanted by all the vibrant blue, green, purple, and gold decor with stunning wallpaper that features beautifully designed peacocks. As you can imagine, the menu was simply divine and the food we were able to try was delicious but what we really appreciated was the Pride themed drink that was the color of the rainbow. We loved feeling as though we were in a safe, supportive, and inclusive space for our community.

Peacock Room at the Hotel Fontenot

Happy birthday, James!

New Orleans has always been home to the LGBTQ+ community  even if its a gothic mansion of a home, one that sometimes falls into disrepair or draws disparaging stares. The city has only become more inclusive and embracing of LGBTQ+ travelers, who today will find themselves easily drawn into the local queer community in the Big Easy. The city that holds hurricane parties rolls with the punches and the muddy Mississippi River. Floods and pandemics can dampen the citys spirit but theyll never extinguish the flame that burns bright in this bayou.

Whether youre looking to hit the bars on Bourbon Street, experience the flavors of New Orleans or enjoy a local drag show - youre bound to find something youll love! LGBTQ+ travelers can and should feel safe and excited about the many spaces that are inclusive for the queer community in New Orleans. Take advantage of every minute you have in this beautiful city, there is so much to see that you dont want to miss a thing!

Watch the New Orleans episode of our YouTube series Get Back Out There below:

A version of this guide apears in print in Out Traveler Issue #25. You can read the entire digital edition here.
A settler clears and burns a patch of the Amazon jungle near Maragua, Brazil. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

By all measures, Giovane Garrido Mendonca should be a logger.

His father and grandfather and great-grandfather all made their livings felling thick trees deep in the Brazilian Amazon. As a child, Mendonca often tagged along, proudly toting his fathers chainsaw.

But Mendonca isnt a logger. Hes a tour guide.

In 2008, the government turned hundreds of thousands of acres of rainforest surrounding the tiny community of Tumbira into a sustainable development reserve. To dissuade residents from razing the jungle, a nonprofit helped the village open an eco resort.

As wide swaths of the Amazon are clearcut or burned to clear land for cattle or agriculture, critically reducing the forest's ability to absorb carbon from the atmosphere, Mendonca takes visitors on camping trips along the lush banks of the Rio Negro.

Im 24 years old, he said. And Ive never cut down a single tree.

Giovane Garrido Mendonca is a tour guide in the Amazon even though he comes from a long line of loggers who harvested timber from the jungle near Tumbira, Brazil. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

In the world's race to slow climate change, the success story in Tumbira represents the smallest of victories, demonstrating both what is possible and how far there is to go.

Such efforts won't matter much unless a handful of countries  China, the United States, Japan, India and Brazil to name a few  take immediate action on a massive scale to dramatically slash their planet-warming carbon emissions.

That daunting task takes center stage Sunday when delegates from nearly 200 nations meet in Glasgow, Scotland, to commence the two-week United Nations climate summit known as COP26. Failure to reach a course-changing agreement could usher in the environmental calamity scientists have been warning about for years .

We can either save our world or condemn humanity to a hellish future, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a tweet to COP26 delegates.

Unlike past conferences in Paris or Kyoto, Glasgow will take place when the effects of the crisis are being felt acutely.

In the Middle East, groundwater sources are being quickly depleted, causing neighborhoods in the Iranian capital of Tehran to begin sinking.

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In Western Europe, more than 200 people died this summer after days of record rainfall triggered floods that swept away centuries-old villages.

People rest from cleaning up the debris of the flood disaster in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, Germany, on July 19, 2021. (Bram Janssen/Associated Press)

And in the Pacific Northwest, a summer heat wave obliterated records for temperatures in the region and killed dozens of people.

Such extreme weather events are expected to become much more common if the temperature increase over preindustrial times surpasses 2.7 degrees  a threshold that scientists predict will be reached by 2030 under current trajectories.

More than 2 degrees of warming has already occurred. Holding the increase to 2.7 degrees would require curtailing global emissions by 55% over the next nine years  more than seven times the current pledges, according to the U.N. Environment Program.

The COVID-19 pandemic gave the world a glimpse of the sort of annual reductions that are needed. Emissions fell 6.4% in 2020 after swaths of industry and most international travel came to a halt.

But fossil fuel consumption has since rebounded  so much so that the International Energy Agency estimates that by the end of this year, emissions will approach 2019 levels.

U.S. climate envoy John Kerry called the summit the the last, best chance to stave off catastrophe.

To reverse course, world leaders in Scotland must agree to the steepest emissions cuts ever at a time when economies are faltering, geopolitical tensions are rising and a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic drags on.

To measure progress, nations are being asked to put forth so-called nationally determined contributions that enhance pledges to reduce emissions made in Paris six years ago.

Leading the charge among developed nations are Britain and the United States. Using 2005 emissions as a baseline, they are aiming for cuts of at least 63% and 52%, respectively. Actual reductions now stand at 28% and 12%.

Challenges abound. At home, President Biden is struggling to enact the full scope of his climate agenda in a Congress where roughly a quarter of members deny the existence of human-caused global warming. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been criticized for not providing a more detailed roadmap to achieve his nations targets.

The European Union aims to reduce carbon pollutants 51% below 2005 levels  they are currently at 29%  but the continued influence of industry has impeded faster change. Prominent environmental activists such as Sweden's Greta Thunberg have accused European leaders and major corporations of exaggerating their environmental commitments.

The accusation has particular resonance in Germany, Europes largest economy. Despite billing itself as a green leader, the country remains a major coal user. And in a burgeoning era of electric vehicles, car emissions there rose 6% over the last decade  a reflection of the powerful auto lobby that has blocked calls to impose speed limits on the nations famed Autobahn.

Theres a huge dissonance between who we think we are and who we are, said Luisa Neubauer, a prominent German climate activist.

In Japan and South Korea, two of the worlds largest polluters, entrenched business interests such as nationalized power companies are resistant to renewable energy.

No country has a bigger influence on climate change than China, which according to the International Energy Agency was responsible for 29% of global emissions in 2019.

Commuters wear protective masks as they wait at a traffic light during a seasonal sandstorm on April 15, 2021, in Beijing. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

It released as much carbon into the atmosphere as the next four biggest polluters combined  with 14% of emissions coming from the United States, 7% from India, 5% from Russia and 3% from Japan.

China is simultaneously the globes largest market for electric vehicles, the largest user of wind and solar energy and the leading consumer of coal  highlighted by the recent scramble to source more of the dirty fossil fuel amid a recent energy crisis.

Leaders of China say its carbon emissions will rise until 2030, then decline over the next three decades until the country reaches carbon neutrality  meaning it will offset all the emissions it produces by funding reductions elsewhere. Details remain scant.

Growing friction between China and the United States has undermined cooperation between the worlds top two polluters. Unlike Biden, Chinese President Xi Jinping has announced he wont be attending the Glasgow summit.

China has long argued it was a developing country and should not have to adhere to the emissions cuts expected of the West, which is responsible for most of the worlds pollution historically  a posture echoed by India. On a per capita basis, the United States pollutes twice as much as China and eight-and-a-half times as much as India.

Another possible no-show in Glasgow is Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who hasn't confirmed yet whether he will be joining his country's delegation.

President Jair Bolsonaro attends the launching ceremony of the National Green Growth Program in Brasilia, Brazil, on Oct. 25, 2021. (Eraldo Peres/Associated Press)

Though Brazil doesn't rank among the top 10 biggest emitters, it remains a linchpin in efforts to fight climate change because more than half the Amazon lies within its borders. The rainforest has long been one of the worlds most important carbon sinks, absorbing about 5% of the 40 billion metric tons of carbon emitted into the atmosphere globally each year.

But the rainforest is losing that ability as trees are cleared. In a study published in Nature last summer, scientists found that large parts of the Amazon  especially in the heavily deforested southeast  now emit more carbon than they absorb.

A villager burns brush on a hillside to clear space for tourist cabins in Tumbira, Brazil. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times )

In places such as Rumo Certo, an informal settlement three hours north of the city of Manaus, development has exploded, with wide swaths of forest replaced by highways, housing and cattle farms.

When teacher Francisco Cleiton Siqueira Mesquita moved there in 2001, paying $75 for a recently cleared lot, there were only about 40 homes. Now there are more than 700. The same thing is happening across the region, he said: Every six months a new community is born here.

Siqueira said he feels uneasy about the growth, which he knows is bad for the planet.

We need to protect the Amazon, he said. But most people, theyre thinking about survival.

A bird perches on a tree as the sun rises along the banks of the Rio Negro in Tumbira, Brazil. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

Im not judging others, he said. I also came here for opportunity.

Widespread destruction of the jungle has sparked dryer, hotter weather, which could soon turn most of the Amazon into a savanna, dramatically altering weather patterns throughout South America.

The problem has worsened significantly under Bolsonaro, a right-wing populist who took power in 2019 and immediately began loosening environmental regulations.

He and many of his supporters have embraced a provocative argument: If you want us to stop deforesting the Amazon, pay us.

His former environmental minister, Ricardo Salles  ousted earlier this year over his alleged links to illegal timber smuggling  said that the country could lower deforestation by up to 40% if it received $1 billion in foreign aid.

Hamilton Mourao, Brazil's vice president, told journalists this week that the delegation in Glasgow will pursue a similar demand.

"The Amazon represents around 50% of Brazil's territory," he said. "We're talking about preserving 10 Germanys."

There's no doubt that changing course in the Amazon and the rest of the world often comes with a high upfront cost.

In Tumbira, the transformation from logging community to eco resort probably wouldnt have happened if it wasnt for the Foundation for Amazon Sustainability, the nonprofit that invested heavily there, and whose projects are partly funded by major corporations such as Procter & Gamble and Samsung.

A boatman plies the waters of the Rio Negro at daybreak in Tumbira, Brazil. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

Questions of long-term sustainability remain. During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism dried up. With no income save a small stipend from the nonprofit, Mendonca's father, Roberto Brito de Mendonca, said he thought about returning to logging to feed his family.

Luckily, business picked back up again.

On a recent afternoon, two tourists  cousins from Sao Paulo  sunned on a wooden pier after bathing in the Rio Negro.

One of them was Camila Firmano Drummond, 29, who works for a company that makes wind turbines. She had never been to the Amazon before, and said she visited with an intention: There was a bit of a feeling of wanting to see it before it disappears.

Linthicum reported from Tumbira, Pierson from Singapore. Times staff writers Nabih Bulos in Beirut, Victoria Kim in Seoul, Alice Su in Beijing and special correspondents Erik Kirschbaum in Berlin and Ana Ionova in Tumbira contributed to this report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Reuters

Two hundred vaccinated foreign tourists arrived in Vietnam's beach-fringed island of Phu Quoc on Saturday, the first wave of visitors to the country in nearly two years as it seeks to resurrect its pandemic-ravaged tourism economy. Vietnam imposed tight border controls at the start of the pandemic in an effort to keep out COVID-19, with some initial success, but that harmed its burgeoning tourism sector, which typically accounts for about 10% of gross domestic product. "This is the first and vital step to revive our tourism sector and to prepare for the full resumption next year," Nguyen Trung Khanh, chairman of the country's tourism administration said in statement.
An American Airlines flight was diverted Wednesday evening after a passenger reportedly assaulted a flight attendant.

Flight 976 had departed New Yorks John F. Kennedy International Airport and was headed to John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California, but was diverted to Denver because of the incident, the airline said.

Law enforcement apprehended the passenger at the gate, according to American Airlines.

Image: Passenger reportedly assaults flight attendant on American Airlines flight (@m6225r / via Twitter)

The airline did not provide additional details or the flight attendant's condition.

Acts of violence against our team members will not be tolerated by American Airlines," it said in a written statement. "The individual involved in this incident will never be allowed to travel with American Airlines in the future, but we will not be satisfied until he has been prosecuted to the full extent of the law. This behavior must stop, and aggressive enforcement and prosecution of the law is the best deterrent."

In a video statement, American Airlines CEO Doug Parker said a "very disturbing downside" to post-pandemic increased air travel are displays of "unruly behavior" that happen "far too often."

"This should not be part of their job," Parker said of American Airlines' flight attendants and crew.

"As to this individual, I can guarantee you he will never be allowed to fly American Airlines again," Parker said, calling "aggressive criminal prosecution" the best deterrent.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Justice Department on Monday identified the suspect as Brian Hsu, 20, of Irvine, California. He was charged with interference with a flight crew and assault within the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States, the Justice Department said in a statement.

A source close to the investigation told NBC News that the dispute was not over mask use. The passenger was allegedly bumped by the flight attendant during beverage service. Shortly after, he allegedly stood up, walked to the back of the plane, punched the flight attendant twice in the face, and then returned to his seat.

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Mackenzie Rose, who was on American Airlines Flight 976, said she saw the flight attendant with blood on her face mask during the incident, which occurred while they were flying over Ohio, and photographed the suspect after their emergency landing in Denver.

Rose claimed on Twitter that the attack was over improper mask use.

"The reason for the assault, he didnt want to wear a mask," Rose wrote on Twitter.

Denver Airport Police confirmed the flight was diverted into Denver around 6 p.m. and said the FBI is investigating.

The flight left Denver for Orange County about 9:30 p.m., according to American Airlines.

Reports of unruly behavior on planes, including violence against crew members, have increased since the start of the pandemic.

Data provided by the Federal Aviation Administration show 923 investigations have been initiated this year into violations of specific regulations or federal laws.

The number is up from 183 last year and 146 in 2019. Prior to 2021, the most investigations initiated in the 26-year period dating back to 1995 was 310 in 2004.

In May, a Southwest Airlines flight attendant lost two teeth after a passenger punched her in the face and pulled her hair, according to court documents. The attendant had asked the passenger to fasten her seatbelt, stow her tray table and properly wear her mask during the final descent.

The passenger told law enforcement that she was acting in self-defense, according to court documents.

She was charged in federal court with assault and interference with flight crew members and attendants and has pleaded not guilty, according to court records.

As of Tuesday, the Federal Aviation Administration has received 4,941 reports of unruly behavior by passengers this year, including 3,580 reports of mask-related incidents.

The rate of these incidents has dropped about 50 percent since record highs earlier this year, but FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said in September that progress needs to continue.

This remains a serious safety threat, and one incident is one too many, Dickson said in a written statement.

The FAA has no authority to prosecute criminal cases but can levy fines and implemented a zero-tolerance campaign in January that permitted it to issue fines without warning letters.

This year, the agency has brought more than $1 million in fines against passengers for the allegations of unruly behavior.
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo David Dee Delgado/Getty Images

A criminal complaint against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been filed, according to reports.

The local sheriff's and police clerk's offices would not confirm to Insider whether it had been filed.

The Albany Times-Union reports that it was filed "erroneously" without the consent of the accuser.

A criminal complaint has been filed against former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo over an alleged forcible touching incident at the governor's mansion, according to The New York Times and other outlets, citing a spokesperson for the state court system.

The complaint was filed Thursday in Albany City Court, according to the Office of Court Administration.

"A misdemeanor complaint was filed in Albany City Court against the former governor this afternoon," spokesperson Lucian Chalfen told The Times.

The summons charging Cuomo with misdemeanor forcible touching was "prematurely issued" by the city court, according to the Albany Times-Union, who reported that it was issued without the consent of the accuser, Brittany Commisso, or her attorney.

Officials at the Albany County Sheriff's office and the Albany City Court would not confirm to Insider that the complaint had been filed in calls made shortly after 3 p.m.

Washington Post reporter Josh Dawsey obtained a copy of the complaint, which has yet to be given to Cuomo, according to the Times-Union.

Cuomo is supposed to appear in Albany City Court on Nov. 17, according to the Times-Union.

News of the charges was first reported by Akash Mehta of New York Focus, an independent digital news site launched in Oct. 2020.

Commisso, who began working in the governor's office in 2017 and came forward publicly back in August, has been cooperating with investigators and planned on moving forward with criminal charges, according to multiple law enforcement sources who spoke with the TU.

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Her account and those of 10 other women were found to be credible in an independent investigation by New York Attorney General Letitia James, detailed in a 165-page report from August.

Cuomo has denied forcibly touching anyone, and his team has continued to dispute the AG report even after he resigned several days after the report came out.

Gov. Kathy Hochul took over after serving as Cuomo's lieutenant governor.

Read the original article on Business Insider
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP)  The soldiers in rural Myanmar twisted the young mans skin with pliers and kicked him in the chest until he couldnt breathe. Then they taunted him about his family until his heart ached, too: Your mom, they jeered, cannot save you anymore.

The young man and his friend, randomly arrested as they rode their bikes home, had been subjected to hours of agony inside a town hall transformed by the military into a torture center.

Im going to die, the young man told himself, stars exploding before his eyes. I love you, mom.

Since its takeover of the government in February, the Myanmar military has been torturing those it has detained in a methodical and systemic way across the country, The Associated Press has found in interviews with 28 people imprisoned and released in recent months. Based also on photographic evidence, sketches and letters, along with testimony from two military captains and an aide to a high-ranking commander, the AP investigation provides the most comprehensive look since the takeover into a secretive detention system that has held more than 9,000 people.

While most of the torture has occurred inside military compounds, the military, known as the Tatmadaw, has also transformed public facilities such as community halls into interrogation centers, prisoners said. The AP identified a dozen interrogation centers in use across Myanmar, in addition to prisons and police lockups.

The prisoners interviewed came from every corner of the country, and ranged from a 16-year-old girl to monks. Some were detained for protesting against the military, others for no discernible reason. Multiple military units and police were involved in the interrogations, their methods of torture similar across Myanmar.

The Myanmar military has a long history of torture, particularly before the country began transitioning toward democracy in 2010. While torture in recent years was most often recorded in ethnic regions, its use has now returned across the country, APs investigation found. The vast majority of torture techniques described by prisoners were similar to those of the past, including electric shocks, near-drownings and relentless beatings.

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But this time, the torture is the worst its ever been in scale and severity, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which monitors deaths and arrests. Since February, the group says, security forces have killed more than 1,200 people, including at least 131 detainees tortured to death.

The military tortures detainees, first for revenge, then for information, says Ko Bo Kyi, AAPPs joint secretary and a former political prisoner. I think in many ways the military has become even more brutal.

The military has also taken steps to hide evidence that it has tortured prisoners, with several prisoners saying interrogators brutalized only the parts of their bodies that could be hidden by clothes. An aide to the highest-ranking army official in western Myanmars Chin state told the AP that soldiers covered up the deaths of two tortured prisoners, forcing a military doctor to falsify their autopsy reports.

A former army captain who defected from the Tatmadaw in April confirmed to the AP that the militarys use of torture against detainees has been rampant since its takeover.

In our country, after being arrested unfairly, there is torture, violence and sexual assaults happening constantly, says Lin Htet Aung, the former captain.

After receiving detailed requests for comment, military officials responded with a one-line email that said: We have no plans to answer these nonsense questions.

All but six of the prisoners interviewed by the AP were subjected to abuse, including women and children. Most of those who werent abused said their fellow detainees were.

The AP also sent photographs of several torture victims injuries to a forensic pathologist with Physicians for Human Rights. The pathologist concluded wounds on three victims were consistent with beatings by sticks or rods.

You look at some of those injuries where theyre just black and blue from one end to the other, says forensic pathologist Dr. Lindsey Thomas. This was not just a swat. This has the appearance of something that was very systematic and forceful.

Photographs taken inside several detention and interrogation facilities confirmed prisoners accounts of overcrowded, filthy conditions. Most inmates slept on concrete floors, packed like sardines.

Some became sick from drinking dirty water only available from a shared toilet. Cockroaches swarmed their bodies at night. There was little to no medical treatment.

Not even the young have been spared. One woman was imprisoned alongside a 2-year-old baby.

The interrogation centers were worse than the prisons, with nights a cacophony of weeping and wails of agony.

It was terrifying, my room, one man recalls. There were blood stains and scratches on the wall.

Back inside the rural town hall, the young man and his friend survived the night amid a haze of pain. When dawn came, the interrogators sent them to prison.

Their small cell was home to 33 people. They lay next to the lone squat toilet.

Their fellow inmates shared water and biscuits, though the young mans mouth was too torn apart to eat.

After two days, the families of the young man and his friend paid officials to get them out of prison. Both men were forced to sign statements saying they had participated in a demonstration and were anti-police.

For two months, his entire body ached. Even today, his right shoulder  stomped on by a soldier  wont move properly.

After they caught us, I know their hearts and their minds were not like the peoples, not like us, he says. They are monsters.

___

Gelineau reported from Sydney. Associated Press journalist Sam McNeil in Beijing contributed to this report.
Micajah Jackson walks with a group of individuals led by Proud Boys organizer Joe Biggs towards the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 The Department of Justice.

A Capitol riot defendant with ties to the Proud Boys will plead guilty, his lawyer said Wednesday.

Prosecutors allege Micajah Jackson walked with members of the far-right group outside the Capitol.

Jackson has continued to spread baseless conspiracy theories about the attack since his arrest.

A Capitol riot defendant with ties to the Proud Boys plans to plead guilty to one misdemeanor charge related to the insurrection, his lawyer said Wednesday.

Prosecutors allege Micajah Jackson, 25, was photographed walking with members of the far-right group outside the US Capitol on January 6 and was with the group when they broke through the first barriers. Jackson was also photographed wearing an orange arm band, which he told investigators was given to him by the Proud Boys of Arizona.

The Arizona veteran was arrested in May and currently faces criminal charges of knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building and violent entry. He initially pleaded not guilty.

During a Wednesday hearing, Jackson's attorney told Judge Randolph Moss her client plans to accept the government's plea deal, according to The Arizona Republic. The proposed deal is similar to other pleas that rioters who aren't accused of violence have struck with prosecutors in recent months, CNN reported. Jackson could face up to six months for the sole charge.

The expected deal will mark the first Capitol riot defendant with apparent ties to the Proud Boys to plead guilty to charges related to the attack. Several other members of the anti-government group and those connected to the organization have also been charged in the Capitol attack.

Since his arrest, Jackson has continued to propagate conspiracy theories about the insurrection, falsely accusing the US government and liberal organizations of coordinating the attack, and defending his own presence at the Capitol by claiming he was documenting the event.

"I expose political propaganda. I just wanted to go to document, research and interview," Jackson told The Republic in May.

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Last month, Jackson appeared at a "Justice for January 6" rally in Arizona to show support for Capitol riot defendants. Also in attendance was a group of self-proclaimed Proud Boys, with whom Jackson, as a condition of his pre-trial release, is not allowed to associate.

Jackson's lawyer previously told CNN that he didn't know the Proud Boys would be in attendance and didn't speak to them at the event.

According to The Republic, Jackson's presence at the rally was not discussed during Wednesday's hearing.

But even as recently as Friday, Jackson appeared to double down on many of his conspiracies, posting a 21-minute YouTube video in which he claimed the country was fighting a "civil war" against socialism.

"We have a Second Amendment for a reason. And God, we will win this battle," Jackson said.

A lawyer for Jackson did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

More than 650 people have been arrested in relation to the deadly Capitol attack, and about 100 have pleaded guilty thus far.

Read the original article on Business Insider
By Chayut Setboonsarng and Juarawee Kittisilpa

BANGKOK (Reuters) - From engineers to pilots, Thailand's aviation industry is gearing up for a grand reopening on Monday when the tourism-reliant country will welcome vaccinated arrivals without quarantine, ending nearly 19 months of strict entry rules.

"It's something everybody's waiting for," said Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth, president of the Thai airline association, which has seven members, including Thai Smile Airways, Thai AirAsia and Thai VietJet Air.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha announced this month that vaccinated arrivals from 46 countries would be allowed entry without quarantine from November.

Airlines have responded quickly, bringing back jets from hibernation, or long-term parking, where they have been kept with their engines covered for protection and systems wound down.

"It is in our DNA, it's easy to come back and reinstate," said Thai AirAsia Head of Engineering Banyat Hansakul, referring to the routine of preparing the planes. "It's like riding a bicycle."

Already, Thai AirAsia had been using 10 jets from its fleet of 60, while Bangkok Airways was flying 13 planes of a total 38, mostly for domestic travel after a pilot project that reopened Phuket and Samui islands in July.

Both airlines expect to use more planes in the months ahead anticipating greater travel with passengers from neighbouring Cambodia, Singapore and Malaysia as restrictions ease.

Flag carrier Thai Airways International Pcl has rolled out a winter schedule with Bangkok routes to London, Munich, Sydney and Tokyo.

Though optimism about initial tourist arrival numbers is tempered, with other countries still observing quarantine measures, Thai AirAsia pilot Wirote Teerawattananon, 30, said he was content.

"I'm happy to go back to flying again, tourists are coming back, so we get to come back to work," he said.

Thailand welcomed about 40 million foreign arrivals in 2019. This year the government is targeting just 100,000.

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COVID-19 has cost Thailand, one of Asia's most popular destinations, an estimated $50 billion a year in tourism revenue. Its airlines have also suffered heavy losses.

Thai Airways and low-cost affiliate Nok Air Pcl are undergoing bankruptcy-protected restructuring. Another airline, NokScoot, entered liquidation last year.

"I'm really looking forward to the return of foreigners," said Thai AirAsia crew member, Kohchamon Pithayapipat. "Foreign spending can provide income to even small and medium businesses."

(Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng; Editing by Karishma Singh)
Nearly seven months after a man was fatally stabbed while skateboarding with his 5-year-old daughter in Highlandtown, Baltimore Police announced an arrest in his death Thursday.

Nicholas Martinez Figueroa, 37, is charged with first-degree murder for the killing of Marcus Wilson on March 29. Police said Figueroa was taken into custody Tuesday.

The death of Wilson, a Black and Latino man, rocked the Latino community in Southeast Baltimore. He was killed the same week as another Latino man, who died after three suspects attempted to carjack him as he drove to work.

Police said Wilson was skateboarding with his daughter when they stopped to get a Pepsi at a nearby Royal Farms store. Police said Wilson and Figueroa exchanged words over skateboarding in the street, when Figueroa stabbed Wilson multiple times in front of his daughter.

A neighbor found the child next to her father in the street and brought her to Wilsons mother, Michelle Torres, who lives nearby, Torres previously told The Baltimore Sun. She said she ran with her granddaughter back to where Wilson was lying, in the 200 block of S. Conkling St. She got there to see him being loaded into an ambulance.

I dont know if he was aware that I was there. Im pretty sure he heard my voice, she said.

Police said Wilson was stabbed in the face and torso and taken to the Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he died.

Through the course of their investigation, homicide detectives were able to positively identify a suspect, police said in a statement Thursday.

According to charging documents filed against Figueroa, investigators linked him to the killing through DNA evidence collected at the scene.

Surveillance video captured the confrontation, and charging documents said the footage showed Figueroa fleeing from the scene, including jumping from the deck of a business. Police said they recovered a knife from the scene, and swabbed it for DNA evidence, which was matched to DNA evidence from swabs collected from the railing of deck.

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The DNA matched a DNA profile for Figueroa kept in a state of Maryland DNA database, the documents said.

Figueroa was interviewed by police, but denied ever touching the knife or being in the area when Wilson was killed the charging documents said.

Figueroa had a bail review hearing Wednesday where he was ordered to be held without bail, according to court records. He did not have a specific attorney listed, and the public defenders office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday evening.
American Airlines permanently banned a passenger after a flight attendant was injured. The Justice Department reached an $88 million settlement with Charleston church shooting victims. And a new DNA technique proved a man's relation to Sitting Bull.

 Hey! Laura here. It's Thursday, so here's all the news you need to know.

But first, have you seen a ghost?  1 in 5 Americans say they have seen one, a very spooky survey found.

The Short List is a snappy USA TODAY news roundup. Subscribe to the newsletter here or text messages here.

American Airlines bans passenger for life after flight attendant injured

An American Airlines flight from New York to Orange County, California, was forced to divert to Denver Wednesday after the airline says a passenger "physically assaulted" a female flight attendant. American Airlines offered support to the injured flight attendant and banned the passenger from ever flying with the airline again. "We will not be satisfied until he has been prosecuted to the full extent of the law," the airline said in a statement. It wasn't clear what prompted the incident, but witnesses reported seeing blood on the flight attendant's face mask afterward. The passenger was arrested after the plane landed in Denver.

FAA levied more than $1M in fines against 'unruly passengers' this year.

In this picture made available Friday, April 26, 2013, a passenger airplane is about to land at the airport in Frankfurt, Germany, thereby passing the moon which is clearly visible at night.

Criminal complaint filed against Cuomo

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was hit with a misdemeanor criminal complaint Thursday in connection with an alleged incident of forcible touching at the Executive Mansion that helped lead to his downfall. The Albany County Sheriff's Office filed a complaint accusing the governor of reaching under the blouse of a woman and grabbing her left breast in the late afternoon of Dec. 7, 2020. The complaint, filed Thursday by investigator Amy Kowalski, accuses Cuomo of "knowingly and intentionally" committing the crime of forcible touching, a class A misdemeanor. The accuser has publicly identified herself as Brittany Commisso, 33, an executive assistant to the governor. Cuomo resigned Aug. 23, three weeks after state Attorney General Letitia James' office released a bombshell report that concluded he sexually harassed 11 women, nine of whom were state employees.

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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo prepares to board a helicopter after announcing his resignation on Aug. 10, 2021, in New York.

What everyone's talking about

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Biden's latest budget offer

President Joe Biden outlined details of his revamped $1.75 trillion social and climate spending package on Thursday, hailing it as a "historic economic framework" even as it remained unclear whether he had enough votes in Congress to pass it along with a separate $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill tangled up in negotiations. The scaled-back framework deal includes universal preschool for all 3- and 4-year-olds, expansion of the child tax credit for one year, increased health care spending and $555 billion in climate change provisions, among other economic programs. Read the latest here.

What's in Biden's latest budget offer? Climate programs and universal preschool, but no paid leave.

President Biden walks with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Oct. 28, 2021, during a visit to meet with House Democrats. Biden is pushing his revised domestic policy bill and a related bipartisan infrastructure plan with fractious House Democrats after days of prolonged negotiations over his ambitious social and climate policies and how to pay for them.

$88M settlement reached in Charleston church shooting

The Justice Department announced an $88 million settlement Thursday with families of victims of a Charleston, South Carolina, church shooting in 2015. The 14 plaintiffs filed civil cases against the FBI over accusations the agency was negligent in failing to prohibit the sale of the firearm to a self-proclaimed white nationalist, who murdered nine people inside Mother Emanuel AME Church. The settlements range from $6 million to $7.5 million for families of people who were killed and $5 million for survivors. Dylann Roof was convicted and sentenced to death for killing nine congregants during a Bible study program June 17, 2015.

Worshippers embrace following a group prayer across the street from the scene of a shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Wednesday, June 17, 2015, in Charleston, S.C. A white man opened fire during a prayer meeting inside the historic Black church, killing multiple people, including the pastor, in an assault that authorities described as a hate crime.

Real quick

New DNA technique proves man is Sitting Bull's great-grandson

For years, people questioned whether Ernie LaPointe was the great-grandson of Sitting Bull, the Lakota Sioux leader, despite having birth and death certificates, a family tree and historical records. A new DNA technique using autosomal DNA confirmed LaPointe was Sitting Bull's relative and can finally quiet the naysayers, marking the first time ancient DNA was used to confirm familial relationships in living people. Sitting Bull's hair that was used for the test had degraded after sitting in the Smithsonian museum for more than a century before it was returned to LaPointe in 2007. It took researchers 14 years to find a usable piece of DNA in the hair. Researchers hope the new technique will open more doors to testing ancient DNA.

A new DNA technique has confirmed that Ernie LaPointe was the great-grandson of Sitting Bull, the Lakota Sioux leader.

A break from the news

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This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Want this news roundup in your inbox every night? Sign up for The Short List newsletter here.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Flight attendant assaulted, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Charleston church shooting settlement. It's Thursday's news.
Benin artist Romuald Hazoume has drawn an international following with works that are emblematic of waste and regeneration -- masks made from recycled materials such as jerrycans, for instance.

With the UN's COP26 summit looming in Glasgow, he hopes to use this platform to sound a warning over Africa's inaction to the threat from climate change.

Climate change is "already a reality" on the continent, the 59-year-old sculptor and artist told AFP in an interview.

"Our leaders have the courage to run for office, but they lack courage when it comes to facing the reality," he said.

Political leaders who minimise or deny global warming are "absolutely irresponsible" and "in denial," said Hazoume.

"In Africa, there cannot be this hypocrisy, this bad faith, because the reality (of global warming) is already here," he said, speaking from his lush garden in Cotonou, the small coastal nation's economic capital.

Steps away from his house, on the long golden beach of Fidjrosse, known as the "fishing route", sea level rise has been an issue for several years, said the artist.

"Air and water temperatures are going up. When we look at our shoreline, we see plenty of seaweed, which wasn't the case before."

- 'Survival' -

"In Benin, we have many waterways, and every year we suffer from the impact of floods (...) We have to stop heading straight into a wall," the artist said.

Countries in Africa are particularly vulnerable to climate change that also worsens food insecurity, poverty and displacement, according to a United Nations report.

If nothing changes, up to 118 million extremely poor people will be exposed to drought, floods and extreme heat by 2030, according to the UN.

"With the rise of sea levels, we have islands that will disappear. Some populations will be erased from planet earth," said Hazoume.

"We don't have a choice, it's a question of survival."

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While often critical of governments, Hazoume, who has used waste in his art since the 80s, remains optimistic.

In Benin, for example, there have been improvements in waste management in the country's cities in the past five years.

"Roads are cleaned every night, and we no longer have trash clogging gutters, so that gives me hope," he said.

- 'Real polluters' -

During the rainy season, many cities on the continent become flooded and difficult for traffic, including in neighbouring Nigeria's Lagos, the largest city in sub-Saharan Africa.

Often the most vulnerable people living in informal settlements suffer the most, and sometimes lives are lost.

But "we can succeed, with willpower," said Hazoume. "African countries can fight back, instead of always casting themselves as victims."

Five years ago, the artist attended COP22 in Marrakesh, in Morocco.

"I was meant to speak, but I was so angry, seeing what was happening, with big polluters giving lessons to smaller countries," he said.

"How many factories do we have in our small countries? The real polluters, we know who they are."

But the outspoken artist also called on individuals to assume their own responsibilities, starting with recycling at home and not throwing out litter on the streets.

"We must also recognise what we are responsible for," said Hazoume, "and not accuse others."

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President Joe Biden. AP Photo/Evan Vucci

Biden unveiled a $555 billion effort to fight the climate crisis ahead of the UN climate summit in Glasgow this week.

This is the largest investment in his scaled-down $1.75 trillion framework for Democrats' social-spending bill.

It will help the US meets its goal to cut carbon emissions in half by 2030 and create green jobs.

When President Joe Biden heads to Scotland for a United Nations' climate summit this week, he'll have a plan to address the climate crisis to unveil in front of other world leaders.

Just under the wire on Thursday he unveiled a $1.75 trillion framework for Democrats' social-spending bill - half the cost of the original $3.5 trillion proposal. While many progressive priorities like paid leave and tuition-free community college were dropped from the plan, one major priority received the biggest investment: the climate. The plan came just in time as Biden previously expressed concern that the "prestige" of the US was at stake on the world stage after negotiations with centrist Democrats forced him to cut a major clean-energy program from the bill.

According to a White House press release, Biden wants to invest $555 billion to combat climate change and meet the goals of the US, and globally, to reduce global warming. The announcement of this investment comes just as Biden is set to head to the United Nations climate summit in Glasgow this week, where he can present his plans to world leaders as they discuss how countries can come together to tackle the urgent threat of the climate crisis.

This investment comes even after West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin opposed the inclusion of the Clean Electricity Performance Program (CEPP), which would have allowed for Biden to reach his goal to cut carbon emissions in half by 2030.

The $555 billion investment is not far off from what Democrats initially wanted - $600 billion - and the White House referred to the investment as the "largest effort to combat climate change in American history."

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"The framework will set the United States on course to meet its climate targets, achieving a 50-52% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions below 2005 levels in 2030 in a way that grows domestic industries and good, union jobs - and advances environmental justice," the White House said.

Specifically, the $555 billion investment will:

Deliver consumer rebates and ensure middle class families save money as they shift to clean-energy infrastructure, like solar rooftops;

Ensure clean-energy technology is built from American-made materials, creating thousands of jobs in the country;

Invest in clean energy projects around the country built by a new Civilian Climate Corps that would provide over 300,000 union jobs for Americans;

And invest in coastal restoration, forest management, and soil conservation to help farmers and forestland owners meet climate emission reduction goals.

These investments come after a Paris agreement of world leaders set a goal to keep global warming from exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century. A recent UN report found that unless action is taken quickly, temperatures could rise to about 2.7 degrees Celsius by then. This prompted UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to call out countries for "utterly failing" to meet climate goals, saying world leaders needed to work to avoid a "climate catastrophe."

To be sure, the investment is just a framework, and it is unclear whether all Democrats will sign on to it, especially since progressive priorities like free community college and paid family and medical leave were left out. But when it comes to climate, most Democrats, and Biden, agree it needs to be passed.

"This is by far the most significant piece of legislation passed in the world to deal with the climate," Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders told reporters on Thursday.

Read the original article on Business Insider
President Biden announced Thursday a "framework" for $1.75 trillion in social program and climate change spending after failing in prior efforts to win over his fellow Democrats on a much broader and costlier package.

Why it matters: Biden is gambling that by proclaiming the broad contours of the proposal, which he immediately began selling in a meeting with House Democrats before jetting off to Europe, progressives will vote for his $1.2 trillion infrastructure plan if and when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi brings it to the floor.

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Biden was outlining "every last detail" of his framework, "line by line," said Rep. Annie Kuster (D-N.H.) as she emerged from the meeting. The president left after speaking for about an hour.

The proposal includes universal preschool and new money for elderly care, as well as $555 billion to address climate change.

Yet as details for the framework trickled out, lawmakers were privately pessimistic that progressives would support a plan that left out many of their key priorities, like paid family leave and allowing Medicare to negotiate the prices of prescription drugs.

Administration officials said they were agnostic about when Congress would vote on both plans and that they would leave the timing to Pelosi  a recognition that support for both plans was far from assured.

What they're saying: "Theres been so many changes in this process, so many people, you know, yes, no, doing the hokey pokey, one foot in, one foot out. So, we need certainty that were going to be able to deliver," Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), a key progressive voice, said before entering the meeting with the president.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, also was reserved.

I think that will show tremendous momentum, but we want to see the actual text because we dont want any confusion and misunderstanding," Jayapal told reporters. "My understanding is that the framework is very general, so lets turn it into legislative text.

Following the meeting, a third progressive, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) demanded both a formal legislative text of the package and a vote on both the infrastructure and safety net bills on the same day.

"We need to keep the promise that was made," she said.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who has been dictating the terms of much of what is in the broader package, told reporters: "This is all in the hands of the House right now. O.K.? [I have] worked in good faith, and I look forward to continuing working in good faith, and that is all I have to say today."

Driving the news: Biden delayed his departure for a G20 summit in Rome, followed by the COP26 climate meeting in Glasgow, to address House Democrats in person at 9am ET.

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He is set to speak about his plan to the general public at 11:30am ET from the White House.

Pelosi has promised to bring the infrastructure bill to the floor by the end of the month, with many centrist Democrats demanding a vote to both show progress on bipartisan priorities and give Democrat Terry McAuliffe a boost in his Virginias gubernatorial race.

The details...

The framework includes:

An extension of the Child Tax Credit for one year.

A plan to offer universal preschool to three and four-year-olds, as well as additional money to help new families defray the cost of childcare.

Funding home care for disabled and elder care.

Money to subsidize insurance payments on the Obamacare health insurance exchanges.

Hearing benefits for Medicare recipients.

Whats left out:

A plan to offer paid family leave was not included in the framework.

And one of the main funding mechanisms  giving Medicare the authority to negotiate directly with pharmaceutical companies on prescription drugs costs, which could have raised up to $600 billion  was not included.

In addition, full expansion of Medicare benefits for dental and vision, a priority for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), was not in the framework.

How its paid for: Officials insisted that the total cost of the program would be offset by new revenue from corporations and wealthy individuals, without raising taxes on families making less than $400,000.

Corporations will face a 15% minimum tax as well as new international rates.

Individuals who make more than $10 million will be subject to a new surcharge.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with the meeting over and comments from Reps. Kuster, Ocasio-Cortez, Jayapal and Omar, as well as Sen. Manchin.

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Washington  The House will not vote Thursday night on the infrastructure bill, hours after progressives said they would not vote on President Biden's revamped social policy and climate change plan. In unveiling the bill earlier Thursday, Mr. Biden urged Democrats to unite.

The White House released details of the plan, known as the Build Back Better Act, as the president prepared to leave Thursday for Europe to attend two major global summits. Hours later, the House released legislative text of the plan, running at 1,684 pages, which could assuage progressive lawmakers' push to see the bill's language.

The president is leaving the work of passing the new $1.75 trillion proposal, plus the bipartisan infrastructure plan awaiting final passage in the House, up to top congressional leaders who've struggled to wrangle the disparate wings of the Democratic Party over the course of the protracted negotiations. The plan does not include paid leave, a pivotal piece of the president's original proposal and campaign promises, nor does it include free community college.

But many Democrats, including progressives in the House, had insisted on seeing the legislative text of the measure before agreeing to pass the more targeted $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, which revamps the nation's roads, bridges, railways and water lines.

Although Speaker Nancy Pelosi had said the House could vote on the infrastructure bill as early as Thursday, the only vote that happened Thursday evening was to extend highway funding, which passed 358-59.

Pramila Jayapal, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, told reporters there are "too many no votes" for the infrastructure bill, known as BIF, to pass Thursday. And Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, the Congressional Progressive Caucus whip, told reporters progressives need to have a vote on the social spending agenda before they'll support the infrastructure bill.

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"The Progressive Caucus is still doesn't have enough members that they can put up to support a BIF vote alone. We still remain in this same position we were before," Omar said.

Democratic Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said Thursday night there would be a vote on infrastructure "when we have the votes." In her Dear Colleague letter Thursday, Pelosi insisted that "most Members who were not prepared for a yes vote today have expressed their commitment to support the BIF."

The president insisted earlier that "no one got everything they wanted."

"But that's what compromise is," Mr. Biden said. "That's consensus. And that's what I ran on. I've long said compromise and consensus are the only way to get big things done in a democracy. Important things done for the country. I know it's hard. I know how deeply people feel about the things that they fight for. But this framework includes historic investments in our nation and in our people."

President Biden delivers remarks about his Build Back Better agenda and the bipartisan infrastructure deal as Vice President Kamala Harris stands by in the East Room of the White House on October 28, 2021. / Credit: JONATHAN ERNST / REUTERS

The president emphasized what the reconciliation framework would accomplish, rather than what it wouldn't. He particularly emphasized how the framework will invest in education and childcare, and said the proposal makes the most significant investment ever in addressing climate change.

"For much too long, working people of this nation and the middle class of this country have been dealt out of the American deal. It's time to deal them back in," the president said as he concluded his remarks. "[If] we make these investments, there will be no stopping the American people or America. We will own the future."

If enacted as introduced, aides say Mr. Biden's plan would expand early childhood education for at least six years by providing universal preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds; dramatically drive down the country's greenhouse gas emissions in the next nine years; provide first-of-its-kind tax breaks to encourage the widespread use of electric vehicles and the installation of solar panels on American homes; expand government-backed health care coverage for at least four years; and pay for the plan by enacting new taxes on the nation's wealthiest.

The president met with House Democrats on Capitol Hill for about an hour on Thursday morning before departing for Rome, where he is scheduled to arrive later tonight ahead of a Friday meeting with Pope Francis in Vatican City. Mr. Biden said he'll have more to say to the American people when he returns from Europe.

Still, divisions remained among progressives in the House and two crucial Senate Democrats. A congressional aide familiar with the ongoing negotiations said Senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, two key moderate Democrats whose support for the plan is crucial, "loosely" agreed to a general, broad framework. But they would not yet commit to supporting the bill.

"After months of productive, good-faith negotiations with President Biden and the White House, we have made significant progress on the proposed budget reconciliation package," Sinema said in a statement Thursday. "I look forward to getting this done, expanding economic opportunities and helping everyday families get ahead."

On Thursday, the president emphasized the need for passing his infrastructure bill as well.

"Some of the bridges you don't even take a chance of going across, they've shut down," Mr. Biden said. "They can't be built back to the same standard because the weather's not going to get a lot better, we've just got to keep it from getting a heck of a lot worse. We have to build back better and stronger. No one should have to hold their breath as they cross a rundown bridge or a dangerous intersection in their hometown."

Democratic Representative Rashida Tlaib said she "cannot in good conscience" vote for the framework until the House gets the legislative text, agreement from all Democratic senators, and votes on both bills on the same day.

The price tag for the Build Back Better plan could rise to $1.85 trillion with the inclusion of a $100 billion provision that aims to reform the nation's immigration system. But previous immigration proposals have been knocked down by the Senate parliamentarian, as they did not comply with the rules governing the process Democrats are using to fast-track the package through the Senate, called reconciliation. The White House said immigration reforms will be consistent with reconciliation rules.

Left out of the framework were plans to offer 12 weeks of paid family leave and free community college, as well as allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices.

Aides working with the president on the legislation described it as "transformative" and "historic"  even though it is expected to cost far less than the original $3.5 trillion proposal Mr. Biden unveiled earlier this year.

The plan as written contains $555 billion in climate and clean energy investments and would cut more than a gigaton of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030  a roughly 50% reduction compared to 2005 levels, aides said. The legislation would provide tax credits to Americans buying new electric vehicles that could, according to administration officials, provide up to $12,500 in incentives to some families to drop gas-guzzling vehicles. New tax incentives designed to encourage the installation of solar panels on American homes will also be offered.

What's in Democrats' new $1.75 trillion social spending and climate bill?

Elements of the legislation regarding health care would expand coverage to 7 million more uninsured Americans, aides said, and lower premiums by an average of $600 per person for more than 9 million Americans who purchase insurance through the Affordable Care Act's marketplace.

Mr. Biden's revised framework would also expand Medicare coverage to include hearing services, though some Democrats pushed for the plan to expand the health care program for seniors to cover dental and vision.

It also extends through 2022 the expanded child tax credit, which the White House says will provide more than 35 million households up to $3,600 in tax cuts per child. The expanded child tax credit was included in Democrats' $1.9 trillion COVID relief plan enacted this year.

A mix of new taxes and government fees would be used to pay for the sweeping plan, including a 15% minimum tax on the earnings of the nation's largest corporations and a surtax on earnings of multimillionaires and billionaires. A proposed tax on the nation's roughly 700 billionaires was rejected Wednesday by moderates concerned about its targeted approach and by some Democrats with tax-writing experience concerned it might not pass legal muster.

The $1.75 trillion framework unveiled by the White House is the culmination of months of negotiations between Democrats over the size and scope of Mr. Biden's domestic policy package.

Because the party holds 50 seats in the Senate, passage of the plan hinges on support from all Democrats in the upper chamber and made Manchin and Sinema central figures in the talks. Democrats are using a legislative tool called reconciliation to fast-track the legislation through the Senate and allow it to pass without Republican support.

The two moderate senators had expressed concern over the initial $3.5 trillion price tag for the initial measure put forth by the president, which led Democratic leaders to trim the package.

House Democratic leadership is now formally whipping votes for the infrastructure bill, multiple sources familiar with the situation say.

Runaway climate change could have severe economic consequences

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President Joe Biden delivers remarks about his proposed Build Back Better social spending bill in the East Room of the White House on Oct. 28, 2021. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  President Joe Bidens top budget official defended the slimmed-down deal on infrastructure this week, explaining that the weeks of bristling negotiations is how the sausage-making happens.

This is, in my estimation, my experience, just what the legislative process is, acting Budget Director Shalanda Young told HuffPost of the diminished climate proposals in the package. And frankly, a lot of Americans said they want to see the sausage-making up close and personal. This is it. This is how it happens.

The deal is far smaller than what Democratic lawmakers were pulling for and removes several key proposals like paid family leave and sick leave programs and lower pharmaceutical drug prices. Democrats dropped the paid leave program after failing to convince Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) to support it, meaning the United States remains one of the only industrialized countries in the world with a paid leave mandate. And leaving prescription drug reform out of the package could end up a cudgel for former President Donald Trump, who attempted to take executive action on the price of drugs during his tenure.

But the bill includes $550 billion in clean energy and climate funding in what Biden called the most significant investment to deal with the climate crisis ever ... beyond any other advanced nation in the world.

However, experts believe the package is still not enough to bring U.S. emissions to zero and prevent millions of deaths as the planet warms. A United Nations report from August found that it is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land, and that things will only get worse. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Changes findings a code red for humanity.

Its still unclear how much of the funding will go toward the Biden administrations Justice40 initiative, announced in January. The initiative seeks to deliver at least 40% of federal investments in climate and clean energy to disadvantaged communities. A 2017 report found that Black Americans are 75% more likely to live near pollution sources than other Americans.

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In an interview this week, Brenda Mallory, chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, urged patience as progressives voiced concern over the pared-down agenda.

In some ways, I watch and just recognize that people dont fully understand how the process works. We are moving extraordinarily quickly on lots of things, she explained. Its just that the things we are trying to do are huge, and the ability to be able to kind of move the entire federal government in a way that were able to deliver on Justice40 is a big ask and it takes multiple steps.

I just ask people to give us a little bit of time to make it all come together, she added.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
US oil industry executives faced tough questions from congressional Democrats on Thursday over statements on climate science and whether their actions on green energy live up to their marketing campaigns.

Big Oil critics in the House of Representatives likened the hearing with CEOs of ExxonMobil, Chevron and other oil giants to a famous 1994 congressional hearing in which tobacco executives testified under oath that nicotine was not addictive.

But Democrats were unable to secure any expressions of regret by oil executives in a free-flowing session titled, "Fueling the Climate Crisis: Exposing Big Oil's Disinformation Campaign to Prevent Climate Action."

Leading oil companies are on the record as acknowledging the science of climate change, supporting the Paris Climate Agreement and policies to set carbon pricing. But critics accused the industry of "greenwashing," saying actions have not matched public relations efforts.

"Some of us actually have to live the future that you are all setting on fire for us," said Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat.

Meanwhile, congressional Republicans defending the industry came out swinging against President Joe Biden's energy policies which they say have led to higher gasoline prices, including a move to shut down the Keystone Pipeline.

Representative Jody Hice, a Georgia Republican, accused Democrats of "shamelessly creating fear in a whole new generation" by highlighting climate change in order to promote a "liberal socialist wish list" of policies.

- Coming clean? -

The hearing comes amid rising worries about climate change in the wake of worsening hurricanes and forest fires.

But Representative Carolyn Maloney, a New York Democrat, was thwarted during an exchange with ExxonMobil Chief Executive Darren Woods.

She pointed to research dating to the 1970s in which Exxon scientists characterized climate change as a dire concern caused by fossil fuel emissions, that was followed by public statements downplaying the issue, a newspaper advertisement on climate change in 2000 headlined "Unsettled Science."

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"There is a clear conflict between what Exxon's CEOs told the public and what the scientists were telling them," Maloney said.

But Woods defended the company, saying the stance was consistent with climate science at the time and noting that the fine print of the 2000 ad recommended lower-emission technologies because "climate change may pose long-term risks."

"I don't think it's fair to judge something 25 years ago by" the standards of current scientific knowledge, Woods said.

Maloney said she plans to issue subpoenas to get additional documents from the companies. She is seeking information from the companies on payments to "shadow groups" and public relations committees that have fought climate policies.

Democratic Representative Ro Khanna of California unsuccessfully sought to win commitments from oil executives to quit supporting trade groups that oppose key climate legislation, such as Biden's proposals to fund charging stations for electric vehicles and to crack down on methane emissions from oil and gas production.

But executives from Royal Dutch Shell and Chevron declined Khanna's request to rebuke a fellow panelist from the American Petroleum Institute over its lobbying stances, saying it is normal to have some disagreements with trade groups.

A memo released ahead of the hearing took the companies to task over their lack of action on climate on Capitol Hill, including when former President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the Paris Accord -- a stance reversed by Biden.

ExxonMobil reported only one instance of lobbying on the Paris Agreement between 2015 and 2021, while lobbying 74 times against a bill to repeal tax breaks and 36 times on US corporate tax cuts approved in 2017.

Chevron lobbied just eight times on carbon pricing legislation since 2011, less than one percent of its total lobbying over the period, the report said.

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As world leaders head for rainy Scotland this weekend for the global climate summit, many capitals already expect disappointing results.

So a gathering later in November  this time in hot and humid Singapore, sponsored by former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg  is already drawing attention as "what's next" for climate commitments.

Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free

Axios got the first look at the lineup for his Bloomberg New Economy Forum, which runs Nov. 16-19:

The forum, with a heavy focus on climate change, includes Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, whose company has embarked on an ambitious decarbonization agenda, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Goldman Sachs chairman and CEO David Solomon.

A senior Chinese leader is also expected. Chinas drive to reduce its emissions is a focus of the meeting, said a person familiar with the summit planning.

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BBC Radio 2's Zoe Ball still has the UK's most popular breakfast show

Many breakfast radio shows now have smaller audiences than before the pandemic, according to new figures.

Zoe Ball, Greg James, Roman Kemp, Chris Evans and the Today programme are among the shows to have fewer listeners than the last time ratings were measured.

The drop can be partly explained by lower commuter numbers as many people continue to work from home.

But industry body Rajar urged caution when making comparisons because it is also measuring audiences in new ways.

The latest radio listening figures are the first to be published since May 2020, and now incorporate smartphone data in the methodology.

The ratings cover July to September this year, with some data based on a smaller sample of listeners from the previous three months also included.

Some DJs, such as Radio X's Chris Moyles, appear to have bucked the downward trend for breakfast shows; while radio listening in general has increased slightly and many stations improved their overall reach.

BBC Radio 5 Live, for example, recorded a significant boost, probably helped by coverage of summer sport events such as the Euros and the Olympics.

The station attracted 5.9 million weekly listeners between July and September, up from 5.2 million before the pandemic. Its sister station 5 Live Sports Extra was also up, to 1.6 million.

The increase in radio listening as a whole, juxtaposed with the decrease for breakfast show audiences, suggests the figures reflect how listening habits and lifestyles have been changed by the pandemic.

While fewer people might listen to a breakfast show, some radio stations noted their daytime figures were up, likely a result of people listening more while working at home during the day.

The latest listening figures show:

Radio X presenter Chris Moyles is one of the few breakfast DJs to have performed better under the new measures

Times Radio , an extension of the newspaper brand which launched in June 2020, has attracted an impressive 637,000 weekly listeners. This is the first time its official figures have been published.

That puts it above other speech stations such as Talk Radio , which recorded 450,000 listeners in the latest quarter - but that's an improvement on their last pre-pandemic figure of 424,000.

Another new station, Boom Radio , debuted with an audience of 233,000. Aimed at the baby boomer generation, the station was considered a rival to Radio 2 for listeners who feel the BBC station has skewed too young in recent years.

Chris Evans saw his Virgin Radio breakfast audience drop below the 1.1 million he achieved in early 2020, to 985,000 in this quarter. However, Rajar advised caution in comparing the new figures to historical data due to its new methodology.

With the same caveat, BBC Radio 2's Zoe Ball attracted an audience of 7.2 million listeners - down from her last available ratings of 8.1 million, recorded in the first quarter of 2020. It does, however, remain the biggest breakfast show in the UK.

Radio 1 breakfast host Greg James was down to 4.3 million, from a previous figure of 4.9 million. However, since last May, his show time has changed, with a later start time of 07:00, and running later than other breakfast shows, to 10:30.

The Radio 4 Today programme's hosts include Martha Kearney and Mishal Husain

Capital breakfast host Roman Kemp attracted 2.8 million listeners. Prior to the pandemic and under the old measuring system, that figure was 3.3 million.

A spokesman for Radio 1 stressed that the station has a young target audience, and figures would be higher if children aged over 10 were included by Rajar. This would also be true of Capital. Radio 1 drew attention to its strong presence on social media and YouTube - where their channel attracts 1.62 million views per day.

Kiss breakfast, which got new hosts last year in Jordan Banjo and Perri Kiely , was down from 1.4 million in the last figures to 980,000.

BBC Radio 4's Today programme attracted 6.5 million. The last available figures were almost seven million in the first quarter of 2020.

A smaller drop was recorded by BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast , which was down from 2.1 million to 2 million.

Chris Moyles crossed the 1 million mark for the first time since taking over the Radio X Breakfast Show in 2015, making him one of the few morning DJs to have increased their audience under the new methodology.

On BBC 6Music, breakfast host Lauren Laverne also increased her figures slightly, from 1.3 million to 1.35 million.

Heart's breakfast show, presented by Jamie Theakston and Amanda Holden , was the most listened-to commercial breakfast show in the UK, with 4.1 million listeners.

Absolute Radio host Dave Berry held steady, with 2.15 million listeners - almost exactly the same as the first quarter of 2020

Speech station LBC celebrated an all-time record, with three million weekly listeners.

Nations radio (such as BBC Scotland) and Local BBC Radio in England had a combined audience of 9.16 million

Diversity stars Perri Kiely (left) and Jordan Banjo took over Kiss breakfast last year

Rajar said 89% of the UK population listen to radio at least once a week, with the average listener clocking up just over 20 hours of listening over seven days.

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A great deal of radio listening is now on digital platforms such as DAB, smartphone and tablet apps or websites. Around 74% of people surveyed said they listen digitally every week.

Smart speakers now account for a large proportion of listening - around 48% of people who own speakers said they used it to listen to radio weekly.

Of those users, 20% said they listen to radio via a smart speaker on a daily basis.

Rajar figures were suspended during the pandemic, as the industry body was not able to conduct its usual face-to-face research.

Follow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.
(Bloomberg) -- The recent pummeling in Chinas markets has made their valuations look attractive relative to almost anything, but bulls may find they need strong nerves to stay the course in a country that repeatedly shocked global investors this year.

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The rationale for why much of the sell side is turning more confident on China right now is that things cant get much worse. Analysts and investors are betting prices already reflect a slowdown in the property market, weaker growth and President Xi Jinpings campaign to shake up private enterprise.

Yet the drumbeat of negative news threatens to drown out the increasingly upbeat tone found in analyst notes. On Wednesday, Beijing condemned the U.S.s latest overture toward Taiwan. On Thursday, Chinas intervention in coal markets sent futures down by the daily limit. A property stock sank a record 18% amid concern the company may struggle to refinance dollar debts that total $11.6 billion. Investors will find out if China Evergrande Group has staved off default when a deadline to pay a bond coupon comes due Friday.

Peter Garnry, head of equity and quantitative strategy at Saxo Bank, is staying cautious. Credit Suisse Group AG analysts agree, saying its too early to return to China.

Our view on China has not changed, Garnry said. It is not cheap given the risks in the housing market, debt markets, and changing supply chains. Chinas zero covid policy will also continue to create roadblocks for the economy. Plus Chinas common prosperity will create more distribution, equality, and a less-positive climate for publicly listed companies.

Others are far more upbeat. This month alone, HSBC Holdings Plc, Nomura Holdings Inc. and UBS Group AG turned positive on Chinese stocks, citing reasons including cheap valuations and receding fear of regulation from Beijing. Asset managers BlackRock Inc. and Fidelity International Ltd. are buyers, while Morgan Stanley recommended owning the nations speculative-grade debt because prices had fallen too far. Betting on a strengthening yuan is a no-brainer to many currency analysts.

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The rebound in October is giving them confidence. Chinese stock gauges are heading for their best month since January. The nations junk bonds last week surged the most in 18 months. The yuan is near the strongest in five years against a basket of trading partners.

Sentiment has largely taken a bigger knock than fundamentals, wrote Fidelity portfolio manager Dale Nicholls on Oct. 6, one of the first global investors to publicly favor Chinese assets. Investment is all about risk-reward and for many names, this is looking favourable.

But growing optimism is no shield against losses -- as seen earlier this year when stock analysts were the most bullish in a decade and tech was so popular that Tencent Holdings Ltd. was briefly worth nearly $1 trillion.

There are plenty of risks. Unlike the rest of the world, China is sticking with plans to eliminate local transmission of Covid-19, even as it battles with sporadic outbreaks. The economy is showing signs of a further slowdown with car and housing sales dropping this month, and a number of economists have lowered their growth forecasts for this year and next.

China is reluctant to stimulate the economy because of a determination to deleverage the housing market and reduce financial risk. The policy has exacerbated the crisis at Evergrande and other indebted developers, with at least four missing dollar debt payments this month. Distressed property firms, which make up about one-third of Chinas record dollar bond defaults this year, face a bigger test in January -- when maturities more than double from October, according to Citigroup Inc.

Theres no doubt that Chinese stocks and credit had lagged behind global peers. The MSCI China Index plunged 18% in the third quarter, its biggest underperformance versus the world in 20 years. Xis shock moves to take greater control over swathes of the private sector prompted concern that the nations stocks would be uninvestable. Cathie Wood, founder and chief executive officer of ARK Investment Management, warned that Chinese markets would be under pressure from a valuation perspective for a long time. Billionaire George Soros advised investors against bargain hunting in Chinese shares.

Panic turned so severe in the credit market that speculative-grade yields topped 20% and spreads over Treasuries widened to a record -- levels that made little sense to Morgan Stanley credit analysts.

With valuations this low, global funds are returning to China. The MSCI China index still trades at just 1.94 times book value, compared to a multiple of 3 for its global equivalent. The gap is near the widest on record. Investors had turned too bearish, wrote HSBC Holdings Plc strategists in a Oct. 26 note.

Buying Chinese assets after such heavy losses can be a winning strategy, as it was for those who did so early last year. The countrys stocks and currency, which had tumbled weeks before the pandemic shocked markets elsewhere, went on to outperform much of the world in 2020.

But in China, momentum tends to shift quickly.

Reversal trading can conclude what we have observed in October, Gilbert Wong, Morgan Stanleys head of Asia quantitative research, wrote in an email Wednesday. We remind investors again that this rally might prove short lived.

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Caitlyn Jenner and Dave Chappelle. AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu ; Charles Sykes/Invision/AP

Caitlyn Jenner spoke out in support of comedian Dave Chappelle whose new special is under fire.

Chappelle was criticized over comments he made about the trans community in "The Closer."

"Dave Chappelle is 100% right. This isn't about the LGBTQ movement," Jenner wrote in a tweet.

Caitlyn Jenner spoke out in support of Dave Chappelle as the comedian faces criticism for comments he made about the trans community in his new Netflix special, "The Closer."

"Dave Chappelle is 100% right. This isn't about the LGBTQ movement," Jenner wrote in a tweet.

"It's about woke cancel culture run amok, trying to silence free speech. We must never yield or bow to those who wish to stop us from speaking our minds," she added.

Chappelle's comedy special premiered on the streaming service on October 5 and has since faced criticism.

"Gender is a fact," Chappelle said during the special. "Every human being in this room, every human being on earth, had to pass through the legs of a woman to be on earth."

In other clips from the special he made jokes about trans woman and defended JK Rowling, who has promoted anti-trans views.

One trans employee and two others who worked at Netflix were suspended after they spoke out against the special, but they have since been reinstated.

More than 100 people also gathered outside Netflix's offices in LA to protest the special.

In a five-minute video posted on Instagram on Monday, Chappelle said he would not be "bending to anyone's demands."

"I said what I said, and boy, I heard what you said. My God, how could I not? You said you want a safe working environment at Netflix. It seems like I'm the only one that can't go to the office anymore," he said.

Read the original article on Insider
Alex Bugarin, 13, gets a COVID-19 vaccine at San Pedro High School in May. Children in California ages 5 to 11 could start getting their shots as soon as next week. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

California says it is moving fast to begin providing vaccines to younger children  perhaps as soon as next week.

On Tuesday, a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted in favor of making kid-size doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine available. The benefits of vaccinating children 5 to 11 years old outweighed the potential risks, such as a rare heart inflammation called myocarditis that has occurred in some teens and young adults, the panel said.

How many children in California are covered?

Officials said roughly 3.5 million.

Children 5 to 11 make up roughly 9% of Californias population, and widely vaccinating them would substantially boost the states inoculation coverage.

How will the vaccine be distributed?

Though California already has a network of thousands of vaccination sites, officials said they are looking to work with schools to establish more on-campus locations  not just for any newly eligible children but also for parents who might be looking for a convenient site to receive their own shots.

Though the early phase of Californias vaccination rollout was marred by scarce supplies, long lines and software problems, officials said they expect to have ample doses and capacity to handle expanded eligibility.

We dont anticipate any shortage of vaccine this time around, said Dr. Marty Fenstersheib, the vaccine officer for Santa Clara County, Northern Californias most populous.

What's the timeline?

The FDA is expected to make an official decision on expanding vaccine access in the coming days. Should that agency sign off, the matter will next go to an advisory committee for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which plans to meet starting Tuesday.

Before shots start going into California youngsters arms, there will be an additional review by the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup, a coalition of public health experts from California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. That review might take an additional day to complete.

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So it's possible children in the younger age group will be able to get their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine by the middle of next week.

Santa Clara County health officials said that under the most optimistic timeline, shots could be available by next Wednesday or Thursday.

Los Angeles County officials estimated that shots could be available late next week.

Based on that timeline, children could complete their two-dose vaccine regimen in time for the busy winter holiday season.

How will doses be administered?

As with people 12 and older, the Pfizer vaccine for the 5-11 age group will be administered in two parts, with the second dose recommended by the manufacturer to be given three weeks after the first.

Because it takes two weeks following the second dose to be considered fully protected, the first group of young vaccine recipients would be partly protected by Thanksgiving and fully protected by Christmas.

Where are we with vaccinations overall?

More than 68% of Californians have received at least one dose and about 62% are considered fully vaccinated, according to data compiled by The Times. However, officials say that level needs to be considerably higher to reliably protect the state against another coronavirus surge.

We all want to be past this pandemic, Gov. Gavin Newsom told reporters Wednesday, shortly after receiving his own Moderna booster, which followed his original Johnson & Johnson shot. But we know the ticket out of this pandemic is getting these booster shots and getting the unvaccinated vaccinated. And we still have more work to do.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A California school board president cursed at a parent who expressed concerns over mask and vaccine mandates during a meeting Tuesday.

Lauren Roupoli, along with other parents at the Los Alamitos Unified School District, addressed the board with her thoughts on mask and vaccine mandates.

She told the board she is against the California mask mandate for students and will be against a vaccine mandate, and asked the board not to support them.

Video: Tensions continue to rise at school board meetings across the U.S.

Related: School board elections are being targeted by special interest groups and political action committees, which are gaining toeholds in these nonpartisan races.

Eventually, Board President Marlys Davidson told Roupoli her time was up, according to public video of the meeting, and called up the next parent. Roupoli concluded, and Davidson mumbled under her breath "f you," which was picked up by her mic.

Attendees of the meeting, who had been applauding Roupoli moments before, fell into a stunned silence, along with the board.

Neither Davidson nor the Los Alamitos Unified School District board of education responded to requests for comment from NBC News.

Related: "I don't reject people coming here and speaking their voice," Brevard County School Board member Jennifer Jenkins said during a meeting. "... I reject them following my car around."

But KTLA reported Davidson had apologized and said in a statement that when members of the public address the Board of Education, they must be heard with respect.

I reaffirm my commitment to serve our community with dignity and integrity, and I hope they will accept my sincere apology, Davidson said in the statement.
NY Daily News

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said what many were thinking after a jury acquitted Kyle Rittenhouse of all charges on Friday. This is America, Kerr said Friday before his team played the Pistons. Were treading down a dangerous path. It wasnt a shocking verdict, but one that poses great risk going forward if we continue to go down this path. ... States determining that people can just ...
Joan Marcus

One thought kept occurring to this critic throughout Caroline, Or Change, and a long time after: No one is OK here. Throughout you wonder what happy ending can possibly be achievedand to the musical-meets-operas great credit, it isnt. This spiky-shouldered show resists a happy ending and easy reading almost as much as its lead character appears so intent on rebuffing kindness and connection.

Tony Kushners 2003 musical (he wrote the book and lyrics, Jeanine Tesori the music) consistently cuts against expectations of all kindsjust as you might imagine by the playwright behind Angels in America, another unique, absolutely-of-its-own canvas. Caroline, Or Change looks and sounds beautiful, but its also a defiant, alluring curio in terms of story, structure, and character.

This is the Roundabout Theatre Company/Broadway incarnation of the 2017 British production, which began life at the Chichester Festival, before heading to West End.

Tony Kushners Angels in America: Brilliant, Shattering, and Back on Broadway

It is November 1963 in Lake Charles, Louisiana. When we first meet Black maid Caroline Thibodeauthe astounding, Oliver Award-winning Sharon D Clarke, making her Broadway debutshe is in the basement of the white Gellman family home she works in, serenaded by a singing washing machine (Arica Jackson), and a trio who stand for the radio (Nasia Thomas, Nya, Harper Miles). Nothing ever happen under ground in Louisiana/Cause they aint no under ground in Louisiana./There is only/under water, Caroline sings, setting up recurrent themes in the musical itself.

This opening sequence is so daffythe wonderful costumes (and set) are by Fly Davisthat at first you might think of the dancing objects of Fantasia. Perhaps this will be one of those shows featuring someone with a rich, surreal inner world. But no, Caroline is a stern presence very much rooted in reality, determined to ward off the hero worship and attempts at friendship of Gellman son Noah (Adam Makke), whose father Stuart (John Cariani) plays the clarinet and not much else.

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Noah hates his new stepmother Rose (Caissie Levy), and Caroline isnt too keen on her either, not least because Rose keeps misnaming her Carolyn. Rose wants the women to be friends, or at least have a semblance of friendship. But no, Caroline just wants to wash the familys clothes and preside over her basement domain. The musical insinuates that its OK to dislike Rose for no apparent reason, apart from being shallow and simpering, but we soon see she is as insecure and questioning as everyone else. Everyone in Caroline, Or Change is askew and ill at ease.

The title of the musical is as double-meaningful as the basement. Caroline is steadfastly resistant to change, and also fishes change out of Noahs pockets when it comes to washing his trousers, putting his coins in the cup reserved for bleach. But Rose, as well as giving Caroline food for her children she doesnt want (cabbage, yuk), also wants Caroline to take the money herself, and enjoy spending it on her kids. But Caroline is rock-solid in her determination to behave properly, boundaries up and respected, and do things as they have always been done.

Around this saga of loose change, which ultimately takes Caroline and Noah down parallel, destructive dark paths, the musical embeds storylines around how to confront racism, the effects of JFKs death, Jewishness, resistance, and how we can changeand what that change can amount to personally and politically. Occasionally, the actors slip into speech, and occasionally the Moon (NKenge) appears shimmeringly above, another harbinger of change, whether desired or not.

The basement is not just a physical space, but a psychological one. Caroline dourly stays there, rooted in past grief and determined to fulfill what she considers her responsibilities to her three children; Noahs basement is about loss, about dreaming of a time he can be part of a family. He wants to be somebodys child and sibling. His father is lost in his own grief. Rose wants to be a good stepmother, a good employer, to find a purpose or reason as a wife and mother, but no one wants to seem to want that from her.

Emmie (the excellent Samantha Williams), Carolines daughter, wonders why her mother seems so beaten down, as does her best friend Dotty (Tamika Lawrence); Emmie wants to fight racism, and cuts through the grief over JFK by saying he didnt do enough for Black peoplealthough she takes issue with Roses rabble-rousing father (Chip Zien) about how violent resistance should be. All this plays out at a Chanukah party, where merriment squawks desperately above denser politics and more fraught emotions. The show knows how to put on a great, glittering song and dance sequence, and then deliver a balloon-puncturing dose of cold, hard reality.

The collision of musical styles and Kushners clever, witty lyricism makes Caroline, Or Change a haunting, unforgettable musical. This critic loved its ambition, even if it was occasionally perplexing and opaque. Like Angels in America, the material fleshes out detail and the personaltrousers, musical instruments, comic books, lost coins, and bank noteswhile also being proudly political, and showing how centrally politics exerts itself as a force on peoples lives.

Caroline, Or Change, despite that central, much-repeated theme of change, doesnt leave everyone happy and transformed at the end. It cannot and will not. It leaves people hovering in different kinds of stasis, with a flickering sense they will move forward, albeit falteringly. If Caroline is determined not to change, she may facilitate it for others.

All the actors are sterling, but this is absolutely Clarkes show. Her act two aria, Lots Wifea fuller-throated cry from the head and heart it is unlikely that you will hear bettered this seasonis so powerful it will lodge and vibrate in your bones. You will also sit in sheer wonder as Clarke gives so much to give it to us.

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Associated Press

At a busy market in a poor township outside Harare this week, Nyasha Ndou kept his mask in his pocket, as hundreds of other people, mostly unmasked, jostled to buy and sell fruit and vegetables displayed on wooden tables and plastic sheets. As in much of Zimbabwe, here the coronavirus is quickly being relegated to the past, as political rallies, concerts and home gatherings have returned. Earlier this week, Zimbabwe recorded just 33 new COVID-19 cases and zero deaths, in line with a recent fall in the disease across the continent, where World Health Organization data show that infections have been dropping since July.
China, the worlds top emitter by far, is not offering any new commitments to reduce carbon pollution before a major United Nations climate conference starting Sunday.

China submitted a pledge, known as a Nationally Determined Contribution, to the U.N on Thursday, vowing to stop increasing its carbon emissions before 2030 and reach carbon neutrality by 2050. President Xi Jinping already announced those goals at the end of last year, but this formalizes the commitments under the Paris Climate Accords.

But China fell short of expectations from the United States and other rich countries that have asked Beijing to reduce its emissions earlier this decade with a new specific date. By not doing so, China is saying its emissions will continue to rise, making it more difficult for the world to meet the goals of the Paris agreement.

I am sure the U.S. and other countries were hoping to see something new from China going into COP26 [the U.N. climate conference], said Joanna Lewis, an associate professor at Georgetown University teaching energy and environment with a focus on China. This signals China is standing firm on goals it previously announced."

WORLD IS FAR OFF EMISSIONS GOALS EVEN WITH PLEDGES FROM RICH COUNTRIES, UN SAYS

During a July speech in London, U.S. climate envoy John Kerry called on China to commit to sector-specific near-term actions that would enable earlier peaking and the possibility of rapid reductions afterwards.

Lauri Myllyvirta, lead analyst at the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air, noted Chinas pledge also leaves unanswered how quickly its emissions should fall after its peak, a key question for a country with a growing economy.

China is currently grappling with coal shortages, surging prices, and power outages as the economy and energy demand ramps up from the pandemic, leading officials to encourage more coal development. It is already the worlds largest producer and consumer of coal, although it recently promised to end its support of overseas coal projects.

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But Lewis said the current energy crisis is not the decisive factor in Chinas decision not to boost its emissions goals.

The country is ignoring pleas by President Joe Biden and other world leaders to commit to specific near-term actions that would enable earlier peaking because it is skeptical over the U.S.s lack of progress in passing domestic legislation to address climate change, she said.

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Biden has committed the U.S. to cut its emission in half by 2030, but he is struggling to pass his Build Back Better spending bill in Congress to invest $555 billion in climate and clean energy measures.

The Chinese government is watching deliberations in Congress very closely, Lewis said. Its unfortunate Biden wasnt able to come to COP with a shiny new infrastructure bill with a huge climate component.

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Tags: News, Energy and Environment, China, Paris Agreement, Coal, Fossil Fuels

Original Author: Josh Siegel

Original Location: China avoids new emissions pledge in blow to hopes for climate conference
BEIJING (AP)  China on Thursday defended a new border law following criticism by India that it might disrupt the resolution of a 17-month-old standoff over disputed territory in the remote Ladakh region that has led to violent clashes.

The law approved Sunday says Beijing will combat any act that undermines territorial sovereignty and land boundaries." That prompted an appeal by India's foreign ministry Wednesday not to use it to change conditions in border areas.

The law is in line with international practice, said China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin.

It won't change Chinas positions and propositions on relevant border-related issues," Wang said at a regular news briefing.

Without mentioning India by name, Wang expressed hope the relevant country will abide by the basic norms governing international relations and not make speculations about Chinas normal legislation."

The two governments have stationed tens of thousands of soldiers with artillery, tanks and fighter jets along their frontier in Ladakh.

The Line of Actual Control separates Chinese and Indian-held territories from Ladakh in the west to Indias eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims. India and China fought a 1962 war over the border.

Talks between Indian and Chinese army commanders to disengage troops from key areas along their border ended without agreement this month.

Last year, 20 Indian troops were killed in a fight with Chinese soldiers involving clubs, stones and fists. China said it lost four soldiers.
By Yew Lun Tian

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Wednesday to resume financing support to cash-strapped Afghanistan for reconstruction.

The Taliban takeover in August saw billions of dollars in central bank assets frozen and international financial institutions suspend access to funds, although humanitarian aid has continued.

Banks are running out of money, civil servants have not been paid and food prices have soared. The IMF said on Tuesday that Afghanistan's economy was set to contract up to 30% this year, possibly fuelling a refugee crisis.

"Afghanistan is in need of revival on all fronts, and development is the top priority," said Wang, speaking via video-link to foreign ministers from Afghanistan's neighbours.

He renewed a call for the United States and other Western countries to lift unilateral sanctions on Afghanistan and for the World Health Organization to provide more vaccines and medical supplies to help Afghanistan fight COVID-19.

China has said it will send $30 million worth of emergency humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.

China has always called for the international community to engage, rather than isolate, the Taliban.

"My overall impression is that the Taliban is eager to have dialogue and cooperation with the outside, and that they are serious about this," Wang said.

(Reporting by Yew Lun Tian; Editing by Stephen Coates)
The site of COP26 by the Clyde in Glasgow

Popular support for governments to take tough action on climate change is growing around the world, according to a BBC World Service opinion poll.

The survey of over 30,000 people finds that 56% want their countries to play a leadership role at the critical COP26 meeting next week.

The desire to see ambitious goals set in Glasgow has grown substantially since 2015.

Concern about climate change is also at its highest point since 1998.

Presidents and prime ministers from around 120 countries will gather in Glasgow next week for the COP26 conference, dubbed the last, best chance of averting dangerous climate change.

graphic

Recent research shows that the plans so far on the table will not prevent global temperatures going far above 1.5C this century - a level that scientists say is the gateway to extreme impacts.

The UK, which is presiding over the talks, will hope that in negotiations with leaders they will be able to find a pathway that reduces emissions fast enough to stay below 1.5C.

This new poll suggests that people in rich and poor nations alike are supportive of the idea of greater ambition from their leaders.

Across the 31 countries polled, an average of 56% of people want their governments to set stronger targets that would address climate change as quickly as possible.

Another 36% want their government to take a more moderate approach and support gradual action.

Just 8% want their governments to oppose a deal.

In the 18 countries where a similar survey was carried out ahead of COP21 in Paris in 2015, the expectation for governments to play a leading role has grown substantially.

In 2015, 43% of those polled wanted strong action, but that has risen to 58% now.

Climate walkers from the Netherlands about to set off for Glasgow

"In advance of the COP21 meeting in Paris in 2015, global public opinion exhibited relatively strong expectations for governments to deliver an ambitious climate change agreement, which in the end is what transpired," said Chris Coulter, the chief executive of Globescan, which carried out the poll.

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"Now, in advance of the COP26 meeting in Glasgow next week, we are seeing significantly higher levels of expectations - an increase of 25% worldwide - for governments to conclude an ambitious deal. This is an extraordinary shift in a relatively short period of time and the implications being that governments that don't deliver on these expectations could face political consequences."

There are some interesting changes in some of the biggest emitting countries, particularly China, where the percentage of respondents wanting to see their country play a leadership role has increased from 18% in 2015 to 46% now.

Climate protesters in Rome

India also sees a rise from 38% then to 56% now, with the US also showing an uptick from 45% of respondents then to 56% now.

Only in Russia did the pollsters find a decline in support for stronger government leadership at COP26, with only 38% backing this approach, down from almost 50% in 2015.

On the question of addressing climate change, respondents were fairly evenly divided, with 61% overall saying that governments had the responsibility while 57% said that companies were in the frame.

On the issue of individuals, only 36% said that the answers should come from them.

Young people are set to bring their message to political leaders during COP26

This question turned up an interesting age difference with four in 10 respondents under 30 years of age saying that individuals held a great deal of responsibility, while only three in 10 of those over 30 saw it the same way.

Overall concern about climate change is at its highest level since Globescan first started tracking this concern - in 17 countries -back in 1998. Some 63% of people now see it as a "very serious" issue.

There have also been large increases in the numbers of people saying that weather patterns have become highly unusual and alarming, particularly in France and the UK, where the numbers have doubled since 2015.

More details on the poll can be found here.

Follow Matt on Twitter.
(Bloomberg) -- There are few CEOs in the energy industry as vocal about their disdain for climate activism as Nicholas DeIuliis.Rarely a day goes by without DeIuliis, the head of U.S. natural gas producer CNX Resources Corp., taking a shot on Twitter at the politicians and celebrities urging quicker action to halt global warming.

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So it came as something of a surprise when DeIuliis unveiled a 55-page report back in July that made one of the industrys most audacious claims about curbing emissions. CNX, according to the report, is net carbon negative and has been for years. This means the company is removing more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than it emits, precisely the kind of environmental progress that CNX's big financial backers like BlackRock Inc. and The Vanguard Group Inc. have been demanding.The problem is that the report isn't true for the full scope of CNXs emissions.

The company bases its claim on the fact that it has a business that captures methane  a far more potent greenhouse gas than CO  that would otherwise be released from coal mines and sells it as fuel for power generation. But it's still relying on the burning of coal, a fossil fuel that pollutes the air so badly that researchers say it causes thousands of premature deaths each year. Whats more, using gas for electricity produces emissions not just of carbon dioxide but often of methane itself. CNX still drills for gas in shale basins. And its greenhouse-gas accounting also doesnt include its customers, a category that makes up the biggest share of the energy industrys emissions by far.

In the parlance of climate scientists, CNX's claim is greenwashing  and an extreme case of it. And the fact that a CEO skeptical of man-made climate change is spearheading the campaign to prove his company's environmental bonafides highlights just how great the pressure from investors is on the fossil fuel industry to reform and just how great the risk of greenwashing is becoming as a result.''That a company whose entire business model is based on fossil fuel extraction could be carbon negative is pretty laughable on its face, said Tom Schuster, clean energy program director at the Sierra Clubs Pennsylvania chapter. ''Fracking and coal mining are simply not compatible with the urgent need to stabilize the climate, which requires us to be transitioning away from CO.

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DeIuliis, 53, dismisses the criticism of CNXs carbon-negative assertion. Though investors didnt shower the company with kudos for the claim and environmentalists were quick to poke holes in it, the CEO argues that CNX has been fully transparent about the straightforward math underlying it. Whats more, the company has stated publicly that it will likely never reach net-zero, let alone carbon negative, for emissions if customers are included. But DeIuliis is also convinced that no other company or industry  including wind and solar power  will ever be net zero if indirect emissions are part of the equation, and that only fossil fuel producers are being held accountable for them.

Thats what is frustrating, going from bad to ugly, about ESG, he said in an interview. Theres no universally accepted method of measuring corporate greenhouse-gas emissions, and capturing methane from coal mines is better for the environment than drilling new wells or letting methane leak into the atmosphere, said Rob Du Boff, an ESG analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. But that doesnt mean CNXs carbon-negative claim holds weight.

At the end of the day, you are still bringing more gas to the market, Du Boff said.

Publicly, at least, oil and gas executives increasingly are either embracing the narrative of the energy transition or simply keeping quiet on the subject. Not DeIuliis. Via Twitter, a podcast and personal website, he slams corporate green pledges, deems solar and wind power a bad idea and fiercely defends fossil fuels. In his crusade against what he calls radical environmentalism, the CEO targets everyone from Bono to Pope Francis. Climate activism is one of many subjects DeIuliis tackles in his book Precipice: The Lefts Campaign to Destroy America, to be published next year.

(Michael Bloomberg, the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News, has committed $500 million to launch Beyond Carbon, a campaign aimed at closing the remaining coal-powered plants in the U.S. by 2030.)

Toby Rice, CEO of EQT Corp., the largest U.S. gas producer, is measured in his assessment of DeIuliiss views. But he stresses that EQT is taking a different path.

It's very brave to be vocal because you put yourself out there and there's a lot of critics, Rice said in an interview. But I will tell you more of the guys in this industry are like us, are like me, in having a balanced approach that is more aligned with the demands of the public in shifting to carbon-free energy sources. EQT set a goal earlier this year to zero out its own emissions by 2025, but like CNX, the company excluded pollution from its customers from the plan.

DeIuliis has deep roots in coal country. The men of his family, descended from Italian immigrants, toiled in and around western Pennsylvanias mines, mills and railroads. Living almost his entire life within a 5-mile (8-kilometer) radius of Pittsburgh, where CNX is based, he saw firsthand the steep declines in the citys economy as steel and other heavy industries moved out, leaving thousands without jobs.

He joined CNXs predecessor company, Consol Energy Inc., as an engineer three decades ago, when it was primarily focused on coal mining. DeIuliis became CEO of Consol in 2014, as the company worked to transform itself into a gas driller and capitalize on surging output of the fuel from shale basins. Three years later, its coal assets were spun off and the renamed CNX became a pure-play Appalachian gas producer. Key to CNXs carbon-negative claim is the Buchanan mine in Virginia, now owned by Coronado Global Resources Inc.

BlackRock and Vanguard are among the largest CNX shareholders. The investors, who declined to comment for this story, have pushed companies including Exxon Mobil Corp. to disclose their climate risks and plans for how to adapt to a low-carbon economy, following guidelines that include those set by the Financial Stability Board, an international body that monitors the global financial system. Thats what CNX did for the first time in the report it released in July.

We had a handful of owners who thought it was worth pursuing, DeIuliis said of CNXs move. The executive said he was initially concerned that the Financial Stability Boards framework might be another gimmick or ESG veneer. But once we studied it, we thought it was a good move for us.CNX rose as much as 8.6% on Thursday after reporting quarterly results that beat analysts estimates, along with a program to buy back an extra $1 billion in shares.

DeIuliiss rise at CNX coincided with the advance of fracking  the process that revolutionized the U.S. energy industry by making it possible to extract oil and gas from shale rocks  and Consols move into natural gas. The shale revolution had a major impact on Pennsylvania, where gas output soared to about 7 trillion cubic feet last year  35 times the amount produced in 2008. The state now produces almost 20% of U.S. gas output, second only to Texas. The industry accounts for about 245,000 direct and indirect jobs in the state, according to a July study by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The gas industry basically returned the middle class, the family-sustaining wages, the economic growth engines for Appalachia, DeIuliis said.

While climate scientists warn of global warmings world-destroying potential, DeIuliis says the Appalachian gas industry is facing an existential threat of its own  from the energy transition. He notes that the fuel has come under attack from environmental groups because of its impact on climate change, and in recent years, pipeline projects aimed at moving gas from Pennsylvania to markets such as New Jersey and New York have been killed because of such concerns, limiting the ability of CNX and other shale explorers to boost output. Unleashing the region's full production potential could help boost living standards in poor, energy-scarce countries, he added.

The energy crisis in Europe and Asia has left nations scrambling to secure reliable fuel supplies. A strained gas market contributed to Europes record-setting spike in electricity prices, though the energy transition amplified the volatility. Still, DeIuliis argues that underinvestment in natural gas will put the U.S. at risk of a similar energy crunch , boosting the risk of power outages.

Its inevitable that New York or Boston is going to face an energy crisis, if winter gets cold and if supply and demand is imbalanced in part because of these types of policies, he said.

Regardless of rhetoric from climate-skeptical energy CEOs like DeIuliis, in the long term, companies that dont heed investor demands to address climate change are likely to face a reckoning, Bloomberg Intelligences Du Boff said.

''Their personal beliefs are irrelevant as long as they act professionally in how they deal with these stakeholders, he said. It's the ones that continue to run their businesses counter to these demands that are problematic.

(Updates with earnings results in 20th paragraph)

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2021 Bloomberg L.P.
A Los Angeles man charged in the 2018 overdose death of rapper Mac Miller has agreed to plead guilty in a deal that could send him to prison for 17 years, according to court documents.

Stephen Andrew Walter was one of three men indicted in 2019 in the death of Miller, who died of a fentanyl overdose the year before.

He agreed to plead guilty to one count of distribution of fentanyl in a plea agreement with prosecutors filed this week. Both sides agreed on a sentence of 17 years in prison, according to the document. A judge must accept the deal.A change of plea hearing is scheduled for Nov. 8.

Miller, whose real name was Malcolm McCormick, died at 26 after being found unresponsive at his Studio City home on Sept. 7, 2018. His death was ruled an accidental overdose of cocaine, alcohol and fentanyl.

Walter admitted in the plea agreement that he "directed" another man, Ryan Michael Reavis, to distribute counterfeit oxycodone pills that contained fentanyl to Cameron James Pettit.

Pettit then allegedly gave the pills to Miller. Pettit and Reavis are the other two people charged.

Walter's plea agreement says that Miller, identified in that document as M.M., "would not have died from an overdose but for the fentanyl contained in the pills."

Walter's attorney did not immediately return a request for comment Wednesday night.

The attorney, William S. Harris, told Rolling Stone that "it's a binding plea agreement for 17 years."

"The judge will either accept or reject it. If he accepts it, there will be no power to sentence my client to more. If he rejects it, theres no deal," Harris told the magazine.

Federal prosecutors have previously said that Pettit agreed to supply Miller with 10 "blues," meaning pills containing oxycodone, but delivered counterfeit pills that contained fentanyl. Pettit allegedly ordered the pills from Walter, and Reavis allegedly delivered the pills to Pettit.

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Pettit and Reavis have both pleaded not guilty.

Reavis' attorney, Correen Ferrentino, said Wednesday that "Mr. Reavis recognizes the tragic loss of life associated with these charges," and plans to defend himself at trial in March.

An attorney for Pettit did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday night.

Miller had long rapped about his battles with addiction.

But his career was in an upswing with the release of his fifth album, "Swimming," and a tour was scheduled to kick off in October of that year.
Oregon Democrat Rep. Peter DeFazio, who is chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, uttered profanities during a heated debate Wednesday on airline-enforced vaccine mandates.

It remains unclear who the words were directed at, but after Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, yielded his time to Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., for the second time, DeFazio swore into his hot mic.

GOP DEMANDS BIDEN STOP 'BULLYING' AIRLINES WITH VACCINE MANDATE, SAYS TAXPAYERS 'SAVED' INDUSTRY

Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Mast introduced three amendments that would bar the Federal Aviation Administration or airlines from implementing vaccine mandates for their contractors or employees to a bill that would fund the airline industry in the instance of a government shutdown.

DeFazio took issue with Masts amendments and said they were "a little bit off-base," as the FAA has not made any push to enforce vaccine mandates.

Federal contractors, under executive order by President Biden, are expected to get shots in their arms by Dec. 8 or risk termination.

Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., on Sept. 13, 2021 Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

"Some air carriers  private entities with private businesses trying to protect their employees and their customers  have imposed it [mandates]," DeFazio said. "Thats their right."

The Oregon Democrat and the Florida Republican exchanged a terse back-and-forth, with DeFazio finally ruling Mast out of order and saying, "You've already wasted time and you'll waste more."

PILOT REBUFFS BIDEN'S VAX MANDATE AMID SOUTHWEST TURMOIL: 'WE HAVE ALL THE CONTROL'

"We've got a lot of whacked-out people in this country that are killing people, plain and simple," DeFazio said. "In three counties in the southern part of my district  deep red counties  vaccine rates of 40%, people have died waiting to get into the ICU."

DeFazio later recognized Young for the second time before the Alaska Republican again yielded his time to Mast, allowing the Florida Republican to continue the debate on his amendments.

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"Oh, you f---ing a------," he said after Young yielded.

Texas Republican Rep. Beth Van Duyne, who was present for the hearing, denounced the comments on Twitter.

DeFazio did not answer questions about who the comment was directed at, but in a statement to Fox News he defended his frustration.

"I get passionate when it comes to protecting jobs and worker safety and I call it like I see it," DeFazaio said. "I was fighting for a bipartisan bill that protects the jobs of Federal Aviation Administration workers from government shutdowns and Congressman Mast was trying to derail the Committees work with multiple anti-vax amendments that put aviation worker jobs, health, and safety at risk.

"Maybe I should watch my language but I wont back down when it comes to safe vaccines or protecting American jobs," he added.

A spokeswoman for the National Republican Congressional Committee interpreted the comment as being directed at Mast.

"Peter DeFazios comments about a decorated combat veteran are absolutely disgraceful. DeFazio should be ashamed of himself and apologize immediately," Courtney Parella told Fox News.
Photograph: Jose Luis Magana/AP

Senior Democrats in Congress were at odds on Wednesday over a proposal to tax billionaires assets to help pay for Joe Bidens social and climate change agenda, leaving it unclear if the idea had enough support to become law.

Senate Democrats unveiled the new billionaires tax proposal earlier in the day, presenting it as an entirely new entry in the tax code designed to help pay for Bidens sweeping domestic policy package and edge his party closer to an overall agreement on a shrunken version of the administrations $3.5tn flagship legislation.

The Billionaires Income Tax would ensure billionaires pay tax every year, just like working Americans, said Democratic senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, the chairman of the Senate finance committee who wrote the new billionaire tax proposal. No working person in America thinks its right that they pay their taxes and billionaires dont.

Related: If we had a deal we would tell you: disagreements rage over Biden agenda despite White House assurances  live

However, by the afternoon, Wydens House of Representatives counterpart, Richard Neal, the Ways and Means Committee chairman, said the idea appeared to be too complex to succeed.

Bidens Democrats have been struggling to reach consensus on the scope of a pair of bills to rebuild the nations infrastructure, increase social spending and fight climate change. With the narrowest of margins in Congress, and unified Republican opposition, they need near 100% agreement within the caucus to pass anything.

Biden and Democratic congressional leaders have been scaling back their ambitions in order to keep skeptical centrists on board. Several media outlets reported that they dropped a provision on Wednesday that would have provided up to 12 weeks of paid family leave, and would have brought the US closer to its global peers.

The proposed billionaires tax would affect those with more than $1bn in assets or incomes of more than $100m a year, and it could begin to shore up the ambitious plan Biden is racing to finish before departing this week for the global climate summit, Cop26, in Scotland.

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Democrats behind the proposal say that about 700 of Americas super-rich taxpayers would be affected by the new tax proposal.

The wealthiest people in the US include household names such as Teslas Elon Musk, the worlds richest person, who is worth almost a quarter of a trillion dollars. Also included are Jeff Bezos, Microsofts Bill Gates, Facebooks Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Page and Sergey Brin of Google, investor Warren Buffett, the Walton family members behind Walmart, and the industrialist and libertarian activist Charles Koch.

Reports show that the wealthiest Americans became even richer during the pandemic, with the 400 richest seeing a 40% rise in their wealth as the pandemic shuttered large parts of the US economy.

However, the proposal instantly drew doubts and criticisms from Republicans and some Democrats, including Joe Manchin, a centrist who has been central to efforts to slim down the reconciliation bill.

Speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill, the West Virginia senator said wealthy Americans should pay a patriotic tax of 15% to ensure that all citizens are giving something back to their country.

But when it comes to the billionaire tax, Manchin said: I dont like it. I dont like the connotation that were targeting different people.

Neal said the billionaire tax will be very difficult because of its complexity.

Later, the White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, was asked whether the administration was confident that the plan would withstand legal scrutiny.

Were not going to support anything we dont think is legal, she said. But I will tell you the president supports the billionaire tax  to make sure the highest-income Americans pay their fair share.

At the heart of the proposal is a change in what the federal government considers income for the wealthiest individuals. Rather than just basing tax on the paycheck a billionaire receives from a company, the tax would target the unrealized gains of billionaires, which includes the billions of dollars of shares they hold in their companies.

Amazons Jeff Bezos, for example, makes a salary of about $80,000 a year, though his Amazon stock holdings increase in value more than $10bn a year.

If Mr Bezos does not sell any of his Amazon shares in a given year, the income tax ignores the $10bn gain, and effectively he is taxed like a middle-class person making $80,000 a year, wrote Chuck Marr, director of federal tax policy at the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities thinktank, in a Twitter thread explaining the Democrats proposal.

This happens, Marr said, because the federal government does not treat gains made on stocks as income until the stock is sold. What billionaires do to get money is take out huge personal loans, using their shares as collateral. ProPublica revealed that Teslas Elon Musk pledged 92m shares of Tesla stock, now worth more than $1,000 a share, as collateral for personal loans.

Musk took a dig at the plan on Twitter, responding to a user who expressed concern that the proposal, if passed, would open the door to future tax hikes that would cover a wider range of middle-class Americans with investments.

Exactly. Eventually, they run out of other peoples money and then they come for you, tweeted Musk, who could owe as much as $50bn in taxes under the proposal.

Coupled with a new 15% corporate minimum tax, the proposal would provide alternative revenue sources that Biden needs to win over one key Democrat, Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, who had rejected the partys earlier idea of reversing the Trump-era tax breaks on corporations and the wealthy to raise revenue.

With the US Senate split 50-50 between Republicans and Democrats, Biden needs every Democratic senator on board to pass the budget bill with the allowable simple majority, using the so-called reconciliation process  with Vice-President Kamala Harris the casting vote in the traditional role of president of the Senate.

No senator wants to stand up and say, Gee, I think its just fine for billionaires to pay little or no taxes for years on end, said Wyden.

Taken together, the new tax on billionaires and the 15% corporate minimum tax are designed to fulfill Bidens promise that no new taxes hit those earning less than $400,000 a year, or $450,000 for couples. Biden insists all the new spending will be fully paid for and not added to the national debt.
Oct. 27A Denver man has been charged with sexual assault after a Longmont woman he met on a dating app said he raped her.

Bryan Burkhalter, 30, was charged Tuesday with two counts of sexual assault, according to court records.

He was released on a $20,000 personal recognizance bond and is set for a preliminary hearing on Dec. 16.

According to an arrest affidavit, a woman called Longmont police and said she had been sexually assaulted on July 10.

The woman said she had met Burkhalter through the dating app Tinder, and that they had been messaging for a few weeks before she invited him to hang out in Longmont.

She said they spent the day hanging out before Burkhalter asked if they could go back to her place. The woman agreed, but said she was not sure if she wanted to have sex with Burkhalter and that if they did he would have to use protection.

The woman told police that back at her place, Burkhalter carried her to the bedroom, and she gave him a condom to wear. But Burkhalter refused to wear the condom, and then sexually assaulted the woman even as she told him to stop and tried to get away from him.

The woman told Burkhalter to leave, but he insisted on staying and taking a nap because he had been drinking, and the woman said she locked herself in the bathroom until he eventually left.

According to the affidavit, Burkhalter later texted the woman memes referencing anal sex.

The woman was taken to the hospital for a sex assault examination.

Police were able to eventually identify Burkhalter using information from Tinder, and spoke to Burkhalter and his attorney on the phone in August. During that phone conversation, Burkhalter said the sex was consensual.

Burkhalter admitted the woman wanted him to wear a condom and that he refused to do so, but he said she was OK with that, according to the affidavit.

When confronted with statements by the woman, Burkhalter's attorney called the situation a "gray area."

According to the affidavit, Burkhalter had prior arrests in Texas for drinking and driving and a harassment case in Loveland.
Associated Press

One of the most wanted fugitives in the United States apparently died about four months ago in a South Carolina home nearly 16 years after he was first wanted in San Diego for sexually assaulting children, investigators said. Frederick Cecil McLean, 70, died of natural causes in July, but his body wasn't found until Nov. 6 when someone asked deputies to check on a neighbor who hadn't been seen in a while, Oconee County Coroner Karl Addis said. McLean has been on the U.S. Marshals Service's 15 Most Wanted list since 2006, a year after the San Diego Sheriffs Department issued arrest warrants for sexual assaults on a child and determined he was a high risk to continue attacking girls.
If you're doing most of the childcare and housework, read this article, then go talk to your spouse. (Photo: Richard Drury via Getty Images)

This month, Northern California marriage therapist Kurt Smith is working with three couples who are fighting about unfair division of child care and housework.

Invariably, their complaints  and the complaints of all the housework-quarreling couples that came before them  hit on all the same notes: One spouse  usually the woman, if its a heterosexual relationship  is sick and tired of shouldering the lions share of housework and needs that dynamic to change, pronto.

Since most couples have never sat down and actually discussed how to divide up their family responsibilities (or if they have had the conversation, someone doesnt seem to recall the specifics), they fall into some version of the stereotypical gender roles.

He handles the outside of the house and she owns the inside, Smith told HuffPost.

But defaulting to this frankly archaic split isnt usually very equal  work in the house, including child care, is far more time-consuming  and doesnt cut it for most people today where both partners are working.

Thats especially true during the pandemic, where spouses and partners are oftentimes trying to balance working from home while supervising the kids (especially when theyre remote learning or having to quarantine).

An imbalance in the sharing of joint responsibilities, whether in the areas of parenting, finances, household chores, or elsewhere will inevitably lead to problems.Kurt Smith, marriage and family therapist

There was a reassuring period early in the pandemic when it came to housework: In the first wave of lockdown, men actually did step up with household chores and kid care. Unfortunately, that trend didnt last.

According to a McKinsey poll conducted with LeanIn.Org, since the pandemic began, mothers are more than three times as likely as fathers to do the majority of household and parenting labor. And theyre 1.5 times more likely than dads to spend an extra three or more hours on chores and child care.

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Given all this, theres no time like the present to have that crucial conversation about splitting up the household work.

A lot of couples skip having this talk but its a necessary one for relationship health and happiness, Smith said. An imbalance in the sharing of joint responsibilities, whether in the areas of parenting, finances, household chores, or elsewhere will inevitably lead to problems.

If youve never had the equal work discussion with your S.O.  or youve been together a long time and need a refresh  heres how to broach it.

Control the tone of the conversation and use the pandemic as a conversation starter.

Sure, your partner is majorly slacking on the chore front, but you want to try and ease into this conversation in a casual, non-disgruntled way, said Becky Whetstone, a marriage and family therapist in Little Rock, Arkansas, and co-host of Curly Girls Relationship Show.

Tell them you have noticed a change and ask them if they have noticed it and what is driving it, she said. Kindly express that you still need them to do their part.

You also might use the pandemic as a conversation starter: Ask them, how has the pandemic changed our family dynamic? How has it improved your lives? How has it weighed you down? How has it changed our delegations of responsibilities? (Like a good, inquiring journalist, leave the hardball question for last.)

Take stock as a couple and see what adjustments can be made to lower the stress on the individuals and family, Whetsone said. You might even invite your kids into the conversation: Have each person describe what is going on with them these days and what do they need.

When talking about housework and child care, use

Use I language.

The key to discussing chores (or any difficult topic, really) is to share feelings in a diplomatic way that considers the other persons ego, said Elisabeth LaMotte, therapist and founder of the DC Counseling and Psychotherapy Center.

To that end, use I statements that acknowledge that youre communicating from your own point of view and willing to negotiate. Avoid you statements that lay all the blame at your partners feet.

You have to be willing to own your part of the equation, LaMotte said. It is much more productive to say: I am aware that my cleanliness standards for our home are higher than yours and that must be challenging to live with. But if the dishes could be taken care of each evening without a reminder, that would be awesome.

Its considerably less productive to say: Youre such a slob, you cant even clean a dish without my constant reminders.

Try to make it easy on each other.

Lets be honest, household chores are not tasks any of us are typically eager to do. Chances are, there are chores you prefer to do over others and those may or may not align with your partners preferences  but youll never know unless you ask. (OK, you might already know if your partner gets huffy and takes a deep, dramatic sigh every time theyre on dishwashing duty.)

If you take the time to divide the tasks with preferences in mind, an acknowledgement of the length of time a task takes to complete and the level of difficulty and frequency, both of you will likely feel that the work is more evenly distributed, said Danielle Marrufo, an associate marriage and family therapist at Kindman & Co in Los Angeles.

Think about what you and your partner are actually good at or enjoy, she said. Try to identify the things you both have natural strengths and inclinations for and support each other to do more of those things! This can make it feel less tedious or intimidating to try to do your part.

After the conversation, have faith that chores will get done.

Your partner is not a mind reader: Communicate what youd like them to do and what youre more than happy to do, then stick to your guns, said Samantha Rodman Whiten, a psychologist in Potomac, Maryland.

If you no longer want the laundry to be your chore, directly communicate that you will not be doing more than half, and follow through. Have a little faith that your partner will follow through with their assigned chores, too.

Many times, people think that if they stop doing a given chore, it will never get done, but this rarely happens, Rodman Whiten said. The chore may not be on your timeline, but it will get done if there is no alternative.

Rodman Whiten used an example from her own marriage.

Personally, I dont do any laundry and I never have, but I do all the cooking. The laundry can get done whenever my husband does it, and meals are served when I cook them, she said. If people dont criticize one anothers performance of tasks, then they can have a much happier team-like partnership!

A little equity in housework labor pays off: 'When you feel more positive and connected to them, it can result in more physical affection or time together having fun,

Show them how working as a team benefits all.

Make a point to tell your partner how you feel when they help more, Smith said. If theyre reminded of the inherent perks of doing their fair share, theyll be more inclined to put in the work.

When you feel more positive and connected to them, it can result in more physical affection or time together having fun, Smith said, before adding that the cliche of men being highly motivated by the possibility of sex is fairly true.

Men are often surprised to learn that women can find a man cleaning the toilet a turn-on, he said.

Offer praise for good work and remember that this conversation might be ongoing.

Daily tasks and chores can feel like a thankless job and are often overlooked  unless our partner notices they are forgotten.

But note a job well done, too. Actively praising and thanking our partner tells them that we see the work that they are doing and we recognize their effort, Marrufo said.

Remember, too, that these conversations are ongoing, not necessarily a one-and-done thing. (Just ask anyone whos been married for years.)

Continuing to have the conversation around expectations and responsibilities helps to foster dependability and security in relationships, she said. I mean, were stuck at home with our partners  lets work toward making it a comfortable environment for everyone.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

Related...
Ethiopia's military on Thursday carried out an air strike on the capital of the war-torn Tigray region that a hospital official said killed 10 people.

The government said the strike, the latest in a campaign of air bombardments, hit a factory in Mekele used by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF).

The air force "destroyed the second part of Mesfin Industrial Engineering. The facility was used by TPLF terrorist group for maintaining its military equipments," said government spokeswoman Selamawit Kassa.

Dr Hayelom Kebede, research director at Mekele's Ayder Referral Hospital, said a residential area was hit and casualties were inflicted.

"The death toll reaches 10," he said, up from his earlier count that put the number of dead at six and listed 21 people as injured.

The Tigrai Communications Affairs Bureau, a TPLF-linked information channel, also reported casualties and said the strike had hit a residential area.

Earlier, TPLF spokesman Getachew Reda confirmed the strike on Mekele and said the rebels' air defence units were engaging an enemy jet.

Much of northern Ethiopia is under a communications blackout and access for journalists is restricted, making battlefield claims difficult to independently verify.

Tigray was pounded by near-daily aerial bombardments last week as the military stepped up its use of air power in the year-long war against the TPLF.

The government said the facilities bombed in northern and western Tigray were military in nature and aiding the TPLF, the former ruling party in the region.

The UN said two strikes on Mekele on October 18 killed three children and wounded several other people. Another person died in a later strike.

Control of the skies, along with superior manpower, is one of the few remaining areas where the federal government holds a military advantage over the rebels.

The bombings have drawn international censure, and disrupted UN access to the region where an estimated 400,000 people face famine-like conditions under a de-facto aid blockade.

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- Shelling reports -

Meanwhile, residents reported hearing shelling on Thursday in Dessie, a major town in the Amhara region that borders Tigray.

Residents had reported a heavy military build-up in the area, as civilians fleeing conflict-hit towns further north poured into Dessie seeking refuge.

"They fired heavy artillery from a distance. It fell behind our neighbourhood, and did not cause any casualties," said one Dessie resident who declined to be named.

Another reported hearing "at least four rounds" of artillery being fired toward the town.

The TPLF on October 20 claimed the rebels were "within artillery range" of Dessie, which sits about 400 kilometres north (250 miles) of the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

The following day, Amhara regional president Yilkal Kefale called for armed Amharas to converge on Dessie to defend it.

Tigray erupted in conflict in November 2020 after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sent troops to topple the TPLF.

The 2019 Nobel Peace laureate said the move came in response to TPLF attacks on army camps and promised a swift victory.

But by late June the rebels had regrouped and retaken most of Tigray, including Mekele, and fighting spread to the neighbouring regions of Amhara and Afar.

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By Paul Sandle

LONDON (Reuters) - Facebook Inc's https://www.reuters.com/technology/facebooks-zuckerberg-kicks-off-its-virtual-reality-event-with-metaverse-vision-2021-10-28 algorithms demote rather than promote polarising content, its global head of safety told British lawmakers on Thursday, adding that the U.S. company would welcome effective government regulation.

Governments in Europe and the United States are grappling with regulating social media platforms to reduce the spread of harmful content, particularly for young users.

Britain is leading the charge by bringing forward laws that could fine social media companies up to 10% of their turnover if they fail to remove or limit the spread of illegal content.

Secondary legislation that would make company directors liable could be proposed if the measures do not work.

Facebook https://www.reuters.com/technology/facebook-asks-employees-preserve-internal-documents-legal-inquiries-2021-10-27 whistleblower Frances Haugen https://www.reuters.com/technology/facebook-sees-safety-cost-whistleblower-says-2021-10-25 told the same committee of lawmakers on Monday that Facebook's algorithms pushed extreme and divisive content to users.

Facebook's Antigone Davis denied the charge.

"I don't agree that we are amplifying hate," Davis told the committee on Thursday, adding: "I think we try to take in signals to ensure that we demote content that is divisive for example, or polarising."

She said she could not guarantee a user would not be recommended hateful content, but Facebook was using AI to reduce its prevalence to 0.05%.

"We have zero interest in amplifying hate on our platform and creating a bad experience for people, they won't come back," she said. "Our advertisers won't let it happen either."

Davis said Facebook, which announced on Thursday it would rebrand as Meta, wanted regulators to contribute to making social media platforms safer, for example in research into eating disorders or body image.

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"Many of these are societal issues and we would like a regulator to play a role," she said, adding Facebook would welcome a regulator with "proportionate and effective enforcement powers".

"I think criminal liability for directors is a pretty serious step and I'm not sure we need it to take action."

(Reporting by Paul Sandle; Editing by Alexander Smith)
Russell French, right, announces in August 2019 that he and his wife, Paola, who is seated, were suing the city of Los Angeles and former LAPD Officer Salvador Sanchez over Sanchez's fatal shooting of their son, Kenneth French, inside a Costco in Corona. The photo at left shows Kenneth French in 2014 with his parents, who were also shot by Sanchez. (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)

A federal jury awarded $17 million in damages on Wednesday to the family of a mentally disabled man who was fatally shot by an off-duty Los Angeles police officer inside a Costco in Corona.

The jury's verdict came a day after U.S. District Judge Jesus G. Bernal found that Officer Salvador Sanchez used excessive and unreasonable force in June 2019 when he shot and killed 32-year-old Kenneth French. The shooting followed a brief confrontation between the two men in line to sample sausages.

Sanchez, who was fired last year, is awaiting trial on manslaughter and assault charges filed by the California attorney generals office after a Riverside County grand jury declined to indict him a few months after the killing.

The L.A. Police Commission found that he violated department policy in the shooting of French and his parents, who were seriously wounded.

After four hours of deliberations Wednesday at the federal courthouse in Riverside, the jury of six women and two men found that Sanchez acted within the scope of his LAPD employment when he fired 10 shots at the French family. That finding effectively made the city of Los Angeles liable for damages.

The suit was filed against Sanchez and the city by Kenneth French's parents, Russell and Paola French. The damages award was unusually high for a police shooting case, said Dale K. Galipo, the couple's attorney, who often represents victims of police shootings and their families.

Theyre hoping that now that theyve received some justice on behalf of Kenneth, they can start the healing and closure process, he said.

Rob Wilcox, a spokesman for City Atty. Mike Feuer, said, "We will review all our options including appeal."

Sanchez was not in the courtroom Wednesday for closing statements or the verdict. His attorney, Andrew C. Hubert, declined to comment.

It would have been up to the jury to decide whether Sanchez used excessive and unreasonable force, but Bernal ruled Tuesday that the evidence was so clear that the jury did not need to consider the question.

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But jurors were asked to determine whether Sanchez was serving in his capacity as an officer of the Los Angeles Police Department when he drew his gun and fired at the French family, and they found unanimously that he was.

They hired him, they trained him, they gave him permission to have that gun, Galipo told the jury in his closing statement.

Make no mistake about it, if Officer Sanchez at the time had not had that weapon by virtue of his LAPD police officer status, this wouldnt have happened.

Sanchez should be held accountable, he added, but so should they. Thats really what this comes down to, is money. The city doesnt want to pay these people a dime.

Sanchezs lawyer, seeking to limit the former officer's financial responsibility for the shooting, echoed the argument that the former officer used the gun as part of his job.

Even if hes off duty, hes still in the course and scope of his employment, Hubert told the jury.

The day of the shooting, Hubert said, Sanchez had worked a morning police shift in Los Angeles before driving home to Riverside and picking up his wife and baby son for a trip to Costco. He said Sanchez was knocked to the floor during his encounter with Kenneth French and thought hed been shot when he decided to use his gun.

Sanchezs lawyers have previously said the officer believed that French had a gun. French was unarmed. Police documents made public in 2019 showed that Sanchez was at least 20 feet from the French family when he opened fire. Police have also said that Sanchez started shooting less than four seconds after French struck him.

Cory Brente, a lawyer for the city of Los Angeles, sought to cast all the blame on Sanchez, saying he was acting as a private citizen, not a police officer.

He did what he did on his own  wrongfully, as the court has found," Brente told the jury.

Damages awarded by the jury covered, among other things, wrongful death, pain, suffering, economic loss and severe emotional distress inflicted negligently on Russell and Paola French, who both suffered major internal injuries from their bullet wounds.

Russell French, who lost a kidney, his gallbladder and part of his intestines, was shot on his back right side, and his wife was shot in the lower back, Galipo said.

The couple's son was shot in the right lower back, the left lower back, the buttocks and the left arm, he said. The trajectory of all the bullets was back-to-front in all three bodies, he said, and four bullets did not hit anyone.

"It's difficult to imagine more severe damages than what occurred in this case," Galipo said.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
BERLIN (Reuters) - German anti-terrorism forces on Thursday raided the homes of five young people west of the city of Bonn who were suspected of planning an attack inspired by the Islamic State militant group, prosecutors said.

None of the five suspects - aged 16 to 22 - was arrested as judges only granted investigators search warrants given most of the suspects are minors.

Two of the suspects are German citizens, another two are dual Russian-German nationals and one is Turkish.

"The suspects are accused of preparing for a terrorist attack inspired by propaganda material of the Islamic State group," the Public Prosecutor's Office in the city of Duesseldorf said, adding that some 350 police officers carried out the raids.

Investigators will analyse material confiscated during the search to use as evidence against the suspects in any possible trial.

(Reporting by Joseph Nasr; Editing by Toby Chopra)
Florida should require almost all large buildings to be inspected for structural issues, a coalition of the state's leading engineering associations recommended Thursday.

Driving the news: The recommendations come from a task force formed in the wake of the Surfside building collapse. The coalition, called the Surfside Working Group, gave their suggestions to state lawmakers.

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Details: The recommendation is for all Florida buildings that "exceed 10 occupants and are greater than 2,000 square feet." If accepted, it would require structural recertification within the building's first 30 years, with follow-ups every 10 years after.

Buildings closer to "corrosive saltwater environments," should be inspected 20 years after the first occupancy, according to the report.

What they're saying: "Any time a structure fails, it's a serious issue," Scott Martin, Chair of the Surfside Working Group, said in a statement.

"We assembled this group of building professionals to review the current state of Florida's building codes ... and develop a consensus on changes that would make all existing buildings in Florida safer," he added.

"Preserving the long-term health of buildings is essential to helping ensure Florida doesn't experience another tragic building collapse," Allen Douglas, executive director of the Florida Engineering Society, told Axios.

"While the exact cause of the Surfside building collapse is unknown, the updated requirements would have at least led to the 40-year-old building being inspected ... three times prior to its 2018 examination."

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G20 leaders will meet this weekend in Rome's historic surroundings of EUR, a neighbourhood created by Benito Mussolini to glorify his fascist regime and its links with ancient Rome.

The summit of the world's major economies will be held away from Rome city centre, home to the Colosseum and the Pantheon, where the tourists, historic buildings and tiny streets pose a nightmare for security and access.

Instead, leaders will gather in a futuristic convention centre known as the "Nuvola" (cloud), featuring a suspended structure inside a glass and steel box, in a southern suburb with more easily policed boulevards and its own unique charm.

EUR, which stands for Esposizione Universale Romana, or Rome World Expo, was conceived in the 1930s as a showcase for modernist architecture and as the home of the 1942 edition of the world expo.

The event, which would have coincided with the 20th anniversary of the fascist regime, never took place due to World War II. The conflict also forced Mussolini's architects to leave EUR half-finished.

Located in the southern outskirts of Rome, between the historic centre and the seaside suburb of Ostia, EUR is characterised by monumental buildings in white marble and travertine stone, typical of the fascist era.

Its best-known landmark is the so-called Square Colosseum, a white cube with arches originally meant to host the Palace of Italian Civilisation, and now the headquarters of Italian fashion house Fendi.

On its four sides, the building bears an inscription taken from a 1935 Mussolini speech celebrating Italians as "a people of poets, artists, heroes, saints, thinkers, scientists, navigators and transmigrants".

Fascist propaganda is also on display at the Palazzo Uffici, which boasts at its entrance a giant bas-relief of the history of Rome that starts with Romulus and Remus and ends with Mussolini on horseback, his right arm raised in a fascist salute.

- Ghost town -

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Today, EUR is a residential and business area hosting the headquarters of the ENI energy group and of several other public and private institutions, plus museums, concert halls and an artificial lake popular with locals in the summer.

But in the immediate post-war years, it resembled a ghost town, with abandoned buildings occupied by refugees.

They were completed in the 1950s and 1960s after Roman authorities decided to turn the area into an edge-of-town business district that became a model for London's Docklands and La Defense in Paris.

The Nuvola, which was recently used as a coronavirus vaccination hub, added a flavour of contemporary architecture to its modernist surroundings when it was inaugurated in 2016, after years of delays and cost overruns.

It was designed by Italian architect couple Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas. The former is one of the giants of contemporary Italian architecture, with projects including the Shenzhen Bao'an airport in China and Ferrari's ultra-modern headquarters.

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SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP)  When San Francisco traveled to Chicago four years ago, it was a memorable homecoming for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who made his starting debut for the 49ers that day.

Now, as the Niners head back to the Windy City near where Garoppolo grew up, the excitement and promise of Garoppolo being the new franchise quarterback has been supplanted by time ticking down on his hold on the starting job in San Francisco with rookie Trey Lance waiting in the wings.

Well, weve come a long way, Garoppolo said Wednesday. A lots happened in four years here. Its pretty cool though. Just to go back there, talking to friends and family about it, and its a cool experience. You know, a lot of memories come back when I think to the last time we played them.

Garoppolo went 26 for 37 for 293 yards and led the game-winning drive for a field goal that day in a 15-14 win. That started a run of five straight wins to end the season and helped earn Garoppolo a $125 million, five-year contract in the offseason.

That was followed by a season-ending knee injury early in 2018, a Super Bowl run the following season and then an injury-plagued 2020 that led to the decision by San Francisco to search for his replacement. The Niners traded three first-round picks this past spring to draft Lance third overall.

The plan for 2021 was to keep Garoppolo as starter and groom Lance to replace him as the Niners hoped to contend for a Super Bowl again.

Four straight losses have left San Francisco looking up at the contenders in the NFC but haven't sped up the timetable just yet to make a change to the untested Lance, who started only 15 games in college at lower-level North Dakota State.

I get that because weve lost four games in a row and were sitting here at 2-4 and thats the easy thing to talk about, but thats not a very smart thing of us, coach Kyle Shanahan said of making a change. "You dont just do that because youre not playing the way you want to play and think youre just going to put in a rookie and hes going to be the answer to everything. I dont think thats fair to him and I dont think thats right for our team.

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Lance also is working his way back after spraining his left knee in his one start at Arizona on Oct. 10 when Garoppolo was hurt. Lance returned to practice on a limited basis Wednesday.

Shanahan said Lance could ramp up his work if he comes out of his first practice feeling healthy and could be used in a situational role on Sunday if he has no setbacks this week.

Lance played seven snaps the first three weeks in a limited role before getting more action when Garoppolo injured his calf in Week 4 against Seattle. In six quarters against the Seahawks and Cardinals, Lance went 24 for 47 for 349 yards, two TDs and one interception, and had 130 yards rushing.

Then the knee injury slowed his progress.

I think it was real unfortunate that, at the time he got to play, I thought he was ready to take off a little bit after that getting that experience, Shanahan said. "I thought that that was going to be great for him to come back the next week, especially with Jimmy banged up a little bit, but he had an unfortunate injury and its lasting a little longer than expected. So, Im excited to get him out there today. But he hasnt done anything in a couple of weeks, so well see where his progress is now.

NOTES: DT Javon Kinlaw is in Los Angeles consulting with doctors on whether he will need season-ending knee surgery. ... WR Deebo Samuel (calf), T Trent Williams (ankle, elbow), LB Azeez Al-Shaair (concussion), DL Dee Ford (concussion), S Jaquiski Tartt (knee) and DL Maurice Hurst (calf) all missed practice.

___

More AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
The inhabitants of El Estor, a town of mostly indigenous Mayans in eastern Guatemala, are living under a "state of siege", watched over by armed soldiers after their years-long fight against a nickel mine took an ominous turn.

El Estor's subsistence fishermen, mainly of the Mayan Q'eqchi' indigenous group, say the Fenix mine is polluting Lake Izabal, diminishing stocks of fish that were abundant just a generation ago.

The mine's owners deny the allegation, saying adequate environmental protections are in place.

Frustrated, residents mounted a protest against the mine on Sunday that was put down by security forces using tear gas.

The confrontation left four police officers wounded, and resulted in the government declaring a state of siege, complete with a month-long protest ban and a night curfew enforced by 1,000 police officers and soldiers deployed among the community of 100,000 people.

For three weeks before Sunday's clashes, residents of El Estor had blocked truck access to the mine operated by the Guatemalan Nickel Company (CGN), a subsidiary of the Swiss-based Solway Investment Group.

"This company is bringing us death," said Cristobal Pop, 44, a fisherman and protest leader who told AFP he will not be deterred by what he sees as the government's "intimidation" measures.

"I have four children and they will bear the brunt" of the nickel mining operation, he said.

"My children's future depends on me."

- Fewer fish, more jobs -

Pop said that when he was a child, Lake Izabal -- Guatemala's largest -- was replete with fish.

He says numbers have dwindled since the Fenix mine resumed nickel extraction and processing in 2014.

In 2017, a red slick spread over the lake, which the community blamed on mining pollution.

In resulting protests, Pop was imprisoned and his comrade Carlos Maaz shot dead.

This month, the community resumed demonstrations, accusing CGN of continuing to mine at Fenix despite a 2019 Constitutional Court order for it to suspend operations.

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The court ruled in favor of local communities, who said they had not been consulted about the opening of the mine or its effects on them.

The government was ordered to open fresh consultations, but the people of El Estor say they are being excluded.

For its part, Solway said in a statement Sunday it was adhering to the court order. Extraction at Fenix has stopped, it said, but its processing plant was not affected by the ruling and continues to operate.

The company insisted it was doing all it can to minimize the environmental impact of its activities, investing in social infrastructure, and that its El Estor operations provided jobs for more than 1,900 people "and hundreds of local contractors."

- A community divided -

Guatemala, Central America's largest economy, exported 56 million kilograms (123 million pounds) of ferroalloys and ferronickel, mainly to China, in 2019, according to World Bank data.

Guatemala's earnings from the metal grew from $10 million in 2018 to $54 million last year, and this year had already reached $62 million by August, according to Central Bank figures.

El Estor resident Abelino Chub told AFP the Fenix mine was dividing the community.

"Unfortunately, the pro-mining group only sees the money... but not the level of damage that this company is generating," he said.

At the CGN headquarters, company president Dmitry Kudryakov told AFP the contamination allegations amounted to mere "speculation."

He insisted the company adhered to international environmental standards, and said the 2017 red stain was a result of bacteria caused by sewage and fertilizer pollution of the Polochic River that flows into the lake.

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Act fast  Berry's inaugural collection sold out in 24 hours! (Photo: Getty and Sweaty Betty)

Five months after their first collab flew off shelves, Halle Berry and global fitness brand Sweaty Betty are back with another devastatingly cool (and eminently wearable) capsule collection.

"I wanted to design a collection with pieces that are effortless, adaptable, layer-able and will fit into an active lifestyle perfectly," the super-fit star said on Instagram.

Berry has her own wellness brand  respin  so she knows what she's doing when it comes to athleisurewear. This chic, flattering collection includes squat-friendly tights, asymmetrical dresses and joggers you'll never want to take off; the joggers are a highlight, available in three different fabrics (waffle-kit, French terry and a lightweight cotton blend).

If you're on the hunt for a chic, comfy hoodie, check out this glam sweatshirt. Like most of the collection, it's an investment piece, but it will quickly pay for itself when you look at cost-per-wear.

Berry's cashmere-blend socks, beanies and fingerless gloves make great gifts (for yourself and for others). But you've got to get to them fast. As fans of Berry's first line can attest, items were gone in a flash: sold out in 24 hours. Scroll, click, add to cart  and find the full collection at Sweaty Betty. Here are some of our favorites.

Leggings so comfortable, you can wear them all day. (Photo: Sweaty Betty)

Behold another standout pair of leggings that can go from the gym to brunch. One happy shopper said these tights are well worth the $78 price tag. "These are so soft and fit very snugly holding everything in while remaining comfortable, and the first pair I have owned that actually stay up during exercise! Converted!" Check out the same pair in an earthy green here.

$78 at Sweaty Betty

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These beauties come in both 7/8 and full-length silhouettes. (Photo: Sweaty Betty)

A cut above even the best black leggings, this pair is designed with strategically placed seams that help sculpt the "rearview." The understated all-over logo print reflects light, making you more visible when power-walking at night (a headband made of the same fabric is right here.) There are pockets, too, plus a hidden drawstring at the wide waistband for a cozy custom fit. "...Stunning subtle geometric pattern," a satisfied customer wrote. "Fabric is awesome with a bit of give. 100 percent squat proof...."

$100 at Sweaty Betty

Cleo Fingerless Gloves

Cozy yet edgy, the teen or twentysomething on your holiday list would be thrilled to unwrap this luxe pair. (Photo: Sweaty Betty)

These fingerless gloves are extra long, reaching to the elbow  so luxurious (and cool) worn with your favorite flannel and ruched down. And super-practical in the dead of winter when the cold can seep up your sleeve. Made from a soft blend of wool and cashmere, these gloves come in beige or gray.

$48 at Sweaty Betty

Ribbed cuffs and a tapered leg give a tailored touch to this oversized style. (Photo: Sweaty Betty)

Made from organic cotton and recycled poly, these waffle-knit loungewear pants are likely to be the first thing out of the laundry and onto your body each week. "I love the slimmer fit of this jogger," says a five-star customer. "I find it really flattering.... The waffle texture of this fabric gives a beautiful drape." Complete the look with the slightly cropped matching waffle hoodie.

$108 at Sweaty Betty

In 100 percent cashmere, these socks are the undisputed pinnacle of cozy. (Photo: Sweaty Betty)

Like the aforementioned fingerless gloves, these socks come in either gray or beige. Made from 100 percent cashmere, they turn working at home into a spa experience. Available in sizes 4 through 10, and long enough to scrunch down.

$78 at Sweaty Betty

These might be your new favorite joggers. (Photo: Sweaty Betty)

Crafted from breathable French terry cotton, these cooler-than-cool joggers have a tapered fit and a wide comfy waistband. "I bought these joggers for lounging, and they are so comfortable. The fit is great and the pockets are actually decent too. 10/10, would recommend," wrote one satisfied shopper.

$88 at Sweaty Betty

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The Oscar-winner will also be screening her directorial debut film, Bruised, at ABFF.

Halle Berry has been selected to be the ambassador of the annual American Black Film Festival (ABFF). The ABFF Ventures, LLC made the announcement that she will be taking part in the virtual festival, which runs from Nov. 3 to 28.

The Oscar-winning actress is making a return to the ABFF after winning their inaugural Rising Star Award in 1997. Leading up to that year, she had appeared in a range of roles from Jungle Fever and Boomerang to Losing Isaiah and The Rich Mans Wife.

Halle Berry is shown in June 2019 at the U.S. premiere of 5B at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood. (Photo by Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for Verizon Media)

Since her last appearance, shes gone on to become one of the most popular actresses in Hollywood, winning the Academy Award for Best Actress for Monsters Ball, and Emmy and Golden Globe for Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, and five NAACP Image Awards; the most recent was for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for Frankie & Alice.

I couldnt be more thrilled to have Halle as the ABFF Festival Ambassador for our 25th anniversary year, said Jeff Friday, CEO of Jeff Friday Media and Founder ABFF Ventures LLC. When we met her in 1997, she was a talented emerging actor with a bright future. Today, she is an Academy Award-winner, cultural icon and inspiration to women of color across our industry and the world.

For this years ABFF, she will be armed with her directorial debut film, Bruised, in which Berry stars as a mixed martial arts fighter. Berry spoke about her optimism for the growing number of female directors in Hollywood in Variety.

Halle Berry attends the 29th Annual GLAAD Media Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on April 12, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

I definitely feel like theres a turning point, Berry said. Im more encouraged that as women, we are feeling confident enough to tell our stories. And there is a place for us to tell our stories. For so long, our experiences have been told narratively through the guise of men.

Bruised was originally premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and will make its national debut on Netflix on Nov. 24.

Aside from screening her first foray into filmmaking, Berry will be partaking in various ambassador-related functions and programs throughout the festival. This includes a one-on-one conversation in ABFFs popular talk series, where she will discuss her three decades of work in film. Berry, whos been a long-time supporter of the festival, expressed excitement about what the ABFF means for aspiring Black filmmakers.

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For 25 years this festival has consistently supported emerging Black filmmakers, Berry said in the release. I was honored to be recognized by ABFF early in my career and could not be prouder to return to the festival as its ambassador to help ABFFs ongoing efforts to provide opportunities for emerging Black creators. Im also thrilled to present my directorial debut BRUISED to the ABFF audience.

The festival will be available worldwide as it is 100 percent virtual, via the custom-built platform ABFF PLAY. This follows suit from the 2020 festival last August, which also screened its films online during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to its official website. The ABFFs normal home each year has been in Miami, Florida.

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BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Dutch brewing giant Heineken reported a steeper than expected decline in third-quarter beer sales on Wednesday after COVID-19 restrictions cut volumes in Vietnam, one of its top three markets, by more than half.

The world's second-largest brewer said it sold 5.1% less beer on a like-for-like basis than a year earlier, with Asia-Pacific sales down 37.4% as COVID-19 restrictions hit Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam.

The average estimate in a company-compiled poll of analysts was for a 2.3% overall decline, with the Asia-Pacific region down 25.6% and modest growth in Africa, the Middle East and Europe.

The maker of Europe's top-selling beer, Heineken, and Tiger and Sol lagers retained its forecast of full-year results finishing below those of pre-pandemic 2019.

Vietnam, consistently one of Asia's fastest-growing economies, suffered a record contraction in the third quarter as an outbreak of the Delta variant of the coronavirus led to a strict lockdown in the commercial hub of Ho Chi Minh City.

The city's lockdown started to ease this month, and though bars remain closed, Heineken Chief Executive Dolf van den Brink said there are signs of recovery in the Asia-Pacific region

European sales also disappointed, failing to deliver an expected uplift. Heineken said the weakness partly reflected poor summer weather in northern Europe, though it also faced logistics diruptions in Britain.

Rivals Anheuser-Busch InBev and Carlsberg provide updates on the third quarter on Thursday.

(Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop; Editing by David Goodman)
Henry Winkler on the twist in his "The French Dispatch" short: "You don't know really ... [Wes Anderson] is very close to the vest." Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images

Warning: This post contains spoilers for "The French Dispatch."

Henry Winkler didn't know about the plot twist in his "French Dispatch" short until he filmed it.

"You don't know really. You get the script for your section. [Anderson] is very close to the vest."

Warning: This post contains spoilers for "The French Dispatch."

Viewers may have been surprised by one plot twist in "The French Dispatch" - and as it turns out, star Henry Winkler was too.

"The French Dispatch," directed by Wes Anderson and now in theaters, tells the story of a fictional American magazine headquartered in Ennui-sur-Blase, France. Rather than telling one long story, the movie is effectively broken up into three short films, each focusing on one feature story written for the final edition of the magazine led by editor Arthur Howitzer, Jr. (Bill Murray).

The first short is framed around gifted painter and incarcerated murderer Moses Rosenthaler (Benicio Del Toro). His work catches the eye of art dealer Julian Cadazio (Adrien Brody) and Julian's two uncles, Nick (Bob Balaban) and Joe (Henry Winkler).

Unfortunately, Moses throws the Cadazio family a curveball when he paints his final work in the movie onto the walls of the prison.

The Cadazios don't realize that Moses has used the prison itself as his canvas until after they've paid 11,000 francs to break into the facility and also solicited a wealthy patron, Kansas resident Upshur "Maw" Clampette (Lois Smith), to buy the art.

Tilda Swinton, Adrien Brody, Lois Smith, Bob Balaban, and Henry Winkler in "The French Dispatch." Photo courtesy of Searchlight Pictures

Winkler told Insider earlier in October that even he didn't know that Moses had painted on the prison wall ahead of filming the scene. The "Happy Days" star said he didn't get that section of the screenplay and only learned about that twist on set.

"You don't know really. You get the script for your section," the "Happy Days" star said of whether he expected the twist, adding that Anderson "is very close to the vest" in what he shares about his film's plots.

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The film's editor separately told Insider that Anderson wanted to lean into the 'quirkiness' of the short for the climax

In the action-packed climax of the short featuring Winkler, as Moses is trying to escape after revealing that he has painted directly onto the prison wall, his prison guard and muse, Simone (Lea Seydoux), stops him by sticking her police baton in the wheels of his wheelchair.

As a result, the chair (now in pieces) and Moses, go flying.

A recent video featurette about filming and the movie's star-studded cast revealed that the sequence came together in front of a green screen, with Del Toro on a wire, and people in green leotards holding different parts of the wheelchair on sticks.

The editor of the movie, Andrew Weisblum, told Insider that he and Anderson initially discussed using a "stunt gag" for the scene with the wheelchair, but Anderson was very opposed to the idea.

Benicio del Toro and Lea Seydoux in "The French Dispatch" Photo courtesy of Searchlight Pictures

Weisblum explained that the director wanted to "see something that's more fun" and was "interested in just the quirkiness of the event."

They filmed Del Toro flying out of the chair once on the actual set and then again in front of a green screen, as well as "different elements" of the chair parts without knowing exactly what they would use in the final cut.

"We shot all these different elements, knowing that we would kind of collage them together," Weisblum said about bringing that moment to life using multiple different shots.

He added: "We just went for something that just kind of felt fun and silly even though there was nothing realistic about it."

"The French Dispatch" is now playing in theaters.

Read the original article on Insider
President Joe Biden says he has struck a deal with the most conservative members of the Senate to move forward with a $1.75 trillion spending and tax bill  a legislative package meant to reflect the biggest pillars of his agenda.

When Biden says he wants to Build Back Better, this is the bill hes talking about.

But what the White House is now proposing isnt what Biden wanted. Over the course of the last month, the White House whittled down its dreams of a $3.5 trillion spending bill over 10 years to appease two key Democratic votes: Sens. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.).

What theyve come up with is about half the size of what the majority of congressional Democratic lawmakers had hoped for. That meant leaving out a lot of key  and extremely popular  proposals, like instituting the nations first paid family and medical leave program, or lowering pharmaceutical drug prices.

That said, theres still a lot of policy packed into this proposal. The proposals biggest investments are in climate policies ($555 billion), child care and universal pre-kindergarten ($400 billion) and a temporary extension of the expanded child tax credit ($200 billion), which has already gone a long way toward cutting down child poverty in the United States. It increases taxes on the wealthy and corporations.

Biden spent Thursday morning on Capitol Hill trying to convince Democrats to support this compromise. But nothing is for certain; a lot of lawmakers saw their policy priorities cut down, or even cut out all together, because of Manchin and Sinema.

I need you to help me, Biden told House Democrats Thursday. I need your votes.

Heres what the White House negotiated.

WHATS IN

Universal Pre-K

Democrats appear to be following through on their pledge to make pre-kindergarten universally available across the country. The policy is proposed to remain in place for six years, which is a long time compared to some other stuff in the bill.

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Its set up as a federal-state partnership; states submit plans to set up free pre-K systems and, for the first three years, the federal government foots the bill. After three years, the states have to cover 40% of the costs.

The White House summary of the Build Back Better framework says it would expand access to free high-quality preschool for more than 6 million children.

Child Care Assistance

The deal includes the largest-ever investment in child care, through a program that would limit expenses for most families to 7% of household income and offer free access to many lower-income Americans.

In some ways, this plan is set up similarly to the pre-K proposal, but it is financed differently and has more restrictions. Most parents would have to prove eligibility through either employment, education status or health, among other categories, in order to get these child care subsidies. How much parents pay into child care is also on a sliding scale depending on income, and capped to those that make up to 250% of their states median income.

For a family of four in Alabama, that works out to about $210,000 a year. For a family of four in Massachusetts, it would be about $340,000. In other words, it would cover the vast majority of families, leaving out only those in the highest income brackets.

The program also includes mechanisms to improve the quality of child care, primarily by raising the wages of care workers. The program requires states to opt in to the program, and some might not. But even with only partial participation, millions of working parents would get significant, much-needed help with child care.

President Joe Biden talks to students during a visit to a pre-K classroom at East End Elementary School in North Plainfield, New Jersey, to promote his Build Back Better agenda on Oct. 25, 2021. (Photo: ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS via Getty Images)

Extension Of The Child Tax Credit

Democrats would continue the monthly child allowance payments of up to $300 per child for one year, with no new restrictions on access for people with low incomes.

Democrats had originally wanted to extend the benefits through 2025, but recent opposition to the program from Manchin forced Biden to agree to just a one-year extension.

Clean Energy And Climate Investments

Biden initially proposed $500 billion in climate spending in March. But the White Houses deal has actually proposed $555 billion for clean energy and climate investments.

That includes about $320 billion for tax credits for companies that buy and build solar, wind and nuclear power, and for drivers who purchase electric vehicles. The program would last 10 years  twice as long as previous clean energy tax credits. Another $105 billion would go to investments to fortify the country against extreme weather, clean up disease-causing chemicals in historically polluted communities, and set up a Civilian Climate Corps modeled on the New Deal-era Civilian Conservation Corps, which planted billions of trees and provided jobs during the Great Depression.

The administration said it won $110 billion in targeted incentives to boost domestic manufacturing of clean energy products and baseline industrial goods such as cement and steel, which have struggled to compete with cheaper and often more polluting rivals overseas. The budget includes $20 billion for the government itself to buy more green technologies, including small-modular nuclear reactors, which could have a knock-on effect of spurring on technologies that have had trouble finding private buyers.

The 6 megawatt Stanton Solar Farm outside of Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) (Photo: SOPA Images via Getty Images)

Taxes On The Wealthy

Democrats are still raising taxes on the wealthy and corporations to pay for the legislation  just not in the ways they originally anticipated, and not as much as they originally anticipated. A planned hike in the corporate tax rate, which Republicans slashed from 35% to just 21% during the administration of Donald Trump, isnt happening because of opposition from Sinema. Instead, Democrats are backing a corporate minimum tax, designed to limit the use of tax deductions and credits by large corporations.

The outline also omits a new proposal to tax the unrealized capital gains on stocks and other assets owned by billionaires, after many Democrats complained about a tricky implementation.

Instead, Democrats would go for a surcharge on the richest 0.02% of households, plus a 1% tax on corporate stock buybacks, which surged as a result of the 2017 Republican tax cut and often do little but enrich executives.

A huge chunk of tax revenue would come not from new taxes, but instead from giving the IRS tens of billions in new funding to enforce existing law and close the tax gap, the difference between what people owe and what they voluntarily pay. Most of the gap results from business income earned by wealthy households.

The White House says this collection of tax hikes means the bill would be fully paid for and wont add to the deficit, but the Congressional Budget Office may disagree.

Affordable Housing

At one point, Democrats feared housing provisions could get cut from the legislation entirely. And while funding for housing did decline from the $327 billion Biden originally requested, more than $150 billion would still go to helping the poorest families afford homes and rent.

The White House says this would pay for the construction or rehabilitation of more than 1 million homes, expand the Section 8 voucher program and would provide financial incentives for state and local governments to change zoning laws to encourage new housing construction.

Care Services For The Elderly And People With Disabilities

The bill would include an unprecedented investment in whats known as home- and community-based services, or HCBS. These are programs for elderly and disabled Americans that allow them to live outside of large institutions, frequently in their own homes, by offering them help with some of the functions of everyday life.

The services can include everything from home care aides to help with cooking and hygiene, to employment programs that help people with disabilities find and keep jobs. Advocates for the initiative had initially proposed an investment of $400 billion over 10 years. The provision in the bill is just $150 billion. That would still represent the single-biggest increase in these sorts of programs, according to experts.

As with the child care proposal, a major goal of the initiative is to raise the wages of caregivers, whose notoriously low pay leaves many in poverty  and, especially following the pandemic, has created shortages. And as with the child care proposal, a major caveat is that it requires states to participate. Some may not.

An activist is seen during the Care Cant Wait rally with the Service Employees International Union at the Lehigh County Courthouse in Allentown, Pennsylvania. (Photo: Tom Williams via Getty Images)

Health Care Coverage Expansions

The bill takes two significant, if time-limited, steps toward universal coverage  in both cases by building on the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare.

First, it takes some temporary increases in private insurance subsidies through the Affordable Care Act and extends them through 2025. This increases, in place because of the pandemic relief act in the spring, reduce premiums (and allow access to more generous coverage) for millions, including some who were not eligible for assistance before.

Second, the bill offers an insurance option to low-income people in states where Republican officials have declined to expand Medicaid eligibility, as the Affordable Care Act originally envisioned. It would do so by allowing these people to get effectively free coverage through HealthCare.gov.

If these steps take effect, nearly all American citizens would have access to insurance, experts have said.

The bill also adds a hearing benefit to Medicare, but not vision and dental. The latter, in particular, had been a major goal for progressives, citing the large number of seniors who cant afford and dont get dental care now.

WHATS OUT

Prescription Drug Pricing Reform

The most conspicuously missing piece on the White House framework is a proposal to make prescription drugs more affordable. Theres no proposal at all, despite months of trying to reach an agreement on a plan that would give the federal government some regulatory power over drug prices, just like the governments of other economically advanced countries have.

The hope was to reduce drug prices mainly in two ways: by giving the government power to negotiate prices directly with manufacturers, and by limiting how much the companies could raise prices every year. The proposal also envisioned new investments in basic scientific research, to promote the development of breakthrough cures, and to redesign the drug benefit in Medicare so that it offered seniors more coverage.

It would be a big deal as politics. Democrats have been promising action on drugs since the early 2000s. And it would be a big deal as policy. Because of Americas high drug prices, drug costs are an extra burden for employers and taxpayers, as well as a real hardship for millions, especially elderly Americans whose health problems require multiple medications.

The idea of regulating drug prices is extremely popular, even among conservative voters. And it has support of nearly the entire Democratic caucus, including relatively conservative members in swing districts. But a small handful of Democrats with ties to  and campaign support from  the drug industry have objected to more aggressive schemes, citing concerns that limiting drug company revenue would hurt innovation.

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) was a major opponent of Democrats' proposed prescription drug price reforms. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) (Photo: Drew Angerer via Getty Images)

Biden and Democratic leaders hoped to broker some kind of compromise, by, for example, limiting the number of drugs subject to negotiation. The Democratic holdouts, including Rep. Scott Peters of California and Sinema of Arizona, wanted a version so limited that supporters felt it would do little good.

Champions of aggressive regulation, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and House Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), on Thursday vowed to keep fighting to get a drug package into the final legislation.

So theres still a chance this could come back in some form. Maybe.

Paid Leave

Biden originally proposed giving workers 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave. The mandate would ensure that people could take time off for a new child, recovery from an illness, caring for a seriously ill family member or issues arising from a loved ones military deployment.

But thanks to Manchin, the United States will continue to be the only industrialized nation with no universal paid leave mandate. Manchin was concerned about the cost, as well as the potential for fraud. Democrats tried to come up with a compromise  shortening the length to four weeks, and eliminating sick leave, but they failed to convince the senator.

Just 23% of private sector workers currently have access to paid family leave provided by their employer and 42% have access to medical leave.

Big Action On Climate Change

The regulatory program meant to serve as the centerpiece of Bidens climate strategy was eliminated. The proposed Clean Electricity Performance Program would have given the Department of Energy $150 billion to pay utilities who increase their output of zero-carbon power by 4% each year  and fine those that failed to hit that target. It was projected by independent modelers to get the U.S. one-third of the way to its goal of cutting emissions in half by the end of this decade.

Democrats managed to redistribute that funding to other programs, delivering a much bigger tax credit suite than previously planned. And the administration has vowed to compensate for the loss of the program by enacting new regulations at the Environmental Protection Agency, restoring the federal governments stick.

A new analysis by the Rhodium Group, a consultancy, found that the mix of funding and executive branch actions could, technically, deliver the 50% emissions cuts Biden promised.

But the implementation of the climate plan comes with big ifs. Regulations will take years to come into force, and will likely face hefty legal challenges. And if Biden, already the oldest person to assume the presidency, is defeated in 2024, the next administration could reverse the regulatory and executive actions almost as easily as the current White House enacted them.

GOP Corporate Tax Cuts Stay Put

Democrats have campaigned since 2018 on reversing Republican tax cuts, especially their reductions to the corporate and top individual rates. But Democrats are offsetting their spending with revenue from novel tax policies while they leave the Republican tax cuts untouched.

The framework is also silent on whether Democrats will restore a property tax deduction used mostly by high income households in populous blue states, though lawmakers said Thursday morning it would be included in the end.

Free Community College

Offering free community college was an issue close to the White House, since First Lady Jill Biden has taught at community colleges for the past 30 years. It would give everyone access to higher education, regardless of ability to pay.

But this proposal was quickly cut as it became clear that the overall price tag would have to shrink. Lobbyists for four-year colleges also opposed the proposal because they were worried it would hurt their bottom line. They argued that states would redirect money away from them, or students would opt to attend community college instead of a four-year institution.

Alexander Kaufman and Kevin Robillard contributed reporting.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

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We can readily understand why investors are attracted to unprofitable companies. For example, biotech and mining exploration companies often lose money for years before finding success with a new treatment or mineral discovery. Having said that, unprofitable companies are risky because they could potentially burn through all their cash and become distressed.

So, the natural question for Hannan Metals (CVE:HAN) shareholders is whether they should be concerned by its rate of cash burn. For the purpose of this article, we'll define cash burn as the amount of cash the company is spending each year to fund its growth (also called its negative free cash flow). We'll start by comparing its cash burn with its cash reserves in order to calculate its cash runway.

See our latest analysis for Hannan Metals

When Might Hannan Metals Run Out Of Money?

A cash runway is defined as the length of time it would take a company to run out of money if it kept spending at its current rate of cash burn. In May 2021, Hannan Metals had CA$1.8m in cash, and was debt-free. In the last year, its cash burn was CA$2.1m. So it had a cash runway of approximately 10 months from May 2021. That's quite a short cash runway, indicating the company must either reduce its annual cash burn or replenish its cash. Depicted below, you can see how its cash holdings have changed over time.

How Is Hannan Metals' Cash Burn Changing Over Time?

Because Hannan Metals isn't currently generating revenue, we consider it an early-stage business. So while we can't look to sales to understand growth, we can look at how the cash burn is changing to understand how expenditure is trending over time. Over the last year its cash burn actually increased by a very significant 89%. Oftentimes, increased cash burn simply means a company is accelerating its business development, but one should always be mindful that this causes the cash runway to shrink. Admittedly, we're a bit cautious of Hannan Metals due to its lack of significant operating revenues. So we'd generally prefer stocks from this list of stocks that have analysts forecasting growth.

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How Hard Would It Be For Hannan Metals To Raise More Cash For Growth?

Since its cash burn is moving in the wrong direction, Hannan Metals shareholders may wish to think ahead to when the company may need to raise more cash. Generally speaking, a listed business can raise new cash through issuing shares or taking on debt. Many companies end up issuing new shares to fund future growth. By looking at a company's cash burn relative to its market capitalisation, we gain insight on how much shareholders would be diluted if the company needed to raise enough cash to cover another year's cash burn.

Since it has a market capitalisation of CA$26m, Hannan Metals' CA$2.1m in cash burn equates to about 8.1% of its market value. That's a low proportion, so we figure the company would be able to raise more cash to fund growth, with a little dilution, or even to simply borrow some money.

So, Should We Worry About Hannan Metals' Cash Burn?

Even though its increasing cash burn makes us a little nervous, we are compelled to mention that we thought Hannan Metals' cash burn relative to its market cap was relatively promising. Even though we don't think it has a problem with its cash burn, the analysis we've done in this article does suggest that shareholders should give some careful thought to the potential cost of raising more money in the future. Taking a deeper dive, we've spotted 5 warning signs for Hannan Metals you should be aware of, and 3 of them are a bit unpleasant.

If you would prefer to check out another company with better fundamentals, then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt or this list of stocks which are all forecast to grow.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.



Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
Oct. 28Honolulu firefighters airlifted an injured woman from the Lulumahu Falls Trail in Nuuanu on Tuesday afternoon.

The Honolulu Fire Department said it received a 911 call at 12 :45 p.m. Tuesday of a 31-year-old woman who hit her head and injured her knee at the base of the waterfall while hiking with two others. Four units staffed with 12 personnel responded, with the first arriving on scene at 12 :59 p.m., and immediately ascended the trail on foot.

They found the injured woman at 1 :24 p.m., and airlifted her via the Air 2 helicopter to a landing zone nearby. The woman was transferred to the care of Emergency Medical Services at 1 :54 p.m.

Her two hiking companions were not injured, and walked out of the trail on their own.

HFD reminds hikers to bring a fully charged cell phone on hikes in case of emergencies, to prepare for the unexpected, to know one's physical abilities and limitations, and to select trails that can be enjoyed safely.
When it comes to Fridays meeting between President Joe Biden and Pope Francis, I want a miracle.

I hope that Francis, who has ardently defended the lives of unborn children, can find the words on abortion that Biden, Americas second Catholic president, can truly hear. And I hope that Biden can find the courage, if his heart is moved, to change his abortion position, no matter what it costs him politically.

You see why I chose the word miracle.

The pope and the president, who have met three times before, are expected to discuss income inequality, climate and migration, according to national security adviser Jake Sullivan. While its certainly probable that Francis and Biden will find areas of agreement on those topics, its not enough.

As Mother Teresa said at the 1994 National Prayer Breakfast, Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what they want. This is why the greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion.

Biden, who regularly attends Mass, could be a true revolutionary among liberal politicians, a leader who highlights that affirming human dignity and respect for life is incompatible with allowing the killing of unborn babies. He could develop ways to help support women facing unexpected pregnancies.

But so far, Biden has chosen another path.

Biden might have a moderate political persona, but he is pursuing an extreme abortion agenda. The Biden Justice Department is fighting Texas heartbeat law, which protects unborn babies at about six weeks into a pregnancy and beyond. The president also supports overturning the Hyde Amendment, which prevents taxpayer funding of most abortions, despite decades of bipartisan support for the amendment. And in his first days in office, Biden ended the Mexico City policy, which prohibits international organizations that receive U.S. funding from promoting abortion.

Then-Vice President Joe Biden met Pope Francis at the Vatican in 2016, when Biden spoke at a conference on regenerative medicine.

On the 48th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the court case that has led to the deaths of more than 62.5 million American unborn babies, according to National Right to Life, Biden wasted no time mourning those lives. Instead, in a joint statement with Vice President Kamala Harris, Biden said, The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to codifying Roe v. Wade and appointing judges that respect foundational precedents like Roe.

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Biden has shifted his view on abortion

Earlier in his political career, Biden had more qualms about abortion, supporting the Hyde Amendment, sharing concerns about Roe v. Wade, and voting against federal workers having access to government-funded abortions in most cases.

But whether out of conviction or political scheming, Biden flip-flopped, morphing into yet another liberal lawmaker on abortion, blind to the rights and human dignity of unborn children.

That makes him very different than Francis.

Whoever has an abortion kills, the pope said in September, according to Vatican News. He added, Is it right to kill a human life to solve a problem?  Scientifically, it is a human life.

In his 2007 memoir, Promises to Keep, Biden wrote, I personally am opposed to abortion, but I dont think I have the right to impose my view  on something I accept as a matter of faith  on the rest of society.

But as Francis notes, being pro-life is not a religious belief. Its simply about following the science, and recognizing that an unborn baby with her own heartbeat, unique DNA and ability to grow is a human being, not a clump of cells.

Nor is it something the president should just personally oppose. Imagine if Biden said he personally opposed racism but didnt want to impose that view. Rightly, hed be lambasted.

Bishops to discuss communion

The Biden-Francis meeting comes amid a discussion among American Catholic bishops about whether its appropriate for Catholic politicians who openly support abortion to receive communion, which Catholics believe is the Body and Blood of Christ. Its expected the bishops will continue that conversation next month during a meeting about communion, although I personally would be surprised if Francis addressed the topic publicly Friday.

That discussion among the bishops might seem exclusionary. After all, every single Catholic is a sinner. (I certainly have plenty to fess up to every time I go to confession.) Why should pro-abortion Catholic lawmakers be singled out? Certainly, many American Catholics are wary of such an approach: A March Pew Research Center survey found that two-thirds of U.S. Catholics dont think Bidens abortion views should disqualify him from communion.

But paradoxically, banning Biden from communion could be an act of mercy.

After all, while Catholic Masses are open to all, communion is reserved for those who are Catholic and in a state of grace, which is to say they have not committed any serious sins since their last confession. Think about it this way: If a friend had betrayed you, would you be open to confiding in them before they had shown any change of heart? Probably not.

Catholics can (and do) debate plenty of matters among themselves. But abortion is not one.

Denying communion may be the wake-up call that pro-abortion politicians need. Regardless of the true intentions of pro-abortion Catholic lawmakers (and I make no claim to reading their hearts), their reception of communion suggests to other Catholics that being pro-abortion is compatible with Catholicism, which isnt true.

After all, Jesus welcomed all, but He also pushed for conversion. In the famous Bible passage where Jesus says the first without sin can start stoning the adulterous woman, Jesus does not simply wish the woman well when everyone disappears, leaving her safe. Instead he both forgives and calls her to a new life, as stated in John 8:11: Neither do I condemn you. Go, (and) from now on do not sin any more.

Biden has the opportunity to make America a place where unborn lives are protected and cherished, where the women facing unexpected pregnancies are supported, where the dads of these unborn children are required to take responsibility.

Hopefully, his meeting with Francis gives him the insight and the courage to start making that America happen.

Katrina Trinko is a member of USA TODAYs Board of Contributors and editor-in-chief of The Daily Signal. Her views do not represent her employer, The Heritage Foundation. Follow her on Twitter: @KatrinaTrinko

You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. To respond to a column, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: As Joe Biden and Pope Francis meet, I'm hoping for miracle on abortion
SHANGHAI (Reuters) -Apple Inc posted a staggering 83% annual sales growth in China in its fiscal fourth quarter, remaining the phone of choice for big spenders in the world's second-largest economy after Huawei's troubles.

That was up sharply from a 28.5% annual rise in sales a year ago, which did not include the sale of Apple's first 5G enabled smartphone iPhone 12.

The jump also easily outstripped the 29% overall sales growth https://www.reuters.com/article/apple-results-idUSKBN2HI2TE at Apple, which said on Thursday that production took a drubbing due to the ongoing global chip crisis and supply chain bottlenecks in Southeast Asia.

"Apple's strong performance with its iPhone was related to Huawei's decline in the high-end segment," said Will Wong, an analyst at market research firm IDC. "Other key Chinese vendors still need time to build their high-end image."

Most of Apple's competition in China now comes from Chinese phone maker Honor, a brand that Huawei sold earlier this year after it was hit by U.S. sanctions that prevented it from sourcing chips.

Honor mostly sells low-and-mid-range phones, but in August it released its Magic 3 high-end line that sells for as much as 7,999 yuan ($1,251). The cheapest iPhone 13 variant sells for 5,199 yuan.

Honor climbed to number three in terms of market share in the July-September period, according to market research firms Canalys and Counterpoint Research.

Apple took fifth spot, with its market share up at 11% from 6% a year earlier, said Canalys. Counterpoint Research put Apple's share at 13%.

Chinese budget phonemakers Vivo and Oppo retained first and second spots even as overall smartphone sales in the country fell by 5%-9%, according to the two firms.

The iPhone 13, launched five days before Apple's fiscal quarter ended on Sept 25., "is doing quite well in October" in China, said Canalys analyst Nicole Peng.

"I believe demand will still surpass supply in the short term, which means some customers might instead purchase their upgrade during Chinese new year sales," said Peng, referring to the busy February shopping season.

($1 = 6.3905 Chinese yuan)

(Reporting by Sayantani Ghosh in Singapore, Josh Horwitz in Shanghai, and David Kirton in Shenzhen; Editing by David Goodman, Clarence Fernandez and Ana Nicolaci da Costa)
Elisa Loncon Antileo Credit - Elvis GonzalezEPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Alongside our thirst for fossil fuels, humans destruction of nature has triggered the climate and ecological crises that now threaten our life on this planet. A major goal for delegates at COP26 is to improve humans relationship with nature: to restore forests and wetlands to absorb more carbon; slow the loss of animal and insect species that are vital to our food systems; and protect the rivers and springs we rely on for water.

Elisa Loncon Antileo is leading an attempt to rebalance that relationship and transform humanitys approach to the natural world in her country of Chile. In July, she was elected president of the 155-seat constitutional convention that the South American nation launched to rewrite its dictatorship-era constitution. The process began after 2019 protests against the countrys market-focused economic model, which critics say drives both inequality and an unsustainable exploitation of natural resources.

Chile is rewriting its constitution, and Loncon wants the new document to reflect Indigenous thinking on how to coexist with the natural world Jutta UlmerMauritius Images GmbH/Alamy

Loncon, a language and literature professor from Santiago, is part of Chiles Mapuche community and occupies one of 17 convention seats reserved for Indigenous people, and one of her priorities is to bring Indigenous thinking on the environment to the constitution. Theres a development model thats based on seeing nature as a resource for humansespecially mento exploit and dominate, she says. But Indigenous people have always had the philosophy that humans are interdependent with nature and must conserve nature as a mother.

Read More: Chileans Are About to Vote on Rewriting Their Whole Constitution. Will It Turn a Social Explosion Into a New Plan for the Country?

Perhaps the most urgent environmental question for Chiles constitution is about who gets access to water resources. The country has suffered a punishing decade-long drought, and the privatization of water rights since the 1980s, under the current constitution, has allowed businesses to alter the course of river basins and pump water out of the land for mining projects, leaving large regions dry.

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Loncon grew up in a community of subsistence farmers in the province of Araucania and recalls cultivating the land and going to get native fruitssuch as dark purple maqui berries and small banana-like chuponesfrom a nearby mountain. Now, thanks to the diversion of water to industrial eucalyptus and pine farms, she says its much harder to find those fruits, or to live that kind of life. And as climate change continues to exacerbate dry seasons, its only bound to get worse.

Loncon says the world can learn from the inclusion of Indigenous voices in Chiles constitutional project as it accelerates efforts to deal with climate change. Were pushing the rights of Mother Earth into the conversation. From my point of view, its an opportunity for Chile and the world in general to adopt values from Indigenous thinking.

Read More of TIMEs COP26 Coverage: Meet the People Working to Accomplish the COP26 Agenda
(Reuters) - Islamic State claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on a village in Diyala province east of Iraq, the militant group said on Wednesday in a statement posted on an affiliated Telegram account.

Eleven people, including a woman, were killed and others were wounded in Tuesday's attack in the village of Al-Hawasha, near the town of Muqdadiya, Iraq's Joint Operations Command said, accusing Islamic State of carrying out the attack.

(Reporting by Mahmoud Mourad; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
A "war room" set up in a luxury Washington hotel by advisors of president Donald Trump has become the focus of the congressional investigation into the violent January 6 attack on the US Capitol.

Trump strategist Steve Bannon and legal consultants Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman worked in suites at the Willard InterContinental across the street from the White House in the days surrounding the attack, in which Trump supporters stormed Congress to halt certification of Democrat Joe Biden's presidential election victory.

They and others are suspected of maintaining communications between the White House and groups involved in so-called "Stop the Steal" protests, according to a congressional resolution holding Bannon in contempt last week.

Bannon, who rejected a subpoena to testify in the January 6 investigation, was cited for his "role in constructing and participating in the 'stop the steal' public relations effort that motivated the attack."

That included, the resolution said, "his participation in the events of that day from a 'war room'" at the Willard.

Video: Trump announces plans for new social network

- Longtime hub for powerbrokers -

First established in 1847, the elegant Willard has long been a hub for high society, political powerbrokers and visiting dignitaries in the US capital, especially those visiting the White House.

The term "lobbyist" gained currency in Washington, where people hung out in the Willard's lobby seeking to influence US presidents and other politicians.

Earlier this year independent investigator Seth Abramson, on his website "Proof," documented that dozens of people involved in trying to reverse Biden's November 2020 election victory over Trump were at the hotel in the run up to January 6.

They included Trump advocates like political tactician Roger Stone, one-time spokesman Jason Miller, campaign advisor Boris Epshteyn, and former New York City police commissioner Bernard Kerik.

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The House special committee probing the January 6 insurrection is examining whether people close to the White House, including potentially Trump himself, instigated the attack on the Capitol, which shut down for several hours the joint session meant to confirm Biden as election winner.

The Willard operation has also come into focus because of the explosive new book, "Peril," an account of the last weeks of the Trump presidency by Washington Post journalists Bob Woodward and Robert Costa.

They document how Eastman fashioned an extraordinary legal strategy for Trump to have vice president Mike Pence block Biden's confirmation in Congress on grounds of alleged election fraud.

(There has been no evidence to support significant fraud claims.)

- 'Point of attack' -

On January 5 Trump told supporters that Pence had agreed to block Biden's certification the next day.

But according to Woodward and Costa, in an evening meeting Pence rejected the pressure.

After that meeting Trump made at least one call to the Willard operation.

"After it doesn't go well for Trump, he calls in to the Willard War room.... He's coordinating this effort to speak for Pence," Costa said Monday on MSNBC.

Who Trump spoke to and what was said are not known. The January 6 committee is seeking phone records on communications related to what took place, and to interview others who were at the Willard.

Bannon is a key figure because, according to "Peril," in December he encouraged Trump to use the unsupported claims of voter fraud to stop certification on January 6.

In a podcast on January 5, Bannon predicted the next day would be momentous, successfully blocking Biden's presidency.

"It's all converging and now we are on the point of attack," he told listeners.

"We're on the cusp of victory.... All hell is going to break loose tomorrow."

- No secret -

The Willard operation was not secret.

"We had a war room at the Willard Hotel, kind of coordinating all of the communications," Eastman told Denver radio talk show host Peter Boyles in May.

Abramson also documents a key meeting at another hotel nearby, the president's own Trump International, where on the night before the attack Trump's sons, Giuliani, several top advisors and Republican officials gathered.

But Woodward told MSNBC on Monday that the communications involving the White House and the Willard operation on January 5 were central to what happened the next day.

"Bannon and Trump realized that this is the point that they have to blow it up, and that's exactly what they did," he said.

pmh/mlm
The Clark County Detention Center violated the law by charging a man $4,008 for his 14-month incarceration after all charges were dropped and he was set free, the Kentucky Supreme Court unanimously ruled Thursday.

Potentially at stake in the high courts decision are some of the millions of dollars in fees collected by Kentucky jails from their prisoners.

David Allen Jones, a Winchester factory worker, spent more than a year in jail on child pornography charges before prosecutors acknowledged they did not have the evidence to bring the case to trial and dismissed it.

The jail said Jones still owed thousands of dollars for booking and housing fees. He sued to challenge the debt, but the Clark Circuit Court and the Court of Appeals ruled against him.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court sided with Jones. The court said Kentucky law plainly states that prisoners only owe jail fees if a sentencing court says so, and in Jones case, there was no trial, no conviction and no sentencing.

Jones was never ordered by a sentencing court to pay any of the fees associated with his incarceration and no order was ever pursued by the CCDC, Justice Robert Conley of Catlettsburg wrote.

To ignore the term sentencing court in (state law), as the trial court did, leads to the absurd result that Jones would have more protections under the law with the oversight of the sentencing court if he had been convicted of a crime, instead of having all charges dropped, Conley wrote.

Thursdays decisions could have broader implications for jails statewide.

Over a recent five-year period, Kentucky jails reported billing nearly $20.9 million in booking and housing fees from inmates, although its impossible to determine how much of that money came from cases in which a conviction and sentencing occurred.

Only half of the roughly 80 local jails appeared to charge those fees with enthusiasm, reporting sums between $50,000 and $300,000, while some jails did not claim any inmate fees.

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The Clark County jail charges fees with mixed success. Financial records provided to the Herald-Leader in 2020 showed that over the previous two years, the jail billed inmates $107,360 for booking and housing fees while only managing to collect $12,374.

Charges dropped, life ruined

In October 2013, acting on a tip from Lexington police that allegedly linked Jones Internet Protocol address to a child sex video downloaded from the web, the Clark County Sheriffs Department raided his home in a Winchester apartment complex and arrested him.

Jones bond was set at $15,000, more than he could afford to pay.

But after repeated searches over coming months, police found no evidence of child porn  not in Jones apartment or on any of the digital devices they seized, including a cell phone, computer tablet, Xbox, server, modem, printer and DVDs.

Jones waived his right to counsel and steadfastly asserted his innocence. Finally, prosecutors acknowledged that someone else around the large apartment complex could have accessed Jones wireless network, which was unsecured.

With no evidence that he had possessed child porn, they dropped the charges against him. He was released from jail in December 2014.

In a deposition in one of his lawsuits, Jones later said he had to leave Winchester, his hometown, because of the publicity over his arrest. He lost his apartment, his car, his job and most of his social circle, he said.

My reputation, its shot. I mean, Ive got people that Ive known for years wont have anything to do with me anymore because they believe the law, Jones said.

County said fees are fair

In billing Jones, Clark County said it was supported by a state law that requires prisoners to help counties with the costs of their own incarceration.

The jails bill was based on a booking fee of $35, a $10 per diem for each day of his confinement, a $5 fee for hygiene supplies when he arrived and $2.69 for hygiene replacement supplies, the countys lawyers told the Supreme Court.

This isnt punishment, the countys lawyers said, its just the countys cost of doing business.

For their services, jailers can impose and collect fees authorized by (state law) to partially offset the costs of confinement, the countys lawyers wrote in their briefs.

The statute is not punitive and there is nothing illegal or inherently unfair about imposing fees for services rendered to persons in custody, they wrote. Neither the Kentucky Constitution, the Kentucky Revised Statutes or common law require a refund of those fees if the person is found innocent.
Flowers, soft toys and candles left near where the four people were found dead. (PA)

The funeral of an 11-year-old girl killed with two other children and their mother during a sleepover has taken place.

Connie Gent was killed alongside her best friend Lacey Bennett, 11, her brother, John Paul, 13, and their mum Terri Harris, 35, on 19 September.

Police discovered the bodies at around 7.30 am when they were called to the house in Killamarsh, Derbyshire, following concerns over a mans safety.

Watch: Killamarsh: 11-year-old victims father speaks to ITV News

In a message posted a few weeks ago on Facebook, Connies dad, Charlie Gent, confirmed the location of the funeral as Hutcliffe Wood Crematorium in Sheffield.

He said: All welcome as would like to give me daughter the send-off she deserves, adding: Shouldn't even be having to do this.

Police arrested and charged Damien Bendall, 31, soon after they made the discovery. He is due to stand trial for the murders next year.

Gent previously paid tribute to his daughter, saying: "I cant believe Im even having to say this, or these words even cross my lips. The pain is indescribable.

I wake up every morning hoping this has all been a terrible nightmare, but its not. Its the unbearable reality that my little girl has gone.

Connie was an absolute superstar in every way. She had a gift. If someone was down, she could instantly make them feel OK.

She lit up every room she went in and meant something to everyone she came across, even in hard times. Connie had the ability to keep everyone smiling.

John Paul and Laceys father Jason Bennett said soon after the murders: Life will never be the same again. Families have been left broken by the awful loss of John, Lacey, Terri and Connie.

My son John was absolutely my mini-me. Loving, fiery, funny and passionate, with the most beautiful caring heart you could find. Behind his tough exterior he was the most loving son you could wish for. His love for his mum was amazing. He just wanted everyone to be happy.

Lacey was my TikTok queen, creating dance after dance. Lacey also had another obsession; since Jack Grealish joined Man City she has become totally besotted with him, with a room full of Jack Grealish photos. Man City was her new favourite team.
WETUMPKA, Ala. (AP)  The parents of a military veteran shot and killed by a sheriffs deputy during what his family described as a mental health crisis because of his PTSD have filed a civil lawsuit against the Elmore County sheriff.

Jonathan Pears, 32, was shot and killed in the front yard of his parents home in Wetumpka on July 28. Deputies came to the home after his mother called 911 when she became concerned over her sons behavior.

The lawsuit accuses the sheriffs department of using excessive force in shooting Pears, who was holding a large knife but was 90 feet away and not threating anyone, according to his parents. A statement issued this week said family members believe this is a case of needless, premature, and unnecessary police actions resulting in their son Jonathans wrongful death.

My son was my hero. He was a senior airman and served as a civilian contractor. Jonathan spent almost four years in Afghanistan, surviving a suicide bomber, mortar fire, and firefights, his father, retired Air Force Col. Andrew Pears, said in the statement. The father said officers had less lethal means to address the situation.

Sheriff Bill Franklin said Thursday that he could not comment on the case because of the ongoing litigation. In July, Franklin told news outlets a deputy shot Pears because he refused commands to drop the 18-inch knife while walking toward officers and his father.

The lawsuit states Pears had returned from Afghanistan in 2019 and suffered from PTSD and was tormented by his memories of harrowing experiences in Afghanistan. Pears had completed an inpatient program at the VA months before the shooting but had stopped taking his medication.

On the day of the shooting, his parents said Pears was acting irrationally and they called 911 because they were fearful for their safety and for Jonathans safety. His mother put a gun in a locked bedroom so her son could not get it. The lawsuit said that when hearing that someone was coming to the house, Johnathon Pears said. Im not going back! Im not going back! His mother thought her son was having a flashback to the Taliban.

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According to the lawsuit, Andrew Pears went out to greet responding officers but was tackled by deputies. Jonathon Pears was shot when he went outside and within seconds of being told to drop the knife.

A deputy told the parents they had to shoot Pears because he was coming at his father with a knife.

However, the truth was absolutely the opposite, the lawsuit stated.
BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Lebanese parliament voted on Thursday to hold legislative elections on March 27, confirming an earlier vote last week that had been challenged by President Michel Aoun.

The body originally voted on Oct. 19 to hold the election at that time but President Aoun sent the law back for reconsideration on Friday.

The vote passed on Thursday by 77 MPs but some, including members of Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), who have been against the earlier date, expressed concern around whether quorum was achieved for a second vote regarding the voting of Lebanese living abroad

The elections were originally expected in May.

Gebran Bassil, FPM leader and son-in-law of Aoun, withdrew alongside his alliance from the session on the back of the dispute, ending the session for the day.

"We withdrew from the session because of a major constitutional violation," he said after leaving.

The March 27 election date would give Prime Minister Najib Mikati's government only a few months to try to secure an IMF recovery plan amid a deepening economic meltdown.

(Reporting by Timour Azhari and Alaa Kanaan; Writing by Yasmin Hussein and Maha El Dahan; Editing by Toby Chopra and Raissa Kasolowsky)
A lock of hair from legendary Lakota chief Sitting Bull's head had been stored for over a century in Washington's Smithsonian Institution at room temperature in a glass box. Now, Sitting Bull's lock of hair has been used to prove that a man named Ernie LaPointe is his great-grandson.

LaPointe said that "over the years, many people have tried to question the relationship that I and my sisters have to Sitting Bull."

A team of scientists led by Eske Willerslev of the University of Cambridge and Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics Centre published their results in the journal Science Advances. They compared the DNA from the lock of hair, which had been transferred to LaPointe's possession in 2007 after new laws on the repatriation of museum objects were passed.

Hair from Lakota Sioux leader Sitting Bull's scalp lock, from which DNA was extracted for analysis. / Credit: Eske Willerslev

In a press release, Willerslev called Sitting Bull his "hero, ever since I was a boy." So, when he learned LaPointe had received the chief's lock of hair, he saw an opportunity.

"I wrote to LaPointe and explained that I specialized in the analysis of ancient DNA, and that I was an admirer of Sitting Bull, and I would consider it a great honor if I could be allowed to compare the DNA of Ernie and his sisters with the DNA of the Native American leader's hair when it was returned to them," he said.

Willerslev and his team of fellow scientists faced a multitude of issues. First, LaPointe said he was related to Sitting Bull on his mother's side, which meant that a mitochondrial approach  which would compare the DNA in the mitochondria that passes from mother to offspring  would not work.

So the scientists searched for autosomal DNA in the genetic fragments they extracted from Sitting Bull's hair. It took them 14 years to find useable DNA from the 5-centimeter piece of hair.

The team then compared Sitting Bull's DNA to samples from LaPointe and other Lakota Sioux  and a match confirmed that LaPointe is his great-grandson and closest living descendant.

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Sitting Bull / Credit: National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

Tatanka-Iyotanka, known as Sitting Bull to many, was a Native American and military leader who famously led 1,500 Lakota warriors to victory over General Custer at the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876. He was assassinated in 1890 by Indian agency police hired by the U.S. government.

While no one knows for certain where Sitting Bull was buried, there are two official burial sites: Fort Yates, North Dakota, and Mobridge, South Dakota. LaPointe believes that his great-grandfather rests at Mobridge, a place that has no significant connection to Sitting Bull, and hopes that the DNA evidence that solidified his bloodline will allow him to relocate his great-grandfather to "a more appropriate location."

While the confirmation of Sitting Bull's lineage is a scientific triumph for the research team, they're also excited by what their discovery means for other historical figures.

"In principle, you could investigate whoever you want  from outlaws like Jesse James to the Russian tsar's family, the Romanovs. If there is access to old DNA  typically extracted from bones, hair or teeth, they can be examined in the same way," Willerslev said.

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Philadelphia police are investigating an attack on a male student believed to be Asian or Asian American on a Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) train. What happened: The incident occurred on the Broad Street Line near Erie Station at around 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, according to FOX29. Shocking video shows a group of female youths, one in a hijab, brutally beating two passive Asian people on a SEPTA train in Philadelphia on Wednesday near Erie Station.
At approximately 9:30 p.m., two doctors rolled a patient needing emergency ankle surgery into the operating room. The head surgeon said he needed to eat prior to the operation, and stepped away to eat in his car.

He didn't come back until the next day.

Dr. Tony Tannoury, a spinal surgeon at Boston Medical Center, had fallen asleep in his car. He is now facing a $5,000 fine and will be required to complete professional development courses after being reprimanded by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine.

The incident happened in late 2016 and was reported to the board in January 2017 after Tannoury was reprimanded from the hospital, the Boston Globe reported. The board announced disciplinary action against Tannoury's medical license on Monday, nearly five years after the incident.

There were a number of factors that caused the disciplinary action to take so long, the board's executive director, George Zachos, told the Boston Globe.

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"The patient was notified of the situation and the surgical outcome was positive," a spokesperson for Boston Medical Center said. "Dr. Tannoury is the director of spine services at Boston Medical Center and no additional issues have been raised about his services since this incident."

Tannoury has been licensed to practice medicine in Massachusetts since 2005 and is also licensed to practice medicine in Maine. He is an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at the Boston University School of Medicine.

Tannoury did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Massachusetts doctor fined for sleeping in his car and missing surgery
By Stephen Nellis

(Reuters) - Microsoft Corp on Thursday said it plans to work with community colleges across the United States to fill 250,000 cybersecurity jobs over the next four years.

Microsoft said it will provide scholarships or assistance to about 25,000 students and will provide training for new and existing teachers at 150 community colleges across the country. The company also said that it will provide curriculum materials for free to all community colleges, as well as four-year schools, in the country.

"Over the next three years, we'll put many tens of millions of dollars behind this effort," Microsoft President Brad Smith said in a press briefing. "This is an opportunity for us to get started. This is not the ceiling on what we'll do."

Microsoft's efforts come as the United States has faced some of the broadest and most sophisticated hacks it has ever seen, including the SolarWinds attack that U.S. officials say hit scores of entities, including many in the federal government. President Joe Biden held a meeting https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-cyber-biden-idAFL1N2PW1YR with Microsoft and other large technology companies in August aimed at improving technology supply chain security.

Jobs emerged as a key concern from the White House meeting, with officials saying half a million jobs remain unfilled.

Smith said many of the customers that Microsoft works with that have suffered hacks could have prevented or mitigated hacks by putting better practices in place, but many lack the cybersecurity personnel to do so.

"We clearly need to move quickly to train people to fill what are, frankly, great jobs in our view," Smith said, noting the jobs had average pay of more than $105,000 and that for every two jobs that are filled, one remains open.

(This story corrects number of entities affected by SolarWinds hack in paragraph 4. While more than 18,000 downloaded the affected software, officials said fewer than 100 were targeted by attacks.)

(Reporting by Stephen Nellis in San Francisco; Editing by Marguerita Choy)
Mozambique must find a political solution to end four years of unrest by Islamist militants, civic rights groups said on Thursday, arguing that the government's military intervention puts the exploitation of natural gas resources ahead of peace and security for local residents and risks fuelling the conflict.

More than 3,100 African troops, as well as European and US military trainers, are in Mozambique to help quell the unrest in the mineral-rich northern province of Cabo Delgado.

"It is imperative for the government of Mozambique to embark on political tracks to resolve the conflict," the groups said in a report that was written by Mozambique's Investigative Journalism Centre, with research and support from a dozen other Mozambican and South African organisations.

The civic groups said the foreign forces, especially the 1,000 Rwandan troops who have spearheaded recent military gains, are operating with unclear mandates and financing.

They also accused Mozambican troops, foreign forces, and private security firms of being more concerned with security for natural gas projects than with safeguarding civilians or building peace.

"Increased military intervention... is not synonymous with guarantees for civilians to be treated humanely in the crosshairs of conflict," the report said. "Ill-discipline is rampant and goes unaddressed. If left unchecked, it will only fuel locals' disaffection and likely spur further support for the insurgency."

Adriano Nuvunga, head of Mozambique's Centre for Democracy and Development, warned of the "Iraqisation" of Cabo Delgado, in which secure areas are created to allow for the extraction of natural resources, without addressing the broader conflict.

"It's not the question of human lives, or restoring peace and security to the population of Cabo Delgado," he said. "The question is to create conditions so the project of Total can move forward."

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The insurgency has claimed at least 3,340 lives and displaced more than 800,000 people.

The violence forced France's TotalEnergies to declare force majeure and evacuate staff from its $20 billion natural gas project.

Both Total's project and the conflict are in one of the poorest parts of the country, which the civic groups said only fuelled discontent in the region.

"Socio-economic causes aren't being dealt with," Mozambican environmental activist Daniel Ribeiro said during a video conference. "This is not a liveable situation."

The 16-nation Southern African Development Community announced earlier in October that it was deploying additional forces, and would stay in Mozambique indefinitely.

gs/sn/pbr
Meissa is developing a nasal vaccine against COVID-19. But it's still in the earliest phase of human testing. Meissa Vaccines

COVID-19 vaccines are great at preventing severe illnesses and death.

But they don't always stop transmission or mild cases.

Nasal vaccines could fill that gap.

If we could vaccinate your nose, there's a good chance we'd be able to end this pandemic right now.

But the COVID-19 shots available in the US can't control everything that happens in your nostrils. If they did, they might be able to stop all transmission of the virus that happens through our talking, singing, laughing, breathing, and sneezing around each other.

If successful, a new kind of vaccine - a nasal mist that requires no needle - promises to do all that by providing the special kind of coronavirus immunity people need to stop shuttling this virus around.

"An intranasal vaccine could help bring an end to the pandemic and help give us true control over SARS-CoV-2 by limiting infection and transmission," said Marty Moore, the CEO of Meissa Vaccines. "We shouldn't settle for a new normal. We can get back to the old normal."

For now, that idea remains one that needs much more robust clinical data behind it to become a reality that we could all sniff up. But the prospect is still quite exciting to many immunologists around the world.

Shots in the arm aren't always great at preventing the sniffles

One big reason vaccine breakthrough infections happen is because the injectable COVID-19 vaccines have been designed to give a person's body good systemic immunity against the virus, protecting internal organs such as the lungs and the heart from severe infection. But a shot in the arm can't do as much for your nose in the long run.

If a vaccinated person is exposed to COVID-19, they may still get a case of the sniffles, or a flu-like COVID-19 illness. This is because they haven't developed great mucosal immunity against the coronavirus. In other words: They're still susceptible to infection via the vulnerable moist tissues that interact with the outside world, such as those in the nose, eyes, and mouth.

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"Very early on during that honeymoon initially after vaccination when your neutralizing antibodies are at their highest, you get a bit of a spillover effect into the upper airway," Dr. Celine Gounder, an infectious-disease specialist at Bellevue hospital in New York, said at the recent IDWeek infectious-disease conference, explaining the issue of lacking durable mucosal immunity after vaccination.

Gounder, and many other leading infectious disease experts, including Dr. Stanley Perlman who's on the FDA's vaccine advisory committee, have lamented that there isn't a nasal or oral COVID-19 vaccine in late-stage trials. We have to "find another way to elicit a mucosal response to complement the systemic immune response" people get from needle-in-the-arm vaccines, Gounder said. And nasal vaccines could be the answer.

Meissa is one of a few smaller companies pursuing COVID-19 nasal vaccines in early-stage human trials. Codagenix, another US company, has also announced some promising (but extremely small) early trial results. Other nasal vaccines are being developed around the world, with ongoing trials in Israel, Russia, Cuba, India, Hong Kong, and Iran.

"Our aim is to be the transmission-blocking COVID vaccine," Moore said.

Immunologists are excited about the prospect of nasal vaccines - both for unvaccinated people and as boosters

Meissa's early clinical data (which the company said it would share in more detail at an upcoming immunotherapy conference in late November and early December) indicated that unvaccinated patients who are given a couple drops of Meissa's vaccine in each nostril have average mucosal antibody levels slightly higher than those measured in people with natural immunity to the virus.

This suggested that Meissa's vaccine could potentially work well at preventing peskier sniffly infections, not just the COVID cases that land people in the hospital.

"It suggests that we can deliver immunity that's like natural infection, but we can do it safely," Moore said.

This prospect has many immunologists quite excited, not only because nasal vaccines could be offered to vaccine-hesitant people who don't like shots but also because they might, perhaps, be used as boosters to top up the already very good systemic immunity people have gotten from injectable vaccines.

Meissa's initial human trial is still ongoing, with 70 participants in it so far. It's only in phase 1, meaning any approval or even emergency authorization for this type of vaccine is many months and likely several thousand more volunteer participants away, at best.

But so far, the results look good. Meissa, which is conducting much of its research in Kansas, said there were many reasons people have chosen to join their early-stage trial.

"Sometimes it's people who are Ph.D.s or highly educated, who see the benefit of an intranasal to prevent infection itself," Moore said. "And oftentimes, it's people who just don't want a shot. They don't want something injected into them."

Common side-effect complaints after Meissa's nasal vaccine so far have included runny noses, coughs, sore throats, and headaches. But the company said that no worrisome safety signals had surfaced with the vaccine, which uses a live-attenuated RSV platform to deliver the coronavirus' characteristic spike protein to vaccinees without risking the coronavirus itself spreading from them.

"There are quite a few people who would rather have drops in the nose than the needle," Moore said. "So I think an intranasal vaccine could reach not all, but many vaccine-hesitant people."

Read the original article on Business Insider
The ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles are all clogged up. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Not content to wait for Congress to pass a big infrastructure spending bill, Gov. Gavin Newsom and U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg moved on Thursday to inject $5 billion in loan money to help modernize Californias seaports.

The money wont help unclog the severe congestion thats creating seaport chaos at present, but the two say that modernizing the ports and the truck and rail systems that serve them can prevent logistics nightmares in the future.

Our supply chains are being put to the test, with unprecedented consumer demand and pandemic-driven disruptions combining with the results of decades-long underinvestment in our infrastructure, Buttigieg said in a statement. Todays announcement marks an innovative partnership with California that will help modernize our infrastructure, confront climate change, speed the movement of goods and grow our economy.

What the money would be spent on remains vague. The California State Transportation Agency, or CalSTA, listed port upgrades, more freight rail capacity, increased warehouse storage, truck and rail electrification, highway upgrades and other general categories as possibilities. At a news conference Thursday, John D. Porcari, President Biden's point person for addressing supply chain problems, and CalSTA Secretary David S. Kim each likened the program to "a hunting license."

The loan money would come from existing U.S. Transportation Department programs that offer easy terms, including low rates of interest, loan guarantees and long payback periods, as well as some state money and public-private financing.

CalSTA said Thursday that the agreement allows California to expedite work on a network of related projects  rather than using a piecemeal approach  that collectively will help grow the economy, improve the environment, facilitate the movement of imports and exports, and strengthen supply chain resilience throughout the U.S. and Californias critical trade corridors, including around San Pedro Bay and the Inland Empire.

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No details were offered on what constitutes that network, nor was it clear how the loans will be disbursed, or to whom.

This month, Newsom ordered state agencies to develop longer-term proposals to support port operations and movement of goods, to be considered for his January 2022 budget proposal.

This year, the state budget includes $250 million for ports, $280 million for infrastructure projects at and around the Port of Oakland, and $1.3 billion over three years for zero-emission transit buses, school buses and trucks, including more than 1,000 port drayage trucks.

The current logistics tie-ups arent unique to California. Ports around the world clogged as demand surged for shipped products over the last year, in large part because of the availability of COVID-19 vaccinations that pushed economic activity back toward normal.

But longer-term issues plaguing California ports threaten not just the state but the entire U.S. economy. The San Pedro Bay ports  Los Angeles and Long Beach  move about 40% of all containerized cargo entering the U.S. each year and about 30% of containerized exports.

The ports are under tremendous strain as overall container traffic in the nations largest ports has increased by 47% since 2010, according to Logistics Management magazine.

Meanwhile, delays at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have been increasing at least since 2014, according to data from the Harbor Trucking Assn.

Californias ports face increasing competition from southern and eastern U.S. ports, some of which are making big investments in port modernization, prompted by an expansion of the Panama Canal in 2016 that widened capacity and boosted import traffic from China and other Asian nations.

The Port of Houston recently widened its channels and added taller cranes, while adding new automation systems for routing containers and managing inventory.

The word automation was not mentioned in Thursday's official announcement. Port automation is a fraught topic in California. The local International Longshore and Warehouse Union has been fighting it for decades.

In 2019, the union marched against implementation of an automation project at Pier 400 and showed up en masse at harbor commission meetings to protest. In May, the union announced its opposition to a plan to automate Long Beachs largest terminal.

Last year, the state Legislature passed a bill that created a 10-member commission to study ways to mitigate the employment impacts of automation at the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports.

A 2018 report by the consulting firm McKinsey & Co. reviewed automation projects at ports around the world and concluded that many projects turned out less productive than expected, in part because outmoded manual practices were automated, rather than new systems and work processes being designed from scratch to take full advantage of the benefits of automation. The report also said the industry has done a poor job of data standardization.

McKinsey noted that the same problems sank auto industry automation efforts in the 1980s until unions and management joined forces to increase use of robotics and modern data systems.

The Biden administration's Porcari said the administration is taking a two-pronged strategy: First, try to alleviate the ongoing congestion at ports that has left cargo ships idling off the coast of California, then lay the groundwork for future improvements.

This latest announcement falls into the latter category, and the benefits may not be apparent for years to come.

Porcari said the stress of the pandemic has revealed how the country's infrastructure has lacked improvements for years.

"The essential problem is we're working with our grandparents' infrastructure investments," he said. "It just doesn't work."

For the record:

2:43 p.m. Oct. 28, 2021: An earlier version of this article misspelled the last name of John D. Porcari.



This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria's army said on Thursday it had killed the new leader of insurgent group Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in a military operation this month, two weeks after announcing the death of the group's former head Abu Musab al-Barnawi.

ISWAP is an offshoot of the Boko Haram insurgent group that has been fighting against the Nigerian armed forces for over a decade. The two militant groups later turned on each other.

The conflict, which has spilled into neighbouring Chad and Cameroon, has left about 300,000 dead and millions dependent on aid, the United Nations says.

Army spokesman Brigadier Benard Onyuko said in a statement that Nigerian troops had conducted several land and air raids on suspected insurgent locations, during which ISWAP's new leader, Malam Bako, was killed.

"In the course of the operations within the period, a total of 38 terrorist elements were neutralized, including the ISWAP's new leader, Bako," Onyuko said without elaborating.

Bako's death could not be independently verified, and there was no immediate confirmation from ISWAP.

If confirmed, Bako would be the fourth leader of an Islamist insurgent group in West Africa to die this year, after Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau in May, Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi of Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) in August and al-Barnawi this month.

Since Shekau's death, thousands of Boko Haram fighters have surrendered to the Nigerian armed forces.

(Reporting by Camillus Eboh, Writing by MacDonald Dzirutwe, Editing by Hugh Lawson)
Non-profit Consumers Research launched an ad campaign attacking the investment management firm BlackRock over its investments in China.

The ad alleges that CEO Larry Fink loves to tell Americans how to live, but he negotiated against America, directing investments toward China. BlackRock has an investment valued at $15 million in surveillance company Hikivision, according to SEC filings reported by Robert Kuttner at The American Prospect.

The Commerce Department added Hikivision and other tech companies to its Entity List in 2019, with the agency saying those companies were implicated in human rights violations against minorities.

The campaign is part of a larger initiative by the non-profit called the Consumers First Initiative, targeting so-called woke companies.

Consumers Research said that the ads also target BlackRock because of what the group views as the companys woke policies, in comments to CNBC. BlackRock told CNBC it had no comment on the campaign.

No amount of woke posturing can hide what BlackRock is really up to, Consumers Research executive director Will Hild said in a statement to the media. Any company trying to use woke politics to mask their misdeeds should see this campaign and know they could be next.

Fink has been supportive of investments to combat climate change, and has pushed for increased diversity in his firms higher ranks.

Getting to net zero carbon emissions by 2050 is going to require a revolution in the production of everything we produce, and a revolution in everything we consume, Fink said at the Middle East Green Initiative in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Monday. And thats going to require a large amount of investment, a large amount of ingenuity and a large amount of innovation.

Other ad campaigns by Consumers Research have targeted Coca-Cola, after the company condemned Georgias new voting laws, and Nike over that companys political stances.

More from National Review
Quartz

In the 1920s, the heads of Harvard, Yale, and Princeton decided they were admitting too many Jewish students. Until that point, acceptances had been determined largely by students scores on entrance exams, giving administrators little control over who made the cut, as sociologist Jerome Karabel writes in his 2005 book on the history of Ivy League admissions, The Chosen. The centerpiece of the new system, Karabel wrote, was the personal letter of recommendation, especially those from trusted sources such as alumni and headmasters or teachers from the leading feeder schools.
The president of the Ohio school board said she plans to resign Friday after the state Senate resisted her reappointment amid a political battle over an anti-racism resolution that she supports.

Laura Kohler, who is serving her fifth year with the State Board of Education of Ohio, told NBC News she intended to offer her resignation to Gov. Mike DeWine on Friday morning. She said the decision came after the state Senate made it clear she would not be reappointed.

Image: Laura Kohler (Ohio Dept of Ed)

In October, there was a resolution that was brought forward to rescind what has come to be known as Resolution 20, Kohler said. I voted not to rescind and I believe that the fact that I was not going to be confirmed by the Senate is a result of that vote.

Last year, Kohler helped write an anti-racism and equality resolution in the wake of George Floyds murder in May 2020. The resolution passed last year, affirming the states commitment to excellence in education for all and condemning racism, The Columbus-Dispatch reported at the time.

The Ohio Senate did confirm the reappointments of three school board members who voted to repeal the resolution, The Columbus-Dispatch reported Thursday.

Kohler said that although DeWine asked her to resign, she did not come to the decision lightly.

I made it in the interest of the state board of education, to avoid becoming a distraction when the work the board does is more important than it ever was before, Kohler said. And I hope to make it clear to folks that I have tremendous respect and regard for Governor DeWine. ... Hes done a wonderful job of trying to deal with the different opinions of everyone in the state.

Kohler, a Republican like DeWine, said it was an honor to have been appointed, but heartbreaking that schools have become embattled by politics.

Its not political in the sense of Democrat vs. Republican. Its more a sense I think of conservative Republicans not being happy with me as a moderate, she said.

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A representative from DeWine's office declined to comment Thursday, saying it had not yet received a formal resignation.

Schools and school boards across the country have become political battlegrounds as conservative groups take issue with diversity and equity initiatives, which critics have equated with critical race theory, the academic study of racisms pervasive impact, and have opened public school curriculums up for debate.

Critical race theory is not typically taught in grade school and is pursued as a course of study at the college level.

Lawmakers in at least 22 states have proposed limits on how schools can talk about racial issues, according to NBC News data collected in June. Educators have reported being driven out of their jobs, frustrated and exhausted by the contentious fights.
Congressional Democrats may have hoped that the House Oversight Committee hearing on Thursday with oil industry CEOs about the science of climate change would yield an epic moment that revealed their mendacity, akin to the famous hearings in 1994 when top tobacco executives testified under oath that nicotine is not addictive.

If so, they were probably disappointed. Democratic lawmakers irritation with the witnesses was palpable as they struggled to get the executives to either make demonstrably false claims about climate science or to admit to their respective companies' past attempts to mislead the public about the matter  or even their current efforts to obstruct action to mitigate climate change.

Instead, they testified via video that their companies were simply less well-informed in the past, but that they have always followed the science.

The witnesses of a House Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing on the role of fossil fuel companies in climate change. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)

While our views on climate change have developed over time, any suggestion that Chevron is engaged in an effort to spread disinfo and mislead the public on these issues is simply wrong, said Chevron CEO Michael Wirth in his opening statement.

The tobacco precedent was clearly on the minds of Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., chairman of the Subcommittee on the Environment, both of whom invoked it in their opening remarks.

Twenty-seven years ago, seven tobacco executives appeared before Congress, Maloney said. Rather than admitting the truth about their product, the executives lied. This was a watershed moment in the publics understanding of Big Tobacco. I hope that todays hearing represents a turning point for Big Oil. I hope that today the witnesses will finally own up to the industrys central role in this crisis and become part of the change we need.

No such turn was taken. None of the witnesses, who included the presidents or CEOs of ExxonMobil, BP America, Chevron, Shell and the American Petroleum Institute (API), denied the scientific consensus that burning the products they sell causes global warming. But they also steadfastly refused lawmakers entreaties to admit that they were wrong to claim publicly for decades that human-induced climate change wasnt necessarily occurring, even as their own internal scientists sometimes said otherwise.

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ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods testifies via video. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)

When Maloney asked ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods about advertisements casting doubt on climate science that ran as recently as the early 2000s  decades after internal documents show Exxon was well aware of the greenhouse gas effect  Woods refused to admit wrongdoing. That was consistent with what the scientific consensus was at the time, he insisted. And as time has progressed, weve continued to maintain a position that has evolved with science and is today consistent with the science.

Nor were they willing to participate in Maloneys and Khannas effort to get them to oppose their own industrys lobbying against government action to facilitate a transition to cleaner energy sources. When Maloney asked for a promise to stop opposing climate action, Shell president Gretchen Watkins claimed her company already supports climate action, even though the groups to which it belongs, including API and the Chamber of Commerce, have lobbied hard against the climate provisions in President Bidens Build Back Better proposal.

Khanna pleaded with Watkins to ask API CEO Mike Sommers to stop lobbying against a fee on oil and gas producers for leaking methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

You say you're for a well-crafted methane fee. You know who's advertising against a methane fee? API! said Khanna. Can you please, please ask API to stop advertising against the methane fee!

Watkins, however, demurred. She said her company doesnt always agree with every stance the trade association takes, something BP U.S. Lower 48 Onshore CEO David Lawler  whose company also tries to position itself as enlightened on environmental matters  emphasized.

David Lawler, CEO of BP's U.S. Lower 48 Onshore business. (Joe Amon/Denver Post via Getty Images)

This frustrating outcome was expected even by the committee chairs who called the witnesses themselves. In his opening statement, Khanna preemptively warned the public that the witnesses would disingenuously claim to support climate science.

You will say your companies have contributed to academic research on climate science, Khanna said, nominally to the assembled executives. That is true, but that is not the issue at hand. Despite your early knowledge of climate science, your companies and the trade associations you fund chose time and again to loudly raise doubts about the science and downplay the severity of the crisis.

Even some of the Democrats usually effective questioners were unable to draw blood. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., got Woods of ExxonMobil to admit that he has spoken to members of Congress about the budget and infrastructure bills currently under consideration, but when she asked whether campaign donations have ever come up in those conversations, he unequivocally said no. She also tried unsuccessfully to get him to admit that increased fossil fuel production increases his compensation.

Ultimately, she pivoted to speaking broadly about the issue at hand. Some of us have to actually live the future that you all are setting on fire for us, she told the witnesses. We do not have the privilege or luxury of lobbyist spin.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

In what was probably the most compelling exchange of the day, Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., used candy in Mason jars to illustrate the discrepancy between what Shell, which claims to support renewable energy investment, spends on developing renewables such as wind and solar versus oil and gas. Porter also highlighted that Shell has not lived up to its past promises of renewable energy spending and cleverly used Watkinss own words from her opening statement  in which she called climate change one of the defining challenges of our time and said renewable energy development is a huge undertaking for the company  against her.

"Ms. Watkins, does this look like a huge undertaking to you?" Porter asked, brandishing an almost empty jar. To me, this does not look like an adequate response to one of the defining challenges of our time. This is greenwashing. Shell is trying to fool people into thinking its addressing the climate crisis when its actually continuing to put money into fossil fuels.

In contrast with both the Democratic lawmakers grilling and the fossil fuel executives modest evasions, the Republican committee members on Thursday treated the witnesses with a deference bordering on idolatry.

The oil and gas industry provide good-paying jobs and help Americans reliably heat their houses, power their cars and keep the lights on through the storm when the sun doesnt shine, said Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C.

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, during a House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing last week. (Greg Nash/Pool via Reuters)

God bless Chevron for saying theyll increase production, said Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, after Wirth, the Chevron CEO, was asked why his company intends to produce more gas and oil when the climate crisis necessitates drawing down dependence on fossil fuels.

"You need an apology because what I witnessed today was just rank intimidation by the chair of this committee, said Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., referring to Khannas attempt to get the witnesses to pledge to stop funding advocacy campaigns opposing action to address climate change. Trying to get you to pledge on what you're going to spend your money on is a gross violation of the First Amendment, Donalds claimed, inaccurately.

The only Republican-called witness was a worker who was laid off from a job building the Keystone XL oil pipeline extension, a project President Biden has stopped from moving forward. The witness was used to illustrate the talking point, repeated often, that oil and gas companies provided jobs that outweighed concerns about the warming planet and whether the companies lied to the public.

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the ranking Republican on the committee, argued that the whole endeavor was illegitimate. The purpose of this hearing is clear: to deliver partisan theater for primetime news, he said.

Whether or not that was truly the hearings only purpose, more dramatic theater was certainly something Democrats would have liked to see happen.

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Read more from Yahoo News:
The Chevron oil refinery on a stormy day in El Segundo. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Democratic lawmakers denounced the leaders of the some of the world's largest oil companies Thursday, accusing executives of Exxon Mobil, BP, Shell and Chevron of spending decades downplaying, or outright denying, the scientific consensus that burning fossil fuels causes climate change.

The hearing by the House Oversight Committee marked the first time that members of Congress have directly questioned oil and gas executives, under oath, about their companies' reported efforts to mislead the public about the causes of global warming.

Democrats on the committee also criticized the executives for publicly trumpeting their work to reduce carbon emissions while privately funding lobbying groups such as the American Petroleum Institute and the Chamber of Commerce, which have sought to block President Biden's environmental policies.

New York Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, the chairwoman of the committee, announced at the hearing's end that she intends to issue subpoenas to the four oil companies, after they failed to turn over internal documents the committee requested relating to their funding of outside advocacy groups that don't disclose their affiliations.

"I had hoped today would be a turning point for the oil industry  but I was disappointed that we heard much of the same denial and deflection that we've heard before," Maloney said. "I see no choice but to continue our committee's investigation until we see the truth."

In their remarks Thursday, some of the executives denied lying about the causes of climate change, while others avoided addressing the allegations.

Chevron's "views on climate change have developed over time," said Michael Wirth, the company's chief executive. But, he said, "any suggestion that Chevron is engaged in an effort to spread disinformation and mislead the public on these complex issues is simply wrong."

Testifying remotely, the executives emphasized that they supported taking global action to address rising temperatures and endorsed the 2015 Paris climate agreement, which isn't enforceable and doesn't require oil companies to lower their emissions. All four acknowledged the threat of climate change. But they also stressed that the United States would continue to rely on oil and gas for decades to come.

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At one point in the hearing, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Fremont) implored the executives to direct the American Petroleum Institute, the industry's largest trade group, to stop opposing congressional climate initiatives and to leave the organization if it keeps lobbying against expanded tax credits for electric vehicles.

"They're spending millions of dollars in Congress to kill electric vehicles," Khanna said. "You could do something here. You could tell them to knock it off for the sake of the planet."

Khanna asked Shell President Gretchen Watkins to tell API President Mike Sommers, who was also a witness at the hearing, that the trade organization's opposition is wrong.

"If you say that today, he'll stop," Khanna told Watkins.

Shell "very much believes electric vehicles are part of the future," Watkins replied, but she declined to tell API to withdraw its opposition to the electric car tax credits.

Wirth, of Chevron, said his company discusses many policy issues at API, adding, "Members don't always agree on everything."

Quitting the trade group is an option, Khanna told the executives, reminding them that this year, French oil giant Total became the first major petroleum company to walk away from API. The company cited irreconcilable differences with the trade group over carbon pricing, regulation of methane emissions and electric vehicle subsidies.

"I really don't think you're as bad as the CEOs of the past," Khanna said to the executives. "And I don't believe you purposely want to be out there spreading climate disinformation. But you're funding these groups, and they're really having an impact."

Republicans on the committee rushed to defend the oil companies.

Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, the senior Republican on the committee, criticized the hearing as political theater and said the committee should instead direct its investigative powers at the Biden administration's economic and environmental policies. Republicans care about the climate, Comer insisted, but "the last thing in the world we need to do is cut [oil] production."

After learning that Democrats planned to subpoena documents from the companies, Comer objected, saying: "We feel like that's an infringement upon their 1st Amendment rights."

The hearing was held just as world leaders are preparing to meet in Glasgow, Scotland, on Sunday for the beginning of a major United Nations climate summit. Under the terms of the 2015 Paris climate agreement, countries are expected to announce their latest plans to reduce carbon emissions and to pivot to cleaner sources of energy by the end of the decade. As Biden was headed to the summit Thursday, the details of the climate measures in Democrats' final budget bill were still in flux.

Democrats on the panel focused many of their questions on accusations that the oil industry and its powerful trade organizations have spent billions on lobbying and deceptive marketing campaigns intended to weaken or kill legislation to address climate change. They pointed to a secret recording, which became public this year, in which an Exxon lobbyist talked openly about efforts to dilute Biden's climate agenda and admitted that the company had funded third-party groups with the same goal. The lobbyist thought he was talking to a job recruiter; he was actually being recorded by Greenpeace UK.

More than the other oil companies, Exxon has a well-documented history of funding both pioneering research into climate change and large-scale campaigns that undermined those scientific findings. Reporting by the Los Angeles Times and Inside Climate News in 2015 found that, throughout much of the 1980s, Exxon funded workshops and academic research on climate change. But by 1990, its leaders changed tack after U.S. and international regulators began calling for cuts in carbon emissions from fossil fuels, threatening the company's business model.

Over the next 15 years, Exxon spent millions of dollars on advertisements and other messaging claiming that the science behind climate change was still unsettled and that regulations to curb global warming were unnecessary, The Times' investigation found.

Subsequent reports, including a 2019 study by scientists at Harvard, George Mason and Bristol universities, concluded that the oil industry as a whole had funded similar campaigns to undermine public confidence in climate research.

Before the hearing, Democratic lawmakers said they hoped to model the event after the 1994 House inquiry into the tobacco industry. The drama of that hearing was captured in a famous photograph of the top executives of the seven largest American tobacco companies raising their hands before Congress to swear that cigarettes aren't addictive.

At the time, there was solid scientific research establishing the health risks of smoking, and executives' lies outraged lawmakers, who went to work on new tobacco regulations.

Today, there is virtually no debate among scientists that the planet is overheating, in large part because the burning of coal, oil and gas is spewing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. But whether Thursday's hearing will inspire lawmakers to crack down on carbon emissions from oil and gas companies remains to be seen.

Biden announced this year that the U.S. would slash its emissions by at least half by 2030. But Democrats proposals to meet that goal have been diluted over the ensuing months, as Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona objected to measures that would speed America's transition from oil, gas and coal.

A proposal to create a clean energy program that would reward utilities for generating more of their power from wind and solar energy has been stripped from Democrats' original $3.5-trillion budget bill to satisfy Manchin. Democrats' alternative pathway to address climate change, a carbon tax on polluters, is also dead. That has left a set of tax credits for solar and wind projects and electric vehicles as the most significant remaining climate proposal in the package  but this also faces opposition.

The oil and gas industry's campaign to defeat the president's climate policies has taken aim at Democrats in Congress facing tough reelection campaigns through Facebook and TV ads in order to preserve tax breaks for fossil fuel producers.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
An American Airlines passenger has been charged with interference with a flight crew and assault within the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States after an incident that forced a flight to divert to Denver last Wednesday.

Flight 976 was heading from New York to Orange County, California, when the airline said the passenger "physically assaulted" a female flight attendant.

"I understand that he actually punched her twice," fellow passenger Mackenzie Rose told CBSLA. "I did see her walk back down the aisle afterward. She had blood splattered on the outside of her mask."

On Monday, the U.S. Justice Department identified the passenger as 20-year-old Brian Hsu of Irvine, California.

It wasn't immediately clear what prompted the incident on Flight 976.

'Anxious, fearful': Flight attendants plead for Congress' help to deal with air rage

Unruly passengers: The high stakes flight attendant face

An American Airlines plane takes off at Miami International Airport in this file photo from June 16, 2021.

In a Thursday (Oct. 28) Instagram post, American CEO Doug Parker said the incident was "one of the worst displays of unruly behavior" he has witnessed. Parker said the airline would do all it can to ensure that the passenger is prosecuted "to the fullest extent possible" and work with the Federal Aviation Administration, which can levy fines to disruptive passengers.

"American Airlines will not tolerate airport or in-flight misconduct of any kind, particularly toward our crew members or airport team," Parker said. "This type of behavior has to stop.''

"We are outraged by the reports of what took place on board," American Airlines said in a statement to USA TODAY. " Acts of violence against our team members will not be tolerated by American Airlines."

The passenger was taken into custody after the plane landed safely in Denver.

"The individual involved in this incident will never be allowed to travel with American Airlines in the future, but we will not be satisfied until he has been prosecuted to the full extent of the law," the airline said. "This behavior must stop, and aggressive enforcement and prosecution of the law is the best deterrent."

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American Airlines has offered support to the injured flight attendant and her fellow crew members, whom they thanked for keeping everyone safe on board. The flight did later continue on to Orange County.

Flight attendants across the industry have called on Congress to do more to stem cases of air rage.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced $531,545 in civil penalties as of Aug. 19, with proposed fines ranging from $7,500 against a passenger who allegedly threatened to kill someone seated near him to $45,000 against a passenger who allegedly threw objects  including his carry-on luggage  at other passengers and put his head up a flight attendants skirt.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: American Airlines flight attendant attack: CEO says behavior must stop
By Mubasher Bukhari and Asif Shahzad

LAHORE, Pakistan (Reuters) -A banned Islamist group prepared to march on Pakistan's capital Islamabad despite last minute negotiations with the government that the country's interior minister said on Thursday evening were deadlocked.

Thousands of members of the banned Tehrik-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) group had been gathered since last Friday on a highway, just outside the eastern city of Lahore, with a series of demands including the release of their imprisoned leader.

On Thursday they began marching north towards Pakistan's capital after a series of deadly clashes with police the previous evening.

"We have started marching towards Islamabad, police have barricaded the road, but we will remove them," a TLP spokesman told Reuters.

Pakistan's Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed said on Thursday evening that the government was in talks with TLP and he had spoken to the group's imprisoned leader Saad Rizvi by phone but so far no deal had been reached.

"What we have agreed with the TLP, we stand by with it, but they are still not listening to us and are not stepping down," he said in an interview with local broadcaster Geo.

The government has said that it would agree to most of the group's demands, including freeing Rizvi, but would not agree to formally expelling the French ambassador.

"If they dont go back, there will be consequences," Rasheed said, adding he was prepared to continue talks in the coming days.

Clashes on Wednesday evening killed around four police officers and several TLP members, and wounded dozens. The country's information minister had said they would be treated with full force as a militant group and not allowed to enter the capital, where shipping containers had been set up to block roads.

Besides demanding the release of their leader and their removal from a list of banned organisations, the TLP activists have been calling for the expulsion of France's ambassador over the publication of a series of caricatures depicting the Prophet Mohammad by a French satirical magazine.

It is the group's third countrywide protest campaign since 2017 over caricatures that are considered deeply insulting by Muslims.

(Reporting by Mubasher Bukhari in Lahore, Asif Shahzad in Islambad; writing by Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by Steve Orlofsky and Alistair Bell)
The clash broke out at a rally of the banned Tehrik-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) on a highway in Sheikhupura, just outside Lahore, as the group prepared to march on the capital Islamabad, a spokesman for the Punjab police said on Wednesday.

Police said TLP activists armed with pistols and automatic weapons including AK-47 rifles opened fire on security forces controlling the demonstrators.

Rao Sardar Ali Khan, inspector general of the Punjab police, said four officers were killed and at least 263 wounded. TLP spokespeople said several of the group's activists had also been killed or wounded in the clash.

Thousands of TLP activists have been blocking Pakistan's busiest highway since Friday, demanding the release of their leader and the expulsion of France's ambassador over the publication of a series of caricatures depicting the Prophet Mohammad by a French satirical magazine.

After days of tension, including a clash last week in which three police officers were killed, the Interior Ministry ordered paramilitary Rangers to be deployed under anti-terrorism laws.

It is the group's third countrywide protest campaign since 2017 over caricatures which are considered deeply insulting by Muslims.

The French magazine Charlie Hebdo first published the cartoons in 2006 and republished them last year to mark the opening of a trial over a deadly attack on its offices in Paris by Islamist militants in 2015. Pakistani Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said the government would use force to block the Islamists from entering the capital Islamabad.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) again delayed a vote on the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill on Thursday after progressives refused to support the measure amid a political stalemate over the partys larger reconciliation bill.

The delay came after President Biden revealed a new, pared-down framework for his social spending package on Thursday. The initial proposal for the reconciliation bill was estimated to cost $3.5 trillion but has since been reduced to $1.75 trillion.

Progressives are demanding to see the final reconciliation bill text before agreeing to support the bipartisan infrastructure bill, dealing a massive blow to President Biden, who had hoped to score a policy win as he headed to Europe on Thursday to address the Group of 20 and a United Nations climate summit.

Representative Pramila Jayapal (D., Wash.), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said in a statement Thursday that members of the caucus will not vote for the infrastructure bill without the Build Back Better Act.

We will work immediately to finalize and pass both pieces of legislation through the House together, Jayapal said.

The new reconciliation bill framework includes universal preschool, tax credits and investments for clean energy infrastructure, a one-year extension of the current expanded child tax credit, and a provision allowing Medicare to cover hearing services. Several measures were dropped from the new framework, such as free community college, Medicare coverage for vision and dental services, and paid family leave.

Progressive Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan expressed her opposition to voting for the infrastructure package today while leaving a Progressive Caucus meeting: Hell no on BIF.

The infrastructure bill calls for $550 billion in new spending over the next five years on railways and public transit, rebuilding the electric power grid, and expanding broadband Internet access.

Representative Cori Bush (D., Mo.) similarly exited the meeting and said she is still opposed to the infrastructure bill until the Senate advances the social spending package.

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She argued that moderate Senators Joe Manchin (D., W. Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D., Ariz.), both of whom had refused to support a $3.5 trillion price tag for the larger bill, have not been good faith actors up until this point.

The intraparty spat came to a head hours after Pelosi urged Democrats to give Biden a policy win as he embarked on his trip to Europe.

According to The Hill, Pelosi told Democrats, When the president gets off that plane we want him to have a vote of confidence from this Congress.

She added that after months of progressive Democrats delaying the Senate-passed infrastructure bill that in order for us to have success, we must succeed today.

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It's no stretch to conclude that Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin is risking the planet's future to protect a dwindling pool of 14,000 coal mining jobs in his home state of West Virginia.

As bad as that sounds, there are even more cynical explanations for Manchin single-handedly blocking crucial elements of President Joe Biden's climate action plan. Like money.

Manchin owns about $1 million in Enersystems shares, his son's coal brokerage firm.

And the senator raised $400,000 in campaign funds in the last quarter from oil and gas interests, even though he doesn't run for reelection until 2024.

Cutting greenhouse gas emissions

Whatever the motivations, Manchin is working hard to kill something called the Clean Electricity Performance Program (CEPP), a core element of the climate legislation embedded in Biden's massive "human infrastructure" or Build Back Better bill that Democrats are struggling to negotiate in Congress.

The legislation would be passed through a process called reconciliation that allows for simple majority approval in the Senate. That means every Democratic vote counts, and thus Manchin can play spoiler if he wants.

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., a key holdout vote on President Joe Biden's domestic agenda, speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill on Oct. 27, 2021.

Biden's goal is to cut America's greenhouse gas emissions by 50 to 52% by 2030, a necessary goal if the United States and other nations hope to attain net zero emissions by mid-century to prevent catastrophic increases in global warming. Dramatic steps must come this decade, scientists say, and Biden's plan goes a long way there with a combination of electrical vehicle transition investments; reductions in methane, the worst of greenhouse gases; stepped-up agricultural and forestry carbon removal efforts; and a transformed electrical power grid.

The primary engine would be the $150 billion clean electricity program designed to use tax credits and penalties as carrots and stick to compel power companies to more rapidly shift from coal- and gas-fired plants to renewable energy.

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The dirt on coal

The dirtiest of fossil fuels by far is coal  so polluting that it's already on the decline in the United States and globally.

"We need the CEPP to take on the climate crisis. It's just that simple," climate and energy police expert Leah Stokes tweeted.

Manchin is saying no.

He argues that electrical companies are already transitioning to renewable energy, so it isn't necessary to reward them for doing so. To the extent that's true, it's largely to meet new power demands. It's the hundreds of existing plants burning coal and gas that need to be replaced with renewable energy. The clean electricity program would have gradually increased pressure on power companies to make the transition.

But that isn't all Manchin wants to cut. Word surfaced Monday that he wants to excise a provision that would levee a fine on oil and gas firms that allow methane to leak from wells and pipelines, one of the six most important elements of Biden's climate plan.

Global climate summit begins Sunday

It's not impossible to fill the gaps Manchin is carving out of Biden's plan. The Rhodium Group, a nonpartisan analysis firm, argues that a patchwork of generous renewable energy tax incentives, along with tougher regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency and new restrictions by individual states, could recoup some of the lost reductions in greenhouse gases.

"We think it's doable," Rhodium's John Larsen said. But he concedes there's plenty of risk that new EPA provisions could be blocked in court or reversed by a future administration (as happened with Donald Trump), or that not enough states will follow through.

The tragedy is that Manchin seized this moment to make his stand for West Virginia's dying coal industry.

Biden's Build Back Better legislation, which once had a price tag of $3.5 trillion, is being trimmed to between $1.5 trillion to $1.9 trillion as Democrats race to produce a framework the president can show the world at a global climate summit that begins Sunday in Glasgow, Scotland.

Time is running out, and future generations may look back at an opportunity lost and blame Joe Manchin. They'd be right.

USA TODAY's editorial opinions are decided by its Editorial Board, separate from the news staff and the USA TODAY Network. Most editorials are coupled with an Opposing View, a unique USA TODAY feature.

To read more editorials, go to the Opinion front page or sign up for the daily Opinion email newsletter. To respond to this editorial, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sen. Joe Manchin risks planet Earth to save coal jobs in West Virginia
The National Fraternal Order of Police, the largest police union in the country, urged the Senate to consider legislation introduced this week by a group of GOP senators that would protect essential workers from being fired due to federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates, saying it believes giving an "ultimatum" to law enforcement officers is "not right."

National FOP President Patrick Yoes on Wednesday announced the unions endorsement of the "Keeping Our COVID-19 Heroes Employed Act."

BLACKBURN BILL WOULD EXEMPT ESSENTIAL WORKERS FROM FIRING FOR DEFYING COVID VACCINE MANDATES

The bill would "provide for an exemption" for "all essential workers" from COVID vaccine requirements imposed by the federal government, a public or private federal contractor, a private entity receiving federal funds or a public entity receiving funding under the coronavirus CARES Act.

The bill defines an essential worker as an individual whom a "relevant State, Indian Tribe, or territory deemed essential during the response to the COVID-19 pandemic" or "who was exempt from any restrictions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic imposed by a relevant State, Indian Tribe, or territory."

"It is the position of the National FOP that vaccinations work to prevent people from becoming infected by COVID-19, and we encourage our members to get vaccinated," Yoes said in a statement. "However, the National FOP believes that whether or not to accept the vaccine is a personal decision that our members should make for themselves after consultation with their doctor or other medical professionals."

Yoes said the organization understands the "public policy and public health objectives" behind the Biden administrations vaccine mandates.

Senator Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee., speaks during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing titled "Texas Unconstitutional Abortion Ban and the Role of the Shadow Docket", in Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, September 29, 2021. Tom Williams/Pool via REUTERS

President Biden signed an executive order over the summer requiring that all workers in the executive branch be vaccinated against COVID-19. Biden also signed an order to require businesses with more than 100 workers to mandate coronavirus vaccinations.

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And Biden signed an executive order on Sept. 9 requiring federal contractors to mandate vaccinations and ensure workers are fully vaccinated by Dec. 8.

"No one needs to tell our members about the dangers of COVID-19  we have lost more than 700 officers to the virus since the start of the pandemic," he continued. "We know it can be deadly."

Yoes said that "even with that knowledge, law enforcement officers in every region of the country reported for work."

"Due to our profession, we did not have the option to work from home, and we could not always practice social distancing," he said. "We showed up and worked to keep our communities safe, even in the midst of a global pandemic and, sometimes, without even the most basic personal protective equipment."

Yoes said that COVID-19 is not only a public health crisis, but also a "public safety crisis."

BIDEN VACCINE MANDATE COULD MAKE SUPPLY CHAIN CRISIS EVEN WORSE, CARGO COMPANIES WARN

"Unfortunately, the public safety crisis could very well be exacerbated as a result of mandating our everyday heroes to choose unwillingly getting a medical procedure or their jobs  it is not fair or just," he said.

The legislation, introduced by Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., is co-sponsored by Republican Sens. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, Bill Haggerty of Tennessee, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Mike Braun of Indiana, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin.

The legislation was endorsed by a number of worker groups, including the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, the National Border Patrol Council, the president of the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police, the National Sheriffs' Association and the National Association of Small Trucking Companies, among others.
Ryan Smith and Allen Cheney attend the Crescendo Book Launch at WO Smith School in Nashville in 2019. (Getty Images for the Crescendo Foundation Inc.)

When the low-budget action-thriller movie One Way was filming in Thomasville, Ga., in February, it was enough for a local TV news anchor to exclaim that executive producer Allen Cheney was bringing Hollywood to his hometown.

The grandson of a musician and the son of a banker, Cheney named his production company Thomasville Pictures, which he co-owns with business partner Ryan Donnell Smith, and filmed movies featuring the likes of Machine Gun Kelly and Mel Gibson in southern Georgia.

Now, another movie with Cheney and Smith's names attached is drawing the worst kind of attention. On a call sheet obtained by the Los Angeles Times, they are credited as executive producer and producer, respectively, on the film Rust. On its New Mexico set, actor and producer Alec Baldwin discharged a gun that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza.

No charges have been filed in the case, which police are still investigating. Santa Fe County, N.M., Sheriff Adan Mendoza on Wednesday described the projectile that killed Hutchins as a lead bullet. The deadly projectile was recovered from Souzas shoulder at an area hospital.

Among the roughly 500 rounds recovered on set were a mixture of blanks, dummy rounds and what we are suspecting were live rounds, Mendoza said.

Investigators said they were still trying to determine how bullets ended up on the set of Rust, which would be a major violation of standard film safety protocols, according to experts in film production and firearms.

Obviously I think the industry has had a record recently of being safe," Mendoza said at a news conference. "I think there was some complacency on this set, and I think there are some safety issues that need to be addressed by the industry and possibly by the state of New Mexico."

In a statement, Cheney defended the credentials of the producers of "Rust."

The six credited producers on the independent film 'Rust,' Ryan Smith, Alec Baldwin, Nathan Klingher, Ryan Winterstern, Matt DelPiano and Anjul Nigam, collectively have more than 35 years experience producing small to mid-level film and television projects," Cheney said. "'Rust' is a union-certified production, in good standing with all of the major production unions and guilds, including IATSE, the Teamsters, SAG, and DGA. Consistent with financing partners across productions of all sizes, Streamline Global, Emily Salveson and I received executive producer credit on the film 'Rust,' having no involvement with the physical and day to day production.

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None of the other producers responded to requests for comment.

The Times reported last week that there were tensions on set before the deadly incident. Half a dozen camera operators and their assistants walked off the set to protest working conditions. A camera operator had complained, in a text message, about accidental gun discharges just days before the fatal shooting.

The limited liability company Rust Movie Productions said in a Friday statement that it is cooperating with the law enforcement investigation and was not made aware of any official complaints concerning weapon or prop safety on set. The company has since said it has hired lawyers to conduct its own investigation.

Producers of independent movies commonly create limited liability companies for business and legal reasons, often named for the movie itself. Among the credited Rust producers, Baldwin is by far the biggest name. Baldwins producer credit isnt a mere vanity title. He also shares story credit for the film.

As with other indie films, the producers listed for Rust are a hodgepodge of individuals, production entities and financiers. The responsibilities of producers and executive producers can vary widely in the film industry, ranging from the actual planning of production to the cobbling together of money to cover the budget.

Among the named producers on Rust is Smith, who co-owns Thomasville Pictures with Cheney. A Deadline story this month cited Smith as a producer of Rust through Thomasville Pictures. According to New Mexico business records filed this year, Rust Movie Productions LLC lists its address as the same one listed in Georgia by Thomasville Pictures.

Smith is also a partner in Streamline Global LLC, another of the backers listed for Rust. Las Vegas-based Streamline Global, founded in 2017 by Salveson, helps wealthy individuals get tax breaks by investing in movies that use government incentives, according to its website. Salveson and Cheney are both listed as executive producers.

DelPiano is Baldwins manager and a former CAA agent. Several of the producers, including Nigam, Klingher and Winterstern, were on the set the day of the accident, crew members said.

CAA Media Finance sold domestic distribution rights for "Rust," while financier Highland Film Group handled international sales . Santa Monica lender BondIt Media Capital provided financing. (CAA Media Finance, Highland Film Group and BondIt Media Capital were not involved in the film's production.)

With the number of producers involved in Rust, it's difficult to determine who's ultimately responsible, said Travis Knox, an associate professor of producing at Chapman University.

Any producer that had worked on that film, that witnessed the alleged safety violations leading up to this, will no doubt have to hold a certain amount of accountability, Knox said. There is no way that all six companies are responsible because some of those are just production companies in name. In todays world, producer credits get handed out like Tic Tacs, and thats whats happened here."

Its not the first time questions about safety have been raised related to movies to which Cheney and Smith were attached.

In Georgia this year, first camera assistant Lisa Long raised safety concerns while filming the action thriller One Way, starring Machine Gun Kelly, Long said.

Long was bothered by what she saw as first assistant director Dave Halls disregard for safety protocols and reported his behavior to two producers and an IATSE Local 600 union representative, she said.

It's not clear whether Cheney and Smith were made aware of the alleged safety issues at the time.

Halls was also a first assistant director on Rust.

Court records show Baldwin was handed the gun by Halls, who picked up one of three weapons that had been prepared by Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the set's armorer.

According to an affidavit filed by the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday, Halls believed that the lead bullet that fatally wounded Hutchins on Thursday was supposed to be a dummy round. Halls told investigators that he did not check all the rounds in the gun before it was handed to Baldwin, a major breach of safety standards.

On One Way, Halls did not hold a safety meeting before shooting a dangerous scene involving a Russian Arm  a crane-like piece of equipment that is attached to a high-speed vehicle during filming, Long said. The highway had not been cleared of outside traffic when filming began, she said.

Additionally, the walkie-talkies were filled with so much chatter that instructions were muddled and two vehicles being used by the production nearly collided, she said.

It got so bad that I had a meeting with production to tell them he didnt care about our safety and it wasnt right," Long said.

Jared Tyree of Gravity Production Services, who was brought in to operate the Russian Arm, said he also raised alarms about the situation on One Way.

Molly Mayeux, the line producer on "One Way," said in an email that filming a movie during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic came with inherent concerns, but that the production took safety seriously. Mayeux said she had not heard about the alleged near-collision until a Times reporter asked.

"We had safety meetings almost every day  most definitely at new locations, or when any set or situation was particularly challenging, which did not happen often since we shot 85% of the movie on a parked bus in a warehouse," she said.

Paul Hazen, a post-production supervisor on Rust, as well as Thomasville Pictures-produced movies One Way" and Supercell, which also stars Alec Baldwin, said his experience working with the producers has been positive.

My experience has been great with them, Hazen said. Theyve been nothing but professional.

A Thomasville native, Cheney moved to Nashville in 2009 after graduating from LaGrange College, where he majored in music and business, according to a bio on his foundations website. He began his career in Nashville writing and producing music but quickly turned to film, the bio said.

While in Nashville, Cheney and Smith, who was born and raised in Tennessee, launched a production company called Mountview Creative.

The company moved its headquarters to Los Angeles in 2015, where they produced the independent feature Some Freaks. Cheney registered Thomasville Pictures in 2017, according to Georgia business records.

In a Thomasville Times-Enterprise article in June, Cheney and Smith said they started the company to bring more production to southwest Georgia. Its first project, The Tiger Rising, starred Queen Latifah and Dennis Quaid.

A few years ago, Thomasville had never had any films or anything taking advantage of the wonderful Georgia film model, Cheney told the paper. So I decided to bring some of my projects down here (Thomasville) and see how they went and they took off and did great. Ive brought a few more and everything seems to be going well.

The Tiger Rising, which Cheney on Instagram called the first large feature film ever made in Thomasville, had a $15-million budget, with at least $1 million of it spent locally, Cheney told the Thomasville Times-Enterprise.

Allen just had a dream of bringing film production to Thomasville, Councilmember Jay Flowers said. It was an amazing experience for the community and not every day you get a live tiger in town ... Their reputation locally is as pristine as any other entity that has come to town. We would welcome them back to do a movie here in town next week, with no hesitation.

Cheney's family is well known in Thomasville. His father is chief executive of Thomasville National Bank. In 2019, Cheney published a book he co-wrote about his grandparents, Fred and Winnie Allen. Fred Allen, Cheney said in interviews with local press, overcame childhood adversity to become a Juilliard-trained musician who later became a high school music teacher in Thomasville.

"Your soul takes notes from Fred when you're around him," Cheney told the Thomasville Times-Enterprise.

Apart from Thomasville's work, Smith's most recognizable credit is as one of the executive producers on Aaron Sorkin's "The Trial of the Chicago 7," released by Netflix last year.

"Tyler Thompson from Cross Creek Media called me and said, 'I have a once-in-a-lifetime project for you,'" Smith said in an interview with the movies website Film Daily. "When he sent it over, I knew it was special and something that I would fight like hell to help get made."

 Times staff writers Meg James, Julia Wick, James Queally and Richard Winton contributed to this report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Dorit Kemsley from an episode of 'Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.' (Bravo)

"Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Dorit Kemsley was robbed of designer bags and jewelry at her Encino home late Wednesday, police sources told The Times.

The theft is under investigation, with the Los Angeles Police Department seeking three suspects they say broke into Kemsley's home in the 17000 block of Adlon Road about 10:50 p.m., where they confronted the reality TV star directly.

"The victim was in fear and complied with the suspects' demands by directing them to valuables," LAPD officials said. "The suspects took handbags, jewelry and watches with a significant monetary loss and fled the location in a black truck."

Kemsley, who owns a swimwear and athleisure line, could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday. She and her husband, Paul "PK" Kemsley, moved to the Los Angeles area in 2015 and have two children.

Police did not say whether anyone else was in the home at the time of the robbery.

The Real Housewives franchise focuses on the lives of wealthy women and routinely highlights their high-end goods and luxurious homes.

The investigation is being handled by the LAPD's Robbery-Homicide Division, which investigates high-profile and violent incidents.

Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at (213) 486-6840. Anonymous tips call be submitted to Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Human remains found earlier this month in a California desert have been identified as missing woman Lauren Cho, the San Bernardino County coroners office announced Thursday.

The San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department discovered Chos remains in the rugged terrain of the Yucca Valley on Oct. 9 during an additional search and rescue operation for her near Joshua Tree National Park. The coroners office said it is awaiting toxicology results to determine the cause and manner of Chos death.

The 30-year-old Korean American from New Jersey, whom friends called El, had been missing since the afternoon of June 28, when she reportedly walked away from her friend Tao Ruspolis Airbnb property where she had become a private chef. Her friend and ex-boyfriend, Cody Orrell, was also staying on the property and was the last known person to have seen her.

Orrell reported Cho missing about three hours after she disappeared, telling authorities that they had had an argument when she left the Airbnb. Investigators said Orrell had indicated she was suffering from mental distress, according to CNN.

Chos friends said that she had left her personal belongings at the Airbnb on a day that would have been about 110 degrees.

Lauren Cho holds her parrotlet Porkchop, whom her friends said she didn't like to leave. Authorities identified the 30-year-old's remains in California's Yucca Valley after she went missing on June 28. (Photo:

LaurenCho.com)" data-caption="Lauren Cho holds her parrotlet Porkchop, whom her friends said she didn't like to leave. Authorities identified the 30-year-old's remains in California's Yucca Valley after she went missing on June 28. (Photo: LaurenCho.com)" data-rich-caption="Lauren Cho holds her parrotlet Porkchop, whom her friends said she didn't like to leave. Authorities identified the 30-year-old's remains in California's Yucca Valley after she went missing on June 28. (Photo: LaurenCho.com)" data-credit="LaurenCho.com" data-credit-link-back="https://www.laurencho.com/media" />

Some are quick to post on social media sites that Lauren was suicidal, Chos friends wrote in a statement on a website they set up for her. However, suicide by exposure is extremely uncommon due to the length of time it takes for one to succumb to the environment.

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According to her friends website, Cho decided to move from New Jersey to the West Coast earlier this year to leave her career as a music teacher and pursue her dream of becoming a chef and running a food truck.

Chos disappearance gained widespread attention after social media users began highlighting missing people of color in response to the wall-to-wall news coverage (including by HuffPost) of white YouTuber Gabby Petitos disappearance and death.

Chos disappearance was one of the many missing persons cases elevated in a discussion of missing white woman syndrome, which refers to the stark contrast in the medias coverage of white women versus people  and particularly, women  of color.

Lauren Cho went missing under similar-ish circumstances and no one has ever heard her name. im happy gabbys case is getting lots of attention, but so should laurens. https://t.co/ik7PhJgN3k  lynds (@lyndswilli) September 19, 2021

We would like to take a moment to acknowledge the messages and questions that have come our way this past week regarding the Gabby Petito case in comparison to what is happening with El, Chos family posted Sept. 18 to their Facebook page for Cho. We realize that on the surface, the public information for both cases share some similarities.

We understand the frustration many of you have expressed about how and why certain cases receive national coverage, the post continued. Ultimately, these two cases are NOT the same and the differences run deeper than what meets the public eye.

Asians and Asian Americans often face unequal news visibility, University of Utah communications professor Kent Ono told The Associated Press. The model minority myth that Asians are uniformly successful and therefore dont experience difficulties contributes to that problem.

That then makes it very hard for readers and viewers to imagine that Asian and Asian American people have any problems at all that they cant take care of by themselves, Ono said.

Chos family posted on Facebook a link to the coroners release identifying her but did not include a statement.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

Related...
When you buy shares in a company, it's worth keeping in mind the possibility that it could fail, and you could lose your money. But on a lighter note, a good company can see its share price rise well over 100%. Long term Restaurant Brands New Zealand Limited (NZSE:RBD) shareholders would be well aware of this, since the stock is up 197% in five years. The last week saw the share price soften some 2.3%.

Let's take a look at the underlying fundamentals over the longer term, and see if they've been consistent with shareholders returns.

Check out our latest analysis for Restaurant Brands New Zealand

There is no denying that markets are sometimes efficient, but prices do not always reflect underlying business performance. One flawed but reasonable way to assess how sentiment around a company has changed is to compare the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price.

Over half a decade, Restaurant Brands New Zealand managed to grow its earnings per share at 12% a year. This EPS growth is slower than the share price growth of 24% per year, over the same period. This suggests that market participants hold the company in higher regard, these days. That's not necessarily surprising considering the five-year track record of earnings growth.

You can see how EPS has changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values).

We like that insiders have been buying shares in the last twelve months. Having said that, most people consider earnings and revenue growth trends to be a more meaningful guide to the business. It might be well worthwhile taking a look at our free report on Restaurant Brands New Zealand's earnings, revenue and cash flow.

What about the Total Shareholder Return (TSR)?

We'd be remiss not to mention the difference between Restaurant Brands New Zealand's total shareholder return (TSR) and its share price return. Arguably the TSR is a more complete return calculation because it accounts for the value of dividends (as if they were reinvested), along with the hypothetical value of any discounted capital that have been offered to shareholders. Its history of dividend payouts mean that Restaurant Brands New Zealand's TSR of 220% over the last 5 years is better than the share price return.

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A Different Perspective

It's good to see that Restaurant Brands New Zealand has rewarded shareholders with a total shareholder return of 29% in the last twelve months. That gain is better than the annual TSR over five years, which is 26%. Therefore it seems like sentiment around the company has been positive lately. Someone with an optimistic perspective could view the recent improvement in TSR as indicating that the business itself is getting better with time. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. For instance, we've identified 1 warning sign for Restaurant Brands New Zealand that you should be aware of.

There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on NZ exchanges.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.



Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
Arturo Holmes/Getty

The head of a ritzy New England boarding school is taking a leave of absence, following backlash over a decision to block The New York Times writer Nikole Hannah-Jones from speaking on campus.

Hannah-Jones, founder of the Times 1619 Project, had been invited to speak to students during a planned diversity symposium next winter. But the head of school, David Beare, allegedly intervened, fearing her presence would create too much noise, according to the excerpt of an email Hannah-Jones posted to her Twitter account.

The decision sparked outcry from alumni, while current students staged a walkout. Close to 100 faculty members reportedly wrote a letter of protest as well.

In a note addressed to the Middlesex community on Thursday, which The Daily Beast obtained, Beare wrote that he believed a leave of absence serves the best interest of the students and the School. Thank you to everyone in the School community who has reached out to me and my family during this challenging time.

Alums Pissed After Ritzy Prep School Disinvites 1619 Writer

In a separate note sent late last week, and jointly signed by Beare and the president of the board of trustees, Stephen Lari, the pair apologized for what they called a profoundly wrong decision.

We deeply regret it and have had many gut-wrenching conversations within our community regarding the decision, how it was made, and the disrespect we showed Professor Hannah-Jones, they added.

The board of trustees stated that the entire group had not been consulted on the matter in advance.

In yet another letter sent on Thursday, the board announced that Middlesex assistant head of school, Karlyn McNall, would assume Beares role on an interim basis.

They also announced an independent review to determine the facts and draw the necessary lessons from last weeks debacle.

During the fallout, Middlesex had been criticized for its apparent hypocrisy. Less than two weeks ago, it had published an open letter espousing its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and citing the importance of the open exchange of viewpoints.

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The board sought to address that dissonance on Thursday, writing that this experience has only reinforced the need for thoughtful discussions With the help of students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents and the schools leadership, we can emerge from this moment as a stronger, more unified, and more thoughtful and sensitive community.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
By Joyce Lee and Heekyong Yang

SEOUL (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics Co Ltd said on Thursday it expects component shortages to affect chip demand from some customers in the final three months of the year, after reporting its highest quarterly profit in three years.

The warning comes as producers of goods from televisions to cars have faced a host of supply chain issues ranging from a shortage of logic chip parts, manpower shortages, logistics snarls, and delays at parts plants due to power cuts in China.

"A longer-than-expected component supply issue may need to be monitored" for potential impact on devices that use memory chips, Samsung said, although it added there was "strong fundamental demand" for server chips.

"There is much uncertainty due to various macro issues including the effect of 'back-to-normal', component supply and raw material price hikes," said Han Jin-man, executive vice president of memory business.

"But... component supply issues seem to stem more from mismatches in supply chain management rather than from an absolute lack of supply... So the situation may improve from the second half of next year."

Samsung said demand for server DRAM chips, which temporarily save data, and NAND flash chips that serve the data storage market, is expected to stay robust in the fourth quarter due to expansion of data centre investments, while personal computer manufacturing growth is expected to hold in line with the previous quarter.

Although supply chain issues could limit demand from some mobile chip customers in the fourth quarter, demand for server and personal computer chips is expected to be robust in 2022 despite uncertainties, it said.

Samsung said falling memory chip prices were not a huge cause of concern because the chips are now used in a wider variety of devices than just personal computers, making cyclical price fluctuations weaker and shorter than in the past. Chipmakers were also carrying lean inventory levels, leaving room for a build-up without being forced to sell at a low price.

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Falling memory prices have weighed on the company's shares as investors expect prices to have peaked in the third quarter before falling until mid-2022.

"There seems to be a clear gap in memory price outlook between chipmakers and the market. Companies are expressing a firm will to not sell chips at low prices," said Park Sung-soon, analyst at Cape Investment & Securities.

"However, even server chip demand is not guaranteed at this point as the component supply issues are also affecting them."

Analysts expect Samsung's fourth quarter earnings to be level or below its third quarter result, largely depending on memory chip prices.

Smaller rival SK Hynix on Tuesday struck a more bullish note than U.S. peers and forecast steady demand for memory chips. Earlier, chipmakers Intel and Micron had said shortages of some components were stopping their customers from shipping PCs.

THREE-YEAR HIGH

The world's top maker of memory chips and smartphones posted a 28% jump in operating profit in the July-September quarter to 15.8 trillion won ($13.48 billion) on the back of an 82% on-year profit surge in its chip business, where earnings rose to 10.1 trillion won.

Rising memory chip prices, plus a jump in profitability at Samsung's chip-contract manufacturing business boosted the chip business' operating profit.

Operating profit at Samsung's mobile division slid about 24% on-year to 3.36 trillion won on the third quarter, as sales of Samsung's new foldable smartphones were tempered by marketing costs.

Net profit rose 31% to 12.3 trillion won. Revenue rose 10% to a record 74 trillion won.

Samsung's shares rose 0.3% in afternoon trade on Thursday, compared with the wider market's 0.2% rise. It shares have fallen about 13% year-to-date.

($1 = 1,172.0500 won)

(Reporting by Joyce Lee and Heekyong Yang; Editing by Richard Pullin)
A man near the headquarters of Saudi Basic Industries Corp. in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 2013. Faisal Al Nasser/REUTERS

Saudi Arabia says 44 global companies are moving their regional head offices to its capital.

The kingdom told companies in February that it'd cut off business if they didn't make such a move.

Critics decried the move as "corporate bullying" earlier, but it seems to be working as intended.

In February, Saudi Arabia issued a daring ultimatum to multinational companies: Shift your regional head office to the country by 2024, or the government will stop doing business with you.

The announcement was part of a full-scale push by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to turn the Saudi capital, Riyadh, into a global center for finance, business, and logistics as the kingdom seeks to be less reliant on oil, which OPEC figures indicate make up 70% of its exports.

Investors and expats balked at the ultimatum at the time, with many saying it was a ploy to wrench business away from Dubai in the neighboring United Arab Emirates, where 90% of workers are foreigners. One veteran financier described it as "anti-competition" and "corporate bullying," per CNBC.

But the tactic seems to be working. Saudi Arabia announced on Wednesday that 44 international corporations, including PepsiCo, Siemens, and Unilever, were establishing their regional headquarters in Riyadh, local news reported.

Hosam Alqurashi, the director of the kingdom's Regional Headquarters Program, said at the announcement that its capital was "witnessing the greatest art movement since the Renaissance," per Arab News.

The new total is up from the initial 24 corporations that in January said they'd move their regional offices to Saudi Arabia from Dubai.

Back then, officials tried to entice businesses with a 50-year corporate tax holiday and waivers for employment quotas.

The February ultimatum took a different spin. "Everyone is freaking out. We are used to governments offering carrots, but this time a big stick has come out of the bag," a regional manager of a multinational company told the Financial Times then. "Frankly, it's offensive."

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Despite the backlash, Fahd al-Rasheed, the president of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, told Reuters the Saudis' goal wasn't to "dismantle" business in neighboring countries.

"We are simply saying - you need to have your regional headquarters here because this is not simply a contract economy that you come in and come out," he said Wednesday. "We want to see you with us for the long term."

Al-Rasheed added that Riyadh wanted to get 480 companies to establish regional headquarters there by 2030 - also the deadline the crown prince set to diversify Saudi Arabia's economy.

Still, the kingdom may have some difficulty replicating Dubai's success.

The 2018 assassination by Saudi agents of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who had been critical of the royal house, soured the global reputation of Crown Prince Mohammed and left the kingdom's sovereign wealth fund vulnerable, Joel Rubin, a former deputy assistant secretary of state, told CNBC earlier this year.

Saudi Arabia has in recent years tried to shed its hardline-conservative reputation with changes like letting women drive and opening cinemas for the first time in decades. But it's yet to offer a lifestyle on par with the liberties that foreigners in Dubai can enjoy, like the freedom to drink alcohol, expats told CNBC.

Read the original article on Insider
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP)  A group of Democratic lawmakers on Thursday urged the Biden administration to enact emergency protections for gray wolves in the U.S. West in response to Republican-backed state laws that make it easier to kill the predators.

Twenty-one U.S. senators led by New Jersey's Cory Booker and Michigan's Gary Peters asked Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to shield wolves from being killed for 240 days while permanent protections are considered.

With hunts in the region ongoing, a federal wildlife agency spokesperson told The Associated Press that emergency protection of wolves "remains on the table."

It's been legal to hunt and trap wolves in the U.S. Northern Rockies for more than a decade after they rebounded from widespread extermination and federal endangered species protections were lifted.

But Republican elected officials in Montana and Idaho are intent on culling more wolf packs. Wolves periodically attack livestock and also prey on elk and deer herds that many hunters prize.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last month launched a year-long review to determine if protections need to be restored. The move did nothing to protect wolves in the interim, and Yellowstone National Park administrators have since complained after three wolves from a pack popular with tourists were killed a fter roaming into Montana.

If continued unabated for this hunting season, these extreme wolf eradication policies will result in the deaths of hundreds of gray wolves, the Democratic lawmakers said in a letter to Haaland. The Department of Interior can prevent these senseless killings.

The letter was signed by senators including from California and Nevada in the West, but no Northern Rockies lawmakers.

Federal officials under former Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump defended the 2011 decision to take wolves off the endangered list, pointing to wolf populations that remained strong despite hunting. There are more than 3,000 wolves in the region, including an estimated 1,500 in Idaho and 1,200 in Montana.

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Montana Republican Sen. Steve Daines suggested the Democrats pressuring Haaland should study the data."

Then they might know the gray wolf is thriving under state-led management," Daines said. We should use our limited resources to protect species actually endangered.

Native American groups and environmentalists have also requested emergency listing of wolves as an endangered species.

Federal officials said in response that temporary protections can't be enacted through the legal petitions they received from the groups. However, the Endangered Species Act gives Haaland authority to do so if she determines there's a significant threat to a species.

"Emergency listing remains on the table, if the Service sees circumstances develop that would lead us to apply that authority," Fish and Wildlife Service public affairs chief Karen Armstrong said in an email.

Thirty-six wolves have been killed in Montana since the current hunting and trapping season opened last month, according to state harvest data. While it's still early in the season, that's not out of line with past years, said Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokesman Greg Lemon.

We've had years where we've been over that number at this point in the season, and years where we've been less than this, Lemon said.

Over 320 wolves were harvested during Montana's 2020 hunting season -- significantly more than the preceding eight-year average of 242 wolves per year, according to officials. That was before Gov. Greg Gianforte signed legislation that allowed wildlife commissioners to legalize wolf killing methods previously outlawed, including snaring, baiting and night hunting.

A new law in Idaho eased wolf hunting restrictions to allow using night-vision equipment with a permit, using bait and dogs, and allowing hunting from motor vehicles.

Hunters and trappers reported killing 89 wolves through Monday in Idaho. That's down from the same point last year but likely to rise because hunters and trappers have 10 days to report a wolf kill, said Idaho Fish and Game spokesperson Roger Phillips.

To protect wolves around Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, wildlife advocacy groups on Wednesday asked federal officials to impose a 5-mile (8-kilometer) buffer zone near park boundaries where wolves could not be hunted.

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Follow Matthew Brown on Twitter at @MatthewBrownAP
Sitting Bull famously led 1,500 Native American warriors at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876

A sample of hair belonging to the legendary 19th century Native American leader Sitting Bull has allowed scientists to confirm that a South Dakota man is his great-grandson.

Scientists took DNA from a tiny sample of Sitting Bull's hair that had been stored in Washington DC.

It showed that Ernie LaPointe, 73, is his great-grandson.

The new method allows analysis of family lineages with DNA fragments from long-dead people.

It opens the door to the prospect of matching other historic figures to their living descendants.

"I feel this DNA research is another way of identifying my lineal relationship to my great-grandfather," Mr LaPointe, who has three sisters, told the Reuters news agency.

"People have been questioning our relationship to our ancestor as long as I can remember. These people are just a pain in the place you sit - and will probably doubt these findings, also."

Ernie LaPointe, 73, has been confirmed as Sitting Bull's great-grandson

The new method was developed by scientists led by Eske Willerslev, director of the Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics Centre at the University of Cambridge.

The novel technique is based on what is known as autosomal DNA in the genetic fragments extracted from the hair. It took 14 years to perfect the method.

Mr Willerslev said he had been fascinated by Sitting Bull since he was a child and offered his services to Mr LaPointe around a decade ago. Sitting Bull's scalp lock was repatriated to Mr LaPointe by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC in 2007.

But before handing over the lock, Mr LaPointe asked Mr Willerslev to take part in a ceremony involving a medicine man, drummers and chanting, where Sitting Bull's spirit gave his blessing to the study, the scientist told the AFP news agency.

Mr LaPointe burned the majority of the lock - in line with the spirit's instructions - leaving the researchers with just 4cm, which Mr Willerslev believed was "disastrous" at the time.

However, this forced the team to develop their innovative new method, he said.

Sitting Bull, whose real name was Tatanka-Iyotaka, famously led 1,500 Native American warriors at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876, wiping out US General Custer and five companies of soldiers.

He was shot dead in 1890 by the "Indian Police" acting on behalf of the US government.
A boy receives a dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at the Clalit Healthcare Services in the Israeli city of Holon near Tel Aviv on June 21. Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images

On Tuesay, the CDC gave kids ages 5 to 11 the green light to get Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine.

Children will get 10-microgram shots - one-third of the dose given to adults and teens.

Here's what to know about the shot's efficacy, side effects, and more.

Five- to 11-year-olds are now eligible for Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, following a unanimous vote by a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory committee and a nod from CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky on Tuesday.

In clinical trials, the Pfizer vaccine was found to be 91% effective at reducing the risk of symptomatic illness in children in that age group.

There are key differences, though, between the vaccine 5- to 11-year-olds will receive and the Pfizer shots given to adults and teenagers. Here's what parents may want to know about the needles, doses, and side effects now that the shot is available.

Smaller needles, a lower dose, fewer side effects, same benefit

The vaccine rollout looks different for kids than it did for adults.

Instead of the mass vaccination sites adults flocked to, pediatricians will be heavily involved in administering vaccines to kids, according to the White House. Doctors and nurses will also use smaller needles on kids than on adults.

Additionally, although the kids' vaccine still involves two shots spaced three weeks apart, 5- to 11-year-olds will get smaller doses. Adults and teenagers got 30-microgram doses, whereas younger kids will receive just 10 micrograms.

That lower dose is just as effective for young children as a higher dose would be, according to Dr. Simon Li, a principal investigator helping run the vaccine study on kids in New Jersey alongside Pfizer.

"The dose decision-making was really smart," Li, who's also an associate professor of pediatrics at Rutgers, told Insider.

Pfizer tested the vaccine on kids at 30 micrograms and at 10 micrograms and found that the two versions produced a similar amount of antibodies in that age group. But kids experienced more side effects - such as pain, tenderness, redness, fever, chills, and fatigue - with the 30-microgram dose.

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Li said he hopes that hearing the vaccine was specifically designed to have fewer side effects for kids will alleviate parental stress. His own kids are 4, 8, and 10, and he's impatient to get them the shots.

"Once it's available, I would 100% get them vaccinated," Li said. "Hopefully they can be first in line."

Unlike COVID-19 vaccines for adults, many of which took place at mass vaccination sites and pharmacies, pediatricians will be heavily involved in administering vaccines to kids, according to the White House. Hero Images/Getty Images

Pfizer's clinical trial for 5- to 11-year-olds included 2,268 participants. Of that group, 19 kids tested positive for COVID-19, 16 of whom had received placebo shots and three of whom were in the vaccinated group. There were no severe COVID-19 cases or deaths in either cohort. The most common side effects from the shot were pain at the injection site, fatigue, and headache.

Pfizer reported five serious adverse events during the course of the trial, but none was linked to the vaccine. Rather, the five events serve as both a reminder of the detailed monitoring in clinical trials and also of how young the participants are. In addition to reporting bone fractures and an arthritic infection among the kids in its trial, Pfizer also noted that one child swallowed a penny.

Federal advisors question whether the shot is necessary for all kids

The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine will have special packaging for 5- to 11-year-old kids, using a lower-strength dose. Pfizer

Last week, the Food and Drug Administration's advisory panel voted 17-1 in favor of authorizing Pfizer's vaccine for kids (one member abstained) and the FDA subsequently authorized the shot for emergency use in children. Still, a few panel members expressed skepticism about the wide-reaching recommendation.

"I do believe children at high risk do need to be vaccinated," Dr. James Hildreth, a panelist and president of Meharry Medical College, said. "But vaccinating all of the children to achieve that does seem a bit much for me."

Another panelist, Dr. Eric Rubin, the editor-in-chief of The New England Journal of Medicine, weighed the risk of myocarditis, or heart inflammation, in his decision. But ultimately, he and other panelists agreed that the vaccine's benefits outweigh the risk of that and other potential rare side effects.

Dr. Andrew Pavia, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at the University of Utah who was not on the panel, sees it differently.

"Delta has made COVID a pediatric problem," Pavia told Insider in October. "They've often heard that because kids don't die at the rates that adults do, that it's not a big deal. And that was sort of true in 2020. With Delta, it's not true."

Andrew Dunn and Hilary Brueck contributed reporting.

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Sony's PlayStation 5 sales remain relatively steady and strong, despite widespread supply shortages, with 3.3 million units sold in fiscal Q2 compared to 2.2 million last quarter. That brought total sales up to 13.4 million units, Sony announced. Game sales were also up significantly at 76.4 million units compared to 63.6 million in the previous quarter, due in large part to third-party sales.

All told, this amounted to a healthy 27 percent boost in gaming revenue to 645.4 billion yen ($5.68 billion). However, operating income of 82.7 billion yen ($728 million) was down compared to last quarter by 3.4 billion yen ($29 million). Sony's fiscal year ends on March 31, 2022.

So how can profit be lower when sales and revenue are up? While Sony did sell more games last quarter, first-party titles dropped very significantly, from 10.5 million last quarter to 7.6 million in Q2. That was offset in numbers by third-party games, but those don't tend to be as profitable. Both Microsoft and Sony have acquired gaming studios to boost their Xbox/PS first-party titles, but Microsoft has been more prolific in that regard.

And while PS5 sales were up, PS4 units dropped considerably, down to just 200,000 from a half a million the quarter before. Other factors that Sony mentioned are a "loss resulting from strategic price points for PS5 hardware that were set lower than manufacturing costs." That means that Sony may have sold the PS5 with minimal or negative profits this quarter as it attempted to navigate around chip shortages. However, in August, the company said it was no longer selling the PS5 at a loss.

Despite the drop in quarterly income, Sony's gaming division appears to be on pretty solid footing. In its August earnings call, Sony CFO Hiroki Totoki told investors that its PS5 sales target is set higher than the 14.8 million unit sales achieved by the PlayStation 4 in its first year. Based on today's figures, PS5 sales are closely tracking that trajectory.

The company also said at the time that it had secured enough components for 22.6 million units sold by March 2022. That would be enough to meet its sales projections, but if sales really explode during the holidays, it may not have a lot of margin for error  meaning shortages could continue through next year.
Spain will ban ads aimed at kids for high-sugar foods and drinks like choclate bars and soda in a bid to slow a growing obesity epidemic, an official said Thursday.

The ban, which will come into effect in 2022, will target advertisements on television, radio, online outlets and mobile apps peddling content for under 16s, Consumer Affairs Minister Alberto Garzon told reporters.

"Minors are vulnerable consumers and it is our duty to protect them from advertising," he said.

The ban will apply to adverts for chocolate bars, pastries, ice cream, soft drinks and other sugary beverages -- products the World Health Organization has said are "harmful" for children.

The minister said Spain would follow in the footsteps of other European nations such as Britain, Norway and Portugal.

Around one in three children in Spain have excess of bodyweight, up from just three percent in 1984, according to Spanish government figures.

"Advertising is one of the causes of this figure", the consumer affairs ministry said in a tweet.

The prevalence of obesity or being overweight among children and adolescents aged five to 19 worldwide has risen dramatically from 4.0 percent in 1975 to just over 18 percent, according to the WHO.

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Watch Lets Go, South Florida: Arlene Borenstein takes a tour of Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires of Peru with Irv Lippman, executive director of the Boca Raton Museum of Art. The exhibit is a time capsule of the ancient Incan city. You can fly over Machu Picchu with virtual reality tour guide, Ai Apaec, a mythical Andean hero. Or you can revel at nearly 200 artifacts found in the royal tombs of Andean lords. Watch the video at SunSentinel.com/letsgo.

A massive treasure chest has been unlocked at the Boca Raton Museum of Art until March 6.

The exhibit called Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires of Peru holds the largest collection of gold created by Andean societies in Peru thousands of years ago.

Its the first time all 192 artifacts have traveled outside of Museo Larco in Lima, Peru, and Museo de Sitio Manuel Chavez Ballon in Aguas Calientes, Peru. Boca Raton is the first stop on a worldwide tour of the exhibit. You can get tickets by going to bocamuseum.org.

Gold is what we underscore in this gallery, said Irv Lippman, executive director of the Boca Raton Museum of Art. For the Andean peoples and for this Chimu culture that created these works, it also has a sacred value. These were buried and left in tombs which is why we have found them now and are in such remarkable condition.

The architectural significance of Machu Picchu is also a highlight of the exhibit, with a virtual reality attraction that resembles flying over the massive historical site above the Peruvian Andes. A mythical tour guide, Ai Apaec, flies next to you while talking about its history. And dont be startled by the VR motion chairs, they move and dispense different scents as you fly and land at different stops.

Machu Picchu is considered among the greatest artistic, architectural and land use achievements anywhere and the most significant tangible legacy of the Inca civilization, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural organization (UNESCO).

There is this wonderful depiction of Machu Picchu with the great care that the terraces were built. It was high up on this mountain top, it was a place for rulers, said Lippman. It was and is one of the most fascinating places to visit, he said.

The Boca Raton Museum of Art is at 501 Plaza Real at Mizner Park, in Boca Raton. Hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Get tickets bocamuseum.org. The virtual reality experience is $18 and the artifact exhibition is $29.95 for adults and $19.95 children 3 to 12.
LAKE CHARLES, La. (AP)  A tornado touched down in western Louisiana Wednesday, damaging more than a dozen homes in a part of the state still struggling to recover from repeated weather disasters, officials said.

The National Weather Service said in a preliminary report posted on Twitter that an EF-2 tornado caused significant structural damage to about a dozen homes when it touched down around midday. Several other homes also received minor damage. Two people were injured; one woman was hurt when a window was blown into her home and a man was cut on his leg by flying debris, the weather service said.

The tornado was part of a line of severe weather that moved from Texas across southern Louisiana and into Mississippi, bringing severe rain and lightening as it swept through the region.

A Lake Charles resident, April Pettefer, told The American-Press that she hid in the bathroom with her daughter, Abigail.

I heard wind and noise and something hitting the window and thought this sounds like it could be serious, she told the newspaper. We just kind of stood in the bathroom, and it really was fast. By the time we realized what was happening and got there, it was over.

A section of their home was split open and the windshields on their two cars parked outside were blown out. But no one, including the family's pets, were injured.

Wednesday's severe weather was the latest weather calamity to batter the Lake Charles region in a little over a year. Two hurricanes including the Category 4 Laura slammed the region in less than two months last fall. Then an ice storm froze pipes in February, and an intense rainstorm in May flooded houses and stranded residents.
GOP House candidate Anna Paulina Luna waves to the crowd before a campaign rally in Tampa on October 29, 2020. AP Photo/Chris O'Meara

Twitter refused to verify Anna Paulina Luna, a Florida GOP House candidate, due to her history of "abusive" posts.

Luna filed a complaint last year with the FEC accusing the platform of "anti-conservative discrimination."

But the FEC dismissed her complaint, saying Twitter can deny users verification to keep advertisers happy.

The Federal Election Commission has officially cleared Twitter of wrongdoing after the company refused to verify the account of a Republican congressional candidate with a history of controversial posts, according to documents made public this week.

The complaint was initially filed in October 2020 by a lawyer for Anna Paulina Luna, who unsuccessfully ran against Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist of Florida.

By verifying Crist but not her, Luna alleged, the platform was essentially making a prohibited corporate in-kind political contribution to her Democratic opponent and violating equal-access rules that typically apply to TV and radio broadcasters.

Verified Twitter users have a prominent check mark next to their name, which signals the authenticity of the account and often the prominence of the person using it. Barring violations of Twitter's terms of service, the platform verifies all major federal candidates and incumbents.

"Twitter's anti-conservative discrimination became illegal when Twitter deliberately refused to 'verify' Anna Paulina Luna," the complaint read. "In its attempt to minimize the views it does not like by suppressing APL's account, Twitter has run afoul of several FEC and FCC regulations." The complaint included pages of correspondence between her campaign and the social media giant where she repeatedly requested verification but didn't receive it.

In a response submitted to the FEC two months later, Twitter pointed out that Luna had violated their website's terms of service several times before becoming a congressional candidate, citing a litany of controversial comments including comparing Hillary Clinton to herpes during a Fox News interview, declaring that Kamala Harris believes that "child rape and the slavery of Hispanic women and children is a joke," and comparing Immigration and Customs Enforcement vehicles to ice cream trucks.

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Twitter also pointed to advertisers' concerns about extremist content as a justification for denying Luna her verification. They noted in particular that Procter and Gamble told Twitter and other companies that they "simply will not accept or take the chance that our ads are associated with violence, bigotry or hate."

The FEC was ultimately unanimous in finding that Twitter did not violate the law, given its commercial interest in suppressing hateful speech.

"Twitter credibly asserts that it determined, in its business judgment, that Luna's tweet and other activities violated its rules and that verification of her account and perceived endorsement thereof would have a detrimental effect on its brand and ability to maintain and attract advertisers," five of the six commissioners wrote in a statement of reasons.

The New York Times reported in September that social media companies have continued to successfully use arguments about "commercial interest" to defend their content moderation practices, even in the face of complaints about bias or discrimination from conservatives.

Interestingly, two of the commissioners argued in a separate document that being verified on Twitter shouldn't even be considered a thing of value in the first place because even though it "may confer a certain level of public relevance, cachet, and clout" it can't be bought and sold in a straightforward manner.

Luna has already announced a 2022 bid for the same seat, given that Crist is vacating it and running for governor instead. Her Twitter account remains apparently unverified, and her campaign did not respond to Insider's request for comment.

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By Chris Prentice

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday outlined policy changes aimed at rooting out repeated corporate misconduct and prioritizing prosecutions of individuals, signaling a shift to a tougher stance by the government toward white collar crime.

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said the department's top priority regarding corporate crime is to prosecute the people who commit and benefit from misconduct.

"Accountability starts with the individuals responsible for criminal conduct," Monaco, the Justice Department's No. 2 official, told an industry conference.

When assessing penalties and resolutions, Monaco said the department will take a broader view of a company's misconduct, be ready to install third-party monitors and have new demands for cooperation.

Her remarks signaled a shift in the department's approach toward white collar crime under Democratic President Joe Biden after Republican former President Donald Trump's administration took a much more business-friendly stance.

White collar prosecutions fell to an all-time low during Trump's administration, according to data compiled by Syracuse University. Even before then, the Justice Department was criticized for failing to hold Wall Street executives accountable for the 2007-2009 financial crisis.

The department will require companies to name all people involved in misconduct in order to receive credit for cooperation, as opposed to the previous policy under which companies provided names of people deemed to have been "substantially involved," Monaco said.

The department also will require prosecutors to consider a company's full criminal, civil and regulatory record when considering how to resolve an investigation into wrongdoing, Monaco said. Previously the department focused primarily on similar types of misconduct when weighing a settlement.

Monaco said the department is reviewing whether it is appropriate to enter into agreements with companies that defer or waive criminal prosecutions in exchange for fines and promises of better behavior when the business is a repeat offender.

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Between 10% and 20% of all significant corporate criminal resolutions involve repeat offenders, Monaco said.

The Justice Department recently notified https://www.reuters.com/technology/ericsson-says-us-doj-advises-it-breached-obligations-under-dpa-2021-10-21 two companies they are in breach of such agreements.

The department also will reverse its shift away from requiring corporate monitors, Monaco said. The use of these independent firms, which tend to be costly for companies, fell out of favor during the Trump administration.

It also will embed a new squad of FBI agents within the department's Criminal Fraud section, which is tasked with pursuing economic crimes, Monaco added.

The policy changes are "steps in the right direction," said Rick Claypool of the watchdog group Public Citizen. Claypool said the Justice Department "has quite a hill to climb" to get back to how it handled white-collar crime under Democratic former President Barack Obama, "let alone try to shift course to a prosecutorial scheme that companies actually fear."

(Reporting by Chris Prentice; Editing by Will Dunham)
Ugandan schools, closed since March last year owing to the pandemic, will reopen in January regardless of currently low vaccination uptake, the country's president said on Thursday.

Be informed that the schools will be opened in January and the rest of the economy will be opened in the same month," said Yoweri Museveni.

"Vaccination is key to the reopening of the economy," he said, even though fewer than three million jabs have been doled out for a population of roughly 45 million.

Ugandans have shown reticence to get jabbed so far despite Museveni stating that "right now 4.7 million vaccines" are available with a further 23 million doses expected by the end of the year.

"By the end of December 2021, 12 million people should have been vaccinated," forecast the head of state, including vulnerable people and health and education workers.

Museveni urged Ugandans to "walk to the health centres or be carried there... go by motorcycle taxi, go by bicycle or go by vehicle and be immunised".

"Even if you dont come out for vaccination, we will open the schools and the economy," he said.

"If anything goes wrong, the moral responsibility is yours."

Museveni last month lifted the bulk of Covid-related restrictions in the country, which has seen just over 3,000 deaths from the virus, but he left schools shuttered.

With their careers on hold, many teachers have switched to other jobs to help provide for their families.

Some have told AFP they do not intend to return to the classroom amid doubts they would be able to make a living with many schools heavily in debt. Several institutions have converted to hotels or restaurants.

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By Kylie MacLellan

LONDON (Reuters) - French threats to disrupt British trade and block its trawlers from accessing French ports are not compatible with international law and will be met with an "appropriate and calibrated" response if acted on, London said on Thursday.

France seized a British trawler fishing in its territorial waters without a licence on Thursday and issued a warning to a second vessel in a dispute over access to fishing grounds after Brexit.

Paris has also released a list of sanctions that could come into effect from Nov. 2 unless progress is made.

Britain's Environment minister George Eustice told parliament on Thursday it was very disappointing to see the threats.

"The measures being threatened did not appear to be compatible with the Trade and Cooperation Agreement or wider international law and if carried through, will be met with an appropriate and calibrated response," Eustice said, of the post-Brexit free trade deal between the UK and European Union.

Asked about the vessel, Eustice said it did have a licence.

"They were on the list that was provided by the MMO (Marine Management Organisation) initially to the European Union. The European Union therefore did grant a licence," he told parliament.

"We are seeing some reports that for some reason, they were subsequently withdrawn from the list. It is unclear why that might have been at the moment."

Furious that Britain has refused to grant its fishermen the full number of licences to operate inside British waters that France says is warranted, Paris announced retaliatory measures on Wednesday if there was no progress in talks.

The French government said it would from Nov. 2 impose extra customs checks on British goods entering France, raising the prospect of more economic pain before Christmas for Britain, which faces labour shortages and rising energy prices.

It is also reviewing a second round of sanctions and does not exclude a review of its exports of electricity to Britain, which left the European Union on Jan. 31, 2020.

Eustice said Britain had granted 1,673 licences to EU vessels to fish in its exclusive economic zone, of which 736 were French vessels and the door remained to considering new information on further licences.

(Reporting by Kylie MacLellan; Editing by Kate Holton)
KYIV (Reuters) -Residents of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv will have to present vaccine certificates to use restaurants, gyms and public transport from Monday, the city authorities announced on Thursday after the country reported new record high daily COVID-19 cases.

The health ministry said Ukraine registered a record 26,071 new coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours, exceeding the previous high of 23,785 on Oct. 22. The ministry's data also showed 576 new coronavirus-related deaths.

"Ukraine is at the highest levels for the entire pandemic for each of the indicators - the number of new daily cases, hospitalizations and deaths," Health Minister Viktor Lyashko told a televised briefing.

Ukraine's pandemic tally of infections stands at 2.85 million, with 66,204 deaths.

The Ukrainian capital will tighten restrictions due to a spike in coronavirus cases, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at a televised briefing.

"We are imposing these severe restrictions because there are no other options to save the health and life of people, to prevent the collapse of the medical system, which may not be able to withstand such an influx of patients," Klitschko said.

A government commission on Thursday declared Kyiv a 'red zone' area, a designation that carries the most severe restrictions. From Nov. 1, restaurants, gyms, shopping and entertainment facilities will only be allowed to operate if all staff are vaccinated.

These institutions are also prohibited from accepting visitors who do not have vaccination certificates or negative COVID-19 tests. A negative test or vaccine certificate will also be mandatory to use public transport.

The government has already made the vaccination compulsory for some state employees.

The new rules have prompted more people to get vaccinated but also provided more incentive for those who do not want vaccines to get fake ones.

(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk and Natalia Zinets; Editing by Sam Holmes, Steve Orlofsky and Mark Porter)
UNITED NATIONS (AP)  The U.N. Security Council called on Sudans military leaders Thursday to restore the civilian-led transitional government and immediately release all those detained after the military takeover.

The U.N.s most powerful body also expressed solidarity with the Sudanese people and affirmed its readiness "to support efforts to realize Sudans democratic transition and the peoples aspirations for an inclusive, peaceful, stable, democratic and prosperous future.

The press statement approved by all 15 council members went through several revisions, diplomats said, mainly to address objections from Russia, which did not want to condemn the military takeover as originally proposed in the British-drafted text.

The final version instead expresses the Security Councils serious concern about the militarys Oct. 25 takeover, the suspension of some transitional institutions, the declaration of a state of emergency, and the detention of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, as well as other civilian members of the transitional government. It noted Hamdoks reported return to his residence.

Protests denouncing Mondays takeover have continued in Sudans capital, Khartoum, and elsewhere, and many businesses shut in response to calls for strikes. The coup led by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan threatens to halt Sudans transition to democracy, which began after the ouster of long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir in a popular uprising.

Council members underscored that any attempt to undermine the democratic transition process in Sudan puts at risk Sudans security, stability and development.

They called on all parties to exercise the utmost restraint, refrain from the use of violence, and emphasized the importance of full respect for human rights, including the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.

The Security Council urged all parties to engage in dialogue without preconditions, in order to enable the full implementation of the Constitutional Document and the Juba Peace Agreement, which underpin Sudans democratic transition, and it expressed strong support for regional efforts to end the crisis.
The civil trial over the deadly 2017 Unite the Right rally got underway in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Thursday as lawyers for community members argued that white nationalist organizers of the event planned for and encouraged violence.

This is a case about violence and intimidation for these plaintiffs, attorney Karen Dunn said in her opening statement in federal court. They will tell you this is also a case about justice and accountability: accountability for those defendants who planned and perpetrated this violence thinking that they would get away with it.

Dunn is representing nine Charlottesville community members who are suing organizers of the rally for what they argue was a conspiracy to commit acts of racial violence. The night of Aug. 11, 2017, dozens of neo-Nazis and white supremacists marched with tiki torches through the University of Virginias campus, at one point chanting Jews will not replace us. The following day, the extremists clashed with anti-racist counterprotesters before 20-year-old James Alex Fields Jr. intentionally drove his car into a crowd of counterprotesters, injuring dozens and killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer. Fields is now serving a life sentence for the attack.

In this Aug. 12, 2017, file photo, a vehicle drives into a group of protesters demonstrating against a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo: via Associated Press)

Several of the plaintiffs were badly injured in the attack, including Marcus Martin, who pushed his fiancee out of the path of the oncoming vehicle and suffered a shattered leg and ankle when he was hit by Fields. Another plaintiff, Natalie Romero, had her skull fractured when she was struck by the vehicle. All nine plaintiffs say they have also suffered emotional damages from the days events. The nonprofit group Integrity First for America is funding the lawsuit.

The defendants in the case are 14 individuals including white supremacist leaders Richard Spencer, Jason Kessler and crying Nazi Christopher Cantwell, who all helped organize the rally, as well as Fields. The suit also names 10 neo-Nazi and white supremacist organizations. Spencer, who told a judge earlier this year that the lawsuit has been financially crippling, is representing himself.

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Lawyers for the plaintiffs will need to show that organizers of the rally conspired to commit acts of violence  even if they did not know each other beforehand  and that the violence was racially motivated. As part of their evidence, lawyers for the plaintiffs say they will show jurors leaked private conversations among the extremists that reveal a lust for violence.

Evidence is going to show you that many of the defendants were key players in the white nationalist movement, Dunn said in her opening remarks. Evidence will show that many of the defendants wanted to build a white ethnostate, a country only for white people, and that it could only occur after a violent race war. The evidence is going to show they wanted to build an army of white nationalists for what they themselves named the battle of Charlottesville.

One leaked text between Kessler and Spencer two months before the rally highlights their plans for violence.

Were raising an army my liege, Kessler texted Spencer. For free speech, but the cracking of skulls if it comes to it.

The majority of the planning was done through the chat service Discord, Dunn said. Hundreds of thousands of chats among neo-Nazis and white supremacists were also leaked by the independent media organization Unicorn Riot. Lawyers for the plaintiffs say they have sifted through 5.3 terabytes of online data related to the case.

The defendants never expected their communications to see the light of day, much less be in a courtroom, Dunn said.

Attorney James Kolenich, who is representing defendants Kessler and Nathan Damigo, argued that his clients arent responsible for the conduct of other Unite the Right participants, and shifted the blame to anti-fascists.

[My clients] were planning for the possibility that antifa would attack them, as had happened before, Kolenich said in his opening statement. The anti-fascists go wherever the alt-right goes, and they do what they can to physically stop them from expressing their reprehensible ideas, and they are not afraid to use violence to do that.

In his own opening statement, Spencer tried to distance himself from other white supremacists including Cantwell and Kessler, saying it was Kessler who was the primary organizer, and that he had little interaction with other organizers.

Christopher Cantwell is also an acquaintance, not a friend, Spencer told the court. We ate lunch one time.

But for all his attempts to distance himself from the days violence, slur-filled audio leaked in 2019 and played for the jury on Thursday revealed Spencers commitment to racial violence.

We are coming back here like a hundred fucking times, Spencer yelled in the leaked audio taken a day after the deadly rally. I am so mad. I am so fucking mad at these people. They dont do this to fucking me. We are going to fucking ritualistically humiliate them. I am coming back here every fucking weekend if I have to. Like this is never over. I win, they fucking lose! Thats how the world fucking works.

Spencer continued: Little fucking kikes. They get ruled by people like me. My ancestors fucking enslaved those little pieces of fucking shit. I rule the fucking world. Those pieces of fucking shit get ruled by people like me. They look up and see a face like mine looking down at them. Thats how the fucking world works. We are going to destroy this fucking town.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

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More than 150 years ago, Serranus Hastings, founder of the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, masterminded the massacre of Native Americans in Round Valley, Calif. (Alexandra Hootnick/The New York Times)

ROUND VALLEY RESERVATION, Calif.  They said they were chasing down horse and cattle thieves, an armed pursuit through fertile valleys and evergreen forests north of San Francisco. But under questioning in 1860, a cattle rancher let slip a more gruesome picture, one of indiscriminate killings of Yuki Indians.

A 10-year-old girl killed for stubbornness.

Infants put out of their misery.

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Documented in letters and depositions held in Californias state archives, the Gold Rush-era massacres are today at the heart of a dispute at one of the countrys most prominent law schools whose graduates include generations of California politicians and lawyers like Vice President Kamala Harris.

For the past four years, the University of California, Hastings College of the Law has been investigating the role of its founder, Serranus Hastings, in one of the darkest, yet least discussed, chapters of the states history. Hastings, one of the wealthiest men in California in that era and the states first chief justice, masterminded one set of massacres.

For those involved, including a descendant of Hastings who sits on the schools board, the journey into the past has revealed a very different version of the early years of the state than the one taught in classrooms and etched into the popular imagination of intrepid pioneers trekking into the hills to strike it rich.

Across Northern California  north of Napas vineyards, along the banks of the Russian River and in numerous other places from deserts to redwood groves  as many as 5,617 Native people, and perhaps more whose deaths were not recorded, were massacred by officially sanctioned militias and U.S. troops from the 1840s to the 1870s, campaigns often initiated by white settlers like Hastings who wanted to use the land for their own purposes.

Thousands more Indians were killed by vigilantes during the same period. But what sets apart the organized campaigns is that the killers travel and ammunition expenses were reimbursed by the state of California and the federal government.

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Its not an exaggeration to say that California state legislators established a state-sponsored killing machine, said Benjamin Madley, a history professor at UCLA.

By Madleys calculation, expeditions carried out at Hastings behest killed at least 283 men, women and children, the most deadly of 24 known California state militia campaigns.

In 1878, Hastings donated $100,000 in gold coins to found the school that carries his name, Californias first law school. It was to be forever known and designated as Hastings College of the Law, according to the schools enactment.

Now both the law school and its critics agree that Hastings bears significant responsibility for the massacres, in the words of the Hastings inquiry, but they disagree on what to do about it, including the question of whether the school should retain its name.

At a time when institutions across the country are reexamining their history, Native leaders in California say a broad reckoning over the treatment of American Indians is overdue. The long-standing notion that they died as an accidental consequence of Western settlement, of disease and displacement, they argue, needs to be revised with acknowledgment of the purposeful killing campaigns.

The debate over what to do at Hastings comes during renewed attention on the period of Spanish missions  when tens of thousands of Indians were forced to give up local customs and died of disease  and the legacy of Native enslavement; historians estimate that 20,000 Native Americans were enslaved in the first decades after California became a state in 1850, even though it officially barred slavery.

Two years ago Gov. Gavin Newsom described the states treatment of Native populations as genocide, issued an official apology and created a Truth and Healing Council tasked with producing a report on relations between the state and Native American groups by 2024.

We have to speak truth, said Abby Abinanti, chief judge of the Yurok Tribal Court and, in 1974, the first Native woman admitted to the California Bar. We have not figured out as a country at this point, how do we reconcile our behavior? How do we make this right?

The investigation into the Hastings massacres began in 2017 after a Bay Area lawyer, John Briscoe, published an opinion essay in The San Francisco Chronicle under the headline, The Moral Case for Renaming Hastings College of the Law.

Last year the law school announced a number of measures that it described as restorative justice: It agreed to allocate space for a memorial in the main lobby of its administrative building in San Francisco; provide members of all tribes in Round Valley pro bono legal help; maintain a program focused on Indigenous law; and assist in the establishment of a charitable foundation, an initiative currently on hold because of disagreement among tribal members on how to carry it out.

But David Faigman, chancellor and dean of Hastings Law, has led a campaign to keep the schools name.

What would removing the Hastings name accomplish? Faigman wrote when the results of the schools investigation into the Hastings legacy were made public in September 2020.

A committee formed to investigate the massacres said changing the colleges name might lead to a decline in applications and perhaps a loss of philanthropic and alumni support.

A number of prominent Hastings alumni, including senior retired judges, disagree and have called for a renaming. They say that like the fortune of the Sackler family, derived from the opioids that ultimately killed multitudes of Americans, the gold Hastings donated to found the school is tainted.

Ultimately, Faigman said in an interview, the question of whether Hastings keeps its name rests with the Legislature and the governor. His critics say Hastings should proactively demand the change. A spokesperson for Newsom, Erin Mellon, said the governor hoped Californians would think critically about the harmful legacies of our forebears. The governor will review any legislative proposals that land on his desk, Mellon said.

The site of the massacres, Round Valley, is a four-hour drive from Silicon Valley. But the halo of wealth of the Bay Area has never reached the tumbledown homes, trailer park and ranches of Round Valley. The main sustaining business in Covelo, the valleys unincorporated town, is backyard marijuana plots.

James Russ, president of the Round Valley Indian Tribal Council, which governs the Round Valley Reservation, emphasizes that the leadership is happy to accept the colleges offer of legal assistance for the tribes activities.

We have a window of opportunity, and we dont want to screw it up, Russ said.

The controversy over the name is further complicated by the question of which tribal members should receive reparations.

The Yuki people were decimated and, after decades of intermarriage among members and white settlers, were subsumed into the Round Valley Indian Tribes, which was created after a coerced 19th-century relocation by the U.S. government of seven distinct tribes.

Mona Oandasan, one of the leaders of a group of Yuki tribespeople in Round Valley, said the law school was negotiating with the wrong people. The Yuki were the ones targeted in the Hastings massacres, not the other tribes on the reservation, she said.

We are the direct descendants, and they should be talking to us, Oandasan said.

Native leaders say they hope the Hastings controversy could be a possible catalyst to bring awareness to a terrible legacy that few Californians know about. Greg Sarris, chair of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, a Northern California confederation of tribes, is donating proceeds from his tribes casino to fund efforts at the Smithsonian to produce curricula about Native history, including an Indian perspective on the Gold Rush era.

That period was a particularly treacherous and murderous time in California  a catalog of slit throats, gunshot wounds and crushed skulls, wrote Kevin Starr, a California historian.

But even back then, the massacres of Indians carried out by Hastings militias shocked contemporaries and prompted an investigation in the Legislature.

Brendan Lindsay, author of the 2012 book Murder State: Californias Native American Genocide, 1846-1873, said ranchers hunted Indians in the way they might track down a fox that ventured into a henhouse.

According to the chronology by Lindsay, one set of killings was carried out by H.L. Hall, who was hired to look after Hastings cattle and horse ranches in 1858. When four or six  accounts differ  of the nearly 400 horses on the ranch were killed, Hall and three other men raided a Yuki village and killed nine or 11 tribespeople. During subsequent massacres, he rode into Yuki villages and killed women and children, including the girl he said he killed for stubbornness.

A second killing spree was led by a group that called themselves the Eel River Rangers.

Hastings, who died in 1893, is buried in a cemetery in Napa Valley, where he had extensive landholdings. His grave is marked not so much by a headstone as a small monument, a granite obelisk that stands out amid the evergreens of the St. Helena Public Cemetery.

Not taught in California schools, the history of the Round Valley massacres came as a surprise to many of those at the law school. Faigman, the dean and a history major, said he had never heard of Hastings role before Briscoes article was published. Col. Claes Lewenhaupt, the great-great-grandson of Hastings who sits on the law schools board of directors, a seat that has been held by descendants since the schools founding, said he first learned about Hastings role a decade ago when he read some of the scholarship that emerged.

Its awful, said Lewenhaupt, a lawyer who grew up in the Bay Area and spent a career prosecuting and defending U.S. Army soldiers. But he said he agreed with Faigman that the Hastings name should be maintained. I do not think the renaming will benefit the institution, he said.

In Round Valley, Deb Hutt, a Yuki tribeswoman and the sister of Oandasan, said she wonders why descendants of the Hastings family have never apologized. While sitting at a picnic table across from a tribal gas station, Hutt said she sometimes tried to imagine what Round Valley would be like had Hastings and other white settlers not taken over the valley.

Buffered by mountains, the Yuki were relatively undisturbed by Spanish or Mexican conquerors. It took the huge and sudden migration of the Gold Rush for the tribe to be confronted by unmerciful invaders.

We were their hunt, Hutt said of the men who led the Hastings massacres. And what we lost was more than lives.

 2021 The New York Times Company
WASHINGTON  Two key senators are urging President Joe Biden to waive sanctions against India for its purchase of a Russian S-400 air defense system, saying such a move would throw cold water on the important relationship.

India signed a $5.4 billion deal with Russia in 2018 to buy the S-400 Triumf surface-to-air missile system amid tensions with Pakistan over the divided Himalayan region of Kashmir. India has since made a down payment and plans to complete the purchase by 2025.

But the lawmakers worry the move makes India eligible for sanctions under the Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, which Congress passed in 2017 to punish Russia for meddling in U.S. elections.

On Tuesday, Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Mark Warner, D-Va., wrote to Biden to call for a waiver on national security grounds and to preserve the relationship. Biden has revitalized the Indo-Pacific alliance known as the Quad, with India, Australia and Japan, to counter a rising China.

In the midst of this strengthening bilateral relationship, we are concerned that possible upcoming sanctions against India could reverse or slow this progress, they wrote.

Its not the first call for a waiver for India. Under the Trump administration, then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson argued for it.

India watching US for sanctions on Turkey

Cornyn and Warner, co-chairs of the India Caucus, said they generally favor sanctions law, but not in this case.

We believe that the application of CAATSA sanctions could have a deleterious effect on a strategic partnership with India, while at the same time, not achieve the intended purpose of deterring Russian arms sales, they wrote.

From 2016 to 2020, India cut arms imports from Russia by 53 percent compared to the preceding five-year period, they said. It also agreed in 2020 to purchase $3.4 billion worth of U.S. military equipment.

They recommended Biden act to further these trends.

We also propose that your administration establish a bilateral working group to identify ways to promote the security of U.S. technology, and to chart a path forward to develop strategies to enhance U.S.-India military interoperability, the senators wrote.
By Alexandra Ulmer and Luc Cohen

(Reuters) -Alex Saab, a Colombian businessman who became a special envoy for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, will plead not guilty to money laundering charges when arraigned on Monday, his lawyer Henry Bell told Reuters.

In a case that pits the United States against Maduro's socialist administration, Saab was arrested last year in Cape Verde during a refueling stop en route to Iran and extradited to the United States earlier this month.

He and an ally have been charged with siphoning around $350 million out of Venezuela via the United States as part of a bribery scheme linked to Venezuela's state-controlled exchange rate.

"Of course our client will be pleading not guilty when arraigned," Bell told Reuters.

When sanctioning him in 2019, Washington described Saab as an orchestrator of a "vast corruption network" that enriched Maduro and his allies through a complex web of shell companies, business associates and relatives.

Lawyers for Saab, 49, have called the U.S. charges "politically motivated" and his family says Saab has been "kidnapped" by the United States.

Washington labels Maduro an illegitimate dictator and has sanctioned the OPEC nation's state oil company in a bid to pressure him to step down, while several top Venezuelan officials - including Maduro himself - face U.S. drug trafficking charges.

Venezuela's opposition is hoping Saab cooperates with investigators and sheds light on what they say has been widespread graft in the oil-rich nation.

To be sure, an initial not guilty plea does not preclude negotiations over a possible plea deal, and defendants in U.S. criminal cases may change their pleas before a case goes to trial.

"It is routine for defendants to enter a plea of not guilty at their arraignment," said Stef Cassella, a former federal prosecutor. "That does not foreclose the possibility that the defendant will later change his plea to guilty as part of a cooperation agreement with the government."

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FROM CONSTRUCTION TO DIPLOMACY

The United States says Saab repeatedly bribed Venezuelan officials, as well as Maduro's three stepsons, in exchange for access to lucrative contracts. Saab, who worked in Venezuela for more than a decade, has reportedly had business dealings in an array of industries including oil, food, currency, medicine imports and construction.

The Treasury Department says Saab bribed Maduro's relatives to win no-bid, overvalued contracts to import food for a government-run handout program as hunger surged in Venezuela amid an economic crisis.

They also say an early government construction contract paid Saab and a business partner three to four times the actual cost of building the homes.

Court records show that Venezuela's foreign ministry named Saab a special envoy in April 2018, and tasked him with a mission to seek aid from Iran in 2020.

"When things got tough, Mr. Alex Saab was one of the few who said he was willing," Socialist Party Vice President Diosdado Cabello said earlier this month. "He was one of the people assigned to mock imperialism's persecution of our nation. He was able to get even gas, medicine and food into Venezuela. Of course he was paid!"

(Writing by Alexandra Ulmer; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
Donald Trump. Alex Wong/Getty Images

The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday published a letter to the editor from former President Donald Trump containing a multitude of falsehoods that have been fact-checked by the newspaper and other publications.

Trump's letter was in response to a Monday editorial about Pennsylvania's state Supreme Court. The editorial stated, factually, that President Biden won Pennsylvania in 2020 by 80,555 ballots, which set Trump off. "Well, actually, the election was rigged, which you, unfortunately, still haven't figured out," Trump wrote.

He went on to make several false claims about the vote in Pennsylvania, including that "120,000 excess voters are not yet accounted for by the Pennsylvania Department of State  far more votes than voters!" This was debunked by The Philadelphia Inquirer's Jonathan Lai in January, who wrote that state GOP lawmakers came up with this number after looking at incomplete data, calculating that nearly 7 million votes were cast but not quite 6.8 million voters participated in the election. Philadelphia, Allegheny, Butler, and Cambria counties had not uploaded all their voter history data, the Pennsylvania Department of State said in a statement, adding, "We are unclear as to exactly what data and what the legislators actually did to offer this so-called 'analysis.'"

There was swift pushback against Trump's letter and the Journal's decision to publish it, with Jonathan Tamari, the Inquirer's national political writer, tweeting, "This is full of absolute lies  from the first bullet point down." The Washington Post's Glenn Kessler asked, "Why would they publish, without analysis, a bunch of stuff that['s] already been fact-checked as false?"

Amanda Carpenter, director of Republicans for Voting Rights and a columnist at The Bulwark, called Trump's missive "garbage." By allowing Trump to spew "election lies" as a letter to the editor, the Journal was able to "avoid taking responsibility," Carpenter said, adding, "Trump couldn't post this to Facebook but the editors at the WSJ collectively decided to put it on their platform. Think about that."

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WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden delivered his latest offer to Congress on his plan to expand safety-net and climate change programs Thursday, the result of months of talks with lawmakers to pare down his original proposal.

The plan would provide free preschool for more than 6 million children, expand Medicare coverage to cover hearing and raise Pell grants to help offset college tuition.

But it does not include several key programs Biden and congressional progressives have been pushing for such as free community college, paid family leave, and a mechanism that would have punished utilities for not converting to clean energy sources fast enough.

In this Oct. 25, 2021, photo, President Joe Biden speaks at NJ Transit Meadowlands Maintenance Complex to promote his economic agenda in Kearny, N.J.

The framework also would impose a minimum 15% tax on corporations and new levies on high-earning Americans. It carries a $1.85 trillion price tag over 10 years  about half the $3.5 trillion expansion he first pitched.

Still, the president touted his "framework" as an important step that will help all corners of the economy while also confronting the looming threat of a warming planet.

"The Build Back Better Act will create millions of good-paying jobs, enable more Americans to join and remain in the labor force, spur long-term growth, reduce price pressures and set the United States on course to meet its clean energy ambitions," he said.

More: Biden meets with Dems on Capitol Hill to unveil new framework on spending proposal

Here's a look at what's in Biden's latest proposal  and what got left out:

Health care

Medicare would cover hearing benefits and the government would help millions of lower- and middle-income people pay for private insurance, under the presidents framework. That was an idea pushed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who had also called for expanded dental and vision benefits. Those are not included.

The deal would also extend through 2025 the enhanced premium subsidies made available in the March coronavirus relief package for people who buy insurance on their own instead of getting it through an employer or the government. Subsidies became more generous for those who already qualified for assistance, lowering both premiums and deductibles. They were made newly available to people earning more than four times the federal poverty rate  about $51,000 for a single person.

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More: Biden urges Congress to pass reforms to lower prescription drug costs, change Medicare rule

Private plans would become available without premiums to people living below the poverty line in the 12 states that have not expanded Medicaid through the 2010 Affordable Care Act. Those states are: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Manchin: Why one key Democrat doesn't want the federal government picking up the tab for Medicaid expansion

Calling it the biggest expansion of affordable health care coverage since the ACA, the White House said millions more people will gain health insurance under those private insurance provisions. But they last only through 2025 to keep down the overall cost of the package.

The framework does not include provisions to lower the cost of prescription drugs which has been fiercely fought by the pharmaceutical industry and was a top priority of progressives.

Climate

The proposal includes $320 billion to expand tax credits over the next decade for utility and residential clean energy, clean passenger and commercial vehicles, and clean energy manufacturing.

Embedded in the proposal is Biden's call for a massive expansion of electric vehicle charging stations and other infrastructure that would help de-carbonize the single largest sector of the economy contributing to global warming.

It also includes $105 billion in "resilience" programs to ward off and prepare for extreme weather events such as wildfires and hurricanes made worse by climate change. And it creates a Civilian Climate Corps designed to deploy a force of young workers to help communities address the threat of climate change.

More: Biden's electric vehicle plan includes expanding charging stations. Is it enough?

More: 'These issues are hard': Coal country's centrist senator may hold up Biden's climate change agenda

Also not included: A $150 billion program central to climate change efforts that would have required electricity suppliers that do not transition fast enough to clean energy (4% increase per year) to pay a penalty. Hailing from coal country, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., opposed the creation of the Clean Electricity Performance Program.

Immigration

The framework proposal includes $100 billion for immigration reform and enhancements to the asylum process such as expanding legal representation for individuals and addressing processing backlogs.

However, details on a provision that would offer protection for undocumented immigrants have yet to be released. Senate Democrats are planning to present a plan to the Senate parliamentarian, a government official who determines whether policies qualify under reconciliation, a process Democrats are employing to pass the bill without Republican support.

Immigration activists rally near the White House on Oct. 7 to urge President Biden to authorize a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., said in an interview with Axios last week that a Plan C would likely be a parole option for about 8 million undocumented immigrants. Menendez said that it will allow those that meet certain requirements to work lawfully in the United States and protect them from deportation. The parole, which would last for five years and be able to be renewed for another five years, would also allow undocumented people to travel domestically and internationally, Menendez said.

Democrats have previously presented two other immigration proposals to the parliamentarian, who rejected both.

Education

Bidens framework includes provisions for both the youngest students and those seeking post-secondary education.

Under Biden's plan, free universal preschool would be extended to all 3- and 4-year-olds, an expansion the Biden Administration says will include more than 6 million children. That program would be funded for six years under a $400 billion line item that also includes money for expanded child care benefits.

The new framework does not include free community college, a 2020 Biden campaign promise that was part of earlier versions of the plan. Biden acknowledged last week during a televised town hall that free community college would not make the final cut as he and other Democrats negotiated over the final framework.

The proposal expands the maximum Pell grant for low-income students by $550. For the 2021-22 academic year, Pell grants ranged from $650 to $6,495, according to the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.

The Biden administration said it also will invest more in historically Black colleges and universities, tribal colleges and universities and minority-serving institutions and set up community colleges to train workers and invest in registered apprenticeships. The framework bumps the Labor Departments spending on workforce development by 50% for five years.

Family Leave

The White House summary of Bidens proposed framework for a package of social programs doesn't include his proposal to provide 12 weeks of paid family leave, which disappointed some House Democrats.

Bidens initial proposal called for $225 billion for a national program to provide paid family and medical leave for workers for three months after having a child, rehabilitating from an illness, caring for a disabled relative or dealing with a partners military deployment.

More: Biden drops paid family leave from proposed budget bill framework

That proposal called for up to $4,000 per month in paid leave for individuals who participate, with a minimum of two-thirds of average weekly wages and increasing to 80% for the lowest wage workers.

The head of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., said members of Congress get paid time off when they are sick, but that many Americans do not.

Isn't it unfortunate that will not be the case for the American people? DeLauro asked.

Taxes

Biden had called for increasing the top corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%. The rate had been slashed from 35% under the Trump tax bill Congress passed in 2017. This proposal abandons that plan and instead calls for a 15% minimum tax on "large corporations" that's expected to raise about $325 billion. Also included is a 1% surcharge on corporate stock buybacks.

More: 'Billionaires income tax': What we know about Sen. Ron Wyden's plan

The framework also calls for higher taxes on U.S. companies that ship jobs overseas and on higher earning American households (those earning above $400,00 per year). It includes a new surtax on multimillionaires and billionaires though the specifics of that charge are not spelled out.

Under the current proposal, the top tax rate for corporations would jump from 21% to 26.5% on incomes beyond $5 million. Biden had originally suggested raising the corporate tax rate to 28%, but Democrats and some corporations objected.

Missing, however, is a Biden proposal to raise the top tax rate for capital gains  money earned from the sale of stocks or property  which the president had initially proposed lifting to 25% from the current 20%.

Affordable housing

Bidens framework proposes $150 billion for affordable housing. That includes funding for the construction and rehabilitation of more than 1 million new affordably priced rental and single-family homes; down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers; new rental assistance; and capital needs improvements for public housing. The plan also includes financial incentives to encourage states and cities to adopt local zoning changes that support new affordable housing.

The White House called the package the single largest and most comprehensive investment in affordable housing in history.

More: Where are COVID-19 rescue funds going? The place with pervasive, 'urgent' need: Housing

But it is still less than half the $327 billion that Biden proposed for affordable housing in his original $3.5 trillion plan.

Among the most significant housing trims: Biden has cut the expansion of rental assistance from $90 billion, as originally proposed, to $25 billion; scaled back public housing improvements from $80 billion to $65 billion; and reduced funds proposed for the national Housing Trust Fund from $37 billion to $15 billion. The latter means the Housing Trust Fund would build and preserve a projected 150,000 new affordable homes as opposed to an original target of 330,000.

Home caregiving

Bidens framework includes $150 billion to expand home caregiving services for low-income seniors and disabled Americans through an existing Medicare program.

The plan is twofold: reduce the backlog of 800,000 eligible seniors and Americans with disabilities unable to get in-home care services and boost the pay and improve conditions for home care workers.

The White House hailed Bidens plan as the most transformative investment in access to home care in 40 years. Yet Biden has scaled back plans significantly from the $400 billion proposed for home caregiving in his initial $3.5 trillion framework.

More: Roads, bridges ... and caregivers? Why Biden is pushing a 'radical shift' to redefine infrastructure

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden budget proposal omits paid leave, includes climate programs
On Aug. 25 the Biden administration announced that COVID-19 vaccinations would be required for all nursing home workers, or facilities would risk losing federal funds.

It was a welcome announcement to the families with loved ones in nursing facilities. Unfortunately, this requirement is slow in coming.

The promise of protection is no comfort to William Hughes of Pinehurst whose wife, Anne Hughes, succumbed to COVID while a resident of a N.C. nursing home. Anne was vaccinated, but not all of her nursing facility caregivers were. Her husbands question for all of us is: What will it take to convince healthcare workers to be vaccinated  and facility owners to require it?

North Carolina residents and their families are living in fear. Even though they may be fully vaccinated and take every possible precaution, they are likely surrounded by unvaccinated caregivers. New data show that 18 months into the pandemic vaccination rates for nursing home staff in North Carolina lag, contributing to continued outbreaks among residents.

Our nations first nursing outbreak occurred in Kirkland, Wash. in February 2020. In all, 37 people died. The outbreak was fueled by staff members.

The virus found the perfect host environment  a congregate setting filled with vulnerable residents, people with impaired immune functions and serious underlying medical conditions. This virus can be lethal, and particularly so for long-term care residents.

While most residents of nursing facilities are now vaccinated, many of the staff still arent  and staff vaccination rates can vary widely by facility. For example, in Mecklenburg County one facility has a staff vaccination rate of more than 93% while the rate at another across town is less than 20%.

Some providers instituted their own mandatory policy and have achieved virtually complete coverage, while others are still trying to increase vaccination rates. According to AARP, the percentage of nursing homes meeting an industry target of at least three-fourths of staff fully vaccinated was 35% in mid-September.

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Its difficult to explain the wide variability in vaccination rates, but this is, for the most part, a for-profit industry, and we have always had owners with a corporate culture of doing nothing beyond minimum requirements as they pertain to their bottom line.

We know that vaccination in facilities saves lives. A recent N.C. Department of Health and Human Services report indicates that a decrease in cases and severe illness in facilities can be directly attributed to vaccinations for residents and staff. We also know the industry supports requiring staff vaccination.

Adam Sholar, CEO of the North Carolina Health Care Facilities Association said, We need to go further and faster with increasing our vaccination rates. He issued a letter in support of facility vaccination requirements. And, the federal government is on the cusp of issuing a mandatory national policy related to nursing homes.

Staffing shortages and fear that vaccination requirements will promote even more difficulties in recruitment and retention of direct care workers is generally cited as the reason facilities stop short of imposing their own restrictions. But the experience of providers whove imposed their own mandates or states that have imposed mandates does not support this industry concern. Most workers comply with requirements, particularly in facilities that have a history of support and respect for their workers. And most workers want to keep working, particularly when the requirements they oppose apply equally to everyone.

North Carolina residents and their families should not have to live in fear. Its past time for N.C. leaders to step up and issue a statewide mandatory vaccination policy for direct care staff, including all settings of long-term care, not just nursing homes.

Other states have done it. Its time we answered William Hughes question and addressed those fears  no more patient deaths should be needed to convince healthcare workers to be vaccinated.

A state, enforceable mandate is what it will take. It wont save Anne Hughes, but it may save the lives of many others currently in care.

William Lamb is board chairman of the Friends of Residents in Long Term Care.
A Wisconsin judge presiding over the upcoming trial of Kyle Rittenhouse has ruled that prosecutors cannot refer to the three people shot by the teenager last summer as "victims." However, the defense may refer to them as "arsonists," "looters," or "rioters" if they can prove they participated in those activities.

Kenosha County Circuit Court Judge Bruce Schroeder made the decision Monday at a pretrial hearing where the parties debated several issues ahead of next week's trial, including permissible terminology, witness accounts and evidence. Schroeder said he wouldn't prevent the defense from calling those who were shot such language if the defense can produce evidence to back up the claims.

Prosecutor Thomas Binger reportedly called the decision by Judge Bruce Schroeder "a double standard."

However, barring the term "victim" at trial is not necessarily the norm but varies from courtroom to courtroom at the judge's discretion, according to Keith Findley, a professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School.

Findley explained the judge is differentiating the facts of the case from the questions the jury must answer. Since Rittenhouse is claiming he acted in self-defense, the question is not who shot three people, killing two of them, but rather if Rittenhouse was justified in defending himself out of fear of bodily harm. If his lawyers can show he had reason to believe the men were each engaged in activities such as looting, rioting and arson at the time, that could sway the jury to accept Rittenhouse's defense.

"On the other hand, it still is prejudicial because it runs the risk of signaling to the jury or inducing the jury to decide the case on a matter that's not really appropriate or relevant, and that is whether these were bad people, or somehow less deserving of protection from the law," Findley told CBS News. "There is some risk that using sort of loaded words like that will induce the jury or make it more likely the jury decides the case on an impermissible basis."

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Kyle Rittenhouse on October 30, 2020, in Waukegan, Illinois. / Credit: Nam Y. Huh / AP

Under Wisconsin law, the charge of first-degree reckless endangerment of safety requires prosecutors to demonstrate that the defendant acted with "utter disregard for human life." With rulings like these from the bench, Findley says the state is facing an uphill battle toward conviction.

Prosecutors can use other terms when referring to those who were killed and injured that night, such as their names, decedent, or the deceased person Rittenhouse shot.

Judge Schroeder has also decided to allow the defense to show the jury a video taken prior to the shooting which shows police telling Rittenhouse and other armed militia members on the streets that night that they appreciated their presence and tossing Rittenhouse a bottle of water. They argued that it shows their client was not acting recklessly that night.

However, prosecutors argued the video would turn the trial into a referendum on police procedure that night when it isn't relevant.

"This is a case about what the defendant did that night," Binger said, according to the Associated Press. "I'm concerned this will be turned into a trial about what law enforcement did or didn't do that night."

Judge Schroeder disagreed. "If the jury is being told  if the defendant is walking down the sidewalk and doing what he claims he was hired to do and police say, 'Good thing you're here,' is that something influencing the defendant and emboldening him in his behavior? That would be an argument for relevance," he said, the AP reported.

While videos like this can be permissible, Findley notes they risk influencing the jury about the relevance as to the police's opinion of whether Rittenhouse's presence in Kenosha that night was justified.

"The problem here is that while this evidence may have some limited relevance, it has also a very substantial risk that it will be misused. And therefore that's a form of prejudice," Findley said.

Rittenhouse, who was 17 at the time of the shooting, was charged as an adult with two counts of first-degree homicide and one count of attempted homicide. He also faces charges of recklessly endangering the safety of two other victims and possessing a weapon while under the age of 18. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Prosecutors allege on August 25, 2020, during the third night of protests over the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man who was left paralyzed, Rittenhouse fatally shot Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber and wounded a third person with an AR-style rifle.

According to court documents, Rittenhouse traveled from his home in Antioch, Illinois, to patrol Kenosha during the unrest, when he shot and killed Rosenbaum after a brief altercation in a parking lot in which Rosenbaum tried to take his gun. The incident was caught on video, and as Rittenhouse ran away he was seen making a phone call saying "I just killed somebody."

As he fled the scene, videos show a group of people pursuing Rittenhouse saying "beat him up!", "hey, he shot him!", "get him! Get that dude!" Rittenhouse then allegedly tripped and fell to the ground, at which point Huber, seen holding a skateboard, tried to take his gun when Rittenhouse allegedly shot and killed him. Shortly after Huber was shot, Rittenhouse also allegedly shot a third victim, Gaige Grosskreutz, in the arm. Grosskreutz reportedly was holding a handgun at the time he was shot. Rittenhouse's lawyers claim he acted in self-defense.

Rittenhouse can be seen in cellphone video walking away from the scene of the second shooting towards police vehicles while still armed and with his hands raised. The teenager was able to leave downtown Kenosha unstopped by police. Rittenhouse then returned home to Illinois before being extradited to Wisconsin after his arrest a month later.

Rittenhouse's trial is scheduled to begin on November 1.

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Tensions have soared in recent weeks over Taiwan, the self-governing democracy claimed by China -- and allied with the United States.

How far the tensions will accelerate -- and what the US response will be -- is hotly debated among experts.

- What is each side's position? -

China's communist government considers Taiwan a province awaiting reunification, by force if necessary.

China's nationalist Kuomintang fled to the island in 1949 after losing the mainland's civil war. The island of 24 million people has since transformed into a vibrant democracy and major tech hub, leading many -- including President Tsai Ing-wen -- to assert Taiwan's separate identity.

The United States switched recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979, concluding that the Kuomintang was never going to retake the mainland, which has developed into one of the world's top powers and key rival of Washington.

The US Congress in 1979 required the United States to provide Taiwan weapons for its self-defense but Washington has remained deliberately ambiguous on whether it would defend Taiwan in an invasion.

- Why are tensions rising? -

President Xi Jinping has asserted Chinese nationalism and following protests in Hong Kong has clamped down sharply on freedoms in the financial hub, which had been promised a separate system before its handover from Britain.

"Beijing's dramatic demolition of that model in Hong Kong has had a significant impact on attitudes of many in Taiwan, even among those who might previously have been in favor of closer cultural or economic cross-strait ties," said Carl Minzner, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Tsai easily won re-election last year in what formerly was a closely divided population.

China has dramatically ramped up military activities in recent years, with a record number of planes intruding near the island in early October.

- What is China's goal? -

Concerns have grown in the United States that Beijing is readying a full-scale invasion of Taiwan, although many experts reject the fears as overstated.

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"In the last year, there has been a recognition that the Chinese military has either already achieved or is very close to achieving the capability of invading and controlling Taiwan," said Bonnie Glaser, Asia director at the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

"For a long time, this was considered to be a real factor," she said.

She pointed to worrisome signs including exercises that simulate bombing runs against Taiwanese ports or landings.

Glaser, however, is among those who doubt that China has a timetable to invade. Taiwan is the only issue that could bring the United States and China to war -- which could escalate to the nuclear level.

"Having a military confrontation with the United States is something that China has tried to avoid for years," Glaser said.

Xi would "be putting at risk all of the other goals that he has for his country," she said.

"China's goal, in my view, is one of instilling psychological despair among the people of Taiwan so that they essentially give up and say, well, we will just have to concede to Beijing and become part of China. So they really want to win without bloodshed."

- What will US do? -

A growing number of pundits, notably Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, have called on the United States to move away from its "strategic ambiguity" on Taiwan and instead to warn China explicitly that the United States will intervene if there is an invasion.

Critics say that such a vow would backfire, with Chinese leaders already convinced that the United States is encouraging Taiwan's pro-independence forces, despite repeated US assurances that it only recognizes Beijing.

President Joe Biden on October 21 triggered Chinese warnings when he said that the United States would defend Taiwan, although the White House quickly clarified that he was not changing policy.

For now, the Biden administration appears to be seeking steps to support Taiwan without triggering a crisis, such as encouraging its inclusion in international institutions.

Tsai voiced confidence in a CNN interview this week. Asked if the United States would defend Taiwan, she said, "I do have faith."

fff-sct/mlm
Doina Ciobanu posts "social-media versus reality" videos on TikTok. Doina Ciobanu

Doina Ciobanu has been posting side-by-side edited and unedited videos on TikTok.

The posts expose how social-media videos can be altered to make people look completely different.

She said she hopes her posts show people that what they see on social media doesn't reflect reality.

It's no secret that much of what we see on social media isn't real.

But even the savviest social-media users often don't realize that videos can be edited as heavily, and as easily, as photos.

That's why TikTok user Doina Ciobanu, who had 68,000 TikTok followers and 853,000 Instagram followers at the time of writing, is using side-by-side videos to show people just how drastically you can alter a video before posting it online.

Doina Ciobanu posts side-by-side TikToks that show how people's bodies can be edited in videos

Ciobanu, 27, is a creative director and sustainability consultant, as well as a former model. She splits her time between Milan and London.

Ciobanu, who told Insider that she's struggled with eating disorders in the past, said she wanted to expose the ways videos can be edited after watching the online experiences of her 15-year-old sister and her sister's peers.

"I've gradually recovered from the negative, comparative mindset that once ailed me," she said. "The daily deluge of perfected, but manipulated, content tends not to impact me as much anymore."

"I have realized that not everyone is capable of judging what they're seeing and understanding that so much content isn't wholly genuine or accurate," Ciobanu added.

@doina Another camera experiment for you  TAG a friend whos told you they wished they looked as good as someone else onlinethey need to see this  Tokyo - Lo-Fi version - Leat'eq

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"I worry that she's at an impressionable age where it's easy to compare herself to others and come away with a negative sense of self, because she hasn't developed a full suite of mental-strength skills at her disposal," Ciobanu said of her sister.

To Ciobanu's point, an internal Facebook study reviewed by The Wall Street Journal found that "32% of teen girls said that when they felt bad about their bodies, Instagram made them feel worse."

The outlet also reported that another internal Facebook presentation said that Instagram made "body image issues worse for one in three teen girls."

Ciobanu decided that the best way she could help her sister and others was by making TikToks that showed how easily videos could be edited to create standards of beauty that are unattainable.

Ciobanu said it takes mere seconds to transform herself using editing apps

Ciobanu uses free video-editing apps to alter her videos for her posts. She typically makes her waist smaller and her legs look longer in her TikToks, some of which have been getting millions of views.

As she made the posts, she said she was surprised by how easily she could totally change her appearance.

"I've always thought of photo editing as easy and video manipulation hard, but that's not the case," Ciobanu said.

"These apps have become so good at altering a body or a face that what you see in my videos takes roughly three seconds to achieve," she added.

"It's disturbingly easy to create an 'alternative you,'" Ciobanu continued.

The differences between some of the before and after videos that she posts are subtle, which only emphasizes how easily people can post altered clips without others noticing.

Ciobanu said her goal wasn't to criticize social-media users, but to make them more aware of what they're seeing when they go online.

"The content is about education," she said. "A lot of people have come to understand that flawless skin in a photo can be a sign of makeup or Photoshop, but we also have to come to understand that all elements of any digital content aren't necessarily true to life."

"Don't get sucked in and feel bad because you think you don't personally stack up against what you see online," Ciobanu advised. "It likely looks very different in reality."

Read the original article on Insider
New York Attorney General Letitia James, whose office issued a damning report that led to Gov. Andrew Cuomo's resignation, may be on the verge of announcing a run for his old job.

James, the state's first Black and first female attorney general, "has made a decision regarding the governors race," Kimberly Peeler-Allen, a senior adviser for James' campaign, said in a statement to WNBC. "She will be announcing it in the coming days."

Three people directly familiar with her plans told The Associated Press on Wednesday that she is planning to enter the gubernatorial race.

Early this year, James's office issued a report alleging that then-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's administration had undercounted Covid-19 nursing home deaths by as much as 50 percent. That was followed by a request to investigate sexual harassment complaints against the three-term governor, a fellow Democrat.

Cuomo predicted that the report would exonerate him, but James' office found he'd sexually harassed almost a dozen women. Cuomo denied the bulk of the allegations but resigned in August.

The resignation led to Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul ascending to the top spot and becoming the state's first female governor. She's already announced that she's running to keep the job next November.

New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams has also formed an exploratory committee for a gubernatorial run.
A tunnel under construction for a maglev train line in Japan collapsed on Wednesday, leaving one worker dead and one injured.

The accident was reported at around 7:20 p.m. to the fire department of Nakatsugawa City, Gifu Prefecture, central Japan.

Police say two workers were taken to a local hospital. A 44-year-old man was later confirmed dead. Another suffered serious injuries, including fractures.

The Central Japan Railway Company, or JR Tokai, said five workers were in the tunnel at the time of the accident. The company said the collapse occurred while they were checking the tunnel following blasting excavation conducted about 70 meters from the entrance.

The tunnel is an emergency exit for a 4.4-kilometer main tunnel. JR Tokai said the emergency tunnel will be 600 meters in length, and construction of the main tunnel had not yet started.

Police are investigating the accident.

JR Tokai said this was the first fatal accident during construction of the maglev line. The firm offered its condolences to the family of the deceased worker and pledged to prevent a recurrence.
NHK - Nov 09

The Japanese government is looking to promote domestic tourism by reviving a travel campaign following the lifting of a nationwide state of emergency for the coronavirus. But business leaders are urging the government to make sure it does not lead to an overload of travelers.
Hyogo Prefectural Police are questioning a 35-year-old man on suspicion of killing a 34-year-old woman whose body was found buried near a mountain road in Kasai City.

According to police, the victim is Eri Umemoto, who lived in Himeji City, Sankei Shimbun reported. Umemotos mother visited a police box in Himeji early on the morning of Oct 24 to report that her daughter had failed to come home after saying she was going to meet a male acquaintance the day before.

Police said Yosuke Sekiguchi, a company employee who was an acquaintance of Umemoto, was initially arrested on suspicion of confining the woman in his car. He has also been charged with abandoning a corpse and is being questioned about her death.

Police said Sekiguchi has admitted to meeting Umemoto on Oct 23 and driving her around the city but he denied confining her. He was quoted as saying, We kissed and flirted in the car but I dont think you could say I confined her.
The disproportionate weight of rural voters in Japan gives sparsely populated parts of the country more representation  and more government largess  than urban areas, perpetuating what critics call an unfair system.

The mountain village of Chizu explains a lot about how one party has kept a virtual lock on power in Japan for close to seven decades.

The village, in western Japan, has long been in decline. Its population has dwindled to 6,600 people, close to half of them elderly. The obstetrics ward at the hospital closed more than 15 years ago. The once-dominant forestry industry has shriveled, and a year-end fair is no longer held.

Yet last year, backed by a large dollop of central government funding, the village built a 12,000-square-foot library with a sizable childrens section. It erected a new nursery school in 2017, and the middle school underwent a complete renovation two years earlier.

As voters prepare to select members of Parliament in a national election on Sunday, the residents of Chizu are acutely cognizant of the forces behind this largess. In Japan, rural votes count for more than urban ones, giving less-populated areas like Chizu a disproportionately large number of seats in Parliament, and more chances to register their concerns with national politicians.

This structure plays to the advantage of the conservative Liberal Democratic Party, which has governed Japan for all but four years since 1955. The party is expected to eke out a majority in the parliamentary election, partly on the strength of support from the rural areas showered with taxpayer money.

In some ways, the power of Japans rural population parallels the political landscape in the United States, where each state has two senators regardless of population size  giving the Republican Party an outsized advantage because of its dominance of rural states.

In Chizu, the nexus between political representation and access to public coffers is unmistakable. Because its residents are represented by a heavyweight member of the L.D.P. in Parliament, we can get sufficient government aid, said Chizus mayor, Hideo Kaneko, 68, in an interview in his renovated office.

Chizu is in Tottori, Japans least populated prefecture. In the district that includes Chizu, the member of Parliament represents fewer than half the number of voters served by the lower house lawmaker in Tokyos most densely populated district.
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What services does your agency provide, and who generally does it serve? We're an organization that matches a mentor and mentee that get together one hour a week on school grounds. It's meant for the mentee to have a positive role model in their lives. Mentees are children from grades 3-12.
At a time when non-fungible tokens face scrutiny for environmental damage, 14-year-old Abigail is using NFTs for conservation.

Her project, Belugies, is a collection of 8,000 cartoon beluga whale NFTs created on the Solana blockchain. Abigail made the artwork for the project by hand, with plans to donate a portion of the profits to beluga conservation efforts and a childrens hospital program.

The high school freshman says she learned about cryptocurrency when she was nine years old during bicycle rides with her older brother Adam. Adam, now 25 years old and heavily into crypto since 2016, said he and his fiancee Briana helped with the tech.

When we started, we didnt really think it would work out, Adam, who declined to provide his last name, told CoinDesk. I told my sister, Hey, if it doesnt work at least we tried, at least we had fun. Thats all that matters.

Within 10 hours of the projects Oct. 17 launch, all 8,000 NFTs had been minted, earning the siblings over $1 million in SOL tokens.

WE DID IT!!!! pic.twitter.com/QWEcRJnzaw  Belugies | SOLD OUT (@belugiesNFT) October 17, 2021

Abigail is also set to receive 5% of all future Belugie sales. The current floor price for a Belugie on the resale market is 0.32 SOL, and the projects total trade volume has exceeded 7159 SOL, or $1,409,700, at press time.

The inspiration for the artwork came from Abigails childhood adoration of beluga whales after she saw them at a Georgia aquarium near where she grew up.

With the global beluga whale population in decline  Alaskas Cook Inlet subpopulation has crashed 75% since 2008 and now hovers around 280  she said she wants to raise awareness as well as some cash.

Shes donated $100,000 of the Belugies NFT proceeds to beluga conservation efforts. Half went to the Beluga Whale Alliance, an Alaskan-based group that advocates for and studies the Cook Inlet pod. The other half went to the Ocean Defenders Alliance, which works to remove fishing nets and plastic that threaten underwater habitats.

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After getting word of the donation, Beluga Whale Alliance flew Abigail, Adam and Briana out to Alaska to see the belugas up close and personal in their natural habitat.

The projects emphasis on conservation contrasts with popular criticisms of the NFT industry, which uses high volumes of electricity to power its transactions.

Ethereum, home to the majority of NFT projects, currently uses an energy-inefficient proof-of-work consensus mechanism. (When upgraded, Ethereum 2.0 will switch to a proof-of-stake system.) While some blockchains including Solana use the more efficient proof-of-stake, the overall impact NFTs have on the environment remains harmful.

Abigail credits much of the projects success to the belugas themselves for being so wholesome and adorable, which she attempted to convey in her artwork.

In addition, she made a $100,000 donation to Sunshine Kids, an organization that supports childrens hospital programs across the country. Abigail cited a personal connection to her local childrens hospital as the reason for the donation.
news

Dr. Julyse Migan-Gandonou Horr has been named director of Ouachita's masters degree program in applied behavior analysis (ABA), effective January 2022.

Horr (pronounced HAW) is a doctoral-level Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA-D) as well as a Licensed Behavior Analyst (LBA). She has worked in the field for more than 10 years as a clinician, educator and researcher and is the owner and founder of ABA Clinical & Training Solutions consulting agency. Horr has published three research studies and has presented her work at national and international conferences. She has also developed and implemented training curricula for ABA.

A native of the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire and the Republic of Benin, Horr has taught at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne and The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She has served as a visiting assistant professor of applied behavior analysis at Ouachita since August 2020.

Horr earned her undergraduate degree in psychology from the City University of New York at the College of Staten Island. She earned her Master of Science in Psychology degree with a major in behavior analysis from Florida International University in Miami and her doctorate in ABA from The Chicago School. As a clinician, Horrs area of expertise is in the functional analysis and treatment of problem behaviors including autism spectrum disorder, developmental disabilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, sexually deviant behaviors and co-morbid psychiatric disorders.

When Horr assumes the role of ABA director at Ouachita in January 2022, she will succeed Dr. Sheila Barnes, who will step down from administrative duties but continue teaching as an interim step toward retirement.

I am so excited to have Dr. Horr, Barnes said. Shes very knowledgeable, comes with a wealth of information and is already published. She shares our faith-based values and has an integral understanding and passion for applied behavior analysis. I would not feel comfortable stepping down from leadership of the program if I did not know it would be in good hands.

Ouachitas ABA program launched in May 2020 and is housed in the Patterson School of Natural Sciences. The 15-month program combines online coursework and in-person fieldwork to prepare students to become BCBAs. Ouachita currently has a 100% pass rate for students who have taken the BCBA exam after finishing the program.

Dr. Tim Knight, dean of the Patterson School, said the ABA program adds a valuable dimension to the school.

Its pretty unique, he said. There are very few ABA programs in the country, and most are not structured like this one, with clinical partnerships and a faith-based approach. I see a crisis in our culture, especially with children, and feel were poised to help a segment of the population that really needs it."

Horr said she is excited and grateful for the opportunity to lead Ouachitas ABA program.

I want our program to produce scientist-practitioners who will be ambassadors for ABA and who will go out and change peoples lives, she said. My hope is that our students will be so well-prepared in their field, that clinics will begin requesting BCBAs who studied at Ouachita.

To learn more about Ouachitas graduate program in applied behavior analysis, visit obu.edu/aba.

Photo by Abby Blakenship
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Auburn University and its alumni make a $5.63 billion economic contribution to the state of Alabama, including creating more than 27,000 jobs in addition to university employment, according to a new study.

Even during this challenging pandemic, Auburn has been a critical economic engine for Alabama," President Jay Gogue said. With nationally recognized academic programs, along with our capacity to build partnerships and foster innovation through our renowned research and outreach efforts, Auburn benefits individuals, organizations and communities all across our state.

The study notes Auburns instruction, research and outreach resources, active faculty and student engagement and extension presence across the state as major assets for Alabama communities.

Researchers based the study on recent statistical and financial data from Auburns main campus, Auburn University at Montgomery, the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station and the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, which has offices in all 67 counties. The study was conducted by Economic Research Services in Montgomery and Auburns Division of University Outreach, which has coordinated the ongoing impact studies for Auburn since 1996.

The major components of Auburns $5.63 billion impact are:

A direct economic impact of $2.2 billion, representing Auburns in-state expenditures, such as payroll and purchases, student spending on local housing and food, construction and spending by visitors to university events.

An increase in human capital from Auburns high-quality educational programs, representing a value of more than $3.42 billion in earning power of Auburn graduates residing in Alabama.

Auburns impact is also responsible for creating 27,312 jobs in Alabama in addition to university employment.

Auburn provides the primary academic support for a number of major state industries, businesses and occupations through its wide range of degree programs, professional education and training.

Auburn supports innovation, industry collaboration and entrepreneurship that promote the economy of the state, as well as the economic and security interests of the nation as a whole.

Auburns $5.63 billion economic contribution marks a 1-percent increase from the previous study, demonstrating that even during the economic downturn associated with the COVID pandemic, the universitys robust institutional capacity still produced an increase in its overall economic contribution to the state.

This study confirms again that the university greatly contributes to the quality of life in Alabama, especially during difficult times such as weve all faced with COVID-19, said Royrickers Cook, vice president for University Outreach. The university is a significant component of the states economy and human capital, while providing access to educational resources and services into the community for the well-being of all our citizens.
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David Hinson, a professor of architecture in Auburn Universitys School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture, was honored on Oct. 16 as the 2021 Alabama American Institute of Architects, or AIA, Gold Medal of Honor Award winner at the Alabama AIA Excellence in Design Awards Gala.

The College of Architecture, Design and Construction, or CADC, professor was honored for a nearly 40-year career in architecture practice and academia. Hinson, a member of the architecture faculty since 1997, served as head of the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture, or APLA, for more than 10 years, is an alumnus of Auburns architecture program and is an AIA Fellow.

Community service and advocacy have underpinned Hinsons extensive career as an architect and teacher. Since his early days in Philadelphia, Hinson has worked to mobilize the talents and energy of his professional peers and students to effect meaningful community change, and he has used leadership roles in almost every significant organization of the profession to champion these values.

It is a wonderful honor to be recognized by my friends and colleagues in the architecture community this way, said Hinson, who earned architecture and environmental design degrees at Auburn before getting his masters at the University of Pennsylvania. The state is fortunate to have many architects whove made a lasting impact on the profession, and its humbling to be considered among that group.

I feel especially fortunate to be teaching and practicing in a state with such a strong tradition of support for architectural education. It is a privilege to be able to work alongside so many peers and colleagues who share a passion for the profession of architecture and a commitment to its future.

The Alabama AIA Gold Medal of Honor Award recognizes consistent visionary leadership and service to the profession of architecture in the state of Alabama over a lifetime. It is the highest award bestowed upon an architect member of the AIA in Alabama whose leadership, service and contributions have directly benefitted AIA, their community and/or the design and construction industries.

Helene Drieling, an AIA Fellow and former national president of the AIA, wrote in support of Hinsons nomination that, Davids remarkable dedication to his students as the promising future of society, as well as his extraordinary efforts to initiate cross-collateral projects for the benefit of the greater profession are, when considered collectively, attributed of the highest order for a scholar and practitioner of our discipline.

In addition, the recipient is measured by the regard of their peers and the community.

It is evident that the qualities that identify David as a regarded recipient of this award extend to his interactions within APLA, said Vini Nathan, the McWhorter Endowed Chair and dean of CADC. Under the influence of Davids belief in advocacy and community support, his students develop into strong leaders. APLA students, faculty and programs benefit greatly from his influence and experience.

Hinson serves as coordinator of the architecture programs fourth-year design studios and is coordinator of APLAs international exchange programs. His research interests include affordable housing, energy performance, building technologies, resilient design in residential architecture and collaboration and leadership in interdisciplinary teams.
Having soared to an all time high as recently as one week ago, Chinese coal futures have lost nearly half of their value in the past seven days in a sequence of limit down days as Beijing unleashed its latest crackdown on a commodity it felt was mispriced despite urging energy firms to "secure supplies at any price" less than a month ago.

There is, of course a perfectly simple, non-market driven reason for the plunge in prices: China ruthless authoritarians revealed a plan to impose limits on the price miners sell thermal coal for as they seek to ease a power crunch thats prompted electricity rationing and even caused a blackout in a major city last month.

According to Bloomberg, the National Development and Reform Commission, Chinas top central-planning body, will set set the price of the most-popular 5,500-NAR grade coal at 440 yuan ($69) a ton at the pit-head. That price, which includes taxes, is a target rate, and there will be an absolute ceiling at 528 yuan, BBG's sources said.

The plan, which is reportedly scheduled to last until May 1 of next year, is pending approval by the State Council, Chinas cabinet, and could be revised, according to the people. NDRC also wants downstream sales prices to be controlled, though it will let local governments set standards to limit the price of local coal trading, the people said. Coal importers will obtain subsidies to balance their losses, they said.

The NDRC, the cabinet ministry thats in charge of energy prices, said in a statement late Wednesday that it held a meeting with the coal industry to study concrete measures to intervene in the coal market.

The artificial 440 yuan price target will apply to term supplies from coal mines to key users like power plants in order to ease generators cash flow tightness and help boost electricity output, said Jia Zheng, a trader with Shanghai Dongwu Jiuying Investment Management Co. The guidelines for supplies to other users, which are decided by local governments, might be set at higher levels, she said.

The bilateral pricing policies could ensure the coal supplies and prices for power plants and still provide incentives to coal mining production at the same time, Jia said. The price cap means that coal will be delivered to power plants at an acceptable level of 800 yuan a ton, she said.

What she didn't say is just where will all the coal come from. After all, the reason why a market has a thing called price is to find a clearing level of supply and demand. Any time the government imposes artificial subsidies, such as this one, the price does not reflect the surging demand, and instead the supply collapses. In this case, with a price that is far below the clearing price, we expect Chinese thermal coal supplies will crater so much faster, leaving the nation in an even greater lurch, one where no amount of central planning from Beijing will have any impact.

The energy crisis thats engulfed the worlds second-largest economy started in part due to skyrocketing coal prices, which caused almost all coal-fired power plants in the country to run at losses. Zhengzhous benchmark coal futures rose to a record above 1,980 yuan a ton earlier this month, while spot prices soared even higher.

And since this is China, where the government intervenes in every market, the surges in the both futures and physical coal markets triggered immediate intervention by the countrys central government. Action by authorities to curb those gains, and to help miners boost supply, have had an impact, with futures tumbling by about a third in the past week.

Alas, as noted above, this price collapse will mean even higher prices eventually.

Some companies have already started curbing prices after top Chinese government leaders urged the industry to improve the pricing mechanism for coal and power. Jinneng Holding Coal Group, a Shanxi-based producer, said earlier Wednesday that it would cap the price of 5,500-NAR grade coal at 1,200 yuan per ton. That followed price cuts of about 100-360 yuan per ton by other miners in major coal production hubs last week.

The 440 yuan level was based on a 300 yuan estimate of the physical costs of mining the coal and transporting it to the surface, while labor and other costs account for more than 100 yuan, according to one of the people. That would cover the cost of operations in most mines in the country. All of the above, of course, assumes unlimited and readily available sources of coal.

Following the report, coal miners such as China Shenhua Energy and Yanzhou Coal Mining tumbled in trading in Hong Kong on Wednesday. At the same time, prices of aluminum, which are often recently being traded as a proxy of Chinas current power crisis, fell sharply in London.

By Zerohedge.com

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Californias is transitioning away from oil at a faster rate than most states, and looks unlikely to stop any time soon

The most recent move by the government against the oil industry is a proposed 3,200-foot buffer zone on oil and gas wells near homes, schools, and hospitals

Californias oil industry provides a major source of revenue for the state and creates a huge number of jobs, but that wont stop the states governor from phasing it out

Last week, Californias Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom proposed a 3,200-foot buffer zone between oil and gas wells and homes, schools, hospitals, and other populated areas across the whole of California. At present, around 5 million Californians live within 1 mile of an oil or gas well. This new rule would not apply to existing wells but would limit future well drilling. Other major oil producing states, such as Colorado, Pennsylvania, and Texas, have already introduced this type of legislation to ensure the health and safety of populations living in oil producing areas, but the California rule would be the most far-reaching should it go through.

As the seventh largest oil producing state in the U.S., with an output of around 463,000 bpd of oil equivalent, and achieving approximately $90 million annually from offshore oil and gas leases, fighting against the industry that supports the states economic growth may come as a shock. However, this is just the most recent of several attempts by the state government to curb the power of Big Oil.

This comes just weeks after a major oil spill in the region prompted calls for an end to drilling. The oil spill of 126,000 gallons, or 3,000 barrels, covered an area of 13 square miles of the Pacific Ocean earlier this month, washing up on Huntington and Newport beaches and leaving dead fish, oil-covered birds and contaminated wetlands in its wake. Officials have suggested that Californias aging energy infrastructure was to blame, initially investigating a 41-year-old oil pipeline as the cause of the spill.

Oil spills and international encouragement to move away from fossil fuels to renewable alternatives have led many environmental organisations and communities across California to put pressure on the local government to make a change. But Big Oil and state oil organisations, such as the Western States Petroleum Association and the State Building and Construction Trades Council, have long opposed several of Californias oil policies and are pushing back against environmental activists, insisting that oil revenues are vital for the state economy as well as for job provision.

There is an ongoing battle between Californias oil industry and those who benefit from oil revenues and employment and environmental groups and the liberal left who want more environmentally friendly energy policies to be introduced, in line with President Bidens climate aims. The state government must tread a thin line between the two sides, supporting one of its main revenue producing industries as well as appealing to its large Democrat demographic.

But Governor Newsom is not afraid to speak out against Big Oil when it comes to backing national aims for a greener future. Earlier this year, Newsom announced the aim to end oil drilling in California by 2045, starting by banning new fracking permits within three years. Newsom has approached the California Air Resources Board, the group that draws up state climate change policy, to support the development of a strategy to phase out oil and gas by 2045.

Newsom tweeted of the move, We arent waiting for a clean energy future to arrive - were taking big steps to get there. California will end fracking & is the first state to set a date to phase out all oil extraction. We are committed to a healthier future for CA families.

This adds to Californias progressive track record for climate-friendly policy, with the state expecting to ban gasoline-powered cars by as early as 2035. Having relied almost entirely on oil and gas for state revenues in the past, California is now a hub for several successful industries including tech, renewable energy, and automotive manufacturing. For example, one of the states top exports is electric cars, with the government encouraging automakers to sell more electric work trucks and delivery vans as demand grows.

While a movement away from oil and gas in such a large producing state seems difficult, when you look at recent market trends, such as a 90 percent drop in permits for all types of oil drilling in the state in the first quarter of 2021, this seems increasingly viable. It seems we are already seeing the beginnings of a clear movement away from oil and gas in California, whether Big Oil wants to admit it or not.

As the Cop26 climate summit is taking place, with the participation of several major world powers, encouraging countries around the world to transition their energy dependence away from fossil fuels, California is responding. The aims of liberal, urban California are gaining traction to the detriment of the small-town populations that continue to rely on the oil and gas industry. Ultimately, California looks set to back President Biden all the way in his fight against climate change and movement away from non-renewable energy.

By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com

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Oil inventories on the U.S. Gulf Coast have grown to the highest in about ten years, adding 20 million barrels since the beginning of the month.

The increase is due to stronger export demand from Asia, directing more barrels to the export hubs along the Gulf Coast. However, the buildup is temporary, Bloomberg reports, as refiners begin to ramp up operations after the end of seasonal maintenance.

The increase in oil supplies directed to the Gulf Coast for exports and for local processing seems to be one of the reasons behind the substantial decline in oil inventories at Cushing, Oklahomathe delivery point for West Texas Intermediate contracts.

In early October, Bloomberg reported inventories at Cushing had been drawn down by the most on a weekly basis in five years, dropping to the lowest since 2018.

Meanwhile, Gulf Coast refiners continue to struggle to secure all the crude oil supply they need in the wake of a devastating hurricane season that cost the industry the loss of 30 million barrels in total supply. OPEC+ imports are also lower, Bloomberg reported earlier, and imports from Latin America are also lower.

The inventory drawdown at Cushing served to push prices higher earlier this week as it indicated continued strong demand in the context of tight supply in the latest signal that oil markets are not perfectly balanced yet.

However, prices retreated on news that Iran and the EU were planning to return to the nuclear deal negotiation table. This, to oil traders, means more oil may be coming to markets soon, although the successful completion of the talks is far from a certainty.

"As long as they are talking, there is a chance a deal gets done," Bob Yawger from Mizuho Securities told Bloomberg.

Meanwhile, markets will remain volatile until OPEC+ interferes, according to another analyst.

"Only if OPEC (the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) intervenes with more supply of crude or if COVID rears its ugly head again, curbing demand, this high volatility will come off," Mukesh Sahdev, head of downstream at Rystad Energy, told Reuters.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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Given the mass exodus of major Western oil companies from Iraq in recent months, and no sign of this reversing any time soon, Russia and China are in an even better position to advance their own interests in the oil- and gas-rich country. The opportunity has in no way been diminished by Iraqs elections in the last couple of weeks that left anti-U.S. firebrand cleric, Moqtada al-Sadr, in place as de facto leader, alongside his Sairoon (Marching Forward) coalition. This has not been lost on Lukoil in its approach to the supergiant West Qurna 2 oil field, located around 65 kilometers northwest of the southern port of Basra and with roughly 14 billion barrels of reserves in place. Like the first sparrow of spring, threats from Lukoil to Iraqs Oil Ministry over West Qurna 2  and then the other way around  are a regular and much-anticipated feature of the oil year for seasoned market watchers and this year has been no different. First was Lukoils threat to sell part or all of its stake in the field unless its terms are improved, whereupon the Oil Ministry did nothing for a while. Then came the Oil Ministry calling Lukoils bluff and saying that it would leave if it wanted, provided that a suitable buyer was found, whereupon Lukoil was silent for a while. And now the familiar fork in the road has been reached in which the Russian firm has said that if it is to stay then it wants an improvement in the deal it has at West Qurna 2.

Both sides have their reasons for wanting a change in how the field operates and the key event that shaped all of the subsequent tactical posturing on both sides occurred in the lead up to August 2017 when Lukoil announced that it was to dramatically increase output at West Qurna 2. At that time, the West Qurna 2 field had been steadily producing around 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) - about nine percent of Iraqs total oil production - for some considerable time under the operation of Lukoil, which held a 75 percent stake in the field (the remainder being held by Iraqs state-run North Oil Company). The development plan was to increase crude oil production to 480,000 bpd in Phase 2 and then to add another 650,000 bpd to the total in Phase 3, which would focus on the deeper Yamama formation. The ultimate target of 1.13 million bpd might appear high to some - although the original target was 1.2 million bpd - but it is entirely justified both by U.S. geologists when they were on the ground during the U.S. occupation and by various international oil companies (IOCs).

The problem, even back then, though, from Lukoils perspective was that it believed the level of remuneration it was receiving per barrel drilled was too low. By that point, the Russian company had already spent at least US$8 billion on developing the field, according to its spokesmen, but was only being compensated US$1.15 per barrel of oil recovered. This was the lowest rate being paid to any IOC in Iraq at that time and was dwarfed by the US$5.50 per barrel being paid to GazpromNeft in its development of the Badra oil field.

Related: Oil And Gas Stocks Are Popular Once Again

Lukoil was aware that on its own the West-Qurna 2 development would allow it to double its overseas production once Phase 3 kicked in (Lukoils total hydrocarbon production globally was 2.2 million bpd in 2016). However, it was also aware that even with Iraqs world-low lifting cost per barrel of oil (along with Iran and Saudi Arabia) of US$1-2 per barrel without capital expenditure included (and US$4-6 per barrel including capital expenditure) its profit per barrel based on recovery compensation alone was extremely slim. Also grating on the Russian company was that because of the ongoing cash crunch in Iraq, the Oil Ministry still owed Lukoil around US$6 billion for various unpaid compensation on recovered barrels and other development payments.

This said, back in August 2017, Lukoil was assured that the Oil Ministry would pay the US$6 billion that it owed the company expeditiously and that a higher compensation rate per barrel would be looked into as soon as was feasible. In addition, the Oil Ministry would allow the Russian company more leeway in its application of the terms of the Development and Production Service Contract for the West Qurna (Phase 2) Contract Area signed by Lukoil on 31 January 2010. This would allow for a more spread out field investment development program by Lukoil over the length of the contract, which had also been extended from 20 to 25 years, so lowering the average cost per year to Lukoil anyhow. The Russian company, for its part, would invest at least US$1.5 billion in the oil field in the following 12 months with a view to raising production from the 400,000 bpd level to 1.13 million bpd, it was agreed.

More problems from the Russians perspective began almost as soon as the new agreement had been made, with delays in the re-payment of the US$6 billion owed to it by the Oil Ministry and in the less rigorous application of the development investment program as well. Given this slippage on the deal by the Oil Ministry as far as Lukoil was concerned, the Russian company decided not to pump at the full volume that it knew it could at that point, as it believed  with some justification  that it was not going to be paid for any extra efforts that it made.

From the Oil Ministrys perspective, though, its own view of Lukoils activities markedly changed in November 2017  just three months after the agreement of August  when it found out that not only had Lukoil hit 650,000 bpd production over various extended periods in the previous two months but that it could sustain production of at least 635,000 bpd for the foreseeable future but was choosing not to do so for the economic reasons outlined above. At that point, the Oil Ministry agreed to extend the timeframe of the contract to 25-30 years, effectively reducing the daily cost of capital per barrel of oil recovered and to allow Lukoil the option of increasing its stake from the present 75 percent to 80 percent, a source who works closely with Iraqs Oil Ministry exclusively told OilPrice.com. In return, Lukoil agreed to invest an extra US$1.4 billion in the short-term and a further US$3.6 billion down the line, depending on variables including OPEC quotas and the continued development of export capacity in the south, he said.

Related: Alaskas Oil Renaissance Stumbles Despite Rise In Crude Prices

Once again, though, another year or so went by with Iraqs Oil Ministry unwilling and/or unable to meet its obligations under the terms of the August 2017 agreement and the November 2017 agreement. This prompted a visit in February 2019 to Iraqs then-Prime Minister, Adil Abd Al-Mahdi, of Russian President Vladimir Putins Special Envoy to the Middle East and Africa, Mikhail Bogdanov. Given that on the one hand, Al-Mahdi was facing Putins man in the Middle East, and on the other, he knew full well that he would have to account for whatever was said to the real leader of Iraq  Moqtada al-Sadr  after the meeting had ended, it is little wonder that the meeting was very tense, according to the Iraq source. However, Russia wanted to safeguard what it had in southern Iraq to add to the central role that Rosneft had in Kurdistan and to prevent the Americans from pushing it out, and West Qurna 2 allowed it to show good faith to Baghdad, so the agreements of 2017 were reiterated and that is where the matter was left at that stage, the Iraq source told OilPrice.com.

What has changed from the basic stand-off position was the recent withdrawal of several IOCs from Iraq, as highlighted by OilPrice.com, and the lack of change in real leadership in Iraq as a result of the recent elections. Some of Lukoils senior management think that the time is right once again to try to force the Oil Ministry into making good on its previous promises to increase its per barrel compensation on the [West Qurna 2] field, said the Iraq source. Even more specifically, according to a senior oil and gas industry source in Moscow spoken to by OilPrice.com: Lukoil has made it clear that it is not making the 18.5 percent revenue per year from West Qurna [2] that it had expected and is only making around 10 percent per year and that this is not enough and the Iraqis have to make it better or it [Lukoil] will reduce its presence in the field.

By Simon Watkins for Oilprice.com

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Cheniere Energy recently announced plans for a $7-billion expansion of its Sabine Pass liquefaction plant in response to the surge in demand for the superchilled fuel in Asia. India's biggest gas importer said that this strong demand would lead to another surge - in long-term contracts. There may be doubts about long-term oil demand, but LNG's future seems to be bright.

Morgan Stanley said earlier this week that it expected demand for liquefied natural gas to grow by between 25 and 50 percent by 2030. Spot prices for LNG over the next ten years, the bank's analysts also said, as quoted by Reuters, could be on average 40 percent higher than the last five-year average. The bank raised its long-term price outlook for the commodity to $10 per million British thermal units.

The long-term price forecasts compare to a spot price of $56 per mmBtu in Asia earlier this month, the Reuters report noted. This would explain a move to long-term contracts, as forecast by the chief executive of India's Petronet.

"Such a volatility was never seen in the history of LNG markets. We have seen the lowest and the highest prices in the last one year," he said, as quoted by Reuters, at an industry event last week. "Every dark cloud has a silver lining and this (high price) situation is pushing people to have more long-term contracts than normally and that could be the best thing for the gas economy across the world," A. K. Singh said.

But for long-term contracts, there needs to be sufficient supply. The world seems to have swung into a deficit of the fuel and it needs new supply of at least 73 million tons by 2030, according to Morgan Stanley analysts. This would cost some $65 billion, and that's on top of $200 billion of LNG projects approved since 2019, Reuters noted.

Related: Will The Energy Sector Continue To Outperform The Market?

"We think that Asia is the growth driver for our industry for LNG demand for decades to come, and China is the single biggest piece in that," said the chief commercial officer of Cheniere Energy last week, as quoted by the Financial Times.

Cheniere's $7-billion production expansion is part of a new wave of LNG projects that popped up amid the energy crunch that started in Europe and quickly spread to Asia. An earlier report by the Financial Times cited Tellurian, with plans for a $15-billion facility. NextDecade plans to sanction a new facility in Texas by the end of the year.

"Market conditions in Europe and around the world confirm that the call on LNG far exceeds available supply," said NextDecade's chief executive Matt Schatzman. Another executive, the CEO of Venture Global, said U.S. liquefied natural gas will be "critical to meeting this growing need and bringing energy security to Europe and beyond."

Meanwhile, the world's largest LNG exporter earlier this month said its production was maxed out as demand continued to outstrip supply. "We are maxed out, as far as we have given all our customers their due quantities," said Saad al-Kaabi, Qatar's energy minister, as quoted by Al Jazeera. "I am unhappy about gas prices being high."

Qatar, by the way, is working on a substantial increase in its LNG production capacity. The project, costing $28.75 billion, will boost the country's LNG production capacity from 77 million tons per year to 110 million tons. It should start producing in 2025. Related: Alaskas Oil Renaissance Stumbles Despite Rise In Crude Prices

The going seems to be particularly good for LNG producers and is getting better as buyers become more willing to reduce the risk of future price spikes by locking in lower rates in long-term contracts. This also confirms the long-term growth trajectory of liquefied natural gas despite warnings from the International Energy Agency that LNG demand needs to peak soon if we are to hit the Paris Agreement emission targets.

According to the IEA, gas demand must peak between 2025 and 2030 and start declining from 2030 onwards if the world is to achieve net-zero emission status by 2050. But the latest trends in LNG and gas make this doubtful. The fact that companies are willing to commit billions in upfront investments in new production capacity suggests that they expect quite the opposite of what the IEA advises. The Morgan Stanley forecast chimes in with these expectations.

"Contrary to investor expectations, the world is going to need more LNG in the initial phase of the energy transition," the bank's analysts wrote. "Competing technologies for natural gas are not being developed fast enough, and there are significant benefits in reducing coal consumption while greener fuels are commercialised."

This was precisely the idea of Europe switching from coal to gas. Yet as the crunch showed, there is no guaranteed hedge against shortages. Now, it is this drive to minimize the chance of future shortages that is spurring demand. Once the long-term contracts are signed, a demand decline would be difficult to effect artificially to advance the Paris Agreement agenda.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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U.S. gasoline prices, which are now at their highest in seven years, could stay at these elevated levels for "a couple of years," Ryan Sitton, a former member of the Texas Railroad Commission, the oil regulator in America's top oil-producing state, told Sputnik.

"If we maintain the current political environment which is keeping people, investors especially and institutions, retirement funds and those sort of things, if those people continue to be hesitant to spend money or to loan money or to invest money in oil, then we're going to see high prices for a long time, maybe for a couple of years," Sitton told Sputnik.

According to the former commissioner at the Texas oil regulator, the Biden Administration's policies and language could soften as crude oil prices are rallying, and gasoline prices would drop later next year.

"I think between their language softening and prices coming up, I think what is going to happen is investors are probably going to get a little more confident," Sitton told Sputnik.

Earlier this month, President Joe Biden was said to have discussed the latest trends in retail fuel prices with representatives of the U.S. oil industry.

High prices at the pump are notorious as a voting preference factor, and the Democrats are already preparing for next year's midterm, so they need to act fast to lower prices.

The Biden administration has called on OPEC+ to bring more oil to the market, but the cartel has brushed off the calls and is sticking to its disciplined approach to supply increase to keep prices higher.

Now, according to a report in Politico, President Biden has finally decided to reach out to an industry against which much of his political agenda is directed.

Meanwhile, the average price at the pump in the U.S. had increased every day for 27 days to October 25, adding approximately 20 cents to the cost of a gallon of gas, AAA said on Monday. The recent rise in the pump price was the result of higher demand, a decline in stocks, and high crude prices, AAA noted.

"We haven't seen prices this high since September of 2014," AAA spokesperson Andrew Gross said.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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Net-Zero is a phrase were hearing a lot of at the moment, as the world gears up for COP26. Certain Western economies are already on track to reduce emissions, but in the oil-producing hub of the world, namely the Arabian Gulf, Net-Zero is more of an abstract term.

This weekend Saudi Arabia, the worlds largest oil producer, committed to a Net Zero 2060 strategy. In this respect, it follows in the footsteps of its regional neighbor, the UAE, which has gone even further in pledging Net-Zero by 2050. As the worlds largest producers of fossil fuels, going green may sound like a paradox, but Gulf Governments clearly think otherwise. Their timing in the lead-up to COP26 is far from a coincidence.

There is no question that these economies plan to keep oil flowing for the foreseeable future, which is an unavoidable economic reality not just for them, but for global energy security. However, there has been a marked difference in tone, with oil-rich OPEC states not just reluctantly accepting the need to go greener as a fait accompli, but proactively taking steps to do so. This has especially taken a flight in the run-up to COP26.

The scale of the announcements emanating from the region appears to be growing larger by the week. Saudi Arabia, for example, has pledged to bring the worlds largest green hydrogen power plant, powered entirely by renewables, online by 2026. Elsewhere, in something of a coup, Abu Dhabi was announced as the host of COP28, a first for the region, and a sign of changing times. It is clear that the Gulf is betting that a greener stance will pay off in the long run. However, it doesnt necessarily mean the Gulf states will sideline their oil interests.

In a potentially game-changing decision, some national oil entities are considering integrating full-scale renewable energy supply into their own operations. Once again, this sounds contradictory, but this opens up a potentially new model for oil companies to go green. This week, the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) signed an agreement with Emirates Water & Electricity Company (EWEC) to meet up to 100% of its energy requirements from renewable or nuclear sources. This will see the bulk of the companys energy supply come from low-carbon sources.

Developing a short-to-medium-term model where an energy transition can happen alongside the production of hydrocarbons is essential to global economic prospects. The ongoing energy crunch in Europe, China, and even in the U.S., have shown that there is a major discrepancy between OECD-based energy transition strategies, most targeting wind and solar energy, and the reality on the street.

That reality, for now at least, involves hydrocarbons remaining the backbone of the global energy and economic system. However, oil producers licenses to operate have been put under severe pressure, as activism, investors and politicians have pushed for divestment worldwide. In the face of this all, the options for privately owned international oil companies (IOCs) are limited, but national oil companies (NOCs) such as ADNOC have more room to adjust.

The use of renewables will not only mitigate emissions associated with hydrocarbon production, but at the same time, increase opportunities for renewable production expansion worldwide. Integrating renewables is a major step towards a net-zero oil and gas production chain. ADNOCs cooperation with major renewable producers inside of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is not new. The company has promised direct support for a host of in-country renewables projects. This latest step, however, massively increases the scale of this support.

The use of a mix of solar and nuclear energy will, in one fell swoop, render ADNOC the worlds leading supplier of low carbon oil and gas products. In future trade scenarios, oil and gas producers with the lowest carbon footprint will reap rewards as carbon intensity becomes a bigger factor in the cost of doing business. Ahead of COP26, it appears the worlds biggest hydrocarbon producers are putting forward their own version of an energy transition, which sees oil and renewables capable of living side-by-side.

By Cyril Widdershoven for Oilprice.com

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Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden), the state miner of the worlds top oil exporter, plans huge investments in exploring for lithium and nickel in Saudi Arabia over the next two decades, Maadens top executive told Bloomberg Television on Wednesday.

In the next 10 to 20 years we are going to spend huge amount of money looking for those metals in Saudi Arabia, Maadens chief executive officer Abdulaziz Al Harbi told Bloomberg, asked about the key battery metals lithium and nickel.

The worlds largest oil exporter is thus betting on critical battery metals, whose demand is set to grow exponentially in the energy transition.

It is unclear whether Saudi state miner Maaden would be involved in a recently announced plan from Australia-based EV Metals Group plc to build and develop a battery chemicals complex in the Yanbu industrial city in Saudi Arabia, following the signing of a conditional investment agreement with the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu (RCJY).

We have also advanced the development of the Saudi supply chain with applications for exploration licenses over areas with identified critical raw materials containing lithium, nickel, cobalt, copper, platinum group metals and rare earth elements, EV Metals Group said while announcing the plans in early October.

Critical battery metals will be among the most sought-after commodities in coming years due to the global drive for electrification and increased solar and wind power installations, analysts say, as they expect tight markets for key battery minerals ahead.

Todays mineral supply and investment plans fall short of what is needed to transform the energy sector, raising the risk of delayed or more expensive energy transitions, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in a report on the role of critical minerals earlier this year.

For example, lithium prices have soared this year to record highs, as lithium demand for EVs will only grow in the coming years, analysts say.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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It was his dream to secure a prestigious job at one of the leading banks in Ghana and education from a top tier secondary school in the country  Achimota School, as well as further studies at the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom was enough to put him on the right track to achieving greatness in the field of banking.



But 12 months into securing such a job and living his dream as a member of the white-collar family, John Nana Addo Francois quit.



His reason? A lack of satisfaction.



Sometimes life speaks to you and you sort of gain some clarityI wasnt satisfied. I didnt feel like there was enough of an impact from my daily activities so I looked elsewhere, the Chief Executive Officer of Asili Coffee Purveyors ltd said to Kwabena Kyenkyenhene Boateng on the business edition of 21 minutes with KKB.



A bold move, you would say of a gentleman willing to quit his childhood dream in pursuit of God knows what but the next stages of Francois life were even more interesting.



Days turned into weeks and John Francois was still not clear on what it is he truly wanted to do to fill the void that drove him out of the banking hall.

With roots in Akropong Akuapem, John would visit his family one day and discover that he had a strong connection to local farmers in the community.



Alas, the eureka moment  Farming!



With no knowledge whatsoever in farming, interest was enough to get the ball rolling for the 31-year-old Akora who now produces Africas finest premium coffee and is exporting to several countries on the continent and in the United States of America.



On journeys there (Akropong) I look at the area and I feel like okay look let me contribute my own quota to my community as well. When you look around youd see that there are vast fertile lands and so it clicks that agriculture is something this area can supportI drink a lot of coffee, most bankers do. So I was like maybe I can go into thisI chose coffee because my grandfather on my mothers side also planted coffee in an area called Ahabanten, Francois said.



Francois would spend weeks in Akropong, interacting with farmers, understanding their needs, and learning on the job in a build-up to becoming the Chief Executive Officer of a young Fast Moving Consumer Good (FMCG) company.



Actually I was just a consumer, like everybody else. I had to learn on the job which is something that I encourage a lot of people to do. Just because you dont have a general background in something doesnt mean you cant actually teach yourself. There are a lot of resources nowadays  online, free courses, even some of our friends who have studied and are now tutoring others as well  self-learning



Having gained a fair amount of knowledge on the job, coupled with his genuine interest in farming, Francois was ready to get things into action, except, he didnt have the necessary funds.





For a vision as big as what he had  producing and processing premium coffee for export  the young man will need more than ideas and words.Like many young entrepreneurs, John Francois had to dip into his personal savings while relying on support from family members to start his business.You need to prove certain things to people. You need to engage in market research, layout a proper plan because nobody is going to give you free money like thatI had to put together a proper plan and I managed to get some seed capital from within our family ranks. From there, we introduced coffee to the Akuapem area. We leaned on some initiatives that are currently happening and we managed to get some seedlings to the Akuapem area but in order to get the seedlings to come to the Akuapem area we needed to put the factory up first.You have zero track record, I mean think about it, who are you? At the startup stage, theres always that issue which is why it is advisable to start something bootstrapped. I started in a garage  in one room with one grinder, Francois recounted in his interview on 21 minutes with KKB.Today, John Francois, through his company, Asili Coffee Purveyors ltd with support from The Kingdom of the Netherlands Orange Corners Initiative Fund and the Government of Ghanas Planting for Export and Rural Development is providing jobs for hundreds of people.From farmers who grow the coffee beans to people who work in his factory and the all-women sales team that place Asili as a continental contender in terms of impact and quality. John Nana Addo Francois is creating value for several families and he is satisfied, more satisfied than he was while living his childhood dream as a banker.

Source: Kwabena Kyenkyenhene Boateng | 21 minutes with KKB









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Officials from AskNano, a new business listing app have paid a courtesy call on the LEKMA Municipal Assembly in the Greater Accra Region.



The visit to the Assembly was important as LEKMA was being used as the initial catchment area for its pilot.



Led by Nour Nader, Director of AskNano, the team on Thursday, October 21 met with executives of the Assembly to formally introduce the App and its impact on the municipality to the team.



Speaking at the meeting, Nour Nader said the App is a onestop solutions platform which allows users all over Ghana to promote their businesses and services.



AskNano provides you with a platform through which users can find all the above and many more within seconds. Asknano embraces all types of businesses from Small scale enterprises to bigger companies within their app, one would no longer have to go around asking throughout their neighbourhood for inaccurate and biased advice. You can market your business and can handle your multiple Businesses under one account.



She added that The goal of AskNano is to provide Ghanaians with a worry-free life by handing them all the knowledge they need to be able to live the best comfortable life. AskNano is here to help you interact with your friends and your customers via chat to give the best service. All users need to do is search the service they are looking for, and they will be provided with a list of all the companies and businesses that can opt for the service requested.



The visit was also a follow up to BRAVEs initial commitment to the Assembly some months back to help find solutions to the unemployment situation in the area.



Tracy Owusu-Addo, Founder of BRAVE added that, to reduce unemployment in the country and to motivate entrepreneurs, signing up on to the AskNano app will provide opportunities to business owners to get access to their target market.



AskNano provides benefits around discoverability, Search EngineOptimization improvement, stronger reputation, and improving local visibility.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A Member of the House of Lords of the United Kingdom, Bishop Sarah Mullally has described Ghanas anti-LGBTQI+ as unacceptable.



The female Bishop believes the bill when passed into law, will promote fear and intolerance.



It was also her view that the bill will put the lives and freedom of several people at risk.



The Bishop stated that we were all created by God hence we all deserve love.



She wants the bill to be resisted and has therefore sent her prayers to the community.



She was reacting to concerns raised by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd Justin Welby.



Most Revd in his statement said: I am gravely concerned by the draft anti-LGBTQ+ Bill due to be debated by the Ghanaian parliament. I will be speaking with the Archbishop of Ghana in the coming days to discuss the Anglican Church of Ghanas response to the Bill.



The majority of Anglicans within the global Anglican Communion are committed to upholding both the traditional teaching on marriage as laid out in the 1998 Lambeth Conference Resolution I:10, and the rights of every person, regardless of sexual orientation, before the law.



"In Resolution I:10, the Anglican Communion also made a commitment to assure [LGBTQ+ people] that they are loved by God and that all baptised, believing and faithful persons, regardless of sexual orientation, are full members of the Body of Christ.



"Meanwhile on numerous occasions, the Primates of the Anglican Communion have stated their opposition to the criminalisation of same-sex attracted people: most recently, and unanimously, in the communique of the 2016 Primates Meeting.



I remind our brothers and sisters in the Anglican Church of Ghana of these commitments.



We are a global family of churches, but the mission of the church is the same in every culture and country: to demonstrate, through its actions and words, Gods offer of unconditional love to every human being through Jesus Christ.



In her reaction, she said: I share the Archbishops grave concerns and support his actions. I am praying for the +LGBTQI+ community in Ghana



Ghanas proposed anti- LGBT legislation is unacceptable and must be resisted. It would promote fear and intolerance, putting the freedom of so many people under threat. We are all love equally by God. My prayers are with the LGBT community in Ghana at this time.



Bishop Elisabeth Mullally, is a British Anglican Bishop, Lord Spiritual and former nurse.



She has been Bishop of London since 8 March 2018.



She was Englands Chief Nursing Officer and the National Health Services director of patient experience for England; from July 2015 until 2018, she was Bishop of Crediton, a suffragan bishop in the Diocese of Exeter.

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Bishop of London (head of Londons Anglican church), the Rt Reverend Sarah Mullally has been served a dose of the Sam George clapback after she made a post about Ghanas anti-LGBTQ+ bill.



Bishop Mullally who is a member of the United Kingdoms House Lords in a tweet on Wednesday, October 27, 2021, criticized the bill and called for its rejection.



According to her, the bill is a threat to the lives of LGTBQ+ persons and must not be allowed to pass.



Ghana's proposed anti- LGBT legislation is unacceptable and must be resisted. It would promote fear and intolerance, putting the freedom of so many people under threat. We are all love equally by God. My prayers are with the LGBT community in Ghana at this time, she tweeted.



In a rebuttal, Sam Nartey George who is the lead spokesperson on the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2021 dared Sarah Mullally to mention an aspect of the bill that supports her claims.



Sam George further quizzed if the Anglican church leader had read the bill which is currently before the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee of Parliament.



Dear @bishopSarahM would you be kind enough to tell me what specifically I the Bill is unacceptable and must be resisted? Have you actually read the Bill yourself? he quizzed.



He ended with my thoughts & prayers are also with the many young boys who have been sexually exploited by some of your priests."



Bishop Sarah Mullally was restating a position by the Archbishop of Canterbury Most Reverend Justin Welby that the Anglican church is against the anti-LGBTQ+ bill. Archbishop Welby said he was going to speak to the leadership of the church in Ghana to kick against the bill.



I am gravely concerned by the draft anti-LGBTQ+ Bill due to be debated by the Ghanaian parliament. I will be speaking with the Archbishop of Ghana in the coming days to discuss the Anglican Church of Ghanas response to the Bill.



The majority of Anglicans within the global Anglican Communion are committed to upholding both the traditional teaching on marriage as laid out in the 1998 Lambeth Conference Resolution I:10, and the rights of every person, regardless of sexual orientation, before the law. In Resolution I:10, the Anglican Communion also made a commitment to assure [LGBTQ+ people] that they are loved by God and that all baptised, believing and faithful persons, regardless of sexual orientation, are full members of the Body of Christ. Meanwhile on numerous occasions the Primates of the Anglican Communion have stated their opposition to the criminalisation of same-sex attracted people: most recently, and unanimously, in the communique of the 2016 Primates Meeting.



I remind our brothers and sisters in the Anglican Church of Ghana of these commitments.





















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The World Bank has suspended its aid to Sudan, after the military there staged a coup against the civilian government.



Political leaders were arrested on Monday, sparking nationwide protests and international condemnation.



The African Union (AU) has also suspended Sudan from the bloc over the "unconstitutional" seizure of power. The US has frozen $700m (508m) in aid.



Sudan's civilian and military leaders had been in a fragile power-sharing agreement for the past two years.



The sudden cut to aid is likely to have dire consequences for Sudan's battered economy, at a time when it was just starting to get back on its feet.



The World Bank and AU moves put further pressure on the coup's leader, Gen Abdel Fattah Burhan, to reinstate the civilian government.



Read Full Story .... HERE >>> :









Source: BBC









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The daughter of the embattled Central Regional Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress, Emmanuel Kwesi Dawood, on Wednesday, narrated the ordeal she allegedly went through at the hands of her father, to a Cape Coast Circuit Court.



Dawood had on Wednesday, October 13, pleaded not guilty to defilement, incest, illegal abortion and assault and was remanded into police custody by the circuit court presided over by Mrs Dorinda Smith Arthur.



He, however, was granted bail at a higher court on Thursday, October 21, 2021.



The Ghana News Agency (GNA) reports from Cape Coast that, during a cross-examination by counsel of the accused on Wednesday, October 27, 2021, the victim identified the accused as his biological father.



She told the court that the accused person had several consistent sexual encounters with her.



According to her, in the year 2019, her father lured her into his matrimonial home and informed her that he wanted to replace his love for her mother with her since their love could not last long.



The girl said, she declined a proposal to date him, but the accused ignored and forcibly had sexual intercourse with her in his matrimonial room at Agona-Swedru.



According to the GNA report, the girl revealed that their last sexual act was in the month of June, 2021 at Agona-Swedru.



She alleged that the accused promised to send her abroad only if she did not disclose the ordeal to anyone and warned that he he would make her life very miserable if she informed anyone about it.



She added that in 2020, she got pregnant but the accused took her to Atta Mensah who is his friend to abort the pregnancy.



She alleged that she informed her school counsellor about it.



The girl stated that when the accused heard she had informed the school counsellor, he attacked and subjected her to severe beatings, but she managed to escape.



The case has been adjourned to Tuesday, November 2, 2021 for continuation.



Facts

The Prosecutor, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Mr Daniel Gazor, had told the court that the accused was reported by Ms Mavis Ayitey, mother of the victim, for allegedly having sex with his daughter multiple times, leading to a pregnancy.



He was alleged to have contacted a quack doctor, who performed an abortion on the girl, the prosecutor said.



ASP Gazor said a petition submitted by the victims mother to the Central Regional Police Command, said Dawood had allegedly engaged in the act with the girl, who was 15-years-old.



According to the petition, the victim, who could not bear the pain of the accuseds actions, on Friday, August 24, 2021, confided in her school Housemaster, the Prosecutor said.



The Housemaster then invited the girls grandmother to the school and informed her about her ordeal and they reported the case to the police, ASP Gazor, added.







Source: GNA









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A serial killer nurse who killed patients by injecting them with air for fun has been sentenced to death in Texas. The former nurse at CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances in Tyler who was charged with killing multiple patients back in 2017 and 2018, was sentenced to death by a Smith County jury.



37-year-old Davis who worked in the hospitals cardiovascular ICU wing was found guilty on October 19 by a jury, of injecting air into Christopher Greenaway, 47; Jose Kalina, 58; Ronald Clark, 68; and John Lafferty, 74.



The court heard that doctors were puzzled how the patients became more ill after surgery and scans showed air in their brains, reported the New York Times.



The case which was beset for years with delays from the pandemic, changes in attorneys and other reasons, was prosecuted by Smith County District Attorney Jacob Putman who inherited the case after his contested election in 2018. It has been arguably the most high-profile trial East Texas has seen in at least a decade.



During the trials sentencing phase, prosecutors played for the jury recordings of telephone calls Davis made from jail shortly after the Oct. 19 guilty verdict. In a call to his ex-wife, Davis said he would find ways to prolong patients ICU stays so he could work more overtime and make more money.



Prosecution experts testified that all four victims showed signs of air in their brains that caused irreversible damage. After the fourth death, security video showed Davis was the last person to see the victim before the man's condition deteriorated.



Mr Putman reportedly told the jury during the opening of the trial: "We're going to ask you to find him guilty of capital murder because that's what he did."



Prosecutors said Davis was a serial killer who enjoyed injecting air into patients without anyone watching. "(He) liked to kill people," prosecutor Chris Gatewood said during closing arguments.



Gatewood added;



"He enjoyed going into the rooms and injecting them with air. If you watch the video on (Joseph) Kalina, he sat at the end of the hall and he watched those monitors and he waited. Thats because he liked it."



However Davis' counsel, Phillip Hayes' claim of the hospital having many problems and that Davis was purely at the wrong place at the wrong time, was dismissed by the jury as was the argument that the patients had underlying medical conditions and had shown signs of a watershed stroke where there is a lack of blood to the brain.

The jury only took two hours to make a decision and after Wednesday's sentencing Mr Putman said: "I don't know why they deliberated a short amount of time but if I had to guess it would be the case that the detectives put together was so strong. It didnt leave a doubt in their mind."









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General Secretary of the ruling New Patriotic Party(NPP), John Boadu, has asked former President John Dramani Mahama to spare Ghanaians of his wanton baseless allegations against the Electoral Commission.



He says he does not understand why the former President will continue to disturb Ghanaians with unsubstantiated allegations against the New Patriotic Party and the Electoral Commission.



Speaking on Okay FM's 'Ade Akye Abia' programme, he asked if Ghanaians were not tired of listening to the same old stories cooked by the NDC and their flagbearer John Mahama.



According to him, John Mahama went to court immediately after the 2020 presidential elections to contest the results of the claiming that nobody won the presidential elections, yet he could not prove it in the Supreme Court.



"Why would he come out after the final determination of the matter by Supreme Court and be still accusing the Electoral Commission of theft and other electoral malpractices?" he rhetorically asked.



He said what the NPP is focused on now is how to put their differences together, build bridges and achieve the "break the 8" agenda of the party.



"John Mahama and his party can not always drag us into old argument," he noted.



EC calls on police to investigate Mahama's claims of 1million thumb printed ballots



The Electoral Commission (EC) has called on the Police to investigate claims made by former President John Mahama that the Commission thumb printed one million ballot papers to favour President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in the 2020 presidential election.



At the 'Let the Citizens Know' series held in Accra Monday afternoon (October 25), the EC described the claim by the former President as "false and untrue" and stressed that it was in the public interest for the police to initiate a full-scale investigation that would require Mr Mahama to provide evidence to the claim he made.



The Deputy Chairman of the EC in charge of Corporate Services, Dr Eric Bossman Asare, who addressed the media, said an investigation into the matter would help to maintain public confidence in the countrys electoral process.



"The former President has said the EC thumb printed one million ballot papers for the President of the Republic. This is untrue, and it is a great matter that undermines the credibility of the electoral system and should not be ignored."









Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline/[email protected]









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Former Central Regional Chairman of the largest opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and a social commentator, Bernard Allotey Jacobs is worried about his former party as the behaviour of some members and the party's leader, to him, are unbecoming.



Allotey Jacobs taking into cognizance statements and actions of some NDC members and the party's 2020 Presidential candidate, John Dramani Mahama, dreaded an approaching doom for the party.



Ex-President John Mahama has leveled allegations against the Electoral Commission (EC) claiming the Commission padded 1 million votes during the 2020 Presidential elections in favour of President Nana Akufo-Addo.



He has also scored the EC Chairperson, Jean Mensa, the lowest mark in her performance in the elections.



"2020 was Ghanas worst election. If I was marking her, I would have given her an F. She is marking her own paper after the examination so she can give herself any mark she likes...Tell me which election in Ghana was ballot papers printed yet one million ballot papers were found elsewhere...We didnt witness this under Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan. She [Jean Mensa] knew there was ballot stuffing," the former President said in an interview quoted on 3news.com.



But to Allotey Jacobs, Mr. Mahama wouldn't have made such claims if the party had people to advise him.



He asked; "Are there no elders in the NDC?"



Although resigning from the NDC, he thinks the party is somehow misbehaving, therefore calling on the party's leadership to pull the brakes.



He made the comments during Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'' on Wednesday, October 27.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Former Central Regional Minister, Kwamena Duncan, has taken a swipe at Ex-President John Mahama who has accused the Electoral Commission (EC) of thumbprinting 1 million ballots for President Nana Akufo-Addo during the 2020 elections.



The former President, who was the 2020 Presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), is reported as saying the EC used soldiers to cow his party's polling agents at the collation centres and also stuffed ballots in favour of the President.



"2020 was Ghanas worst election. If I was marking her, I would have given her an F. She is marking her own paper after the examination so she can give herself any mark she likes...Tell me which election in Ghana was ballot papers printed yet one million ballot papers were found elsewhere . . . We didnt witness this under Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan. She [Jean Mensa] knew there was ballot stuffing," the former President said in an interview quoted on 3news.com.



Kwamena Duncan, in response, finds Mr Mahama's claims ridiculous as he wondered why he (Mahama) never forwarded such claims to the Supreme Court during his election petition case.



He read a constitutional provision that gives a 21-day period for any person who has an issue with the elections to file a case in the court to challenge the legitimacy of the winner, which President Mahama and his NDC did; however asking ''are you saying that, within 21 days after the declaration, you did not have this evidence? You did not have it?''



"You're worth your sort; you're worth a political party, a former President that you had as many as 1 million stuffed in favour of your opponent and that did not come to your attention the 21-day period. It didn't come to your attention to enable put all of that together to go to the Supreme Court and challenge it," he was alarmed.



To him, what Ex-President Mahama seeks to do is to have power at all cost, hence resorting to making wild allegations against the EC.



"For their cause, it is either our power or nothing. For President Mahama's cause, for the NDC cause, it is either we have the power whichever means even if this country will come crushing.''



Kwamena Duncan made these submissions on Peace FM's flagship programme ''Kokrokoo''.







Meanwhile, the Electoral Commission has called for Police investigations into the former President's allegations."The Former President has said the EC thumb printed 1million ballots in favour of the president. This is untrue. This is a grave matter that undermines the credibility of our electoral process and should not be ignored. We call on him to provide evidence to support his claim. This is not a matter to be ignored and we call on the Ghana Police Service to investigate this."The Transparency of our process makes it totally impossible for this to happen . . . Our ballot papers also have security features, so any trace of new material will be clearly visible . . . Stuffing cannot be done-it is impossible. We call on the Former President in the interest of our democracy to provide evidence of the stuffing of the ballot boxes by the EC," the Commission further argued.

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Former Chief of Defence Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces, Brigadier Joseph Nunoo-Mensah seems to have given up on Ghanas development and the opportunity to create jobs under President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.



The former retired soldier is worried that the majority of the youth are unemployed despite numerous promises by this Nana Akufo-Addo-led government to create jobs.



Brigadier Joseph Nunoo-Mensah who was discussing the excessive youth unemployment on NEAT FMs morning show Ghana Montie expressed his disappointment in the current administration.



To him, Ghana has never experienced such privation for a very long time until recently.



I have never seen Ghana as hard as this, the former military capo said.



He said sooner or later the desperate youth will rise against government as seen in other African countries.



The desperation is coming from so many areas, he noted.



Listen to interview





Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/peacefmonline.com/ghana









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The Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah, has cautioned against disunity in the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), emphasising its adverse effects on the partys bid to retain power in the 2024 elections.



According to him, money cannot influence voters in the 2024 elections stressing on the need for party supporters to remain united in the lead up to the general polls.



Osei-Mensah outlining ways to Break the 8 at the annual regional delegates conference of the NPP called for unity between all executives at all levels in the party, and asked all feuding factions to resolve their differences.



The NPP in the Ashanti Region has in the past few days seen some internal wrangling, one of which led to a delay in the confirmation of the presidents district chief executive nominee at Sekyere Kumawu.



Getting hold of Parliament

Meanwhile, John Boadu, the general secretary of the NPP, says the party will capture at least 170 parliamentary seats in the 2024 parliamentary election.



He, however, condemned the skirt and blouse voting that characterised Election 2020 and contributed to the partys abysmal performance in the parliamentary election.



The NPP won 137 of the 275 seats in Parliament in the 2020 elections.



Boadu said the NPPs chances remained brighter due to the performance of the government and thus challenged the regional, constituency and polling station executives of the party to forge ahead in unity and work hard to publicise the achievements of the government.





Source: asaaseradio.com









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A-Pro- NPP Group, Youth For Victory 2024, has commended the leadership qualities of the Ashanti Regional Chairman, Mr. Bernard Antwi Boasiako aka Chairman Wontumi, for successfully organizing the Regional Delegates Conference on Wednesday.



According to the group, though many people were skeptical, following the decision by the Chairman to hold the conference at Ejisu instead of Kumasi, the outcome of the event has fully vindicated him and his quality of leadership.



"What happened yesterday at the premises of FORIG can only be described as a show of excellence; the orderly manner in which proceedings were conducted, the flamboyant decorations at the venue were all superb thanks to Chairman Wontumi and his team" the Group asserted in a statement issued on Thursday.



Whilst praising the leadership qualities of the Regional Chairman, members of the group also commended the various identifiable groups, leading party figures, and footsoldiers who thronged the venue to grace the occasion.



"The exciting sight at Ejisu yesterday gives us hope that the NPP is indeed a party for the people, we encourage the supporters to continue to rally behind our leaders as we build a formidable force ahead of the 2024 elections.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/ghana









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The National Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Samuel Ofosu Ampofo has assured that loyal members would henceforth be rewarded when the party comes into office in 2025.



He also called for unity among members of the party, urging them to work hard and avoid divisive tendencies in the party.

Mr Ofosu Ampofo gave the advice whilst addressing Constituency and Branch Executives as well as the teeming grassroot supporters during an award ceremony organized by the Dome Kwabenya constituency on Sunday in Accra.



The ceremony was aimed at rewarding party members who put up a good performance during the 2020 general elections.

He said the goal of defeating the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in 2024 could not be realized in a divided house.



He also hailed the positive disposition of the constituency Chairman, Mr Nii Lante Lamptey, describing him as a team player, whose effort is helping the party return to power. Mr Ofosu Ampofo applauded the 2020 parliamentary candidate, Mrs Elikplim Akurugu, constituency executives and members for carrying out what he described as historic electoral performance in the 2020 elections.



He entreated the regional secretariat to be neutral in resolving grievances in order to ensure unity in the party. He pledged that the party will give the region the necessary support to wrestle power from the NPP.

He noted that the branch executives wont be handpicked in the next branch election next year but would be elected to enable them become effective ahead of the 2024 general polls.



The period of selection at the branches is over; we are now in a period of elections at the branches, Mr Ofosu Ampofo said.

He added, Right now, the NDC has a very credible and reliable database of its members, in every branch across the entire country. Our party is now a stronger and more united party as a result of the membership registration exercise.



He emphasised that the development was an indication that the party would achieve undisputable victory in an election that is free and fair.

Also speaking, former Ambassador to Saudi Arabic, Alhaji Said Sinare urged delegates against selling their votes.

He admonished them to vote for competent leaders who would wrestle the seat from the NPP come 2024.



He also called on the party to abide by internal democracy and transparency to move the party forward.



Alhaji Sinare also cautioned against creating needless tension in the party.



The Constituency Chairman, Nii Lante Lamptey urged the members to remain loyal to the party as more of such rewards would be coming frequently.



I want to assure you that your labour for the party would not be in vain, we will always come to appreciate your efforts because the party revolves in the grassroots, he stated.

Source: modernghana.com









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A 26 year old man identified as Aliyu Na Idris, a resident of Kaduna State Nigeria, has put himself out for sale due to economic hardships that is hitting the country.



According to information reaching us, this man has been walking around Kano with a placard which reads This man is for sale for 20,000,000 Naira. The placard contains his name and bank account number which will be use to receive the said amount.



He is said to be a tailor by profession. Aliyu first marketed himself in Kanu but he couldnt get a buyer, as a result, he moved to Kaduna in search of buyer six days today.



Aliyu revealed that, he lost most of his customers and his tailoring business failed gradually as a result of financial challenges. So he decided to sell himself for survival because it is the only option left for him.



Even though Aliyu got buyers who offered to pay N10m, N5m and N300,000 but he declined the offer because, it is less than his expectation.



Explaining his sale price to Daily trust, Aliyu said I will give N10m to my parents, N5m to the state where i will be bought, N2m to any person who assist in advertising me and the remaining N3m to the one who buys me so he use it for my maintenance.



Aliyu fully understands that he will loose his freedom when bought, but he is not worried about that. Adding that, he is ready to reap fruits off what he is sowing now.



He further said he will relocate to another state if he doesnt find any buyer in Kaduna.









Source: Daily trust









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" " Lily Dale in upstate New York has been welcoming visitors (both alive and dead) since the late 1800s. WikimediaCommons

In 1848, two young women known as the Fox sisters heard mysterious rappings in their house in Rochester, New York, and claimed they were messages from the spirit world. Enough people at the time believed the sisters that an entire new field known as "spiritualism" was born. More than a folk belief in ghosts, spiritualism was (and is) a structured belief that humans consist of a body, a soul and a spirit. When someone dies, the soul and spirit live on in a spirit realm.

Upstate New York at that time was already a hotbed of intellectual communities  so hot it was known as the "Burned-over District" for the nearly constant religious revivals that took place there. Joseph Smith, founder of Mormonism, got his start there. The literary and intellectual community of Chautauqua, where feminist foremother Susan B. Anthony hung out, was nearby. So spiritualism fit right in. "The chief duty of these spirits," according to a study published in the Journal of Religion in 1930, "is to look after the welfare and progress of those on earth."

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History of Lily Dale

In 1880, Lily Dale Spiritualist Assembly was founded at the 18-acre Cassadaga Lakes Free Association camp for spiritualist gatherings. In 1906, the whole community was renamed Lily Dale. Now, more than a century later, it sounds kind of weird and witchy and campy, but Lily Dale was incredibly popular in its early days. It began holding summer camps in the 1890s that were well attended, to put it mildly. Susan B. Anthony was one of the many who visited to check out the mediums. A New York Times reporter also stayed in 1898 and claimed that a quarter million people went to the tiny town annually.

"Mediums, as a class, are strange beings," the Times reporter noted. At the time of his visit, mediums were charging $100 per session, which is more than $3,000 today. (Interestingly, the price for a reading is still between $80 and $100, although it can vary depending on location and length.) He witnessed a few of the techniques that came to be associated with Lily Dale, such as an ear trumpet that would rise from the floor and deliver a message directly into an attendee's ear. Mediums at Lily Dale also used a slate on which spirits could write messages.

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Mediums for Your Mental Health

Spiritualism declined in the 20th century, but Lily Dale remained a stronghold, with summer camps continuing every year. For the past several decades, attendance had also held steady at 20,000 to 30,000 visitors going there in search of clarity and direction. A study published in the Review of Religious Research in 1980 found that only a small percentage of visitors at that time were going to talk to a dead family member. In summer 2021, Lily Dale was open for business, charging $15 daily for anyone interested in walking the grounds where they could book an appointment with a registered medium or receive spiritual healing at the Healing Temple (no fee, but donations accepted).

The study's authors wrote that the kind of spiritualism practiced at Lily Dale was more like a religious sect than a cult. Moreover, they concluded that the mediums at Lily Dale might be doing people a service by granting them a level of peace and acceptance: "If spirit communication can be associated with madness, it is also possible to view the medium as a mental health resource."

Whether people still visit Lily Dale today for clarity and direction or they want to make contact with the "other side" remains to be seen. But, since the 1970s, the number of mediums and the population of Lily Dale has soared. Back then, the village was home to about 25 to 30 mediums in residence during the summer camps, and a dozen or so who stayed on to keep up the town year-round. Today visitors are welcome in the off-season, and Lily Dale has a year-round population of 250, as well as a post office, volunteer fire department, library and a playground. There's also a coffee shop, two restaurants, a few gift shops, some guest houses and even a museum. The National Spiritualist Association of Churches is located there. But only members of the Lily Dale Assembly can lease houses in the community.

But back to the mediums  now there are 37 registered mediums, although there have been as many as 54, and all aspirants have to pass a test consisting of three readings before being established in the community. And they are still the main draw. Whether people are going in hopes of receiving or conveying a message to dead loved ones is totally personal, and depends on their belief in the mediums' abilities. But those interested don't have to pony up for a private session. As we mentioned, there's a day-use fee for anyone who wants to go and simply roam the streets and attend the public meditations and services. And you can visit Inspiration Stump, where services have been held since 1898.

On thing hasn't changed throughout Lily Dale's history: The community has always emphasized sobriety, humility and a decided lack of showmanship. They may appreciate a good psychic pun, but they take their work seriously. They also emphasize that the future is not written in stone  everyone has free will.

Interested in learning more about Lily Dale? Our staff thought "Lily Dale: The True Story of the Town that Talks to the Dead" was a fascinating read. Please note that HowStuffWorks may earn a small commission from that affiliate link.

" " Women and men are seen around the Pagoda at Lily Dale around the turn of the century. The Curt Teich Postcard Archives Collection

NOW THAT'S HOT You may be surprised to learn that candles and incense are forbidden at Lily Dale. Those are the very basics of being a medium, right? What will they ban next, crystal balls? Well, the buildings in the community are very old and very wooden, and it doesn't take a medium to know what will happen if there's an open flame. Actually, they know very well what will happen: The Fox sisters' house was moved from Rochester to Lily Dale, but it went up in flames in 1955.

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Originally Published: Nov 13, 2018
Due to the long distances traveled by whale sharks, transboundary measures may be more effective for the conservation of this endangered species. Credit: Candy K. Real

The world's largest fish, the whale shark (Rhincodon typus), is a plankton-loving giant that can be found alone or in groups in all tropical oceans. However, despite being a highly migratory species, little is known about how the different populations worldwide interact with each other. This lack of knowledge hinders conservation efforts aimed at protecting this endangered animal. Hector Guzman, a marine biologist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, alongside Caitlin Beaver of the U.S. Geological Survey and Edgardo Diaz-Ferguson of Coiba Scientific Station, set out to start bridging this knowledge gap.

By snorkeling around Coiba National Park and in the Gulf of Chiriqui, in Pacific Panama, Guzman collected tissue samples from 21 solitary sharks. The team conducted genetic analyses on them and found out that they were highly diverse, with similarities to populations of whale sharks found in the Arabian Gulf, Western Indian Ocean, Mexico and the Gulf of California.

These results, which were published in Frontiers in Marine Science, suggest that whale sharks can travel over long distances and that transboundary conservation measures such as marine corridors may be effective for species conservation.

"Imagine Qatar: a possible journey of more than 27,000 kilometers from Panama for this species," said Guzman. "This observed connectivity amazed us, revealing a real political challenge for the protection and conservation of whale sharks. It seems no longer a local or regional concern, but a global issue."

Despite its small sample size, this study serves as a baseline for understanding the genetic diversity and population connectivity of this species, whose numbers have declined by half over the last forty years according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This type of data is necessary for deciphering the migration patterns of whale sharks, which are difficult to observe directly over the long term.

"With this publication we contribute to unravel migration and genetic connectivity patterns of transient whale sharks, evidencing the importance of Pacific Panama as a key area for connectivity of the species," said Diaz-Ferguson.

This research was partially funded by the MarViva Foundation (Panama), the International Community Foundation-CANDEO, the Secretaria Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnologia e Innovacion de Panama, and the Research Opportunity Fund of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.

The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, headquartered in Panama City, Panama, is part of the Smithsonian Institution. The institute furthers the understanding of tropical nature and its importance to human welfare, trains students to conduct research in the tropics and promotes conservation by increasing public awareness of the beauty and importance of tropical ecosystems.

Explore further Panama expands the limits of the Coiba protected area

More information: Hector M. Guzman et al, Novel Insights Into the Genetic Population Connectivity of Transient Whale Sharks (Rhincodon typus) in Pacific Panama Provide Crucial Data for Conservation Efforts, Frontiers in Marine Science (2021). Journal information: Frontiers in Marine Science Hector M. Guzman et al, Novel Insights Into the Genetic Population Connectivity of Transient Whale Sharks (Rhincodon typus) in Pacific Panama Provide Crucial Data for Conservation Efforts,(2021). DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2021.744109
Not long after entering the California prison system, Caldwell (pictured here speaking in 2012) was stabbed in the head, shoulder and chest by another inmate who used an improvised 6-inch-long knife made from a metal rod. Credit: Maurice Caldwell (via Paul Abramson)

Maurice Caldwell spent 20 years in prison before his wrongful conviction for a 1990 murder in San Francisco was finally overturned.

Paul Abramson, a UCLA professor of psychology who was hired as an expert by Caldwell's legal team to assess the psychological harm Caldwell suffered, conducted 20 extensive interviews with Caldwell between 2015 and 2020, in addition to interviewing prison correctional officers and reviewing court hearings and decisions, depositions, psychological testing results and experts' reports.

In a paper published in the peer-reviewed Wrongful Conviction Law Review, Abramson provides an overview of the case and a comprehensive psychological analysis detailing the devastating and ongoing effects of Caldwell's wrongful conviction and imprisonment. He also examines the historically contentious relations between police and communities of color and asks why corrupt and abusive officers rarely face punishment for their actions.

Caldwell's 1991 conviction was overturned on March 28, 2010. The San Francisco District Attorney's Office dismissed the case, and Caldwell was released from prison in 2011. He settled his decade-long civil suit against the county and city of San Francisco, the police department and one SFPD officer just weeks before the scheduled start of the trial, and this month, San Francisco's Board of Supervisors approved an $8 million payout to Caldwell, who was 23 at the time of his conviction.

'Appalling injustice': The wrongful conviction of Caldwell

In January 1990, San Francisco Police Sgt. Kitt Crenshaw was among several officers who chased a group of young Black men who had allegedly been firing weapons at streetlights in the city's Alemany public housing project. Caldwell was apprehended but not arrested. Caldwell alleged that Crenshaw physically abused him and threatened to kill him, and he filed a complaint against the officer with the city's police watchdog agency.

About five months later, a man was shot to death in the Alemany projects. Crenshaw, who was not assigned to the homicide division, volunteered to search the projects for offenders and made Caldwell his primary subject, write Abramson and his co-author, Sienna Bland-Abramson, a UCLA undergraduate psychology major (and Abramson's daughter) who worked on the case as a senior research analyst at two civil rights law firms.

On the strength of a dubious eyewitness claim and Crenshaw's investigation notes, Caldwell was ultimately convicted of second-degree murder and two other charges and sentenced to 27 years to life in prison. Another man eventually confessed to the murder. Bland-Abramson concluded that San Francisco police officers had committed racial profiling, harassment and acts of corruption.

Crenshaw, who retired from the San Francisco Police Department in 2011 with the rank of commander, had 67 civilian complaints lodged against him over the course of his career but never faced repercussions for purportedly fabricating his notes to frame Caldwell for murder, Abramson and Bland-Abramson write.

Catastrophic suffering and profound distress

Caldwell endured catastrophic suffering, profound and overwhelming stress throughout his incarceration in various prisons, Abramson writes. How did Caldwell's experiences affect him?

About 2 1/2 years after Caldwell entered the California prison system, he was brutally stabbed in the head, shoulder and chest by another inmate who used an improvised 6-inch-long knife made from a metal rod filed to a sharp point. At the time, he was an inmate at California State Prison, Sacramento, also known as New Folsom's Level 4 Prison.

Caldwell said the stabbing changed his life. "I knew at that very moment I could be killed at any time, on any day," he told Abramson.

A retired correctional officer, Chris Buckley, who knew and had supervised Caldwell while he was incarcerated in a Northern California maximum-security prison, told Abramson last year, "A Level 4 prison is like the worst neighborhood you could imagine. Something terrible always might happen. Besides all of the stabbings, there are so many sexual assaults. Fear of dying in prison is a legitimate concern."

Caldwell routinely observed violent struggles and riots throughout his incarceration, and repeatedly saw lethal weapons in the possession of inmates. He never felt safe any time he walked outside his cell, always fearing for his life. His closest family membershis grandmother, mother and brotherall died while he was in prison. He was prohibited from attending their funerals and became suicidal, feeling he had nothing, and no one, to live for, Abramson and Bland-Abramson write.

"Being in prison was like going to war every day," Caldwell told Abramson. "It's only when I was in my cell at night that I felt I was safe. I was depressed every day in prison. I don't sleep. I suffer every day. I can understand how someone would go postal. I wouldn't do something like that, for my kids, for all kinds of reasons. But I can understand."

Caldwell suffers from what is known as complex post-traumatic stress disordera form of deeply entrenched severe psychological distress also experienced by Holocaust survivors, prisoners of war and victims of childhood abuse, domestic abuse and torturethe result of having experienced sustained and repetitive agonizing events, Abramson said. Complex PTSD is often marked by rage and an unyielding depression, as in Caldwell's case, according to Abramson.

"Mr. Caldwell could very well be an archetype for complex PTSD," Abramson writes. "Maximum-security prisons maintain complete coercive control through 24-hour armed surveillance, locked cell blocks, 24-hour visibility of every aspect of a prisoner's life, routine strip searches and thoroughly structured daily routines; all of which is encompassed within a fortress that is distinguished by outside perimeter barriers, and surrounded by razor wire with lethal electric fences designed to eliminate the possibility of escape."

The many traumas Caldwell, now 54, experienced while in captivity imposed such an emotional burden on him that he disintegrated psychologically, Abramson writes, and the recent civil settlement provides no measure of relief from the deep and lasting anguish and rage that consume himand likely will for the rest of his life.

Caldwell and Buckley, the former correctional officer, spoke with UCLA undergraduates in late September in an "Art and Trauma" honors collegium course that Abramson co-teaches.

Abramson and Bland-Abramson conclude that Caldwell was a victim of appalling injustice, which continues to disproportionately affect people of color in the United States. Recent research has shown that Black people in the U.S. are seven times more likely than white people to be wrongfully convicted of murder.

"Our hope," the authors write, "is that by presenting this material, we can facilitate an understanding for, and empathy with, the trials and tribulations of victims of color who have suffered tremendously from police corruption and wrongful convictions. Until equal protection under the law is sustained unequivocally, restorative justice for people of color will be grievously foreshortened."

Explore further UK changes course, allows cannabis oil for epileptic boy

More information: Paul R. Abramson et al, Racial Animus, Police Corruption, and a Wrongful Conviction of Murder, The Wrongful Conviction Law Review (2021). Paul R. Abramson et al, Racial Animus, Police Corruption, and a Wrongful Conviction of Murder,(2021). DOI: 10.29173/wclawr55
Exemplars of Melanaphis sacchari, the aphid that transmits yellow leaf disease, used in the controlled cane inoculation experiment. Credit: Ricardo Pimenta, CBMEG-UNICAMP

Yellow leaf disease, a major sugarcane pest in Brazil, is caused by a virus resistant to thermal treatment. An infected plantation can be saved only by growing plantlets in tissue culture in the laboratory and planting them out, a time-consuming process that requires specialized infrastructure and personnel. According to a group of scientists who have long studied the problem, the most effective way to control the disease is to develop varieties that are resistant to the sugarcane yellow leaf virus. This is the purpose of a project that is being conducted with FAPESP's support.

The scientists are affiliated with universities (University of CampinasUNICAMP, Sao Paulo State UniversityUNESP), and state-run agribusiness research institutes (Campinas Agronomic InstituteIAC, Biological InstituteIB) from Sao Paulo state, Brazil, and with Ecuador's ESPOL Polytechnic. In an article published recently in the journal Scientific Reports, they describe how they used genomics, machine learning, and statistics to refine and accelerate the search for molecular markers of resistance to the disease.

The group found that resistant varieties are mostly types of so-called energy cane, with higher fiber content and less sugar content than conventional cane, and hence fittest for second-generation or cellulosic ethanol production, although at least one is fit for sugar or conventional ethanol productionso much so that it has just been commercially launched by IAC.

The researchers evaluated 97 sugarcane genotypes, including wild germplasms of Saccharum officinarum, S. spontaneum and S. robustum, traditional sugar and energy cane clones, and commercial varieties developed by Brazilian breeding programs.

"We analyzed the resistance of each of these varieties to yellow leaf disease. The aim was to associate disease resistance with genetic traits. We used several different molecular markers, which are DNA variations, deploying next-generation sequencing to access this information," said Ricardo Pimenta, a doctoral researcher at UNICAMP's Center for Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering (CBMEG).

The varieties were selected by IAC's cane breeding program. Most were part of the program, but there were also specimens from the Inter-University Network for Development of the Sugar and Ethanol Industry (RIDESA) and the Sugarcane Technology Center (CTC).

"The collection was representative of the variability of Brazilian cane, both planted and used in cross-breeding to produce other varieties," said Anete Pereira de Souza, a professor in the Department of Plant Biology at UNICAMP's Institute of Biology and project coordinator at CBMEG.

The symptoms of sugarcane yellow leaf disease typically appear in the later stages of the plant's development. The main symptom is intense yellowing of leaf midribs. The disease alters photosynthetic efficiency as well as sucrose metabolism and transport, impairing growth and yield.

Methods

According to Pimenta, the article describes an experimental procedure that had never been attempted before. "The yellow leaf virus is transmitted by the sugarcane aphid Melanaphis sacchari," he said. "The IAC team planted experimental plots and at the same time reared aphids on plants already infected by the virus. The aphids were then released into the uninfected plantations and monitored in a controlled process of inoculation and infection. Previous studies used a similar approach, except that they planted the cane and left it to be infected naturally, as it were, in a less controlled inoculation process."

Viral load was measured by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). "We used PCR to quantify the virus in the entire set of cane varieties analyzed," Pimenta explained. Disease severity was assessed by observing leaf yellowing intensity and other symptoms, which can often be elusive.

To establish associations between disease resistance and genetic traits, the researchers used genomic techniques, machine learning (an artificial intelligence procedure based on pattern recognition), feature selection, and marker-trait association methods.

"What we normally find in genomic association studies is markers that strongly influence the phenotype [observable characteristics]. That's a problem because you can't find the others that have less influence on the phenotype. Feature selection captures markers that influence the phenotype in a narrower sense, so we used the technique to screen molecular markers more efficiently," said Alexandre Hild Aono, also a researcher at CBMEG.

Machine learning was used to construct a model that predicted whether a variety was resistant or susceptible to the virus, given the specified genetic markers. "To do this, the algorithms first have to rate markers 'highly important' or 'less significant' for predictive purposes. The question therefore was this: If the system rates certain markers highly, do they also influence the phenotype? Our investigation confirmed this was indeed the case," Aono said. "We combined the various methodologies and succeeded in filtering and selecting markers with the most potential to influence configuration of the disease directly, even though they may not be especially conspicuous [in terms of influencing the phenotype]."

One of the aims of the study, Souza recalled, was to compare the results of the methodological techniques in order to see if they converged. "We found a larger set of markers with the methodology proposed, but it was also validated by traditional statistics. They talk to each other, and by using them in association we were able to obtain a much broader dataset for analysis and a richer basis for genetic improvement," she said.

The multidisciplinary team achieved an unprecedented level of detail in this study, she added: "We compared the methodologies and demonstrated the efficiency and necessity of using a more refined statistical approach. Nothing in the literature suggests anyone had ever done this type of analysis, or reared the aphids, infected the plants, and then measured viral load with quantitative PCR. The results serve as a foundation and guide for future research, contributing to a better understanding of the molecular mechanism involved in the disease."

The study was supported by FAPESP via a master's scholarship and a direct doctorate scholarship awarded to Pimenta; a direct doctorate scholarship awarded to Aono; and a postdoctorate scholarship awarded to Carla Cristina da Silva, another co-author of the article.

Disease resistance

According to Pimenta, genuinely resistant plants that do not manifest symptoms or accumulate viral load account for a small proportion of the total. "Few are really resistant. Most plants don't display symptoms but accumulate viral load, which eventually becomes a problem because the pathogen is there without the producer being aware of it. Our findings can help eliminate susceptible varieties as well as tolerant varieties, which accumulate viral load without displaying symptoms and can become a viral reservoir," he said, stressing that the main challenge in crop breeding is selecting the best varieties without losing too much variability.

Many resistant varieties are representatives of energy cane. "They have a recent 'wild' ancestor that's more disease resistant, so this result isn't a surprise. But we also discovered more commercial varieties that proved resistant, and these are more interesting. One of them, IACSP04-6007, proved so promising that it's just been launched by IAC's breeding program," Pimenta said.

Besides this one, the following varieties were also found to be most resistant to yellow leaf disease (no symptoms and low viral loads): IACBIO241, IACBIO257, IACBIO266, IACBIO270, IACBIO271, IACBIO273, IACBIO275, IACBIO279, IACCTC 05-3616, IACSP04-2510, IACSP98-5046, IJ76293, IN8482, IN8488, and Krakatau.

Pimenta also noted the importance of the genes associated with the markers identified. "Some of the most striking examples include the gene for a peroxidase, an enzyme previously associated with resistance to this disease; the gene for a Dicer, a very important enzyme in plants' viral response mechanism; and several genes containing leukin-rich repeats widely involved in plants' immune responses to pathogens," he said.

Explore further Bacteria enters through natural openings at edges of corn leaves to cause Goss's wilt

More information: Ricardo Jose Gonzaga Pimenta et al, Genome-wide approaches for the identification of markers and genes associated with sugarcane yellow leaf virus resistance, Scientific Reports (2021). Journal information: Scientific Reports Ricardo Jose Gonzaga Pimenta et al, Genome-wide approaches for the identification of markers and genes associated with sugarcane yellow leaf virus resistance,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-95116-1
A graphic representation of synchronization models. Credit: Kyoto University

When testing hypotheses on how horses synchronize their herd behavior, computational modeling is a must. So much more is happening among the many mares, stallions, and foals that simple math equations cannot fathom.

"Much like human societies, horses have a much more complex society than most birds or fish, for which there are many successful studies in making behavioral models," explains research leader Tamao Maeda.

In the social structure of feral horses, small stable unit groups aggregate into a larger social organization called a "herd." This is analogous to human families gathering to form a local community, which further combine to form higher social units from cities to countries.

The problem is the animal's virtual size, both in terms of its group population and the vastness of their distribution. The relative scarcity in their behavioral synchronization studies may be due to such challenges in observing the macroscopic structure of feral horses.

The joint team from Strasbourg University and Kyoto University solved that problem with the use of drones to observe the spatial structure and herd behavior of a hundred feral horses simultaneously in Serra D'Arga, Portugal.

Maeda's team used a multi-agent computerized system (MAS) for their research, which is appropriate for target surveillance and social structure modeling. In their MAS, they applied different hypothetical rules:

First, are individuals independent? So, a foal would not count.

Second, do individuals randomly synchronize their behavior? Or is there a possible pattern of selection?

Third, and a more intriguing question is, do individuals synchronize according to their social network? To test this hypothesis, two sub-models were created, one of which only takes into an account the same unit group members, such as in a human clique. The other sub-model applies to the entire herd.

The simulation and empirical data clearly support the last hypothesis, suggesting that the feral horses coordinate with other individuals not only within a unit group but also at an inter-unit-group level. Surprisingly, inter-individual interactions occur among spatially-separated horses as well.

This behavior contrasts with most previous studies that have suggested that socially complex animals synchronize the behavior of only a few nearby individuals and that such local interactions then create the global synchronization.

Among the feral horses, however, the average nearest unit distance was 39.3m while the nearest individual within the same unit was 3.2m. Maeda's results suggest that the horses developed an ability to recognize the behavior of even those individuals that were spatially very distant from them.

The joint research team are encouraged by this effective use of drones and a model with simple rules integrating social relationships in simulating the behavioral synchronization of animals living in one of the most complex societies known.

Research leader Shinya Yamamoto concludes, "As our model is applicable to other animal groups, this study on collective synchronization will contribute to an understanding of the evolution and functional significance of complex animal societies."

The research was published in PLOS ONE.

Explore further Wild horses in Theodore Roosevelt National Park have mixed ancestry

More information: Tamao Maeda et al, Behavioural synchronization in a multilevel society of feral horses, PLOS ONE (2021). Journal information: PLoS ONE Tamao Maeda et al, Behavioural synchronization in a multilevel society of feral horses,(2021). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0258944
Credit: Oregon State University

Effective resiliency planning must account for the socially vulnerable and the many ways that schools and health care facilities serve and connect those people to their community, according to researchers who examined the aftermath of the 2018 Camp Fire that devastated Paradise, California.

Erica Fischer of the Oregon State University College of Engineering led a multidisciplinary team of researchers that investigated damage to the school and hospital facilities and the impact the damage had on the community's recovery process.

The team published a series of four papers: the first three on civil infrastructure damage and the latest on the implications of the school and hospital facility damage. Researchers spent six months in 2019 interviewing 33 people representing 18 organizations in Paradise and surrounding Butte County, with a key takeaway being the complicated and longstanding mental health challenges enveloping the town's school system.

"We found that after an event like the Camp Fire, schools' ability to support student, teacher, and staff mental health is critical to community recovery," said Fischer, a civil engineering professor whose research focuses on improving the resilience and robustness of structural systems. "Particularly in communities where kids have pre-existing conditions of trauma, because an accumulation of stress over time deteriorates mental health even more than a one-time incident."

Findings were published in Natural Hazards.

Fischer and co-authors Sara Hamideh and Payel Sen of Stony Brook University note that while some elements unique to Paradise can't be generalized to other towns, the case study reveals new ways of conceptualizing interdependencies among community components and the role those interdependencies play in population return and housing recovery.

"Schools, health care facilities and other infrastructure services are essential for a community trying to recover from a disaster," said Fischer, who recently co-authored an editorial on wildland-urban interface risk management for the Oregon Capital Chronicle. "And because some groups such as the disabled, the medically fragile, children and the elderly rely on them frequently and heavily to meet basic needs, disruption of certain community infrastructure services disproportionately affects those vulnerable groups."

The research team found that in Paradise, like many communities, there's a strong two-way dependence between school system viability and housing and population restorationschools need students and the funding that goes with them, and the residents who'll live in the rebuilt housing need schools for their children.

The researchers identified four major themes from archival research and the qualitative analysis of their interviews with teachers, counselors and administrators in Paradise's education and health care systems:

Complex and longstanding mental health challenges are the dominant impact on the educational system. Educational and health care impacts are shaped by social vulnerability. Educational and health care systems play a critical role in socially vulnerable groups' ability to recover because of those systems' interconnectedness with other community components. Adapting to new communication norms and technologies, such as social media, helps support community recovery.

The most destructive blaze in California history, the Camp Fire started in the Sierra Nevada foothills early on the morning of Nov. 8, 2018, and grew to 18,000 acres in less than eight hours. Ultimately covering 153,000 acres, it killed 86 people, most of them over age 60, and burned more than 11,000 residences, including 90% of the housing in Paradise.

The Camp Fire displaced 83% of Paradise's 26,000 residents and caused significant damage to the Paradise Unified School District, Adventist Health Feather River Hospital and the town's water distribution system.

Paradise, a former timber town 14 miles east of Chico that was marketed in the 1970s as a good community for retirees, has high proportions of residents with social vulnerability, the researchers say.

Before the fire, the school district and the hospital were its largest employers and also served the community through access to free meals and subsidized medical care. In the blaze's aftermath, schools provided potable water as well as food, neither of which was affordable for many families.

"The schools also acted as day care for elementary-age children whose parents had to look for new jobs after losing jobs because of the fire," Fischer said. "In addition, schools provided some relief to vulnerable, displaced students, and also familiarity and normalcy by restoring a sense of routine and connection to teachers and friends."

The widespread destruction in Paradise holds many lessons for other communities that experience a similar level of destruction from fire or another type of disaster, the researchers say.

When there is a large-scale loss of housing, the loss of community can be devastating. In similar disasters, researchers found that setting up temporary housing in such a way that neighbors are kept together can somewhat maintain a sense of community and belonging during the aftermath of a destructive natural hazard event. In Paradise, social media was a powerful tool for keeping communities together even while physically apart, the scientists found.

"Virtual spaces can give disaster survivors an opportunity to stay connected and access important information in a comparatively non-stressful way, including stumbling onto resources they did not know about," Fischer said. "And having these communication methods set up before a disaster occurs can help them be even more effective. Paradise Unified School District used social media during the COVID-19 pandemic to communicate with parents and students; the communication tool was effective because the school district used it after the Camp Fire."

Explore further Civil engineers find link between hospitals and schools key to community resilience

More information: Sara Hamideh et al, Wildfire impacts on education and healthcare: Paradise, California, after the Camp Fire, Natural Hazards (2021). Sara Hamideh et al, Wildfire impacts on education and healthcare: Paradise, California, after the Camp Fire,(2021). DOI: 10.1007/s11069-021-05057-1
Giant panda. Credit: Anssi Nokelainen

The high-contrast pattern of giant pandas helps them blend in with their natural environment.

Researchers at the University of Bristol, Chinese Academy of Sciences and the University of Jyvaskyla have used state-of-the art image analysis techniques to demonstrate, counterintuitively, that the unique colourings work to disguise the giant panda. The results have been published today in Scientific Reports.

While most mammals are drab browns and greys, there are a small number of well-known and intriguing exceptions such as zebras, skunks, and orcas. Perhaps the most famous of all however is the giant panda.

The international team analysed rare photographs of the giant pandas, taken in their natural environment. They discovered that their black pelage patches blend in with dark shades and tree trunks, whereas their white patches match foliage and snow when present. Also, infrequent pale brown pelage tones match ground colour, providing an intermediate colour which bridges the gap between the very dark and very light visual elements in the natural habitat. The results are consistent whether viewed by human, felid or canine vision models; the last two represent panda predators.

Next, the researchers examined a second form of camouflagedisruptive colourationin which highly visible boundaries on the surface of an animal break up its outlinein the panda's case the borders between the large black and white patches of fur. They found that giant pandas show this form of defensive coloration especially at longer viewing distances.

Finally, the researchers used a novel colour map technique to compare a similarity-to-background metric across a variety of species, as well as the giant panda. This comparative analysis confirmed that the background resemblance of the giant panda fell solidly within other species that are traditionally considered as well camouflaged.

Prof Tim Caro of Bristol's School of Biological Sciences explained: "I knew we were on to something when our Chinese colleagues sent us photographs from the wild and I couldn't see the giant panda in the picture. If I couldn't see it with my good primate eyes, that meant that would-be carnivorous predators with their poorer eyesight might not be able to see it either. It was simply a matter of demonstrating this objectively."

Dr. Ossi Nokelainen, the lead author, added: "The rare photographic evidence allowed us to examine the giant panda appearance in its natural environment for the first time. With help of the state-of-the-art image analysis, we were able to treat these images as if the pandas would have been seen by their predator surrogates using applied vision modelling techniques and also to explore their disruptive coloration. Comparative results totally bust the myth of giant pandas being overtly conspicuous in their natural habitat."

Prof Nick Scott-Samuel of Bristol's School of Psychological Science said: "It seems that giant pandas appear conspicuous to us because of short viewing distances and odd backgrounds: When we see them, either in photographs or at the zoo, it is almost always from close up, and often against a backdrop that doesn't reflect their natural habitat. From a more realistic predator's perspective, the giant panda is actually rather well camouflaged."

"The giant panda is cryptic" is published in Scientific Reports by Ossi Nokelainen, Nicholas E. Scott-Samuel, Yonggang Nie, Fuwen Wei and Tim Caro.

More information: The giant panda is cryptic, Scientific Reports (2021). Journal information: Scientific Reports The giant panda is cryptic,(2021).
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Companies must do more to understand cognitive diversity and foster a culture of 'constructive disagreement' within their boardrooms to make better decisions, according to a new report published today.

Despite a welcome focus on improving gender and ethnic diversity within leadership positions, many companies may still be hindered by 'group think," with too many executives from similar backgrounds and similar viewpoints.

The "Great Minds Don't Think Alike" report, co-authored by Scottish Widows and Dr. Johanne Grosvold, associate professor at Bath's School of Management outlines why cognitive diversity is critical to the long-term success of companies. It also offers practical steps companies can take to improve their approach and guide their decision-making process.

Cognitive diversity is best defined as 'bringing together a range of different styles of thinking among members of a group." That can includebut is not limited todifferent perspectives, abilities, knowledge, attitudes, information styles, and demographic characteristics, or any combination of these.

Scottish Widows, one of the UK's largest pension providers with six million customers, has made improving cognitive diversity within the hundreds of companies it invests in a priority over the next three years to help improve decision-making at board level. In the coming weeks, it will write to the top 50 companies it invests in to encourage them to put cognitive diversity on their agendas.

Key findings on cognitive diversity

Cognitively balanced teams take less time to solve problems. Teams which can consolidate knowledge and are willing to learn new things resolve problems quicker.

Numerous studies have shown a positive relationship between diversity and financial performance.

Nationality, ethnicity and regional upbringing were cited as the most common indicators of cognitive diversity. More balanced gender representation positively impacted board dynamics but it was not a guaranteed indicator of cognitive diversity.

The right leadership is essential to realize the potential of a cognitively balanced team. On their own, cognitive diversity characteristics cannot be guaranteed to deliver benefits.

Action on cognitive diversity by companies is limited. Using publicly available information from each of Scottish Widows' top 25 holdings, the study found only one firm which specifically mentions 'cognitive diversity' as something it considers in its working practices.

Regulators are taking action, proposing that companies are required to report on diversity data. Not treating the subject seriously will soon become a regulatory risk

Dr Johanne Grosvold discusses the report. Credit: University of Bath

Recommendations to boards

Companies need to be more open-minded and flexible in their approach if they are to embed cognitive diversity within their boardrooms. Before hiring, the report recommends revisiting recruitment criteria and looking again at which skills really are essential. Strict criteria will restrict broader representation and reduce cognitive diversity.

Once hired, board members need to feel confident and comfortable to be able to ask sometimes difficult and challenging questions. Quality inductions and support outside the board room will allow time to focus on discussion and strategy during the meeting, the report recommends.

The best way to understand cognitive diversity on the board is to test it. Personality and working style tests are a good place to start, as well as honest discussions about how well the board is functioning. Boards should also actively acknowledge collective cognitive blind spots.

Maria Nazarova-Doyle, Head of Pension Investments and Responsible Investments at Scottish Widows, said: "As our report outlines, the best decisions are made when there is a range of different perspectives and styles of thinking, which embrace constructive challenge and disagreement. That's why we want to foster a culture within the boardrooms of the companies we invest in of being comfortable with the idea of being uncomfortable.

"Group think limits the potential growth of our customers' savings in future. In order to deliver the best possible returns for customers it's important that boards come from diverse backgrounds, have different styles and approaches.

"But doing it in practice takes time and commitment, and we recognize that all companies can do better, including ourselves. As an active steward, we will engage with our investee companies to achieve better corporate governance through broader diversity and set this as the standard against which we expect those companies to perform."

Johanne Grosvold, associate professor of corporate governance and corporate social responsibility at Bath's School of Management, said:

"The report shows that companies are aware of the issue of cognitive diversity but are not yet taking systematic action to ensure corporate boards benefit from it. In the meantime, companies are exposed to the drawbacks of being governed by a group of people who may be characterized by narrow thinking and less diversity of views.

"Great strides have been made in the past decade at appointing female directors and now, together with pushing ahead on demographic diversity, improving cognitive diversity is a crucial action for boards that want to be best placed to respond swiftly and innovatively to challenging business environments."

Explore further Study explores diversity-innovation link in pulp and paper industry

More information: Great Minds Don't Think Alike: Cognitive Diversity the Boardroom: Great Minds Don't Think Alike: Cognitive Diversity the Boardroom: adviser.scottishwidows.co.uk/a  ature/docs/60520.pdf
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Halloween. Valentine's Day. Easter. Throughout the year, US stores are stocked with rotating confections such as chocolates, gummies, and hard candies.

These periods of mass candy production and consumption have a profound effect on the supply chain, yet candy consumption is often absent from conversations about food systems, which the International Food Policy Research Institute defines as "the sum of actors and interactions along the food value chainfrom input supply and production of crops, livestock, fish, and other agricultural commodities to transportation, processing, retailing, wholesaling, and preparation of foods to consumption and disposal."

In recent years, the connections between food systems and climate change have come under increased scrutiny and prompted re-evaluation and policy changes. The current food movement "works to draw attention to the health and social well-being of the people involved in the food system (including consumers), and the environmental and economic sustainability of that system," writes NYU Steinhardt Associate Professor Carolyn Dimitri in a 2020 article titled "From farming to food systems: the evolution of US agricultural production and policy into the 21st century."

While food systems are often discussed in terms of vegetation and livestock, plants and animals contribute to the many ingredients used to create popular candies, and when candy consumption increases, so does the demand for sometimes problematic products such as palm oil and sugar.

NYU News spoke to Dimitri about the ways in which the production and consumption of sweets affect the climate as well as US production systems.

What kind of impact does eating our favorite candies have on the planet?

Pumpkin-shaped Reese's peanut butter cups are a Halloween favorite in my household. Three important ingredients are sugar, for that sweet taste; palm oil, for the smooth mouth feel; and chocolate. Sugar, palm oil, and cocoa are grown in tropical climates, and often on land that has been deforested. Globally, Brazil produces more sugar than any other country, and in 2019, the prohibitions on growing sugar in the Amazon were removed. Palm oil is also grown in the Amazon, but the majority is grown in Malaysia and Indonesia on cleared forestland. Cocoa is grown in Cote d'Ivoire, where 80 percent of the forests have been lost to farmland.

The conversion of forest to farmland contributes to worsening climate change, because deforestation typically occurs through "slashing and burning" to clear land. The burning process emits greenhouse gases, also known as GHG, and the loss of forests means fewer trees to absorb carbon dioxide, a key GHG, reducing the capacity of the planet to mitigate climate change.

In recent years, there has been discussion by environmental activists and some politicians about decreasing meat consumption for the sake of the environment. Why do you think candy consumption has failed to get the same kind of attention?

Maybe because candy is fun to eat? All kidding aside, I think that nutritionists and dentists have already taken a lot of the joy out of our candy habits, leaving environmentalists to think about cows and hogs.

Are there other negative consequences caused by the mass production and consumption of candy?

The poor labor practices on cocoa farms in West Africa garnered tremendous attention in the early 2000s, which spurred candy manufacturers to make pledges against using child labor and trafficked labor. Despite their pledges, approximately 1.5 million children were working on cocoa farms in West Africa in 2018 and 2019, according to the most recent data.

Should we cancel Halloween? Or are there ways that consumers can mitigate these adverse impacts and still enjoy holiday treats?

Halloween is an important cultural holiday in the US, and we should definitely not cancel it! When handing out candy to trick or treaters, or for your personal consumption, look for candy that is labeled as fair trade or is free of palm oil. Fairtrade prohibits the use of child labor, as defined by the International Labour Organization, and the Fairtrade certifying body works with member producer organizations to develop systems to prevent child labor on farms.
Credit: IMAGE: ESA/Hubble, NASA, Toshiya Ueta (University of Denver), Hyosun Kim (KASI)

A hypnotizing vortex? A peek into a witch's cauldron? A giant space-spider web?

In reality, it's a look at the red giant star CW Leonis as photographed by NASA's Hubble Space Telescopejust in time for celebrating Halloween with creepy celestial sights.

The orange-red "cobwebs" are dusty clouds of sooty carbon engulfing the dying star. They were created from the outer layers of CW Leonis being thrown out into the inky black void. The carbon, cooked up through nuclear fusion in the star's interior, gives it a carbon-rich atmosphere. Blasting the carbon back into space provides raw material for the formation of future stars and planets. All known life on Earth is built around the carbon atom. Complex biological molecules consist of carbon atoms bonded with other common elements in the universe.

At a distance of 400 light-years from Earth, CW Leonis is the closest carbon star. This gives astronomers the chance to understand the interplay between the star and its surrounding, turbulent envelope. The complex inner structure of shells and arcs may be shaped by the star's magnetic field. Detailed Hubble observations of CW Leonis taken over the last two decades also show the expansion of threads of ejected material around the star.

This is a time-lapse set of images of the aging red giant star CW Leonis, taken on three dates: 2001, 2011, and 2016. The star is embedded inside gossamer cobwebs of dust encircling the star. These are really shells of carbon dust blown off the star. As they expand into space they change shape, as seen between the Hubble Space Telescope exposures. Brilliant searchlight beams from the star's surface poke through the dust. These beams change orientation through the different dates the Hubble photographs were taken. Credit: ANIMATION: ESA/Hubble, NASA, STScI ACKNOWLEDGMENT: Toshiya Ueta (University of Denver), Hyosun Kim (KASI), M. Zamani

The bright beams of light radiating outwards from CW Leonis are one of the star's most intriguing features. They've changed in brightness within a 15-year periodan incredibly short timespan in astronomical terms. Astronomers speculate that gaps in the dust shrouding CW Leonis may allow beams of starlight to pierce through and illuminate dust, like searchlight beacons through a cloudy sky. However, the exact cause of the dramatic changes in their brightness is as yet unexplained.

A star shines when the outward pressure from the fusion furnace at the core balances against the crush of gravity. When the star runs out of hydrogen fuel, the persistent pull of gravity causes the star to start collapsing. As the core shrinks, the shell of plasma surrounding the core becomes hot enough to begin fusing helium, giving the star a second lease on life. It generates enough heat to dramatically expand the star's outer layers and swell up into a bloated red giant.

Compass image for CW Leonis. Credit: NASA/Hubble

CW Leonis has an orange-reddish color due to its relatively low surface temperature of 2,300 degrees Fahrenheit. The green-tinted beams of light emanating from the star, however, glow at invisible mid-infrared wavelengths. In the absence of natural color, green has been added to the infrared image for better analysis through color-contrast.

Explore further Image: Hubble views star nearing its end
Lacewing larvae of the Supersting-type in amber from Myanmar; all with elongate appendages. (A, B) Specimen BUB 3133, (A) Overview in ventral view. (B) Close-up of tip of hind leg; arrows mark tarsal claws. (C, D) Specimen PED 0316. (C) Overview in dorsal view. (D) Close-up of broke-off tips of preserved stylets. (E) Specimen BUB 3348a. at antennule, hc head capsule, lp labial palp, sy stylet. Credit: DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-99480-w

All fossils are time capsules. But unlike many other finds, insects encapsulated in amber are often perfectly preserved. "Frequently, their external morphology is as well conserved as if they had been sealed in synthetic resin," says LMU zoologist Professor Joachim T. Haug. He and his colleagues have now obtained new insights into the evolutionary history of insects from specimens that were trapped in natural tree resins 100 million years ago, in forests in what is now Myanmar.

Among the finds are fossil lacewing larvae whose morphology differs strikingly from that of the 'typical' insect larva. Their most unusual features are their elongated appendagesparticularly the mouthparts called stylets, which look like hypodermic needles. "As in the case of all modern species of lacewings, these larvae were probably predators, but we know nothing about their prey," says Haug. Modern species feed on aphids, immobilizing them by injecting them with venom, and then feeding on their contents. However, the cuticle of aphids is so soft that much smaller sucking appendages would be sufficient to penetrate them. "The long stylet may have acted as a means of keeping their wounded victims at a distance until the toxin began to take effect," Haug suggests. However, since the most extreme examples of elongated appendages are found in species that are now extinct, he and his colleagues believe that this body organization may have proven to be an evolutionary dead end.

The fossil larvae shed light on ecology and developmental biology

Given that lacewings are now comparatively rare, the degree of species richness of the lacewing group found among the amber-encased fossils from Myanmar suggests that the group was more diverse in the Cretaceous Period. This in turn implies that these insects played a much more prominent ecological role at that time. "They were probably an important constituent of the food chain, since they effectively transformed practically inedible materials into nutritious food for birds," says Haug.

The fossils also shed light on another aspect of insect evolution. Up to now, it has been assumed that the relative lengths of structures such as antennae, sensory organs and legs are subject to developmental constraints. In most insect larvae, these body parts are usually significantly shorter than they are in the mature adult andgenerally speakingthe larva is more worm-like in form. However, in many of the lacewing larvae found in amber, antennae, mouthparts and legs tend to be markedly elongated. "This demonstrates that, from the point of view of developmental biology, there are no strictly defined limits to the lengths of such structures," Haug points out.

The nature of the habitat

However, one other aspect of insect evolution continues to puzzle developmental biologists. Did the first insects that were capable of flight spend their larval lives on land or in the water? Joachim Haug and his team found a clue to the solution in 99-million-year-old amber from Myanmara specimen of the fossil dragonfly species Arcanodraco filicauda. They interpret the morphology of this find as indicating that the earliest flying insects spent the initial stages of their life cycle in water. Other evidence supports this notion. Dragonflies, mayflies and stoneflies represent very old lineages of flying insectsand their modern descendants spend the larval phase (which can last for several years) in water, before they undergo metamorphosis and take to the air asshort-livedadults. "It looks as if the earliest flying insects were highly dependent on an aquatic environment for reproduction," says Haug. Perhaps the first successful take-off from the surface of a pond was accomplished with the aid of wings that acted as sails.

Explore further Animal evolutionglimpses of ancient environments

More information: Joachim T. Haug et al, New extreme morphologies as exemplified by 100 million-year-old lacewing larvae, Scientific Reports (2021). Journal information: Scientific Reports Joachim T. Haug et al, New extreme morphologies as exemplified by 100 million-year-old lacewing larvae,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-99480-w
Credit: Joao Marcos Rosa/Nitro

For 10 years, in the Atlantic Forests, researchers compared forests used by herbivorous mammals, including the lowland tapir (Tapirus terrestris) and the white-lipped peccary (Tayassu pecari), and areas in which these animals have been barred from access due to exclosure plots (fences). The main conclusion is that the areas used by these herbivores show lower loss of diversity than fenced areas.

The new study on tropical forests has generated an article recently published in the Journal of Applied Ecology. The research was performed at Morro do Diabo State Park, in the far west of the state of Sao Paulo. The work warns of the importance of conservation of animals that are facing extinction. The lowland tapir, for example, is classified as Vulnerable in the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List throughout its distribution range. The white-lipped peccary, in turn, is listed as Critically Endangered in the Atlantic Forest.

Patricia Medici, coordinator of the Lowland Tapir Conservation Initiative (LTCI) at IPE (Institute for Ecological Research), authors the article alongside Nacho Villar, a researcher of the NIOO-KNAW Dutch Institute for Ecology. "In this study, we recorded the results of a first experiment on the effects of conservation and protection of large herbivores on the maintenance of biodiversity in tropical forests and, to the extent we know, in any other forest biome. The study shows that large herbivores play an important role in the deceleration of the loss of forest diversity," says Medici.

Credit: Paulo Krajewski

According to the study, mature forests with great diversity were those that benefited the most from the presence of large herbivores. "The results show how forest composition is severely affected when the animals are excluded from the biome, a sign of what may be happening in a series of other fragments of the Atlantic Forest, one of the most endangered biomes on the planet," points out the researcher.

With the launching of the Decade on Restoration of the United Nations (2021 -2030), the results of this study also serve as guidance for future initiatives on forest conservation and restoration. "Conservation of these animals and trophic rewilding (without human participation) are gaining momentum as important tools to restore forest ecosystems and avoid the acute effects of global changes on biodiversity. However, such nature-based solutions are not yet recognized as a conservation option, especially in tropical forests. We believe that this study strengthens the strategic aspect of following in this direction," points out the researcher.

Such findings demonstrate that species conservation and the restoration they promote may be more efficient in protecting against strong declines of diversity in the long run, particularly in well preserved tropical forests with high levels of forest diversity. "Throughout the 10 years of the study, the abundance of plants in the initial stage of germination, their recruitment and species richness fell by some 20% or more, providing a unique natural experiment to test the functional significance of large herbivores to avoid the collapse of biodiversity in the long run," says Medici.

Researchers also observed whether large herbivores have a different effect on mature and secondary forests. "This is an important question and has not yet been explored in trophic rewilding. In secondary forests, we identified about half the number of species when compared with mature forests. In secondary forests, the results show limited protection by large herbivores against the loss of diversity. Long-run regional environmental changes place the restoration of such secondary forests at risk, and their transition to more mature and diversified forests," says Nacho Villar.

Credit: Joao Marcos Rosa/Nitro

Details of the research in practice

The discoveries are the result of monitoring 200 m2 of Atlantic Forest in Morro do Diabo State Park, Sao Paulo, Brazil, between 2004 and 2014. "We studied the potential role of large herbivores against the collapse of plant diversity through time, examining their effect on the abundance of plants in the initial phase of germination, as well as species richness and diversity, the temporal diversity and the rate of change of forest composition. These animals contribute directly to the plants in the forest understory, through seed dispersal and how they affect plants in the early phase of germination. Thus, biodiversity strongholds are highly sensitive to the disappearance of animals like the lowland tapir (Tapirus terrestris) and the white-lipped peccary (Tayassu pecari), for example," explains Villar.

Medici's team established 200 plots in the monitored area, including 100 fenced plots to prevent the access of large herbivores, and 100 control plots, where there was no restriction to the entry of the animals. In order to understand the possible differences in the maturity of the forest, the fenced areas were divided into two large groups, being 25 pairs in areas of mature forest, and 25 pairs in secondary forest.

For insulation of the areas (exclosure plots), the researchers used wooden posts and poultry netting (22 cm). The exclusion areas had the following dimensions: 3 meters in width, 6 meters in length, and 1.20 meter in height. A 20 cm opening was maintained along the bottom of the plot, allowing for the entry of small terrestrial mammals, such as rodents and marsupials. Within the exclosure plots, a central sampling area of 14 m was established, and it was divided into four 11 m quadrants.

Control plots that were not fenced were 1 m wide and 4 m long, divided into 4 quadrants of 11 m. For each exclosure and control plot, each of the 11 m quadrants was chosen randomly for sampling throughout the study.

Forest sampling

In the monitored quadrants, all plants with a diameter of over 10 cm and diameter  5 cm were marked with PVC tags and received reference numbers. This methodology permitted the subsequent sampling of the same individuals. New plants that germinated during the study and complied with the criteria were incorporated into the monitoring protocol.

Throughout the first five years of the study (2004-2008), the researchers measured the plants twice a year, in the early rainy season (October) and in early dry season (April). From 2009 to 2012, data collection took place once a year. The final measurements took place in 2014, ending 10 years of data collection, with a total of 14 measurements. "We followed the fate of 7,287 plants and traced the decline of diversity over 10 years," points out Medici.

Threats and opportunity

The conservation of large herbivores and the restoration of forests affected by them, especially tropical forests, is a challenge due to a series of threats that these animals face. According to the researchers, advances in this direction must consider measures for species protection. "Effective management of the landscape, protection and conservation aimed at increasing the populations of these animals and the facilitation of dispersal and movement between remaining forest areas are strategic. Furthermore, it is worth pointing out the need for reintroduction and translocation initiatives, given that large extensions of mature forest, rich in diversity, are currently being deprived of these animals due to hunting, roadkill and so many other threats."

Based on the results, the researchers point out that the active restoration of neotropical forests with large herbivores may, in fact, be the most efficient solution to improve the state of conservation of many species of large herbivores, contributing to the diversity of tropical forests in the long run. "We suggest that the measures begin in mature forests and then proceed to secondary forests with high levels of diversity."

Explore further Extinction of lowland tapir and white-lipped peccary would impair forest diversity

More information: Nacho Villar et al, Large wild herbivores slow down the rapid decline of plant diversity in a tropical forest biodiversity hotspot, Journal of Applied Ecology (2021). Journal information: Journal of Applied Ecology Nacho Villar et al, Large wild herbivores slow down the rapid decline of plant diversity in a tropical forest biodiversity hotspot,(2021). DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.14054
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

A team of space scientists at NASA has published a Perspective piece in the journal Nature calling for the establishment of a methodical approach to identifying life beyond Earth. In their paper, the group suggests the space science community begin using a "confidence of life detection" (CoLD) scale, similar in some respects to others used in the science community, such as the TRL scale NASA uses to chart the readiness of new technology to be used on missions.

Noting that science, technology and space exploration efforts have led humanity to the point that it might be possible to find evidence of life on Mars or elsewhereand further noting that in the past, discoveries surrounding the possibility of life in other places, most often on Mars, has led to widespread speculation and often criticism of those reporting the evidencethe authors suggest a new approach may be needed. They suggest the adoption of the CoLD scale and outline its seven levels.

The first level would be assigned if detection of a biosignature suggested life might have been found. That would kick off the second level, which would involve ruling out other factors such as contamination. Once that was done, a third level would begin that involved making predictions about how such a signal could have been generated. If all non-biological sources are ruled out, that would move the effort to level four, where observation of the signal would be verified via other means, pushing the effort to level five. If such means are found, the signal can be moved to level six, indicating the signal is deemed related to a life form living beyond Earth. The final seventh level would involve follow-up study of the life form.

If such a scale were to be used by the science community, it is notable that some events would already meet the conditions for the first levelthe detection of methane by ground-based telescopes, for example. It could be argued that NASA has already taken steps to move the detection of methane to level two by sending spacecraft to Mars to measure surface levels. Sending a flying craft that could measure different levels at different points on the surface and identify the types of methane being admitted might take the effort to level three.

The authors suggest a CoLD scale could head off heated discussions regarding findings on Mars and other space objects, allowing energy to be focused instead on learning more about what has been found.

Explore further The search for life on Mars expands to studying its moons

More information: James Green et al, Call for a framework for reporting evidence for life beyond Earth, Nature (2021). Journal information: Nature James Green et al, Call for a framework for reporting evidence for life beyond Earth,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03804-9

 2021 Science X Network
Jupiter's banded appearance is created by the cloud-forming weather layer. This composite image shows views of Jupiter in infrared and visible light taken by the Gemini North telescope and NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/NASA/ESA, M.H. Wong and I. de Pater (UC Berkeley) et al.

New findings from NASA's Juno probe orbiting Jupiter provide a fuller picture of how the planet's distinctive and colorful atmospheric features offer clues about the unseen processes below its clouds. The results highlight the inner workings of the belts and zones of clouds encircling Jupiter, as well as its polar cyclones and even the Great Red Spot.

Researchers published several papers on Juno's atmospheric discoveries today in the journal Science and the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. Additional papers appeared in two recent issues of Geophysical Research Letters.

"These new observations from Juno open up a treasure chest of new information about Jupiter's enigmatic observable features," said Lori Glaze, director of NASA's planetary science division at the agency's headquarters in Washington. "Each paper sheds light on different aspects of the planet's atmospheric processesa wonderful example of how our internationally-diverse science teams strengthen understanding of our solar system."

Juno entered Jupiter's orbit in 2016. During each of the spacecraft's 37 passes of the planet to date, a specialized suite of instruments has peered below its turbulent cloud deck.

"Previously, Juno surprised us with hints that phenomena in Jupiter's atmosphere went deeper than expected," said Scott Bolton, principal investigator of Juno from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio and lead author of the Science journal paper on the depth of Jupiter's vortices. "Now, we're starting to put all these individual pieces together and getting our first real understanding of how Jupiter's beautiful and violent atmosphere worksin 3D."

This illustration combines an image of Jupiter from the JunoCam instrument aboard NASA's Juno spacecraft with a composite image of Earth to depict the size and depth of Jupiter's Great Red Spot. Credit: JunoCam Image data: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSSJunoCam Image processing by Kevin M. Gill (CC BY)Earth Image: NASA

Juno's microwave radiometer (MWR) allows mission scientists to peer beneath Jupiter's cloud tops and probe the structure of its numerous vortex storms. The most famous of these storms is the iconic anticyclone known as the Great Red Spot. Wider than Earth, this crimson vortex has intrigued scientists since its discovery almost two centuries ago.

The new results show that the cyclones are warmer on top, with lower atmospheric densities, while they are colder at the bottom, with higher densities. Anticyclones, which rotate in the opposite direction, are colder at the top but warmer at the bottom.

The findings also indicate these storms are far taller than expected, with some extending 60 miles (100 kilometers) below the cloud tops and others, including the Great Red Spot, extending over 200 miles (350 kilometers). This surprise discovery demonstrates that the vortices cover regions beyond those where water condenses and clouds form, below the depth where sunlight warms the atmosphere.

The height and size of the Great Red Spot means the concentration of atmospheric mass within the storm potentially could be detectable by instruments studying Jupiter's gravity field. Two close Juno flybys over Jupiter's most famous spot provided the opportunity to search for the storm's gravity signature and complement the MWR results on its depth.

With Juno traveling low over Jupiter's cloud deck at about 130,000 mph (209,000 kph) Juno scientists were able to measure velocity changes as small 0.01 millimeter per second using a NASA Deep Space Network tracking antenna, from a distance of more than 400 million miles (650 million kilometers). This enabled the team to constrain the depth of the Great Red Spot to about 300 miles (500 kilometers) below the cloud tops.

"The precision required to get the Great Red Spot's gravity during the July 2019 flyby is staggering," said Marzia Parisi, a Juno scientist from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California and lead author of a paper in the journal Science on gravity overflights of the Great Red Spot. "Being able to complement MWR's finding on the depth gives us great confidence that future gravity experiments at Jupiter will yield equally intriguing results."

Data collected by the JunoCam imager and microwave radiometer from a flyover of the Great Red Spot on July 11, 2017 provides a glimpse of the inner-workings of Jupiter's most iconic anticyclone. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSSImage processing: Kevin Gill CC BY

Belts and Zones

In addition to cyclones and anticyclones, Jupiter is known for its distinctive belts and zoneswhite and reddish bands of clouds that wrap around the planet. Strong east-west winds moving in opposite directions separate the bands. Juno previously discovered that these winds, or jet streams, reach depths of about 2,000 miles (roughly 3,200 kilometers). Researchers are still trying to solve the mystery of how the jet streams form. Data collected by Juno's MWR during multiple passes reveal one possible clue: that the atmosphere's ammonia gas travels up and down in remarkable alignment with the observed jet streams.

"By following the ammonia, we found circulation cells in both the north and south hemispheres that are similar in nature to 'Ferrel cells,' which control much of our climate here on Earth," said Keren Duer, a graduate student from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel and lead author of the Science journal paper on Ferrel-like cells on Jupiter. "While Earth has one Ferrel cell per hemisphere, Jupiter has eighteach at least 30 times larger."

Juno's MWR data also shows that the belts and zones undergo a transition around 40 miles (65 kilometers) beneath Jupiter's water clouds. At shallow depths, Jupiter's belts are brighter in microwave light than the neighboring zones. But at deeper levels, below the water clouds, the opposite is truewhich reveals a similarity to our oceans.

"We are calling this level the 'Jovicline' in analogy to a transitional layer seen in Earth's oceans, known as the thermoclinewhere seawater transitions sharply from being relative warm to relative cold," said Leigh Fletcher, a Juno participating scientist from the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom and lead author of the paper in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets highlighting Juno's microwave observations of Jupiter's temperate belts and zones.

During a flyby of Jupiter in July 2019, mission scientists conducted an experiment measuring minute velocity changes in the Juno spacecraft as a result in the gravity field near the Great Red Spot. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI

Polar Cyclones

Juno previously discovered polygonal arrangements of giant cyclonic storms at both of Jupiter's poleseight arranged in an octagonal pattern in the north and five arranged in a pentagonal pattern in the south. Now, five years later, mission scientists using observations by the spacecraft's Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) have determined these atmospheric phenomena are extremely resilient, remaining in the same location.

"Jupiter's cyclones affect each other's motion, causing them to oscillate about an equilibrium position," said Alessandro Mura, a Juno co-investigator at the National Institute for Astrophysics in Rome and lead author of a recent paper in Geophysical Research Letters on oscillations and stability in Jupiter's polar cyclones. "The behavior of these slow oscillations suggests that they have deep roots."

JIRAM data also indicates that, like hurricanes on Earth, these cyclones want to move poleward, but cyclones located at the center of each pole push them back. This balance explains where the cyclones reside and the different numbers at each pole.

Explore further Clouds on Jupiter rising up above the surrounding atmosphere
Heated gas swirls around the region of the Milky Way galaxys supermassive black hole, illuminated in near-infrared light captured by NASAs Hubble Space Telescope. Released in 2009 to celebrate the International Year of Astronomy, this was the sharpest infrared image ever made of the galactic center region. NASAs upcoming James Webb Space Telescope, scheduled to launch in December 2021, will continue this research, pairing Hubble-strength resolution with even more infrared-detecting capability. Of particular interest for astronomers will be Webbs observations of flares in the area, which have not been observed around any other supermassive black hole and the cause of which is unknown. The flares have complicated the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaborations quest to capture an image of the area immediately surrounding the black hole, and Webbs infrared data is expected to help greatly in producing a clean image. Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI, Q. Daniel Wang (UMass)

On isolated mountaintops across the planet, scientists await word that tonight is the night: The complex coordination between dozens of telescopes on the ground and in space is complete, the weather is clear, tech issues have been addressedthe metaphorical stars are aligned. It is time to look at the supermassive black hole at the heart of our Milky Way galaxy.

This "scheduling Sudoku," as the astronomers call it, happens each day of an observing campaign by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration, and they will soon have a new player to factor in; NASA's James Webb Space Telescope will be joining the effort. During Webb's first slate of observations, astronomers will use its infrared imaging power to address some of the unique and persistent challenges presented by the Milky Way's black hole, named Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*; the asterisk is pronounced as "star").

In 2017, EHT used the combined imaging power of eight radio telescope facilities across the planet to capture the historic first view of the region immediately surrounding a supermassive black hole, in the galaxy M87. Sgr A* is closer but dimmer than M87's black hole, and unique flickering flares in the material surrounding it alter the pattern of light on an hourly basis, presenting challenges for astronomers.

"Our galaxy's supermassive black hole is the only one known to have this kind of flaring, and while that has made capturing an image of the region very difficult, it also makes Sagittarius A* even more scientifically interesting," said astronomer Farhad Yusef-Zadeh, a professor at Northwestern University and principal investigator on the Webb program to observe Sgr A*.

The flares are due to the temporary but intense acceleration of particles around the black hole to much higher energies, with corresponding light emission. A huge advantage to observing Sgr A* with Webb is the capability of capturing data in two infrared wavelengths (F210M and F480M) simultaneously and continuously, from the telescope's location beyond the Moon. Webb will have an uninterrupted view, observing cycles of flaring and calm that the EHT team can use for reference with their own data, resulting in a cleaner image.

An enormous swirling vortex of hot gas glows with infrared light, marking the approximate location of the supermassive black hole at the heart of our Milky Way galaxy. This multiwavelength composite image includes near-infrared light captured by NASAs Hubble Space Telescope, and was the sharpest infrared image ever made of the galactic center region when it was released in 2009. Dynamic flickering flares in the region immediately surrounding the black hole, named Sagittarius A*, have complicated the efforts of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration to create a closer, more detailed image. While the black hole itself does not emit light and so cannot be detected by a telescope, the EHT team is working to capture it by getting a clear image of the hot glowing gas and dust directly surrounding it. NASAs upcoming James Webb Space Telescope, scheduled to launch in December 2021, will combine Hubbles resolution with even more infrared light detection. In its first year of science operations, Webb will join with EHT in observing Sagittarius A*, lending its infrared data for comparison to EHTs radio data, making it easier to determine when bright flares are present, producing a sharper overall image of the region. In the composite image shown here, colors represent different wavelengths of light. Hubbles near-infrared observations are shown in yellow, revealing hundreds of thousands of stars, stellar nurseries, and heated gas. The deeper infrared observations of NASAs Spitzer Space Telescope are shown in red, revealing even more stars and gas clouds. Light detected by NASAs Chandra X-ray Observatory is shown in blue and violet, indicating where gas is heated to millions of degrees by stellar explosions and by outflows from the supermassive black hole. Credit: NASA, ESA, SSC, CXC, STScI

The source or mechanism that causes Sgr A*'s flares is highly debated. Answers as to how Sgr A*'s flares begin, peak, and dissipate could have far-reaching implications for the future study of black holes, as well as particle and plasma physics, and even flares from the Sun.

"Black holes are just cool," said Sera Markoff, an astronomer on the Webb Sgr A* research team and currently vice chairperson of EHT's Science Council. "The reason that scientists and space agencies across the world put so much effort into studying black holes is because they are the most extreme environments in the known universe, where we can put our fundamental theories, like general relativity, to a practical test."

Black holes, predicted by Albert Einstein as part of his general theory of relativity, are in a sense the opposite of what their name impliesrather than an empty hole in space, black holes are the most dense, tightly-packed regions of matter known. A black hole's gravitational field is so strong that it warps the fabric of space around itself, and any material that gets too close is bound there forever, along with any light the material emits. This is why black holes appear "black." Any light detected by telescopes is not actually from the black hole itself, but the area surrounding it. Scientists call the ultimate inner edge of that light the event horizon, which is where the EHT collaboration gets its name.

The EHT image of M87 was the first direct visual proof that Einstein's black hole prediction was correct. Black holes continue to be a proving ground for Einstein's theory, and scientists hope carefully scheduled multi-wavelength observations of Sgr A* by EHT, Webb, X-ray, and other observatories will narrow the margin of error on general relativity calculations, or perhaps point to new realms of physics we don't currently understand.

As exciting as the prospect of new understanding and/or new physics may be, both Markoff and Zadeh noted that this is only the beginning. "It's a process. We will likely have more questions than answers at first," Markoff said. The Sgr A* research team plans to apply for more time with Webb in future years, to witness additional flaring events and build up a knowledge base, determining patterns from seemingly random flares. Knowledge gained from studying Sgr A* will then be applied to other black holes, to learn what is fundamental to their nature versus what makes one black hole unique.

So the stressful scheduling Sudoku will continue for some time, but the astronomers agree it's worth the effort. "It's the noblest thing humans can do, searching for truth," Zadeh said. "It's in our nature. We want to know how the universe works, because we are part of the universe. Black holes could hold clues to some of these big questions."

Explore further Next-generation telescopes could detect the direct collapse of enormous black holes near the beginning of time
One of the largest mosaic panels in the world has been unveiled following a multi-year restoration project at Hisham's Palace in the West Bank city of Jericho on October 28, 2021.

Palestinian authorities on Thursday unveiled one of the largest floor mosaics in the world, in the occupied West Bank city of Jericho, after years of restoration.

Resembling a fine carpet, the vast mosaic covers 836 square metres (8,998 square feet) at the Hisham Palace, an Ummayad Islamic desert castle dating from the eighth century.

The images, seen on dozens of panels, include a lion attacking a deer to symbolise war and two gazelles which symbolise peace, as well as delicate floral and geometric designs.

Hisham Palace had lain forgotten for centuries until it was rediscovered in the 19th century, and explored in the 1930s. It was then that the mosaic was uncovered beneath the dust.

But it still remained neglected until five years ago when the site was closed to visitors as a $12 million Japan-funded restoration effort was launched.

"This mosaic contains more than five million pieces of stone from Palestine which have a natural and distinctive colour," Saleh Tawafsha, the under-secretary at the Palestinian tourism and antiquities ministry, told AFP during the unveiling ceremony.

He said he hoped that the restoration will draw tourists to Jericho, which lies in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Palestinian officials say the carpet-like mosaic that covers about 836 square metres contains more than five million pieces of stone.

The Hisham Palace near the Dead Sea covers about 150 acres (60 hectares) and comprises baths and an agricultural estate.

The Ummayad Dynasty lasted from 660 to 750 AD.

Explore further Massive carpet mosaic briefly uncovered in Palestinian town

 2021 AFP
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

The history of indigenous displacement and land dispossession is a long, troubled and still incomplete history of the United States. It's been widely reported that since 1776, the year America was founded, the U.S. has seized more than one billion acres of land that was home to hundreds of nations of American Indians. Yet many Americans are only vaguely familiar with how this situation came to be.

A first-of-its-kind data synthesis is now providing more context to the history around indigenous displacement and land dispossession in the United States and researchers hope that by taking a look back through data analysis, they will be able to help the outlook forward as Native peoples seek out solutions for current critical issues affecting their communities.

"With human population increases, decreasing natural resources, and climate change, these data need to be shared widely, and research partnerships formed, with organizations such as the National Congress of American Indians," writes Donald Fixico, Regents Professor of History at Arizona State University, in a Perspectives article for Science magazine. "The Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona of 21 tribes, Inter-Tribal Council of the Five Civilized Tribes in Oklahoma, and other Native organizations could use these data and partner with researchers in planning toward sustaining natural resources."

An analysis of the dataset synthesized by various researchers also appears in the current issue of Science. According to Fixico, the authors drew on sources of information that, while known for many years, "had not been integrated because of the enormous task involved." This analysis, he says, provides a more accurate quantitative reexamination of the stages or phases of land dispossession and better informs us of the location of tribes after their forced migrations.

Publication of the dataset analysis comes as federal officials and Native American tribes re-start discussions on efforts to protect and restore tribal homelands, according to a recent report by Reuters.

Still, even with access and analysis of the data now available, Fixico says more work needs to be done to present a more inclusive picture of what Indian country looked like as it was displaced and diminished.

"Objectivity is one of the challenges facing this research because most of the data sources have been produced by non-Indigenous parties," explains Fixico. "Without sufficient Native perspectives, there is a continual general bias in studying United Statestribal relations."

More information: Documenting dispossession of Indigenous North Americans, Science (2021). Journal information: Science Documenting dispossession of Indigenous North Americans,(2021). DOI: 10.1126/science.abl6288
Drip Irrigation at Faylar Village, Senegal. Credit: InnoAfrica/Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0

A team of scientists, including experts from the University of Adelaide, suggest that reliance on modern irrigation technologies as a water-use efficiency strategy is a "zombie idea"one that persists no matter how much evidence is thrown against it.

In a paper in Environmental Research Letters, the international research team reviewed more than 200 supporting research articles and found technology adoption as a water-saving method for improving irrigation efficiency is ineffective, and can actually worsen water scarcity.

"This is because, while water may be saved per hectare on a farm, it typically encourages taking those water savings and putting them back into production, thus there are no 'savings' from the total water use equation," said co-author Adam Loch, Associate Professor at the University of Adelaide's Centre for Global Food and Resources.

"It's an idea that sounds logical, but a hard look at the data shows just the opposite. Water-use efficiency investments can actually increase local water consumption and contribute to aquifer depletion.

"We've known this for decades, but despite such knowledge this idea persists and flourishes."

The paper identifies several reasons why, in the face of contrary evidence, the idea that modern application technology (e.g., drip irrigation) saves water consumption persists, including beliefs and prior decisions that are hard to reverse.

The researchers suggest, some of the key players who continually support the "zombie idea" include those who sell water-use efficiency equipment; politicians who prefer simple popularist solutions; and donor organizations who want easy investable options, rather than dealing with hard and unpopular choices.

"It may be easy for some of these groups to champion water-use efficiency, but they don't have to carry the can when it fails to deliver real savings long-term," said Associate Professor Loch.

"We continually fail to understand the limitations of technology, which at best may only achieve a 10 to 20 percent saving under ideal conditions, and where saved water is often placed into new production," said Dr. David Adamson, co-author from the University of Adelaide's Centre for Global Food and Resources.

"Most farmers don't choose to invest in these technologies without financial assistance like subsidies because they know the limits of these systems and their capacity to permit further benefits."

This result has been consistently observed around the globe, and it's a growing concern in arid regions that have tapped their non-renewable fossil aquifer supplies (deep underground reserves of water) to maintain farm production.

"It's an unfortunate and 'inconvenient truth' that modernisation, touted as a boom for greater water efficiency, isn't saving water as far as our aquifers, or indeed our rivers are concerned," said Dr. Adamson.

So, why do some governments continue to promote drip-irrigation? The authors suggest several reasons, among them corporate incentives to sell equipment and the fact that farmers genuinely appreciate the subsidies (as much as 90 percent in some places) provided by governments.

"Subsidies may help them switch to higher-value perennial crops (like almonds), and increase local production without understanding the risk of future water scarcity due to droughts and climate change," said Dr. Adamson.

"That's great for these farmers in the short-term. But it exposes them to greater vulnerability and debt when droughts occur and droughts are expected to become more frequent in the future."

Associate Professor Loch said while the recent evidence that increased irrigation efficiency tends to increase water consumption continues to be ignored, the reliability of future water supply is declining.

"We need to spread the word that modernisation and other subsidized investments in irrigation, aren't the silver bullet to conserving water and sustaining our agricultural production systems into the future."

In their research, the team outline a plan for future water-saving interventions. The plan includes properly accounting for water use before an intervention as well as after it to measure savings accurately, engaging with engineers to better appreciate modernisation limits, and informing downstream users of how they will be affected to ensure changes are reasonable and positive.

"Finally, being ready to implement these changes during the next shock (e.g., drought), when stakeholders will be less resistant to change, may finally put this zombie idea to rest," Associate Professor Loch said.

Explore further Tracking water storage shows options for improving water management during floods and droughts

More information: C. Dionisio Perez-Blanco et al, Agricultural water saving through technologies: a zombie idea, Environmental Research Letters (2021). Journal information: Environmental Research Letters C. Dionisio Perez-Blanco et al, Agricultural water saving through technologies: a zombie idea,(2021). DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/ac2fe0
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

On the eve of the G20 meeting in Italy, the CMCC FoundationEuro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change releases the G20 Climate Risks Atlas. Impacts, policy, economics, a series of Country Factsheets which summarizes scientific projections of how climate impacts will play out in the world's most industrialized countries over the coming decades.

Based on the most advanced scientific knowledge available on the topic, the study is the first of its kind, and the Atlas is easy to be consulted, designed with a mix of infographics, maps and short narrative descriptions in a simple language. Impacts, risks, and interactions with climate change that are expected by the middle and end of the century are assessed at the national level, under different degrees of warming and development models, with an in-depth analysis of key sectors of the G20 economies.

The report, that is realized with the support of European Climate Foundation and with the scientific contribution of Enel Foundation, finds that under the worst-case scenario, without urgent action to reduce carbon emissions, GDP losses due to climate damage in G20 countries increase each year, rising to at least 4% annually by 2050. This could reach over 8% by 2100, equivalent to twice the bloc's economic losses from COVID-19. Some countries will be even worse hit, such as Canada, which could see at least 4% knocked off its GDP by 2050 and over 13%133 billionby 2100.

Conversely, the faster G20 countries adopt low-carbon policies, the less the climate impacts cascade and the more manageable they become. Limiting temperature rise to 2C could see the cost of climate impacts in the G20 drop to just 0.1% of its total GDP by 2050 and 1.3% by 2100.

Prof. Donatella Spano, member of the CMCC Strategic Board and coordinator of the G20 Climate Risks Atlas. Impacts, policy, economics, said: "From droughts, heatwaves and sea level rise, to dwindling food supplies and threats to tourismthese findings show how severely climate change will hit the world's biggest economies unless we act now. As scientists, we know that only rapid action to tackle emissions and adapt to climate change will limit the severe impacts of climate change. We trust that in the process of a sustainable transition, climate change will be considered the fundamental pillar of the political agenda."

From coastal erosion to the spread of tropical diseases, every G20 country is at risk from the impacts of climate change. The research shows that rising temperatures and intense heatwaves could cause severe droughts, threatening essential water supplies for agriculture, causing huge loss of human life and increasing the chance of fires.

Heatwaves could last at least ten times longer in all G20 countries, with heatwaves in Argentina, Brazil and Indonesia lasting over 60 times longer by 2050. In Europe, deaths from extreme heat could rise from 2,700 per year to 90,000 each year by 2100 on a high emissions pathway.

Climate change will affect food security: in India, declines in rice and wheat production could spark economic losses of up to 81 billion by 2050 and a loss of 15% of farmers' incomes by 2100. By 2050, the potential fish catch could fall by a fifth in Indonesiauprooting hundreds of thousands of livelihoods.

Sea level rise could damage coastal infrastructure within 30 years, with Japan set to lose 404 billion and South Africa 815 million by 2050, on a high emissions pathway.

In Australia, bushfires, coastal floods, and hurricanes could raise insurance costs and reduce property values by $611 billion AUD by 2050.

More information: Spano, D, et al, G20 Climate Risk Atlas. Impacts, policy and economics in the G20, (2021). Spano, D, et al, G20 Climate Risk Atlas. Impacts, policy and economics in the G20, (2021). DOI: 10.25424/CMCC/G20_CLIMATERISK

Provided by CMCC Foundation - Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change
(L-R) Research Fellow Dr Lauriane Chardot and Professor Benjamin Horton, Director of NTUs Earth Observatory of Singapore, who were the lead authors of the NTU COP26 report. Credit: Nanyang Technological University

A group of scientists, led by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and University of Glasgow, have presented a range of disaster risk reduction strategies and policies for ASEAN, a region at risk of multiple natural hazards, which are further compounded by climate change.

Their report highlights that ASEAN is at risk of losing over 35 percent of its GDP by 2050 from climate change and natural hazards, severely impacting key sectors such as agriculture, tourism, and fishing, along with human health and labor productivity.

The region will also observe hotter weather, longer monsoon seasons, and increased droughts, as global temperatures are predicted to increase by 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels over the next 20 years.

By 2050, sea levels are also foreseen to rise by at least 25 centimeters compared to 2000, and the scientists warned that the greatest effects would be felt in ASEAN, due to the number of people living in low-lying coastal areas.

Their report titled 'Adaptation and Resilience in ASEAN: Managing Disaster Risks from Natural Hazards', which called for a strong policy push by governments to increase resilience and focus on preparedness to climate change, was published ahead of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), held between 31 October and 12 November 2021.

To build the resiliency of ASEAN to the consequences of climate change, the team of scientists advised that: Priority should be given to understanding the root causes of disaster risk Disaster risk reduction in ASEAN needs to focus on the circumstances, needs and priorities of people who are financially disadvantaged and marginalized Support for institutional mechanisms to assess and respond to greater uncertainty and changing patterns of disaster risk is needed All disaster risk reduction measures should be considered systematically and on an equal footing to ensure that the best set of measures to reduce risks for the long-term is selected Transparency, accountability, and enforcement of financial standards and regulations are needed to better distribute funding between disaster response, recovery and preparedness and resilience-building efforts.

Dr. Lauriane Chardot, Research Fellow from NTU's EOS, a lead author of the study, said: "Through conducting a comprehensive review of disaster risk in the region, our interdisciplinary team from multiple institutions in the UK and ASEAN highlighted successful and inspirational case studies to be considered by policymakers at COP26. We called to attention the importance of adapting to climate change to reduce disaster risk and increasing resilience at the sub-national, national and regional levels."

Professor Benjamin Horton, director of NTU's Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS), who led the project, said: "Our report describes how ASEAN societies and economies will be increasingly exposed to the climate emergency from sea-level rise, dramatic increases in heat and humidity, extreme precipitation, landslides and drought. This threatens the advances in human development and poverty reduction that ASEAN has made over recent decades. Therefore, disaster risk reduction in ASEAN requires a suite of policies, including livelihood support, effective emergency relief and social protection."

Professor Fabrice Renaud, from the School of Interdisciplinary Studies of the University of Glasgow, who co-led the project said: "ASEAN nations are unevenly at-risk to natural hazards and climate change because of different hazard characteristics and patterns of exposure and vulnerability. It is imperative to characterize risks from multiple-hazards at the sub-national scale to provide locally relevant adaptation measures, reduce risks sustainably, and avoid maladaptation".

The ASEAN report was co-led by scientists from NTU's Earth Observatory of Singapore and the University of Glasgow.

It is part of a series of reports published ahead of COP26 by the British High Commission to Singapore and the COP26 Universities Network, which comprises over 80 Universities in the UK and Singapore to discuss the opportunities and challenges in Southeast Asia's transition to a greener economy post COVID-19.

Researchers from the UK's University of York, Heriot-Watt University Malaysia; Vietnam National University, and the ASEAN Secretariat also contributed to the report.

The report is also aligned with NTU's Sustainability Manifesto, which aims to propel its wide-ranging sustainability efforts over the next 15 years and solidify the University's position as a global leader in sustainability.

Assessing ASEAN's vulnerabilities

A key focal point of the report argues that policies for reducing disaster risk should focus on the vulnerabilities of infrastructure, ecosystems, and social groups across ASEAN.

Climate change has consequences for ecosystems and agricultural activities because of changes in rainfall patterns and temperature. The Global Climate Risk Index, which computes impacts of extreme weather events, ranked Myanmar (2nd), the Philippines (4th) and Thailand (9th) as the top three ASEAN countries at risk from 2000 to 2019. Meanwhile, Brunei Darussalam (176th) and Singapore (179th) were ranked the least at-risk.

The report highlighted that climate change would strongly impact the poor in ASEAN and could undo efforts over the past 30 years to reduce poverty and advancing human development in ASEAN. According to a recent United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) report, up to 96 percent of the region is likely to be affected by drought, and up to 64 percent affected by extreme drought

The increase in extreme weather events is also of significant concern to the livelihoods of ASEAN's population, as the productivity of its agricultural sector depends on a predictable climate and environment.

Natural hazards in ASEAN impact the agricultural sector by damaging physical assets and infrastructure for agriculture, and through losses in agricultural economic flows. For example, Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines which caused the deaths of at least 6,350 people, also submerged crops for around 16 hours and devastated approximately 600,000 hectares of farmland, resulting in 1.1 million tons in crop losses, adversely affecting the livelihoods and food supply chains in the region.

The report noted that a way to soften the impact of disasters from natural hazards and climate change, while also preserving the rich biodiversity in ASEAN, is to protect the region's ecosystems, which include its mangroves, wetlands, coral reefs, and tropical forests.

Preparedness is key

The report notes that much progress has been done to better prepare for the effects of climate change, including local climate projections, but that limited reporting of progress prevents a thorough assessment of disaster preparedness in the region.

Dr. Chardot added: "When designing and implementing adaptation and resilience-building initiatives, the study encourages ASEAN to foster multi-stakeholder engagement. EOS's current sea-level rise research involves multiple universities, and the EOS Advanced Rapid Imaging and AnalysisSingapore (ARIA-SG) program involves multiple stakeholders to improve disaster response. Such initiatives should be supported."

In collaboration with the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the ARIA-SG program was established at NTU's EOS in 2018. The system uses satellite technology to map the damage caused by natural disasters in the Asia Pacific region.

In Singapore for example, the National Sea Level Program aims to coordinate relevant local climate research with institutes of higher learning and address key knowledge gaps in the understanding and modeling of the physical mechanisms of sea level rise and variability, with specific focus on Singapore and the wider ASEAN region.

The report also highlights that flooding is a major hazard in the ASEAN region and suggested that strategies to reduce flood risk should involve a landscape approach where decisions are made at the catchment scale and across regions.

To address this, the report noted that initiatives between academics and stakeholders, such as the Living Deltas initiative which tackles issues related to the sustainability of deltas in South and Southeast Asia, should be developed.

The report also highlighted the importance of nature-based solutions, such as reconstructed and protected mangroves or coral reefs, which protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural or modified ecosystems.

An example is Vietnam's healthy mangroves, which the scientists said make important contributions to both climate change adaptation and mitigation, by acting as a natural barrier against storms, sea-level rise, and erosion, and by storing and sequestering carbon.

Explore further Scientists fear global 'cascade' of climate impacts by 2030

More information: Adaptation and Resilience in ASEAN: Managing Disaster Risks from Natural Hazards. Adaptation and Resilience in ASEAN: Managing Disaster Risks from Natural Hazards. assets.publishing.service.gov.  rk_Policy_Report.pdf
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

In a first-of-its-kind study, a team of researchers attempted to quantify the massive loss of historical lands by Indigenous nations across the United States since European settlers first began laying claim to the continent.

They also found historical land dispossession was associated with current and future climate risks as Indigenous peoples were forced to lands that are more exposed to a range of climate change risks and hazards and less likely to lie over valuable subsurface oil and gas resources.

The study, published online Oct. 28 in the journal Science, was led by Justin Farrell of the Yale School of the Environment. Co-authors include Kyle Whyte of the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability.

"Everyone who's read historyor a true version of itknows this story," Farrell said. "But this is the first scholarly study that has looked at the full scope of change and tried to quantify it, to systematically geo-reference it at scale."

U-M's Whyte, the George Willis Pack Professor at SEAS and a member of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council, said the new study provides important reinforcement for longstanding claims.

"The research confirms what Indigenous leaders have been calling out for years," said Whyte, who is an enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. "The U.S. still has not addressed the land dispossession and the suppression of Indigenous territorial governance that are at the root of why Indigenous peoples face disproportionate vulnerability to climate change impacts."

The study, published with all the data hosted and made public in collaboration with the Native Land Information System, was a Herculean effort pursued on and off over the last seven years.

The hope, according to lead author Farrell and his team, is that other scholars and members of Indigenous nations will review and improve the findings moving forward via open data and public dashboards, providing a more complete and accurate picture of the extent of land dispossession among Indigenous nations.

Among their findings was that Indigenous nations across the U.S. have lost 98.9% of their historical land base since European settlers first began to lay claim to the continent. More than 40% of tribes from the historical period now possess no federally recognized land.

Beyond this single figure, though, the researchers connected their findings to overlapping questions of climate risk and natural resource availability. How, they asked, does exposure to the effects of climate change differ between past and present? How does the agricultural suitability of historical lands compare to current lands? What about oil and gas mineral availability? Beyond the vast quantity of land that was lost, what, the researchers wondered, can be said of the land's quality?

"Obviously, the top-line finding is that, because of systematic land dispossession and forced migration under settler colonialism, Native peoples are exposed to much higher vulnerability due to climate change," said Paul Burow, a doctoral candidate at the Yale School of the Environment and a co-author of the paper.

Present-day lands endure, on average, an increased number of extreme-heat days compared to historical lands, for instance. Wildfire risks are also more severe for about half of all tribes. Findings on agricultural suitability were mixed; the oil and gas mineral value potential of modern lands is less than historical lands.

"And while this gives us a very broad understanding of climate impacts, the work really opens opportunities to derive a more nuanced understanding of effects at the local level," Burow said. "This is the beginning of a long-term, comprehensive research program that will let anybody drill down on how different climate dynamics are touching specific Indigenous peoples and the places they live."

He offered extreme heat as an example: An averaged finding on increased risk of extreme heat to the nation's Indigenous tribal groups is informative, but, at the end of the day, this risk is more meaningful to some communities than others; and so localized data on extreme heat or wildfire risk in, say, the West would be of greater value.

This project, noted Kathryn McConnell, another doctoral candidate at the Yale School of the Environment and a co-author of the paper, fits within a larger research trend linking "contemporary climate impacts to past histories."

"The goal is to bring this historical conversation into contact with the conversations around climate impacts," she said.

She also highlighted the important decision to make the data publicly available, as much of the information they collected has historically remained in the hands of academics and commercial interests.

"There is a violent legacy that persists today, and it remains critical that we try to understand it at large scales," Farrell said. "Not only for historical clarity around land dispossession and forced migration, but for concrete policies moving forward: How can we use this information so that day-to-day, lived experiences of Indigenous peoples are improvedso that the existing inequities are righted and future risks mitigated?"

Explore further Professor examines new developments in mapping tribal displacement

More information: Justin Farrell et al, Effects of land dispossession and forced migration on Indigenous peoples in North America, Science (2021). Journal information: Science Justin Farrell et al, Effects of land dispossession and forced migration on Indigenous peoples in North America,(2021). DOI: 10.1126/science.abe4943
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

There can be "trade-offs" between increasing human wellbeing and improving the resilience of societies and ecosystems, researchers say.

Wellbeing and resilience to environmental changes are key goals of sustainable development, and they are often seen as linked or even interchangeable terms.

But a new paperby an international team of researchers and development organizations, led by the University of Exeter and Lancaster Universitysays the two don't always go hand in hand.

This is especially the case if wellbeing and resilience are understood too simplisticallybut appreciation of the complex links between the concepts can help to find win-win scenarios.

"We want to highlight the vital distinctions and connections between wellbeing and resilience ahead of the COP26 UN climate change conference in Glasgow next week so that policies can be better designed and ensure that addressing the climate crisis does not harm people's wellbeing and livelihoods," said lead author Dr. Tomas Chaigneau, of the Environment and Sustainability Institute on Exeter's Penryn Campus in Cornwall.

Nathanial Matthews, one of the co-authors and CEO of the Global Resilience Partnership, said: "Wellbeing and resilience both feature heavily in policy targets, especially those relating to sustainable development.

"Assuming that the two automatically go together is not helpful. When this mistake is made, it is often the poorest and most marginalized people who suffer."

Dr. Chaigneau added: "For example, after the 2004 Asian tsunami, new legislation in India and Sri Lanka prevented homes and businesses being rebuilt close to the coast, in order to create buffer zones and build resilience to future tsunamis.

"This forced people who depended on the sea for economic, cultural and social reasons to move to isolated villages inland, undermining wellbeing in diverse ways.

"If these trade-offs had been thought through more thoroughly, then measures to ameliorate them could have been implemented alongside them.

"Our website (navigating-complexity.com/home) provides an opportunity to explore some of these complex trade-offs."

Dr. Chaigneau also said that understanding and pursuing wellbeing in simple economic terms is driving the climate crisis, and therefore undermining resilience in potentially devastating ways.

Professor Christina Hicks, of Lancaster University, said: "If we are to build long-term resilience, while addressing contemporary environmental challenges, it is vital we pay attention to an inclusive vision of human wellbeing."

The research teamwhich includes Northumbria University, the Stockholm Resilience Center, the Global Resilience Partnership and Practical Actionsay a more inclusive interpretation of the concepts can lead to better outcomes for people and the planet.

"A narrow focus on achieving resilience and wellbeing locally and in the near future, can lead to trade-offs elsewhere or in the future. We need to consider resilience and wellbeing at regional and global levels, and on timescales spanning generations," Dr. Chaigneau said.

"Responding to extremes in hot or cold temperature changes linked to climate change through air conditioning or central heating, for example, might improve human wellbeing and may even enhance our household resilience to such environmental and climatic changes, but in the long term, it can exacerbate climate change and won't be good for either.

"We need to think of wellbeing and resilience as processes rather than simple outcomes.

"We hope our paper will provide food for thought ahead of the vital COP26 talks."

The paper, published in the journal Nature Sustainability, is entitled: "Reconciling wellbeing and resilience for sustainable development."

Explore further The COVID-19 is a unique opportunity to move towards more sustainable and equitable society

More information: Tomas Chaigneau, Reconciling well-being and resilience for sustainable development, Nature Sustainability (2021). www.nature.com/articles/s41893-021-00790-8 Journal information: Nature Sustainability Tomas Chaigneau, Reconciling well-being and resilience for sustainable development,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41893-021-00790-8
An aerial view of Lake Tuz in Aksaray province, Turkey, Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021. Lake Tuz, Turkey's second largest lake, and home to several bird species has seen its waters entirely recede this year, a victim of climate change-induced drought that has hit the region as well as decades-long wrongful agricultural policies that have exhausted the lake's underground waters. Credit: AP Photo/Emrah Gurel

For centuries, Lake Tuz in central Turkey has hosted huge colonies of flamingos that migrate and breed there when the weather is warm, feeding on algae in the lake's shallow waters.

This summer, however, a heart-wrenching scene replaced the usual splendid sunset images of the birds captured by wildlife photographer Fahri Tunc. Carcasses of flamingo hatchlings and adults scattered across the cracked, dried-up lake bed.

The 1,665 square kilometer (643 square mile) lakeTurkey's second-largest lake and home to several bird specieshas entirely receded this year. Experts say Lake Tuz (Salt Lake in Turkish) is a victim of climate change-induced drought, which has hit the region hard, and decades of harmful agricultural policies that exhausted the underground water supply.

"There were about 5,000 young flamingos. They all perished because there was no water," said Tunc, who also heads the regional branch of the Turkish environmental group Doga Dernegi. "It was an incredibly bad scene. It's not something I can erase from my life. I hope I do not come across such a scene again."

Several other lakes across Turkey have similarly dried up or have receded to alarming levels, affected by low precipitation and unsustainable irrigation practices. Climate experts warn that the entire Mediterranean basin, which includes Turkey, is particularly at risk of severe drought and desertification.

A man walks along Lake Tuz in Aksaray province, Turkey, Monday, Oct. 25, 2021. Lake Tuz, Turkey's second largest lake, and home to several bird species has seen its waters entirely recede this year, a victim of climate change-induced drought that has hit the region as well as decades-long wrongful agricultural policies that have exhausted the lake's underground waters. Credit: AP Photo/Emrah Gurel

In Lake Van, Turkey's largest lake, located in the country's east, fishing boats no longer could approach a dock last week after the water fell to unusual levels, HaberTurk television reported.

"(We have) rising temperatures and decreasing rain, and on the other side, the water needs for irrigation in agriculture," said Levent Kurnaz, a scientist at Bogazici University's Center for Climate Change and Policy Studies. "It's a bad situation all over Turkey at the moment."

A study based on satellite imagery conducted by Turkey's Ege University shows that water levels at Lake Tuz started to drop beginning in 2000, according to Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency. The lake completely receded this year due to rising temperatures, intensified evaporation and insufficient rain, according to the study.

The study also noted a sharp decline in underground water levels around Lake Tuz, a hypersaline lake that straddles the Turkish provinces of Ankara, Konya and Aksaray.

Aerial view of Tuz lake in Ankara province, Turkey, Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021. Turkey's second largest lake and home to several bird species has seen its waters entirely recede this year, a victim of climate change-induced drought that has hit the region as well as decades-long wrongful agricultural policies that have exhausted the lake's underground waters. Credit: AP Photo/Emrah Gurel

The Konya basin in central Anatolia, which includes Lake Tuz, was once known as Turkey's breadbasket. Farms in the region have turned to growing profitable but water-intensive crops such as corn, sugar-beet and alfalfa, which have drained groundwater supplies, photographer Tunc said. Farmers have dug thousands of unlicensed wells while streams feeding the lake have dried up or been diverted, he said.

Environmental groups say poor government agricultural policies play a significant role in the deterioration of Turkey's lakes.

"If you don't pay them enough money, the farmers, they will plant whatever is water intensive and will make money for them. And if you just tell them it's not allowed, then they won't vote for you in the next election," Kurnaz said.

The overuse of groundwater is also making the region more susceptible to the formation of sinkholes. Dozens of such depressions have been discovered around Konya's Karapinar district, including one that Associated Press journalists saw next to a newly harvested alfalfa field.

A shepherd herds a flock of sheep near Lake Tuz in Aksaray province of Turkey, Monday, Oct. 25, 2021. Lake Tuz, Turkey's second largest lake, and home to several bird species has seen its waters entirely recede this year, a victim of climate change-induced drought that has hit the region as well as decades-long wrongful agricultural policies that have exhausted the lake's underground waters. Credit: AP Photo/Emrah Gurel

Tunc, 46, a native of Aksaray, is saddened by the thought that he won't be able to enjoy the flamingos with his 7-month-old son like he did with his 21-year-old son. He remains hopeful, however, that Lake Tuz may replenish itself, if the government stops the water-intensive agriculture.

Kurnaz, the climate scientist, is less optimistic.

"They keep telling people that they shouldn't use groundwater for this agriculture and people are not listening. There are about 120,000 unlicensed wells in the region, and everybody is pumping out water as if that water will last forever," Kurnaz said.

"But if you are on a flat place, it can rain as much as you want and it won't replenish the groundwater in a short time. It takes maybe thousands of years in central Anatolia to replenish the underground water table," he added.

Farmers water their fields near Lake Tuz in Aksaray province of Turkey, Monday, Oct. 25, 2021. Lake Tuz, Turkey's second largest lake, and home to several bird species has seen its waters entirely recede this year, a victim of climate change-induced drought that has hit the region as well as decades-long wrongful agricultural policies that have exhausted the lake's underground waters. Credit: AP Photo/Emrah Gurel

The drought and flamingo deaths at Lake Tuz were just one of a series of ecological disasters to strike Turkey this summer, believed to be partly due to climate change.

In July, wildfires devastated swaths of forests along Turkey's southern coast, killing eight people and forcing thousands to flee. Parts of the country's northern Black Sea coast were struck by floods that killed 82 people. Earlier, a layer of sea mucilage, blamed on soaring temperatures and poor waste management, covered the Sea of Marmara, threatening marine life.

Although Turkey was among the first countries to sign the 2015 Paris climate agreement, the country held off ratifying it until this month as it sought to be reclassified as a developing country instead of a developed one to avoid harsher emission reduction targets. Turkish lawmakers issued a declaration rejecting the status of developed country at the same time they ratified the climate agreement.

Workers produce animal food in Ankara province of Turkey, Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021. Turkey's second largest lake and home to several bird species has seen its waters entirely recede this year, a victim of climate change-induced drought that has hit the region as well as decades-long wrongful agricultural policies that have exhausted the lake's underground waters. Credit: AP Photo/Emrah Gurel

People take photograph and stroll at Tuz lake in Ankara province of Turkey, Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021. Turkey's second largest lake and home to several bird species has seen its waters entirely recede this year, a victim of climate change-induced drought that has hit the region as well as decades-long wrongful agricultural policies that have exhausted the lake's underground waters. Credit: AP Photo/Emrah Gurel

People take photograph and stroll at Tuz lake in Ankara province of Turkey, Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021. Turkey's second largest lake and home to several bird species has seen its waters entirely recede this year, a victim of climate change-induced drought that has hit the region as well as decades-long wrongful agricultural policies that have exhausted the lake's underground waters. Credit: AP Photo/Emrah Gurel

People take photograph at Tuz lake in Ankara province of Turkey, Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021. Turkey's second largest lake and home to several bird species has seen its waters entirely recede this year, a victim of climate change-induced drought that has hit the region as well as decades-long wrongful agricultural policies that have exhausted the lake's underground waters. Credit: AP Photo/Emrah Gurel

A man walks along Tuz lake in Ankara province, Turkey, Monday, Oct. 25, 2021. Turkey's second largest lake and home to several bird species has seen its waters entirely recede this year, a victim of climate change-induced drought that has hit the region as well as decades-long wrongful agricultural policies that have exhausted the lake's underground waters. Credit: AP Photo/Emrah Gurel

People walk along Tuz lake in Ankara province of Turkey, Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021. Turkey's second largest lake and home to several bird species has seen its waters entirely recede this year, a victim of climate change-induced drought that has hit the region as well as decades-long wrongful agricultural policies that have exhausted the lake's underground waters. Credit: AP Photo/Emrah Gurel

In the town of Eskil, near the shores of Lake Tuz, farmer Cengiz Erkol, 54, checked the irrigation system on his field growing animal feed.

"The waters aren't running as strong and abundant as they used to," he said. "I have four children. The future doesn't look good. Each year is worse than the previous year."

Explore further Sinkholes fill Turkey's breadbasket in drought

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
In this June 11, 2019, file photo, canyon walls are shrouded with smoke from a prescribed burn in Kings Canyon National Park, Calif. Ten of the world's most treasured forests and nature reserves, including those in Yosemite National Park in the United States and Sumatra's tropical rainforest in Indonesia, have gone from being net consumers of heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to net generators of it, a new U.N.-backed report shows. The first of its kind study by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and UNESCO cited factors like logging, wildfires and clearance of land for agriculture. Credit: AP Photo/Brian Melley, File

Sites containing some of the world's most treasured forests, including the Yosemite National Park and Indonesia's Sumatra rainforest, have been emitting more heat-trapping carbon dioxide than they have absorbed in recent years, a U.N.-backed report said.

According to the report released Thursday, factors like logging, wildfires and clearance of land for agriculture are to blame. The excess carbon turns up from just 10 of 257 forests classified among UNESCO World Heritage sites.

The Switzerland-based International Union for Conservation of Nature and UNESCO, the U.N.'s cultural and educational agency, said their report provides the first-ever assessment of greenhouse gases produced and absorbed in UNESCO-listed forests. The study was based on information collected through on-site monitoring and from satellites.

The study adds to growing signs that human activities and the fallout from climate changewhich scientists say has made weather extremes like drought and wildfires more likelyhave transformed some natural carbon sinks that suck up CO 2 from the air into net sources of it over the last two decades.

"All forests should be assets in the fight against climate change," said Tales Carvalho Resende, a co-author of the report who works at Paris-based UNESCO. "Our report's finding that even some of the most iconic and best protected forests, such as those found in World Heritage sites, can actually contribute to climate change is alarming."

The consequences of climate change will be on many minds as world leaders gather in Glasgow starting this weekend for a key United Nations climate conference known as COP26.

In This Wednesday, April 30, 2009 file photo, smoke billows from brush fire near Bukit Tiga Puluh natural forest in Riau, Sumatra island, Indonesia. Ten of the world's most treasured forests and nature reserves, including those in Yosemite National Park in the United States and Sumatra's tropical rainforest in Indonesia, have gone from being net consumers of heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to net generators of it, a new U.N.-backed report shows. The first of its kind study by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and UNESCO cited factors like logging, wildfires and clearance of land for agriculture. Credit: AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, File

The 10 sites that were net sources of carbon from 2001 to 2020 were the Tropical Rainforest in Sumatra; the Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve in Honduras; Grand Canyon National Park and Yosemite National Park in the United States: Waterton Glacier International Peace Park in Canada and the U.S.; the Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains in South Africa; Kinabalu Park in Malaysia; the Uvs Nuur Basin in Russia and Mongolia; the Greater Blue Mountains area of Australia; and Morne Trois Pitons National Park in Dominica.

All told, however, the net carbon emissions from the 10 sites together amount to little compared to the total of roughly 190 million tons of carbon dioxide that are absorbed each year by all 257 UNESCO-listed forests. Of those, about 80 sites were net neutral, while the rest were net absorbers of carbon.

The 10 sites accounted for nearly 5.5 million tons of net carbon emissions. The most impactful was the Tropical Rainforest in Sumatra, which removed about 1.2 million tons from the atmosphere, but released another 4.2 millionmaking for net emissions of about 3 million tons. That was from a combination of logging and wood harvesting, as well as the impact of agriculture, the study found.

In the United States, Yosemite generated a net of approximately 700,000 tons of carbon, largely due to a bout of devastating wildfires in the area in recent years.

Tales Carvalho Resende pointed to four "really huge wildfires" over the last decade at World Heritage sites.

"World Heritage sites serve as a laboratoryas observatories for environmental changes," he added. "What is happening at World Heritage sites is just the tip of the iceberg ... in terms of emissions, it represents only a small portion of the whole picture."

Explore further UNESCO reveals largest carbon stores found in Australian World Heritage Sites

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Lisa Shubitz has focused her research on developing a vaccine for Valley fever, along with studying the epidemiology of the disease in canines and the ecological distribution of the fungus in Southern Arizona. Credit: Noelle Haro-Gomez/University of Arizona Health Sciences

A possible canine vaccine for Valley fever took one giant step closer to becoming a reality thanks to a University of Arizona College of MedicineTucson-led study that showed the vaccine provided a high level of protection against Coccidioides posadasii, a fungus that causes Valley fever. The development of a potential canine vaccine serves as a positive harbinger of a human vaccine.

Valley fever, also known as coccidioidomycosis, is primarily a disease of the lungs caused by the inhalation of airborne particles of the fungus Coccidioides, which is found in the southwestern U.S. and northwestern Mexico. Dogs are very susceptible to Valley fever, and it is estimated that Valley fever costs Arizona dog owners at least $60 million per year.

"The idea of a vaccine to prevent Valley fever has been the holy grail since the 1950s," said Dr. John Galgiani, director of the UArizona Valley Fever Center for Excellence and a professor of medicine. "We created a vaccine that worked. The dogs had all sorts of laboratory evidence of active, very widespread disease, and the vaccine prevented it."

U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations require that new veterinary vaccines must be documented as safe and effective in the target species. This is the first study to examine a potential Valley fever vaccine in dogs, and the results were encouraging.

The study found that Valley fever was prevented or greatly reduced in dogs that received an initial vaccine dose followed by a booster 28 days later. Any disease symptoms that were seen were so mild as to be clinically irrelevant.

Researchers also found that a single vaccination without a second shot did not convey protection against Valley fever, which demonstrated the need for a booster. In all dogs, the vaccine was well-tolerated.

The paper was published in the journal Vaccine. First author Lisa Shubitz is a research scientist at the Valley Fever Center for Excellence, where she collaborates with Galgiani and co-author Marc Orbach, a plant pathologist in the UArizona College of Agriculture and Life Sciences whose genetic research led to the development of delta cps-1. The unique strain of Coccidioides appears not to cause disease and was used to develop the live vaccine used in this study.

The Valley Fever Center for Excellence has been working to create an effective vaccine for the prevention of Valley fever in dogs for decades, and this study is a large step forward toward meeting the licensing requirements for a vaccine for dogs.

Scientists at Anivive Lifesciences in Long Beach, California, who collaborated on the study along with Colorado State University and the University of Queensland in Australia, are poised to take the next step.

"The protection provided by this vaccine in dogs is significant, as it provides compelling promise as the first systemic fungal vaccine in dogs, who are significantly more susceptible to coccidioidomycosis than man," said Edward Robb, chief strategy officer for Anivive Life Sciences and a co-author on the paper.

As scientists move a canine vaccine closer to market, they also will build on this research to assess potential vaccine response in people. Anivive Life Sciences has started the vaccine registration process in the U.S. with the Center for Veterinary Biologics and are collaborating with Crozet BioPharma for a human vaccine.

"Equally promising is that this vaccine will encourage development of this vaccine candidate for humans, addressing its significant public health value in the endemic region," Robb added. "The progression from concept to potential clinical use could not have been possible without the collaboration that defines this unique public-private partnership. This One Health approach supports the adage that dogs are indeed man's best friend."

Because this is the first study of its kind, it is unknown how long immunity will last. That is a question that likely will be answered once a licensed vaccine is available through veterinarians. Still, if a canine vaccine proves successful, it paves the way for additional investment and research into a human vaccine, which is desperately needed in certain regions of the world.

While half of the people who get Valley fever remain asymptomatic, others will experience a weeks-to-months-long respiratory illness that affects approximately 1 percent of the total population in Arizona and central California annually. Ten percent of every 100,000 patients will develop complications that can result in long-term treatment and medical care, permanent disability or death. Annually, the disease has an economic impact of nearly $1.5 billion in California and Arizona.

Explore further Arizona economic burden of valley fever totals $736 million

More information: Lisa F. Shubitz et al, cps1 vaccine protects dogs against experimentally induced coccidioidomycosis, Vaccine (2021). Journal information: Vaccine Lisa F. Shubitz et al, cps1 vaccine protects dogs against experimentally induced coccidioidomycosis,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.10.029
Aluminum bird bands. Credit: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

In a dry year in the West, when the world turns crispy and cracked, rivers and streams with their green, lush banks become a lifesaving yet limited resource.

New research from the University of Utah and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) finds that in dry years, birds funnel into the relative greenness of riparian (adjacent to river) environments. That increased diversity is accompanied by overcrowding that may cause increased competition for habitat and resources, the study finds, and an overall decrease in populations of birds who call the river home.

"In a changing climate, it is critical to understand how birds and other organisms are responding," says Monte Neate-Clegg, recent University of Utah graduate and postdoctoral scholar at the University of California, Los Angeles. "From a conservation standpoint, the results are troublesome."

"Riparian birds are reporting in on Utah's most important habitat, the health of our riparian systems," says Russell Norvell, Avian Conservation Program Coordinator for the UDWR. "We all know how crucially important water is in the West for human populations and everything else."

The study is published in Animal Conservation.

Long-term monitoring

The story of the study starts in the early '90s when UDWR and federal partners began monitoring bird populations in riparian areas in response to widespread concerns that riparian birds might be in trouble. At first, UDWR staff would go to a set location, stay for a set length of time, and record all the birds that they saw or heard during that time. The data generated from this method are called "point counts."

In 1994, the program also began banding birds. In this method, a fine, nearly invisible net (called a "mist net") is stretched across a flightpath, temporarily capturing small birds. Staff and volunteers carefully remove the birds from the nets, attach a small, light aluminum band etched with a unique number, and safely release the birds back into the wild. In such an effort, researchers repeat the mist netting at the same place many times and hope that they'll find some banded birds in the nets in the future, allowing them to track the longevity of individual birds and then estimate the size and health of the population.

Norvell's first job with UDWR was as a seasonal bird technician in 1995. He says he's traveled to all 14 monitoring sites throughout Utah, which were randomly located along streams.

"These are some of the most beautiful places in an already beautiful state," he says of these areas that are cool and moist during the summer and home to a diversity of birds. "The bird life is tremendous. It can be a cacophonous sound and a little daunting if you're trying to count them all. First you're trying to identify individual species, then how many individuals of each species and finally their positionall while these birds are flying around. You've gotta be on your game, for sure, to collect these data."

But state and federal budget cuts in 2010, during the Great Recession, meant that after more than a decade of monitoring, Norvell had to close the riparian bird monitoring program. The associated reduction in staff meant that the valuable data collected over nearly two decades languished, largely unexamined.

Rio Mesa research station in southern Utah. Credit: Monte Neate-Clegg

Then in 2016, Neate-Clegg began his doctoral studies at the University of Utah, and spent time banding migrating birds at the university's Rio Mesa research station in southern Utah, which includes a stretch of the Dolores River.

"It became apparent how important these rivers and riparian habitats were for migratory birds within the harsh desert landscape," he says.

Neate-Clegg and his colleagues noticed that during particularly dry years they were finding more birds than usual in the mist nets near rivers. They wanted to explore whether that trend held over multiple years, so they turned to the UDWR's bird monitoring dataset, analyzing data from eight bird banding sites between 1994-2008.

"Studying the effects of climate change is always tricky as it usually requires long-term monitoring data which can be hard to come by," Neate-Clegg says. "Luckily, we were able to take advantage of the dataset compiled by the UDWR. Monitoring stations need not focus only on climate change; many things change over time, so these data can be used to answer many questions."

Oases of greenness

The researchers first sought to understand how bird populations were changing over time using measures including the number of species and abundance of individuals within each species at any point in time.

Then, using bird banding data and the capture histories of individual birds the researchers estimated how long birds were living, how many birds were joining the population, and how the population was changing in size. They then related these ecological measures to climatic variables including temperature, precipitation and "greenness," measured by satellites as a measure of wavelengths reflected from the ground, which identify actively growing plants.

The results showed that the DWR program documented more than 31,000 birds over 15 years from 148 species, with typically riparian birds comprising 58 of those species and non-riparian birds comprising 90 species. This shows the importance of rivers as a stop-over, even for non-riparian birds. Both the numbers and the diversity of birds were higher in the northern mountains of Utah than in the southern deserts.

The multi-year data showed that total bird captures and total species were higher in hotter and drier years, El Nino years, and less green years. The effect was strongest for non-riparian species, suggesting that in harsh conditions, birds from all over the landscape found their way to the rivers.

"This suggests that the wider landscape is unable to support migrants and so they are forced to use greener areas," Neate-Clegg says.

But just as an influx of tourists can crowd out locals, the uptick in birds may have taken its toll on typically riparian species, especially those that breed on river banks. In warmer years, population growth rates slowed for 47% of riparian bird species. The slowing, the researchers found, wasn't due to more birds deaths, but rather to fewer new birds joining the population.

Female black-chinned hummingbird during bird banding. Credit: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

There could be several reasons that bird breeding goes down in hotter years, but the authors suspect that more species in riparian habitats can mean more competition and fewer resources to go around.

"This study shows how native bird populations utilize these habitats," Norvell says. "As droughts intensify, this becomes increasingly the refuge that everything's relying on. And I don't think humans are all that different in this case. We're all increasingly relying on these very same areas."

Neate-Clegg says that rivers provide connections for birds across the landscape, enabling them to transport nutrients or disperse seeds. A hotter, drier climate could affect those important functions that birds provide, called "ecosystem services."

"If you're a bird watcher in Utah, the prospect of more diverse birds in riparian areas might sound exciting!" he says. "But it's a sign of general stress across the landscape, and you may start seeing fewer local species."

Keeping rivers and birds healthy

Neate-Clegg says that in addition to climate change, which is a global issue requiring global action, cattle grazing and water use are two issues specific to the West that are affecting river habitats.

"Overgrazing can damage vegetation along rivers and increase nutrient load which affects water quality, he says. "The damming of rivers and use of water for irrigation have detrimental effects on stream flow which in turn affects biodiversity. Mitigating these issues to build healthier riparian habitat would mean increased stability and resilience in the face of climate change."

Norvell says that the DWR is actively working to restore riparian habitats through Utah's Watershed Restoration Initiative, a partnership between state and federal agencies that has completed more than 2,400 restoration projects, with 258 ongoing.

"With these data, we've helped focus the lens of that effort on these important habitats," he says.

The agency has also shifted its bird monitoring program to all habitats throughout the state, recognizing the importance and interconnectedness of bird populations. "It's an outgrowth of the value we saw from the riparian data," Norvell says. "We've been able to convince partners like the Bureau of Land Management, the United States Forest Service, the Department of Defense and several NGOs to expand this idea into a collaborative all habitat, all bird approach."

Explore further Tropical birds benefit from more forest by rivers in oil palm areas

More information: M. H. C. NeateClegg et al, The effects of climate change and fluctuations on the riparian bird communities of the arid Intermountain West, Animal Conservation (2021). M. H. C. NeateClegg et al, The effects of climate change and fluctuations on the riparian bird communities of the arid Intermountain West,(2021). DOI: 10.1111/acv.12755
Pan Cancer T Extends Seed Financing Round with Additional Funding from Existing Shareholders and New Investor Thuja Capital

Details Category: More News Published on Thursday, 28 October 2021 10:20 Hits: 1047

- Expanded investor syndicate strengthens the companys financial position and investor base

ROTTERDAM, The Netherlands I October 28, 2021 I Pan Cancer T B.V., a biotech spin-off from the Erasmus MC dedicated to the discovery and development of novel TCR-T therapies against solid tumors, announced today the closing of an extended seed investment round. All current shareholders participated in the round, with Thuja Capital joining as a new investor. The undisclosed proceeds add to the initial seed capital financing announced earlier this year. The Companys syndicate of experienced life science venture capital investors now includes Van Herk Ventures, Swanbridge Capital, and Thuja Capital as well as founding shareholder Erasmus MC.

Katrien Reynders-Frederix, CEO of Pan Cancer T, said: "Despite certain successes of adoptive cell therapies like the Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cell therapy, the vast majority of solid cancers remains refractory to such treatments. TCR-T cell therapy is a novel, promising option that has demonstrated significant clinical benefits in patients with various solid tumors. Thanks to the extended seed round and the continuous support of our investors we will be able to further advance our lead program and strengthen our pre-clinical assets. Next, we will be preparing to raise a Series A financing round to advance our lead program into the clinic.

Michel Briejer, Investment Manager at Thuja Capital added: "Since we identified Pan Cancer T as an investment opportunity, we have been deeply impressed by the quality of the science, the team and its advisers. We are thrilled to join the shareholder base and take a seat on the Supervisory Board to help and support Pan Cancer T towards the success it is bound for."

Dharminder Chahal, Investment Manager at Van Herk and Swanbridge Capital, said: I am pleased to see that Pan Cancer T made such a progress within only one year after its foundation. I am convinced that the company will continue this high pace of development through this additional investment.

Prof. Chris Bangma, Professor of the Department of Urology at Erasmus University Medical Centre in Rotterdam, stated: Erasmus MC valorizes the development of novel therapeutic treatment options for its patients. The results of immune therapy in various tumors are beyond expectations. Many patients may benefit from the carefully designed new immunologic approaches and evaluation in the clinic. Hence, Erasmus MC is pleased to support Pan Cancer T on this journey.

About Pan Cancer T

Pan Cancer T was founded in late 2020 and as a spin-off from Erasmus MC (Rotterdam, the Netherlands) to advance first-in-class TCR T-cell therapies for hard-to-treat solid tumors. The Companys approach includes three differentiating elements. First, it exploits unique targets for T-cells that are exclusively expressed by multiple solid cancers. Second, it applies innovative technologies to select naturally occurring and highly specific TCRs that recognize these targets. Third, it develops therapies that overcome the tumor micro-environmental challenges in the targeted cancers. The Company has ongoing R&D programs to develop safe and effective adoptive T cell therapies amenable to large cohorts of patients with triple negative breast cancer as well as cancers of the bladder, ovarium, colorectum, prostate, skin, esophagus, lung, or brain. For more information, please visit: www.pancancer-t.com

About Swanbridge Capital

Swanbridge Capital is an early-stage venture capital fund that is focused on (pre-)seed investments in the life sciences industry. The fund invests in the development of novel therapies, diagnostics and medical devices. Swanbridge Capital was founded in 2016 and is based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. For more information: www.swanbridgecapital.nl

About Van Herk Ventures

Van Herk Ventures is part of the Rotterdam-based Van Herk Groep and holds a portfolio of investments in real estate, energy and life sciences. The Van Herk Groep invests in the life sciences sector through direct investments in private and listed companies and in venture capital funds. Major investments include Galapagos, Zealand Pharma, BioInvent, DCprime, Ablynx (sold to Sanofi), and Crucell (sold to J&J). For more information: www.vanherkgroep.nl/beleggingen

About Erasmus Medical Center

Erasmus MC is the largest University Medical Center in the Netherlands. Erasmus MCs primary goal is the establishment and maintenance of a healthy population. Nearly 14,000 employees devote themselves to providing outstanding care, facilitating world-class education and conducting pioneering research. These professionals are instrumental in developing expertise on health and illness. They link the latest scientific insights to practical treatments and prevention measures, thereby providing maximum benefit to patients and at the same time enable people to live healthier lives. For more information: www.erasmusmc.nl

About Thuja Capital

Thuja Capital Management (Thuja) manages several venture capital funds aimed at building and scaling companies in the fields of (bio)pharmaceuticals, medtech and digital health. In addition to generating a financial return for its investors, Thujas investments positively impact the health and well-being of patients. Thuja serves physicians and patients worldwide by providing capital to daring entrepreneurs with ground-breaking product concepts locally. For more information visit www.thujacapital.com.

SOURCE: Pan Cancer T
" " NASA's Operation IceBridge monitors Earth's changing glaciers and ice sheets, like Alaska's Sheridan Glacier, seen here from an August, 2018 flight. Sheridan Glacier has a rapidly disintegrating floating tongue (the portion of glacier that extends beyond the shoreline and floats on the water). UAF/Martin Truffer

On Aug. 18, 2019, Iceland held a funeral for the first glacier lost to climate change. The deceased party was Okjokull, a historic body of ice that covered 14.6 square miles (38 square kilometers) in the Icelandic Highlands at the turn of the 20th century. But its glory days are long gone. In 2014, having dwindled to less than 1/15 its former size, Okjokull lost its status as an official glacier.

A plaque was later commissioned to honor the vanishing landmark. At the somber installation ceremony, around 100 people gathered to pay their respects, including hikers, scientists and Iceland's Prime Minister, Katrin Jakobsdottir. Speaking to the press, Jakobsdottir warned that if current trends continue, her country stands to lose even more of its iconic glaciers in the near future.

The evidence is overwhelming: Greenhouse gas emissions (and other human activities) are radically transforming the planet on which we live. As a result, California's wildfire season is getting longer; thawing permafrost has destabilized Russian infrastructure; and yes, most of the world's glaciers are swiftly retreating.

With public concern on the rise, two relevant terms have entered the lexicon: "Climate change" and "global warming." These are often treated like synonyms, but they have different meanings.

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Climate and Weather

Before proceeding further, there's another bit of terminology that we probably should clear up. The difference between climate and weather. Weather is the short-term state of the atmosphere in a specific corner of the world. Humidity, temperature, wind speed, atmospheric pressure and visibility are all factors that help dictate the weather at a particular moment in time.

In other words, weather doesn't last very long. It unfolds over the course of days, hours or even minutes. Therefore, it's liable to change quickly  which is why so many of us yearn for constant updates. Whenever you ask if your hometown is "supposed to get any rain" on a given day, you're inquiring about the weather.

Don't confuse weather with climate. The latter is far broader in scope. Basically, climate reflects an area's long-term weather averages and trends. Those are often established by decades (at least) of meticulous observation. Given the difference in scale, it makes sense that the climate is much slower to change than the weather.

And yet changes do occur. Averaged together, all the world's regional climates form what scientists know as the "global climate." This is liable to evolve and fluctuate over time  as are its regional components.

" " So far, 2018 is the fourth hottest year on record. Higher than normal temperatures are shown in red and lower than normal temperatures are shown in blue. Ralf Goebel/GEMA

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Times Change

OK, so what exactly does the term "climate change" mean? By the broadest definition, climate change includes any and all long-term fluctuations in one or more climate-related variables  such as average rainfall  within the same location.

Note that this applies to both regional climates and the global climate itself. So let's say northern Europe saw a dramatic spike in rainstorms and the trend continued for decades on end. That hypothetical scenario would count as an example of regional climate change, no matter what happened elsewhere in the world.

On the other hand, global warming is  well, global. More to the point, the term refers to an increase in a planet's average surface temperature. And here on Earth, that's definitely been climbing.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reports that between the years 1880 and 2016, our home planet's average surface temperatures increased to the tune of 1.71 degrees Fahrenheit (0.95 degrees Celsius).

Mind you, this is nothing to sneeze at. A planet-wide temperature shift of only a few degrees can have enormous ramifications. Fifteen thousand years ago, in a geologically-recent ice age, our world was only about 9 degrees Fahrenheit cooler (5 degrees Celsius) than it is today. And yet, that temperature was enough to keep almost a third of the planet's surface blanketed in ice.

Ah, but we're getting off-track. The main takeaway here is that global warming is a form of climate change  but climate change doesn't always manifest itself as global warming.

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An Unprecedented Problem

Strange as it may sound, the recent warming caused by our greenhouse gas emissions may be provoking an increase in both flooding and droughts. While certain areas across the globe now receive enhanced precipitation, soils in some dryer parts of the world stand to lose a great deal of moisture.

To learn more, we reached out to Dr. Nathan Steiger. An atmospheric scientist at Columbia University, Steiger studies the effects that variations in climate have had  and still have  on human civilizations.

"Historically, societies were impacted most by the same kinds of disruptive climate events that occur today: prolonged and extreme heat and cold, droughts and floods," he says via email. "Often these climate changes in the past simply happened to people due to no fault of their own ... But sometimes these disruptive climate extremes were made worse by human mismanagement of their environments."

He points to agriculture-driven soil erosion as an example of the latter. "Areas that lose thick, rich soils are more susceptible to drying out during droughts, thus making the droughts even worse than they would have been."

In 2019, Steiger co-authored a comprehensive study which appeared in the journal, Nature. Using ice cores, coral samples, historical records and other lines of evidence, his team reviewed the history of climate shifts  large and small  over the past two millennia.

During that swath of time, there were a number of aberrant periods, including the unusually hot "Medieval Climate Anomaly" which lasted from 800 to 1200 CE.

Most of these events were regional in nature. Yet, Steiger and his colleagues found that for 98 percent of the planet, the single hottest period during the last 2,000 years was the late 20th century, when global temperatures were absolutely soaring.

So let's do a quick recap. Over 20 centuries of human history, our forebears never had to withstand any climate-related phenomenon that was as universally impactful  or frankly, alarming  as modern-day climate change.

Aren't we lucky?

This story is part of Covering Climate Now, a global collaboration of more than 250 news outlets to strengthen coverage of the climate story.

NOW THAT'S INTERESTING When the Okjokull glacier withered away, it exposed a long-buried shield volcano.
 "Limiting the Pardon Power" | Main | USSC releases "new" guideline manual as Acting Chair describes recent Commission activities 

October 28, 2021

By 5-3 order, SCOTUS vacates stays of Oklahoma executions entered by Tenth Circuit ... and one execution carried out

As set forth in this short order, the US Supreme Court this afternoon has vacated stays of execution for two death row defendants, one of whom is scheduled to be executed today. Justices Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan indicated they would deny Oklahoma's application to vacate the stays that had been entered by the Tenth Circuit yesterday. Justice Gorsuch took no part in matter, presumably because the case came from his old circuit. This Hill article from yesterday provides the basics on the litigation:

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit granted a temporary motion for stay of execution for two Oklahoma death row inmates on Wednesday, just a day before one of the inmates was scheduled to die by lethal injection. The appeals court stayed the executions of Julius Jones and John Grant on the basis that they met two criteria required for an execution to be stayed. Prisoners must show that the execution method chosen by the state  in this case a three-drug lethal injection  presents a substantial risk of severe pain" and they must also show that the risk of severe pain is substantial when compared to other available alternatives. Jones and Grant were part of a federal lawsuit seeking to challenge Oklahoma's three-drug lethal injection. However, Judge Stephen Friot denied a motion for a preliminary injunction that they and three other inmates sought, clearing the way for their executions in the next six months.... The appeals court wrote that though Jones and Grant did not choose an alternative method of execution, it does not mean they did not identify alternatives to lethal injection. The court also wrote that there was no law that requires a prisoner to choose their own method of execution. The court wrote that the if the inmates are executed they "risk being unable to present what may be a viable Eighth Amendment claim."

UPDATE : As reported in this AP piece, "Oklahoma ended a six-year moratorium on executions Thursday, administering the death penalty on a man who convulsed and vomited before dying, his sentence for the 1998 slaying of a prison cafeteria worker." Here is more:

John Marion Grant, 60, who was strapped to a gurney inside the execution chamber, began convulsing and vomiting after the first drug, the sedative midazolam, was administered. Several minutes later, two members of the execution team wiped the vomit from his face and neck. Before the curtain was raised to allow witnesses to see into the execution chamber, Grant could be heard yelling, Lets go! Lets go! Lets go! He delivered a stream of profanities before the lethal injection started. He was declared unconscious about 15 minutes after the first of three drugs was administered and declared dead about six minutes after that, at 4:21 p.m. Grant was the first inmate to be executed since a series of flawed lethal injections in 2014 and 2015. He was serving a 130-year prison sentence for several armed robberies when witnesses say he dragged prison cafeteria worker Gay Carter into a mop closet and stabbed her 16 times with a homemade shank. He was sentenced to die in 1999.

October 28, 2021 at 03:25 PM | Permalink

Comments

In the opposition to vacate the stay of execution, it was noted that "Respondents refused on religious and/or moral grounds to make such a selection, and were dismissed from the lawsuit."

(The link is available on the SCOTUS docket page.)

Their refusal to check a box on a form (shades of contraceptive mandate cases?) was one of the two arguments for overturning the stay. The other was that their basic claim that the execution protocol is illegitimate will fail.

As Chris Geidner noted: "On a 5-3 vote, the Supreme Court  unlike in other cases  jumped in to reverse a lower courts procedural decision, this time in a case that means a man almost certainly will be killed by the state of Oklahoma tonight."

The 10th Circuit by a 2-1 vote granted a stay. Unlike the justices here [at least so far], each side explained why they voted that way.

The Supreme Court should let the lower courts do their job. If not, they should explain why they are stepping in.

Posted by: Joe | Oct 28, 2021 3:43:15 PM

Reports of the execution are a bit gruesome.

Kassie McClung [Oklahoma reporter] on Twitter ...

"He began convulsing and vomited. Medical team wiped his face. He was still breathing. Convulsed and vomited more. Execution started shortly after 4 p.m

He started convulsing after the drugs were administered. He convulsed about two dozen times after midazolam was administered.

It's hard to recount these details so quickly, as witnesses are still talking, and frankly, the details are disturbing. I'll tweet as they come. Sean Murphy, who has witnessed 14 executions, said he has never seen anyone vomit. He compared the convulsions to Clayton Lockett.

I should note, Murphy is a reporter with the Associated Press."

[Lockett's execution was botched. Other preliminary reports of this execution are of a similar nature.]

Oklahoma waited a while to execute again & it didn't go that well. There were two other executions recently, without this sort of thing being reported. Without more, I'm led to conclude Oklahoma is handling things particularly badly.

Posted by: Joe | Oct 28, 2021 7:18:44 PM

(I didn't see it or the update was added as I was writing my comment.)

Posted by: Joe | Oct 28, 2021 7:19:49 PM

Good riddance. I wish it hadn't taken so long. How gruesome was the murder?



Posted by: William C Jockusch | Oct 29, 2021 8:04:24 AM

That's a way to go.

No matter how gruesome a person's crime, there are requirements in place to follow.

A core purpose of the Eighth Amendment is to prevent gruesome punishments for people we hate.

But, I know the general comments in these cases. Someone else will make some sort of comment about the Catholics on the Court being pro-life. (sneer sneer) I think that too is a bit simplistic.

Posted by: Joe | Oct 29, 2021 11:00:24 AM

The eighth amendment bans "cruel and unusual punishment". Assuming for the sake of argument that his body did convulse, do we even know that he was conscious at the time? If not, it's hard to see how the punishment ought to be described as unusually painful, let alone cruel.

Furthermore, the "unusual" portion of the amendment is actually an argument for more executions of murderers. If it is done frequently enough, then it's not unusual, is it?



Posted by: William C Jockusch | Nov 7, 2021 7:43:20 AM

As Prof. Lain and others have argued, the lack of clarity regarding the consciousness question and so forth is part of the problem with the current use of lethal injections. She argues a firing squad would be most reliable, but we are too squeamish about the optics.

The term "unusual" has various dimensions. Part of its reach is "usual" legal processes, as in authorized by law. A process that violates due process would be "unusual" even if it happened regularly.

It is a somewhat interesting question to consider the issue of very common punishments that are still cruel or otherwise problematic. Crucifixions, e.g., were quite common in Ancient Rome. Still cruel.

Cruelty can be a problem as a matter of due process of law -- the typical "violates of the conscience" rule.

But, bottom line is that we don't have a whole lot of executions. The net result is a sort of lottery system, where a few unlucky people are executed & in the process there is a lot of arbitrariness.

Posted by: Joe | Nov 11, 2021 1:13:04 PM

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Some 90% of NHS staff in England are double vaccinated. (PA)

About one in five staff at two NHS trusts in England are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19, NHS data has revealed.

Less than 80% of the staff at Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust and Barts Health NHS Trust in London have had two doses of a COVID jab.

It comes amid speculation the government could make COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for all NHS staff.

Watch: Government moving towards compulsory jabs for NHS staff

Read more: Why are COVID cases in the UK decreasing?

The proportion of staff who are fully vaccinated across all NHS trusts in England as a whole is 89%.

There are 16 trusts in England where at least one in six members of staff are not fully vaccinated.

All of them are in London and Birmingham.

A map showing the 16 NHS trusts with more than one in six staff not double jabbed. (Yahoo)

Theses are the trusts, and the proportion of staff who are double jabbed.

Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust  79.52% Barts Health NHS Trust  79.68% North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust  80.17% Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust  80.28% Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust  80.35% East London NHS Foundation Trust  80.58% Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust  80.80% Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust  81.21% Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust  81.26% King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust  81.35% Whittington Health NHS Trust  81.56% University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust  81.78% Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust  82.04% Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust  82.24% St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust  83.16% Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust  83.19%

No trust in England has full coverage, despite NHS staff having access to the vaccines earlier than almost all of the rest of society.

The five with the highest coverage are:

Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust  94.40% West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust  94.41% Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust  94.54% Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust  94.57% Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust  94.76%

Health secretary Sajid Javid said on Monday he is leaning towards making the jabs compulsory for staff in England, with around 100,000 NHS workers not fully vaccinated.

Story continues

Javid insisted he had not yet made a final decision, but the move would mean the situation for NHS staff in England is broadly in line with the requirement for care home workers.

The British Medical Association (BMA) said the government should consider the legal, ethical and practical implications of mandating vaccines.

BMA council chair Dr Chaand Nagpaul said they supported the vaccine rollout but said the "the threat to staff who refuse the vaccine of losing their jobs is also of grave concern".

Read more: 'It remains a concern': Patrick Vallance warns current high COVID levels could spike again

He said even though vaccination rates among NHS staff was very high losing any amount of the workforce would be "devastating" with 93,000 vacancies currently unfilled.

Dr Nagpaul said the government should explore options for those who are unable to be vaccinated for medical reasons or may refuse and recommended redeploying staff, letting them work from home, or giving them better PPE.

He said without a proper impact assessment it would be "irresponsible" to press ahead with mandatory vaccines.
The Biden administration finally released its new, whittled-down framework for the Build Back Better Act on Thursday morning after a series of crash negotiating sessions with key Democratic moderates. Team Biden is now spending its day cajoling the rest of the party to back what they came up with.

At $1.75 trillion, the package is about half the size originally envisioned. So, suffice to say, the politics around this new and very obviously not-improved bill are still quite messy and generally evolving by the hour. Progressives spent the past several weeks essentially rending their garments in agony and dismay as their favorite provisions have been shrunk or dropped from the proposal entirely. And Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema havent even clearly said theyd support Bidens framework, even though the whole thing was basically designed to satisfy all their various (often conflicting) red lines. Were still very much in the can this thing even pass? phase, and only just now is anybody getting to see actual bill text. But while were here, we might as well talk content. Is there anything in this legislative mishmash to actually celebrate?

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Theres good news and bad news on that front. While details continue to emerge and negotiations are ongoing, it seems were ending up with a shockingly good climate bill attached to a somewhat depressing everything else bill.

Progressives have largely been in a state of mourning over the bills climate section, ever since the Biden administration dropped its original flagship proposal, the Clean Electricity Performance Program, in the face of opposition from Manchin. But whats emerged in its place looks impressive. To start, theres the sheer size of the investment: $550 billion to deal with global warming. The money flies in lots of different directions, from green lending to remediation to building out green-tech manufacturing in the U.S. But most importantly, it will fund the full package of tax credits for clean energy development and electric vehicles that climate hawks had been hoping for. Those financial incentives havent gotten a lot of attention from the media, because they fundamentally arent that novel or flashy, but as I wrote at length last week, experts think that they alone could lead to major emissions reductions simply by channeling a huge river of subsidies toward a green transition.

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Climate groups will obviously analyze the bill in depth to figure out how far it will actually get the U.S. toward the Biden administrations goal of cutting emissions in half from 2005 levels by 2030. But insta-reactions have been positive. Case in point: Jesse Jenkins, head of Princeton Universitys ZERO Lab, which specializes in climate modeling, thinks that combined with the bipartisan infrastructure bill, the new framework may be sufficient to meet its climate ambitions.

That means that it's very likely that the Build Back Better Framework deal announced by @POTUS today will deliver the necessary emissions reductions to put the U.S. right on track for (or at least well within reach of) Biden's 2030 climate pledge to reach 50% below 2005 emissions  JesseJenkins (@JesseJenkins) October 28, 2021

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So we at least have a serious climate bill in here. It is within the realm of plausibility that it will actually get us to our Paris Accord targets despite the fact that it was negotiated with a literal coal broker from West Virginia, which is not a result I think many anticipated. But life is weird that way.

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As for the rest? To be charitable, you could call it a mixed bag. The bit that may get progressives most excited is the extension of the child tax credit. As part of the American Rescue Plan, the Biden administration increased the CTCs value, and made it available as a simple cash payment to parents even if they had no income or tax liabilitya change that wonks call full refundability. The Build Back Better plan will extend the full, souped-up version of the credit for just one yeardoing it for longer would have been incredibly expensivebut it will become fully refundable on a permanent basis. Its a true milestone in the history of Americas social safety net that Democrats should be proud of: Going forward, the United States will extend unconditional cash support to even the poorest kids. According to the Jain Family Institute, the move could reduce future child poverty by 19 percent. Elsewhere in the bill, there are also big investments in elder care ($150 billion) and affordable housing ($150 billion), including public housing that could do immense good. It also creates hearing aid coverage for Medicare beneficiarieswhich is small potatoes compared with the new dental benefit Bernie Sanders hoped to create, but a nice addition nonetheless.

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Now the bad stuff: Democrats are about to make massive but only temporary investments in expanding child care, early education, and health insurance in this country, all of which could easily vanish in a few years if Republicans grab control in Washington. Lawmakers chose this path because they wanted to include as many new programs as feasible in the legislation, and sunsetting their funding brought down the cost on paper. But its essentially an act of faith that somehow these initiatives will be renewed down the line, which is an iffy political calculation that could also have negative policy consequences.

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For instance, the bill extends the bulked-up Affordable Care Act subsidies included in the American Rescue Plan, and makes poorer residents of states that refused to expand coverage eligible for zero-premium coverage on the exchanges to finally fill that gap (total cost: $130 billion). This is watery thin gruel compared with the sorts of health care reforms Democrats discussed during the primaries. But making matters worse, it all goes poof after 2025, and it seems deeply unlikely Republicans would go along with re-upping an expansion of a program they fundamentally hate. At a cost of $400 billion, the bill would create a universal pre-K, as well as an affordable child care program that, without getting into the nitty-gritty of it, would probably benefit the vast majority of working families . But the programs are only slated to last for six years; given that states and localities would have to agree to participate and put up some funding as well, it was already an open question how many Republican governors would choose to take part even if the programs were permanent. With temporary funding that might not get renewed, it seems entirely possible that both red and some blue states will sit it out, making a potentially huge accomplishment less effective and less politically durable.

So Biden is serving up a major climate initiative, a permanent attempt to alleviate child poverty, and some big new social spending programs that are set to self-destruct. It could always be worse.
On May 7, 2019, Lisa Lemble and Robert Gordon cut the ribbon on Ann Arbor, Michigans first curbside electric vehicle charger. It was an ordeal that required nearly a year of negotiation and permitting, and cost the couple about $15,000. Mainly we want people to know that if they live in the city of Ann Arbor and dont have a driveway and dont have access to a garage, that its possible to put in a charging station curbside, Lemble said at the time.

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Possible, yes. Easy, no. More than two years after the Tesla-owning couple installed their dual-nozzle Level 2 charger on the curb in front of their condo, their example has not caught on. Missy Stults, the sustainability and innovations manager for Ann Arbor, said she does not know of another such project in this city of 120,000, home to the University of Michigan.

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It is so bedeviling, Stults said. Multifamily is a large portion of our housing stock and we start to have challenges. The city estimates it needs as many as 10,000 electric vehicle chargers to prepare for full electric-vehicle adoption, and Stults is focused on getting them into publicly accessible parking lotslike the four fast chargers in the City Hall parking lot Ann Arbor put online just this Monday.

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As for the streets, where residents like Lemble and Gordon park? Trenching in the right of way gets complicated, Stults said of the digging required for such a project. And then what tends to happen is people park in a spot and dont move.

Ann Arbor is one of many cities confronting a vast challenge as Democrats pin their hopes to reduce U.S. emissions on the rapid, widespread adoption of electric vehicles: How do you get power to people who park on the street? Does electrifying cars mean changing the way we park?

One in three U.S. housing units does not have a garage, according to the 2019 American Housing Survey, and many of those households do not have their own parking spots. As gas stations slowly yield to electric chargers, the ratio of fueling nozzles to vehicles is plummeting, with some studies suggesting well need as many as one charger for every two electric vehicles. The bipartisan infrastructure bill contains $7.5 billion to charge EVs, which President Joe Biden hopes will make up half of U.S. auto sales by 2030, up from around 2 percent today.

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Where to charge them? Many cities are experimenting with EV charging at the curb, and extension cords have been spotted hanging from the windows of East Village tenements and Boston triple-deckers. Street parking has long been a lawless affair, and so far, electric vehicle charging at the curb is working much the same way: every driver for him or herself. By and large, experts fear that EV adoption will lag in places where curbside parking is dominant, such as New York City, which despite its liberal voters and enormous wealth counts just 15,000 electrics among its 2 million cars.

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This raises the possibility that gas-powered cars will continue to dominate in neighborhoods with multifamily housing, and the promise of cleaner air will remain unfulfilled in exactly the places that have suffered the most from the many harms of automobile exhaust.

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In Los Angeles County, a study by the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator, or LACI, estimates the need for 84,000 public and workplace chargers as soon as 2028about five times as many gas pumps as exist today, says Cole Roberts, who leads the North American energy business for the consultancy ARUP. Roberts worked with LACI on a tool, Charge4All, to identify good places to install curbside chargers. Why so many chargers? Because right now juicing up an electric vehicle is slow.

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To understand the multidimensional infrastructural problem that is electric vehicle charging, it helps to recall that there are three types of EV chargers. The first, Level 1, is like plugging into a conventional household outlet and might replenish your battery by just a few miles each hour. The second, Level 2, can give a full charge overnight. The third, also known as fast chargers, can deliver a full charge in less than an hour. Theres a correlation between speed and cost. Each fast charger costs upward of $50,000 and, depending on the required utility work, can wind up being much more. Reliance on fast charging would put Los Angeles on the hook for billions of dollars in chargers just in the next decade. (Other factors to consider include charger utilization rates, durability, utility grids, variable energy costs  its complicated.)

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Some drivers without home chargers get by on this kind of high-tech, publicly available infrastructure now. Companies like EVgo and ChargePoint have set up shop in public parking lots and grocery store garages. Tesla has its Supercharger network. This works well enough for Nitesh Donti, a YouTube engineer in San Francisco who recently bought a long-range Tesla Model 3. There are no chargers in the garage of Dontis apartment building, but no matter. Its not as annoying as it might seem, he said. When I drive in the city, everything is two to three miles away. His battery holds a 300-mile charge, so he finds Superchargers on the highway or makes use of workplace chargers at his office in San Mateo County, south of the city. Kind of like going to a gas station.

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Most people who study EVs think that approach isnt going to work for everyone. We think there needs to be a mix, Roberts says. Level 1 is a big question. Its the cheapest, its the weakest. It might be something we could distribute more broadly. But it wont be provided by individual homeowners at scale. A Level 1 charge is treacle-slow, but it could easily cover a 20-mile range overnight, he said, which is more miles than 90 percent of U.S. vehicles cover each day.

Peninsula Clean Energy, the electric utility in San Mateo County, is trying to push widespread acceptance of lower-voltage chargers, which could be run out of existing curbside infrastructure like streetlights. These Level 1s might take days to give a car a full charge, but they are one-third the price to install compared with fast chargers, and dont require additional utility infrastructure.

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The way that traditional EV charging has been done is you put a 40 amp charger, and an old building may be able to support one of those, says Phillip Kobernick, the programs manager at Peninsula. We think thats incredible overkill when it comes to plugging in overnight after averaging 30 miles a day. Thats an hour of charging on one of those chargers.

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Or as two Peninsula board members put it in a recent op-ed criticizing Californias green building code: This would be a dramatic improvement over CalGreens current approach of providing excess capacity  to a small percentage of spaces. Those spaces fill up quick, the cars charge quick, and everyone else is left out in the cold. Better to have slower chargers for more cars and save the money.

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Even at low voltages, however, curbside charging is a challenge. Youd think theyd be simple projectspole-mounted, streetlight-mountedbut the way its looking right now is theyre all kind of one-off, and you dont get a cost reduction from scaling. Its going to be cheaper to put it in a garage in almost any scenario. Curbside will be a niche.

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Still, in cities where cars mostly sit on the street, curbside will be a necessity. In June, New York City installed its first curbside Level 2 chargers, with plans to complete 100 publicly available chargers by this month. The electric utility ConEd, which is a partner on the project, plans to invest $310 million in more than 21,000 such chargers (and 525 fast chargers) in the city by 2025. It works out to about $15,000 per charger.

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That kind of limited, high-powered, high-cost infrastructure implies well have to change the way we park cars in cities, with EVs shuffling in and out of prized charging areas and police punishing lingering cars with parking tickets. Its a very different idea than the one Peninsula is advocating for on the West Coast, with its focus on lots of lower-cost, lower-powered chargers where plugged-in cars might sit in the same spot for daysjust as they do now.

Then theres the question of where to put all these power stations. Some analysts suggest commercial destinations, where parking stays are shorter. Customers can charge as they shop, just as they would in the parking lot of a Target or a Whole Foods. Others, like San Francisco MTA parking manager Hank Wilson, wanted to avoid that outcome. Its a very expensive thing that requires a lot of infrastructure and locks in that curb space for one specific use for decades, and because our commercial curbs are so dynamic and changing so much, were reticent to lock that in, he said at a panel this week.

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From that perspective, the real downside of electrifying the curb in densely populated neighborhoods becomes clear: It would cement the purpose of the curb for car storage for decades to come, just as activists are beginning to convince cities to explore alternate uses, including bike lanes, bus lanes, greenways, public space, and restaurant terraces.

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Paul Barter, the founder of Reinventing Parking and a longtime advocate for better parking policy, told me he had mixed feelings. On the one hand, it would be a great pity if EV penetration gets slowed by a failure to have EV charging for on-street residential car storage. On the other hand, it would be sad if charging infrastructure locks in existing on-street parking configurations and inhibits changes such as protected bike lanes, parking-protected bike lanes, bus lanes, and so on.

Last year, a viral photo showed a car charging in downtown Los Angeles with a black power cord hung waist-high across a freshly painted bike lane. At $15,000 a pop, thats not a mistake you want to make every day.
Jury selection began this week in a civil trial against the organizers of the deadly Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Its hard to believe its been more than four years since the alarming event, which culminated in the murder of Heather Heyer by a driver who plowed his car at high speed into a group of anti-Nazi counterprotesters. At that time, the United States had rarely seen attacks where passenger cars were used as deliberate killing weapons. Today, local headlines around the country show that this practice is now a favored tactic among those who wish to strike terror against protesters and passersby.

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This year, within the U.S. alone, victims and survivors of such attacks have included a Palestinian American Muslim family in Maryland; cyclists in Show Low, Arizona, and Waller County, Texas; crowds in Minneapolis and Elizabeth City, North Carolina, that had gathered to commemorate Black victims of police violence; Kellogg workers striking in Nebraska and miners striking in Alabama; and a group on the Brooklyn Bridge that had gathered to commemorate George Floyd. Chicago, Los Angeles, and many other cities have reported similar incidents; meanwhile, a driver whod joked about running over protesters and had purposefully struck Black Lives Matter rallygoers last year in Johnson City, Tennessee, was cleared of charges this September.

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How did we get to the point where American drivers targeting unarmed protesters and pedestrians became a common expectation?

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Prior to Heyers killing and the spike in American car rammings that began during last summers protests over Floyds murder, such attacks were considered the provenance of fundamentalist Islamist terrorists. The image of a vehicle operator plowing their truck into bystanders brought to mind the 2016 truck massacre in France, the ISIS-inspired lorry attack in Berlin, intentional pedestrian collisions on British bridges, and more.

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The war on terror was what helped make the automobile itself the fundamentalists weapon of choice. As the U.S. intervention increasingly destabilized the Middle East, responses to the carnage by solo vigilantes began in earnest. In 2006, an Iranian American Muslim enraged at the Iraq warwhich he recognized as the killing [of] his people across the searammed his car into multiple University of North CarolinaChapel Hill students. A few years later, al-Qaida, which had been rapidly losing members and legitimacy, began publishing an English-language publication, Inspire, to galvanize potential readers within the U.S. and elsewhere. Inspires fall 2010 issue featured an article titled The Ultimate Mowing Machine, which proposed a simple idea: use the pickup truck  not to mow grass but mow down the enemies of Allah. The article suggested that this form of attack be carried out in countries where the government and public sentiment is in support of the Israeli occupation of Palestine, the American invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq.

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The Israel-Palestine conflict has also been an exporter of this method of terror. From 2008 onward, more militant Palestinians, some with ties to the fundamentalist party Hamas, began driving automobiles into Israeli civilians and soldiers in retaliation for their decadeslong occupation. This quickly spread far outside Jerusalem and Gaza: According to the University of Marylands Global Terrorism Database, vehicular strikes on civilians and state official subsequently occurred from 2012 onward in Egypt, Iraq, Yemen, Kuwait, Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan.

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Two years later, the car-as-weapon returned statesidethis time, as the choice of white nationalists. You can trace it to Elliot Rodger, who struck and killed multiple people with his car in Isla Vista, California, after stabbing several others. Rodgers virulent misogyny and racism, embodied in his choice of victims, did not come from a vacuum. As a Guardian report shortly following the massacre noted, Rodger was a frequent habitant of red pill forums, which traffic in memes that endorse targeted violence against marginalized communities through a supposed patina of irony. Shortly after Rodgers killing spree, these very users started to aggressively troll Black feminists and social justice activists by impersonating Black users, as my colleague Rachelle Hampton has reported. Such campaigns became more explicit following the 2014 uprising in Ferguson, Missouri, responding to the killing of Michael Brown. Journalist and professor Darlena Cunha recently recalled how red-pillers threw antisemitic screeds at her after she wrote an op-ed evincing empathy for Ferguson protesters. Other online communities also noted how often red-pillers expressed fury at the burgeoning Black Lives Matter movement.

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And there was a particular feature of these protests that lent itself to gory car fantasies: the streets. After the acquittal of Trayvon Martins killer as well as the police shooting of Eric Garner, protesters took to municipal roads and freeways and blocked traffic to get their message through. These tactics expanded in the wake of Anton Sterlings and Philando Castiles deaths, with activists shutting down interstates. Beyond being an effective protest method, the move was also symbolic: Throughout the country, bustling roads both within and outside of major metropolises were purposefully constructed to rip apart existing Black neighborhoods and lay down suburb-connected commutes for wealthy white Americans. For modern-day advocates, taking back such space was yet another form of righting historic injustice.

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The cops got the message. As my colleague Henry Grabar noted after Heyers death, far-right trolls, including cops, had been posting memes about running over anti-racist protesters for years, often within the same red-pilled meme groups that produced extremist murders such as Rodger and Dylann Roof. Throughout 2016 and early 2017, multiple officers, including the leaders of police unions, posted calls to run cars into anti-racist rallies that took over public streets, and civilians followed their lead. Cop-endorsed memes like All lives splatter can now be found everywhere: government social media accounts, T-shirt sites, even Facebook Marketplace. When you consider the other symbols police have displayed throughout the post-9/11 years, from military regalia to thick beards to the Gadsen flag to the thin blue line to the Punisher skull, such vehemence seems less like sudden radicalization and more an inevitable outgrowth.

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Charlottesville fully emboldened those whod long held these fantasies, and Heyers death became the first instance of a white extremistcaused vehicle murder since Rodgers killing spree. By the summer of 2020, extremists had even more real-life examples to emulate: An incel inspired by Rodger drove over women in Toronto in 2018, and another crashed into a synagogue in a deliberately antisemitic attack in 2019.

These perpetrators now also have sympathizers in high places. Republicans in states including Florida, Oklahoma, Iowa, and Texas have passed bills granting immunity to drivers who injure or kill street protesters. (A court later struck down Floridas bill as unconstitutional.) According to the International Center for Not-for-Profit Laws U.S. Protest Law Tracker, dozens of similar bills are being considered in other states. There is a direct line from the backlash to BLM and defund the police to these anti-protest laws: As reported in Salon, many of them have been pushed by legislators who are former cops, or backed by police unions and other law enforcement interest groups fed up with traffic-obstructing protesters. (It is also worth noting that there have been occasional moments where cops themselves have been the drivers running their vehicles through protesting crowds as well as into other citizens.) Some are working to pass similar laws that would classify cops as a protected class and allow them to sue protesters for discrimination. As my colleague Christina Cauterucci has noted, such laws marked the moment when Republicans driving ethos of own the libs morphed into its final, terrible form: kill the libs.

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But this year, another trend has emerged: Drivers are attempting to kill cops with their cars. Last month, an SUV driver in Oakland, California, deliberately struck a police vehicle that was on its way to a party the driver had attended. On June 14, a couple in Haines City, Florida, drove right at a police officer before abandoning the vehicle in order to break into the mayors home. In early April, a man rammed his car into two police officers in front of the Capitol, killing one. More reports of criminals intentionally ramming into police vehicles are emerging across the United States (and Canada). Now even the police who pushed for laws protecting anti-protest drivers may find theyll need to shield themselves from this gruesome development, especially if they involve people like the extremists who stormed the Capitol and were not afraid to attack the police.

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As my colleague William Saletan wrote in the aftermath of 2019s shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand, ISIS terrorists and white supremacists may seem like opposites, but their goal is the same: a bloody campaign to destroy pluralism. Were seeing that play out: White extremists newly invigorated by the political developments of the past two decades are adopting terrorist strategies in order to spark chaos and spill blood. The Unite the Right organizers facing trial may have to pay monetary damages for their destruction, but the brutality of the movement they helped engender will persist as long as there are angry people driving cars.
The cold war with China is very nearly on. Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a House hearing Wednesday that Chinas hypersonic missile test this past summer amounts to a Sputnik moment. Actually, he said, I dont know if its quite a Sputnik moment, but I think its very close to thata distinction without much of a difference.

Last week, when the Financial Times first reported this test, I wrote a column deriding it as hypenothing new here, not really a threat to our missile defense systems, which dont work very well anyway and were never meant to deal with a Russian or Chinese attack. Now that Milley (who last appeared in the media as the savior of democracy against the onslaught of Donald Trump) has not only confirmed the FT story but sanctified it as the harbinger of a dangerous new era, lets take a close look at the meaning of Sputnik momentwhich suggests that our top military officer is complicit in the danger.

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Sputnik was the first earth-orbiting satellite, which the Soviets launched in 1957. The event set off hair-raising alarms. If the Russians can put a satellite on the tip of a rocket, they could also load it with a nuclear warhead; and if they can launch that rocket into space, they could also make it plunge back down to earthspecifically, down to U.S. territory. Meanwhile, the U.S. had failed to hoist a rocket of any size outside the atmosphere. Edward Teller, father of the H-bomb, declared on national television that America had lost a battle more important than Pearl Harbor. John Rinehart of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory proclaimed, I would not be surprised if the Russians reached the moon within a week.

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As we now know, Teller and Rinehart, among many others, were way off the mark. But their overexcited imaginations spurred real-life effects. The Pentagon accelerated development of an intercontinental ballistic missile. By the end of the decade, the first U.S. spy satellite revealed that the Sovietswho were believed to have hundreds of ICBMspossessed only a handful; other intelligence suggested that their missile program was a mess. However, by that time, the U.S. had started to field its own ICBMs in substantial number. The Soviets spent enormous sums to fix their problems and soon responded in kind. By the mid-1960s, less than a decade after Sputnik, the nuclear arms raceand missile racewas in full force.

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Something similar is going on now. China is engaged in some provocative military activities, but the U.S. is way ahead in most areas. To dramatize the threat (and to justify a $770 billion defense budget), it would be useful if the Chinese were doing something new, something that we havent been doing at all. Chinas hypersonic missile test serves the same function as the Soviet Unions Sputnik launch 64 years ago.

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In some ways, fear of Sputnik was more honest. An earth-orbiting satellite was a new thingand something the U.S. had tried but failed to launch. Such a device did have frightening military potential; it marked the first time that the continental United States was vulnerable to attack, even theoretically.

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By contrast, Chinas hypersonic missile test is a bauble. Yes, it orbited the planet before plunging to its target, but it missed the target by 24 miles. Yes, such a weaponif it were improvedcould evade our missile defenses, but a much better way of doing that would be simply to fire two warheads at our most highly valued targets, since our defenses have never been tested against two incoming warheads at the same time. (Even in the one-on-one tests, our systems have succeeded less than half the time.) Finally, this technology is nothing new. The Russians developed the Fractional Orbital Bombardment System decades ago, but gave it up after the U.S. put up satellites that could warn of a missile attack from all angles. The U.S. worked on a similar contraption, but stopped after realizing it would provide little extra value at stupendous cost. If the Chinese want to waste their money now, let them.

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However, the specter of Chinas accomplishment, though shrug-worthy by objective measures, will certainly boost the political fortunes of the Pentagons ambitious plans for nuclear modernization. The U.S. is presently developing new models for its entire nuclear Triadweapons launched from land, sea, and air that include a new ICBM, a new submarine-launched ballistic missile, and a new bomber aircraft, as well as a new cruise missile and various new warheads and bombs. The projected cost of building these weapons is $1.3 trillion over the next 30 years, though several senior Pentagon officials and Biden himself are known to be leery of modernizing all three legs of the Triad. Even if Chinas hypersonic test had been successful and significant, it would not justify any, much less all, of these new nuclear weapons.

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But objective analysis isnt what usually fuels an arms race. A trillion-dollar arms program requires above all massive political support, which is stoked by smoky atmosphere, fiery rhetoric, funhouse mirrorswhatever works. Glum expressions of grave concern about a seemingly dramatic new Chinese weapon, with parallels drawn to the nations most perilous Cold War moment, just might do the trick.

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Sputnik had two effects back in the late 1950s. On the one hand, it was exploited as an excuse to fund some of the most ambitious domestic programs since the New Dealnotably, the interstate highway system and massive funding of science educationon the sales pitch that they were needed to keep up with the Russians. Biden is replicating this stratagem to some degree, touting aspects of his infrastructure program (especially a surge of support for the microchip industry) as vital for staying ahead of China. But Sputnik also supplied the rationale for the most expensive, unnecessary, and potentially destructive arms race in human history. This is what Milleys version of the new Sputnik moment is about. It should be yanked to a halt before it tears out of control.
There are three separate trials unspooling across the country this week, each of which tells some version of the same story about the inadequacies of the American legal system to contend with racial justice. Each illuminates the ways in which even the most basic precepts of the justice system rely on whiteness, and its suspicion of the very existence of racism, as a proxy for neutrality or objectivity.

In Charlottesville, Virginia, jury selection opened Monday in the federal civil trial of 24 white supremacist and racist groups and individuals who allegedly came to the town in August 2017 and provoked the violence and chaos that led to the murder of Heather Heyer. In Madison, Wisconsin, pretrial proceedings are underway in the criminal trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, the teenager who traveled to a Black Lives Matter protest in Kenosha where he shot and killed two protesters and wounded another. The shooting happened on Aug. 25, 2020, at an anti-racism protest two days after police shot a Black man, Jacob Blake. In Brunswick, Georgia, jury selection slogged on into its second week, in the trial of Gregory McMichael, Travis McMichael, and William Bryan, three white men who stand accused of chasing down and murdering an unarmed Black man, Ahmaud Arbery, while using racist slurs.

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Each of these three trials rests on the knifes edge of an existential, real-time American conversation about race and violenceone that touches on ongoing debates about policing, guns, hate crimes, and vigilantism. But as each of the three cases progress to trial, each also reveals how every legal decisionindeed every twist and turn of legal language itselfrests on ideas about neutrality, due process, and fairness, and how these ideas always seem to buckle when confronted by real questions about race. We are asking the justice system to solve intractable racial justice problems that no other institutionnot politics, not the media, and not academiacan resolve. No wonder these choices being made in courtrooms about language and law and competing claims of victimhood are going so poorly.

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In Kenosha, Wisconsin, this week, County Circuit Court Judge Bruce Schroeder made headlines when, according to his standard trial procedures, he ruled that two men fatally shot by RittenhouseJoseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huberand one he woundedGaige Grosskreutzcould not be referred to as victims in his courtroom. Schroeder did, however, rule that defense attorneys could refer to them as looters, rioters, or arsonists if they could prove as much. The word victim is a loaded, loaded word, Schroeder said, taking it off the table, as if the words looters or rioters are not.

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That choice right there sums up the issue: If the murdered racial justice protesters arent the victims in this trial, who is? Rittenhouse? He contends he shot the men in self-defense. But must we be open-minded about whether his decision to travel across state lines to a racial justice march with an AR-15-style rifle was because he was afraid for his own life? Does the fact that police gave him water and thanked him for being there just minutes before the shooting (the state sought to suppress that evidence) diminish his culpability or increase it? Was his an act of white domestic terrorism or the honorable act of citizen policing an anti-white race riot?

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Answering these questions requires an assessment of Rittenhouses character. The right has idolized him as a hero. The left claims he is the embodiment of domestic terrorism. In court, a jury will have to decide which interpretation best explains Rittenhouses actions that day. But these extreme assessments, and the constraints of the legal system itself, sideline any consideration of the forces that drew him, and countless others like him, to a protest that began as a backlash to the police shooting of an unarmed Black man. Even as his trial is hailed as yet another national test of racial justice, the court will be unable to contend with the resurgent specter of white extremism that has roused so many armed young white men with no obvious history of violence or radical views out of their homes and into the streets.

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In other words, as far as jury selection goes, Black jurors who worry about anti-Black racism are deemed per se biased, unless they see racism against whites as equally problematic.

A similar erasure is taking place in Charlottesville, where the plaintiffs in the civil trial against white supremacists have had to dust off the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 to enforce the civil rights of victims of racial hate in order to hold armed Nazi sympathizers to account. Yet jurors were being dismissed for cause for merely suggesting that white supremacist defendants were evil or, in the case of a potential juror, for admitting that I lived here in this town.  I knew people that were assaulted, people were hurt. That poor girl is dead. Another potential Black juror, who said she hoped she could be fair, was struck because according to Chris Cantwellone of the white supremacists defending himselfshe seems to be very concerned about race.  She is worried about racism in all categories except against white people. Yet a prospective juror who described Black Lives Matter as a sham  lie-filled, I believe it to be strictly motivated toward unfair goals and nothing more than a bunch of people trying to take advantage will be permitted to serve.

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In other words, as far as jury selection goes, Black jurors who worry about anti-Black racism are deemed per se biased, unless they see racism against whites as equally problematic. The message becomes that the only qualified jurors seem to be those who express an openness to ideas about white supremacy and Nazism as a lifestyle choice. Judge Norman Moon has, to be sure, tried to focus jurors on whether they can be fair, as opposed to whether they have formed no opinions on Nazis, but to be open-minded about Nazis is not in fact a neutral legal position. We are all being asked to inhabit a world in which it must be.

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In Georgia, where the McMichaels and Bryan have been charged with federal hate crimes, defense attorneys have looped themselves into a Slinky by insisting that the case is not about race at all. Yet they continue to question potential jurors on the subject. To find racially objective jurors, the defense is asking the same sorts of questions prospective jurors in Charlottesville are receiving: Do you support the Black Lives Matter movement? Do you believe Black people are unfairly treated in the criminal justice system? Have you participated in racial justice demonstrations? Answering yessuggesting that anti-Black racism exists or is a problemseemingly disqualifies one from serving on a jury in a case in which the defendants are also charged with a racially motivated hate crime against a Black man.

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Like Rittenhouse, Bryan and the McMichaels attorneys argue the three men acted in self-defense. They have also filed a motion to prevent the prosecutor from referring to Arbery as a victim in court as well as a motion to prevent the McMichaels phone conversations, which may contain evidence of racial prejudice, from being allowed in the courtroom. Just like in the Rittenhouse case, their defense rests on an inversion of the concepts of victim and perpetrator, a move with long-standing racial implications. In addition, while the defense is actively working to cobble together a neutral jury composed of people whose minds are not yet made up about the existence of racism, they are also actively working to conceal any indication that their clients hold racist beliefs.

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Taken together, all three cases showcase the limits of our legal systems capacity to deal squarely with racism. In the eyes of the courts, racism itself is treated like an open question, something for the jurors to work out for themselves, over the course of the trial. In popular media, each case is framed as a litmus test for racial justice or so-called racial relations in America, but inside the courtrooms, just acknowledging the existence of historic structural racism forms the basis for striking jurors. There is no room in the court for history or context for an analysis of the current climate of growing political violence, the resurgence of white extremism, or the enduring legacy of racism in the South. The defense teams are hard at work to scrub any semblance of their clients racial hatred from the court record while also intimating that same hatred might in fact be reasonable. The end result is that racism is both everywhere and nowhere at the same time in these courthouses.

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Its a perfect legal replication of the underlying problem: a framing that maps precisely onto Donald Trumps original, disastrous reaction to the violence in Charlottesville in 2017, urging that there are very fine people on both sides of the violent white supremacy movement, or that Black Lives Matter, an organizing principle formed in reaction to an extrajudicial killing of an unarmed Black teenager, is functionally identical to alt-right chants of Blood and soil. To ensure justice is served for both the plaintiffs and the defendants, the legal system evaluates these competing claims as equal and, in so doing, diminishes the force of one while essentially power-washing the other.

Ultimately, these cases are profoundly about race. But the requirement that we must start from a position of neutrality about racism tells us almost everything we need to know about the supposed neutrality of the legal system. In the cases of Rittenhouse and Jason Kessler, the legal system asks us to treat racially motivated, white supremacist violence as a reasonable, possibly justifiable, reaction to protests for racial justice. In Georgia, the legal system asks us to consider the defendants actions outside of any damning historical context. This is precisely the worldview white supremacists seek to promote: one that positions their actions as a pendulum swinging in an inevitable and understandable backlash against their perceived loss of status.

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We desperately want each of these lawsuitsindeed all of these lawsuitsto provide a moment of purifying accountability around the horrors of racism. Well watch for their verdicts to ensure that we, as a society, are still on some kind of road toward progress. But even if the verdicts go the right wayand they mightwe must realize that a system that first barters away the horror, excludes it as evidence, removes its labels, and then sidelines the very jurors who name it is the one we are still forced to argue in. And that might say more than the rulings ever could.

Disclosure: Dahlia Lithwick lived in Charlottesville in 2017 and was affected by the events. She is friends with plaintiffs counsel in this case.
Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema cant seem to go anywhere these days without running into a constituent brandishing a smartphone and a long list of questions. And no matter what people want to talk about or where they approach herin an airport, on a college campus, at a weddingshe simply acts like the people who want her attention arent there.

According to Sylvia Gonzalez Andersh, Sinemas strategy of avoiding tough questions extends to her own advisers. Andersh, an Air Force veteran who served on the senators veterans advisory council, had grown disillusioned with Sinemas obstructionism around the Democrats legislative agenda. Last week, Andersh and four other veterans on the council resigned in protest with a letter calling Sinema one of the principal obstacles to progress and accusing her of using them as window dressing. On Thursdays episode of What Next, I talked to Andersh about why she resigned and what the senator said to her in a voicemail afterward. Our conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

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Mary Harris: Theres a picture Ive seen of you with Sinema. Shes with a big group of veterans. Can you tell me the story of that picture?

Sylvia Gonzalez Andersh: Yeah, that is actually the only time I was ever in a meeting with her in person.

Wow.

We finally had a meeting in Phoenix and they asked us all to come. And so we went up there.

Were you excited?

Yeah! I mean, like, Oh, shes going to be theremaybe. We werent sure. And so we were in the conference room, were all sitting around the table. And she comes in with her entourage and she sits down at the table and she starts the agenda and shes just like, bam, bam, bam, bam. Shes going through and shes telling everybody what to do, and she gets through whatever it is she wants to accomplish. And then we go around the table and say our names and where were from, and that was about it. And then she gets up from the table and shes, OK, now its time for a photo-op and we need to get this picture. So we get up and go over to the area and Im kind of standing there. And she just says, No, no, you need to be over here. She grabs me by the shoulders and she moves me and she puts me exactly where she wants me. And Im like, well, OK then, Ill stand right here. And the picture was taken and then she left.

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You could come out thinking, Oh, shes quite commanding. She knows what she wants. She lines things up the way that she wants them. But then you could also come out with a different perspective, which is, does she have time for listening?

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At first, youre right, that was the feeling. I said shes very powerful, shes a very strong woman, and as a woman who wants to promote women, Im like, thats really impressive, that she knows exactly what she wants and what shes doing. But, as time went on, I became a little bit more cynical about what that was all about.

What did she want your counsel on when you were in a meeting with her?

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Well, I dont think I ever got a direct question towards me. It was more about her. At that same meeting she presented us with this bill that she was very proud of that she had gotten passed. It was a bipartisan bill and she gave us big copies on nice paper and for each one of us. Basically it was a bill to have the VFW be able to get new members from all the Afghanistan and Iraq veterans. They couldnt apply to be in the Veterans of Foreign Wars because that wasnt a declared war, and so that was a bill that she wrote to help veterans get into the VFW.

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It sounds like you saw that and you thought, OK, this is pretty small potatoes.

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I mean, its good. Its not bad. But theres so many more things going on. We have half a million veterans in the state of Arizona. We have so many disabled veterans in the state of Arizona. In the whole country, we have over 4 million disabled veterans. They need things. And I dont think their membership to the VFW is more important than their prescription medicine costs and their right to vote and their right to not stand in 100-degree weather to vote, especially when they have PTSD or theyre in a wheelchair. Its heartbreaking.

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After meeting up that one time in Phoenix, the veterans affairs council started gathering online. After COVID hit, it just didnt make sense to meet in person. But the distance wasnt just physical. You say, over the course of months, it began to feel like this advisory group was just giving the senator cover. Youd been working with a progressive veterans organization called Common Defense, and they seemed to listen when the senator wouldnt.

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I got to the point where I was so frustrated, my really close friends, they would say something and I would say, Im just so mad at her and so disappointed. I just want to resign in protest. And then they kind of look at me and Im like, But it wouldnt do any good. Its just me, and who am I? Im nobody. Nobody cares. But Common Defense listened to me when I said that and they said, well, maybe you should check that out. And so I did. I went to the one guy that I knew in the Phoenix area and I said to him in a private, personal way, Listen, Im really upset about this and Im thinking about doing this. And he goes, Yeah, yeah, Ive heard that too. I hear these rumblings. So it was surprising to me. It was validating to me when I went to other veterans on the council and they said, yes, they felt exactly the same way.

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Nobody has had a meeting with her or seen her for a year, if not more. She doesnt have outreach to actual voters.  Sylvia Gonzalez Andersh

What was that call like, when you got all these folks on the line?

I was a little hesitant, but I knew this other gentleman that I had reached out to. His name is David. He felt the same way. So we got on the call and we kind of all spoke our piece. We all came to a consensus. And that was how it happened. And then they said, Well, whos going to write the letter? And I said, Ill write it. I felt like I had a duty, since Im the one that was kind of complaining in the first place.

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Then Common Defense made you and your letter the focus of a splashy ad campaign. Three points you mention are voting rights, lowering prescription drug costs, and passing President Bidens agenda. Some might look at those and say, Those arent military issues. And I wonder what youd say to someone who says that.

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Well, who are the military? Were citizens. Were all citizens in the same country and we put our lives on the line for those values of voting rights. Its obscene. Its obscene.

You also make some pretty straightforward allegations. You say of Sinema, You have become one of the principal obstacles to progress, answering to big donors rather than your own people. What made you so confident in saying that? Why did you want to write that down in this letter of resignation?

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Because its the truth. I mean, nobody has had a meeting with her or seen her for a year, if not more. She doesnt have outreach to actual voters. Common Defense has tried to meet with her several times to talk about disabled veterans and they couldnt get a meeting with her. It was kind of like the last straw as far as trying to tell her that these were very important issues to veterans.

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So many people want to speak with Sinema right now. They just want to get something out of her, an indication of what shes thinking. And you may be one of the few people to have her on the record saying much of anything in the last few days, because my understanding is that after you resigned, she called you.

Yeah, she left me a voicemail mail at 6:45 in the morning, so she must have been calling from back east because Arizona is three hours different. And I kind of rolled over and picked up my phone, and I saw it was a blocked call and Im like, I dont even have my glasses on. Im not answering that call. And so then finally, when I got myself together, I went back and I listened to the voice message and Im like, Its who?

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Would you play it for us?

[Kyrsten Sinema speaking in a voicemail] Hi, Sylvia. Its Kyrsten Sinema. Im calling because I wanted to let you know that I saw the letter that you and a few others sent yesterday resigning from the veterans advisory committee, and while Im very sorry to learn about your decision, I wanted to call and let you know how much I appreciate all of the service that youve given, not just to our veterans advisory committee, but your great service to our country and to our state. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your service and to wish you well. Thanks. Bye-bye.

It doesnt seem to acknowledge anything that you said in the letter. Its a polite message and kind in some ways, but also keeps it pushing. And I sort of wonder how you felt after hearing that.

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I just felt like, well, thats par for the course.

Do you think about what youd say to her if you had a chance to speak to her face to face again?

Well, of course. We want to talk to her about how voting rights affect everyone, but especially veterans who fought for this country and for democracy. We need to be able to have access to the ballot box. And maybe she can realize that were trying to help her here. We want her to do well. Theres a big PAC thats already raising money to primary her. You know, people are very upset. People are withholding funds in protest. Theyre not donating. Theyre reaching out and helping organizations that are trying to do this work for the Democratic Party and for getting the Voting Rights Act and all these things passed because theyre so mad. Theyre like, unless something changes with Sinema, nothings going to happen. So its becoming a problem in the state.

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As someone who worked with the senator and pounded the pavement to get her elected, how do you feel about the debate among Arizona Democrats about whether to primary her? How do you think thats going to resolve itself?

I dont know. I was in a Zoom meeting for over four hours with the Arizona Democratic Party because I have a vote in that group. And they voted almost 90 percent, 80-something percent, to put forward a resolution to the executive board that if she doesnt vote in favor of voting rights in the Build Back Better Act and several things that we put in there, we gave the board the ability to censure her. So that was a long, hard meeting with lots of discussions in there. And when the vote came up, there was no quivering, no dissent.

Do you think censuring her is going to make a difference?

I dont know. I mean, there were people on there and they said, if you censure her, thats just going to make things worse. But at this point, everybody was so frustrated. It was just like me writing the letter. We dont know what else to do, but we feel so strongly that we have to make some kind of a statement.
Several of the main supporters of Trumps Big Lie that the Democrats stole the 2020 election were forced to defend their claims under oath earlier this year. Their depositions were part of a defamation lawsuit brought by a former employee of Dominion Voting Systems whose life was completely upended after the defendants falsely claimed that he personally helped steal the election. Despite repeatedly spreading the Big Lie on talk shows and in press conferences, these Trump supporters were, for the most part, unwilling to be liars under oath.

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Under penalty of perjury, Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, and several other supporters of the 2020 election conspiracy theory were finally forced to admit they cant explain how the election was stolen. In lieu of specific facts and details, each offered new and embarrassing revelations about themselves and their patron, Donald Trump. As a result, they could soon face millions of dollars in damages, as the judge weighs whether the defamation suit should proceed.

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Whats clear from the depositions is this: Despite Trump and his allies powerful ability to delay, obstruct, and block congressional investigators, courtrooms actually do work to create transparency and accountability. Of course, they only work when they are allowed to work. That is, courts serve their purpose when cases are allowed to proceed and when all of the basic mechanics of trial courtssworn depositions, live testimony, discovery, and eventually jury verdictsare allowed to happen instead of being stalled by appellate judges citing abstract and contentious legal theories (running down the clock has been a core legal strategy of Trump and his allies).

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These lawsuits also show us something else: While forcing shameless liars to tell the truth under oath doesnt necessarily affect their ability to spread lies in the future, it does severely limit the platform from which they spread their lies. Most media organizations fear the sort of civil liability suit Giuliani and others now face. And the lawsuits may ultimately result in crippling financial burdens that could cause others to think twice before pushing such damaging lies. Financial penalties may also force these specific liars into perpetually having to find a way to pay off the staggering debts. While it is no substitute for criminal liability, the Dominion employee lawsuit is just beginning to show the power of hitting people in their pocketbooks and forcing them to testify under oath.

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Trump and his allies are facing an avalanche of lawsuits. Dominion filed separate defamation lawsuits against Fox News and others who lied and said their voting systems were rigged. A similar lawsuit was filed against Fox News by another voting company. Rep. Eric Swalwell filed suit against possible fomenters of the Jan. 6 insurrection. There is also another defamation lawsuit being brought by a former Apprentice contestant who alleged Trump sexually assaulted her (Trump is scheduled to be deposed soon for this suit). And there is yet another defamation suit by a woman who alleged that Trump raped her that was allowed to progress last month after years in a holding pattern. And finally, there is the long-delayed 2015 lawsuit by anti-Trump protesters who alleged that Trump security guards assaulted them.

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The last lawsuit has already proved especially significant. It was in that suit that lawyers for the protesters deposed Trump for four hours. Last weeks deposition was the only time since late 2015, when he was still just a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, the former president has been forced to respond in person to questions under oath. The trial is now scheduled for May, Yahoo News reported on Monday. After a roughly seven-year delay, a New York jury will likely get to hear all four hours of Trumps testimony.

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All of these lawsuits could spell major monetary liability for Trump and his cronies, yes. But separate value lies in the fact that many of these suits are prominent venues to expose and spotlight the lies, corruption, and outright criminality that make up Trumpworld. Put another way: What the civil cases unearth could limit the election liars ability to expand their platforms. The suits also have the potential to put them in further legal jeopardy: Giuliani, for instance, was reportedly banned from Fox News following these lawsuits. And conspiracist pillow salesman Mike Lindell has been blocked from spreading his own election lies by the network.

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To get a sense of the kinds of revelations coming to light in the civil cases, its worth looking at the recent depositions in the lawsuit of the former Dominion employee, Eric Coomer. In the last few months of 2020, Trump-aligned media outlets and Trump attorneys spread an allegation from a conservative podcast host named Joe Oltmann claiming that Coomer had promised to rig the election for Biden during an antifa phone call. Oltmann alleges he had infiltrated the call months earlier. Here are a small number of those confessions:

Oltmann admitted that he could not name a single person to authenticate the existence of the call at the center of the lawsuit. Other than yourself, and as you claim Dr. Coomer, is there anyone that you can say was on the call with certainty? An attorney for Coomer asked Oltmann. I mean, I know for certainty that other people were on the call, yes. But I dont know for certainty the direct identity of those people, Oltmann stated. Oltmann couldnt confirm the time and date of the supposed call, and he refused to name the person who connected him on the line, contrary to a court order from the judge. It is safe to say that a jury will reasonably wonder if there ever was a call.

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TV host Michelle Malkinon whose Newsmax program Oltmann first began to widely spread his allegationcould not explain the theory of how Coomer allegedly helped steal the election. So as you sit here, you cannot cite to the court one working theory as to how Eric Coomer could have rigged the 2020 presidential election; isnt that true? Coomers attorney asked after intensive and precise questioning urging Malkin to describe the specifics of the steal. That is true, Malkin responded.

Powell, the former Trump campaign attorney who spread the falsehood that Coomer had confessed on tape to a plot to rig the election, could not describe how Coomer had done it either. I cant say he flipped a switch himself, Powell conceded. She also couldnt recall a single thing she had done to verify Oltmanns allegation aside from watching the Malkin clip. Indeed, she couldnt describe in any way, shape, or form any aspect of how the election was stolen from Trump, as she has alleged for months. There were thousands of stories about voting irregularities on Election Day. I dont have any specific recollection of any single one of them, Powell confessed. She also said, incredibly, that she didnt know whether or not she was being sarcastic when she said, during the infamous hair dye press conference with Giuliani, that Coomer had promised to rig the election on a call before (sarcastically) adding the phrase: Nothing to worry about here.

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Finally, as other outlets have noted, Giulianis deposition included several embarrassing admissions. First we learned about the free work Trump ordered him to do. We also learned about the Trump campaigns skepticism of Giulianis fraud claims, as well as the fact that he got all of his evidence from social media posts. Like other defendants in the suit, Giuliani couldnt say how the election had been fixed and admitted he had done no independent research into his claim that Coomer had stolen the election before broadcasting it to the world during that embarrassing national press conference. Did you ask anybody in the campaign, is there any information or research on Dr. Coomer or Dominion? Coomers attorney asked. You think I had the time for that? Giuliani admitted. Of course I didnt have the time for that.

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How bad are these findings, and the potential multimillion-dollar consequences, for Oltmann? Very. Just look at his behavior. Hes already failed to show up for one scheduled deposition. Hes alleged that the judge attended an antifa rally. And hes disobeyed direct court orders to reveal the sources of his access to the antifa call and the details of Coomers private Facebook account. Oltmanns desperation was on full display during a recent radio appearance in which he said: I want the judge to go to jail. I dont want the judge to be disbarred, I dont want the judge to be taken off of the bench, I dont want to just win on appeal . I want the judge to be put in jail.

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His public protestations underscore the beauty of these civil cases: They are creating forums for these would-be destroyers of our democracy to face the music, however faint.

While the civil venues are not nearly as efficient as criminal suits that could ensure that the perpetrators of the attack on our democracy are never able to spread their lies again (because theyd be in prison), the suits have shown us that the tools at our disposal are working. More substantively, the suits have already limited the platforms of some of the most dangerous conspiracists around. Add to that the fact that the suits could result in mountains of legal debt and monetary damages that could prove financially crippling to many of the worst offenders. Need evidence of the dire financial straits these defendants now find themselves in? Look no further than Giuliani, who has sunk to recording personalized messages boosting previous critics in exchange for petty change on Cameo. Its no substitute for criminal charges, but its a start.
On Jan. 6, two months after President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election, his supporters attempted a coup to keep him in power. The attack shook congressional Republicans, and many spoke out against it. That resistance has since collapsed. In the past month, statements by the partys most powerful lawmakersculminating in their attempt last week to eviscerate the House investigation of the Jan. 6 attackshow that the entire Republican leadership has decided to accept Trumps lies about the election and to shield the coup plotters from accountability.

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Trump remains a grave threat. In polls, he holds a prohibitive lead over his rivals for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, and hes running almost even with President Joe Biden in a hypothetical rematch. He continues to claim that the election was stolen and that Bidens presidency is illegitimate, but he has added a new twist. The real insurrection, says Trump, was the election itselfand therefore, the attempt to overturn it on Jan. 6 was righteous. Trump claims that the people arrested in the assault on the Capitol are political prisoners, and he rejects the House inquiry into the assault as an illegitimate investigation.

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Congressional Republicans have formed a phalanx to protect Trump and bury the truth about Jan. 6. In May, House Republicans ousted Rep. Liz Cheney from their leadership for contradicting Trumps lies about the election. Last week, they tried to block the House from holding former Trump adviser Steve Bannonwho has defied a subpoena from the select committee in charge of the investigationin contempt of Congress. Democrats managed to pass the contempt resolution, but Republicans voted overwhelmingly against it, 202 to 9. Essentially, they voted not to enforce the law.

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In their statements about Trump and Bannon, GOP leaders abandoned democratic norms and the rule of law. On Oct. 21, as Republicans worked to sabotage the resolution against Bannon, a reporter asked House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Are you OK with people defying congressional subpoenas? In response, McCarthy dismissed the subpoena as invalid, arguing that among Republicans, the committee was not viewed as a committee but as a cabal of Trump haters. McCarthy didnt like the committees composition, so he deemed it illegitimate.

Rep. Steve Scalise, the second-ranking House Republican, went further. In an Oct. 10 interview, he was asked three times whether, as Trump alleged, the 2020 election was stolen. Each time, Scalise repeated Trumps complaints that the election was conducted improperly. Last week, when Scalise was asked about the importance of enforcing subpoenas, he again parroted the former president, arguing that Republicans should sabotage the Bannon subpoena because the investigation was a witch hunt.

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Rep. Elise Stefanik, the third-ranking House Republican, got her job by promising not to contradict Trumps lies about 2020. Since then, she has promoted his propaganda about election integrity and his fake audits of the election results. In August, she joined Bannon on his War Room podcastthe same program on which, a day before the Jan. 6 attack, he had told listeners that all hell is going to break loose tomorrow. Last week, as she voted to protect Bannon, Stefanik spoke of her excitement that Trump was launching a social media platform. Meanwhile, Rep. Gary Palmer, the fourth member of the GOPs House leadership team, shrugged off questions about whether it was wise to gut Congresss subpoena power. He scoffed that the Jan. 6 committee was nothing more than a distraction because theyre [Democrats] getting killed in the polls.

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On the House floor, Rep. Jim Banks, who chairs the 159-member Republican Study Committee, led the GOPs push to protect Bannon and shut down the investigation. He called it a sham investigation conducted by a sham committee and declared, There is no committee conducting a legitimate investigation into Jan. 6. Banks also criticized the Department of Justice inquiry into the insurrection, calling it hyperactive. The true victims, he argued, were the organizers of the Jan. 6 uprisingAmerican citizens who are under congressional investigation for the sole crime of planning a legal political protest.

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Senate Republicans have likewise surrendered to Trump. Last week, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell brushed off a question about the National Republican Senatorial Committees decision to feature Trump at a conference for party donors on Oct. 14. We need to be talking about the future and not the past, said McConnell. Its my hope that the 22 election will be a referendum on the performance of the current administration, not a rehash of suggestions about what may have happened in 2020. Trumps lies about 2020, which McConnell had previously rejected, have now been recast as minor, unresolved questions about what may have happened.

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The Senates second- and third-ranking Republicans, John Thune and John Barrasso, voted in May to block the creation of a bipartisan commission to investigate Jan. 6. Thune warned that by dredging up the past, a Jan. 6 investigation might distract attention from the GOPs preferred topic: its criticisms of current Democratic policies. Barrasso, like Scalise, refused to dispute Trumps lies that the election was stolen. He complained about voting irregularities and accused Democrats of trying to make it even easier to cheat in elections.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, the chambers senior Republican, stands to become Senate president pro temporethird in the line of succession to the presidencyif the GOP recaptures the majority next year. On Oct. 9, at a rally in Iowa, he fawned over Trump after the former president denounced American democracy. The election was rigged, Trump told the crowd before introducing Grassley. The elections are totally corrupt in our country. They have been for a long time. Trump repeated his lie that he had outpolled Biden, and he summoned Grassley to the podium, calling him one of our best supporters on election fraud. Grassley strode to the stage, shook Trumps hand, and thanked him profusely.

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On Sunday, Sen. Roy Blunt, the chairman of the Republican Policy Committee, completed the GOPs capitulation. When NBCs Andrea Mitchell asked him whether Trump was right that the election itself was an insurrection, Blunt shrugged that the election was what it was. When Mitchell asked whether Trumps denials of Bidens legitimacy should disqualify the former president from running again, Blunt said no, arguing that Trump was just voicing opinions that other people may not agree with. And when Mitchell asked about the House GOPs attempt to protect Bannon, Blunt dismissed it as a minor story driven by the media.

Together, these statements from 10 of the most powerful Republicans in Congressfive in the Senate, five in the Houseshow that authoritarian corruption has permeated the partys power structure. No Republican in leadership is willing to challenge the former presidents lies about the election. Every Republican in leadership is determined to bury the investigation of his coup attempt. The story of the Trump presidency and its aftermath is no longer the story of one failed tyrant. Its the story of a party that has become a platform for autocratsand is ready for its next master.
How can portraying the future help us prepare for it? As part of the Smithsonians upcoming FUTURES exhibition, the Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building (AIB) collaborated with Arizona State Universitys Center for Science and the Imagination to bring together museum experts, cultural and research centers, writers, and artists to help answer that question. Then acclaimed sci-fi writers Tochi Onyebuchi and Madeline Ashby wrote eight storiesfour eachbased on that work.

Understanding of tropical and marine ecosystems and their relevance to human welfare will become increasingly important in a future altered by warming oceans and rising seas. In this story, inspired by the Smithsonians real-life research station in Panama, author Tochi Oneybuchi imagines the world of 2071, in which the cultivation and management of mangrove forests are part of a coastal infrastructure strategy to mitigate the effects of climate change.

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Join Future Tense, AIB, and the Center for Science and the Imagination on Tuesday, Nov. 9, at noon Eastern to discuss the exhibit, the pieces, and the roles museums play in depicting future narratives. RSVP here.

The hundreds of museumgoers resembled a school of herring in their synchronized underwater descent. Wearing their striped bodysuits, however, they more closely resembled bluestripe snappers. The Smithsonian had armed each person with a unisex suit designed to accommodate any prosthetics people may have, calibrating itself to the nanobots that beamed biometric information from their partially cyberized bodies into its system. And while the suit had fit Cam like a second skin, the ocean deep wrapped him in newness.

The experience of his body undulating through the water reminded Cam of his first time walking through a forest as an adult. An entire life lived amid the glass and steel of cities, their exacting geometry, had him convinced that such hard-and-fast order, such obvious patterning, was all there was to the world. But Shayna had taken him outside the Dome. With facemasks on to breathe air that hadnt yet been completely cleared of particulate, they took her car 125 miles north to the new growth that had been reported.

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Arboreal stunners, Shayna had said. You ever just look at a tree and get super emotional?

Cam had chuckled when shed first said that, a few weeks prior. Of course hed seen a tree before. There were holos and displays in city preservation centers, and the tree-lined avenues that ran through and around the business center, all with their own precise geometric patterning. They were synthetic, naturally, but they looked and felt real enough.

The forest had been closed off by an electronic barrier following the announcement of a new construction project. Fertile land with only lightly polluted air, ripe for habitation. Only a matter of time before it was claimed.

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He was happy hed had the chance to see it before it was gone, to have occupied that space between history and the present where you watch a thing start out as the latter and turn into the former.

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The ocean depths he and a few hundred others now swam through held the illusion of being untouched by humans, and every bit of habitat he looked at seemed to suggest the same. The swim trails were modeled after the flight paths for maglev cars aboveground. Just like air traffic control sensors were built into the actual vehicles overhead, sensors in the bodysuits ensured that no one drew too close and that no one fell too far behind the school and lost their way.

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They continued to swim into inky blackness. Their anglerfish-style antennae lit up, and Cams gasp echoed in his helmet. Hed expected a geodesic dome enclosure with pathways lit up to allow for the orderly passage of tourists, artifacts trapped in glass or amber, things propped up on stands or hanging by cords from the ceiling like those recreations of dinosaur skeletons in old museums. But beneath him, beneath all of them, was what looked like an entire city.

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Beneath the swimmers, reaching up through and around the sunken city, was a tangle of vegetal tentaclesa hand with innumerable gnarled, barnacled fingers fused into the thing it held.

Towers rose askew from the floor, and hallways that must have bridged them ended suddenly, forming makeshift entrances and exits. There were no windows; or, rather, there was no plexiglass in the windows. Those too were points of ingress and egress. Everything was access.

The closer the school of tourists came to what Cam realized was the museum exhibit, the more it started to break apart. One clustera familybroke off to head toward what looked like the main gate. A group of grade-schoolers, led by their teacher, swam toward a smaller tower to the left of where that first family went. And bit by bit, the whole collection of people disassembled itself.

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Cam decided to circle the perimeter, to see more of the outside. Everyones headlights created colorful patterns in different shades of gold and blue over the facade. Occasionally, a circle of light would pass through an openinga window or a hole in a partially collapsed walland vanish, but other lights would emerge elsewhere, and like this, the museumgoers seemed to announce themselves. Cam scouted the perimeter and saw that the underwater city spilled over a cliffs edge, and that coral reef had colonized its outer boundaries. And beneath those layers of reef, those same arborescent, arthritic tentacles hed seen earlier.

Construction began on LunaDatas underwater campus in the year 2035. The voice was like a gong ringing in Cams head. It took everything in him not to scream out at the intrusion, and he touched the space on his helmet by his temple, lowering the volume. It was only belatedly that he realized hed drifted in front of a human-sized disk that seemed to have fallen from its perch on an inner wall. It looked like some sort of castle seal, the sigil of some royal family. An L and a D, the horizontal bar of the L bisecting the D. A hologram appeared on Cams retinal display, revealing that the logo had existed in blue lettering on a white background, all inside a ringed navy-blue border.

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The technology companys then-CEO, Tom Jonas, launched a public poll two years prior, asking, on social media, which was the preferred location for a satellite campus: the ocean floor or the moon. A tax-incentive program had passed into federal law a year earlier, incentivizing the use of mangrove trees in the construction of all coastal business properties. By the time of the projects completion, more than $63.257 billion had been spent on construction, a total roughly equal to the then nominal GDP of the Republic of Croatia.

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Cam swam away so that the curator built into the bodysuit would stop talking. Or, at least, stop talking about that. Hearing about how much money had been spent on a thing like this, when less than a dozen nautical miles away the city where the company had been based had long since gone bankrupt, turned his stomach. It reminded him of the barrier that had been erected around the forest Shayna had shown him: how people with that much power inevitably poisoned every beautiful thing they could find. They could never simply let a thing be.

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Absently, Cam let currents take him into what seemed to be the inside of a gymnasium. While the roof was gone, fixtures taken over by oxidation sprouted like stunted metal trees from the floor and the grooves around them articulated, when Cam drifted backwards to get a longer view, workspaces.

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He imagined cattle pens, young workers recently released from university, debt-ridden, hunched over keyboards, surrounded by too many monitors in a time before augments could keep your eyes from getting fried by so much screenlight. Meat sacks surrounded by all that metal. Cam angled himself downward and put a hand to the floor. He expected unyielding metal, but instead touched porous substrate. It was the same wherever along the floor he touched, and when he looked up, he saw a young boy working through the same realization at a wall overhead, pressing his fingers in and pulling them back out over and over. Each time the kid withdrew his digits, the wall returned to how it had been.

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Sensors buzzed against Cams skin to announce the presence of another museumgoer. At his right appeared a young woman about his age, who smiled politely at him before her gaze settled on the kid at the wall.

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Amazing, yes? the woman said.

Cam nodded, because manners dictated, and she giggled at the way his headlight bobbed.

It reminds me a little of Cachagua. Theyre not using mangroves here the way they used them there, but I think is the same principle.

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And that was when Cam clocked her background. Youre from Chile?

She smiled at him and tilted her head to the side in a way that made his face flush. I know in museums, youre not supposed to talk talk talk, but what is an experience if you cannot share it with anyone?

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Cam thought of Shayna in the hospital and felt the pang of guilt hed tried, for the duration of this trip, to block. Shed gotten too sick to attend, but shed told him that she never would have forgiven herself if shed been the reason he didnt attend the opening. You better record everything, shed told him, and somehow hearing her say it that way meant to him that she was going to live long enough for him to return to her and tell her about everything he saw and heard and felt down here. She couldnt die before he got a chance to show her what it was like to swim down in formation to this underwater city from another time.

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At night, the Chilean woman said, if you go to the mangroves, you see these tiny crustaceansshe made a small circle with her fingers and emitted funny clicking soundsbut you can only see them at night. Some of them are as small as potato seeds, and some of them are a little bigger, but they sparkle in the night. And you can just see this blue light everywhere. She looked around. Cam followed her gaze and saw now that there were dozens of blue lights swimming around them. It was the tourists. It reminds me of home.

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Do you think  Cam wanted to hold the words back, but they came nonetheless. Do you think this place is punishing us? Shaynas neurodegenerative disease had been traced back to microbes in the water source that fed into her housing complex, the piping rerouted too late. And here he floated, in the midst of this massive monument to the failure of people to simply be in a place like this. Like  we shouldnt even be here?

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She stared into space for a long time before she said, Some people treat the mangroves as monuments, but to me they will always be the worlds smelliest jungle gym. I like to think that it delights the mangroves to know that children are playing on them. And seeing the beautiful things that happen on them. If you like, I can show you a photo.

Cam turned to the woman and suddenly saw Shayna standing next to him in that forest. In his helmet, he heard the buzz of insects and the slithering of things in the grass, and he smelled the mustiness of the place, its verdant wetness.

Sure, Cam replied, clearing his throat of the sob, equal parts sorrow and joy, that had been building. Id like that.

This story is a piece of near-future science fiction, but is inspired by the real-life work and research being conducted today by Rachel Collin, Beth King, and Noelle Lucey at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and Cinda Scott at the School for Field Studies.

Read the rest of the AIB-inspired stories on Future Tense here, and download the poster here.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
How can portraying the future help us prepare for it? As part of the Smithsonians upcoming FUTURES exhibition, the Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building (AIB) collaborated with Arizona State Universitys Center for Science and the Imagination to bring together museum experts, cultural and research centers, writers, and artists to help answer that question. Then acclaimed sci-fi writers Tochi Onyebuchi and Madeline Ashby wrote eight storiesfour eachbased on that work. In the story below, Ashby imagines the world of 2071, when a mini-boom of asteroid mining forays pays off in rare metals and surprising new discoveries for the citizens of Earth.

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Join Future Tense, AIB, and the Center for Science and the Imagination on Tuesday, Nov. 9, at noon Eastern to discuss the exhibit, the pieces, and the roles museums play in depicting future narratives. RSVP here.

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You are cordially invited, the message read, to attend the speculation audit and formal explanation of XTRKT Probe CB2071, purchased 4 July 2050 by Stubborn Little Weeds Co-operative, username: FETCH. FETCH was SLWs first major investment in astro-mining. XTRKT has informed us that the investment is ready to pay dividends: FETCH has hit pay dirt in the asteroid belt!

Hildegard was kicking the slush off her boots when the ping came through to her front mirror. At first she hadnt recognize the logo. It had been 20 years, but the artists colony where her parents met and married hadnt changed a single thing about their branding. Seeing the sunny yellow dandelion pulsing cheerily at her, Hildegard experienced a rush of memory. She smelled warm grass and cold lakes, old trees and new milk. She also experienced a sudden tightness in her chest. An actual pang of loss. They had been trying something new, her father insisted. Something revolutionary.

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Were living our values, Dad had said, back then. Thats the most punk-rock thing anyone can ever do.

This was why it hurt him so much when she left. He saw it as a betrayal of their values, not an escape that meant survival in a much larger world. He had accused her of running away from a bad breakup. She had accused him of emotional blackmail.

The message was probably just a request for donations, she told herself. The only reason they would possibly chase her down after all this time was money.

As it turned out, she was right.

What little Hildegard remembered of the XTRKT investment came from her parents endless, circular fights about it years ago. Her father thought it was a good investment that would prolong the life and artistic freedom of the Stubborn Little Weeds Co-operative and make it less dependent on donations. Her mother thought the investment would only further legitimize the extraction industry as a whole, which she saw as fundamentally responsible for why they had to wear masks all the time and couldnt buy coffee or chocolate.

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The CEO is a good guy! her father had protested.

They all think theyre good guys, her mother had said.

Whats coffee? Hildegard had asked, and her mother burst into tears.

In a strange way, those arguments formed their own orbital pattern. They revolved and wobbled, dipped and sank, always following a similar path, with subtle changes only evident over time. Her father would point to the history of XTRKT: that it was founded by a Texas billionaire who turned his back on scraping the last little bits of lithium out of Afghanistan and believed that community-run collaborative investment was the way forward for speculative astro-finance. Her mother thought it was awfully convenient of said billionaire to build on research that had been done at the publics expense, at the Smithsonian Institution. Her father thought that XTRKT had provided a public service by using existing connections from the extraction industry to lobby for a universal right-to-salvage law in space, which hadnt existed until XTRKT pushed Congress for it, following the Emirati model. Her mother thought that the masters tools could never dismantle the masters house. She often pointed to the image of Audre Lorde saying as much, peering down on them from the accent wall where other mothers in other communities displayed Bible-verse animations on an endless loop.

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Hildegard thought of these moments as she called up the contents of her late fathers most private encrypted drive, the one hed kept taped under the bed frame like an old-fashioned handgun, she saw it: the certificate indicating his investment, along with the colonys, in the speculative probe. And when she checked her digest mail, there were several messages from XTRKT. They had been trying to reach her, they said. Would it be possible for a representative to meet her in person at the Stubborn Little Weeds Co-operative? They would send a ride just for her, from the meeting place of her choice.

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Its absurd that you should have to go in person, her mother said, when Hildegard told her why she would be returning, at long last, to the artists colony.

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Its a condition of the contract the colony made with XTRKT, Hildegard told her. It requires biometric identification, and the contract stipulates that remote mechanisms wont be recognized as valid. I guess they were assuming that everyone would stay at the colony.

Or they just wanted to punish those that left, her mother said. Did they tell you what FETCH found?

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No, Hildegard said. Apparently we can only receive the preliminary report if we show up to confirm our identities in person.

Will you see her, there?

Who?

You know who. Rebekah.

Just the name caused the blood to rise to Hildegards face. Was Rebekah still at the colony? Maybe not. Maybe her family would send another representative to the meeting. Hopefully. No sense entertaining anxiety about it, now, she told herself. They were adults. Right?

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The ride took Hildegard through miles of re-wilded land in the shadow of massive carbon-capture towers that spiked like terminations of darkening quartz from the earth. The land had changed since the last time she caught a ride out. Back then she was 17, and her heart was broken, and there was a family from her group chat that was willing to take her in. Now there was more birdsong, and more insects spattering across the windscreen. Occasionally the whisper-quiet vehicle sent an infrared flash, warning animals to avoid its path.

On the way, Hildegard reviewed the XTRKT contract. She was a child when the colony invested. The drawings of the prospector probe looked adorably quaint, years later: In the old animations it floated between asteroids like a dandelion seed, their wispy solar foils spinning them along to the next possible claim, their drills tasting the rock like butterflies sipping nectar. FETCH was the barebones model of prospector probe, the only one the colony could afford. Its sensors were best suited to rare earths, but it was also capable of detecting biomass. Since the colony (and individual investors within the colony) held majority shares of the probes findings, they stood to make the most from the claimwhatever the claim turned out to be.

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Other XTRKT probes had already identified new metals and combinations of metals, and one probe had discovered remnants of single-celled lifeforms that were now culturing in a deep-space cheese cave, in the hope that they might provide healthy bacterial cultures for future human habitats. Another fleet of more advanced probes had established a claim that later became a superconductor factory, which now made magnets available for use on satellites and a Moon base.

FETCH was programmed to stop for instructions only when it found certain things: lithium, biomass, and any metal it could not readily identify. At first the investment seemed disastrous: the colony had almost exhausted its funds on this one gamble, and only in recent years had it managed to become solvent outside of patronage by capturing carbon and selling it back to the market. Now the colonists were about to find out if they were sitting on a fortune, or if theyd found alien life. And Hildegard was about to find out if the place shed grown up was anything like what she remembered.

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The colony had expanded. The old red barn was still there, and the split-rail gate. It swung open for the XTRKT vehicle, which drove up the long gravel drive past greenhouses and bunkhouses and playhouses for tourists and artists-in-residence. It nestled itself among its brethren sporting the XTRKT logo, and an alert on the windscreen told Hildegard to proceed to the Main House for a cabin placement. There were twelve other vehicles in the parking area. Hildegard couldnt remember the last time she had seen so many vehicles clustered in the same space. The same superconducting materials found by early prospecting probes were now baked into the national high-speed railway, and the all-encompassing internet built on its back.

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There were more children than she remembered. Rebekah had felt like her only friend, back then. That was why it hurt so much to lose her. It was a different time. Things were bad; fewer people wanted children. Now the birthrate had actually climbed. The kids gathered, gawking at the XTRKT vehicle.

The Main House was as she remembered it: a log cabin that had once seemed huge to her young eyes. Now it was dwarfed by biocrete and mushroom-brick buildings, cladded in exoskeletal fibers that ran power and data through tiny waveform changes in the water and stored information on DNA drives. Her hand was on the doorknob when she heard steps crunching behind her.

Hils?

Her heart flipped. Her limbs were heavy; her body almost didnt want to turn around. But then her eyes landed on the other womans face, on her smile, and her heart returned to its right place. She had come all this way to discover a fortune found among the stars, but here at home was the treasure she had left behind.

Hi, Rebekah.

This story is a piece of near-future science fiction, but is inspired by the real-life research and work being conducted today by Martin Elvis at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Allana Krolikowski at Missouri University of Science and technology, and Tony Milligan at Kings College London.

Read the rest of the AIB-inspired stories on Future Tense here, and download the full poster here.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
ARCHIVED - Capital gains tax in Spain declared unconstitutional



The Treasury in Spain will be forced to adjust how the tax is calculated

The coffers of local governments in Spain have been dealt a major blow on Tuesday October 26 as the Constitutional Court has declared that capital gains tax, which has been in force in this country since the beginning of the century, is null and void. The tax, which is paid on the value of land when it is sold, has been deemed unconstitutional and could potentially result in a loss of 4 billion euros to municipal revenues this year alone.

When a person sells a house in Spain, it is assumed that during the time in which it has been owned the value of the land has been revaluated, and so the seller has to pay a tax on that capital gain. The obvious issue, however, is that this sum is always calculated upwards, whether or not the value of the property has increased.

The Constitutional Court has judged that the tax is unfairly balanced towards local councils, for whom there is always a capital gain, regardless of the state of the market. During the global crisis of 2008, for example, the housing market crashed and the vast majority of properties lost value, but municipalities continued to apply the tax as if an increase had been registered.

In fact, the tax was first declared unconstitutional for this very reason back in 2017 but the regulations were not changed; now though, the tax cant be applied to properties until the situation is straightened out.

What its likely to mean for sellers is that they will be required to present an evaluation of the land in question at the time it was bought and the time it is being sold in order to prove that it hasnt increased in value. Since the tax was first questioned back in 2017, a number of files remain open, many of which will be open to claims. According to the experts, if the local council automatically applies capital gains tax, the seller has one month to appeal. However, in many areas in Spain, the owner completes a self-assessment, in which case the taxpayer has four years to claim.

Ultimately, capital gains tax will not disappear as it is too valuable to local councils, but rather the system of calculating the payment will be subject to a reform.

Image: Archive
The shops will be closed on the first of November.

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On All Saints Day, a national holiday in Slovakia, many people travel to their families and visit the graves of their deceased relatives.

Even though the state has not imposed a lockdown as it did in 2020, the daily caseload is rising and the numbers of newly infected people recently exceeded 4,000.

The Covid automat warning system, which divides Slovak districts into five tiers according to the current epidemic situation, counts on the restriction of movement, but a national emergency must be declared to be able to limit movement. A national emergency has not been adopted due to lack of political agreement.

The map of districts from November 1, 2021. (Source: Health Ministry)

Therefore, experts say they are relying on the responsible behaviour of people and have issued five recommendations everyone should observe in order to spend the holidays safely.

Recommendations of experts 1. Find time to stay in nature during the weekend and stay in a circle of your closest family. 2. Do not travel to black and dark-red districts unless necessary. 3. If you do travel, use individual means of transport and observe the basic preventive measures  wear a mask or respirator, keep a distance from people outside the circle of your closest ones and wash and sanitise your hands. 4. Postpone meeting more distant family relatives and friends to a time when the epidemic situation is more favourable. Avoid meeting at-risk people, especially if any of you are not vaccinated. Also avoid meeting older people, people with chronic diseases and people with weakened immunity. 5. Avoid places with a high concentration of people  shopping centres, public transport, mass events and gatherings at gravesites on Saturday and Sunday, when the risk of infection will be higher due to expected strain. Source: Health Ministry

Time changes, too

During the last October weekend, the time changes. In the night from October 30 to October 31, clocks will be moved by one hour back, from 3:00 to 2:00.

This will impact two night trains 614/615 Tatran Zemplin from Humenne to Bratislava and in opposite direction that will stay for one hour during the weekend and continue in the ride according to new time, the SITA newswire reported.

Trains will be strengthened before All Saints Day and also after to satisfy bigger demand for travelling. There will be 14 extra trains, one regional and 13 fast trains added. Trains are already available in the valid schedule.

November 1, as a national holiday, means that all shops are closed, with exception of petrol station and those shops where the owners themselves serve customers.
Gastronomy sector asks the government for help. MP fined for taking a bath in High Tatras stream.

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Good evening. Catch up on the main news of the day in less than five minutes with the Thursday, October 28 edition of Today in Slovakia. We wish you a pleasant read.

Uninterrupted highway connects central Slovakia and Kosice

(Source: TASR)

From midnight between October 28 and 29, drivers will be able to travel smoothly from Ivachnova to Kosice, thanks to the opening of the south-western bypass of the city of Presov in eastern Slovakia.

The construction of the almost eight-kilometer section of the D1 highway Presov, west - Presov, south, which also includes the two-kilometre Presov tunnel, took more than four years and cost more than 356 million euros without VAT. The new bypass will shorten the commute by almost 19 minutes.

The original completion date was set for June of this year. However, according to the General Director of the National Highway Company, Juraj Tlapa, the work was affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and had to be interrupted twice due to the failure of several workers.

"It was technically and technologically very demanding work, so I am very glad that it is finished," he said at the grand opening of the highway stretch, as quoted by the SITA newswire.

Former PM was robbed but did not turn to police

Robert Fico (Source: TASR)

While former PM and Smer chair Robert Fico was on holiday abroad this summer, someone stole from the Smer partys headquarters in Bratislava gold coins and 50,000 in cash.

Fico described the situation in leaked videos from the hunting lodge where he met people connected to corruption cases. He noted that he did not call the police so he could avoid having to explain why he had so much cash in the office and that he was afraid that the police officers would talk about it with everyone.

Fico explained to the public that he does not trust banks and he gained part of his savings when selling equipment from his previous flat. The Dennik N daily wrote that 50,000 is more than his yearly salary.

Even though Fico did not report it, two Slovak politicians have submitted a criminal complaint. Two other MPs, Jan Bencik and Radovan Kazda, filed a motion to the committee for the incompatibility of functions to check whether Fico should have mentioned gold coins in his 2020 property declaration.

The explanation offered by the Smer chair for the ownership of such large amounts of money in cash and movable property does not correspond to his property declarations, NGO Transparency International Slovakia wrote on Facebook.

Coronavirus and vaccination news

Illustrative stock photo (Source: TASR/AP)

4,981 people were newly diagnosed as Covid positive out of 18,507 PCR tests performed on Wednesday. The number of people in hospitals has increased to 1,384 people. 20 more deaths were reported on Wednesday. The vaccination rate is at 45.37 percent; 2,495,503 people have received the first dose of the vaccine. More stats on Covid-19 in Slovakia here.

out of 18,507 PCR tests performed on Wednesday. The number of people in hospitals has increased to 1,384 people. 20 more deaths were reported on Wednesday. The vaccination rate is at 45.37 percent; 2,495,503 people have received the first dose of the vaccine. More stats on Covid-19 in Slovakia here. During the prolonged holiday weekend, travelling within the country is expected to increase. Experts, however, warn people against travelling, especially with public transport, due to the current epidemic situation, mainly to dark-red and black tiers.

Photo of the day

(Source: TASR)

103 years have passed since the establishment of Czechoslovakia on October 28, 1918. President Zuzana Caputova honoured the memory of Milan Rastislav Stefanik and Tomas Garrigue Masaryk by laying wreaths at the monuments in Bratislava. She also sent a congratulatory letter to her Czech counterpart Milos Zeman. She emphasised in it that the establishment of a common state of Czechs and Slovaks in 1918 was a fundamental event in the existence of both nations.

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Feature story for today

Under the current rules, abortions are legal in Slovakia up to the end of the 12th week of pregnancy, or until the end of the 24th week for health reasons.

Yet women who decide to get an abortion often struggle to find a facility that carries out the procedure. There is no official list of facilities providing legal abortions upon a womans request. Although some facilities state on their websites that they perform abortions, or have abortions listed among the procedures on their price lists, it does not necessarily mean they perform them.

Abortion is legal but comes with many obstacles. MPs now debate adding more Read more

In other news

The regular, 48th session of the parliament has been adjourned until next Tuesday, November 2 because an MP from the OLaNO caucus Lucia Drabikova has tested positive for coronavirus .

until next Tuesday, November 2 because an MP from the OLaNO caucus Lucia Drabikova has tested . The economic sentiment indicator has fallen by 3.1 points to 97 points . Although the current value is significantly more optimistic than in the same period last year, according to the Statistics Office, it is still 5.5 points below the long-term average.

. Although the current value is significantly more optimistic than in the same period last year, according to the Statistics Office, it is still 5.5 points below the long-term average. MP Romana Tabak (OLaNO) was fined 500 for bathing in a stream in a highly-protected environment in the High Tatras. Tabak posted a picture of herself in the stream in the national park on social media.

for in a highly-protected environment in the High Tatras. Tabak posted a picture of herself in the stream in the national park on social media. European Commissioner Ylva Johansson confirmed to MEP Michal Simecka that the European Commission (EC) will review the harsh penalties imposed in Slovakia for possession of marijuana and its medicinal use. The MEP initiated the request in September, and other MEPs joined him.

and its medicinal use. The MEP initiated the request in September, and other MEPs joined him. MP Jan Kroslak is no longer a member of the OLaNO caucus . He asked to terminate his membership on Wednesday. There will now be 51 MPs in the OLaNO caucus from the original 53, as Martin Cepcek was expelled in the summer.

. He asked to terminate his membership on Wednesday. from the original 53, as Martin Cepcek was expelled in the summer. Representatives of the gastronomy sector call on the government to swiftly launch the effective measures that operators can access without complicated conditions. They point out that in black-tier districts, they can only sell takeaway or delivery.

Do not miss on Spectator.sk today

The Mole made them popular. Bratislavans will sit on Prague benches Read more

Slovakia has its own 'tinfoil hat' punchline Read more

If you have suggestions on how this news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk.
Reducing VAT on catering services from next year would help operators pay off huge debts as well as deferred taxes and levies, or pay higher wages to employees.

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From November 1, 24 districts will switch to the black (worst) tier in the Covid automat warning system.

In these districts, all restaurants, pubs, and cafes have to remain closed for their customers, even the vaccinated ones. They may only sell take-away or deliver the orders.

An initiative that unites operators of restaurants and food providers points out that even though the number of black-tier districts has doubled, the sector has not received any aid from the state. The first black-tier districts appeared in Slovakia on October 14.

The initiative, therefore, calls on the government to swiftly launch effective measures without complicated conditions for operators.

"You can't do business all the time with a huge fear of the future, often about whole families. The gastro industry needs help from the government, a light at the end of the tunnel," said Vladimir Machalik, executive director of the Slovak Beer and Malt Association. Slovak gastro is dying.
The stretch between Kosice and Ivachnova is now uninterrupted.

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The D1 highway Presov, west - Presov, south stretch will open to drivers at midnight between October 28 and 29.

The 7.87-kilometre-long section consists of 18 bridges, the Presov twin-tube tunnel, which is more than 2 kilometres long, 19 branches of intersections and six kilometres of acoustic walls.

680 workers worked on the construction of the highway, the SITA newswire reported. The excavation of the Presov tunnel began in the summer of 2018 and lasted a year. A new Austrian tunneling method was used during the continuous operation, in which 240 workers took part.

Part of the construction included an intersection that connects two highways and roads of the first, second and third class.

The branches span over 11.3 kilometres, which is more than the length of the whole stretch.

The new stretch can withstand a traffic intensity of 20,000 cars.

Thanks to this new stretch, drivers on the highway should save 19 minutes as they can now travel smoothly on the northern D1 highway, measuring 183 kilometres in length, from Kosice to Ivachnova, the National Highway Company reported.

Drivers must have a toll sticker before driving on it.

Good news for Kosice, too

On the day the Presov bypass was handed over for use, the highway company announced more good news for eastern Slovakia - the contract for the construction of another section of the Kosice speed road R2 has been signed.

This section is a part of the south-eastern bypass of Kosice from Haniska, or Sebastovce to Kosicke Olsany, for which 165 million in European funds have been earmarked.

Bratislava is finally linked to Kosice, through Hungary Read more

After its completion in 2025, drivers will be able to use the D1 Bidovce - Budimir highway and travel further to Ruzomberok, where the last missing section of the Slovak highway between Bratislava and Kosice should be built.
https://sputniknews.com/20211027/asean-urged-to-recognize-myanmars-ousted-national-unity-government-after-snubbing-junta-chief--1090264432.html

ASEAN Urged to Recognize Myanmars Ousted National Unity Government After Snubbing Junta Chief

ASEAN Urged to Recognize Myanmars Ousted National Unity Government After Snubbing Junta Chief

After the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) decided to exclude leaders of Myanmar's military government brought to power in a February coup, the... 27.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-27T23:35+0000

2021-10-27T23:35+0000

2021-10-27T23:36+0000

myanmar

asean

summit

national unity government

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The 10-nation bloc, joined by a number of other partners including China and the United States, is holding its annual three-day summit virtually from Tuesday until Thursday. In a controversial move just days before the meeting, ASEAN members voted to disinvite Min Aung Hlaing, the head of Myanmars Tatmadaw military force who made himself Prime Minister in August after leading a coup against the civilian government.However, Myanmar wasnt totally excluded, as an invitation was sent to a nonpartisan representative of the government, who declined to attend due to what it would do for the governments image.Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei, which presently occupies ASEANs rotating chair, said in a Monday statement that Myanmar "needs both time and political space to deal with its many and complex challenges, but added that ASEAN remains "committed to support Myanmar in its efforts to return to normalcy in accordance with the will of the people of Myanmar."The bloc has never before excluded a country from its summit since its 1967 foundation and generally maintains a policy of non-interference. Myanmars Foreign Ministry has also said that disinviting Hlaing violates the ASEAN charter, another reason for them to not participate at all. However, they cautioned it also means Myanmar cannot be bound by decisions made in its absence.Indecisiveness Fanned ViolenceHowever, others have gone beyond simply making the military government feel unwelcome and are pushing ASEAN to recognize the National Unity Government (NUG), a group of lawmakers, ousted in the February 2021 coup, as well as representatives from ethnic groups against the junta. It is led by the National League for Democracy, the party of former state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, who was accused by the military of violating COVID-19 safety regulations and bans on importing certain radio technology and thus voiding the results of the November 2020 elections, which the NLD carried handily.Charles Santiago, a member of the Malaysian parliament and chairman of ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR), said in a Wednesday press conference that much more needs to be done by ASEAN to settle the situation in Myanmar, including for ASEAN to meet officially and publicly with representatives of the duly elected NUG.When he was appointed head of the caretaker government in August, Hlaing said that elections would be held in 2023.Bo Hla Tint, NUGs ambassador to ASEAN, has also called on the bloc to enter dialogue with the shadow civilian government.It is very obvious that the 2020 election provided popular support and legitimacy to the NUG government, Tint said at the presser. Only NUG has the legitimacy from the people to work with the regional and international community.Khin Ohmar, head of the pro-democracy group Progressive Voice Myanmar, said that ASEANs indecisiveness had actually caused further bloodshed in Myanmar, warning that the crisis has already reached a breaking point with no signs of stopping.Over 250,000 [have] been forced to flee from the juntas attacks. The junta is also planning a new wave of operations, and this is a form of collective punishment against the people for standing up against their failed coup, she said. It should be very clear to ASEAN by now that ASEAN alone cannot tackle the crisis in Myanmar. This crisis has been created by the military, and thus, working with the junta will only bring more harm to the people.More than 9,000 people have been arrested since the coup, including activists, journalists, government employees, and medics. The government released 5,600 of them last week in an apparent mass amnesty, but warned if they were re-arrested - as more than 100 were immediately after their release, according to Human Rights Watch - they would be forced to serve their full sentences, plus whatever new charges were brought against them.Kyi appeared before a court in the capital of Naypyidaw on Tuesday to give testimony in the case against her and other officials, including Win Myint, who was president at the time of the coup. However, the courtroom was closed to the public and a gag order imposed by the government on her legal team has prevented almost any news from getting out about the proceedings.

WhatTheFishIsThis Myanmar is having their Family Squabble, and it's best that ASEAN stays out of it for some time to let them resolve their own issues. The US, West and Allies (+UN?) are itching to forcibly enter Myanmar to enforce their "Democracy", "Human Rights" and Influence. Don't encourage them. 1

vot tak The myanmar military is not popular with the israelis. I see. 0

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myanmar, asean, summit, national unity government
https://sputniknews.com/20211028/assange-should-be-hailed-not-jailed-says-corbyn-at-us-extradition-appeal-1090277518.html

Assange Should be Hailed, Not Jailed, Says Corbyn at US Extradition Appeal

Assange Should be Hailed, Not Jailed, Says Corbyn at US Extradition Appeal

Julian Assange could spend the rest of his life in jail if extradited to the US on charges related to Wikileaks' publication of evidence of US war crimes in... 28.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-28T14:18+0000

2021-10-28T14:18+0000

2021-10-28T14:38+0000

julian assange

uk high court

jeremy corbyn

wikileaks

chelsea manning

us

extradition

us justice department

war crimes

keir starmer

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Jeremy Corbyn has said Wikileaks founder Julian Assange should be "hailed" for exposing war crimes and state snooping  not jailed in the USThe former Labour Party leader spoke at a protest outside the High Court in London on Thursday, where Assange's legal team were opposing an appeal by the US government against a magistrate's decision to deny his extradition to the US on espionage charges."If he [was] moved to the United States, he may well, because of his mental health condition, take his own life", the veteran politician stressed.Assange has been held in the ultra high-security Belmarsh prison in south London, where terrorist suspects and convicts are commonly jailed, since April 2019. He appeared by a video link from the prison on the first day of the appeal hearing on Wednesday.The journalist's fiancee and mother of his two children Stella Moris said this week she had become even more concerned about his health after visiting him in Belmarsh, where he appeared emaciated.Assange's barrister Edward Fitzgerald QC argued that rendering him to the US would worsen his already-damaged mental health and put him at risk of suicide.Assange was arrested on 2 April 2019 after Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno revoked the political asylum status granted to the journalist in 2012 by his predecessor Rafael Correa's government, and evicted him from its embassy in the capital's wealthy Knightsbridge.He was convicted of breaching his bail conditions in 2012 by seeking refuge at the embassy while awaiting extradition to Sweden on charges of rape, which have since been dropped. Assange's lawyers argued that the Swedish request was a ruse to get him into a jurisdiction from which extradition to the US would be easier."I think we should bear witness to Julian's bravery and his determination and demand two things: one that he's not removed under any circumstances to the United States, and secondly that he be released from Belmarsh so he can continue his life with his partner, with his children".If extradited to the US, Assange faces trial on charges that could see him spend the rest of his life in prison. The allegations stem from Wikileaks' publication of evidence of war crimes by US forces leaked by whistleblower Chelsea Manning over a decade ago.The US Department of Justice, represented at the hearing by the UK's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), has offered assurances that he could serve any sentence in his native Australia.Corbyn was suspended from his party last year on the orders of his successor Sir Keir Starmer  a former head of the CPS  after he defended the party from anti-Semitism allegations.

https://sputniknews.com/20211028/the-us-government-wants-to-extradite-julian-assange-at-all-costs-1090265041.html

Ladyshadow Face it, the UK is afraid to do the right thing and release Assange. Better use of the courts would be to hold the US responsible for all of its war crimes and spying. 4

mandrake Corbyn is right of course and moreover, he hadbeen the prime minister had not the jews in palestine and the local jews scrapped his and labour partys chances to win the election through accusing him of anti-semitism. If anything, when the jews collude like they did against corbyn, anti semitism is motivated over andover again! 3

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julian assange, uk high court, jeremy corbyn, wikileaks, chelsea manning, us, extradition, us justice department, war crimes, keir starmer, crown prosecution service (cps)
https://sputniknews.com/20211028/biden-hasnt-got-a-prayer-1090282649.html

Biden Hasnt Got a Prayer

Biden Hasnt Got a Prayer

US President Joe Biden is escaping to Europe this weekend leaving behind a domestic scene of political disorder and despair. 28.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-28T14:47+0000

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joe biden

columnists

pope francis

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In a corny bit of reporting, the AP news agency opined that Biden would begin his European tour by seeking the power of prayer by visiting the Vatican to meet with Pope Francis.The deeply religious president would find inspiration, it was suggested, before heading off to the G20 and COP26 summits where he would tout US leadership for confronting climate change and the alleged growing authoritarianism of China and Russia.Its doubtful the pontiff would indulge this prayer format portraying the US leader as a Holy Joe benign world figure  even if Biden is the only second American president out of 46 total in the history of the Republic believed to be Catholic (the other being John F Kennedy).Corniness aside, President Biden has a chock-full list of concerns for which he may wish to supplicate divine intervention.In no particular order, there are his sagging poll numbers among US citizens, including Democrats. That growing discontent is due in part to the pessimism over a pandemic that just wont go away and whose death toll is heading towards one million Americans before the end of the year.On top of that grimness, theres frustration with the lack of delivery on Bidens electoral promises to improve social conditions for ordinary citizens. His plans to launch ambitious investment programs in public services and infrastructure have been stuck in Congressional gridlock for nearly 10 months since he entered the White House. Biden may well pray that a couple of corporate-bought senators will pass his big spending plans before the entire place collapses.The seething voter disillusionment is only fueling the quackery of Donald Trump and the cult-like Republicans who offer no solution at all except a drift towards more chaos and misery. At this stage in his presidency, Trumps poll numbers were even lower than Bidens. And that was before Trumps tax giveaways to the super-wealthy and his catastrophic pandemic mismanagement.On foreign policy matters, President Biden will be praying that reports of a new Chinese hypersonic weapon turn out to be inaccurate. His top military chief General Mark Milley this week described the alleged new hypersonic missile to be very close to a Sputnik moment owing to its purported ability to evade US defense systems. China maintains that the reported test projectile was not a weapon but rather a spacecraft prototype. Biden will be praying the Chinese are telling the truth otherwise his coat-trailing and bravado defense commitments regarding Taiwan may turn out to be most unwise.A few other quick prayers may bubble up in Joes mind. Please make Turkeys President Erdogan have second thoughts about buying Russias S-400 air defense system. For Erdogan to insist on going ahead with that purchase is just too embarrassing for NATO propaganda that tries to present Russia as a security threat to Europe. Also, the awkward move by the Turkish leader is jeopardizing multi-billion-dollar sales of the US-made F-35 fighter jet (also known as the flying brick).Then there is divine intervention required to make Frances President Macron get over his sulk about the United States betrayal with Britain and Australia in forming the AUKUS military pact which cost Paris a 50 billion submarine contract. That little bit of treachery by the Biden administration has boomeranged big time by severely denting confidence in US leadership among European vassals, er, allies.Despite all the absurd pretensions of American virtue, if Pope Francis had integrity and courage he might like to skip the prayer session and tell Biden some home truths.For starters, stop the criminal persecution of Julian Assange for his brave exposure of American war crimes. The principled publisher is being judicially murdered by Washingtons vindictiveness. All for the crime of Assange exposing Washingtons illegal wars around the world.Heres another "prayer" that Biden should hear. End all US criminal sanctions that are killing people in Cuba, Iran, North Korea and other countries from being deprived of basic humanitarian needs.And stop the criminal American policy of relentless aggression towards China and Russia based on lies and smears that are inciting international tensions to the infernal threshold of possibly instigating nuclear war.The only divine intervention that the world needs is to stop the systematic criminal insanity of the US ruling class and its evil capitalist depredations. As it is, Biden hasnt got a prayer.

https://sputniknews.com/20211028/dems-press-manchin-over-paid-family-leave-plan-as-biden-wants-finish-line-for-reconciliation-bill-1090274986.html

https://sputniknews.com/20211027/us-top-general-says-alleged-chinese-hypersonic-missile-launch-was-very-close-to-sputnik-moment-1090259569.html

Dang! Didn't you see how even the cardinals in the Vatican were saying " let's go Brandon " , aka "f@ck joe biden", while dementia Joe's televised meeting with the pope was going on!! 2

Rostislav Babyak As I am a Russian Orthodox Christian, I have altered the atheistic quote from Voltaire. Regarding American politicians in general and Biden in particular it can be said, "Religion is all-too-often a comfort to the saint and a refuge for scoundrels." 0

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joe biden, columnists, pope francis
https://sputniknews.com/20211028/china-urges-us-to-stop-perceiving-it-as-imaginary-enemy-1090281220.html

China Urges US to Stop Perceiving It as 'Imaginary Enemy'

China Urges US to Stop Perceiving It as 'Imaginary Enemy'

BEIJING (Sputnik)  China calls on the United States to abandon the Cold War mentality and stop treating Beijing as an "imaginary enemy," the Chinese Foreign... 28.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-28T13:54+0000

2021-10-28T13:54+0000

2021-10-28T13:54+0000

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missile

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Washington should make greater efforts to boost mutual trust and cooperation between China and the United States, as well as maintain peace, stability, and development throughout the world, he added.Last week, the Financial Times reported that China had conducted two tests of hypersonic weapons on 27 July and 13 August , respectively. Earlier reports by the newspaper about the test of a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile in August, which missed its target and caught US intelligence off guard, were rejected by Beijing, which called the incident a routine spacecraft experiment.Earlier this week, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, compared China's recent hypersonic missile test with the launch of the first artificial earth satellite in the USSR in 1957. Later, when commenting on his remark, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that Washington is concerned by Beijing's military modernization and considers it a threat to regional stability.

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asia & pacific, china, missile, hypersonic missiles
https://sputniknews.com/20211028/cruise-ship-drug-scandal-key-witness-in-aryan-khan-case-kiran-gosavi-wanted-for-cheating-detained-1090269418.html

Cruise Ship Drug Scandal: Key Witness in Aryan Khan Case Kiran Gosavi Wanted for Cheating, Detained

Cruise Ship Drug Scandal: Key Witness in Aryan Khan Case Kiran Gosavi Wanted for Cheating, Detained

Gosavi was accused in a cheating case lodged in 2018. Since then, he has been on the lam. In 2019, police declared him wanted. On 2 October, he was spotted... 28.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-28T08:05+0000

2021-10-28T08:05+0000

2021-10-28T08:05+0000

drug trade

celebrity

drug

bollywood

narcotics

drug smugglers

celebrity scandal

controversy

bollywood

shahrukh khan

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Private detective Kiran Gosavi, who is the Narcotics Control Bureau's (NCB) "independent witness" in the ongoing alleged cruise ship drug case involving Aryan Khan, was nabbed by police in Pune, Maharashtra on Thursday morning. He was arrested in connection with a 2018 cheating case. Gosavi was declared NCB's "independent witness" in Aryan's alleged drug case.Several political leaders and netizens sparked an uproar on social media questioning why an "independent witness" of the NCB would be present at the raid and its office and take selfies with the high-profile accused and post them on social media.Trouble mounted for Gosavi last week when Prabhakar Rohoji Sail, who claimed to be Gosavi's personal bodyguard and another witness in the cruise ship drug case, made serious allegations of bribery against him.Sail alleged that Gosavi took INR 5 million ($66,815) from an individual after the raid on the cruise on 2 October. Sail also revealed that he heard Gosavi having a telephone conversation about payoffs with Sam D'Souza. Sail claimed Gosavi told Sam that they should ask for a bribe of INR 250 million ($3.33 million) and then settle at INR 180 million ($2.4 million), of which INR 80 million ($1.06 million) is for the NCB's zonal officer, Sameer Wankhede, who is in charge of this investigation.Denying Sail's bribery allegations, Gosavi issued a video statement on Thursday in which he requested the investigation team to cross-check call detail records (CDR) and chats."Sail is lying. I just want to request that his CDR (call details record) should be released. My CDR report or chat should be issued, along with the CDR report of Sail and his brother, then everything will be clear", Gosavi said in the video statement. The RaidAfter getting a tip-off about the cruise rave party, the NCB conducted a raid on 2 October and arrested Aryan and his friends Arbaaz Merchant, Munmun Dhamecha, Nupur Sarika, Ishmeet Singh, Mohak Jaswal, Vikrant Chhokar, and Gomit Chopra.They were held on 3 October for allegedly possessing and consuming drugs on a cruise ship off the coast of Mumbai.Although Aryan's lawyer claimed that he had simply been invited to the event by the party organisers and that no drugs were recovered from him, NCB officer Sameer Wankhede said there was evidence to the contrary.So far, the NCB has arrested as many as 20 people, including Aryan.Aryan and the other defendants have been in jail since 8 October and are waiting to be granted bail by an Indian court.On the other hand, Sameer Wankhede, the NCB officer investigating the case, has been accused of extortion, fraud, and framing Aryan Khan and others by Maharashtra State Minister Nawab Malik.Meanwhile, a special team of NCB officers from New Delhi has arrived in Mumbai to investigate the allegations against Sameer Wankhede and the drug raid carried out at the beginning of October.The bail plea by Aryan, and his friends is currently being heard at the Bombay High Court.

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drug trade, celebrity, drug, bollywood, narcotics, drug smugglers, celebrity scandal, controversy, bollywood, shahrukh khan, drug gangs, celebrity gossip, india
https://sputniknews.com/20211028/danish-pm-faces-impeachment-for-deleting-her-messages-related-to-slaughter-of-15-mln-mink-1090268665.html

Danish PM Faces Impeachment for Deleting Her Messages Related to Slaughter of 15 Mln Mink

Danish PM Faces Impeachment for Deleting Her Messages Related to Slaughter of 15 Mln Mink

Denmark's controversial decision to cull all 15 million farmed mink to prevent the spread of mutated COVID-19 was ruled illegal and has since devolved into a... 28.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-28T06:02+0000

2021-10-28T06:02+0000

2021-10-28T08:00+0000

denmark

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The prime minister now risks being brought before a national court after the so-called Minkgate, which is seen as one of Denmark's biggest political scandals in modern times.All text messages from the days when Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen made the contentious decision to slaughter all the country's mink stock have been deleted, TV2 has reported.The decision to kill 15 million mink to stop a mutated COVID variant for fear that it would intervene with the vaccination process sparked controversy, as it was found to be unconstitutional  Danish law doesn't support the killing of healthy animals. Subsequently, Prime Minister Frederiksen pointed to the-then food minister and party mate Mogens Jensen, who left his post over the affair.However, a "mink commission" appointed earlier this year to investigate the case has collected over a million documents and emails to map out the course of events. The commission requested the prime minister's text messages from the days on which the decision was made, yet they appeared to be unavailable. Mette Frederiksen's staff replied that the messages are automatically deleted after 30 days.According to law professor Frederik Waag of the University of Southern Denmark, this can be criminal in and of itself.Following a media uproar, Mette Frederiksen pledged that the ministry will try and restore the deleted text messages and review its guidelines.Yet, Danish Radio obtained text messages showing how Frederiksen's right hand, Secretary of State Barbara Bertelsen, was pressuring former department chief at the Food Ministry Henrik Studsgaard to let former minister Mogens Jensen take the fall for the mink affair. According to Danish Radio, the messages remained intact on Studsgaard's phone, but were deleted on Bertelsen's."Your minister's only chance to turn this around is to accept it sincerely and wholeheartedly. Any remnant of previous obvious attempts to pass it on to others  including the government at large and thus the prime minister  will hit him even harder", Berthelsen wrote in one of the messages, as quoted by Danish Radio. To emphasise the gravity, Berthelsen reportedly underscored that it is about "the life of the government".In the course of this autumn and early winter, a total 61 interrogations will be held with ministry employees, government officials, industry representatives, and ministers. Last on the list, the prime minister herself will testify on 9 December.Last year, the drama took yet another grim plot twist after the mink, buried in shallow graves one metre into the ground, began to swell with gas and penetrate through, spurring morbid jokes about "zombie mink". This year, the work of digging up and disposing of the last rotting mink from their makeshift graves was completed. Experts will now investigate whether the carcasses caused environmental damage and whether there is a need for further action.

https://sputniknews.com/20210514/denmark-starts-digging-up-millions-of-rotting-mink-carcasses-to-stop-contamination-1082885733.html

vot tak The guardianista strikes again. Another comment disappeared by these quisling zionists. 0

vot tak Why are these animals still raised and slaughtered for their skins to please rich parasite neanderthal "cave women" throwbacks? The dane pm deserves to hang alongside the exploitive breeders. 0

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Igor Kuznetsov

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denmark, news, europe, mette frederiksen, scandinavia, mink, covid-19
https://sputniknews.com/20211028/democratic-governor-whitmer-faces-backlash-for-once-again-violating-covid-19-policies--1090266305.html

Democratic Governor Whitmer Faces Backlash For Once Again Violating COVID-19 Policies

Democratic Governor Whitmer Faces Backlash For Once Again Violating COVID-19 Policies

Adding to the number of US officials who have faced criticism for not following pandemic-related guidelines, Democratic Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has... 28.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-28T02:19+0000

2021-10-28T02:19+0000

2021-10-28T02:19+0000

washington dc

covid-19

gretchen whitmer

mask mandate

viral

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Governor Gretchen Whitmer was spotted without her mask while visiting a bar in Washington, DC on Tuesday evening despite local pandemic rules requiring wearing masks indoors.Restrictions require customers to wear masks in catering establishments when they dont eat or drink, and Whitmer was captured in a video doing neither while some of her companions were adhering to the anti-pandemic rules, according to the Washington Free Beacon.The governor is known for having a record of violating COVID-19 policies. Earlier in May, she had to apologize for ignoring social distancing rules while dining with her friends in Michigan.Whitmer, meanwhile, has implemented harsh pandemic restrictions, introducing lockdowns that negatively affected small non-essential businesses while allowing marijuana dispensaries to operate. Her mask mandate was accompanied by a $500 fine for circulating without a face covering and companies risked losing their licenses for not complying with the rules.

TruePatriot Witchmer's recalls ought to be coming up very soon. She's a loon and needs to be kicked out, the arrested, and prosecuted for her unlawful behaviors. 3

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https://sputniknews.com/20211028/dont-mess-with-your-grandmother-prince-william-recalls-dispute-with-the-queen-over-wedding-look-1090265127.html

Dont Mess With Your Grandmother: Prince William Recalls Dispute With The Queen Over Wedding Look

Dont Mess With Your Grandmother: Prince William Recalls Dispute With The Queen Over Wedding Look

Dont Mess With Your Grandmother: Prince William Recalls Dispute With The Queen Over Wedding Look

2021-10-28T00:50+0000

2021-10-28T00:50+0000

2021-10-28T00:50+0000

prince william

viral

queen elizabeth ii

clothes

wedding

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Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, said in an old interview that there is no point arguing with his grandmother, because what she says goes, The Express reported on Wednesday. He recalled that the Queen did not allow him to choose the wedding attire he wanted when he married Kate Middleton.According to him, he wanted to wear an Irish Guards frock coat, but the Queen wanted to see him in the red tunic of the Irish Guards.Prince William also mentioned that the Queen helped him make his list of wedding guests. He sought her advice when he was presented with a list of 777 names of people, not one of whom he knew.In a more recent event, the Queen insisted that all family members wear plain clothes rather than military attire at Prince Philip's funeral, otherwise, Prince Harry would have been the only one in a civilian suit, as he was deprived of three military ranks and the right to wear a military uniform after he and his wife Meghan Markle stepped down from their royal duties.

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https://sputniknews.com/20211028/female-afghan-student-struggles-with-ethnic-tensions-after-safe-evacuation-to-us-1090286084.html

Female Afghan Student Struggles With Ethnic Tensions After Safe Evacuation to US

Female Afghan Student Struggles With Ethnic Tensions After Safe Evacuation to US

MOSCOW (Sputnik), Tommy Yang - A female Afghan student that was evacuated to the United States amid mayhem, has told Sputnik that she was haunted by ethnic... 28.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-28T16:59+0000

2021-10-28T16:59+0000

2021-10-28T16:59+0000

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After spending a whole academic year taking online classes due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, K., who only wished to be identified by the first letter of her name, was filled with excitement when she was about to catch a charter flight in mid-August from Kabul to return to the Asian University for Women in Bangladesh to start her junior year.Unfortunately, her plan for the new academic year was completely disrupted when the Taliban* seized Kabul on August 15 and took over the country shortly afterwards. K and the group of about 250 female Afghan students had to abandon their plan to return to their university in Bangladesh. Instead, they were evacuated to Fort McCoy in Wisconsin.Hazaras VS PashtunsWhen the Taliban took over the airport in Kabul in August, a large number of Afghans risked their lives trying to flee the country, with some of them clinging to the wings of a US military aircraft and falling to their death. K and the group of female students from to the Asian University for Women saw themselves as the lucky ones compared to those desperate Afghans who could not be evacuated from Kabul.However, after living in the Fort McCoy for more than three months, Ks life in the US military base was far from trouble free. Despite being thousands of miles away from Afghanistan, the same kind of tensions between different ethnic groups appeared to have "traveled" with K to Wisconsin.As a member of the Hazara ethnic group from Afghanistan, K had to continue to face insults from Afghan evacuees who were from the dominate Pashtun ethnic group.Ethnic tensions between the Hazaras and Pashtuns in Afghanistan started as early as the 19th century. The Hazaras are considered as one of the most oppressed ethnic groups in Afghanistan and many Hazaras were prosecuted because of their physical features that bear semblance to people from East Asian countries.K explained that the Pashtun Afghans at Fort McCoy picked on her exactly because of her appearance.K had expressed her concerns to the staff members at Fort McCoy. Fortunately, she did not have to share the same room with the Pashtuns. The Hazaras and the Pashtuns were housed separately in the military base. She only had to face such comments when she went to the common areas such as the dining hall.According to K, there are about 13,000 Afghan evacuees at Fort McCoy and about 2000 of them are Hazaras. She shares a big room that houses 30 single women like herself. Her room is on the second floor of a two-story building. As most of her roommates are fellow students from her university, they have always offered her emotional support.Start Over University EducationIn addition to dealing with ethnic tensions at Fort McCoy, what worried K more was her future plans.After majoring in economics for two years at the Asian University for Women, Ks original plan was to pursue a Masters degree at a Western university in the United Kingdom or the United States upon graduation.However, her evacuation to Fort McCoy made it impossible for her to continue her education at the Asian University for Women. Although she had received a full scholarship from the prestigious Brown University in Rhode Island, it was only for a one-year English language training program. If she wanted to pursue a Bachelors degree at Brown University, she had to start over at the age of 24.As K was the only one from her family who was evacuated from Afghanistan, she also has to face the harsh reality of not being able to meet her family members in the foreseeable future."Of course, I am worried. I know that I can't visit my family for about 5 years or even more than that," she said.K has five brothers and one of them worked for the US forces for many years. She expressed grave concerns about the safety of her family in Kabul.In the immediate future, K hopes she could complete the process of moving from Fort McCoy to the Brown University this week, and leave the ethnic tensions behind her for good.*The Taliban is a terrorist group banned in Russia and many other countries.

https://sputniknews.com/20211023/us-authorities-getting-veterans-involved-in-resettlement-on-afghan-refugees---reports-1090164679.html

https://sputniknews.com/20210929/milley-blamed-state-department-for-hampering-afghanistan-evacuation--reports-1089531065.html

Dang! IDIOT!! It's the USA girl!! Born from genocide and slavery!! You know the behavior ALL TOO WELL if you're an islamist female where you're third class anyway!! Don't like it?? Go back! Snowflakes come in every color I guess!! 0

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us, afghanistan, refugees, evacuation
https://sputniknews.com/20211028/fight-eruptionwith-explosives-official-suggests-dropping-bomb-on-raging-canary-island-volcano-1090281471.html

Fight EruptionWith Explosives? Official Suggests Dropping Bomb on Raging Canary Island Volcano

Fight EruptionWith Explosives? Official Suggests Dropping Bomb on Raging Canary Island Volcano

It has been six weeks since the Cumbre Vieja volcano began spewing rivers of lava, and it seems the eruption is showing no sign of abating. Lava flows have... 28.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-28T14:27+0000

2021-10-28T14:27+0000

2021-10-28T14:27+0000

canary islands

tech

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A Spanish official has suggested an unusual way to deal with the raging Cumbre Vieja volcano on the Canary Islands. Casimiro Curbelo, president of the Cabildo de La Gomera, proposed dropping a bomb on it in order to change the course of the lava flows and minimise the damage to areas nearby. The proposal may sound crazy, but the idea itself is not new, says geologist Lorenzo Pasqualini. He says this method was used in 1983 on Mount Etna. Back then, scientists tried to prevent lava flows from reaching inhabited areas located on the slopes of the volcano. Pasqualini says that the explosive were not dropped from airplanes, but were placed on the ground in strategic places.Although back then the idea to use explosives was heavily criticised by environmentalists and some geologists, the method was successful and the explosion made lava flow in the other direction. However, the bombing method is unlikely to work with the Cumbre Vieja, says Lorenzo Pasqualini. He notes that the environment on Mount Etna is very different from that of the volcano on La Palma. The proximity of residential buildings to the eruptive mouths of the Cumbre Vieja makes the use of bombs unlikely, the scientist stresses.Italian authorities used the explosives on Etna again during 1991-1993 eruption in order to force lava flows to enter a channel specifically prepared by the army. Prior to using explosives, scientists debated dropping concrete blocs from airplanes or building dams, but none of those proposals was chosen.Meanwhile, the eruption of Cumbre Vieja has entered into its sixth consecutive week. The volcano started "speaking" on 19 September and has prompted multiple earthquakes, with the biggest one measuring 5.0 in magnitude on the Richter scale. Experts predict that seismic activity on the island may increase in the coming days.Earlier this week, the cone of the volcano collapsed, with researchers warning that the eruption could continue for weeks and even months. The Canary Islands have a history of eruptions. According to Spanish media outlets, the longest occurred on La Palma in 1585 and lasted 84 days, while the shortest event occurred in 1971 and lasted 25 days.

ASmith_ In the opening days of the Zionist ignited World War 3, Russia, China should target some of its strategic ICBM's at the huge magna chambers of North America's two Super Volcano's blasting both and pushing mega tons of deadly radioactive fallout across America. 1

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canary islands, tech, bomb, volcano, eruption, explosions, lava flow
https://sputniknews.com/20211028/florida-sues-biden-administration-over-federal-covid-19-vaccine-mandates-1090284963.html

Florida Sues Biden Administration Over Federal COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates

Florida Sues Biden Administration Over Federal COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The US state of Florida has filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration challenging its federal order mandating compulsory COVID-19... 28.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-28T16:07+0000

2021-10-28T16:07+0000

2021-10-28T16:42+0000

joe biden

us

lawsuits

vaccine

ron desantis

covid-19

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We are going to pursue litigation today: The state of Florida has filed another lawsuit against the Biden administration challenging the federal order on vaccine mandates, DeSantis said in a televised press conference. It is not right for the federal government to require those contracts and try to shoehorn things in.DeSantis explained that lawsuit has been filed in Tampa, Florida, and the state government is seeking a preliminary injunction to stop the process.State Attorney General Ashley Moody added that mandating vaccines was not the role of the federal government and that it had absolutely no right, none whatsoever to do so. Moody said the mandate was a complete and gross overreach of the federal government into the personal autonomy of US workers.The lawsuit is also reportedly targeting NASA, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, the Pentagon and several White House officials from the Office of Management and Budget over the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal contractors.According to DeSantis, NASA, whose key launch base is the Kennedy Space Center on Florida's central Atlantic coast, "is and will continue to seek to impose the Biden administration's unlawful requirements to Florida".The lawsuit, which was first obtained by Fox News, has cited the "frequent contracts" and "current contractual relationships" NASA has with Florida."Because the governments unlawful vaccine requirement seeks to interfere with Floridas employment policies and threaten Florida with economic harm and the loss of federal contracts, the State seeks relief from this Court", the suit reads.The lawsuit follows an executive order signed by US President Joe Biden in the summer requiring that all workers in the executive branch be vaccinated against coronavirus. POTUS has also signed an order to require vaccine mandates for businesses with over 100 workers.Back in September, the US president also signed an order requiring federal contractors to mandate vaccinations and ensure employees are fully vaccinated by 8 December.

https://sputniknews.com/20211028/covid-19--cases-continue-to-decline-in-florida-as-immunity-increases--1090267139.html

https://sputniknews.com/20211011/us-travel-chaos-blamed-on-bidens-no-jab-no-job-covid-19-vaccine-mandate-1089830026.html

TruePatriot And, I'm sure that Florida is aware the the OMB is reviewing the matter that the hurried implementation of this unlawful mandate skirted standard procedures in the Federal government. 2

Tom One Awesome !! Well done Florida. Even if it doesnt go anywhere it makes Bidum and the Dems look stupid. 1

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joe biden, us, lawsuits, vaccine, ron desantis, covid-19
https://sputniknews.com/20211028/give-floridians-right-to-go-their-own-way-on-their-way-to-work-1090292699.html

Give Floridians Right to Go Out Their Own Way... On Their Way to Work

Give Floridians Right to Go Out Their Own Way... On Their Way to Work

The Sunshine State has fiercely opposed federally imposed mandatory measures to counter the spread of COVID-19, and DeSantis has publicly spoken against... 28.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-28T22:51+0000

2021-10-28T22:51+0000

2021-10-29T00:01+0000

joe biden

us

florida

lawsuit

vaccine

ron desantis

covid-19

biden administration

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Thursday that the state has filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration, challenging the federal mandate obliging COVID-19 vaccinations for all workers in companies with government contracts.The lawsuit is targeting NASA, the agency's Administrator Bill Nelson, the Pentagon, and various White House officials from the Office of Management and Budget over the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for government contractors.As the Delta variant spread across the nation this summer, Florida was among the US states hit hardest by the virus. At the moment, however, the state ranks the lowest in terms of COVID-19 rates per capita. "Without mandates or lockdowns, COVID-19 cases in Florida have decreased 90% since August," DeSantis claimed.

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joe biden, us, florida, lawsuit, vaccine, ron desantis, covid-19, biden administration
https://sputniknews.com/20211028/goodbye-horses-queen-elizabeth-had-to-give-up-riding-due-to-discomfort-reports-say-1090273007.html

Goodbye, Horses? Queen Elizabeth Had to Give Up Riding Due to 'Discomfort', Reports Say

Goodbye, Horses? Queen Elizabeth Had to Give Up Riding Due to 'Discomfort', Reports Say

Over the past month, the Queen has had to transfer some of her public duties to other family members and refrain from many activities. In October, she was even... 28.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-28T08:58+0000

2021-10-28T08:58+0000

2021-10-28T08:58+0000

queen elizabeth ii

horse

uk

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Queen Elizabeth had to give up on horse riding for two months due to health concerns, The Sun has reported. The 95-year-old monarch had to stop riding after she took a summer break to Scotland, due to "discomfort", a source told the newspaper.The sources also added that the Queen is looking forward to returning to her equestrian activities when it is possible.Previously, reports suggested that Queen Elizabeth was forced to give up walking her dogs following her hospitalisation since medics recommended her to rest more.While the Queen is recovering, she won't be personally attending the upcoming UN climate change conference in Glasgow, which kicks off on 31 October, and will record a video address for delegates instead.

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queen elizabeth ii, horse, uk
https://sputniknews.com/20211028/indian-farm-laws-modi-govt-under-fire-as-three-female-protesters-are-killed-by-truck-1090272773.html

Indian Farm Laws: Modi Gov't Under Fire as Three Female Protesters Are Killed by Truck

Indian Farm Laws: Modi Gov't Under Fire as Three Female Protesters Are Killed by Truck

India's farmers have been demonstrating since November against three controversial laws passed by the Modi government last September. They have claimed that... 28.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-28T12:49+0000

2021-10-28T12:49+0000

2021-10-28T12:49+0000

new delhi

narendra modi

bharatiya janata party (bjp)

aap

india

arvind kejriwal

india

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In a latest tragedy hitting the protesting farmers on Delhi's border, three elderly women were killed and two critically injured after a speeding truck hit them on Thursday morning. Delhi state chief, Arvind Kejriwal, who leads the Aam Aadmi Party, lashed out at the Narendra Modi-led federal government for refusing to heed to the demands of the farming community. The three women, run over by a truck on Delhi's Tikri border, came from the Mansa district of the state of Punjab. They had joined the farmers' protest only a few days ago. The incident occurred as the women were waiting for a lift to the railway station so that they could travel home. Punjab's state chief, Charanjit Singh Channi, has lamented the death of the female farmers, describing it as an "irreparable loss" and announcing ex-gratia relief of INR500,000 ($6,683 ) for the bereaved families.

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new delhi, narendra modi, bharatiya janata party (bjp), aap, india, arvind kejriwal, india
https://sputniknews.com/20211028/leningrad-region-develops-cross-border-cooperation-amid-pandemic-1090276317.html

Leningrad Region Develops Cross-Border Cooperation Amid Pandemic

Leningrad Region Develops Cross-Border Cooperation Amid Pandemic

The Leningrad Region is focusing on cross-border cooperation despite the pandemic, as the regional government has attracted more than 35 million for... 28.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-28T11:17+0000

2021-10-28T11:17+0000

2021-10-28T11:17+0000

russia

border

leningrad region

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Governor Alexander Drozdenko reminded his colleagues that he had once headed a border area, the Kingisepp District, for eight years. Joint projects between Russia and Estonia created new opportunities for the development of the territories in various spheres. Now this direction continues to develop actively. In August 2020, Leningrad and Estonian authorities agreed to jointly restore two historical sites on the territory of Ivangorod and Narva  the Great Powder Barn and the Kristerval Bastion.He also urged his colleagues to share their experiences in the field, promote best practices, and actively involve the local population in their implementation.

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https://sputniknews.com/20211028/macron-australia-must-suggest-steps-to-repair-relations-with-france-after-diplomatic-crisis-1090276891.html

Macron: Australia Must Suggest Steps to Repair Relations With France After Diplomatic Crisis

Macron: Australia Must Suggest Steps to Repair Relations With France After Diplomatic Crisis

PARIS (Sputnik) - In his phone conversation with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, French President Emmanuel Macron called on Canberra to propose some... 28.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-28T11:34+0000

2021-10-28T11:34+0000

2021-10-28T11:34+0000

france

europe

asia & pacific

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This was Macron's first conversation with the Australian prime minister since the diplomatic crisis sparked by Australia's decision to cancel the multi-billion diesel-electric submarine deal in the wake of AUKUS alliance formation. As a part of its pact with Washington and London, Canberra is supposed to be able to build a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines in domestic shipyards using American and British reactor technology.Paris responded by calling the cancellation of the deal a "stab in the back" and the three countries' behaviour "unacceptable". France recalled its envoys from the US and Australia and scrapped a defence summit with Britain.

FeEisi Australia and the US hid from France for some 18months their secret deal AUKUS. If Australia is scared France how will will they handle China? 1

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france, europe, asia & pacific
https://sputniknews.com/20211028/north-korea-promotes-black-swan-meat-amid-food-shortages-report-says-1090284691.html

North Korea Promotes Black Swan Meat Amid Food Shortages, Report Says

North Korea Promotes Black Swan Meat Amid Food Shortages, Report Says

Back in June, the countrys leader Kim Jong-un acknowledged that Pyongyang was facing food shortages, which he blamed on typhoons that had caused flooding... 28.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-28T16:35+0000

2021-10-28T16:35+0000

2021-10-28T16:35+0000

asia & pacific

north korea

kim jong-un

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North Korea has started promoting black swan meat as the population struggles with food shortages. According to a report from the state-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun, a swan enclosure has been built at the Kwangpho Duck Farm. The enclosure has several blocks of sheds, including a block for young birds, sanitary inspection rooms, as well as other conditions necessary for breeding. The newspaper has touted black swan meat, saying it has "good" taste and "medicinal value", and stressed that the construction of the enclosure and swan breeding will "contribute to the improvement of the people's livelihood" and "living standards".South Hamgyong Province chief party secretary Ri Jong Nam attended the opening ceremony, Rodong Sinmun wrote.According to NK News, Pyongyang began breeding black swans for consumption, which is considered taboo in many countries, back in 2020. Back then, local media reported, citing a researcher from North Koreas Agriculture Ministry, that black swan meat contains more protein and is easier to digest than other meats.The news comes amid reports of food shortages in North Korea. The countrys leader, Kim Jong-un, called the situation tense, as he announced back in June that the agricultural sector had failed to meet the grain production target, which Mr Kim blamed on typhoons.Last month, he urged members of the governing party to deal with the issue of food shortages, telling the government to increase meat production and improve stockbreeding methods. The situation is exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, which has weakened trade with Pyongyangs key ally China due to the closure of the borders.

vot tak "Pyongyang began breeding black swans for consumption, which is considered taboo in many countries, back in 2020." ... The taboo is mainly a uk thing. This article is intended to smear DPRK, as part of the israeloamerican psywar against that country. It is literally an example of cultural bigotry promotion. Why is this disgusting bottom rung, bigotry enforcing propaganda from Russia's declared enemies on sputnik? 1

vot tak Thumbs down, bigoted 5th columnist. 1

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Max Gorbachev

Max Gorbachev

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Max Gorbachev

asia & pacific, north korea, kim jong-un
https://sputniknews.com/20211028/one-killed-two-injured-in-protests-against-military-takeover-in-sudan-1090293261.html

One Killed, Two Injured in Protests Against Military Takeover in Sudan

One Killed, Two Injured in Protests Against Military Takeover in Sudan

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - One person was killed and two injured in the military crackdown on protests in Khartoum North on October 28, the Central Committee of Sudan... 28.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-28T22:05+0000

2021-10-28T22:05+0000

2021-10-28T22:05+0000

sudan

khartoum

omar al-bashir

soldiers

military coup

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On October 26, local media reported that seven people were killed and 140 injured in protests in the country.The Sudanese military on October 25 detained Prime Minister Hamdok and several other members of the government. The head of the Transitional Sovereign Council of Sudan, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, announced in a televised address to the nation the declaration of a state of emergency and the dissolution of the government. On October 26, it became known that Hamdok and his wife returned to their capital residence.April 2019 saw a military coup d'etat in Sudan, sparked by protests amid a deep economic crisis and declining living standards. Al-Bashir, who ruled for 30 years, was removed from power and later imprisoned.In September 2021, the Sudanese authorities announced that they had thwarted an attempted military coup. According to a statement from the command of the armed forces, most of the participants in the coup attempt were detained, including 21 officers and a number of soldiers. Hamdok said at the time that the coup attempt indicated the need for reforms in the army and security agencies. The Sudanese authorities slammed the supporters of al-Bashir as the organizers of the mutiny.

https://sputniknews.com/20211027/african-union-suspends-sudans-participation-in-organisations-activities-1090247824.html

sudan

khartoum

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sudan, khartoum, omar al-bashir, soldiers, military coup
https://sputniknews.com/20211028/pakistan-wont-allow-armed-militia-as-tlp-stands-firm-on-demand-to-expel-french-envoy-1090279064.html

Pakistan 'Wont Allow Armed Militia' as TLP Stands Firm on Demand to Expel French Envoy

Pakistan 'Wont Allow Armed Militia' as TLP Stands Firm on Demand to Expel French Envoy

Besides demanding the closure of the French embassy in Islamabad, the ultra-conservative Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) has been pressing for the release of... 28.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-28T14:42+0000

2021-10-28T14:42+0000

2021-10-28T14:42+0000

pakistan

france

imran khan

asia-pacific

charlie hebdo

tehreek-e-labbaik party (tlp)

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Pakistan's national security adviser Moeed Yusuf on Thursday warned supporters of banned Islamist outfit Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) against challenging the writ of the Pakistani state, stating that the group has crossed the red line and exhausted the states patience.In a series of tweets, Yusuf also vowed that the Pakistani government wont allow armed militias of any sort in the country.The stern warning by Prime Minister Imran Khans NSA comes a day after 15 people, including four policemen, were killed in clashes between the TLP and Pakistani security personnel near Gujranwala city in the province of Punjab. The policemen's deaths in the clashes were confirmed by Punjabs chief Usman Buzdar and federal interior minister Sheikh Rashid but denied by the TLP.According to reports, TLP supporters resumed their protest march to Islamabad after Wednesdays deadly violence.On Tuesday, the TLP's leadership announced that its supporters would march to Pakistans capital city Islamabad from Lahore after interior minister Rashid said that the government wouldn't accede to its key demand, namely expelling the French Ambassador.After Rashids remarks, the TLP resumed its months' old street protest.Sheikh Rashid lied yesterday that matters have been resolved let the entire nation see the malicious intent of the government," a statement from TLP leader Syed Sarwar Shah Saifi said on Wednesday.The TLP has been lobbying the Pakistani government to expel the French envoy since November last year, when a French teacher Samuel Paty was beheaded by a radicalised Muslim after he showed his class caricatures of the prophet Mohammad. Paty had been teaching a lesson on freedom of expression and showed his pupils the cartoons which had appeared in 'Charlie Hebdo', leading to a massacre at the satirical magazine.Frances President Emmanuel Macron staunchly defended his countrys liberal standards, offending Muslims across the world, including in Pakistan.The TLP staged massive demonstrations in Pakistan in November, hitting the streets again in April this year. During the second round of protests, the group was outlawed by Prime Minister Imran Khans government, which also put Rizvi behind bars to maintain public order.However, at the same time, the groups demand that the French envoy be expelled was actively considered in the countrys National Assembly, media reports attest.TLP adheres to the ultra-conservative Barelvi philosophy in Islam, as do at least 50 percent of Pakistans population. The TLP shot to fame in 2016, when it staged massive demonstrations over the execution of Mumtaz Qadri. Qadri, a former bodyguard of Punjab governor Salman Taseer, assassinated his boss for defending a Christian woman accused of committing blasphemy against the prophet Mohammad.

https://sputniknews.com/20211016/french-prime-minister-pays-tribute-to-slain-teacher-samuel-paty-1089971555.html

Ladyshadow The west just doesn't seem to understand that sovereign countries can make their own decidions. 1

1

pakistan

france

asia-pacific

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pakistan, france, imran khan, asia-pacific, charlie hebdo, tehreek-e-labbaik party (tlp)
https://sputniknews.com/20211028/russia-concerned-over-eus-attempts-to-assert-political-ambitions-in-arctic-1090281334.html

Russia Concerned Over EU's Attempts to Assert Political Ambitions in Arctic

Russia Concerned Over EU's Attempts to Assert Political Ambitions in Arctic

Russia Concerned Over EU's Attempts to Assert Political Ambitions in Arctic

2021-10-28T13:55+0000

2021-10-28T13:55+0000

2021-10-28T14:47+0000

world

europe

russia

arctic

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Russia is concerned by the European Union's attempts to assert its political ambitions in the Arctic region, the Russian Foreign Ministry has stated.Zakharova further lambasted the EU's proposal to limit the extraction of fossil fuel from the Arctic, adding that it holds no water. The spokeswoman reminded her audience that the resources extracted from the region are broadly used to fuel the development and deployment of green technologies around the world and interfering in these activities actually does more harm to the cause of combating climate change than good.She stressed that a proposed moratorium might undermine the stability of the energy market and affect ordinary Europeans in the end. Right now, the EU and the UK are both suffering record-high prices for natural gas because supplies are short.The European Commission released its strategy on the Arctic earlier in which it proposed to ban the extraction of coal, oil and gas in the Arctic, as well as the nearby regions. The strategy also criticised Russia for its expansion in the Arctic, especially in the sphere of security.The EU is not alone in trying to challenge Russia in the Arctic. During the Trump era, the US also declared as one of its priorities containing and deterring Moscow's expansion in the region. However, Washington faces difficulties in bringing these ambitions to life because it only has two icebreakers and only one is operational.Without them, the US military presence, the only one Washington plans to develop, is limited to its Air Force and several bases. Unlike the US, Russia's progress in the region is not only limited to security issues  it is also actively focusing on its economic development, including setting up oil and gas extraction facilities.

https://sputniknews.com/20211002/biden-sacked-commissioner-claims-us-lagging-behind-moscow-in-arctic-depends-on-russian-oil-1089602997.html

horseguards Doubtless we'll soon hear proposals for a European or NATO nuclear missile base. 2

Sputnik User The US can build 10 icebreakers in the next 12 months if they want to 2

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arctic

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world, europe, russia, arctic
https://sputniknews.com/20211028/shah-rukh-khans-son-aryan-finally-gets-bail-in-drugs-on-cruise-case-1090277936.html

Shah Rukh Khan's Son Aryan Finally Gets Bail in Drugs-on-Cruise Case

Shah Rukh Khan's Son Aryan Finally Gets Bail in Drugs-on-Cruise Case

A huge scandal has hit Bollywood after India's Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) arrested Aryan Khan, the 23-year-old son of superstar Shah Rukh Khan, and his... 28.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-28T13:16+0000

2021-10-28T13:16+0000

2021-10-28T15:05+0000

drug trade

drug

bollywood

scandal

drug trafficking

drug smugglers

bollywood

shahrukh khan

drug gangs

india

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The Bombay High Court on Thursday granted bail to Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, and his friends Arbaaz Merchantt and Munmun Dhamecha after 25 days in jail in the drugs-on-cruise ship case. The High Court will pronounce a detailed order with reasons on Friday and all three accused are expected to be out of jail by Friday or Saturday.During Thursday's hearing, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Anil Singh, representing the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), said that Aryan isn't a "first-time offender" and has been "consuming drugs for the past few years". Over the past two days, the lawyers for the three accused - former Indian Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi along with Amit Desai and Ali Kashif Khan Deshmukh - have made strong arguments before the Bombay High Court, claiming that their clients' arrest was illegal. Rohatgi argued on Tuesday that Aryan was "wrongfully detained" and told the court there was "no consumption, no possession" of drugs.He further pointed out that "no medical test was done", and hence, there is nothing on record to show that he had consumed drugs.To this, NCB's Singh replied in the High Court on Thursday: "There is no question of testing them for drugs when they haven't consumed it. They were found in possession. It is our case that Aryan Khan was found in conscious possession of the drug".Before the Bombay High Court, Aryan's bail plea was denied several times by a special anti-drugs court on the grounds that he knew about the contraband hidden in his friend Arbaaz Merchant's shoe, and this amounted to "conscious possession".During the raid, the NCB seized six grams of charas (a contraband drug) concealed in Merchant's shoe.While Rohatgi argued that Aryan's case is not of "conscious possession" of drugs, and a small quantity of drugs calls for rehab rather than jail, Singh reiterated.When asked by the court about the NCB's claims that Aryan tried to deal with commercial quantities, Singh referred to the WhatsApp chats as evidence, and said that "multiple drugs were found from eight people" when they were arrested. "When I say conspiracy, I calculate drugs of all persons, then it comes to that", Singh said.After getting a tip-off about the cruise rave party, the NCB conducted a raid on 2 October and arrested Aryan and his friends Arbaaz Merchant, Munmun Dhamecha, Nupur Sarika, Ishmeet Singh, Mohak Jaswal, Vikrant Chhokar, and Gomit Chopra.They were held on 3 October for allegedly possessing and consuming drugs on a cruise ship off the coast of Mumbai.Although Aryan's lawyer claimed that he had simply been invited to the event by the party organisers and that no drugs were recovered from him, NCB officer Sameer Wankhede said there was evidence to the contrary.The NCB has arrested as many as 20 people.On the other hand, Sameer Wankhede, the NCB officer investigating the case, has been accused of extortion, fraud, and framing Aryan and others by Maharashtra State Minister Nawab Malik.Meanwhile, a special team of NCB officers from New Delhi is now investigating the allegations against Sameer Wankhede and the drug raid carried out at the beginning of October.

Pradeep Madgaonkar He was in for 25 days without consumption neither possession. Two questions arise. One was he in because of his fame? If not, how would common man get out such things, if he was trapped in a such a manner. He can't afford such heavy price for the justice to prevail. Flaw in our system. 0

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drug trade, drug, bollywood, scandal, drug trafficking, drug smugglers, bollywood, shahrukh khan, drug gangs, india
https://sputniknews.com/20211028/south-korea-extradites-russian-citizen-suspected-of-cyber-theft-to-us-reports-say-1090275505.html

South Korea Extradites Russian Citizen Suspected of Cyber Theft to US, Reports Say

South Korea Extradites Russian Citizen Suspected of Cyber Theft to US, Reports Say

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - South Korea extradited a Russian citizen, suspected of being a member of an international hacker group, to the United States on 20 October... 28.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-28T10:44+0000

2021-10-28T10:44+0000

2021-10-28T10:44+0000

south korea

us

russia

asia & pacific

extradition

hacking

hacker

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The Russian citizen is accused by the state of Ohio of stealing approximately $2 million from individuals and companies using the Trickbot hacking programme. In September, the South Korean authorities examined the US request and approved it by the end of the month. Moscow has not commented on the report so far.

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south korea, us, russia, asia & pacific, extradition, hacking, hacker
https://sputniknews.com/20211028/texas-senate-committee-investigates-school-libraries-books-on-racism-and-sexuality-1090271325.html

Texas House Committee Investigates School Libraries' Books on Racism and Sexuality

Texas House Committee Investigates School Libraries' Books on Racism and Sexuality

The news has caused anger and indignation among Democratic lawmakers as well as teachers, who accused the committee of attempting to whitewash US history and... 28.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-28T08:11+0000

2021-10-28T08:11+0000

2021-10-28T17:33+0000

us

texas

racism

sexuality

critical race theory

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Matt Krause, the chairman of the Texas House Committee, has launched an investigation into the state's school libraries. In a letter sent to the Texas Education Agency, the official asked to provide information whether libraries possess books that deal with racism and sexuality as well as works that "address or contain" topics of sexually transmitted diseases, HIV, and AIDS.Explaining his decision, he cited news that a number of schools had removed books from libraries after receiving "objections from students, parents, and taxpayers".Rep. Krause also asked to identify any books that may cause "discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress because of their race or sex or convey that a student, by virtue of their race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously".He attached a 16-page list of books that he is looking for. Among them are best-selling and award-winning works like the Pulitzer-winning novel "The Confessions of Nat Turner" about the 1831 slave revolt in Virginia and "How to Be an Antiracist" by Ibram X Kendi. Also on the list are books that address teen pregnancy, sex education, abortions, homosexuality, the lives of members of the LGBTQ community, as well as books about the Black Lives Matters movement.Schools have until 12 November to provide a written response to the inquiry.'Political Overreach Into the Classroom'The news of the ongoing probe has caused anger among teachers and lawmakers. Texas State Teachers Association President Ovidia Molina released a statement, calling the probe a "witch hunt" and "disturbing political overreach into the classroom".Vice Chair of the Texas House Committee, Democrat Victoria Neave, said Mr Krause did not put the letter to a vote and she learned about it from a school official. Ms Neave described the probe as a "PR stunt" and an attempt by Republicans to "to censor the voices of people of colour" and "whitewash" US history.The inquiry comes several months after Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill into law that restricts how teachers can discuss racism in the classroom. Among other things, House Bill 3979 states that teachers "can't be forced to discuss current events or widely debated controversial issues" and that teachers would also "to the best of their ability, give diverse perspectives without deference to any one perspective".When signing the bill into law Governor Abbott said that it is aimed at abolishing critical race theory, an academic movement based on the theory that racism is still present in American institutions and laws.House Bill 3979 has been met with opposition from teachers and lawmakers alike, who have argued that the legislation would hinder necessary conversations about current events, such as last year's killing of African American George Floyd by a white police officer, which sparked the biggest protests against racial discrimination in the United States since the death of Martin Luther King Jr in 1968.

Brit26 The West led by the US is turning into an Orwellian nighmare, where our speech and very thoughts are controlled. Can't anyone with authority stand up for us and kick this garbage into touch? Is everyone powerless, or what? 2

TruePatriot Bravo, about time some oversight was given to these schools, their administrators and their school boards. How did it and when did it all get so sideways? 1

3

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us, texas, racism, sexuality, critical race theory
https://sputniknews.com/20211028/the-queen-faces-two-ferocious-pr-storms-with-prince-andrew-and-prince-harry-royal-expert-says-1090273805.html

The Queen Faces 'Two Ferocious PR Storms' With Prince Andrew and Prince Harry, Royal Expert Says

The Queen Faces 'Two Ferocious PR Storms' With Prince Andrew and Prince Harry, Royal Expert Says

In recent years, the Royal Family has been rocked by a series of scandals, including the departure of the Sussexes, who stepped down from royal duties and... 28.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-28T10:05+0000

2021-10-28T10:05+0000

2021-10-28T10:05+0000

prince harry

prince andrew

uk royal family

uk

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Next year will be quite stressful for Buckingham Palace, a royal commentator has suggested. According to expert Daniela Elser, Queen Elizabeth II and other senior members of the family face "two ferocious PR storms" that may cast a long shadow over the celebration of the monarch's Platinum Jubilee year (marking 70 years of the monarch's service).The first storm is the upcoming memoir by Prince Harry, in which the Duke of Sussex plans to talk about his life as a senior royal as well as his "highs and lows, the mistakes, [and] the lessons" he's learned.The news of the upcoming book is said to have caused a furore inside Buckingham Palace as the Queen and Prince Charles, heir to the throne, were reportedly not informed about Harry's upcoming plans. Royal pundits went as far as to describe the upcoming book as a "f*** you to the family".Judging by the remarks Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made in a now infamous interview with US talk show host Oprah Winfrey he is "yet to truly plum the depths of his reservoir of hurt and anger when it comes to his family", said Daniela Elser.The second storm is the sexual abuse allegations made against Prince Andrew. The Queen's second son, said to be her favourite, is accused by American Virginia Giuffre of abusing her at least three times, including when she was an underage girl. The royal has categorically denied the accusations. A US judge has recently set a deadline for Prince Andrew's testimony, ruling that he has to be questioned under oath by mid-July 2022, that's around the time the Queen will be celebrating her Platinum Jubilee.The development comes amid widespread concern about the health of the monarch. On 20 October, the 95-year-old monarch had to scrap her upcoming visit to Northern Ireland after doctors advised her to rest for a few days. That same day she was driven to King Edward VII's hospital for what Buckingham Palace said were "preliminary investigations".On Wednesday, Buckingham Palace announced that the monarch will miss the the United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Glasgow, Scotland, from 31 October to 12 November.

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prince harry, prince andrew, uk royal family, uk
https://sputniknews.com/20211028/turkey-considering-buying-russian-su-35s-su-57s-if-us-fails-to-resolve-the-f-35-issue-1090277148.html

Turkey Considering Buying Russian Su-35s, Su-57s If US Fails to 'Resolve the F-35 Issue'

Turkey Considering Buying Russian Su-35s, Su-57s If US Fails to 'Resolve the F-35 Issue'

The row between Washington and Ankara started in 2019, when the Turkish government purchased Russian-made S-400 missile defence systems. In response, the US... 28.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-28T12:10+0000

2021-10-28T12:10+0000

2021-10-28T12:10+0000

russia

turkey

news

investment

f-35

s-400

government

world

warplanes

fighter jets

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Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has made it clear that Ankara may buy advanced Russian fighter jets if the US fails to deliver the F-35 fighter jets that Turkey paid for or return the $1.4 billion sum.He spoke after Turkish Presidency of Defence Industries chief Ismail Demir said in mid-October that Ankara may purchase Russian Su-35 and Su-57 warplanes if the US freezes the sale of F-16 fighter jets that were earlier promised by Washington.The statement followed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan saying that Washington had invited Ankara to buy the F-16 fighter jets as a return for its investment in the F-35 Lightning II Programme.In the latest development, Erdogan voiced optimism regarding the outcome of talks between Turkey and the US on the sale of the Lockheed Martin-made F-16 fighter jets.He expressed hope that Ankara would be compensated for the $1.4 billion it paid to acquire the F-35 stealth fighters from Washington, saying "we will get this $1.4 billion of ours one way or another".US-Turkey Row Over S-400sRussia and Turkey inked a $2.5 billion contract for the delivery of four S-400 batteries in late 2017, with deliveries beginning in 2019.The S-400 deal irked Ankara's US and NATO allies, sparking a major diplomatic crisis and prompting Washington to cancel the sale of Lockheed Martin's fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, also prodding Washington to slap sanctions on Ankara's defence sector.NATO insisted that the S-400s are incompatible with the alliance's standards, and suggested that the Russian side would purportedly be able to collect sensitive intelligence on the alliance's air defence network through the Turkish S-400 contract. Russian and Turkish officials have consistently dismissed the allegations.

https://sputniknews.com/20211012/turkey-considering-upgrading-f-16-fighters-as-alternative-to-f-35s-1089866287.html

Ladyshadow Just buy the Russia planes and forget the US junk. 3

BillOwens SU-57 and S-500 must not be sold to NATO-member states. 2

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russia, turkey, news, investment, f-35, s-400, government, world, warplanes, fighter jets, su-35, su-57, uk
https://sputniknews.com/20211028/turkey-should-not-budge-in-on-us-demands-in-s-400-row-ex-general-says-1090288535.html

Turkey Should Not Budge In on US Demands in S-400 Row, Ex-General Says

Turkey Should Not Budge In on US Demands in S-400 Row, Ex-General Says

Turkey Should Not Budge In on US Demands in S-400 Row, Ex-General Says

2021-10-28T19:25+0000

2021-10-28T19:25+0000

2021-10-28T19:25+0000

us

russia

middle east

turkey

f-35

s-400

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The Turkish Ministry of Defence has announced that a new round of talks will be held with the US regarding the purchase of F-35s, which was blocked by the US due to the sides failing to come to an agreement after the last time they discussed the issue.While the two countries stressed their readiness to continue their dialogue, it does not mean that Turkey should budge with respect to Washington's main demand  to ditch the Russian S-400 systems that stand at the centre of the row, retired Turkish Brigadier-General, Naim Baburoglu, says.He believes that the US will not agree to hold another round of talks if it does not sense some kind of "profit" for itself. And their main goal in relations with Ankara is to prevent it from using the S-400 air defence systems it bought from Russia against Washington's wishes, Baburoglu notes.In his opinion, "absolutely no country" should willingly refuse using a $2.5 billion dollar air defence system just at the "US whim". On the contrary  Turkey must deploy it, as it was acquired to address existing threats and challenges, he says. However, at the same time, Baburoglu fears that Ankara might act differently.Turkey's decision to buy the S-400 systems from Russia prompted strong protests in the US, which threatened to cut shipments of the F-35 jets that Ankara both ordered and paid for. After Turkey refused to ditch the deal with Russia, citing its sovereign right to buy defensive systems for its own needs, Washington froze the fifth-generation stealth jet's shipments and training programmes. Since then, Ankara has unsuccessfully been trying to cut a deal with Washington to get the jets and keep the S-400s.However, the US insists that the S-400 poses a threat to its new jet, claiming it allegedly could reveal its weaknesses to Moscow. The Kremlin and Ankara have both strongly rejected such a possibility.

https://sputniknews.com/20211027/us-turkey-hold-productive-talks-on-ankaras-removal-from-f-35-jet-program-pentagon-says-1090263452.html

mandrake Of course not - ask to be repaid the 1.4 billion of bucks paid in advance and get some excellent russian jets (or lay your hands on the nukes)! 7

TruePatriot Turkey can add to their argument that it appears India is going to get a waiver for their purchase of the S-400. Utter hypocrisy. 2

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us, russia, middle east, turkey, f-35, s-400
https://sputniknews.com/20211028/uk-home-secretary-patel-says-frances-seizure-of-british-trawler-is-disappointing-1090273701.html

UK Home Secretary Patel Says France's Seizure of British Trawler is 'Disappointing'

UK Home Secretary Patel Says France's Seizure of British Trawler is 'Disappointing'

On Thursday, France seized a British trawler that was fishing in its territorial waters without a license and issued a warning to another vessel nearby, as a... 28.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-28T09:33+0000

2021-10-28T09:33+0000

2021-10-28T10:09+0000

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UK Home Secretary Priti Patel has said it is disappointing that France seized a British fishing trawler earlier in the day.The home secretary also said that discussions regarding the matter will continue both at the EU Commission level and with counterparts in the French administration.South West Fish Producers Organisation, a group representing English fishermen, said the seized vessel is called the "Cornelis Gert Jan", and its seizure could have been an administrative error. The vessel was seized earlier in the day for allegedly fishing in French territorial waters without a license. The same assertion was voiced by UK Environment Minister George Eustice, who insisted that the seized trawler did have a license. The incident occurred amid heated post-Brexit disputes between the United Kingdom and France over access to fishing grounds. Apparently irritated by British officials refusing to grant French fishermen the full numbers of licenses to operate in UK waters, France warned of retaliation on Wednesday unless there is progress on the matter.The French government, in particular, said it would impose extra customs checks on British goods set to enter France from 2 November, also considering additional sanctions.The United Kingdom has slammed the French warnings as "disappointing and disproportionate", saying they are "not what we would expect from a close ally and partner."As the fishing rights row between London and Paris continues to escalate, French officials have accused Britain of failing to honour their word after Brexit, with the UK Ministry of the Environment only granting 12 licenses to French fishermen out of 47 applications. According to London, the decision is "reasonable" and in line with the post-Brexit agreement with the EU.

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https://sputniknews.com/20211028/wsj-four-us-intel-agencies-offered-reports-on-afghanistan-all-failing-to-predict-fall-of-kabul-1090288002.html

WSJ: Four US Intel Agencies Offered Reports on Afghanistan, All Failing to Predict Fall of Kabul

WSJ: Four US Intel Agencies Offered Reports on Afghanistan, All Failing to Predict Fall of Kabul

It took the Taliban just several weeks to establish control over Afghanistan after US President Joe Biden announced the withdrawal of US troops from the... 28.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-28T19:14+0000

2021-10-28T19:14+0000

2021-10-28T19:14+0000

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Four different US intelligence agencies offered nearly two dozen assessments of the situation in Afghanistan before the country surrendered to the Taliban*, but none of them managed to predict the rapid fall of Kabul, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing classified materials it obtained.The agencies reportedly rolled out their "scattershot assessments of the staying power of the Afghan military and government" instead, estimating that the government would not likely survive after the US withdrawal and analysing advances of the Taliban in the country from spring 2020 to July 2021.After Joe Biden announced his decision to withdraw the US troops from Afghanistan, several intelligence reports followed. One of them was a report by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), titled "Government at Risk of Collapse Following U.S. Withdrawal" and focused on how the Ghani administration would fall by the end of the year should the American troops leave the country. Then the CIA produced a document titled "Afghanistan: Assessing Prospects for a Complete Taliban Takeover Within Two Years". Another intelligence report from the Defense Intelligence Agency, crafted in June, suggested that the militants would stick to their strategy of isolating rural areas from Kabul for another year.The summaries cited by The WSJ also offered insights into some of the recommendations received by both former President Donald Trump and his successor Joe Biden as they tried to figure out how to withdraw the US troops from Afghanistan safely.The Biden administration has been widely criticised for the chaotic evacuation from Afghanistan - which not only led to chaos at the Kabul airport for several days but also claimed the lives of 13 US soldiers and over a dozen of Afghan civilians. However, officials from virtually every US agency and department seemingly can point the finger at someone else for the fiasco.Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Mark Milley said there was "nothing that I or anyone else saw that indicated a collapse of this army and this government in 11 days", suggesting that the intelligence community failed to get the timeline right.CENTCOM Chief General Frank McKenzie asserted back in September that it was Trump's decision to sign a peace agreement with the Taliban that turned out to be a key factor that prompted the swift fall of the Ghani administration.Intelligence officials have also defended their work, with CIA Director William Burns arguing that his agency performed well enough even though it could not say "with mathematical precision" that "former President Ghani in Afghanistan is going to flee his office and not tell his senior-most aides on the 15th of August".

https://sputniknews.com/20210823/us-embassy-staff-in-kabul-feeling-betrayed-by-washington-amid-evacuation-efforts-cables-reveal-1083691868.html

USSuxRuskyNuts Those 4 intelligence agencies aren't looking very intelligent are they! LMAO 2

TruePatriot And the US again wants to spend of $60B for these clowns that claim to be US intelligence? I think I could find a couple of high schoolers at a much reduced rate that would have far more accuracy and intelligence. The US is a complete and pathetic disgrace. 1

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Matt Kakaley drove six winners  three for trainer Travis Alexander  on Wednesday night's (Oct. 27) card at Yonkers Raceway.

Kakaley and Alexander joined forces to win the $20,000 opener with three-year-old pacing filly Nuttinbuthebest (1:53.4), and then Kakaley teamed with trainer Edwin Quevedo for a 27-1 upset with seven-year-old pacing gelding Fox Valley Inferno (1:52.2) in the $32,000 third race.

Yankees Beast, a five-year-old trotting gelding, gave the Kakaley/Alexander duo a double when he took the $13,500 fifth race (1:56.4), and D P Rocket, a five-year-old trotting mare, completed their hat trick when she bagged the $36,000 ninth race (1:56.1).

Three-year-old pacing filly Thebeachiscalling (1:53.4), trained by Chris Ryder, was Kakaley's fifth winner in the $22,000 10th race, and Kakaley polished off the six-bagger by steering seven-year-old gelding trotter Resita, a Tabitha Teresczuk trainee, to victory in the $21,000 11th race (1:56.4).

In other news from Yonkers, there were no winners in either the Pick-5 or Pick-6 on Wednesdays card. There will be a $3,237.68 carryover and a $10,000 guaranteed pool in tomorrow night's (Oct. 28) Pick-5, and there will be a $2,680.73 carryover in the Pick-6.

The guarantee in the Pick-5 is being offered as part of the United States Trotting Associations Strategic Wagering Program. Free past performances for the Pick-5, courtesy of TrackMaster, will be available here. The Pick-5, which begins in race five, and the Pick-6, which starts in the third race, both have a takeout rate of 20 per cent.

Thursday nights 12-race program gets underway at 7:15 p.m.

(Yonkers Raceway)
Dover Downs is offering free harness racing programs for its live racing cards.

This service is sponsored by the Delaware Standardbred Owners' Association.

Programs can be downloaded by logging onto the Dover Downs website and clicking on the Horsemen category/free programs.

Free programs will be available the months of November and December.

Dover Downs opening day is Monday, Nov. 1.

Dover Downs races Monday through Thursday with first-race post time at 4:30 p.m.

(With files from Dover Downs)
Standardbred owner and caretaker Tony Lawrence of Durham, Ont. passed away on Friday, Oct. 22 at the age of 62.

Tony was most recently employed in Mount Forest by Arthur Chrysler for the past 16 years.

Tony had two accomplishments in harness racing over the years. His first was the relationship he built with Hall of Fame horseman Keith Waples, both as an employee and later on he would share ownership of 2013 Battle of Waterloo winner Three Of Clubs, a career winner of nearly $660,000, with Mr. Waples. Tony also had another Battle winner in Magnum J, who won the race in 2015 and earned more than $420,000 lifetime. The third horse he enjoyed success with was Secretsoftheknight, a Somebeachsomewhere Stakes winner in 2012. All three of these horses were trained by his longtime friend Gregg McNair. Although he built several long lasting relationships in the business, there was none stronger than that of Mr. and Mrs. Len Gamble. Although Tony was his toughest critic, he was also the biggest fan of then-up-and-coming driver Doug McNair.

Tony is survived by his brother Bryan (Corrine), sister Mary Ellen and brother Paul (Angie). He also had three nieces, Sarah (Tom), Christine (Matt) and Nicole, and several great nieces and nephews. Tony was predeceased by his parents, Betty Lawrence and Ray Lawrence, along with an infant brother.

As per Tony's wishes, cremation has taken place and there is no visitation.

The family is sure that Tony will be gathered at a table with his former mentor and friends dissecting the next day's programs. He will be missed.

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Tony Lawrence.
Agni-5 missile launch: In a major boost to its military might in the midst of the eastern Ladakh row, India on Wednesday successfully test-fired surface-to-surface strategic missile Agni-5 that can strike targets at ranges up to 5,000 km with a very high degree of accuracy. The test-firing of the nuclear-capable Agni-5 missile was carried out around 7:50 pm from the APJ Abdul Kalam Island in Odisha, officials said.

The Agni 5 project is aimed at enhancing India's nuclear deterrence against China which has missiles like Dongfeng-41 having ranges between 12,000-15,000 km.

"The successful test of Agni-5 is in line with India's stated policy to have credible minimum deterrence that underpins the commitment to 'No First Use'," the defence ministry said in a brief statement.

The work on the Agni 5 intercontinental ballistic missile project was started over a decade ago and the missile was tested seven times before.

People familiar with the development said it was the first user trial of the missile which can bring the northernmost part of China under its striking range.

The successful test-firing of the missile, built by the Defence Research Development Organisation's (DRDO), came amid a lingering border standoff with China in eastern Ladakh.

The missile has a height of 17 metres and it is capable of carrying a 1.5-tonne warhead.

The first test of the missile was carried out in April 2012 while the previous one was conducted around three years ago.

"The missile, which uses a three-stage solid-fuelled engine, is capable of striking targets at ranges up to 5,000 kilometres with a very high degree of accuracy.," the ministry said.

The successful test firing of the missile paves the way for its induction into the Strategic Forces Command that takes care of India's strategic assets, the people cited above said.

The Agni 1 to 4 missiles have ranges from 700 km to 3,500 km and they have already been deployed. The Agni 5 project was aimed at enhancing India's nuclear deterrence against China.

In June, the DRDO successfully test-fired a new generation of 'Agni' class nuclear-capable ballistic missile that has a range of up to 2,000 km.

Many advanced technologies including propulsion systems, innovative guidance and control mechanisms and state-of-the-art navigation systems have been introduced in the 'Agni Prime' missile.
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

As the COVID-19 pandemic surged, the World Health Organization and the United Nations issued a stark warning: An "infodemic" of online rumors and fake news relating to COVID-19 was impeding public health efforts and causing unnecessary deaths. "Misinformation costs lives," the organizations warned. "Without the appropriate trust and correct information  the virus will continue to thrive."

In a bid to solve that problem, researchers at the Stevens Institute of Technology are developing a scalable solution: An AI tool capable of detecting "fake news" relating to COVID-19, and automatically flagging misleading news reports and social-media posts. "During the pandemic, things grew incredibly polarized," explained K.P. Subbalakshmi, AI expert at the Stevens Institute for Artificial Intelligence and a professor of electrical and computer engineering. "We urgently need new tools to help people find information they can trust."

To develop an algorithm capable of detecting COVID-19 misinformation, Dr. Subbalakshmi first worked with Stevens graduate students Mingxuan Chen and Xingqiao Chu to gather around 2,600 news articles about COVID-19 vaccines, drawn from 80 different publishers over the course of 15 months. The team then cross-referenced the articles against reputable media-rating websites and labeled each article as either credible or untrustworthy.

Next, the team gathered over 24,000 Twitter posts that mentioned the indexed news reports, and developed a "stance detection" algorithm capable of determining whether a tweet was supportive or dismissive of the article in question. "In the past, researchers have assumed that if you tweet about a news article, then you're agreeing with its position. But that's not necessarily the caseyou could be saying 'Can you believe this nonsense?'" Dr. Subbalakshmi said. "Using stance detection gives us a much richer perspective, and helps us detect fake news much more effectively."

Using their labeled datasets, the Stevens team trained and tested a new AI architecture designed to detect subtle linguistic cues that distinguish real reports from fake news. That's a powerful approach because it doesn't require the AI system to audit the factual content of a text, or keep track of evolving public health messaging; instead, the algorithm detects stylistic fingerprints that correspond to trustworthy or untrustworthy texts.

"It's possible to take any written sentence and turn it into a data pointa vector in N-dimensional spacethat represents the author's use of language," explained Dr. Subbalakshmi. "Our algorithm examines those data points to decide if an article is more or less likely to be fake news."

More bombastic or emotional language, for instance, often correlates with bogus claims, Dr. Subbalakshmi explained. Other factors such as the time of publication, the length of an article, and even the number of authors can be used as by an AI algorithm, allowing it to determine an article's trustworthiness. These statistics are provided with their newly curated dataset. Their baseline architecture is able to detect fake news with about 88% accuracysignificantly better than most previous AI tools for detecting fake news.

That's an impressive breakthrough, especially using data that was collected and analyzed almost in real time, Dr. Subbalakshmi said. Still, much more work is needed to create tools that are powerful and rigorous enough to be deployed in the real world. "We've created a very accurate algorithm for detecting misinformation," Dr. Subbalakshmi said. "But our real contribution in this work is the dataset itself. We're hoping other researchers will take this forward, and use it to help them better understand fake news."

One key area for further research: using images and videos embedded in the indexed news articles and social-media posts to augment fake-news detection. "So far, we've focused on text," Dr. Subbalakshmi said. "But news and tweets contain all kinds of media, and we need to digest all of that in order to figure out what's fake and what's not."

Working with short texts such as social media posts presents a challenge, but Dr. Subbalakshmi's team has already developed AI tools that can identify tweets that are deceptive and tweets that spout fake news and conspiracy theories. Bringing bot-detection algorithms and linguistic analysis together could enable the creation of more powerful and scalable AI tools, Dr. Subbalakshmi said.

With the Surgeon General now calling for the development of AI tools to help crack down on COVID-19 misinformation, such solutions are urgently needed. Still, Dr. Subbalakshmi warned, there's a long way still to go. Fake news is insidious, she explained, and the people and groups who spread false rumors online are working hard to avoid detection and develop new tools of their own.

"Each time we take a step forward, bad actors are able to learn from our methods and build something even more sophisticated," she said. "It's a constant battlethe trick is just to stay a few steps ahead."

Explore further Editing out fake news
The training has AI classified known plankton, unseen plankton and particles and bubbles. Credit: Li Jianping

Although AI algorithms have achieved quite some progress in plankton image recognition, most of them can only deal with limited number of known classes. In reality, however, ocean scientists will definitely meet with new (unknown or unseen) plankton species, where existing algorithms are very likely to fail.

A research team led by Dr. Li Jianping from the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology (SIAT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and collaborators from Xiamen University reported an anomaly detection pipeline and its execution methods that may help to better recognize plankton.

The paper entitled "Anomaly Detection for In Situ Marine Plankton Images" was published at the International Conference on Computer Vision 2021.

"Basically, the pipeline needs training before it can be used, which includes two phases, the pre-training phase and the post-training phase," said Dr. Li.

In the pre-training phase, the researchers proposed a data augmentation technique to generate auxiliary datasets so that the AI model is able to acquire abundant imaginary knowledge of the unseen classes. Additionally, they put forward a new CKA loss function to better detect the new classes and classify the existing classes simultaneously.

In the post-training phase, a detector is further trained to discriminate an input image as a known or unknown class based on its features extracted by the pre-trained model. If the image is determined as a known class, the detector will further classify it into one of the known classes.

After training, the AI pipeline can better sort a future image into one of the known classes or unknown class. The proposed open-set classification methods are expected to help marine biologists to better identify their observation targets of interest, so that the in situ monitoring of marine plankton can become more convenient and efficient.

Explore further Researchers develop AI-based technology for clearer plankton observation in deep ocean

More information: Yuchun Pu et alo, Anomaly Detection for In Situ Marine Plankton Images, Proceedings of the IEEE/CVF International Conference on Computer Vision (ICCV) Workshops (2021).
The European Union is currently negotiating landmark laws that once agreed could set a new standard worldwide on how US tech giants can operate.

The European push to curb the power of big tech and radically transform the way Facebook, Apple or Google do business is gaining traction though efforts could still be derailed.

The European Union is currently negotiating landmark laws that once agreed could set a new standard worldwide on how US tech giants can operate.

The effort has picked up momentum after the revelations of Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, who will visit Brussels next month, of the company's systemic failure to fix the harmful effects of its products, driven instead by boosting traffic and profit.

The tech giants are spending millions of euros on lobbying to influence lawmakers in the European Parliament and across the 27 member states, eager to protect their powerful profit centres such as targeted ads or big fees on app stores.

The EU has split its regulatory revolution into two laws, the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the Digital Services Act.

Slovenia, which currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, is working hard for the bloc's 27 member states to clinch a common position on both laws at a meeting on November 25, a spokesperson said on Thursday.

"Things are on a good way, but there are still some open questions," another diplomat said of the DMA, which could potentially give the EU the power to split up big tech companies.

The member states would then launch negotiations with the European Parliament with the view of finalising both laws to great fanfare during France's EU presidency that begins in January.

'Coming weeks'?

The biggest threat to the ambitious timeline is at parliament, where the main political groups are still divided on major aspects of the laws.

However, key lawmakers steering the legislation through parliament insist that compromises will be found and that the urgency to rein in big tech will prevail.

They hope their position will also be sealed in time for the French presidency.

One big fight is over the DMA, which will set up a strict rulebook for the internet "gatekeepers", with Google, Facebook, Apple, Amazon and Microsoft certain to be caught in its clutches.

Its demands will be potentially game-changing: Apple could be forced to open its iPhones to rival app stores while Facebook and Google would be curbed in their tracking of users for adsthe key to billions of dollars in profit.

But the social democrats, parliaments' second biggest group, want a wider range of tech giantslike Netflix, Booking.com or Airbnbalso regulated as gatekeepers, which others oppose.

An agreement on the issue will require "some sort of compromises from all sides and so far, I think we are bringing that to the right lane," said centre right MEP Adreas Schwab, who is steering the law through parliament.

MEP Evelyne Gebhardt said she was confident negotiations "could be wrapped up in the coming weeks" even though the issue remains a red line.

Too lax

Another sensitive debate among lawmakers is who will be in charge of clamping down on the giants once the new rules are in place.

Some national authorities want to keep a strong say, but others want Brussels to have power to move quickly and hit hard anywhere in the bloc.

This is especially true for the Digital Services Act, which will police illegal content, with tech companies facing fines or worse if problems are not handled swiftly and properly.

Thierry Breton, the EU commissioner who shepherded the original proposals, told reporters that some fear a weak Brussels would allow some states to be more lax than others.

"Time is of the essence, we need to move these two pieces of legislation forward," he added.

Explore further EU unveils new rules to curb tech giants

 2021 AFP
Figure 1: Examples of violations of supply and loading constraints. In (a), the vehicle can satisfy the given loading constraint because it can take the three excess bikes in port i. However, in (b), the vehicle violates the loading constraint because it only has room for one of the three excess bikes at the port. Likewise, in (c), the vehicle violates the supply constraint because it can only provide one bike at port i, which needs three. In the proposed strategy, these constraints are treated as soft constraints in problem formulation. This approach enables an algorithm search for both feasible and infeasible solution spaces and speed up the search for near-optimal or optimal solutions. Credit: Tohru Ikeguchi from Tokyo University of Science

Bicycle sharing systems have become an attractive option to alleviate traffic in congested cities. However, rebalancing the number of bikes at each port as time passes is essential, and finding the optimal routing paths for the vehicles in charge of rebalancing constitutes a combinatorial optimization problem. Now, scientists propose an innovative algorithm that can find near-optimal solutions more quickly even for a large number of ports, paving the way for more efficient bicycle sharing systems.

Traffic congestion has been worsening since the 1950s in large cities thanks to the exorbitant number of cars sold each year. Unfortunately, the figurative price tag attached to excessive traffic includes higher carbon dioxide emissions, more collectively wasted time, and exacerbated health problems. Many municipalities have tackled the problem of traffic by implementing bicycle sharing systems, in which people can borrow bikes from strategically placed ports and ride wherever they want, as long as they eventually return the bikes to a port, although not necessarily the one from where the bike was originally obtained.

As one may or may not immediately notice, this last permission creates a new problem by itself. Whenever someone borrows a bike and does not make a round trip with it, an additional bike crops up at the destination port just as there's a loss of one bike at the origin port. As time passes, the distribution of bikes across ports becomes unbalanced, causing both an excessive accumulation of bikes at certain ports and a dearth of bikes in others. This issue is generally addressed by periodically sending out a fleet of vehicles capable of transporting multiple bikes in order to restore ports to their 'ideal' number of bikes.

Much research has been dedicated to the bicycle rebalancing problem using a fleet of vehicles. Finding the optimal routing paths for the vehicles is in and of itself a highly complex mathematical problem in the field of combinatorial optimization. One must make sure that the optimization algorithms used can reach a good-enough solution in a reasonable time for a realistically large number of ports and vehicles. Many methods, however, fail to find feasible solutions when multiple constrains are considered simultaneously, such as time, capacity, and loading/unloading constraints for the vehicles (Figure 1).

But what if we allowed the optimization strategy to change the strategies a little bit to make the best out of difficult situations? In a recent study published in MDPI's Applied Sciences, a team of scientists suggested an innovative twist to the routing problem of bicycle sharing systems using this concept. Led by Professor Tohru Ikeguchi of Tokyo University of Science, the team comprising Ph.D. student Honami Tsushima from Tokyo University of Science and Associate Professor Takafumi Matsuura from Nippon Institute of Technology, Japan, proposed a new formulation of the routing problem in which the constraints imposed on the routings can be violated. This enabled using the optimization algorithm for exploring what is known as the space of "infeasible solutions." Prof. Ikeguchi explains their reasoning, "In real life, if a work can be completed through overtime within a few minutes, we would work beyond the time limit. Similarly, if we are only carrying four bikes and need to supply five, we would still supply the four we have."

Following this line of thought, the researchers formulated the "soft constraints" variant of the routing problem in bicycle rebalancing. Using this approach, instead of outright excluding solutions that violate constraints, these can be considered valid paths that incur dynamically adjusted penalties and taken into consideration when assessing possible routings. This approach enabled the team to devise an algorithm that can make use of the space of infeasible solutions to speed up the search for optimal or near-optimal solutions.

The researchers evaluated the performance of their method through numerical experiments with benchmark problems including up to 50 ports and three vehicles. The results show that their strategy could find optimal or near-optimal solutions in all cases, and that the algorithm could search both the feasible and infeasible solution spaces efficiently. This paints a brighter future for people in cities with congested traffic in which bicycle sharing systems could become an attractive solution. As Prof. Ikeguchi remarks, "It is likely that bike sharing systems will spread worldwide in the future, and we believe that the routing problem in bicycle rebalancing is an important issue to be solved in modern societies."

Explore further Lyft suspends e-bikes after battery fires

More information: Honami Tsushima et al, Strategy for Exploring Feasible and Infeasible Solution Spaces to Solve a Multiple-Vehicle Bike Sharing System Routing Problem, Applied Sciences (2021). Honami Tsushima et al, Strategy for Exploring Feasible and Infeasible Solution Spaces to Solve a Multiple-Vehicle Bike Sharing System Routing Problem,(2021). DOI: 10.3390/app11167749
Firefighters battle a wildfire on the Greek island of Evia on 13 August 2019. Credit:  Georgios Kostomitsopoulos, Shutterstock

Catastrophic wildfires in Europe have become a far too common headline and this year has been no exception as the world once again bore witness to parts of the continent burning. While southern Europe is no stranger to the devastation and loss they leave in their wake, countries in central and northern Europeareas that were previously not prone to wildfiresare now also experiencing them. Harnessing science and technology, researchers are proving that there is more than one way to fight and respond to fire.

Between 2000 and 2017, 611 firefighters and civilians lost their lives, according to the 'Sparking fire smart polices in the EU' report. In this 7-year period, 8.5 million hectares burned, costing over EUR 54 billion to the economy and irreparable damage to the environment. Since then, wildfires have continued to wreak havoc across Europe and in countries around the world. What we are now seeing is a new breed of wildfire: large-scale, unpredictable and intense, often fuelled by climatic conditions due to, amongst other things, climate change.

As wildfire behavior changes, so too is the European Union (EU) policy landscape changing. The European Green Deal and the EU Forest Strategy for 2021 that comes under it, the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and the new EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change are forward new priorities for better wildfire protection, prevention and recovery.

Responding to the new priorities, researchers are pushing boundaries to save lives, livelihoods and the environment. For example, a science-based strategy in wildfire management is being developed by the FirEUrisk project that will shift conventional thinking in the field. FirEUrisk is a precursor to four large-scale demonstrator projects funded under the H2020 European Green Deal: DRYADS, FIRE-RES, FIREOOGUE and SILVANUS, which aim to accelerate the adaptation process to extreme wildfire events.

"The fires in Portugal in 2017 and in Greece in 2018, and in Greece 2021 again, and in Turkey and Algeria, with the loss of many lives, reminded us once more about the need to have a different and more science-oriented approach to the problem," explained Domingos Xavier Viegas, project coordinator and a professor at the University of Coimbra, Portugal. "This need is further driven by changes in socio-economic conditions, land use, geopolitical situation and, in particular climate. We have no excuse to continue managing the problem of wildfires as if nothing has changed."

Key to their success will be the close collaboration between researchers, stakeholders and citizens. "Our goal is to benefit from all the science and knowledge that exists dispersed across so many people and agencies or accumulated in so many research institutions and put it into the service of our communities to make our forest areas free of major fires, and nicer places to visit and live safely," noted Viegas.

Focusing on large, high-impact fires where wild landscapes border urban areas scientists will consider fire management as a holistic and integrated approach that links prevention, response and restoration in a common policy framework. It will place particular emphasis on risk assessment, risk reduction and risk adaptation. "To improve fire prevention, a risk assessment will be developed which incorporates several factors that are frequently not considered," said Viegas.

This includes the socio-economic, economic and ecological impact of fires such as the value of properties and natural capital like air, water, soil and ecosystem services. Risk reduction will incorporate knowledge on fire occurrence and evolution to better protect communities and minimize the effects of fire on the environment. Risk adaptation will integrate knowledge and models on climate, land use and socio-economic changes to promote more resilient landscapes and communities, enabling them to adapt to the changing fire risk over the next decades.

"We intend to extend the solutions developed by science and good practices to the pan-European level," Viegas added.

Help from above

Researchers from the S2IGI project are also breaking new ground in wildfire management by developing a software decision support system (DSS) that uses satellite data to predict and manage fires. "Firefighter operators face several problems: a lack of reliable early-time fire detection tools, the unpredictability of fires and the behavior of extreme events," said Raffaele Bua, project coordinator and software architect at Nurjana Technologies. The DSS is set to change this.

Provided as software as a service, or SaaS, the DSS is available via a web platform offered by the NEWMOS framework and supports the three phases of wildfires: strategic, tactical, and post-event. In the strategic phase, which is forest prevention and mitigation, the system provides users with simulation models and risk probability maps that are useful for preparing for a wildfire event. The tactical phase is when there is an actual wildfire. The system supports the user with weather maps and a flame behavior model. "In the post-event phase, which is recovery, the system provides statistics and information on the burned areas, with tools and a map to estimate the economic damage," highlighted Bua.

With a 5-minute lag, users are given hotspot early detection information and weather data as well as the ability to run a wildfire simulation showing how the fire would develop over the following hours.

Initially set up to manage wildfires in Sardinia, Italy, the system can be used in other countries. "We have tested the technology on an area in Australia by exploiting another satellite, Himawari, for wildfire behavior simulation and detection," confirmed Bua. The system has also reached new heights, managing to accurately as well as automatically monitor and detect wildfire hazards from space.

As for its performance and accuracy, the results are more than promising. The online model has achieved a detection performance of 99.904% with a false positive probability of 0.018%. "We are confident that the performance will be better with a machine learning model," added Bua. The system will be able to compute the best routes for emergency vehicles, track emergency vehicles via GPS sensors and produce daily fire probability maps in the future.

On the ground

The VALKYRIES project is also pushing limits in research to ensure that first responders can reach those caught in disasters such as wildfires. To do this, researchers will standardize and harmonize technologies and procedures for first aid response in disaster management at the European level. This will include procedures for cross-sector and cross-border cooperation.

The team will design and develop a modular, interoperable, scalable and secure platform to aid deployment of emergency services during disasters like wildfires. "The main platform to be developed is SIGRUN: Cognitive communications and resource federation for command and control of first aid responses in mass casualty incidents," said Juan-Roman Martinez Arranz, project coordinator and project manager at Indra Digital Labs. "The combination and interconnection of the harmonized solutions within the project will make up the platform, providing advanced communications, information sharing, and tactical command and control services for first aid responders."

When a wildfire starts, there is no time to lose. Coordination between different stakeholders is crucial to minimize human and material damages. What role will the platform play? "Based on one of the use cases of the project, located between Spain and Portugal, the 112 emergency coordinator center (CCU) in Badajoz, Spain, receives multiple calls about fires in areas near the border between Spain and Portugal," explained Martinez. "The platform will support the systematic and homogeneous gathering of relevant information to improve every stage of the intervention. In other words, it will generate truthful and real-time information for the first responders' teams to make informed decisions." Thanks to this information, those on the frontline will have a greater understanding of the geolocation of victims, emergency services will be positioned tactically, and further resources and hospitals will be on standby.

While the platform will not be immediately useable in countries outside the EU, its expansion is on the horizon. "This is of great interest and would allow for a very desirable intercontinental interoperability when it comes to health emergencies," outlined Martinez. In the future, the VALKYRIES solution could be used in other areas such as transport, defense and telecommunications.

Disasters like wildfires are inevitable, but our response to them is not. Researchers are working across borders to prepare and respond, as best we can, to these increasingly severe fire events, ultimately saving lives and minimizing the losses from them.
Expert Perspectives

Community Is the Key to Unlocking the Full Potential of STEM Education

Ever since the United States was beaten in the race to space by the Soviet Union on October 4, 1957, our country has placed an emphasis on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)  hoping to usher in an era of American leadership in these important fields. However, as often happens within the education system, those attending the classes often wonder, When am I ever going to use what they are teaching me? This is a sentiment many teachers, especially those in STEM subjects, have often had to overcome when engaging their students.

Luckily, this obstacle has not caused their enthusiasm to wane and is instead challenging teachers to adapt their plans to directly correlate their subjects to life events. Unfortunately, this is not the only obstacle facing STEM teachers. A lack of cultural diversity among professionals along with unequal access to quality resources in educational settings are also affecting STEM educators. While the correlation between the former and STEM education may not be immediately obvious, it actually makes a big difference as diversity not only brings new perspectives, but also motivates both teachers and students when they see someone similar to themselves succeeding in the field. According to Pew Research, minorities only make up 33% of the STEM workforce, down 4% from the total share of the overall workforce.

Interestingly, it is corporations who are teaming up with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to address these challenges and making a difference. While we are using our creativity to engage students and make the subject fun and interesting, it is with the support of businesses and organizations that the field will truly flourish.

Collaboration is Key to Advancing STEM Participation

Already we are seeing non-profit organizations, businesses and higher educational institutions within our communities address the resource gap and working to diversify the field. For example, the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) has made a huge impact in the lives of many teachers worldwide by opening the door to networking opportunities and providing relevant resources to advance their professional development. Through these networking opportunities, Ive been able to secure relationships with other teachers to share ideas and even start our own movement called One Band, One Sound  a campaign where we used recycled materials to create instruments, learning about physics and sound waves, and sharing our music with students and teachers around the world.

Along with NSTA, the support I have received as a recipient of the Shell Urban Science Educators Development Award has been invaluable. Shell has been a long-time advocate of diversity and inclusion within the space and it truly shows. Through various initiatives and programs, NSTA and Shell have given minority educators a platform to connect, share their stories, and work together to advance STEM education.

In fact, they have helped me realize that the local community is a great resource for teachers to turn to in our quest to further enrich our own professional development. For example, I have reached out to local industry professionals to act as mentors for 22 educators who meet monthly to discuss how the field is evolving and how this evolution can apply to their teaching plans. By understanding the latest advancements in STEM from professionals living and breathing the work every day, educators are able to ensure their lesson plans are up-to-date and relevant  making it easier to inspire the next generation.

Bringing the 'Real World' into the Classroom

As educators, we are often a students first introduction into a subject or field. Therefore, it is critical that we are not only making learning fun for our students but also, more importantly, making it relevant to pique their interest. Oftentimes, the real-world applications of our subjects can get lost as we focus on preparing students for state mandated exams. Yet, this is often how our students lose their joy and interest in learning.
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Theres been increasing confusing over the legality of delta-8, a cannabis derivative that can be found in vape cartridges, tinctures and candy at smoke shops and CBD stores in Texas. While the Texas health department maintains that delta-8 is a controlled substance and is on the states list of unlawful drugs, the 2018 federal Farm Bill legalized the production of hemp, which naturally contains delta-8 and has less than 0.3% THC. In 2019, Texas also legalized hemp growing. Delta-8 retailers believed the substance was as legal to sell as hemp. Delta-8 is legal in Texas for now after a Travis County judge blocked the state from criminalizing it. Should delta-8 continue to be legal in Texas?

You voted:
The Capitol Center for the Arts board has selected Salvatore Prizio as its new Executive Director following a comprehensive, multi-month national search process guided by Arts Consulting Group (ACG). He will begin his tenure on November 29. He will lead the CCA staff and work with the Board of Trustees on all aspects of administration, programming and outreach for both the 1300 seat Chubb Theatre and the new Bank of New Hampshire Stage.

In making the formal announcement, Capitol Center Board Chair Ron Reed said, Sal brings a wealth of programmatic and administrative expertise with him. Sal immediately saw the potential to help move the Capitol Center to a new level of community engagement and programming and expand our reach beyond the physical walls of our venues. He is looking forward to being an active member of the Concord community and relocating here with his family.

Mr. Prizio joins the Capitol Center from Proctors Theatre Collaborative in Schenectady, NY where he has worked as the Programming Manager and Event Producer since 2016. While at Proctors, Prizio was responsible for artistic programming for Proctors multiple venues including the 2680 seat mainstage, as well as smaller and midsize venues, and for the Rivers Casino. While in this position, he was part of a team that led the $14-million renovation of Proctors 700 seat Universal Preservation Hall Venue, from concept to reality and oversaw its inaugural season of programming. He also worked closely with the city of Troy on the redevelopment of a historic 400 seat venue in downtown Troy. Among his programming achievements are the creation of the Eddies, a music awards show, and Capital Records Live, which featured local artists performing classical albums live, and the Capital Region Comicon. During the pandemic, Prizio oversaw the development of and curated content for a new regional 24-hour arts and educational network.

I am delighted to be joining the team at the Capitol Center for the Arts as we begin the next chapter of this wonderful organizations story. As we emerge from the pandemic, brighter days
AMMAN  Lebanon, Syria and Jordan have reached a deal to transfer electricity to Lebanon which is suffering an acute energy crisis, ministers from the three neighboring countries said on Thursday.

The World Bank, which attended a joint meeting for the participating countries, will finance the granting of a loan to import and transport electricity to Lebanon, the country's energy minister Walid Fayad said.

"The Americans have given the green light to the project," he added, referring to U.S. sanctions on Syria.

Under an agreement announced last month, Egypt will supply natural gas to Lebanon via a pipeline that passes through Jordan and Syria to help boost Lebanons electricity output.

Syrian electricity minister Ghassan al Zamel said his country's network rehabilitation would be completed by the end of the year, with engineers already undertaking maintenance and repairing damage caused by over a decade of conflict.

"The electricity line is not ready. It needs until the end of the year to be ready and our work teams are working round the clock," Zamel said. (Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Writing by Ahmad Elhamy; Editing by Peter Graff and Mike Harrison)
THE Confederation of Regional Business Chambers (CRBC) is calling on the Government to consider an extension on the submission of the property tax forms beyond November 30, 2021.

The CRBC, in a statement yesterday, said there can be criminal liabilities or a penalty if these forms are not filed by November 30, hence, Government is urged to consider the request to extend the deadline as an urgent matter.
Deborah De Labastide pours her genuine love for the Yuletide season into her popular ponche-de-creme blends, pastelles and black cake.

De Labastides self-branded Debs Exquisite Island Drinks line is a must-get for visitors at the annual Christmas upmarket at Lions Cultural Centre in Port of Spain.
THE murder toll continues to rise following the shooting deaths of three men in separate incidents between Thursday evening and yesterday morning.

The killings took place in Laventille, San Juan and Freeport.

Two of the victims have been identified as Aaron Thomas and Nathaniel Phillip, while the victim in the Freeport incident remained unidentified up to yesterday evening.
The pre-election splurge by the PNM-led Tobago House of Assembly (THA) draws attention to constitutional loopholes that should be addressed.

Here is an administration which went in with a comfortable majority for the election which was held in January this year and came out in a dead heat with the challenger party.
Fully vaccinated foreign visitors to Vietnam from November will not be placed in COVID-19 quarantine, according to a new rule in the latest draft guidance of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism that has been submitted to the prime minister for approval.

The proposed new rule followed many suggestions that the Ministry of Healths current seven-day quarantine fiat imposed on fully vaccinated foreign visitors should be removed to facilitate the countrys international tourism recovery after nearly two years of suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the rule, such visitors will undergo medical screening at an international airport of entry, including a COVID-19 test, and they can freely enjoy their tours if obtaining a negative test result, without being subject to quarantine.

Once approved, foreign vacationers will be entitled to quarantine-free travel in Vietnam under the governments multi-phase road map to revive international tourism from early next month.

The countrys tourism authorities have previously announced that Da Nang, Kien Giang Province's Phu Quoc City, Khanh Hoa Province, Quang Nam Province, and Quang Ninh will welcome foreign tourists starting from November in the first phase of Vietnam's international tourism reactivation.

During the phase, which lasts from November to the end of this year, visitors would be required to come from travel firms tour packages and through charter or international commercial flights.

Travelers would be required to have proof of a negative RT-PCR or RT-LAMP test for the coronavirus within 72 hours prior to departure.

They would have to present full COVID-19 vaccination certificates recognized by Vietnamese authorities, with the second dose administered at least 14 days and no more than 12 months before their time of entry, or a certificate of recovery from COVID-19 within six months before their entry date.

Visitors would also be required to have travel insurance that covers COVID-19 with a minimum liability limit of US$50,000 and to install the IGOVN app, which was developed by Vietnams Ministry of Public Security, on their smartphones for use during their trips.

During the first seven days after their arrival at the first destination, visitors would be allowed to enjoy their tour within the locality and should limit close contact with travelers from other groups.

On the seventh day of their tour, tourists would self-test for COVID-19 under the guidance and supervision of local medical workers, and they can take package tours to other localities if they have a negative test result.

Visitors wishing to visit relatives at places other than those designated to receive international tourists must register in writing with their tour organizers, who will monitor their health with relevant local authorities.

Phase 2 of the plan is scheduled to take place from January 2022, with more provinces and cities permitted to welcome foreign visitors via charter and regular international commercial flights.

Phase 3 will kick off in the second quarter of 2022 to fully open tourism to foreigners, but the exact commencement day will be determined later based on the end of phase 2 and actual epidemic situations.

On October 21, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it has recognized COVID-19 vaccination certificates, often called vaccine passports, issued by 72 countries and territories worldwide, while discussing the issue with 80 others.

Vietnam, whose population is around 98 million people, had administered more than 53.7 million first vaccine doses and around 22.2 million second jabs to people as of Wednesday, according to official figures.

The Southeast Asian nation has documented 900,585 COVID-19 cases, including 812,314 recoveries and 21,856 deaths, the health ministry reported.

Recently, the countrys daily new infections and deaths have sharply fallen, to 4,411 and 54 on Wednesday from 9,362 and 174 a month earlier.

Ho Chi Minh City, the largest epicenter of COVID-19 in Vietnam, saw its daily new cases and fatalities drop to 1,140 and 32 on Wednesday compared to 4,134 and 122 a month back, according to the ministrys data.

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Authorities in Da Nang on Wednesday decided to postpone the back-to-school day of all K-12 students for 15 days over concerns about the complicated developments of COVID-19, while preparing for the organization of a child vaccination campaign next week.

Da Nang deputy chairwoman Ngo Thi Kim Yen announced the decision at a municipal meeting on COVID-19 prevention and control on Wednesday afternoon.

Yen emphasized that many localities across Vietnam still see high risk of COVID-19, with many transmissions recorded among students going to school.

Meanwhile, Da Nang is receiving many returnees, including students, teachers, and workers, from other provinces and cities.

Although city authorities have been implementing various pandemic control measures, according to Yen, it remains hard for functional forces to thoroughly detect the risks of a virus flare-up.

Another reason for the delay is to spare time for the implementation of a COVID-19 vaccination drive on children aged 12 to 17 as per a policy of the Ministry of Health.

Next week, the city will organize injections for local children, Yen said on Wednesday.

Therefore, the date of the face-to-face learning resumption will be pushed back to November 15, instead of November 1 as earlier planned.

While most schools in Da Nang have been shuttered since May 4 for COVID-19 prevention and control, students of Hoa Bac Elementary School and Nguyen Tri Phuong Middle School in Hoa Vang District resumed offline learning on October 20, followed by 12th graders of Le Quy Don High School for the Gifted on October 25.

The central coastal city has documented 4,959 COVID-19 community cases since the fourth coronavirus wave hit Vietnam on April 27.

Health workers have given the first doses of vaccine to nearly 97 percent of the citys adult population, according to the national COVID-19 vaccination portal.

Vietnam has found 900,585 infections since the COVID-19 pandemic first hit it early last year and 895,793 community transmissions in 62 out of its 63 provinces and cities since the fourth virus wave erupted.

More than 22.2 million people in the Southeast Asian country have been fully inoculated.

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Check out the news you should not miss today:

Politics

 Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will co-chair a national strategic dialogue between Vietnam and the World Economic Forum via videoconference under the theme of 'Enhancing public-private partnership: Key motivation for comprehensive recovery and inclusive, sustainable development and innovation' on Friday, the Vietnam News Agency reported on Wednesday.

Society

 Ho Chi Minh City authorities have allowed dine-in services to resume from Thursday at half of their normal capacity and required them to close before 9:00 pm every day.

 Individuals running a charity campaign must open a separate account at a commercial bank to receive and manage all voluntary donations, and have to pay their own operating expenses, according to a new government decree which will take effect from December 11 this year.

 Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday completed COVID-19 vaccination for around 1,800 students aged 16 to 17 in Cu Chi District and District 1.

Business

 The Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang, despite COVID-19 impacts, recorded US$1.05 billion worth of exports in January-October, the highest number to date, the Vietnam News Agency reported on Wednesday.

Lifestyle

 A picture of Vietnamese terraced fields by Spanish photographer Felipe Souto has entered the Amateur Nature/Landscape category at the EPSON International Panoramic Photography Awards 2021.

 Vietnamese director Nguyen Trung Nghia and Dang Thao Nguyen have recently been awarded a package of $2,000 and filmmaking sponsorship for each after their works were chosen as the best projects at the UNESCOs film production course On The Reel Film Lab in October.

Education

 Authorities in Da Nang on Wednesday decided to postpone the back-to-school day of all K-12 students to November 15, which was previously scheduled for November 1, over concerns about the complicated developments of COVID-19.

World

 Australia on Thursday eased its COVID-related travel advice for several countries including the United States, Britain and Canada as it prepares to reopen its borders next week for the first time in over 18 months, Reuters reported on Thursday.
A traffic accident involving three motorcyclists and their passengers killed three individuals and injured another two in the central Vietnamese province of Quang Nam on Wednesday afternoon.

The fatal crash occurred at around 4:30 am on a road in Dien Tien Commune of Quang Nams Dien Ban Town.

The head-on collision involved a motorbike carrying a local couple and two other motorbikes traveling in the opposite direction, one driven by a man with his mother from Da Nang to Quang Nam, according to the results of a preliminary probe.

Tran Van Hoang Long, 14; Nguyen Thi Trang, 15; and Ho Tan No, 54, reportedly either died at the scene or on the way to the hospital, while two others suffered slight injuries.

Local authorities were called to the scene to carry out an investigation.

Vietnam recorded a total of 6,278 traffic accidents in the first six months of 2021, causing 3,147 deaths and 4,465 injuries, according to the National Traffic Safety Committee.

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The Roon Border Checkpoint in the north-central Vietnamese province of Quang Binh joined hands with local fishermen to release a green sea turtle back into the ocean on Tuesday.

The turtle had been trapped in a fishing net owned by 43-year-old local Le Nam, who voluntarily handed it over to officials at the Roon Border Checkpoint.

The officials then helped examine the turtle for injuries before releasing it back into the ocean.

It is a 120kg green sea turtle, according to local authorities.

Green sea turtles (Chelonia Mydas), also known as the green turtles, black (sea) turtles, and Pacific green turtles, are rare marine reptiles which have been categorized as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Local authorities thanked Nam for handing over the turtle and doing his part to protect both the animal and the marine environment, according to Nhan Dan (People) newspaper.

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Residents across Ho Chi Minh City woke up on Thursday morning excited to finally be able to visit their favorite restaurants for some delicious breakfasts following a months-long ban on sit-down service due to COVID-19.

Owners and employees at eateries throughout the city began cleaning their tables and preparing their kitchens early in the morning to get ready for dine-in customers, signs of a 'new normal,' or living safely with the coronavirus.

A bowl of pho is best served hot," said Huynh Tran, an employee of a pho restaurant in Tan Binh District.

"You have to eat the dish right at the restaurant to be able to taste every flavor.

A woman enjoys a bowl of 'pho' in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, October 28, 2021. Photo: Cong Trung / Tuoi Tre

Tran Thi Loan, a local resident, said she decided to wake up earlier than usual so that she could be the first to arrive at this pho restaurant.

The venue isnt so crowded early in the morning, and therefore its safer, Loan added.

Other restaurants specializing in Vietnamese breakfast staples, including bun bo (beef noodle soup) and com tam (broken rice), as well as coffee shops, were also open to serve white-collar workers on their way to work and locals who had just finished morning exercises.

Residents play chess at a cafe in Ho Chi Minh City, October 28, 2021. Photo: Cong Trung / Tuoi Tre

Phan Thi Thanh Huong, a bun bo vendor in Binh Thanh Dristrict, greeted each customer with a resounding Good morning! What would you like to order?

Huong said many of her patrons had called to confirm whether she would reopen.

I am happy but also worried because the virus is still out there," Huong admitted.

"Therefore, following pandemic prevention and control regulations is among my top priorities.

A woman washes tables to prepare for sit-down service in Ho Chi Minh City, October 28, 2021. Photo: Nguyen Tri / Tuoi Tre

As part of pandemic response measures, multiple eateries installed partitions on tables and asked customers to fill out electronic health declarations before entry.

Other restaurants checked customers vaccine passes and reminded them to socially distance.

The Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Committee has allowed local F&B establishments to offer sit-down service from Thursday following a ban that lasted for about five months due to the complicated COVID-19 pandemic.

An eatery offers dine-in service in Ho Chi Minh City, October 28, 2021. Photo: Ngoc Hien / Tuoi Tre

Eateries have to close before 9:00 pm, operate at 50 percent of their capacity, and meet safety criteria promulgated by the municipal steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control.

City authorities required restaurants and diners to stop offering in-person services in May to stall transmissions that have decelerated over the past few weeks owing to social distancing measures and a nationwide vaccination campaign.

The southern metropolis has been the hardest-hit locality in the country since the fourth outbreak began on April 27 with over 428,000 local infections.

Local authorities have been loosening restrictions since the beginning of this month after vaccinating the majority of the citys adult population and achieving optimistic results in prevention and control efforts.

A 'pho' shop installs partitions on tables as part of pandemic prevention and control measures. Photo: Ngoc Hien / Tuoi Tre

A coffee shop resumes sit-down service in Ho Chi Minh City, October 28, 2021. Photo: Nguyen Tri / Tuoi Tre

A customer scans a QR code to file a health declaration upon arriving at an eatery in Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh City, October 28, 2021. Photo: Nhat Thinh / Tuoi Tre

Partitions are installed at a 'pho' restaurant in Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh City, October 28, 2021. Photo: Nhat Thinh / Tuoi Tre

A married couple drinks coffee at a cafe in Phu Nhuan District, Ho Chi Minh City, October 28, 2021. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre

A 'bun bo' vendor in Thu Duc City has not offered dine-in service as her employees have yet to return to Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Hoang An / Tuoi Tre

An eatery still sells takeaways in Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City, October 28, 2021. Photo: Bong Mai / Tuoi Tre

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The Ministry of Health recorded 4,892 new COVID-19 cases in Vietnam on Thursday, alongside 1,649 recoveries and 54 deaths.

The latest cases, including 16 imported and 4,876 local infections, were reported in 49 provinces and cities, the health ministry said, elucidating that 1,980 patients were detected in the community.

Ho Chi Minh City registered 1,069 of the domestically-infected cases, Dong Nai Province 745, Binh Duong Province 618, An Giang Province 286, Tay Ninh Province 190, Ha Giang Province 184, Kien Giang Province 160, Tien Giang Province 139, Can Tho City 138, Quang Nam Province 129, Soc Trang Province 128, Binh Thuan Province 116, Hanoi 31, Khanh Hoa Province 30, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province 19, and Da Nang four.

Vietnam had confirmed 3,592 locally-acquired infections on Wednesday.

The Southeast Asian country has documented 900,669 community transmissions in 62 out of its 63 provinces and cities since the fourth virus wave emerged on April 27, 811,146 of them having recovered from the respiratory disease.

Ho Chi Minh City is the biggest hotbed with 429,082 patients, followed by Binh Duong Province with 231,024, Dong Nai Province with 63,715, Long An Province with 34,468, Tien Giang Province with 16,124, Dong Thap Province with 9,551, Khanh Hoa Province with 8,917, Da Nang with 4,963, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province with 4,603, and Hanoi with 4,496.

Vietnam detected only 1,570 locally-transmitted infections in total in the previous three waves.

The health ministry announced 1,649 recoveries on Thursday, bringing the total to 813,963.

The toll has risen to 21,910 deaths after the ministry confirmed 54 fatalities on the same day, including 25 in Ho Chi Minh City and six in Binh Duong Province.

Vietnam has found 905,477 infections since the COVID-19 pandemic first hit it early last year.

Health workers have administered over 77 million vaccine doses, including 1,170,967 shots on Wednesday, since vaccination was rolled out on March 8.

More than 22.6 million people have been fully inoculated.

Health authorities target to inoculate 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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Osama bin Laden in video shown on Al Jazeera television on October 29, 2004. (Getty Images)

This article is part of Yahoo's 'On This Day' series

More than three years after the 9/11 terror attacks on US soil, Osama bin Laden accepted responsibility for the atrocities.

In a video released on this day 17 years ago, the al-Qaeda founder admitted for the first time that he had planned the September 11 attacks.

Read more: The 9/11 images that will never be forgotten

On 29 October, 2004, news channel Al Jazeera broadcast excerpts from a video in which bin Laden addressed the people of the US.

Osama bin Laden claimed responsibility for 9/11 three years after the attacks. (Reuters)

The timing was significant  al-Qaeda released the videotape just four days before the US election, in which Republican president George W Bush was up against Democrat candidate John Kerry.

The fact that bin Laden referred to Kerry as a presidential candidate in the video indicated that it had been recorded in the previous few months.

Read more: US marks 20th anniversary of 9/11 attacks

Bin Laden had appeared in previous videos after 9/11, in which almost 3,000 people were killed, but it was the first time he had claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Watch: British 9/11 survivor says, 'We're still struggling'

In the clip, he spoke for almost 15 minutes in front of a featureless brown background, reading his notes that were resting on a podium.

Speaking in Arabic, he warned the US of further attacks and goaded President Bush.

He began: You, the American people, I talk to you today about the best way to avoid another catastrophe and about war, its reasons and its consequences.

A video of Osama bin Laden broadcast by TV station Al Jazeera in October 2001. (AFP via Getty Images)

Although we are ushering the fourth year after 9/11, Bush is still exercising confusion and misleading you and not telling you the true reason.

Bin Laden claimed he was inspired to attack the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York after witnessing destruction during the civil war in Lebanon in 1982.

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He added: We never knew that the commander-in-chief of the American armed forces would leave 50,000 of his people in the two towers to face those events by themselves when they were in the most urgent need of their leader.

In a reference to Bush reading the book, The Pet Goat, to schoolchildren while being informed the attacks were in progress, bin Laden said: He [Bush] was more interested in listening to the child's story about the goat rather than worry about what was happening to the towers.

Bin Laden said: Your security is not in the hands of Kerry or Bush or al-Qaeda. Your security is in your own hands. Any nation that does not attack us will not be attacked.

Just hours after the video was broadcast, Bush gave a short statement from the tarmac in front of Air Force One at Toledo Express Airport in Ohio.

Then US president George W Bush comments on the latest video by Osama bin Laden on 29 October, 2004. (AFP via Getty Images)

Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry condemns the video from Osama bin Laden on 29 October, 2004, at an airport in Florida. (Reuters)

The US president said: Let me make this very clear: Americans will not be intimidated or influenced by an enemy of our country.

Im sure Senator Kerry agrees with this. I also want to say to the American people that we're at war with these terrorists and I am confident that we will prevail.

Read more: How many people died in the 9/11 World Trade Center terror attack?

Kerry made his own statement, saying: Let me make it clear, crystal clear: as Americans, we are absolutely united in our determination to hunt down and destroy Osama bin Laden and the terrorists.

They are barbarians, and I will stop at absolutely nothing to hunt down, capture or kill the terrorists wherever they are, whatever it takes. Period.

Then US president Barack Obama, second left, and then vice president Joe Biden, first left, wait for updates on the successful mission to kill Osama bin Laden in May 2011. (PA)

Bush won the presidential election, taking 286 electoral college votes to Kerrys 251, while also taking 50.7% of the vote  62 million to Kerrys 59 million.

Political commentators speculated that bin Ladens video was timed to give Bush a boost in the polls. Bush took a six-point lead in the polls in the first survey conducted after the tape was released.

Several other video and audio recordings of the al-Qaeda founder were released in the seven years that followed until, on 2 May, 2011, bin Laden was killed in Pakistan as part of a US Navy Seals operation codenamed Operation Neptune Spear.

The raid on his compound in Abbottabad was launched from Afghanistan, while US president Barack Obama, along with his then vice-president Joe Biden and secretary of state Hillary Clinton, waited in the White House Situation Room for updates from the ground.

Watch: PM says 'they failed to shake our belief in freedom' on 9/11 20th anniversary
Northern Ireland parties must agree alternative proposals to replace the Governments controversial plan to end Troubles prosecutions, the DUP leader has said.

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson accused the Government of ignoring the opposition voiced by victims and all the main Stormont parties to the statute of limitations proposal.

He said while the local parties were set to vote against the plans at Westminster there was also an onus on them to draw up alternate measures that would gain the support of bereaved families.

In July, the Government published a command paper outlining its intention to prohibit future prosecutions of military veterans and ex-paramilitaries for Troubles incidents predating April 1998.

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson (centre), UUP leader Doug Beattie (left) and TUV leader Jim Allister at an event for families of murdered UDR soldiers in Co Tyrone (Brian Lawless/PA)

Contending the criminal justice route was not delivering for victims, the command paper said a move to a new truth recovery model would help bereaved families gain information about the deaths of their loved ones.

The Government has not yet published draft legislation that would give effect to the plan but Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis has signalled that a Bill will be tabled in Parliament this autumn.

Sir Jeffrey was attending an event in Co Tyrone on Thursday for families of Ulster Defence Regiment soldiers killed during the conflict.

He said it was a matter of concern that the Government appeared intent on pushing ahead with measures many victims have branded an amnesty for killers.

The meeting today I think will again reflect the deep concerns of many of the victims and their families about these proposals, said Sir Jeffrey.

Our view is very clear  that it is wrong to remove the prospect of access to justice, that justice is an important part of our process of dealing with the past as we look to how we can move to the future.

I dont believe that the path to healing and reconciliation in Northern Ireland is made easier when you dispense with access to justice.

Brandon Lewis has insisted the current approach to legacy cases is not working (Victoria Jones/PA)

He added: We will oppose those plans in Parliament as I know will other political parties from Northern Ireland, but I think here theres a challenge too for all of us  that we need to bring forward proposals that offer the prospect of victims and their families having access to justice.

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I think it is incumbent upon us as political parties to put forward proposals that reflect the needs of victims across Northern Ireland.

I think what we need to say to the Government is that if were serious about building a consensus on how we deal with the past, then the way to do it is not to ignore the victims and not to ignore the political parties who speak on behalf of innocent victims.

Jennifer Jordan, whose father, a former UDR member Clifford Lundy, is among six members of her family who were killed by terrorists, urged the Government to get a backbone.

She thanked Sir Jeffrey, as well as Ulster Unionist leader Doug Beattie and TUV leader Jim Allister for attending the event, but urged they do more, get together and put pressure on Government.

Mr Beattie described soldiers as having adhered to the law, while terrorists adhered to nothing.

He added: Every time they went out the door their rationale was to murder men, women and children.

Members of the UDR proudly stood up between the terrorised and the terrorist and they stopped it and people are trying to vilify you and your loved ones in doing so and we simply cannot allow that to happen.

We have been let down time and time again, and were about to be let down again. This amnesty, statute of limitations. We cannot and will not be supporting that in any shape or form.

You must stand up, you fought your fight but you must fight again.

UUP leader Doug Beattie said victims had been let down time and time again (Brian Lawless/PA)

Mr Allister described the UDR as being vilified, adding that being so vilified is testament to its success.

He slammed the pernicious peace process in Northern Ireland which included the release of terrorist prisoners in 1998, as well as comfort letters for on-the-run terrorists, and described the current legacy proposals as part of the same appeasement process.

Sir Jeffrey also voiced concern about recent high-profile prosecutions of veterans in Northern Ireland.

He was asked whether he was prepared to accept the prospect of further veteran prosecutions as part of any alternative plan to maintain access to justice.

The DUP leader insisted no one is above the law, however he said there had recently been a disproportionate focus on pursing cases involving State actors and not paramilitaries.

TUV leader Jim Allister speaks to the media ahead of the event for UDR families in Clogher (Brian Lawless/PA)

Boris Johnson has claimed the Government plan will allow Northern Ireland to draw a line under the Troubles.

The proposals also envisage an end to all legacy inquests and civil actions related to the conflict.

In 2014, the UK and Irish governments and a majority of Stormont parties agreed to a range of proposals to deal with legacy issues, including a new independent investigations unit to probe unsolved killings.

Those Stormont House Agreement measures have never materialised amid years of political wrangling over the thorny issue of the regions troubled past.

The Governments plan represents a significant unilateral step away from the Stormont House structures.
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The Duchess of Cornwall has said she and the Prince of Wales still have "a snap in our celery" despite being in their 70s. Camilla made the comments on the flight home from the Middle East, where she and Charles spent four days celebrating the culture, heritage and achievements of Jordan and Egypt. Speaking on Voyager, the ministerial jet, before it landed on Friday, she said of the Middle East tour: "It was quite tough, we were driving a lot and it was pretty bumpy."
Israel will likely allow tourists vaccinated with Russias Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine to enter Israel next month, The Jerusalem Post reports. The news comes only days after Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and less than a week after an announcement by the Prime Ministers Office that only travelers inoculated with a vaccine recognized by the US Food and Drug Administration, the European Medicines Agency or the World Health Organization would be able to enter the country. Sputnik V is not approved by any of these bodies.

The decision, which would go into effect on November 15, was made during a meeting held Tuesday night between Bennett and senior health officials.

The cabinet would still need to approve the decision, and no formal announcement has been made. A report by N12 said that travelers who are vaccinated with Sputnik will still need to take a serological test on arrival in the country. The new tourism outline, which goes into effect on November 1, erases the need for fully vaccinated people to be screened for antibodies in Israel.

All travelers are required to take a PCR test within 72 hours before boarding their flight to Israel and on arrival.

The vaccine is named Sputnik V after the Soviet-era satellite, Sputnik I, the first artificial satellite that was launched into space by the Soviet Union in 1957. Russia registered the vaccine for public use in its own country in August 2020, the first country to do so. Russia had been vying for the approval of its vaccine in Israel since the beginning of the year, when it announced that its Phase III trial results showed that the vaccine was 92% effective at preventing symptomatic infection.

Hadassah-University Medical Centers former CEO Zeev Rotstein said the hospital had signed a memorandum of understanding with Russian Direct Investment Fund and the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology, which collaborated on the development and production of the vaccine, to receive 1.5 million doses  but the vaccines were never approved by the Health Ministry nor brought into the country.

Russia applied for approval from the WHO for its vaccine in February 2021 but has not yet received an emergency use listing (EUL). In September, the WHO said it had suspended the approval process of Sputnik V because the manufacturing process of the shot had not met the necessary standards. Earlier this month, the WHO said that it was still reviewing data about the vaccine. As with other candidate vaccines, WHO continues to assess Sputnik V vaccines from different manufacturing sites and will publish decisions on their EUL status when all the data are available and the review is concluded, the WHO said in a widely published statement on October 5.

Although Israel is not approving Sputnik V, allowing people to travel into Israel with the vaccination as part of its stringent travel outline would be a de facto recognition of the jab. On Monday night, the United States announced its new international travel program, which like Israels only accepts WHO-approved vaccines, meaning those inoculated with Sputnik are not accepted.

Israels announcement, however, was anticipated by analysts, who said that the prime minister could allow people vaccinated with the Russian vaccine into the country for diplomatic gain.

Earlier this week, Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz announced deals with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to recognize each others vaccine certificates and Green Passes.

Michael Edelstein, a professor of population health at Azrieli Faculty of Medicine of Bar-Ilan University, said he was aware that Russia was still pushing Israel to validate its shot and that Bennett had likely discussed the issue with Putin. You can imagine that this negotiation is not purely going to be about the effectiveness of the vaccine, he said. It is going to be used as a bargaining chip and become part of the diplomatic discussion.

Since the beginning of this year, Russia has sent millions of its vaccines to emerging countries as part of a vaccine diplomacy program, explained Agathe Demarais, global forecasting director and trustee for the Economist Charitable Trust, an independent charity that is meant to leverage the journalistic expertise of The Economist newspaper.

However, she said, Despite aggressive media campaigns highlighting Russias commitment to coming to the rescue of developing countries, Russias vaccine diplomacy has, to date, been a failure. Production difficulties have delayed the delivery of second shots of the Russian-developed Sputnik V vaccine, fueling resentment in local populations, she said. In Argentina, these delivery delays have led to a bitter diplomatic row between the two governments. In addition, a lack of transparency over clinical data and doubts around the quality of some batches of the vaccine have increased hesitancy toward the Russian-made vaccine.
Azerbaijan Tourism Board has been honoured with the title of Europes Leading Cultural Destination at the World Travel Awards. Here Breaking Travel News speaks to Florian Sengstschmid, the chief executive of Azerbaijan Tourism Board, to find out how it feels to have been recognised by voters from around the globe.

- Having claimed a top title at the World Travel Awards, how does it feel to have won?

- We are extremely delighted to be voted as the winners of this prestigious award in the global travel and tourism industry. This proves that we are on the right path with our strategy to highlight the unique tangible and intangible assets of the country and develop distinctive travel experiences based on these genuine features instead of creating something artificial. We look forward to welcoming new and returning travellers to take another look at this beautiful country.

- How will the trophy help you to promote Azerbaijan as we move into 2022?

- Tourism was one of the industries hit hardest by the pandemic, but with the active ongoing vaccination process and integrated travel protocols implemented, we finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Participation at various international trade shows and exhibitions, numerous marketing campaigns, media work with leading publications and platforms worldwide, cooperation with prominent travel platforms and agencies, digital promotion  all these, topped with new exciting tourism products and experiences are only a part of what we have prepared for the coming year. Certainly, the World Travel Awards trophy will contribute to achieving greater acknowledgement internationally and bolstering the image of our destination globally.

- What is it that caught the eye of voters; what do you think it is that separates Azerbaijan from its competitors in Europe?

- Azerbaijan is a perfect destination for those who wish to explore the rich cultural offering and ancient heritage  the country is home to three masterpieces included in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list, such as the magnificent Old City (Icherisheher) in Baku, the prehistoric petroglyphs of Gobustan and the astonishingly beautiful Sheki Khans Palace with exquisite miniatures in the historic centre of Sheki.

Famous for its breath-taking views, Khinalig village has been included into the UNESCO Tentative List in 2020. There are also many amazing examples of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in the country, including copper production in the village of Lahij, carpet weaving and the art of making womens silk headscarf kelaghayi. Being an important hub on ancient Silk Road trade route, Azerbaijan has long been under influence of various cultures and ethnicities, becoming a multicultural country represented by many nations and cultures.

Today, we can see the traces of Caucasian Albania which consisted of more than 26 nations all over Azerbaijan, Jewish settlements in Baku, Guba and Oghuz, Polish heritage in Baku, German heritage in the western parts of Azerbaijan - all represented by tangible and intangible cultural elements.

Shusha, the cultural capital of Azerbaijan, and the Karabakh region in general, will definitely play a crucial role in the development of tourism in the region. An exceptional combination of an Eastern country with a Western outlook where antiquity merges with modernity, Azerbaijan is an enthralling mixture of people, styles, colours and traditions that never ceases to amaze, and we invite everyone to visit and discover this beautiful destination.
Exactly a year ago, on September 27, 2020, Azerbaijan's Patriotic War began. On that day, Armenia's occupying forces subjected the positions of the armed forces of Azerbaijan along the front line and the adjacent populated areas in Azerbaijan to intensive fire with the use of large-calibre weapons, artillery and mortars. Baku decided to launch a counter-offensive operation to ensure the safety of the civilian population. Vestnik Kavkaza offers its readers to follow the events of the 44 days of Azerbaijan's Patriotic War as they were covered a year ago.

On the thirty-second day of the war, October 28, the shelling of the Terter region of Azerbaijan by the Armenian occupation forces continued all night. Soon, the artillery strikes of the invaders expanded to five more border and front-line regions of Azerbaijan. The death toll by this moment from attacks by the Armenian Armed Forces reached 69 Azerbaijani civilians due to the terrorist attack in Barda committed the day before.



Even contract servicemen were refusing to go to the front to keep the occupied Azerbaijani territories under the control of Yerevan. The Azerbaijani Defence Ministry revealed the video footage of the military equipment and ammunition left by the Armenian armed forces while fleeing during the battles in the Gubadli direction.

The Ministry of Energy of Azerbaijan stressed that Armenia's attempts to hit the infrastructure of the "Southern Gas Corridor" threaten the energy security of the entire region.



At about 12:00 the second terrorist attack was carried out against Barda: the invaders fired more than ten Smerch MLRS missiles with cluster warheads at the city, some fell on busy streets. 21 people were killed, over 70 were injured, including 8 children. It was emphasized in Baku that Armenia had announced its intention to organize this war crime in advance. Evidence was presented that the Smerch missiles were used in the attack.



The first to react to the second terrorist attack in Barda was the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Baku. The terrorist act was also condemned in Turkey, Tehran said the strike on Barda was a war crime. In the afternoon, artillery strikes continued on the Terter and Goranboy regions.

The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense drew attention to the fact that Yerevan is deliberately replicating fake news in order to divert the attention of the international community from Armenian war crimes; the fake news about the "bombing of the hospital" was exposed. The Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan revealed the statistics of the destruction of the historical heritage of the occupied lands of Karabakh and Zangezur by the occupiers.



After 15:00, it became known about the liberation of 13 more villages in the Fizuli, Jabrayil, Zangilan and Gubadli regions of Azerbaijan. Later, video footage of the counter-offensive of the Azerbaijani liberation army was published.

At the same time, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev announced that he was ready to meet with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Moscow. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry the terrorist attack in Barda with the OSCE Minsk Group.

Tehran reiterated that the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict can be settled only within the framework of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister stated that the liberated Azerbaijani-Iranian border will become the border of peace and friendship.



A rally in memory of 25 people who died in two terrorist attacks in Barda was held in Moscow in the evening. Video footage of the terrorist attack in Barda was published late in the evening. The father of the girl who died in the first terrorist attack in Barda told how it happened.



The invaders fleeing from the battlefield began to take their weapons with them, which caused anxiety in Yerevan. Yerevan didn't accept the bodies of the invaders who died in the battles - Ilham Aliyev told Interfax. The President of Azerbaijan reiterated that in order to end the hostilities, Armenia must guarantee the withdrawal of the occupation troops from the Azerbaijani land.

Late in the evening, U.S. presidential candidate Joseph Biden proposed to President Donald Trump to hold talks with Ilham Aliyev and Nikol Pashinyan.



Thus, on the thirty-second day of the war, the Azerbaijani liberation army continued to de-occupy the settlements of Azerbaijan, moving from the liberated south to the north, to Lachin, Shusha, Khojavend and Khankendi. Cases of desertion in the occupation forces of Armenia became more widespread, the invaders threw heavy equipment on the battlefield and took small arms with them to Armenia. Yerevan carried out another terrorist attack against the civilian population of Azerbaijan, now in Barda, where 21 people were killed by cluster bombs.
A 4,250-year-old gold ewer looted in Anatolia has just been returned to Turkey by the Gilbert Collection, which is housed at Londons Victoria and Albert Museum. The ewer had been acquired in 1989 by Arthur Gilbert from a Los Angeles dealer who is now known to have handled illicit antiquities.

The collection of Arthur Gilbert, a British-born American property developer, initially went on display at Somerset House in 2000, a year before his death. In 2009 it was moved to a dedicated gallery in the V&A, on long-term loan from the Gilbert Trust for the Arts.

The collection comprises European decorative art crafted of gold, silver or micromosaics, so the Anatolian ewer, dating from around 2,250 BC, is very much an anomaly as the only antiquity. For this reason, and not because of any provenance concerns, it was never displayed in the V&As Gilbert gallery.

The price paid by Gilbert for the ewer was around $250,000, a substantial sum at the time. It is among the most important of the 1,200 items in the collection, The Art Newspaper reported.
Anti-coronavirus measures cost Russian regions 1.1 trillion rubles ($15.565 billion) in 2020, Russias Accounts Chamber said on Thursday.

"The coronavirus pandemic seriously complicated the situation in Russian regions, with the expenditure line supplemented with measures to prevent the pandemic consequences. The cost Russian region nearly 1.1 trillion rubles," it said.

According to the Accounts Chamber, most of these expenditures were covered by governmental assistance in 2020 but regional debt grew by 380 billion rubles ($5.375 billion) in 2020, to 2.5 trillion rubles ($35.375 billion), TASS reported.

"In general, the governments measures helped to considerably diminish the negative impact of the pandemics economic consequences on the regions public debt. The aggregate regional debt would have increased much more but for these measures," the Accounts Chamber quoted its auditor Alexei Savatyugin.
In the next few days, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Italy and Great Britain. This was reported by the Public Relations Department of the Turkish Presidential Administration.

The visit to Italy is scheduled for October 30-31. As part of the trip, the Turkish leader will take part in the summit of the leaders of the G20 countries ("Group of Twenty") in Rome.

On November 1-2, Erdogan will be in the UK, where he will take part in the UN Climate Change Conference, which will be held in Glasgow, Anadolu reports.

Let us remind you that the G20 summit in Rome will discuss the restoration of the global economy against the backdrop of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, processes in the global economy and healthcare, climate change, ecology, sustainable development and the refugee crisis.

The two-week conference of the parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP-26) starts in Glasgow on November 1st. It will be attended by heads of state and government from more than 120 countries. Erdogan will address the conference participants on November 1 - it is the first day of the forum.
The new COVID-19 sub-variant - AY.4.2 - is not more dangerous that its original variant Delta, as there is no reliable data that it has higher transmissibility and cannot be neutralized by immunity defenses, Vladimir Gushchin, the head of the Gamaleya Centers laboratory of population variability mechanisms of pathogens, said on Wednesday.

"In fact, AY.4.2 is one of the lineages, which is Deltas two extra mutations. Now it is not important for us, and it is not a big deal. We have no facts right now to claim that this variant is really spreading better or faster," he said.

"We cannot say at the moment that somehow it poses a threat to us. Again, there is no data to say that this variant is capable of avoiding existing immunity [defenses]," he said on an educational program about vaccines.

Gushchin explained that those mutations usually affect one or two types of antibodies produced by human system to neutralize the virus, but there are many more varieties of effective antibodies.

"Those scarce alterations [of the virus] can have an impact on interaction between specific antibodies of one type or another, but a human being produces dozens of different antibodies that block the virus. So really these single alterations are not so critical so one can allege now that the virus completely evades immunity," he said.

Additionally, the expert pointed out that the Sputnik V COVID-19 jab shows, in general, a good level of protection against various mutations.

"We have several Russian publications on the vaccines effectiveness so far, including Argentinas data on its efficacy. Both suggest that we have, indeed, a very high vaccine efficacy. We have very good antibody formation, but most importantly, we have high protectivity. That is, people who get Sputnik are at least six times less likely to catch the disease, ten times less likely to be hospitalized and 20 times less likely to die," the scientist said.

"In fact, it gives over 95% protection against death, 90% protection against hospitalization, and 80-85% protection against clinically manifested disease," Gushchin said, adding that he referred to protection against the Delta variant.
A supporter of the Islamic State terror group (ISIS, outlawed in Russia) who was plotting to carry out terrorist attacks on military facilities has been neutralized in Russia's Murmansk Region, the Federal Security Service (FSB) said in a statement on Thursday.

"The Federal Security Service in the Murmansk Region thwarted the activities of a supporter of the Islamic State terrorist organization, a local resident who plotted to carry out terrorist attacks on the region's military facilities at the behest of the organization's foreign emissaries," the statement reads.

FSB officers tried to detain the man when he was taking an improvised explosive device out of a cache on the outskirts of the town of Kandalaksha. "He resisted FSB officers and was eliminated in a retaliatory action. There are no casualties among civilians and law enforcement officers," the FSB said.

A ready-for-use improvised explosive device, components for its making, bladed weapons, firearms, ammunition of various calibers and clandestine communication means were found during searches of the man's permanent and temporary homes and an inspection of the scene. "It proves that the eliminated terrorist did plan to carry out terrorist attacks," the FSB emphasized.
The six-side negotiations on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran will resume by late November, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri said in his Twitter Wednesday.

"We agree to start negotiations before the end of November. Exact date would be announced in the course of the next week," Bagheri said, adding that he had a "very serious and constructive dialogue" with JCPOA Joint Commission coordinator Enrique Mora.

Earlier, the IRIB broadcasting company reported that Bagheri had talks with Mora in Brussels. According to the report, Iran is ready to return to the talks, dedicated to the full withdrawal of US sanctions and normalization of Tehrans trade relations with the world.

On October 14, Bagheri had talks with Mora, dedicated to the return to the JCPOA. Back then, the sides agreed to continue their consultations in Brussels.

On September 21, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said that the talks on restoration of JCPOA will resume in several weeks in Vienna. According to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Tehran expects that the negotiations process will result in withdrawal of sanctions imposed on Iran.
On Thursday, the Israeli Ministry of Health published the rules for the entry into the country of foreign tourists vaccinated with "Sputnik V". They are allowed to enter from 15 November.

"Entry scheme: vaccinated foreign citizens who meet the listed conditions will be allowed into the country. From November 15, 2021, these are the foreigners vaccinated with two Sputnik V vaccines no earlier than 14 days and no later than six months at the end of the trip [in Israel] since the second vaccination, the ministry's press service said.

Also, the entrance is open to those who were vaccinated with a booster dose of "Sputnik V" at least 14 days ago.

"Foreigners vaccinated with Sputnik V will have to get a positive serological test in Israel (they will have to be isolated until a positive result is obtained)," the Israeli Ministry of Health said.

To arrive in Israel, a foreigner also needs to fill out a passenger declaration and provide a negative PCR test done no more than 72 hours before departure, the second PCR test must be passed at Ben Gurion Airport along with a serological test.
Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Management Board of PJSC "Gazprom", met with the Minister of Energy of Kazakhstan Magzum Mirzagaliyev, the press service of the Kazakh department reported.

The talks covered key areas of cooperation in the gas sector, including gas processing, as well as such topics as the stability of the acceptance of Karachaganak gas at the Orenburg GPP, gasification of the East Kazakhstan and North Kazakhstan regions and others.

In addition, the meeting participants agreed to resume negotiations on the development of the "Khvalynskoye" and "Imashevskoye" fields.

We have taken a course towards active development of oil and gas fields with a focus on gas processing. To this end, we have developed a number of fiscal and regulatory preferences to stimulate exploration and production of hydrocarbons. In recent years, gas consumption within the country has increased sharply, and will grow steadily, considering the transition from coal to gas, as well as the development of gas chemistry, "Mirzagaliyev said.

Alexey Miller announced that "Gazprom" is interested in projects and is ready to return to discussing the terms of participation in them.

Both politicians drew attention to the relevance and economic efficiency of these projects, including the expansion of export opportunities.


Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed Senator Maria Lvova-Belova as Russian Presidential Commissioner for Childrens Rights, according to a decree posted on the Kremlin website on Wednesday.

"Maria Alexeyevna Lvova-Belova shall be appointed Russias Presidential Commissioner for Childrens Rights for five years," the document reads.

Earlier in the day, the Russian president held a virtual meeting with Lvova-Belova.

"You have a very good and extensive experience - both in public work and within the family, in bringing up your own children. The position of Commissioner for Childrens Rights gives you an opportunity to use all your knowledge, skills, and expertise to achieve meaningful results for a large number of families and children. I take it you are ready for this work?" Putin asked her.

The president asked the new commissioner about her family and children. "I have nine children - five biological and four adopted, and 13 disabled young people are in my custody as well, but they do not live with me," she said.

She told the president that when at the age of 15 she was in hospital with her younger brother, she saw an abandoned baby, so she "made a vow to herself" to do her best in the future so that every child in Russia could have care, support, and attention from adults.

"I strongly feel that the commissioners mission is nothing else but that," Lvova-Belova added.

Putin said in response that "the mission is ultimately noble" and wished her success.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who recently won the presidential election in Uzbekistan, is planning to take his first trip abroad after his reelection to Russia, and this visit is tentatively scheduled for November, Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister and Investments and Foreign Trade Minister Sardor Umurzakov said.

"The president and the government of Uzbekistan attach priority to promoting long-term allied relations with Russia. The most vivid evidence of this is the fact that a visit to Russia planned for November will be the first visit after Mirziyoyev's reelection as president of Uzbekistan," the Russian Economic Development Ministry quoted Umurzakov as saying at a meeting of an Uzbek-Russian intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation.

Tashkent is thoroughly preparing for the top-level visit in November, Umurzakov said. "We intend to fill the visit's agenda with content as concrete and practical as possible," Interfax cited the minister as saying.
Former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili, who has been on hunger strike in prison for 28 days, refused to see the council of doctors. This was stated by opposition deputy Rostom Chkheidze.

According to him, during a meeting with Saakashvili, employees of the prison administration dropped in and told the ex-president that the council of doctors had already gathered. However, the former head of state refused to meet with them.

"When I started to cheer Saakashvili, he encouraged me in response. He looks with hope to the day after tomorrow - the day of elections. He believes that there will be changes for the better," RIA Novosti quoted Chkheidze.

Earlier, the ex-president of Georgia refused to accept any medical assistance during the hunger strike.
The opposition United National Movement (UNM) is holding a rally in the western Georgian town of Zugdidi demanding to release Georgias ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili.

UNM mayoral candidate in Zugdidi Anzor Melia, who is the father of UNM chair Nika Melia said in his address to the party supporters that he is happy to be running for Zugdidi mayor.

"[If elected] I will be everyones mayor who loves Georgia I have visited all of the villages twice, met with tens of thousands of people and I am thankful to God," he said.

UNM member Ani Tsitlidze said the ongoing race will be a historic battle for the united, strong, independent, free, European Georgia and the darkness.

The opposition has been holding rallies since Saakashvilis detention on October 1. Saakashvili who is facing several criminal charges, remains on hunger strike at Rustavi # 18 penitentiary facility, Agenda.ge reported.

Meanwhile earlier today the ruling Georgian Dream party held a large gathering in Tbilisi ahead of the second round of the municipal elections on October 30.
UNESCOs reaction to the Amsterdam Court of Appeals ruling on the return of the Scythian gold to Ukraine can be interpreted as the recognition of its impotence in this situation, deputy speaker of the Russian State Duma Pyotr Tolstoy said on Wednesday.

"The Scythian gold saga in quite demonstrative: UNESCO has hidden cowardly behind diplomatic wordings and thus it recognized its impotence," he wrote on his Telegram channel.

According to Tolstoy, the decision to hand over the Scythian gold to Ukraine can be compared with a situation when "an elephant was let into a shop with expensive china." "They are trying to take unique historical artifacts away from the country, which has saved Palmyra, moreover, they are trying to take them away from Crimea, the legal owner, and hand them over to an under-state, whose national hobby is to ruin historical heritage and sell out everything that can be sold," he noted.

He noted that UNESCOs reaction to the situation demonstrates that the organizations "is worrying more about its own budget than about education and culture." "It looks like there is no organization in the world that is beyond politics," the Russian senior lawmaker added.
Turkish drone magnate Baykar said it will be exporting its Bayraktar TB2 unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) to another purchaser, without unveiling which country it will be.

We have completed the #BayraktarTB2 UCAV export contract with one more country. With this agreement, the number of countries where #BayraktarTB2 UCAV has been exported to became 13, the company said in a Twitter statement.

Earlier this month, sources speaking to Reuters said Turkey has expanded the export of its renowned combat drones by negotiating deals with Morocco and Ethiopia.

The growing interest in domestic UCAVs followed their successful use in conflicts, Daily Sabah reported.

The Bayraktar TB2 has been sold to countries including Ukraine, Qatar, Azerbaijan and Poland. In May, Poland became the first European Union and NATO member state to acquire drones from Turkey.

Saudi Arabia is also said to have been interested in buying Turkish drones. Latvia also hinted that it could be the second European Union and NATO member state to acquire the Turkish UCAVs. Albania and Kyrgyzstan have also shown interest in striking a deal to procure Bayraktar TB2s.
The USA is in the mood to continue negotiations on cybersecurity issues with Russia. Anne Neuberger, Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology, said this during her speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

"We maintain a direct, open and frank dialogue. A number of discussions took place to clarify our expectations in this area, to convey information about specific criminal actions," she said, referring to the contacts between Washington and Moscow.

Neuberger noted that the United States looks forward to continuing concrete action and direct and frank dialogue. According to her, it is necessary to achieve results, reports TASS.
Property projects in Quang Ninh, Bac Giang and Thanh Hoa are expected to attract northern investors in the last months of 2021 thanks to the development of infrastructure and IZs.

Van Don - Mong Cai Highway

Bac Giang successes

As the first locality attacked by the fourth pandemic wave, Bac Giang had to impose social distancing measures, which raised worries for investors. However, the wave was quickly controlled and production and business activities returned to normal.

The great efforts by local authorities to fight the pandemic, plus the development of infrastructure and industrial parks, and the abundant land bank with reasonable prices all have made Bac Giang an attractive investment destination.

Despite the serious impact caused by the pandemic, BacGiang still attracted $746.87 million worth of investment capital, or 4.5 times higher than the same period last year.

This included VND1.482 trillion worth of capital registered by 19 domestic newly invested projects and $601 million by 10 foreign invested projects.

The province ranked seventh in the country in attracting FDI with large-scale projects, including the $210 million photovoltaic cell technology project of JA Solar PV Vietnam, and the $293 million project of Fukang Technology.

From now to 2030, Bac Giang is expected to become a key province for sustainable industrial development, and one of the industry centers of the region by 2030, comprising 29 IZs and 66 industrial clusters, covering an area of 6,400 hectares with connected infrastructure. They will attract investment projects using modern technologies and thousands of foreign specialists.

Quang Ninh striving for new heights

The province plans to gather strength on three key projects, namely Van Don  Mong Cai Highway, Ha Long  Cam Pha sea route and Cua Luc 1 Bridge, with total investment capital of VND17 trillion, expected to cause the local property value to increase.

The total investment capital of the province was VND39.292 trillion in H1, an increase of 10 percent over the same period last year. It allocated a budget of VND58.7 trillion for public investments in 2021-2025, including VND11.7 trillion in 2021.

Experts believe the strong economic development and high investments will pave the way for Ha Long, Mong Cai and Cam Pha to become rising stars in the real estate market.

Thanh Hoa sees big investments

Experts predict that the Thanh Hoa market will be hotter than ever before in Q4 as three leading real estate groups Flamingo, Sungroup and Vingroup implement super-projects on 3,000 hectares with total investment capital of $3 billion.

The province is expected to attract investors who see great potential from the strong local infrastructure development. including the road connecting Sam Son and Nghi Son EZ, East-West Boulevard in Thanh Hoa City. Around 43 transport projects with total investment capital of VND35 trillion will be executed from now to 2025.

Ngoc Minh

Real estate industry has hard time getting back on its feet post-pandemic Real estate businesses in Ho Chi Minh City are gingerly reopening, mostly consulting and carrying out transactions online due to the COVID-19 prevention and control regulations still in force.
The international pressure to reduce coal-fired thermal power is huge, said an expert involved in the compilation of the draft of national power development plan 8.

Looking at the petitions and letters sent by many domestic and international organizations to Vietnamese leaders, one can see that the expert has not overstated the issue.

Organizations in favor of wind and solar power, such as the Vietnam Business Forum (VBF) and the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), criticized the draft national power development plan 8 when they did not see a significant increase in the proportion of renewable energy in the countrys power development plan from now to 2030.

Particularly, offshore wind power is only 2,000MW, while the GWEC wants to raise this figure to 10,000MW. These organizations also asked Vietnam to completely phase out coal-fired thermal power.

In the document submitted to the Government on the approval of the National Power Development Planning for the period of 2021-2030, with a vision to 2045, the proportion of coal-fired thermal power will significantly fall in the power source system compared to the present level, while renewable energy will stagnate, and gas-fueled thermal power will increase.

According to this plan, the total output of coal-fired thermal power by 2030 would be 40,899 MW, accounting for 28.4-31.4% of the total electricity output. Meanwhile, gas-fired thermal power will increase strongly, with a capacity of 27,471-32,271 MW, accounting for 21.1-22.4%.

Notably, by 2045, the proportion of coal-fired thermal power will decrease, accounting for only 15.4-19.4% and gas-fueled thermal power (including LNG) will increase, accounting for 23.5-26.9%.

Thus, the draft national power development plan 8 actually aims to sharply reduce the proportion of coal-fired thermal power in the power system. Since it began drafting the national power development plan 8, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has always strictly adhered to the viewpoint of not investing in new coal-fired thermal power projects.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the proportion of coal-fueled thermal power in Vietnam in 2020 was 30.8% and it will be 28.4-31.4% in 2030 (based on installed capacity), similar to the world average (29%) and that of South Korea (30%) at present, and lower than many countries such as China and Indonesia (49%).

Compared to developed countries, the proportion of coal-fueled thermal power in Vietnam is higher but lower than that of many developing countries. The rate of 30.3% of hydroelectricity and 24.6% of wind and solar power in Vietnam is high compared to the world average and of many other countries, but Vietnam has developed renewable energy only for the last 3-4 years.

Globally, coal-fired thermal power still accounts for the highest proportion with 29%, followed by gas-fueled thermal power 25%, hydropower 19%, wind and solar power 20%, nuclear power 5%, and others 2%.

If accepting a higher electricity price, the Ministry of Industry and Trade could raise the percentage of renewable energy even higher in the national power development plan 8.

Contrary to the opinion of international organizations, an environmental expert says the percentage of renewable energy given in the draft national power development plan 8 is quite high. He expressed concern that Vietnam will be alone in the developing world if the draft is approved because it tries to follow developed countries. According to the expert, under this draft, electricity prices will be higher than the current ones because investing in coal-fueled thermal power requires 100% commercial loans.

In fact, arranging capital for coal-fueled thermal power projects in the coming time will face many challenges when many major financial institutions in the world have said no to coal power. Meanwhile, financing for renewable energy is much cheaper and more abundant. Therefore, it is difficult to choose to further increase coal or gas-fueled thermal power.

Ha Dang Son, Director of the Center for Energy Research and Green Growth, emphasized the world's current trend is to increase the proportion of renewable energy. Wind, solar, and hydrogen power will be the energy sources of the future. But coal-fueled thermal power will still play an important role and the world will not be able to completely eliminate coal-fueled thermal power overnight.

According to Son, in order to switch from using primary energies (coal, oil) to cleaner forms of energy, Vietnam must research and design its own roadmap of transition.

Luong Bang

Money flows to wind power projects but coal-fired power lacks capital Coal-fired power developers find it increasingly difficult to find capital amid the growing support of renewable energy globally.
Part 1:

Most of the 1,500 orphaned COVID-19 youngsters are living in families of freelance workers in HCM City. Without financial or spiritual assistance, the previously limited path to these children's future has become even more bleak.

Our issue is to enable that path.

Orphaned within nine days

The four sisters gathered when they saw their mother's video call. When the second screen appeared, Nhi noticed her mother panting. The heart rate monitor beside her was beeping... Nhi could only yell Mom fighting, but her mother waved goodbye and hung up.

The medical personnel called the four sisters a few hours later, warning them to expect the worst. Nhi sobbed as she embraced her younger siblings.

Nhi and her siblings remained awake that night, hoping for her mother's safety. The hospital phone rang again at 6 am. After a few seconds of quiet, the other end of the line spoke words of condolences. In agony, the four sisters screamed out for their mother.

It was August 27. Pham Cong Su, 43, the father, remained homebound due to Covid-19 infection. He slumped and became depressed after learning of his wife's death, causing his sickness to deteriorate and necessitating treatment at Ho Chi Minh City's District 12 Hospital. He then was sent to Nguyen Trai Hospital for further treatment.

"My father grasped my hand and said, 'sweetheart, help me,' before the hospital transfer." Vy, the second daughter, cried. But the 16-year-old girl could only cry and clasp his hand. From then on, the four girls only heard from their father via hospital nurses.

On the same day the sisters received their mother's ashes, they learned of their father's death. In nine days, Yen Vy's four sisters lost both parents. "Dad is gone too," Vy said, concealing her emotions beneath her sister's blouse.

Her three younger siblings rely solely on Yen Nhi, 20. With her mother's remarks before she closed her eyes, Nhi sobbed alone in a District 12 boarding house. Nhi and the kids had mentally prepared for the day they would say goodbye to their mother, who had terminal cancer. But they didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

Nhi's mother, Lam Yen Nga, 42, may have contracted Covid-19 while receiving cancer therapy. My mother was transported to the Oncology Hospital on the day of her sickness. We can only see our mum via video calls, we can't follow, Nhi added.

Nhi recently reassured herself that she would help her father raise the children after losing her mother. But now, she is alone and must cope with the forthcoming terror.

The money their family once made was barely enough to live on. After their mother's cancer diagnosis, Nhi and Vy both quit school and worked part-time to help support their mother. They have been jobless for months. Neighbors help out with food. The youngest kids have not stopped crying since their parents' deaths. That coziness of a family meal without parents more often than not makes them tear up.

Lost mother twice

Kha Han was born in 2014. Her biological father remains a mystery as Han's mother died when she was a year old, sealing the secret. Han resided in Saigon with her grandparents and great-grandmother.

In early August 2021, Mr. Bui Van Chi, 56, Han's grandfather, and his entire family got sick with Covid-19. Due to her age and failing health, Han's great-grandmother succumbed to the sickness. Han's grandmother was brought to the hospital a few days after her great-grandmother died. Police found Mr. Chi and baby Han and took them to isolation. Mr. Chi soon learned that his wife had not survived.

"I was stunned when my wife died and kept it from Han. She's worn out after all she's been through, I'm afraid. Her granny is very special to her. Therefore, to give her peace of mind could, I just cooked up grandma doing okay and shortly to be released."

Mr. Chi was still being treated for Covid-19 on Kha Han's release day. He had to send Han to his relatives in the countryside since he had none here. He also warned others not to discuss his wife's death. After saying final farewells to her grandfather, Han refused to go. The doctors and nurses all had to encourage Han to get into the car.

Han misses his grandparents back home. Oddly, he was the only one who called Han every day. Grandma made no effort to be in touch. Something was wrong, the kid realized. "I overheard my grandfather crying in the hospital. I saw him sad, with red eyes at times. To avoid upsetting him, I ceased the inquiries concerning my grandmother, Han said.

When Han's rural relatives saw her grandson's sad face, they knew they had to inform her that her grandmother had died. The sensitive seven-year-old burst into rage-filled tears. Han was silent for a while. To the girl, her grandmother is her mother. The harsh upbringing may have made her more mature than ordinary 7-year-olds.

No more crying because grandpa would be sad, Han said, her voice innocent yet firm. I want to grow up fast so I can take care of my grandfather and ease his worries about me.

Will we see him once we pass away?

Nhat Hao, 17, and Dan Thanh, 10, were sleeping upstairs on the night of their father's death. They heard their mother sprinting up, knocking on their door.

When we went down, dad was no longer breathing. He was a guy of honor and love. I aspire to be a man like my father. He always travelled to Tay Ninh to spend Tet with us, regardless of how far he was. Family time was brief yet joyful. But those times will never be the same, Hao said.

When Dad was sick, I wanted to touch him but he wouldn't let me get close, Dan Thanh recalled, almost crying. I just dared to peek up at him from the top of the steps. That was when my father died. Mum encouraged me not to cry since this will make dad sad, trying to smile through her tears. "I won't cry anymore; I'll be good to make you happy.

Mr. Phu Hieu especially adored little Thanh when he was alive. He attempted calling the baby from wherever he was. Thanh wept a lot upon his death. She even blamed herself for his illness. She came in with a sore throat and a cough. She is fine thanks to the meds I bought. But she was convinced she was infected, mother Ngoc Ha (38) said.

The youngster feared Hieu and urged him not to go near to him for fear of getting sick and infecting him. "I told you not to come close me," the infant sobbed as he died.

The youngster repeatedly urged her father not to get close for fear of infecting him. In his final moments, the little girl cried out, "I told you not to come near me, what did you do?" It took days for baby Thanh to stop crying and blame herself. She misses Hieu and sobs at his photo. She often told her mum she hoped she could trade places with her father.

Will we be able to see him once we pass away? The question made Ha's heart ache. She could only console her child by embracing her. As a parting gift, Mr. Hieu left his family an unfinished house in District 12.

Nguyen Thao - Thanh Ha - Vu Lua - Ho Van

(To be continued....)

Nearly 2,100 children nationwide orphaned by COVID-19 As many as 2,093 children, including more than 1,500 in Ho Chi Minh City, have fallen victims to the latest COVID-19 outbreak after their parents died of the virus.
Filmmakers have reacted to a recent proposal by a NA Deputy to stop screening films or revoke licenses if artists in films commit ethical violations.

Director Luong Dinh Dung

National Assembly Deputy Le Thu Ha has stirred debate among artists and filmmakers with her proposal to stop screening films if artists are engaged in scandals.

At the discussion about the amendment of the Law on Cinematography on October 23, Ha said what is happening in China could be a lesson for Vietnam. The Chinese administration is running a campaign to get rid of celebrities with deviant lifestyles in a plan to improve quality.

Artists need to do their best to protect their prestige and images before the public. Artists must have virtue first, and then talent, Ha said.

She proposed that cinematic works be stopped or have their licenses revoked if artists violate political security ethics or have unreasonable language.

The proposal has raised reactions among filmmakers who understand that they will suffer if their films cannot be screened because of actors scandals.

Currently, all movies have to go thorough censorship by a national council before they hit screens and they are prohibited from screening if they violate the provisions of the Law on Cinematography. No case of film licenses being revoked because of violations in political security or language has ever been reported in Vietnam.

Any halt to screening only occurs if films are discovered as having serious problems in content, or if they are boycotted by audiences.

Future not bright for Vietnams film industry

Vu Phuong, the producer of Hai Phuong (Hai Phuong) and Nguoi bat tu (The Immortal), said she supports the idea that the State should ask artists who have major influence on the public, especially youth, to preserve their image, moral virtue and healthy lifestyle, and upgrade their knowledge to devote themselves to the art.

The behaviors of artists may cause adverse effects because of the idol culture. She admitted that she sometimes got involved in scandals because some individuals of teams committed unreasonable behavior or made unreasonable statements.

In these cases, Phuong had to spend a lot of money on settling the media crisis to minimize the losses of the films. So, actors and artists must protect their images before the public.

However, the producer opposes the proposal by the National Assembly Deputy. It would be unfair if films are stopped just because of scandals of one or just some individuals, she said.

She said that films are collective products and other members of the teams, who are innocent, must not bear the consequences caused by violators. The decision on halting the screening of films will cause serious consequences to the entire team and bring losses to producers.

In Vietnam, in contracts signed between filmmakers and actors, provisions say artists must protect their image before the public and their personal lives must not affect film projects. But, in fact, when scandals occur, only producers have to spend money to deal with crises by restricting the presence of some artists in media campaigns. Meanwhile, artists dont have to pay for media crisis settlements.

In principle, artists must pay for the losses they cause to film projects. But will they have the money to compensate for the losses to films that have investment capital of VND30-40 billion, if their remuneration is just 1/50 of that amount? In general, producers dont want to spend time to pursue lawsuits against artists to claim back the money.

She warned that the proposal, if approved, will bring a not bright future for Vietnams film industry, because investors will turn their backs to cinema projects, and the number of film projects will decrease.

Losses for producers

Agreeing with Phuong, Luong Dinh Dung, another producer said films are cinematic works of collectives, i.e. thousands of individuals participate in the production of a film and create one art work. Therefore, it would be unreasonable if the labor of thousands of people is not recognized.

He explained that its difficult to control many members of teams who are from different places and work under short-term contracts. And if scandals occur, individuals wont have the money to pay compensation.

Also according to Dung, one film has investment capital of tens of billion of dong on average, and in the future, there will be film projects capitalized at tens of millions of dollars. It would be a big waste if the money is thrown away just because of the faults of some individuals.

My Anh

NA deputies propose halting distribution of films starring artists who infringe ethical standards National Assembly (NA) deputies have proposed halting screening or removing licence for cinematic works whose artists violate political security ethics or language.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on October 27 evening attended the 16th East Asia Summit (EAS).

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on October 27 evening attended the 16th East Asia Summit (EAS), which gathered leaders of 10 ASEAN member states and their partners, including China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, New Zealand, India, Russia and the US, and the ASEAN Secretary General.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attends the 16th East Asia Summit on October 27 (Photo: VNA)

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on October 27 evening attended the 16th East Asia Summit (EAS), which gathered leaders of 10 ASEAN member states and their partners, including China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, New Zealand, India, Russia and the US, and the ASEAN Secretary General.

He stressed the need for EAS countries to continue enhancing their strategic role in promoting transparent behaviour and frank dialogue, building trust, harmonising differences and increasing the sharing of responsibility in order to contribute to maintaining a peace and stable environment, and win-win cooperation in the region and the world.

He suggested countries join hands in managing changes in an appropriate and effective way; promote multilateral cooperation, policy harmonisation, and action coordination to effectively respond to emerging challenges, prevent the risk of instability and boost sustainable socio-economic development and recovery, especially after the pandemic.

He also proposed EAS partners step up cooperation to improve health capacity, facilitate full and timely access to COVID-19 vaccines and treatment drugs, build a mechanism to share information and experience, and improve early warning capacity. He affirmed his support for international commitments on health measures to combat the global pandemic.

The Vietnamese Government leader called on ASEAN and its partners to cooperate in increasing opportunities to access to each others markets; boosting exports, digital and green technology transfer, and high-quality human resources training; promoting equitable, sustainable and inclusive recovery in the region in association with climate change adaptation, green development, digital transformation, circular economy and inclusive economy.

He also called on the countries to uphold the sense of responsibility and behave in accordance with their commitments; respect each other; promote multilateral cooperation and respect for the rule of law; maintain healthy international relations; avoid affecting peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region; and ensuring security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea.

The nations should exercise self-restraint, avoid unilateral actions that may complicate the situation, and resolve disputes by peaceful means through dialogue and based on international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 (UNCLOS), Chinh stressed, calling for efforts to fully implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), promote negotiations to build an efficient, effective and substantive Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) in line with international law, including the UNCLOS 1982, according to the PM.

At the summit, the leaders applauded the outcomes achieved during the implementation of the Manila Plan of Action 2018 - 2022, ordered coordination to build a new action plan for the next period that matches the situation, and pledged to prioritise efforts in response to the pandemic and towards green and sustainable development.

They stressed that the EAS should remain the leading ASEAN-led forum and a platform for leaders to discuss strategic issues of the region.

They agreed to foster multilateral, regional, and international cooperation in resolving emerging challenges, effectively responding to COVID-19, maintaining and promoting economic connectivity and trade - investment links, and restoring and stabilising regional and global supply chains towards comprehensive and sustainable recovery.

Participants shared the view that the EAS should make effective contributions to efforts in guaranteeing regional peace, security, and stability.

The countries emphasised the importance of ensuring peace, stability, security, and safety of navigation and overflight in the East Sea and building the waters into a sea of peace, friendship, and cooperation. They underlined the need for self-restraint from acts that may escalate tensions or complicate the situation; for no militarisation, use, or threat to use force; and for peaceful settlement of disputes on the basis of international law, including the UNCLOS 1982.

They called on ASEAN and China to fully and effectively implement the DOC, while building an efficient and effective COC that is in line with international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS.

Concluding the summit, the participating leaders adopted the EAS statements on mental health cooperation, sustainable recovery, and economic growth through tourism recovery./.

Source: VNA
Spanish photographer Felipe Souto's panoramic photo of Vietnams terraced fields has been honored at the EPSON International Pano Awards 2021.

The 12th EPSON International Pano Awards is dedicated to the craft and art of panoramic photography and is the world's largest competition devoted to the genre.

The contest showcases the best work of panoramic photographers around the world. The organizers received 5,378 entries from 1,245 professional and amateur photographers in 97 countries this year, competing for the top spots in five categories.

'Eternal Triangle' by American photographer Joshua Hermann taken in a swamp in Louisiana won first prize.

Meanwhile, the photo capturing the immense terraced fields in Vietnam by Spanish author Felipe Souto was among the best photos in the 'Natural landscape' category of amateur photographers.

Through the lens of Spanish photographer Felipe Souto, the picture has featured the unique beauty of the fields stretching along the overlapping mountain slopes in northwestern Vietnam.

According to contest judge, David Evans, the standard of entries has reached new heights. Despite the pandemic and so many other challenges, photographers can still deliver incredible images.

Terraced fields are a long-standing farming method, a technique passed down through generations and the brainchild of people living in mountainous areas of Vietnam.

This method is completely different from other countries that use wet rice cultivation in Southeast Asia. The terraced fields of Viethna show a knowledge and understanding of how to take advantage of terrain and water.

Capturing the panorama, Felipe Souto's photo harmonises muted colours with a majestic natural background.

Here are the best photos of the contest:
The turtle is released by Roon Border Guard Station Force and the fishermen.  VNA/VNS Photo

QUANG BINH  After being found tangled in a fishing net, a rare and endangered turtle was released back into the sea off Quang Binh on Wednesday morning.

Lieutenant Colonel Mai Xuan Truong said that at around 11 pm on October 26, Le Nam, a 43-year-old fisherman from Nam Lanh Village, found the 120-kilogramme turtle stuck in his net while he was fishing in the waters off Quang ong Commune.

Le Nam immediately informed the Roon Border Guard Station Force of his discovery.

Early on Wednesday morning, the Roon Border Guard Station Force of Quang Trach Commune and the fishermen of Nam Lanh Village released the turtle back into the sea in a healthy state.

It is assumed that this sea turtle is of the Cheloniidae (known in Viet Nam as Vich species), which is on a list of endangered and rare species, and needs protection.  VNS
News

Windows App SDK Preview 3 Supports Non-MSIX WinUI 3 App Deployment

The third preview of the Windows App SDK (formerly "Project Reunion") supports deploying WinUI 3 apps without MSIX-packaging.

The Windows App SDK is described by Microsoft as the evolution of Windows desktop app development because it provides a unified set of libraries, frameworks, components and tools that developers can use to consistently create any desktop app on OS versions since Windows 10 v1809. When it was announced, Microsoft said it would address the complexity of Windows app development that was caused by two different sets of APIs for the older Win32 platform and the newer Universal Windows Platform (UWP).

The Win32 API (used for what is often called "classic Windows desktop development") was the original C/C++ platform for native Windows apps, providing close-to-the-metal performance with direct access to system hardware. Later came UWP, described as a "modern" take on Windows development. It provides a common type system and application model and APIs for all Windows 10 devices. UWP apps are basically containerized with lower privilege levels and package identity delivered via an MSIX installer. The Windows App SDK unifies these disparate API sets by basically decoupling them from the OS and serving them up via NuGet.

The SDK's WinUI component serves as the native UI layer for Windows, embodying Fluent Design and delivering modern, performant and polished user experiences to both Win32 and UWP apps. This component builds on the identity + packaging + deployment transparent ideas that Windows App SDK supports for apps as well, Microsoft said.

As development of the SDK has progressed, features were added for both the MSIX-packaged apps and the unpackaged apps, as this graphic from the project's roadmap shows:

[Click on image for larger view.] Windows App SDK Roadmap (source: Microsoft).

The Preview 3 release notes indicate the new support for deploying WinUI 3 apps without MSIX-packaging. Related documentation for "Instructions for WinUI 3 unpackaged desktop apps" warns that WinUI 3 support for unpackaged apps is currently in preview, not yet ready for production. Also, "You must download the Windows App SDK Preview Extension for Visual Studio to get the project templates and build unpackaged desktop apps with WinUI 3."

The new support also comes with a bunch of "known issues" that developers need to watch out for. Just some of those include:

Unpackaged WinUI 3 applications are only supported on Windows versions 1909 and later .

. Unpackaged WinUI 3 applications are supported on x86 and x64 , arm64 support will be added in the next stable release.

, arm64 support will be added in the next stable release. Single-project MSIX Packaging Tools for VS 2019 or VS 2022 is required for unpackaged apps.

for VS 2019 or VS 2022 is required for unpackaged apps. In an unpackaged app, you may receive a prompt to install .NET 3.5; if you do, you can ignore it.

Some APIs are not currently supported in unpackaged apps. We are aiming to fix this in the next stable release. A few examples: ApplicationData StorageFile.GetFileFromApplicationUriAsync ApiInformation (not supported on Windows 10) Package.Current

ListView, CalendarView, and GridView controls are using the incorrect styles and we are aiming to fix this in the next stable release.

[Click on image for larger view.] Features Available by Release Channel (source: Microsoft).

As the above graphic shows, support for MSIX desktop apps and unpackaged desktop apps now goes across stable, preview and experimental channels. Support for UWP apps, however, is only available in the experimental channel. Microsoft stirred up some debate with its recent announcement that ".NET 5/6 Will Not Be Coming to UWP Project Types," which many decried as a further deprecation of UWP on the part of the company.
Moscow has been placed under lockdown until November 7 to tackle an increase of COVID cases. More than 40,000 new COVID infections and 1,159 fatalities were officially registered in Russia over the same period.

For all his bragging over Russia's being the first country to develop a Covid-19 vaccine, it didn't stop the country's strongman Vladimir Putin from going into isolation after being exposed to Covid-19 or instead prevented him from being infected.

Now Moscow, Russia's capital, has been forced to invoke the country's strictest COVID-19 related lockdown measures in more than a year. The new lockdown was announced on Thursday as nationwide one-day pandemic deaths and infections hit new highs amid the slow vaccination program across the world's largest country by sheer size  with nine time zones.

Moscow's lockdown exempts only essential shops like pharmacies and supermarkets are open and schools. At the same time, state kindergartens have shuddered ahead of a week-long nationwide workplace shutdown that will begin on October 30, 2021.

In some regions in Russia, the lockdown will kick off with partial lockdowns on Thursday or even earlier to cut the rampant infection rate ahead of the nationwide initiative.

Moscow's residents are allowed to leave their homes, unlike a total lockdown in summer 2020. Still, the new measures point to rising concern among officials over record numbers of deaths that the Kremlin has blamed on vaccine hesitancy. The number of COVID-19 infections and deaths is being reported at an all-time high of 1,159 nationwide deaths in the past 24 hours, while the number of daily infections broke through the 40,000 barrier for the first time.

Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of the Duma, the lower house of Russia's parliament, proposed requiring all lawmakers to get vaccinated and suggested that stragglers should have to work remotely

"Imagine the consequences for the country if parliament stops working," Volodin told the lower house. Every day we're seeing how our colleagues are ending up in hospital beds."

Volodin's proposal was met by angry shouts from the parliament's chamber with someone calling out:

"What kind of PR is this?"

Many Russians have echoed the same sediments as U.S. Anti-Vaxxers, saying they are reluctant to get vaccinated and have refused to take any of the four vaccines Russia has registered, including the flagship Sputnik V vaccine.

Some Russians insist they're hesitant due to mistrust of their government authorities. In contrast, others fear whether the vaccines being offered are safe and won't have unforeseen long-term effects.

As of October 22, official data showed that 49.1 million Russians were fully vaccinated. The total population, excluding annexed Crimea, is officially estimated at around 144 million. That means just over a third of Russia's population has been vaccinated.

The daily Kommersant newspaper reported on Thursday that the

"Kremlin planned to revamp the troubled public information campaign about the importance of getting vaccinated.

"The new campaign would pay closer attention to Russia's more than 80 regions and strike a less aggressive and negative tone than previously.

"The existing campaign has often highlighted the risk of death for Russians who decline to get vaccinated rather than linking vaccination to the freedom to be exempt from lockdown-style restrictions."

However, the Kremlin denied has and continues to deny its plans to relaunch the country's Covid-19 ad campaign. Instead, it insists the current strategy has been adjusted and will be continued.

The high infection and death toll comes as many Russians have decided that now is an ideal time to fly off for a foreign beach holiday instead of hunkering down at home. As a result, there is a danger of the possibly lethal Covid virus spreading to unsuspecting neighbors worldwide.

Some Moscow residents like Lyubov Machekhina were quoted in Moscow's state newspapers saying they thought the lockdown order would help slow infections. But others like Mikhail, a Muscovite who did not give his surname, voiced doubts that there would be any real impact without a more significant chunk of the population being vaccinated

"In my opinion, it will change nothing. Perhaps, it will slow down (the spread of cases) a bit, but without herd immunity - it's nonsense. I don't believe it will work."

Moscow enters lockdown as the country is at risk to lead in global COVID infections | DW News
Jet Art is a veteran-run UK aviation company founded in 2005 by former Royal Air Force aircraft engineer Chris Wilson and his wife Melanie. The company predominantly specialises in the supply of ex-military aircraft for museum, display and educational purposes. However, as the company has evolved over the last 16 years, the quality of the aircraft within their inventory and the level of functionality has increased to where a live, but not presently airworthy, Sea Harrier is now available for sale. For legal, insurance and liability purposes the company does not sell aircraft in officially flight-worthy condition, however there is nothing to stop a future custodian restoring one of these birds to the next level at a later date; albeit at their own risk.

Over the last nine months JAA has restored former Royal Navy Sea Harrier FA.2 ZH798 to the point where the aircraft is now ground runnable and will taxi under its own power. This aircraft is one of five Harrier jets on the companys inventory at present; four of these being single-seaters while one is a unique and beautiful two seat example (XW175) known as the VAAC, a former trials aircraft resplendent in its red white and blue livery. [VAAC is the acronym for Vectored thrust Aircraft Advanced Control].

The ZH798 project started in January 2021 when JAA dismantled and extracted three Sea Harriers from UK Naval base RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall and moved them 400 miles north to Jet Art HQ for reassembly and restoration. These aircraft were formerly part of the Dummy Deck at the Royal Navy School of Flight Deck Operations and used to train groundcrew for positioning the aircraft on a carrier deck. The UKs Ministry of Defence (MOD) disposed of these aircraft via competitive tender towards the end of 2020. While the bidding process was open to the public, potential purchasers had to prove that they were properly qualified, experienced, and equipped to dismantle and extract the aircraft in a compliant manner. With most of the Jet Art Aviation team being ex-military aircraft engineers, that was not a problem  that being said, Storm Christoph made the whole task rather too interesting this January. Working outside in winter stripping aircraft in the most inclement conditions is not for the faint of heart!

We found that one of the three aircraft we acquired, ZH798, was both very complete and in great order. This airframe was one of the final UK new build 1st Generation Harriers and entered service in 1996. When retired, ZH798 had only been in service for 10 years and had accrued just 1,558 airframe hours. It had a very low fatigue index on the fuselage (just 15.6 FI), and 21 FI on the wing. We also discovered during the restoration that the Sea Harriers Rolls-Royce Pegasus engine had a good number of hours remaining.

We deemed that storing this airframe in a suitable hangar was the only responsible option, being her new custodians. Hangarage at former RAF Station Church Fenton (an ex-military base in the north of England now known as Leeds East Airport) was provided by Makin Air. ZH798 was delivered to Church Fenton on Monday, February 1st, 2021. The aircraft was reassembled and put back into its No.801 Naval Air Squadron markings (as worn when last flown) along with side code 002. Interestingly, in September, 1940, RAF Church Fenton became home to the first of the Eagle Squadrons (No.71), RAF fighter units comprised of U.S. volunteer pilots in the days prior to US entry into WWII.

Having previously restored a Harrier GR3 back to ground running condition in 2016, the temptation for the JAA team to attempt the same thing with a Sea Harrier was significant. After an in-depth assessment, ZH798 was found to be the perfect candidate and despite missing several components, the bulk of the aircrafts systems were found to be present and in good order. One of the other Sea Harriers from RNAS Culdrose acted as a donor aircraft/parts source for the project, yielding plenty of what we needed.

After a period of inspection, systems testing and going through the aircraft in great detail, we were able to conduct the first engine runs and leak checks on 27th September. The aircraft ran twice that day and conducted a 6-minute taxi test.

The first day of testing highlighted a few minor snags and issues which needed rectifying before the second runs, which we performed on October 15th. Once again, the Harrier ran twice that day, and this day featured a much longer, 16-minute taxi test. An RAF pilot was at the controls for these tests, and the aircraft behaved beautifully. The restoration and ground runs/taxi-tests were filmed for a UK TV documentary that will be aired in early 2022.

Having invested a large amount of money, time, and effort on this project, the aircraft is now for sale so that the company can roll on to their next project. We achieved our goal of making the aircraft function once again, and its now for sale as a ground runnable Sea Harrier that lives, breathes, and moves under its own power. Harriers make fantastic financial investments and in many ways are comparable to a modern equivalent of a Spitfire or Hurricane. We dont expect this one to be on the market for long. Price is on application for confidentiality purposes, but is less than you would think for a warbird of this calibre and pedigree.

The good thing for any US readers wanting to invest in a Jump Jet of their own is that Jet Art can offer a full-delivery service. Having previously exported Harriers to the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, to name but a few, JAA is no stranger to international shipping (only friendly countries need apply though!). Whilst the paperwork process is rather lengthy, it can be completed on the buyers behalf through specialist brokers. It is also worth noting that these aircraft are decommissioned from a military perspective, with their radar and weapons systems removed.

Jet Art Aviations current portfolio of aircraft has recently been described as having some of the most interesting and exciting ex-military aircraft available for sale anywhere in the world. As well as multiple Harriers, BAe Hawks, Jaguars and a Falklands War veteran Lynx helicopter, the company also owns the worlds only surviving Panavia Tornado F2A (ZD902), a Mach 2.2 capable, swing-wing, fast jet interceptor. Of the 18 Tornado F2s built, just one was upgraded into an F2A, to match the later-generation F3, and the remaining F2s were RTPd (Returned to Produce). More about that aircraft in another article

Many thanks indeed to Chris Wilson for talking with us, and for providing the images, courtesy of Jet Art Aviation Ltd/Chris North
How General Dynamics IT handled the aftermath of George Floyd's death

General Dynamics IT found itself in a place it had not been before in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in June 2020.

Black employees were hurting and scared. Everyone was devastated by the brutality of Floyds murder. Like other companies across the market, GDIT facilitate discussions and support groups.

GDIT President Amy Gilliland knew she had to send a strong and clear message to employees.

I was very deliberate, Gilliland told me in a recent conversation. In addition to participating in conversations with employees, she released a video to the send the message that I absolutely 100 percent will not tolerate hate in this company.

Months ahead of the pandemic, GDIT established employee resource groups as it worked to integrate the acquisition of CSRA and create a new company culture. In the wake of Floyds death those groups took on a new mission.

We had established the groups but I wouldnt say they were a community, she said. We doubled down on how those communities engaged and how our leadership engaged. We had some really difficult conversations.

Gilliland spoke with me following her presentation at the GDIT Women + Technology event on Tuesday.

Diversity, equity and inclusion had always been something we were focused on but there was a realization on my part that we had a lot more work to do, she said.

One area Gilliland focuses on is the diversity of the employees in the mid-level of their careers. These are where future leaders emerge.

People need to see themselves in leadership, she said. From a gender perspective, I think people can see themselves but from a diversity perspective we have more work to do.

GDIT is also doing more training around inclusion.

How do we think differently? she said. Sometimes people just dont think about what they say or how it might be heard by somebody else.

GDIT is also looking at how it engages in the community and what the company gets involved in, particularly with respected to under-represented groups, Gilliland said.

George Floyd was an impetus and a driver for us to accelerate the path we were going on but perhaps we werent going as fast as we should have, she added.

Gilliland shared the video with me that she released to employees in the wake of Floyds death and her passion is evident.

GDIT finds itself in a place it has not been before, having open conversations about race, discrimination and hatred. This is new and for many uncomfortable. But we must have this dialogue, she said at the opening.

The company declined to let me post the video here. In it, Gilliland also acknowledges the pain and fear of her Black employees and extolls all of GDIT to speak up against prejudice and discrimination at work and in their communities.

Help be a force of change, she said. Imagine the power of 30,000 of us denouncing hatred and bigotry in every walk of our lives. That is change.
PAE gets back into $850M DTRA competition after protest

PAE is back in the running to gain a seat on a $850 million professional services contract with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.

The company found itself on the outside looking in after being eliminated from the competition. But DTRA has let the company back in after an apparently convincing protest at the Government Accountability Office.

DTRA is using the contract to acquire assessment, exercise and modeling and simulation support, according to procurement documents posted by Deltek.

Up to six awards are planned, with three each for the large business pool and the same number for the separate small business pool. PAE obviously is bidding as a large business. Both pools share the $850 million ceiling. Task orders that are worth less than $4 million a year will be competed under the small business pool.

The contract bundles into a single vehicle several other contracts that are set to expire.

After PAE filed its protest, DTRA never officially responded to the issues the company raised. Instead, they came back and said PAE would get back into the competition.

This could mean PAE raised such strong points in the protest that DTRA couldnt defend itself. Or it could mean that it was easier for DTRA to let PAE back in rather than defend a protest while also evaluating the other bidders.

Well have to watch and see if PAE actually wins a spot on the contract. If they do, this was definitely a protest worth filing. If they dont, well likely see them back at GAO.

Agencies have increasingly been using these two-tiered procurements because weve seen a number of protests by these companies when theyve been eliminated. We also observe a lot of companies getting back into the competition after their protest.

It makes me wonder if it is worth it for agencies to do these two-step procurements if the protesters just get back in. When they do this, I think they are giving companies yet another incentive to protest.

Does anyone really want that?
As with many great classic cocktails, the debate is spirited as to how the Irish coffee came to be such a phenomenon in San Franciscobut locals serious about their history may know the gist of the tale.

Most people believe that a chef by the name of Joe Sheridan made the drink at Foynes (now called Shannon) Airport in Ireland for then-San Francisco Chronicle travel writer Stanton Delaplane. The scribe loved it so much that we went on and on about it to Jack Koeppler, then-owner of SF's Buena Vista Cafe. R&D to recreate the drink ensued, going so far as to take Koeppler to Ireland to learn about whiskey. There was cream testing too, and obviously a lot of imbibing.

The recipe that was settled upon would be served in the iconic goblet, and is a slightly sweet and delightfully creamy coffee drink where the Irish whiskey never dominates, but the maltiness and alcohol provide a constant humthe white noise of the drink, if you will, that ends up leading imbibers to make a lot of noise themselves.

While there are other excuses to head for the Buena Vista without the requisite out-of-towner in towlike breakfast all day and Ghirardelli's hot fudge sundaesthe Irish coffee, with its fun bit of history, is still the draw. (The drink is also, unsurprisingly, a regular on 7x7's list of the 50 most iconic cocktails in SF.)

Want to make it at home?
Dont wait until discharge is imminent. Ask to speak with a hospital discharge planner or social worker for help planning your loved one's next steps, care, transportation to their next place, insurance coverage and payment plans.



Get help.

If youre unable to manage all aspects of the transition due to being at a distance or other responsibilities, consider enlisting the help of a geriatric care manager or aging life care expert, or a case manager associated with their insurance.

Determine location and costs.

The goal is for your loved ones to be as independent as possible for as long as possible, so consider their quality of life, goals, current abilities (mobility, cognitive functioning) activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs, like driving), rehabilitation, safety and care needs. What is the best place for them right now? Observe them in physical therapy sessions; talk with doctors, therapists and those who have been helping with personal care. Determine insurance coverage and out-of-pocket costs. Make the best decision you can with the information and resources you currently have.

 Transition to a rehabilitation facility, skilled nursing, assisted living facility or group home: Ask which facilities would be best for your loved ones specific needs in terms of on-site services provided, staff-to-patient ratio, type and frequency of rehabilitation services (acute, subacute, skilled nursing, etc.), transportation provided, activities and meals. Consider current visitation rules, location and ease for family and friends to visit. Evaluate the steps the facility is taking to protect residents from COVID-19. If possible, make an unscheduled visit to the facility and get a feel for cleanliness, residents happiness and staff attitudes. Request that the discharge planner facilitate the transition.

 Transition to their home or a family members home: Prepare the home and arrange for in-home services. Ask the physical and occupational therapy departments or a certified aging-in-place specialist to help you evaluate the home for safety. Review the AARP HomeFit Guide to help you determine if home modifications are needed, such as installing ramps, handrails, lighting, grab bars, etc. Obtain medical equipment (such as a wheelchair, walker, cane, oxygen, shower chair, raised toilet seat) and determine insurance coverage. Try to have these things in place prior to discharge. The discharge planner can help you find home-based medical services and understand insurance coverage for services like primary care, laboratory services, X-rays and therapies (such as physical, occupational or speech therapy). Your loved ones may initially be eligible to receive short-term home health aides and other services covered by Medicare, but youll need a plan for future care. Contact the local area agency on aging to ask about caregiver support and affordable home- and community-based services and ask for an in-home assessment.

3. Advocate for them  and for yourself.

In any transition, youll be advocating for your loved ones, ensuring they are informed as appropriate, that plans are in their best interests, and that they receive the best care along the way.

Check admission status. If your loved one is in the hospital using Medicare, find out if they are under observation status and how that could affect Medicare coverage if they are discharged to a rehabilitation facility.

Understand discharge timing. If you believe your loved one is being discharged too soon, whether they arent ready or you havent had enough time to set up their next location, dont be intimidated. You can file an appeal. Talk with the insurance company and the hospital or facility social worker or hospital admissions office about the appeals process.

Monitor care and communication. Ensure that medical records and information about your loved ones conditions, treatments, medications and care needs are being shared between the hospital, facilities and care providers. Never assume communication or transfer of medical records has taken place. Confirm adherence to discharge plans and instructions.

Be there. Research indicates that patients do better with follow-up if a family caregiver is there to hear and note discharge instructions for medications and care. So make it your business to be there  either in person or virtually, via video chat or phone  for each transition. If you are unable to do so, make sure to arrange for a care manager, family member or friend to be present.

Insist on the three Is: information, inclusion and instruction.

 Information: Obtain printed copies of all pertinent information, including the loved ones' current medications list and prescriptions (flag any changes), and a summary of their visit (diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, surgeries, limitations, etc.), rehabilitation recommendations and discharge orders. Note any scheduled follow-up appointments. Share this information with those who will care for your loved ones next (doctors, facilities, home health aides, professional caregivers, etc.).

 Inclusion: Proactively make certain that you are included in care planning discussions and are informed of changes and decisions. If you have health care power of attorney for your loved ones, you can make decisions for them.

 Instruction: Nearly half of family caregivers are expected to perform follow-up medical and nursing tasks, so be sure to ask for detailed instructions/training (which is required by law in some states). When my dad was discharged from the hospital with a feeding tube, I was given just a few minutes of explanation on how to deal with it. It was complicated, and we were back in the hospital multiple times when it clogged. I received help from the home health nurses, but you can bet the next time we had a hospitalization I advocated more strongly for the information I needed to do my job as a caregiver.

4. Get realistic about the future.

Sometimes hospitals or rehab/nursing facilities are unrealistic about what setting is best for our loved ones, or how much a family can handle in terms of future care. Its up to you to stay rooted in reality. Ive learned to ask a lot of questions, observe loved ones in therapy sessions, monitor their medications and assess their capabilities, and weigh it all along with their needs, wishes and quality of life. I assess the home situation and potential facilities realistically. If you cant provide all the direct care yourself, you are not a failure. You are still doing your job as a caregiver when you coordinate the care. As I often say, Ive learned that I can do anything, but I cannot do everything! Line up the support youll need from care managers, care providers, family members and friends. Build your team.

Throughout the transition, make it a high priority to take care of yourself. Ive experienced a lot of anxiety, stress and exhaustion during these transitions, especially after a long hospitalization when I spent 24/7 at the hospital with my loved ones. Ive learned the hard way that I must build in time for self-care or else I will invariably crash. While some transitions go more smoothly than others, no transition is perfect. Just do your best with the information you can gather; you can make new decisions as the situation changes.
Courtesy Annie Tritt

En espanol

The first time we tried virtual reality, the residents at the retirement community where I work all made fun of me when I put on the goggles. But then I put the goggles on one of the residents and sent him to Rome. There is a screen, so everyone else can see what he sees as he explores the city streets. Then everyone was asking to go next.



I work as a technology concierge at the Watermark at Napa Valley in California. Its a three-story retirement community with about 40 residents, ranging from their 70s to 90s. I mostly help residents with their everyday technology problems, like setting up their printers, sending emails and making video calls.

In my first few days, I went around the community and explained to them that they could come to me if they had a problem. They slowly started to warm up to me and asked some questions, like if I could print out a document or help with their iPhone. But the jobs become different as they learn more.

Residents get a guide to digital life

One resident runs a childrens foundation nonprofit, and she was still in the mindset that she needs a pen and paper. I helped her with social media and email so that she could transition to the digital world.

Another resident is an artist and author. I helped her scan and print documents, and did some research for her work.
Getty Images

En espanol

If your job will let you work from anywhere, why not choose a place where you can go biking through the mountains on your lunch break? Or where you can spend your weekends on the scenic shores of Lake Michigan? And, if the great outdoors arent enough to convince you, perhaps $10,000 would help change your mind?



Thats the argument that West Virginia, southwest Michigan and other communities are making as they try to convince remote workers to relocate to a new region. According to the website Make My Move, dozens of cities across the country are offering financial incentives to attract remote workers. In general, workers have to apply online to the incentive program, essentially to verify that they have full-time jobs that allow them to telecommute and that they are willing to live in the new community for at least one year. If the applicant is accepted for the grant, the money usually is offered either in a lump sum in the beginning if the relocator buys a house or in payments spread out over the year for renters.

In the places that are offering workers as much as $10,000 to move, that amount could make a sizable impact because the median home price in some of the communities is roughly $140,000. While there arent yet numbers available on how many people age 50 and older have taken advantage of these offers, the programs could make an appealing option for mid-career professionals who already are considering a move to a more affordable community as they transition toward retirement.

Here are six programs offering remote workers $10,000 or more to move there.

West Virginia

When it launched in April 2021, Ascend West Virginia hoped that a $10,000 moving bonus might be enough to entice a few dozen remote workers to consider relocating to Morgantown. But the amount of interest in the opportunity was much higher. More that 7,500 people applied for the funding. Among the 53 who received the first round of payments are former residents of 21 states, the District of Columbia and Berlin.

In the weeks after we announced Ascend, we were thrilled to receive thousands of superb applications from around the globe, says cofounder Alys Smith. The level of interest in living in West Virginia and working remotely was remarkable."

Recipients get the $10,000 in monthly installments, and they do have to pay taxes on the funds. The monthly payments end early if the awardees leave the area before theyve been there for a year. But those who choose to stay for an additional year can collect another $2,000.

While the round of awards for Morgantown has ended, Ascend West Virginia is now gathering applications for a new batch of $10,000 grants to move to Lewisburg.

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Tulsa Remote is one of the pioneers among programs that attract remote workers to relocate to a new region. Launched in November 2018 with funding from the George Kaiser Family Foundation, the program has enticed nearly 1,200 people to move to the Sooner State over the past three years.

Tulsa Remote currently offers those selected for the program $10,000, either in one lump sum for those who buy a house or in quarterly increments throughout the year to those who rent. To be eligible for the money, applicants have to be at least 18 years old, able to move to Tulsa in the next 12 months, and work full time for a company based outside of Oklahoma.

As an additional benefit, Tulsa Remote has partnered with Airbnb to help people who are relocating find the Tulsa neighborhood they like most. Participants can receive a $150 Airbnb coupon that can be used to test out different parts of the city with overnight stays.


Golden Eagle Drilling Confirms Two Large Mineralised Zones

Perth, Oct 28, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Eagle Mountain Mining Limited ( ASX:EM2 ) ( OTCMKTS:EGMMF ) is pleased to provide an exploration update at its 100% owned Oracle Ridge Mine Project ("Oracle Ridge", "Project") in Arizona, USA.- Drilling at Golden Eagle confirms two separate mineralised zones enhancing the prospectivity for large mineralised systems to occur. The two systems are:o Vein-hosted polymetallic system with alteration extending over 500 metres of strike with localised veining increasing intensity and prospectivity to the west and at deptho Separate mineralised gold rich system exceeding 650 metres of strike with extensive hematite (iron oxide) alteration with large zones of brecciation open to the west and at depth. Assays include:- 21.2m at 1.88g/t Au (GE-21-03), including- 8.0m at 3.80g/t Au, and- 7.2m at 1.26g/t Au- Structural interpretation from drilling at Golden Eagle conceptually linked to a separate deeper system which provided the heat source for mineralisation in the area, including the copper skarn mineralisation which hosts the JORC resources at Oracle Ridge- Multiple geological similarities with other large deposits in the southwest United States and into Mexico, further enhancing prospectivity for additional mineralisation- 13 holes drilled at Golden Eagle with holes up to 650 metres in length. Assays pending for 11 holes at Golden Eagle. Assays pending for a further 13 holes across Oracle Ridge.Eagle Mountain Mining CEO, Tim Mason, commented:"Our maiden drill program at Golden Eagle has uncovered extensive alteration with vein-hosted polymetallic mineralisation. This is exciting because it could represent a distal mineralisation of a larger and deeper porphyry system. The same system could also be driving the copper mineralisation at the Oracle Ridge mine.While most of our core is still at the laboratory, it is pleasing to see initial visual results confirming vein-hosted polymetallic mineralisation within an extensively altered package. Based on the size and abundance of the veins, we are optimistic about how the mineralisation could evolve laterally with multiple observations suggesting an increase in intensity to the west and at depth. These geological observations share many similarities with other mineralised systems in the southwest United States and into Mexico.Adding to the polymetallic system, the strong gold assays are a positive indicator of the existence of either separate or associated gold mineralisation.We have just completed our thirteenth hole at Golden Eagle and have moved that rig back to the mine area to continue resource upgrade drilling. It is prudent that we wait until further assay results are received to enable improved drill planning for the next set of holes. As soon as the new targets are defined, we will be back at Golden Eagle. These results are a major leap forward in our ongoing search for the major system feeding the copper skarn mineralisation at Oracle Ridge."Highly encouraging results have been received from the Company's maiden diamond drill program at the Golden Eagle Prospect (Golden Eagle). Golden Eagle is located two kilometres to the east of the Oracle Ridge mine portals (Figure 1) and is prospective for different styles of mineralisation other than the skarn-hosted copper-silver-gold deposit at the mine. Thirteen holes have been completed at Golden Eagle targeting the large alteration systems previously identified in the area by surface geological mapping and rock chip sampling (refer ASX announcement 23 August 2021). Based on available historical information, very limited drilling has occurred at Golden Eagle prior to the work completed by Company.Visual observations showed that most drill holes intersected large widths of altered rocks associated with two separate hydrothermal systems:- A vein-hosted polymetallic system, characterised by pyrite and silica alteration with localised veins containing lead, zinc and copper sulphides. Intensity of alteration and veining appears to increase to the west and at depth.- A gold-rich system, confirmed by assay results, displaying abundant hematite (iron oxide) alteration associated with geological structures (e.g. breccias).Both systems have a strike extent exceeding 500 metres and remain open at depth and to the west (Figure 2*). Assays are awaited for eleven of the thirteen holes drilled. It is expected that assay results will assist in defining exploration vectors towards the most endowed parts of these alteration systems. Importantly, the polymetallic vein alteration could be interpreted as the distal expression of a potential porphyry also linked to the skarn-hosted copper-silver-gold mineralisation at the mine.Polymetallic vein systemThe polymetallic vein system extends from drill hole GE-21-05 to GE-21-12 for a total strike length exceeding 500 metres (Figure 2). From east to west, the system shows a progressive increase in intensity of pyrite dissemination and silica flooding (Figure 3, Figure 6*) with abundance of associated polymetallic (Cu-Pb-Zn) veinlets which also increase westwards. Alteration in places appears spatially associated with the Rice Peak Porphyry intrusive, a Laramide-aged rock. The broader alteration zone straddles a local structure named Pidgeon Tank Fault (Figure 2, Figure 10*), which is interpreted to be a splay of the regionally significant Geesaman Fault. The westernmost drillholes (GE-21-11, GE-21-12) also showed an increase in alteration and veining with depth prompting the completion of an additional hole to test this below GE-21-12. This drill hole (GE-21-13) is currently being logged.Another alteration feature, which could indicate a higher heat flow and increasing proximity to potentially mineralising fluids and a heat source downhole, is the presence of secondary biotite in vein selvedges. Progressing downward, the biotite veins begin to carry pyrite. Below approximately 315 metres downhole, the biotite-pyrite veinlets contained secondary potassium feldspar selvedges.Gold systemPrevious exploration completed by the Company highlighted a prominent feature crossing the entire Golden Eagle area in a NW-SE orientation, clearly defined by a geophysical magnetic anomaly. This feature was tentatively linked to structural zones or a geological contact and deemed prospective for gold-copper mineralisation based on favourable results from several surface samples (see ASX announcement 23 August 2021).Several of the drill holes completed to date have intersected a strongly oxidised structural zone associated with brecciated intervals (Figure 5, Figure 8*) over a 650 metre strike length as shown in Figure 2*. Four holes clustered near the intersection of the Geesaman and Pidgeon Tank Faults (GE-21-01 to GE-21-04) showed the most intense oxidation and brecciation. Additional holes broadly spaced to the west intersected thicker zones of moderate oxidation with only minor brecciation. Interestingly the oxidised zones showed an increase in the magnetic response, consistent with the interpretation that this alteration could be generating the magnetic anomaly seen in the geophysical data.Full assay results have been received for two drill holes (GE-21-01 and GE-21-03) as well as the lower part of GE-21-07 with significant gold values, reported using a 0.5g/t gold cut-off, including:- 1.6m at 0.91g/t Au and 0.02% Cu from 200.4m (GE-21-01)- 21.2m at 1.88g/t Au and 0.11% Cu from 236.8m (GE-21-03), including- 8.0m at 3.80g/t Au and 0.20% Cu, and- 7.2m at 1.26g/t Au and 0.09% CuThe assay results received to date for GE-21-07 have returned no significant intersections but the results confirm the correlation between oxidised structures and anomalous gold values.The presence of a thick zone of gold mineralisation including an eight metre higher grade interval in hole GE-21-03 confirms the gold endowment of this system and indicates the strong potential to host significant gold-copper mineralisation. The mineralised structure remains open at depth (as shown in Figures 4, 5 and 10*) and to the north-west with the magnetic anomaly suggesting potential continuity of this feature for over two kilometres of strike length.Implications for Porphyry ProspectivityPorphyry copper deposits are common in Arizona and throughout the southwestern United States including, Twin Buttes, Sierrita-Esperanza, Rosemont, Silver Bell, Mission-Pima, Ajo, Ray, Miami, Pinto Valley, Morenci, Safford, and Resolution. All of these deposits were formed during the Laramide period, a time between 75 and 40 million years ago when the geology was conducive to the emplacement of porphyry copper mineralisation. Besides the time of formation, many of these deposits share a similar structural setting, with fractures and dykes dominated by east-west and northeast-southwest orientations, as well as common host rocks. Moreover, the main porphyry copper is often spatially and genetically associated with other types of mineralisation such as:- Skarns (including copper, iron, gold, zinc types)- Polymetallic replacement (silver, lead, zinc, copper, gold)- Polymetallic veins (gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, manganese, arsenic)- Distal disseminated gold-silver (gold, silver)- Epithermal vein (intermediate/low sulfidation gold-silver)The Oracle Ridge Project shares many of these geological features common in porphyry copper mines in the southwest United States. These include the presence of intrusive rocks of Laramide Age (e.g. Leatherwood and Rice Peak intrusives), structures with east-west to northeast-southwest orientation (e.g. Geesaman Fault) and favourable host rocks (e.g. Escabrosa, Martin and Abrigo Formations). The Project also contains copper skarns at the Oracle Ridge mine and a recently discovered polymetallic vein system at Golden Eagle. The copper skarns in the mine area also contain varying concentrations of minor molybdenite, which is also common in porphyry systems in the southwest United States.The current geological model for Oracle Ridge sees the skarn and the polymetallic vein systems as potentially linked to a porphyry system at depth with structures such as the Geesaman Fault and the Pidgeon Tank Fault acting as pathways for the mineralising fluids between the porphyry and sites of metal deposition (Figure 10).The Company and its consultants will continue to refine this conceptual model with additional information gathered from surface mapping, geophysics and drilling in combination with other advanced exploration techniques (e.g. Portable Infrared Mineral Analyser).Next stepsThirteen drill holes have been completed at Golden Eagle with assay results pending for eleven. The Golden Eagle drill rig has recently returned to the Oracle Ridge mine to complete the remaining holes of the Resource Upgrade program.Assay results, together with additional geological interpretation and possibly a new geophysical survey, will assist vectoring toward more prospective zones at Golden Eagle. New drill holes will be planned once drilling data has been compiled and interpreted.*To view tables and figures, please visit:About Eagle Mountain Mining Ltd

Eagle Mountain Mining Limited (ASX:EM2) (OTCMKTS:EGMMF), is a copper-gold explorer focused on the strategic exploration and development of the Oracle Ridge Copper Mine and the highly prospective greenfield (Silver Mountain) project, both located in Arizona, USA.

Arizona is at the heart of America's mining industry and home to some of the world's largest copper discoveries such as Bagdad, Miami and Resolution, one of the largest undeveloped copper deposits in the world.


Quarterly Activities Report

Perth, Oct 28, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Venus Metals Corporation Limited's (Venus or Company) activities conducted during the quarter ending 30 September 2021 include and highlight the following:YOUANMI GOLD PROJECT:Four Joint Ventures are in place between Venus and Rox Resources Ltd (RXL or Rox): OYG JV (Venus 30%; RXL 70%), VMC JV (Venus 50%; RXL 50%), Youanmi JV (Venus 45%; RXL 45%) and Currans Find JV (Venus 45%; RXL 45%)OYG JV -30% Venus and 70% RXL: YOUANMI GOLD MINE:Drilling continued at Youanmi, with diamond and RC rigs operating at the OYG JV.Known high-grade mineralisation extended at Link Prospect 120m down plunge of the existing resource envelope. The best intersections include RXDD026: 7.25m @ 15.02g/t Au from 315.8m, including 2.9m @ 22.37g/t Au from 320.1m; RXRC410: 3m @ 7.73g/t Au from 186m, within a broader zone of 12m @ 4.46g/t Au from 184m; RXRC409: 3m @ 6.45g/t Au from 236m, within a broader zone of 7m @ 3.56g/t Au from 234m; and RXRC408: 4m @ 6.24g/t Au from 239m. These results demonstrate strong potential for further increases to the Youanmi mineral resource estimate (refer RXL ASX release 9 September 2021).High-grade intersection in untested hanging wall area reveals potential for new lode: RXDD022: 4m @ 45.5g/t Au from 341m, including 1.33m @ 129.3g/t Au from 341.75m (new hanging wall zone at Junction) Further high-grade gold intercepts received from infill and extension drilling at Junction: RXDD024: 16m @ 4.22g/t Au from 56m, including 3m @ 16.4g/t Au from 66m and 3m @ 4.1g/t Au from 203m (Junction) RXRC398: 3m @ 15.17g/t Au from 108m and 3m @ 3.35g/t Au from 204m (Junction) (refer RXL ASX release 6 September 2021)Recent testwork delivers substantial improvement in gold extraction for Youanmi Deeps. Historical production averaged 86.8% gold recovery, with new testwork improving extraction to 95.6% (refer RXL ASX release 6 October 2021).BARRABARRA NORTH Ni-Cu-PGE PROJECT (100% Venus):Venus' Barrabarra North Cu-Ni-PGE project comprises five exploration licence applications located in the northwest of the Yilgarn Craton, abutting Chalice Mining Limited's (Chalice) Barrabarra Project (refer CHN ASX 21 July 2020). Recent reconnaissance sampling by Venus revealed highly anomalous concentrations in soil with maxima of 63 ppm Ni, 46 ppm Cu, 13 ppb Pt+Pd and 3,169 ppm Cr in the north of the project area. Systematic soil sampling and geophysical surveys planned upon grant of Venus' extensive tenure of c. 1,000 km2. PGE - base metal anomalies in soil (same soil fraction as used by Chalice) may indicate mafic-ultramafic bedrock and are highly anomalous as per regional Julimar data (refer CHN ASX release 9 June 2021).HENDERSON GOLD-NICKEL PROJECT (90% Venus):The recently completed shallow AC drilling identified new gold mineralised zones at the Emerald South and Henderson Bore Prospects. Significant results include: HBAC016 7m @ 1.13 g/t Au from 45m including 1m @ 4.57 g/t Au from 49m; HBAC060 2m @ 2.2 g/t Au from 19m including 1m @ 4.09 g/t Au from 19m. Further reverse circulation (RC) drilling is planned to test the lateral and depth extent of the newly discovered gold mineralisation and to test previously identified gold targets in areas with shallow cover (refer ASX releases 5 July and 9 September 2021).MANGAROON NORTH Ni-Cu-Pt-Pd-Au PROJECT (100% Venus):The Venus Mangaroon North project area abuts Dreadnought Resources Ltd's ( ASX:DRE ) tenure (refer ASX release 19 July 2021) in the Gascoyne Region of Western Australia and is prospective for Ni-Cu-Pt-Pd, Au and rare earth mineralisation. An initial soil geochemical survey totalling c. 1,500 samples was completed across E 09/2422, E 08/3229 and ELA 08/3375. In addition, 58 rock chip samples were collected from gossanous outcrops, pegmatites and quartz veins. Assays are in progress (refer ASX release 18 October 2021).To view the full Quarterly Report, please visit:About Venus Metals Corporation Limited

Venus Metals Corporation Limited (ASX:VMC) is a West Australian based Company with a focus on gold and base metals exploration. The Company aims to increase shareholder value through targeted exploration success on its projects.

The Company's major gold project is the Youanmi Gold Mine, located 500km north east of Perth. The Youanmi Gold Mine is now jointly owned by Venus Metals (30%) and Rox Resources Limited (70%) (OYG JV); Indicated and Inferred Resources of the mine is 1.7 million ounces of gold.

Exciting new discoveries at the Youanmi Gold Mine have been made at the Grace prospect in footwall granites where very high grades of free milling gold have been intersected, including 25m @34.7g/t Au from 143m (RXRC 287) and 13m @60.49 g/t from 181m (RXRC 239). The Grace Prospect may substantially add to the Youanmi Gold Mine resources.


Quarterly Activities Report

Perth, Oct 28, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Image Resources NL ( ASX:IMA ) is pleased to report that high demand for mineral sands commodities, coupled with limited supplies, is driving mineral sands commodity prices to rise substantially, and is delivering increased cashflow and profitability in 2H 2021 from mining operations at the Company's 100%-owned, high-grade, zircon-rich Boonanarring mineral sands project, located 80km north of Perth in the North Perth Basin in WA.The big story for CY2021 thus far has been rising commodity prices, and Q3 was no exception with the average benchmark prices for zircon up 8.3%, ilmenite up 7.5% and rutile up 4.3% QoQ. Importantly, the benchmark price for zircon rose a further 10.4% above the Q3 average price, to US$1,800/t on 1 October 2021, and in total, zircon has risen 25% since the start of CY2021 (Figure 1*). More significantly, the benchmark price for ilmenite has risen a total of 46% and a total of 39% for rutile since the start of CY2021 (Figure 2*). The market price for zircon in China is US$2,600/t which is a further 45% higher than Image's 1 October 2021 benchmark price, which suggests Image's benchmark price will likely continue to rise.At the same time, costs remain in line with forecast and Q3 YTD HMC production is 3% higher than forecast, despite the very low HMC production during Q3 which was down 63% QoQ following the quarterly record high HMC production of Q2. Record quarterly low HMC production for Q3 was a result of the indirect impacts of unusually high rainfall events in July/August and fully saturated ground conditions at Boonanarring. These wet conditions added substantially to the total downtime required for the relocation of the Feed Preparation Plant (FPP) from Block A to Block C, and contributed to a pit wall slump on the eastern high wall of the mine, which prevented access to higher grade Eastern Strand ore and resulted in quarterly record low ore grades being processed. Despite the delayed HMC production in Q3 and stubbornly high HMC shipping costs (more than double forecast costs of A$35/t), market guidance on production, sales and costs for CY2021 has been maintained.The Company is focused on permitting and project development planning at Atlas in preparation for relocating mining and ore processing operations following the depletion of available Ore Reserves at Boonanarring. Studies are also underway to determine if higher commodity prices and recent more favourable FX will support the conversion of additional Mineral Resources to Ore Reserves at Boonanarring and Atlas, with the goal of extending mine life at Boonanarring into Q1 2023 and thus deferring the planned relocation to Atlas, while at the same time potentially expanding the Ore Reserves and mine life at Atlas.The Company ended Q3 2021 with a debt free cash position of A$50.3M, excluding A$7.7M cash for the final HMC shipment in September, which was received in early October. This strong cash position was achieved post the early repayment of outstanding debt in Q1 and the payment of approximately $19m in dividends in Q2 2021.Managing Director and CEO Patrick Mutz commented "Rising commodity prices are always positively welcomed by mine operators, especially when price rises are so substantial, as in the case of zircon, rutile and ilmenite, and especially when operating costs remain in check, as in our case. The net effect is that added revenue simply flows to the bottom line to improve profitability to the benefit of shareholders. For Image, rapidly rising commodity prices may also serve to delay certain capital costs such as for relocating mining and processing operations to our Atlas project and may serve to increase total Ore Reserves if a lower cut-off grade can be justified"*To view the full Quarterly Report, please visit:About Image Resources NL

Image Resources NL (ASX:IMA) is a mineral sands focused mining company operating an open-cut mine and ore processing facility at its 100%-owned, high-grade, zircon-rich Boonanarring Project, located 80km north of Perth in the infrastructure rich North Perth Basin.

Boonanarring is arguably one of the highest grade, zircon-rich mineral sands projects in Australia. Construction and project commissioning were completed on-time and on-budget in 2018. Production commenced in December 2018 and HMC production ramped-up to exceed name-plate capacity in only the second month of operation. The Company achieved profitability in Q1 2019 and was cashflow positive in Q2 2019 and is now at steady state production.


Quarterly Activities Report

Sydney, Oct 28, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Magnis Energy Technologies Limited ( ASX:MNS ) ( FRA:U1P ) ( OTCMKTS:URNXF ) subsidiary Imperium3 New York Inc. (iM3NY) Gigawatt scale Lithium-ion Battery Plant as of end of September is 33% complete and has completed several milestones as it moves closer towards semi-automated production.There has been renewed interest in our Nachu Graphite Project with a North American Group progressing offtake discussions. The company is also in discussions with other Asian and North American groups.Magnis secured funding of A$20 million from two US based institutions The Lind Partners and SBC Global Investment Fund to assist the company with its aggressive growth plans in the Lithium-ion battery manufacturing industry.Magnis' corporate social responsibility programs have been in place in Tanzania for over 10 years. The company continues to engage in community support programs to help develop local infrastructure and support the local community.An application has been lodged by the company to OTC Markets group to list on a higher tiered market for North American trading. This will enable greater access and increase visibility for investors in the US to invest in Magnis shares.Magnis' US Lithium-ion Battery Manufacturing and Technology partners iM3NY and C4V announced further binding offtakes which include an agreement with Anglian Omega subsidiary Omega Seiki, producer of Electric Three-Wheelers in India as well as a US Government supplier.During the quarter, Magnis announced two new hires to its management team to help bolster the firm's operations from technical expertise in Li-ion battery manufacturing and technology to corporate development and investor relations capabilities.High quality green credentialed Lithium-ion batteries to be produced by iM3NY using C4V's patented BM-LMP Technology leads to longer battery life, faster charging and greater safety without the use of Nickel or Cobalt.To view the full Quarterly Report, please visit:About Magnis Energy Technologies Limited

Magnis Energy Technologies Limited (ASX:MNS) (OTCMKTS:URNXF) (FRA:U1P) is involved in and has strategic investments in several aspects of the electrification supply chain including manufacturing of green credentialed lithium-ion battery cells, leading edge battery technology and high quality, high performance anode materials. The company's vision is to enable, support and accelerate the green energy transition critical for the adoption of Electric Mobility and Renewable Energy Storage.


Investor Webinar - Large System Potential at Golden Eagle

Perth, Oct 28, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Eagle Mountain Mining Limited ( ASX:EM2 ) is pleased to invite shareholders and investors to an investor webinar to discuss today's announcement "Large Mineralised System Potential Additional to Copper Skarn."Details of the webinar are as follows:Event: Eagle Mountain Mining Investor WebinarPresenters: CEO, Tim Mason, and Chief Geologist, Fabio VergaraTime: Friday 29 October 2021 at 10:15 AEDT / 7:15 AWSTWhere: Zoom Webinar, details to be provided upon registration.To register, shareholders and investors can click or copy the following link in to a web browser:About Eagle Mountain Mining Ltd

Eagle Mountain Mining Limited (ASX:EM2) (OTCMKTS:EGMMF), is a copper-gold explorer focused on the strategic exploration and development of the Oracle Ridge Copper Mine and the highly prospective greenfield (Silver Mountain) project, both located in Arizona, USA.

Arizona is at the heart of America's mining industry and home to some of the world's largest copper discoveries such as Bagdad, Miami and Resolution, one of the largest undeveloped copper deposits in the world.
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

Facebook will add two more buildings to its massive data center in Los Lunas, expanding its investment there by $800 million, the company announced Wednesday.

The California-based social media giant, which broke ground in fall 2016 on its local data center complex, had planned to construct six buildings at Huning Business Park near Interstate 25 and N.M. 6. Now, it will expand its 730-acre campus there to eight buildings, increasing its total investment from an estimated $1.2 billion previously to $2 billion going forward, the company said.

It will be another three or four years before the entire complex is fully operational. But three of the initial six buildings are already up and running, Facebook Construction Manager Charles Tomlin told reporters during a tour of the campus Wednesday morning.

One half of the fourth building has also come online, with the other half expected to power up late next year. And construction is steadily advancing on the fifth and sixth facilities, which are scheduled for completion in 2023.

Now, with two more buildings in the works, Facebook expects to employ 400 permanent workers once the full campus is operational, up from 300 permanent employees it projected with six buildings. And the additional construction means extended employment for roughly 1,100 temporary workers.

Weve had about 1,100 construction workers steadily employed here since December 2016, Tomlin said. Thats five continuous years with that number of workers on site.

Facebooks expansion drew enthusiastic praise from state and local officials.

With more than 1,000 construction workers on site every day at the Facebook Data Center and hundreds of permanent full-time employees, all of New Mexico can agree the data center project has been a boon to New Mexico and a great benefit to Los Lunas and Valencia County, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a statement.

Los Lunas Mayor Charles Griego said the local community is beyond excited about Facebooks latest announcement.

It goes without saying that the economic impacts along with the direct and indirect jobs created from this project have been felt throughout the state, but its our residents, local businesses, schools and nonprofits that have largely benefitted from having one of the most high-tech and recognized brands in the world be located within the Village of Los Lunas, Griego said in a statement.

Indeed, the Facebook project has generated a boom in local economic development.

The villages gross receipts tax collection has more than doubled since 2016, from a monthly average of about $297,000 between 2008 and 2015 to $638,000 since 2016, said Mark Roper, Economic Development Department division director.

Thats not all from Facebook, but its all Facebook-related, Roper told the Journal. Theres new residential subdivisions going in, and new coffee shops and hotels and other businesses.

Kristen Gamboa of the villages Community Economic Development Department said Los Lunas, with a population of 17,000, is the states second-fastest growing area outside of Albuquerque after Rio Rancho.

Thats huge, Gamboa said.

The Los Lunas project is one of 18 Facebook data centers worldwide, including 14 in the U.S., that are either under construction or already operating. The massive server farms provide the information-processing power and cloud-based storage needed for billions of global consumers connected to Facebook and its other social media platforms, such as WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger.

Once complete, the Los Lunas complex will include 32 individual data halls, each with 30 racks of servers that, taken together, hold 3,200 individual servers per hall, said Facebook site manager Tony Perea. That amounts to nearly 100,000 servers among the eight buildings planned for the Los Lunas campus.

Just one server storage rack encompasses enough capacity to contain the entire Library of Congress, Perea said.

Each of the eight buildings on campus will include four different data halls, and each of those halls will be connected to a separate room with extensive rows of networking equipment and fiber cable. The networking rooms instantaneously send incoming information from Facebook users to the data halls for processing and storage, while also receiving information back from the data halls for real-time relay back to social media users.

Each building on campus encompasses about 500,000 square feet of space, with each one running the length of four football fields, Perea said.

The buildings require pervasive cooling systems, because data center operations generate a lot of heat. And that, in turn, requires lots of water, something that has raised concerns among local residents in Los Lunas and Valencia County, given New Mexicos chronic drought.

The Los Lunas facility, however, includes state-of-the-art cooling systems that make Facebooks operation 80% more water efficient than average data centers, according to the company. That includes ceiling ducts that pull in outside air, plus a network of fans to circulate the cool air throughout buildings. The data center also repeatedly recycles water through the cooling system before discharging it as wastewater, and it harvests and treats rainwater on site to reduce use of potable water.

In addition, Facebook is working with environmental organizations around New Mexico on water restoration projects that end up putting more water back into the Rio Grande and other reservoirs than is consumed by the Los Lunas data center. In 2020 alone, those restoration projects restored about 64 million gallons of water to New Mexico watersheds, according to the company.

And Facebook announced a new goal Wednesday to restore 200% of the water that the data center consumes into New Mexico watersheds.

We know water is an important issue in New Mexico, and that is why we are committing to restoring twice as much water as we consume to local watersheds through partnerships with environmental organizations, Facebook Vice President of Infrastructure Rachel Peterson said in a statement.

The Los Lunas center derives all its electricity from renewable generation through a partnership with Public Service Company of New Mexico, which built eight wind and solar facilities to date that supply a total 395 megawatts of electricity to the data center. And Facebook announced Wednesday a new agreement for PNM to build two more solar facilities to supply another 240 MW of renewable generation.

Separately, the company announced approval Wednesday of a new $225,000 grant for Valencia County and wireless Internet provider Lokket Inc. to bring free Wi-Fi to up to 900 homes.

Since 2016, Facebook has provided more than $2.3 million in grants and donations to local organizations and schools.
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  The complexity of paperwork and other barriers keep many low-income families from taking full advantage of the state and federal benefits available to them, according to a report issued by legislative analysts.

Moreover, theres some disparity by race and ethnicity, the report said.

Native Americans, for example, make up roughly 11% of the state population, but comprise just 9% of enrollment in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. The low enrollment rate, the report notes, comes even though Native Americans face higher poverty rates than whites.

The findings are outlined in a 59-page report issued by analysts for the Legislative Finance Committee, the research and accountability arm of the Legislature.

The report said the package of federal and state benefits available to low-income families is enough to meet their basic needs in some cases, but many families are eligible and dont participate.

The share of eligible New Mexicans who get unemployment insurance, for example, is below the national average, according to the report.

In some cases, lengthy or complex applications may be to blame. In New Mexico, just 19% of the applicants for TANF  which can provide monthly cash to low-income families  actually receive the benefit, 7 percentage points lower than the national average, according to the report.

The report cited language barriers, lack of knowledge about programs and social stigma as factors that keep people from getting help for which theyre eligible.

Some programs are reaching eligible residents at higher rates. For example, more state residents eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program  sometimes called food stamps  participate than the average in other states.

Human Services Secretary David Scrase told lawmakers that he appreciated the report.

Automating the processing of applications  through an online portal, for example  is one key to making it easier for people to apply and receive aid, he said. Expanded broadband services, Scrase said, are also essential.

He urged legislators also to look at ways to address the cliff effect  the phenomenon of people losing benefits when they get a raise or a new job, leaving them worse off than if they hadnt earned more.

We all know of people who have turned down a dollar-an-hour raise because that will cause them not to receive certain benefits, Scrase said. Those effects are real.
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  Just days after New Mexico crossed the grim threshold of 5,000 lives lost to COVID-19, top state health officials said Wednesday theyre not sure why the number of new cases has plateaued and not decreased like in some other states.

Acting Health Secretary David Scrase cited the likelihood of waning immunity among individuals who got the COVID-19 vaccine more than six months ago as a possible factor that could explain the stubbornly high number of new positive tests.

We wish we knew more, Scrase said during a Wednesday online briefing with reporters. It could be a lot of different things.

New Mexico is one of six states with a mask mandate in place for indoor public settings and has one of the nations highest vaccine administration rates, with more than 72% of adult residents fully vaccinated and 81.9% of those 18 and older having received at least one dose, according to DOH data.

However, that has not translated to a drop in virus cases, hospitalizations and deaths, and Department of Health epidemiologist Christine Ross said the state continues to sit at an uncomfortable plateau.

The number of new confirmed COVID-19 cases has increased in recent days in New Mexicos northwest and southwest regions, though cases are trending down in southeast New Mexico, health officials said Wednesday.

They also expressed optimism that booster shots and the possibility of children 5 to 11 years old becoming eligible for the vaccine  shots for those children could begin in the next two weeks  could lead to a decline in new cases.

After several months of declining COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths, the virus surged in August due to the highly contagious delta variant.

The number of new cases decreased gradually in September, but has gone back up and the 5,598 new cases reported over the past week  or nearly 800 new cases per day  was the highest number since late August.

In addition, New Mexicos virus test positivity rate of 9.9% over a recent weeklong period was among the highest in the nation, according to U.S. Health and Human Services Department data.

Both Ross and Scrase cautioned Wednesday its tricky to compare state-to-state trends due to testing and reporting differences.

This is cyclical and every state has its ups and downs, Scrase said.

Health officials also appeared to back away from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams suggestion this week the state could reduce, if not eliminate, its susceptibility to the virus if its vaccination rate reaches 85% of the population.

That number is elusive  I dont think we know what it is, Ross said.

For his part, Scrase said the states vaccination strategy for COVID-19 could eventually resemble its strategy for flu shots, with a new shot given annually to target the latest variants of the virus.

Officials also said theres still a clear link between high vaccination rates and lower virus spread, although more vaccinated New Mexicans have tested positive in recent weeks.

During a recent four-week period, unvaccinated individuals made up roughly 73% of new cases and 77% of those hospitalized statewide. Among deaths, 113 of the 123 during the time period  or about 92%  were unvaccinated residents, according to DOH data.

Meanwhile, there were 959 new positive COVID-19 cases reported Wednesday and 15 deaths, bringing the states death toll to 5,027 since the pandemic hit New Mexico in March 2020.

There were also 389 individuals hospitalized statewide due to COVID-19  up from 365 a week earlier.

New Mexicos hospitals have been facing a double whammy of a health care worker shortage and a large number of sick patients, with many of those hospitalized for ailments other than COVID-19 having seen their conditions worsen after not getting treatment during the early stages of the pandemic, Scrase said.

He said New Mexico is seeking to use federal funds to recruit 290 additional health care workers, mostly nurses, to help staff hospitals in Farmington, Alamogordo and other cities.
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing several changes to how the agency manages endangered Mexican wolves.

The proposal announced Wednesday would remove population limits, boost the number of wolf pups released into the wild each year, and restrict permits issued to livestock owners or state game agencies that allow killing of wolves if the animals prey on cattle, elk or deer.

Tracy Melbihess, Fish and Wildlife's Mexican wolf policy coordinator, said the changes would remove the upper population limit of 325 wolves in the agency's management area south of Interstate 40 in New Mexico and Arizona.

It's intended to ensure that we have a robust population that has a really low risk of extinction, Melbihess said.

The wolf was listed as a federally endangered species in 1976.

Wild wolf numbers have increased for five consecutive years. This year's estimates show 186 wild Mexican gray wolves in the two southwestern states.

Fish and Wildlife also wants to release enough wolves from captivity to ensure that at least 22 survive to breeding age, which is about 2 years old.

Releasing wolves from captivity can improve the gene diversity in the wild, Melbihess said.

Wildlife advocacy groups had a lukewarm response to the agency proposal.

Bryan Bird, Southwest program director at Defenders of Wildlife, lauded the population cap removal and the restrictions on lethal wolf removal permits. But he called the changes to the overall management plan a disappointing example of measuring the effort rather than the results.

We wanted to see the area in which the wolves can roam be expanded, Bird said. We also wanted to see the target numbers for the population to be much higher.

Michael Robinson, an advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity, said the proposal is not everything the Mexican wolf needs, but it's a big deal.

Robinson took issue with the goal of at least 22 released wolves surviving to breeding age.

That number doesn't actually measure genetic diversity and it doesn't measure whether these animals actually reproduced, he said. There is an alarmingly low survival rate of pups taken from their parents and placed with unrelated wolves, and there's absolutely no reason why adult wolves could not be released with them.

The proposal will be open for a 90-day public comment period.

Theresa Davis is a Report for America corps member covering water and the environment for the Albuquerque Journal.
PARIS  A hike in the cost of wheat is alarming French households who fear a possible rise in the price of the prized baguette, seen by many as a barometer of the countrys economic health.

Many boulangeries around France are putting up signs, warning customers that the long, crunchy staple could be going up in price by 3 to 5 centimes (4 to 6 cents), from its average of about 89 centimes (just over $1).

Although that might not seem like a lot, its a huge increase. The baguette is precious. It has only gone up 23 centimes in the last 20 years, said Dominique Anract, president of the French Confederation of Bakeries and Pastry Shops.

The bread industry crunch has been linked to a 30% worldwide increase since September in the price of wheat  one of the baguettes key ingredients  after bad harvests in Russia, Anract said. Rising energy prices that are making ovens more expensive to operate are also a factor, Anract and other experts say, with businesses and consumers worldwide already feeling the heat of higher prices from supply chain and labor constraints.

Energy prices are affecting the Italian food chain, too, with expectations they will push up the cost of drying grains. That could eventually raise the price of bread and pasta at supermarkets, but meat and dairy aisles are even more vulnerable as beef and dairy farmers are forced to pay more for grain to feed their animals and pass the cost along to customers.

Frances 67 million people are voracious consumers of the baguette. The countrys Bread Observatory  a venerable institution that closely follows the fortunes of the famed 65-centimeter (26-inch) loaf  notes that the French munch through 320 baguettes every second. Thats an average of half a baguette per person per day and 10 billion every year.

Even three centimes higher is dire when played out nationwide, Anract said. The baguette is our emblem, our symbol, the thermometer of our economy. Its perhaps like Britains pint of milk. It can never go beyond one euro.

Marc Cohen, a 35-year-old father of two, said outside his local baker in the Le Marais area of central Paris that rising baguette prices would be a pain in the neck. Costs are going up everywhere. Even 5 centimes is a lot because we get one every day. That adds up over the year, and next year it will probably be the same.

Calling it depressing news, 43-year-old engineer Franck Nguyen said the baguette is an institution in France. If the price goes up by too much, there will be big opposition.

Although the baguette seems like the quintessential French product, it was said to have been invented by Vienna-born baker August Zang in 1839. Zang put in place Frances steam oven, making it possible to produce bread with a brittle crust yet fluffy interior.

The products zenith did not come until the 1920s, with the advent of a French law preventing bakers from working before 4 a.m. The baguettes long, thin shape meant it could be made more quickly than its stodgy cousins, so it was the sole bread that bakers could make in time for breakfast.

French Culture Minister Roselyne Bachelot has even nominated the baguette for a place on UNESCOs Intangible Cultural Heritage List next year.

Baguettes are such serious business that bread observers say bakers around France are willing to sacrifice other bread products to maintain the price of the baguette, by spreading around extra costs.

That worries 24-year-old student Sandrine Boyer. She said she spends most of her bakery money on products other than baguettes and hopes that the price of the breads in general will not go up as well.

Bread has often stirred French passions. Marie Antoinettes famously misattributed quote, Let them eat cake, was one of the supposed triggers of the 1789 French Revolution.

Yet Anract was sanguine about the immediate future.

In the Revolution, there was a penury of bread, there was not enough of it, he said. It wasnt about the price of bread. Were not at that stage yet!
A prominent member of New Mexicos film community has been arrested on child sexual assault charges.

A warrant was issued for Christopher Ranney on Oct. 7 and he was taken into custody on Oct. 22 in Santa Fe County. He is charged with criminal sexual penetration in the first degree (child under 13), criminal sexual contact/minor second degree (child under 13) (unclothed), and bribery of a witness.

The 49-year-old Ranney has been part of the film community for more than a decade. He is the former co-owner of Sol Acting Studios and is a local producer. Hes been involved in such projects as God is a Bullet, The Commando and The Manson Brothers Midnight Zombie Massacre.

According to a statement from Sol Acting Studios, as of October 18, 2021, Chris Ranney is no longer with Sol. We dont have all the info and our prayers are with his family.

According to a report, a child detailed sexual assault allegations that began in 2016.

Ron Wiesberg, Sol Acting Studios owner, said that, although the decision had been made recently for Ranney to withdraw his partnership for unrelated family matters, this new situation has confirmed and accelerated that decision.

The allegations against Ranney involve abhorrent behavior which Sol unambiguously condemns, Wiesberg said in a statement. We have prided ourselves for years on providing a safe, nurturing environment for all ages, and will continue to do so. Should the allegations against Ranney prove true, he will have betrayed not just his family, but all of us here at Sol, faculty and students alike. Like the rest of the community, we are horrified and bewildered.

Sol Acting Studios provides acting and production classes to youths and adults. The studio says it will ensure that they continue with a commitment to the students and the community.

Mr. Ranney never once ran a youth program at Sol, and we are equipped with cameras in our building so that nothing like this can happen within our walls, Wiesberg said. We can only continue to reassure our clients and associates, again, that we saw no evidence of these activities, nor would we have sat idly by had we known. We have put our hearts and souls into this endeavor, and will continue to do so.

Ranney also served on the board for the New Mexico Film Foundation, from which he has since resigned.
WASHINGTON  Top executives of ExxonMobil and other oil giants denied spreading disinformation about climate change as they sparred Thursday with congressional Democrats over allegations that the industry concealed evidence about the dangers of global warming.

Testifying at a landmark House hearing, ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods said the company has long acknowledged the reality and risks of climate change, and it has devoted significant resources to addressing those risks.

The oil giants public statements on climate are and have always been truthful, fact-based  and consistent with mainstream climate science, Woods said.

Democrats immediately challenged the statements by Woods and other oil executives, accusing them of engaging in a decades-long, industry-wide campaign to spread disinformation about the contribution of fossil fuels to global warming.

They are obviously lying like the tobacco executives were, said Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., chairwoman of the House Oversight Committee.

She was referring to a 1994 hearing with tobacco executives who famously testified that they didnt believe nicotine was addictive. The reference was one of several to the tobacco hearing as Democrats sought to pin down oil executives on whether they believe in climate change and that burning fossil fuels such as oil contributes to global warming.

Maloney said at the end of the nearly seven-hour hearing that she will issue subpoenas for documents requested by the committee but not furnished by the oil companies.

Republicans accused Democrats of grandstanding over an issue popular with their base as President Joe Bidens climate agenda teeters in Congress.

Kentucky Rep. James Comer, the top Republican on the oversight panel, called the hearing a distraction from the crises that the Biden administrations policies have caused, including gasoline prices that have risen by $1 per gallon since January.

The purpose of this hearing is clear: to deliver partisan theater for primetime news, Comer said.

The hearing comes after months of public efforts by Democrats to obtain documents and other information on the oil industrys role in stopping climate action over multiple decades. The fossil fuel industry has had scientific evidence about the dangers of climate change since at least 1977, yet spread denial and doubt about the harm its products cause undermining science and preventing meaningful action on climate change, Maloney and other Democrats said.

Do you agree that (climate change) is an existential threat? Yes or no? Maloney asked Shell Oil President Gretchen Watkins.

I agree that this is a defining challenge for our generation, absolutely, Watkins replied.

Watkins, Woods and other oil executives said they agreed with Maloney on the existence and threat posed by climate change, but they refused her request to pledge that their companies would not spend money  either directly or indirectly  to oppose efforts to reduce planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions.

Were pledging to advocate for low-carbon policies that do in fact take the company and the world to net-zero carbon emissions, said BP America CEO David Lawler.

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who leads a subcommittee on the environment, said he hopes Big Oil will not follow the same playbook as Big Tobacco in misrepresenting the facts to Congress.

As Im sure you realize, that didnt turn out too well for them, Khanna said. These companies must be held accountable.

The committee released a memo Thursday charging that the oil industrys public support for climate reforms has not been matched by meaningful actions, and that the industry has spent billions of dollars to block reforms. Oil companies frequently boast about their efforts to produce clean energy in advertisements and social media posts accompanied by sleek videos or pictures of wind turbines.

Maloney and other Democrats have focused particular ire on Exxon, after a senior lobbyist for the company was caught in a secret video bragging that Exxon had fought climate science through shadow groups and had targeted influential senators in an effort to weaken Bidens climate agenda, including a a bipartisan infrastructure bill and a sweeping climate and social policy bill currently moving through Congress.

In the video, Keith McCoy, a former Washington-based lobbyist for Exxon, dismissed the companys public expressions of support for a proposed carbon tax on fossil fuel emissions as a talking point.

McCoys comments were made public in June by the environmental group Greenpeace UK, which secretly recorded him and another lobbyist in Zoom interviews. McCoy no longer works for the company, Exxon said last month.

Woods, Exxons chairman and chief executive, has condemned McCoys statements and said the company stands by its commitment to work on finding solutions to climate change.

Chevron CEO Michael Wirth also denied misleading the public on climate change. Any suggestion that Chevron has engaged in an effort to spread disinformation and mislead the public on these complex issues is simply wrong, he said.

Maloney and Khanna sharply disputed that. They compared tactics used by the oil industry to those long deployed by the tobacco industry to resist regulation while selling products that kill hundreds of thousands of Americans.

Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., accused the oil industry of greenwashing its climate pollution through misleading ads that focus on renewable energy rather than on its core business, fossil fuels. Shell spends nearly 10 times as much money on oil, gas and chemical production than it does on renewables such as wind and solar power, Porter said, citing the companys annual report.

Shell is trying to fool people into thinking that its addressing the climate crisis when what its actually doing is continuing to put money into fossil fuels, she told Watkins.

While U.S. leaders and the oil industry rightly focus on lowering carbon emissions, the world consumes 100 million barrels of oil per day  an amount not likely to decrease any time soon, said Mike Sommers, president of the American Petroleum Institute, the oil industrys top lobbying group.

The industry group supports climate action, Sommers added, yet legislative proposals that punitively target American industry will reverse our nations energy leadership, harm our economy and American workers, and weaken our national security.
WASHINGTON  Attorney General Merrick Garland defended a Justice Department memo aimed at combating threats and violence against teachers, administrators and other school officials while Republicans insisted that he rescind the directive. He signaled no plans to do so despite their criticism

The memo took center stage as Garland appeared on Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee  his second congressional appearance in a week  and said it was meant to respond to violence and threats of violence directed against local school board officials.

The memo came out Oct. 4, less than a week after the National School Boards Association wrote the Biden administration about the threats to school officials and asked for help. Some school board meetings have devolved into shouting contests over issues such as how racial issues are taught, masks in schools and COVID-19 vaccines and testing requirements. And teachers have been attacked in schools, with some having masks ripped from their faces and being assaulted by parents.

Republicans say Garland went too far in instructing Justice Department divisions to coordinate with local law enforcement. In his memo Garland said there had been a disturbing spike in harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence against school administrators, board members, teachers, and staff who participate in the vital work of running our nations public schools.

An accompanying news release mentioned the FBI, the departments criminal division, national security division, civil rights division and other parts.

The obligation of the Justice Department is to protect the American people against violence and threats of violence and that particularly includes public officials, Garland said.

Republicans on the Senate committee also seized on a memo from Leif Johnson, the acting U.S. attorney in Montana, to the state attorney general, county attorneys, sheriffs and school officials in the state. The memo spells out federal crimes that could be used in prosecutions for violence, harassment or intimidation of school board officials.

The Montana memo, obtained by The Associated Press, cites about a dozen federal statues from conspiracy to deprive someone of civil rights to stalking and anonymous telephone harassment. It instructs the recipients to contact the FBI if you believe that a person has violated one of these statutes.

Garland told senators he was never sent the U.S. attorneys memo and did not know specifics about it. A spokesperson for the U.S. attorneys office in Montana did not immediately respond to questions about whether Johnson had consulted senior Justice Department officials before issuing the memo.

Ive never seen that memo, Garland said. No one has sent me that memo, so I havent seen it.

The National School Boards Association has since said we regret and apologize for its letter, which asked for federal assistance to combat harassment and violence against school officials and said some of the acts could be domestic terrorism.

The original letter asked for the federal government to investigate cases in which threats or violence could be handled as violations of federal laws protecting civil rights. The association asked for the Justice Department, the FBI, Homeland Security and the Secret Service to help monitor threat levels and assess risks to students, educators, board members and school buildings.

The letter documented more than 20 instances of threats, harassment, disruption and acts of intimidation in California, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, Ohio and other states. It cited the September arrest of an Illinois man for aggravated battery and disorderly conduct for allegedly striking a school official at a meeting. In Michigan, a meeting was disrupted when a man performed a Nazi salute to protest masking.

Garland has said parents have the right to express their concerns to school boards but his primary concern is if that devolves into violence or when threats emerge. During questioning Wednesday, Garland said that making a Nazi salute would be protected under the First Amendment. He also acknowledged that he did not have an accounting of the number of incidents.

At least two Republican senators  Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Josh Hawley of Missouri  called for Garland to resign over his handling of the memo.

This is shameful, Cotton exclaimed. You should resign in disgrace.
WASHINGTON  The House panel investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection has focused some of its early work on the planning of the rally at which President Donald Trump told his supporters to fight like hell. The rally, held that morning and planned by former White House and campaign aides, became a staging ground for hundreds of supporters who marched to the Capitol, pushed past police and broke inside.

What the committee still doesnt know  or at least hasnt revealed publicly  is whether Trump and the organizers of the rally, along with Republican members of Congress, were in touch with protesters who later breached the Capitol or aware of plans for violence. Around 800 people eventually busted through windows and doors and interrupted the certification of President Joe Bidens victory, repeating Trumps false claims that he had won the election.

But there were strong signals of what was to take place, starting with Trumps December tweet promising that the Jan. 6 event would be wild and encouraging supporters to come. In the weeks and days beforehand, some people  including those from far-right militant groups  planned for violence openly online. And when they arrived, some wore tactical gear as if prepared for battle.

Why would you bring bear spray, Kevlar vests, and other items to a peaceful rally? asked Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, the committees chairman, in an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday. Thompson says there were people who came to Washington just for the rally, and others who came to do just what happened here at the Capitol.

As part of the probe, the committee is looking at what members of Congress knew about the event. Some lawmakers spoke at the rally, while others helped plan it. Thompson said that were not there yet in terms of reaching any conclusions, but added that there is a school of thought that there were some people who misinformed as to what was happening on Jan. 6 as they encouraged Trump supporters to attend.

A look at what we know, and what we dont, about the rallys planning as the committee investigates:

WHAT WE KNOW

The committee has subpoenaed 13 people associated with the rally on the National Mall that morning and a smaller one that had been planned next to the Capitol. Almost all of the people subpoenaed were listed on the permit for the Mall event, where Trump told his supporters that if you dont fight like hell, youre not going to have a country anymore.

Republican members of Congress, including Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks and North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn, also spoke at the rally. Brooks told the crowd to stop at the Capitol before they went home and that today is the day that American patriots start taking down names and kicking ass.

Most of the rallys organizers had worked on Trumps presidential campaign or in his administration, and the White House coordinated with them starting in mid-December, according to two people familiar with the planning who requested anonymity to discuss it. The permit for the rally was issued to Women for America First, a pro-Trump group with roots in the tea party movement.

As the event was underway and as Trump was speaking, a large group of people made its way to the Capitol, among them members of far-right extremist groups like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers who forcibly entered. Some dressed in tactical vests and helmets and marched toward the door in a military-style formation.

One of the organizers who was subpoenaed, Ali Alexander, said after the riot that the intention was to direct attendees of the larger rally to march to the Capitol. In his subpoena, the panel cited media reports that Alexander had made reference to the possible use of violence to achieve the organizations goals and had been in communication with the White House and members of Congress.

In the months since, many Republicans who denounced the violence have started playing it down and even defended the rioters. Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar, for example, has repeatedly said that a woman who was shot and killed by police as she was trying to break into the House chamber was executed. The committee has asked the National Archives for records of communications between Gosars chief of staff and the Trump administration.

WHAT WE DONT KNOW

There are still many unknowns about how the rally was planned. Were the organizers planning an insurrection? Who paid for the rally and what was their goal? How much did Trump know? And were any members of Congress communicating with the protesters who broke in?

In the days after the attack, some Democrats questioned whether their Republican colleagues had helped the rioters. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that if any members aided and abetted the crimes they may have to be prosecuted.

There has been no direct evidence that any members of Congress helped the rioters. But the committee says it is investigating every aspect of the attack, including whether lawmakers assisted the attackers and how involved they were in planning the rally and others beforehand.

Thompson says that if any members appear to be implicated in the attack, I dont think theres any reluctance to call them in for testimony.

WHAT THE COMMITTEE IS INVESTIGATING

The committee is interviewing some of the rally organizers it subpoenaed behind closed doors and negotiating with others. So far, all of the 13 have at least communicated with the panel about testifying. The committee is also seeking a broad swath of presidential documents from the National Archives about communications between officials in the run-up to the rally and the insurrection.

In August, the committee asked social media and telecommunications companies to preserve phone or computer records for hundreds of people who were potentially involved with efforts to challenge, delay or interfere with the certification or otherwise try to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Among the hundreds of names they sent the companies were several of Trumps most ardent Republican allies in Congress, including Brooks, Cawthorn and GOP Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Jody Hice of Georgia, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Louie Gohmert of Texas, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania and Lauren Boebert of Colorado.

Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Democrat on the Jan. 6 panel, said the committee is probing how the origins of the rally, or its planning, may be linked to the violence.

We want to know what the connection is, Raskin said, and whether the insurrection was part of the original design, or a detour for the people who were there.

Weve been given the charge to investigate the events of Jan. 6, the causes of Jan. 6, and what America needs to do to prevent further political insurrections and coups directed against the government, Raskin said. So we want to talk to everybody whos got information related to all of those things. And so that includes elected officials, that includes anyone who has information to give us.

___

Smith reported from Providence, Rhode Island.
SALEM, Ore.  Former New York Times journalist Nicholas Kristof announced his candidacy Wednesday for Oregon governor, saying the state needs a political newbie to solve problems like homelessness and rural despair.

Ive never run for political office in my life, Kristof said in a campaign video, expressing it as an asset. He said he felt compelled to run for governor because, after covering crises around the world, he was heartbroken to see ones afflicting his home state.

Kristof pointed out that many of the kids he grew up with in Yamhill, 25 miles (40 kilometers) southwest of Portland, are dead, their deaths drug- or alcohol-related. Kristof calls them victims of inequality.

Kristof joins a crowded field of Democrats seeking their partys nomination to be the candidate in the 2022 election, including Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek and state Treasurer Tobias Read. Democrats have held the governors office since 1987.

In his video, Kristof said political leaders have been unable to resolve issues such as drug addiction, homelessness, unaffordable housing, a spiraling homicide rate in Portland and weak mental health support.

Nothing will change until we stop moving politicians up the career ladder year after year, even though they refuse to step up to the problems Oregon faces, said Kristof, wearing a jacket with the logo of Portland-based Columbia Sportswear.

Kristof has faced questions of whether hes even eligible to run for governor. According to the law, a candidate must have been a resident of the state for at least three years before an election. Kristof voted in New York state in November 2020.

I probably should have changed my registration. I wasnt focused on paperwork. I was focused on voting to remove President Trump and vote for Joe Biden, Kristof told reporters in Portland on Wednesday.

A legal opinion by lawyers working for Kristof, first reported by Willamette Week newspaper, said Kristof has always considered Oregon his home, even though his job required him to live around the world.

Nothing in the Oregon Constitution or the historical sources used to interpret its meaning suggest that registration to vote in another jurisdiction alone disqualifies a person from residential eligibility for governor, said the opinion, co-written by Misha Isaak, Oregon Gov. Kate Browns former general counsel.

Kristof and his wife, Sheryl WuDunn  who also was a New York Times reporter  bought a 150-acre property in Yamhill in 1993 and have worked the land and paid Oregon property taxes on it.

Also trying to illustrate Kristofs ties to this Pacific Northwest state, the lawyers added that Kristof has hiked its entire length on the Pacific Crest Trail, backpacked around Mount Hood (the states tallest peak) and eaten at Mos Seafood and Chowder in Lincoln City, a restaurant chain thats an institution on the Oregon Coast.

Richard Clucas, a political science professor at Portland State University  where Kristofs parents used to teach  said Kristof wont be able to coast to election victory on name recognition. Many Oregonians dont know who Kristof, who won two Pulitzer Prizes as a foreign correspondent and columnist, is.

He is not a prominent actor, or a professional wrestler, or a reality TV star. Hes a columnist for a publication that has a specific kind of a readership, Clucas said.

On Monday, he asked his class of around 30 students on state politics who had heard of Kristof. Only two did.

Media coverage of Kristofs announcement will help him gain name recognition, but he faces an uphill battle ahead of the May 17 primary elections in which the Democratic and GOP gubernatorial candidates will be elected.

Kristofs background in rural Oregon could resonate with voters, Clucas said.

Clearly the issues he has raised are ones that people are concerned about in the state. Some parts of rural Oregon have remained in economic recession since the 1980s, Clucas said.

Kristof, who left The New York Times earlier this month, has written frequently about the economic and social problems of the people he grew up with in Oregon as the regions manufacturing and timber economy collapsed.

I think we do need to try to build some bridges and try to knit this state together, Kristof said. I would hope that, perhaps as a liberal from a rural area, I may have some advantage in trying to do that.

Democratic Gov. Kate Brown is term-limited and cant run for the states top office again. About a dozen Republican candidates have also said they will run for their partys nomination.

___

Associated Press/Report for America journalist Sara Cline contributed to this report from Portland.

___

Follow Andrew Selsky on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andrewselsky
ROANOKE, Va.  As Terry McAuliffe made his case for the Democratic nomination for governor of Virginia this summer, he argued the state wanted seasoned leadership. The former governor, like the new President Joe Biden, had broad appeal that would keep up Virginians enthusiasm for voting against Republicans, his campaign argued.

Less than a week before Election Day, even McAuliffes allies are wondering if he was wrong.

The Democrat is locked in a dead heat against a political neophyte who is threatening to become the first Republican to win statewide office here in more than a decade. This, in a state Biden won by 10 percentage points last year.

Publicly, McAuliffe is confident in his campaign against Republican businessman Glenn Youngkin, but the finger-pointing and handwringing has begun among Democrats who are openly contemplating the possibility of a worst-case scenario on Nov. 2.

Everybody is nervous, said Abbi Easter, who lives in the Richmond suburbs and sits on the state Democratic Partys steering committee,

McAuliffes team privately points to the drag of Bidens weakened standing among Virginia voters, a shift that began in August after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. That exacerbated traditional headwinds for candidates whose party occupies the White House. In 2013, McAuliffe himself became the first Virginia candidate in 40 years to win the governors office while his party was in power.

McAuliffe allies also suggest they may have underestimated the extent to which his status as an experienced politician may hurt him in a political environment that continues to favor outsiders. Even before becoming governor, McAuliffe had been active in national politics for decades. He served as a former Democratic National Committee chairman and a chief fundraiser for Bill and Hillary Clinton.

A McAuliffe loss on Tuesday would reverberate across the national political landscape, likely triggering all-out panic among Democrats. For Republicans, it would be a burst of confidence and a roadmap for finding their way through post-Trump divisions ahead of 2022 midterm elections, which will decide control of Congress and dozens of state capitals.

In the 2021 elections closing days, one McAuliffe aide conceded Republicans are more excited about scoring a dramatic upset that would send a message to the country than Democrats are about preserving the status quo  especially as many polls suggest that voters believe the country is on the wrong track.

State delegate Chris Hurst, a McAuliffe supporter, acknowledged the so-called enthusiasm gap at a get-out-the-vote rally this week in the states rural southwest corner.

You dont have to be enthusiastic to go to the doctor or the dentist to still do it every single year, Hurst said. Its time for us to go out and do our jobs.

While history is not on his side, some of McAuliffes challenges are of his own making.

In the final debate against Youngkin late last month, McAuliffes answered a question about parents efforts to ban some books from school libraries.

I dont think parents should be telling schools what they should teach, McAuliffe quipped.

The comment played into Youngkins push to win over a crucial bloc of suburban voters, who shifted sharply away from the GOP during Donald Trumps presidency. Youngkins team immediately began running attack ads highlighting the comment as part of a Parents Matter campaign.

The education debate turned to an overt play to energize Youngkins far-right base, however, when he released a new television ad featuring a mother who sought to have the book Beloved banned from classrooms in suburban Washington. The acclaimed 1987 novel by Nobel laureate Toni Morrison is about an escaped slave who kills her infant daughter rather than allowing the girl to be returned to the plantation.

McAuliffes campaign and fellow Democrats accused Youngkin of trying to silence Black authors.

The intensifying messages have been amplified by the massive sums of money each of the candidates has raised and spent  most of it on television ads.

Each candidate has raised more than $58 million in the election so far, according to the most recent campaign finance reports. The combined $117 million raised nearly doubled the previous record for a Virginia governors election. Youngkin, a wealthy former private equity executive, has lent his campaign $20 million from his personal fortune, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.

McAuliffes team decided long ago to devote the bulk of his fundraising haul to a message focused on national issues  specifically, Trump  instead of his accomplishments while governor, which included a strong state economy and a surge in funding for education. McAuliffe often mentions such governing accomplishments at his events on the campaign trail, but his television commercials, which is how most voters interact with the campaign, have most recently been aimed at tying Youngkin to Trump and the GOPs push to curtail abortion rights.

Easter said it remains to be seen whether Democrats can still win by embracing an anti-Trump message now that he is no longer in office.

Ill know Nov. 3, she said.

Some issues in the race have been out of McAuliffes control.

The surge of the delta variant over the summer boosted support for McAuliffes strict approach on vaccines and other public health measures, including mask mandates. The Democrat used the issue to link Youngkin to Trump and other GOP leaders who have resisted the federal Center for Disease Controls recommendations.

Youngkins team privately acknowledged in the early fall that the pandemic focus was hurting his campaign. But as COVID cases declined in the weeks leading up to the election, voters focus shifted elsewhere  including toward Washington.

Few Democrats on the ground here believe that the Democratic-controlled Congress inability so far to enact Bidens sweeping agenda is a defining issue in the Virginia contest, but it is certainly not helping as McAuliffe struggles to give Democratic voters something to get excited about.

State Democratic Party Chair Susan Swecker acknowledged her personal anxiety while on a bus tour this week designed to energize Democratic voters.

You know how we get. I do this, too, she said. We wring our hands a little bit. Look, we always knew this was going to be a tough race, right? We got a lot on the line here.

___

AP writer Sarah Rankin in Richmond contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON  When President Joe Biden meets with Pope Francis on Friday, he wont kiss the ring.

Biden, who has met with Francis three times and with two previous popes, has said he eschews the traditional sign of respect because his mother told him not to  that no one is better than him. In their meeting, the two are expected to discuss issues like the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change as equals.

Biden, only the second Catholic president in U.S. history, often speaks publicly about his faith and attends Mass every weekend.

As a second-term senator, Biden met with Pope John Paul II in 1980, when the two spent a reportedly chummy 45 minutes together. As vice president, he met with Pope Benedict XVI in 2011, when he famously told the pope to go easier on American nuns, who then were under fire by the church for activism on issues like poverty.

By all accounts, Biden has a positive relationship with the current pontiff, beginning when he attended Francis inauguration as pope in 2013. They also met during the pontiffs 2015 visit, including a private meeting where Biden said the pope prayed for his family as they mourned the recent death of Bidens son Beau. In 2016, they met again, when Biden spoke about cancer care at a conference on regenerative medicine at the Vatican.

The president keeps a photo of one of his meetings with the pope behind his desk in the Oval Office. Their upcoming meeting continues a long tradition of president-and-pope encounters.

Some notable moments from meetings past:

President John F. Kennedys 1963 meeting with Pope Paul VI at the Vatican was historic: The first Roman Catholic president of the United States was seeing the Roman Catholic pontiff only days after his coronation. Kennedy, who faced anti-Catholic bias during his presidential campaign, shook hands with the pope rather than kissing his ring, as is the usual practice for Catholics.

Pope Paul VIs trip to New York in October 1965 presented protocol problems. President Lyndon Johnson wanted to see him, but the pontiff was a chief of a state not officially recognized by the U.S. The solution: Johnson flew to New York for dinner at the apartment of his friend Arthur Goldberg, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and the pontiff was welcomed to Johnsons suite at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel the next day.

Johnson had a penchant for somewhat odd papal presents. At that 1965 meeting, his gifts to Paul included a silver-framed, autographed photograph of himself. Two years later, at their next meeting at the Vatican, Johnson presented the pontiff with a foot-high bust of himself.

Jimmy Carter was the first president to play host to a pope at the White House. Pope John Paul IIs stay at the White House featured 10,000 guests  split between separate arrival and departure ceremonies on the North and South Lawns.

President Ronald Reagan had trouble keeping his eyes open on his first visit to the Vatican in 1982. Reagans head bobbed and his eyes repeatedly closed for seconds at a time while John Paul talked solemnly of crises in the Falkland Islands and Lebanon. The incident came during a 10-day European trip with a packed schedule for Reagan. But it fed already rampant talk that the 71-year-old president wasnt physically up to the job.

Reagan sparked controversy over the separation of church and state in 1984 by establishing formal U.S. diplomatic relations with the Vatican, a long desire of the Holy See. Shortly afterward, Reagan and John Paul met during refueling stops at the airport in Fairbanks, Alaska (their paths were crossing as one finished and one began trips to Asia). The Alaska stop generated lots of excitement, but also scores of T-shirts reading The Pope Meets the Dope.

For his last of four meetings with Pope John Paul, President Bill Clinton flew to St. Louis to greet the pontiff as he began a U.S. tour. Back in Washington, the Senate was in the throes of its impeachment trial against Clinton, and John Paul said America faces a time of trial. But it was generally assumed that the pontiff, who also challenged Americans to a higher moral vision, was speaking about his long-running and sharp dispute with Clinton over the presidents support for abortion rights.

At George W. Bushs last meeting with John Paul, at the Vatican in June 2004, he presented the pope with the Medal of Freedom, the nations highest civilian honor. The pontiff responded by reading a statement about his grave concern over events in Iraq, where the U.S.-led war had been going on for just over a year.

After John Paul died in 2005, Bush became the first sitting U.S. president to attend a papal funeral.

At his first audience with John Pauls successor, Pope Benedict XVI, Bushs overly casual behavior was noted by many Italians and Vatican watchers. He addressed the pope as sir, rather than the customary your holiness, and leaned far back in his chair with one leg thrown informally over another, instead of the ramrod-straight physical posture more commonly seen in the pontiffs presence. Romes ANSA agency flashed a Gaffe Presidente headline.

For Benedicts first U.S. tour as pope, there were several presidential firsts: Bush traveled to Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland to meet the pontiffs plane, brought the largest crowd of his presidency to the South Lawn for Benedicts arrival ceremony, and hosted a dinner in the popes honor that Benedict didnt attend.

Former President Barack Obama met with Pope Francis twice, once at the Vatican in 2014 and again during the popes 2015 visit to the U.S., where Obama met Francis on the tarmac at Andrews and played host in the Oval Office. Before 11,000 people on the South Lawn of the White House, Obama praised the pope as a living example of Jesus teachings, while Francis lauded Obama for his commitment to addressing climate change.

Former President Donald Trump had a famously prickly relationship with Pope Francis. The two sparred during the 2016 campaign, with Francis taking a veiled swipe at Trump by declaring that people who think only of building barriers instead of bridges are not Christian. Trump, who campaigned on building a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border, called the comments disgraceful and suggested the Mexican government was using Francis as a pawn. When the two met at the Vatican in 2017, photos showed a stone-faced Francis standing next to a grinning Trump. The president later said their meeting had been fantastic.

___ AP News Researcher Rhonda Shafner in New York contributed to this report.
CAIRO  U.S. President Joe Biden called Thursday for Sudans people to be allowed to protest peacefully as the number of those killed in recent demonstrations against the military coup rose to nine.

Bidens statement was the latest from the international community urging the generals to restore the civilian-led transitional government and release those detained after their takeover earlier this week. But there were signs the military was not backing down.

The coups leader, a top general, fired at least six ambassadors, including the envoys to the U.S., the European Union and France, after they condemned the militarys takeover of the country, a military official said Thursday.

Their dismissal came hours before the U.N. Security Council issued its first statement on recent events in Sudan, calling for the civilian transitional government to be restored to power and for those detained during the coup to be released.

The diplomats had pledged their support for the now-deposed government of Prime Minister Abddalla Hamdok. Also fired by Gen Abdel-Fattah Buran late Wednesday were the Sudanese ambassadors to Qatar, China and the U.N. mission in Geneva, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief media. The state-run Sudan TV also reported the dismissals.

The ambassadors were fired two days after Burhan dissolved the transitional government and detained the prime minister, many government officials and political leaders in a coup condemned by the U.S. and the West. The military allowed Hamdok to return home Tuesday after international pressure for his release.

The U.N. statement released Thursday was approved by all 15 members from the council but went through several revisions, diplomats said, mainly to address objections from Russia, which did not want to condemn the military takeover as originally proposed in the British-drafted text  or use the word coup.

Burhan has said the military forces were compelled to take over because of quarrels between political parties that he claimed could lead to civil war. However, the coup also comes just weeks before Burhan would have had to hand over the leadership of the Sovereign Council, the ultimate decision-maker in Sudan, to a civilian, in a step that would reduce the militarys hold on the country. The council has military and civilian members. Hamdoks government ran Sudans daily affairs.

The coup threatens to halt Sudans fitful transition to democracy, which began after the 2019 ouster of long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir and his Islamist government in a popular uprising.

The takeover came after weeks of mounting tensions between military and civilian leaders over the course and pace of that process.

Ali bin Yahia, Sudans former envoy in Geneva under the transitional government, was defiant after his dismissal.

I will spare no efforts to reverse the situation, explain facts and resist the blackout imposed by coup officials on what is happened my beloved country, he said in video comments posted online.

Nureldin Satti, the Sudanese envoy to the U.S., said Tuesday he was working with Sudanese diplomats in Brussels, Paris, Geneva and New York to resist the coup to achieve the aims of the uprising against al-Bashir.

Activists circulated videos on social media showing mostly empty streets in the capital, with many stores except for groceries and bakeries closed on Thursday. Earlier, protesters called for a national strike to pressure the military to relinquish power.

Earlier this week, a group of over 30 Sudanese diplomats in and outside Sudan condemned the militarys takeover in a joint statement, saying that the ambassadors in Belgium, Switzerland and France had pledged their continued allegiance to the Hamdok government.

In another development, Burhan fired Adlan Ibrahim, head of the countrys Civil Aviation Authority, according to the official. Adlans dismissal came after flights in and out of Khartoums international airport were supposed to resume Wednesday after they stopped amid the confusion.

The military has also reopened some bridges that were closed earlier by protesters.

Protesters, meanwhile, took to the streets of Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman late Wednesday in continued demonstrations against the coup amid heavy security across the capital. By Thursday morning, security forces had cleared several makeshift stone barricades that protesters had set up in a few residential neighborhoods.

Hundreds of people marched on in a funeral procession on Thursday in Khartoum for one of the protesters.

One man was killed and two were seriously injured in Thursdays protest gatherings, according to a statement by the Sudanese Doctors Committee. Another young man died in a Khartoum hospital late Wednesday of wounds sustained in Mondays protests and two others who were shot in the head earlier this week died Thursday, activist Nazim Siraj said.

This raised to nine the number of protesters killed since Monday.

Al least 170 people have been wounded since the militarys takeover, according to a statement issued by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA. Most of the cases, including moderate and severe ones, are lying in Khartoum hospitals, which are battling a shortage in surgical and other medical supplies as the movement in the capital remains restricted by roadblocks, OCHA said.

Also on Thursday, the Friends of Sudan Group, which consists of several EU states as well as the U.S. and the U.N., issued a statement saying the countrys future is at risk.

The actions of the security forces deeply jeopardize Sudans hard-won political, economic and legal gains made over the past two years and put Sudans security, stability and reintegration into the international community at risk, read the statement issued by the alliance formed after Bashirs ouster in 2019.

Biden also echoed the fears that the countrys economy could fall victim to the militarys designs on power.

We believe strongly in Sudans economic potential and the promise of its future  if the military and those who oppose change do not hold it back, he said in a statement.

-

Associated Press writers Noha el-Hennawy in Cairo and Edith M. Lederer in New York contributed to this report.
Valley High School is receiving additional security Thursday following a shooting threat made over social media, according to Valley High School Principal Anthony Griego.

In an email sent to parents on Thursday morning, Griego said the school was alerted by staff and students that there was going to be a shooting at the North Valley high school on Thursday after threats were made on Snapchat.

Griego said there will be additional police from Albuquerque Police Department and Albuquerque Public Schools school police on campus Thursday.

No other information was available at this time and Griego said he will update parents throughout the day.
The fevered huckster pitch -- "And so much more!" -- in the final paragraph is a dead giveaway. The ball of confusion published Wednesday without apparent fact-checking as a letter to the editor in the Wall Street Journal is a genuine product of Donald Trump's mind. And it shows that he's all-in on his deceptions and fully committed to the cause of undermining our democracy.

Someday the experts will complete the analysis of the former president's public derangement, but for now the best we can do is note when it takes a dramatic turn. In this case he has dumped out a grab bag of misinformation, innuendo and outright lies to insist, nearly a year after the fact, that "the election was rigged, which you, unfortunately, still haven't figured out."

It is a classic Trump technique. Insist that his funhouse reality is real and then insult those who won't agree. It's notable here that he's addressing the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal, which is so indulgent of extreme right-wing opinions that last year 280 newsroom employees signed a letter complaining of a "lack of fact-checking and transparency" that threatened the paper's credibility. But Trump is always ready to attack media allies when they don't toe the line. Just ask Fox News. (Fox News and the Journal are part of Rupert Murdoch's media empire.)

The heart of Trump's letter, written in response to a Wall Street Journal editorial that mentioned Biden's 80,000-vote win in Pennsylvania, is his tired insistence that he was cheated out of reelection. In this case he offers 20 assertions about the election in Pennsylvania, including a false claim that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg spent a huge sum to "interfere" with the process in a way that presumably hurt the former president.

When Philip Bump of the Washington Post checked the facts, he found the letter rife with deception. For example, Trump cites the election analysis from a group called Audit the Vote PA that actually has no record of auditing anything.

With its suggestive name, Audit the Vote PA is an example of the ways that clever activists can create the illusion of credibility. Anyone can create an instant organization. Let's call ours "Trump University." In the old days, you printed up some stationery and were suddenly in business. Today you make a website. With luck you can persuade enough people to believe that it's real that you have tangible results. Trump University did, in fact, generate millions in revenues until students alleged fraud, the operation was shuttered and the founder paid $25 million to make his legal troubles go away. (Trump repeatedly denied the fraud claims.)

Just as he inflicted genuine harm on the students who believed in his Potemkin university, in his letter to the Journal, and in his long-running campaign about supposed election fraud, the flag-hugging former president does real damage to the country he professes to love.

On the very day that Trump's letter first appeared on the Journal's website, Politico published a poll that found that only 28% of Republicans trust our election system. This is hardly surprising, considering the enormous effort -- lawsuits, tally reviews, and bogus claims -- that Trump and his prominent allies have poured into their effort to persuade us that he was cheated. Add a sweeping Republican-led campaign to impose new state-level regulations on voting and there's been so much sound and fury, people should be forgiven for thinking it all signifies something.

In reality, then-president Trump's own Department of Homeland Security declared the 2020 election the most secure in our history. This means that everything Trump and his enablers have done to erode the public's trust in the system reflects a concerted effort to undermine the American experiment. Elections are, after all, the bedrock of democracy. Destroy citizens' faith in the process and you undermine the nation's political foundation.

If you don't trust my assessment of the danger in what Trump is doing, consider what has been said by Chris Krebs, a Republican who was the Trump administration's election watchdog. Responding to a press conference where Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani repeated false charges of election fraud, Krebs said Giuliani "was undermining democracy. And that's dangerous."

With so few Republicans expressing faith in our elections, it's clear that Trump has made the danger acute. His attacks on public trust are the political equivalent of falsely shouting, "Fire!" in a crowded theater.

In publishing his letter, the Journal amplified Trump's false alarm and enabled the next one, which may well reference his own letter, and its publication in an esteemed outlet, to "confirm" his deceptions. It's all a game, but the stakes are real, and in publishing Trump with no accompanying fact-check, the Journal joined his team.

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A man from Burney pleaded guilty to illegal gun sale on Tuesday, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert.

According to court documents, 63-year-old Brian Scheckla went to gun shows to buy guns to turn around and sell them for a higher price on the black market.

In 2018, a cease and desist letter was served to Scheckla from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

The letter advised him he was unlawfully selling guns without a license.

Scheckla traveled to 20 gun shows in California, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon and Idaho, according to the Department of Justice.

Between March 2016 and February 2019, Scheckla bought at least 77 guns from federally licensed firearm dealers. Of those 77, 10 were recovered by law enforcement.

Scheckla is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 15, 2022, and faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
BUTTE CO., Calif. - The 2020 Butte County Crop and Livestock Report is out, showing that the gross value for agricultural production was $625,384,709, representing a decrease of almost $63 million from 2019.

The biggest contributing factors to this dip were labor shortages, difficulty exporting crops and supply and demand.

The usual crops of rice, almonds and walnuts were still in the top three, but this time in a different ranking.

Rice went from around $166M in 2019 up to $179M. Almonds went up from $140M to $147M, but walnuts took the biggest hit and dropped $86M going from $214M in 2019 to $128M in 2020.

This is because the crop had a larger yield in 2020.

With a larger walnut crop and more walnuts to sell, you always see the price come off a bit, executive director of Butte County Farm Bureau, Colleen Cecil said. Last year it came down significantly, it came down significantly and we saw a lot of walnuts on the market to sell, which happens and again, typical supply and demand.

It is no secret that industries across the country faced a labor shortage, and the agricultural community was no exception.

Now Hiring signs for farms are still posted for many farms. Rice farmer David Lundberg told Action News Now that he and his son did almost all the work last year on their own.

With the competitive job market, farmers recruited neighbors, friends and whoever they could find to get their harvest done.

We even had to have family members, Lundberg said. My wife even drove rice bank out. She was only supposed to be a fill-in, but she ended up working Monday through Friday until I had another person.

Cecil also saw other industries driving away some of their workforces.

When youre competing with other industries, like the building industry, which is where agriculture often competes for labor, then you have some struggles, Cecil told Action News Now.

Even with the end of unemployment payments, Lundberg is still short-staffed this year. Farming is seasonal work, so some of his employees went onto full-time jobs. Even while working with fewer people, rice was still the number one crop in 2020.

Agriculture accounts for 7% of jobs in California, so Lundberg is hoping to get more workers out on the farm next year.

Sending crops overseas was another challenge for farmers even though 63 countries and U.S. states import Butte County agriculture products. These locations range from Afghanistan to Vietnam to Southern California.

Local farmer, Andrew Mendoca, grows almonds and walnuts and saw the challenges with shipping his crops in 2020.

There was a three billion pound crop estimate for the whole state for almonds, Mendoca said. What that meant was there were more almonds and the handlers and sellers found buyers for all those projects, but there were so many issues that are still going on today.

Mendoca added a lot of places did not have the ability to offload the cargo.

We saw trouble with getting the orders out of the port and finding an adequate number of containers to ship the products to the countries who had placed orders for our almonds and our walnuts, Cecil told Action News Now.

The countys crop production value was down 9% overall in 2020 compared to 2019. Farmers expect the 2021 report to reflect similar challenges with the addition of the drought.

Each dollar represented in the report goes beyond just the farms. Agriculture contributes to the economy, jobs, labor income and more.

This report does not reflect the revenue from the processing of these crops into products like chocolate-covered almonds or rice cakes.

The agricultural community was looking at the 2020 crop year because in many instances farmers do not see the payments of their crops until next year's crop is already delivered.
(CNN) -- The families of nine people fatally shot in 2015 at a historically Black church in Charleston, South Carolina, have reached an $88 million settlement with the Justice Department in their lawsuit over the shooter's weapon purchase, according to agency officials and a news release Thursday.

The settlements range from $6 million to $7.5 million per claimant for those killed at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church and $5 million per claimant for survivors, the Justice Department said.

The widow of the Rev. Clementa Pinckney thanked supporters and those involved in reaching the settlement.

"Even though Clementa is not with us here physically, I know spiritually he is with us, and I know that he's smiling down on us right now," Jennifer Pinckney said Thursday.

"He will be missed, along with all the others that didn't survive that night."

A federal appeals court ruled in 2019 that families of those slain could sue the US government for negligence over lapses in the FBI background check that allowed the shooter to buy the semiautomatic pistol used in the massacre.

Dylann Roof, an avowed White supremacist, was convicted of federal murder and hate crimes charges. He was sentenced to death in 2017 and has appealed his conviction.

Before the massacre, Roof had been arrested on a drug charge that should have prevented him from purchasing the gun had the charge been properly reported during the background check, the appeals court found in 2019.

Victims' families alleged the government was negligent in its background check. If it had been performed properly, "no one disputes" it would have kept him from buying the gun, the court wrote.

"The mass shooting at Mother Emanuel AME Church was a horrific hate crime that caused immeasurable suffering for the families of the victims and the survivors," Attorney General Merrick Garland said Thursday.

"Since the day of the shooting, the Justice Department has sought to bring justice to the community, first by a successful hate crime prosecution and today by settling civil claims."

The nine victims killed ranged from 26 to 87 years old. They were Pinckney, the Rev. Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, the Rev. DePayne Middleton-Doctor, the Rev. Daniel Simmons, Cynthia Hurd, Susie Jackson, Myra Thompson, Ethel Lance and Tywanza Sanders.

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OROVILLE, Calif. - There is an extra police presence at Oroville High School Thursday after an online shooting threat.

Police are taking this threat seriously as there are many police cars at the school. The threat was originally posted on Snapchat,

A parent shared the post, which says, "I am tired of getting bullied. At 10:30 tomorrow I am going to shoot 20 kids and 4 admin - see you heaven."

The message specifically addresses "IHS."

Police say there is no school with that name in this area.

During their investigation, officers learned schools as close as Sacramento and as far as Savannah Georgia received the same threat.

"This message had also come from Florida and through Georgia and then to Sacramento, said Sgt. Breck Wright with the Oroville Police Department. That's three of the areas they could confirm this snapchat message had been sent and circulated."

Police do have some leads, but do not believe the threat originated here, but they are not taking any chances.

"Safety is always our number one priority," said Prinicipal Cristi Tellechea at Oroville High. "We want to make sure all of our students and staff and everyone here is safe."

Oroville High School also sent out a note to parents telling them about the increase in police presence on campus and that they are taking this online threat seriously.

After learning of the threat, students started sharing a warning post on Snapchat telling students to be safe.

Even with the extra security, still many did not show up to the classroom.

"Half the class is probably gone just because of the threat, maybe their parents didn't want them to go just to be safe,"

said Alba Hernandez, a student at Oroville High.

Several students said classes that usually have 30 students in them had less than five.

"When my mom first found out about it she didn't want me going to school," said 10th grader at OHS, Star Zuniga.

She ended up being one of the students that showed up to school.

"I personally didn't think it was real," said Zuniga. "I just thought it was kids trying to get attention because that's what kids do around here. They just do things for attention."

Oroville Police Department is working with other agencies across the state to get to the bottom of this.

The thing that keeps our community safe and keeps our students safe is active parents and students, and children being able to talk to their parents about things that are happening and things on social media," said Sgt. Wright.

They will continue to have police on campus Thursday and Friday to patrol surrounding areas and ensure everyone's safety.

This is a developing story. Action News Now will keep you updated with new information on-air and online.
REDDING, Calif. - A man with a felony and a misdemeanor was arrested after law enforcement rescued him from the Sacramento River by using a helicopter, according to the Redding Police Department.

Officials from the Redding Police Department, Redding Fire Department, Shasta County Sheriffs Office and California Highway Patrol Northern Divison responded to the 2000 block of North Bechelli Lane for a report of river rescue in the Sacramento River.

Officers and firefighters arrived and began to walk the bluffs to search for the person that summoned people fishing in a boat that was passing by.

A CHP helicopter was able to rescue the man who was identified as 30-year-old Gordon Vance of Redding.

Vance told officials he was testing out his new boots when he slipped over the bluffs.

Officers learned that Vance has a felony and a misdemeanor warrant for his arrest.

Vance was arrested and booked into the Shasta County Jail for his warrants.
CHICO, Calif. - Police released new details about a shooting that left one person wounded at the Chico City Plaza, according to the Chico Police Department.

On Oct. 7, police responded to the city plaza where they located a person with gunshot wounds.

RELATED: Person taken to the hospital following Downtown Chico shooting

Witnesses saw a man parked on W. Fifth St. and fired multiple rounds before leaving the scene.

During an investigation by the Chico Police Department, police were able to gather video surveillance in the area where the suspect was driving after a shooting at the city plaza.

At 8:43 a.m., a few hours after the shooting, police received a report that a person had shot themself in an alleyway in the south part of Chico.

When officers arrived at the area, they found the person dead. Police say it appeared to be suicide.

At the scene, police found a vehicle that was captured on the surveillance video near the city plaza.

RELATED: Gunman still on the loose following downtown Chico shooting

Officers found property inside the vehicle that confirmed the person was driving the vehicle.

Detectives believe the two incidents are connected and the investigation is ongoing.

Police are not identifying the suspect who was found dead until the investigation is completed. They did say the person was not from Chico and may have arrived from a neighboring state.

The victim has been released from the hospital after treatment for gunshot wounds.
SHASTA COUNTY, Calif. - The Shasta County District Attorney charged a 19-year-old with first-degree murder in the homeless camp shooting in Redding.

Alejandro Armstrong is also charged with two firearm enhancements and one possession of an assault rifle. Police found two guns in his apartment that were stolen, according to the Redding Police Department.

RELATED: Police: 5 guns were located in Redding murder suspects apartment

Police say he confessed to killing a man at a homeless camp at Mercy Canyon on Oct. 19.

He's back in court Thursday.

An autopsy is scheduled for this week for 50-year-old Karl Lee Bernardo.
Lock screen content platform Glance has entered into an exclusive partnership with mobile phone brand realme to power the lock screen of its smartphones in India and Indonesia with exciting content. According to realmes estimates, Glance will be rolled out on approximately 30 million of its smartphones in India, and 7 million in Indonesia, by the end of CY2022, which is expected to give a boost to Glances active user base in these countries.

Over the next two years, Glance is expected to be available on a majority of realmes devices in these regions, enabling realme consumers to discover high quality, personalised content in multiple languages and categories from top publishers on their lock screens. As a result of this partnership, realme users in India will be able to access Glance LIVE, a live streaming service with real time content by celebrities and creators across sports, current affairs, live games and commerce. The platform will also offer Glance Game Center, which hosts a wide variety of games in multiple genres and engaging features such as liking and sharing of lock screen content with friends via messaging services.

Realme India's Chief Marketing Officer Francis Wong said: Glance has pioneered the use of lock screen as a platform for content discovery, bringing users some of the best infotainment and live content from across the internet. At realme, we are committed to providing our users the latest and most premium experiences available in the market. We believe that the Glance proposition of live, trending, 24/7 content on lock screen will be a true differentiator for our devices. We estimate rolling out Glance on approximately 30 million phones in India, and on close to 7 million phones in Indonesia over the next 12 months.

Aditya Goyal, Vice President & General Manager, Strategic Distribution Partnerships, Glance, added: Realme is one of the fastest growing smartphone brands in India and Southeast Asia, with a state-of-the-art product line, ranging from entry to premium categories. It is especially popular amongst the youth, who form the majority of Glances user base. Given its demographic and technological strengths, we believe that realme is a great partner for us to make further inroads into these markets with. Through this partnership, Glance will bring realme consumers in India and Indonesia the same high quality content experience that nearly 175 million Glance users currently enjoy.

Research Analyst Arushi Chawla, Counterpoint Research, said: "In a recently published report, market research firm Counterpoint Research has said that value added services like Glance are key for smartphone makers to stay ahead in this highly competitive market. As the overall smartphone market is maturing and consolidating, with top OEMs capturing most of the market, it is also a challenge to maintain hardware differentiation when the form factors remain similar. In such a scenario, the long-term value creation will depend more on delivering differentiation through over-the-top (OTT) services. Therefore, Glance, with its presence in top smartphone brands, holds a vital role."
Maybelline New York has launched Insta Weddings, a mesmerizing hero range of products for all the modern brides featuring Bollywood actress Sara Ali Khan. From a pre-wedding shoot to mehndi to sangeet and more, a wedding is definitely not just about the wedding day! With Maybelline New Yorks Insta Weddings hero range of products you can plan a trend-setting entry or rock the floor with an ultimate glamorous avatar.

Epitomizing the vibrant personality of the bold and sassy bride, Insta Weddings brings a hero range of long wear products for lips, face, and eyes. The range of products includes Superstay Matte Ink (Rs. 650), Superstay Ink Crayon (Rs. 599), Insta Age Rewind (Rs. 650), Super Stay Foundation (Rs. 750), Master Chrome (Rs. 650), City Mini Eyeshadow Palette (Rs. 780), Tattoo Liner (Rs. 550), Define and Blend Brow Pencil (Rs. 349), Colossal Mascara (Rs. 399), Colossal Super Black (Rs. 300) and Lasting Fix Setting Spray (Rs. 599).

Maybelline New Yorks brand ambassador Sara Ali Khan said: Weddings are always special and stay forever in the memories of every woman. The Insta Wedding series by Maybelline New York can be considered as one stop brand for all the bridesmaids. The range helps in bringing out the uniqueness of the bride tribe ensuring she dazzles at every ceremony. I am absolutely honored and delighted to bring Insta Weddings range of products for all the beautiful bride tribes out there.

Maybelline New Yorks official make-up artist Elton Fernandez said: The Insta Weddings series of products effortlessly blend with the requirements of every modern bridesmaid. The range gives an alluring and long-lasting look while enhancing the overall wedding attire. Tune in to watch me create some stunning looks on everyones favorite influencers as they get ready for their own special moments. We look forward to creating everlasting memories with brides through this range of products.
Gurgaon: Red and Green Hoodie of Squid Game are the most popular Halloween costumes this year, according to the latest report from Wizikey, a media monitoring and intelligence company.

The news popularity for the red and green hoodie is 2X of Joker and 2.5X of Spiderman. Leaving ancient villainous characters like Dracula and Cruella de Vil far behind, this Netflix phenomenon has toppled Marvel Heroes and Disney Characters.

"Halloween has become a global festival. Culture shifts manifest on Halloween every year, with Netflix and other OTT platforms having a profound influence, said Anshul Sushil, CEO and Co-Founder, Wizikey.

News analysis indicates that apparel brands worldwide have introduced the Squid Game line of clothing to cater to the Halloween demand, with reports citing the boom in the South Korean garment industry. Not only that, the Netflix series also has school authorities concerned over the violent series. According to news reports, many schools in the US and Europe have banned the costume with the fear of students mimicking the violent play and behavior on the playground.

The findings were based on data from more than 5 million media mentions derived from over 1000 digital publications and analysis of 100+ brands and their related products and services. The report highlights that the culture shift over the past few years, with OTT trends having a greater impact on what people wear to parties and events.

The report further delves into the top Halloween movies, candies, horror characters of 2021.

Among all the spooky characters associated with Halloween, Ghosts stay the most popular Spookspersons, followed by Witches, Vampire, Zombies and Goblins.

Halloween Kills, Scream, and Shang-Chi are the most popular movies this Halloween.

Hersheys Cookies n Cream Fangs, Haribo Trick or Treat 630z, and Resses Peanut Butter Halloween Pumpkins are the most favorite candies during this year.
Social Panga has won the integrated digital marketing mandate for UrbanKisaan. As a part of the mandate, Social Panga will be responsible for digital marketing, social media, BTL activations and production for the UrbanKisaan and as well as their fresh meal brand, FarmBowl by UrbanKisaan.

The collaboration marks the expansion story for UrbanKisaan into newer markets. Social Panga, as a leader in the field of creative communication, is all set to scale up the brands media footprint using a clutter-breaking strategy in the growing industry.

Rakshith Gowda, AVP - Brand & Digital Marketing said : UrbanKisaan is delighted to announce that we've taken Social Panga onboard to look after the growth of our Social Media Channels. Looking forward to seeing this collaboration blossom just like our produce!

Social Panga's co-founder Himanshu Arora said, We are thrilled to have UrbanKisaan on board, Indias largest hydroponic agrotech brand. A right balance between creative communication and engagement is critical at this hour and with UrbanKisaan, we are confident of achieving greater milestones together. We look forward to building the brands strategically and reaching out to the audience on a deeper level.
TV9 Network, in association with Shriram Transport Finance Company (STFC) Ltd and Apollo Hospitals, today kickstarted Highway Heroes, a month-long initiative to vaccinate 6000 drivers, who literally keep the wheels of Indias economy moving, even during the most challenging times.

The campaign, inaugurated in Chennai, will travel to transportation hubs in four more cities  Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Delhi NCR  over the next one month. The vaccination and health check-up camps will be set up in each city for four days. The four-day camp was inaugurated in Chennai today by Ramesh PB, Deputy GM, Operations, STFC.



As India emerges from the shadows of the pandemic, it is time to acknowledge the foot soldiers who kept the country on the move in face of sheer adversity. Thats why we thought that vaccinating truck drivers was the best possible way to salute their spirit and create awareness among this important segment of the transportation community against any vaccine hesitancy, said Umesh Revankar, CEO and MD, STFC.



Revankar said that the company works closely with truck drivers  whether its helping them graduate from a driver to owner of a truck or supporting their children with scholarships or ensuring regular health check-up camps. We have broadened the scope of our existing relationship with the community and given the current context of the pandemic leading a vaccination drive seemed to be the need of the hour, added Revankar.



Echoing Revankars sentiments, S. Balamurugan, Lead CSR, STFC said: We, at STFC, believe that support and care can transform their lives. Our endeavor is to provide continuous support to our partners, while also focusing on their well-being. Since ones health plays an important role in ones wellbeing, we have been conducting medical check-ups for drivers and their families. The vaccination drive is a natural extension of our current focus on the well-being of truck drivers.



Apollo Hospitals has joined the movement as healthcare partner for TV9 Network Highway Heroes campaign. It is an honour to have this opportunity to acknowledge the contribution of the truck drivers for their dedication in keeping India on the move during the pandemic. As we emerge from the second wave, it is critical to vaccinate and protect truck drivers from COVID as they traverse the vast expanse of the country, said Dr. K. Hari Prasad, President, Hospitals Division, Apollo Hospitals.



Dr Prasad added that the logistics of getting truck drivers vaccinated are challenging, but Apollo Hospitals large network across India will help to ensure success in this initiative.



Raktim Das, Chief Growth Officer (Broadcasting & Digital), TV9 Network, said: Truck drivers serve as the backbone of the Indian economy and their contribution during the Covid crisis in ensuring that supply lines keep moving has been extraordinary. As Indias No. 1 News Network, we have always made it a point to come up with Social Cause Initiatives. Highway Heroes campaign that aims at vaccinating close to 6000 truck drivers across transport hubs is one more such initiative from the network that showcases our concern and care for citizens of our nation.
General Secretariat FDHA

Bern, 28.10.2021 - Five years ago, the Charter for equal pay in the public sector was launched. Since then, many cantons, communes and state-associated organisations have intensified their commitment to equal pay. A new publication highlighting good practices in the public sector across Switzerland aims to encourage others to adopt the principle of 'equal pay for work of equal value'.

The brochure 'Towards equal pay. Implementing the Charter for equal pay: Examples from the cantons, communes and state-associated organisations' presents 21 administrations and companies from all parts of the country that have signed the Charter and taken measures to implement it.

The cantons, communes and companies portrayed in the brochure have implemented the Charter's requirements in different ways. The canton of Jura, for example, is setting up a competence centre to monitor equal pay relating to procurement and subsidies, and also requires companies with between 50 and 99 employees to carry out mandatory equal pay analyses. In the canton of Vaud, procurement and subsidy monitoring is the responsibility of a tripartite commission, the first of its kind in Switzerland.

The city of Lausanne has taken a different approach to promoting equal pay  it has developed a new salary system by reassessing all functions using an analytical job evaluation. The city of Winterthur, on the other hand, has adopted a diversity strategy that includes management training on the topic of equal pay. The small commune of Riddes in Valais has revised its salary system following an analysis using the Confederation's standard analysis tool Logib.

Eliminating wage discrimination is a primary concern of the Federal Council, and a key objective of the 2030 gender equality strategy, which the Federal Council adopted this spring. One of the top-priority measures mentioned in the strategy for achieving this goal is the introduction of Logib Module 2 for smaller companies in summer 2021. This measure also fulfils requirement Article 13c of the Gender Equality Act (GEA), under which the Confederation must provide "all employers with a standard analysis tool free of charge".

Employers in Switzerland are obliged to ensure equal pay. Under the Federal Constitution, women and men have had the right to equal pay for work of equal value for the past 40 years. Despite this, the unexplained gender pay gap in the economy as a whole averages 8.1% according to the latest Earnings Structure Survey (ESS 2018) conducted by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office (ESS 2016: 7.7%). For women, this is a shortfall of CHF 686 per month

Address for enquiries

Patric Aeberhard

Head of the Labour Unit

patric.aeberhard@ebg.admin.ch

Publisher

General Secretariat FDHA

http://www.edi.admin.ch



Federal Office for Gender Equality

https://www.ebg.admin.ch/ebg/en/home.html




Federal Department of Finance

Bern, 28.10.2021 - Federal Councillors Ueli Maurer and Alain Berset will take part in the G20 Joint Finance and Health Ministers' Meeting in Rome on 29 October 2021. Federal Councillor Berset will attend virtually via videoconference. The main topic is the creation of a G20 task force to coordinate and finance pandemic preparedness and response. Its secretariat is to be hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva.

The Italian G20 presidency has declared the financing of pandemic prevention, preparedness and response as one of its priorities. In July 2021, the G20 finance ministers tasked an informal group with presenting concrete implementation proposals to the finance and health ministers at their joint meeting on 29 October 2021. This work is based on relevant reports from independent international experts on the response to the COVID-19 pandemic to date, and initial recommendations on how to better prepare for future pandemics.

The cornerstone of the proposals is a G20 task force, which is intended to look into specific aspects in more depth under the auspices of next year's Indonesian G20 presidency. The secretariat of the new task force is to be hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva.

Federal Councillor Ueli Maurer, in Rome, and Federal Councillor Alain Berset, attending virtually from Bern, will present Switzerland's view that the key issue of sustainable financing for pandemic preparedness and response is very important and should be addressed immediately, while upholding the mandates of the existing international organisations. In this regard, Switzerland is engaging in ongoing WHO processes with a view to strengthening them and ensuring that they are sustainably financed.

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Bern, 28.10.2021 - On Thursday, 28 October, President Guy Parmelin met with the respective presidents and government representatives of Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory. The talks focused in particular on bilateral cooperation in economic and science matters, and on Switzerland's peace promotion efforts. Cooperation in innovation promotion was also discussed in Israel, while in the occupied Palestinian territory the creation of jobs for young people was a central topic.

At the meetings between Mr Parmelin and President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, both sides acknowledged the importance of Switzerland and Israel's bilateral relations, which have recently been expanded and deepened, particularly in the areas of business and science. Switzerland's strategy for the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA Strategy) envisages, among other things, a further strengthening of economic relations with Israel from now until 2024, and places an increased focus on innovation issues and on Switzerland's support for dialogue and peace.

President Parmelin emphasised that the normalisation agreement concluded in autumn 2020 between Israel and several Gulf states opens up new opportunities for the entire region and for cooperation with Switzerland. With regard to the Middle East conflict, Mr Parmelin reaffirmed Switzerland's commitment to dialogue and peace in the region. He welcomed the resumption of talks between the Israeli and Palestinian authorities in the summer and considers this an important first step. He called on both sides to respect human rights and international humanitarian law, and to address the root causes of the conflict.

In his meeting with President Mahmoud Abbas, President Parmelin again underlined Switzerland's support for a dialogue aimed at achieving a two-state solution. To make this possible, he said, the divisions between the Palestinian territories in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank will need to be overcome. In terms of the MENA strategy, one of Switzerland's objectives is to strengthen the resilience of the population in the occupied Palestinian territory by reducing their dependence on humanitarian aid and by creating new jobs and opportunities for the future. On Thursday, both sides acknowledged the steps already taken towards strengthening bilateral economic ties. Ways in which Switzerland could help improve the labour market for young Palestinians were also discussed. Mr Parmelin then met with representatives of the innovation scene and of the Swiss-Palestinian Joint Business Council, which was founded in 2020.

The next stop on the President's trip to the Middle East will be the World Expo in Dubai, where he will attend Switzerland's National Day on Friday and visit the Swiss Pavilion. Talks are also scheduled with the government of the United Arab Emirates.

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Bell completed the first AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter for the Kingdom of Bahrain last month.

The rotorcraft manufacturer delivered the first of 12 production aircraft to the USAs Naval Air Systems Command as part of the 2019 foreign military sales (FMS) contract at the end of September. The helicopter will be prepared for shipment to Bahrain with the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) before being transported to Bahrain in 2022.


By Anne Dachel



Minnesota physician Dr. Scott Jensen is a Republican candidate for governor who wants to halt giving the COVID vaccine to teens. As expected, Dr. Jensen has come under fire for daring to challenge the official narrative that we all need to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.

May 28, 2021, WEAU TV, Eau Claire, WI: Minnesota candidate backs move to block COVID shots for kids

Minnesota Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Jensen is backing a court action to stop COVID-19 vaccinations for 12- to 16-year-olds that, among other things, compares the inoculations to Nazi experimentation on imprisoned Jews.

Jensen is a family physician and former state senator from Chaska. And hes the first named plaintiff in a petition filed in federal court in Alabama by Americas Frontline Doctors, which calls the vaccines dangerous biological agents.

May 27, 2021, St Paul Pioneer Press: GOP gubernatorial candidate Scott Jensen, a physician, goes to court to stop youth COVID vaccinations. He says he hasnt read the entire petition.

Scott Jensen, a prominent Minnesota Republican candidate for governor with a track record of COVID-19 theories not shared by the medical community, has signed onto an effort to stop vaccinations for 12- to 16-year-olds.

It should be noted that Dr. Jensen was named Minnesota Family Physician of the Year in 2016.
There is a natural tension in human affairs between freedom and safety. This tension has been highlighted by the COVID pandemic and was brought into sharp focus by President Bidens fallacious and dismissive remark about freedom during his recent, odd appearance on a CNN town hall. His uncomfortable attempt at sarcasm 'I have the freedom to kill you with my COVID. No, I mean come on! Freedom... was addled by any number of factors. The President appears to believe that freedom and safety are exclusive matters of preference, like iPhone versus Android. The Presidents rather shallow attention to the issue is consistent with Arnold Schwarzenegger's more pointed opinion, Screw your freedom!

Both Mr. Biden and Mr. Schwarzenegger seem of the opinions that safety is preferable to freedom, and that one can be had by merely relinquishing a sufficient quantity of the other. Both propositions are false.

The relative importance of liberty and safety is not a novel question. It is the basis of Benjamin Franklin's aphorism that those who would give up liberty for a little safety deserve neither liberty nor safety, and the more subtle metaphorical adage of J. A. Shedd: "A ship in a harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for."

Common experience does not support the notion that safety is preferable to liberty. People are noted to take great risks, including risking their lives, to flee oppressive regimes. There are constitutional protections for liberty interests such as privacy and due process, even though those protections may be accompanied by risks to public safety. History is full of examples of people who risked and gave their lives, both in pursuit of and in defense of freedom.

These observations are consistent with the idea that people do not inherently favor safety over freedom but do not dispel the dubious idea that one can have safety in exchange for freedom. They also do not address the externality aspect of freedom, i.e., that one persons exercise of his own freedom poses a risk to others without their knowledge or consent.

This latter concern warrants deeper examination. An obvious point is the symmetrical nature of the imposition: ones demand for safety imposes an involuntary burden on anothers freedom, just as freedom imposes on safety. One is left where he began, with both freedom and safety being viewed as matters of mere social preference. The dispute seems to be unresolvable as long as this view is accepted. History, however, does not support this view.

The fundamental idea that safety can be purchased by giving up a measure of freedom is refuted by a simple observation: societies in which freedom is restricted by the state, as per Mr. Franklin, end up with neither liberty nor safety. A synopsis of 20th-century authoritarianism is sufficient to establish this fact, with loss of freedom accompanied by body counts in the tens of millions. The use of force required to enforce restrictions on freedom unavoidably involves threats to safety. The idea that safety can be had in exchange for freedom is an illusion. It is not just freedom that is being surrendered, but other forms of safety.

When people such as Mr. Biden and Mr. Schwarzenegger disparage freedom, they imply that freedom is an individual indulgence that is tolerated despite its burdens on others. Freedom is instead a part of human nature and an undeniable historical good. It benefits the societies that nurture it. Freedom produces progress, knowledge, innovation, and affluence, and these in turn provide the desirable type of safety that is compatible with human flourishing.

The above observations are empirical. They are things that the average person can observe or contemplate and draw his own conclusions. They do not however provide a mechanism to explain why sacrificing freedom in pursuit of safety is counterproductive, nor for why freedom generally takes priority over safety when the two conflict.

A common phrase used in policy debates is vulnerable populations. A vulnerable population is, by definition, not safe. Populations become vulnerable when they become dependent since they are vulnerable to the behavior and capacity of whatever they are dependent upon. A population, for example, that is dependent on the charity of others is vulnerable to the circumstances of its benefactors. A population that has relinquished its freedom is dependent on the whims and interests of its rulers. The population is dependent, and therefore vulnerable and unsafe. This is the mechanism that linked the imposition of authoritarian rule in the former Soviet Union with the disaster of the Holodomor. There is no shortage of similar examples, even if one were limited to the middle fifty years of the last century.

The loss of freedom eventually results in the loss not only of safety but also of general well-being. Dependency, a condition that is unavoidably associated with vulnerability, produces other pathologies such as depression, substance abuse, suicide, violence, etc. The human psyche does not accommodate dependence well, nor does it the common accompaniment of helplessness.

The above is not to argue that freedom overrides safety in all cases, and under all circumstances. The point is that safety cannot be invoked as an all-purpose rationale for infringing on freedom. There are obviously some significant safety concerns that involve reasonable infringements on the freedom of individuals, ranging from how fast one can drive a car on a public street to who can perform surgery.

The rational presumption should be that freedom takes priority over safety unless a compelling case can be shown to the contrary, and even then, the restriction on freedom should be the minimum necessary. The valid restrictions on freedom imposed in the interest of the safety or rights of others require individual consideration and appropriate boundaries.

In the context of Mr. Bidens remarks, in particular, the supposed benefits of vaccine mandates, with their less-than-hoped for performance, the meandering advice of public health bureaucrats, and the risk posed by the virus come nowhere near justifying infringing upon peoples ability to work or decide for themselves what medical interventions to accept.

Photo credit: Mohamed Mahmoud Hassan Public Domain Pictures

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It is dispiriting that the virus of negative depictions of past history, peoples, and cultures continues, often in incomprehensible fashion, in this era of identity politics. Too many political and cultural institutions are stampeding to gratify any articulate minority. The virus is mutating in spite of evidence that should negate it. False depictions abound. Charles Darwin did not travel to the Galapagos Islands for colonialist reasons. Dr. Seuss did not produce books for harmful content or to glorify racism. The goblins in Harry Potter are not intended as anti-Semitic portraits. Chess is not a racist game because white goes first. Marie Antoinette never said, let them eat cake. The mutating intellectual virus should be treated with appropriate vaccines of common sense and judgment.

Historical accounts should be nuanced and flexible rather than categorical. Navigation and mediation for sound interpretation are now essential in the tension between warring concepts and interpretations of culture and history. Consider the case of Thomas Jefferson, a recognized owner of 600 slaves, whose statue is, by a vote in October 2021, to be removed from the Council Chamber in City Hall in New York City. Yet, among his admirable qualities, now often minimized, Jefferson not only championed religious liberty in Virginia but also, according to Jonathan D. Sarna, specifically championed the religious rights of Jews. To honor him, a 19th-century Jewish naval hero, Uriah P. Levy, donated the funds, contracting and paying for two statues of him, one for Congress where it stands, and the other for New York.

Political and cultural institutions are now navigating the cultural war, particularly on this issue of how to deal with objects and activities deemed by some to be offensive and linked to slavery, racism, colonialism, or sexism. One example at the moment is the tension at the Geffrye Museum, renamed in 2019 the Museum of the Home, in East London. BLM groups and others have campaigned for the removal of a statue of Sir Robert Geffrye, the benefactor of the museum. He was involved in the Atlantic slave trade, even part owner of a slave ship, and was involved in tobacco plantations and slave labor. The dilemma is that his funds were used to finance the original buildings, almshouses, on which the museum sits. The museum said it will retain and explain its decision on the statue, to place it in its proper context while addressing the past with honesty. At the moment, Geffrye still stands.



It is a welcome sign that, in Britain, a new report for the think-tank Policy Exchange has been issued containing a series of principles to help institutions navigate the different demands, and criticizing the alerting of history through tearing down of statues, renaming of streets, and changing of school curriculum without a rigorous and nonpartisan approach or significant relevant explanation. No external body, whether pressure group, external commission, minority action, or government body should have on its own the final authority over whether to rename or remove historical artifacts unless it has overwhelming support and is based on fact, not feelings.

The report was written by Trevor Phillips, a well-known British broadcaster and public activist, born in London to parents who had emigrated from British Guinea. It warned of the growing trend to alter public history and heritage without due process. It is an important and thoughtful addition to the controversy about the interpretation of history. Too many institutions are stampeding to please an aggressive, vocal minority on the interpretation of history. Decisions on this issue, whether it is on the removal of a public statue or the naming of an object, should take into account different views but should not be unduly influenced by shifts in public sentiment or taste, or by noisy and aggressive minority pressure. Instead, they should follow due process, the law, and pay attention to the concerns of the majority, including museum visitors, the taxpayer, and other stakeholders.

It is notable that the Phillips report has been supported by the heads of three of Britains major museums, the Victoria and Albert, the Science Museum, and the Museum of Home. Central to its practical and sensible recommendations is the argument that those making decisions give too much attention to pressure groups and activists, and should pay more regard to the views and sentiments of those who support them, including donors, members, volunteers, taxpayers, and alumni of schools and universities. Choices over interpreting or reinterpreting the past should be fully transparent.

Equally significant is the action in October 2021 of the City of London Corporation, the body overseeing the Square Mile financial center in the capital, the municipal governing body that includes the Lord Mayor of London and officials. In January 2021, the statues of two merchants and politicians, William Beckford and Sir John Cass, were due, because of their links to the transatlantic slave trade, to be removed from the Guildhall in London. The Guildhall is the ceremonial and administrative center of the City of London. This decision was made in the wake of BLM protests, with the argument that this action would be part of its policy towards an inclusive and diverse City. Beckford had acquired wealth from plantations in Jamaica and held 1,200 African slaves, and was twice Lord Mayor of London in the late 1700s. Cass was a 17th-century merchant, MP, and philanthropist, who was active in the Royal African Company and dealt with slave agents in Africa and the Caribbean. The name of Cass had already been removed from the title of the City University business school.

However, the working group of the Guildhall decided to keep the statues on display together with contextual information about the links of the two men to slavery. This is a stance of retain and explain. The past should be addressed with honesty, not to bury or erase history, but to place it in its proper context. The Guildhall now argues that it cannot be blind to the fact that the history of the City of London is inextricably linked to slavery which is a stain on our past, and shockingly remains a feature of life today in many parts of the world, but it has made a sensible, proportionate, response to a sensitive issue.

It is evident that both official and nonofficial organizations have been responding too readily to noisy and aggressive minorities. It is time for them to be made aware that if they go too woke, they risk going broke.

Image: Pixabay

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Anyone who has spent a fair amount of time on the internet has invariably encountered some form of anti-Jewish rhetoric. In many ways, it has become fashionable to hate on the Jews again. Its a phenomenon that isnt just on the right or the left, contrary to popular belief, but reaches across the entire political spectrum. The difference now is that its no longer relegated to the fringes, but has gone mainstream.

Anti-Semitism is certainly nothing new. In Europes Middle Ages, Jews were blamed for everything from the crucifixion of Christ to spreading diseases by poisoning wells. Blood libel accusations asserted that Jews routinely kidnapped children and murdered them to use in their blood religious rituals.

According to historian Walter Laqueur, Altogether, there have been about 150 recorded cases of blood libel (not to mention thousands of rumors) that resulted in the arrest and killing of Jews throughout history, most of them in the Middle Ages. In almost every case, Jews were murdered, sometimes by a mob, sometimes following torture and a trial.

A defining feature of anti-Semitism is that its often rooted in conspiracy theories. One such conspiracy theory that has persisted in modern times is the belief that Jews control world politics. Much of this belief comes from a book published in Russia in 1905 titled the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. It has since been revealed to be a plagiarism of a French satire against Napoleon III called The Dialogue in Hell Between Machiavelli and Montesquieu by Maurice Joly. Despite being a hoax, the conspiracy has persisted.

A related conspiracy theory is Jewish (or Judeo) Bolshevism. Jewish Bolshevism is the belief that Jews are not only the originators of communism but dominate communist movements around the world. It was a belief held by Adolf Hitler who used the Jews as scapegoats to blame for Germanys many problems. The idea of Jewish Bolshevism is what in part ultimately led to the Holocaust.

Overall, only a small percentage of Jews were Bolsheviks. Most Jews were never communists, and most communists were never Jews.

Neither is Communism distinctly Jewish. It was never based on Judaism or Jewish tradition nor was it ever a Jewish sect. In actuality, Jewish communists intentionally tried to shed their Jewishness to become communists. They abandoned Jewish traditional, religion, and communal life. The Bolsheviks, including the Jewish Bolsheviks, were atheists and hostile to Judaism. They were communists first and foremost and cared little about Jewish concerns.

A prime example of this is the father of communism himself, Karl Marx. Marx was ethnically Jewish, but paradoxically anti-Semitic. In 1856 he wrote an article for the New York Tribune in which he stated:

We know that behind every tyrant stands a Jew, as a Jesuit stands behind every Pope. As the army of the Jesuits kills every free thought, so the desire of the oppressed would have chances of success, the usefulness of wars incited by capitalists would cease, if it were not for the Jews who steal the treasures of mankind. It is no wonder that 1856 years ago Jesus chased the usurers from the Jerusalem temple. They were like the contemporary usurers who stand behind tyrants and tyrannies. The majority of them are Jewish. The fact that the Jews have become so strong as to endanger the life of the world causes us to disclose their organization, their purpose, that its stench might awaken the workers of the world to fight and eliminate such a canker.

Anti-Semitism was a common feature of communism and many Jews themselves became victims of communism. There were anti-Semitic purges within most communist parties in the hopes of achieving national purification. Many prominent Jews who were a part of the early Bolshevik governments, including Bela Kun, Leon Trotsky, Karl Radek, among others, were either removed from power or murdered.

Stalin himself killed almost all of them and his anti-Semitism almost led to a Russian holocaust. In 1948, Stalin organized an anti-Semitic campaign based on a conspiracy called the doctors plot. Jewish doctors in Moscow were accused of conspiring to murder Soviet leaders. Jews were subsequently dismissed from their jobs and arrested. It is believed the case was intended to trigger mass repressions and deportations of Jews across the Soviet Union. However, when Stalin suddenly died the case was dropped and later declared to have been fabricated.

While Marx is considered the father of communism, his ideas werent developed in a vacuum. Marx was influenced by individuals such as Immanuel Kant, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Adam Smith, and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel among others. The seeds of Communism were essentially born out of European enlightenment thinkers, many of whom were not Jewish. On a side note, some of the greatest intellectual arguments against Marxism came from Jews like Ayn Rand, Milton Friedman, and Arthur Koestler.

Then theres Friedrich Engels. If Marx was the father of communism, then Engels could be considered its uncle. Engels worked hand-in-hand with Marx to help develop his ideas and was instrumental in getting two of Marxs final manuscripts of Das Kapital published after his death.

Engels was not Jewish, and neither were many prominent communists that succeeded him, including Mao Zedong, Pol Pot, Ho Chi Minh, the Kim family of North Korea, Che Guevara, and Fidel Castro among many others.

In summary, the origins of communism can be traced to the non-Jewish philosophers of the Age of Enlightenment. Its true, however, that many prominent Jews were involved with communism, largely due to the complex social factors of the time. We can certainly judge those Jews by their actions while not eternally condemning all Jews, many of whom had no connection with communism. It also does not make non-Jewish communists any less culpable for their part.

Image: Public Domain

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There are some folks out there who don't believe that Critical Race Theory exists. (This despite the fact that many organizations have unapologetically come forward admitting that it does.) Others believe it's just "teaching our history." (This despite the fact that we've been "teaching our history," more or less, warts and all, at least since I was in first grade, 36 years ago.) But I get it. It's a subjective term and hard to define. So let's get rid of the hard-to-define terms and go with some hard, factual examples.

This particular example doesn't come from the education sphere, but it does show how race (which, as a reminder, is a made-up construct  we all belong to only one race: the human race) has been "weaponized." And when everything is racist, nothing is racist.

It involves two "minorities" (again, I don't even know what that particular term really means, but it's what the left would like us to focus on, so I'll play the left's game for the purposes of this example and point it out), Lorena Gonzales, a Hispanic woman, and Bruce Harrell, a half-black, half-Japanese man.

The two are running for mayor of Seattle. Harrell said something a number of years ago when the gay white mayor at the time was accused by numerous men of child sexual molestation. (I don't care how much pigment is in your skin or whom you're attracted to, but since this is all about identity politics and that man was elected largely because he was the "gay candidate," I figure I'll include it in the narrative.)

Before all the facts had come to light and that mayor had resigned in disgrace after it was clear the allegations weren't just "a homophobic attack trying to paint all gay men as child sex abusers," Harrell came to his defense by speaking the unspeakable  namely, pointing out that we should, gasp, follow due process and not jump to any conclusions.

Because of Harrell's unspeakable comment, Gonzalez has launched a campaign ad using those and other things he's said out of context as well as having some other people insinuate that he is a "rape apologist."

Dirty politics is nothing new. What is fairly new is immediately defaulting to "YOU'RE A RACIST!!!" In this case, according to those deemed worthy to judge these things, Gonzalez is a racist because, apparently, there's some racist trope about black men being rapists, and Harrell is apparently black. (Not that I've ever given it any thought, but when I saw this article and was forced to think about his race, because I've known of Harrell for a number of years, my immediate thought was, "Isn't he Japanese?") It can't be that Gonzalez is just playing dirty politics that has nothing to do with Harrell's skin color  although it is good to know where black/Japanese men rank compared to Hispanic women the next time I'm playing "intersectionality bingo."

To bring this back to the beginning, CRT views all of history and socio-political relations through the lens of race. As I heard one proponent of CRT quip, "racism in America is like a pie; it's baked right in."

If someone cuts you off in traffic and you happen to be black, he's a racist. If you don't get a job, it's because the company is racist. The disproportionate number of black people in prison can only be attributed to racism. There can't possibly be another explanation. It can't be that the person who cut you off is a bad driver or rushing home because his wife just went into labor. It can't be that the other person was just more qualified, did a better job at interviewing, or provided better references. It can't be that over 90% of prison inmates grew up without a father.

If your opponent attacks you in an admittedly dirty way, it can't be that she's just doing what politicians have been doing since the dawn of time and just trying to get a shot in any way she can. It has to be that she's racist.

It's gotten so bad that it's almost comical. The L.A. Times ran a column calling Larry Elder "the black face of white supremacy." "#UncleTim" trended on Twitter after Senator Tim Scott gave the response to the State of the Union address. Joe Biden told voters "you ain't black" if you won't vote for him.

Examples like this make it clear that this has zero to do with race and everything to do with pushing a statist agenda. Those who get in line are everything that is good and holy in the world. Those who don't are racist.

We get what we focus on. If we want to be divided by race and all the other fun little boxes those who seek to control us are trying to put us in, we'll get those boxes and that division. Or we could follow the words of Morgan Freeman and just stop talking about it. There used to be rampant discrimination against Italians, Irish, and Catholics. Joe Biden's Catholicism was barely mentioned during the 2020 election.

If we don't seek to stop division, it will never be stopped. Let's say we "solve racism." People will just find another reason to divide themselves. (Read "The Butter Battle Book" by Dr. Seuss, which was an allegory for the then-raging Cold War but involved two groups at war over something as silly as whether they ate their toast butter side up or butter side down. Considering some of the silly things we see fights break out over, I'm not sure that would qualify as satire anymore.)

So the next time someone says something you perceive as mean or unfair, or cuts you off in traffic, or you lose out on a job or a table at a restaurant to someone else who happens to be of a different ethnicity, religion, sex, etc., you can throw yourself a pity party; call up the ACLU, NAACP, and whatever other acronym you can think of; and sue everyone in sight over the great tragedy  or you can think, "Hmm, that person must be having a bad day, or maybe he just has different opinions from mine, and it doesn't have a thing to do with the color of his skin or any other superficial difference that exists, and maybe I should see what I can do to bless him or what common ground we can find."

Image: stevepb via Pixabay, Pixabay license.

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From 1945 to the present day, the United States has been the world's dominant power, militarily, economically, and culturally. But a lot of people realize that this is changing, and soon, China will probably be the dominant power.

Perhaps you saw the news a few days ago about how Boston Celtics games have been removed from Chinese media after Celtics forward Enes Kantor made a video about the oppression of Tibet? As China is the NBA's biggest emerging market, it would be naive to think that Kantor isn't in for an unpleasant word from the Celtics' owner and/or manager.

Or perhaps you remember back in May how the actor and WWE wrestler John Cena was cajoled into telling his Chinese fans that he was "very sorry" for calling Taiwan a country? "I made a mistake," he said, "It's so, so, so, so, so, so important  I love and respect Chinese people ..."

When China is the world's dominant commercial power and also cares deeply about the ideological purity of those it does business with, it is only natural that the tendrils of the Chinese Communist Party will reach across the ocean and strangle freedom of speech in distant lands.

Despite the minor embarrassment of COVID-19, Chinese power and prestige are rising steeply. And let's be honest here: even COVID isn't as wholly Chinese a problem as some naive Americans like to think.

Were the Chinese scientists in the lab from which the virus probably escaped doing things that would have been illegal in the United States? You bet. But you've also got to remember that the experiments were funded by American government money, while American virologists like Anthony Fauci were talking up the need for "gain of function" research and downplaying its hazards.

Basically, what we are looking at is a joint Sino-American snafu. It is definitely not a case of the innocent USA being bitten without reason by the Chinese Communist Party.

But such is the changing of empires. The bumbling incompetence of the declining empire paves the way for a new empire to arise. The Chinese have always known this.

Also, when you look at its history and culture, you'll see that domination is China's destiny  in the past, regional domination, and in an increasingly likely future, global domination.

In name, the People's Republic of China is a socialist/communist country. But the slogan "Socialism with Chinese Characteristics" makes more sense if you read it the other way around: traditional Chinese statecraft with a thin veneer of socialism.

Communist rule in the Soviet Union and its satellites collapsed when their economies failed, and the mismatch between the utopian promises of communism and its dreary reality led their governing elites to lose faith in the communist worldview.

But this is a poor model for China's future because China has been headed away from that situation since the 1980s when Deng Xiaoping's reforms restored China's traditional form of political economy: a semi-controlled market economy led by authoritarian nationalist scholar-bureaucrats.

The fact that, for nearly two millennia, this system made China the wealthiest and most technologically advanced civilization in the world (with Europe's recent period of dominance being brief in comparison) should clue us in to its durability.

I put little stock in Western dreams that China's populace will someday rebel in pursuit of American-style personal freedoms. While China's history includes a long tradition of insurrections against governments that have failed to govern well (or that have lost the Mandate of Heaven, as the Chinese say), China's concept of what a government should be doing in the first place is different from the Western version.

The typical Chinese man wants his family to be well fed. He wants to have a fair chance at prospering in his trade. He wants his country to be free of bandits and marauding barbarians. He wants to avoid being robbed by nakedly corrupt officials. Deprive him of those things for long enough, and insurrections will boil up. This is what happened over and over again during the period from 1839 to 1949, which Maoists call the Century of Humiliations.

Starvation was common. Peasants were frequently robbed of everything they owned by landlords and other corrupt authorities. Barbarians were trashing the country.

The underclass responded in a variety of desperate ways. Some left everything behind to become "coolies" and work at low-wage jobs in places like Singapore and California. Others climbed out of poverty by making their daughters become prostitutes, or turning their sons into court eunuchs (and since they often couldn't afford a professional castration, they would do the job at home, with household tools.)

And from time to time, the peasants grew angry enough to launch rebellions  also an act of desperation, especially when you realize that, apart from World War II, the two bloodiest wars in recorded history were the successful uprising against the Ming dynasty in 1644 and the failed Taiping Rebellion of 18501864.

The Chinese will rebel when things like what happened during those awful years are allowed to go on for too long, and they have the Confucian classics to teach them that they are right to do so. But in ordinary times, they are conformists, and they care little for democratic government, freedom of speech, racial equality, or the right of minorities to practice eccentric religions.

Right now, by all historical standards, China is prospering. Life for most Chinese is good and getting better. Wages are up, social mobility is up, China is dominating the barbarians, and so forth. Most Westerners believe the Chinese are wrong to be content with this, but most Chinese do not care.

Now, one of the tragedies of China is that the Han Chinese majority aren't the only people who have to live in a country shaped by Chinese values. The Chinese system of government, at its high points, is strong, efficient, and ruthless. And when the Chinese are able to, they expand their civilization as far out into their surroundings as they can.

The Miao, Tibetans, Mongols, and Uighurs are just a few of the ethnic minorities who have had the misfortune of being caught under the treads of the expanding Chinese civilization. And unlike the Han, these people have little recourse to insurrection, so long as the ordinary Chinese, who vastly outnumber them, are content. Because while the Mandate of Heaven may be lost, it can never be split.

Hence China's intensely negative attitude toward Uighur and Tibetan separatists and its willingness to go to great lengths to make sure that other countries do not treat Taiwan as a full sovereign. This attitude toward "breakaway provinces" can be seen all over Chinese history, when the establishment of multiple kingdoms after a dynasty fell was never followed by lasting peace among them, but by near-constant warfare, which could continue for more than a century if that's what it took to reunite the realm.

What does this have to say about the future?

Well, since China's power is rising, and the United States is rapidly losing the ability to keep the Chinese at bay, we can expect them to go on a conquering spree.

Taiwan will be an early target, and for a variety of reasons, I'm not optimistic about its chances of survival. Then will come a century or so of Chinese hegemony. I do not think China is interested in directly conquering most of the world, any more than the United States was during the "American Century." But the global dominance of American culture will end.

Washington's habit of fomenting regime change in distant countries will likely be taken over by Beijing (leading to different kinds of regimes being changed), and China will also be free to instigate wars over oil and other natural resources. The continued expansion of the "One Belt One Road" program will lead to more and more infrastructure throughout the world being owned by China  and thus to more and more profits flowing back to the motherland.

This is the future that the collective West is heading toward unless we work up the courage to oppose Chinese hegemony.

Twilight Patriot also writes at www.twilightpatriot.com.

Image via Max Pixel.

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Attorney General Merrick Garland yesterday demonstrated that he is unfit for office as the nation's chief law enforcement officer, much less as a justice of the Supreme Court. Whatever reservations you may have about Mitch McConnell, be grateful that he kept this hack off the Supreme Court.

Garland basically stonewalled on all the difficult questions he faced. He defended his now notorious memo to the FBI, written in response (in four days!) to a letter from the National School Boards Association, even as GOP senators repeatedly pointed out that the NSBA now has apologized for it.

No apologies were forthcoming from Garland. Nor were yes or no answers to questions posed to him by Republicans who wanted them. A number of times, he used the "I can't remember" or "I didn't know" dodge.

A good example is this brief (under 4 minutes) interaction with Senator Tom Cotton, in which he defended the letter and failed to answer the basic point of why he called for the National Security Division of the FBI (which handles terrorism) to investigate those who complain about school boards.

Transcript via Grabien:

COTTON: "All right. All right. Judge, you've repeatedly  you've repeatedly dissembled this morning about that directive. For instance about The National security division. Chuck Grassley asked you a very simple question why you would sic The National security division of the Department of Justice on parents? John Cornyn asked you the same thing. You said it was in your October 4th memorandum, it was in another office's memorandum. It wasn't another office's memorandum, judge, it was in a press release from your office. Right here in front of me, October 4th 2021 for immediate release you're going to credit task force hat include The National security division. What on earth does The National security division have to do with parents who are expressing disagreements at school boards?"

GARLAND: "Nothing in this memorandum or any memorandum is about parents expressing disagreements with their school boards. The memorandum makes clear that parents are entitled and protected by the First Amendment. Vigorous debates, we don't  the Justice Department is not interested in that question at all." [crosstalk]

COTTON: "OK. So even in that case, what is The National security division, judge? These are people that are supposed to be chasing jihadist and Chinese spies. What does The National security division have to do with parents at school boards?"

GARLAND: "This is not, again, about parents at school boards, it's about the threats of violence."

COTTON: "OK. Let me  let me turn to that because you've said that phrase repeatedly throughout the morning, threats, violence and threats of violence, violence and threats of violence."

GARLAND: "Yeah."

COTTON: "We have heard it a dozen times this morning. As Senator Lee pointed out the very first line in your October 4th memorandum refers to harassment and intimidation. Why do you continue to dissemble in front of this commitee that you're only talking about violence and threats of violence when your memo says harassment and intimidation?"

GARLAND: "Senator, I said in my testimony that it involved other kinds of criminal conduct and the  and I explained to Senator Lee that the statutory definitions of those terms and the Constitutional definitions of the terms involve threats of violence." COTTON: "OK. Let's look at one of the statutes you cited."

GARLAND: "Yeah."

COTTON: "Section 223."

GARLAND: "Yeah."

COTTON: "That statute covers the use of not just phones but telecommunications devices to annoy  to annoy someone. So, are you going to sic your U.S. attorneys and the FBI on a parents group if they post on Facebook something that annoys a school board member, judge?"

GARLAND: "Well, the answer to that is no. And the provision that I was particularly drawing to his attention was 2261 a wich was to engage "

COTTON: "I wasn't talking about 2261 a. I know you mentioned that. You also mentioned 223, that's what I mentioned."

GARLAND: "Yeah. But the " [crosstalk]

COTTON: "Judge you also told  you also told Senator Klobuchar that this memorandum was about meetings and coordination."

GARLAND: "Yeah."

COTTON: "Meetings and coordination."

GARLAND: "Yeah."

COTTON: "What I have in my hand right here, that I'll submit to the record, a letter from one of your U.S. attorneys to all of the county attorneys to the attorney general to all sheriffs, to the school board association of his state in which he talks about federal investigation and prosecution. It's not about meetings, it's not about coordinations, it's about federal investigation and prosecution."

GARLAND: "I "

COTTON: "Did  did you direct your U.S. attorneys to issue such a letter?"

GARLAND: "I did not. I have not seen that letter. My " [crosstalk]

COTTON: "It's got three pages. It's got three pages "

GARLAND: "My memorandum "

COTTON: " of spreadsheet about all the federal crimes that a  that a parent can be charged with, to include the one you cited. Did  did "

GARLAND: "My memorandum "

COTTON: "Did main justice make this spreadsheet, judge?"

GARLAND: "I don't have any idea. My memorandum speaks specifically about setting up meetings and I'll just read it again, convene meetings "

COTTON: "Judge, we  we've all read your memorandum."

GARLAND: "Then you know what I "

COTTON: "We've also heard you dissemble about your memorandum."

Garland looked old, and sometimes his voice shook a little, but he was basically unflappable, as if he knew he could never be impeached, and he was doing the dirty work that the establishment wants.

The highlights for me were the denunciations he received from several Republican senators.

Here is Josh Hawley, who was particularly impressive:

Sen. Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) to AG Merrick Garland at Wednesday's hearing: "You have weaponized the FBI and the DOJ... It's wrong, it's unprecedented to my knowledge in the history of this country, and I call on you to resign." pic.twitter.com/y1r8oIbOPs  Newsmax (@newsmax) October 27, 2021

And here is Ted Cruz, who really ripped into Garland toward the close of the hearing.

There were others, including Mike Lee and John Kennedy, who did good work exposing the slipperiness of Garland.

But in the end, he stood his shaky ground and never lost his cool.

He's a stand-up guy for the mob that sees the Constitution as an obstacle to its power-grab.

Photo credit: YouTube screen grab.

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The board of directors of the state-owned Alaska Railroad has voted unanimously to rescind the vaccination mandate it had imposed on employees just days earlier. According to the Anchorage Daily News, last Friday, it had emailed employees:

Over the last six weeks, we've carefully reviewed additional EO guidelines and our interactions with federal agencies to determine if the Alaska Railroad is affected. We are. As a federal contractor, ARRC must meet this standard[.]

The railroad stands to lose millions of dollars a year in federal contracts and grants, and possibly access to Forest Service land housing some facilities. This is no small item for a company with only $209 million in revenue in 2019.

The move is a stunning turnaround and must reflect both threats of loss of vital personnel and political support for the move from the state's politicians.

Alaska Railroad board members who voted to block the mandate said during Tuesday's virtual meeting that they were deeply reluctant to require vaccinations of employees. "We've been put in a very difficult position by the federal government," said John Shively, board chair. "There's not a single board member that likes this at all," he said. "I think it might be premature to do something that ultimately could be harmful to Alaska railroad families and the railroad itself," added John Binkley, the board member who proposed the stop-order. "We have one of our U.S. senators that has implored us and others within the state of Alaska not to make these decisions until there is more certainty on what direction is the country is headed on this," Binkley said during Tuesday's meeting, referencing comments U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan made in a speech on the Senate floor last week.

Currently, 52.6% of the railroad's 692 employees are vaccinated, well below the national average.

According to KTUU:

Bill O'Leary, CEO of the Alaska Railroad, said on Tuesday that the board members "in no way relish" implementing a vaccine mandate, but the corporation risked losing contracts worth millions of dollars as it "certainly" fits the definition of being a federal contractor." Compliance with an order that has the effect of federal law, and the risk to key revenue and capital funding sources, drives us to such an implementation," he said. The railroad owns significant real estate holdings across Alaska. The General Services Administration, a federal agency, informed the railroad earlier in the month that its lease agreement would need to be amended to ensure all employees are vaccinated. If it wasn't amended, the agency would not renew its contract. The GSA contract is worth over $1 million, O'Leary said, and there are other contracts at risk. The railroad ships military goods to Fort Wainwright and Eielson Airforce Base and coal from Fairbanks. Sullivan said via email that, without a vaccine mandate, the railroad could lose between $8-$10 million in revenue from hauling annually.

The company apparently sees legal challenges to the mandate as justifying the defiance, at least for now:

"The board rescinded the requirement and may revisit it, depending on what happens with the legal actions that have come to light since we (sent the letter out) late Friday afternoon," Sullivan said, citing an amended complaint to a lawsuit filed by the Arizona attorney general to block the mandate. "We expect that there will be other legal actions and we're waiting to see what the courts do," he said.

Most of the line was actually built by the United States Government, which purchased an existing financially troubled short railroad from the port of Seward and extended it inland hundreds of miles, to the town of Fairbanks. It was run by the feds until it was sold to the State of Alaska in 1985.

So far, the courts have not been kind to efforts to halt the mandate.

The AP reported:

The U.S. Supreme Court declined Tuesday [October 19] to block a vaccine requirement imposed on Maine health care workers, the latest defeat for opponents of vaccine mandates.

The Epoch Times reported:

A federal judge in Texas on Tuesday threw out a request brought by a union that represents Southwest Airlines pilots to block the company from carrying out its COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA), which has some 9,000 members, filed a lawsuit earlier this month to prevent the carrier from mandating that its workers get vaccinated against COVID-19 by Dec. 8 under federal rules, barring religious or medical exemptions. The union had argued that the carrier had illegally changed work rules instead of negotiating with pilots, and in doing so, violated a federal labor law  the Railway Labor Act, which governs airline-labor relations and its collective bargaining agreement. In dismissing the union's request to temporarily block the company mandate, U.S. District Judge Barbara Lynn wrote that the COVID-19 vaccination requirement for Southwest employees would "likewise improve the safety of air transportation, efficiency of Southwest's operations." The mandate would also "further the [collective bargaining agreement's] goal of safe and reasonable working conditions for pilots," the judge wrote in her 25-page ruling on Tuesday. "In addition, because Southwest is a federal contractor, the Vaccine Policy is required by law," the judge added.

I anticipate this issue will eventually end up in the Supreme Court, but unless more companies follow the lead of the Alaska Railroad, it may be moot in most companies and agencies by the time a decision is reached.

Photo credit: Frank Kovalcheck, CC BY 2.0 license.

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With Virginia's gubernatorial election only a week away and the polls between the leading candidates narrowing, desperate Democrats have opted to go low, throwing all they have at Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin, hoping something sticks.

The object of focus is the novel Beloved, authored by the late Toni Morrison in 1987. It is a story of a family of former slaves that features explicit descriptions of bestiality, sex, violence, and infanticide.

A recent Youngkin advertisement featured a mother who in 2013 waged a legal battle against Beloved being included in the curriculum for her young son after he claimed that the novel gave him nightmares.

In the advert, the woman narrates how she took her concerns to the Republican-led General Assembly of Virginia. Then, in 2016, the Assembly passed the bipartisan bill called the "Beloved bill" that gave parents the right to let their children opt out of sexually explicit readings. The bill was supported by Republicans and 18 Democratic lawmakers. But then-governor Terry McAuliffe vetoed the bill on two separate occasions.

Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin raised concerns about the book's use in high schools.

It may seem like stating the obvious, but parents should have the right to decide what is right for their kids, irrespective of the artistic merit or historical context of a book. Studies have shown that violent or sexually explicit material has a detrimental effect on the mental health of young children.

However, desperate Democrat candidate Terry McAuliffe branded these concerns as a "racist dog whistle." Coming from a man from the party of Ralph Northam, it's kind of rich.

There are others who are making false claims that Youngkin and the concerned mother want to impose a ban on the book when they merely wanted it removed from the syllabus.

When a Democrat is part of any election, it isn't a matter of if, but when the race card is played.

Once upon a time, a time that most humans probably cannot remember, to brand anybody a bigot was a serious matter. To ascribe bigotry, there needed to be ironclad evidence of a consistent record of pejorative attitudes and discrimination against individuals or group owning their race, nationality, religion, ethnicity, etc.

For instance, since its founding in 1829, the Democratic Party fought against every major civil rights initiative and has a long history of discrimination. The Democratic Party defended slavery that caused the Civil War. Democrats opposed Reconstruction, founded the Ku Klux Klan, imposed segregation, perpetrated lynching, and fought the civil rights acts of the 1950s and 1960s.

That is beyond any doubt the description of an organization that was systemically racist.

To take a comparable parallel, in South Africa, the National Party that was voted to power in 1948 immediately enforced policies of racial segregation. Race laws were enforced that denied basic human rights, resources, and wealth to South Africans. Interracial marriages were illegal, blacks could not vote, and they had to carry identity cards at all times. This was known as the Apartheid era in South Africa and was undeniably and systemically racist.

What do we have today?

There are left-wing organizations such as BLM whose existence is based on a claimed prevalence of racism in modern society. They have appointed themselves the moral authorities matters of race. They certify who is racist and who is not. Whenever there is a high-profile occurrence that highlights racial discrimination, it often results in a spike in their donations. Consequently, they are always on the lookout for occurrences through the prism of race, hoping that one of the incidents will cause massive outrage that will result in more donations.

They often make exaggerated claims that race relations are at their worst now, conveniently ignoring the eras of slavery and segregation. The frenzy they create prevents any rational discussion. Quite often, people donate and support handsomely to be regarded as "one of the good ones."

When they cannot find acts of racism, they invent "dog whistles."

Dog whistles are defined as a subtly aimed political message intended for and understandable only by a particular demographic group. This has often been used as a tool by real bigots because they cannot euphemistically express their bigotry in the open.

However, the left has hijacked the term to brand even the most innocuous of acts and their opponents as racists.

If you are critical of President Obama's policies, you're doing it because you don't approve of a "person of color" in the White House.

If you thought Meghan Markle's exit from the British royal family while retaining all her royal privileges was hypocritical, again, you are a racist.

Concepts from the 1980s and 1990s like "law and order" and "inner city"  phrases well used by Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush  have been called racist dog whistles.

It has reached a point that anybody who stands up to the Democrats is branded a racist and even a White supremacist.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, the self-proclaimed civil rights leader, told Politico that Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, who have said they oppose scrapping the filibuster, are "in effect supporting racism."

When a nonwhite man, Larry Elder, challenges Democrat governor Gavin Newsom in an electoral race, he is called the Black face of white supremacy.

When someone is accused of bigotry, the instinct is to be shocked by the allegation. Quite often, the individual takes two steps back.

Most people do not have the time or the financial means in the form of legal fees to fight these scurrilous allegations. They also do not want to be ostracized by society or be rendered unemployed. Hence, they choose to retire into silence hoping to keep the mob away.

To silence opponents and compel them into submission has always been the objective of the left by fabricating allegations of racism.

However, if they really were against racism, they would respect every nonwhite individual for his choices. Larry Elder would have been confronted on principle, not for the color of his skin.

This is another form of bigotry, where they support only those minority groups who endorse their worldview. If individuals from that group develop a mind of their own and oppose them, they are castigated and even physically attacked as Larry Elder was.

The result of these overstatements and fabrications is that the water has been muddied. For instance, since the neo-Nazis, the KKK, and Larry Elder are all termed as equally racist, the neo-Nazis and the KKK, who really have a record of racism, get a pass. News consumers think if they can accuse a nonwhite man of being a white supremacist, perhaps they are fabricating charges against others as well.

The seriousness of the charge has been diminished owing to frivolous over-usage. Hence, confronting and eventually eradicating real bigotry is almost impossible.

The left, perhaps unwittingly, enables, empowers, and protects racists, because if everyone is racist, nobody is.

Image: Pixabay, Pixabay License.

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"My definition of a man's man is a man who knows gun safety, and we all did."

Kurt Vonnegut

Reality is often stranger than fiction.

A few days ago, Alex Baldwin, an outspoken Hollywood political activist, shot and killed his cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, on the set of Rust in New Mexico. Early press reports characterized the incident as a "prop" (property department) gun "misfire," immediately establishing a narrative suggesting that the shooter was innocent while the gun or safety procedures were at fault. As reporting escalated, the yarn changed to blame the assistant director, who reportedly handed Baldwin a "cold" gun  with a hot round.

Some reports suggest that the set "armorer" was to blame. Armorer is one of those Hollywood featherbed jobs you see in film credits that is supposed to ensure firearm safety on location. Why the safety gal wasn't checking weapons, hot or cold, has yet to be explained.

Baldwin apparently fired the gun while "practicing" or rehearsing for the next take. So far, there is no discussion of what kind of gun training is required for actors like Baldwin before they are allowed to handle weapons on set. There is no filmed record of the shooting, either  or so we are told.

Press reporting doesn't explain why real weapons and live ammunition are required to film yet another horse opera. A true cowboy "prop" gun would be a reproduction revolver, not a lethal weapon. The use of the adjective "prop" to describe a weapon that kills someone is a little like using the adjective "accidental" to describe a drug overdose or, worse still, a suicide.

Such is the reality of reporting and media servility today. To date, the polite phrase for press coverage of the latest Baldwin controversy might be "cover-up"  indeed, another bravo sierra fake news story in progress.

Alex Baldwin is a press darling, a Hollywood activist, an acerbic liberal with a history of verbal child abuse, public thuggery, anger management issues, and vulgar outbursts. Baldwin has fantasized aloud about beating up the president of the United States. Just last November, he recommended "Bury Trump in a Nazi graveyard and put a swastika on his grave."

Given what we know about the shooting, the most generous assessment possible of the Hutchins tragedy is negligent homicide. Put aside for a moment, if you can, Baldwin's history as an angry public bully. Alas, if you pull the trigger, you are ultimately responsible for the bullet.

Any other judgment is a bold lie, an excuse, or both.

A kid who has been through a basic NRA gun safety course knows the difference between a live round and a blank. A bullet doesn't look like a blank.

Adults know the difference between a hot and a cold gun, too, especially a revolver, where ammunition is clearly visible, even without spinning the cylinder.

A slick-sleeve military private knows to clear any weapon before and after use.

A child with basic gun safety training knows also that you never point a hot or cold gun at somebody or something you don't intend to shoot.

And even a novice knows that you don't pull the trigger, for fun or practice, on an empty gun. Dropping the hammer on an empty chamber can damage the gun and make it unsafe.

There are two grim speculations to be made here in light of known labor and safety problems on set. The Rust cast might have been using the guns for target practice during downtime, and a live round was left in the gun  or some malcontent salted the "prop" guns with live rounds as some kind of sick message to management. In any case, press reporting to date doesn't pass the smell test.

Ultimately, the man with his finger on the trigger is responsible for any gun "misfire" or "accident." A single-action revolver must be cocked to fire, a deliberate act. Calling Baldwin's negligence a "misfire" is another example of fake news, a lame attempt to blame the inanimate and exonerate the culprit. Sadly, given what we know about liberal politics, Hollywood mores, and celebrity social accountability these days, the Hutchins family may get compensation but in the end will see little justice.

The author is a career military veteran and erstwhile hunter who usually writes about national security.

Image: Alec Baldwin. YouTube screen grab.

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Humans yearn for heroes who are good role models for their children to imitate, and whom adults respect and admire. Ben Shapiro, a good such role model, is a prolific conservative writer who has the courage to tell the truth despite an onslaught by an ignorant emotional cancel culture steeped in dysfunctional Marxist-like ideology.

Ben embodies the traits of a practical truth warrior who sincerely believes in the Constitution, individual rights, individual responsibility, a meritocracy, and a smart hard work ethic. He has a desire to promulgate conservative values to the general public. He is an inspiration to future political leaders and does so through a digital news organization called the Daily Wire, which I highly recommend that you support with a monetary subscription.

Ben recently moved out of California to Florida, where he now is living and can express his views with a little more security, although he is forced to have a security detail around him when he travels to university campuses and elsewhere. The Daily Wire was also moved to Nashville, Tennessee, which is more conservative than California and has less taxation.

Ben's Orthodox Judaism has strong patriarchal traditions, but Ben has had the courage to hire females like Candace Owens and Allison Williams, who left ESPN because she refused to comply with the company's COVID-19 vaccine requirement for employees. Allison is being allowed to explore issues that other media outlets feel are taboo.

Ben has authored four popular books to date, two of which are bestsellers: Facts Don't Care About Your Feelings, The Authoritarian Movement: How the Left Weaponized America's Institutions Against Dissent, How to Destroy America in Three Easy Steps, and The Right Side of History: How Reason and Moral Purpose Made the West Great.

Currently, Ben has 3.78 million subscribers on YouTube and over 2,000 videos. To say he is a renowned prolific political pundit is an understatement.

Ben does not fear appearing with journalists and taking questions from audience members who have opposing views. He is quick-thinking, a quick talker, and a good debater. But he has a stated reluctance to answer questions from formal interviewers, who have a distinct ideological condescending bias, who try to take comments out of context to character-assassinate a guest interviewee, and who refuse to answer some counter-questions that would reveal the interviewer's biases.

History of Ben Shapiro to date. Ben could be considered a precocious prodigy. At the age of 17, in 1991, Ben became the youngest syndicated columnist in the United States. He published two books before the age of 21 out of a total of 11 books published so far. For about 30 years, Ben has been a conservative political commentator, media host, and political debater  and has made more than a handful of mistakes along the way in his choice of words, but he was man enough to own up to them with explanations.

Currently, he serves as editor emeritus for The Daily Wire and works like the Energizer bunny, putting out a lot of politically relevant video content. Check Ben out if you haven't already done so. You shouldn't be disappointed, since he is a man with integrity whom you can admire and respect even though you may not agree with him all the time. He has truly earned the title of a truth warrior and conservative dynamo.

Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.

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As I follow the cover-up in nearby Loudoun County Public Schools of the rape of a young girl by a transgender classmate, I am not as surprised as others by the school board's mendacity.

In the spring of 2015, an incident occurred in one of my high school English classes. A young man asked for permission to go to the bathroom. I gave him permission reluctantly because he had already established a history as one who "took advantage" of bathroom passes.

When the male student returned to my class some fifty minutes later, I opened the door and told him to get a pass from the office because he had once again abused the privilege. The young man grabbed me and shoved me aside so he could return to his seat. I pushed the intercom button in my room and waited for the office to reply. When they asked me how they could help, I told them that I had been shoved aside by the male student and needed the school bouncers (administrative assistants) to remove him from my class.

I wrote an office referral for the young man, citing his bathroom pass abuse and shoving me aside. The administration at my high school wanted to treat this incident as a minor infraction. If I had done to the young man what he did to me, I would have been severely disciplined or fired.

I told the administration that I wanted to file assault charges against the young man who had grabbed me and pushed me aside. I then went to the county police officer assigned to my high school to file charges with him. He told me that he would not assist me in the matter. He told me that I would have to go to a police station to make the complaint. I made plans to do just that.

During the last period of the day when I was going to report the assault, a teacher appeared at my door, instructing me to see the principal. She told me she would handle my class until the end of the period.

When I reached the principal's office, she ushered me in to find another administrator and the young man. She told me she could not stop me from filing a complaint, but she hoped a chat and apology might change my mind.

The principal told me she had counseled the young man and that he now understood how wrong he had been in shoving me aside. She then invited the young man to speak for himself. He told me he was already in trouble with the law and that my complaint would mean more trouble, perhaps even incarceration. He told me he and his family were in the country illegally and that my report could have negative implications for his family.

My boss, the principal, made it clear to me that my report to the police would not please her. I chose to accept the young man's apology and avoid the principal's displeasure. I have since retired, but my incident, like the incidents in Loudoun County, reminds me that the safety of students and staff is not the top priority in our public schools.

Image: Cure Juvenile Delinquency pamphlet, 1936. Library of Congress; public domain.

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There are so many ways progressivism has become hazardous to a person's health that it's hard to figure out where to begin. Progressive policies range from being soft on crime to open borders to defunding the police to transgenderism and even to abortion (which is hazardous to the unborn). Even the vaccine mandate carries profound risks. One can take virtually any progressive issue and connect the dots to see how it threatens not just health, but life itself.

As I write, the news is reporting that a "Guatemalan migrant allegedly killed a Florida girl." The illegal alien was apparently a DUI heading to buy more beer when he crashed into another car, killing a five-year-old girl. This flows directly from Biden's open borders policy. Other hazards from the policy are unvaccinated illegals, criminal illegals, human-trafficking, and drug cartels bringing in fentanyl, a highly lethal painkiller responsible for an epidemic of American deaths.

In less than a year, over 1.7 million illegals have entered America, with 2 million projected by year's end, the most in U.S. history. And there's always the possibility that terrorists will enter, too, creating the risk of another 9/11, with massive death and destruction. Trump's administration reduced the flow of illegals to the smallest number in recent history.

When it comes to being soft on crime and defunding the police, it can be demonstrated that crime in America is skyrocketing, and not just petty crime like theft, but violent crime like murder. The Defund the Police movement that began with George Floyd's death, a movement supposedly started in the name of "social justice," has ended like almost all things progressive: it didn't accomplish anything and ended up putting many people at risk. This can be demonstrated by the empirical evidence that there's been a record 30% increase year over year in homicides in the United States.

George Soros, the mega-bucks leftist donor, has been funding election campaigns for progressive prosecutors for years. In Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, where his candidates are in place, prosecutors seek ridiculously light sentences or decide not to charge criminals at all. The results have gotten so bad that, in Los Angeles and San Francisco, there are powerful movements to recall these Soros prosecutors because of the damage their policies are inflicting on the general population. Meanwhile, the New York Times reported that, under the Soros-installed prosecutor Larry Krasner in Philadelphia, homicides have spiked 40%.

Progressives have been pushing transgenderism hard in recent years. Amazon is banning books describing how transgenderism harms people, especially teenagers, and Twitter de-platforms people for speaking out against the absurdity of transgenderism. In Loudoun County, Virginia, a "gender fluid" boy in a skirt raped a ninth-grade girl in a school bathroom, and the school district covered up the crime. This is not the first instance of so-called "transgender women" sexually assaulting women and girls. This site has numerous examples.

As for vaccine mandates creating hazards to one's health, hundreds of health care workers across America, especially nurses, have been forced to leave their profession if they don't get vaccinated. Although there's been a nursing shortage for a while, now it's getting closer to a crisis situation, where the world-class medical facility the Cleveland Clinic is now offering extraordinary incentives to nurses to work overtime.

With such a dire shortage, it's easy to see how the potential for understaffing or mistakes by an overworked and tired nurse can put patients at risk. It seems as if it will be just a matter of time until a tragedy occurs because of this. By analogy, the movie lot on which Alec Baldwin killed the director of photography has been described as an accident waiting to happen because of shortcuts on the set. The CEO of the Cleveland Clinic, Tom Mihaljevic, has even expressed his reluctance to impose a vaccine mandate for fear of endangering patient care.

Finally, some twisted form of progressivism brought death to thirteen Americans as Biden ignored his military advisers and stuck to an arbitrary hard deadline withdrawing from abandoning  along the way releasing dangerous prisoners and abandoning Bagram Airfield, which would have ensured the safety of American citizens left behind and U.S. military personnel. The safety of those still there now that there's been a total withdrawal remains in question, and no one knows if the situation will end well or in another tragedy.

Looking at the big picture and connecting the dots from progressive policies and mandates when implemented, the results are clear: progressivism is hazardous to your health.

Image: Empty hospital by Ante Samarzija (cropped). Unsplash license.

To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here.
Jaguar and Honda pay Tesla millions for credits to pretend to meet E.U. rules governing emissions. It doesn't reduce the emissions from the vehicles at all.

In the U.S., GM, Ford, Chrysler, and other car companies sell gas-guzzling vehicles that consumers want and then buy credits from Tesla to pretend they reduce their carbon footprint to comply with California or U.S rules. The emissions from the vehicles are exactly the same, but who cares?

Tesla buyers get a $7,000 subsidy from the federal government, but the company also makes a killing from selling pieces of paper: $1.15 billion in the first nine months this year. And now the company has a one-trillion-dollar market value.



Stylish but subsidized.

John Kerry, Obama, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, the Royal Family, Oprah, and others live in multiple mansions, fly in private jets, ride in gas-guzzlers, and have yachts as they lecture others about their carbon footprint and pretend to care. Sometimes they even pay to plant trees and buy electric cars as they pretend to reduce their carbon footprint.

Should rich people get tax credits for buying electric toys to pretend they care about their carbon footprint?

Tesla to Help Jaguar Land Rover Meet EU Emissions Criteria

Tesla could also see a "year end revenue boost" from also helping Jaguar Land Rover meet EU rules governing emissions, according to a new report by Bloomberg. Tesla is reportedly going to be pooling all of its EVs that it sells in the EU with vehicles from the Tata Motors-owned manufacturer, a new report, citing a filing on the European Commission's website, says. JLR is following in the footsteps of Honda, who also reached a pooling agreement with Tesla about a year ago, the report says. JLR had set aside $48 million for fines from failing to meet EU emissions rules last year. This year, it said it expects to meet its targets. It'll help continue a longstanding tradition for Tesla of generating billions in revenue from helping other auto manufacturers meet emissions regulations. Tesla's top line benefitted to the tune of about $1.15 billion in the first nine months of this year from this practice.

Photo credit: lobrpeis, Pixabay license.

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We've been busy following caravans traveling through Mexico to the U.S. This week, we got a reminder that violence is still out of control south of the border. This is a post by Jeremy Kryt:

Two foreign female tourists were caught in a crossfire between rival crime groups and shot to death last Thursday in the high-end resort town of Tulum, Mexico. Three other people were also wounded when the firefight broke out in the popular restaurant, La Malquerida, not far from the beach. Of the two women who were killed, one was from Germany and the other India. "They were just in the wrong place at the wrong time, and got caught in an exchange of gunfire between competing drug traffickers," said a high-ranking Mexican police commander, who agreed to speak with The Daily Beast on the condition of anonymity. "It's a sad mistake for the victims, but such cases are not rare or unusual anymore [in and around Tulum]. When a firefight breaks out no one is safe," the commander said.

Yes, the sad result of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It happens, but it's not really supposed to happen to tourists visiting your country and dropping hard currency into your economy.

Tulum, a resort known for its Mayan-era ruins and pretty beaches, is quite popular with celebrities. Unfortunately, there is been some violence recently, as the article pointed out:

An American firefighter was kidnapped and murdered from an all-inclusive resort in July. In June, another American was wounded in a shooting that killed two other people when gunmen opened fire from jet skis. A man was executed outside a law office in Cancun this August, prompting additional headlines about how violence "continues to take over" in the region. A report by Mexican news outlet La Reforma, from earlier this year, indicated that at least five cartels are now operating in the Riviera Maya and reports of violent crime in Tulum alone had gone up 783 percent since 2019.

For years, I heard my Mexican friends say the Mexican government will never allow violence in tourist locations. In other words, they don't want to scare the tourists, and their dollars, away. Based on what we are watching in Tulum, it looks like the cartels have moved their operations anywhere they want to move them to. If so, then Mexico has more problems than we thought it had.

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).

Image: Public Domain Pictures.

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The position of the left is well known by now: your speech is violence; their violence is speech. Moreover, even your silence is violence. If you disagree with them on any point, then you are not merely mistaken; you are evil. And if you are evil, you must be shouted down and silenced. Worse yet, you must be punished, made to be an example, lest others neglect to fear the power of the left.

These are the hallmarks of a terrorist philosophy. Such a philosophy not only excuses violence but requires it, from both sides. After all, the Nazis and Imperialist Japanese of the 1940s were not dissuaded by reasoned debate from committing massive atrocities. They persisted in their crimes against humanity until so many of them had been killed that their ability to continue had been physically destroyed.

What makes us think the present leftist philosophy leads to any different outcome?

Mine is not advocacy of violence; it is recognition that leftists will continue vilifying us until they themselves take the next step, which is ideological genocide. They have been progressing in this direction for many years, and now, they have finally found themselves at the fork in the road, where they face either total and final defeat, or else they must inflict that defeat on us.

In 2016, the Dark State was exposed for what it is, when President Trump was elected. In 2020, it was all going to be over for the left unless the left took brazen and unrestrained action to steal the election. Leftists did so right on camera. They then somehow convinced weak-kneed Republican officials to disbelieve their own eyes and not to make a fuss. Afterward, they incited a small number of people to protest inside the Capitol, creating the Reichstag moment they needed to crack down on conservatives. Eventually, they were down to the school board level, accusing concerned parents of terrorism.

The leftists find themselves on a roll and are rapidly ensconcing themselves in positions of power where they will have total and permanent control, not only in government, but in all critical institutions of society.

The final step, as they see it, will be the "mopping-up" operations, where the few remaining bastions of opposition will be crushed.

That is what we are up against. We hope we can win elections and turn back the tide, but assuredly, the people who control the counting of votes are the very same people who corrupt the elections.

Our backs are to the top of the cliff. Short of a miracle, short of a mass awakening of the citizenry, the American dream will have ended. We hope for peace, but at the same time, we cannot value peace, or even life itself, more than we value freedom. We, too, are at a fork in the road, and to paraphrase President Reagan, there is no easy solution, only a simple one.

Image: Carsten Tolkmit via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.

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MediaTek and Qualcomm are both hard at work on their respective next-gen flagship smartphone chipsets. Supposedly called Dimensity 2000 and Snapdragon 898 respectively, the two upcoming processors have been subject to multiple leaks over the past few months, revealing a lot of information. Noted Chinese tipster Digital Chat Station last week shared their key specs and it mostly appeared to be an even match. The same source has now revealed that the two chipsets will employ the same ARM architecture. We are talking about the latest, V9 architecture that ARM launched earlier this year.

There have been hints at both Dimensity 2000 and Snapdragon 898 using the new V9-based Cortex CPUs  Cortex X2 high-performance super core, Cortex A710 mid-core, and Cortex A510 power-efficient low-performance CPU core  in the past as well. But we now have confirmation from a pretty reliable source.

The earlier leak revealed that the Dimensity 2000 will have one Cortex X2 super core clocked at 3.0GHz, three Cortex A710 mid-cores clocked at 2.85GHz, and four Cortex A510 power-efficient CPU cores at 1.8GHz. The Snapdragon 898 is also said to offer identical clock speeds for its Cortex X2 super core and Cortex A510 low-performance cores. But it lags in middle cores, with a reported maximum frequency of 2.5GHz.

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That shouldnt overly affect the raw CPU performance though. So the real difference between the two upcoming SoCs may come down to the GPU performance. The Snapdragon 898 will employ an Adreno 730 GPU while the Dimensity 2000 will feature ARMs Mali-G710 MC10 GPU.

The manufacturing process may also have a say in the overall performance. Though both are 4nm chipsets, they will be manufactured by two different companies. Qualcomm is tapping Samsung for manufacturing the Snapdragon 898. The Korean firm doesnt have the best reputation when it comes to the power efficiency and thermal management capabilities of its chipsets. Perhaps thats why the TSMC-made Dimensity 2000 will be a strong 20 percent more power-efficient than the Qualcomm counterpart.

MediaTek and Qualcomm are battling hard to emerge as the best

The chip war between MediaTek and Qualcomm is heating up nicely. The former has overtaken the latter as the biggest smartphone chipset vendor in the world in recent years. But when it comes to the flagship segment, Qualcomm still holds an upper hand. MediaTek is now looking to topple the American giant for once and all with the Dimensity 2000 SoC. And if leaks and rumors are anything to go by, we are in for quite a battle here. Well keep you posted.
Sony hasnt enjoyed much success in the smartphone business in recent years. But the Japanese company has continued to battle hard and the efforts are now seemingly starting to pay off. Sony published its quarterly financial results for the quarter ending September 2021 earlier today and there are a few positive takeaways as far as its smartphone division is concerned.

According to the report, Sonys mobile division generated a sales revenue of Japanese yen (JPY) 99.1 billion (approx. $872.3 million) during the period between July to September 2021, i.e. second fiscal quarter. Thats up a strong 25 percent from JPY 79.1 billion (approx. $696.3 million) it generated during the same period last year.

Sonys mobile division generated less revenue in fiscal Q1 2021 than Q1 2020. It registered a JPY 12.8 billion (~$112.6 million) loss in revenue between the two periods. If you see the results for 2018 and 2019, things look even worse. The company saw a JPY 37.1 billion (~$2.4 billion) retraction in Q2 2019 as compared to Q2 2018.

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So a 25 percent year-on-year (YoY) growth in revenue from the smartphone division is a big positive for Sony. It will now be looking to build on this success going forward.

Sonys smartphone division is en route to recovery

Sony recently made a few strategic decisions to try and recover its dying smartphone business. The company is now focusing on premium and flagship segments with pro-grade cameras being the primary selling point. Its latest offering, the Xperia Pro I, is the best smartphone camera ever, Sony claims. And sure enough, these camera-focused phones have sold well among their target audience and have helped the company gain steam en route to recovery.

The Japanese electronics giants smartphone business returned to profitability for the first time in four years in 2020. This reignited hope inside the company, which has since gone on to post even more impressive results.

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Sony didnt provide a breakdown of smartphone shipments in its latest earnings report. However, the company suggested that it registered a growth in sales volume as well. And considering the ongoing semiconductor chip shortage, which has affected smartphone sales globally, thats an impressive feat, more so for a struggling company.

This chip shortage will likely continue to impact the smartphone industry for the foreseeable future. So Sony has its task cut out to try and repeat this success in subsequent quarters. But the company now surely sees the light at the end of the tunnel. Time will tell where Sonys mobile division heads from here on.
Posted on: October 28, 2021 12:43 PM

Indigenous peoples and youth, as well as climate resilience and just financing, are priorities for the Anglican Communion at COP26.

Indigenous peoples and youth, as well as climate resilience and just financing, are at the heart Anglican engagement with the United Nations Climate Change Conference, according to the Anglican Communions COP26 Policy Brief. The 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) will be hosted by the UK government in Glasgow from 31 October to 12 November.

The policy brief, published this week, was written by the Anglican Consultative Councils COP26 Working Group, whose membership is drawn from the Anglican Communion Environmental Network, Anglican Indigenous Network, Anglican Youth Network, Anglican Alliance, Lambeth Palace and the Anglican Communion Office at the United Nations. The Working Group is chaired by the Archbishop of Central America and the Anglican Communion lead archbishop on the environment, Archbishop Julio Murray.

The policy priorities brought by the Anglican Communion are climate resilience and just financing. The brief says: Building climate resilience is a necessary, practical, and pragmatic response to build communities adaptive capacity to withstand both acute climate shocks and stressors, such as hurricanes or wildfires, and long-term, slow-onset events, such as shrinking water resources and rising sea levels. It also says that just financing must be a core part of any climate change response as building resilience requires adequate resourcing and must [encompass] policies and initiatives that encourage and expect burden sharing, often whereby high-income countries, with fossil fuel driven economies and wealth derived from extractive industries, ensure that money is flowing (through climate funds or other means) to more vulnerable low-income countries.

The policy brief also emphasises that the response to climate change must centre the perspectives of those most impacted  indigenous peoples and youth being among those most heavily affected by the climate crisis. In the opening remarks of the brief, it says: climate change disproportionately impacts certain populations groups, along the lines of gender, race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status, for example. Identifying the unique experiences of certain groups and centring their needs in our responses is critical to just climate action. In particular, engaging with and supporting the leadership of indigenous people and young people, and particularly women within these groups, must be a cross-cutting consideration.

Jillian Abballe, Advocacy Manager and Head of New York Office for the Anglican Communion Office at the United Nations, said this about the brief: It is our hope that this policy paper will support the advocacy of those attending COP26 to bring specific recommendations to decision makers while at the same time emphasising the Church as a critical actor in addressing climate change and the importance of centring the voices and participation of indigenous communities and young people. That said, this brief is also meant to guide advocacy beyond COP26 and to support Anglicans and others around the world in demanding just approaches to resilience building and financing.

A delegation of four people drawn from across the Communion will be attending COP26 next week. Archbishop Julio Murray from Panama, Primate of the Anglican Church of Central America; Bernadette Demientieff from Alaska, the Executive Director of the Gwichin Steering Committee; Nicholas Omondi Pande from Kenya and the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa; and Dr Elizabeth Perry, from the Anglican Alliance. Unfortunately, Bernadette is unable to be physically present in Glasgow, but the rest of the delegation will uplift her advocacy priorities and perspectives during the conference.

The conference will begin on 1 November and end on 12 November. The Anglican Communion Office at the United Nations will be posting regular updates from COP26 on their Twitter account.
Covid: ECDC,Slovenia, Croatia, Bulgaria and Romania dark red Case notification rate is 500 or more

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, OCT 28 - The entire territories of Slovenia, Croatia, Romania and Bulgaria, together with regions in Northern Greece, parts of Austria, Slovakia and Poland and the Baltic countries are dark red in the new weekly map published by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) today. Regions in the EU are classified dark red, the highest risk level, if if the 14-day cumulative COVID-19 case notification rate is 500 or more.



In Slovenia, another 2,631 people tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday, an increase of more than 40% from the week before, with ten new deaths in 24 hours, the Slovenian news agency STA reported today. In neighbouring Croatia, authorities logged another 4,154 new infections and 26 deaths, the Croatian news agency Hina informed today. (ANSA).





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First contemporary art show at Giza pyramids Unprecedented exhibit, Lorenzo Quinn among artists

(ANSAmed) - CAIRO, OCTOBER 28 - An international art exhibit presented as the "first" to be showcased among the pyramids of Giza and the surrounding upland on the western outskirts of Cairo is ongoing until November 7. The show is called "Forever is Now". Italian sculptor Lorenzo Quinn is among participants.



The event is reported by Egyptian media and a statement stressing that it is the fourth annual exhibit organized by private company of art promotion "Art D'Egypte".



The show is sponsored by the Egyptian ministries of antiquity and tourism and of foreign affairs under the patronage of UNESCO.



"The pyramids have an extraordinary, long and illustrious story which has fascinated and inspired artists worldwide", recalled Nadine Abdel Ghaffar, founder of Art D'Egypte, speaking about an event that mixes archaeological "heritage, art and history".



In stressing that this "is the first show of its kind in 4,500 years", the statement issued by Art D'Egypte highlights how the exhibit represents "a fusion of ancient heritage and contemporary art in the most ancient and last of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World", a UNESCO world heritage site.



Along with the fifth son of American actor Anthony Quinn, the other artists taking part in the exhibit are Russia's Alexander Ponomarev, Gisela Colon of the US, Brazil's Joao Trevisan, France's JR, Egypt's Moataz Nasr and the artist of Egyptian origin who lives in Los Angeles, Sherin Guirguis. There are also Britain's "Shuster + Moseley" and Stephen Cox RA as well as Saudi prince Sultan Bin Fahad.



Companies quoted as supporting the event include Alexbank, an Egyptian institute controlled by the Intesa Sanpaolo group.



During the show, Art D'Egypte brought for the first time to Egypt "Ai-Da", the first realistic robot-artist in the world: provided with artificial intelligence, it is presented as "artwork, together with its drawings, paintings, art performances and sculptures", said the statement.



The female humanoid made headlines when it was blocked at customs in Cairo for 10 days before it became clear that cameras replacing its eyes were not used for spying purposes, as reported by British newspaper The Guardian. (ANSAmed).




BRUSSELS - Increasing efforts to reduce emissions and aid to poor countries and completing the implementation of the Paris Agreement are the three priorities of the European Union at the Glasgow climate change conference (COP26).

The EU intends to ask other high-income economies to deal with the current lack of nearly 20 billion dollars in the climate fund of 100 billion to be devolved to less developed countries.

As far as the implementation of the Paris Agreement is concerned, the EU is particularly interested in defining a shared framework to exchange CO2 credit between two or more countries. The European Commission will directly support three initiatives: including more partners in the international agreement with the United States to cut methane emissions by 2030 by at least 30% compared to 2020, a partnership on climate with South Africa and strengthening the program for innovation "Breakthrough Energy Catalyst" with the participation of the Gates Foundation and the EIB.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told a press conference that a step forward is necessary "with the ambition of cutting emissions by the end of this decade. Paris has established a vision, now we must carry it out, establishing the steps to take in detail".
Lebanon: port explosion, ex-premier avoids questioning Diab filed suit against State shortly before being questioned

(ANSAmed) - ROME, OCTOBER 28 - Lebanese judge Tareq Bitar, who is in charge of the investigation into the devastating explosion of the port of Beirut on August 4 which caused the death of 220 people, stopped the interrogation of former Lebanese premier Hassan Diab after Diab filed a suit against his office. Diab is under investigation for the incident and he was expected in court for questioning.



Local media reported that this morning Diab "filed suit against the State" on Wednesday night, a few hours before he was supposed to be interrogated by Bitar. Diab was prime minister when the explosion occurred and stepped down shortly after the incident. However, he remained in office until last September, when the new Lebanese government was formed. Diab's name over the past few months was included among leading institutional figures probed by judge Bitar.



The former prime minister had already avoided a first interrogation request when he was still an outgoing prime minister, citing institutional immunity. Then in September he travelled to the United States for family reasons. Finally, after his recent return to Beirut, he was expected in court. But at the last moment his lawyers filed suit against the State. So far, other former ministers and lawmakers investigated by Bitar have cited legal impediments to avoid questioning. Lebanese Shiite armed movement Hezbollah and its allies, described by many as being involved in the explosion of Beirut's port, have accused Bitar of "politicizing" the investigation. (ANSAmed).




Saudi Arabia: young Shiite detained for 9 years released Ali Nimr nephew of Nimr Nimr, executed by Riyadh in 2016

(ANSAmed) - ROME, OCTOBER 28 - Saudi authorities have released after nine years in jail a young Saudi Shiite who was arrested when he was a minor as part of a government crackdown by the Sunni oil-rich kingdom against Shiite political activism.



Ali Nimr, who was arrested in 2012 when he was 16, is the nephew of Nimr Nimr, a leading member of the local Shiite community, who was executed by Saudi authorities in 2016 after being arrested for allegedly spying on behalf of Iran. The Saudi crackdown against Shiite members of the community of the eastern region of Qatif is part of the harsh rivalry between Riyadh and the Islamic Republic.



Over the past few weeks, Saudi Arabia and Iran started in Iraq a series of medium-level political talks in an attempt to re-establish diplomatic relations interrupted for years, following the case connected to the sentence against Nimr Nimr.



His nephew Ali Nimr was initially sentenced to death. But last February the sentence was reduced to 10 years in jail. News of his release, reported over the last few hours, can be connected, according to local analysts, to attempts by Riyadh to make "goodwill gestures" towards Iran. (ANSAmed).




Syria: 90% of population below poverty line, UN Griffiths presents periodic report to Security Council

(ANSAmed) - ROME, OCTOBER 28 - Over 90% of the population in Syria lives below the poverty line, said Martin Griffiths, assistant to the UN secretary general, during the presentation to the UN Security Council of the periodic report on conditions in the country torn by war for over a decade.



Griffiths recalled that "many people (in Syria) are forced each day to make difficult choices to survive. And they therefore run more risks of being exploited" by armed groups and other entities that take advantage of the situation of violence.



According to the top UN official, "millions of Syrians must confront now new difficulties with the arrival of winter". In particular, he recalled, "there are about two million people in the north-west of the country, the majority women and children, who live in overcrowded and dirty camps set up in flooded valleys or on mountain slopes". (ANSAmed).




PARIS - Twelve European States - including Italy - have asked Israel to stop a plan aimed at building 3,100 housing units for settlers in the West Bank, a decision which has also been criticized by the US.

"We are now asking the government of Israel to revise its decision", said the spokespersons of the 12 foreign ministries in a joint statement. The signatories are Germany, France, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Poland, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands and Ireland.

In the statement, which was also quoted by the Jerusalem Post, the 12 ministries stressed their "firm opposition" to the policy of "expansion of settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, which violates international law and undermines efforts providing for a two-State solution".
The family of one of two teenage boys who were stabbed to death have paid tribute to their champ.

Charlie Preston and Frankie Gater, both aged 16, died after police were called to a disturbance in Brentwood in Essex in the early hours of Sunday.

A post-mortem examination confirmed that both boys had sustained stab wounds, Essex Police said.

Charlies family said, in a tribute issued by police: Forever our Champ.

Mummy and daddy love you.

Frankie Watson, 19, of Baker Street, Orsett, Essex, appeared before Basildon Crown Court on Thursday charged with murdering the two boys.

A forensic officer at work (Aaron Chown/PA)

He is also charged with the attempted murder of a third boy, who cannot be named due to reporting restrictions, and with possession of an offensive weapon.

Watson appeared by video-link from Chelmsford Prison, remaining seated at a desk as he listened to proceedings.

He was not asked to enter pleas to the charges.

Watson spoke to confirm his identity, and after he was addressed by Judge Ian Graham the defendant said to him: Thank you, sir.

No application for bail was made and Watson was remanded in custody until a plea hearing on December 23.

A provisional trial date was set for August 22 next year with a time estimate of three weeks.

HMP Chelmsford (Andrew Parsons/PA)

Police were called to the scene in Regency Court at around 1.30am and several arrests were made.

Two men, a 20-year-old from Grays and a 21-year-old from South Ockendon, were arrested on suspicion of murder, before being released on bail to November 19.

A 40-year-old man from Brentwood has also been released under investigation.

Essex Police said four others were arrested over the incident but face no further action: a 20-year-old man from South Ockendon and three men from Grays aged 19, 20, and 49.

The force added that officers had seized around 200 hours of CCTV footage and spoken to more than 20 people as part of the investigation.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call Essex Police on 101 citing incident 125 of October 24.
Serial killer Stephen Port tried to cover his murderous tracks by telling a concerned neighbour his second victim died in mysterious circumstances abroad, an inquest heard.

Ryan Edwards said Port also urged him not to speak to others about the death of 22-year-old Gabriel Kovari, and described how he had concerns about Ports fascination with young men and childrens toys.

Mr Edwards first met Mr Kovari after Port  who was said to have a revolving door of boys coming and going  invited him round to meet his new Slovakian twink flat mate (Mr Kovari) on August 24 2014.

The following day, Mr Kovari said to Mr Edwards that Port is not the person you think he is, hes not a nice man, prompting Mr Edwards to offer him shelter at his home nearby.

Stephen Port was jailed in 2016 for murdering four young men (Metropolitan Police/PA)

But Mr Kovari did not reply to Mr Edwardss follow-up messages. He was found dead on August 28 in a secluded corner of St Margarets Churchyard, near Ports flat in Barking, east London, unbeknownst to Mr Edwards.

Two days earlier, Mr Edwards was contacted by Port saying Mr Kovari had moved out.

Port followed this by asking Mr Edwards if he had seen Mr Kovari around, floating the idea that he moved to Spain, before texting him on September 11 to say the young man had in fact died on a flight abroad.

In one text, shown to inquest jurors on Thursday, Port wrote: Hey neighbour, have just heard sum (sic) sad news from one of Gabriels friends that Gab did return to Spain to be with his bf (boyfriend) and he died on arrival from an infection.

His (sic) being buried in slovkya (sic). Please dont put on FB (Facebook) or mention to anyone else as his family are in bits.

The spots where bodies were dumped by Stephen Port during his 16-month killing spree (Metropolitan Police/PA)

Mr Edwards, 42, said he found Ports story to be suspicious, but did not have any reason to disbelieve him.

In fact, Mr Edwards was unaware that Mr Kovari had died on August 28 in Barking until over a year later because he was away that month.

He also told inquest jurors that Port had a voracious appetite for meeting very young men, and had a strange obsession with childrens toys.

He said killer Port spent time with vulnerable boys to such an extent that he considered the softly-spoken chef might have paedophile tendencies.

Mr Edwards said he also had concerns about Ports drug use, but was reassured by the predator that his interest in young males was legal, and that the drugs were for personal use only.

Port, now 46, was jailed for life in 2016 after being convicted of murder by plying four young, gay men with fatal doses of the drug GHB, as well as a number of rapes.

Daniel Whitworth, Jack Taylor, Anthony Walgate and Gabriel Kovari were murdered by Stephen Port (Metropolitan Police/PA)

Mr Edwards said he would have reported concerns about Ports young companions and about drug use if there was any evidence of criminal activity, as he had done with a previous friend.

Anthony Walgate, 23, Mr Kovari, Daniel Whitworth, 21, and Jack Taylor, 25, were all found dead near Ports flat during a 16-month period between June 2014 and September 2015.

Inquests into the four deaths, which are being held yards from where Port lived and dumped his victims bodies, are examining whether police actions could have stopped the 6ft 5in serial killer earlier.

The inquests continue.
Boris Johnsons Government has condemned unjustified French threats and summoned the countrys ambassador in London as the dispute over fishing rights escalated.

The row over post-Brexit fishing rights has turned increasingly bitter, with a UK boat detained in a French port and threats of further action by the Paris government.

Diplomatic efforts to resolve the row have involved the UKs ambassador in Paris, Menna Rawlings, and Cabinet minister George Eustice talking to ministers in the French government.

But in a sign of growing concern in Westminster, Brexit minister Lord Frost chaired a meeting to consider the Governments response.

The proposed French actions are unjustified and do not appear to be compatible on the EUs part with the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) or wider international law, a UK Government spokesman said.

We regret the confrontational language that has been consistently used by the French government on this issue, which makes this situation no easier to resolve.

We have raised our concerns strongly with both the French and the EU Commission.

As a next step, the Foreign Secretary has instructed minister (Wendy) Morton to summon the French Ambassador.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the ambassador Catherine Colonna would be expected to attend the Foreign Office on Friday to explain the disappointing and disproportionate threats made against the UK and Channel Islands.

French ministers have warned they will block British boats from some French ports and tighten checks on vessels travelling between France and the UK if the issue is not resolved by Tuesday as well as threatening the electricity supply to the Channel Islands.

On Thursday, the row intensified as the scallop vessel Cornelis was ordered to divert to the port of Le Havre after the French authorities said it was fishing in French waters without a licence.

I have instructed Europe Minister Wendy Morton to summon the French Ambassador to the UK for talks tomorrow to explain the disappointing and disproportionate threats made against the UK and Channel Islands.  Liz Truss (@trussliz) October 28, 2021

The French said that another British trawler had also been fined for obstruction after refusing to allow police to board to carry out checks.

The incidents came amid anger in France after the UK and Jersey turned down applications from dozens of French boats to fish in their waters in what Paris said was a breach of Britains post-Brexit trade deal with the EU.

The owner of the Cornelis, Macduff Shellfish, said the vessel had been fishing legally in French waters and called on the British Government to protect the rights of British fishermen.

Andrew Brown, director of sustainability and public affairs at Macduff, said: It appears our vessel has been caught up in the ongoing dispute between the UK and France on the implementation of the Brexit fishing agreement.

The Cornelis does have catch aboard.

This may be confiscated by the French authorities unless a speedy resolution is achieved.

We are looking to the UK Government to defend the rights of the UK fishing fleet and ensure that the fishing rights provided under the Brexit fishing agreement are fully respected by the EU.

#Fisheries | "Id like nothing more than for there to be a de-escalation. We are permanently open to discussions; but I want to say to the British Government that we will see to it that our interests are respected and that their word is kept". @JeanCASTEX https://t.co/2cr3FxTKfT  French Embassy UK (@FranceintheUK) October 28, 2021

In an emergency Commons statement, Environment Secretary Mr Eustice said the Government was investigating what had happened.

He said the vessel had been granted a licence by the EU but that there were reports that it subsequently had been removed from the list of vessels permitted to fish in French waters for reasons that were unclear.

Earlier, Frances Europe minister Clement Beaune told French TV news channel CNews: We have been extremely patient our fishermen have been extremely responsible.

And so, from November 2, its over: we will engage in dialogue if the British want to, but we are taking retaliatory measures.

He added: Now we need to speak the language of force because, unfortunately, that seems to be the only thing this British Government understands.

French maritime minister Annick Girardin also told French radio news programme RTL Matin that Britains failure to comply with the Trade and Co-operation Agreement (TCA) is unacceptable.

Its not war, its a fight, she said.

The French and the fishermen have rights.

An agreement was signed.

We must enforce this agreement.

We have fishing rights, we must defend them and we will defend them.

The French embassy in the UK highlighted comments by prime minister Jean Castex saying that while Paris would like de-escalation it was down to the British Government to keep its word.

Id like nothing more than for there to be a de-escalation, Mr Castex said.

We are permanently open to discussions, but I want to say to the British Government that we will see to it that our interests are respected and that their word is kept.

Mr Eustice said the UK has licensed 98% of EU vessels that have applied for access post-Brexit and more are expected to be granted following constructive talks with the European Commission.
CHICAGO (AP)  A man who spent three months living in a secured terminal at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport instead of flying home to India as he had planned has been acquitted on a felony trespassing charge.

Cook County Judge Adrienne Davis acquitted Aditya Singh on the charge this week without his attorney having to mount a defense, the Chicago Tribune reported. Singh, 37, is expected back in court Friday on an escape charge for allegedly violating the terms of his electronic monitoring while out on bond for the trespassing charge.

Davis' rationale for acquitting Singh weren't immediately clear. But after his Jan. 16 arrest, the Transportation Security Administration, which regulates security at the airport for the Chicago Department of Aviation, determined that Singh hadn't violated airport regulations.

Mr. Singh did not breach or improperly enter secured areas  he arrived there like tens of thousands of arriving passengers do every day, by stepping off a plane, Christine Carrino, an aviation department spokeswoman, said in a statement to the newspaper earlier this year. While we wont speculate on Mr. Singhs motivations, he decided to remain in the secure area and made every effort to blend in as a passenger and airline employee until his arrest.

Singh, who came to the U.S. nearly six years ago to get a master's degree, was living in Orange, California, when he boarded a flight from Los Angeles to Chicago last October for what was supposed to be the first leg of his return home to India. But he was arrested in January after two United Airlines employees noticed he was wearing a badge that an airport operations manager had reported missing.

Singh told police that he stayed at the airport because the coronavirus pandemic had left him afraid to fly, and that he had been able to get by with the help of strangers who bought him food. A friend of Singh's told the Tribune that he told her in text messages that he enjoyed talking to people at the airport about his Buddhist and Hindu beliefs on healing.

I'm actually growing spiritually due to this experience and I know I will come out stronger, he wrote to the friend in a text she shared with the newspaper.
This article was first featured in Yahoo Finance Tech, a weekly newsletter highlighting our original content on the industry. Get it sent directly to your inbox every Wednesday by 4 p.m. ET. Subscribe

Wednesday, October 27, 2021

Without younger users, Facebook could be in big trouble

Former Facebook (FB) employee Frances Haugen fired up lawmakers, parents, and likely many others by leaking a trove of seemingly damning internal company documents to various media outlets.

But Facebooks biggest existential threat doesnt have anything to do with most of the revelations in those documents, such as the companys inability to stop hate speech, violence, or even human trafficking on its website. You know, things that would likely sink any other company.

Instead, Facebook could finally be hurt because young people dont like using Facebook  and the company appears to know thats a sore spot.

We are retooling our teams to make serving young adults their north star, rather than optimizing for the larger number of older people, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said during the companys Q3 earnings call.

FFacebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

According to documents Haugen took on her way out the door at Facebook, and leaked to a consortium of journalists, Facebook is hemorrhaging younger users, who are increasingly ignoring the platform for competing services.

The documents show, according to Bloomberg, that Facebook saw a 16% year-over-year decline in the time teens spent using the platform from 2020 to 2021. The amount of time young adults, those between 18 and 29 years old, were using the platform, meanwhile, fell 5%. On the flip side, people over 30 spent more time on Facebook in the same time period.

But Facebook covets younger users far more than older folks posting pictures of their grandkids. That's partly because younger people are less likely set in their ways in terms of brand preferences, something advertisers look to exploit. What's more, if Facebook snags people early, it has potential users for life.

Once you start putting things onto one platform, and you maximize that amount of content on that platform, now moving to a different platform creates extremely high switching costs, University of Chicago Booth School of Business Professor Pradeep Chintagunta told Yahoo Finance in a previous interview.

All the birthdays that I keep track of are already on the platform. If I have to move to a different platform, then it's going to be quite costly for me to recreate that entire experience.

But to do that, Facebook has to find a way to make its main app attractive to younger users again.

Facebook is getting smoked by Snap, Instagram, and TikTok

Need proof that teens are ditching Facebook? Look no further than Piper Sandlers Fall 2021 Taking Stock with Teens survey released in early October. The study, which included 10,000 U.S. teens across 44 states, found that 35% considered Snapchat (SNAP) their favorite social media platform, while 30% favored TikTok. Some 22% of teens liked Instagram most, though that number continues to fall.

Facebook? That was behind Discord and tied with Twitter as the least favorite social media networks among teens with just 2% of them liking the platforms. Thats not a good look.

So where teens do teens actually spend their time? According to the study, 81% of teens said they use Instagram monthly, while 77% of teens said they use Snapchat and 73% said they use TikTok. And while Instagram and Snapchats numbers have fallen from prior highs in previous surveys, TikToks use has gone up.

Facebook? Well, just 27% of teens say they use it monthly, down from 35% in the spring of 2020, and below both Twitter and Pinterest. Basically, teens arent down with Facebook. As one 11-year-old kid reportedly told the company's own researchers, "Facebook is for old people."

That said, theyre clearly fans of Instagram. So why does it matter that theyre not using Facebook itself? After all, its all the same company.

Facebook whislteblower Frances Haugen speaks during a hearing of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security, on Capitol Hill, on Oct. 5, 2021. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Because Facebooks flagship app is its crown jewel and where most of its users are. In Q3, the company reported that the Facebook family of apps have 3.58 billion monthly active users. A massive number to be sure. But 2.91 billion users come directly from the main Facebook app.

In total, the Facebook app makes up more than 81% of the companys monthly active user base. Thats a resource the social media giant cant afford to see shrink. And if it cant add new younger users, thats what will eventually happen.

Zuckerbergs ditching the olds

Its not as though Facebook is unaware of these changes. In fact, Haugen claims that Facebook has misled investors about younger users, while focusing on its overall user growth among all ages. Thats why she turned the documents over to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

But even if the SEC finds that Facebook misled investors, its unlikely to take any serious action against Zuckerberg, like, say removing him from his post as chairman the way it did Teslas Elon Musk.

It would be surprising if they did that, explained Duke University Law School professor James Cox. After all, he said, members of Congress who count tech companies as their constituents would be up in arms over such a move.

Instead, Cox said, its more likely that the SEC would put a third-party monitor in place to ensure Facebook submits periodic reports about its user numbers.

In the meantime, Zuckerberg is fighting to ensure Facebook doesnt become the next MySpace, which saw its own audience shrink around the time Facebook first launched.

Historically, young adults have been a strong base and that's important because they are the future, Zuckerberg said during the companys earnings call. But over the last decade, as the audience that uses our apps has expanded so much and we've focused on serving everyone, our services have gotten dialed to be the best for the most people who use them rather than specifically for young adults.

And thats where the companys retooling efforts around young users comes in. Dont expect it to happen overnight, though.

This shift will take years, not months, to fully execute, and I think it's the right approach to building our community and company for the long term, Zuckerberg acknowledged.

The Facebook CEO didnt get into any specifics as to how the company will change its focus to younger users. But one hint may be Facebooks efforts to build out a version of Instagram for kids.

The controversial platform, which the company put on hold after pushback from legislators, is designed to appeal to kids under 13. Facebook already has a version of its Messenger platform for kids, and if a version of Instagram is already underway, it's possible the social media company will create a kid-focused version of the main Facebook app. Those kids, in turn, could become Facebook users as young adults.

If Facebook fails at luring in younger users, though, advertisers may finally start to take notice.

By Daniel Howley, tech editor at Yahoo Finance.

Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance

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YEREVAN, OCTOBER 28, ARMENPRESS. Amid rising COVID-19 infection rates the government is considering reinstating the outdoor mask mandate, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at the Cabinet meeting.

He said that the government believes that lockdowns should be avoided and that they must work in two directions. First, heightened mask mandates, and I dont rule out that well make new decisions here, the prime minister said, adding that they consider re-instituting the outdoor mask mandate.

However, the most important approach, in the PMs words, is the vaccination process. Our government succeeded, including through the support of international partners and thanks to major donations, to have the necessary doses of vaccines for vaccinating all Armenian citizens. And our strategy must be to go in the direction of vaccinations.

The Prime Minister, his spouse and their adult son and daughter have been vaccinated, with the exception of two children. The PM revealed that when their 14-year-old daughter got infected with COVID-19, none of their other vaccinated family members got infected. We saw the effectiveness of the vaccine on our own concrete example, he said.

He further noted that there are cases of abuse in the vaccination campaign. I am saying this with regret, we have more than a dozen of health workers who are involved as defendants in criminal cases. We have detained persons, if I am not mistaken six persons, and cases of issuing fake vaccination certificates. The most regrettable thing is that we are working hard to acquire the vaccines but we have cases when they give the paper, waste the vaccine by simply opening the vial and emptying it, he said

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 28, ARMENPRESS. Armenian health authorities consider keeping schools closed for another week after the two-week autumn break amid rising COVID-19 infection rates, health minister Anahit Avanesyan told reporters.

Meanwhile, universities have switched to remote learning. Avanesyan said this will help in suppressing the spread of the virus.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 28, ARMENPRESS. Armenia is discussing with Russia how to move forward in the process of normalizing the Armenian-Turkish relations, the Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan told reporters.

Weve numerously said that we are ready to start discussing the normalization of relations with Turkey, Grigoryan said after the Cabinet meeting. Also, like Ive said, we are discussing with our Russian partners how we can move forward in this process. I think it would be more effective to start this work, because both we and the Turkish side have noted that there are positive signals and we can start the normalization of relations.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 28, ARMENPRESS. The Chinese government will donate a new batch of vaccines against COVID-19 to Armenia in case of necessity, Ambassador of China to Armenia Fan Yong told reporters today, commenting on the demand of the two Chinese-made vaccines CoronaVac and Sinopharm in Armenia.

The Ambassador reminded that this year in May China donated vaccines to Armenia as an aid, which had a big impact on the fight against the pandemic. After that Armenia has purchased Sinopharm vaccines from China in accordance with the agreement reached between the two governments. However, the Ambassador added that if there is a necessity, the Chinese people are ready to assist the Armenian people on any matter.

If necessary, the Chinese people, of course, are ready to assist the Armenian people on any matter. I think that in case of necessity, respective agreements will be reached between the governments of the two countries, as a result of which the vaccines can be provided in the form of a donation if needed, the Ambassador said.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 28, ARMENPRESS. Ambassador of China to Armenia Fan Yong is very much satisfied with the development pace of the Armenian-Chinese relations, the Chinese Ambassador told ARMENPRESS at the solemn opening ceremony of Confucius classroom at the Armenian-Russian University.

I can say that at the moment its not enough to say that I am satisfied with the level of development of those relations, but I am very satisfied," the Chinese Ambassador to Armenia said.

Recalling that the relations between Armenia and China have a history of several thousand years, dating back to the time of the ancient Silk Road, Ambassador Fan Yong added that in the modern times the relations between the two countries are developing steadily.

We are very happy to see that many young people in Armenia today are interested in China, Chinese culture and language. I came to Armenia last year, I can say that since then I see that the number of students and pupils studying Chinese is increasing, their level of language skills is improving. Every year, our embassy organizes an event that financially encourages students, pupils, and lecturers. And I have already found that there are students among them who are very good, Fan Yong said, reminding that the Chinese Embassy also cooperates with ARMENPRESS news agency.

According to the Ambassador, they have come up with a very good plan, thanks to which more Chinese tourists will visit Armenia to see the nature here and the beautiful places.

"I hope that as a result of our further cooperation, the flow of Chinese tourists to Armenia will increase even more, we will be able to see an increase in the number of tourists," said the Chinese Ambassador.
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 28, ARMENPRESS. A regular session of the Anti-Corruption Policy Council took place chaired by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister.

The Council first approved the agenda of the session, after which the Deputy Minister of Justice Suren Grigoryan presented the implementation of the Anti-Corruption Strategy and the execution of its action plan for the period of 2019-2022.

It was reported that within the framework of the accomplishment of the anti-corruption institutional system, a legislative package aimed at the establishment of the Anti-Corruption Committee was adopted by the National Assembly during the reporting period. For ensuring the launch of its formation, a competition for the chairman of the committee was held, as a result of which he a chairman of the committee was appointed by the Government decision No. 1479-A of September 16, 2021. At the same time, 30 investigators from the Special Investigation Service have been appointed to autonomous positions in the Anti-Corruption Committee, until the positions are occupied through competitive procedures. Works are underway to define the legal basis for the formation of the Anti-Corruption Committee's operative-investigative department. In parallel, work is being done to create office conditions for the Anti-Corruption Committee.

On April 14, 2021, the National Assembly adopted the Law on Making Amendments to the Constitutional Law "Judicial Code of the Republic of Armenia" and the related laws aimed at establishing a specialized Anti-Corruption Court. At the moment it is planned to ensure the implementation of the legislative acts.

In particular, within one week after the entry into force of the legislative acts, the Supreme Judicial Council will apply to the Government for approval to increase the number of judges: 1) in the Anti-Corruption Court by fifteen judges; 2) in the Criminal Court of Appeal by six judges; 3) in the Civil Court of Appeal by six judges; 4) in the Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation by two judges. The Supreme Judicial Council will increase the number of judges within one week after receiving the consent of the government within five days.

The legislative package on the establishment of the Anti-Corruption Court includes the law "On Making Amendments to the Legislation on the Prosecutor's Office, approved by the National Assembly, according to which a separate division of the Prosecutor Generals Office will exercise control over the legality of pre-trial criminal proceedings of corruption-related cases , which will be created as a result of the reorganization of the Corruption Crimes Oversight Department within the Prosecutor General's Office, which has been functioning since 2019. An ethics structure is envisaged for the prosecutors of the mentioned subdivision. In addition, the law provides for structures to verify the ethical standards of candidates of prosecutors, including the for Prosecutor General and his deputies.

The following main works were carried out in the direction of prevention of corruption during the reporting period: as a result of the legislative changes aimed at improving the personal property declaration system, the circle of declarants has been expanded, the requirement to declare the property actually owned by a person and his expenses has been introduced. A requirment is also made for the declaration of property acquired in the name, for the benefit or at the expense of the declarant, but belonging to a third party with the right of ownership, as well as the property from which the declarant actually benefits or manages. The monetary threshold of expensive property subject to declaration has been reduced from 4 million drams to 4 million drams. The monetary threshold of expensive property subject to declaration has been reduced from 8 million drams to 4 million drams.

In order to identify the real beneficiaries of legal entities, a legislative package was adopted, within the framework of which an open and public register was created, a mandatory step-by-step requirement for identifying real beneficiaries for all legal entities operating in Armenia was introduced.

In order to reveal corruption crimes, a new Criminal Code was adopted, within the framework of which the corruption crimes were reviewed, the institute of criminal responsibility of legal entities was introduced.

Within the framework of the monitoring of the anti-corruption strategy, the Ministry of Justice compiled and published the report on the performance of anti-corruption strategy measures during the first half of 2021, in the framework of which the process of implementation of measures, public participation in those works, the circumstances hindering the implementation of the work were presented.

The Ministry of Justice has developed and submitted for public debates a draft amendment to the Anti-Corruption Strategy, which has also improved the current monitoring regulations.

In particular, a new monitoring procedure and evaluation structures have been established. With the support of international partner organizations, a new electronic monitoring platform is currently being developed, the launch of which will digitize the process of monitoring and evaluation, the process of preparation of reports by the Justice Ministry and the civil society organizations, the process of uploading and presenting information by the implementing bodies.

The next issue on the agenda was related to the issues recorded in the reports on the second compliance of the 4th phase of GRECO, and the fifth pilot phase of the OECD Eastern Europe and Istanbul Anti-Corruption Network in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. A report was presented on "A number of issues in the sidelines of transformations of law enforcement and investigation bodies under the anti-corruption reforms".

An exchange of views took place on the above-mentioned issues. Prime Minister Pashinyan instructed to form a corresponding working group, which will present to the Anti-Corruption Policy Council solutions to the issues raised during the reports in a brief period.
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 28, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan received Substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State at the Holy See, Archbishop Edgar Pena Parra and the delegation led by him. The meeting was attended by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to the Vatican Karen Nazaryan and the Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See Archbishop Jose Avelino Bettencourt, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Offic eof the Prime Minister.

In his welcoming remarks PM Pashinyan said,

Your Excellency, dear members of the delegation,

Welcome to the Republic of Armenia. I would like to reaffirm our readiness and determination to develop interstate relations with the Holy See, and I am glad that the Apostolic Nunciature of the Holy See was officially opened in Yerevan yesterday. It will be a very strong impetus for our relationship.

Our relations have deep historical basis, and they are also based on common Christian values, which is a very important fact. In this regard, I would like to thank you for the important positions expressed by the Holy See during the 44-day war. I also attach great importance to our cooperation in the preservation of the Armenian cultural and Christian cultural heritage in the territories under the control of Azerbaijan.

We are grateful to His Holiness for his commitment to deepen our bilateral relations. I remember, of course, our telephone conversation with His Holiness during the difficult time. Please convey my greetings to His Holiness and to Secretary of State Cardinal Parolin. I welcome you again, I am glad for this opportunity to meet and discuss the issues on the agenda of our relations.

The Substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State at the Holy See said in his turn,

Thank you, honorable Mr. Prime Minister. Today is the second and last day of my visit. I was in Yerevan on the occasion of the opening of the Holy See Embassy, the Apostolic Nunciature, and took the opportunity to meet with the Armenian authorities. Thank you very much for hosting me and our delegation.

I would like to thank you for this meeting and emphasize that the opening of the Holy See's Apostolic Nunciature will continue to strengthen our bilateral relations, especially in the areas we have already discussed in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other state bodies that are important for our relations.

His Holiness and Cardinal Parolin convey greetings and best wishes to personally you and the Republic of Armenia. We will continue to cooperate on our common agenda, focusing on a number of important issues, including the issue of Armenian war prisoners.

The Prime Minister thanked for the Popes calls for the immediate release of the Armenian prisoners of war held by Azerbaijan, and his readiness to continue the steps taken in this direction, emphasizing that international support is needed to resolve the issue.

The interlocutors exchanged views on Armenia-Vatican relations and regional issues. Nikol Pashinyan noted that the Armenian government is committed to the agenda of opening a peaceful era in the region, but the commitment of all the involved parties to that process is important. Both sides highlighted the contribution of the Holy See and Armenia to the maintenance of global peace.

Edgar Pena Parra assured that the Holy See will continue its efforts to preserve the Armenian religious and cultural heritage in the territories under the control of Azerbaijan and to resolve the issue of the return of Armenian prisoners of war.

The Prime Minister attached importance to the fraternal ties between the Roman Catholic, Armenian Apostolic and Armenian Catholic Churches, which is a solid foundation for Armenia-Vatican relations. Nikol Pashinyan expressed confidence that this dynamic will be maintained and will further develop as a result of the opening of the diplomatic mission of the Vatican in Armenia.
Xi Jinping Attends and Delivers a Keynote Speech at the Opening Ceremony of the Second United Nations Global Sustainable Transport Conference

2021/10/14

On the evening of October 14, 2021, President Xi Jinping attended the opening ceremony of the second United Nations Global Sustainable Transport Conference and delivered a keynote speech titled "Staying Connected with the World and Abreast with the Times, and Making Big Strides on the Path of Sustainable Development" via video conference.

Xi Jinping pointed out that transport is the artery of the economy and a bond between civilizations. Transport, in the forms of camel caravans and sailing boats on the ancient Silk Road, wave-breaking vessels in the Age of Exploration, and the criss-cross transport networks in this modern age, has facilitated economic integration and people-to-people exchanges and turned the world into a close-knit global village. Now, major changes unseen in a century, compounded by a once-in-a-century pandemic, are posing serious challenges to the global efforts of growing the economy and bettering people's lives. We should follow the prevailing trend of world development, advance global transport cooperation, and write a new chapter featuring connectivity of infrastructure, unfettered flows of trade and investment, and interactions between civilizations.

First, we need to uphold open interplay and enhance connectivity. We should pursue an open world economy, reject discriminatory or exclusive rules and systems, and make economic globalization more open, inclusive, balanced and beneficial for all. We should strengthen both hard connectivity of infrastructure and soft connectivity of institutions and rules, and develop four-dimensional connectivity of land, sea, air and the Internet.

Second, we need to uphold common development and promote fairness and inclusiveness. Only when countries develop together can there be true development; only when countries prosper together can there be true prosperity. Uneven development must be addressed before broader prospects for humanity's common development could be brought about. We should leverage the enabling role of transport and increase related input in poor regions, so that local economies and people's lives could improve as a result of better roads. We should enhance North-South and South-South cooperation and scale up support for developing transport infrastructure in the least developed countries and landlocked developing countries, so as to achieve common prosperity.

Third, we need to uphold an innovation-driven approach and create more drivers for development. More should be done to develop smart transport and smart logistics and promote deep integration of new technologies like big data, the Internet, artificial intelligence and blockchain with the transport sector, to ensure easier movement of people and smoother flow of goods.

Fourth, we need to uphold ecological conservation as a priority and pursue green and low-carbon development. The only durable way to achieve sustainable development is to establish an economic system for green and low-carbon development and promote green transition in all respects of economic and social development. More efforts are needed to foster a green and low-carbon way of transport, step up green infrastructural development, promote new energy, smart, digital and light-weight transport equipment, and encourage and advocate green travel, to make transport and travel more environment-friendly and low-carbon.

Fifth, we need to uphold multilateralism and improve global governance. We should follow the vision of global governance featuring extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, and mobilize resources from across the globe to meet global challenges and promote global development. We should uphold the authority and status of the United Nations and, in the context of implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, advance cooperation in such areas as poverty reduction, health, transport and logistics, and infrastructure development. I hope more will join the Initiative.

Xi Jinping pointed out that since the founding of New China, generation after generation of the Chinese people have worked in the spirit of opening roads through mountains and putting bridges over rivers, and turned China into a country with vast transport infrastructure. Today, we are redoubling our efforts to build a country with great transport strength. Convinced that transport should come first, we have built the world's largest high-speed railway network, expressway network and world-class port clusters. We have opened air and sea routes that reach all parts of the world. Convinced of the need for innovation, we have achieved major breakthroughs in equipment manufacturing like high-speed trains and large aircraft. We have more than half of the world's new energy vehicles. Mega transport projects like the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and Beijing Daxing International Airport have been completed and put into operation. Transport has become a frontier in China's modernization drive. Convinced of the importance of global connectivity, we have become the economy best connected to the global shipping network and with the highest volume of trade in goods. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the China-Europe Railway Express and ocean-going cargo vessels have been running day and night to keep global industrial and supply chains stable, showcasing China's sense of responsibility in the global community.

Xi Jinping stressed that China will continue to hold high the banner of true multilateralism, and stay connected with the world and abreast with the times. This way, we will contribute more to global development while pursuing our own development. China will not change course in its pursuit of a new system of open economy of higher standards, and China will not waver in its resolve to promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation. China's door of opening-up will only open wider, and will never be closed. China will continue to advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, strengthen infrastructure connectivity with other countries, and develop a green Silk Road and a digital Silk Road at a faster pace.

Xi Jinping announced that China will set up a Global Innovation and Knowledge Center for Sustainable Transport, as a contribution to global transport development.

In conclusion, Xi Jinping stressed that let us stick together on the promising path of connectivity and mutual benefit, jointly build an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity, and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Ding Xuexiang, Liu He, Cai Qi, Wang Yi, He Lifeng and other officials attended the opening ceremony.

The second United Nations Global Sustainable Transport Conference is held online and offline in Beijing from October 14 to 16. Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde, Panamanian President Laurentino Cortizo, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and other leaders delivered speeches via video link upon invitation. Representatives from 171 countries attended the opening ceremony.
The moves come amidst indications that the Centre is planning to raise LPG prices in the first week of November

Indian Youth Congress (IYC) activists during a protest against the recent price hike of fuel, diesel and the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinder near India's petroleum minister Hardeep Singh Puri's home, in New Delhi. (PTI/File)

New Delhi: With the LPG prices skyrocketing, the Centre is planning sale of small LPG cylinders through ration shops. In a bid to enhance the financial viability of fair price shops (FPS), the government is planning to allow them to offer financial services in consultation with states.

The moves come amidst indications that the Centre is planning to raise LPG prices in the first week of November as the under-recovery on the fuel has widened to over Rs 100 per cylinder. The LPG rates were last hiked by Rs 15 per cylinder on October 6, taking the total increase in rates since July to Rs 90 per a 14.2-kg cylinder.

Smaller cylinders are expected to increase affordability of cooking gas for the less privileged. When domestic LPsG prices were regulated by budgetary subsidies, the government was incurring losses to keep the effective price of a cylinder closer to Rs 500. However, currently, domestic LPG cylinders (14.2 kg) are sold at market prices, "but the government continues to subsidise freight for consumers in some parts of the country," a source in a PSU oil firm said.

"The subsidy on LPG gas has become limited as the government thinks only the most needy should be given a subsidy. For last one year or so, the subsidy has been discontinued for common users, but only Ujjwala (Pradhan Mantri Ujwala Yojana) beneficiaries will get some amount of subsidy, not the full as earlier they used to get," the source said.

Government sources said the move to allow retail sale of small LPG cylinders through fair price shops is part of the Centres measures to enhance the financial viability of these outlets. This decision was taken after a virtual meeting with state governments, chaired by food secretary Sudhanshu Pandey.

After the meeting, the food and consumer affairs ministry said in a statement, "Proactive measures to be taken to enhance financial viability of FPS. ...Plan of retail selling of small LPG cylinders through fair price shops (FPS) on the anvil."
Sameer Wankhede is in the eye of a political storm following allegations of extortion in the high-profile cruise drugs case

Mumbai: Yasmeen Wankhede, the sister of Narcotics Control Bureau's (NCB) Mumbai zonal director Sameer Wankhede, has filed a police complaint here seeking registration of an FIR against Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik for allegedly defaming her, an official said on Thursday.

Sameer Wankhede is in the eye of a political storm following allegations of extortion in the high-profile cruise drugs case in which actor Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan was arrested. The officer is facing the departmental vigilance probe.

In her two-page complaint submitted to the Oshiwara police here, Yasmeen Wankhede claimed her family was being targeted on social media and that Malik had also called their family trip to Maldives as a "vasooli (extortion) trip", the official said.

She alleged that Malik was trying to defame her and her family members.

She also claimed that she was being stalked online and the minister was illegally distributing to media persons her personal photographs posted on her social media handles like Instagram and Facebook, according to the complaint filed recently.

An official from the Oshiwara police station said they received a written complaint from Yasmeen Wankhede last week, but no FIR has been registered so far.

Yasmeen Wankhede also filed a complaint with the National Commission for Women (NCW) and requested it to direct the police to register a case for the alleged offences of stalking, defamation, criminal intimidation and insulting a woman's modesty, as well as relevant sections of the Information Technology Act for violating her privacy and under sections of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Malik has repeatedly termed the cruise drugs case as "fake" and levelled a string of allegations against Sameer Wankhede, including illegal phone tapping and forging documents to secure job.

The NCB official has denied any wrong-doing.
Given the buzz surrounding his appointment, he may well outshine the Cabinet secretary during his new two-year tenure

While the high-flying Mr Khare did not superannuate as a Cabinet secretary as some had expected given his stellar track record, he still retains key to the mighty PMO. (Twitter)

Cautious but gets the job done, is what one senior colleague says of him. Most observers agree that this one vital trait has helped Amit Khare rise to the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) as his new advisor. This, and the fact that he has steered two of the NDA governments flagship policies  National Education Policy and the IT Rules  explain why the 1985-batch IAS officer from the Jharkhand cadre who retired last month, is seen as among the handful of babus considered indispensable by the NDA government.

So, while the high-flying Mr Khare did not superannuate as a Cabinet secretary as some had expected given his stellar track record, he still retains key to the mighty PMO. And given the buzz surrounding his appointment, he may well outshine the Cabinet secretary during his new two-year tenure and may well become principal secretary to PM. Dont forget though that Rajiv Gauba himself had handpicked him for earlier stints.

Though he has always enjoyed the confidence of his political masters, even in the UPA years, his real stellar rise in the current government may be traced to his days as secretary for information and broadcasting, where he swiftly earned Narendra Modis attention and was made responsible for all communication strategies. It also gave him better access to the PMO. He will need all these formidable skills to steer the government through key state elections next year as also the lingering post-Covid scenario.

Govt sets ball rolling for secy-level appointments

Last month (September 22) this column had reported about the babu shortage at the Centre, with multiple secretary-level vacancies, including in the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) even as several eligible officers are still waiting to be summoned for these vacant slots. But the recent and long-awaited empanelment of 12 IAS officers from the 1985 and 1987-89 batches and 27 IAS officers of the 1990 batch is a clear sign that the government is now planning to fill some of the current vacancies as well those that will arise in the next few months due to the retirement of some babus. Babu observers have been quick to note that only one Gujarat cadre officer is in the list. Curious, since this states cadre usually holds a special place in the NDA government.

At present several secretary-level posts are vacant in the steel, drinking water and sanitation ministries and the department of border management, among others, are vacant. This situation also prevails in the department of biotechnology and the department of science and technology, though these two posts are usually earmarked for scientists. Also, there are several babus lined up for retirement. In the coming weeks, secretary-level vacancies will come up in the ministries of petroleum and natural gas, housing and urban affairs and environment, forests and climate change. For instance, Tarun Kapoor will retire as petroleum secretary next month while Rameshwar Prasad Gupta will retire as environment secretary in December.

With such critical posts vacant or soon to be vacated, the decisions have to be taken sooner than later. The latest round of empanelment has now opened the avenues for the government to start making secretary-level appointments.

IFoS officers trigger a rumble in the jungle

A piquant situation has developed in Karnataka where several Indian Forest Service (IFoS) cadre posts are filled with non-cadre officers. B.K. Singh, a former principal chief conservator of forests, says that the trend has only become more pronounced over the years, irrespective of which party is in government in the state. IFS officers now tend to get posted outside the forest department, which is severely impacting the conservation and development of forests. It is said that currently, more than 42 cadre posts are vacant across the state.

IFS officers are now being posted in the state tourism department, agriculture department and even disaster management, among others. Sources say that many of these appointments have been made without prior approval from the Central government. Though the forest services never complained initially, its now a rumble in the jungle.

They point out that the rules state explicitly that a cadre post shall not be filled by a person who is not a cadre officer except in case no cadre officer is available. In that case, the non-cadre officer will be replaced when a suitable cadre officer becomes available.

But in the case of Karnataka, the government has allegedly contravened the IFoS cadre rules by appointing non-cadre officers to cadre posts, without approval from Delhi.

Share a babu experience! Follow dilipthecherian@Twitter.com. Lets multiply the effect.
Now, Zenvo has another party trick that dazzles audiences with its gracious movements as much as it does for its monster of an engine. That would, of course, be active aero.You wouldn't think carmakers from a country with such a mild climate would have much interest in taking their new halo car to the barren deserts of Saudi Arabia. An invitation to the exclusive Riyadh Car Show in the eponymously named capital of the country fits the ticket for one reason to book a plane ticket.The new TSR-S is more than worthy of holding its head high in competition with the biggest names in supercars. For a country in such proximity to supercar havens like Italy, Germany, and the UK, Zenvo's proved worthy enough to see them mentioned in the same breath as Ferrari, Porsche, or Mclaren.This isn't just because of the patented active centripetal rear wing, but for the sheer impressiveness of its driving stats. Zero to 60 takes place in a measly 2.8 seconds, and you'll be flying past 125 mph in under seven seconds. The top speed is electronically limited to just over 200 mph from the factory. Perhaps that's for the best, considering how powerful this thing is.Jetting 1,177 bhp, from a 5.8-liter twin-supercharged flat-plane V8 engine, the TSR-S has stats and figures that were once reserved for the fastest and most exclusive cars from multi-billion dollar conglomerates like the Bugatti Veyron and Chiron. Considering Zenvo has around two-dozen full-time employees, including HR, sales, and dealerships, that's not bad at all."It is an exceptional opportunity for the company to be able to showcase our work at one of the most talked-about events this year," said Angela Hartman, CEO of Zenvo Automotive. "The Riyadh Car Show is already a highly anticipated automotive show that everyone has on their calendars, and thank the House of Saud for extending their invitation to Zenvo to participate. We are looking forward to welcoming both our customers and visitors of the show to our stand to see the TRS-S, as well as discuss future plans for the brand as we head into a new year."We can only assume the fabulously wealthy patrons of the Ryadh Car Show will be lining up to buy the two examples of this Danish psych mobile. The active rear wing is cool enough to entrance even the most jaded non-car-enthusiast that ever had light enter their eyeballs.The TSR-S has a body forged entirely out of carbon fiber, a technology that was once reserved for the automakers with the most moolah to burn as well. In 2021, the material is available to whichever automaker has skilled enough craftsman to construct it.It's clear the Zenvo did a fantastic job in this regard, and the pearlescent Ishvid Perlemor (white) hue and bright Baltisk Bla (blue) doesn't give much indication the car's body shell is any less ordinary than any other aluminum-bodied supercar.Instead, you're left to marvel at how the paint shines in a way only top-of-the-line paint jobs ever do. This isn't a man in a shed bodge job operation that occasionally builds a car that catches fire for a fat, balding middle-aged Englishman to poke fun at on the Internet and on TV.The even spanning November 18th to the 28th of this year will give event-goers plenty of time to savor over it before cutting that nice, fat check.
This journey was also meant as a validation of Bentleys research into biofuels, which can be used without any engine modifications. The fuel they used in this Flying Spur conforms to the same EN228 standard as ordinary pump gasoline, despite being made entirely from waste biomass (straw), without negatively impacting foot production or the ecosystem.Using this fuel, together with the Flying Spur Hybrids electrified powertrain , resulted in an overall CO2 reduction of 45%.It was great to see the car make the 733 km journey across the country on renewable electricity and green renewable fuel. Driving through the countryside with waterfalls on your left, and volcanos to the right you can visually see where the energy is generated directly, from nature, said Icelands Minister of Tourism, Industry and Innovation, ordis Kolbrun Reykfjor Gylfadottir.I think this is the best definition of sustainable energy. Iceland wants to be part of the environmental solution and help others use the knowledge and renewable sources we have here.For Bentley, the Flying Spur Hybrid represents a big step toward becoming the worlds most sustainable luxury mobility company, as per the brands Beyond100 strategy. By 2024, all Bentley nameplates will feature a Hybrid version, before the launch of the companys first battery electric vehicle, set to arrive by 2025.In terms of performance, the Flying Spur Hybrid is powered by a 2.9-liter V6 gasoline engine, working alongside an advanced electric motor for a total of 536 hp (544 ps) and 553 lb-ft (750 Nm) of torque. Its not that much slower than the V8-powered Flying Spur, capable of hitting 60 mph (97 kph) from a standstill in just 4.1 seconds.
In just three years, passengers will be able to fly between the UK and the Netherlands on board a hydrogen-electric aircraft. ZeroAvia, based in the U.S. and the UK, has also established a legal entity in the Netherlands and is working together with the Royal Schiphol Group and Rotterdam The Hague Airport (RTHA), making this happen.This pioneering aircraft will be a 19-seater, currently being developed by ZeroAvia , which will use hydrogen fuel cells to power its electric motors. The partnerships objective is to launch the first zero-emission commercial flight between the UK and the Netherlands, which could also become the worlds first, if nobody beat them to the finish line until 2024.ZeroAvia has been working on its hydrogen-electric aircraft for some time now, but this new milestone takes things to the next level, going from design and development to full commercialization.To achieve that, the company will work with the Royal Schiphol Group to demonstrate hydrogen refueling operations, integration with airport infrastructure, and the requirements for regulation. The partners are also currently discussing choosing the best operator for the project's route with airlines.Through this partnership, regular hydrogen-powered flights between London and Rotterdam could be introduced as soon as 2024. "Boarding a zero-emission flight from Rotterdam to London is only the beginning of green aviation, said Ron Louwerse, CEO of RTHA.Indeed, ZeroAvia has even bigger plans for the future. The 19-seater is expected to be followed by a larger aircraft (up to 80 seats) in 2026 and hydrogen-powered regional jets by 2028.
By pure coincidence and a fortunate combination of monikers, we were reminded of his name when we set eyes on the custom Harley-Davidson Street Bob we have here, nicknamed Springer by the shop that put it together, Poland-based BT Choppers.Harley-Davidson Street Bob Springer by its full name, the build is one of those projects that once seen tends to stick with you. Although retaining the unmistakable look of the Street Bob, it got transformed into a clean cut machine, elegant yet at the same time screaming power.The combination of black and white, and just a touch of chrome, make the Springer really stand out, especially given how these colors were used on a wealth of custom bits.BT Choppers is responsible for making in-house the most visible parts of the build, starting with the fuel tank and ending with the side mount license plate. The seat is also theirs, and so are the rear fender and the massive exhaust system slapped on one side.The wheels are of Arlen Ness make, sized 23 inches front and 18 inches rear, and the whole machine is supported by a Legend air suspension system. A host of other suppliers are responsible for the rest: the rear lights are Kellerman and the front one Performance Machine, Rizoma is responsible for the mirrors, and Thunderbike for the foot controls.The Springer is one of the more recent BT Choppers builds out there, but sadly the shop provides no info on how much it cost to put the whole thing together.
Thirty-one loudspeakers and eight exciters will offer audiophiles an immersive, upgraded sound, according to Daimler, with speakers also being mounted into the seats of the vehicles.The technology will be used with the optional Burmester 4D and 3D sound system and also integrated into the Mercedes-Maybach and then the Mercedes-Benz S-Class models.Burmesters hardware with a total power of 1,750W consists of two amplifiers, 31 speakers (with six 3D speakers that emit sound from above, four in the front seats, and an 18.5-liter subwoofer), and eight exciters, mounted two per seat. This sound system comes installed in both the S-Class and Maybach.As boasted by Britta Seeger, Member of the Board of Management at Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG Sales rep, Mercedes-Benz is one of the first luxury car brands in the world to rely on this technology and, along with the Burmester sound system, will transform the vehicle into a live concert venue, with both the driver and passengers benefiting from the multidimensional sound Going beyond the capabilities of mono or stereo, Dolby Atmos Music boasts of adding more space, depth, and clarity to the music, being able to adapt to any playback environment.Daimler specifies that the Mercedes-Maybach with integrated Dolby Atmos will be available starting next summer. More models will follow, including the ones equipped with the new MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience) multimedia infotainment system introduced with the new S-Class.Dolby Laboratories announced just a month ago a new partnership with Cinemo, an infotainment solutions company that has some important brands in its client base. Bugatti and Honda are two of them. Dolby and Cinemo plan to work together to bring Dolby Atmos sound quality to more cars.
NHTSA

ADAS

The message emerged on Reddit. The user GrouchyFlamingo2709 posted the email he received from Tesla stating that his car may be affected by loosening fasteners on the front suspensions lateral link. Tesla Model 3 units made between January 2019 and April 2021 and Model Y cars built from March 2020 until June 2021 are subject to presenting the problem.In the email message, Tesla did not reveal how many vehicles were involved with this recall. If you check the companys website , youll see nothing about it as well. What is more concerning is thats page also does not present any information on such a recall.Without a way to check the information with the company  it no longer has a PR department  one could doubt that it was really sent by Tesla. However, the responses to the Reddit thread show many other users have also received the message or had their cars repaired for the same issue a while ago. They report high-frequency noises, squeaks, creaking sounds, etc. Tesla defines that as abnormal noise from the front suspension in the email message.This is not the first time Tesla has had issues with its cars suspensions. Keith Leech, also known as Keef Wivaneff, coined the expression Whompy Wheels to talk about the multiple Teslas he found on junkyards and auctions apparently with suspension issues. Accused of being a short seller, he became one to challenge Tesla to prove he was wrong about his allegations. So far, Tesla has done nothing against him.Leech accuses Teslas suspension components of failing prematurely. Popping ball joints, cracked arms, and fore links are among the examples and pictures he publishes on Twitter. In September 2020, a Swiss owner of a Model S saw the suspension in his car break at 200 kph (124 mph) in an autobahn.Soon after that, the Chinese government forced Tesla to recall 18,182 units of the Model S and Model X due to suspension failures on the rear links of the front suspension and the upper linkages of the rear suspension on both sides of the cars. Tesla denied the parts were defective and blamed the drivers for abusing the EVs.In the U.S., NHTSA launched an investigation in November 2020 for issues with the front suspension fore links of 115,000 units of these two vehicles. New cases keep literally popping up. autoevolution tried to contact engineers and suppliers to understand what could be wrong with these components and has never received a reply back.If Tesla is really making a recall related to the suspension of the Model 3 and the Model Y , it should have warned NHTSA about it. The safety agency should then have published the warning about this recall on its website, as well as Tesla. As we already mentioned, none of these pages have any information about such a recall.The Tesla customers that replied to the Reddit thread are now worried about being able to make an appointment with their Tesla Service Centers to fix the issue. Some that already had the defect repaired before the recall email emerged are concerned that their EVs may be flagged for not having the recall done. They did have them done before it was named a recall.NHTSA already asked Tesla for information about an OTA (over-the-air) update that would have fixed Autopilot. According to the safety agency, Tesla should have treated it as a recall, especially if it was to fix what caused 11 Teslas to crash against emergency vehicles while using the(advanced driver-assistance systems). One person died in these crashes. Tesla partially replied to NHTSAs request for information about the incidents with Autopilot and asked the safety agency to treat all it said as confidential business information. If it is doing another recall without following the procedures NHTSA deem as necessary, recalling the word recall may end up being an expensive decision.
ADAS

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

IIHS

Theres one automaker based in Romania thats hardly acknowledged by the auto industry in North America. Even so, their cheap but cheerful vehicles could be a smash hit among student debt riddled younger Americans, desperate for four wheels and an engine of any kind. Theres just one minor issue with that sentiment, were afraid.First things first, who the heck is Dacia? Well, it has some ties with the Industria Aeronautica Romana (IAR for short). An aerospace company with deep roots making aircraft during some of the most tumultuous periods in Romanian history. Their most famous creation was the IAR-80, a piston-engined fighter plane more or less equal in performance to other famous Axis fighters like the German Bf-109 and Japanese A6M Zero.Dacia was formed as an automaker in 1966 in the same place where the IAR stood during the war. The company even saw Romanian President and certified member of the nut-job dictator club Nicolae Ceauescu drive the first Dacia 1100 off the production room floor in 1968. That car was based on the French Renault 8 and 10, and most early Dacias have their origins with the French automaker.Soon Dacia began making their own bespoke in-house designs, and even exporting them to foreign markets like Poland and Russia. Today, theyre known in the west primarily for their Sandero. A car which Top Gear/Grand Tour presenter and card-carrying goofball James May enjoys very much. Until Hammond and May ran a semi-truck into it, on purpose.Captain Slow iconically doted over the Sandero for its relative reliability and bargain-basement price. As well as all the quirks that come along with what being a bare-bones car can bring. If Mr. May can bring himself to fall head over heels in love with simple, cheap Dacias, whos to say the folks who watch him on Amazon Prime in America wouldnt enjoy it too?You might think theres some real potential here for Dacias to perform strongly over in the states. That is until we get to their one glaring, catastrophic problem theyd face. Theyre about as safe in a crash as a bicycle. Perhaps thatd be too kind to bicycles.During Dacias time under the umbrella of the disastrous Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, the company largely sat on the sidelines as the larger brands in the group self-destructed at the hands of current international criminal Carlos Ghosn. The implications of that mess will play out for years to come.In this period, Dacias dedicated Romanian workers valiantly did the best they could with what they had, but the quality of the build of Dacia cars seems to have declined significantly. Because the results in a crash test are shocking, to say the least.Whether it be a side impact, a head-on collision, or even a fender bender, the Dacia Sandero especially, but also the Duster crossover SUV, have scored barely acceptable marks (two stars) nearly across the board in Euro NCAP tests. Sure, that includes an extremely poor rating when it comes to vulnerable road users and safety assist, but still.Recent changes to EuroNCAP safety ratings have made it even harder for new cars to achieve the maximum rating. A move which has seen past Dacia models fail to reach the acceptable safety standards it had seen before. Implimentations ilke advanced(driver assistance systems) as well as pedestrian protection systems up to the new standard prevents cheap Dacias from achieving higher scores.Suppose either car were to undergo the stringent safety testing weve come to expect from the American). In that case, theyd likely score poor in every category imaginable.This would likely eliminate the chance of Dacias ever being sold in the states without completely redesigning them from square one. Thus, in a move that further deprives young Americans of cheap wheels, Dacia will likely remain a niche Central/Eastern European manufacturer for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, Chrysler will likely to continue to not make a small, cheap car worth buying. Pitty.
There are people far more wealthy than any of us for whom not just any old peasant Roller will do. So pay attention and put some respect on the name, feast your eyes on the all-new Black Badge Ghost.The Black Badge trim is for a specific type of eccentric billionaire. One whos well aware of how much wealthier they are than the common folk. While other Rolls-Royce owners may try and hide in anonymity, Black Badge owners want to be seen, not just being chauffeured around in the car, but behind the wheel of it. They want people to know just what a big deal they are, and how different they are from the most successful person who came before them.Now selling the Ghost, but also the Wraith, Dawn, and Cullinan, Roll-Royce has a more diverse lineup of vehicles between the standard cars and special Black Badge editions than perhaps at any other point in recent memory - either during its time as an independent company or during its ownership by the current bosses at BMW.Black Badge Ghost buyers are treated to the same top-class luxury features. Not the least bit unimportant of these is the six-and-three-quarter liter V12 engine thats found its way into the hearts of so many Rollers before. Only this time, its jetting 592 horsepower and 663 lb/ft of torque. So then, not the slow-paced, wealthy grandfathers car most of its siblings turn out to be, color us intrigued.Amazingly, over 44,000 shades of custom paint are available for buyers of the Black Badge Ghost. Rolls-Royce likens this selection to a ready to wear suit tailor who has just the color to make your new toy as unique as possible. The bespoke carbon fiber 21-inch wheels would have been hand-polished metal in any other Rolls-Royce. But in case you needed another hint, this isnt any old Roller.The amazingness continues on the inside, where the latest and greatest luxury materials have gone into every centimeter of its construction. Polished wood is just as genuine as it ever was throughout the car. All polishing is done by hand, of course. The leatherwork is so exquisitely stitched, one would think theyd have to genetically engineer better cows to get leather of any higher in quality.Not to mention all the digital bells and electronic do-dads that cant be omitted for any self-respecting modern luxury car, Bluetooth connectivity, and all. Its all brought together by the Black Badge Ghosts custom Champagne Cooler, and we bet you thought the Pontiac Aztek 's beer cooler was neat. Eat your heart out, you ugly old rust bucket. Time to take your Budweiser and hit the bricks.Of course, there are people that are going to argue that a hot Bentley would do a much better job as a high-end luxury performance coupe. But understand that Bentley and Rolls-Royce are two companies that make similar products for different types of people. Yes, a new Continental GT Speed is likely a little bit faster than the Rolls. But for a Black Badge Ghost owner, that matters little.Its all about the exclusivity of the best version of what the most famous luxury car maker in the world can build. The potential asking price of $500,000 minimum will reflect this. No pricing information is available yet, this is the sort of car you order on comission after all. We'd be shocked if it was any lower than that half a million figure.
Washington DC-based 0-G Launch joined forces with the Canary Islands Aeronautical and Aerospace Cluster (CAAC) to bring space weightlessness to Earth. As a result, passengers will be able to take zero-gravity or parabolic flights and float just like an astronaut would in space.

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Secretary of State Tony Blinken protested the decision to approve 3,000 new housing units in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank during a tense phone call on Tuesday with Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz, three Israeli officials tell me.

Why it matters: This is the first time new construction in the settlements has been approved since President Biden assumed office, and the Biden administration had been privately pressing the Israeli government not to proceed.

The U.S. gave us a yellow card.

 Senior Israeli official on the "very difficult" call between Gantz and Blinken.

The backstory: Prime Minister Naftali Bennett had hoped a Ministry of Defense committee would approve the new housing units before he visited Washington in August. But that didn't happen, and then Biden personally pressed him to show restraint on the settlements issue.

That complicated matters and contributed to a two-month delay. But then last week, the Ministry of Defense announced the committee would convene to approve even more housing units than had previously been planned.

The top U.S. diplomat in Jerusalem, Michael Ratney, called Bennetts foreign policy adviser Shimrit Meir to protest the move, in a call the sources described as "difficult."

Behind the scenes: The U.S. pressure escalated on Tuesday when Blinken called Gantz and told him both the number of housing units and their locations deep inside the West Bank were unacceptable," according to the Israeli officials.

Blinken asked Gantz to take the U.S. position on settlements more into consideration in the future.

Gantz told Blinken he understands the Biden administration's concerns and had decreased the number of building plans up for approval as much as he could.

He also pointed out that he had approved plans for 1,300 new housing units for Palestinians in the Israeli-controlled West Bank, something that hadn't happened in over a decade.

Gantz also told Blinken that he'd been criticized by his political rivals for meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and for granting legal status to 4,000 Palestinians living in the West Bank, adding "I am planning to take more such steps soon, according to one Israeli official.

Gantz told Blinken that, the settlements dispute notwithstanding, the new Israeli governments objective was to strengthen the Palestinian Authority and improve the lives of Palestinians in the West Bank, the Israeli officials said.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh on Sunday called on the U.S. and international community to "confront the fait accompli being systematically imposed by Israel."

Between the lines: The latest flare-up over the settlements began in the same week that Gantz signed an order to designate six Palestinian NGOs as terrorist organizations, which also sparked criticism from the State Department.

An Israeli delegation is expected to hold talks with State Department officials later this week on the designations.

What's next: After the Israeli government passes its budget next week, and thus ensures its short-term political survival, the Biden administration is expected to resume discussions over reopening the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem  another very contentious issue.

The bottom line: Senior Israeli officials admit that the U.S. position on settlements was tougher than they had expected, but note that the criticism is coming mainly from the State Department, with the White House not weighing in publicly for now.
The readily available antidepressant fluvoxamine significantly reduced COVID-related hospitalizations, according to a large study published Wednesday.

Why it matters: The clinical trial suggests that a cheap, readily available drug could dramatically reduce serious illness and death when prescribed early.

Researchers from Canada, the U.S. and Brazil honed in on the drug for its anti-inflammatory properties for the study, published in the journal Lancet Global Health.

For the record: Fluvoxamine was approved by the FDA in the 1990s to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder.

The big picture: Participants with an early COVID-19 diagnosis were given 100 milligrams of the drug twice daily for 10 days. Those in the control group were given a placebo.

The clinical trial looked at nearly 1,500 people in Brazil. Among the participants who were given fluvoxamine, the rate of hospitalization decreased by a third, according to the study.

Among the participants who followed through with the fluvoxamine protocol, one patient in the fluvoxamine died, compared to 12 in the control group.

What they're saying: University of Minnesota infectious disease scientist David Boulware, who conducted his own study of the drug in coronavirus patients, told the New York Times: "It's not a shiny new, expensive drug. The nice thing about this is it has a known safety profile."

Go deeper: Merck says COVID pill prevents 50% of deaths, hospitalizations
An Armenian government statement said Pashinian and Colonel-General Sergei Istrakov, the deputy chief of the Russian militarys General Staff, discussed Russian-Armenian military-technical cooperation, an official term that often relates to arms supplies.

They also exchanged thoughts on the current military-political situation in the region, it added without elaborating.

Photographs released by the governments press office showed that Defense Minister Arshak Karapetian was also present at the meeting. The Armenian Defense Ministry did not report on Thursday separate talks between Istrakov and Karapetian or other Armenian military officials.

Istrakov already visited Yerevan in January and July this year at the head of Russian military delegations that held staff negotiations with the Armenian armys top brass.

Armenia moved to further deepen its close military ties with Russia shortly after the six-week war in Nagorno-Karabakh stopped by a Russian-brokered ceasefire last November. Moscow has since deployed troops in Armenias Syunik province bordering districts southwest of Karabakh retaken by Azerbaijan during and after the hostilities.

Meeting with Karapetian in Moscow in August, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Moscow will continue to help Yerevan reform, rearm and modernize the Armenian armed forces.

We can consider that the process of arms supplies to Armenia has started, the Russian defense minister said as he gifted his Armenian counterpart a dagger.

According to the Armenian Defense Ministry, the two ministers reached a number of important agreements regarding forthcoming cooperation programs.
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Violence may stop Mexico from gobbling up more US trade from Asia as global supply chain falters
115 Years Ago This Week: Famed Iredale Shipwreck Hits Oregon Coast

Published 10/26/21 at 4:46 PM PDT

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Astoria, Oregon)  Monday, October 25 marked exactly 115 years ago that the barque Peter Iredale ran aground near Warrenton and has ever since been an Oregon coast landmark. It's also one of the most photographed shipwrecks in the entire world. (Above: the Iredale in 1951, courtesy Oregon State Archives)

Yet it was 115 years ago today  October 26, 1906  that the news of this dramatic stranding hit the world, starting with the Morning Astorian's first edition of that day. According to their reports  and plenty of subsequent historical accounts  those wee hours of the morning of October 25 were stormy and raucous. The four-masted Peter Iredale was on her way into the mouth of the Columbia River after coming from Mexico, a British-based ship made mostly of steel. This was her ninth time coming into town, according to the rather tedious logs of incoming ships that were routinely published in newspapers at the time.

It was at 2 a.m. that Captain H. Lawrence first saw the lights of Astoria, but due to the gale and windstorm swirling around them this view flickered in front of him, making it an uneasy route in. Lawrence stuck to his training and decided to wait until daylight to try and enter, however the wild conditions caused him and the crew to lose their bearings in the night and with just a few moments notice they found themselves about to ground on the beach.

One crew member screamed breakers dead ahead from a lookout, and Lawrence immediately gave the order to steer the ship away. In these conditions, the wheel wouldn't work properly and within minutes the crew was struck with horror at the sound of the boards beneath their feet grinding onto land.



Courtesy Columbia River Maritime Museum

By this time it was 7:45 a.m.

The jolt was gargantuan: everything onboard went flying the direction of the stop. The masts snapped off with the enormous force, and even the anchors and chains mysteriously went flying off the ship, later found quite a ways away.

Evacuations were swift, but massive waves swamped over the vessel and crewmen as they fled, leaving little time to grab belongings or other valuables. Meanwhile, just a tad up the Oregon coast, a rescue team was already arriving from Point Adams before they'd even finished leaving the ship behind. (Photo: the Iredale in 2001)

Everyone onboard made it safely off the ship, including two stowaways.

While waiting on the beach to be ferried to Fort Stevens for medical treatment, the men were quickly joined by a crowd of over 100 residents, according to the newspaper. Word spread quickly in an age before telephones, and plenty showed up to lend assistance. Not needing any help after all, the crowd instead turned their attention to sharing their bottles of booze with the relieved crewmen, and the ensuing party on the beach is legendary.

It was here that Capt. Lawrence famously toasted the ship goodbye with a hearty swig.



Photo courtesy Oregon State Archives: a rarely-seen shot of the Iredale before its demise

Two crewmembers got so drunk they could not make the train to Astoria the next day.

The British naval court held an inquiry on the wreck less than a month later and found Lawrence and his crew not guilty of any wrongdoing or negligence, and in fact he and the officers were commended for their efforts.

Plans were to salvage the ship at the time, but weeks of wild conditions persisted and eventually the ship was permanently embedded in the sand and had tilted to the left. It was then considered a total loss. During World War I, most of its parts were removed, and after that its tired and old bones were left to rust on this north Oregon coast beach. See the full story Wrecking the Peter Iredale: How Oregon Coast History Played Out in 1906

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Haunted Legends of Oregon Coast - Part II

Published 10/25/21 at 11:26 PM PDT

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Lincoln City, Oregon)  Part one of this ectoplasmic tour of the Oregon coast (That Which Haunts the Oregon Coast, Part I ) covered the upper third of the region, from Astoria down through Nehalem Bay. In part two, witness now the spine-tingling kookiness of the central and south coast: Lincoln City, Depoe Bay, Newport, Florence, Bandon and Coos Bay. (Above: Newport)



Lurky in Lincoln City

The whole town seems steeped in ethereal legends, sometimes stretching back a century. Such as the geist tale of Siletz Bay, where a phantom ship has supposedly appeared periodically and then poofed out of existence. See Ghosts of Siletz Bay: Oregon Coast Shipwreck Appeared Sometimes

Lending some credence to this is the fact there are the skeletal remains of a ship lodged in those mudflats, an old vessel named the Blanco stranded here in 1865. By the 1930s, its beams were starting to disappear during some seasons, and by the 70s or 80s it was completely gone from sight.

At least one of the fire stations has a presence lurking, which is sort of documented in a video taken by the Lincoln City Visitors Center back in the 90s. It is reportedly still for sale at the visitor center.

Local cameraman and now-retired fire department spokesman Jim Kusz told Oregon Coast Beach Connection something weird happened when he and the crew were filming a group of ghost hunters at the Oceanlake firehouse. He felt the presence there and had a pain in his chest. This was particularly striking to him as he knew from previous historical research that a firefighter died of a heart attack in one of the old engines back in the 30s or so.

The Wildflower Grill in town has been a fave restaurant for decades, and back in the early 2000s they told one publication (which was the precursor to Oregon Coast Beach Connection) that the ghost there is a friendly one, sometimes patting people affectionately on the butt.

Nearby, in Depoe Bay, there's also footage available in the video about a creepy ghost upstairs in what was then the Spouting Horn Restaurant  now a brewpub.

Startling at Newport

This town has two lighthouses and lots of creepy tales, although both legends of the lighthouses have been thoroughly debunked.

One is of the southern lighthouse, the smaller Yaquina Bay light, where the ghost of a teen girl supposedly ran loose there and on the beach. That turned out to be from a fictional story in the local newspaper in the 1910s, but somehow got ingrained in local culture until the 80s.

The taller Yaquina Head Lighthouse once had a legend of a wispy Mr. Higgins, who purportedly died of dubious circumstances on the spiral stairway. That turned out to be bunk as well, as around '99 or 2000 the Bureau of Land Management (that runs the structure) received a letter from a descendent of Higgins who said he left the place for Portland to become a dock worker, eventually passing away in Portland in the 30s.



Depoe Bay

However, some say a former lighthouse keeper and his daughter haunt the beaches and bars, looking for each other, after they both died on a stormy night in separate places.

Spooks of the South Coast

Down near Florence, the famed Heceta Head Lighthouse has a long-standing story about a ghost that haunts the BnB that was made out of the keeper's quarters. She's supposedly a sweetheart though - just lacking in substance. You're welcome for the pun.

On the southern coast, purportedly there's a secret haunted graveyard at Bandon, somewhere within Bullards Beach State Park. Whether or not it's got actual spooks is  well, up in the air. But ghostie websites have claimants on the subject, and one in particular talks of a zombie there.

The story goes there are only 13 graves in the graveyard  at least those that are easily found. Somewhere deep in the brush there's a 14th grave, and that's the haunt of the zombie.

Coos Bay's Tioga Building has long been mired in spooky yarns and reports, often of a tall, shadow figure in the basement. Strange voices, footsteps and more are all part of the lore there. Now largely converted to apartments, a decade ago a group of ghost hunters went in and poked around, possibly coming up with something although it wasn't conclusive.

According to Coos Bay's The World, they did uncover more evidence nearby at Sunset Memorial Park Cemetery, including an unexplainable mist hovering in one area.

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The Deep East Texas Council of Governments will be accepting pre-applications for its rental assistance waiting list lottery. This lottery determines the individuals and families that can receive rental assistance with Section 8 housing.

Beginning at 8 a.m. Nov. 1 and going until 11:59 p.m. Dec. 31, DETCOGs Regional Housing Authority will be accepting online pre-applications for housing assistance at waitlistcheck.com/tx2875.

The housing authority will not accept any applications at the office or applications that are faxed or mailed in. This is an online-only application process.

DETCOG will accept 1,500 pre-applications, and applicants can check their place on the waiting list beginning Feb. 14 by going to waitlistcheck.com. The following items are preferences to DETCOG:

Families who live and work within the DETCOG Regional Housing Authority service area which includes the following counties: Angelina, Hardin, Houston, Jasper, Newton, Polk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shellby, Trinity and Tyler coounties. Houston County does not include Houston or any part of Harris County. Tyler County does not include Tyler or any part of Smith County;

Veterans or veterans families;

Victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault or stalking; and

Families whose head of house or co-head of house or spouse is disabled.

Reasonable requests for accommodations in the pre-application process can be made by calling (936) 634-2247 extension 5262 or by emailing housing@detcog.gov.

There is no cost to apply, and a credit report is not needed to apply.

Earlier this year, Jasper County left DETCOG to become a member of the Southeast Texas Regional Planning Commission. But that organization does not do any housing assistance programming. Jasper County remains in the DETCOG Regional Housing Authority service area.
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Mark R Lambert, West Virginia University

(THE CONVERSATION) Too many people are losing their lives in fires.

Although the number of people killed in fires in the United States has been going down since the 1980s, the number is still high. In the year 2020, for example, 3,500 people were killed in fires in the U.S. The vast majority of those deaths  2,580, to be exact, or about three out of every four  took place at home. Another 11,500 people suffered fire-related injuries at home.

I know all of this too well. Before I became director of the West Virginia University Fire Service Extension, I spent 23 years as a fire and explosion investigator for the West Virginia State Fire Marshals Office. In that position, I investigated approximately 1,000 cases in which people were killed or injured in home fires. As any fire investigator will tell you, I know that a lot of fire deaths and injuries can be avoided by following a few simple steps.

1. Get some smoke detectors

Smoke detectors reduce your chances of dying in a fire by 50%.

They can be purchased at department stores, hardware stores or online for as little as US$10. The more expensive models, which may cost closer to $100, have extra features, such as flashing lights or audio files where a parent can add a voice message telling their child to Wake up, the fire alarm is going off! Some can also detect carbon monoxide.

If you or your family cannot afford a smoke detector, you might be able to get one from your local fire department or your local American Red Cross for free. Most departments will also teach you how to install one.

2. Put a smoke detector on every level of your home

You should have at least one smoke detector on every level of your home. Ideally, there should be one in every bedroom, another one just outside of every bedroom, one in the laundry and furnace area and one in the attic.

Change the batteries twice a year. Do this even if you dont hear the detector chirp to let you know the batteries are low. Replace the smoke detectors every 10 years.

Firefighters have been stressing the importance of smoke detectors since 1973. Even so, 41% of all U.S. home fire deaths took place on properties where there was no smoke detector, and 16% took place on properties where the smoke detector didnt work.

In several cases, I have investigated fatal fires only to find the detector on the kitchen counter with no batteries in it.

3. Close bedroom doors

Research indicates that you are more likely to survive a fire if your bedroom door is closed.

Thats the reason why firefighters say you should install a detector outside of every bedroom, not just inside. If a fire breaks out outside your bedroom, you want to be awakened by a smoke detector, not actual smoke. Keeping your door closed gives you extra time in a smoke-free environment to escape a house fire.

4. Set up an exit plan

All members of the house should decide on an exit plan for each of their bedrooms. If you can get up and get out the normal way, through a front or back door, then take that route. Remember: If the door handle is hot, do not open the door. If flames or smoke block your path, you need to exit through your window.

Everyone should practice the plan and be familiar with it. Write the plan down and practice it when you change smoke detector batteries.

Your family should have a meeting spot outside  such as across the street, a tree or mailbox  where everyone should go once they escape.

5. Purchase a fire ladder

If you live on the second floor of a building or higher, you may need to purchase a fire ladder to safely escape through your window. These ladders can be rope or chain ladders with steps made of plastic or metal. You can purchase these at most home repair stores and online. They are already put together and ready to use.

Look for an Underwriters Laboratories (which is a global safety certification company) listed brand to purchase. Read the instructions that come with the ladder and be familiar with how to use it.

6. Exit first, then call 911

The time to call 911 is after you have exited your house. Once you are out of your house, you call tell the 911 dispatcher the exact location and any other information they may ask you for. The dispatcher may also want you to stay on the line until the fire department arrives  something you cant do if youre in a burning home.

7. Never re-enter a burning home

If your house is on fire, never reenter it for any reason until the firefighters say it is safe to do so.

I once investigated a case where a mother went back into the burning house to find her other children, and her toddler followed her. While the mom made it back out, the toddler did not. Your life is important. Let the firefighters handle the rescues.

8. Never leave a burning candle in a room by itself

If you light a candle and forget about it, it may cause a fire. This happens more often than most realize. In 2018, there were 7,500 candle fires in the U.S. In 16% of the candle fires, the candles were unattended or abandoned.

Be especially careful with candles during the holidays, which are the peak time for candle fires. This is because candles are often too close to holiday decorations, which can easily catch fire.

9. Dont sleep with space heaters

One of the leading causes of fire death is home heating. A vast majority of home heating fire deaths (81%) involved stationary or portable space heaters, a 2021 home heating fire report states. Over half (54%) of the home heating fire deaths were caused by having heating equipment too close to things that can burn, such as upholstered furniture, clothing, mattress, or bedding.

While technology in space heaters has improved over the past 20 years, never leave a radiant space heater unattended and never fall asleep with one on. I once had to tell a 9-year-old boy, two days after Christmas, that he lost his mother, father and sister in a fire that started because of a radiant space heater. One of the childrens blankets came in contact with the heater and started the fire. When possible, you should rely on the normal heating system for the home. Use space heaters with caution.

10. Get a fire extinguisher

The ideal extinguisher for the home is the multipurpose type that can put out fires of all different types, like electrical and liquid. These extinguishers are small enough that they can be easily handled and can extinguish or stall the fire until firefighters arrive. Familiarize yourself with how it operates prior to needing it for an emergency.

[Over 115,000 readers rely on The Conversations newsletter to understand the world. Sign up today.]

Experts disagree on whether young children should be trained on how to operate a fire extinguisher. The National Fire Protection Association, for example, says children should just focus on getting out of the home because they may not be able to handle a fire extinguisher or know how to react if the fire still spreads. A Detroit power company, however, says children from age 6 to 13 can be trained to operate a fire extinguisher as long as they can lift it and hold it.

Just like smoke detectors, you also should check your fire extinguishers twice a year to see that they are pressurized and functional.

If practiced as a family, following these simple steps could make the difference between whether you escape a house fire or become the next statistic.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/10-fire-safety-tips-to-help-keep-you-and-your-kids-alive-and-safe-169994.
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP)  A former National Geographic photographer has been sentenced to one year in federal prison for tax evasion and ordered to pay more than $200,000 to the IRS, the Office of the U.S. Attorney for Delaware announced.

When Bruce Kevin Fleming, 67, of Milton pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion last year, he had not filed federal income tax returns or paid any such taxes since 1981, prosecutors said Tuesday in a news release.
Darin Oswald/AP

BOISE, Idaho (AP)  A man who was killed in an Idaho shooting at a Boise mall on Monday was shopping for gifts for his family when he was wounded, family members said.

Roberto Padilla Arguelles, 49, was a truck driver who lived part of the year in the southern Idaho city of Rupert and part of the year in Zacatecas, Mexico, the Idaho Statesman reported, and at the time of his death was planning to return to his home in Mexico in two weeks. He was one of two people killed in an attack that left four others injured at the Boise Towne Square Mall.
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP)  About 70 soldiers from a Nevada Army Guard cavalry unit will deploy in November for a nine-month assignment supporting the U.S. military security presence in Kuwait, Guard officials said Thursday.

A deployment ceremony was being planned Tuesday at the Clark County Armory in northeast Las Vegas to mark the departure in coming weeks of Delta Company, 1st Squadron, 221st Cavalry.
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP)  A group of Democratic lawmakers on Thursday urged the Biden administration to enact emergency protections for gray wolves in the U.S. West in response to Republican-backed state laws that make it easier to kill the predators.

Twenty-one U.S. senators led by New Jersey's Cory Booker and Michigan's Gary Peters asked Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to shield wolves from being killed for 240 days while permanent protections are considered.

With hunts in the region ongoing, a federal wildlife agency spokesperson told The Associated Press that emergency protection of wolves "remains on the table."

It's been legal to hunt and trap wolves in the U.S. Northern Rockies for more than a decade after they rebounded from widespread extermination and federal endangered species protections were lifted.

But Republican elected officials in Montana and Idaho are intent on culling more wolf packs. Wolves periodically attack livestock and also prey on elk and deer herds that many hunters prize.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last month launched a year-long review to determine if protections need to be restored. The move did nothing to protect wolves in the interim, and Yellowstone National Park administrators have since complained after three wolves from a pack popular with tourists were killed a fter roaming into Montana.

If continued unabated for this hunting season, these extreme wolf eradication policies will result in the deaths of hundreds of gray wolves, the Democratic lawmakers said in a letter to Haaland. The Department of Interior can prevent these senseless killings.

The letter was signed by senators including from California and Nevada in the West, but no Northern Rockies lawmakers.

Federal officials under former Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump defended the 2011 decision to take wolves off the endangered list, pointing to wolf populations that remained strong despite hunting. There are more than 3,000 wolves in the region, including an estimated 1,500 in Idaho and 1,200 in Montana.

Montana Republican Sen. Steve Daines suggested the Democrats pressuring Haaland should study the data."

Then they might know the gray wolf is thriving under state-led management," Daines said. We should use our limited resources to protect species actually endangered.

Native American groups and environmentalists have also requested emergency listing of wolves as an endangered species.

Federal officials said in response that temporary protections can't be enacted through the legal petitions they received from the groups. However, the Endangered Species Act gives Haaland authority to do so if she determines there's a significant threat to a species.

"Emergency listing remains on the table, if the Service sees circumstances develop that would lead us to apply that authority," Fish and Wildlife Service public affairs chief Karen Armstrong said in an email.

Thirty-six wolves have been killed in Montana since the current hunting and trapping season opened last month, according to state harvest data. While it's still early in the season, that's not out of line with past years, said Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokesman Greg Lemon.

We've had years where we've been over that number at this point in the season, and years where we've been less than this, Lemon said.

Over 320 wolves were harvested during Montana's 2020 hunting season -- significantly more than the preceding eight-year average of 242 wolves per year, according to officials. That was before Gov. Greg Gianforte signed legislation that allowed wildlife commissioners to legalize wolf killing methods previously outlawed, including snaring, baiting and night hunting.

A new law in Idaho eased wolf hunting restrictions to allow using night-vision equipment with a permit, using bait and dogs, and allowing hunting from motor vehicles.

Hunters and trappers reported killing 89 wolves through Monday in Idaho. That's down from the same point last year but likely to rise because hunters and trappers have 10 days to report a wolf kill, said Idaho Fish and Game spokesperson Roger Phillips.

To protect wolves around Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, wildlife advocacy groups on Wednesday asked federal officials to impose a 5-mile (8-kilometer) buffer zone near park boundaries where wolves could not be hunted.

___

Follow Matthew Brown on Twitter at @MatthewBrownAP
3 1 of 3 Courtesy photo /Texas DPS Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Courtesy photo /Texas DPS Show More Show Less 3 of 3





A woman was arrested for attempting to smuggle a migrant in Zapata County, according to state police.

On Oct. 21, a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper pulled over a black Ford sport utility vehicle for a traffic violation.
TAYLORSVILLE, N.C. (AP)  A North Carolina man is jailed on a $5 million bond on multiple child sex crime charges, and a sheriff's office says a woman he lived with is facing similar charges.

The Alexander County Sheriffs Office said in a news release that Colan Lewis Swink, 44, of Newton, is charged with 109 felony counts of sex acts by a substitute parent or custodian and 25 felony counts each of statutory rape and sex offenses. He was jailed on a $5 million secured bond, the sheriff's office said.
After vetoing a similar measure over the summer, Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday signed into law a bill that makes the unlawful restraint of a dog a crime in Texas.

The bill, which passed during the Legislatures third special session of the year, will take effect on Jan. 18, 2022.

Animal advocates have called for this legislation for several legislative sessions, criticizing the existing statutes lack of enforcement. The Texas Humane Legislation Network in 2015 found that not a single prosecution had been made under the law over the previous two years. But in his original veto statement, Abbott said Texas was no place for such micro-managing and over-criminalization.

Months after his veto, Abbott added the issue to the agenda for the third legislative session that began last month.

The measure is not too dissimilar from the version vetoed by Abbott over the summer, though it more clearly outlines the proper treatment of a tethered dog. Advocates for the legislation told The Texas Tribune in September that the minor changes made between the vetoed version and this proposal do not impact the bills purpose.

The law bans chains or heavy weights as restraints. Dog collars must be made of material specifically designed to be placed around the neck of a dog, though it does not specify which materials. Restraints must also be no shorter than five times the dogs length. The law also says dogs must have shelter from inclement weather, which includes rain, hail, sleet, snow, high winds, extreme low temperatures, or extreme high temperatures.

The bill was approved by wide margins in the House and Senate but received some opposition from rural legislators, who expressed worry that it would make it harder to restrain guard dogs or animals on ranches.

Advocates told the Tribune in September that the issue would not have gotten further attention without the pushback over the veto.

If there was no outcry  it would still be something that wed be planning on working on next legislative session, Jamey Cantrell, president of the Texas Animal Control Association, told the Tribune last month.

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2021/10/25/abbott-texas-dog-bill/.

The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.
ASEAN said Thursday that it agreed to upgrade ties with Beijing, a day after the bloc announced a similar agreement with Australia, in what appears to be a balancing act with Indo-Pacific powers amid tensions in the South China Sea.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations boosted its ties with Beijing two days after China offered to hold a bilateral summit this year to mark three decades of its dialogue with the bloc  with President Xi Jinping in attendance, as indicated by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.

We agreed to establish a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership [CSP] between ASEAN and China that is meaningful, substantive and mutually beneficial, Brunei, the ASEAN chair for 2021, said in a statement.

ASEAN gave no details on what such a partnership would entail.

On the face of it, the move by the 10-member Southeast Asian bloc conveys that it will maintain the same official status in relations with both China and Australia  a firm ally of Beijings geopolitical rival, the United States. On Wednesday, ASEAN announced that it was upgrading its 47-year-old ties with Canberra to a CSP.

With Washington expanding its role in the Indo-Pacific, other nations could easily serve as stand-ins for the U.S. For instance, the Washington.-led Quad grouping draws in Japan and India, and the AUKUS defense pact brings together the United States and two other maritime democracies, Australia and the United Kingdom.

Numerous visits by Chinese officials to ASEAN countries and Beijings reciprocal invitations to them were part of an ongoing attempt to counter the Quads and the AUKUSes, the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute, a Singapore think-tank, noted in an article it published last month.

The changing global geopolitical landscape with a stridently growing counter-China narrative and regional architecture led by an assertive Biden Administration, is also a factor in driving China to strengthen its remaining bright spot in diplomatic relations, the article said.

An offer made by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang this week for China to hold a summit with ASEAN to mark three decades of bilateral dialogue could be seen as another attempt to sweeten bilateral ties.

But Chinas overtures shouldnt be overstated, analysts note. It would have been tough for ASEAN to sustain a muted polite response to Beijings desire for upgraded ties because most Southeast Asian economies depend on the regional superpower, they add.

As Southeast Asian studies scholar Jonathan Stromseth noted in a recent paper about the ASEAN region, China is achieving its strategic goals in the region through economic statecraft.

[T]he security-centric paradigm that has long guided American thinking is an insufficient lens through which to view and understand the region, wrote Stromseth, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington.

[T]he United States must also improve its economic game in a region where China has come to dominate trade and tourism and is matching if not exceeding Japan in infrastructure investment.

\

This handout photo from the Royal Malaysian Air Force, taken on May 31, 2021 and released on June 1, 2021, shows a Chinese air force Ilyushin Il-76 plane which, Malaysian authorities say, was in the airspace over Malaysias maritime zone near the coast of Sarawak state on Borneo Island. [Handout/Royal Malaysian Air Force]

South China Sea

Still, security concerns are not going to go away, and the AUKUS pact, by which the U.K. and U.S. will help Australia get nuclear-powered submarines, is a clear sign.

Southeast Asian countries can be expected to push back against Beijing (and be more open to U.S. policy positions) when they feel threatened by China, especially where territorial integrity is concerned, Stromseth of Brookings wrote.

How then will issues around the disputed South China Sea be discussed under an upgraded ASEAN-China relationship?

China claims nearly the entire sea, including waters within the exclusive economic zones of four ASEAN members Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

ASEANs chair did mention issues around the South China Sea in its statement after the summit with China.

Some [ASEAN] leaders raised issues related to several activities and serious incidents in the area, including damage to the marine environment, which have eroded trust and confidence, increased tensions and may undermine peace, security and stability in the region, the ASEAN chairs statement said, referring to land-reclamation activities.

The statement did not say which nation or nations were responsible for these activities, although satellite images and regional observers point to China.

For its part, China has reiterated that peace in the South China Sea is in the common interest of China and ASEAN member states.

China is willing to step up dialogue and consultation on the South China Sea to steer clear of external disruptions, advance practical maritime cooperation, and maintain peace, stability and long-term security in the SCS, Beijings five-point proposal for China-ASEAN relations says.

But Beijings pronouncements hardly align with its actions.

In addition to militarizing the South China Sea, Beijing has stepped up its incursions into other claimant nations exclusive economic zones, used its maritime militia to harass fishermen in waters claimed by other countries and parked its survey ships in oil-rich zones in others waters.

In recent months, the Philippines and Malaysia have lodged diplomatic protests or summoned the Chinese envoy in their country over repeated intrusions into their waters.

A comprehensive strategic partnership, instead of a mere strategic partnership, is not going to make these problems go away, noted Farah Nadine Seth and Sharon Seah, authors of the article in the ISEAS publication.

Chinas track record of coercive fait accompli building of artificial islands and military outposts to stake its territorial claim as well as its blatant disregard of the 2016 Tribunal ruling not in its favor, makes it unlikely that Beijing can be persuaded to depart from its thus far China-first doctrine even within an AC-CSP, they said, referring to an ASEAN-China comprehensive strategic partnership.

Beijings expansive claims to the South China Sea were invalidated through a 2016 ruling by the International Court of Arbitration in The Hague. China has never accepted this ruling.

In such a scenario, ASEANs upgraded ties with China could put claimant states under greater pressure to resolve SCS disputes bilaterally, an avenue that China has long preferred, the ISEAS article said.

Similarly, non-SCS claimant states may be reluctant to include the matter of SCS concessions, those not being of concern to them in an institutional agreement.

For these reasons, ASEAN should focus on enhanced ties expanding cooperation mainly in mutual bright spots in the socio-cultural realm, Seth and Seah write.

And more than anything else, they said, ASEAN must be mindful of the method and pace with which the fine print of this enhanced relationship is negotiated.

BenarNews staff in the Philippines contributed to this report.
A child embraces a globe-shaped balloon during a rally held ahead of the start of the 2015 Paris World Climate Change Conference, known as the COP21 summit, in Rome, Nov. 29, 2015.

Updated at 1:58 p.m. ET on 2021-10-29

Asian leaders are heading to Scotland where COP26, the most important global summit on climate change since the one that produced the 2015 Paris agreement, opens this weekend, after being postponed last year by the coronavirus pandemic.

South and Southeast Asia countries are among those on the front line of the climate crisis, ravaged by floods, storm surges and severe weather events such as droughts and extreme temperatures. The leaders of Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand are set to attend the summit.

Under the Paris accord, more than 190 countries agreed to keep global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), through efforts to limit it to 1.5 C, which scientists say will help avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

At 1.5 degrees warming, 700 million people would be at risk of extreme heat waves. At 2 degrees, it would be 2 billion, Alok Sharma, the president of the U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, said in a recent speech at UNESCO headquarters in Paris.

That is why countries on the front line of climate change fought so hard ... For them, 1.5 to stay alive is not a hollow slogan. It is a matter of survival, he said.

The Philippines, Thailand, and Bangladesh were among the top ten countries hit by extreme weather events in the last two decades, according to an analysis by Germanwatch, an environmental NGO based in Bonn, Germany.

At the two-week long conference that starts in Glasgow on Sunday, Paris Agreement signatory states will reassess their commitments and update their national action plans to reduce emissions.

Under the Paris deal, rich nations agreed to provide poorer ones with $100 billion annually to support climate action and adaptation, starting in 2020  a commitment that has not been met.

The countries that signed the accord also agreed to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. That means limiting emissions from human activity to a level that trees, soil, and oceans can absorb.

Countries that make up 80 percent of the global economy have now committed to the net-zero target, one of the main talking points at COP26, Sharma said.

Ending use of coal  a major source of greenhouse-gas emissions  is a personal priority for Sharma, but it could turn into a stumbling block at the conference because countries including China and India refuse to abandon coal production and consumption.

Asia accounts for 75 percent of international coal demand, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

China, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Turkey account for more than four-fifths of the worlds remaining pipeline of coal power plants as of July 2021, said a report by think-tank E3G released in September.

In 2019, Indonesia was the top exporter of coal for power generation, supplying 40 percent of the world market, while Malaysia and the Philippines were among the top five importers of coal, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity.

Coal barges are pictured as they queue to be pulled along the Mahakam River in East Kalimantan province, Indonesia, Aug. 31, 2019. [Reuters]

Indonesia

Southeast Asias largest and most populous country is the eighth most polluting one in the world with 2 percent of global greenhouse-gas emissions to its name, according to the World Resources Institute.

At present, Indonesia draws 60 percent of its own energy supply from coal, but aims to switch to renewable sources supplying 85 percent of its energy needs by 2060.

During his appearance at COP26, President Joko Jokowi Widodo is expected to speak about Indonesias commitment to net-zero emission by that year, government officials said.

The government is also in the process of finalizing the draft Presidential Regulation on the Economic Value of Carbon. All coverage of the carbon economy value is directed to support efforts to achieve the (Paris) target, Laksmi Dewanti, director general of climate change at Indonesias environment ministry, said during an online discussion last week.

Indonesia has set a goal for 2030 of reducing its greenhouse-gas emissions by 29 percent. Its Ministry of Industry says the energy sector now accounts for nearly half of the countrys emissions, and that automotive emissions make up about one fifth of its overall emissions.

Starting in April 2022, individual people and industries will be subject to a carbon tax of 30 rupiah (U.S. $2.1) per metric ton of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent). But the tariff is too low and may not be effective in changing public behavior to switch to clean energy, said Fabby Tumiwa, executive director of IESR, an Indonesian think-tank.

In the long term, our competitiveness will continue to be eroded, Fabby told BenarNews.

The rate of deforestation, meanwhile, fell to its lowest level in 20 years last year  due to a three-year moratorium on new palm oil plantations that has since been lifted. Still, the country lost 115,459 hectares of forest cover in 2020, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry said.

According to Greenpeace, the clear-burning of forest land to make way for plantations has generated nearly 104 million metric tons of carbon emissions during the past 19 years. That equals 33 times the annual emissions from powering all the homes in the Indonesian capital.

Philippines

The Philippines was the among the countries worst affected by extreme weather between 2000 and 2019, ranking fourth in the world, according to Germanwatchs Global Climate Risk Index for 2021.

The Philippines does not have net-zero plans as of now, but it has announced a moratorium on the building of new coal-powered plants. The Philippines COP26 delegation will be led by finance and foreign affairs secretaries.

Nancy Manalaysay, a caretaker, paddles her way out of a partly submerged church due to rising seawater in Sitio Pariahan, a coastal village in Bulacan, Philippines, Nov. 26, 2019. [Reuters]

After deriding international climate-change talks as nonsense in 2016 and threatening to quit the Paris agreement, President Rodrigo Duterte reversed course this year.

The Philippines accepts its share of responsibility and will do its part to avert this collective disaster. We have submitted our first Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), with a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 75 percent by 2030, Duterte said in a speech to the U.N. General Assembly in September.

But this contribution will be rendered useless if the biggest polluters  past and present  choose to do business as usual. We therefore appeal for urgent climate action, especially from those that can truly tip the balance, he said.

He also urged developed nations to fulfill their longstanding commitment to climate financing, technology transfer, and capacity-building in the developing world.

This a moral obligation that cannot be avoided. Our worlds transition to a green economy must not be at the expense of developing countries' economic vitality, he said.

Bangladesh

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will lead a nearly 100-strong Bangladeshi delegation to COP26, according to Mirza Shawkat Ali, who directs the climate-change cell at the Ministry of Environment.

The main message Bangladesh wants to convey at the Glasgow COP is that the global temperature rise must be kept within 1.5 degrees Celsius as agreed in the Paris Agreement, M. Ziaul Haque, a member of the delegation, told BenarNews.

Our call is to the G20 countries, who emit nearly 80 percent global emissions, to reduce global emissions by 45 percent before 2030 compared to the 2010 level, he said, adding Bangladesh has been experiencing an irreversible impact, as well as loss and damage.

Bangladesh, where a third of its population is at risk of displacement from rising sea levels, was ranked seventh in the Germanwatchs list of countries most affected by extreme weather events between 2000 and 2019.

We are not only making a call to the developed countries to cut emissions, but we have also already taken actions to cut emission in Bangladesh by cancelling coal projects, he said.

Developed nations must allocate funds in addition to overseas development assistance and not as part of it, Ali told BenarNews. He also said Bangladesh opposes the involvement of the private sector in the adaptation initiatives, as proposed by the developed countries, instead of state agencies.

A man walks past a stretch of land where his home once stood in Bhola, an island district in Bangladesh where the Meghna River flows into the Bay of Bengal, Nov. 17, 2015. [AP]

Thailand

Varawut Silpa-archa, the minister of natural resources and environment, said last week that Thailand would push for a strategy of achieving low emissions over the long term, with a goal of reaching net- zero emissions by 2065.

The government also plans to increase the share of electric vehicles to one in three vehicles by 2030, and have half of new power plants produce electricity from renewable energy sources.

Currently, Thailands pledges and plans include reducing its greenhouse-gas emissions by 20 percent by 2030 compared with 2005 levels, environmental expert Dominic Chakrabongse wrote recently in the Thai Inquirer.

Much of this will rely on the manufacturing and transportation sectors making drastic cuts  74 percent of the entire target, he said, adding, Whereas the largest emitter  power production  is only required to cut emissions by 20 percent.

Thailand is ranked ninth on the Germanwatchs long-term climate risk index.

The Thai government has implemented several policies to address climate change  However, all of these policies fail to uphold climate justice, said Tara Buakamsri, country director for Greenpeace Thailand.

All of these policies, if implemented without regard for human rights, will exacerbate social conflict, poverty, and future epidemics.

Malaysia

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob pledged last month that Malaysia, among the top 25 emitters of greenhouse gases, would become carbon neutral by 2050 at the earliest.

I would like to stress that the climate-change agenda and green technologies would be the countrys priority under the current administration, he said.

Malaysia aims to reduce the intensity of greenhouse-gas emissions across the economy by 45 percent by 2030 and increase renewable energy generation, according to the government plan.

It also plans to maintain at least 50 percent of the country's forest cover.

Malaysia is eighth highest in cumulative per-capita emissions from 1850 to 2021, largely as a result of emissions from deforestation, according to Carbon Brief, a U.K.-based policy institute.

Shariffa Sabrina Syed Akil, founder of local environmental group PEKA, expressed skepticism that could fulfill a pledge of becoming carbon neutral by 2050.

Malaysia will miss the target by a mile with the current seriousness shown by the government  We are still in the mindset of blaming disasters on Acts of God, Shariffa Sabrina told BenarNews.

Jason Gutierrez in Manila, Ahmad Pathoni in Jakarta, Kamran Reza Chowdhury in Dhaka, Kunnawut Boonreak in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and Hadi Azmi and Muzliza Mustafa in Kuala Lumpur contributed to this report.
Filipino journalists and protesters hold pictures of suspects in the 2009 Maguindanao massacre of 58 people, including 32 media workers, as they observe a moment of silence to mark the 10th anniversary of the killings at a rally in Manila, Nov. 23, 2019.

Citing unsolved murders of media workers, a leading international press advocacy group on Thursday kept Bangladesh and the Philippines on its list of the dozen most dangerous countries in the world for journalists.

The annual Global Impunity Index, published by the Committee to Protect Journalists, ranks the Philippines as the seventh-worst and Bangladesh as the 11th-worst nation based on data from Sept. 1, 2011, to Aug. 30. While the Philippines held its spot, Bangladesh improved from 10th-worst based on convictions in February tied to the 2015 murders of secular blogger Avijit Roy and publisher Faisal Arefin Dipan, CPJ reported.

The Philippines has 13 unsolved murders of journalists and Bangladesh has six, according to CPJ. The index includes only nations which have at least five unsolved cases.

CPJ defines murder as a deliberate killing of a specific journalist in retaliation for the victims work. This index does not include cases of journalists killed in combat or while on dangerous assignments, such as coverage of protests that turn violent, it said.

A CPJ official called on government authorities to bring the killers to trial.

When justice is subject to corruption and political power feuds, these forces silence journalists and the critical stories they tell, Gypsy Guillen Kaiser, CPJs advocacy and communications director, said in a news release announcing the index. It is imperative that authorities fully investigate these crimes and stop censorship by murder. This task cannot be left to the families, colleagues, and civil society groups tirelessly seeking justice.

Convictions

The CPJ noted two court actions in Bangladesh earlier this year.

A Dhaka court on Feb. 16 sentenced five militants to death for Bangladeshi-American blogger Roys murder six years earlier, as he was leaving an annual book fair. The rulings came about a week after the same judge, Mojibur Rahman, sentenced eight to death for the October 2015 murder of Dipan, who had published Roys works.

It was a premeditated murder. The banned outfit Ansar al-Islams members, including the accused persons, killed Avijit Roy, and branded him an atheist, Rahman said in a statement at the time, referring to an al-Qaeda linked group.

Avijit Roy paid the price with his life for independent writing and freedom of expression. These accused persons do not deserve mercy.

While crediting Bangladesh for the verdicts, the committee questioned the death sentences. CPJ said it does not support the death penalty and has urged Bangladesh to hand down humane sentences on appeal.

Maguindanao massacre

The Philippines, meanwhile, held the seventh spot for a second year after improving from the fifth-worst nation in 2019.

In 2020, CPJ said the Philippines remained on the list despite the December 2019 convictions of perpetrators linked to the 2009 Maguindanao massacre where 32 journalists and media workers were among 58 people killed in the biggest single-day attack on the working press.

On Nov. 23, 2009, the Ampatuan political clan, backed by their privately controlled armed militiamen and police, ambushed a group of supporters of rival politician Esmael Mangudadatu, who had challenged the Ampatuan patriarch for the post of governor in the province of Maguindanao.

Zaldy Ampatuan, the former governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, and his brother, Andal Ampatuan Jr. who engineered the massacre, were sentenced to life in prison. Their father and clan patriarch, Andal Ampatuan Sr., died in jail before the trial concluded.

The battle for complete justice, journalists, advocates and the families of victims say, is not over, CPJ said in the 2020 report.

Far from it: All of the convicted Ampatuan clan members, including the crimes reputed masterminds Andal Ampatuan Jr. and Zaldy Ampatuan, have appealed their convictions. Those legal challenges, local observers predict, could take years to be heard and eventually reach the Supreme Court, if the defendants exercise all of their appeal options.

More recently, commentator Reynante Cortes was killed in July after he left a radio station in Mambaling, a village in Cebu city, when a gunman approached and shot him at close range, according to a local official. Cortes was the 22nd media worker to be killed in the Philippines since President Rodrigo Duterte came to power in 2016.

Globally, Somalia, Syria, Iraq and South Sudan were the worst nations for journalists this year as well as in 2020.

In addition, CPJ said Afghanistan remained the fifth-worst nation while noting the situation on the ground for reporters deteriorated dramatically in 2021 as the Taliban took control in mid-August amid the withdrawal of U.S. and coalition forces and the flight of President Ashraf Ghani.
Filipinos emerged from their homes this week to visit the gravesites of loved ones ahead of Day of the Dead celebrations in Southeast Asias largest Roman Catholic-majority country.

The threat of mass gatherings turning into COVID-19 super-spreader events forced the Philippine government to shut down all private and public cemeteries, from Oct. 31 through Nov. 2  dates that encompass All Saints Day and All Souls Day.

On the second of these holy days, Catholics and other Christians pay tribute and pray for their departed ones.

Because they have been barred from visiting cemeteries on those actual days this year, Filipinos instead were urged to visit their dead in small numbers this week.

For some families, the visits were more poignant because loved ones had died since 2020, the year the calamitous outbreak hit the Philippines and other countries around the globe. More than 42,000 Filipinos have died after being infected with COVID-19.

My husband died due to injustice, said Norma Llamas, 56, of Dagupan City, north of Manila.

Her husband died of a lingering chronic kidney disease, Llamas said, but she blamed a lack of medical attention that resulted from the pandemic.

We knew its fatal, but we could have prolonged his life so he could see our children who were away living in other provinces with their own families. The lockdown gave them a hard time getting travel permits, until my husband died, she told BenarNews.

This week, local governments in Dagupan and throughout the Philippines monitored cemetery visits strictly and divided the public into small clusters.

Before the pandemic struck, graveside visits on All Souls Day visits were a time for joy, an occasion for families to reunite.

Now, weeds have overgrown the once well-manicured patches of green between the tombstones, where children used to run and play on Christianitys holy day of celebration for the dead.
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Greg Sukiennik has worked at all three Vermont News & Media newspapers and was their managing editor from 2017-19. He previously worked for ESPN.com, for the AP in Boston, and at The Berkshire Eagle in Pittsfield, Mass.
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NORTH ADAMS  A Chicopee man remains in custody after a weekend shooting scattered 9 mm rounds into a State Street building south of downtown. He faces a dangerousness hearing Monday.

Police believe that the man, Isaiah J. Calderon, became enraged after a former girlfriend called authorities late Saturday to say he was trying to break into her apartment.

This isn't Calderon's first run-in with police in North Adams. Last year, while wanted in the killing of a Springfield man, Calderon was arrested in the city after being found hiding in the closet of a home on Blackinton Street.

Quote Late Saturday just before midnight, North Adams police responded to a report of gunshots outside 145 State St. Officers found evidence that bullets had penetrated the walls of an upstairs apartment.

Just before midnight, North Adams Police responded to a 911 call at 145 State St. and were told by the victim that Calderon, who is 25 and goes by the nickname "Peanut," had tried to break down the door of her third-floor apartment after the two argued  she from an upper-floor balcony and he upon leaving the Key West bar with a girlfriend.

The victim said Calderon pounded on her door, action that was captured on surveillance video, according to the North Adams Police Department's probable cause report, written by Det. Joshua Zustra. The victim said Calderon yelled that she was a "snitch."

Police: Suspect in Springfield killing found hiding in closet in North Adams NORTH ADAMS  A man wanted in the killing of a Springfield man was arrested Thursday in North Adams, after being found hiding in a closet. Isaiah Calderon, 23, of Chicopee, is charged with 

At that point, police say, Calderon shot six times into a second-floor apartment, which happened to be vacant, shattering a sliding glass door. No one was injured in the shooting, according to Police Chief Jason Wood.

Witnesses gave police on the scene, including Officer Trevor Manning and Sgt. Mark Bailey, enough information to compile a description of the vehicle involved, a white SUV registered to Calderon's current girlfriend, allowing authorities to issue a bulletin, according to North Adams Police.

Less than two hours later, a police officer in Adams, Kevin Stant, identified a vehicle matching the description and stopped it early Sunday morning on Upton Street.

Calderon, who lives in Chicopee, was held as a result of that stop and faced arraignment Monday in Northern Berkshire District Court on charges including the discharge of a firearm within 500 feet of a building, attempt to commit a crime (breaking and entering), and assault with a dangerous weapon. No weapon was found during the Adams Police stop, according to Zustra's report.

"There is clear and convincing evidence that no condition of release will reasonably assure the safety of the named victim(s) and the community," Kelly K. Samuels, an assistant district attorney, said in a court filing seeking the dangerousness hearing.

Calderon also was booked on two outstanding warrants, both from Pittsfield District Court. In November 2018, Calderon pleaded not guilty to drug and weapons charges after a traffic stop in Pittsfield with three other people.

4 arraigned on drug, gun charges after Pittsfield arrest PITTSFIELD  Four Hampden County residents have pleaded not guilty to drug and weapons charges in connection with a weekend traffic stop in the city.Ana M. Figueroa, 19, and Jezenia N. 

At the time, Calderon had two previous violent or drug crimes on his record from convictions in Hampden County, one for illegal firearm possession, and another for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, according to Eagle archives. The paper reported that Calderon had an extensive criminal record that includes more than 40 felony charges.

Surveillance video

In a court filing, North Adams Police say Calderon can be seen on the surveillance video walking up stairs to the victim's apartment. At the woman's door, he also can be seen "kicking at the door violently," the report says, at 11:54 p.m. A distinctive tattoo on his left hand is visible.

"Approximately 10 seconds later what sounds like a round being chambered into a semi-automatic firearm can be heard on the video," the report says. "A total of six shots being fired can be heard within the next five seconds."

A Massachusetts State Police crime unit arrived at the State Street scene at 2:45 a.m. and recovered six 9 mm shell casings from a second-floor hall. The team also found a projectile intact inside the vacant second-floor apartment. The sweatshirt Calderon was wearing was sent to a lab to be tested for gunshot residue, with results pending.

Calderon also was charged with carrying a firearm without a license, second offense, and carrying a loaded firearm.

Other arrest

North Adams Police said they later obtained and executed a search warrant for a home in the city.

A second person, Aaron Chappell, of North Adams, was taken into custody Wednesday as a result of that search, police said. He was expected to be arraigned Friday on six firearms-related violations. They include possession of a loaded firearm without a license, possession of a large-capacity feeding device for a firearm and possession of a firearm without a required ID card.
Emmanuel Kodjo, one of two people arrested last week for allegedly building "ghost guns" in Pittsfield, is being held without bail before trial. The second defendant, 18-year-old Taylor Bartlett, will face a judge over the same pretrial issue later this week.
PITTSFIELD  The At Home in Pittsfield program is set to cover the cost of exterior renovations to 19 homes  three of which already are complete.

'At Home in Pittsfield' loan program overcomes earlier City Council opposition PITTSFIELD  Nearly two years after she proposed it, Pittsfield Mayor Linda Tyer won support Tuesday for a plan to help residents fix up the o

Pittsfield mayor looks to help homeowners spruce up exteriors PITTSFIELD  Seniors with pensions that aren't keeping up, young professionals saddled with student debt and single mothers dreaming of their own home. These are the people Mayor Linda Tyer had 

City officials say that in the seven months since the grant program launched, they have seen enough interest from residents to put another $500,000 behind the program  this time from the citys allocation of federal coronavirus relief money.

We had 83 applicants, and we only had $500,000, Mayor Linda Tyer said during a news conference Wednesday to announce the second round of funding.

That speaks to the popularity of this program and the need, and we want to be as responsive as possible, which is why we feel very strongly that the American Rescue Plan can be another resource of funds for this important program.

Housing Specialist and Fair Housing Officer Henide Harvender said that of those 83 applicants Tyer mentioned, 19 met the citys requirements that properties be owner-occupied, no more than two units, and that the households annual income not exceed 120 percent of the areas median income. That means a single-person household could make up to $72,600 in 2021 and qualify for the program.

While a little fewer than half the approved applicants still are getting estimates for their projects, the city estimates that once those estimates come in, the program will have used about $421,000 of the original $500,000. The city caps disbursements at $25,000 per applicant to cover exterior projects  such issues as reroofing, gutter and downspout improvements, window and door replacements, and porch and chimney repairs.

How we got here The At Home in Pittsfield has been a passion project of Mayor Linda Tyer's, first proposed in 2019, and then again in 2020. Tyer's original proposal called for using $250,000 from the General Electric Economic Development Fund to create a zero-interest loan for low-income homeowners to use to fix up the exterior of their properties. That proposal failed when members of the City Council pushed back on using money from the GE fund to cover residential projects instead of commercial ones. "Having a community of homes that have value is economic development," Tyer said Wednesday, maintaining her disagreement with the council's logic. "Providing opportunities for our contractors to engage in this work and employ people, that's economic development." By 2020, the makeup of the council had changed, as had some of the opinions of the council critics to the project. In November, the council voted to approve the program with $500,000 from the GE fund. Tyer said at the time that she wouldn't ask the council to make a repeat disbursement.

For Barbara Skalski, the program was a perfect fit.

Skalski, by her own account, is a good saver. Since 2006, she has saved her paychecks from her job delivering The Berkshire Eagle, Instacart orders, and other odds and ends to transform her 1880s home to something of this century  expanding the kitchen, redoing the floors and transforming the layout all on her own.

Skalski has chipped away at the projects, building a cozy home for her children, grandchildren, three cats, a bird, a St. Bernard named Yukon, a Chihuahua named Bingo and a three-legged dog named Jack. But, no matter how much she has saved, work on the homes exterior has been just out of reach  until now.

Skalskis home is one of nine properties approved to use At Home money to cover the cost of a roof replacement  one of the most common requests, along with gutter replacements. She said that if it wasnt for the rain this week, the team from Saunders and Sons Roofing already would be scaling her roof.

I was trying to save money to get my roof repaired because its slate and nobody wants to do that anymore, so, the cost to replace the roof was way more expensive than I had anticipated, Skalski said. Its been a great help for me, because without this program, I would never be able to keep up with the maintenance and keep my home in the condition that it is.

At Home in Pittsfield covered $25,000 for the cost of Skalskis roof repairs and some work on her back porch. The remaining $5,481 Skalski pitched in herself.

If all goes to plan, Skalskis home projects will be done by the end of the year. If she stays in her home for at least seven years, the city will forgive the loan. For the final bit of porch work left on her list, she says she will be turning to another source to finance the project.

Im gonna win the lottery and get it done, Skalski said.
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.
Danny Jin, a Report for America corps member, is The Eagles Statehouse news reporter. He can be reached at djin@berkshireeagle.com, @djinreports on Twitter and 413-496-6221.
Driving along East Windsor Road in Peru, your car can feel like each wheel is attached to a pogo stick.

For years, the town has wanted to fix this battered road, a key connector to Windsor and Route 9, but has struggled to come up with enough money through the trickle of road money it gets yearly from the state.

Quote The Community One Stop for Growth program was launched in January to simplify how towns go about applying for help. In all, Berkshires town received more than $3 million for road repairs.

Help arrived Wednesday with a $927,000 grant from a new Massachusetts program to invest in rural and economically distressed communities. Becket, Hancock and New Marlborough also received money from the Community One Stop for Growth program  more than $3 million in all for small Berkshires towns.

Here is how the money will be used:

Becket: McNerney Road repairs ($1 million)

Where: McNerney Road serves as a connector between Route 8 to the south and the town of Washington to the north.

What: Work will include full-depth reclamation, widening, and the addition of shoulders for safer bike travel.

Why: The road serves as an alternative route north to Washington and Dalton, as well as Pittsfield. Officials note that it is used by Washington residents and Becket emergency vehicles, as it provides the most direct route to the western portion of Washington. The road is narrow and the pavement is in poor condition, slowing travel and emergency responses.

Hancock: Paving of Dee, Goodrich Hollow and Tower Mountain roads ($169,000)

Where: These three dirt and gravel roads can only be reached from New York state.

What: This relatively smaller grant will only cover paving. Officials say the town will pay to replace culverts and add gravel before paving.

Why: Paving will make the roads safer to travel and ease snow removal. Officials also note that less gravel will flow into streams. The work is expected to make residential development more attractive, helping Hancock increase its tax base.

New Marlborough: Route 57 rehabilitation ($1 million)

Where: Two miles of Route 57, a key east-west route through the town.

What: A full-depth reclamation and rebuilding of just under 2 miles of road, along with improved culverts and drainage. It adds to work, finished in June, on a 4.7-mile segment of Route 57 in New Marlborough and Sandisfield.

Why: Because lots of people use it. Route 57 is classified by the state as a Major Rural Collector roadway.

Peru: East Windsor Road resurfacing ($927,000)

Where: This road is the primary north-south route between Windsor and Route 143.

What: Three miles of road will be rebuilt, including new culverts.

Why: Broken pavement and bad drainage make travel hazardous during storms, especially in winter. The conditions slow emergency vehicles.

In all, the state this week announced road project awards of $9.8 million. The Community One Stop for Growth program was launched in January to simplify how towns go about applying for help.
The author says that with regard to Democrats' proposal for a billionaires tax, the beauty for politicians on both sides of the aisle is that, if passed, the tax only would impact about 700 people. As such, there is not a lot of voter risk involved in this idea. But, the upside would be that it would generate several hundred billion dollars in revenues.
Holistically addressing the addiction crisis is a big and complex task, but there is something relatively simple that can be done to save lives and protect first responders throughout the commonwealth. The state should mandate that all first responders carry Narcan.

More than ever, our first responders are frequently heading to overdose calls. How we equip that response should be informed by the ongoing toll of the opioid epidemic. Narcan, the brand name of naloxone, is an opioid antagonist that can immediately reverse an opioid-related overdose. It is portable and simple to use, so it can be easily administered at the scene of a suspected overdose and save a victim from respiratory distress and possible death.

Among the Berkshires biggest police departments, several already have their officers carry Narcan, while three notably do not: Pittsfield, Lee and Lenox. That would change with the so-called HOPE Act, sponsored by state Rep. Smitty Pignatelli, D-Lenox. The bill (H.2125) would mandate that all Massachusetts first responders carry Narcan or another opioid antagonist either on their person or in their vehicles.

Doses can cost between $20 and $40, so it is a financial consideration for police departments that would be responsible for acquiring kits. That price tag, however, can be reduced through bulk purchasing and leveraging external funding programs, such as the ongoing effort by the Berkshire Opioid Abuse Prevention Collaborative to offer opioid antagonists to the countys police and fire departments at no cost.

Some might think it redundant to train and equip officers with Narcan if local ambulance services have it. As many first responders understand, however, time is precious at these calls. A police officer or firefighter arriving first on the scene of a possible OD and being able to administer Narcan before an ambulance arrives can mean the difference between life and death, especially in the commonwealths rural communities where municipal and regional EMS are often stretched thin.

We cant ignore the opioid epidemics grim toll. Drug overdose deaths  the vast majority of which were opioid-related  claimed more than 93,000 American lives in 2020. Thats more than all of last years traffic- and gun-related fatalities in the U.S. combined. In Berkshire County alone, opioid overdoses killed 56 people  a 44 percent jump from the previous year and more than a tenfold increase from a decade earlier. If we can take a relatively simple step at the state level to reduce harm and perhaps save a fraction of those lives, its worth it.

We do not take lightly the notion of asking police officers and other public safety personnel to do and carry a bit more. Their responsibilities have only grown heavier amid the addiction scourge and our lacking national response to mental health crisis more broadly.

Yet this measure would also protect first responders on calls that entail contact with unknown substances. The increased presence of potent synthetic opioids in the U.S. illicit drug supply is linked to rising overdoses. For the average person, the lethal dose of fentanyl is about 2 milligrams; a lethal dose of carfentanil is even smaller. First responders could unknowingly encounter what amounts to dust at a scene before they even realize what drugs are present. That was the case when two Southwick police officers had to self-administer Narcan after displaying symptoms consistent with fentanyl exposure during a 2018 overdose call.

Luckily, they were equipped with opioid antagonists, but it shouldnt come down to luck for our police officers or firefighters whose calls frequently bring them into contact with the grim reality of the opioid scourge. We owe them this basic line of defense that would also serve to mitigate the death and despair of an opioid epidemic that has already caused so much of both. We call on the Berkshire delegation and the Massachusetts Legislature to make the HOPE Act a reality to ensure the commonwealths first responders are equipped for the crisis at hand.
Genesis 28:15

Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.

Jacob was a man who did everything with great zeal. He did many things wrong before he learned the error of his ways. God promised to give Jacob a vast amount of land, multiply his descendants, and bless all the people of the earth through him and his offspring. It was the same promise that God had made to Jacobs father and grandfather (Isaac and Abraham.) God made the promise to Jacob long before Jacob did anything commendable. In fact, up until that point, Jacobs greatest accomplishment was deceiving his brother, Esau, out of his birthright.

This verse is a reminder that God loves me and has a plan for me despite my failings. He sees the good I can accomplish and even the faith Ive yet to attain. His plan for me wont be thwarted by my past mistakes if I choose to follow Him. He is by my side and will not leave His plans unfinished.

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to keep many people alive.

Joseph was Jacobs favored son. His other sons became jealous of Joseph and tried to get rid of their younger brother by selling him into slavery. God saved Joseph and eventually put him in a favored position with Pharaoh, who put Joseph in charge of Egypt. Because of Josephs position, he was able to preserve his familys lives, save Egypt, and prepare the way for the beginning of the nation of Israel.

God is sovereign and brought good out of the evil deeds of Josephs brothers. Gods plan for Joseph took time and required perseverance. Joseph was sold into slavery, accused of rape, sent to prisonyet all of this set him up to be in front of Pharaoh, who ended up putting Joseph into the position to save his family 22 years after his brothers betrayed him.

Josephs experience shows me that God brings good from evil for those who trust Him. God can overrule others ill intentions and plans to bring about His will for my life. When I find myself in a situation that is unjust because of anothers actions, I can trust God to make a way out of the predicament. It may take time, patience and hardships beyond what I think Im capable of, but God keeps his plan through it all.

Photo credit: SWN/Bethany Pyle
With the onslaught of the Covid-19 pandemic and the journey to find a cure, the question of vaccines has again risen to the forefront. In regards to the pandemic many people see the vaccine as a viable solution to help move forward towards ending the pandemic and bringing things back to normal.

However, everyone does not have the same viewpoint or opinion about vaccines. Some even wonder should Christians get vaccines? You might be wondering the same thing.

Some will say take it and others will say dont take it. That does not help you if you are trying to make a sound and biblical decision. I want to be clear I am not a medical professional, so I am not trying to give medical advice. I am in no position to do that. I am simply trying to answer this question from a faith perspective and nothing else.

Should We Get Vaccinated?

While many people see vaccines as a normal part of life, there are many who dont hold this view. The real issue of vaccination is not one of right or wrong, it is one of personal choice and preference. When asking should Christians get vaccines, we cannot make this a question of sin, judgment, or condemnation. In other words, you are not sinning if you get vaccinated and you are not sinning if you dont.

Let me give you a biblical reference that you can use as a guideline to help you as you think about this topic.

Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. One persons faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. Who are you to judge someone elses servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand (Romans 14:1-4).

Here are 3 ways this can be applied in relation to vaccines.

1. It Is a Disputable Matter

Whether you believe Christians should get vaccines or you are on the other side, this is an issue that can be disputed. I would encourage you to follow Pauls advice and dont make it an issue you quarrel about. Dont turn a decision of personal choice into an issue of right and wrong.

2. Accept the One Whose Faith Is Weak

In this scenario, the one who gets it could be the one with weak faith. The other side is true as well meaning the one who doesnt get the vaccine could be the one whose faith is weak. Regardless of how you feel about vaccines, if someone feels differently you should not judge them or treat them with contempt. This word contempt means not to despise a person or show disdain towards them. In this matter you should accept the one whose opinion is different than yours. I think you would agree showing contempt or judgment helps no one and is not a display of Godly character.

3. God Has Accepted Them

The most important thing to remember is that the ones making this vaccination decision are not your servants, they are Gods. Whether you agree with their decision or not God will accept them regardless of how they choose. You should do the same.





Photo credit: Getty Images/Seb_ra

What Does the Bible Say about Our Health?

As far as our health is concerned, one thing to remember about our bodies is they are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). We have a responsibility to take care of our bodies as best we can and not abuse them. In this chapter Paul was referring to sexual immorality, but this principle can apply to anything that can be abusive to your body.

Let me be clear: I am not saying vaccines are abusive. What I am saying is that God wants us to be mindful of how we treat these temples he has given us.

Does the Bible Support Religious Exemption?

The idea of religious exemption is choosing to not take a vaccine for religious purposes. When some people think about whether Christians should get vaccines, they claim a religious exemption.

The truth is you could probably use the Bible to support taking a vaccine. You could also probably use it to support not taking one. Even though people can claim a religious exemption, the decision is still a personal one. Even if you use the scriptures to defend your position it will still come down to personal conviction. Remember it is not sinful to get a vaccine or to not get one.

Should Christians Get Vaccinated, or Not?

Part of the debate with vaccines is balancing the good of the person with the good of the community. I believe this is the one of the arguments that medical professionals use as to why you should get a vaccine. They have been proven to stop the spread of disease.

If you think back one hundred years ago, many of the diseases that killed people then have been eradicated with science and medicine and the use of vaccines. If you are arguing for the good of the community then you could argue that Christians should take vaccines because that could fall under the command of loving your neighbor as yourself.

However there is a large and growing segment of the Christian world who feel opposite of this opinion. For this reason there is no way to say definitively that Christians should or should not get vaccinated. I think its important for everyone to do their due diligence and be convinced what they think is the right thing to do. I know this may be an anti-climactic response, but I dont see how you can come to any other conclusion that is not based in your own subjectivity. As Paul said in Romans allow people to make up their mind, accept them, and dont treat them with contempt if their conclusion in different than yours.





Photo credit: Getty Images/Matthew. Horwood/Stringer

Why Do We Need Vaccines if God Protects Us?

In some circles there can be a tendency to despise the use of medicine. Does God protect us? The answer is yes. Yet there are ways and means that God uses to protect us.

For example, God put it into the hearts of men to create seatbelts which protects us in the event of a car accident. I think it is not only fair but safe to say that God does not despise medicine  he uses it and works through it. There are times when God will heal you miraculously without any medical intervention at all. However God will also use medical intervention to bring healing.

The same truth we considered earlier applies here as well. If you are sick and go to the doctor, there is nothing wrong with that. Also you must acknowledge that God gives us faith and wisdom. Faith is necessary to believe God can heal and wisdom is necessary to understand that he often uses medicine to do it. Whether God uses the power of medicine or his own power, they are both ways God protects you.

How Should Christians Respond to Anti-Vaxxers?

As I have mentioned earlier, there are some who are very much against vaccines. They are given a label as anti-vaxxers. To be an anti-vaxxer may cause a problem in certain scenarios such as school and education. Some school districts and colleges require vaccinations for kids to attend school.

The one word of caution I would offer is to be careful about where you gather your facts. You have a responsibility to test the information about vaccines that is out there. With the rise of information available, you have to sort through it to find what is legitimate and true. You want to make sure that you are making your decision based on the most reliable and credible information possible.

The question of should Christians get vaccines should be approached like so many other issues that are not black and white issues. Always err on the side of grace. Granted, there may be some who feel very strongly about this topic and that is their right. Just make sure you approach others who may be on the other side of your opinion with grace and accept them as the Bible calls us to do.

Photo credit: Getty Images/Sittithat Tangwitthayaphum
POCATELLO - Earlier this week, investigators with the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit made three arrests in Pocatello and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden has announced. Two men were arrested for alleged sexual exploitation of a minor, while another was arrested for alleged enticement of a child over the internet.

On Tuesday, investigators arrested a Pocatello man for alleged sexual exploitation of a minor. 37-year-old Steven E. Hansen was booked into the Bannock County Jail. He is alleged to have possessed sexually exploitative material.

The Pocatello Police Department, Idaho Falls Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations and the Bannock County Prosecuting Attorneys Office assisted.

Also on Tuesday, 41-year-old Adam W. Smith was arrested in Coeur dAlene for alleged enticement of a child over the internet. Smith, of Coeur dAlene, was booked into the Kootenai County Jail following his arrest.

The Coeur dAlene Police Department, Post Falls Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and the Kootenai County Prosecuting Attorneys Office assisted the ICAC Unit.

On Wednesday, investigators arrested 30-year-old Liam A. Rollins, of Pocatello, in Pocatello for alleged sexual exploitation of a minor. Rollins was booked into the Bannock County Jail. He is alleged to have possessed sexually exploitative material.

The Pocatello Police Department, Idaho Falls Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations and the Bannock County Prosecuting Attorneys Office assisted.

Anyone with information regarding the exploitation of children is encouraged to contact local police, the Attorney Generals ICAC Unit at 208-947-8700, or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678.

The Attorney Generals ICAC Unit works with the Idaho ICAC Task Force, a coalition of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, to investigate and prosecute individuals who use the internet to criminally exploit children
Plus, Bill's Message of the Day, Why is Kamala Harris so Unpopular?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
To tackle antimicrobial resistance including new capabilities in computational biology

The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) in South Korea and the Joint European Disruptive Initiative (JEDI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a collaborative relationship.



Both organizations are dedicated to advancing innovations in health and science. IVI and JEDI will explore many cooperation routes, in particular around innovative approaches to zoonoses, infectious diseases and in addressing the global threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Additionally, the MOU invites Dr. Jerome Kim, Director General of IVI, Francois Belin, Chief Operating Officer of IVI, and Dr Anh Wartel, Deputy Director General of IVIs Clinical, Assessment, Regulatory, and Evaluation Unit, to participate in JEDIs International Partners Advisory Board.

The signing ceremony took place at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) in Paris, France with Dr Jerome Kim and Andre Loesekrug-Pietri, Chairman of JEDI.

Dr Kim said With JEDIs common interest in combatting existing and future zoonoses as well as global AMR, we look forward to collaborating on solutions to this threat to humanity.

Loesekrug-Pietri said As we did for the JEDI GrandChallenge against Covid-19, we want to introduce disruptive approaches to other fields of healthcare, with boldness and a total focus on excellence. As a first concrete step, we are excited to work with IVI to tackle antimicrobial resistance, including new capabilities in computational biology.
India-Sweden Healthcare Innovation Centre, AstraZeneca India launch upskilling program for nurses

India-Sweden Healthcare Innovation Centre, a collaboration between the Swedish Trade Commissioners Office, AIIMS New Delhi and AIIMS Jodhpur, has launched a specialised training programme for nurses to equip them with world-class practical know-how required in managing diabetes. In the first training, 30 nurses from AIIIMS Jodhpur will be trained for 2 days.

India-Sweden Healthcare Innovation Centre is created to address the healthcare challenges in the country through key pillars  Technology, Protocol & process and Capability building.

In a phased manner, this capability programme aims to upskill 5000 nurses across the country in the next year by converting the current modules into e-learning. The programme also aims to expand the current curriculum to other non-communicable diseases (NCD) areas including hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and oncology.

The modules of this program are carefully designed to enable nurses to deliver specialized care, essential support services and standardized counselling for patients living with these high incidence non-communicable diseases in India.

The initiative will run under the aegis and direction of an Advisory Committee under the chairmanship of Prof Suresh K Sharma, Professor & Principal, College of Nursing, AIIMS, Jodhpur.
For this #PRaisethePR segment, we spoke with Lasi Mashaba, head of strategy for 1Africa Consulting - a 100% female-owned,full-service agency.

Lasi Mashaba, head of strategy at 1Africa Consulting

How would you describe your organisation?

How did you find yourself in the PR industry?

Tell us more about your career highlights in PR so far?

What role does PR play in advertising awards and integrated marketing categories?

How important to brand reputation is storytelling about individual personalities in business?

In the world of business, how can PR be used effectively to influence and ensure that purpose-driven and society building brand stories reach the right audiences?

Does PR contribute and promote advertising agency rankings and brand reputation?

What qualities or qualifications would you recommend for aspirant newcomers to the industry?

Could you share any future trends or predictions for the PR industry?

Mashaba believes in the power of choosing a career which gives you satisfaction and brings you great joy. My path to this lies within the PR and communications field, and I look forward to connecting with like-minded people along the way, she said.We speak with her to find out more about how she ended up in the PR industry, the effect of PR on brand reputation, and some future trend predictions...We provide communication, public relations and business services to clients. We pride ourselves on being an agency with heart, and we are very passionate about Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), including initiatives that help empower young women and girls in Africa. We also help corporate brands develop and execute CSI solutions.Well, actually, I was torn between studying law or public relations. The field of communications was my ultimate choice, and I have not looked back since. My academic background has been a springboard for me entering and succeeding in my field, and I have been fortunate to work with leading brands and organisations seeking assistance with public relations and communications needs.Being appointed as head of strategy at 1Africa Consulting has definitely been a key highlight of my career.Another notable achievement is being shortlisted for the Best Social Media and Best Pan-African Campaign at the Prism Awards 2019 for an event I spearheaded. The event, on behalf of the Africa Innovation Summit (AIS), was a great success, trending online for two days in the host region of Kigali (Rwanda).PR plays a pivotal role in advertising and integrated marketing communications - it acts as a supportive structure to both elements. PR provides an advisory role to both elements and assists with generating the required awareness to gain the necessary reach and engagement. Furthermore, PR guides media relations while maintaining a positive image with the said media.It's important to understand the value of building thought leadership, not only for a brand, but for individual leaders and industry players. Storytelling helps express a narrative that helps build brand reputation, as well as position leaders and organisations positively.When it comes to public relations, both the message and the platform are important. Conducting stakeholder mapping will help identify the right audiences and platform, and public relations specialists can then craft and package communication messaging in a way that connects effectively to various target audience groups. This includes messaging that helps build positive sentiment, such as stories that highlight purpose-driven and social impact efforts by a brand or individual.Absolutely. As mentioned, thought leadership positioning promotes reputation-based brand building. PR helps with driving this positive sentiment to various audiences, including clients, industry peers, stakeholders and partners. Of course, in order to build positive sentiment, the agency still has to put in the work, and then PR comes in as a means to get the message across to the relevant audiences.This industry tends to change relatively quickly. Ensure that you keep abreast with trends and requirements at a point in time  upskill yourself as needed as new technologies and approaches take shape. You also need to be passionate about the industry and the work that you do in order to grow, succeed and make an impact.Personal branding is very important, because how the public perceives and receives you matters. Brands prefer to associate with knowledgeable yet relatable people. The more relatable you are, the easier you are to approach and the more believable your story is; and this is valuable to get yourself heard.Ah, the power of social media! To achieve great reach and engagement, making use of relevant social media platforms to drive ones messaging and reach a certain audience can go a long way. Social media has the power to transcend age, race and social background, and will definitely continue on an upward trend across various industries.This comes to shape with stakeholders understanding the true value of their organisations messaging. Additionally, people want to align with brands that stand for something and are aligned with some form of purpose.
With the South African municipal elections due to be held next week on 1 November, all attention has been on municipal politics for some time now. The burning question is - will South Africans seize the opportunity to make their voices heard? We did some research to find the answer.

Tessa Baron

4% dont care about municipal elections



7% dont feel it will make a difference



4% feel that all parties are mostly the same, so it doesnt matter who you vote for

According to our data, and a recent online survey completed on the topic (amongst our online panel of South African adults), South Africans are hungry for change and are wanting to see a different political representation to what is currently in place at a municipal level. Only 21% want to see the current party retain its leadership position in their ward/region, while 44% are hoping that a different party will take up the reins in their ward.13% are hoping that an independent candidate will win, and 22% are hoping that a newly established party will succeed in taking over. These results signal definite opportunities for new parties and independents to rise to the top and show South Africans what they / their parties are capable of.But will South Africans go and vote, and will they vote accordingly?The 2016 municipal elections saw voter turnout at 58%. As we head to voting stations on 1 November, 68% of the respondents say they are definitely going to vote, 21% are unsure if they will vote, and 11% are definitely not going to vote.While the desire for change is high, 34% of respondents say that they will be voting for the same party they have always vote for. Just over a third will be changing their vote and voting for a different party. And 20% have yet to decide who they will be voting for.To summarise, a fifth of respondents are undecided about whether they will vote at all, and many are still unsure as to where they will place their X.While we noted some apathy around voting in the past, South Africans do seem to be optimistic about the power and possibility for improvement that elections can bring. 56% feel that it is important to exercise their right to vote, and 28% feel that they are voting in this election with the hope for change and better run municipalities.When it comes to the more apathetic attitudes around voting, we see very low percentages:With South Africans exhibiting positive attitudes towards voting and a desire for change, will this election effectively reflect the change that the public are saying they want?Were a full-service market research agency known for taking on clients challenges and working alongside them to find solutions. We get that marketing strategy, brand consulting and UX are part of the picture. That performance, bottom lines and results matter. That the world is complex and competitive. And that distillation is as important as interpretation.We get that theres something bigger than data; that designing smart research means asking the right questions, in order to see the world through a different lens. We get that meaningful work comes from authentic connections, and that partnership is the bridge between goals and successes. We get to the bottom of what people really think. And why.
On the International Day for Universal Access to Information, the Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit that operates Wikipedia, is launching a campaign in collaboration with the South African creative community to showcase the power of knowledge and everyone's right to access, create and share it.

Access to knowledge

Knowledge is power

Over the next four weeks, the Foundation will release online multimedia content built by South African writers, filmmakers, fashion designers, artists and thought leaders, highlighting a variety of topics from popular culture to social politics to the evolution of African cinema. The public can follow the campaign online using #WikipediaByUs.The campaign will invite these content creators to explore Wikipedia, the worlds largest online encyclopedia, as a place to freely share knowledge, and introduce them to its model of open collaboration, which allows anyone, anywhere to add well-sourced, neutral content to the site. Content creators will use their creativity to contribute to the knowledge ecosystem, emphasizing that information can be conveyed in many ways, from writing and pictures to sound and music. Aligned with Wikimedias goal to break down the social, political and technical barriers preventing people from accessing and contributing to free knowledge, the campaign also aims to draw attention to the South African stories, contexts, history and experiences missing from Wikipedia.Khanyi Mpumlwana, the Wikimedia Foundations creative director said, Access to knowledge and information in South Africa has too often been limited by class barriers and divided along racial lines. Wikipedia opens an opportunity for anyone, anywhere to share and access knowledge. Through this campaign, we want to show all content creators across the country that knowledge can take various forms and that we can all play a part in its creation.The Foundation is collaborating with the Bubblegum Club, a cultural intelligence agency to showcase writers, filmmakers, thought leaders and other influencers in South Africa as experts and knowledge producers in a variety of subject areas. Two directors, Zandi Tisani and Monde Gumede, will create captivating short films, with Tisani telling a story of African film history and Gumede drawing attention to current challenges in knowledge dissemination, including the spread of misinformation.Other key influencers include Ridhwaan Suliman, a mathematician and Twitter influencer, who will illustrate the importance of storytelling through data, and Khensani Mohlatlole, a writer and video essayist focused on fashion and design and its historical impact, who will share a vlog underlying the importance of uncovering unique, untold stories.As one of the worlds top ten most visited websites, Wikipedia is a source of knowledge for billions of people across the world. Wikipedia is written by more than 280,000 global volunteer contributors, but currently, only 1.5% of these editors are based in Africa, and an even smaller percentage are South African. As a result, Wikipedia articles are missing perspectives from Africa; history written about South Africa and other countries is being documented by people in other regions of the world, making them less representative and leaving large content gaps.Anusha Alikhan, senior director of communications at the Wikimedia Foundation said: When more people from diverse backgrounds collaborate on Wikipedia, they move us closer to achieving our vision of ensuring our projects reflect the diversity of knowledge from people, cultures and languages around the world. South Africans have a role to play in shaping this global resource, telling their own histories, and creating content about South Africa by South Africans.South Africa has a history of societal inequality, which has created barriers to accessing knowledge. Initial data from research conducted by the Wikimedia Foundation illustrated that 91% of South Africans believe that knowledge is synonymous with freedom, whilst 94.5% of them believe that knowledge is true power.Currently, 9 of South Africas 11 official languages are represented on Wikipedia, largely due to the efforts of the non-profit organisation Wikimedia South Africa, a recognized chapter of the Wikimedia movement. The top four most visited languages Wikipedias monthly in the country are English (81 million page views), Afrikaans (3 million page views), IsiZulu (95,000 pageviews), and IsiXhosa (49,000 pageviews), as of last month. The Wikimedia South Africa chapter has built a movement of knowledge champions who support the building of free knowledge by contributing and editing content on Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects.Drawing from the South African context, the Wikimedia campaign aims to show South Africans an avenue to address inequities in accessing and sharing knowledge. It invites them to join the free knowledge movement and contribute to building the cultural and linguistic representation of South Africa on Wikipedia.To learn more about Wikimedia Foundations efforts to increase knowledge equity in its projects, explore the Open the Knowledge initiative.
This year's Loeries Marketing Leadership and Innovation Award winner, Khensani Nobanda, Nedbank group executive: Group Marketing and Corporate Affairs, tells us that it comes down to driving real business growth and using creativity to achieve this.

Khensani Nobanda

Congratulations, Khensani! How do you feel about the win and what does this award mean to you?

Why do you believe you were chosen?

Youve been with Nedbank since 2017 and have worked for some of South Africas most successful companies. Comment on your career path to this momentous point?

What work are you most proud of and what are you working on at the moment that youre particularly excited about?

You had dreamt of winning this award since 2007. What do you think motivated you to believe that you could win it and to actually do what it took to stand a chance?

Im certainly not a marketeer who is happy to go quietly into retirement.

You grew up in in Swaziland, Mozambique, Zambia and Ghana. What about your childhood or upbringing do you believe has shaped you and your success today?

What else do you attribute your success to?

What caused you to get into brand communication, some 20 years ago?

What have you become most passionate about in the marketing space over the years?

Were not just pretty pictures people  although we love them.

Preetesh refers to you as a brave marketer. Why do you think bravery or taking risks is so important in this space and what advice would you give to the next generation of brave marketers, so to speak, with regard to this?

In the release you said that you believe marketers have the ability to understand consumer behaviours. We know how to influence those behaviours. Accountants can tell you the numbers, but ultimately a large part of the growth of the bank is down to how the marketing team tells the story of our brand and its offerings and how this impacts consumers choices. To elaborate on this, do you believe marketing or, more broadly, creativity is valued as it should be?

And lastly, comment on the state of the industry and the impact you hope to see in the industry over the next few years.

Thank you! I feel incredibly proud because it is a testament to the decision that we made as a bank that we will use creativity to drive the growth of our brand and business. So, its gratifying to see the results of the work done by my marketing team and the agencies we work with acknowledged externally.I think because in a world where in many businesses marketing has been viewed simply as a brand building exercise, I have built a career that says, yes, its for that, but it also delivers real business growth. And that has always been what Ive tried to drive with the marketing teams and agencies that Ive worked with.Ive been incredibly lucky to have worked on some of the strongest brands globally and on the continent. Starting at Unilever gave me an unparalleled foundation in marketing. Working on many different categories, such as alcohol, skin care, telecoms, means this foundation has been built and tested in various categories.I do think being at Nedbank feels like it was meant to be. Seems corny, but I say that because it feels like the brand, the organisation and my energy have come together at exactly the right time.Definitely the Secrets campaign at Nedbank. That particular campaign was a clear signal that as a brand, we take our purpose of helping people manage their money better seriously, and that were brave enough to land this messaging in a way you wouldnt expect a bank to.Over the last few years, Nedbank has transformed itself in many ways, but especially in how digitised the bank is. For example, our app is the best rated app on both iOS and Android, but, frustratingly, the consumer perception on how digital we are has changed very slowly.Im excited about the campaign that were working on to directly address this. With our lead agency Joe Public, we have a vision that says we will create work where people will ask Did a Bank Do That?  and definitely, our new work will get people asking that question.I love winning  ha ha ha! Seriously, Ive always wanted to be an impactful marketeer  and for me wining this award means that, in many ways, I have achieved that.Absolutely! Growing up in so many countries meant my change resilience muscle is strong and I can adapt to any environment. It means Im curious as well  I read voraciously and that helps me grow daily. And finally, it also means I dont allow the country that I live in to constrain my thinking because from a young age, I knew that the world is more than where I live, and theres so much to see, experience and learn globally.I grew up in a family where my dad told me that no one can ever tell you what you can or cannot do. So that mindset has always carried me. My parents have always been supportive of me. Real confidence builders.As a kid I thought marketing was just advertising and didnt think that I was creative enough for it.It may sound like a cliche, but I have loved how brands have chosen to have a voice in the world on real societal issues. I am passionate about continuing to position Nedbank in this way.I am also passionate about growing more diverse talent in the industry, so in the last few years I have become more focused on mentorship.And finally, I am also passionate about continuing to grow our marketing discipline as a clear business growth driver.Bravery will allow us as marketeers not just to do great work creatively, but will seek innovative solutions to solve real consumer needs, in order for our organisations to grow.The best advice I can give is if the work that you are doing is rooted in a real consumer insight and is a clear demonstration of the brand  then go for it. Garner support for it across the organisation. Whats the worst that can happen? They say no? Then you learn from the nos, go back to the drawing board and come back. At some stage there will be a yes, and that yes will create work that will become a virtuous cycle.Weve seen many studies clearly showing that creativity grows brands. Brands like Burger King and Nike are testament to that. So, my challenge to marketeers is if we know this, why would we produce vanilla work? I dont advocate creativity for creativitys sake, but really using creativity to grow our brands and businesses.I had a conversation with our CE Mike Brown at the Nedbank IMC Conference around does he view marketing as an indecent proposal? And his answer was absolutely not. We need to move the marketing conversation from a cost centre that is the first to be cut when there is a decline in financial performance, but rather to a clear growth and value driver.
Johannesburg, Sandton

Torque Media is looking for a direct sales executive to sell for an exclusive and exciting new community radio station in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg. We are...
In its ongoing Holy War against normal American life, terrorist organization ADL (Anti-Defamation League) declared a fatwa against 2021 Halloween blasphemers, and its a doozy.

Often, the ADL grimly warns, Halloween is the opposite of fun because of the pain it brings to the marginalized communities that the ADL appointed itself the representative of.

For its self-appointed status as the supreme moral authority on the Earth, the organization receives generous multi-million dollar grants to monitor extremism across the ideological spectrum, identify and target infidels on behalf of governing authorities, and, of course, to funnel cash to politicians.

Frankly, its a miracle these religious authorities havent yet banned Halloween festivities altogether on the grounds that they are just too transphobic or anti-Semitic or whatever.

Activities that the ADL wants you, the filthy infidel, to understand that youre not allowed to engage in on Halloween:

cultural appropriation

cultural stereotypes

costumes that marginalize those who dont conform to traditional gender norms

Above: the preferred example included in the ADLs fatwa depicting acceptably non-offensive, banal Halloween costumes  although the white girls costume third from the left looks suspect, like a vaguely offensive Native American feather dress or something

Instead of all the above naughty stuff youre not allowed to do, the ADL encourages parents and teachers to instead host a race/class/gender equity struggle session for the youth in which they:

Explain to schoolchildren about how morally repugnant/racist blackface, Mexican, Italian, and poor people costumes (like hobos) are  except when its popular liberal politician overlords; then its cool

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in blackface: Its terribly wrong, of course. Nonetheless, apparently, if your Daddy was a globalist politician, and you are too, you get a pass. In fact, you get a Planetary Leadership Award from corporate sponsors.

Discuss gendered messages in costumes because many Halloween costumes perpetuate gender stereotypes and exclude those who dont conform to traditional gender norms, especially those who are transgender, non-binary or gender non-conforming.

Take the opportunity to respect different beliefs because not all students in your class may celebrate Halloween because of their religious or personal beliefs.

Include all young people by being mindful that not all children have the financial resources to bring elaborate decorations, buy gifts or wear store-bought costumes.

The Essential Problem With the ADLs Terroristic Demands For Normal People With Healthy Psychologies:

In this way, the bounds of acceptable behavior are set by the craziest, most neurotically sensitive people in the room . Even worse, they are incentivized via the corporate-sponsored Oppression Olympics to squeeze those boundaries forever tighter so that the entire population is forced to tiptoe on eggshells, paranoid about crossing an imaginary line of acceptability that the social engineers are forever enclosing further and further.

The NeoLiberal Churchs squeezing of those bounds of acceptable behavior is no longer regarded as a psychotic vice, as it has would rightly be in a sane society.

Instead, its now regarded as a moral virtue. The extent to which an individual is chronically offended is a measure of his/her/zers moral compass. If anyone, anywhere, ever, for any conceivable reason, no matter how absurd or detached from normal human psychology their objection might be, is offended by something, then the offending behavior must he banned/censored unless, of course, that person is white, Christian, male or heterosexual, in which case their feelings are fair game for mockery.

Anyone who questions the sanity of any given claim of offense is, by definition, a racist, transphobe, Islamophobe, anti-Semite, misogynist ableist, classist, etc. The stigma sticks forever, and there is no recourse to appeal it, nor is there any opportunity for redemption. Grace is an alien of a concept in the Neoliberal Church dogma as tolerance. The bigot is simply excommunicated from society, and disappears into oblivion .

So no one sticks out their neck. In effect, there are no social brakes on the SJW crazytrain, no one willing to push back to negotiate the social parameters of acceptable behavior into reasonable bounds as there must be in a functional society.

And were all taking the ADLs crazytrain ride  at least until we decide weve had enough and reset the rules of the game as a society to its classical Western roots of Enlightenment principles of free expression.

Ben Bartee is a Bangkok-based American journalist with opposable thumbs. Follow his stuff via his blog, Armageddon Prose, Substack, or Patreon.
Returning to the Keystone Centre show ring for the first time in two years, cattle producers from across the Prairies are competing at Ag Ex this week.

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CHELSEA KEMP/THE BRANDON SUN Competitors line up for the Little Lady Classic at Ag Ex Wednesday.

Returning to the Keystone Centre show ring for the first time in two years, cattle producers from across the Prairies are competing at Ag Ex this week.

Blair McRae of Mar Mac Farms served as an announcer at Ag Ex, introducing the class and competitors for the Little Lady Classic, Jackpot Bull and Simmental shows.

Getting back to Ag Ex was "like riding a bike" and a welcome return to the critical annual event, he said, adding a highlight of the week has been the opportunities to connect with longtime friends who have been attending Ag Ex for years, but the show also offered an opportunity for commerce.

McRae has been showing with Ag Ex since it launched in 1974. He is grateful to be back at the barns in the Keystone Centre because the show is an opportunity to promote his cattle.

CHELSEA KEMP/THE BRANDON SUN Brynn Steppler, 9, showcases her heifer in the Little Lady Classic at Ag Ex Wednesday.

"Its a marketing thing for us. People get to see what cattle we have," McRae said. "Were having a sale this fall. The cattle that were showing are going to be in that sale, so were promoting that."

It takes many years of hard work to prepare an animal for the cattle show, involving careful breeding for generations. Mar Mac Farms began breeding purebred black Angus in 1955, then introduced Simmental genetics in 1976 and red Angus in 1983.

"Its a longtime commitment," McRae said, adding building a client base has also been an essential part of the farms success.

Ag Ex has been an essential part of the business and ensures they can connect with others. McRae said they have made friends from coast to coast in Canada through the cattle business.

Events like Ag Ex play an important role in allowing producers to build connections with potential buyers because it lets them meet, sit and talk cattle.

CHELSEA KEMP/THE BRANDON SUN Cattle are housed in the Keystone Centre barns for Ag Ex Wednesday.

Missing out on Ag Ex in 2020 due to COVID-19 public health measures was a lost opportunity to showcase his product, McRae said, but the farm found success moving online.

While he was worried COVID-19 would impact his ability to show and sell his cattle, the internet helped mitigate these potential threats.

Sales have done well over the last two years, and he is seeing people become more comfortable with the idea of using online technology to bid and view cattle via video.

The online showcase was an opportunity, he said, but in the end it is always better to be able to attend in-person events like Ag Ex.

"Its always better for people to be able to see the cattle live, so I think going forward it should get even stronger," McRae said. "You can see things in-person that you cant see on a video."

Mar Mac Farms chose to showcase its Angus cattle at Ag Ex, although the ranch is home to Simmental cattle as well. They decided to focus on Angus because the black cows will be dispersed in the fall and McRae wanted a chance for potential buyers to see them on the Ag Ex stage.

Cows appearing at the show are for the most part calves born in 2021, yearlings born in 2022 and some cattle that are two years old.

It was a busy summer in the lead-up to Ag Ex, McRae said. Mar Mac Farms began preparing cattle for the event in July  this involved careful feeding to get them at peak performance conditions, more than two months of halter breaking and choosing the cream of the crop to bring to Brandon.

McRae said they bred 280 cows in 2021 and carefully selected the best possible representations of the herd for Ag Ex. McRae brought three head of cattle for the show, but in the past has brought as many as 15 head of cattle.

"Its a lot of work, a lot of physical labour to get to this point," McRae said. "For us, the reward of being able to meet the people and to promote our cattle is worth it."

Having Ag Ex will help the Manitoba cattle industry, he added, but will also serve as an important boost to the economy because it brings people from across the Prairies to Brandon. The show brings visitors from Alberta, Saskatchewan and parts of Manitoba to town, booking hotel rooms and buying gas and meals, aiding the Wheat Citys economy.

"As much as a benefit it is for the cattle industry, I think its going to be a real benefit for the city of Brandon," McRae said.

 ckemp@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @The_ChelseaKemp
Even though the Brandon School Division is in the early stages of planning its 2022-23 budget, secretary-treasurer Denis Labossiere already knows that the process will be challenging.

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FILE Brandon School Division secretary-treasurer Denis Labossiere reads the specifics of the 2020-21 budget to trustees at a special meeting that took place in February 2020. Labossiere told the Sun on Wednesday that the BSD's 2022-23 budget must be approved by March 7, 2022.

Even though the Brandon School Division is in the early stages of planning its 2022-23 budget, secretary-treasurer Denis Labossiere already knows that the process will be challenging.

Talking to the Sun Wednesday, Labossiere said part of this difficulty stems from the additional costs that are impacting all Manitobans during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the increased price of fuel, insurance and utilities.

To drive his point home, Labossiere pointed to Tuesdays Public Utilities Board notice, which revealed that the primary gas rate will jump 17.1 per cent for typical residential customers starting Monday.

"So we have to factor in all these costs as we build our budget," Labossiere said over the phone.

Labossiere said the divisions struggle to return to pre-pandemic enrolment will also factor into the 2022-23 budget, since provincial funding is directly tied to their student population.

During Mondays BSD board of trustees meeting, Supt. Mathew Gustafson said that the divisions student population is 9,015 as of Sept. 13.

While the BSD student population is holding steady in certain demographics, Labossiere admits the division is lagging behind for other students who are uniquely impacted by the ongoing pandemic.

"Our lost revenue has mostly been impacted when it comes to our First Nations students, our international students and students from other divisions," he said.

On top of all that, the division will also have less wiggle room to deal with unexpected expenditures, since their accumulated surplus currently sits at $609,331.

BDO Canada auditor Todd Birkhan highlighted this financial reality during Mondays board meeting, during which he presented his report for BSDs fiscal year ending June 30, 2021.

In his report, Birkhan said the division had to contend with an operating deficit of about $3,151,000 throughout this time, which forced the BSD to pull from its surplus to compensate.

As a result, Birkhan stated that the BSD is operating under "razor-thin margins" right now.

"We had a healthy surplus when we started and it is below where we would like it to be with the additional expenses," Labossiere said. "So the reduced surplus will impact a level of flexibility for the board with future decisions."

In March, the BSD board passed their 2021-22 budget unanimously, earmarking $109,822,700 for operating revenues and expenditures.

This represents a two per cent, or $2.13 million, jump over the previous years operating budget, which is partially due to enrolment changes, increased diversity of student needs and other variables.

This process was marked by a lot of difficult decision-making, since trustees were forced to cut 2.44 full-time equivalent teaching positions, 2.61 full-time equivalent support staff and some other line items to compensate for a $720,500 budget shortfall.

At this time, Labossiere doesnt want to make any predictions about what the upcoming budget will look like, especially since provincial funding wont be announced until 2022.

"(This announcement) has been in the earlier part of February for the last couple years," he said. "So were hopeful that we can get funding announcements earlier in January if possible, because that gives us a little more time to work with our budget."

But for right now, the secretary-treasurer said BSD is committed to balancing the books early next year and keeping stakeholders consistently informed as this process unfolds.

"Were going to follow similar procedures that weve done in the past," he said. "We will tweak it based on feedback and we will be taking into consideration all the factors that are current and potentially upcoming."

Once each trustee submits their budget changes by Nov. 15, Labossiere clarified that his official 2022-23 budget presentation to the board will take place on Feb. 17, 2022.

After that, BSD trustees will go through deliberations (Feb. 22) and final public consultations (Feb. 28) before approving the budget on March 7.

 kdarbyson@brandonsun.com

 Twitter:@KyleDarbyson
Provincial health officials are encouraged by the COVID-19 vaccination rate in the front-line public service as the vast majority of workers are complying with public health orders, new data from the province shows.

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FILE Dr. Jazz Atwal, acting deputy chief provincial public health officer, says he's encouraged by the COVID-19 vaccination rate in the front-line public service.

Provincial health officials are "encouraged" by the COVID-19 vaccination rate in the front-line public service as the vast majority of workers are complying with public health orders, new data from the province shows.

As of Tuesday, 429 people in the Manitoba public service are being regularly tested for COVID-19 as they are not fully vaccinated among the approximately 5,800 front-line workers, according to information provided on Wednesday by deputy chief public health officer Dr. Jazz Atwal.

Among approximately 42,000 Manitoba Health direct-care workers, there are 1,788 people tested regularly and 184 people on unpaid leave for refusing to be vaccinated, he said. A total of 33,541 people are confirmed to be fully vaccinated, but paperwork is still coming in.

Out of 38,643 front-line staff in Manitoba Education, 3,129 are tested regularly, Atwal said. Approximately 94 per cent of workers tested are in public schools and 143 staff are on unpaid leave for not complying with public health orders.

While the numbers show a somewhat significant number of workers are not vaccinated against COVID-19, Atwal said he is "encouraged" by how many people are fully vaccinated.

"I think they represent a real good uptick in compliance and adherence with public health  and a lot of great work done by these individuals and organizations to protect not only themselves and families but Manitobans," he said.

In Prairie Mountain Health, there are 28 direct-care workers on unpaid leaves of absences related to compliance with public health orders, a spokesperson for Prairie Mountain Health said in an email. The staff members are spread throughout the region and in a variety of professions.

In total, the health region has 6,200 direct-care workers. Slightly more than 450 (approximately 13 per cent) of them are undergoing rapid testing.

"Paperwork continues to be manually entered into the system on the remaining disclosures. In the meantime, managers remain responsible for confirming the vaccination status of staff as they arrive at work, with those whose status is not confirmed required to undergo testing," an email from the health region spokesperson reads.

Atwal said it opened the provinces eyes to reasons people hadnt been vaccinated and allowed dialogue with some people to promote vaccination.

Currently, there are no significant issues with staffing shortages in Manitoba Education, he said, but regions with lower overall vaccination rates report more people going for regular testing and refusing immunization, he said.

The province didnt have firm estimates for how many people would choose the testing option versus being vaccinated, Atwal said, but used overall vaccination rates as a "proxy."

Brandon School Division Supt. Mathew Gustafson previously declined to say how many school division staff opted to be regularly tested for COVID-19 rather than be vaccinated, citing privacy concerns.

The province is also slightly expanding eligibility for a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Now, residents of congregate elderly persons housing can receive a third dose of the vaccine, Vaccine Implementation Task Force medical lead Dr. Joss Reimer announced Wednesday.

The provincial recommendation follows the National Advisory Committee on Immunization making the same recommendation for seniors in personal care homes and assisted living facilities.

There are approximately 500 seniors living facilities in the province, Reimer said, and the province will work with them to ensure plans are in place for people to receive their third shot.

There were 130 new cases of COVID-19 announced Wednesday, including 78 among unvaccinated people, and three more deaths.

 dmay@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @DrewMay_
The future of short-term rentals in the Municipality of Harrison Park has seen party lines drawn, dividing those for and against the properties.

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The future of short-term rentals in the Municipality of Harrison Park has seen party lines drawn, dividing those for and against the properties.

Harrison Park Reeve Jason Potter said short-term rentals (STRs) have been a growing topic of debate in the community.

The RM of Harrison Park's shield.

"We are seeing that people are staying closer to home, and I think thats whats driving the major need for accommodations in the Onanole area currently. We are right nestled up against the south side of Riding Mountain National Park  People want to come there," Potter said. "This is a good problem to have  people want to visit and ultimately spend tourist dollars. We just need to figure out a way that alleviates concerns on both sides."

The municipality started receiving complaints regarding STRs from local residents at the start of 2021, he said, and the council has witnessed an increase in complaints in residential areas since that time.

The municipality has been monitoring the situation and is working to find a solution based on local concerns and the precedent set by other municipalities, both in Canada and around the world.

"Different municipalities, different cities worldwide really have been struggling with how to regulate short-term rentals, and more specifically, Airbnb properties," Potter said.

Two delegations have appeared before the council regarding STRs: one in favour with some regulations, and one calling for an outright ban of the properties in any residential areas.

Potter has asked that the two opposing sides of the issue get together to have discussions to see if they can formulate a plan for STRs that could be presented to the council. Two councillors have volunteered to sit with the local groups.

His ultimate goal, Potter said, is to find a balance that meets the needs of Onanole residents while avoiding bylaws being too restrictive for STR owners.

"I cautioned council not to make any snap decisions on this. I believe that if there was a new bylaw to be implemented, then it should be well thought out," Potter said. "Right now, the two sides are far apart, and Im really hopeful that they can sit down and have some meaningful discussions and come up with a plan to present to council."

Onanole STR owner Conner Ross appeared before the Harrison Park council as a delegation on Oct. 13. His presentation supported STRs in the area with regulations in place  it was organized in response to a delegation that appeared before council on Sept. 22 calling on all STR properties without on-site management to be banned from residential lots.

Ross owns two STR properties in the area.

Clear Lake has become an increasingly popular tourist destination year-round, and the market has allowed for the local economy to grow, Ross said. STR properties can potentially help aid this growth in tourism dollars.

"These properties are bringing a significant amount of business into our community. Theyre bringing a lot of positives, and theyre allowing a lot of businesses to stay busy throughout all 12 months of the year," Ross said.

He added accommodation rentals in Onanole are limited, driving the need to ensure STRs are available for visitors. He estimates that if an outright ban took place, more than 70 properties would be affected.

Ross said he wants to see a good relationship between the community and STR property owners. He is willing to work and collaborate to develop appropriate rules and regulations.

Moving forward, he would like to see the community work together to develop appropriate bylaws for the Onanole area, allowing the economy to continue growing and residents to be satisfied with the situation.

"It would be a huge detriment to just shut them down and take away tens of thousands of people from visiting our resort community  but I do agree that this is a good time as an ever-growing industry to sit down as a group of people and create some bylaws and some policies and some procedures that can help the municipality," Ross said. "Were trying to work as much as we can with the community."

Ralph Clark appeared before Harrison Park council on Sept. 22 as a representative of a group of individuals opposed to STRs in residential areas. Clark first joined the group in August, but was unable to confirm when the group launched in the area.

The groups major concern, he said, is there are businesses operating in residential zones of Harrison Park.

"Its a concern because if you look at municipal bylaws and the zoning regulations, all businesses are operating in commercial zones as opposed to residential zones," Clark said. "If owners of short-term rentals would like to operate as a business, they can find areas in appropriate zones."

Careful planning is needed to ensure STRs are in properly zoned areas, and Clarks group is exploring communities that have faced similar situations.

Clark, who lives in the area full-time, has experienced first-hand how challenging it can be having a neighbouring property operating as an STR.

"We were directly impacted because I refer to it as a self-check-in hotel [STR] opened up across our road in a residential area," Clark said. "The impact was there was noise, parking, trespassing, an impact on a number of areas and a number of issues that would be similar to any other business that is operating in a residential zone."

Clark said while the municipality has asked them to collaborate with STR owners to find a zoning bylaw that satisfies all sides, his group remains vehemently against letting the properties operate in residential areas.

Based on current zoning bylaws, all hotels and motels must operate in a commercial area, he said, and the same rules should be applied to STRs.

The only viable option Clark sees moving forward is finding viable commercial zones for the STRs to occupy or having property owners living in the home with an STR rental, similar to a bed and breakfast.

"Businesses should be operating in a commercial area, not in a residential area," Clark said. "For two groups to get together to come up with a solution which will involve businesses operating in a residential zone totally goes against currently established bylaws."

Real Estate agent Tyler Plante owns a single STR in a detached condo at the Bears Den in the Onanole area. He has seen a busy year for 2021 with few open vacancies, and next summer is already completed booked.

Plante said the opposition to STRs in the area came out of the blue, and he was troubled to see locals calling for the properties to be completely shut down.

"We were quite surprised. I will say Im all for having rules, Im all for having regulations They are important. I can speak for all of the renters at the Bears Den  that we are very structured," Plante said "We do feel it is very important to have our locals looked after and be treated with respect."

STRs at the Bears Den support local businesses and help drive the economy in the area, Plante said, explaining guests are given a welcome basket that includes details on shops to visit.

He worries the call for STRs to be banned could negatively impact the business community in the area. Plante added the proposal is also unfair because it impacts property owners  a shutdown would result in the loss of investment because properties will no longer be able to generate income if shuttered.

Moving forward, he would like to see rules and regulations developed that respect STR owners and their neighbours.

"I have no problem with a middle ground  You cant have the Wild West of short-term rentals," Plante said.

"Im fully on board with having a fair set of bylaws, quiet times and restrictions  There does need to be a governing body. But we need to take all facets and angles into consideration."

 ckemp@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @The_ChelseaKemp
OTTAWA - A new analysis suggests the Liberal climate plan could meet Canada's greenhouse gas emissions targets for the first time before the end of this decade.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to media as he visits a vaccine clinic in Ottawa on Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021. A new analysis suggests the Liberal climate plan could meet Canada's greenhouse gas emissions targets for the first time before the end of this decade. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA - A new analysis suggests the Liberal climate plan could meet Canada's greenhouse gas emissions targets for the first time before the end of this decade.

The study by Clean Prosperity published Thursday could give some heft to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's credentials as he heads to planned climate discussions at the upcoming G20 summit and United Nations COP 26 meeting.

Trudeau's first stop on the six-day trip is an official visit to the Netherlands, where he landed late Thursday night local time. He was greeted at Amsterdam's airport by the country's director of protocol, Dominique Kuhling, and Canada's ambassador Lisa Helfand.

He plans to address the Dutch parliament Friday, and meet later in the day with Prime Minister Mark Rutte, before heading to Rome for the first in-person gathering of G20 leaders since 2019.

On Monday and Tuesday he will be in Glasgow for the 26th meeting of the UN's climate group, the first time Trudeau will be at a COP meeting since the Paris agreement was signed just weeks after he first became prime minister in 2015.

Leaders' summits are only held at every fifth meeting and the Glasgow negotiations are a year delayed because of COVID-19.

Catherine Abreu, executive director of Destination Zero, said Canada and Trudeau brought a lot to the table in Paris.

"But since then, there's been a growing recognition of the disconnect between the rhetoric that Canada brings to those kinds of conferences and the actual on-the-ground progress," she said.

Canada's emissions have risen more than three per cent since 2016, the most of any G7 nation, five of which saw emissions decline in that period. Abreu said that fact and the purchase of the Trans Mountain pipeline in 2018 did not go unnoticed.

But Trudeau has substantially upped the ante in his climate plan over the last 12 months, including promising to end the sale of gas-powered cars and create an emissions-free power grid, both by 2035, as well as capping emissions from oil and gas and then forcing them downward, no later than 2025.

The Clean Prosperity analysis says those three things alone could get Canada almost halfway to the new target the Trudeau Liberals set last spring, to cut emissions 40 to 45 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030. The previous target was 30 per cent below 2005 levels.

Clean Prosperity's executive director Michael Bernstein says taken altogether, Liberal climate promises could get up to 41 per cent below 2005 in time to meet the 2030 goal. Canada has not met an emissions goal yet, blowing well past the targets set for both 2012 and 2020.

But Bernstein said Canada has to actually implement its policies without delay.

"Things are going to get real now," he said. "And tough choices are going to need to be made and things like those regulations on oil and gas have to actually go in place and bring down emissions."

Climate is also among the key items on the table at the G20 in Rome, where there will be a push to get 19 of the world's most prosperous nations and the European Union to get tougher on climate action and financing for poor countries.

The G20 is one of the most influential multilateral organizations, representing two-thirds of the world population, 80 per cent of global economic output and 75 per cent of global trade.

But it is the other global crisis  COVID-19  that will loom largest in Rome. At the first leaders' group meeting, global economics and health are on tap, and both are directly tied to the pandemic. What constitutes an equitable recovery and efforts to improve the World Health Organization before the next pandemic are both expected to be topics of discussion.

U.S. President Joe Biden is also keen to find solutions to the pandemic-induced supply chain woes wreaking havoc on the world's economy.

Canadian officials said prior to the trip that Canada is making vaccine equity one of its priorities for the talks, even though Canada's own record on the matter is not great. After promising over the summer that 40 million doses would be donated to the COVAX global vaccine sharing alliance, Canada has thus far distributed just 2.6 million of them.

But Canada isn't alone. On Monday, officials from the COVAX vaccine-sharing facility reported that of 1.3 billion doses promised from wealthy countries, only 150 million have arrived.

On average the G20 nations have fully vaccinated 55 per cent of their populations. Canada has fully vaccinated 74 per cent of its entire population.

Globally, 38 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated. In Africa, it's not even six per cent.

Ethiopian health minister Lia Tadesse said at a health meeting Monday in Berlin that only 4.2 million vaccine doses have been administered in her country, for 115 million people. Less than one in 100 Ethiopians have received both required doses of vaccine.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 28, 2021.
OTTAWA - A federally commissioned report looking at vendors who sold billions of dollars in goods to the government found the vast majority lacked adequate policies to prevent human and labour rights risks in their supply chains.

The Peace tower is seen on October 5, 2021 as politicians begin returning to work in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

OTTAWA - A federally commissioned report looking at vendors who sold billions of dollars in goods to the government found the vast majority lacked adequate policies to prevent human and labour rights risks in their supply chains.

The report recommends several ways the government can work with suppliers to avoid complicity in human trafficking, forced labour and child labour, such as favouring companies with a clear understanding of the problems and appropriate policies to address them.

The report was completed for the government in May by Rights Lab, a multidisciplinary group knowledgeable about human trafficking, based at the University of Nottingham in England.

The Canadian Press used the Access to Information Act to obtain a public copy  as well as a heavily censored, classified version  and an internal briefing note summarizing the government's intended response.

"Canada is taking a leading position by exposing its procurement to this scrutiny  an important and required first step," the report says. "This enables effective learning and creates the visibility and foundations necessary for improvement."

The federal government acknowledges that the global nature of supply chains means there is a risk the goods it buys have been produced using forced labour or human trafficking.

Since receiving the report findings, the government has updated its Code of Conduct for Procurement to incorporate human and labour rights expectations for vendors and their sub-contractors.

In January, Ottawa announced new measures to address human rights abuses in Xinjiang, China, including an approach to defend the rights of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities.

The public Rights Lab report does not single out individual companies or countries.

The group examined general identification codes for goods  from textiles and clothing to electronics and lighting equipment  to determine those at highest risk of exposure to rights abuses.

It included Public Services and Procurement Canada's contract history from April 2017 to September 2020 in the analysis.

The authors then zeroed in on the three largest vendors by spend value from each of 13 high-risk codes as well as the 20 largest vendors in the dataset by contract value. There was some overlap in these categories.

Of the 48 vendors examined, only five demonstrated thorough acknowledgement of human rights risks in their supply chains and had acted upon them through policies likely to be effective, the report says.

Thirty-eight did not make any reference to human and labour rights risks in their supply chains on their websites or in any published documents.

Two sellers mentioned such risks in various publicly available places, but had no concrete, published policy or procedures to address them.

Another three vendors had developed policies or procedures that were judged unlikely to work in practice.

Rights Lab recommends development of a government procurement policy detailing Canada's commitment to addressing rights issues.

It says the policy should be expanded into a "due diligence strategy," with suppliers aware the government highly prioritizes prevention of labour exploitation.

Pre-qualification requirements at the bidding stage should commit suppliers to engaging with the policy, and to providing their own policies and procedures to deal with risks, it says.

"Contracts should be awarded to suppliers with appropriate policies and who have demonstrated sufficient understanding of supply chain risks related to human rights violations."

Vendors should provide more information, including product country of origin and the geographical distribution of their supply chain, the report adds.

In addition, the government could offer training to vendors and require them to uphold the revised code of conduct, as well as build federal capacity to investigate high-risk supply chains.

Lack of transparency and engagement should lead to ineligibility as a vendor and cancellation of contracts already in place, the report also recommends.

The briefing note, prepared by Public Services and Procurement Canada, says the department's acquisitions program has been:

 preparing materials to communicate the results of the risk assessment to vendors;

 identifying data gaps with a view to collecting and tracking additional information from vendors; and

 determining requirements for a specific government procurement policy and due diligence strategy.

The federal department had no immediate update on its activities.

In parallel with the report, the department carried out a consultation with interested parties on procurement risks.

"Increasing awareness, particularly with respect to complex, global supply chains, remains an ongoing challenge," says a report on that effort.

The results suggest most vendors "have not mapped their supply chains and are unaware of risks related to forced labour and human trafficking."

The consultation also revealed a need to give vendors access to tools and resources to meet supply chain expectations within the code.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 28, 2021.
Red carpets, live band performances and giveaways will greet a rush of expectant shoppers as malls and department stores fling open their doors in Victoria on Friday.

Friday night shopping is back, said Lillian Fadel, the director of customer experience at Australias largest retail landlord and Westfield malls owner Scentre Group.

While Melbournes big shopping malls stayed open during the lockdown, many of their non-essential tenants were closed for long periods. Credit:Getty Images

Westfield expects most of its shuttered tenants to reopen at 6pm on the dot and trade late into Friday evening, she said.

Melbournes flagship Emporium will roll out the red carpet, along with live band performances and giveaways over the weekend, a spokeswoman for its owner Vicinity Centres said.
Starlink is not available everywhere in Australia. It is currently available in parts of Victoria and Southern NSW, but is taking orders from people in other regional areas. It has even attracted attention from former NBN board member and Internode founder, Simon Hackett. Starlink is pretty darned impressive, he wrote on October 22 alongside a picture that showed download speeds of 314 Mbps. Michael Tiyces Starlink satellite dish in the Southern Highlands. Brian Holder, who owns a farm near Braidwood in NSW and is general of sales and marketing at IT company Tecala Group, was struggling to run video meetings from his property where he spent most COVID-19 related lockdowns. Trying to work from home in a standard modern workplace environment was permanently sub-optimal and sometimes unworkable, Holder says. At one point I was presenting to the board and my service deteriorated to such a degree that I just dropped off the call. That was a low point.

Holder says he expects the speeds to slow slightly when more people join the service, but that it will still be better than anything currently available. Right now when I connect my laptop directly via ethernet to the modem, Ive seen 230 Mbps and more. On Wi-Fi, Im averaging around 170 Mbps depending on how far I am from the modem. Bear in mind its in beta test at the moment - so theres low traffic - its like driving a really fast car on an empty freeway. Loading My ADSL averaged 2 Mbps. Even if increased traffic was to slow it by a factor of 10, its still going to 10 times better than I had. Damian* also owns a property near Braidwood and was using ADSL until he bought a Starlink satellite. He refused to pay for NBNs Sky Muster Satellite because the plan was expensive and the results were sketchy. I turned on my internet and instantly was getting speeds of over 200 gigabits per minute, he says. The user experience is worlds apart - you dont deal with a call centre.

You look at the Australian government, the NBN, Telstra - all their resources. Its clumsy, and its complicated and at the end of the day, the services are crap. Compared to this, it just doesnt make sense. It isnt just commercial users that are interested in this service - the NSW Police became the first enterprise customer for Starlink in May. A speed test of the internet from a Starlink device. The reason why the internet speeds offered by Starlink are so fast is because of the satellites they use. NBN Co uses two satellites that sit 36,000 kilometres from the earth and rotate in line with the planet. But Starlink, through its parent company SpaceX, has 1740 satellites and Musk has plans to eventually launch up to 40,000. These are known as low earth orbit (LEO satellites) and sit about 300 km from earth. They are being deployed by Amazon and OneWeb, but Musks are the first to be rolled out in Australia.

Musks satellites only work with ground stations that allow them to connect into the broader internet. The NBN has 10 ground stations, but Starlink is likely to have dozens because the satellites are at a lower orbit and have a smaller field of view. Starlink has also launched in New Zealand with reports pointing to Vocus Group, owner of Dodo and iPrimus, as the telco behind the creation of the ground stations. What this means for the NBNs satellite service remains to be seen. The pricing and speeds of Starlink could change once the beta test is concluded and be too expensive for the average user. But all signs point to competition for the NBN. The federal government has invested billions trying to solve problems with poor connectivity across Australias vast landscape, with NBNs regional networks to swell to a net loss of almost $10 billion over their lifetimes. Of the 416,378 ready to connect satellite households, just 112,879 premises are connected. But its not just the NBN rollout that has cost taxpayers. The government has announced almost $280 million in funding as part of its regional connectivity program. Meanwhile, the regional broadband scheme levies industry to subsidise the cost of NBNs loss. For his part, Communications Minister Paul Fletcher welcomes the competition. The NBN is one network among many, Fletcher says. The Morrison government does not want the NBN to be the only provider servicing Australia. That was Labors mindset; we prefer competition.

The NBN is reliably serving the needs of millions of Australians and will continue to do so; but we want to see the maximum degree of choice and optionality. Whether it is 5G, fixed wireless broadband, or low earth orbiting satellite providers such as Starlink, the more choices of communication networks there are for regional and rural Australians, the better. As always, no plan is perfect. David Kennedy, managing director at consultancy Venture Insights, says Starlink will have an impact, but the price of installation could be too much for some. The basic problem with Starlink is the price, says Kennedy, who as an NBN Sky Muster Plus service. [Its] a lot more than NBN, and we know that consumers are reluctant to bear upfront costs. At $139 per month, the monthly cost is high too. In exchange, you get higher speeds and lower latency than NBN plus unlimited data, but you have to pay a lot to get them. What could turn this around is if Starlink cut the price of the installation. But until that happens, I think theyll have a marginal impact. The proliferation of the LEOs also comes with global risk - everything from cybersecurity vulnerabilities to bright lights that clutter the night sky and make it difficult to see the stars.

A string of SpaceX StarLink satellites passes over an old stone house near Florence, Kan. The train of lights was actually a series of relatively low-flying satellites launched by Elon Musks SpaceX as part of its Starlink internet service. Credit:AP A paper presented at the 70th International Astronautical Congress in 2019 said that while these satellites will transform the availability of internet across the globe, there will also be unintended consequences such as increases in cyberattacks through the proliferation of lasers that are capable of disrupting satellite communications. For its part, the NBN says its services are well positioned against the LEOs and believes there will be continued demand for its service as products like Starlink launch. The NBN Sky Muster satellite network is a crucial part of NBN Cos national broadband infrastructure, a spokesman said. NBN Cos satellite services are competitively priced and well positioned against the LEO satellite services. NBN Co is currently investing more than $200 million per year in fixed wireless and satellite to meet current and future customer needs.
Designer turned Celebrity Masterchef contestant Collette Dinnigan did the unthinkable in reality cooking stakes last week when she attempted a risotto - known in cooking show lingo as the death dish - and pulled it off, clinching immunity and a berth for another week.

Collette Dinnigan and Rochelle Gance. Credit:John Shakespeare

Her recent reality TV flirtation is just one of the pots shes had on the boil since shuttering her eponymous fashion house in 2013. Since, the mother of two has turned her attention variously to homewares, ceramics and an extended Roman holiday after purchasing an 18th century top-floor apartment in Romes Centro Storico and a rural estate in Puglia.

But theres movement in her local portfolio which includes properties in Sydneys eastern suburbs, the NSW Southern Highlands, and South Coast holiday towns of Rosedale and Milton. This month Dinnigan lobbed renovation plans into Woollahra Council for her Darling Point home.

The $800,000 proposal will enlarge an attic bedroom with harbour views and upgrade the ensuite and walk-in robe. She also proposed to replace a balcony with a terrace, installing new bi-fold doors in the living area, and excavating of an existing subterranean level to build a new laundry and drying room and rumpus room opening out onto a pool area. Relatable stuff.
The foreman said guilty when asked the verdict on the charge against Mr Chamberlain. The court will sit this morning to hear submissions on the sentence for Mr Chamberlain. Mr Chamberlain, a minister of the Seventh Day Adventist church, shook his head slowly from side to side after the foreman had given the jurys verdict against him. He rose slowly to his feet and slumped slightly to one side as Mr Justice Muirhead adjourned the hushed court. The judge then thanked the jurors and said they would all be excused from jury service for 10 years. Mr Justice Muirhead had allowed the couple, from Cooranbong, New South Wales, to remain seated in the dock while the verdict was announced. He told the Chamberlains chief counsel, Mr John Phillips, QC, of Melbourne, that there was only one sentence he could pass on Mrs Chamberlain. He then turned to Mrs Chamberlain, who was still seated, and pronounced sentence.

Mrs Chamberlain was taken from the court to Darwins Berrimah Jail in the back seat of a van owned by the Correctional Services Division. Lindy Chamberlain being driven away from the court Credit:Nigel Scot McNeil A bystander called out Appeal! Appeal! and another called out Youll be right, love. Mrs Chamberlain was crying. Mr Chamberlain, also weeping, walked out a back door with his solicitor. Mr Justice Muirhead released Mr Chamberlain on $5000 bail until Monday.

Mrs Chamberlain, who is eight months pregnant, and Mr Chamberlain spent yesterday afternoon and evening in custody. The trial judge revoked their bail of $5000 when the jury retired. Lindy and Michael Chamberlain Credit:The Age Archives Mr and Mrs Chamberlain paced and talked quietly together in a room off the court. Three Correctional Services officers were with them. They had a meal about 6.30 pm. Mr and Mrs Chamberlain, who pleaded not guilty, appeared strained as Mr Justice Muirhead completed his summing up to the jury yesterday morning and for one hour after the luncheon adjournment. Before the court resumed at 9am yesterday, the couple said prayers with friends at the Darwin house where they have been staying since the trial started, on 13 September. The Crown alleged that Mrs Chamberlain cut nine-week-old Azarias throat while sitting in the front seat of the familys car at Ayers Rock on 17 August 1980.

Mrs Chamberlain told the court that she saw a dingo at the familys tent, which was pitched at the Ayers Rock tourist park. Both Mr and Mrs Chamberlain said they believed a dingo took the baby. Azarias damaged and bloodstained clothes were found at the base of the rock, about four kilometres from the tent, seven days after the baby disappeared. The jury, when it retired to the jury room, had access to more than 200 exhibits which had been tendered during the trial. The Chamberlains 1977 Torana car was taken into the Chief Justices garage in the court basement so the jury could inspect it if they wanted to. The tent was pitched in another basement area. Earlier yesterday, about 30 people queued at the court door hoping to get a seat inside when the jury returned to bring down the verdict.

Shortly after 5pm, court sheriffs closed the court precincts to the public. They said there would be no verdict before 7.30pm. Under the Juries Act of the Northern Territory, the jurors, if in disagreement on a verdict, could not be discharged until six hours had passed. Mr Justice Muirhead told the jurors that if they wanted any of the evidence recorded in more than 3200 pages of transcript read to them, they need only knock on the jury door and ask orderlies. The Chamberlains, whose chief counsel is Mr John Phillips, QC. of Melbourne, received assistance from Australian Legal Aid. During the trial the defence called 28 witnesses and the prosecution 45.

The jury was brought a meal of cold meat and salad and soft drink shortly before 7 pm. By 8.30, about 60 people, some drinking beer, gathered on the steps of the court waiting for the doors to open. Loading The Chief Prosecutor, Mr Ian Barker, QC, had told the court that there was no middle ground in the case presented by the Crown; either a dingo took the baby or she was murdered by Mrs Chamberlain. He said the dingo story was preposterous, a transparent lie. Mr Barker said the Crown relied on circumstantial evidence. It could not provide a motive for the killing. Mr Phillips told the court that Mrs Chamberlain did not come into the category of a person who could have killed her baby.
Parents across the city have rushed to have their young teenagers vaccinated against COVID-19, with data revealing more than 90 per cent of children in multiple areas including north Sydney, the inner west and Willoughby have received a first jab.

New federal health department figures obtained by The Sydney Morning Herald come as NSW Health and Education considers the use of home rapid antigen tests to avoid school closures and minimise disruption to students, particularly those who are unvaccinated and must isolate for 14 days.

More than 60 schools across the state  many in regional areas  have shut due to COVID-19 since Sunday but most have been primary schools, where students cannot be vaccinated. Vaccinations for younger students may be available later this year. Of those school closures, 20 were announced on Thursday night.

More than 90 per cent of young teens in some suburbs have had at least one jab. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Vaccination rates for 12 to 15-year-olds by NSW region show vast differences in take-up rates: areas in Byron Bay, Clarence Valley and Tweed lag the state average with less than 60 per cent of young teenagers with a first-dose, compared to Lane Cove, North Sydney, Burwood and inner west where first-jab rates have tipped over 92 per cent.
Queenslands new Chief Health Officer-to-be, Krispin Hajkowicz, will not take up the role just days out from his official start date.

Dr Hajkowicz was set to step into the role vacated by Jeannette Young next week, as key border reopening triggers and an associated influx of COVID-19 cases loom.

Dr Krispin Hajkowicz and Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young at the announcement of his appointment to the role in Brisbane this month. Credit:Matt Dennien

The shock announcement came weeks after the respected infectious diseases physician was confirmed as Dr Youngs successor in the position, which has been elevated into major public significance and scrutiny by the pandemic.

In a statement on Thursday afternoon, Health Minister Yvette DAth said she respected Dr Hajkowiczs decision to no longer take up the position due to personal reasons, along with his request for privacy.
Even though Denise and Kevin are preparing to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in Melbourne next week, their son and granddaughter were unwilling to stretch their separation any longer. Its sad to say, but as your parents get older you cant afford to lose this time, he said. Sisters (from left) Amy, Emma and Ky Wall will once again be reunited in regional Victoria this weekend. The drive from the Bellarine Peninsula to Brunswick takes just 90 minutes, yet Amy Wall hasnt seen her younger sister Ky since May. Amy, 37, lives close to her parents and other sister, Emma, in Curlewis, on the Bellarine Peninsula, while Ky, 35, works in events in Melbourne.

Loading The Wall family were watching the Victorian government press conferences every day, hoping Premier Daniel Andrews would deliver good news. That moment arrived last Sunday when it was revealed that Victoria would hit the 80 per cent double vaccination rate late this week, triggering new freedoms. The family group chat erupted when we found out the opening date was in time for Dads birthday on Monday, Amy said. It was a really happy moment. The three sisters met most weekends before the pandemic, enjoying the familial routines theyll resume this weekend: fish and chips for dinner on Friday night, an American-style barbecue on Saturday, then a five-way family showdown over the Monopoly board.

Like Mr Murphy, Amy is eagerly awaiting that first hug. Its been a strange and unpleasant feeling to be separated when one of us is upset, she said. Craig Murphy and his daughter Ellie will hit the Calder Highway when the clock strikes 6pm on Friday to visit his parents near Bendigo. Credit:Justin McManus. Last year our uncle passed away, and Ky couldnt come down to us. We cant wait for that separation to be over. Beyond the personal connections, Victorias reunification will deliver an economic lifeline to regional businesses that have struggled to survive while cut-off from Melbourne.

Regional Australia Institute chief economist Kim Houghton said that reliance on visitors from the capital city, particularly in the tourism and hospitality industries, was stronger now amid uncertainty about interstate borders and the absence of international travel. The vast majority of tourism at the moment is domestic, he said. Ballarat International Foto Biennale chief executive Fiona Sweet. Credit:Simon Schluter Ballarat International Foto Biennale chief executive Fiona Sweet is among those hoping to capitalise on Melburnians new travel freedoms. The renowned exhibition is one of the few Victorian major events where organisers chose to press ahead rather than postponing or cancelling this year. Its closing date has now been extended from late October to January 9.

We had a small uptick when travel opened up within regional Victoria, but our Melbourne audience is the big one, Ms Sweet said. We cant wait for Saturday. The art and photography exhibition is headlined by a collection from Linda McCartney, photographer and first wife of former Beatle Paul McCartney. In a sign of the pandemics imprint, the event will include a raft of outdoor exhibitions, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in Ballarats Gold Rush era streets. We have an exhibition in the New Cemetery  26 artworks along a six-kilometre walk. The Town Hall will be lit up every weekend, Ms Sweet said.

Save Victorian Events spokesman Simon Thewlis said restrictions were not being eased fast enough to allow for some large gatherings, including business conferences. But the resumption of any events, even under substantial restrictions, was a good start. Its not perfect, he said. But just having some activity; that will rebuild confidence. Big4 Holiday Parks were inundated with bookings when it emerged that Victoria would reopen in time for the Melbourne Cup long weekend. Credit:Chris Hopkins In Geelong, mayor Stephanie Asher said her community was thrilled to welcome back loved ones, colleagues and tourists from Melbourne. She said 80 per cent of visitors to Greater Geelong came from Victoria, most of those from Melbourne.

While its been helpful to have regional Victoria open, we wont see a true bounce back in visitor spending until Melburnians arrive, Cr Asher said. For that reason, Friday 6pm cant come fast enough. Bookings for BIG4s 41 Victorian holiday parks exploded as the words were coming out of [Mr] Andrews lips on Sunday, according to chief executive Sean Jenner. The numbers didnt lie: Sunday recorded BIG4s second-highest day of bookings ever, while Octobers bookings were double the same month last year, and 200 per cent greater than October 2019. Mr Jenner said the sudden burst was welcome, but many operators had let go of staff during the pandemic. Scaling up from very low traffic to absolutely full occupancy is a big challenge.

For people living in regional Victoria, the elation of Melbourne emerging from lockdown is mixed with anxiety about increased infections that will inevitably occur in many country communities. This will be the first time Melbourne has come out of restrictions while COVID-19 case numbers are still high. Albury-Wodonga is struggling to contain a spiralling coronavirus outbreak. Credit:Getty Australian Psychological Society president Tamara Cavenett said some regional communities previously existed in near COVID-free bubbles. Theyll find that new risk very anxiety-provoking, she said.

Loading Its expected the virus surge experienced in Albury-Wodonga this week will likely be replicated in other regional areas in coming weeks. Twenty schools had to close in the border region, as the average daily COVID-19 case number rose towards 60 and thousands of residents were forced into self-isolation. Contact tracing in the region was under pressure, with some people waiting 10 days before learning they had been in close contact with a COVID-19 carrier. Resident Anne Puiatti, who operates eight school canteens either side of the Murray River, said overrun testing centres were closing before they were opening as visitors lined up from 4am. This weekend is a real concern with the long weekend in Melbourne. Were expecting a big influx, she said. I dont blame Melburnians for wanting to get out, but I already dont feel entirely safe moving around town.
A national plan tied to $770 million of funding for mental health and suicide prevention and due by the end of next month is still in draft form as states and the federal government argue over responsibilities.

The agreement, flagged in December, requires all levels of government to decide how to fix large gaps in the system that currently leave those with more complex mental health needs struggling to find appropriate care.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison releasing the Productivity Commission report in November. The national plan is part of the governments response to the report. Credit:David Geraghty/NewsWire

But Senate estimates heard this week it was still in draft form and meeting the November deadline hinged on whether consensus could be reached.

Asked by Labor senator Karen Grogan whether the plan was on track for the end of next month, Health Department deputy secretary for primary and community care Tania Rishniw said it was working in earnest to complete it within the national cabinets timeframe.
Liberal MPs were so concerned federal cabinet would cave to demands from the Nationals on climate change policy they formed a secret group to push Prime Minister Scott Morrison on the issue, raising the prospect of crossing the floor in Parliament.

Worried the Nationals would block a crucial pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050, the Liberals mobilised in a meeting with Mr Morrison on September 28 to make it clear they could not accept a climate plan without the target.

Liberal MPs Dave Sharma, Katie Allen, Trent Zimmerman and Jason Falinski all pushed Prime Minister Scott Morrison to include a net zero emissions by 2050 pledge as part of his climate policy. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Liberal MPs warned Treasurer Josh Frydenberg ahead of the meeting that they would have to consider their positions if the government retreated on net zero in the face of protests from Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce and conservative commentators.

Nobody was talking about moving to the crossbench, but people were talking about reserving their positions, absolutely, said one of the 18 backbenchers on the Zoom call with Mr Morrison and Mr Frydenberg.
A few short sentences, uttered in private to Daryl Maguire just over three years ago, have drawn the net tighter around former premier Gladys Berejiklian.

And theyve demonstrated just how untenable it would have been for her to have tried to remain in state politics after the Independent Commission Against Corruptions announcement that she herself was under direct investigation.

Recordings of private calls between Gladys Berejiklian and Daryl Maguire were played in the ICAC hearing on Thursday. Credit:Kate Geraghty

In a recording played to the commission on Thursday, Berejiklan was heard talking to Maguire barely two weeks after evidence had surfaced of his wrongdoing in an earlier ICAC inquiry on July 13, 2018.

With his wheeling and dealing laid bare, shed publicly scolded him and demanded his resignation as the MP for Wagga Wagga.
Brussels: The European Union could deploy staff from its border force to countries neighbouring Afghanistan to stem the flow of migrants illegally arriving in the bloc after fleeing the Taliban.

Leaked documents show the plans are part of a 1 billion ($1.8 billion) regional aid package that would also focus on protecting human rights and stopping the militant regime becoming an exporter of terrorism.

Afghan refugee children in Islamabad, Pakistan on October 19, 2021. Credit:Getty

The bloc believes it needs to bolster its ties with the war-torn countrys neighbours, such as Pakistan and Iran. But some have questioned whether plans that include sending out officials from border agency Frontex will solve the EUs migration woes, especially when the agency has struggled to manage its own frontiers.

Kris Janowski, former spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, said it was a ludicrous idea that Pakistan would invite the West to help police its borders.
The Senate estimates questions followed reports by SBS Cantonese and The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age on Wednesday. Emails show a festival organiser told the Hong Kong Cultural Association of South Australia that it could not use umbrellas in its performance. With regards to the yellow umbrellas, we found this online, said one festival official in an email that linked to the Wikipedia page of the 2014 Hong Kong pro-democracy umbrella movement. Unfortunately, we are unable to approve the use of the yellow umbrellas as props or decor. The umbrella movement was the beginning of the pro-democracy protests that inspired millions of Hongkongers to fill the streets in 2019 to protest Beijings rising influence. The protests were wiped out in 2020 by national security laws imposed by Beijing which have sent more than 100 activists to jail, forced media companies to close, and terminated unions and civil society groups. The team of five had planned an interactive workshop that would take spectators through Hong Kongs food and cultural scene, then through a century of transformation from a fishing village to an international financial hub.

The Hong Kong group reluctantly agreed to remove the umbrellas but were then told that the festival could not supply them with audio equipment. The performers insisted they would bring their own. A month later they were told that all workshops in the Lucky Dumpling Market section of the festival had been cancelled due to the extra staff required to maintain COVID restrictions. They were not offered the opportunity to reschedule, but when the final program for the performances at the festival arrived, they found five Chinese mainland groups had been locked into slots on the timetable. The Hong Kong Cultural Association of South Australia, seen in a performance earlier this year. They wanted to use umbrellas as one of their props for a workshop at the OzAsia festival in Adelaide. A spokesperson for the OzAsia festival said on Wednesday that the Moon Lantern Trail and Lucky Dumpling Market performances had been promoted as inclusive community and family events. As such, activities with political or religious content are not scheduled, the spokesperson said.

In response to the Senate estimates hearing on Thursday the spokesperson said the festival would gladly work with the department and answer any questions. As mentioned, our programming team was still in discussions with the Hong Kong Cultural Association of South Australia about the content of its proposed workshop, and the decision to cancel this workshop and five others was not related to content but due to COVID-19 cleaning requirements and staffing, the spokesperson said. Loading The organiser of the Hong Kong stand, Janet Leung, said one organiser told her that if the Chinese group or other people are not happy with your yellow umbrella display, we will be in trouble. Paterson said that if political pressure was placed on the organisers of the OzAsia festival not to host the Hong Kong group by the festivals other sponsors - the Hong Kong government or the Chinese-government affiliated Confucius Institute - then that could be seen as an attempt to manipulate Australias domestic politics.

If that were able to be demonstrated, it would not just be an issue of the curtailment of the free speech rights of Australians, but also potentially an issue of foreign interference, he said. Elly Lawson, the first assistant secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs East Asia division, told Senate estimates the department would examine the allegations. Loading Such questions will need to be answered by the festival organisers themselves, she said. But we do intend to look into it a bit further because we would take that quite seriously. Chinas top diplomat in Canberra, Cheng Jingye, has repeatedly accused Australia of interfering in Chinas internal affairs by raising its concerns about the erosion of human rights in Hong Kong. Payne said on Thursday the ambassador was now on his way back to Beijing after finishing his posting. The five-year stint was marked by a tumultuous period in diplomatic relations during which he threatened consumer and tourism boycotts against Australia.
As a 75-year old company, has adapted itself time and again due to competition, regulations and changing buyer preference and will continue to do so even in the future, Rajiv Bajaj, Managing Director, said at the launch of the all new Pulsar 250. He was answering a query on whether the company is in time and bracing itself well for the disruption from the electric two-wheeler startups.

"The Indian two-wheeler makers are not as lightweight as some startups will like to think they are. The question is who would you like to bet on. I will like to bet on BET-- Bajaj, Enfield and TVS. They are champions and they have a track record," said Bajaj.

Taking a dig on SoftBank-funded Ola Electric, Bajaj said, "Two things are very clear--if we launch a motorcycle in October, you will get in November. It's not that if we launch it in 2021 you will get it in 2022. That's the startup way and not the legacy way. Secondly, from a company point of view, their (startup) business model is a cash burn model, whereas ours is a cash-flow model. So we operate very differently," said Bajaj adding that there are startups out there that he respects--the biggest one being Ola, but one has to still see them produce and sell.

According to Bajaj, while some firms like Ather, Tork, among others have done well, the newcomers have still to prove themselves. "Do you know what the champions eat for breakfast? They eat OATS--Ola, Ather, Tork and Smart EV (an e-three wheeler start up). Picture Abhi baaki hai (the show isn't over yet)," quipped Bajaj.

Bajaj pointed out that post the 'strategic lifting' last month that involved a share swap in its Austrian partner KTM, should be as a company that encompasses brands including KTM, Husqvarna, Pierer Mobility and Triumph. This would include not only the motorcycle business but also electric bicycle and electric motorcycle business. "So more or less all the pieces are in place."

Rakesh Sharma, Executive Director, Bajaj Auto said, the company would participate vigorously in the EV space. "We feel at this stage we don't need to look at volumetric targets but capabilities in terms of R&D, manufacturing and ensure we have the adequate mind share and then of course strive for leadership," said Sharma. On whether the company has plans to bring e-motorcycles, Sharma said Bajaj is working with KTM to understand the possibility in that area."

Bajaj Auto presently sells the Chetak e-scooter in the EV segment. Referring to Chetak's ramp up plans, he said while Bajaj has found very good traction for the brand in smaller cities, it has adopted a calibrated approach owing to supply related issues. It plans to be present in 30 cities by end of the current fiscal.

Bajaj Auto on Thursday launched the all-new Pulsar 250 in naked and fully-faired variants.

Marking the 20th anniversary of the Pulsar series. It has sold over 12 million units thus far.The 250F is priced at Rs 1.40 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) and and 250N at Rs 1.38 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).

On an average, Bajaj sells 4,000-5,000 units of the Pulsar 250cc in India. The real objective, said Sharma, is to widen the franchise of the 250cc segment and make it more mainstream. The segment is much smaller compared to other markets.

"With the latest offering we are hoping to trigger a movement upward in the sporting community," said Sharma, adding that the company is also hoping to address a lot of its export markets with the new Pulsar. The market for the 250cc model is close to 20,000 per month. Bajaj Auto controls a fourth of the segment.
Realty firm Ltd on Thursday reported a 66 per cent increase in consolidated net profit at Rs 378.12 crore for the quarter ended September while sales bookings grew 77 per cent to Rs 1,512 crore on revival in housing demand, particularly for luxury apartments.

The company's net profit stood at Rs 227.75 crore in the year-ago period.

Total income, however, declined to Rs 1,556.53 crore in the second quarter of the current fiscal from Rs 1,723.09 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year.

DLF's Whole Time Director and CEO Ashok Kumar Tyagi said, "we are encouraged by the rising housing sales and improving consumer sentiments across segments and remain committed to bringing new offerings to the market".

"We believe our quality offerings across our completed inventory, growing new product pipeline coupled with a fortified balance sheet has placed the company in a unique position to scale up and leverage this growth cycle," he said in a statement.

New sales bookings during the September quarter stood at Rs 1,512 crore, registering a Y-o-Y (Year-on-Year) growth of 77 per cent.

"The super luxury segment exhibited outperformance with 'The Camellias' clocking record new sales of Rs 1,037 crore in the quarter. This demonstrates the quality of demand for best-in-class offerings backed by a strong and credible brand," said.

The demand for independent floors across Gurugram market continues to witness healthy absorption, it noted.

"The residential business continues to tread on its growth trajectory with healthy traction and strong demand momentum across segments and geographies. We are encouraged with these improving demand trends in the residential markets and expect these trends to remain for the long run," said.

According to the company, with increasing volumes and well calibrated price hikes, it expects further margin expansion for its projects.

The company's net debt stood at Rs 3,985 crore at the end of September.

DLF's rental arm DLF Cyber City Developers Ltd (DCCDL), a joint venture firm with Singapore sovereign wealth fun GIC, continued to exhibit resilient performance while the retail business has exhibited a strong rebound.

The net profit of DCCDL rose 36 per cent to Rs 231 crore in the latest September quarter. The consolidated revenue increased to Rs 1,123 crore as compared to Rs 1,040 crore during the same period.

DLF has 66.67 per cent stake in DCCDL.

"The rental business witnessed a temporary dislocation with the second (COVID) wave. With the rapid vaccination drive led by government and lower infection rates, are gradually returning to their workplaces.

"Strong business growth and aggressive hiring plans by IT/ITeS will aid in the recovery and growth of this segment. We believe that the long term fundamentals for the business and attractiveness of India as a service market remains intact," DLF said.

On retail business, the company said all its malls have become operational, though, with certain restrictions. "We are witnessing a steady increase in the footfalls and expect growth in consumption across all segments."



DLF has developed 153 projects and developed an area of approximately 330 million square feet.

The company has 215 million square feet of development potential across residential and commercial segment. The group has an annuity portfolio of over 35 million square feet.

DLF is primarily engaged in the business of development and sale of residential properties (the 'Development Business') and the development and leasing of commercial and retail properties (the 'Annuity Business).

(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.)
Drip Capital, a leading digital cross-border trade finance platform for small and medium businesses (SMBs), said that it has raised $175 million in fresh capital to power its next phase of growth. Funds raised include a $40 million Series C investment and $135 million in warehouse debt facilities. To date, with this fundraise, Drip Capital has raised about $525 million in equity and debt

San Francisco-based TI Platform led the Series C investment round alongside participation from new and existing investors, including Accel, Sequoia, Wing VC, Irongrey, and GC1 Holdings. The new capital also includes a $100 million warehouse credit facility with Barclays Investment Bank (Barclays) and a $35 million increase in the existing facility (initially $40 million) with East West Bank (EWB).

Drip Capital will use the new to scale its business over the next 18 months. It will invest in products and technology and accelerate go-to-market in existing and new geographies like South Asia and Latin America.

The company also plans to launch a new trade facilitation platform designed to alleviate the pain points of small businesses while collaborating with participants across the value chain, including shipping lines, payment processors, and insurance providers.

"The Covid-19 pandemic has put severe pressure on cash flows of exporters and importers alike. This strain is being felt most by who have never had easy access to capital, said Pushkar Mukewar, CEO and co-founder of Drip Capital. We are excited to welcome TI Platform to help further our mission to make global trade easy and accessible to across the world. In addition, the strategic partnerships with leading banks like Barclays and EWB are also a significant milestone for us. It is a strong testament to the quality of our assets and ability to scale our customer base rapidly.

Founded in 2016, Drip Capital aims to solve the $3 trillion global trade finance gap. The company leverages machine learning and cloud technology to finance cross-border transactions, allowing to free up working capital and invest in growth. To date, the company has financed more than $2 billion worth of global trade transactions spanning over 80 countries. It serves SMBs across India, Mexico, and the US, providing access to collateral-free credit.

Global Trade Finance is expected to be a $10 trillion market by 2026, said Alex Bangash, managing partner of TI Platform. Drip is comfortably established as the market leader in this space, providing SMEs with vital access to financing. Based on strong unit economics, powerful tech-driven underwriting, and growth trajectory, TI Platform considers it as a good candidate for breakaway upside."
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Less than 1 per cent of the eligible opted for the restructuring option offered for the second time by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) as part of its Covid relief package, rating agency said on Thursday. The restructuring 2.0 window closed on September 30.

The tepid response  despite an intense and more virulent second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic  reflects the positive turn in demand outlook, and anxiety about negative stakeholder perception of restructured companies, said in a statement.

Crisils estimate was based on its rating universe of mostly mid-to-large-sized qualified that this finding may not reflect the predicament of micro and small enterprises, many of who could be severely affected, but barely opting for credit rating.

In August, the rating agency had come to a similar preliminary conclusion, analysing 4,700 that it rated.

Crisil said none of the companies opting for restructuring belonged to investment grade (BBB or higher).

Even among the companies in the sub-investment grade category (BB or lower)  where weaker credit profiles abound  a significant 98 per cent did not seek restructuring, it said.

The rating agency ran its framework across 43 sectors that accounted for 76 per cent of the total corporate debt it rated. It found 37 sectors witnessing demand rebounding to near the pre-pandemic levels. This could be because the impact of the second wave on the cash flows was short-lived, as restrictions were localised and less stringent compared with the first wave.

Around 88 per cent of the rated debt under the framework were in sectors where demand has or is expected to fully recover in the current fiscal to the pre-pandemic levels. These included essentials such as FMCG, pharma and telecom, and infrastructure-linked sectors such as cement, power, roads and construction, according to Subodh Rai, chief rating officer, Crisil.

Such broad-based recovery, and the expansion of the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) and its extension till March 31, 2022  has helped companies manage temporary liquidity disruptions, Crisil said.

The ECLGS support may have prevented micro and small enterprises, the primary beneficiaries of the scheme, from going for restructuring.

The impact on long-term credit history also kept away many companies. Thats because lenders would classify their accounts as restructured, which would impair their ability to raise debt in future, Crisil said.

The RBI had announced the fresh restructuring scheme during its monetary policy review on May 5. The scheme was available for individuals, small businesses, and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) with aggregate exposure of up to Rs 25 crore provided they had not availed of benefits under any of the earlier restructuring frameworks, including the resolution framework 1.0 announced on August 6, 2020. The precondition of the scheme was that the accounts were supposed to remain standard as of March 31, 2021.
will be the most valued unicorn in the country at around $20 billion (Rs 1.48 trillion) when it launches its initial public offering on November 8. The fintech major, which was last valued at $16 billion two years ago, is seeking to raise Rs 18,300 crore in Indias largest

With this, would cross edtech player Byjus estimated $18-billion valuation earlier this month. At the pre- presentation, bankers confirmed that the enterprise value of would be in the range of $19.3 billion to $19.9 billion as the price band is set at Rs 2,080 to Rs 2,150 per share. While Walmart-owned Flipkart, valued over $35 billion, would top the valuation list, its now counted as a former unicorn.

Vijay Shekhar Sharma, managing director and CEO of One97 Communications (parent company of Paytm), cited high demand from investors to explain why the size had been raised to Rs 18,300 crore from the earlier Rs 16,600 crore.

ALSO READ: Paytm IPO price band set at Rs 2,080-2,150; subscription to open on Nov 8

While addressing the media ahead of entering a new phase, Sharma referred to QSQT--a term used by India Inc on and off to describe the life and responsibilities of a listed entity. Our life is going to become QSQT now or quarter se quarter tak (from one quarter to next)," said Sharma.

The Paytm founder said, "we have been getting personal messages from investors requesting for an allocation in the Paytm IPO. These people have never invested before in a listed company in India. Pointing out that theres no interesting acquisition target on the horizon, he said, "but never say never".

According to the companys red herring prospectus, Paytms total user base has increased to 337 million registered consumers and over 21.8 million merchants as of June 30.





Paytms losses for the quarter ended June stood at Rs 381 crore, up from Rs 284 crore in the same period last financial year. Its annual losses during FY21 were at Rs 1,596 crore, lower than Rs 2,598 crore in FY20. The companys contribution margin rose to 27.4 per cent in Q1FY22, up from 14.9 per cent a year ago.

I don't think we need to go out and set a specific timeline for that (profitability). The important thing to note is that we are heading in that direction as our costs are reducing and contributions are increasing. We have not set a specific timeline also because India is a growth market and there is no reason why we should not invest even more, Sharma told Business Standard in an interaction.

Paytm plans to have "100 per cent flexible" working for its employees "for good", according to Sharma. This has also helped Paytm recruit from smaller towns and cities. The company employs 11,500 employees, according to June data.

Roughly half of the offer for sale (OFS) in Paytms IPO, which recently got approval from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), will be done by Chinese investor Ant Financial. The OFS size has now inched up to Rs 10,000 crore, in which Ant Financial is offloading shares worth Rs 4,704 crore, Sharma worth Rs 402.6 crore and Japan's Softbank around Rs 1,689 crore among others.

The group has Paytm Mall as a separate business and the parent company is not investing any more in it. The company said that its payments and financial services vertical makes up for almost 80 per cent of its revenue.
PayU, a leading solutions provider, announced the launch of its unique tokenisation solution  Token Hub, which will enable businesses to comply with Reserve Bank of Indias (RBI's) latest guidelines on online card data storage, while allowing issuing banks to also generate their own tokens. This solution has been built by and Wibmo, a PayU-owned full stack global PayTech company, in partnership with major card networks such as Visa and MasterCard, and leading issuing banks. The solution offers both network tokens and issuer tokens under single hub.

We welcome the new guidelines, as they empower the customer and ensure safer transactions. has built the most innovative and robust solution to manage easy compliance with these guidelines for all players in the ecosystem, said Manas Mishra, chief product officer, PayU India. PayU Token Hub is fully interoperable, providing best of network and issuer tokens for card-on-file use cases extensible to device tap-and-pay. It will ensure that popular payments use cases including EMI, subscriptions, instant refunds and offers engines which rely on card numbers can continue seamlessly

Powered by Wibmo, PayU Token Hub is developed as an interoperable plug-n-play solution, to enable card on file and device tokenization using a single integration point. Its unique two-pronged solution is available to all merchants, including PayUs 3.5 lakh merchants and 65 issuers supported by Wibmo. Businesses can enable PayU Token Hub with minimal technical changes and continue to offer the best-in-class payment experience to their customers while ensuring they are compliant with the latest norms.

Wibmo powers larger issuer ecosystem of over 65 banks in India for their authentication services and payment security, said Suresh Rajagopalan, CEO of Wibmo. PayU Token Hub will help the issuers support the tokenisation guideline in a seamless and faster manner to comply with mandate and support the vision of protecting consumer interests. No other player in the market has such a robust combination of network and issuer tokens.

RBI mandated that only banks and networks will be allowed to store customer card data, with effect from, January 1, 2022. This means that businesses will not be able to store customer card information. Card details storage is the core of a consumers payment experience  without entering card details every time, will hamper online growth for businesses. While the current guidelines are specific to card data storage, PayU Token Hub will soon expand to enable businesses to safely store and create tokens across other popular payment modes like UPI and Net Banking and contactless device payments.
Telecom gear maker on Thursday posted a six per cent decline in sales in India at 251 million euros in the third quarter of 2021.

The company had recorded sales of 268 million euros in the same period a year ago.

has also cut down on its expectations in 4G and 5G business from India, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa.

It has also expressed uncertainty around the recovery timeline of markets that were impacted by COVID, including India.

mentioned about the scope and duration of the COVID impact, particularly in certain countries, including India, where the pandemic has worsened, and the pace and shape of the economic recovery following the pandemic.

At a global level, Nokia's operating profit on a reported basis grew 43 per cent to 502 million euros in the third quarter of 2021 from 350 million euros in the year-ago period.

"From a regional perspective, North America, Asia Pacific and Latin America witnessed strong growth, which was partly offset by declines in Europe, Middle East and Africa, Greater China and India," Nokia said in its earnings release.

The company's global net sales grew 2 per cent to 5.39 billion euros in the September quarter from 5.29 billion euros in the corresponding quarter of 2020.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a significant development, the Anti Extortion Cell (AEC) of Police on Thursday nabbed absconder Kiran P. Gosavi, who is wanted in several cheating cases and the prime 'Panch-Witness' of the (NCB) in the October 2 cruise party raids.

Hunted by three special teams of Police, the AEC cornered Gosavi on the outskirts of the city at around 3.30 a.m. after he was reported missing for the past nearly three weeks when his name first surfaced in the cruise party raids row.

He was detained and taken to the Police headquarters where he is kept in a police lock-up prior to completing the post-arrest formalities.

Currently, he is being questioned by a team led by a Pune Deputy Commissioner of Police and a formal announcement of his arrest will be made later in the day.

Thereafter, Gosavi, with cases lodged against him in Mumbai, Thane and Pune had sneaked out of the state reportedly moving to Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand.

Facing a lookout notice, just two days ago he created a midnight drama in Lucknow by announcing his surrender before the Mandiaon Police, but the move was aborted at the last minute.

Official sources say that his attempts to 'surrender' reportedly failed before the police in at least two states, both ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party, and finally he managed to reach Maharashtra where the AEC caught up with him in the wee hours today.

Gosavi is also required by the NCB vigilance team in Mumbai to record his statements in the probe into the alleged corruption charges against Mumbai Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede.

--IANS

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Software exporter Wipro's donated Rs 9,713 crore or Rs 27 crore a day to retain his top rank among Indian philanthropists in FY21.

Premji, the founder chairman of the company, increased his donation by nearly a fourth during the pandemic year, as per the Edelgive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2021, which had HCL's Shiv Nadar at second place with contributions of Rs 1,263 crore towards upliftment causes.

Mukesh Ambani of Reliance Industries, India's richest man by a distance, came third on the list with a Rs 577 crore contribution and was succeeded by Kumar Mangalam Birla with Rs 377 crore. The second richest Indian Gautam Adani is eighth on the givers' list with a donation of Rs 130 crore towards disaster relief.

Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani's ranking improved to fifth with a Rs 183 crore donation with societal thinking being identified as the primary cause.

At present, most of the money is going to fundamental aspects like education and healthcare because of the requirements on the ground. Nilekani has indeed made interesting contributions, and in 10 years, we will have broader civil society issues feature as primary causes, Hurun India's managing director and chief researcher Anas Rahman Junaid said.

He said as the age profile of the givers shifts to those under-40, and many of them being self-made ones also presents a hopeful picture.

There are a few new entrants into the list, including the largest stocks investor Rakesh Jhunjunwala, who donated a fourth of his overall earnings or Rs 50 crore in FY21 with efforts on education. Jhunjunwala, who recently had a private meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is among the backers of Ashoka University, as per a statement.

Brothers Nithin and Nikhil Kamath committed USD 100 million (Rs 750 crore) over the next few years to support individuals, organisations and companies working on solutions for climate change and are 35th on the list.

Former chairman of engineering major Larsen & Toubro, A M Naik, is 11th on the list with a donation of Rs 112 crore, it said, adding that he has pledged to give away 75 per cent of his income for charitable purposes.

Others in the top ten givers include the Hinduja Family, Bajaj Family, Anil Agarwal and the Burman family.

Nine women find their place in the list led by a Rs 69 crore donation by Rohini Nilekani of Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies and, followed by Leena Gandhi Tewari of USV who donated Rs 24 crore, and Anu Aga of Thermax donated Rs 20 crore.

Based on the place of residence, Mumbai led with 31 per cent of the list and was followed by New Delhi 17 per cent and Bengaluru 10 per cent.

The pharma industry has the largest number of philanthropists followed by automobile and auto components and software and services.

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The brewing in China may throw the Indian pharma market off gear if the situation continues for a few more months, feel sources in the local industry. More on this in our top headlines this morning.



Chip shortage may last up to two years, say Qualcomm and Intel

Leading microchip providers Qualcomm and Intel say the chip shortage might last anything between four months to a year, perhaps even two years, depending on the various product categories - mobile devices, ICE, electric vehicles, appliances, data centres. Read more.

readying a war chest of close to Rs 2 trillion to fund IPO bets

Non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) are readying a war chest of close to Rs 2 trillion to lend to high networth individuals (HNIs) for fuelling their IPO wagers. According to industry sources, a huge demand for capital amid an initial public offering (IPO) rush has led to a rise in funding cost to as much as 13 per cent from less than 10 per cent levels. Read more.

ITC consolidated PAT up 10% to Rs 3,763 crore in September quarter

Cigarette-to-hotels major ITC reported a 10.09 per cent increase in consolidated profit after tax (PAT) at Rs 3,763.73 crore in the September quarter of FY22, led by a recovery across segments. PAT was at Rs 3,418.69 crore in the year-ago period. Read more.

brewing in China likely to hit Indian pharma companies

The brewing in China may throw the Indian pharma market off gear if the situation continues for a few more months, feel sources in the local industry. Indian players roughly import 66-70 per cent of their bulk drug requirements from China. Read more.

summons Facebook again in connection with 2020 riots

The Committee on Peace and Harmony of has summoned Facebook to appear before it on November 2 for evidence and suggestions to prevent communal disturbances like the 2020 Delhi riots. The summons says that it is a continuation of its notice sent to Facebook in February and refers to the Supreme Courts verdict on the matter in July. Read more.

Purchasing intention gets a boost as economy shows signs of recovery

Consumers intentions to travel or buy movie tickets have seen a sharp rise in the past two-three months as the vaccination count rises and the economy shows signs of recovery. QuantEco Research used data from Google searches for booking Oyo rooms, travelling through MakeMyTrip, and buying movie tickets from BookMyShow, etc. to get an insight into consumer demand. Read more.
Climate impacts would tear through G20 countries without urgent action to reduce emissions, and in India, it could mean declines in rice and wheat production, causing economic losses of up to 81 billion euros and a loss of 15 per cent of farmers' incomes by 2050, a new report revealed on Thursday

The first study of its kind, the G20 Climate Impacts Atlas by the Euro-Mediterranean Center on (CMCC), the leading Italian research centre on and National Focal Point for the IPCC, collates scientific projections of how climate impacts will play out in the world's richest countries over the coming years.

It finds that on a high-emissions pathway, climate impacts spiral to cause devastating damage across the G20.

The research shows that rising temperatures and intense heatwaves could cause severe droughts; threatening essential water supplies for agriculture, causing huge loss of human life and increasing the chance of deadly fires.

In specific countries, this could mean heatwaves could last at least 10 times longer in all G20 countries, with heatwaves in Argentina, Brazil and Indonesia lasting over 60 times longer by 2050.

In Australia, bushfires, coastal floods and hurricanes could raise insurance costs and reduce property values by A$611 billion by 2050.

The report finds that without urgent action to reduce carbon emissions, GDP losses due to climate damage in G20 countries increase each year, rising to at least four per cent annually by 2050.

This could reach over eight per cent by 2100, equivalent to twice the bloc's economic losses from Covid-19. Some countries will be even worse hit, such as Canada, which could see at least 4 per cent knocked off its GDP by 2050 and over 13 per cent -- 133 billion euros -- by 2100.

Donatella Spano of the CMCC, who coordinated the report, said: "From droughts, heatwaves and sea level rise, to dwindling food supplies and threats to tourism -- these findings show how severely will hit the world's biggest economies, unless we act now.

"As scientists, we know that only rapid action to tackle emissions and adapt to climate change will limit the severe impacts of climate change. At the upcoming summit, we invite G20 governments to listen to the science and put the world on a path to a better, fairer and more stable future."

From coastal erosion to the spread of tropical diseases, every G20 country is at risk from the impacts of climate change. The research shows in Europe, deaths from extreme heat could rise from 2,700 per year to 90,000 each year by 2100 on a high emissions pathway.

By 2050, potential fish catch could fall by a fifth in Indonesia -- uprooting hundreds of thousands of livelihoods.

The sea level rise could wreck coastal infrastructure within 30 years, with Japan set to lose 404 billion euro and South Africa 815 million euro by 2050, on a high emissions pathway.

Conversely, the faster G20 countries adopt low-carbon policies, the less the climate impacts cascade and the more manageable they become. Limiting temperature rise to two degrees Celsius could see the cost of climate impacts in the G20 drop to just 0.1 per cent of its total GDP by 2050 and 1.3 per cent by 2100.

At the Paris Agreement, signed in 2015, countries agreed to limit global heating to acewell below" two degrees --however, current policies and promises put the world on track for about three degrees.

Laurence Tubiana, head of the European Climate Foundation and one of the architects of the Paris Agreement, said: "The window to act is closing fast. As the G20 countries incentivize economic recovery from Covid-19 and prepare climate plans ahead of COP26, they face an urgent choice: to protect the global economy and make a rapid transition to a low-carbon future; or derail the global economy by pursuing polluting policies. It's time for the G20 to make its economic agenda a climate agenda."

--IANS

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The daily COVID-19 count in on Thursday maintained an upward trend that began since Durga Puja celebrations with the metropolis and its neighbouring districts recording bulk of the cases, according to state Health department data.

As many as nine people died during the day, taking the death toll in the state to 19,105, the health bulletin said.

The state recorded 990 cases on Thursday as against 976 infections on Wednesday, it said.

The eastern state had registered 976, 806, 805, 989, and 974 new cases in the last five days.

The positivity rate decreased to 2.18 per cent on Thursday from 2.25 per cent the previous day as the number of daily tests increased from 43,322 to 45,437, it said.

Of the fresh cases, 275 were from Kolkata, followed by 164 in North 24 Parganas, the bulletin said.

The number of active cases in the state went up to 8,109 from Wednesday's 7,973, according to the bulletin.

With 845 people discharged on Thursday, the recovery rate stood at 98.29 per cent, it said.

A total of 15,62,818 patients have been discharged so far, it said, adding that the total COVID-19 cases recorded in the state were 15,90,032.

Of the fresh fatalities, two each were reported in North 24 Parganas, Howrah, and Nadia districts, the bulletin said.

Kolkata, South 24 Parganas, and Uttar Dinajpur recorded one death each, it said.

Apart from Kolkata and North 24 Parganas, the majority of the cases were recorded in adjoining districts of South 24 Parganas (77), Howrah (83), and Hooghly (75).

A total of 1,90,84,738 samples have been tested in so far, the bulletin said.

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Companies like NSO can't sell their products to non-governmental actors, newly-appointed Israeli Ambassador to India Naor Gilon said on Thursday, while terming as an "internal thing" for New Delhi the row over spyware Pegasus.

His comments at a press conference came following questions over allegations of unauthorised surveillance using Israeli NSO Group's spyware Pegasus and whether the Indian government contacted over the issue.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered a probe into the matter.

The Israeli envoy said what is happening in India over Pegasus is an internal matter of the country.

"I will not go into more details...NSA is a private Israeli company. Every export of NSO or such companies need an export licence of the Israeli government. We grant this export licence only for exporting to governments," he said.

"This is the only main requirement that they cannot...under the requirements, they cannot sell it to non-governmental actors. What's happening here in India is an internal thing for India," he said.

An international investigative consortium had claimed that many Indian ministers, politicians, activists, businessmen and journalists were potentially targeted by the NSO Group's phone hacking software.

The Supreme Court has set up a three-member independent expert panel to probe the alleged use of Pegasus for targeted surveillance in India, observing the state cannot get a "free pass" every time the spectre of security is raised and that its mere invocation cannot render the judiciary a "mute spectator" and be the bugbear it shies away from.

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India is fully prepared to face any challenge, if the need arises, said Defence Minister on Thursday in Chandigarh stressing on the need to be equipped and ready at all times to deal with any challenge arising out of any situation.

He, however, reiterated that India is a peace-loving nation and initiating any kind of conflict is against its values.

Singh visited Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL) of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in Chandigarh.

Addressing over 500 scientists and officials of DRDO, Singh lauded TBRL, which started as a two-room facility, for becoming an important R&D establishment and providing crucial defence technologies.

He commended the role of the laboratory in design and development of Multi-Mode Hand Grenade (MMHG), the first munition manufactured by the private sector for the Armed Forces, which was handed over to the Indian Army in the presence of in August this year.

The grenade achieved a functional reliability of more than 99.5 per cent in production.

He termed MMHG as world class which reflects the capabilities of TBRL and the scientists.

Lauding DRDO for developing systems at par with international standards, Singh also mentioned about the Bund Blasting Device Mark II, designed and developed by TBRL, which was handed over to the Indian Army in his presence earlier this month.

The device is used to reduce the height of Ditch-cum-Bund obstacles to enhance the mobility of mechanised infantry during wartime.

He appreciated the fact that the first phase of the production model has been successfully completed and the production of the system will also be done by the private sector through Transfer of Technology in the coming times.

Singh described these developments as indicators to the country's growing capability in products and technologies required to meet the operational requirements of the Armed Forces.

He added that these developments reflect the government's vision to equip the Armed Forces with indigenously developed and state-of-the-art weapons/ equipment/system through active participation of the private sector. This, he stated, is advancing the country's military and economic strength towards self-reliance.

The minister also listed out other achievements of TBRL, including reaching an advanced level of development of 4th generation electronic fuses which will be contemporary as well as safer and more reliable and development of Baffle Range of just 20 acres from 500 acres that will provide full training of the troops using less land.

He added that many reforms have been undertaken by the government to increase the participation of the private sector. These include introduction of new provisions under Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020; DRDO's initiative to involve the industry from the initial stages of development of systems; free of cost Transfer of Technology by DRDO and availability of its patents to the industry.

While stressing on the need to develop Indian Standards, Singh appreciated the fact that Indian Standard has been promulgated for the testing of Bullet Resistant Jacket, with TBRL playing a key role in its manufacturing.

"Indian Standards for design, development and methodology are being developed for other protective systems and gears. Test methodologies have been standardised for evaluation of Boot Anti-Mine Infantry, Boot Anti-Mine Engineers, Mine Protected Vehicles and Gears, etc. Such Indian standards will certainly help the Indian industry to not only benchmark the product against threats, but also help them compete with foreign manufacturers," he added.

Sharing his insights on the fast-changing geopolitical scenario around the world, Singh said, increase in scientific capabilities and new inventions have made a big impact on security.

Emphasising on the increased use of technology in the dynamic warfare strategies of the present, Singh exhorted all stakeholders involved in defence manufacturing to keep an eye on the latest technological developments and prepare themselves to stay contemporary with indigenous capabilities.

To achieve this, he said, there is a need to strengthen technology forecasting and invest in cutting edge manufacturing & testing capabilities. He called for making academic institutions as long-term partners to stay abreast with latest technologies, with focus on building a strong theoretical foundation.

"A research and development institution like TBRL should aim to develop partnerships with academic institutions on a long-term basis. On the one hand, the academic institution will get to work on the core technological problems and scientists and technologists will be prepared for better employability. On the other hand, R&D institutions will get the emphasis on conversion into the actual product by moving from the theoretical analysis...," the minister said.

He called upon all the stakeholders to increase their preparedness and assured all possible support of the Government in their efforts.

--IANS

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Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram on Thursday said that he was "perturbed" by the statement in the order that many persons when requested to be a member of a Committee to probe the Pegasus controversy, had "politely declined".

His remark comes a day after the Apex Court constituted a probe committee on Pegasus spyware.

Taking to Twitter, the former Home Minister said: "I am perturbed by the statement in the SC order that many persons when requested to be a member of a Committee to probe the Pegasus controversy, "politely declined".

"Can any conscientious citizen decline the request of the SC to serve in a matter of paramount interest? This episode illustrates how far we have traveled from the exhortation of Mahatma Gandhi that Indians should not fear their rulers," he said.

The Congress has welcomed the SC decision, and Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said that the party will raise the issue in Parliament.

On Wednesday, the top court asked a three-member technical committee to probe whether any Pegasus suite of spyware was acquired by the Centre, state government, central and state agency for use against the citizens of the country. If yes, then under what law was such a deployment made.

A bench headed by Justice N.V. Ramana, giving details of terms of reference of the expert Committee, whose functioning will be overseen by retired top court judge R.V. Raveendran, said the Committee will investigate whether Pegasus suite of spyware was used on phones or other devices of the citizens of India to access stored data, eavesdrop on conversations, intercept information and/or for any other purposes.

The court asked the Committee to find details of the victims affected by the spyware attack and the steps taken by the Centre after the hacking of WhatsApp accounts surfaced in 2019.

It also asked the expert committee to make recommendations, "to ensure prevention of invasion of citizens' right to privacy, otherwise than in accordance with law, by state and/or non-state entities through such spywares".

--IANS

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Indian utilities' coal imports fell more than 73% in September to their lowest in more than seven years due to high prices, government data showed, despite a call by the federal government to boost shipments to arrest a crippling coal shortage.

Imports by Indian utilities fell to 1.08 million tonnes in September, compared with 4.03 million tonnes in the same period in 2020 and 5.23 million tonnes in September 2019. Import data for periods preceding April 2014 were unavailable.

India had urged utilities to import coal in late August as coal-fired electricity generation surged after coronavirus-related curbs were eased, with several power plants being pushed to the verge of running out of fuel.

However, data from the Central Electricity Authority showed state government-run coastal power plants, which are dependent on imported coal, had cut supplies as global prices surged, increasing pressure on state-run Coal India to produce more.

Nearly three-fifths of India's coal-fired capacities currently have coal inventories that would last three days or less, federal power ministry data shows.

Imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by utilities during the September quarter also slumped 36%, the data showed, hitting their lowest levels in three years. The drop represented the steepest monthly decline in at least three and a half years.

Coal imports by power plants fell 55% during the quarter, making it the biggest fall in at least six and a half years.

Overall gas consumption by utilities fell by about a fifth during the quarter, with power plants increasing reliance on long-term contracts with global and domestic firms, and cut down on spot buying as prices surged, the data showed.

India mainly imports natural gas from Qatar, while Indonesia, Australia and South Africa are key suppliers of coal to the world's second-largest importer of the fuel.

Imports of coal could, however, rise in the coming months as state-run NTPC Ltd has issued a tender to import 2 million tonnes of coal, nearly double the quantity it has imported so far this year. It was not immediately clear when the coal would be delivered.

(Reporting by Sudarshan Varadhan; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell)

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The Thursday dispelled the impression that it was against particular group or community by banning and said it cannot allow violation of rights of citizens under the guise of enjoyment.

A bench of Justices M R Shah and A S Bopanna made it clear that it wants full implementation of its orders.

Under the guise of enjoyment you (manufacturers) cannot play with lives of citizens. We are not against particular community. We want to send strong message that we are here for the protection of fundamental rights of citizens, the bench said.

The apex court said the earlier ban order on was passed after giving elaborate reasons.

All were not banned. It was in larger public interest. There is a particular impression being created. It should not be projected that it was banned for particular purpose. Last time we said that we weren't coming in way of enjoyment but we cannot come in way of fundamental rights of people, the bench said.

The top court said there must be some responsibility entrusted to authorities who have been given the right to implement the order on the ground.

The bench said even today fire crackers are openly available in market.

We want to send a message that we are here to protect the rights of people. We have not put 100 per cent ban on firecrackers. Everybody knows what the people of Delhi are suffering (due to the pollution caused by firecrackers, the bench said.

The matter will be heard now at 2 pm.

The apex court had ordered six manufacturers to show cause why they should not be punished for contempt of its orders.

The SC had said it cannot infringe the right to life of other citizens under the guise of employment while considering a ban on firecrackers and its prime focus is the right to life of innocent citizens.

The apex court had earlier refused to impose complete ban on sale of firecrackers and said that sale can happen through only licensed traders and that only green crackers can be sold. Online sale of firecrackers has been completely banned.

The verdict had come in response to a plea seeking a ban on manufacturing and sale of firecrackers across the country to curb air pollution.

In the past, the apex court had said that while deciding on a ban on firecrackers, it is imperative to take into account the fundamental right of livelihood of firecracker manufacturers and the right to health of over 1.3 billion people of the country.

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The government, which manages the although it is geographically in Kerala's Idukki district, will open the spillways at 7 a.m. on Friday.

The Water Resources Department has already communicated the same to the government on Wednesday night as an evacuation in Idukki district is required for the opening of the spillways.

Water Resources Minister Roshy Augustine had earlier requested the government to inform the state well in advance so that the evacuation process is smooth.

The spillways of the dam are to be opened following incessant rains in the catchment areas of Mullaperiyar.

The water level in the dam crossed 137.80 ft at 9 p.m. on Wednesday. The maximum water level in the dam set up by the Central Water Commission (CWC) is 138 ft and the water level is all set to cross this rule curve by Thursday morning.

Tamil Nadu has been drawing 2,300 cusecs of water from the dam and the inflow was 5,800 cusecs on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, has expressed its dissent in Supreme Court on Wednesday after the supervisory committee had submitted that that there was no need to change the 142 ft water height in the dam which was set by the apex court.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Wednesday night wrote a letter to his Kerala counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan stating that his state was monitoring the situation of the and the water flow into it.

Stalin also mentioned that officials of both Kerala and Tamil Nadu are in constant touch with each other and that the situation was under control.

He added that the state was pumping out maximum water from the Mullaperiyar dam through the Vaigai tunnel into Tamil Nadu.

Stalin was responding to a letter sent by the Kerala Chief Minister on Monday that the water level in Mullaperiyar was rising rapidly and requested the Tamil Nadu side to take maximum water through the Vaigai tunnel for the state.

The Mullaperiyar dam constructed in 1895 by British Engineer John Pennycuck is under major discussion between the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

While the Kerala side wants to construct a new dam by deactivating the present one, there were several objections from the Tamil Nadu side.

The UN Research University had recently in a report said that Mullaperiyar dam had outlived its life span and that like several dams that are above 50 years of age, it was also in danger.

The Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu and Kerala along with the water resources ministers of the respective states are slated to meet in Chennai in December regarding the future course of action on Mullaperiyar.

--IANS

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The All India Executive Committee of the (RSS) started its three-day brainstorming meeting at the Rashtrotthana Vidya Kendra here where a resolution on the attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh will be passed, a top leader said.

Amid the chants of Vedic hymns, the session began here. More than 350 people from across the country including Sar Sangh Chalak ( chief) and Sar Karyavah ( general secretary) Dattatreya Hosabale are attending this annual event.

"Today the executive committee meeting of the RSS started here. We will deliberate on the current situation, our future plans and also, the attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh," the RSS Sah Prachar Pramukh, Narendra Thakur told reporters ahead of the meeting.

He also said that a resolution would also be passed on the attacks.

According to another RSS functionary, the executive committee meets every year towards the end of October.

However, last year for the first time, the meeting took place virtually due to COVID-19 related restrictions.

"This year, the quorum is complete. More than 350 people have gathered here," the RSS office-bearer said requesting anonymity.

He said that a few top BJP leaders handling organisational works are also attending the event.

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India's has been submitting data on the EUL of Covaxin regularly and very quickly to a technical committee which hopes to have a final recommendation to the WHO next week, a top official of the global health agency said on Thursday, stressing that the UN body "trusts" the Indian industry that manufactures high quality vaccines.

Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, which has developed Covaxin, had submitted EOI (Expression of Interest) to the World Health Organisation on April 19 for the vaccine's Emergency Use Listing (EUL).

A technical advisory group of the UN health agency which met on Tuesday has sought "additional clarifications" from for Covaxin to conduct a final risk-benefit assessment for Emergency Use Listing of the vaccine. The technical advisory group will now meet on November 3 for a final assessment.

"Bharat has been submitting data regularly and very quickly, but they submitted the last batch of data on the 18th of October, Dr Mariangela Simao, Assistant Director General, Access to Medicines and Health Products at WHO, said at a press briefing in Geneva.

She was responding to a question on the delay in granting the Emergency Use Listing to Covaxin while Chinese vaccines Sinopharm and Sinovac were given approval even with lack of data.

Simao said that when the technical advisory group met on October 26 to discuss the EUL for Covaxin, they asked for additional clarifications.

She said WHO is in touch with Bharat Biotech and has "daily conversations and calls and meetings clarifying what additional data needs" to be submitted to the technical expert group.

"Let me just clarify and without wanting to mention any specific manufacturer but saying that we have assessed an Indian manufacturer earlier in the year and it took 30 days, she said, a reference to the Serum Institute of India which manufactures the AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine.

"So this is not about moving quicker with one or another vaccineWe really trust the Indian industry. India produces different majority of vaccines in the world, high quality vaccines. We are right now at the last stage of the assessment by this external advisory group and we hope to have a final recommendation to the WHO next week. I hope that's well understood.

Bharat Biotech's Covaxin and AstraZeneca and Oxford University's Covishield are the two widely used vaccines in India.

The WHO has so far approved Covid-19 vaccines of Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca-SK Bio/Serum Institute of India, Johnson & Johnson-Janssen, Moderna, and Sinopharm for emergency use.

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Prime Minister on Thursday said he will hold discussions on global economic and health recovery from the pandemic at the meet in Rome, expected to kick-start on Saturday.

Modi will be in Italy from October 29 to 31 after which he will travel to Glasgow, the UK, from November 1-2 to attend the COP-26 World Leaders Summit. In Glasgow, the PM will highlight the need to comprehensively address issues, including equitable distribution of carbon space, he said in his departure statement.

He said the meeting will allow the to take stock of the current global situation and exchange ideas on how the grouping can be an engine for strengthening economic resilience and building back inclusively and sustainably from the pandemic.

During my visit to Italy, I will also visit the Vatican City, to call on His Holiness Pope Francis and meet Secretary of State, His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Modi said.

On the sidelines of the Summit, the PM said he will also meet with leaders of other partner countries and review the progress in Indias bilateral relations with them.

Modi said India is among the top countries in the world in terms of installed renewable energy, wind and solar energy capacity.

In line with our tradition of living in harmony with nature and culture of deep respect for the planet, we are taking ambitious action on expanding clean and renewable energy, energy efficiency, afforestation and biodiversity, he asserted.

The PM said at COP-26 he will also highlight the need to comprehensively address issues, including equitable distribution of carbon space, support for mitigation and adaptation and resilience building measures, mobilisation of finance, technology transfer and importance of sustainable lifestyles for green and inclusive growth.

Earlier in the day, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said resumption of international travel through mutual recognition of vaccine certification will be one of the main items that will be discussed at the G20 summit.

Shringla said India is hopeful that the World Health Organization will soon give approval to Bharat Biotechs Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin and that the Centre is closely following the discussions taking place within the global health body.

We have got information that Bharat Biotech will give answers to them (WHO) once their questions are responded properly, then approval will come soon. We are carefully following the process and hopeful that we will get the WHO recognition for Covaxin soon, he said.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will also attend the G20 joint finance and health ministers meeting in Rome on October 29, which among other things will discuss Covid-19 prevention and response.

With inputs from PTI
Digital insurer Acko has raised $255 million in a Series D fundraise, valuing the fintech startup at $1.1 billion, led by and Multiples Private Equity. The round also saw participation from Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) and Lightspeed, among others.

The transaction is subject to approval by the countrys insurance regulator, IRDAI.

The total funds raised by Acko now stand at $450 million. The company had earlier raised capital from investors like Amazon, Accel, Elevation, Ascent Capital, Intact Ventures, Munich Re Ventures and Flipkarts co-founder Binny Bansal, among others. It claims to have over 70 million customers, with the platform clocking approximately $150 million in premiums annually at present.

Varun Dua, founder and CEO, said, We have succeeded on the auto insurance front and will continue to scale and innovate in this flagship segment. We also continue to deepen our health strategy and intend to invest over $150 million in the health insurance segment in the near future.

Founded by Varun Dua and Ruchi Deepak in 2016, the insurer sells bite-sized insurance products in partnership with other players in the internet ecosystem such as Amazon, Ola, redBus, Zomato and Urban Company. In addition, ACKO covers nearly 1 million gig workers in the country through partnerships with companies, including Zomato and Swiggy.

Shantanu Rastogi, managing director, General Atlantic, said, Acko has developed a differentiated and scalable business model based on a singular customer focus, value-based pricing, highly-rated service and deep technology capabilities."

"Insurance is a large, fundamental sector in any economy, and in India specifically, the country is witnessing a rapid change of pace with rising customer expectations and technological innovation  requiring a fresh approach towards insurance product design, distribution and servicing," added Rastogi.
Coal Minister on Thursday said state-owned CIL has stepped up fuel supply to meet the increased demand of the and arrest shortages at thermal power plants caused due to rising cost of imported coal.

The remarks by Joshi, who is on a three-day visit to Odisha, come at a time when the country's power plants are grappling with coal shortages.

"Coal production and despatch have now increased and we are supplying about 2.2 million tonnes coal in a day to the power plants, which is itself a record," Joshi was quoted as saying in a statement by arm Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL).

The minister reviewed the mining and despatch operations at MCL, with an aim to further enhance fuel supplies to thermal power plants.

He was accompanied by Minister of State for Rail, Coal and Mines Raosaheb Patil Dhanve.

Joshi, while appreciating MCL's performance, said, "We are trying to further improve coal production and despatch from the company."



During his visit to Talcher coalfields, Joshi inspected mining operations at Balram open cast project in Hingula area and coal dispatch operations through railway sidings.

He held discussions with MCL and railway officials at the railway sidings.

Both the ministers stressed on further reducing turn-around time of railway wagons.

The ministers also interacted with the coal miners and motivated them for increasing coal production and despatch. Best performing workers were also felicitated.

Ltd (CIL) Chairman Pramod Agrawal, MCL's Chairman-cum-Managing Director P K Sinha and other officials accompanied the minister, who also visited the Paradip Port Trust (PPT).

On Tuesday, Joshi reviewed the coal production and stressed on continuing the momentum to dispatch maximum dry fuel to thermal power plants.

Power Minister R K Singh had on Monday exuded confidence that there will be no power shortage in the country amid the ongoing low coal stocks at power plants.

He stressed on timely payments by distribution companies to the plants for electricity supplied to them.

"There won't be any back down...There was no (power) outage yesterday... and it did not happen even before. If there is some outage, then that is because of our own (states') constraints," he had said.

The minister had informed that power plants in the country have more than 8 million tonnes of coal at present.

MCL accounts for about 25 per cent of the total coal production of

To further enhance coal dispatch capacity and rapid movement of the dry fuel to consumers, the company is aggressively implementing first mile connectivity projects with capital outlay of Rs 3,600 crore by 2024.

During the current financial year, MCL supplied over 94 million tonnes of coal to consumers, registering a growth of about 21 per cent over last year.

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Drug maker on Thursday reported a consolidated net loss of Rs 2,098 crore for the second quarter ended September 30.

The company had posted a net profit of Rs 211 crore in the July-September period of previous fiscal.

Total revenue from operations stood at Rs 4,091.3 crore in the second quarter as compared with Rs 3,835 crore in the year-ago period, said in a statement.

During the quarter, the company booked a provision of Rs 1,879.6 crore for Glumetza (diabetes drug) business compensation expense to settle the dispute with two plaintiff groups as well as impairment expense of Rs 707.7 crore for Solosec, a drug indicated for the treatment of bacterial vaginosis (BV), it added.

Last month, the Mumbai-based company had agreed to settle claims brought by a group of grocery stores, drug stores and other Glumetza buyers in the US.

"Our sustained efforts to drive growth have helped us cross Rs 4,000 crore sales this quarter. We remain focused on ramping up our revenues in the US while continuing our robust growth in India," Managing Director Nilesh Gupta stated.

He further said, "With the restructuring in the US, we have significantly scaled down the Specialty burn. We remain committed to our journey of margin improvement through sustainable growth and cost optimisation, while ensuring the safety of our people and the highest standards of compliance."



In the US market, the company posted revenues of Rs 1,429.1 crore in the second quarter, up 2.2 per cent from Rs 1,398.4 crore in the year-ago period.

Similarly, India business sales rose by 15.9 per cent to Rs 1,543.5 crore as compared with Rs 1,332.3 crore in the July-September period of 2020-21 fiscal.

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The has issued notice to the union government on a writ petition challenging the constitutional validity of the faceless assessment system under the

The court restrained the tax department from recovering additional demand and posted the matter to November 11.

The petition challenged the faceless assessment regime as manifestly arbitrary, opaque, contrary to the settled principles of natural justice and administrative law in general and violative of provisions of the equality before law among others in the Constitution.

Sandeep Sehgal, director-tax and regulatory, AKM global, a tax and consulting firm, stated,"it is to be kept in mind that the intent of the faceless assessment measure was to create a taxpayer friendly system. However, this has been turning out contrary to the same as there have been several instances where the revenue has proceeded ahead without adhering to the principle of natural justice."

The current petition challenges faceless assessments on related grounds like discretionary personal hearing, opaque risk management strategy, and no statutory basis for automated allocation of cases, he said.
Morgan Stanley has downgraded domestic equities from overweight (OW) to equalweight (EW) and recommended taking some money off the table.

We move tactically EW on India equities after strong relative gains. We expect a structural multi-year earnings recovery, but at 24 times forward (P/E) we look for some consolidation ahead of Fed tapering, an RBI hike in February and higher energy costs, Morgan Stanley equity strategist led by Daniel Blake and Jonathan Garner have said in a note on Asia Pacific markets.

The brokerage has upgraded Indonesia to OW, while maintaining an EW stance on China and UW on Taiwan.

Morgan Stanley becomes the latest global brokerage to either downgrade India or recommend higher allocation to other Asian markets.

In the recent past, HSBC, UBS, Nomura and Jefferies have increased weightage to China and other Asian markets, while raising concerns over India's expensive valuations.

Earlier, Morgan Stanley ran a 50 basis points (bps) overweight on the Indian market in the Asia Pacific (ex-Japan) and Emerging Market portfolio. However, Indias outperformance this year vis-a-vis the EM peers has prompted the brokerage to move to a neutral stance.

The Indian markets have rallied 26 per cent in the past six months and outperformed the MSCI EM index by 30 percentage points.

This strong outperformance is partly due to bullish consensus earnings expectations (+34 per cent YoY EPS growth for 2021 and +18 per cent for 2022) and a favourable reform agenda, said Morgan Stanley.

However, while the fundamental leading indicators are positive, we see valuations as increasingly constraining returns over the next 3-6 months, particularly as we head towards Fed tapering, absorbing the impact of higher energy costs and our expectations of a first RBI hike for the cycle in February 2022. Notwithstanding the already-sharply upgraded consensus earnings through 2021, India's 12-month forward P/E ratio has moved to an all-time high of 24.1 times. As a result, India is the most expensive market in our model on EM-relative five-year trailing z-score of P/B and P/E, it has noted.

Morgan Stanley said it believes the Indian markets might take a breather from here and look for some consolidation.

The benchmark Sensex on Thursday closed at 59,985, down nearly 3 per cent from its peak made last week.
ASEAN's unity and centrality have always been an important priority for India, Prime Minister said on Thursday and announced that the year 2022 would be celebrated as the 'ASEAN-India Friendship Year' to mark 30 years of their partnership.

Addressing the India- Summit virtually, Modi said India's Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) and ASEAN's Outlook for the Indo-Pacific are the framework for their shared vision and mutual cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

"We all had to deal with many challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But this challenging time was also a test for India- friendship.In the Covid era, our mutual cooperation, mutual sympathy, will continue to strengthen our relationship in future, and will be the basis of goodwill among our people," Modi said.

"History is witness that India and have had vibrant relations for thousands of years.Shades of that are visible in our shared values, traditions, languages, texts, architecture, culture, food and, therefore, the unity and centrality of ASEAN have always been an important priority for India," he said.

This special role of ASEAN is embedded in India's Act East Policy and Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR), he said.

"The year 2022 will mark the completion of 30 years of our partnership. India will also complete 75 years of its Independence.I am very glad that we will celebrate this important milestone as the 'Year of ASEAN-India Friendship'," Modi said.

He said India is committed to further deepen ties with the grouping under the next president Cambodia and country coordinator Singapore.

Noting that this year also the leaders could not take the traditional family photo, Modi said that by meeting in a virtual format, they had maintained the tradition of the ASEAN-India Summit.

He also congratulated the Sultan of Brunei for his successful presidency of ASEAN in 2021.

The 10-nation ASEAN is considered one of the most influential groupings in the region, and India and several other countries including the US, China, Japan and Australia are its dialogue partners.

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The health authority in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong said on Thursday that one case of a human being infected with the H5N6 strain of has been reported in the city of Dongguan.

The Health Commission of Guangdong Province said in a statement that experts considered the risk of transmission to be low at this stage.

A jump in the number of people in infected with this year is raising concern among experts, who say a previously circulating strain appears to have changed and may be more infectious to people. read more

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess the $40 billion acquisition of chip designer Arm by graphic chip giant

The deal to purchase the UK-based company Arm from SoftBank for $40 billion was announced in September last year.

The Commission said in a statement late on Wednesday that the merged entity would have the ability and incentive to restrict access by Nvidia's rivals to Arm's technology, and that the proposed transaction could lead to higher prices, less choice and reduced innovation in the industry.

Semiconductors are everywhere in products and devices that we use everyday as well as in infrastructure such as data centres.

"While Arm and do not directly compete, Arm's IP is an important input in products competing with those of Nvidia, for example in data centres, automotive and in Internet of Things (IoTs)," said Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President and responsible for competition policy.

"Our analysis shows that the acquisition of Arm by Nvidia could lead to restricted or degraded access to Arm's IP, with distortive effects in many markets where semiconductors are used," Vestager added.

Nvidia develops and supplies processor products for various applications, including in data centres, IoT, automotive applications and gaming.

Arm licenses out intellectual property (IP) for processing units, in particular to chipmakers and Systems-on-Chip (SoC) developers.

The Commission said that by acquiring Arm, Nvidia would gain full control over Arm's and licensing business.

The preliminary investigation suggests that the merged entity would also have the economic incentive to engage in such foreclosure strategies which could reduce competition in the market for the supply of processor products across different fields of application.

The Commission will now carry out an in-depth investigation into the effects of the transaction to determine whether its initial competition concerns regarding these markets are confirmed, and will take a decision by March 15, 2022.

--IANS

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on Thursday condemned France's "disproportionate" seizure of a British boat in French waters, marking a sharp deterioration in a row over post- rights that is in danger of spinning out of control.

French Seas Minister Annick Girardin said the vessel was detained during routing checks off the northern port of Le Havre overnight as it was not allowed to fish in French territorial waters. A second British boat was given a verbal warning.

The action signalled France's determination not to back down in the dispute after setting out potential sanctions against if there is no progress in talks. They included extra customs checks on British goods and what was widely seen as a threat to reduce electricity exports to the United Kingdom or raise tariffs if talks fail.

"It's not war, but it is a fight," Girardin told RTL radio.

British grounds are among the richest in the North East Atlantic zone, where most of the European Union's catch is hauled in.

France's actions appear intended as a warning shot to put pressure on to compromise at talks with the EU. But the British government said the French reaction was "disappointing and disproportionate, and not what we would expect from a close ally and partner".

"We are aware of reports of enforcement activity being undertaken by the French authorities and are looking into the matter urgently," it said in a statement.

Paris says Britain has refused to grant its fishermen the full number of licences to operate inside British waters that says is warranted, though Britain says it is issuing licences to vessels that meet its criteria.

Paris said on Wednesday it would impose extra customs checks on British goods entering from Nov. 2. It is also reviewing a second round of sanctions and has not excluded a review of exports of electricity to Britain.

"So now we need to speak the language of strength since that seems to be the only thing this British government understands," European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune told CNews television channel.

Girardin made clear could not cut off electricity supplies to Britain but said it could raise tariffs, a move that would squeeze household budgets at a time when energy prices are already spiralling.

Additional customs checks on goods travelling between Britain and the rest of Europe could seriously disrupt trade flows as businesses stock up for Christmas.

Barrie Deas, head of Britain's National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations, said France appeared determined to escalate the licence row. I suppose we have to wonder why. There is a presidential election coming up in France and I think all the signs are that the rhetoric has been ramped up ahead of that on the fishing issue, Deas told the BBC.



President Emmanuel Macron has not confirmed he will seek a second term in Aprils election but is widely expected to run.

Senior French and EU officials have previously signalled they do not want the dispute to escalate. But Macron is under pressure from the vocal fishing lobby and coastal communities for whom fishing is a lifeline even though the industry makes only a small contribution to France's

The captain of the seized trawler, now under the control of French judicial authorities, could face criminal charges, with his catch confiscated, the maritime ministry said.

A group representing English fisherman identified the seized vessel as the Cornelis Gert Jan, a scallop dredger, and suggested it had the right to fish in French waters and may have been missed off an approved list by mistake.

Negotiations between Britain and the European Commission, the EU executive, have continued this week.

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Australians who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 will be able to overseas from November, the government said.

The federal government on Tuesday night changed the Human Biosecurity Determination -- a law created in March 2020 to restrict during the coronavirus pandemic to remove the need for fully vaccinated Australians to ask for permission to leave the country, reports Xinhua news agency.

It means that from November 1, fully vaccinated Australians will be able to freely leave the country for the first time since March 2020.

Greg Hunt, Minister for Health and Aged Care, said it was the first stage in Australia's reopening to the world.

"Australian citizens and permanent residents who want to overseas will need to provide proof that they are fully vaccinated with a Therapeutic Goods Administration -- approved or recognized vaccine, with the second dose occurring at least seven days prior to travel," he said on Wednesday in Canberra.

People who have not been vaccinated will still have to apply with the Department of Home Affairs to leave the country and face stricter quarantine protocols on their return.

In the last 24 hours, reported more than 1,800 new locally acquired Covid-19 cases and 16 deaths as the country continues to battle the third wave of the pandemic.

The new figures raised the overall infection tally and death toll to 165,904 and 1,696, respectively.

The majority of new cases were in Victoria, the country's second-most populous state with Melbourne as the capital city, where 1,534 infections and 13 deaths were reported.

Till date, more than 74 per cent of Australians aged 16 and over were fully vaccinated against Covid-19, according to the Department of Health.

On Wednesday, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approved booster doses of the Pfizer vaccine for individuals 18 years and older, six months after their second dose.

Subject to the final advice from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI), it is expected that a general population booster program will commence no later than November 8 with original priority groups, including people in aged care and disability care settings, to be offered the option to receive a booster as a priority, according to Hunt.

--IANS

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India is concerned about the current situation in Afghanistan, a top Pentagon official has told US lawmakers here.

"As I'm sure you're aware, they (Indians) are concerned about the situation in They're concerned about the intersection between instability there and their counterterrorism concerns," Colin H Kahl, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee during a hearing on Afghanistan, South and Central Asia Security.

"They (Indians) want to work with us on those issues, sharing intelligence, cooperating where we can," he said, adding that there is a tremendous convergence between US and Indian national interests right now



"It provides a lot of opportunity for us to cooperate with India, not just on and counterterrorism, but on broader regional security questions, in the Indian Ocean and as it relates to the broader Indo-Pacific," Kahl said.

He was responding to a question from Senator Gary Peters.

"India's policies towards have been conceived largely through the lens of competition and proxy conflict with Pakistan. So it stands to reason that New Delhi should be no less concerned about the possibility that a Taliban government could benefit anti-Indian terrorist groups, especially those oriented towards Kashmir," he said.

"In view of our commitment to joint cooperation and interoperability with this critical partner, and the fact that India is the only designated major defence partner of the United States, I believe it's important for us to understand how its view towards Afghanistan has and will evolve," Peters said.

Earlier this month, Kahl had co-chaired a US-India Defense Policy Group meeting.

Responding to another question from Senator Jack Reed, Kahl said Pakistan is a challenging actor, but it does not want Afghanistan to be a safe haven for terrorist attacks or external attacks.

"They continue to give us access to Pakistani airspace and we're in conversations about keeping that airspace open and happy to talk about that more in the closed session. But for right now, counterterrorism cooperation with Pakistan is pretty good," he said.

"Our inability across multiple administrations to effectively deal with Pakistan is another example of the past being prologue. Managing the security relationship with Pakistan will remain important as we seek to successfully implement a regional counterterrorism strategy with other partners and allies," Reed said.

"That is why it is vitally important for us to reflect upon and study the entirety of the 20-year mission in Afghanistan," he added.

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India has taken significant steps to reduce military dependence on Russia, a top American Senator said here, a day after urging President Joe Biden not to impose provisions of Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) against New Delhi for buying the S-400 surface-to-air missile system from Moscow.

"We know that India is a responsible actor. It increasingly finds much in common with the There's economic benefits, but also military and security cooperation, as well. Since the has designated India as a major defense partner in 2016, we've made serious strides to elevate our defence partnership in a dangerous world," Senator John Cornyn, a top Republican leader, said on Wednesday.

Cornyn, who is also co-chair of the powerful Senate India Caucus, said this at in a panel discussion on US-India Partnership in Today's Geo-Political Landscape hosted by the US India Friendship Council in association with the US India Business Council.

"One of the biggest threats to our growing relationship has been the possibility of sanctions for the purchase of the Russian S-400 missile system. But I think what gives me confidence is that India has taken significant steps to reduce its reliance on Russian military equipment and has shown an interest in purchasing equipment from the and is working more closely with us based on shared values," Cornyn said.

"So not waiving these sanctions would achieve nothing, and perhaps derail the hard earned progress that we've made to strengthen our military cooperation," he said, a day after he and Senator Mark Warner, in a letter, urged President Biden to grant a national interest waiver to India as provided under CAATSA as this is in America's national security interest.

Republican Congressman Mike Waltz argued the case of an US-India alliance. For a number of reasons, this is the most important relationship of the 21st century. I believe that how things go vis a vis China will mean this can be a century of light or a century of darkness," he said.

Referring to the chaotic withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, he said he feared Kashmir might be the first casualty of that. "Unfortunately, I fear that the first place you may see billions of dollars of American equipment spreading is into Kashmir. That breaks my heart. And I fear for that. I think we're going to have to be prepared to work together," he said.

A day earlier, he and Nikki Haley, former US envoy to the UN, wrote an op-ed in the Foreign Policy magazine for a US-India alliance.

Swadesh Chatterjee, chairman of the US-India Friendship Council, said the relationship between the two countries has never been this good. But its full potential is yet to be realised, he added.

Congressman Brad Sherman said he was deeply concerned by the aggression of China towards our ally India, referring to the deadly clash between the militaries of the two countries in Galwan Valley last year.

China has continued its aggression with cyberattacks, including attacks on India's power grid, which could put civilians at risk. The rise in Chinese attacks on one of America's strongest partners is a threat, not only to India's security, but to our own, Sherman said.

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Oil prices fell about 1% to their lowest in two weeks on Thursday after Iran said talks with world powers on its nuclear programme would resume by the end of November and on rising U.S. crude inventories.

Brent crude was $1.06, or 1.2%, lower at $83.52 a barrel by 12:31 p.m ET (1631 GMT), having hit a two-week low of $82.32 earlier in the session and falling 2.1% on Wednesday.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell 79 cents, or 0.9%, at $81.86, having earlier touched a two-week low of $80.58. The benchmark dropped 2.4% on Wednesday after weekly data showed U.S. crude stockpiles grew more than expected.

Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani on Wednesday said the country's talks with six world powers to try to revive a 2015 nuclear deal will resume by the end of November.

A deal could pave the way to lifting harsh sanctions imposed by former U.S. President Donald Trump on Iran's oil exports in late 2018.

"The market reacts to these headlines, but may be disappointed by how much oil actually returns," said Phil Flynn, senior analyst at Price Futures Group in Chicago.

U.S. crude stocks rose by 4.3 million barrels last week, the U.S. Energy Department said on Wednesday, more than double the 1.9 million-barrel gain forecast by analysts. [EIA/S]

The hefty stockbuild was because of a large jump in net imports of crude oil while refinery processing remained sluggish, Citi Research analysts said in a note.

Yet gasoline stocks fell by 2 million barrels to their lowest in nearly four years, even as U.S. consumers contend with rising pump prices. [EIA/S]

At the WTI delivery hub in Cushing, Oklahoma, crude storage was at its lowest levels in three years, with prices for longer-dated futures contracts indicating supplies will remain low for months.

Energy information provider Genscape said that as of Oct. 26, tank levels at Cushing had fallen by 2.772 million in the last week, market participants said.

Outbreaks of coronavirus infections in China and record deaths and the threat of lockdowns in Russia, along with rising cases in western Europe, also weighed on prices.

(Reporting by Jessica Resnick-Ault Additional reporting by Ahmad Ghaddar, Aaron Sheldrick in Tokyo and Koustav Samanta in SingaporeEditing by Marguerita Choy, Kirsten Donovan)

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PRI GEN INT .SYDNEY FGN9 TECH-PRIVACY-CODE A new proposed privacy code promises tough rules and $10 million penalties for tech giants By Katharine Kemp, Graham Greenleaf,UNSW Sydney Sydney, Oct 28 (The Conversation) This week the federal government announced proposed to develop an online privacy code (or OP Code) setting tougher privacy standards for Facebook, Google, Amazon and many other online platforms. These companies collect and use vast amounts of consumers' personal data, much of it without their knowledge or real consent, and the code is intended to guard against privacy harms from these practices. The higher standards would be backed by increased penalties for interference with privacy under the Privacy Act and greater enforcement powers for the federal privacy commissioner. Serious or repeated breaches of the code could carry penalties of up to A$10 million or 10% of turnover for companies. However, relevant companies are likely to try to avoid obligations under the OP Code by drawing out the process for drafting and registering the code. They are also likely to try to exclude themselves from the code's coverage, and argue about the definition of personal information. The current definition of personal information under the Privacy Act does not clearly include technical data such as IP addresses and device identifiers. Updating this will be important to ensure the OP Code is effective. Which organisations would be covered and why? The code is intended to address some clear online privacy dangers, while we await broader changes from the current broader review of the Privacy Act that would apply across all sectors. The OP Code would target online platforms that collect a high volume of personal information or trade in personal information, including: social media networks such as Facebook; dating apps like Bumble; online blogging or forum sites like Reddit; gaming platforms; online messaging and videoconferencing services such as WhatsApp and Zoom data brokers that trade in personal information, including Quantium, Acxiom, Experian and Nielsen Corporation other large online platforms that collect personal information and have more than 2.5 million annual users in Australia, such as Amazon, Google and Apple. The OP Code would impose higher standards for these companies than otherwise apply under the Privacy Act. Higher standards for consent - maybe The OP Code would set out details about how these organisations must meet obligations under the Privacy Act. This would include higher standards for what constitutes users' consent for how their data are used. The government's explanatory paper says the OP Code would require consent to be voluntary, informed, unambiguous, specific and current. (Unfortunately, the draft itself doesn't actually say that, and will require some amendment to achieve this.) This description draws on the definition of consent in the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation. In the EU, for example, unambiguous consent means a person must take clear, affirmative action for instance by ticking a box or clicking a button to consent to a use of their information. Consent must also be specific, so companies cannot, for example, require consumers to consent to unrelated uses (such as market research) when their data is only needed to process a specific purchase. Requests to stop using and disclosing personal information The ACCC recommended we should have a right to erase our personal data as a means of reducing the power imbalance between consumers and large platforms. In the EU, the right to be forgotten by search engines and the like is part of this erasure right. The government has not adopted this recommendation. However, the OP Code would include an obligation for organisations to comply with a consumer's reasonable request to stop using and disclosing their personal data. Companies would be allowed to charge a non-excessive fee for fulfilling these requests. This is a very weak version of the EU right to be forgotten. For example, Amazon currently states in its privacy policy that it uses customers' personal data in its advertising business and discloses the data to its vast Amazon.com corporate group. The proposed OP Code would mean Amazon would have to stop this, at a customer's request, unless it had reasonable grounds for refusing. Ideally, the code should also allow consumers to ask a company to stop collecting their personal information from third parties, as they currently do, to build profiles on us. Increased protections for children and vulnerable groups The draft bill also includes a vague provision for the OP Code to add protections for kids and other vulnerable people who are not capable of making their own privacy decisions. A more controversial proposal would require new consents and verification for kids using social media services such as Facebook and WhatsApp. These services would be required to: take reasonable steps to verify the age of social media users obtain parental consent before collecting, using or disclosing personal information of a child under 16 ensure its data practices are fair and reasonable in the circumstances, with the best interests of the child as the primary consideration. What is personal information'? A key tactic companies will likely use to avoid the new rules is to claim that the information they use is not truly personal, since the OP Code and the Privacy Act only apply to personal information, as defined in the Act. The companies may claim the data they collect is only connected to our individual device or to an online identifier they've allocated to us, rather than our legal name. However, the effect is the same. The data is used to build a more detailed profile on an individual and to have effects on that individual. Australia needs to update the definition of personal information to clarify it includes data such as IP addresses, device identifiers, location data, and any other online identifiers that may be used to identify an individual or to interact with them on an individual basis. Data should only be de-identified if no individual is identifiable from that data. Increased penalties and upgraded enforcement The government has pledged to give tougher powers to the privacy commissioner, and to hit companies with tougher penalties for breaching their obligations once the code comes into effect. The maximum civil penalty for a serious and/or repeated interference with privacy will be increased up to the equivalent penalties in the Australian Consumer Law. For individuals, the maximum penalty will increase to more than A$500,000. For corporations, the maximum will be the greater of A$10 million, or three times the value of the benefit received from the breach, or (if this value cannot be determined) 10% of the company's annual turnover. The privacy commissioner could also issue infringement notices for failing to provide relevant information to an investigation. The maximum penalty will be A$2,644 for individuals or A$13,320 for companies. Such civil penalty provisions will make it unnecessary for the Commissioner to resort to prosecution of a criminal offence, or to civil litigation, in these cases. Don't hold your breath Once is passed, it will take around 12 months for the code to be developed and registered. The tech giants will have plenty of opportunity to create delay in this process. Companies are likely to challenge the content of the code, and whether they should even be covered by it at all. (The Conversation) AMS AMS 10281239 NNNN

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Cannot Wait (ECW), which sent the first all-women mission to since the Taliban takeover, on Thursday appealed to donors to significantly increase financial support for a robust collective humanitarian-development nexus response, including urgent funding for

This includes urgent scaled up funding to UN agencies and NGO partners delivering life-saving to vulnerable children and adolescents on the ground.

Amid an escalating health and nutrition crisis for children, with cold winter temperatures dropping quickly, a national economic meltdown, and the impacts of prolonged drought and years of conflict, the World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that over half the population in -- 23 million people -- will struggle to put food on the table during the upcoming winter; the largest number ever recorded.

Additionally, nearly 10 million girls and boys depend on humanitarian assistance to survive. All this against a backdrop of two decades of development programming severely impacted in the past two months.

"Salaries have not been paid for months, money and goods are no longer circulating in the country, entire communities and families have lost their livelihoods and struggle to make ends meet. Those who suffer the brunt of this acute crisis are the most innocent and vulnerable: girls, boys, adolescents and youth," said ECW Director Yasmine Sherif.

"UN member states, donors and humanitarian organizations, as well as crisis-sensitive development organisations, must remain engaged and act together now to support children, teachers, educators and the Afghan people -- with education at the center of the response -- because education is their future and the future of the country.

"An estimated $1 billion dollars is urgently required by organisations working in the education sector," she added.

The ECW, hosted by Unicef, is the global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises.

While the majority of schools were closed in during 2020-2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, most primary schools for both girls and boys have reopened since the takeover of power in August.

According to UN and NGO partners on the ground, with regards to secondary education, girls' education has resumed in some provinces to date.

"For the millions of children living through the turmoil of today's Afghanistan, education and learning is a lifeline that must be supported. Not only does it give girls and boys the tools to lead a healthy and productive life, but it also keeps them protected and safe," said Alice Akunga, Unicef's Deputy Representative in Afghanistan.

"We are asking the community to come together to prevent the collapse of the education system and safeguard the gains made for children over the past two decades."

During her three-day mission, Sherif met the de facto authorities in Kabul, stressing the importance of increasing access to quality education for all children, with an emphasis on adolescent girls, throughout the country.

Sherif also visited a girls' school in Kabul and met with a wide range of education partners, including the UN-SRSG, UN agencies, and national civil society organisations, and members of the education in emergency working group to take stock of the situation on the ground and identify additional opportunities to expand ECW emergency education investments and scaled up funding for UN and NGOs in the education sector.

Working with a direct execution modality through UN agencies and civil society organisations, ECW has been supporting the delivery of education programmes for the most vulnerable girls and boys in Afghanistan since 2018.

To date, ECW has invested $45 million to support the education of girls, boys and adolescents in Afghanistan. This includes $36 million for the first Multi-Year Resilience Programme (of which $24 million has already been disbursed), previous First Emergency Response grants of $4.6 million, and a recent First Emergency Response grant of $4 million in response to the recent escalating needs.

--IANS

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Spread of in Africa, as evident from the challenges in the Sahel, Somalia and central and east Africa, is a matter of serious concern, External Affairs Minister said on Thursday, highlighting the need to support African counter- operations with sustained financing.

The spread of in Africa, as evident from the challenges we face in the Sahel, Somalia, and central and east Africa, is a matter of serious concern," Jaishankar said at the Security Council open debate on Cooperation between UN and Sub-regional Organisations (African Union)'.

"The initiatives undertaken by AMISOM, G-5 Sahel Joint Force and Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) need more robust support from the Security Council and the community, he said.

The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) is a regional peacekeeping mission operated by the African Union with UNSC's approval. As part of its duties, AMISOM supports the Somalian forces in their battle against Al-Shabaab militants.

The G-5 Sahel Joint Force is a task force launched by Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad and Mauritania in 2017. It fights against violent extremism and organised crime in the region.

MNJTF is a combined multinational formation, comprising units, mostly military, from Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria. Headquartered in Chad capital N'Djamena, it is mandated to bring an end to the Boko Haram insurgency.

India endorses the call of Secretary General Antonio Guterres to support African counter-terrorism operations with sustained financing, including through assessed contributions, Jaishankar said.

He said because of its own experience, India appreciates that the root cause for conflicts in lie in its colonial history.

Proposing key points for consideration, Jaishankar said on matters related to peace and security, the Security Council should respect the regional approach adopted by countries involved, and work in collaboration with regional organisations to address these shared challenges.

He further said UN Peacekeeping Operations and Special Political Missions need to be sufficiently mandated and resourced to implement respective mandates.

Our experience in peacekeeping in shows that missions often struggle to implement ambitious mandates. Peacekeeping missions should have a clear and well thought out exit strategy, Jaishankar said.

He noted that while UN-AU strategic partnership has grown over the years, collective peacebuilding efforts still lag behind in other areas.

A more meaningful peacebuilding partnership between the UN and the AU, based on inter-institutional cooperation that focusses on harnessing comparative strengths to complement each other in pursuing the ultimate goal of peace and security in the region is needed, Jaishankar said.

In order to resolve the issues that divide the UNSC and the AU Peace and Security Council (AU-PSC), the external affairs minister said it is important to re-energise and strengthen liaison mechanisms.

A3 members - the three African non-permanent members of the UNSC, can play an important role in this regard, he said adding that while deciding on the appointments of Special Envoys of the Secretary General or the draw-down of ongoing peacekeeping and political missions, it is important to consider the views of the regional member states.

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Amid the rising tensions between the United States and China, Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen on Tuesday (local time) said that the threat from Beijing is growing "every day," and confirmed the presence of American troops on Taiwanese soil for training purposes.

In an interview with CNN, Tsai said Taiwan, which is located fewer than 200 kilometers (124 miles) away from China's southeastern coast, was a "beacon" of democracy that needed to be defended to uphold faith worldwide in democratic values.

Beijing claims full sovereignty over despite the island's self-governance for over seven decades. Meanwhile, Taipei continues to counter the Chinese aggression by increasing strategic ties with democracies including the US.

"Here is this island of 23 million people trying hard every day to protect ourselves and protect our democracy and making sure that our people have the kind of freedom they deserve," she said.

"If we fail, then that means people that believe in these values would doubt whether these are values that they (should) be fighting for."

and mainland have been separately governed since the Nationalists retreated to at the end of the Chinese civil war more than 70 years ago. Taiwan is now a flourishing democracy but the mainland's ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) continues to view the island as an inseparable part of its territory -- despite having never controlled it, CNN reported.

Today, relations between Taipei and Beijing are at their lowest point in decades. Earlier this month, China's military sent a record number of warplanes into the air around Taiwan while diplomats and state-run media warned of a possible invasion unless the island toes the CCP line.

According to CNN, Tsai became the first Taiwan President in decades to acknowledge the presence of US troops on the island for training purposes. The last official US garrison left in 1979, the year Washington switched formal diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing, though last year media reports hinted at small deployments.

Tsai wouldn't say exactly how many US military personnel are on the island at present but said it was "not as many as people thought." "We have a wide range of cooperation with the US aiming at increasing our defense capability," she said.

Earlier in a major speech on 8 October, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged "peaceful reunification" between Taiwan and the mainland. Although he made no mention of an invasion in the speech, Xi has previously refused to rule out military action.

Meanwhile, on Taiwan's National Day on 10 October, in response to growing Chinese military action, Tsai said Taiwan could not be forced to follow "the path had laid out for it."

Speaking to CNN, Tsai also called on regional democratic partners, including Japan, South Korea and Australia, to help support the island.

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President announced a framework to invest $555 billion in funding on clean energy programs he thinks can win approval from Congress, with investments in renewable power, electric vehicles and resilience.

If Congressional Democrats go along, the plan, part of a $1.75-trillion tax and spending blueprint, would represent a historic investment in fighting climate change that President can tout to world leaders at the high-stakes United Nations climate summit opening Sunday.

The funding could be the single biggest thing that our nation has ever done to combat the climate crisis and certainly the biggest investment that Congress has ever made in climate and environmental justice jobs by far, said Tiernan Sittenfeld, senior vice-president with the League of Conservation Voters.





The framework is also set to provide Biden fresh evidence the US can deliver on its Paris Agreement pledge to at least halve greenhouse gas emissions from 2005 levels by the end of the decade. Tax credits and decarbonisation programmes in the climate measure would complement coming regulations clamping down on greenhouse gases from automobiles, oil wells and power plants  a combination that promises to magnify emissions cuts.

The President had hoped to reach an agreement before attending a G20 meeting in Rome, where a global minimum tax will be high on the agenda, and a climate conference in Glasgow, where Biden hopes to present a message that the United States is back in the fight against global warming.

US Representative Hakeem Jeffries, who chairs the House of Representatives Democratic Conference, said he understood Biden would discuss a planned framework that appeared to have support from all Democratic US senators, clearing a major hurdle.

The plan would encompass a historic investment in job creation ... children and families... protecting the planet... and expanding access to healthcare, he told MSNBC. Still, it remains unclear whether Biden has the votes needed to pass either the social spending into law or a companion bipartisan $1-trillion infrastructure bill.



Big Oil faces lawmaker grilling on climate disinformation

Executives from Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Royal Dutch Shell and BP face questioning today from US lawmakers probing whether they helped spread disinformation about the origins of climate change. The House of Representativess Oversight and Reform Committee plans to quiz executives about what they knew about the causes of global warming and when, and whether they worked to undermine climate-protection efforts.

These oil companies pay lip service to climate reforms, but behind the scenes they spend far more time lobbying to preserve their lucrative tax breaks, US Representative Carolyn Maloney, the New York Democrat who chairs the committee, said in a release. We will demand accountability from Big Oil for their role in fueling the climate crisis and deceiving the public, and we will urge the industry to finally take meaningful action to rein in emissions from fossil fuels before it is too late.(Bloomberg)

British banks and insurers face climate risk capital crackdown

The Bank of England will crack down from next year on banks and insurers that do not hold enough capital to cover risks from climate change, while also considering bespoke safety buffers. Climate-related financial risks are partially captured by existing frameworks, but there are gaps, the BoE said on Thursday in a report that marks a shift in its thinking.

The central bank already has powers to force lenders and insurers to top up their general capital buffers if climate risks are not sufficiently covered, and it will study whether bespoke company and sector-wide climate buffers are also needed.

"This work will help determine whether changes to the design, use or calibration of the regulatory capital framework may also be needed to ensure resilience against these risks," the BoE said. It said it would give an update in 2022 after more research and a climate change and capital requirement conference. (Reuters)
India's crude oil imports in September hit a five-month high, government data showed on Wednesday, as a pick up in economic activity and mobility led to higher fuel demand.

Crude oil imports in the world's third largest oil consumer and importer rose 16% to 17.61 million tonnes from a year earlier, according to data on the website of the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell.

"India's September crude oil imports climbed to highest levels since April, a sign that the reopening of the economy continues," said Edward Moya, senior market analyst at brokerage OANDA.

"Indian refiners see crude demand roaring back as driving picks up and on expectations for a strong return of international travel in November."

Reliance Industries Ltd, the operator of the world's biggest refining complex, imported nearly 12% more oil in September than in August.

Factory activity in Asia's third-biggest economy improved last month, with recovery expected to continue for at least a few more months supported by ultra-easy monetary policy.

On a monthly basis, crude oil imports increased 1.3% versus August.

Earlier this month, data showed fuel consumption and refiners' crude oil throughput ticked higher in September from the preceding month.

Oil product imports jumped about 13% to 3.50 million tonnes from a year earlier and exports were up about 3%.

Of the 4.94 million tonnes of exports in September, diesel continued to hold a major share at 2.79 million tonnes, up 4.5% year on year and 7.3% higher from August.

India holds surplus refining capacity and exports refined fuels as well.

(Reporting by Eileen Soreng and Seher Dareen in Bengaluru Editing by Vinay Dwivedi and Mark Potter)

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The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) on Thursday modified norms for investments in securities by employees, board members and trustees of (AMCs). The regulator also stated that the board of the AMC and Trustees shall ensure compliance on a continuous basis and shall report any violations and remedial action taken by them in the periodical reports submitted to the board.

has expanded the ambit of access persons and said such entities shall not take undue advantage of any sensitive information that they may have about any company or its securities or about the AMCs schemes or its units.

Earlier, only heads of AMCs (MD, CEOs or Presidents) along with fund managers, dealers, research among others were indicated as access persons. But now non-executive directors of the AMC/trustee company or trustees who are in possession of or have access to any non-public information which could materially impact the price of the securities, net asset value (NAC) of the schemes or interest of the unitholders shall also be deemed as access persons.

The earlier guidelines did not apply to investments made by the employees in government securities, money market instruments, money market MF schemes, liquid schemes and schemes floated by other MFs.

But now says that investments not covered under the guidelines will be in government securities, overnight schemes and schemes of other MF.

These guidelines shall be applicable to all employees of AMC(s) and trustees and shall form a part of the Code of Conduct for employees adopted by the AMC(s) and/or Trustees. New employees shall be bound by these guidelines from the date of joining the AMC(s) and/or Trustees, said

Access persons as well as other employees do not require prior clearance of the compliance officer for purchase or sale of units of MF schemes. However, details of each such transaction, excluding transactions in overnight schemes, shall be reported by them to the compliance officer within seven calendar days from the date of transaction.

The circular will be applicable from December 1, 2021.
Posting its biggest one-day rout in over six months, the Sensex nosedived 1,159 points on Thursday as investors unwound long positions on expiry of monthly derivative contracts amid a string of lacklustre earnings and cautious sentiment overseas.

Banking, FMCG and energy shares came under heavy selling pressure, while midcap and smallcap counters also suffered hefty losses.

Sliding for the second straight session, the 30-share benchmark tanked 1,158.63 points or 1.89 per cent to close at 59,984.70. This was its biggest drop since April 12 this year, when it had plunged 1,708 points.

Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty plummeted 353.70 points or 1.94 per cent to finish at 17,857.25.

ITC was the top loser in the Sensex pack, tumbling 5.54 per cent, a day after reporting a lower-than-estimated 10.09 per cent increase in consolidated net profit for the second quarter.

ICICI Bank, Kotak Bank, Axis Bank, Titan, SBI and HDFC Bank were among the other major laggards, shedding as much as 4.39 per cent.

Only six Sensex counters managed to close in the green.

IndusInd Bank topped the gainers' chart with a jump of 2.94 per cent after clocking a 73 per cent rise in Q2 net profit.

L&T, UltraTech Cement, Asian Paints, Maruti and Bajaj Finance were the other winners.

Investors lost Rs 4.82 lakh crore in Thursday's session, with the market capitalisation of all BSE-listed companies standing at Rs 2,60,48,949.80 crore "In our view, in addition to weak global cues, unwinding of long positions especially in financials on F&O expiry, which had seen sharp rally in recent period were the prime reasons for sharp market correction today," said Binod Modi, Head - Strategy at Reliance Securities.

Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services, said, "Bears continued to dominate domestic indices tracking cues from weak Asian and European ahead of a policy update from the European Central Bank." "Globally investors are on the edge awaiting the US GDP data releasing later in the day along with the outcome of the Fed meeting scheduled for next week," he added.

Sectorally, barring capital goods, all sectoral indices notched up losses, led by realty, bankex, power, utilities and oil and gas.

Broader BSE midcap and smallcap indices tumbled up to 1.56 per cent.

World stocks remained range-bound as investors monitored corporate earnings ahead of key central bank meetings.

Elsewhere in Asia, bourses in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Seoul and Tokyo ended with losses.

Stock exchanges in Europe were also trading in the red in mid-session deals.

Meanwhile, international oil benchmark Brent crude slipped 1.11 per cent to USD 82.94 per barrel.

The rupee gained 11 paise to close at 74.92 against the US dollar as easing crude oil prices lent some support to the local currency.

Foreign institutional investors were net sellers in the capital market on Wednesday as they offloaded shares worth Rs 1,913.36 crore, as per exchange data.

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Former Chief Minister on Wednesday said his newly announced political party will contest the upcoming elections from all 117 assembly seats in Punjab.

Addressing media here, Captain claimed several workers are going to join his new party.

"When the time comes we will fight all 117 seats, whether we fight in adjustment or we fight on our own only time will tell... Plenty of workers is coming in... We are waiting for an appropriate moment," Amarinder Singh said.

He also made it clear that the process of launching a new political party is ongoing and he will disclose the name and symbol once confirmed by the Election Commission.

"Yes, I will be forming a new party. The name will be announced once the Election Commission clears it, along with the symbol. My lawyers are working on it," added former CM.

Amarinder Singh addressed the press conference on Wednesday in Chandigarh sharing the details of the achievements of his 4.5 years of government in Punjab.

Earlier, Amarinder Singh media advisor Raveen Thukral had announced through a series of Tweets, former Punjab Chief Minister will launch a party of his own.

In the tweets earlier, Singh had also claimed that his new political outfit might form an alliance with the BJP too if the issues of farmer protest are resolved in the interest of farmers.

Singh resigned last month as the chief minister and had announced that he will be quitting the after months of a rift with Congress state chief Navjot Singh Sidhu.

He had resigned ahead of Congress legislature party meeting which was called amid unending factional battles in the ruling Congress in the state. Singh was replaced by Charanjit Singh Channi as the chief minister of the state.

Punjab is slated to go through assembly polls in 2022. In 2017 Assembly polls, Congress had won an absolute majority in the state by winning 77 seats and ousted the SAD-BJP government after 10 years.

Aam Aadmi Party emerged as the second-largest party winning 20 seats in 117-member Punjab Legislative Assembly.

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) could only manage to win 15 seats while the BJP secured 3 seats.

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Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of on Tuesday hit back at an executive order from Chief Executive Carrie Lam which has struck the group from the companies registry.

Rhoda Kwan, writing in Free Press (HKFP) said that one of the liquidators for the now-disbanded group stated that the move was "premature and unnecessary".

Richard Tsoi, a former secretary for the Alliance now jointly in charge of administering its disbandment, slammed the executive decision as unreasonable and "totally regrettable."

"I think it's also difficult to understand why they would make such a decision. We have repeatedly said we disagree with the suggestion that the Alliance has done anything that is against national security," he told HKFP.

He also questioned why the executive order was needed, when the Alliance itself and three former leaders had already been charged with "incitement to subversion" under the security law, and are awaiting trial.

"It's premature and unnecessary to use an executive disorder to make such allegation without following proper legal procedures," he said.

Lam made the order in consultation with the executive council striking the Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of from the city's companies registry.

Hong Kong's Companies Ordinance provides the chief executive with the power to strike a registered society from the companies registry if they are satisfied it is necessary for the interests of national security or public safety, or if it had a connection with an or Taiwanese organisation.

The government's announcement alleged that the Alliance's five operational goals, including seeking to "end one-party dictatorship," amounted to "subverting state power", wrote Rhoda Kwan.

The decision comes after authorities cracked down on the Alliance last month, arresting its leaders under the national security law, freezing its assets, and seizing its property. The group is in the process of disbanding. The Alliance use to organise annual 1989 Tiananmen Massacre vigils.

The Alliance, formed in the spring of 1989 to support a budding democratic and labour movement in mainland China, had campaigned under five operational goals since Beijing's bloody crackdown on protesters on June 4 that same year.

Its goals included the release of all dissidents on mainland China, accountability for victims, an end to one-party dictatorship, and a democratic China, said Rhoda.

The Tiananmen Massacre ended months of student-led demonstrations in It is estimated that hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people died when the People's Liberation Army was deployed to crackdown on protesters in Beijing.

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The Australian share market finished session lower on Thursday, 28 October 2021, as profit booking triggered on tracking an overnight drop on the Wall Street and rate hike worries after the Reserve Bank of Australia decision to skip buying the April 2024 bond.

At closing bell, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 dropped 18.33 points, or 0.25%, to 7,430.38. The broader All Ordinaries index fell 18.29 points, or 0.24%, to 7,739.70.

Total 6 of 11 sectors ended lower along with the S&P/ASX 200 Index. Telecommunications Services was the best performing sector, gaining 2.69%, while materials was worst performing sector, falling 2.35%.

The bottom performing stocks in this index were POINTSBET HOLDINGS and IOOF HOLDINGS, down 18.3% and 8.5% respectively. The top performing stocks in this index were POINTSBET HOLDINGS and IOOF HOLDINGS, up 18.3% and 8.5% respectively.

The Reserve Bank of Australia decision to skip buying the April 2024 bond propelled the yield soaring above its target and stoking fears that rates would be raised 2 years earlier than current forecast of 2024.

Shares of materials and resources extended losses from the previous session, due to weaker iron ore prices. BHP and Rio Tinto lost 1.7% and 1.5%, respectively.

Fortescue Metals Group edged up slightly after reporting record first quarter iron ore shipments.

Shares of energy companies declined as crude oil prices extended overnight losses on expectation of increasing Iranian supply after Iran and the EU agreed to restart negotiations on a revival of the 2015 nuclear accord. Origin Energy, Santos and Woodside Petroleum all lost around 2%. Whitehaven Coal shares fell almost 5% after China's decision to monitor surging coal prices.

ECONOMIC NEWS: Australia Export Prices Slow 6.2% On Quarter In Q2- Australia export prices were up 6.2% on quarter in the third quarter of 2021, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said on Thursday, slowing from the 13.2% jump in Q2. Import prices rose 5.4% on quarter, accelerating from 1.9% in the three months prior. On a yearly basis, export prices skyrocketed 41.0% and import prices jumped 6.4%.

CURRENCY NEWS: The Australian dollar changed hands at $0.7514, off levels around $0.753 seen earlier this week.

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Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd is quoting at Rs 422.8, down 1.15% on the day as on 13:24 IST on the NSE. The stock jumped 23.7% in last one year as compared to a 54.42% rally in NIFTY and a 61.11% spurt in the Nifty Energy index.

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd is down for a fifth straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 422.8, down 1.15% on the day as on 13:24 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is down around 1.03% on the day, quoting at 18022.6. The Sensex is at 60545.67, down 0.98%.Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd has lost around 3.23% in last one month.Meanwhile, Nifty Energy index of which Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd is a constituent, has increased around 3.74% in last one month and is currently quoting at 24184.85, down 1.92% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 21.56 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 54.75 lakh shares in last one month.

The benchmark October futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 421.55, down 1.45% on the day. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd jumped 23.7% in last one year as compared to a 54.42% rally in NIFTY and a 61.11% spurt in the Nifty Energy index.

The PE of the stock is 7.1 based on TTM earnings ending June 21.

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Hong Kong stock market finished lower for second session in row on Thursday, 28 October 2021, as profit booking continues on tracking an overnight drop on the Wall Street and concerns about the corporate earnings strength due to the China's economic slowdown.

Sentiment was also hurt by fresh signs of U. S.-China tensions after President Joe Biden told Southeast Asian nations the United States would stand with them in defending freedom of the seas and democracy and called China's actions towards Taiwan "coercive" and a threat to peace and stability.

Further, denting sentiment was reports stated some Chinese property developers had proposed extending their offshore bond maturities or undertaking a debt restructuring in a meeting with regulators. The reports suggested to some investors that those troubled developers barely had enough money to pay back their debt

At closing bell, the benchmark Hang Seng Index fell 0.28%, or 73.01 points, to 25,555.73.

The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index fell 0.45%, or 41.10 points, to 9,052.70.

Shares of energy companies declined as crude oil prices extended overnight losses on expectation of increasing Iranian supply after Iran and the EU agreed to restart negotiations on a revival of the 2015 nuclear accord. China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation, or Sinopec, fell 0.3%. China's largest oil refiner said its interim pre-tax profit fell by a third to HK$876 million.

Ping An slumped 2.4% to HK$58.35 after reporting a 31% slide in earnings last quarter as investment performance sagged.

Bourse operator Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing retreated 1.5% to HK$467.60 after posted a 3% drop in earnings.

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Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) announced that it will share revenues earned from convenience fees for bookings made on its platform in a 50:50 ratio with the Ministry of Railways.

The Ministry of Railways has conveyed its decision to share the revenue earned from convenience fee collected by IRCTC in the ratio of 50:50 with effect from 1 November 2021, IRCTC said in a statement to the exchanges.

So far, the entire convenience fee went to IRCTC, as the ticketing system is run by it, while the rail fare went into the account of Indian Railways. The convenience fee is not part of the rail fare. It is for the service offered by IRCTC of booking a ticket on the web.

Shares of IRCTC spurted 10.65% to settle at Rs 913.75 today as the stock turned ex-split.

IRCTC has fixed 29 October 2021 as the record date for the proposed 5-for-1 stock split.

The company's board will meet on 1 November 2021 to consider Q2 results.

IRCTC posted a net profit of Rs 82.52 crore in Q1 FY22 compared with net loss of Rs 24.6 crore in Q1 FY21. Revenue from operation jumped 85.3% year-on-year to Rs 243.36 in Q1 FY22 over Q1 FY21.

IRCTC, a Mini Ratna public sector enterprise under the administrative control of Ministry of Railways, is the sole entity authorized by Indian Railways (IR) to provide catering services to railways, online railway tickets and packaged drinking water at railway stations and trains in India. The Government of India held 67.4% stake in the company.

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The drug maker reported a consolidated net loss of Rs 2098.04 crore in Q2 September 2021 as against net profit of Rs 211.02 crore in Q2 September 2020.

On a consolidated basis, net sales rose 5.86% to Rs 4003.42 crore in Q2 September 2021 over Q2 September 2020. Pre-tax loss stood at Rs 2204.78 crore in Q2 September 2021 as against pre-tax profit of Rs 360.21 crore in Q2 September 2020.

EBITDA rose 3.7% to Rs 628.50 crore in Q2 September 2021 over Q2 September 2020. EBITDA margin stood at 15.7% in Q2 September 2021 lower than 16% in Q2 September 2020. EBITDA for Q2 FY2022 includes an adverse impact of about 80 bps for one-time costs related to US specialty restructuring.

Manufacturing and other expenses were 28.5% of sales at Rs 1142.50 crore compared to Rs 1030.90 crore in Q1 FY2022.

During the quarter, the company booked a provision of Rs 1879.60 crore [including Rs 38.7 crore towards litigation and settlement related expenses] under Glumetza class actions towards business compensation expense based on the agreement to settle the dispute with two plaintiff groups as well as Impairment expense of Rs 707.7 crore for Solosec IP.

Lupin's North America sales for Q2 FY2022 were at Rs 1429.10 crore, up 7.2% compared to Q1FY2022. It accounted for 36% of Lupin's global sales.

Lupin's India formulation sales for Q2 FY2022 were Rs 1543.50 crore, down 5.7% as compared to Q1 FY2022. It accounted for 38% of Lupin's global sales

Lupin's Europe, Middle-East and Africa sales saw a 33.3% rise, contributing 9% of the total revenue.

Lupin's Global API sales for Q2 FY2022 were Rs 2,67.80 crore, up 8.9% compared to Rs 245.90 crore in Q1 FY2022, accounting for 7% of Lupin's global sales.

Investment in R&D amounted to Rs 330 crore (8.2% of sales) for Q2 FY2022 as compared to Rs 373.70 crore (8.8% of sales) for Q1 FY2022.

Lupin received approval for 1 ANDA from the USFDA in the quarter. Cumulative ANDA filings with the USFDA stand at 444 as of 30 September 2021, with the company having received 292 approvals to date.

Lupin is an innovation-led transnational pharmaceutical company. The company develops and commercializes a wide range of branded and generic formulations, biotechnology products and APIs in over 100 markets in the U.S., India, South Africa and across Asia Pacific (APAC), Latin America (LATAM), Europe and Middle-East regions.

Shares of Lupin were down 1.22% at Rs 925.40.

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The main indices ended with steep losses on Thursday amid weak global cues. The BSE Sensex slipped below the psychological mark of 60,000 while the Nifty fell below the crucial 18,000 mark. All sectoral indices on the NSE closed in the red with realty, metal, banks and financial stocks losing the most. Investors also squared off positions ahead of the monthly F&O expiry later in the day.

As per the provisional closing data, the S&P BSE Sensex, declined 1158.63 points or 1.89% to 59,984.70. The Nifty 50 index fell 353.70 points or 1.94% to 17,857.25.

The broader market also witnessed sell off. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index fell 1.38% while the S&P BSE Small-Cap index declined 1.56%.

The market breadth was weak. On the BSE, 985 shares rose and 2295 shares fell. A total of 125 shares were unchanged.

Primary Market:

The initial public offering (IPO) of Nykaa, with a price band of Rs 1,085-1,125 per share, opened for public subscription on today, 28 October 2021 and will conclude on Monday, 1 November 2021. Ahead of its IPO, Nykaa on Wednesday said it has raised Rs 2,396 crore from anchor investors.

As of 15:26 IST, Nykaa IPO was subscribed 1.03 times with the retail portion fully booked with 3.02 times, NSE data showed. The portion reserved for employees has been subscribed 0.47 times and non-institutional investors (NIIs) 0.45 times.

Earnings Impact:

Bajaj Finserv was down 0.2%. The company reported 13.8% rise in consolidated net profit to Rs 1,122.13 crore on a 19.6% increase in total income to Rs 18,008.22 crore in Q2 FY22 as compared with Q2 FY21. Profit before tax in Q2 FY22 stood at Rs 2,792.28 crore, up by 29.5% from Rs 2,156.60 crore in Q2 FY21. Bajaj Finserv is the holding company for the various financial services businesses under the Bajaj group. BFS participates in the financing business through its 52.65% holding in Bajaj Finance (BFL) and in the protection business through its 74% holding in two unlisted subsidiaries, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company (BAGIC) and Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Company (BALIC). Bajaj Housing Finance (BHFL), which does mortgage business and Bajaj Financial Securities (BFinsec), which does broking business, are wholly-owned subsidiaries of Bajaj Finance.

Bajaj Auto slipped 1.83%. The automobile manufacturer's standalone net profit grew 12% to Rs 1,275 crore on a 22% increase in revenue from operations to Rs 8,762 crore in Q2 FY22 over Q2 FY21. Turnover soared 22% to Rs 9,081 crore in Q2 FY22 from Rs 7,442 crore in Q2 FY21. EBITDA jumped 10% to Rs 1,434 crore in Q2 FY22 as against Rs 1,300 crore in Q2 FY21. EBITDA margin stood at 16.4% in Q2 FY22 as compared to 18.2% in Q2 FY21. Operating profit spurted 11% to Rs 1,367 crore in Q2 FY22 over Rs 1,233 crore in Q2 FY21.

ITC dropped 5.58%. ITC reported 13.7% rise in standalone net profit to Rs 3,697 crore on a 11.2% increase in net revenue to Rs 12,543 crore in Q2 FY22 as compared with Q2 FY21. EBITDA improved by 12.9% to Rs 4,615 crore in Q2 FY22 from Rs 4,088 crore in Q2 FY21. Profit before tax in the second quarter stood at Rs 4,880 crore, up by 13.5% from Rs 4,301 crore reported in the same period last year. Total FMCG segment revenue increased by 7% YoY to Rs 9,678 crore during the period under review. In the FMCG segment, cigarettes revenue rose by 10.2% YoY to Rs 5,642 crore while the revenue from other FMCG segment improved by 2.9% Y-o-Y to Rs 4,036 crore during the quarter.

Gujarat Gas fell 0.74%. The company reported a 47.5% fall in standalone net profit to Rs 249.05 crore on a 43.8% rise in revenue from operations to Rs 3,685.90 crore in Q2 FY22 over Q2 FY21. Profit before tax in Q2 FY22 stood at Rs 334.25 crore, down by 47.3% from Rs 634.28 crore posted in Q2 FY21. The company's total gas sales volumes for the quarter ended on 30 September 2021 was at 11.41 million standard cubic meters per day (mmscmd) as against 9.85 mmscmd in the quarter ended on 30 September 2020, up 15.85% on a YoY basis. Of total gas sales volumes, Industrial sales volume was 8.69 mmscmd (up 10.6% YoY), CNG sales volume was 1.96 mmscmd (up 53.1% YoY), PNG - Domestic sales volume was 0.64 mmscmd (flat YoY) and PNG - Commercial sales volume was 0.12 mmscmd (up 71.4% YoY) during the period under review.

KEC International tumbled 8.56% to Rs 474.15 after the company reported 44% drop in consolidated net profit to Rs 80 crore on a 10% rise in revenue to Rs 3,587 crore in Q2 FY22 over Q2 FY21. EBITDA fell by 14% to Rs 253 crore in Q2 FY22 from Rs 293 crore in Q2 FY21.

EBITDA margin was at 7.1% as on 30 September 2021 as against 9% as on 30 September 2020. Profit before tax in Q2 FY22 stood at Rs 101 crore, down by 48% from Rs 195 crore in Q2 FY21.

Punjab National Bank slumped 10.58%. The PSU bank reported 78% rise in standalone net profit to Rs 1105.15 crore in Q2 FY22 from Rs 620.81 crore in Q2 FY21. Total income during the quarter declined by 8.7% YoY to Rs 21,262.32 crore. The bank's net interest income (NII) fell 24.9% Rs 6,352.81 crore during the period under review. It was Rs 8,454.97 crore in the same period last year. The public sector bank wrote back tax provisions aggregating to Rs 345.40 crore in the second quarter. It had made a provision of Rs 357.95 crore for taxes in the corresponding period last fiscal.

Happiest Minds Technologies was down 0.68%. The IT company's net profit jumped 30.4% to Rs 44.44 crore on 44.68% increase in revenue from operations to Rs 264.53 crore in Q2 FY22 over Q2 FY21. Profit before tax rose 39.09% to Rs 59.35 crore in Q2 FY22 over Q2 FY21. The net profit rose 24.38% and revenue from operations rose 8.14% in Q2 FY22 over Q1 FY22. EBITDA rose 6% QoQ and 42% YoY to Rs 70.12 crore in Q2 FY22. EBITDA margin stood at 25.6% in Q2 FY22 lower than 26.1% in Q1 FY22 and 26.3% in Q2 FY21. Operating revenues in US$ terms stood at $35.8 million (growth of 8.0% q-o-q and 44.9% y-o-y). The company reported free cash flows of Rs 67.43 crore in Q2 FY22.

Adani Enterprises (AEL) dropped 10.82% after the company's consolidated net profit tumbled 55.35% to Rs 194.54 crore on a 44.83% surge in revenue from operations to Rs 13,218.02 crore in Q2 FY22 over Q2 FY21. Consolidated total income jumped 46% to Rs 13,597 crore due to significant increase in index prices in IRM segment. Consolidated EBIDTA rose 33% to Rs 1,262 crore due to increase in revenue and better margins in Integrated Resources Management (IRM) business.

Lupin fell 6.18% after the drug maker reported a consolidated net loss of Rs 2098.04 crore in Q2 FY22 as against net profit of Rs 211.02 crore in Q2 FY21. Consolidated net sales rose 5.86% to Rs 4,003.42 crore in Q2 FY22 over Q2 FY21. Pre-tax loss stood at Rs 2204.78 crore in Q2 FY22 as against pre-tax profit of Rs 360.21 crore in Q2 FY21. EBITDA rose 3.7% to Rs 628.50 crore in Q2 FY22 over Q2 FY21. EBITDA margin stood at 15.7% in Q2 FY22 lower than 16% in Q2 FY21. EBITDA for Q2 FY2022 includes an adverse impact of about 80 bps for one-time costs related to US specialty restructuring.

Deepak Nitrite fell 7.23%. The company posted a 49.4% increase in consolidated net profit to Rs 254.34 crore in Q2 FY22 as compared to Rs 170.19 crore posted in Q2 FY21. Revenue from operations rose a 70.3% increase in net sales to Rs 1,681.35 crore in Q2 FY22 over Q2 FY21. EBITDA stood at Rs 395 crore in Q2 FY22 compared to Rs 280 crore in Q2 FY21, higher by 41% on year-on-year basis. EBITDA Margin declined to 23% in Q2 FY22 from 28% in the same quarter of corresponding year due to combination of higher input prices as well as increased cost of power and logistics. The company assured that it worked to maintain margins wherever possible while keeping or growing its market share across businesses.

Global Markets:

Shares in Europe and Asia declined on Thursday, as investors digested corporate earnings and looked ahead to a new rate decision by the European Central Bank.

Global investors are awaiting the US GDP data releasing later in the day along with the outcome of the Fed meeting scheduled for next week.

Investors are also awaited the Bank of Japan's latest monetary policy announcement on Thursday. The central bank is expected to hold steady on policy, as per reports.

Japan's retail sales fell for a second month in September as consumers limited spending amid concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. Retail sales in September slipped 0.6% from the same month a year earlier, government data showed on Thursday. It followed a 3.2% dip in August that marked the first year-on-year decline in six months.

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Tata Chemicals reported 87% jump in consolidated net profit from continuing operations to Rs 248 crore in Q2 FY22 from Rs 132 crore in Q2 FY21.

The company's income from operations on consolidated basis was Rs 3,023 crore, up by 16% from Rs 2,609 crore of the corresponding quarter of last year. This was mainly due to rebound in Soda Ash volumes in US and India, Tata Chemicals said.

On the segmental front, revenue from Basic Chemistry Products was Rs 2,235 crore (up 22% YoY) while that from Specialty Products was Rs 786 crore (up 3% YoY) in the second quarter,

While the company's consolidated net profit has dropped by 28%, income from operations has risen by 2% in Q2 FY22 as compared with Q1 FY22.

Consolidated gross debt stood at Rs 7,108 crore as on 30 September 2021 as compared to Rs 7,284 crore as on 30 June 2021. Cash & cash equivalents at the end of the September 2020 quarter stood at Rs 2,950 crore as against Rs. 3,293 crore as on 30 June 2021.

Tata Chemicals said that globally, soda ash demand picked up significantly resulting in a tight demand-supply situation Spot prices have correspondingly increased.

The company benefitted from higher volumes owing to substantial demand recovery for soda ash and improvements in spot prices in the international markets. Challenging environment of increasing input costs & supply chain bottlenecks continued in the market place across geographies, the chemical maker said.

R. Mukundan, managing director & CEO, Tata Chemicals, said, With the re-opening of businesses in all markets, the overall demand environment continues to be positive. While this positive momentum is expected to continue, the supply side environment especially on energy costs and supply chain poses a challenge.

Tata Chemicals is a global company with interests in businesses that focus on basic chemistry products and specialty chemistry products.

The scrip slumped 7.74% to currently trade at Rs 920.25 on the BSE.

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Poll strategist Prashant Kishor, who is currently lobbying for the Trinamool (TMC) for the upcoming Goa Assembly elections, has said the will remain at the centre of Indian and will not go anywhere for the "next many decades" irrespective of whether it wins or loses.

He also took a swipe at leader for "thinking" that people will throw the away immediately.

The TMC said Kishor is not a member of the party and the comments were his own, while the wondered if the remarks indicated any back-channel understanding among the poll strategist, the TMC and the

The Congress in Goa also accused the TMC of entering the poll fray in the state in order to "divide secular votes and give mileage to the ruling BJP", and also alleged that Kishor's remarks exposed the Mamata Banerjee-led party's agenda.

The saffron party asserted that the entire country agrees with the comments of or PK, as he is known in political circles.

A video clip of Kishor making the comments during a private meeting in Goa has gone viral.

A senior leader of the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC), a group led by Kishor, confirmed that the video was from a private meeting held on Wednesday in the state.

In the video, Kishor is heard saying, "BJP is going to be the centre of Indian polity...whether they win, whether they lose, like it was for the first 40 years for Congress, BJP is going nowhere."



"Once you secure 30 per cent plus votes at the India-level, you are not going away in a hurry. So, do not ever get into this trap that people are getting angry and they will throw away (PM Narendra) Modi," he added.

"Maybe, they will throw away Modi, but BJP is not going anywhere. They are going to be here, you have to fight it out for the next many decades. It's not going in a hurry," Kishor said.

Referring to Rahul Gandhi, he said, "That is where the problem lies with Probably, he thinks it's just a matter of time that people will throw him (Modi) away. That's not happening."



Kishor had helped craft the election strategies for the TMC and the DMK in the Assembly polls in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, respectively, held earlier this year. These parties had emerged victorious in those states.

The TMC has announced that it would be contesting the Assembly elections in Goa due in February next year. TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee is beginning her three-day visit to Goa from Thursday.

Asked to comment on Kishor's comments, senior TMC MP and party spokesperson Sougata Ray told reporters in Kolkata: "PK had offered us good suggestions in the last assembly elections but he is not a member of our party. What he said is his own view."



Leader of the Congress party in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said Kishor had helped the TMC in the assembly poll this year and the BJP in the 2014 general election.

"His comments point towards some kind of conspiracy or understanding among him, the TMC and the BJP. The TMC should explain if it is helping the BJP by opposing the Congress," said Chowdhury who is also the West Bengal Congress president.

BJP spokesperson Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore told reporters in New Delhi that Kishore has not said anything that the country does not know as Prime Minister has changed and runs the government guided by people's feedback.

The BJP's West Bengal president Sukanta Majumder said, " will lead the country for many years to come whether certifies or not. However, we are happy that he has at last spoken the truth."



Slamming the TMC after Kishor's remarks, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee chief Girish Chodankar said, "Since last one month TMC landed in Goa. I have always said that @AmitShah and #ED were behind sending TMC to Goa. Now, their strategist whose services are hired has confirmed my apprehensions when he said BJP is here to stay. #TMC is here to divide the votes. TMC Agenda stands exposed."



Later, he also issued a statement in which he said that time and again, he has been saying that Amit Shah and the ED were behind the 'Operation Goa' of the TMC to divide secular votes and give mileage to the BJP.

" is neither a politician nor does he have any ideology. Whoever hires him, he works for them," the Congress leader said, adding that his attack on proves the point.

CPI(M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty said Kishor had been hired by the TMC after the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and he is credited with the turnaround of the TMC in the polls.

"His comment raises speculation. However, we don't attach much importance to him or the TMC as the people of this country don't want Modi anymore. Whatever PK or the TMC wants, Modi will surely go in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls," Chakraborty said in Kolkata.

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Bharat Biotech's Covaxin has been included to the approved list of Covid-19 vaccines for travel to Oman without quarantine.

In a tweet, noted: "Covaxin has now been added to the approved list of #COVID19 vaccines for travel to Oman without quarantine. This will facilitate travelers from India vaccinated with Covaxin."



The vaccine major cited a press release issued by the Embassy of India, Muscat, in this regard.

"Embassy of India, Muscat, is pleased to inform that the Government of the Sultanate of Oman has added Covaxin to the approved list of COVID-19 vaccines for travel to Oman. The Civil Aviation Authority issued a notification on 27 October regarding this," the release stated.

All passengers from India who have received two doses of Covaxin at-least 14 days before the estimated arrival date will now be able to travel to Oman without the requirement of quarantine, it added.

All other COVID-19 related requirements/conditions, such as pre-arrival RT-PCR test shall be applicable for such passengers, the release stated.

This notification will significantly ease travel to Oman for Indian nationals who have taken Covaxin, it noted.

Passengers who have taken AstraZeneca/Covishield are already permitted to travel to Oman without quarantine.

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Prism Johnson Ltd

Prism Johnson Limited formerly known as Prism Cement Limited (PCL) principally operates in four business segments mainly comprising of Cement; Tile and Bath (HRJ) Ready Mixed Concrete (RMC) and Insurance. The Company was incorporated in the year March 26 1992 in the name of Karan Cement Limited promoted by the Rajan Raheja Group. As on 31 March 2019 the Company has 5 subsidiaries 3 step-down subsi...> More
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], October 28 (ANI/PRNewswire): (https://www.citiustech.com/)CitiusTech, a leading provider of healthcare technology services, solutions and platforms, announced today that its Board of Directors has appointed Bhaskar Sambasivan as Chief Executive Officer effective November 1, 2021.

Sambasivan joined CitiusTech as President in May 2021, and has been working closely with Rizwan Koita, CEO, as part of a structured leadership transition process.

Before joining CitiusTech, Sambasivan was President of Patient Services and Chief Strategy Officer of EVERSANA, a leading life sciences platform company. Prior to this, he spent close to 15 years at Cognizant as the Global Head of Life Sciences. Under his leadership, Cognizant's Life Sciences business grew over thirty-fold in 15 years. Before Cognizant, he spent many years with Siebel/Oracle and PricewaterhouseCoopers in key leadership roles. Sambasivan was recognized as a PharmaVOICE Top 100 leader in both 2017 and 2018 for his industry contributions.

"Bhaskar is an immensely accomplished healthcare industry leader with a clear vision for digital innovation and a 25-year track record of scaling technology enabled healthcare businesses," said William Winkenwerder, MD, Chairman of CitiusTech. "We are excited that his ideas, insights and strategy will further accelerate CitiusTech's success and growth momentum."

"As co-founder of CitiusTech, it has been a privilege to lead the organization and see it scale to over 5,400 healthcare technology professionals serving over 120 healthcare organizations," said Rizwan Koita, co-founder and outgoing CEO. "Having worked closely with Bhaskar during the past six months, I am inspired by his passion to improve healthcare outcomes through technology innovation. CitiusTech's co-founder and COO, Jagdish Moorjani, and I look forward to supporting him to drive the next phase of growth at CitiusTech."

"The healthcare industry is poised for significant transformation driven by the shift to patient and consumer-centric business models, enabled by technology. CitiusTech is well positioned to help healthcare organizations drive this digital transformation to meaningfully improve patient experience and outcomes," Bhaskar Sambasivan said. "We have a great leadership team, a highly client-centric culture, deep healthcare and technology expertise and strong presence in a broad range of healthcare market segments. I am really excited to lead the organization and work with our clients and partners to build innovative business and technology solutions that address key challenges and priorities across the healthcare ecosystem."

The transition marks an important milestone for CitiusTech which was started in 2005 by Koita and Moorjani. Today, CitiusTech is a highly differentiated healthcare technology business which has delivered exceptional value to clients, created accelerated growth for employees and achieved strong, consistent growth over the last 16 years, while demonstrating historical resilience across global economic disruptions, including the COVID-19 pandemic. The company today has over $300 Mn in annualized revenue with industry leading margins.

While Koita and Moorjani step down from their executive roles, they will continue to be significant shareholders and support CitiusTech as part of the board. They plan to commit more time to not-for-profit and social impact initiatives.

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New Delhi [India], October 28 (ANI/ThePRTree): (https://www.mrsindiainternationalqueen.com/) Mrs India International Queen (MIIQ) 2021 in association with Kanshi TV, United Kingdom is all set to host their final round on November 7, 8, and 9 this year at The Leela Ambience Convention Hotel Delhi.

The three-day pageant event will include various grooming and training sessions which will give an opportunity to married women across India and around the globe to create their own identity and showcase their immense talent and capabilities.

The organizers of the show have segmented the competition into two categories- Mrs. Category (for women between the age group of 21-39 years) and Classic Mrs. Category (for women between the age group of 40 years and above). Winners will be rewarded with huge prize money, crowns, sash, photoshoots, and ample opportunities to work and collaborate with the organizations.

For each Mrs. and Classic Mrs. category, the Winner will get Rs1 Lakh, 1st Runner Up and 2nd Runner Up would get Rs50,000 and Rs25,000 respectively. The final leg of the title will see more than 50+ gorgeous women from India, the United Kingdom, and Canada competing to get the prestigious crown placed on their heads.

The show is choreographed by the Renowned Fashion Director and Choreographer- Shie Lobo whereas Debojyoti Dasgupta is the official host for the show. There will be different rounds in the Finale- Introduction round, Interview Round, Talent Round, Traditional wear Round and Evening wear round along with catwalk training, choreography, photoshoot and video shoots. Amazing makeup and hairdo will be provided to all the finalists of Mrs India International Queen 2021 by Lakme Academy Pitampura- Kohat, Official Makeup Sponsor for MIIQ 2021.

Dr. Soni Nanda, Renowned Dermatologist and Aesthetician from Shine and Smile Skin & Dental clinic will conduct a Beauty and Wellness session for the Finalists of MIIQ 2021 whereas Dr. Goma- Vice President of Society for Emergency Medicine North India will conduct an awareness session on Basic Life Support(CPR) and along with this there will be self Defence Training session by Expert Trainer Mr. Pradeep Negi from Negi's School of Martial Arts.

Adline Castelino, Miss Universe 2020 3rd Runner Up and Mr. Rohit Khandelwal, Mr. World 2016 contest will be judging the final day along with other esteemed panelists of judges- Mrs. Manju Upadhyay- Winner of Classic Mrs India International Queen 2020, Mrs. Pooja Gangyan- Mrs India International Queen 2020 1st Runner Up, Mrs. Amrit Kaur- Classic Mrs India International Queen 2020 2nd Runner Up, Dr. Nita Hazarika- Mrs India International Queen 2020 2nd Runner Up, Mrs. Ankita Saroha - Director of Mrs India International Queen, Winner of Mrs. India 2017 & Mrs. International 2018 3rd Runner Up, Mrs. Sonali Sherry- Celebrity Makeup Artist and Mr. Tarun Choudhary - Director of Shiv Med Private Limited.

After the grand success of Mrs India International Queen 2020, India's biggest and best beauty pageant for married women- Mrs India International Queen 2021 is back this year to repeat the same history on a grander level. The event is being organised to create role models for the world to empower and embolden society.

Talking about the event and the idea behind organizing this unique Beauty Pageant, the Director and Founder of MIIQ, Ankita Saroha says, "We started this platform to encourage more and more married women to not restrict themselves but to come forward and showcase their talent by believing in themselves. By organizing this pageant contest, we are helping thousands of women not only in India but globally to come and make their imprint in the glamour industry and live their dreams."

With a motto that defines, 'Be Confident, Be Strong, and Be You', India's biggest beauty pageant Mrs India International Queen is in a true sense empowering women.

Visit the website at: (https://www.mrsindiainternationalqueen.com/)/

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The stock market underperformance of Tata stocks, excluding TCS, long cast a shadow on the groups overall performance. But the past year and a half have been different. The groups stocks have staged an astounding rally, helped by several factors, including Indias bull market.

Because of this, Tata Consultancy Services contribution to the groups market cap declined to a decadal low of 58.2% as of October 14. The IT exporter had accounted for 67% of the group market cap in December 2020 and a record 75% at the end of March 2020.

On October 21st, rating agency S&P upgraded the global ratings for Tata Steel, Tata Motors and its subsidiary Jaguar Land Rover with a stable outlook. It also removed the from Credit Watch. S&Ps action follows a reassessment of influence and potential for extraordinary financial support from holding company Tata Sons to group entities.

Listed Tata at present have a combined market cap of Rs 23 trillion, compared with Rs 9.19 trillion in March 2020. The entire groups market cap is up 49% year-to-date (YTD).

Group stocks like Tata Elxsi, Tata Power, Tata Motors, Tata Chemicals and Tata Steel have notched gains in high triple digits since their lows of March and April 2020.

The best-performer is design and technology services firm Tata Elxsi, with a 1000% gain. Tata Power has rallied 740%, whereas Tata Motors and Tata Chemicals have gained 680% and 390%, respectively. Tata Communications, too, has been among top performers, rising 565% since March last year. Riding a commodity rally, Tata Steel reduced its debt to the tune of Rs 28,000 crore in FY21 to Rs 88,500 crore. Its stock has gained 450% since its low 1.5 years ago. Titan Companys market value crossed the Rs 2-trillion milestone early this month.

Nearly five years after N Chandrasekaran took charge as the chairman of Tata Sons, a number of reforms initiated by him finally seem to be bearing fruit.

He focused on simplification of the group structure and driving synergies between its

For instance, Tata Motors, Tata Power and Tata Chemicals have come together to build an Electric Vehicle ecosystem in India. Tata Chemicals has announced plans to manufacture Lithium-ion batteries while Tata Power is setting up a nationwide network of EV charging stations. Tata Motors has emerged as the top seller of EV cars in the country. And recently, it sold a $1-billion stake in its EV business to TPG Group at an overall valuation of around $9 billion.

In 2019, the group consolidated its food and beverage businesses under the umbrella of Tata Consumer Products, transforming the latter into an FMCG giant and putting it on a new growth trajectory.

On the digital front, the group is getting ready to launch its super app Tata Neu.

Even as the overcomes legacy issues and becomes future ready, its dependence on for profitability may not come down much more anytime soon. In the last five years, dividend and share buybacks by have accounted for nearly 94% of all Tata Sons earnings. is likely to remain the biggest source of dividend for Tata Sons for a considerable duration.

But for now, it seems the is gearing itself up to fire on multiple cylinders and not ride on the success of TCS alone.
Relentless selling by foreign institutional investors amid a cautious outlook on India by foreign brokerages has halted the market rally.

In the past fortnight, at least four brokerages have recommended their clients to consider a higher exposure to other like China and Indonesia, which have hugely underperformed India this year.

The latest to join the league is Morgan Stanley, which yesterday downgraded India to Equal-weight, citing valuation and near-term headwinds as key concerns.

Remember, Nomura and UBS had recently downgraded Indian equities owing to similar reasons. Meanwhile, Christopher Wood, global head of equity strategy at Jefferies, said his companys overweight position on India had come under a threat.

The change in stance has coincided with the latest round of correction in the domestic market. In the past nine sessions, the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex has shed 1,781 points, of which 1,100 points came yesterday alone.

The Nifty50, meanwhile, has fallen about 600 points, half of that yesterday.

In the broader markets, the Nifty MidCap 100 and the Nifty SmallCap 100 have declined nearly 2,400 points and 900 points, respectively, during the period.

So, where are the headed?





Sensex, Nifty saw biggest intra-day correction YTD yesterday

Key support levels: 59,000 (Sensex) and 17,550 (Nifty50)

Uptrend will resume above 60,900 (Sensex) and 18,150 (Nifty)

The bullish set-up hasnt been dismantled yet

Gaurang Shah, who is the senior vice president at Geojit Financial Services, also suggests investors to use this correction to enter the

Its a healthy correction

Its a chance for new investors to come in

There were a lot of leveraged positions; this cleansing was necessary

So is this a good time to buy?According to Shah this is a good time to buy, but he advises focusing on quality large-caps and sector-specific midcaps.

As the near-term trajectory looks uncertain, investors should trade cautiously and focus on fundamentally strong companies.

However, if you are still unsure about trading in the secondary market, you may turn to the IPO market, which is abuzz with fresh offers.

Nykaas initial share sale, for instance, sailed through on the very first day yesterday, despite the weakness in the secondary market.

Further, Fino Payments Bank will open its Rs 1,200-crore IPO today with a price band of Rs 560-577 per share.

That apart, the initial public offering of PB Fintech, the parent company of and PaisaBazaar, will open on November 1.

With a price band of Rs 940980, the company is looking to raise Rs 5,700 crore at a valuation of Rs 44,000 crore. Notably, this is more than the Rs 25,923-crore market cap of New India Assurance, the country's largest non-life insurer. The IPO comprises a fresh issue of Rs 3,750 crore, along with an offer for sale of Rs 1959.72 crore by existing promoters and shareholders.

However, despite being one of the leading online insurance players, analysts are cautious on the issue, given its weak financials.

Yesha Shah, who is head of equity research at Samco Securities, says the firm commands 93.4% market share in digital insurance market. Its revenue has grown at 34% CAGR in the past 3 years. It, however, remains Ebitda-negative. So the key challenge is be defending market share, and scaling up revenue. The valuation is expensive, she says, adding that long-term investors with high risk appetite might like to subscribe.

Clearly, the company has strong growth levers in place from a long-term perspective, but it needs to turn around its bottom-line financials to satisfy investors.
Mines in Shanxi, Shaanxi and Inner Mongolia  the top three coal producing provinces in China  started to lower pit-head prices Oct. 19.

Chinas thermal coal futures fell by the daily limit of 10% Wednesday as the countrys top economic planner reportedly is moving to cap the price of the fossil fuel to ease a power shortage.

The most-active thermal coal contract on the Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange fell to 1,144.6 yuan ($177) a ton, extending a week-long decline that drove the contract down 30.5% in a week.

The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) at a meeting Wednesday discussed plans to set the price of the most-popular, 5,500-NAR grade of coal at 440 yuan a ton at the pit-head, with a maximum increase of 20% to 528 yuan a ton, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the situation.

The price under discussion would be 60% lower than the current market level. On Sept. 30, mines in Datong, Shanxi province, quoted the 5,500-NAR grade coal at 1,400 yuan at the pit-head, compared with 410 yuan a year ago.

The pit-head price is what coal mines charge out of mine pit, which doesnt include loading fees or any other extra charges. The final selling price is determined by provincial governments based on the pit-head price and distribution costs. The price cap is scheduled to take effect by May 1.

A person close to the NDRC, Chinas top economic planning commission, confirmed the plan with Caixin but said it has not been finalized and is subject to approval by the State Council, Chinas cabinet.

At the request of the NDRC, mines in Shanxi, Shaanxi and Inner Mongolia  the top three coal producing provinces in China  started to lower pit-head prices Oct. 19.

The NDRC said Tuesday that it is studying the establishment of a coal market price formation mechanism to guide the long-term stability of coal prices in a reasonable range.

The government of Ordos, Inner Mongolia, at a meeting Wednesday ordered that the pit-head price of 5,500-NAR grade coal in the area be lowered to less than 1,200 yuan per ton. State-owned Shanxi Coking Coal Group pledged Wednesday that it will supply the coal at no more than 1,200 yuan per ton during the winter heating period. Shaanxi Yulin energy bureau in a document Wednesday set a similar price cap for local mines.

Since late September, many parts of China have suffered severe electricity shortages that forced factory shutdowns and blackouts, with a plunge in coal supplies, a post-pandemic boom in product exports and the governments energy consumption reduction campaign all contributing to the shortages.

China is pushing coal mining companies to ramp up coal production so that power plants can rebuild stockpiles for the winter heating season.

The Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange raised the trading margin requirement on its thermal coal futures contracts Monday to 40% from 30%. The increased margin requirement  a reserve amount that futures traders need to deposit at the exchange will suppress speculation and reduce trading to minimize the impact of the futures market on spot prices, analysts said.

Benefiting from increased production and lower coal prices, coal inventories at power plants have rebounded. Coal supplies at power plants nationally have exceeded consumption for 20 consecutive days since Oct. 5, according to the NDRC. As of Oct. 24, coal inventories at major national power plants could last 17 days.

Contact reporter Denise Jia (huijuanjia@caixin.com) and editor Bob Simison (hello@caixin.com)

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(Nikkei Asia)  It's a phenomena rarely seen in commodity markets. As natural gas prices skyrocket across the world, Europe and Asia are paying up to nearly six times more for natural gas than the U.S., as a lack of American liquefaction capacity fragments global markets.

On Tuesday in New York, front month contracts for Henry Hub gas futures closed above $5.88 per million BTUs, more than doubling in the year to date.

The fuel topped $6.46 on Oct. 6, marking the highest level since 2014. On top of climbing air conditioning demand in the summer, production in some places is still at a standstill due to hurricane damage.

But even though they are higher, U.S. natural gas prices lag sharply behind global bench marks. In Europe, the index price for the fuel soared sixfold over a year to the equivalent of around $170 a barrel when using crude oil terms. Upward pressures include stagnant supplies from Russia that led to a shortage of inventory.

For Asia, liquefied natural gas spot prices are at the equivalent of roughly $200 a barrel, quintuple from a year earlier. Meanwhile, U.S. natural gas wallows at the equivalent of about $35 a barrel.

The U.S. can thank its limited LNG export volume due to capacity constraints for the relatively small rise in prices, insulating its market from the impact of European and Asian demand.

The combined capacity of U.S. gas liquefaction plants stands at 10.8 billion cubic feet per day, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Although this metric has tripled over the past three years, the LNG only accounts for about 10% of the U.S.'s total natural gas output.

The fracking boom in the U.S. transformed the country into a net LNG exporter in 2016. Exports of the fuel in the first seven months of the year grew 50% on the year to more than 2 trillion cubic feet.

However, July's exports were equivalent to 90% of liquefaction capacity. Many experts believe that liquefaction plants -- where the gas is processed into liquid for transport -- are operating essentially at full capacity when taking repairs and maintenance into consideration.

It will be difficult to increase exports from this level, said Toshiyuki Makabe, managing director of commodities sales at Goldman Sachs.

Whenever gaps develop in international commodity prices, arbitrage trading that profits off the differences works to correct the margins. Because of those activities, nonferrous metal prices on the London Metal Exchange track closely with those on the Shanghai Futures Exchange.

But because of the limits to U.S. LNG exports, international arbitrage trading is not operating at full swing. Liquefaction capacity is projected to grow by more than 20% by the end of 2022, according to U.S. research firm Wood Mackenzie. The expansion will include newly operating facilities by the end of this year, but that is not expected to greatly expand the pace of exports.

As a result, U.S. natural gas is being isolated from the global market, and price formation is reflecting domestic supply and demand, said Yutaka Shirakawa at Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corp.

Given that the U.S. can satisfy its own natural gas consumption solely by domestic production, market prices are less prone to volatility compared to other regions, said Hiroshi Hashimoto, senior analyst at the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan.

Rising energy prices within the U.S. have led to higher electricity and gas bills for households. But the impact is not as severe as it is in Europe, which is facing the risk of inventory being depleted, or China, which is experiencing power shortages.

This story was first published in Nikkei Asia.

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Painter Zhang Ben opened his new exhibition on Nov. 6 at Shanghai's M50 Art Zone. Zhang, born in Huangshan, East Chinas Anhui province, in 1984, is now working at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts. Known for his Symbolist oil paintings, Zhang presents a surrealistic space that reflects his inner self, including religious elements. Xiangwai Artha, an art-sharing platform, contributed to todays gallery

Nov 19, 2021 06:03 PM
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Photo: Contributed

This week Prime Minister Justin Trudeau finally announced his new cabinet, after waiting more than a month since the Sept. 20 election.

Not unlike what occurred under former prime minister Stephen Harper, the new cabinet announced yesterday by Trudeau is significantly larger with 39 members, one fewer than the 40, the largest appointed by Harper in 2015.

For contrast, the first cabinet announced by Harper in 2006 had just 26 members, likewise Trudeaus first cabinet in 2015 that had 31 members.

In total, there are eight rookies in the new (Liberal) cabinet, and one former minister returning to cabinet, while two current Liberal MPs were dropped from the cabinet.

Unfortunately, we still must wait until Nov. 22 before Trudeau recalls Parliament.

On a personal note, I am frustrated by the long wait for Parliament to return. One reason for that relates to the expiry of Canadas pandemic response benefit programs on Oct. 23.

By now you have likely heard the Liberal government has not renewed those programs but, instead, announced new assistance programs that will be more targeted. The government further announced the new programs will be more focused on incentivizing a return to work.

For the record, I fully support the stated goal of the government in this regard. However, I believe this same principle should apply to Parliament and getting MPs back to work in Ottawa as well. As is often the case with government programs, reading the fine print is always the key to ensuring the programs are working as intended and are accessible to those in need.

In this case, the details of many of these programs require clarification and proper Parliamentary scrutiny and oversight is an important part of this process.

Another challenge with Parliament not sitting is it limits the ability to raise issues of concern in the House of Commons. One example of this is the continued closure of direct flights to Kelownas Airport from other countries, in particular from the United States.

Recently I have heard from several in the accommodation and tourism sector who are losing tens of thousands of dollars of revenue as frequent customers from U.S. destinations who are instead booking direct trips to other Canadian airports that have had their international flight status restored.

As one small business owner recently vented in frustration, they do not want government handouts, they simply want the opportunity to host their guests again.

They have also correctly pointed out this can save the government from providing expensive support programs.

My question this week:

Do you support the Kelowna Airport being re-opened to International flights, as have been many other airports in Canada?

I can be reached at [email protected] or call toll free 1-800-665-8711.
Photo: The Canadian Press Alberta Premier Jason Kenney gives a COVID-19 update in Edmonton on Sept. 21, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

A former senior political staffer in the Alberta government alleges in a lawsuit that the premiers office fostered a poisoned work environment and repeatedly failed to address her complaint of sexual harassment about another employee.

Ariella Kimmel also alleges that she was fired after she repeatedly raised concerns about the alleged harassment.

(Kimmel) has suffered significant mental and physical distress due to the unconscionable, malicious and vicious actions and inactions taken by the defendant, says a statement of claim filed Oct. 1.

Kimmel's lawyer, Kathryn Marshall, said her client was not giving interviews.

None of the allegations has been proven in court.

During question period Wednesday, Premier Jason Kenney said he was informed last fall about what he called rumours of inappropriate comments made to female staff by a senior staff member.

I was assured that action was being taken and shortly thereafter that individual's contract ended with the government, said Kenney.

We are appointing an independent review to advise the government on how to improve human resources practices for political staff, so they know they are safe to come forward to report their experiences to ensure that action is taken.

In the statement of claim, Kimmel alleges the harassment took place over almost four months starting in October 2020, when she was chief of staff to the minister of jobs, economy and innovation.

On Oct. 21, Kimmel says, she joined others having drinks in then-health minister Tyler Shandro's office. The statement of claim alleges Ivan Bernardo, a senior adviser to Shandro, told one of Kimmel's female staff: I havent seen you on this floor before because with a body like that, I would have noticed you.

The document says the employee was humiliated, and problems spiralled for Kimmel when she went up the chain of command.

Kimmel says she immediately reported the alleged harassment to the premiers office. The lawsuit says almost a month later, Kimmel was told by Larry Kaumeyer, Kenney's principal secretary at the time, that Bernardo would soon be leaving his job, but did not advise (Kimmel) if anything was going to be done by the premiers office to address the serious issues she had raised.

The lawsuit says Kimmel spoke in early December with house leader Jason Nixon, who assured her it would be addressed immediately, but it was not.

Nixon said in a statement Wednesday that he acted when he heard what he called rumours of the alleged harassment.

I immediately contacted the premiers then-chief of staff and human resources ... and was told it was being dealt with. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Bernardo left the government, said Nixon.

The lawsuit says Kimmel also tried to get Amber Griffith, a senior staffer in the premiers office, to address the harassment allegation and ensure that a written policy on sex harassment, with rules on how to file a complaint and how it should be investigated, was distributed to staff.

The document says Kimmel told Griffith she could not provide a safe work environment without clear rules, and an enraged Griffith responded: How can you say that? We promoted the woman who came forward with that complaint about Ivan.

Kimmel then became the subject of malicious gossip and online harassment, says the statement of claim.

The lawsuit says that in January 2021, an anonymous Twitter account released details of a past romantic relationship between Kimmel and Agriculture Minister Devin Dreeshen.

The lawsuit also accuses the premiers office of failing to support Kimmel in October 2020, following an encounter with Dreeshen. The document alleges that Dreeshen was drinking in a legislature office and, when Kimmel implored him to cut back, he later yelled at her to the point that she was in tears.

At the same time, the lawsuit alleges, Griffith was spreading untrue accusations that Kimmel was responsible for leaking details to the media of the so-called Alohagate story. The story detailed how some of Kenneys caucus and senior staff travelled abroad over Christmas, despite the government urging Albertans to stay home to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

On Feb. 5, the statement of claim says, Kimmel was fired byKaumeyer, who told her, This is the best thing for you.

Dreeshen and Griffith could not be reached for comment.

Bernardo, who now works as a lawyer in Calgary, said in a statement: This matter is now before the courts. It would be inappropriate for me to comment in any manner on the statements made within the claim, as I will likely be called as a witness in any proceedings.

I welcome an independent and impartial review by the Court, and I look forward to providing my testimony.

The lawsuit seeks backpay for what Kimmel would have made had she served her contract through to 2023, along with damages.

Kenney's chief of staff, Pam Livingston, said in a statement Wednesday that the decision to end Kimmel's employment was unrelated to issues raised in the lawsuit.

"Sexual harassment is abhorrent and has no place in our workplaces or society," Livingston said.

"Any Government employee who believes they have witnessed or been personally subjected to harassment is strongly encouraged to come forward so that appropriate action can be taken."

Livingston said Bernardo has not been with the government since December 2020.

Kaumeyer also left the government and became the head of Ducks Unlimited in August.
Photo: The Canadian Press A Suncor logo is shown at the company's annual meeting in Calgary, Thursday, May 2, 2019.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Suncor Energy Inc. says it earned a net profit of $877 million in its latest quarter as it continued to pay down debt and ramp up production in the wake of higher oil prices.

The Calgary-based oil producer and refiner reported after markets closed on Wednesday that it earned $0.59 per common share in the third quarter of 2021, compared to a net loss of $12 million or $0.01 per common share in the third quarter of 2020.

The company says it will double its dividend as of Dec. 24, 2021, to $0.42 per common share from $0.21 per share, thanks to strong performance and higher than expected commodity prices.

Its operating earnings increased to $1.043 billion or $0.71 per common share, compared to an operating loss of $338 million or $0.22 per common share in the same period last year.

Suncor's total upstream production for the quarter ended Sept. 30 was 698,600 barrels of oil equivalent per day, compared to 616,200 in the same quarter a year ago.

Suncor's refinery business reported $947 million in funds from operations in the third quarter, compared to $594 million in the same quarter the year before.

The company says it reduced its net debt by $2 billion in the third quarter and has reduced its net debt by a total of $3.1 billion since the beginning of 2021.
Photo: The Canadian Press Left to right: Amy Elgermsa, City of Iqaluit chief administrative officer; Iqaluit Mayor Kenny Bell and Nunavut chief public health officer Dr. Michael Patterson take part in a news conference in Iqaluit, Nunavut, on Oct. 15, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Emma Tranter

Nunavut's capital city says it expects tests on its drinking water to show undetectable levels of fuel.

Iqaluit is under a state of emergency and its roughly 8,000 residents haven't been able to consume tap water since Oct. 12 because of fuel contamination.

The city says in a news release that it has finished work to remove hydrocarbons from the water treatment plant.

It says it plans to continue flushing its water treatment plant until Thursday, and residents will need to flush their own pipes by running taps after that.

The city said Tuesday that it found an old fuel spill in the ground beside the treatment plant and that is likely to have contaminated the water.

The Canadian Armed Forces were called in to help with the water emergency, but there is no timeline for when residents will be able to drink the water again.
Photo: Canadian Food Inspection Agency

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says a recall has been expanded for Goodfood brand onions due to possible salmonella contamination.

Goodfood Market Corp. is recalling 908-gram bags of yellow onions, with the codes 3680626 and 3682656, distributed in Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, and possibly other provinces and territories.

It was prompted by a similar recall and investigation in the U.S. involving red, white, and yellow raw onions from Prosource Produce LLC of Hailey, Idaho.

There have been no illnesses associated with the product in Canada, although there have been reports of people getting sick in the U.S. after consuming the onions.

Customers are being told to either throw out the product or return it to the store where it was purchased.

Symptoms of the bacterial disease can include fever, headache, vomiting, nausea, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and in rare cases severe arthritis.
Photo: Twitter

Investigators say there was some complacency in how weapons were handled on a movie set where Alec Baldwin accidentally shot and killed a cinematographer and wounded another person.

They also said its too soon to determine whether charges will be filed.

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza noted 500 rounds of ammunition were found while searching the set of the Western Rust. They included a mix of blanks, dummy rounds and suspected live rounds.

Obviously, I think the industry has had a record recently of being safe. I think there was some complacency on this set, and I think there are some safety issues that need to be addressed by the industry and possibly by the state of New Mexico, Mendoza told a news conference nearly a week after the shooting.

Authorities also confirmed there was no footage of the shooting, which happened during a rehearsal. Investigators believe Baldwins gun fired a single live round that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza.

Detectives have recovered a lead projectile they believe the actor fired last week. Testing is being done to confirm whether the projectile taken from Souzas shoulder was fired from the same long Colt revolver used by Baldwin. The FBI will help with ballistics analysis.

Two other guns were seized, including a single-action revolver that may have been modified and a plastic gun that was described as a revolver, officials said.

Rust Movie Productions, the production company, says it is co-operating with authorities and conducting its own internal review of procedures with the production shut down.
Re.: Les Laynes column Anti-vax anger growing (Castanet, Oct. 28)

Mr. Layne's column accurately points out the tears that have been created in the fabric of our society by the pandemic of fear and disinformation that has accompanied the virus pandemic.

The measures the government has imposed, including lockdowns, mandatory medical treatment and job terminations have from the beginning been often based on no, or poor-quality science.

People have a right to make their own medical decisions, unless the health emergency is so extreme as to justify the suspension of civil liberties. We are about to go through all this again if the vaccines are approved for children and parents have to base their decision on misinformation (from both sides) or if governments mandate childhood vaccination.

The facts are as follows:

The government has from the start, failed to protect the vulnerable by recognizing that Covid is a disease of the old. As of Sept. 17, the government's own Public Health Canada stats are that 17 young people under the age of 20 have died with Covid in all of Canada during the entire pandemic. That is a crude mortality rate rate of 2.1 per million, compared with a rate of 10,000 for the over-80s.

PHC also records a rate of serious adverse events (i.e not just a sore arm) from vaccination of 77 per million doses given. So, yes, the vaccine is mostly, (not 100%) safe and effective. But parents must weigh the risk-benefit ratio for themselves.

In order to justify trampling civil liberties the government must show:

 The danger to society is so extreme as to be virtually existential. But in B.C. there have been some 64,000 deaths of all causes during the pandemic, of which a couple of thousand were with Covid, possibly less the number of drug overdoses in the same period.

 That there are no other remedies available. The reality is that strict measures in support of the vulnerable were never employed and trials of early treatment have not even been attempted.

 That the measures proposed are actually effective to prevent community spread. The available data indicates the vaccinated are wonderfully protected themselves, but transmission to others still happens. Pfizer reported 21% of the newly vaccinated still get asymptomatic infection and increasing real-world data is that after several months this increases to over 50%. That means that there are more than 14 million fully vaccinated Canadians walking around as (potential) carriers compared to seven million unvaccinated citizens.

I am personally fully and enthusiastically vaccinated, but as president of the Kelowna People's Party, live up to our principles that will always support the liberal ideals of individual freedoms.

Doug Burget
Photo: Jumbo Ski Resort via Flickr

A town with no people created from nothing and given a mayor and council by B.C.'s former Liberal government began a quiet death in the Legislature Oct. 27.

When Victoria created the municipality in November 2012, it was seen as a step toward making the controversial, year-round Jumbo Glacier ski resort a reality.

Then-minister of community development Bill Bennett appointed former mayor of Radium Hot Springs Greg Deck as the community's first mayor and Nancy Hugunin and Steve Ostrander to be the communitys first councillors.

All of that would be dissolved if Bill 26  Amendments to the Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act presented to the Legislature by Minister of Municipal Affairs Josie Osborne  passes.

Dissolutions of municipalities are very, very rare in British Columbia and the last one was 100 years ago, in 1921  the former copper mining town of Phoenix, Osborne told the house. Existing authorities are not sufficient to dissolve a municipality without residents or accommodate the changes to revert this area to the regional district of East Kootenay. So these amendments will also repeal the authority to incorporate a mountain resort municipality without residents, like Jumbo, in the future.

The situation has not been short of chuckles for many, right down to the fact the towns address was somewhere else: Radium Hot Springs.

Further, Osborne said, dissolution of the municipality at Jumbo is integral to an agreement between the province and the Ktunaxa Nation to create an Indigenous-protected and conserved area in the Jumbo Valley.

Jumbos developer, Glacier Resorts Ltd., in 2015 built bridges and poured foundations for a day lodge, utility building and a ski lift.

The resort, 53 kilometres west of Invermere, was planned to give access with 20-23 lifts to four nearby glaciers at an elevation of up to 3,419 metres. Planned in three phases, the resort planned ultimately would have included 5,500 bed-units in a 110-hectare resort base area.

The fictional town faced numerous court challenges to its existence, some from environmental groups opposing the development. Other hurdles involved the projects environmental approvals and decisions on whether or not the project was moving forward quickly enough.

The destination resort was projected to create 750 permanent jobs on traditional Ktunaxa Nation land. That aboriginal band opposed the development. Conversely, the Shuswap Nation has supported the project and has an impact management and benefits agreement with Glacier.

Robyn Duncan of Wildsight, an environmental group, said the town should never have been created. Duncan said the project threatened grizzlies while the site itself was in multiple avalanche paths  more than in Rogers Pass, which requires military involvement to control.

Its dissolution is a necessary step in moving forward to establish the Qatmuk Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area, Duncan said. Its creation should serve as a stark reminder to our communities of whats at stake when we lose local democratic process and accountability in land-use decision-making.
Labeling indicating that a product is nontoxic does not imply that the product is safe for consumption. Educating consumers, commercial bakers, and public health professionals about potential hazards of items used in food preparation is essential to preventing illness and unintentional poisoning from toxic metals and other nonedible ingredients.

During 20182019, the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) investigated cases of metal poisonings associated with commercially and home-prepared cakes decorated with products referred to as luster dust. Several types of glitters and dusts, broadly known as luster dust,* for use on prepared foods can be purchased online and in craft and bakery supply stores (1). Decorating foods with luster dust and similar products is a current trend, popularized on television programs, instructional videos, blogs, and in magazine articles. Some luster dusts are specifically produced with edible ingredients that can be safely consumed. Companies that make edible luster dust are required by law to include a list of ingredients on the label (2). Luster dusts that are safe for consumption are typically marked edible on the label. Some luster dusts used as cake decorations are not edible or food grade; labeled as nontoxic or for decorative purposes only, these luster dusts are intended to be removed before consumption (3). RIDOH (2018) and Missouri DHSS (2019), investigated heavy metal poisonings associated with commercially and home-prepared cakes decorated with luster dust after receiving reports of children (aged 111 years) who became ill after consuming birthday cake. Cases in Rhode Island were associated with copper ingestion, and the case in Missouri was associated with a childs elevated blood lead level. In Rhode Island, luster dust products that had been used in cake frosting were found to contain high levels of multiple metals. These events indicate that increased vigilance by public health departments and further guidance to consumers and bakeries are needed to prevent unintentional poisonings. Labeling indicating that a product is nontoxic does not imply that the product is safe for consumption. Explicit labeling indicating that nonedible products are not safe for human consumption is needed to prevent illness from inappropriate use of inedible products on foods. Educating consumers, commercial bakers, and public health professionals about potential hazards of items used in food preparation is essential to preventing illness and unintentional poisoning from toxic metals and other nonedible ingredients.

In October 2018, the RIDOH Center for Acute Infectious Disease Epidemiology (CAIDE) investigated a report that six children aged 111 years became ill after attending a childs birthday party. Symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea began 30 minutes to 10 hours after consumption of the cake, and usually lasted less than 10 hours. One person was reported to have experienced longer symptom duration and visited an emergency department for treatment. Investigators identified the birthday cake as a common food item consumed by all the children who became ill, and noted the party as the only common event. The cake, ordered from a local bakery, had been decorated with a thick layer of frosting mixed with luster dust described on the label as gold dust (Figure 1). CAIDE interviewed four persons who did not become ill and who reported either not eating any cake frosting (three) or eating no cake at all (one). Symptoms and illness onsets were consistent with a heavy metal poisoning (4), and the cake frosting was identified as the suspected food item. CAIDE obtained a picture of the cake and shared this information with the RIDOH Center for Food Protection (CFP) for further investigation.

CFP environmental health food specialists investigated the Rhode Island bakery on-site and implemented immediate control measures. In addition, a food flow analysis, conducted with CDCs National Environmental Assessment Reporting System (NEARS) manager, traced each step in the bakerys food preparation system to identify potential hazards and to collect evidence of contributing factors and environmental antecedents to understand and address the root causes of the foodborne illnesses. The cake ingredients and preparation process were recorded. The cake had been baked, frozen, and frosted; luster dust was added to a butter extract and painted on the cake with a brush in intervals to produce a thick layer. The luster dust applied as a decoration to the cakes frosting was labeled as rose gold dust, and marked as nonedible, nontoxic, and for decoration only.

During the CFP investigation, all nonedible luster dust containers were placed under embargo. Some bottles were not clearly labeled as edible or nonedible; luster dust bottles without ingredients listed were considered nonedible. RIDOH identified and embargoed other products coated with luster dust (including chocolate pops and chocolate-covered pretzels) that were on display for retail. CFP collected several containers of luster dust, including the rose gold dust that had been used on the birthday cake, and a leftover slice of cake from the party hosts residence for chemical testing by the state health laboratory.

CFP traced three possible sources of the rose gold dust to three local companies: a cake pop bakery that sold the rose gold dust as a cake decoration, a wholesale culinary company that sold the powder to decorate cake stands, and an importer who was able to identify that the rose gold dust was fine copper powder that had been imported from a manufacturer that initially sold the powder for use as a metallic pigment for consumer goods such as floor coverings.

Testing performed by the state health laboratory supported the suspected cause of illnesses as copper metal poisoning (5). Laboratory analysis identified 22.1 mg of copper per gram of rose gold frosting (nearly 900 mg of copper on the cake slice) and assigned a NEARS contamination factor of C3 (a poisonous substance accidently or inadvertently added) (6), which in this instance occurred as a result of misreading labels. Analysis by RIDOH of 28 other inedible luster dusts from the cakes bakery found elevated levels of aluminum, barium, chromium, copper, iron, lead, manganese, nickel, and zinc. RIDOH visited additional bakeries and found widespread use of nonedible luster dust on food items. RIDOH issued guidance to bakeries, clarifying that labeling indicating that a product is nontoxic does not always indicate that the product is edible, and that edible luster dusts list the ingredients on the products label.

Subsequent to the investigation, the RIDOH Rapid Response Team presented results from the investigation at a 2018 national food safety conference. Among the attendees were the Missouri DHSS Rapid Response Team, which then disseminated information within their state to prepare response teams and alert food safety investigators about the possible risks for toxicity from luster dust products.

In May 2019, Missouri DHSS identified a cake decorating material referred to as primrose petal dust as a lead hazard during an environmental investigation of an elevated blood lead level (12 g/dL) in a Missouri resident child aged 1 year. The childs home, including painted surfaces and various household items, was tested for lead levels with a handheld x-ray fluorescence analyzer, which detected the presence of lead in a jar of bright yellow primrose petal dust that had been recently used in creating decorative flowers for the childs home-baked birthday cake (Figure 2). The container for the primrose petal dust used for the cake was labeled as nontoxic and made in USA and the brand was sold by a Florida cake decorating company, which marketed it as a nontoxic color for decorating baked goods, candies, chocolate, and sugar art.

Laboratory tests conducted by the Missouri DHSS State Public Health Laboratory indicated that the primrose petal dust sample contained 250,000 ppm (25%) lead. Lead is a potent neurotoxicant, particularly in children, whose growing bodies readily absorb lead, which affects brain and other nervous system development (7). The Missouri DHSS issued a press release that warned consumers not to apply primrose petal dust to any food product and to immediately discard any food products that contain primrose petal dust as an ingredient. In addition, the Missouri DHSS suggested that pregnant women and parents of children who might have consumed these products consult their physician and consider having blood lead levels tested. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was made aware of this investigation.
Tokyo Cement Co (Lanka) outlines measures taken to address cement shortage

28 October 2021

Sri Lankas Tokyo Cement Co (Lanka) has taken several immediate measures to address a cement shortage in the market, according to Dr Harsha Cabral PC, company chairman.



Tokyo Cement is operating its plant in Trincomalee at the maximum installed capacity of around 170,000tpm and will continue to supply cement island wide at its highest output levels. In addition, the company has been importing 30,000t of bulk cement per month through the Tokyo Cement Colombo terminal.



On a request made by the government, it has also made special arrangements to import an additional 12,000t of cement per month as an immediate contingency measure to alleviate the shortage.



Dr Cabral noted that the shortage has been partly caused by the lack of availability of bulk cargo carriers to ship raw materials and cement.

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Cemex France renews biodiversity agreement with LPO

28 October 2021

Michel Andre, director of materials activities at Cemex Western Europe, and Allain Bougrain Dubourg, president of the League for the Protection of Birds (LPO), have renewed their partnership agreement for the period 2021-23.

This collaboration between a major player in the construction materials industry and one of the most important naturalist associations in France allows the two partners to pool their skills for the benefit of Cemexs best contribution to preserve biodiversity on its business sites and enables patronage in favour of natural heritage preservation programmes led by the LPO.

The new period will see continuation of the Shore swallows action plan. Initiated in 2013, it aims to reconcile the exploitation of quarries and the reception of bank swallows, a protected species often finding alternative habitats within quarries.

Financial support from the Life Vision programme for the protection of the European mink is part of the sponsorship section of the convention. It aims to maintain or even increase the population of European minks in the Charente basin. Cemex also supports the LPO's programme for the house sparrow in Paris.

Beyond these flagship actions, Cemexs regular exchanges with the LPO for requests for advice and expertise on various projects, the performance of studies according to the needs and issues identified at Cemex sites are also an integral part of the convention. Cemex and the LPO have been partners since 2003.

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Dalmia Bharat sees 11% climb in revenue

28 October 2021

Indias Dalmia Bharat has reported a 10 per cent decline in net profit to INR2.09bn (US$27.93m) during the September quarter of FY21-22, compared with INR2.32bn in the year-ago period.



In spite of unprecedented cost-related headwinds across regions, our razor-sharp focus on operational efficiencies and execution has helped us contain our costs and deliver industry-leading performance, said the companys managing director, Puneet Dalmia.



Consolidated revenue from operations was up 11.4 per cent YoY to INR25.77bn during the quarter, with Dalmias cement segment contributing around INR25.74bn (+11.3 per cent YoY).

We have commercialised Line 2 of our cement plant near Cuttack, Odisha, as well as began trial run production at our Murli plant in Maharashtra, said Mahendra Singhi, CEO, Dalmia Cement (Bharat).

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Siam Cement's revenue surges 31% YoY

28 October 2021

Thailands Siam Cement PCL has seen its net profit decline 30 per cent YoY in the third quarter of 2021, falling to THB6.82bn (US$205m), as it recorded lower demand and an asset impairment related to a plant in Myanmar.

However, revenue from sales advanced 31 per cent YoY to THB31.83bn in the 3Q21, supported by its chemical business.

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Bella Hadid says her niece, Khai, is the biggest gift to her family.

The 25-year-old model became an aunt in September last year when her older sister Gigi, 26, welcomed a daughter named Khai into the world with her boyfriend, Zayn Malik.

And Bella has gushed over the 13-month-old tot, as she admitted she always wants to stay over at Gigis house so she can spend more time with Khai.

She told E! News Daily Pop: I started to sleep over because I want to be with the baby. And I want to wake up early and be there.

I never knew that I could have this much joy in my life. Shes the biggest gift. Our family has changed in the best way for the better.

The news comes after fellow model Gigi paid tribute to her younger sister on social media in honour of her birthday earlier this month, where she pointed out how important Bella is to Khai.

She wrote at the time: Shes my baby sister but also a firecracker of a spiritual bodyguard and a forever protector as an auntie.

I have so much pride watching you take ownership of your growth and fulfillment, and I know everything that you have created for yourself will bring you the year of joy and light you deserve !!!!!! Cant wait. I love you more every sun-lap. (sic)

Gigi and Zayn, 28, confirmed the arrival of their daughter in August 2020, five months after Gigis pregnancy was announced in April.

The Pillowtalk hitmaker wrote when Khai was born: Our baby girl is here, healthy and beautiful. To try put into words how I am feeling right now would be an impossible task.

The love I feel for this tiny human is beyond my understanding. Grateful to know her, proud to call her mine and thankful for the life we will have together.
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The Computer Information Technology department at Chattanooga State Community college will offer a free computer skills workshop for senior citizens on Thursday, Nov. 11, from 12:30-3:30 p.m. in the Center for Engineering, Technology, Arts & Sciences building, room 124.

This popular workshop provides one-on-one computer skills training for senior citizens to bridge the digital gap by helping seniors feel more connected and to decrease isolation. The Cyber Seniors workshop is an on-campus service-learning project presented by Savitha Pinnepalli, CIT department head, and IT Hub Club students. Hub Club students act as mentors and are paired with participants to identify their current level of technology skills before providing customized training for each participant.

Student tech mentors show seniors how to anticipate online threats, recognize dangers, and ways to stay up to date on the latest changes in cybersecurity and navigating websites, while instructing participants about online safety. They also learn how to avoid online scams and how to protect themselves if they have been scammed with resources from the Cybercrime Support Network. Upon completion of the workshop, participants receive a certificate of completion.

Previous participants commented on the most useful training activities, which included the importance of strong passwords and protecting your security, learning more about Microsoft Word, cookies, and the internet in general. Several attendees mentioned they would like to learn more about social media and YouTube at future sessions.

Online registration for Cyber Seniors: Computer Skills Workshop is now open. For more information, or to register with assistance, contact Ms. Pinnepalli at 697-4756 or email Savitha.pinnepalli@chattanoogastate.edu.
The County Commission made last-minute redistricting changes to its 11-member plan at a lengthy meeting on Tuesday (moved up from the regular meeting day due to a conference to be attended by some commissioners.)

The commission is expected to pass the plan next Wednesday and send it on to state officials for their approval.

Officials said the completed plan is within deviation standards (not having one or more districts too much larger or smaller than others) and keeps Districts 4 and 5 as majority minority districts.

Changes included crossing a Main Street boundary set earlier to keep the Jefferson Heights neighborhood together and taking a portion of Flat Top Mountain from District 2 (Chip Baker) and giving it to District 1 (Randy Fairbanks). Mr. Fairbanks said he had initially lost Flat Top Mountain, Mowbray Mountain, Falling Water and Northwoods.

He said at a community meeting on Tuesday night that residents of Flat Top Mountain and Mowbray made it clear they wanted to stay in District 1. He said those residents are much more closely tied to Soddy Daisy and Sale Creek than to Signal Mountain. No way was found to restore Mowbray Mountain to the Fairbanks district.

Commissioner Chip Baker wound up getting more residents by reaching across the Tennessee River to take in Elder Mountain.

Officials earlier had been trying to keep municipalities together and not to have a district crossing the river.

Sparks flew at the regular commission session when Chairman Sabrena Smedley claimed that Commissioner David Sharpe had "bullied and threatened" GIS employees charged with helping draw up the new districts. She said, "They are Hamilton County employees and they should be treated with dignity and respect. You have no right to treat a Hamilton County employee like that."

She said, "That is why I am the point of contact - period - with the GIS." She said Commissioner Sharpe, had apologized to her over the issue. She said, "I called you and confronted you and you apologized because you knew you were guilty.

Commissioner Sharpe said, "My apology was very simply to coddle your ego."

Chairman Smedley responded, "Oh wow."

Commissioner Sharpe said, "The way you have progressed through this entire process has been nothing short of dictatorial old style Boss Hog politics trying to ram a map through without proper consideration. It's unacceptable. It's completely void of transparency no matter how often or loudly you refer to it as transparent does not make it true."

Chairman Smedley said Hamilton County is "actually behind on the process. Over half of the counties have already turned their map in."

She charged that Commissioner Sharpe and other commissioners had sent late requests "because there is a stalling process in play. I don't know why."

Commissioner Sharpe, asking for a week or more additional time before a vote, said some commissioners were uncomfortable with the lines. He said, "I see no reason why we can't work on consensus on this. There are still many questions to be answered."

Commissioner Tim Boyd called it "the most open redistricting in 50 years." He said, "It is historically the ruling party - and continues to be - the dominant party that cuts the lines in redistricting." He said a total of 12 people attended two redistricting meetings he called, which he said indicated little interest in the topic.

He added, "So I hope the Republican majority on this commission votes to move forward with the 11 districts."

Commissioner Warren Mackey said political parties should not have been brought into the discussion.
I have taken the position that mandates of any kind that limit personal freedoms are awful. And I have watched with sorrow what has happened at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee and is now happening at CHI Memorial Hospital in Chattanooga. Good people are losing jobs all across America rather than surrender their personal beliefs. I also mourn the COVID vaccine has been divided by politics; threats from companies with over 100 employees with outrageous fines comes awfully close to extortion from where I stand.

Shannon Firth has been reporting on health policy for MedPageToday.com since 2014 and this week has attended committee meetings in Washington where our lawmakers appear dramatically different in their views (imagine that!). Shannon just posted a story that I feel is balanced and fair.

I also feel this mandate business is spiraling out of control and as deadlines turn into daggers, I wonder if this in the best interests of our nation right now?

Here is what MedPage Todays correspondent posted:

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LAWMAKERS SPLIT OVER COVID VACCINE MANDATE FOR WORKERS

Witten by Shannon for MedPage Today, October 27, 2021

Democratic and Republican lawmakers debated whether President Biden's COVID-19 vaccine mandate would help or hurt businesses and workers during a joint hearing of two House Committee on Education and Labor subcommittees on Tuesday.

Republicans argued that the new measures were a "power grab" that would exacerbate worker shortages, but Democrats saw the requirements as a win for both employers and employees.

"I hope that all of my colleagues will agree that workplace vaccination requirements are a critical tool to safely reopen our economy and protect the health of workers, their families, and their communities," said Rep. Alma Adams (D-N.C.), chairwoman for the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections.

But Republicans were not at all in agreement. Subcommittee ranking member Rep. Fred Keller (R-Pa.) said such a mandate would "put undue burdens on business owners" already overwhelmed by worker shortages.

And Rep. Russ Fulcher (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Civil Rights and Human Services Subcommittee, argued that after similar federal and state mandates were enacted, private companies began firing unvaccinated workers, which "created chaos at airports ... weakened police forces, [and] put our healthcare system in jeopardy."

"I believe that this mandate literally forces Americans to choose between their livelihoods and a deeply intrusive medical ultimatum," said Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.), who described the mandate as "nothing short of subsidized medical apartheid."

He also introduced a bill, the Justice for All Businesses Act or "JAB Act," which would bar the Secretary of Labor from using government funds to write, enact, or enforce a rule mandating that employers require COVID-19 vaccination.

In September, President Biden announced that his COVID-19 Action Plan included an emergency temporary standard from the Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) that would mandate that all businesses with 100 or more employees require vaccination or weekly COVID testing. Businesses that do not abide by the mandate could face fines up to $14,000.

Currently, 69% of U.S. adults are fully vaccinated.

OSHA submitted a draft of the emergency regulation to the White House's regulatory office in mid-October, and the final standard is expected soon.

LESSONS LEARNED FROM PRIOR MANDATES

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle used the vaccine mandate for healthcare workers as evidence both for and against the forthcoming rule.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) recalled how during a recent hospital visit her husband was cared for by a phlebotomist who had received her first COVID-19 shot that morning.

While anti-vaccination advocates are the voices making headlines, about 11% of the unvaccinated are simply "vaccine-hesitant," she said. This appeared to be the case with the phlebotomist, who "agreed to do it, because it was required."

But Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) shared a less rosy picture.

When former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) issued a similar mandate for healthcare workers in his state, it forced Lewis County General Hospital in Lowville to temporarily close down its maternity ward due to workforce shortages.

"This is robbing a rural community of a vital healthcare service and frontline healthcare workers of their ability to provide for their families," Stefanik said. She also highlighted a survey from the Society for Human Resource Management in which 89% of employers said some of their workers will resign over the mandate.

CAN OSHA IMPOSE VACCINE MANDATES?

The standard for emergency temporary orders requires that the risk to workers be "grave" and "necessary," explained Sidney Shapiro, JD, of Wake Forest University School of Law in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

He explained that, because workers can become seriously ill or die from COVID, the risk is "grave," and OSHA does have the legal authority to issue an emergency temporary standard; it is also "necessary" because of the likelihood that workers could die from exposure in the roughly 6 months it would take to implement a permanent standard.

Not only does OSHA have the authority to require vaccination or testing, it is "legally mandated" to do so, because the agency is required "to adopt the standard that most adequately assures that workers will not die or become seriously ill," Shapiro said.

But Scott Hecker, JD, senior counsel to the Workplace Safety and Environmental Law Alert Practice Group of Seyfarth Shaw LLP, based in Washington, D.C., took a different view, questioning whether OSHA was the appropriate entity to "police the nation's public health."

With regard to the necessity of an emergency standard, he questioned the timing: "Why only now" is COVID-19 being viewed as a "a grave workplace danger across all sectors in all businesses for more than 100 employees?"

By "trumpet[ing] the success" of other more "narrowly focused" efforts, the Biden administration has actually undermined the rationale for further mandates, he added. "So, it's hard to say that the plan ... is working and still shows the necessity for an (emergency temporary standard)."

Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.), chair of the Civil Rights and Human Services Subcommittee, pointedly reminded committee members of the 700,000 Americans who have died from COVID, and noted that the "overwhelming majority" of people hospitalized in the most recent surge were unvaccinated.

Responding to concerns over whether the agency could govern a public health issue such as vaccines, Shapiro said that "OSHA was charged in 1971 to protect workers from disease in the workplace, and has been in the health protection business since 1971," referring to the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970.

NATURAL IMMUNITY

Republican committee members also raised questions about potential exemptions for people with natural immunity.

Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) highlighted a study from the National Science Foundation that found that people who were unvaccinated who had previously been infected with COVID "could expect immunity against reinfection anywhere between 3 months and 5 years," and a Yale University study suggesting that antibodies following SARS-CoV-2 infection could protect individuals from reinfection for "on average for at least 16 months." (An author of the Yale study later stated that previous infection offers "very little long-term protection" and encouraged anyone naturally infected to get vaccinated.)

Under these circumstances, she asked Hecker, "Does it make sense to force someone to take a vaccine when they've already ... recovered from COVID-19?"

Hecker hedged, answering only that the CDC has a different view and that he doesn't expect OSHA to take previous infection into consideration.

Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Conn.) countered McClain's argument by citing a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report study published in August, which found that those previously infected with COVID who were not vaccinated were twice as likely to be reinfected than those who had been fully vaccinated.

"So, it seems that ... real-life examples indicate pretty strongly that you are much safer and much more protected from the virus ... if you've been vaccinated, even if you had [COVID] before," he pointed out.

RELIGIOUS BELIEFS

Doron Dorfman, JD, of Syracuse University College of Law in New York, explained that employers must "provide reasonable accommodation to employees sincerely holding religious beliefs," as long as they do not create an "undue hardship" for the employer.

However, Dorfman also said he did not know of any religion that prohibits vaccination and that employers have the right to conduct a "limited inquiry" to "tease out religious beliefs."

If an employee is opposed to a vaccine because fetal cell lines were used in development, but the employee also takes a medication that uses the same methodology, then it's not a "sincere religious belief," he noted.

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royexum@aol.com




Two hotels within the Vision Hospitality Group portfolio and the hospitality groups owner, Mitch Patel, have been recognized across various categories for this years StayBoutique Awards by BLLA (Boutique Lifestyle Leaders Association). The Grady Louisville Downtown, which opened in Louisville in June 2021, came in first place for two categories: Boutique Hotel Design Project and Boutique Hotel Under 100 Rooms. Kinley Cincinnati Downtown, which opened in October 2020, came in second place for Boutique Hotel Design Project.Additionally, Mr. Patel was selected as runner-up for Iconic Boutique Hotelier.We are honored to be recognized in this years awards program, and we couldnt have done it without our interior design partners, said Mr. Patel, president and CEO of Vision Hospitality Group. For each of these hotels, we take pride in the historic renovations and thoughtful design work that has gone into making them what they are today.The Grady Louisville Downtown was designed by Atlanta-based Sims Patrick Studio. This hotels distinctive features include the restoration of its renaissance revival-style facade clad with ornamental detailing, as well as thoughtful touches that tie to the history of Louisville. Each guest room showcases pops of navy, copper and maroon, 10-15 original reclaimed wood ceilings, tufted headboards, and locally-inspired art, while the hotels public spaces feature warm and inviting tones. The Kinley Cincinnati Downtown was designed by the global design and architecture firm Streetsense. The design of this location is inspired by the rich history and vibrant murals that encompass the city of Cincinnati, providing guests with a unique reflection of the local culture through color, texture and pattern. The addition of thoughtful design elements and modern touches create an authentic and unscripted experience. Each hotel was developed by Vision Hospitality Group, Inc.The Humanist team is thrilled to receive honors for two hotels within our boutique portfolio, said David Martin, COO of Humanist Hospitality. Not only are we excited to receive awards for these locations alongside our design partners, but we are also grateful for the opportunity to have our leader recognized as well.Mr. Patel founded Vision Hospitality Group, Inc. in 1997 and launched its operations and management division, Humanist Hospitality, in September 2021. Under his leadership as president and CEO, Vision holds a growing portfolio of hotels affiliated with premium brands such as Hilton Worldwide and Marriott International, including the company's first boutique hotel, The Edwin. Mr. Patel serves on the Marriott International Franchise Advisory Council and the Hilton Worldwide Owner's Advisory Council, and he maintains his presence on boards of local organizations that support education and economic development in Vision's hometown of Chattanooga.The StayBoutique by BLLA awards program showcases boutique hotels and businesses and celebrates the milestones they have achieved over the past twelve months. The annual program consists of 8 total categories, and projects are judged not only by their appearance, but also by the ethos behind each project. Hosted by the official association for Boutique Hotels and businesses, the awards aim to highlight the boutique sectors achievements on the industrys most daring and authentic stage. The winners will be announced to the public this fall and displayed in the winter edition of the StayBoutique Magazine.
A vehicle being pursued off and on Highway 153 by a state trooper early Tuesday morning ran into a black Ford Explorer, killing the driver.

She was identified as Tara S. Reese, 58.

William Alvon Hughes Wright, 29, is facing a charge of vehicular homicide. Other counts against him are two counts of evading arrest, speeding, failure to exercise due care, possessing a firearm, failure to stay in lane, running a red light, failure to yield right of way and reckless endangerment.

In the incident at 1:39 a.m., a trooper said he spotted a silver Jeep Cherokee going north on Highway 153 near Shepherd Road traveling 90 mph.

He said he activated his lights and siren, but the Jeep went around a semi-truck that was on the off ramp from Highway 153 onto Shallowford Road. The Jeep did not stop at the red light and continued north.

It got back onto the on ramp from Shallowford Road to Highway 153 northbound. It continued at a high rate of speed on Highway 153.

The trooper said the Jeep took the off ramp for Jersey Pike and turned right traveling west on Jersey Pike. It made a u-turn in a gravel area off Jersey Pike and began to travel west back toward Highway 153. It made a right turn onto the on ramp and then ran off the roadway to the left and drove through the grass to get back on Highway 153 going northbound.

It then took the off ramp for Bonny Oaks Drive and ran the red light at the bottom of the ramp. It crossed the grass median and struck the Ford Explorer that was going west on Bonny Oaks Drive.

The driver, Wright, then exited the Jeep and ran east on Bonny Oaks Drive. The trooper was able to catch up with him. He said it was necessary to take him to the ground to get him under control.

The trooper said he could smell a very strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle.

He found a loaded 9mm handgun that was on the ground beside the driver's side door of the Jeep.

He was not able to conduct any field sobriety tests.

Wright was taken to Parkridge Medical Center to be checked for any injuries, then was taken to jail at Silverdale.

The wreck was worked by the Highway Patrol rather than city police.

Funeral arrangements for Ms. Reese are by Taylor Funeral Home.
Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III and 20 Attorneys General are calling on President Joe Biden to withdraw his Administrations COVID-19 vaccine mandate on federal contractors.

On Sept. 9, through Executive Order 14042, President Biden directed federal departments and agencies to include a clause in contracts requiring all contractors and subcontractors to adopt COVID Safety protocols.

On Sept. 24, pursuant to the Biden Order, the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force issued guidance imposing a vaccination mandate that is more expansive than the Presidents Executive Order, is internally inconsistent, and is at odds with actions taken elsewhere by the federal government.

The Federal Contractor Mandate is simply not workable, said General Slatery. It is inconsistent with other federal COVID-19 guidelines, fails to account for industry-specific factors, and imposes unduly broad obligations unrelated to protecting people working on federal contracts.

As various agencies have begun to issue their implementing memoranda and guidance, contractors have faced a series of conflicting directives. Instead of assistance from the Administration in making sense of the inconsistencies, contractors have faced short deadlines coupled with the threat of being blacklisted or losing contracts for non-compliance.

In addition to Tennessee, the letter was sent by the Attorneys General for Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

You can read the letter here: https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/attorneygeneral/documents/pr/2021/pr21-40-letter.pdf








Article Highlights:

Why B.J. Novaks face is on a bunch of random products.

The legal actions The Office actor/writer can take.

B.J. Novak isnt the only actor to have a stock photo haunt him.

B. J. Novak | Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage

Actor and writer B.J. Novaks face is all over the world. But not entirely for his acting and writing. Novaks mug appears on such items as face paint in Uruguay, electric razors in China, ponchos in Europe, and Calvin Kleins Encounter cologne. Why? The Office actor believes someone uploaded his photo to a website where it became a part of the public domain.

What B.J. Novak has to say about his accidental modeling career

On Monday, Oct. 25, Novak took to Instagram to post five photos of his face on random products. He saved them to a story called Modeling. He also wrote: Years ago, someone mistakenly put an image of me on a public domain site, and now apparently I am on products all around the world, but I am too amused to do anything about it. No mention of who might have taken the photo.

RELATED: The Office: How B.J. Novaks Standup Routine Got Him Cast in the Show

But it wasnt the first time The Office actor learned of his surprise modeling career. In 2014, he posted photos of his face gracing boxes of Swedish cologne boxes to Instagram. I am #blessed to announce the launch of my fragrance, available now in a Swedish department store, he wrote.

Legal options

According to The New York Times, the rights of the photo probably belong to the photographer, not Novak, unless they have been transferred. Marc Misthal, a lawyer with the firm Gottlieb, Rackman & Reisman, told the Times that Novak has several legal options in the U.S. if thats something he wants to do.

For one, a lawyer could send cease-and-desist letters to the companies using his photo. Or, he could sue the companies, according to Misthal, who specializes in copyright and trademark law. The lawyer went on to say he thinks Novak is more likely to pursue a case against the companies that made money off of his photo than whoever uploaded the photo to the public domain website.

Im international  B.J. Novak (@bjnovak) October 25, 2021

RELATED: The Office Star B.J Novak Wanted This Actor to Play Michael Scott After Steve Carells Exit

Its really the fact that his face or likeness is associated with a particular product, because theyre using his likeness in order to attract customers and basically make money, Misthal told the Times.

However, by the looks of Novaks Instagram post, it doesnt seem like hell be pursuing any legal action anytime soon.

B.J. Novak isnt the only actor whose face has appeared on random items

Legitimately wondering if I am the greatest stock photo model of all time.



Totally unrelated note, please stop buying these photos. pic.twitter.com/vbcdHGyDyk  Simu Liu () (@SimuLiu) February 21, 2020

RELATED: B.J. Novak Calls Mindy Kaling The Closest Person of My Life

This isnt the first time an actors face has appeared on random items after making it big. Actor Simu Liu, best known for his role in the 2021 Marvel Cinematic Universe film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, has appeared on things like textbooks, Y.M.C.A. fliers, and ads for public transportation. He said a company paid him $120 to shoot the stock photos in 2014.

That stock photo shoot always finds a way to come back and haunt me LOL, he said on Twitter in 2018.
Netflix and crime fans get their first taste of a gruesome South Korean serial killer in the docu-series, The Raincoat Killer: Chasing a Predator in Korea. In three episodes, viewers further understand the drastic effect murderer Yoo Young-chul had on Korean society, authorities, and citizens. The docu-series revealed details about the investigation never made public before. Specific details left viewers mind-boggled over its reality.

Yoo Young-chul is South Koreas worst killer in the countries history who operated in the early 2000s. While media outlets gave backstory to the investigation and crimes, The Raincoat Killer showed certain aspects that stunned viewers.

Yoo Young-chul at crime scene in The Raincoat Killer: Chasing a Predator in Korea on Netflix | AFP via Getty Images

Why was Yoo Young-chul called The Raincoat Killer?

Throughout the docu-series, there is never any mention of Yoo wearing a yellow raincoat to commit his murders. When I first started it, the question of how the raincoat was incorporated into his murders was something on my mind, said one viewer on Reddit. In episode 3, the reason why Yoo wore a raincoat was anti-climactic.

When police apprehended Yoo, there was a big media frenzy. The police were ready to take Yoo to where he buried the bodies, but reporters swarmed the precinct. To conceal his identity, a detective covered Yoo in a yellow raincoat, hat, and mask. The only photos of Yoo taken by the media are of him leaving the precinct in the coat. It led reporters to tag him as The Raincoat Killer when he never wore one to commit his murders.

Yoo Young-chul used a popular Korean side dish to conceal the smell of a rotting body

"For all of its melodramatic flourishes, The Raincoat Killer: Chasing a Predator in Korea takes murderand the trauma it inflicts on othersvery seriously," @nschager writes https://t.co/RLswhxpLYJ  The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) October 23, 2021

RELATED: 5 Must-Watch Serial Killer K-Dramas to Binge This Halloween Season

One detail revealed by Netflixs The Raincoat Killer docu-series was how Yoo disposed of his victims. Fans on social media were stunned to learn the common item Yoo used to cover up the smell of a decaying body. One of the investigators revealed Yoo would add kimchi to the bag with the dismembered body parts.

The popular Korean food item can have a pungent and sour smell the longer it ferments. Yoo knew the smell of rotting flesh and body parts would raise suspicion. The docu-series revealed Yoo once got into a taxi with bags of dismembered body parts and kimchi. The smell revolted the taxi driver, and Yoo explained it was kimchi his mother gifted him. Yoos excuse was enough for the driver not to suspect anything.

The incompetance and curruption by the South Korean police revelead in The Raincoat Killer

RELATED: 3 K-Dramas and Episodes Based on Real-Life Crime Cases

One of the major takeaways viewers had from Netflixs The Raincoat Killer was the lack of competence by authorities and their blatant inability to investigate properly. The investigators in the docu-series explained precincts did not coordinate with each other on cases at the time. Further into the investigation, investigators admitted to not following proper procedure and found Yoo by chance when a pimp noticed one of his workers was missing.

It seems like the narrative is really trying to portray the Seoul police favorably while they basically admit to straight-up mishandling the case several times, said one viewer on Reddit. Viewers were dismayed at the polices incompetence during Yoos interrogation. While in custody, one detective left the room, unaware his comrade followed him. Seeing an opportunity, Yoo walked out of the precinct barefoot and did not raise suspicion.

The police never thought to check if Yoo went home and instead conducted random searches. It seemed like the police werent asking the questions or following the protocol they needed to solve the case, said one Redditor. The police arrested Yoo after stumbling upon him on the street. What left viewers disgruntled was the investors admittance to using excessive force and falsifying records.

One of the chief investigators admitted to falsifying records to make it seem that Yoo was not the suspect after successfully escaping custody. The same investigator used physical persuasion to gain power over Yoo and get a confession. The detail in the docu-series angered viewers.
Atotech in Berlin is looking for a

Duties

Where your expertise is needed



As Materials Engineer (m/f/d) in the area of Materials Science you are mainly responsible for the independent execution, evaluation and documentation of topographic and physical investigations on electroplated materials according to standards and customer specifications, thus supporting our research departments.



Carrying out topographic examinations, in particular by means of atomic force microscopy, interference microscopy and confocal microscopy

Characterization of materials using physical methods

Application of digital techniques for numerical data evaluation and imaging

Further development of topographic methods

Willingness to familiarize with other methods of materials testing and characterization

Ensuring the operational readiness of the instrumental equipment

Contact person and advisor for employees and customers in case of technical matters

Application, maintenance and further development of the applied quality management systems (ISO 9001 and ISO 17025), including preparation of documents, reports and guidelines (SOP)

Requirements

What were looking for



Completed studies (Bsc, Master) in a scientific or technical field or similar qualification

Professional experience in the described field of activity desirable, but not a must

Good knowledge in the field of materials science for the applied methods

Good user knowledge of the software used in the field of work (MS Office) as well as in numerical data evaluation; Excel programming skills desirable

Very good written and spoken English, German is a plus

You have a careful and structured way of working, as you will be handling and evaluating large amounts of data in your daily work. You also have an affinity to technical and IT related topics

Maintaining the confidentiality of information



What can you expect at Atotech?



Compensation

Attractive remuneration in line with the tariff for the chemical industry (Berlin) + 13th month's salary + holiday pay + bonus.



Working hours

You benefit from flexible working hours in flexitime, 30 days annual leave, special leave days and flex days (working time compensation) possible and unlimited employment. Mobile working is possible by arrangement.



Further development

Stay on the ball with extensive onboarding, active trial management with regular touchpoints, intensive monitoring and various career opportunities throughout the company.



General advantages

Free parking spaces, company canteen, a wide range of health services, various insurance documents (bAV, BUV etc.) and many exclusive partner offers are part of it.



We celebrate diversity and are committed to building teams that represent a variety of backgrounds, perspectives and skills. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit and business need.

Company

Atotech (NYSE: ATC) is a leading specialty chemicals technology company and a market leader in advanced electroplating solutions. Atotech delivers chemistry, equipment, software, and services for innovative technology applications through an integrated systems-and-solutions approach. Atotech solutions are used in a wide variety of end-markets, including smartphones and other consumer electronics, communications infrastructure, and computing, as well as in numerous industrial and consumer applications such as automotive, heavy machinery, and household appliances.



Atotech, headquartered in Berlin, Germany, is a team of 4,000 experts in over 40 countries generating annual revenues of $1.2 billion (2020). Atotech has manufacturing operations across Europe, the Americas, and Asia. With its well-established innovative strength and industry-leading global TechCenter network, Atotech delivers pioneering solutions combined with unparalleled on-site support for over 9,000 customers worldwide. For more information about Atotech, please visit us at atotech.com.
Chemical reactions can be studied at different levels: At the level of individual atoms and molecules, new compounds can be designed. At the level of tiny particles on the nano and micrometre scale, one can understand how catalyst materials influence chemical reactions. And in order to use chemical reactions in industry, it is necessary to look at the macroscopic scale.

Typically, different approaches are used for each area. But this is not sufficient for complex chemical reactions on catalyst surfaces. At TU Wien (Vienna), an important step has now been taken: for the first time, it was possible to connect all levels from the microscopic to the macroscopic level in order to describe a technologically important chemical reaction under realistic conditions. This allows to understand why the size of catalyst particles plays a decisive role. The results have now been published in the scientific journal "Nature Communications".

Isomers: Same composition, different molecules

Many molecules come in different variants: The same set of atoms can be arranged in different ways, which are then referred to as "isomers". It is important to distinguish between these isomers - for example, a certain isomer of the hydrocarbon butene is favourable for fuel production, but another butene variant is preferred for polymer manufacturing. Producing exactly the desired isomers or converting one isomer into another is a tricky task that can be achieved with very specific catalysts.

"A particularly important catalyst for such processes is palladium," says Prof. Gunther Rupprechter from the Institute of Materials Chemistry at TU Wien. "Normally, palladium is placed on a surface in the form of tiny nanocrystals. Certain molecules then bind to these granules, and this enables the chemical reaction."

It is a well-known fact that the particle size is often crucial for a specific catalytic function, but mostly there has been no detailed rationalisation of how this works. "It is impossible to create a full-scale quantum-chemical model of these particles on a computer, because they simply consist of too many atoms," says Dr Alexander Genest, the first author of the current study. "We therefore have to find alternatives to combine the different methods to study chemical catalysis."

Realistic conditions instead of idealised systems

The research team at TU Wien and its cooperation partners from Singapore, Alicante and Munich chose a complex but important reaction for their investigations: The isomerisation of alkenes. "This is particularly challenging because there are several reaction pathways that play a role at the same time," says Gunther Rupprechter. "It was important for us to study the reaction under realistic conditions: In previous basic research, reactions were often analysed in (ultra-)high vacuum, at low temperatures. But in an industrial setting, you have to deal with completely different parameters. We therefore wanted to find out how this isomerisation takes place at atmospheric pressure and 100C."

The team started at the level of atoms and molecules: "With the help of density functional theory, we can model elementary reaction steps of the molecules that attach to various facets of the palladium crystals," says Alexander Genest. These calculations yield parameters for so-called microkinetic models, which can be used to predict the dynamics of chemical reactions on a much larger time scale on a computer. And from these results, in turn, it is then possible to infer the total amount of desired chemical products that will be present after a certain time at certain parameters.

"The model calculations agree very well with our experimental measurements, not only qualitatively but also quantitatively," emphasises Prof. Gunther Rupprechter. "This is an important breakthrough  such agreement was not possible like this before." Now it can be explained in detail why various sizes of palladium particles have different effects on the chemical processes: Large particles have smooth surfaces, while smaller ones are more round and stepped. The arrangement of the palladium atoms in alternative geometries influences the reaction energy and thus the catalytic behaviour.

Optimal results instead of just trial and error

"When you optimise a chemical process in industry, you often have to rely on trial and error," says Gunther Rupprechter. "Which external parameters should be chosen? Which catalysts do you use - and in what form? These are questions that could hardly be answered on a theoretical level until now." Usually multiple variants are tested and then the most successful one is chosen. But if a process is then supposed to be scaled up from laboratory scale to industrial scale, completely different parameters may be required.

"We have now shown that you can comprehensively understand such processes if you link several time- and length scales," says Alexander Genest. "This approach is of course also applicable to many other catalytic reactions." In the chemical industry, it should thus become possible to optimise chemical manufacturing processes through computer modelling and at the same time reduce expensive and time-consuming benchmarking to a minimum.
This image shows the difference between an ordinary perovskite solar cell, top, and a perovskits solar cell with a water-repellent molecular-thin layer, below.

One of the solar energy markets most promising solar cell materialsperovskiteis also the most frustrating. A research team in Sweden reports a possible solution to the environmental instability of perovskitean alternative to silicon thats cheap and highly efficient, yet degrades dramatically when exposed to moisture.

The team, from KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, developed a new synthetic alloy that increases perovskite cells durability while preserving energy conversion performance. The researchers published their findings in Natures Communications Materials.

Perovskite usually dissolves immediately on contact with water, says co-author James Gardner, a researcher at KTH. We have proven that our alloyed perovskite can survive for several minutes completely immersed in water, which is over a 100 times more stable than the perovskite alone. Whats more, the solar cells that we have built from the material retain their efficiency for more than 100 days after they are manufactured.

Perovskites are a class of materials with a specific crystal structure, named after the mineral with that structure. In solar cells they have shown potential for high performancewith energy conversion efficiencies as high as 25 percentand, best of all, low production costs.

However these thin-film cells are highly susceptible to outdoor elements, which accelerates their degradationand limits their viability in a solar market where virtually all panels are based on silicon.

KTH researcher James Gardner says that his teams work represents a step towards developing an alternative, more stable perskovite product. They encapsulated a light-absorbing perskovite layer with a 2D perskovite film layer that provides a water repellent quality thanks to the addition of long-chain alkylammonium ions.

The researchers report that the cells power conversion efficiency dropped by 20 percent after six months at a relative humidity of 25 to 80 percent; and they could be completely immersed in water for a few minutes before degradation started.

Gardner says that the 2D perovskite coating also mitigates energy losses in the light-absorbing 3D perovskite, which leads to an enhancement in the photovoltage. The findings indicate that long-chain alkylammonium cation-based 2D perovskites can improve the environmental stability of 3D-based perovskites, without significant loss of performance and may lead to commercially successful perovskite solar cells.
Members of the 2021-22 Cherokee Nation Tribal Youth Council are sworn into office during a virtual inauguration ceremony on Oct. 25.
A Haitian American pastor who was kidnapped by armed men dressed as police earlier this month has been released. Seventeen American and Canadian missionaries, however, continue to be held hostage by the notorious 400 Mawozo gang.

As Christian Headlines previously reported, 79-year-old pastor Jean Pierre Ferrer Michel and two congregants were kidnapped by armed men in front of his church, Jesus Center in Delmas 29, on October 3.

While one of the church members, a female, was released not long after she was taken, Michel and a male church member remained captive.

On Tuesday, Michels daughter posted a video to Facebook in Creole announcing her fathers release from the 400 Mawozo gang.

According to the Miami Herald, the pastor and male congregant were released after a ransom of $300,000 was paid in full.

Delex Etienne, a Haitian communications consultant, noted that the exchange included an additional $250,000 in payment, CBN News reports.

250,000 USD was paid on Monday evening for the release of Pastor Jean-Pierre Ferrer Michel and Norman Wiwner, he tweeted. An amount that is in addition to the 300,000 USD already delivered previously by their relatives.

Meanwhile, 17 missionaries from the Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries, including five children, remain missing after the 400 Mawazoo gang abducted them on October 16. The gangs leader, Wilson Joseph, is requesting a ransom of $1 million per missionary, otherwise, he says, he will kill them.

As reported by the Miami Herald, President Joe Biden has received daily briefings on the situation and is involved in an effort to rescue the hostages.

I personally give an update on this issue every single day to the president, who is taking a deep interest in making sure we get every single one of those people home safely, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Tuesday.

In an update on Wednesday, Christian Aid Ministries explained that the abduction case is of great concern to the U.S., Haitian, and Canadian governments, and they are working for the safe release of the hostages.

Join us in praying for the various government officials and agents who are working on this case. May God grant them wisdom as they make decisions, the ministry concluded.

Related:

79-Year-Old American Pastor Abducted Outside of Church in Haiti

Haitian Gang Demands $17 Million for Kidnapped American, Canadian Missionaries

Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Naruedom

Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer. He is also the co-hosts of the For Your Soul podcast, which seeks to equip the church with biblical truth and sound doctrine. Visit his blog Blessed Are The Forgiven.
Years ago, a Roman Catholic friend lamented to me that he had to go to an evangelical church to hear good old blood hymns. He found it inconceivable that a church structured around the real presence of the body and blood of Christ in the Mass would be so reluctant to sing about blood.

He shared, though, that it was getting harder even at evangelical churches to hear bloody music. Your churches get successful enough where they find it gauche to sing about being washed in blood, so they go with songs more spiritual and abstract, he said. But when you find the poor and the hurting evangelicals, thats where you hear it: power, power, wonder-working power, in the blood of the Lamb.

He said, I know you all want to reach peoplebut it seems to me, when youre choosing between comfort and blood, too many of you are making the wrong choice.

I think of that conversation often when I think of the way many of us have grown alarmed by whats sometimes called Christian nationalismeither in its more common and less virulent strain of God and country civil religion, or in the more explicit and terrifying ways we have seen Christian symbols co-opted by demagogic and authoritarian ethnocentric or nationalist movements.

Yes, this degrades the credibility and witness of the church. It grants delegated legitimacy to what the Bible itself denounces, and it turns the church into a captive servant to what can only be called an idol. What we often miss, though, is that what these nationalistic movements trade away is blood.

Theres a reason we see an American church riven apart by resurgent heresy trials. These inquisitions are far less likely ...

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On the first cold autumn evening in Dublins City Centre, more than 200 people gathered for a pro-life rally in front of Leinster House, the home of Irelands parliament, Dail Eireann.

In the three years since a national referendum legalized abortion in the country, Christian engagement around the issue has shifted and divided, particularly in the midst of clashing responses to COVID-19.

Now, the countrys abortion law is being reviewed by the Irish government.

Megan Ni Sceallain, a leader with the nondenominational Life Institute, which sponsored last weeks Rethink Abortion rally, said it sent a message to the Dail to say that this review must examine the actual facts of the abortion regime. We dont want a whitewash of reality, and the Irish people deserve an honest appraisal.

The group is calling for a full assessment of the number of abortions which have taken place since the 2018 law: 13,243, according to official government reports. A mandatory three-year review of Irelands abortion laws is set to begin before the end of the year, with some politicians and abortion rights groups advocating for extended access, including the removal of the current three-day waiting limit.

Holding electronic candles and pro-life signs highlighting current abortion rates, demonstrators heard from Christian leaders, politicians, workers at local crisis pregnancy centers, and even the muffled pulse of a heartbeat in utero, through the help of a fetal monitor and microphone.

It really does my heart good to see everyone out there on this cold night, Ni Sceallain told the crowd. Were not for turning, were not for giving in, and well always stand for life!

Irelands vote to legalize abortion is seen as part of a larger cultural shift taking place in the historically Catholic country. After same-sex marriage was legalized through a national referendum in 2015, the hashtag #Repealthe8th began to target the constitutional amendment that essentially outlawed abortion.

It had been in place since the 1980s, and over the years, some 170,000 Irish women have traveled abroad to receive abortions. The repeal campaign was a success, passing with 64 percent turnout and 66 percent of the vote. In December 2018, new legislation regulating abortion up to 12 weeks (after 12 weeks in some specific circumstances, including a threat to the mothers life) was drafted into law.

Since the repeal, the Christian pro-life movement in Ireland has gone different ways in its approach.

Theres a group of people who were very activated at the time, and now have basically just said, Well, we lost. Move on, said Nick Park, executive director of Evangelical Alliance Ireland. Theres two other groups that have reacted quite differently, and that is to say, Why did we lose the referendum, and what fundamental changes need to be made?

For some, its ignited a culture war mentality and a desire to turn back liberal changes being made in Irish society. Park sees himself as part of another group, who have grown more committed to modeling a holistic pro-life ethic.

Maybe the reason we lost the referendum was because people didnt believe us when we said we were pro-life, because weve not been, said Park, who also pastors Solid Rock Church of God in Drogheda. The church in general has not been pro-life in other areas, and that needs addressed.

Crisis pregnancy centers have seen a steady increase not only in women reaching out for support, but in volunteers offering their services.

Even before the referendum, I always said, What can I do? After the referendum, it really gave me the nudge to say, I want better for women. I want more for women in our country, said Corrine Claffey Concannon, who directs a new office of the crisis pregnancy nonprofit Gianna Care, which opened last year in County Offaly. To me, thats something amazing that came from repeal: that people actually just got up and said, How can we help?

The pandemic, though, has accelerated the needs of the vulnerable while deepening philosophical divides among pro-life Christians. Ireland is now facing its fifth wave of COVID-19 after only recently emerging one of the longest and strictest lockdowns in Europe.

Meanwhile, the coalition government, led by Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Micheal Martin, struggles to solve a severe housing shortage, causing house prices to increase by 10 percent in the previous year. Concannon said Gianna has seen more women in crisis for so many reasons during the pandemic and a gaping hole in government support options.

At the same time, current divisions in the evangelical church over pandemic policies make a collaboration toward a coherent pro-life strategy difficult.

A disillusionment toward the media in the wake of its coverage of #Repealthe8th, which many Christians including Park, the Life Institute, and Gianna Carefelt was biased and unfair, has fostered mistrust and anti-lockdown, anti-vaccine sentiment. Meanwhile, new reader-funded platforms like Gript have entered the media space offering alternative views that challenge the stale consensus.

I just dont believe the church is in a place right now where we can move together on [pro-life issues] effectively because were so divided ourselves, said Park.

The human rights-infused evangelical push to protect the vulnerablethe idea that the same pro-life values that lead someone to oppose abortion would encourage them to reduce the risk of COVID-19stand in contrast to increasingly politicized antiabortion stances of Catholics and Protestants on the right.

If we cannot address all [pro-life] issues in a reasoned way, then you leave the stage clear for the extremists and that benefits nobody, he said, referencing new right-wing and very Trumpian groups which have garnered more of a following since 2018.

Still, Evangelical Alliance Ireland and new organizations like The Minimise Project and Zoe Community think theres room to pursue apolitical pro-life advocacy among both Christians and non-believers. The Minimise Project facilitates constructive dialogue from a secular perspective, while Zoe Community approaches the issue as Christians, focusing on younger generations.

For good reason, theres this conception that a church is where you go to be criticized. But on a real deep level, I hope that in the future a woman in crisis pregnancy will look at a Christian and say, I know that I am not going to be criticized when I talk to this person, said Katy Edgmon, the director of Zoe Community, which opened in the wake of the new law and trains volunteers to connect with women in crisis. Thats what I want to see.
Dave Hollis opens up about divorce from Rachel Hollis, finding true purpose through Christ

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Dave Hollis still cringes slightly when he remembers the speech he gave at the Hollis Company Christmas party in 2019.

I audaciously, to our collective team at a Christmas party, said I was going to have my best year ever in 2020, The New York Times bestselling author and host of the Rise Together podcast told The Christian Post.

I'd saved it for my 45th year on the planet, it was going to be the best year ever. And what I did not appreciate in the declaration was that I would not have a say in the conditions through which my best year would show up.

That year, Hollis weathered a highly publicized divorce from his wife, Rachel Hollis, the controversial self-help author of Girl Wash Your Face. His book tour was subsequently canceled, and he transitioned away from the company hed spent years building with his wife.

Navigating a pandemic, grappling with the fallout from the end of a yearslong marriage and parenting four children alone, Hollis said, was anything but easy.

"2020 was the hardest year of my life, outpacing any other year by a factor of 100," he told CP. But it was also the best. As I look back, 18 months removed from the hardest things that I've ever been through  I don't want to relive them, but I can sit here today with a wild amount of gratitude for having gone through them, because of the way that it brought me to my knees and drew me closer to God.

Though hes been a professing Christian his entire life, Hollis said the events of 2020 forced him to examine what he truly believed.

Telling people that you have faith is something that is easy until you go through really, really hard things, he said. I realized how much stronger my faith could be because it had been tested.

He cited James 4:8, which reads, in part: Come near to God and He will come near to you.

I found myself, because of the conditions around me, closer to God than I'd ever been. And in that, I developed faith that the things that I would need in this journey would show up when I needed them. When you do that, you find God in unexpected places.

Though shaken by the events of 2020, for Hollis, leaning into the unexpected and stepping out of his comfort zone is nothing new.

In 2018, he made headlines after announcing he was leaving his lucrative job as president of distribution for Walt Disney Studios to become CEO of his then-wifes company and relocate his family to Texas. Over the years, the company saw staggering success, and the couple would host Rachel and Dave episodes of the "Rise Together" podcast.

So when the couple announced their divorce in July 2020, it sent shockwaves throughout their loyal fanbase.

Hollis admitted that over the last several years, his primary identity was in being a husband to Rachel Hollis  and that loss allowed me to find myself and my ability to be resilient through pain.

It took a season of journaling, prayer and self-discovery, Hollis said, but todays hes the strongest hes ever been, mentally, emotionally, relationally and spiritually."

I just have a massive amount of gratitude for everything that's happened, even though I wouldn't have wanted it to go down the way that it did, he said.

Today, Hollis is on a mission to help others cultivate courage in the face of adversity, find their God-given purpose and understand that failure is a requirement for growth. His latest book, Built Through Courage: Face Your Fears to Live the Life You Were Meant, seeks to help readers do just that.

There is, for every single one of us, a very intentional purpose that our Creator has placed us on this planet for, and our work in this life we have is to do everything we can, every single day, to honor the intention of that Creator, he stressed.

But doing that work, finding a way to step closer to our purpose or honor that intention, is something that requires courage, because it often requires leaving what we've known for what we need; transitioning from who we were to who we're becoming. That can be uncomfortable both for us and can make the people who have become accustomed to who we've been uncomfortable as we grow into who we were meant to be.

In his book, Hollis draws on life experiences and wisdom from others to offer practical advice for leading well during a crisis and pushing past ones comfort zone to find true freedom. He urges readers to have an honest conversation with themselves, showing radical candor about where they are  and where they want to be.

Own where you are and where youre starting from, cast a visit to where you want to go, he advised. That needs to be connected to what you believe, because thats the greatest way of honoring the intention of your Creator. And then, get specific about what its going to take to get there.

One life-changing moment that occurred in the wake of his divorce, Hollis said, was when he realized that hed been chasing his wifes goals and vision instead of identifying the calling God placed before him.



I think there are times when, in the pursuit to achieve or in an attempt to be loved or affirmed, we can make the mistake of chasing things that we believe other people are interested in us achieving, or that the achievement will affirm us in some way, instead of staying connected to that voice inside of us that's attempting to guide us to where we're meant to go, he reflected.

There is something in your gut that is saying you should be going in this direction, but we often trust others more than we trust ourselves. Its important to trust that voice, to separate yourself from the noise that might distract you from what it's trying to tell you and to listen to it in a way that allows you to step closer to it.

Hollis understands that being refined through fire isnt easy  but its worth it. And to those struggling to find their purpose, he offered the reminder that God put you here for a very, very specific reason, adding: He's given you the tools to achieve something greater than you can even believe if you can believe it yourself.

Part of that is understanding that you are a limited edition, one of one, there is no one like you, with your wiring, with the way you think or feel, the way you love, the experiences that youve had, he continued.

There is an opportunity to step closer to that purpose that only you can live out on this Earth  I want to encourage people to step closer every day to that purpose and find exactly where God wants them to be.
Montana gov. demands Biden halt Afghan resettlement in his state after evacuee is charged with rape

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Montana's governor has called for a halt in the resettlement of refugees from Afghanistan after an evacuee was charged with rape.

In a letter sent to President Joe Biden on Wednesday, Gov. Greg Gianforte said that while he welcomes evacuees fleeing the Taliban to the state, he had grave concerns about the vetting process.

The system requires a careful, immediate reevaluation, wrote Gianforte. As governor, the safety, security, and wellbeing of Montanans is my top priority. Tragic events over the last few weeks, including one in Montana, have brought to the front issues with your vetting system, he added.

Gianforte was referring to the recent arrest of 19-year-old Zabihullah Mohmand, who was charged with sexually assaulting an 18-year-old woman. According to court documents, the victim called 911 early on the morning of Oct. 17 to report that she had been raped.

For his part, Mohmand claimed the sex was consensual.

NBC Montana reported last week that Mohmand was an Afghan evacuee resettled in Missoula as part of the federal governments resettlement program.

Gianforte told Biden that he wanted a halt to the resettlement program until certain issues were resolved, specifically an explanation on how the federal government vetted Mohmand, details on reforms that will be made to the vetting system, a commitment by the federal government to cover all costs tied to Mohmands prosecution, imprisonment and possible deportation.

Montana's governor is not the only elected official in Montana demanding answers from the Biden administration. Last week, Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., wrote a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas asking for detailed information about the justification for why Mohmand received humanitarian parole status.

Specifically, Daines asked, Did Mr. Mohmand work with U.S. armed forces in Afghanistan or any other government entity? He went on to condemn the administrations generic statements concerning the sexual assault in Missoula as deeply insufficient.

In a statement obtained by the Montana-based news outlet KULR, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said: Before individuals are permitted to enter the United States, they are subject to rigorous, multi-layered screening and vetting processes that involve biometric and biographic screenings conducted by intelligence, law enforcement, and counterterrorism professionals from the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, FBI, National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), and additional Intelligence Community partners.

Mohmand is not the only Afghan refugee to face criminal charges for actions they took after arriving in the U.S. Last month, a grand jury charged two Afghan men with crimes while residing at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin. The unrelated cases involved 20-year-old Bahrullah Noori, who's facing charges for attempting to have sex with a minor and three counts of engaging in a sex act with a minor, all by force. The other case involves 32-year-old Mohammad Haroon Imaad, who's facing charges of strangling and suffocating his wife.

Noori and Imaad were charged previously in complaints filed in U.S. District Court, explained a U.S. Department of Justice press release on Sept. 22. If convicted, Noori faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 30 years and a maximum of life in federal prison on the charges alleging use of force, and a maximum penalty of 15 years on the other two charges. Imaad faces a maximum penalty of 10 years.

Earlier this month, Reuters reported that more than 700 Afghans who were flown to the U.S. had left their temporary housing on U.S. bases before completing their resettlement process. U.S. officials said that those departures involved Afghans who had been screened for any security issues and many were believed to already have family in the area.

Other concerns that have been raised involve child brides evacuated out of Afghanistan who were brought to Fort McCoy in Wisconsin and transit sites overseas. Last month, a State Department document showed that it sought urgent guidance from other agencies on what to do because child marriage is illegal in the U.S. and some girls said they had been raped.
Tomlin United Tour removes VIP option amid backlash over celebrity-style commercialized worship

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Following scrutiny from online critics, Hillsong United and Chris Tomlin eliminated the "VIP" ticket option from their upcoming United States concert tour.

The Tomlin United Tour concert tickets, which went on sale Oct. 22, no longer include a VIP option that allowed buyers to walk on stage with the artists and take pictures in a catwalk-style photoshoot. The VIP ticket option also allowed buyers to receive premium seats, exclusive gifts and meet-and-greets.

However, the inclusion of a staged catwalk for the artists and their fan base took things a step too far, according to online critics, who said that Hillsong United and Tomlin were engaging in celebrity-style commercialized worship.

Tom Read, the founder of the United Kingdoms Modern Hymnal, took to Twitter to express his distaste about the ticket option.

I'm not sure which is worse: that Hillsong and Chris Tomlin think that this is OK in the context of worship; or that there's actually a demand for it? he tweeted.

Some people will think that I'm being unfair here, or unnecessarily divisive, but at what point are we allowed to say something is not OK? Because this is not OK, and justifying it just contributes to the problem.

Read, who said he's been heavily influenced by both Hillsong United and Tomlin, added that the option for VIP tickets was hugely disappointing, but sadly not surprising.

Modern day worship has become so corrupt that I have no doubt Jesus would flip the tables on so much of it, he wrote. In my opinion, worship needs its own reformation that rids itself of the celebrity culture that it's become so entrenched in  This will continue as long as we give a platform for it to continue. So please, do not buy a 'VIP EXPERIENCE' for worship events. It's the opposite of what worship should be about. We need to do better.

[Hillsong United and Chris Tomlin] have both actively branded themselves as worship leaders for the last 20+ years so I don't think they get off on a technicality, Read added.

However, Chris Llewellyn, a Rend Collective worship band member, said in an op-ed for Premier Christianity that tours would not be possible without VIP options, which typically provide financial perks that allow the artists to afford their tours.

"One of the main mechanisms by which large Christian concerts actually break even is via upgraded ticketing  think 'VIP experience'  or through sponsorship, he said. I can say confidently that without these things my own band would be unable to tour.

This is because we already reduce our ticket prices to staggeringly low rates compared to equivalent artists in the secular world to make the concerts as accessible as possible, continued Llewellyn.

"Yes, there's a price tag for [VIP] service, but in a world of compromise, I'd rather offer this service at an extra charge to people who have expressed that they want it, than have to have a more expensive ticket for everyone," he added.

Hillsong United and Tomlins concert tickets for their 33-day tour are available now with a new option to buy Experiences instead of VIP tickets.

Despite the controversy surrounding VIP tickets, Tomlin and Hillsong UNITED remain optimistic about the upcoming tour.

In an interview with The Christian Post, Tomlin, who is behind worship hits like "How Great is Our God" and "Good Good Father," said that it's "critical" for believers to come together in worship.

"For me, what is so important to remember is that music is God's idea. ... Isn't that beautiful? God gave us not only a way to worship Him but also to connect and communicate with Him through music. Worship is different from any other concert. It's your soul connecting to God. It's eternal and an opportunity to join in everlasting praise."

Jonathon Douglass of Hillsong United told CP that the artists have a "real sense of trust that this is the right time" to resume in-person concerts.

"We really believe this tour is going to be an experience unlike any other," he said. "We've wanted to do this for a long time and we have a real sense of trust in the fact that this is the right time. We want these nights to be about hope, the living hope, and for people to leave with a little more of it than they came in with. Music has the power to touch people in this way, and I'm excited for that."
Eric Metaxas on why atheism is 'incompatible' with science, why the Church must 'wake up' and 'fight'

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Eric Metaxas believes that culture is at a paradigm-shifting moment, with science and archeology increasingly pointing to the existence of God  and those opposed to Christianity arent going to like it."

We've all lived at a time when not only is the trend that science is pointing us away from God, but we've been living for over 100 years with the narrative that says, science is fundamentally at odds with faith, that reason is at odds with religion, the Christian author, speaker and conservative radio host told The Christian Post.

The one thing everybody kept saying  science is leading us away from religion. Ironically, in the last 50 years, precisely the opposite has happened. Science is leading us to God. It's big news."

In his latest book, Is Atheism Dead? Metaxas uncovers new evidence and arguments against the idea of a Creatorless universe. He draws on the insights of top scientists and five scientific discoveries to prove that atheism is untenable.

I am genuinely more excited about this book and about getting the information in this book out to people than I have ever been about any book I have written, the New York native told CP.

One archeological discovery Metaxas said particularly intrigued him was the reported discovery of the biblical Sodom. Some scientists have speculated that a city known as Tall El-Hammam was destroyed by a meteor and could actually be the site of Sodom, the ancient biblical city destroyed for its wickedness.

Most believers, and definitely most non-believers, don't know this information, and it's because we live in a media echo chamber that tends to filter out this kind of information. By the grace of God, I've been able to stumble on this stuff," he said.

Metaxas explained that the title of his latest book is based on the 1966 Time magazine article that provocatively asked Is God Dead?

Maybe the logical question in 1966 was, Is God dead? But the logical question, now that science itself is pointing to the existence of God, which sounds crazy but it's true, and nobody knows it  maybe now's the time to write a book with the title, Is Atheism Dead?

Based on his research, Metaxas stressed that science, archaeology, and history dont just support Christianity  they also undermine atheism.

This idea that data and science are at odds  the biggest news is that not only is that not true, there are two things that follow, Metaxas explained. The second is, according to John Lennox ... it is actually atheism that is incompatible with science, which is a dramatic statement. The third thing, which nobody seems to know, but it's true, is that Christian faith led to modern science  this is a historical fact; this is not some Christian gloss on history.

Science lately ... is discovering things about our universe, about the Earth, about human life, about cellular life that looks so fine-tuned, so perfectly calibrated  that even atheists are being shaken. That's the one thing that they don't know quite how to handle it, he added.

The more advanced science gets, the more it points to the idea that there had to be a Creator who created the universe, Metaxas said, citing, for example, the complexity of water and plate tectonics.

Every believer needs to understand how freakish it is. I mean, for you to study science, the more you look, the more you just think, I almost can't bear this. The evidence of God is just  everywhere I look, including things like water and erosion, he said. It makes you realize God is even more amazing than any of us could ever dream.

Metaxas expressed concern that some Christians today buy into a secular narrative that says its possible to believe in Jesus and the Bible until Scripture seems to contradict science.

That's not the kind of belief God is interested in, he stressed. He doesn't tell you to believe in something that is not true to the bottom. He is truth  either Jesus rose from the dead bodily or He didn't. Either what the Bible says is true or it isn't. Either the Lord created the universe and every detail in it or [He] didn't. "

He added: "This idea that we would sort of put ... our faith as Christians kind of in a corner, we're participating in the marginalization of our faith. Our faith is supposed to touch everything: science, math, history. We need to be much bolder in saying, If this is true, it is true everywhere.

The Bonhoeffer, Amazing Graceand Martin Lutherauthor acknowledged that though science and archeology increasingly prove the existence of God, there will always be naysayers who refuse to acknowledge such truth.

I think in these last days, as things unravel around the world, God is shining His light brighter and brighter; He's allowing us to discover things via science and via archaeology  it simply gets harder and harder to deny Him, Metaxas said. God will just keep pushing out this evidence .. but at the end of the day, it's got to be the Holy Spirit.

Though Is Atheism Dead was written for anyone eager to learn "with an open mind," it was primarily written for the Church, Metaxas said  a Church he believes desperately needs to wake up.

In my Bonhoeffer book I deal with this  the Church was slow to wake up, he contended. And that is a model of what not to do. If we do not wake up and fight  and a lot of Christians have bad theology that says, Oh, I don't think I'm supposed to fight'  not only is that not biblical, that's demonic. God pulled us to fight evil. He calls us to fight on our knees in prayer, but He also calls us to fight in all kinds of other ways.

Part of the reason I wrote this book also is to say to people, Hey, this is not a philosophy. Our faith is not a truth  this is truth. And God is giving this to us so that we can be emboldened.'"

Metaxas said he believes God is going to turn things around  but His Church has to fight and be armed with information.

On the science thing ... I'm thinking, tell me where I'm missing something here? I know I'm not, because I got all this information from scientists. So people are gaslighting us, that Christians have their weird views. It is nonsense. We have to be bold, we have to know what we believe, and we have to act. And, if you don't do it for yourself, do it for your kids and your grandkids.
More Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee members resign  new leadership announced

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Another member of the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee has resigned and new leadership has been appointed after committee members voted to waive attorney-client privilege as part of an investigation into the leadership's handling of sexual abuse claims against autonomous churches.

On Thursday  weeks after the SBC Executive Committee voted 44-31 to allow Guidepost Solutions to review privileged communications between committee members, staff and lawyers  the committee held a closed, special meeting of the trustees to update legal, audit and personnel matters, Rolland Slade, chairman of SBC Executive Committee and pastor of Meridian Baptist Church in El Cajon, California, announced.

In a statement to reporters following the meeting, Slade announced the results of the executive session.

As the EC moves forward, we will be without another member, James Freeman, as he has submitted his resignation, Slade said. We want to thank him and the other members who have resigned over the past month for their service to Southern Baptists. In light of previous officer resignations and the openings created, Archie Mason and Andrew Hunt now will chair the Convention Finances & Stewardship and Convention Missions & Ministry committees, respectively. Both of these gentlemen are godly pastors and will represent Southern Baptists well in their new roles."

The meeting was held just days before Ronnie Floyd  who resigned as head of the committee in October  and Executive Vice President Greg Addison are scheduled to leave their posts on Oct. 31, Baptist Press reported.

In his statement, Slade thanked Floyd for his work at the Executive Committee, applauding his "tremendous ministry to Southern Baptists for years."

Today the SBC Executive Committee held its final meeting with current EC President Ronnie Floyd. On behalf of the members of the committee, I would like to thank President Floyd for his work at the EC. Hes had a tremendous ministry to Southern Baptists for years. We know he loves the Southern Baptist Convention, and we wish him well in the future  wherever God may lead him to serve.

Floyd had been among those opposed to waiving attorney-client privilege, warning that doing so could open the SBC to lawsuits and financial ruin. In announcing his resignation, Floyd specifically cited the committee's decision to waive privilege as the key reason for his departure. At least 14 trustees have also since resigned.

Guenther, Jordan and Price, the longtime legal counsel for the convention, also informed the board on Oct. 11 of their resignation over the trustees' decision to waive attorney-client privilege. The group had represented the EC since 1966.



Regarding legal representation, Slade announced Thursday that the Executive Committee has finalized a limited scope arrangement with Guenther, Jordan and Price while we conduct our search for new legal counsel.

More details will be released in the coming days regarding the search, but we are grateful for the continued partnership we have with Jim Guenther  our Convention attorney of 56 years, he said.

Slade added that the Executive Committee has also secured the services with the national law firm, Bradley, to specifically assist in the legal aspects related to the ongoing independent third-party investigation by Guidepost Solutions.

Please continue to pray for the members of the SBC Executive Committee, the staff, and all involved in these important matters, Slade concluded.

On Wednesday, a copy of the resignation letter from Rod D. Martin, a prominent member of the Executive Committee, was made available to The Christian Post. In it, Martin said the committees decision to deliberately ... breach its legal and fiduciary duties poses an unacceptable risk to those entities which they and I serve. The reason for his resignation, he explained, was because of the legal threat this action posed to others to whom he owes a fiduciary responsibility.

Though stressing he supports the third-party investigation into the SBC prompted by a 2019 report from the Houston Chronicle that documented hundreds of alleged abuse cases in Southern Baptist churches over decades, Martin condemned the specific course chosen.

The SBC is in grave danger, he warned. We will have to do Herculean things to save it. And we must: we educate a third of the seminary students in America and field the largest missionary force in the world. We cannot allow this enormous force for good to be destroyed, whether by vile, wicked sex abusers whove violated the ultimate trust, or by foolish, self-serving leaders whove exposed the church to needless danger. We can punish the guilty while saving our churches and our Convention. We must.
Biden State Dept. increases number of Americans left behind in Afghanistan

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The Biden administration, which had been saying for weeks that the number of Americans still left behind in Afghanistan and urgently want to be evacuated was about 100, has now increased the number to about 200.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said last week that while the U.S. airlifted out dozens of people in the past couple days, more people had come forward in recent weeks expressing a desire to leave and the number is somewhere between 100 and 200, The Washington Times reported.

Sen. Ben Sasse, a Republican from Nebraska, criticized the Biden administration.

For weeks, their official number was about a hundred and it magically never changed  as Americans slowly got out the total number never went down. Now they say more than 300 Americans are still in Afghanistan, Sasse was quoted as saying.

The number quoted by Sasse includes Americans who, according to the State Department, havent said they want to leave.

Price, however, claimed that the proven ability of the U.S. in airlifting people out is behind the higher number of people wanting to flee.

Following the drawing down of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, the Taliban quickly seized control of much of the country, taking the capital Kabul in August and forcing the government to flee.

Afghanistans interim government includes more than a dozen leaders who are designated terrorists and ex-Guantanamo detainees.

Meanwhile, Aman Khalili, an Afghan interpreter who helped rescue Biden in 2008, when he was a senator, after a helicopter he and other senators were riding on had to make an emergency landing in Afghanistan, was able to escape earlier this month.

U.S. veterans worked with former Afghan soldiers and Pakistani allies to help Khalili cross the border into Pakistan with his family, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Aman helped keep me and other Americans safe while we were fighting in Afghanistan, and we wanted to return the favor, said Brian Genthe, a combat veteran, was quoted as saying. Hes a blessing.

Last month, the Taliban declared they will carry out executions and other brutal punishments, including amputations, under Islamic Sharia law as part of their rule in Afghanistan.

Cutting off of hands is very necessary for security, Mullah Nooruddin Turabi, a member of the Talibans interim government and chief enforcer of the groups strict interpretation of Sharia law, told The Associated Press. Everyone criticized us for the punishments in the stadium, but we have never said anything about their laws and their punishments. No one will tell us what our laws should be. We will follow Islam and we will make our laws on the Quran.

Turabi, who is under U.N. sanctions, also said the new government may consider carrying out such punishments in public.

The Taliban have banned all demonstrations and have violently cracked down on protests, including beating women and killing demonstrators.

The Taliban are arresting, and in some instances executing, people they perceive as their enemies, Christian missionary David Eubank, a former U.S. Army Special Forces and Ranger officer, said in an earlier interview with CBN News.

Eubank also said recent photos and video suggest theyre killing as many as 30 to 40 people at a time.

They [the Taliban] are hunting down people right now, trying to get all the names of anyone they perceive as an enemy, Eubank said, adding that the enemies include people who work with the U.S. government, people who are with other governments, people who work with nongovernmental organizations they dont agree with.
Father gets 11 years in prison for drowning daughter in church baptismal pool

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A judge in northern California has sentenced a man to 11 years in prison for drowning his 4-year-old daughter in the baptismal pool of a Catholic church while high on methamphetamine.

Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Robert LaForge took just three minutes Wednesday to sentence Gerardo Mendoza Ordaz to 11 years in prison for voluntary manslaughter for drowning his daughter Maria Jose Ordaz Chavarria five years ago. The drowning took place in a cross-shaped pool inside St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Healdsburg on Nov. 20, 2016, The Press Democrat reported.

Ordaz agreed to plead no contest to voluntary manslaughter and child abuse charges in lieu of a murder charge, which could have led to a 25 years-to-life sentence. Ordaz faced a charge of child abuse for the emotional trauma inflicted on his son, now 14, who witnessed the killing of his sister.

Certainly, Im going to give you the maximum allowed by law based on what I read, the judge said. There were a couple things that were concerning. Your statement was concerning, minimizing. I want you to know that.

After smoking methamphetamine and going without sleep for three days, Ordaz started believing that his two youngest children as well as himself were being attacked by evil. He walked the children a mile and a half away from their home to St. Johns on the evening of Nov. 20, 2016 and looked for a priest.

After he couldnt find a priest, Ordaz took his daughter and his 9-year-old son to the churchs cross-shaped baptismal pool filled with one to two feet of water, believing the holy water would drive away the spirits in himself and his children. He told police that he drank the holy water and told his children to drink the water, too.

According to a written report prepared by a probation officer, Ordaz claimed that he just gave her water and never submerged her. He commented that when he gave her water, her hair went up (levitated) and he was afraid, so he gave her more water with his hand, as per court documents. He alleged that after she drowned and made a noise, he carried her body to the nearby police station and sought assistance.

Thats how this tragedy happened, Ordaz recalled, claiming his daughter did not cry or scream before she died. Local news outlet KTVU reported that Ordaz stood naked in the police stations parking lot yelling help and police in Spanish. While Maria was fully clothed and drenched with holy water, his son was only wearing shorts.

After the incident, Ordaz went to a state hospital for mental treatment. He was brought back to police in 2019, when doctors concluded that his mental health had been restored. He later expressed some degree of remorse for what happened, acknowledging that he had some part in the incident.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says anyone denied organ transplant due to COVID vaccine status will get care in his state

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbotts office has announced the state will not require people in need of life-saving organ transplants to get the COVID-19 vaccine in order to receive treatment.

Abbotts office told Fox News in a statement that, regarding people seeking necessary organ transplants, vaccines remain voluntary and never forced.

Anyone being denied critical, life-saving organ transplants is welcome here in Texas, where ones rights and freedoms are always protected, Abbotts office said.

Wesley J. Smith of the conservative publication The National Review commended Texas for their decision while denouncing denials of organ transplants on the basis of vaccination status.

So, which state really cares about the well-being of these very ill patients? Clearly, Texas. But dont expect the usual media suspects and critics to give the state credit, wrote Smith.

That would interfere with the false narrative that rejecting mandates is akin to killing people, even though Colorados transplant refusals more aptly fit that description.

Smith was alluding to the highly publicized decision by UCHealth to prohibit organ transplants for patients who refused to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

UCHealth spokesperson Kelly Tracer told USA Today that, "in almost all situations, transplant recipients and living donors" in their system "are now required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in addition to meeting other health requirements."

Organ transplant patients must undergo a host of requirements before being allowed to receive a new organ, according to Tracer, in order to better guarantee a successful transplant.

Patients may also be required to avoid alcohol, stop smoking, or prove they will be able to continue taking their anti-rejection medications long after their transplant surgery, Tracer also told USA Today.

These requirements increase the likelihood that a transplant will be successful and the patient will avoid rejection.

According to a review article published in January by Yorg Azzi et al., individuals seeking organ transplantation procedures may be at high risk from COVID-19 disease due to chronic immunosuppressive treatment and other medical comorbidities.

In addition to high rates of complications and mortality attributable to COVID-19 infections, the pandemic has also led to additional complexities in transplantation, read the review article abstract.

Transplant activity during a pandemic should be tailored with careful selection of both donors and recipients.

In recent weeks, several reports have emerged out of Colorado where hospitals have denied unvaccinated patients organ transplants.

Colorados UCHealth recently told Dawn McLaughlin, a woman with polycystic kidney disease, she was removed from the waitlist to receive a transplant because she hadnt gotten the COVID vaccine, CBS4 reported.

Also in October, Colorado woman, Leilani Lutali, was told her hospital won't approve her kidney transplant surgery to remedy her stage 5 kidney disease until she's gotten the COVID-19 vaccine, according to a report from The Associated Press.
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If abortion industry activists came with a Surgeon Generals warning, it might read, WARNING: Unconstitutional laws targeting pro-life pregnancy centers may be hazardous to state and municipal budgets.

Why? In their zeal to implement abortion on demand until birth, the abortion industry has increasingly pressured state and local governments to discriminate against pro-life pregnancy centers. Since 2014, this has resulted in state and local governments paying more than $2.3 million in costly judgments after enacting unconstitutional regulations targeting pro-life pregnancy centers.

The state of Connecticut could be next, having passed a law earlier this year forcing pro-life pregnancy centers to comply with state-approved speech or face punishment. The law allows the Connecticut attorney general to force pro-life pregnancy centers to adopt corrective advertising based on whether or not he approves of their pro-life message.

The U.S. Supreme Court found a similar California law to be unconstitutional in 2018.

Why does the abortion industry try so hard to regulate pro-life pregnancy centers, even in the face of repeated legal defeats? Probably because when women who are considering an abortion receive an ultrasound from a pro-life pregnancy center, they overwhelmingly make a decision for life, according to the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates.

The abortion industry feels threatened by more than 2,700 pro-life pregnancy centers in the United States which provide millions of Americans with high-quality services, usually at no cost, totaling hundreds of millions of dollars worth of benefits to their communities each year. Clients of pro-life pregnancy centers also report very high satisfaction rates upwards of 97%.

Are these laws necessary? Having personally testified and observed testimony in numerous hearings on such legislation, I have never witnessed a single actual client of a pro-life pregnancy center testify negatively regarding the services and treatment she received.

Yet despite the positive community impact, the strategic plan to impede the work of pro-life pregnancy centers started over two decades ago. In 2000, the extreme pro-abortion group NARAL Foundation published and privately distributed its third edition of Unmasking Fake Clinics, a booklet providing step-by-step details designed to target and discredit pregnancy centers, including sending spies acting as clients to manipulate volunteers and providing phone scripts for abortion activists to do the same.

In the late 2000s, multiple pro-abortion groups rallied around NARALs tactics. From 2008 to 2010, eight states  including Maryland, Michigan, New York, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia  introduced unnecessary and hostile legislation to regulate pro-life pregnancy centers. All the bills failed, usually at the committee level.

After so many defeats at the state level, the abortion industry turned its efforts to bully pro-life pregnancy centers by advocating for regulations at the local level. In doing so, they failed to warn public officials that passing such patently unconstitutional bills would subject their jurisdictions to costly lawsuits. Indeed, four jurisdictions enacted regulations that discriminate against pro-life pregnancy centers and all four saw significant judgments against them.

NIFLA v. Becerra, where California was ordered to pay $399,000 to compensate for pro-life pregnancy centers legal fees.

Centro Tepeyac v. Montgomery County, where Montgomery County, Maryland paid $375,000 in attorneys fees and nominal damages.

Greater Baltimore Center for Pregnancy Concerns, Inc. v. Mayor and City Council of Baltimore, where Baltimore paid a pro-life pregnancy center $1.1 million to cover legal fees.

The City of Austin settled one attorneys fee claim for an unknown amount after pro-life pregnancy center attorneys filed with the court to recover $997,144.95, with another attorney organization reporting being paid $480,000 in attorneys fees by the city.

The latest target of these abortion industry manipulations is pro-life pregnancy centers in Connecticut, where after rejecting attempts to discriminate against pregnancy centers over the last several years, the legislature ultimately passed legislation targeting them this year.

Despite being warned in public testimony, Connecticut is now subject to a potentially costly lawsuit filed by Care Net Pregnancy Resource Center of Southeastern Connecticut, which is represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom. It is worth noting that Connecticut was encouraged to pass the 2021 bill despite the U.S. Supreme Courts 2018 decision in NIFLA v. Becerra that found a similar California law unconstitutional.

Public testimony for the 2021 Connecticut bill included representatives of notorious pro-abortion organizations, including NARAL Pro-Choice CT, ACLU Connecticut, American Atheists, and Connecticut Womens Education and Legal Fund. Notably, none of these pro-abortion testimonies warned Connecticut legislators of the futility of prior attempts to discriminate against pro-life pregnancy centers or of the resulting costly court judgments, though other testimonies did make this point clear.

The abortion industrys abuse of the legislative process in this manner is flagrant malevolence. It accomplishes nothing for either the women of Connecticut or its already burdened taxpayers.
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Editor's note: A few hours ago, The Christian Post received a copy of this resignation letter from Rod D. Martin, a member of the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee. We felt that amid the continuing controversy in the convention over waving attorney-client privilege, it would be helpful for our readers to have the context and the perspective provided by this letter of resignation.

Dear Dr. Floyd:

It is with enormous frustration and regret that I hereby submit to you my resignation from the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention. I am one of at least 14 EC members to do so thus far, as well as multiple officers, staff members (including yourself), and our legal counsel of 56 years. There will be more.

I have strongly resisted this decision over the last few weeks, but it is now forced upon me by legal counsel for several of the nonprofit and for-profit entities on whose boards I serve. It is their strongly worded counsel that the legal ramifications of my continuance on a board which has deliberately chosen to breach its legal and fiduciary duties poses an unacceptable risk to those entities which they and I serve.

I support the investigation, for the reasons you stated prior to the Annual Meeting. It is necessary to find any wrongdoing that may have occurred, as well as to clear the names of the innocent.

But I also wish to make clear, as I have done in open and executive sessions, the needless foolishness of the specific course chosen. As we were advised by counsel, the Executive Committee had multiple paths by which it could comply with the will of the messengers while also fulfilling its legal obligations. The either-or presented to us was political, not real.

Worse still is that the messengers were deceived. They were told that attorney-client privilege exists to hide wrongdoing, which is manifestly false and subversive of due process. They were told that a blanket waiver of that privilege was a best practice, when it is no such thing: the Department of Justices most recent guidelines prohibit U.S. Attorneys from even requesting privilege be waived.

In fact, even Guidepost Solutions other clients do not normally waive, as their representative admitted. The messengers were led to believe that waiver is perfectly normal and necessary, and yet eight separate lawyers advised us that, as former U.S. Attorney Paul Coggins put it, waiver is not a best practice, its not a standard practice: its malpractice.

Even as we speak, Al Mohler  whose seminary is the locus of the two most visible cases of alleged sex abuse, those of Jennifer Lyell and Hannah Kate Williams  has employed Guidepost, but has not waived privilege. No one bats an eye.

By contrast, the messengers were not told  as we were, unanimously, by eight separate lawyers  that waiver of privilege in the form demanded would void the Executive Committees insurance. The messengers were not told that it would render the SBC itself uninsurable.

The messengers were certainly not told that losing our insurance would gravely limit our ability to compensate any victims the investigation might find.

The messengers were not told that virtually all of the ECs professional people and many of its pastors would have to resign from the EC if this measure was adopted. The messengers were not told why: that both the EC as a whole and all of its individual members have very specific legal duties which cannot be waived, that a blanket waiver of privilege breached those duties in multiple ways, and that none of it can be undone. As one pastor put it, once waived, always waived.

These are technical matters of great legal consequence. The Convention leadership knew they were coming. Yet while they arranged to have an attorney on hand to inform the messengers of their opinion (contradicted by Roberts Rules of Order) that Tom Ascols motion to rescind Resolution 9 might (I stress might) violate procedure, they did nothing to provide the messengers with legal counsel as to the unintended consequences of an act that in many respects violates the law. They chose not to allow the messengers the slightest chance to make an informed decision.

They knew they would pay no price. But other, innocent people surely will pay that price, as plaintiffs lawyers with dishonest agendas use the ECs uninsurability to bankrupt impoverished members and staff with legal fees, to compel false yet sworn testimony of hierarchicalism, all to steal billions of widows mites from our seminaries, missionaries and childrens homes.

And it all began with one mans political agenda, Russell Moore, a mandatory reporter who claims to have known of children being raped for twenty long months, who still hasnt notified law enforcement of a single name. ERLC trustee Jonathan Whiteheads whistleblower letter tells the whole sad story. Like so many disgruntled employees before him, Russell chose to burn down the house on his way out the door (to join the pastoral staff of a paedobaptist church, no less), and his allies were all too happy to help him.

An investigation is necessary. But a serious investigation should ask why, if Russells allegations are true, he has covered them up for nearly two years.

It is the Executive Committees duty, as the Conventions fiduciary, to ensure we do not burn down the village to save it. This is precisely why we have a trustee system: to carefully weigh in detail that which cannot even be meaningfully discussed in just a few minutes once a year. In this, the Executive Committee has absolutely failed.

The SBC is in grave danger. We will have to do Herculean things to save it. And we must: we educate a third of the seminary students in America and field the largest missionary force in the world. We cannot allow this enormous force for good to be destroyed, whether by vile, wicked sex abusers whove violated the ultimate trust, or by foolish, self-serving leaders whove exposed the church to needless danger. We can punish the guilty while saving our churches and our Convention. We must.

I am entirely committed to our SBC. I will stand in that fight as long as the Lord allows. Just not, for now, as a member of the Executive Committee.
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In his fascinating new book, Hegels Century, intellectual historian Jon Stewart comments that Hegels Lectures on the Philosophy of Religion ends on an uncharacteristically dour note: Hegel writes that the 1820s witnessed a rise in anxiety and despair because cultural symbols and institutions began to lose their meaning, plunging the world into a state of random flux.

Of course, this is all the more true of our own world, where old symbols  national flags, national anthems, national narratives  have lost their shared meaning, and have thus also lost their authority. Which flag to fly  Stars and Stripes or Pride? Which anthem to sing  Star Spangled Banner or Lift Every Voice and Sing? Where to date Americas founding  1776 or 1619? These are now serious questions.

For Christians, this flux is not too surprising. Here we have no lasting city, as the New Testament tells us. Earthly cities come and go; the city of God remains. But what happens when the earthly presence of the city of God  The Church  loses confidence in her sacred symbols?

Stewarts book arrived on the same day I noticed a courageous article by Mary Frances Myler, an undergraduate at Notre Dame, on her universitys approach to LGBTQ activism. The articles existence should be a rebuke to the officer class of American Christianity, so many members of which remain silent on such issues. As Rod Dreher observed, the article highlights the pitiful leadership of the church, one incapable of withstanding what is to come. Yet here is a young woman potentially risking her career and more in order to stand for truth and state the obvious: Christianity and Pride activism cannot be reconciled.

The article features a striking picture of a Catholic priest wearing a rainbow stole at a Coming Out Day Celebration on Notre Dames campus. Myler quotes the priest: My presence at this event was simply to affirm, support, and celebrate the dignity of every human person as a child of God. We prayed in gratitude for the unique gift that every person is [and] for an end to discrimination.

The priest was no doubt sincere in this. But his personal motives are of little significance compared to the rainbow-colored stole that he wore: It is a deathwork. And deathworks are just as lethal to the faith as any explicit denial of Christian teaching.

Deathwork is a term used by sociologist Philip Rieff. It refers to the act of using the sacred symbols of a previous era in order to subvert, and then destroy, their original significance and purpose. Rieff uses Andres Serranos notorious 1987 picture Piss Christ to illustrate this. The work is a photograph of something considered sacredin this case a crucifixsubmerged in the artists own urine. As Rieff puts it, in Serrano's photo the sacramental has been made excremental. Or, to borrow a phrase from Marx  that which was holy has been profaned.

So how is the priests stole a deathwork? To Jews and Christians, the rainbow has sacred significance. In the Bible, God places a rainbow in the sky after Noahs flood as a sign of his covenant promise not to wipe humanity from the earth in another act of judgment. It is a sacred sign  just as circumcision, baptism, and the Lords Supper also have powerful, holy significance.

It is one thing for someone unaware of the biblical narrative and the sacred significance of the rainbow to adopt it as a sign. This is likely the case for many LGBTQ individuals. To them, the rainbow signifies the spectrum of identities that their alliance contains, and is therefore a symbol of inclusion. But it is quite another thing for Christians, especially priests and ministers, to use the rainbow as a means of acknowledging the LGBTQ movement  or to express any level of solidarity with it, especially in a religious context. Such actions are deathworks, the willing subversion of the sacred in the service of the profane.

The priests and ministers who perform them are simply helping the church become just like our world: a place where the sacred symbols that give church life meaning are degraded and parodied until nothing but chaos remains, and the things intended to remind Christians of Gods faithfulness become objects of ridicule. No Christian, let alone a priest or minister, should be involved in such evil.

Long ago, Nietzsches Madman asked the rhetorical question, What after all are these churches now if they are not the tombs and sepulchers of God? Sadly, it seems that too many of the gravediggers these days are members of the clergy.

Originally published in First Things.
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In the lead-up to next months gubernatorial election in Virginia, more than 300 churches are planning to show a pre-recorded campaign video featuring Vice President Kamala Harris in their morning worship service. In the video  which will be shown in predominantly African American churches  Harris encourages congregants to vote for Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe, Virginias former governor, who is in a tight and closely-watched race with Republican nominee Glenn Youngkin.

In the video, Harris says, In 2020, more Virginians voted than ever before. And because you did, you helped send President Joe Biden and me to the White House. This year, I know that you will send Terry McAuliffe back to Richmond. The vice president concludes her message by outlining why she believes congregants should vote for McAuliffe and asking them to vote after church.

Although CNN reported on the campaign advertisement this past weekend, coverage of churches plans to show the video was relatively sparse. But besides some social media discussion that questioned the propriety of playing campaign videos during a church service, the story appears to have faded from the news. However, the incident raises some important questions regarding churches and campaigns that Christians and especially pastors should consider.

First, Harris campaign video likely runs afoul of the Johnson Amendment to the IRS code. According to IRS regulations, churches are not allowed to engage in direct political campaign activity. Under the section Charities, Churches and Politics on their website, the IRS explains:

"Currently, the law prohibits political campaign activity by charities and churches by defining a 501(c)(3) organization as one 'which does not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.'

To be clear, FRC is on record opposing the Johnson Amendments application to a pastors sermons because no government entity has the right to censor speech, whether in or out of the pulpit. That is almost certainly a violation of the First Amendment, but the IRS has not brought an enforcement action against a church sufficient to produce a successful constitutional challenge in court.

However, it is ironic that after months of issuing dire warnings about Christian Nationalism and the dangers of conflating religion and politics, the left is now actively engaging in the very campaign tactics they decry when practiced by those on the right. In fact, it is the height of hypocrisy to fuss about the separation of church and state and say conservative pastors should not engage the political process when they promote a campaign-style video designed to drum up support for Democrat Terry McAuliffe in churches.

But the controversy over the Harris video raises important questions: to what extent and in what ways is it appropriate for churches to engage in politics? How should pastors guide their congregations through elections? Before answering these questions, it is helpful to recall some truths about the church.

Theologian Gregg Allison defines the church as the people of God who have been saved through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ and have been incorporated into his body through baptism with the Holy Spirit. While the universal Church consists of every Christian since Pentecost, local churches, led by elders and deacons, possess and pursue purity and unity, exercise church disciple, develop strong connections with other churches, and celebrate the ordinances of baptism and the Lords Supper. In other words, a local church is a congregation of believers who have covenanted together and are committed to the regular means of grace, including the regular preaching and teaching of Scripture, observance of the ordinances, and fellowship.

In terms of purpose, the church exists to fulfill several important spiritual purposes. Theologian Wayne Grudem breaks down these purposes in terms of ministry to God, ministry to believers, and ministry to the world. First, when it comes to God, the churchs purpose is to worship him. Second, the church has an obligation to nurture the faith of its members and build them up in maturity (Col. 1:28). This primarily occurs through the regular preaching and teaching of the Bible. Third, churches are called to evangelize the lost and engage in mercy ministry (such as helping the poor and needy).

Although most people (including many Christians) are not accustomed to thinking deeply about the church, it is crucial for Christians to think biblically about the church. To this end, Scripture employs several helpful metaphors and images to describe the church. The church is a family (1 Tim. 5:1-2, Eph. 3:14), branches on a vine (John 15:5), an olive tree (Rom. 11:17-24), and a building (1 Cor. 3:9). Paul refers to the church as the bride of Christ (Eph. 5:32, 2 Cor. 11:2).



The body of Christ is another familiar metaphor that Paul uses to express the close relationship between believers in the church and their relationship with Christ (Eph. 1:22-23, Col. 2:19). Paul, while addressing the Ephesian elders, cautioned, Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood (Acts 20:28). For Paul, the church is the most significant reality on earth because Jesus purchased it with His own blood. Accordingly, those tasked with its leadership must recognize the weighty responsibility entrusted to them.

In short, because the church is the blood-bought bride of God tasked with the responsibility of bearing witness to the saving news of the Gospel, I believe churches should carefully scrutinize how much time is spent on topics outside the worship of God and the equipping of the saints through the word of God. Of course, this does not mean that churches or church leaders should withdraw from politics. Far from it. While politics carries with it a certain image, the word, properly understood, actually gets at how groups of humans organize their affairs. In this sense, politics is intimately connected to community  how we relate to other people  and is inextricable from the concept of loving ones neighbor, which Christians are called to do. Further, politics implicates issues of moral importance to all Christians.

As Ive explained in Biblical Principles for Political Engagement, voting is a matter of stewardship, and Christians should seek to vote in a way that honors God and advances the wellbeing of their neighbor. For pastors, there is an additional responsibility. I believe churches ought to actively ensure that their members are educated on the issues. Pastors should preach expositionally through books of the Bible, ensuring they preach the whole counsel of Gods Word. Preaching through Scripture will have the effect of informing the conscience of congregations and help church members think faithfully about a host of public policy issues. Moreover, I think it is appropriate for churches to encourage good voting stewardship by conducting voter registration drives and distributing voter guides among their members.

Of course, wisdom and discernment are needed when it comes to how pastors think about politics and disciple their people. Conservative pastors should be aware of the potential for hypocrisy when liberals criticize them for engaging in politics while playing campaign-style videos in their own churches. Yet regardless of their individual judgments, pastors should be free to speak. The First Amendment protects speech, and the Johnson Amendment and IRS guidance have historically had a chilling and stifling effect on pastors speech.

At the end of the day, even though churches should have greater freedom and flexibility constitutionally, they should carefully and prayerfully consider how to steward their freedom well. Christians should engage politically, but that engagement must be done biblically, which is why churches (and particularly pastors) need to be wise and discerning, especially during election season.

Originally published at the Family Research Council.
Families of kidnapped missionaries in Haiti preach forgiveness as gang leader threatens to kill loved ones

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Family members of the 17 missionaries kidnapped by the 400 Mawozo gang in Haiti preached forgiveness for their kidnappers days after Wilson Joseph, the gangs leader, threatened to put a bullet in the heads of their loved ones if his $17 million ransom demand for their release isnt met.

The 400 Mawozo gang kidnapped the missionaries, which include 16 Americans, one Canadian and five children on Oct. 16, while they were working with Christian Aid Ministries. The gang has demanded $1 million each for their safe return.

Despite the threat of execution, Christian Aid Ministries said in a statement on Saturday that the families are united in their desire to follow Jesus teaching of forgiveness.

As a group of Christians, our King [Jesus] said that He is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance, an unidentified family member shared. That is our desire for the men who are part of the gang.

While negotiations for the missionaries' release continue between the gang and officials in the troubled Caribbean nation and the U.S., a video of Joseph, which began circulating on social media last Thursday, showed the crime boss wasn't pleased with the pace of negotiations.

I swear by thunder that if I dont get what Im asking for, I will put a bullet in the heads of these Americans, Joseph threatened, according to a translation cited by Bloomberg Quicktake.

The gang leader further threatened Haitis Prime Minister Ariel Henry, as well as the chief of Haitis National Police, Leon Charles. Bloomberg noted that Josephs speech was made in front of open coffins that apparently held several members of his gang who were recently killed.

You guys make me cry. I cry water. But Im going to make you guys cry blood, he said.

Henrys office announced on Thursday that Charles resigned and has been replaced by another top police official, Frantz Elbe, The Wall Street Journal reported.

When asked about the missionaries during a press briefing last Thursday, Karine Jean-Pierre cited recent comments made by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the matter.

We have in the administration been relentlessly focused on this, including sending a team to Haiti from the State Department; working very closely with the FBI, which is the lead in these kinds of matters; in constant communication with the Haitian National Police, the church that the missionaries belong to, as well as the Haitian government. And we will do everything that we can to help resolve the situation, Blinken said.

Since the kidnapping of the missionaries, Haitians have taken to the streets demanding their release. Schools and most businesses were closed for several days in Port-au-Prince last week, according to The Haitian Times, following a call for a general strike to protest kidnappings and widespread insecurity, which followed the assassination of the countrys late President Jovenel Moise in July.

In his comments on Haitian insecurity, Blinken said the U.S. is working with local officials to improve the situation on the ground.

We have been working closely with the Haitian National Police to try to build their capacity, as well as help put in place programs that can effectively deal with the gangs. But its a very challenging and long-term process. Were focused on it, but is it absolutely essential that this security dynamic change if Haiti is going to make real progress, he said.
Radical and innovative: Cezannes love letter to a coastal French paradise

A painting of Paul Cezannes sanctuary, LEstaque, represents the artist at the height of an intense surge of creativity

LEstaque aux toits rouges by Paul Cezanne is one of the finest views of LEstaque, the Provencal fishing village where the artist forged a radical new way of depicting the world around him. Exhibited in 1936 and hidden away ever since, this remarkable piece will finally come back on view as part of The Cox Collection: The Story of Impressionism, taking place at Christies New York on 11 November. While Cezanne is primarily associated with Aix-en-Provence, the village of LEstaque near Marseille was a place that he returned to again and again when he sought sanctuary. His relationship with the village began when he holidayed there as a child with his mother. Then, in 1870, when Cezanne left Paris to avoid conscription into the army following the start of the Franco-Prussian War, he escaped to LEstaque.



Paul Cezanne (1839-1906), LEstaque aux toits rouges, 1883-85. Oil on canvas. 25 3/4 x 32 in (65.5 x 81.4 cm). Estimate: $35,000,000-55,000,000. Offered in The Cox Collection: The Story of Impressionism on 11 November at Christies in New York

In 1878, Cezanne once again fled to LEstaque to avoid the disapproval of his father, who had discovered Cezannes semi-secret family life with his unwed partner Hortense and their illegitimate son, Paul. It was in this town, secluded from his family and the art world of Paris, that Cezanne painted some of the most innovative landscapes of his career. From the Musee Picasso, Paris to the Museum of Modern Art, New York, many of these vistas of the sea seen beyond LEstaque are now housed in museum collections around the world. LEstaque aux toits rouges is one of six landscapes of this view to remain in private hands. LEstaque aux toits rouges is one of the emblematic works of that time. Painted between 1883 and 1885, when Cezanne was in his mid-forties, it shows how, through intense observation, Cezanne transformed the landscape into planes and facets of colour. Shadows are gone and the Provencal light is depicted through a brighter palette, while the balance between the trees, buildings and the flat blue sea vibrates at a perfect tension, evoking the intense heat of the south.

Left: Paul Cezanne, LEstaque, 1879-83. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Right: Paul Cezanne, La mer a LEstaque derriere les arbres, 1878-79. Musee Picasso, Paris

Max Carter, Head of Christies Impressionist and Modern Art department in New York, says that the painting incorporates warm Mediterranean light in its purest form as well as the solid architectural forms that mark Cezannes career. He describes it as one of the key expressions that would lead, 30 years later, to Cubism. It is radical and innovative, says Carter. What others in the Impressionist movement were doing was capturing the immediate effect of light, what Cezanne was doing was looking at how we perceive objects. This would have a profound effect on painters who followed Cezanne, as later visits to LEstaque by artists such as Georges Braque show. [In this painting], he breaks down the colour and the structures stroke by stroke, colour by colour, Carter continues. The Cubists took these explorations to their terminal conclusion.

Les Bouches-du-Rhone illustrees, c. 1935. Photograph courtesy of Fonds Alain Mothe - Societe Paul Cezanne

The intense light and striking landscape of LEstaque provided Cezanne with the path towards this artistic aim. Now working predominantly from elevated viewpoints, he began to capture nature in an increasingly simplified and monumental manner. LEstaque enabled Cezanne to reconsider how he portrayed the world. Its like a playing card, he wrote to his friend and mentor Camille Pissarro in 1876. Red roofs against the blue sea Its olive trees and pines, which always keep their leaves. The sun here is so frightful that it seems to me the objects are silhouetted not in white or black, but in blue, red, brown, violet. I could be wrong, but it seems to me that this is the opposite of modeling.

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The third-quarter 2021 earnings season is in full swing. Market participants have high expectations from this reporting cycle as overall earnings of corporate America are likely to remain robust after skyrocketing in the second quarter.

Results are pretty encouraging so far despite prolonged supply-chain disruptions, a labor shortage, higher inflationary pressure and the resurgence of the Delta variant of the coronavirus. The earnings scenario is improving as we are entering deep into the reporting cycle.

Third-quarter 2021 was not a good one for mid-cap stocks. The mid-cap-specific S&P 400 Index fell 2.1%, mainly due to a market meltdown in September.

Nevertheless, five mid-cap growth stocks with a favorable Zacks Rank are poised to beat on earnings within the next week. The combination of a likely earnings beat, a favorable Zacks Rank and strong growth potential augur well for these stocks price movement in the long-term.

Impressive Third-Quarter Earnings So Far

As of Oct 27, 192 S&P 500 companies reported third-quarter results. Total earnings of these companies are up 37.6% year over year on 15.3% higher revenues with 82.3% beating EPS estimates and 74% surpassing revenue estimates. The proportion of these 192 index members beating both EPS and revenue estimates is 64.1%.

At present, total third-quarter earnings of the market's benchmark  the S&P 500 Index  are projected to jump 35.9% from the same period last year on 14.5% higher revenues. This suggests a steady improvement from 26.1% earnings growth on 14% higher revenues, estimated at the beginning of the reporting cycle.

Earnings results of the first two quarters of this year were favorably impacted since the corresponding quarters of last year were affected by the pandemic-led lockdowns and restrictions. This was evident from 95% year-over-year earnings growth on 25.3% higher revenues in the second quarter and 49.3% year-over-year earnings growth on 10.3% higher revenues in first-quarter 2021.

Nevertheless, the U.S. economy started reopening partially albeit at a languid pace since the third quarter of 2020. Notwithstanding favorable comparisons with last year, third-quarter 2021 earnings estimates reflect genuine growth, climbing more than 23% from the pre-pandemic third-quarter of 2019.

Our Top Picks

We have narrowed down our search to five mid-cap (market capital >$2 billion Growth Score A and a positive Earnings ESP. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Our research shows that for stocks with the combination of a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better and a positive Earnings ESP, the chance of an earnings beat is as high as 70%. These stocks are anticipated to appreciate after earnings releases. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before theyre reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

The chart below shows the price performance of our five picks in the last quarter.

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Carter's Inc. CRI designs, sources, and markets branded childrenswear under the Carter's, OshKosh, Skip Hop, Child of Mine, Just One You, Simple Joys, Carter's little baby basics, and other brands in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: U.S. Retail, U.S. Wholesale, and International.

Better marketing, enhanced pricing and robust product portfolio benefitted the company. The company lifted its 2021 view and issued an upbeat third-quarter view. Continued momentum in online demand, driven by expanded products, and a new mobile app bode well.

This Zacks Rank #2 company has an Earnings ESP of +0.71%. It has an expected earnings growth rate of 76.4% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings improved 0.7% over the last 30 days.

It recorded earnings surprises in three out of the last four reported quarters, with an average beat of 191.7%. The company is set to release third-quarter 2021 earnings results on Oct 29, before the opening bell.

Ralph Lauren Corp. RL designs, markets and distributes lifestyle products in North America, Europe, Asia, and internationally. The company is progressing well with its Next Great Chapter plan that was announced in June 2018. This strategic growth plan focuses on delivering sustainable long-term growth and value creation.

The company has gained from solid performance across the Europe and North America regions and its brand strength. Fast recovery across North America and Europe due to the easing of restrictions aided its businesses. Based on digital strength with higher AURs and the ability to translate top-line growth to operating margin expansion, the company has raised its view for fiscal 2022.

This Zacks Rank #1 company has an Earnings ESP of +5.58%. It has an expected earnings growth rate of more than 100% for the current year (ending March 2022). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings improved 0.6% over the last 7 days.

It recorded earnings surprises in the last four reported quarters, with an average beat of 91.4%. The company is set to release second-quarter fiscal 2022 earnings results on Nov 2, before the opening bell.

Synaptics Inc. SYNA develops and supplies semiconductor products and solutions worldwide. The company is a leader in designing and marketing human interface solutions such as touchpads for notebook computers, capactive touch screen controllers for handsets and biometric fingerprint sensors for mobile devices.

This Zacks Rank #2 company has an Earnings ESP of +0.38%. It has an expected earnings growth rate of 21.1% for the current year (ending June 2022). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings improved 1.2% over the last 30 days.

It recorded earnings surprises in the last four reported quarters, with an average beat of 8.1%. The company is set to release first-quarter fiscal 2022 earnings results on Nov 4, after the closing bell.

The Chemours Co. CC is a leading provider of performance chemicals that are the key ingredients in end-products and processes across a host of industries. The company should gain from the strong adoption of the Opteon platform and its cost management actions.

The company is seeing higher demand for Opteon in mobile and stationery applications and is taking actions to drive adoption. The ramp-up of the Corpus Christi facility will allow the company to meet future demand. Chemours is also taking actions to reduce costs. Its productivity and operational improvement actions across its businesses are also expected to support its margins in 2021.

This Zacks Rank #2 company has an Earnings ESP of +1.26%. It has an expected earnings growth rate of 86.9% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings improved 0.4% over the last 7 days.

It recorded earnings surprises in the last four reported quarters, with an average beat of 238.9%. The company is set to release third-quarter 2021 earnings results on Nov 4, after the closing bell.

Cushman & Wakefield plc CWK is a real estate services firm. It acquires and develops commercial properties as well as provides property leasing, facilities management, tenant representation and valuation services.

The company provides commercial real estate services under the Cushman & Wakefield brand in the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company operates through the Americas, Europe, Middle East, and Africa, and Asia Pacific segments.

This Zacks Rank #1 company has an Earnings ESP of +14.09%. It has an expected earnings growth rate of 79% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings improved 0.7% over the last 7 days.

It recorded earnings surprises in three out of the last four reported quarters, with an average beat of 92.6%. The company is set to release third-quarter 2021 earnings results on Nov 4, after the closing bell.

Bitcoin, Like the Internet Itself, Could Change Everything

Blockchain and cryptocurrency has sparked one of the most exciting discussion topics of a generation. Some call it the Internet of Money and predict it could change the way money works forever. If true, it could do to banks what Netflix did to Blockbuster and Amazon did to Sears. Experts agree were still in the early stages of this technology, and as it grows, it will create several investing opportunities.

Zacks has just revealed 3 companies that can help investors capitalize on the explosive profit potential of Bitcoin and the other cryptocurrencies with significantly less volatility than buying them directly.

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There are businesses that, even with the pandemic and after it, had important achievements in sales and income. This is the case with the search giant, Google.

It posted its highest sales growth in more than a decade and nearly doubled its earnings in the third quarter. This is thanks to the fact that smaller companies invested money in digital ads aimed at customers who have mostly bought online.

Marketers turned to Google to promote their products, giving the company the quarterly sales growth it typically sees over a two-year period in a single year.

Its revenue increased 41% to $ 65.12 billion, its highest figure in 14 years. It made a profit of $ 21.03 billion, almost three times the profit made before the pandemic.

You may be interested: Google will allow photos of minors to be removed from the search

Part of these achievements are due to changes made by Google in conjunction with companies such as Apple Inc. These changes caused the performance of ads on Facebook Inc. and Snap Inc to decline, so many brands preferred to invest in advertising in Google.

YouTube has also been a key part of Google's advertising earnings. The video giant reported sales growth of 43%, which equates to $ 7.21 billion in the quarter. Google is close to generating as much revenue this year as Netflix Inc., valued at nearly $ 300 billion.

Google's challenges

Not all is good news for Google. You must face the lawsuits that have been filed against you in recent days. Last week, Texas and more than a dozen state attorneys general filed an antitrust complaint about how the company cuts advertising spend through its system by between 22% and 42%, two to four times more than advertising exchanges. from the competition.

In addition, Google faces antitrust lawsuits from the Department of Justice and a separate coalition of states, in which it is mentioned that the company has secret agreements to favor its search engine and advertising businesses and prevent the participation of its competitors. The company already makes changes to its business that address some regulatory criticism.

To diversify its business, the technology company is betting on novelties with potential that are still moving slowly. Its Verily Life Sciences unit, which conducts health research, has not generated the kind of transformative sales it would need.

Google's cloud computing business is by far the most promising. After large investments in recent years, the division has started to gain market share behind the leaders Amazon.com Inc. and Microsoft Corp., which account for 41% and 20% of the market, respectively. Google's cloud sales increased 45% to $ 4.99 billion.

Google expects the launch of its Fitbit products and Pixel phones, as well as YouTube subscriptions to be the main sources of its growth.

Copyright 2021 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
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Eddie F. Gonzalez, the 51-year-old Long Beach school safety officer who was filmed shooting teenager Mona Rodriguez, has been charged with murder by Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon. We must hold accountable the people we have placed in positions of trust to protect us, Gascon said Wednesday, announcing the charge. That is especially true for the armed personnel we traditionally have relied upon to guard our children on their way to and from and at school.

Rodriguez was shot outside of a Long Beach high school in late September. The 18-year-old was allegedly scuffling with another teen outside of Millikan High School when Gonzalez, who was on traffic duty near the school, attempted to intervene. As the altercation broke up, Rodriguez entered her boyfriends gray car in a nearby parking lot.

As seen in cell-phone video, the school safety officer approached the car, which peeled out, cutting close to the officers body. Despite a school district use of force policy that prohibits officers from shooting at fleeing suspects, from shooting into moving cars, and from shooting into car windows, Gonzalez fired two shots at the departing vehicle. At least one bullet hit Rodriguez in the back of the head, leaving her brain dead. She died a week later, following the donation of her organs. She left behind a six-month-old son.

The Long Beach school board fired Gonzalez on October 6th. We clearly saw areas where this employee violated District policy, and did not meet our expectations, said Superintendent Jill Baker. The next day, Long Beach police announced they were investigating the matter as a homicide.

As Rolling Stone reported, Rodriguez family had been seeking murder charges. The familys lawyer, Luis Carrillo, called the shooting totally unjustified and beyond atrocious adding of Gonzalez: He fucked up royally, totally. And he destroyed not only her brain, he destroyed an entire family.

Carrillo describes the arrest of Gonzalez the first step on the road to justice, but adds: the family still has an enormous amount of pain that Monas life was taken at such a young age, and this arrest will not bring Mona back.

Gonzalez arraignment in Los Angeles County Superior Court is expected Friday, according to the DAs office. Hes being held in a Long Beach jail with bail set at $2 million.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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Who knew that digging the Kinks could be so dangerous?

The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society (an album good enough to die for, truth be told) is one of the records that Eloise Turner (Thomasin McKenzie) stuffs into her suitcase when she gleefully packs for London. Eloise has long fantasized about living in the city, a dream built on the allure of London's 1960s swinging past. Her grandmother (Rita Tushingham), who raised her and supplied the piles of vinyl, watches Eloise's great expectations with trepidation. Eloise's mother embarked on a similar path, but years earlier killed herself.

It's not what you imagine, London, she says.

In Edgar Wrights Last Night in Soho, it doesn't take long for the modern-day London to disabuse Eloise of her romantic notions. The city's seedy underbelly she senses on her first cab ride. She arrives a naive fashion student, mocked by her classmates for her old-fashioned tastes. Eloise flees to a quiet apartment of her own, atop an old building in Soho, owned by an elderly landlady (the late Diana Rigg, in her final screen performance). There, she is magically transported to 60s London whenever she falls asleep and a bedside record player turns on. In her nighttime trips, she mirrors an aspiring chanteuse Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joy, soaking up the period style) on a glamorous romp through the heady era. But with time, her vicarious experience of the 60s turns dark. Not all was so swinging, it turns out, particularly for a beautiful young woman trying to make her way in nightclubs full of leering men.

The set-up of Last Night in Soho, which opens in theaters Friday, is smashing but gets squandered by the film's second half. There, a promising premise detours into a muddled murder mystery that stretches the supernatural concept too far to sustain. A movie that seemed determined to deconstruct genre tropes instead becomes overwhelmed by them.

It's a shame because the subject of overindulged nostalgia could be a fruitful one for any film in our much-recycled movie era. But it seems tailormade for Wright, the energetic and clever British filmmaker of playful genre combos like Shaun of the Dead and Baby Driver, whose movies are populated by affectionate film references and well-timed needle drops. Anyone can relate to the pull a fabled time has on Eloise, but Wright's own propensity for nostalgia seems to drive Last Night in Soho.

When Eloise is first transported to to 1965, Wright finds a way to make her present with Sandie, but not quite in the Christmas Carol ghostly way. Whenever Sandie passes a mirror, Eloise is reflected back. They are somehow spiritually intertwined. Initially, the experience is everything she's imagined. Sandy and a dashing well-connected man (Matt Smith) whirl through nighttime Soho, skipping under the bright marquee of Thunderball. (Fittingly, Last Night in Soho will appear in theaters alongside another Bond, more than 50 years later.)

Eloise soon can't wait to hop back into bed. But after a few nights, Sandy's hopeful start as a performer has been cynically sidetracked into a tawdry backup-dancer act. Backstage, the reality is significantly worse. Eloise's dream of the 60s turns into a nightmare. But just when you think Last Night in Soho is going to go deeper into Eloises nostalgia and relationship to her own present, she becomes almost zombie-fied by the harrowing visions. Her journey seems to run out midway through the movie.

The nightmare turns increasingly real, and even connects to certain figures in Eloise's modern day. Terence Stamp figures prominently, as he always does. But as much as his presence is electrifying, the character gives him little to work with. Michael Ajao plays a sweet student suitor of Eloise. That Last Night in Soho, which Wright wrote with Krysty Wilson-Cairns, dispels the allure of the 60s to Eloise isnt the problem. It's that once the movie, so vividly shot by cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung, reaches that conclusion, it bogs down with ghoulish B-movie jump scares.

But while neither of their character's gets enough depth, McKenzie and Taylor-Joy sustain Last Night in Soho," a movie filled with reflections to both past fiction horrors (Straight on Till Morning, Suspiria) and today's #MeToo terrors.

"Last Night in Soho, a Focus Features release, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America for bloody violence, sexual content, language, brief drug material and brief graphic nudity. Running time: 116 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.

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Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP
Bringing the Battleship Texas to Beaumont could cost up to $10 million or more, says Beaumont City Manager Kyle Hayes.

The figure was given at the end of Tuesdays City Council meeting  part of Hayes presentation of various financial information concerning the historical exhibit.

The ship is docked in La Porte, Texas  right outside of Houston. And its relocation is imminent.

Councilman Mike Getz and various community members have led a charge to get the ship to dock in Beaumont. But during a recent workshop where the issue was brought up, the cost of bringing the exhibit to the Neches River still was unclear.

A report was requested by Mayor Robin Mouton.

Theres a company called Lanier. Its a reputable engineering firm that does a lot of work for the Port of Beaumont, Hayes said. Their minimum cost to dock the ship was $5.2 million. But they made it clear that it could be $5.2 million to $8 million or $10 million or more. We dont know. That was the number one concern because local taxpayers would have to pay for that.

Whats more, Hayes said that those numbers are merely an estimate. In order to get an exact number, a firm like Lanier would have to actually engineer the project, which would cost up to an additional $800,000.

Beyond that, he noted additional potential costs, such as putting in a gift shop as requested by the Battleship Texas Foundation as well as a parking lot and perhaps a museum.

Whos going to pay for that? The local taxpayer? Hayes asked. I think we heard that the taxpayer is going to pay for that.

The state of Texas will put up $35 million to refurbish every part of the ship that rests below the water, as the hull as been leaking. This week, the Battleship Texas Foundation announced that the ship will be towed to a shipyard in Galveston for those repairs. But the parts visible above the water do not have a similar funding pledge.

Some council members have worked, tried to build up the riverfront for 30+ years. So, if you have a ship back there that may or may not look so good from the water level up, it's 300 yards long, Hayes said. Your view of the riverfront down here is  you don't have one. Youre looking at the side of a ship that is seven to ten stories high.

Mouton said she hopes the council comes to a decision about the Battleship Texas in the near future, but the residents of Beaumont need to understand the stakes of the decision.

By no means do we want anyone to think that the Battleship Texas is not being considered by the council, she said. It's just a lot of information, a lot of financial responsibility on the taxpayers, and that information needs to be transparent.

Ward IV Councilman Charles Durio later expressed concerns about how the attractions overall cost.

I dont know if well be able to recoup that, said the self-proclaimed history buff. This is between a rock and a hard place for myself, being a Navy veteran. But also, now Im on the city council. You have to be a good steward of taxpayer dollars.

After the meeting, Getz said Hayes was wrong about several things. He said the ship is about 300 ft. shorter than Hayes estimated and the suggested mooring location is closer to the Purple Heart Memorial Bridge, as opposed to at Riverfront Park by City Hall.

Getz also brought up an economic impact analysis drawn up by Deloitte, a consulting company, which he has mentioned previous council meetings and indicates the potential to receive more than $10 million a year in direct and indirect economic benefits from the ship.

Deloittes numbers, however, focus specifically on Galveston, a city already known for waterfront tourism. Those figures show the Battleship Texas would create 48 jobs, reap $9.1 million in economic impact output and bring in $2.1 million. Getz believes that because of the proximity of the two cities, Beaumont could fetch similar numbers.

Mouton isnt so sure. She emphatically stated that she loves history and has an appreciation for one of the oldest American ships out there. And she wants to bring tourism and money to the city. But the practical logistics of the project give her pause.

If the Houston area could not sustain 250,000 visitors a year, I dont see us having 250,000 visitors a year, she said. Is it worth us as a council risking the entire city and taxpayers dollars to see if one project will work in our city when Houston and Harris County couldnt do it?

rachel.kersey@beaumontenterprise.com

twitter.com/ontheREKord
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP)  The family of a interpreter who helped U.S. forces in Afghanistan are among the first Afghan evacuees heading to Rhode Island.

The family of six are scheduled to arrive in the state next week, WJAR-TV reported Thursday.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP)  An Alabama tax preparer has pleaded guilty to filing false returns on behalf of his clients and himself.

Jamichael D. Whiteside, 37, of Gadsden, entered the guilty plea Thursday in federal court, according to Northern District of Alabama U.S. Attorney Prim Escalona and IRS Criminal Investigations Atlanta Field Office Special Agent in Charge James Dorsey.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)  New Mexico was among the first states out of the gate when the COVID-19 vaccine push began. Now, top health officials say it looks like the state is among the first to see immunity from the shots wane.

Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. David Scrase said Wednesday during a briefing that waning immunity is among a long list of possible reasons the state is stuck on what officials described as an uncomfortable plateau. More than 72% of adults in the state are vaccinated and a mask mandate remains in effect for public indoor spaces but cases have yet to trend downward.

In a handful of New Mexico counties, state data shows roughly 4 out of 5 people are fully vaccinated and yet the rate of spread within those communities remains at unacceptably high levels. The data also shows that more than one-quarter of the new COVID-19 cases reported over the last four weeks were among vaccinated people, a number that is expected to rise as vaccine immunity wanes.

We don't know everything and it's become a real challenge, Scrase said. I was thinking I was sort of bulletproof when I was vaccinated. I don't think that anymore. I got my booster and as sort of my civic duty I'm still being twice as careful.

The other factor, he said, is the delta variant is more infectious than other strains since the virus' ability to find a new person to infect is very efficient. He called it a formidable foe.

State epidemiologist Dr. Christine Ross said health officials were talking early on about the magic number that needed to be hit for herd immunity. She said that number is elusive and that New Mexico obviously hasn't reached it. She repeatedly stressed that more people need to get vaccinated.

Only about 8% of adults have received boosters as that effort recently began. Asked how many people would need to get boosters to see a downtrend in cases, Scrase said officials don't know. He added that the primary strategy is to get the unvaccinated inoculated.

With nearly 960 cases reported Wednesday and another 15 deaths logged, officials said they dont expect New Mexico's public health mandates to be relaxed any time soon.

Scrase also said there has been no discussion about whether boosters would have to be mandated at some point. He explained that officials would be super careful about considering any changes when it comes to defining what it means to be fully vaccinated and would have to start at the ground up and really reconsider the pros and cons of those kinds of decisions.

State health officials also acknowledged that the virus is sure to mutate and that the vaccination strategy over time will have to chase those mutations.

We're trying to find a way to live with this virus until we find a better way to completely eradicate it, Scrase said.
CANBERRA, Australia (AP)  Australia on Thursday ruled out promising to cut methane emissions by 30% by the end of the decade in a stance that will add to criticism that the country is a laggard in addressing climate change.

Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor announced his governments decision before he was to fly with Prime Minister Scott Morrison to a U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland.

The United States and the European Union pledged in September to the 30% methane reduction target.

Taylor said the only way Australia could achieve that target would be to reduce numbers of cattle and sheep.

At present, almost half of Australias annual methane emissions come from the agriculture sector, where no affordable, practical and large-scale way exists to reduce it other than by culling herd sizes, Taylor wrote in The Australian newspaper.

What activists in Australia and elsewhere want is an end to the beef industry, he added.

Australia is one of the worlds largest exporters of coal and liquified natural gas. The gas and mining sector account for almost one third of Australias methane emissions.

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said his Nationals party, the conservative governments junior coalition partner, had insisted Morrison not commit to reducing methane at the Glasgow summit, known as COP26.

Inaction on methane was one of the conditions the rural-based Nationals had placed on support for Morrisons Liberal Partys target of net zero emissions by 2050.

The only way you can get your 30% by 2030 reduction in methane on 2020 levels would be to go and grab a rifle, go out and start shooting your cattle because its just not possible, Joyce said.

But Meat and Livestock Australia  a Sydney-based producer-owned company that provides marketing, research and development services to over 50,000 cattle, sheep and goat farmers  said the Australian red meat industry was pursuing its own net zero target for 2030.

This target means that by 2030, Australian beef, lamb and goat production, including lot feeding and meat processing, will make no net release of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, the company website said.

Morrisons net zero deal with the Nationals means he cannot budge from Australias 6-year-old target of reducing emissions by 26% to 28% below 2005 levels by 2030.

Scientists agree Australias 2030 targets are among the weakest in the developed world. The United States has committed to reductions of between 50% and 52% below 2005 levels. Britain has pledged to cut emissions by 68% below 1990 levels.

Critics argue that Morrisons plan to achieve net zero without imposing costs on households or businesses will not achieve the target and contains no measures to wean the Australian economy off fossil fuels.

Morrison and Joyce appeared to contradict each other on Thursday over the extent to which the agricultural sector will bear the burden of transitioning to net zero.

When Joyce was asked if he was certain that agriculture had been excluded from the net zero plan, he told reporters: Absolutely, 100%.

Morrison backed Taylor who earlier this week said the governments policy was to reduce emissions across the entire Australian economy.

I have no misunderstanding. Its a whole-of-economy emissions reduction plan, Morrison said. Thats the policy agreed by Cabinet.

Joyce said the net zero deal had also included a government commitment to create a fund to support people in regional Australia.

But neither Joyce nor Morrison would say how much the fund would cost.

Morrison said policies to invest in rural and regional Australia would be announced before the next election, which is due by May.
ROME (AP)  President Joe Biden promised to show the world that democracies can work to meet the challenges of the 21st century. As he prepares to push that message at a pair of global summits, his case could hinge on what's happening in Washington, where he was struggling to finalize a major domestic legislative package.

After a fitful day of talks over the fate of twin infrastructure and social spending bills that he cast as a choice between leading the world, or letting the world pass us by," Biden landed in Rome aboard Air Force One in the dark early Friday with the answer still undetermined.

Headed first to a Group of 20 summit in Rome and then to Glasgow, Scotland, for a U.N. climate summit, Biden will be pressed to deliver concrete ideas for stopping a global pandemic, boosting economic growth and halting the acceleration of climate change. Those stakes might seem a bit high for a pair of two-day gatherings attended by the global elite and their entourages. But it's written right into the slogan for the meeting in Rome: People, Planet, Prosperity.

It was a reflection of his promise to align U.S. diplomacy with the interests of the middle class. This has tied any success abroad to his efforts to get Congress to advance his environmental, tax, infrastructure and social policies. It could be harder to get the world to commit to his stated goals if Americans refuse to fully embrace them, one of the risks of Bidens choice to knit together his domestic and foreign policies.

Before leaving Washington, Biden pitched House Democrats to get behind a scaled-back $1.75 trillion framework that he believes could pass the 50-50 Senate. It remained to be seen whether lawmakers would embrace the package or send Biden back to the negotiating table, as some key priorities like paid family leave and steps to lower prescription drug costs were excised from the bill, which will be paid for with hiked taxes on the nation's wealthiest and corporations.

The rest of the world wonders whether we can function," Biden told the lawmakers, according to a source familiar with his remarks.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi invoked the trip as she tried to rally Democratic votes around the separate $1 trillion infrastructure package, attempting, unsuccessfully, to build support for a vote on Thursday before Biden arrived in Rome.

When the president gets off that plane we want him to have a vote of confidence from this Congress," she said. In order for us to have success, we must succeed today.

While Biden was in the air, Pelosi, facing opposition from progressives who also want assurances that the scaled-back social spending plan will pass, pulled the plug on a Thursday vote and instead set out to pass yet another stop-gap funding measure for a range of transportation initiatives.

Bidens trip abroad comes as he faces an increasingly pessimistic nation at home, and souring views of his handling of the nations economy. According to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, just 41% of Americans now approve of Bidens economic stewardship, down from 49% in August and a sharp reversal since March, when 60% approved.

Americans are split on Biden overall, with 48% approving and 51% disapproving of his handling of his job as president. Only about a third of Americans say the country is headed in the right direction, also a significant decline since earlier this year when about half said so.

One consequence of Biden's decision to so closely link up his domestic and foreign policies is that both are now at the mercy of West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin and Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, whose votes are essential in a Senate evenly split between Democrats and Republicans. Biden aides have hoped for, among other things, a more than $500 billion investment to combat climate change in the United States, which would help efforts to persuade China and other nations to make investments of their own in renewable energy.

Itd be very, very positive to get it done before the trip, Biden said Monday.

But as talks slogged on, administration officials began to play down the significance of Biden's spending plan still hovering in limbo. White House press secretary Jen Psaki stressed that the president can still work the phones from Rome, the city that gave birth to the word Senate. She suggested that foreign leaders can see beyond ongoing backroom talks with U.S. lawmakers in order to judge Bidens commitment.

They dont look at it through the prism of whether there is a vote in one body of the legislative body before he gets on an airplane, Psaki said.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan, though, has framed the bills as vital to the nation's security. Making these investments in American strength will be very important to our national security going forward, he said.

Reaching for a deal that has had a perilous journey thus far, the president is beginning his trip abroad with an expert in the power of prayer. Biden, the nations second Catholic president, will meet Friday with Pope Francis at the Vatican in a visit that is part personal for the intensely religious commander in chief and part policy, particularly around matters of climate and confronting autocracies.

Biden will also pay a visit to the Italian hosts of the G-20 summit before he sits down with French President Emmanuel Macron. Biden is trying to close a rift with France created when the U.S. and U.K. agreed to provide nuclear-powered submarines to Australia, supplanting a French contract in the process.

Biden is also expected to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who backed down just days ago from threats to expel Western diplomats and whose purchase of Russian surface-to-air missiles has upended his country's participation in the F-35 fighter program.

In those and other meetings, Biden is expected to address the Iranian nuclear threat, and Iran's announcement that it could return to talks next month in Vienna.

He is also set to continue to press wealthier U.S. allies to step up their commitments to share COVID-19 vaccines with lower- and middle-income countries. Some nations have been slow to deliver on ambitious pledges and others have largely stayed on the sidelines. Biden will argue that the pandemic can't be ended until vaccines are available widely, and that democracies can't let Chinese and Russian vaccine diplomacy  which often comes with strings attached  take root globally.

Biden will have little interaction with those two most significant of American rivals, as China's Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin participate in the summits only virtually because of the pandemic threat. Those two leaders are critical for broader climate issues at a time of rising energy prices. China has committed to increase coal mining ahead of winter, while Russia's natural gas reserves give it a degree of political power over parts of Europe.

Beyond the policies and personalities that will be prominent in Biden's trip, the president will be trying to make the case for democracy itself, arguing that essential aspects  fair elections and representative government  are superior to autocracies in good times and bad.

Heading to Scotland on Sunday night for the climate summit, Biden will lead a large U.S. delegation that he hopes will showcase America's plans to address the threat of climate change. It's a sharp reversal from former President Donald Trump, who withdrew the U.S. from the Paris climate accord.

Biden is set to deliver a significant address on climate change and attempt to reclaim the mantle of American leadership. One of the key objections to shifting away from oil and other fossil fuels has been the costs, but the president has been making the claim that nature is already exacting a price with extreme weather from climate change.

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AP Director of Public Opinion Research Emily Swanson contributed to this report.
SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP)  Thousands of restaurant owners, chefs, waiters and bartenders took to the streets Thursday in cities across Bulgaria to protest the governments decision to impose a mandatory COVID-19 health pass on all people seeking to enter indoor entertainment venues.

Restaurant and hospitality associations organized the protest, calling the health certificates inadequate and discriminatory. Restaurant associations claimed that in the first two days of the new requirement, restaurant attendance dropped 80% nationwide. Critics say the government introduced the requirement too quickly for people to prepare for it.

Bulgaria is facing a surge in COVID-19 infections and deaths amid one of the lowest vaccination rates in the 27-nation European Union. It has had the highest COVID-19 mortality rate in the bloc in the past two weeks and 94% of those deaths were unvaccinated people.

Still, protesters claimed that using the COVID-19 health pass will not solve the country's outbreak but will only deepen its economic woes. They are demanding that antibody test results be accepted as a basis for such a certificate, that the government offer free tests and that all state and municipal workers be included in the green certificate system.

The head of the Association of Restaurants, Richard Alibegov, urged authorities to adopt measures that businesses would be able to comply with.

I hope that the government will listen to us, because if authorities want the measures to be observed, they must be adequate," he said. "If a business must choose whether to go bankrupt or comply with the measures, most likely the measures will not be observed and there will be no health benefit.

The Balkan country of 7 million reported 5,643 new COVID-19 cases and 154 more deaths on Thursday, furthering the rise in new infections since the start of September. Health officials blame public mistrust in vaccines and the government  just 1 in 4 adults in Bulgaria is fully vaccinated  for the current infection spread.

In the capital of Sofia, protesters blocked a major intersection during rush hour, creating traffic chaos. Later, they marched to the government headquarters to demand the resignation of the health minister and warned that they will keep up the pressure on the government until their demands are met.

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Follow APs pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)  A lawsuit has been filed saying the residency requirements for Oregons assisted suicide law violate the U.S. Constitution.

Oregon was the first state to legalize medical aid in dying in 1997, when it allowed adult residents with a terminal diagnosis and prognosis of six months or less to live to end their lives by taking a lethal dose of prescribed medication. The new lawsuit is by the national advocacy organization Compassion & Choices and an Oregon Health & Science University professor of family medicine.

Oregon Public Broadcasting reports experts believe the legal action could have broad implications as the first challenge in the nation to raise the question of whether such residency requirements are constitutional.

Oregon's law was the basis of the laws that have since been adopted in eight other states and Washington, DC. California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, and Vermont and Washington state allow aid in dying for residents of their states only.

The lawsuit was filed in US District Court in Portland on Thursday. It asks the court to prohibit Oregon officials from enforcing the residency provision of the law.

It says the residency requirement violates the Privileges and Immunities Clause in Article IV of the Constitution and the Commerce Clause in Article I.

The plaintiff in the case, Dr. Nick Gideonse, is a family practice physician and associate professor of family medicine at OHSU and a longtime supporter of medical aid in dying.

Ive been providing medical aid in dying since the early days of Oregons law. Its profoundly beneficial to patients who have nothing left but suffering at the end of their life, Gideonse said.

Washington also allows medical aid in dying, but according to the lawsuit, Gideonse cannot offer his Washington patients medical aid in dying without risking his medical license or criminal prosecution.
Union leaders across Connecticut want Gov. Ned Lamont and the General Assembly to follow through on talks of providing so-called hero pay to more essential workers who stayed on the job during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the first day of the group's two-day biennial convention, the Connecticut AFL-CIO, an umbrella federation of unions, voted overwhelmingly Thursday for a resolution. It calls on the Democratic governor and the Democratic controlled General Assembly to provide hazard pay for all public sector and private sector essential workers by allocating remaining federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars for that purpose.

Union leaders expressed frustration that many of their workers who remained on the job and risked their health and the health of their families during the pandemic have not yet been rewarded financially.

The bus drivers, you know, were out there and didnt get hazard pay. We didnt get any of that, said Veronica Chavers, president and business agent for the union ATU, Local 443, in Stamford. We werent even recognized and our bravery and our health and all that was in jeopardy.

The Connecticut AFL-CIO previously asked state lawmakers to allocate federal COVID-19 relief funds during a special legislative session in June to those deemed essential workers during the pandemic.

"We want all essential workers to receive pandemic hazard pay. This would include nurses, childcare workers, bus drivers, grocery and retail workers, building cleaners, fire fighters, police officers, and many others who put their lives and health on the line to serve their communities throughout the pandemic," said David Dal Zin, a spokesman for the Connecticut AFL-CIO. He said Lamont's proposal, which sets aside roughly $20 million, would exclude thousands of workers.

Currently, there is roughly $218 million in unallocated federal COVID funds. But Lamont's chief of staff, Paul Mounds, said last month that money was being kept in reserve and the administration was still evaluating how it would be spent.

At Lamont's request, state lawmakers earlier this year reserved $22.5 million for hazard pay. Of that sum, about $10 million is supposed to go toward payments to essential state employees and $12.5 million to members of the Connecticut National Guard.

A spokesperson for the Office of Policy and Management said Thursday in an email that discussions are still on-going with the unions" about how that $10 million would be allocated.

State Sen. Cathy Osten, D-Sprague, co-chair of the General Assemblys Appropriations Committee, said she has not yet received an accounting of which state employees will receive a share of the $10 million. But given the large number of state employees and others who might qualify as an essential worker, she's uncertain how many will ultimately get a check.

I just don't think there's enough money to go around, she said.

Meanwhile, Osten said the state's remaining American Rescue Plan funds will likely be needed for other purposes, ranging from replenishing the state's unemployment trust fund to financially stabilizing struggling nonprofit social service agencies. Osten said she believes AFL-CIO members care about and will ultimately benefit from such targeted spending.

Osten noted how some private sector health care workers and others considered essential workers have received lump sum payments. For example, the state used some of its federal COVID-19 relief money to provide hazard pay to nursing home and home care workers who threatened to strike over stalled contract talks. Also, some private companies, such as Stop & Shop, have provided bonuses to their workers.

Lamont, who addressed the convention virtually on Thursday, appeared unaware of the resolution passed shortly before his appearance. He praised the many union members who came to work during the pandemic and noted one of the silver linings of the pandemic is how people better appreciate essential workers. Lamont made note of the extra pay provided to the nursing home workers in the new labor deal his administration reached with District 1199 New England, SEIU, and how it's something to build off of as we round the corner after this tragic year-and-a-half."
DETROIT (AP)  Residents who suspect official corruption can now report that information directly to the Detroit FBI office via a new email address, in an expansion of the federal agency's public outreach.

The launch of MichiganCorruption@fbi.gov follows years of investigations into corruption in Detroit and the surrounding suburbs, including bribery, kickbacks, the rigging of bids for municipal contracts, and intentional non-enforcement of local regulations.

Public corruption can be difficult to detect making information from the public critical to the FBIs efforts, the agency said Wednesday in a news release.

Two Detroit police officers recently were charged in federal court with taking bribes to break the rules and steer cars to a favored towing company. The charges were the latest in a federal investigation of Detroits towing procedures.

Detroit City Councilman Andre Spivey pleaded guilty in September to accepting $36,000 in bribes related to oversight of towing policy. Spivey has resigned.

FBI agents in August searched offices at Detroit City Hall and the homes of two other City Council members. Agents were seen leaving City Hall with boxes.

Most public officials are committed to serving their communities with integrity, FBI Detroit Special Agent in Charge Timothy Waters said in a release. Unfortunately, we continue to see elected and appointed officials across the state of Michigan who use their positions for personal gain.

One of Detroits most notorious public corruption cases involved former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.

Kilpatrick served more than seven years of a 28-year sentence following his 2013 federal conviction for racketeering conspiracy, fraud, extortion and tax crimes. At the time, the government called it the Kilpatrick enterprise, a scheme to shake down contractors and reward allies.

Kilpatrick was released from prison in January after President Donald Trump commuted his sentence.
ATLANTA (AP)  Georgia's governor said Thursday that he plans to use up to $110 million to help the state's courts recover from a slowdown that was caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The money for grants to courts and related agencies will come from the $4.8 billion in funds the state received under the American Rescue Plan Act to address negative economic impacts caused by the pandemic, Gov. Brian Kemp said in a news release. The governor said there would be a particular focus on ensuring the prosecution of serious violent crimes.

No one benefits when there is a delay in justice, Kemp said in the release. My administration collaborated with leaders from the judicial branch and law enforcement to identify innovative solutions which will help crack down on violent crime in high-need areas, ensure our courts are operating efficiently, and help quickly reduce case backlogs caused by the pandemic."

A statewide judicial emergency order was in effect from March 2020 through June 2021. It significantly limited court operations to protect the health of those who work or had business in the state's courthouses and, as a result, caused a significant backlog of both criminal and civil cases. Even with the emergency order lifted, court operations continue to be curtailed to accommodate public health protections.

Most of our states government agencies and businesses slowed down or stopped during the COVID pandemic, state Supreme Court Chief Justice David Nahmias, who also chairs the Judicial Council of Georgia, said in a release from the high court.

The meals that restaurants did not serve will never be served, and the airline flights that were canceled have not been rescheduled," Nahmias said. But the court cases that could not be decided, particularly when jury trials could not be held safely, remain pending and must be resolved, along with all of the new cases being filed.

Katie Byrd, a spokesperson for Kemp, said the state would create a Violent Crime Task Force that would hire additional prosecutors.

Cases involving serious violent felonies  including murder, armed robbery, kidnapping, rape, aggravated child molestation, aggravated sodomy and aggravated child molestation  will be given priority.

Individual courts will propose spending to the Administrative Office of Courts for $96 million of the money, Byrd said. The remaining $14 million go to bolster public defenders, Byrd said.

The newly allocated funds will allow eligible courts and related agencies to hire staff and secure temporary workspace and courtroom facilities to address the case backlog, according to the courts release.

The Office of Planning and Budget, controlled by the governor, will sign agreements with the courts and public defenders, Byrd said, but no legislation will be needed.
HONG KONG (AP)  The president of Hong Kongs legislature said Thursday it has become more efficient with no opposition members, after all pro-democracy lawmakers resigned late last year to protest the ouster of four colleagues for not demonstrating sufficient loyalty to Beijing.

Hong Kong authorities have cracked down on political dissent in the past year, arresting over 120 people including several of the former opposition lawmakers under a sweeping National Security Law imposed by Beijing after months of anti-government protests.

Andrew Leung, president of Hong Kongs Legislative Council, said lawmakers this year have passed 46 government bills, more than double the number last year.

The bills passed this year include a film censorship law that allows authorities to ban films that are deemed to endanger national security.

After the pan-dems left the Legislative Council chamber, things got smoother because there were no members trying to filibuster any proceedings, Leung told reporters.

He said processing bills has become more efficient because lawmakers can focus on how they affect the livelihoods of people without them becoming politicized.

Most prominent pro-democracy activists are currently behind bars for taking part in unauthorized protests. Some former opposition lawmakers, such as former Democratic Party chairman Wu Chi-wai and Claudia Mo, are currently in custody on subversion charges.

Critics say freedoms promised to the former British colony when it was handed over to China in 1997 are being eroded under the security law, which outlaws subversion, secession, terrorism and foreign collusion in the intervention of the citys affairs.

The city's electoral laws have also been amended to ensure that only patriots run Hong Kong. Legislative elections will be held Dec. 19, with the new legislature expanding to 90 lawmakers from the previous 70. Nearly half of the lawmakers in the expanded legislature will be appointed by a pro-Beijing election committee, with the number of directly elected seats reduced to 20 from the previous 35.

Leung said many lawmakers next year will be new and face a learning curve.

But I think the good thing is that when all the members are working with Hong Kong citizens in mind and without any other highly political motivated motives  things will be better next year, Leung said.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP)  Hunters killed 12 black bears during Missouri's first black bear hunting season, the Missouri Conservation Department said Thursday.

The hunt was allowed after the state's black bear population grew to about 800, with most in southern Missouri.

More than 6,330 people applied for 400 permits for the hunt, which limited the total number of bears that could be taken to 40.

The hunt, which began Oct. 17 and ended Wednesday, was divided into three zones.

Hunters took nine bears in southwest Missouri and three in the western zone. No bears were killed in a zone that stretched from southeast Missouri to St. Louis, the department said.

The 40 bear maximum limit was only about 5% of the state's total bear population, said bear biologist Laura Conlee.

Black bears were abundant in Missouri forests before European settlement but were nearly eliminated by unregulated killing in the late 19th century and habitat loss in the Ozarks.

Their numbers have rebounded in the last 50 years and the population is expected to double in the next 10 years, the conservation department said.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP)  A southern Illinois woman who served three decades in prison for killing her infant daughter was granted parole on Thursday.

The Illinois Prisoner Review Board board voted 12-1 to grant release to Paula Sims of Alton after more than three hours of testimony and discussion.

This was a great victory for women, a great relief for me and a great gift to Paula, her attorney, Jed Stone, told the Belleville News-Democrat. It is a recognition that postpartum psychosis is real and the women who suffer from that mental illness need to be treated and understood and not brushed aside with having the baby blues.

It wasn't clear when Sims, 62, would be released from the Logan Correctional Center, located northeast of Springfield. She has been incarcerated there for 30 years.

A jury in 1990 convicted Sims of first-degree murder, concealing a homicide and obstructing justice in the suffocation death of her 6-week-old daughter, Heather Sims. Paula Sims confessed to the 1989 killing of Heather and the 1986 killing of her other daughter, 13-day-old Loralei Sims, the News-Democrat reported.

Stone argued Sims committed the crimes while suffering from postpartum psychosis, a rare mental illness that causes some new mothers to experience delusions, hallucinations and paranoia. Recent changes in Illinois law allow postpartum psychosis and depression to be considered as mitigating factors in sentencing.

About 25 people attended the hearing in support of Sims. No one attended in opposition.

Madison County States Attorney Tom Haine sent a five-page letter to the review board strenuously opposing Sims release. He argued that Sims lied about her crimes for years to avoid punishment and confessed only after she was found guilty of murder and wanted to avoid the death penalty.
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP)  Among the once-taboo professions emerging from Somalias decades of conflict and Islamic extremism is the world of arts, and a 21-year-old female painter has faced more opposition than most.

A rare woman artist in the highly conservative Horn of Africa nation, Sana Ashraf Sharif Muhsin lives and works amid the rubble of her uncles building that was partially destroyed in Mogadishus years of war.

Despite the challenges that include the belief by some Muslims that Islam bars all representations of people, and the search for brushes and other materials for her work, she is optimistic.

I love my work and believe that I can contribute to the rebuilding and pacifying of my country, she said.

Sana stands out for breaking the gender barrier to enter a male-dominated profession, according to Abdi Mohamed Shuayb, a professor of arts at Somali National University. She is just one of two female artists he knows of in Somalia, with the other in the breakaway region of Somaliland.

And yet Sana is unique because her artworks capture contemporary life in a positive way and seek to build reconciliation, he said, calling her a national hero.

Sana, a civil engineering student, began drawing at the age of 8, following in the footsteps of her maternal uncle, Abdikarim Osman Addow, a well-known artist.

I would use charcoal on all the walls of the house, drawing my vision of the world, Sana said, laughing. More formal instruction followed, and she eventually assembled a book from her sketches of household items like a shoe or a jug of water.

But as her work brought her more public attention over the years, some tensions followed.

I fear for myself sometimes, she said, and recalled a confrontation during a recent exhibition at the City University of Mogadishu. A male student began shouting This is wrong! and professors tried to calm him, explaining that art is an important part of the world.

Many people in Somalia dont understand the arts, Sana said, and some even criticize them as disgusting. At exhibitions, she tries to make people understand that art is useful and a weapon that can be used for many things.

A teacher once challenged her skills by asking questions and requiring answers in the form of a drawing, she said.

Everything thats made is first drawn, and what were making is not the dress but something that changes your internal emotions, Sana said. Our paintings talk to the people.

Her work at times explores the social issues roiling Somalia, including a painting of a soldier looking at the ruins of the countrys first parliament building. It reflects the current political clash between the federal government and opposition, she said, as national elections are delayed.

Another painting reflects abuses against vulnerable young women which they cannot even express. A third shows a woman in the bare-shouldered dress popular in Somalia decades ago before a stricter interpretation of Islam took hold and scholars urged women to wear the hijab.

But Sana also strives for beauty in her work, aware that we have passed through 30 years of destruction, and the people only see bad things, having in their mind blood and destruction and explosions. ... If you Google Somalia, we dont have beautiful pictures there, but ugly ones, so Id like to change all that using my paintings.

Sana said she hopes to gain further confidence in her work by exhibiting it more widely, beyond events in Somalia and neighboring Kenya.

But finding role models at home for her profession doesnt come easily.

Sana named several Somali artists whose work she admires, but she knows of no other female ones like herself.
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP)  Private companies are showing interest in becoming part of New Jersey's burgeoning clean energy industry, with wind and solar-powered projects becoming more attractive to their firms.

The state showed progress on both fronts Thursday, announcing that six of the world's largest offshore wind energy companies have expressed interest in renting space at a southern New Jersey facility being built as a manufacturing and staging ground for offshore wind projects.

The New Jersey Economic Development Authority said it has received 16 qualifying offers from six companies interested in occupying parts of the New Jersey Wind Farm in Lower Alloways Creek Township, in Salem County.

Its cost is estimated at $300 million to $400 million.

At almost the same time, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities approved 105 providers to participate in a community solar energy program designed to give underserved areas, including low and middle-income communities, the ability to use power generated by the sun.

Also Thursday, Atlantic Cape Community College broke ground on a center at its Atlantic City campus to provide education and workforce training for the offshore wind industry.

The New Jersey Wind Port is a game-changing investment that establishes New Jersey as the capital of offshore wind in the United States, said Governor Phil Murphy, a Democrat. The overwhelming response to this early opportunity to lease space at the wind port from the biggest global players in offshore wind shows that we are already well on our way to achieving this vision and driving economic growth that firmly aligns with our environmental goals.

The companies interested in the site are Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind; Orsted Wind Power North America; Beacon Wind; GE Renewables US; Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy; and Vestas-American Wind Technology.

Many of the firms submitted multiple nonbinding offers involving differing parcels, project configurations and levels of investment.

The state also is planning a second related facility in Paulsboro on the Delaware River in southern New Jersey to build the huge poles supporting wind turbines.

New Jersey also expanded a program to offer solar-powered electricity to communities in areas that otherwise might not be able to access it.

It authorized the second year of its community solar program, with projects capable of powering about 33,000 homes, more than half of which would be low or moderate-income customers.

A community solar project's output is divided among multiple participants, known as subscribers. A subscriber can be a home or business that wants to use renewable energy but does not have a solar array on site. This would apply to those who rent and lack control of their roof, live in an apartment or multi-family building, or can't afford the cost of a solar installation, according to the utilities board.

Community solar is a critical component of our solar programs in making sure that the clean energy and cost savings of solar are available to everyone," said board president Joseph Fiordaliso. It is especially important that these benefits are available to environmental justice and low-income communities when they have been underserved for so long.

The board plans to make the offering, which has been a pilot program, permanent soon.

The Atlantic Cape Community College training center is using a $3 million state grant. Safety training for offshore wind workers is expected to be a big part of the center.

It hopes to train 1,800 students for jobs in the offshore wind industry in its first year. The center expects to be open by fall 2022.

___

Follow Wayne Parry on Twitter at @WayneParryAC
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP)  A federal jury on Wednesday awarded $17 million to the parents of a mentally ill man who was shot in a Costco store by an off-duty Los Angeles police officer.

The panel in Riverside ruled in a lawsuit filed against the city of LA and the former officer in the June 14, 2019, killing of 32-year-old Kenneth French.

I am pleased with the verdict and hoping it brings some justice to the family, Dale Galipo, an attorney for the family, told KNBC-TV.

The jurors in the lawsuit trial concluded that Salvador Sanchez, a seven-year LAPD veteran, was acting within the scope of his employment even though he was off duty. That means the city may be liable for much of the award.

The city will review its options, including an appeal, said Rob Wilcox, a spokesman for the city attorneys office.

Sanchez was shopping at a sausage sample table in the Corona store, southeast of Los Angeles, when French struck or shoved him from behind without warning, authorities said.

Sanchez was holding his 1 1/2-year-old son in his arms when he was knocked to the ground.

Sanchez pulled a handgun and opened fire, killing French and seriously wounding his parents, Russell and Paola French.

Sanchez told investigators he believed French had a gun, that he had been shot and that his life and his sons life were in immediate danger. However, French was not armed and was moving away from Sanchez when he opened fire.

His parents said French had been diagnosed with schizophrenia.

The LAPD fired Sanchez last year after the city's civilian Board of Police Commissioners determined that Frenchs conduct did not present an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury  meaning that the use of lethal force was not objectively reasonable.

The Riverside County district attorney declined to charge Sanchez criminally when a grand jury didn't indictment him. However, the state attorney general charged him with voluntary manslaughter and assault with a semiautomatic firearm.

He is awaiting trial.

An email seeking comment from David Winslow, an attorney who is representing Sanchez in the criminal case, wasnt immediately returned.
FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP)  A Webster County jury on Wednesday convicted an Eagle Grove man in the 2020 shooting deaths of two men during a celebration of life gathering.

The jury found Michael J. Shivers, 56, guilty in the June 16, 2020, deaths of Jamael Cox, 25, and Tyrone Cunningham, 47, both of Fort Dodge, according to the Fort Dodge Messenger.
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP)  Kentucky has been awarded a $1 million federal grant to help expand high-speed internet across the state, Gov. Andy Beshear said.

The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of reliable high-speed internet access for education, businesses and health care, the governor said.
ESCUINTLA, Mexico (AP)  When a few thousand migrants resumed their walk north through southern Mexico Thursday, the chatter of stroller wheels on pavement accompanied the slap of feet. Still-sleeping children slumped as the caravan lurched forward. Others, still drowsy, perched on parents shoulders.

The caravan made up of mostly Central American migrants left Tapachula near the Guatemala border on Saturday and roughly doubled in size as it covered the 45 miles (73 kilometers) to Escuintla.

Migrant-rights advocates and aid workers travelling with the caravan estimate there could be 1,000 children among the estimated 4,000 people trudging along highways under a punishing sun.

The scene is reminiscent of larger migrant caravans in 2018 and 2019 that were also full of families with young children. The caravans have offered a less expensive, albeit much slower, way to migrate for families without the money to pay smugglers. They also carry the advantage of safety in numbers.

Laura Benitez with the humanitarian aid organization Global Response Management, said that children account for 40% of those in the caravan that they have given medical treatment to.

The majority are blisters on feet, chafing, Benitez said. The children have some little cuts, scrapes and bug bites. Besides that were giving medicine for headaches, muscle pain, also fever and were giving (rehydration). (rehydration solution?)

Irineo Mujica, of the immigration advocacy group People without Borders, estimated there were between 1,000 and 1,200 children in the caravan. It is urgent that the Mexican government attend to the children, he said.

Mexico's National Immigration Institute on Wednesday announced it would offer humanitarian visas to the pregnant women in the caravan. On Thursday, in another statement, the agency said children travelling in the group would be eligible for them.

Jose Avila Lagos and his wife Yolanda Melgares bought two strollers in Tapachula before setting out because theyre travelling with their three children ages 6, 9 and 15.

(The kids) get hot and tired from walking and you have to bring them in this, Avila said, indicating to the stroller. You have to spend.

The truck driver said they left Honduras because of the poverty. The pandemic had made it harder for him to find work.

Ingrid, a Guatemalan woman who declined to give her last name due to safety concerns, said that she was travelling with her whole family  four adults, eight children and a 5-month-old baby.

We just cant cope, with all the kids. Were from Guatemala, weve already been stuck in Tapachula for two months, she said.

Frustration has been growing for months among the thousands of migrants waiting in Tapachula near the Guatemala border. Mexicos strategy had been to contain migrants in the south, far from the U.S. border while allowing them to apply for asylum in Mexico.

But Mexicos asylum system has been overwhelmed and the slow process led many to decide it was not worth waiting.

We need them to give us free passage; we ask the president to have a heart, Ingrid said while the family rested in the shade of a tree Thursday.

While smaller migrant groups that attempted to walk out of Tapachula recently were broken up by authorities within a couple days, the current caravan is larger and has been walking since Saturday. Authorities tried to block it from leaving Tapachula that day, but since then have not interfered.

The caravan formed ostensibly as a form of protest and organizers said the goal was to march to Mexico City to pressure the government to resolve the immigration crisis in the south. However, the majority of those walking appear to have their sights set on the United States.

Luis Garcia Villagran, of the Center for Human Dignity, a nongovernmental organization in Tapachula involved in organizing the march, said the plan was to demand everyone receive permanent residency when they arrive in Mexico City.

I think even I want to go to the United States because of the conditions this country is in, so Joe Biden can embrace me, Villagran quipped. Obviously everyone wants to go to the United States.
TOPSHAM, Maine (AP)  Maine Gov. Janet Mills received her COVID-19 booster on Thursday, and urged others to follow her lead.

Mills, 73, received her shot at a pharmacy in a Target store in Topsham.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  The most populous U.S. state not surprisingly has the most people being released from its prisons and jails. And now it has what organizers said Thursday is the nation's first statewide coordinated effort to help them reintegrate back into the community.

The newly formed Re-Entry Providers Association of California includes some of the state's largest reentry service providers who plan to jointly lobby state and local government officials on behalf of former prisoners.

California typically releases as many as 35,000 people each year who have completed their jail sentences or been paroled from prison, the group said. But even that number soared during the pandemic as jails and prisons last year released thousands more inmates earlier than normal to allow for social distancing in normally crowded lockups.

The state has also been releasing more inmates earlier because of criminal justice reforms designed to reduce mass incarceration.

That means helping people being released from prisons and jails find housing and jobs "has never been more important, said Susan Burton, founder and president of A New Way of Life Reentry Project in Los Angeles.

Yet the groups said they have historically been under-funded, overlooked and lacking as a government priority despite doing work they said is vital to protecting the safety and health of communities.

REPAC is going to be that essential unified voice that we need to really help shape the conversations that are taking place all over the state. And theres no better time for REPAC to have begun as the state invests in rebuilding during the pandemic, said Sen. Maria Elena Durazo.

She was one of three Democratic state lawmakers supporting the launch at an event Thursday, along with Assemblyman Isaac Bryan and Assemblywoman Mia Bonta, whose husband is state Attorney General Rob Bonta.

Reentry service providers have been "fighting for scraps of resources at a time when the state spends more on incarceration than it does on the University of California system, Bryan said.

Organizers cited a 2018 study by the advocacy group Californians for Safety and Justice that found more than half of people with a criminal record have difficulty finding a job, and more than a quarter have trouble finding housing.

That sets them up for failure, endangering not only the former prisoners but the larger community, said Doug Bond, chief executive officer of Amity Foundation in Los Angeles.

Bryan called it a scarlet letter" that hinders their reintegration.

The new organization plans to seek more funding to link former prisoners with things like job training, transportation, child care, educational opportunities and housing. But it also plans to lobby lawmakers and review state laws, regulations, budgets and administrative policies.

Underfunding means reentry services often lack the resources to break the cycle that can trap generations in a pattern of repeated incarceration, said Steven Kim, founder and executive director of Project Kinship, an Orange County-based reentry services provider.

The goal is to amplify our voices on behalf of this crucial sector of our society that simply does not get the resources and support it needs, said Donald Frazier, executive director of Oakland-based Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency and the new organizations director.
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP)  Honduras, one of the last countries in Central America to receive COVID-19 vaccine, has designated a portion of its stockpile for citizens of neighboring Nicaragua as fewer Hondurans line up to be vaccinated.

Since Monday, Nicaraguans have been flocking to Nicaraguan border towns to be vaccinated with Pfizer and Moderna, rather than the Cuban and Russian vaccines on offer in their own country.

The Honduran government set aside 100,000 doses for Nicaraguans and set up various vaccination sites for them along the border. In San Marcos de Colon alone, more than 4,000 doses were given from Monday to Wednesday.

Vice Minister of Health Fredy Guillen said Wednesday that the inventory of vaccines Honduras has accumulated through donations and purchases gives us the opportunity to make available around 500 vaccine (doses) daily for Nicaragua (and) other neighboring countries.

Honduras has received more than 5 million doses since October, he said, adding that 58% of eligible Hondurans had received a first dose and 40% were fully vaccinated.

As fewer Hondurans seek out the vaccine there was a danger the doses could expire.

It would be terrible if Honduras had vaccines that were going to expire and its better to use them on a nearby population, said Blanca Munguia, director of health at the nongovernmental organization Association for a More Just Society.

Honduras has more than 7 million people older than 12 years who would be eligible for vaccination. So far 6.7 million doses have been applied, according to the health ministry.

Nicaraguans normally arent restricted from entering Honduras, but due to the pandemic they are required to show a negative COVID-19 test result, something that can cost $150. For that reason many were entering Honduras illegally  some on horseback or in boats  between official ports of entry to be vaccinated.
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP)  A San Jose police officer was charged Wednesday with punching a woman during an alleged road-rage confrontation on the side of a San Francisco Bay Area highway in the summer while he was off-duty, authorities said.

George Brown, 37, was charged with felony assault under the color of authority, misdemeanor battery, and misdemeanor child endangerment in connection to the July 24 fight on the shoulder of Interstate 680 in San Jose, the Mercury News reported.

The listed attorney for Brown did not immediately return a message seeking comment Wednesday.

According to investigators, Brown was driving an SUV and traveling with a male friend and a child relative when he narrowly avoided a collision with the driver of another SUV near an on-ramp. That escalated to the two motorists driving aggressively near each other, and a woman riding in the other vehicle threw a plastic bottle and hit the officer's car, the Santa Clara District Attorney's Office said in a statement.

Both vehicles pulled over, and Brown blocked a lane of traffic to pull up alongside the other vehicle. Brown then reportedly called for an emergency police response. In the meantime, he and the man riding with him got out of their vehicle, and so did a man and woman who were traveling in the other SUV.

Brown identified himself as an SJPD officer, and then without provocation the 220-pound officer punched the 5-foot-3-inch woman in the face, knocking her to the ground, prosecutors said. When she attempted to stand back up, Brown punched her again.

Brown at one point allegedly called police dispatchers and asked for patrol units to respond to his location, requesting a Code 3 response  which is reserved for urgent emergencies that authorize officers to activate their lights and sirens, according to prosecutors.

Both the CHP and San Jose police were notified about the encounter after the woman who Brown reportedly punched appeared at a local hospital seeking medical treatment.

The man riding with Brown was charged with misdemeanor battery.

Brown has been on paid administrative leave since the summer after an investigation into the fight was launched and determined he faced potential criminal liability.
PORTLAND, Maine (AP)  Two sheriff's deputies accepted new cars and an ownership stake in an operation that illegally sold more than $13 million in pot grown for Maines medical marijuana program, federal prosecutors said.

Two other law enforcement officers and a prosecutor aided the operation by providing intelligence and tipping off participants, prosecutors said.

Federal documents unsealed Wednesday when one of the defendants pleaded guilty revealed an elaborate program in which marijuana that was grown in western Maine for registered caregivers was sold outside the program, with profits being laundered through a corporate structure.

Twelve people were charged in the 14-count complaint, including a Rangeley select board member, an assistant district attorney, two Franklin County sheriff's deputies, an Oxford County sheriff's deputy and a Wilton police officer.

The Franklin County deputies accepted ownership interests and cars in exchange for confidential information, according to the complaint. The prosecutor allegedly tipped off a corrupt police officer about the investigation, and two other officers allegedly warned the Franklin County deputies they were under surveillance, the complaint said.

The president of the Maine Chiefs of Police Association said the alleged involvement of officers was very upsetting."

"The Maine Chiefs of Police Association has always stood for equal application of the laws to everyone in the state of Maine and we are confident in the next phase of the judicial system to adjudicate this case accordingly, said Augusta Police Chief Jared Mills.

Randal Cousineau, 69, of Farmington, pleaded guilty Wednesday to conspiracy to illegally cultivate and sell more than a ton of marijuana and more than 1,000 marijuana plants, according to the documents.

While Cousineau had a 50% stake in the business, the leader of the operation was allegedly Lucas Sirois, 41, of Farmington, prosecutors said.

Sirois, who made his initial court appearance Thursday in Bangor, worked with his tax preparer to file false income tax returns to hide hundreds of thousands of dollars in income, prosecutors said.

Timothy Parlatore, attorney for Sirois, said his client was engaged in a legal marijuana business and took great steps to ensure that he was acting in accordance with Maine law. The federal charges were based on the words of a disgruntled former employee, he said.

Parlatore said he'll seek to stop the prosecution based on the conflict between state and federal law. Maine has long had a medical marijuana program, and the sale of recreational marijuana began last fall. But marijuana continues to be illegal under federal law.

What hes doing is legal under state law. This is not something the feds should be involving themselves with, he said.

The attorney for Sirois' estranged wife, Alisa Sirois, who is charged with conspiracy and bank fraud, said federal law has failed to keep pace with changing times.

This case cries out for a less antiquated approach to drug enforcement, said attorney Ronald Bourget. The war on drugs may still be ongoing, but the white flag on marijuana was raised years ago.

As part of the scheme, a Rangeley select board member was paid tens of thousands of dollars to advance a marijuana ordinance that Sirois himself had drafted to a town referendum, prosecutors said.

Walt McKee, an attorney who represents Franklin County Assistant District Attorney Kayla Alves, said she is innocent and that it was disappointing to see her dragged into all of this. And an attorney for the accountant denied the allegations, as well.

An attorney representing one of the deputies said the defendant should not be prejudged based on the one-sided federal version of events.

Attorneys for the other defendants didnt immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP)  Detectives in Richmond now believe that a tow truck thought to have stolen a vehicle had actually towed it lawfully, police said.

Richmond Police released a video Thursday of a vehicle being towed and warned that an unmarked tow truck was being used to quickly steal vehicles. But later in the day, police announced that the truck had been identified and they determined that the vehicle was lawfully towed.
LISBON, Portugal (AP)  Portugals president says the ballot box is the best way of breaking a political stalemate after the country's parliament threw out the minority Socialist governments proposed state budget for next year.

The head of state's plan to hold a snap election could backfire, however, by producing an even more volatile political battleground, analysts say.

President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who has no governing powers but seeks to ensure the smooth running of the country, said before the budget vote Wednesday that he would call an early poll if lawmakers rejected the governments proposal.

When that happened, he set in motion the consultations he is required to make before dissolving parliament and setting an election date, swiftly meeting with the prime minister and parliament speaker over dinner.

He will also meet with political leaders, trade union confederations and business leaders before convening the Council of State, an advisory body, on Nov. 3. After that, he is widely expected to call an election, probably for January.

Against a backdrop of a fragmenting political scene, with the rise of smaller parties, and the likelihood that no single party will clinch a parliamentary majority, Portugals ambition of swiftly deploying tens of billions of euros (dollars) in post-pandemic recovery aid from the European Union is at stake.

Were heading into a phase of political turbulence in our country, Francisco Pereira Coutinho, a politics professor at Lisbons Universidade Nova, said. Were going into uncharted territory.

Recent opinion polls suggest the center-left Socialist Party will be returned to power with a comfortable win, capturing around 39% of the vote. That would leave the Socialists still shy of a parliamentary majority and Portugal back where it started.

The traditional center-right opposition parties, meanwhile, are in disarray. Both the main opposition Social Democratic Party and the smaller Popular Party are absorbed by leadership challenges.

The hard-left Communist Party and Left Bloc have seen their popularity dwindle to single figures in recent elections.

In the last election, in 2019, 10 parties won seats in the 230-seat parliament.

Most striking is the rise of Portugals first right-wing populist party, Chega! (Enough!. Founded just three years ago, it currently has one lawmaker, the party's leader, lawyer Andre Ventura. Chega! could collect as many as 20 seats at an election, potentially turning it into a kingmaker.

Commuters in Lisbon, Portugal's capital, expressed unease Thursday about what the immediate future holds for the country of around 10.3 million people.

Romi Silva, a lawyer, said Portugal needs to overcome this situation very quickly so that we dont waste the aid from the European Union.

Rui Piedade, a teacher, said politicians should have been worried about the crisis that we will now face.
LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP)  A former school safety officer has been charged with murder in the shooting death of an 18-year-old woman near a Southern California high school last month, prosecutors said Wednesday.

Eddie Gonzalez, 51, was scheduled to be arraigned Friday on one count of murder, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon said in a statement. Gonzalez could not be reached for comment and it wasn't immediately known if he has an attorney.
Genna Martin/GENNA MARTIN/SEATTLEPI.COM

DES MOINES, Wash. (AP)  Authorities say a wanted suspect was shot and critically wounded Wednesday by Seattle police officers outside at a shopping center in Des Moines, Washington.

KOMO reports the shooting happened just after 3 p.m. The unidentified person was taken for treatment to Harborview Medical Center, where they were listed in critical condition.
MADRID (AP)  A top Spanish court has given a 2-year prison term to the former treasurer of Spain's powerful conservative party for using a slush fund to pay for the renovation of the party's headquarters more than a decade ago.

In Thursday's ruling, Spain's National Court said it couldn't establish if the leaders of the Popular Party were directly aware of the actions of Luis Barcenas, the party's powerful accountant between 1990 and 2008.

But it found the party guilty of saving 123,669 euros ($143,000) in unpaid corporate taxes by failing to disclose the shadowy payment of more than 1 million euros in cash for the facelift of the party's offices in central Madrid.

The Popular Party, which ruled Spain between 1996-2004 and 2011-2018, is currently the main opposition force to a Socialist-led progressive coalition, but the party has been haunted by illegal kickbacks and parallel party accounting.

A 2017 trial had already established that the Popular Party benefited from a kickbacks scheme for which Barcenas was convicted and given a 29-year prison term. This time, the National Court was trying to establish if the Popular Party's office renovation up to 2010 had been paid for with the slush fund that the treasurer largely built on bribes.

The ruling said the payment was made outside of the billing and official accounting and that the deal was not declared to the Public Treasury."

The court also fined Barcenas 1.2 million euros. It also sentenced the two partners of the architectural firm who carried out the renovation to 2 years and 9 months behind bars.

Jose Maria Aznar and Mariano Rajoy, two former Spanish prime ministers and ex-Popular Party leaders, vehemently denied during the trial of having had any knowledge of the scheme. Rajoy was ousted from office in 2018 when the party's kickback scheme was brought to court.

In an effort to distance himself from the party's murky past, their successor, Pablo Casado, has vowed to relocate the Popular Party's offices out of the symbolic headquarters in the heart of Madrid.
BENNINGTON, Vt. (AP)  Police took a 17-year-old male into custody near a Vermont high school after investigating a report of a threat that resulted in a brief lockdown Thursday.

The teen was overheard making a comment involving the safety of students at Mount Anthony Union High School in Bennington on Thursday morning, police said in a news release. He and two other males appeared to be students and he displayed an object in his waistband that was reported to be a firearm or an edged weapon," police said.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  Tennessees state veterinarian this week reminded horse owners to protect their animals from West Nile Virus after a horse in Weakley County that contracted the disease had to be euthanized.

Horse owners should work with a veterinarian to determine a vaccination schedule, according to a news release from the Agriculture Department. Because West Nile is a mosquito-borne illness, horses in areas with heavy mosquito infestations may require more frequent vaccination. Owners should also eliminate mosquito breeding sites by removing standing water and regularly cleaning water containers. And they can use equine-approved repellents and fans in the stalls.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)  Oklahoma conducted 112 executions from 1976 to October 2015, when the state imposed a moratorium following three consecutive flawed executions or attempted executions. That number rose to 113 Thursday when Oklahoma put John Marion Grant to death by lethal injection, the state's first execution in more than six years.

A timeline of key events involving the moratorium and steps Oklahoma took to resume lethal injections:

 April 29, 2014: Clayton Lockett writhes and groans on the gurney as Oklahoma uses the surgical sedative midazolam for the first time during an execution. Then-state prisons director Robert Patton halts the execution process, but Lockett dies 43 minutes later. A second execution set that night, for Charles Warner, is postponed. The state later says an improperly placed intravenous line  not the new drug mix  caused problems.

 June 25, 2014: Inmates sue Oklahoma, alleging the state unconstitutionally allows an "ever-changing array of untried drugs" during executions.

 Dec. 22, 2014: A federal judge declares Oklahoma's lethal injection protocol constitutional. The U.S. Supreme Court says later it will consider whether Oklahoma can use midazolam during executions, but it doesn't disrupt Warner's rescheduled execution.

 Jan. 15, 2015: Oklahoma executes Warner for the 1997 killing of his roommate's infant daughter. "My body is on fire," he says after receiving midazolam, though he shows no other signs of distress.

 April 18, 2015: Gov. Mary Fallin signs a bill into law making Oklahoma the first state to approve the use of nitrogen gas for executions.

 June 29, 2015: A divided U.S. Supreme Court upholds Oklahoma's use of midazolam during executions.

 Sept. 30, 2015: Prison officials prepare to execute Richard Glossip, but Fallin issues a 37-day stay, saying the state Department of Corrections received the wrong drug, potassium acetate, rather than the potassium chloride listed in Oklahoma's execution protocol.

 Oct. 2, 2015: The state Court of Criminal Appeals, at the request of state Attorney General Scott Pruitt, puts all Oklahoma executions on indefinite hold. Pruitt calls for an inquiry into the state's execution procedures.

 Oct. 8, 2015: The Oklahoman newspaper reports that the state used potassium acetate, not potassium chloride, to execute Warner. Fallin agrees all executions should be delayed after an autopsy report revealed the wrong drug was used.

 May 19, 2016: An Oklahoma grand jury investigating the execution procedures issues its 106-page report with no indictments.

 April 25, 2017: A bipartisan commission recommends extending a moratorium on executions until major changes are made to the states capital punishment system.

 March 18, 2018: Oklahoma officials announce plans to develop protocols to use nitrogen gas to execute inmates.

 Feb. 13, 2020: Oklahoma officials announce plans to resume executions by using a three-drug lethal injection protocol.

 Sept. 20, 2021: The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals schedules seven executions.

 Oct. 28, 2021: Oklahoma executes John Marion Grant by lethal injection after the U.S. Supreme Court lifts stays of execution that the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had put in place the day before.

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The date for Grants execution has been corrected to Oct. 28, instead of Oct. 29.
LAKE CHARLES, La. (AP)  A tornado touched down in western Louisiana Wednesday, damaging more than a dozen homes in a part of the state still struggling to recover from repeated weather disasters, officials said.

The National Weather Service said in a preliminary report posted on Twitter that an EF-2 tornado caused significant structural damage to about a dozen homes when it touched down around midday. Several other homes also received minor damage. Two people were injured; one woman was hurt when a window was blown into her home and a man was cut on his leg by flying debris, the weather service said.
BERLIN (AP)  The U.N.'s top human rights official and U.S. President Joe Biden's climate envoy called Thursday for countries to step up the fight against global warming, describing it as an issue of sheer survival for humankind.

In a statement ahead of the U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, the global body's High Commissioner for Human Rights said only urgent, priority action can mitigate or avert disasters that will have huge  and in some cases lethal  impacts on all of us, especially our children and grandchildren.

Michelle Bachelet urged governments taking part in the Oct. 31-Nov. 13 climate meeting to make good on pledges of financial aid to help poor countries that are most at risk to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and cope with the impacts of global warming.

This is a human rights obligation and a matter of survival, she said. Without a healthy planet to live on, there will be no human rights  and if we continue on our current path  there may be no humans.

Her words were echoed by U.S. climate envoy John Kerry, who warned of the dramatic impacts that exceeding the 2015 Paris accord's goal on global warming will have on nature and people.

Devastating consequences follow if we exceed the 1.5 degrees (Celsius, 2.7 Fahrenheit), he said in a speech Thursday at the London School of Economics. "And we are now already just about at 1.2 C.

No one is exaggerating when they call this an existential threat. Just ask the people in the Marshall Islands, Fiji or in the vulnerable nations of the world," said Kerry.

Still, the diplomat tried to strike an upbeat note ahead of the summit, which brings together tens of thousands of officials, scientists and climate activists.

I head to Glasgow as an optimist," he said, noting that governments have put forward more ambitious climate plans than ever before.

Kerry cited recent commitments by the Biden administration for the United States to aim for net zero greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century, similar moves by other nations and business, and a growing awareness of the urgency of tackling climate change.

Citing a recent U.N. report highlighting the gap between countries' pledges and what scientists say is needed to cap warming at 1.5 C by the end of the century, Kerry said particular responsibility lies with the top 20 economies of the world. Many of those countries will be gathering for a G-20 meeting in Rome this weekend, where climate is expected to be a major topic.

Kerry noted that China, the world's top polluter, is alone emitting about 80% of the greenhouse gas the entire world can afford to pump into the atmosphere if it wants to meet the Paris goal.

Beijing has said it plans to peak emissions before 2030 and hit net zero by 2060  a decade later than the United States and the European Union, which have historically contributed the most to global warming.

Kerry said Glasgow "is not the end of the road and countries must keep raising their targets over the coming years.

A report released Thursday by climate think tanks says changes in sectors from power generation to industry and agriculture need to speed up.

It looked at 40 indicators and the bad news is right now that none of them are on track, said report co-author Kelly Levin, the chief of Science, Data and Systems Change at the Bezos Earth Fund.

The bright spots are few and far between, to be honest, Levin said. And for the large majority of the indicators, even when were seeing change headed in the right direction, one would need to accelerate that pace of change, and by a factor, often times, of more than double.

Separately, the Red Cross federation said climate and weather-related disasters have caused more than 30 million people to flee their homes in 2020  three times more than the number of people displaced by war.

These included countries such as Iraq, Yemen and Mozambique, but also rich nations such as Germany, which this year saw devastating floods in the west.

While climate change affects everyone, it has a disproportionate impact on the worlds poorest people, those who are contributing the least to climate change, Red Cross Secretary-General Jagan Chapagain said in the report.

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Seth Borenstein in Washington contributed to this report.

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Follow AP's coverage of the climate summit at http://apnews.com/hub/climate
NEW YORK (AP)  U.S. authorities returned about 250 antiquities to India on Thursday in a long-running investigation of a stolen art scheme.

The items, worth an estimated $15 million, were handed over during a ceremony at the Indian Consulate in New York City. The centerpiece is a bronze Shiva Nataraja valued at $4 million, authorities said.

The ceremony stems from a sprawling probe by the Manhattan district attorneys office and the Homeland Security Investigations arm of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The investigation has focused on tens of thousands of antiquities allegedly smuggled into the United States by dealer Subhash Kapoor, who has denied the allegations.

The case "serves as a potent reminder that individuals who maraud sacred temples in pursuit of individual profit are committing crimes not only against a countrys heritage but also its present and future, District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. said in a statement.

Authorities say Kapoor  jailed in India and facing charges there pending a U.S. extradition request  used his Arts of the Past gallery in New York to traffic looted treasures from India and various countries in Southeast Asia. The investigation has resulted in the recovery of 2,500 artifacts valued at $143 million and convictions of six Kapoor co-conspirators, Vance said.

The Shiva Nataraja bronze was sold by the mother of Nancy Wiener, a gallery operator who pleaded guilty in the case this month to charges of conspiracy and possession of stolen property, authorities said. Nancy Wiener sold looted items to major museums in Australia and Singapore, they said.

In June, the district attorneys office returned more than two dozen artifacts worth $3.8 million to Cambodia as part of the investigation. Another 33 objects were sent back to Afghanistan in April.

Court papers filed in New York says Kapoor went to extraordinary lengths to acquire the artifacts, many of them statues of Hindu deities, and then falsified their provenance with forged documents. They say Kapoor traveled the world seeking out antiquities that had been looted from temples, homes and archaeological sites. Some of the artifacts were recovered from Kapoors storage units in New York.

Kapoor had the items cleansed and repaired to remove any damage from illegal excavation, and then illegally exported them to the United States from their countries of origin, according to U.S. prosecutors.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  Truck driver Andriy Melnik never took the coronavirus seriously. With a friend, he bought a fake vaccination certificate so his travel documents would appear in order when he hauled cargo to other parts of Europe.

His view changed after the friend caught COVID-19 and ended up in an intensive care unit on a ventilator.

It's not a tall tale. I see that this disease kills, and strong immunity wouldn't be enough -- only a vaccine can offer protection, said Melnik, 42, as he waited in Kyiv to get his shot. I'm really scared and I'm pleading with doctors to help me correct my mistake."

Ukraine is suffering through a surge in coronavirus infections, along with other parts of Eastern Europe and Russia. While vaccines are plentiful, there is a widespread reluctance to get them in many countries  though notable exceptions include the Baltic nations, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Hungary.

The slow pace of vaccinations in Eastern Europe is rooted in several factors, including public distrust and past experience with other vaccines, said Catherine Smallwood, the World Health Organization's Europe COVID-19 incident manager.

Were seeing low vaccine uptake in a whole swath of countries across that part of the region, she told The Associated Press. Historical issues around vaccines come into play. In some countries, the whole vaccine issue is politicized."

Russia on Thursday recorded 1,159 deaths in 24 hours  its largest daily toll since the pandemic began  with only about a third of the countrys nearly 146 million people fully vaccinated. The Kremlin ordered a national nonworking period starting this week and lasting until Nov. 7.

An official in Hungary announced Thursday that private companies can require that employees get vaccinated to work, a measure that could boost in the nation's stagnant vaccination rate. Government employees, including teachers, will also be required to vaccinate, the official said.

Poland on Thursday reported the highest number of daily new infections since May at over 8,000.

In Ukraine, only 16% of the adult population is fully vaccinated  the second-lowest share in Europe after Armenia's rate of slightly over 7%.

Authorities in Ukraine are requiring teachers, government employees and other workers to get fully vaccinated by Nov. 8 or face a suspension in pay. In addition, proof of vaccination or a negative test is now needed to board planes, trains and long-distance buses.

This has created a booming black market in counterfeit documents. Fake vaccination certificates sell for the equivalent of $100-$300. There's even a phony version of the government's digital app, with bogus certificates already installed, said Mykhailo Fedorov, minister for digital transformation.

Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy chaired a meeting on how to combat the counterfeits. Police suspect workers at 15 hospitals of being involved. They have opened 800 criminal cases into such fakes and deployed 100 mobile units to track down users, said Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky. They even caught a former lawmaker with one last week.

Kyiv mayor Vitaly Klitschko on Thursday announced new restrictions in the capital to stem the virus' spread. Beginning Nov. 1, restaurants, shopping centers and gyms will be closed and public transport limited to those who can show proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test.

Ukraine's low vaccination rate has led to the rapid spread of COVID-19, putting new stress on the country's already overworked health care system.

The hospital surgical ward in the town of Biliaivka, near the Black Sea port of Odessa, is now treating only coronavirus patients, with 50 of its 52 beds filled. Drugs and oxygen are in short supply.

We are on the verge of catastrophe, pushed by aggressive opponents of vaccination and the lack of funds, said Dr. Serhiy Shvets, the head of the ward. Regrettably, five workers in my ward have quit over the past week.

The situation looks similar at a 120-bed hospital in the western city of Chernivtsi, where Dr. Olha Kobevko says she has 126 patients in grave condition.

Im weeping in despair when I see that 99% of patients in serious condition with COVID-19 are unvaccinated, and those people could have protected themselves, the infectious disease specialist told AP. We are left struggling to save them without sufficient drugs and resources.

The current surge seems especially lethal, Kobevko said, with 10-23 patients dying daily at her hospital, compared with fewer than six per day last spring. The number of COVID-19 patients in their 30s and 40s has grown considerably, she added.

She blames widespread vaccine skepticism, influenced by social media and religious beliefs.

Fake stories have spread widely, making people believe in microchips and genetic mutations, Kobevko said. Some Orthodox priests have openly and aggressively urged people not to get vaccinated, and social networks have been filled with the most absurd rumors. Ukrainians have learned to distrust any authorities' initiatives, and vaccination isn't an exclusion.

Lidia Buiko, 72, chose to get the Chinese Sinovac shot, citing a falsehood that the Western vaccines contained microchips to control the population.

Priests have urged us to think twice about getting immunized  it would be impossible to get rid of the chip, she said as she waited in Kyiv.

Vaccine hesitancy exists even among medical workers. Health Minister Viktor Lyashko admitted that about half of Ukrainian medical workers are still reluctant to get them.

Murat Sahin, UNICEF representative in Ukraine, said false and misleading information about COVID-19 poses a growing threat.

The risks of misinformation to vaccination have never been higher  nor have the stakes," he said.

Similar skepticism has been seen elsewhere in Eastern Europe, fueled by online misinformation, religious beliefs, distrust of government officials, and reliance on nontraditional treatments.

In Romania, where about 35% of adults are fully immunized, tighter restrictions took effect this week requiring vaccination certificates for many daily activities, such as going to the gym, the movies or shopping malls. There's a 10 p.m. curfew, shops close at 9 p.m., bars and nightclubs are closed for 30 day, and masks are mandatory in public.

So many are afraid of the vaccines because of the immense (amount of) fake information that has flooded social media and TV, said Dr. Dragos Zaharia of Bucharests Marius Nasta Institute of Pneumology.

Every day, we see people arriving with shortness of breath and most of them are feeling sorry for not being vaccinated, he told AP.

Bulgaria, which has only a quarter of its adult population fully vaccinated, also reported record infections and deaths this week. According to official data, Bulgaria has had the highest COVID-19 mortality rate in the 27-nation European Union for the past two weeks, and 94% of those deaths were of unvaccinated people.

Only 33% of Georgia's population has been fully vaccinated, and authorities launched a lottery with cash prizes for those getting shots. Still, Dr. Bidzina Kulumbegov bemoaned the slow pace of vaccinations.

The government's information campaign "was not designed according to the peculiarities of our country. The emphasis should have been done, for instance, on the Georgian Orthodox Church, because we have many instances when priests are saying that vaccination is a sin, Kulumbegov said.

For Melnik, the Ukrainian truck driver, the fear of getting COVID-19 outweighed all other concerns.

You can't cheat this illness, he said. You can buy a counterfeit certificate, but you can't buy antibodies. Ukrainians are slowly starting to realize there is no alternative to vaccination.

___

Oleksandr Stashevskyi in Odesa, Ukraine, Jamey Keaten in Geneva, Stephen McGrath in Bucharest, Romania, Veselin Toshkov in Sofia, Bulgaria, Sophiko Megrelidze in Tbilisi, Georgia, Justin Spike in Budapest, Hungary and Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed.

-

Follow APs pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic
HAMILTON, Mont. (AP)  A teenager from the western Montana town of Victor was killed in an accidental shooting when a firearm being handled by a friend discharged, Ravalli County officials said Thursday.

The two teenagers had been hunting together over the weekend. On Monday they were at a residence near Pinedale when one of the teens was handling a pistol that fired, Sheriff Steve Holton said.
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Benjamin Franta, Stanford University

(THE CONVERSATION) Four years ago, I traveled around America, visiting historical archives. I was looking for documents that might reveal the hidden history of climate change  and in particular, when the major coal, oil and gas companies became aware of the problem, and what they knew about it.

I pored over boxes of papers, thousands of pages. I began to recognize typewriter fonts from the 1960s and 70s and marveled at the legibility of past penmanship, and got used to squinting when it wasnt so clear.

What those papers revealed is now changing our understanding of how climate change became a crisis. The industrys own words, as my research found, show companies knew about the risk long before most of the rest of the world.

On Oct. 28, 2021, a Congressional subcommittee questioned executives from Exxon, BP, Chevron, Shell and the American Petroleum Institute about industry efforts to downplay the role of fossil fuels in climate change. Exxon CEO Darren Woods told lawmakers that his companys public statements are and have always been truthful and that the company does not spread disinformation regarding climate change.

Heres what corporate documents from the past six decades show.

Surprising discoveries

At an old gunpowder factory in Delaware  now a museum and archive  I found a transcript of a petroleum conference from 1959 called the Energy and Man symposium, held at Columbia University in New York. As I flipped through, I saw a speech from a famous scientist, Edward Teller (who helped invent the hydrogen bomb), warning the industry executives and others assembled of global warming.

Whenever you burn conventional fuel, Teller explained, you create carbon dioxide.  Its presence in the atmosphere causes a greenhouse effect. If the world kept using fossil fuels, the ice caps would begin to melt, raising sea levels. Eventually, all the coastal cities would be covered, he warned.

1959 was before the moon landing, before the Beatles first single, before Martin Luther Kings I Have a Dream speech, before the first modern aluminum can was ever made. It was decades before I was born. What else was out there?

In Wyoming, I found another speech at the university archives in Laramie  this one from 1965, and from an oil executive himself. That year, at the annual meeting of the American Petroleum Institute, the main organization for the U.S. oil industry, the groups president, Frank Ikard, mentioning a report called Restoring the Quality of Our Environment that had been published just a few days before by President Lyndon Johnsons team of scientific advisers.

The substance of the report, Ikard told the industry audience, is that there is still time to save the worlds peoples from the catastrophic consequences of pollution, but time is running out. He continued that One of the most important predictions of the report is that carbon dioxide is being added to the earths atmosphere by the burning of coal, oil, and natural gas at such a rate that by the year 2000 the heat balance will be so modified as possibly to cause marked changes in climate.

Ikard noted that the report had found that a nonpolluting means of powering automobiles, buses, and trucks is likely to become a national necessity.

As I reviewed my findings back in California, I realized that before San Franciscos Summer of Love, before Woodstock, the peak of the '60s counterculture and all that stuff that seemed ancient history to me, the heads of the oil industry had been privately informed by their own leaders that their products would eventually alter the climate of the entire planet, with dangerous consequences.

Secret research revealed the risks ahead

While I traveled the country, other researchers were hard at work too. And the documents they found were in some ways even more shocking.

By the late 1970s, the American Petroleum Institute had formed a secret committee called the CO2 and Climate Task Force, which included representatives of many of the major oil companies, to privately monitor and discuss the latest developments in climate science.

In 1980, the task force invited a scientist from Stanford University, John Laurmann, to brief them on the state of climate science. Today, we have a copy of Laurmanns presentation, which warned that if fossil fuels continued to be used, global warming would be barely noticeable by 2005, but by the 2060s would have globally catastrophic effects. That same year, the American Petroleum Institute called on governments to triple coal production worldwide, insisting there would be no negative consequences despite what it knew internally.

Exxon had a secretive research program too. In 1981, one of its managers, Roger Cohen, sent an internal memo observing that the companys long-term business plans could produce effects which will indeed be catastrophic (at least for a substantial fraction of the earths population).

The next year, Exxon completed a comprehensive, 40-page internal report on climate change, which predicted almost exactly the amount of global warming weve seen, as well as sea level rise, drought and more. According to the front page of the report, it was given wide circulation to Exxon management but was not to be distributed externally.

And Exxon did keep it secret: We know of the reports existence only because investigative journalists at Inside Climate News uncovered it in 2015.

Other oil companies knew the effects their products were having on the planet too. In 1986, the Dutch oil company Shell finished an internal report nearly 100 pages long, predicting that global warming from fossil fuels would cause changes that would be the greatest in recorded history, including destructive floods, abandonment of entire countries and even forced migration around the world. That report was stamped CONFIDENTIAL and only brought to light in 2018 by Jelmer Mommers, a Dutch journalist.

In October 2021, I and two French colleagues published another study showing through company documents and interviews how the Paris-based oil major Total was also aware of global warmings catastrophic potential as early as the 1970s. Despite this awareness, we found that Total then worked with Exxon to spread doubt about climate change.

Big Oils PR pivot

These companies had a choice.

Back in 1979, Exxon had privately studied options for avoiding global warming. It found that with immediate action, if the industry moved away from fossil fuels and instead focused on renewable energy, fossil fuel pollution could start to decline in the 1990s and a major climate crisis could be avoided.

But the industry didnt pursue that path. Instead, colleagues and I recently found that in the late 1980s, Exxon and other oil companies coordinated a global effort to dispute climate science, block fossil fuel controls and keep their products flowing.

We know about it through internal documents and the words of industry insiders, who are now beginning to share what they saw with the public. We also know that in 1989, the fossil fuel industry created something called the Global Climate Coalition  but it wasnt an environmental group like the name suggests; instead, it worked to sow doubt about climate change and lobbied lawmakers to block clean energy legislation and climate treaties throughout the 1990s.

For example, in 1997, the Global Climate Coalitions chairman, William O'Keefe, who was also an executive vice president for the American Petroleum Institute, wrote in the Washington Post that Climate scientists dont say that burning oil, gas and coal is steadily warming the earth, contradicting what the industry had known for decades. The fossil fuel industry also funded think tanks and biased studies that helped slow progress to a crawl.

Today, most oil companies shy away from denying climate science outright, but they continue to fight fossil fuel controls and promote themselves as clean energy leaders even though they still put the vast majority of their investments into fossil fuels. As I write this, climate legislation is again being blocked in Congress by a lawmaker with close ties to the fossil fuel industry.

People around the world, meanwhile, are experiencing the effects of global warming: weird weather, shifting seasons, extreme heat waves and even wildfires like theyve never seen before.

Will the world experience the global catastrophe that the oil companies predicted years before I was born? That depends on what we do now, with our slice of history.

This article was updated Oct. 28, 2021, with quotes from the hearing.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/what-big-oil-knew-about-climate-change-in-its-own-words-170642.
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On Monday, the Texas Real Estate Center at Texas A&M published findings highlighting 2020 Texas relocation data as well as the sources of these new residents. Turns out, a lot of Californians made the move to Texas last year.

The movement of Californians to Texas is not new," said Research Economist Luis Torres, in a press release about the research. In 19 of the last 20 years, California ranked as the top move-to-Texas state. The only exception was Louisiana in 2005 as a result of Hurricane Katrina. The share of Californians relocating to Texas has increased every year since 2011.
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Cancer Research UK (CRUK) aims to keep to a smaller workforce and ensure that its resources are being used effectively, a senior member of its finance team said earlier this month.

Richard Bray, who works in the finance regulatory & taxes team at CRUK, outlined how the charity had dealt with the pandemic at the Charity Finance Summit, organised by Civil Society Media, earlier this month.

Like many charities, CRUK made staffing cuts as a result of the pandemic, losing 20% of its roles.

Bray told delegates that CRUK was aiming for an efficiency-based agenda which isn't simply one of cutting costs, but trying to make sure, in whatever we do, that we seek value for money as the prerequisite.

Adapting to the pandemic

By June 2020, CRUK had a new budget, a three-year plan, and was working on recovery plans.

It was important that actually our mission was at the heart of what we were doing, and that everything was to serve to protect that mission, Bray said.

He told delegates that as part of this the pandemic accelerated some cost-cutting measures.

It's possible at that time that we would need to have gone through a process of change anyway, and there had been hints that we would be going down that route, he said. But of course, what we had with the pandemic meant that there was no time to wait.

He described the 20% job role cut as challenging and meant leaders had to consider how we then use that headcount, more effectively.

Reorganisation

Bray said through following the reorganisation CRUK's finance team aims to focus on adding value and finding new ways to do things.

We have reorganised our back-office function to try and make us more that service sector for the rest of the charity, he explained.

CRUK has also appointed a new chief operating officer and a finance transformation manager, which is a catalyst for some fresh thinking in some of the things that we're doing.

He added: What we're trying to do is to make sure that we're not just seen as the bean counters, that we add more value than that.

The finance transformation manager role was created to give priority to finding more efficient ways of doing things.

Bray said: The idea is that we've got somebody who can be dedicated to use the existing resources that we have more effectively.

They will also be responsible for making the case for targeted extra investment where it is needed.

Get better at anticipating problems

Looking to the future, Bray said that as a sector charities should consider how to anticipate upcoming challenges.

We're always very good at answering problems from the past, not anticipating the problems of the future, he said.

He added that it is about challenging our thinking, and really being ready to think and to have ideas.

With this in mind, CRUK is moving from budgeting based on a three-year profile to a ten-year plan.

Cancer Research UK is about the long term, he said. You can imagine how long it takes to get a drug to market, for example.

Yet when it came to budgeting, the maximum was a three-year profile.

What we're trying to think about much more is a 10-year plan. But more than that, have a 10-year plan with flex, which looks at various scenarios.

The 2021 Charity Finance Summit took place on 7 October 2021 in London. For those who were unable to attend in person, we have put together a non-attending delegate pack. This is made up of audio recordings from all sessions, and their corresponding presentations. Find out more. took place on 7 October 2021 in London. For those who were unable to attend in person, we have put together a non-attending delegate pack. This is made up of audio recordings from all sessions, and their corresponding presentations.
In September, the Wall Street Journal published a series of critical stories about Facebook that were based on a trove of hundreds of internal documents from an unnamed former employee of the company. Three weeks ago, that whistleblower revealed herself on 60 Minutes as Frances Haugen, a former product manager who said she became concerned about the harm being done by Facebooks products, documented in the companys own research but then allegedly ignored. Haugen subsequently appeared before a Congressional subcommittee investigating Instagrams impact on the mental health of young women. Then, beginning on October 24, Haugen launched what Ben Smith, the New York Times media writer, called the journalistic equivalent of an outlet store, offering access to the complete trove of internal documents to a hand-picked group of news outlets. That consortium, as one member called it, agreed to publish their initial reports on the documents at the start of this week, but the agreement didnt quite hold.

The story of Facebooks alleged transgressions is obviously about how a huge tech company deals with its responsibilities to its users, and to society. But, like any large-scale investigationespecially one that involves a consortium and an embargoits also a media story. How the documents were released, and who was given access to them, undoubtedly shaped coverage of the issues at hand. The use of an embargo (which was quickly broken, with the usual rationalizations) and the selection of a few media organizations as gatekeepers of the information seems almost deliberately designed to create a feeding frenzy among news outlets. This, in turn, has arguably resulted in massive duplication of effort and repetition of information.

Some believe the firehose of reporting risks overwhelming the public with information. Journalists have pointed out that much of what is being reported is already well known, and argued that the new information isnt terribly compelling. Not everyone agrees with that line of argument, however: Paul Kedrosky, a venture investor, called this a very interesting rhetorical approach, the idea that if something heinous isnt more heinous than we previously thought, that its fine. Some might even argue that repeating stories about such complex topics is sometimes necessary, since many normal people (i.e., non-journalists) could have missed previous reports.

Regardless of how one feels about such arguments, one obvious criticism of the Facebook Papers process is that it is tremendously inefficient. Jon Allsop, who also writes CJRs Media Today newsletter, has pointed out that other collaborative journalism projects, such as those conducted by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, coordinate coverage so that it maximizes impact without duplication. The point of ICIJ and similar organizations like Forbidden Stories is not lets have every newsroom in one country write the same story every day for two months, he said on Twitter.

There are other criticisms of the Facebook Papers process that also merit consideration. Alex Stamos, the former head of digital security at Facebook, said so far it has been, ironically, optimized for engagement over understandinga critique that echoes concerns over how Facebook itself handles information on its platform. Stamos added sarcastically: Looking forward to the next 3,000 word article from the consortium bemoaning amplification impacts while relying upon one slide title and two quotes from an otherwise unreleased 40 slide deck.

Many argue that the biggest flaw in the Facebook Papers model is its exclusivity. Although the consortium has grown from its original seventeen members, it is still a small group, which may contribute to the perception that the media wants to retain its gatekeeper rolesomething Facebook took a thinly veiled shot at in its response to the reporting. Alex Kantrowitz, a member of the Facebook Paper consortium who writes a newsletter called Big Technology, has argued that such exclusivity is a bad idea and the documents should be made public, so that other journalists and researchers can look through them. Former New York Times writer Charlie Warzel, who writes a newsletter called Galactic Brain, made a similar argument in a recent post. For years journalists (self very much included) have argued for greater transparency from companies like Facebook, he wrote. Now is a chance for news outlets to model that transparency.

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Heres more on Facebook:

Preservation : Facebook has told employees to preserve all internal documents and communications since 2016 that might pertain to its businesses, because governments and legislative bodies have started inquiries into its operations, according to a company email sent on Tuesday night and obtained by the New York Times . Also, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Federal Trade Commission has started looking into disclosures from Facebook about potential ill effects from its products, and how these effects were documented by its internal research teams. Officials are looking into whether Facebook research documents indicate that it might have violated a 2019 settlement with the agency over privacy concerns, the Journal said.

Resignation : Kara Swisher, a columnist for the New York Times , argues that Zuckerberg has to resign as CEO, and that one possible way to achieve that goalsince he controls all of the shares and votes and the board of directors would be to create a holding company , which he would control, with day-to-day management of Facebook handled by a new CEO. (Facebook is reportedly considering a name change , which could be a precursor to such a move.) Micah Sifry, co-founder of Personal Democracy Media, argues that the only effort that might have some impact on Facebook is a boycott some are calling The Facebook Logout a project whose partners include the Action Center on Race and the Economy, Accountable Tech, Free Press, the Center for Media Justice, and MoveOn.

Misinformation: Farhad Manjoo, a New York Times columnist, argues that while Facebook is bad , fixing it rashly could make it much worse. Bills like the recent Health Misinformation Act, which would force Facebook to remove false information during pandemics and other health emergencies, are well intentioned, he writes, but are problematic to enforce. What is health misinformation? I know of no oracular source of truth about Covid-19, Manjoo says. Scientific consensus has shifted dramatically during the pandemic, and even now experts are divided over important issues, such as whether everyone should get a vaccine booster shot.

Other notable stories:

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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.
BOSTON (AP)  A noreaster that battered the U.S. coast with hurricane-force wind gusts left 425,000 people without power in Massachusetts and forced the closure of bridges, ferries and schools in the region on Wednesday.

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency reported the widespread power outages Wednesday morning as areas along the coast experienced wind gusts of 80-90 miles per hour (130-145 kilometers per hour). About 90,000 people lost power in Rhode Island, according to National Grid.

The National Weather Service in Boston reported that travel is not recommended early this morning in southeast Massachusetts because of the hurricane-force wind gusts, numerous downed trees and power outages. The highest wind gust of the storm was recorded at 94 mph at a ferry dock on Marthas Vineyard, it said. Winds are slowly diminishing throughout the day.

The body of a kayaker who went missing off Long Island was recovered near the Bronx after being spotted in the water by a helicopter search crew, Coast Guard officials said Tuesday. Laurence Broderick, 45, reportedly left Hempstead at about 9 p.m. Monday, a few hours before heavy rain started falling in the region, and was headed to Mamaroneck. He was reported missing early Tuesday morning.

In Connecticut, power lines came down on a school bus headed to Middletown High School on Wednesday morning. No injuries were reported. Six students were on the bus, which continued its route after emergency responders removed the power lines. About 15,000 homes and businesses were without power Wednesday morning.

The Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority closed the Newport Pell and Jamestown Verrazzano Bridges due to wind gusts of 70 mph early Wednesday morning, then reopened them shortly after to most vehicles. School buses were still not permitted to cross. Ferry service to Marthas Vineyard and Nantucket was suspended Wednesday. Dozens of schools canceled classes.

Power outages were scattered around Maine, where wind continued to whip on Wednesday morning. Central Maine Power said it was addressing about 17,000 outages. That was about 3% of total customers, the utility said. Downed tree branches and slick roads also caused traffic delays in parts of the state.

There were about 6,000 outages across New Hampshire but no major damage.

The storm was felt as far north as Nova Scotia, where rainfall and wind warnings were for southwestern parts of the province.

About the photo: A large tree fell onto a pickup truck in Fairhaven, Mass. on Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021 as a noreaster slams into the region. (Peter Pereira/The Standard-Times via AP)

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
MEXICO CITY  Mexican billionaire Carlos Slims Grupo Carso said the cost of repairing a collapsed section of a Mexico City metro rail that caused a fatal accident earlier this year could amount to some 800 million pesos ($40 million).

Carso was one of the companies in a consortium that built the metros Line 12, and has said it will rebuild an elevated segment of track that collapsed in May, killing 26 people.

Grupo Carso has denied responsibility for the accident.

Speaking in a call with analysts about Grupo Carsos third quarter results, Chief Executive Antonio Gomez said auditors determined the impact of the repairs to the company would be as much as 800 million pesos, or about 1% of total sales.

He added that the figure was still a preliminary estimate pending instructions from the government on how to carry out the project.

The cost is not going to be more than that, Gomez said. As soon as we have the engineering project completed, we can define the number.

Mexicos Grupo ICA and Frances Alstom were part of the consortium that built the full line.

An independent auditor concluded missing bolts and poor welding contributed to the crash, findings confirmed in a separate investigation by the Mexico City Attorney Generals Office.

Earlier this month, Mexico City officials said they were opening criminal cases against people and companies involved in building the metros Line 12 and urged the firms to quickly come to settlement deals
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  Irans president said Wednesday that a cyberattack which paralyzed every gas station in the Islamic Republic was designed to get people angry by creating disorder and disruption, as long lines still snaked around the pumps a day after the incident began.

Ebrahim Raisis remarks stopped short of assigning blame for the attack, which rendered useless the government-issued electronic cards that many Iranians use to buy subsidized fuel at the pump.

However, they suggested that he and others in the theocracy believe anti-Iranian forces carried out an assault likely designed to inflame the country as the second anniversary of a deadly crackdown on nationwide protests over gasoline prices approaches.

There should be serious readiness in the field of cyberwar and related bodies should not allow the enemy to follow their ominous aims to make problem in trend of peoples life, Raisi said. State television later aired footage of the president visiting a gas station in central Tehran.

The attack Tuesday also bore similarities to another months earlier that seemed to directly challenge Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as the countrys economy buckles under American sanctions.

On Wednesday morning, the state-run IRNA news agency quoted another official who claimed 80% of Irans gas stations had begun selling fuel again. Associated Press journalists saw long lines at multiple gas stations in Tehran. One station had a line of 90 cars waiting for fuel. Those buying ended up having to pay at higher, unsubsidized prices.

The semiofficial ISNA news agency, which first called the incident a cyberattack, said it saw those trying to buy fuel with a government-issued card through the machines instead receiving a message reading cyberattack 64411.

While ISNA didnt acknowledge the numbers significance, that number is associated with a hotline run through Khameneis office that handles questions about Islamic law. ISNA later removed its reports, claiming that it too had been hacked. Such claims of hacking can come quickly when Iranian outlets publish news that angers the theocracy.

Farsi-language satellite channels abroad published videos apparently shot by drivers in Isfahan, a major Iranian city, showing electronic billboards there reading: Khamenei! Where is our gas? Another said: Free gas in Jamaran gas station, a reference to the home of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

The use of the number 64411 mirrored the attack in July targeting Irans railroad system that also saw the number displayed. Israeli cybersecurity firm Check Point later attributed the train attack to a group of hackers that called themselves Indra, after the Hindu god of war.

Indra previously targeted firms in Syria, where President Bashar Assad has held onto power through Irans intervention in his countrys grinding war.

Abolhassan Firouzabadi, the secretary of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace, linked the attack to the Irans rail system assault in July in comments reported by IRNA. He also said it affected all of Irans 4,300 gas stations nationwide.

There is a possibility that the attack, like a previous one on railway system, has been conducted from abroad, Firouzabadi said.

However, a former deputy telecommunications minister, Amir Nazemy, earlier wrote on Twitter that the infrastructure of system of gas stations is an exclusive network and this sort of communications were not on the internet. That raises questions on whether someone inside of Iran with access to the system launched the cyberattack or otherwise facilitated it.

A previously unheard-of group claimed responsibility for the cyberattack hours afterward late Tuesday, in a message on the messaging app Telegram. It did not provide any evidence that it carried out the assault.

Cheap gasoline is practically considered a birthright in Iran, home to the worlds fourth-largest crude oil reserves despite decades of economic woes.

Subsidies allow Iranian motorists to buy regular gasoline at 15,000 rials per liter. Thats 5 cents a liter, or about 20 cents a gallon. After a monthly 60-liter quota, it costs 30,000 rials a liter. Thats 10 cents a liter or 41 cents a gallon. Regular gasoline costs 89 cents a liter or $3.38 a gallon on average in the U.S., according to AAA.

In 2019, Iran faced days of mass protests across some 100 cities and towns over rising gasoline prices. Security forces arrested thousands and Amnesty International said it believes 304 people were killed in a government crackdown. Tuesdays cyberattack came in the same month in the Persian calendar as the gasoline protests in 2019.

The attack also came on the birthday of the late Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi who, stricken with cancer, fled the country in 1979 just before the Islamic Revolution.

Iran has faced a series of cyberattacks, including one that leaked video of abuses at its notorious Evin prison in August.

The country disconnected much of its government infrastructure from the internet after the Stuxnet computer virus _ widely believed to be a joint U.S.-Israeli creation _ disrupted thousands of Iranian centrifuges in the countrys nuclear sites in the late 2000s.

Iran, long sanctioned by the West, faces difficulties in getting up-to-date hardware and software, often relying on Chinese-manufactured electronics or older systems no longer being patched by manufacturers. That would make it easier for a potential hacker to target. Pirated versions of Windows and other software are common across Iran.

Karimi reported from Tehran, Iran.

About the photo: Cars line up outside a gas station in Tehran, Iran Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021. Irans President Ebrahim Raisi said Wednesday that a cyberattack which paralyzed every gas station in the Islamic Republic was designed to get people angry by creating disorder and disruption. Long lines snaked around the pumps a day after the incident began as some stations began selling fuel again although at higher, unsubsidized prices. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
About 10% of people who contracted COVID-19 continue to suffer persistent symptoms months later, creating the potential for millions of people to suffer functional impairment for extended lengths of time, according to a report released Wednesday by the National Council on Compensation Insurance.

The report, written by Paradigm Chief Medical Officer Dr. Michael Choo, says COVID long-haulers are anxious and irritable. They cant sleep, break out in rashes, suffer blurry vision and chest pain and are constantly thirsty. Researchers have identified 21 symptoms that have persisted as long as nine months after the initial infection.

This is both sobering and alarming, the report says.

As of Oct. 25, 45 million Americans had contracted COVID-19. Many of those cases became workers compensation claims, especially in the nine states that have created presumptions in favor of injured workers who claim they contracted the disease at the workplace.

NCCI is not the first organization to warn about the potential for COVID-19 to cause long-term health impacts. Dr. Claire Pomeroy, an infectious disease expert and president of the Lasker Foundation, wrote in a July article published by Scientific American that the nation should be prepared for a tsunami of disability caused by long-COVID.

Also in July, the Department of Health and Human Services issued guidance that informed employers that people struggling with long-haul COVID are protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act, meaning employers may have to provide reasonable accommodations to allow them to continue working.

Choos report for NCCI, citing published studies, says that 81% of people who contracted COVID-19 suffered only mild symptoms or were asymptomatic, with only 5% suffering severe symptoms. Of the people who had severe symptoms, 76% had at least one symptom six months later, the most common being fatigue, muscle weakness, and sleep difficulties.

Even more alarming, 10% of all people who contracted COVID-19 suffered symptoms more than three weeks later, according to another published study.

The National Institutes ascribed a new term for the syndrome  post-acute sequelae of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2, or PASC. Researchers have identified several symptom groups that impact the cardiovascular system, pulmonary, endocrine and auto immune systems, as well as mood disorders and sleep disorders.

The report says PASC symptoms usually diminish in three to six months, but sometimes last as long as nine months.

The frustrating reality is that the constellation of symptoms experienced by those with PASC for extended periods of time can significantly delay their ability to return to work and/or their prior level of function and impair quality of life, the report says.

Choos report is the first of two analyses that NCCI is planning to release on the long-term impacts of COVID-19 on workers compensation insurers. Spokeswoman Christine Pike said NCCI will report on trends in medical treatments and associated costs next spring or summer.
McDonalds workers in 12 U.S. cities walked off the job Tuesday to protest what they say is an ongoing problem of sexual harassment and violence in the companys stores.

Several hundred workers were expected to participate in Chicago, Houston, Miami, Detroit and other cities, according to Fight for $15 and a Union, a labor group that organized the strikes.

This is the fifth time since 2018 that McDonalds workers have struck the company over what they say are inadequate efforts to stop sexual harassment in its stores. At least 50 workers have filed charges against McDonalds alleging verbal and physical harassment over the last five years.

In April, McDonalds announced it would require sexual harassment training, reporting procedures for complaints and annual employee surveys at its 40,000 stores worldwide starting in January 2022.

But some workers say thats not enough. They want McDonalds not its franchisees, who own nearly all of its U.S. storesto be held accountable for harassment in its restaurants.

Adriana Alvarez, who has been working at a McDonalds for the last decade, was part of a small group of protestors near the companys headquarters in Chicago Tuesday.

Im on strike today because we need McDonalds to realize that were not going to stop. What needs to stop is sexual harassment, she said. Its unfair to these workers, making close to poverty wages, and then on top of that to have to worry about being sexually harassed on the job.

McDonalds said late Tuesday that the strikes had no impact on its operations.

The latest labor action was spurred by a lawsuit filed last month by a teenage McDonalds employee and her parents against McDonalds and one of its franchisees.

The employee was 14 when she was hired to work at a Pittsburgh-area McDonalds in October 2020. The employee said she received no training on sexual harassment or how to report it, even though McDonalds set up a harassment hotline and began offering that training to franchisees in 2019.

According to the lawsuit, the teenagers store hired a manager in January 2021 who had served time in prison for sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl and was listed in Pennsylvanias sex offender registry.

The manager abused and harassed the teenager and other underage employees, but there was no investigation by store leadership or McDonalds despite their complaints to the manager who hired them. In February, the manager followed the teen into a bathroom and raped her.

The manager, Walter Garner, was arrested in April after another McDonalds employee told administrators at her school about his behavior and the school contacted the police. Garner was sentenced to up to 10 years in prison last week.

The teenager is seeking damages from McDonalds as well as from the franchisee that ran her restaurant, Bethel Park, Pennsylvania-based Rice Enterprises LLC.

In addition to its harassment training requirementwhich was announced the same month Garner was arrestedMcDonalds said it expects franchisees to conduct thorough investigations when allegations arise.

Every single person working at a McDonalds restaurant deserves to feel safe and respected when they come to work, and sexual harassment and assault have no place in any McDonalds restaurant, the company said Tuesday in a statement.

In a statement provided by her attorney, Rice Enterprises CEO Michele Rice said the allegations made in the teens lawsuit are deeply disturbing and the employee was fired as soon as she heard about the complaints against him.

We have fully cooperated with the police and have offered our full support to the impacted employee, Rice said in the statement.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 27) - Motorists will soon be issued a driver's license that's valid for 10 years.

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) on Wednesday said it will start rolling out the extended validity beginning Thursday, Oct. 28.

The rollout will initially be limited to its central office and its licensing center in Quezon City.

Other Metro Manila areas will be covered next week, and the rest of the country in the following days.

However, the LTO said only drivers with zero violations on file are entitled to a license good for ten years. Those who have breached traffic laws may only avail of a five-year renewal.

The agency also noted that motorists seeking to renew their licenses must first pass a comprehensive driver's education (CDE) program before submitting an application.

"Ito'y para sa mga magre-renew ng kanilang lisensiya, professional man o non-professional. Nire-require ito ng batas...na ang magre-renew kailangan dumaan sa parang refresher seminar," LTO chief Edgar Galvante told CNN Philippines' Newsroom Ngayon.

[Translation: This is for those who want to renew their license, whether it be professional or non-professional. The law requires them to go through a refresher seminar.]

To give drivers more time to comply with the CDE requirement, the agency said it is extending the validity of existing licenses by two months from the date of expiration.

"Ang payo namin, ay 'yung mga due na magre-renew niyan, huwag muna sila magpunta sa LTO kung hindi pa nila nakakamit 'yung certificate na...nagpapatunay na nagtapos na sila nung seminar na 'yon," Galvante added.

[Translation: We advise those who are due for renewal not to go to the LTO until they have the certificate to prove they have finished the seminar.]

The LTO said the CDE is being offered for free at all of its offices, as well as on its website and platforms, such as Facebook page and YouTube channel.

Meanwhile, the accompanying exam may be taken through the Land Transportation Management System portal, or at driver's education centers in select LTO offices.

The agency added that the course and the exam may also be taken at accredited driving schools where a fee will be charged.

Should a person fail to pass, they can retake the seminar as many times as needed, Galvante said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 28)  The average number of COVID-19 deaths recorded daily this month dropped to 68 from 168 in September, a health official said Thursday.

"Mas mababa ang deaths nangyari ngayong Oktubre kumpara noong Setyembre at Agosto," Department of Health chief epidemiologist Alethea de Guzman told a government briefing.

[Translation: We had fewer deaths this October compared to September and August.]

"We peaked at 168 deaths per day nung pong September at ngayon, tayo ay nag-a-average na lamang ng 68 deaths per day," she added.

[Translation: We peaked at 168 deaths per day in September, but now we are averaging only 68 deaths per day.]

The country remains at low risk for COVID-19 due to the continuous decline in new infections, she also said.

Despite these improvements, the public must continue to comply with safety and health protocols, so the number of new infections and fatalities could drop further, de Guzman stressed.
Colorado Politics is published both in print and online. Our website features subscriber-only news stories daily, designed for public policy arena professionals. Member subscribers also receive the weekly print edition of our award-winning newspaper, containing outstanding features and news stories, in their mailboxes every Saturday.
Beachwood, OH (44122)

Today

Overcast. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Temps nearly steady in the mid to upper 30s. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low 29F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.
Marjorie P. Gurvis, born to Ann and Frank Berger in Providence, R.I., on March 29, 1924, passed away in Bal Harbour, Fla., on Nov. 14, 2021, at the age of 97.

Arrangements under the direction of Epstein Memorial Chapel.
Beachwood, OH (44122)

Today

Generally cloudy. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Temps nearly steady in the mid to upper 30s. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 28F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.
DHS students stepped up to support a student and made notes and cards, drawings and letters to help the student dealing with bullying and let her know shes not alone. Students made more than 100 cards.
Danville, IL (61832)

Today

Cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later in the day. High 52F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy with occasional rain after midnight. Low 37F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
Danville, IL (61832)

Today

Snow this morning will give way to some clearing this afternoon. High 52F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 70%..

Tonight

Cloudy with rain developing after midnight. Low 38F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
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Indian-origin MP Anita Anand appointed Canada's Defence Minister

Indian-origin Canadian politician Anita Anand has been appointed as the new Defence Minister in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's cabinet.

Anand has worked as a scholar, lawyer, and researcher. Phtoo courtesy: Twitter/@AnitaOakville

The 54-year-old from Oakville, Ontario is just the second woman to serve as Canadas Defence Minister.

Earlier, she had served as procurement minister and led Canada's efforts to purchase vaccines in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In her role as former Minister of Public Services and Procurement, she played a very public role in the Liberal response to the health crisis.

Anand will replace long-time defence minister Indian-origin Harjit Sajjan, whose handling of the military sexual misconduct crisis has been under criticism, media reports said.

Anand holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Political Studies from Queen's University, a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Jurisprudence from the University of Oxford, a Bachelor of Laws from Dalhousie University, and a Master of Laws from the University of Toronto. She was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1994.

Anand has worked as a scholar, lawyer, and researcher. She has been a legal academic, including as a Professor of Law at the University of Toronto.

Anand has completed extensive research on the regulation of financial markets, corporate governance, and shareholder rights. Anand, along with Sajjan and Bardish Chagger were the three Indo-Canadian ministers in the dissolved Cabinet who emerged victorious in the parliamentary polls last month.

Anand was declared the winner in Oakville with a nearly 46% vote share.

In 2019, the Royal Society of Canada awarded her the Yvan Allaire Medal for outstanding contributions in governance relating to private and public organisations.
10/28/2021

Photo (c) Longhua Liao - Getty Images Coronavirus (COVID-19) tally as compiled by Johns Hopkins University. (Previous numbers in parentheses.)

Total U.S. confirmed cases: 45,718,022 (45,638,297)

Total U.S. deaths: 741,597 (739,254)

Total global cases: 245,241,884 (244,800,062)

Total global deaths: 4,976,499 (4,967,907)

Researchers tout an old drug as a new treatment

There may be a cheap way to treat mild cases of COVID-19 before they get worse. Researchers in Brazil conducted a clinical trial using a generic antidepressant drug to treat the virus and are reporting positive results.

They say the drug, known as fluvoxamine, appeared to reduce the risk of severe COVID-19 symptoms in close to a third of people in a high-risk category. The drug was administered to about half the subjects in a trial of about 1,500 patients.

"Fluvoxamine may reduce the production of inflammatory molecules called cytokines, that can be triggered by SARS-CoV-2 infection," said Dr. Angela Reiersen, an associate professor of psychiatry at Washington University in St. Louis who worked on the study,

White House signals flexibility on mandates

In the face of growing resistance and resignations in response to its vaccination mandate for federal employees and contractors, the White House is showing a little flexibility. Coronavirus response coordinator Jeff Zients has signaled that the Biden administration could provide some give-and-take as it enforces the presidents executive order.

The mandate was issued in response to the fourth wave of the virus, which was driven by the spread of the Delta variant. But the administrations attempt to force people to be vaccinated appears to only have hardened the resistance.

The new approach involves more carrot than stick. Agencies and contractors are being encouraged to counsel unvaccinated team members on the benefits of the vaccine, even after the mandate deadline. Federal employees face a vaccination deadline of Nov. 22; contractors have a Dec. 8 deadline.

COVID-19 slowed the economy in the last quarter

The spread of the Delta variant and worsening supply chain bottlenecks took a toll on the nations economy in the last quarter. The Commerce Department reports that the nations Gross Domestic Product (GDP), a measure of economic growth, rose only 2% in the July through September period.

That marked a significant slowdown from strong gains earlier this year when people began to get vaccinated and businesses began to resume full operations. GDP rose at an unusually fast annual rate of 6.3% in the first quarter and 6.7% in the second quarter.

Providing a drag on growth in the third quarter, businesses struggled to find employees, and supply chain bottlenecks kept products from reaching consumers. This week, toymaker Hasbro reported that $100 million in orders went unfilled in the third quarter.

Around the nation

New York: A judge has denied a motion from New York Citys largest police union to block the citys vaccination mandate. The Police Benevolent Association had argued that the policy does not make clear potential exceptions for medical or religious reasons. The group also claims that the mandate does not give unvaccinated officers sufficient time to apply for such exemptions.

North Carolina: Gov. Roy Cooper is urging his constituents to remain vigilant against the coronavirus, but he reports that the states numbers are moving in the right direction. "Were relieved to see fewer people requiring hospital care and ICU beds for COVID-19. Our percentage of tests positive continues to decline and the number of people vaccinated increases every day, even though we want it to go faster," Cooper said at a news conference.

California: Health officials have already drawn up plans to vaccinate young children. The state has established 4,000 venues to administer 1.2 million shots to children between the ages of five and 11 in the first week after the vaccine is approved for kids.

Colorado: While the rate of coronavirus cases nationwide is going down, federal health statistics show that Colorado leads the U.S. in per capita case increases over the past two weeks. The state also has the fewest available hospital beds.
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Today

Mainly sunny to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High 56F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight

Considerable cloudiness. Low 34F. Winds light and variable.

Tomorrow

Mainly cloudy. High around 65F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.
Merck fell out of the race to develop COVID-19 vaccines earlier this year but could vault to head of the pack for treatments in 2022.

The drugmakers potential antiviral, molnupiravir, may generate $5 billion to $7 billion in sales through next year, company executives told analysts Thursday morning. That could include as much as $1 billion this year if regulators authorize it in December.

The company has asked for authorization in both the U.S. and Europe for what would be the first pill to treat COVID-19. All other treatments backed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration require an IV or injection.

The need for additional treatment options remains key in combating the COVID-19

pandemic, Dr. Dean Li, president of Merck research laboratories, told analysts during a Thursday call to discuss third-quarter results.

The FDA has said a panel of outside experts will meet late next month to consider the treatment for use in adults with mild to moderate COVID-19 who are at risk for severe disease or hospitalization.

Merck reported earlier this month that, in testing, the pill cut hospitalizations and deaths by half among patients with early symptoms of COVID-19.

Li said the treatment, which Merck developed with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, was consistently effective against several virus variants, including the now dominant delta version.

Merck also is studying molnupiravir to see whether it can be used to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in households after someone is exposed to the virus. The company expects results from that research next spring.

In the third quarter, Mercks blockbuster cancer treatment Keytruda and the vaccine Gardasil pushed the drugmaker well past Wall Streets third-quarter expectations, even as COVID-19 sapped demand for another vaccine.

Keytruda revenue jump 22% to $4.5 billion, while sales of Gardasil vaccines against the cancer-causing human papilloma virus soared 68%.

But sales of Mercks pneumonia vaccine, Pneumovax 23, tumbled 26% mainly because people in the United States prioritized preventive shots guarding against COVID-19.

Overall, Merck posted adjusted earnings of $1.75 per share, as net income jumped 55% to $4.57 billion in the quarter.

Analysts expected, on average, earnings of $1.55 per share on $12.32 billion in revenue, according to FactSet.

Merck also said Thursday that it raised and tightened its 2021 forecast. It now expects full-year adjusted earnings of between $5.65 and $5.70 per share on $47.4 billion to $47.9 billion in revenue. The potential COVID-19 treatment was not included in the forecast.

Analysts expect earnings of $5.64 per share on about $47.68 billion in revenue.

Merck said global health systems have largely adapted to the ongoing pandemic, which was still hurting sales earlier this year as people postponed visits to both doctors and veterinarians.

Merck makes drugs for both people and animals. The company expects a 2021 revenue hit of less than 3% from COVID-19.

Shares of Merck & Co. Inc., based in Kenilworth, New Jersey, jumped nearly 5% to $85.40 Thursday, as broader indexes climbed slightly.

___

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LANSING, Mich. (AP)  Before New York real estate developer Fred Wilpon would become part-owner and then sole owner of the New York Mets for over 30 years, he was a 17-year-old first-generation college student who had gotten off an airplane for the first time in his life to attend the University of Michigan.

Looking at the campus in Ann Arbor, Wilpon said he was so overwhelmed and frightened he called his parents to tell them he didn't think the school was for him. Wilpon, who sold the Mets in 2020, credits the community he found as a part of the university's baseball team and coach Ray Fisher for mentoring him through school.

It was one of the most meaningful things that ever happened to me in my life, Wilpon said.

In order to combat the struggles low-income and first-generation college students can face  not feeling connected, unsure how to navigate financial aid or class systems and difficulty networking  Wilpon and his wife, Judy, created the Kessler Scholars Program in 2008. The program has awarded scholarships to more than 400 undergraduate students at the university, and Thursday the Judy and Fred Wilpon Family Foundation announced it is donating $40 million to fund the program in perpetuity.

The number of students nationwide who identify as first generation is on the rise  one third of students at colleges and universities are first generation, according to a 2018 study from U.S. Department of Education, and less than 30% of first-generation students complete an undergraduate degree in four years.

Deana Waintraub Stafford, a director from the Center for First-Generation Student Success, said schools nationally have acted accordingly to the growing number of first-generation students and there have been several improvements in helping them succeed, but there's still work to be done.

Institutions are really reflecting on why and how they can influence the experiences of first-gen students to yield greater completion, Stafford said.

Michigan sophomore Briarre Johnson said she's received other scholarships as a first-generation student, but none have impacted her academic career quite like Kessler.

I feel like their main thing is retention and they focus on retention and just being there for us and making sure were OK as people. Money isnt everything, Johnson said. Kessler truly cares about what happens to students after they receive the money, after they graduate and I definitely feel like that makes a difference.

The program, which rather than awarding a scholarship and leaving students to navigate the waters of postsecondary education without guidance, includes access to peer mentoring, alumni networking and support staff. Student academic success, post-graduation employment and additional data is tracked by the program in order to ensure those who participate get the support they need to best participate in their communities.

In the past several years U-M has expanded the program to five other institutions: Syracuse University, Johns Hopkins University, Cornell University, Queens College and St. Francis College. With the donation, the Wilpon Family Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies are partnering and hope to expand the Kessler Scholars Program to as many as 10 new institutions.

U-M says the effort is paying off. In 2021, Michigan says 83% of its Kessler Scholars attained a four-year degree, as opposed to their other first-generation peers who had a 75% graduation rate. The rate at which Kessler Scholars graduate in six years is 94%, slightly higher than the university's overall six-year graduation rate, which is 93%.

Additionally, 2021 Kessler Scholars recipients got plugged into campus, with 55% taking on leadership roles in student organizations, according to the university.

University President Mark S. Schlissel expressed gratitude to the Wilpons donation in a news release Thursday.

First-generation students bring enormous talent and unique perspectives to the University of Michigan  and they face challenges other students dont, Schlissel said. U-M is fully committed to ensuring that students do more than arrive at Michigan; we want them to thrive here.

With the most recent gift, the Wilpons will have donated more than $75 million to the university, $61 million of which will have gone to the Kessler program, according to the news release.

Its the most rewarding thing Ive ever done. I can tell you that its palpable to me, Wilpon said, adding that he is proud that this program will now always be at the school and he hopes one day schools across the country will implement similar programs.

___

Anna Liz Nichols 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.
Connecticut residents will head to the polls Tuesday, almost two years into a global pandemic. But with the widespread availability of vaccines, Election Day 2021 will likely look more normal this year.

Like last year, state residents can vote by absentee ballot using the COVID-19 pandemic as a qualifying reason. In order to be counted, absentee ballots must be received by the municipal clerk by the time polls close on Tuesday, either through the mail or dropped off in-person.

The state has a hotline for any issues at the polls. The number is 866-733-2463, or email elections@ct.gov

Below is everything you need to know about voting in the 2021 local election in Connecticut.

How do I check if Im registered to vote?

The secretary of the states website has a tool to see if youre registered to vote. Enter your town, first and last name, and date of birth to find your registration status, as well as your polling place (where you go to vote). If you submitted an absentee ballot, the database will show if its been received by your town clerk.

Can I still register to vote?

The deadline to register online, by mail or in person ahead of Election Day has passed. If you havent registered to vote yet, you can still register on Election Day in Connecticut.

Each town has its own Election Day registration site separate from its polling place. If you need to register to vote on Tuesday, use this list from the secretary of the states office to find out where to go in your town. Youll vote at the Election Day registration site once you register.

Youll need to bring proof of your identity and residence in order to register to vote on Election Day.

When are polls open?

All polling places in Connecticut will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday. Election Day registration locations are open during the same hours.

Where do I go to vote?

You can find your polling location by entering your address here.

What about identification?

A drivers license is not required to vote in Connecticut, but voters should bring a form of identification that includes their name and address, or name and signature, or name and photograph. A Social Security card is also a valid form of ID.

First-time voters need to bring a copy of a current and valid photo identification that shows your name and address, according to the secretary of the state or a copy of a utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or other government document with your name and address.

What if I forgot my ID?

You can sign an affidavit affirming your identity with criminal penalties for making a false statement.

What can and cant you wear to the polls?

Supreme Court decisions and state law both apply here. What it boils down to is if it has the candidates name and or likeness on it then its not OK, said Gabe Rosenberg, a spokesperson for the secretary of the states office. Clothing with a campaign or political slogan is allowed. So a Trump 2020 T-shirt would not be allowed, but a Make America Great Again hat would be acceptable.

An Oct. 6 memo from the office of the secretary of state also notes the ban extends to clothing that advocates for an issue on the ballot. In the event someone shows up to the polls wearing an article of clothing thats prohibited, they should be asked to remove it or cover it up, the state says.

State law also bans soliciting votes within 75 feet of a polling place.

Do you have to wear a mask to the polls?

The short answer is most likely.

While Connecticut has no universal indoor mask mandate, people who are not vaccinated are still required to wear a mask indoors in most public spaces. Local municipalities also have the ability, under an executive order from Gov. Ned Lamont, to require people to wear masks indoors, and many require visitors to government buildings to mask up.

In the event someone refuses to wear a mask, moderators or poll workers should give the voter the opportunity to get a mask from their car or give them one, according to a Sept. 30 memo. If the voter still refuses, poll workers should offer them a provisional ballot to fill out in their car or a ballot that they can fill out in a segregated part of the polling location away from other voters.

I have an absentee ballot. Is there still time to mail it in?

Absentee ballots have to arrive at the town clerks office no later than 8 p.m. Tuesday. With less than a week left before the election, it may be best to drop off a completed absentee ballot at one of the states official ballot drop-off boxes.

Those boxes have been distributed to every municipality in the state, and many have placed them prominently outside of their town hall to make it easier for people to drop off absentee ballots.

I got sick or injured and cant make it to the polls. What do I do?

Fill out an emergency application for absentee ballot. The form can be used by people who have an unforeseen illness or disability within six days of polls closing.
Few relationships are as intimate as those between patient and doctor.

So when that relationship is compromised, patients need to be able to shift that trust to the people who hold doctors accountable.

A new report suggests the Connecticut Medical Examining Board could do a better job of handling and resolving complaints against doctors in the state, which can range from flawed treatments to whether they were practicing under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Dr. Sidney Wolfe, the founder and senior adviser of the Public Citizens Health Research Group, which produced the report, makes the alarming claim that tens of thousands of parties are exposed to doctors who should not be practicing.

Its easy to get lost in the numbers. Stamford attorney Kathryn Emmett, who chairs the Connecticut board, told the Connecticut Health I-Team, that the studys comparison of how states discipline doctors is not a level yardstick.

Its a fair point, but that doesnt erase that the report sounds the alarm on a string of issues that demand deeper discussion. Investigations into claims of medical wrongdoing can take years to resolve. Not all accused physicians are guilty, but those who are can often continue harming more patients in the meantime. There can be serious medical consequences when these issues are not addressed.

There can also be resistance to being too critical of a panel such as the Connecticut Medical Examining Board, as the members are unpaid and absent of staff and funding.

That bears repeating: These are volunteer board members with no funding or staff.

But if that means the system isnt working, there needs to be a new system.

A call for a reboot came from within the board. Longtime board member Jean Rexford, who is also the founder of the Connecticut Center for Patient Safety, voiced concerns that led to the formation of a working group within the board. The sessions of that group have remained closed to the public because the State Department of Health deemed them administrative.

While the privacy of patients must be preserved, there is clearly a need for more transparency in this process.

Rexford is not alone. Another board member, Michele Jacklin, called the board impotent and toothless compared to ones in other states.

The Connecticut Health I-Teams reporting uncovers several issues that warrant reform.

Board members should be getting some training before assuming such heavy responsibilities.

Such problems are not unique to Connecticut. There should, for example, be consistency in the fines that are issued.

The current system counts on patients to blow the whistle. As a result, it is reactive rather than proactive. Outreach to shield the public can come in many forms, such as monitoring appropriate communication from health officials regarding COVID-19 protocol.

The last thing Connecticut needs is more bureaucracy, another layer of watchmen. But lawmakers should get involved to assess whether this panel is meeting its mission.

It needs to diagnose the problem, then administer a cure.
OXFORD, N.C. (AP)  A former North Carolina sheriff who was previously accused of threatening to kill a deputy has been indicted on charges of falsifying law enforcement training records, court records showed Wednesday.

A grand jury said former Granville County Sheriff Brindell Wilkins used deception to retain his law enforcement certification from the N.C. Sheriffs Education and Training Standards Division, and that he knowingly submitted false and misleading information between 2012 and 2018. According to court records, Wilkins allegedly falsified records to show he had completed mandated annual training and firearm qualification requirements, when he actually had not, news outlets reported.

The reports said former Granville County chief deputy Sherwood Boyd also was indicted on charges of falsifying records to maintain certification. Chad Coffey, a former deputy who also served as training coordinator and firearms instructor, and Edward Keith Campbell also were also indicted on charges related to the alleged falsification, the records show.

It wasnt immediately known Wednesday afternoon whether Wilkins and the others had attorneys who could comment on their respective cases.

Wilkins was initially indicted on two counts of obstruction of justice in September 2019. The indictment was handed down following allegations that he reportedly thought a former deputy would release a recording containing racially offensive language, and in a 2014 phone call said the only way you gonna stop him is kill him, according to court records. That case is still pending, said Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman.

A grand jury indicted Wilkins in June on charges of obstruction and failing to discharge his duties. The charges were related to the sheriffs office drug unit and to improper approval of gun permits, WRAL reported, citing court documents.

In addition, current Granville County Sheriff Charles Noblin, who was appointed to succeed Wilkins in January 2020, has resigned in light of the new allegations against his predecessor, although he is not facing any charges, news outlets reported Wednesday.

Due to personal reasons beyond my control and newly discovered information brought to my attention concerning the ongoing investigation, I feel that it is in my best interest and betterment of Granville Countys Sheriff Office that I inform you of my resignation, Noblin wrote to Ganville County Attoreny James Wrenn, according to WRAL.

Noblin, who took over in January 2020, put his agency before his own personal interest, Freeman said of the resignation.

The Granville County Sheriffs Office declined to comment. The county, which borders Virginia, is north of the state capital of Raleigh.
The NAFCU compliance team has blogged about the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) several times over the past couple of years. That is because of the imminent end of publishing of the LIBOR benchmarks. There was a blog in January 2020 about the National Credit Union Administrations (NCUA) 2020 supervisory priorities that discussed LIBOR exposure. There was a subsequent blog in June 2020 that focused on resources on the LIBOR transition issued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), including a set of frequently asked questions and a proposed rule to amend Regulation Z to address issues that might arise when credit unions have to replace LIBOR with another index in their credit agreements. There was another blog in March of this year addressing issues under Regulation Z specific to changing indices for home equity lines of credit (HELOCs). And the most recent blog to examine LIBOR was this past June when we looked at the CFPBs spring 2021 rulemaking agenda and its update on when to expect the CFPB to finalize the proposed rule mentioned above.

Last week, NCUA, CFPB, the federal banking agencies, and state regulators issued a joint statement about their expectations for how credit unions and other financial institutions should manage the risk associated with the shift away from LIBOR. The joint statement noted that the federal banking agencies had issued earlier guidance encourag[ing] supervised institutions to cease entering into new contracts that use USD LIBOR as a reference rate as soon as practicable, but no later than December 31, 2021. The joint statement also noted that (1) NCUA provided substantially similar guidance to credit unions, and (2) the NCUAs guidance recommended that credit unions ensure existing contracts have robust fallback language that includes a clearly defined alternative reference rate.

The joint statement examined four separate issues. First, it clarified what the regulators meant by the phrase new LIBOR contracts: a new contract would include an agreement that (i) creates additional LIBOR exposure for a supervised institution or (ii) extends the term of an existing LIBOR contract. The statement identified a draw against an existing credit agreement as something that is not a new LIBOR contract. Moreover, the statement expressed the regulators expectations that contacts entered into before January 1, 2022, should either not use LIBOR or have fallback language incorporating a strong and clearly defined alternative reference rate after LIBORs discontinuation.
In a recent event for The Economic Club of Washington D.C., Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va, Tuesday criticized the proposed IRS reporting proposal being floated in Congress. Manchin voiced his objection against the proposal to President Biden asking, Do you understand how messed up that is?

The moderate Democrat went even as far as suggesting that the provision will likely not pass, saying, I think that ones going to be gone. Manchin called the proposal screwed up.

Manchin is the second Democrat to express opposition against the provision. Rep. Charlie Crist, D-FL, last week detailed his concerns against the reporting regime. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D.Va., also commented that the provision could, jeopardize my constituents rights to privacy without any clear tax law enforcement purpose, adding that small and medium banks could face disproportionate burdens as well. Over 200 Members of Congress wrote to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen also noting their concerns even with the proposed threshold increase.
Marye Louise Howse, age 71, of Cullman, passed away on Tuesday, November 16, 2021, at Hanceville Nursing Home. She was born April 23, 1950, to Rayburn R. and Thelma L. Brown. She was preceded in death by her parents and brother, Randall Brown. Survivors include her husband, David Howse; son,
Joseph Rose launched a similar effort at the Garnet Valley School District, which prohibits satanic or "cult-ish" imagery.





Walter Perez

WPVI

October 26, 2021





A local Satanic organization has convinced a Delaware County school district that its dress code was discriminatory against Satanists.





MEDIA, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- A local Satanic organization has convinced a school district in Delaware County that its dress code was discriminatory against Satanists.



Joseph Rose, the founder of a local organization called Satanic Delco, says fellow Satanists with children attending schools within the Rose Tree Media School District made him aware of the verbiage in the dress code banning any clothing or gear that are "satanic in nature."



"The idea that a public school would allow religious expression in school, but choose to single out and prohibit the expression of one specific religion obviously seemed like a problem for us," Rose said.



It took about a month of consistent emails and phone calls to the district before the superintendent sent out an announcement reading in part "... Although we have had no complaints or concerns brought forward by any student, parent, or resident we will remove this language from our current dress code information in the student handbook."



After reading the entire statement, Villanova law professor Ann Juliano said the district probably did the right thing.



"I really do like the way they phrased it. They recognize that there could be religious beliefs that issue, not that there are, but there could be, and therefore they would take it out," she said.



But most of the people Action News spoke with in Media said it makes you wonder when exercising your rights goes too far.



"I wouldn't want a Satanic or cultish anything on clothing in schools," said Lisa Cutrufello of Clifton Heights.



"It's like a free speech issue. Are they going to allow Nazis to be able to put symbols on kids' shirts and send them to school," said Donna Willis of Media.



Meanwhile, Rose said he will continue to fight schools on their dress code decisions.



"It just sort of raises awareness for what Satanists are, what we're not, and maybe helps empower us a little when we have to reach out to the next high school, which I'm doing," he said.



Rose has already launched a similar campaign involving the Garnet Valley School District, which currently prohibits clothing and gear with satanic or "cult-ish" imagery.



According to Satanic Delco's website, the group does not worship Satan, but rather believe that religion can, and should, be divorced from superstition.



"We do not promote a belief in a personal Satan. To embrace the name Satan is to embrace rational inquiry removed from supernaturalism and archaic tradition-based superstitions. Satanists should actively work to hone critical thinking and exercise reasonable agnosticism in all things. Our beliefs must be malleable to the best current scientific understandings of the material world - never the reverse," read a statement on the website.
Kankakee, IL (60901)

Today

Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. High around 50F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy in the evening, then off and on rain showers after midnight. Low 34F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
Local

ARHS to offer Moderna booster at drive-thru clinics starting next week

cday / Chris Day/The Daily Advance Brittany Phthisic (left), a nursing student at College of The Albemarle, administers a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination booster shot to Fred DAntonio during a booster clinic at the Elizabeth City Aviation Airpark, Oct. 6. Beginning Monday, Albemarle Regional Health Services will start hosting drive-through clinics that offer booster doses of the Moderna vaccine.

Albemarle Regional Health Services said Tuesday it will begin hosting drive-through clinics next week offering booster shots of the Moderna vaccine to residents 65 and older and to those younger who either have underlying medical conditions or jobs that put them at higher risk of contracting COVID-19.

ARHS, which began offering booster doses of the Pfizer vaccine several weeks ago, plans to hold Moderna clinics in each of the eight counties it serves, starting with one Monday at the Gates County Health Department at 29 Medical Center Road, Gates, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Other Moderna booster clinics next week will be at the Camden County Library at 104 Investors Way, Camden, on Tuesday; the Elizabeth City Aviation Commerce Park at 1049 Consolidated Road, Elizabeth City, and the Ahoskie Creek Amphitheater at 125 Edgewood Drive, Ahoskie, on Wednesday; and the American Legion at 1317 W. Queen St., Edenton, on Thursday, Nov. 4. All clinics will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The following week, clinics will also be held at the Perquimans Recreation Center at 310 Granby St., Hertford, on Monday, Nov. 8; at Maple Park at 170 Maple Parkway, Maple, in Currituck, Tuesday, Nov. 9; and at the Bertie County Recreation Complex at 1538 South King St., Windsor, Wednesday, Nov. 10. Those clinics also will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Although federal health officials have authorized health providers to offer booster vaccines that are different from the one residents originally received, ARHS said next weeks drive-through clinics will be for residents who received the two-shot series of the Moderna vaccine at least six months ago. Residents seeking a booster dose of either the Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson vaccine should make an appointment with the health department in their county, ARHS said.

ARHS said it is recommending the Moderna booster dose for persons 65 and older, persons ages 50-64 with certain medical conditions, and persons 18 and older who reside in long-term care facilities.

However, the Moderna clinics will also be open to persons 18-49 with underlying medical conditions and those 18-64 at increased risk of COVID-19 exposure because of their job or where they work, ARHS said.

COVID-19 booster shots are an important tool to provide additional protection against COVID-19, ARHS Director R. Battle Betts Jr. said in a press release. I encourage anyone who is eligible to get their booster.

Betts noted a doctors note isnt required to get a booster shot and residents can self-attest to eligibility.

Residents are required to bring their vaccine card to the drive-through clinics so staff can verify their previous vaccine series; those without their vaccine card will be asked to make an appointment at their local health department. ARHS is also asking residents not to arrive at any clinic prior to 8:30 a.m.

Betts also encouraged residents who have questions about whether they should get a booster to speak with their doctor or another healthcare professional they trust.

Betts said last week ARHS is still awaiting approval from federal officials to begin offering the Pfizer vaccine to children ages 5-11. Currently only children 12 and older can get that vaccine.

ARHS released data Friday showing the agency has already administered 1,522 booster doses of the Pfizer vaccine, 75% of it in Pasquotank and Currituck counties.

ARHS said it continues to accept appointments for booster doses of the Pfizer vaccine, and will begin accepting appointments for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson boosters next week. Federal health officials advise the J&J booster for persons 18 and older who received their original dose of the single-shot vaccine at least two months ago.

The regional health department also continues to accept appointments for first and second doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and single doses of the J&J vaccine. Residents must be 12 and older.

Also available are third doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for residents who are moderately to severely immunocompromised.

ARHS also released data Tuesday showing active COVID-19 cases have declined significantly from the summer. According to ARHS, active cases on Tuesday totaled 303. Thats nearly 40 fewer than were reported in the region on Friday.

Its been over two months since we have had active cases this low across the region, Betts said. My hope is that we continue to see cases steadily decline and we can move forward to brighter days.
Reva Mae Love, age 75, of Dalton, Georgia passed away on Thursday, November 18, 2021. She was born on September 10, 1946. She is preceded in death by parents, Herbert and Lela "Grant" Lawson; brother, Charles Lawson. She is survived by her husband, Bubba (Harold) Love of Dalton; son, Brian F
Jason Martin Moore, 40, of Ashland Ky, died Saturday November 13th, 2021 at Kings Daughters Medical Center in Ashland Ky. Jason was born September 4th, 1981 in Ashland KY. A son of the late Jarome "Marty" and Donna Roe Moore. He is preceded in death in addition to his parents by his grandmot
The top vote-getter two years ago and a former city employee with battle to become next's Mayor on Nov. 2.

Sunbury residents will choose between Sunbury Councilman Josh Brosious or former Sunbury Administrator Jody Ocker to lead the city for the next four years as mayor.
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FILE - This Wednesday May 27, 2020 file photo shows New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo during a news conference in Washington. A criminal complaint filed with a court in Albany has charged former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo with a misdemeanor sex crime, according to a spokesman for the state court system.
A female royal personage this week took a stand on the controversial issue of sexual violence against women.

Instead of the usual polite banalities and grandstanding that we have come to expect from celebrities and royals on serious subjects, she actually said something powerful and important.

She did not mince her words. 'How many more women must be harassed, raped or murdered?' she stormed.

She argued that it was crucial for women to get the 'men in our lives involved in this movement'.

That seemed to suggest that the majority of men didn't care, or weren't bothered about women being attacked or raped, which I don't believe to be true, nor even fair. But there we are.

So which royal dared to speak out so fearlessly in the face of potential controversy? Not Kate, not the-me-you-can-see Meghan, not Beatrice, Eugenie nor their mothership, the Fergie.

Not Zara, not Sophie, not a vent from a Kent, not a Gloucester on the roster.

JAN MOIR: Yes, it was 74-year-old Camilla (pictured) who made one of the most startling speeches I can ever recall being made by a royalette

The diatribe did not come from any of the younger, more politically correct set, with their carefully curated grab-bag of causes, platitudes and hashtag activism. Remarkably, it came from the Duchess of Cornwall.

Yes, it was 74-year-old Camilla who made one of the most startling speeches I can ever recall being made by a royalette.

It wasn't an easy subject. I didn't agree with everything she said. In fact, I barely agreed with anything she said, including her bold assertion that society has come to believe that 'violence against women is normal'.

Wait, what? Since when? Everybody knows that rape and murder are bad, come off it.

Yet how refreshing to hear a Duchess, by God, issuing such a powerful testimony; saying words of substance about something that really matters.

Camilla was speaking at a reception organised by the WOW Foundation (Women of the World) to launch the Shameless! Festival  a series of events taking place next month which will bring together art and activism to confront and change attitudes towards sexual violence.

The heart rather sinks at the thought of 'workshops' and 'wellness spaces' aimed at achieving this, but campaigners report that the stigma of shame can still haunt survivors of sexual violence, leaving them to struggle with another layer of anguish on top of the terrible violations they have already suffered.

JAN MOIR: How refreshing to hear a Duchess, by God, issuing such a powerful testimony; saying words of substance about something that really matters

That is absolutely heartbreaking. I hate to think of these women and girls caught in a lacerating spiral of self-blame after being attacked.

Or  perhaps even worse  to be accused of somehow bringing the attack upon themselves.

Anything that can help to lessen their burden of misplaced guilt is to be encouraged and supported.

During her speech the Duchess referenced several recent victims of violent crime, including Sarah Everard  kidnapped, raped and murdered by serving police officer Wayne Couzens.

Couzens, who used Covid powers to conduct a fake arrest of the 33-year-old marketing executive as she walked home from a friend's house in March, has just lodged an appeal against his whole-life sentence. He feels he has been badly done by!

Is he appealing because he doesn't believe violating and killing a woman deserves such punishment? Does he, like Camilla fears, believe that violence against women is now the norm? Or is he appealing because he is a psychopath, beyond the reach of reason and shame?

This is important, because one of the more startling things Camilla said was that 'rapists are not born, they are constructed'.

Is this entirely true? Is it not the case that some people are not shaped into monsters by circumstance or corrupt influence, but are just born bad, beyond repair, their psyche a poisoned pip at the heart of a rotten apple?

People for whom no amount of Heads Together meetings or workshop sessions will ever cure their mental abnormality or the sickness in their soul?

If a brute like Wayne Couzens is a construct, as the Duchess seems to be suggesting, that implies that at some point he can be deconstructed.

His decision to appeal indicates that he is a long way from forming an appreciation or understanding of the gravity of his crime.

During her speech the Duchess (pictured) referenced several recent victims of violent crime, including Sarah Everard  kidnapped, raped and murdered by serving police officer Wayne Couzens

It is true that there have been some recent and terrible acts of violence against women. Sabina Nessa, the primary school teacher killed minutes from home; Geetika Goyal, stabbed to death by her husband; Wenjing Lin, a schoolgirl found dead at home; Bennylyn Burke, a mother who was killed. Each and every one a terrible and regrettable death.

But while duchesses and organisations campaign to try to keep women safe, it is important to remember that cases such as these are so shocking because they are, thankfully, so rare.

And with more than 75 per cent of murder victims being male, it is men rather than women who are in far greater danger of meeting a violent end in this country. If I had children, I'd be far more worried about my sons than my daughters.

And while I genuinely applaud her passionate immersion in such a difficult subject, I wonder if Camilla urging women to get their menfolk 'involved' is entirely helpful.

The huge majority of men have never committed or condoned sexual violence against women and would be horrified at the thought that they would casually ignore such crimes. So let's not make this a polarising issue.

Our fathers, brothers, male friends and colleagues  we are all in it together. On this issue in particular, let us not be apart.

Evans above, Alice!

Actress Alice Evans has become a heroine with the Wronged Wives Club, a cheerleader for the Sorrowing Sorority of Dumped Dames as she unflinchingly lays bare her husband's alleged perfidy on her social media accounts.

I don't know whether to applaud Alice's furious updates or urge her to close the lid on her keyboard for the sake of the kids.

She accuses estranged husband Ioan Gruffudd of cheating on her for at least a year  after he went 'Instagram official' with new love Bianca Wallace.

'Thanks for making me smile again,' he posted under a cosy photograph of them together. He may have meant well, but how wounding for his poor wife (right, with Ioan).

All over: Alice Evans confirmed she and Ioan were splitting after 20 years in a shock statement she shared on Twitter in January 2021 (pictured together in 2018)

There is something so wild and almost exhilarating about Alice's refusal to go quietly into that long, dark night of the scorned.

Many women who have suffered a betrayal will surely feel a tiny spark of solidarity as she issues another online beating to her husband.

But there are two sides to every story  and we have only heard from Alice.

However, it does seem unfair that he (The Man) can move smoothly on to a lovely new life with a comely lover while she (The Woman) is left stewing in the wreckage of their family, with two bewildered young daughters to care for.

On balance, I feel her pain but I do urge caution. Vengeance is sweet, but while wrecking her husband's reputation and possibly even his acting career might make her feel better for a moment, it is not going to help their children.

And in the end, aren't they all that matter?

Ewe take a risk by inviting in TV cameras

Trouble down on t'farm. The 'Yorkshire Shepherdess' Amanda Owen has reportedly moved out of the home she shares with her husband, Clive, and their nine children.

The stars of Our Yorkshire Farm, the popular Channel 5 fly-on-the-shed series, admit that their marriage has hit turbulence, but hopefully only temporarily.

It is not because of their 19year age gap or the pressures of the lambing season. Sadly, it is because of that old chestnut and dastardly devil  media intrusion.

The 'Yorkshire Shepherdess' Amanda Owen (pictured) has reportedly moved out of the home she shares with her husband, Clive, and their nine children

'Unfortunately the constant intrusion into our lives from the media has amplified a rocky patch that we're going through,' they said in a statement.

I'm sad for their difficulties and hope they can work something out  but be fair.

If you invite a TV crew into your home to film your every move over three years, which produces five television series avidly watched by millions, then surely it's a bit of a mint sauce to blame the media for your problems.

The COP26 conference gets more surplus to requirements by the hour. Especially now that the Queen has cancelled her attendance, making this great Glasgow green-in seem even more irrelevant.

In Glasgow, the local SNP council presides over a city in the grip of a rodent infestation and a rubbish collection problem, while hundreds of patients have had their doctor's appointments cancelled or rescheduled in a bid to reduce traffic during the conference. How utterly enraging.

Once more, the needs and comforts of ordinary citizens are being sacrificed for some greater, greener ideal over which they have no control.

'It's really irritating when they talk, but they don't do,' said the Queen, over world leaders spouting platitudes about climate change.

No wonder she has checked her diary and discovered she is washing her corgis when the conference takes place. The last thing we all need is more hot air.

Adele has released tickets for a Hyde Park concert next summer

Tickets for Adeles shows in Hyde Park, London, next year have gone on sale.

Its basically a gig in a field, but promoters have dreamt up new ways to justify charging a fortune.

General admission is 90.45. After this is something called Primary Entry (sounds painful, 111.85).

Then theres Gold (273.95); Diamond VIP (379.95); VIP Terrace (434.95) and the Ultimate Bar Diamond and Ultimate Terrace  579.95.

For what? Watching a tiny Adele singing her heart out half a mile away?

A run of concerts in a smaller venue would have been a better deal for her fans  but a lot more effort for her.

Princess Mako of Japan married her commoner sweetheart and had to leave the royal family.

She had no problem with that. She made her choice, she accepted the consequences. She went quietly, off into a life of anonymity, all for the sake of love.

Mako has no plans to give interviews, she doesnt want to save the world before teatime and says that all she wants is a peaceful life with her love.

This so reminds me of Prince Harry, I dont think.

There is a hideous new trend afoot in the U.S.  school photo retouching services, often being done without parents consent.

Kids pay to have their freckles removed, teeth whitened, skin tones evened out, etc.

So sad! A photo of yourself in the fourth form  spotty, grotty , geeky, specky  is a rite of passage, a marker of time.

A Hollywood airbrushed version of yourself as a teen pupil? How terrible. I blame Kim Kardashian. Its usually her fault
Until it was banned in the 19th century, politicians regularly bribed people to vote for them with free drinks.

A cynic might say Boris Johnsons Budget suggests he is planning to do just that.

Pub landlords were quick to complain that the cut in alcohol taxes announced by his Chancellor Rishi Sunak does not come into effect until February 2023.

Thats a long time to wait for a drink  but perfectly timed if you want to win popularity going into a General Election.

And what better way of doing it than by cutting the cost of booze a few months beforehand?

The Budget has convinced many Tory MPs that the Prime Minister is planning to call an election at least a year ahead of the December 2024 deadline.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the House of Commons on Wednesday

Indeed, such was the scale of the multi-billion-pound giveaway that, extraordinarily, the talk among Tory MPs in the Commons tea room yesterday was of a possible 2022 election.

I dont think any prime minister, not even an arch risk-taker like Boris Johnson, could get away with that.

However I do believe the General Election could be less than two years away.

I see the decision of the Prime Minister and Chancellor to conspicuously withhold 20billion of the 50billion windfall in Treasury coffers generated by stronger than expected growth and the rise in national insurance as further evidence of this.

The imminent abolition of the Fixed Term Parliament Act, introduced by David Cameron and Nick Cleggs coalition administration, means that Mr Johnson will have the luxury of being free to call an election whenever he pleases within the maximum five-year parliamentary term.

This political trump card was used to great effect by the two most powerful prime ministers of the past 50 years, Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair.

Both chose twice to go to the polls after four years and won convincingly each time. Two of the weakest prime ministers, John Major and Gordon Brown, held on until the last minute  and lost.

Boris Johnson pictured leaves Downing Street on Thursday. Simon Walters believes a General Election could be less than two years away

Delaying until the full five years is up increases the risk of a sudden crisis hitting a partys prospects with no electoral escape hatch.

The timing of the December 2019 Brexit crisis poll has thrown the usual UK election cycle out of kilter. General elections are customarily held in the spring, or sometimes autumn.

But a 2024 election would leave Mr Johnson dangerously little wriggle room if the Government is unexpectedly blown off course.

And for all the trademark boosterism he displays in interviews there is a growing consensus shared privately by many ministers  that the post-pandemic recovery will have petered out by 2024.

By calling an election in the spring of 2023, or possibly the autumn, after constituency boundary changes giving the Tories up to an extra ten seats come into effect, Mr Johnson avoids that peril.

If he won, cheered on by voters in former Labour Red Wall seats supping pints of subsidised Boris beer, and Middle England Tories placated by tax hand-outs, he would be secure in Downing St until 2028.

Aged 64 by then, he would have served a highly respectable nine years in power with more than enough time and energy left to earn the fortune he craves by writing books and speaking on the after-dinner circuit.

I am told that Conservative officials are drawing up plans to select candidates for the next election ahead of schedule to be ready for an early election.

One veteran Conservative figure put it bluntly: We have to call an election before the **** hits the fan in 24-25.

The worst of all options for a prime minister is to foster such speculation  and then chicken out as Gordon Brown did after allowing his aides to talk up an early election in 2008.

He was forever branded a bottler. Gambler Boris Johnson is less of a bottler, more of a bolter  in more ways than one.

Intriguingly, I am told that Isaac Levido, the Australian polling guru who engineered Mr Johnsons victorious 2019 election campaign, has been going out of his way to dampen talk of a 2023 contest.

That doesnt mean that it wont happen.
Rivalry with the French is one of the great British pastimes.

No one knows why we enjoy it so much, we just do. Its like talking about the weather or morris dancing. (Actually, less so the morris dancing.)

Oh sure, we pretend were friends  all that hands across the Channel and Entente Cordiale cockamamie.

Truthfully though, were never happier than when were engaged in a bit of cross-Channel bashing.

Take the current fishing war  which has now worsened  after France seized one of our scallop trawlers. Apparently it was operating without the correct licence.

Oh please! Donnez-moi un break, as the PM would say. We all know its because the Frenchies are still blubbing into their Breton tops over Brexit.

So given the history, Conservative MPs simply couldnt wait to get stuck in yesterday when an urgent question on Le Row summoned Environment Secretary George Eustice to the despatch box.

Britain's Environment Secretary George Eustice arrives in Downing Street for a cabinet meeting on Wednesday

French gendarmes aboard the Cornelis-Gert Jan scallop boat which has been impounded by the French Gendarmerie Maritime for illegally fishing in the Bay of the Seine in French waters

The British trawler Cornelis Gert Jan pictured moored in the port of Le Havre after it was seized on Thursday

Mr Eustice is a creature of the old school. His bucolic manner speaks of fading Barbour jackets and dopey Labradors staring out the back of Land Rovers.

Not for him any Faragist anti-Gallic rantings. Disappointing was the word he kept using to describe the ding-dong.

Tory MPs shuffled impatiently in their seats. They wanted bombast.

The question had been tabled by the SNPs Deidre Brock (Edin- burgh N). The SNP always seize upon these incidents as proof that Brexit isnt working.

Sure enough, Ms Brock might as well have been a powder-wigged emissaire from the Elysee Palace, so happy was she to parrot Frances version of events.

Paris says she repeated. Paris says? Well, thats all right then.

This mildly pathetic genuflection was detected by Tim Loughton (Con, E Worthing), from whose constituency the captured boat operates.

It was appalling, he said, how quick the Scots Nats were to take the side of the French rather than standing up for British interests.

Labours fishing spokesman Luke Pollard (Plymouth Sutton) was marginally less drippy, but still struck me as bit of a wet haddock.

I notice his CV claims he specialised in European politics at university. Another Brussels fan boy in other words.

He constantly warned against any language that could put lives at risk at sea. What were fishermen going to do? Wallop each other with giant turbots?

Mr Pollard also wanted assurances the detained trawlermen were OK. Calm down, dear.

They were being held in Le Havre, not gagged and chained to a radiator in Beirut. Mr Eustices diplomatic utterings werent sufficient for some Conservative colleagues.

This was an act of sabre rattling from Paris pure and simple. Bob Seely (Con, Isle of Wight) accused President Emmanuel Macron of trying to drum up support ahead of an election he looks destined to lose.

The President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron during the ceremony organized for the return of 26 works from the royal treasures of Abomey to the Republic of Benin, at the Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac Museum, Paris

Prime Minister Boris Johnson pictured leaving 10 Downing Street on Thursday

Handsome boulevardier Michael Fabricant (Con, Lichfield) gave a coquettish flick of his golden fringe.

This is nothing new, Fab shrugged nonchalantly. He recommended Stephen Clarkes 1000 years of Annoying the French for those seeking enlightenment.

Lia Nici (Con, Great Grimsby) concurred. We expect nothing less from French politicians, she spat.

A fiery piece of work, Ms Nici. We may need to keep an eye on her.

There was an unpleasant intervention from a sour pip called Karin Smyth (Lab, Bristol S).

Isnt it really time now to get rid of Lord Frost? she said, a reference to the Prime Ministers ripsnorting Brexit negotiator.

The Conservative benches spluttered in outrage.

Hes obviously got a lot of friends  probably why hes there, Smyth continued. She wore the face of someone whod just had a rotten kipper placed under her hooter.

Strains of Elgars Nimrod rose as that ripe John Bull Andrew Bridgen (Con, NW Leicestershire) stood up.

Mr Bridgen was in the mood to take the fight to Monsieur Macron.

He informed the Chamber that history shows this House and our great nations interests are best served by standing up to little Napoleons clinging on to power.

Ah, now thats the spirit! Cmon, Boris, imagine it. Stiffen the sinews, summon the blood. We could be in Paris by Christmas
An American woman was accused of being 'xenophobic' after she refused to try black pudding made by her British mother-in-law on a visit to the UK.

The 28-year-old woman took to Reddit to ask if she had been an 'a*****e' to turn down the black pudding, which was made from an 100-year-old family recipe and served as part of a Full English breakfast.

Black pudding is made from pork or beef blood, with pork fat or beef suet, and a cereal, usually oatmeal, oat groats or barley groats.

The woman took to Reddit to ask if she had been an 'a*****e' to turn down the black pudding, which was made from an 100-year-old family recipe and served as part of a Full English

The woman, who described the rest of her mother-in-law's food as 'bland', was met with support by the majority of users, who agreed it had been unfair of the mother-in-law

The woman, who described the rest of her mother-in-law's food as 'bland', was met with support by the large majority of users, who agreed it had been unfair of the mother-in-law to make her feel guilty.

British users spoke up to say they had never tried black pudding, despite being from the UK.

The woman, who described herself as Indian-American, said she had been vegetarian until she met her husband three years ago. They made the trip to the UK after he reconnected with his biological father, who is British, and lives there with his family.

She continued: ''The first day we were invited to join them for breakfast at their family home, and his dad's wife had prepared all kinds of traditional delicacies for us.

Although the food was bland, I powered through most of them because I genuinely appreciated her hard work and didn't want her to feel bad.

'However, when it was time for us to try their family favorite, I absolutely "noped" out of it. I did not want to eat black pudding. I know one of the ingredients is blood, and I definitely did not want to eat blood. I refused to. It's just gross to me [sic].

Commenters were quick to label the stepmother-in-law as pushy and many agreed that they themselves would not try black pudding

'My step MIL [mother-in-law] tried really hard to convince me to at least try it, as it was apparently a 100 year old family recipe passed down through generations.

'When I didn't budge, my step MIL got really offended and accused me of being xenophobic.'

Writing in support of the woman, one user posted: 'Blood pudding is great (and I think meat eaters should give it a wee go), but it's hardly unusual for people to be weirded out by it, as you say!

'Every country that has it makes a joke out of other people not liking it, MIL is looking to be offended.'

Another tried to put her mind at ease by saying: 'Wow that's ridiculous, there is a large percentage of British people that will not eat black pudding, so someone who has only just been eating a limited amount if meat, there is now way they should be affected, family recipe or not. I am English BTW and I can only have it in small amounts and took a long time of convincing to even try it.

Some Reddit users were more appalled at the fact that she called British food bland than the fact that she didn't want to try black pudding

A third commented on the fact that many UK dwellers refuse to try it: 'Plenty of Brits won't eat blood puddin (aka Black Pudding) and the family knows it very well. I adore the stuff but none of my family can stand it. It's also extremely unusual to find a "family recipe" outside a line of butchers - it's not the sort of thing one knocks up in a modern home and hasn't been for at least a hundred years.'

However other commenters were simply outraged that the US woman had labelled British food as bland.

One wrote: 'You are right on everything except the last sentence. British food is not bland.'

Another insisted that she had encountered bad cooking, saying: ' Your partner never had a good Sunday dinner and I'm sad for him. Crispy crackling, herby/boozy gravy, homemade stuffing, roast veggies and something green.

'This was obviously a fry up though and in my opinion highly overrated.'
From the business savvy courtesans of Renaissance Italy to the Molly houses of Regency Britain, the colourful history of sex for sale is charted in an engaging new book.

Harlots, Whores & Hackabouts: A History of Sex for Sale, by British author Kate Lister, takes readers on an international tour of how sex work was carried out, perceived and regulated during different periods of history, dating back to the Ancient World.

The book, divided into chapters focusing on a different era, contains fascinating anecdotes about key sex workers, including the famed Phryne of Ancient Greece, who was said to be so beautiful that simply the sight of her bare breasts was enough to spare her the death penalty.

Queen of the courtesans: The first celebrity courtesan was Imperia Cognati, also known as Imperia La Divina, or queen of the courtesans. Among her patrons was Raphael, who painted this portrait. Imperia is one of the sex workers featured in Harlots, Whores & Hackabouts: A History of Sex for Sale, by British author Kate Lister, which offers a history of sex work

Elsewhere, readers are introduced to Elizabeth Moryng, a conniving madame and 'procureress' who duped young women into prostitution in Medieval London.

In each case Lister considers the social, cultural and historical context within which the sex workers - mainly women, but some men - were operating. She pays particular attention to how prostitution was policed.

This included the occasional state-licensed brothel, like Paris's Le Chabanais, which boasted themed rooms and claimed to have been frequented by everyone from Cary Grant to Humphrey Bogart and Edward VII.

Here, FEMAIL reveals some of the captivating characters introduced by Lister...

ANCIENT HARLOT WHO 'CIVILISED' A 'WILD MAN' WITH SEX

Ancient mention: Shamhat the Harlot appears in the Epic of Gilgamesh, an epic poem from ancient Mesopotamia that is regarded as the earliest surviving notable literature and the second oldest religious text, after the Pyramid Texts. Pictured, an orthostates depicting Gilgamesh between two minotaur demigods holding up the sun disc, from the 9th century BC

Shamhat the Harlot appears in the Epic of Gilgamesh, an epic poem from ancient Mesopotamia that is regarded as the earliest surviving notable literature and the second oldest religious text, after the Pyramid Texts.

It also contains the earliest surviving story of transactional sex in the world.

The story centres around Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, and Enkidu, a wild man created by the gods to stop Gilgamesh from oppressing the people of Uruk.

'Enkidu lived in the wild, among the beasts,' writes Lister. 'His body was covered in long hair, he grazed on grass with gazelles and he drank at the waterhole "his heart delighting with the beasts in the water".'

On learning of his rival, Gilgamesh sends Shamhat the harlot to 'civilise' Enkidu with sex, or, as he puts it: to 'strip off her raiment to reveal her charms' and 'do for the man the workd of the woman'.

Everything went according to plan. As Lister puts it: 'Shamhat unfastened the cloth of her loins, she bared her sex and he took in her charms. She did not recoil, she took in his scent. She spread her clothing and he lay upon her.

'She did for the man the work of a woman, his passion caressed and embraced her. For six days and seven nights Enkidu was erect, as he coupled with Shamhat.'

At the end of the encounter, Enkidu finds he is no longer wild. He later travels to Uruk where he challenges Gilgamesh to a show of strength.

COURTESAN SPARED DEATH SENTENCE BECAUSE OF HER BREASTS

Worshiped: Ancient Greek courtesan Phryne, from the 4th century BC, was said to be the 'most beautiful woman in the world' and was able to build a vast fortune thanks to charging men for her company. She is best known for being spared the death penalty due to her looks

Ancient Greek courtesan Phryne, from the 4th century BC, was said to be the 'most beautiful woman in the world' and was able to build a vast fortune thanks to charging men for her company.

She was born in Thespiae, Boeotia, but lived at Athens, where she earned so much by her beauty and wit that she offered to rebuild the walls of Thebes, on condition that the words 'destroyed by Alexander, restored by Phryne the courtesan' were inscribed upon them. The city denied.

Contemporary writers including Callistratus, Timocles and Amphis all recorded her impressive fortune - a sign that she knew how much she was worth as a courtesan.

However she is best remembered today for a trial at which she was facing the death penalty.

The exact charge has been lost to the sands of time, but it is thought it might have been blasphemy, after she posed as Aphrodite for a sculptor and a painter.

She was defended by the orator Hypereides, one of her lovers. When the trial began to turn against Phryne, and it seemed as though all was lost, he undressed her in front of the jury.

The author known as Pseudo-Plutarch wrote how he 'opened her clothes before, and revealed her naked breasts, which were so very wheite, that for her beauty's sake the judges acquitted her'.

However Lister notes this trial almost certainly did not happen, and its lasting legacy speaks more to how Phryne has captured the imagination of poets and artists for centuries.

BRITISH 'PROCURESS' WHO DUPED GIRLS INTO PROSTITUTION

In Medieval London, readers meet Elizabeth Moryng, who stood trial on July 27, 1385, on the charge of being a 'common harlot and procuress'.

Moryng claimed to work as an embroiderer and would recruit young women into her trade by pretending she needed apprentices to train.

In reality they were made to sell themselves for money.

One recruit, identified only as Johanna, told how she had been ordered by Elizabeth to accompany a chaplain home one night.

Johanna, unaware of what was expected of her, agreed.

She returned to Moryng the next day. When it transpired she hadn't been paid by the chaplain, she was sent back to steal from him.

Johanna claimed there were other women who had been retained in a similar fashion for use by Moryng.

ITALY'S QUEEN OF COURTESANS

Royal ties: A glamorous courtesan who lived in Renaissance Italy was Veronica Franco, an accomplished writer and poet who is said to have counted the King of France among her lovers

... AND IT'S MOST FAMOUS Another glamorous courtesan who lived in Renaissance Italy was Veronica Franco, an accomplished writer and poet who is said to have counted the King of France among her lovers. She wrote both about the pain and misery of her role in life, as well as about the sexual details. In 1575, she penned: 'So sweet and delicious do I become / when I am in bed with a man / who I sense loves and enjoys me / that the pleasure I bring excels all delight / so the knot of love, however tight / it seemed before / is tighter still.' Not long after, her fortunes faded. In 1580, she was accused of witchcraft and her reputation never recovered. Three years later she was working in low grade brothels. She died in 1591, aged 45.

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The 15th century saw the creation of a new class of sex worker: the courtesan.

The courtiers of the Papal court, who were banned from marrying, hired female escorts to accompany them to functions.

These women were paid and were not of 'marriageable' status, but were still educated and well-versed enough in social etiquette to participate in court life.

Thus, the creation of the courtesan. This then spread from Rome to other parts of Europe.

The first celebrity courtesan was Imperia Cognati, also known as Imperia La Divina, or queen of the courtesans.

She was said to be the daughter of a 'dishonourable woman' and Paris de Grassis, master of ceremonies of Pope Julius II, writes Lister.

She was certainly successful. By the time she was 20, her patrons included banker Agostino Chigi, one of Italy's wealthiest men, who gave her enough money to fund a palace in Rome and a second home in the country.

Other patrons included the artist Raphael, for whom she served as a model.

However her life was cut short. She died of suspected poisoning on August 15, 1512, aged 26. It is not known if it was suicide or murder.

Chigi continued to lavish her even in death, paying for a stately funeral in Rome.

THE CRACKDOWN ON MOLLY HOUSES

Pushing boundaries: Sodomy was a capital offence in England from 1533 to 1861. Despite the threat of death, 'molly houses' began to spring up in 18th century London as meeting places for homosexual men. Some would adopt feminine behaviours and voices, or dress as women. Above, a painting depicting the 'transmutation of sexes', with a man in women's clothing

Sodomy was a capital offence in England from 1533 to 1861. Despite the threat of death, 'molly houses' began to spring up in 18th century London as meeting places for homosexual men.

The name was taken from the popular term for gay men, Miss Molly, or simply 'Molly'.

'A molly house was not technically a brothel,' writes Lister. 'Rather it was an establishment where gay men could meet to socialize and have sex.

'Sex was for sale in these establishments and many sex workers met their clients here, but facilitating the sale of sex was not the primary purpose for the molly house. These were social spaces where you could have sex, some of which was sold and some of which was not.'

Some would adopt feminine behaviours and voices, or dress as women.

Despite the proliferation of molly houses, and the establishment's disdain for their patrons, there were few sodomy trials at the Old Bailey in the early years of the 18th century, according to Lister. This changed by the end of the 17th century.

Lister describes the raid on one molly house, run by a woman named Mother Clap.

It was aided by the 1725 testimony of one police constable, who wrote: 'I found between 40 and 50 men making love to one another, as they call'd it. Sometimes they would sit on one another's laps, kissing in a lewd manner, and using their hands indecently.

'Then they would get up, dance and make curtsies, and mimick the voices of women... Then they'd hug, and play and toy, and go out by couples into another room on the same floor, to be marry'd, as they call'd it.'

This testimony was combined with accounts by 'he-trumpet' Thomas Newton, who was pressured into working with the authorities.

He told how he had been sodomized by the owner of another molly house, and gave the names of men who were regulars at Mother Clap's. It led to three patrons being sentenced to death.

Harlots, Whores & Hackabouts: A History of Sex for Sale, by Kate Lister, published by Thames & Hudson is out now
As an unofficial childminder to a young Prince Charles and a constant presence on board the yacht that was the Queen's home away from home, Warrant Officer Ellis Norrell, who has died aged 87, was privy to a side of the Royal Family so few will ever experience.

Norrell, known by his nickname 'Norrie' by those close to him, including the Queen, served the Royal Family for more than 34 years on board the Royal Yacht Britannia, once described as the Queen as 'the only place where I can truly relax'.

Working his way up from Able Seaman to Warrant Officer, he was the longest serving member on the vessel and served everyone from the Duke of Edinburgh to Princess Anne and Princess Diana, who once reprimanded him for making her feel like a 'naughty schoolgirl'.

When he retired in 1988, the Queen gifted him a pair of cufflinks and a signed photograph and he was made a member of the Royal Victorian Order.

As an unofficial childminder to a young Prince Charles and a constant presence on board the yacht that was the Queen's home away from home, Warrant Officer Ellis Norrell, who has died aged 87, was privy to a side of the Royal Family so few will ever experience. Pictured, the Queen greets Norrie during a walkabout on board the Royal Yacht Britannia in the 1950s

Working his way up from Able Seaman to Warrant Officer, he was the longest serving member on the vessel and served everyone from the Duke of Edinburgh to Princess Anne and Princess Diana, who once reprimanded him for making her feel like a 'naughty schoolgirl'. Pictured, Prince Charles and Princess Diana with Norrie on their honeymoon on board the yacht

Norrell, known by his nickname 'Norrie' by those close to him, including the Queen, served the Royal Family for more than 34 years on board the Royal Yacht Britannia, once described as the Queen as 'the only place where I can truly relax'. Pictured, in 2013

His unofficial duties included childminding a young Prince Charles and Princess Anne, who spent much of their childhoods on the vessel and were said to be fascinated by the crew.

He previously recalled teaching the royal siblings to fly kites and lay lobster pots, arranging treasure hunts and letting them pretend to steer the ship.

Exploring the Greek islands with the Prince of Wales on their honeymoon, Norrell told the princess not to play the piano in the seamen's recreation space - but was later told off by the Royal Yachts flag officer after Princess Diana complained.

'Your Royal Highness, you should not be here, I am quite happy to escort you back to your quarters,' Norrell reminded Diana.

Norrie was among the 220-strong crew on the ship's maiden voyage in 1954, travelling with the young Prince Charles and Princess Anne, then aged five and three, to meet their parents at Tobruk in Libya. Pictured, Charles and Anne on another Royal Yacht Britannia voyage that year

When he retired in 1988, the Queen gifted him a pair of cufflinks and a signed photograph and he was made a member of the Royal Victorian Order. Pictured, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh thank Norrell for his service ahead of his retirement that year

The Queen Mother greets Warrant Officer Norrell on board Royal Yacht Britannia. Norrell was trusted with taking care of the Royal Family on board the yacht

Among the earliest state visits during Norrell's time on Britannia were Princess Margaret's tour of East Africa, the Duke of Edinburgh's opening of the Melbourne Olympic Games in 1956 and the Queen's trip to Portugal in 1957.

He was among the 220-strong crew on the ship's maiden voyage in 1954, travelling with the young Prince Charles and Princess Anne, then aged five and three, to meet their parents at Tobruk in Libya.

When Britannia ruled the waves: Why the Queen adored her 'country home at sea' The Queen once described Britannia as the one place in the world she felt she could truly relax. She was often seen wandering the decks in an old headscarf and slacks, and the royal apartments were filled with photographs of her family and heirlooms  including an ingenious nautical side-table designed by her great-great-grandfather, Prince Albert. Britannia was commissioned for the Queen's father King George VI, but he died before the keel could be laid. One of his daughter's first acts on becoming monarch was to reject the designs for its royal apartments as too stuffy and opulent. She opted instead for white-painted walls, mahogany woodwork and brass metalwork, with homely touches including chintzy sofas and armchairs. 'The overall idea was to give the impression of a country house at sea,' said Sir Hugh Casson, Britannia's architect. 'There was no question of her saying 'That will do'. She had definite views on everything, from door handles to the shape of the lampshades.' On April 16, 1953, the Queen launched Britannia from Clydeside with a bottle of Empire wine. At 412ft long, and weighing nearly 6,000 tons, she was then the largest yacht in the world. Many summers saw her travelling to the Cowes Week regatta off the Isle of Wight, and then on to Scotland for the Royal Family's holiday in Balmoral. But her main task was to take the royals on the 968 official voyages she completed during more than a million miles and nearly 44 years of service. Advertisement

'It was the Queen's home,' Norrell said in one interview. 'Wherever she went in the world, she could come back at night to her own staff. It was somewhere where she could kick her shoes off and relax.'

He also remembered the moment a grown-up Prince of Wales brought the first double bed to the ship for his honeymoon with Diana.

In 1973, Norell was awarded the Royal Victorian Medal, which is a personal gift of the Sovereign, for his model seamanship and leadership.

Britannia was retired in 1997, and the bronze from one of its propellers was reused to create a statue of Norrell in the dress uniform of an able seaman.

The sculpture can now be found alongside the gangway of the decommissioned vessel in Edinburgh.

Norell was discharged to pension but quickly became re-employed at Windsor Castle.

He was part of the royal household for the next eight years, as a custodian of artefacts - which meant he looked after the security of royal heirlooms during the refurbishment of the castle following the fire in 1992.

He said his most prized possession was a painting of himself by the Prince of Wales, which the royal created during his honeymoon, according to The Times.

Norrell, who was born on December 7 1933 in Portland, Dorset, married Grace Michie when serving on Britannia, and they went on to have three daughters Katrina, Sheena and Audrey. His wife died in 2005.

They would enjoy trips together when he wasn't working, holidaying to Hong Kong, Florida and Croatia, and even a remote cottage in Balmoral.

Norrell, who was born on December 7 1933 in Portland, Dorset, married Grace Michie when serving on Britannia in 1957, and they went on to have three daughters Katrina, Sheena and Audrey.

His wife died in 2005.

He joined the Navy at the boys' training establishment, HMS St Vincent, in Gosport. In 1954, he was accepted into the Permanent Royal Yacht Service, following the footsteps of his father, who had been a Boy Seaman in the previous Royal Yacht, Victoria and Albert.

Warrant Officer E V Norrell, born December 7 1933, died October 9 2021.
She's known for her effortless fashion prowess, and Lady Amelia Windsor didn't disappoint when stepping out this evening in London.

The 26-year-old royal, who is 43rd in line to the British throne, showcased her envy-inducing style in a black satin dress and sturdy boots as she attended the British Vogue x Self-Portrait event today.

Appearing in great spirits, the granddaughter of the Duke of Kent, who lives in Notting Hill, was full of laughter as she walked down the street near to the high fashion event.

She's known for her effortless fashion prowess, and Lady Amelia Windsor (pictured) didn't disappoint when stepping out this evening

Opting for a black ensemble, the royal wore a satin puff dress with extravagant beading detail across the collarbone.

Proving accessories are key to any outfit, she matched the trendy frock with an elegant purse that loosely dangled from her hand.

Lady Amelia's luscious shiny locks were accentuated by the natural makeup look she chose, which included lip gloss and blush.

Letting her outfit do all the talking, she opted for no extra jewellery so the dress's detailing wasn't overpowered.

The 26-year-old royal (pictured), who is 43rd in line to the British throne, showcased her envy-inducing style in a black satin dress and sturdy boots as she attended the British Vogue x Self-Portrait event today

Also accompanying the young royal's getup were some comfortable black military style boots.

Meanwhile, Lady Amelia Windsor often wins praise for her fashion taste and regularly posts her style tips on her Instagram page, along with collaborations with brands, including with fine jewellery specialist Alice van Cal.

Speaking about why it's her preferred social media platform, Amelia said: 'It allows anyone to be creative and imaginative.

'I also love that we can share all the beautiful and meaningful things we see and hear in the world. I find it so inspiring and uplifting.'
A New York man who went blind after having his eye stabbed with a screwdriver has opened up finding love and his struggle to deal with the trauma after the brutal subway attack.

Known only as Kasson, or 'K', he shared his story on the popular social media account Humans of New York on Tuesday. In the gut-wrenching seven-part series, he detailed how his life changed forever on January 15, 2020.

'It was Wednesday when everything went wrong. That was the worst day of my life,' he said, recalling how he had just treated himself to a new jacket and a pair of Air Jordan 13 sneakers the day before.

Loss: A man, who is known only as Kasson, has opened up about how he went blind after being stabbed in his left eye with a screwdriver during a brutal subway attack on January 15, 2020

Looking back: K shared his story on the popular social media account Humans of New York on Tuesday. In the even-part series, he detailed how he was assaulted while being robbed

While looking back on the number of unfortunate incidents that unfolded before his attack, he explained that everything that could have gone wrong that Wednesday did.

'I slept late. My cab was late. I almost called out. I should have called out. If I'd have called out, it would have been an entirely different day,' he said. 'The bar was busy, so I was in the weeds my entire shift. Everything was off by a second, that entire day.'

He headed to his girlfriend's place after his shift, but he eventually decided to leave because he felt she was giving him 'the cold shoulder.'

'I gathered all the clothes I'd bought on Tuesday: my Jordans, my jacket. I didn't want to carry the bags, so I just put it all on,' he said. 'That was my first mistake.'

After he left the apartment, he realized he had left his cellphone inside and couldn't call himself a cab.

'I should have gone back. I should have knocked on the door, but I was too proud,' he admitted. 'That was my second mistake. If I had knocked on the door, it would have been an entirely different day.'

Terrifying: K woke up in the hospital unable to see with his hands and feet cuffed to the bed

Looking back: He said he never got an explanation as to why he was handcuffed, and he wonders if doctors would have tried hard to save his eye if his hands were free

He remembered running to catch the train and reminding himself that he had to be careful in that neighborhood at night.

'The train pulled into the station, and right away it's a bad vibe,' he said. 'The first car I chose had a bunch of guys, grown men. I should have waited for the next train. But I just chose another car. That was my third mistake.'

K was in an empty car, but as soon as the train pulled away, a man walked through the emergency door, and he realized he was about to get robbed.

When he woke up, his hands and feet were cuffed and he couldn't see. He started to panic, but then he heard his mother's voice telling him he was in the hospital.

He recalled being asked a number of questions from medical staffers, including his birth date. He was eventually told that he had been stabbed in his left eye with a screwdriver.

The doctors were confused when he said he couldn't see at all, but they didn't know what to tell him.

Heartbreaking: Initially, he thought he was going to be able to see again, but his hopes were dashed on February 19, 2020 when he learned his optic nerve was severed

Hard to handle: K said he struggled with being back home and sleeping in his sister's twin bed

Role model: He explained that as the oldest of seven kids, he had 'always been a father figure, to everyone'

'That's when I got scared. I knew right then something happened to me crazy,' he said. 'I was the victim of something, but why was I in handcuffs?'

K said he is still bothered by the fact that he never got an explanation as to why hethe victim of a gruesome assaultwas put in handcuffs.

'I'm the one who got robbed. I'm the one who got stabbed in the eye. Why was I shackled up like a prisoner of war?' he asked. 'I never got an answer for that. I've asked myself a million times, what if hadn't been in cuffs? Would the doctors have treated me different? Did they really do their bestfor this John Doe, with no family around?

'When I was on the operating table, what if my hands hadn't been cuffed behind my back? What if I hadn't been shackled up? Like a criminal? Would they have tried harder? Would they have tried harder to save my eyes?'

Initially, he thought he was going to be able to see again, and he was in good spirits in the weeks following the attack. He said he didn't lose hope until February 19, 2020, the day rapper Pop Smoke was killed.

'I remember riding in the back of the car to my doctor's appointment, and the radio said that Pop Smoke got shot,' he recalled. 'It was the morning the doctor looked at my eyes and said: "The optic nerve is severed. There's nothing we can do."

'He said: "Just make sure he's comfortable." Right there I went cold. Comfortable? Comfortable? What does that even mean? I'd only heard that in movies, when someone's dying of cancer...That's the moment I cried. When the doctor said: "Keep him comfortable," I lost hope.'

Living in the past: K (pictured before the attack) admitted that he spends hours thinking of all he things he could have done differently that would have prevented him from being targeted

Isolated: 'For all of 2020 I just wanted to get a bottle of something and stay by myself. I hated people seeing me as weak,' said K (pictured before the attack)

Finding love: K eventually reached out to his friend and former co-worker Melissa, whom everyone called 'Benji,' and they started talking for hours each night

K said he spent most of his days in bed after that. He was afraid to even sit at the bottom of the stairs out of fear he would become victimized again.

While a detective had reached out about testifying against his attacker, he never heard anything again. He believes the man was let go because of the pandemic.

'For all of 2020 I just wanted to get a bottle of something and stay by myself,' he shared. 'I hated people seeing me as weak. My entire life Id been a father figure, to everyone. Im the oldest of seven kids. Im the emergency contact for everyones school. But now Im back home, sleeping in my sisters twin bed. I didnt like it.'

K's drinking led to arguments with his family, and his mother warned him that if he didn't change his attitude, people would stop caring about him.

A few days later, he decided that he would quit drinking alone and isolating himself. He had his sister text his friend and former co-worker Melissa, whom everyone called 'Benji,' and ask her to call him.

'When the phone started ringing, I picked it up, and right off I said: "Did you hear? I cant see anymore." Then Benji said: "I remember you were always squinting." I laughed hard at that,' he recalled. 'That broke the ice.'

They started talking on the phone for three hours a night, and the first time she came over was on May 1, 2020. He had his friend bring him a bottle of wine, but he had no idea that there were cheetah print covers and LED lights on the bed in his sister's room.

K said Benji started laughing and asked, 'What's going on here?' Then she put on some music, and they started talking.

Fun times: K and Benji used to work at a steakhouse together, and he recalled her always being the 'sweet' one in the group

Connection: K said he kept in touch with Benji after she left the steakhouse, but they didn't start talking on the phone until after he lost his sight

Fears: They became a couple on May 1, 2020, but he admitted that he still worries about her falling for someone else and leaving him

'You know how you imagine things when youre reading a book? Well I could see her. She started telling me about all this college stuff she was doing. And I could see her. In my mind we were in school together, standing by her locker,' he said. 'Thats what I was seeing.

'I felt like asking her to go steady, but that felt too strong. So I said something else. Im sitting on my cheetah bed, with the lights flashing. And I said: "Benji. You make me want to carry your books." Thats the day we became official. That was May 1st. Its the day like love. May 1st is like love.'

K said they've had their fair share of ups and downs in their relationship, admitting that things got tense between them the first time they went out together because he had too much to drink.

'There are times when Benji wants to talk about the future. Credit scores and stuff like that,' he said. 'Shell say: "Im in school for nursing, what are you going to do?" And Ill feel intimidated, real quick. Ill feel like shes gonna meet a doctor and leave me. But she knows that already. We talked all that out.'

Benji started praying for him, and they now pray together, but he is still haunted by what happened on the day of his attack.

'Sometimes Ill sit still for three hours, breaking down what happened that day. All the s**t I did wrong. Everything I could have done different, to make it not happen,' he explained. 'But it did happen. No matter how much I push it back, by drinking, or binge-watching a show, it happened. That day happened.'

Trauma: K has started praying with Benji, but he is still haunted by what happened on the day of his attack

Honest: 'Its been almost two years, and Im still on step one. Cause step one means saying Im not gonna see no more. Step one is Im blind. Thats step one. And I havent felt ready,' he said

Fighting for his future: In the final post, he vowed to start moving, explaining that it would be like he died on the day of his attack if he didn't

K admitted that he is struggling with his new reality, and he still isn't able to walk on his own since he lost his vision.

'Im in purgatory, limbo, the in-between. Im not in a braille class. Im not signing up for programs. Theres a program where they teach you how to walk and stuff. Im not even going to that,' he shared.

'Its been almost two years, and Im still on step one. Cause step one means saying Im not gonna see no more. Step one is Im blind. Thats step one. And I havent felt ready. Cause step two is a whole new life. But its time to start walking.'

K explained that he has to move on with his life because if he doesn't, it will be like he died on the day of his attack.

'I want to see more than this. I dont even know what I want to see, but something more than this. The world, life. I want to see life. I know I seen some, but I didnt see a lot. I can see it better. So I gotta walk,' he said.

'When I leave off these steps, aint no telling whats gonna happen. That means Im off of "Go." I can fall. I can drop. But Im gonna walk. Not using my eyes. Im gonna walk in faith.

'Theres somebody leading me. I feel that now, I really do. Im here for a reason. Im scared. Its scary as s**t. But Im gonna do it. Even if Im scared, Im gonna do it. Im getting off these steps. Im gonna walk.'

Kasson's emotional story was met with an outpouring of support and sympathy from Instagram users - and a GoFundMe account set up by Humans of New York creator Brandon Stanton to help 'get Kasson on his feet' has raised more than $613,000 in just two days.
Australian model Sammy Robinson has claimed she is in 'no rush to date' after splitting from her long-term boyfriend, but it seems she already has a new man on her arm.

In a YouTube video uploaded on October 13, the 25-year-old Gigi Hadid lookalike confirmed she had ended her seven-year relationship with Sydney real estate agent, Nick Wheatley, saying she was ready for a 'hot girl summer' of focusing on herself.

The founder of One Mile clothing label hinted that the split had left her 'heartbroken', but eagle-eyed fans claim to have spotted her strolling hand in hand with 27-year-old podcaster, Jordan Simi, on Bondi Beach last weekend.

'I feel like we're entering that next stage after heartbreak, and loneliness, and a lot of quite stressful circumstances,' Sammy said in the clip.

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Ready to mingle: Sammy Robinson (left) has claimed she is in 'no rush to date' after splitting from her long-term boyfriend, but it seems she is already seeing Jordan Simi (right)

The Gigi Hadid lookalike (left) ended her seven-year relationship with real estate agent, Nick Wheatley (right) earlier this year. This is their last Instagram photo, posted on April 4

She added: 'We're coming out and there's some light at the end of the tunnel.'

Sammy, who has carved out a career as one of Australia's most successful beauty bloggers, told viewers she is nervous but ready to embrace her newfound single status.

'Hot girl summer is here you guys, I haven't been single in a long, long time so it's gonna be a weird adjustment - I'm gonna be the most awkward single person ever!' she said.

'I'm at a point where I want to focus on myself, I'm not really in a rush to date at all. I'm ready to just do me this summer, and do me for the next year.'

But it seems she has had a change of heart after being romanced by artist and Carringbah Sharks rugby star Jordan, who is the ex of Neighbours actress, Bonnie Anderson, 27.

Happier times: Sammy and Nick (pictured) dated for seven years before splitting in 2021

Sammy (pictured in her latest YouTube video) said she was looking forward to a 'hot girl summer' of focusing on herself

Jordan Simi (left) dated Neighbours actress Bonnie Anderson (right) for one year before parting ways in August 2020

The couple went public with their relationship in August 2019 and confirmed their split one year later, with Bonnie saying she was focused on her career and future.

'Jordan and I decided to separate a while back, I'm focusing on moving forward and some exciting career opportunities that are coming up,' she told the Herald Sun.

'With everything that we are going through, this year has been one for crazy lows, but I have been mindfully focusing on what's best for me and how I can reach my full potential.'

Sammy (pictured) is said to have been spotted strolling hand in hand with Jordan along Bondi Beach last weekend

After spotting Sammy and her new love looking 'loved up' in Bondi, amateur sleuths sent footage of the pair to one of Australia's most popular gossip podcasts, The Outspoken Podcast.

Hosts Amy, Kate and Sophie Taeuber confirmed they had received multiple videos of the duo holding hands and looking 'very happy' together.

'Sammy had a big smile on her face,' said Sophie.
Princess Beatrice's husband's ex Dara Huang put on a sizzling display as she enjoyed an evening out at London's chic member's only club to celebrate Halloween last night.

The American architect, 38, who shares five-year-old son Christopher, known as Wolfie, with ex-fiance Edo Mapelli Mozzi, looked in good spirits as she enjoyed drinks in Mayfair with friends.

A month after Edo, 37, and Beatrice, 33, welcomed daughter Sienna, Dara proved she was making the most of life in London, as she joined friend's at exclusive VIP haunt Annabel's.



Princess Beatrice's husband's ex Dara Huang put on a sizzling display as she enjoyed an evening out at London's chic member's only club to celebrate Halloween last night

Edo, 37, and Princess Beatrice, 33, (seen at a Greek wedding this month) welcomed daughter Sienna last month

Posing in ankle boots and a sizzling leather wrap dress, Dara turned heads as she posed in the doorway of the club - famed for its extravagant seasonal displays.

Currently, the club boasts a two-storey high spooky clown with an open mouth for guests to walk through as its Halloween-themed entrance.

And Dara looked to be having a busy social day as she shared snippets of her packed schedule.

The mother-of-one was seen enjoying afternoon tea before attending a beauty appointment, and posing outside Chanel - teasing an upcoming interiors project.

The American architect, 38, who shares five-year-old son Christopher, known as Wolfie, with ex-fiance Edo Mapelli Mozzi, looked in good spirits as she enjoyed drinks in Mayfair with friends

The mother-of-one was seen enjoying afternoon tea before attending a beauty appointment, and posing outside Chanel - teasing an upcoming interiors project

Dara looked to be having a busy social day as she shared snippets of her packed schedule - posing with a pal

Edoardo was previously engaged for three-and-a-half years to the mother of his child, Chinese-American Dara Huang, a highly-successful architect with her own design company whom he split from in 2018, a year before proposing to Princess Beatrice.

Princess Beatrice announced her engagement to property tycoon Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in 2019, before the couple wed last year.

Due to the pandemic, Beatrice and Edoardo secretly tied the knot on July 17 in a low-key ceremony in Windsor, with the Queen and Prince Philip in attendance and Wolfie acting as best man.

Princess Beatrice 's daughter Sienna was named 11th in line to the throne on the Royal family's website this week. Last month, Beatrice, 32, and husband Edo Mapelli Mozzi, 38,(seen in July) announced the birth of their firstborn baby daughter called Sienna Elizabeth

Princess Beatrice 's husband Edo Mapelli Mozzi announced the birth of their baby daughter last month (pictured, the image he shared on Instagram)

Last month, Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson's firstborn daughter Beatrice gave birth to baby girl Sienna weighing 6lbs 2oz at 11.42pm at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, in London.

Although her mother is a princess, Sienna, who is the Queen's 12th great-grandchild, will not have a royal title.

Princess Beatrice will be one of the few royal mothers to raise children in a blended family after welcoming her daughter.

Edo already has a five-year-old son Christopher Woolf, known as Wolfie, with ex-fiance Dara Huang. American architect Dara remains on good terms with her ex and his new wife and Beatrice is a hands on stepmother.

Last year, a friend of Dara and Edo insisted the estranged couple remain close, with Dara even cutting Edo's hair and occasionally buying him clothes.

Their amicable relationship meant Dara was on the original guest list for Edo's wedding to Beatrice, 32, before the coronavirus pandemic forced the couple to cancel their May nuptials.

Known as Edo (seen) to friends, he helped mend Beatrice's broken heart following her split from Dave Clark in 2016 after 10 years together
Dame Esther Rantzen has insisted the Queen, 95, is still 'as sharp as a needle' and remains a 'guiding star' as she appeared on GMB today - just days after Her Majesty was advised to cancel COP26 appearance.

Appearing on ITV's Good Morning Britain, Dame Esther Rantzen and broadcaster Neev Spencer debated whether at the age of 95, the monarch should still be working or whether she should put her feet up.

It comes after news the queen will not be attending COP26 in Glasgow after she followed doctor's advice to rest after spending a night in hospital.

But while Dame Esther Rantzen argued Her Majesty should remain as head of state, Neev Spencer instead argued she thinks it's time Her Majesty should retire.

'With all due respect to the monarch, she has been incredible as a guide in all these years, but she's 95-years-old,' she explained. 'If I think about my grandma, she's 95 and she's useless. She's always cancelling things because she's like, "I'm sorry its too cold, I'm not coming." At that age, she should be kicking off her kitten heels and just relaxing.'

Broadcaster Neev Spencer (pictured) argued that she thinks it's time Her Majesty should retire

However, Dame Esther had a rather different opinion and argued it's probably the 'last thing she would want.'

She continued: 'We have to remember we're talking about someone who dedicated herself to public service when she inherited the job in her twenties and since then, she has met every world leader.

'She's been the guiding star for commonwealth and personally I think, in the last two years, she's really burst into bloom.

'Also she's as sharp as a needle. The occasional comments we pick up from the microphone are exactly what we're all thinking.

'And the time she made that wonderful speech - she pulled us together and made us feel confident and comfortable. So I say, long may she reign! Looking forward to the platinum celebrations and beyond.'

During the segment of the show, the pair also discussed how Her Majesty turned down an Oldie of the Year award because she believes "you're only as old as you feel."'

Appearing on ITV's Good Morning Britain, Dame Esther Rantzen (pictured) and broadcaster Neev Spencer debated whether at the age of 95, the Queen should still be working at all or whether she should put her feet up

The Queen arrives to attend the ceremonial opening of the sixth Senedd, in Cardiff, Wales on October 14, 2021

The debate comes after news the Queen will not be attending Cop26 in Glasgow after she followed doctor's advice to rest after spending a night in hospital

'Look, I'm not going to say the Queen can't do what she wants to do,' said Neev. 'But the truth is, she is 95! This is what we have to consider. And, she went through the pandemic, which means she's about 115 because we've all ages about 20 years in the last 25 months.

'She's navigated through so many things, she's seen so many divorces, the war, she's been serving her country since she's 21-years-old and I think Prince Charles is ready and I think he can handle it. She should just relax and enjoy the last hopefully five or six years of her life.'

Esther then chimed in to argue how it's ultimately the Queen's decision.

'She's a very sensible woman,' she explained. 'She's got great judgement and if the doctor's say to her the round-trip to Glasgow is too much and that it will put other people to concern and anxiety if she does it, she will take that advice.'

'Personally, I think she pledged to go on until the end, and I think she will.'

Esther added: 'I also think there's no tonic like feeling needed. I think she wakes up and in the morning and knows people still rely on her judgement and people still look forward to seeing her, and that she will be surrounded my applause.

'I think that makes her feel young and fit. And as she rightly says, you're only as old as you feel.'
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Extraordinary Extensions viewers criticised a property tycoon's 'obscene' two-storey mega-basement built under his historic Knightsbridge home.

London developer Kam Babaee bought Amberwood House, the former home of renowned ballerina Dame Margot Fonteyn, for 22 million, but said it was not suited modern way of life spent an extra 28 million renovating the house, including spending 11 million on the sprawling basement.

The house, at at 17A Thurloe Place, was originally built in the 1928 and was the Panamanian embassy between the early 1930s and late 1990s, where Margot resided with her ambassador husband Dr Roberto Emilio Arias.

But now it is being transformed into an ultra luxury property, which Kam likens to a 'seven-star hotel', complete with a sauna, steam room, swimming pool, gym, and living area in the basement. Work is still underway but he hopes to sell the property for 75million once it is complete.

Viewers were unimpressed by the work, saying it ruined the integrity of the historic property. One tweeted: 'Obscene amounts of money, obscene designs and not even a token nod to environment concerns. Disgusting.'

London developer Kam Babaee bought Amberwood House, the former home of renowned ballerina Dame Margot Fonteyn, for 22 million, but said it was not suited modern way of life spent an extra 28 million renovating the house, including spending 11 million on the sprawling basement. Pictured, a shot of the work being carried out on the property

The Knightsbridge home is being transformed into an ultra luxury property, which Kam likens to a 'seven-star hotel', complete with a sauna, steam room, swimming pool, gym, and living area in the basement. Work is still underway but he hopes to sell the property for 75million once it is complete. Pictured, a shot of the high-end basement from last night's programme

The developer told Tinie Tempah, left, that the house is not a 'five-star-hotel' but a 'seven-star-one' and that he only used the best materials for it. Pictured, the presenter and developer in the property on last night's show

Kam, who is known in the developing business for giving glamourous London house modern makeovers, bought the house in the 2010s and turned it into a mega mansion.

'When Amberwood House first come on the market, I was like a kid in a toy store, I couldn't wait to look at the house,' Kam said.

'When I walk down the driveway and I realise what's behind that secret front door, it is really is exciting.'

All Kam kept was the house's outer walls, but he redid the house completely, and dug down to extend it vertically, going as deep as 30 metres below ground.

Presenter Tinie Tempah said Kam's extension was one of the last mega basements built in Kensington in Chelsea. He explained that such basement have now been banned due to noise, vibrations and dust.

All Kam kept was the house's outer walls, but he redid the house completely, and dug down to extend it vertically, going as deep as 30 metres below ground. Pictured, work is still being carried out in the property

Presenter Tinie Tempah said Kam's extension was one of the last mega basements built in Kensington in Chelsea. He explained that such basement have now been banned due to noise, vibrations and dust. Pictured, an aerial view

The whole basement is clad floor-to-ceilling in sought-after marble shipped directly from Italy. Kam even explained he sent some of the marble back at a cost because he was not happy with the way it looked

The second lower ground floor of Amberwood House boasts exciting features, including a gym, pictured, a steam room and a hair salon

The swimming-pool, which is still empty at the moment, is one of the main features of Kam's second lower ground floor, which houses the health suite

The exterior staircase leading up to the entry of the first lower ground floor of Amberwood House. The terrace is lined with a green wall, pictured

Kam continued: 'It didn't suit the criteria you need for modern lifestyle living: your hairdressing salon, walk-in wardrobe, indoor swimming pool,' he said, explaining he planned the renovations for his target audience: 'to make it viable for a modern rich family, the superstars of the world.

'I believe in leaving legacies behind, not just building property.'

The main feature of the extension was the 4,000 cube basement, which is spread out over two floors connected by a 480,000 staircase that took weeks to install.

The first lower ground floor of the house contains an impressive open plan kitchen with a gigantic central island and floorboards

A row of bay windows leads to the first lower ground floor's kitchen, which is connected to an all-purpose club room, pictured and a living-room

The second lower ground flower is covered from floor to ceilling in Italian marble Kam had imported from Italy, pictured. Tinie Tempah was blown-away

The second lower floor houses the gym, swimming pool, a juice bar, steam room, shower and changing room, as well as a hair salon.

The first lower ground floor hosts a commercial kitchen as well as a family kitchen, a club room, laundry room and a massive living room.

In order to avoid relying on artificial light, Kam also created a jaw-dropping sunken terrace for natural light.

Kam, pictured, said he has been in love with Amberwood House from the moment it got on the market, and that he felt like a 'kid in a toy store'. Work is still being carried out on the property (pictured)

Amberwood house is a brick build from the 1920s which was one a socialite hotspot. Kam bought it with plans to develop it in the early 2010s

Viewers said spending so much money on a basement extension a obscene, and that said the renovations were an act of 'vandalism'

The whole extension is made of one of the most sought-after marbles, with Tinie remarking Kam was all about 'attention to detail' to achieve 'opulence on the highest level.'

'You must have taken all the marble out of Italy for this,' Tinie said. 'I've been to some spas in my time Kam, and it's not just any spa, it's next-level,' he added.

Kam admitted he had to go over budget to complete the renovations of Amberwood House, however, he said he 'hadn't worked out' how much yet.

Tinie was deeply impressed with the extension's results. However, viewers felt very different and said it was 'obscene.'

'Shame the original listed building and its heritage is forgotten about for an obscene extension,' one said.

'When you are over budget by millions and you just smirk,' another said.

'I'm sick of rich people with too much money. It's obscene and gross,' one wrote.
A woman's bizarre story which recalled how her ex-boyfriend's mother attempted to persuade her to let him be unfaithful has gone viral on Tik Tok.

Chantel Thorn, 23, from Australia, took to the social media platform and revealed how her first meeting with her former boyfriend's mother went very wrong.

In the video, Chantel explained that she was just 15-years-old when her then-boyfriend, 17, took her to meet his estranged mother ahead of his 18th birthday.

The conversation took a turn for the worse when the pair started to convince her to let him cheat for his birthday - something Chantel refused to agree to.

Chantel Thorn, 23, from Australia, took to the social media platform and revealed how her first meeting with her former boyfriend's mother went very wrong

In the clip, which has racked up 1.4 million views and over 292,000 likes, Chantel explained that her ex was reconnecting with his mum after being taken into care at a young age.

She said: 'I was really supportive of this. I said, "You're getting close with your mum again, that's so sweet"'.

However the duo soon started to discuss his upcoming 18th birthday, and how he would be able to legally drink and go out clubbing with his friends in Australia.

'I was only 15 at the time and couldn't go along, so I just congratulated him and hoped he would have fun,' she told Jam Press.

In the video, Chantel explained that she was just 15-years-old when her then-boyfriend, 17, took her to meet his estranged mother ahead of his 18th birthday

'They then brought up that because I was under 18 he wouldn't be able to have the full experience of hooking up with girls at the club.

'I didn't really know how to respond to that except to say I would be 18 in a few years, but they kept talking about how when you go to the club you should be able to pick up girls and bring them home.'

Chantel initially thought he was breaking up with her, but soon realised he simply wanted permission to 'hook up' with girls.

She continued: 'His mum agreed that this was a very reasonable request. I wasn't okay with it and tried to hold my ground that that would be cheating in my eyes.'

The conversation took a turn for the worse when the pair started to convince her to let him cheat for his birthday - something Chantel refused to agree to

However the duo continued to try and negotiate a compromise by suggesting she let him 'hook up with girls' at the club on his birthday - but soon gave up when they realised she wasn't going to budge.

And the ordeal didn't end there, and Chantel said: 'When we went home afterwards, he scolded me for having embarrassed him in front of his mother.'

In a follow-up video, Chantel added that this request was even more 'amusing' because he was already 'cheating on her a lot'.

In the clip, which has racked up 1.4 million views and over 292,000 likes, Chantel explained that her ex was reconnecting with his mum after being taken into care at a young age

The couple broke up a few months later after she continually caught him cheating, and despite Chantel forgiving him - it was her ex who finally called time on the relationship.

She said: 'He asked for a no-contact break from each other but promised we would talk again before my 16th birthday.

'My 16th birthday came and I didn't receive a message from him, so I sent him a text and he replied to it breaking up with me.'

Chantel initially thought he was breaking up with her, but soon realised he simply wanted permission to 'hook up' with girls.

Chantel says that if such a situation were to arise today, she would laugh and walk away before she even got close to having such a conversation.

However, as she says in the follow-up video that has been viewed close to 70,000 times in a day, she wasn't in her 'girl boss era' then.

She added: 'I was in a really horrible place when we started dating and being with him really didn't help my self-esteem. I had no self-confidence and thought I didn't deserve to be treated any better.'

However the duo continued to try and negotiate a compromise by suggesting she let him 'hook up with girls' at the club on his birthday - but soon gave up when they realised she wasn't going to budge

While Chantel says that she's a lot stronger now and is happy with her partner of six years who treats her 'like a princess,' her story seems to have resonated with a lot of people.

One user commented: 'Girls' trauma is so underrated. Like we really were out here begging for the bare minimum and being told we didn't deserve it.'

Another said: 'I told his mom he was cheating and she thought it was okay.. Even when her husband had cheated too.'

Someone else added: 'Dude! My ex's mom told him to go explore other women' before committing. He then cheated saying he didn't want to do it if we got married.'

People also empathised with her when she shared the whole story.

One user said: 'Girl you were 15 it's okay and totally understandable that you weren't at your biggest girlboss moment you were a child.'
Joanna Lumley has confirmed a documentary about a scientist dubbed the 'human swan' who was injured in a mid-air crash that killed a member of her film crew will air after it received the go-ahead from both families.

After filming wrapped, biologist Sacha Dench plummeted from the sky during her 3,000-mile journey around Britain in a motorised paraglider after colliding with a member of her support crew.

Dan Burton, 54, who was in a separate paramotor, died last month while Sacha, 43, who is a relative of Dame Judy Dench, remains in hospital after suffering serious injuries.

Joanna, 75, had met with the scientist to film her upcoming ITV documentary, Joanna Lumley and the Human Swan, ahead of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow next week.

In an interview with The Times, Joanna said that while she initially wanted to 'back away' from the project, both Sacha and Dan's relatives urged her to broadcast the documentary next week as planned.

Dan Burton, 54, died last month after a horror mid-air crash near Unapool in the Scottish Highlands while working as a cameraman on a round Britain charity flight in a motorised paraglider

Joanna Lumley, 75, (left) met with Sacha Dench, 43, (right) before her horrific crash in which another flier died, to film her upcoming ITV documentary ahead of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in November

'But Dan's brave, brave family said, 'Please! This is what it's for' and Sacha sent a message through her team from her hospital bed, saying, 'For goodness sake show this film, this is why we were doing it'', said Joanna.

The paragliders were in the final stages of a circumnavigation of the country as part of the Round Britain Climate Challenge when disaster struck near Unapool in the Scottish Highlands.

Originally from Australia and now living in Bristol, Sacha is known for global expeditions with migratory species but has turned her focus to climate change after losing her family home in Sydney to bushfires last year.

Dame Judi and Sir Ranulph Fiennes have backed previous missions, including a flight over the Atlas mountains. For her latest challenge, Sacha was flying a specially adapted machine which enabled her to take off and land anywhere to recharge.

Pictured left, Sacha with her adapted electric paramotor at Glasgow Science Centre. Right, Dan Burton preparing for a flight from Stevenson beach, on the west coast of Scotland

Joanna, who lives in Stockwell, south London, said that the news was all the more difficult to hear knowing how skilled both Sacha and Dan were, adding that they always 'put safety first' while flying.

'It was hard to take the news on board, knowing how skilful they are', she said.

'Like mountaineers, they always put safety first. They went through the checklist before every single flight.'

Elsewhere in the interview, Joanna also shared her thoughts on Insulate Britain, the environmentalist group which has become infamous for its 'campaign of civil resistance'.

Joanna said that while she herself would not join in on that type of demonstration, she can sympathise with the anger of those involved in the group.

Biologist Sacha plummeted from the sky during her 3,000-mile journey around Britain in a motorised paraglider after colliding with a member of her support crew

'You can understand why people get so infuriated they're driven to do these difficult and horrible things to draw attention to themselves.'

Lumley is a keen advocate of the environment and animal welfare, having been a vegetarian since the 1970s, and earlier this week made headlines after claiming rationing could be the answer to climate change.

The Absolutely Fabulous star suggested legislation is needed 'for the sake of this beautiful Earth'.

'These are tough times,' she said. 'We might even have to go back to some kind of rationing, where you're given a certain number of points and it's up to you how to spend them  whether it's buying a bottle of whisky or flying in an aeroplane.'

Joanna, who has previously campaigned against single-use plastic, also said people should cut back on weekend breaks abroad and stop eating meat.

Speaking to Radio Times, she added: 'We've got to think that everything we do will make the place better  every plastic bottle you don't buy, every piece of litter you pick up, every piece of meat you don't eat. Every small thing counts.'
The Manners sisters led the glamour as society beauties turned out in force for a jewellery brand party in London last night.

Lady Violet, 28, Lady Alice, 26, and Lady Eliza Manners, 24, whose family seat is The Crown's Belvoir Castle, in Leicestershire, accompanied their mother Emma, the Duchess of Rutland, 58, to the bash at Mayfair private members' club, Harry's Bar.

Tatler columnist Sabine Getty, 37, was also in attendance, as was D&G model Sabrina Percy and her new husband Phineas Page.

The party was held to mark the 20th anniversary of the NUDO collection from Italian jewellers Pomellato. The Italian jewellery house, which was founded in 1967 in Milan, created the range in 2000 to mark the new millennium.

Lady Violet, 28, Lady Alice and Lady Eliza Manners, 24, accompanied their mother Emma Duchess Rutland, 58, in Mayfair last night to mark the 20th anniversary of jeweller's Pomellato's NUDO collection at Harry's Bar

Heiress Sabrina Getty, 37, looked stunning in a form-fitting black dress with cold shoulders, and a dramatic smoky eyes, pictured

Newlyweds Phineas Page and Sabrina Percy put on a stylish display, him in a crips suit and her in a stylish white blazer

The Manners ladies all looked very stylish for their family evening out.

The youngest, Eliza, stunned in a skin-tight black coordinated skirt and black number with gold buttons and platform heels.

Her long hair were styled straight and bounced on her shoulders, and she sported a glamourous makeup with a glittering eye-shadow and a rosy lip.

Her sister Alice opted for an eye-catching silver top with a plunging neckline, which she pair with pin-stripped black trousers with dazzling rhinestones on the side of the legs.

Sabrina Getty posed with Lady Alice, who was wearing a bedazzled pair of pin-striped trousers

The youngest of the Manner sisters, Lady Eliza, left, put on a stylish black and gold display, while her eldest sister Violet looked stunning in a loose-fitting dress

Artist and illustrator Tatiana Carrele opted for a colourful pink cocktail dress with green heels and a black clutch bag

She brought a pop of colour with her satin green stiletto heels.

Her luscious wavy locks cascaded down her shoulders, and she sported just a dash of make up to compliment her healthy glow.

The eldest sister Lady Violet looked stunning in a loose-fitting black sleeveless dress and chunky shoes.

Model Sabrina Percy, who was just married last months, looked stylish in a white and black look

Art dealer Domenica Marland, left, Ogilvy heiress Flora Vesterberg and artist and illustrator Tatiana Carrelet also attended the event, pictured

Lady Alice sported an eye-catching look and added a pop of colour witth green satin heels, pictured

Her hair was cut short to the ear in a stark contrast to her sister's hairdos, and her glamourous makeup pulled the focus to her green eyes.

All three sisters sported pieces of jewellery from Pomellato in a gracious nod to the event's organisers.

Their mother Duchess Rutland beamed surrounded by her three girls, in a total black look.

She was wearing a black pencil skirt with opaque tights and a button-up blazer as well as a pair of black stilettos. Her hair was styled in an impeccable blow-dry.

Her makeup was discreet, with a rosy lisptick and a dash of mascara highlighting her youthful complexion.

Stylist Heloise Chauveheid, left, opted for a prune dress, while Lady Tatiana Mountbatten wore a black number, right

Lady Vioet accessories with gold accessories. She was spotted in a conversation with another guest, also dressed in black

The Manner sister seemed in great spirits, each showcase her individual sense of style, pictured

Sabine Getty also looked the picture of style as she stepped into the event last night.

The heiresss donned a cold shoulder black dress which reached to her ankles. She paired it with black heels and a black clutch bag.

She kept the look simple and efficient by sporting little jewellery, putting the focus on a lavish pair of dropped earrings.

Her blond bob was styled straight, tucked behind her ears on both side, and she sported a glamourous smokey eye bringing intensity to the editorial look.

Newlywed model Sabrina Percy, who tied the knot with Franco Manca pizza heir Phineas Page in September, also attended with her husband, wearing a stylish white blazer over a white mini-dress.

Nick Campbell and actress Kelly Frye put on a stylish display, him in a black look and her in a white and cream satin dress

Model Emily Steel posed with Lady Violent for a picture. Director of talent agency Ben Pawson accompanied Heloise Chauveheid

A stylish trio! Lady Eliza, Lady Alice and Lady Violet Manners attended the party together last night

Journalist and DJ Annabel Simpson looked cool with a pink leopard print shirt and a black suit with chunky boots

Model Matilda Lowther sported an edgy look with a leather cream jacket over a brassiere with a ruffled black skirt

The stylish band Wandering Souls was playing music at the intimate dinner at Harry's Bar last night

Pomellato's jewellery was of course the main focus of the event, as the house celebrated the 20th anniversary of its NUDO collection

Lady Eliza took a chance on the fortune teller assigned to attendees during last night's event in Mayfair

Lady Jemima Herbert and Adelaide Bolitho both looked stylish in black, and newlyweds Timothy Vesterberg and Flora Vesterberg looked a stunning pair

Aristocracy heiress Imogen Hervey-Bathurst attended the event with Annabel Simpson, pictured

Rosanna Falconer, accompanied by George Ryan, opted for a bohemian chic look in a blush pink floral dress

Socialite and business woman Chiara Di Carcaci, left, wore fishnets and leather boots for the event
A makeup artist's Halloween turned into a 'real-life nightmare' when her costume contact lens allegedly ripped off the outer layer of her eyeball, leaving her bedridden for a week and fearing she'd go blind.

Jordyn Oakland, 27, from Seattle, Washington, dressed up as a 'cannibal esthetician' last Halloween, and after seeing others use lenses from Dolls Kill on social media, she thought she'd give the brand's 'spooky' all-black pair a whirl.

She said the contact lens felt like it was 'stuck' on her right eye when she tried to take it out later that night, so she pulled harder. At first, it felt like a 'really bad scratch,' but the next morning, she woke up in 'excruciating pain' and could barely open her eye because it was so swollen.

Ouch! Jordyn Oakland, 27, from Seattle, Washington, has claimed the costume contact lens she wore last Halloween caused the outer layer of her eyeball to be ripped off (pictured)

Throwback: Jordyn wore black contact lenses from Doll Kills when she dressed up as a 'cannibal esthetician' last October

Jordyn claimed that when she dashed to the emergency room, she was told that the lens had removed the outer layer of her cornea. There was a chance she would need surgery, and she could possibly lose her eyesight.

'It was a real-life nightmare on Halloween. It was something I never expected to happen,' she said. 'It was very frightening. There was a handful of days where my vision was completely blurry and I couldn't see anything out of my eye. I was afraid that I would become blind in my right eye.

'The first two days were the scariest. The first day everyone I saw was saying that it was bad. so I was preparing for the long-term issues that were going to happen. "Am I going to have to pay for a specialist? Are they going to have to do surgery on my eye?"'

Jordyn, who creates content online about skin education, beauty hacks, and makeup looks, claimed she'd ordered from Dolls Kill a handful of times before buying the Halloween-themed contacts.

'I had seen all over social media other people ordering from there, wearing the contacts and being fine with them,' she said.

'I had never tried costume contacts before so I was like, "OK, maybe I'll give them a try this year" because I'd seen so many people use them before and honestly had no idea that this could happen.

Following the crowd: Jordyn said she decided to order the contacts after seeing people wearing them without issue on social media

Looking back: The makeup artist said the lenses would occasionally move slightly, but they stayed in all evening and didn't cause any 'crazy irritation' at first

'I ordered them and kind of had a bad feeling in the moment just because on the website there were no reviews or photos of people using them, but it was from a really popular online site so that's what made me second guess that gut intuition.

'On the website itself, there was no manufacturer information, no actual reviews sharing their experiences or uploading photos. There was very minimal information.'

Jordyn said she put eye drops in beforehand to condition her eye and once the lenses were in, they felt a little too big and slightly uncomfortable, but that subsided after 30 minutes.

The lenses would occasionally move slightly, but they stayed in all evening and didn't cause any 'crazy irritation' at first.

'We were all hanging out and the contacts started irritating my eye and getting uncomfortable, but I had also had it in then for about six hours, so I thought it was probably time to take them out,' she said.

Start of it all: Jordyn said the contact lens felt like it was 'stuck' on her right eye when she tried to take it out later that night, so she pulled harder

Oh no: At first, it felt like a 'really bad scratch,' but the next morning, she woke up in 'excruciating pain' and could barely open her eye because it was so swollen

'I have worn contacts before, so I took the contacts, slid it a little bit, and tried to grab it how I normally would, and it felt like it was stuck and I didn't get the right grab on it.

'So the second time I went in I grabbed it a little bit firmer and took it out of my eye and at that point it was just full of tears and it immediately felt like I had a really bad scratch on my eye.

'I just started loading my eye with eye drops and splashing it with cold water. It felt like I had a piece of something stuck in my eye, so I was just rinsing, rinsing, and rinsing trying to get it out.

'My eye was bloodshot red, nothing was coming out of it. I was opening my eye and having my friends take a look with a flashlight to see if they could see anything stuck in it.'

Jordyn, who's working toward getting a master's degree, decided she'd just need to 'sleep it off,' but when she got up the following day, there was no escaping the discomfort in her right eye.

'I woke up at 6 am and was in excruciating pain. My eye was burning and so swollen I could barely open it at that point,' she recalled.

Painful: Jordyn claimed that when she went to the ER, the doctor told her it looked like the outer layer of her cornea had been completely removed

Scary: The doctor also allegedly told her boyfriend that she could possibly lose her eyesight

'I immediately started crying because of the pain. It was really hard to manage it in the moment. The whole drive [to the ER] I was in excruciating pain.

'I don't even know how to describe it. It was some of the worst pain I've ever encountered. It feels like a burning, scratching, so much irritation in the eye area.

'[The doctor] looked at my eye and basically said that the outer layer of my cornea looked like it had been completely removed and that's why the pain was so bad.

'He told my boyfriend, "There could be a chance that she could lose eyesight. I'm not going to sugarcoat it, this is really really bad."'

Jordyn was sent home with eye drops, antibiotics, painkillers, and an eye patch, and she said she saw an ophthalmologist that day who confirmed her diagnosis.

Treatment: Jordyn, who was sent home with eye drops, antibiotics, painkillers, and an eye patch, said she saw an ophthalmologist that day who confirmed her diagnosis

Response: Dolls Kill said they were not the manufacturer of the lenses, adding that they 'carefully vet the products and manufacturers that we carry'

She explained that her right eye was always weaker than her left eye in terms of vision, but now it is noticeably a lot worse.

'Two days later my eye miraculously completely started to heal, which was amazing,' she said. 'It was probably about 20 percent better at the time. I was on painkillers and in bed for a week because of it. It really sucked.

'Since the incident, right in the center of my eye, there's always this little area that feels dry in a way, and it makes my eye more sensitive so I can barely go outside in the sun without wearing sunglasses, otherwise, they'll just water like crazy.

'My vision in my right eye is noticeably worse. It was always not great I could see some small text from far away but now it's game over with that. If I'm looking at a notepad in front of me with my right eye I can't make out the words.'

Jordyn said she's been told that she could have recurrent corneal erosion, a painful condition characterized by the recurrent breakdown of the epithelium, the outermost layer of the cornea.

'After the incident, the one thing that I could potentially deal with is reoccurring erosion,' she said. 'I could maybe wake up one morning and have the exact same thing happen for no apparent reason.'

Statement: Camden Passage, the lens manufacturer, alleged that Jordyn didn't read the instructions that came with the lenses

Looking back: Jorydn said she was on painkillers and in bed for an entire week because of the eye injury

Hard to handle: Jordyn said her eye started to heal after two days, but her vision in that eye is now worse, and she is at risk for recurrent corneal erosion

'It's scary to me because those are so easily accessible and I think about young kids and how easy is it to use debit cards and go online and order something.'

Jordyn is hoping to raise awareness of the injuries that costume contacts can cause, and she is urging those planning to wear them to ensure they do their research first.

'I'd never wear costume contacts again unless they're made by a specialist who had really informed me that they're very safe to wear,' she said.

'I hoped posting could even help one person second guess that decision if it's really worth elevating a Halloween costume to that extent for the damage that could potentially happen.'

A spokesperson for Dolls Kill said the brand was not the manufacturer of the lenses, adding: 'Thanks for bringing this to our attention. We take the health and safety of our customers very seriously and carefully vet the products and manufacturers that we carry.'

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Camden Passage, the lens manufacturer, alleged that Jordyn didn't read the instructions that came with the lenses, saying there haven't been any other issues with the lens over the past decade.

Aftermath: 'I can barely go outside in the sun without wearing sunglasses, otherwise, they'll just water like crazy,' Jordyn said of her eyes

Using her voice: The esthetician is hoping to raise awareness of the 'scary' injuries that costume contacts can cause

Lesson learned: 'I'd never wear costume contacts again unless they're made by a specialist who had really informed me that they're very safe to wear,' Jordyn said

'Contact lenses are medical devices and should be treated as such,' the statement said. ''In order to avoid injury, instructions for use must be thoroughly followed. In this case, the consumer did not read the included instructions for use.

'Clinical studies show that anything that would cause dry eyes such as birth control pills, alcohol, or allergy medication could make contact lenses uncomfortable and would increase the chance of an adverse event.

'Loox contact lenses are manufactured with the utmost quality and care. Our manufacturing is MDSAP and ISO 13485 certified, one of the highest certifications worldwide for the manufacture of contact lenses.

'We will complete a detailed investigation as required under our ISO certified quality management system and report findings to regulatory authorities. A post market review is conducted during our yearly audits, and in the 11 years of being in the contact lens business, we have never had an adverse event.

'All contact lenses, whether decorative or for vision correction, are regulated medical devices. Loox contact lenses are manufactured to the same standards as contact lenses used for vision correction. Cosmetic contact lenses should be treated the same as regular contact lenses in terms on handling and care.

'Consumers should also be aware of counterfeit or illegal contact lenses. Certified lenses will always come with the contact details of the manufacturer, and detailed instructions for use.'
Queen Letizia of Spain looked polished in a purple suit as she joined King Felipe at the country's annual School of the Year Awards.

The queen, 48, sported a striking lilac Hugo Boss suit with matching Hugo Boss Mayfair Pumps and a co-ordinating lilac top for the outing in Tui, northeast Spain.

Her husband, King Felipe VI, 53, opted for a classic cut suit with a blue shirt and patterned blue tie to match.

The couple were on hand to award the title to a local school, CRA Mestra Clara Torres, in recognition for its achievements.

Queen Letizia, 48, sported a striking lilac Hugo Boss suit with matching Hugo Boss Mayfair Pumps and a co-ordinating lilac top for the outing in Tui, northeast Spain.

Queen Letizia of Spain helps out a young student at the CRA Mestra Clara Torres school during her visit

King Felipe and Queen Letizia presented the award on stage at the early childhood education centre

The Spanish royals watched closely over some young students as they ate their lunch and chatted to them about their school

The couple travelled to the public school in Tui, Galicia to hand out the award to the management of the early childhood education centre.

Queen Letizia opted for a minimal, fresh makeup look and accompanied the ensemble by pairing with some small gold earrings.

The couple were welcomed by well wishers and talked with school officials as they started their tour of the education centre.

Queen Letizia opted for a pink Hugo Boss suit which she matched with pink Hugo Boss court heels

The royal couple invited some young students on stage as they presented their school with the award

King Felipe and Queen Letizia bent down to chat with young student bakers who were showing off their skills

The Spanish royals both stopped to talk to the young students as they went about their school activities, and then invited some to join them on stage for the award ceremony.

The awards are organised by The Princess of Girona Foundation, which named His Majesty King Felipe VI of Spain as the honorary chairman on behalf of his daughter, Princess Leonor.

Princess Leonor recently reunited with her family for the first time since leaving for a Welsh boarding school back in August.

Students were eager to greet and talkk to the royal who took an interest in their award winning education system

Students took part in a chil yoga class led by a personal yoga instructor for the CRA Mestra Clara Torres' school

The 15-year-old heir to the throne has been studying at UWC Atlantic College in Wales since September, but headed home for a week of down time with her loved ones during half term, with classes resuming on November 1.

Over the weekend Queen Letizia of Spain joined her lookalike daughters for a trip to Santa Maria del Puerto de Somiedo.

The family were visiting Santa Maria del Puerto de Somiedo, which has been honoured as the 2021 Best Asturian Village, the day after the 'Princesa de Asturias' Awards

Princess Leonor, 15, and Infanta Sofia, 14, joined their parents on the day out.
Prince Albert of Monaco has revealed his six-year-old twins Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques will be joining him at next week's Cop26 climate change summit in Glasgow.

The 63-year-old told People that he 'didnt want to leave them alone' in the principality - as Princess Charlene, 43, remains in South Africa after spending much of this year in her home country after contracting a 'serious sinus infection' in May.

Longtime environmental advocate Albert said his twins, who turn 7 on December 10, will 'have their own agenda visits to museums and little places of interest'.

The news comes after the Monegasque prince claimed former Olympian Charlene will return home 'very shortly' and anticipates doctors in South Africa will clear his wife for travel within days.

Prince Albert of Monaco has revealed his six-year-old twins Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques (pictured in Ireland in September) will be joining him at next week's Cop26 climate change summit in Glasgow

The twins, who are on holiday from school and made their first official state visit to Ireland last month, will attend the landmark conference - which will be attended by many world leaders and aims to agree crucial global action on climate change - in Scotland with their father.

'Obviously at that age, 6 or 7, you can't take them everywhere because they'll get bored if it's too official,' said Albert.

'You have to bring them in slowly into public appearances and different ceremonies. If it's a trip, that has an official side to it, but also [they'll need] a private side and things to discover they can find it fun and amusing.'

'It's fabulous to have these kinds of memories with them,' added the prince, who also said he discusses environmental issues in general with his twins.

The 63-year-old told People that he 'didnt want to leave them alone' in the principality - as Princess Charlene (pictured), 43, remains in South Africa after spending much of this year in her home country after contracting a 'serious sinus infection' in May

Prince Albert II of Monaco attends ceremony in tribute to Captain Cousteau's second in command, Albert Falco

Today the prince took a dive into the water for a ceremony in tribute to Captain Cousteau's second in command, Albert Falco

Earlier this week, Prince Albert said Charlene will be back in Monaco 'very shortly' and anticipates doctors in South Africa will clear his wife for travel within days.

He told People that current plans involve Charlene returning to the principality within weeks after spending much of this year in her native South Africa following a 'serious sinus infection' which made her unable to travel and forced her to miss key events including her 10-year wedding anniversary and her children's first day of school.

Albert insisted that his wife will return home 'way before [Monaco's National Day] on November 19', adding 'she's in good form and much better spirits'.

He even hopes Charlene, 43, will be able to join him earlier on a planned November 13 visit to Dubai's World Expo, an international cultural exhibition, but admitted: 'We'll make that decision at the last minute.'

Earlier this week, Prince Albert said Charlene (pictured together) will be back in Monaco 'very shortly' and anticipates doctors in South Africa will clear his wife for travel within days

On October 8, Zimbabwean-born Charlene underwent a final operation to deal with an ear, nose and throat infection she contracted in May - with a palace source telling AFP that the procedure 'went very well'.

But the royal's absence from the principality has sparked rumours of a rift between Charlene and Albert - which the pair have recently denied.

Albert told the publication that all the family miss her and 'obviously she misses the children'.

The royal noted that a sign-off from her medical team is all that is needed to allow her to return to the palace she shares with her children and husband.

On Tuesday, Charlene shared an update of her own, taking to her social media account to reveal her heartbreak following her beloved pet dog's death after being run over.

Princess Charlene today shared her heartbreak online following her beloved pet dog's death after being run over (pictured together)

The former Olympian, 43, who has been living in her home country of South Africa for much of this year, took to Instagram to share a photo snuggling up with her pooch Angel

She took to Instagram today to share a photo snuggling up with her pooch Angel, which was taken last Christmas in Monaco.

The mother-of-two posted: 'My little Angel died last night, she was run over. I will miss you so much, Rest In Peace.'

It comes after she sparked concern among fans following her latest appearance online, with some saying she appeared 'frail'.

It is unknown if Princess Charlene's pooch had been staying with her in South Africa or whether the pet had remained with Prince Albert in Monaco.

It comes weeks after the mother-of-two sparked concern among fans following her latest appearance online (pictured)

On her most recent public appearance online, the royal wore a smattering of makeup and styled her fringe to the side.

And yet her appearance in the social media post concerned fans, with one writing: 'Get well soon, you look so frail, take care, hope you get back to Monaco to your lovely family.'

Last week Princess Charlene said she 'can't wait to get home to her children' but made no reference to her husband Albert in an interview given in South Africa.

Charlene, who wed Prince Albert II in 2011, has been living in her home country of South Africa for much of this year, and the extended stay has stoked speculation that the royal couple may be headed for divorce.

Earlier this month Prince Albert insisted that his wife (pictured with their children) is likely to return to Monaco by the end of the month

However they have denied rumours of a rift and said Charlene's absence from the principality is due to her contracting the 'serious sinus infection'.

In an interview which took place earlier this month and was shared on Charlene's Instagram page, the royal said she 'misses her children, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, terribly', adding: 'Any mother out there who has been separated from her children for months would feel the same way I feel.'

In the clip, she said: 'I came to South Africa to oversee some foundation projects. I was unwell at the time, unknowingly, with an infection. It was addressed immediately. Unfortunately, it grounded me for some months in South Africa.

'I had my one procedure - it was very successful. I'm well, I'm feeling much stronger. I have one more procedure. Then I cannot wait to get home to my children, who I miss terribly.

It comes amid reports that Prince Albert (pictured) 'applied for sovereign immunity' in his court battle to fight claims he fathered a third love child before marrying Charlene

Elsewhere in the interview she touched on community in South Africa, saying she would like to impart 'unity and strength.'

She said: 'Obviously I would never like to touch on anything politically. But what can be done, is people need to set their differences aside and think of the generations to come and less of themselves.

'Too much emphasis is put on ourselves and less on the future generations to come. What do they have to look back on? Who is their guide? That needs to be installed.'

Speaking about the anti-poaching work she has been undertaking while in South Africa this year, she said: 'I am determined to come back and continue the work I set out to do as I have done in many countries over Africa and in South Africa.

Zimbabwean-born Charlene, 43, who wed Prince Albert II in 2011, has been living in her home country of South Africa for much of this year, and the extended stay has stoked speculation that the royal couple (pictured) may be headed for divorce

'Conservation, preservation, restoration and education. That is what my foundation stands for. We save lives.'

How Charlene and Albert made solo outings in South Africa and Monaco during nine 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 August 31 - Speculation mounts in the media about couple's relationship

September 1 - Charlene is admitted under an alias to the Netcare Alberlito Hospital after suddenly 'collapsing' September 2 - She is discharged, with a statement from the Palais Princier reading: 'Her Highness is closely monitored by Her medical team who said that Her condition was not worrying' September 23 - Prince Albert attends the 2021 Monte Carlo Gala for Planetary Health September 29 - Prince Albert is joined on the red carpet by actress Sharon Stone for a first look at the eagerly anticipated James Bond release September 30 - Charlene releases a stylish video promoting her anti-poaching campaign from her South African bolthole October 3 - Princess Charlene shares a photograph of herself smiling in front of a bible in her first snap since being discharged from hospital following her health scare October 5 - Prince Albert attends Sportel Awards Ceremony in Monte Carlo with nephew Louis Ducruet October 6 - Albert tells RMC radio Charlene is 'ready to come home' October 8 - Princess undergoes surgery in South Africa Advertisement

The release of the interview came days after a palace source said her final operation to deal with an ear, nose and throat infection she contracted in May 'went very well'.

The operation in South Africa was performed under general anaesthetic, and 'is the last she had to undergo following her ENT infection. She will be under observation for 48 hours,' the source told French news agency AFP.

It comes amid reports that Albert 'applied for sovereign immunity' in his court battle to fight claims he fathered a third love child before marrying Charlene.

The 63-year-old prince, who already supports two illegitimate children, is alleged to have had 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 the former Olympic swimmer in 2000.

It was reported last year that the case would go to court in Milan in February, however according to Town&Country, the prince's lawyers pleaded sovereign immunity and the case has been delayed.

Lawyer Erich Grimaldi, who is acting on behalf of the woman, said he hopes the judge will reject Albert's plea and he is waiting for the case to come back to court, which he believes will happen 'imminently'.

The 34-year-old claimant  who cannot be named for legal reasons  says she had a passionate affair with Albert, leading to the birth of their daughter  whose name is also classified  on July 4, 2005.

Albert received a handwritten letter from the child, who is now 16, in September last year reading: 'I don't understand why I grew up without a father, and now that I have found you, you don't want to see me.'

Last December, legal papers were also filed, as lawyers for the claimant called on Albert to undergo a DNA test  just as he did before finally being identified as the father of two illegitimate children born in the 1990s and early 2000s.

'This was before Charlene and Albert were an item, but the latest case covers a time when she was already in love with him,' a source who works closely with the Monaco Royal household revealed at the time.

'Charlene has had a terrible year, with one family crisis after another including Albert going down with coronavirus, and now she's gearing herself up for this hell.'

The princess, whose maiden name was Charlene Wittstock, was an Olympic swimmer for South Africa when she first met Albert at a Monaco aquatic competition in 2000.

They began dating soon afterwards, before Charlene married into the House of Grimaldi at a star-studded wedding in July 2011.

Their twins  daughter Gabriella and son Jacques  were born three years later and are seen as the family's official heirs.

By this time, Charlene had come to terms with Albert's hard fought legal battles with women who eventually won financial settlements over children they had with Albert  even though he originally denied their claims.

In May 2005, just before he was enthroned as Prince of Monaco, Albert confirmed he was the biological father of Alexandre, whose mother was Nicole Coste, a former Air France flight attendant from Togo.

A DNA test in May 2006 also confirmed Albert was the father of Jazmine Grace, the result of an affair with Tamara Rotolo, an American estate agent he met while she was on holiday in the South of France.

Jazmine was born in the 1990s and Alexandre in 2003. The Brazilian woman says she travelled around the world with the Prince in the 2000s.

Lawyer Grimaldi said he had filed papers with specific details of his client's love affair with Albert, including trips to Brazil, the USA, France and Russia.

While in Moscow, the lovers are even said to have had a meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin, who gave the Brazilian 'a warm hug', according to court papers.

Albert's lawyer, Thierry Lacoste, has described the allegations as a 'a hoax', saying: 'There are no intimate photos, no tangible facts surrounding a possible relationship.'

Neither Albert's daughter Jazmin Grace Grimaldi, now 28, nor his son, Alexandre Grimaldi-Coste, 17, can claim the throne of Monaco, according to negotiated financial agreements.

The line of succession instead favours Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, six, and who frequently appear in their parents' social media posts.
A 10-year-old boy who was mocked for his Tony Stark costume has captured hearts around the world after he decided to ignore the bullies and wear the outfit to his school's Halloween party.

Jill Struckman, 45, from Missouri, took to Facebook last week to share photos of her son Evan proudly showing off his costume, which was modeled off of Robert Downey Jr.'s depiction of the superhero in the Iron Man movies.

However, she later revealed in a heartbreaking follow-up post that the fifth-grader called her crying from school because some kids told him he looked 'stupid' in his costume.

Ready for Halloween: Jill Struckman, 45, from Missouri, took to Facebook last week to share photos of her son Evan proudly showing off his Tony Stark costume

Heartbreaking: The mom later revealed that the fifth-grader called her crying from school because some kids told him he looked 'stupid' in his costume

Earlier that morning, Evan was the picture of confidence when he posed front of his home in his white button-down shirt and gray vest. To complete his Tony Stark look, he wore his hair parted to the side, glasses, and a fake goatee.

However, he immediately felt embarrassed and unsure of himself after he was told he looked stupid and others were going to make fun of him.

Struckman explained on Facebook that she got a call from Evan about 20 minutes after he left on the bus. She noted that the kids who bullied him over his costume weren't even dressed up for the party.

'Evan got to school and immediately went to the bathroom and washed his face,' she wrote. 'When he called he was crying and soooo hurt that he didnt even want to stay for his party.'

Lookalike: Evan wore a gray vest, glasses, and a fake goatee, a look that was modeled off of Robert Downey Jr.'s depiction of the superhero in the Iron Man movies

Change of heart: Struckman took her son to Starbucks, and after they talked through his feelings, he decided he wanted to wear his costume to the school party after all

The mom, who picked her son up from school, shared a snapshot of him sitting in the backseat of her car with his face makeup washed off, his hair mussed, and his eyes red from crying.

'Heres what my little Tony Stark looks like now,' she explained. 'We both have swollen eyes from crying and are on our way to try to find ice cream. Kids need to understand that WORDS hurt.'

She told Today that Evan kept apologizing to her in the car because he had removed his makeup at school.

'He kept saying, "We worked so hard on it,"' she said. 'He was really thinking about how I would feel, which tells you a lot about him.'

Amazing: While Evan was hesitant to return to school at first, he had a wonderful rest of his day

Happy ending: The mom shared that they have received supportive messages from people around the world, including Egypt, Mexico, and the Philippines, saying her 'mind is blown'

But the story has a happy ending.

When Struckman took Evan for Frappuccinos at Starbucks, they talked through his feelings. He decided that he didn't want to miss the party. They stopped home to redo his makeup, and then she drove him back to school.

'He was a little scared walking back into school,' she told Today. 'But he had a great rest of the day. And he was so proud of himself. It was absolutely a defining moment in his life. If he hadnt gone back, it would have broken his spirit.'

She added on Facebook that they have received supportive messages from people around the world, including Egypt, Mexico, and the Philippines, saying her 'mind is blown.'

'Thanks for all the sweet words (and offers to beat up 10-year-olds) lol,' she wrote in one of her posts. 'I do appreciate you all.'
Meghan Markle's attempts to influence Biden's $1.75 trillion infrastructure plan have fallen short, it was revealed on Thursday, as the President announced he has dropped paid leave for new parents from his bill, just days after the Duchess penned a lobbyist letter pleading for it to be made a 'national right'.

The 40-year-old mother-of-two sparked furious controversy earlier this month when she turned lobbyist by writing an open letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer advocating for paid family leave.

Meghan's extraordinary 1,030-word letter, which was written on the Sussexes' new post-Megxit letterhead, sparked furious controversy - and saw the Duchess accused of using her British royal title to try and meddle in US politics.

Some also suggested that she was using 'tactics of an aspiring politician' and adopting a 'ruthless streak' to try and influence Biden's Build Back Better bill.

However her efforts have now been proven in vain after the President announced on Thursday that he has cut his proposals for paid national leave for all new parents from his infrastructure bill, which has been tangled up in Congress for months, in a bid to push it forward.

Meghan Markle's attempt to make paid leave for new parents a 'national right' have failed after it was revealed President Joe Biden has dropped the plan from his $1.75T infrastructure bill

President Biden detailed a compromised version of his proposal on Thursday - eight days after Meghan, 40, turned lobbyist by writing to Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer about paid leave

In the letter, which was handed out to several of the Sussexes' preferred media outlets, Meghan, who grew up in a middle class family in Los Angeles, said that she was writing to Pelosi and Schumer not as an 'elected official' nor a 'politician' but as an 'engaged citizen and parent... and as a mom'.

In one of the most astonishing parts of her letter, she suggested that her own family was impoverished, even though her father was an Emmy award-winning lighting director and she was educated at private primary and secondary schools.

She painted a picture of humble beginnings and saying that her family struggled when she was young - despite her well-documenting middle class upbringing on Thomas Markle's $200,000-a-year salary.

'I grew up on the $4.99 salad bar at Sizzler,' the Duchess of Sussex wrote. 'I knew how hard my parents worked to afford this because even at five bucks, eating out was something special, and I felt lucky. I started working (at the local frozen yogurt shop) at the age of 13.'

She continued: 'I waited tables, babysat, and piecemealed jobs together to cover odds and ends.'

However, Meghan failed to mention the $750,000 California state lottery win her father scooped in 1990, which funded her secondary education at $9,412-a-semester Immaculate Heart High School in LA.

Meghan also attended a private primary school - Hollywood's Little Red Schoolhouse nursery, which now costs between $20,000 and $28,300-a-year - from age two on her father Thomas' and her airline steward mother Doria's salaries.

She went on to study at Northwestern, in Illinois, which would have cost between $24,000- and $28,000-a-year for tuition when Meghan studied there from 1999 to 2003.

The Duchess of Sussex published an open letter to the House Speaker and Senate Majority Leader on October 20, in which she referenced her own childhood and her life as a mother

Also missing from the letter was any mention of the sprawling $14million mansion in Montecito, California, where Meghan now lives with husband Prince Harry and their two children. The couple's series of lucrative deals with Spotify and Netflix, thought to be worth well over $150million, were also omitted.

Meghan did concede that she has not had to struggle in the same way that other parents who are not offered paid leave have, however she admitted that both she and Prince Harry, 37, felt 'overwhelmed' after they welcomed their second child, Lilibet, earlier this year.

'In June, my husband and I welcomed our second child,' she said.

'Like any parents, we were overjoyed. Like many parents, we were overwhelmed. Like fewer parents, we weren't confronted with the harsh reality of either spending those first few critical months with our baby or going back to work.'

Meghan and Harry were able to take four months family leave after the birth of their daughter Lilibet in June this year, retreating to their Montecito home for several months before returning to work in September.

The Duchess was also able to take time off after having Archie in 2019, staying at home for four months before returning to work.

The couple also reportedly used nannies to look after their children in the UK, and hired and fired several after Archie was born in 2019.

Meghan lived in a series of childhood homes in Los Angeles - including a second-floor apartment on Providencia Street, in Woodland Hills

After her parents divorced in 1983, Meghan and her mother Doria moved into a top-floor apartment (pictured) in the Mid-Wilshire neighborhood of LA

Meghan then went on to attack the American economic system.

'Many of our economic systems are past their expiration date, and as you well know, too many Americans are forced to shortchange themselves when it comes to what matters to them.'

Despite Meghan's claims that her letter was sent as 'an engaged citizen, parent, and mom', it was viewed by many as her most overtly political intervention in US life yet after speculation she has dreams of being a Democrat politician or even to run for US President.

Angela Levin, journalist and biographer of Prince Harry, told MailOnline that while the Duchess is an American citizen, the letter from 'the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex' signed 'on behalf of my family, Archie and Lili and Harry', amounts to Meghan using her British title and marriage to the sixth in line to the throne to interfere in US politics.

She said: 'Meghan's two page letter to lobby Congress about giving money on parental leave, is obviously another step towards trying to turn herself into a politician. But the notepaper she is using is astonishingly "From the Office of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex" and shows how she isn't even aware that she is talking to politicians in a republic that won its independence from the crown in 1776.

'The truth is that the bill about parental leave is on its way to being confirmed, and could be hijack by Meghan's belief it was largely due to her. In addition if she was writing a profession letter what on earth is she getting all cosy and intimate by stating the letter is also 'on behalf of Archie and Lili - notice she is not calling her Lillibet, the Queen's nickname - and Harry. Poor old Harry has come last'.

Prince Charles is known to have written to several US Presidents over the years, including Joe Biden, and also sent the so called 'Black Spider Letters' to British government ministers and politicians over the years, but never in the same public way as Meghan's missive to Schumer and Pelosi.
Emma Weymouth pulled out all the stops when stepping out in London tonight at the star-studded British Vogue x Self-Portrait event.

Joining the likes of Amelia Windsor, Lottie Moss, and Liam Payne, the Marchioness of Bath, 35, ensured she stood out from the crowd by donning a figure-hugging bronze dress that ended just below the knee.

The mother-of-two beamed from ear to ear as she showed off her incredible physique in the long-sleeved ensemble.

Emma Weymouth, 35, (pictured) attended the star-studded British Vogue x Self-Portrait event in London on Thursday

Emma looked effortlessly glamorous in a figure-hugging bronze dress paired with nude court heels and gold accessories

Pairing the outfit with some patent nude Louboutin court heels, the Marchioness posed up a storm when arriving at the occasion.

She also matched the outfit with some understated gold chain earrings that complemented her face.

Emma wore her hair perfectly slicked back that continued into a long flowing ponytail that reached her waist.

Mother-of-two Emma (pictured) swept her glossy brown hair into a sleek high ponytail and opted for red lipstick to complete the look

Commanding attention, Emma, who is married to Ceawlin Thynn, 8th Marquess of Bath, opted for a glamorous makeup look, including a vibrant red lipstick.

Emma's appearance comes after she attended Idris Elba's star studded Porte Noire bar launch in a stunning blue minidress at Coal Drops Yard earlier this month.

Emma's father-in-law Alexander Thynn died from Covid-19 in April, making her husband the Marquess of Bath in April, and inheriting the estate Longleat, which is famous for being the first drive-through safari park outside of Africa.

Emma has been married to Viscount Weymouth since June 2013, with the couple sharing sons John, five, and Henry, three.

Pairing the outfit with some patent nude Louboutin court heels, the Marchioness posed up a storm when arriving at the occasion

Emma Weymouth and Sabrina Elba attend British Vogue x Self-Portrait event in London

On her wedding day Emma became the first black marchioness in British history.

Yet in Novemeber Emma said she doesn't want her skin colour to be a 'defining characteristic' and is a reluctant role model after becoming Britain's first black marchioness.

Emma starred on the cover of Tatler's January 2021 issue and opened up about her family's wildly ambitious plans for Longleat, their Wiltshire estate.

While Emma, the daughter of a Nigerian oil tycoon, is deeply respectful of her new title, she is a reluctant role model, according to the society magazine.

'Where I have been discussed in a positive light, as positive change, I'm grateful for being included in the conversation,' she said.

'I see my role as a practical thing: as a wife, mother and someone with a responsibility to maintain this incredible estate. I aspire to a future where [my skin colour] is not a defining characteristic.'
A cringeworthy KFC rejection letter has divided opinion after the unlucky recipient posted it online.

After working for the fried chicken giant for more than two years, British university student Sophie Corcoran assumed she was a shoe-in for a role at a different branch.

But despite her experience, her application was refused in a 'condescending' letter laden with KFC-related puns.

Ms Corcoran vented her frustration on Twitter, posting a photo of the refusal which read: 'We're cluckin' delighted you're keen to join our flock, however at this moment in time your skills aren't the secret recipe the Colonel is looking for.'

This 'brutal' KFC job rejection letter divided opinion after the unlucky recipient posted it online

Poll Would you be offended by this rejection letter? Yes, it's unprofessional No, it's funny Would you be offended by this rejection letter? Yes, it's unprofessional 766 votes

No, it's funny 248 votes Now share your opinion





It continued: 'But we'd love to hear from you again when you have some more experience under your wing, so please give us a cluck if you would like to apply in the future. Best wishes, Team KFC.'

The letter was allegedly sent by the team at a KFC in Thinford, Durham, in northeast England.

But in an amusing twist, Ms Corcoran told Daily Mail Australia she has since been offered a position at a third outlet.

'I've worked there for two and a half years, there was no reason for them to reject me,' she said.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted KFC for comment.

While some saw the funny side, others branded the letter 'stupid' and 'unprofessional'.

'What a stupid response from KFC,' one person wrote.

'I hate letters like this. Why don't they just get to the point and be honest instead of dressing it up?'

A second added: 'I'm more shocked by the bad puns. Sure, use them when you are offering someone a job, but in a rejection letter?'

But others were less offended, with one person calling the letter the 'most hilarious rejection' they have ever seen.

'Clucking hell, that's hilarious,' said another.
Double-jabbed people still have a one in four chance of catching Covid from an infected household member, according to a study by 'Professor Lockdown' Neil Fergusson.

This is even the case if the person infected was fully jabbed themselves, in what is known as a vaccine breakthrough case, said Imperial College London researchers.

But the risk to unvaccinated household members was even greater, with a 38 per cent chance of catching the virus from infected household members.

The scientists were 'surprised' to discover that the protection offered by the Covid vaccines began to significantly wane just three months after the second dose.

They say the findings make it more crucial than ever for people to come forward for their booster jab.

The research, commissioned by the UK Government, covered both Pfizer and AstraZeneca's jabs and looked at more than 600 Britons.

The scientists also found that vaccination makes no difference to how likely someone is to spread Covid if they get infected and this could be why the Delta variant is still so prevalent.

But jabbed people recovered quicker from the virus, resulting in less severe and shorter symptoms.And being vaccinated decreases a person's chance of getting Covid in the first place.

The researchers said the study is important considering the home is where most Covid transmission between people occurs due to frequency of contact in smaller, less ventilated spaces.

The study found that even when double jabbed people still had a 25 per cent chance of catching Covid and potentially spreading it to other people, however they were likely to have only a mild illness. The unvaccinated however had a 38 per cent chance of catching Covid from an infected household member and risked severe illness, hospitalisation, or death

The study found there was almost no difference in the Covid Delta variant viral load between the jabbed and unjabbed with both experiencing peak infectiousness, when they are most likely to pass the virus on to other people, three to four days after catching the virus. Where vaccination made a difference was after the peak with the jabbed able to better fight off the virus and recover quicker, with less severe symptoms.

Professor Neil Ferguson, dubbed 'Professor Lockdown' for his role in influencing No10 to impose the first Covid lockdown in March 2021 said it was too early to see if Covid cases had peaked and that it the Covid booster campaign was vital to the next stage of the pandemic

One author of the study said it showed the unvaccinated cannot rely on the jabbed for protection.

Unvaccinated and vaccinated Covid transmission: What's the difference? The Imperial College London study looked at the 232 household contacts of 163 people who caught Covid . They found: The odds of an fully vaccinated person catching Covid from an infected household member was 25 per cent. The odds of an unvaccinated person catching Covid from an infected household member was 38 per cent. There was no difference between the infectiousness of unvaccinated or vaccinated people. Both groups were found to be most infectious three to four days after catching Covid. But vaccinated people made a quicker recovery post-virus peak than their unjabbed counterparts. The study did not measure the impact of they type of vaccine. Advertisement

Professor Ajit Lalvani, Imperial College of London's chair of infections diseases, who contributed to the study said the findings show there was still a substantial chance of infection even if you get the Coivd vaccine.

Even if that person is double vaccinated they tend to transmit infection to other household members, he said.

About one in four people exposed in the household to a breakthrough case get infected, which is quite a large number.'

But Professor Lalvani said the risk of Covid infection was even greater for unvaccinated household members, proving the merits of getting a vaccine.

When we looked at unvaccinated contacts in the households their risk of acquiring infection was around 38 per cent,' he said.

This means that the vaccine is still effective at reducing the risk of transmission, in this case from 38 per cent to 25 per cent.'

However, Professor Lalvani explained the real difference was what what happened after infection.

'Crucially because they are double vaccinated they tend to only get mild illness or symptom free infection,' he said,

'When they (unvaccinated) are infected they are at risk of severe illnesses, hospitalisation and death.'

Professor Lalvani said the study also found it only took three months for the fully jabbed to experience a decline in Covid protection.

Surprisingly, already by three months after receipt of the second vaccine dose the risk of acquiring infection was higher, compared to being more recently vaccinated, he said.

While the scientists said their sample size of about 600 households was too small to put a figure on this waning immunity, they said it showed the importance of getting a Covid booster when eligible.

Another aspect of the study was exploring the difference in viral load between vaccinated and unvaccinated people who caught Covid.

Viral load references how much virus is in a substance, in the case of Covid this means how much is present in the upper respiratory tract, the mouth, nose and throat.

Expand Covid booster jabs to middle-aged as over-50s and Brits are protected, Government scientist says The Covid booster vaccine programme should be expanded to middle-aged and young adults once vulnerable groups have been offered a third jab, a top Government scientist has said. Professor John Edmunds said boosters should be dished out 'as fast as possible' for the elderly and patients with underlying conditions because they are at the highest risk of waning immunity. But he said it would 'help' if the vaccine drive was opened up to Britons under the age of 50 'in time'. Professor Edmunds, a modeller at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told the BBC Radio 4 Today Programme: 'The vaccines still work very well but the level of protection theyre affording us is falling somewhat and it looks like its falling quicker in the most at risk groups  the elderly and so on. 'So I think its right that they are offered a booster dose as fast as possible. I think that's really important that we vaccinate our older population as fast as we can. 'And I think it would also help if we vaccinate - offer boosters doses in time to younger individuals as well.' Advertisement

Professor Lalvani explained that they found that vaccination status made no difference to the amount or timing peak infectivity, which is when people are most likely to pass the virus on to others.

Vaccination did not affect the time that people spent in the window of highest infectiousness, he said.

This window of infectivity, usually occurred three to four days into infection and before the onset of Covid symptoms.

The fact that getting a Covid jab makes no difference to this critical period of Covid transmission could explain why the Delta variant remains so contagious despite widespread vaccination.

Professor Lalvani said where vaccination did make a difference however was after the peak, which is when the body begins producing antibodies to fight the virus.

The effect of vaccination is to accelerate the decline in viral road in the upper repository tract, so people would clear the virus infection quicker which is good news, he said.

This helps to explain why vaccinated people even when infected get less symptoms, quicker resolution of their symptoms and crucially have much, much, lower risk of developing severe disease.'

He added that this also meant the unvaccinated could not rely on the jabbed for protection.

Unvaccinated people cannot therefore rely on the immunity of the vaccinated population for protection, he said.

They remain susceptible to infection and risk of serious illness and death.'

Professor Lalvani said the takeaway from the study's was get vaccinated and get your booster as soon as you are eligible, especially considering the winter months when people spend more time together indoors are only a few weeks away.

'The highest possible vaccine coverage and timely booster doses are thus essential to combatting Covid, he said.

If people are not yet vaccinated they should get vaccinated and people, when theyve had their vaccines and become eligible for a booster, should get that booster as soon as possible.'

Dr Anika Singanayagam, co-lead author of the study, said the study showed the importance of maintaining some Covid restrictions, even for the vaccinated.

'Continued public health and social measures to curb transmission  such as masking wearing, social distancing, and testing  thus remain important, even in vaccinated individuals,' she said.

The study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases looked at 621 participants contacted by NHS Track and Trace between September 2020 and September 2021.

Of these 163 were found to be Covid positive and had 233 contacts

Participants were tested everyday with PCR tests for up to 20 days to measure their viral load and their vaccination status was recorded.

Professor Ferguson, who also contributed to the study, said the effectiveness of the Covid booster programme, the sluggish pace of which has been criticised, would be key to keeping the pandemic under control.

The key Government advisor, whose modelling prompted the first lockdown last March  said it was too early to say if Covid cases in Britain had peaked but he added there were encouraging signs.

Too early to say whether we have reached a peak, mainly because this week is half-term week and so we know lots of people go on holiday and testing patterns are different than usual,' he said.

We will have to wait at least a couple of weeks, if not closer to three to be sure, but there are some encouraging signs in terms of the dip in case numbers.'

Britain's Covid cases fell for the fourth day in a row yesterday. Department of Health bosses posted another 43,941 new infections, down 10.6 per cent on last Wednesday's total of 49,139.

Daily cases have been shrinking since Sunday after reaching a three-month high last week and Government ministers today claimed the chance of ministers activating their winter 'Plan B' is less than 20 per cent.

But the number of people dying with Covid has continued to increase, with 207 new fatalities recorded today. It was up 15.6 per cent on last week's 179.

And there was a 2.9 per cent week-on-week increase in hospitalisations on Saturday, the latest date data is available for. They reached 894, up from the 869 recorded the week before.

Professor Ferguson said the success of the booster program would be key to keeping Covid under control this winter, though he added there still a lot of uncertainty in the predictions.

If isnt peaking now then most of the SAGE modelling out there would suggest that it should peak so long as we keep getting boosters into peoples are and achieve a reasonable high, 90 per cent or so, coverage of boosters, he said.

Then we should start to see a sustained decline in the coming weeks, but there is a lot of uncertainty in the modelling in all three groups that contributed into that exercise going into SAGE, about when exactly the peak will be.'

Last week optimistic modelling from SAGE claimed daily infections could slump to the 5,000 mark over the coming months, even without No10 caving into demands and resorting to virus-controlling interventions.
Millions of doses of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine manufactured earlier this year are sitting at a Baltimore factory awaiting a green light from U.S. regulators to be shipped.

Emergent BioSolutions Inc's plant was forced to halt production of the vaccine in the spring after a contamination issue.

Now, an estimated 30 million to 50 million J&J doses are waiting approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration before they can be released, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The agency must still inspect and authorize the plant before Emergent can ship newly manufactured drug substance, one of the sources said.

It comes as several hard-hit nations, who have vaccinated fewer than one percent of their populations, have been asking America to send them the government's stockpile of vaccines.

Between 30 million and 50 million doses of J&J's Covid vaccine are sitting at an Emergent BioSolutions Inc's manufacturing plant in Baltimore waiting for FDA approval to be shipped out. Pictured: Boxes of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in Buffalo, West Virginia, March 2021

Production was halted at the facility in April 2021 after batches of J&J's vaccine were contaminated with material from AstraZeneca's COVID-19 shots. Pictured: An exterior view of the Emergent BioSolutions plant in Baltimore, April 2021

In April, the FDA halted operations at Emergent's production facility after J&J's vaccine was found to be contaminated with material from AstraZeneca's COVID-19 shots, which were also being manufactured there at the time.

The contamination ruined about 15 million J&J doses and set back its U.S. vaccine rollout by weeks.

A report released by the U.S. House Oversight Committee in May found that workers producing the vaccine often failed to shower or change clothes.

What's more, despite J&J contracting Emergent in April 2020 to manufacture the vaccine, the Baltimore facility wasn't scaled for making millions of doses, according to an FDA inspection which was conducted last year.

The FDA records - released as part of the House report - described the plant as a contract testing laboratory that 'did not manufacture products for distribution.'

Further, the inspection also noted there was 'mold, poor disinfection of plant equipment and inadequate training of employees.'

Material manufactured for the J&J vaccine at the Baltimore plant prior to the April shutdown and awaiting FDA approval could be enough to produce as many as 50 million shots, the two sources said.

They asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the issue.

The exact number of doses sitting idle cannot be determined, because Emergent only makes raw vaccine substance and does not fill vials with finished product, one source said.

Of the 100 million doses worth of vaccine material Emergent described in an April Congressional hearing as being sidelined, the FDA has so far cleared nine batches of J&J's vaccine and three batches of AstraZeneca's.

It has not disclosed how many doses were in those batches.

Emergent in late July said it would resume production of J&J's vaccine at the plant following additional FDA reviews, but has not provided updates on production or timing of potential shipments.

Emergent has begun making new vaccine substance, but the FDA has yet to provide guidance on when it plans to inspect the Baltimore facility, one of the sources said.

The FDA said in a statement that it conducted a limited inspection of Emergent's facility in July to confirm it had conducted corrective actions following the April production pause.

The agency said it has not yet authorized the facility to ship doses and continues to review batches made prior to the production halt.

It has based its batch approvals on reviews of facility records and quality testing conducted by the manufacturer.

The FDA typically waits for a drug manufacturing facility to produce multiple batches of its product before conducting an inspection, according to a former FDA official who asked not to be named because she was not authorized to speak with the media.

A report released by a U.S. House Committee in May found that Emergent workers producing the vaccine often failed to shower or change clothes (file image)

Following the Emergent plant shutdown, J&J lowered its production target for 2021 to between 500 million and 600 million doses from around one billion. It expects to be able to make one billion doses annually starting next year.

J&J has not specified whether it needs Emergent to restart production to hit its 2022 target.

The firm has another manufacturing facility in Leiden, Netherlands, and production agreements with other contract manufacturers, including Catalent Inc and India's Biological E.

The U.S. contracted with J&J for 100 million shots in 2020 and ordered an additional 100 million in March.

So far, just 24.7 million doses have been delivered across the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Last week, the FDA authorized J&J's vaccine as a booster for people who are already vaccinated but desire additional protection against COVID-19, including anyone over age 18 who originally received the company's single-dose shot.

Use of J&J's vaccine fell sharply in the United States after it was linked to a rare but potentially lethal blood clotting disorder.
Cancer patients who have recently received treatment are at increased risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19, a new study suggests.

Researchers from the University of Texas Cancer Center, one of the nation's largest cancer centers based in Houston, gathered data on different Covid outcomes for cancer patients depending on the type of treatment they received.

They found cancer patients who had received any sort of treatment within the past three months were 74 percent more likely to die from the virus and 69 percent more likely to require intensive care unit (ICU) admission than those without cancer.

Patients who were treated with chemotherapy or chemoimmunotherapy were most at risk, though researchers do not elaborate why.

Surprisingly, people with cancer who had not recently been treated were not at heightened risk of serious outcomes from COVID-19.

The team believes the findings mean that cancer patients who contract COVID-19 cannot all be treated the same because they may have very different needs depending on recent treatment for their tumors.

Cancer patients who had received treatment within the three months before contracting COVID-19 were at much higher risk from the virus, being 74% more likely to die and 69% more likely to be admitted to an ICU, though patients without recent treatment had the same rates of death and ICU visits as non-cancer patients

Researchers are unsure what to exactly make of these results, though they believe cancer patients should not all be lumped together when being treated for the virus (file image)

'Patients with no recent cancer treatment had a similar risk of mortality and ICU stay and a lower risk of mechanical ventilation and hospitalization compared with patients without cancer,' the team wrote.

'This finding suggests that patients with cancer represent a heterogenous group, and risk stratification according to recent treatment and the treatment administered has important implications for patients, clinicians, and health care system.'

Researchers, who published their findings on Thursday in JAMA Oncology, gathered data from 507,307 COVID-19 patients in the U.S.

Just under three percent of them, or 14,287, were cancer patients, with 30 percent having recently received treatment for their condition.

Patients were split into three groups: the control group with non-cancer patients, cancer patients who recently had received treatment, and patients who did not receive treatment.

'We found that patients with cancer tended to be older and have more comorbidities than the general population,' the authors wrote.

'Older age, male sex, comorbidities, race and ethnicity, and severe obesity were all associated with adverse outcomes in this study.'

While cancer patients overall had worse health outcomes than the average person, the team found these negative outcomes were concentrated among the patients who had received some sort of treatment.

For example, cancer patients who had received recent treatment were 74 percent more likely to die from Covid, though the death rate among those who had not recently received treatment was found to be just seven percent lower than average.

People who had received recent cancer treatment were also 69 percent more likely to be admitted to an intensive care unit for Covid treatment, while the ones who had not received treatment had around equal rates to the control group.

Researchers also found that people with certain types of tumors or who had received certain treatments showed the most risk from Covid.

'Patients with metastatic solid tumors, and particularly those with hematologic malignant neoplasms, had worse outcomes,' they wrote.

'Recent systemic therapy, particularly chemotherapy and chemoimmunotherapy, were associated with adverse outcomes.'

Having cancer, but not getting treatment, seemed to have little impact on whether a person would require a ventilator or hospitalization, and those without recent cancer treatment even had lower rates than the general population.

The results of this study add to an inconsistent set of data experts worldwide have on how cancer, and cancer treatment, affect a person's Covid outcome.

'Data regarding the implications of cancer therapies for outcomes in patients with COVID-19 have been inconsistent,' they wrote.

'Several studies have identified an association between recent treatment and adverse outcomes whereas others have not.'
Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, said that if his children were aged five to 11, he would 'vaccinate them in a second' following a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel recommending the jab for that age group.

Fauci, who is director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), has three adult daughters who are already eligible for the COVID-19 shot.

He told Axios this week that he is confident the vaccine is safe and effective in kids and he trusts it enough that he would use it on his own theoretical young children.

The vaccine will likely receive controversial authorization from regulators within the coming weeks with a large percentage of parents saying they do not want their children to get the jab even if gets a greenlight from the FDA due to the low risk of severe disease in youngsters.

Dr Anthoyn Fauci (pictured) said that if his adult daughters were between ages five to 11 that he would 'vaccinate them in a second'

An FDA advisory panel voted to recommend authorization of the Pfizer COVID-19 jab for children aged five to 11 this week by a 17-0 vote, with one voter abstaining. It would be the first Covid vaccine available to children that young in America. Pictured: A child in Westchester, New York, is vaccinated for Covid on May 16

'I sure as hell wouldn't want them to get COVID-19. I would vaccinate them in a second,' Fauci told Axios.

'Even though the chances of [a child] getting sick and seriously ill are small - why do you want to take a chance of that with your child when you can essentially protect the child by an intervention that is proven to be both highly effective and very safe?'

He also said earlier in the year that if he had grandchildren, then he would want them to get vaccinated as well.

The jabs for young children are expected to roll out for young children as early as next week.

On Tuesday, and FDA advisory panel voted 17-0 - with one abstention - to recommend authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in children aged five to 11.

There are still more hurdles to clear ahead of the shot becoming available for that age group including the FDA approving the vaccine and recommendation of approval from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) advisory committee.

Fauci said earlier this month he believes the rollout could begin as early as November 4, assuming there are no hiccups in the approval process.

Dr Michael Kurilla, director of the Division of Clinical Innovation, at the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, was the lone person not to vote yes.

He told DailyMail.com on Wednesday there is not enough data available yet to justify the authorization.

'There clearly are children with risk factors who could potentially benefit from a vaccine, but I don't see the need for "emergency use" of this vaccine across the entire age group and would have preferred a more nuanced approach,' he said.

The decision on whether children will get vaccinated will be left up to parents, and not all plan to get their kids jabbed.

Not all parents plan to get their child jabbed, despite the upcoming approval. Just under a third of parents with a child aged five to 11 say they will 'definitely not' get their child vaccinated, and another third say they will 'wait and see'

According to a Kaiser Family Foundation COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor, the percentage of parents who oppose jabbing their children has increased in recent months.

The most recent results - published on Thursday - find that 30 percent of parents with a child aged five to 11 report they will 'definitely not' get them vaccinated.

This is an increase over September's monitor, when 24 percent of parents reported they would 'definitely not' get their child the jab.

On top of the October group, around five percent of parents say they will only get their child vaccinated if required, and 33 percent reported they would 'wait and see.'

Of those who say they have concerns about the vaccine, 76 percent fear the long-term effects of the shot, and 71 percent worry their child could experience serious symptoms.

Fauci acknowledged some parents may have questions and concerns about the vaccine and said he understands why.

'I would reach out and try to explain to parents...why their children should be vaccinated,' Fauci told Axios.

He still thinks children getting the jab is more important, though, because it would help the nation end the pandemic.

'[Children getting jabbed] would be an important step in the right direction of controlling the COVID-19 outbreak in this country,' he said.
Some of the the 300 next generation Covid vaccines could finally achieve the aim of stopping people from spreading Covid, according to a UK Government virologist.

Professor Maria Zambon, influenza and respiratory virology head of the new UK Health Security Agency, said the current crop of Covid vaccines should be considered the 'first generation'.

It was previously hoped that the current generation of Covid vaccines, initial studies of which showed huge efficacy in preventing infections that herd immunity in the population could be possible with high vaccination rates.

Herd immunity refers to having enough people in a population are effectively immune to a pathogen  meaning they are unable to catch and pass it on.

But the rise of the super-virulent Delta variant of Covid led scientists to believe the herd immunity is currently unachievable, because it makes vaccines weaker at stopping infection.

But Professor Zambon said that this might change in the years to come.



'We have well over 300 vaccines in development worldwide, the vaccines that we see in here are very much first generation vaccines, she said.

It will be interesting to see in the coming years how next generation vaccines, or improved vaccines, can actually help on this question of prevention of infection, not just prevention of severe disease.'

The study found there was almost no difference in the Covid Delta variant viral load between the jabbed and unjabbed with both experiencing peak infectiousness, when they are most likely to pass the virus on to other people, three to four days after catching the virus. Where vaccination made a difference was after the peak with the jabbed able to better fight off the virus and recover quicker, with less severe symptoms.

UK Health Security Agency head of influenza and respiratory virology Professor Maria Zambon said the Covid vaccines we have now are the 'first generation' and that more effectives ones could be in the pipeline, with more than 300 new types of jab in development

WHAT IS 'HERD IMMUNITY'? Herd immunity is the indirect protection from an infectious disease that happens when a population is immune either through vaccination or immunity developed through previous infection. Effectively, it means that once people have some form of immunity, it reduces the ability of a disease to spread among the population. Therefore, someone who has antibodies either through previous infection or vaccines, acts as a 'barrier' to the virus. If you have enough 'barriers' then the disease cannot effectively spread through a population. But in the case of a new virus, such as with Covid, the virus can spread essentially without any barriers - which can lead to a pandemic. The World Health Organisation says it supports achieving herd immunity through vaccination, not by allowing a disease to spread through any segment of the population. But one expert told MailOnline that Covid is here to stay and that the key is reaching a 'herd immunity threshold'. This keeps the virus at what is known as an endemic level - where a disease is regularly found among the population but is not harmful enough to impact on society. Keeping Covid within the herd immunity threshold, which can vary particularly in winter when diseases such as flu and coronavirus spread quickly, will mean it is kept at a 'manageable level', the expert added. Research shows the current crop of Covid vaccines help by increasing the antibody response to the virus - therefore heavily reducing the risk that someone can be made seriously ill. Advertisement

Professor Zambon was speaking following the publication of a new study she contributed to showing that both vaccinated and unvaccinated people have the same potential to infect people if they catch Covid.

The study, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, found that regardless of vaccination status people who caught Covid had the same viral load until it peaked at three to four days after infection.

Viral load references how much virus is in a substance, in the case of Covid this means how much is present in the upper respiratory tract, the mouth, nose and throat.

But vaccinated people did have an easier time after the viral peak, with their bodies better able to fight off the virus.

But the discovery suggests that the vaccinated can spread the disease just as easily as the unvaccinated, though they are less likely to catch the virus in the first place.

The UK has ordered more than 400million doses of eight difference vaccines, but only four have been approved by the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency: AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna and Janssen.

While the latest study did not explore any difference between vaccine types, the 133 participants who had their viral load measured had received both Pfizer and AstraZeneca jabs.

The idea of 'herd immunity' was touted within Government early in the pandemic but it was branded unethical, with the idea of letting the virus 'rip' through the population to achieve natural immunity unthinkable to the public.

But the term cropped up again in public consciousness at the start of the vaccine drive early this year, with ministers hoping the combination of jabs and natural immunity could meet the threshold of protection needed to halt the spread of the virus.

Early data showing the vaccines to be around 80 per cent effective against the Alpha variant encouraged experts that herd immunity could be achieved by the end of Boris Johnson's.

But the emergence of the more transmissible Delta variant  which reduced the vaccines' effectiveness against transmission to as low as 40 per cent  meant scientists were less optimistic it could be achieved.

Many initially suggested at least 70 per cent of the population needed some form of immunity for the threshold to be met, but this target kept being increased as it became clear the virus was continuing to spread despite high levels of vaccination.

The Government has ordered 60million doses of Novavax, which the MHRA is currently reviewing. Pfizer is the most-ordered jab in the UK, with 135million due to arrive in Britain by next year. Some 100million doses of AstraZeneca have been ordered, along with 60million doses of the jab made by GSK. Meanwhile, the Government has requested 50million CureVac vaccines, 20million Janssen and 17million Moderna injections. But only four jabs have been approved in the UK: AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna and Janssen

If a vaccine could reduce a person's Covid infectiousness in that three to four day window than the idea of 'herd immunity' might be achievable.

But Professor Lockdown, Neil Ferguson, of Imperial College London, the key Government advisor, whose modelling prompted the first lockdown last March, who also contributed to the study, and was also speaking at the briefing, said herd immunity could be achieved in just a few weeks.

Will we ever reach a stage where immunity stops future transmission? I mean that may happen in the next few weeks if the epidemics current transmission peaks and then starts declining then we have, by definition, reached herd immunity, he said.

Britain's Covid cases fell for the fourth day in a row yesterday. Department of Health bosses posted another 43,941 new infections, down 10.6 per cent on last Wednesday's total of 49,139.

Daily cases have been shrinking since Sunday after reaching a three-month high last week and Government ministers today claimed the chance of ministers activating their winter 'Plan B' is less than 20 per cent.

But the number of people dying with Covid has continued to increase, with 207 new fatalities recorded today. It was up 15.6 per cent on last week's 179.

And there was a 2.9 per cent week-on-week increase in hospitalisations on Saturday, the latest date data is available for. They reached 894, up from the 869 recorded the week before.

However, Professor Ferguson said herd immunity is not a destination, but a state that can be both achieved and lost.

It is not an all or nothing thing, herd immunity is having an enormous effect right now on dampening transmission due to the huge amount of vaccination which has gone on and the large number of people which have been infected already, he said.

But it is not going to be a permanent thing. Immunity wanes over time, it is imperfect, so you still get transmission happening.'

While Professor Ferguson also said the next few weeks could also determine if the UK had passed the peak of infections.

Too early to say whether we have reached a peak, mainly because this week is half-term week and so we know lots of people go on holiday and testing patterns are different than usual,' he said.

We will have to wait at least a couple of weeks, if not closer to three to be sure, but there are some encouraging signs in terms of the dip in case numbers.'

He added that while there was inherent uncertainty in predictions regarding the peak it could come in the next few weeks, but moving past this was contingent on the success of the UK's Covid booster jab programme.

If isnt peaking now then most of the SAGE modelling out there would suggest that it should peak so long as we keep getting boosters into peoples are and achieve a reasonable high, 90 per cent or so, coverage of boosters,' he said.

Then we should start to see a sustained decline in the coming weeks, but there is a lot of uncertainty in the modelling in all three groups that contributed into that exercise going into SAGE, about when exactly the peak will be.'

The UK's Covid booster campaign has been criticised for being sluggish with calls to speed it up so half a million jabs a day are dished out.

Some 6.4million boosters have been administered as of Monday, when 244,992 people came forward for the top-up injection.

Another key finding of the most recent study was that double-jabbed people still have a one in four chance of catching Covid from an infected household member, according to a study by 'Professor Lockdown' Neil Fergusson.

This is even the case if the person infected was fully jabbed themselves, in what is known as a vaccine breakthrough case, said Imperial College London researchers.

But the risk to unvaccinated household members was even greater, with a 38 per cent chance of catching the virus from infected household members.

The scientists were 'surprised' to discover that the protection offered by the Covid vaccines began to significantly wane just three months after the second dose.

They say the findings make it more crucial than ever for people to come forward for their booster jab.
Parents with children between the ages of five and 11 are deeply divided on whether they intend to vaccinate their kids against COVID-19.

A new survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation found 27 percent of parents with kids in this age group say that they will pursue vaccination as soon as it's available.

Meanwhile, 33 percent say that they will wait to see how the vaccine is working.

Another five percent of parents say they will only get their children vaccinated if it is required - and 30 percent say that they will not get their kids vaccinated at all.

Parental concerns for vaccinating their younger children include possible unknown long-term side effects and missing work to bring their kids to vaccination appointments, according to the survey.

The new survey comes on the heels of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)'s advisory committee recommending Pfizer's lower-dose vaccine for this age group on Tuesday.

But this authorization may have limited impact because many parents - and even some experts - are not convinced that their children require vaccination against Covid.

More than one-third of parents with children in the 5-11 age range are not planning to get their kids vaccinated against Covid, an October survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation found

Just 27% of parents with children ages 5-11 intend to get their kids vaccinated right away. Pictured: A teenager gets a Covid shot in Melbourne, Florida, May 2021

On Tuesday, the FDA's vaccine advisory committee voted to recommend a low-dose version of Pfizer's Covid vaccine for children between the ages of five and 11.

The FDA is expected to follow its committee's recommendation in authorizing this vaccine for young children.

Then, next week, a similar advisory committee at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is set to discuss the authorization.

If all the regulatory steps proceed smoothly, the first children will be able to be fully vaccinated by Thanksgiving.

Yet many parents are not convinced that their children need a Covid vaccine, according to new polling data from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF).

KFF's Vaccine Monitor has been providing monthly updates since the shots first became available in the U.S. with the October iteration focusing on vaccinations for children.

Researchers surveyed about 1,500 adults in the U.S., including different demographic groups for a nationally representative sample.

Among the parents of children ages five to 11 in the survey, under one-third - about 27 percent - said that they would get their kids vaccinated as soon as the shots were authorized.

A slightly larger number - 33 percent - said that they would 'wait and see' how well the vaccine worked among a larger number of children than those included in clinical trials.

Another 30 percent of parents said that they 'definitely' do not plan on getting their child vaccinated.

Finally, five percent of parents said that they would only get their child vaccinated if their school required Covid vaccination to attend.

Common concerns for parents with children ages 5-11 include long-term effects of the Covid vaccines and a potential need to take time off work for a vaccination appointment

The state of California has already announced that all public school students will be required to get vaccinated to attend in-person class, following full FDA approval of Covid vaccines for their age groups.

Many other states and school districts currently require vaccination for teachers and school staff - and are likely to follow this up with student vaccination requirements once the shots are FDA-approved.

The parents in KFF's survey offered a number of reasons why they are hesitant about vaccinating their young children.

About three-quarters said they were concerned about potential long-term effects of the vaccine, while 71 percent said they were concerned about 'serious side effects' in the short-term.

Two-thirds of the parents said they were concerned that the vaccine might 'negatively impact their child's fertility in the future.'

While clinical trials of Pfizer's vaccine for kids include under one year of data, experts say that the vaccines are broadly safe for children and do not impact fertility.

'There is no plausible reason - no medical or scientific mechanism - for this vaccine to interact with a woman's reproductive organs or have any interaction with an egg that's been released or fertilized,' says University of Missouri family medicine doctor Laura Morris.

For low-income parents, taking time off and other potential logistical issues were greater vaccination concerns than for higher-income parents

For low-income parents, the logistics and potential cost of vaccination also pose concerns.

In KFF's survey, half of low-income parents of children in the five to 11 age range said they were concerned about taking time off of work to bring their child to a vaccination appointment, or caring for the child if they have side effects.

About 45 percent of parents also expressed concern about paying an out-of-pocket cost to get their child vaccinated.

Covid vaccines are provided for free by the federal government to all Americans, with any immigration or health insurance status.

Dr Anthony Fauci has said that if his children were in the five-to-eleven age range, he would get them vaccinated 'in a second.'

But some vaccine experts are not so confident.

While 17 experts on the FDA's advisory committee voted in favor of vaccinating young children, one expert abstained.

He is not convinced that all children require Covid vaccination due to their overall lower risk for severe disease, he told DailyMail.com on Wednesday.

Children have made up under 0.1 percent of deaths from Covid in the U.S., according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Many children who develop more severe Covid cases have preexisting medical conditions that increase their risk. Experts say that vaccination is more important for these kids.

Still, not all children who have been hospitalized or died of Covid had such conditions.
Pharmaceutical company Merck & Co is set to distribute millions of doses of its new Covid pill by the end of the year if it receives approval from federal regulators.

Robert Davis, CEO of the Kenilworth, New Jersey-based company, told CNBC on Thursday that the firm is ready to deploy massive shipments of the drug as soon as it gets the greenlight from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The pill, molnupiravir, has been found to slash the rate of hospitalization and death in half if taken in the days immediately following infection.

It is the first oral medication with the ability to fight the virus, and has been dubbed a 'game changer' by some experts due to its effectiveness and the ease of administering it.

Merck CEO Robert Davis (left) told CNBC on Thursday that his company is prepared to distribute 10 million doses of their new Covid pill, molnupiravir, by the end of the year if it gets federal approval

Molnupiravir (pictured) is the first oral medication that can combat COVID-19. While the vaccine is always preferred, many are hopeful the drug could help fight the virus in lower income nations where the vaccine is not readily available

'Right now, we're on pace to have 10 million courses ready before the end of this year, and more than double that next year,' Davis told CNBC.

He also said his company is prepared to ship double that amount to nations around the world in 2022.

The drug will need to receive approval from the FDA before the distribution can begin in the U.S., though.

The agency plans to meet on November 30 to review emergency use authorization of the drug.

Data from Merck shows the drug can cut hospitalizations and deaths from the virus in half if taken within the first few days of a person feeling Covid symptoms.

'I can tell you through the data we've seen and the studies we've done, we think this is a safe drug,' Davis said

Administration of the drug requires a patient to take four pills, two times a day over the course of five days.

While it can not replace the vaccine, many are hopeful the drug could help lower income nations with less access to the vaccines fight the pandemic.

Merck is partnering with generic manufacturers around the world to mass-produce and distribute the drug.

In July, the company announced it would partner with generic manufacturers based in India to help make the drug widely available in the Covid struck nation.

The company also announced a partnership with the Medicines Patent Pool, a United Nations-backed public health organization, this week to help distribute the drug across over 100 other nations.

As part of the deal, generic manufacturers, approved by the Medicines Patent Pool, will be able to mass produce the drug in countries of choice.

Due to the ease of administering the drug - just giving a patient a pill does not require any special equipment or trained staff - it could play a key role in fighting Covid in countries with limited medical resources.

The U.S. has already ordered 1.7 million doses of the drug pending FDA approval. France has also ordered 50,000 doses of the drug to combat Covid.

European Regulators, like the FDA, are currently reviewing the potential for the drug to be approved across the continent as well.

If approved, molnupiravir will join a wide swath of monoclonal antibodies and steroid drugs that are already being used to combat the virus in hospitals.
RUTHERFORD AND FRY'S COMPLETE GUIDE TO ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING

by Adam Rutherford and Hannah Fry (Bantam 16.99, 304 pp)

After the 2010 Flash Crash  a frenzied half-hour in which billions of dollars were wiped off the U.S. stock market by computer algorithms going into meltdown  regulators tried to piece together what had happened.

But they were defeated: the banks computers had bought and sold stocks tens of thousands of times a second  yet the records only showed the time of each transaction to the nearest whole second. It was impossible to tell whod sold what to whom in which order.

This is why there is now a black cable running beneath the streets of London. It starts at the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington, South-West of the capital.

Dr Adam Rutherford and Dr Hannah Fry have penned a book exploring just about every area of life - including if sugary food changes the behaviour of children (file image)

The laboratory is the UKs Master Timekeeper, and it sells the correct time to the countrys banks. By paying for access to the cable, the banks receive the correct time, accurate to the nearest millionth of a second. Its the perfect example of how nerdy science  the sort that measures things in ridiculously tiny intervals  can actually have a role to play in normal life.

Dr Adam Rutherford and Dr Hannah Fry are past masters at this sort of thing, as youll know if youve ever heard their Radio 4 series The Curious Cases Of Rutherford & Fry. Now their brand of popular cleverness is available in book form.

It touches on just about every area of life. The next time you play peekaboo with a baby under six months old, reflect on the fact that the infant literally thinks youve disappeared. Until that age we have no concept of object permanence. Many animals never develop it  this is why some birds can be calmed by having a cover placed over their cage: they believe whatever was annoying them has ceased to exist.

And when that baby gets older and has friends round for a party, dont bother trying to keep them off the sugary food.

There is no evidence to suggest it makes children behave badly: The best data we have suggests children just go nuts at parties, whatever they eat. In fact, when kids get sugar-free food at a party, but the parents are told it contains sugar, the parents rate the kids behaviour as worse.

At the other end of the scale, Rutherford and Fry investigate the planets, including our own: Eratosthenes, an ancient Greek, used the lengths of different shadows to work out the Earths circumference (his answer was 40,000 kilometres  the accepted answer today is 40,075km).

RUTHERFORD AND FRY'S COMPLETE GUIDE TO ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING by Adam Rutherford and Hannah Fry (Bantam 16.99, 304 pp)

Then there are astronauts, whose eyeballs become elongated in space, meaning they need glasses for their first few months back on Earth.

Elsewhere, the book tackles what are known as the four Fs of evolution  Feeding, Fighting, Fleeing and Reproduction. Barnacles really dont like to move once theyve settled. This can cause problems with mating, so to help on that score the male barnacle has a penis up to eight times its own body length.

Rutherford is a keen film fan, which prompts some interesting diversions. We learn, for example, that when Dave Prowse, the actor who played Darth Vader, filmed the Luke, I am your father scene in The Empire Strikes Back, he was told to say Obi-Wan is your father, thereby keeping the secret from the cast and crew.

It was only when James Earl Jones dubbed the characters voice that the proper line was inserted.

But who needs science fiction when science fact is so intriguing?

Like the fact that dogs have such great senses of smell because, unlike humans, they separate their air for breathing from their air for sniffing.

Mind you, dogs success does depend on proper training. In one recent conflict, dogs were taught to discover illegal cash being smuggled across borders. Time and again in training they sniffed out the dosh  but time and again at real checkpoints they failed.

Eventually, military bosses realised their error. In training, the animal handlers had been carrying cash wrapped in plastic. The army hadnt trained the dogs to smell banknotes at all. Theyd trained them to smell cling film.

Rutherford & Fry will be at Londons Alexandra Palace on November 16. For all UK dates go to rutherfordandfry.co.uk.
TRAVEL

HOW TO SURVIVE FAMILY HOLIDAYS

by Jack Whitehall with Hilary and Michael Whitehall (Sphere 18.99, 288 pp)

Winter is coming, the nights are drawing in and, as seasonal as swallows flying south, the celebrity autobiographies are piling up in bookshops. Most will have been written during lockdown, when there wasnt anything else to do. Quite a few will be terrible.

Jack Whitehalls disguised autobiography is, Im relieved to say, rather better than that.

Its a book about gruesome family holidays, of which he appears to have experienced more than his fair share. Fair-minded as ever, though, he has given right to reply to his mother Hilary and father Michael, who were also there, in the familiar back-up role of parents.

Jack Whitehall reveals a selection of gruesome family holidays in a new book, which comes after five series of Netflixs Travels With My Father (pictured)

If the book reads like an incredibly long stand-up routine, thats probably to be expected. But the surprise is that Jacks parents give as good as they get, and given just how much they get, for the sin of embarrassing Jack serially over several decades, thats pretty good. Its at times a screamingly funny book.

Michael is, of course, best known as Jacks travelling companion on five series of Netflixs Travels With My Father. Hes grumpy, he hates foreigners (and foreign food) and wears a suit and a tie even when its 90 degrees in the shade. For many years he was a theatrical agent and latterly a producer, and his clients included Daniel Day-Lewis, Edward Fox, Judi Dench and Colin Firth.

But father and son are, on the surface at least, very different types of men. Take the packing of suitcases beforehand. Jack says he has always packed with the haste of an adulterer whos heard the crunch of a husbands footsteps on the gravel drive, whereas his father packs like a 19th-century viceroy heading off to the Raj for a couple of years.

When his mother packs for them, when they are heading off to make one of their travel films, she packs medicines for every eventuality, including bug repellents, painkillers, indigestion remedies for when I force my father off-piste menu-wise and anti-chafing cream.

I dont care how desperate Daddy gets, Im not applying that! says Jack.

But its not just far-flung lands you need to be medically prepared for. Even a hop across the channel can be fraught with danger. My fathers stomach kicking off in the Cote dAzur was no laughing matter. What fun it was to watch a French doctor attempt to explain to him in broken English what suppository medication entailed.

Jack characterises his dad (pictured) as an old moaner and humbug, while his mother Hilary is a less dominant presence in his book

He then spent the rest of the trip pondering out loud why the French were so obsessed with putting medicine up their bottoms, concluding that it was probably to keep their mouths free for smoking.

Jack characterises his poor dad as an old moaner and humbug, and then launches on a Michael-like diatribe about the bum bag, or fanny pack, as the Americans slightly disconcertingly call it. Not only is it visually offensive, it is also an excuse for parents to say the word fanny in front of their children with a wanton disregard for how traumatising that might be . . .

Mother Hilary is a less dominant presence in the book, but she has some pertinent contributions to make.

Towards the end of the book she offers her Top Ten Mothers Travel Dos and Donts, with, at number four, do take carrier bags everywhere.

HOW TO SURVIVE FAMILY HOLIDAYS by Jack Whitehall with Hilary and Michael Whitehall (Sphere 18.99, 288 pp)

Never embark on any motorway trip without being fully prepared for a child acquainting you with the contents of their guts. They use long-distance driving as a natural emetic, similar to the way cats eat grass.

One time, she explains, she had forgotten the plastic bag, and the only thing she could think to use as her daughter began to retch was her own hands. I had the unenviable task of cradling her vomit, while trying to prevent the dog from eating it.

How the three of them manage to keep this going for nearly 300 pages slightly beggars belief, but they do, without hesitation, deviation or repetition.

I have read a few so-called books of funny anecdotage which have felt as though lilies of all types were being gilded, so that in the end, you didnt believe a word. Not this one.

What undoubtedly helps is some photos of family holidays, many of them featuring father Michael wearing some of his extraordinary collection of unsuitable shorts.

Jack believes that after a certain age men shouldnt be allowed to wear shorts by law, and having seen these, I would be inclined to agree. Its a spendidly effervescent and enjoyable book.
THE FALL by John Preston (Penguin 9.99, 352 pp)

THE FALL

by John Preston (Penguin 9.99, 352 pp)

The yacht that docked in New York in March 1991 was an absurdly grandiose vessel. Four storeys high, gleaming white, with pristine cream carpets, the Lady Ghislaine  named after his ill-fated daughter  was the perfect setting for its owner, the Press baron Robert Maxwell.

Less than a year after his triumphant arrival in the city as the buyer of The New York Daily News, Maxwells naked body would be found floating in the sea near the Lady Ghislaine. The cause of death  accident, murder or suicide  has never been established.

Heartfelt tributes from world leaders followed, but it soon became clear that Maxwells business empire had been embroiled in fraud on an immense scale.

John Prestons biography is a finely detailed portrait of a man in whom courage and wickedness were inextricably entwined.

THE SEARCHER by Tana French (Penguin 8.99, 416 pp)

THE SEARCHER

by Tana French (Penguin 8.99, 416 pp)

Someone is watching Cal Hooper as he begins renovating his decrepit cottage in a remote Irish village. Retired from the Chicago police force after 25 years and bruised by an acrimonious divorce, Cal has come to rural Ireland to make a fresh start.

He was half-expecting the villagers to treat an American stranger with suspicion, but his neighbours prove surprisingly friendly  until he feels himself being spied on.

The prowler turns out to be troubled teenager Trey, whose brother has gone missing. The local police dont think it worth following up, but Trey is determined that Cal should investigate.

Tana Frenchs atmospheric novel beautifully evokes the landscape and characters of small-town Ireland, where dark secrets are kept well hidden and outsiders are welcome, until they start asking troublesome questions.

SNOW by John Banville (Faber 8.99, 368 pp)

SNOW

by John Banville (Faber 8.99, 368 pp)

It is midwinter, and in the library of Colonel Osbornes Irish manor house, the body of Father Tom, a popular local priest, lies horribly mutilated.

Detective Inspector St John Strafford is well acquainted with the decaying country houses of 1950s County Wexford  he grew up in one, not far from the Osborne family home.

With an insiders ease, he recognises the Osbornes as familiar types: Colonel Osborne, the bandy-legged military man, now Master of the local hunt; his highly-strung second wife, Sylvia, and grown-up children: Dominic, a medical student, and Lettie, the sulky, sexy daughter.

Marooned by snow, bullied by his boss in Dublin, with a scandalous murder to solve that the Catholic Church is determined to hush up, John Banvilles idiosyncratic detective pursues his case to a classically elegant conclusion.
. . . are you reading now?

A book that will come out in March next year by a friend of mine, Brandon Presser, whos a highly accomplished travel writer. Its called The Far Land: 200 Years Of Murder, Mania And Mutiny In The South Pacific, and it intertwines the history of Pitcairn Island and the mutiny on the Bounty, with an account of the months Brandon spent there in 2018.

It hits a lot of my pleasure centres: remote islands, then-and-now non-fiction, historical mysteries and forthright travelogues.

The first night I started reading, I dreamed about Pitcairn Island.

Novelist Maggie Shipstead (pictured), would take War And Peace to a desert island

. . . would you take on a desert island?

My editor has been after me to read War And Peace for ages, and I genuinely want to because I like long books and Russian books and long, Russian books. I have no excuse for not having read it already. And, as has been observed, War And Peace is quite long and would keep me busy for a while, so a desert island seems like the ideal reading opportunity.

. . . first gave you the reading bug?

When I was about six, my mum read a childrens novel called All-of-a-Kind Family aloud to me. Its by Sydney Taylor and was published in 1951 but is set in 1912 on the Lower East Side of New York City.

The story is a fairly loose series of vignettes about a Jewish family with five young daughters.

I think Id read one or two other chapter books by then, but this was the one I remember really wanting to re-read by myself after hearing it aloud, so that I could have that solitary, luxurious, one-on-one connection with it.

I remember being drawn to the warmth of Taylors portrait of family life and also intrigued by the specificity of the era and setting. The little girls in the book led lives very different from mine, but I could still imagine them and feel the life in them.

. . . left you cold?

Is it annoying to interpret this question as being about cold as in temperature? Oh well! I loved The Ice Balloon by Alec Wilkinson, an account of the Swedish explorer S. A. Andrees 1897 attempt to reach the North Pole by hot air balloon.

It should come as no surprise that the expedition ended tragically, but Wilkinson treats his subject with great empathy and curiosity, using Andrees story as a lens on the sometimes perplexing motivations of explorers and on the incredible harshness of the polar environment. (But also, I hated J. D. Salingers The Catcher In The Rye.)

Maggie ShipsteadS Booker-shortlisted novel Great Circle is published by Doubleday at 16.99.
In August, I was driving on the dual carriageway when another car came the wrong way and crashed into me. My car was a write off and I suffered severe injuries.

A test undertaken at the scene found the other driver to be over the alcohol limit with the motorist admitting liability. However, the third party insurer refused to offer a hire car.

My insurer, Aviva, gave me a rental but are taking it back as of this week and will not extend it.

My policy also said it covers new vehicle replacement but Aviva says there is none available for 16 to 20 weeks due to industry issues. What can I do to get some sort of transportation? L.C., via email

A driver was in a crash that wasn't her fault but the third party insurer didn't give her a hire car

Grace Gausden, consumer expert at This is Money, replies: I am sorry to hear about the crash you were in. It must have been a terrifying experience.

Unfortunately, you sustained injuries and are still receiving physiotherapy, months on, to help with the pain.

After the crash, when it was found the other driver was at fault, you were sure that you would receive a hire car from the third party insurer.

However, it advised it would not be offering you a hire car.

Aviva said this is because if the driver is over the alcohol limit for driving, the motorist's insurer would not cover the hire of a vehicle as they would not be liable for the hire nor the car.

You have made an official complaint that is still being processed, which unfortunately means that when you contacted the Ombudsman to also file a complaint, it advised it could not yet do anything to help.

Fortunately, however, you were able to claim a hire car through your own insurer, Aviva, which provided you with a Lexus NX - the same make as your car that was written off, a Lexus UX.

GRACE ON THE CASE Our weekly column sees This is Money consumer expert Grace Gausden tackles reader problems and shines the light on companies doing both good and bad. Want her to investigate a problem, or do you want to praise a firm for going that extra mile? Get in touch: grace.gausden@thisismoney.co.uk

This was subsequently changed to an automatic Vauxhall Corsa as you and your husband struggled to get in and out of the Lexus.

While it was not the same as having your own car, which you had purchased earlier this year for 40,000, you were happy to at least be able to drive yourself around.

You have now been informed by Aviva that as of 29 October, your hire car will be taken away and neither it nor the third party insurer will be offering a rental vehicle.

It said this is because your policy says you are only entitled to one for a maximum of 21 days - which has already long since been surpassed.

Having no car would prove incredibly problematic for you, you say, as you are 75 years old and your husband, who is 76 and a blue badge holder, has stage 4 COPD which means he has frequent medical appointments.

While you could get alternative transport, you add it would not be comfortable and your Lexus UX was specifically bought to ensure you were able to travel easily.

You have also hired a solicitor for a personal injury claim who advised that if you hire a car yourself, it is unlikely you could reclaim the cost of the rental through your insurer.

To add to your woes, your policy states you are entitled to new vehicle replacement but you have been told by Aviva there are none available for 16 to 20 weeks.

A customer service agent also advised you the firm dealing with the order had still not placed it - weeks after you originally made the claim.

An Aviva customer was told it could take between 16 and 20 weeks to get a new vehicle

Now you are stuck in a position of not being able to make any further complaints until the ones you have already made are processed while also facing being without a car for the foreseeable future.

This seemed incredibly unfair, especially as it was deemed immediately that the accident was not your fault - and you believed you had extensive cover in place to help you should an incident like this occur.

Therefore, I contacted Aviva to find out if there was anything it could do to help you during this difficult time.

An Aviva spokesperson said: 'By way of context, unfortunately the shortage of new vehicles is being felt across the insurance industry.

'The policy in question had a "new vehicle replacement" option, which is designed to be a benefit on our policies, meaning that the customer can get a new car, rather than being paid the "total loss" valuation of the vehicle to purchase a replacement.

'This means the customer is able to get a brand new car, whereas a total loss valuation would take into account the fact that vehicles depreciate in value.

'However, in the current environment, market forces mean there is a severe shortage of new vehicles. This is UK-wide and not something specific to this particular vehicle manufacturer, or specific to Aviva.

'In addition, on this particular policy, the customer had not taken out courtesy car cover in the event of a total loss to their vehicle. So any courtesy car provision would be in excess of the policy conditions.

'However, we do recognise the very specific circumstances surrounding this particular claim, including the health considerations of the customers and the current market forces with regard to new vehicles.

'As such, we have spoken to our hire provider, and the customer, and have agreed to extend the vehicle until such time as the new vehicle is available.

'We are also working with the hire provider to provide a more comfortable vehicle, recognising the concerns raised regarding the current vehicle.'

Luckily, the insurer has reversed its decision to your favour and you confirm you have been told you will be supplied with a hire vehicle that suits your needs until your new car is ready. I wish you a speedy recovery and hope you get your brand new car soon.

An Edreams customer was frustrated after his flight was cancelled and no refund was given

Hit and miss: This week's naughty and nice list

Each week, I look at some of the companies that have fallen short of expected standards as well as those that have gone that extra mile for customers.

Miss: Holiday company, Edreams, were in the hot seat this week from reader, Duncan after waiting more than a year for his 1,189.82 refund.

He said: 'My wife and I booked a trip via Edreams to visit her family in Brazil in July last year. Unfortunately the airline, Swissair, that Edreams booked the flight with cancelled the trip a few weeks later due to the escalating pandemic.

'We called Edreams for a refund on 24 September last year and were told it could take three to six months to receive.

'During the next six to eight months, I made 27 calls to Edreams. They are not disputing that I am entitled to the refund but are blaming Swissair for the delays.

'I have spoken to Swissair which advised it is not able to discuss this and told me to go through Edreams. It's been over a year and there is still no refund.'

I could understand your frustration as it is a sizeable sum you are waiting for - with Edreams not able to tell you when you would be likely to receive your money.

I contacted the firm to find out the cause of the hold up and when you could expect to get your funds.

An Edreams spokesperson said: 'We sympathise with the customer's frustrations regarding their refund as our teams initially requested this from the airline last year.

'Unfortunately, by the time the refund was authorised by the airline the customer's card had expired.

'As such, when we attempted to process this, the transfer failed.

'Usually in these circumstances we would reach out to the customer and request their updated details in order to complete the refund, however due to a system error this unfortunately didn't happen in this instance.

'We have now processed a full refund alongside a 200 voucher and apologise for the part Opodo played in the inconvenience caused.'

The service was far from dreamy but finally you have a refund  and an extra 200 to spend next time you want to travel.

Hit: In better news, reader Alison praised salt and pepper mill makers, Cole & Mason.

She said: 'A few weeks ago our Cole & Mason electronic pepper mill stopped grinding pepper. I went to order a new one when I noticed that it came with a lifetime guarantee.

'I wondered if our one had as well. I contacted the Cole & Mason UK customer service team. They sent a simple explanation to see if we were eligible which included downloading a few photos etc.

'To my delight they agreed that I was covered and this morning a bright new shiny pair of salt and pepper grinders arrived. Thank you. Brilliant service.'

Luckily, Cole & Mason's great service is not grinding to a halt and you were very happy with your new products.
Ministers have set aside 1.7billion to fund a new nuclear plant in the next few years.

The Government has been in talks to build another large station on a par with Hinkley Point C for several years.

The industry hailed the new cash commitment after years of floundering, as the UK seeks to hit its net zero decarbonising target. Ministers have been in discussions to develop a site in Suffolk  Sizewell C  though it has not had the final go-ahead.

Plans: The Government has been in talks to build another large station on a par with Hinkley Point C for several years

This week the Government agreed a new funding model for nuclear plants, which means the UK will not need to rely on China to back the project. Officials said the latest Budget would provide up to 1.7billion by the next election. Ministers are still in talks with French energy giant EDF about Sizewell, indicating that this is the most likely project to receive the funding.

Tom Greatrex, of the Nuclear Industry Association, said: 'This is a big vote of confidence in nuclear and a historic step forward for nuclear investment.'

There are fears the UK will face blackouts in the 2030s if a new site is not developed as other plants shut.

Projects to design and make small nuclear reactors are being looked at with Rolls-Royce leading on the initiative. Greatrex said: 'We can't get to net zero without investing in new nuclear capacity.'

... as steel industry fumes

The steel industry lashed out at the Chancellor after he refused to offer funding to help the sector go green and survive a punishing spike in power prices.

Industry body UK Steel and trade union Community said companies have been left 'high and dry by the lack of action on electricity prices from the Government'.

They added it was hard to see the Budget 'as anything other than a missed opportunity' and was a 'triumph of complacency' after the snub from Rishi Sunak, who had embarked on a wide-ranging spending spree in many other areas.

Steel firms have been among the businesses worst affected by spiralling electricity prices over the last few months.

Companies have been forced to suspend production during peak hours when prices are at their highest, and have warned they might not even survive another few months of ballooning costs.

The sector has complained about having much higher prices compared with other European countries for years.

UK Steel and Community said: 'It beggars belief that the Government cannot see the long-term picture here.'

Experts also criticised a lack of funding for green steel plants, which are seen as crucial to keeping Britain's industry afloat.

Roz Bulleid, deputy policy director at think-tank the Green Alliance, said: 'With no new funding announced for the UK steel industry, the Government continues to put the long-term future of the sector at risk.'
The car industry bemoaned a lack of support in the Budget as the number of vehicles built in the UK fell for the third month in a row.

A total of 67,169 cars left production lines last month, down by 41.5 per cent on the same time last year, and the worst figure for September since 1982, said the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) on Thursday.

Output continues to be hit by the global shortage of semiconductors, said the trade body.

In the slow lane: UK new car output continues to be hit by the global shortage of semiconductors, says motor industry boss as he blasts the Government for failing to offer support to the struggling sector post-Covid

More than eight in 10 (83 per cent) domestic automotive firms have been negatively impacted by the computer chip shortage, primarily due to reduced orders, cost increases, logistical delays and disruption, according to a recent poll by the SMMT and the wider UK manufacturing sector.

The supply chain has spent more than 2.4 billion to date managing additional costs which are unlikely to be recovered, with most (56 per cent) not expecting supply constraints to improve until the third quarter of 2022 and more than a third (38 per cent) having to reduce operating hours to cope with the challenge.

Around one in 10 firms have made redundancies and/or restructured their businesses as a direct result of the lack of semiconductors, while some six in 10 (65 per cent) SMEs sought an extension to the Coronavirus Job Retention Schemes, highlighting the fact that, although the pandemic may be receding, its impact on the sector is still pronounced.

Industry bosses said the worst September for UK car production in 39 years was also due to the recent closure of Honda Swindon, which had been one of the UKs larger vehicle plants in the county that built the popular Civic family hatchback for the European market.

Industry bosses said the worst September for UK car production in 39 years was also due to the recent closure of the Honda Swindon plant earlier this year

It said that while the Budget confirmed 817million for the transition in automotive manufacturing and business rate relief on renewable energy, the industry continues to battle against the ongoing effects of the pandemic.

Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said that the Budget 'missed the opportunity to offer meaningful short-term support'.

'The substantial decline in UK car output in September continues the worrying trend we have seen over the past three months,' he explained in a statement today.

'The industry is continuing to battle the effects of the pandemic with the shortage of semiconductors stalling production.

'Whilst there was welcome news in the Budget to support the transition to zero emission vehicle production, battery manufacturing and supply chains, it missed the opportunity to offer meaningful short-term support given Covid-related supply constraints and rising energy bills.

'This is disappointing given the sectors importance and its ability to create well-paid jobs across the regions and the revenues it generates, notably from exports.'

A total of 67,169 cars left production lines last month, down by 41.5 per cent on the same time last year, and the worst figure for September since 1982

UK car production year-to-date remains marginally up, by 3.8 per cent, with 656,776 cars rolling off factory lines, which has largely been driven by exports with 82.7 per cent of outputs heading for markets abroad.

However, this does not paint the full picture, with the year-to-date total down by a third compared with 2019 data.

It's also a massive 44.1 per cent lower - equivalent to 517,438 fewer units - than the five-year pre-pandemic average.
Ryanair has pledged to refund customers within five working days via their original payment method for cancelled flights in a renewed customer service push.

The budget airline, which is the biggest in Europe, said refunds would be processed via a new 'online wallet' function within 24 hours of a flight being cancelled, enabling customers to book new flights immediately or opt to get the funds back within five working days.

The group's latest customer service drive promises improvements to the airline's online live chat service and frequently asked questions section, as well as the development of new 'self-help' videos on its website so fewer people may need to contact its call centres.

Quicker refunds: Ryanair, led by Michael O'Leary, has pledged to refund customers within five working days via their original payment method for cancelled flights

Ryanair was one of a number of airlines criticised during the pandemic for initially resisting issuing cash refunds to people who could not take their flights amid lockdown restrictions.

For their part, airlines claimed the circumstances were beyond their control.

Some customers also complained of delays to refunds for cancelled flights and complicated refund request processes.

Today, Ryanair said it was making a fresh customer service push to build on its 2014 'Always Getting Better' campaign when boss Michael O'Leary vowed to stop doing things that unnecessarily annoyed passengers.

A new feature on Ryanair's app has promised real time push notifications and videos from its operations centre to inform customers of their flight status, and any disruption or delays.

It said customers would also be able to makes changes to flights, passengers' names and details via the app, rather than calling the customer services team.

In June, Britain's competition authority, the Competition and Markets Authority, launched enforcement action against Ryanair and British Airways over a failure to offer refunds rather than rebooking to passengers who were barred from taking flights under lockdown rules. But, earlier this month it withdrew the action.

Under fire: Ryanair was one of a number of airlines criticised during the pandemic for initially resisting issuing cash refunds

At the time it withdrew the action this month, Andrea Coscelli, chief executive of the CMA, said: 'We strongly believe people who are legally prevented from taking flights due to lockdown laws should be offered a full refund and we launched this investigation in the hope that we would be able to secure a positive outcome for consumers.

'However, after considering the relevant law and gathering evidence in our investigation, we have concluded that the length of time that would be required to take this case through the courts, and the uncertain outcome, can no longer justify the further expense of public money.'

Ryanair said it had paid refunds in justified cases after reviewing each case.

In September, Ryanair joined a group of European airlines in agreeing to refund passengers whose flights were cancelled during the pandemic, and committed to provide better information on passengers' rights in future.
Shell was under growing pressure last night as the fightback against an activist investor was dented by disappointing results.

Shares in the oil giant fell 3.5 per cent after it posted third quarter profits of 3billion  four times higher than the same period last year but a long way short of the 3.9billion expected in the City.

The figures came as Shell bosses launched a forthright defence of the company following an attack by New York hedge fund Third Point, which has built up a 545m stake.

Fighting talk: Shell boss Ben van Beurden has always maintained that the only way to fund the company's switch to green energy is to continue its oil and gas operations

The activist investor, led by financier Daniel Loeb, this week claimed Shell was trying to be 'all things to all people' by attempting to turn into a renewable energy group.

Third Point called for the group to be broken up into 'multiple standalone companies', separating its legacy oil and gas operations and renewable energy arms.

But Shell boss Ben van Beurden hit back. He has always maintained that the only way to fund the company's switch to green energy is to continue its oil and gas operations.

Shell already has a big presence in the wind and solar industries  and bosses argue that the vast amounts of money they make from fossil fuels mean it will be able to capitalise on this expertise.

Van Beurden said: 'The reality is that without companies like us, who are significant providers of energy, without our skills, our scope and scale to convert the energy system, the energy transition will be a whole lot more difficult and may not even happen at the pace needed.'

Echoing her boss, Shell finance chief Jessica Uhl also said splitting Shell into multiple companies would not work in practice. Uhl said: 'We are an energy company that has been providing energy to the world for the last 120 years.

'If you were to split that into component pieces, I think that can sound really interesting from a financial perspective.

'But in terms of real solutions, I think that breaks down, and our ability to integrate and bring these different pieces of the puzzle together will be how we uniquely make a difference in the energy transition.'

Shell has been under fire from investors and campaigners for years and was recently forced by a Dutch court to commit to clearer and more ambitious green goals. The company has been pushed to speed up its switch to renewables at the same time as it has had to navigate the pandemic, which pummelled profits in 2020 and led to a dramatic two-thirds cut to its dividend in the first hack to its payout since the Second World War.

Alongside its third-quarter results yesterday, Shell announced it planned to slash two types of emissions in the next decade in a new 2030 climate target. It will ensure all emissions the company itself generates through its operations  extracting oil, for example  will be net zero carbon. But this leaves out the vast majority  or around 90 per cent  of its pollution, which comes from customers burning its products.

Shell produced around 3.1m barrels of oil a day in the third quarter. This is the equivalent of 3 per cent of global daily demand in 2019, before Covid struck.

Analysts had hoped that soaring oil and gas prices would boost Shell's profits  but it also knocked a number of financial instruments called commodities derivatives contracts.

Shell took a hit of around 3.6billion as a result. The profit miss made investors nervous.

Shell was one of the biggest fallers on the Footsie last night, with shares closing down 3.5 per cent, or 61.4p, to 1706.6p. Rival BP  which releases its own results next week  fell 1.6 per cent, or 5.55p, to 352.05p.
Having 'got Brexit done', Boris Johnson's number one priority was his much talked about levelling-up agenda.

The policy was designed to show the new Red Wall voters that he  and the Tories  were serious about tackling regional inequality in the country.

Levelling up took a back seat when coronavirus struck, but it is now firmly back on the agenda.

Earlier this month at the Conservative Party conference, the Prime Minister declared the UK to be 'not only one of the most imbalanced in the developed world, it is also one of the most centralised  and those two defects are obviously connected'.

He said the UK was lopsided, announcing a 'levelling-up premium' worth up to 3,000 to encourage science and maths teachers to head to different areas of the country.

Then came Chancellor Rishi Sunak who on Wednesday said levelling up was about 'restoring the pride people feel in the places they call home', adding that it would improve 'the infrastructure of everyday life' across the UK.

'Levelling up is also about protecting our unique culture and heritage. The British Museum, Tate Liverpool, the York Railway Museum,' he continued.

He also unveiled the first winners from the Levelling Up Fund, a 4.8billion spending pot that was announced in March's Budget.

So far 1.7billion has been dished out to more than 100 infrastructure projects across the UK.

They are set to be completed over the next four years.

The biggest recipients were the North West and North East, Yorkshire and Humber, the Midlands and Scotland. London and the East of England received the least.

The projects vary in scale and size and although the fund was primarily designed for schemes costing up to 20m, some exceptions were made.

A new South Derby 'growth zone' and an upgrade to ferries to the Isles of Scilly both received nearly 50m from the fund.

Other successful bids included the reopening of the world's oldest suspension bridge in County Durham, the redevelopment of Leicester train station and the Mersey Ferry service in Woodside on the Wirral.

In Scotland the stunning Inverness Castle will get a facelift, while 39m will be invested in transport links in Renfrewshire and 24m will be spent on improving the B714 road in North Ayrshire.

In Wales the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal World Heritage Site is to be revitalised.

While in Stoke alone there will be three projects.

They include two big housing projects to create 450 homes in the City centre and regenerating The Goods Yard site.

Noting that some funds were going to local authorities and constituencies represented by Labour MPs, Sunak quipped: 'We are so committed to levelling up we're even levelling up the Opposition front bench.'

Lee Anderson, MP for Ashfield and a Red Wall Tory, said: 'This has been long overdue. These are traditionally Labour constituencies which are getting investment from the Tories.

'The industrial heartland is gone and these areas have struggled  we need better jobs, health and education.'

Anderson added that the Tories have also shown their commitment to the North with huge transport projects like the Northern Powerhouse Rail project, HS2 and the Teesside Freeport. Stephen Church, partner at professional services network EY, said: 'Through the Budget and Spending Review the Government has pledged real action on the levelling-up agenda. We welcome the 4.8billion Levelling Up Fund, which has identified the first 105 places to receive funding for local transport.

'This is crucial in order to help level up the economy, as the UK strives to tackle entrenched regional inequalities and close the skills gap.'

But the levelling-up agenda has proved divisive, particularly with Tory MPs who feel the Conservative Party is pandering too much to its new voter base in the Midlands and the North.

London received just 65m in funding for six projects, despite being home to some of the poorest parts of Europe.

Whitechapel Road in east London will receive 9m, while a music centre will be upgraded in southwest London.

The Centre for London thinktank said the capital received the lowest investment per capita of any part of the UK.

Whereas Wales received 38 per head from the fund, London received just 7.22.

According to Bob Neill, MP for Bromley and Chislehurst, the 'levelling down' of the South of England and London is a genuine fear which contributed to the heavy defeat of the Tories at the Chesham and Amersham by-election in June.

He said: 'The election showed the Tories cannot take traditional Tory areas and voters for granted. Parts of London need levelling up and this should be done on need and not a geographic basis. I can see why it is being done  after the last election the Tories have to try and retain those votes in traditional industrial Labour areas.'
Fields of wind turbines have become a common sight around the UK, but how much do we know about the important role they play in fighting global warming?

Joe Swash and Angellica Bell were eager to learn more, as electricity production is one of the biggest sources of CO2 emissions, so increasing the amount of energy produced from renewable technologies like wind and solar is crucial to tackling climate change.

Tesco has met this challenge head on and now powers its UK operations with 100% renewable electricity.

Angellica and Joe - who are on an eco-friendly road trip up to Glasgow where the climate change conference COP26 will take place  set out to discover how Tesco sources enough green electricity to keep the lights on at more than 3,000 stores.

Angellica and Joe saw two of the ways - solar power and wind- that Tesco source their green energy

Tesco Extra manager Alex Boak gives Angellica and Joe a tour of the solar panels on his store's roof

A company as big as Tesco needs to generate electricity in lots of different ways to guarantee energy security.

Joe admits to being surprised when he first heard about the scale of the supermarkets energy transition.

'It is such a big company so a lot of effort is needed to make that move to 100% renewables,' he says.

'It sets a great blueprint to other supermarkets and businesses. If Tesco are doing it then theres no reason everyone else cant follow in their footsteps.'

For Angellica, renewable energy has been something she has been interested in from a young age, so she was keen to learn more about how it has developed.

'I remember learning about solar power and wind turbines at school,' she says.

'I was excited to see how the technology has progressed and become more effective since then.'

On the way to Glasgow, the celebrities stopped off at a Tesco Extra in Lincoln and met the store manager, Alex Boak.

'Alex was enthusiastic and chuffed about everything thats being done,' Angellica says

The celebrities pose next to their electric car with one of the turbines of Inverclyde wind farm in the background

Angellica enjoyed chatting to him about all things sustainable as he took her and Joe up to the store's roof to admire its solar panels.

'Alex was enthusiastic and chuffed about everything thats being done,' Angellica says.

'You read about these things but it's amazing to be able to actually see them in person.'

The celebrities continued their journey north, taking them into Glasgow and past the famous SEC building, where COP26 will be held next month.

The pair finally reached a wind farm in Inverclyde, operated by one of Tescos partners, BayWa r.e.

'You see them all the time from the road but you never really get up close and personal.'

The pair learned how the UK has to quadruple renewable generation over the next 30 years to meet its net-zero target, while meeting with Wind Farm Manager Eilidh Smith, site manager Barry Docherty and Alex Ashby, Tesco's Head of Treasury.

Pictured from left to right: Joe, Angellica, Wind Farm Manager Eilidh Smith, Site Manager, Barry Docherty and Alex Ashby, Tesco's Head of Treasury

They explained how Tesco is working in partnership with renewable energy companies like BayWa r.e. to invest in five new wind farms and four solar farms to reach its own target of hitting net zero by 2035 in the UK, with more planned in the future.

The ultimate aim is to produce more energy than Tesco needs itself so it can be sent back to the National Grid, helping to make green electricity cheaper for everyone.

Joe was struck by the scale and ambition of the plans.

'Its a massive operation and a huge financial obligation,' he says.

'Tesco guaranteeing they'll buy energy from a supplier gives them the breathing space to develop more capacity because they know someone will buy it.

'Its a brilliant process that will help expand capacity for the future.'

This was the last stop of their journey, giving Joe a chance to reflect on the whole experience.

'I was really impressed with everything and it is amazing what levels Tesco is going to,' he says.

'And the people we met on the way were all amazing - there's a real sense that everyone is in it together.'

Angellica agreed, adding: 'Its important for the big companies to set an example for everyone else.

Tesco is a trusted brand so its great that they are leading on all things green.
Late Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh's brother supplied him with drugs, 'plied' him with alcohol and 'tried to enrich himself financially' by 'diverting millions of dollars' from his vulnerable sibling's accounts, excoriating court documents claim.

A vicious legal battle is raging over the hundreds of millions of dollars left by the eccentric entrepreneur without a will following his death from a shed fire last November after an alleged dramatic spiral into addiction and paranoid delusions.

Hsieh's personal assistant Jennifer 'Mimi' Pham sued his $840million estate earlier this year for $93million in 'expected profits' from business ventures with her boss and friend.

Andrew Hsieh (far left), the brother of late Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh (far right), has been accused of taking advantage of his troubled sibling to 'enrich himself' and supplying him with drugs as he spiraled into addiction, in a motion filed by financial manager Tony Lee (center)

The family of Tony Hsieh filed a counter complaint in August against his assistant, Mimi Pham (pictured together in 2014) her boyfriend, and Tony Lee (right) accusing them of exploiting the his drug addiction to 'squeeze' him out of millions in his final weeks

This week DailyMail.com revealed Hsieh's father Richard and brother Andrew had hit back with a slew of counterclaims in August accusing Pham, her lawyer boyfriend Roberto Grande, and a financial manager Tony Lee of 'abuse of fiduciary relationship', preying on Hsieh's vulnerable, drug-addled state to 'exploit', 'manipulate' and 'squeeze' him out of millions in his final weeks.

Pham denied all the claims in a court filing, but did not comment further.

However, documents exclusively obtained by DailyMail.com show Lee has responded with his own shocking claims, alleging Andrew was the one taking advantage of his own brother with 'despicable conduct'.

In an October 11 filing, lawyers representing Lee's company Pelagic LLC accused Andrew of arranging the supply of nitrous oxide canisters to his brother.

According to the Hsieh family, in his final months the former Zappos CEO was inhaling up to 50 'whippit' canisters a day as well as abusing ketamine, leaving him drug-addled and suffering from paranoid delusions.

'The evidence in this case is going to show that Andy, not Lee or the Estate's other cast of scapegoats, engaged in much of the despicable conduct he and the Estate accuse Lee of in the Estate's pleading,' Lee's lawyers wrote in their court documents.

Hsieh's family are also denying Lee's claims to a total $7million which he says was guaranteed by his contract. But documents obtained by DailyMail.com from an anonymous source show Andrew asking Lee for his paystubs - after his brother allegedly offered to double Lee's salary to come work for him

Screenshots of messages show Lee being introduced to Pham and her lawyer boyfriend Roberto Grande, with Hsieh also copied in on the conversation on August 9, 2020

In another text exchange from the same day, Andrew texted his brother a photo of sticky notes on a wall, appearing to show a plan for hiring Lee

'As an illustration, it was Andy that arranged for the purchase of thousands of canisters of nitrous oxide at an alarming rate for Tony Hsieh's continued use when others who cared for Mr. Hsieh refused to do so.

'It was Andy that plied Tony Hsieh with alcohol during Mr. Hsieh's final months (despite knowing that Mr. Hsieh suffered from cirrhosis). And, it was Andy who, on multiple occasions, relentlessly tried to enrich himself financially by even asking the manager of Pelagic to divert millions of dollars from Tony Hsieh's holdings to Andy himself.

'Andy tried to also coerce Tony Hsieh's other friends to ask Mr. Hsieh for $50million for a tequila company that did not exist as late as October 2020.'

Lee is a financial manager who was working for the prominent Texas businessman and philanthropist Ed Bass and his family.

He had been friends with Hsieh since 2003, and was even asked by Andrew to be his best man.

Last summer, Hsieh offered Lee double his salary to leave the Basses and join him in Park City, Utah as a financial manager.

The Hsieh family alleged in their counterclaims against Pham that she arranged the appointment via her company, Baby Monster LLC, and Hsieh's firm, PCVI, guaranteeing three years of pay at a $1.5million salary and taking 10 per cent commission for herself.

They then later tried to extend it to a five-year contract after Lee became fully aware of Hsieh's vulnerable state, Richard and Andrew allege.

The family's legal filing described how Hsieh's living conditions became increasingly hellish as he spiraled mentally and physically. He is pictured above in June 2020

Hsieh, who had amassed vast wealth selling shoe company Zappos to Amazon in a $1.2billion deal, died last November after barricading himself in a pool shed in New London, Connecticut (on the right) which later went up in flames

A report by the fire marshal found that Hsieh had lit candles, a propane heater, whippit nitrous oxide chargers, whip cream dispenser, a marijuana pipe, and bottles of alcohol with him at the time of the blaze

The family claimed Hsieh was in no fit state to agree to the expensive arrangement and are denying Lee's claims to a total $7million which he says was guaranteed by his contract.

But in Lee's fiery legal response, he says that it was in fact Andrew who 'pushed harder than anyone' for the deal  and that the brother tried to extract commission too.

'Also missing from the Estate's deceptive and violative pleading is the fact that Andy himself pushed harder than anyone for [Lee's company] Pelagic to enter into the agreement with BabyMonster and PCVI,' Lee's lawyers wrote.

'Andy stood to earn hundreds of thousands of dollars in commission from his own brother if he secured the very agreement he now seeks to rescind.

'That was a means for Andy to siphon money from his brother while he was alive. Now that Mr. Hsieh has passed away, Andy has switched gears and seeks to abscond with his brother's estate by other means, i.e., attempting to unwind legitimate contracts to inflate his eventual inheritance.'

The filing by Lee's lawyers asks Clark County, Nevada Judge Susan Johnson to dismiss the Hsieh family's counterclaims, slamming them as 'salacious allegations' which 'further offer up innocent associates of Tony Hsieh as villains.'

In legal documents Lee's attorneys denied any 'eleventh-hour scramble to exploit and embezzle Tony Hsieh as his health faded' and claimed Hsieh had in fact been trying to hire Lee since 2003, and that the money manager turned down an even more extravagant salary of $3million offered by Hsieh so as not to exploit his friend.

Documents obtained by DailyMail.com from an anonymous source show Andrew does appear to have been involved in Lee's hiring.

Shocking emails obtained by DailyMail.com also show one of Hsieh's employees appeared to buy thousands of dollars of nitrous oxide whippits for the ailing near-billionaire

Newly-unearthed photos obtained by DailyMail.com show the near-billionaire had grown emaciated in the months leading up to his death. A June 2020 photo shows a slim Hsieh with canisters of nitrous oxide know as 'whippits' on the table to his right

Texts from July 28, 2020 show Andrew asking Lee for his paystubs  after his brother allegedly offered to double Lee's salary to come work for him.

Lee replies: 'Here is my earnings so far this year. I am making over a $1mil in 2020.'

In another text exchange from the same day, Andrew texted his brother a photo of sticky notes on a wall, appearing to show a plan for hiring Lee.

Below a note saying 'Tony Lee', the notes say 'come onboard', '2x current salary, 1.4m/1.5m, 100k increase per year', 'manage investments, finance, personal, business', 'wants to work with Andy', 'only work b/c Andy here; wants Andy as broker', 'needs to know ASAP', and 'needs to tell Ed Bass, Sasha [Bass' wife]'.

Screenshots of messages show Lee being introduced to Pham and Grande, with Hsieh also copied in on the conversation on August 9, 2020  two weeks after the conversations between Andrew and Lee.

'MESSGE [sic] FROM TONY LEE THIS MORNING  Good morning Mimi. Let's use 7/24/20 as the contract date as I have been working for Tony since that date. This has turned into a full time job,' Pham wrote in the chat, titled 'M&A Tony Lee'.

Lee's message outlined his financial plans for Hsieh's $20million hot air balloon business venture starting in Park City and expanding to Las Vegas, Nevada then across the US over the following 12 months.

This photo, provided by the New London, Connecticut Fire Department, shows fire damage inside a storage shed where Tony Hsieh died on November 18, 2020

Hsieh was staying at his girlfriend Rachael Brown's home, and had gotten into an argument with her the night of the fire about the cleanliness of the house, according to a friend

'Tony meet Roberto who is also on this chat,' Pham wrote. 'I also included Tony [Hsieh] even though he is not on electronics for tracking purposes should he ever need to reference our conversations.'

At the time Hsieh was allegedly on a 'technology detox', letting his assistants handle all his communications.

Lee replied: 'The hot air balloon industry is highly fragmented ran by single owner operators. As a result, it will take time to meet the operators individually in all the hot cities Tony prefers. But in some ways, it's fun dealing with mom and pop businesses.'

Shocking emails obtained by DailyMail.com also show Hsieh's associates appearing to buy thousands of dollars of nitrous oxide whippits for the ailing near-billionaire.

On September 4, 2020 Hsieh's assistant Suzie Baleson wrote to Pham notifying her that one of Hsieh's workers had several invoices due.

'[The employee] is now helping at ranch, mostly on Andy, erica and Tony direct requests,' Baleson wrote.

'Go forward he will be making $1400 a week for 10 hours 6 days a week or $23 ish an hour. A contract is in the works.'

Three weeks later Pham emailed the employee questioning some of his expense receipts labelled 'miscellaneous charges'.

'Please give me more context for the charge and such since all charges need to be accounted for. $3,138.70 was miscellaneous charges,' she wrote on September 25 2020.

'These are for the whip-it,' the worker replied. 'I was told by Suzie to turn them into Elizabeth to pay but she never sent the funds. I would prefer not to send them through my company. Can I send an invoice through [redacted].'

It is unclear if the alleged nitrous oxide purchase was reimbursed.

Lee (left) had been friends with Hsieh since 2003, and was even asked by Andrew (right) to be his best man. Lee claims it was Andrew who 'pushed harder than anyone' for Pelagic to enter into an agreement with Hsieh's company  and that the brother tried to extract commission too

The filing by Lee's lawyers asks Clark County, Nevada Judge Susan Johnson to dismiss the Hsieh family's counterclaims, slamming them as 'salacious allegations'

Hsieh's worker who emailed an invoice for the $3,138.70 whippit purchase did not respond to a request for comment.

Although the Hsieh family accused Pham, Grande and Lee of trying to take advantage of Hsieh's vulnerable state and loot his riches, his reported $840million estate is also set to take a hit from Richard and Andrew's own administration fees and legal costs.

Court filings by the Hsieh estate asking the judge for approval of legal costs show the brother and father are asking to take $1million each in administration fees from the estate.

Their lawyer, Vivian Thoreen, asked for nearly $2million in attorney's fees and is charging $1,500 per hour.

Thoreen and the Hsieh family's other lawyers also did not respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment.

Thoreen was lead counsel for Britney Spears' father Jamie until she reportedly dropped him as a client this month.

Court filings by the Hsieh estate asking the judge for approval of legal costs show the brother and father are asking to take $1million each in administration fees from the estate

Jamie infamously kept his daughter under a conservatorship, managing her day-to-day life and multi-million-dollar finances for years, until a judge stripped him of his role in September.

The Hsieh family wrote in their August counterclaim against Pham that they had also tried to place him under a 'guardianship' for his protection last year.

'Andy began working with two of Tony's longtime friends who are experienced in mental health to develop a plan for initiating a guardianship for Tony if he were hospitalized again,' their legal filing said.

'Tony's father and several of Tony's longtime friends paid for an addiction specialist to fly to Park City in the hopes of staging a voluntary  involuntary  intervention.

'The addiction specialist was denied access to Tony's residence.'
A private-hire Bolt driver faced an onslaught of racist abuse after he refused to drive a maskless woman who then got out and kicked his car.

London Bolt driver Muhammad Usman, 37, was called 'a f***ing P**i' multiple times by an irate passenger as she demanded he took her to her destination or refunded her money.

Video footage has emerged of the incident with Mr Usman asking the passenger to leave his car because it is mandatory for his passengers to wear face masks due to the risk of Covid-19.

His wife was also four months pregnant with their first child - and he told MailOnline that he 'didn't want to risk catching Covid' when he had to return home to her.

General Secretary James Farrar at App Drivers and Couriers Union (ADCU) said: 'Licensed private hire drivers are fed up with putting up with physical and racist abuse while the Police, Transport for London and operators like Uber and Bolt do nothing.

'The police and TfL have consistently refused to work with our union to tackle these issues and TfL even sabotaged our efforts to work with the police to improve safeguarding of ourselves and the travelling public.

'Indeed, rather than prosecute abusers, the Met police have instead mounted a failed political attack on our union by bringing vexatious charges that the police themselves were assaulted at one of our trade union demos by way of megaphone sound.'

Mr Usman, who himself had a mask on and was driving for the company Bolt, claims the woman refused to wear a mask because she 'didn't have one'.

He told the woman he would therefore have to cancel the ride, to which she starts to become irate, because she believes she will be charged for the journey.

The Bolt driver reminded her to say she will just have to contact the company, Bolt, to request a refund - but she continued to demand he drove her to the requested destination.

The video was filmed at around 8.30pm on June 26, 2021.

This was just minutes after Mr Usman, who lives in Redbridge, had picked the woman up from Stratford tube station, to travel to her home in the E3 postcode area.

At the time, national Covid-19 cases were upwards of 20,000 a day and wearing face masks was compulsory.

Muhammad, 37, was called a 'f***ing P**i' multiple times by this irate passenger who then continued to kick his car after she eventually left the vehicle

It's only now that Mr Usman is releasing the footage after police told him that they were closing the case.

He reported the abuse he received from the passenger to Ilford Police Station a couple of days after the incident and gave all the details to find the woman.

The 37-year-old Bolt driver said the police contacted him once in August before calling to say they closed the case a few days ago as they couldn't track down the woman.

Mr Usman told MailOnline: 'They could have easily taken the details off of Bolt for whoever has booked it. Every company has got their own details with a name, address, everything, so how come they haven't properly investigated that?

'That's why we took matters into our hands.

'Its impossible for Bolt and police to not be able to track her down, these apps need every detail of a person to even book a ride.

'They knew that each trip is recorded, neither bolt or the police have done anything. That's what forced us to put it on social media. We were let down badly by bolt and the police.'

Mr Usman also reported the incident to his employers, Bolt, to which he says they responded with a generic 'apology email' which said they were 'sorry he had to experience this'.

Mr Usman decided to share the video on social media to try and track down the woman after the Met Police closed the case as they said they 'couldn't track her down', but the driver said: 'It would be just one phone call for Bolt to be obliged to give them the information,'

He said: 'It has been more than four months since then and Bolt didn't bother to get back to me.'

In the video, Mr Usman can be heard saying: 'You can text the company and they will refund you the money. You haven't paid me anything.'

The unknown passenger demands to know which company she should text for the refund.

Mr Usman, who is from Pakistan and has lived in London for 17 years, says to the woman: 'Call whoever booked the taxi.'

The angry passenger then can be heard saying: 'You f***ing idiot, suck your stinking mother, you stupid p**i bruv, f***ing silly P***.'

Mr Usman continued: 'Her tone was aggressive, it was due to her attitude. We had one or two conversations about the mask, the way she was approaching the situation forced me to start recording it.

'In my mind, I was a single guy in the car, my thinking was that the girl can step out and say, "The guy has looked at me this way" and make something up.

'It was to protect myself because its easy for her to just lie because she was so angry, and then Bolt deactivate my account for 10 days

'This happens to so many drivers ever day, and I cant afford to do that, its my only job. I wasnt expecting it to get to this point, but this is my livelihood, I have bills to pay.

'After giving them all the details with the video and the information that Bolt has it would be just one phone call for Bolt to be obliged to give them the information apparently according to my knowledge.'

Mr Usman said he initially did not want to share the video on social media because the woman was fairly young.

'My friend said earlier on that we should put it on social media but I said 'No let the police deal with that' because she was a young kid, 20 something years, I don't want to go through that, let the police handle it,' Mr Usman continued.

'But nothing came out, so it's left us with no choice but to come to the stage that we have to get social media help.'

Mr Usman works for taxi app company Bolt, who only responded to his report once with a 'generic apology' email, saying they were 'sorry he had to experience this'

A Bolt spokesperson said: 'We are aware of this case. Bolt fully cooperated with the police during their investigation in June and provided the details of the passenger involved.

'Bolt is firmly opposed to discrimination of any kind so has taken appropriate action. Positive and negative feedback from drivers and passengers makes the Bolt platform safer so we encourage everyone to continue to contact us.'

The Metropolitan Police have issued an appeal to find the woman in the video.

The statement read: 'Officers investigating an incident where minicab driver in Stratford was racially abused by a passenger have released an image of a woman they would like to speak to.

'On Monday, 28 June police received a report of the abuse and criminal damage that had occurred in the vicinity of Stratford station on the evening of Saturday, 26 June.

'It was reported that the driver, a man aged in his 30s, was verbally abused by a woman who subsequently damaged the outside of his vehicle. No injuries were reported

'An initial investigation was carried out but the suspect could not be identified.

'Officers are now issuing an image of a woman they would like to speak to as part of their investigation.

'Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 quoting CAD 1520/27Oct. To remain anonymous contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.'
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden departed for Rome Thursday for the president's first Group of 20 summit since being sworn-in.

The White House has given scant details on who Biden will meet with on the sidelines of the weekend summit, but two meetings won't happen for sure - both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping will be no-shows at the conference.

On Tuesday, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said he wasn't sure who was coming to Italy to represent Saudi Arabia either, as U.S. gas prices spike.

'My understanding right now is that the prince is not attending the G20,' Sullivan said on board Air Force One Thursday, when asked about Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud' attendance.

President Joe Biden (left) salutes and First Lady Jill Biden (right) waves to reporter as they boarded Air Force One Thursday afternooon en route to Rome, where they'll meet with Pope Francis on Friday, and Biden will participate in G20 meetings through the weekend

President Joe Biden (left) and First Lady Jill Biden (right) depart the White House Thursday afternoon for Rome, Italy, where they'll meet with Pope Francis and then the president will attend the G20 Leaders' Summit

The president and first lady walk hand-and-hand to Marine One Thursday afternoon

Biden waves as he boards Air Force One for Rome on Thursday afternoon. He briefly delayed his trip to Italy in order to meet with House Democrats and deliver a speech about where Build Back Better negotiations stand

Officers stand guard around the La Nuvola convention center, which means 'the cloud,' ahead of this weekend's G20 Leaders' Summit in Rome, Italy

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Additionally, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez isn't attending, and the attendance of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida isn't likely, as there are lower house elections in the country on Sunday.

So far, the only bilateral meetings that have been announced will take place Friday, ahead of the main sessions that will take place in the so-called 'cloud,' Rome's La Nuvola New Congress Center.

After spending time with Pope Francis on Friday, Biden will meet with Italy's President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Mario Draghi, as they represent the host country.

Biden will have a bilateral meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday as well.

That meeting will be the first face-to-face interaction since the French were blindsided by the Australians pulling out of a submarine deal to join a pact with the U.S. and the U.K.

The French were so insulted by the secret deal that they pulled ambassadors from both Australia and the United States.

After one phone call with Biden, Macron sent U.S. Amb. Philippe Etienne back to Washington, D.C.

The two leaders spoke again on the phone last week.

On Thursday, Sullivan characterized the relationship between the two leaders as 'very good' and said they've had 'positive phone conversations' in recent weeks.

'The agenda really is overflowing,' he said, previewing the Friday meeting.

Biden is trying to shore up relations with Europe, while Xi and Putin's absence is being interpreted by some as a snub.

'If China doesn't come to Rome, if Russia - which has a lot of energy to sell to Europe - doesn't join the G20, I think that this G20 will be a confirmation of European fragility from the energetic point of view,' said Massimo Franco, an international affairs columnist for Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera, to The Associated Press.

Sullivan said Xi and Putin were skipping 'largely, it seems, due to COVID-19.'

'President Xi has chosen not to attend these summits. He's chosen not to leave China at all in calendar year 2021 to see any leader. That's, of course, his choice,' Biden's national security adviser added.

Sullivan said he and his Chinese counterpart are working to plan a virtual summit for Biden and Xi before the end of the year.

'The U.S. and Europe will be there, and they'll be there energized and united at both the G20 and COP26, driving the agenda, shaping the agenda as it relates to these significant international issues,' Sullivan said.

On Saturday, Biden will meet again with Macron, as well as U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and German Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss Iran.

And then on Sunday, Sullivan said Biden would host a supply chain meeting.

'It's a group of like-minded states from multiple continents to talk about how we can coordinate better to deal with both the short term supply chain disruptions and challenges and long term supply chain resilience,' Sullivan told reporters on Air Force One, not providing a list of leaders attending.

The G20 is also being dwarfed by the United Nations' COP26 climate summit, which is taking place in Glasgow, Scotland directly afterward.

Biden will travel there too - and will be joined by former President Barack Obama, who was president when the U.S. originally signed onto the Paris climate accord.

Former President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the climate deal.

Biden's also expected to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the COP26 sidelines.

Reporters have asked press secretary Jen Psaki for weeks how Biden will show the U.S. is serious about combatting climate change when the reconciliation bill that contains climate change provisions is still a work in progress.

Biden (left) delayed his departure to Rome by several hours so that he could meet with House Democrats on Capitol Hill. He walks through the Capitol with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (right)

On Thursday, Biden announced a new framework for the deal - which included his key climate provisions.

Other social programs, like paid family leave and two years of free community college, had been pushed out.

Biden delayed his departure to Rome to meet with House Democrats on Capitol Hill and then address the nation on the Build Back Better bill's progress.

Earlier this week, press secretary Jen Psaki argued the bill didn't need to be passed to show the U.S. was serious about combating climate change.

'World leaders are not looking at "is here a vote in the Senate or the House?" before the president gets on the plane, they're looking at what we're trying to accomplish, our commitment to doing that, the fact that we're making progress on that and the president's role in getting that done,' Psaki argued.

Congress Hall in the EUR district of Rome will host the Media Center during the upcoming G20 summit
House Republicans announced on Thursday they will send a five-strong delegation to next week's United Nations climate conference as they try to overturn misconceptions that conservatives oppose efforts to tackle climate change.

It will be the first time a conservative-only delegation attends the annual gathering of leaders and activists.

The delegation will be led by Rep. Garrett Graves, ranking member on the House Select Climate Committee, and include Reps. Dan Crenshaw, David McKinley, Mariannette Miller-Meeks and John Curtis, chairman of the Conservative Climate Caucus.

Their itinerary in Glasgow, Scotland, includes meeting conservatives from around the world and a visit to a company pioneering efforts to match clean energy with demand.

Graves said it was an opportunity to ensure the international community heard all perspectives from the United States.

'At a time when American families are worried about soaring energy costs and the Biden administration is begging foreign governments to bail us out, Republicans want to bring better and proven solutions to the table that will result in lower global emissions and costs for consumers without undermining the economy or increasing reliance on known American adversaries,' he said.

'We look forward to constructively engaging key stakeholders and discussing evidence-based strategies to chart Americas clean energy future.'

Rep. Garrett Graves, ranking member on the House Select Climate Committee, will lead a five-strong Republican delegation to the COP26 climate talks in Glasgow, Scotland

Rep. John Curtis, chairman of the Conservative Climate Caucus, and Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks will be part of the team flying to Glasgow on Nov. 6

Rep. Dan Crenshaw and Rep. David McKinley will be in Scotland for four days, meeting with conservatives, business leaders and industry figures as they push for climate change solutions that don't compromise jobs, the economy or U.S. energy independence

World leaders are due to arrive in Glasgow on Sunday for the annual United Nations Conference of the Parties.

It is the 26th time it has been held, making this event COP26.

The aim is to agree measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to keep the global temperature from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Some 20,000 people will attend talks, including government representatives, scientists and policy experts.

Although Republicans have attended before, this is the first time that the House caucus has sent a delegation.

They are due to arrive on Nov. 6 for a four-day visit.

Their trip comes at a time when many of the Republican Party's loudest voices rail against efforts to tackle climate change as anti-business.

Yet Republican attitudes are more complicated. A recent Pew Research Center survey found that a majority of Republicans said they would support tougher action on climate change, including stricter standards for car emissions and planting more trees.

Some 20,000 government representatives, scientists and policy experts are expected at the talks in Glasgow, Scotland, which will last for almost two weeks

The aim of the conference is to agree measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to keep the global temperature from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius

'It's not that conservatives don't care about this issue. It's just that I think we have often kind of decided what we're against more than maybe vocalising what we are for,' said a source involved in planning the trip.

They point to recent data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration showing that the amount of electricity produced from coal will increase in 2021 for the first time in even years as evidence that new approaches are needed.

A narrowminded focus on reducing energy production from coal, rather than considering the whole energy mix, meant that surging gas prices had undone efforts to tackle emissions, they argue.

'Theres a false choice peddled by the left: choose between reducing emissions or affordable, reliable energy that powers our economy,' said Rep. Crenshaw.

'Republicans have proposed solutions that represent rational environmentalism over radical environmentalism, solutions that will actually lower emissions without sacrificing jobs, reliable power, and our energy independence.

'Were going to COP26 to advocate for those solutions.'

Crenshaw is an outspoken supporter of nuclear power, an option that has fallen out of favor in the U.S. but which has backing among environmentalists elsewhere.

This trip has been organized by the Conservative Climate Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit created by the Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions Forum and ClearPath.

And one of the highlights will be a visit to a facility that aims to bridge the gap between intermittent renewable energy production and consumer demand. Flexitricity's control room steps in to supply stored energy when expected demand exceeds production - one of the frequent concerns of critics of power supplied by wind or water.

'Republicans care deeply about the environment and preserving it for future generations,' said Rep. Curtis.

'We have ideas, and we want to be at the table to find solutions. Climate change is a global problem and American innovation is leading in the development of affordable and reliable clean energy technologies.

'While I, and my Republican colleagues, attend the conference we will show our global partners that we are serious about climate solutions and that we have policy ideas that reduce emissions, not just increase costs to consumers.'
An 83-year-old Ohio man, who has spent 45 years in prison, has been acquitted of the murder of his wife after it was discovered police failed to tell the court they had interviewed another suspect in the case.

Isiah Andrews said the verdict 'relieved all the weight off' his shoulders as the jury found him not guilty at the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court in Cleveland on Wednesday.

'You ask yourself, this is America. How could my fellow man treat me like this?, Andrews had told News 5 Cleveland after the verdict.

Andrews was released from prison last year after it was discovered that police had failed to reveal that they had interviewed another suspect in connection with the murder in 1975. The suspect died in 2011.

His wife Regina Andrews was found dead and wrapped in bedsheets in a park in September 1974.

The discovery of a new suspect, however, seemed to give the court reason to revisit the trial for the man who had been wrongfully convicted of the murder decades ago.

The new trial mostly consisted of transcripts being read from the first as most of the former detectives who investigated the case have died.

Isiah Andrews, 83, was acquitted on Wednesday after he was found falsely convicted for the 1974 murder of his wife Regina Andrews

Andrews had appeared for a retrial with the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court following a former lack of evidence and withheld documents that revealed a second suspect in the murder case

Andrews had formerly been offered a plea bargain by Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O'Malley if he admitted his guilt in the murder of his wife.

The now-released 83-year-old, however, refused the offer as he told visiting Judge Tim McGinty: 'I want justice for my wife.'

The couple had married in August 1974 after only knowing each other for a few months.

They had initially lived at the Colonial House motel until moving to an apartment in Euclid.

A month into their marriage, Regina Andrews was found dead on September 18 when her body was discovered.

She had been stabbed a total of 11 times near the parking lot of a swimming pool in Forest Hill Park.

Her body had been wrapped in three different hotel bed sheets, with one of them being from the Colonial House motel after a maid had identified it.

However, there was no physical evidence linking Isiah Andrews to the slaying.

Andrews and his wife had lived in the Colonial House motel at the beginning of their marriage in 1974. The body of Regina Adams had been found wrapped in a bed sheet from the motel

O'Malley had initially rejected the Andrews' request for the retrial and had only offered him the plea bargain even though attorneys with the Ohio Innocence Program had begged him to drop the charges.

The attorneys with the program had discovered the evidence of another suspect Willie Watts after finding a withheld report from Cleveland Police.

Watts had been questioned and arrested by police but was later released from custody after they suspected Andrews was responsible for the murder.

Andrews was still convicted in the 1975 murder trial despite a lack of physical evidence being held against him.

The Cleveland police at the time, however, discovered a a partial palm print, blood samples and other bodily fluids from near the body.

Although the physical evidence had been destroyed, the attorneys believed that the presence of another suspect might have been enough to release Andrews from a lengthy sentence.

The jury had ensured to follow the new evidence carefully in the recent trial.

'We went through all the evidence, piece-by-piece,' an anonymous juror told Cleveland.com.

'We tried to connect the dots, there just weren't a lot of dots to connect.

'Even if we assumed that the testimonies we were read were completely accurate, there are still holes in the story.'

The new jury at Cuyahoga Common County Pleas Court had unanimously ruled Andrews 'not guilty'

They deliberated over the verdict of the second aggravated murder trial for less than 90 minutes.

Their unanimous decision finally cleared Andrews' name following the unfair conviction 45 years ago.

'I'm happy it did (go to a second trial), just so that Isaiah Andrews has his freedom 100% secured,' the juror also said. 'The guy was in prison for something he didn't do.'

Attorneys Marcus Sidoti and Brian Howe also expressed satisfaction with the verdict.

'For over four decades Isaiah Andrews has fought for justice for his wife and for his freedom,' Sidoti told News 5 Cleveland.

'Today the jury got it right. He is finally vindicated. Isaiah will never get these decades of his life back, but he can now live the remainder of his life a free man.'

'This was the right result today, but I don't know if he'll ever get actual justice,' Howe told cleveland.com.

'He should have never been convicted in the first place and he certainly never should have been retried.'
A man who spent three months living in a secured terminal at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport has been acquitted on a felony trespassing charge.

Cook County Judge Adrienne Davis acquitted Aditya Singh on the charge this week without his attorney having to mount a defense.

Singh, 37, spent three months at the airport, where he pretended to be a passenger and an airline employee, instead of flying home to India as he had planned.

He still faces a charge for violating the terms of his electronic monitoring while out on bond for the trespassing charge.

Singh is expected back in court on Friday.

Aditya Singh, 37, was acquitted on a felony trespassing charge by Cook County Judge Adrienne Davis

Singh spent three months living in a secured terminal at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, instead of flying home to India as he had planned

Video shows the moment Singh is arrested at Chicago O'hare Airport after living in the airport for three months. Singh was arrested in January after two United Airlines employees noticed he was wearing a badge that an airport operations manager had reported missing

Singh told authorities he stayed at the airport because the coronavirus pandemic had left him afraid to fly, and that he had been able to get by with the help of strangers who bought him food, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Davis' reasons for acquitting Singh weren't immediately clear. But after his January 16 arrest, the Transportation Security Administration, which regulates security at the airport for the Chicago Department of Aviation, determined that Singh hadn't violated airport regulations.

'Mr. Singh did not breach or improperly enter secured areas - he arrived there like tens of thousands of arriving passengers do every day, by stepping off a plane,' Christine Carrino, an aviation department spokeswoman, said in a statement to the newspaper earlier this year.

'While we wont speculate on Mr. Singhs motivations, he decided to remain in the secure area and made every effort to blend in as a passenger and airline employee until his arrest.'

Singh (left) came to the US six years ago and got a masters program at Oklahoma State University in the summer of 2019.

In the movie, Hanks portrays a European tourist who becomes trapped at JFK International Airport after a war breaks out in his native country and he can't leave or enter the United States

Mehran Karimi Nasser lived in a departure lounge of Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport for nearly two decades

Singh was arrested in January after two United Airlines employees noticed he was wearing a badge that an airport operations manager had reported missing.

A friend of Singh's told the Tribune that he told her in text messages that he enjoyed talking to people at the airport about his Buddhist and Hindu beliefs on healing.

'I'm actually growing spiritually due to this experience and I know I will come out stronger,' he wrote to the friend in a text she shared with the newspaper.

He came to the US six years ago and got a masters program at Oklahoma State University in the summer of 2019. He then moved to Orange, California, where he cared for a friend's elderly father in exchange for a living.

As his visa expiration date approached, Singh made plans to return to India.

Singh boarded a Chicago-bound flight from Los Angeles in October 2020, to begin his journey.

Nasseri, who claimed had been expelled from Iran. After getting refugee status, he was en route to the UK but lost his papers when his briefcase was stolen

Friends of Singh told the tribune he was a nonviolent, kind person, who was living at the airport as part of a 'spiritual awaking of sorts.'

Singh's highly publicized three-month stay at the airport is eerily reminiscent of Tom Hank's' 2004 film The Terminal.

In the movie, Hanks portrays a European tourist who becomes trapped at JFK International Airport after a war breaks out in his native country and he can't leave or enter the United States.

The movie is based on the true story of Mehran Karimi Nasseri, an Iranian refugee who lived in a departure lounge of Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport for nearly two decades from 1988 to 2006.

Nasseri, who claimed had been expelled from Iran. After getting refugee status, he was en route to the UK but lost his papers when his briefcase was stolen.

He made it to London but was returned to France. With no country to be returned to, he started living at the airport.

Throughout the years, Nasseri refused to sign residency papers from France and Belgium because he was listed as Iranian. He left the airport after 18 years when he had to be hospitalized.
A federal appeals court granted stays of execution to two Oklahoma inmates who were scheduled to receive lethal injections in the coming weeks because the two killers did not 'check a box' for an alternate method for capital punishment.

A three-member panel of the 10th US Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday issued the stays for death row inmates John Marion Grant, 60, who was scheduled to die Thursday, and Julius Jones, whose lethal injection was set for November 18.

The panel voted 2-1 to stay their executions in a decision connected to a statewide, six-year moratorium on lethal injections. Grant was convicted of murdering a prison worker in 1998 while serving sentences for four armed robberies, and Jones was convicted of murdering businessman Paul Howell in 1999.

Grant would have been the first inmate to receive a lethal injection in Oklahoma since 2015.

The court ruled that US District Judge Stephen Friot in Oklahoma erred when he removed Grant, Jones and three other inmates from a lawsuit challenging the state's lethal injection protocols because they did not designate an alternative method of execution.

The court determined that the inmates did identify alternative methods in their complaint, even if they didn't specifically check a box designating which specific method they would use.

Julius Jones, pictured, A federal appeals court has granted a stay of execution for Jones and another Oklahoma inmate, who were scheduled to receive lethal injections in coming weeks

Pictured: John Marion Grant. A three-member panel of the US Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit issued the stays Wednesday for death row inmates John Marion Grant and Julius Jones

The court ruled that Judge Stephen Friot (pictured) erred when he removed Grant, Jones and three others from a lawsuit challenging the state's lethal injection protocols

The panel wrote, 'We find nothing in the relevant case law that specifically requires a prisoner to designate a method of execution to be used in his case by 'checking a box' when the prisoner has already identified in his complaint the very same alternative methods given as choices on the form.'

Dale Baich, an attorney for some of the death row inmates, said the court made the right decision.

'Today's order should prevent the state from carrying out executions until the federal district court addresses the 'credible expert criticism' it identified in Oklahomas execution procedures,' Baich said in a statement.

'Those issues will be carefully reviewed by the court at the trial scheduled in February.'

Oklahoma Attorney General John O'Connor said he planned to appeal the ruling to the US Supreme Court.

'We are hopeful the Supreme Court will vacate the stay so that justice can finally be served for the people of Oklahoma, including the families of the victims of these horrific crimes,' O'Connor said in a written statement.

O'Connor had pushed for seven executions to be scheduled through March, and prison officials announced this week that they have confirmed a source to supply all the drugs needed for those executions.

'Extensive validations and redundancies have been implemented since the last execution in order to ensure that the process works as intended,' the Department of Corrections said in a statement.

Oklahoma has historically had one of the nation's busiest death chambers, but a series of problematic lethal injections in 2014 and 2015 led to a de facto moratorium. Richard Glossip was just hours away from being executed in September 2015 when prison officials realized they received the wrong lethal drug.

It was later learned that the same wrong drug had been used in a January 2015 execution.

The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City tweeted out a statement, pictured, commended the state for staying the inmates' executions

The drug mix-ups followed a botched execution in April 2014 in which inmate Clayton Lockett, pictured, struggled on a gurney before dying 43 minutes into his lethal injection

The drug mix-ups followed a botched execution in April 2014 in which inmate Clayton Lockett struggled on a gurney before dying 43 minutes into his lethal injection - and after the state's prisons chief ordered executioners to stop.

While the moratorium was in place, Oklahoma moved ahead with plans to use nitrogen gas to execute inmates, but ultimately scrapped that idea and announced last year it planned to resume executions using the same three-drug lethal injection protocol that was used during the flawed executions.

The three drugs are midazolam, a sedative; vecuronium bromide, a paralytic; and potassium chloride, which stops the heart.

Meanwhile, the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City tweeted out a statement commending the state for staying the inmates' executions.

'A stay of execution provides an opportunity for Oklahomans and our leaders to decide whether we truly want to be a pro-life state.'

'Human life is sacred from its beginning, from the first instant of conception, it is the fruit of God's creation.'

'No matter how serious the crime committed, it is an offense against the inviolability of life and the dignity of the human person.'

'There are other ways to administer just punishment without resorting to lethal measures. We need to end capital punishment in Oklahoma,' Archbishop Paul S. Coakley's statement read.
An Alabama woman received a life sentence Wednesday for helping her bigamist husband plan the 2015 killings of his estranged pregnant wife, her unborn child and three others.

Rhonda Carlson, 48, avoided the death penalty in a deal with prosecutors in exchange for testifying against her husband, Christopher Henderson, prior to his trial.

She admitted to helping plan the attack and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

A jury in July convicted Henderson in the shooting and stabbing deaths of Kristin Smallwood; her unborn daughter; her 8-year-old son Clayton Chambers; her 1-year-old nephew Eli Sokolowski; and her mother, Carol Jean Smallwood. He was sentenced to death earlier this month.

The five bodies were found in a house that had been burned in August 2015, less than a week after Smallwood filed for a court order to keep Henderson away from the residence.

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Rhonda Carlson, pictured, first wife of convicted mass murderer Christopher Henderson, en route to her court appearance on Wednesday

The 48-year-old was spared the death penalty in favor for a life sentence after she agreed to testify against Henderson at his trial

Carlson, pictured, admitted to helping plan the killings but denied participating in the slayings

Henderson, 46, never divorced Carlson before marrying Smallwood. He is said to have committed the mass murders after Smallwood filed for divorce on finding out he was still married to his first wife Carlson.

Carlson admitted to helping plan the killings but denied participating in the slayings.

She testified that Henderson had already attacked the five victims before she arrived at the New Market house where the murders took place.

Erin Atkins, Carlson's attorney, discussed her clients sentence with WHNT-TV Monday.

'She certainly acknowledges and accepts responsibility for her portion and the crime, which is why we've agreed to a plea,' Atkins said.

'She acknowledges that she was involved, she acknowledges that she had a part to play and that she can be held legally responsible for the deaths based on Alabama law.'

As part of the plea deal, Carlson waived her right to a jury trial and separate sentencing hearing on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Henderson was convicted of 15 counts of capital murder and received the death penalty by Madison County Circuit Judge Chris Comer following the jury's 11-1 vote on October 14.

Henderson committed the murders with the help of his first wife Carlson (pictured), 48, who testified against her lover to avoid the death penalty in her own capital murder trial

Pictured: Christopher Henderson, the man convicted of killing his estranged wife, her unborn child and three others six years ago in north Alabama, was sentenced to death October 14

Henderson shot his pregnant second wife Kristin Smallwood Henderson (left) in the neck. Her son Clayton, 8, (right) was stabbed and was still alive when Henderson set the house ablaze

In a twisted sequence of events Henderson then cut the full-term fetus (pictured in ultrasound) from Kristin's body and stabbed his unborn daughter

In 2015 Henderson either stabbed or shot the five victims to death at their home in New Market, Alabama, and then set the house ablaze.

Autopsy reports revealed that Henderson shot his second wife Kristin Smallwood Henderson, who was nine months pregnant with the couple's unborn daughter, in the neck and stabbed her several times.

He then cut the full-term female fetus from her body and stabbed it. Dr Steven Dunton with the Alabama Department of Forensic Services said the autopsy showed the fetus had multiple sharp-force injuries.

According to Inside Edition, Kristin's mother Carol Jean Smallwood was shot several times and stabbed in the eyes.

Kristin's eight-year-old son Clayton Chambers, whose father was not Henderson, was also stabbed. A medical examiner testified this week that Clayton was still alive when Henderson poured gasoline throughout the house and set it on fire. He died in the ensuing blaze.

Kristin's nephew, one-year-old Eli was stabbed many times, too, but his cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning, according to the autopsies.

Henderson's first wife Rhonda Carlson said that when plotting the crime, she initially discussed keeping Kristin's (pictured left) baby but she didn't want to be a mother again

Kristen Henderson's one-year-old nephew Eli (pictured) was also stabbed many times but his cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning, according to the autopsy report

Eli (left) and Clayton (right) were two victims found dead in the fire. Clayton lived in the home with his mother Kristin, Henderson and grandparents - Kristin's parents, who owned the home

Henderson committed the murders with the help of his first wife Rhonda Carlson, 48, who testified against her lover to avoid the death penalty in her own capital murder trial, Inside Edition reported.

Carlson admitted to helping plan the killings but denied participating in the slayings.

Carlson said that she and Henderson initially discussed keeping Kristin's baby but she decided she did not want to be a mother again. Carlson and Henderson have a daughter together.

Henderson agreed, saying the baby 'would just end up whining like her mom'. Carlson will be sentenced to life in prison.

The jury of 12 deliberated for a total of 14 hours over two days until they reached Henderson's guilty verdict on all 15 capital murder charges.

Henderson has been held without bond until today's hearing.

The judge also had the choice to sentence the killer to life in prison without parole, because Henderson was charged for the crime before lawmakers took away the option for judges to override the sentencing recommendation of jurors in capital cases.

Henderson and Kristin, pictured, reportedly had a rocky relationship. Kristin filed for a protection order against him before discovering he was still married to Carlson

On August 4, 2015 - less than a week after Kristin filed for court order to keep Henderson away from the home - he murdered five victims and set the house on St Clair Lane (pictured) ablaze

Speaking in court Henderson addressed the victims' relatives and his own and said: 'I'd like to give my deepest apologies to the family.

'This is an event that should've never happened. I'd also like to apologize to my mom and my daughter.'

Judge Comer said: 'Mr Henderson...may God have mercy on your soul. May God provide peace to the families of this tragedy.'

Kristin's sister Kelly Smallwood Sokolowski told the judge about the loss of her family members and only child, Eli. She said: 'My daddy passed away in September of last year and I had a dream and my daddy was holding Eli in that dream. I know that I will see them again.'

Kristin's brother Keith Smallwood said the victims were good people. 'These were people that were happy to be alive and part of a strong family that we all loved each other, so it's been hard.

'But...we've been resolute because we know where they are and we know they're smiling.'

Earlier in the trial Keith testified that Henderson, Kristin and Clayton moved back to Alabama from Michigan and into Kristin's parents' home on St Clair Lane. They lived there for several months but had relationship issues.

According to News 19 Henderson was kicked out of the house in June 2015 and the family changed the locks. In July 2015 Henderson filed for divorce and Kristin filed for a protection order against Henderson later that month.

The jury of 12 deliberated for a total of 14 hours over two days until they reached Henderson's guilty verdict on October 14

On July 31 she filed another notice to the court saying a divorce wasn't necessary, according to court documents. Kristin had found out that her supposed husband was still married to Carlson, and petitioned the court to withdraw the divorce based on the fact that her husband was still married to his first wife and their marriage wouldn't be legal.

Henderson and Carlson reportedly wed in February 2013. Henderson then married Kristin in September 2014.

'He has lied about everything since we met,' she wrote in the filing. She was granted the order of protection based on her testimony that he had hit her.

On August 4, 2015 - less than a week after Kristin filed for a court order to keep Henderson away from the residence - the five victims' bodies were found.

Henderson had married Kristin without divorcing Carlson. Six years later - on July 15, 2021 - Carlson turned on her husband and made a plea deal with prosecutors to testify against Henderson in exchange for avoiding the death penalty.

Since the start of the trial defense attorney Bruce Gardner argued that Carlson was the one with the victims' blood on her hands.

Although home security footage showed Henderson wearing black gloves at the scene the day of the killings and house fire, Gardner said Carlson was the one who planned the murders and had the motive to do so.

According to News 19 Gardner called prosecutors' deal with Carlson to testify against Henderson 'a deal with the devil'.

Before the sentence was final, Gardner had also asked the jury to give Henderson mercy, arguing it was not fair to put Henderson to death if Carlson wouldn't be given the same punishment.
A tough new vaccine mandate will give thousands of New Zealanders one month to get the jab or risk getting the sack.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Tuesday announced that 40 per cent of the country's workforce must be fully vaccinated by the end of November.

People who work at hairdressers, gyms, nail salons, bars and restaurants are among those who will face losing their job if they don't roll up their sleeve for a jab.

Ms Ardern said by asking people who came into close contact with their customers to get vaccinated it would reduce the risk of community transmission of Covid-19.

Jacinda Ardern on Tuesday announced that 40 per cent of New Zealand's workforce must be fully vaccinated by the end of November (pictured, a cafe worker in Auckland)

'This requirement means staff and teachers are treated equally and it will play a large part in helping to minimise the spread of the virus in the highest-risk venues by reducing the potential for Covid to enter the business in the first place,' she said.

'If customers must be vaccinated, then so too must the workers.'

The mandate comes just weeks after teachers and healthcare workers - about 15 per cent of the country's workforce - were asked to get the jab.

Doctors, pharmacists, nurses and healthcare workers must be fully vaccinated by December, while teachers and education staff have until the end of January.

The New Zealand government will work towards vaccinating 90 per cent of the eligible population aged 12 and over in a bid to end lockdowns for good.

Residents will also be required to show vaccine passports at businesses where they come into close contact with service providers.

However opposition leader Judith Collins said slammed the restriction as unnecessary once vaccination targets had been met.

Ms Ardern (pictured) said by asking people who came into close contact with their customers to get vaccinated it would reduce the risk of community transmission of Covid-19

The mandate comes just weeks after teachers and healthcare workers - about 15 per cent of the country's workforce - were asked to get the jab (pictured, Wellington CBD)

'Some businesses will choose to require proof of vaccination. Others will not,' the Nationals leader said in a statement.

Auckland is due to exit lockdown when the city's District Health Boards have vaccinated 90 per cent of the eligible population, due at the end of November.

The city will then become the first region to the new traffic light system - entering at 'red settings' - which will require businesses to operate under vaccine mandates.

Regions will join capital city under these settings once they have hit the 90 per cent double-dose rate.

'With the new traffic light system, businesses we previously treated as high risk like hospitality, hairdressers and gyms can operate at all levels if they ask customers for a vaccine certificate,' Ms Ardern said.

Auckland and Covid-hit parts of the Waikato region are currently under level 3 of New Zealand's four-tier restrictions, with non-essential retail closed.

Retail remains open across the rest of the country under level 2 restrictions with caps on venue capacity.

People who work at hairdressers, gyms, nail salons, bars and restaurants are among those who will face losing their job if they don't get the jab (pictured, a hair stylist in Auckland)

New Zealand recorded 74 new Covid cases on Thursday as residents in Christchurch nervously wait to hear if the South Island city will enter a snap lockdown.

Health officials are currently scrambling to trace the movements of a local couple who tested positive for Covid-19 overnight.

Authorities fear one of the pair - who are both unvaccinated - were infectious for up to a fortnight with one other household so far detected as close contacts.

It comes just a week after the Professor Paul Kelly announced the Australian government has reopened quarantine-free travel from New Zealand's south island which previously boasted no cases since last year.

The national chief health officer revealed quarantine-free travel for fully vaccinated South-Island-based Kiwis and returning Aussies would recommence on October 19.

New Zealand recorded 74 new Covid cases on Thursday with health officials scrambling to trace an Covid-infected couple in Christchurch (pictured, lines to get vaccinated in Auckland)

Travellers coming from the Covid-ravaged North Island will still spend 14 days in hotel quarantine until November 1 at the earliest.

South Island Kiwis flying across the Tasman must return a negative Covid test within 72 hours of the departure flight time, show proof they're fully vaccinated and have not been on the North Island for any period during the last 14 days.

The so-called green lane travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand has been on hold since July, when New Zealand suspended the trans-Tasman bubble due to growing cases in NSW and Victoria.

While there are several Covid-free regions in both countries - including Wellington and the South Island - the government has not had an appetite to reopen the bubble.

The news comes after New Zealand government hinted last week it may ease international border rules before Christmas.

A hard border has been maintained as New Zealand pursued an elimination strategy against the virus, but the reluctant acceptance of ongoing community cases has turned the government's mind to a border rethink.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern appears set to loosen the compulsory 14-day stay in a quarantine hotel - known locally as MIQ - on arrival.

'We are actively considering our MIQ settings in light of the fact that we are unlikely to get back to zero cases,' Covid-19 Minister Chris Hipkins said last week.

'You can expect to see us talking more about that fairly soon.'
Members and associates of two warring Sydney gangs have tried to flee the city during a police crackdown to end their conflict for good.

The driveway murders of Salim Hamze, 18, and his father Toufik, 64, at Guildford last week sparked fears of an all-out gang war between the Alameddine and Hamze gangs in south-west Sydney.

The shootings followed the earlier execution-style murders of Bilal Hamze and his cousin Mejid Hamze.

NSW Police launched Strike Force Hawk in response to the latest shootings in an effort to end the spate of killings, targeting members of both gangs as well more than 300 associates.

The driveway murders of Salim Hamze, 18, and his father Toufik, 64, at Guildford last week sparked fears of an all-out gang war between members of the Alameddine and Hamze gangs in south-west Sydney

Police are seen in a Guildford street on the day Salim Hamze, 18, and his father Toufik, 64, were shot dead outside their residence

The killers are believed to have switched to a grey Ford Mustang and fled the scene. Pictured is a burnt out Lexus being taken away by police for further investigation

'We want to put as many of these people in jail as we can and we want to stop any avenue for violence that we can,' State Crime Command boss Chief Superintendent Darren Bennett told The Daily Telegraph.

'We don't want any more public place shootings, whether they're shooting houses, people or anything like that, and we certainly don't want any more murders.'

Chief Supt Bennett said the intensified police activity had seen associates of the gangs try to leave Sydney to lay low.

Police revealed they had seized $127,000 worth of drugs, and $35,000 in cash and guns, in the week since the double murder of the Hamzes.

A stolen grey Ford Mustang used by two suspects in the murders as a getaway car had also been tracked down to a garage in Guildford.

Three men were also arrested over an alleged bashing of Mohamad 'Butch' Haouchar (pictured), after a video appeared of the heavily tattooed man abusing members of the Alameddine gang members, NSW police said

Abdul Zreika, 19, Bailey Togiavalu, 20, and Ali Elmoubayed, 28, were arrested in dawn raids at Merrylands and Lidcombe on Tuesday after a video of Mohamad 'Butch' Haouchar (pictured) emerged

Three men were also arrested over an alleged bashing of Mohamad 'Butch' Haouchar, after a video appeared of the heavily tattooed man abusing members of the Alameddine gang, NSW police said.

Abdul Zreika, 19, Bailey Togiavalu, 20, and Ali Elmoubayed, 28, were arrested in dawn raids at Merrylands and Lidcombe on Tuesday.

They face a number of assault charges but it's not suggested they are involved in the deaths of the Hamze family members.

'F.... Rafat (Alameddine), f... Hamdi (Alameddine), f... Talal (Alameddine), f... the lot of youse,' Haouchar said in the clip.

Detectives recently acknowledged the war had spread beyond the gangs that spawned it, and they are battling professional killers recruited by the gangland warlords to execute their enemies with precision.

Just last month, police discovered a lock-up garage in upmarket Cammeray on the lower North Shore where they allege hitmen for hire were stashing stolen cars months in advance of planned hits.

The discovery came a month after traffic cops foiled an alleged attempted execution of Ibrahem Hamze when they spotted a stolen Mercedes-Benz in North Sydney.

Chief Superintendent Darren Bennett said the intensified police activity had seen associates of the Alameddine and Hamze gangs try to leave Sydney to lay low

When they tried to pull it over, the masked gunmen fled, later allegedly carjacking a Toyota Corolla, threatening the 76-year-old male driver with a gun, and escaping.

The alleged plot to kill Ibrahem Hamze came just two months after his brother Bilal Hamze was gunned down outside a Japanese restaurant in Sydney's CBD.

And it followed the October 2020 deadly attack on Mejid Hamzy, little brother of Brothers 4 Life founder Bassam Hamzy, currently serving 40 years in Goulburn's Supermax prison.

The four murders in the past year are just the latest escalation of the blood feuds Brothers 4 Life has been involved with since around 2012.

Chief Superintendent Bennett admitted they faced an army of mercenaries carrying out executions to order now.

'There's no doubt that there's guns for hire in south-western Sydney,' he said. 'There's no doubt that these crime gangs are using those people.

'We're doing our best to monitor and manage them as best we can and we're having significant success.'
A serial killer Texas nurse has been sentenced to death for killing four patients after he injected them with air for fun following their heart surgeries.

William George Davis, 37, worked in the cardiovascular ICU wing at Christus Trinity Mother Frances Hospital in Tyler, Texas - about 100miles east of Dallas - when he killed four patients between 2017 and 2018.

The Smith County jury, which was made up of 12 jurors, deliberated for just under two hours before deciding to condemn the ex-nurse to death.

According to the Tyler Paper, the jury believed David could be a threat to society and found that there is no evidence that would have stopped them from making their decision.

Serial killer Texas nurse William George Davis (left and right in court on October 19), 37, has been sentenced to death for killing four patients after he injected them with air for fun following their heart surgeries

The sentence was announced by 114th District Court Judge Austin Reeve Jackson a week after Davis was convicted of the capital murders of Christopher Greenaway, 47; Jose Kalina, 58; Ronald Clark, 68; and John Lafferty, 74.

Davis - from Hallsville, Texas - was found guilty of the horrific killings on October 19 after he injected air in the victims' arteries as they were recovering from their heart surgeries.

Doctors were puzzled as the patients' conditions deteriorated after surgery. CT scans showed air in their brains and they reportedly suffered from unexplained neurological problems, according to The New York Times.

Doctors cited stroke-like symptoms and said that Davis was the only nurse on duty at the time.

'It turns out a hospital is the perfect place for a serial killer,' Smith County district attorney Jacob Putman said during the trial.

Earlier on in the trial, which began on September 28, Putman said during opening statements: 'No one expects this is going to happen to them - certainly not in a hospital.

Christopher Greenaway (left) and Joseph Kalina (right) were two of four victims whose arteries were injected with air. CT scans showed the air in their brains and they reportedly suffered from unexplained neurological problems

'We're going to ask you to find him guilty of capital murder because that's what he did.'

Over the course of the next month prosecutors showed security footage from the hospital in the courtroom throughout the four-day punishment phase, which began the day after he was found guilty on October 19.

The videos showed Davis entering one of the patient's hospital rooms. That patient's heart monitor alarm sounded three minutes later and he died, as reported by The Times.

Then on Friday a phone call Davis made to his ex-wife from jail was also played. The killer said he tried to find ways to prolong patients' ICU stays so that he could work overtime and make more money.

After admitting to the slayings to his ex-wife he also reportedly berated the jury - which was made up of five white men, one Hispanic man and six white women - to his brother.

Prosecutors reportedly portrayed Davis as a twisted serial-killer caregiver who 'enjoyed' injecting air into vulnerable patients when no one was watching and thus causing fatal brain damage.

'(He) liked to kill people,' prosecutor Chris Gatewood said during closing arguments.

'He enjoyed going into the rooms and injecting them with air. If you watch the video on (Joseph) Kalina, he sat at the end of the hall and he watched those monitors and he waited. Thats because he liked it,' Gatewood added.

Davis was a nurse at Christus Trinity Mother Frances Hospital (pictured) in Tyler, Texas - about 100miles east of Dallas - at the time of the horrific slayings

Meanwhile, defense attorney Phillip Hayes told the jury that the hospital had issues and that Davis was a scapegoat who was only charged because he was there when the deaths occurred - but jurors disagreed.

Hayes claimed that the deceased patients all showed signs of a watershed stroke - which occurs when vulnerable border zones of the brain supplied by the three main cerebral arteries don't receive enough blood, according to The Times.

He also noted that they each had underlying medical conditions and suggested that Davis was merely in the wrong place at the wrong time.

'I don't know if there's any evidence to show that it was foul play,' the defense attorney said at the trial.

Putman noted that the hospital has yet to even change any of its procedures but hasn't had any similar incidents since Davis left.

Davis remains in custody at the Smith County jail on a $8.75million bond, according to The Times.

Putman said after Wednesday's sentencing trial when asked about why the jury only took two hours to reach a decision: 'I don't know why they deliberated a short amount of time but if I had to guess it would be the case that the detectives put together was so strong. It didnt leave a doubt in their mind.'

Prosecutors showed security footage from the hospital in the courtroom throughout the four-day punishment phase, which began the day after he was found guilty on October 19. The videos showed Davis entering one of the patient's hospital rooms and that patient's heart monitor alarm sounded three minutes later

Prosecutor Jacob Putman (pictured) noted that the hospital has yet to even change any of its procedures but hasn't had any similar incidents since Davis left. During opening statements on September 28 Putman asked the jury to find Davis guilty of capital murder

A spokesman for Christus Mother Frances Hospital, where Davis worked, said in an email statement today, according to The Times: 'The jurys decision brings with it a range of emotions for our associates and - most especially - the people and families harmed by Will Davis.'

'We pray for our community and all involved, and hope that the jurys verdict helps bring some closure to those harmed,' it added, noting that the hospital's top priority was to 'extend the healing ministry of Jesus Christ'.

Davis was fired from his job at the hospital in February 2018 and was arrested that April after police learned that Davis was the only employee consistently around each of the four patients who experienced stroke-like symptoms.
A mother-of-six who led the charge to remove sexually explicit books from school libraries has claimed federal law enforcement officials flew helicopters and stationed cop cars outside a school board meeting in Virginia to intimidate parents - after AG Merrick Garland was accused of treating parents like 'terrorists'.

Stacy Langton appeared on Fox News Fox & Friends on Wednesday and claimed that federal agents and unmarked law enforcement vehicles were seen outside a board meeting of the Fairfax County Public Schools last week.

Langton claimed that there was a heavy federal law enforcement presence just days after she and others protested outside the Department of Justice in Washington, DC.

She made the allegation as Attorney General Merrick Garland was accused of targeting Fairfax County parents protesting aspects of the school curriculum as domestic terrorists.

The Biden administrations top prosecutor has come under fire over a directive the Justice Department issued earlier this month promising more law enforcement resources for schools amid a rise in tensions and threats at school board meetings over matters like critical race theory, coronavirus precautions and transgender bathroom policies.

In his memo Garland said there had been 'a disturbing spike in harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence against school administrators, board members, teachers, and staff who participate in the vital work of running our nations public schools.'

Stacy Langton (left), a mother of six children from Fairfax County, Virginia who forced the local school system to remove sexually explicit books from school libraries, claims federal law enforcement officials are intimidating parents protesting school curriculum and treating them as 'domestic terrorists.' Attorney General Merrick Garland is seen right

Langton claimed that federal agents and unmarked law enforcement vehicles were seen outside a board meeting of the Fairfax County Public Schools last week. Langton said that there was a heavy federal law enforcement presence just days after she and others protested outside the Department of Justice in Washington, DC. But the image that she posted appears to show flowing traffic near where the school board meeting was held

While Garland never mentioned or referred to parents as terrorists, his memo came after the National School Boards Association sent a letter to President Joe Biden asking for help.

The letter claimed that clashes between the school board and parents could amount to 'domestic terrorism'.

Langton, however, believes she and other parents are being targeted by the feds and says she has received death threats in response to the protests.

'I have threats against my children by name, I have been followed in my car with my children, they have my vehicle, they know where I live, and I dont know who's putting somebody up to this, but it's obviously meant to intimidate me,' said Langton.

'I'm not getting a lot of sleep right now, nobodys sleeping in my house because we cant be sure that were safe,' she said.

'So, I understand Merrick Garland is actually testifying today at the Senate and hes gonna talk about mobilizing the FBI against parents.

'Maybe he should mobilize the FBI into whos threatening my family.'

Langton posted a tweet on Friday showing a marked Department of Homeland Security vehicle that was operated by the DHSs Federal Protective Service, the agency unit responsible for safeguarding federal properties.

'Went to @fcpsnews (Fairfax County Public Schools) #schoolboardmeeting last night,' Langton wrote in the caption of Friday's tweet.

'Heavy #Fed presence. Unmarked fed vehicles, @DHSgov vehicles, even helicopter circling overhead with spotlight on Moms & Dads.

'All on the night #DOJ Merrick Garland testifies. A little over the top, no?'

Other internet users, however, claimed that the photo Langton posted was of Gallows Road, a busy intersection in Fairfax County, and that it was not of parked cars outside the school board meeting.

Social media users also noted that northern Virginia is home to several federal buildings, and it is not uncommon to see federal law enforcement personnel driving by.

The school board meetings are usually held in a location on Gallows Road, but the image Langton posted appears to be that of flowing traffic, and not a parking lot as she suggested.

'This is something that is incredible in America and its ridiculously un-American,' Langton told Fox & Friends of the alleged law enforcement presence.

DailyMail.com has reached out to Langton, the Fairfax County Public Schools, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Justice seeking comment.

Langton last month forced FCPS to remove two books from school libraries, including an illustrated memoir that contains explicit illustrations of sexual encounters involving children.

Sen. Tom Cotton questioned Garland on Wednesday over a DOJ memo promising to address a 'rise in crime' at school board meetings

She questioned the school board at a public meeting last month about the books availability in high school libraries.

As she quoted from explicit passages in the book, a school board member interrupted her and chastised her for using explicit language.

Another school board member defended the books by saying they are available only in high school libraries, not in grade schools.

The school system then announced that it was pulling Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe and Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison from circulation pending a more detailed review.

Gender Queer, an illustrated memoir, contains explicit illustrations of oral sex and masturbation.

The novel Lawn Boy contains graphic descriptions of sex between men and children.

Both books were previous winners of the American Library Association's Alex Awards, which each year recognize 'ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults ages 12 through 18.'

The controversy is the latest to befuddle Fairfax County's school board, and other across Virginia and the country as conservative parents object to masks in schools, anti-racism curriculum, and policy changes requiring transgender students be referred to by their preferred pronouns.

Scott Smith was arrested at a Loudoun County school board meeting on June 22 after his daughter, 15, was allegedly attacked by a boy in a dress

Smith was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct after the June 22 meeting. He said he was trying to contain himself after listening to school board staff say they'd never had a report of a sexual assault in a bathroom, when that is what his daughter reported weeks earlier

Scoot (left) and Jess Smith (right) are suing Loudon County under the provisions of Title X after their 15-year-old daughter was allegedly raped by a 'skirt-wearing male student' in a 'gender fluid' restroom at Stone Bridge High School in Leesburg, Virginia on May 28

Republicans say Garland went too far in instructing Justice Department divisions to coordinate with local law enforcement.

An accompanying news release had mentioned the FBI, the departments criminal division, national security division, civil rights division and other departments.

'The obligation of the Justice Department is to protect the American people against violence and threats of violence and that particularly includes public officials,' Garland said.

Meanwhile, the NSBA has since apologized for comparing parents to domestic terrorists.

'As you all know, there has been extensive media and other attention recently around our letter to President Biden regarding threats and acts of violence against school board members,' the NSBA wrote in a memo.

'We wanted to write to you directly to address this matter.'

'On behalf of NSBA, we regret and apologize for the letter,' the NSBA said, noting that 'there was no justification for some of the language included in the letter.'

The NSBA had called for the use of measures like the PATRIOT Act, which is typically used to address terrorism.

Sen. Tom Cotton tore into Garland during testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, telling him to 'resign in disgrace.'

'Thank God you are not on the Supreme Court,' the Arkansas Republican said, bringing up the touchy subject of Garland's failed confirmation to the high court in 2016. President Obama appointed him and then-Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked his confirmation because it was an election year.

Furious parents have demanded the resignation of Loudoun County Schools Superintendent Scott Ziegler, shown on June 22, telling a school board meeting that there had been no reports of sexual assaults involving transgender kids in bathrooms when one was reported on May 28

'You should resign in disgrace,' Cotton told Garland.

Cotton asked about a Loudoun County father who was dragged out of a school board meeting and arrested as he tried to tell the room his 15-year-old daughter had been raped by a boy dressed in a skirt at Stone Bridge High School in the girls' bathroom.

Scott Smith says Loudoun County schools went out of their way to protect the child - who he called 'a sexual predator'.

Smith accused the school of covering up the incident to protect its new policy allowing students to use the bathroom they identify with.

The incident reportedly took place on May 28 and Scott was arrested on June 22.

Two months after the incident, the boy - who has not been named because he is a juvenile - was arrested for forced sodomy.

And in October, he was arrested again on different charges for allegedly assaulting a different girl, at a different school. He is now in a juvenile detention center.

The boy was charged with two counts of forcible sodomy for the May 28 attack and sexual battery for the October 6 attack, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office said on Oct. 13. The Sheriff's Office released the statement to clear up 'misinformation' regarding the case.

On Tuesday the boy was found guilty of forcible sodomy and forcible fellatio, and will return to court on November 15 for sentencing.

Scott and his wife Jessica Smith are now suing the county over the alleged attempted coverup.

The lawsuit comes after the Smiths demanded Superintendent Scott Ziegler's resignation for what they say was a cover-up of the incident. They say they are not anti-gay, but do not approve of 'transgender kids' stuff.'

'Do you apologize to Scott Smith and his 15-year-old daughter, judge?' Cotton asked Garland. Cotton said that controversy had prompted the DOJ's stepping in.

In June, parents called for Ziegler's resignation at a school board meeting. More than 60 irate parents and one student attended the meeting

14-year-old Katie Young also spoke at the meeting. She said: 'I am 14 years old, the fact that I have to be here defending my rights to not have your radical agenda shoved down my throat in school is not only concerning, it's upsetting.'

Garland went on to say rape is 'the most horrific crime I can imagine' and that Scott is 'entitled and protected by the First Amendment.'

'This is shameful. Your testimony, your directive is shameful. Your performance is shameful,' Cotton shot back.

At the meeting on June 22, Loudoun County School Superintendent Scott Ziegler said the school had never had any form of incident inside a bathroom or locker room involving a transgender child.

'To my knowledge, we don't have any record of assaults occurring in our restrooms,' he said first.

But an unearthed email reveals that on May 28, the day of the alleged rape , he sent an email to colleagues confirming that it had been reported.

'This afternoon, a female student alleged that a male student sexually assaulted her in the restroom,' it read.

On October 15, Ziegler apologized for 'failing' to ensure the safety of students and prevent the alleged rape.

Ziegler took the job in Loudoun County in January after working in HR for years. He is paid $295,000 a year

Parents have been requesting the superintendent resign from his position, but he has yet to do so.

He apologized for 'misleading' them on June 22 when he told a crowded meeting that there had been no sexual assaults on campus by transgender kids, and that predatory transgender people 'do not exist.'

'I regret that my comments were misleading and I apologize for the distress they caused families,' he said.

During testimony on Wednesday, Senator Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois, asked Garland if he had any 'second thoughts' about his directive.

'I assume you're going to revoke your extremely divisive memo that you said was instigated because of that letter [from the NSBA]?' Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, also asked.

'The letter that was subsequently sent does not change the association's concern of violence or threats of violence. It alters some of the language in the letter  that we did not rely on and is not contained in my own memorandum,' Garland said.

Garland said that he was not only concerned about school boards, but a 'rising tide' in violence against judges, prosecutors, election administrators, and others.
A critically endangered Australian bird affectionately known as 'goldilocks' has been given the chance to thrive in an exclusive habitat thanks to the determined work of rural farmers in NSW.

The plains-wanderer, one of the nation's rarest birds, attracted its nickname from wildlife experts as it tends to avoid areas lacking vegetation.

But with bleak estimates of only 500 of the ground-dwelling birds remaining in the wild, selfless landholders have set aside roughly 13,000 hectares of habitat stretching from Hay to Jerilderie in regional NSW.

A critically endangered Australian bird affectionately known as 'goldilocks' (pictured) has been given the chance to thrive in an exclusive habitat in regional NSW

The exclusive habitat allocation is part of the Paddocks for Plains-wanderer project, in partnership with Local Land Services in the Riverine Plains.

David Parker, a threatened species officer with Saving our Species, paid tribute to the selfless actions of the landholders.

'We have managed to exceed our initial 10,000-hectare target for the birds which is great,' he told the ABC.

'The project is also proof that farming and conservation can work together closely... ultimately we want to provide a future for the threatened species.'

With virtually all of the plain wanderers' prime habitat being native grass on private land, the farmers will need to be proactive.

'In an average year the bird requires 60 per cent bare ground and about 40 per cent grass, with a bit of litter as well,' Parker added.

The long-standing nature enthusiast was delighted to see farmers working in unison when it comes to protecting 'goldilocks' from the likes of foxes and feral cats.

To assist with the project, landholders have been provided with a handful of incentives, notably stock proof fencing, a stock management area and feral pest control.

It is hoped long term the critically endangered species, typically found in NSW's Riverina region, northern plains in Victoria and some parts of south-east South Australia, will rapidly increase in population numbers over the coming years.

In recent months, eight plains-wanderers bred at Taronga Western Plains Zoo and Taronga Zoo in NSW were released into the wild in Victoria as part of a trial research project.

With only close to 500 of plains-wanderer birds in the wild, the species is on the verge of extinction
Kristina Keneally has been accused of 'hypocrisy' for selling products sourced from China to raise election funds just two weeks after Labor launched its 'buy Australian' policy.

The shadow home affairs minister has made a website called 'the BS Report' where she records statements from Scott Morrison that she believes are false or deliberate lies.

In a bid to raise money for the upcoming election, Senator Keneally has also set up an online store to sell $34.99 water bottles, $29.99 tote bags and $19.99 mugs and iPhone cases emblazoned with quotes that poke fun at the Prime Minister.

Kristina Keneally (pictured in Parliament last week) has been accused of 'hypocrisy' for selling products sourced from China to raise election funds just two weeks after Labor launched its 'buy Australian' policy

In a bid to raise money for the upcoming election, Senator Keneally is selling $34.99 water bottles, $29.99 tote bags and $19.99 mugs and iPhone cases (above) emblazoned with quotes and images that poke fun at Scott Morrison

These include his 2019 comment that electric vehicles would 'end the weekend', his insistence that 'I don't hold a hose, mate' while in Hawaii during the bushfires and Joe Biden's quip 'that fella down under' after forgetting Mr Morrison's name in a joint press conference.

But some of the product descriptions say 'sourced from China', prompting critics to accuse Labor of hypocrisy after it launched a flagship policy to boost Australian manufacturing.

Labor's Buy Australian Plan, announced earlier this month, aims to 'maximise the use of local workers and businesses' by making sure Government contracts are offered to Australian companies first.

On the BS Report store, the description for a water bottle with the quote 'that fella down under' said 'blank product sourced from China'.

But on the same product with the quote 'end the weekend' - which Senator Keneally advertised on Twitter - the source had been removed and replaced with a slash.

Senator Keneally has advertised her products which are sourced from China on Twitter

On the BS Report website, the description for a water bottle with the quote 'that fella down under' said 'blank product sourced from China' (left). But on the same product with the quote 'end the weekend' - which Senator Keneally advertised on Twitter - the source had been removed and replaced with a slash (right)

Liberal Senator Hollie Hughes accused the former NSW Premier, who lives in Sydney's affluent Northern Beaches but will run for the disadvantaged seat of Fowler at the election, of hypocrisy.

'What's BS is Labor pretending to back Aussie jobs publicly while secretly sourcing their fundraising merchandise from China,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

'There's a pattern here from Kristina - she BS'ed the people of NSW and got kicked out of office as Premier, she's trying to BS about where she lives so she can run for a lower house seat, and now she's spouting BS about supporting Australian products and jobs.

'The hypocrisy would be outrageous if it wasn't so typical of what Australians have come to expect from Kristina Keneally.'

Senator Keneally hit back, saying the BS Report uses local printing services to emblazon the products after they arrive from China.

This is one of the phone cases that is on sale on Kristina Keneally's BS Report website for $19.99

'The BS Report uses an on-demand printing service with printing partners in Queensland and Victoria,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

'This same company has been named as the number one ''on demand company in Australia''.

'Now, the BS Report Store wouldn't be necessary, except that Mr Morrison is so full of BS.

'Every day it's more and more BS. There are some great products on the BS Report Store and I'd encourage everyone to have a look, share and buy the merchandise to help get rid of Mr Morrison and his BS.'
Daryl Maguire and Gladys Berejiklian talked about having a baby together, had secret holidays and he had a key to her house, a corruption inquiry has been told in explosive evidence.

Mr Maguire agreed with ICAC counsel Scott Robertson that he and the former NSW premier had 'a close emotional attachment', that he loved her, that 'as far as you could tell, she loved you', 'you contemplated marriage to her' and they had 'a level of physical intimacy'.

'There was a discussion about potentially having a child?' Mr Robertson asked. Mr Maguire agreed with this.

Mr Maguire told the Independent Commission Against Corruption that Ms Berejiklian did not ask for the key to her door back after their relationship ended.

Mr Robertson put it to Mr Maguire that 'At least so far as you're concerned, you remained in a close personal relationship until briefly before the last public inquiry last year?'

'Yes,' Mr Maguire said.

Daryl Maguire (pictured, left) is giving evidence at a corruption inquiry into former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian (right)

Ms Berejiklian had asked Mr Maguire to resign as an MP in July 2018 after his evidence at a previous ICAC inquiry.

She has already told the ICAC that she was still in contact with Mr Maguire until September last year.

ICAC counsel Scott Robertson asks Daryl Maguire about his relationship with Gladys Berejiklian 'You loved her?' Mr Robertson asked. 'Yes,' Mr Maguire said. 'And so far as you can ascertain, she loved you as well?' 'Yes,' Mr Maguire said. 'You contemplated marriage?' Mr Robertson asked. 'Yes,' Mr Maguire said. 'There was a discussion about potentially having a child?' Mr Robertson asked. 'Yes,' Mr Maguire said. Advertisement

The ICAC is, in part, investigating if Ms Berejiklian engaged in conduct 'liable to allow or encourage the occurrence of corrupt conduct' by Mr Maguire.

Ms Berejiklian has denied wrongdoing.

Mr Maguire confirmed he 'encouraged' Ms Berejiklian 'to take a close interest' in the two multi-million dollar grants which are at the centre of the corruption investigation, and that 'from time to time' she informed him about what she knew about these applications.

He later said 'I lobbied everybody' about projects of interest to him.

'Including Ms Berejiklian?' asked Mr Robertson.

'Of course,' Mr Maguire replied.

Mr Maguire agreed he lobbied Ms Berejiklian about multi-millions of dollars in funding for two organisations in his electorate, including a proposed $5.5 million upgrade at the Australian Clay Target Association (ACTA).

He said this was not unusual but agreed he had more access to Ms Berejiklian because they were in a relationship at the time.

Mr Maguire was sked if he was involved in getting ACTA's funding proposal onto the agenda of the NSW government's expenditure review committee (ERC) meeting in December 2016.

'I don't know. I don't run the ERC. I don't recall. I would have thought the minister would have put it forward or someone from the premier's office,' he said.

Daryl Maguire (pictured, top right) is giving evidence to the Independent Commission Against Corruption hearing into Gladys Berejiklian

Former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian's legal team made a last ditch bid to keep her former lover's evidence to ICAC heard in private, but the application was refused

Ms Berejiklian's legal team earlier failed in a last ditch application to have evidence from her secret boyfriend, Mr Maguire, kept private at the corruption inquiry into the former premier.

In calling for a private session, barrister Sophie Callan said she had 'personal privacy concerns of the highest order' for Ms Berejiklian.

She said no public service would be served by 'plumbing the depths' and wanted to prevent any 'humiliation and harm' to her client.

Ms Callan told ICAC Assistant Commissioner Ruth McColl, SC, who is presiding over the inquiry, that she has a discretion to hold part of the hearing in private.

Ms McColl asked Ms Callan her what private details she was referring to.

'Hallmarks or indications at the level of commitment' in that relationship, replied Ms Callan.

She also called for the non-publication of any evidence held in such a private session.

Jim Harrowell, a member of Mr Maguire's legal team, said he supports the application. 'A private hearing is more appropriate,' he said.

Mr Robertson called for the application to be refused. 'A public inquiry is to be held in public,' he said.

He added that having a private session would risk it 'becoming a public inquiry in name only'.

Mr Robertson argued that the hearing should be able to publicly delve into the nature of the relationship between Ms Berejiklian and Mr Maguire because the former premier openly gave interviews to the press after a previous ICAC hearing a year ago about how she planned to marry him.

Responding, Ms Callan said 'Mr Robertson has not advance advanced any cogent or persuasive reasons' not to hold the session in private.

Ms McColl adjourned the hearing to consider her position. When she returned she announced that she had rejected the application for a private hearing.

In sensational evidence heard shortly after Mr Maguire appeared, Mr Robertson asked about his relationship with Ms Berejiklian.

'You loved her?' he asked.

'Yes,' Mr Maguire said.

'And so far as you can ascertain, she loved you as well?' Mr Robertson asked.

'Yes,' Mr Maguire said.

'You contemplated marriage?' Mr Robertson asked.

'Yes,' Mr Maguire said.

'There was a discussion about potentially having a child?' Mr Robertson asked.

'Yes,' Mr Maguire said.

ICAC is investigating whether Ms Berejiklian 1. Engaged in conduct between 2012 and 2018 that was 'liable to allow or encourage the occurrence of corrupt conduct' by former Liberal MP Daryl Maguire, with whom she was in a close personal relationship between 2015 and 2018 2. Exercised her official functions dishonestly or partially by refusing to exercise her duty to report any reasonable suspicions about Mr Maguire to the ICAC 3. Exercised any of her official functions partially in connection with two multimillion-dollar grants in Mr Maguire's electorate, to the Australian Clay Target Association Inc and the Riverina Conservatorium of Music Advertisement

Mr Maguire was asked about a press release he put out in January 2017 about $5.5 million in state government funding for ACTA.

The ICAC previously heard evidence that NSW bureaucrats thought the release was premature as the funding was still contingent on a satisfactory business case being made.

Mr Maguire said his impression was 'the money would flow with some paperwork' and 'I can't recall there ever being strings attached to it'.

He was shown an email he sent Ms Berejiklian on March 6, 2017, saying: 'Typical of our bulls**t government.'

At that time, the government was working with outside consultants to prepare a revised business case examining the benefit to cost ratio of the project.

Mr Maguire told the ICAC the email's language was 'typical Daryl'.

He said the upgrade of the ACTA gun club was urgent and he was 'venting my frustration at the bureaucracy and the way the government tied itself in knots'.

He added that Ms Berejiklian 'needed to know the rubbish that was going on'.

Asked if he was inviting her to intervene, Mr Maguire said: 'You could read that as an invitation. You could interpret it as that.'

Mr Robertson later asked Mr Maguire about a phone call he made while he was an MP which was recorded by ICAC investigators.

Mr Maguire admitted that he attempted to get confidential information from other MPs about land in Cawdor in the Wollondilly Shire to assist his property developer friend William Leong.

'I asked their view on what they thought would happen,' Mr Maguire said.

He agreed with Mr Robertson that he had misused his position as a member of parliament.

Sophie Callan (pictured), who is representing Gladys Berejiklian, arrives at the ICAC hearing in Sydney on Thursday

On Monday, former deputy NSW premier John Barilaro told the ICAC that Ms Berejiklian should have disclosed her secret relationship with Mr Maguire, who at the time was the Liberal MP for Wagga Wagga.

Ms Callan sought to turn the tables on Mr Barilaro, asking if he had disclosed relationships of his own.

Mr Barilaro said he 'would have' disclosed any relationships, including family links.

'What about any other intimate personal relationships?' Ms Callan asked.

'That's a hard question because my relationships are with my family,' Mr Barilaro said.

Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting Mr Barilaro has done anything improper in his personal or professional lives.

Ms Callan was one of 26 NSW barristers to be appointed senior counsel last year. She is best known known for prosecuting former Labor ministers Eddie Obeid and Ian Macdonald over matters arising from ICAC inquiries.
Only 68 per cent of the US is military is fully vaccinated against the coronavirus with less then five weeks to go before the mandate deadline passes.

About 468,000  or 32 percent  of the militarys 1.46 million total employees werent fully inoculated Wednesday ahead of the November 28 target date for active-duty Navy and Marines.

About 82 percent of the total force has received at least one jab, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said, meaning about 263,200 members have yet to receive a single dose of an FDA-approved vacc2ine,

The figures are more promising among the active-duty force, where 97 per cent have received at least one shot and 87 per cent are fully vaccinated.

Active Army troops must be fully inoculated by December 15, while Reserve and National Guard employees have until June 30, 2022 to get the jab, the US Army said.

About 468,000  or 32 percent  of the militarys 1.46 million total employees werent fully inoculated Wednesday ahead of a November 28 deadline

There have been 383,560 coronavirus cases and 578 deaths in the military community since the start of the coronavirus pandemic

Kirby told reporters Wednesday that theres been little resistance to the vaccine.

People understand that this is an important program, he said. And they're participating in it.

There have been 383,560 coronavirus cases and 578 deaths in the military community since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Department of Defense.

Before the mandate, vaccines were optional, but Lt. Gen. R. Scott Dingle said in August they would become necessary to protect the force.

This is quite literally a matter of life and death for our Soldiers, their families and the communities in which we live, he said in a press release.

Those who would refuse a COVID shot would be punished, though it wasnt immediately clear what the repercussions might be.

About 82 percent of the total military force has received at least one jab of the vaccine, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Wednesday

Soldiers who refuse the vaccine without an exemption could be discharged, Military.com reported.

The Washington Post has reported that defense officials were reluctant to predict how many soldiers would defy the mandate, although Representative Dan Crenshaw, of Texas, tweeted last month that he expects it to be a lot.

'Question for the SECDEF: Are you really filling to allow a huge exodus of experienced service members just because they won't take the vaccine,' he wrote.

'Honestly, Americans deserve to know how you plan on dealing with this blow to force readiness - it's already causing serious problems.'

Some Air Force officers have already joined other government workers in lawsuits to halt the requirements, according to the Post.

More than 66 percent of all Americans have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while 57.2 percent of the total US population are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.
A Louisiana man was convicted on Tuesday after he tried to hire a hitman to kill his ex-wife while he was in jail for sexually assaulting his two young stepdaughters.

Steven Marcus Kelley, 48, of West Monroe, was found guilty on charges of using the mail to commission a murder for hire in December 2019. He had been indicted in 2020.

Surveillance footage from Ouachita Correctional Center revealed Kelly writing the letter to the hitman, describing what his ex-wife looked like and where she could be found.

The letter, according to prosecutors, told the hitman to carry out the attack with '2 in the chest, 2 to the head' and that is 'HAS to look like a robbery.'

He was awaiting trial at OCC at the time after he was charged with raping and sexually assaulting his ex-wife's two daughters, aged eight and 12.

West Monroe man Steven Kelley, 48, was convicted on Tuesday after he tried to hire a hitman to kill his ex-wife

Kelley had attempted to hire the hitman in December 2019 after writing a letter to him from Ouachita Correctional City as he awaited trial on charges of sexually assaulting his two young stepdaughters, aged eight and 12

Prosecutors said that Kelley wrote the letter after obtaining the address of the hit man from another inmate.

'Believing the individual who lived at that address would carry out the murder, Kelley offered $10k for the job for the individual to put 2 in the chest, 2 in the head and to make sure it counts, they said in a press release.

In the letter, Kelley described the woman, her vehicle, where she worked and when she was likely to get to work, with a map in blue and black ink.

He also used another inmate's name for the return address on the letter which was mailed from OCC through the United States Postal Service.

Rather than jumping for the cash, the person who received the letter brought it to the Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office on December 11, 2019, the morning after it arrived.

Law enforcement officers then watched surveillance footage from the week before that showed Kelley writing the letter while sitting on his bed.

The person who received the letter then promptly gave it to the Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office

The video showed Kelley switching between a blue and a black pen that was used to make the map of his ex-wife's location.

He was later seen going to an inmate's cell where he addressed the letter it on their bed.

Kelley later gave the letter to another inmate so he could hand over to the correctional officer to mail.

Officers obtained a search warrant for OCC on December 30 and looked through Kelley's cell where they found the pens and the address of the 'hit man' in another inmate's cell.

Kelley faces up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

Judge Terry A. Doughty has not set a sentencing date.

DailyMail.com reached out to Ouachita Parish District Attorney Office for comment.
The White House coronavirus coordinator said that Biden's December 8 vaccine deadline for government contractors is 'not a cliff' at a press briefing on Wednesday.

Jeffrey Zients said of the deadline, which is when Biden all federal contractors have to be vaccinated by: 'Even once we hit those deadlines, we expect federal agencies and contractors will follow their standard HR processes and that, for any of the probably relatively small percent of employees that are not in compliance, they'll go through education, counseling, accommodations, and then enforcement.'

Federal workers should be vaccinated by a deadline of November 22.

The statement means that employers with more than 100 workers will not have to fire unvaccinated employees in two month's time. Instead of immediate lay-offs there will be time for education, counseling and other measures before potentially ending employment.

White House coronavirus coordinator Jeffrey Zients (right) said that Biden's December 8 vaccine deadline is 'not a cliff' at a press briefing on Wednesday. The statement means that employers with more than 100 workers will not have to fire unvaccinated employees in two month's time. Instead of immediate lay-offs there will be time for education, counseling and other measures before potentially ending employment

Zients noted that the purpose of the deadline is to get more people vaccinated, not to serve as a punishment

Prior to the press briefing millions of workers were left believing they'd be jobless come December 9 unless they got a religious or medical exemption.

Zients added: 'These processes play out across weeks, not days.

'And so, to be clear, were creating flexibility within the system. Were offering people multiple opportunities to get vaccinated. There is not a cliff here.'

The coordinator was also sure to note that the purpose of the deadline, 'most importantly, is to get people vaccinated and protected, not to punish them'.

He also said that he does not expect any disruptions to the US economy as a result of the mandate.

He added: 'These processes play out across weeks not days.'

According to Zients a new emergency measure will also be finalized soon to ensure private sector workers at companies with 100 or more employees are fully vaccinated or tested for Covid-19 at least weekly although the exact date wasn't immediately clear.

American Airlines and Southwest Airlines said last Thursday they did not think the December 8 deadline would impact holiday travel or result in employees leaving.

Some airlines and industry-watchers initially feared an exodus of unvaccinated airline or government employees involved in travel just before the Christmas season.

Nationwide, about 191million Americans have been fully vaccinated - nearly 58 percent of the population

Southwest Airlines Chief Executive Gary Kelly said last week: 'We want our employees to know that nobody is going to lose their job on December 9 if we're not perfectly in compliance... We're not going to fire anybody who doesn't get vaccinated.'

Meanwhile, American Airlines Chief Executive Doug Parker said he did not expect any employees to leave as a result of the vaccine mandate.

A group representing FedEx Corp, United Parcel Service Inc and other cargo carriers told the White House last week it would be virtually impossible to have 100 percent of their respective work forces vaccinated by December 8.

His statements came after it was revealed that just 68 percent of the US military is vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Many federal contractors have told employees that they risk losing their jobs if they are not vaccinated by December 8. Raytheon Technologies' Chief Executive Greg Hayes warned in a CNBC interview Tuesday the US aerospace and defense firm will lose 'several thousand' employees who refuse to take Covid-19 vaccines, as it prepares to meet the December 8 deadline.

On Wednesday Republican Senator Roger Wicker urged Biden to abandon the plan completely and said: 'We cannot afford to gut our transportation network of tens and perhaps hundreds of thousands of essential, good-paying jobs.'

Nationwide, about 191million Americans have been fully vaccinated - nearly 58 percent of the population, according to CDC data.
The Queen was forced to give up horse riding two months ago after suffering 'discomfort', according to reports.

Her Majesty, 95, was told to stop with her beloved hobby in early September, but is determined to get back in the saddle soon.

According to The Sun, The Queen - who is known for her love of horseback riding and as an avid racing fan - has not been out on a horse since she took a summer break to Scotland.

The Queen (pictured on horseback in Windsor in 2020, file photo) was forced to give up her horse riding two months ago after suffering 'discomfort', according to reports

Citing a source from Balmoral Castle - the Scottish holiday home of the royal family - the newspaper reported that Her Majesty was 'in quite a bit of discomfort.'

'She adores riding and it has been part of her ritual for most of her life,' the source said. 'She has been extremely disappointed not to go riding since the beginning of September.'

But the Queen has refused to give up on her favourite pastime, and according to royal insiders cited by The Sun, she is eager to return after taking time to rest.

For a long time, Her Majesty has been known for her love of equestrian activities, including going to watch the races, caring for horses and riding herself.

She has regularly been photographed on horseback during her reign, and before her coronation as a princess.

The 95-year-old monarch was due to travel to Scotland for the high-profile Cop26 evening engagement on Monday, but she will now record a video address for delegates.

It is understood the Queen very much wants the conference to be a success and result in meaningful action from the participating nations.

The Queen faced preliminary tests in hospital on October 20 during her first overnight stay at a medical facility in eight years, and has twice used a walking stick in recent weeks.

Pictured: Then US President Ronald Reagan and Queen Elizabeth II riding in Home Park in Windsor in 1982. For a long time, Her Majesty has been known for her love of equestrian activities, including going to watch the races, caring for horses and riding herself

She returned to work on Tuesday, carrying out virtual audiences from Windsor Castle, her first official engagements in seven days, after she was ordered to rest by doctors - and later that day spoke with Chancellor Rishi Sunak ahead of the Budget.

The Queen has held her weekly meeting with the Prime Minister on Wednesday as she continues to carry out light duties.

The head of state and Boris Johnson spoke by phone the day after the Queen announced she would not be travelling to Scotland for the UN climate change conference Cop26.

An entry in Wednesday's Court Circular, the official record of royal engagements, said: 'The Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP (Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury) had an audience of The Queen via telephone this evening.'

It is the first time the two national figures have conducted their traditional catch-up chat in three weeks.

There are no details in the Court Circular of Mr Johnson having an audience with the Queen last week when she was advised to rest and cancelled a two-day trip to Northern Ireland.

The Prime Minister was on holiday the preceding week, and the last official note of a telephone meeting between the pair was on October 6.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot was booed at the annual fundraiser for the plumbers' union on Sunday over her vaccine mandate forcing city workers to report their vaccination status or be placed on unpaid leave.

Video captured the moment Lightfoot was met with the resounding sound of boos as she was introduced to speak at the annual event to raise money for the political action committee.

The Plumbers Union Local 130 was the first union to endorse Lightfoot during the 2019 runoff election against Toni Preckwinkle.

The video shows Jim Coyne, the union's business manager, introducing Lightfoot to an eruption of boos as she took the podium.

'I knew that was going to happen,' a person off camera is heard saying.

'That's f**king brutal,' another said in the video.

Video recorded the moment when Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot was booed off stage at a fundraising event for the plumbers' union over the weekend

Lightfoot was introduced by Jim Coyne, the union's business manager, when a loud eruption of boos broke out as she took the podium on Sunday

An anonymous attendee told The Chicago Sun Times that the mayor was 'booed off the stage.'

They said that Lightfoot: 'Spoke for less than a minute. And there was a resounding booing throughout the room. Almost deafening, ... I was sitting at the table with a bunch of plumbers. They're like, `We've never heard that before here.'  Clearly, their membership is not with her. ... They were calling her names. It was bad.'

Pat McCarthy, the plumbers' union's recording secretary, noted Lightfoot was booed but insisted that the disapproval did not come from the union.

'I was there when she was speaking. There were a couple of people in the corner that booed. But it was nothing significant. And it didn't disrupt the event at all,' McCarthy said.

'I would have to suspect whoever was booing at that event was not a member of this local.  We respect her and we have no problems with the mayor.'

Union President Jim Majerowicz was downstairs counting money for the Bears' game versus Tampa Bay Buccaneers pool when Lightfoot took the stage.

'I didn't hear nothin'  I was in a different room, so I can't say,' Majerowicz said. 'You're telling me some shocking stuff. I find it hard to believe.'

The plumbers' union was the first union to endorse Lightfoot in 2019. The union's recording secretary Pat McCarthy said: 'whoever was booing at that event was not a member of this local'

But the mayor has been met with opposition from city workers- especially from police- for her vaccine mandate.

Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) President John Catanzara told Fox News that many first responders, firefighters and labor unions strongly oppose the mandate.

Catanzara has urged police officers to file for exemptions to get vaccinated or simply ignore the order.

Lightfoot announced in August that all of the more than 30,000 city workers in Chicago would be required to be fully vaccinated by October 15 and threatened them with vague 'consequences' if they did not comply.

After major pushback, Lightfoot loosened restrictions and agreed to allow city workers to remain unvaccinated until the end of the year as long as they submit to testing at their own expense twice a week.

A group of city workers suing is both Lightfoot and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker over Chicago's vaccine mandate. The 130 city workers named in the lawsuit are asking for a temporary restraining order to put the mandate on hold.

But did insist that all city workers fill out the city portal form confirming their vaccination status.

The argument over Chicago's vaccine mandate will be decided by a federal judge on Friday.

Several Chicago aldermen have filed notice to force a special meeting of the City Council this week to repeal Lightfoot's vaccine mandate for city workers.

The effort of the Chicago aldermen is being lead by Silvana Tabares who partnered with aldermen from the Northwest and Southwest Side, which have high populations of city workers.

'To my colleagues who want to get more people vaccinated, I agree (with you),' Tabares tweeted. 'But what makes more people willing to get vaccinated? 50 alders who pass a policy based on collaboration and inclusion, or 1 mayor who has stormed off from the bargaining table & issue.'
CLADDING

The biggest housebuilders will be hit with a 200million-a-year levy to help fix the cladding scandal.

The Government will charge property developers with profits over 25million at a rate of 4 per cent.

It will help to create a fund that can be used to remove cladding put up on high-rise buildings across the UK, but which was found to be unsafe after the Grenfell Tower disaster in June 2017.

Mr Sunak said: Were confirming 5billion to remove unsafe cladding from the highest-risk buildings, partly funded by the Residential Property Developer Tax.

Many homeowners have been left facing potentially ruinous bills after they discovered that cladding on their homes could be dangerous.

The McGovern family live on the third floor of a block of flats that has been deemed 'lower risk' because it is below 18 metres in height

A general view showing the Grenfell Tower, in London. The Government will charge property developers with profits over 25million at a rate of 4 per cent to help fix the cladding scandal

The Government last night said it wanted to turn Generation Rent into Generation Buy by spending 24billion on housing over several years.

This includes up to 180,000 affordable homes.

Ministers said this was the largest cash investment in a decade, with 65 per cent of the money being spent outside London.

However, some residents said it still fails to help many people caught up in the scandal.

Teacher Emma McGovern says she has got past the point of frustration after finding out that she will not qualify for the funding.

Mrs McGovern, 34, her husband Neil and children Tabitha, eight, Phoebe, seven, Jonah, five, and two-year-old Titus live on the third floor of a block deemed lower risk because it is below 18 metres.

But it would still require repairs totalling 85,000 each for all residents at the four-storey building Oyster Court in Elephant and Castle, south London.

Mrs McGovern said: Our block is so small, I cant believe it. Not leaving anything in the Budget for it shows they dont understand it.

EDUCATION

An extra 1.8billion has been pledged to schools to help children recover from lost classroom time during the Covid pandemic. However, unions have said it is not enough and could 'damage' young lives

Unions have hit out at an extra 1.8billion in funding pledged to help children recover learning lost during the pandemic  branding it inadequate.

The extra cash is on top of 3.1billion already promised. But the National Education Union (NEU) said it is not enough and could damage life chances.

Sir Kevan Collins, the former schools catch-up tsar, originally said a recovery package of 15billion was needed over three years.

He quit when it became clear this would not materialise.

The extra cash is to help pupils who missed parts of their courses when schools closed, either because online lessons were poor or because they had no internet access.

Kevin Courtney, of the NEU, accused the Government of doing education recovery on the cheap and added: This is simply not good enough.

Geoff Barton, of the Association of School and College Leaders, added that it was disappointing and nowhere near what is needed.

Schools will also get an extra 4.7billion in general funding by 2024/25  returning it to 2010 levels in real terms.

Mr Sunak insisted it was equivalent to a cash increase for every pupil of more than 1,500.

FAMILIES

Family was put at the forefront of the Budget, with Start for Life services receiving 500million in the next three years.

Ministers will invest in family hubs, Start for Life and family help services, perinatal mental health support, breastfeeding services and parenting programmes.

The money will also help to expand the Supporting Families programme, which helps 300,000 families.

Mr Sunak said he would address issues with childcare provision.

The Chancellor also said that there would be funding for a newborn genome screening programme to detect 200 rare diseases  potentially saving 3,000 babies every year.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson (right) with Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak during a visit to Fourpure Brewery in Bermondsey, London, on Wednesday

Genomics England will receive funding to support a national pilot which is using sequencing to detect rare diseases in 100,000 babies.

The Daily Mail has reported that thousands of babies are at risk of disability or death because they are not screened for these diseases.

At present, every baby in the UK is offered a heel prick test for conditions such as sickle cell disease and cystic fibrosis. However, they are tested for only nine diseases  significantly fewer than in other developed countries.

...AND LOSERS

Social care providers said they were being left out in the cold after Mr Sunak failed to announce any more ring-fenced funding.

The Chancellor said councils would receive 4.8billion extra to fund a range of services  but did not say any should be earmarked for social care.

The sector will have to rely on the 5.4billion raised by next years hike in National Insurance contributions  as well as the 162.5million fund to help the sector recruit and retain staff.

Charities and care groups said this was nowhere near enough and it would have serious and far-reaching consequences.

Mr Sunak, flanked by the Prime Minister Boris Johnson, details his budget to the House of Commons

The Ministry of Defence also lost out, with expenditure to be reduced by 0.4 per cent in real terms.

The Chancellors move takes defence spending below what the MoD announced it would spend just four months ago.

Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood, a former defence minister, said: This is not in the spirit of Britain being a problem-solving, burden-sharing nation when our world is progressively becoming more unstable.

Meanwhile, the rail industry yesterday criticised the failure to mention HS2 in the Budget.

It comes amid growing doubts that the high-speed rail project will be completed in full, with the Treasury wanting its eastern leg linking Birmingham and Leeds scaled back.
PAX, a Chinese company is one of the largest digital payment providers in the world with more than 60 million devices in use across 120 countries

Federal investigators have raided the Florida offices of a Chinese credit card reader company that is believed to have been behind dozens of cyberattacks around the world.

PAX Technology that makes point-of-sale devices with more than 60 million in use across 120 countries and generated around $727 million in sales revenues in 2020.

The Jacksonville raid is believed to be tied to reports that the system PAX operates was used in cyberattacks on U.S. and European organizations.

Agents with the FBI and Department of Homeland Security raided a local PAX Technology warehouse reports WOKV.

'FBI and MI5 are conducting an intensive investigation into PAX,' a source told the station. 'A major US payment processor began asking questions about network packets originating from PAX terminals and were not given any good answers.'

The payment processing company's terminals have been used both as malware 'dropper' for malicious file and also as a 'command-and-control' device in order to carry out attacks and collect information.

The FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and other agencies raided the offices of PAX, a Chinese point-of-sale manufacturer in Jacksonville

'My sources say that there is tech proof of the way that the terminals were used in attack ops. The packet sizes don't match the payment data they should be sending, nor does it correlate with telemetry these devices might display if they were updating their software. PAX is now claiming that the investigation is racially and politically motivated,' according to KrebsOnSecurity.

Payment terminals and the software they use have long been the choice of cybercriminals

It is not known exactly what 'strange network activity' was detected that led to the investigation by the FBI.

The raid is part of the Biden administration's extended efforts, many of which began under then-President Donald Trump to limit access to U.S. technology and markets for state-owned Chinese companies due to concern they were security risks or helping with military development.

The Chinese company is one of the largest digital payment providers in the world with more than 60 million devices in use across 120 countries

BREAKING: FBI Jacksonville, Homeland Security agents investigating outside Southside business >>> https://t.co/2R0inEkYRO pic.twitter.com/E1efchRjst  ActionNewsJax (@ActionNewsJax) October 26, 2021

On Wednesday, U.S. regulators announced they are expelling a unit of China Telecom Ltd., one of the country's three major state-owned carriers, from the American market, describing them as a national security threat amid rising tensions with Beijing.

China Telecom Americas Corp. is required to stop providing domestic interstate and international service in the United States within 60 days, under an order approved Tuesday by the Federal Communications Commission.

The FCC cited the danger that Beijing might use the company to eavesdrop or disrupt U.S. communications and 'engage in espionage and other harmful activities against the United States.

The banning of China Telecom comes as the Pentagon's top general said that China's recent test of an earth-circling hypersonic missile was akin to the Soviet Union's stunning launch of the world's first satellite, Sputnik, in 1957, which sparked the superpowers' space race.

US regulators have revoked the authorization for China Telecom's American subsidiary to conduct business in the United States

Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirmed for the first time the Chinese test of a nuclear-capable missile that would be very difficult to defend against.

'What we saw was a very significant event of a test of a hypersonic weapon system. And it is very concerning,' Milley told Bloomberg TV.

'I don't know if it's quite a Sputnik moment, but I think it's very close to that,' he said.

'It's a very significant technological event that occurred... and it has all of our attention.'

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted on Monday to revoke China Telecom's license to operate in the US, citing 'threats to national security'

The US Department of Defense had previously declined to confirm the test, first reported on October 16.

The August test launch appeared to catch Washington by surprise.

The missile circled the Earth at a low altitude and a velocity of more than five times the speed of sound, although it missed its target by more than 19 miles.

China denied the report, saying it was a routine test of a reusable space vehicle.

'What we saw was a very significant event of a test of a hypersonic weapon system. And it is very concerning. I don't know if it's quite a Sputnik moment, but I think it's very close to that,' United States Army General Mark A. Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said

Hypersonics are the new frontier in missile technology, because they fly lower and so are harder to detect than ballistic missiles, can reach targets more quickly, and are maneuverable.

That makes them more dangerous, particularly if mounted with nuclear warheads.

On the telecommunications front, China Telecom is among companies that were expelled from U.S. stock exchanges under an order by Trump barring Americans from investing in them.

The FCC said in 2019 that due to security concerns it planned to revoke licenses granted two decades earlier to China Telecom and another state-owned carrier, China Unicom Ltd. It rejected a license application by the third carrier, China Mobile Ltd.

'China Telecom Americas' ownership and control by the Chinese government raise significant national security and law enforcement risks,' said an FCC announcement.

The company's conduct and communications to U.S. government agencies 'demonstrate a lack of candor, trustworthiness and reliability,' the FCC said, without giving details.

Hypersonic weapons are the new frontier in missile technology, because they fly lower and so are harder to detect than ballistic missiles, can reach targets more quickly, and are maneuverable

The firm's 'ownership and control by the Chinese government raise significant national security and law enforcement risks,' the statement read.

It warned that it gives opportunities for Beijing 'to access, store, disrupt, and/or misroute US communications, which in turn allow them to engage in espionage and other harmful activities against the United States.'

'The FCCs decision is disappointing,' China Telecom spokesman Ge Yu said response to the news. 'We plan to pursue all available options while continuing to serve our customers.'

The Chinese government has said it would take steps to protect its companies but has yet to announce any retaliation over their status in the U.S. market.

The telecom companies are on a U.S. government blacklist of entities deemed by the Pentagon to be involved in military development.

Others include state-owned oil companies, suppliers of processor chips and video technology and construction, aerospace, rocketry, shipbuilding and nuclear power equipment companies.

Last year, the FCC designated Huawei Technologies Co and ZTE Corp, as national security threats to communications networks

The FCC has taken other actions against Chinese telecoms and other companies.

Last year, the FCC designated Huawei Technologies Co and ZTE Corp, as national security threats to communications networks - a declaration that barred U.S. firms from tapping an $8.3 billion government fund to purchase equipment from the companies.

The FCC in December adopted rules requiring carriers with ZTE or Huawei equipment to 'rip and replace' that equipment.

In March, the FCC designated five Chinese companies as posing a threat to national security under a 2019 law, including Huawei, ZTE, Hytera Communications, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Co and Zhejiang Dahua Technology Co.
A raid on share dividends will cost investors more than 3billion over the next five years.

The 1.25 per cent increase in dividend tax will hit around 2.5million savers by an average of 355 a year, Budget papers revealed.

Savers who receive dividend payments from their stock market investments are taxed on income of more than 2,000.

The increase will hit nearly two out of five investors whose dividend payments are not sheltered from the tax in an ISA or in a pension.

The 1.25 per cent increase in dividend tax will hit around 2.5million savers by an average of 355 a year, Budget papers revealed (stock image)

The rise, which comes into force from April, will see basic rate taxpayers pay dividend tax at 8.75 per cent and higher rate taxpayers at 33.75 per cent on dividend income of more than 2,000.

Those earning more than 150,000, known as additional rate income taxpayers, will now pay 39.35 per cent on dividends, up from 38.1 per cent.

An entrepreneur taking 45,000 per year in dividends is likely to see their tax bill increase by 378, while a small business owner receiving 75,000 in dividends could pay an extra 753.

The rise, which comes into force from April, will see basic rate taxpayers pay dividend tax at 8.75 per cent and higher rate taxpayers at 33.75 per cent on dividend income of more than 2,000 (stock image)

The Government said the increase would affect mostly men, and just 16 per cent of those hit will be over state pension age. The move could also hurt company directors who pay themselves in dividends.

The tax rise was first revealed in September. At the time Mike Cherry, chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, said: Business owners... are being punished with a fresh assault on dividend revenue.

The new tax regime will cost HM Revenue & Customs around 530,000 to upgrade its IT systems.
Forensic police who spent three days searching the family home of missing little girl Cleo Smith would have been looking for 'signs of injuries or struggles', a top criminologist said.

Detectives spent four hours on Tuesday scouring the property in Carnarvon in north-west Western Australia as they probed the four-year-old's disappearance from the nearby Blowholes campsite in the early hours of October 16.

Police then searched Cleo's family home for a third time on Wednesday as part of 'routine practices' to eliminate all possibilities.

Her mother Ellie Smith and step-father Jake Gliddon have been ruled out as potential suspects in the ongoing police investigation as it enters its thirteenth day.

Ellie Smith pictured with her daughter Cleo. The four-year-old vanished from the Blowholes campsite near Carnarvon in north-west Western Australia in the early hours of October 16

Police desperately searching for Cleo Smith (pictured) have searched the campsite the little girl went missing from, as well as her home, to gather more evidence as the AFP joins the hunt

Crime scene expert Dr Xanthe Mallett though said it was important for police to look for 'potential issues' at the home before ruling it out as a line of inquiry.

'They may be looking for signs of injuries or struggles, just to rule out any kind of potential issues that may have happened at home,' the University of Newcastle criminologist told Sunrise.

'You would have to look at the family, that would be part of the investigation sadly.

'They need to make sure that they collect the evidence that may be available at the beginning so it is not lost so I'd certainly expect them to search that family property as part of any routine investigation.'

The expert said 13 days was a 'really long time' for a young child to be missing.

'Obviously she could be anywhere in the country had she been abducted,' Dr Mallett said.

Forensic detectives spent much of Tuesday scouring Cleo's family home in Carnarvon and emerged with two evidence bags

'It is a significant worry and every day that passes, obviously getting more concerned for her safety.'

Crime scene expert Dr Xanthe Mallett said officers searching the home would have been looking for signs any kind of struggle had occurred

Officers involved in search efforts have since turned their attention back to the Blowholes campsite amid police fears the four-year-old girl was abducted and taken elsewhere.

Police from Taskforce Rodia are understood to have taken ash samples from several burnt-out campfires near shacks along the beachfront on Wednesday.

About 100 officers are on the ground searching for Cleo and the Australian Federal Police have joined the suspected abduction case to boost search efforts with advanced technology, intelligence and forensics abilities.

Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews confirmed the AFP's involvement in the hunt for little Cleo in Parliament on Wednesday.

'Australians can be certain that we will continue to equip our law enforcement and intelligence agencies with the tools and the resources that they need to combat this very serious crime - and especially crimes against children,' Ms Andrews said.

Her comments come as bounty hunters and private investigators have swarmed to the Gascoyne town to offer their services.

It's understood police from Taskforce Rodia took ash samples from several burnt-out campfires near shacks along the beachfront

Civilian investigators have been sending locals messages over social media with one man chartering a helicopter to search an area hundreds of kilometres from the town, the West Australian reports.

However when approached by the publication, the man denied he was a bounty hunter and was instead surveying for 'oil' and 'gas' deposits.

Acting WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said the search of the family home was 'standard practice' and did not indicate they were suspects in Cleo's disappearance.

'The parents have been nothing but helpful. We've worked very closely with them, they've let us into their home, they've let us into their cars, their phones, everything,' Mr Blanch told 6PR.

Police scoured Cleo's family home for the third time on Wednesday as part of 'routine practices' to eliminate all possibilities (pictured, the family)

Little Cleo Smith and her step father Jake Gliddon, who has 'raised her as his own' are pictured together

The heartbroken step father of Cleo (pictured in a green singlet and sunglasses) earlier returned to the family's home for the first time since his little girl vanished from Blowholes campsite in Western Australia 11 days ago

'That is a normal part of an investigation and we must follow it thoroughly.

'Our job is to eliminate everyone that was at that campsite, and that is a systematic and thorough approach in doing so in any investigation. And that really is the focus of the investigation at the moment.'

Officers are also looking into CCTV of a car that was seen driving down a highway near the Blowholes campsite in the time window Cleo disappeared in.

The footage was taken from a home on the North West Coastal Highway, which reportedly shows a sedan travelling down the road at about 3am.

A distressed mother revealed her daughter was approached by 'a man in his late 40s with a beard driving a small red car' while they were camping at the popular holiday spot

Two people on their way to work had earlier told police they saw a car turning south off Blowholes Road at about 3am on the day Cleo vanished.

Police are now working to identify the driver and registration plates to determine whether the car seen in the footage is the same one in the reports, 7News reports.

Meanwhile, the attempted abduction of a child several years ago at the Blowholes campsite heightened fears a kidnapper could be operating in the region.

A newly resurfaced social media post reveals a girl was approached by 'a man in his late 40s with a beard driving a small red car' at the popular holiday spot in 2014.

The girl's distressed mother lodged a complaint with police at the time, warning the man asked her daughter to 'go for a drive in his car' but she refused and ran back to her family.

In the attempted abduction from 2014, the little girl wasn't able to provide a thorough description of the man's appearance, and it appears nothing ever came of the police report.

Detectives are now looking into footage taken from a home on the North West Coastal Highway, near the Blowholes campsite, which reportedly shows a sedan travelling down the road at about 3am

But she shared the post publicly hoping to warn other parents who might bring their children to the area, adding it would be a 'good time to remind our precious ones of stranger danger'.

There are now concerns within the local community that Cleo's disappearance could be linked to the incident.

Since the post was initially unearthed, several people have reported it to Crime Stoppers, hopeful any potential links will be thoroughly investigated.

Mr Blanch said while they were keeping 'open minded' about Cleo's disappearance, the 'highest probability' was that she had been abducted.

The four-year-old hasn't been seen since early on Saturday morning, October 16 at the Blowholes campsite near Carnarvon.

Cleo was last seen at 1:30am by her parents alongside her mother Ellie, stepfather and baby sister Isla (right) on their first camping trip together when s

The four-year-old girl's teary-eyed mother Ellie Smith told a TV interview on Monday that the couple had hardly been back to the house, finding it too agonising to return without their daughter.

The little girl in pink pyjamas was sleeping in a tent alongside her mother Ellie, stepfather and baby sister Isla on their first camping trip together.

She was last seen by her parents at 1.30am on October 16 when she woke up to ask for a drink of water.

But by 6.30am when her parents woke up, little Cleo along with her red and grey sleeping bag had vanished.

Cleo's heartbroken mother asked the question on the entire nation's lips in a desperate plea for answers she posted to social media last week

A massive land, sea and air search has continued for almost two weeks but there is still no signs of the pre-schooler and detectives have no firm suspects.

To flush out information the WA government last week announced a $1million reward for any information that can lead to Cleo's whereabouts.

Immense scrutiny has followed Ms Smith and her partner Mr Gliddon since their nightmare ordeal began, with hoards of online sleuths and 'amateur detectives' pointing the finger at them.

The devastated couple vehemently on Monday night denied any involvement in Cleo's disappearance and made a heartfelt plea to bring her home.
Brad Pitt has had an appeal rejected against a ruling that disqualified a judge in his custody battle with Angelina Jolie.

The California Supreme Court yesterday denied a review of a June appeals court decision that said the private judge, John Ouderkirk, hearing the case should be disqualified for failing to sufficiently disclose his business relationships with Pitt's attorneys.

The decision effectively made void a previous ruling granting Pitt additional time with his five minor children.

The state Supreme Court's decision finalizes that ruling. It means the fight over the couples five minor children - which was nearing an end - could just be getting started.

While Pitt was seeing his appeal rejected, his ex-wife Angeline Jolie was busy attending the London Premiere of Eternals with five of her children. Pictured: Angelina with Shiloh (left), Zahara (second left), Vivienne (third right), Maddox (second right) and Knox (right) - her 17-year-old son Pax was not present as the event on October 27

'Ms. Jolie is focused on her family and pleased that her childrens wellbeing will not be guided by unethical behavior,' her attorney, Robert Olson, said in an email.

Pitt's attorney had previously argued that Jolie's effort to disqualify the judge was aimed at preventing his tentative custody decision, which was favorable to Pitt, from taking effect.

A statement from a representative for Pitt on Wednesday said the Supreme Court decision 'does not change the extraordinary amount of factual evidence which led the trial judge - and the many experts who testified - to reach their clear conclusion about what is in the childrens best interests.'

Jolie, 46, and Pitt, 57, were among Hollywoods most prominent couples for 12 years.

The decision effectively made void a previous ruling granting Pitt (pictured on September 12, 2021) additional time with his five minor children

A former Los Angeles County Superior Court judge, John Ouderkirk, officiated at their 2014 wedding, then was hired to oversee their divorce when Jolie filed to dissolve the marriage in 2016.

He ruled the couple divorced in 2019, but he separated the child custody issues.

Jolie and Pitt have six children: 20-year-old Maddox, 17-year-old Pax, 16-year-old Zahara, 15-year-old Shiloh, 13-year-old Vivienne and 13-year-old Knox.

Only the five minors are subject to custody decisions.

Meanwhile, Angelina was enjoying the London premiere of her new Marvel film Eternals.

She attended the movie gala yesterday alongside five of her six children: Shiloh, Zahara, Vivienne, Maddox and Knox.

Last month, Brad and Angelina's divorce battle flared up when the actress sold her 50 per cent share of the Chateau Miraval winery (pictured)

Last month, it was revealed that Jolie has sold her 50 per cent share of Chateau Miraval winery amid her bitter court battle with ex-husband and co-owner Brad Pitt.

The Maleficent star, 46, sold the shares to wine group Tenute del Mondo - part of the Stoli Group, which counts Masseto and Ornellaia in its portfolio - in a move that was foreseen last month in her latest legal battle with the actor, 57.

The estate - now valued at $164 million - is where the couple tied the knot in 2008.

In September, Angelina's plans to sell the shares in the alcohol and property giant were branded 'vindictive' and guilty of 'systematic obstruction' in a lawsuit brought against her by Brad, DailyMail.com exclusively revealed.

She was accused of trying to cut the actor out of a deal to offload her 50% stake in the vineyard, which is held through her company Nouvel.

It was announced the group bought the share through its premium wine division, Tenute del Mondo, which also owns brands such as Masseto, Ornellaia, Luce, CastelGiocondo, Achaval Ferrer and Arinzano.
Facebook has been accused of knowing about a sex trafficking network that saw at least 40 women brought to the United States, and doing little to stop it.

Trafficker David Williams, of Pensacola, Florida, was arrested in August 2019 and charged with operating a chain of massage parlors in Pennsylvania, Florida and Virginia. He was jailed for three years after pleading guilty in November 2019.

Facebook confirmed it was aware of the trafficking ring in a 2019 internal report where they boasted how it had 'disrupted' the criminal network and disabled all 84 pages and 22 accounts associated with it.

Yet, court documents made no note of any Facebook investigation or evidence the tech firm provided to the FBI or authorities.

People closely involved with the criminal investigation also told USA Today they had no memory of Facebook involvement or findings in the case.

Whistleblower Frances Haugen revealed documents showing that Facebook's main concern about sex trafficking was to 'prevent reputational risk for the company.'

Even after Williams' sentencing, USA TODAY claims it was able to find at least three Facebook pages for spas associated with the network which included leading terms like 'full-body sensual massages' with winking emojis.

They have since been removed after being flagged to Facebook.

David Williams, 42, of Pensacola, Florida, pleaded guilty in November 2019 to sex trafficking, sending women recruited via Facebook to work at massage parlors in Florida, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Facebook was investigating Williams' network, but it is unable to say what information they provided to the police and when. By law, they should have handed over any information about sex trafficking

Andy Stone, Facebook's spokesman, insists that the company handed over information about the trafficking network to the police.

Details of Facebook's internal discussions come from whistleblower Frances Haugen, who has appeared before lawmakers in the U.S. and U.K. during recent weeks

Mark Zuckerberg, the Facebook founder and CEO, is under intense pressure following the leak of a series of internal documents

But he was not able to say what, or when.

And court documents reviewed by USA Today made no mention of Facebook's assistance, when building the case against Williams.

The FBI had begun investigating Williams and his then-wife, Qun Shen, and found they used multiple Facebook pages and accounts to promote the parlors.

They employed two marketing firms - one in the U.S. and one in India - to buy Facebook ads filled with keywords for potential sexual services, according to USA Today.

Shen, who was not charged, said she never placed advertisements on Facebook and was separated from Williams at the time he was investigated; he filed for divorce from Shen in September 2017, after less than two years of marriage.

Facebook had discovered that the network targeted women from impoverished areas of the world - in particular poor parts of the Philippines.

The FBI, the IRS, the Department of Homeland Security and a half-dozen other agencies, agents also identified more than 100 Chinese nationals with direct ties to Williams.

Williams trafficked women to work in this massage parlor, 1407 Peninsula, in Erie, Pennsylvania, among other sites. It is believed more than 100 women were brought to the U.S. unwittingly for sex work

They used what is known as a Romeo scheme, whereby a person posts comments on the women's photos and sends friend requests, then escalates the chat to propose marriage and sending money, if the women come to the U.S.

Facebook investigators said in the report that they had 'actioned' or disabled all 84 pages and 22 accounts associated with the network.

A report was 'probably being created' to tip off law enforcement 'currently working this case to take the actions that they deem necessary.'

Yet Facebook has not said when they alerted the police, and questions are being asked as to whether the company fell foul of a 2018 law that says internet companies can face criminal and civil prosecution for failing to stop sex trafficking on their platforms.

Stone said the company prohibits human exploitation 'in no uncertain terms.'

He told USA Today: 'We've been combatting human trafficking on our platform for many years and our goal remains to prevent anyone who seeks to exploit others from having a home on our platform.'

The allegations are the latest in a long line of complaints to be made against Mark Zuckerberg's firm.

Haugen's leaked files have formed the basis of a series of expose in The Wall Street Journal, revealing that executives knew Instagram was addictive and harmful to young people, and that they put profits above people.

Facebook has been accused of not doing enough to clamp down on hate speech, and actively promoting divisive and harmful content to drive traffic.

Earlier on Wednesday, further documents revealed how Donald Trump's posts last year triggered a wave of hate-filled messages and calls to violence - yet the social media giant took no action.

And they suggest that Facebook's own automated controls, meant to catch dangerous posts, should have flagged a problem with a post in which Trump warned looters they might be shot.

The revelations - among the latest from a whistleblower - will heap more pressure on Zuckerberg's company to take more responsibility for content posted on its platform.

Social media experts said it showed how the platform had exacerbated trouble, in contrast to Twitter which quickly posted warnings on the content.

But Facebook defended its stance, saying it often reflected what was happening in society and the only way to prevent spikes in complaints was to halt discussions of controversial moments.

Reports of hateful and violent posts on Facebook started pouring in on the night of May 28 last year, soon after Trump sent a warning on social media to looters.

It had been three days since Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on the neck of George Floyd for more than eight minutes until the 46-year-old black man lost consciousness, showing no signs of life.

But it wasn't until after Trump posted about Floyd's death that the reports of violence and hate speech increased 'rapidly' on Facebook across the country, an internal company analysis of the ex-president's social media post reveals.

'These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd and I won't let that happen,' Trump wrote at 9:53 a.m. on May 28 from his Twitter and Facebook accounts. 'Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts the shooting starts!'

Then President Trump triggered immediate condemnation when he told looters they faced being shot amid protests against the police killing of George Floyd. He posted his messages on Twitter and Facebook. Leaked documents from Facebook reveal how his words triggered a wave of hatred on social media

Shortly after complaining about Twitter putting a warning label over his tweet, the White House's official Twitter account reposted the message verbatim

The next day he railed against Twitter, saying it needed to be 'regulated' after the site put a warning label on one of his tweets about the Minneapolis riots

The leaked documents show how Trump's words were believed to have caused a five-fold increase in violence reports on Facebook, and a tripling of complaints of hate speech

Last year brought a long hot summer of protests and violence. Leaked Facebook documents reveal how hate messages on social media increased after Trump sent a post warning that looters who joined protests following Floyd's death last year would be shot

Protesters gather in front of a burning fast-food restaurant in Minneapolis on May 29, last year. Reports of hateful and violent speech on Facebook poured in, according to internal documents, after Trump sent inflammatory messages a day earlier

The former president has since been suspended from both Twitter and Facebook.

Facebook's own internal, automated controls, meant to catch posts that violate rules, predicted with almost 90 per cent certainty that Trump's message broke the tech company's rules against inciting violence.

Yet, the tech giant did not take any action on Trump's message.

Offline, the next day, protests - some of which turned violent - engulfed nearly every U.S. city, big and small.

'When people look back at the role Facebook played, they won't say Facebook caused it, but Facebook was certainly the megaphone,' said Lainer Holt, a communications professor at Ohio State University.

'I don't think there's any way they can get out of saying that they exacerbated the situation.'

Social media rival Twitter, meanwhile, responded quickly at the time by covering Trumps tweet with a warning and prohibiting users from sharing it any further.

Facebook's internal discussions were revealed in disclosures made to the Securities and Exchange Commission and provided to Congress in redacted form by Haugen's legal counsel.

The Wall Street Journal previously reported that Trump was one of many high-profile users, including politicians and celebrities, exempted from some or all of the company's normal enforcement policies.

Another internal critics, however, accused Facebook's executives of being 'drunk on power' in internal messages, after they attempted to block messages of support for Kenosha gunman Kyle Rittenhouse.

Rittenhouse, a right-wing vigilante, shot and killed two Black Lives Matter protesters amid unrest following the shooting by police of Jacob Blake, in August 2020.

Rittenhouse, who was 17 at the time, was seen as a hero by some on the right, who insisted he was on the streets to prevent rioting by the BLM activists.

Facebook took down many pro-Rittenhouse posts, arguing that they were in violation of the site's rules which banned the promotion of violence.

Facebook's rules ban praise and support of a mass shooter, or a mass shooting itself.

Kyle Rittenhouse, left, was 17 when he shot and killed two people in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on August 25, 2020. He was part of a vigilante group claiming they were defending property from arson and rioting

A protester is seen walking past a burning building on August 24, after the shooting of Jacob Blake

A protester tosses an object toward police during clashes outside the Kenosha County Courthouse on August 25, 2020 - the third night of rioting, and the night of Rittenhouse's shooting

Rittenhouse has been charged with murder. He is seen on Monday, ahead of his trial, which begins next week

During an internal discussion, most employees agreed with the decision.

But one said that the Facebook leaders were taking too drastic a role in censoring people's beliefs.

'The rioting has been going on for over three months and it's only an issue now because people inside the company saw violence they didn't like,' the staffer said, in internal documents obtained by The New York Post.

'Employees are drunk on the absolute power of being in control of civics in America, without ever having to visit a voting booth (if voting is even an option).'

Facebook took down posts in support of Rittenhouse, as per their policy on shootings

The employee, a data scientist with Facebook, questioned whether Facebook was taking the right approach to moderating posts in support of Rittenhouse - who was 17 at the time of the shooting, and not legally allowed to carry the firearms used in the shooting.

'Can we really consistently and objectively differentiate between support (not allowed) and discussion of whether [Rittenhouse] is being treated justly (allowed)?' the data scientist wrote.

'Try reading the posts mentioning him and see if you can separate violating from non-violating content.

'I know that our company is full of dedicated smart people who want to do the right thing.

'However, I don't think the current system we are working in enables us to succeed, even as we have the money, talent and motivation that should lead us on the right path.'

Rittenhouse has been charged with murder, and his trial is scheduled to begin next week.

A spokeswoman said Facebook has an 'industry-leading policy' to address what it called 'militarized social movements.'
Advertisement

A luxury Manhattan condominium featured in the hit HBO drama Succession that boasts 22ft ceilings, six skylights, two powder rooms, a private outdoor terrace with views of downtown, and a resident-only swimming pool and wine-tasting room can be had for $23.3million.

The duplex property, Pavilion A, is located on the 29th floor of 2 Park Place, which is the address of historic Woolworth Building, in the Tribeca section of Lower Manhattan.

Two years ago, the property was listed for $30million.

Succession fans would recognize the condo as the backdrop for the show's drama as the home of Rava Roy, the ex-wife of Kendall Roy. Rava Roy is played by Natalie Gold and Kendall Roy is portrayed in the series by Jeremy Strong.

Kendall Roy is the second-oldest son of fictitious media mogul Logan Roy, played by Brian Cox.

A luxury condo on the 29th floor of the historic Woolworth Building skyscraper in Lower Manhattan is on the market for more than $23million

The condo is the same residence seen on the hit HBO drama Succession, starring, left to right: Kieran Culkin, Sarah Snook, and Nicholas Braun

HBO plans to bring back Succession for a fourth season as the show has proven a hit with audiences who subscribe to the streaming service HBO Max. The image above shows a scene from the show as filmed in the condo

The condo boasts 22ft ceilings, six skylights, two powder rooms, a private outdoor terrace with views of downtown, and a resident-only swimming pool and wine-tasting room

Sarah Snook, who plays Shiv Roy, the youngest and only daughter in the Roy family, is seen above inside the condo during a scene in the second episode of the third season of Succession

Succession tells the story of Logan Roys children and their battle for control of Waystar RoyCo, the global media giant, which is facing an uncertain future due to the founders failing health.

HBO plans to bring back Succession for a fourth season as the show has proven a hit with audiences who subscribe to the streaming service HBO Max.

The five-bedroom, four-bathroom condo spans more than 6,700 square feet of indoor space as well as nearly 2,800ft of an outdoor duplex terrace.

The kitchen includes custom-made cabinetry by DADA, the luxury Italian furniture giant, as well as marble countertops, a wine fridge, and two dishwashers.

The view from the observation deck of the 408-square-foot private terrace

The kitchen includes custom-made cabinetry by DADA, the luxury Italian furniture giant, as well as marble countertops, a wine fridge, and two dishwashers

As if one open kitchen is not enough, theres a morning kitchen in the master suite, which also has private access to the terrace and a walk-in closet

The master bathroom has a steam shower, a soaking tub, dual vanity sinks, and radiant heat floors

The image above shows one of the rooms from inside the condo in the Tribeca section of Manhattan

History of the Woolworth building The iconic building was designed by Cass Gilbert and opened in 1913 as the world's tallest skyscraper

Retail mogul Frank Woolworth paid $13.5 million in cash for it

The building was set to house a Woolworth's and cement his legacy in New York City and inspire confidence in American ingenuity

Building housed the Woolworth Company headquarters

Included first floor shop and secret private pool for Woolworth

The faces of Woolworth, the architects and the laborers are etched throughout the building

It was dubbed 'The Cathedral of Commerce' and 'A skyscraper built by the nickels of millions'

During the grand opening, 900 VIP guests partied on the 27th floor as President Woodrow Wilson pushed a button in the White House to illuminate the building's 80,000 light bulbs

It remained the tallest building until it was overtaken by the 1,046ft. tall Chrysler building in 1930

The tower became a national historic landmark in 1966

It remained as Woolworth Company headquarters until 1997 Source: History.com Advertisement

Near the kitchen is a 52ft long great room.

As if one open kitchen is not enough, theres a morning kitchen in the master suite, which also has private access to the terrace and a walk-in closet.

The master bathroom has a steam shower, a soaking tub, dual vanity sinks, and radiant heat floors.

Theres also a fitness studio inside the building that is only accessible to residents.

The 792ft skyscraper's lower 28 floors remain office spaces. The 32 luxury units above just completed a five-year renovation overseen by famed French architect Thierry W. Despont.

The prices of the luxury condos ranged from $3.5 million to $79 million for The Pinnacle, the massive penthouse which takes up floors 50 to 58 and offers panoramic views of the Manhattan skyline and New York Harbor.

The five levels span 9,680 square feet and offer access to the skyscraper's signature spire.

The skyscraper was designed by Cass Gilbert and completed in 1913.

It supplanted the 700-foot-tall MetLife Tower in the Flatiron District as the world's tallest and named for discount-store pioneer F.W. Woolworth, who paid $13.5million in cash for the project.

It remained the tallest in the world for 17 years until being eclipsed by the 1,046-foot-tall Chrysler Building.

Woolworth's five-and-dime stores were the first to allow customers to examine what they wanted to buy without the help of a sales clerk.

He also created fixed prices for items by buying merchandise directly from manufacturers, eliminating the common practice of haggling

His building, nicknamed 'The Cathedral of Commerce,' housed a Woolworth's in the first one-and-a-half floors and kept it its headquarters in the tower until 1997, when it was eventually run out of business by a new generation of retail competitors, such as Walmart.

Horn's Alchemy Properties was the company charged with converting the top floors of the building to residential use.

Converting it into a penthouse was a challenge because there weren't enough windows in the crown of the building to satisfy the city's minimum light and air requirements.

Alchemy petitioned the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission to add six windows and expand existing ones to bring the unit up to code, according to the Wall Street Journal.

There were also 3,500 pieces of damaged terra-cotta on the building's facade replaced.

The image above shows a fitness room accessible only to residents located inside the building

The fitness room is one of many amenities that are available to the residents of the exclusive residence

The Woolworth Building's residential units also have a wine cellar and a tasting room. The image on the right shows a billiards table inside Gilbert Lounge, an amenity available to all residents

The Pavilion A also boasts of a room with a grand piano as well as a billiards table (far left)

One of the condo's bedrooms with access to the outdoor terrace is seen in the above photo

Residents of the building have access to amenities, including a spa with a sauna and hot tub, a fitness studio and a wine cellar and tasting room.

Woolworth's private basement pool has also been restored for residents to use.

Among the many amenities, the building also features a residential lobby that has been fully restored from Woolworth's private office, where the retail mogul cemented his legacy in the Big Apple.

The lower levels are still leased for commercial use.

The building is located beside City Hall Park, Brookfield Place and the Westfield World Trade Center.

Frank W. Woolworth's original pool has been restored for residential use

The property is located at 2 Park Place, in the Tribeca neighborhood

The main lobby has also been restored to how Woolworth had it during his retail days

The 792-foo-tall Woolworth building, constructed for giant Frank W. Woolworth, was the world's tallest building when it opened in 1913. It was dubbed the 'Cathedral of Commerce'
A 2million fund for a new Beatles attraction on the Liverpool Waterfront was unveiled in the Budget.

Liverpudlian Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries welcomed the news with puns on social media.

She said: 'The Government has Come Together to invest 2million into a major new Beatles attraction,' adding: 'That's something to Twist And Shout about.'

It is understood the project could see hologram technology create an 'immersive experience' of the Fab Four  similar to an upcoming hologram tour by Abba.

Rishi Sunak also announced that tax relief for theatres, museums, galleries and orchestras will be extended for two years to March 2024 to help them after months of closures in the pandemic.

Maria Balshaw, of the National Museum Directors' Council, welcomed the move, saying: 'It's great to hear the Government showing such strong support for the arts.

'I'm particularly grateful to see the extension of tax relief that has already made a huge difference for the sector, and much-needed investment in the public museum buildings, which make up such a vital part of our cultural infrastructure.

'As we emerge from the pandemic, national museums like Tate and our powerful regional museums can and will play a transformative role in cities and towns throughout the country.

It is understood the Beatles project in Liverpool could see hologram technology create an 'immersive experience' of the Fab Four (pictured in the 1960s)  similar to an upcoming hologram tour by Abba

Liverpudlian Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries (pictured) welcomed the news with puns on social media. She said: 'The Government has Come Together to invest 2million into a major new Beatles attraction,' adding: 'That's something to Twist And Shout about.'

'The UK-wide ecology of museums and galleries will be essential for rebuilding social wellbeing and inspiring new generations of visitors.'

Julian Bird, chief executive of Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre, also welcomed the measures.

He said the increase in rates of relief for theatre tax will 'provide producers and investors with greater confidence in developing our world-leading theatre and drive the cultural recovery from the pandemic'.

The chief executive of industry body UK Music, Jamie Njoku-Goodwin, said 'further action' was needed 'to support the music sector's post-pandemic recovery'.

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the associate orchestra of London's Royal Albert Hall, also welcomed the two-year extension of tax relief.

Caroline Norbury, chief executive of the Creative Industries Federation, said the budget acknowledged the financial and social contribution of the sector over the last 20 years.

Paul Pacifico, chief executive of the trade body Association of Independent Music, said the tax relief extension in the Budget was 'encouraging' but called for a music industry-specific scheme.

A statement from London's Southbank Centre, which includes the Hayward Gallery, described the support as 'vital'.
Only weeks ago the British Press Awards officially confirmed what you already know  that the Daily Mail is not just the biggest-selling, but also the best daily paper in Britain.

Now the respected London Press Club has done the same with a unique hat-trick of honours.

Awarding the Mail its third Daily Newspaper of the Year title in only two years, judges at the awards ceremony praised the paper for its groundbreaking scoops and investigations and superb sport and City sections, which made it their unanimous choice.

They added that the paper had risen to the challenge [of Covid] with action as well as words and was an outstanding example of successful campaigning journalism and enterprise.

The Daily Mail veteran reporter David Williams took the prestigious Print Journalist of the Year category for his outstanding work on Betrayal of the Brave

The campaign fought for the rights of Afghan translators who served Britain to be given a safe haven in the UK

Judges described Williams as a reporter of extraordinary tenacity and integrity, the quintessential reporters reporter, who really did make a difference

And thats not all. In a virtual clean sweep of the major prizes, Mail journalists also picked up the sought-after Print Journalist and Multi-media Journalist of the Year titles  as well as a nomination for Scoop of the Year.

In a hugely significant recognition of his tireless six-year campaign, veteran Mail reporter David Williams took the prestigious Print Journalist of the Year category for his outstanding work on Betrayal of the Brave.

The campaign has fought relentlessly for the rights of Afghan translators who served Britain so loyally to be given a safe haven in the UK.

The campaign was thrown into the sharpest relief when the Taliban swept into Kabul this summer, asking the question: how many more would have been rescued had ministers listened to Williams and the Mail before Kabul fell?

Judges described Williams as a reporter of extraordinary tenacity and integrity, the quintessential reporters reporter, who really did make a difference.

They said that he had told the human, harrowing stories of hundreds of translators, adding that the force of his journalism combined with his commitment and dedication helped save many lives.

The Mails peerless Andrew Pierce took the highly prized Multi-media Journalist of the Year category.

Judges heaped praise on his hard-hitting writing and said he displayed a wide range of writing and broadcasting skills.

Also shortlisted was the Mails bombshell scoop about Dominic Raab being too busy on holiday to make a crucial phone call to save those trapped in Afghanistan, which led the news agenda for weeks.

Daily Mail Editor Geordie Greig said: This is another huge tribute for our superbly talented team of journalists and also for our millions of loyal readers who  through their remarkable generosity  help make the paper such a powerful force for good.

Our sister paper The Mail on Sunday also triumphed in the prestigious Sunday Newspaper of the Year category, while Ian Birrell was shortlisted for Print Journalist of the Year.

With the best scoops, unmissable supplements and strident campaigns, its little wonder that Britains biggest-selling Daily Mail has  yet again  been crowned Daily Newspaper of the Year.

But none of it would be possible without you  Britains best and most kind-hearted readers.
Britain is planning to remove restrictions such as the travel 'red list' of seven countries and hotel quarantine due to a declining COVID-19 threat from abroad, according to reports.

UK ministers will meet on Thursday to consider removing the final seven countries, including Colombia and Venezuela, from the red list, The Daily Telegraph reported.

The potential move - which is understood to be backed by the Department of Health - would effectively end the need for hotel quarantine due to the measure only applying to travellers arriving to the UK from counties on the red list.

Britain plans to remove restrictions such as a travel 'red list' of seven countries and hotel quarantine due to a declining COVID-19 threat from abroad. Pictured: Passengers arrive at Heathrow Airport, London, after a flight

As of Wednesday, there were only seven countries on the list  Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Panama, Peru and Venezuela.

Those coming from these countries are currently required to stay in a hotel for 11 nights at a cost of 2,285 per person.

Since the programme was implemented at the start of this year at the height of the Covid pandemic, around 200,000 people returning from red-list countries.

It is understood the change will come into effect on Monday.

The hotel quarantine scheme was introduced on February 15 and it is likely to be retained in case another variant is found.

It is believed that the Cop26 climate change summit in Glasgow - which delegates from the seven red list countries are attending - may have put pressure on ministers to scrap the list.

A Whitehall source said: 'The Department of Health is minded to remove all the remaining countries from the red list given the public health advice.

Pictured: A worker sanitises a barrier at the International arrivals area of Terminal 5 in London's Heathrow Airport, Britain, August 2, 2021. UK ministers will meet on Thursday to consider removing the final seven countries, including Colombia and Venezuela, from the red list, The Telegraph reported. The move would effectively end hotel quarantine in the UK

'But the hotel quarantine policy will remain in place as a safety net, in case the situation changes. Countries could go on if there is a concern at some point in the future.'

The newspaper also reported that ministers are considering a separate plan to scrap hotel quarantine all-together - which even its pioneer Australia is scrapping in favour of vaccination as a form of defence against Covid.

The hotel quarantine scheme would instead be replaced with a requirement for travellers to self-isolate at home for 10 days, regardless of their vaccination status.

However, this potential change may not be announced today, The Telegraph reported, and may not be put in place until next year.

Earlier this week, the Government also dropped the requirement of PCR tests for travellers arriving in the UK.

The potential move follows a major cut to the UK's travel red list when 47 countries were taken off the list earlier this month.

The decision to remove the countries came after NHS data showed Britons travelling to red-list countries were less at-risk of catching Covid than if they started in the UK.

In the middle of this month, the proportion of positive test results from those in hotel quarantine having travelled from red list countries was down to 0.77 percent, or fewer than one in every 120 people.

By comparison, the percentage of people testing positive in the UK was 1.14 percent.
n jail after he was accused of being linked to a major drug sting

The black Range Rover owned by an alleged drug kingpin known as 'Australia's Pablo Escobar' may be what stops the fugitive in his tracks as police hope GPS data from the luxury vehicle will reveal his next move.

Mostafa Baluch allegedly cut off his ankle monitor and fled from his home on Sydney's northern beaches just three days after he was granted bail.

A manhunt is underway for the 33-year-old with police hoping GPS data from his black 2015 Range Rover Vogue SE will lead them to the fugitive.

NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller confirmed the luxury vehicle - which has the Queensland registration plate 861CU3 - was in police custody.

A manhunt is underway for Mostafa Baluch with police hoping GPS data from his black 2015 Range Rover Vogue SE (pictured) will lead them to the fugitive

Mostafa Baluch allegedly cut off his ankle monitor and fled for parts unknown from his home on Sydney's northern beaches just three days after he was granted bail

'We have seized the black Range Rover for examination, we will look at the GPS, and other data and cameras around our state,' he told Sydney radio 2GB on Thursday.

'There was intelligence that perhaps he had flown out of Bankstown but that doesnt appear to be correct, there is also intelligence he is travelling south towards Victoria so we have police on high alert'.

The commissioner urged community to keep an eye out for the fugitive and said authorities were working on two to three different leads.

Police released an image of Baluch travelling in the 'escape car' - which retails for $225,000 brand new - on Pittwater Road Bayview at around 10:30pm on Monday.

He was later seen reportedly flying down the M4 Motorway near Croydon - 50 minutes' drive from his house - about 2.30am - with two others in the car.

Detectives have made a public appeal for dashcam footage that could help identify the movements of the Range Rover (not pictured)

Detectives have made a public appeal for dashcam footage that could help identify the movements of the Range Rover.

It comes as the sister of the alleged drug kingpin has claimed he could have been kidnapped and 'doesn't have a cent to his name'

Wagma Baluch has dismissed suggestions her brother had escaped on a private jet but admitted he didn't seem 'mentally well' in the days before his disappearance.

'How do we know that he's not kidnapped?' Ms Baluch told The Australian.

'I just hope that he's somewhere safe and I really hope that no one's hurt him.'

Another family member described his location as the 'million-dollar question'.

Wagma Baluch (pictured) has dismissed suggestions her brother had escaped on a private jet but admitted he didn't seem 'mentally well' in the days before his disappearance.

The family of an alleged drug kingpin who is on the run have held crisis talks on the balcony of the sprawling home where he was last seen

'We all want to know. We're all a working family,' the relative said. 'Everyone is grieving, reputation is on the line.'

Police allege the fugitive was the sole financier of a shipment of cocaine with an estimated street value of at least $AUD270million.

Baluch is now facing life in prison accused of masterminding a drug importation syndicate the likes of which NSW Police has 'never seen before'.

The 33-year-old was granted bail on Friday despite opposition from police that he posed too great a risk to the community and vanished three days later.

His strict bail conditions included not leaving his Bayview home except to report to Mona Vale police station and offering the property, worth an estimated $4million, as surety.

Detective Superintendent Rob Critchlow, head of NSW Police organised crime, alleged Baluch was offering money to criminal networks to fly him out of the state.

The last sighting of Baluch shows CCTV footage of him flying down Pittwater Road near Bayview in his black Range Rover at around 10:30pm that evening

Baluch pictured outside his home in Mona Vale on Monday hours before the international drug lord disappeared - with authorities fearing he's left NSW on a plane

'But we do believe that he is still in Australia,' he said.

It is not clear where he might've travelled, but an international manhunt is underway.

Baluch was arrested as part of the international AN0M raids, and has since been described as 'Australia's Pablo Escobar'.

In October 2020, the US Navy intercepted a boat off the coast of Colombia with 870kg of cocaine on board. In April 2020, a second boat was intercepted with 900kg of cocaine near Ecuador.

Officers determined both shipments were destined for Australia as part of a conspiracy to supply 3,000kg in total to NSW - more cocaine than NSW residents buy in an entire year.

The estimated street value is potentially $900million.

Police Minister David Elliott (pictured) said police involved in the case were 'devastated' and he was furious Baluch had been granted bail

Police Minister David Elliott said police involved in the case were 'devastated' and he was furious Baluch had been granted bail.

'To say that I'm infuriated would be an understatement... Because quite frankly this guy was our Pablo Escobar,' he told Sydney radio 2GB on Wednesday.

'I'm starting to get sick of these magistrates and judges. They don't consider the danger which police present to them and I don't think they're reflecting the sentiment of the community they're there to serve.

'I'm sick of having to remind the legal fraternity that we're not dealing with parking tickets, we're dealing with international drug lords who are associated with terrorism, kidnapping and prostitution, but more importantly want our kids to take drugs that will kill them.'

Commissioner Mick Fuller said authorities couldn't underestimate Baluch's criminal reach or his ability to evade law enforcement as the search enters its fourth day.
Covid-19 vaccine booster shots will be available for all adults six months after their second dose from November 8, Scott Morrison announced.

Boosters will be offered at GPs and possibly also at state and territory vaccine hubs.

Victoria, NSW and Queensland health departments say they stand ready to help with the booster rollout but have not made decisions yet.

Some 1.7 million people in Australia will be eligible for a booster dose by the end of 2021 but there is no percentage target the Government hopes to reach.

Panthers fan Shane Binns receives the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at a pop-up clinic in Brisbane ahead of the 2021 NRL Grand Final earlier this month

The boosters, which have been approved by Australia's drug regulator, will be the Pfizer vaccine regardless of which jab the patient had before.

AstraZeneca can be given instead if the patient had an allergic or serious reaction to Pfizer.

Mr Morrison said states and territories will decide whether residents will need to have a booster to be considered fully vaccinated - but boosters won't be required for international travel.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has flagged that boosters will be needed to go to the pub or sporting events in his state.

'A month before your six months is up, then you will get a message and your vaccination certificate, the thing that gets you the green tick, you'll be prompted to go and book a time to go and have your booster shot,' he said on Monday.

Why are boosters being offered? Overseas data showed the effectiveness of Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines at stopping infections decreases over time. A study in the UK in August showed two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine were 88 per cent effective at stopping infection after one month but that dropped to 74 per cent after five months. The effectiveness of AstraZeneca dropped from 77 to 67 per cent. Pfizer says its booster can restore effectiveness to 96 per cent. Advertisement

'There may be state clinics in that or it might be all done through GPs and pharmacies, that hasn't been worked through yet. We're happy to play our part, though. So it'll be about the maintenance of your vaccination status.'

The move makes Australia only the second country in the world - after Israel - to offer booster shots to all ages.

The US offers them to those over 65 and high risk workers while the UK offers third jabs to residents over 55 and frontline workers.

Boosters in aged care started being rolled out on Thursday and the general population will have access from November 8.

Chief Medical Officer Professor Kelly previously said priority groups in phases 1a and 1b of the vaccine rollout would be 'first in line because they are now six or more months after the second dose.'

These groups include quarantine and border workers, aged care residents and staff, healthcare workers, adults over 70, Aboriginal people over 55, younger adults with medical conditions, defence, police, fire services and meat processing workers.

It comes after overseas data showed the effectiveness of Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines at stopping infections decreased over time.

A study in the UK in August showed two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine were 88 per cent effective at stopping infection after one month but that dropped to 74 per cent after five months.

The effectiveness of AstraZeneca dropped from 77 to 67 per cent.

Pfizer says its booster can restore effectiveness to 96 per cent.

Drug regulator boss Professor John Skerritt said two doses were effective at stopping severe illness but boosters could help stop mild infections.

'We do know that boosters may give additional protection against mild Covid and they may have an impact on transmission and we do know that in the elderly, and people of various shades that an additional dose is valuable,' he said.

He said mixing and matching the vaccines 'gives a really good immune response'.

AstraZeneca has not applied to give booster shots of its vaccine but the Government expects Moderna will shortly submit an application.

'With over 151 million Pfizer, Novavax and Moderna vaccines already secured for supply into the future, Australia is well prepared to provide booster doses as approvals are provided by the medical experts,' Mr Hunt said.

Novavax is yet to be approved for use in Australia.

Professor Kelly said Israel's booster shot program, which began in July, has shown that third doses are safe and effective in all age groups.

Some scientists forecast people will need a Covid vaccine once a year as the virus continues to mutate - but Professor Kelly said he hoped three doses would give lifelong immunity.

'A third dose is likely to be last dose that you have to do [in your life],' he said earlier this month.

However Professor Skerritt said it was not clear how often boosters would be needed.

'We didn't know about the duration of protection so no-one knows about the duration of protection post this booster,' he said.

Leading epidemiologist Mary-Louise McLaws said third shots were proven to work well.

'There's fantastic evidence now that your booster shot really does supercharge your immune system to get that vaccine efficacy up high,' she told the Nine Network.

'There are many people who will benefit from this.'

On October 8 Australia's vaccine scientists recommended third vaccine shots for 500,000 severely immunocompromised Australians over 12.

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation said it does not recommend subsequent doses beyond the third dose at this time.

Many immunocompromised patients who fail to respond to third doses may not respond to further doses, it said.
Florida's surgeon general appeared on a Tucker Carlson segment Wednesday night to discuss why the state doesn't have a mask mandate for schoolchildren as Covid-19 cases see a steep decline despite Gov Ron DeSantis continuing to refuse stricter lockdowns and regulations.

Dr Joseph Ladapo told the Fox News host that he, along with DeSantis, 'are going to be making data-based decisions about public health in Florida,' adding that there has been 'tremendous success already thanks to the governor's leadership'.

When asked to elaborate on a recent decision Ladapo immediately pointed to 'this obsession with masking kids in school,' which is something DeSantis has repeatedly addressed.

The Republican governor still refuses to allow businesses and schools from implementing mask and vaccine mandates despite only 59.5 percent of the state's population being fully vaccinated, according to Our World In Data.

Florida's surgeon general Dr Joseph Ladapo (pictured) appeared on Tucker Carlson Wednesday night to discuss why the state doesn't have a mask mandate for schoolchildren as Covid-19 cases see a steep decline despite Gov Ron DeSantis continuing to refuse stricter lockdowns and regulations

Ladapo told Carlson of mask mandates in schools: 'When you look at the evidence for mask mandates in schools it's actually very weak. The highest quality evidence we have, in fact, for masks...(is) that there's really no evidence of a health benefit as an improvement in a child's health outcome'

Yet cases are still on the decline, which experts have attributed to the governor simply 'riding out' a recent Covid wave's two-month cycle. Experts have predicted that infections rise for two months before declining.

As of yesterday there were just over 2,000 new Covid cases recorded in the Sunshine State. Two months ago that figure was nearly 28,000.

'Nothing anyone says is going to change the approach that we take to public health,' Ladapo said while being sure to note: 'We are not going to be senseless, which characterizes what this past year and a half have been.'

Ladapo added of mask mandates in schools: 'When you look at the evidence for mask mandates in schools it's actually very weak. The highest quality evidence we have, in fact, for masks...(is) that there's really no evidence of a health benefit as an improvement in a child's health outcome.

'And there's not even any solid evidence for cloth masks.'

Although he failed to cite specific studies that were conducted or exact figures, Ladapo said: 'We haven't asked enough about the high-quality data and it just doesn't support it'.

'Americans have unfortunately been just slammed constantly with this message that you must mask these children,' he added.

The Harvard Medical School grad signed off saying 'we don't do it in Florida' in reference to mask mandates for students in the state's schools.

Carlson chimed in and said that the lack of masks is 'much to the gratitude of the people who live there' and before ending the segment told the surgeon general: 'Don't let them change your course. I know you won't,' presumably referencing liberal officials and Americans.

The segment aired just two months after Florida experienced the worst Covid-19 surge in the United States.

FLORIDA CASES: During the peak of the recent Covid-19 surge in Florida, the state was recording 101 cases per 100,000, which has since declined to nine new cases per 100,000

FLORIDA DEATHS: Florida was recording 1.77 new deaths per 100,000 people during the peak of the surge, which has since fallen to fewer than 0.01 deaths per 100,000

The Sunshine State had the highest seven-day average of cases per day as well as the highest hospitalization rate in the country.

Despite these grim metrics DeSantis did not issue new lockdowns, closures or stay-at-home orders, arguing that the spike was due to a seasonal pattern of the virus and urging residents to get vaccinated.

With Halloween and Thanksgiving right around the corner, the Covid crisis suddenly looks really different in Florida and inexplicably, cases and deaths have been going down despite no new mitigation measures from the governor.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed that as of Wednesday Florida was recording one of the best case and death rates in the country.

This is similar to what's been seen nationwide as Covid-related infections and fatalities in the US drop to the lowest levels recorded since April 2021.

The state is doing just as well as California despite the West Coast State taking a very strict approach including implementing mask mandates, limiting gatherings and closings bars and indoor dining at restaurants.

The declines are despite Governor Ron DeSantis (pictured at press conference in Orlando in August 2021) insisting the state would not shut down and refusing to implement mask or vaccine mandates and instead focusing efforts on early treatment

Experts have suggested the declines seem to follow a familiar two-month cycle since the pandemic began with cases and deaths increasing for about two months before dropping, which as been seen in other states that experienced surges over the summer such as Alabama, Louisiana and Texas

Experts have said that Covid waves usually occur in a two-month cycle - with infections rising for two months before declining - and instead of trying to prevent the cycle from occurring, DeSantis just let it ride out.

The declining rates could change as Floridians head inside for the winter months, potentially causing cases to rise again, but, as of now, it seems like Florida's downward trends will only continue.

In mid-August the Covid-19 crisis perhaps looked no more dire than in Florida.

The state reached a record-high 26,000 Covid cases reported in one day or about 101 cases per 100,000 people.

This is 44 percent higher than the previous peak of 18,000 cases per day recorded in January 2021, according to CDC data.

During this time there were 17,200 Covid-19 hospitalizations - three-fold higher than the 5,700 seen just one month earlier.

Florida also reported a record-high 227 deaths per day in mid-August or 1.77 per 100,000.

However, DeSantis defended himself against critics and told Fox News in an interview on August 26 that the state was having 'great success' treating Covid-19 patients early with monoclonal antibodies.

Despite taking very different approaches to the pandemic, Florida and California are recording nearly the same amount of average cases and deaths per day

He also slammed President Joe Biden for failing to end the pandemic.

'You know, he said he was going to end Covid. He hasn't done that,' DeSantis told host Jesse Watters.

'At the end of the day, he is trying to find a way to distract from the failures of his presidency.'

At the time, doctors and public health experts said that DeSantis's laissez-faire approach was a gamble, but it appears to have paid off.

CDC data show Florida is recording 64 cases per 100,000 people in a week or nine cases per 100,000 people per day as of Wednesday.

This means the The Sunshine State has the best case rate in the country behind California, Mississippi, Hawaii and Alabama, respectively.

Currently California is recording 28 cases per 100,000 people in a week or three cases per 100,000 people per day.

The same curve can be seen with Covid deaths.

Florida is recording 0.2 deaths per 100,000 people in a week - making it the second best state in the nation.

It is behind only California and New Mexico, which are recording 0.1 death per 100,000 people in a week.

Both of these metrics are despite DeSantis refusing to allow business and schools from implementing mask and vaccine mandates.

This is similar to what has been seen in the US with the recent Delta variant-fueled surge.

On September 1 America was averaging 49.9 cases per 100,000 but as of Wednesday, this figure has dropped to 21.2 cases per 100,000.

The two-month cycle theory has also been seen in the US during every surge including the summer 2020 wave and the winter 2020-21 wave

So does the governor deserve all the credit for Florida's improvement? Not necessarily.

These declines seem to follow a familiar two-month cycle since the pandemic began in early 2020 with cases and deaths increasing for about two months before declining, according to David Leonhardt of The New York Times.

Early explanations - such as the virus being seasonal like the flu or compliance of mask wearing and social distancing increasing and decreasing - have not held up.

However, more logical explanations include that as people have contracted Covid-19 over the last two months, the virus is (slowly) running out of people to infect.

'Since the pandemic began, Covid has often followed a regular - if mysterious - cycle. In one country after another, the number of new cases has often surged for roughly two months before starting to fall,' Leonhardt wrote.

'The Delta variant, despite its intense contagiousness, has followed this pattern.'

This means a variant may only need eight weeks to spread throughout a community before it begins to recede.

During the summer 2020 surge in the US cases began rising in early July before declining again in early September.

What's more, during the winter 2020-21 surge Covid infections steeply increased in late November 2020 only to fall again in late January 2021.

It seems that what has occurred on a nationwide scale is what occurred on a much smaller scale in Florida.

The recent surge saw cases starting to rise in the Sunshine State in early July and declining in mid-September, following the two month-schedule.

But it's not the only state: Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina and Texas, all of which saw cases surge during the recent fourth wave, have seen declines since early September.
Jacinda Ardern has begun reopening New Zealand to travellers by halving the nation's quarantine requirements and removing them entirely for a select few countries.

Ms Ardern, 41, is taking baby steps towards reconnecting NZ with the world - cutting down quarantine from 14 days to seven - but is giving no guarantees to trans-Tasman families hoping to reunite for Christmas.

On Thursday, Ms Ardern's COVID-19 Minister Chris Hipkins said the shortened hotel quarantine period for those double-vaccinated will start from November 14, though arrivals will have to isolate at home for another three days.

NZ will also allow travellers from low-risk countries - Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu and Tokelau - to bypass hotel quarantine altogether from November 8.

Australia is not on the quarantine-free list, despite those from low-risk states able to visit NZ freely for several months earlier this year under the trans-Tasman bubble.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (pictured) is slowly reopening the country to international visitors by reducing quarantine requirements

Mr Hipkins said residents from the high-risk states of NSW and Victoria are now able to travel around Australia, which made another trans-Tasman bubble an unacceptable risk.

'The challenge with Australia is they are going through the process of opening up their internal borders,' he said.

'Of course we want to reconnect with Australia soon, as soon as we can do that safely. We're just not in a position to provide any certainty as to when that can happen at this point.'

Former NZ Prime Minister Sir John Key in September said New Zealand had become 'a smug hermit kingdom' and travel restrictions should be lifted as priority.

Mr Hipkins said he understood the plight of overseas-based Kiwis.

'We're very aware of the pressure that's been building the border as the world begins to reconnect and increasing numbers of New Zealanders, here and abroad, that want to be able to reconnect with their loved ones,' Mr Hipkins said.

'We don't want to accelerate the spread of COVID-19 outside Auckland by prematurely making changes to the international border.

'Once we get those high rates of vaccination, at that point, you'll start to see quite a bit more change at the border.'

Mr Hipkins tied more movement to when NZ hits 90 per cent of eligible Kiwis being fully vaccinated.

As of Thursday, 72 per cent of New Zealanders are fully vaccinated and 87 per cent have received their first jab.

Australians hoping to travel quarantine-free by Christmas haven't been offered any guarantees by the New Zealand government yet (pictured: a passenger on a Trans-Tasman flight in April 2021)

Overseas-based New Zealanders will also find some relief from the changes.

Tens of thousands of Kiwis are attempting to return home without success, missing out on places in hotel quarantine ballots.

Mr Hipkins said the changes would free up about 1500 places, but 'many will be used for community cases' in NZ's worsening Delta outbreak.

There were 89 community cases identified by health officials on Thursday, including two in Christchurch, ending a 358-day run without the virus for the South Island's biggest city.

The New Zealand government has opted against sending the city into lockdown, with Mr Hipkins saying there were 'no major exposure events'.

'Close contacts have been identified and are self-isolating ... we'll continue to closely monitor the situation,' he said.
The head of New York City's firefighter union is telling members to go to work whether they're inoculated or not after Friday's vaccine deadline, as the police union continues to fight the rule in court.

New York could face a serious shortage of firefighters, sanitation workers and cops Friday evening - the deadline for all city workers to get their first shot or get sent home without pay on Monday.

Andrew Ansbro, president of the Uniformed Firefighters Association, says that his members felt 'insulted' by Mayor Bill de Blasio's order, which was announced just last week, and warns that 30 to 40 percent of firehouses may have to close.

'I have told my members that if they choose to remain unvaccinated, they must still report for duty,' Ansbro told a news conference Wednesday.

'If they are told they cannot work, it will be the department and city of New York that sends them home. And it will be the department and the city of New York that has failed to protect the citizens of New York.'

Mayor de Blasio responded on Thursday: 'Their supervisors will address that as with any agency and it means, of course, they're not getting paid at that point.'

More than a third of the fire department remains unvaccinated as of Thursday.

On Wednesday, a Staten Island judge rejected a request by the NYPD's largest union to temporarily block the vaccine mandate. Similar legal battles are taking place in Seattle and Chicago, where mayors also instituted mandates for city workers.

NYC firefighters' union President Andrew Ansbro, above on Wednesday, is encouraging members to show up to work in defiance of Mayor Bill de Blasio's vaccine mandate

City employees have until 5pm on Friday to receive their first vaccination - and will be given a $500 bonus following Mayor Bill de Blasio's mandate. Above, de Blasio on August 3

'The response times are going to go through the roof. We're just not going to be able to get to the emergencies in time,' Ansbro, center, has said

A new court hearing has been scheduled for November 12. The city will have to prove the mandate is not 'arbitrary and capricious and an abuse of discretion.'





'Were pleased with this ruling, and remain confident this mandate is on solid legal ground,' said city Law Department spokesman Nicholas Paolucci after the rule was upheld on Wednesday. 'The citys vaccine mandates make our workplaces safer, further public health and aid the citys recovery.'





She ruled against Mac's Public House in their lawsuit to block the city's bar and restaurant vaccine mandate, according to the New York Daily News.





Judge Lizette Colon harked back to a 2019 state appellate ruling that upheld a vaccine mandate for measles, according to Bloomberg





About 36 percent of employees at the New York City Fire Department remain unvaccinated, according to the city's latest tally. That's down from 40 percent on October 19.





NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said Wednesday that 75 percent of his force is vaccinated, a number that has been steadily climbing ahead of tomorrow's deadline.

Throughout the city, 86 percent of the 300,000 municipal employees are jabbed, including teachers and health care workers who were subject to previous mandates.

The NYPD, NYFD and the city sanitation department have warned New Yorkers to brace for slow emergency response times, nearly 40 percent of the city's firehouses having to close down, and mountains of garbage piling up on sidewalks

Municipal workers of the city march across the Brooklyn Bridge against vaccination mandates in New York on October 25

New York City employees have until 5pm on Friday to receive their first vaccination and a $500 bonus. Those who refuse will be placed on leave without pay on Monday.

Thousands of New Yorkers marched across the Brooklyn Bridge on Monday in protest. The Manhattan-bound lanes on the Brooklyn Bridge were closed between 12.30 and 3pm, according to an NYPD report.

During a press briefing Wednesday, Mayor de Blasio said he expects some to hold off until the last minute.

'What I expect is a surge of activity, particularly on Friday,' de Blasio said.

'We had this pattern with the health care workers. We had this pattern with everyone who works for Department of Education, which is, by far, our biggest agency  a surge of vaccination right up on the deadline.

'And then, some people who didn't get vaccinated by the deadline, but recognize that they're about to be put on unpaid leave, who would then go out and get vaccinated immediately, and then even others who get vaccinated in the days after.'

Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn was teeming with overflowing piles of trash on Thursday

About 37 percent of city sanitation employees remained unvaccinated as of last week

About 3,700 sanitation workers could be put on unpaid leave Monday if they don't get vaccinated by 5pm Friday, Mayor de Blasio's vaccine mandate deadline for city workers

The Police Benevolent Association says it will appeal the vaccine mandate once again on Thursday, as the mayor's mandate is set to take effect on Friday.

The mandate will be enforced on Monday, allowing employees to report to work during the weekend.

At the Department of Sanitation - responsible for trash, recycling and clearing the streets of snow in the winter - about 33 percent of employees remained unvaccinated.

Close to 3,300 sanitation employees could be put on unpaid leave next week.

Meanwhile, sidewalks in Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn were teeming with overflowing piles of trash on Thursday as the city prepares to temporarily lay off unvaccinated workers.

Mayor de Blasio is confident that city agencies could weather the storm of furloughs.

'Remember, our first responder agencies, our uniformed agencies went through so much last year where they had huge numbers of members out because of COVID and they had to keep making constant adjustments to provide the services we need to keep people safe - and they did it and they did it very well,' de Blasio said Wednesday.

The president of the Police Benevolent Association, the NYPD's largest union, blamed city officials for the outcome of Wednesday's court ruling, which kept the vaccine mandate in place.

'The PBA will continue to fight the fight and will immediately appeal this ruling, but New Yorkers should know who to blame for any shortfall in city services: Mayor Bill de Blasio, Police Commissioner Shea and the other bureaucrats who are putting politics before public health and public safety.'

'Today's ruling sets the city up for a real crisis. The haphazard rollout of this mandate has created chaos in the NYPD,' the statement read.

JUDGE DENIES TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER IN VACCINE MANDATE LAWSUIT pic.twitter.com/abpqmGnvzQ  NYC PBA (@NYCPBA) October 27, 2021

Police Commissioner Dermot Shea encouraged officers to receive the vaccine before the time is up

'We need you out there. Please take advantage of the next few days and get vaccinated,' Shea told officers

Across Staten Island and Brooklyn, mountains of trash have already started to pile up as sanitation workers protest the mandate

In neighborhoods like Brooklyn's Bay Ridge and Staten Island's Dongan Hills, Saturday's and Wednesday's pick-ups did not take place

Sixty-six percent of the population in the US is vaccinated against COVID-19

Police Commissioner Dermot Shea has encouraged officers to receive the vaccine before the time is up.

'We need you out there. Please take advantage of the next few days and get vaccinated,' he said.

COVID-19, now the leading cause of death for law enforcement in the country, has taken the life of 63 officers in New York City.

Meanwhile, FDNY Firefighter Association President Andrew Ansbro has said that chaos will ensue as hundreds of firefighters who have not complied with the mandate will be forced to stop working.

'The staffing just is not there, there's no way to do it,' he told FOX's radio host Brian Kilmeade.

'The response times are going to go through the roof. We're just not going to be able to get to the emergencies in time.

'Fires are going to burn longer. Heart attack victims are going to be laying on the floor longer,' he added. 'People in stuck elevators are going to be stuck there for hours if not days.'

Ansbro said that 30 to 40 percent of the firehouses in the city will have to close.

'The mayor is going to be faced with either sending us home or sticking to his guns. And his guns are going to get New York City residents killed,' he said.

FDNY Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro told Gothamist that he expects about 20 percent fewer ambulances on the road due to the mandate.

On Thursday, Mayor de Blasio pushed back on claims that vital city agencies will face staffing shortages.

He said people will continue to get vaccinated as the prospect of losing their paycheck nears, and that agency heads will use mandatory overtime, schedule changes and private contractors to deal with any shortages.

'They will be safe,' he said of New Yorkers. 'This has been something under discussion not just for weeks, for months.

'My job is to keep people safe. My employees and 8.8 million people. Until we defeat COVID, people are not safe. If we don't defeat COVID, people will die.'

Meanwhile, FDNY Firefighter Association President Andrew Ansbro has said that chaos will ensue as hundreds of firefighters who have not complied with the mandate will be forced to stop working

'The mayor is going to be faced with either sending us home or sticking to his guns. And his guns are going to get New York City residents killed,' Ansbro said

Mayor de Blasio imposed a mandate starting Nov. 1 that all municipal workers receive the COVID-19 vaccine or risk losing pay. It sparked a protest of thousands on Monday, above

The mandate has sparked criticism as some city employees refuse to get the vaccine against COVID-19

Across Staten Island and Brooklyn, mountains of trash have already started to pile up as sanitation workers protest the mandate.

According to the New York Post, they are purposely taking part in a slowdown so collections are not finished.

The president of sanitation workers union Teamsters Local 831, Harry Nespoli, sided with the passive protests.

'Look, you're going to have some spots in the city that they feel very strongly about this,' he told the Post.

'I'll tell you straight out, I disagree with the mandate because of one reason. We have a program in place right now in the department, which is, you get the vaccination or you get tested once a week.'

Nespoli added that vaccination amongst workers was already going up on a regular basis.

'In the last five days, we had 300 more that got vaccinated,' he said.

Mayor de Blasio addressed the trash pick-up protests on Thursday, calling them 'unacceptable.'

'Anyone who is not doing their job, you're harming your fellow sanitation workers and you're harming your neighbor and you're harming the people of NYC and it's time to stop,' he said.

NYC was averaging about 1,137 cases of COVID-19 on October 17, the last day of full data

The are currently more than 45 million cases of COVID-19 in the US. More than 700,000 have died since the pandemic started

On Friday, a federal judge will rule on a lawsuit from city workers challenging a vaccine mandate for city employees put forth by Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, above on October 14

He also added that employees will be given time to comply with the mandate.

'Our goal is not to fire people,' he said Thursday.

In neighborhoods like Brooklyn's Bay Ridge and Staten Island's Dongan Hills, Saturday's and Wednesday's pick-ups did not take place.

Sanitation has also reported piles of garbage in Dyker Heights, Fort Hamilton, Bath Beach, Gravesend, Bensonhurst, and Flatbush, among other neighborhoods.

City workers are suing to stop mandates from taking place across the country.

In Chicago, a federal judge is expected to rule Friday on a lawsuit from 130 employees, mostly firefighters, challenging Mayor Lori Lightfoot's vaccine mandate for city workers, according to WLS.

That one went into effect on October 15 and, unlike New York's, it includes a twice-weekly test-out option at employees' expense.

On October 15, US District Court Judge Barbara Rothstein ruled against Seattle firefighters and other Washington state workers who claimed Gov. Jay Inslee's vaccine mandate would result in the 'disproportionate dismissal of people of color from civil service and health care,' according to KIRO.

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan instituted similar rules at the same time Gov. Inslee did. Both mandates went into effect on October 18.
Taiwan's president has confirmed for the first time that American troops are on the island of Taiwan training the Taiwanese military - just days after President Joe Biden publicly confirmed he would defend the nation from China should it come under attack.

President Tsai Ing-wen explained how US soldiers were stationed on the self-governing island, explaining that Taiwan had a 'wide range of cooperation with the US aiming at increasing our defense capability'.

The training mission which consists of a special-operations unit and contingent of Marines is believed to have been in operation for at least a year.

For decades, the Pentagon maintained a large troop presence in Taiwan but the American Taiwan Defense Command was ended in 1979 as the United States began a formal diplomatic relationship with China. Washington continued to maintain unofficial ties with Taiwan.

Although there are said to be less than three dozen troops currently stationed on the island, the token gesture is significant and symbolic as it signals American presidential administrations will defend a democratic Taiwan and stand up to Chinese aggression.

Ing-wen's statement is the first time the country has officially confirmed their presence.

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen said she has 'faith' that the United States will defend the island in the event China launches a military strike

During the interview, Tsai said that she has 'faith' the United States would defend the island against a Chinese attack, as Beijing and Washington trade barbs over Taipei's place on the global stage.

The comments from Tsai came during a CNN interview after Biden rebuked Beijing over its actions near Taiwan at a virtual East Asia summit attended by China's premier.

Biden last week told a televised forum that the United States was ready to defend Taiwan from any Chinese invasion.

Those comments were quickly walked back by the White House amid warnings from Beijing, continuing a strategy of ambiguity on whether it would intervene militarily if China attacked.

During an interview broadcast on CNN the president also revealed that American troops are on Taiwanese soil training Taiwan's military

China considers Taiwan, where nationalist forces fled in 1949 after losing a civil war to the communists, to be a province awaiting reunification, by force if necessary

China considers Taiwan, where nationalist forces fled in 1949 after losing a civil war to the communists, to be a province awaiting reunification, by force if necessary.

During the CNN interview, when asked if she was confident that the United States would help defend Taiwan if necessary against China, Tsai replied: 'I do have faith.'

She highlighted the 'wide range of cooperation with the US aiming at increasing our defense capability,' including the US military training of Taiwanese forces.

There are 32 members of the US military currently in Taiwan.

China is regularly setting records by flying numerous warplane flights near the island.

The United States and China are stepping up their war of words over Taiwan in a long-simmering dispute that has significant implications for the power dynamic in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. Pictured, a file photo provided by U.S. Coast Guard shows Legend-class U.S. Coast Guard National Security Cutter Munro (WMSL 755) transiting the Taiwan Strait during a routine transit with Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd (DDG 100)

Tsai told CNN that despite China's aggressive posturing, she is willing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in order to 'reduce misunderstanding' and address the differences in their political systems.

'We can sit down and talk about our differences, and try to make arrangements so that we will be able to co-exist peacefully,' she said.

At the East Asia summit, attended by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Biden said the United States was 'deeply concerned by China's coercive and proactive actions... across the Taiwan Strait.'

Such actions 'threaten regional peace and stability,' Biden told the closed-door session.

US President Joe Biden aimed stern words at Beijing during an Asian summit, saying China's actions near Taiwan 'threaten regional peace and stability'

Under President Xi Jinping, who is also Communist Party leader and head of the armed forces, China has been stepping up military, diplomatic and economic pressure on Taiwan.

Over its National Day weekend at the beginning of the month, China sent a record 149 military aircraft southwest of Taiwan in strike group formations, prompting Taiwan to scramble aircraft and activate its air defense missile systems.

China has also recently held beach landing exercises on its side of the roughly 100-mile-wide Taiwan Strait, which, like the aircraft incursions, it described as a warning to Tsai Ing-wen's administration.

The United States switched diplomatic recognition in 1979 to Beijing.

But the US Congress at the same time approved the Taiwan Relations Act, which obligated the supply of weapons to the island for its self-defense.

The US does not openly contest China's claim to Taiwan, but is committed by law to ensure the island can defend itself and to treat all threats toward it as matters of grave concern.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday reiterated that the United States still recognized only Beijing, but he emphasized Taiwan's democratic credentials in asking that it be allowed a greater involvement in UN agencies.

'Taiwan has become a democratic success story,' Blinken said. 'We are among the many UN member states who view Taiwan as a valued partner and trusted friend.'

'Taiwan's meaningful participation in the UN system is not a political issue, but a pragmatic one,' Blinken said.

'That is why we encourage all UN member states to join us in supporting Taiwan's robust, meaningful participation throughout the UN system and in the international community.'

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, seen on a visit to Colombia on October 20, 2021, has called for Taiwan's greater inclusion in UN institutions

Blinken pointed to Taiwan's exclusion from meetings associated with the International Civil Aviation Organization and the World Health Organization.

He noted that Taiwan was hailed for its 'world-class' response to Covid-19 -- which largely spared the island after early intervention -- and that tens of millions of passengers go through Taiwanese airports each year.

China responded to Blinken's statement with strident, albeit familiar, statements emphasizing its position that Taiwan's government had no place on the world's diplomatic stage.

'Taiwan has no right to join the United Nations,' Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office in Beijing, told reporters.

'The United Nations is an international governmental organization composed of sovereign states... Taiwan is a part of China.'

Only 14 nations, all in the developing world, and the Vatican maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

The tensions between the U.S. and China come as the Pentagon's top general said that China's recent test of an earth-circling hypersonic missile was akin to the Soviet Union's stunning launch of the world's first satellite, Sputnik, in 1957, which sparked the superpowers' space race.

'What we saw was a very significant event of a test of a hypersonic weapon system. And it is very concerning. I don't know if it's quite a Sputnik moment, but I think it's very close to that,' United States Army General Mark A. Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said

China, the US and Russia are engaged in a global arms race that now includes the development of hypersonic missile technology. Here, DailyMail.com has compared (from left) each country's main nuclear weapon, the latest hypersonic technology they have tested, their most up-to-date aircraft carriers, main battle tanks, and cutting-edge jets

Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirmed for the first time the Chinese test of a nuclear-capable missile that would be very difficult to defend against.

'What we saw was a very significant event of a test of a hypersonic weapon system. And it is very concerning,' Milley told Bloomberg TV.

'I don't know if it's quite a Sputnik moment, but I think it's very close to that,' he said.

'It's a very significant technological event that occurred... and it has all of our attention.'

The US Department of Defense had previously declined to confirm the test, first reported on October 16.

Hypersonic weapons are the new frontier in missile technology, because they fly lower and so are harder to detect than ballistic missiles, can reach targets more quickly, and are maneuverable

The August test launch appeared to catch Washington by surprise.

The missile circled the Earth at a low altitude and a velocity of more than five times the speed of sound, although it missed its target by more than 19 miles.

China denied the report, saying it was a routine test of a reusable space vehicle.

Hypersonics are the new frontier in missile technology, because they fly lower and so are harder to detect than ballistic missiles, can reach targets more quickly, and are maneuverable.

That makes them more dangerous, particularly if mounted with nuclear warheads.

China launched the dummy weapon into space on board a Long March 2C rocket (pictured) during a test in mid-August which it did not disclose at the time and was only revealed at the weekend by security analysts assigned to work out its purpose
Facebook's executives were accused of being 'drunk on power' in internal messages after they attempted to block messages of support for Kenosha gunman Kyle Rittenhouse.

Rittenhouse, a right-wing vigilante, shot and killed two Black Lives Matter protesters amid unrest following the shooting by police of Jacob Blake, in August 2020.

Rittenhouse, who was 17 at the time, was seen as a hero by some on the right, who insisted he was on the streets to prevent rioting by the BLM activists.

Facebook took down many pro-Rittenhouse posts, arguing that they were in violation of the site's rules which banned the promotion of violence.

Facebook's rules ban praise and support of a mass shooter, or a mass shooting itself.

Kyle Rittenhouse, left, was 17 when he shot and killed two people in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on August 25, 2020. He was part of a vigilante group claiming they were defending property from arson and rioting

A protester is seen walking past a burning building on August 24, after the shooting of Jacob Blake

A protester tosses an object toward police during clashes outside the Kenosha County Courthouse on August 25, 2020 - the third night of rioting, and the night of Rittenhouse's shooting

Rittenhouse has been charged with murder. He is seen on Monday, ahead of his trial, which begins next week

During an internal discussion, most employees agreed with the decision.

But one said that the Facebook leaders were taking too drastic a role in censoring people's beliefs.

'The rioting has been going on for over three months and it's only an issue now because people inside the company saw violence they didn't like,' the staffer said, in internal documents obtained by The New York Post.

'Employees are drunk on the absolute power of being in control of civics in America, without ever having to visit a voting booth (if voting is even an option).'

Facebook took down posts in support of Rittenhouse, as per their policy on shootings

The employee, a data scientist with Facebook, questioned whether Facebook was taking the right approach to moderating posts in support of Rittenhouse - who was 17 at the time of the shooting, and not legally allowed to carry the firearms used in the shooting.

'Can we really consistently and objectively differentiate between support (not allowed) and discussion of whether [Rittenhouse] is being treated justly (allowed)?' the data scientist wrote.

'Try reading the posts mentioning him and see if you can separate violating from non-violating content.

'I know that our company is full of dedicated smart people who want to do the right thing.

'However, I don't think the current system we are working in enables us to succeed, even as we have the money, talent and motivation that should lead us on the right path.'

Rittenhouse has been charged with murder, and his trial is scheduled to begin next week.

A spokeswoman said Facebook has an 'industry-leading policy' to address what it called 'militarized social movements.'

The internal memo is part of a huge swathe of information leaked by a whistleblower, Frances Haugen.

Details of Facebook's internal discussions come from whistleblower Frances Haugen, who has appeared before lawmakers in the U.S. and U.K. during recent weeks

Mark Zuckerberg, the Facebook founder and CEO, is under intense pressure following the leak of a series of internal documents

Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO and founder of Facebook, on Monday angrily accused people of plotting against his company.

'My view is that what we are seeing is a coordinated effort to selectively use leaked documents to paint a false picture of our company,' the under-fire executive said, in a call with Facebook investors.

Haugen's leaked files have formed the basis of a series of exposes in The Wall Street Journal, revealing that executives knew Instagram was addictive and harmful to young people, and that they put profits above people.

Facebook has been accused of not doing enough to clamp down on hate speech, and actively promoting divisive and harmful content to drive traffic.
The millionaire made headlines in August for bringing Covid-19 to Byron Bay

He is accused of breaking his wife's black umbrella in December last year

Zoran Radovanovic failed to appear in court because he is in Serbia, court heard

The Sydney millionaire who sparked Byron Bay's snap lockdown in August has skipped the country for Serbia amid an ongoing feud with his estranged wife over a broken umbrella.

Zoran Radovanovic, 52, spent two weeks in hospital with Covid after making the eight-hour drive to the NSW beachside town from his Rose Bay home in Sydney's east - potentially spreading a trail of contagion throughout the tourist hotspot.

The father-of-two pleaded guilty on October 11 to four charges of failing to comply with electronic registration - or not using QR codes when entering businesses - but did not admit to three additional charges of not complying with Covid directions.

Radovanovic maintains he did not violate stay-home orders because he was legally inspecting a property in Byron, but police allege he did not have a 'reasonable excuse' to leave the eastern suburbs.

On Thursday, the businessman was a no show in court for unrelated domestic violence charges because he had skipped the country, Magistrate Michael Barko told Sydney's Downing Centre.

Zoran Radovanovic is pictured with his son on a SeaDoo eight years ago with his son Kristian, who is now 19

'The client is overseas and has a new address in Serbia,' Mr Barko told the court.

Radovanovic was charged on December 2 last year with intentionally or recklessly destroy/damage a black umbrella that belonged to his wife Tiana MacDowell at their Rose Bay home.

Mr Barko said the court received correspondence from Radovanovic's lawyer on Tuesday to say the Sydneysider would maintain his plea of not guilty.

It is understood Ms MacDowell had AVOs taken out against her husband, which will remain in place until the case returns to court on May 24, 2022.

It is unclear how the Covid-denier managed to leave Australia due to pandemic border closures preventing citizens from flying internationally without an exemption.

Daily Mail Australia understands Radovanovic and Ms MacDowell have split up, with neighbours saying removalists filled a shipping container outside their home last week.

Radovanovic has been charged with destroying an umbrella that belonged to his wife Tiana Macdowell (pictured)

The businessman and his teenage son Kristian have not been seen since, but Ms MacDowell remained at the property with their dog and black Mercedes SUV.

Neighbours were pleased to see the back of Radovanovic, claiming they repeatedly saw police cars at the address since he moved in - long before the Byron Bay incident.

One neighbour said there were about eight or nine police cars outside the home at one stage.

Kristian also faced Lismore Local Court earlier this month after joining his father on the illegal 750km journey jaunt up north.

Unlike his father, the 19-year-old pleaded guilty to all four charges against him: two of not complying with electronic registration, one of not complying with directions and one of not wearing a face mask in public transport or a taxi.

Kristian was also treated for Covid-19 in the same hospital as his father, while his mother, who didn't go on the trip to Byron Bay, was in a Sydney hospital with the virus.

Another teenage child of Radovanovic was also treated in Lismore Hospital for Covid-19.

His teenage son Kristian, 19, (pictured) who was last year convicted of drink driving, has also been charged with a series of offences after allegedly joining his father on the trip

Radovanovic's case will be to be mentioned again at Lismore on November 15 and the sons matter will be mentioned in Waverley Local Court on November 8.

The father said in late-August that the trip was for legitimate reasons and reiterated that had he known he was Covid-positive he would not have left home.

'You think I knew I had corona(virus) in my pocket and took it and then went up there?' he told the Daily Telegraph.

'No, it's ridiculous, what kind of imbecile would do that?

'They said my wife was in hospital and I left her here, that's bulls***. I've done nothing wrong.'

The businessman's history of drug and theft convictions was revealed to the Adminstrative Appeals Tribunal in 2000 when he successfully won a bid to stay in Australia with his wife, despite not having the correct visa.

He was almost thrown out of the country 22 years ago when he was discovered to be living illegally in Australia with a string of convictions and a suspended jail sentence, an AAT judgement revealed.

Radovanovic has insisted he didn't know he was infectious with the virus when he and his two teenage children drove to Byron Bay (pictured, a masked man riding his bike through Byron Bay)

He emigrated to Australia from the former Yugoslavia in April 1991 and had already overstayed his visa when he was convicted of two charges of burglary and car theft in Melbourne in February 1992.

He was sentenced to six months in jail on each charge but the sentence was suspended for 12 months.

The following month he appeared to have fled the country with his future wife Tiana Macdowell (nee Simic) when their passports were both scanned boarding an international flight from Melbourne Airport.

But Radovanovic insists he never left the country and instead moved to Lightning Ridge where he lived illegally for years under the false name of Zoran Cuk.

His future wife later returned to Australia and married Radovanovic, but his application for Australian citizenship was rejected when he was discovered to have been an illegal alien.

The former 'aimless' part-time plastics worker sold this home in Forestville in 2020 for $2.25 million before moving to Rose Bay in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs

He then faced further drugs charges in 1998 when cops raided two addresses in Melbourne and found him with accomplices and 40 cannabis plants being grown.

A hearing by the AAT took place before the court date and decided to take pity of him, allowing him to stay in the country.

The hearing found Radovanovic 'does little to instill confidence that [he] has the inherent qualities of good character'.

The tribunal deputy president B.M. Forrest added: 'I am not satisfied that he passes the character test.'

The tribunal said the Serbian part-time plastics worker's life in 2000 was 'aimless' but hoped he would 'demonstrate his capacity to make a contribution to Australia' if he was allowed to stay.

Some 21 years later, Radovanovic sold his home in Forestville in 2020 for $2.25 million - which had been registered in his wife's name - and moved to the family's new home in Rose Bay.

Byron Bay's patient zero breaks his silence as he FURIOUSLY denies flouting Covid rules

The Covid-infected businessman who plunged Byron Bay into a week-long snap lockdown insisted he didn't break any rules when he travelled to the coastal town to view a property two months ago.

The father-of-two in August finally broke his silence on the controversial trip up north, following two weeks he spent at Lismore Hospital recovering from Covid-19.

Radovanovic has insisted he didn't know he was infected with the virus when he and his two teenage children drove to the sun-drenched hangout.

The businessman said the trip was for legitimate reasons and reiterated that had he known he was Covid-positive he would not have left his Rose Bay home.

In northern NSW, angry locals in Byron Shire, Lismore and Ballina Shore were plunged into a week-long lockdown on August 9 while at least 14 different hotspots flagged in the wake of the illegal trip (pictured, a usually busy street in Byron Bay earlier this month)

'No, it's ridiculous, what kind of imbecile would do that?,' he told the The Daily Telegraph.

Radovanovic vowed to fight the charge of breaching public health orders handed to him by NSW Police.

'They said my wife was in hospital and I left her here, that's bulls***. I've done nothing wrong, I want to tell my story,' he said.

Neighbours told Daily Mail Australia they'd seen her take her two dogs for walks upon returning home but that she'd remained tightlipped about the allegations.

'They're very quiet at the best of times,' one neighbour said.

It is understood Ms Radovanovic may have transmitted the virus to her husband before she knew she was infectious.

NSW public health orders technically allow locked-down Sydney residents an exemption to travel if they are 'inspecting a potential new place of residence'.
Unvaccinated Victorians will be allowed to shop in retail stores under a confusing loophole in Daniel Andrews' roadmap out of lockdown.

Non-essential retail such as clothing stores will welcome back customers on Friday at 6pm - regardless of their vaccination status.

The Victorian government confirmed that shoppers will not have to be double jabbed until 90 per cent of the state have been vaccinated, which is expected to be on November 24.

Retail staff will need to have had at least one jab by Friday and both by November 26.

Unvaccinated Victorians will be allowed to shop in retail stores under a confusing loophole in Daniel Andrews' roadmap out of lockdown - however this will only last for a few weeks

When asked about the confusing detail in the government's roadmap, Covid-19 response commander Jeroen Weimar said it was down to 'timing'.

'We've given a bit more time and space for retailers to get back and moving again,' he said on Wednesday.

'We are sending out a very clear signal that says if you're going to be active in these retail environments post 90 per cent, you're going to need to get yourself vaccinated.'

Mr Weimar added the enforcement of vaccine mandates would be up to the retailers once the 90 per cent target was hit, but encouraged those who hadn't yet been jabbed to avoid busy retail settings.

'We would absolutely discourage anybody who is not vaccinated from going into any of those retail settings,' he said.

Premier Andrews also said the 'grace period' was offered because earlier shoppers were told they would not need to be fully vaccinated.

Once 90 per cent of the population have been fully vaccinated, shoppers will need to be jabbed to enter non-essential retail stores

'We have changed that. The fair thing is to give people some time,' he said.

'It does take a little bit of time and we just have to allow and give people a clear opportunity to get the first and the second dose.'

Under the current restrictions Victorians have to be double jabbed to enter pubs, bars and restaurants as well to attend appointments at hairdressers and beauty clinics.

Up to 30 unvaccinated people can attend weddings, funerals and places of worship.

Thursday marked Victoria's deadliest day in the pandemic with 25 Covid-related deaths and 1,923 cases.

About 77 per cent of Victorians aged 16 and over are now fully vaccinated.
Australia Post has warned individuals and families to post Christmas presents as early as possible as it announced the exact dates parcels must be sent by to reach loved ones by December 25.

The postal service is expecting one of its busiest seasons ever as Australia emerges from Covid lockdown restrictions.

'We have added lots of capacity and we are adding more team members as we speak to be ready for the Christmas period, but it has been a challenging time and we are working very hard to get every parcel to its destination as quickly as we can,' Australia Post executive general manager Gary Starr told the ABC.

Australians sent more than 52 million parcels last year and are expected to exceed that figure as 2021 draws to a close.

Australia Post is expecting one of its busiest seasons ever as Australia emerges from Covid lockdown restrictions

'We have added lots of capacity and we are adding more team members as we speak to be ready for the Christmas period,' Australia Post executive Gary Starr said

Australians sent more than 52 million parcels last year and are expected to exceed that figure as 2021 draws to a close

For most places in Australia the cut-off dates for parcels to reach relatives and friends by Christmas Day are December 13 for Parcel Post and December 20 for Express Post.

'We'll deliver items sent after these dates as quickly as we can, but they may not arrive until after Christmas,' Australia Post warned.

For letters and cards sent interstate by regular post, the key date is Thursday December 16. Letters and cards sent within the same state will still get there by Christmas Day if posted on or before Monday December 20.

For most customers sending within Australia, the delivery deadlines to send parcels by are Monday December 13 for Parcel Post and Monday December 20 for Express Post.

The dates are even earlier for residents of Western Australia and the Northern Territory, who are advised to send parcels by December 8 for Parcel Post and December 15 for Express Post.

For those sending letters and parcels to international destinations, dates are even earlier, though vary depending on the country. International cut-off dates by country can be searched on Australia Post's website.

For most places in Australia, the cut-off dates for parcels to reach relatives and friends by Christmas Day are December 13 for Parcel Post, and December 20 for Express Post

Letters and cards sent interstate by regular post should be posted by Thursday, December 16 and by Monday, December 20 if sent within the same state

'We're seeing record parcel volumes with more than 5.9 million households shopping online a month and it's showing no signs of slowing as we head into the online sales season and Christmas,' Mr Starr said in a statement.

He announced that Australia Post will increase air freight capacity and weekend to meet demand, delivering right up until Christmas Eve.

Australia's second wave of Covid-19 this year proved challenging for Australia Post deliveries. It paused parcel pick-ups in Melbourne at the end of last month due to a backlog of orders and other disruptions caused by the city's lockdown.

In Sydney hundreds of its logistics workers were forced to self-isolate after many were identified as close contacts of a Covid-19 case.

Australia Post's Christmas cut-off dates for parcels and letters Parcels Anywhere in Australia: Parcel Post: Monday, December 13 Express Post: Monday, December 20 WA and NT: Parcel Post: Wednesday, December 8 Express Post: Wednesday, December 15 Cards and letters (regular post) Same state: Monday, December 20 Interstate: Thursday, December 16 International letters and parcels International sending dates vary depending on destination and the chosen delivery service. Search by country at the Australia Post website Advertisement

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A Sydney convenience store owner spent $100,000 converting his inner city shop into a fully-operational flight simulator that he hopes pilots can use for training.

Ahmed Nasreldeen, an aviation electronics engineer, moved to Australia from Egypt with his family in 2018 and purchased an EzyMart franchise on Elizabeth Street in the heart of the city's CBD.

Over the next three years he began buying the 2,000 pieces needed to build a to-scale Airbus A320 cockpit and, with the permission of convenience chain, build the simulator in the back of his store.

'I've had people passing by and say "what the f**k" and "wow what is that a flight simulator?",' Mr Nasreldeen told Daily Mail Australia.

'One woman even asked if it were a space ship.'

Ahmed Nasreldeen, an aviation electronics engineer, moved to Australia from Egypt and spent $100k building flight simulator in his EzyMart store

Mr Nasreldeen said he built the entire simulator in his garage in three months before disassembling and reassembling it in the Elizabeth Street store

AHMED'S AIRBUS A320 FLIGHT SIMULATOR Cost $100,000 from the UK

Equipment usually costs more than $200,000

Has more than 2,000 pieces

Took three months to build in his garage

Initially built the cockpit in his garage before moving to store

Customers can make bookings for different time slots and purposes

Pilots can use the simulator for practice and scenario training Advertisement

Mr Nasreldeen said he built the entire simulator in his garage in three months before disassembling and reassembling it in the Elizabeth Street store.

'It took too much work. There were about 2,000 pieces. I did it myself with my wife and kids inside our garage,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'It was a very tough time. It takes networking, computers and visuals to get it all running.'

Mr Nasreldeen initially moved to Australia with his family on a student visa and was unable to work as an aviation engineer under the rights of his citizenship.

He said he would have had to transfer his Egyptian license to a European one before again transferring it to Australia, a process that would take up to three years.

The simulator mirrors the cockpit of an Airbus A320, the second-highest selling airline ever made, surpassing even the Boeing 737.

It services domestic and international flights around the world, used by airlines including American Airlines and EasyJet.

The simulator mirrors the cockpit of an Airbus A320, a type of aircraft used by major airlines to service domestic and international routes

Mr Nasreldeen's simulator can be used to create real-world scenarios to train pilots and also increase user experiences.

'We can control the weather, we can control everything,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'The navigation display shows everything, airports, altitude.'

He finished building the simulator the day before Sydney's three-month lockdown began in late June, but is now offering sessions for customers three days per week.

There are four types of sessions starting at 'social media lovers' all the way to pilots looking to sharpen their skills in specific scenarios.

Mr Nasreldeen said while working in an EzyMart is a farcry from his role with Egypt Air, he is happy to leave behind the responsibilities that come with keeping passengers alive.

'It was a nice career but I decided to do this,' he said.

'The stress of signing over 300 lives. As an aircraft maintenance engineer you are signing over these lives every time you check an aircraft. There's a lot of stress.'

People can make reservations through the Sydney Flight Simulator website or booking websites Adrenaline and Groupon.
A bizarre new song written by an American rapper that slams Australians for being 'complacent' has skyrocketed to the top of the US charts.

Rapper Bryson Gray's song 'Let's Go Brandon' has been banned from Instagram and YouTube for spreading 'harmful false information'.

Alongside lyrics like 'Pandemic ain't real, they just planned it' and 'Biden said the jab stop the spread, it was lies' the musician took aim at Australia's Covid-19 restrictions.

'Look at Australia, that's what's comin' next if we don't stand up. Stop complyin' with them takin' our rights, it's time to man up,' the lyrics read.

A bizarre new song written by American conservative rapper Bryson Gray (pictured) who slams Australia has skyrocketed to the top of the US charts

Gray - who describes himself as 'the most censored rap artist in America' - has been in the top charts since Sunday and has even overtaken Adele's single 'Easy On Me'.

In the music video for the song, Gray appears in an 'Impeach Biden' T-shirt and a MAGA bucket hat while holding an assault rifle.

The rapper announced his anti-Biden song had been banned on Thursday, tweeting: 'What medical misinformation is in the song? Whoa'.

According to Gray, YouTube initially took down the lyric version of the video before the actual music video was taken down.

He compared Google-owned YouTube to a Communist dictatorship and said that the ban only made the song more popular.

'I want to thank YouTube for banning my Lets Go Brandon song. All yall did was p*** a bunch of people off and made more people go listen to it. Lets Go YouTube. Commies,' he tweeted on Saturday.

Gray wrote the song in response to NBCs coverage of a NASCAR race in Alabama on October 2, where fans were heard chanting 'F*** Joe Biden'.

The song features lyrics like 'Pandemic ain't real, they just planned it' and 'Biden said the jab stop the spread, it was lies' (pictured, rapper Bryson Gray)

NBC reporter Kelli Stavast was interviewing racer Brandon Brown when she allegedly misheard the crowd and told the broadcast they were yelling 'Let's Go Brandon!'

Biden critics believed the reporter purposely tried to censor the crowd.

'Let's Go Brandon!' has become shorthand for 'F**k Joe Biden' on social media, with many using the hashtag #LetsGoBrandon to criticise the President.

The song follows a suite of conservative politicians who have taken aim at Australia's Covid-19 restrictions, circuit-breaker lockdowns and vaccine mandates.

Earlier in October, Texas senator Ted Cruz attacked the nation for its 'disgraceful and sad Covid tyranny'.

The conservative American senator slammed the Northern Territory's Chief Minister for introducing a controversial vaccine policy for thousands of workers.

NT leader Michael Gunner announced employees who come into contact with the public - including bar staff and supermarket workers - would be fined $5,000 if they turn up to work unvaccinated from November 12.

It comes just weeks after Texas senator Ted Cruz attacked the nation for its 'disgraceful and sad Covid tyranny'

The vaccine policy sparked a social media frenzy across Australia and the world, with Mr Cruz taking to social media to blast the decision.

'I love the Aussies. Their history of rugged independence is legendary; I've always said Australia is the Texas of the Pacific,' he tweeted.

'The Covid tyranny of their current government is disgraceful & sad. Individual liberty matters. I stand with the people of #Australia.'

However, it wasn't long before Mr Gunner caught wind of the public diss and decided to hit back at Mr Cruz with his own tough response.

'G'day from Down Under @TedCruz. Thanks for your interest in the Territory. I'm the Chief Minister. Below are a few facts about COVID down here,' he wrote.

Mr Gunner attached a fact sheet to his tweet and began by citing the 70,000 Covid-related deaths reported in Texas throughout the pandemic.

'There have been zero deaths in the Territory. Did you know that?' he questioned.

'We don't need your lectures, thanks mate. You know nothing about us. And if you stand against a life-saving vaccine, then you definitely don't stand with Australia.'

While some Twitter users cheered the chief minister on for the 'burn', others agreed with the American senator's critique of Australia's 'Covid tyranny'.

'Alas, they're becoming the North Korea of the Pacific,' one user agreed.

'It's enough to make me get on a plane and fly to a resort in Mexico with my family to escape. #AustraliaHasFallen,' another tweeted.

Fox News host Tucker Carlson described Australia's lockdowns as 'lunacy' while journalist Candace Owens compared the stay-at-home orders to a 'totalitarian regime' and suggested the U.S. should 'invade' to liberate Australian citizens.

In a recent episode of her Daily Wire broadcast, Candace described Australian restrictions as 'federal overreach, tyranny, totalitarianism. The kind that gives birth to dictatorships.'

Mr Cruz took a shot at the Northern Territory's chief minister Michael Gunner for introducing a controversial vaccine policy for thousands of workers

Mr Gunner fired back and said 'we don't need your lectures, thanks mate'

She then wondered whether America should 'invade Australia' to liberate its citizens, before clarifying: 'Of course, I ask that in jest.'

The particular restrictions that sparked concern for Candace included QR code check-ins and rules against dancing at nightclubs or functions.

Her statements about Australia's 'invasion' came after NSW's lockdown was lifted on October 11 due to the vaccination rate reaching 70 per cent.

Melbourne's lockdown was lifted on October 21, after the state of Victoria reached the same double-jab milestone.

America has had over 733,000 Covid deaths and more than 45 million cases.
The government has introduced controversial new legislation to federal parliament that would require voters to show identification to cast their ballot at elections.

The proposal, based on a recommendation from parliament's electoral matters committee, would force people to produce identification such as a driver's licence or Medicare card in order to vote.

The government has indicated it would want the changes implemented by the next federal election, due to be held by May 2022.

The government has introduced controversial new legislation to federal parliament that would require voters to show identification to cast their ballot at elections (stock image)

The opposition, who have labelled the proposal as racist, said it would lead to long lines at polling booths, while also disenfranchising the homeless, those fleeing domestic violence, the elderly and people in remote Indigenous communities.

In introducing the bill, cabinet minister Angus Taylor said the bill would reduce the risk of people voting multiple times.

'This will bring Australia into line with other liberal democracies such as Canada and Sweden,' Mr Taylor said.

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese said the move tried to bring the politics of former US president Donald Trump into Australia.

'This is a desperate attempt to undermine our strong democracy and deny Australians their basic democratic rights,' Mr Albanese said.

'On the eve of an election, the Morrison-Joyce government is trying to ram through a bill to stop Australians voting.'

Mr Albanese said voter fraud was 'vanishingly small' in Australia and the proposed changes were not needed.

Critics of the bill have likened the proposal to US-style voter suppression.

The opposition unsuccessfully tried to defer debate on the issue until 2023, after the next federal election.

The bill allows for people to have their identity attested by another person on the electoral roll who does have identification.

Voters could also cast a declaration vote, where voting credentials would be checked later, if they did not have ID.

The government also introduced legislation allowing the Australian Electoral Commission to have contingency measures for elections if an emergency, such as a COVID-19 outbreak, was declared.

The bill would allow for voting to be suspended at certain polling or pre-polling booths.

Scrutinising of votes would also be delayed if polling was suspended at a location.
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President Joe Biden has postponed his flight to meet the Pope so that he can stay in Washington DC several hours longer, and try and convince his own party to back his infrastructure bill.

Biden was due to fly to Rome early on Thursday, ahead of his Friday audience at the Vatican.

The president, a lifelong Catholic, has pushed his flight back by several hours to try and secure a deal. He is still expected to meet Pope Francis on Friday, and hold a meeting with Emmanuel Macron, the French president.

World leaders are gathering in Rome for the G20 meeting on the weekend. Biden will then travel to the UK for the UN climate summit in Glasgow on Monday and Tuesday.

His change in plans came after his flagship infrastructure bill appeared to be veering off course.

Joe Biden, seen on Monday in New Jersey on a visit to shore up support for his Build Back Better plan, on Wednesday night postponed his trip to Europe by several hours, to try and push Democrats to agree a deal. He will now fly out several hours later than scheduled on Thursday

The president on Wednesday night urged Democrats to wrap up talks and bring the social services and climate change bill 'over the finish line'.

Critics within his own party accuse him of rushing the bill in a bid to have a new climate change policy to show off at the UN summit.

The strongest opposition has come from 'The Squad', with the progressive allies accusing Biden of selling out to Joe Manchin, the moderate senator for West Virginia, whose coal country constituents have pushed him to demand a watering down of renewable energy plans.

Another holdout senator, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, has also demanded changes to the climate change provisions.

'I am not going to sell out my district for a bill that was written by the fossil fuel industry and championed by two Dem senators who bow down to Big Pharma & corporate polluters,' tweeted 'Squad' member Rashida Tlaib, a congresswoman for Michigan.

Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona is seen on Wednesday, leaving a meeting with Joe Manchin and Joe Biden to thrash out the details of the bill

Rashida Tlaib, a congresswoman for Michigan, said on Wednesday that she was refusing to 'sell out my district for a bill that was written by the fossil fuel industry'

Ilhan Omar, a congresswoman for Minnesota, on Wednesday night told of her frustration at 'corporate lobbyists, billionaires, and coal company owners hellbent on screwing over the American people.'

She spelt out her complaint in a lengthy Twitter thread, saying: 'Let's have an honest accounting of what is really happening with these ever evolving negotiations.

'First, instead of centering the needs of the American people, corporate Democrats have purely been about lining the pockets and serving the interests of the donor class.

'If you really want to know why a provision is being killed, all you have to do is follow the money'

Omar blamed lobbyists for pharmaceutical firms and energy companies for sabotaging the original plan.

'It is corporate greed, and the lawmakers who serve them, who are betraying the values of our party and the American people,' she said.

'We did not come to Congress to watch our entire agenda get torpedoed by corporate lobbyists, billionaires, and coal company owners hellbent on screwing over the American people.

'It's time to bring to the floor a bill that prioritizes people over corporations.'

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has also expressed objections to the bill, saying she needed to see the details before she could vote on it

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, another Squad member, representing New York, said that she was not prepared to back the bill without seeing the full text.

'Details matter,' she said.

'A lot of people don't know what the 'bipartisan' bill consists of (despite text) and why it's critical that Build Back Better be paired with it.'

Ocasio-Cortez said that Congress needed to pass both Build Back Better (BBB), Biden's all-encompassing infrastructure plan, in addition to BIF - Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework, the deal struck between Democrats and some Republicans in the Senate in August.

She said BIF alone was not sufficient.

'Take climate. There is a LOT of oil and gas lobbyist spin about BIF, but deal is it's climate negative. One example: People will say 'oh look at all this money in climate - like hydrogen energy!'

'Well, not all hydrogen is the same. The H sources matter. There are 3 kinds: blue, green, and grey.

'Green hydrogen is the good stuff: that hydrogen comes from water and helps us draw down emissions.

'You know where Blue hydrogen comes from? Fracked gas. Blue hydrogen has worse emissions than coal, locks in more powerful climate destruction than what we're doing now.

'Blue is bad. (Grey too)

'Guess which one bipar bill finances? Blue.'

Ocasio-Cortez explained: 'So for those who like to call folks like me naive, immature, or that 'I don't know what I'm doing'- some of us actually read the text while others get hustled by spin.

'Details matter. On climate, they're life+death. So to do my job, I need more than an IOU. Not too much to ask.'

Tempers flared late on Wednesday after a billionaires' tax and a paid family leave program fell out of the Democrats' sweeping bill, mostly to satisfy a pivotal senator in the 50-50 Senate.

Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House, is seen on Wednesday leaving a meeting of her caucus. She was optimistic in the morning, but as the day unfolded the bill appeared to come apart at the seams

President Joe Biden supports a Senate Democratic plan to tax billionaires, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday  although it was unclear if it is part of a Build Back Better package being negotiated

But expanded health care programs, free pre-kindergarten and some $500 billion to tackle climate change remain in the mix in what's now at least a $1.75 trillion package.

And Democrats are eyeing a new surcharge on the wealthy - 5% on incomes above $10 million and an additional 3% on those beyond $25 million - to help pay for it, a source told AP.

The administration was assessing the situation 'hour by hour,' White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.

It was a fast-moving day on Capitol Hill that started upbeat as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared that Democrats were in 'pretty good shape.'

But hopes quickly faded as Biden's big proposal ran into stubborn new setbacks, chief among them how to pay for it all.

A just-proposed tax on billionaires could be scrapped after Manchin objected, according to a senior party aide.

The billionaires' tax proposal had been designed to win over another Democratic holdout, Sinema - but Manchin panned it as unfairly targeting the wealthy, leaving Democrats at odds.

'People in the stratosphere, rather than trying to penalize, we ought to be pleased that this country is able to produce the wealth,' Manchin told reporters.

White House aides met with Democratic holdouts Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin as they tried to negotiate a deal to keep Biden's social spending plan on track

Manchin is seen with Senator Elizabeth Warren in an elevator to the Senate chamber on Wednesday

Manchin said he prefers a minimum 15% flat 'patriotic tax' to ensure the wealthiest Americans do not skip paying any taxes. Nevertheless, he said: 'We need to move forward.'

Next to fall was a proposed paid family leave program that was already being chiseled back from 12 to four weeks to satisfy Manchin.

But with his objections, it was unlikely to be included in the bill, the person said.

Kirsten Gillibrand, a senator for New York, had devised several new options for Manchin's review and told reporters late in the evening: 'It's not over until it's over.'

She was seen on the senate floor on Wednesday, waiting for Manchin to arrive.

Gillibrand, bottom left, in white pant suit, can be seen on Wednesday approaching Manchin as he enters the Senate chamber

Gillibrand then led Manchin over to a corner (top right) where he sat to speak with her, Mazie Hirono and Patty Murray

The time loop of Gillibrand leading up to this is pretty great - spent like 10 minutes at the center of the chamber laying wait for Manchin before grabbing him right when he came in https://t.co/TI0KVycOGc pic.twitter.com/bJsuwYt72e  Steve Morris (@stevemorris__) October 27, 2021

As soon as he entered the chamber, Gillibrand cornered him - with the help of Hawaii's Mazie Hirono and Patty Murray, senator for Washington.

The trio could be seen deep in discussion with Manchin, trying to convince him to back their plan.

Together, Manchin's and Sinemas objections packed a one-two punch, throwing Biden's overall plan into flux, halving what had been a $3.5 trillion package, and infuriating colleagues along the way.

In the evenly divided Senate, Biden needs all Democrats' support with no votes to spare.

White House officials met at the Capitol with Manchin and Sinema, two senators who now hold enormous power, essentially deciding whether or not Biden will be able to deliver on the Democrats' major campaign promises.

'Making progress,' Sinema said as she dashed into an elevator.

A Sunday deadline loomed for approving a smaller, bipartisan roads-and-bridges infrastructure bill or risk allowing funds for routine transportation programs to expire.

But that $1 trillion bill has been held up by progressive lawmakers who are refusing to give their support without the bigger Biden deal.

Despite a series of deadlines, Democrats have been unable to close the deal among themselves, and Republicans overwhelmingly oppose the package.

Billionaire's Tax: Quick Facts Affects people making more than $100M annually or own more than $1 billion in assets for 3 or more years

When selling tangible assets like real estate or a business, they would pay a 'deferral recapture amount' in interest on top of their usual tax

It's estimated the tax will raise $250 billion over 10 years

Architects of the billionaires tax say it will affect roughly 700 people

Marked to market: Billionaires would pay taxes on tradable assets like stocks if they increase in value year-over, rather than just a capital gains tax once sold Advertisement

Democrats had hoped the unveiling of the billionaires tax Wednesday could help resolve the revenue side of the equation after Sinema rejected the party's earlier idea of reversing Trump-era tax breaks on corporations and the wealthy, those earning more than $400,000.

Senator Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat, acknowledged on Wednesday that the rapid pace of the legislative process posed risks and said it would be preferable to 'allow some of this very, very complicated tax policy to get an appropriate airing back and forth.'

Neil Bradley, chief policy officer at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, told The New York Times: 'I don't think anyone fully understands the implications of what's being proposed.'

The new billionaires' proposal would tax the gains of those with more than $1 billion in assets or incomes of more than $100 million over three consecutive years - fewer than 800 people - requiring them pay taxes on the gains of stocks and other tradeable assets, rather than waiting until holdings are sold.

The billionaires' tax rate would align with the capital gains rate, now 23.8%.

Democrats have said it could raise $200 billion in revenue that could help fund Biden's package over 10 years.

Republicans have derided the billionaires tax as 'harebrained,' and some have suggested it would face a legal challenge.

'It's really striking to me that the same Democrats who derided Republicans for supposedly rushing a partisan tax cut in 2017 are now teeing up massive tax hikes on a party-line vote, including an unvetted and likely unconstitutional wealth tax, on the sole argument that failure is not an option,' said Brian McGuire, the former chief of staff for Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader.

But Democratic Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, insisted the billionaires tax remains on the table.

'I've not heard a single United States senator - not one - get up and say, `Gee, I think its just fun that billionaires pay little or nothing for years on end,'' Wyden said.

More likely in the mix was the companion proposal, a new 15% corporate minimum tax, as well as the new surtax being proposed on higher incomes above $10 million.

Yet the American Council on Renewable Energy warned that the new 15 percent corporate minimum tax could actually undermine some existing clean energy incentives because companies would no longer get deductions for wear and tear on their properties, increasing their tax bills.

'The predictable result will be increased costs and slower renewable energy deployment that works at direct cross-purposes with Congress's decarbonization goal for the power sector,' the group said in a statement.

The increases are designed to fulfill Biden's desire for the wealthy and big business to pay their 'fair share.'

They also fit his promise that no new taxes hit those earning less than $400,000 a year, or $450,000 for couples.

Biden wants his package fully paid for without piling on debt.

Resolving the revenue side has been crucial, as lawmakers figure out how much money will be available to spend on the new health, child care and climate change programs in Biden's big plan.

Among Democrats, Representative Richard Neal of Massachusetts, the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, said he told Wyden the billionaires' tax may be difficult to implement.

House Ways and Means Committee Chair Rep. Richard Neal (left) said Senator Ron Wyden's (right) billionaire tax was out of Biden's economic plans, but Neal disputed that moments later

Despite Sinema's opposition, he expects Democrats to stick with the approach his panel took in simply raising rates on corporations and the wealthy, undoing the 2017 tax cuts.

'There's a lot of angst in there over the billionaires' tax,' Neal said.

Under the House bill approved by Neal's panel, the top individual income tax rate would rise from 37% to 39.6%, on those earning more than $400,000 a year, or $450,000 for couples. The corporate rate would increase from 21% to 26.5%.

The House bill also proposes a 3% surtax on the wealthiest Americans with adjusted income beyond $5 million a year, and Neal suggested that could be raised to $10 million to win over the holdouts.

Opposition from the two senators is forcing difficult reductions, if not the outright elimination, of policy priorities - from child care assistance to dental, vision and hearing aid benefits for seniors.

Bernie Sanders, the Vermont Independent, said it was not yet time to throw in the towel.

'You got 48 out of 50 people supporting an agenda that works for the American people,' he said.
Sydney based photographer Jamen Percy was elated at his unique experience

The ocean will then typically glow when disturbed by a wave or water splash

bloom or plankton create large amounts of 'sea sparkle' in the ocean

as blue tide, bioluminescence makes the ocean glow a shade of blue

A rare bioluminescence bloom recently left parts of the ocean on Sydney's northern beaches looking extremely vibrant.

The natural wonder at Palm Beach and Freshwater provided keen photographer Jamen Percy with a series of epic images and memories for life, as the water turned a unique shade of electric blue.

The hobby snapper felt the ocean briefly resembled a 'galaxy.'

Known as blue tide, bioluminescence makes the ocean glow a shade of blue (pictured, the natural wonder at Freshwater Beach)

Sydney based photographer Jamen Percy was also lucky enough to watch the natural wonder unfold last weekend at Palm Beach (pictured)

'Stumbling across bioluminescence is a surreal experience of wonder and fascination,' Percy, who lives on the northern beaches of Sydney, told Daily Mail Australia.

'Is this actually happening? Did that wave just glow blue? It is impossible not to feel like a child again playing with nature.

'It really glows an incredible electric blue colour that ignites your wonderlust.'

Percy saw the bioluminescence at both beaches within the space of four days last week.

At Freshwater, where he was surfing with friends, Percy, 39, raced out of the ocean to capture the moment on his camera.

Bioluminescent blooms in the ocean occur due to microscopic floating organisms known as phytoplankton.

They are so tiny that thousands can fit into a single drop of water.

In July last year at Jervis Bay, on the south coast of NSW, the 'light show' was believed to be was one of the brightest ever, according to locals who were lucky enough to watch it unfold.

Across Australia, ocean bioluminescence has also been witnessed at Preservation Bay in Tasmania and Port Lincoln in South Australia.

Globally it has been viewed in countries such as New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Thailand, the US, Hong Kong and Japan.

The ocean turned a distinct shade of electric blue (pictured) on Sydney's northern beaches, much to the delight of keen photographer Jamen Percy

In July last year at Jervis Bay, on the south coast of NSW, the bioluminescence 'light show' was believed to be was one of the brightest ever (pictured)

Bioluminescent blooms in the ocean occur due to microscopic floating organisms known as phytoplankton (stock image)
Little Cleo Smith's name has yet to be added to the federal government's missing persons register despite the youngster vanishing from an outback camp nearly two weeks ago.

An extensive search for the four-year-old - who vanished from a campsite near Carnarvon in north-western Western Australia in the early hours of October 16 - has so far proven fruitless.

Australian Federal Police officers have been drafted in to support forensic and intelligence efforts amid fears Cleo was abducted from her family's tent.

There is no sign of her though among the 2,600 cases listed on the National Missing Person Register, which the AFP says is reserved for 'long-term' disappearances.

Cleo Smith, four, vanished from the Blowholes campsite near Carnarvon in north-west Western Australia in the early hours of October 16

Cleo pictured with her family. An extensive search for the four-year-old has so far proven fruitless

The force says someone has to have been missing for at least three months before they can be added to the register.

At that point, federal police will only update the register if the relevant state or territory considers a missing person case to be 'long-term'.

'The cases listed do not represent every missing person in Australia that has been reported to police,' the register reads.

A top criminologist earlier claimed forensic police who spent three days searching Cleo's family home would have been looking for 'signs of injuries or struggles'.

Detectives spent four hours on Tuesday scouring the property in Carnarvon.

Police then searched Cleo's family home for a third time on Wednesday as part of 'routine practices' to eliminate all possibilities.

Her mother Ellie Smith and step-father Jake Gliddon have been ruled out as potential suspects in the ongoing police investigation as it enters its thirteenth day.

There is no sign of Cleo among the 2,600 cases listed on the Australian Federal Police's National Missing Person Register

Police desperately searching for Cleo (pictured) have searched the campsite the little girl went missing from, as well as her home, to gather more evidence as the AFP joins the hunt

Crime scene expert Dr Xanthe Mallett though said it was important for police to look for 'potential issues' at the home before ruling it out as a line of inquiry.

'They may be looking for signs of injuries or struggles, just to rule out any kind of potential issues that may have happened at home,' the University of Newcastle criminologist told Sunrise.

'You would have to look at the family, that would be part of the investigation sadly.

'They need to make sure that they collect the evidence that may be available at the beginning so it is not lost so I'd certainly expect them to search that family property as part of any routine investigation.'

The expert said 13 days was a 'really long time' for a young child to be missing.

'Obviously she could be anywhere in the country had she been abducted,' Dr Mallett said.

Forensic detectives spent much of Tuesday scouring Cleo's family home in Carnarvon and emerged with two evidence bags

'It is a significant worry and every day that passes, obviously getting more concerned for her safety.'

Officers involved in search efforts have since turned their attention back to the Blowholes campsite amid police fears the four-year-old girl was abducted and taken elsewhere.

Police from Taskforce Rodia are understood to have taken ash samples from several burnt-out campfires near shacks along the beachfront on Wednesday.

About 100 officers are on the ground searching for Cleo and the AFP have joined the suspected abduction case to boost search efforts.

Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews confirmed the AFP's involvement in the hunt for little Cleo in Parliament on Wednesday.

It's understood police from Taskforce Rodia took ash samples from several burnt-out campfires near shacks along the beachfront

'Australians can be certain that we will continue to equip our law enforcement and intelligence agencies with the tools and the resources that they need to combat this very serious crime - and especially crimes against children,' Ms Andrews said.

Her comments come as bounty hunters and private investigators have swarmed to the Gascoyne town to offer their services.

Civilian investigators have been sending locals messages over social media with one man chartering a helicopter to search an area hundreds of kilometres from the town, the West Australian reports.

Police scoured Cleo's family home for the third time on Wednesday as part of 'routine practices' to eliminate all possibilities (pictured, the family)

However when approached by the publication, the man denied he was a bounty hunter and was instead surveying for 'oil' and 'gas' deposits.

Acting WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said the search of the family home was 'standard practice' and did not indicate they were suspects in Cleo's disappearance.

'The parents have been nothing but helpful. We've worked very closely with them, they've let us into their home, they've let us into their cars, their phones, everything,' Mr Blanch told 6PR.

Little Cleo Smith and her step father Jake Gliddon, who has 'raised her as his own' are pictured together

The heartbroken step father of Cleo (pictured in a green singlet and sunglasses) earlier returned to the family's home for the first time since his little girl vanished from Blowholes campsite in Western Australia 11 days ago

'That is a normal part of an investigation and we must follow it thoroughly.

'Our job is to eliminate everyone that was at that campsite, and that is a systematic and thorough approach in doing so in any investigation. And that really is the focus of the investigation at the moment.'

Officers are also looking into CCTV of a car that was seen driving down a highway near the Blowholes campsite in the time window Cleo disappeared in.

The footage was taken from a home on the North West Coastal Highway, which reportedly shows a sedan travelling down the road at about 3am.

A distressed mother revealed her daughter was approached by 'a man in his late 40s with a beard driving a small red car' while they were camping at the popular holiday spot

Two people on their way to work had earlier told police they saw a car turning south off Blowholes Road at about 3am on the day Cleo vanished.

Police are now working to identify the driver and registration plates to determine whether the car seen in the footage is the same one in the reports, 7News reports.

Meanwhile, the attempted abduction of a child several years ago at the Blowholes campsite heightened fears a kidnapper could be operating in the region.

A newly resurfaced social media post reveals a girl was approached by 'a man in his late 40s with a beard driving a small red car' at the popular holiday spot in 2014.

The girl's distressed mother lodged a complaint with police at the time, warning the man asked her daughter to 'go for a drive in his car' but she refused and ran back to her family.

In the attempted abduction from 2014, the little girl wasn't able to provide a thorough description of the man's appearance, and it appears nothing ever came of the police report.

Detectives are now looking into footage taken from a home on the North West Coastal Highway, near the Blowholes campsite, which reportedly shows a sedan travelling down the road at about 3am

But she shared the post publicly hoping to warn other parents who might bring their children to the area, adding it would be a 'good time to remind our precious ones of stranger danger'.

There are now concerns within the local community that Cleo's disappearance could be linked to the incident.

Since the post was initially unearthed, several people have reported it to Crime Stoppers, hopeful any potential links will be thoroughly investigated.

Cleo was last seen at 1:30am by her parents alongside her mother Ellie, stepfather and baby sister Isla (right) on their first camping trip together when s

Cleo's heartbroken mother asked the question on the entire nation's lips in a desperate plea for answers she posted to social media last week

Mr Blanch said while they were keeping 'open minded' about Cleo's disappearance, the 'highest probability' was that she had been abducted.

The four-year-old hasn't been seen since early on Saturday morning, October 16 at the Blowholes campsite near Carnarvon.

She was last seen by her parents at 1.30am on October 16 when she woke up to ask for a drink of water.

But by 6.30am when her parents woke up, little Cleo along with her red and grey sleeping bag had vanished.
A memorial to Gabby Petito which has been outside the family home of Brian Laundrie since the 22-year-old went missing, has been removed by authorities.

Officials from the city of North Port, Florida were at the house just after 8pm and took down all elements of the memorial.

Petitos supporters had placed signs, flowers and left messages related to the late traveler.

Her body was discovered last month in a forest in Wyoming, which was one of the places the couple had visited on a trip they documented through social media videos.

A memorial to Gabby Petito which has been outside the family home of Brian Laundrie since the 22-year-old went missing, was removed by the city on Wednesday night

Officials from the city of North Port, Florida were at the house just after 8pm and took down all elements of the memorial

The entire memorial was removed and placed into the back of a pickup truck

'They removed the entire memorial. Everything is gone,' Laundrie family attorney Steve Bertolino told Fox News. 'I am the only one here. No photographers. No other video people. Just me.'

The skeletal remains of Brian Laundrie were found in a Florida nature reserve last week and positively identified using dental records.

A manhunt for Laundrie lasted more than a month as investigators desperately looked for clues in the murder of his girlfriend,Gabby Petito. Both were originally from Long Island, New York.

An initial autopsy on Laundrie did not reveal the cause of his death however a more intensive examination will now be conducted.

The memorial was cleared away by staff from the city of North Port, Florida

The city worker showed up at around 8pm and began clearing away the memorial

The signs of Gabby Petito had been up for more than a month

The items were all placed delicately into the back of the a white pickup truck on Wednesday

Petito was discovered slain last month on the edge of Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming with autopsy concluding she died by strangulation and that it was a homicide.

Laundrie, 23, was listed as a 'person of interest' in her killing but he was charged only with fraudulent use of a debit card that was not his.

Laundrie returned home alone September 1 from his trip with Petito. Her body was found September 19 in the Wyoming park and authorities say it had been there for about a month.

Laundrie told his parents September 13 he was headed to the Carlton Reserve park in Sarasota County. That was the last publicly known contact anyone had with him.

Brian Laundrie's father Christopher, 62, was spotted outside of his North Port, Florida, home on Saturday morning hammering a 'no trespassing' sign into the grass of his front lawn

Mourners created a shrine to murdered Gabby Petito on the Laundrie family's lawn which has now been completely removed

The sudden discovery of Laundrie's body inside the reserve  described as 'like Jurassic Park' by one search and rescue expert  came after a massive hunt for Laundrie began there on September 17.

More than 50 law enforcement officers, many in tactical gear and wielding rifles, had combed the treacherous swamp in huge all-terrain vehicles  while drones using infra-red technology covered areas they could not tackle due to flood water.

For weeks is appeared there was absolutely no evidence of him being there.

North Port police said they did cover the area where Laundrie was found, but in airboats, suggesting that his body had been submerged underwater during the initial stages of the search.

It is not known how long Laundrie was in the reserve before he died. He fled there on September 13, two days after police arrived at the home he shared with his parents to speak with him over Gabby's disappearance.

Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito are shown on August 12 after being pulled over by police in their van. The cops had received reports of a fight between the pair. Witnesses said they saw Laundrie hit Petito. She was however deemed to be the aggressor in the argument, and the pair were separated for the night

Laundrie's remains - said to include part of a skull - were found on October 20 in an area of the swamp which until recently were under several feet of water. His autopsy was inconclusive and cause of death remains unknown

This is the desolate swampland scene dotted with orange FBI marker paint in Florida where fugitive Brian Laundries bones were discovered, DailyMail.com confirmed on Saturday

Gabby's heartbroken family have only recently been able to collect their murdered daughter's ashes. Mom Nichole Schmidt, stepdad Jim Schmidt, dad Joe Petito and stepmom Tara made the devastating trip to a funeral home in Jackson, Wyoming, last week.

It was only a few days after Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue announced Gabby had been manually strangled before being dumped close to a remote campsite in Grand Teton National Park.

The remote site where the blogger's body was discovered has become a shrine to Petito, complete with a stone cross dotted with flowers.

The remains and backpack were found near a bridge between Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park and the Carlton Reserve, just four miles north of Brian Laundrie's home, just a mile or two into the park. The Laundrie parents say they told the police that it's where Brian might have been, but the portion of the land was submerged in water when cops first searched it in September
Gladys Berejiklian told her then lover Daryl Maguire that 'I'll throw money at Wagga, don't you worry about that', a tapped phone call played as evidence at a corruption inquiry has revealed.

Ms Berejiklian was referring to her plans for the Wagga Wagga by-election, which was caused by Mr Maguire resigning after his evidence at an earlier corruption inquiry.

'Just throw money at Wagga,' Mr Maguire said in the intercepted call.

'I'll throw money at Wagga, don't you worry about that,' Ms Berejiklian replied.

Mr Maguire mentioned the 'top three things' he wanted for the constituency and suggested one project was being blocked by bureaucrats.

Ms Berejiklian said 'don't worry; I can overrule them'.

'Give them a f**king stadium,' Mr Maguire advised the then premier on the tapped phone conversation.

ICAC Assistant Commissioner Ruth McColl, SC, who is presiding over the inquiry, asked Mr Maguire about Ms Berejiklian's reference to overruling bureaucrats.

'She (Ms Berejiklian) had the power to make money flow to the electorate?' Ms McColl asked Mr Maguire.

'Yes, that's correct,' he replied.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption is, in part, investigating if Ms Berejiklian engaged in conduct 'liable to allow or encourage the occurrence of corrupt conduct' by Mr Maguire.

Sophie Callan, one of the lawyers representing Ms Berejiklian, referred to evidence Mr Maguire had given where he agreed that he and the former premier had spoken about getting married and having a baby.

Ms Callan put it to Mr Maguire that 'You never met any member of Ms Berejiklian's family?'

'No,' Mr Maguire replied.

'She was not introduced to your family, for instance, as Daryl's girlfriend?'

'No, not officially. I did know them (from political functions),' Mr Maguire replied.

'(You) did not celebrate any form of anniversary date?'

'No,' Mr Maguire replied.

Ms Callan put it to Mr Maguire that he lobbied other ministers about projects of importance to him, not just Ms Berejiklian.

'My access to ministers was open door,' Mr Maguire said. 'I would have harangued every minister, too right I would.'

Gladys Berejiklian's barrister asked Daryl Maguire about his relationship with her 'You never met any member of Ms Berejiklian's family?' asked Sophie Callan. 'No, not officially. I did know them (from political functions),' Mr Maguire replied. 'She was not introduced to your family, for instance, as Daryl's girlfriend?' 'No,' Mr Maguire replied. '(You) did not celebrate any form of anniversary date?' 'No,' Mr Maguire replied. Advertisement

He said 'You could always walk in and see premier Berejiklian,' and that he had also done that with former NSW premier Barry O'Farrell but that it was harder with Mike Baird, another former Liberal premier.

Ms Callan asked Mr Maguire if he was using his close personal relationship with Ms Berejiklian in order to lobby for Wagga Wagga.

He said he and the then premier tried to keep their personal and professional relationships separate, but that 'I would have given her a hard time on certain things, I wouldn't have cut her any slack.'

Earlier, the ICAC heard evidence that Mr Maguire and Ms Berejiklian talked about having a baby together, had secret holidays and he had a key to her house, a corruption inquiry has been told in explosive evidence.

Mr Maguire agreed with ICAC counsel Scott Robertson that he and the former NSW premier had 'a close emotional attachment', that he loved her, that 'as far as you could tell, she loved you', 'you contemplated marriage to her' and they had 'a level of physical intimacy'.

'There was a discussion about potentially having a child?' Mr Robertson asked. Mr Maguire agreed with this.

Mr Maguire told the Independent Commission Against Corruption that Ms Berejiklian did not ask for the key to her door back after their relationship ended.

Mr Robertson put it to Mr Maguire that 'At least so far as you're concerned, you remained in a close personal relationship until briefly before the last public inquiry last year?'

'Yes,' Mr Maguire said.

Daryl Maguire (pictured, left) is giving evidence at a corruption inquiry into former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian (right)

Ms Berejiklian had asked Mr Maguire to resign as an MP in July 2018 after his evidence at a previous ICAC inquiry.

She has already told the ICAC that she was still in contact with Mr Maguire until September last year.

ICAC counsel Scott Robertson asks Daryl Maguire about his relationship with Gladys Berejiklian 'You loved her?' Mr Robertson asked. 'Yes,' Mr Maguire said. 'And so far as you can ascertain, she loved you as well?' 'Yes,' Mr Maguire said. 'You contemplated marriage?' Mr Robertson asked. 'Yes,' Mr Maguire said. 'There was a discussion about potentially having a child?' Mr Robertson asked. 'Yes,' Mr Maguire said. Advertisement

Ms Berejiklian has denied wrongdoing.

Mr Maguire confirmed he 'encouraged' Ms Berejiklian 'to take a close interest' in the two multi-million dollar grants which are at the centre of the corruption investigation, and that 'from time to time' she informed him about what she knew about these applications.

He later said 'I lobbied everybody' about projects of interest to him.

'Including Ms Berejiklian?' asked Mr Robertson.

'Of course,' Mr Maguire replied.

Mr Maguire agreed he lobbied Ms Berejiklian about multi-millions of dollars in funding for two organisations in his electorate, including a proposed $5.5 million upgrade at the Australian Clay Target Association (ACTA).

He said this was not unusual but agreed he had more access to Ms Berejiklian because they were in a relationship at the time.

Mr Maguire was sked if he was involved in getting ACTA's funding proposal onto the agenda of the NSW government's expenditure review committee (ERC) meeting in December 2016.

'I don't know. I don't run the ERC. I don't recall. I would have thought the minister would have put it forward or someone from the premier's office,' he said.

Daryl Maguire (pictured, top right) is giving evidence to the Independent Commission Against Corruption hearing into Gladys Berejiklian

Ms Berejiklian's legal team earlier failed in a last ditch application to have evidence from her secret boyfriend, Mr Maguire, kept private at the corruption inquiry into the former premier.

In calling for a private session, barrister Sophie Callan said she had 'personal privacy concerns of the highest order' for Ms Berejiklian.

She said no public service would be served by 'plumbing the depths' and wanted to prevent any 'humiliation and harm' to her client.

Ms Callan told Assistant Commissioner McColl that she has a discretion to hold part of the hearing in private.

Former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian's legal team made a last ditch bid to keep her former lover's evidence to ICAC heard in private, but the application was refused

Ms McColl asked Ms Callan her what private details she was referring to.

'Hallmarks or indications at the level of commitment' in that relationship, replied Ms Callan.

She also called for the non-publication of any evidence held in such a private session.

Jim Harrowell, a member of Mr Maguire's legal team, said he supports the application. 'A private hearing is more appropriate,' he said.

Mr Robertson called for the application to be refused. 'A public inquiry is to be held in public,' he said.

He added that having a private session would risk it 'becoming a public inquiry in name only'.

Mr Robertson argued that the hearing should be able to publicly delve into the nature of the relationship between Ms Berejiklian and Mr Maguire because the former premier openly gave interviews to the press after a previous ICAC hearing a year ago about how she planned to marry him.

Responding, Ms Callan said 'Mr Robertson has not advance advanced any cogent or persuasive reasons' not to hold the session in private.

Ms McColl adjourned the hearing to consider her position. When she returned she announced that she had rejected the application for a private hearing.

In sensational evidence heard shortly after Mr Maguire appeared, Mr Robertson asked about his relationship with Ms Berejiklian.

'You loved her?' he asked.

'Yes,' Mr Maguire said.

'And so far as you can ascertain, she loved you as well?' Mr Robertson asked.

'Yes,' Mr Maguire said.

'You contemplated marriage?' Mr Robertson asked.

'Yes,' Mr Maguire said.

'There was a discussion about potentially having a child?' Mr Robertson asked.

'Yes,' Mr Maguire said.

ICAC is investigating whether Ms Berejiklian 1. Engaged in conduct between 2012 and 2018 that was 'liable to allow or encourage the occurrence of corrupt conduct' by former Liberal MP Daryl Maguire, with whom she was in a close personal relationship between 2015 and 2018 2. Exercised her official functions dishonestly or partially by refusing to exercise her duty to report any reasonable suspicions about Mr Maguire to the ICAC 3. Exercised any of her official functions partially in connection with two multimillion-dollar grants in Mr Maguire's electorate, to the Australian Clay Target Association Inc and the Riverina Conservatorium of Music Advertisement

Mr Maguire was asked about a press release he put out in January 2017 about $5.5 million in state government funding for ACTA.

The ICAC previously heard evidence that NSW bureaucrats thought the release was premature as the funding was still contingent on a satisfactory business case being made.

Mr Maguire said his impression was 'the money would flow with some paperwork' and 'I can't recall there ever being strings attached to it'.

He was shown an email he sent Ms Berejiklian on March 6, 2017, saying: 'Typical of our bulls**t government.'

At that time, the government was working with outside consultants to prepare a revised business case examining the benefit to cost ratio of the project.

Mr Maguire told the ICAC the email's language was 'typical Daryl'.

He said the upgrade of the ACTA gun club was urgent and he was 'venting my frustration at the bureaucracy and the way the government tied itself in knots'.

He added that Ms Berejiklian 'needed to know the rubbish that was going on'.

Asked if he was inviting her to intervene, Mr Maguire said: 'You could read that as an invitation. You could interpret it as that.'

Mr Robertson later asked Mr Maguire about a phone call he made while he was an MP which was recorded by ICAC investigators.

Mr Maguire admitted that he attempted to get confidential information from other MPs about land in Cawdor in the Wollondilly Shire to assist his property developer friend William Leong.

'I asked their view on what they thought would happen,' Mr Maguire said.

He agreed with Mr Robertson that he had misused his position as a member of parliament.
A COVID-19 relief program that will provide $1,000 monthly payments to thousands of families in one of Los Angeles' most poverty-stricken districts was approved by the city's council on Tuesday.

More than 3,000 families will receive assistance from BIG:LEAP, or Basic Income Guaranteed: Los Angeles Economic Assistance Pilot.

Mayor Eric Garcetti called it 'the largest guaranteed basic income program anywhere in the United States of America.'

Families below the poverty line in Council District can begin to submit their applications on Friday, October 29, and have until November 7 to do so.

Those chosen in the lottery will receive the payments all throughout 2022.

To be eligible, they must be 18 years or older, have at least one dependent child/are pregnant, live in low-income households, and have experienced economic or medical hardship due to COVID-19 are eligible.

BIG:LEAP, or Basic Income Guaranteed: Los Angeles Economic Assistance Pilot, will be the largest guaranteed income program in the US. Pictured is Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti holding a sign after the pilot was approved by city council

More than 3,000 families will receive assistance from BIG:LEAP, or Basic Income Guaranteed: Los Angeles Economic Assistance Pilot

'The idea of a pilot program is one my office has been following for some time, and it gained momentum as we witnessed our country examine the racial disparities and social injustices during the COVID pandemic,' Curren Price, Council District's Councilman, said before the council's approval on Tuesday

'These will be unconditional, regular, and direct cash payments to individual participants that supplement existing welfare programs. This means there are no restrictions on how the money can be spent and no requirements for the participants,' the programs' website read.

'Whether that means paying for rent, a new tire, or an unexpected trip to urgent care. These participants are granted the freedom to meet their most pressing needs without delay.'

The district's councilman, Curren Price, said he hoped programs of the sort replicated at the state and federal level.

'The idea of a pilot program is one my office has been following for some time, and it gained momentum as we witnessed our country examine the racial disparities and social injustices during the COVID pandemic,' Price said before the council's approval on Tuesday.

Families below the poverty line in Council District can begin to submit their applications on Friday, October 29, and have until November 7 to do so

Guaranteed income pilots have become increasingly popular as state governments struggle to address the needs of their residents

His office will be a command center for the 10-day online application days, FOX reported.

Other resources like Wi-Fi, computers and language support will also be available.

In Los Angeles, two out of ten residents are affected by poverty, and one-third of working adults can't support their families with their full-time job.

Guaranteed income pilots have become increasingly popular as state governments struggle to address the needs of their residents.

The effects of the pandemic have been felt largely across the country, especially amongst families who were already struggling to make ends meet before the outbreak.

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf announces a privately funded program that will give low-income families of color $500 per month with no rules on how they can spend it

Also in California, a controversial program to give $500 monthly checks to families of color in Oakland was approved in the Spring.

The lottery system, funded by private philanthropists, promised no-strings-attached checks go to households with an annual income of less than $59,000 if they have at least one child. The other half of the $500 checks will go to those earning under $30,000.

In New York City, a pilot program giving payments of $1,250 to as many as 40 homeless people between 18 and 24 for two years - with no strings attached, was announced during the summer.

Recipients are can request how they want their money, such as in incremental payments or upfront as cash, and have no limits as to how they could spend it.

The 'Trust Youth Initiative' aims to determine whether giving cash to young homeless people will improve their housing outcomes and employment opportunities.

In Long Beach, Mayor Robert Garcia has proposed a guaranteed income program that will support artists who were financially affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, a network of mayors advocating for these types of programs, has registered more than two dozen across the US.
The man who killed four children walking on a footpath while driving drunk and drugged-up will appeal his maximum 28-year prison sentence.

Samuel William Davidson was driving erratically and speeding when he struck Veronique Sakr, 11, and her cousins, Sienna Abdallah, eight, and her siblings Angelina, 12, and Antony, 13.

The children had been walking to buy ice-creams when the 31-year-old ploughed into them after his ute mounted a kerb on Bettington Rd, at Oatlands, in Sydney's northwest on February 1 last year.

Davidson was sentenced to a maximum term in prison of 28 years in April this year but may be eligible for parole after a minimum 21 years.

His Legal Aid lawyer told the Court of Criminal Appeal on Thursday that Davidson would appeal against his sentence.

A hearing was set for May 2022.

Immediately after Samuel William Davidson mowed down a group of children on a Sydney footpath, killing four of them, he was resigned to being jailed

Davidson, a professional truck driver, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Veronique Sakr, 11, and her cousins, Sienna Abdallah, eight, and her siblings Angelina, 12, and Antony, 13

Danny Abdallah (left) and Leila Abdallah arrive at Parramatta District Court for Davidson's sentencing

Danny Abdallah (right) said he forgave Davidson 'for your sake, for my sake, and most importantly for my family's sake' in a victim impact statement the court heard in March

Davidson is nearly two years into his sentence and is not expected to be eligible for parole until 2041.

The news will be disappointing for supporters of the Abdullah and Sakr families. The members of both families showed remarkable grace in the wake of the horrific incident.

Danny Abdullah, the father of Sienna, Angelina and Antony, said at the time of Davidson's sentencing that it did not matter whether he received one year or 100 years, 'we wont get Antony, Angelina, Sienna and Veronique back'.

'We will all have our hearts broken until the day we take our last breath and no sentence can help ease that pain.'

In sentencing Davidson at Parramatta's District Court in April, Judge James Bennett said Davidson's menacing, dangerous and aggressive driving over a significant period leading up to the tragic event showed all responsibility to the road safety of others was abandoned.

The tragedy was inevitable, but the magnitude of the tragedy extended to the unimaginable, Judge Bennett said.

The professional truck driver was afforded a 25 per cent discount on sentence after pleading guilty to manslaughter for the children he killed and also pleading guilty to three charges relating to the injuries caused to three other children.

One boy has suffered permanent brain damage.

Bridget Sakr (centre) and Craig Mackenzie (right) arrive at Parramatta District Court for Davidson's sentencing

In a statement Leila Abdallah (pictured) said she, her husband and the parents of Veronique had forgiven Davidson, referring to their Christian faith and their hope he will find God and repent

Davidson, the son of a former policeman, had been sitting poolside with his housemates drinking Vodka Cruisers and beers, having his first drink about 7am before consuming drugs and driving on February 1, 2020.

He was observed by witnesses speeding through a red light, swerving anti-clockwise around a round-about, and driving at a maximum speed of 133km/h in a 50km/h zone.

After the crash, Davidson appeared distressed and was heard saying: 'What have I done? ... I have killed people ... I am going to jail.'

Judge Bennett acknowledged Davidson suffered from ADHD but did not accept impulsivity that day caused him to drive, seen in his consciousness of guilt immediately after the crash.

After Davidson's sentencing, Mr Abdallah said his main disappointment lay in Australian culture's love of drugs and alcohol.

'That's where my frustration is, more than the driver.'

Judge Bennett acknowledged Davidson suffered from ADHD but did not accept impulsivity that day caused him to drive, seen in his consciousness of guilt immediately after the crash.

Davidson's letter of apology stated that he is heartbroken to have hurt such beautiful families by his horrid actions and that he would do anything to relive that day sober and never leaving the house.

Leila Abdallah (pictured) lost three of her six children in horrific circumstances and told Davidson in court in March: 'You've killed us all. I'm no longer living. Just existing.'
The city of Los Angeles could be on the hook for millions of dollars after a federal jury awarded $17 million to the parents of a mentally ill man who was shot dead at a Costco store by an off-duty LAPD officer.

The jurors sided with the family of 32-year-old Kenneth French but ruled that Salvador Sanchez, a seven-year LAPD veteran, was acting within the scope of his employment even though he was off duty when he fatally shot French.

Sanchez was with his young son in a Costco in Corona on June 14, 2019, when he was attacked from behind by French. Sanchez was knocked to the ground and quickly opened fire, fatally wounding French and critically injuring Frenchs parents, Russell and Paola French.

The decision by the jury in Riverside on Wednesday means the city may be liable for much of the money.

'I am pleased with the verdict and hoping it brings some justice to the family,' Dale Galipo, an attorney for the family, told KNBC-TV.

The city will review its options, including an appeal, said Rob Wilcox, a spokesman for the city attorneys office.

Off-duty Los Angeles police officer Salvador Sanchez, left, believed he had been shot and that there was an active shooter when he killed mentally ill Kenneth French, right

Surveillance footage appears to show part of the altercation in the store. The grainy clip was released after a court order was lifted and looks to show the moment French hit Sanchez

Sanchez had told investigators he believed French had a gun and that his life and his son's life were in immediate danger. Authorities said French was not armed and was moving away from Sanchez when the officer opened fire.

French was non-verbal and had recently been taken off his medication for mental illness due to other health issues, the family's lawyer previously said, adding that the change may have affected his behavior that night.

His parents said French had been diagnosed with schizophrenia.

The LAPD fired Sanchez last year after the city's civilian Board of Police Commissioners determined that Frenchs conduct did not present an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury - meaning that the use of lethal force was not 'objectively reasonable.'

The Riverside County district attorney declined to charge Sanchez criminally when a grand jury did not bring an indictment in September 2019. However, state attorney general Rob Bonta charged the cop with voluntary manslaughter and assault with a semiautomatic firearm.

Kenneth French and his mother, Paola French. Officer Salvador Sanchez opened fire on June 14 2019 in Corona, fatally shooting Kenneth and injuring his parents, Russell and Paola French

French, of Riverside, had been taken off his medication because of other health complications, which may have affected his behavior that night

Paramedics are seen helping the victims on the night of the shooting. Lawyers for Sanchez have said he acted in self-defense when French attacked him as he was holding his one-year-old son during a shopping trip to the warehouse store in Corona in June 2019

He is awaiting trial. A court date has not yet been set. DailyMail.com reached out to the California Attorney General's office for comment.

Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin previously said Sanchez believed he had been shot in the head and that a gunman was on the loose in the store after he and his 1-year-old son were knocked to the ground in French's unprovoked assault.

David Winslow, Sanchez's attorney, called his client's arrest 'a political stunt that does absolutely nothing to protect the public.'

'The arrest of Sal Sanchez is a product of the politically motivated program by the California Attorney General to prosecute police officers,' Winslow said in a statement. 'Sal was not acting as a police officer when he was attacked. He was off duty acting as a father in self-defense and protecting his child.'

Bonta's office in July announced that state investigators would respond to police fatal shootings of unarmed civilians after lawmakers passed legislation last year amid civil unrest over the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis officer.

'Where theres reason to believe a crime has been committed, we will seek justice,' Bonta said Monday in a news release. 'Thats exactly what these charges are about: pursuing justice after an independent and thorough review of the evidence and the law. Ultimately, any loss of life is a tragedy and being licensed to carry a gun doesnt mean youre not accountable for how you use it. No matter who you are, nobody is above the law.'

In September 2019, Riverside District Attorney Mike Hestrin, right, discussed the decision not to file charges in the shooting death
The man set to fill the role of Queensland's top doctor Jeannette Young has mysteriously pulled out of the job due to 'personal reasons'.

Dr Krispin Hajkowicz will no longer be taking up the position of the state's Chief Health Officer as Dr Young starts her new role as Queensland's Governor next week.

Dr Peter Aitken, who is the deputy health officer will step into the role until a replacement is found.

In a statement the state's health minister, Yvette D'ath said she 'respected' Dr Hajkowicz's decision and his 'request for privacy'.

The man expected to fill the role of Queensland 's top doctor Jeannette Young has mysteriously pulled out of the job due to 'personal reasons'

Dr Young is set to embark on her next position on Monday, with state premier Annastacia Palaszczuk giving her a sendoff in parliament on Thursday.

'This has meant enormous pressure, sleepless nights, and a torrent of information which she has processed calmly and clinically, with compassion and care,' she said.

'I am proud to say that, in my opinion, Dr Young has led Australia and the world in Covid health measures.'

Her 16-year tenure makes her the longest serving CHO in Queensland.

Dr Young had earlier said Dr Hajkowicz was the 'perfect person' to fill her shoes.

'I've been going to him for the last two years for advice,' she said earlier this month.

Dr Krispin Hajkowicz will no longer be taking up the position of the state's Chief Health Officer as Dr Young starts her new role as Queensland's Governor next week

'He has been the lead in the treatment and management of Covid cases and it is no accident that Queensland has only had seven deaths, out of our 2048 cases so far.'

The doctor is the director for infectious diseases at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital and had recently received an Excellence in Leadership award for his supportive manner in helping staff amid the pandemic.

At the hospital he also ran one of the state's first successful vaccination clinics and has been working on the frontline for the past 18 months.

'I'm thrilled and honoured to become the next chief health officer of Queensland,' he had said earlier.

'There's a big problem and that is it's going to be very hard to follow in the footsteps of Dr Young, who is brilliant, outstanding and has the respect of all of the doctors, all of the nurses, looking after COVID in the state.'

Dr Hajkowicz had worked through three other pandemics during his time in the medical profession, including Ebola and the Zika virus.
Gladys Berejiklian's choice of words - 'don't you worry about that' - in a tapped phone call played to a corruption inquiry yesterday was unfortunate.

One of Australia's most notorious politicians, the late Queensland premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen, used that exact phrase when he wanted to stop journalists questioning him.

It may come back to haunt her today, as Ms Berejiklian's highly anticipated appearance before the Independent Commission Against Corruption reaches fever pitch, following a day of sensational evidence.

The ICAC had everything on Thursday - political intrigue, tapped phone calls, a severed alliance and the baby dreams of a middle-aged woman laid bare for the world to read about.

There has been more drama in ICAC over the past two weeks than a year of reality television.

And it will all come to crescendo on Friday - when Ms Berejiklian faces the inquiry for the first time since her shock resignation.

Former NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian will finally get to have her say at ICAC on Friday

Yesterday started with one of the former NSW premier's barristers making a last ditch application to have evidence from her secret boyfriend, Mr Maguire, kept secret.

Sophie Callan SC said she had 'personal privacy concerns of the highest order' for Ms Berejiklian.

Ms Berejiklian's remarks were an unfortunate echo of Joh Bjelke-Peterson's

She said no public service would be served by 'plumbing the depths' of Ms Berejiklian's private life and wanted to prevent any 'humiliation and harm' to her client.



ICAC Assistant Commissioner Ruth McColl, SC, who is presiding over the inquiry, asked Ms Callan her what private details she was referring to.

Ms Callan replied in legal terms: 'Hallmarks or indications at the level of commitment' in that relationship.

After adjourning briefly to consider her position, Ms McColl announced she had rejected the application for a private hearing.

Soon after, we discovered what exactly 'hallmarks or indications at the level of commitment' actually meant.

In sensational evidence heard shortly after Mr Maguire began his evidence, ICAC counsel Scott Robertson asked about his relationship with Ms Berejiklian.

'You loved her?' he asked.

ICAC is investigating whether Ms Berejiklian 1. Engaged in conduct between 2012 and 2018 that was 'liable to allow or encourage the occurrence of corrupt conduct' by former Liberal MP Daryl Maguire, with whom she was in a close personal relationship between 2015 and 2018 2. Exercised her official functions dishonestly or partially by refusing to exercise her duty to report any reasonable suspicions about Mr Maguire to the ICAC 3. Exercised any of her official functions partially in connection with two multimillion-dollar grants in Mr Maguire's electorate, to the Australian Clay Target Association Inc and the Riverina Conservatorium of Music Advertisement

'Yes,' Mr Maguire said.

'And so far as you can ascertain, she loved you as well?' Mr Robertson asked.

'Yes,' Mr Maguire said.

'You contemplated marriage?' Mr Robertson asked.

'Yes,' Mr Maguire said.

'There was a discussion about potentially having a child?' Mr Robertson asked.

'Yes,' Mr Maguire said.

The evidence that the couple had talked about having a baby was a bombshell to rival Ms Berejiklian's evidence a year ago to ICAC that she had been in a 'close personal relationship' with Mr Maguire.

Rivalling the baby revelation for shock value was a tapped phone call played to the ICAC on Thursday afternoon.

'I'll throw money at Wagga, don't you worry about that,' Ms Berejiklian was recorded saying to Mr Maguire in a conversation about the 2018 Wagga Wagga by-election which followed his resignation as an MP.

Those with long memories or a very keen interest in state politics will recall that the disgraced former Queensland premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen used the same phrase - 'don't you worry about that' - in the 1980s.

Mr Maguire also mentioned the 'top three things' he wanted for the electorate and suggested one project was being blocked by bureaucrats.

Ms Berejiklian said 'don't worry; I can overrule them'.

'Give them a f**king stadium,' Mr Maguire advised the then premier on the tapped phone conversation.

Ms McColl asked Mr Maguire about Ms Berejiklian's reference to overruling bureaucrats.

'She (Ms Berejiklian) had the power to make money flow to the electorate?' Ms McColl asked Mr Maguire.

'Yes, that's correct,' he replied.

ICAC is, in part, investigating if Ms Berejiklian engaged in conduct 'liable to allow or encourage the occurrence of corrupt conduct' by Mr Maguire.

After Mr Robertson had finished his questions, Ms Callan returned and referred to evidence Mr Maguire had given where he agreed that he and the former premier had spoken about getting married and having a baby.

Ms Callan put it to Mr Maguire that 'You never met any member of Ms Berejiklian's family?'

'No,' Mr Maguire replied.

'She was not introduced to your family, for instance, as Daryl's girlfriend?'

'No, not officially. I did know them (from political functions),' Mr Maguire replied.

'(You) did not celebrate any form of anniversary date?'

'No,' Mr Maguire replied.

Daryl Maguire (pictured, top right) gave evidence to the Independent Commission Against Corruption hearing into Gladys Berejiklian

Mr Maguire agreed he lobbied Ms Berejiklian about multi-millions of dollars in funding for two organisations in his electorate, including a proposed $5.5 million upgrade at the Australian Clay Target Association in Wagga Wagga.

He said this was not unusual but agreed he had more access to Ms Berejiklian because they were in a relationship at the time.

Ms Berejiklian has denied wrongdoing.

At 10am, she will finally get to give her side of the story - and she won't be giving the ICAC glib answers such as 'don't you worry about that.'
A cop has re-homed the pet rooster of a boy battling cancer at his own farm, after local council bureaucrats ordered its removal.

Constable Frankie was attending a home in Sydney's west after receiving noise complaints about the pet rooster belonging to a little boy named Yeprad.

The six-year-old was gifted Jackson the rooster along with a chicken by his aunt when he was in hospital with stage four leukaemia.

Constable Frankie offered to re-home Yeprad's pet rooster (pictured) after Fairfield Council gave the family ten days to get rid of it

His father told officers that Fairfield Council gave the family 10 days to get rid of Yeprad's beloved pet due to the repeated noise complaints.

But Constable Frankie came up with a better solution by offering his own farm in Sydney's south-west to house the rooster instead.

'I've got a big beautiful farm in Catherine Fields, there's plenty of room for him to live here and run around,' he said in a video uploaded by NSW Police.

Jackson the rooster (pictured) was safely relocated to Constable Frankie's farm in Catherine Fields

Constable Frankie even offered for Yeprad to drop by and visit Jackson whenever he wanted.

The young recruit said the little boy's story hit close to home, as he also had a friend with leukaemia.

'All I do is to strive to help people and from a young age I've always wanted to do that,' he said.

'I had a friend who had leukaemia and when I heard about it, it really hit home.'

Yeprad was also given his own police uniform complete with a hat, as the officers loaded Jackson into the back of their paddy wagon en route to his new home.
Mark McGowan has again bragged about how open and free Western Australia is to justify keeping the borders closed until as late as June 2022.

The stubborn premier argued he doesn't want to impose the same tight restrictions as the east coast for the Christmas break.

Mr McGowan said despite Victoria's high vaccination rate, which is on track to reach 80 per cent, the state 'hasn't really opened up' compared to WA.

Mark McGowan (pictured) has ruled out opening up Western Australia's borders before Summer arguing he doesn't want to have the same tight restrictions as the east coast for the Christmas break

'Their version of opening up is not what we would consider opening up,' he told reporters on Thursday.

'I think their version of opening up is all sorts of restrictions and mask wearing, retail shops still being closed, limits on the number of people who can go to each home, and limits on gatherings and all that sort of stuff.

'Their version of opening up is our version of extreme restrictions.'

The rest of Australia's states and territories have announced when they will open their borders to domestic travellers, Mr McGowan has remained tight-lipped amid suggestions the state is targeting a February reopening.

The premier is faces growing pressure to reveal when WA will abandon border closures and open to NSW and Victoria.

Perth radio 6PR reported WA would rejoin the rest of the nation on February 1, triggering an eight-week period of restrictions including venue capacity limits.

Mr McGowan said despite the high vaccination rates which are on track to reach 80 per cent, Victoria 'hasn't really opened up' compared to WA, which has far more freedoms. Pictured: Revellers at a pub in Perth's Scarborough beach

Mr McGowan is still refusing to narrow the timeline other than to say it will be after the summer school holidays and in the first half of the year.

'Those decisions haven't been made,' he told reporters on Thursday.

WA's business community has urged the government to provide certainty amid ongoing labour shortages and declining confidence in the regions.

The premier has countered that argument by saying retailers and hospitality businesses are better off being able to operate without restrictions over Christmas.

WA's borders are open to travellers from Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, and the Northern Territory but the resumption of widespread domestic travel in coming months could prompt a return to isolation for the festive season.

Mr McGowan said he would not apologise for being cautious as Victoria on Thursday recorded 1,923 new local coronavirus infections and 25 deaths.

Victoria on Thursday recorded 1923 new local coronavirus infections and 25 deaths. Pictured: Melbourne's CBD

'The lesson out of Victoria today is we're not out of this yet,' he said.

'It goes to show that the virus remains deadly to many people and we need to continue to be cautious and careful.'

He said 'even with high levels of vaccination, like they have, people die'.

Mr McGowan promised to provide further clarity on the state's reopening plans once WA's vaccination rate for 12-year-olds and over exceeds 80 per cent.

The premier last week outlined mandatory vaccination requirements for most of the state's workforce, including a January 31 deadline which would coincide with the end of the school holidays and potential reopening of borders.
Gladys Berejiklian's gun for hire at the Independent Commission Against Corruption finally got the chance to go after the ousted premier's secret former lover.

The bombshell ICAC hearing, in part, is investigating if the NSW leader engaged in conduct 'liable to allow or encourage the occurrence of corrupt conduct' by her then-boyfriend Daryl Maguire.

Earlier the Commission heard evidence that the former Liberal Party MP for Wagga Wagga contemplated marriage and discussed having a baby with Ms Berejiklian.

But Barrister Sophie Callan SC tried to poke holes in the Mr Maguire's evidence with three simple and deeply personal questions.

Sophie Callan (pictured), who is representing Gladys Berejiklian, arrives at the ICAC hearing in Sydney on Thursday

Gladys Berejiklian's barrister asked Daryl Maguire about his relationship with her 'You never met any member of Ms Berejiklian's family?' asked Sophie Callan. 'No, not officially. I did know them (from political functions),' Mr Maguire replied. 'She was not introduced to your family, for instance, as Daryl's girlfriend?' 'No,' Mr Maguire replied. '(You) did not celebrate any form of anniversary date?' 'No,' Mr Maguire replied. Advertisement

The hotshot silk, known for bringing down Labor ministers Eddie Obeid and Ian Macdonald at a separate ICAC inquiry, put it to Mr Maguire that 'you never met any member of Ms Berejiklian's family?'

'No,' Mr Maguire replied.

'She was not introduced to your family, for instance, as Daryl's girlfriend?'

'No, not officially. I did know them (from political functions),' Mr Maguire replied.

'[You] did not celebrate any form of anniversary date?'

'No,' Mr Maguire replied.

Mr Maguire at the hearing confirmed he 'encouraged' Ms Berejiklian 'to take a close interest' in the two multi-million dollar grants that are at the centre of the corruption investigation, and that 'from time to time' she informed him about what she knew about these applications.

But Ms Berejiklian's legal eagle inferred that Mr Maguire also lobbied other ministers about projects of importance to him, not just Ms Berejiklian.

'My access to ministers was open door,' Mr Maguire said. 'I would have harangued every minister, too right I would.'

He added that he could 'always walk in and see premier Berejiklian,' and that he also did that with former NSW premier Barry O'Farrell but that it was harder with Mike Baird, another former Liberal premier.

Ms Callan asked Mr Maguire if he was using his close personal relationship with Ms Berejiklian to lobby on behalf of Wagga Wagga.

He said he and the then-premier tried to keep their personal and professional relationships separate, but 'I would have given her a hard time on certain things, I wouldn't have cut her any slack'.

Daryl Maguire (pictured, left) gave evidence at a corruption inquiry into former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian (right)

On Monday, the ex-premier's attack dog made headlines when she garnered a stunned response from former deputy premier John Barilaro with an unexpected and highly personal question at ICAC.

Mr Barilaro said in evidence that Ms Berejiklian should have disclosed her secret relationship with Mr Maguire.

Ms Callan sought to turn the tables on Mr Barilaro, asking if he had disclosed relationships of his own.

Mr Barilaro said he 'would have' disclosed any relationships, including family links.

'What about any other intimate personal relationships?' Ms Callan asked.

'That's a hard question because my relationships are with my family,' Mr Barilaro replied.

Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting Mr Barilaro has done anything improper in his personal or professional life.

ICAC is investigating whether Ms Berejiklian 1. Engaged in conduct between 2012 and 2018 that was 'liable to allow or encourage the occurrence of corrupt conduct' by former Liberal MP Daryl Maguire, with whom she was in a close personal relationship between 2015 and 2018 2. Exercised her official functions dishonestly or partially by refusing to exercise her duty to report any reasonable suspicions about Mr Maguire to the ICAC 3. Exercised any of her official functions partially in connection with two multimillion-dollar grants in Mr Maguire's electorate, to the Australian Clay Target Association Inc and the Riverina Conservatorium of Music Advertisement

With Gladys Berejiklian set to take stand herself on Friday, ICAC heard a tapped phone call played as evidence where she told Mr Maguire: 'I'll throw money at Wagga, don't you worry about that'.

Ms Berejiklian was referring to her plans for the Wagga Wagga by-election, which was caused by Mr Maguire resigning after his evidence at an earlier corruption inquiry.

'Just throw money at Wagga,' Mr Maguire said in the intercepted call.

'I'll throw money at Wagga, don't you worry about that,' Ms Berejiklian replied.

Mr Maguire mentioned the 'top three things' he wanted for the constituency and suggested one project was being blocked by bureaucrats.

Ms Berejiklian said 'don't worry; I can overrule them'.

'Give them a f**king stadium,' Mr Maguire advised the then-premier on the tapped phone conversation.

ICAC Assistant Commissioner Ruth McColl SC, who is presiding over the inquiry, asked Mr Maguire about Ms Berejiklian's reference to overruling bureaucrats.

'She (Ms Berejiklian) had the power to make money flow to the electorate?' Ms McColl asked Mr Maguire.

'Yes, that's correct,' he replied.

Ms Berejilklian has denied any wrongdoing.
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The Foreign Office has summoned the French ambassador for an official dressing down on Friday after a British trawler was seized by France in a dramatic escalation in the row over post-Brexit fishing licences.

Scallop trawler Cornelis Gert Jan was fishing in Baie de la Seine off the French coast on Wednesday when it was stopped by police who claimed it was fishing illegally, before forcing it into the port of Le Havre where it is now moored under guard. Prosecutors have since threatened the captain with a 63,000 fine.

A second British vessel was given a verbal warning.

But Andrew Brown, director of Scottish firm MacDuff Shellfish which owns Cornelis Gert Jan, said it was wrongly seized, insisting that it was fishing legally and is being used as a 'pawn' by irate French ministers who are demanding the UK grants more licences for their boats to enter its waters.

'MacDuff's fishing activity is entirely legal,' Brown said. 'I suspect this is politically motivated.'

He added: 'We are looking to the UK government to defend the rights of the UK fishing fleet and ensure that the fishing rights provided under the Brexit Fishing agreement are fully respected by the EU.'

Clement Beaune, France's Europe minister, appeared on TV shortly after the boat was seized to ratchet up tensions - declaring that 'we need to speak the language of force' to Britain because it is 'the only thing this government understands'.

In response to the seizure, a statement from Prime Minister Boris Johnson's office said: 'We regret the confrontational language that has been consistently used by the French government on this issue. As a next step, the Foreign Secretary has instructed Minister Morton to summon the French ambassador.'

The UK government said earlier today that it was 'urgently' investigating.

Seizing the Cornelis is just the latest move by France in an ongoing row with the UK over who has rights to fishing grounds in the Channel now Britain has left the EU.

Yesterday, France listed potential sanctions against Britain if there is no progress in talks to resolve the row.

They include extra customs checks on British goods from November 2 and what was widely seen in London as a threat to cut electricity exports to Britain, and specifically the Channel Islands, if talks fail.

France has detained British scallop trawler Cornelis Gert Jan in the port at Le Havre after accusing it of illegally fishing in French waters, but it owners insist it was fishing legally

A fisherman is pictured on board the British scallop trawler that has been detained in Le Havre. The company which owns the boat says the crew are in 'good spirits' while the captain has been taken for questioning

A French police vessel patrols around the Cornelis Gert Jan after it was seized and taken to the port in Le Havre on Wednesday

British fishermen ground down by fishing row As a row over post-Brexit fishing rights between Britain and France escalated on Thursday, British fishermen complained they were being worn down as their livelihoods were forgotten during the standoff. In Newhaven on Britain's southern coast, the fishing town's main quay was almost deserted as a week of bad weather forced the local fleet, comprised of small trawlers, to remain in harbour. But amid threats from Paris to target British fish exports, the detention of a UK vessel and Britain summoning the French ambassador, trawler captains attending to their boats complained they would continue to bear the brunt of the spat. Neil Whitney, the skipper of the 'About Time' trawler, told AFP the dispute over licensing rules for boats to operate in waters around Britain and the Channel Islands, was 'political' and dismissed the escalation as 'more of the same'. 'The scallopers try and push the envelope a little bit more, get in a bit earlier,' the 54-year-old explained. 'And the French retaliate by throwing things at us or impounding boats or just jumping up and down.' The head of Britain's National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations (NFFO) has laid blame for the worsening standoff on France, accusing Paris of politicising the problem. 'France seems determined to escalate the issue. The only way we can make sense of it is that this technical issue has been politicised ahead of the French presidential elections,' NFFO Chief Executive Barrie Deas said. 'Talks that have been going on are perfectly civil and constructive, both with EU and France. So the issue doesn't lie at that technical level.' For the British fishermen, the dispute over fishing rights is another threat to their industry compounded by falling post-Brexit exports, constraints because of Covid and the growth of international fishing companies that are crowding out independent operators like those in Newhaven. 'We've been ground down and down,' fishing skipper Martin Yorwarth told AFP. 'We ask our government and the (EU) commission to help artisanal fishermen... We desperately need some help.' Yorwarth said disagreements would persist until the root problem of overfishing was addressed. 'The reality is overfishing is massive. There's no fish left... the French are hurting we are hurting', he explained. Both Yorwarth and Whitney, like most members of Britain's fishing communities, voted for Brexit but feel the trade agreement that coincided with the UK's departure from the bloc failed to deliver on promises made to their industry. 'If we'd taken back control of our waters and taking back control of our fishing, then things could have been different,' Whitney said. 'We were really disappointed.' Reporting by AFP news agency. Advertisement

In its full statement, the UK Government said Foreign Office minister Wendy Morton had been instructed to summon the French ambassador, as the row over fishing licences escalated.

'Lord Frost chaired a ministerial meeting earlier today to consider the UK response to the measures set out by France yesterday,' said a statement released today from Prime Minister Boris Johnson's office.

'The proposed French actions are unjustified and do not appear to be compatible on the EU's part with the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) or wider international law, the statement continued.

'We regret the confrontational language that has been consistently used by the French government on this issue, which makes this situation no easier to resolve.

'We have raised our concerns strongly with both the French and the EU Commission. As a next step, the Foreign Secretary has instructed minister Morton to summon the French Ambassador.

'We repeat that the Government has granted 98% of licence applications from EU vessels to fish in the UK's waters and, as has consistently been made clear, will consider any further evidence on the remainder.'

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss tweeted: 'I have instructed Europe Minister Wendy Morton to summon the French ambassador to the UK for talks tomorrow to explain the disappointing and disproportionate threats made against the UK and Channel Islands.'

Brexit minister Lord Frost said: 'I remain concerned by French plans on fisheries and beyond. We expect to have more to say on this issue tomorrow.'

British fishing grounds are among the richest in the North East Atlantic where most of the European Union's catch is hauled in. France's actions appear to be a warning shot to put pressure on Britain to compromise at talks with the EU.

British environment minister George Eustice challenged France's statement that the boat had no licence. He told parliament France's threatened steps appeared to be incompatible with a post-Brexit free-trade agreement and international law.

'...if carried through, (they) will be met with an appropriate and calibrated response,' he said.

France says Britain has refused to grant its fishermen the full number of licences to operate in British waters that France says is warranted. Britain says it is issuing licences to vessels that meet its criteria.

'So now we need to speak the language of strength since that seems to be the only thing this British government understands,' European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune told CNews television channel.

Girardin made clear France could not cut off electricity supplies to Britain as a retaliatory measure but said it could raise tariffs. Britain was importing about 6% of its electricity supply from France on Thursday, data showed.

Extra customs checks on goods travelling between Britain and the rest of Europe could disrupt trade flows before Christmas.

Before Brexit, French fishermen had free reign to fish in UK waters under EU law and only had to apply to their own government for a licence that allowed them to do it.

But earlier this year a new regime laid out in the Brexit Agreement came into force, which means French fishermen now need to apply to the UK for a licence.

Under the wording of the agreement, all vessels that fished in UK waters 'for at least four years between 2012 and 2016' should be granted the same level of access until at least 2026, when it will be up to the UK and France to negotiate new deals.

Two British boats were stopped by French police while fishing in Baie de la Seine on Wednesday. The captain of one was fined and let go after refusing to let officers board, but the second was detained and taken to Le Havre for allegedly fishing without a licence

Tracking data shows the British vessel departed from Shoreham-by-Sea for Baie de la Seine and was trawling before being stopped and diverted to Le Havre

What's behind the Franco-British fishing row? France and Britain are at loggerheads over fishing rights in the Channel, with a row over the politically sensitive industry causing a major diplomatic flare up. What has caused the dispute? In a word, Brexit. Britain's departure from the European Union, which came into force on January 1, ripped up agreements in place to manage fish stocks in waters around the UK and the Channel Islands. Until Brexit, EU members including Britain had treaties and a joint fisheries policy that allocated quotas of different stocks to each nation's fishing fleet. As part of these agreements, hundreds of EU vessels, mostly French ones, were allowed access to Britain's fish-rich territorial waters between six and 12 miles from the coast. So what changed? Fishing was one of the most difficult issues to solve in the tense Brexit negotiations, with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson promising to regain 'full control' of British waters. In the end, the two sides agreed a compromise last December that will see EU boats gradually relinquish 25 percent of their current quotas over a five-and-a-half year transition period. After this, there will be annual negotiations on the amount of fish EU vessels can take from British waters. Under the agreement, EU fishermen wishing to access British seas had to apply for new licences. The licences were for more distant waters considered Britain's exclusive economic zone (12-200 nautical miles from the coast), and its closer territorial waters (6-12 nautical miles from the coast). Fishermen needed to prove a track record of working there between 2012-2016. And the Channel Islands? They are a separate, but significant part of the picture. Jersey is the largest of the Channel Islands, which are self-governing. They are not part of the United Kingdom but recognise Queen Elizabeth as their head of state and depend on Britain for defence and foreign relations. Brexit also meant the end of the Granville Bay fishing treaty between France and Jersey, which had set rules and quotas for fishing in the waters around the island. Under the new rules, French fishermen were required to apply for new licences, which would be granted if they could prove they had worked previously in Jersey waters. Is the row about the licencing process? Yes. Britain has accepted nearly all requests - around 1,700 - from EU boats to access its exclusive economic zone. The tension is over licences for the territorial waters. London has issued 100 licences to French boats for these waters close to its shore, while 75 requests are still pending, according to French figures from early October. For Jersey, 111 permanent licences and 31 provisional licences have been issued, while 75 boats have been rejected, French figures show. Rejected French fishermen say they are being unfairly restricted due to red tape and bureaucracy. They say small boats lack the GPS equipment required to prove they previously worked there, while others complain that they are having difficulty obtaining licences for new vessels that replaced older models. Have there been protests? Yes. French fishermen sailed to the main port on Jersey in June to demonstrate, prompting Britain to send two naval patrol boats to the area. On Wednesday, the French government announced that it would step up customs and sanitary controls on trade with Britain and ban British seafood from French ports. The measures are set to come into effect next Tuesday. France has also raised the possibility of reducing electricity exports to Jersey, or blocking negotiations between London and the EU on sensitive topics such as trade in financial services. In private, some French officials point out that Britain is also dependent on Paris to prevent migrants and asylum seekers illegally crossing the Channel to England. What will happen now? French officials say that since they started pressuring Britain and Jersey publicly over the last few months more licences have been issued. France is also trying to rally the rest of the European Union to its side. Ten out of the other 26 members of the EU signed up to a statement condemning Britain's 'incomplete and inappropriate' response on fishing. Experts see little prospect for British-French ties to improve. With elections due in France next April, President Emmanuel Macron is keen to keep the politically powerful and vocal fishing communities on side. Reporting by AFP news agency. Advertisement

The UK is asking French boats to provide tracking and fishing quota data for those years to qualify for a permit. The French have protested, saying smaller vessels do not collect this data and are being unfairly punished. The Brexit Agreement makes no mention of such data, they argue.

MailOnline understands that UK vessels wanting to fish in EU waters are placed on a list by British authorities which is then sent to Brussels for approval. To be included on the list, boats are required to provide similar proof to that imposed on the French trawlers.

The issue of fishing licences - one of the key sticking points in getting a Brexit deal signed - has proved an incendiary one even after pen was put to paper, with French ministers ramping up the rhetoric on Thursday after the boat was seized

Annick Girardin, seas minister, told French radio listeners: 'This is not a war, but it is a fight.'

MacDuff Shellfish told The Herald that the crew are in 'good spirits' and are being held aboard the vessel in Le Havre until the legal issues are worked out.

The captain has gone ashore to answer questions from the authorities and has been provided with a lawyer, they added.

The French seas ministry said potential punishments for the vessel include 'confiscation of catch and immobilisation of the vessel pending payment'.

'The captain of the vessel [also] risks criminal charges, under the control of the judicial authority,' the ministry added.

French police did stop a second British boat, which has not been identified, and fined the captain for initially refusing police permission to board. The boat was eventually let go because it was properly licenced, the French seas ministry said.

British environment minister George Eustice told Parliament the seizure of the boat is being 'urgently' looked into, but ruled out any 'tit for tat' retaliation.

'UK vessels with their licence to fish in EU waters should be allowed to do so uninterrupted,' he said.

'It is also the case that the UK will continue to implement and enforce things in good faith in our EEZ as well.

'We are not going to get into a retaliatory, tit for tat on this kind of thing.

'It is important I think that everybody remains calm.'

He also described French threats to block British fishermen from landing catches at their ports as 'disappointing', 'disproportionate' and '[not] compatible with the Trade and Cooperation Agreement or wider international law.'

'If carried through [they] will be met with an appropriate and calibrated response,' he added.

But Mr Beaune showed little room for compromise as he spoke to France's CNews on Thursday, saying: 'Not all French ports will be accessible to British boats anymore.

'Only a few, three or four probably... It will be a very significant limitation in the access to our ports for British boats. And we will have systematic border, veterinary and security controls for British boats.

'We will show no tolerance, no indulgence. We have actually started tonight with security checks, it allowed us to board and search two British boats which did not comply with the rules so no tolerance, no indulgence.

'And we will also carry out systematic controls for lorries carrying goods arriving or leaving to the UK in Calais or elsewhere, not to cut ties and accesses but to be extremely strict with our verifications.

'We cannot be in a climate of trust with a neighbour who does not abide by the rules.'

Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the UK parliament, granted an urgent question in the House of Commons today to address the fishing dispute.

Meanwhile Annick Girardin, the French seas minister who has been leading French efforts to secure more licences, told RTL radio: 'It is not a war, but it is a fight.

'We are going to ask the European Commission to tell the United Kingdom that it is not respecting its [Brexit] agreement and therefore that retaliatory measures can be put in place.

'The French and the fishermen have rights. An agreement was signed. We must enforce this agreement.

'We have fishing rights, we must defend them and we will defend them.'

Barry Deas, from the the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations, told the BBC: 'It may be normal enforcement action but against the background of the threatening noises coming from the French Government yesterday, it's very concerning.

'France seems determined to escalate this issue about licenses. I suppose we have to wonder why.

'There's a presidential election coming up in France and all the signs are that the rhetoric has been ramped up ahead of that on the fishing issue.

'I think what the UK government is doing is completely in line with the trade and cooperation agreement, not that that's an agreement that we like but there it is, it's in place.

'This is something that should be settled round the table and my understanding is that those talks have been going on but it's this escalation I think that has got a political dimension to it.

'UK vessels landing into French ports is not massive. It's a bit strange because the French fish in UK waters far more than we fish in their waters and therefore if we descend into a tit for tat relationship I think the French fleet are much more exposed.

'I don't think that's a helpful way to go but it's strange direction for the French to take which is why we conclude that this has all been politicised.'

Barrie Deas, head of Britain's National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations, said France appeared determined to escalate the licence row before a presidential election, with President Emmanuel Macron expected to seek a new term in April.

In a sign Britain might offer more licences, Bruno Margolle, head of the Boulogne fishermen's collective, said 15 of the 37 licence requests from his region previously shown as rejected had passed to 'under consideration' since the boat was held.

Senior British, French and EU officials have signalled they do not want the dispute to escalate, but Macron and Johnson are under pressure from vocal fishing lobbies.

Britain's Brexit minister, David Frost, chaired a ministerial meeting on Thursday to consider a response to France's measures, a British government spokesman said.

The industry makes a small contribution to the French and British economies but is a lifeline for some coastal communities.

In Le Havre, scallop fishermen said they were fed up with British vessels enjoying what they called unfair access to shellfish in French waters.

'There has to be an end to this fraud,' Pascal Coquet, president of the National Scallop Fishermen's Committee, said.

On Wednesday, the French Government dramatically threatened to block British vessels from some ports next week if the dispute is not resolved.

Paris even went as far as suggesting it could restrict energy supplies to the Channel Islands if no deal is reached.

No 10 said the threats do not seem to be compatible with 'international law' and vowed an 'appropriate and calibrated response' if Paris does not back down.

Since the UK left the economic orbit of the European Union at the start of the year, relations between London and Paris have become increasingly frayed.

France has been angered by a decision from the UK and Jersey last month to reject dozens of licences for French boats to fish in their waters, arguing it breaches the Brexit deal.

This map shows the extent of the UK's Exclusive Economic Zone where French vessels now require a licence to fish. Boats also require a licence to fish the waters around Jersey and Guernsey (bottom) but this is administered by the islands and not from Westminster

The French Government has dramatically warned it will block British vessels from some ports next week if the post-Brexit dispute over fishing licences is not resolved. Pictured: French President Emmanuel Macron delivers his speech on Wednesday in Paris

Downing Street vowed to retaliate against Paris if it goes ahead with the 'disappointing and disproportionate' threat to impose sanctions in an escalation of the row over fishing boats. Pictured: Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaking during Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, October 27

Jersey, which is only 14 miles off the French coast, is a British Crown dependency outside of the UK. As such, it has its own powers with regards to who is allowed to fish in its territorial waters.

It has granted licenses based on its interpretation of the UK-EU trade deal, and has accused France of acting disproportionately.

After weeks of negotiations, British authorities have issued more fishing licenses but that still only accounts for 50 per cent of what France believes it 'is entitled to.'

If an agreement over the licenses is not struck by Tuesday, France said it will block British boats from some ports and tighten checks on vessels travelling between France and the UK.

The French ministers for Europe and for maritime affairs said in a joint statement Wednesday that if no agreement is reached by November 2, France will bar British fishing boats from designated ports and tighten customs, security and other controls on any British boats and trucks traveling between France and Britain.

And then in the coming weeks, France said that it 'doesn't exclude' measures targeting energy supplies to Britain, the statement said.

Attal specified that meant the Channel Islands, which are closer to French shores than British ones and rely heavily on electricity supplied by the French grid.

A UK Government spokeswoman responded: 'France's threats are disappointing and disproportionate, and not what we would expect from a close ally and partner.

'The measures beinge threatened do not appear to be compatible with the Trade and Cooperation Agreement and wider international law, and, if carried through, will be met with an appropriate and calibrated response.'

She said that Britain will express its concerns both to the EU and the French Government, and argued that the UK has granted 98 percent of licence applications from European vessels.

But the dispute continues over 31 vessels which the UK did not approve licences for, arguing that they did not have supporting evidence for their applications.

Britain says the majority of the vessels were denied access because they failed to prove they had fished in the six-to-12-mile nautical zone in the years before the UK's referendum on leaving the EU.

Attal, spokesman for the Macron administration, said on Wednesday that Britain's conduct over fishing rights in British waters following Brexit had led to the French 'losing patience'.

And he said that from next Tuesday there would be 'systematic customs and sanitary inspections on imported products arriving in Channel ports' including 'a ban on disembarking seafood products as well as checks on lorries'.

France is one of Britain's biggest export market for fish. In 2019, the trade accounted for 561.1 million, or 27.7 per cent of total exports.

Britain's post-Brexit agreement with the EU states fishermen can continue to fish in British waters if they obtain a licence and prove that they previously were fishing there.

France is set to implement a go-slow strategy for customs checks on shipments bound for Britain ahead of Christmas as the row over post-Brexit fishing rights continues. Above: Trucks queuing to enter the port of Calais last year

But the French are now complaining that around 50 per cent of licences have not been issues.

'Our wish is quite simply that the agreement that was reached is respected,' Mr Attal said at a press conference in Paris on Wednesday.

'When we sign an agreement, and that was the case in the context of Brexit, the agreement must be respected. Our patience is reaching its limits.'

He added: 'Matters are clear, and we have said that we will not let the British wipe their feet on the Brexit agreement.'

Under the Brexit agreement, 175 French fishing vessels have the right to fish between six and 12 nautical miles off the British coast, but the UK has only delivered 100 licences.

Paris also says that only 105 licences to fish off Jersey have been delivered when French trawlermen had the right to 216.

Mr Attal said the new retaliatory measures would start on November 2.

He also said that measures related to electricity supplies to the Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey could be issued 'in the weeks after'.

Earlier this year, France's European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune warned that his country was ready to step up pressure on the UK using all means possible.

'For example, you could imagine the Channel Islands, where the United Kingdom depends on us for its energy supply,' said Mr Beane.

He did not expand further, but the warning echoed an earlier threat by French Fisheries Minister Annick Girardin who said in May that the fishing row could have an impact on 'the power supply by undersea cable' from France to Jersey.

Discussing the dispute last month, a spokesman for Britain's Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs said tit had a 'reasonable' approach to the issuing of licences.

He said: 'The government has this year issued a large number of licences to EU vessels seeking to fish in our exclusive economic zone and our territorial sea.

'Our approach has been reasonable and fully in line with our commitments in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.'
Wayne Couzens joined the Met Police at a time when a third of its officers were not properly vetted, the police watchdog said

Killer cop Wayne Couzens joined the Metropolitan Police at a time when a third of officers were not properly vetted, the head of the police watchdog has said.

Couzens was a serving Met police officer when he kidnapped, raped and murdered 33-year-old Sarah Everard and has since been jailed for the rest of his life.

Speaking to the Commons home affairs committee Sir Tom Winsor said that that 37 per cent of the Met's staff in 2018-19 did not have up-to-date security vetting.

The Chief Inspector of Constabulary told the committee that he believed Couzens joined the Met at this time, in September 2018, according to the Telegraph.

The report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary found that 33 per cent of officers, 72 per cent of police community support officers and 45 per cent of staff had also not been properly vetted.

In total, 14,616 members of the Met weren't checked properly during that period.

In the wake of the murder of Sarah Everard, Met Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick resisted calls to resign after it was revealed Couzens was known as the Rapist at other forces and had a reputation for 'drug abuse and extreme pornography'.

Sir Tom said he was 'quite confident' police will take vetting more seriously after the crimes committed by Couzens, after it emerged he had previously been accused of sex offences that were not properly investigated.

'I think the Couzens case, horrific as it is, of course, will have intensified the determination of the police to ensure that another Couzens doesn't get in,' Sir Tom said.

In the wake of Sarah Everard's murder, Met boss Dame Cressida Dick resisted calls to resign after it was revealed Couzens had a reputation for 'drug abuse and extreme pornography'

'These officers are already on our streets, cutting crime and keeping our communities safe.'

Sir Tom Winsor and HM Inspectorate of Constabulary are conducting two inquiries on behalf of the Home Secretary in the wake of the murder of Sarah Everard.

One will look at the Met's processes for hiring staff, including vetting, and the second will examine how the force deals with corruption.

It comes as Sir Tom also warned that the fast-paced police recruitment programme risks allowing the wrong people - including criminals - into jobs as PCs.

He suggested that police could be infiltrated by organised crime gangs who would even seek to be promoted to senior ranks.

He told the committee: 'The police uplift programme of 20,000 extra officer officers is going great guns - they are ahead by some margin of their target of six or seven thousand a year.

Sarah Everard, 32, was kidnapped, raped and murdered by serving Met officer Wayne Couzens

'But going that fast carries risk. If you're going that fast in recruitment, there is a danger that the wrong people will get in.

'Organised crime groups, for example, do plan to infiltrate the police. And of course some of them may aspire to higher and higher ranks.'

He added: 'The other concern... is that when police officers are going through their probationary period if they are displaying attitudes which are incompatible with the office of constable the police need to be much more assiduous in recognising that and throwing them out.

'Because otherwise if they don't, they're storing up what could be a 20 or 30 year problem.

'What kind of attitudes? A fondness for violence or fondness for the exercise of power over your fellow citizens, misogyny, racism, homophobia, a lack of maturity and judgement.'

Regulations allow forces to remove unsuitable recruits but they are 'not good enough at doing that', he added.

A slew of claims have come to light about Couzens since he was jailed for his life with no chance of parole after he kidnapped, raped and murdered Miss Everard

'They may be tempted to say we'll knock those rough edges off him or her because otherwise he looks like he's going to be a good police officer. That's not a good idea.'

Sir Tom also referred to earlier reports he has conducted into huge gaps in police vetting procedures.

In the wake of the shocking rape and murder of Sarah Everard by serving Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens in March, the watchdog said he had found tens of thousands of improperly vetted officers in the police in a report carried out in 2018 and 2019.

'We are now going back and looking at the vetting standards now. We will report in 2022 on that.'

Earlier this week, it was confirmed Couzens is seeking permission to appeal against his whole-life term for kidnapping, raping and murdering Sarah Everard.

Handing down a whole-life sentence at the Old Bailey last month, Lord Justice Fulford said Couzens, 48, who had pleaded guilty to kidnap, rape and murder, 'used his position as a police officer' to kidnap Miss Everard in Clapham.

But in the latest twist, a court official said on Tuesday: 'We have been notified that an appeal has been lodged by Mr Couzens,' The Mirror reported. If permission is granted, the case will be heard by the Court of Appeal Criminal Division.

Couzens is one of over 60 criminals serving whole-life sentences. They are reserved for the most serious crimes such as serial killings and politically motivated murders.

Lord Justice Fulford said by misusing his police role to kidnap, rape and murder Sarah, his crime was 'of equal seriousness as a murder carried out for the purpose of advancing a political, religious, racial or ideological cause'.

Couzens joins infamous killers such as British soldier Lee Rigby's murderer Michael Adebolajo, police officer killer Dale Cregan and Mark Bridger, who murdered five-year-old April Jones.

Moors murderers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley also got whole-life orders. Serial killer Levi Bellfield is unique in being given two.
New Zealand on Thursday unveiled plans to tentatively reopen its borders for citizens in 2022 but made no mention of foreigners being allowed in as it continues to retreat from its Zero Covid strategy. .

Jacinda Arden's government have unveiled plans to slash hotel quarantine in half from 14 to seven days in November and eventually replace it with home isolation amid growing pressure from Kiwis stranded overseas.

Her government has been facing increasing domestic pressure over its Zero Covid policy, which it formally abandoned earlier this year after the Delta variant of coronavirus proved able to escape quarantine measures.

However New Zealanders still face tough Covid restrictions and the city of Auckland will remain in lockdown until the end of this month.

'We are also very aware of the pressure that's been building at the border as the world begins to reconnect, and the increasing numbers of New Zealanders here and abroad who want to connect with their loved ones,' Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said.

At present, the country only has 4,000 quarantine hotel rooms - far too few for the number of citizens attempting to return home which has left many stranded abroad.

Foreign travellers are not allowed into the coutry and the government gave no indication that would change with the new quarantine rules for citizens.

Local media regularly carry reports of Kiwis unable to visit dying relatives or facing family crises because of the quarantine requirements and several people have attempted to sail back to New Zealand from Australia across the notoriously perilous Tasman sea.

The plan has sparked fury among the opposition who blasted the move the 'bare minimum' and warned 'we can't remain shut behind the walls of Fortress New Zealand'.

Opposition Covid spokesman Chris Bishop said 'it's time we reopened to the world' and that fully vaccinated arrivals from low-risk countries should not have to isolate.

The border previously acted as the bulwark of New Zealand's virus response but a Delta-variant outbreak in Auckland and new cases are now emerging in the community.

Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said arrivals from a handful of tiny Pacific island states would be granted quarantine-free travel from next month and other low-risk countries would be considered early next year

Former NZ Prime Minister Sir John Key in September said New Zealand had become 'a smug hermit kingdom' and travel restrictions should be lifted as priority.

New Zealand has recorded just 28 Covid-19 deaths in a population of five million and its residents have enjoyed near-normal domestic life for most of the pandemic.

But border facilities have become increasingly stretched, with tens of thousands of overseas-based New Zealanders clamouring online to book the 4,000 available quarantine rooms.

Some New Zealanders stranded in Australia have attempted to cross the Tasman Sea - a notoriously dangerous journey - in small boats in a desperate bid to return home.

Boats full of people willing to risk severe seasickness and the perilous journey have set sail from Australia in recent weeks after trying in vain to secure a quarantine hotel room.

Hipkins said the changes would free up more rooms and the goal was to move towards home isolation in the first three months of 2022.

Mr Hipkins said the changes would free up about 1500 places, but 'many will be used for community cases' in NZ's worsening Delta outbreak.

There were 89 community cases identified by health officials on Thursday, including two in Christchurch, ending a 358-day run without the virus for the South Island's biggest city.

The New Zealand government has opted against sending the city into lockdown, with Mr Hipkins saying there were 'no major exposure events'.

'Close contacts have been identified and are self-isolating ... we'll continue to closely monitor the situation,' he said.

He said no decision had yet been made on whether the home-isolation regime would apply only to returning New Zealanders or also include foreign travellers.

'We don't want to accelerate the spread of Covid-19 outside Auckland by prematurely making changes to the international border.

'Once we get those high rates of vaccination, at that point, you'll start to see quite a bit more change at the border,' he said.

Hipkins tied more movement to when NZ hits 90 per cent of eligible Kiwis being fully vaccinated.

As of Thursday, 72 per cent of New Zealanders are fully vaccinated and 87 per cent have received their first jab.

Australians hoping to travel quarantine-free by Christmas haven't been offered any guarantees by the New Zealand government yet (pictured: a passenger on a Trans-Tasman flight in April 2021)

Hipkins also announced arrivals from a handful of tiny Pacific island states would be granted quarantine-free travel from next month and other low-risk countries would be considered early next year.

Arrivals from Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu and Tokelau would be quarantine-free from November 8, mirroring existing arrangements with the Cook Islands and Niue.

He said the border previously acted as the bulwark of New Zealand's virus response but a Delta-variant outbreak in Auckland meant most new cases were now emerging in the community.

He offered no clarification on whether a travel bubble with Australia was likely to reopen.

The bubble opened in April but faced numerous disruptions and was finally suspended in June as multiple outbreaks spread in Australia.
Marlys Davidson (pictured), the president of the Los Alamitos Unified School District Board of Education, was picked up by a microphone cursing during the meeting

The president of a California board of education was caught on mic swearing during a meeting this week after a parent raised concerns over mandates in response to Covid-19.

Marlys Davidson, who is the president of the Los Alamitos Unified School District Board of Education was picked up by a microphone cursing during the meeting.

Lauren Roupoli raised concerns over mandates placed on students requiring them to wear masks in class.

She also questioned the decision to give the Covid vaccine to children, arguing her belief that the risks far outweigh the benefits.

Roupoli also accused one member of the education board of criticizing parents as 'selfish' raising their concerns at the board meetings.

Before she had finished speaking, Davidson cut across Roupoli to tell her she had run out of time to speak to the board, but Roupoli calmly finished what she was saying anyway.

A round of applause from other parents followed Roupoli's conclusion, during which she said: 'We are vocal because we are our childrens biggest advocates.'

It was after this applause that Davidson was then heard saying 'f**k you' through a microphone.

The incident is the latest in a string of recent clashes across America in the ongoing battle over the right to question administrators about COVID restrictions which recently led to the National School Boards Association issuing an apology for saying the clashes could amount to domestic terrorism.

Attorney General Merrick Garland applauded the letter of apology, while calling for the FBI to investigate such parents.

A parent named Lauren Roupoli (pictured) raised concerns over mandates placed on students requiring them to wear masks in class

KTLA reports that following the meeting, Davidson issued an apology for her remark in which she said: 'I reaffirm my commitment to serve our community with dignity and integrity, and I hope they will accept my sincere apology.'

Davidson, who has two children, joined the Los Alamitos Unified School District Board in 2018, having taught students at both elementary and secondary school level for 25 years.

According to the education board's website, she grew up in the area and returned in 1980 after having married and started teaching.

Over the years, Davidson and her husband have been involved in a number of leadership positions, such as the PTA, School Site Council, sports, and Scouts.

It was during this applause that Davidson was heard saying 'f**k you' through a microphone

Who is Marlys Davidson? Davidson, who has two children, joined the Los Alamitos Unified School District Board in 2018, having taught students at both elementary and secondary school level for 25 years. According to the education board's website, she grew up in the area and returned in 1980 after having married and started teaching. In 2010, she was selected as the districts Teacher of the Year. While on special assignment for the district, she facilitated the creation of Common Core Language Arts units. She also worked as an education consultant in the district after having retired in 2016. Over the years, Davidson and her husband have been involved in a number of leadership positions, such as the PTA, School Site Council, sports, and Scouts. Advertisement

At present, California has imposed a state-wide mask mandate on around 6.7million students - a decision backed by the California Association of School Boards and teachers' unions.

MailOnline has approached the Los Alamitos Unified School District Board of Education for comment.

Earlier this week, a Minnesota school board chairwoman stirred outrage after footage of her demanding parents announce their home address if they want to speak at public meetings was shared earlier this week.

Jodi Sapp, the chairwoman of the Mankato school board, opened the meeting on October 18 by telling parents they cannot ask any questions unless they revealed their home address, according to the now viral video.

'Each speaker is asked to state his or her name and home address for the record. Failure to do so will result in an individual not being allowed to speak,' Sapp read aloud.

'Each speaker is allowed three minutes to speak, and the board will alert the speaker when their time is up. Failure to stop speaking (in time) will result in the ability to participate in future open forums.'

One father, John Wicklund, voiced his objections, but eventually provided his home address after attempting to negate doing so by citing concerns that his home could be targeted for vandalism.

'My name is John Wicklund and I live in Mankato,' he began.

'Could I get your address please, John,' Sapp responded.

'I'd rather not, since I get so much property damage and eggs and everything else from... fun people and their friends.'

'John you need to give your address,' she repeated.

'I live on 5th Street,' he reluctantly said, before being allowed to ask questions.

'How many acts of violence (have occurred on school grounds)? How many sexual assaults have happened in this school district?'

'You can say the (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) are making you do this, but the government knows better.'

Pictured: Chairwoman of the Mankato school board Jodi Sapp, who told a parent that he could not speak unless he announced his home address during a meeting on October 18

Mankato resident John Wicklund (pictured center with cap) was forced to publicly state his home address in order to speak during the school district's open forum on October 18

Sapp did not answer the dad in the video, giving him a curt 'thank you, that's the end of the open forum'.

Elsewhere, a mother-of-six who led the charge to remove sexually explicit books from school libraries has claimed federal law enforcement officials flew helicopters and stationed cop cars outside a school board meeting in Virginia to intimidate parents - after AG Merrick Garland was accused of treating parents like 'terrorists'.

Stacy Langton appeared on Fox News Fox & Friends on Wednesday and claimed that federal agents and unmarked law enforcement vehicles were seen outside a board meeting of the Fairfax County Public Schools last week.

Langton claimed that there was a heavy federal law enforcement presence just days after she and others protested outside the Department of Justice in Washington, DC.

Langton believes she and other parents are being targeted by the feds and says she has received death threats in response to the protests.

'I have threats against my children by name, I have been followed in my car with my children, they have my vehicle, they know where I live, and I dont know who's putting somebody up to this, but it's obviously meant to intimidate me,' said Langton.

Stacy Langton (left), a mother of six children from Fairfax County, Virginia who forced the local school system to remove sexually explicit books from school libraries, claims federal law enforcement officials are intimidating parents protesting school curriculum and treating them as 'domestic terrorists.' Attorney General Merrick Garland is seen right

'I'm not getting a lot of sleep right now, nobodys sleeping in my house because we cant be sure that were safe,' she said.

'So, I understand Merrick Garland is actually testifying today at the Senate and hes gonna talk about mobilizing the FBI against parents.

'Maybe he should mobilize the FBI into whos threatening my family.'

Langton posted a tweet on Friday showing a marked Department of Homeland Security vehicle that was operated by the DHSs Federal Protective Service, the agency unit responsible for safeguarding federal properties.

Other internet users, however, claimed that the photo Langton posted was of Gallows Road, a busy intersection in Fairfax County, and that it was not of parked cars outside the school board meeting.

Social media users also noted that northern Virginia is home to several federal buildings, and it is not uncommon to see federal law enforcement personnel driving by.

Langton claimed that federal agents and unmarked law enforcement vehicles were seen outside a board meeting of the Fairfax County Public Schools last week. Langton said that there was a heavy federal law enforcement presence just days after she and others protested outside the Department of Justice in Washington, DC. But the image that she posted appears to show flowing traffic near where the school board meeting was held

The school board meetings are usually held in a location on Gallows Road, but the image Langton posted appears to be that of flowing traffic, and not a parking lot as she suggested.

'This is something that is incredible in America and its ridiculously un-American,' Langton told Fox & Friends of the alleged law enforcement presence.

DailyMail.com has reached out to Langton, the Fairfax County Public Schools, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Justice seeking comment.

Langton made the allegation as Attorney General Merrick Garland was accused of targeting Fairfax County parents protesting aspects of the school curriculum as domestic terrorists.

The Biden administrations top prosecutor has come under fire over a directive the Justice Department issued earlier this month promising more law enforcement resources for schools amid a rise in tensions and threats at school board meetings over matters like critical race theory, coronavirus precautions and transgender bathroom policies.

In his memo Garland said there had been 'a disturbing spike in harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence against school administrators, board members, teachers, and staff who participate in the vital work of running our nations public schools.'

Sen. Tom Cotton (left) questioned AG Merrick Garland (ight) over a DOJ memo promising to address a 'rise in crime' at school board meetings

While Garland never mentioned or referred to parents as terrorists, his memo came after the National School Boards Association sent a letter to President Joe Biden asking for help.

The letter claimed that clashes between the school board and parents could amount to 'domestic terrorism'.

The NSBA has since apologized for comparing parents to domestic terrorists.

'As you all know, there has been extensive media and other attention recently around our letter to President Biden regarding threats and acts of violence against school board members,' the NSBA wrote in a memo.

'We wanted to write to you directly to address this matter.'

'On behalf of NSBA, we regret and apologize for the letter,' the NSBA said, noting that 'there was no justification for some of the language included in the letter.'

The NSBA had called for the use of measures like the PATRIOT Act, which is typically used to address terrorism.

Sen. Tom Cotton tore into Garland during testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, telling him to 'resign in disgrace.'

'Thank God you are not on the Supreme Court,' the Arkansas Republican said, bringing up the touchy subject of Garland's failed confirmation to the high court in 2016. President Obama appointed him and then-Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked his confirmation because it was an election year.

'You should resign in disgrace,' Cotton told Garland.

Cotton asked about a Loudoun County father who was dragged out of a school board meeting and arrested as he tried to tell the room his 15-year-old daughter had been raped by a boy dressed in a skirt at Stone Bridge High School in the girls' bathroom.

Scott Smith says Loudoun County schools went out of their way to protect the child - who he called 'a sexual predator'.

Scott Smith was arrested at a Loudoun County school board meeting on June 22 after his daughter, 15, was allegedly attacked by a boy in a dress

Smith accused the school of covering up the incident to protect its new policy allowing students to use the bathroom they identify with.

The incident reportedly took place on May 28 and Scott was arrested on June 22.

Two months after the incident, the boy - who has not been named because he is a juvenile - was arrested for forced sodomy.

And in October, he was arrested again on different charges for allegedly assaulting a different girl, at a different school. He is now in a juvenile detention center.

The boy was charged with two counts of forcible sodomy for the May 28 attack and sexual battery for the October 6 attack, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office said on Oct. 13. The Sheriff's Office released the statement to clear up 'misinformation' regarding the case.

Smith was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct after the June 22 meeting. He said he was trying to contain himself after listening to school board staff say they'd never had a report of a sexual assault in a bathroom, when that is what his daughter reported weeks earlier

On Tuesday the boy was found guilty of forcible sodomy and forcible fellatio, and will return to court on November 15 for sentencing.

Scott and his wife Jessica Smith are now suing the county over the alleged attempted coverup.

'Do you apologize to Scott Smith and his 15-year-old daughter, judge?' Cotton asked Garland. Cotton said that controversy had prompted the DOJ's stepping in.

Garland went on to say rape is 'the most horrific crime I can imagine' and that Scott is 'entitled and protected by the First Amendment.'

'This is shameful. Your testimony, your directive is shameful. Your performance is shameful,' Cotton shot back.
An anti-vaccine protester has been tracked down and charged five weeks after he was filmed kicking a dog during a violent riot in Melbourne.

RSPCA Victoria charged a 41-year-old man with animal cruelty over the footage at the protest outside CFMEU headquarters on Elizabeth Street on September 20.

Shocking footage shows the protester attempt to lunge at a man during the chaos, before he's seen kicking the man's leashed dog.

Disturbing video: A dog is kicked during a brief fight between several men outside the CFMEU. It broke up quickly as police stepped in. pic.twitter.com/QVXbJ43Glv  Paul Dowsley (@paul_dowsley) September 20, 2021

RSPCA Victoria have charged a 41-year-old man accused of kicking a dog during Melbourne's chaotic construction rally on September 20 (pictured)

A wild mob then surrounded the accused animal abuser as he shoves one of the men who tries to confront him.

After video of the kick began circulating on social media, RSPCA Victoria's Chief Inspector Michael Stagg said it was inundated with reports of animal cruelty.

'Many concerned Victorians reported the incident both to Victoria Police and to RSPCA Victoria's Inspectorate, which is authorised to enforce Victoria's animal cruelty legislation,' he said.

Protesters stormed the CFMEU head office on on Elizabeth St where the animal cruelty incident allegedly took place (pictured)

'Every incident of animal cruelty is serious, and the Victorian public are the RSPCA's eyes and ears when it comes to these matters.

'We encourage anyone with information about any animal cruelty matters to provide that information to the RSPCA.'

He said the RSPCA was committed to holding animal abusers to account and maintained all matters reported by Victorians would be thoroughly investigated.

The protester accused of kicking the dog could face up to a year in prison or a hefty fine of more than $45,000 if he is found guilty.

RSPCA Victoria conducted the investigation in conjunction with Victoria Police and the case is now before the courts.

The protester could face up to one year in prison or fines up to $45,000 if found guilty (pictured, protesters rally at CFMEU headquarters in Melbourne)

The disturbing footage sparked online outrage leaving viewers angry and horrified by the man's behaviour.

'Kicking a dog is not an answer to a human dispute. Hope the perpetrator is identified,' one woman commented.

Another added: 'Anyone who attacks an animal for simply 'being there' deserves to have the same thing done to him. There's absolutely no excuse for doing that...NONE!

Anyone who has concerns about the welfare of an animal is encouraged to make a report to RSPCA Victoria online or by calling 9224 2222.
The head of the Army has said he is 'appalled' by claims British soldiers were involved in the killing of a Kenyan woman whose body was found in a septic tank.

General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith said he was 'determined' to support the local authorities to 'establish the facts as quickly as possible'.

Agnes Wanjiru, 21, was found at the Lions Court Hotel in Nanyuki, close to the British Army Training Unit Kenya camp, two months after she disappeared in March 2012.

A soldier accused of the murder has allegedly been named by fellow troops after he allegedly confessed to the killing.

General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith (pictured) said he was 'determined' to support the local authorities to 'establish the facts as quickly as possible'

Agnes Wanjiru, 21, was found at the Lions Court Hotel in Nanyuki (pictured), close to the British Army Training Unit Kenya camp, two months after she disappeared in March 2012

General Sir Mark wrote: 'I am sure you are all as appalled as I am at the recent allegations surrounding the murder of Agnes Wanjiru in Nanyuki, Kenya, in 2012.'

'I want you to know I am determined we support the appropriate authorities to establish the facts of the issue as quickly as possible.'

The Sunday Times said another soldier reported the brutal stabbing to senior officers at the time - but no action was taken.

It has prompted the Labour Party to call on the Government to investigate any possible 'cover-up'.

A defence source said: 'The Defence Secretary has been impatient with the pace of this, and has directed full co-operation.

'He has worked with the military police and Kenyans to ensure their investigation is not impeded.'

The naked body of Ms Wanjiru was found in a septic tank at the Lions Court Inn hotel in Nanyuki two months after her disappearance

Nanyuki's local economy is hugely dependent on the British troops who carry out civil engineering projects and spend money in local businesses

The naked body of Ms Wanjiru - who left behind a five-month-old daughter - was found at the hotel nearly a decade ago by a maintenance worker after a foul smell.

The sex worker's family has been pushing for answers and claims British and Kenyan authorities have staged a cover-up to maintain diplomatic relations.

The UK sends six infantry battalions a year for eight-week exercises to the nearby Nanyuki army base.

The Sunday Times claimed soldiers who took part in the drunken and debauched night of group sex with local prostitutes said they were shown Agnes' body that evening by her alleged killer, named by the paper as Soldier X.

Another soldier from the Duke of Lancaster regiment, identified as Soldier Y, said: 'He took me to the tank and lifted it up, and I looked in and I just remember seeing her in there.

'My heart sank. My mind just went blank. The only thing I could say to him was: 'I'll never forgive you for this.''

Nanyuki is heavily dependent on the income from British soldiers based at the Nyati Barracks and sex work is very common

The resurfaced allegations have prompted a new murder probe by the British Royal Military Police.

Ms Wanjiru's body lay in the tank for two months before it was discovered, by which time the British troops had long since departed Kenya.

Members of the regiment allege the name of her killer was an open secret, with five different soldiers identifying the same person to the Sunday Times.

But the British Army has never held an inquiry and none of those present on the night have been questioned by superiors.

An inquest was held in Kenya in 2019 in which a judge ruled the mother was 'murdered by British soldiers' but no subsequent action was taken by the army.

An MoD spokesman said: 'In 2012, Special Investigation Branch carried out initial enquiries in Kenya, including providing information about British personnel to the Kenyan Police. No further requests were received at that time.

'Following the conclusion of a Kenyan inquest in 2019, we are aware that the Kenyan authorities are looking into this incident.

'The jurisdiction for this investigation rests with the Kenyan Police, and we are currently in discussions with the Kenyan authorities offering our full support and cooperation with their inquiries.

'Due to this being subject to an ongoing investigation it would be inappropriate to comment further.'

On the tragic death of Agnes Wanjiru in Kenya in 2012, an MoD spokesman added: 'The Defence Secretary is impatient with the pace of this and has directed full cooperation.

'He is working with the Military and Kenyan Police to ensure their investigation is not impeded.'
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Boris Johnson has so far steered clear of bringing in his winter plan, saying the NHS is not under 'unsustainable' pressure

Former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt today urged No10 to act 'decisively and early' after Sir Patrick Vallance called on Boris Johnson to reimpose Covid restrictions at the first sign of infections rebounding in the UK.

Mr Hunt, who is now chair of the Health and Social Care Select Committee, said the Government should not be afraid of 'U-turning' once again if the current trend of falling cases comes to an end.

Speaking about Plan B at a Royal Society of Medicine conference, he suggested Mr Johnson should act earlier than he might want to.

He said: 'I think we need to be prepared to move to different ways to tackle the virus. Ive always said in a pandemic you should welcome a government that changes its mind, not chastise it for U-turning.

'Its always better to act decisively and earlier than you want to.'

But he stopped short of calling for an immediate imposition of restrictions, suggesting that increasing the speed of the booster and children's vaccine programmes would be the best way to get to the 'heart' of Britain's current wave of cases.

His comments came after Englands chief scientific adviser said that the country remained in a very uncertain phase of the pandemic, despite a downturn in nation infections in recent days.

Sir Patrick suggested that the Governments winter Plan B  which includes face masks, working from home and vaccine passports  should not be taken off the table yet.

He gave the same warning to the Prime Minister at a Downing Street press conference last month, saying that failing to act will only lead to stricter and longer restrictions in winter.

The stark comments come as the country's symptom-tracking study warned today that Britain is now 'worryingly close' to 100,000 cases a day and that Government testing is underestimating the crisis.

It estimated there were 92,953 new infections a day last week, which was up 14 per cent on the previous seven days. Its results cover the period when cases fell slightly in children, but not the most recent four days when infections fell across the country.

But No10 is thought to have taken confidence from the fact Covid infections have fallen for four days in a row and forecasts from SAGE suggest the epidemic will shrink naturally next month due to rising immunity in children and booster vaccines.

Ministers have insisted they will only move to Plan B if the NHS comes under 'unsustainable' pressure, with one senior source claiming yesterday that there was a 'less than 20 per cent' chance they will need to bring curbs back.

Sir Patrick Vallance (pictured right, today on BBC Breakfast) said the Prime Minister should be ready to go 'hard and fast' if Covid cases begin to rebound

LONDON SCHOOL OF HYGIENE AND TROPICAL MEDICINE: These charts show the impact of returning to normal level of social mixing in three months (bottom) versus remaining cautious for a year - and the impact this would have on infections (left), admissions (middle) and deaths (right). The models show cases plummeting by November in both scenarios thanks to natural immunity but rising in spring (bottom) when vaccine protection is expected to wane

Warning against complacency, Sir Patrick told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: You need to absolutely be prepared (for plan B) and as soon as you start thinking, "am I, or am I not going to do this? It looks close".

'That's the time you need to push beyond your natural reluctance to do it and do it. This is obviously something the Government will have to consider carefully but we need to be ready to move fast if that occurs.'

'I think we are in a very uncertain phase. If you read the minutes of SAGE that were published last week there is considerable uncertainty in which direction this goes.

'It does indeed depend on the degree of immunity and the amount thats protected by vaccines and thats why vaccines are so important and it depends on overall behavioural change.'

Britain is 'worryingly close' to 100,000 cases a day, study warns Britain is 'worryingly close' to 100,000 new Covid infections per day, the country's largest symptom-tracking study warned today despite Government data showing the outbreak is in retreat. King's College London researchers estimated there were 92,953 people falling ill with the virus per day across the UK last week, up 14 per cent on the previous seven days. Cases are rising across all age groups, although the proportion of cases remains highest in under-18s with nearly 44,000 infected on any given day. There was also uptick in the rate of increase in the more vulnerable age groups 55 to 75, the researchers said. The latest survey figures were based on data from around 43,000 lateral flow and PCR tests done between October 9 and October 23. They cover the period where official data suggests Covid cases fell slightly among under-18s, but not the latest four days when daily Covid cases began to drop week-on-week. Professor Tim Spector, the epidemiologist who leads the study, warned that the Government's figures were a 'big underestimate' and may be missing 40 per cent of cases. The Department of Health's daily reports only include cases confirmed by a PCR test  which are more reliable than lateral flow devices. They showed new infections fell for the fourth day in a row yesterday, dropping 10.6 per cent to 43,941. SAGE member Professor John Edmunds, whose grim modelling in July predicted hospitalisations would have reached 3,500 a day by now, said the fall in cases may have been caused by rising immunity in children. And the low numbers in the official figures have lead to Government sources claiming the chance of ministers activating their winter Covid 'Plan B' is less than 20 per cent. Advertisement

He added: 'Its wrong to think of the build up of immunity as a sort of all or nothing. It is a protective barrier that will reduce the spread of the virus so we need to monitor this carefully over the next weeks and months.'

Asked what figures would lead him to call for more restrictions, Sir Patrick said: 'In terms of cases, the best indication is the ONS study which is an unbiased sample.

'That has fewer biases than some of the testing data and its an important one to look at.

'In terms of consequences, hospitalisation, the rates of people going into hospital, are really critical but there are lagging indicators so you need to bare that in mind.'

In a separate interview on BBC Breakfast, he said: 'Nobody is really clear which direction this is going in, but they are clear about the two big variables that could change that.

'One is waning immunity, so if immunity wanes faster than expected, youll see a bigger increase, and thats why its so important to get booster shots going in the vulnerable and the elderly in particular.

'The second is the behavioural change, how quickly we return to pre-pandemic behaviours if you aggregate the models, most are saying: "Actually, it looks fairly flat, dont expect the very big peaks weve had in the past, it looks fairly flat, but at a very high level at the moment".'

'So the high level remains a concern and from a high level you can go up quite quickly.'

Asked whether current infection levels at more than 40,000 a day were acceptable, he said: 'Well, thats a societal question.

'There are high levels, and those high levels, of course, translate into levels of hospitalisation, but the levels of hospitalisation are very much reduced by vaccination.

'The lower the levels, the better in terms of overall overall outcome, but there are costs and consequences of decisions in both directions there.

'So thats a societal question about what levels are acceptable.

'I will say though  and its an important point to make  that, as this infection becomes gradually becomes endemic, it will occur year on year, we will see this circulating every winter, I suspect, in particular.

'And so, gradually, as immunity builds, the protection will be there, the consequences will be reduced, but were not not there yet.

'Weve still got, clearly, people going into hospital, its still a significant risk.'

He said on Sky News that although the country now had an 'armamentarium' to combat the virus, such as vaccines and antivirals, the virus is still very much around.

He said: 'Its not gone across the world, its still very high levels in all sorts of places. We have high levels in the UK, but we are much more protected against it and that is the key thing.

'So, keep the protection up, keep the immunity up and hopefully drive the levels down.'

Sir Patrick warned last month that Mr Johnson should impose more restrictions than he thinks are necessary for longer than he thinks are necessary to curb the spread of the virus.

He is yet to call for the country to change course and bring in Plan B. Despite mounting calls for the move from some corners, Britain's scientific advisers are still yet to say tougher curbs are needed.

King's College London researchers estimated there were 92,953 people falling ill with the virus on average across the UK last week, up 14 per cent on the previous seven days. The above graph shows the proportion of cases among everyone (blue line) and the fully vaccinated (red line). ZOE has stopped calculating cases among the unvaccinated because there are so few left in the UK, with more than nine in ten adults having already got at least one dose

Their estimates showed Covid cases rose in all age groups. But there are early signs of a potential levelling off among children, in line with official estimates

Cases are high in all regions of England and highest in the North West (purple line), where they are in excess of 2,000 per 100,000 people

It came as a King's College London study warned Britain was 'worryingly close' to 100,000 cases a day last week.

It also found cases were rising across all age groups, although the proportion remained highest in under-18s with nearly 44,000 infected on any given day.

Boris Johnson WAS right to release all Covid curbs on Freedom Day, Professor Lockdown says Releasing all Covid restrictions on 'Freedom Day' may have actually helped save hundreds of lives despite outcry at the time, a study led by 'Professor Lockdown' Neil Ferguson has found. Imperial College London researchers praised the roadmap more generally, saying that it was 'largely successful at limiting infection levels'. They said No10 timed the easing of restrictions well because the dates of each step of the roadmap allowed vaccines to get into the arms of those most at risk. And the study said it was prudent to delay 'Freedom Day' nearly a month from its original date on June 26 after the emergence of the Delta variant. This decision alone prevented at least 2,000 hospital admissions per day, they found. This ultimately saved countless lives. Experts previously criticised No10 for being 'unscientific ' and argued Boris Johnson lifted restrictions too early on July 19. But scientists like Professor Christ Whitty, England's chief medical officer, said that abandoning curbs in summer would take some of the sting out of a winter wave by getting infections out of the way. Advertisement

A sharp uptick was also recorded among 55 to 75-year-olds, the most vulnerable group that is currently being offered booster shots to ramp up their immunity before the winter.

The latest survey figures were based on data from around 43,000 lateral flow and PCR tests done between October 9 and October 23.

Professor Tim Spector, the epidemiologist who leads the study, warned that the Government's figures were a 'big underestimate' and may be missing 40 per cent of cases.

He said: 'The ZOE data shows the UK could hit 100,000 new cases sooner than expected and with no sign of a Plan B or Plan C.

'The ZOE figures are consistently higher than the official confirmed daily cases because we get results from various sources, including self-reported lateral flow tests that are under-reported officially.

'The Government raw figures report on PCR testing of the classical symptoms only, which miss around 40 percent of cases.

'ZOE extrapolates the data from our sample to predict daily infections in the wider population.

'With the confirmation of our estimates from the ONSs fortnightly survey, its clear the government figures are a big under-estimate, and with the highest rates in Western Europe, theres no room for complacency.'

Some scientists have warned the ZOE figures should be taken with a pinch of salt because vaccines have changed the game and made the symptoms of Covid indistinguishable from other viruses.

There data covers the week before half-term  when official data suggests infections started to fall among under-18s  but it does not include the most recent four days when daily infections began to fall.

No10 is thought to have taken heart from this, with a Whitehall source telling the Financial Times yesterday that the situation was now heading 'in the rightr direction', adding: 'I reckon there's a less than 20 per cent chance we'll need to activate Plan B.'

Another senior Government official warned against being complacent because it is 'too early to read a lot into the data'. But they conceded that 'there is nothing to currently suggest we need to activate Plan B'.

Ministers were yesterday looking at plans to give regional public health leaders the power to bring back face masks in school communal areas, such as assembly halls and corridors, to help keep the lid on the virus.

It is not known whether children will have to wear face coverings while in the classroom again, a policy which campaign groups said hampered their learning and caused them physical harm.

Local councils in areas with high infection rates already have the power to bring back some Covid curbs but the change could broaden the powers to entire regions of England. The Department of Health has refused to comment.

Scientists said a combination of booster vaccines, growing natural immunity in children and a drop in classroom mixing during the October half-term break would drag cases down.

Department of Health data suggests Covid cases have now peaked among school children, in a positive sign that they could soon fall in other age groups that they are passing the virus on to.

Its figures are published by when people actually took their test, rather than when they got their result, which experts say is more reliable because it accounts for reporting delays.

Cases among 10 to 14-year-olds  the age group with the highest infection rate  may have peaked on October 19 at 1,925.2 positive tests per 100,000 people.

For 15 to 19-year-olds and five to nine year olds, the rate also hit a high on October 19 of 861.3 and 760.7, respectively.

But over the next two days that data is available official figures show the infection rate dipped in these age groups. For 10 to 14-year-olds it had fallen to 1,868.9 by the end of October 21.
Facebook has ordered employees to keep all their emails and documents relating to its businesses since 2016 after government inquiries were opened into the under-fire social media firm's operations.

A company-wide email sent on Tuesday night told staff to 'preserve internal documents and communications since 2016' in a move known as a 'legal hold'.

Employees were told that encrypted messages should be kept and they should not discuss or post about the order on the company's internal message board.

Documents related to WhatsApp, augmented reality studio Spark AR and the New Product Experimentation group, an internal incubator, were not included in the legal hold.

But WhatsApp messages relating to other topics have to be preserved, staff were told.

It comes following bombshell claims from former employee-turned-whistleblower Frances Haugen that the tech giant ignored internal complaints from staff for years to put profits first, 'lied' to investors and shielded CEO Mark Zuckerberg from public scrutiny.

Facebook has ordered employees to keep all their emails and documents relating to its businesses since 2016

She claimed Facebook knowingly spread misinformation, fuelled hate speech, failed to crack down on abuses spread on the platform and exacerbated body image issues, particularly among teenage girls.

In the email sent to employees, obtained by the New York Times, Facebook said: 'As you are probably aware, we're currently the focus of extensive media coverage based on a swath of internal documents.

'As is often the case following this kind of reporting, a number of inquiries from governments and legislative bodies have been launched into the company's operations.'

Facebook acknowledged to shareholders this week it is facing 'government investigations' in relation to the leaked documents.

It is not known whether the inquiries refer to the US Senate or the UK Parliament.

Haugen filed her complaints this week to the Securities and Exchange Commission and has also testified in Congress and to British MPs on Monday. She also provided redacted versions to Congress.

It comes following bombshell claims from former employee turned whistleblower Frances Haugen that the tech giant ignored internal complaints from staff for years to put profits first (pictured outside the Houses of Parliament in London on Monday)

The SEC has not yet confirmed whether it has launched an investigation based on her complaints.

But the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has begun scrutinizing the leaked internal research and said it will closely examine whether the company broke any agreements in the $5billion settlement reached with the agency in 2019 over privacy concerns.

Facebook agreed to the massive settlement in response to its violation of privacy rules through its work with Cambridge Analytica, a research firm that bought the information of tens of millions of users without their knowledge.

The company's board agreed to create an independent privacy committee that removes 'unfettered control by Zuckerberg over decisions affecting user privacy' and also agreed to have greater oversight over third-party apps, Reuters reported.

That settlement also absolved Facebook and its top officials of any other consumer-protection violations known to the FTC at the time, though Democrats in the agency said the settlement did not go far enough or require a large enough fine, per the Wall Street Journal.

Despite the deal Facebook made, Haugen's massive trove may prove that not much has changed since the company's Cambridge Analytica scandal.

When asked for comment on the FTC probe, a Facebook spokesperson sent a statement to DailyMail.com that said, 'We are always ready to answer regulators' questions and will continue to cooperate with government inquiries.'

The allegations in the leaked documents have prompted lawmakers on both sides of the Atlantic to call for regulation of the tech firm.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn) said the leaked documents show Facebook bosses 'chronically ignored serious internal alarms, choosing to put profits over people' and said the company is 'obviously unable to police itself.'

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) called for a new federal agency to protect personal data and ensure privacy

Meanwhile Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) called for a new federal agency to protect personal data and ensure privacy.

In an op-ed for NBC News, she wrote: 'The approach companies like Facebook take to data is motivated not by protecting our privacy but by growing their profit and power.'

Her proposed agency would review 'high-risk' data practices and write new rules for data privacy, she suggested.

Legislation in the UK and the EU is further along with draft bills expected in early 2021 to introduce independent digital regulation.

In the Facebook papers, the company was accused of being used to traffic women in the Middle East which bosses failed to eradicate despite warnings.

After publicly promising to crack down, Facebook acknowledged in internal documents that it was 'under-enforcing on confirmed abusive activity' that saw Filipina maids complaining on the social media site of being abused.

The documents also reveal that Mark Zuckerberg personally agreed to requests from Vietnam's ruling Communist Party to censor anti-government dissidents.

It was also warned that Instagram 'may never be safe for 14-year-olds' because it can turn them into addicts and school bullying follows them home.

Haugen claimed the tech firm regularly places profits over safety, leading to hate speech being spread because of the algorithms that prioritise engagement.

It comes after Facebook executives were accused of being 'drunk on power' in internal messages after they attempted to block messages of support for Kenosha gunman Kyle Rittenhouse.

Kyle Rittenhouse, left, was 17 when he shot and killed two people in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on August 25, 2020. He was part of a vigilante group claiming they were defending property from arson and rioting

Rittenhouse, a right-wing vigilante, shot and killed two Black Lives Matter protesters amid unrest following the shooting by police of Jacob Blake, in August 2020.

Rittenhouse, who was 17 at the time, was seen as a hero by some on the right, who insisted he was on the streets to prevent rioting by the BLM activists.

Facebook took down many pro-Rittenhouse posts, arguing that they were in violation of the site's rules which banned the promotion of violence.

Facebook's rules ban praise and support of a mass shooter, or a mass shooting itself.

During an internal discussion, most employees agreed with the decision.

Rittenhouse has been charged with murder. He is seen on Monday, ahead of his trial, which begins next week

To add to his woes, Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan have been sued over alleged racist and homophobic abuse inflicted on two staffers by their former household security boss, which is said to have included a dig at Meghan Markle.

Mia King, a black LGBR woman who served as a security operations assistant, and a John Doe, a gay and disabled man who worked as a household operations manager, claimed they were subject to racist and homophobic abuse by the billionaire couple's former head of security Liam Booth, Business Insider reports.

In their twin lawsuit, filed in San Francisco County, King said Booth would often call her 'ghetto' and complain that Meghan Markle, who is bi-racial, 'polluted the royal blood line' following her marriage to Prince Harry.

Doe also claimed that Booth, a former Secret Service agent whose race has not been disclosed, allegedly made constant comments about his homosexuality and slapped his groin at a sushi restaurant in 2018.
Johnny Mercer has blasted the Ministry of Defence for refusing to let Dennis Hutchings have soldiers in uniform carry his coffin at his Armistice Day funeral.

The MP slammed military bosses for 'dodging' and 'blaming commanding officers and ministers' for blocking the request of the late Troubles veteran and his family.

Mr Mercer, who supported Mr Hutchings during his trial in Belfast over a 1974 shooting, said he still cannot get top brass to commit to an answer.

It comes as the late soldier's relatives yesterday appealed for there to be no political messaging as they lay him to rest next month.

They said they welcomed as many people who wanted to go but called for no banners, slogans or speeches.

Mr Hutchings, from Cawsand in Cornwall, died aged 80 in Northern Ireland's capital after contracting Covid-19 earlier this month.

His death prompted questions by unionist politicians over the decision to prosecute him almost 50 years later.

Dennis Hutchings' friend the MP Johnny Mercer (pictured together in Belfast earlier this month) slammed the Ministry of Defence for 'blaming commanding officers and ministers'

The family of Northern Ireland vet Dennis Hutchings have urged people to avoid politicising his funeral next month. Pictured right: Hutchings in dress uniform at Knightsbridge Barracks, 1978

Supporters of Mr Hutchings congregated together outside Laganside Court in Belfast during his trial earlier this month

Dennis Hutchings: Army veteran pursued over historic Northern Ireland allegations... for which there was no proof The veteran (pictured when younger) was facing trial over the attempted murder of John Pat Cunningham in 1974 Dennis Hutchings was facing trial over the attempted murder of John Pat Cunningham. He was shot running from a British Army patrol in Benburb, Co Tyrone, back in June 1974. Mr Hutchings, who required kidney dialysis twice a week and has heart problems, was in the British Army for 26 years. He served five tours of Northern Ireland when the Troubles were at their worst. The former corporal major was cleared twice over the events which took place in the mid-1970s. Despite no fresh evidence, no witnesses and no new forensic leads, the retired soldier was accused again of attempted murder. Advertisement

Mr Mercer has been left outraged by MoD officials and politicians for not confirming Mr Hutchings' coffin can be carried by soldiers from the Life Guards at his funeral on November 11.

He told MailOnline: 'I still can't get an answer as to whether Dennis' family will get his wish.

'Ministers claim its for Commanding Officers to decide; Commanding Officers then blame Ministers.

'It's not hard for someone to make a decision, but encapsulates how difficult this has been to make sure Dennis is looked after.

'Frankly I'm a little tired of reading all the vexed letters and emails from retired Military Officers and Ministers who decry the appalling treatment of this man, but did nothing to help him when they had the opportunity, or are too frightened to raise their head in public now.

'I've never understood the shame we seem to have towards this generation of Veterans. I know the wider country is fiercely proud of them. As am I.'

Mr Hutchings travelled to Belfast this month to stand trial for attempted murder, despite suffering from kidney failure.

He said he was determined to clear his name over his alleged role in the shooting of John Pat Cunningham in County Tyrone almost 50 years ago.

But just days into the trial, Mr Hutchings fell ill. He contracted Covid and died alone in hospital on October 18, despite pleas to return to his native Cornwall.

It is up to each regiment to decide whether it grants military funerals for retired soldiers.

But Mr Hutchings' family were reportedly told it could not be accommodated because he was no longer serving.

His son John said at the weekend: 'I have only asked the Life Guards one thing in the last six-and-a-half years [since Mr Hutchings' arrest] and that is to have pallbearers in uniform.

'I was told you have to be a serving soldier but he was in court for his service as a soldier. It's bang out of order.

'He served 26 years in the Army, put his life on the line. I'm really, really disappointed with the decision. Dad loved the Life Guards.'

Mr Hutchings' partner, Kim Devonshire, added: 'He was on trial in Northern Ireland fighting on behalf of all the other soldiers, so he was still serving.

'He was representing more than 200 soldiers who could still be prosecuted over their service in Northern Ireland.'

Major Derek Stratford, who served alongside Mr Hutchings in the Life Guards, said he contacted the Life Guards Association on Friday to request pallbearers.

He said he was told 'the commanding officer had said no, it can't be arranged in this day and time'.

The 88-year-old added: 'I think it ought to be and I'm disgusted he can't have it.'

Mr Hutchings is pictured being greeted by a supporter as he arrived at Belfast Crown Court on October 4

Mr Hutchings is photographed on the far right in this picture from his time in in Germany in 1960

Ben Wallace, who served in the Scots Guards, stoked a military row at the weekend as he appeared to back Mr Hutchings' family.

Mr Wallace said: 'If he wants pallbearers at his funeral and the commanding officer is willing to release them, he served his country, he's not been convicted of anything.

'I did actually direct the [MoD] to help bring his body back from Northern Ireland, or facilitate it.'

Mr Hutchings family requested all those who want to come to the veteran's funeral not to turn it into a political rally.

They said in a statement: 'The family are aware of the great deal of interest from those who supported Dennis in attending his funeral.

'The family are grateful for all the incredible support over many years and are looking forward to welcoming as many people as can make it to Plymouth on November 11. All are welcome.

'Flags are permitted, banners are not. The family have specifically requested no political slogans, speeches or banners on the day.'

The MoD said: 'The MoD supported Mr Hutchings throughout his trial with legal representation and pastoral care, which will continue to be offered to his family.'

The spokesman added: 'We have not been approached to provide pallbearers for the funeral.' A spokesman for the Life Guards Association declined to comment.

The funeral for Mr Hutchings will be at St Andrew's Church in Plymouth on November 11, which is also Remembrance Day.
A male passenger allegedly assaulted a female flight attendant yesterday on an American Airlines flight from New York City to Orange County, California, causing the plane to divert to Denver.

The passenger twice punched the flight attendant in the face in a dispute over wearing his mask, according to witnesses, forcing American Airlines flight 976 to make an emergency landing at Denver International as it flew from JFK to John Wayne Airport.

The flight took off from JFK Airport just before 5pm E.T and landed in Colorado at 6:43pm Denver time according to flight tracking website Flightview.

Mackenzie Rose, a passenger on the flight, said she saw the flight attendant walk by after the incident 'with blood on her mask', while a photo posted on Twitter appeared to show crew members and passengers duct-taping the man to his seat.

American Airlines released a statement following the plane's arrival in Denver, expressing their 'outrage' at the incident and promising to ban the individual, who has not yet been named, from all future American Airlines services.

Police met the plane at the gate and immediately apprehended the individual, who was snapped sitting in the airport in handcuffs by Rose.

Denver Airport Police confirmed the subject was taken into custody and said the FBI is investigating the incident.

Police met the plane at the gate and immediately apprehended the individual, who was snapped sitting in Denver International Airport in handcuffs by fellow passenger Mackenzie Rose.

An image snapped by a passenger and circulated on Twitter appeared to show crew members and other passengers on American Airlines flight 976 rallying to secure the man to an airplane seat using duct tape following the assault

The assault allegedly occurred when a male passenger who witnesses said was traveling in either first class or business class was asked to put on a mask by a flight attendant, a request which was refused.

A heated argument ensued before the male passenger swung a pair of punches at the female flight attendant according to witnesses, hitting her in the face.

'If you're not prepared to wear a mask you're not prepared to fly, that's the moral of the story here', said Mackenzie Rose, a passenger aboard American Airlines flight 976 told CBSLA.

'I understand that he actually punched her twice. I saw her walk back down the aisle afterwards and she had blood splattered on the outside of her mask.

'In terms of men hitting women, it's absolutely absurd and ridiculous.'

Were you on the flight? Contact: newsUS@dailymail.com Advertisement

Rose went on to say that she had 'an impression that there might be a substance or alcohol involved' in the incident.

An image snapped by a passenger and circulated on Twitter appeared to show crew members and other passengers rallying to secure the man to an airplane seat using duct tape following the assault.

The flight eventually left Denver for Orange County about 9:30pm Denver time following the incident, according to American Airlines.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced earlier this year that it would begin to enforce a zero-tolerance policy for unruly passengers after a rise in reports of aggressive behavior on flights.

The agency said in August it had issued more than $1 million in fines to unruly passengers in 2021, and revealed there have already been 4,941 unruly passenger reports this year alone.

Assaulting a flight attendant is a felony and could land an offender years in prison.

American Airlines flight 976 diverted from its original destination of John Wayne Airport to Denver International after a male passenger, thought to be traveling in first class, allegedly punched a female flight attendant twice in the face in a dispute over masks according to witnesses (flight 976 pictured at Denver International airport)

Mackenzie Rose (pictured), a passenger aboard American Airlines flight 976, said: 'I understand that he actually punched her twice. I saw her walk back down the aisle afterwards and she had blood splattered on the outside of her mask.'

The airline confirmed it intends to prosecute the individual, who it says was apprehended by law enforcement at the gate following the safe landing at Denver International Airport.

'We are outraged by the reports of what took place on board. Acts of violence against our team members are not tolerated by American Airlines,' it said in a statement.

'We have engaged local law enforcement and the FBI and we are working with them to ensure they have all the information they need. The individual involved in this incident will never be allowed to travel with American Airlines in the future, but we will not be satisfied until he has been prosecuted to the full extent of the law.'

The flight attendant who suffered the assault was transported to a local hospital following the landing according to the airline, which said it could not comment any further on her condition for privacy reasons.

There are conflicting reports from passengers about whether her nose was broken by the punches, with no confirmation of her condition from the airline or airport authorities.

'We thank our crew for their quick action and professionalism to ensure the safety of their fellow team members and customers on board,' the airline said.

'Our thoughts are with our injured flight attendant and ensuring that she and her fellow crew members have the support they need at this time.'

Were you on the flight? Contact newsUS@dailymail.com
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Investigations are under way as thousands of crabs and lobsters continue to wash up on beaches along the North East of England - in scenes which local residents are calling the 'worst' they have ever seen.

The Environment Agency confirmed samples had been taken from the sea creatures, water and sediment for laboratory analysis after the dead and alive animals began appearing on the sand along the Teesside coast between Marske and Saltburn, North Yorkshire, in Seaton Carew, Hartlepool, and further north at Seaham.

It is understood that lab analysis will test the water for pollution while also analysing the dead marine life for parasites and disease.

Scientists have previously blamed seismic surveys, which involve blasting the sea floor with airguns and measuring the echoes in an effort to search for offshore oil and gas reserves, for the deaths of whales and other marine life.

The blasts, which are loud enough to penetrate through the ocean for miles, can affect sea creatures, such as whales, turtles and dolphins, and can lead to the abandonment of habitat, disruption of mating and feeding, beach strandings, and even death.

Professor Alex Ford, who works at the Institute of Marine Science at the University of Portsmouth, suggested pollution, natural storms or harmful algal blooms (HABs), which can also be influenced by organic pollution, were a likely explanation for the shocking scenes.

He said while seismic tests off the North Sea coast impacted the behaviour and physiology of whales and dolphins, they were unlikely to blame for the deaths of the thousands of crabs and lobsters in recent weeks.

HARTLEPOOL: Dead crabs and lobsters began to appear at Seaton Carew beach (pictured), which lies along the Tees Bay, in Hartlepool earlier this month

MARSKE: Piles of dead crabs and sea creatures were also seen washed up on the beach between Saltburn and Marske, North Yorkshire

REDCAR: The dead sea creatures also appeared in Redcar as the Environment Agency confirmed that samples have been taken from the sea creatures, water and sediment

He told MailOnline: 'I think there could be a number of possibilities for the recent dead marine life washed up on the shores in Teesside. These could include natural storms, a pollution event, or harmful algal blooms (HABs) which can also be influenced by organic pollution.

'Autumnal storms often wash marine life onto the shores around this time and this is often characterised by a mixture of marine creatures and seaweed washing up on the incoming tide.

'What appeared interesting about this event was the large number of crustaceans species (crabs and lobster) which washed up.

'What organisations such as the Environment Agency and Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture (CEFAS) will be looking to establish is whether there were any chemical contaminants or toxic algae in the water.

'In addition, they will be assessing whether the crabs and lobsters have any known diseases from bacteria, viruses or parasites which can kill off large numbers.

'Sometimes harmful algal blooms (HABs) can lead to this and I suspect that will also be on the Environment Agency's radar. '

'If it was just one group of animals then I might put it down to disease. If it was lots of varieties of animals it could be storm, pollution or an algal event.'

While some theories have emerged of seismic testing being the cause of the dead sea creatures washed up on shore the scientist said he would 'rank this lower down on his list of causes'.

He added: 'With regards to seismic testing, it's the first I have heard of this theory.

'There is a lot of testing in Newcastle and along the North Sea and noise is also created during pile driving but I am not aware of any study before that would link this to mass death.

'Whilst seismic testing is known to impact the behaviour and physiology (e.g hearing) of whales and dolphins due to their sensitive hearing and we know invertebrates are sensitive to noise, I'm not aware of any seismic testing resulting in just large numbers of dead crustaceans being washed up on the shore.

'I would rank this lower down my list of causes for the marine life along the shore line at this point in time.

'That is not to say it is not a cause but I would be intrigued if it was.'

The scientist also said raw sewage pumped into rivers and seas could also have had an impact on sea life.

It comes after drone footage emerged this week showing untreated sewage pouring into Langstone Harbour, a conservation area in Hampshire.

Campaigners have previously blamed seismic surveys of the sea floor for the deaths of whales and other marine life as these noises can the animals either by causing temporary and permanent hearing loss, abandonment of habitat or disruption of mating. However experts think this is unlikely to be to blame for the deaths of thousands of crabs and lobsters in the North East

Pictured: Hundreds of dead and dying crabs along the shore at Redcar, North Yorkshire, as scientists continue to look for a cause

A dead crab lies on the sand at a beach in Redcar, North Yorkshire as the Environment Agency continues to carry out its investigations into the possible causes

Dead crabs and sea creatures were left piled on top of each other on a beach between Saltburn and Marske-by-the-Sea, North Yorkshire, this month

He said: 'Some chemicals which come out with wastewater discharges are accumulating in our wildlife such as whales and dolphins. These include plastic additives, flame retardants and the non-stick/stain chemicals from frying pans and fabrics.

'We often think of sewage as faeces but it's also all our washing liquids, powders, shampoos and shower gels and the pharmaceuticals we excrete.

'We have studied sperm counts in Langstone Harbour where the drone footage was taken and discovered that the crustaceans have low sperm counts.

'Previous studies in the Tyne and Tees, which are quite industrialised, had flounder (a type of flatfish) which were intersex (displaying testes and ovaries) throughout due to oestrogenic pollutants, such as the contraceptive pill, and chemicals which can act like oestrogens from our household products.'

Are seismic tests to blame for the deaths of thousands of crabs and lobsters in the North East? Scientists have previously blamed seismic surveys of the sea floor for the deaths of whales and other marine life. The noises these tests make are so loud they penetrate through the ocean and miles into the seafloor, then bounce back, bringing information to the surface about the location of buried oil and gas deposits. Campaigners say in some cases they are known to occur on a recurring basis, sometimes going off every ten seconds, for 24 hours a day, often for weeks on end. These noises can harm whales, dolphins and fish, either by causing temporary and permanent hearing loss, abandonment of habitat, disruption of mating and feeding, beach strandings, and even death. Wind turbines are currently being planted in the sea not far from the mouth of the Tees in the North East of England, and ships have been carrying out these seismic tests recently. However, most experts think this is unlikely to be to blame for the deaths of thousands of crabs and lobsters in the North East. 'It's the first I have heard of this theory,' said Alex Ford, professor at the Institute of marine science at the University of Portsmouth. 'There is a lot of testing in Newcastle and along the North Sea and noise is also created during pile driving but I am not aware of any study before that would link this to mass death. 'Whilst seismic testing is known to impact the behaviour and physiology (e.g. hearing) of whales and dolphins due to their sensitive hearing and we know invertebrates are sensitive to noise, I'm not aware of any seismic testing resulting in just large numbers of dead crustaceans being washed up on the shore.' However, he said it was still possible this could be the cause, adding that he would be 'intrigued' if it was. The Marine Management Organisation  an arm of the Government  has not said whether seismic testing could be the cause of the deaths. Nor has the Environment Agency, but it is carrying out tests to see whether pollution has led to so many crustaceans washing up dead. Greenpeace told MailOnline that it wasn't aware of crustacean die-off, or any marine life die-off, from offshore wind farm construction Advertisement

In April, Professor Ford and a team of experts at the University of Portsmouth conducted a study investigating the sperm quality in marine life at Langstone Harbour.

They found that creatures in the area had 70 per cent less sperm than those in less polluted locations.

Speaking on the long term impact of the dead crustaceans appearing on beaches Mr Ford added: 'If this is a disease this could affect the sea creatures in the area that feed off them and it means a proportion of their food will be taken away.

'It could also affect local fisheries and could see them decline.'

Wind turbines are currently being planted in the sea not far from the mouth of the Tees in the North East of England, and ships have been carrying out these seismic tests recently.

However, most experts think this is unlikely to be to blame for the deaths of thousands of crabs and lobsters in the North East.

Mr Ford said: 'They conduct pile driving when constructing the wind farms which creates noise and vibrations but I would put this in a similar category to the seismic surveys for oil and gas.

'It's less likely until the natural storms, algal blooms, disease or chemical pollution have been ruled out. '

Meanwhile a spokesperson at Greenpeace told MailOnline: 'I'm not aware of any examples of crustacean die-off, or any marine life die off, from offshore wind farm construction.

'In general terms, my understanding is that marine life tends to move away from offshore wind farms during construction, and then returns in greater numbers after completion (due to the reef effect).'

This week Marske resident Sharon Bell, who walks the stretch of beach near her home every day, said the numbers of creatures have steadily increased over the past two weeks.

She was out early on Monday morning photographing the sunrise with her husband Christopher when the pair arrived at the beach and were horrified to find huge piles of dead and alive crabs and lobsters littered across it.

Mrs Bell, 48, who has lived in the area for 21 years, said: 'They spent the next four hours trying to return any live ones they could find back into the water.

'I have been along my usual walk from Marske to Saltburn and was utterly shocked and saddened to see in some parts, waist deep seaweed full of thousands of dead and alive crabs and lobsters, all kinds and species.

'I have never seen anything like this.

'My husband and I have spent hours putting as many live ones as we could back in the sea, something is very, very wrong here. This has been building up for a couple of weeks, along our coast and no-one is doing anything about it.'

She added: 'It was just awful to see. It has been building up over the last couple of weeks but I have never seen anything like that. It was so deep in some parts and piled that high.'

Local resident Carl Clyne, 42, said he first spotted the scores of dead crabs while walking his dog along Seaton Carew beach on October 6.

He told the Hartlepool Mail: 'There were dead crabs in every rock pool and quite a lot of them along the water line among the sea weed.

'I walk down there quite a lot, I've never seen that before.'

Following the scenes former Redcar MP Anna Turley took to Twitter to write: 'What is going on? This is getting apocalyptic.'

Meanwhile Conservative MP Jacob Young told the Northern Echo: '(It's) deeply worrying that this seems to be continuing on our coastline.

'I have raised it with Ministers and will continue to, until cause is identified.'

The Environment Agency confirmed on Monday that it had launched an investigation into the mysterious occurrence along the Teeside coast to find out if high emissions were to blame.

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency told MailOnline: 'We are working with partners at the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture, North Eastern Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authority and the Marine Management Organisation to investigate why hundreds of dead crabs have washed up along the shore in the Tees Estuary and neighbouring beaches.

'Samples of water, sediment, mussel and crab have been collected and are being sent to our labs for analysis, to consider whether a pollution incident could have contributed to the deaths of the animals. We have also shared samples with Cefas labs for disease analysis.

'If you are aware of pollution affecting wildlife, please report it to the Environment Agency on 0800 807060.'

The scenes come as Boris Johnson prepares to welcome global leaders to Glasgow for the Cop26 climate summit this week, where he wants countries to commit to slashing carbon emissions.

Last week, Mr Johnson unveiled his Net Zero strategy to turn Britain green by 2050 - but was warned by the Treasury that taxes and consumer costs could rise to cover the estimated 1trillion bill.

Mr Johnson insisted that he was not afraid to 'lead the charge' - saying 'history has never been made by those who sit at the back of the class'.

He claimed that Russia and China are 'following our lead' - even though both President Xi and President Putin are expected to snub the Cop26 summit.

The Government says that switching from fossil fuels to clean energy, including wind, new nuclear and emerging hydrogen technology, can ease the reliance on imports and protect families from price spikes.

It says 440,000 'well-paid' jobs can be created over the next decade.

As well as clean flights, a shift to electric cars by 2035, and gas boilers out by 2030, there will be a focus on encouraging homeowners to be more environmentally-conscious. That could include incentivising mortgage lenders to prioritise properties with better energy ratings.

However, there are growing concerns from the Tory backbenches at the consequences of the push - which economists say is likely to cost 1trillion over 30 years, although the bill for dealing with climate change would almost certainly be higher.
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Britain is 'worryingly close' to recording 100,000 new Covid infections per day, the country's largest symptom-tracking study warned today despite Government data showing the outbreak is in retreat.

King's College London researchers estimated there were 92,953 people falling ill with the virus each day across the UK last week, up 14 per cent on the previous seven days.

Cases are rising across all age groups for the first time, with under-18s still making up the majority of cases after the back-to-school wave, with nearly 44,000 infected on any given day.

But there was also uptick in the rate of increase in 55 to 75-year-olds, the more vulnerable age groups, which increases the urgency for booster jabs, the researchers said.

Professor Tim Spector, the epidemiologist who leads the study, warned that the Government's figures were a 'big underestimate' and may be missing 40 per cent of cases.

It came as Sir Patrick Vallance today called on Boris Johnson to go 'hard and early' and reimpose Covid restrictions at the first sign of infections rebounding in the UK.

Ministers have insisted they will only move to Plan B if the NHS comes under 'unsustainable' pressure, with one senior source claiming that there was a 'less than 20 per cent' chance they will need to bring curbs back.

The latest survey figures from King's College were based on estimates from around 43,000 lateral flow and PCR tests done between October 9 and October 23. It relies on people coming forward to report their result, which experts say makes it susceptible to bias.

The Department of Health's daily reports only include cases confirmed by a PCR test  which are more reliable than lateral flow devices. They showed new infections fell for the fourth day in a row yesterday, dropping 10.6 per cent to 43,941.

Professor Spector's results cover the period when cases fell slightly in children, but not the most recent four days when infections fell across the country.

King's College London researchers estimated there were 92,953 people falling ill with the virus on average across the UK last week, up 14 per cent on the previous seven days (blue line). In the double vaccinated population (red line), cases continued to rise and it is estimated there are currently 26,927 new daily symptomatic cases in the UK, up 16 per cent from the 23,199 daily cases seen last week

Cases are rising across all age groups, although the proportion of cases remains highest in under-18s (blue line) with nearly 44,000 infected on any given day

Sir Patrick Vallance (left) today called on Boris Johnson to go 'hard and early' and reimpose Covid restrictions at the first sign of infections rebounding in the UK

Cases are high in all regions of England and highest in the North West (purple line), where they are in excess of 2,000 per 100,000 people

SAGE member Professor John Edmunds, whose grim modelling in July predicted hospitalisations could have reached 3,500 a day by now, said the fall in cases may have been caused by rising immunity in children.

And the decline in the official figures lead to Government sources yesterday claiming the chance of ministers activating their winter Covid 'Plan B'  which includes face masks, working from home and vaccine passports  is less than 20 per cent.

Sir Patrick Vallance tells Boris to 'go hard and early' with masks and Plan B at first sign of rebounding cases Sir Patrick Vallance has called on Boris Johnson to go 'hard and early' and reimpose Covid restrictions at the first sign of infections rebounding in the UK. Delivering the ultimatum over the airwaves this morning, Englands chief scientific adviser warned that the country remained in a very uncertain phase of the pandemic. He suggested that the Governments winter Plan B  which includes face masks, working from home and vaccine passports  should not be taken off the table yet. Warning against complacency, Sir Patrick told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: You need to absolutely be prepared (for plan B) and as soon as you start thinking "am I, or am I not going to do this? It looks close" is the time you need to push beyond your natural reluctance to do it and do it. 'This is obviously something the Government will have to consider carefully but we need to be ready to move fast if that occurs.' Sir Patrick gave the same warning to the Prime Minister at a Downing Street press conference last month, saying that failing to act will only lead to more restrictions being needed that will have to be imposed for longer. Advertisement

Professor Spector said: 'The ZOE data shows the UK could hit 100,000 new cases sooner than expected and with no sign of a Plan B or Plan C.

'The ZOE figures are consistently higher than the official confirmed daily cases because we get results from various sources, including self-reported lateral flow tests that are under-reported officially.

'The government raw figures report on PCR testing of the classical symptoms only, which miss around 40 percent of cases.

'ZOE extrapolates the data from our sample to predict daily infections in the wider population.

'With the confirmation of our estimates from the ONSs fortnightly survey, its clear the government figures are a big under-estimate, and with the highest rates in Western Europe, theres no room for complacency.'

The ZOE data estimates the UK R rate is around 1.1  meaning the outbreak is growing  with an average of one in 56 people becoming ill with the virus.

In the double vaccinated population, cases continued to rise and it is estimated there are currently 26,927 new daily symptomatic cases in the UK, up 16 per cent from the 23,199 daily cases seen last week.

Cases are high in all regions of England and highest in the North West, where they are in excess of 2,000 per 100,000 people. In total 11,182 people  one in 48 per day in the region were infected last week.

The South West saw the biggest jump in cases, increasing from around 1,250 to 2,000 per 100,000 in a week. One in 51 people were ill with the virus.

And Covid prevalence remains highest in Wales, where more than 2,250

Professor Spector continued: 'We now know that masks add a layer of protection, so wearing them on public transport and in crowded places is a good idea.

'Avoiding unventilated crowded events is another, as well as working more from home.

'Finally, staying at home and getting tested when you feel unwell is key.

'Theres a lot of cold and flu out there making it harder than ever to tell the difference between a harmless cold or Covid.

'However, there are some symptoms that are very telling of Covid, particularly loss of smell and taste. If you feel ill, always check by taking a quick and easy Lateral Flow Test, even if you think its just a cold.'

LONDON SCHOOL OF HYGIENE AND TROPICAL MEDICINE: These charts show the impact of returning to normal level of social mixing in three months (bottom) versus remaining cautious for a year - and the impact this would have on infections (left), admissions (middle) and deaths (right). The models show cases plummeting by November in both scenarios thanks to natural immunity but rising in spring (bottom) when vaccine protection is expected to wane

'Less than 20% chance' No10 will activate Plan B now cases are going in the 'right direction', Whitehall sources say The chance of ministers activating their winter Covid 'Plan B' is less than 20 per cent, Government sources claimed today  but face masks might make a partial comeback in schools. Despite warning last week that daily cases may rise to 100,000 this winter, Downing Street is thought to have taken confidence from the fall in national infections in recent days and optimistic forecasts by SAGE. Scientific advisers have told the Government that the epidemic could shrink naturally next month without curbs because of a combination of the booster vaccine rollout and growing natural immunity in children. A Whitehall source told the Financial Times yesterday that the situation was now heading 'in the right direction', adding: 'I reckon there's a less than 20 per cent chance we'll need to activate Plan B.' Another senior Government official warned against being complacent because it is 'too early to read a lot into the data'. But they conceded that 'there is nothing to currently suggest we need to activate Plan B'. Advertisement

Professor Edmunds yesterday said the spike in infections over the last few months was driven by 'huge numbers of cases' in youngsters. Health officials estimate as many as one in 12 children across England were carrying the virus last week.

But he said the surge in infections 'will eventually lead to high levels of immunity in children' which will see cases plateau and then fall, Professor Edmunds said. He added that it 'may be that we're achieving that now'.

Daily Covid infections in the UK breached the 50,000 barrier last week. It prompted medical unions, some scientists and Labour to call for Plan B  mandatory face masks, work from home guidance and vaccine passports  to be implemented immediately in a bid to control infections.

But optimistic modelling from SAGE has claimed infections may even slump to the 5,000 mark over the coming months, even without No10 caving into demands and resorting to virus-controlling interventions.

Scientists said a combination of booster vaccines, growing natural immunity in children and a drop in classroom mixing during the October half-term break would drag cases down.

Department of Health data suggests Covid cases have now peaked among school children, in a positive sign that they could soon fall in other age groups that they are passing the virus on to.

But despite optimism from one of Britain's most notoriously pro-lockdown modellers, Sir Patrick today warned that the country remained in a very uncertain phase of the pandemic.

He suggested that the Governments winter Plan B should not be taken off the table yet.

Warning against complacency, Sir Patrick told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: You need to absolutely be prepared (for plan B) and as soon as you start thinking "am I, or am I not going to do this? It looks close" is the time you need to push beyond your natural reluctance to do it and do it.

'This is obviously something the Government will have to consider carefully but we need to be ready to move fast if that occurs.'
Russia has blocked the website that exposed President Vladimir Putin's cleaner-turned-millionaire 'mistress' and her '74m business empire'.

Proekt, which also published a series of exposes of the country's super-wealthy elite, was blocked after it claimed, among other things, that Svetlana Krivonogikh, 46, was in a relationship with the then-married Kremlin leader before and after he first became president in 1999.

It also published allegations her daughter - Elizaveta, or Luiza, now 18 - was fathered by Putin, and is his third daughter after Maria and Katerina from his marriage.

The news outlet, known in English as Project, was earlier designated by the Kremlin a 'foreign agent' and an 'undesirable organisation' - the same labels given to opposition leader Alexei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation.

Proekt founder Roman Badanin, who has halted his work in Russia where he faces jail on ostensibly unrelated charges, was also labelled a 'foreign agent' over the sites's alleged US backing.

Russia's state media watchdog has blocked an investigative news website after it revealed details of Vladimir Putin's alleged former mistress and love child

Proekt published claims Svetlana Krivonogikh, 46, (pictured) was in a relationship with the then-married Kremlin leader before and after he first became president in 1999

Proekt also published allegations her daughter - Elizaveta, or Luiza, now 18 (pictured) - was fathered by President Putin, and is his third daughter

Proekt was blocked in Russia after it published an investigative article (pictured) including details of President Putin's alleged mistress and love child

The move by Roskomnadzor to ban the site reportedly came at the behest of the country's prosecutor-general.

The Ministry of Justice has claimed the company behind Proekt posed 'a threat to the foundations of the constitutional order and security of the Russian Federation'.

The outlet's investigative journalists had claimed Krivonogikh owned a business empire worth in excess of 74 million, including a yacht that has been seen under naval escort in St Petersburg.

The recent Pandora Papers leak also linked her to a 3.1 million luxury fourth-floor home, located in the Monte Carlo Star apartment block just below the famous casino, in Monaco.

The papers also revealed her total worth to be around $100million.

A series of photos posted to Instagram - one showing a firework display, one of a rainbow overlooking the ocean, and a third showing yachts in the harbour - also linked Krivonogikh and her daughter to the apartment.

On the yacht photo, which was posted in 2014, daughter Elizaveta replied with comment which said: 'Beautiful! I know this place!'

Her other assets, many of which are also controlled by offshore firms, include a yacht as well as shares of some of Russia's most-valuable state-owned firms.

Neither Krivonogikh nor her daughter has commented on the disclosures which unmask the hidden financial dealings of world leaders and their associates.

Svetlana Krivonogikh, 46 and believed to be Putin's mistress, owns a $4million apartment in Monte Carlo through a secretive offshore firm, the Pandora Papers have revealed

Photos posted to Krivonogikh's social media further link her with Monaco, including this one of a firework display over the ultra-rich enclave

Krivonogikh also posted this image of Monaco's harbour from Monte Carlo, which her daughter and alleged Putin lovechild commented on - saying: 'I know this place!'

Since being 'outed' by the opposition media last year, student Luiza has become a social media star with more than 80,000 followers, her own fashion line, and has been in demand as a DJ.

In recent months, she had spent time in Paris despite the Covid-19 restrictions.

Neither she nor her mother has commented on the Proekt claims but Luiza told Russian GQ that she 'probably' looks 'similar' to a young Putin.

Putin's spokesman said when the story originally broke that the love child allegations were 'not very convincing' and 'de facto unfounded', but this has not prevented widespread speculation.

Another image from Krivonogikh's social media showed a rainbow over an ocean view, which she also tagged as being taken in Monaco

Elizaveta is Krivonogikh's daughter and is believed to be Putin's lovechild. Her mother suddenly came into wealth after her birth in 2003

Proekt's closure coincides with a Washington Post article by Badanin - now a John S. Knight Senior International Journalism Fellow at Stanford University - headlined: 'Why we should care about Putin's love life'.

In it he argued: 'Where Krivonogikh got her wealth is relevant not only to Putin's personal life, it is also a matter of life and death for the people of my country.'

The Covid-19 crisis in Russia has reached new peaks yet 'our kleptocrats, enabled and encouraged by the Kremlin, continue to enrich themselves even as regular people continue dying in underfunded state hospitals'.

While deaths soar, hospitals like the Botkin State Clinic in St Petersburg, are crumbling due to lack of renovation, he said.

'Even as public facilities such as Botkin were falling apart, Putin's friends and relatives - including his ex-mistress Krivonogikh - our reporting showed, have been busily building multimillion-dollar residential buildings for themselves,' he wrote.

Funding for such properties has come from Bank Rossiya, of which she is an owner, he said.
NSW residents could be unknowingly sitting on a goldmine as millions of dollars in unclaimed cash is waiting to be paid out.

Money recovery firm Nationwide Claims Services in Sydney said one in four people, were owed $405 million in lost cash - including Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

The money is in the form of shares, unused bank accounts, expired life insurance policies, deceased estates, and government department refunds.

NSW residents could be unknowingly sitting on a goldmine with $405m in unclaimed cash waiting to be paid out (stock image)

Nationwide Claims Director Maurice Pratt said one in four people had a stake in the missing multi-million dollar loot.

'If you leave the money, you're at risk of losing it. I encourage people to check if they're owed money and recover those funds,' he told The Daily Telegraph. .

The largest amount owing is $1.3 million due to a building inspection consultant company, Buildspect Pty Ltd.

Another $1 million in missing cash is owed to the to the Estate of Maria Okinczyc a Polish immigrant who died in 2001.

Mr Morrison is owed $2,000 in unclaimed money from AMP Limited and Labor leader Anthony Albanese is due $266 from the Inner West Council.

The lost money is in the form of shares, old bank accounts, expired life insurance policies and deceased estates (stock image)

Mr Pratt said most of the time the money remains unclaimed, simply because people are unaware it could be hiding in uncashed cheques, bank accounts, and dividends.

'For some people it's an unpresented cheque, shares they were given but didn't realise, dividends, a deposit, an old bank account, expired life insurance policy. Any money owed by a company,' he said.

'It's just sitting there until people claim it.'
A US rapper has knocked Adele off the top of the charts with his anti-Biden song which has been banned by YouTube for spreading 'harmful false information' about Covid.

Bryson Gray's song Let's Go Brandon skyrocketed to Number One of the iTunes charts, featuring provocative lyrics such as 'Joe is a crook', 'they buildin' back better, but only the Taliban', and 'pandemic ain't real, they planned it'.

The phrase Let's Go Brandon was sparked after reporter Kelli Stavast mistook chants of 'f*** Joe Biden' at a NASCAR rally in September for the more benign phrase, and it has since become a running joke among Biden critics, used as shorthand to mock the president.

Its popularity as an internet meme and now as a Number One song show the level of anti-Biden sentiment growing in the US.

Gray's song features a number of anti-vaxx messages and warnings about vaccine mandates, prompting YouTube and Instagram to remove it from their platforms.

US rapper Bryson Gray, pictured wearing a huge MAGA hat, has knocked Adele off the top of the charts with his anti-Biden song which has been banned by YouTube

The phrase Let's Go Brandon was sparked after reporter Kelli Stavast mistook chants of 'f*** Joe Biden' at a NASCAR rally (pictured: Biden speaking in New Jersey this week)

Despite the YouTube and Instagram censorship, the song has remained popular with fans, and multiple versions of the track are now in the iTunes charts

The Christian Conservative rapper, 30, from California tweeted in response: 'YouTube has banned "Lets Go Brandon" song from YouTube due to "medical information." What medical misinformation is in the song? Whoa.'

Ironically, the song's lyrics feature the line: 'If you ask questions 'bout the Vax, then they gonna ban us.'

Despite the YouTube and Instagram censorship, the song has remained popular with fans, and it remains at the top of the iTunes charts, ahead of Adele's comeback single Easy On Me.

Gray told the New York Post: 'If you read guidelines for social media sites now, the guidelines themselves are against conservatism. You literally cant have a conservative opinion.

'Like I cant say there are only two genders, or I cant call somebody by what they are. I have to be delusional with them.

'Cancel culture doesnt work anymore. It only works on people who are scared  all it does is help me out. Thanks, YouTube!'

Gray - who describes himself as 'the most censored rap artist in America' - has been in the charts since Sunday.

The rapper, seen holding a gun, often proudly displays Trump symbols including a MAGA hat and necklace

In the music video for the song, Gray appears in an 'Impeach Biden' T-shirt and a MAGA bucket hat while holding an assault rifle.

He has previously been seen attending a Trump rally in Fayetteville and often wears a giant Maga hat.

According to Gray, YouTube initially took down the lyric version of the video before the actual music video was taken down.

He compared Google-owned YouTube to a Communist dictatorship and said that the ban only made the song more popular.

'I want to thank YouTube for banning my 'Let's Go Brandon' song. All y'all did was p*** a bunch of people off and made more people go listen to it. Let's Go YouTube. Commies,' he tweeted on Saturday.
A trio of jailed Islamist terrorists could soon be walking the streets again after being referred to the Parole Board, Mail Online can reveal.

All three are disciples of hate preacher Anjem Choudary, who has inspired dozens of convicted terrorists and 15 plots over two decades.

The terrorists applying for release include one who plotted to behead a British soldier and another who planned bombing atrocities at major shopping centres.

A third who tried to make his way to Syria to join Islamic State was arrested at Heathrow.

Parvis Khan, 50, from Birmingham, was the ringleader of a group which plotted to kidnap and behead a British soldier in 2008

One of the three men due to be considered for release is Parviz Khan, 50, the ringleader of a gang who plotted to kidnap and behead a British soldier.

His gang was later reported to be inspired by Choudarys al-Muhajiroun network. Khan, from Birmingham, was told in 2008 he must serve a minimum of 13 years, taking into account time awaiting trial, and is due up before the Parole Board in the next few months.

CCTV still of Khan at a UK airport, walking past a scanner after checking in on a flight to Pakistan

The judge, Mr Justice Henriques left the court in no doubt how dangerous he believed Khan to be.

He told him at Leicester crown court, said: You have been described by the Crown as a man who has the most violent and extreme Islamist views and as a fanatic.

Having studied over the last month [the covert recordings], I unhesitatingly accept that description of you.

You not only plotted to kill a soldier, but you intended to film a most brutal killing.

The judge said Khan's aim was to deter any Muslim from joining the British Army.

This was not only a plot to kill a soldier but a plot to undermine the morale of the British Army and inhibit recruitment, he said.

It's plain that you were absolutely serious and determined to bring this plot to fruition.

Jawad Akbar, 36, from Crawley, West Sussex, planned a series of fertiliser bomb attacks in nighclubs and shopping malls in 2007, including Bluewater in Kent

Another Choudary disciple who plotted to bomb British shopping centres also close to freedom is Jawad Akbar, 36, from Crawley, West Sussex.

He was jailed for life in 2007 for planning fertiliser bomb atrocities at shopping malls, including Bluewater in Kent, at nightclubs and in Britain's domestic gas network.

Police, who discovered a massive haul of 600kg of ammonium nitrate to be used in bombs, hidden in a storage facility, later revealed Akbar was radicalised by Choudary's Al-Muhajiroun terror network.

Akbars Parole Board case is likely to be heard before Christmas.

Also hoping for release is a young Muslim jihadist found guilty of trying to join Islamic State in Syria to fulfil his ambition of becoming a martyr.

Zakariya Ashiq, 26, from Coventry, searched for phrases such as 'IS beheading journalist' and '44 ways to support Jihad' before making a failed journey to join IS in 2015

Zakariya Ashiq, 26, from Coventry, was found guilty on two counts of preparing acts of terrorism in 2015.

His extremist sympathies were also exposed in WhatsApp messages. In one he wrote: There is no life, there's no life without jihad.

Cops later told how he searched on his computer for phrases such as IS beheading journalist and 44 ways to support jihad and speeches made by preacher Choudary.

He was arrested on his return to Heathrow Airport after making his way overland to Jordan but failing to enter Syria. He told officers he would swim the English Channel to reach the IS caliphate.

The court heard he was a Walter Mitty character and was sentenced to six years jail.

He was since released on licence but has now been recalled to jail and awaits a review by the Parole Board.

All three convicts were reportedly influenced by hate preacher Anjem Choudary, 54, who is estimated to have inspired 100 British citizens to attempt terrorist attacks, according to anti-racist group Hope Not Hate

A Parole Board spokesperson confirmed the cases of all three had been referred to them and each prisoner will now go before the parole board to bid for freedom.

Last night Chris Phillips, the UKs former counter terror lead, warned: Choudary remains a very dangerous individual.

Last week reports claimed Choudary had blasted social media firms for not protecting him from death threats after years cheerleading for jihad.

He has inspired dozens of convicted terrorists and 15 plots over two decades.

But the shameless rabblerouser is now demanding the same protection from threats as the Queen or Prime Minister after being threatened online.

There has been fresh determination among MPs to crack down on online hate following the murder of Tory MP Sir David Amess on October 15.

But Choudary, 54, moaned: There are a lot of threats against my life on the internet.

We could collect them all and send them to Keir Starmer and Boris Johnson and see what they do about it  or are we not really citizens?

The laws they are talking about are for politicians and non-Muslims, they are not talking about the far-right.

The hypocritical outburst came after it was revealed that 40 hours of his vile video rants are still online.

Anti-racism group Hope Not Hate estimates Choudary influenced and inspired over 100 Brits to carry out or attempt to carry out terrorism attacks.

Fishmongers' Hall killer Usman Khan was an ex-follower of Choudary  and even had his number stored in his phone.
China's top man in Canberra is leaving his post after overseeing the spectacular collapse of diplomatic relations between Australia and Beijing.

The Chinese Embassy confirmed on Thursday that Chinese Ambassador Cheng Jingye will be leaving the role with his five-year tour of duty now complete.

The belligerent diplomat's time Down Under began when goodwill and cooperation between Australia and China was strong but by the end of his tenure hostilities have soared.

Mr Cheng took yet another subtle swipe at Australia in his farewell statement, blaming us for the political tensions and taking no responsibility for the them.

'The current difficult situation facing China-Australia relations is saddening,' he said.

The Chinese Embassy confirmed on Thursday that Chinese Ambassador Cheng Jingye (pictured) will be leaving the role with his five-year tour of duty now complete

'It is hoped that the Australian side will work in the same direction with the Chinese side, on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, to overcome the difficulties and make joint efforts to push the bilateral relations back to the right track as soon as possible.'

When the coronavirus pandemic began back in April last year, Mr Cheng foreshadowed the introduction of crippling tariffs on various export sectors and threatened a boycott of Chinese tourists to Australia.

His malicious comments came after Prime Minister Scott Morrison's government called for an independent international inquiry into the origins of the pandemic.

Mr Morrison's call followed reports Beijing made numerous attempts to cover-up the crisis by silencing whistleblowers.

Australia's call for transparency infuriated Beijing and Mr Jingye was called upon by his Communist Party bosses to go on the attack.

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic back in April last year, Mr Cheng made threats against Australia's wine sector which now has 200 percent export tariffs

'The Chinese public is frustrated, dismayed and disappointed with what Australia is doing now,' he told the Australian Financial Review at the time.

'I think in the long term... if the mood is going from bad to worse, people would think 'Why should we go to such a country that is not so friendly to China? The tourists may have second thoughts.

'The parents of the students would also think whether this place which they found is not so friendly, even hostile, whether this is the best place to send their kids here.

'It is up to the people to decide. Maybe the ordinary people will say "why should we drink Australian wine? Eat Australian beef?"'

In the months that followed, Beijing imposed $20 billion worth of arbitrary tariffs and bans on a raft of key Australian exports including barely, wine, beef, seafood, coal, cotton, timber, and copper.

Mr Cheng in April this year also made headlines for an awkward media conference where he spouted Communist Party propaganda for two hours, denying China's Uyghur population were being oppressed and imprisoned in re-education camps.

He warned Australia to stop meddling in China's internal affairs and demanded an end to criticism of Beijing's human rights abuses calling the accusations 'Western lies' and 'fabrications' of 'anti-China forces'.

In November, there was even more controversy when the Chinese Embassy released a bizarre list of 14 grievances it had with Australia.

But Australia-China Relations Institute director Professor James Laurenceson, told Daily Mail Australia there's little sense in assigning blame to him personally for the deterioration in relations.

China's 14 grievances with Australia 1. 'Incessant wanton interference in China's Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan affairs' 2. 'Siding with the US' anti-China campaign and spreading misinformation' 3. 'Thinly veiled allegations against China on cyber attacks without any evidence' 4. 'An unfriendly or antagonistic report on China by media' 5. Providing funding to 'anti-China think tank for spreading untrue reports' 6. 'Foreign interference legislation' 7. 'Foreign investment decisions' 8. 'Banning Huawei technologies and ZTE from the 5G network' 9. 'Politicisation and stigmatisation of the normal exchanges and coorperation between China and Australia' 10. Making statements 'on the South China Sea to the United Nations' 11. 'Outrageous condemnation of the governing party of China by MPs and racist attacks against Chinese or Asian people' 12. 'The early drawn search and reckless seizure of Chinese journalists' homes and properties' 13. Calls for an independent inquiry into Covid-19 14. 'Legislation to scrutinise agreements with a foreign government' Advertisement

'No previous Chinese ambassador has had a tougher job in trying to navigate a course between a harder line being pushed back home and a frequently hostile environment in Australia,' he said.

'How much that harder line being pushed back home can be attributed to advice by the Chinese embassy we'll never know. But I suspect it was being driven by much bigger forces.

'A few moves by the Chinese embassy, such as the release of the 14 grievances last year, have been difficult to understand in terms of what they were trying to achieve.

'In the end they were seized on by China hawks to attack Beijing.'

'I think in the long term... if the mood is going from bad to worse, people would think 'Why should we go to such a country that is not so friendly to China? The tourists may have second thoughts,' Mr Cheng said after Australia called for an inquiry into the Covid pandemic

What is a Wolf Warrior Diplomat? Chinese diplomats around the globe have made headlines in recent years by making aggressive public statements against democratic nations - often in to the contrary of all available evidence. Political observers say such statements are made to impress Communist Party bosses back home in Beijing so they get noticed. The term Wolf Warrior is actually a Chinese action film franchise launched in 2015. The plot of the 80s-style action films centre around a patriotic Chinese soldier who takes on enemies from all over the world and is fearless in the face of danger. Advertisement

Richard McGregor, a senior fellow at the Lowy Institute, said Mr Cheng, who arrived Down Under in 2016, was not a 'not a natural wolf warrior' diplomat.

'He's very much of the Foreign Ministry bureaucracy and I think his time here pretty much reflected that,' he told the Sydney Morning Herald.

'Once he had to get his hands dirty and issue veiled threats to Australia about the cost of crossing China he was willing to do it. But he was not a natural to that role which a lot of the new breed in the Foreign Ministry are.'

Mr Cheng in his farewell statement emphasized that sound and stable China-Australia relations serve the fundamental interests of both countries and both peoples.

'People from all circles affirm the importance of Australia-China relations, look forward to the improvement of the bilateral relations and are committed to playing constructive roles in this regard,' he said.

Prof Laurenceson said whoever replaces Mr Cheng was unlikely to have any impact when it came to patching things up between the two feuding nations.

'I don't expect a new ambassador to be able to decisively shift the state of bilateral relations,' he said.

'As long as political leaders in Canberra and Beijing are unwilling or unable to settle on a new understanding of how some minimal level of mutual trust can be re-established and how constructive cooperation can again proceed.'

Director of the Australia-China Relations Institute Professor James Laurenceson, told Daily Mail Australia there's little sense in assigning blame to Mr cheng personally for the deterioration in relations
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Incredible images show power line workers setting up an electric cable 300 feet (100 metres) above the ground as part of a high-voltage direct current (HDVC) power transmission project in China.

A group of six men are seen wearing harnesses and blue helmets as they carry out their work high above the ground in Wuxi in East China's Jiangsu Province.

The workers reach perilous heights as they connect various electrical wires between pylons, with one even reaching out to grab one cable.

They can be seen working throughout the day, with only ropes holding up, until the sun begins to set behind them.

The construction workers are setting up the cables as part of China's HDVC power transmission project, which involves an interconnector system that will allow the exchange of electricity across the country.

Incredible images show construction workers setting up an electric cable 300 feet (100 metres) above the ground as part of a high-voltage direct current (HDVC) power transmission project in China

The workers reach perilous heights as they connect various electrical wires between pylons, with one even reaching out to grab one cable

The construction workers are setting up the cables as part of China's HDVC power transmission project, which involves an interconnector system that will allow the exchange of electricity across the country

A group of six men are seen wearing harnesses and blue helmets as they carry out their work high above the ground in Wuxi in East China's Jiangsu Province

The aim of the project is to ensure sufficient reliable, low-carbon power supply for the country.

Electrical interconnectors are high-voltage cables that connect the energy networks of neighbouring cities in China.

They allow excess energy, sourced from wind and solar farms in especially windy and sunny weather or hydroelectricity, to be traded and shared between the cities across vast distances.

These interconnectors reduce waste and enables a cleaner, more efficient power system.

While coal, gas and nuclear plants can be built close to the markets they serve, wind farms and solar plants often cannot as they need to be in the windiest and sunniest areas - which can be hundreds of miles from cities where electricity is needed.

But the HDVC cables allows China to connect wind farms in a particularly windy area to cities which have high demand, which makes the system more efficient and more economical.

In China, the Zhangbei HDVC power transmission project, which costs 1.4bn, includes four interconnected converter stations in a ring network between China's major cities including Beijing and Zangbei. The project is designed to transmit up to 4.5 GW of energy to the major cities.

But despite the new projects, China remains the world's biggest producer and user of coal, relying on the fuel - the most-polluting of conventional fossil fuels - for more than 60 per cent of its total energy use.

Electrical interconnectors are high-voltage cables that connect the energy networks of neighbouring cities in China. They allow excess energy, sourced from wind and solar farms in especially windy and sunny weather or hydroelectricity, to be traded and shared between the cities across vast distances

They can be seen working throughout the day, with only ropes holding up, until the sun begins to set behind them

The construction workers are seen installing the cables 100 metres above the found in Wuxi, eastern China

It currently runs 1,082 coal-fired power stations and is rushing to build more as blackouts strike cities and factories that are coming back to life post-Covid.

While most other nations including the US have committed to making immediate and legally-binding cuts to their carbon emissions, China actually intends to grow its carbon output for the rest of the decade.

Signing the Paris Accord back in 2015, Xi Jinping would only commit to capping China's carbon output by 2030 - without saying what level it will ultimately reach - before going carbon neutral by 2060. The vast majority of nations are committed to going carbon neutral a whole decade earlier, in 2050.

Amidst a global energy crisis caused as economies reopen post-Covid, China has also ordered its 682 coal mines to raise their annual output capacity to 55.3 million tonnes while imports soared by 76% last month.

China has been suffering from widespread power outages that have shut factories and hit production and global supply chains amid a global energy shortage that has seen demand for fossil fuels soar despite the UN warning of the devastating effects.

It comes as China announced it was restricting smaller cities with a population of less than three million people from building super high-rise buildings, which are more than 150 metres (492 foot tall).

The move is part of a bid to crackdown on vanity projects which are not practical.
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Four in ten GP appointments in England were still not being held face-to-face last month despite mounting calls for doctors to see their patients in person, official figures show.

NHS Digital's monthly report found around 11.1million out of 28.5million appointments (39 per cent) throughout September were not in a surgery, with most being done over the phone or online.

The figures mark a very slight rise in the proportion of in-person consultations from August and was up eight per cent on the figure for September 2019, but a growing number of patients are having their appointments with an alternative member of staff.

Just half (51 per cent) of appointments were with a qualified GP, with the rest carried out by nurses, pharmacy assistants, other medical staff  and even acupuncturists.

And one in 12 patients are now waiting more than three weeks to be seen by a GP (eight per cent), up from around one in 17 last month (six per cent).

Patients in London and the South East were least likely to be able to see their GP in person, figures showed, with just over half of appointments in the capital carried out face-to-face. And at some surgeries in Greater Manchester, the proportion of patients seen in-person was just 44 per cent.

Campaign groups told MailOnline today that the figures were 'hardly a significant rise' and 'not encouraging' given all the publicity around the issue.

They said there was little sign the situation had improved in October, with most members telling them there had been 'no change' in GPs appointments.

But the Royal College of GPs said the figures highlighted 'just how extremely hard GPs and our teams are working', juggling caring for patients in the community and alleviating pressure on the NHS.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid boldly unveiled a package of measures this month threatening to name and shame surgeries that failed to see enough patients. He also said a 'hit squad' would be sent to underperforming GPs to boost the number of face-to-face appointments and review management at the practice.

But the announcement was met with consternation by GPs who moaned about the initiative, branding it 'unfair, demoralising and indefensible'. Some unions warned it could trigger a wave of retirements.

 Slide me  The above maps show the proportion of GP appointments that were carried out face-to-face in September 2019 (left), before the pandemic struck, and September 2021 (right)

Some four in ten appointments are still not being carried out face-to-face, figures showed. The above graph shows the proportion of appointments that have been face-to-face since September two years ago

The raft of statistics  published today  showed GPs are still not seeing anywhere near as many patients in person as before the first Covid lockdown.

Some 17.3million appointments were face-to-face in September (61 per cent of all appointments). It is the highest figure recorded since February 2020 and is up around 3.5million on the figure for August when 58 per cent of appointments were face-to-face.

But the proportion that were face-to-face lagged far behind September 2019, before the pandemic, when more than eight in ten appointments were face-to-face.

MPs said in Parliament this week how they were hearing from dozens of constituents who were being denied appointments with GPs.

Conservative Joy Morrissey told the Commons how her mother-in-laws stroke was missed because she was seen remotely.

MP tells how mother-in-law's stroke was missed because of remote appointments Beaconsfield MP Joy Morrissey said paying surgeries to see more patients face-to-face or at home would pressure off hospitals during the busy winter period in the NHS An MP has told how her mother-in-law's stroke was misdiagnosed because of remote appointments. Conservative Joy Morrissey, who represents Beaconsfield, told the Commons this week that the delay in care led to 'terrible damage'. She said her mother-in-law now needs 24-hour care because of the dealy. Speaking in the Commons, she said: 'I can say I speak from experience. For days my own mother-in-law was misdiagnosed as having a UTI when, in fact, she had suffered a severe stroke. 'Precious time was lost and terrible damage done because she was not seen by a GP. 'For every hundred ailments that could be diagnosed safely by not seeing a GP, there will be one that won't, one that could prove to be fatal, and that is not a price worth paying.' The MP said GPs should receive cash incentives to push them to see more patients. She argued this would also ease pressure on A&E departments and other parts of the NHS. Advertisement

The delay to her care led to 'terrible damage', the MP for Beaconsfield said, and she is now 'completely disabled and needs 24-hour care.'

Doctors say many people find remote appointments more convenient. But there have been reports of desperate patients struggling to see a GP or vital signs being missed due to a lack of in-person appointments.

The figures also showed the proportion of patients waiting more than a month to be seen has risen by a quarter in 30 days.

There were 1.1million patients who waited this long for an appointment last month, compared to around 670,000 in the previous month.

Patients got to speak to their doctor in just over half of appointments, with the rest done by nurses and other practice staff members.

The RCGP says family doctors are not always the most appropriate person for patients to see.

Figures showed 14.5million appointments were done by GPs in September, compared to 12.2million over the previous month.

For comparison, 13.1million were done by practice staff in September and 10.8million last month.

Dennis Reed, the head of patients' rights group Silver Voices, described the figures as 'not encouraging, given the huge amounts of publicity there has been on this issue.'

He told MailOnline: 'It is hardly a significant rise. The patients' voice is not being heard loud and clear at the moment.

'It shows there is a lot further to go. I hope the Government is not going to rest on its lorrels of having agreed a package, and then forget about it even if face-to-face appointments don't go up anymore.

'We would like to get back to more or less the level before the pandemic. the sources have not been changed that much to be able to justify that decrease.'

He said MPs still had mailboxes 'bulging' with letters from worried constituents saying they could not get an in person appointment with their GP.

But there are very few signs that the situation has improved in October.

'On the current situation, there has been one or two little promising things,' he said.

'A couple of GPs have apparently put on their telephone messages that patients will be asked whether or not they will prefer a face-to-face appointment. But that is only a handful of cases.

'Most people that are contacting us say there is no change at the moment.'

Mr Javid unveiled a bold package of measures in the middle of this month that would name and shame GPs failing to see their patients face-to-face.

The initiative will also see 250million funding boost for surgeries that are seeing patients, and 'hit squads' and cash penalties for those failing to keep on track.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid unveiled bold measures to get more GPs to see patients earlier this month. But his intiative was slammed by doctors who said that it was 'unfair' and indefensible. He is pictured above visiting a surgery in London

The number of patients waiting for routine hospital treatment hit 5.6million in July, the highest figure since records began in 2007. And health chiefs have warned the backlog is going to get much worse before it gets better, with projections that it could soar up to 13million by the end of the year if no action is taken

A bitter feud erupted when the plans were announced with GPs moaning about the plans and criticising them as 'unfair, demoralising and indefensible'. Other unions warned they could trigger a wave of retirements that 'sink the ship altogether'.

Doctors also mocked the 'frit' Health Secretary after he pulled out of the Royal College of GPs annual conference following a bitter row over the lack of face-to-face appointments. Mr Javid did not comment on today's figures.

Minister for primary care Maria Caulfield said: 'I am incredibly grateful for the phenomenal work of GP teams over the last 18 challenging months.

'I know how important it is for patients to be able to see their GP in the way they choose and so it's promising to see the number of face to face appointments is increasing. We have set out a plan to provide targeted support for GP teams to help them continue to improve access - backed by a further 250 million.

'Alongside this, we are cracking down on the appalling abuse faced by hardworking NHS staff, and a public awareness campaign will be developed with unions.'

Professor Martin Marshall, the chair of the RCGPs, said: 'Today's figures highlight just how extremely hard GPs and our teams are working, caring for patients in their communities and alleviating pressures elsewhere in the NHS.

'The College has always been clear that post-pandemic, when it is safe, we would like to see a blend of in person and remote care being delivered in general practice, and that how GP care is accessed should be a shared decision between patient and clinician.

'This is clearly already happening  yet the narrative that remote care is sub-standard prevails and is concerning.

'Good, safe and personalised care can be delivered remotely, and it is not confined to general practice. We are seeing a move towards more remote care across the NHS, and many patients prefer it as it can be more convenient and fit around other commitments, and some patients find it more comfortable to discuss aspects of their health remotely.'

He added that the Government was still yet to recruit the 6,000 extra GPs it had promised, with their numbers instead falling by six per cent in as many years.

BMA GP committee chair Dr Richard Vautrey said the figures were 'testament to the dedication of GPs and practice staff who are going above and beyond to deliver care in exceptionally difficult circumstances, amid a persistent decline in the number of GPs and the implications of Covid safety measures on how care can be delivered'.

He said the rise in face-to-face appointments should 'put to bed the demoralising and inaccurate narrative that GPs are no longer seeing patients in-person'.

He added: 'While GPs are seeing far more patients and clearing the backlog, we should not underestimate the impact this is having as there is no denying that the current demand and workload on GPs and the wider workforce is taking an incredible toll.

'It was hugely disappointing that yesterday's Budget made no mention of general practice and the Government have again failed to set out any credible plans for how 50 million appointments can be delivered or offer support to boost the workforce.'

An NHS England spokesman said: 'These latest figures show that general practice is working hard to ensure that patients get the care they need with over 17million face-to-face appointments in September  the highest number since the start of the pandemic  and over 3.5million more than in August.'
A bike shop owner has been slapped with a $11,000 fine for breaching Covid-19 rules despite doing everything in his power to follow health guidelines.

Ryan Billszta, owner of Samson Cycles in Melbourne's northern suburbs, was fined $10,904 during lockdown despite adhering to Covid safety measures.

As Victoria underwent its sixth lockdown, Mr Billszta kept his business afloat by offering click and collect.

Ryan Billszta, (pictured) owner of Samson Cycles in Melbourne was hit with a $10,904 after doing everything in his power to follow Covid-19 restrictions during lockdown

'We wanted to make sure that we did the right thing from the beginning, to keep everyone happy and keep everyone safe,' he told A Current Affair.

Mr Billszta is vaccinated and ensured his business had the appropriate work permit.

He also set-up a QR code check-in and provided hand sanitiser to customers collecting products from in-store.

But his extra measures were fruitless when two Victorian Government authorised officers visited his store in mid-October.

After a brief chat, Mr Billistza recalled the officers appeared friendly and left the bicycle store 'quite amicably'.

However, two days later the business owner was shocked to find he had received a fine in the mail totalling $10,904 for failing to produce a CovidSafe plan.

A CovidSafe plan is a government-authored checklist that ensures businesses impose measures adhering to pubic health orders to continue operating.

Mr Billszta said he was asked for the documents but wasn't exactly sure of what paperwork the officers were referring to.

After some research he realised the officers were after a CovidSafe Plan, a paper version of which Mr Billsta kept in his car.

Two government-authorised officers visited the business in mid-October, who Mr Billstza described as friendly, by two days later he received a hefty fine in the mail

'I'm still shocked that they were able to issue that without warning, without explaining to me that they were going to issue the fine,' he said.

'The money we've already lost over the last two years to be hit with an $11,000 fine is a lot.'

Lawyer, Adam Cockayne told A Current Affair the authorised government officers should have approached the business owner in an entirely different manner.

'What should have happened is that the authorised officer should have explained what the law was and given him the opportunity to show that he had the document or was able to produce it,' he said.

Mr Billstza said he planned to challenge the fine, but the most important thing to him was keeping people safe at his store.

'The focus of these rules is to keep people safe. We've done that. Producing the paperwork on the spot, doesn't change that,' he said.
The CIA plotted to 'poison or kidnap' Julian Assange while he was holed up in the Ecuadorian Embassy, the High Court heard today.

Lawyers for the Wikileaks founder told a judge the US were conducting covert surveillance on him and his partner while he was in the London bolthole.

They told the court Assange had been forced into a 'frightful and menacing' situation and there were also concerns for Stella Moris' safety.

The explosive claims come after Jeremy Corbyn called for the prisoner to be 'hailed' as a truthteller and released from jail.

The former Labour leader said he had 'committed no crime' and could 'take his own life' if he is extradited.

The MP demanded he be released from Belmarsh in south east London 'so he can continue his life with his partner and his children'.

His comments were on the second day of legal arguments in the US government's High Court challenge over a judge's decision not to extradite Assange.

The Wikileaks founder did not join the hearing on Thursday via videolink from Belmarsh prison where he is being held.

A small crowd of people again gathered outside the Royal Courts of Justice in central London in a show of support for Assange ahead of the hearing.

The MP also called for him to be released from Belmarsh prison in south east London (pictured, a court sketch yesterday) 'so he can continue his life with his partner and his children'

Assange is pictured peeking out of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London in a photograph from 2016

The former Labour leader (pictured today) said the WikiLeaks founder 'committed no crime' and could 'take his own life' if he is extradited

Edward Fitzgerald, QC, for Assange, made the assassination claims in the High Court on the second day of the legal challenge.

He described the 'frightful and menacing' situation Assange found himself in as the US conducted surveillance on him and Ms Moris inside the Ecuadorian Embassy.

He said: 'There are great grounds for fearing what will be done to him given the revelations of surveillance in the embassy and plots to kill him.

'They were taking about poisoning, kidnapping, and killing Mr Assange, in these circumstances, of course there would be concerns for Ms Moris's safety...'

The US is trying to put the 50-year-old on trial for espionage and hacking but a judge blocked his extradition in January due to the risk he would commit suicide in the US.

The Australian is accused by their government of conspiring with army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to leak classified military documents in 2010.

A US grand jury indicted him on 18 charges last year - 17 of which fall under the Espionage Act - including conspiracy to receive, obtain and disclose classified diplomatic and military documents.

Assange's lawyers claim he faces up to 175 years in jail if convicted, although the US government responded the sentence will probably be between four and six years.

James Lewis QC, for the US, said the Court of Appeal should grant the extradition since the US has given diplomatic assurances about Assange's treatment.

If the court does order the extradition, the case would be sent to Priti Patel for the Home Secretary to give her final decision.

He also hit out at Professor Michael Kopelman for not revealing Assange was in a relationship with Ms Moris when he gave evidence about his client last year.

Assange did not attend the second day of the appeal at the High Court today due to his recently increased medicine dose, which has given him fatigue.

Supporters of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange protest outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London today

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn leaves after a brief appearance outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London today

Stella Moris (right), partner of Assange, and WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnsson (left) arrive at the court today

Mr Fitzgerald said Prof Kopelman was a reliable witness, adding extradition should always be denied when there is a high risk of suicide.

He said: 'The general evidence is any, or most, people, will find a way [to commit suicide].

'People find a way to commit suicide whether they are clever or not clever, but when they are driven.

'Given the severity of his condition he will be driven to take his own life, whatever the steps that are taken, whatever the conditions.

'There is nothing to suggest that these factors have changed in the least bit since the extradition hearing.'

He continued: 'This is not in the distant future but the moment he lands in America.

'It is absurd to say you can't look further down the line. If you know the requested person is going to put in torturous conditions after 2 years, you can't say you can only look at the first six months.

'This is a person with serious mental disorder. The US has recklessly stated that there was a finding that the court has been mislead, and that is not true, there was not such as finding.'

He added: 'There have been a number of reports in the press that there was such a finding.'

Mr Fitzgerald also referred to District Judge Vanessa Baraitser's decision in January not to grant Assange's extradition, citing a real risk of suicide.

He said: 'The judgement of the district judge was humane and wise. The judge had every reason to find Professor Kopelman's reticence to be reasonable.'

On the orders of US government agents, Ecuadorian Embassy security staff photocopied Assange's lawyers' notes, took DNA evidence from the nappies of his children and planted surveillance devices inside the embassy, the court heard.

Mr Fitzgerald also cited Professor Keith Rix's report on whether Professor Kopelman's breached ethical guidelines.

He said there was a 'need to maintain the confidentiality of a family member with very young children whose privacy and safety might be put at risk by inappropriate and premature disclosure of a relationship with a very high-profile individual, who had become the declared target of the agencies of a powerful foreign state.'

He said: 'This was not done to maintain a tactical advantage, it was done to protect Stella Moris.'

The extradition request was denied in January, but the US is appealing the decision claiming Prof Kopelman, was not a reliable witness.

John Shipton, father of incarcerated WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, arrives to the Royal Courts of Justice in London today

Assange supporters gather outside the High Court in London for the second day of the hearing on Thursday

Assange's family and friends appeared in court while fans protested outside with banners, megaphones, and a sound-system.

The charges relate to the 2010 release by WikiLeaks of 500,000 secret files detailing military campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq and cables about Guantanamo.

This included the notorious 'Collateral Murder' video, which showed the July 2007 killing by an American Apache helicopter crew of eleven civilians, including Reuters journalists Namir Noor-Eldeen, 22, and Saeed Chmagh, 40.

The video, recorded by the helicopter gun-sight, showed the helicopter crew firing into a group of Iraqi civilian men in New Baghdad.

They had been given permission from a commanding officer and killed 11 men and seriously wounded two children.

Judge Baraitser had said there was a 'real risk' Assange would be locked up at the Administrative Maximum Facility if convicted, which would cause Assange's mental health to significantly deteriorate.

The US government gave the UK diplomatic assurances Assange would not be put in Special Administrative Measures (SAMs), an restrictive form of solitary confinement reserved for terrorism and national security prisoners.

But the US reserved the right to impose SAMs if they conclude a future 'act' met the test for it.

Under SAMs, it would be a criminal offence for Assange to even speak to another prisoner, the court heard.

The US also gave assurances it would consent to transferring Assange to an Australian prison if he applies for it after he is convicted and sentenced.

It said that he will not be housed in Colorado supermax prison ADX Florence before trial.

Supporters of Julian Assange demonstrate in the road outside the High Court in London, on Thursday afternoon

A protester stands in the way of a bus during a demonstration outside the Royal Courts of Justice for Assange in London today

Assange would also receive any required medical treatment while in US custody, the US government assured.

District Judge Baraitser wrote in her ruling any extradition should be barred 'if it is unjust or oppressive to due to a person's health.

'Mr Assange suffers from a recurrent depressive disorder which was severe in September 2019 and is sometimes accompanied by psychotic features.

'Mr Assange suffers from autism spectrum disorder albeit a highly functioning autistic case and Asperger's syndrome disorder.

'Not withstanding the strong and constant support of his family... Mr Assange has remained severely or moderately clinically depressed throughout his detention at HMP Belmarsh.

'He had suicidal or self-harming thoughts, felt despairing or hopeless and had plans to end his life...he has made frequent requests for access to the Samaritans.

'The thoughts of self harm and suicide... led to a plan for him to be monitored.

'He has already made suicidal plans... and taken steps to plan for his death by preparing a will.

'The overall impression is of a depressed and sometimes despairing man.'

Assange was granted political asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy in London in 2012 to avoid onward extradition to the US from Sweden for rape allegations dating back to 2010 that he always denied.

Swedish authorities dropped the rape allegations, but Assange was dragged out of the embassy by British police and imprisoned for 50 weeks in April 2019 for breaching his bail conditions after his asylum period expired.

Assange has been in custody in Belmarsh Prison ever since.

Earlier today former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called for Assange to be released as he addressed a small crowd of people again gathered outside the High Court.

Mr Corbyn said Assange should be 'hailed' for telling the truth.

The appeal hearing continues.
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G20 leaders will meet this weekend in Rome's historic surroundings of EUR, a neighbourhood created by Benito Mussolini to glorify his fascist regime and its links with ancient Rome.

The summit, under the slogan 'Peace, People, Prosperity', will be the first time President Joe Biden will face world leaders following the catastrophic US withdrawal from Afghanistan on August 30.

Leaders will gather in a futuristic convention centre known as the 'Nuvola' (cloud) nestled in a southern suburb and surrounded by fascist propaganda - including a giant bas-relief of Mussolini on horseback, his right arm raised in a fascist salute, and a building inscribed with a quote from his 1935 speech before the invasion of Ethiopia.

EUR, which stands for Esposizione Universale Romana, or Rome World Expo and is pronounced Ay-oor, was conceived in the 1930s as a showcase for modernist architecture and as the home of the 1942 edition of the world expo, though it never took place because of World War II.

Located in the southern outskirts of Rome, between the historic centre and the seaside suburb of Ostia, the suburb is characterised by monumental buildings in white marble and travertine stone, typical of the fascist era.

Its best-known landmark is the so-called Square Colosseum, a white cube with arches originally meant to host the Palace of Italian Civilisation. On its four sides, the building bears an inscription taken from a 1935 Mussolini speech celebrating Italians as 'a people of poets, artists, heroes, saints, thinkers, scientists, navigators and transmigrants'.

G20 leaders will meet this weekend in Rome's historic surroundings of EUR, a neighbourhood created by Benito Mussolini to glorify his fascist regime and its links with ancient Rome

Fascist propaganda is also on display at the Palazzo Uffici, which boasts a giant bas-relief of the history of Rome that starts with Romulus and Remus and ends with Mussolini on horseback, his right arm raised in a fascist salute (centre)

EUR's best-known landmark is the so-called Square Colosseum, a white cube with arches originally meant to host the Palace of Italian Civilisation

Leaders will gather in a futuristic convention centre (pictured, being guarded by Carabinieri police officers) known as the 'Nuvola' (cloud) nestled in a southern suburb and surrounded by fascist propaganda

Mussolini's fascist monument includes long, straight roads which show off the grand buildings designed to glorify the regime

Located in the southern outskirts of Rome, between the historic centre and the seaside suburb of Ostia, the suburb is characterised by monumental buildings in white marble and travertine stone, typical of the fascist era

Italian dictator Benito Mussolini (pictured surveying the new Caselle Airport during a visit to Turin in May 1939) designed EUR as a monument to fascism to glorify his regime and its links with ancient Rome

Fascist propaganda is also on display at the Palazzo Uffici, which boasts at its entrance a giant bas-relief of the history of Rome that starts with Romulus and Remus and ends with Mussolini on horseback, his right arm raised in a fascist salute.

According to legend, in another ode to the Italian dictator, the six vertical and nine horizontal arches on the Square Colosseum, also known as the Palazzo della Civilta Italiana and now home to the headquarters of fashion house Fendi, correlate to the number of letters in Benito Mussolini's name.

Today, EUR is a residential and business area hosting the headquarters of the ENI energy group and of several other public and private institutions, plus museums, concert halls and an artificial lake popular with locals in the summer.

But in the immediate post-war years it resembled a ghost town, with abandoned buildings occupied by refugees.

The conflict had forced Mussolini's architects to leave the showpiece unfinished and it never played host to the 1942 edition of the world expo, which would have coincided with the 20th anniversary of the fascist regime.

They were completed in the 1950s and 1960s after Roman authorities decided to turn the area into an edge-of-town business district that became a model for London's Docklands and La Defense in Paris.

The Nuvola, which was recently used as a Covid-19 vaccination hub, added a flavour of contemporary architecture to its modernist surroundings when it was inaugurated in 2016, after years of delays and cost overruns.

It was designed by Italian architect couple Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas. The former is one of the giants of contemporary Italian architecture, with projects including the Shenzhen Bao'an airport in China and Ferrari's ultra-modern headquarters.

A member of the Italian Carabinieri's aircraft group looks out of a helicopter during a surveillance flight over G20 venues a day ahead of the start of the G20 Rome Summit

Italian police patrol the area of the Trevi Fountain in Rome

On its four sides, the building bears an inscription taken from a 1935 Mussolini speech celebrating Italians as 'a people of poets, artists, heroes, saints, thinkers, scientists, navigators and transmigrants'

According to legend, the six vertical and nine horizontal arches on the Square Colosseum, also known as the Palazzo della Civilta Italiana, correlate to the number of letters in dictator Benito Mussolini's name

The momuments of EUR, including the Square Colosseum, was conceived in the 1930s as a showcase for modernist architecture and as the home of the 1942 edition of the world expo, though it never took place because of World War II

Today, EUR is a residential and business area hosting the headquarters of the ENI energy group and of several other public and private institutions, plus museums, concert halls and an artificial lake popular with locals in the summer

EUR features long, straight, flat roads - such as this one from the parvis of the 'Palazzo dei Congressi' down to the Square Colosseum, a building designed by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini as an ode to fascism

The summit is being held in EUR because it is an area more easily policed than Rome's city centre, home to the Colosseum and the Pantheon, where the tourists, historic buildings and tiny streets pose a nightmare for security and access

In the post-war years the EUR suburb of Rome (pictured in 1961) resembled a ghost town, with abandoned buildings and unfinished projects on a colossal scale

The summit is being held in EUR because it is an area more easily policed than Rome's city centre, home to the Colosseum and the Pantheon, where the tourists, historic buildings and tiny streets pose a nightmare for security and access.

Leaders will meet in the 'Nuvola', featuring a suspended structure inside a glass and steel box, where they will discuss Covid-19, economic recovery and climate change and sign a global tax agreement.

US President Joe Biden is flying in straight from COP26 in Glasgow to reiterate his message that 'America is back' after four years of Donald Trump's bruising diplomacy, although Russian President Vladimir Putin and China's Xi Jinping will attend only by video link.

Their absence has lowered expectations for the summit, normally a forum for deals between allies and rivals of differing size and power, from the US and China, to Turkey, India, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Australia and the European Union.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said the summit 'marks the return of multilateralism, after the dark years of isolationism and of isolation linked to the health crisis'.

Leaders will meet in the 'Nuvola', featuring a suspended structure inside a glass and steel box, where they will discuss Covid-19, economic recovery and climate change and sign a global tax agreement

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said the summit 'marks the return of multilateralism, after the dark years of isolationism and of isolation linked to the health crisis'

Fascist propaganda is also on display at the Palazzo Uffici, which boasts at its entrance a giant bas-relief of the history of Rome that starts with Romulus and Remus and ends with Mussolini on horseback, his right arm raised in a fascist salute

EUR's best-known landmark is the so-called Square Colosseum, a white cube with arches originally meant to host the Palace of Italian Civilisation, and now the headquarters of Italian fashion house Fendi

On its four sides, the Square Colosseum (pictured) bears an inscription taken from a 1935 Mussolini speech celebrating Italians as 'a people of poets, artists, heroes, saints, thinkers, scientists, navigators and transmigrants

Statues of craftsmen stand under the archways of the Palazzo della Civilta Italiana, or the Square Colosseum, in EUR suburb

According to legend, in another ode to the Italian dictator, (pictured in France) the six vertical and nine horizontal arches on the Square Colosseum, also known as the Palazzo della Civilta Italiana and now home to the headquarters of fashion house Fendi, correlate to the number of letters in Benito Mussolini's name

The summit takes place on Saturday and Sunday but many leaders will fly in on Friday and a flurry of bilaterals are expected, in the first physical gathering many world leaders have attended since Covid-19 struck in early 2020.

Biden will meet Friday with French President Emmanuel Macron, seeking to smooth ties with the latter after Australia scrapped a French submarine deal in favour of a US-UK agreement.

The president, a practicing Catholic, will also meet Pope Francis. The pontiff will also receive Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South Korean President Moon Jae-in over the weekend.

Security will be tight at the summit, particularly after violent clashes earlier this month in central Rome between police and protesters against the extension of Italy's coronavirus pass to all workplaces.

Border controls have been temporarily reintroduced, derogating from Europe's passport-free Schengen area, while a no-fly zone is in place over most of the capital.

Meanwhile 500 soldiers have been mobilised to help out with the summit, which is being held away from the city centre in the Mussolini-era suburb of EUR.

EUR features long, straight, flat roads to show grand buildings such as the Square Colosseum (pictured), designed by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini as an ode to fascism

Carabinieri police officers stand guard outside the convention center 'Nuvola', a futuristic convention centre that will play host to the first face-to-face G20 meeting in two years next month
A community has voted for a statue of controversial adventurer HM Stanley to stay in place in his home town.

A public vote was held at Denbigh, North Wales, about whether the statue of Henry Morton Stanley should remain.

The bronze statue of Stanley - best known for the famous line: 'Dr Livingstone, I presume?' - has stood for a decade in his Welsh home town.

Town clerk Jenny Barlow announced last night there had been 592 votes, a turnout of 8.8 per cent, with 6,725 eligible Denbigh residents. The vote was 471 in favour of the statue staying with 121 for its removal.

Councillor Dyfrig Berry suggested further information should be added about the history of HM Stanley.

Stanley became famous after finding missionary Dr David Livingstone in Tanzania in 1871. But his reputation has been tarnished by claims of violence on explorations, and his role in the Congo.

After a debate was sparked by the Black Lives Matters movement over Stanley's links with European imperialism, exploitation and colonialism, the town council decided the decision about whether the statue of H M Stanley remained or be removed, should lie with the residents of Denbigh.

Sir Henry Morton Stanley, pictured, worked for Belgian King Leopold II who was notorious for the barbarous acts he committed on the population of the Congo Free State - now the Democratic Republic of Congo

The statue, pictured, immortalising the moment where he found a missing Scottish explorer in central Africa with the words 'Dr Livingstone, I presume', having tracked him down to the shores of Lake Tanganyika

Dr James Davies, Conservative MP for the Vale of Clwyd, said an emphatic 80 per cent wanted the statue to stay and 'on balance I think this is the right decision.'

He added : 'Having been born at HM Stanley Hospital, I perhaps inevitably have sympathy for this prominent local figure, but even so, my general view is that we need to retain historical reminders to allow us to reflect and to inform future generations.

'HM Stanley was one of the 19th Century's greatest explorers. I do not believe we should attempt to airbrush him from our past. In any event, it is clear that many of the negative assumptions made about him are not supported by a number of historical accounts.'

Pictured: Dr James Davies, Conservative MP for the Vale of Clwyd, said an emphatic 80% wanted the statue to stay

'We should not lose sight of the fact that our ancestors lived in very different times, when there were different perspectives on what was right and wrong.

'Grievous faults can doubtless be found in most historical figures, but we should try to understand their lives, as we hope those who come after us will try to understand our motivations, in the context of the world today.

'The statue is a prominent expression of artistic skill and culture, and I know that those behind its installation several years ago will be relieved at the news.'

The town of Denbigh, North Wales, commissioned an artist to create the bronze of journalist and politician Stanley to mark his exploration of central Africa.

But protests over his role working for the infamous Belgian royal family, led to a public consultation to decide whether it should be moved from public view.

Sculptor Nick Elphick spent two years crafting the tribute to Sir Henry Morton Stanley but said he received non-stop abuse when calls for it to be torn down began.

It came amid growing tensions about Britain's colonial past, sparked by global outcry following the death of George Floyd in the US.

Floyd was killed when white police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds despite his desperate pleas that he 'can't breathe'. He passed out and later died in Minneapolis on May 25.

His death is seen as a symbol of systemic police brutality against African-Americans sparking outrage and largely-peaceful protests first across the US before quickly spreading worldwide.

Last year, a statue (right) of slave trader Sir Thomas Picton (left) was removed from Cardiff City Hall after protestors pointed to his links to the slave trade and crimes as governor of Trinidad

Since then, statues across the UK have been removed or had plaques added to highlight their role in Britain's imperialist past.

One example includes the removal of a statue of slave owner Thomas Picton from Cardiff City Hall.

Picton was known to have committed abhorrent crimes while governor of Trinidad when it was a British colony.

A statue of him had been at the city hall since 1916 but in July last year, 57 councillors voted for its removal, with five objections and nine abstentions.

Stanley is a controversial figure because of his links with Belgian King Leopold II.

The monarch committed acts of appalling inhumanity against the population of the Congo Free State - now the Democratic Republic of Congo.

His supporters say Stanley was not working for the Belgian despot when the atrocities took place and he has been unfairly tainted.

Stanley was immortalised for his famous words 'Dr Livingstone, I presume' after finding the Scottish explorer on the shores of Lake Tanganyika where he had been lost in central Africa.

But Stanley was born John Rowlands and started life fatherless in Denbigh in 1841 where he was put into the workhouse before emigrating to the United States as a teenager.

He then fought in the American Civil War before becoming a journalist and explorer, finding the source of the Nile, mapping central Africa's Great Lakes and the borders of the present-day Democratic Republic of Congo.

Stanley, who was a journalist, politician and explorer, wrote about the encounter in his book

He was knighted in 1897 before dying at the age of 65.

Speaking ahead of the vote, Denbigh town councillor Glen Swingler said: 'I think the feeling in town is very mixed. I've noticed on social media over the last couple of days that those coming out against it, they've got a bit more vociferous.

'It's not getting nasty. I wouldn't like to guess which way any sort of vote would go, but then again, I don't know how many people are actually going to go out and vote.'

He added: 'I will vote, yes. I've got my own opinions, but I will vote as it is my right.'

The statue has been criticised since it was first announced, when a group of writers and campaigners including the poet Benjamin Zephaniah called for the plan to be abandoned. Last year, a petition to remove it gathered 7,000 signatures.

The Bishop of St Asaph called last summer for its removal, saying that the explorer had 'little respect for the natives of Africa'.

Even his contemporaries accused Stanley of cruelty, with Sir Richard Francis Burton, another explorer, once remarking that 'Stanley shoots Africans as if they were monkeys'.
Health spending will have increased by more than 40 per cent from 2010 to 2025 while education budgets will have gone up by less than three per cent, the Institute for Fiscal Studies said today.

The IFS said the updated spending figures following Rishi Sunak's Budget yesterday showed there has been a 'remarkable lack of priority afforded to the education system since 2010'.

The influential think tank questioned how the education funding levels are 'consistent' with the Government's 'levelling up' agenda.

Downing Street said the Government 'makes no apologies' for boosting health spending, insisting it is 'something the public want to see'.

Health spending will have increased by more than 40 per cent between 2010 and 2025 while educations spending will go up by less than three per cent

The IFS said the updated spending figures following Rishi Sunak's Budget yesterday showed there has been a 'remarkable lack of priority afforded to the education system since 2010'

Paul Johnson, the director of the IFS, said this morning that Whitehall departmental funding increases contained within the Budget are 'real and substantial'.

He said no department is seeing a cut to its overall budget but 'for many areas' the spending levels will still be 'substantially less in 2024-25 than it was back in 2010'.

He said: 'Perhaps the most striking contrast lies in the different paths for health and education spending.

'Over this spending review period education spending is set to rise by about 2% a year against a 4% a year increase for the department for health and social care.

'Over the whole period since 2010, by contrast, health spending will have increased by over 40%, education spending by less than 3%.

'For the Chancellor to have felt it appropriate to draw attention to the fact that per pupil spending in schools will have returned to 2010 levels by 2024 is perhaps a statement of a remarkable lack of priority afforded to the education system since 2010.

'A decade and a half with no growth in spending despite, albeit insipid, economic growth is unprecedented.

'Spending per student in FE and sixth form colleges will remain well below 2010 levels. This is not a set of priorities which looks consistent with a long term growth strategy. Or indeed levelling up.'

Downing Street defended the Government's spending priorities as the Prime Minister's Official Spokesman said: I think the Government is responding to the reality of the situation we find ourselves in and I think the IFS has made that point themselves.

The Department of Health and Social Care's budget will increase by a further 4.1 per cent from 2021 to 2025

Total departmental budgets are set to increase by three per cent over the next three years, according to the IFS

I think if you take the two things, on health obviously we have been responding to a global pandemic and also more broadly an ageing population who thanks to improvements in health are living longer.

That is a challenge that is faced globally so you would expect investment in our NHS, we know that is something the public want to see.

Supporting our NHS is the right thing to do and we make no apologies for doing so.

The spokesman added: On education it is simply the case that we are massively increasing funding for education and that will rise to 2010 levels.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was forced to ditch plans to hold a House vote on a bipartisan infrastructure bill Thursday evening after a group of House progressive Democrats refused to back the legislation that is a priority for President Biden.

Pelosi had had told lawmakers to prepare for a possible vote, and amid tense negotiations with progressives, who are demanding to read the fine print of Biden's new 'framework' for his $1.75 trillion Build Back Better plan  as well as get further assurances that it can pass the Senate.

'These two bills need to go together,' said Rep. Pramila Jayapal, leader of the House progressive Caucus.

Instead, House leaders scheduled a bill to extend expiring transportation funding  which had been an impetus for acting on infrastructure  as the last vote of the week.

Pelosi punted after Biden gave one more speech selling his pared back Build Back Better plan Thursday shortly before his scheduled trip to Europe  touting the virtue of compromise and calling a new framework 'historic.'

'No one got everything they wanted, included me,' President Joe Biden said as he pitched the latest framework for his 'Build Back Better' plan

Biden had hoped to have a win in hand by the time he landed. Instead, he has the same 'framework' he pitched to lawmakers. It includes more than $500 billion in climate programs he can tout in a meeting with the Pope and in climate meetings in Scotland  but like the infrastructure bill, they will not have become law.

Even with no deal in hand, there were developments for Biden to cling to. Jayapal on CNN pointed to the 'overwhelming endorsement' her caucus gave to Biden's slimmed-back framework. She called it 'really significant' because 'there are many things in there that we did not get.'

In his remarks before leaving the country, Biden did not say for certain he had a deal that could clear Congress  and spent much of his more than 20 minute speech selling components of the framework that did not yet have a clear path to enactment.

'After months of tough and thoughtful negotiations I think we have an historic  I know we have  an historic economic framework,' Biden told reporters from the East Room of the White House after delaying his planned departure for Rome.

'We spent hours and hours over months and months working on this,' he said. 'No one got everything they wanted, included me.'

It was a reference to major policy provisions he had to jettison to try to keep costs under a lower ceiling amid centrist opposition in the Senate.

He did not say the plan has the support of a pair of key Senate Democratic holdouts  and at the end of his remarks he ignored questions about Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, two lawmakers who hold the fate of the package in their hands.

'Ill see you in Italy and in Scotland. Thank you,' Biden told reporters, without taking questions.

Biden pointed to the compromises Democrats have sought to make to reach a deal  without yet finding something that 50 Senate Democrats have committed to backing, let along the House majority.

'I know deeply people feel about the things that they fight for. But this framework includes historic investments in our nation and our people,' Biden said.

Without a victory in hand, Biden nevertheless crowed about the framework, and gave a defense of compromising after holding countless meetings with factions and leaders.

'I want to thank my colleagues in the Congress and the leadership. We spent hours and hours and hours over months and months working on this,' he said. 'No one got everything they wanted, including me. But thats what compromise is. Thats consensus. Thats what I ran on.'

Biden and first lady Jill Biden departed Thursday on a trip to Rome and Scotland

Biden spoke to House Democrats and pitched his plan at the White House before boarding Air Force One. He is set to meet Pope Francis on Friday

WHAT'S IN JOE BIDEN'S LATEST BUILD BACK BETTER FRAMEWORK? Investments in Children, Families and Caregiving that Grow the Economy's Capacity  Universal Preschool for all 3- and 4-year Olds: Expand access to free high-quality preschool for more than 6 million children  Limit child care costs for families to no more than 7% of income  Strengthening an existing program through Medicaid for eldercare and the disabled  Extend for one year the current expanded Child Tax Credit for more than 35 million American households, with monthly payments for households earning up to $150,000 per year  Clean Energy Tax Credits ($320 billion) for utility-scale and residential clean energy, transmission and storage, clean passenger and commercial vehicles, and clean energy manufacturing  Investments and incentives to address extreme weather (wildfires, droughts, and hurricanes, including in forestry, wetlands, and agriculture), legacy pollution in communities, and a Civilian Climate Corps.  Investments and Incentives for Clean Energy Technology, Manufacturing, and Supply Chains  Affordable Care Act Premium Tax Credits: Extend the expanded Affordable Care Act premium tax credits through 2025.  Allow Medicare to cover the cost of hearing. Bringing Down Costs, Reducing Inflationary Pressures, and Strengthening the Middle Class  $150 billion investment in housing affordability and reducing price pressures, including in rural areas.  Raise the maximum Pell grant, providing support to Historically Black Colleges & Universities ('HBCUs') and similar institutions  Earned Income Tax Credit for 17 Million Low-Wage Workers: Extend for one year the current expanded Earned Income Tax Credit for childless workers.  Stop Profitable Corporations from Paying Zero in Tax  Tax on stock buybacks by corporations  15% Corporate Minimum Tax on Large Corporations  1% Surcharge on Corporate Stock Buybacks  Global Minimum Tax: Consistent with OECD and with appropriate effective date for 15%, Country-by-Country  Penalty Rate for Foreign Corporations Based in Non-Compliant Countries (i.e. Base Erosion and Anti-Abuse Tax)  New Surtax on Multi-Millionaires and Billionaires with 5% surtax on income of more than $10 million  Close Medicare Self-Employment Tax Loophole by Strengthening the Net Investment Income  Investments to boost IRS Enforcement with focus on the wealthy And what got cut ...  Paid family leave  Two years of free community college  Medicare being able to negotiate prescription drug prices  Vision care via Medicare  Dental care via Medicare Advertisement

'Ive long said compromise and consensus are the only way you get big things done in a democracy. Important things done for the country. I know it's hard. I know deeply people feel about the things that they fight for. But this framework includes historic investments in our nation and in our people,' said Biden.

In his remarks, Biden also pointed to his own 2020 victory, where he pitched many of the ideas in the package, including funds for child care, climate change, and help for families with aging parents or young children.

'I campaigned on them. And the American people spoke. This agenda, the agenda thats in these bills, is what 81 million Americans voted for,' Biden said. 'Their voices deserve to be heard, not denied, or worse ignored.'

Without action 'we risk losing our edge as a nation,' Biden said.

'This is about competitiveness versus complacency. Its about leading the world or letting the world pass us by.'

He pointed out key provisions, including: an expanded child tax credit for families; funds for 500,000 electric vehicle charge stations; funds to cap oil leaks and methane wells; aide for people with elderly parents; pre-K funding; and tax provisions to target the wealthy.

'All Im asking is pay your fair share. Pay your fair share. Pay your fair share,' he said.

Biden repeated past statements that the package won't add to the deficit  after negotiators scrambled to assemble a series of new pay-fors, including some that emerged only in recent days.

'It will not add to the deficit at all. It will react to reduce the deficit, according to the economists,' Biden said.

Biden cited '17 Nobel prize winners in economics said it will lower the inflationary pressures on the economy.'

'Ive said before these plans are fiscally responsible. They're fully paid for. They don't add a single penny to the deficit. They don't raise taxes on anyone making less than $400,000 a year.'

The bill includes nearly $2 trillion in revenue raisers, and assumes $400 billion in savings from beefed up IRS enforcement alone. One new tax provision would provide a 5 per cent surtax on income of more than $10 million.

According to the White House the revenue-raising provisions would cancel out the new social spending and climate programs. The framework does not yet have bill language  and congressional scorekeepers cannot provide an estimate until that happens.

Biden's praise for the Build Back Better package came as a separate bipartisan infrastructure deal was also under threat.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi told her lieutenants to prepare for a floor vote Thursday. But without assurances on the social programs in the reconciliation bill, progressives appeared willing to bolt.

'Hell no on BIF'  the infrastructure bill  said Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib, as a number of fellow progressives indicated they wouldn't vote for it.

But amid the drama House progressives backed a resolution saying they supported the social spending framework, said Rep. Pramila Jayapal, the head of the House Progressive Caucus. That indicated the group's main concern was with sequencing the framework with the infrastructure bill  after raising fears it could get torpedoed after they vote for the bipartisan bill.

The House Rules Committee was set to meet on a procedure for the bill, just hours after the nearly 2,500-page bill text was posted on the committee web site.

Amid uncertainty about where Manchin and Sinema would line up  and their own vague statements  Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, a close Biden confidant, told CNN they were on board.

'This is a framework that they can work with,' Coons said. He added that he had just met with them.

Biden announced a new framework for his Build Back Better reconciliation bill Thursday morning and pleaded with congressional Democrats to pass it  for his benefit and their own.

'Everybody's on board,' Biden said as he arrived on Capitol Hill, after delaying his departure to Rome by several hours.

'It will not add to the deficit at all. It will react to reduce the deficit, according to the economists,' Biden said

Biden left without taking questions from reporters

But it was not clear Thursday that his assessment was accurate. Two key Democratic holdouts, Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, had yet to register their support for the new framework he released.

Sinema released a statement saying negotiators had made 'significant progress' and that she 'looks forward' to getting things done  but did not say she would vote for it or mention the specifics of the deal.

'After months of productive, good-faith negotiations with President Biden and the White House, we have made significant progress on the proposed budget reconciliation package,' she said in the statement. 'I look forward to getting this done, expanding economic opportunities and helping everyday families get ahead.'

Progressives, who were already sore over social programs that got tossed out of the bill, had yet to say they would go along with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's audacious play to try to hold a vote on a separate infrastructure package Thursday.

At a closed meeting with the House Democratic Caucus, Biden went well beyond a policy pitch  putting the need for agreement in terms of political survival.

He said he didn't think it was hyperbole to say that what happens in the next week could determine control of the House and Senate, as well as his presidency, Bloomberg News reported.

Manchin also held back. He told reporters that 'this is all in the hands of the House right now. I've worked in good faith and I look forward to continuing to work in good faith and that is all I have to say today."

He did not say that he would vote for the framework.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said Thursday the bill needs to be 'improved,' and appeared to get behind House progressives who continue to want to hold back supporting a bipartisan infrastructure bill until there is more evidence of a deal that can hold on the reconciliation bill.

'You need 50 members on board before there should be a vote, in my view, in the House,' said Sanders (I-Vt.).

The details of the framework still making their way around Washington, Pelosi told her members she wanted them to vote on the Separate infrastructure bill Thursday, Punchbowl news reported.

One idea would be for her to hold the vote, but then 'hold' the legislation back before sending it to Biden's desk, as a way to meet progressive demands that the $1.75 trillion reconciliation bill also moves. But it was not clear whether the requisite number of progressives  almost all of them are needed  would go along.

Earlier, White House officials detailed the fresh framework to reporters.

'We are confident that this historic framework will earn the support of every Democratic senator and pass the House,' a senior official said.

Missing from the $1.75 trillion framework - paid family leave, which holdout Sen. Joe Manchin was against, and allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices, which Sen. Kyrsten Sinema resisted.

'At the end of the day, there are not yet enough votes to get something across the line and will deliver what the people need and expect on prescription drugs,' an official explained.

The bill still contains a universal pre-K component, which would be authorized for six years.

Biden's climate agenda stayed intact.

And Medicare coverage would be expanded to include hearing services, something Sen. Bernie Sanders championed.

Sanders, however, wanted dental and vision to be covered by Medicare as well.

Some progressives were fuming when Wednesday when paid leave fell out of the framework, although many of them got behind the written framework that was announced.

En route to Rome, deputy White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre defended the move, when asked why it wasn't more of a priority.

'Its very much a priority. Thats why the president included it in his Build Back Better agenda. Right now, the president wants to move forward [with a bill] thats going to get passed. Thats going to get all the members that he needs,' she said.

Senators including Sen. Kyrsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) were continuing to try to lobby Manchin seeking a way to get it back into the package Thursday.

There was some awkward timing for the calculated decision to lose the provision. Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg only recently revealed he had been on family leave, offered as part of an administration policy, after adopting twin babies in August with husband Chasten.

President Joe Biden (left) arrives on Capitol Hill Thursday morning to meet with House Democrats after rolling out a new framework for his Build Back Better reconciliation bill. Biden delayed his travel to Rome by several hours to meet with lawmakers

President Joe Biden (right) shakes hands with House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (left) as he arrives at the Capitol Thursday morning to meet with House Democrats on the heels of releasing a framework he pledged would get his party on board the reconciliation bill

The framework should appease Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (left) as a prescription drug provision she didn't like was dropped, as well as Sen. Joe Manchin (right), who was against offering paid family leave

'The President will speak to the House Democratic Caucus this morning to provide an update about the Build Back Better agenda and the bipartisan infrastructure deal,' a White House official said Thursday morning in a statement before the visit. 'Before departing for his foreign trip, he will return to the White House and speak to the American people about the path forward for his economic agenda and the next steps to getting it done.'

As Biden arrived at the Capitol, he told reporters it was a 'good day.'

The meeting with Democrats lasted about an hour.

The drama all unfolded before Biden and First Lady Jill Biden took off on their trip to Rome, where Biden will meet with Pope Francis and other leaders on Friday before participating in this weekend's G20 Leaders' Summit.

He delayed his departure by several hours to meet with lawmakers.

The president had been hoping that Congress would vote on the Build Back Better reconciliation bill - which had originally been priced at a $3.5 trillion investment in 'human infrastructure' priorities and climate change provisions - before he left for Italy and Scotland.

In Glasgow, he will participate in the United Nations' COP26 climate summit.

Democrats have been forced to whittle down the package due to resistance from moderates Manchin and Sinema.

At the same time, Biden's $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill - which already passed in the Senate - is stuck in the House, as progressives pushed to keep social programs, like paid family leave, in the reconciliation bill.

The president on Wednesday night urged Democrats to wrap up talks and bring the social services and climate change bill 'over the finish line'.

Part of Biden's mission on Capitol Hill Thursday was convincing progressives, including members of the so-called 'squad,' that they should allow a vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill to go forward.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer indicated that a House vote on the infrastructure plan could come as early as Thursday, depending on the outcome of Biden's Capitol Hill meeting.

Pelosi told House Democrats that she wanted the infrastructure bill passed before Biden touched down in Rome later tonight, according to Punchbowl News.

Progressives fear Biden sold out to Manchin, whose coal country constituents want him to water down renewable energy plans.

'I am not going to sell out my district for a bill that was written by the fossil fuel industry and championed by two Dem senators who bow down to Big Pharma & corporate polluters,' tweeted 'squad' member, Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan.

Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota shared a similar sentiment.

'We did not come to Congress to watch our entire agenda get torpedoed by corporate lobbyists, billionaires, and coal company owners hellbent on screwing over the American people. Its time to bring to the floor a bill that prioritizes people over corporations,' she tweeted Wednesday night.

Keeping the climate change provisions in the bill should help Biden with that effort.

However, there is likely to be disappointment that paid family leave, and two years of free community college - another Biden campaign promise - were chopped.

Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona is seen on Wednesday, leaving a meeting with Joe Manchin and Joe Biden to thrash out the details of the bill

Rashida Tlaib, a congresswoman for Michigan, said on Wednesday that she was refusing to 'sell out my district for a bill that was written by the fossil fuel industry'

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has also expressed objections to the bill, saying she needed to see the details before she could vote on it

The White House also released Thursday how the Build Back Better bill would be paid for, including a new 'surtax' on earnings by millionaires that would raise an estimated $230 million over a decade.

The tax revenue raiser was a last-ditch addition to find funds for the overall $1.75 trillion package  after another last-minute idea, a 'billionaires tax' that went after investments held but not yet sold, was jettisoned.

The White House is selling the idea as a 'a new surtax on the income of multi-millionaires and billionaires,' who it notes make up the top 0.02 per cent of the population.

The 5 per cent surcharge goes on income over $10 million, with an extra 3 per cent surcharge on income of more than $25 million.

The plan says it also will close a 'loophole' that lets wealthy taxpayers avoid paying the 3.8 per cent Medicare tax on earnings.

The surtax came into the picture after Biden and several key Democratic senators came out publicly for the billionaires tax  only to have West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin throw cold water on it.

Dropped from the plan altogether are some of Biden's top revenue proposals: an increase in the top corporate tax rate, an increase in the top individual tax rate, and a tax hike on capital gains.

Although the corporate rate hike is out, the plan does slap a 15 per cent minimum tax on corporate profits for corporations with over $1 billion in profits, based on shareholder reporting. It would raise an estimated $325 billion over a decade.

'This means that if a large corporation says its profitable, then it cant avoid paying its tax bill,' according to a White House summary.

It also includes a 1 per cent surcharge on corporate stock buybacks  which executives and board members are able to support to 'enrich themselves rather than investing [in] workers and growing the economy,' as the White House put it. That provision would bring in an estimated $125 billion.

Another proposal would put a 15 per cent minimum tax on profits that U.S. corporations earn overseas, in keeping with a multinational agreement on a 15 per cent global minimum tax. It would bring in $325 billion, according to the White House.

For any of the hikes to happen, House and Senate negotiators must agree on final legislative language that passes through each chamber and gets signed by the president.

Manchin is seen with Sen. Elizabeth Warren in an elevator to the Senate chamber on Wednesday

The White House is also claiming $400 billion in savings from boosted IRS enforcement  which it says will target the rich.

'The Presidents plan will accomplish this through transformation investments in the IRS: hiring enforcement agents who are trained to pursue wealthy evaders, overhauling technology from the 1960s, and investing in taxpayer service, so ordinary Americans can get their questions answered. Additional enforcement resources will be focused on pursuing those with the highest incomes; not Americans with income less than $400,000,' it says.

The increases are designed to fulfill Biden's desire for the wealthy and big business to pay their 'fair share.'

They also fit his promise that no new taxes hit those earning less than $400,000 a year, or $450,000 for couples.

Biden wants his package fully paid for without piling on debt.

In the evenly divided Senate, Biden needs all Democrats' support with no votes to spare.

A Sunday deadline loomed for approving the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill or risk allowing funds for routine transportation programs to expire.
Sir David Attenborough today called on world leaders to listen to the science as he celebrated the debut of the polar research ship that was named after him.

The naturalist, 95, posed with the crew on the deck of the RSS Sir David Attenborough, formerly known as Boaty McBoatFace, in Greenwich on Thursday.

The RSS Sir David Attenborough is currently moored in London ahead of its first Antarctic mission later this year.

The broadcaster pointed to how quickly world leaders acted in response to evidence from British scientists in the 1980s of the damage to the ozone layer, agreeing the Montreal Protocol to phase out CFCs just two years later.

He said: 'We all know the magnitude of the dangers facing us in the immediate future.

'Would it not be marvellous to suppose that as a consequence of our discoveries, and science's discoveries, the nations of the world joined together and actually did something in this coming Cop?'

Sir David Attenborough, 95, posed with the crew on the deck of the RSS Sir David Attenborough in Greenwich on Thursday. Pictured, with Boaty McBoatface - a submersible named after a larger ship which was given the moniker after the result of a 2016 online poll

In a speech, Sir David (pictured) called on world leaders meeting for the Cop26 climate talks to listen to the science

He said he hoped the conference, which will be held in Glasgow from October 31, would take action. He wants nations to get together and listen to the science of what has to be done to avoid climate change.

Sir David said he was very proud and could think of no greater compliment than to be associated with the vessel.

A three-day public celebration is being held from today on board and in the National Maritime Museum, with 15 interactive exhibitions held following the ship's successful sea trials around the UK.

Secretary of State for International Trade, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, said: 'With COP26 only days away, it's incredible to see the new RRS Sir David Attenborough and hear about the world-leading and ground-breaking research it will complete in the Antarctic and Artic regions.'

Sir Patrick Vallance, Government Chief Scientific Adviser, said science was needed to treat the planet.

The RSS Sir David Attenborough is currently moored in London ahead of its first Antarctic mission later this year. Pictured, a member of crew walks aboard

The ship has been named after the popular naturalist and broadcaster. It has completed successful UK-based sea missions

Passersby stop to look at the ship as it docked in Greenwich ahead of its trip to Antartica later this year

The broadcaster (pictured) pointed to how quickly world leaders acted in response to evidence from British scientists in the 1980s of the damage to the ozone layer, agreeing the Montreal Protocol to phase out CFCs just two years later

He added: 'Through research, we can accelerate the technological, social and economic change needed to reach net zero and this wonderful ship and its scientists will play a significant role in furthering our understanding of the effects of climate change.'

Professor Duncan Wingham, Executive Chair NERC, said: 'The visit of our new ship the RRS David Attenborough to London, ahead of her maiden voyage to Antarctica, underlines our commitment to making our science accessible to everyone and provides an opportunity to reinforce the role and impact of outstanding research and innovation facilities to tackling complex climate challenges.'

Professor Dame Jane Francis, director of British Antarctic Survey, said the ship would take scientists into the heart of the polar seas. From there experts will try to find out how drastically the polar oceans and ice have been affected by humans.

Sir Patrick Vallance (pictured), Government Chief Scientific Adviser, said science was needed to treat the planet

Britain's new polar ship RRS Sir David Attenborough will make a special visit to Greenwich from October 28-30

A safety ring has the name of the ship, RSS Sir David Attenborough, written on it

The RSS Sir David Attenborough crew pose with a device named Boaty McBoatface

Workers inside the ship as the boat was docked in London's Greenwich ahead of a three-day stay on Thursday

Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser, chief executive of UK Research and Innovation said: 'The RRS Sir David Attenborough is one of the most advanced polar research vessels in the world and will transform how ship-borne science is conducted in the polar regions.

'It will provide scientists with state-of-the-art facilities to undertake crucial research into the impacts of global changes on our oceans, marine biodiversity and climate, and ensure that the UK remains at the forefront of polar science.'

Paddy Rodgers, Director of Royal Museum's Greenwich, said: 'Countless voyages of exploration started here in Greenwich, the home of time and navigation, and the RRS Sir David Attenborough and Ice Worlds Festival will start two more such voyages this weekend.

'The ship will play an important part in increasing our understanding of the Polar Regions and climate change.'
Former President Donald Trump released a statement on lambasting Democrats' now-failed billionaire's tax and said it would leave the country 'high and dry' on Wednesday.

The Republican, estimated to be a billionaire himself, suggested he'd leave the United States to avoid paying the penalty but then said he'd 'stick it out.'

Democrats put details of their new tax proposal forward early on Wednesday as a way to pay for President Joe Biden's Build Back Better agenda. It was quickly derailed by bipartisan concerns and questions over the plan's constitutionality.

It's since been scrapped in favor of a surtax on wealthy Americans making more than $10 million.

'What country will be the primary beneficiary from a Billionaires Tax, or Wealth Tax? Where will wealthy people and companies move to, leaving the United States high and dry?' Trump said in an emailed statement.

'Most dont need to be in the U.S. anyway. I know all of those very smartly run countries, and they are all thrilled by what the Radical Left maniacs are doing in Congress.

'I just wonder, will I be allowed to run for president again if I move to another country? No, I guess Ill just stick it out, but most others wont!'

Trump's net worth was estimated by Forbes to be about $2.5 billion

He released a statement on Wednesday bashing Democrats' proposed 'billionaire's tax'

The billionaire's tax was a proposal that would tax the ultra wealthy on the year-to-year value certain assets gain, while currently they only have to pay penalties at the time of sale.

Millionaires and billionaires generally borrow money against these assets to build more wealth while keeping their taxable finances low.

The proposed tax would have hit the gains of those with more than $1 billion in assets or incomes of more than $100 million a year. The rate would align with the capital gains rate, now 23.8 percent.

However, White House officials unveiled Democrats' revamped, now-$1.75 trillion plan that shows the tax is dead in the water after a steady stream of opposition.

Instead the new plan includes a new 5 percent surtax on Americans making more than $10 million per year, which is estimated to raise $230 million over a decade.

It also involves an additional 3 percent on incomes of more than $25 million.

The new plan would also close a 'tax loophole' that lets rich Americans avoid paying a 3.8 percent Medicare tax on yearly earnings.

Corporations making more than $1 billion in profits would see a 15 percent minimum tax rate, expected to raise $325 billion over 10 years.

When Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) released his doomed billionaire tax plan he estimated it would affect 700 of America's most wealthy taxpayers and bring in as much as $250 billion.

But even before the details were released, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell lambasted the billionaire's tax as a 'harebrained scheme' in remarks on the Senate floor Monday.

On Wednesday Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.) the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, said he told Wyden the billionaires' tax may be more difficult to implement than the route his panel took in simply raising rates on corporations and the wealthy.

Democrats put it forward as a way to pay for Joe Biden's Build Back Better spending plan

It was finally scrapped after objections from Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.V.), who along with Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) have been chipping away at Biden's progressive-backed Build Back Better bill.

Since negotiations with the two holdouts began the measure's price tag has been slashed from $3.5 trillion to around $1.75 trillion. After the White House released a new framework today it appears paid family leave and tuition-free community college are among those benefits that were pulled.

The billionaires' tax proposal had been designed to win over Sinema - but Manchin panned it as unfairly targeting the wealthy, leaving Democrats at odds.

'People in the stratosphere, rather than trying to penalize, we ought to be pleased that this country is able to produce the wealth,' Manchin told reporters.

Democrats' billionaires tax could face legal challenges The billionaire's tax plan involves paying penalties on wealth and unrealized gains - or assets that have gone up in value but haven't been sold for profit, as well as a tax on people whose wealth crosses $1 billion. Those could be considered 'direct taxes,' which the Supreme Court broadly defined in 1895 as fees on 'real property' like land and buildings as well as 'personal property' such as financial assets, stocks, bonds. Direct taxes are apportioned to each state according to its population. If a wealth tax raises taxes on a billionaire in California, the revenue must be apportioned across each state's direct taxes. That could leave poorer states with fewer rich residents in financial strain as the amount of money in their allotted share increases. The 16th Amendment to the Constitution carves out an exemption for income taxes. Billionaires fighting the tax in court could claim that taxes on unrealized gains and penalties on crossing the $1B wealth threshold do not count as income taxes. Advertisement

Manchin said he preferred a minimum 15% flat 'patriotic tax' to ensure the wealthiest Americans do not skip paying any taxes. Nevertheless, he said: 'We need to move forward.'

Less than 12 hours after a 107-page plan detailing the billionaire's tax was released, House Ways and Means Committee Chair Neal told reporters it was officially 'out of the Biden plan.'

He told reported on Wednesday afternoon, 'I think it's unlikely to come up [in the House] if it can't pass in the Senate.'

'There's a lot of angst in there over the billionaire's tax, and that wasn't prompted by anybody other than the issue.'

Wyden reportedly bristled at the statement.

'Last time I looked, the United States Senate has a say too. Were continuing to work with members,' Wyden said according to Business Insider.

'Not a single senator has come close to saying, "I think its OK that billionaires continue to pay little or nothing in taxes for years on end."'

David Williams, president of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, believed that the billionaire's tax plan couldn't exist in the current US tax system.

'First of all, we don't tax wealth in this country, we tax income, and we're going to have to change our tax system to accommodate this new billionaire's tax, and it's probably not going to raise the revenue that Congress thinks it's going to raise,' Williams said.

He also said the ultra-wealthy could take steps to avoid the tax the same way they exploit existing tax loopholes - adding that they could even leave the country to do so.

'Billionaires are good at two things: One, making money and two, avoiding taxes,' he said. 'They will find loopholes - they will find ways, whether it's to invest in trust funds or other assets that don't appreciate value to avoid paying this wealth tax.'

'Another potential is that the billionaires will leave the country and avoid the taxes completely. And that's the biggest concern, because if you're a billionaire and you're all of a sudden being hit with a wealth tax, you are going to go somewhere else, set up shop and add to their tax base, and take away money from the US's taxes.'

Trump's ranking had been dropping throughout his years at the White House and peaked in 2003

Trump has tumbled out of the ultra-exclusive Forbes 400 list of America's richest people this year for the first time since making it on in 1996, worth $400 million shy of this year's cutoff.

The former president is worth $2.5 billion, according to Forbes, after he lost $600 million of his fortune during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trump was ranked 339th last year. His highest ever position was at 71st in 2003, the year before he launched his NBC hit series The Apprentice.

But in March 2020, three years after Trump refused to divest from his name-brand real estate holdings, the coronavirus pandemic upended the economy.

Divesting when he took office in 2017 would have been an opportunity to diversify his assets, Forbes argues.

Even if he divested and paid maximum capital gains tax, investing the rest into wider portfolios like the S&P 500 could have left him 80 percent richer than he is today.

Instead, his narrow wealth portfolio was dealt a blow by the pandemic's particularly powerful impact on tourism and hospitality, as well as big city real estate prices.
A Pennsylvania school district that had banned clothing that was 'satanic in nature' is changing its dress code after being accused of religious discrimination.

The leader of a Delaware County satanic organization, Satanic Delco, claimed the Rose Tree Media School District - which reportedly permits religious expression - was isolating people with certain ideologies.

The dress code prohibited clothing and accessories that were sexually aggressive, advocate violence; promote tobacco, alcohol and drug use; contain obscene language, are disrespectful or are 'satanic in nature'.

'The idea that a public school would allow religious expression in school, but choose to single out and prohibit the expression of one specific religion was just so obviously unfair and unconstitutional,' Joseph Rose, founder of Satanic Delco, told ABC 6.

After nearly a month of communication with the organization, Rose Tree Media School District announced it was revising the verbiage in the handbook.

The former dress code prohibited clothing and accessories that were sexually aggressive, advocate violence, promote tobacco, alcohol and drug use, contain obscene language, are disrespectful or are 'satanic in nature'

Rose Tree Media School District is changing its dress code after being accused of religious discrimination (Pictured: Penncrest High School in Media, Pennsylvania)

Joseph Rose (pictured), founder of local organization Satanic Delco, led a campaign against the district, accusing leaders of singling out people with specific religious beliefs

'Although we have had no complaints or concerns brought forward by any student, parent, or resident we will remove this language from our current dress code information in the student handbook,' Superintendent Eleanor DiMarino-Linnen announced in a district-wide email.

Rose said he was made aware of the dress code by fellow Satanists who had a child attending Penncrest High School.

'As soon as I learned of it, it took me 10 seconds before I dropped everything that I was doing,' he told Patch, noting that he repeatedly contact the district until changes were made.

'I wasn't making a lot of progress. I think sending the message I wasn't going to stop made a difference.'

After nearly a month of pushing, DiMarin-Linnen responded to his complaints, Rose alleges.

'I have reviewed the language and agree that it could potentially restrict student expression and exercise of religious rights (although your organization appears to be secular in nature),' she allegedly wrote to Rose in an email.

Ultimately, the Rose Tree Media School District revised the handbook to say:

Students should not dress in a manner that advocates illegal or anti-social behavior.



Examples of prohibited items include, but are not limited to clothing, patches, buttons, pins, jewelry, and backpacks that:



 Have sexually suggestive writing/pictures

 Advocate violence

 Advertise or promote the use of tobacco, alcohol, drugs

 Have double meaning wording or obscene language/gestures  Are disrespectful

The words 'satanic in nature' were removed completely.

A law professor at nearby Villanova University argued that the district did the right thing but revising the code.

'I really do like the way they phrased it. They recognize that there could be religious beliefs that issue, not that there are, but there could be, and therefore they would take it out,' Ann Juliano told the TV station.

Rose said he was made aware of the dress code by fellow Satanists who had a child attending Penncrest High School

However, several Delaware County residents have expressed negativity towards to decision.

'I wouldn't want a Satanic or cultish anything on clothing in schools,' Lisa Cutrufello, of Clifton Heights, stated.

'It's like a free speech issue. Are they going to allow Nazis to be able to put symbols on kids' shirts and send them to school,' argued Donna Willis, of Media.

Meanwhile, Satanic Delco has launched a campaign against another area school, the Garnet Valley School District, whose dress code prohibits clothing with satanic or 'cult-ish' imagery.

Rose argues that advocating for religious equality helps educate others about their ideologies.

'It just sort of raises awareness for what Satanists are, what we're not, and maybe helps empower us a little when we have to reach out to the next high school, which I'm doing,' he explained.

Satanic Delco has launched a campaign against another area school, the Garnet Valley School District, whose dress prohibits satanic or 'cult-ish' imagery

According to the Satanic Delco website, the organization does not worship Satan but instead argues that beliefs should be based in material facts, not superstition (Pictured: Satanists as seen on the organization's Instagram account)

According to the Satanic Delco website, the organization does not worship Satan but instead argues that beliefs should be based in material facts, not superstition.

'We do not promote a belief in a personal Satan. To embrace the name Satan is to embrace rational inquiry removed from supernaturalism and archaic tradition-based superstitions,' the website reads.

'Satanists should actively work to hone critical thinking and exercise reasonable agnosticism in all things. Our beliefs must be malleable to the best current scientific understandings of the material world - never the reverse.'
CCTV footage caught the moment a young man assaulted a woman as she walked alone down a residential street.

In a video shared online, a man can be seen following closely behind a woman as she walks through Southall in west London, yesterday at 4.04pm.

The man approaches her from behind before using his mobile phone to record the moment he grabs her bottom.

The assault was caught on camera by a homeowner's CCTV camera.

The male in the video, recorded on Wednesday October 27, is believed to be a teenage schoolboy

Wearing a navy blue zip-up jumper and dark blue jeans, the unknown male sped up just before assaulting the woman.

She can be seen turning around to face him, as he immediately crosses the street and sprints to get away.

She swipes her arm backwards to move his hand off her bottom.

The footage from West London was shared by a Southall community group

After following closely behind the woman as she walked looking at her phone, he used his own mobile phone to record himself assaulting her

The woman swipes her arm backwards when the male touches her from behind, before he quickly runs away as she tries to get a look of him

Just after she turns to face him and he scarpers across the road, she quickens her pace, and seems to look like she is trying to see his face to help identify him.

The woman, who wore a black and white printed jacket with a red scarf, was focused on her phone when she was grabbed by the male.

While the identity of the attacker remains unclear, social media users suggested he was a teenager.

A statement from the Metropolitan Police said: 'Police officers have made an appointment to meet with a victim after she reported to police that a man had sexually assaulted her by touching as she walked along Ranelagh Road, Southall.

'The incident was reported to have happened shortly before 16:00hrs on Wednesday, 27 October. Enquiries are ongoing.'
An Environment Agency boss today warned Britons to not risk swimming in the country's rivers amid continuing concern over sewage being dumped into them.

John Leyland, the agency's chief of staff, insisted rivers were 'not there for human swimming' and were instead 'for the wildlife and the fish that live within them'.

It comes after data released by the EA agency shows that water companies dumped raw sewage into England's rivers and seas more than 400,000 times last year.

Environmental campaigners have also raised concerns that only 14 per cent of rivers in England are rated in 'good' ecological health and none meet chemical standards.

Mr Leyland spoke during an ITV documentary due to air at 7.30pm tonight looking at water quality following a spike in interest in wild swimming during the pandemic.

John Leyland, the Environment Agency's chief of staff, said rivers in Britain were 'not there for human swimming' and were instead 'for the wildlife and the fish that live within them'

During the programme, reporter Joe Crowley asked Mr Leyland if people should be wild swimming in rivers with evidence of raw sewage being dumped in them.

And Mr Leyland replied: 'The rivers that we have are not there for human swimming. They're there for the wildlife and the fish that live within them. And the current regulations require us to try and get the water to a health that's suitable for that.

'I think if we want to start talking about water that's fit for human health then that is a good conversation to have, but that is a much bigger conversation.'

Asked if it was a personal risk, he said: 'I don't swim in rivers and I would just advise everybody to use the information and data. I wouldn't advise anybody to take a risk.'

Campaigners for cleaner waters believe the decline in UK rivers is due to raw sewage being dumped there and water companies self-monitoring this since 2010.

A still from one the videos of a river used in ITV's Tonight documentary 'What's In Our Water?'

The programme looks at how just 14% of rivers in England are rated in 'good' ecological health

The firms carry out their own pollution testing and are expected by the EA, which is the regulator, to report how often they are dumping untreated sewage.

But pressure groups say the EA's enforcement budget has been cut by almost two thirds since self-monitoring was brought into action, meaning monitoring is limited.

Guy Linley-Adams, solicitor for the Salmon and Trout Conservation, said there is no incentive for some to report, adding: 'Frankly it's only human nature.

'If you're a sewage works manager in a small town and your boss in central office is giving you a hard time because the works has been having a bit of a problem and you get the chance to tweak to make it look a bit better, what are you going to do?'

During the programme, Mr Crowley also spoke to an unnamed whistleblower, who worked as a senior figure at one of the major water companies.

This map from Surfers Against Sewage, part of its Safer Seas and Rivers Service, tracks real-time combined sewage overflows and pollution risk forecasts, and monitors the water quality at over 400 locations around UK rivers and coastlines

The person alleged that it was easy to cheat and cut corners, saying that they knew when water inspections would take place.

The whistleblower said: 'Most of the time we wouldn't treat the sewage properly but when we knew a sample was due to take place then we'd start following best practices and use the chemicals so that our samples would pass.

'We'd always find a way to make the samples pass, it didn't matter how we got there ... if there was a way to save money and find loopholes, that's what we would do.'

A spokesman for WaterUK, which represents water companies in the UK, said: 'The water industry is one of the most heavily regulated sectors in the UK.

'Policies and procedures are in place to provide assurance that wastewater sampling is appropriate and accurate. All water company staff are encouraged to report any issues anonymously.'

This map from The Rivers Trust shows where sewage enters local rivers. The trust advises people to avoid entering the water immediately downstream of these discharges and avoid the overflows (brown circles), especially after it has been raining

ITV said its programme was not able to verify the whistleblower's claims.

The show will be broadcast as it emerged the UK's flagship environment legislation will fail to clear Parliament before the Cop26 climate talks begin in Glasgow.

Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg confirmed that amendments made by peers to the Environment Bill will be considered by MPs on November 8 - midway through the global climate event.

It is hoped the stand-off between the two Houses will end next month and the Bill can then receive royal assent to become law.

During the programme, ITV reporter Joe Crowley (pictured) also spoke to an unnamed whistleblower, who worked as a senior figure at one of the major water companies

On Tuesday, the Government climbed down over legal controls against dumping raw sewage into waterways following a backlash inside and outside Parliament.

The House of Lords backed by 213 votes to 60, majority 153, a proposal to place a new legal duty on water companies to 'take all reasonable steps' to prevent sewage discharges.

This enabled the Bill to be sent back to the Commons, where the Government will table its own amendment.

It will put a legal duty on utility firms to 'secure a progressive reduction in the adverse impacts of discharges from storm overflows'.

Tonight - 'What's In Our Water?' will be shown on ITV at 7.30pm this evening
The family of Alex Murdaugh's late housekeeper Gloria Satterfield are speaking out for the first time since he was arrested for stealing $3 million from them.

Satterfield, 57, died mysteriously in 2018 after a 'fall' at Murdaugh's home in South Carolina. She had worked for his prestigious legal dynasty family for 20 years.

After her death, Murdaugh promised her adult sons, Tony Satterfield and Brian Harriott, that he would 'look after them' financially. He had them file a wrongful death lawsuit against him with the goal of having his insurance company pay out a settlement, but he never gave the men the money.

Murdaugh is now in jail for that theft but he is also a person of interest in the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul, who died in June at the family's home.

Now, Gloria's sister and brother are speaking out for the first time since Murdaugh was jailed for stealing from their family, and since his family's name became nationally synonymous with murder, theft, drug addiction and mystery.

In an interview with NBC's Dateline that will air on Friday, Gloria's brother, Eric Harriott Jr., said: 'It ain't about the money. It's like she was a nobody, as much as she's done for him.'

Scroll down for video

Gloria Satterfield's sister Ginger (top left) and brother Eric Harriott Jr (center) spoke to Dateline along with their families. Gloria died in 2018 after mysteriously 'falling' at Murdaugh's home

'It ain't about the money... he treated her like she was nothing' said Gloria's brother

Gloria Satterfield died in the home of legal heir Alex Murdaugh (left) in February 2018 after working for the family for 20 years. He told her sons that she died of a fall. Now, they say they still don't know if that's what really happened

Gloria's sister, Ginger Harriott Hadwin, added: 'Did he have that going through his mind that day when we buried Gloria, and thinking, "oh, how much money am I gonna get? How can I get this?"'

Neither of Gloria's sons have spoken publicly but in lawsuits against Murdaugh, they lay bare how he took advantage of them as they grieved their mother.

To this day, the two sons say they still don't know how the fall caused her such horrific injuries that she died.

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is investigating her death now in light of a slew of other allegations against Murdaugh.

Murdaugh was arrested for theft and is in custody. He was denied bond yesterday

In an interview on Tuesday, after Murdaugh was denied bond, the sons' attorney Ronnie Richter cast doubt on the claim that Gloria died by falling down the stairs in the family's home.

'Death was first classified a natural death... there is nothing natural about a 57-year old-woman falling down a flight of steps and dying from a head trauma,' he told CBS in South Carolina.

After Gloria's death, Murdaugh promised to 'take care of' the boys financially.

The two sons, in a lawsuit filed last month, tell how they trusted Murdaugh as a respected South Carolina attorney whose family had been in law offices across the state for more than 100 years.

'Prior to her untimely death on February 26, 2018, Gloria had worked for Alex Murdaugh and his family as a housekeeper and nanny for over two decades.

'Gloria was told she was part of the Murdaugh family, and she believed it to be true. The Murdaughs are prominent and wealthy family based in Hampton County that for generations controlled the prosecutors office in Hampton County and were the prominent legal family in the area,' the sons' lawyer said in their suit.

It was before the murders of Murdaugh's wife Maggie and son Paul, before Murdaugh admitted to having an 'opioid addiction', before he stole money from his own law firm and unsuccessfully tried to have himself killed in a suicide-by-hitman plot to benefit his remaining son Buster.

'Soon after' their mother's funeral, he introduced them to attorney Cory Fleming and encouraged them to hire him.

'Tony and Brian trusted Alex Murdaugh and because of their trust in him, Tony and Brian retained Fleming and MKF to represent them,' the lawsuit states.

Neither son was aware that Fleming was Murdaugh's college roommate and 'best friend'.

Unsovled: The murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh (main) remain unsolved. Far left is the only surviving Murdaugh son, Buster

Fleming then appointed a banker, Chad Westendorf, to act as a representative on behalf of the sons.

They didn't know him and were also unaware that they could have acted as their own representatives, they said.

Westendorf was also the Vice President of Palmetto State Bank at the time and, according to the sons' lawsuit, he had used the bank in business dealings with Murdaugh and Fleming in the past.

Murdaugh paid Edward Smith to kill him in September but it was a botched job and he survived

The sons were unaware of the professional history between any of them.

Together, they concocted a plan for Fleming and Westendorf to file claims against Murdaugh for Gloria's death. Murdaugh agreed and said his insurance company, Lloyds of London, would pay out the claim.

They - without the sons' knowledge or consent - agreed to $505,000, according to the lawsuit.

On Janaury 7, 2019, Fleming received a check from Lloyd'sfor $505,000. That day, he wrote a check to Forge for $403,500.

Over the next two years, Fleming and Westendorf negotiated payouts of over $4million from the two insurers Murdaugh used - Lloyd's and Nautilus. None of those papers were filed in court, and the sons were never away of them.

'Tony and Brian first learned that money had been recovered from the death of their mother when it was reported in the press.

'To date, Tony and Brian have not received any monies from any claims or settlements with Murdaugh and his insurance carriers.

'Not one dime,' their attorney says.

The investigation into Gloria's death remains ongoing.

'SLEDs criminal investigation into the death of Gloria Satterfield and the handling of her estate is ongoing.

'No additional information is available at this time while the investigation is ongoing,' a spokesman told DailyMail.com on Wednesday morning.

Murdaugh, 53, has so far only been charged with stealing settlement money from the Satterfield boys but he is a person of interest in the investigation into his wife and son's murders.

Dateline airs on NBC at 9pm ET on Friday
Toys R Us is to make a comeback in Britain more than four years after closing all of its stores.

The retail chain, which has more than 900 physical stores in Australia and New Zealand, confirmed it is coming back to UK.

It could start selling toys online again to British customers in just weeks with the stores coming back from next year.

The retail chain, which has more than 900 physical stores in Australia and New Zealand , confirmed it is coming back to UK

The chain 'will start selling products in the UK online later this year through its existing e-commerce operations in Australia', according to magazine Kidscreen.

This means Britons could be buying Toys R Us toys online in as little as nine weeks time.

When the brand closed four years ago, many Toys R US fans were devastated about the news.

Britons could be buying Toys R Us toys online in as little as nine weeks time. Shoppers are pictured at a Toys R Us stand in 2017

Head of Toys R Us ANZ, Louis Mittoni, said: 'Since Toys R Us return to Australia in June 2019, we have scaled quickly as customers returned to the much-loved brand and our e-commerce model has proven its success.

'My team and I are looking forward to developing technical and commercial relationships with UK-based vendors and partners and to engage with the many loyal Toys R Us former customers and fans in the UK'.
A beloved Sydney handyman who went on the run for almost 30 years to dodge deportation until Covid made him homeless faces being kicked out the country.

Darko Desic, 64, broke out of Grafton jail using a hacksaw and boltcutters to avoid being returned to war-torn Yugoslavia.

He carved out a new life for himself as 'Dougie', the trusty handyman for local wealthy families in the beachside Sydney suburb of Avalon.

Desic managed to remain under the radar for decades by surviving on cash in hand payments and never going to a doctor or dentist, even pulling out his own teeth.

But Covid proved the end of his double life, and when all work dried up because of the pandemic, he was left homeless and sleeping on the beach.

Beloved Sydney handyman Darko 'Dougie' Desic (pictured) went on the run for almost 30 years to dodge deportation until Covid left him homeless but is still set to be kicked out the country

As winter closed in and torrential rain lashed Sydney in August, he finally gave up and turned himself in to police just to get a roof back over his head.

Avalon locals rallied to his cause when they found out his amazing back story and funded a defence campaign to keep him in Australia and get him back on his feet.

On Thursday, Desic pleaded guilty to escaping from lawful custody and was sentenced to two more months in jail.

But his defence solicitor Paul McGirr revealed Australian Border Force sent Desic a letter notifying him will be deported at the end of his sentence.

His legal team vowed to stop the deportation if they possibly can.

'Certainly I and a number of other people are going to fight for him because I just think it's unAustralian to kick someone when they're down,' Mr McGirr told the ABC.

'Bearing in mind he doesn't have the same country left to go back to, being Yugoslavia.

'He's a loved member of the community and he's one of us and we're going to continue to fight for him.

'Hopefully someone with a bit of common sense looks at that and says that. I just think this letter might have been generated automatically.'

Darko Desic, 64, (pictured in 1992) broke out of Grafton jail almost 30 years ago using a hacksaw and boltcutters to avoid being returned to war-torn Yugoslavia

Desic pleaded guilty to escaping from lawful custody and was returned to prison where he is serving the rest of his original jail term on a drugs charge.

Desic had served 19 months of a 33-month minimum term until his escape, and if clemency is unsuccessful he will remain behind bars until at least December 2022.

A plea for leniency to serve a community order instead has been sought from the attorney-general and governor-general, Mr McGirr said.

In the Central Local Court on Thursday, Magistrate Jennifer Atkinson acknowledged Desic had been a battler but said her hands were tied.

'He chose to take tools and break out of the custodial centre,' she said. 'I accept he had real fears what might happen to him.'

Mr McGirr told the court that Desic feared he would be returned to Yugoslavia in 1992 'as a deserter, or put on their frontlines it was almost a genocide.

'This is a man who has had 30 years blemish-free. He's had no Medicare, he's had to remove his own teeth, never seen a doctor,' he said.

'He's had this hanging over his head for all this time, not knowing when someone will knock on the door... someone coming across the sand dunes to arrest him

'In some sense, the sentence has been served.'

Defence solicitor Paul McGirr (pictured) revealed Australian Border Force had now sent Desic a letter notifying him will be deported at the end of his sentence

His coastal community had grown to 'love and respect' him so much a crowdfunding campaign has raised $30,000 for his legal bills and housing needs, Mr McGirr said.

Prosecutor Scott Williams said the case evoked a 'romantic idea' of Australian larrikinism' and escape from custody, and needed a full-time custodial sentence.

This was necessary to ensure other inmates contemplating breaking out knew they would be punished 'no matter how long after escape when captured, he said.

Under laws from 1992 when he escaped, Desic had faced a maximum term of 10 years in prison for the offence.

Sentencing him to the two extra months in jail, Magistrate Atkinson added: 'You have had a very tough time over the years but I have a job to do.'
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Drivers have been left stunned by a new roundabout built in their town after noticing it bears an uncanny resemblance to the Death Star from Star Wars.

Locals in Coalville, Leicestershire, spotted the unusual traffic island being installed on Grange Road by housing developers last week.

From the ground the unassuming roundabout just appears to feature ornamental walls with a single solitary tree.

But the force was strong with some residents who noticed that from an elevated position it looks just like the evil Galactic Empire's space station and superweapon.

Drivers have now joked of their fears that the 'Coalville Death Star' had descended on their town from a galaxy far far away.

 Slide me  Drivers have been left stunned by a new roundabout built in their town after noticing it bears an uncanny resemblance to the Death Star from Star Wars

From the ground the unassuming roundabout just appears to feature ornamental walls with a single solitary tree

But the force was strong with some residents who noticed that from an elevated position it looks just like the evil Galactic Empire's space station and superweapon

Teaching assistant Christie Bankhurst, 36, who lives in the town, said: 'I'm a big fan of the films so to get our own Death Star is really exciting.

'Hopefully it doesn't spell too much trouble for Coalville, although the shopping centre could do with being knocked down and rebuilt.

'I just hope our Death Star doesn't suffer the same fate as the one in the films as it's a really cool addition to the area.'

Other locals took to social media to react to their new roundabout with one person quipping: 'Be a shame for X-wings to blow up Coalville.'

Another added: 'You wouldn't want to over shoot that roundabout, you might get obliterated by the super laser.'

A third commented: 'Sometimes see some sinister characters in black hoodies hanging about round there. It must have been Darth Vader and the Emperor though.'

The Death Star was made famous by the Star Wars films - first appearing in 'Episode VI: A New Hope' in 1977.

It was a galactic space station and superweapon capable of destroying planets and was led by Peter Cushing's Grand Moff Tarkin.

The Death Star was created to blow up the planet Alderaan with its powerful superlaser before it was later destroyed by Luke Skywalker.

A second partially-completed Death Star appeared in 'Return of the Jedi' in 1983 before that too was destroyed by the Rebel Alliance.

The roundabout's likeness with the famed space station is not a coincidence though and is a deliberate homage to the town's links with Star Wars.

The area once made toys for the sci-fi film franchise at the Palitoy factory until it closed in 1994.

Drivers have now joked of their fears that the 'Coalville Death Star' had descended on their town from a galaxy far far away

The roundabout's likeness with the famed space station is not a coincidence though and is a deliberate homage to the town's links with Star Wars, as toys for the sci-fi film franchise were made at the town's Palitoy factory until it closed in 1994

Councillor Ozzy O'Shea, Leicestershire County Council's cabinet member for highways and transport, said: 'One of the planning conditions for the Grange Road housing development was that the developer come up with a landscaping scheme for the roundabout and the green space in front of the houses.

'The Death Star themed roundabout is rather unusual and we are pleased to see it is now fully operational -but not armed!

'It is a great way to celebrate Leicestershire's heritage - Palitoy, which made Star Wars figures for the UK market, employed hundreds of local people over many decades.

'The roundabout has been funded by the developers, Harworth Estates, and although we will adopt it after 12 months, as part of the highway, they will continue to be responsible for its maintenance.'
The grandmother of one of Gloria Williams' daughters has described the woman at the center of Houston's shocking child abuse case as being 'very unstable,' and accused her of failing to protect her six children, including the eight-year-old autistic boy who was beaten to death and left to rot in an apartment with his siblings for a year.

Williams, 35, has been charged with injury to a child by omission and tampering with evidence - a human corpse. A judge set her bond at $900,000 on Wednesday.

Melody Robinson, the paternal grandmother of Williams' 13-year-old daughter, who has had custody of the girl from age two, told KTRK the mom-of-six is 'not a mother' after allegedly turning a blind eye to her son's murder and her other children's abuse.

Robinson also revealed she is now caring for Williams' 17-year-old daughter, who allegedly had been kicked out of the house by her mother at age 15 and forced to live on the streets after trying to protect her brothers from abuse.

Williams' boyfriend, Brian Coulter, 31, is charged with felony murder in connection with the November 2020 beating death of Williams' eight-year-old son, Kendrick Lee. His bond was set at $1million.

The child's skeletal remains were discovered by the police on Sunday inside an unfurnished Houston apartment with soiled carpet, flies and roaches, where his three starving brothers, ages 15, 10 and 7, had been living alone with no blankets and surviving on junk food deliveries from mom and handouts from neighbors for months.

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Melody Robinson, the grandmother of Gloria Williams' 13-year-old daughter, who's been in her care from age 2, said the mom in the Houston House of Horrors case is 'very unstable'

This photos from four years ago shows Williams (left) and her mother (center), along with her six children. The boy in the colorful T-shirt is Kendrick Lee, who was beaten to death in November 2020

Booking photos released by the Harris County Sheriff's Office show Brian Coulter, 31, charged with beating to death his girlfriend's eight-year-old son. The mother, Gloria Williams, 35, is charged with starving and neglecting her children

Williams appeared in Houston court on Wednesday and was ordered held on $900,000 bond

TIMELINE IN HOUSTON HOUSE OF HORRORS CASE REVEALED: November 20-23, 2020: Brian Coulter allegedly beats eight-year-old Kendrick Lee to death inside apartment at CityParc II complex in Houston November 23: Coulter is arrested in Luling, Texas, and spends six days in jail after being discovered drunk and in possession of a gun at a convenience store November 29: Coulter is released on bail; weapons possession case against him is still pending March 2021: Coulter and Gloria Williams, Kendrick's mother, move out of CityParc II apartment, leaving her three sons to live alone with Kendrick's skeletal remains October 2020: Coulter allegedly attacks Williams' 10-year-old son, breaking his jaw; the boy receives no medical attention October 24: Williams' 15-year-old son texts his mother that he cannot do this anymore and calls 911 to report his brother's death; police arrive to discover the corpse in filthy apartment October 24, Evening: Deputies question Coulter and Williams, but let them go without charges October 26: Harris County Medical Examiner's Office rules Kendrick Lee's death a homicide, leading to arrests of Coulter and Williams; boyfriend is charged with murder, while girlfriend is accused of injury to a child by omission and tampering with evidence October 27: Judge sets Coulter's bond at $1million and Williams' at $900,000 October 28: Coulter makes first court appearance and agrees to bond conditions November 1: Williams appears in court and has attorney assigned to her November 5: Judge raises Williams' bond to $1.5million as prosecutors reveal she was getting $2,000 towards child care Advertisement

Authorities on Wednesday alleged that Coulter punched and kicked Kendrick to death around Thanksgiving Day last year, and Williams refused to report him to the police, claiming she was afraid her children would be taken away and she would end up in jail.

'For you, as a mother, to watch somebody do that to your child, that's not a mother. A mother doesn't do that,' said Robinson.

The grandmother said her son previously dated Williams for about three years, and at one point the whole family stayed with her, including Williams' two daughters and four sons, at least two of whom are autistic.

In separate interviews with Fox 26, KTRK and KPRC, Robinson said Williams did not have her life together and had refused repeated offers of help from relatives.

'Our job, as a mother, is to protect our children,' Robinson said. 'She failed that baby. She failed her kids in that area. She did not protect her children.'

Robinson said when Williams' youngest daughter turned 2 years old, the woman, who was pregnant at the time with her fourth child, contacted her, asking if she could take in her granddaughter.

Williams later gave up her parental rights to her daughter, allowing Robinson to take full custody of the girl.

Robinson revealed that she has recently received conservatorship of Williams' 17-year-old daughter, who she said had been ejected from her mother's home aged 15 after trying to prevent Coulter from abusing her younger brothers.

Robinson said the teen was forced to live on the streets for more than a year. When she ended up at the hospital, Childrens Protective Services contacted Robinson. Even though Robinson was not the girl's biological grandmother, she took her in so she could live together with her younger half-sister.

Family members of Gloria Williams say Kendrick Lee was autistic and mostly non-verbal

'The 17-year old-wanted to be with me and so the mom didnt want her and told me just take her and didnt want her back,' the grandmother said.

The grandmother said the two sisters would talk to their brothers on FaceTime. Williams' 15-year-old son never mentioned that their younger had died.

Williams' relatives revealed to KPRC that two of her sons were likely autistic, including Kendrick, who was described as mostly non-verbal.

'When he would come around our family, all he did was smile and be playful and laugh with you,' Williams' cousin Yasmin Creag said.

When Kendrick was born, Creag's mother pleaded with Williams to let her raise him, but she refused to give him up.

'We knew that with all of these kids, eventually, she was not going to be able to be the best parent she could be,' Creag said.

Relatives said that Williams kept them at an arm's left and would only reach out to ask for money. Whenever they would ask about their children's well-being, she would assure them they were fine.

'She kept saying theyre ok, theyre in school,' Creag said. 'We never had an apartment number. ...We didnt think anything of it.'

Law enforcement officials found William's three surviving sons, ages 15, 10 and 7, living alone with the corpse of their brother at the CityParc II apartment complex in Houston

Harris County Sheriff's Department officers are seen above at a Houston apartment complex on Sunday afternoon, after Williams' eldest son called 911

Kendrick Lee, the 8-year-old boy whose body was found decomposing next to his siblings, is pictured with his siblings in an undated photo

Linda Smith, the grandmother of one of Williams' young sons, told DailyMail.com in an interview on Wednesday that had she known what was going on, she would have adopted her grandson, Ja'Veon Kirklin, 7, along with his brothers.

Meanwhile, Coulter's family have released a statement, seeking to distance themselves from the accused child killer.

'We are deeply saddened by the events that have unfolded. This is not who we raised our son to be,' the Vasconcellos family said. 'Our hearts and prayers go out to those brave children....Our relationship with Brian has been distant for years.'

Coulter and Williams were arrested on Tuesday at a public library, where they were said to have been looking up news stories online about their own case.

During Williams' court appearance, a prosecutor read aloud a statement of probable cause, which revealed that three of the mother's surviving children witnessed their brother's fatal beating.

The children claimed Coulter struck the eight-year-old with closed fists and kicked him in his face, feet, back, testicles and buttocks.

Williams' 7-year-old son told deputies Coulter continued kicking Kendrick, who was lying on the floor and not moving, while staring at the younger brother who was in the room.

After Kendrick's eyes turned black and he stopped blinking, Coulter covered him with a blue blanket, the prosecutor stated.

When Williams entered the bedroom to check on her son and saw that he was dead, she began crying and fighting with Coulter.

Her 15-year-old son told investigators he believed his mother would call the police on Coulter, but 'she never did.' She then moved out of the apartment, leaving her surviving children with their brother's rotting corpse and without any adult supervision.

William's 10-year-old son told investigators that when Williams came by the apartment at a later date and lifted the blanket off of Kendrick, she found that 'his body, feet and teeth had turned into a skeleton,' and that 'his hair was off.' His decomposing corpse was said to have been covered with cockroaches.

The 10-year-old also claimed that Coulter would beat him as well, hitting him on the face, stomach, buttocks and legs, and broke his jaw three weeks ago.

When police arrived at the apartment on Sunday, they found the child with a swollen jaw. At the hospital the following day, the boy said that his mother 'was aware of the injury but did not seek or obtain medical aid for him,' the prosecutor said.

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Heartbroken grandmother reveals she would have adopted the four children had she known of horrific abuse

Linda Smith, 71, is the grandmother of one of Gloria Williams' five children who were abandoned in Texas House of Horrors

The grandmother of one of the young children who were abandoned and neglected by their mother exclusively tells DailyMail.com, 'I wish I would have known how bad of a situation those kids were in; I would have adopted all of the kids.'

Linda Smith, 71, said she is sickened by what Gloria Williams and her boyfriend, Brian Coulter are accused of doing to her children.

Smith sat down with DailyMail.com and shared pictures of Gloria's children, Jordan Lee, 15, Trevon Lee, 10, Ja'Veon Kirklin, 7, and deceased Kendrick Lee, 8. Smith revealed Williams has another child, 17-year-old Jasmine Rene Whitaker, who was not in the house.

Smith's son, Jonathan Kirklin, is the father of 7-year old Ja'Veon Kirklin. He has been in and out of jail for the last several years and hasn't been a part of his son's life.

'All of Gloria's kids lived with me for a short time in 2014, my son went to jail for about 6 months,' she said.

'I soon found out when my son was in jail and I was at work, Gloria would have different men come over to my house. I don't know what she was doing with them. As soon as I found out I confronted Gloria with it, of course she denied it. But I told her she and her kids had to leave.'

Kendrick, pictured in a much younger photo, is pictured with his mother Gloria

Smith said Gloria and her kids left the house and it was years before she saw Ja'Veon again, 'Gloria just disappeared.'

A few years ago, Smith said Williams called her and asked her to meet at a McDonald's and she brought Ja'Veon along for Smith to see. 'Looking back on it now, I think if I would have asked her, she would have let me adopt Ja'Veon. It was just a feeling I got.'

Smith said she found out about what happened to her grandson and Gloria's other children from the media. 'I'll adopt all of them. I'm heartbroken to hear what happened to them and especially Kendrick.'

'I regret kicking her out, I should have never done that. I've asked myself, What else have this kids gone through with all of the guys that have been in and out of her life? Were the kids molested, abused?'

At one point, Smith had to sit down in a chair because she said she was light headed and overcome with emotion over the situation.

After several years of not communicating, Smith said out of the blue Williams texted her on August 31st. Asking Smith if she had seen her son, Jonathan.

Smith replied back on September 9, 'Not lately. What's wrong.' Williams replied back, 'Nothing I just want to see how he doing.'

Smith then asked Williams how her grandson, Ja'Veon doing, which Williams replied, 'he doing good.'

Williams then told Smith that, her mother Hazel, was in the hospital, 'U know my mom in the hospital she had a stroke so she can't breath on ur own she been in the hospital for two weeks so I am going threw a hard time right now.

As Smith read the text aloud, she teared up, 'knowing what we all know now, she had the guts to say that? That she was going through a hard time, when her kids were being starved, one was dead and they were left to fend for themselves.'

'The Gloria I knew never would have done this to her kids, but it looks like she did, I guess you never know someone.'

Smith said that even though she hasn't spoken with any law enforcement, she confirmed the 8-year old son who was murdered is Kendrick Lee. The children are pictured with Hazel Williams, Gloria's mother

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Authorities said that the 10-year-old will require surgery to treat his facial fracture.

When questioned by detectives, Williams claimed that when she entered the bedroom around Thanksgiving 2020 and found Coulter beating her son Kendrick, she stopped the attack.

After discovering the next day that Kendrick had died, Williams claimed that she confronted her boyfriend, who 'stated he was sorry, that he lost it and punched him, and continued punching him until he went to sleep.'

Williams allegedly told investigators that she knew her son was dead a year ago, but she did not go to the police because Coulter had told her not to, and also because she was afraid that her children would be taken away and she would go to jail.'

During a press conference held by Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez on Wednesday morning, investigators said that Williams' the younger children had been subjected to 'consistent' beatings at Coulter's hands and were never allowed out of the apartment.

Williams and Coulter were arrested on Tuesday at a library, where they were said to have been reading news stories online about their own case

The children lived in deplorable conditions for months as they waited for their mother to call authorities to report that their brother had been beaten to death and left to rot. Investigators say the mother never made that call and the oldest surviving son, a 15-year-old, finally overcame his 'absolute fear' and called authorities on Sunday.

Just before he contacted the authorities, he was said to have texted his mother, telling her he could not take it anymore.

'For many agency veterans it was the most disturbing scene they worked in their entire law enforcement career. It seemed too horrific to be real,' Gonzalez said.

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Houston House of Horrors mom and her gangster-wannabe boyfriend with Family Over Everything tattoo were arrested by cops in a library while reading about their 'crimes' online

When Houston authorities went to arrest a local mother and her boyfriend for the killing of her eight-year-old son, they found the pair reading news stories about their own case at a library.

Officials with the Harris County Sheriff's Office said Brian Coulter and Gloria Williams were surfing the internet on Tuesday in search of articles about their alleged crimes.

The pair have been together for a couple of years and lived in an apartment in Westchase, located about 6 miles from the filthy apartment where deputies on Sunday discovered the skeletal remains of Williams' 8-year-old son, Kendrick Lee, alongside his three surviving brothers, ages 15, 10 and 7.

The arrests were made two days after law enforcement officials found Williams' three children abandoned inside a Houston apartment. Investigators also found a rotting corpse of Williams' eight-year-old son who had been dead for more than a year

Williams and Coulter have been together for a couple of years, and the woman called him her 'husband'

Recent social media posts show that Williams has been referring to Coulter as her husband, and the two even got matching 'warrior' tattoos.

Coulter's significant collection of body art also includes the words 'loyalty' and 'family over everything,' along with face tattoos depicting a cross and a dollar sign.

His Instagram page, which was last updated in August, shows the murder suspect posing up in his over-the-top jewelry, listening to hip hop and making unintelligible comments.

Williams also bragged about the baubles she had received from her 'husband,' stressing that all the items were real.

Coulter's Instagram page includes videos showing him posing up in jewelry, listening to music and making garbled comments

The phrase 'family over everything' is seen etched into Coulter's body

Court records show that neither suspect has a significant criminal history.

Coulter had been charged in 2011 with displaying a counterfeit inspection certificate, a misdemeanor, which was later dismissed.

Williams had been picked up in 2006 on a count of forgery, but it was ultimately dropped.

Court documents obtained by DailyMail.com indicate that the mom-of-six more recently had been charged for failing to enroll her children in school.

Alief Independent School District told KTRK that in 2019 and 2020, the school district filed truancy papers against the siblings' mother because two of them, Ja'Veon Kirklin and his older sister, were not attending school. The children were last enrolled in May 2020.

Both charges were later dismissed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Harris County Sgt Dennis Wolfford, who heads the Harris County's homicide unit, described Williams as 'an abuser by omission.'

The sergeant said that there is no evidence that the mom-of-six was a victim of domestic violence herself, and that she had a year to report her son Kendrick's murder and her other children's abuse, but she chose not to do it.

Instead, she and Coulter had moved out of the apartment in March and went to live at another apartment a few miles minutes away, leaving the three surviving siblings to fend for themselves.

'They were distancing themselves from their child,' Wolfford said of the couple. 'They know the entire time there is a dead body inside that apartment.'

The children last attended school in May 2020, according to the Alief school district.

Gonzalez said that Williams provided the children with some food, either by a delivery service or by dropping it off. But it was mostly junk food like noodles, chips and soft drinks, he said.

The image above shows a notice of removal of children left by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. According to the notice, state officials took custody of the three children on Sunday evening after police conducted a welfare check

Williams told cops she had not reported her son's death for a year because Coulter told her no to, and she feared her kids would be taken away

Authorities said it was not enough food for the children and some neighbors also fed them and charged a cellphone for them. But neighbors were unaware of the conditions the children were living in.

'One of the first things I asked them, are they hungry. They said they were ... They wanted doughnuts,' Wolfford said of his conversation with the children after authorities found them.

'They were very sweet children, very nice, very well-spoken,' Wolfford said, noting, however, that they had 'blankness in the eyes.'

He added: 'it was very sad. They are good kids.'

According to investigators, there had been no previous calls to service associated with the apartment where Williams' children lived alone with their brother's body.

Williams and Coulter were initially picked up by deputies on Sunday. They were questioned and released, leaving many people to wonder why they had been let go.

On Wednesday, Sheriff Gonzalez and Sgt Wolfford explained that they did not have sufficient evidence to arrest them in the immediate aftermath of the gruesome discovery.

The Harris County Medical Examiners Office on Tuesday ruled that Kendrick Lee, suffered multiple blunt force injuries, resulting in his death by homicide.
Ministers today announced they are removing the final seven countries from the Government's travel 'red list'.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Haiti, Dominican Republic and Venezuela will all be axed from the banned list from 4am on November 1.

However, the Government has insisted the 'red list' category will be retained as a 'precautionary measure' and countries will be added to it in the future if they suffer fresh coronavirus spikes.

The decision effectively means the Government will now mothball its quarantine hotels because they will no longer be needed.

Mr Shapps tweeted: 'All seven remaining countries on the red list will be REMOVED from Mon 1 Nov at 4am.'

He added: 'We will keep the red list category in place as a precautionary measure to protect public health and are prepared to add countries and territories back if needed, as the UK's first line of defence.'

The change will mean that double-vaccinated people will be able to return to the UK from every country in the world without having to take a pre-departure test or quarantine on arrival.

Travel bosses welcomed the move on hotel quarantine and said the industry 'will be breathing a sigh of relief', describing it as a 'significant step forward to normalising international travel'.

However, they also warned shelving the banned list rather than scrapping it entirely means it will remain a 'lurking threat' which could harm booking confidence.

Mr Shapps also announced that from next Monday the Government will recognise the vaccine status of people coming to the UK from a further 30 countries and territories, including Peru and Uganda.

That move takes the total number of countries on the inbound vaccination list to more than 135.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps today announced the remaining countries on the 'red list' will be removed from November 1

Mr Shapps said the 'red list' category will be retained as a 'precautionary measure' just in case countries need to be re-added to it

The latest changes will only apply to England, but the devolved administrations have recently implemented Westminster's proposals to the international travel rules.

Getting rid of the remaining 'red list' countries brings the UK into line with most of the rest of Europe.

Travellers arriving from 'red list' destinations are currently required to spend 11 nights in a quarantine hotel at a cost of 2,285.

The policy was introduced as part of border measures to reduce the risk posed by travellers returning from Covid hotspots.

But it has been blamed for contributing to UK travel firms struggling to recover from the pandemic.

The decision to remove the remaining countries from the 'red list' means the quarantine hotels will no longer be needed.

The Department for Transport said a number of hotel rooms will 'remain on standby' just in case the Government needs to 'quickly respond' to the emergence of a new coronavirus variant.

The review of the travel lists will continue to take place every three weeks.

Mr Shapps said: 'This is another step in the right direction for international travel with more good news today for passengers, businesses and the travel sector.

'Were continuing to make great progress as we recover from the pandemic and today is another example of how far we have come.

'Whether its reuniting family members or making it easier for businesses to trade, the success of the vaccine rollout both at home and abroad has allowed us to reach this milestone. However, we must not be complacent and remain ready to spring into action and defend our hard-won gains if needed.'

Gary Lewis, CEO of The Travel Network Group which represents more than 1,200 travel businesses in the UK, said: 'The travel industry will be breathing a sigh of relief now costly hotel quarantine is being scrapped for those returning from red list countries.

'It is encouraging to see further progress being made to remove barriers to free travel after 19 months of restrictions.

'We hope that this move helps to build customer confidence and reassure people that they can book trips and travel without the threat of costly or disruptive changes to their plans.'

Airport Operators Association chief executive Karen Dee said the removal of the final countries from the 'red list' category represented a 'significant step forward'.

She said: 'This is a welcome and a significant step forward to normalising international travel and should give people confidence to book.

'Recognising more countries' vaccination programmes is also a vital step forward in restarting inbound tourism and business travel, which supported nearly half a million jobs in the UK tourism and hospitality sectors pre-pandemic.

'Ultimately, we need to return to a situation similar to prior to the pandemic, in which people can travel without further tests or forms to fill out.

'The UK and devolved governments should aim for this as soon as is safely possible.'

Clive Wratten, chief executive of the Business Travel Association, said the changes are 'appreciated' but warned the ongoing existence of the list means it will remain a 'lurking threat'.

There are currently only seven nations on the 'red list'. They include the Dominican Republic, pictured on October 10

Peru is also currently on the 'red list'. The other nations on the banned list are Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, Panama and Venezuela

He said: 'The removal of all countries from the red list is appreciated. However, the lurking threat of further introductions to this list and the continued existence of quarantine hotels means that it does not give travellers the confidence that they need.

'Business travellers especially need to understand the criteria the Government is using to make these decisions. Businesses and livelihoods depend on a more open and collaborative approach from the Government.'

Mr Shapps announced on October 7 that he was removing 47 countries from the 'red list', moving them all onto the 'go list' from October 11.

The decision to now remove the final seven nations means double-vaccinated people can return to the UK from every country in the world without having to take a pre-departure test or quarantine on arrival.

However, travellers do still have to take a coronavirus test on the second day they are back.
Rising TikTok star and comedian Huey Haha passed away at the age of 22 on Monday

Popular TikTok star and rising comedian Huey Haha died on Monday at the age of 22, a friend revealed on his Instagram page.

The comedian, whose real name was Huey Ha, was a social media celebrity whose sketches included jokes about guns, weed and cancel culture. He had racked up more than 4.5 million views on TikTok and his YouTube page had nearly 450,000 Youtube subscribers.

The announcement of his death was posted on his Instagram page on Wednesday and a GoFundMe page was organized by his friend Coby Jdn.

His cause of death was not revealed and his TikTok page has since been shut down.

The comic, from Stockton, California, leaves behind a two-year-old daughter Princess Ha whom he shared with his former girlfriend Heather Saizon.

In one of Haha's sketches, he was seen handling multiple bags of weed

Haha was also captured putting a wad of cash into a plastic bag and even removed a gun from his pocket

His death had been announced on Wednesday through Instagram with the cause still unknown

The Instagram tribute to Haha had been posted on his personal page with a picture of the GoFundMe page organized by Jdn.

'Rest in peace to Huey Ha,' the post had read. 'Huey Ha passed away October 25, 2021.

'He loved and appreciated every single one of his supporters.

'This is the official gofundme all proceeds will go towards funeral costs and his daughter.'

The page has currently raised $32,880 as of Thursday morning, exceeding its $15,000 goal.

'Used to saying RIP but this hurt the most we always hated comedy cuz all people see is laughs, not what we hadda do or go through,' Haha's friend Jdn posted on Instagram.

'They already took the fun out the comedy but now its not gon be the same without you. We love you brother see you in the future.'

Haha was paid in tribute by his friend Coby Jdn (left) who had organized a GoFundMe page for the late comedian

The Go Fund Me page was organized to raise funds for Haha's funeral and two-year-old daughter Princess

Haha had been praised by both his friends and fans for his tribute to comedy and representation of the Asian American community.

He posted his content on social media platforms such as TikTok, which has been taken down, and on YouTube.

Over the course of two years, he had amassed more than 100 million combined views on YouTube and 4.5 million on his TikTok page for his short situational comedy skits.

Besides comedic content, Haha regularly posted pictures with his girlfriend Heather, mother, and his daughter Princess Ha.

He also spoke about loving being a father, which was featured on Jdn's tribute post.

'It's just great dude, like, I just love it so much,' Haha had said.

'I love it when I come home and then my daughter, she just comes running to the door and she just screams like 'ahhhh!' and then she runs around in a circle and she comes back and she hugs me.

'It's like the best feeling, bro. You don't really understand, like, fatherhood, until you're in that. It's really true.'

Haha was survived by his daughter princess who he shared with former girlfriend Heather Saizon

Social media users, which included a couple of celebrities, paid tribute to the late Haha in the comments of the Instagram tribute.

Celebrities such as Hamilton Daveed Diggs had commented saying 'So sorry bro' and California-based rapper Mozzy even announced he wanted to contribute funds for Haha's funeral.

Other fans and users also had paid tribute on Haha's Instagram page.

'Damn bro. Wish I could've got back to ya, yo videos gone live on #GOAT,' @babyyungin commented.

'Omg Huey I am so, so sad youre gone. So grateful we got to meet and film together before you passed. Your legacy will live on,' @mitchellnikole commented.

'Nooooooooo ! Rest In Peace to my lil homie . Sending love and positive energy your families way,' @berner415 also commented.
Members of an Oregon school board were forced to flee their headquarters and hold a public meeting online to discuss a vaccine mandate for students 12 years and older after about 100 anti-vax protesters crashed the session and refused to wear masks.

The flareup comes as tensions rise at school board meetings around the country over topics like critical race theory, coronavirus precautions and transgender bathroom policies.

Attorney General Merrick Garland has promised more law enforcement resources to address the increasing threats targeting school board members, teachers and other employees in the nation's public schools - a directive that has sparked outrage from parents and Republican politicians who fear a crack down on free speech and personal rights.

The in-person Portland Public Schools board meeting was suspended on Tuesday after sign-wielding, anti-vax protesters refused to comply with the requirement that masks be worn inside the district headquarters building.

A Proud Boy Chris Tough (pictured) in attendance yelled 'You're all cowards!' at the board members

A woman attending a Portland Public Schools (PPS) School Board meeting is surrounded by anti-vax signs

Anti-vax protestors pictured at a Portland Public Schools (PPS) School Board meeting in Portland, Oregon on Tuesday

Prior to the meeting, unmasked attendees were not allowed into the PPS district building because they refused to wear face coverings. Others wearing masks who entered the building quickly ripped them off, which spurred PPS board chair Michelle DePass to warn attendees to mask up or else the meeting would come to an end, opb.org reported.

'I'd like to give everyone an opportunity to put a mask on, to protect staff, students, and all of us that are here,' DePass said. 'If we can't get 100% compliance, I'll adjourn the meeting in the next two minutes.'

When some attendees refused, the meeting was suspended, a decision that was met with anger and led to some people, including a Proud Boy in attendance named Chris Tough, to yell 'You're all cowards!' at the board members, wweek.com reported.

The meeting was reconvened online a short time later.

Anti-vax protestors carried signs into the meeting including one that read 'I do not consent to your drug experiment- my child, my choice'

A masked up young girl attends the Portland Public Schools board meeting on Tuesday

Attorney General Merrick Garland has come under fire over a directive the DOJ issued promising more law enforcement resources for schools at school board meetings

Clashes break out at school board meetings across America The president of a California board of education was caught on mic swearing during a meeting this week after a parent raised concerns over mandates in response to Covid-19. Marlys Davidson, who is the president of the Los Alamitos Unified School District Board of Education was picked up by a microphone cursing during the meeting. Lauren Roupoli raised concerns over mandates placed on students requiring them to wear masks in class. ---------------------------------------------------- A Minnesota school board chairwoman stirred outrage after she demanded that parents announce their home address if they want to speak at public meetings - the latest flashpoint in the ongoing battle over the right to question administrators about COVID restrictions, CRT curriculums or any other controversial topics. Jodi Sapp, the chairwoman of the Mankato school board, opened the meeting on October 18 by telling parents they cannot ask any questions unless they revealed their home address, according to the now viral video. 'Each speaker is asked to state his or her name and home address for the record. Failure to do so will result in an individual not being allowed to speak,' Sapp read aloud. Advertisement

The school board meeting was another outlet for outraged parents to express their thoughts on vaccine mandates, but it has also drawn the attention of far-right groups not affiliated with the parents.

According to wweek.com a political group called 'People's Rights,' founded by Idaho anti-government militant Ammon Bundy, sent out a massive email asking protesters to attend the meeting.

Of the nearly 100 protesters, some were from outside Portland and traveled from elsewhere in Oregon and Washington state, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported.

However, many of the protesters who did attend were not affiliated with the group and many in attendance said they do not associate themselves with the far-right group, the paper reported.

'It's about freedom of choice. In Oregon we have exemptions. We have philosophical, religious, medical exemptions,' PPS parent Sonja Feintech told Fox 12. 'That should be the end of it. There's no reason why a school board should be mandating anything.'

But despite the clash of opinions from parents and protesters, students seemed to be on board with the vaccine mandate.

Earlier in the day, about 500 students staged a walkout in favor of the proposed vaccine mandate and students who attended the meeting said the majority of their peers believe a vaccine mandate should be implemented.

'I wanted to make sure that the district knew that there is strong support for this,' Grant High School senior Lillie Stewart said. 'I haven't personally heard any students that I actually go to school with who have verbally stated their opposition to a vaccine mandate.'

The board is set to vote on the proposed mandate at its next meeting on November 2.

The skirmish in Portland follows battles between school boards and parents from coast to coast.

The president of a California board of education was caught on mic swearing during a meeting this week after a parent raised concerns over mandates in response to Covid-19.

Marlys Davidson, who is the president of the Los Alamitos Unified School District Board of Education was picked up by a microphone cursing during the meeting.

Lauren Roupoli raised concerns over mandates placed on students requiring them to wear masks in class.

In Minnesota, school board chairwoman stirred outrage after she demanded that parents announce their home address if they want to speak at public meetings.

And in Loudon County, Virginia, the school board has come under fire for its handling of sexual attack in in a girls bathroom by a boy wearing a skirt.

During a Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday Sen. Tom Cotton tore into AG Garland, telling him to 'resign in disgrace,' after questioning him over his directive to add more law enforcement resources for schools at school board meetings.

Cotton asked about a Loudoun County father who was dragged out of a school board meeting and arrested as he tried to tell the room his 15-year-old daughter had been raped by the boy dressed in a skirt at Stone Bridge High School in the girls' bathroom.

Scott Smith says Loudoun County schools went out of their way to protect the child - who he called 'a sexual predator'.

Smith accused the school of covering up the incident to protect its new policy allowing students to use the bathroom they identify with.

The incident reportedly took place on May 28 and Scott was arrested on June 22.

Two months after the incident, the boy - who has not been named because he is a juvenile - was arrested for forced sodomy.

And in October, he was arrested again on different charges for allegedly assaulting a different girl, at a different school. He is now in a juvenile detention center.

The boy was charged with two counts of forcible sodomy for the May 28 attack and sexual battery for the October 6 attack, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office said on Oct. 13. The Sheriff's Office released the statement to clear up 'misinformation' regarding the case.

On Tuesday the boy was found guilty of forcible sodomy and forcible fellatio, and will return to court on November 15 for sentencing.

Scott and his wife Jessica Smith are now suing the county over the alleged attempted coverup.

'Do you apologize to Scott Smith and his 15-year-old daughter, judge?' Cotton asked Garland. Cotton said that controversy had prompted the DOJ's stepping in.

Garland went on to say rape is 'the most horrific crime I can imagine' and that Scott is 'entitled and protected by the First Amendment.'

'This is shameful. Your testimony, your directive is shameful. Your performance is shameful,' Cotton shot back.

In his memo, Garland said there had been 'a disturbing spike in harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence against school administrators, board members, teachers, and staff who participate in the vital work of running our nations public schools.'

Garland's directive to the Justice Department came after the National School Boards Association, which represents school board members around the country, asked President Joe Biden for federal assistance to investigate and stop threats made over policies including mask mandates, likening the vitriol to a form of domestic terrorism.
More than 200 people have claimed to have seen missing girl Cleo Smith in just the few days after a $1 million reward was offered to find her.

The four-year-old mysteriously vanished from a family camping trip on October 16 sparking a nation-wide search.

Detectives believe she was snatched by a predator from her tent at a campsite near Carnarvon in Western Australia as she slept alongside her parents and baby sister.

The family and police begged for information and more than 200 Australians have since responded with leads from around the country.

Pre-schooler Cleo Smith (pictured dressed up as an astronaut) is still missing after vanishing from a camping ground in remote Western Australia almost two weeks ago

However, Detective Superintendent Rod Wilde, who is leading the investigation, said none of the reported sightings turned out to be the little girl.

'Unfortunately all of those have proved unfruitful,' he said.

'That's been national as well, other policing jurisdictions have helped us and followed those leads through for us, so we're very grateful for that.'

Cleo's mother Ellie Smith posted another heartbreaking video on Instagram urging the public to contact police if they have any information about her disappearance.

The family has also been targeted by sick Facebook trolls bombarding them with 'disgusting and horrible' comments.

The blonde-haired girl was last seen sleeping alongside her mother, step father Jake Gliddon and younger sister Isla in a tent at the Blowholes camping site, near Carnarvon in the northwest of the state.

Cleo's mother Ellie Smith (pictured together) posted another heartbreaking video on Instagram urging the public to contact police if they have any information about her disappearance

Police initially believed Cleo simply wandered off at the remote campsite, but investigators are now convinced she was snatched in the dead of night by a child predator.

Investigators scoured the area, conducting sea, air and land searches, but there was no sign of the missing child and police admit they have no 'concrete' suspects.

But Superintendent Wilde said more than 100 campers who stayed at the Blowholes site have been interviewed by police.

'We do however believe there are still other campers that were staying in that Blowholes vicinity who we have not yet identified,' he said.

Police are also still scrambling to find a car witnesses say was travelling in the vicinity at the same time where Cleo disappeared.

The blonde-haired girl (pictured) was last seen in the early hours of October 16, sleeping alongside her mother, step father Jake Gliddon and younger sister Isla in a tent at the Blowholes camping site (pictured), near Carnarvon in the northwest of the state

Detective Superintendent Rod Wilde (pictured) who is leading the taskforce into the mysterious case, said there have been over 200 tip-offs claiming to have seen the four-year old

The vehicle was turning south off Blowholes Road, near the area Cleo's family was camping, and headed for Carnarvon.

The timing of the car sighting coincides with evidence from other campers that they heard the sound of screeching tyres rapidly leaving the campsite about 3am.

The witnesses were travelling north on the North West Coastal Highway on their way to work when they spotted the mysterious car leaving the camping ground.

They were unable to give a description of the car or how many people were inside as it was too dark.

While investigators have scoured the Blowholes area (pictured) conducting sea, air and land searches, there has been no sign of the missing child and police admit they have no 'concrete' suspects

The mother of Cleo Smith (pictured dancing in her living room) has shared a heartbreaking video showing her missing girl laughing and playing before she was abducted

Her mother posted another heartbreaking video to social media showing Cleo dancing as a ballerina in a pink dress.

The Instagram story also featured the child with pig-tails dressed as an astronaut and later holding a cupcake with a sparkle inside.

'My kind hearted baby girl, mummy wants you home,' the post said.

'If you know anything please call the police!'

But as the family is reeling in pain and anguish, sickening internet trolls attacked the couple by sending them abusive messages and blaming them for Cleo's disappearance - despite police ruling them out as suspects.

Police are also still scrambling to find a car witnesses say was travelling in the vicinity at the same time where Cleo (pictured playing a xylophone) disappeared

Cleo's mother Ellie Smith (pictured) urged the public to contact police if they have any information

A friend of the family, who did not wish to be named, and was exposed to the flurry of hatred, told the West Australian the insensitive and hurtful posts were an 'utter disgrace'.

'Most of the Facebook comments are being made by parents themselves and I think that's disgusting,' he said.

'Just imagine if it happened to them and they had to read all these horrible comments during undoubtedly the hardest time of their lives.

'The police have cleared Jake and Ellie from being suspects. I have known them for years and I can tell you they are the best people I know and my heart aches for them.

'They did not have anything to do with this and those sitting behind their keyboards should just leave this poor family alone.'
Swimmers have been warned to stay away from a Welsh beach after sewage was pumped into the sea nearby.

Human waste was discharged from a sewer overflow at Traeth Benllech on Anglesey within the last 48 hours.

It comes just a day after ministers U-turned to insist water firms will be punished for overflowing sewers.

Peers had proposed an amendment to the Environment Bill last week in an attempt to cut pollution. But a subsequent Commons vote saw Tory MPs vote down the new law, sparking a backlash from eco-campaigners.

The House of Lords was expected to reinstate its amendment to the Bill last night  forcing ministers to backtrack.

Surfers Against Sewage issued a pollution alert for the Anglesey beach on a map that tracks combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and pollution risk forecasts (PRFs).

Human waste was discharged from a sewer overflow at Traeth Benllech (pictured) on Anglesey within the last 48 hours

Meanwhile, drone footage emerged on Monday showing untreated sewage pouring into Langstone Harbour in Hampshire between October 20 and 22.

Facing defeat in Parliament, Environment Secretary George Eustice pledged an amendment to enshrine in law a new duty to ensure water companies secure a progressive reduction in the adverse impacts of discharges from storm overflows.

Combined sewer overflows are safety release valves that pump out human waste from the sewage system into rivers or the sea during periods of heavy rainfall to prevent waste from backing up into homes.

They have been the subject of public debate over the past week after Tory MPs voted against an amendment to the Environment Bill that would have put a legal duty on water companies to stop raw sewage from being dumped into waterways.

Every Conservative MP in north Wales voted against the amendment, apart from Wrexham MP Sarah Atherton who did not register a vote.

Water companies will be forced to slash the amount of sewage they pump into rivers and seas following a U-turn by ministers. It comes after video showed untreated waste pouring into Langstone Harbour in Hampshire for 49 hours (pictured)

Yesterday, however, the UK Government U-turned and announced that legal controls will be placed on water companies that dump raw sewage in rivers and the sea after a significant backlash.

An interactive map by the Rivers Trust shows where the sewerage network discharges and overflows into rivers. The brown spots mark the locations where spills have occurred over the past 24 hours.

The larger spots represent the areas where there have been over 100 spills in that period.

They show sewage spills across parts of several major north Wales rivers, including the Afon Dyfrdwy (River Dee) and Afon Conwy.

The Rivers Trust says that people should 'avoid entering the water immediately downstream of these discharges and avoid the overflows (brown circles), especially after it has been raining'.

Swallowing water contaminated by sewage can make people sick as it can contain risk bacteria such as salmonella and E.coli.

An interactive map by the Rivers Trust shows where the sewerage network discharges and overflows into rivers. The brown spots mark the locations where spills have occurred over the past 24 hours

Diseases such as hepatitis A and leptospirosis have also been linked to sewage water.

A D*r Cymru spokesperson said: 'Our combined storm overflows (CSOs) play an essential role in stopping sewage from backing up into customers' properties during periods of heavy rain. They are designed to release storm waters into rivers or the sea and their operation is highly regulated and closely monitored by our regulator Natural Resources Wales.

'Due to the heavy rainfall seen in the Benllech area on Wednesday, we had a consented spill from our CSO in Benllech. This is fully compliant with our operating permit from NRW.

'We are committed to being open and transparent with our spill data and provide real time spill information on identified beaches, which includes Benllech, to interested groups to notify them of a spill'.

Footage shot last week showed untreated sewage being released from the Budds Farm treatment plant, run by Southern Water, from a 7ft-wide outfall into Langstone Harbour, a conservation area in Hampshire.

Alex Ford, professor at the Institute of Marine Science at the University of Portsmouth, told MailOnline crabs in the harbour have low sperm counts because of the sewage.

He said: 'Some chemicals which come out with wastewater discharges are accumulating in our wildlife such as whales and dolphins.

'These include plastic additives, flame retardants and the non-stick/stain chemicals from frying pans and fabrics.

'We often think of sewage as faeces but it's also all our washing liquids, powders, shampoos and shower gels and the pharmaceuticals (e.g. antidepressants) we excrete.

'We have studied sperm counts in Langstone Harbour where the drone footage was taken and discovered that the crustaceans have low sperm counts.'

Untreated sewage has been pumped into coastal waters and rivers in England more than 400,000 times in the last year, according to the Environment Agency.

CORNWALL: The Red River is turned a disgusting brown colour thanks to sewage

NORFOLK: The water looks filthy as pollution flows into the River Gaywood

BOGNOR: Floating sewage off the coast of the West Sussex seaside town of Bognor Regis

HAMPSHIRE: A pipe, pictured running through the water left, pumps out waste

The Governments move, although a major climbdown, still did not go quite as far as the rebels wanted. They wanted to see a total elimination of sewage discharge, but ministers said this would be unaffordable  costing up to 600billion.

Instead a compromise has been reached  a reduction in sewage discharge rather than its total elimination.

Meanwhile, critics have accused the water industry of paying massive dividends and salaries after it was taken over by private equity and foreign investors.

Activists have claimed the billions of pounds that companies have handed out in dividends and executive pay packets in recent years should have been spent upgrading the countrys Victorian sewers.

Since the sector was privatised in 1989 companies have paid out close to 60billion in investor handouts  close to 2billion per year, according to research from the University of Greenwich.

This map from Surfers Against Sewage, part of its Safer Seas and Rivers Service, tracks real-time combined sewage overflows and pollution risk forecasts, and monitors the water quality at over 400 locations around UK rivers and coastlines

Surfers during a protest in the water near Bournemouth Pier. The beach was one of several beauty spots along the south coast of England where human waste was spilled

The bosses of the UKs leading water companies scooped 13million in pay and bonuses last year, despite their firms discharging raw sewage into Englands rivers 400,000 times.

Six of the UKs nine main water and sewage companies are owned by investment groups based offshore.

Peers backed by 213 votes to 60, majority 153, a move to place a new legal duty on water companies to 'take all reasonable steps' to prevent sewage discharges.

This allows the Environment Bill to be sent back to the Commons where the Government will table its own amendment and will put a legal duty on utility firms to 'secure a progressive reduction in the adverse impacts of discharges from storm overflows'.

Labour's Shadow Environment Secretary, Luke Pollard, said Defra had been forced into the change due to 'public outcry' rather than out of care for the environment and said 'this screeching U-turn will do little to convince the public that the health of our rivers, rather than the health of Conservative polling, is at the forefront of ministers' minds'.

Liberal Democrat spokesperson for rural affairs Tim Farron said Conservative MPs had 'arrogantly ploughed on with supporting a law they knew would do nothing to protect our treasured rivers', adding they 'owe their constituents an apology'.
A Philadelphia man was caught on video trying to abduct a 2-year-old boy in the middle of the day, as police continue to search for the suspect.

Surveillance cameras captured the shocking moment the man approached the boy, who was walking on N 11 Street with his mother on October 17.

The suspect is seen making a grab for the child, but the boy's mother fought back and threw her keys at the man.

The suspect tried to rip the 2-year-old boy away from his mother in broad daylight

The mother was able to fight off the man by throwing her keys at him

She was able to pull the toddler to safety as the man backed off momentarily

The mother said the man continued to follow her and the toddler until they reached a local church. Philadelphia police are actively looking for the suspect

She told Fox 29 that the man claimed to be the boy's father and continued to follow her and the child until the got to safety at a local church.

'By the time I got into church, my heart was going. I was a nervous wreck. I was crying,' she said.

The man allegedly threw a bag at her before trying to kidnap the toddler, the mother, who has not been publicly identified yet, said.

Philadelphia police are actively searching for the suspect and describe him as a black man in his mid 30s, who is about 5-feet-11-inches tall. He was wearing maroon sweatpants and a navy blue shirt and appeared to have a back brace or light jacket tied around his waist at the time, police said.

This is not the first incident of a broad-daylight attempted abduction across the U.S. as of late.

A similar incident took place earlier this month in New York City, when a three-year-old girl was almost kidnapped by a homeless man in the middle of the day.

Shocking video footage shows the moment when the vagrant, Santiago Salcedo, 27, attempted to make off with the youngster who was walking with her grandmother and two brothers in the Bronx.

A homeless man tried to abduct a little girl walking with her grandmother in the Bronx in broad daylight on Monday

The man wrapped the little girl in a comforter and snatched her from the sidewalk

Surveillance camera footage shot at a gas station shows the woman walking with the three children just as Salcedo crosses the road and walks toward the group.

In an instant, Salcedo suddenly wraps the girl up in a comforter and runs off with her, much to the horror of the other kids and the 65-year-old grandma who immediately gave chase.

She was joined by a group of courageous passersby, including one man who was filling up his car at a BP gas station in the Schuylerville area of the borough.

The man scared the abductor into releasing the little girl and he fled on a scooter.

Police caught Salcedo later in the day sleeping in a doorway.

He was charged with kidnapping, attempted kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment and child endangerment.
The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell to a new pandemic low last week as the job market continues its slow recovery from last year's coronavirus recession.

Unemployment claims dropped by 10,000 to 281,000 last week, a fourth straight drop and the lowest since mid-March 2020, the Labor Department said Thursday.

Since topping 900,000 in early January, weekly applications have steadily dropped, moving closer to pre-pandemic levels just above 200,000.

The four-week average of claims, which smooths out week-to-week gyrations, fell by nearly 21,000 to 299,250, also a pandemic low.

In all, 2.2 million people were collecting unemployment checks the week of October 16, down from 7.7 million a year earlier.

U.S. jobless claims fell for the fourth straight week to 281,000, with the lowest number of people applying for benefits since the COVID pandemic began in the beginning months of 2020

Unemployment claims dropped by 10,000 last week, but the U.S. continues to see hiring slow down. (Pictured: A Now Hiring sign hangs near the entrance to a Winn-Dixie Supermarket on September 21, in Hallandale, Florida)

The pandemic slammed the economy in the spring of 2020 when employers slashed more than 22 million jobs as businesses closed or reduced hours in response to lockdowns and consumers staying home as a health precaution.

The economy began its recovery in early 2021, helped by the rollout of vaccines and government relief checks and other spending.

Jobless claims 'continue to trend lower, gradually moving closer to levels prevailing prior to the recession,' Rubeela Farooqi, chief US economist at High Frequency Economics, wrote in a research report. 'Businesses are holding on to workers amid reports of severe labor shortages.

Unemployment claims are increasingly returning to normal, but many other aspects of the job market haven't yet done so.

Hiring has slowed in the past two months, even as companies and other employers have posted a near-record number of open jobs.

In September, the economy had reclaimed more than 17 million of the lost jobs. But that was still 5 million short of where the labor market stood in February 2020.

There are fears that the U.S. will see mass layoffs for employees to fail to comply with President Joe Biden's vaccine mandate

And hiring slowed sharply last month - to just 194,000 new jobs after averaging a 607,000 a month the first eight months of the year.

That is partly because companies can't find enough people to fill their job openings - which topped at 10.4 million in August, the second-highest in records going back to 2000.

The highest rates of vacant jobs are in the leisure and hospitality and food services industries. While, construction companies and manufacturers reported strong job growth in September public education institutions recorded the lowest dip in hiring.

But professional business services and education and health services continue to maintain massive gaps between the number of open jobs compared to the amount of workers unemployed in those fields.

There are also fears of mass layoffs across the U.S. for those who fail to comply with President Joe Biden's vaccine mandate for all government employees, federal contractors and businesses with 100 or more employees.

Nearly 78 percent of all eligible Americans have gotten at least one jab of the COVID-19 vaccine, and about 58 percent are fully vaccinated, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Nearly 78 percent of all eligible Americans have gotten at least one jab of the vaccine

There are more job openings than unemployed people in some sectors, suggesting that bigger factors are at play, such as a re-evaluation of work-life balance after the pandemic

Officials such as Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell had hoped more people would find work in September as schools reopened, vaccination rates increased, and enhanced unemployment aid ended nationwide.

Yet so far, that hasn't happened.

'I am a little bit puzzled, to be honest,' Aneta Markowska, chief financial economist for the investment bank Jefferies told the New York Times. 'We all waited for September for this big flurry of hiring on the premise that unemployment benefits and school reopening would bring people back to the labor force. And it just doesn't seem like we're seeing that.'

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell (seen above on Capitol Hill on September 30) had previously shared his hopes that more people would find work in September as schools reopened with jobs and childcare

Unemployment claims have dropped for the fourth straight week, according to the Labor Department (Pictured: A hiring sign is displayed at a furniture store window on September 17, in Downers Grove, Illinois)

Supply chain bottlenecks and COVID contributed to the unimpressive numbers, and despite a record number of job openings, many of those laid off have not returned to the job search.

Instead, some observers are starting to consider whether some of those who had jobs before the pandemic, and lost them, may have permanently stopped looking for work.

On Tuesday, Christopher Waller, a member of the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors, said that two million of the 22 million jobs lost to the pandemic may not return anytime soon because retirements have accelerated quickly since COVID hit.

About 7 million people lost jobless benefits in September after two emergency programs, set up in March 2020, expired.
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Lawmakers paraded their dogs on Capitol Hill Wednesday for Senator Thom Tillis' third-annual dog costume party, which featured his own pups dressed as Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Mitch McConnell.

The fun break came as lawmakers continued to struggle to strike a deal on President Joe Biden's Build Back Better agenda  coming to odds over multiple measures in the social spending and welfare package.

One dog was dressed in an orange construction vest with black words written across the back reading: 'Bark Back Better.'

California Representative Sara Jacobs brought her dog Nan into the office on Wednesday dressed as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is also from California.

Senator Thom Tillis hosted his third-annual dog costume party at the Capitol on Wednesday. Here he prepares for the parade with his pups Theo (left) dressed as Seantor Kyrsten Sinem and Mitch (right) dressed as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell

Tillis walks Theo and Mitch in the parade of dogs at the Hart Senate Office Building on Wednesday

The North Carolina Republican holds up Mitch so viewers could get a better look during the pup parade on Wednesday

One dog was dressed as Paris Hilton, after she visited the Capitol last week to urge passage of the Accountability for Congregate Care Act. The pup is wearing a blonde wig, a pink sweater and a plaid skirt

The Capitol Hill puppy costume parade is the place to be pic.twitter.com/svIRGafo3c  Savannah Behrmann (@SavBehrmannDC) October 27, 2021

'Nancy Pawlosi is in today and has many thoughts about the build bark better plan,' Jacobs' office said along with an image of her pup sitting at a desk in a small brown wig, a powder blue suit and pearls.

Senator Tillis, the Republican senator from North Carolina who hosts the 'bipawtisan' Halloween party, brought both of his dogs for the pomp and circumstance on Wednesday.

His six-month old pup Theo was dressed as Senator Sinema donning a purple wig, leggings that matched the zebra-print coat she wore to the swearing in of Arizona Representative Mark Kelly and a pink 'Dangerous Creature' t-shirt.

Tillis said he ran the costume idea by Sinema beforehand, 'She laughed and said, "Of course."'

Theo was dressed in a purple wig, leggings that matched the zebra-print coat Sinema wore to a 2020 swearing in ceremony and a pink 'Dangerous Creature' t-shirt. Here Theo mingles with another dog dressed as Mr. Incredible from Pixar's 'The Incredibles'

California Representative Sara Jacobs brought her dog Nan into the office on Wednesday dressed as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is also from California

The Pelosi puppy doppelganger 'speaks' to press at the Hart Senate building on Wednesday

Lawmakers and staff sit on the Hart Senate Office Building during the third-annual Congressional Dog Costume Parade on October 27, 2021

Some owners had their dogs make political statements, like this one in an orange construction vest with a play on Biden's agenda: 'Bark Back Better'

This dog was dressed as Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from the Met Gala, when she wore a white dress with the phrase 'Tax the Rich' written in red lettering. This dog's garb reads 'Tax the Cats' instead

This dog had a similar message but was dressed as Uncle Same with the sign: 'I want you to Tax the Rich'

Other dogs had less politically charged costumes. Here a pup is dressed as a hot dog and another as Mr. Potato Head

Sinema is a centrist Democrat who is one of the two senators who is keeping the social spending package at a stand still after requiring along with Senator Joe Manchin that the cost be cut from $3.5 trillion to $1.75 trillion.

The dog dressed as Sinema comes as the Arizona senator received a slew of backlash this week for wearing a vest jean jacket with a black short-sleeve t-shirt underneath on the floor of the Senate chamber.

Tillis' other dog, a cocker spaniel and poodle mix named Mitch, was dressed in a suit jacket and white wig in honor of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

'If we can find Nancy, we ought to get them to meet,' Tillis said on Wednesday, according to Roll Call.

Another lawmaker's dog was dressed as Paris Hilton, who visited the Capitol last week to urge passage of the Accountability for Congregate Care Act, which is an effort to reform the multi-billion-dollar 'troubled teen industry'.

The puppy version of Hilton was wearing a blonde wig, pink sweater and black and pink plaid skirt. The dog also wore a sign around its neck with an image of its human doppelganger with hearts and the quote, 'Legislation is hot,' which Hilton said during her trip to Washington, D.C. last week.

Utah Senator Mitt Romney's dog was dressed as a Frenchman named 'Pierre Doglecto,' a play on the Republican's infamous anonymous Twitter account with name 'Pierre Delecto'

'Legislation is Hot': The pup dressed as Paris Hilton's sign reads after she said that phrase when visiting Washington, D.C. last week

Utah Senator Mitt Romney's dog was dressed as a Frenchman, with a red beret and black and white striped shirt.

The pup was supposedly dressed as 'Pierre Doglecto,' a play on the Republican senators anonymous Twitter account 'Pierre Delecto.' Romney admitted in October 2019 to being behind the account that often defended the senator and criticized Donald Trump.

Romney is a French speaker from his days as a Mormon missionary.

One little pup was dressed as Uncle Sam with a sign reading, 'I want you to tax the rich'. Another wore a white cape reading, 'Tax the Cats,' a hat tip to Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's white Met Gala dress with 'Tax the Rich' written in red letters.

Many other dogs were dressed in less referential and politically-charged outfits, like a hot dog, Mr. Potato Head, Woody from 'Toy Story' and Mr. Incredible from 'The Incredibles.'

A pair of doodles came dressed as Princess Leia and Darth Vader from 'Star Wars'.
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Trash piles have begun to overtake the streets of Brooklyn and Staten Island as sanitation workers protest New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's vaccine mandate, with the 5 p.m. Friday deadline looming.

With employees allegedly engaging in a 'slow down' of removing trash from the curb, NYC streets in some boroughs are reminiscent of the city's trash-filled 1970s era, where garbage lined the sidewalks from block to block following a sanitation workers' strike.

When asked about the situation, Teamsters Local 831 President Harry Nespoli, whose union represents the sanitation workers, simply said, 'The mandate's going on.'

'Look, you're going to have some spots in the city that they feel very strongly about this,' he told the New York Post of the vaccine mandate. Only about 65% of sanitation workers are reportedly vaccinated as of Thursday.

De Blasio said he would be speaking with the union on Thursday to address the issue, saying: 'This is something we are not going to let continue.'

During a news conference Thursday, De Blasio, who was wearing a Halloween costume, added: 'If you don't want to do the job - someone else will.'

Trash piles have sprung up throughout Brooklyn as sanitations workers allegedly engaged in a slow down over the city's vaccine mandate. About 65 percent of sanitation workers are vaccinated

The trash along Flatbush Avenue is reminiscent of city's days in the 60s and 70s, where garbage littered nearly every sidewalk

The trash along Flatbush Avenue and Avenue is pilling up at the end of the block on October 28

Garbage began overtaking the city's streets starting in 1968 following a strike by sanitation workers

Sanitation workers are allegedly slowing down their trash pickups and causing garbage to pile up

The problem garbage decades ago left streets full of trash to the point where they even blocked mail boxes

The garbage has not been collected in days, with some residents saying the slow down began on Saturday

Then Mayor John Lindsay received heavy criticism for allowing the problem to persist. Lindsay had said the only thing that could help New York at the time was to call in the National Guard

Teamsters Local 831 President Harry Nespoli, pictured in 2011, said that employees were not happy with the vaccine mandate, which calls on them to be vaccinated or get weekly testing done

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, wearing a Halloween costume, said he would put and end to the slow down during a news conference on Thursday. He warned employees that they could be replaced

Nespoli said the vaccination rate among sanitation workers is 65 percent as of Thursday but noted that more and more are choosing to get the jab ahead of the deadline.

'In the last five days, we had 300 more that got vaccinated,' he told the Post.

He added that he and others oppose the vaccine mandate because the city's program only provides two options, either vaccinations or weekly testing.

Those who refuse to get the shot would be place on unpaid leave, and those who do get the jab are entitled to a $500 bonus.

New York City has more than 7,000 sanitation workers, who reportedly earn more than $77,000 a year after five years, according to Business Insider.

They collect more than 10,500 tons of residential and institutional garbage every day.

The main areas affected by the protests in Brooklyn include Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Fort Hamilton, Bath Beach, Gravesend, Bensonhurst, Flatbush, Midwood, Kensington, Canarsie, Mill Basin and the Flatlands, according to the Sanitation Department.

The Dongan Hills neighborhood in Staten Island was also affected.

Garbage in Brooklyn continues to pile up on October 28 as bags add up outside a full trash can

The slowdown is mainly affecting Brooklyn neighborhoods

All throughout Flatbush Avenue, garbage piles build up due to the protest over vaccine mandates

Sanitation workers are allegedly working slowly as a sign of protest against the mayor's orders

While some were sympathetic toward the sanitation workers, many took to Twitter to express their outrage as their trash has not been collected in days.

'NYC sanitation must address the crybabies that are supposed to pickup trash!!! Trash on my block has not been picked up since Friday October 22nd,' wrote Twitter user Pietro Troia.

Another Twitter user, Merck Wilhelm, wrote: 'Good morning from beautiful Brooklyn to everyone except @NYCSanitation where the trash on the curb is now 3 days old.'

A user with the handle A Pocalypse also voiced his angered toward the unvaccinated city employees.

'Visit Brooklyn for the beautiful mountains of trash and stay for unvaccinated police protesting in your streets. Sounds like paradise.'

Another Twitter user who goes by Annbutterfly 22 called out de Balsio and urged him to fix the situation.

'[Before] you attempt being Governor can u handle the trash collection in Brooklyn and why @nyc311 wont take a complaint for non pickup until 8am after ones pickup day even though trash hasnt been picked up since last Saturday.'

Residents expressed their outrage on Twitter over the lack of garbage pick up

This comes as the head of New York City's firefighter union told members to go to work whether they're vaccinated or not ahead of Friday's mandate deadline, as the police union continues to fight the rule in court.

New York City could face a serious shortage of firefighters and cops come Friday evening - the deadline for all city workers to get their first shot or get sent home without pay on Monday.

Andrew Ansbro, president of the Uniformed Firefighters Association, says that his members felt 'insulted' by de Blasio's order, which was announced just last week.

'I have told my members that if they choose to remain unvaccinated, they must still report for duty,' Ansbro said during a news conference Wednesday.

'If they are told they cannot work, it will be the department and city of New York that sends them home. And it will be the department and the city of New York that has failed to protect the citizens of New York.'

NYC firefighters' union President Andrew Ansbro, above on Wednesday, is encouraging members to show up to work in defiance of Mayor Bill de Blasio's vaccine mandate

Municipal workers of the city march across the Brooklyn Bridge against vaccination mandates in New York on October 25

Close to one-third of the fire department remains unvaccinated.

On Wednesday, a Staten Island judge rejected a request by the NYPD's largest union to temporarily block the mandate from taking place. Similar court fights are taking place in Seattle and Chicago, where mayors have also instituted vaccine mandates for city workers.

A new hearing has been scheduled for November 12, in which the government will have to prove the mandate is not 'arbitrary and capricious and an abuse of discretion.'

'Were pleased with this ruling, and remain confident this mandate is on solid legal ground,' said city Law Department spokesman Nicholas Paolucci after the mandate was upheld on Wednesday.

'The citys vaccine mandates make our workplaces safer, further public health and aid the citys recovery.'

Judge Lizette Colon previously ruled against Mac's Public House in their lawsuit to block the citys bar and restaurant vaccine mandate, according to the New York Daily News.

Colon harked back to a 2019 state appellate ruling that upheld a vaccine mandate for measles, according to Bloomberg.

About 32 percent of employees at the New York City Fire Department remain unvaccinated, Reuters reported. That's down from 40 percent on October 19, when the mayor's office released its last city-wide tally.

NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said Wednesday that 75 percent of his force is vaccinated, a number that has been steadily climbing ahead of tomorrow's deadline.
An Orthodox Jewish man was shot in the head with a BB gun in a drive-by shooting by three men on a New York City street.

The NYPD's hate crime unit is now hunting for the three people who shot at the unidentified 23-year-old man at 10.30pm in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn on October 11.

Surveillance footage released by the NYPD on Thursday shows the man dressed in traditional Orthodox Jewish clothing walking down a street when he was approached by his three attackers in a dark-colored Hyundai Sonata with silver wheels.

One of the three men in the car fired an unknown projectile at the victim, believed to be a BB gun, which left him with a wound to the side of his head, officials reported.

The street surveillance footage obtained by the NYPD shows the victim fall to the ground after being hit by the projectile.

Stills from street surveillance footage shows an unidentified Jewish man, 23, being struck in the head with an unknown projectile on a Brooklyn street on October 11, 2021, by three men in a silver Hyundai

NYPD's hate crime taskforce is on the hunt for the three attackers who were in a gray Hyundai (pictured) at the time of the incident

In this latest incident, the victim was taken to a nearby hospital and was released shortly after.

The NYPD described the first individual being sought as a man between 20 and 30 years old, last seen wearing a blue sweater with beige pants. The second individual was described as a man between the ages of 20 and 30, last seen wearing a black hooded sweater, black pants, and yellow shoes. The third man was described as being between 20 and 30 years old, last seen wearing a red hooded sweater, black pants, and black and white sneakers.

This is the latest attack in New York City, which has seen a shocking 90% increase in hate crimes in the last year. In 2020, 229 hate crimes were reported while 435 have been reported so far this year, nearly double the amount.

The number of hate crimes across the United States in 2020 was the highest recorded since 2001, according to newly released data from the FBI, that also showed a 76 percent increase in anti-Asian hate crimes.

The report, released on Monday, found 8,263 criminal hate crime incidents were reported to the FBI in 2020, an increase of about 504 incidents since 2019. The spike comes as more local law enforcement agencies report crime incidents in their jurisdictions to the FBI compared to previous years.

In May, a Kippah-wearing Jewish man was attacked by a group of Palestinian protesters near Times Square.

Joseph Borgen was beaten by a group of five men yelling anti-Semitic epithets. He had been on his way to a pro-Israel demonstration on May 28th.

Video of the assault showed Borgen was left defenseless on the ground as he was battered by the angry mob outside of 1604 Broadway.

Waseem Awawdeh, 23, was the first man arrested over the violent assault and was charged with assault as a hate crime, gang assault, menacing, aggravated harassment as a hate crime and criminal possession of a weapon, police said.

When he appeared in court prosecutors say he told a jailer: 'If I could do it again, I would do it again. I have no problem doing it again.'

Police have arrested another man in relation to the attack, and are still looking for

Soaring hate crimes in New York City also saw a rise in attacks on Asian people.

In July, 58-year-old Asian woman Than Htwe died 11 days after being attacked in the New York City subway. Htwe was an immigrant from Myanmar, who was attacked by a man trying to steal her son's backpack at a Chinatown subway stop.

Htwe and her son, Kyaw Zaw Hein, 22, were walking up the steps at Canal Street station around 10.45am when David Robinson, 52, allegedly attacked them from behind, grabbing the son's backpack.

He yanked on Zaw Hein's backpack, then he tumbled backward, but as he began to fall, he reached for his mom, who stumbled down with him.

Joseph Borgen, 29, spoke to DailyMail.com one day after he was left bruised and battered by a group of pro-Palestinian men in Midtown Manhattan on Thursday

Video of the assault showed Borgen was left defenseless as he was kicked, punched, and beaten with crutches and flag poles by a mob of eight to 10 people

Both were knocked unconscious in the fall. When Zaw Hein awoke, he said his mother was 'lying on the floor with blood everywhere', according to a GoFundMe post.

Her alleged attacker, identified by police as 52-year-old David Robinson, is set to be charged with a hate crime.

According to the FBI's Hate Crime Statistics report, anti-Asian incidents significantly increased from 158 in 2019 to 279 in 2020, even though they only make up a small percentage of the 8,263 total hate crimes reported in 2020,

Than Htwe, 58, had moved to New York from Myanmar in 2018 to be closer to her son Kyaw Zaw Hein, 22

Overall, most of last year's hate crimes  nearly 50 percent of them  were against black people. Meanwhile, 55 percent of known perpetrators that started these hate crimes were white, while 21 percent were black or African American.

The FBI's 2020 data came from 15,138 law enforcement agencies around the country. Roughly half of all hate crime incidents disclosed were labeled as intimidation, while 27 percent were simple assault and nearly 18 percent were classified as aggravated assault (which the FBI categorizes as 'physical attacks intended to inflict severe or aggravated bodily injury').

After hate crimes that involved race, which made up the majority of the cases, 20 percent involved sexual orientation bias, 13.3 percent were biases related to religion, 2.7 percent involved gender identity bias (which means attacks against transgender and non-binary people), 1.4 percent involved disability bias, and 0.7 percent involved gender bias

Htwe (left) 58, and her son, Kyaw Zaw Hein, 22 were rushed to Bellevue Hospital on the morning of July 17, when Htwe underwent brain surgery. She died 11 days after being attacked

Relating to religion, it has been reported that nearly early one out of every four Jews in the U.S. has been subject of antisemitism. The data was released in a new report published on Monday by the American Jewish Committee (AJC), which called for an end to what the group characterized as a 'severe problem' in the US.

The AJC's survey is based on interviews conducted by telephone and online from September 1  October 3, 2021, among a nationally representative sample of 1,433 Jews aged 18 or older.

'Now is the time for American society to stand up and say 'enough is enough.' American Jews see antisemitism on the far right and the far left, among extremists acting in the name of Islam, and elsewhere throughout America,' the committee's CEO, David Harris, said in a statement.

An increase in violence between Israel and Hamas in the spring saw a rise in hate crimes against Judaism in the U.S. The Anti-Defamation League said it collected 193 reports of possible anti semitic violence in the week that violence began in Israel, a nearly 50 percent increase from the week prior. Hate crimes against Muslims also grew in the days after the violence in Gaza.
North Korea has put 'delicious' black swan meat on the menu in an effort to overcome chronic food shortages in the country.

The black swans are being bred on an industrial scale at a new breeding centre at one of the country's largest duck farms on the east coast, state media said.

The move comes a day after leader Kim Jong Un warned North Koreans that they must expect to eat less food until the country re-opens its borders with China in 2025.

The impoverished country has been battling a food crisis and a poor economy - but now officials say 'delicious' black swan meat is the answer as they claimed it is an 'exceptional health food'.

A swan enclosure has been built in the Kwangpho Duck farm in Jongphyong county, where the black swans will be bred, and an official ceremony was held to open the 'swan corral'.

The black swans are being bred on an industrial scale at a new breeding centre at one of the country's largest duck farms on the east coast, state media said

A swan enclosure has been built in the Kwangpho Duck farm in Jongphyong count, where the black swans will be bred, and an official ceremony was held to open the 'swan corral'

'Black swan meat is delicious and has medicinal value,' while the bird's industrial breeding will 'improve the people's living standard', the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported.

The enclosure has several blocks of sheds, including a block for young birds, and sanitary inspection rooms and other breeding equipment, KCNA said.

'The construction has provided a foundation for improving the people's living standard through the industrial breeding of black swan, a rare ornamental bird,' the state media said.

On Sunday, South Hamgyong Province chief party secretary Ri Jong Namy led the ceremony to open the black swan centre at the duck farm.

State media have previously said black swan meat is 'an exceptional health food of the 21st century with a unique taste and extremely high nutritional value'.

Research into the breeding of black swans began in Spring 2019 and satellite imagery from then showed a new construction project was underway at the Kwangpho Duck farm, reports NK News.

A researcher from the country's agriculture ministry told KCNA in 2020 that the black swan meat has more protein than other meats and is easier to digest, adding that it also has 'anticancer' properties.

It is unclear if other black swan enclosures are being built elsewhere in the country or how the meat will be distributed.

The impoverished country has been battling a food crisis and a poor economy - but now officials say 'delicious' black swan meat is the answer as they claimed it has 'medicinal values' (file image)

The development comes just days after North Koreans were told to tighten their belts for at least another three years by officials until the country re-opens its borders with China.

People have already complained that shortages would make it difficult to see themselves through the winter, let alone multiple years.

North Korea closed its border with China in January 2020 as a precautionary measure against the spread of coronavirus.

But the move had a serious impact on the nation's economy - with prices of everyday goods rising sharply as demand outstripped supply.

Speaking about the new government guidance, a resident of the city Sinuiju, who wished to remain anonymous, told RFA that people have been warned that the chances of re-opening the border with China before 2025 were slim.

They added: 'The food situation right now is already clearly an emergency, and the people are struggling with shortages. When the authorities tell them that they need to conserve and consume less food until 2025 they can do nothing but feel great despair.'

North Korea has warned its citizens that they must expect to eat less food until the country re-opens its border with China in 2025. Food shortages are already affecting North Koreans, but citizens were told to tighten their belts for at least another three years by Kim Jong Un's (pictured) government

Despite the current hardships the North Korean people are facing, their leader Kim Jong Un has been continuing to push the idea of self-reliance this year.

This message was further encouraged in July when then Central Committee instructed the public to begin growing their own crops in anticipation of shortages.

However, with the UNs Food and Agriculture Organization estimating that North Korea is short around 860,000 tons of food this year, the Sinuiju resident said that contempt is growing among the people.

'They say that telling us to endure hardship until 2025 is the same as telling us to starve to death,' the resident said.

A second source claimed that the North Korean government is attempting to spin the food shortages as a result of their effective Covid-19 strategy, which they say has worked well.

The North Korean government has blamed external factors for their food shortages though, citing sanctions imposed on them, natural disasters and the global coronavirus pandemic. Pictured: North Korean farmers harvesting rice on October 19, 2021

The government has blamed external factors for their food shortages though, citing sanctions imposed on them, natural disasters and the global coronavirus pandemic.

Last year, North Korea suffered severe flooding which damaged vital crops and left hundreds of families without homes. This year, crops were also damaged by droughts and subsequent flooding.

In August, heavy rains in northeastern North Korea destroyed or flooded 1,170 houses and forced 5,000 residents to evacuate to safety, North Korea's state TV reported.

The downpour in South Hamgyong Province washed away hundreds of hectares of farmlands and destroyed many bridges. Footage showed houses submerged up to their red-brick roofs, a severed bridge over muddy water and a swollen river.

Kim has acknowledged a 'tense' food situation that could worsen if all of the crops fail, exacerbating economic problems amid strict self-imposed border and movement restrictions that have slowed trade to a trickle. Pictured: File image of men plowing a field in North Korea in July 2017

Summer rains in North Korea often cause serious damage to its agricultural and other sectors due to poor drainage, deforestation and dilapidated infrastructure in the impoverished country.

Kim has acknowledged a 'tense' food situation that could worsen if all of the crops fail, exacerbating economic problems amid strict self-imposed border and movement restrictions that have slowed trade to a trickle.

North Korea is a mountainous nation, meaning suitable land for farming is in short supply and many of its farmers lack access to tools such as tractors, combine harvesters and threshers.

As a result, it is thought that North Korea relies on foreign imports and aid to feed around a third of its population.

Even with those imports, a 2017 UN report concluded that two fifths of the population are undernourished - meaning they don't have access to the number of calories needed per day to maintain a healthy weight.

A third of North Korea children are also thought to be stunted, meaning they did not get enough calories during the early years of their life.
The Virginia Department of Education (DOE) has included a book on its online What We Are Reading list that promotes critical race theory (CRT), a controversial concept being debated across the U.S., although the state's former governor has argued such radical theories are not taught in schools.

The reading list is part of the DOE's EdEquityVA initiative that is 'focused on establishing equity targets, measuring equity outcomes  and implementing systemic policy and regulatory changes.'

The list includes several books by advocates for equality and anti-racism, including one by Abolitionist Teaching Network co-founder Bettina Love who argues in favor of CRT.

'Teachers must embrace theories such as critical race theory, settler colonialism, Black feminism, dis/ability, critical race studies, and other critical theories, that have the ability to interrogate anti-Blackness ' Love wrote in her book, We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom.

Although the reading list is not evidence that CRT is being taught in schools, the books included could add fuel to the fire in a state where education has been a topic of political controversy.

Meanwhile, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe - also a former governor, who remains on the campaign trail ahead of Tuesday's election, has repeatedly said CRT being taught in schools is a 'right-wing conspiracy.'

The list includes several books by advocates for equality and anti-racism, including one by Abolitionist Teaching Network co-founder Bettina Love who argues in favor of CRT

The Va. Department of Education (DOE) is promoting a book on its online What We Are Reading list that promotes critical race theory (CRT) even though the state's former governor argues radical theories are not taught in schools (Pictured: Virginians protesting CRT in June 2021)

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe (pictured) has repeatedly said CRT being taught in schools is a 'right-wing conspiracy'

McAuliffe also accused his opponent, Republican Glen Youngkin, of using controversial theories, such as CRT, to be divisive.

'This is a made-up  This is a Trump, Betsy DeVos, Glenn Youngkin plan to divide people,' McAuliffe has said previously. 'It's not taught here in Virginia.'

The EdEquityVA initiative focuses its 'efforts to advance education equity, eliminate achievement gaps, increase opportunity, and decrease disproportionality in student outcomes' in Virginia's schools.

The DOE says the initiative is 'informed by literature, best practice, and research,' hence why they provided educators and residents with a list of recommended reads.

Love's book, which is included on the list, has sparked controversy because it openly endorses CRT and promotes 'racially charged changes' in the American education system.

'Teachers need to be taught how to question Whiteness and White supremacy, how to check and deal with their White emotions of guilt and anger, and how these all impact their classrooms,' an excerpt from her book reads.

'Teachers must demand the end of high-stakes testing and the yelling of slogans at dark children, such as 'knowledge is power,' 'work hard,' 'be nice,' and 'no excuses,' because all you need is grit.'

Bettina Love's (left) book, We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom (right), is included on the list. The book has sparked controversy because it openly endorses CRT and promotes 'racially charged changes' in the American education system

The DOE states that although there additional resources, some focused on CRT, shared on the EdEquityVA website, that does not mean the department endorses these views.

'Some of the links on the #EdEquityVA pages lead you to websites not associated with the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Education. VDOE does not necessarily endorse the views expressed or the data and facts presented on these external sites,' the department claims.

Ken Blackstone, a DOE spokesperson, also reiterated this claim, telling Fox News: 'Critical race theory is not included in Virginia's Standards of Learning.'

He did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment.

The use of CRT in education has been criticized for its message that the US is built on racism with skin color determining the social, economic, and political differences between each.

Advocates say its teaching is necessary to underline how deeply racism pervades society, critics say it is divisive and paints everyone as a victim or oppressor, with multiple Virginia school board meetings hitting national headlines after parents were filmed clashing with staff over the decision to teach it.

CRT teachings have been met with backlash in Virginia, specifically in Loudoun County where parents and residents have protested the curriculum at school board meetings.

CRT teachings have been met with backlash in Virginia, specifically in Loudoun County where parents and residents have protested the curriculum at school board meetings (as seen above in June 2021)

Virginia Department of Education's 'What We Are Reading' list Walking the Equity Talk: A Guide for Culturally Courageous Leadership in School Communities by John Roert Browne II

Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain by Zaretta Hammond

The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children by Gloria Ladson-Billings

Culturally Responsive Teaching: Theory, Research, and Practice (third edition) by Geneva Gay

Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools by Monique W. Morris

We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom by Bettina Love

How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi

Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire

Using Equity Audits to Create Equitable and Excellent Schools by Linda E. Skrla

Cultural Proficiency: A manual for School Leaders by Randall B. Lindsey, Kikanza Nuri-Robins, Raymond D. Terrell, and Delores B. Lindsey

Race, Equity, and Education: Sixty Years from Brown by Pedro Noguera, Jill Pierce, Roey Ahram

Courageous Conversations About Race: A Field Guide for Achieving Equity in Schools by Glen Singleton

Foundations of Critical Race Theory in Education by Edward Taylor and David Gillborn and Gloria Ladson-Billings

Making It: What Today's Kids Need for Tomorrow's World

Four Hundred Souls  A Community History of African America, 1619-2019

Cultural Proficiency  A Manual for School Leaders, 4th Edition

Breakthrough Leadership  Six Principles Guiding Schools Where Inequity Is Not an Option Advertisement

The Loudoun County School District in particular has received significant media attention for implementing CRT in student's education.

Laura Morris, a fifth grade teacher at Lucketts Elementary School, delivered an emotional speech after she resigned from her position because of the presence of CRT in the district.

She accused the school board of forcing her 'to push highly-politicized agendas on our most vulnerable constituents  the children'.

The district also witnessed an intense altercation between two audience members at a board meeting during a discussion about CRT.

Both parties involved were arrested with one being charged with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct and the other for trespassing.

McAuliffe, a former Virginia governor seeking election again, denies CRT's existstence in the state education system.

'It's a dog whistle,' McAuliffe told WAVY News 10 earlier this month. 'It's racial. It's division. And it's used by Glenn Youngkin and others  to divide people.'

'It doesn't matter. I's not taught here in Virginia so I'm not going to spend my time  I'm not even spending my time because the school board and everyone else has come out and said it's not taught. It's racist.'

He continued: 'It's not taught here in Virginia. Here's what I've said all along, and it really bothers me  this whole idea of stirring parents up to create divisions.'

'Our children are going through such challenges today because of COVID, and we're talking about something here today wasting precious viewers' time.'

Youngkin, however, has vowed to ban CRT from being taught in schools if he is elected.

'We all know education starts with curriculum,' he said at a rally on Saturday. 'We will teach all history, the good and the bad.'

'America has fabulous chapters and it's the greatest country in the world, but we also have some abhorrent chapters in our history, we must teach them.

He continued: 'We know in our hearts it's wrong. Dr. Martin Luther King implored us to judge one another based on the content of our character and not the color of our skin. Therefore, on day one, I will ban critical race theory in our schools.'

McAuliffe and Youngkin are tied at roughly 45 percent among Virginia's registered voters, a USA Today and Suffolk University poll revealed Tuesday.

Five percent of voters said they were still undecided.
Victoria's controversial state of emergency law has passed Victorian Parliament's lower house, a step closer to becoming a reality.

The proposed legislation that would give Premier Daniel Andrews unlimited power to impose lockdowns and restrictions passed 51 votes to 26 on Thursday evening.

Mr Andrews would be able to declare a pandemic for an unlimited time and rule breakers could be jailed for two years and fined up to $454,350.

Concerns were raised by the opposition, cross benchers and legal groups over aspects of the bill including a lack of balance of government powers.

Daniel Andrews' pandemic legislation passed State Parliament's lower house on Thursday evening with 51 votes to 26

There were days of heated debate where MP's hurled abuse across the chamber, but the result was ultimately a foregone conclusion.

Daniel Andrews was called a 'dictator' in a hysterical 'screaming match' in the Victorian Parliament over the new pandemic management laws.

The opposition raised fears Mr Andrews wanted the laws in place so he could lock down the population on a whim - without any democratic oversight - as the state recorded a grim record of 25 deaths with Covid in a single day on Thursday.

The laws also allow the government to apply lockdowns and vaccine mandates to a 'class of person' such as the unvaccinated or workers with a certain type of job.

In three weeks time Victoria's Upper House will debate the bill in parliament where it is likely to be pass with approval of Samantha Ratnam, Fiona Patten and Andy Meddick.

The MP's were involved in negotiations this week over what amendments, if any, they would introduce to the legislation.

Controversial new laws to manage pandemics could see rule-breakers jailed for two years and fined up to $454,350

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy told parliament on Thursday he would repeal the proposed law if the coalition were to be elected next year, accusing the government of 'trashing democracy'.

'This bill enables an Australian government in a state, one of our six states, to rule by decree with no oversight,' Mr Guy said.

'Except one or two individuals appointed by themselves, it allows them to rule by decree. It would not be, I think, something that any Australian 50 years ago would ever have imagined.'

In a heated debated in parliament on Wednesday, which involved shouting across the chamber, shadow attorney-general Tim Smith said: 'This is nonsensical, it's an abuse of power.

'It's a disgraceful mistreatment of our democratic traditions giving the dictator dictatorial powers and you think that's great.

'You think it's absolutely fantastic giving the dictator the ability to rule by decree,' he said in reference to Daniel Andrews.

The pandemic legislation is set to move to State Parliament's Upper House in three weeks time where it's expected to pass

Speaker Colin Brooks interrupted and said: 'I'm not going to let this descend into a screaming match across the table'.

Opposition MP Louise Staley said the 113-page bill was 'the largest I've ever seen' and said politicians have not been given enough time to scrutinise it.

'To be brought into this place and then be told they will be debating it later this day is a complete and utter assault on democracy,' she said.

The debate came as a Resolve Political Monitor poll for The Age showed Labor's primary vote has dropped from 43 to 38 per cent since the last election in 2018.

What are the fines in Daniel Andrews' new law? $21,909: This fine is for breaching a pandemic order such as not wearing a mask, breaking a movement limit, attending an illegal protest or a gathering, refusing to get tested or failing to show ID. $90,870: This fine is for an aggravated offence for breaches that 'cause a serious risk to the health of another individual' such as going to work when infectious. $109,044: This fine is for businesses breaking rules which may include failing to make sure customers check-in or show proof of vaccine status. $454,350: This fine is for an 'aggravated' offence by a business such as encouraging customers to flout lockdown rules . Advertisement

That result would see it lose seats but regain power at the next election in November 2022.

The Opposition's primary vote was only 34 per cent, one point less than in 2018.

Meanwhile, an Essential poll released on Monday put Daniel Andrews' approval rating at 52 per cent, down from 65 per cent last November.

The Victorian Labor Government - which introduced the Public Health and Wellbeing (Pandemic Management) Bill 2021 in the state Parliament on Tuesday in the hope of passing it into law next month - accused the Opposition of being 'hysterical' and peddling 'misinformation'.

The new laws, which the Premier hopes to pass soon despite fierce opposition, state a person can be fined up to $21,909 for breaching a pandemic order.

This could include not wearing a mask, breaking a movement limit, attending an illegal protest or a gathering, refusing to get tested or failing to show ID.

Businesses can be fined up to $109,044 for breaking rules which may include failing to make sure customers check-in or show proof of vaccine status.

In addition, there is a new aggravated offence for breaches that 'cause a serious risk to the health of another individual'.

These can be punished with a $90,870 fine and two years in jail. An example given in the bill is someone going to work when they are infectious and should be isolating.

Businesses can also be guilty of an aggravated offence, with a maximum fine of $454,350 if, for example, they refuse to obey a lockdown and encourage customers to also flout the rules.

In its explanation of an 'aggravated' offence, the bill says: 'This aggravated offence is intended to cover non-compliance in egregious circumstances where there is an aggravating factor of the person knows, or having ought to have known, that the non-compliance is likely to cause a serious risk to at least one other individual.

'Similarly, the conduct of a business failing to comply with safety protocols and other directions given in order to limit the spread of a pandemic disease and actively encouraging non-compliance by customers may amount to an aggravated offence.

'The offence is not intended to apply to minor or routine breaches that do not create a serious risk to the health of an individual, such as minor breaches of face mask requirements, and is not intended to be used as a tool to manage peaceful protests.'

The Victorian Opposition has described the laws as an 'attack on democracy' and vowed to oppose them at every turn.

'Under these laws Victorians face a $21,909 fine for failing to wear a face mask and business a $109,044 fine if a customer fails to check-in properly,' Opposition leader Matthew Guy said.

Poll Are Daniel Andrews' laws an 'assault on democracy'? Yes No Undecided Are Daniel Andrews' laws an 'assault on democracy'? Yes 2084 votes

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The bill has been drafted after consultation with three crossbench MPs to guarantee it will pass this week or next month despite the opposition from the Liberals and Nationals.

The new laws will replace the state of emergency powers which expire on December 15 when they will have been in place for 21 months.

The Opposition fears they could be used to re-impose lockdowns in the near future.

'These new laws aren't about streamlining State of Emergency powers but about making it easier for the State Government to control people's lives,' Mr Guy said.

'Daniel Andrews wouldn't be passing these laws unless he planned on using them.

'The thought of handing even more power to the person who got us into this mess is simply unacceptable.

'This extreme legislation is a threat to every Victorian family, small business and local community. It must be stopped.'

Victoria recorded 1,923 new Covid-19 cases and 25 deaths on Thursday.

The new laws, which the premier hopes to pass next month despite fierce opposition, state a person can be fined $21,909 for breaching a pandemic order such as not wearing a mask. Pictured: The Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne

Associate Professor Maria O'Sullivan from Monash University said she was not aware of any precedent for an aggravated offence for breaching public health orders.

She also raised concerns the bill allows the premier to declare a pandemic for an unlimited time.

'So, ostensibly, the public health emergency could go on indefinitely that would be of concern to me,' she told the ABC.

Three-month lockdowns

Under the new laws the premier would be able to declare a pandemic for an unlimited time, with an extension required every three months.

The health minister will be able to sign off on public health orders instead of the Chief Health Officer, a role currently held by Brett Sutton.

This gives the health minister the power to enforce lockdowns, shut down businesses, restrict movement, require masks, ban public gatherings, and enforce quarantine and isolation - powers currently held by the unelected CHO.

These powers can be implemented regardless of the number of disease cases or severity.

The bill will also extend the mandatory payment for hotel quarantine beyond 31 December.

Vaccine mandates and lockdowns for anti-vaxxers

The bill states that a pandemic order such as a lockdown or a vaccine mandate 'may apply to, differentiate between or vary in its application to persons or classes of person'.

This allows the Government to select who it wants to apply the order to, including people who have been at a certain event, who live in a certain area or who have a certain type of job.

The Government can discriminate based on 'presence in a pandemic management area; participation at an event; an activity they have undertaken; their characteristics, attributes or circumstances,' the bill says.

It also allows the Government to lockdown unvaccinated people only.

Under the new laws the premier would be able to shut down businesses, restrict movement and ban public gatherings even if there were no disease cases in Victoria. Pictured: A protestor is arrested by police at a protest in St Kilda on Saturday

The bill says the Government can discriminate based on attributes defined in the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 which include race, religion, sexual orientation, marital status and employment status.

But Health Minister Martin Foley said those factors would not be taken into account.

'Any suggestion that those other considerations of the public health processes, that is just really mischief making. These are recommendations that come forward on clinical and epidemiological grounds. Not those kinds of characteristics,' he said.

Professor Brett Sutton said attributes and characteristics could refer to 'intimate partners having the opportunity to see other individuals... people normally resident in regional Victoria... children under 16 years of age because they haven't had a vaccination opportunity... vaccinated or unvaccinated individuals in a vaccinated economy.

'You need the agility to spread to those characteristics and attributes that might exclude someone from a public health order and that might be directed at someone,' he said.

Tiered fines system

In a small win for disadvantaged people, the bill will allow disadvantaged people to apply for a 'concessional' fine.

Greens leader Samantha Ratnam negotiated this in discussions with the Government.

She said: 'I'm pleased that the Greens have been able to make sure these new laws have more transparency and are fairer for all Victorians, especially those facing disadvantage.'

Barista Maelys is seen at work at Cafe Chez Mademoiselle in Prahran, Melbourne, last week

Make health advice public

The Victorian Government has faced constant criticism for not releasing the health advice that its lockdown decisions are based on.

The bill will require the publication of the reasons for the Chief Health Officer recommending a pandemic order.

It will also establish an Independent Pandemic Management Advisory Committee to scrutinise Government decisions and health advice.

Under the new laws the premier would be able to declare a pandemic for an unlimited time, with an extension required every three months. Pictured: Victoria Police earlier this month

QR safeguards

The new laws will ensure stronger safeguards to stop unlawful access to QR code check-in or contact tracing data, with a new offence in place.

It means police can only get hold of the data if there is an 'imminent threat' to someone's life.

Officers must acquire a Supreme Court order to access the data.

This comes after it was revealed in June that police failed three times to get access to QR code data.

Reaction to the law

Opposition leader Matthew Guy said he would throw out the laws if he won the November 2022 election.

'I've never seen such an attack on Australian democracy as rules like this' where 'one man can rule by decree,' he told 3AW radio.

Frontbencher Tim Smith has fears Mr Andrews is passing the law in preparation for more lockdowns.

The existing power of Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton (left) to make special public health orders would be passed over to health minister Martin Foley (right) under the new laws

'Daniel Andrews wouldn't be taking more powers for himself unless he plans to lock us all down again,' he said.

The Opposition will propose a 60 per cent majority in both houses of parliament be required before a pandemic or an extended state of emergency can be declared.

Under the proposed alternative, the state of emergency powers and the need for them would have to be re-examined and voted on every 30 days.

But Greens leader Samantha Ratnam backs the laws because she says they are better than the current state of emergency powers.

'I'm pleased that the Greens have been able to make sure these new laws have more transparency and are fairer for all Victorians, especially those facing disadvantage,' she said.
A Minnesota judge has denied a defense request to dismiss the most serious charge against a former suburban Minneapolis police officer who said she meant to use a Taser instead of a handgun when she fatally shot black motorist Daunte Wright.

Former Brooklyn Center police Officer Kim Potter will stand trial in Hennepin County on first- and second-degree manslaughter charges in the death of Wright, 20, who was shot after being stopped April 11 for an air freshener hanging in his rearview mirror and expired license tags.

She actually fired a gun at Wright and the bullet hit him in the chest. She has since claimed she grabbed the wrong weapon - her gun was holstered on her right side, while the taser was on her left.

Potter, who is white, was initially charged with second-degree manslaughter, which requires a finding that she acted with 'culpable negligence' in Wright's death.

FILE - This undated file booking photo provided by the Hennepin County, Minn., Sheriff shows Kim Potter, a former Brooklyn Center, Minn., police officer. Potter, a former suburban Minneapolis police officer who has said she meant to use a Taser instead of a handgun when she shot and killed Daunte Wright in April is laying out her potential defenses ahead of her November 2021 trial. (Hennepin County Sheriff via AP, File)

Wright (pictured) was pulled over by Potter and her trainee Andrew Luckey for expired license tags and for having an air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror in April. He had an outstanding warrant for his arrest, according to court documents

Prosecutors later added a first-degree manslaughter count against Potter, alleging she recklessly handled a firearm and endangered Wrights safety when death or great bodily harm was reasonably foreseeable.

In allowing the first-degree manslaughter charge, Hennepin County Judge Regina Chu said Wednesday that she only had to view the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution and make a finding of 'probable cause,' meaning it was more probable than not that a crime was committed.

She noted the state will have a much higher burden of proving the crime beyond a reasonable doubt during a trial, the Star Tribune reported.

Potter's attorney, Earl Gray, could not be reached for comment at press time.

For a conviction on the first-degree charge, a jury would have to find that Potter was aware of the risk of killing Wright and 'made a conscious decision to act without regard' to the risk, Chu wrote.

Potter was training officer Anthony Luckey when he pulled Wright over. When Luckey ran a records check, he found there was a warrant out for a weapons violation against Wright.

On body camera footage of the incident, Luckey can be seen trying to arrest Wright and put handcuffs on him, but Wright spun away and got back in the car.

Within seconds, Potter warned Wright repeatedly that she was going to use her stun gun. Potter drew her service weapon instead, however, and fired a single shot.

Police body cam footage shows three officers approaching Wright's car in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, on April 11 after he had been pulled over for the traffic stop

In the video, Potter is seen firing her handgun at Wright after shouting 'Taser'

Realizing her mistake, Potter became hysterical and told Luckey and another officer at the scene she had grabbed the wrong weapon: 'I shot him!'

On evidentiary matters, Chu ruled that Wrights criminal record and allegations, including that he shot someone in the head, was a member of a street gang, assaulted and robbed a man in March and was subject to restraining orders, may only be admissible if Potter was aware of Wright's prior conduct.

Chu wrote that, if Potter was aware of Wright's previous arrests, it would be 'admissible and relevant to explain her actions and approach toward Wright.'

Potter claimed she meant to tase Wright and can be heard in body cam footage yelling about a Taser. A Taser is black and yellow in design compared to a gun, which is all black

Potter (pictured) was given the first-degree manslaughter charge after her case was reviewed by a new attorney general and an expert. Activists protested outside the home of the previous attorney general and were disappointed when she was awarded a murder charge

In court, Prosecutors asked that evidence from witnesses that attended days of protests in Brooklyn Center after Wright's killing be excluded - Chu denied the request, saying 'such evidence is admissible to show bias.'

Although first-degree manslaughter is more serious than the initial second-degree charge initially handed down to Potter, activists were seeking out a murder charge.

First-degree manslaughter carries a maximum sentence of 15 years while second-degree manslaughter carries a maximum penalty of 10 years, though state sentencing guidelines call for much less.

Potter (pictured in a drawing from court) told Wright 'I'll tase ya' as she pointed her gun at him

Potter (pictured back right in a courtroom sketch) fired the weapon once, striking Wright in the chest and the cartridge hitting Luckey's face, according to bodycam footage

The decision came on October 27, which would have been Wright's 21st birthday. Family and friends danced and released red and white balloons to commemorate the occasion at the Brooklyn Center Community Center, according to the Star Tribune.

Family members of Jamar Clark, who was also killed by police, and of Emmett Till, who was lynched in the 1950's, were in attendance according to Toshira Garraway, founder of Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence.

'We are still demanding justice for Daunte, but we want today to be an uplifting day for Daunte's family,' she said.

'He would be out enjoying the day and trying to do what every other 21-year-old wants to do,' his aunt Naisha Wright told the Tribune. 'He loved Halloween, Christmas and the Fourth of July.'
The Vatican on Thursday abruptly canceled the planned live broadcast of President Joe Biden meeting Pope Francis, the latest restriction to media coverage of the Holy See.

The Vatican press office provided no explanation for why the live broadcast of Biden's visit had been trimmed to cover just the arrival of the president's motorcade in the courtyard of the Apostolic Palace, where a Vatican monsignor will greet him.

Cancelled was any live coverage of Biden actually greeting Francis in the palace Throne Room, as well as the live footage of the two men sitting down to begin their private talks in Francis' library, at which time the cameras normally would have stopped running.

Pope Francis (right) shakes hands with then Vice President Joe Biden (left) during an April 2016 trip to Rome. On Thursday, the Vatican abruptly canceled a planned live broadcast of the two men meeting Friday

The Vatican said it would provide edited footage of the encounter after the fact to accredited media.

Biden, the second Catholic U.S. president, has met Francis three previous times, but this will be his first as president.

The audience was being closely monitored since U.S. bishops are due to meet in a few weeks for their annual fall convention, with one of the agenda items inspired by conservatives who contend that Biden's support for abortion rights should disqualify him from receiving Communion.

Though any document that emerges from the bishops' conference is not expected to mention Biden by name, it's possible there could be a clear message of rebuke.

Francis has strongly upheld the church's opposition to abortion, calling it 'murder.'

But he has said bishops should be pastors, not politicians.

The Vatican has provided live television coverage for the visits of major heads of state for years and had scheduled such coverage Friday for Biden and before him, for South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who is also in Rome for a Group of 20 meeting this weekend.

Live broadcasts are particularly important because the Vatican hasn't allowed independent photographers and journalists into papal audiences since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Vatican has continued to cite the pandemic as a reason to deny external media access to the beginnings and ends of papal audiences with visiting leaders, even though they are allowed into other papal events.

It is during those moments in the pope's library that reporters can view the gifts that are exchanged, watch as the formal photograph is taken and overhear remarks as the leaders arrive and depart to get a sense of how the pope and his guest have gotten along.

Only the pope's official photographer and Vatican video journalists are now allowed in.

Pope Francis (left) greets then Vice President Joe Biden (right) at the Vatican in April 2016, before President Donald Trump was elected. Biden's son Hunter (second from right) and son-in-law Howard Krein (center) stand along his side

Biden (left) and Pope Francis (right), with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell standing behind them, wave from a balcony at the U.S. Capitol after the Pope addressed a joint-session of Congress in September 2015

The Vatican correspondents' association has protested the cancellation of such pool access and several media outlets, including The Associated Press, formally complained about Thursday's cut of the live Biden-pope broadcast and asked for an explanation.

The White House spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, was asked about the limited media access to Bidens audience and said the administration was 'working through every lever we have' to get more access.

Biden is travelling with his own pool of reporters who would normally be allowed into the pope's library for the beginning and end of the audience.

'We believe in the value of the free press. We believe in the value of ensuring you have access to the presidents trips and his visits overseas,' Psaki said during a White House briefing.

Noting that Biden was a guest and the Vatican the host, she added: 'I cant offer you a guarantee, but I can guarantee you we will continue to advocate.'
A new campaign ad by Virginia's Democratic Party claimed Republican businessman Glenn Youngkin has secured former President Donald Trump's endorsement to be the state's next governor.

Youngkin is in the final days of a heated race against former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, who's been a powerhouse in Democratic politics for years.

A piece of political mail was first obtained by Politico and features first-time candidate Youngkin smiling and wearing a red cap, with one sentence featured prominently.

'Donald J. Trump: Glenn Youngkin "has my complete and total endorsement!"' the mailer read.

Upon closer inspection, fine print in the lower right corner reads: 'Paid for by the Democratic Party of Virginia, authorized by Terry McAuliffe, candidate.'

One person who claimed to get the mail called it 'sneaky.'

On the other side are images of Youngkin and Trump photoshopped to appear side-by-side. The banner features Youngkin's name and the words 'Donald Trump endorsed,' with a red check mark in the middle.

The back of the advertisement featured Youngkin and Trump photoshopped to appear side-by-side

Virginia residents took to Twitter to express their initial confusion over the mailer

The advertisement is filled with quotes attributed to Youngkin and the former president, who despite losing the 2020 presidential race is still widely seen as a kingmaker in the Republican Party.

'He has my complete and total endorsement!'

'Now a great candidate, Glenn Youngkin, is running.'

Youngkin's statements were, 'They said: This guy is like Donald Trump. I said thank you very much' and 'I was honored to receive President Trump's endorsement.'

The bottom banner was an ambiguous call out to 'make an informed vote for governor by Nov 2.'

At least some Virginians who got the confusing campaign mail apparently thought it was effective.

Doug Pinkham, president of the Public Affairs Council, said he received the advertisement on Twitter along with a photo of it. He suspected the enthusiastic endorsement to be 'over the top.'

'Just got a mailer highlighting Trumps endorsement of Youngkin. Glennwill truly make Virginia great again, says a Trump quote. But the mailer seemed over the top  more about Trump than Youngkin. And then I read the fine print: Paid for by the Democratic Party of Virginia.'

Businessman Glenn Youngkin is a first-time candidate running to be Virginia governor, similar to Trump's successful path to the White House

Another user, Ruth P Ryder, replied that she barely saw Democrats' 'sneaky' stamp of ownership.

'I received this same postcard to my Alexandria address today. Had to get a magnifying glass to read the small print in the navy blue horizontal banner, Paid for by the Democratic Party of Virginia. Authorized by Terry McAuliffe, candidate for Governor. Sneaky,' the person wrote.

Trump has not formally backed anyone in the Virginia gubernatorial race, which wraps up on Election Day November 2.

Meanwhile Youngkin's strategy appears to be holding Trump at bay, in order to not alienate suburban Virginia swing voters. He hasn't publicly campaigned with any national Republican names associated with the ex-president.

However Youngkin did venture to make an appeal to the former president's base earlier this month when he suggested an election audit 'to make sure that people trust these voting machines.'

He's largely strived to make the race about local Virginia politics, focusing on COVID-19 mandates and the ideological battles being waged in public school board meetings, particularly in Loudoun County.

McAuliffe, who was governor of the state from 2014 until 2018, has spent months trying to nationalize the race by tying Youngkin to Trump's controversial White House tenure.

Terry McAuliffe has sought to nationalize the race and paint Youngkin as another Trump (pictured at a campaign rally with Joe Biden on Wednesday)

McAuliffe has made statements equating a vote for Youngkin to one for Trump

He's put out statements equating a vote for his opponent to a vote for a Governor Trump.

President Joe Biden appeared at a rally for McAuliffe earlier this week where he blasted Youngkin as a Trump 'acolyte.'

He seemed to try and invoke Trump's anger by asking if the Republican candidate was 'too embarrassed' to appear on stage with the controversial ex-leader.

McAuliffe held a commanding lead over Youngkin during earlier months, but the gap has since been reduced to less than one percent according to some estimates.

A USA Today/Suffolk University poll released on Wednesday had the two candidates in a dead heat.

Both men were polling at about 45 percent each. An additional 5 percent of voters said they were undecided, a week before the critical race and before Biden's latest appearance.

Democrats won in Virginia with McAuliffe in 2013 and then again with Ralph Northam in 2017. The state constitution prevents a candidate from serving two consecutive terms.

The election is widely seen as a referendum on Biden's presidency. The Virginia governor's seat is also just miles from the Oval Office in nearby Washington, DC.
The son of a Bomber Command pilot whose plane exploded in a fireball in Nazi Germany has revealed his father's incredible story of survival during the war.

Gerald Sherwood, 80, from St Austell, Cornwall, told how Wing Commander John 'Flap' Sherwood took part in a daring mission before being captured in his new book.

He also highlighted how the RAF hero was chucked in Stalag Luft III - the Luftwaffe-run prisoner of war camp made famous by the Great Escape.

The pilot had been set the daunting task of flying his Lancaster in a daylight raid on Augsburg without any fighter escorts.

He chugged across 600 miles of enemy territory at just 250ft in the heavy bomber and reached his target.

John and his crew dropped multiple direct hits on the Bavarian U-Boat diesel engine factory in the city but got caught in enemy fire.

Their Lancaster was blasted by anti-aircraft guns, erupted in flames and plummeted to the ground.

The plane was blown to pieces on impact and another pilot - who saw the 'orange fireball which lit up the sky' - told his superiors no one could have lived.

Gerald Sherwood, 80, from St Austell, Cornwall, told how Wing Commander John 'Flap' Sherwood (pictured) took part in a daring mission before being captured in his new book

John flew at 250ft across 600 miles of enemy territory with no fighter escort during a daring daylight raid on Augsburg on April 17, 1942. He is pictured fifth from left with 76 Squadron in 1938

After scoring direct hits on the Bavarian U-Boat diesel engine factory, his Lancaster was hit by anti-aircraft guns, causing it to catch fire and plummet into the ground. Pictured: Wing Commander John 'Flap' Sherwood is seated two places left of Simba the dog - the squadron mascot

After being captured he is pictured on the right with colleagues outside their Luft III Kriegie hut

Armed forces chiefs relayed the tragic news to John's wife Bernice, but she simply replied: 'I would know if he was dead and I think he's okay.'

Incredibly, she was proved right as her husband miraculously survived while the other six members of his team from 97 Squadron were killed.

He had been catapulted clear of the blast in his pilot seat and was found unconscious but alive by enemy troops.

Despite being alive, John had been badly injured - suffering a 'burnt face' and spending six weeks in hospital.

Pictured: Gerald's book on his father's incredible survival story

When he recovered, the Nazis slammed him in Stalag Luft III, which became better know as the Great Escape camp immortalised in the Steve McQueen film in 1963.

John bored witness to the 'Wooden Horse' escape as well as the preparations for the Great Escape on March 24, 1944, but was not involved.



In the final months of the Second World War he endured a dreaded Long March - where prisoners who could not keep up with a walk were shot.

John left the RAF in 1958 and died aged 54 in 1973, with his son Gerald now releasing Bomber Command Pilot to document his wartime bravery.

Gerald took notes from talks he had with his father in the final years of his life, but did not have the time to research them further until he retired.

Since 2014, he has spent hours in the National Archives learning more about John's 43 raids - including daylight missions to bomb German cruisers at Brest.

One subject his father never opened up about was the Great Escape because the reprisal executions of 50 RAF officers at the camp left him devastated.

John is only believed to have had a peripheral role in the attempt, but fondly recounted memories of the 'Wooden Horse' escape in October 1943.

In this similar daring bid for freedom, a vaulted gymnastics horse was used to cover the entrance to a 100ft tunnel.

Three prisoners - Lieutenant Michael Codner, Flight Lieutenant Eric Williams and Flight Lieutenant Oliver Philpot - escaped and caught a ship back to Britain.

Wing Commander John 'Flap' Sherwood and wife Bernice are pictured on their wedding day

The tragic news of Wg/Cmdr Sherwood's presumed death was relayed to his wife Bernice. But, instead of breaking down in tears, she remained unmoved, stating matter-of-factly: 'I would know if he was dead and I think he's ok.' Pictured: John is second from right with 97 Squadron officers in 1941

The 97 Squadron Avro Manchester flown by Wing Commander John 'Flap' Sherwood is pictured

Wg/Cmdr Sherwood, who was born in Egypt, was commissioned into the RAF after leaving a school in Britain in 1936

Gerald said: 'I've always wanted to write a book about my father but I didn't have the time until my retirement and then you find yourself looking after young grandchildren.

'My father and I worked together in the final years of his life (in the finance and insurance industry) and during those one-on-one conversations he opened up to me about his wartime experience.

'I also studied the National Archives and spoke to a fellow World War Two airman to learn more.

'My dad experienced suffering from feelings of guilt and trauma when he first arrived at Stalag Luft III, all as a result of his fortunate sole survival from the seven-man crew of Lancaster OF-K King as it was blown to pieces on hitting the ground.

'He appreciated that luck alone had ensured that he was catapulted clear of the blast, as the sole scorched survivor.

'Post war, he only ever volunteered very scant information concerning the Great Escape.

'If the conversation persisted for too long on that theme, he would soon change the subject to the far happier outcome associated with the Wooden Horse escape project.

'He had been able to experience the thrill of jumping over the horse whilst the nearby easily entertained spectator Germans remained totally oblivious to the activity going on in the ground beneath the horse as they were looking on.

'My dad had definitely been shocked by the needlessly cold-blooded execution of 50 fellow RAF officers (per Hitler's orders after the Great Escape).

'He was a gentleman and he had an extraordinary war - people who have read the book have told me if it was a Hollywood movie they would not believe it.'

Pictured: A photo of the original June 4, 1942, Air Ministry telegram

Pictured: 97 Squadron Commanding Officer's letter to Bernice, which was issued soon after the revelation Flap was alive in enemy hands

John, who was born in Egypt, was commissioned into the RAF after leaving a school in Britain in 1936.

He clocked up a 30-sortie tour against enemy targets in the summer of 1940, earning a Distinguished Flying Cross.

He added a Bar to this award for his actions in the Augsburg Raid, with his citation reading: 'He led his squadron on the daylight attack on the important Diesel Engine Factory at Augsburg, Southern Germany.

'With great skill and ability Squadron Leader Sherwood led the formation at very low level across 900 miles of enemy occupied territory - eventually leading all his aircraft directly on to the target.

Pictured: Henri Picard's caricature of Flap from 1943 while he was a POW

'On the approach to the target itself, heavy and accurate anti-aircraft fire was experienced but, with extreme daring and cool-headedness he pressed home the attack with his Section. Scoring direct hits on the factory with his bombs from a very low level.

'While bombing the target his aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft guns and caught fire.

'Squadron Leader Sherwood continued to lead his section away from the target with one wing well alight and until such time as the aircraft became uncontrollable.

'By extreme devotion to duty, Squadron Leader Sherwood ensured the success of the operation with which he was charged and continued his daring leadership until the end.

'His conspicuous bravery on this occasion crowned a long and distinguished career in the service of his country.'

Flight Officer Ernest Rodley, who was in close pursuit, reported back to base John's plane 'exploded into an all-consuming orange fireball which re-brightened the fading evening light'.

But his survival was revealed in an Air Ministry telegram sent to Bernice seven weeks later.

It read: 'Mrs JS. Sherwood Lingfield Tor-o-Moor Rd Woodhall Spa Lincs from Air Ministry Kingsway P6182 3/6 further information now received through the International Red Cross Committee states that your husband Squadron Leader John Seymour Sherwood DFC is a prisoner of war in German hands stop.'

Pictured: Air Service Training pupil intake in 1936. John is pictured back row, third from the left

One of the last pictures of Wing Commander John 'Flap' Sherwood shows smiling at a harbour

Pictured: December 1941 - A bomb bursts on and around the Gneisenau and Scharnhorst in Brest harbour, in an image taken from 'Flap's' Manchester L7492 OF-A at 15,000ft by crewman Sgt. K. Williams

John wrote from Stalag Luft III to an air force friend on June 26, 1942, in a letter which appears in the book.

It said: 'Dear Hind - Just a line to let you and the boys know that I am OK, but not a little 'browned off'.

'I got away with a burnt face followed by Scarlet Fever. I have no news of the rest of the crew & fear the worst.

'However, it is good to think that we had done our jobs well. I hear that we are all 'heroes' at home. All the best to all Flap.'

Of the 12 aircraft which took part in the raid, only five returned - a chilling 58 per cent loss rate.

Sir Winston Churchill said: 'We must plainly regard the attack of the Lancasters on the U-boat engine factory at Augsburg as an outstanding achievement of the RAF.

'Undeterred by heavy losses at the outset, the bombers pierced in broad daylight into the heart of Germany and struck a vital point with deadly precision.

'Please convey the thanks of his Majesty's Government to the officers and men who accomplished this memorable feat of arms in which no life was lost in vain.'
Gas prices across Europe fell today after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered state-run energy company Gazprom to start pumping more supplies to EU stores.

The move has raised hopes the worst of hikes to household bills in the UK could be avoided after weeks of gas price rises amid strong demand in Asia driven by the economic recovery from the pandemic and due to depleted EU stocks.

Putin late on Wednesday instructed Gazprom head Alexei Miller to start pumping gas into the company's storage facilities in Austria and Germany by November 8, after it fills domestic depots.

The Russian president's direction immediately drove European gas prices down, allaying fears of household bill hikes across the EU and in the UK.

Gas prices across Europe fell today after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered state-run energy company Gazprom to start pumping more supplies to EU stores

Putin late on Wednesday instructed Gazprom head Alexei Miller to start pumping gas into the company's storage facilities in Austria and Germany after it fill domestic stores

'This will make it possible to fulfil our contractual commitments in a reliable, stable and consistent manner and to supply our European partners with gas in the autumn and winter,' Putin said.

'This will create a favourable situation, at any rate, a better situation in the European energy market in general.'

The 27-country EU depends on Russia for more than 40 per cent of its gas imports.

While Gazprom has met its obligations under long-term agreements, it has not sold additional gas on the EU spot market, opting to fill domestic storages.

Some European politicians recently claimed Russia was withholding gas deliberately to pressure German and EU authorities into speeding final regulatory approval for the recently completed Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

Putin noted last week one of the two links of the new pipeline under the Baltic Sea already has been filled with gas as part of preparations for its launch, adding that supplies could start 'the day after' after regulators give their approval.

Putin noted last week one of the two links of the new pipeline under the Baltic Sea already has been filled with gas as part of preparations for its launch (pictured, workers pose for a picture after welding the last pipe of the Nord Stream 2 gas subsea pipeline in September)

Russia's energy minister has linked easing Europe's gas crisis with approving the Nord Stream 2 pipeline (top), but experts say the Kremlin already has plenty of capacity to boost supplies without bringing the new route online (pictured)

Why is Nord Stream 2 such a big deal? The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline is set to double Russia's natural gas shipments to Germany, Europe's largest consumer of gas, bypassing Ukraine and depriving the EU member state of essential gas transit fees of $1.5 billion per year. Russia is already the second-largest supplier of gas to the EU behind Norway, and the $11 billion project will increase Europe's energy dependence on Russia and Moscow's geopolitical clout. Donald Trump was opposed to the project and the EU has yet to sign off on it. But over the summer officials in Washington and Berlin reportedly reached an agreement that would allow the Nord Stream 2 pipeline - which was roughly within 62 miles of completion as of June - to finish construction. And it is now filled with gas as part of preparations for its launch, Putin said last week. US officials under Presidents Obama and Trump opposed the pipeline, arguing it would strengthen Moscow's influence across Europe. Nord Stream already includes one pipeline running from Russia to Germany. Both are owned by a company whose majority shareholder is Russian state gas company Gazprom. Advertisement

Nord Stream 2, with an annual capacity of 55 billion cubic meters of gas is designed to deliver gas directly to Germany, bypassing Poland and Ukraine, which have vehemently opposed the project along with the US.

Ukrainian authorities fear the pipeline will deprive the country of $2 billion in annual gas transit fees and erode its international standing amid a tug-of-war with Russia following its 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and support for separatists insurgents in eastern Ukraine.

Putin's directive comes days ahead of next week's COP26 climate change summit in Glasgow, where Russia, the world's fourth-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, is expected to come under fire.

That as Russian oil giant Rosneft warned today Europe's gas crisis has demonstrated the risks of moving away too fast from traditional energy sources and that underinvestment could threaten the ability to meet demand.

'The current gas crisis confirms a message ... about the fragility of energy market balances and risks related to the acceleration of the energy transition and discouragement of traditional energy,' he told the Eurasian Economic Forum in Verona.

Sechin also said the spike in gas prices had highlighted the importance of commodity inventories and that it could lead to overheating crude oil markets.

Citing analysts from Citi and Goldman Sachs, he said it could trigger additional oil demand of up to 1 million barrels per day.

The remarks by Igor Sechin, a close ally of Putin, reflected the degree of resistance in Russia's powerful energy sector to embracing rapid transition to renewables - the issue at the heart of UN-sponsored climate talks starting in Scotland on Sunday.

Sechin today told an energy conference in Verona, Italy, that global investment in oil and gas this year would be only half the level of 2014.

Today's remarks by Igor Sechin, a close ally of Putin, reflected the degree of resistance in Russia's powerful energy sector to embracing rapid transition to renewables

Renewables would not be able fully to replace traditional sources of energy even in the long term, he said, and targets on carbon neutrality could be reached without completely abandoning oil, gas and coal.

Russia is the world's fourth-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases but has said it aims to be carbon-neutral by 2060 - a target that Britain has urged it to bring forward by 10 years.

It faces a huge challenge in reducing the dependence of its economy on hydrocarbons.

Putin's decision not to attend the talks in person has been viewed as a blow to hopes of a breakthrough agreement on action to curb climate change.
The Build Back Better 'framework' released by the White House Thursday includes a new 'surtax' on earnings by millionaires that would raise an estimated $230 million over a decade.

The tax revenue raiser was a last-ditch addition to find funds for the overall $1.75 trillion package  after another last-minute idea, a 'billionaires tax' that went after investments held but not yet sold, was jettisoned.

The White House is selling the idea as a 'a new surtax on the income of multi-millionaires and billionaires,' who it notes make up the top 0.02 per cent of the population.

The 5 per cent surcharge goes on income over $10 million, with an extra 3 per cent surcharge on income of more than $25 million.

President Joe Biden's new framework would raise nearly $2 trillion, including through a new surcharge on income of more than $10 million

The plan says it also will close a 'loophole' that lets wealthy taxpayers avoid paying the 3.8 per cent Medicare tax on earnings.

The surtax came into the picture after Biden and several key Democratic senators came out publicly for the billionaires tax  only to have West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin throw cold water on it.

Dropped from the plan altogether are some of Biden's top revenue proposals: an increase in the top corporate tax rate, an increase in the top individual tax rate, and a tax hike on capital gains.

Although the corporate rate hike is out, the plan does slap a 15 per cent minimum tax on corporate profits for corporations with over $1 billion in profits, based on shareholder reporting. It would raise an estimated $325 billion over a decade.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is trying to marshal two major piece of legislation through the House: a bipartisan infrastructure bill, and a reconciliation bill containing investments and tax provisions

Negotiators engaged into talks in the final hours before Biden's trip amid resistance to the plan by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.)

Opposition from Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) prompted negotiators to take out a plan for paid family leave

The revenue provisions would bring in an estimated $2 trillion, according to the White House

'This means that if a large corporation says its profitable, then it cant avoid paying its tax bill,' according to a White House summary.

It also includes a 1 per cent surcharge on corporate stock buybacks  which executives and board members are able to support to 'enrich themselves rather than investing [in] workers and growing the economy,' as the White House put it. That provision would bring in an estimated $125 billion.

Another proposal would put a 15 per cent minimum tax on profits that U.S. corporations earn overseas, in keeping with a multinational agreement on a 15 per cent global minimum tax. It would bring in $325 billion, according to the White House.

For any of the hikes to happen, House and Senate negotiators must agree on final legislative language that passes through each chamber and gets signed by the president.

The White House is also claiming $400 billion in savings from boosted IRS enforcement  which it says will target the rich.

'The Presidents plan will accomplish this through transformation investments in the IRS: hiring enforcement agents who are trained to pursue wealthy evaders, overhauling technology from the 1960s, and investing in taxpayer service, so ordinary Americans can get their questions answered. Additional enforcement resources will be focused on pursuing those with the highest incomes; not Americans with income less than $400,000,' it says.
Extensive reports on Afghanistan produced by four U.S. intelligence agencies in the run-up to the withdrawal of foreign troops all failed to predict the speed at which the Taliban would capture Kabul, according to a review published on Thursday.

Instead they offered 'scattershot assessments' of the staying power of the Afghan military and government, reported the Wall Street Journal.

They extrapolated from Taliban advances from spring 2020 until July, and forecast that the government in Kabul was unlikely to survive once U.S. troops left.

They differed in how long that would take - and none predicted that the Taliban would race into the capital by Aug. 15 while American forces were still on the ground.

The chaotic scenes at Kabul airport, and the deaths of 13 U.S. personnel in a suicide attack, have left lingering questions about why no one forecast the collapse and whether President Biden should have dropped his Aug. 31 deadline for leaving the country.

In May, a month after President Biden announced his decision to withdraw, the Central Intelligence Agency produced a report entitled 'Government at Risk of Collapse Following U.S. Withdrawal.'

President Joe Biden ordered troops out of Afghanistan by the end August, but the operation ended in chaos as the Taliban stormed into the capital Kabul before U.S. soldiers had left

Taliban gunmen are now a common sight in Kabul, replacing troops of the government of Ashraf Ghani, who fled the country in the middle of August

Its estimate was that President Ashraf Ghani's administration would fall by the end of the year, the newspaper reported.

Another forecast came a month later from the agency, called 'Afghanistan: Assessing Prospects for a Complete Taliban Takeover Within Two Years.'

A June 4 Defense Intelligence Agency report forecast that the Taliban would continues its strategy of isolating rural areas from Kabul for another 12 months, according to a summary.

The summaries, offer an insight into the advice being given to Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump as they weighed how to safely bring troops home from a two-decade conflict.

The result has been something of a blame game as politicians and military officers said they were never warned such a rapid collapse could happen.

For example Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Mark Milley said days after the collapse of Kabul that he had not been warned the Afghan army would simply melt away in the face of Taliban advances.

'There was nothing that I or anyone else saw that indicated a collapse of this army and this government in 11 days,' he said during a Pentagon briefing.

Intelligence chiefs have defended their work, saying that they offered a range of eventualities.

The rapid takeover by the Taliban took policymakers by surprise leaving U.S. intelligence agencies to explain why they didn't see it coming

CIA Director William Burns, among others, has defended the the agencies' performance but admitted things moved faster than expected.

'Theres a very sobering picture that we painted of some very troubling trend lines,' he said at a Stanford University appearance last week, according to the Wall Street Journal.

'So does that mean that we, with mathematical precision, can say that, you know, former President Ghani in Afghanistan is going to flee his office and not tell his senior-most aides on the 15th of August? No.'

National security adviser Jake Sullivan has promised a 'hotwash' of the withdrawal in order to identify failings.

Representatives of the CIA, the DIA, the State Department and the Office of Director of National Intelligence all declined comment to the newspaper.

But there were Afghan watchers who saw the rapid collapse coming.

Bill Roggio, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, who repeatedly warned that the Taliban was advancing fast, said intelligence agencies and policy makers should take responsibility for being blindsided.

'The intelligence community needs to take a long, hard look at how it provides assessments to senior leadership,' he said.
Gagandeep Sharman (pictured), 37, was initially cleared of attacking his first victim when the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) refused to press charges

A pervert occupational therapist who sexually assaulted a disabled patient's wife in her own home and a nurse at a rehabilitation centre has been jailed for more than two years.

Gagandeep Sharman, 37, was initially cleared of attacking his first victim when the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) refused to press charges.

The woman, in her 60s, said Sharman attacked her in her home after he had treated her disabled husband.

She said he grabbed her from behind and repeatedly thrust himself against her while telling her she was 'sexy', a court heard.

After she lodged a complaint against him, Sharman was banned from making home visits but months later he preyed on a nurse at a rehabilitation centre.

He shoved his hand up the woman's skirt and made comments about her body before bragging about the size of his manhood, a court heard.

The nurse reported him to police and he was arrested. He later admitted two counts of sexual assault.

On Wednesday he was jailed for 26 months and ordered to sign the sex offenders' register for ten years at Warwick Crown Court.

Describing the first assault, Judge Anthony Potter said: 'You approached her in a quite disgraceful manner. She had not invited this in any sense.

'You made sexually-charged remarks and began to thrust yourself against her. You went further and put your hand inside her coat and down towards her private area.'

Describing the attack on the nurse, the judge told Sharman: 'You pursued her between a number of rooms before you followed her into a room and thrust yourself towards her in a similar way.

'Treating two women in this way must be punished in that way.'

On Wednesday he was jailed for 26 months and ordered to sign the sex offenders' register for ten years at Warwick Crown Court (pictured)

The court heard Sharman, of Warwick, had never had a sexual relationship when he attacked both women in 2019.

Prosecutor Glyn Samuel said: 'It was arranged that a man who had a number of health problems should be visited by an occupational therapist to assess his needs.

'When Sharman turned up, the man's wife let him in, and she said that while he was dealing with her husband that morning, he acted in a completely professional manner.'

The court heard that when Sharman left, the patient's wife got undressed and got into a spare room bed for a rest.

A few minutes later Sharman rang the doorbell and the woman put on a coat before answering it.

Sharman told her he had left his phone in the house and barged inside before the woman asked him to leave.

He then stood behind the woman and pushed his private parts against her.

Mr Samuel told the court the woman told him 'no', but he began to thrust against her.

The court heard Sharman (pictured), of Warwick, had never had a sexual relationship when he attacked both women in 2019

'She said he had to stop when the defendant said "But you're so sexy".

'As she told him to stop, he attempted to put his hand inside her coat and continued thrusting.

The woman managed to struggle free and shouted for her husband before Sharman fled.

Mr Samuel said she reported him police but 'CPS lawyers decided not to charge' him.

His bosses banned him visiting people in their homes but he was allowed to work at the Rehabilitation Hospital in Leamington Spa, Warks.

While working at the hospital, Sharman approached a nurse while she was on the phone and put his hand up her skirt.

Later that day he walked in as she was doing online training in an office, and tried to grab her hand and to pull her skirt up and touch her bottom.

When the nurse tried to leave the room, Sharman grabbed her, tried to push her hand against his groin and told her, 'snog me, snog me'.

Mr Samuel said: 'She pushed him away, but he followed her. She managed to get into an office, but not before he had groped her and tried to grind against her bottom with his groin.'

Clare Evans, defending, read a statement on behalf of Sharman which said: 'I am truly sorry and devastated at my behaviour and the effect it has had on them.'
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Covid cases started falling in children before half-term, official data confirmed today after scientists said youngsters are enjoying high levels of natural immunity due to the back-to-school infection surge.

In its weekly report, the UK Health Security Agency  which took over from now-defunct Public Health England  found cases in 10 to 19-year-olds fell 13.5 per cent last week from 1,388 to 1,201 cases per 100,000 people.

For five to nine-year-olds it dipped 8.5 per cent (732 to 670 per 100,000), while among under-fours it dropped more than six per cent (166 to 156).

The report also showed half of council areas in England, or 74 out of 149, saw their Covid infections dip last week in another sign cases are on the downturn.

MailOnline's analysis earlier this week was the first to highlight that cases started falling in children before half-term began, with infections peaking on Tuesday last week.

Experts said this was likely to be the case because children had built-up immunity following the back-to-school wave, when infections soared to their highest level in the group since the pandemic began.

Vaccines  which are also creating immunity in teens  were only offered to 16 and 17-year-olds in August, and then to 12 to 15-year-olds from September 20.

The above graph shows Covid cases in England by age group. It reveals that infections are now falling among 10 to 19-year-olds (green line, top circle), 5 to 9-year-olds (blue line, second circle) and 0 to 4-year-olds (black line). Cases rose in all other age groups, but the drop in children is a positive sign because it will stop them spreading it to other groups

The above graph shows the Covid infection rate per 100,000 people by regions of England. As many as five out of nine regions saw infections fall in the week to October 24

The above graph shows Covid infection rates per 100,000 people in England divided by age group. It reveals that cases in 5 to 19-year-olds may have peaked and have now begun to fall. But in all other age groups they were still rising

The above graph shows the number of lateral flow tests carried out daily, according to the Department of Health It reveals that over the two weeks before half term the number completed remained similar, at around 550,000 a day

The above graph shows the number of lateral flow tests carried out a day according to the UK Health Security Agency (light coloured bars). Children are required to take these swabs twice a week and report the results to Test and Trace. Figures show the number completed dropped 10 per cent in the period to half-term but the positivity rate (black dotted line) is also falling, in another sign infections are declining in the age group

 Slide me  The above map shows hot the Covid case rate has changed across England from the week to October 17, to the week to October 21. Cases are now falling in half of England's areas

Officials do not collect data on antibody levels among under-16s. But for those aged 16 to 24-years-old they found 95.6 per cent had antibodies against the virus (top left, green line) despite only 81.4 per cent (top left, blue line) having been vaccinated. Vaccines are now available for 12 to 15-year-olds, but it is likely many already have immunity from past infection

SAGE scientist and epidemiologist Professor John Edmunds said this week the spike in infections among children 'will eventually lead to high levels of immunity in children', which will see cases plateau and then fall. He added that it 'may be that we're achieving that now'.

Daily Covid infections in the UK fell for four days in a row yesterday. And optimisitic modelling from SAGE has claimed infections may slump to the 5,000 mark over the coming months, even without No10 caving in to demands for virus control measures.

But former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt today added his voice to calls for No10 to act 'desively and early' should Covid cases rebound in the UK, after Sir Patrick Vallance today urged the PM to be ready to take action.

No10 has so far held its nerve, insisting the NHS is not under 'unsustainable' pressure. Whitehall sources said amid falling infections ministers were only '20 per cent likely' to impose any more curbs.

It comes after a King's College London study estimated Britain is now 'worryingly close' to 100,000 cases a day, basing its estimates on 43,000 Covid positive PCR and lateral flow tests.

Why might Covid infections in school children have peaked? Department of Health data suggests Covid infections among school children peaked before half term began. Scientists have suggested that this could have been caused by rising immunity in the age group, or a reduction in Covid testing. Antibody levels SAGE scientists have suggested rising antibody levels in children could be behind the fall in cases. No vaccine was offered to children before they returned to school, meaning only those who had previously caught the virus had protection against it. But following a huge back to school wave the number of children with Covid-fighting antibodies has been boosted, meaning more are protected against the virus. Those aged 12 to 15 were also offered one dose of a Covid vaccine from September 20 to ensure more of them had protection. But uptake has been slow and the vaccination drive has been sluggish. Some 12 per cent of 12 to 15-year-olds have been vaccinated so far, according to figures from the UK Health Security Agency. Covid testing Scientists have also suggested that a drop in Covid testing could be behind the suggested fall in infections in school children. Children are required to swab themselves twice a week for the virus using lateral flow tests, and report the results to Test and Trace. Some have suggested the number of tests carried out may have dropped ahead of the holidays as people became more relaxed about taking them. But Department of Health data suggests a similar number of lateral flow tests were completed over the two weeks before half term, averaging about 550,000 a day. The vast majority of England's schools broke up for the holidays this Monday. But there is a small group  such as schools in Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire  which broke up the previous Monday for two weeks. This may have influenced the data. Advertisement

The UKHSA publishes a weekly report monitoring the spread of Covid and other viruses in the country.

This week's showed Covid cases were falling among under-19s in the week to October 24, before half-term began, but they were still rising in other age groups.

Nonetheless the drop in the youngest age groups is a positive sign because it suggests they could soon fall in other age groups that children are passing the virus on to.

Those aged 10 to 19 have the highest infection rate in England, followed by 5 to 9-year-olds and those aged 40 to 49 (593 cases per 100,000 people).

Covid cases also dropped in five of England's nine regions. The sharpest drops were in the Midlands (down 10 per cent to 450.6 per 100,000), Yorkshire and the Humber (down 9.8 per cent to 440.4) and the North West (down 7.3 per cent to 427). The South West had the highest infection rate (665.9) following a bungled operation at a testing lab which led to many infected people being wrongly told they did not have the virus.

Department of Health data also points to a fall in Covid cases among children before the half-term break began.

Its seven-day average infection rate in secondary school children aged 10 to 14 peaked on Tuesday last week at 1,925.4 per 100,000. By Friday, the latest date available, it had fallen to 1,814.6.

For 15 to 19-year-olds their infection rate peaked at 861.5 per 100,000, but on October 22 it had dropped to 827.5 per 100,00. And for 5 to 9-year-olds it dropped from a peak of 760.7 on Tuesday to 726 by Friday.

Professor Paul Hunter told MailOnline yesterday: 'There is a sign that cases may be going down. If you look at the running seven-day average, they are still going up but rather more slowly than they were a few days ago.

'This is around about a week before half-term started, so there might be some element of reduced testing in children because they were coming to the school holiday period.

'So, you've got to be a bit cautious about that, but certainly the basic figures look as though case numbers have started to decline in all children under 20.'

There is no age breakdown on testing data.

But the figures suggest there was not a significant drop off in the number of lateral flow tests carried out over the last two weeks,with around 550,000 completed every day.

UKHSA testing data, however, shows the number of lateral flow tests completed dropped 10 per cent in the last week of term, to 2.4million.

But the test positivity rate  the proportion of tests that picked up the virus  also fell suggesting that there was a real-term drop in cases among children before half-term.

Asked whether the drop was likely to be sustained, Professor Hunter added: 'I don't know for certain, but I would think it probably will be sustained.

'[But] I would not bet the house on it in terms of if it is sustained how long will it be sustained for and how deeply it will drop.'

Professor Edmunds told BBC Radio 4's Today programme this week that the consensus among modellers was that cases would either level off or start to drop in the coming weeks.

He said: 'That's because the epidemic in the last few months has been really driven by huge numbers of cases in children. I mean really huge numbers of cases in children. And that will eventually lead to high levels of immunity in children and it may be that we're achieving that now.

'Achieving I think is the wrong word, but it might be we're getting to high levels of immunity in children through these really high rates of infection we've had and it may start to level off.'

But Professor Edmunds warned models presented to ministers also suggest cases could rise again in the spring due to waning immunity and a return to normality.

He said booster doses  currently given to over-50s, healthcare workers and those with underlying conditions  should be dished out as fast as possible to address waning immunity and rising infections.

And they should be offered to younger people 'in time', Professor Edmunds said.

King's College London researchers estimated there were 92,953 people falling ill with the virus on average across the UK last week, up 14 per cent on the previous seven days (blue line). In the double vaccinated population (red line), cases continued to rise and it is estimated there are currently 26,927 new daily symptomatic cases in the UK, up 16 per cent from the 23,199 daily cases seen last week

Cases are rising across all age groups, although the proportion of cases remains highest in under-18s (blue line) with nearly 44,000 infected on any given day

UK's daily Covid cases are 'worryingly close to 100,000', symptom-tracking study claims Britain is 'worryingly close' to recording 100,000 new Covid infections per day, the country's largest symptom-tracking study warned today despite Government data showing the outbreak is in retreat. King's College London researchers estimated there were 92,953 people falling ill with the virus each day across the UK last week, up 14 per cent on the previous seven days. Cases are rising across all age groups for the first time, with under-18s still making up the majority of cases after the back-to-school wave, with nearly 44,000 infected on any given day. But there was also uptick in the rate of increase in 55 to 75-year-olds, the more vulnerable age groups, which increases the urgency for booster jabs, the researchers said. Professor Tim Spector, the epidemiologist who leads the study, warned that the Government's figures were a 'big underestimate' and may be missing 40 per cent of cases. Advertisement

It came after Mr Hunt added his voice to calls for the Prime Minister to be ready to act should the virus rebound.

The now chair of the Health and Social Care Select Committee said the Government should not be afraid of 'U-turning' once again if the current trend of falling cases comes to an end.

Speaking about Plan B at a Royal Society of Medicine conference, he suggested Mr Johnson should act earlier than he might want to.

He said: 'I think we need to be prepared to move to different ways to tackle the virus. Ive always said in a pandemic you should welcome a government that changes its mind, not chastise it for U-turning.

'Its always better to act decisively and earlier than you want to.'

But he stopped short of calling for an immediate imposition of restrictions, suggesting that increasing the speed of the booster and children's vaccine programmes would be the best way to get to the 'heart' of Britain's current wave of cases.

His comments came after Englands chief scientific adviser said that the country remained in a very uncertain phase of the pandemic, despite a downturn in nation infections in recent days.

Sir Patrick suggested that the Governments winter Plan B should not be taken off the table yet. He gave the same warning to the Prime Minister at a Downing Street press conference last month, saying that failing to act will only lead to stricter and longer restrictions in winter.

Warning against complacency, Sir Patrick told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: You need to absolutely be prepared (for plan B) and as soon as you start thinking, "am I, or am I not going to do this? It looks close".

'That's the time you need to push beyond your natural reluctance to do it and do it. This is obviously something the Government will have to consider carefully but we need to be ready to move fast if that occurs.'

'I think we are in a very uncertain phase. If you read the minutes of SAGE that were published last week there is considerable uncertainty in which direction this goes.

'It does indeed depend on the degree of immunity and the amount thats protected by vaccines and thats why vaccines are so important and it depends on overall behavioural change.'

He added: 'Its wrong to think of the build up of immunity as a sort of all or nothing. It is a protective barrier that will reduce the spread of the virus so we need to monitor this carefully over the next weeks and months.'

Britain is 'worryingly close' to recording 100,000 new Covid infections per day, the country's largest symptom-tracking study warned today despite Government data showing the outbreak is in retreat.

King's College London researchers estimated there were 92,953 people falling ill with the virus each day across the UK last week, up 14 per cent on the previous seven days.

Cases are rising across all age groups for the first time, with under-18s still making up the majority of cases after the back-to-school wave, with nearly 44,000 infected on any given day.

 Slide me  The above maps show the proportion of GP appointments that were carried out face-to-face in September 2019 (left), before the pandemic struck, and September 2021 (right)

Some four in ten appointments are still not being carried out face-to-face, figures showed. The above graph shows the proportion of appointments that have been face-to-face since September two years ago

Now former health secretary Jeremy Hunt tells Boris to 'act decisively and early' if cases rebound Former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt today urged No10 to act 'decisively and early' after Sir Patrick Vallance called on Boris Johnson to reimpose Covid restrictions at the first sign of infections rebounding in the UK. Mr Hunt, who is now chair of the Health and Social Care Select Committee, said the Government should not be afraid of 'U-turning' once again if the current trend of falling cases comes to an end. Speaking about Plan B at a Royal Society of Medicine conference, he suggested Mr Johnson should act earlier than he might want to. He said: 'I think we need to be prepared to move to different ways to tackle the virus. Ive always said in a pandemic you should welcome a government that changes its mind, not chastise it for U-turning. 'Its always better to act decisively and earlier than you want to.' But he stopped short of calling for an immediate imposition of restrictions, suggesting that increasing the speed of the booster and children's vaccine programmes would be the best way to get to the 'heart' of Britain's current wave of cases. His comments came after Englands chief scientific adviser said that the country remained in a very uncertain phase of the pandemic, despite a downturn in nation infections in recent days. Sir Patrick suggested that the Governments winter Plan B  which includes face masks, working from home and vaccine passports  should not be taken off the table yet. He gave the same warning to the Prime Minister at a Downing Street press conference last month, saying that failing to act will only lead to stricter and longer restrictions in winter. The stark comments come as the country's symptom-tracking study warned today that Britain is now 'worryingly close' to 100,000 cases a day and that Government testing is underestimating the crisis. Advertisement

Separate data published today showed four in ten GP appointments in England were still not being held face-to-face last month despite mounting calls for doctors to see their patients in person, official figures show.

NHS Digital's monthly report found around 11.1million out of 28.5million appointments (39 per cent) throughout September were not in a surgery, with most being done over the phone or online.

The figures mark a very slight rise in the proportion of in-person consultations from August and was up eight per cent on the figure for September 2019, but a growing number of patients are having their appointments with an alternative member of staff.

Just half (51 per cent) of appointments were with a qualified GP, with the rest carried out by nurses, pharmacy assistants, other medical staff  and even acupuncturists.

And one in 12 patients are now waiting more than three weeks to be seen by a GP (eight per cent), up from around one in 17 last month (six per cent).

Patients in London and the South East were least likely to be able to see their GP in person, figures showed, with just over half of appointments in the capital carried out face-to-face. And at some surgeries in Greater Manchester, the proportion of patients seen in-person was just 44 per cent.

Campaign groups told MailOnline today that the figures were 'hardly a significant rise' and 'not encouraging' given all the publicity around the issue.

They said there was little sign the situation had improved in October, with most members telling them there had been 'no change' in GPs appointments.

But the Royal College of GPs said the figures highlighted 'just how extremely hard GPs and our teams are working', juggling caring for patients in the community and alleviating pressure on the NHS.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid boldly unveiled a package of measures this month threatening to name and shame surgeries that failed to see enough patients. He also said a 'hit squad' would be sent to underperforming GPs to boost the number of face-to-face appointments and review management at the practice.

But the announcement was met with consternation by GPs who moaned about the initiative, branding it 'unfair, demoralising and indefensible'. Some unions warned it could trigger a wave of retirements.

The raft of statistics  published today  showed GPs are still not seeing anywhere near as many patients in person as before the first Covid lockdown.

Some 17.3million appointments were face-to-face in September (61 per cent of all appointments). It is the highest figure recorded since February 2020 and is up around 3.5million on the figure for August when 58 per cent of appointments were face-to-face.

But the proportion that were face-to-face lagged far behind September 2019, before the pandemic, when more than eight in ten appointments were face-to-face.

MPs said in Parliament this week how they were hearing from dozens of constituents who were being denied appointments with GPs.

Conservative Joy Morrissey told the Commons how her mother-in-laws stroke was missed because she was seen remotely.

The delay to her care led to 'terrible damage', the MP for Beaconsfield said, and she is now 'completely disabled and needs 24-hour care.'

Doctors say many people find remote appointments more convenient. But there have been reports of desperate patients struggling to see a GP or vital signs being missed due to a lack of in-person appointments.

The figures also showed the proportion of patients waiting more than a month to be seen has risen by a quarter in 30 days.
A New York real estate broker who survived brutal injuries after two teens hurled a shopping cart from the fourth floor of a Target store that landed on her says she's 'choosing life' 10 years later.

Marion Hedges, 47, technically 'died at the scene' after the heavy plastic cart crushed into her as she left the East River Plaza in Harlem with her then-13-year-old son after buying Halloween candy for poor children.

The mother-of-two was brought back to life by a doctor who happened to be passing by who carried out first aid on her.

She spoke to the Today show on the 10th anniversary of her injuries and said, despite everything that happened to her, she considers herself lucky.

'I've said to many people how lucky I am and how lucky my son was. I am the luckiest unlucky lady in the world.'

Hedges suffered broken ribs, a broken collarbone and traumatic brain injury. She spent the next four days in a medically induced coma at Harlem Hospital. She added that at one point, her heart stopped beating.

Marion Hedges spoke to the Today Show on the 10th anniversary of being injured by a Target shopping cart two children had pushed down four stories and 79 feet

Hedges and her family, including husband Michael (pictured left) have started a nonprofit called Sweet Children to help underprivileged youths

Hedges suffered broken ribs, a broken collarbone and traumatic brain injury from the incident

Hedges, seen here with her husband, said that despite everything that happened to her, she considers herself lucky

Ten years ago, Marion Hedges was badly injured when she was struck by a falling shopping cart. Now shes sharing her story with @SheinelleJones for the first time. pic.twitter.com/WOM9h6uVeo  TODAY (@TODAYshow) October 28, 2021

She lives with permanent brain damage and said she no longer cries or laughs.

'I couldn't take care of myself,' she said. 'You have emotional regulation problems. For 10 years I haven't cried a tear and I don't really laugh. I don't have highs and lows.'

Hedges grew up on New York City's Upper West Side, attended the Spence School and graduated from Barnard. She became a successful luxury real estate broker.

Her memories of the fateful day before Halloween in 2011 are not quite there.

'My son was standing next to me and last I remember was coming out of a store, I don't remember much else,' she said.

It took Hedges several weeks for her to regain consciousness and even longer to relearn how to swallow and read again.

She also wasn't raising her two children, as they were moved to her mother-in-law's house for some time.

Hedges, seen here in 2010 a year before the injuries, grew up on New York City's Upper West Side, attended the Spence School and graduated from Barnard. She became a successful luxury real estate broker

Hedges is seen thanking jurors after winning a lawsuit. After an appellate court downsized it, she was awarded $29 million

The two boys who injured Hedges pleaded guilty - Jeovanny Rosario was sent to a group home and Raymond Hernandez to a foster home and were sentenced to less than two years each.

In 2015, Hernandez was arrested for a string of 14 burglaries.

Hedges hasn't heard from them but wishes them well.

'I don't think about forgiveness because forgiveness means that I had a negative energy to begin with and I don't,' she said. 'I hope those boys can find something to do to make a difference.'

'I don't believe in looking back and thinking why because there's a lot of why's in life,' Hedges added. 'I did have survivor's guilt because I thought why am I not in a wheelchair? Why wasn't my spine broken? It becomes exhausting.'

In 2011, the family sued Target, the mall and its security company for negligence, claiming the businesses ignored prior incidents involving kids fooling around with carts. They settled in 2016 but the civil case wasn't finished until this past summer.

In 2018, Hedges was awarded $45.2 million in a civil case, but an appellate court reduced the sum to about $29 million.

Hedges recently founded a nonprofit called Sweet Returns. Its aimed at helping underprivileged teens in a variety of ways.

'We're gonna have after school educational programs mentoring and helping them to make good decisions in life,' she explained.

In the end, despite her injuries and the trauma, she's determined to make the rest of her life positive.

'I don't know why I survived, but I choose to make the most of every day,' she said. ''Some days I'd like to stay in bed, but the reality is it's a beautiful day, get going. I have to be chosen to live for a reason.'
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Alec Baldwin has been spotted with his family in a quiet town in New England, a week after he accidentally killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in a fatal on-set accident that remains under investigation, and could lead to him being criminally charged.

The 63-year-old actor was stony-faced as he collected a mountain of takeout food for him and his six children. He was accompanied by a nanny, and his wife Hilaria was also nearby but was not photographed.

On Wednesday, sheriff's deputies in New Mexico said they 'didn't know' his 'current whereabouts'.

Baldwin has been cooperating with the ongoing police investigation into the shooting, and has also been in contact with Hutchins' family.

As he bunkers down with his wife and kids, investigators in Santa Fe, New Mexico - where the shooting happened - continue to interview witnesses.

On Thursday morning, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adam Mendoza told Good Morning America that he still has not been able to determine who brought live ammunition onto the set of Rust, the Western movie Baldwin both stars in and is producing.

The 63-year-old actor was stony-faced as he collected a mountain of take-out food for him and his six children. He was accompanied by a nanny, and his wife Hilaria was also nearby but was not photographed

Alec Baldwin is shown in a northeast town over the weekend with his wife and kids. He was spotted carrying a large take-out food order for the family, as police in Santa Fe continued to investigate the shooting

Baldwin is cooperating with the authorities and has also spoken to Halyna Hutchins' family

Alec Baldwin is pictured with Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust. The production started shooting on October 6. Hutchins died on October 21

'As far as we understand, live rounds should not be on set. The key questions we're focusing on is how the live rounds ended up on set, who brought them on set and why they brought them on set. We haven't... we've got some initial statements. There was close to 100 people total on set. Interviews are continuing.

'Everybody we've spoken to knows that live rounds should not be on set and why they were there is going to be the main question,' he said.

Assistant director Dave Halls admitted to investigators that he didn't check every barrel of his gun but 'should have' before he handed it to him on the set of Rust last week, and that he only looked at three of the five chambers in the weapon.

Halls' bombshell admission is in a search warrant that was unsealed by the Sante Fe County Sheriff's department and issued on Wednesday afternoon.

It contains details of Halls' interview with the cops, and what Hannah Gutierrez-Reed told them too.

Halls said Gutierrez-Reed, 24, handed him the weapon and ordinarily opens it, 'spins the drum' to show him the ammo and he declares it safe.

Dave Halls told cops that he 'should have checked' all of the gun's chambers 'but didn't' before he handed it to Alec Baldwin last Thursday, new search warrants have revealed

A portion of the interview between Halls and sheriff's deputies that was released on Wednesday by the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Department

On Thursday however, he said he 'couldn't remember' if she spun the weapon, and that he could only remember seeing three dummy bullets, identified by hole in the side of their cartridge.

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed told police that the guns were kept in a safe that few people had access to

'David advised when Hannah showed him the firearm before continuing rehearsal, he could only remember seeing three rounds.

'He advised he should have checked them all but didn't and couldn't recall if she spun the drum,' the search warrant says.

Baldwin was handed the gun and it fired in the direction of Halyna Hutchins and Joel Souza. Hutchins died and Souza was hospitalized.

Afterwards, Halls brought the gun back to Gutierrez-Reed and told her to open it for him.

The warrant also describes how Hannah Gutierrez-Reed described there never being 'any live rounds' on set.

'Hannah advised that she checked the 'dummies' and ensured "they were not hot rounds".

'She said as the crew broke for lunch, the firearms were taken back and secured inside a safe on a prop truck on set.

'During lunch, she said the ammo was left on a cart on the set and not secured.

'After lunch, [property manager] Sarah Zachary pulled the firearms out of the safe inside the truck and handed them to her.

'She advised there are only a few people that have access and the combination to the safe.

'Hannah advised that she handed the gun to Alec Baldwin a couple of times, and also handed it to David Halls. Hannah said no live ammo is ever kept on set.'
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Dorit Kemsley, 45, was held at gunpoint and robbed Wednesday night during an invasion at her Encino Hills home while her children, ages 7 and 5, were in the house.

Three men broke into the residence just before 11 p.m. PT while she was asleep, a source close to Kemsley told DailyMail.com.

Kemsley had only just returned from a trip to London, where she attended her nephew's wedding on Tuesday night alongside her husband, PK Kemsley.

PK was still abroad at the time of the attack and is now headed back to California to be with his wife, who is said to have been 'traumatized' by the incident.

The source said Kemsley's only focus during the invasion was to protect her children.

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Dorit Kemsley (pictured on right in her closet) was held at gunpoint and robbed Wednesday night

Her husband, PK Kemsley (back), was in London during the invasion. He is currently headed back to California to be with Kemsley (front)

The unknown intruders entered the home around 10.50pm by smashing through the children's classroom door.

Two of the suspects walked into Kemsley's bedroom while she was sleeping. She woke to them standing at the end of her bed.

They grabbed her as as she begged: 'Dont hurt my babies. Dont kill me. I'm a mother.'

To which one of the men responded: 'Kill her.'

The intruders proceeded to ransack the house for about 20 minutes, stealing all of Kemsley's jewelry and handbags.

They did not enter the bedrooms belonging to her children and no one was injured during the incident.

After the intruders left, Kemsley contacted police and her husband, who was in London at the time.

Los Angeles police said the identity of the suspects and value of stolen property remains unknown. The Robbery-Homicide Division is investigating.

Three intruders entered her Encino Hills home (exterior pictured left) while her children, ages 7 and 5, were in the house

Two of the suspects walked into Kemsley's bedroom (pictured: Master bedroom suite) while she was sleeping. She woke to them standing at the end of her bed. They grabbed her as as she begged: 'Dont hurt my babies. Dont kill me. I'm a mother'

Kemsley's RHOBH cast mates Erika Jayne, Lisa Rinna and Teddi Mellencamp have rallied around her after learning about the robbery.

The group was pictured arriving to her home on Thursday, hours after the 20-minute home invasion ordeal.

Jayne was seen looking up at Kemsley's home upon arrival while Rinna and Mellencamp arrived shortly after.

Kyle Richards arrived later in the day as well.

Not seen were fellow RHOBH co-stars Garcelle Beauvais, Kathy Hilton, Sutton Stracke and Crystal Kung Minkoff.

Arrival: The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast has rallied around cast mate Dorit Kemsley after she was robbed at gunpoint; Erika Jayne pictured

Support: Erika Jayne, Lisa Rinna and Teddi Mellencamp were pictured arriving to her home on Thursday, hours after the 20-minute home invasion ordeal, a DailyMail.com exclusive

Erika Jayne and Lisa Rinna are seen outside Kemsley's house

Kyle Richards (pictured) is shown arriving to Kemsley's house

Richards is seen outside of Kemsley's door with a worried look on her face. Rinna is pictured near her vehicle

A dog is seen looking out the window from inside Kemsley's home

Security company arrives to Kemsley's home

Earlier Thursday, Kemsley's assistant was seen walking in a hooded sweatshirt alongside an unidentified blonde

Earlier Thursday, Kemsley's assistant was seen walking in a hooded sweatshirt alongside an unidentified blonde.

The reality star appeared to be on her phone and kept her head down as she walked.

It is unclear where the pair was headed.

Meanwhile, RHOBH was slated to start filming Thursday.

There is now a question mark over whether Kemlsey will be moving forward with the current production schedule.

Kemsley first joined the RHOBH cast in 2016 after having moved to Los Angeles the year prior.

The Connecticut native gained fame in the late 2000s after she moved to New York City and launched her swimwear line, Dorit International.

Kemsley's brand focused on providing consumers with high-quality, comfortable and fashionable bathing suits.

In 2017, she launched Beverly Beach, an affordable swimwear line made in Los Angeles. Two years later, the brand expanded to include athletic-wear and other accessories.

Kemsley met PK while she was living in New York. The couple shares two children, a 7-year-old son, Jagger and a daughter, Phoenix, 5.

Kemsley first joined the RHOBH cast in 2016 after having moved to Los Angeles the year prior

The Connecticut native gained fame in the late 2000s after she moved to New York City and launched her swimwear line. Kemsley's brand focused on providing consumers with high-quality, comfortable and fashionable bathing suits

PK and Kemsley attempted to sell their luxurious $6.5million Encino mansion in September 2020, just months after moving in.

The couple had listed the swanky modern farmhouse, located in an elite area of the Valley, for a whopping $9.495million with the help of Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles realtor David Parnes.

The couple wanted to sell their home because they were 'going to run their businesses from their house,' a source told DailyMailTV at the time.

Jagger and Phoenix were also being home schooled so the Kemsleys were 'looking for a larger estate that is laid out for this new COVID world we find ourselves in.'

The home's stunning interior features an open floorplan, lots of natural light and what Kemsley once called her 'dream kitchen'. The house also has an expansive outdoor space.

PK and Kemsley attempted to sell their l uxurious $6.5million Encino mansion in September 2020, just months after moving in

The couple had listed the swanky modern farmhouse, located in an elite area of the Valley, for a whopping $9.495million

Kemsley's home has plenty of space, an open floorplan and lots of natural light

The picturesque backyard features a cushioned set of patio furniture and a row of deck chairs arranged around an inviting swimming pool.

Along with the pristine in ground pool, the backyard features a full playhouse, including a tunnel slide and monkey bars for the kiddos.

On the other end of the outdoor space there is even a basketball court - perfect for getting in some exercise amid social isolation.

For entertaining, the yard has a high-end grill and outdoor food prep space and plenty of seating space under a covered patio. There's also a covered outdoor living room with a mounted TV.

In video previously posted to social media, Kemsley said that the heart of the home was her happy place.

While there is plenty of space for kids, the home's swanky bar is like a playroom for parents

The house features a huge gourmet kitchen features two center islands as well as a lounge area, complete with a TV

Kemsley has called the kitchen her 'favorite room in the house'

The modern farmhouse design combines lots of built in storage with contrasting black and white tones

Heart of the home: A full lounge area, with a TV, couch, chairs and fireplace is set up within the massive kitchen

'Definitely my favorite room in the house ... our kitchen,' she gushed. 'I'd say it's my dream kitchen.'

'It's where we have our meals. The kids will watch some TV or hang out while I'm cooking. It's where the magic happens,' the reality star said at the time.

The gourmet space features a stone-topped island and a bar that separates the kitchen from another living room.

Next to the kitchen is a cozy dining table nestled in an alcove with lots of natural light thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows.

The master suite has a stunning view of the yard and is decorated with pops of vibrant emerald green along with a large black and white photo of Kemsley and PK.

Modern bathrooms made of black and white marble give the home a spa feel - not to mention the master bath's deep soaking tub.

Kemsley and PK scooped up the house in August 2019 for $6.475million while trying to sell their mansion overlooking Beverly Hills.

The Beverly Hills property, nicknamed Villa Dawn, was first listed 2017 for $12.75million after the couple had purchased it in 2016 for $6.565million.

High ceilings, large windows and a modern fireplace make the master bedroom a showstopper

Kemsley and PK scooped up the house in August 2019 for $6.475million while trying to sell their mansion overlooking Beverly Hills, Variety reported
Priti Patel said today, one a visit to the Thames Valley Police training centre: 'It is a tragedy. It is an absolute tragedy, it really is'

Priti Patel today said the deaths of up to three migrants who are feared to have drowned in the Channel after trying to reach Britain by boat was an 'absolute tragedy'.

The individuals are still unaccounted for after trying to cross from France to the UK in a dinghy earlier this week.

Two men - both Somali nationals - were rescued off the Essex coast on Monday and searches for any remaining survivors have now been called off.

Speaking today while visiting the Thames Valley Police Training Centre in Reading, Priti Patel said: 'It is a tragedy. It is an absolute tragedy, it really is.

'Clearly there are investigations taking place right now so we have to let that investigation process occur.

'But I can give everyone solid, solid assurance that my work with both France and other counterparts as well is very much based on stopping the loss of life.'

Asked what she would say to their families, Ms Patel said: 'It is terrible, it is tragic and it is absolutely appalling.

'We want to stop the loss of human life, and everything that we are doing as a Government is focusing on ensuring that we work in joint co-operation with other governments and other countries to actually get to the source of these issues, which is to stop the people-smuggling.'

Two men - both Somali nationals - were rescued off the Essex coast on Monday and searches for any remaining survivors have now been called off. Pictured is a search boat on Tuesday

The rescue operation, involving Border Force, RNLI lifeboats and the Coastguard, began on Monday afternoon near the port town of Harwich.

But an 'extensive search' for a third man was called off at around 2pm on Tuesday and no further searches are thought to be ongoing.

It is understood that the two men brought ashore told rescue crews there were initially five people on board when the boat set off from France on Saturday, and two fell overboard at the weekend.

By the time the boat entered the UK search zone of international waters, around 30 miles off the coast of Essex where the rescue took place, one other person was also unaccounted for.

Sources told PA that officials cannot be certain whether anyone has died because the reports of how many people were in the boat after it entered the sea are unverified and searches have so far been unable to establish whether anyone entered the water.

The incident prompted an outcry from campaigners and aid charities, who reiterated calls for the Government to do more to help those in search of safety so they do not risk the dangerous crossing.

The rescue operation, involving Border Force, RNLI lifeboats and the Coastguard, began on Monday afternoon near the port town of Harwich

The Home Secretary defended her department's policies on Wednesday as she insisted that efforts to tackle migrant crossings are about 'saving lives and stopping people drowning'.

She told the Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee: 'We don't want to see people dying at sea.

'We want to stop people drowning at sea. I can't emphasise this enough.

When pressed if a tactic that allows Border Force officers to turn migrant boats back towards France meets human rights and maritime laws and whether she is comfortable that it does not put lives at risk, she repeatedly insisted it has a 'legal basis', adding: 'None of this is illegal.'

It is understood that the boat involved in Monday's rescue had not been subject to a Border Force turnback operation prior to the incident.
A far-right conspiracy theorist has been charged after allegedly trying to recruit soldiers to overthrow the French government by seizing the presidential palace.

Remy Daillet, 54, is accused along with 12 co-conspirators of terrorism after attempting to form an extremist group to plan a series of attacks against the state.

His lawyer claimed Daillet, a former centrist politician who has vowed to run for French president next year, is being held as a 'political prisoner'.

Remy Daillet has been charged after allegedly trying to recruit soldiers to overthrow the French government by seizing the presidential palace

Former soldiers had been tasked with training recruits for an ambitious plot to storm the Elysee Palace (pictured), the residence of Emmanuel Macron

The Frenchman is already being prosecuted for allegedly orchestrating the abduction of an eight-year-old girl from her grandmother's house in eastern France.

The girl was found safe with her mother, who had lost custody, in Switzerland five days later.

During the search for the girl, anti-terrorism investigators realised that the abduction involved many people they had placed under surveillance for unrelated far-right extremism.

After the incident, French prosecutors issued an international warrant for Daillet who by then was living in Malaysia, the BBC reported.

The former regional political leader, who was later expelled from his party, was deported for overstaying his visa and was arrested in June once he returned to his homeland.

He said at the time it was not 'a kidnapping, but rather the return of a child to her mother at her request'.

But his legal woes have since worsened after he was investigated over his alleged role in an alleged conspiracy network named Honour and Nation.

Daillet (pictured in court in June), 54, is accused of terrorism after attempting to form an extremist group to plan a series of attacks against the state

He is said to have used encrypted messages to build the shadowy group with dozens of members who promoted anti-vaxx and neo-Nazi propaganda in eastern France.

A judge charged Daillet, along with others in the group, with terrorist conspiracy last week.

They are accused of plotting attacks against vaccine centres, journalists and a masonic lodge.

One source said they were aiming for a 'coup d'etat'.

But Daillet's lawyer said he called only for the peaceful end to the political system and retained his faith in French justice despite the charges against him.

BFM TV said former soldiers had been tasked with training recruits for an ambitious plot to storm the Elysee Palace, the residence of Emmanuel Macron.

They then planned to seize French parliament before capturing a radio or TV channel to spread their message.

In a YouTube video published last year, Daillet said: 'I have decided to take power in France, to restore this country, to give you your freedom.'
Serial killer Stephen Port had a 'voracious appetite' for meeting 'very young' men and spent time with 'vulnerable' boys to such an extent that his neighbour considered he might have 'paedophile tendencies', a court heard.

The 46-year-old was given a whole-life term in 2016 after he murdered four men by using lethal doses of the date-rape drug GHB.

Anthony Walgate, 23, Gabriel Kovari, 22, Daniel Whitworth, 21, and Jack Taylor, 25, were all found dead near Port's flat during a 16-month period between June 2014 and September 2015.

Today, neighbour Ryan Edwards said while he had concerns about Port he was reassured by the killer that his interest in young men was legal and that the drugs he was using were for personal use only.

He also described how Port, who also sexually assaulted several men, had a 'strange' obsession with children's toys and tried to cover his murderous tracks by telling him his second victim Gabriel Kovari died in mysterious circumstances abroad.

Inquests into the four deaths in Barking, east London, which are being held yards from where Port lived and dumped his victims' bodies, are examining whether police actions could have stopped the 6ft 5in serial killer earlier.

Serial killer Stephen Port, 46, who was given a whole-life term in 2016 for the murder of four men, had a 'voracious appetite' for meeting 'very young' men, a court has heard

Mr Edwards told inquest jurors he struck up a friendship with Port due to them being neighbours and members of Barking's LGBT community.

He said their friendship was strictly platonic, and that Port would frequently invite him over to meet his new partner, something which occasionally gave Mr Edwards cause for concern.

He told the inquest jury: 'My slight concern with Stephen Port was sometimes the guys he would introduce me to were very young - 16, 17 sometimes, very close to the age of consent.

'Often there were difficult circumstances, broken homes, needing somewhere to stay, vulnerable.

'I was wondering if he was bordering on paedophile tendencies, but I didn't have any evidence.'

Mr Edwards added: 'He had a voracious appetite for meeting guys and I was always astonished at how he was able to meet so many, he wasn't exactly ''Mr Personality''.

'That was slightly strange.'

Mr Edwards also described being invited to Port's flat one evening to meet his 'new guy', only to find the male seemingly unable to speak and drugs paraphernalia on the coffee table.

Gabriel Kovari, 22, (left) and Anthony Walgate, 23, (right) were found dead near Stephen Port's flat

Two of Port's four victims were Jack Taylor (left), 25, and Daniel Whitworth (right), 21

Timeline of Stephen Port's crimes June 4, 2014: Police find Stephen Port at Barking station in East London with a young man he had drugged who has collapsed. Port admits they had taken illegal drugs but is not arrested. June 19: Anthony Walgate, 23, given drug overdose and raped by Port who dumps body outside his flat and calls 999, claiming he has found an unconscious man. June 26: Port suspected of lying to police and charged with perverting the course of justice. Released on bail. He is not accused of murdering Mr Walgate. August 28: Gabriel Kovari, 22, given an overdose and raped by Port who dumps the body against a graveyard wall. September 20: Daniel Whitworth, 21, given a drug overdose and raped. Port dumps his body against the same graveyard wall. Mr Whitworth is wearing Mr Kovari's top and is in a bed-sheet which has Port's DNA on it. October 1: Detective Chief Inspector Tony Kirk tells local paper the three deaths within a mile of each other are not being treated as suspicious. March 23, 2015: Port jailed for perverting the course of justice by lying over Mr Walgate's death. Released on licence in June with an electronic tag. June 2015: Inquests into the deaths of Mr Kovari and Mr Whitworth were held, which were later set aside at the High Court in the wake of the murder trial. September 13: Jack Taylor, 25, given a drug overdose and raped by Port. Body found next to the same graveyard. October 15: Port arrested on suspicion of four murders and charged. Later charged with attacks on eight other men. November 23, 2016: Port is convicted of 22 offences against 11 men, including four murders, four rapes, four assaults by penetration and 10 of administering a substance. He was cleared on three counts of rape. November 25: Port is handed a whole-life sentence for the four murders. Advertisement

He said: 'I did ask Stephen about it and he reassured me it was for his own personal use and reassured me not to worry.

'Rightly or wrongly, drugs are very prevalent on the gay scene, I don't see it as my place to police that.'

Mr Edwards said he would have reported concerns about Port's young companions and about drug use if there was any evidence of criminal activity, as he had done with a previous friend.

He also described how Port loved playing with Transformers toys, specifically the ones designed for children.

'(It was) strange for a grown man,' Mr Edwards said, 'but I took Stephen for his quirks, and there were many.'

The court also heard how Port tried to cover his murderous tracks by telling his neighbour his second victim Gabriel Kovari died in mysterious circumstances abroad.

Mr Edwards first met Mr Kovari after Port - who was said to have 'a revolving door of boys coming and going' - invited him round to meet his 'new Slovakian twink flat mate' (Mr Kovari) on August 24 2014.

The following day, Mr Kovari said to Mr Edwards that Port 'is not the person you think he is, he's not a nice man', prompting Mr Edwards to offer him shelter at his home nearby.

But Mr Kovari did not reply to Mr Edwards's follow-up messages.

He was found dead on August 28 in a secluded corner of St Margaret's Churchyard, near Port's flat in Barking, east London, unbeknownst to Mr Edwards.

Two days earlier, Mr Edwards was contacted by Port saying Mr Kovari had moved out.

Port followed this by asking Mr Edwards if he had seen Mr Kovari around, floating the idea that he moved to Spain, before texting him on September 11 to say the young man had in fact died on a flight abroad.

In one text, shown to inquest jurors on Thursday, Port wrote: 'Hey neighbour, have just heard sum (sic) sad news from one of Gabriel's friends that Gab did return to Spain to be with his bf (boyfriend) and he died on arrival from an infection.

'His (sic) being buried in slovkya (sic). Please don't put on FB (Facebook) or mention to anyone else as his family are in bits.'

Mr Edwards said he found Port's story to be suspicious, but did not have any reason to disbelieve him.

In fact, Mr Edwards was unaware that Mr Kovari had died on August 28 in Barking until over a year later because he was away that month.

Anthony Walgate, 23, Gabriel Kovari, 22, Daniel Whitworth, 21, and Jack Taylor, 25, were all found dead near Port's flat between June 2014 and September 2015.

The inquests continues.
At least five per cent of Americans have chosen to quit their jobs rather than get the COVID-19 vaccine as part of their workplace mandates, a new poll has found.

The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) polled 1,519 adults from October 14 to October 24 on vaccination trends, from getting their children vaccinated to asking if they'd leave their job over vaccine mandates.

The KFF reported that five per cent of unvaccinated adults polled have left their jobs due to a vaccine mandate.

The study also found that 37 per cent of unvaccinated adults - who account for said they would leave their job if their employer required a vaccine or weekly testing.

The figure increases to 72 percent if weekly testing is not an option.

Early last month, the Biden Administration announced a plan to direct the Department of Labor to enforce all businesses with over 100 employees to get vaccinated or tested weekly.

Five per cent of unvaccinated adults polled said they have already left their jobs due to vaccine mandates, while 37 per cent said they would leave if their employer forced vaccinations or weekly testing. A staggering 72 per cent said they would leave if weekly testing was not optional

The Biden Administration announced a plan last month that it plans on introducing a plan that would mandate all employers with more than 100 employees to require vaccines or tested weekly or face expensive fines

The plan could leave businesses facing expensive fees for every unvaccinated employee or force companies to fire their workers.

Biden also signed an executive order earlier this year requiring all government employees and those who contracted to do government work must be vaccinated and do not have the option to test weekly.

In addition, teachers and healthcare workers receiving federal money from the Head Start program or Medicare and Medicaid, respectively, would also have to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

'The mandates are working,' Biden said during a CNN town hall last week.

The poll found that 25 per cent of employers are now requiring vaccines compared to the nine per cent in June. It also found a staggering difference between political parties. The majority of participants that identified as Republican said they would not want a vaccine mandate at their job, compared to only 20 per cent of Democrats

Since vaccine mandates started going into effect, the workers surveyed reported that vaccine requirements have jumped from nine per cent of employers in June to 25 per cent this month.

The study also found that workers coming from a $90,000 or more household were more likely to experience vaccine mandates from their employers than those living in a $40,000 or less household.

Of the 1,500 polled, 36 per cent of those who identified as a Democrat reported their employer required vaccination, while Republicans polled only reported 17 per cent.

However, 72 per cent of Republican workers reported they do not want their employers to require it, while only 20 per cent of Democrats said they opposed being forced.

The study's October numbers showed that 72 per cent of participants were already vaccinated with at last one dose, with only four per cent reporting they would receive a vaccine if mandated and 16 per cent saying they would 'definitely not' get one.

Six in 10 workers admitted they would seek religious exemptions.

Employers have to seriously consider religious exemptions. Although most religions are not anti-vaccine, it doesn't have to be for employees to apply for it, according to USA Today.

The study's October results showed that 72 per cent of participants have already gotten vaccinated, which has increased almost 10 per cent since June. However, four per cent said they would get vaccinated if they were required too and 16 per cent said they would 'definitely not' get the vaccine

Religious exemptions can be granted to employees who 'sincerely' hold the belief and doesn't necessarily have to be held to the religious doctrine, courts said.

Richelle T. Luther, an executive for Columbia Sportswear Company, is calling for clearer guidance on exemptions.

'We need guidance from the federal government on how to process accommodations, particularly for religious exemptions,' told the House Committee last week.

However, despite exemptions being a gray area, many companies have successfully implemented vaccine mandates, including United Airlines, which got 99.7 per cent of their employees vaccinated. Only around 2,000 employees applied for religious exemptions and the company let go of more than 200 earlier this month.

Others are facing employee shortages from vaccine mandates, including the New York Police and Fire Departments.

New York could face a serious shortage of firefighters, sanitation workers, and cops Friday evening - the deadline for all city workers to get their first shot or get sent home without pay on Monday.

Almost 70 per cent of Americans have received at least one does of the vaccine

The head of New York City's firefighter union is telling members to go to work whether they're vaccinated or not ahead of Friday's vaccine mandate deadline, as the police union continues to fight the rule in court.

Andrew Ansbro, president of the Uniformed Firefighters Association, says that his members felt 'insulted' by Mayor Bill de Blasio's order, which was announced just last week.

'I have told my members that if they choose to remain unvaccinated, they must still report for duty,' Ansbro told a news conference Wednesday.

'If they are told they cannot work, it will be the department and City of New York that sends them home. And it will be the department and the City of New York that has failed to protect the citizens of New York.'

Close to a third of the fire department remains unvaccinated.

On Wednesday, a Staten Island judge rejected a request by the NYPD's largest union to temporarily block the mandate from taking place. Similar court fights are taking place in Seattle and Chicago, where mayors have also instituted vaccine mandates for city workers.

Protests have been popping across the country has more employers enact mandates

New York City's Brooklyn Bridge (pictured) was shut down on Monday after protesters overtook three Manhattan-bound lanes of traffic to protest NYC's mandate

The New York City Police and Fire Department are fighting the mandate. The fire department's union is now selling unvaccinated workers to show up on Monday, despite the mandate stating they would go home without pay following the Friday deadline to get at least one dose of the vaccine

A new hearing has been scheduled for November 12, in which the government will have to prove the mandate is not 'arbitrary and capricious and an abuse of discretion.'

New York City employees have until 5pm on Friday to receive their first vaccination and a $500 bonus.

Those who refuse will be placed on leave without pay on Monday.

Protests have popped up all over the country, including in New York. The Brooklyn Bridge was shut down from 12.30 to 3pm on Monday due to protesters blocking three lanes of traffic leading into Manhattan.
A Florida elementary school is under fire after taking grade-school kids on a field trip to a gay bar - one that offers sexual pun-laden menu items such as Rhoda Cowboy and Ivana Hooker.

Broward County school board member Sarah Leonardi shared photos to social media of a group of children from Wilton Manors Elementary School at Rosie's Bar and Grill, a famed LGBT hangout.

'I was SO honored to be invited to chaperone Wilton Manors Elementary's field trip to the incredible Rosie's! The students and I had a fun walk over and learned a lot about our community! A huge thank you to Rosie's Bar and Grill for hosting this special field trip every year!' Leonardi posted to Twitter and Facebook on Thursday.

Commenters quickly questioned whether a bar, gay or not, is any place to take young children on a field trip in the first place.

'Regardless if its a gay bar or not.its a bar!! Why are kids going on a field trip TO A BAR?!?!,' one Twitter user posted.

'Could honestly care less if the establishment was "gay" or whatever WHY A BAR OF ALL THINGS,' someone else tweeted.

Students from Wilton Manors Elementary School grab a seat at Rosie's Bar and Grill, a popular gay bar near Fort Lauderdale, during their field trip

Leonardi shared a picture of about a dozen kids posing in front of the restaurant sign on a lawn

Leonardi also shared pictures of kids coloring a pumpkin with the bar and grill logo at the restaurant

Broward County school board member Sarah Leonardi posted pictures of a group of Wilton Manors Elementary School children at Rosie's Bar and Grill

'I assume that their field trips like our field trips have to have a request submitted giving the details of the trip as well as educational value. That being said this was inappropriate and many should be held responsible including those who gave it approval,' another wrote.

The school did not reply to a request for comment from DailyMail.com

The children were pictured inside the bar, which features rainbow-colored decor and the raunchy menu items that also include Naked Sweaty Lovin' chicken tenders that are 'marinated in Rosie's own Smack My Cheeks and Make em Rosy sauce.'

Leonardi also shared pictures of about a dozen kids posing in front of the restaurant sign on a lawn as well as kids coloring in a pumpkin with the bar and grill logo at the restaurant.

'Explain yourselves Broward County Schools. This is egregious,' another Twitter user demanded.

The school board made headlines in August after voting to enforce a mask mandate despite a ban by Governor Ron DeSantis, Local10.com reported.

The bar and grill, which opened in 2006, is located in Wilton Manors near Fort Lauderdale and operates during the day as a restaurant that also serves alcohol.

'Whether you come for lunch or dinner, for Sunday Funday Brunch or for just a few drinks... whether you are LBGTQ+ or an ally...whether you are local or visiting... whether you come with a group or venture out solo... you will have a memorable experience with the most talented crew in South Florida,' the bar and grill writes on it's website.

'Rosie's is the place to see...and be seen!,' the description added.

An online review of Rosie's Bar and Grill from 2019 says it is located in a 'primarily gay area' and described it as a place to have a 'gay old time!'

After school board member Sarah Leonardi shared pictures of the field trip, a local parent Facebook group questioned whether it was appropriate given the menu items

An online review of Rosie's Bar and Grill from 2019 says it is located in a 'primarily gay area' and described it as a place to have a 'gay old time!'

The bar and grill's raunchy menu features Naked Sweaty Lovin' chicken tenders that are 'marinated in Rosie's own Smack My Cheeks and Make em Rosy sauce.

Rosie's Bar and Grill, which opened in 2006, is located in Wilton Manors and operates during the day as a restaurant that also serves alcohol
The state of Florida is suing President Joe Biden, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and other federal officials over the White House's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal contractors.

In a lawsuit, a copy of which was given to DailyMail.com, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Attorney General Ashley Moody allege Biden's sweeping vaccine order will cause 'imminent irreparable harm' to Florida.

A spokesperson for DeSantis' office told DailyMail.com that DeSantis believes 'no one should have to choose between a jab and a job.'

Biden, Nelson, NASA, the Defense Department and several other White House officials from the Office of Management and Budget are all named as defendants in the suit.

DeSantis argues that NASA, whose principal launch base is the Kennedy Space Center on Florida's central Atlantic coast, 'is and will continue to seek to impose the Biden administration's unlawful requirements to Florida.'

'Because Floridas employees are generally not required to be vaccinated, the challenged actions threaten Florida with the loss of millions of dollars in future contracting opportunities and put undue pressure on Florida to create new policies and change existing ones, each of which threatens Florida with imminent irreparable harm,' the lawsuit reads.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Attorney General Ashley Moody allege Biden's sweeping vaccine order will cause 'imminent irreparable harm' to Florida

The suit, first obtained by Fox, cites the 'frequent contracts' and 'current contractual relationships' the federal science agency has with DeSantis' state.

'Because the governments unlawful vaccine requirement seeks to interfere with Floridas employment policies and threaten Florida with economic harm and the loss of federal contracts, the State seeks relief from this Court,' it reads.

Filed in a US district court in Tampa, the move is the latest blow against the Biden administration in a series of escalating tensions between the Democratic president and Republican governors who accuse him of overstepping his authority.

DeSantis spokesperson Christina Pushaw told DailyMail.com, 'Governor DeSantis is committed to protecting Floridians jobs, including those who work for federal contractors. No one should have to choose between a jab and a job, or give up their bodily autonomy due to unlawful and unscientific edicts.'

The president's mandate requires that all federal government workers be inoculated against COVID. Federal contractors are ordered to make sure all of their employees are vaccinated by December 8 at the latest.

Nelson, a former astronaut that Biden appointed to helm NASA, was a Democratic senator from Florida until he was unseated by DeSantis' predecessor, Governor-turned-Senator Rick Scott.

One of the people named in the lawsuit is former astronaut Bill Nelson, the NASA Administrator who represented Florida in the US Senate until the Democrat was unseated by former Florida Governor Rick Scott, a Republican

DailyMail.com has reached out to the White House and NASA for comment.

The GOP governor's lawsuit's reportedly warns that the vaccine mandate could escalate to elected officials.

Its main argument is that the Biden administration is relying on a law that gives the commander-in-chief room to 'prescribe policies and directives that the president considers necessary to carry out the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act (FPASA) of 1949 (FPASA).

The law established the Government Services Administration (GSA) and was designed, in part, to increase the efficiency and economy of federal government operations with regard to the procurement, utilization and disposal of property, according to the GSA's website.

But Florida believes Biden's government 'misread' the statute and claims it 'does not authorize the government to use its contracts to impose social policy not authorized by Congress.'

'Nothing in that statute authorizes such a radical intrusion on the personal autonomy of American workers - especially, as is the case here, when may of those workers are officials of a sovereign state,' the lawsuit read.

Biden announced his sweeping vaccine mandates in early September (pictured at the US Capitol on Thursday)

They continue that even if the 1949 law could allow for the mandate, Biden's order would still be illegal because the way it was enacted 'violates fundamental principles of administrative and procurement law.'

DeSantis publicly announced the lawsuit in a press conference alongside Attorney General Moody at the Florida Air Museum on Thursday.

'We just made very clear, as you now are in an era where there are very heavy-handed mandates being hung over people's heads, that threatened to deprive them of the right to earn a living, that in the state of Florida you have the right to earn a living and it should not be denied to you based on these shots,' he said.

He added of health care workers, 'These people have been working the whole dog-gone time and now they're going to be kicked to the curb? Give me a break.'

DeSantis accused Biden of 'turning normal contracting' into health mandates.

'If you force this, there's going to be an attrition of people who lose their jobs,' he warned, adding that the country's economy could not take a mass exodus - similar to the 'Great Resignation' that shook the country at the end of summer.

The COVID-19 pandemic saw a resurgence over the summer, mostly in states with low vaccination rates

Earlier this month DeSantis' fellow Republican Governor Greg Abbott of Texas signed a state law banning private businesses from enacting vaccine mandates in response to the president's order.

In early September Biden announced that federal workers and contractors would no longer have the option of weekly COVID testing or a vaccine. He also required hospitals and other health care centers receiving federal Medicare and Medicaid also get staff vaccinated.

Biden also directed the Labor Department to draw up new guidelines requiring all private companies with 100 or more employees to either implement a vaccine mandate or a weekly testing system.

'We have been patient, but our patience is wearing thin, and your refusal has cost all of us. So please, do the right thing,' Biden said in a televised address after the summer months saw COVID once again spiraling out of control, largely in states with low vaccination rates.

The sweeping order affects more than 100 million people, or roughly a third of the US workforce.
The federal government will pay a grand total of $88 million to survivors and the families of the victims of the deadly shooting at a predominantly black church in South Carolina in 2015.

The payout, which includes $63 million for the families of those slain by now 27-year-old white supremacist Dylann Roof and $25 million for survivors, was announced to the public by attorney Bakari Sellers, who represented the families in the suit, outside the Justice Department on Thursday.

During the announcement, Sellers stated that settlements for the families of those killed range from $6 million to $7.5 million per claimant.

Survivors' payouts will be $5 million per claimant, the attorney further stated.

Bakari Sellers, the attorney representing the families of victims killed in the 2015 Charleston church massacre, announced the $88 million settlement outside the Justice Department, in Washington, on Thursday

The settlement is the largest individual civil rights settlement in the country's history, WSOC reported.

Relatives of the nine killed during the racially driven attack on the Charleston Church, as well as the five survivors, initially filed the suit in South Carolina civil court back in 2016, the year after the shooting.

The families and victims who filed the 2016 suits argued that an earlier felony arrest - for illegal drug use - should have halted Roof from purchasing a .45-caliber pistol from a gun retailer in West Columbia, South Carolina, two months before he used the firearm in the massacre.

During the attack, Roof entered Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church during a Bible study session and began firing at attendees indiscriminately with a handgun.

Dylann Roof enters the court room at the Charleston County Judicial Center to enter his guilty plea on murder charges in Charleston, S.C., on April 10, 2017

All of those in attendance - and all of those killed - were African-American.

Roof later confessed to the heinous murders, explaining that his intent was to start race war.

The slain included the Rev. Clementa Pinckney, pastor of the AME Emanuel Church, a state senator, as well as other stalwarts of the South Carolina community - many of whom offered Roof forgiveness when he appeared in court just days after the attack.

In December 2016, Roof was convicted for the nine murders, and found guilty of 33 federal-level hate crimes.

On January 10, 2017, he was sentenced to death by a federal court, while also facing a slew of separate charges, for the nine murders, at the state level.

In April 2017, Roof pleaded guilty to all nine state charges in order to avoid a second death sentence. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison, without the possibility of parole.

The families of the victims lost in the tragedy have fought for nearly five years from some form of compensation for the tragedy, which they attest could have been prevented. Settlements for the families of those killed range from $6 million to $7.5 million per claimant

A federal appeals court recently upheld Roof's conviction and death sentence after the convicted killer appealed the ruling, with the presiding judge saying the legal record cannot even capture the 'full horror' of what the radicalized South Carolina citizen did.

Roof is the first person in the US sentenced to death for a federal hate crime.

Roof's legal team is still entitled, however, to ask the court of appeals to reconsider the ruling.

What's more, Roof could also petition the US Supreme Court or seek a presidential pardon for the crimes - with President Joe Biden previously saying that he would work to end federal executions.

But the settlement may provide some semblance of closure for the families and surviving victims associated with the heinous event.

The civil case managed to make its way - albeit by a slow crawl - through the U.S. court system, all the way to the federal level after it was initially filed in 2016, with an appeals court ruling in 2019 that the families could resume their suit against the government after a federal court judge in Charleston ruled the year before the 14 lawsuits were to be thrown out.

Police tape surrounds the parking lot behind the AME Emanuel Church on June 19, 2015, as FBI forensic experts work the crime scene, in Charleston, S.C. Families of nine victims killed in a racist attack at the church have reached a settlement with the Justice Department over a faulty background check that allowed Dylann Roof to purchase the gun he used in the 2015 massacre

The suits materialized after the FBI conceded that its system for conducting background checks failed to catch the felony that should have halted the sale of the Glock 41 handgun to Roof in the months before the shooting - which investigators proved to be premeditated.

South Caroline police even recovered from Roof, after traveled more than 20 miles to the Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston by car, a dossier detailing the address and hours of operation of the place of worship - as well as those of five other predominantly black churches.

Months before the June 17, 2015, church shooting, Roof was arrested on February 28 by Columbia, South Carolina police on the drug charge - for possession of a controlled substance.

However, a series of clerical errors and missteps allowed Roof to buy the handgun he later used in the massacre.

The errors included wrongly listing the sheriffs office as the arresting agency in the drug case, according to court documents.

An examiner with the National Instant Criminal Background Check System found some information on the arrest but needed more to deny the sale, so she sent a fax to a sheriffs office.

The sheriffs office responded it did not have the report, directing her to the Columbia police.

Under the systems operating procedures, the examiner was directed to a federal listing of law enforcement agencies, but Columbia police did not appear on the list.

After trying the separate West Columbia Police Department and being told it was the wrong agency, the examiner did nothing more.

After a three-day waiting period, Roof went back to a West Columbia store to pick up the handgun.

Roof bought this Glock 41, used in the shooting, two months before the attack, at a shopping mall in West Columbia. The suits materialized after the FBI conceded that its system for conducting background checks failed to catch the felony that should have halted the sale of the Glock 41 handgun to Roof in the months before the shooting - which investigators proved to be premeditated

The lawsuit for a time was thrown out, with a judge writing that an examiner followed procedures but also blasting the federal government for what he called its 'abysmally poor policy choices' in how it runs the national database for firearm background checks.

The suit was subsequently reinstated by a federal appeals court.

'The mass shooting at Mother Emanuel AME Church was a horrific hate crime that caused immeasurable suffering for the families of the victims and the survivors,' Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.

'Since the day of the shooting, the Justice Department has sought to bring justice to the community, first by a successful hate crime prosecution and today by settling civil claims.'

Sellers, a South Carolina lawyer and former state lawmaker, speaks with The Associated Press on Thursday October 28, 2021, about a settlement reached with the U.S. Department of Justice and families of those slain in a 2015 racist attack on Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina

The FBI has acknowledged that Roofs drug possession arrest should have prevented him from buying a gun.

Speaking with AP in Washington ahead of the news conference, Pinckneys eldest daughter recalled the night of the shooting and said she was committed to maintaining the legacy of her father, who died when she was 11.

'I've done whatever I can to keep his memory alive and to carry on his legacy throughout my life,' Eliana Pinckney, 17, told the AP.

'Just to make sure that the memories that I have with him can be shared with other people, so that other people are inspired by the life that he lived, and the life that he would keep living if he was still here.'

The deal, which was reached earlier this month, is still pending a judges approval, Sellers told the outlet Thursday.

'All nine of these families have been so strong, and they deserve this closure,' Sellers said. 'Of course we wanted more, but this is just, and this is justice, and finally, these families can say that they got it.'

Sellers said the '88' figure was purposeful. It's a number typically associated with white supremacy - as well as the number of bullets Roof said he had taken with him to the attack.

'We've given a big 'F you' to white supremacy and racism,' Sellers told The AP.

'We're doing that by building generational wealth in these Black communities, from one of the most horrific race crimes in the country.'
Sinaloa Cartel

Founded in 1989 by Hector Palma, Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman and Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada, the Sinaloa Cartel today stands as one of the most established transnational drug trafficking organizations. While it has carved out a presence in 15 of the 32 Mexican states, the cartel also expanded its operations into the United States, Europe, Asia and South America.

With El Chapo in prison, the cartel has been plagued by internal fighting between Zambada and three of El Chapo's four sons, known as 'Los Chapitos'.

The Drug Enforcement Administration views the Sinaloa Cartel as one of the top two criminal organizations along with its rival, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

The DEA said the Sinaloa Cartel 'exports and distributes wholesale amounts of fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana in the United States by maintaining distribution hubs in various cities.'

How they get drugs into the US: 'Illicit drugs distributed by the Sinaloa Cartel are primarily smuggled into the United States through crossing points located along the [south west border]. The cartel employs gatekeepers assigned to Ports Of Entry and controls Arizona and California area smuggling corridors into the United States.'

Jalisco New Generation Cartel

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel was once allied to the Sinaloa Cartel as El Chapo depended on its firepower to combat Los Zetas.

Commandeered by Nemesio 'El Mencho' Oseguera, the group set itself apart from other cartels in the country butchering its enemies and today is considered by the Mexican government as the most dangerous group in the country.

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel is spread out across 23 of the Mexico's 32 states and currently finds itself at war with at least ten cartels.

The group has been known to have increased the power that its members have by purchasing military weapons and parts from the United States.

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, according to the DEA, specializes 'in manufacturing and distributing large amounts of fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine.'

How they get drugs into the US: 'The CJNG smuggles illicit drugs into the United States by accessing various trafficking corridors in northern Mexico along the SWB including Tijuana, Juarez, and Nuevo Laredo. The CJNG also has influence over the busiest port in Mexico, the Port of Manzanillo, and utilizes that influence for the distribution of large quantities of drugs.'

Beltran-Leyva Organization

For a while, the Beltran-Leyva Organization [BLO] was born out of the Sinaloa Cartel and became one of the most powerful cartels in Mexico led by the Beltran Leyva brothers: Marcos Arturo, Carlos, Alfredo, Mario Alberto and Hector.

The Beltran-Leyva Organization was involved in a deadly war with the Sinaloa Cartel after the brothers accused their cousin, El Chapo, of being responsible for the January 2008 arrest of Alfredo. The brothers retaliated by reportedly plotting the murder of El Chapo's 22-year-old son, Edgar Guzman, in May 2008.

Alfredo's arrest sparked one of the worst periods in Mexico's war on drugs as the BLO's new ally, the Juarez Cartel, went to war with the Sinaloa Cartel in Ciudad Juarez, a border town across from Texas.

The BLO also expanded its might by going toe-to-toe with the Gulf Cartel, Sinaloa Cartel and La Familia Cartel in the northeastern border city of Reynosa.

While the cartel remains viable today, the organization's members over time split into 11 factions.

How they get drugs into the US: 'BLO relies on its loose alliances with larger cartels for access to drug smuggling corridors along the [south west border].'

Los Zetas and the Cartel del Noreste [Northeast Cartel]

Los Zetas were created by Mexican military deserters who formed an alliance with the Gulf Cartel in 1999 and based its operations in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, across from Laredo, Texas. The group quickly carved out a named for itself through its savage killings. By 2010, Los Zetas split from the Gulf Cartel.

Los Zetas at one point dominated more cities across Mexico than the Sinaloa Cartel, with whom it clashed amidst a threat from the Gulf Cartel to eliminate it completely.

Like some of the other Mexican cartels, Los Zetas saw some of its members split and form their own groups.

Los Zetas role play in the drug trade is enforced by one of its factions, the Cartel del Noreste [Northeast Cartel]. Together, the criminal groups have set up its small, but lucrative, drug trade business into the Texas border cities of Laredo and Eagle Pass while controlling routes and turfs in the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, San Luis Potosi and Zacatecas.

How they get drugs into the US: 'Members smuggle the majority of their illicit drugs through the [south west border] in the areas of Laredo, Texas; Eagle Pass, Texas; and the Mexican states of Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and parts of Tamaulipas.'

Guerrero Unidos

Operating in central Mexico, the Guerrero Unidos broke away from the Beltran-Leyva Organization and formed an alliance with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel to traffic drugs into the United States and bring back its profits into Mexico.

The cartel is accused of being behind the September 2014 disappearance of 43 students, who were kidnapped by local police in Iguala, a city in the southern state of Guerrero.

How they get drugs into the US: 'The cartel has a working partnership with the CJNG and uses the same transportation networks to move drug shipments into the United States and to return drug proceeds back to Mexico.'

Gulf Cartel

The Gulf Cartel is considered to be one of the oldest active criminal organizations in Mexico and is believed to have close ties to other gangs in Europe, West Africa, Asia, Central America, South America, and the United States.

The organization started off by smuggling alcohol into the United States during the Prohibition Era. It was not until the 1980 that it got itself immersed into the drug trade.

The DEA believes the Gulf Cartel has been working closely with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel as it ships heroin and cocaine to the Texas border cities of McAllen and Brownsville.

How they get drugs into the US: 'The Gulf Cartel focuses its drug trafficking activities on heroin and cocaine by transporting loads into the United States near the McAllen and Brownsville, Texas, areas.'

Juarez Cartel and La Linea

The Juarez Cartel cemented itself as one of the mayor players in the drug trade business back in the 1970s. It founder, Amado Carrillo, was known as 'El Senor de los Cielos' or 'The Lord of the Skies' due to the massive fleet of planes he owned to transport drugs, especially cocaine from Colombia and other countries in Latin America.

The cartel was once allied to El Chapo before that relationship fell apart after the notorious drug lord declined to pay the Juarez Cartel for the right to use its drug smuggling routes.

The Juarez Cartel has depended on its armed wing, La Linea, to transport heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana between Ciudad Juarez and El Paso, Texas.

How they get drugs into the US: 'These cartels' greatest territorial influence is in the state of Chihuahua near the [south west border]. This area has profitable smuggling opportunities between Ciudad Juarez and El Paso, Texas.'

La Familia Michoacana

La Familia Michoacana was once linked to the Gulf Cartel before it went on its own in 2006.

Between 2009 and 2010, the cartel proposed to the Mexican government that it had plans of laying down its arms as long as its home state of Michoacan was granted protection. However, President Felipe Calderon shot down their offer, which led to the cartel becoming increasingly involved in the funding of political candidates.

La Familia Michoacana today maintains a relationship with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and other criminal groups as part of its drug smuggling operation.

How they get drugs into the US: 'LFM has some ties to the CJNG and also works with other smaller groups to further the cartel's drug trafficking activities.'

Los Rojos

Just like Guerreros Unidos, Los Rojos was formed as an armed wing and broke away from the Beltran-Leyva Organization.

According to a 2020 Congressional report, Los Rojos 'operates in Guerrero and relies heavily on kidnapping and extortion for revenue as well as trafficking cocaine, although analysts dispute the scope of its involvement in the drug trade.'

How they get drugs into the US: 'Los Rojos is involved in heroin trafficking'
Retailers are imploring shoppers to get their Christmas orders in early as the nation grapples with historic congestion amid an unprecedented supply crisis.

And some shipping experts, including Mohawk Global Logistics executive Riche Roche, say the Los Angeles and Long Beach port plans to fine carriers for stranded empty containers at the dock could make things even worse.

As far as the hyper-demurrage announced in Los Angeles/Long Beach, I think it will be catastrophic, Roche said during a National Shippers Advisory Council (NSAC) meeting Wednesday.

'Chassis are already in short supply and this will artificially suck out the rest of the containers that may be sitting in there that didnt need to be on a chassis and now theyre going to be parked somewhere. Its probably going to wipe out whatevers left in terms of chassis,' he said, Freightwaves reported.

Meanwhile, Pottery Barn, Lands End, and L.L.Bean, are among some of the companies issuing shipping warnings to buyers, with less than two months to go before Christmas.

Were facing some unique challenges this year, L.L.Bean said in a note to its customers posted online. People have been getting outside in record numbers (and thats great!), but high demand paired with extraordinary global events means we may not have some of the products youre looking for right now.

The warnings come as the LA and Long Beach ports  which move about 40 percent of shipped cargo entering the U.S.  struggle with an historic backlog thats slowing the nations supply chain ahead of the holidays.

LL Bean, is among a number of companies issuing shipping warnings to buyers with less than two months to go before Christmas

Lands End said the global shipping shortage  combined with a deficit of workers and heightened demand - is delaying its products, too

Maine-based L.L.Bean said its working around the clock to get products to doorsteps.

The products are being stalled by an abundance of empty shipping containers that have been lingering at the ports for weeks, creating congestion and preventing new containers from being transported.

The Biden administration has come under fire for its 'too little, too late' response to the backlog after it announced West Coast shipping ports would be running around the clock to ease bottlenecks in the system.

The LA and Long Beach ports  which move about 40 percent of shipped cargo entering the U.S.  are struggling with an historic backlog thats slowing the nations supply chain

Lands End is another company that says the global shipping shortage -combined with a deficit of workers and heightened demand - is delaying its products, too.

Hanna Andersson, the maker of organic pajamas for kids and adults, put out its own warning ahead of the holidays.

The companys chief executive in an email that customers should order Christmas long johns by early November to avoid disappointment.

We urge you to order your holiday [pajamas] very early this year due to the continued Covid impact on our global supply chainincluding factory and port closures, and major shipping and logistical challengesthat may cause delays in orders, Sally Pofcher said in the note.

Numerous items are already backordered into the new year because of the supply crisis.

Legos Heartlake City Hair Salon is backordered until January 7, while its Mars Research Shuttle set could be a close call with an estimated ship date of November 26.

Some items, including Lego's Heartlake City Hair Salon, are backordered into January

Upholstery delays at Pottery Barn mean some pieces won't be delivered until February

Kids' boutique Maisonette said the coronavirus has made this year's shipping protocols 'more complicated this year

Pottery Barn is experiencing upholstered furniture delays that is pushing the shipping date for some of its stuffed furniture back until late January.

Some of Crate and Barrels pieces  including dining tables and sideboards  will only be delivered in mid-March.

Hasbro executive said earlier this week that shipping backups delayed $100million in toy orders into the fourth-quarter.

Kids' boutique Maisonette also warned of shipping delays, and said the coronavirus has made this year's shipping protocols 'more complicated' this year.

In general, total transit times have nearly doubled across all lanes and on certain lanes. transit times are as much as 50 days longer compared to pre pandemic levels, Deborah Thomas, Hasbros chief financial officer, said during an investor call.

Californias San Pedro Bay ports are aiming to move 40 percent of stranded containers by Sunday, an executive said Wednesday.

Santas going to need a little extra help this year, Port of Long Beach chief operating officer Noel Hacegaba told DailyMail.com. We recognize that 40 percent is a big number, and it will require an unprecedented, coordinated effort, but it must be done.

There were 103 container ships in the LA and Long Beach ports on Wednesday

The ports recorded a record vessel backup on October 24, when 110 ships were at anchor

And starting Monday, LA and Long Beach port officials will start billing carriers whove left empty containers on the property for prolonged amounts of time.

The fees will apply to containers that are sitting on the terminal for six days or more for units moving by rail, and nine days or more for goods moving by truck.

Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero said the fines are necessary to incentivize shippers to return their empties.

We need to take bold measures to address very serious situation, Cordero told reporters during a conference call Wednesday. Its a broad brush approach to deal with what we need to move in the San Pedro Bay complex.

Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero said 'bold measures' are needed

Starting Monday, LA and Long Beach port officials will start billing carriers whove left empty containers on the property for prolonged amounts of time

Cordero said it's imperative that everyone works together to relieve the logjam, even if it takes imposing fines.

Everybody's been impacted. Were trying to lead on the issue. We have a directive that we have to address to move this cargo, and not everybody is going to be happy to how we do this,' he said.

I'm asking everybody to have that collaborative spirit to address a crisis that we have before us.

Nathan Strang, Flexports director of ocean trade lane management, said fines are unlikely to solve the larger issue of empty container congestion at the ports

But some worry the financial disincentive will do little to alleviate the backlog.

We've seen storage bills on containers for 20,000 30,000 $40,000, Nathan Strang, Flexports director of ocean trade lane management, told DailyMail.com.

I don't know that another $100 On top of that is going to incentivize anyone to get their container.

He said any extra cost is likely to ultimately get passed onto importers.

Motor Equipment and Manufacturing Associations Steve Hughes also expressed skepticism about the strategy.

Im concerned that this new fee is going to cause even more problems than its going to solve,' he said during the NSAC meeting.

I understand the logic behind it and it makes some sense, but unfortunately, because we dont have the throughput at the front gate, I think this can cause us more problems than we have already.
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With a looming mass outage of cops, firefighters and paramedics thanks to his vaccine mandate and a crime wave already terrorizing the city, you'd think New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio would be taking his final few months in office seriously.

But the outgoing politician seemed more focused on his Halloween costume than on the multiple issues plaguing the Big Apple on Thursday.

De Blasio, whose term ends at the end of this year, dressed up as Spock from Star Trek to give a Zoom press conference where he joked with reporters.

The 60-year-old however didn't seem to know which character he was dressed as, incorrectly telling the crowd excitedly that he'd come as Captain Kirk.

De Blasio started off the briefing in a suit. He spoke about vaccinating kids, a plan to make broadband more affordable for low income families in the city, and then jumped into the 'other important issue - Halloween!

'This is my homage to Captain Kirk!'

Twitter users quickly panned him for not only getting his character wrong, but also not taking seriously enough the looming issues the city faces.

The deadline for NYPD cops and emergency services workers to get vaccinated is on Monday. The $500 bonus to get vaccinated that they were being offered expires today.

If they don't get the shots, they will be put on unpaid leave and many are still holding out.

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De Blasio, whose term ends at the end of this year, dressed up as Spock from Star Trek to give a Zoom press conference where he joked with reporters on Thursday

Police and fire bosses both it will lead to catastrophic shortages that will result in 'people dying', but de Blasio is claiming the threat of COVID is worse - even though NYC's daily deaths have lowered to just eight, and even though there are only 600 cases of the virus in a city of more than 8million.

De Blasio claimed he was dressed in an 'homage to Captain Kirk', who famously wore yellow

When asked how New Yorkers could feel safe while NYPD bosses warn of cop shortages, de Blasio said on Thursday: 'They will be safe. This has been something under discussion for months.

'My job is to keep people safe and until we defeat COVID people are not safe.

'If we don't stop COVID, New Yorkers will die.

'Commissioner Shea is confidant about the tools he has,' he said.

NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said on Wednesday morning that 73 percent were vaccinated, but that leaves nearly 10,000 cops who aren't yet vaccinated, and who may no longer be on the job on Monday.

Shea said there was a 'very real possibility' of a shortage among officers - who are already overworked and thinly spread thanks to changes in their budget made last year by de Blasio at the height of the BLM movement.

The NYC Police Benevolent Association, the largest union of cops in the city, released a statement on Wednesday about how unprepared de Blasio was.

FDNY firefighters protested outside Gracie Mansion on Thursday afternoon with just four days left before the mandate comes into effect

The protesters tossed garbage into the grounds of Gracie Mansion. There has been significant pushback

People attend a protest against the vaccine mandate for municipal workers outside of Gracie Mansion, Manhattan, New York. October 28 2021

Scott LoBaido throws trash in protest into Carl Schurz Park as people attend a protest against the vaccine mandate for municipal workers outside of Gracie Mansion, Manhattan, New York. October 28 2021

People attend a protest against the vaccine mandate for municipal workers outside of Gracie Mansion, Manhattan, New York. October 28 2021

People attend a protest against the vaccine mandate for municipal workers outside of Gracie Mansion, Manhattan, New York. October 28 2021

'New York City cannot afford to have a police department that is weak, disorganized and totally dominated by the irrational whims of City Hall. Unfortunately, that's what the NYPD has become.

'Commissioner Shea and his team should have told the Mayor that this mandate and his arbitrary Friday deadline were going to throw NYPD operations into chaos. Instead, they froze like deer in headlights.

'Now cops and New Yorkers are all wondering: what exactly will happen when the vaccine deadline strikes?' Pat Lynch, the union's president, said in a statement.

NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said on Wednesday it was a 'very real possibility'

The FDNY Union has warned it will have to close at least 20 percent of its fire companies around the city.

'The Department must manage the unfortunate fact that a portion of our workforce has refused to comply with a vaccine mandate for all city employees.

'We will use all means at our disposal, including mandatory overtime, mutual aid from other EMS providers and significant changes to the schedules of our members.

'We will ensure the continuity of operations and safety of all those we have sworn oaths to serve,' Commissioner Daniel Nigro said in a statement later Wednesday.

One firefighter told The New York Post that the shortages will prove fatal.

'People will die in this city,' they said.

Andrew Ansbro, president of the Uniformed Firefighters Association, says that his members felt 'insulted' by Mayor Bill de Blasio's order, which was announced just last week, and warns that 30 to 40 percent of firehouses may have to close.

As the shortages loom, crime in NYC is going up in almost every area. Cops say the mandate will only worsen the problem

New York Police Transit Bureau Assistant Chief Vincent Coogan speaks during a press conference outside the Union Square subway station in New York City after a shooting at 5pm on the platform

'I have told my members that if they choose to remain unvaccinated, they must still report for duty,' Ansbro told a news conference Wednesday.

'If they are told they cannot work, it will be the department and city of New York that sends them home.

'And it will be the department and the city of New York that has failed to protect the citizens of New York.'

Mayor de Blasio responded on Thursday: 'Their supervisors will address that as with any agency and it means, of course, they're not getting paid at that point.'

On Wednesday, a Staten Island judge rejected a request by the NYPD's largest union to temporarily block the vaccine mandate.

Similar legal battles are taking place in Seattle and Chicago, where mayors have instituted mandates for city workers.
What's been the worst photo you've seen on Instagram?

There are so many candidates for this coveted title that I'm only surprised there isn't now a Shameful Selfie awards ceremony, not least because all the perpetrators would definitely attend 'for the gram' such is their shocking lack of self-awareness.

You could even lower the winners through a trapdoor on stage into a pool of ravenous sharks and they'd still view it as a price worth paying for going viral.

A popular humorous website called 'Runt Of The Web' records some of the most deplorable outrages perpetrated on Instagram.

As it says: 'What happens when you mix unbridled narcissism with unyielding stupidity and millions of teenagers willing to document every moment of their life? Why, the worst Instagram pictures ever.'

Their list of shame includes a photo of a grim-faced old lady lying in a hospital bed being peppered with $100 bills by two of her grandchildren.

'My sister and I visiting my nana at #stanfordhospital,' reads the caption, 'making her happy by making it rain with #hundreds.

The poor woman doesn't look happy at all  she looks horrified.

Others on the list include a young woman posting a photo of her badly gashed and openly bleeding leg right after she was knifed in a fight, with the words: 'Talk about a rough Monday lol #stabbed #cantfeelmyleg.'

It's those letters 'lol' that ironically made one laugh out loud, but in shocked revulsion not hilarity.

What's been the worst photo you've seen on Instagram? There are so many candidates for this coveted title that I'm only surprised there isn't now a Shameful Selfie awards ceremony, not least because all the perpetrators would definitely attend 'for the gram' such is their shocking lack of self-awareness. But nothing quite prepared me for a series of eight truly shocking images posted on Instagram by Jayne Rivera, a 20-year-old fitness model and 'influencer' from Miami, Florida, of herself preening away in a figure-hugging plunging neckline black suit style mini-dress, stockings and boots, in front of her dead father's open coffin

Rivera has 84,800 Instagram followers, and 307,000 on Tik-Tok. So, she is a popular 'influencer.' But it would be fair to say her ghoulish photos went down like a cup of cold vomit, even among her biggest fans. 'Jayne, delete these pics, apologize for your lack of discretion or I will stop following you and I hope others will do the same,' one commented. 'This is a hard unfollow. God rest that man's soul,' said another. Others accused her of being 'sick', 'vile' and 'disgusting.' And one said simply that it was 'the most horrific Instagram post' they'd ever seen. I agree. There's something so utterly and repellently distasteful about a young woman exploiting her father's dead body for 'likes' as he literally lies dead behind her

My further research into some of the other most heinous Instagram photo crimes unearthed a woman stomping all over expensive rare plants in a conservatory despite repeatedly being asked to stop by furious staff.

Another posted a photo of herself in a skimpy bikini by a rice field with the words: 'Thinking about how different my life is from the man picking in the rice field every morning.'

A third posted a photo of herself in a leotard bending herself into shapes at the Berlin Holocaust memorial with the words: 'Yoga is connection with everything around us.'

Think this kind of thing is unusual?

Auschwitz Memorial had to plea for visitors not to pose for grinning Instagram photos at the scene of the horrendous Holocaust camp, or post pictures of themselves balancing on the railway tracks that led millions of Jews to their slaughter.

Some influencers  the word used for those Instagram users whose antics and post 'inspire' others - will even risk their own death 'for the gram'.

Sri Lankan officials issued a warning after a backpacking couple posted photos of themselves kissing as they hung off one of the country's famous speeding 'blue trains' while it crossed a bridge where one false move would have led to their certain demise.

And others are quite happy to risk public opprobrium by hijacking terrible disasters if it shows off their hot bodies or flogs their products.

After last year's catastrophic Malibu fires, a host of Instagram influencers posted photos of themselves wearing very little clothing and promoting their wares toahem. 'show support', ensuring maximum attention for their narcissistic self-promotion by including a host of fire-related hashtags.

The coronavirus pandemic has brought out the worst in many of these selfish wastrels as they raced to post photos of themselves ignoring rules and partying as everyone else was locked down.

Some influencers are just plain creepy like the infamous Ingham Family, who have 1.2 million followers and sold life-like replica dolls of their own four-month- old baby Jace.

And of course, many celebrities are equally shameless, especially when it comes to virtue-signalling.

Kim Kardashian and Emily Ratajkowski posted topless bird-flipping photos to supposedly promote feminism, and Kim's sister Kendall Jenner 'ended police brutality' with that infamous Pepsi commercial Instagram post, prompting Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. to share her own iconic photo on Twitter of her father confronting the police during an American Civil Rights Movement, with the sarcastic caption: 'If only Daddy would have known about the power of #Pepsi.'

Kim Kardashian and Emily Ratajkowski posted topless bird-flipping photos to supposedly promote feminism, and Kim's sister Kendall Jenner 'ended police brutality' with that infamous Pepsi commercial Instagram post, prompting Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. to share her own iconic photo on Twitter of her father confronting the police during an American Civil Rights Movement, with the sarcastic caption: 'If only Daddy would have known about the power of #Pepsi.'

Auschwitz Memorial had to plea for visitors not to pose for grinning Instagram photos at the scene of the horrendous Holocaust camp, or post pictures of themselves balancing on the railway tracks that led millions of Jews to their slaughter. Pictured: Lingerie model Rhian Sugden poses for a selfie at the Holocaust memorial in Berlin

In 2014, Breanna Mitchell (pictured) was widely criticized for taking this smiling selfie at the camp

Natalie Schlater, from Stockholm, uploaded a photograph of herself in a bikini overlooking a rice field in Canggu, Bali. 'Thinking about how different my life is from the man picking in the rice field every morning,' the Instagrammer captioned in the post to her 12,000 followers

So yes, there are myriad candidates for worst Instagram post of all time, most of them guilty of the most awful and inappropriate 'flarnecking'(a wonderful 19th century English word meaning 'vulgar flaunting and shameless ostentation.')

But nothing quite prepared me for a series of eight truly shocking images posted on Instagram by Jayne Rivera, a 20-year-old fitness model and 'influencer' from Miami, Florida, of herself preening away in a figure-hugging plunging neckline black suit style mini-dress, stockings and boots, in front of her dead father's open coffin.

'Butterfly fly away,' read her caption. 'Rip Papi you were my best friend. A life well lived.'

In the pictures, she's seen smirking, praying, and posing as if she's on a movie premiere catwalk showing off for the paparazzi.

Rivera has 84,800 Instagram followers, and 307,000 on Tik-Tok.

So, she is a popular 'influencer.'

But it would be fair to say her ghoulish photos went down like a cup of cold vomit, even among her biggest fans.

'Jayne, delete these pics, apologize for your lack of discretion or I will stop following you and I hope others will do the same,' one commented.

'This is a hard unfollow. God rest that man's soul,' said another.

Others accused her of being 'sick', 'vile' and 'disgusting.'

And one said simply that it was 'the most horrific Instagram post' they'd ever seen.

I agree.

There's something so utterly and repellently distasteful about a young woman exploiting her father's dead body for 'likes' as he literally lies dead behind her.

Jose Antonio Rivera, 56, was a war veteran whose heroic service to his country alone demanded that his death be greeted with the utmost respect and dignity.

Instead, he became a trashy tool for a daughter whose addiction to social media and seeking attention and praise from strangers over-rode any sense of basic common decency.

Staggeringly, despite the horrendous backlash her posts received, Rivera doubled down on her abhorrent behaviour.

She told NBC News yesterday that while she 'understood the negative reception', the photos were taken 'with the best intentions in a manner my father would have approved with had he still been alive.'

REALLY?

Rivera then outlined her ridiculous rationale: 'I have worked extremely hard for eight long years building my audience. People from the outside judge a book by its cover without stopping to understand the intentions or underlying meanings of the book. There is nothing wrong with what I posted, and I stand by that.'

Oh pur-lease.

We're all judging this particular book by its cover because there's nothing remotely ambiguous or hard to understand about it.

What 'underlying meaning' could there possibly be to such awful, shockingly inappropriate and offensive imagery?

Rivera's Instagram account was suspended as the furore grew, for reasons that left her baffled  'no community guidelines were broken when the pictures were published,' she insisted - and haven't yet been explained by the social media platform.

Staggeringly, despite the horrendous backlash her posts received, Rivera doubled down on her abhorrent behaviour. She told NBC News yesterday that while she 'understood the negative reception', the photos were taken 'with the best intentions in a manner my father would have approved with had he still been alive.'

Rivera's Instagram account was suspended as the furore grew, for reasons that left her baffled  'no community guidelines were broken when the pictures were published,' she insisted - and haven't yet been explained by the social media platform. But as with everything posted and then deleted online, they're now cemented in cyberspace infamy anyway, reserving Rivera a special place in hellish hashtag history.

Nor has the increasingly unholy alliance between Instagram influencers and Instagram's owners including Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg been properly explained to the wider, gullible public.

Instagram wants to get as much traffic as possible on the site to drive up advertising rates which make up most of its $20bn a year revenue.

To do that, it needs influencers to regularly use the site and to persuade them to do that, they need to help make them money.

'Our goal is to be the best platform for creators to make a living,' Zuckerberg said at Instagram's first-ever Creator Week four months ago.

But where is the ethical or moral bar for such content creation?

Jayne Rivera would consider herself a content 'creator' and earns money from many of her posts from brands that she promotes.

Did she cash in from designers of the clothes she was prancing about in for these hideous photos? It wouldn't surprise me. That's literally her business.

But did Instagram make money from them too before they suspended her account?

Yes. They got huge traffic once people became aware of them.

And traffic is Instagram's currency for advertisers.

As with everything posted and then deleted online, Rivera's photos are now cemented in cyberspace infamy anyway, reserving her a special place in hellish hashtag history.

We've all done dumb things on Instagram.

I once posted a weird photo of myself in a flimsy gown on a hospital bed, tubes all over my face, minutes after coming round from a gastroscopy  but in that case my inhibitions were severely reduced by anaesthetic.

(Memo to self: never take your phone into an operating theatre)

However, the idea that I would ever prance around in front of a parent's coffin purely for Instagram 'likes' and 'clout' is as unthinkable to me as it would be to most people.

So why did she do it?

The answer is addiction.

Ms Rivera is so deeply embedded into the self-obsessed, often absurdly fake world of social media that she can't see the humane wood for the inhumane trees.

I don't hate her for what she did, I pity her.

To crave the validation of tens of thousands of complete strangers so badly that you don't care how woefully disrespectful you are towards your own father as he literally lies dead behind you is a stunning breakdown of values.

'Everyone handles the loss of a loved one in their own ways,' Rivera blathered to NBC.

Yes, that's true.

But who the f*ck uses their father's corpse for 'likes'?

Someone who needs an urgent lesson in civility.

To borrow the favoured buzzword of Instagram influencers when commenting on something that makes their skin crawl: yeeeeesh.
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The Queen yesterday presented a poetry award via video link from Windsor Castle as she appeared for the second time after spending time in hospital and pulling out of the Cop26 summit.

Her Majesty beamed as she virtually presented English poet David Constantine - who was at Buckingham Palace - with The Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry yesterday afternoon.

Wearing a floral dress and a pearl necklace, the monarch looked in good spirits as she spoke to Mr Constantine - who was accompanied by Poet Laureate Simon Armitage - on video conferencing platform WebEx.

She told him: 'I'm very glad to have the chance to see you if only mechanically this morning. Mr Armitage was then seen shaking his fellow poet's hand as he gave him the award and said 'very well done, congratulations.'

Her Majesty then joked: 'I don't know what you do with it. Do you put it in a cupboard?'

Her appearance via a Cisco Webex video call came came two days after she held a virtual Audience for the ambassadors from the Republic of Korea and Switzerland.

The Queen is continuing to recuperate following her stay in hospital last week after cancelling a trip to Northern Ireland.

Earlier this week, Buckingham Palace also announced that she would not be attending the Cop26 summit in Glasgow, sparking fears about the state of Her Majesty's health.

Yesterday, royal experts suggested that there could now be a 'reassessment and possibly a slight gear change in the kind of work the Queen does'.

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The Queen today presented a poetry award over a video call from Windsor Castle as she appeared for the second time after spending time in hospital and pulling out of the Cop26 summit

Announcing The Queen's engagement today, Buckingham Palace said: 'Her Majesty The Queen today conducted a virtual Audience via video link from Windsor Castle.

'Mr. David Constantine was received by The Queen this afternoon via video link when Her Majesty presented him with The Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry.

'The Poet Laureate, Professor Simon Armitage, was present.'

In response to Her Majesty's question about what he would do with the award, Mr Constantine said he would put it 'somewhere safe'.

He added: 'This evening I shall show it to my children and grandchildren, who are waiting in our house'

The Queen then replied: 'Ah right, well that will be nice. It is rather a nice medal isn't it?'

Mr Constantine, 77, is also a novelist and writer of short stories. He has published several poetry collections, including 'Collected Poems' in 2004 and 'Elder' in 2014.

The Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry was was instituted in 1933 by King George V with the recipient chosen by a committee chaired by the Poet Laureate. Previous winners include John Betjeman, Philip Larkin and Ted Hughes.

Her Majesty will continue to work behind the scenes while next week's climate change summit takes place in Glasgow and record a video message - but there could now be a chance in the distances she travels in future.

It comes amid fears for the health of Queen - who will film a video message which will be broadcast to delegates in Glasgow - after she was forced to cancel a visit to Northern Ireland at the 11th hour last Wednesday.

Palace sources insisted that her decision not to travel to Scotland was simply a 'sensible precaution' in light of her doctor's advice to rest and that she was determined the conference should be a success.

Another source said it would have been 'unwise' for the Queen to make the 800-mile round trip from Windsor to Glasgow for the major event which aims to agree crucial global action on climate change.

Royal expert Roya Nikkhah said yesterday: 'We had some quite interesting background guidance yesterday from royal sources saying that although she's not going to be there in person, she is going to filming this video address this week and she is going to be working behind the scenes to make sure there are meaningful actions.

'And I thought what was really interesting was the guidance we had that she's very keen that other world leaders and heads of state don't use her absence as an excuse not to attend. So she's following it very, very closely.'

Her Majesty beamed as she virtually presented English poet David Constantine - who was at Buckingham Palace - with The Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry yesterday afternoon

Ms Nikkah, royal editor of the Sunday Times, who was speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, added: 'It's quite a trip for a 95-year-old and she's had this incredibly packed both public and private diary for a few weeks, which has obviously left her pretty tired.

'And I think the feeling probably was  we don't know, because we're not doctors  but the feeling probably was from her doctors it was a little bit much for her to go up and do all that.

'And it's not just the travel  it's also being on. It's also entertaining and hosting world leaders, talking to them about climate change and all of that  I think the feeling probably is that's just a little bit too much at the moment until she's back to full strength.'

She continued: 'I think there will be a reassessment and possibly a slight gear change in the kind of work the Queen does, the distances she travels, but I don't think we will see  all being well, if the Queen is able to continue with public duties as we hope that she will be  I think we will still see her out and about as much as she and her doctors feel she can  but I think there will be a gear change, and her private secretaries and her diary secretaries looking at engagements that come in and thinking what does Her Majesty the Queen really need to be at, and what does she feel she really can do. So I think there will be a constant review going forwards now.'

The Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry presented to David Constantine at Buckingham Palace, London, during a virtual audience by Queen Elizabeth II

Duchess of Cornwall chats to Geri Horner and Alexandra Burke at St James's Palace reception for winners of the Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition The Duchess Of Cornwall appeared in high spirits as she met with Alexadra Bruke and Geri Horner to host a reception for the winners of the Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition today.



Celebrating the world's oldest international writing competition for schools, the Duchess stepped out at St James' Palace in London to award winners and runners up with their certificates. Camilla, 74, cut an elegant figure in navy suit and warmly greeted 49-year-old Spice Girl Geri Horner, who looked stunning in a long-sleeved white silk dress, decorated with silver embellishes and button detailing. In October 2019, the singer attended the ceremony at Buckingham Palace before being named an inaugural for the Royal Commonwealth Society. She also attended the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey in March last year. Advertisement

Announcing the Cop26 decision, Buckingham Palace said earlier this week: 'Following advice to rest, The Queen has been undertaking light duties at Windsor Castle.

'Her Majesty has regretfully decided that she will no longer travel to Glasgow to attend the evening reception of Cop26 on Monday, November 1.

'Her Majesty is disappointed not to attend the reception but will deliver an address to the assembled delegates via a recorded video message.'

The palace has still not explained why the Queen was taken to hospital last week. After it was announced she had cancelled the Northern Ireland visit, the palace initially said the monarch was resting at Windsor.

It was only 36 hours later, after news had leaked out, that a spokesman confirmed she had been admitted to King Edward VII's hospital in London for 'preliminary investigations'.

Aides had hoped that the head of state would be well enough to lead the Royal Family at the summit, either in person or via video-link.

And earlier on Tuesday she returned to work at Windsor, where she is resting on doctors' orders, for the first time since last week.

The pictures show her face on a computer screen as she greeted the new ambassador from the Republic of Korea, Gunn Kim, who was at Buckingham Palace. She also spoke to the new Swiss ambassador, Markus Leitner.

The Queen's decision not to attend Cop26 will be a blow to organisers.

There are few people on the world stage who command the same respect and authority as the British monarch.

With the head of state missing from the event, it is hoped no world leaders will use her absence as a reason not to attend the summit.

It previously emerged that Xi Jinping - president of China, now the planet's biggest polluter - is skipping the much-anticipated conference.

The Royal Family will still be represented by the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge - both of whom have strong environmental campaigning credentials - as well as the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duchess of Cambridge.

Senior royal aides said the Queen will be working hard behind the scenes to make the summit a success.

She will film her video message at Windsor Castle later this week and has let it be known that she 'very much wants Cop26 to be a success and see meaningful actions'.

Today's engagement came two days after the The Queen was photographed at Windsor Castle as she spoke to the South Korean ambassador and also held an audience the ambassador from Switzerland, Markus Leitner

Earlier this month she criticised world leaders' inaction on addressing the climate change crisis.

At a reception following the official opening of the Welsh parliament, the Queen referred to Cop26 and said: 'I've been hearing all about Cop... still don't know who is coming. No idea. We only know about people who are not coming... It's really irritating when they talk, but they don't do.'

A palace source told the Mail that the Queen was being 'cautious and sensible' by changing her plans.

'Her Majesty is following advice - rest and light duties,' they said. 'She remains in good spirits. Her Majesty had audiences today and is expecting a call with the Chancellor this evening, as is the norm before the Budget. There are other light engagements in the diary.'

The monarch is being carefully looked after by the Medical Household, her team of royal physicians, but the Mail revealed last week that she had carried out 19 engagements in October - a phenomenal workload for a woman of her age.

Two weeks ago she was forced to start using a walking stick in public for the first time - a stark reminder of her advancing years.

October 16 -- Queen Elizabeth II attends Champions Day at Ascot Racecourse in Berkshire

October 13 -- Dame Imogen Cooper is received by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace, London, where she was presented with The Queen's Medal for Music for 2019

October 12 -- Queen Elizabeth II uses a walking stick as she arrives to attend a service at Westminster Abbey in London

And last Tuesday the monarch was on her feet for almost an hour when she held a lavish reception for guests including Microsoft founder Bill Gates and US climate envoy John Kerry, where she looked bright and cheerful.

Buckingham Palace said she 'remains in good spirits', though a royal source told The Sunday Times: 'She is knackered.'

And an insider told the Mail: 'Her private office will constantly look at her diary and tweak it as and when is necessary.'

It also emerged that the Queen, who is deeply religious and rarely does not attend church, missed prayers at Windsor's All Saints Chapel in Windsor on Sunday.

She has been resting following medical advice to cancel her two-day trip to Northern Ireland.

The Queen had a busy schedule of engagements in the first weeks of October following her return from Balmoral.

Her hospital stay was kept a secret and only confirmed by the Palace when it was revealed by a newspaper.

It is highly unusual that any major engagement would be cancelled at the last minute, suggesting that staff are taking no chances with the elderly head of state's health.

She has faced a tumultuous 18 months, including the death of the Duke of Edinburgh as well as the acrimonious departure of Prince Harry and wife Meghan.

October 10 -- Queen Elizabeth II is seen on her way to The Royal Chapel of All Saints in Windsor as she returns to church

The Queen still keeps a busy diary of events and audiences and deals with her daily red boxes of official papers.

Since she returned to Windsor from her summer break at Balmoral, the Queen has carried out 15 engagements, listed in the Court Circular, including her audiences, plus an additional trip to Ascot.

Senior aides at Buckingham Palace are scrambling to devise a strategy for managing the Queen's workload after being accused of misleading the public over her health.

Sir Edward Young, the Queen's private secretary, last night faced calls to 'be ruthless' and purge the Monarch's diary of functions not central to her role as head of state.

Officials are understood to be drawing up a 'core' list of key events that the Queen will prioritise in the next 12 months, including the Platinum Jubilee to celebrate her 70-year reign in June.

It comes amid reports the Queen will be accompanied by one of her children or grandchildren when she appears in public in the future to avoid having to cancel and let down the public in the event of future health scares.

Another member of the Royal Family will be on hand to step in should she need company or assistance, the Sunday Telegraph reported.

Meanwhile, the Palace's communications team is under pressure to be more candid should the 95-year-old Monarch require further visits to hospital.

The Queen's courtiers faced extensive criticism last week for failing to inform the public that she had been admitted to King Edward VII's Hospital in London on Wednesday and stayed there overnight for tests.

October 6 -- Queen Elizabeth II gestures as she meets members of the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery to mark the 150th Anniversary of the foundation of A and B Batteries, at Windsor Castle

The media was told that she was resting at Windsor Castle and aides revealed the hospital stay only on Thursday night after news leaked out. The controversy has shone a spotlight on the growing challenge faced by the Palace in balancing the Queen's desire to be an active head of state with needing to protect her health.

Royal sources say the easing of Covid restrictions has resulted in a logjam of public events, adding pressure on the Queen's diary.

According to Buckingham Palace's Court Circular, she has held 13 separate audiences or meetings, attended seven major events and travelled almost 900 miles since leaving Balmoral on October 1.

In addition, every day she still reads Government papers, delivered to her in red boxes, and has a long list of private meetings.

'They have to find some kind of balance,' said Sally Bedell Smith, who has written a bestselling biography of the Queen.

Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine, said the Queen's autumn schedule had been more crammed than expected, but last-minute cancellations were inevitable in the future.

'Every now and again there will be this reminder that she is 95 and she can't do what was expected of her 10, 20 years ago,' Mr Little said.

Last week the BBC's veteran Royal Correspondent Nicholas Witchell faced a backlash last night after questioning whether Buckingham Palace undermined public trust by failing to reveal the Queen had been admitted to hospital.

In forthright comments, Mr Witchell said that journalists and the public had not been 'given the complete picture'.

He added: 'The problem, it seems to me, is that rumour and misinformation always thrive in the absence of proper, accurate and trustworthy information.'

But his remarks provoked criticism online. 'Nicholas Witchell is honestly so infuriating,' one Royal watcher wrote on Twitter. 'The Queen is 95 and like most her age, she'll be in and out of hospital for various tests because that's what happens at that age no matter how fit you are. She doesn't need to disclose her every move, let her have some dignity.'

October 4 -- The Queen is shown the baton that will carry her personal message at Buckingham Palace in London ahead of the launch of the Queen's Baton Relay for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games

October 2 -- Queen Elizabeth II shakes hands with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon as Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall looks on at the opening of the sixth session of the Scottish Parliament

The Queen was seen using a walking stick for the first time at a major engagement during a Westminster Abbey service on October 12.

On Thursday October 21, she was said to be in 'good spirits' after her hospital stay and back at her desk, undertaking light duties. But she missed a church service at Windsor on Sunday.

Royal sources had briefed the Sunday Times that the Queen was 'knackered' due to a busy social life and preference for late night television, as having a hectic run of engagements in October.

The Queen's husband of 73 years the Duke of Edinburgh died six months ago at the age of 99.

Buckingham Palace would not comment on whether the monarch has received her booster Covid-19 jab, but given her age it is likely she has already had it.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: 'Her Majesty The Queen today conducted two virtual audiences via video link from Windsor Castle.

'His Excellency Mr Gunn Kim was received in audience by The Queen today via video link and presented the Letters of Recall of his predecessor and his own Letters of Credence as Ambassador from the Republic of Korea to the Court of St James's.

Mrs Hee Jung Lee was also received by Her Majesty.

'His Excellency Mr Markus Leitner was received in audience by The Queen and presented the Letters of Recall of his predecessor and his own Letters of Credence as Ambassador from the Swiss Confederation to the Court of St. James's. Mrs Leitner was also received by Her Majesty.'
Donald Trump accused Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg of being a 'criminal' in a scathing statement lashing out against his $400 million donation toward local election offices in the November 2020 race.

Republicans have accused Zuckerberg of trying to buy the election after it was found that many counties that got the funds went to Joe Biden in the 2020 election.

The former president was fuming over charges levied against Nebraska Republican Rep. Jeff Fortenberry over illegal campaign contributions, which he called a double standard with how others - the tech billionaire, for example - are treated.

'Mark Zuckerberg, in my opinion a criminal, is allowed to spend $500 million and therefore able to change the course of a Presidential Election,' Trump said.

Zuckerberg, 37, and his wife Priscilla Chan, 36, donated $419.5 million to The Center for Technology and Civic Life (CTCL) and The Center for Election Innovation and Research (CEIR), which was reportedly given with specific conditions.

CTCL, a nonpartisan foundation that had liberal roots, distributed the majority of the funds - $350 million.

Some of its founders, including Epps-Johnson, once were at the New Organizing Institute, which provided data and training to liberal activists.

One analysis shows Biden-winning counties were three times more likely to get funding from the organizations than Trump ones.

Trump lashed out at Mark Zuckerberg multiple times this month over the $400 million donation he and his wife made to election groups

Trump lambasted several of his perceived enemies in the scathing statement last week

Republican anger over the donation spurred at least eight GOP-controlled states to pass bans on donations to election offices this year as they try to block outside funding of voting operations.

Using the donations, both CTCL and CEIR sent funds to local governments to implement administrative practices, voting methods, data-sharing agreements, and outreach programs for the 2020 elections, according to the report published in the Federalist on Tuesday.

The cash was also spent on pandemic protective equipment like masks and gloves, as well as equipment to process ballots, the Associated Press reported.

There's no evidence Zuckerberg did anything wrong or that his donation ran afoul of campaign or other laws.

But that didn't stop Trump from parroting his allegations again on Wednesday, in an op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal.

In the piece Trump accused Zuckerberg of spending more than $17 million 'to interfere in the Pennsylvania election.'

A spokesperson for the Chan-Zuckerberg initiative told Insider that more Republican-dominated counties had in fact requested the funding than Democrat.

Nearly 2,500 election jurisdictions from 49 states applied for and received funds, including urban, suburban, rural, and exurban counties...and more Republican than Democratic jurisdictions applied for and received the funds,' they said.

There's no evidence Zuckerberg did anything wrong or that his donation ran afoul of campaign or other laws

The same day Trump sent out his initial statement early last week, he panned Zuckerberg to Bill O'Reilly in an interview on The First TV.

'What he did, in my opinion, was illegal,' Trump told O'Reilly.

'He's going to get away with it,' O'Reilly said, according to the New York Post.

Trump replied: 'Well, you don't know if he's going to get away with it. OK.'

Despite CTCL and CEIR being registered as non-partisan organizations, an analysis published in The Federalist found that groups allocated their money in mainly Democratic areas.

CTCL provided 25 counties with $1million or higher grants in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia, totaling $87.5million in grants. Biden won 23 of those counties in the election.

Brown County in Wisconsin, which Trump won, received a $1.1million grant from the nonprofit, which totaled only a mere 1.2 per cent of the grants offered within the 25 counties.

But within the county, funding disparities were stark.

The Wisconsin legislature gave the city of Green Bay roughly $7 per voter to manage the election, while rural areas received $4 per voter.

But CTCL boosted resources in Green Bay, a Democrat-heavy area, to $47 per voter, while rural counties typically stayed at the $4 mark.

And Trump is not the only Republican to have piled onto Zuckerberg over the multi-million donation.

North Carolina Rep. Dan Bishop accused the tech billionaire of putting 'his thumb on the scale' to give Democrats an edge in last year's races.

'Our elections are not for sale, but Mark Zuckerberg apparently believes otherwise as he did all he could to put a thumb on the scale for Democrats in 2020,' Bishop told DailyMail.com.

'Its clear that no one meddled more in the last election than Zuckerberg and the Big Tech elites.'

Kentucky Senator Rand Paul ripped Zuckerberg for trying to 'purchase' Wisconsin, a critical battleground state that was reportedly targeted by one of the Zuckerberg-funded groups, for Biden.

'Are our elections for sale? Did Mark Zuckerberg purchase the Wisconsin Presidential election?' Paul asked.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis blasted Zuckerberg during a news conference and touted new election laws he recently signed into law as a ban on 'Zuckerbucks' in Florida.

'So, Zuckerberg, he spent over $400 million through these, quote, nonprofits to, quote, help with election administration,' DeSantis said.

'But what they would do is they would require certain things to be done like mass mail balloting, ballot harvesting, and they would focus on partisan voter turnout, basically. That was totally unacceptable.'

Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin said: 'I continue to question whether Mark Zuckerberg's highly partisan 2020 election spending was even legal.'
A man has died in hospital after being arrested by Derbyshire Police.

Police are yet to formally identify the individual. However, he has been named locally as 23-year-old Chad Allford.

The father of a three-year-old is understood to have been arrested by officers at an address in Alfreton shortly before 5pm on Wednesday before becoming unwell.

He was subsequently rushed to hospital by ambulance, but later died, according to a police statement.

The force has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) following the incident.

Chad Allford, 23, has been named locally as the man who died in police custody. Tributes have flooded in for him on social media

'RIP Chad' messages have been written on the pavement at the entrance to Morewood Drive in Alfreton

A Derbyshire Police spokesperson said: 'Just before 5pm last night, Wednesday, officers attended an address on Morewood Drive in Alfreton.

'A 23-year-old man was detained who became unwell, he was taken to hospital by ambulance where he later sadly died.

'The force has referred itself to the IOPC.'

An IOPC spokesperson confirmed an investigation into the incident is 'in its very early stages'.

A statement continued: 'The IOPC has started an investigation after a 23-year-old man died following police contact at a residential address in Morewood Drive, Alfreton, Derbyshire on Wednesday.

At around 5pm, Derbyshire Constabulary police officers detained a man who became increasingly unwell. An ambulance was called, and he was taken to hospital where he sadly later died.

Police at the scene in Moreland Drive, Alfreton, where Mr Allford was arrested on Wednesday evening

A police cordon is in place around the property. Derbyshire Police has referred itself to the standards watchdog following the incident

The matter was referred to the IOPC and investigators attended the scene and the post incident procedure yesterday to being enquiries.

'Our independent investigation is in its very early stages.'

Tributes have since flooded in for Mr Allford on social media locally.

Harry Lacey-Hatton said in a Facebook post: 'Really cant believe it. You was one off the nicest lad growing up.

'Ill never forget the times we had mate. You always stuck up for me in school and Ill always be grateful to you for that cuz. Doesnt seem real.

'Rest in peace Chad Allford my thoughts are with your family & little boy.'

Ryan Minkley added: 'Enjoy each and every day because a wise man once said yesterday is gone and tomorrow is never a promise.

'R.I.P Chad Allford.'

Aaron Lunn posted: 'Rest in peace Chad Allford. Had a lot of good times growing up.'

A #JusticeForChad hashtag has also been included in many social media posts following his death.
Jason Vicari, 21, has been charged with murder, burglary and weapon possession in connection with the killing of his 81-year-old grandfather, Ronald Vicari

A 21-year-old Rutgers University student has been charged with murder for allegedly killing his 81-year-old grandfather with an ax blow to the head, and later claiming that 'God made me do it.'

Jason Vicari, from Wycoff, New Jersey, was arrested last week in connection with the grisly killing of his grandfather, Ronald Vicari, whom the suspect called 'a monster.'

The deadly attack on October 19 came just weeks after Vicari was accused of threatening his roommate with an ax, which had prompted campus police to confiscate the weapon from the student's car.

But according to Vicari's acquaintances, the man later procured a new ax and was seen on campus.

The murder investigation began unfolding at around 9.30am on October 19, when police received a 911 call from Vicari's father, saying that his son was barricaded inside his grandfather's house on Beechwood Avenue in Elmwood Park, and that the elderly man was lying unconscious in the bathroom with a wound on his head.

SWAT team members arrested Vicari on October 19 in Elmwood Park, New Jersey

Jason allegedly told officers that his grandfather was 'a monster' and that 'God made me do it'

SWAT team officers responded to the home, where they were met by Vicari, who was taken into custody without incident. When a law enforcement official asked the suspect if there was someone inside the house, the 21-year-old was quoted as replying: 'not anyone alive,' according to a probable cause affidavit cited by NorthJersey.com.

When police entered the home, they found Ronald Vicari dead in the bathroom.

NBC New York aired video showing Jason, dressed in a grey hooded sweatshirt, being led away by heavily art SWAT officers.

While he was sitting in the back of an ambulance, Jason was heard saying, unprompted: 'God made me do it,' according to a probable cause affidavit.

Jason also allegedly said that he believed his grandfather was 'a monster' and that 'God told him he would have to switch religions.'

The 21-year-old Rutgers student was charged with first-degree murder, burglary and weapon possession.

Ronald Vicari was found dead from an ax blow to the head on the bathroom floor at his Elmwood Park home (pictured)

Ronald Vicari was a widower who served as the chair of Elmwood Park's Planning Board for at least a decade.

Geri Mola, Vicari's long-time neighbor and friend, described the octogenarian to NJ.com as a 'techie' who worked for many years as a telecommunications engineer, and later as a consultant.

'He was as bright as they come,' Mola said.

Jason Vicari is a sophomore at Rutgers, studying at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences.

Exactly a month before the deadly attack on his grandfather, Jason had been involved in an incident on campus, during which Rutgers University Police removed an ax from his car after he allegedly made threats against one of his roommates, reported Rutgers' student newspaper The Daily Targum.

A fellow student said that a few weeks into the fall semester, Vicari reported having problems with a roommate, which had prompted him to stay with various friends.

Bethany Brooks said Vicari began to exhibit odd behavior, which including pacing around the apartment for hours and saying that he wanted to fight someone.

Officials are seen carrying what appears to be an evidence bag at the scene

Vicari's strange conduct allegedly led to multiple complaints and resulted in multiple students having to move apartments to get away from him.

Student Katie Faust claimed that Rutgers officials said they could not eject Vicari from university housing because he was having mental health issues.

'Rutgers highest priority is the safety and well-being of our students, and all University policies and procedures were followed in responding to concerns from some students about Mr. Vicari,' a school spokesperson said in a statement to New Jersey 101.5.
An angry motorist who threw ink over Insulate Britain protestors is a music promoter from Essex who was frustrated because he believed the eco mob were refusing to move for an ambulance stuck in the jam, Mail Online can reveal.

Andrew Dutton was filmed calmly walking along the line of the protestors sat in the middle of the road and spraying them with ink as they blocked traffic yesterday.

The 38-year-old from Harlow, Essex, who works with bands and arranges concerts, later told friends he lost his temper after asking the protestors to move from the A40 in North Acton, West London, to allow an emergency vehicle through - only for them to refuse and stay put.

Mr Dutton reached for the ink pot after 17 protestors sat across the A40  one of the main routes into London  on what was the protest group's latest demo during morning rush hour on Wednesday.

Other protestors caused traffic chaos on the M25 at Dartford, Kent, where 38 people were arrested.

Friends have hailed Mr Dutton a 'hero' for taking a stand against the eco mob as they caused yet more mayhem on London's roads  despite court injunctions banning them from staging the sit-down protests.

Andrew Dutton (pictured), 38, was filmed calmly walking along the line of the protestors sat in the middle of the road and spraying them with ink as they blocked traffic yesterday

Mr Dutton, from Harlow, Essex walked along a line of sitting protesters and squirted them in the face with a bottle of on the A40 in west London

Friends have hailed Mr Dutton a 'hero' for taking a stand against the eco mob as they caused yet more mayhem on London's roads  despite court injunctions banning them from staging the sit-down protests

Andrew refused to comment when contacted by Mail Online, but a friend said he had been frustrated over the protestors point blank refusal to move and allow an ambulance pass.

The friend said: 'Andrew told me he had asked those sitting down to move out of the way so that an ambulance could get through. He thought it was incredibly selfish.

'They just sat there and did nothing so he warned them he would spray them with ink, and he did just that.

'Many of his friends think he was brave to stand up to them. It takes courage to do that in front of the cameras who are filming everything.

'He's just a straight-up guy who was trying to get to work and got caught up with the protest.

'There has been a lot of positive comments on social media but others have said he was in the wrong.

'All his friends are fully supportive and feel it is about time someone stood up to this lot.'

Among those who ended up being doused with blue ink was a retired GP who gave his name as Christian.

He later said: 'It wasn't painful, it didn't hurt - it was unpleasant, but just sad, the whole thing's sad, it's sad that we have to do this.

'I hate doing it, I'm a retired doctor, I've spent my whole life trying to help people, and I'm reduced to having to do this because the Government won't address the problem adequately, basically. Terribly worried.'

Retired doctor Christian, 77, is an Insulate Britain protester who had ink thrown at him by angry drivers on the A40 on Wednesday

Christian (pictured) later said: 'It wasn't painful, it didn't hurt - it was unpleasant, but just sad, the whole thing's sad, it's sad that we have to do this.'

The demonstrations lasted about two hours - having both began at about 8am with the familiar sight of the protestors wearing high vis jackets and clutching a banner.

The A40 was reopened by 10am, while one lane in Dartford was open by 10.30am.

The protesters have brought chaos to motorways and A roads in the capital since mid-September with 146 people taking part in the campaign and 739 arrests made so far - but not one person yet been charged.

The activists were effectively banned from all major roads in England on Monday after a landmark High Court ruling.

The protestors are effectively banned from holding a protest on 4,300 miles of motorways and A roads across the country

But despite the threat of prison and unlimited fines the protestors have vowed to continue with their sit-down demos.

Activists warned that the disruption will continue, with a spokesman for the group adding: 'Insulate Britain will return to the roads at the earliest opportunity to continue our campaign of nonviolent civil resistance until Boris Johnson gets on with the job of protecting the people of this country.

'Insulate Britain has a duty to continue our campaign and we will not be bystanders whilst the Government condemns this country to death.'
An Extinction Rebellion activist who has previously gone topless at protests has stripped off at Downing Street in a desperate bid to 'save the planet'.

Laura Amherst, 31, from Brighton, travelled to the gates of the Prime Minister's home wearing nothing but knee-high rainbow socks and a pair of trainers to encourage the government to set a target of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2025.

The mother-of-one went on hunger strike earlier this month and told her social media followers that she would not eat until Boris Johnson 'addressed her group's demands on climate change'.

Taking the appeal a step further, Laura took two placards with her to the gates of No 10 to cover her modesty in a bid to demand the 'naked truth' at Downing Street on Thursday afternoon.

Laura Amherst, 31, (Pictured) who has previously gone topless at protests, has stripped off at Downing Street in a desperate bid to 'save the planet'

The mother-of-one (Pictured) was wearing nothing but knee-high rainbow socks and a pair of trainers to encourage the government to set a target of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2025

She previously went on hunger strike earlier this month and told her social media followers that she would not eat until Boris Johnson 'addressed her group's demands on climate change'

Laura, who has the nickname Climate Tits, has gained an online following for appearing topless at Extinction Rebellion marches.

She has also set up an OnlyFans page and pledge to donate 75 per cent of her earnings from the topless content to Extinction Rebellion, Greenpeace, and an animal rescue charity.

She expected to make around 18,000 last month on the page.

But the student has now called on her 23,000 Instagram followers to support the group's climate change demands.

Her key messages are to encourage the government to set a target of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2025 and she also wants them to address animal agriculture.

A video of her at the gates of the famous residence also shows her approaching security guards, telling them what she is doing 'is not against the law' and she is 'trying to save the planet'.

'They were trying to threaten me telling me I am breaking the law and harming children,' she told Jam Press, 'It makes me so angry.'

The topless Extinction Rebellion protester also set up an OnlyFans page and pledge to donate 75 per cent of her earnings from the topless content to Extinction Rebellion, Greenpeace, and an animal rescue charity

The mum-of-one from Brighton previously said that she felt it was important to do more for her child's future, and that she was even 'prepared to die' for the cause

Posting on Instagram, she said she was unable to share the images on social media as she worried that they would be removed for breaking guidelines, but she felt compelled to take another stand.

She said: 'Drastic measures were put in place in war time and in Covid- yet not to stop extinction? The messages are not sinking in that this is an EMERGENCY. 'What is it going to take for people to wake up, and do what needs to be done?'

Speaking to her followers on social media on Thursday afternoon, Laura has admitted she wants to host a new climate change show on the streets of London, asking the public various questions about climate change.

She previously said: 'I need this to go viral because it is one of the most important videos of our time with the most important information in it.

'It affects all of us and if we don't do something, we are going to become extinct.

'We really need to do this. I'm risking my life to get this out there and get Boris to take it seriously.'
The boyfriend at the center of the Houston House of Horrors case made his first court appearance on Thursday to face a charge of felony murder for the beating death of his girlfriend's eight-year-old son, whose skeletal remains were discovered over the weekend in an apartment alongside the boy's three surviving brothers.

Brian Coulter, 31, clad in an orange jumpsuit was led into the courtroom in handcuffs and shackles, marking his first public appearance since his arrest on Tuesday.

A judge read the charge against Coulter aloud and asked the defendant if he understood it. Coulter repeated the charge he is facing back to the judge.

On Wednesday, the judge set Coulter's bond at $1million, although he did not attended that earlier hearing because he was on a mental health hold.

During his first appearance, Coulter signed documents barring him from making any contact with his girlfriend Gloria Williams' three surviving sons.

Brian Coulter, 31, made his initial court appearance in Houston on Thursday to face a charge a felony murder for the killing of his girlfriend's 8-year-old son

Coulter acknowledged that he understood the felony murder charge, and signed documents barring him from contacting the victim's siblings

If he is able to pay his $1million bond, Coulter will be required to wear a GPS monitor and remain under house arrest

Coulter (left) is accused of beating to death girlfriend Gloria Williams' (right) son in November 2020 and leaving his body to rot in a Houston apartment with his siblings

Kendrick Lee, 8 (pictured in white) was said to have been punched and kicked all over his body until he stopped moving

If he makes bond, Coulter will be required to wear a GPS ankle monitor, remain under house arrest and avoid contacting Williams, reported KPRC.

TIMELINE IN HOUSTON HOUSE OF HORRORS CASE REVEALED: November 20-23, 2020: Brian Coulter allegedly beats eight-year-old Kendrick Lee to death inside apartment at CityParc II complex in Houston November 23: Coulter is arrested in Luling, Texas, and spends six days in jail after being discovered drunk and in possession of a gun at a convenience store November 29: Coulter is released on bail; weapons possession case against him is still pending March 2021: Coulter and Gloria Williams, Kendrick's mother, move out of CityParc II apartment, leaving her three sons to live alone with Kendrick's skeletal remains October 2020: Coulter allegedly attacks Williams' 10-year-old son, breaking his jaw; the boy receives no medical attention October 24: Williams' 15-year-old son texts his mother that he cannot do this anymore and calls 911 to report his brother's death; police arrive to discover the corpse in filthy apartment October 24, Evening: Deputies question Coulter and Williams, but let them go without charges October 26: Harris County Medical Examiner's Office rules Kendrick Lee's death a homicide, leading to arrests of Coulter and Williams; boyfriend is charged with murder, while girlfriend is accused of injury to a child by omission and tampering with evidence October 27: Judge sets Coulter's bond at $1million and Williams' at $900,000 October 28: Coulter makes first court appearance and agrees to bond conditions November 1: Williams appears in court and has attorney assigned to her November 5: Judge raises Williams' bond to $1.5million as prosecutors reveal she was getting $2,000 towards child care Advertisement

Prosecutor Andrea Beall, who only handles child fatalities as part of her job, told KPRC this case stands out.

'This is the only type of case I deal with, and I will say this particular case is such a gross deviation from what we expect human beings to behave like that it has been very emotional and taxing on the investigators, the DAs office,,' she said, 'and the priority should be making sure that all the surviving children get the help they need.'

Williams, 35, has been charged with injury to a child by omission and tampering with evidence - a human corpse. A judge set her bond at $900,000 on Wednesday. She was due back in court on Friday, but her next appearance will likely be rescheduled for next week.

Kendrick's skeletal remains were discovered by the police on Sunday inside an unfurnished Houston apartment with soiled carpet, flies and roaches, where his three starving brothers, ages 15, 10 and 7, had been living alone with no blankets and surviving on junk food deliveries from mom and handouts from neighbors for months.

Authorities on Wednesday alleged that Coulter punched and kicked Kendrick to death around Thanksgiving Day last year, and Williams refused to report him to the police, claiming she was afraid her children would be taken away and she would end up in jail.

When Houston authorities went to arrest a local mother and her boyfriend for the killing of her eight-year-old son, they found the pair reading news stories about their own case at a library.

Officials with the Harris County Sheriff's Office said Brian Coulter and Gloria Williams were surfing the internet on Tuesday in search of articles about their alleged crimes.

The pair have been together for a couple of years and lived in an apartment in Westchase, located about 6 miles from the filthy apartment where deputies on Sunday discovered the skeletal remains of Williams' 8-year-old son.

Williams appeared in Houston court on Wednesday and was ordered held on $900,000 bond

Law enforcement officials found William's three surviving sons, ages 15, 10 and 7, living alone with the corpse of their brother at the CityParc II apartment complex in Houston

Grandmother says Houston House of Horrors mom was 'very unstable' and 'not a mother' and took custody of the woman's TWO daughters The grandmother of one of Gloria Williams' daughters has described the woman at the center of Houston's shocking child abuse case as being 'very unstable,' and accused her of failing to protect her six children, including the eight-year-old autistic boy who was beaten to death and left to rot in an apartment with his siblings for a year. Melody Robinson, the paternal grandmother of Williams' 13-year-old daughter, who has had custody of the girl from age two, told KTRK the mom-of-six is 'not a mother' after allegedly turning a blind eye to her son's murder and her other children's abuse. Robinson also revealed she is now caring for Williams' 17-year-old daughter, who allegedly had been kicked out of the house by her mother at age 15 and forced to live on the streets after trying to protect her brothers from abuse. Melody Robinson, the grandmother of Gloria Williams' 13-year-old daughter, who's been in her care from age 2, said the mom in the Houston House of Horrors case is 'very unstable' 'For you, as a mother, to watch somebody do that to your child, that's not a mother. A mother doesn't do that,' said Robinson. Robinson said when Williams' youngest daughter turned 2 years old, the woman, who was pregnant at the time with her fourth child, contacted her, asking if she could take in her granddaughter. Williams later gave up her parental rights to her daughter, allowing Robinson to take full custody of the girl. Robinson revealed that she has recently received conservatorship of Williams' 17-year-old daughter, who she said had been ejected from her mother's home aged 15 after trying to prevent Coulter from abusing her younger brothers. Robinson said the teen was forced to live on the streets for more than a year. When she ended up at the hospital, Childrens Protective Services contacted Robinson. Even though Robinson was not the girl's biological grandmother, she took her in so she could live together with her younger half-sister. 'The 17-year-old wanted to be with me and so the mom didnt want her and told me just take her and didnt want her back,' the grandmother said. This photos from four years ago shows Williams (left) and her mother (center), along with her six children. The boy in the colorful T-shirt is Kendrick Lee, who was beaten to death in November 2020 The grandmother said the two sisters would talk to their brothers on FaceTime. Williams' 15-year-old son never mentioned that their younger had died. Williams' relatives revealed to KPRC that two of her sons were likely autistic, including Kendrick, who was described as mostly non-verbal. Family members said that Williams kept them at an arm's left and would only reach out to ask for money. Whenever they would ask about their children's well-being, she would assure them they were fine. Advertisement

Recent social media posts show that Williams has been referring to Coulter as her husband, and the two even got matching 'warrior' tattoos.

Coulter's significant collection of body art also includes the words 'loyalty' and 'family over everything,' along with face tattoos depicting a cross and a dollar sign.

His Instagram page, which was last updated in August, shows the murder suspect posing up in his over-the-top jewelry, listening to hip hop and making unintelligible comments.

The arrests were made two days after law enforcement officials found Williams' three children abandoned inside a Houston apartment. Investigators also found a rotting corpse of Williams' eight-year-old son who had been dead for more than a year

Coulter's Instagram page includes videos showing him posing up in jewelry, listening to music and making garbled comments

The phrase 'family over everything' is seen etched into Coulter's body

Williams also bragged about the baubles she had received from her 'husband,' stressing that all the items were real.

Court records show that neither suspect has a significant criminal history.

Coulter had been charged in 2011 with displaying a counterfeit inspection certificate, a misdemeanor, which was later dismissed.

Williams had been picked up in 2006 on a count of forgery, but it was ultimately dropped.

Court documents obtained by DailyMail.com indicate that the mom-of-six more recently had been charged for failing to enroll her children in school.

Alief Independent School District told KTRK that in 2019 and 2020, the school district filed truancy papers against the siblings' mother because two of them, Ja'Veon Kirklin and his older sister, were not attending school. The children were last enrolled in May 2020.

Both charges were later dismissed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Facebook is rebranding its parent company and will now go by the name Meta as Mark Zuckerberg tries to distance the social media behemoth from mounting scandals after leaked whistleblower documents claimed its platforms harmed users and stoked anger.

Zuckerberg made the announcement Thursday at the Facebook Connect augmented and virtual reality conference. During hte announcement, workers outside the company's Silicon Valley headquarters pulled down a curtain bearing the company's iconic 'Like' sign to reveal the new name and logo.

Meta refers to the 'metaverse,' Zuckerberg's vision for the company's transition into shared augmented reality, where uses work and play in virtual world environments.

The attempt to escape reality couldn't come at a better time for the embattled brand, which will retain the Facebook name, but Facebook Inc. - the parent company that also owns Instagram and WhatsApp - will now go under the new title Meta. It will begin trading under MVRS on December 1.

The company is steeped deep in crisis after whistleblower Frances Haugen leaked internal documents and made bombshell claims that it 'puts profits over people' by knowingly harming teenagers with its content and stoking anger among users.

Facebook changed its name to Meta in reference to its goal of expanding beyond social media, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Thursday at the Facebook Connect augmented and virtual reality conference

Haugen, a Facebook former product manager, left the company with tens of thousands of confidential documents that she copied in secret and released to roughly two dozen news outlets.

On Thursday it was revealed how Facebook researchers are said to have had extensive knowledge that coronavirus and misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine existed on the company's apps, yet did little to combat it let alone share the information with the White House.

Documents presented by Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen show how multiple studies were run producing a number various number detailing the types of users who were most likely to share fake news.

Lawmakers, academics and the White House urged Facebook to share such information publicly.

Facebook employees also knew misinformation about the coronavirus was dominating parts of the social media platform creating 'echo-chamber-like effects' ultimately reinforcing hesitancy over the vaccine.

Employees pulled down a curtain draped over its iconic 'Like' sign outside the company's Silicon Valley headquarters was pulled down to reveal the new branding

It includes a new logo depicting a blue infinity symbol and refers to the 'metaverse', the company's new focus to expand beyond its social media apps

Haugen testified before Congress on October 5 and British Parliament on Monday, presenting findings on the harm social media caused young users. One revealed that 13.5% of British teenagers and 6% of American teenagers experiencing suicidal thoughts said that they traced them to Instagram.

A message posted on an internal message board in March 2020 and revealed in Haugen's documents said the app revealed that 32% of girls said Instagram made them feel worse about their bodies if they were already having insecurities.

Another recent claim against the company is that Instagram bombards women and girls who suffer from eating disorders with images and videos of exceedingly thin females and others afflicted with anorexia.

Internal documents revealed that Instagram's algorithm curates options based on searches and preferences of users who express interest in dieting, weight loss, and thinness.

Instagram researchers this year conducted an experiment in which they typed in terms like #skinny and #thin are then offered to browse through other accounts that feature dangerously emaciated women and girls.

Another core finding in the leaked documents was that Facebook staff have reported for years that they are concerned about the company's failure to police hate speech and that its algorithms flooded users with extremist content and conspiracy theories based on their political beliefs.

Internal messages from staff at the social media giant show that they blamed themselves for the January 6 Capitol riot after giving extremist content a platform on the site.

'One of the darkest days in the history of democracy and self-governance. History will not judge us kindly,' said one worker while another said: 'We've been fueling this fire for a long time and we shouldn't be surprised it's now out of control.'

Haugen's leaked documents also reveal that Facebook potentially mislead the US Securities and Exchange Commission by failing to disclose that its popularity among young users is slumping.

It is said to have failed to explain that many of its overall users are people with more than one account on its sites, meaning the actual number of users could be up to 11% fewer than its figures would suggest.

One trend shows that the time spent on Facebook by U.S. teenagers was down 16% from 2020 to 2021 and that young adults, between 18 and 29, were spending 5% less time on the app, according to reporting from Bloomberg.

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen testifying before British lawmakers on Monday about her concerns over the tech giant's power in the tech and telecomms space. She said, among other things, that Facebook misleads the world by claiming it helps non-English-speaking companies with its technology, when it in fact fuels extremism

Despite an avalanche of damaging whistleblower claims surfacing at the start of this week in what became known as the Facebook Papers, Meta on Monday reported soaring profits for the latest quarter.

The company said that its net income grew 17% in the July-September period to $9.19 billion, buoyed by strong advertising revenue. That's up from profits of $7.85 billion a year earlier.

Meta stock rose more than 1% in after-hours trading Tuesday and rose by more than 3% on Thursday afternoon before dropping to about 1.5% by 5pm. Third quarter revenue grew 35% to $29.01 billion, exceeding analyst expectations.

The company's name change includes a new logo depicting a blue infinity symbol and refers to the 'metaverse', its new focus to expand beyond its social media apps.

The term 'metaverse' can refer to digital spaces, which are made more lifelike by the use of virtual reality or augmented reality.

'Our mission remains the same, it's still about bringing people together,' he said, adding, 'Now we have a new North Star to help bring the metaverse to life.'

He added that the word means 'beyond' in Greek and symbolizes that there is 'always more to build' and 'always a next chapter in the story.'

'I believe the metaverse is the next chapter of the Internet and it's the next chapter of our company too,' he said, adding, 'While most etch companies focus on how people could connect to technology, we focus on building technology so people could connect with each other.'

Zuckerberg has previously suggested the metaverse to be the future of the company, and has been talking up the metaverse since July.

The company has invested heavily in virtual reality and augmented reality, developing hardware such as its Oculus VR headsets and working on AR glasses and wristband technologies.

The buzzy word, first coined in a dystopian novel three decades earlier, is popular in Silicon Valley and has been referenced by other tech firms such as Microsoft.

In addition to its name change, Meta also announced an upcoming virtual reality headset called Project Cambria, a high-end product available to be released next year at a higher price point than the $299 Quest 2 headset, the company said in a blog post.

Meta also announced the code name of its first fully AR-capable smart glasses: Project Nazare. The glasses are 'still a few years out,' the company said in a blog post and Zuckerberg noted, 'we still have a ways to go with Nazare, but we're making good progress.'

The move to Meta is reminiscent of when Google abruptly renamed itself Alphabet in 2015, making Google a subsidiary and allowing it to become a technology conglomerate.

Meta is set to trade under MVRS from December 1. The company's stock rose more than 1 percent in after-hours trading Tuesday and rose by more than 3% on Thursday

Zuckerberg has previously suggested the metaverse to be future of the company, and has been talking up the metaverse since July

In the metaverse, users' avatars move and change their expression in real time with the user

But the burning question on the minds of many is whether the name is enough to help Meta shake off it's mounting public relations nightmares.

An 'independent oversight board' that is not affiliated with Facebook but which comments on the company's behavior has dismissed claims the name change will solve the firm's mounting problems. The group released a statement shortly after the announcement, saying, 'Changing their name doesn't change reality: Facebook is destroying our democracy and is the world's leading peddler of disinformation and hate.'

It continued, 'Their meaningless name change should not distract from the investigation, regulation and real, independent oversight needed to hold Facebook accountable.'

The company is attempting to 'divert the conversation from their current problems onto the metaverse, which is exciting and futuristic,' Anne Olderog, a senior partner at the consulting firm Vivaldi with 20 years of brand-strategy experience, told Business Insider.

She called it a 'brilliant move' because 'truly, nobody understands' the metaverse. However, she added that the public could 'definitely see through things like that at this stage.'

'Facebook is the world's social media platform and they are being accused of creating something that is harmful to people and society,' marketing consultant Laura Ries told the Associated Press.

She compared the name Meta to when BP rebranded to 'Beyond Petroleum' to escape criticism that it harmed the environment. 'They can't walk away from the social network with a new corporate name and talk of a future metaverse.'

The company has invested heavily in virtual reality and augmented reality, developing hardware such as its Oculus VR headsets and working on AR glasses and wristband technologies

What is the metaverse? The 'metaverse' is a set of virtual spaces where you can game, work and communicate with other people who aren't in the same physical space as you. Facebook explained: 'You'll be able to hang out with friends, work, play, learn, shop, create and more. 'It's not necessarily about spending more time online  it's about making the time you do spend online more meaningful.' While Facebook is leading the charge with the metaverse, it explained that it isn't a single product one company can build alone. 'Just like the internet, the metaverse exists whether Facebook is there or not,' it added. 'And it won't be built overnight. Many of these products will only be fully realized in the next 10-15 years.' Advertisement

In addition to a new drop of documents from Haugen last Monday that became known as the Facebook Papers, U.S. officials announced Meta had agreed to pay up to $14.25 million to settle civil claims by the government that the company discriminated against American workers and violated federal recruitment rules.

And last Tuesday in the U.K., the company was fined $70 million after failing to provide enough important information to the competition regulator investigating the firm's takeover of GIF sharing platform Giphy.

Britain's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched a probe into the acquisition in June last year, shortly after the deal was announced, over concerns about a 'substantial lessening of competition.'

Facebook responded to the fine, saying: 'We strongly disagree with the CMA's unfair decision to punish Facebook for a best effort compliance approach, which the CMA itself ultimately approved. We will review the CMA's decision and consider our options.'

Facebook has also admitted that users can share information about how to enter countries illegally and about people smuggled on its social media platforms.

The admission comes as Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich urged the Department of Justice and US Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate the social media giant over its 'facilitation' of illegal migration into the United States.

The move could benefit the California-based behemoth's reputation, which has suffered hit after hit in recent years. The company had been facing a number of scandals long before its controversy over the Facebook Papers.

It was accused of facilitating the spread of misinformation during the 2016 US presidential election, prompting a a series of congressional hearings and policy changes, including the introduction of third-party fact-checkers and further transparency in political advertising.

In 2019, the Federal Trade Commission fined Facebook $5 billion for allowing 87 million US profiles to be harvested for information used for political advertising by British firm Cambridge Analytica.

Some of the advertising was used to help the 2016 campaign of former president Donald Trump.

When announcing the new name, Zuckerberg paid no notice to any of the scandals or Facebook Papers, but focused solely on Meta's goals going forward.

Those familiar with the popular children's game Roblox already know the metaverse as it describes itself as a metaverse company. Epic Games' Fortnite is also considered to be part of the metaverse.

The metaverse is 'going to be a big focus, and I think that this is just going to be a big part of the next chapter for the way that the internet evolves after the mobile internet,' Zuckerberg told The Verge earlier this year.

'And I think it's going to be the next big chapter for our company too, really doubling down in this area.'

On Sunday, Meta announced it was hiring 10,000 people in Europe to build the metaverse out.
An Illinois woman has been charged with first-degree murder after she allegedly smothered her newborn son to death and buried him in the backyard in a plastic bag to prevent her family from finding out about her pregnancy.

Alvory C. Chavez Ramos, 23, was arrested last Saturday and told detectives that she was trying to keep the pregnancy a secret so that her family wouldn't be mad at her, according to the Cook County Sheriff's Office.

Ramos gave birth in a bathtub at her family's home in Northlake, just outside of Chicago, sometime last year but did not say when she delivered the child, officials said. Investigators believe the birth occurred between October 31 and November 30, 2020.

She then quickly put her hand over the child's nose and mouth to stop him from crying so that her family wouldn't hear him, police said.

After he stopped moving, she slid his body into a plastic bag and buried him in the backyard, where the boy's body was discovered in May after an anonymous tip, officials said.

Alvory C. Chavez Ramos, 23, is being held on $950,000 bond after allegedly smothering her newborn son to death last year

Ramos gave birth to a son in the bathtub and buried him in the backyard of her family's home in the 900 block of North Prater Avenue in Northlake, above, just outside of Chicago

An autopsy confirmed the child was asphyxiated and the manner of death was homicide.

Ramos is being held on $950,000 bond on one count of first-degree murder after appearing at the Maywood Courthouse on Wednesday.

It is unclear whether the child's father was aware of the crime.

Deputies say they launched an inquiry after the child's remains were discovered in May, though it's not clear who tipped them off.

The Cook County Sheriff's Office did not respond to questions from DailyMail.com.

Ramos confessed to detectives that she tried to hide the pregnancy because she was afraid of her family's reaction, deputies say.

Earlier this month, another 23-year-old mother in Illinois was charged with two counts of first degree murder in connection with the death of her five-month-old daughter.

Fulton County prosecutors say Joslynn M. Graham searched the internet for 'ways to get rid of your child' before her baby Emery Lyons was killed by multiple contusions to her head and face, according to Law & Crime.

A witness said Graham had 'expressed frustration with the child' before Emerys death.
The sons of a Miami tycoon who was gunned down by mobsters 20 years ago have found themselves in a legal battle with their cousin who they say stole up to $1 million from their inheritance.

Aristotle and Alexander Boulis, the sons of murdered Greek tycoon Gus Boulis, are currently fighting over stolen trust funds with their father's nephew Spiro Naos, who was left in charge of the boy's trust following Boulis' murder, the Miami Herald reported.

Following the 2001 murder of Boulis, the boys' second-cousin Spiro Naos was named the settlor and trustee of two trusts that each contained a $1 million life insurance policy for the boys - who were only five and seven years old at the time of their father's killing.

Greek tycoon Gus Boulis who was most well known for the cruise casino line he founded in 1994 called 'SunCruz Casinos'

After being shot Boulis continued to drive about for another mile before crashing into a tree and would be pronounced dead at a local hospital (car pictured)

Despite losing their dad, the boys said Naos was a constant presence in their lives who they 'loved and trusted like a father,' they told the Herald.

But they would later discover that starting in 2005 Noas withdrew a total of $1million from both their trusts, the paper reported.

The money was left for them by their father, who ran the popular Miami Subs fast food chain that would eventually expand to 16 states as well as open several locations across Latin America.

But the larger-than-life tycoon was best known for the cruise casino line he founded in 1994 called 'SunCruz Casinos' that would transport passengers to international waters, where they could gamble and avoid federal and state laws.

The cruise line was a huge success and became Florida's largest casino boat operation with a fleet of 11 yachts, the Herald reported.

The feds cracked down on the operation and forced Boulis to sell the business in 2000 due to a law that said only U.S citizens could own such fleets.

He sold the thriving business to New York businessman Adam Kidan in what turned out to be a fraudulent deal.

Aristotle and Alexander Boulis are currently locked in a legal battle over stolen trust funds with their cousin Spiro Naos (pictured right) who was left in charge of their trusts

Boulis would die in February 2001 when one of Kidan's associate cut him off and shot fired three shots into Boulis' chest before fleeing the scene (pictured)

Kidan was later convicted of fraudulently obtaining $60 million worth of loans to buy SunCruz. When Boulis demanded return of his casino fleet, Kidan allegedly hired mobsters who whacked Boulis in February 2001.

His son Aristotle Hren-Boulis, who is now 28-years-old, told the Herald the sudden loss of his father was 'really hard.'

'I was young, I didn't know how to handle something like that. I did my best to suppress it and focus on my own life,' he said.

But after putting their confidence into their cousin, the fact that he was stealing from them was even more gutting, the brothers said.

In December 2020, Miami-Dade Circuit Court determined that Naos failed to properly perform his duties and committed a breach of trust in withdrawing the money from the brothers' trusts without their knowledge or consent, the Herald reported.

Noas' attorney Jonathan Noah Schwartz told the Herald that he looks forward to defending himself in court and said he regrets the current state of his relationship with his cousins.

'His legal positions aside, Mr. Naos remains saddened as to the deterioration of his relationship with the Hren-Boulis brothers,' Schwartz said.

Schwartz told the Herald that in September 2019, Naos deposited $300,000 into the brothers' trusts, which he says is $4,000 more than the total Naos ever withdrew when he was a trustee.

But the brothers lawyer, Ricardo Arce said that the $300,000 Naos deposited into their trust does not take into account over a decade of lost interest on the brothers' funds.

Currently the brothers, who say they still feel betrayed, have not filed a criminal complaint against their cousin but are instead working things through mediation but are willing to take their claims to trial.
Democratic Rep. Peter DeFazio was caught calling GOP Rep. Brian Mast a 'f***ing a**hole' on the House floor as Mast offered amendments aimed at airline vaccine mandates.

As Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, yielded his time to Mast, R-Fla., Oregon Democrat DeFazio could be heard uttering the profanities during a markup for the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Mast introduced three amendments to the Aviation Funding Stability Act of 2021 aimed at barring vaccine mandates in aviation. The amendments would bar the Federal Aviation Administration or airlines from implementing vaccine mandates for their contractors or employees as part of the bill that would fund the airline industry in the instance of a government shutdown.

'This debate is one of the most important debates we could have in this committee and in the whole of Congress,' Mast said during the committee meeting on vaccine mandates.

Mast said that Congress does not have the 'right to take away somebody else's right to not put something in their body.'

Democratic Rep. Peter DeFazio was caught calling GOP Rep. Brian Mast a 'F***ing a**hole' on the House floor as Mast offered amendments aimed at airline vaccine mandates

Federal contractors are expected to have their Covid-19 vaccination by Dec. 8 or risk getting fired. Large airlines are federal contractors.

Pilots' labor unions have sought to block the mandates or have alternatives such as regular Covid-19 testing. Biden's mandate for federal contractors is more strict than his mandate for private business with over 100 employees. Private businesses have the alternative to offer weekly testing, but it's not clear when that mandate will take effect.

On Tuesday a Texas judge dismissed a request for an injunction by the Southwest Airlines Pilots' Association against the mandate.

Thousands of employees across the US have been leaving their jobs or getting fired for refusing a Covid-19 vaccine. United Airlines revealed this week that it is spending $3 million a week to keep its unvaccinated workers on paid leave. Several unvaccinated employees filed a lawsuit against the mandate and are now eligible for extended leave benefits until the matter shakes out in court.

The expletive-laden exchange came amid a tense back-and-forth between De Fazio and Mast, where De Fazio finally ruled Mast out of order and told him, 'You've already wasted time and you'll waste more.'

'We've got a lot of whacked-out people in this country that are killing people, plain and simple,' DeFazio said. 'In three counties in the southern part of my district  deep red counties  vaccine rates of 40%, people have died waiting to get into the ICU.'

When it came time for Young to speak, he yielded his time to Mast. 'Oh, you f***ing a**hole,' DeFazio said as Mast began to speak.

Texas Republican Rep. Beth Van Duyne posted a clip of the remarks to Twitter.

'Perfect example of how Democrats approach bipartisan debate on important issues,' she wrote on Twitter.

'Appalling how Dem. Chair @PeterDeFazio talks about Rs offering amendments. Proud to support @RepBrianMast in not allowing vaccine mandates to further damage our supply chain.'

DeFazio admitted he should watch his language but said he 'won't back down' from fighting for vaccine mandates in a statement to Fox News.

'I get passionate when it comes to protecting jobs and worker safety and I call it like I see it,' DeFazaio said. 'I was fighting for a bipartisan bill that protects the jobs of Federal Aviation Administration workers from government shutdowns and Congressman Mast was trying to derail the Committee's work with multiple anti-vax amendments that put aviation worker jobs, health, and safety at risk.

'Maybe I should watch my language but I won't back down when it comes to safe vaccines or protecting American jobs,' he added.

Mast could not be reached for comment.
The Duke of Rutland's socialite daughter has been fined 50 for speeding in her Audi after pleading 'financial hardship' with the court and admitting it would cause 'cash flow issues'.

Lady Eliza Manners, 24, whose family seat is The Crown's Belvoir Castle, was driving at 47mph in a 40mph zone near the Grand Union Canal, Brentford on the M4 back in March. She was caught by a speed camera and sent a fine for 100.

The socialite, who is the youngest daughter of David Manners, the 11th Duke of Rutland, lives in a 700,000 Notting Hill apartment and owns her own interior design company, Eliza Manners London.

She allegedly wrote to Lavender Hill magistrates in London asking for a lower penalty because the full amount would lead to financial difficulties.

Lady Eliza Manners, 24, (Pictured) whose family seat is The Crown's Belvoir Castle, was travelling on the M4 in Brentford back in March when she was caught by a speed camera and sent a fine for 100

She allegedly wrote to Lavender Hill magistrates in London asking for a lower penalty because the full amount could call her financial difficulties

The socialite (Pictured), who is the youngest daughter of David Manners, the 11th Duke of Rutland, lives in a 700,000 Notting Hill apartment and owns her own interior design company, Eliza Manners London

According to the Evening Standard, Lady Eliza replied 'yes' to the financial hardship question, and added it would cause her 'cash flow issues' if she paid the fine in full.

The socialite, who entered her guilty plea online in April, did not declare any living expenses to the court, and was fined less than half of her stated weekly income.

Lady Eliza, who described as 'the wild one' of the family, has been seen on her Instagram travelling to Milan donning Yves Saint Laurent designer blazers and Celine handbags, and also spending time in the sun on a boat in Greece.

Lady Eliza and her sisters, Lady Violet, 28, Lady Alice, 26, are often pictured in Tatler and Vanity Fair.

The sisters, who each attended the 29,000-a-year Queen Margaret's school in York, have attracted negative headlines in the past, and have been dubbed the 'bad Manners sisters' after neighbours in Fulham, West London, complained of loud, all-night parties.

They spent lockdown at Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire, which has been used for filming the hit Netflix series, The Crown.

They have previously been approached about a programme documenting their life at the castle.

Eliza Manners, Alice Manners, and Violet Manners attend a private dinner hosted by Delvaux and British Vogue at Mark's Club on July 10, 2018

Castle Belvoir (pictured), is an 11th century castle that has since been featured in Netflix's hit series, The Crown

Lady Eliza previously said: 'We've had a lot of offers but it's just never been right for us.'

'The one similarity is that we're a big family and have a very powerful, strong, amazing mum.'

Besides gracing the pages of Tatler and Vogue the sisters have equally glamorous Instagram feeds full of exotic locations and fabulous outfits. Vanity Fair described them as the 'real-life Crawley sisters' after the aristocratic trio in Downton Abbey.

Violet has set up her own marketing company  Akana Collective  during lockdown, Alice is a fashion stylist and Eliza styles interiors.

This news comes as Lady Eliza, shared a touching tribute to her late horse, Duke, on social media earlier this week.

She said: 'My darling horse, Duke, has slipped away into horsey heaven. The relationship you have with your horse is indescribable.

'You wholeheartedly trust them. Duke was only four but had the wisdom of an old man.

'He passed away on the Welsh hills where my mum grew up riding. There is something beautiful and poetic about that.'
Middlesex Head of School, David Beare (pictured) notes that the school has 'utmost respect' for Hannah-Jones and apologized that they 'did not reach out in a more formal way to express our appreciation for her professional achievements and contributions to the field and discuss the situation with her'

The head of a $70,000-a-year Ivy League feeder school in New England is taking a leave of absence after facing backlash over a decision to cancel a diversity symposium speech by 1619 project creator and New York Times journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones.

The news comes after David Beare, the head of Middlesex School in Concord, Massachusetts, last week disinvited Hannah-Jones from speaking on campus due to the 'noise' her presence would create.

The decision caused an uproar among alumni, which includes actors Steve Carell and William Hurt, as well as Pulitzer Prize winner Conrad Aiken.

Current students also staged a walkout and as many as 100 faculty members reportedly wrote and signed a letter of protest as well.

In a note directed to the Middlesex community on Thursday, which was obtained by The Daily Beast, Beare said that his decision to take a leave of absence 'serves the best interest of the students and the School. Thank you to everyone in the School community who has reached out to me and my family during this challenging time.'

Hannah-Jones said she was initially invited to speak at Middlesex, a prestigious Ivy League feeder boarding school in Massachusetts that costs up to $67,000 per year, during a planned diversity symposium in February but claims the school has since rescinded the offer.

Posting on Twitter, she shared an email from someone allegedly associated with the school that reads: 'According to my head of school and board, the 'noise' associated with having Nikole as the speaker would take away from the overall experience.

'I then suggested that Nikole be a featured speaker for our BIPOC alumni and was told 'this is not the right thing for our community.''

The Middlesex School has blocked Nikole Hannah-Jones (pictured) from speaking on campus due to the 'noise' her presence would create

The Ivy League feeder boarding school, located in Massachusetts, (pictured) claims that while Hannah-Jones would provide valuable insight, they were 'concerned that individuals from outside our community might inadvertently distract from the insights and perspective that she intended to share'

Middlesex, founded in 1901 in Concord, Massachusetts, is a traditionally white institution, the Daily Beast reported.

After the decision to rescind her invitation was made, Hannah-Jones wrote on Twitter that although the 'president and board canceled my talk, I don't feel 'canceled.''

'This is clearly the result of the hysteria and successful propaganda campaign that has pretended elite white schools trying to deal with the legacy of racism are stoking the new Salem Witch trials and must be exposed.

'The campaign has been successful here,' she alleged.

'They were likely afraid that by having me  a NYT journalist & college professor  there, they'd invite backlash & another of the 'woke' people are ruining America' stories.

'Like I said: I'm good. I'm done fighting my way in. But the lack of courage in these times is so very sad.'

In another note published late last week, and signed by Beare and the president of the board of trustees, Stephen Lari, the pair offered to apologize for what they called a 'profoundly wrong' decision.

'We deeply regret it and have had many gut-wrenching conversations within our community regarding the decision, how it was made, and the disrespect we showed Professor Hannah-Jones,' they added.

The board of trustees stated that the entire group had not been consulted on the matter in advance. On Thursday, the school board announced that assistant head of school, Karlyn McNall, would be take over Beare's role on an interim basis.

They also launched an independent review 'to determine the facts and draw the necessary lessons' from last week's fiasco.

Hannah-Jones posted an excerpt of an email to Twitter in which someone allegedly connected to the school claims: 'According to my head of school and board, the 'noise' associated with having Nikole as the speaker would take away from the overall experience'

Middlesex Head of School David Beare issued a statement to the Daily Beast, acknowledging the cancellation of Hannah-Jones' talk at the time he disinvited her:

'While we are confident that her insights would have been valued by our students, we were concerned that individuals from outside our community might inadvertently distract from the insights and perspective that she intended to share.'

He reportedly added that Middlesex has the 'utmost respect' for her and apologized that the school 'did not reach out in a more formal way to express our appreciation for her professional achievements and contributions to the field and discuss the situation with her.'

The school did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment.

Last week, the school's Board of Trustees did release a public letter expressing its commitment to diversity and inclusion.



'As an educational institution, we believe an open exchange of viewpoints is vital to student development and intellectual excellence.

'We believe that respectful debate and disagreement are not only healthy, but the very ground upon which a learning community thrives.

'We realize that, at times, that discourse may become uncomfortable,' the letter reads.

'There is no ground, however, for any behavior, policy, or social climate that elevates some individuals over others based on race, class, religion, gender, or identity.

'It is antithetical to our Mission and our desire to develop an inclusive community.

'The Board recognizes the need for increased accountability when an individual's personal identity is used against them.

'The use of power in support of harm is deeply concerning and fundamentally unacceptable at Middlesex.'

The letter also outlines several ways the board and school will work to create a 'truly inclusive community,' including - but not limited to - broadening recruitment efforts to create a more diverse student body, continuing to review curriculum to ensure diverse voices and perspectives are taught and making sure all students are treated equally.

Last week, the school's Board of Trustees did release a public letter expressing its commitment to diversity and inclusion

CRITICAL RACE THEORY: WHAT DOES IT MEAN? The fight over critical race theory in schools has escalated in the United States over the last year. The theory has sparked a fierce nationwide debate in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests around the country over the last year and the introduction of the 1619 Project. The 1619 Project, which was published by the New York Times in 2019 to mark 400 years since the first enslaved Africans arrived on American shores, reframes American history by 'placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the center of the US narrative'. The debate surrounding critical race theory regards concerns that some children are being indoctrinated into thinking that white people are inherently racist or sexist. Those against critical race theory have argued it reduces people to the categories of 'privileged' or 'oppressed' based on their skin color. Supporters, however, say the theory is vital to eliminating racism because it examines the ways in which race influence American politics, culture and the law. Advertisement

A recent Middlesex alum, speaking to the Daily Beast on the basis of anonymity, claimed that 'black voices on campus were pretty much suppressed.'

'Any time that we were given a platform to speak, we had to make it more palatable for the rest of the school,' the former student alleged.

'Middlesex is definitely a place that has a lot of milquetoast racism. They often censor these kinds of conversations,' echoed Alexandra Jones, a member of the class of 2019.

'[The notion] that the situation would create too much noise is utterly ridiculous to me, because I don't understand how having someone come and talk about history - about real history - is creating too much noise.'

Another graduate, Tom Breyer, class of 1981, said he was 'appalled' by the decision.

'I certainly haven't heard the school's side of the story, although it's hard to imagine what it would be that would really make it seem better,' he told the Daily Beast.

Middlesex openly touts its commitment to diversity, arguing that the 'one of the primary goals of the Middlesex curriculum is to provide intentional programming that offers a variety of cultural experiences and reflects the diverse nature of our community.'

While the school does not explicitly address the now hot-button topic of critical race theory - a framework centering on the belief that racism is systemic in the nation's institutions and maintains the dominance of whites in society - on their website, they do have courses in various subjects of the curriculum that aim to address race, gender, religion, cultural appropriation, sexuality and class.

Hannah-Jones' 1619 Project, which was published by The New York Times in 2019 to mark 400 years since the first enslaved Africans arrived on American shores, is at the center of the critical race theory debate.

The project aims to reframe American history by 'placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the center of the US narrative.'

The school also openly touts its commitment to diversity, arguing that the 'one of the primary goals of the Middlesex curriculum is to provide intentional programming that offers a variety of cultural experiences and reflects the diverse nature of our community.'

Hannah-Jones (pictured) argues that educational institutions are 'in this kind of moment of hysteria around 'critical race theory,' around how we're teaching and talking about this point in our history'

Hannah-Jones, who won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 2020 for the project's introductory essay, has faced backlash in wake of the project.

Over the summer, she was the subject of a controversy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill when a wealthy donor objected to her receiving tenure.

Several of her colleagues wrote a letter defending her and asserting the treatment was 'racist.'

Ultimately, Hannah-Jones left UNC Chapel Hill and joined the faculty at Howard University, a historically black research university in Washington, D.C.

Hannah-Jones argues that educational institutions are 'in this kind of moment of hysteria around 'critical race theory,' around how we're teaching and talking about this point in our history.'

She claims it is not surprising that she has been denied tenure or disinvited places, but notes, however, it is 'deeply disappointing.'

'I think it's pretty clear that we are in a moment where schools are facing intense pressure not to invite speakers that are considered to be focusing too much on race and racism and the Black experience in American history,' Hannah-Jones told the Boston Globe on Tuesday.

'We know that there have been several very high-profile stories published in the press or by former journalists that are, you know, castigating these elite white prep schools for daring to have anti-racism training or daring to invite anti-racist speakers, so I think I'm clearly getting caught up in that.

'And then obviously I, myself, because of a very successful right-wing propaganda campaign, I have become a symbol, as well.'
Landlords at a swanky Malibu shopping mall are at war with Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, and their car enthusiast friends who say they're being treated like the 'MS-13 of Malibu' for their weekly car gathering after word got out, according to a report.

For years, the legendary comedians would meet with fellow vintage Porsche-loving pals - including attorney Paul Zuckerman and writer Spike Feresten - every Sunday for breakfast at the Malibu Kitchen in the Malibu Village plaza, The Los Angeles Times reported.

Their lowkey ritual went under-the-radar until the pandemic, when hundreds of fellow motorheads with nothing better to do began jamming up the center's parking lot on Sundays.

Landlords began protesting the shows, saying the exotic cars were overtaking the blacktop, and creating safety hazards.

'We've been doing this for 15 years,' Zuckerman told the Los Angeles Times. 'But suddenly we're like the MS-13 of Malibu.'

Seinfeld is seen meeting up with his Porche club pals at Malibu Kitchen in Malibu, California

For years, Jay Leno (left) and Jerry Seinfeld (right) would meet with fellow vintage Porche-loving pals every Sunday for breakfast at the Malibu Kitchen in the Malibu Village plaza,

The small weekly ritual had snowballed into a battle between car enthusiasts, landlords, and police were called in to control the situation.

Malibu Village's landlords began hiring private security to police the convoy of cars until mid-morning, but when the barricades were lifted before lunchtime, a crush of vintage cars would cruise in, the outlet reported.

The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department has been staffing the scene since 2020, said motor deputy Justin Forbes.

'The landlords complained that there was no parking for their customers or even their employees,' Forbes told the Times. 'So we were called in to assist.'

Avital Stone, an employee at nearby Marmalade Cafe, said the car gathering was unacceptable.

'They have ruined our business,' she told the Times.

'Before 10 o'clock, our customers can't get into the parking lot, and after 10, they can't find anywhere to park. The car show  it's been made clear they are not wanted here. But I truly believe that if they didn't block off the parking lot, they'd all be gone by 10. If there was no blockade, it would be better.'

Landlord Steve Soboroff, who spends $20,000 a year on security for the local Malibu Country Mart, said he was also irked by the gatherings.

The comedians' ritual caught on in 2020 after the pandemic, prompting hundreds of other car enthusiasts to cruise into the shopping center on Sunday mornings

Landlords began complaining about the gatherings, saying they're taking up too much space

Seinfeld, pictured with a friend at the Malibu Kitchen, said he's 'not surprised the trend took off

Said Seinfeld: 'Spike Feresten and I invented driving to Malibu Kitchen in a cool car to get coffee 20 years ago'

'We tell people, 'If you want to come in and get a coffee, that's fine. But if you want to raise your hood and hang out for four or five hours, go somewhere else, or you'll be towed,' he told the Times.

'It's not Leno and those guys. They're fine. But someone who says they went to Whole Foods and bought a stalk of celery and then wants to hang out for four hours? I won't tolerate it.'

Seinfeld said it came as no shock that others began embracing a trend he started decades ago.

'Spike Feresten and I invented driving to Malibu Kitchen in a cool car to get coffee 20 years ago,' he told the outlet. 'I'm not surprised the idea has taken over the entire city.'

Leno is seen taking a cruise in one of his classic Formula cars
A Boston construction company owner has been charged with manslaughter after a boating accident that killed a 27-year-old passenger who was thrown overboard and drowned.

Ryan Denver, 38, also faces charges of three counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury and two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's office.

Jeanica Julce, 27, was one of several people riding in Denver's boat, 'Make it Go Away' in the early morning hours of July 17 in Boston Harbor.

Denver was behind the wheel of the 37-foot-long, 17,000-pound boat around 2.50am when it struck a large, distinctively marked fixed navigational aid head-on.

The collision was so harsh that the boat sank, sending all eight people onboard - including Julce and Denver - into the harbor.

Police worked with the United States Coast Guard, Massachusetts State Police and EMS to rescue those who'd gone into the water. Denver and six other passengers were gotten out, five of whom were taken to area hospitals.

Jeanica Julce, 27, was one of several people riding in the Make it Go Away in the early morning hours of July 17 in Boston Harbor

Ryan Denver, 38, seen being recovered from the wreckage the morning of the incident, also faces charges of three counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury

Denver's attorney's have claimed that he was sober while operating the boat and the crash was an accident

The 'Make it Go Away' seen following the crash in the Harbor

First responders could not recover Julce and didn't find her until 10 am, when she was pronounced dead.

Denver has been profiled in a business magazine in connection with his New Hampshire contracting businesses, known as Select Companies

The indictment against Denver comes after an investigation by local police and Suffolk County prosecutors.

'Jeanica was a vibrant young woman with a beautiful life ahead of her,' said Suffolk District Attorney Rachel Rollins in a statement.

'She deserved better than to lose everything because of another individual's recklessness. That her life ended in this manner is heartbreaking. My office is here to support her loved ones and the surviving victims of this crash to ensure they receive the support and resources they deserve.'

Denver's attorney Michael Connolly put out a statement on behalf of his client, saying he was 'devastated' by the loss of his 'close friend' Julce, but that it was an accident.

'We are dismayed that the District Attorney's Office has nonetheless chosen to indict Ryan, based on unreliable data, in what amounts to a serious overcharge by that office,' Connolly said in a statement.

His office said that in their own review of the available evidence, they found that Denver operated the boat reasonably and was sober and argued that the marker isn't illuminated or marked sufficiently for recreational boaters.

Denver has been profiled in a business magazine in connection with his New Hampshire businesses.

Julce's father said he hopes to see criminal prosecution in connection with his daughter's death

Boston police, along with the US Coast Guard, state troopers and local EMS, spent hours on the search

'Ryan Denver is an admired businessman, who, along with his team at Select Demo, has created a trusted and accomplished company that has given back to the community in many ways,' Connolly continued. 'He should not be subjected to criminal charges as a result of this terrible accident.'

Julce's father Wilfred told the Boston Globe he was expecting criminal charges, but doesn't think Denver targeted his daughter.

'I don't think he went out there and wanted to kill the people,' Julce said. 'I don't know if he [was] drunk or not, but [he] is not a responsible driver. ... I don't know the guy to be honest with you. I don't know what kind of guy he is. I have never met him.'

Denver is scheduled to be arraigned on November 19.
Families still grieving the loss of loved ones killed in the Surfside condo collapse are demanding authorities keep sifting through the rubble for as long as it takes to find remains.

Many families of the 98 victims have received just trace amounts of remains after the Florida complex collapsed on June 24.

Friends and family of New Yorker Estelle Hedaya, 54, said they received so little of the victim's remains that they could easily lift her casket.

'I could have lifted it with my pinkie,' her best friend Lisa Shrem told the Washington Post.

So little of New Yorker Estelle Hedaya's remains were found in the collapse of the Surfside condo in Miami. Her best friend Lisa Shrem said: 'I could have lifted it [her casket] with my pinkie'

After the initial recovery effort at the site was complete, officials moved the rubble to a location 14 miles from the condos, near Miami International Airport.

The rubble has been separated into two piles, based on supposed value of the evidence it might hold. The portions that crews have determined to contain possible remains are moved inside a warehouse, while the rest is left outside.

The county has requested a judge's permission to dispose of debris they consider irrelevant to the investigation.

'It's very sad to hear how Miami-Dade County wants to throw everything away in the trash and make us forget and move past this,' said Martin Langesfeld, 24, who lost his twin sister, Nicole, and her new husband, Luis Sadovnic, 28, in the collapse.

'They were people with families and emotions. And they cannot be thrown away with trash.'

Many families aren't convinced all the remains have been found. Throughout the four searches, crews continued to produce more and more remains.

In addition, the heat wave in Miami all summer has compromised remains and could have made some indistinguishable to an untrained eye.

'We have very small percentages of loved ones,' Langesfeld told the Washington Post. His family has only received around 50 percent of Nicole's remains.

Langesfeld said sifting through the rubble four times wasn't enough if there is still a chance remains could be found.

'I'm telling them to search one more time at least, because we have very small percentages of loved ones,' he told the Washington Post.

'If it takes a hundred times or a thousand times, then that's what needs to happen.'

Many families want a memorial to be constructed on the grounds of the South tower, but their plans were foiled when the property was sold for $120million.

A total of 55 apartments in the 136-unit condo complex collapsed, with around 80 percent of the building reportedly being occupied. Officials said at the time they believed the building had been 'substantially full.'

Investigators probing the collapse reported the building had significant concrete structural damages to its pool deck area and garage area. There was extensive corrosion to one of the main columns in the building's foundation, the investigation found.

The structure underneath the pool deck had significant damage and collapsed onto the garage below.

Authorities searched the rubble four times and have now requested a judge to allow them to dispose of any debris they haven't declared to hold any evidence

The rubble from the condo collapse is being taken to a warehouse near the Miami International Airport, where debris authorities think contains evidence is placed in a warehouse and the rest is left outside

The Miami condo before the collapse
A viral video shows the moment a man taking the subway with his children in tow socks a woman in her face for telling him to 'take a chill pill' in the latest violent attack on a straphanger in crime-plagued New York City.

'Tell me to take a chill pill!' the man roars at the woman in the video . 'Say the word "chill pill!"'

'Chill pill,' she replies, looking him defiantly in the eye.

The deranged dad then bashes her in the face with a right hook, evoking gasps from other passengers on the packed subway train as crime on the transit system has soared by nearly 60 percent in one month.

'Tell me to take a chill pill! Say the word "chill pill!"' the unknown assailant dared a fellow subway rider yesterday. 'Chill pill,' she replies, looking him defiantly in the eye before he punches her in the face

The deranged dad throws a right hook after straphanger refused to back down

'All [the woman] said was he needs a chill pill & his kids repeated it to him and it was just up from there,' the original poster captioned the TikTok video capturing the attack

It is unclear what preceded the attack in the video, which was deleted by its original poster on TikTok, but was viewed nearly 2.5 million times since it was reshared on Twitter on Wednesday.

The original poster wrote that the man was already agitated when he got onto the train, telling other passengers to 'gtfo out of him & his kid's way.'

One thing is certain: the man's victim told him to take a chill pill, then does so again when the man tells her to 'say it to [his] face now.'

'All [the woman] said was he needs a chill pill & his kids repeated it to him and it was just up from there,' the original poster captioned the TikTok video capturing the attack.

'You wilin', she a female,' says woman filming.

'Mind your business, say it again,' the man threatens again as he moves back to the other side of the car. '

'You wilin', she a female!' the filmer says.

'Mind your business  say it again,' the man threatens the woman again as he moves away. 'Im tired if you n***** in my black business, you understand?'

'I'm dealing with my fking kids, you understand? It aint about being a role model, its about getting respect from people like you. All these other races out here, mind your business.'

The man launches into a tirade, addressing the whole train, ultimately telling riders that 'when my family on the train, move out the way.'

The NYPD is investigating the incident and said that the unknown victim had not reported the assault, according to the New York Post.

Earlier this month, NYPD Inspector Raymond Porteous told the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board that there was an 'uptick in overall crime' within the city's subway system, according to CBSN New York.

The 'uptick' is actually a massive 58.6 percent increase in major crimes in September compared to August, including a shocking 88 percent increase in grand larcenies and a 50 percent increase in felony assaults.

There were 96 grand larcenies within the subway system last month compared to 64 in August and 55 in July. Smaller robberies jumped by 18 percent last month, too, to 52 incidents from 44 in August.



There were 96 grand larcenies within the subway system last month compared to 64 in August and 55 in July. Smaller robberies jumped by 18 percent last month to 52 incidents from 44 in August (robbery data for July was unavailable)

Throughout the city, felony assaults are up 7.7 percent from the same time last year, and misdemeanor assaults up 6.1 percent

Throughout the city, felony assaults are up 7.7 percent from the same time last year, and misdemeanor assaults are up 6.1 percent.

According to the NYPD, the city's overall crime rate is down a quarter of a percentage point from last year, although it is up in certain categories, such as assaults and rape, which are up 2.7 percent over last year.

On Monday, a man sitting on the Northbound N train was shot in the leg after he didn't give his cellphone to a mugger quickly enough. The man was caught by detectives after he committed a robbery the next day.

'Its disturbing  to see that many firearms out on the streets and on our subways,' Chief of Transit Kathleen OReilly said on Tuesday, according to Pix 11. 'But our transit officers are deployed at the right places at the right time.'

Hundreds of additional MTA officers have been deployed within the subway system, MTA Communications Director Tim Minton said at the press conference.

NYPD is hunting for the suspect, pictured, who shot a straphanger in the leg during a rush-hour robbery Monday at the Union Square Subway Station

A man who was shot in the leg while on a New York City subway train can be seen sitting in an ambulance on Monday afternoon near Union Square

Earlier this month, a woman shoved a commuter into an oncoming train in Times Square earlier this month.

The victim, Liliana Sagbaicela, 42, was shoved from the platform and into the train as it approached the station in what is believed to be an unprovoked attack on October 4.

She was taken to a nearby hospital in stable condition after sustaining facial injuries.

One subway rider, who witnessed the shoving, said the crime at the station is not surprising.

'This is like what it used to be like in the '80s,' the individual told ABC 7.

Anthonia Egegbara, 29, of Queens, was charged with attempted murder several days later, after surveillance footage showed her jump up from a bench and shove Javier as the train hurtled into the station.

Horrifying surveillance video shows the moment when a woman pushed a fellow commuter into a train at the Times Square subway station on October 4

Egegbara has a lengthy history of arrest, including multiple attacks on women on public transport.

Officers were called to the Times Square station again on Monday, around 12pm, for reports of shots fired.

A 39-year-old from Brooklyn was urinating in the corner of West 40th Street and Seventh Avenue, near a McDonald's and sushi restaurant Wasabi, when he was shot in his right leg, according to the New York Post.

On October 6, two thugs stomped on a 30-year-old woman's head as they mugged her in the Brownsville area of Brooklyn around 3.15 am.

As the victim was on the ground, the female suspect continued to punch and kick the woman, leaving her unconscious, as the male suspect grabbed the victim's purse, two cellphones, cash and a necklacen, according to Pix 11.
Scott Morrison has spoken with French President Emmanuel Macron for the first time since Australia controversially scrapped a $90billion submarine supply deal with its European ally.

The Australian prime minister in September scrapped a deal to buy 12 French-made diesel-electric submarines in favour of eight nuclear-powered boats in a new pact with the US and UK.

France initially pulled its ambassador from Australia, with Mr Macron left furious by the unexpected change of plan.

The two leaders were not expected to interact closely at this weekend's G20 summit in Rome but on Thursday night held surprise talks in a bid to repair the relationship.

The talks are believed to have focused on emissions targets, but they coincided with a statement by Mr Macron calling for Australia to repair 'the relationship of trust' between the two countries.

Scott Morrison and French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris in June. The two have met for the first time since Australia controversially scrapped a $90billion submarine supply deal with its European ally

'The situation of the French businesses and their subcontractors, including Australian companies, affected by this decision will be given our utmost attention,' a French government spokesman said.

'It is now up to the Australian government to propose tangible actions that embody the political will of Australias highest authorities to redefine the basis of our bilateral relationship and continue joint action in the Indo-Pacific.'

A more conciliatory Australian government statement said Mr Morrison 'was pleased' to speak to Mr Macron this week'.

'They had a candid discussion on the bilateral relationship,' the spokesman said.

'The Prime Minister looks forward to future collaborations on our shared interests, particularly in the Indo-Pacific.'

The talks comes after former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull earlier this month revealed he had called Mr Macron to discuss the abandoned deal.

Mr Turnbull did not reveal what he said on the call and was accused by commentators including radio host Ben Fordham of being 'bitter' because he was ousted from office - and acting against Australia's national interest.

The former Prime Minister, who led from 2015 to 2018, said he was not harming Australia's national interest but trying to convince the President that Australia was not a deceitful country.

Emmanuel Macron (pictured) had previously refused to speak to Scott Morrison since the Prime Minister tore up Australia's $90billion submarine deal with France but has spoken to Mr Turnbull

'The best I can say to Macron and to others in France is this: We may have a deceitful Prime Minister but believe us we are not a deceitful nation,' he told ABC Radio National in yet another swipe at the prime minister.

Asked if was undercutting Australia's national interest by describing Mr Morrison as 'deceitful', Mr Turnbull said: 'No I'm not'.

'The best thing we can hope for is that other countries in the world including France do not assume that Australia is of the same character that has been show in this debacle over the submarines.

'The Americans have said the same thing about Trump so it's not uncommon,' he said.

The US and the UK will help Australia build nuclear-powered submarines. Pictured: the UK's Astute class submarine HMS Ambush

A more conciliatory Australian government statement said Mr Morrison 'was pleased' to speak to Mr Macron this week

Mr Morrison said he could not tell French counterparts about the nuclear deal because highly secure information shared with the US and UK may have leaked to the media or to other nations.

When he revealed he had spoken to Mr Macron, Mr Turnbull said: 'I have spoken to Emmanuel Macron. He is a friend and I have stayed in touch with him since I left office. He is one of the great leaders of our times.

'I am not going to quote him but what you have heard from the French government is held - those are views held right across the board.'

'There is nobody in France that I am aware of saying this is just another commercial deal, too bad. Not at all.





Malcolm Turnbull (pictured with wife Lucy in Sydney in 2019) has denied acting against Australia's national interest by calling the French President behind Scott Morrison's back

'The foreign minister, when he said it was a stab in the back, was not speaking just for himself, there is outrage. What it tells you is that Australia can't be trusted.'

In his speech, Mr Turnbull said his government had looked into nuclear submarines, but was advised it could not operate such a fleet without a civil nuclear industry.

The Morrison government says a domestic nuclear industry is not needed to support the submarines, as they come with whole-of-life nuclear power plants which do not need further refuelling.

In September in New York, Mr Morrison admitted he knew the French would be furious after he tore up the submarine deal.

The French - who were only told the night before the announcement- have reacted with fury, claiming Australia's move was a 'stab in the back'.

'It would be naive to think a decision of this nature was not going to cause disappointment, obviously, to the French,' he said.

'We understand that. We totally acknowledge that. And we knew that would be the case.'

Mr Morrison said he told the French many months ago that conventional submarines no longer met Australia's demands - but they were still blindsided.

'The world is a jungle,' ex-ambassador to the US Gerard Araud tweeted after the nuclear deal was announced.

'France has just been reminded this bitter truth by the way the US and the UK have stabbed her in the back in Australia. C'est la vie.'

China has inflamed tensions in the South China Sea in recent years by expanding its claimed territory (picutred in red), to the objection of its neighbors in the Asia-Pacific

The French government later said Australia's decision to ditch the agreement was 'contrary to the spirit of cooperation which prevailed' between the two countries.

Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly said the change in plan 'marks an absence of coherence that France can only observe and regret'.

The Prime Minister was joined for the AUKUS announcement by US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a historic joint video-link press conference.

None of the leaders mentioned China by name but the West is increasingly concerned about Beijing's growing assertiveness and huge military build-up.

Mr Morrison said Australia needed nuclear submarines because they can travel further and evade enemy detection better than conventional submarines.

China has vastly built up its military in the past few years and now possesses six Shang-class nuclear powered attack submarines, equipped with torpedoes and cruise missiles. This graphic shows a comparison of the two militaries
Ousted New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has been charged with forcible touching, two months after being pushed out of office by New York AG Letitia James, the woman now campaigning for his job.

The charges were filed on Thursday in Albany City Court. They relate to the allegation of Brittany Commisso, a former aide who claimed Cuomo groped her breast in the office of the Executive Mansion in Albany in December 2020, when he was at the height of his pandemic popularity.

Cuomo has always denied it.

Commisso's claim was the most serious of all of the allegations listed in James' report, which Cuomo has always maintained was a hit-job by James to get him out of her way. She is running for governor in November 2022.

'From the moment my office received the referral to investigate allegations that former Governor Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women, we proceeded without fear or favor,' James' office said in a statement.

'The criminal charges brought today against Mr. Cuomo for forcible touching further validate the findings in our report.'

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Cuomo is pictured with Brittany Commisso, the former aide who claims he groped her breast in the Executive Mansion in November 2020. The picture was taken in 2019 and she says he'd touched her behind shortly before it was taken

Commisso claimed that she felt violated and that Cuomo wouldn't 'touch his mother' the way he did her. He has always denied her claims

The complaint, which was signed by an investigator from the Albany County Sheriff's Office, alleges that the former governor 'intentionally, and for no legitimate purpose, forcibly place his hand under the blouse shirt of the victim and onto her intimate body part'

If convicted, Cuomo - who has not yet commented - could face up to one year in prison.

The complaint, which was signed by an investigator from the Albany County Sheriff's Office, alleges that the former governor 'intentionally, and for no legitimate purpose, forcibly place his hand under the blouse shirt of the victim and onto her intimate body part.'

Cuomo is alleged to have touched Commisso's left breast 'for the purposes of degrading and gratifying his sexual desires, all contrary to the provisions of the statute.'

The incident is alleged to have taken place on the second floor of the governor's Executive Mansion in Albany on December 7, 2020, sometime between 3:51pm and 4:07pm.

The complaint was signed by an investigator on Monday.

Cuomo attorney Rita Glavin has said that Commisso's 'story changed over time.'

The complaint filed by the sheriff's department investigator said evidence in the case included police BlackBerry messages, cell phone records, building security records and a text message from Cuomo's mobile phone.

District attorneys in Oswego, Manhattan, suburban Westchester and Nassau counties also had said they asked for investigative materials from the attorney generals inquiry to see if any of the allegations could result in criminal charges.

The announcement of the charge was chaotic on Thursday; the criminal summons was filed hastily, before sheriff's deputies had received the permission of Commisso.

It was then leaked to a local reporter in Albany, who tweeted about it and published a brief report on New York Focus.

Spokespeople for the Albany County Sheriff's Department then refused to confirm or deny whether or not their office had filed charges.

Eventually Lucien Chalfen, a spokesman for the court system, confirmed it to The Washington Post.

'A Misdemeanor Complaint against former Governor Andrew Cuomo has been filed in Albany City Court.

'As this is a sex crime, a redacted complaint will be available shortly,' he said.

The Times Union - another local Albany paper - reports that the charges had been filed too early in a clerical error.

Albany's top prosecutor released a statement on Thursday indicating that he was 'surprised' by the court filing.

Like the rest of the public, we were surprised to learn today that a criminal complaint was filed in Albany City Court by the Albany County Sheriffs Office against Andrew Cuomo, read a statement from the office of Albany County District Attorney P. David Soares.

The Office of Court Administration has since made that filing public.

Our office will not be coming further on this case.

Commisso was one of multiple women who gave evidence against Cuomo as part of the AG's investigation.

She also spoke on TV about the alleged incident in November 2020.

'I said, "Governor, you're going to get us in trouble." Then I thought to myself, that probably wasn't the best thing to say.

'That's when he put his hand up my blouse and cupped my breast over my bra.

'I remember seeing his hand, which is a large hand, and thinking "oh my God, this is happening."

'He didn't say anything,' she said.

New York Attorney General Letitia James is to announce that she is running for governor, according to three people directly familiar with her plans

Cuomo has been laying low since his resignation, occasionally sharing photos on Instagram of himself fishing with his dog, Captain

Andrew Cuomo told the doctor who carried out his COVID-19 test last spring that she 'made the gown look good'. AG James said that amounted to sexual harassment, and she included it in the report

PANDEMIC HERO TO ZERO - TIMELINE OF CUOMO'S RISE AND FALL 2006: Cuomo is elected AG of New York 2010: Cuomo is elected Governor of New York 2014: Re-elected, with Kathy Hochul as Lt. Gov 2018: Re-elected, defeating actress Cynthia Nixon March 2020: Cuomo becomes a pandemic hero with his daily press briefings on how New York, under his guidance, was responding to the crisis. He routinely sparred with then President Donald Trump and he basked in people calling him the people's real president in the time of crisis March 25: At the height of New York's COVID crisis, Cuomo signs a directive telling nursing homes they have to accept COVID-19 patients May 10: Cuomo rescinds the nursing home directive amid intense criticism of it as COVID deaths climb October 2020: Cuomo releases his book, Lessons in Leadership, about the pandemic November 2020: Cuomo is awarded an Emmy for his daily COVID briefings December 2020: Lindsey Boylan tweets that Cuomo abused her when she worked for him February 2021: The AP releases a damning report into how Cuomo's administration counted nursing home deaths as hospital deaths which made the numbers smaller March 2021: Letitia James launches sexual harassment investigation into Cuomo Assembly Judiciary Committee opens impeachment investigation August 3: AG releases her report finding Cuomo did sexually harass 11 women Cuomo issues statement insisting he is innocent but refuses to stand down August 10: Cuomo resigns, citing the good of the people as his reason for it October 28: Cuomo is charged with forcible touching Advertisement

The majority of the allegations that James said amounted to serial sexual harassment were non-physical.

One of them applied to a nurse who gave the governor his first on-camera COVID-19 test.

He told her she made the 'gown look good', which James considered sexual harassment.

Others said Cuomo asked them about their boyfriends - which he admits - and that he 'clearly' insinuated wanting to sleep with them, but never did.

Cuomo fight the claims, resisting an Albany impeachment proceeding and pushing on with the COVID governance he was revered for at the start of the year, before eventually bowing out.

Since resigning, he has made few public statements aside from to bash James and her report, which he says is all politically motivated.

The allegations of sexual misconduct peppered the final year of his ten year governorship.

He got the job after his predecessor, Elliot Spitzer, resigned in shame having been caught patronizing a prostitution service.

Cuomo always denied that he was a sex pest and said at worst, he made inappropriate comments and jokes as an affectionate Italian man, like his father was.

The sexual misconduct allegations came at the same time as claims of gross negligence stemming from Cuomo's order to send thousands of COVID-19 positive elderly people back into New York nursing homes, a decision which many say proved fatal.

Not only did those infected patients infect others and lead to more deaths, critics say Cuomo's administration also tried to cover it up by deliberately skewing COVID deaths numbers.

For months, his administration reported the deaths of people who contracted COVID in nursing homes as 'hospital deaths' because they had died in hospitals.

He was only reporting nursing home deaths for people who contracted COVID in the nursing home and died in the nursing home.

His administration says it was an innocent error in numbers reporting.

Cuomo's political enemies seized on that scandal and the sexual misconduct claims, both of which were made even more irresistible when he released a smug memoir last October in the height of the second wave, titled Lessons in Leadership.

Cuomo was panned for writing the self-congratulatory book at a time when dozens of people were still dying every day in the state.
A wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Walter Wallace Jr, a Philadelphia black man experiencing a mental health episode whose fatal shooting by police a year ago was recorded and led to protests, was settled today.

The family's attorney, Shaka Johnson, said during a news conference that it was 'substantial,' but did not disclose the amount of the monetary settlement.

Johnson stressed the family's priority during the settlement was an injunctive agreement that resulted in the announcement this week that the city would spend $14 million to equip all patrol officers with stun guns and require they be carried while on duty.

'It was ... a substantial monetary settlement that reflected the tragedy that took place, the citys role and policy failures that contributed to his death,' Johnson said.

'The financial settlement was never the family's primary objective. They have from the beginning called for reforms to the police department,' he added.

Philadelphia settled a lawsuit filed by the family of Walter Wallace, a black man experiencing a mental health episode whose fatal shooting by police a year ago was recorded and led to protests

The family of Wallace, 27, had made several calls for help on the day of the October 2020 shooting, some of them noting he was becoming violent as he experienced a mental health crisis

The family's attorney stressed that their priority during the settlement was an injunctive agreement that resulted in the announcement this week that the city would spend $14 million to equip all patrol officers with stun guns

The US Department of Justice recommended, in a review of the police department's use of deadly force in 2015, that Philadelphia issue stun guns to all patrol officers, but that never happened, Johnson said.

The family of Wallace, 27, had made several calls for help on the day of the October 2020 shooting, some of them noting he was becoming violent as he experienced a mental health crisis.

Video from officers and bystanders showed that two white police officers fired fatal shots within a minute of responding to the home in Philadelphia's Cobbs Creek neighborhood.

During those tense seconds, Wallace appeared to be holding a knife at his side. He ignored commands to drop the weapon as he walked off a porch and zigzagged between cars and across the street.

Officers Sean Matarazzo and Thomas Munz fired 14 shots at the man, and he crumpled in the street. His mother could be seen in bystander video following Wallace and begging police not to shoot.

Matarazzo and Munz had joined the department two and three years ago, respectively.

According to Wallace's family, he had a history of mental health issues including bipolar disorder.

The footage shot on a witness's smartphone begins with Wallace walking between parked cars outside the front of some homes in the residential neighborhood. His mother is following him trying to get hold of him as shouts ring the air

Wallace walks towards the officers with his arm outstretched. 'Put the knife down, put the knife down,' one officer can be heard saying in the clip

Both officers open fire, with at least seven shots heard. Wallace then collapses in the street as screams ring out and his mother runs over hysterically screaming 'no'

The shooting, just five months after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and subsequent nationwide protests, sparked days of unrest and marches demanding an end to police brutality in Philadelphia.

In the video, the officers draw their guns at Wallace as he walks toward them with his arm outstretched.

'Put the knife down, put the knife down,' one officer can be heard saying in the clip.

Wallace continues walking toward them and both officers open fire. Wallace then collapses in the street as screams ring out.

His mother runs over towards her son with her arms in the air, hysterically screaming 'no'. Several other bystanders also rush over with their arms in the air as one cop approaches Wallace's body while the other is seen speaking into his radio.

'My god! Oh my god,' the man recording the footage says.

'They just killed him in front of me! You really had to give him that many f***ing shots?' Screaming is heard and Wallace's devastated mom is seen trying to hit one of the officers.

'It was ... a substantial monetary settlement that reflected the tragedy that took place, the citys role and policy failures that contributed to his death,' attorney Shaka Johnson said

Officers Sean Matarazzo and Thomas Munz fired 14 shots at the man, as Wallace crumpled in the street

The shooting sparked days of unrest and marches demanding an end to police brutality in Philadelphia

A business owner stands outside of her looted beauty supply store following protests over the police shooting of Walter Wallace in Philadelphia

Looters gather at a burglarized beauty supply store

Wallace was then rushed to hospital in a police vehicle where he was pronounced dead soon after.

Wallace's family has said that if officers had been equipped with less lethal options than guns, he would still be alive.

Johnson said the settlement means there will be legal recourse if the city fails to follow through on giving stun guns to officers.

'If this situation can save anybody's life ... if we can save any human being, then I think it is for a good cause,' said Wallace's father, Walter Wallace Sr.

After the shooting, police and city officials said that nearly two-thirds of the more than 6,000-member Philadelphia police force were not equipped with or trained to use electroshock weapons.

A script of questions now in place for 911 operators designed to help identify mental health issues before officers arrive is also in part, thanks to negotiations during the lawsuit, Johnson said.

A sign urging citizens to vote stands outside of a looted cellphone store in Philadelphia
The Supreme Court of the United States on Thursday overturned a stay of execution for two condemned prisoners in Oklahoma, allowing the state to carry out its first executions in six years.

The state was moving forward with John Marion Grant's lethal injection after the nation's highest court, in a 5-3 decision, lifted stays of execution that were put in place on Wednesday for Grant and another death row inmate, Julius Jones, by the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.

The Supreme Court vacated that stay without commenting further on the case.

The case was accepted for the court by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the order said. Justices Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor dissented. Justice Neil Gorsuch did not participate.

Grant, 60, will be executed by lethal injection later on Thursday at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, his lawyer, Dale Baich, said.

Meanwhile, convicted killer Jones is scheduled to be put to death on November 18.

Julius Jones, pictured, is set to be executed in Oklahoma on November 18 after the US Supreme Court lifted stays of exaction for him and another death row inmate

In 1998, Grant was serving a 130-year prison sentence for several armed robberies at the Dick Conner Correctional Center in Hominy when witnesses say he dragged prison cafeteria worker Gay Carter, 58, into a mop closet and stabbed her 16 times with a homemade shank. He was sentenced to die in 1999.

The states Pardon and Parole Board twice denied Grants request for clemency, including a 3-2 vote this month to reject a recommendation that his life be spared.

Oklahoma has historically had one of the nations busiest death chambers, but a series of problematic lethal injections in 2014 and 2015 led to a de facto moratorium.

Richard Glossip was just hours away from being executed in September 2015 when prison officials realized they received the wrong lethal drug. It was later learned the same wrong drug had been used to execute an inmate in January 2015.

The drug mix-ups followed a botched execution in April 2014 in which inmate Clayton Lockett struggled on a gurney before dying 43 minutes into his lethal injection - and after the states prisons chief ordered executioners to stop.

Pictured: John Marion Grant, 60, will be put to death on Thursday for the 1998 killing of a prison cafeteria worker

While the moratorium was in place, Oklahoma moved ahead with plans to use nitrogen gas to execute inmates, but ultimately scrapped that idea and announced last year that it planned to resume executions using the same three-drug lethal injection protocol that was used during the flawed executions. The three drugs are: midazolam, a sedative, vecuronium bromide, a paralytic, and potassium chloride, which stops the heart.

Oklahoma prison officials recently announced that they have confirmed a source to supply all the drugs needed for seven executions that are scheduled to take place through March.

'Extensive validations and redundancies have been implemented since the last execution in order to ensure that the process works as intended,' the Department of Corrections said in a statement.

More than two dozen Oklahoma death row inmates are part of a federal lawsuit challenging the states lethal injection protocols, arguing that the three-drug method risks causing unconstitutional pain and suffering. A trial is set for early next year.

Grant and five other death row inmates were dismissed from the lawsuit after none of them selected an alternate method of execution, which a federal judge said was necessary.

The nation's high court voted 5-3 to overturn the stays of execution, with Justice Neil Gorsurch not participating

But a three-member panel of the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals determined that the inmates did identify alternative methods of execution, even if they didnt specifically check a box designating which technique they would use. The panel had granted stays of execution on Wednesday for Grant and Jones, whose lethal injection is set for November 18.

The panel wrote, 'We find nothing in the relevant case law that specifically requires a prisoner to designate a method of execution to be used in his case by 'checking a box' when the prisoner has already identified in his complaint the very same alternative methods given as choices on the form.'

Grant and his attorneys have not denied that he killed Carter, but argued that key facts about the crime and Grants troubled childhood were never presented to the jury. They maintain that Grant developed deep feelings for Carter and was upset when she fired him after he got in a fight with another kitchen worker.

'Jurors never heard that Mr. Grant killed Ms. Gay Carter while in the heat of passion and despair over the abrupt end of the deepest and most important adult relationship of his life,' his attorneys wrote in his clemency application.

Carters daughter, Pam Carter, who also worked at the prison and was there the day her mother was killed, rejected the idea that her mother and Grant had anything more than a professional relationship and urged state officials to move forward with the execution.

'I understand hes trying to save his life, but you keep victimizing my mother with these stupid allegations,' she told the Pardon and Parole Board this month. 'My mother was vivacious. She was friendly. She didnt meet a stranger. She treated her workers just as you would on a job on the outside. For someone to take advantage of that is just heinous.'

Jones, who was convicted of murdering businessman Paul Howell in 1999, has maintained his innocence for two decades in a case that has attracted attention from celebrities and anti-death penalty activists.
Scott Morrison has defended ex-NSW premier 'gladwrap BBQ chicken' in a hysterical interview with a comedy troupe.

The prime minister survived a hilarious grilling by Sooshi Mango for their podcast episode, 'The Ethnic Dads Interview with the Prime Minister.'

The comedic trio comprise of Melbourne comedians Joe and Carlo Salanitri and Andrew Manfre who regularly parody Greek and Italian culture in their various skits.

The trio had dressed up as 'ethnic dads' during the interview and deliberately mispronounced the prime minister's name as 'Scotch Lamington' and Gladys Berejiklian's as 'glad-wrap BBQ chicken'.

Mr Morrison was probed about his vaccination rollout, the moment US president Joe Biden forgot his name and his thoughts on Ms Berejiklian during the ICAC investigation.

The prime minister survived a hilarious grilling by Sooshi Mango for their podcast episode, 'The Ethnic Dads Interview with the Prime Minister'

The trio had dressed up as 'ethnic dads' during the interview and deliberately mispronounced the prime minister's name as 'Scotch Lamington' and Gladys Berejiklian's as 'glad-wrap BBQ chicken'

'What do you think about this situation with the old boss from NSW?' Carlo said in a heavy ethnic accent.

'The lady, one that they call glad-wrap BBQ chicken? She was, they say, a-do some shifty business.'

A visibly amused Mr Morrison was quick to defend Ms Berejiklian while holding in his laughter over her new nickname.

'Nothing shifty about my good friend Gladys,' Mr Morrison said.

'She's been fantastic up here in NSW, she's done a great job getting us all out there and opening up. We hope she has a great future, I think there's plenty more for Gladys to do.'

The comedic troupe turned the interview to the Covid-19 pandemic before poking fun at Mr Morrison and his handling of the vaccination rollout.

'Mr Lamington it look like Melbourne is in need of some more resources,' Joe said.

'So are you going to send some to Sydney?'

Mr Morrison shakes his head in good humour as the trio bursts into laughter.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has repeatedly accused the federal government of showing favouritism and sending more vaccine doses to NSW than his own.

Victoria is slightly behind their neighbour state in the vaccine rollout with 91.3 per cent of residents double-jabbed compared to 93.4 per cent in NSW.

The comedic trio comprise of Australian comedians Joe and Carlo Salanitri and Andrew Manfre who regularly parody Greek and Italian culture in their various skits

Australian comedy troupe Sooshi Mango pose with Kyle and Jackie O in the KIIS FM studio

Mr Morrison made sure to encourage residents to get the vaccination during the interview.

'Have you had your vaccinations?' he asked the trio.

'I was have a vaccination,' Carlo said. '1965. For Polio. My uncle, he was inject my a***.'

'Was he a doctor,' Mr Morrison said.

'No,' Carlo replied. 'He was a butcher.'

The cast of Sooshi Mango then turned their attention to US president Joe Biden and the moment he referred to the prime minister as 'that fella down under'.

Mr Biden had appeared to forget the prime minister's name during his public address when he was announcing a trilateral security partnership with Britain and Australia, called Aukus, in September.

'He's a old, his a brains a little bit f***ed up,' Andrew said jokingly of Mr Biden. 'You think he forget your name just because, maybe, you're a little bit s***?'

'No no no,' Mr Morrison said. 'We all sometimes forget names.'

Sooshi Mango will be going around Australia for their big tour 'Off The Boat' from December.
A 51-year-old woman who is battling ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, will be the first person in Colombia allowed to die by euthanasia even though she is not in the terminal stage of her illness after a judge ruled that a local health center had 'violated (her) fundamental rights to die with dignity.'

Martha Sepulveda, who was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease in 2019, was just two and a half days from being injected when a health center in Medellin that agreed to euthanize her abruptly cancelled the procedure in writing, indicating that her condition had improved.

The circuit court judge on Wednesday gave the Colombian Institute of Pain 48 hours to come to an agreement with Sepulveda and set a 'day and time that the euthanasia procedure will be carried out as long as she maintains her willingness to perform it.'

She would be the first person in the country to die by euthanasia if it goes through.

Colombia-based lawyer Camilo Burbano told The Associated Press that the health center 'can go to the Constitutional Court for review, but that review is optional.'

Sepulveda was diagnosed with the nervous system disease in November 2019 following a doctor's visit due to a weakness in one of her thumbs.

Martha Sepulveda has been battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, since November 2018. On Wednesday, a Medellin circuit court judge ruled a clinic 'violated (her) fundamental rights to die with dignity' by cancelling her euthanasia procedure on October 10 and gave the health center 48 hours to set a time and date for the 51-year-old's new appointment unless she does not want to proceed with it

Martha Sepulveda with her 22-year-old son Federico Redondo Sepulveda

By 2020, her condition worsened to the point that she was contemplating dying by euthanasia, a practice legally recognized in the South American nation since 1997 when it was decriminalized. The Colombian government regulated the practice in 2015.

Data released by the Ministry of Health shows that 157 euthanasia procedures have been done, including 26 this year.

According to the Colombian health authorities, a person can be medically classified as 'in terminal condition' when their prognosis for life is less than six months.

On July 22, Colombia's supreme court amended its law and determined that patients with 'intense physical or mental suffering from bodily injury, or serious and incurable disease' could also die under euthanasia.

Martha Sepulveda told Noticias Caracol she chose to end on Sunday, October 10 because it was the same day 'we go to church'

A person cannot be forced to continue living, when (he/she) suffers from a serious and incurable disease that causes intense suffering, and has made the autonomous decision to end his existence in the face of conditions that he considers incompatible with his conception of a dignified life,' the court said.

Against the wishes of some friends and family members, Sepulveda chose the procedure August 6, claiming: 'I am calmer since the procedure was authorized: I laugh more, I sleep more calmly'

Her decision rapidly gained attention in the media and in a country where 80 percent of the population is Catholic.

Sepulveda elected to be received the euthanasia the morning of October 10 - a Sunday - because it was the same day 'we go to church.'

'I know that the owner of life is God, meaning that nothing moves without His will,' the devout Catholic told Noticias Caracol in an interview a week before the procedure. 'Suddenly for many people I am very wrong, but I think He is allowing this. He is rewarding me in a certain way because I am not going to be bedridden.'
White House officials said on Thursday that paid family and medical leave remained a priority for President Biden, despite having to drop it from a massive spending bill to woo centrist holdouts.

Liberals and members of Biden's leadership team insisted the idea was not dead, amid mounting anger that a key plank of his election campaign had been dropped.

It comes barely days after his administration was criticized by conservatives for allowing Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to take weeks' of leave after he adopted newborn twins during a supply chain crisis.

On Thursday, Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One as the president flew to Rome: 'It is a big priority.

'Its very much a priority. Thats why the president included it in his Build Back Better agenda. Right now the president wants to move forward [with a bill] thats going to get passed. Thats going to get all the members that he needs...

President Joe Biden touted a Build Back Better framework, but it did not have paid leave provisions he has called for

'Were just going to have to continue to work on it,' she said.

Biden ran for president on a promise to curb growing inequality, including a promise to offer paid family and medical leave to all Americans.

He originally proposed 12 weeks in his economic agenda but last week admitted that it had been whittled down to four weeks, before it was excised altogether in order to placate his moderate wing.

Although he cannot lose the support of more than a handful of Democrats in the House to pass his proposals, he cannot afford to lose a single senator - and Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema have dug their heels in over the cost of Biden's plan.

'No one got everything they wanted, included me,' President Joe Biden said as he pitched the latest framework for his 'Build Back Better' plan

Buttigieg, 39, and his husband Chasten, 32, have recently adopted twins, Joseph and Penelope, which they officially announced on September 4. Earlier this month, it was learned that Pete Buttigieg was on paid paternity leave

President Joe Biden (left) arrived at the Capitol on Thursday as a last ditch effort to facilitate negotiations before his Europe trip. He proposed a new Build Back Better framework outside of the current social spending package

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigiegs took paternity leave after he and his husband, Chasten, welcomed adopted twins into their family

But with negotiators trying to placate centrists, progressives expressed their anger while several key players said they hoped paid leave could be negotiated back in.

But amid the chaos of the final decisions around the 'framework,' some senators were not giving up. Sen. Kyrsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) could be seen lobbying Manchin over a modified proposal, buttonholing him on the Senate floor.

'If you want me to write it, Ill write it. I just want to get it in this bill,' she told him, Buzzfeed reported.

She had announced earlier: 'Until the bill is printed, I will continue working to include paid leave in the Build Back Better plan.'

Commentators pointed out that dropping the plan left the U.S. as one of just six countries without any form of national paid leave and one of eight without maternity leave, according to the World Policy Analysis Center at UCLA.

And it means the Biden White House must defend dropping a policy that it extended to cabinet members, such as Buttigieg.

He was mocked earlier this month by conservative commentators for taking time off to care for his new twins.

But he defended the policy.

'Somebody welcomes a new child into their family and goes on leave to take care of that child, that's not a vacation. It's work. It's joyful, wonderful, fulfilling work, but it is work,' he said on NBC's 'Meet the Press.'

Nancy Pelosi, House Speaker, said paid leave remained a work in progress.

'There are some things that are not in that I frankly have not given up on,' she said at her weekly press conference.

'I still would like to see paid leave for the babies, if we can't get the rest. But that's still a work in progress, shall we say.'

Among those blasting the provision being dropped from the plan was Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who on Thursday backed a move by House progressives to withhold support for an infrastructure bill until the Build Back Better deal was resolved.

Sanders earlier called the move 'extremely disappointing' and said it could endanger the package.

'Again, we're the only major country on earth' that doesn't have it, he said. 'If a low-income woman has a baby, she's forced back to work after a week. Moms have to make the choice between staying home with their sick kids or losing their jobs? It's not acceptable,' he fumed.
Having written 17 books herself, it is clear that the literary world is close to her heart.

And Nadine Dorries, the Culture Secretary, was overwhelmed yesterday as she examined a collection of manuscripts by Britains greatest Victorian novelists and poets, hidden for more than a century.

The MP offered her total support to a momentous fundraising effort to save the Honresfield Library from being broken up and sold abroad.

The collection contains a number of handwritten texts by some of the countrys best-known writers  including Sir Walter Scott, Robert Burns and Charlotte Bronte.

The works had been due to go to auction in July until Sothebys agreed to halt the sale to enable the charity Friends of the National Libraries (FNL) to raise the 15million needed to keep the texts on public display in the UK.

Dorries visited the collection at Sotheby's where it is currently being held while FNL fundraise

Mrs Dorries said the collection  which includes Sir Walters manuscript of Rob Roy and Brontes miniature notebooks  were the crown jewels of our literary heritage, capturing the DNA of our island story as she emphasised the importance of keeping the works in the public domain.

She said: Its important everybody from every background has access to this because it will inspire writers of the future, it will inspire kids who think, Books arent for me, writing is not for me, to see something like that and think, Wow.

And theyll get that tingle down their spine, that same buzz when they see it and want to do something themselves. And only if thats in public ownership will that happen.

FNLs ambitious project  the first national arts appeal of its kind  has already raised 7.5million, including 4million of taxpayer money donated by the National Heritage Memorial Fund and more than 116,000 in public donations. And the appeal has also won other high-profile supporters including Stephen Fry, the estate of poet TS Eliot and Prince Charles who backed the FNL campaign in the Daily Mail earlier this week.

The collection includes very rare handwritten manuscripts by some of Britain's great writers

Mrs Dorries was shown texts at Sothebys in London yesterday, where the collection is currently being kept. She said she felt incredibly privileged to see the works written by the all-time greats and admitted her enthusiasm as a novelist and reader was making her tummy flip. These are the crown jewels of our literary history, she said.

If successful in acquiring the collection, FNL intends to split the works between a consortium of institutions across the country including the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh, the Bodleian Libraries in Oxford and the Bronte Parsonage Museum in Haworth, West Yorkshire and the British Library.

The unseen letters and manuscripts can be digitalised to ensure they can be accessed easily by schools and young people everywhere. Mrs Dorries said that it was really important the works were absolutely shared across the country enabling access to a wide range of people.

She delighted in seeing the word Haworth in Brontes own hand, naming the village where the Bronte sisters were brought up. She also held the manuscript of Burnss Auld Lang Syne.

She was astounded by Sir Walters skill  Rob Roy was written in one draft with no corrections as she confessed she has to rewrite a chapter about 12 times in her own novels.

The Culture Secretary added: The fact theyre going to go back to their original roots, going home  its amazing. Theyre going home and thats fantastic.

Dorries was joined by Professor Kathryn Sutherland, a Jane Austen expert based at the University of Oxford, to peruse the manuscripts

And everyone can see them. If you live in Yorkshire you dont have to travel to London to see them. An added advantage of this massive drive by Friends of the National Libraries is that it is levelling up in action as libraries in Leeds, Scotland, Yorkshire, Hampshire and Oxford will all benefit. Its actually emotional, it really is.

Professor Kathryn Sutherland, a Jane Austen expert based at the University of Oxford, told Mrs Dorries the impact the collection would have in the public domain.

She said: This has got to go back on public display. There is so much we can do in terms of public engagement with this material .

It doesnt matter where it resides because we can collect it together in so many ways and engage with it creatively too.

Its not just saving heritage its creative renewal  we can do a lot, we can stimulate a lot of creativity with this among school children.

For more information about the Friends of the National Libraries, including how to donate to the Honresfield Appeal, please visit www.fnl.org.uk
A furious row erupted last night as GPs claimed they had won significant concessions over Sajid Javids plans to ensure more face-to-face appointments.

The British Medical Association (BMA) had voted down the Health Secretarys package  announced after a Daily Mail campaign  which included identifying surgeries that saw too few people in person.

After a meeting on Wednesday night between the BMA and NHS England, there were claims that the plan to publish league tables  showing what proportion of appointments were in person  had been abandoned, along with specific targets.

But the Department of Health moved quickly to insist it had made no concession to doctors unions. It said it would press ahead with measures to publish surgery-level data on face-to-face appointments.

GPs claimed last night they had won significant concessions over Sajid Javids (pictured) plans to ensure more face-to-face appointments

A spokesman said: There are no plans to change the set of measures outlined earlier this month to support our phenomenal GPs. Transparency of data is vitally important as we level up healthcare across the country.

Both sides appeared to agree that publishing data should not be labelled as naming and shaming.

The BMA is still talking to its members about possible industrial action, which could mean doctors at 6,600 practices reduce their workload.

But, in a new initiative, ministers have agreed to work alongside the BMA to launch a zero tolerance campaign on the abuse of NHS staff. It came as 11million patients missed out on face-to-face appointments last month.

Just 61 per cent of the 28million GP appointments carried out in September were held in-person, latest NHS England figures show.

This is up slightly on previous months but still well below pre-pandemic levels of 80 per cent of consultations.

Statistics also revealed that nearly half of all appointments are now with other practice staff  such as a nurse or physio  rather than a doctor.

Earlier this month, the Government and NHS chiefs unveiled a nine-point package of measures to tackle the problem.

But Department of Health officials deny the claim and said it would press ahead to publish surgery-level data showing what proportion of appointments were in person (stock image)

The 250million plan would mean doctors cannot deny a face-to-face appointment unless there is a good clinical reason, and surgeries which dont deliver them could be named and shamed.

But the BMA has urged GPs to refuse to comply with the plan, which they called a bullys charter.

Professor Martin Marshall, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said: Good, safe and personalised care can be delivered remotely, and it is not confined to general practice.

But minister for primary care Maria Caulfield said: I know how important it is for patients to be able to see their GP in the way they choose and so its promising to see the number of face-to-face appointments is increasing.

We have set out a plan to provide targeted support for GP teams to help them continue to improve access backed by a further 250million.
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Britain was last night preparing to retaliate after a UK trawler was detained by France amid fears the fishing row could spark a full-blown trade war.

The Government accused the French of breaking international law and France's ambassador to London will be hauled in today to face questioning.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said French ambassador Catherine Colonna would be expected to attend the Foreign Office 'to explain the disappointing and disproportionate threats made against the UK and Channel Islands'.

Two Royal Navy patrol vessels were last night said to be on a state of 'high readiness' in case of further fallout, but there was no immediate sign they would be required.

And in a dramatic intensification of the row over post-Brexit fishing rights, the Cornelis Gert Jan was ordered to divert to Le Havre after French authorities said it did not have a licence.

The trawler's boss claimed his vessel was being used as a 'pawn' in the dispute and blasted the 'politically motivated' French. Its officials also fined a second vessel.

French ministers warned this week they will block British boats from some French ports and tighten checks on vessels travelling between France and the UK if the issue of post-Brexit fishing licenses is not resolved by Tuesday (November 2) - as well as threatening the electricity supply to the Channel Islands.

Ministers on Thursday were reportedly presented with retaliatory options should Paris press ahead with its threat next week, with one such option including further restricting French fishing access to UK waters.

Another potential move on the table in the 'options paper', presented to a Cabinet sub-committee chaired by Lord Frost, is the stepping up of checks on French vessels landing in UK ports, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Confronting French President Emmanuel Macron at the forthcoming G20 meeting in Rome and dispatching the UK's ambassador in Paris are also reportedly being considered - although Government sources told the newspaper there was no scheduled meeting with Macron in Italy and retaliatory measures would depend on France's actions.

Environment minister George Eustice warned of retaliatory measures today, saying that if France went ahead with its threats, 'Two can play at that game and we reserve the ability to respond in a proportionate way.'

The Cornelis and its eight crewmen languished in port last night, with the crew being told to stay on board. As of Thursday night, there was no indication when it would be allowed to leave.

With its blue hull, white bridge and red winches it has a somewhat ironic French tricolour appearance.

Andrew Brown, director of the boat's owners, MacDuff Shellfish, told the Daily Mail the French were 'exploiting' supposed confusion over post-Brexit paperwork.

Britain was last night preparing to retaliate after a UK trawler - the Cornelis Gert Jan (pictured right in in Le Havre, France, October 28, 2021) - was detained by France amid fears the fishing row could spark a full-blown trade war

Pictured: French gendarmes aboard the Cornelis-Gert Jan scallop boat which has been impounded by the French Gendarmerie Maritime for illegally fishing in the Bay of the Seine in french waters

Crew members aboard the Cornelis-Gert Jan scallop boat which has been impounded by the French Gendarmerie Maritime for illegally fishing in the Bay of the Seine in french waters

Vive Little Napoleon Macron's Brexit sulk! Commentary by Nabila Ramdani for the Daily Mail Diplomacy was abruptly scuttled when the French decided to arrest British seamen in the escalating war over fishing rights. Depriving anybody of their freedom is a giant step in any dispute, but for a country whose motto is 'liberty, equality, fraternity' it can rightly be viewed as outrageous. The exact circumstances around the seizure of the scallop trawler Cornelis Gert Jan in Le Havre on Wednesday are being analysed by lawyers, but there is no doubt that sabre-rattling was the primary motivation. The French are furious that some of their boats are currently being denied fishing rights in UK waters following the Brexit settlement, and so have started ferocious retaliatory action. While claiming they were dealing with the matter courteously through the European Commission  as would be appropriate for an EU founding-father nation  the French instead simply sent in their security services. 'It's not war, but it is a fight,' is how Annick Girardin, the fiery maritime minister in Paris put it. 'We are going to ask the European Commission to tell the United Kingdom that it is not respecting its agreement and therefore retaliatory measures can be put in place,' she added. Hard-Left Miss Girardin made it clear that arresting the Cornelis Gert Jan's skipper, and threatening him with criminal charges, was just one of numerous options available. They range from blocking all British fishing vessels from offloading their catches on French shores, and imposing stultifying red-tape barriers on other British products, to cutting off power to Jersey and Guernsey. Threatening a nation's power supply is the sort of behaviour we have come to expect of rogue states like Russia, not of an ally and neighbour. Yet it was with undisguised glee that Miss Girardin threatened to do just this in May. There was a time when the term gunboat diplomacy  use of naval power ultimatums to resolve disputes  earned Britain the title Perfidious Albion. It was a pejorative name implying treachery and double-dealing. Now, however, it may be more appropriate to speak of Perfidious France as ministers such as Miss Girardin  who has confessed to having a 'pirate's soul'  up the ante without warning. Clement Beaune, France's ferociously anti-Brexit Europe minister, is being similarly bellicose. He wants a 'zero tolerance' policy enforced towards the British as the French push for more fishing licences. The circumstances behind the dispute are technical. The UK and the Channel Islands recognise the historic rights of boats that have always fished in their waters. New technology for verifying such claims was brought in when the UK left the Common Fisheries Policy, but not all French boats want to go to the trouble and expense of complying. British negotiators are understandably insisting they install the technology. And yet it was Mr Beaune, apparently without irony, who declared: 'We cannot be in a climate of trust with a neighbour who does not abide by the rules.' Mr Beaune is extremely close to President Emmanuel Macron, a head of state used to speaking through his lieutenants. Mr Macron, of course, despises Brexit and he is clearly keen to force a confrontation with Britain over it at every opportunity. He undermined the Oxford Covid jab, for instance, and jeopardised its rollout in Europe. He has also been mischief-making over the highly sensitive issue of the Northern Ireland protocol. Meanwhile, there is constant friction about the number of immigrants crossing to England on small boats from the coast of France. Mr Macron is also still fuming after losing out to Britain and the US when Australia cancelled a 60billion contract to buy French submarines. Above all, though, he is in the throes of an election campaign. Winning a second term is his priority and he knows that his main rivals are likely to be Marine Le Pen, of the far-Right National Rally, and the equally xenophobic TV pundit Eric Zemmour. Ultra-nationalistic voters expect to see their politicians standing up for their interests, and Mr Macron wants to play to the gallery by outperforming both Le Pen and Zemmour. Seaborne battles with the British are an obvious way of doing this for the new Napoleon. But there will be a reckoning. If, for the sake of another five years of power, he sacrifices any pretence of being a diplomatically-minded statesman, then he will be in serious trouble. Mr Macron needs to jettison his pugilism, start negotiating with Britain in a manner that is civilised and constructive, and finally respect the post-Brexit order. Nabila Ramdani is a French- Algerian journalist, broadcaster and academic specialising in Anglo-French issues Advertisement

But Mr Brown also feared an 'admin error' on the UK side as the Cornelis appears to have 'dropped off' a list of licensed vessels British authorities sent to Europe.

Mr Brown said: 'It appears our vessel is another pawn in the ongoing dispute between the UK and France on the implementation of the Brexit Fishing Agreement.

'They have the right to query things if they feel there is some kind of error in any of the paperwork, but they don't usually behave in such a heavy-handed manner.'

The Cornelis set off on a five-day fishing trip from Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, at 12.30am on Tuesday and entered French waters that evening.

It fished uninterrupted until French vessel Athos intercepted it in the Baie de la Seine at around 6pm on Wednesday. The Cornelis was escorted into Le Havre port.

The Mail yesterday visited the crew, said to be 'in good spirits' but they refused to talk while police investigated. Scallop shells could be seen in the chains on the front deck but there was no other sign of its haul after French authorities punished it with a 'confiscation of catch' order.

The cost to the firm is expected to be into the tens of thousands of pounds already, and mounts by the day as the crew misses out on vital fishing time.

French listeners celebrated 'the first British ship seized by the French since Waterloo' on local radio.

French maritime minister Annick Girardin said the Cornelis was checked as part of regular patrols but against 'the backdrop of the tightening of controls in the Channel, in the context of discussions on licences'.

Girardin also told French radio news programme RTL Matin that Britain's 'failure to comply' with the UK-EU Trade and Co-operation Agreement (TCA) is 'unacceptable'.

'We have fishing rights, we must defend them and we will defend them.' She added: 'It's not war, but it is a fight.'

France's Europe minister Clement Beaune told French TV channel CNews: 'We need to speak the language of force as I'm afraid it is the only thing this British government will understand. We will show no tolerance, no indulgence.'

Downing Street described the threats as 'disappointing' and 'disproportionate' and said it would respond in a 'calibrated' and 'appropriate' way.

Last night a Government spokesman said: 'The proposed French actions are unjustified and do not appear to be compatible on the EU's part with the Trade and Cooperation Agreement or wider international law.

'We regret the confrontational language that has been consistently used by the French government on this issue, which makes this situation no easier to resolve.

'We repeat that the Government has granted 98 per cent of licence applications from EU vessels to fish in the UK's waters and, as has consistently been made clear, will consider any further evidence on the remainder.'

It follows anger after the UK and Jersey turned down applications from dozens of French boats to fish in their waters. Paris said it breached Britain's post-Brexit EU trade deal and French ministers warned they will block British boats from French ports.

French PM Jean Castex said while Paris would like 'de-escalation', it was down to Britain to keep its word. Tory MPs warned the response risked a trade war and urged France to 'back off'.

Former environment secretary Theresa Villiers said: 'They need to back off so that a sensible conversation can take place. Ratcheting up tension like this... creates the risk that the situation degenerates into a trade war.'

Ex-Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith accused President Emmanuel Macron of trying to shore up support ahead of elections next year.

'He's trying to pull the tail of the lion, which is what French politicians always do when they get a bit stuck. There's a lot of posturing,' he told talkRADIO.

Ex-Brexit minister David Jones said: 'That is why he is willing to put his Napoleon complex on display.'

The skipper has been threatened with a 63,000 fine.

He is accused of fishing 2,160kg of scallops without holding a valid licence. Marine law expert Andrew Oliver told Sky News the skipper had 'voluntarily' met with local police.

UK authorities must send a list of licensed vessels to Europe so they can fish in EU waters. He added: 'More recently the vessel seems to have dropped off that list.'

Environment Secretary George Eustice told MPs the Cornelis did have a licence.

Seizing the Cornelis is just the latest move by France in an ongoing row with the UK over who has rights to fishing grounds in the Channel now Britain has left the EU.

Ms Truss said: 'I have instructed Europe Minister Wendy Morton to summon the French Ambassador to the UK for talks... to explain the disappointing and disproportionate threats made against the UK and Channel Islands.'

UK ministers met on Thursday to consider the response, with the prospect of tit-for-tat action if France carries out its threats.

Brexit Minister Lord Frost, who chaired the meeting, said: 'I remain concerned by French plans on fisheries and beyond', adding that 'we expect to have more to say' on Friday.

The Government views the proposed actions as 'unjustified' and questioned whether they were compatible with the UK-EU trade deal 'or wider international law'.

In its full statement on Thursday, the UK Government spokesperson added: 'Lord Frost chaired a ministerial meeting earlier today to consider the UK response to the measures set out by France yesterday.

'We have raised our concerns strongly with both the French and the EU Commission. As a next step, the Foreign Secretary has instructed minister Morton to summon the French Ambassador.

France has detained British scallop trawler Cornelis Gert Jan in the port at Le Havre after accusing it of illegally fishing in French waters, but it owners insist it was fishing legally

A fisherman is pictured on board the British scallop trawler that has been detained in Le Havre. The company which owns the boat says the crew are in 'good spirits' while the captain has been taken for questioning

A French police vessel patrols around the Cornelis Gert Jan after it was seized and taken to the port in Le Havre on Wednesday

Brussels clash looms as Ulster talks 'in ditch' Ministers are preparing for a major clash with the EU within weeks over Northern Ireland that could spark a trade war. A key Whitehall committee has been discussing the possible fallout if talks with Brussels break down. It was reported last night that some senior EU figures believe talks are going 'into a ditch'. As part of Brexit, the UK and EU agreed to the Northern Ireland protocol that is designed to avoid a border on the island of Ireland. But this has led to disruption for goods crossing the Irish Sea, with new checks on those moving to the province. Concerns have been raised that Northern Ireland's place within the UK is being undermined. Brexit minister Lord Frost has been holding talks to resolve problems. If they fail, the UK could suspend parts of the protocol unilaterally. The EU may then impose new tariffs on UK goods in a trade war. Advertisement

British fishing grounds are among the richest in the North East Atlantic where most of the European Union's catch is hauled in. France's actions appear to be a warning shot to put pressure on Britain to compromise at talks with the EU.

British environment minister George Eustice challenged France's statement that the boat had no licence. He told parliament France's threatened steps appeared to be incompatible with a post-Brexit free-trade agreement and international law.

'...if carried through, (they) will be met with an appropriate and calibrated response,' he said.

France says Britain has refused to grant its fishermen the full number of licences to operate in British waters that France says is warranted. Britain says it is issuing licences to vessels that meet its criteria.

'So now we need to speak the language of strength since that seems to be the only thing this British government understands,' European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune told CNews television channel.

Girardin made clear France could not cut off electricity supplies to Britain as a retaliatory measure but said it could raise tariffs. Britain was importing about 6% of its electricity supply from France on Thursday, data showed.

Extra customs checks on goods travelling between Britain and the rest of Europe could disrupt trade flows before Christmas.

Before Brexit, French fishermen had free reign to fish in UK waters under EU law and only had to apply to their own government for a licence that allowed them to do it.

But earlier this year a new regime laid out in the Brexit Agreement came into force, which means French fishermen now need to apply to the UK for a licence.

Under the wording of the agreement, all vessels that fished in UK waters 'for at least four years between 2012 and 2016' should be granted the same level of access until at least 2026, when it will be up to the UK and France to negotiate new deals.

Two British boats were stopped by French police while fishing in Baie de la Seine on Wednesday. The captain of one was fined and let go after refusing to let officers board, but the second was detained and taken to Le Havre for allegedly fishing without a licence

Tracking data shows the British vessel departed from Shoreham-by-Sea for Baie de la Seine and was trawling before being stopped and diverted to Le Havre

British fishermen ground down by fishing row As a row over post-Brexit fishing rights between Britain and France escalated on Thursday, British fishermen complained they were being worn down as their livelihoods were forgotten during the standoff. In Newhaven on Britain's southern coast, the fishing town's main quay was almost deserted as a week of bad weather forced the local fleet, comprised of small trawlers, to remain in harbour. But amid threats from Paris to target British fish exports, the detention of a UK vessel and Britain summoning the French ambassador, trawler captains attending to their boats complained they would continue to bear the brunt of the spat. Neil Whitney, the skipper of the 'About Time' trawler, told AFP the dispute over licensing rules for boats to operate in waters around Britain and the Channel Islands, was 'political' and dismissed the escalation as 'more of the same'. 'The scallopers try and push the envelope a little bit more, get in a bit earlier,' the 54-year-old explained. 'And the French retaliate by throwing things at us or impounding boats or just jumping up and down.' The head of Britain's National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations (NFFO) has laid blame for the worsening standoff on France, accusing Paris of politicising the problem. 'France seems determined to escalate the issue. The only way we can make sense of it is that this technical issue has been politicised ahead of the French presidential elections,' NFFO Chief Executive Barrie Deas said. 'Talks that have been going on are perfectly civil and constructive, both with EU and France. So the issue doesn't lie at that technical level.' For the British fishermen, the dispute over fishing rights is another threat to their industry compounded by falling post-Brexit exports, constraints because of Covid and the growth of international fishing companies that are crowding out independent operators like those in Newhaven. 'We've been ground down and down,' fishing skipper Martin Yorwarth told AFP. 'We ask our government and the (EU) commission to help artisanal fishermen... We desperately need some help.' Yorwarth said disagreements would persist until the root problem of overfishing was addressed. 'The reality is overfishing is massive. There's no fish left... the French are hurting we are hurting', he explained. Both Yorwarth and Whitney, like most members of Britain's fishing communities, voted for Brexit but feel the trade agreement that coincided with the UK's departure from the bloc failed to deliver on promises made to their industry. 'If we'd taken back control of our waters and taking back control of our fishing, then things could have been different,' Whitney said. 'We were really disappointed.' Reporting by AFP news agency. Advertisement

The UK is asking French boats to provide tracking and fishing quota data for those years to qualify for a permit. The French have protested, saying smaller vessels do not collect this data and are being unfairly punished. The Brexit Agreement makes no mention of such data, they argue.

MailOnline understands that UK vessels wanting to fish in EU waters are placed on a list by British authorities which is then sent to Brussels for approval. To be included on the list, boats are required to provide similar proof to that imposed on the French trawlers.

The issue of fishing licences - one of the key sticking points in getting a Brexit deal signed - has proved an incendiary one even after pen was put to paper, with French ministers ramping up the rhetoric on Thursday after the boat was seized

Annick Girardin, seas minister, told French radio listeners: 'This is not a war, but it is a fight.'

MacDuff Shellfish told The Herald that the crew are in 'good spirits' and are being held aboard the vessel in Le Havre until the legal issues are worked out.

The captain has gone ashore to answer questions from the authorities and has been provided with a lawyer, they added.

The French seas ministry said potential punishments for the vessel include 'confiscation of catch and immobilisation of the vessel pending payment'.

'The captain of the vessel [also] risks criminal charges, under the control of the judicial authority,' the ministry added.

French police did stop a second British boat, which has not been identified, and fined the captain for initially refusing police permission to board. The boat was eventually let go because it was properly licenced, the French seas ministry said.

British environment minister George Eustice told Parliament the seizure of the boat is being 'urgently' looked into, but ruled out any 'tit for tat' retaliation.

'UK vessels with their licence to fish in EU waters should be allowed to do so uninterrupted,' he said.

'It is also the case that the UK will continue to implement and enforce things in good faith in our EEZ as well.

'We are not going to get into a retaliatory, tit for tat on this kind of thing.

'It is important I think that everybody remains calm.'

He also described French threats to block British fishermen from landing catches at their ports as 'disappointing', 'disproportionate' and '[not] compatible with the Trade and Cooperation Agreement or wider international law.'

'If carried through [they] will be met with an appropriate and calibrated response,' he added.

But Mr Beaune showed little room for compromise as he spoke to France's CNews on Thursday, saying: 'Not all French ports will be accessible to British boats anymore.

'Only a few, three or four probably... It will be a very significant limitation in the access to our ports for British boats. And we will have systematic border, veterinary and security controls for British boats.

'We will show no tolerance, no indulgence. We have actually started tonight with security checks, it allowed us to board and search two British boats which did not comply with the rules so no tolerance, no indulgence.

'And we will also carry out systematic controls for lorries carrying goods arriving or leaving to the UK in Calais or elsewhere, not to cut ties and accesses but to be extremely strict with our verifications.

'We cannot be in a climate of trust with a neighbour who does not abide by the rules.'

The Cornelis Gert Jan, a British trawler, is moored at the port in Le Havre after being seized by French Authority, in Le Havre, France, 28 October 2021

This picture taken in the harbour of Le Havre, northern France, on October 28, 2021, shows the trawler 'Cornelis-Gert Jan' detained by French authorities

What's behind the Franco-British fishing row? France and Britain are at loggerheads over fishing rights in the Channel, with a row over the politically sensitive industry causing a major diplomatic flare up. What has caused the dispute? In a word, Brexit. Britain's departure from the European Union, which came into force on January 1, ripped up agreements in place to manage fish stocks in waters around the UK and the Channel Islands. Until Brexit, EU members including Britain had treaties and a joint fisheries policy that allocated quotas of different stocks to each nation's fishing fleet. As part of these agreements, hundreds of EU vessels, mostly French ones, were allowed access to Britain's fish-rich territorial waters between six and 12 miles from the coast. So what changed? Fishing was one of the most difficult issues to solve in the tense Brexit negotiations, with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson promising to regain 'full control' of British waters. In the end, the two sides agreed a compromise last December that will see EU boats gradually relinquish 25 percent of their current quotas over a five-and-a-half year transition period. After this, there will be annual negotiations on the amount of fish EU vessels can take from British waters. Under the agreement, EU fishermen wishing to access British seas had to apply for new licences. The licences were for more distant waters considered Britain's exclusive economic zone (12-200 nautical miles from the coast), and its closer territorial waters (6-12 nautical miles from the coast). Fishermen needed to prove a track record of working there between 2012-2016. And the Channel Islands? They are a separate, but significant part of the picture. Jersey is the largest of the Channel Islands, which are self-governing. They are not part of the United Kingdom but recognise Queen Elizabeth as their head of state and depend on Britain for defence and foreign relations. Brexit also meant the end of the Granville Bay fishing treaty between France and Jersey, which had set rules and quotas for fishing in the waters around the island. Under the new rules, French fishermen were required to apply for new licences, which would be granted if they could prove they had worked previously in Jersey waters. Is the row about the licencing process? Yes. Britain has accepted nearly all requests - around 1,700 - from EU boats to access its exclusive economic zone. The tension is over licences for the territorial waters. London has issued 100 licences to French boats for these waters close to its shore, while 75 requests are still pending, according to French figures from early October. For Jersey, 111 permanent licences and 31 provisional licences have been issued, while 75 boats have been rejected, French figures show. Rejected French fishermen say they are being unfairly restricted due to red tape and bureaucracy. They say small boats lack the GPS equipment required to prove they previously worked there, while others complain that they are having difficulty obtaining licences for new vessels that replaced older models. Have there been protests? Yes. French fishermen sailed to the main port on Jersey in June to demonstrate, prompting Britain to send two naval patrol boats to the area. On Wednesday, the French government announced that it would step up customs and sanitary controls on trade with Britain and ban British seafood from French ports. The measures are set to come into effect next Tuesday. France has also raised the possibility of reducing electricity exports to Jersey, or blocking negotiations between London and the EU on sensitive topics such as trade in financial services. In private, some French officials point out that Britain is also dependent on Paris to prevent migrants and asylum seekers illegally crossing the Channel to England. What will happen now? French officials say that since they started pressuring Britain and Jersey publicly over the last few months more licences have been issued. France is also trying to rally the rest of the European Union to its side. Ten out of the other 26 members of the EU signed up to a statement condemning Britain's 'incomplete and inappropriate' response on fishing. Experts see little prospect for British-French ties to improve. With elections due in France next April, President Emmanuel Macron is keen to keep the politically powerful and vocal fishing communities on side. Reporting by AFP news agency. Advertisement

Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the UK parliament, granted an urgent question in the House of Commons today to address the fishing dispute.

Meanwhile Annick Girardin, the French seas minister who has been leading French efforts to secure more licences, told RTL radio: 'It is not a war, but it is a fight.

'We are going to ask the European Commission to tell the United Kingdom that it is not respecting its [Brexit] agreement and therefore that retaliatory measures can be put in place.

'The French and the fishermen have rights. An agreement was signed. We must enforce this agreement.

'We have fishing rights, we must defend them and we will defend them.'

Barry Deas, from the the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations, told the BBC: 'It may be normal enforcement action but against the background of the threatening noises coming from the French Government yesterday, it's very concerning.

'France seems determined to escalate this issue about licenses. I suppose we have to wonder why.

'There's a presidential election coming up in France and all the signs are that the rhetoric has been ramped up ahead of that on the fishing issue.

'I think what the UK government is doing is completely in line with the trade and cooperation agreement, not that that's an agreement that we like but there it is, it's in place.

'This is something that should be settled round the table and my understanding is that those talks have been going on but it's this escalation I think that has got a political dimension to it.

'UK vessels landing into French ports is not massive. It's a bit strange because the French fish in UK waters far more than we fish in their waters and therefore if we descend into a tit for tat relationship I think the French fleet are much more exposed.

'I don't think that's a helpful way to go but it's strange direction for the French to take which is why we conclude that this has all been politicised.'

Barrie Deas, head of Britain's National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations, said France appeared determined to escalate the licence row before a presidential election, with President Emmanuel Macron expected to seek a new term in April.

In a sign Britain might offer more licences, Bruno Margolle, head of the Boulogne fishermen's collective, said 15 of the 37 licence requests from his region previously shown as rejected had passed to 'under consideration' since the boat was held.

Senior British, French and EU officials have signalled they do not want the dispute to escalate, but Macron and Johnson are under pressure from vocal fishing lobbies.

Britain's Brexit minister, David Frost, chaired a ministerial meeting on Thursday to consider a response to France's measures, a British government spokesman said.

The industry makes a small contribution to the French and British economies but is a lifeline for some coastal communities.

In Le Havre, scallop fishermen said they were fed up with British vessels enjoying what they called unfair access to shellfish in French waters.

'There has to be an end to this fraud,' Pascal Coquet, president of the National Scallop Fishermen's Committee, said.

On Wednesday, the French Government dramatically threatened to block British vessels from some ports next week if the dispute is not resolved.

Paris even went as far as suggesting it could restrict energy supplies to the Channel Islands if no deal is reached.

No 10 said the threats do not seem to be compatible with 'international law' and vowed an 'appropriate and calibrated response' if Paris does not back down.

Since the UK left the economic orbit of the European Union at the start of the year, relations between London and Paris have become increasingly frayed.

France has been angered by a decision from the UK and Jersey last month to reject dozens of licences for French boats to fish in their waters, arguing it breaches the Brexit deal.

Jersey, which is only 14 miles off the French coast, is a British Crown dependency outside of the UK. As such, it has its own powers with regards to who is allowed to fish in its territorial waters.

It has granted licenses based on its interpretation of the UK-EU trade deal, and has accused France of acting disproportionately.

After weeks of negotiations, British authorities have issued more fishing licenses but that still only accounts for 50 per cent of what France believes it 'is entitled to.'

If an agreement over the licenses is not struck by Tuesday, France said it will block British boats from some ports and tighten checks on vessels travelling between France and the UK.

The French ministers for Europe and for maritime affairs said in a joint statement Wednesday that if no agreement is reached by November 2, France will bar British fishing boats from designated ports and tighten customs, security and other controls on any British boats and trucks traveling between France and Britain.

And then in the coming weeks, France said that it 'doesn't exclude' measures targeting energy supplies to Britain, the statement said.

Attal specified that meant the Channel Islands, which are closer to French shores than British ones and rely heavily on electricity supplied by the French grid.

This map shows the extent of the UK's Exclusive Economic Zone where French vessels now require a licence to fish. Boats also require a licence to fish the waters around Jersey and Guernsey (bottom) but this is administered by the islands and not from Westminster

The French Government has dramatically warned it will block British vessels from some ports next week if the post-Brexit dispute over fishing licences is not resolved. Pictured: French President Emmanuel Macron delivers his speech on Wednesday in Paris

Downing Street vowed to retaliate against Paris if it goes ahead with the 'disappointing and disproportionate' threat to impose sanctions in an escalation of the row over fishing boats. Pictured: Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaking during Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, October 27

A UK Government spokeswoman responded: 'France's threats are disappointing and disproportionate, and not what we would expect from a close ally and partner.

'The measures beinge threatened do not appear to be compatible with the Trade and Cooperation Agreement and wider international law, and, if carried through, will be met with an appropriate and calibrated response.'

She said that Britain will express its concerns both to the EU and the French Government, and argued that the UK has granted 98 percent of licence applications from European vessels.

But the dispute continues over 31 vessels which the UK did not approve licences for, arguing that they did not have supporting evidence for their applications.

Britain says the majority of the vessels were denied access because they failed to prove they had fished in the six-to-12-mile nautical zone in the years before the UK's referendum on leaving the EU.

Attal, spokesman for the Macron administration, said on Wednesday that Britain's conduct over fishing rights in British waters following Brexit had led to the French 'losing patience'.

And he said that from next Tuesday there would be 'systematic customs and sanitary inspections on imported products arriving in Channel ports' including 'a ban on disembarking seafood products as well as checks on lorries'.

France is one of Britain's biggest export market for fish. In 2019, the trade accounted for 561.1 million, or 27.7 per cent of total exports.

Britain's post-Brexit agreement with the EU states fishermen can continue to fish in British waters if they obtain a licence and prove that they previously were fishing there.

But the French are now complaining that around 50 per cent of licences have not been issues.

'Our wish is quite simply that the agreement that was reached is respected,' Mr Attal said at a press conference in Paris on Wednesday.

'When we sign an agreement, and that was the case in the context of Brexit, the agreement must be respected. Our patience is reaching its limits.'

He added: 'Matters are clear, and we have said that we will not let the British wipe their feet on the Brexit agreement.'

Under the Brexit agreement, 175 French fishing vessels have the right to fish between six and 12 nautical miles off the British coast, but the UK has only delivered 100 licences.

Paris also says that only 105 licences to fish off Jersey have been delivered when French trawlermen had the right to 216.

Mr Attal said the new retaliatory measures would start on November 2.

He also said that measures related to electricity supplies to the Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey could be issued 'in the weeks after'.

Earlier this year, France's European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune warned that his country was ready to step up pressure on the UK using all means possible.

'For example, you could imagine the Channel Islands, where the United Kingdom depends on us for its energy supply,' said Mr Beane.

He did not expand further, but the warning echoed an earlier threat by French Fisheries Minister Annick Girardin who said in May that the fishing row could have an impact on 'the power supply by undersea cable' from France to Jersey.

Discussing the dispute last month, a spokesman for Britain's Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs said tit had a 'reasonable' approach to the issuing of licences.

He said: 'The government has this year issued a large number of licences to EU vessels seeking to fish in our exclusive economic zone and our territorial sea.

'Our approach has been reasonable and fully in line with our commitments in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.'
A van 'exploded' following a fire near Trafalgar Square this evening, as shocked Londoners looked on.

Police and the fire brigade were called just before 8pm to an initial report that the Trafalgar Hotel near the central London hotspot was ablaze, but it turned out to be a vehicle fire, My London reported.

A video posted on social media shows a crowd of people watching the fire outside Admiralty Arch, before the sound of an explosion can be heard.

A van 'exploded' following a fire near Trafalgar Square this evening, as shocked Londoners looked on. Police and the fire brigade were called just before 8pm to an initial report that the Trafalgar Hotel near the central London hotspot was ablaze, but it turned out to be a vehicle fire

A separate clip filmed from the top of a London tour bus showed a different angle of the blaze, as an onlooker shouted 'oh my God!'

One witness told MyLondon: 'I could smell it from really far away. Like burning metal.

'I saw it from the restaurant I was in. Me and my friend walked over to it, near the roundabout.

'There was this one explosion. Then there were sparks coming from the van.'

A clip filmed from the top of a London tour bus showed a different angle of the blaze, as an onlooker shouted 'oh my God!'

A London Fire Brigade spokesman told MailOnline that four fire engines responded to the incident.

The van was 'significantly' damaged but there were no injuries, they added.

It is not yet known what started the blaze, but no one is believed to have been in the van when it started.
A former LAPD cop has been charged with manslaughter after he shot a disabled man dead for attacking him while the victim waited for samples with his elderly parents at a Costco store.

Officer Salvador Sanchez, who was a seven-year veteran of the LAPD at the time of the 2019 shooting, was arrested Monday in Riverside County.

He faces one count of voluntary manslaughter and two counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. His attorney says he has since been terminated from the police department.

Off-duty Los Angeles police officer Salvador Sanchez, left, believed he had been shot and that there was an active shooter when he killed mentally ill Kenneth French, right

Surveillance footage appears to show part of the altercation in the store. The grainy clip was released after a court order was lifted and looks to show the moment French hit Sanchez

Sanchez was with his young son in a Costco in Corona when he was attacked from behind by 32-year-old Kenneth French. Sanchez was knocked to the ground and quickly opened fire, fatally wounding French and critically injuring Frenchs parents, Russell and Paola French.

Sanchez had told investigators he believed French had a gun and that his life and his son's life were in immediate danger. Authorities said French was not armed and was moving away from Sanchez when the officer opened fire.

Kenneth French was non-verbal and had recently been taken off his medication for mental illness due to other health issues, the family's lawyer previously said, adding that the change may have affected his behavior that night. French's parents have filed a federal lawsuit against Sanchez and the city.

The charges filed by California Attorney General Rob Bonta came after the Riverside County district attorney declined to charge Sanchez criminally when a grand jury did not bring an indictment in September 2019.

Kenneth French and his mother, Paola French. Officer Salvador Sanchez opened fire on June 14 2019 in Corona, fatally shooting Kenneth and injuring his parents, Russell and Paola French

French, of Riverside, had been taken off his medication because of other health complications, which may have affected his behavior that night

Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin previously said Sanchez believed he had been shot in the head and that a gunman was on the loose in the store after he and his 1-year-old son were knocked to the ground in French's unprovoked assault.

David Winslow, Sanchez's attorney, called his client's arrest 'a political stunt that does absolutely nothing to protect the public.'

'The arrest of Sal Sanchez is a product of the politically motivated program by the California Attorney General to prosecute police officers,' Winslow said in a statement Monday. 'Sal was not acting as a police officer when he was attacked. He was off duty acting as a father in self-defense and protecting his child.'

Bonta's office in July announced that state investigators would respond to police fatal shootings of unarmed civilians after lawmakers passed legislation last year amid civil unrest over the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis officer.

'Where theres reason to believe a crime has been committed, we will seek justice,' Bonta said Monday in a news release. 'Thats exactly what these charges are about: pursuing justice after an independent and thorough review of the evidence and the law. Ultimately, any loss of life is a tragedy and being licensed to carry a gun doesnt mean youre not accountable for how you use it. No matter who you are, nobody is above the law.'

Paramedics are seen helping the victims on the night of the shooting. Lawyers for Sanchez have said he acted in self-defense when French attacked him as he was holding his one-year-old son during a shopping trip to the warehouse store in Corona in June 2019

Heavily armed police officers leave the Corona, Calif., Costco store following a fatal shooting of Kenneth French by an off-duty Los Angeles Police Officer. (File photo from June 14 2019)

The Riverside DA's office said Monday it would assist Bonta's office in the prosecution, but noted that its own investigation concluded when the grand jury did not find enough probable cause to move forward with the case.

The Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners ruled last year that Sanchez had violated departmental policy in the shooting.

The French familys attorney and the LAPD did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In September 2019, Riverside District Attorney Mike Hestrin, right, discussed the decision not to file charges in the shooting death
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It was once a grand Roman amphitheatre that entertained 5,000 spectators with gladiatorial contests, wild beast hunting and the odd execution of a criminal on the Kent coast.

And now archaeologists have uncovered evidence of a holding cell for those who were about to meet their fate in the ancient arena in Richborough 2,000 years ago, English Heritage has revealed.

Experts have known about the amphitheatre since 1849 but the latest dig led to new finds including coins, pottery fragments and even the almost complete skeleton of a pet cat that archaeologists have nicknamed Maxipus.

It is now thought the amphitheatre at Richborough, north of Sandwich, may have been built early in the Roman period in the 1st century AD and became defunct by the 3rd century.

It was once a grand Roman amphitheatre that entertained 5,000 spectators with gladiatorial contests, wild beast hunting and the odd execution of a criminal on the Kent coast. And now English Heritage archaeologists (pictured) have uncovered evidence of a holding cell for those who were about to meet their fate in the ancient arena in Richborough 2,000 years ago

It is now thought the amphitheatre at Richborough (pictured), north of Sandwich, may have been built early in the Roman period in the 1st century AD and became defunct by the 3rd century

Experts have known about the amphitheatre since 1849 but the latest dig led to new finds including coins, pottery fragments and even the almost complete skeleton of a pet cat that archaeologists have nicknamed Maxipus (pictured)

The excavation also uncovered traces of painted decoration to the plaster face of the arena wall, which is the first known instance of this on any Roman amphitheatre in Britain, English Heritage said

What do we know about the Richborough Roman amphitheatre? The Roman fort and amphitheatre of Richborough, in Kent, is a key site in the history of Roman Britain. It was used throughout the occupation from the invasion of 43 AD until the end of Roman rule around 410. The settlement, named Rutupiae or Portus Ritupis, was unique in this sense because it witnessed both the beginning and the end of Roman rule. Temples, an amphitheatre, and a mansio  an official stopping place on a Roman road  were added as Richborough's reputation and riches grew. It was renowned throughout the Empire for the quality of its oysters, and competed fiercely with Portus Dubris  modern Dover  around 15 miles away. During the late 3rd century, the civilian town was converted into a Saxon shore fort, part of a Channel-wide system in England and France to repel pirates. After Roman rule, Rutupiae and its amphitheatre were buried under grassy plains by the passage of time. Advertisement

Archaeologists believe the town was then inhabited by civilians until the end of Roman rule in Britain at the turn of the 4th/5th century.

The cat, which was named after the Russell Crowe character Maximus in the film Gladiator, has only a small piece of its tail missing.

However, researchers think it may not have been connected to the amphitheatre because it died in the 4th century, 100 years after the arena was no longer in use.

DNA research on previous cat discoveries suggests that although wildcats were in England prior to the Roman conquest in 43 AD, it wasn't until later that domestic cats were brought over.

The excavation also uncovered traces of painted decoration to the plaster face of the arena wall, which is the first known instance of this on any Roman amphitheatre in Britain, English Heritage said.

The recent discoveries have provided further evidence that Richborough was an important Roman site in Britain, and the excavation has revealed further details of how it was constructed.

Archaeologists believe the exterior arena wall was up to 20ft (6m) wide and built with stacked turf, while the interior wall was made of mortared chalk blocks with a rendered and plastered face.

It was here that traces of paint were discovered in what once would have been vivid reds and blues, a discovery which is said to be unprecedented in amphitheatres in Britain.

The English Heritage team has said the use of chalk and turf as building materials is an 'exciting discovery' which suggests the amphitheatre may have been built in the 1st century AD.

The settlement, named Rutupiae or Portus Ritupis, was renowned throughout the Empire for the quality of its oysters, and competed fiercely with Portus Dubris  modern Dover  around 15 miles away.

Temples, an amphitheatre, and a mansio  an official stopping place on a Roman road  were added as Richborough's reputation and riches grew.

After the end of Roman rule, Rutupiae, along with its amphitheatre, was buried under grassy plains by the passage of time.

Paul Pattison, English Heritage senior properties historian, said: 'The discoveries we've made during the excavation at Richborough are startling and exciting, and dramatically transform our understanding of the structure of the amphitheatre and the nature of adjacent settlement in the town.

The cat, which was named after the Russell Crowe character Maximus in the film Gladiator (right), has only a small piece of its tail missing. However, researchers think it may not have been connected to the amphitheatre because it died in the 4th century, 100 years after the arena was no longer in use

Roman tweezers were among the other new finds during an excavation of the Richborough Roman Fort site near Sandwich

Archaeologists believe the town was inhabited by civilians until the end of Roman rule at the turn of the 4th/5th century

The latest dig led to new finds including coins (pictured), pottery fragments and animals bones, among other things

Archaeologists believe the exterior arena wall was up to 20ft (6m) wide and built with stacked turf, while the interior wall was made of mortared chalk blocks with a rendered and plastered face

A 4th century Roman pin was among the items discovered by archaeologists excavating the site near Sandwich in Kent

After the end of Roman rule, Richborough, along with its amphitheatre, was buried under grassy plains by the passage of time

'We've always known that the Roman fort at Richborough was an important place to the Romans, until the very end of their rule, and now we have been able to gather evidence that much of the town outside the fort may also have been settled until the very end.'

Tony Wilmott, a senior archaeologist at Historic England, added: 'Amphitheatres are a unique Roman creation and this one  which could seat as many as 5,000 spectators  may have been constructed in the 1st century AD in the early phase of Roman rule.

'The evidence of painted decoration we have found on the arena wall, a unique find so far in amphitheatres in Britain, is remarkable, and a wonderful reminder that aspects of Roman culture abroad were also a feature of life in Roman Britain.'

For almost 400 years, from 43 to 410 AD, much of mainland Britain was a province of the Roman empire.

This period helped mould British laws, language, art, architecture, culture and beliefs, and the Roman army established early road networks which facilitated the first public post system.

This latest excavation will form part of a major refurbishment and re-presentation of the site and museum which will take place this winter and open in summer 2022.
With its black and white markings and cuddly face, the giant panda is one of the most distinctive creatures in the animal kingdom.

Now, researchers have uncovered why giant pandas evolved to have these unique colourings - and it's all to do with camouflage.

Experts from the University of Bristol say that the dark patches help pandas to blend in with tree trunks, while their lighter patches allow them to camouflage against patches of snow.

'Giant pandas appear conspicuous to us because of short viewing distances and odd backgrounds: when we see them, either in photographs or at the zoo, it is almost always from close up, and often against a backdrop that doesn't reflect their natural habitat,' explained Prof Nick Scott-Samuel, an author of the study.

'From a more realistic predator's perspective, the giant panda is actually rather well camouflaged.'

Experts from the University of Bristol say that the dark patches help pandas to blend in with tree trunks, while their lighter patches allow them to camouflage against patches of snow

Giant pandas Pandas live mainly in temperate forests high in the mountains of southwest China, where they subsist almost entirely on bamboo. They must eat around 26 to 84 pounds of it every day, depending on what part of the bamboo they are eating. They use their enlarged wrist bones that function as opposable thumbs. A newborn panda is about the size of a stick of butter, but females can grow up to about 200 pounds, while males can grow up to about 300 pounds as adults. These bears are excellent tree climbers despite their bulk. Source: WWF Advertisement

While most mammals are brown or grey in colour, a small number of animals have developed black and white colourings - including orcas, zebras, skunks and pandas.

In the study, the team used state-of-the art image analysis techniques on rare photos of giant pandas in their natural environments to understand why they have evolved to have these markings.

The analysis revealed that the black patches blended in with dark shades and tree trunks, while the white patches match foliage and snow.

Meanwhile, pale brown tones blend in with the ground colour, according to the team.

Prof Tim Caro, an author of the study, explained: 'I knew we were on to something when our Chinese colleagues sent us photographs from the wild and I couldn't see the giant panda in the picture.

'If I couldn't see it with my good primate eyes, that meant that would-be carnivorous predators with their poorer eyesight might not be able to see it either.

'It was simply a matter of demonstrating this objectively.'

The researchers also found that pandas use disruptive colouration - a form of camouflage in which highly visible boundaries on an animal break up its outline, especially at longer viewing distances.

Dr Ossi Nokelainen, who led the study, added: 'The rare photographic evidence allowed us to examine the giant panda appearance in its natural environment for the first time.

'With help of the state-of-the-art image analysis, we were able to treat these images as if the pandas would have been seen by their predator surrogates using applied vision modelling techniques and also to explore their disruptive coloration.

'Comparative results totally bust the myth of giant pandas being overtly conspicuous in their natural habitat.'

The analysis revealed that the black patches blended in with dark shades and tree trunks, while the white patches match foliage and snow

China's Yangtze Basin region is the panda's primary habitat.

However, pandas are currently listed as vulnerable, with only an estimated 1,800 left in the wild.

WWF explained: 'Infrastructure development (such as dams, roads, and railways) is increasingly fragmenting and isolating panda populations, preventing pandas from finding new bamboo forests and potential mates.

'Forest loss also reduces pandas' access to the bamboo they need to survive.

'The Chinese government has established more than 50 panda reserves, but only around 67% of the total wild panda population lives in reserves, with 54% of the total habitat area being protected.'
A skull of a new species of ancient human has been discovered in Africa that experts believe was a direct ancestor of modern humans.

The new species has been named Homo bodoensis, and lived during the Middle Pleistocene, around 500,000 years ago.

Researchers from the University of Winnipeg hope the discovery will bring some clarity to this era, during which human evolution is poorly understood.

Dr Mirjana Roksandic, who led the study, said: 'Talking about human evolution during this time period became impossible due to the lack of proper terminology that acknowledges human geographic variation.'

A new species of ancient human has been discovered in Africa that experts believe was a direct ancestor of modern humans (artist's impression pictured)

In their new analysis, the researchers suggest that a skull found in Bodo D'ar, Ethiopia belongs to neither H. heidelbergensis or H. rhodesiensis, but instead, is a new species entirely

What do we know about the new species? In honour of the location in which the skull was discovered, the researchers have named the species H. bodoensis. While little is know about the new species yet, the researchers believe that H. bodoensis had a short, stocky body adapted to conserve heat in colder climates. Males were likely about 5 ft 9 in tall and weighed almost 10 stone, while females averaged 5 ft 2 in (157 cm) and around 8 stone. The species went extinct around 200,000 years ago - long before modern humans migrated out of Africa. Advertisement

In the study, the researchers reassessed existing fossils from Africa and Eurasia dating back to the Middle Pleistocene period.

Traditionally, these fossils have been identified as either Homo heidelbergensis or Homo rhodesiensis.

However, recent DNA evidence has shown that some fossils in Europe identified as H. heidelbergensis were actually early Neanderthals.

Meanwhile, African fossils from this period have previously been identified as both H. heidelbergensis and H. rhodesiensis, confusing things even further.

In their new analysis, the researchers suggest that a skull found in Bodo D'ar, Ethiopia belongs to neither H. heidelbergensis or H. rhodesiensis, but instead, is a new species entirely.

In honour of the location in which the skull was discovered, the researchers have named the species H. bodoensis.

While little is know about the new species yet, the researchers believe that H. bodoensis had a short, stocky body adapted to conserve heat in colder climates.

Males were likely about 5 ft 9 in tall and weighed almost 10 stone, while females averaged 5 ft 2 in (157 cm) and around 8 stone.

While little is know about the new species yet, the researchers believe that H. bodoensis had a short, stocky body adapted to conserve heat in colder climates

The species went extinct around 200,000 years ago - long before modern humans migrated out of Africa.

Going forwards, most Middle Pleistocene humans from Africa and some from Southeast Europe will be classified as H. bodoensis, while many from the latter continent will be reclassified as Neanderthals,

Predrag Radovic, an author of the study, said: 'Terms need to be clear in science, to facilitate communication. They should not be treated as absolute when they contradict the fossil record.'

The team hopes the findings will help to 'cut the Gordion knot' and allow clearer understanding of the Middle Pleistocene.

Dr Roksandic added: 'Naming a new species is a big deal, as the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature allows name changes only under very strictly defined rules.

'We are confident that this one will stick around for a long time, a new taxon name will live only if other researchers use it.'

In honour of the location in which the skull was discovered  Bodo D'ar  the researchers have named the species H. bodoensis
It's an adorable behaviour that will tug at the heart strings of any dog lover - but why exactly do dogs tilt their heads to one side?

Researchers from the Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest set out to answer this question, and suggest that tilting the head may help dogs to hear and process information more easily.

In their study, the team carried out a series of experiments involving dog owners teaching the name of new toys to their pets.

They found that dogs tilt their heads upon hearing their owners requesting a toy, with the side of the tilt seeming to be consistent for each dog over time.

'Often owners observe dogs tilting their heads and we still do not have a full understanding of the function and circumstances in which this behaviour happens,' the researchers explained in a statement.

'However, this study is the first step in this direction showing how this behaviour could be related to the presence of meaningful and salient auditory stimuli for the dog.'

Researchers from the Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest suggest that tilting the head may help dogs to hear and process information more easily

Which breeds of dog are the smartest? WebMD reports that the following are the most naturally intelligent dog breeds: Border Collie Poodle German Shepherd Golden Retriever Doberman Pinscher Shetland Sheepdog Labrador Retriever Papillon Rottweiler Australian Cattle Dog Advertisement

Many animals - including humans - regularly use asymmetrical behaviours.

For example, you might squint with one eye to study an image, or turn your head a certain way to hear better in response to a noise.

Meanwhile, in dogs, asymmetrical behaviours include tail wagging, nostril use while sniffing, or even paw preference.

'Tilting the head is yet another asymmetrical movement in dogs, but it had never been studied,' explained lead author Dr Andrea Sommese.

'We investigated the frequency and direction of this behaviour in response to a specific human verbal vocalization: when the owner asks the dog to bring a toy by saying its name.

'We did so after realizing that it often happened when the dogs were listening to their owners.'

To understand this behaviour, the researchers analysed videos from a previous study, which looked at toy memory in dogs.

In the study, toys were placed in one room and the owner and experimenter in another, before the owner asked the dog to fetch a specific toy by saying its name.

Of the 40 dogs tested, 33 were found to be typical dogs that could not learn the name of even two toys, while seven, including Whisky (pictured) were classed as Gifted Word Learners, who could remember multiple names easily

Of the 40 dogs tested, 33 were found to be typical dogs that could not learn the name of even two toys, while seven were classed as Gifted Word Learners, who could remember multiple names easily.

The Gifted Dogs were also seen to regularly tilt their head upon hearing the owner's request for a toy, while the typical dogs rarely did.

This prompted the team to carry out two further experiments to observe head tilts only.

The subsequent experiments, which spanned over 24 months, confirmed that dogs seem to have a preferred side when it comes to head tilts.

'It seems that there is a relationship between success in retrieving a named toy and frequent head tilts upon hearing its name,' said Shany Dror, co-author of the study.

'That is why we suggest an association between head-tilting and processing relevant and meaningful stimuli.'
Lurking below the surface of Lake Erie is a ship graveyard that is estimated to include up to 2,500 vessels, with the earliest wreck dating to the 1800s when it was part of the water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the upper Midwest.

Kevin Magee, an engineer at NASA's Glenn Research Center, said in a statement: 'Storms and waves are probably the number one reason ships sank in Lake Erie.

'In fact, we think Lake Erie has a greater density of shipwrecks than virtually anywhere else in the worldeven the Bermuda triangle.

The oldest shipwreck lurking below Lake Erie is the Lake Serpent, a 47-foot schooner that was lost in 1829, and then there is the Sir CT Van Straubenzie that is the deepest known wreck in the lake.

The exact number of wrecks in Lake Erie is not known  it could be anywhere from 500 to 2,500  but explorers and researchers have been able to confirm 277 sunken ships.

The oldest shipwreck lurking below Lake Erie is the Lake Serpent, a 47-foot schooner that was lost in 1829. Pictured is a satellite image showing the outline of the sunken ship

Lake Erie is the fourth largest of the five Great Lakes and spans across the US and Canadian borders, reaching into the Ontario Peninsula, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York.

The giant lake became an important route during the fur trade in the 1700 to 1800s, which is when many ships disappeared beneath its depths.

Lake Serpent, the oldest wreck, left Cleveland in September 1829 for the 55-mile trip to the Lake Erie Islands  but it never made it back to its return destination, Smithsonian Magazine reports.

Bodies of the crew, Captain Ezera Wright and his brother Robert, washed ashore, but the ship was lost until 2018.

The exact number of wrecks in Lake Erie is not known  it could be anywhere from 500 to 2,500  but explorers and researchers have been able to confirm 277 sunken ships. Red is approximate wreck locations, while black is confirmed locations

Lake Serpent, the oldest wreck, left Cleveland in September 1829 for the 55-mile trip to the Lake Erie Islands  but it never made it back to its return destination

Archaeologists combing the area found remains of a vessel in 2018 that they are sure is the Lake Serpent (pictured)

Archaeologists combing the area found remains of a vessel, but were unsure if it was the legendary Lake Serpent.

Looking through historical records of the ship, the team learned that it was carrying mounds of boulders before it went missing and divers identified the payload on the vessel in question.

The final voyage of the Edmund Fitzgerald began on November 9, 1975 at the Burlington Northern Railroad Dock No.1, Superior, Wisconsin.

Closer to the shore of Traverse City, Michigan are several ghostly hulls laying on the lake bottom, reports Lake Leen Erz.

The wrecks are in Manitou Passage, which was often a haven for cargo-laden ships traveling through the area during bustling lumbering industry in the 19th century.

When the water is clear, anyone could spot the sunken ships, which includes the James McBride, a 121-foot-long brig that was lost in a storm in 1857

The Rising Sun's resting places can also be seen from the shoreline. This is a 133-foot-long steamer that sank in 1917

When the water is clear, anyone could spot the sunken ships, which includes the James McBride, a 121-foot-long brig that was lost in a storm in 1857.

The Rising Sun's resting places can also be seen from the shoreline.

This is a 133-foot-long steamer that sank in 1917.

There are hundreds of small hulls littering the lake bottom, but one ship is known for sinking farther than another other vessel  the Sir CT Van Straubenzie.

Lake Erie is the fourth largest of the five Great Lakes and spans across the US and Canadian borders, reaching into the Ontario Peninsula, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York

This ship was lost during a collision with a steamer on September 27, 1909 and quickly sank 205 feet into Lake Erie eight miles east of Long Point

This ship was lost during a collision with a steamer on September 27, 1909 and quickly sank 205 feet into Lake Erie eight miles east of Long Point.

The Department of Transport reported 3 deaths, including a female cook.

The wire rigged forward mast is still standing, collision damage can be seen on the starboard side and the cabin is collapsed. There is a wheel, and the cast iron bell is in the bow of the wreck  all of which have been taken over by barnacles.

'One of the remarkable things about Lake Erie and Great Lakes shipwrecks is how well they are preserved due to the cold, fresh water,' said Magee. 'Wrecks in saltwater start corroding immediately. In the Great Lakes, you can find old wooden ships that are hundreds of years old that look like they just sank.'
Foxtel series Wentworth reached its thrilling conclusion on Wednesday night.

After nine years on the air, viewers flocked to social media to react to the explosive finale of the critically acclaimed prison drama.

'That finale has me sobbing. Beautiful. And Joan's exit was brilliant,' one fan wrote.

End of an era: After nine years on the air, Wentworth viewers flocked to social media on Wednesday night to react to the explosive series finale

Another added: 'Thank you, Wentworth! Not sure we'll see such an incredible drama on Australian screens for eight years again with the TV landscape here. Such a hit worldwide.'

'That was the best ending to one of the greatest shows. I'm going to miss my teal Tuesdays. I'm going to miss my Wentworth family,' a third chimed in.

Many viewers mourned the fact the series was over.

'Watching Wentworth's last episode ever. I'm going to miss this show. Well done, one of the best shows ever. Sad that it's over,' one fan tweeted.

Missing Wentworth: Many viewers mourned the fact the critically acclaimed series was over

Farewell, The Freak: The prisoner known as 'The Freak' angrily walking along the prison yard in action-packed scenes from the finale

The episode included cameos from the stars of classic Aussie TV series Prisoner, known internationally as Prisoner: Cell Block H.

Prisoner aired from the late '70s to mid '80s and was the inspiration for Wentworth.

Wentworth was originally canned after seven seasons; however, fans campaigned to get two more seasons, which took the series to an impressive 100 episodes.

This made the show Foxtel's longest-running original drama.

Fan favourite: Wentworth was originally canned after seven seasons; however, fans campaigned to get two more seasons, which took the series to an impressive 100 episodes

The show has garnered plenty of critical acclaim, winning several AACTA and Logie Awards over the years.

It airs in several other countries, including New Zealand, the UK and Ireland, where it has a devoted fan base.

In the lead-up to the finale, Foxtel's Executive Director of Television Brian Walsh told TV Tonight it was time to bring the show to an end because 'there are other stories we want to tell'.

Moving on: In the lead-up to the finale, Foxtel's Executive Director of Television Brian Walsh said it was time to bring the show to an end because 'there are other stories we want to tell'

'Were running a commercial business here. Weve got a finite budget. Id rather the show go out on top. Wentworth could go on, but its time to tell some new stories,' he added.

Given its huge following, fans are expecting to see a spin-off, but Mr Walsh says it won't be happening for a long time yet.

'I think we need to have a break. I dont think necessarily, wed recreate Wentworth Correctional Centre but I think that world is still tantalising and attractive,' he said.

The Wentworth finale is available to stream on Foxtel Go
Danniella Westbrook stunned as she posed on a night out with a pal after getting Botox and fillers in a picture posted on Instagram on Wednesday.

The actress, 47, could be seen smiling as she sat outside at a Liverpool bar with her friend Ryan Mira, with the pair looking very fresh-faced.

Former EastEnders star Danniella displayed a flawless complexion and plump lips after getting the cosmetic treatments.

Fresh faced: Danniella Westbrook, 47, stunned as she posed on a night out with a pal after getting Botox and fillers in a picture posted on Instagram on Wednesday

The former Celebrity Big Brother housemate could be seen wrapped up warm in a cosy brown coat and matching beret.

One-time soap star Danniella highlighted her pretty features with lashings of make-up as she was snapped by her pal for the selfie.

She captioned her post: 'What a beautiful night. A long over due catch up lots of laughter and just good old fashioned friendship and fun.

New look: Danniella recently underwent numerous cosmetic procedures including Botox and filler in a number of different areas of her face

'@rym1 as always memories made #friends #MyBestie&urBestieSittingByTheFire #ifyaknowyaknow #muchlove.'

Danniella recently underwent numerous cosmetic procedures including Botox and filler in a number of different areas of her face.

The television personality vowed to turn her life around after years of drug abuse and after relapsing onto 'cocaine and champagne' earlier this year.

New beginnings: The television personality vowed to turn her life around after years of drug abuse and after relapsing onto 'cocaine and champagne' earlier this year

The actress' battle with drugs has been well-publicised, and she famously had her nose reconstructed after her septum collapsed from excessive cocaine use in 2002.

At the height of her use it was reported she would take up to five grams of cocaine a day, blowing close to 250,000 on the drug.

The star has since embarked on multiple rehab stints in order to battle her demons - and revealed she was finally clean in June last year, after attending a clinic in Mijas, Spain.

Danniella first appeared in EastEnders in 1990 at the age of 16 and acted on the soap for three years.

She returned in 1996 but her time was cut short when her off-screen behaviour got her sacked.

She returned again shortly after, but was axed again in 2000 after further disruptive behaviour, admitting she blew 100k on cocaine at the time.

The part was recast between 2002 and 2005, and played by Kim Medcalf, but Danniella returned to the role once more in 2009 until 2010.

She was back once more in 2016 for the storyline surrounding on-screen mother Peggy Mitchell's death, which is to date her final appearance.
A former Bachelor contestant claims she suffered a 'heart attack' as a side effect of receiving her first Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine.

Monique Morley, 29, shared her experience in a lengthy Instagram post on Wednesday, after being hospitalised in Sydney several weeks ago.

She claims that 15 minutes after getting her vaccine she began to 'fit uncontrollably' for 45 minutes, but her doctor said her symptoms weren't caused by the jab.

Former Bachelor contestant Monique Morley (pictured) claims she suffered a 'heart attack' as a side effect of receiving her first Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine

The lingerie designer, who says she has no history of seizures, agreed to 'go home and rest'.

She had another fit the next day, and called an ambulance after experiencing symptoms including lockjaw, clammy hands, heart palpitations and blurred vision.

Ms Morley said the ambulance workers who arrived at her home once again told her the symptoms were unrelated to the Pfizer vaccine, and that she continued to experience chest pain and shortness of breath.

Monique Morley, 29, shared her experience in a lengthy Instagram post on Wednesday, after being hospitalised in Sydney several weeks ago

She then allegedly woke up the next day at 4.30am having 'a heart attack'.

She was rushed to hospital and diagnosed with pericarditis, an inflammation of the sac-like tissue that surrounds the heart, which holds it in place and helps it function.

After her diagnosis, doctors supposedly told Ms Morley there was nothing she could do except 'rest and take Panadol'.

The lingerie designer claims that 15 minutes after getting her vaccine she began to 'fit uncontrollably' for 45 minutes, but her doctor said her symptoms weren't caused by the jab

What is pericarditis? Pericarditis is swelling and irritation of the thin, saclike tissue surrounding your heart (pericardium). This condition often causes sharp chest pain and sometimes other symptoms. The chest pain occurs when the irritated layers of the pericardium rub against each other. Pericarditis is usually mild and goes away without treatment. Treatment for more-severe cases may include medications and, rarely, surgery. Early diagnosis and treatment may help reduce the risk of long-term complications from pericarditis. Source: MayoClinic.org Advertisement

'I'm sharing my story hoping to help others not feel so alone, to bring awareness that this is real. It does happen. It's not rare anymore,' she said.

'It's just so defeating having everyone tell you that it's not related [to the vaccine] when really it is,' she added, describing the experience as 'traumatic'.

Ms Morley, who has reported her symptoms to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), said she hopes her story inspires people to have an open mind when it comes to vaccine side effects.

One of her Instagram followers asked if she had any preexisting health conditions that could have caused the pericarditis.

She replied: 'Absolutely nothing. Don't smoke. Don't drink. Don't take drugs. Don't even have caffeine.'

Ms Morley accompanied the post with a photo of herself lying in a hospital bed 'shortly after getting her first Pfizer shot'.

She contrasted this with another photo, taken a week before she received the vaccine, of herself posing in a swimsuit.

In other recent social media posts, she claims she is recovering thanks to naturopathic care and IV vitamin drips.

These aren't medically recommended treatments for pericarditis.

In the last 24 hours, Ms Morley's account of her suspected side effect has become a flashpoint for anti-vaxxers, who grossly exaggerate the number of adverse reactions to the vaccine.

Ms Morley, who says she has no history of seizures, agreed to 'go home and rest'. She claims she had another fit the next day, and decided to call an ambulance after experiencing symptoms including lockjaw, clammy hands, heart palpitations and blurred vision

Pericarditis - inflammation of the outer lining of the heart - and myocarditis - inflammation of the heart muscle - have been observed in an extremely small number of people after receiving mRNA vaccines, of which Pfizer is one.

The cases were disproportionately teenagers and men under the age of 30 after their second dose of the jab.

British data released in August found the rate of pericarditis was 3.8 cases per one million doses of the Pfizer shot - a rate of one in 263,157.

By July 8, the TGA was notified of 50 cases of pericarditis in Australia as a result of 3.2 million Pfizer doses.

The risk of suffering a heart condition as a result of Covid-19 is much higher.

Ms Morley (pictured on The Bachelor in 2019) said the ambulance workers who arrived at her home once again told her the symptoms were unrelated to the Pfizer vaccine, and that she continued to experience chest pain and shortness of breath

One of her Instagram followers asked if she had any preexisting health conditions that could have caused the pericarditis. She replied: 'Absolutely nothing. Don't smoke. Don't drink. Don't take drugs. Don't even have caffeine'

Ms Morley previously spoke about her pericarditis diagnosis on October 8, but did not share specific details about her symptoms until Wednesday.

In her earlier Instagram post, she made it clear she was 'not anti-vax or pro-vax' and insisted she was 'open-minded' and 'pro personal choice, whatever that may be'.

'I'm pro being kind and considerate, and not trolling and bullying on those who... just don't agree with you,' she wrote at the time.

Ms Morley previously spoke about her pericarditis diagnosis on October 8. In her earlier Instagram post (pictured), she made it clear she was 'not anti-vax or pro-vax' and insisted she was 'open-minded' and 'pro personal choice, whatever that may be'

In a follow-up post, Ms Morley thanked fans for their concern and said the adverse reactions she experienced 'do not happen to the majority'

The former reality star also said she wasn't looking for sympathy.

In a follow-up post, Ms Morley thanked fans for their concern and said the adverse reactions she experienced 'do not happen to the majority'.

She said she hopes her story doesn't frighten people into not getting vaccinated, but instead raises awareness so they can make an informed decision for themselves.

She said she hopes her story doesn't frighten people into not getting vaccinated, but instead raises awareness so they can make an informed decision for themselves

Ms Morley isn't the only public figure to get pericarditis following their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

Seven News reporter Denham Hitchcock suffered from the heart condition after getting jabbed back in August.

Lee Henderson, the ex-husband of radio personality Jackie 'O' Henderson, was also hospitalised with the rare side effect after his second Pfizer jab.

Professor Jason Kovacic, the Executive Director of the Victor Change Cardiac Research Institute, told Daily Mail Australia at the time that pericarditis can happen after Covid vaccines but only in 'very, very rare' cases.

Ms Morley (right) rose to fame on The Bachelor in 2019, vying for the heart of astrophysicist Matt Agnew (left). Pictured centre: fellow contestant Abbie Chatfield

'Covid-19 vaccines can cause specific heart problems such as myocarditis and pericarditis, and particularly in males less than 30 years of age - but only very, very rarely,' Professor Kovacic said.

'About 60 people per one million can get myocarditis with the mRNA vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) and it is generally a mild, short-lived illness. These complications cause inflammation of the heart muscle or inflammation of the lining around the heart muscle.

'These complications have been reported in just a handful of people around the world and to the best of our knowledge most of them have recovered.'

Professor Kovacic said the risks of getting heart conditions as a result of Covid are much higher, and that the vaccine is the best safeguard to preventing these illnesses.

'In contrast, the risk of having some form of heart complications if you contract Covid-19 is about 1000 times higher at ~5-10%,' he said.

'A very recent observational study has shown that young males infected with the virus are up to six times more likely to develop myocarditis as opposed to those who received the vaccine.

'Covid-19 vaccines are incredibly safe and incredibly effective at preventing people from getting seriously unwell with Covid-19 infection.

'The benefits for being vaccinated far outweigh any risk to the heart, especially given the highly infectious nature of the Delta variant which is now affecting an increasing number of young people.'
Neighbours of multi-millionaire Ben Goldsmith have long suspected he was responsible for the sudden appearance of wild boar in his fashionable corner of the West Country.

Goldsmith has shaken things up since deciding to 'rewild' his 3.8 million estate in deepest Somerset, attracting beavers, boar and deer to the sleepy, rolling countryside  and as I revealed earlier this year, he recently bought a pair of wildcats.

Though the nature campaigner and financier strenuously denies ever releasing boar, insisting they are content to trample around his grounds, I can reveal that he has bred some feral pigs.

He plans to give them out to his friends who are 'rewilding' their estates.

Ben Goldsmith has shaken things up since deciding to 'rewild' his 3.8 million estate in deepest Somerset and has bred some feral pigs

Neighbours of multi-millionaire Ben Goldsmith have long suspected he was responsible for the sudden appearance of wild boar in his fashionable corner of the West Country

Goldsmith, 40, admits that he has recently welcomed a litter of 'suspiciously stripy' piglets to his menagerie.

'I use Tamworth pigs on my grounds to root up the soil and promote the growth of wild plants.

'It appears a rogue wild boar sneaked into the pen where I keep my Tamworths and knocked up the sow!'

The family seems rather happy, however. 'I am not sure her mate knows he has been cuckolded!' Goldsmith jokes.

He says the 'illicit liaison' was a 'happy accident' and hopes to give the piglets to his friends with estates, adding: 'I can give these to people wanting to do the same sort of thing with their land as I am. They are very sweet.'

Goldsmith, 40, admits that he has recently welcomed a litter of 'suspiciously stripy' piglets to his menagerie and plans to give them to his friends who are 'rewilding' their estates

His 'rewilded' estate has attracted beavers, boar and deer (pictured: escaped deer) but the nature campaigner denies ever releasing boar

This newspaper recently revealed that the son of late billionaire James Goldsmith was accused of setting boar loose after he sent a text recalling an incident when 'some of my wild boar got loose and try as I might I was unable to retrieve them'.

However, he explained he would never release these animals  a crime that carries a prison sentence of up to two years  and says he typed the words 'wild boar' in error when he really meant to type 'pigs' because 'I must have been typing on my phone while driving'.

While Goldsmith may be as happy as a pig in muck about the new additions to his farm, I wonder what his neighbours will think?

WHY MAMMA MIA MAESTRO IS NOW THE NEW QUEEN OF POP

Mamma Mia! Judy Craymer, the creator of the hit musical, has become the most powerful woman in pop, in charge of artists such as Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber.

I can reveal she has been crowned a director of Universal Music Group  whose catalogue includes The Beatles and of course ABBA.

It's been a whirlwind for Craymer, 64, who in the space of 20 years has gone from a relatively unknown theatre producer to running the careers of the world's most famous pop musicians.

Judy Craymer (pictured in 2018), the creator of hit musical Mamma Mia, has become the most powerful woman in pop, in charge of artists such as Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber

She was on the Queen's Birthday Honours list of 2007 and was honoured with an MBE for her contribution to the music industry. What a super trouper!

It's a dog's life for Sir Edward Leigh, who has been asked to keep his spirited foxhound under control after it caused havoc in Hyde Park.

The Tory grandee, 71, goes for a bracing dip in the icy-cold waters of the Serpentine each morning  and lets Monty run amok as he does so.

'Sir Edward has been reminded by the swimming club to keep his dog under control,' says my man with a snorkel.

'He glides around the pond serenely while his hound tears about frightening the geese!'

SPOTTED: GEORGIA MAY'S A PRINTS FAN FOR JADE'S 50TH

While Sir Mick Jagger is tirelessly touring the U.S. with the Rolling Stones, his sun-seeking daughter Georgia May is having a far more relaxing time in the Caribbean.

The Chanel model, 29, whose mother is Texan bombshell Jerry Hall, is in Mustique where Mick, 78, owns a luxurious compound that rents for 21,500 a week.

While Sir Mick Jagger is tirelessly touring the U.S. with the Rolling Stones, his sun-seeking daughter Georgia May (right) is having a far more relaxing time in the Caribbean

Georgia is there to celebrate the 50th birthday of her half-sister Jade (pictured in October 2017), whose mother is Mick's first wife, activist Bianca Jagger

It is, however, by no means your run-of-the-mill island getaway: she's there to celebrate the 50th birthday of her half-sister Jade, whose mother is Mick's first wife, activist Bianca Jagger.

'A week in paradise to celebrate Jade,' gushes Georgia, who was not afraid to turn friends green with envy as she shared a picture of herself on the beach in matching leopard-print bikini bottoms with Ally Hilfiger, daughter of designer Tommy.

Lady Antonia Fraser believes future historians will judge the treatment of Margaret Thatcher 'sexist'. The 89-year-old author has faced sexism herself.

She tells me: 'A prominent male historian once asked why 'a nice middle-class lady' had written a book about Oliver Cromwell. I responded: 'I'm not nice, and I'm not middle class  but I am a Lady!''

First he opened a champagne bar in London, now Luther actor Idris Elba appears to be moving into clothing.

I can reveal the smartly-dressed entrepreneur, 49, has applied for a trademark for the word 'Coupledom', the name of a podcast he hosts with wife Sabrina. The trademark covers all clothing types.

Perhaps one day I will be able to sip Idris champagne while sporting an Elba blazer...

LADY LIZA SNAPS AT SELFIE SET

If Lady Liza Campbell follows you on Instagram  don't post a selfie!

The celebrated artist, 62, says she has had to delete some of her famous friends off social media because of the 'narcissistic' trend.

Lady Liza Campbell, 62, (pictured with Bill Nighy) says she has had to delete some of her famous friends off social media because of the 'narcissistic' trend to post selfies

'I love sharing photos but it really brings out the narcissists doesn't it? I've had to delete a few!' Lady Liza tells me at the opening of her Life's Too Short To Live In Black And White exhibition at Fitzrovia Gallery, attended by actor Bill Nighy, left.

'You realise how many people just want to use it to showcase photos of themselves.'

Princess Diana trusted her royal dressmaker perhaps more than anyone else when it came to creating her iconic gowns.

Now, I can reveal that Chelsea-based Catherine Walker & Co has enlisted Timothy Gordon to value their stash of her famous frocks.

Timothy, who valued Diana's dress collection at Kensington Palace in 2009, says: 'I have been engaged to appraise a magical collection of the Princess's gowns', adding that he was 'thrilled' to do so.

Perhaps the collection will be put up for sale? In 2019, a dress Diana wore to dance with John Travolta at the White House sold for 264,000.
He was dumped from Love Island Australia on Wednesday night after a shock double elimination alongside Ari Kumar.

And following his exit, Ronni Krongold has revealed some of the secrets behind life in the villa - including one thing that islanders are banned from doing once inside.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia on Thursday, the 21-year-old personal trainer confirmed: 'There's no smoking allowed, there's no vaping allowed.'

Speaking out: Following his departure from Love Island Australia on Wednesday night, Ronni Krongold has revealed some of the secrets behind life in the villa - including one thing that islanders are banned from doing once inside

Ronni admitted he regularly vaped prior to coming on the show, before adding: 'I'd see some of the producers with vapes.

'I'd go up [to them] when we were having lunch - when we eat lunch, we're not being filmed and they'd take our microphones off to change the batteries.

'During that time I'd go up and be like, "Please, can I have a puff? Please, I'm stressing!"'

He added that his request was swiftly denied.

While there has been a lot of steamy make-out sessions on this season of Love Island Australia, Ronni also claims that many raunchy scenes have been left out.

'There's a lot more stuff that went on inside that villa that just doesn't go on TV,' he said. 'It's not that anyone was having sex from day number one.

Saucy! While there has been a lot of make out sessions during this season of Love Island Australia, Ronni says much more saucier scenes were never shown on TV. Pictured: Chris Graudins kissing newcomer Zoe Clish this week

'But especially in the first week when there was no proper connections - everyone was kissing each other.

'Everyone was doing sexual movements on each other, like licking certain areas, [there were] challenges and games and lap dances and that sort of stuff.

'It was a very fun group to hang around with, I won't lie. What I liked a lot about it is that - especially when it came to the challenges in the first week - no one was getting upset when their partner was kissing anyone else.'

Ronni was voted out by the ladies on Wednesday's episode, hours after he ruffled feathers by telling Tina Provis his controversial plan to stay in the villa.

After being asked what he was doing on the show after failing to form a connection with anyone, Ronni said he was going to make a play for Emily Ward.

Man with a plan: Tina Provis was left furious after Ronni (pictured) told her about his controversial plan to stay in the villa on Wednesday's episode

'I'm going to be completely honest... I'm probably going to have to milk it a little bit just to stay inside the villa, because I don't think I'm going to get interested into Em,' Ronni told Tina, 25.

His cunning plan to fake a relationship with Emily, 24, left Tina seething as she told him: 'I can't even be f**ked to deal with what you just said.'

She then stormed off away from the discussion, after Ronni told her to 'relax'.

Speaking about her reaction, Ronni added: 'I wasn't surprised that I got that reaction, but at the same time if you heard me say it, I said, "Whatever I say stays in this group. I just want to hear what you guys think of it."

Faking it: After being asked what he was doing on the show after failing to form a connection with anyone, Ronni, 21, said he was going to make a play for Emily Ward (pictured)

'Rather than her getting up and not even talking, just whispering it to the rest of the villa, I assumed she would just tell me her thoughts on this strategy.

'Obviously she got up, got mad and I didn't help by telling an angry girl to "relax" and calm down.

''Whether there's cameras on me or not, I'm going to say what I want. It's not like I was leading anyone on.'

Love Island Australia continues Thursday at 8:40pm on Channel Nine
She's a regular at glitzy star-studded events after rising to fame on Love Island in 2017.

And Montana Brown, 26, showcased her glamorous style as she attended the Eternals premiere at the BFI IMAX Waterloo in London on Wednesday evening.

The reality star displayed her slender pins in a white mini-dress with an asymmetrical hem and shimmering silver off-the-shoulder neckline.

Glamour puss: Montana Brown, 26, looked glamorous in a white dress with a shimmering soff-the-shoulder neckline at the Eternals premiere in London on Wednesday evening

The television personality's garment rose into a slight split at the front of her dress while her decolletage was left exposed to the air at the bash.

Montana teetered on a pair of nude heels as she posed at the event, happily smiling for onlookers.

Her brunette hair was slicked back into a sleek do as she wore her tresses behind her head in a ponytail.

In style: The television personality's garment rose into a slight split at the front of her dress while her decolletage was left exposed to the air at the bash

Montana was in good company as other stars in attendance included Angelina Jolie, 46, who plays the character of Thena in the film, and Gemma Chan, 38, who takes on the role of Sersi.

Eternals is a 2021 Marvel movie based on the fictional race of humanoids of the same name which appears in the American comic books.

The flick sees the Eternals, an immortal alien race, come out of hiding for thousands of years to protect Earth from their evil counterparts, the Deviants.

Leggy display: The reality star displayed her slender pins in her outfit which featured an asymmetrical hem

The cast also includes MCU's first deaf superhero (Lauren Ridloff as Makkari) and its first openly gay superhero (Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos) who shares the franchise's first onscreen same-sex kiss with Haaz Sleiman, who plays his husband.

In ELLE's 2021 Women In Hollywood issue, Angelina - who is an advocate for refugees - discusses her upcoming movie and praises The Eternals' director, Oscar-winner Chloe Zhao for her choice of casting.

'A lot of times as an actress, you're that individual strong woman, or you have one sister; you don't often have this family where you really get to know women and see all the different strengths,' she explained.

Praising her co-stars, she continued: 'Gemma's grace and elegance and the way she walks through the world. Salma's motherhood and power, and Lauren's connection and intelligence. Everybody came as themselves.

'Maybe there's something to that, that the characters weren't as far off [from ourselves]. I think there's a secret that we don't know that our director knows, because if you look at her films, she casts a lot of real people as their roles and it shapes her films.'

Oh dear: Ahead of its release Eternals was branded 'disappointing' and 'ultimately unmemorable' by critics in first reviews of the hotly anticipated MCU blockbuster (above Angelina Jolie as Thena in the film)

She reveals in the issue that when she was first contacted about the movie, she thought it was going to play a 'grandmother' type role.

'I never thought I was going to be one of the Eternals. It doesn't happen. It's never happened to me like that before without a fight and like, 'I can do this, please hire me!' When she told me I was one of them, I was like, ''Me, Mexican, Middle Eastern? Me, in my fifties? I'm going to be a superhero in a Marvel movie?'' Sometimes as a woman, as a woman of colour and with the age, you feel so overlooked,' she said.

Commending Zao for 'having balls', she championed the director for 'acknowledging' her within the industry.

Ridloff, whose character Makkari is deaf like her and the first deaf superhero within the Marvel universe, reveals she jumped at the chance to 'show representation' on screen in a 'refreshing' way, while Chan praises Marvel for showing diversity on a global scale with its movies.

Ahead of its release, Eternals has already been branded 'disappointing' and 'ultimately unmemorable' by critics in its first reviews.

Not good: The film was lambasted by critics over its 'miserably undernourished' script, deluge of underdeveloped characters and 'overloaded' storyline (pictured left, Don Lee as Gilgamesh, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo - and right Lauren Midloff as Makkari)

The superhero flick was lambasted by critics over its 'miserably undernourished' script, deluge of underdeveloped characters and 'overloaded' storyline.

Critics were torn as the 'refreshingly diverse' cast of characters resulted in a group of 'navel-gazing superheroes' that signalled 'two steps forwards for representation but three steps backwards for dramatic ingenuity.'

The Times critic Kevin Maher gave the film two stars and took aim at the 157-minute flick's script and its 'strange self-sabotaging energy.'

He wrote: 'It is the characters, however, who represent the biggest shift away from the swaggering, mostly white, mostly male, mostly straight, mostly neurotypical and mostly hearing ensembles (think Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, etc) that have defined the Marvel brand thus far.'

Adding the 'reinvented heroes work' he continued: 'But they are also, to paraphrase Pirandello, ten characters in search of a script. Because the one they have now, co-written by Chloe Zhao, the director (Nomadland), is derivative, messy and miserably undernourished.

'Eternals is two steps forwards for representation but three steps backwards for dramatic ingenuity.

Variety critic Owen Gleiberman branded the film a 'disappointment' over lacking the 'raw and real' signature quality Zhao has brought to her other films.

He wrote: 'Yet as I approached Eternals, the question I was most curious about was whether Zhao, who in Nomadland and The Rider defined her filmmaking style in a unique poetic way, would carry any remnants of that mode over to the blockbuster universe... Eternals has none of that. It's clear that that's something of a disappointment.

He added the film feels 'very standard' in comparison to 'top-tier' team superhero films (the first Guardians of the Galaxy, Zack Snyder's Justice League, and 'Avengers: Infinity War) and that the film 'never transcends its conventionality'

He did however laud the diversity of the cast, writing: 'Four of the Eternals are white, three are Asian, two are Black, and one is Latina. One is gay, one is deaf, and one is an androgynous tween who never grows up.

'Any troll who surveys this lively medley of backgrounds and temperaments only to gripe that the movie is too 'woke' might have lodged the same complaint about Star Trek 55 years ago.'

The Telegraph critic Robbie Collin again gave Eternals two stars, writing: 'The answer is the problem with Eternals in miniature: it's constantly engaged in a kind of grit-toothed authenticity theatre, going out of its way to show you it's doing all the things proper cinema does, even though none of them bring any discernible benefit whatsoever to the film at hand.

Criticism: The Guardian critic Steve Rose scored the film two stars once again and likened it to a 'sophisticated PowerPoint presentation' due to its comprehensive mythological storyline

'The more muted tone rules out Marvel's fast and flippant house style: instead, Eternals opts for solemnity peppered with wackiness, which occasionally gives it the feel of a Japanese anime series.'

Empire critic John Nugent gave Eternals three stars, as it was 'unable to escape the cliches of superhero storytelling' but praised Zhao's 'assured and ambitious' MCU debut.

He wrote: 'There's a fascinating tension in Eternals between the unstoppable force of the Marvel project and the immovable object of Zhao's artistic sensibilities. In many ways, this looks and feels nothing like any Chloe Zhao film we've seen before

'And yet in many ways, this film looks and feels nothing like any previous Marvel film. There are, for example, at least a couple of firsts: a genuine sex scene, and an onscreen gay kiss  unheard of in the normally rather chaste MCU.

'More frequently, though, it seems to fall into familiar traps about saving the world and learning to work together as a team; when a giant, CGI-heavy battle begins to thwart another potential apocalypse, you start to feel a formula being leaned on.'

Actors: Evening Standard critic Charlotte O'Sullivan praised the film and gave it an impressive four stars, heaping praise on the cast, bar Gemma Chan's 'wooden' turn as Sersi (above with Kit Harington as Dane Whitman)
Kevin Hart has spoken out after former associate J.T. Jackson was cleared by authorities of any criminal actions in a case revolving around a 2017 sex tape involving the actor.

Hart, 42, had once thought Jackson was involved in an alleged extortion attempt stemming from a tape of a 2017 encounter with a woman named Montia Sabbag in Las Vegas, TMZ reported Wednesday.

Jackson was charged in connection with the incident of attempted extortion, attempted concealing and selling stolen property, and unauthorized use of personal ID - all of which were dismissed two years ago due to insufficient evidence, according to the outlet.

The latest: Kevin Hart, 42, spoke out Wednesday after former associate J.T. Jackson was cleared by authorities of any criminal actions in a case revolving around a 2017 sex tape involving the actor

Jackson was recently cleared of identity theft in the case, which Hart said gave him the ability to open up about things, as it was no longer a pending legal matter.

Hart on Wednesday took to Instagram with a message of moving on as he addressed the uncomfortable situation.

'Look, it's no secret that my life has had its share of ups and downs, it definitely has,' he said. 'Not proud of the downs at all, but of course, that's life, things happen - it's our job to adjust when they do.'

Hart noted that 'J.T. Jackson has recently been found not guilty on those charges against him' and that he was relieved to move forward from the situation.

On Instagram, Jackson (R) thanked his lawyer Jacob Glucksman for representing him 'like a true champ' in the yearslong legal battle

Hart said that 'J.T. Jackson has recently been found not guilty on those charges against him' and that he was relieved to move forward from the situation

'I'm happy that that chapter in my life is over, I'm happy that we're able to put a period on that sentence and I'm excited to get back to life as we once knew it and put that behind me and move on. It's over, and I'm happy that it's over.'

On an Instagram account belonging to Jackson (which is unverified), Jackson wrote September 30, 'ALL CHARGES DROPPED IN COURT YESTERDAY ... ALL PRAISE GOES TO GOD!'

He thanked his lawyer Jacob Glucksman for representing him 'like a true champ' in the yearslong legal battle.

'Thank you for believing in me from the beginning and rocking with a brotha,' he said.

Hart on Wednesday took to Instagram with a message of moving on as he addressed the uncomfortable situation
Nicole Ari Parker has revealed that the Sex and the City revival series And Just Like That...will address race during its upcoming ten-episode run on HBO Max.

According to a report from Variety, the 51-year-old Empire star said that the show will include storylines that deal with issues around race.

'I'm excited to be a part of something that's different for them,' Nicole told Variety.

New storylines: Nicole Ari Parker has revealed that the Sex and the City revival series And Just Like That...will address race during its upcoming ten-episode run on HBO Max. Seen in October 2021

The Boogie Nights actress continued, 'We can talk about the elephant in the room that there were no fully fleshed-out characters of color, but now here's the four of us.

Nicole was one of the new cast members of color that joined the reboot along with Sara Ramirez, Sarita Choudhury and Karen Pittman. The original show has been criticized by some for lacking ethnic diversity.

She went on to say, 'We're real people, and they've been great to work with, and some of our [storylines] deal with race and deal with real experiences. It's New York City!'

Diverse cast: Nicole was one of the new cast members of color that joined the reboot along with Sara Ramirez, Sarita Choudhury and Karen Pittman. The original show has been criticized by some for lacking ethnic diversity. See on the And Just Like That...set in August 2021

The Baltimore native also assured fans that the reboot will follow in the steps of its predecessor by featuring several steamy romances.

'We're grown-ass women, so we know how to keep it sexy,' Nicole said.'It's piping hot.'

Nicole's casting was announced in July. She will play Lisa Todd Wexley, a mother-of-three and documentary-maker who is Carrie's new best friend. Lisa is married to hedge-fund billionaire Jackson Herbert Wexley, played by Hamilton actor Christopher Jackson

Exciting: Nearly two decades after the groundbreaking series broadcast its final episode, the reboot, called And Just Like That, promises to introduce a new generation of women to the delights of Cosmopolitan cocktails, Jimmy Choos and Mr Big

The Mail on Sunday reported in July that Nicole will replace Kim Cattrall's Samantha Jones as a key member of the 'gang of four'.

Important role: The Mail on Sunday reported in July that Nicole will replace Kim Cattrall's Samantha Jones as a key member of the 'gang of four.' Seen in July 2021

The Soul Food star's central role was hinted at when Sarah posted a stunning picture of herself on set embracing Cynthia Nixon, who plays whip-smart lawyer Miranda, Kristin Davis, who plays Charlotte, and a beaming Nicole.

'Oh so fine,' wrote 56-year-old actress, who is reportedly earning more than $1 million an episode. 'I'd sing along to 70s love songs with this trio deep into any night. I'll see you ladies tomorrow!'

Casey Bloys, HBO's chief content officer, said: 'The new show is very much a story about women in their 50s and they are dealing with things that people deal with in their 50s. Just as in real life, people come into your life, people leave. Friendships fade and new friendships start.'

A source close to the show told the MoS: 'Everyone has been saying there can never be another Samantha but, actually, Nicole's character is very much inhabiting that space. She's someone who has come into Carrie's life in the decades since the original show ended.

'They are fast friends and the character of Lisa bears more than a passing resemblance to Samantha. She's feisty and fearless. She isn't afraid to speak her mind. She knows what she wants in life and in the bedroom. She's Carrie's best friend and an integral part of the plot of the new series. She's slipped very easily into the foursome.'

Kim Cattrall, 64, opted not to reprise her role as Samantha after years of feuding with Sarah.

The original foursome: Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall  she will not be reprising her role as Samantha

Ramirez, a Mexican-born non-binary actor will play Che Diaz. Pittman will play Dr Nya Wallace, a black law professor, and Choudhury will take on the role of Seema Patel, a real estate broker.

LeRoy McClain will appear as Andre Rashad Wallace, husband of Nya Wallace, and Cathy Ang will play Charlotte's adopted daughter Lily.

Executive producer Michael Patrick King said: 'Each will add their unique spark and big heart to these new characters and the stories we are about to tell.'

For years, despite the public spats, producers insisted the door would always be left open for Kim should she ever choose to come back as Samantha.
Universe (BBC 2)

Rating:

Police: Hour Of Duty (C5)

Rating:

Professor Brian Cox, with his aviator sunglasses and impeccably conditioned hair, is the coolest vicar on the planet.

He invoked the language of the King James Bible on his interstellar documentary series Universe (BBC2), to recount what he called 'surely the greatest story ever told'  the creation of everything.

'Out of the maelstrom, the first gods emerged, and there was light,' he declaimed in a breathy whisper. Swirling images of throbbing galaxies glowed like stained glass, to a soundtrack of swelling electronic choirs and growling church organs.

For nearly 20 years, with his BBC shows, Father Brian has been promoting science as a religion for the 21st century. This was his most blatant evangelism yet.

Describing stars as deities, he said: 'We don't need to invent imaginary gods to explain the universe. We can replace them with the real thing.'

Professor Brian Cox (pictured) invoked the language of the King James Bible on his interstellar documentary series Universe, to recount the creation of everything

No TV channel would dare preach Christianity with a fraction of the fervour that Cox devotes to science.

On primetime telly, Christians are often depicted as bigots and weirdos  such as the menacing Martin Shaw and his brethren in the crime drama The Long Call.

But science is a religion without morality.

'Life is just chemistry,' Brian declared blithely, refusing to confess that some viewers might believe it's something rather more than 'just' that.

Nor does he acknowledge that Christianity, Islam, Judaism and the world's other major religions have supplied the framework for all civilisation.

Amoral science, on the other hand, in the space of 200 years has produced nuclear weapons, mass extinctions and a climate crisis.

Father Brian would never admit this. Zealous priests don't question their calling.

Much of his sermon was vague poetry. He talked of 'the cosmic web' and 'interlocking filaments of dark matter' that formed 'the scaffolding of the universe'.

There was little lovely on show in Police: Hour Of Duty (C5), as officers in Derbyshire fought an endless battle with drugs gangs and petty crime

'Planets are the canvas on which the stars can create,' he said. 'We are sitting in a very real sense inside a giant steam engine powered by the furnace of the sun.'

It's gibberish, really, but undeniably beautiful to watch. Brian witnessed sunrises over deserts and walked besides bubbling geysers of mud in lava fields.

'We've seen galaxies collide, black holes devouring star systems,' he gasped, bringing overtones of sci-fi to his gospel.

Vivid computer graphics painted a spacecraft skimming the surface of the sun, and imagined distant solar landscapes worthy of the covers of prog rock albums.

Father Brian ended with a warning that all life is meaningless and that every one of the trillions of stars will eventually die.

Strangely, he seemed to find this comforting. What I find comforting is the knowledge that he's certainly wrong  like every preacher who has ever claimed to possess the one true answer to the universe's mysteries.

Meanwhile, like the illuminations in a medieval Bible or the frescoes in an Italian Renaissance church, it was lovely to see.

There was little lovely on show in Police: Hour Of Duty (C5), as officers in Derbyshire fought an endless battle with drugs gangs and petty crime.

One raid on a terraced house in Chesterfield found a wizened junkie and his dog, surrounded by the paraphernalia of heroin dealing.

Mark, the druggie, didn't seem even mildly surprised as coppers in riot gear cut their way through his front door with an electric saw. His dog, a Staffie, was more alarmed than he was.

As they led Mark away in cuffs, he shook his head. 'That's a brand new door,' he grumbled.

I suppose his last door got bashed down too. Probably Mark, like Father Brian, finds life a bit meaningless.
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Angelina Jolie was a vision in green as she lead the stars attending the afterparty of the Eternals premiere at the swanky private members club Maison Estelle in London on Wednesday.

The actress, 46, looked glamorous on a floaty smock dress after the screening where she was supported by her children Shiloh, 15, Zahara, 16, Vivienne, 13, Maddox, 20, and Knox, 13, with her son Pax, 17, being her only child not in attendance.

Angelina brought along her five children to the party after they appeared at the film's star-studded premiere earlier that evening, alongside cast members including Kit Harington, Samuel L Jackson and Salma Hayek.

Star power: Angelina Jolie, 46, was a vision in green as she joined her daughter Shiloh, who changed into an oversized denim shirt to attend the afterparty of the Eternals premiere at the BFI IMAX Waterloo in London on Wednesday

Angelina teetered on a pair of nude heels as she made her way to the celebration with her offspring in tow.

She could be seen walking alongside daughter Shiloh who wore a black shirt dress beneath a blue denim shirt decorated with an array of punk-inspired patches and motifs, including the words Welcome To Croydon.

She had on a pair of comfortable monochrome trainers as she walked alongside her famous parent.

Family affair: The actress was the picture of glamour in a flowing green dress as she exited the party with her daughter Zahara, 16

New look: She could be seen walking alongside daughter Shiloh who wore a black shirt dress beneath a blue denim shirt decorated with an array of punk-inspired patches and motifs, including the words Welcome To Croydon

Stepping out: Maddox, 20, could be seen in casual attire, wearing a black T-shirt and matching denim trousers which he teamed with a slate grey blazer and beanie hat

Stylish: Angelina's second eldest daughter Zahara opted for an off-the-shoulder yellow dress from Valentino's 2002 collection for the evening

Earlier in the evening, Shiloh wore an elegant cream dress with black lace detail as she posed on the red carpet, with the frock being a revamped version of her mother's 2019 Dior dress.

The pair were joined by Zahara who opted for an off-the-shoulder yellow dress from Valentino's 2002 collection for the evening.

Maddox could be seen in casual attire, wearing a black T-shirt and matching denim trousers which he teamed with a slate grey blazer and beanie hat.

The family were joined by a number of famous friends including Salma Hayek, 55, who cut a glamorous figure in a sequined ruby red dress.

She wrapped up warm against the cool evening air with a black shawl covering her arms and shoulders as she headed to the venue.

The actress, who plays the character of Ajak in the film, was joined by her husband Francois-Henri Pinault who looked dapper in a shirt and tie as he arrived separately to the bash.

Glitterati: The family were joined by a number of famous friends including Salma Hayek, 55, who cut a glamorous figure in a sequined ruby red dress

Dazzling: She wrapped up warm against the cool evening air with a black shawl covering her arms and shoulders as she headed to the venue

A vision: Salma stunned in her beautiful red gown adorned with sequins as she arrived for the post-premiere bash

Dashing: Meanwhile, Kit Harrington, 34, opted for a black suit which he was pictured in on the red carpet at the premiere

Smart: He cut a dapper figure in the pinstriped suit as he was seen leaving the private members club following the party

Meanwhile, Kit Harrington, 34, opted for a black suit which he was pictured in on the red carpet at the premiere, teamed with a matching shirt which he wore open at the collar to give his outfit a more casual look.

The star had his hair slicked into a sleek style and sported some carefully trimmed facial hair.

Also in attendance was Samuel L. Jackson, 72, who cut a casual figure in a black Adidas tracksuit.

He could be seen wearing a matching hat while he wore a grey facemask in a bid to keep himself and others safe from coronavirus.

Eternals sees an immortal alien race come out of hiding after thousands of years to protect Earth from their evil counterparts, the Deviants.

The cast includes MCU's first deaf superhero (Lauren Ridloff as Makkari) and its first openly gay superhero (Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos) who shares the franchise's first onscreen same-sex kiss with Haaz Sleiman, who plays his husband.

Stylish: Also spotted leaving the party was Kit's wife Rose Leslie, who opted for a chic black velvet jacket with a mustard faux fur collar

All-stars: Also in attendance was Samuel L. Jackson, 72, who cut a casual figure in a black Adidas tracksuit

Simple: The veteran actor opted for a more laid-back look as he headed into the post-premiere party

Suited and booted: Comedian Kumail Nanjiani also put on a suave display in a teal blue suit and brown lace-up boots as he exited the swanky members club

In ELLE's 2021 Women In Hollywood issue, Angelina - who is an advocate for refugees - discusses her upcoming movie and praises The Eternals' director, Oscar-winner Chloe Zhao for her choice of casting.

'A lot of times as an actress, you're that individual strong woman, or you have one sister; you don't often have this family where you really get to know women and see all the different strengths,' she explained.

Praising her co-stars, she continued: 'Gemma's grace and elegance and the way she walks through the world. Salma's motherhood and power, and Lauren's connection and intelligence. Everybody came as themselves.

'Maybe there's something to that, that the characters weren't as far off [from ourselves]. I think there's a secret that we don't know that our director knows, because if you look at her films, she casts a lot of real people as their roles and it shapes her films.'

Family: Earlier in the evening, Angelina was joined by five of her children, Shiloh, Zahara, Vivienne, Maddox, and Knox at the London premiere of Eternals at the BFI IMAX Waterloo

Wow: The actress looked incredible in a black blazer which she paired with a flowing skirt and white shirt

Brood: Angelina's son Pax, 17, was the only one of her children not in attendance at the screening

Glamour: Salma Hayek looked incredible in a red off the shoulder gown while Gemma Chan (centre) donned an all black outfit

Incredible: Gemma donned a matching black skirt with aa sheer detail while she cinched her waist with a black belt

Stars: Salma, Angelina and Gemma were joined by Eternals director Chloe Zhao on the purple carpet

Oh dear: Ahead of its release Eternals was branded 'disappointing' and 'ultimately unmemorable' by critics in first reviews of the hotly anticipated MCU blockbuster (above Angelina Jolie as Thena in the film)

She reveals in the issue that when she was first contacted about the movie, she thought it was going to play a 'grandmother' type role.

'I never thought I was going to be one of the Eternals. It doesn't happen. It's never happened to me like that before without a fight and like, 'I can do this, please hire me!' When she told me I was one of them, I was like, ''Me, Mexican, Middle Eastern? Me, in my fifties? I'm going to be a superhero in a Marvel movie?'' Sometimes as a woman, as a woman of colour and with the age, you feel so overlooked,' she said.

Commending Zao for 'having balls', she championed the director for 'acknowledging' her within the industry.

Ridloff, whose character Makkari is deaf like her and the first deaf superhero within the Marvel universe, reveals she jumped at the chance to 'show representation' on screen in a 'refreshing' way, while Chan praises Marvel for showing diversity on a global scale with its movies.

Ahead of its release, Eternals has already been branded 'disappointing' and 'ultimately unmemorable' by critics in its first reviews.

Not good: The film was lambasted by critics over its 'miserably undernourished' script, deluge of underdeveloped characters and 'overloaded' storyline (pictured left, Don Lee as Gilgamesh, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo - and right Lauren Midloff as Makkari)

The superhero flick was lambasted by critics over its 'miserably undernourished' script, deluge of underdeveloped characters and 'overloaded' storyline.

Critics were torn as the 'refreshingly diverse' cast of characters resulted in a group of 'navel-gazing superheroes' that signalled 'two steps forwards for representation but three steps backwards for dramatic ingenuity.'

The Times critic Kevin Maher gave the film two stars and took aim at the 157-minute flick's script and its 'strange self-sabotaging energy.'

He wrote: 'It is the characters, however, who represent the biggest shift away from the swaggering, mostly white, mostly male, mostly straight, mostly neurotypical and mostly hearing ensembles (think Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, etc) that have defined the Marvel brand thus far.'

Adding the 'reinvented heroes work' he continued: 'But they are also, to paraphrase Pirandello, ten characters in search of a script. Because the one they have now, co-written by Chloe Zhao, the director (Nomadland), is derivative, messy and miserably undernourished.

'Eternals is two steps forwards for representation but three steps backwards for dramatic ingenuity.

Variety critic Owen Gleiberman branded the film a 'disappointment' over lacking the 'raw and real' signature quality Zhao has brought to her other films.

He wrote: 'Yet as I approached Eternals, the question I was most curious about was whether Zhao, who in Nomadland and The Rider defined her filmmaking style in a unique poetic way, would carry any remnants of that mode over to the blockbuster universe... Eternals has none of that. It's clear that that's something of a disappointment.

He added the film feels 'very standard' in comparison to 'top-tier' team superhero films (the first Guardians of the Galaxy, Zack Snyder's Justice League, and 'Avengers: Infinity War) and that the film 'never transcends its conventionality'

He did however laud the diversity of the cast, writing: 'Four of the Eternals are white, three are Asian, two are Black, and one is Latina. One is gay, one is deaf, and one is an androgynous tween who never grows up.

'Any troll who surveys this lively medley of backgrounds and temperaments only to gripe that the movie is too 'woke' might have lodged the same complaint about Star Trek 55 years ago.'

Criticism: The Guardian critic Steve Rose scored the film two stars once again and likened it to a 'sophisticated PowerPoint presentation' due to its comprehensive mythological storyline

The Telegraph critic Robbie Collin again gave Eternals two stars, writing: 'The answer is the problem with Eternals in miniature: it's constantly engaged in a kind of grit-toothed authenticity theatre, going out of its way to show you it's doing all the things proper cinema does, even though none of them bring any discernible benefit whatsoever to the film at hand.

'The more muted tone rules out Marvel's fast and flippant house style: instead, Eternals opts for solemnity peppered with wackiness, which occasionally gives it the feel of a Japanese anime series.'

Empire critic John Nugent gave Eternals three stars, as it was 'unable to escape the cliches of superhero storytelling' but praised Zhao's 'assured and ambitious' MCU debut.

He wrote: 'There's a fascinating tension in Eternals between the unstoppable force of the Marvel project and the immovable object of Zhao's artistic sensibilities. In many ways, this looks and feels nothing like any Chloe Zhao film we've seen before

'And yet in many ways, this film looks and feels nothing like any previous Marvel film. There are, for example, at least a couple of firsts: a genuine sex scene, and an onscreen gay kiss  unheard of in the normally rather chaste MCU.

'More frequently, though, it seems to fall into familiar traps about saving the world and learning to work together as a team; when a giant, CGI-heavy battle begins to thwart another potential apocalypse, you start to feel a formula being leaned on.'

Actors: Evening Standard critic Charlotte O'Sullivan praised the film and gave it an impressive four stars, heaping praise on the cast, bar Gemma Chan's 'wooden' turn as Sersi (above with Kit Harington as Dane Whitman)
The Bachelorette's Angie Kent has expressed her remorse on national television after pleading guilty to mid-range drink driving.

The 31-year-old, who is disqualified from driving for four months, apologised for her actions on The Morning Show on Thursday, telling co-hosts Kylie Gillies and Larry Emdur: 'I am completely mortified and embarrassed.'

Angie blamed the incident on a 'lapse in judgment' and her rehearsal schedule for Dancing with the Stars, which affected how her body handled alcohol at the time.

'My lapse of judgement was totally off, thinking I could have two drinks on an empty stomach fresh after dancing for five weeks was not a good one,' she admitted.

'So hopefully I'm going to be inspired by my experiences, not defined by it. Never again,' she said.

Angie then pointed at herself and declared, 'I'm the lesson,' before adding: 'I'm only human and I will bounce back.'

Saying sorry: The Bachelorette's Angie Kent has expressed her remorse on The Morning Show after pleading guilty to mid-range drink driving

Angie was pulled over on the afternoon of Sunday, October 3, in Pyrmont, after temporarily relocating to Sydney to film the Channel Seven dancing contest Dancing with the Stars: All Stars.

She was driving a Kia Cerato at the time of her arrest, and was taken to a nearby police station where she returned a breath test reading of 0.081.

'The driver of the Kia - a 31-year-old woman with a QLD driver's licence - was breath tested at the scene and provided a positive reading,' her police report states.

'Never again': Angie, 31, blamed the incident on a 'lapse in judgment' and her rehearsal schedule for Dancing with the Stars, which affected how her body handled alcohol at the time

Charged: Angie was pulled over on the afternoon of Sunday, October 3, in Pyrmont, after temporarily relocating to Sydney to film Channel Seven's Dancing with the Stars: All Stars

Angie faced Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday morning, pleading guilty to mid-range drink driving.

As well as receiving a four-month driving ban, the reality star was fined $1,200 and ordered to participate in an interlock program for 12 months.

Angie was apologetic outside court, saying 'I'm very sorry for my actions.

'I'm grateful for all the opportunities I've been afforded... I've always worked hard to do my best.

'However, I recognise that I have to do better in the future and I'm determined to make sure I do.'

Guilty: She faced Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday morning, pleading guilty to mid-range drink driving
She has made herself at home in Western Australia after spending an extended period of time there at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

And American actress Kate Walsh looked like a local on Wednesday as she visited a salon in Perth to get her hair dyed.

The Grey's Anatomy star, 54, was seen going for a stroll as she waited for her foils to process.

Fresh feels! American actress Kate Walsh looked like a WA local on Wednesday as she visited a salon in Perth to get her hair dyed

She emerged from the salon hours later sporting fresh highlights.

Kate wore black slacks and a checkered shirt for her pampering session, and accessorised with large brown sunglasses and black sandals.

She has been living in Australia on and off for almost two years, after finding herself 'trapped' Down Under when the pandemic began in early 2020.

Change: The Grey's Anatomy star, 54, went for a stroll as she waited for her foils to process

Kate announced in June she would be leaving Australia and returning to the U.S. for a little while.

At the time, she told a WA radio station: 'I'm about to go home for a bit, literally in six days.'

However, she promised to come back, adding: 'I go back for work and [to] see my family. So I'll be gone for a couple of months, but then I'll be back!'

Since relocating Down Under, the Private Practice star has laid down roots in the city of Perth, on the country's west coast.

New home: Kate has been living in Australia on and off for almost two years, after finding herself 'trapped' Down Under when the pandemic began in early 2020

She found herself 'stuck' in the Southern Hemisphere after lockdowns began to take hold while she was on an extended vacation.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph in August 2020, Kate said: 'I didn't really want to go back to New York in the middle of a pandemic when it was pretty gnarly to say the least.

'I couldn't go home initially, and now that I can, I don't really fancy going back. When I have my own mother saying don't come home, my 86-year-old mum we are in a very challenging time!'

At about this time she also told 2GB's Jim Wilson she felt 'very grateful' to be in Australia during the Covid-19 crisis.

'Honestly, I feel very lucky,' she said. 'It's kind of a crazy situation: it's like being in an alternate reality compared to the rest of the world.'
Meadow Walker, daughter of the late actor Paul Walker, and her husband Louis Thornton-Allan were seen for the first time since tying the knot.

The newlyweds looked happy in love as they bundled up on a chilly day in New York City as they took their beloved Goldendoodle puppy on a stroll.

While wandering around the Big Apple, the model, 22, who has worked with brands like Givenchy and Proenza Schouler, wore a grey hoodie.

Newlyweds: Paul Walker's daughter Meadow and her husband Louis Thornton-Allan were seen for the first time since tying the knot

The Everyone's Invited Global Ambassador, who has 3.6 million Instagram followers, paired her look with matching sweatpants and Birkenstocks.

She kept her hood over her dark brown tresses, while sticking close to her spouses' side on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Thornton-Allan looked handsome in an olive green puffer jacket, corduroy pants, white sneakers and wool scarf.

Dog mom: The newlyweds looked happy in love as they bundled up on a chilly day in New York City as they took their beloved Goldendoodle puppy on a stroll

Cozy: While wandering around the Big Apple, the model, 22, who has worked with brands like Givenchy and Proenza Schouler, wore a grey hoodie

Their outing comes just days after Walker announced she is a married woman with black-and-white footage of her beachside wedding, where she was walked down the aisle by her godfather Vin Diesel, according to TMZ.

'we're married !!!!' the newlywed captioned the video on Friday.

The marriage comes eight years after Meadow's father Paul tragically passed in a car crash at the age of 40.

Just married! Meadow tied the knot with actor Louis Thorton-Allan less than three months after announcing their engagement

We are family: She was walked down the aisle by her godfather Vin Diesel

The video begins with Meadow looking breathtaking in a white halter wedding dress as she embraces guests at her oceanfront ceremony, including Fast and the Furious star Jordana Brewster.

The bride is seen triumphantly holding hands with her new husband as the newlyweds raise their clasped hands into the air.

Overall, the day was filled with plenty of love and joy, and the couple couldn't hide their happiness as they took photographs together inside a vintage convertible.

In a separate post, Meadow posted photos of her and her new husband holding what appeared to be their marriage certificate.

Here comes the bride! Meadow is seen embracing guests at her beachside wedding

Old friends: The bride embraces Fast and the Furious star Jordana Brewster

She wouldn't miss it for the world: Brewster played Paul's love interest in the Fast and Furious films

Meadow put on a head-turning display in a sexy spin-off of the traditional white wedding dress - a mini with sparkling spaghetti straps.

The newlyweds smoked cigarettes as they mingled with friends in subsequent photos.

Meadow adoringly placed her finger beneath Louis' chin as they chatted with their pals.

Meadow announced her engagement to Louis in August 2021, just weeks after confirming their romance.

Stepping down the aisle: Another shot of Meadow walking down the aisle with her godfather Vin Diesel

Walking away happy: Meadow and her new husband walked away back down the aisle together after getting married

Bridal party: Meadow embraced one of her bridesmaids as she talked with her godfather

Just married! The couple took photos inside a vintage convertible

Beaming with joy: Walker couldn't have looked any happier celebrating her special day with loved ones

Introducing the new Mr. and Mrs.! The newlyweds held hands

In a clip shared to Instagram, the California native beamed as she showed off her diamond ring while relaxing amid a daytime swimming session.

Louis is studying acting at the prestigious Stella Adler school in New York City and recently starred in a music video for Blu DeTiger's song Vintage.

Meadow, who was 15 at the time of her father's tragic car crash on November 30, 2013, has established a nonprofit in her father's memory called The Paul Walker Foundation, which is aimed at marine science.

Signed, sealed, delivered! The couple posed with what appeared to be their marriage license

I've got you wrapped around my finger! Meadow adoringly placed her finger beneath her husband's chin

Let's party: The couple appeared to be celebrating the wedding at their reception

The model, who has walked the runway for Givenchy and Proenza Schouler, was seen in June on the red carpet at the premiere of F9, the latest installment of the Fast & Furious franchise her father was a key player in.

In June, the franchise's Diesel opened up to Extra about being Meadow's godfather and admitted that he feels 'very protective' of the young model.

'She's the first person on Father's Day to wish me Happy Father's Day,' he told the outlet.

The actor continued: 'To see her with my children is one of the most beautiful things. There are moments when I see her playing with [his daughter] Pauline and it hits me so deep cause I can only imagine what my brother sees when he sees that.

Last November, she took to Instagram to pay tribute to her late father on the anniversary of his passing.

'A silly day to remember in sadness. Today's a celebration of the love and happiness you brought to the world. here's a photo of my best bud & I napping,' she wrote.

XOXO: Meadow and her husband beamed with happiness as they clasped hands

'I feel very protective': 'She's the first person on Father's Day to wish me Happy Father's Day,' Diesel previously told Extra of Meadow

Bling bling! Walker announced her engagement over the summer with a video of her flashing her new sparkler

'My best bud & I': Walker took to Instagram to pay tribute to her late father on the anniversary of his passing last year

Tight-knit: Diesel and Paul Walker pictured at a photo call for Fast & Furious in Mexico City in 2009
Allison Langdon is maintaining a dignified silence on Lisa Wilkinson's explosive Today show tell-all.

Speaking to the TV Blackbox podcast this week, the 42-year-old chose not to address Wilkinson's memoir, and instead offered words of support for her Today co-host Karl Stefanovic.

'That's very hard for me to comment on because it was before my time,' she said when pressed by host Rob McKnight about Wilkinson's book.

Taking the high road: Allison Langdon is maintaining a dignified silence on Lisa Wilkinson's explosive Today show tell-all. Pictured with Karl Stefanovic

'I can only talk about how it is now sitting next to Karl, and he is the most giving co-host, incredibly generous,' she continued.

'My experience is obviously all I can talk to. What happened with Lisa was before my time so I don't think it's really appropriate for me to get involved or to comment.'

Langdon's comments come just days after Stefanovic offered a classy response when asked about Wilkinson's claims over the weekend.

'Brother, I've got too many positive and wonderful things going on in my life to talk about that stuff,' he told the Sydney Morning Herald.

'I'm very happy. In work and life,' he added.

Praise: 'I can only talk about how it is now sitting next to Karl and he is the most giving co-host, incredibly generous,' Langdon told the TV Blackbox podcast this week

Wilkinson's explosive new book includes a chapter dedicated to her sacking from Channel Nine and falling out with Stefanovic over a pay dispute.

She alleges Stefanovic proposed in August 2015 they join forces to renegotiate their Nine contracts - not unlike how the cast of American sitcom Friends famously worked together to broker better deals with NBC.

But she claims he ended up ditching this idea and instead played rival networks Nine and Seven off against each other in order to secure a better deal for himself.

Not holding back! Wilkinson's explosive new book includes a chapter dedicated to her sacking from Channel Nine and falling out with Stefanovic over a pay dispute

'Weeks later... the media became awash with stories that Stefanovic was restless at Today and looking for greener pastures  and more civilised working hours  at Channel Seven,' she wrote.

Stefanovic was soon at the centre of a bidding war between Nine and Seven that resulted in him re-signing a five-year deal with Nine worth at least $2million per year.

Wilkinson's deal was worth significantly less, about $780,000 a year, and was only for two years.

'There was no doubt about it: Karl certainly knew the art of the deal,' she wrote, adding that the resulting pay disparity between them 'was so off the charts that no-one would have believed it'.

Bombshell: Wilkinson makes several explosive claims about Stefanovic in It Wasn't Meant to Be Like This, including that he 'gave her the cold shoulder' when she left the Today show

However, this allegedly doesn't tell the full story, with News.com.au reporting last week Wilkinson had in fact earned more than Stefanovic for years when they first joined forces on Today, and it was only at the end of their partnership that the roles reversed.

This damning article - which challenged Wilkinson's most significant claim about her exit from the Today show - reportedly sent the book's publisher into a major spin.

Harper Collins Australia demanded a preview copy of the memoir be returned by the news website following publication of the story, sources told Daily Mail Australia.

'They blew up and asked for their copy back,' said an insider at the website.
She's one of the most beautiful women in the world.

And Alessandra Ambrosio looked stunning as ever as she snuck in a little time for self-care on Wednesday.

The Brazilian beauty, 40, put her flat abs on display while making her way to West Hollywood's Flavia Lanini Beauty Institute for a massage.

After the sun went down, the supermodel changed into a stunning black Donna Karen X REVOLVE dress.

Spa day: Alessandra Ambrosio looked stunning while heading to pamper herself at Flavia Lanini Beauty Institute in West Hollywood on Wednesday

Night fit: After the sun went down, the supermodel changed into a stunning and flowing black Donna Karen X REVOLVE dress

Alessandra wowed as she wore a tan cardigan open to showcase her taut tummy.

She matched her top with strappy nude heels while keeping her bottoms basic with denim.

Offering a little punch with her accessories, the former Victoria's Secret Angel carried a brown leather Etro bucket bag with stunning turquoise embellishments and had on pointy brown shades that tied everything together.

Absolute beauty: The Brazilian beauty, 40, put her flat abs on display wearing just an open sweater

Jean queen: She matched her top with strappy nude heels while keeping her bottoms basic with denim

On her Instagram, Ale posted a serene video of massage expert Flavia Lanini working on the beauty's body.

She tagged the post #MassageEffect, a Brazilian deep massage and Lymphatic drainage technique brought to the States by Lanini herself.

Lanini has worked on everyone from Selena Gomez, Miranda Kerr, Kendall and Kris Jenner, Shay Mitchell, Vanessa Hudgens, Paris Hilton, Cara Delevingne, Cassie, Dua Lipa, Busy Philipps, Nina Dobrev, Emmy Rossum, Hailey Bieber, Lily Aldridge, Elsa Hosk, Romee Strijd, Candice Swaneopoel, Martha Hunt, Shanina Shaik and Sara Sampaio, according to Forbes.

Mirror selfie! She took a snap of her outfit in the mirror ahead of her massage

Love it! Alessandra fawned over her cool Etro bag on her Instagram Story

Bliss: On her Instagram, Ale posted a serene video of massage expert Flavia Lanini working on the beauty's body

She was later spotted heading out in a black wrap top that exposed her midriff with a number of varying necklaces.

She also wore a full-length satin black dress with a large slit up the leg, along with long dangling earrings.

The supermodel completed her look with a pair of black knee-high boots and a black purse for her nighttime outing.

Night moves: She was later spotted heading out in a black wrap top that exposed her midriff with a brown and black necklace

When Alessandra's not indulging in cutting edge wellness treatments, the beauty enjoys quality time with her boyfriend Richard Lee.

The pair have been romantically linked since February, months after she split from Italian designer Nicolo Oddi.

Prior to Oddi, Ambrosio was engaged to businessman Jamie Mazur, but they split in 2018 after over a decade together.

The former couple share 13-year-old daughter Anja and nine-year-old son Noah.
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She wrapped production on her highly-anticipated Apple TV+ limited series WeCrashed just last month.

And Anne Hathaway was back to work on Wednesday as she filmed scene for the forthcoming period drama Armageddon Time with fellow Academy Award-winner Anthony Hopkins.

The 38-year-old actress looked seventies chic in a blue suede coat and a pair of flared pants.

New project: Anne Hathaway was back to work on Wednesday as she filmed scene for the forthcoming period drama Armageddon Time with fellow Academy Award-winner Anthony Hopkins; Anne and Anthony seen with child actor Michael Banks Repeta, 13

Retro: The 38-year-old actress looked seventies chic in a blue suede coat and a pair of flared pants

Anne's lush coat was layered over a brown high neck top that coordinated with her platform oxford shoes.

Her short brunette hair was styled in soft curls and she kept her large brown eyes hidden behind a pair of large shades.

Hopkins, 83, looked spiffy in bright red tie, a white dress shirt, and a pair of brown slacks.

The Silence Of The Lambs star kept warm with a black peacoat and gloves, while hiding his hair beneath a sharp fedora.

Effortless beauty: Her short brunette hair was styled in soft curls and she kept her large brown eyes hidden behind a pair of large shades

Say cheese! Anne and Anthony posed for a snapshot with a pint-sized castmate

Spiffy: Hopkins, 83, looked spiffy in bright red tie, a white dress shirt, and a pair of brown slacks

Anne and Anthony were shooting a scene near a park bench at Flushing Meadow Park in Queens, which also featured child actor Michael Banks Repeta, 13.

Hopkins was seated on the bench, while Hathaway loomed over him to converse.

They greeted one another with a warm hug.

Driver's seat: The Princess Diaries actress was first filmed rolling up to the park in a blue vintage vehicle

On location: Anne and Anthony were shooting a scene near a park bench at Flushing Meadow Park in Queens, which also featured a child actor

All clear? Anne parked the car just feet away from Hopkins

Resting comfortably: Hopkins was seated on the bench, while Hathaway loomed over him to converse

Due to the looming COVID-19 pandemic, Anne and Anthony wore medical grade face masks in between takes.

The Princess Diaries actress was first filmed rolling up to the park in a blue vintage vehicle, which she parked just feet away from Hopkins.

Repeta got to film some one-on-one scenes with Hopkins, who appeared to be having a heart to heart conversation with the young boy.

Sweet: They greeted one another with a warm hug

Cozy: The Silence Of The Lambs star kept warm with a black peacoat and gloves, while hiding his hair beneath a sharp fedora

Safety first: Due to the looming COVID-19 pandemic, Anne and Anthony wore medical grade face masks in between takes

Armageddon Time, written and directed by James Gray, is described as 'a coming-of-age story about growing up in Queens in the 1980s.'

The film also features Succession star Jeremy Strong.

The approximate release date for the period piece in currently unknown.

Period piece: Armageddon Time , written and directed by James Gray, is described as 'a coming-of-age story about growing up in Queens in the 1980s'

One-on-one: Repeta got to film some one-on-one scenes with Hopkins, who appeared to be having a heart to heart conversation with the young boy

Up in the air: The approximate release date for the period piece in currently unknown

Hathaway has had quite the hectic schedule in recent months with much of her time spent on the set of her limited series WeCrashed, which also stars Oscar-winner Jared Leto.

Jared and Anne portray the roles of disgraced WeWork CEO Adam Neumann and his wife Rebekah.

WeCrashed will explore 'the greed-filled rise and inevitable fall of the $50B commercial real estate startup,' as per Variety.

Along with leading the cast, Anne and Jared are listed as executive producers.

WeCrashed: Hathaway has had quite the hectic schedule in recent months with much of her time spent on the set of her limited series WeCrashed, which also stars Oscar-winner Jared Leto; seen in August
Karlie Kloss was dressed to the nines when she stepped out for a night on the town in New York City this Wednesday.

The 29-year-old model, who is now married to Joshua Kushner, slid her sensational figure into a sleek black sequined Prada gown.

In a video she posted to her Insta Stories she could be seen squealing joyfully as she twirled around a post out in the city that never sleeps.

Looking fab: Karlie Kloss was dressed to the nines when she stepped out for a night on the town in New York City this Wednesday

Her dress shimmered under the New York lights as she balanced expertly on a pair of sky-high Manolo Blahnik stiletto boots.

Karlie had swept her signature blonde hair back into a tight bun and accentuated her screen siren features with makeup.

That evening the sizzling sensation was headed to a launch dinner for this year's edition of the annual New Originals issue of W magazine.

Before leaving home for the event she made sure to snap a mirror selfie of her ensemble, showing it off to full advantage for her 9.8 million followers.

Terrific: The 29-year-old model, who is now married to Joshua Kushner, slid her sensational figure into a sleek black sequined Prada gown

Swanking about: Her dress shimmered under the New York lights as she balanced expertly on a pair of sky-high Manolo Blahnik stiletto boots

Her latest outing comes just two weeks after it emerged she and Joshua are asking a staggering $23.5 million for their sprawling two-story Manhattan penthouse.

Last month it was reported they had bought an even larger penthouse listed at $42.5 million in the same historic Puck Building as the home they have just listed.

For north of three decades the Puck Building, designed in the 19th century by the German architect Albert Wagner, has been in the hands of Kushner Companies.

The family grew when Karlie became a mother on March 11 of this year, welcoming her firstborn son Levi Joseph with Joshua.

When you got it: Karlie had swept her signature blonde hair back into a tight bun and accentuated her screen siren features with makeup

Place to be: That evening the sizzling sensation was headed to a launch dinner for this year's edition of the annual New Originals issue of W magazine

She reportedly announced that he was called Levi Joseph after a yeshiva in Israel accidentally leaked the name and sex.

Yeshiva Reishit in Bet Shemesh published the name while congratulating the parents in the 'Mazel Tov' portion of their email newsletter, Page Six reported.

Joshua, whose brother and sister-in-law are Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, is said in the email to have gone to the yeshiva in 2003.

His blonde bombshell wife has publicly expressed her political disagreements with her in-laws on multiple occasions.
She may be spending her 54th birthday in isolation, but Julia Roberts is being spoilt rotten on her big day.

The Pretty Woman star is currently completing Australia's mandatory 14-day quarantine at a stunning $56.9million Sydney mansion after jetting into the country to film her new movie Ticket to Paradise with George Clooney.

Several spectacular flower bouquets were seen being hand-delivered to the huge harbourside property on Thursday.

Birthday girl! Julia Roberts turned 54 on Thursday and had five huge flower bouquets delivered to the $56.9million Sydney mansion she is completing her 14-day quarantine in

It seems that well-wishers opted for gorgeous pops of colour for Julia, with various bright bouquets delivered to her door from Summers Floral.

One stunning arrangement featured hundreds of baby pink roses in a glass vase.

Another smaller arrangement consisted of soft pink roses with a mix of greenery and baby's breath.

Lucky thing! Several spectacular flower bouquets were seen being hand-delivered to the huge harbourside property on Thursday

Blooming beautiful! It seems that well-wishers opted for gorgeous pops of colour for Julia, with various bright bouquets delivered to her door from Summers Floral

Fit for a Hollywood star! One stunning arrangement featured hundreds of baby pink roses in a glass vase

Beautiful: Another smaller arrangement consisted of soft pink roses with a mix of greenery and baby's breath

Julia jetted into Australia on Saturday and will spend two-weeks in quarantine with her staff as per government regulations amid the coronavirus pandemic.

She is living at the former rental home of Lachlan and Sarah Murdoch, the son and daughter-in-law of Australian-born media mogul Rupert Murdoch.

Privacy arrangements have been made for Julia's stay, with a large black screen being erected on the waterfront side of the home.

Co-stars: Julia is currently quarantining in a mansion in Sydney's Vaucluse ahead of filming her new movie Ticket to Paradise with George Clooney in Australia

Privacy: She is living at the former rental home of Lachlan and Sarah Murdoch, the son and daughter-in-law of Australian-born media mogul Rupert Murdoch. Privacy arrangements have been made for Julia's stay, with a large black screen being erected on the waterfront side of the home

The home is being patrolled by around-the-clock armed guards, while multiple chefs, waiters and housekeepers are staying with Julia as part of her travel bubble.

George and Julia play a divorced couple who travel to Bali in a desperate bid to stop their daughter, played by Kaitlyn Dever, from getting married.

The movie will be filmed entirely in Queensland, with the picturesque Whitsundays doubling for Bali.
Georgia Love and Lee Elliott celebrated their five-year anniversary this week.

And to mark the special occasion, the newlyweds, who tied the knot in Tasmania in March, went out for a special pub dinner in Melbourne on Wednesday.

Journalist Georgia, 33, shared a sweet picture of plumber Lee, 40, smiling as they enjoyed their meal alongside a gushing caption.

Date night: Georgia Love celebrated five years since first meeting husband Lee Elliott on The Bachelorette with a low-key pub dinner in Melbourne on Thursday

'Couldn't think of a better way to celebrate five years of the world discovering this guy was off the market,' Georgia captioned her Instagram story, referring to the moment she first met Lee on Channel 10 dating show, The Bachelorette.

The pair both tucked in to some chicken parmigiana, chips and salad and a cold beer.

Georgia and Lee first met and fell in love on The Bachelorette Australia back in 2016.

Remember that: The pair first met and fell in love on The Bachelorette Australia back in 2016. The finale aired in October that year

It's been a big year for the couple - they married in March and bought a house in Melbourne this month.

The pair tied the knot at the picturesque Frogmore Creek Winery in Tasmania in an outdoor wedding and reception.

The couple were due to marry in Italy last year, but they were forced to cancel their wedding because of the coronavirus pandemic.

What a year! It's been a big year for the pair - they married in March and bought a house in Melbourne this month

It was reported last week that the pair have just splashed out around $1.3million on a townhouse in Victoria's upmarket Hampton East.

It features a spacious four bedrooms, as well as three bathrooms, and an expansive living-dining area.

The move is welcome news for Georgia, who last month was pulled from her on-air duties at Seven and relegated to the production desk just days after posting a 'racist' video on Instagram.
Timothee Chalamet has opened up about a YouTube channel he once started focused on Xbox 360 controllers that were painted and modified for gamers.

The 25-year-old actor chat on Friday with Fortnite player Nate Hill in a joint interview with Dune co-star Zendaya, where he said that he presided over the the channel under the handle ModdedController360, which had three videos uploaded to it in 2010.

'I actually had a YouTube channel people found,' said the New York City native, who plays Paul Atreides in the new film Dune. 'Its YouTube.com backslash ModdedController360, and I used to paint-mod controllers.'

The latest: Timothee Chalamet, 25, has opened up about a YouTube channel he once started focused on Xbox 360 controllers that were painted and modified for gamers

Among the controllers the future Call Me By Your Name star featured on his channel included a red one with black stripes, a blue and silver hybrid, and one with a Christmas theme.

In each clip, he opened up with the introduction, 'What's good YouTube, this is ModdedController360.'

Chalamet said he eventually got $10 for each controller, and had to move on from the hobby altogether after his parents complained about the mess he was making with the artistic endeavor.

'My parents were like, "Theres spray paint all over the house, you cant do this anymore,"' the actor said.

The actor said that he presided over the the channel under the handle ModdedController360, which had three videos uploaded to it in 2010

Among the controllers the future Call Me By Your Name star featured on his channel included a red one with black stripes

Chalamet said he had to move on from the hobby altogether after his parents complained about the mess he was making with the artistic endeavor

The actor chat on Friday with Fortnite player Nate Hill in a joint interview with Dune co-star Zendaya

The actor was about 14-years-old at the time he uploaded the clips, which came about two years after he had made appearances in short films such as Sweet Tooth and Clown in 2008. He went onto appear on an episode of Law & Order in 2009.

After appearing on the shows Royal Pains and Homeland, Chalamet's career on the silver screen picked up with the films Men, Women & Children and Worst Friends.

Chalamet's breakout role came with the 2017 motion picture Call Me By Your Name, which garnered him an Oscar nod for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role the following year.
Rebel Wilson has been doing the press rounds for her newly released children's book.

But on Thursday, she took time out of her busy schedule to spend quality time with her best friend, fellow Australia actor Hugh Sheridan.

The 41-year-old, who in Los Angeles, shared a photo of herself with the Packed To The Rafters star, 36, posing at a Halloween themed venue with a giant skeleton behind them.

Perfect pairing! Rebel Wilson showed off her 35kg weight loss in a pair of skinny jeans on Thursday as she enjoyed quality time with best friend Hugh Sheridan in Los Angeles

The actress showed off her 35kg weigh loss in a white T-shirt and skinny jeans teamed with purple flats.

Hugh appeared to co-ordinate his look with the blonde beauty, also opting for a white T-shirt with jeans, but with a blazer, boots and a walking cane - likely a prop from the venue.

The long-time friends were surrounded with Halloween decorations, including more skeletons, skulls and fake spiders web.

Fun times: During Rebel's time Down Under last year, she spent plenty of time with Hugh in Sydney amid the pandemic

Work out buddies: She also worked out with him and her personal trainer, Jono Castano (right), at the Opera House steps during lockdown

During Rebel's time Down Under last year, she spent plenty of time with Hugh in Sydney amid the pandemic.

She also worked out with him and her personal trainer, Jono Castano, at the Opera House steps during lockdown.

Rebel confirmed in an interview with Sunrise on Tuesday that she had dropped a staggering 35kg (77lbs, or 5.5st) since embarking on her 'Year of Health' at the start of 2020.

Changes: Rebel confirmed in an interview with Sunrise on Tuesday that she had dropped a staggering 35kg (77lbs, or 5.5st) since embarking on her 'Year of Health' at the start of 2020. Pictured left in 2018; and right earlier this year

The Pitch Perfect star said she'd been to the doctor last week for her 'yearly check-up' and had been given a clean bill of health.

'He was like, "Oh my god, all your labs and your blood work is the best it's ever been and, you know, it's kind of remarkable,"' she added.

Rebel, who was on Sunrise to promote her children's book Bella the Brave, also reflected on her own battle with shyness.

New project: The Bridesmaids star appeared on Sunrise on Tuesday to promote her children's book Bella the Brave, also reflected on her own battle with shyness

'I would never put my hand up to answer because I was too shy to talk [when I was at school],' she said.

Rebel explained her mother took her to choir practice at the age of 13, an experience shared with the main character in her book.

'I was just so painfully shy. I have had to become all of that in order to become an actress, it took quite a few years in real life.'
She's long been synonymous with her wavy blonde tresses.

But Rebecca Gibney changed things up on Thursday, when the 56-year-old Packed to the Rafters actress debuted her new brunette locks.

Teasing a 'new character,' she tagged a production company in her Instagram post, suggesting she may have a new series in the works.

Rebecca Gibney changed things up on Thursday, when the 56-year-old Packed to the Rafters actress debuted her new brunette locks

Gibney captioned the post of her new look, 'New character, hopefully coming soon. #andiwouldntmesswithher'.

The production company, Fearless Productions, is based in Rebecca's homeland of New Zealand.

The shock new look comes after Gibney defended her Celebrity MasterChef Australia co-star Tilly Ramsay.

The 19-year-old was recently fat-shamed by a British radio host live on-air.

The look: Gibney has long been synonymous with her wavy blonde tresses. Seen here on Celebrity Masterchef

Next project: Teasing a 'new character,' she tagged a production company in her Instagram post, suggesting she may have a new series in the works

Last Wednesday, Steve Allen, 67, referred to Tilly as a 'chubby little thing' on his radio show - a statement which sparked backlash among fans and celebrities alike.

Gibney took to Instagram to write: 'Let me at him!!! Seriously?? That guy needs a good kick up the bum.

'You are a brilliant, bright shining star  beautiful dancer, wondrous cook, exceptional human. And wise beyond your years.

'Always remember for that one dimwitted t**t  there are millions who adore you. Keep killing it sweetheart - Australia loves you too.'

Support: Tilly Ramsay's Celebrity MasterChef Australia co-stars have shared their support after the 19-year-old star was disgustingly fat-shamed by a British radio host live on-air

Legendary swimmer Ian Thorpe also blasted the host's derogatory comments as 'entirely inappropriate'.

'When Tilly came (to Celebrity MasterChef) we all just wanted to give her a hug  a 19-year-old girl on the other side of the world,' he told The Daily Telegraph.

'I just think that it is entirely inappropriate to be making comments about someones weight in any way.

'I thought wed got to a point where even making a positive comment on someones weight doesnt seem all that appropriate either. I just feel for her.'

Not happy: 'I just think that it is entirely inappropriate to be making comments about someones weight in any way,' Olympic swimmer Ian Thorpe said this week

Shocking: Allen (pictured) had referred to Tilly as a 'chubby little thing' - a statement that sparked backlash among fans and celebrities alike

Controversy broke out on Wednesday morning when Allen read a comment form a listener on-air, alerting him to the fact that Tilly was taking part in Celebrity MasterChef Australia as well as UK reality show Strictly Come Dancing.

Steve - who is on air between 4am and 7am - then remarked: 'Is she? Well, she can't blimming well dance!

'I'm bored of her already. She's a chubby little thing isn't she. Have you noticed? Probably her dad's cooking I should imagine.'

In response to the remarks, Tilly penned on Instagram: ' I try not to read and listen to comments and negativity however recently being called out on a national radio station by a 67-year-old man is a step too far.

'Steve please feel free voice your opinions however I draw the line at commenting on my appearance. It's such a shame that someone is trying to make such a positive experience negative.'

Shock: In her response post, Tilly revealed that she was 'learning to accept' herself but had still been left 'hurt' by the shocking remarks

Tilly continued: 'This isn't the first and definitely wont' be the last comment made about my appearance and I accept that and I'm learning to accept myself.

'But please remember that words can hurt. And at the end of the day I am only 19 and I'm so grateful for all the amazing opportunities I have been able to take part in.

'And I understand that being in the public eye obviously comes with it's own repercussions and I've been aware of this from a young age.

'However, I won't tolerate people that think it's okay to publicly comment and scrutinise anyone's weight and appearance. Love Tilly xx'

She captioned the post '#bekind'.
Jennifer Garner shared an adorable throwback snap with her younger sisters Susannah and Melissa with her 11.4 million Instagram followers.

While it's unclear when the photo was dated, the 48-year-old actress was in her childhood years, as she added a few 'discussion points' with her fans.

Among them were the entire Garner girl clan's 'lifelong struggle' with bangs, even at such a precocious age.

Throwback: Jennifer Garner shared an adorable throwback snap with her younger sisters Susannah and Melissa with her 11.4 million Instagram followers

Jennifer was wearing a quilted vest and a white top while, and while they all had different hair styles, their bangs were all covering their forehead.

'Discussion points: 1. Garner girls + bangs = lifelong struggle 2. Ears. 3. Growing out a bowl cut is never easy,' she began.

Her last discussion point was, 'When mom is in a quilting phase,' adding, 'Thank you. ( I love my sisters ).'

Bangs: Jennifer was wearing a quilted vest and a white top while, and while they all had different hair styles, their bangs were all covering their forehead

Garner got a number of replies from her celebrity friends including Merrin Dungey, who said, 'THIS IS EVERYTHING.'

Ione Skye added, 'I love everything about this. So nostalgic for these patterns and styles.'

Mia Maestro added, 'I mean,' with four hands raised emojis.

Everything: Garner got a number of replies from her celebrity friends including Merrin Dungey, who said, 'THIS IS EVERYTHING'

Sisters: Jennifer Garner poses with her sisters Melissa and Susannah at Jen's Hollywood Star ceremony in 2018

Garner made headlines last month when she hosted a reunion party for the 20th Anniversary of her hit show Alias.

'Twenty years ago this week, tonight in fact, #Alias aired for the first time on @abcnetwork,' Garner began.

'If youre an idea born of @jjabramsofficial's brain youre a big one; JJs ambitious imagination pushed every department on the crew of Alias through and past the norm, it was so much FUN,' Garner continued.

Headlines: Garner made headlines last month when she hosted a reunion party for the 20th Anniversary of her hit show Alias

'Since the end of the show, April of 2005, running into a cast or crew member from Alias has always led to this questionWhen will you get everyone back together for a reunion? The 20th anniversary seemed like as good an excuse as any, so the call went outreunion party is happening, pass it on!' she added.

She added that they all, 'missed everyone who was working and couldnt make it in,' and that, 'We missed you, Jabrams, (because I screwed up and made this happen on a night you were busy).'

'But man, it felt so good to be together again,' she said, while also revealing that she made her debut on TikTok Thursday night as well.

'The 20th anniversary also seemed like as good an excuse as any to join TikTok. No dot in the middle over there, but the same nonsense jennifergarner on TikTokI am more embarrassed for myself than you could possibly be for me, so just pleaseavert your gaze,' she joked.
Sarah Jessica Parker looked in high spirits as she filmed the Sex And The City revival And Just Like That... alongside her new on-screen love interest Jon Tenney.

The 56-year-old was back in character as Carrie Bradshaw for the scenes in New York on Wednesday night, while Jon's new role has yet to be announced.

The pair sent SATC fans into a spin last week when they were seen filming kissing scenes, suggesting Carrie has finally moved on from Mr. Big (played by Chris Noth).

There she is: Sarah Jessica Parker was spotted filming a night scene from her Sex And The City revival And Just Like That... in New York on Wednesday

The latest scenes will have done nothing to squash the rumours, as the duo reunited while dressed to the nines out in upper Manhattan.

Sarah lived up to Carrie's typical fashion-conscious image by sliding her trim frame into a figure-hugging white cocktail dress with black fringe.

Drawing attention to her character's famed love of extravagant shoes, she added a pop of color to the ensemble with a shocking pair of hot pink heels with black bows.

Aglow: The 56-year-old was reprising her iconic role of Carrie Bradshaw while playing opposite a new edition to the cast played by silver fox Jon Tenney

New love? The pair sent SATC fans into a spin last week when they were seen filming kissing scenes, suggesting Carrie has finally moved on from Mr. Big (played by Chris Noth)

Meanwhile Jon was classically glamorous in a navy suit as he and Sarah Jessica filmed a conversation on the staircase.

The dynamic duo set off a storm of publicity earlier this month when they were spotted filming a kiss scene in New York.

Their sighting set off a furious cycle of conjecture that the new show will see Carrie breakup with her longtime love interest Mr. Big.

Face to face: Evidently the two were exiting a glamorous affair as they were spotted dressed to the nines emerging onto an ornate stone staircase

Sleek and chic: Sarah Jessica lived up to Carrie's typical fashion-conscious image by sliding her enviably trim frame into a figure-hugging white cocktail dress with black fringe

After spending the series in an on-and-off romance Carrie and Big finally got married in the first Sex And The City film and remained so for the sequel.

But for months there have been rumors that And Just Like That... would show the marriage on the rocks - and some fans took the kiss with Jon as confirmation.

Over the summer some pages of the script leaked to Page Six in which Carrie is seen commiserating with friends over the state of her relationship with Big.

'I was taping the podcast, I was washing my hair. Yes, I wasn't eating or sleeping, but at least I felt good about my marriage. Now I'm just one of the wives he was taking care of?' Carrie says exasperatedly to her pals.

One of them was her closest gay friend Stanford Blatch - played by Willie Garson who tragically succumbed to pancreatic cancer last month at the age of just 57.

Kicks: Drawing attention to her character's famed love of extravagant shoes, she added a pop of color to the ensemble with a shocking pair of hot pink heels with black bows

Taking to Twitter after the kissing scenes emerged, fans tweeted: 'I swear if Carrie and Mr Big break up, its all over. We have not stayed invested in this show and movies to see them together to only break up just to have a storyline..! Come on! Weve supported this relationship for 20 years!!,'

'Seriously, if something has happened to him and these are flash backs this will be the worst reboot ever,' one user wrote.

'This is one of the reasons I'm not watching,' another follower commented. 'John did not sign up for the new show which means that they will probably break them up. I didn't spend all those years waiting for them to be married just to see them break up. It's a pass for me.'

'Is this reboot bound to break out hearts again smash it like what big used to do in the series and then give us this ending that makes us question everything and then ask for another closure.... Oh please give us some happy note about tue reboot!'

What's going on!? Fans angrily reacted to photos of SJP filming a kissing scene with Jon Tenney

Chris himself has confessed to Yahoo! Finance Live that he was 'hesitant' to return to the role of Mr. Big until executive producer Michael Patrick King coaxed him back.

'It was a little bit of a sort of creative negotiation because I didn't really feel I had anything to offer in that role again. It kind of felt like I had done it,' he said.

'But Michael Patrick King is just an incredible writer and has incredible creative ideas. And once we got together and talked about the potential of what we could do with the character, I was all in,' said the heartthrob.
Melbourne Demons captain Max Gawn and his wife Jessica have announced the arrival of their first child together, a baby boy named George Oliver Gawn.

The AFL star, 29, shared the joyful news to his Instagram page on Thursday alongside a series of photos of the adorable tot.

'George Oliver Gawn. 27.10.21. Mum was best on, closely followed by George,' Max captioned the post.

It's a boy! Melbourne Demons captain Max Gawn and his wife Jessica have welcomed their first child together

In one photo, the proud dad carried his baby boy as they posed for a family photo with Jessica.

He also shared another image of George wrapped up in a blanket while sleeping.

Meanwhile, Max and Jessica announced they were expecting their first child together back in May.

'Baby Gawn coming October,' Jessica wrote on Instagram.

New addition: The AFL star shared the joyful news to his Instagram on Thursday alongside a series of photos of the adorable tot

Max told Nova Breakfast radio at the time his wife was already 17 weeks into the pregnancy.

Max married his partner Jessica on New Years Day at Mornington Peninsula last year.

The couple sold their Melbourne townhouse for $945,000 on Christmas Eve.

'George Oliver Gawn. 27.10.21. Mum was best on, closely followed by George,' Max captioned the post

They have since moved to the seaside suburb of Blairgowrie on the Mornington Peninsula.

Max is a well-known AFL identity who made his debut in the sport in 2011.

He quickly rose to the ranks of captain of the Melbourne-based Demons at the start of the 2020 season and has led them on a 9-1 victory streak.
NeNe Leakes blasted Cynthia Bailey on Wednesday for missing funeral services for her late husband Gregg Leakes.

The 53-year-old reality star singled out Cynthia, 54, during an interview on Atlanta's V103 that was shared by The Neighborhood Talk on Instagram.

'[Cynthia] didn't even come to the repast,' NeNe said. 'She did come like a week later after everything was done. She came by my lounge. It's really hard to explain Housewives. It's almost like a dysfunctional family. But they all reached out and sent flowers or something,' NeNe said.

Speaking out: NeNe Leakes, shown in May in Georgia, blasted Cynthia Bailey on Wednesday for missing funeral services for her late husband Gregg Leakes

NeNe's husband Gregg Leakes died of colon cancer on September 1 at age 66.

'Every Housewive in the entire franchise reached out to me,' NeNe said.

The former star of The Real Housewives Of Atlanta said that Kim Zolciak, 43, who starred with her on the Bravo show has texted her and stayed in touch since Gregg died.

'I would say that we are okay,' NeNe said of her relationship with Kim.

Former co-star: Cynthia, shown Saturday in Beverly Hills, California, missed the repast but caught up with NeNe later

Reality star: Nene and Gregg, shown in November 2014 in New York, were fixtures for several seasons on The Real Housewives Of Atlanta

NeNe said the housewives also teamed up to send her flowers.

'Actually I was surprised because the first set of flowers I got was a bouquet from like all the Housewives, like they went in together,' NeNe said.

'I'm like, ''Why do y'all need to go in together and buy some damn flowers? If all y'all work  you can spend your own $200''. That's the way I've always been,' NeNe said.

Radio interview: Atlanta's V103 interview with NeNe was shared by The Neighborhood Talk on Instagram

Cynthia recently told PageSix that she didn't regret her decision to miss the repast.

'I'm really glad, honestly looking back, that I didn't make it to the actual celebration because I think if I had, I never would have had the moment that I got to have with her just hanging out with her at her lounge and pretty much closing the place down,' Cynthia said.

'Like we really got to spend some one-on-one time together,' she added.
Maya Jama put on a cheeky display as she slipped into another skimpy bikini during her Jamaica break on Wednesday.

The presenter, 27, displayed her pert derriere in a vibrant pink and orange tie-dye bikini as she posed up a storm in front of the ocean.

The star displayed her enviable legs and trim waist in the snap, and teased a glimpse of her cleavage.

Wow: Maya Jama put on a cheeky display as she slipped into another skimpy bikini during her Jamaica break on Wednesday

She wore her raven tresses in soft waves, pulled back into a chic updo, with the star showcasing her radiant complexion by going make-up free.

The star accessorised with shimmering gold earrings for her stylish holiday look.

Maya set pulses racing on Instagram on Wednesday when she posted a set of sizzling snaps of herself enjoying her vacation in Jamaica.

The presenter positively glowed in a pastel pink floral print halter neck mini dress that plunged at the neck to reveal a glimpse of her ample cleavage.

Maya looked sensational in the bodycon dress that showcased her svelte waist and toned arms.

Fun: Maya also shared fun snaps of her hitting the town on her holiday

Casual cool: The dress donned a casual ensemble for another fun snap

Delight: The star also posted a snap enjoying some fried chicken on a private jet

Hot: Maya set pulses racing on Instagram on Wednesday when she posted a set of sizzling snaps of herself enjoying her vacation in Jamaica

Giving some serious holiday vibes, the radio host opted to go full glam for the shots by using a bronzed palette and a soft gold eye shadow.

She wore a soft brown lip gloss that accentuated her full pout and kept it simple by wearing a pair of small hooped earrings.

Oozing sex appeal she completed the look by letting her long thick wavy tresses cascade over her shoulder.

Sexy: The presenter turned heads in this sexy body con dress that plunged to the waist showing a hint of cleavage

Maya is no stranger to showcasing her figure for fans online.

Last Tuesday she posted more images of her flaunting her phenomenal figure in a very busty bikini during her sun-soaked getaway.

The TV personality, showed off her steamy dance moves as she gyrated to Rendezvous by Craig David with a cocktail in hand.

Holiday vibe: The radio presenter looked sensational on holiday in Jamaica

Maya sent temperatures soaring as she accentuated her ample assets in the scoop neck paisley bikini.

The presenter's figure looked sensational in the skimpy pink-and-yellow swimwear as she enjoyed a drink on her apartment balcony in the unspecified tropical location.

She sang her heart out to the hit noughties track as she threw out peace signs to the camera in the very low cut bikini.

Maya looked stunning as she swept her raven tresses up into a sleek low ponytail and showcased her natural beauty by going makeup free for the singing session.

Setting pulses racing: Maya also took to Instagram on Tuesday to flaunt her phenomenal figure in a very busty bikini during a sun-soaked getaway

Wow: Maya sent temperatures soaring as she accentuated her ample assets in the scoop neck paisley bikini

The star hasn't held back from sharing snaps from her winter holiday with her fans on social media.

Maya's upbeat video comes after she shared a sizzling mirror selfie in her bikini earlier this week.

Posing up a storm with her hand above her head, she wore her gorgeous brown locks in their natural curls and pouted for the camera.

Sip sip: The presenter's figure looked sensational in the skimpy pink-and-yellow swimwear as she enjoyed a drink on her apartment balcony in the unspecified tropical location

Upbeat: She sang her heart out to the hit noughties track as she threw out peace signs to the camera in the very low cut bikini

She captioned the stunning shot, 'Natural nina,' while going make-up free for the holiday snap.

The skincare entrepreneur was sure to turn her fans green with envy as she then filmed herself twirling around outside in front of an idyllic location.

Clicking her fingers and playing with her hair, she zoomed the camera in on the crystal clear sea while a chilled R&B track played in the background.

Gorgeous: Maya looked stunning as she swept her raven tresses up into a sleek low ponytail and showcased her natural beauty by going makeup free for the singing session

Sizzling: The upbeat video comes after Maya shared a sizzling mirror selfie in her bikini earlier this week

The radio host recently promoted the launch of BACARDI Spiced x Defected Presents: D-RUM Sessions.

Maya will host the upcoming shows, which will be streamed on Defected Records' Twitch channel every Friday evening from the October 22 through to the November 19.

Maya's new hosting job comes after she candidly revealed her heartbreak growing up with an absentee father.

Hot stuff: Posing up a storm with her hand above her head, she wore her gorgeous brown locks in their natural curls and pouted for the camera

Stunning: She captioned the stunning shot, 'Natural nina,' while going make-up free to showcase her natural beauty

Speaking to Marie Claire earlier this month, she said, 'she thought her father being in and out of prison was 'normal'.

She added, 'I had a situation where my dad was in and out of jail from three.

'At the time, I didn't think it bothered me. It was all I knew so that was normal, I don't like crying about that stuff. I have to laugh or I get emotional.

'I'm OK now, but obviously I'm sad for my little, younger self that I had to deal with that.'

Posing: Clicking her fingers and playing with her hair, she zoomed into the beautiful deep blue sea while a chilled R&B track played in the background

Maya previously said that growing up without her father present was not something she 'sat at home and cried about'.

She said: 'Anything that seems tragic or could make people feel sorry for me, I make a joke out of. I guess it's because I'm OK with it.

'I've accepted it and I don't want you making me feel like you're sorry for me.

'If people said, "Where's your dad?" I'd say, "Oh, he's in jail" and I'd laugh about it. It wasn't something I sat at home and cried about.'

Maya added that she enjoys a good relationship with her stepfather and is grateful she got to see a 'loving relationship' play out between him and her mother Sadie.

She continued 'When I was 10, my mum met my stepfather and he is the loveliest man.

So I got to see a loving relationship, which I think is what can affect young women growing up without a dad  not experiencing love first-hand and seeing how a healthy relationship should be.

Dad wasn't around, but I had all the love I needed from elsewhere.'

Dressed to impress: The radio host recently promoted the launch of BACARDI Spiced x Defected Presents: D-RUM Sessions
She officially became 'Mrs. El Moussa' after marrying her partner Tarek during an extravagant wedding over the weekend.

And despite being 'exhausted' from the festivities, Heather Rae Young was spotted shooting the upcoming season of Netflix's Selling Sunset in LA on Wednesday.

The 33-year-old was joined by costar and fellow real estate agent Chrishell Stause.

On that work grind: Heather Rae Young was spotted shooting the upcoming season of Netflix's Selling Sunset in LA on Wednesday, just days after marring Flip Or Flop's Tarek El Moussa

Heather highlighted her enviably slim figure in a rust ruched dress with an asymmetrical neckline.

The blonde beauty's hair was partially braided and styled into a chic low bun.

She strolled down the sidewalk in a pair of black knee-high boots and with a slew of items in her hands.

Camera men were following in tow as Heather made her way to her next destination.

Co-stars: The 33-year-old was joined by costar and fellow real estate agent Chrishell Stause

Meanwhile, Chrishell was spotted filming close by in a daring double denim ensemble complete with skinny jeans and a zip-up vest.

The 40-year-old actress-turned-realtor layered her vest over a white dress shirt that she left partially unbuttoned to showcase her cleavage.

Stause, who is currently dating her boss Jason Oppenheim, completed her on set ensemble with some strappy gold heels and a designer handbag.

Fit: Heather highlighted her enviably slim figure in a rust ruched dress with an asymmetrical neckline for the day's shoot

Double denim: Meanwhile, Chrishell was spotted filming close by in a daring double denim ensemble complete with skinny jeans and a zip-up vest

She was captured conversing with one of the show's producers on the sidewalk.

Selling Sunset, which first premiered on the streaming platform in 2019, is set to premiere its highly-anticipated fourth season before the year is out.

Chrishell was one of many people in attendance at Heather and Tarek's wedding ceremony at the exclusive Miramar Rosewood resort in Montecito on Saturday evening.

And the pair are said to be 'completely exhausted' from the festivities.

Wifey for lifey: Heather Rae Young and Tarek El Moussa are 'completely exhausted' following their whirlwind wedding at the exclusive Miramar Rosewood resort in Montecito on Saturday evening among an intimate group of friends and family

The 40-year-old home renovation enthusiast admitted 'everything was just spectacular' as they said 'I do' in front of 150 guests during an Old Hollywood-themed event last weekend.

'It was just so magical,' she told PEOPLE. 'Better than we even expected it to be. We are exhausted, but so happy at the same time,' Heather said.

Tarek agreed that their big day was everything and more: 'It felt like it was straight from a movie.'

No detail was too big or too small, but including Tarek's children from his first marriage to ex Christina Haack  daughter Taylor, 11, and son Brayden, six  was a must.

Blessed: The 40-year-old home renovation enthusiast admitted 'everything was just spectacular' as they said 'I do' in front of 150 guests during an Old Hollywood-themed event last weekend

'It was just so magical,' she told PEOPLE . 'Better than we even expected it to be. We are exhausted, but so happy at the same time,' Heather said

'I walked my mom down the aisle. I was fine. And then the song Shallow comes on, which is one of me and Heather's songs, and I'm going to get Taylor to walk down the aisle, and I just broke down,' Tarek said. 'Taylor, she's my everything, I just got so emotional.'

Heather stunned in a long-sleeve corset dress from Israeli designer Galia Lahav and clear heels from Amina Muaddi.

'It was magical. She looked so beautiful,' he says of the first moment he saw his now-wife. 'Her hair was perfect. Her makeup was perfect. She had the coolest wedding dress I've ever seen. I was just smiling huge from ear to ear.'

'I walked my mom down the aisle. I was fine. And then the song Shallow comes on, which is one of me and Heather's songs, and I'm going to get Taylor to walk down the aisle, and I just broke down,' Tarek said. 'Taylor, she's my everything, I just got so emotional'

Heather added: 'He could see me walking from a distance and he blew me a kiss,' she remembers. 'I just focused on him the whole time, and I don't even really remember anything else that was going on.'

The couple recited their personal vows before including Taylor and Brayden at the floral altar.

'They came up while we were at the altar and stood with us,' Tarek says. 'And that's the first time we were officially, legally a family of four, so that was very special.'

Heather recalled: 'I never knew I could feel love like I have for the kids and for Tarek. They've given me a family. They've opened my heart up so much and made me more patient, and loving and understanding.'

'Being able to share that moment with the kids, and share vows with the kids. that was probably my favorite part.'
Coleen Rooney and Wayne have been praised by Salt Bae after enjoying a family dinner at the London branch of his steakhouse chain.

The Rooneys splashed out on a meal at Nusr-Et - where a giant golden steak costs up to an eye-watering 1,450 to buy - with their four sons.

Salt Bae, whose real name is Nusret Gokce, documented the family's appearance at the resturant by sharing pictures with them on his Instagram Story.

'Great family!' Coleen Rooney and Wayne have been praised by Salt Bae after enjoying a family dinner at the London branch of his steakhouse chain

Posting a snap with the whole brood, Nusret wrote 'great family', before later posing with just Wayne and captioning the shot 'my brother'.

The images were taken with Turkish-born Nusret in front of a poster of him doing his iconic Salt Bae pose, where he sprinkles seasoning over dishes.

The family - who typically reside in Cheshire's Alderley Edge - enjoyed a meal out at the Knightsbridge-based venue during a recent trip to London.

Family night out: The Rooneys splashed out on a meal at Nusr-Et - where a giant golden steak costs up to an eye-watering 1,450 to buy - with their four sons

The celebrity restaurant Nusr-et was recently accused of 'deleting negative reviews', after a customer's eye-watering bill went viral last month.

The upscale eatery chain is owned Nusret whose theatrical salt-sprinkling antics have earned him over 38million followers on Instagram since he went viral on social media in 2017 for his way of seasoning meat.

Last month a customer's receipt from went viral after totalling a staggering 1,812.40 earning the restaurant an onslaught of backlash, however Google reviews currently show a 4.8 star rating - with the site stating it was 'updated by the business a week ago'.

According to My London News, 'a flurry of reviews appearing to criticise the restaurant when it first opened' have since 'disappeared.

MailOnline contacted Nusr-et Steakhouse for comment at the time.

Ouch! The celebrity restaurant Nusr-et was recently accused of 'deleting negative reviews', after a customer's eye-watering bill went viral last month

Reviews: Google reviews currently show a 4.8 star rating - with the site stating it was 'updated by the business a week ago

The restaurant now boasts 4.8 stars on Google and 4.7 stars on Facebook, where one client writes: 'What can I say apart from WOW! Yes the prices are not cheap but you get what you pay for in regards to service, ambience and quality of food and drinks.

'I was lucky enough to meet Nusret and hes a lovely, humble man. The theatre of performing the signature steak slicing by Nusret and then later the Baklava by another gentleman was absolutely fantastic.'

Only one less flattering review remains, with a customer branding it 'too expensive' and 'not child friendly'.

Celeb guests: The upscale eatery chain is owned by Turkish butcher-turned-chef Nusret Gokce, whose theatrical salt-sprinkling antics have earned him a celebrity following including David Beckham

The restaurant now boasts 4.8 stars on Google and 4.7 stars on Facebook, where one client writes: 'What can I say apart from WOW! Yes the prices are not cheap but you get what you pay for in regards to service, ambience and quality of food and drinks.'

Criticism: Only one less flattering review remains, with a customer branding it 'too expensive' and 'not child friendly'

Last month a customer's receipt from Nusr-Et Steakhouses showed how a single steak cost 630, with four Red Bulls costing 44.

The eye-watering bill from 'Salt Bae's' newly opened restaurant also shows the table of eight customers had a 236.40 service charge added to their spend.

Elsewhere, the customers paid 9 per glass of coke, 12 on four pieces of sweetcorn and 200 on a rack of lamb.

People have taken to Twitter to admit the prices on the viral receipt have discouraged them from visiting the restaurant, despite the opening having been highly anticipated.

Having a laugh! Last month a customer's receipt (pictured) went viral on social media after Twitter users spotted the eye-watering cost of Red Bull in addition to the service charge

Twitter user Jamil Amin shared a picture of the receipt with the caption: '44 great British pounds for four Red Bulls having a laugh.'

The post racked up almost 10,000 likes with many people admitting they are shocked by the staggeringly high prices on the menu.

One person wrote: 'What the f*** is a golden burger? 100 is it the best burger in the world? And 630 for a steak? Lol I would have refused to pay and walked out... That's absolutely ridiculous 44 for Red Bull is also a nonsense'

Another said: 'I hope the rest of the cow was given to you in a goody bag! 630 for a steak'

A third added: '9 for a coke. Bet the glass was short and thin and filled with ice to the brim. Lol' 'Why is baklava 22 lmao! I need to see that portion phew,' another wrote.

Rumours of Salt Bae's London branch have been circulating since 2017. He wrote on Instagram this week: 'I was waiting very long time but finally dream come true'

A flood of responses to the receipt questioned how the restaurant can justify charging 630 for a steak as well as 100 for a burger

Others were quick to comment on the 236.40 service charge, with one saying: 'It's the fact they have the nerve to add service charge after serving food and drink at 3 x the average price'

Another chimed in: 'Wow people are out here spending my entire bank balance in one night' A third said: 'The cheek to still charge service too! D*** that's a flight!'

'It's way cheaper to fly to Turkey and go to the original restaurant,' another joked.

Salt Bae, real name Nusret Gokce, owns a chain of Nusr-Et restaurants and is known for his theatrical salt-sprinkling antics

Twitter users have joked that it's cheaper to fly to Nusret's original restaurant in Turkey than to pay the 236.40 service charge
She's built an empire out of healthy living, and on Thursday Kayla Itsines revealed her favourite go-to healthy snacks.

The 30-year-old celebrity fitness trainer shared photos of three different snacks - veggies and hummus, Greek yoghurt and fruit, and peanut butter dates - on Instagram.

'Does anyone else hit about 3pm in the afternoon and feel like their eyes are slowly shutting and that their energy is crashing??' she captioned the post.

Afternoon munchies: She's built an empire out of healthy living, and on Thursday, Kayla Itsines revealed her favourite go-to healthy snacks

In addition to enjoying a healthy afternoon snack, Kayla also revealed her 'guilty' pleasure is coffee.

'I think that's surely a universal feeling!! I'm very guilty of reaching for more coffee oops haha... but if you're feeling like this, it's probably time for an energy boosting afternoon snack!' she continued.

After asking her 13.5 million followers to choose their favourite healthy snack, Kayla revealed hers.

Snack time: The 30-year-old celebrity fitness trainer shared photos of three different snacks - veggies and hummus, Greek yoghurt and fruit, and peanut butter dates - on Instagram

'I will take the Greek yoghurt option... and also a Greek coffee too. I actually love adding some honey and cinnamon to my Greek yoghurt!! THE BEST,' she wrote

'I will take the Greek yoghurt option... and also a Greek coffee too. I actually love adding some honey and cinnamon to my Greek yoghurt!! THE BEST,' she wrote.

In a separate post on Instagram earlier this month, Kayla revealed she has six 'go-to coffee orders'.

'Why stick to one type of coffee when you can alternate between six?' she captioned the post.

Caffeine fix: In a separate post on Instagram earlier this month, Kayla revealed she has six 'go-to coffee orders'

She said her favourites included a piccolo, iced latte, Greek coffee, long black, frappe with no milk, and a 'magic coffee', which is 'a double shot 3/4 latte'.

'And if you occasionally like your coffee in the form of a cake (I mean, who doesn't hahah....) it's a Tiramisu cake for me!' she wrote.

She added: 'It's my go-to birthday cake! SO GOOD.'
Omarosa Manigault Newman has made a shocking claim about former US President Donald Trump in the latest trailer for the forthcoming TV series, Big Brother VIP.

In the footage, the former political aide to Trump talks about the time she discovered his 'disgraceful obsession' when they opened a civil rights museum.

'I was organising the opening of a civil rights museum. He [Trump] was fascinated with the KKK (Ku Klux Klan) garb,' said Omarosa, 47.

Controversial: Omarosa Manigault Newman has made a shocking claim about former US President Donald Trump in the latest trailer for the forthcoming TV series, Big Brother VIP. Pictured, Omarosa in the new trailer

'He was obsessed with a white supremacist display. Who is this person?' she added.

Omarosa's recollection of the day's events left her fellow Big Brother Hotel guests stunned.

Omarosa went to the opening of the museum with Trump in Mississippi the weekend before she was fired from her role as his assistant in December 2017.

It is not the first time the reality TV star has made a bombshell claim about a former US President.

In the footage, the former political aide to Trump is seen talking about the time she discovered his 'disgraceful obsession'. 'I was organising the opening of a civil rights museum. He [Trump] was fascinated with the KKK (Ku Klux Klan) garb,' said Omarosa, 47. Both pictured

In another trailer for Big Brother VIP, Omarosa claimed former US President Bill Clinton slept with multiple women during his two terms in the White House - not just intern Monica Lewinsky.

'It wasn't just Monica,' said Omarosa, before adding,'There was a whole line of women.'

Ms Lewinsky infamously had a sexual relationship with Clinton between 1995 and 1997.

Insider information: It's not the first time the reality TV star has made a bombshell claim about a former US President. In another trailer for Big Brother VIP, Omarosa claimed former US President Bill Clinton slept with multiple women during his two terms in the White House - not just intern Monica Lewinsky

The scandal led to Clinton's impeachment by the House of Representatives the following year.

He was charged with lying under oath and obstruction of justice for the Lewinsky scandal and a separate sexual harassment case.

Clinton was eventually acquitted on both counts after both charges failed to receive the necessary two thirds majority vote needed for conviction and removal from office.

A young Omarosa worked in the office of Al Gore, Clinton's Vice President, as a 'scheduling correspondent'.

Claims: Omarosa claims Clinton (pictured in 1999) had 'a whole line of women' in the White House during his two terms as President of the United States - not just intern Monica Lewinsky

Affair: Clinton infamously had a sexual relationship with Ms Lewinsky (left) between 1995 and 1997. The scandal led to his impeachment by the House of Representatives the following year

She soon moved on to the White House personnel office and then the Commerce Department, where she held two different positions.

Omarosa went on to become a reality TV personality after her first stint in the White House, appearing on The Apprentice and The Ultimate Merger, before she returned to politics in late 2016 and joined Donald Trump's presidential transition team.

She became an assistant to Trump during his term in office and was also the director of communications for the Office of Public Liaison.

New career: The former politician became a reality TV personality after her first stint in the White House, appearing on The Apprentice and The Ultimate Merger, before she returned to politics in late 2016 and joined Donald Trump's presidential transition team

Forced out: Omarosa was unceremoniously fired in December 2017, just one year after taking office, after reportedly being caught abusing the White House car service

She was unceremoniously fired in December 2017, just one year after taking office, after reportedly being caught abusing the White House car service.

She has since publicly criticised the Trump administration numerous times.

Big Brother VIP premieres Monday, November 1 on Channel Seven
Paris Fury has revealed her sister Romain has the mental capacity of a 'five-year-old' after she developed whooping cough when she was six weeks old.

The wife of boxer Tyson Fury shared her secret family heartache in her new memoir Love and Fury, explaining she was left with brain damage after battling the disease as an infant.

Paris added that caring for her sister help her 'grow up faster' because she realised her sister would need 'a large amount of her parents' attention,' and she's learned how to 'love and support' her family.

Difficult: Paris Fury has revealed her sister Romain has the mental capacity of a 'five-year-old' after she developed whooping cough when she was six weeks old

In the opening pages of her memoir, Paris revealed her sister suffered from a severe case of whooping cough when she was a baby.

The mother-of-six has three siblings, a brother and sisters Romain and Montana.

In an extract from her book as published by The Sun, Paris said: 'At just six weeks old, she contracted whooping cough  a fairly common but highly contagious bacterial disease  and spent a lot of time in and out of Doncaster Royal Infirmary.

'Her case was more severe than most, sadly, and led to serious breathing difficulties that ultimately and tragically caused damage to her brain.'

Tough: The wife of boxer Tyson Fury explaining her sister's condition has taught her to 'support and protect' her family (pictured with her mun Lynda and sisters Montana and Romain, left)

Paris went onto reveal that doctors assured her parents that Romain would have full physical capabilities, but they were unsure whether she'd suffered any brain damage.

However, when she reached primary school age, Romain's development stalled.

In her book Paris continued: 'During a hospital appointment Mam and Dad were given the sad news that, in all likelihood, their daughter would forever have the mental capacity of a five-year-old.'

While detailing Romain's story, Paris noted she had to 'grow up faster' upon learning how much extra attention she needed from her parents, but it has also helped her to realise the importance of her family.

She added that Romain still lives with her parents, and her mother ensured that she and her siblings still enjoyed a happy, safe childhood.

Challenging: Paris explained that Romain's mental development stopped when she reached primary school age, and she is still cared for by her parents

Whooping cough, medically known as pertussis, causes coughing bouts which can last for up several months.

WHAT IS WHOOPING COUGH? Whooping cough, medically known as pertussis, causes coughing bouts which can last for up several months. It is spread through sneezes, and the first symptoms are often a runny nose, watery eyes and sore throat. The infection has its name because between coughs children can make a 'whoop' sound when they gasp for breath, the NHS says. Complications of whooping cough can include breathing difficulties, weight loss, brain damage and even death, in some cases. Complications of whooping cough can include breathing difficulties, weight loss, brain damage and even death, in some cases Advertisement

If the disease is developed in babies, it can cause severe complications including pneumonia, seizures and dehydration.

It comes after Paris also reflecting her relationship with Tyson by insisting she isn't with the sportsman for his vast fortune.

She told talkSPORT of her beau, 33: 'All the things we've been through, we've been together through six kids, that's what people don't know.

'People that are fans of us know that, but a lot of people look and think, "She's here for the money." They don't realise we've been together from like 15, 16.'

In the lead up to the release of her autobiography, Paris revealed the pair believe it important to keep their six children grounded despite their privilege.

She told OK! magazine, 'We're trying our hardest. I want the children to be grounded and have the normal upbringing me and Tyson both had.

'We'll go down the Poundshop and the B&M, and I'll say they can't have certain things. I'd be so disappointed if they grew up not knowing the value of anything, so we do try.'

Paris, who is set to release book Love and Fury later this month, has now been married to her sportsman beau for 12 years, with the couple sharing children Venezuela, 12, Prince John James, nine, Prince Tyson II, four, Prince Adonis Amaziah, two, and Athena, two months.
Jason Momoa has contracted Covid-19 while filming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom in the UK, a new report has claimed.

Insiders revealed to The Sun on Wednesday that the 42-year-old is now isolating after testing positive, with movie bosses hoping to stop any further outbreaks on set.

'Jason is fine luckily and is now isolating after getting a positive test. But it's a real headache for the film's bosses, who are now worrying about having to delay their tight filming schedule,' they claimed.

Tested positive? Jason Momoa, 42, 'has contracted Covid-19' while filming the Aquaman sequel in the UK and is now isolating, a new report claimed on Wednesday. Pictured at the Dune special screening in London on October 18

The source went on to say that they're 'hoping this is a one-off and that they can work around Jason and continue filming on the production'.

It's also been claimed that everyone on set is getting tested for Covid-19 regularly.

MailOnline has reached out to Jason's representatives for comment.

As of October 27, there were 43,922 new people confirmed with a positive test result for Covid-19 in the UK.

Working to a tight schedule: Insiders revealed to The Sun that movie bosses are 'hoping this is a one-off and that they can work around Jason and continue filming on the production'. Jason is pictured in 2018's Aquaman film

The UK is not yet 'on top' of the coronavirus pandemic but the Covid-19 vaccines are 'winning the battle', an expert has said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

Professor Anthony Harnden, deputy chairman of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), said the UK is making 'really good progress' but urged people 'not to throw it all away' and to get a booster jab when invited to do so.

The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) movie is being filmed at Leavesden Studios in Hertfordshire, and is slated for release in December 2022.

Injuries on set: Appearing on an episode of Ellen DeGeneres' talk show this month, the Hollywood actor discussed a myriad injuries he sustained on the set. 'I'm getting old, is what's happening,' he joked

Jason and many others from the 2018 film are returning, including Amber Heard, Nicole Kidman, Patrick Wilson, Willem Dafoe and Dolph Lundgren.

The original Aquaman movie was released in December 2018, and was one of the biggest hits in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU).

Aquaman took in $1.148 billion worldwide, the only DCEU movie to surpass the billion-dollar mark.

Earlier this month, Jason said he took a beating while filming the Aquaman sequel.

Long list of injuries: 'I messed up my eyes,' the Dune star said. 'I just got something in it that kinda cut it up, and then I've gotta get surgery. I have a hernia, I've got ribs out. I'm just getting beat up'

Appearing on an episode of Ellen DeGeneres' talk show, Jason discussed a myriad injuries he sustained on the set.

'I'm getting old, is what's happening,' the Hollywood actor joked.

'I messed up my eyes,' the Dune star said. 'I just got something in it that kinda cut it up, and then I've gotta get surgery. I have a hernia, I've got ribs out. I'm just getting beat up.'

Enthusiasm: Despite his injuries, Jason said that it was 'going to be a great movie, you're gonna love it'

Despite his injuries, Jason said that it was 'going to be a great movie, you're gonna love it.'

When asked by Ellen why he keeps getting injured during filming, he pointed to his enthusiasm as the main cause.

'I just kinda give it,' he said. 'I love my job and I get a little too excited. The age thing. I'm an ageing superhero now.'
Chloe Sims looked effortlessly chic in an all-black ensemble as she stepped out to film new TOWIE scenes in Brentwood, Essex on Thursday.

The reality star, 39, slipped into a black leather jacket, which she teamed with a black tank tops and black gloves.

She was joined by sisters Frankie, 26, and Demi, 25, who cut casual figures as they strutted down the street together.

Looking good: Chloe Sims looked effortlessly chic in an all-black ensemble as she stepped out to film new TOWIE scenes in Brentwood, Essex on Thursday

Chloe teamed her outfit with skintight black skinny jeans and over-the-knee black boots, with the stunner rounding off her look with a black handbag.

The mum-of-one swept her caramel locks into an elegant up 'do, while she upped the glam with a sleek palette of make-up.

Frankie meanwhile caught the eye in a bright green illusion top, which she teamed with slouchy black jeans and a monochrome jacket.

She added white trainers and hooped earrings to her relaxed look, while her blonde locks cascaded down her back.

Low-key looks: She was joined by sisters Frankie, 26, and Demi, 25, who cut casual figures as they strutted down the street together

Younger sister Demi echoed her chilled attire, opting for a striking black T-shirt featuring a skull and snake print.

The beauty added black and white joggers, white trainers and a designer handbag to her ensemble.

And while Frankie and Chloe appeared in the mood to smile, Demi cut a more solemn figure during the outing.

Elsewhere, Pete Wicks, 32, looked cool as he strutted down the street in an unbuttoned white shirt, black skinny jeans and tan boots.

Style Queen: Chloe teamed her outfit with skintight black skinny jeans and over-the-knee black boots, with the stunner rounding off her look with a black handbag

Catching the eye: Frankie meanwhile caught the eye in a bright green illusion top, which she teamed with slouchy black jeans and a monochrome jacket

Details: Frankie added white trainers and hooped earrings to her relaxed look, while her blonde locks cascaded down her back, while Demi echoed her chilled attire, opting for a striking black T-shirt featuring a skull and snake print

While co-star Bobby Norris, 35, donned a dark green polo shirt with black skinny jeans and white trainers.

Joining the group was pal James 'Diags' Bennewith, 30, who was seen driving his plumbing van down the street.

And it appears Diags was keen to promote his business Plumb Point as the side the of the van featured various images of his co-stars in an apparent advertising campaign.

Pete was seen holding up a toilet seat, before proceeding to sit on the loo in another snap.

While Roman Hackett was seen holding up a tool while wearing a pair of dungarees.

There he is: Elsewhere, Pete Wicks, 32, looked cool as he strutted down the street in an unbuttoned white shirt, black skinny jeans and tan boots

Walk this way: The tattooed hunk pouted for the camera as he made his way down the street

Style: While co-star Bobby Norris, 35, donned a dark green polo shirt with black skinny jeans and white trainers

While lovebirds Amber Turner and Dan Edgar featured in a bathroom scene, with Amber enjoying a bubble bath.

Their outing to film for TOWIE comes as Chloe and Pete fuelled relationship rumours once again.

The pair cosied up at Lympne Castle in Folkstone on Thursday to film the show's Halloween Special.

Showing off her sensational figure in a leather look corset and trousers, adorned with feathers, Chloe warmly embraced Pete as the cameras flashed.

On a mission: Joining the group was pal James 'Diags' Bennewith, 30, who was seen driving his plumbing van down the street

Out and about: Diags had a glint in his eye as he drove his van down the street

Promo: it appears Diags was keen to promote his business Plumb Point as the side the of the van featured various images of his co-stars in an apparent advertising campaign

What a look: Pete was seen holding up a toilet seat, before proceeding to sit on the loo in another snap

Looking good: While Roman Hackett was seen holding up a tool while wearing a pair of dungarees

The pair shared what looked to be friendly banter and happily posed for photos, with Pete wrapping an arm around Chloe's waist.

MailOnline has reached out to Chloe and Pete's representatives as to the status of their relationship.

Last month, the pair sparked reconciliation rumours when they departed the National Television Awards together in London.

Making a splash: Lovebirds Amber Turner and Dan Edgar featured in a bathroom scene, with Amber enjoying a bubble bath

Promotion: Pete pouted with a loo seat as he took centre stage on the side of Diags' van

Hilarious: Pete was clearly a good sport as he featured prominently on the van

They left the star-studded bash arm in arm with Chloe looking incredible in a figure-hugging white dress.

However in an interview with The Sun following the red carpet event, Pete revealed they are just 'friends'.

'Things are all good. We have known each other so long and we have been through so much so it is nice that we are back to having fun and being pals,' he said.

Reflecting on their breakup, Pete added: 'What happened was in the past. We are both over the situation. The foundation of me and Chloe is that we were such good friends.'
She recently enjoyed time in her home city of Perth with her husband Sacha Baron Cohen and their children.

And on Thursday, Isla Fisher shared a series of throwback photos from their recent trip to Instagram.

In one photo, the 45-year-old actress showed off her figure in a polka dot swimsuit as she stretched out on the sand.

Soaking up the sun: Isla Fisher showed off her figure in a polka dot swimsuit as she relaxed on the sand in throwback photos from her recent holiday in Perth

She also shared another image while enjoying a meal at a friend's home.

In a third image, Isla is pictured smiling and posing for the camera while running on the sand.

Isla returned to Sydney earlier this month after spending some time in Perth.

Good times: She also shared another image while enjoying a meal at a friend's home

She was recently spotted using crutches and attending a doctor's appointment after injuring herself.

Isla told Stellar magazine in March she feels 'safe' in her home country after moving back to Australia with her family.

'I just feel so safe, I suppose the word is cosy, when I'm in Australia. It's where I grew up,' said the Oman-born actress.

Memories: In a third image, Isla is pictured smiling and posing for the camera while running on the sand

'I'm the happiest when I'm home. I miss it when I'm not here. I don't feel any pressure when I'm in Australia. I don't have to say or do or be anything. I mean, I don't even have to wear shoes.'

Isla and her husband Sacha first met at a party in Sydney in 2002, and married in Paris in 2010 after she converted to the Jewish faith.

They moved from Los Angeles to Australia at the end of last year.
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Angelina Jolie was joined by her children as she went on another family shopping trip to the David Bowie '75' pop-up store in London's Mayfair on Thursday.

The Oscar-winning actress, 46, who was seen shopping in Oxford Street's H&M with daughter Vivienne, 13 on Tuesday, stepped out with son Knox, 13 and daughters Shiloh, 15 and Zahara, 16.

The family carried out bags of their purchases after a shopping spree at the Heddon Street store.

There they are: Angelina Jolie was joined by her children as she went on another family shopping trip to London's Dover Street Market, Heddon and Regent Street on Thursday (pictured with (L-R) Shiloh, 15, Knox, 13, and Zahara, 16)

Angelina looked chic as she donned a white sweater, paired with flared black trousers and heeled boots for the day out, while holding a hot drink in hand.

She wore her tresses in a chic updo and wore a 9 sustainable Evolve Together face mask.

According to the brand's website: 'The numbers on these masks are the global coordinates of the Icefields Parkway in Alberta, Canada  a reminder that were all connected no matter our gender, religion, race, or where we live.

Purchases: The family were seen visiting the David Bowie 75 pop-up store on Mayfair's Heddon Street, and carried out bags of their purchases after a shopping spree

'One of the top-rated drives in the world (with plenty of stops for hiking and picnics),

'Icefields Parkway stretches between two national parks and is home to over 100 ancient glaciers, rocky spires, breathtaking waterfalls, and untouched lakes tucked into valleys and forests.'

Meanwhile, Knox cut a trendy figure in a dark hoodie and grey trousers as he joined his mother.

Sister Zahara wore a black crop top, jeans and a brown cape as she walked arm-in-arm with her mother.

Day out: Zahara wore a black crop top, jeans and a brown cape as she walked arm-in-arm with her mothe

Fun: Shiloh looked in great spirits as she looked around a shop with her mother

Newly open: The pop-up store boasts an array of T-shirts, vinyl, CDs, posters, stickers and hoodies, while also acting as a mini museum to honour the late star (stock image)

Shiloh, 15, donned a graphic print hoodie and denim shorts, paired with boots.

The Bowie pop-up store boasts an array of T-shirts, vinyl, CDs, posters, stickers and hoodies, while also acting as a mini museum to honour the late star.

The group also popped into the trendy Dover Street Market - a popular destination among Londoners.

What did they buy: The inside of the store boasts an array of merchandise of the late star

Family day: Angelina strolled with son Knox as they also visited Dover Street Market

Mother and son: The Oscar-winning actress carried a hot drink into the shop

Chic as ever: Angelina looked typically stunning as she headed to the shop

Alright Knox? Angelina spoke to her son as they made their way into Dover Street Market

The Gone In 60 Seconds actress was joined by daughter Vivienne , 13, for an impromptu visit to the central London branch of H&M, where they were surrounded by stunned shoppers.

With her instantly recognisable features concealed behind a precautionary face covering, Angelina browsed the budget rails for some affordable apparel, including basic T-shirts, while Vivienne remained by her side.

The actress wore a monochrome houndstooth coat while making her way around the three-level store, a popular destination for fashion conscious teenagers and shoppers constrained to tight budgets.

Stunned: Angelina's appearance left onlookers stunned as she strolled with Zahara

Off they go: The kids were seen climbing into a people carrier with Angelina

Stylish: Angelina wore a black face mask as she headed to the car

Fortunately Angelina, whose net worth is estimated to be $120million, had no need to watch the purse strings as she paid for a range of items selected by her teenage daughter, her youngest biological child with ex Brad Pitt.

Angelina is a mother to six children in total; adopted sons Maddox, 20, and Pax, 17, and adopted daughter Zahara, 16, as well as Shiloh, 15, and twins Knox and Vivienne from her former marriage to fellow actor Brad Pitt.

Star-struck shoppers looked on as the celebrated actress draped a protective arm around Vivienne, who looked mildly startled by the attention their visit to the store inevitably generated.

Strut: The star made the streets of London her own personal runway as she walked in

Stunning: Angelina was as stylish as ever as she hit the shops with her family

Parked up: The family's car was seen parked up in front of the market

Angelina appeared to be taking a short break from her promotional commitments after arriving in London via Italy, where she attended the 16th Rome Film Festival premiere of her new film Eternals on Sunday evening.

Eternals is a 2021 Marvel film based on the fictional race of humanoids of the same name which appears in the American comic books.

The film sees the Eternals, an immortal alien race, come out of hiding for thousands of years to protect Earth from their evil counterparts, the Deviants.

The movie, which premiered in Los Angeles earlier this month and then in Rome on Sunday evening, stars Angelina as elite warrior Thena and Gemma as the character Sersi.

Unexpected:Angelina and daughter Vivienne made an unlikely appearance at a central London branch of H&M on Tuesday
Celebrities have been speaking out and showing support for the late cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was accidently killed by Alec Baldwin last week.

Sarah Paulson gave a $1,000 donation to a GoFundMe page set up for Halyna's family.

The fundraiser, which had an original goal of $10K, is now at $227K with over 3K donations.

Donation: Sarah Paulson gave a $1,000 donation to a Go Fund Me page set up for Halyna Hutchins' family; seen October 16, 2021 in Van Nuys, California

It was created five days ago and the description read: 'Local 600 mourns the passing of Halyna Hutchins, a Director of Photography who died from injuries sustained on the set of 'Rust' in New Mexico, on Thursday, October 21.'

Adding: 'Halyna is survived by her husband Matthew, and her 9-year-old son. In memory of Halyna, Local 600 has set up this GoFundMe page to help raise funds for her family at this difficult time. We encourage you to donate if you can.'

Cinematographers Reed Morano, ($1,500), Niels Alpert ($2000), and Larry Fong ($2500) also donated to the fundraiser.

On Tuesday, director Joel Souza was seen for this first time since the shooting; he was shot in the shoulder during the incident.

The latest: The latest: Celebrities have been speaking out and showing support for the late cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was accidently killed by Alec Baldwin last week

RIP: The fundraiser, which had an original goal of $10K, is now at $227K with over 3K donations

In exclusive pictures on Dailymail.com, the director was seen in a car in Palo Alto, California looking distraught.

He was released from Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in Santa Fe Friday.

On the same day of his sighting, the Santa Fe District Attorney revealed that there is a possibility of criminal charges in the accidental shooting since the firearm was 'legit' and an 'antique-era appropriate gun' and not a prop.

From the heart: The description of the GoFundMe page

Giving: Sarah Paulson and others donated to the fundraiser

Halyna died on Thursday after Alec, who was the lead in the movie Rust, shot her during rehearsals on accident.

He was handed a prop gun and told it was 'unloaded', according to an affidavit from statements from Souza and camera operator Reid Russell.

Souza told investigators with Santa Fe County Sheriff's office that he heard 'what sounded like a whip and then a loud pop.'

Recovering: On Tuesday, director Joel Souza was seen for this first time since the shooting; he was shot in the shoulder during the incident; Joel seen November 6, 2019 in NYC

He noticed Hutchins grabbing her midsection as she stumbled backward.

She 'was assisted to the ground' by other crew members and Reid Russell, a camera operator, recalled Hutchins saying she could not feel her legs.

An insider with knowledge of the set told TMZ on Saturday that several crew members on the set had taken several prop guns out the morning of the incident to go 'plinking' - a hobby in which people shoot at beer cans with live ammunition to pass the time.

The individual, who spoke on condition of anonymity, added that the round of unsanctioned target practice occurred last Thursday, just hours before Baldwin discharged one of the weapons and shot both Hutchins and Souza.
His profile is set to soar with a role in Marvel's upcoming film, Eternals.

And Kumail Nanjiani, 43, who is best known for his role as Dinesh in the HBO series Silicon Valley, admitted on Thursday's episode of Loose Women to feeling a 'little scared' to meet co-star Angelina Jolie on set.

The Pakistani-American actor also revealed how he kept the job 'a secret' for a year before shooting, only telling his wife Emily V. Gordon as no one would 'believe' him.

A little daunting: Kumail Nanjiani, 43, admitted that he was a 'little scared' to meet Angelina Jolie on the set of Marvel film Eternals, while appearing on Loose Women on Thursday

Kumail revealed on air how he's always been a 'huge fan' of co-stars Gemma Chan and Richard Madden, but found the idea of meeting Angelina, 46, a little daunting.

'I was a little scared to meet Angelina Jolie. I found out a year before I started shooting, so I had to keep this secret for a year,' he said.

Kumail added that he only told wife Emily of the blockbuster role as he felt no-one else would believe him.

'I was a little scared to meet Angelina Jolie': Kumail revealed on air how he's always been a 'huge fan' of co-stars Gemma Chan and Richard Madden, but found the idea of meeting Angelina, 46, a little daunting. Angelina is pictured at the Eternals UK premiere on October 27

'It was easy because my wife believed me but no-one else would, and I kind of liked having this secret to myself,' he said.

Kumail plays Kingo, one of the title characters in this highly-anticipated Marvel Studios adventure, arriving in theatres on November 5.

Eternals is based on the fictional race of humanoids of the same name which appears in the American comic books.

The film sees the Eternals, an immortal alien race, come out of hiding for thousands of years to protect Earth from their evil counterparts, the Deviants.

Keeping it a secret: The actor also revealed that he kept the job a secret for a year, only telling wife Emily V. Gordon of the role as he felt no-one else would 'believe him'. Kumail and Emily are pictured at the UK premiere last month. He donned a smart suit and a pair of Thursday Boots

Also starring in the film is Marvel Cinematic Universe's first openly gay superhero (Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos) who shares the franchise's first onscreen same-sex kiss with Haaz Sleiman, who plays his husband.

While filming wrapped in February 2020 after a six-month shoot, Kumail has since maintained his newfound muscles and overall ripped physique.

'I'll tell you, man, it's very easy to get obsessed with that number on the scale,' he admitted to Vulture this month.

Plot: Eternals is based on the fictional race of humanoids of the same name which appears in the American comic books. The film sees the Eternals, an immortal alien race, come out of hiding for thousands of years to protect Earth from their evil counterparts, the Deviants

Ripped: While filming wrapped in February 2020 after a six-month shoot, Kumail has since maintained his newfound muscles and overall ripped physique. Pictured in 2019

Dedicated: 'I'll tell you, man, it's very easy to get obsessed with that number on the scale,' he admitted to Vulture this month

'It's a tough thing. It's deceiving. You become obsessed with it. I certainly have, and for me, it's not great to weigh myself every day. I could tell you what I weigh today.'

He continued: 'The way I look has been way too important to me, and so to hear a bunch of people reaffirming my own darkest thoughts about myself was very difficult.'

His wife Emily addressed his obsessive personality to Men's Health last year, saying: 'He's obsessive. When Kumail gets into things, he gets really into things.'

Upcoming release: Marvel fans can catch Kumail as Kingo in Eternals from November 5
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His real estate portfolio has seen a few changes in the last few months.

And Gene Simmons added a new property to his estate with the purchase of a sprawling Beverly Hills mansion to the tune of $10.5 million.

Simmons, 72, sold his long-time Beverly Hills home in September before picking up a massive compound in Las Vegas on his quest to move out of the state of California, only to re-list the Sin City abode due to his lack of interest in the local weather.

Sweet dreams: Gene Simmons added a new property to his estate with the purchase of a sprawling Beverly Hills mansion to the tune of $10.5 million

The KISS frontman's new home was designed by Swiss architect Design21 with glass, steel, oak wood and concrete overlooking the mountains and valley crevice to the depths of the Pacific Ocean.

Spanning across 7,741-square-feet, the four-bedroom, five-bathroom home is two stories and is partially solar powered with roof panels to heat the pool and radiant heated floors.

Scenic views aren't limited to the outdoors as sophisticated designs provide mirrored hallways with an open floor plan, expansive kitchen, dining, living room and a home theater.

Sticking around? Simmons, 72, sold his long-time Beverly Hills home in September before picking up a massive compound in Las Vegas on his quest to move out of the state of California, only to re-list the Sin City abode due to his lack of interest in the local weather

Relax: The KISS frontman's new home was designed by Swiss architect Design21 with glass, steel, oak wood and concrete overlooking the mountains and valley crevice to the depths of the Pacific Ocean

Luxury: Spanning across 7,741-square-feet, the four-bedroom, five-bathroom home is two stories and is partially solar powered with roof panels to heat the pool and radiant heated floors

Retreat: Scenic views aren't limited to the outdoors as sophisticated designs provide mirrored hallways with an open floor plan, expansive kitchen, dining, living room and a home theater

Feng shui elements abound throughout the home which also includes an insulated green roof, eco-friendly materials, and windows with fire resistant and waterproof treatments.

Simmons, who hails from New York, said in May that he is moving to a 24-acre estate in Washington, near Mount Rainier, in order to pay less in taxes compared to California.

'California and Beverly Hills have been treating folks that create jobs badly and the tax rates are unacceptable,' Simmons told The Wall Street Journal.

Sweet dreams: Feng shui elements abound throughout the home which also includes an insulated green roof, eco-friendly materials, and windows with fire resistant and waterproof treatments

Simmons, who hails from New York, said in May that he is moving to a 24-acre estate in Washington, near Mount Rainier, in order to pay less in taxes compared to California.

Take a seat: His new home has a theater perfect for entertaining guests

'I work hard and pay my taxes and I dont want to cry the Beverly Hills blues but enough is enough,' he said.

He sold his longtime Beverly Hills home in September and set out for Vegas to live in the $8million mansion he purchased earlier this year, but Simmons told the Las Vegas Review Journal that his family didn't want to move to the home because of how hot the area was.

Although he gave the mansion a shot for a few months, once he went on tour it sat vacant as his family wasn't willing to live there, so he opted to put it back on the market for almost twice what he paid for it, and listed it in October for $14.95 million.

When the rocker was asked if he might buy another home in the area, he replied: 'Can you speak with God and change the weather?'
Craig Revel Horwood is reportedly set to marry his fiance Jonathan Myring at one of the most haunted places in the UK.

The Strictly Come Dancing judge, 56, is said to be tying the knot with his horticulturalist beau, 35, at a church near Rutland Water, in an area once known as Witches Heath, which was said to be known for being a witchcraft hotspot.

The area dates back to the 1800s and is believed to have been a meeting place for witches.

Spooktacular plans: Craig Revel Horwood is reportedly set to marry his fiance Jonathan Myring at one of the most haunted places in the UK

While Witches Heath, which surrounds the church, has a history of ghost sightings and murder.

An insider told The Sun's TV Biz column: 'This will no doubt come as a surprise to Craig, who probably didnt pick the location for its supernatural history, more its natural beauty.

'Thankfully, he also has a great sense of humour so wont see it as a hurdle to getting married there, unless hes been hiding a deeply superstitious streak.'

MailOnline have contacted representatives of Craig for comment.

Craig previously told of his wedding venue and plans to move to his partner's home town, stating to Daily Mail: 'It's in August 2023. We've booked the venue, which is gorgeous.

Uh oh: The Strictly Come Dancing judge, 56, is said to be tying the knot with his horticulturalist beau, 35, at a church near Rutland Water, in an area once known as Witches Heath, which was said to be known for being a witchcraft hotspot

'It's going to be on Rutland Water because we're moving to Northamptonshire, where Jonathan is from.'

The couple met on Tinder and got engaged in March 2020 during a holiday to Tasmania, before announcing the happy news the following month.

Last year, Craig announced he and Jonathan were postponing their nuptials to 2022, saying he wanted to avoid a small COVID wedding in favour of a huge bash with lots of guests.

Discussing the decision to do so with Best Magazine, he added: 'We're now planning to tie the knot in 2022. As you know, much of 2020 went out the window, it just disappeared.

'But it's been good for us for wedding planning. We know that we definitely want to have our big day at home, here in England.'

Speaking in 2020 about the change of nuptial plans, he explained: 'I want it to be big and fun, not a COVID wedding with five people there.

'It'll take a couple of years to plan it, but we're not in a rush.'

So happy: Last year, Craig announced to The Daily Mail he and Jonathan were postponing their nuptials to 2022, saying he wanted to avoid a small COVID wedding

The happy couple got engaged in March 2020 after his husband-to-be proposed during a trip to Tasmania, and Craig added: 'Then I'd love to jet off to the Maldives, then perhaps return to Tasmania on our honeymoon.'

Going on to talk about the possibility of having a family with Jonathan, he went on: 'I'm not ruling out kids, but I'm 55 and I'll be 56 in January.

'I'm getting a bit long in the tooth. Having said that, Elton John managed it, so why not? Never say never.'

In April that year, Craig revealed they were engaged and admitted he can't wait for the couple to spend 'the rest of their lives together.'

Craig was previously married to wife Jane for two and a half years; the former couple exchanged vows in 1990 when he was 25 and she was 30.

Plans: Speaking in 2020 about the change of nuptial plans, he explained: 'I want it to be big and fun, not a COVID wedding with five people there' (piuctured in 2020)

But he recently admitted the marriage collapsed after he caught her in bed with another man.

'Time was ticking. She wanted to have children and I thought, "Well, this is a really good opportunity,"' he told the Daily Mail in 2019. 'I was both gay and straight, so being bisexual, it wasn't a big issue for me or her.

'We were two people who loved each other, coming together and wanting to have kids before it was too late. But then it ended in adultery. That was after two-and-a-half years.

'When you find someone in bed with someone else and they say they are in love with them, that puts a dampener on it.'
She showed off her glamorous looks later in the evening with a black sequined Prada dress.

But Karlie Kloss was all business on Wednesday afternoon as she attended a board of directors meeting for W Media, the parent company of W Magazine.

The 29-year-old model look chic in a sleek tan suit from Another Tomorrow after the business meeting for the publication she helped purchase in 2020.

Suited up: Karlie Kloss, 29, was ready to do business on Wednesday at a board of directors meeting for W Magazine thanks to her chic tan suit from Another Tomorrow

Karlie's suit featured a loose-fitting set of pleated pants and a matching jacket, which she left unbuttoned.

She matched the suit with a tan mock turtleneck, and she dressed down a bit with brown leather loafers, which she wore without socks.

The 6ft2in beauty matched her mask to her ensemble and also carried a slim handbag slung over her shoulder.

She added some luster to her look with modest gold hoop earrings, which she highlighted by tying her blond tresses back in a messy ponytail.

Classy: She wore the suit with a matching tan mock turtleneck and brown loafers, while tying her blond locks back in a messy ponytail

New management: Karlie led a group of investors including Kaia Gerber and film producer Jason Blum to buy W Magazine and start the company W Media after Conde Nast sold off the property in 2019

Last year, Karlie led a group of investors to purchase W Magazine after the fashion publication was put adrift by its former owner Conde Nast.

The media group previously sold the magazine in 2019 to Future Media, which then ceased publication at the coronavirus pandemic was spreading across the globe in March 2020.

Karlie is part of a high-profile group including fellow model Kaia Gerber, film producer Jason Blum and others executives that helped relaunch the W Magazine under the new company W Media, according to Variety.

The magazine was originally launched in the early 1970s as a sister publication to Women's Wear Daily.

Although the catwalk star leads the group of investors, the purchase was masterminded by editor-in-chief Sara Moonves, the daughter of disgraced former CBS CEO Les Moonves who resigned in 2018 amid multiple allegations of sexual assault and sexual harassment.

Glowing: Karlie seemed to have been in a celebratory mood after the meeting, as she dressed to the nines in a black knit Prada dress covered in sparkling spangles and beads

Big night: She posed with Emily Ratajkowski for the launch dinner of W Magazine's 2021 New Originals issue

Karlie seemed to have been in a celebratory mood after the meeting, as she shared some of her stunning evening look to her Instagram stories later in the evening.

She looked glamorous in a black knit Prada dress that accentuated her trim figure and featured a bevy of large spangles and beads that made the outfit glitter in the night.

The fashion icon showed off her dress and her black Manolo Blahnik stiletto boots as she leaned against the pole of an awning in the city.

She shared in her caption that she was attending the launch dinner for W Magazine's 2021 edition of its New Originals issue.

Stopping to smell the flowers: Earlier on Wednesday, Karlie fit in some quality time with her seven-month-old son Levi Joseph. She posted a photo of the two looking down at some flowers, while Levi was strapped to her chest

Taking a ride: Another sweet image showed him going for a ride on a swing while strapped to her, though she obscured his face with a heart emoji

Earlier on Wednesday, Karlie fit in some quality time with her seven-month-old son Levi Joseph.

She posted a photo of the two looking down at some flowers, while Levi was strapped to her chest.

Another sweet image showed him going for a ride on a swing while strapped to her, though she obscured his face with a heart emoji.

She shares the tot with her husband Joshua Kushner, 36, whom she married in 2018.

It was reported earlier in October that the couple were asking for an incredible $23.5 million for their two-story Manhattan penthouse, after they purchased an upgraded penthouse for $42.5 million in the historic Puck Building, which is the same location as their previous home.

The 19th century building has been owned by Joshua's family for more than 30 years.

Family: She shares the tot with her husband Joshua Kushner, 36, whom she married in 2018. The couple recently put their penthouse on the market after moving to a fancier unit in the same building

On Thursday, Karlie rocked a more casual ensemble as she was spotted stepping out with baby Levi.

She was seen carrying his blanket-covered car seat while wearing a stylish trench coat.

She paired the jacket with a low-key white button-up shirt and slim jeans, as well as well as brown suede loafers.

The blond beauty blocked out the sun with chunky black glasses as she went out on a solo trip later in the day.

Taking it easy: On Thursday, Karlie rocked a more casual ensemble as she was spotted stepping out with baby Levi

Casual chic: She was seen carrying his blanket-covered car seat while wearing a stylish trench coat

No fuss: She paired the jacket with a low-key white button-up shirt and slim jeans, as well as well as brown suede loafers
She's focusing on her own relationship now more than ever.

And Shanna Moakler is reportedly taking things 'day by day' with boyfriend Matthew Rondeau following a few heavy weeks of off-and-on status changes.

Rondeau, a 29-year-old fitness model, told Page Six that the pair have come together once again to not only be the best people they can be for each other, but also individually nearly one week after her ex-husband, Travis Barker, proposed to Kourtney Kardashian.

Doing their best: Shanna Moakler is reportedly taking things 'day by day' with boyfriend Matthew Rondeau following a few heavy weeks of off-and-on status changes

Shanna seemed to be feeling the love as she shared a few pirate-themed snaps of her beau to Instagram on Wednesday.

While he wasn't quite ready to talk about their current status, he said: 'I admitat the time.. things were very difficult especially in our personal lives, which made things hard to focus on one another.

'However, Shanna and I have truly found what we needed more of and what was missing just to focus on the fun in life with one another and not letting anyone or anything take that away from us.'

'Were just taking things day by day living our best life as a team and I truly am happy knowing that shes by my side as we both continue to work hard everyday on our individual goals.'

Her jovial photo booth scene was a stark contrast to recent posts as days before, Shanna was trying to convince her followers that the past is in the past as she shared a clip from the Point of No Return to Instagram on Monday evening.

Tough call: Shanna Moakler is still trying to convince her followers that the past is in the past as she shared a clip from the Point of No Return to Instagram on Monday evening

Fans assumed her sly statement of 'I never did mind about the little things' was a nod to her ex-husband, Travis Barker, recently sharing a tattoo cover-up of her name with a new scorpion piece following his big engagement news to Kourtney Kardashian.

Shanna shared a bikini snap with her 315,000 loyal followers and wrote: 'The jungle is dark but full of diamonds.'

She stood among leafy greens wearing an animal print triangle top with matching bottoms and a pair of daisy dukes.

The 46-year-old former pageant queen has had a contentious time with Kravis, and even at one time admitted that their romance was 'putting a wedge' between her relationship with her kids.

The Blink 182 drummer dropped down to one knee and proposed to Kourtney on the beach overlooking the sunset in Montecito last week with her famous family looking on from the Miramar hotel.

Adventurous: Shanna shared a bikini snap with her 315,000 loyal followers and wrote: 'The jungle is dark but full of diamonds'

Inked up: Fans assumed her sly statement of 'I never did mind about the little things' was a nod to her ex-husband, Travis Barker, recently sharing a tattoo cover-up of her name with a new scorpion piece following his big engagement news to Kourtney Kardashian

Hours after the romantic proposal, Shanna took to Instagram with a not-so-subtle reaction as she dramatically admitted to being 'temporarily closed for spiritual maintenance.'

And while the happy couple were certainly in celebration mode, her ex, Scott Disick, became a trending topic after fans were curious about his reaction following his disastrous leaked direct message to her ex Younes Bendjima where he criticized Kourtney for too much PDA with Travis on their trip to Italy.

Travis famously filed for divorce from Shanna in 2006 after just two years of marriage following claims that she had been unfaithful.

Earlier this year, Shanna decried her exes very public new romance and told Us Weekly that it's negatively affecting the bond she has with her two kids.

'The Kardashians are buying my kids Prada every other day,' the former Miss USA told the publication.

Kravis forever! The Blink 182 drummer dropped down to one knee and proposed to Kourtney on the beach overlooking the sunset in Montecito on Sunday night with her famous family looking on from the Miramar hotel

Talk about it: Shanna Barker took to Instagram hours after the engagement with a dramatic reaction as she admitted to being 'temporarily closed for spiritual maintenance'

'They're going on lavish trips. They're doing all these things, which is fine. I think it's nice that they're being kind to my kids. I want that for my children.'

She noted that there's 'severe distancing' between her and Alabama, 15, and Landon, 18, and noted: 'I don't think it's great when they put a wedge in between their biological mother.'

Kourtney went public with her new romance at the beginning of the year, and has Reign, six, Penelope, eight, and Mason, 11, from her previous relationship to Scott Disick.

Shanna also recently told US Weekly that his infidelity with Kim Kardashian was the catalyst to finally end their relationship.

'I divorced my ex because, I saw them  I caught them having an affair,' she said.

'The Kardashians are buying my kids Prada every other day,' the former Miss USA told the publication. Travis and Shanna share Landon, 18, and Alabama, 15, in addition to her daughter, Atiana, from her previous relationship with Oscar de la Hoya

Shanna added that she 'saw text messages' between the pair and alleged the 'affair' took place before Keeping Up With The Kardashians premiered in 2007.

She claimed mutual friends of the trio told her of the alleged affair, stating 'they sent me all their [text] conversations and I'm also close friends with people who were there, while things were happening.'

According to Shanna's timeline, Kim was still working alongside Paris Hilton as her 'closet organizer' when she first came in contact with Travis.

She said: '[Travis] had already had an affair with Paris Hilton. And at the time Kim was Paris' closet organizer, they were best friends. And he started using [Kim] as a model for [his clothing company], Famous Stars and Straps.'

She added that she had asked her former husband to 'not to use' Kim as a model due to her direct ties to Paris, and that she and Travis had been 'working on our marriage and trying to heal through that affair', that but he continued to work with Kim despite her wishes.

Shanna continued: 'Then I received all the text messages and the other third parties kind of let me know. It's something I was well aware of.'

Meanwhile, Kourtney's ex took to Instagram to promote his Talentless tracksuit brand.

Scott sported black shades as he leaned against a wall while clad in a gray reflective tracksuit.

He captioned the shot: '@talentless elevated their collection by introducing a NEW reflective nylon tracksuit. This piece is the perfect layering item for fall/winter and available in only 2 colors - CHROME and MERLOT.'
Succession star Brian Cox is not holding back as he calls out some of his least-liked Hollywood faces in a fiery new memoir - that would make his character Logan Roy proud.

The 75-year-old actor lists a number of A-listers he doesn't think measure up to their reputations, including Johnny Depp and Quentin Tarantino, according to excerpts from his book Putting The Rabbit In The Hat shared on Thursday by The Big Issue.

The acting legend does not seem to be worried about his famous friends taking offense, and he shared that he won't be surprised if he does not 'hear from some people again.'

In one section of his memoir, Cox recounts how he turned down the role of the Governor in Depp's Pirates Of The Caribbean, which eventually went to Jonathan Pryce.

Telling it like it is: Brian Cox, 75, is flush with criticisms of Johnny Depp, Quentin Tarantino and others in his memoir Putting A Rabbit In The Hat, which was excerpted by The Big Issue; seen in 2019 in London

Cox seethes about how 'overrated' he finds Depp.

'Personable though I'm sure he is, is so overblown, so overrated,' Cox complained.

'I mean, Edward Scissorhands. Let's face it, if you come on with hands like that and pale, scarred-face makeup, you don't have to do anything. And he didnt,' he writes.

The Manhunter actor also got in a dig about Depp's more recent, less-acclaimed work.

'And subsequently, hes done even less,' he added.

Dodged a bullet: 'Personable though Im sure he is, is so overblown, so overrated,' Cox complained of Depp, whom he almost worked with on Pirates Of The Caribbean; seen October 19 in Belgrade, Serbia

Ouch! 'I mean, Edward Scissorhands. Lets face it, if you come on with hands like that and pale, scarred-face makeup, you dont have to do anything. And he didnt,' he writes

Cox also had harsh words for Once Upon A Time In Hollywood writer and director Quentin Tarantino.

'I find his work meretricious. Its all surface. Plot mechanics in place of depth. Style where there should be substance. I walked out of Pulp Fiction,' he shared.

Considering his dislike for Tarantino's style, Cox has never worked for the filmmaker, though he wouldn't necessarily be opposed to the paycheck if the opportunity ever presented itself.

'That said, if the phone rang, Id do it,' he added.

Cox was even more lacerating when it came to action star Steven Seagal, whom he acted opposite on his 1996 police thriller The Glimmer Man.

He didn't care for Seagal's 'studied serenity,' which he though just came off as 'ludicrous.'

'Steven Seagal is as ludicrous in real life as he appears on screen,' he writes. 'He radiates a studied serenity, as though hes on a higher plane to the rest of us, and while hes certainly on a different plane, no doubt about that, its probably not a higher one.'

Not a fan: Cox writes that Quentin Tarantino is 'all surface' and 'style where there should be substance,' adding that he 'walked out of Pulp Fiction'; seen in October 19 in Rome

Even beloved figures like David Bowie couldn't escape Cox's barbs.

The two appeared together on the British military series Redcap in the 1960s, where the future music icon's acting didn't impress him.

'A skinny kid, and not a particularly good actor. He made a better pop star, that much is for certain,' he said of Bowie.

Cox was mixed on Michael Caine, as he applauded his brand but bemoaned his lack of range.

'I wouldnt describe Michael as my favorite, but hes Michael Caine,' he writes. 'An institution. And being an institution will always beat having range.'

His costar Edward Norton, whom he appeared with in Spike Lee's modern masterpiece 25th Hour, got called out for being presumptuous.

'Hes a nice lad but a bit of a pain in the a** because he fancies himself as a writer-director,' he quipped.

Stick to music: Cox and David Bowie appeared on the 1960s British military show Redcaps, and he called him 'a skinny kid, and not a particularly good actor,' though he thought he was a better pop star; seen in 2010 in NYC

Limited range: The Succession star admitted Michael Caine had a strong brand, but said that 'being an institution will always beat having range'; Cox is seen on Succession

Cox also has some harsh words about his acting colleagues Gary Oldman, Daniel Day-Lewis and John Hurt, and Michael Gambon is a frequent target of criticism, according to The Big Issue.

But the Scottish actor isn't just out to settle scores, and he includes some praise for other actors who have inspired him.

Keanu Reeves appears to have won him over as he matured, and Cox calls him a 'seeker' who has 'actually become rather good over the years.'

Alan Rickman received some of the warmest words of any of his contemporaries that Cox mentioned.

He calls the Harry Potter actor 'one of the sweetest, kindest, nicest and most incredibly smart men Ive ever met.'

'Prior to acting hed been a graphic designer and he brought the considered, laser-like precision of that profession to his work,' he adds.

Improving with age: Rare praise was directed at Keanu Reeves, whom he said had 'actually become rather good over the years'; seen in 2019 in LA

Respect: Alan Rickman received some of the warmest words of any of his contemporaries. Cox calls him 'one of the sweetest, kindest, nicest and most incredibly smart men Ive ever met'; Rickman seen in 2003 in London

Cox also applauded Morgan Freeman, calling him an 'absolute gentleman' after he kept his cool during a difficult shoot.

He said the Unforgiven star was 'being the very epitome of Morgan Freeman. The Morgan Freeman you would hope to meet. The Morgan Freeman you encounter in your dreams.'

Cox admitted to the publication that none of his closest friends had had a chance to read his memoir yet, and he expected it would upset some of them.

'Im expecting probably never to hear from some people again. But thats the way it goes,' he said nonchalantly.
Molly-Mae Hague was escorted by her new bodyguard and a member of her team, a day after she hired full-time security services in the aftermath of an 800k burglary at her Manchester home.

The former Love Island star, 22, ensured all precautionary measures were taken as a security guard put her safely into a chauffeur-driven car.

Clearly seeking support from all angles, her team member chatted to the influencer while her bodyguard idled nearby.

Safety: Molly-Mae Hague was joined by lookalike sister Zoe (pictured) after recruiting full-time protection since 800k burglary

Molly-Mae has been left living in fear after 'an experienced gang' broke into the home she shared with her boyfriend Tommy Fury, also 22, in Hale, Manchester and 'took everything' including jewellery and designer goods.

A source told MailOnline: 'Molly's taking no chances - she's hired 24/7 Confidentiality Protection as well as her other security. She has completely moved out of her apartment now and will never return...

'She's upping the security before returning to the spotlight at her Halloween Pretty Little Thing meal in Manchester on Thursday night'.

Cheerful: Clearly seeking support from all angles, her team member chatted to the influencer while her bodyguard idled nearby

Bodyguard: Molly-Mae has been left living in fear after 'an experienced gang' broke into the home she shared with her boyfriend Tommy Fury , also 22, in Hale, Manchester

Precautionary: The influencer wanted to up security before returning to the spotlight

At around 10pm on Thursday 21 October, while the influencer and boxer were in London at her Beauty Works Christmas launch, an 'experienced gang' targeted their flat and stole the vast quantity of goods.

Sources revealed to MailOnline that the couple will 'never return' to the property after being left 'extremely shaken up' and terrified by the crime.

The insider said: 'They will never return back to their apartment again unfortunately they feel they have been targeted and don't feel safe there any more. They really loved living there its a shame they have been forced out of their home.'

Ordeal: At around 10pm on Thursday 21 October, while the influencer and boxer were in London at her Beauty Works Christmas launch (pictured) an 'experienced gang' targeted their flat

While Molly Mae and Tommy partied in London, the gang descended on their block of flats, in which there are five other properties.

An insider detailed: 'It seems to be an experienced gang who know what theyre doing as they have had machinery and waited for Molly and Tommy to be away...

'They have approached the property from the rear and smashed through their balcony windows and doors to gain access to their apartment. There is five apartments in the block but other neighbours were out too...

Shock: Sources revealed to MailOnline that the couple will 'never return' to the property after being left 'extremely shaken up' and terrified by the crime

Stunners: Zoe, 25, (pictured left) is a soldier who serves in the military medical corps (above, the sisters pictured with their mum)

Creative director: Molly-Mae was dressed to impress at PrettyLittleThing's Halloween bash on Thursday evening

'Time for a spooky TikTok': The influencer got into the spirit of the Autumnal celebration

'They have stolen approx 800k worth of belongings leaving them with nothing left other than what they had on them in their suitcases in London on the night of event..

'Molly was pictured that night when the robbery happened at her Beauty Works x Molly Mae event in London. They seemed to have got scared off and departed quickly possible across the park at the back. Its called Halecroft Park.'

In the wake of the incident, a representative for Molly told MailOnline: 'Molly is doing well considering the circumstances. It has been a very distressing time but she is trying to be as positive as possible'.

A representative for Greater Manchester Police told MailOnline: 'On Friday 22 October 2021 police received a report of a burglary at a property in the Hale Barns area...

During the burglary a number of items were taken, including jewellery. Enquiries are ongoing and no arrests have been made.'
Randall Emmett filed to reduce child support payments to his ex-wife Ambyr Childers amid a host of legal woes including 'significant debts.'

The 50-year-old movie producer asked the court to decrease a current order requiring he maintain a bank account of at least $50,000 to fund his children's non-tuition-related expenses.

Emmett, via court documents obtained by Page Six, explained that the order in place was nearly impossible to pay out as he's in debt and owes at least $500,000 to the Internal Revenue Service.

Hard time moving on: Randall Emmett filed to reduce child support payments to his ex-wife Ambyr Childers amid a host of legal woes including 'significant debts' (seen in 2013)

'If forced to continue making these deposits, Randall will fall deeper and deeper into debt and will be forced to file for bankruptcy,' the documents stated.

Emmett also claimed his ex-wife, Ambyr Childers, had spent money on luxury items that were 'not legitimate expenses' for their daughters.

The former couple were married from 2009 to 2017 and have two daughters: London, 11, and Rylee, 8.

Family: The former couple were married from 2009 to 2017 and have two daughters: London, 11, and Rylee, 8

Randall cited COVID-19 and the downturn in the movie industry for his change in finances.

'I only produced one movie in 2020, as opposed to several as in normal years, therefore, my income has been drastically reduced and I am having Iiquidity issues,' he wrote in his personal statement.

He noted that he had set up a $15,000-per-month payment plan to the IRS in addition to a $10,000 monthly arrangement with American Express to pay off debt.

Yikes: Emmett also claimed his ex-wife, Ambyr Childers, had spent money on luxury items that were 'not legitimate expenses' for their daughters; seen in 2013

'As such, the continued funding of this children's expenses account will cause me great financial hardship and force me to file for bankruptcy,' he continued.

In addition to his custody issues, Emmett's and his company are being sued for $281,000 in unpaid rent.

And while his finances are certainly out of order, so is his personal life as his estranged fiancee, Lala Kent, was spotted looking for apartments in the Santa Monica area last week with their seven-month-old daughter Ocean.

The Midnight in the Switchgrass director was reportedly caught cheating with other women while on a recent trip to Nashville, Tennessee.
'I wanted to honor my commitment, and I wasn't going to run away from what's coming at me,' she said

Erika Jayne nearly left the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills under the advice of her attorneys amid the embezzlement scandal with her estranged husband Tom Girardi, she revealed during the RHOBH reunion special.

In part three of the reunion, host Andy Cohen asked the 50-year-old blonde bombshell if she'd thought of 'quitting' and while she explained that her lawyers wanted her to bow out, she was 'not a quitter.'

Elsewhere in the episode, Erika claimed she did not know that her soon-to-be ex was allegedly stealing money from his legal clients.

Bow out: Erika Jayne nearly left the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills under the advice of her attorneys amid the embezzlement scandal with her estranged husband Tom Girardi, she revealed during the RHOBH reunion special

Jayne has been on the hot seat during the four-part reunion for season 11 over her financial troubles and divorce.

Erika and Tom were named as defendants in a federal lawsuit alleging they stole settlement funds meant for the families of the victims of the 2018 Lion Air crash.

As the case against the Girardi's unfolded, Erika said her own legal team told her to quit the show and stop filming season 11.

'I had nothing to hide. And they said, 'Well, you know, that can get flipped around on you.  Everything can be parsed, twisted, turned, and yes, possibly used against you whether it is true or not. It almost doesn't even matter at this point,' she explained.

Drama: In part three of the reunion, host Andy Cohen asked the 50-year-old blonde bombshell if she'd thought of 'quitting' amid her estranged husband's scandal and while she explained that her lawyers wanted her to bow out, she was 'not a quitter'

Andy probed further: 'Did you ever think of quitting the show?'

'Yes,' she replied. 'But I'm not a quitter, and I wanted to honor my commitment, and I wasn't going to run away from what's coming at me.'

There were many questions throughout the reunion about how much the Pretty Mess star knew about the alleged wrong doings of her 82-year-old estranged husband and his law firm, which is at the center of the scandal.

'I do not work at Girardi & Keese. All the financials are kept there,' Erika replied, referencing the downtown Los Angeles firm founded by Tom, when asked about her knowledge.

'I had nothing to hide. And they said, 'Well, you know, that can get flipped around on you.  Everything can be parsed, twisted, turned, and yes, possibly used against you whether it is true or not. It almost doesn't even matter at this point,' she explained.

'The answer is no?,' Andy asked. 'There's your answer,' confirmed Erika.

Andy also relayed a question from viewer Catherina from Sandy Springs, Georgia, who said, 'I have the $20 million question. Who believes Erika did not know anything about what Tom was doing?'

'I don't think she knew,' said Sutton Stracke, 50, who butted heads with Erika during season 11 of the Bravo show over the embezzlement scandal. 'I never thought she knew,' added Kyle Richards, 52. 'I don't think Tom Girardi told her anything,' said Lisa Rinna, 58.

Hot seat: There were many questions throughout the reunion about how much the Pretty Mess star knew about the alleged wrong doings of her 82-year-old estranged husband and his law firm, which is at the center of the scandal

'I don't think Tom would be sharing everything with Erika. But I also think Erika was living such an amazing life that maybe if there were signs, she didn't want to know,' said Garcelle Beauvais, 54.

Show newcomer Crystal Kung Minkoff, 36, imagined if her director husband Rob Minkoff, 59, did this to her that she would be upset and asked Erika where her anger was toward Tom.

'Where do you think it is? You think I don't have any because you haven't seen it? Or I haven't shown enough f***ing anger here today? What do you want me to do?,' Erika barked back.

'I don't think she knew,' said Sutton Stracke, 50, who butted heads with Erika during season 11 of the Bravo show over the embezzlement scandal. 'I never thought she knew,' added Kyle Richards, 52. 'I don't think Tom Girardi told her anything,' said Lisa Rinna, 58.

She recalled her previous statement during the reunion when she said, ''I wonder who I was married to for 20 years'' and asked Crystal if she forgot her saying that.

'I am very angry. Hear it in my voice. All right?,' Erika said. Lisa chimed in that everyone wanted Erika to beat up on Tom.

Erika filed for divorce from Tom in November 2020 and they were both named as defendants in a federal lawsuit filed in December 2020 alleging they stole settlement funds meant for the families, including widows and orphans, of the victims of the 2018 Lion Air plane crash.

The once powerful Los Angeles lawyer also had been the subject of numerous bar complaints alleging financial malfeasance involving millions of dollars owed to clients, including female cancer victims and a burn victim.

Good question: 'What will you do?,' Andy asked Erika

A documentary on their legal troubles titled The Housewife And The Hustler was released in June on Hulu.

'Had you heard that Tom was in financial straits,' Andy asked Erika.

'No. And you can look at the money, I forget how much we, the firm, made year after year. It was a lot,' Erika said.

'You're saying you had never heard that Tom was in any disrepair in the years leading up to this?,' Andy questioned her.

'That's not true. I told you I was being sued as a named defendant in a law lending institution out of Arizona,' Erika said as Andy showed a clip about the 2019 lawsuit.

Anger rising: 'I looked at him and I said, 'What is this and why am I involved? And he said, ''It's bulls***, don't worry about it'. And everything was like that. Am I angry now enough for you?,' Erika sharply said

'I looked at him and I said, 'What is this and why am I involved? And he said, ''It's bulls***, don't worry about it'. And everything was like that. Am I angry now enough for you?,' Erika sharply said.

Erika earlier during the reunion told Kyle and Dorit Kemsley, 45, that her feelings were hurt when she watched the episode in which Kyle and her husband Mauricio and Dorit and her husband PK enjoyed a laugh at her expense.

'To watch the four of you mock my life and mock my family really hurt me. Especially after PK had been so kind and we'd worked so hard on our relationship. That sucked,' Erika said.

The RHOBH reunion will air its fourth and final episode next week on Bravo.

Brand new The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is now streaming on hayu in Australia, plus relive every episode ever - only on hayu in Australia.
Oscar winner Marion Cotillard and Godzilla vs. Kong actress Eiza Gonzalez have joined the star-studded cast of Extrapolations as art dealer Sylvie Bolo and artist-influencer Elodie, respectively.

Creator Scott Z. Burns' eight-episode drama series - premiering next year on Apple TV+ - centers on how climate change 'affects love, faith, work, and family on a personal and human scale.'

'The series is currently in production,' reported Deadline.

Signed on! Oscar winner Marion Cotillard (L) and Godzilla vs. Kong actress Eiza Gonzalez have joined the star-studded cast of Extrapolations as art dealer Sylvie Bolo and artist-influencer Elodie, respectively

'The series is currently in production': Creator Scott Z. Burns' eight-episode drama series - premiering next year on Apple TV+ - centers on how climate change 'affects love, faith, work, and family on a personal and human scale'

'Each story in the scripted series will track the worldwide battle for our mutual survival spanning the 21st century.'

Burns (The Report, Pu-239) previously produced Davis Guggenheim's 2006 global warming documentary An Inconvenient Truth.

Also added to the cast on Thursday were Oscar winner Forest Whitaker and former Spider-Man Tobey Maguire in the roles of small-time investor August Bolo and kelp farmer Nic, respectively.

Gonzalez took to Instagram on Thursday to share her excitement over the environmentally-conscious show: 'THIS story with THIS cast! Eek!'

At the helm! Burns (3-R, pictured in 2006) previously produced Davis Guggenheim's 2006 global warming documentary An Inconvenient Truth

Leading men: Also added to the cast on Thursday were Oscar winner Forest Whitaker (L) and former Spider-Man Tobey Maguire (R) in the roles of small-time investor August Bolo and kelp farmer Nic, respectively

Gonzalez took to Instagram on Thursday to share her excitement over the environmentally-conscious show: 'THIS story with THIS cast! Eek!'

'Congrat E!' The Mexican-born 31-year-old received congratulatory comments from her celeb gal pals Sara Sampaio, Cara Santana, Camila Mendes, and Jamie Chung

The Mexican-born 31-year-old received congratulatory comments from her celeb gal pals Sara Sampaio, Cara Santana, Camila Mendes, and Jamie Chung.

When Hamilton alum Daveed Diggs was cast as Rabbi Marshall Zucker on October 19, he tweeted: 'The team on this one is extraordinary. It's an absolute joy to work on. In my experience, that usually translates to a great show. Excited for y'all to see it!'

Meryl Streep's role has not been disclosed but Gemma Chan plays micro-finance banker Natasha Alper and Sienna Miller plays marine biologist Rebecca Shearer.

Kit Harington, David Schwimmer, and Matthew Rhys will tackle roles as industrial giant CEO Nicholas Bilton, father Harris Goldblatt, and real estate developer Junior.

When Hamilton alum Daveed Diggs was cast as Rabbi Marshall Zucker on October 19, he tweeted: 'The team on this one is extraordinary. It's an absolute joy to work on. In my experience, that usually translates to a great show. Excited for y'all to see it!'

Ladies: Meryl Streep's (L) role has not been disclosed but Gemma Chan (M) plays micro-finance banker Natasha Alper and Sienna Miller (R) plays marine biologist Rebecca Shearer

Gentlemen: Kit Harington (L), David Schwimmer (M), and Matthew Rhys (R) will tackle roles as industrial giant CEO Nicholas Bilton, father Harris Goldblatt, and real estate developer Junior

Rounding out the cast: The White Tiger star Adarsh Gourav plays a driver for hire and The Mauritanian star Tahar Rahim plays Ezra Haddad, a man struggling with memory loss

The White Tiger star Adarsh Gourav plays a driver for hire and The Mauritanian star Tahar Rahim plays Ezra Haddad, a man struggling with memory loss.

'The only thing we know for sure about the future is that we are all going there together,' Scott told Deadline on October 19.

'And we're taking with us our hopes, our fears, our appetites, our creativity, our capacity for love, and our predilection to cause pain. These are the same tools that storytellers have been using since the beginning of time. Our show is just using them to keep time from running out.'
Alice Evans alleged that Ioan Gruffudd told her that he would leave her if she 'gained weight' in her latest tirade against her estranged husband.

The actress, 50, launched into a fresh Twitter attack against the Welsh actor, 48, after revealing her young daughter is 'inconsolable' over her father's new romance.

Ioan revealed his romance with Bianca Wallace, 29, by sharing a loved-up image on his social media account, with Alice then launching various tirades on Ioan, accusing him of engaging in the romance for three years.

It comes after Ioan filed for divorce from Alice in March, citing irreconcilable differences as the reason behind their split.

In her latest string of ranting tweets, Alice shockingly alleged that Ioan told her more than once that he would leave her if she 'gained weight'.

Row continues: Alice Evans launched into a Twitter tirade against Ioan Gruffudd (both pictured in 2018) after revealing her young daughter is 'inconsolable' over her father's new romance

Her comments came in response to a tweet which read: 'Some words of caution for new side chick and marriage wrecker @BiancaWarren... don't gain an ounce of weight.

'@IoanGruffudd likes his women anorexic skinny. Time to dig out the thighmaster and cigarettes.'

Alice replied to the tweet with a row of crying laughing faces, before insisting that the Twitter user was 'not wrong' in their claims.

She added: 'You're not wrong. He told me several times over the years that he couldn't abide 'fatties' and he would leave if I gained weight.

'I guess he was true to his word this time!'

Fat shaming: In her latest tirade, the actress, 50, alleged that her estranged husband, 48, told her more than once that he would leave her if she 'gained weight'

New love: Ioan revealed his romance with Bianca Wallace, 29, by sharing a loved-up image on his social media account, with Alice then launching various attacks on Ioan

MailOnline has contacted Ioan's representatives for comment.

In her frequent online candor, last month, Alice lamented losing her 'pre-pandemic thinness', as she shared a svelte throwback snap and penned: 'Oh, pre-pandemic thinness, where did you go?' (sic).

When a fan wrote: 'Oy I can relate', she replied: 'right! It's only when your phone throws you a 'MEMORY' that you didn't ask for. And you're like wait that was ME???'

Amid her latest string of shocking allegations against Ioan, she claimed her young daughter is 'inconsolable' over her father Ioan's new romance - after he promised her last week he didn't have a girlfriend.

The mother revealed Elsie has had to stay off school, claiming: 'Her whole little world has collapsed.'

Alice said that Ioan is yet to tell their children - Elsie, eight, and Ella, 12 - about their divorce and they are under the impression that he may come home.

She wrote on Twitter: 'He hasn't even told them about the divorce yet. They think he might come back. All his clothes are still where he left them a year ago. Toothbrush, creams, everything.

Tough times: On Wednesday, Alice was seen with supportive friends waving her wedding-ring free hand shortly before she continued her Twitter tirade

When quizzed on whether he has 'regular contact' with his daughters now he is no longer living in the family home, she said: 'No. He calls Elsie for 2 minutes twice a week and talks about how beautiful his hotel is.'

On Wednesday, Alice was seen with supportive friends waving her wedding-ring free hand shortly before she continued her Twitter tirade, which was laden with shocking claims about the couple.

She launched her furious attack on the couple moments after both Ioan, 48, and Bianca, 29, shared a loved-up image on their respective social media accounts - as she accused the Liar actor of engaging in the romance for three years, while also claiming she was 'friends' with Bianca prior to the affair.

As her online pals and critics flooded social media with response to her diatribe - with both positive and negative comments - Alice spent hours responding to the messages with explosive claims and bold comments, including allegations that Ioan promised their daughters Ella he would stay single.

Following her tangent, she later took to Twitter to insist using a public platform to vent had 'helped her' despite claims she was 'embarrassing herself', before vowing to 'stay away herewith'.

Alarming: Alice has accused the Liar actor of engaging in the romance for three years, while also claiming she was 'friends' with Bianca prior to the affair

After her meeting, Alice took to Twitter to repeatedly likened her agony to her grief after losing her Mum, Dad, step-sister and best friend, accused Ioan of cruelty in branding her a 'bullying manipulator' and defended airing her dirty laundry online - as she insisted those who took issue with her behaviour should 'just scroll past'.

Alice lost her mother in September 1999 and her 15-year-old step-sister died by suicide in February 2012.

In her most recent post, she penned: 'Ok guys, thank you so much for allowing me to talk and work all this out with you. Ioan and I had been together for 22 yrs ad not a day had gone by without taking to each other. What I found out today ripped my heart out. Twitter has allowed me to get a sense of what is 1/2...

'Wrong and what is right. I know a lot of you felt I was embarrassing myself by discussing it publicly but try to understand how much that helped me - as did all of you with all your amazing thoughts. I'll try to stay away hereforth. (Unless something even worse hits me!)'.

Following Ioan's post about Bianca 'putting a smile on his face again' Alice launched her tirade, in which she made the accusations about the couple's romance - insisting they were a couple for three years.

Promise: Following her tangent, she later took to Twitter to insist using a public platform to vent had 'helped her' despite claims she was 'embarrassing herself', before vowing to 'stay away herewith'

Open and honest: In her frequent online candour, last month, Alice lamented losing her 'pre-pandemic thinness', as she shared a svelte throwback snap and penned: 'Oh, pre-pandemic thinnness, where did you go?'

After her initial outburst, wardrobe assistant Amy Douglas - a friend and co-worker of Ioan, who worked with the star and Bianca on Australian series Harrow - denied Alice's claims in a series of tweets, as she accused Alice herself of being 'abusive,' and insisted they didn't begin speaking until filming for series three began in 2020.

Amy, who said Ioan and Bianca gave her permission to speak, defended her pals after Alice accused her husband of cheating on her for three years with the actress, who is 21 years her junior, telling fans she was 'lost and sad.'

In response to Amy, Alice later penned: 'You totally and absolutely know that they started seeing each other before he told me he didn't love me and wanted a divorce. If you want to get into this we can. But spitting on the victim isn't a great look. Even for a fashion designer.'

When one of her Twitter followers wrote: 'Alice, my dear. You are above this public exposure. Please don't', Alice replied: 'But my friend, my entire life has been brought to it's knees. I have nothing left. The threats are worse. What would you suggest? (And you know ai value your opinions)'.

Another online pal wrote: 'You have all of us. We may not know each other outside of twitter but id definitely be there helping you as much as possible if I could. This is going to be one of the hardest journeys in your life but youre strong and those girls will grow up strong because of you.'

Alice graciously replied: 'Thank you. And it doesn't matter. In the future it WON'T matter. People still talking about "IRL" friends are like the ones that were taking about the wall phone spoiling letters, or books spring toys. We evolve. MOST of my friends are online friends!'

When one of her followers jumped to Ioan's defence, Alice replied: 'Miranda - HE has been talking terribly TO MY FACE for months. And instead of saying Look I'm sorry, I've fallen love, he's told me I'm basically worth nothing...

Rage: In response to Amy, Alice later penned: 'You totally and absolutely know that they started seeing each other before he told me he didn't love me and wanted a divorce. If you want to get into this we can. But spitting on the victim isn't a great look. Even for a fashion designer'

'He IS. But at the same time he released an instagram photo today showing more or less what everybody had been thinking. So not only has he gone against his "OFW" only thing he's gone against his 'no family photos' tooz! I mean - WHO doesn't want pics of their kidsz.'

The follower then wrote: 'Youre constantly trying to shame this guy, whats the plan here? Force him to stay with you? Force him to love you? If a person feels like they dont want to be with someone anymore, they have a right look for happiness elsewhere. Marriage is not owning another person. 2/3'.

Alice replied: 'What? Would it be too much to ask that if he falls in love with a mother woman after 20 years together he sits me down and tell me kindly? Rathe than spending 18 months sending threats via lawyers, refusing to speak to me and telling everybody I am a bully and a manipulator?

Continuing in their reactions, the follower penned: 'I really do feel your pain Alice, its one of the worst things in the world to be left & told youre not loved anymore, but what are you trying to achieve here? Its like youre trying to reason feelings, someone fell out of love with you...

Anger: She hit out at her critics and thanked others for their support in her slew of angry tweets

'It happenened to everyone of us. 1/3... I really do have sympathy, someone you love leaving you is the worst, but also shes too cought up in her pain, not seeing shes hurtful to others too. She says he had to let her know hes dating someone. But did she let him know she will trash him on Twitter when this started?'

An enraged Alice then wrote: 'WHAT? WHAT THE F**KIN F**K? Who am I 'hurting"? I gave my beloved career because nothing shoots in LA and we were a TEAM. How can you POSSIBLY compare the feeling I have now to somebody whose feelings are hurt? This is worse for me than losing my Mom. Or my sister.'

Another follower said of Amy and her intervention: 'Uh who is this person??? She doesnt know s**t. Just trying to cover up to their cheating ways', leading to Alice writing: 'Her name is Amy Douglas. She has worked precisely ONCE on a film - on ONE episode of HARROW, dressing Extras. Bianca Wallace was an Extra, I'm not sure for how may days or scenes. Seem they got friendly.'

One follower claimed Alice's behaviour was down to her star sign, writing: 'This is a very Leo moment. Attention over anything. Even when its embarrassingly desperate. It makes me sad Folded handspraying for you'.

Denial: After her initial outburst, wardrobe assistant Amy Douglas, and a friend of Ioan's, denied Alice's (pictured in 2015) claims as she accused Alice herself of being 'abusive'

Not happy: She was responding with rage at the situation

Alice swiftly responded: 'Absolute crock of s**t Leo whatever. Nothing this horrific has ever happening to me in my life (despite losing Mum, Dad, Step-sister, best friend) I do not want attention. I CERTAINLY do not want your prayers. Think I'm 'embarrassingly desperate? In your dreams a*shole'.

She then refused to be titled a victim, writing: 'Oh Jeez. I am not "a victim". I am "the victim" in this particular scenario. However I come from nothing and everything ai have achieved I have done so of my very own bat. This too shall pass. Victim - my a*s.'

In further messages, she revealed her children were aware of the drama, writing: 'We're all around the breakfast table and Ella has already seen in on hers. Mine comes up . (Elsie has it on hers but isn't really interested). What do you think "not telling the truth" to kid it's a good MO?...

Anger: She made her rage known on social media later in the day

'I did! What's the alternative? Letting her go on thinking her Dad 'would never have another girlfriend', mantra she's gotten by on for the last year? You think I should lie for him????'

She continued: 'I've never gotten to understand the people that don't like divorce fights of dirty linens fights on twitter. Why don't they scroll past? My take? Disingenuousness. The have a dog in the race (in this case it's not me) But they don't have the intellectual smarts to explain why... are you really THAT dim?...

'I said "He blamed the collapse of our marriage on things I had done wrong, forcing me to try to change myself, when all the time he was s**ggin the 20 yo extra and I had nothing to do with it. HE LIED. He could have told the truth. How hard is that?... Oh wait! I get it! Are you saying there are "RULES"? God I'm so silly. So...

'Tell me where the rules are. Clearly in marriage, there are no RULES. Who agrees? (Cos he can go off and shag a random while we're still married) So twitter if s/o hurts me, I have to stay [quiet]'.

One fan brought her attention to the image, saying: 'Have you seen this? I'm sure you have', to which Alice responded: 'Yep. It was my first cry of the morning. I hope the middle thing is not a ring', making reference to the shooting star emoji he included in his post.

Prior to her latest onslaught on tweets, sources spoke to The Sun about the scenario, with insiders stating: 'Ioan has denied so many things since they separated, and at times Alice began to doubt herself and wonder if she had things wrong in her own mind. But now she feels as though this confirms all of her beliefs.

Pain: One fan brought her attention to the image, saying: 'Have you seen this? I'm sure you have', to which Alice responded: 'Yep. It was my first cry of the morning. I hope the middle thing is not a ring', making reference to the shooting star emoji he included in his post

'She had asked him many times if this was all about someone else, but Ioan told her it wasn't  even though she suspected that may have been the case because his behaviour towards her changed so dramatically.

'Now that she knows he has met someone else  and it's someone he has known for so long  all of her other suspicions and doubts have come flooding back and it has totally floored her.

'Stuff she had been able to bury and move on from is now back at the forefront of her mind and she has all of those suspicions and uncertainties again. It's a terrible time for her.'

An industry insider continued: 'He seemed to feel his relationship with Alice was over anyway and didn't go to huge lengths to hide anything. He and Bianca certainly seem very happy and comfortable together. Hopefully it works out for the best for everyone in the end.'

Following the post, Alice accused Tamzin Outhwaite of 'knowing about it' under Ioan and Bianca's romantic post. In a now-deleted comment, the former EastEnders actress wrote: 'You look amazing. And younger somehow.'

Alice then furiously responded: '@glamzin Tamzin? WTH? You knew about this???' But Tamzin has since denied she had any knowledge of Ioan's relationship with Bianca, telling MailOnline: 'I didn't know about it. But I have nothing to say.'

Rage: She hit out at Bianca and alleged that they were friends

Alice's tweets came just minutes after Ioan made his romance with Bianca 'Instagram official' by sharing a beaming image showing him on-set alongside the caption: 'Thank you for making me smile again' - which her sister Chanel then shared herself and thanked Ioan for bringing Bianca happiness.

A look at Bianca's social media channels sheds insight into the life of the Australian actress, whose Instagram is a hotbed of steamy bikini-clad snaps, while her Twitter is reserved for profound quotes and multiple retweets from accounts centred around the Law Of Attraction - a spiritual movement focused on bringing positivity to one's life.

Alice hasn't been shy of airing the breakdown of her marriage to Ioan on social media, and previously slammed him for being 'devoid of any empathy' and 'disingenuous'.

Ioan filed for divorce from Alice in March, citing irreconcilable differences as the reason behind their split.

The document, which was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on March 1, revealed the former couple separated on New Year's Day - a month before they went public with their relationship status.

At the time, they had shared a joint statement that read: 'As you can imagine, this is an incredibly difficult time for our family and we remain committed to our children. Thank you for respecting our privacy.'

It was also reported the divorce papers state the exes are in a 'collaborative process and intend to resolve all issues including spousal support by written agreement'.

Sister act: Bianca's sister Chanel, 26, gave the relationship a firm seal of approval, as she shared the post on her Instagram stories

Alice, meanwhile, had addressed the pair's split in a shock statement shared to Twitter in January in which she claimed Ioan had 'mentally tortured' her.

The mother-of-two also accused her estranged husband of 'winding the s**t up me' as she posted a vitriolic video about their 'collaborative divorce' talks.

Alice and Ioan met on the set of 102 Dalmatians in 2000, when Alice was in a relationship with Pablo Picasso's grandson Olivier.

She and Ioan became engaged six years later after she gave him an ultimatum about their relationship, and they tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in Mexico in September 2007.

Ioan hasn't publicly addressed the couple's divorce.
Matthew Perry will tell the story of his life and career in an upcoming autobiography.

The actor secured a reported seven-figure deal to give the exclusive worldwide rights to Flatiron Books, a division of Macmillan, according to Deadline.

Perry rose to fame in the 90s as Chandler Bing on the sitcom Friends but during his time in the spotlight he's struggled with substance abuse and addiction.

Tell all: Matthew Perry will tell the story of his life and career in an upcoming autobiography for Flatiron Books. He reportedly secured a seven-figure deal for the manuscript

It will be the first memoir written by any of the Friends, who include Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer and Lisa Kudrow.

According to Deadline: 'It is set to be a candid and self-aware book told with his trademark humor, with Perry vividly detailing his lifelong battle with the disease [of addiction] and what fueled it despite seemingly having it all.'

The yet-to-be-titled tome plans for a fall 2022 publication.

Megan Lynch, publisher of Flatiron Books, will edit.

Speaking of the project with Deadline, she said: 'We need humor, we need catharsis, and we need to agree on somethingand Matthew's extraordinary story, told in his inimitable voice, is that thing.

Life: According to Deadline 'It is set to be a candid and self-aware book told with his trademark humor, with Perry vividly detailing his lifelong battle with the disease and what fueled it despite seemingly having it all'

Big money: From 2002 to 2003, the star earned and eye-popping $24M to portray Chandler Bing on Friends, which ran for 10 seasons spanning 1994 to 2004

Perry has had his highs and lows throughout his three-plus decades in the limelight.

The Fools Rush In star has had his highs and lows throughout his three-plus decades in the limelight.

From 2002 to 2003, the star earned and eye-popping $24M to portray Chandler Bing on Friends, which ran for 10 seasons spanning 1994 to 2004.

Matthew has battled addictions to Vicodin, methadone, amphetamines and alcohol through the years, and also had two stints in rehab.

Most recently, he caused concern after appearing to be out of sorts during his appearance on the Friends reunion special for HBO Max back in May, making headlines for bringing a 'palpable unease' to the long-hyped special.

Worse for wear: Matthew has battled addictions to Vicodin, methadone, amphetamines and alcohol through the years, and also had two stints in rehab. He's seen in 2015 above

'The One Where They Get Back Together': Perry last made headlines for bringing a 'palpable unease' to the long-hyped Friends: The Reunion, which aired May 27 on HBO Max

Perry admitted he doesn't hear 'from anyone' in the cast and used to feel 'like I was going to die if the [audience] didn't laugh' while acting on the NBC sitcom.

'It's not healthy, for sure, but I would sometimes say a line and they wouldn't laugh and I would sweat and just go into convulsions if I didn't get the laugh I was supposed to get. I would freak out,' he confessed.

Matthew has been single since ending his engagement to literary manager Molly Hurwitz back in June and little has been known of his romances since.

It was revealed last year that Matthew had contacted a 19-year-old through exclusive celebrity dating app Raya. His previous romances include dalliances with Julia Roberts, Neve Campbell, Lauren Graham, and Lizzy Caplan.
She is known for her sensational sense of style and her show-stopping red carpet looks.

And Lottie Moss yet again pulled off another glamorous ensemble as she arrived at the British Vogue x Self-Portrait event at The MAINE Mayfair on Thursday evening.

The younger sister of supermodel Kate Moss, 23, put on a busty display in a vibrant fuchsia sparkling suit with a matching bra.

Eye-popping: Lottie Moss yet again pulled off another glamorous ensemble as she arrived at the British Vogue x Self-Portrait event on Thursday evening

She teamed her glitzy outfit with an equally sparkling silver shoulder bag and gave herself a few extra inches with a pair of platform heels.

The model gave a glimpse of her dove tattoo on her stomach as she showed off her sensational figure in the low cut pink jacket.

She let her show-stopping outfit do all the talking as she wore an array of simple silver rings and accentuated her natural beauty with a touch of nude make-up.

Lottie styled her golden tresses in a shining loose wave across her shoulders and embellished her nails with a brush of black nail polish.

Glitzy: The younger sister of supermodel Kate Moss, 23, put on a busty display in a vibrant fuchsia sparkling suit with a matching bra

Stunning: She let her show-stopping outfit do all the talking as she wore an array of simple silver rings and accentuated her natural beauty with a touch of nude make-up

Her outing comes after Lottie revealed she is 'sex-positive' and doesn't shy away from baring all on social media.

'I do OnlyFans and I feel like it's always been stigmatised as dirty and disgusting, but sex is great.

'Sex should be fun and light and a good conversation topic. Everyone has sex, so why should it be shameful?' she told The Sun last month.

'It's something everyone does in the morning. When they wake up, everyone brushes their teeth and everyone has sex. Not at the same time... well, maybe. It depends on the position! I'm very sex-positive.'

The model has earned herself a lucrative fanbase after signing up for subscription only service OnlyFans, which enables paying viewers the opportunity to access exclusive content.

Stylish: She teamed her glitzy outfit with an equally sparkling silver shoulder bag and gave herself a few extra inches with a pair of platform heels

Glamorous: Lottie styled her golden tresses in a shining loose wave across her shoulders and embellished her nails with a brush of black nail polish

It's understood that she signed up after earning a reported 36,640 in just one month on Glow - a high end alternative to her latest money-making venture.

Speaking to close friend Jaime Laing's Private Parts podcast about her OnlyFans platform earlier this year, she said: 'You can make upwards of like $100,000 a month if you're doing it regularly and have followers.'

Lottie stressed: 'It's so good.'

Last week, Lottie caught up with her ex Jack Padgett at the A Taste Of The Capital party held at the 3 Hanover Square in London.

The model cosied up with Jack, who she dated back in 2018 - a month after he split from TOWIE's Ferne McCann.

Jack was most recently in a relationship with former TOWIE star Ferne McCann, however they split back in June after six months together.

Ferne said of the 'cruel' split.

Reunited: Last week, Lottie caught up with her ex Jack Padgett at the A Taste Of The Capital party held at the 3 Hanover Square in London

'It was really weird how it happened. It actually happened really abruptly. That was what was such a shock, it was literally like, right, that's it,' she explains in the scene, filmed at a fancy event. 'I took the weekend to lick my wounds and then it came out in the press...'

Her friends Billie and Sam Faiers told Ferne that they're glad there wasn't any 'scandal' around the split, but Ferne goes on to explain how her celebrity status didn't sit well with Jack.

'You've got to have someone that's on board. I'm not saying come and be in the public eye. But every guy that I'm with is either hiding behind a menu or saying "sorry you're not on brand for me!"'

This left Sam and Billie lost for words. 'You're not on brand?' Sam repeated, mouth agape.

'That's what Jack said,' Ferne said. 'It was really upsetting. I thought to myself, this didn't come for free, we've all had to hustle, we've worked hard and I thought - sorry, I'm not on brand!?'
Kourtney Kardashian appeared to be 'seeing red' by way of a color-themed Instagram photo dump on Thursday.

The 42-year-old reality star posted a slew of images where the fiery color was at the forefront, including her smouldering in a cleavage baring latex dress with cross straps.

The self-proclaimed 'queen of Halloween' also was seen modeling a pair of devil horns in another snap, and flashing her 15-carat engagement ring among a sea of red roses.

Red hot: The soon-to-be Mrs. Barker seemed to lean into her love of the color red as she posted a hue-themed Instagram photo dump on Thursday

In a carousel of images the Poosh founder made it known that red was her favorite color after a fan asked, to which she responded 'can you tell?' with a red heart.

She shared glimpses of her life over the last week which involved a romantic candlelit dinner at the Polo Bar, a farmer's market haul and a sweet image of kids Penelope, nine, and Reign, six, watching the moon at sunset.

In addition, she shared another look at the gigantic floral arrangement created by Kardashian florist Jeff Leatham and Travis Barker for the proposal on October 17, which seemed to be moved into a storage unit.

Just days ago she and the Blink-182 drummer escaped to their palatial Palm Springs house for a retreat just one week after their engagement.

Devilish: The self-proclaimed 'queen of halloween' showed off a pair of fluorescent red horns on her head

Feeling the love: Kourtney flashed another look at that 15-carat engagement ring estimated at $1Million from the Blink-182 drummer amidst a sea of red roses

Keepsake: Additionally she shared another look at the gigantic floral arrangement created by Kardashian florist Jeff Leatham and for the proposal on October 17, which seemed to be moved into a storage unit

Back home: The POOSH founder shared an intimate snap of kids Penelope, nine, and Reign, six, watching the moon at sunset in her Hidden Hills backyard

Barker, 45, also paid tribute to Kourtney as he got a fourth tattoo in her honor on the one week engagement-iversary.

He covered up his ex-wife Shanna Moakler's name on his inner left arm with a tattoo of her lips and a giant scorpion to mark his 'scorpio' astrological sign.

Previously he had tattooed her name on his chest, and inked 'You're so cool' and 'I love you' in Kourtney's handwriting on other parts of his body.

A source told ET on Tuesday that they have already started discussing wedding planning and are 'both so excited.'

'Kourtney and Travis have already started talking about wedding planning and they're both so excited. Lately, they have been considering having a destination wedding that will be intimate and small. They are hoping to get married sooner than later.'

Happiest place on earth: She also seemed to show off her latest piece of Minnie Mouse themed garb which has become symbolic with the Disney-enthused couple

Dinner date: Another snap showed off a plate of french fries and pasta with red sauce

New York nights: Just days before Barker popped the question, the two dined at the Polo Bar in NYC

Spicy: Another image shared featured a hefty haul of red peppers from a farmer's market stand

Prior to the reports, fans on Reddit began to speculate that they had possibly released details of their future nuptials by way of a pair of handcuffs used in an early Sid and Nancy Halloween costume.

Fashioned by the French brand Enfants Riches Deprimes  engraved writing read: 'October 2, 2022' with the timestamp '18h30'  military time for 6:30PM, which many took as a save the date.

One user wrote: 'Notice the engraving on the handcuffs. Like yes, we get it, you have sex but it has an October 2, 2022 date - could this mean they're tying the knot in France?'

It was also said that the pair were already thinking about having children of their own 'without any doubt, it's just a matter of when and how,' per Us Weekly.
She's known for her bold taste in fashion.

And Tracee Ellis Ross brought her boundary-pushing style to the front for the December cover of Harper's Bazaar.

The Blackish star, 48, looked absolutely unreal while modeling billowing green Balenciaga couture in the middle of an open field.

Cover girl: Tracee Ellis Ross wowed while covering the December issue of Harper's Bazaar, teasing the images online Thursday

She held onto a giant blue balloon while several other orbs floated in the background and Tiffany diamonds decorated each ear.

Another photo from the shoot showed her kneeling at the bottom of a tree wearing a black feather number and no shirt.

There was also a stunning pink gown and a shimmering bronze ensemble with Greco-Roman chic pleats.

Tracee gushed about the creative process while teasing the shoot on Instagram.

Baring her soul: Another photo from the shoot showed her kneeling at the bottom of a tree wearing a black feather number and no shirt

Greek to me! There was also a shimmering bronze ensemble with Greco-Roman chic pleats

'Look what [Harper's Editor In Chief Samira Nasr] and I did! Ooooh-weee!' the daughter of Tracee Ellis Ross wrote. 'What a gift to be and to play with your best friend this way.'

'This issue marks her 1 year anniversary as editor in chief and Im the cover star,' she went on.

'To both be here in our lives and to be able to share in creating something like this feels like a dream.'

Gorgeous: She looked stunning in billowing pink Schiaparelli dress and earrings

'And to be seen through the lens of the sexy love bug that is [photographer Renell Medrano]!

'We had the most incredible day with the most glorious team of artists in a dream of a location,' Tracee added, thanking Creative Director Laura Genninger, hairstylist Latisha Chong, makeup artist Marcelo Gutierrez, and set designer Gerard Santos.

'I was surrounded by nature and dripping in @balenciaga couture and @tiffanyandco diamonds! Come on!!' she went on about the issue, which hits newsstands November 9th.
Regina King got her hands and feet imprint done at Hollywood's TCL Chinese Theater for the legendary honor.

And the 50-year-old actress got emotional at her ceremony, wiping tears away from her eyes.

Pal Ava DuVernay gave a speech in the star's honor, causing her to get emotional in the audience.

Well deseserved: Regina King got her hands and feet imprint done at Hollywood's TCL Chinese Theater for the legendary honor. And the 50-year-old actress got emotional at her ceremony, wiping tears away from her eyes

Regina, who was born and raised in Los Angeles, looked stunning a pale pink pantsuit, made up cropped bottoms with a coordinating blazer.

The movie star added a low-cut top in a blush tone, adding brown stiletto heels.

Regina wiped tears away from her eyes as Ava talked about her; she sat in the audience as she listened to her director pal talk on stage.

Afterwards, Regina hit the stage to thank everyone and give a speech.

Close up: Regina opted to go barefoot for her imprint of her feet

Touched: Regina wiped tears away from her eyes as Ava talked about her; she sat in the audience as she listened to her director pal talk on stage

Amazing: Regina posed with family after her imprint

Regina did the hands and feet imprint in the cement, adding the date - 10/28/21 as well as her name and 'No place like home!' a nod to her Los Angeles roots.

The actress, who is a USC alumna, has an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and four Primetime Emmys to her name.

She told Variety prior to the ceremony: 'I'm born and bred in LA, when we got to see a film at the Chinese Theatre it was always an event because we could put our hands and feet on the prints of the movie stars.'

Adding: 'I always wondered, was it hard to decide what shoe to wear. Who would have thunk I would answer my own question 40 years later... yep! It is difficult to decide. I'm struggling between a pump and a sneaker right now.

Teary eyed: Regina, who was born and raised in Los Angeles, looked stunning a pale pink pantsuit, made up cropped bottoms with a coordinating blazer

Heartfelt: Regina wiped tears away from her eyes as Ava talked about her; she sat in the audience as she listened to her director pal talk on stage

A vision: The movie star added a low-cut top in a blush tone, adding brown stiletto heels

Speaking out: Pal Ava DuVernay gave a speech in the star's honor, causing her to get emotional in the audience

All love: Ava and Regina embraced after Ava's speech

Close: The duo worked together on a film about African-American history in 2016, with Ava as the director and Regina as one of the stars

Speechless: Regina held on a to a clear face shield during the ceremony

Stunning: The star looked incredible in her blush colored suit

Beaming: (L-R) John Carrabino, Reina King, Lorrie Bartlett, and Chuck James

Support: Director Jeymes Samuel; Regina plays the character Trudy Smith in the film The Harder They Fall, which he directed

Crowd: Netflix VP of Original Film Tendo Nagenda and Ava DuVernay pictured

On stage: ICM Partners partner/talent agent Chuck James also spoke at the ceremony

Regina began her career in the 198-s starring in the show 227 as Brenda Jenkins, leading to parts in Boyz n the Hood, Poetic Justice and Higher Learning.

She also starred in Friday, Enemy of the State, Jerry Maguire, Seven Seconds, If Beal Street Could Talk as well as Watchmen.

TV wise, Regina starred in Southland, American Crime and directed episodes for Scandal, This Is Us and Shameless, per Variety.

Star: Regina seen getting her hand imprint on Thursday

Legend: The movie star has a number of awards under her belt, including an Oscar, a Golden Globe and Primetime Emmys

Here goes! Regina seen doing the foot imprints at her ceremony
Kaia Gerber tackled a chilly New York City with ease as she checked into the Crosby Street Hotel on Thursday.

The 20-year-old model was seen getting out of a Range Rover while a driver helped transport her luggage into the Soho hotel, shortly after touching down from Los Angeles.

The budding American Horror Stories actress looked chic in a classic beige trench coat and kept her head warm with a beanie.

Fall fashion: Kaia Gerber was seen making her way into the Crosby Street Hotel after touching down in New York City from Los Angeles where she tackled a chilly east coast day with ease

Kaia's cross country flight look included a matching white sweat suit that featured joggers and a crew neck sweatshirt.

She layered up with a trench coat that went past her knees, and wore black slip on combat boots as well as a brown Celine purse across her frame.

The brunette stunner slipped a cozy beanie over her head and shielded her face with sunglasses and a black face mask.

Before entering the hotel with just one black suitcase, she appeared to make a coffee pitstop as she clutched an iced beverage in hand.

Traveling light: Kaia's cross country flight look included a matching white sweat suit that featured joggers and a crew neck sweatshirt and she entered the property with just one black suitcase

Multi-talented: Kaia's interest in acting coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic as the modeling industry took a hit and she made her acting debut in Ryan Murphy's American Horror Stories

On Wednesday evening Kaia had attended The Strokes show at The Forum in Los Angeles but promptly boarded a flight the next morning.

Though she climbed the fashion ranks as a model, the Malibu native has been focusing on growing her acting career.

Getting her TV start in Ryan Murphy's anthology series American Horror Stories over the summer, she also revealed she was cast as the lead in a short film about female friendship called the Palisades.

Her supermodel mom divulged that the interest in acting coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic as the modeling industry took a hit, while speaking on Ellen Pompeo's podcast Tell Me with Ellen Pompeo.

Getting serious: 'She [Kaia] started auditioning and taking online acting classes,' Crawford said of her interest in the craft, adding that she had 'taken some acting stuff before'

'She wasn't traveling and wasn't modeling because there were no shoots anywhere. She started auditioning and taking online acting classes,' Crawford said, adding that Kaia had 'taken some acting stuff before.'

But speaking on her behalf, Cindy did express some level of nerves: 'As much as your fans are excited you're doing it, now you've got a lot more eyes on you than you normally would have in your very first acting thing.'

Overall she divulged: 'I'm proud of her because I guess in that way she is more confident than I was at that age.'

And additionally it does not hurt that her boyfriend of over a year is Euphoria actor Jacob Elordi, who she said in a W Magazine interview was a 'great person' to have as a 'resource.'

'He's a great person for me to go to because he's gone to drama school and has years of experience that I don't have. So I'm like, "Oh, I'm definitely going to be using you as a resource."'
WASHINGTON (AP)  Families of nine victims killed in a racist attack at a Black South Carolina church have reached a settlement with the Justice Department over a faulty background check that allowed Dylann Roof to purchase the gun he used in the 2015 massacre.

The Justice Department will pay $88 million, which includes $63 million for the families of the nine people killed and $25 million for five survivors who were inside the church at the time of the shooting, it was announced Thursday.

Bakari Sellers, an attorney who helped broker the agreement, told The Associated Press the "88 figure was purposeful. It's a number typically associated with white supremacy and the number of bullets Roof said he had taken with him to the attack.

Weve given a big F you to white supremacy and racism, Sellers told the AP. Were doing that by building generational wealth in these Black communities, from one of the most horrific race crimes in the country.

According to the Justice Department, settlements for the families of those killed range from $6 million to $7.5 million per claimant. Survivors' settlements are $5 million per claimant.

Months before the June 17, 2015 church shooting, Roof was arrested on Feb. 28 by Columbia, South Carolina police on the drug possession charge. But a series of clerical errors and missteps allowed Roof to buy the handgun he later used in the massacre.

The errors included wrongly listing the sheriffs office as the arresting agency in the drug case, according to court documents. An examiner with the National Instant Criminal Background Check System found some information on the arrest but needed more to deny the sale, so she sent a fax to a sheriffs office. The sheriffs office responded it didnt have the report, directing her to the Columbia police.

Under the systems operating procedures, the examiner was directed to a federal listing of law enforcement agencies, but Columbia police did not appear on the list. After trying the separate West Columbia Police Department and being told it was the wrong agency, the examiner did nothing more.

After a three-day waiting period, Roof went back to a West Columbia store to pick up the handgun.

The lawsuit for a time was thrown out, with a judge writing that an examiner followed procedures but also blasting the federal government for what he called its abysmally poor policy choices in how it runs the national database for firearm background checks. The suit was subsequently reinstated by a federal appeals court.

The mass shooting at Mother Emanuel AME Church was a horrific hate crime that caused immeasurable suffering for the families of the victims and the survivors, Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. Since the day of the shooting, the Justice Department has sought to bring justice to the community, first by a successful hate crime prosecution and today by settling civil claims.

In 2017, Roof became the first person in the U.S. sentenced to death for a federal hate crime. Authorities have said Roof opened fire during the Bible study at the church, raining down dozens of bullets on those assembled. He was 21 at the time.

The slain included the Rev. Clementa Pinckney, pastor of the AME Emanuel Church, a state senator, as well as other pillars of the community. They all shared deep devotion to the church, known as Mother Emanuel, and passed that faith along to their families, many of whom offered Roof forgiveness when he appeared in court just days after the attack.

The FBI has acknowledged that Roofs drug possession arrest should have prevented him from buying a gun.

Speaking with AP in Washington ahead of the news conference, Pinckneys eldest daughter recalled the night of the shooting and said she was committed to maintaining the legacy of her father, who died when she was 11.

Ive done whatever I can to keep his memory alive and to carry on his legacy throughout my life, Eliana Pinckney, 17, told the AP. Just to make sure that the memories that I have with him can be shared with other people, so that other people are inspired by the life that he lived, and the life that he would keep living if he was still here.

The deal, which was reached earlier this month, is still pending a judges approval, Sellers said.

All nine of these families have been so strong, and they deserve this closure, Sellers said. Of course we wanted more, but this is just, and this is justice, and finally, these families can say that they got it.

___

Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP.

___

This story has been corrected to show the age of the pastor's daughter is 17, not 11.
When Amish gather for worship each week, they regularly sing the solemn, German-dialect hymns that their spiritual forebears composed nearly five centuries ago in a condition akin to that of 17 missionaries recently kidnapped in Haiti  captivity.

Those hymns emerged from miserable prison conditions experienced by early Anabaptists  founders of the movement carried on today by Amish, Mennonites, Brethren and others  and their words extolled the virtues of loving ones tormentors and persevering at risk of persecution, even martyrdom.

So when kidnappers in Haiti abducted 12 adult missionaries and five of their children, including an infant, it wasnt surprising that those sharing that Christian tradition would draw on these values as they joined around-the-clock prayer vigils.

The words of the captors families and supporters, while holding out hope for the safety of the hostages, put a heavy emphasis on different themes: Love your enemies. Forgive them. Pray for the kidnappers.

One joint statement by the hostages families even spoke of the situation in welcoming terms. God has given our loved ones the unique opportunity to live out our Lords command to, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, said the statement, issued by Christian Aid Ministries. It is based in Ohios Amish heartland of Holmes County, and has operated in Haiti and other lands for nearly four decades.

Such statements may seem surprising, even callous, to those who might expect the prayers to focus on the well-being of loved ones.

But these statements are deeply rooted in the unique religious tradition of conservative Anabaptists  a group that shares some beliefs with mainstream evangelical Christians, such as salvation through Jesus, but also has stark differences.

Conservative Anabaptists largely seek to live separate from mainstream society and are distinctive for their plain dress, with women wearing head coverings. They emphasize a non-resistance to evil and violence, a stance that goes far beyond their refusal to serve in the military. They also have a deep tradition of martyrdom  well-earned, since their forebears suffered fierce persecutions from their 16th century Reformation origins, when they were deemed too radical to Catholics and fellow Protestants alike.

Anabaptists in particular draw on the biblical Sermon on the Mount, which contains some of Jesus most radical and counter-cultural sayings  to love enemies, live simply, bless persecutors, turn the other cheek, endure sufferings joyfully.

Living out the Sermon on the Mount principles is one of the key tenets of our faith, said Wayne Wengerd, a member of a steering committee that represents the Amish in church-state relations. That is something that we take literally.

Those principles mandate we do good to those who hurt or persecute us, and we pray for not only those that are likeminded but those that are not yet within the faith, he said.

Wengerd, who lives in Wayne County, adjacent to Holmes, said it would be a misunderstanding to view such a mindset as callous to the real suffering involved with the kidnappings.

People are still concerned, they are aware, they talk about it, they pray and of course hope for a good outcome, he said. At the same time, We realize as Christians, as followers of Christ, there will be persecution.

The missionary group was kidnapped Oct. 16 while returning from a visit to an orphanage supported by CAM. The 400 Mawozo gang has threatened to kill the 16 Americans and one Canadian if ransom demands arent met.

CAM says those kidnapped are from Amish, Mennonite and other conservative Anabaptist communities in Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Oregon and Ontario. Conservative Anabaptists make up the core of CAMs missionary staff, donors and volunteers.

Wengerd said Anabaptists draw on resources such as the Ausbund, a hymnal that includes the 16th century prison hymns, and the book, Martyrs Mirror, for reminding us of the cost of discipleship in Christs kingdom.

Martyrs Mirror tells of hundreds of Anabaptists and other Christians who died for their faith. One entry tells of Dirk Willems, a 16th century Dutch Anabaptist who was fleeing authorities in winter  but turned around to saved the life of a pursuer who had fallen through the ice. Willems was arrested and executed anyway. His example of sacrificial love for an enemy is still widely taught.

An often-cited modern example of Anabaptist values is the response of the Amish community around Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, after a gunman killed five Amish schoolgirls and wounded five more in 2006 before taking his own life. Local Amish immediately expressed forgiveness for the killer and supported his widow. If we do not forgive, how can we expect to be forgiven? the Amish leaders said in a statement.

Marcus Yoder, executive director of the Amish & Mennonite Heritage Center in Holmes County, said he often tells the story of Dirk Willems to groups touring the museum. One tour included a survivor of the Nickel Mines shooting.

She cried and cried and cried, Yoder recalled. Her father had used the story to talk to his own family about forgiveness. These pieces of our history really do reside a long time in our worldview and theology.

Yoder, a Mennonite minister, said these examples shouldnt obscure the ordeal of those whose loved ones were kidnapped. I cannot imagine the anguish that the families are going through, he said.

Steven Nolt, professor of History and Anabaptist Studies at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania, recalled attending one of the Nickel Mines funerals in which the preacher said within a span of a few minutes, We dont understand but we just accept what happened as Gods will and Its not Gods will that people shoot other people.

That seems contradictory, said Nolt. But it reflects a profound belief in divine providence  that believers cant always understand why things happen, but they can know what God wants and how humans are to live.

___

Associated Press religion coverage receives support from the Lilly Endowment through The Conversation U.S. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
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The accident took place at Pakoda chowk, where the women were waiting for an autorickshaw to go to Bahadurgarh railway station. (ANI)

Bahadurgarh (Haryana): Three women farmers were killed and two others injured after a truck hit them near the Tikri border in Haryana's Bahadurgarh early Thursday, police said.

The accident took place at Pakoda chowk, where the women were waiting for an autorickshaw to go to Bahadurgarh railway station.

After participating in the farmers' protest against the Centre's agri laws at the Tikri border, the women were returning to their village in Mansa district of Punjab.

The truck driver fled from the spot after the accident, the police said.

The deceased were identified as Chhinder Kaur (60), Amarjeet Kaur (58) and Gurmail Kaur (60). They belonged to Kheeva Dyaluwala village in Mansa district. The injured persons were rushed to PGI Rohtak, the police said.

Hundreds of women have been participating in the ongoing farmers' protest on the outskirts of Delhi.
New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday welcomed the decision of the Supreme Court to appoint a committee to be assisted by three technical experts and supervised by a retired judge, Justice R.V. Raveendran, to conduct a thorough inquiry into the allegations of the use of Pegasus software for unauthorised surveillance. Mr Gandhi said the Oppositions stand on the issue was vindicated as the judges have flagged the same concerns. We protested, but no reply. We stopped Parliament, but we still did not get a reply. Now our stand is vindicated. So, our questions remain the same, he added.

Mr Gandhi said the Opposition had been asking three basic questions. Who authorised Pegasus (and) who has bought Pegasus? Who are the victims of the Pegasus snooping? Did any other nation have data on our people? What all information do they have? Pegasus, he said, can only be bought by a government, and either the Prime Minister or the home minister had given the go-ahead. He further added: Pegasus was used against chief ministers, former Prime Ministers and the BJPs ministers, among others. Was the Prime Minister and the home minister getting the data obtained through the use of Pegasus? If the data of phone tapping of the chief election commissioner and the Opposition leaders are going to the Prime Minister, then its a criminal act. He further pointed out: Pegasus is an attempt to crush Indian democracy. Pegasus is an attack on the country and the countrys institutions. I am confident that the Supreme Court committee will get the truth out.

Calling out the government, Mr Gandhi said: Even if this data was on the Prime Ministers desk, that too is totally criminal, and we will contest it. He added: The Prime Minster is not above the nation.

The Opposition, he said, will push for a debate again in Parliament. Surely, the BJP will not want that discussion, but we will push for it. The matter is in court now and the court will take it forward, but we will push for a debate in Parliament. The Winter Session of Parliament is due to begin next month. In the previous session, the government had made a statement in both Houses of Parliament, Mr Gandhi added.
HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court on Wednesday issued notices to the state government, directing it to explain how the newly enacted Rights in Land and Pattadar Passbook Act, 2020, could address the glitches in Dharani portal.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice A. Rajashekar Reddy was dealing with a PIL filed by filed by C. Damodara Rajanarsimha, former Deputy Chief Minister, challenging the constitutional validity of the new Telangana Rights in Land and Pattadar passbook Act, 2020.

The main contention raised in the PIL is that the provisions of the impugned Act are violative of Article 14 of the Constitution of India.

The Act, while having provisions for cancellation of fraudulent issuance of passbook for government land, has not provided for any mechanism regarding fraudulent issuance of passbook for private lands and for cases pertaining to missing extents, missing survey numbers, wrongful inclusion of names other than that of the owners and others, according to the PIL. L. Vani, counsel for the petitioner, pointed out the lacunae in the new Act, which came into force on 19 September 2020, by repealing the old ROR Act, 1971.

The counsel submitted to the court that updating of revenue record was possible only when the land was acquired by way of sale, gift, mortgage or exchange; or a right acquired over the land through succession survivorship, inheritance or when the land was acquired by way of a court decree. Except for these specific cases, the impugned enactment does not provide for updating or rectification of record. For instance, for any right which has been extinguished by way of a registered cancellation deed, cannot be updated in the records of right, that is to say a person whose rights have been cancelled in respect of a specific property continues to be a pattadar under the record of rights that is maintained under the new enactment, she explained.

The counsel also highlighted the issue of land owners, who got the rights over land through various modes and now facing difficulties to get their names entered in Dharani portal.

There are several other legislations in force in the state of Telangana which enable a person to acquire absolute right over agricultural land. A person acquires any rights through these other laws, cannot get the record updated under the impugned enactment. That apart, when a person obtains an assignment of land from the government, such assignment can also not be updated in the record of rights, Vani explained to the High Court.

C.V. Bhasker Reddy, counsel for the state, explained that the government had enacted the special Act to maintain registration of agricultural lands in the state, in order not to make entries without knowing the land owners. Reacting to it, the Bench asked why there was a special Act and issued notices.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday granted bail to Thwaha Fasal, one of the two students arrested by the National Investigation Agency in November 2019 under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for their alleged Maoist links.

A bench comprising justices Ajay Rastogi and AS Oka set aside the Kerala High Court order which had cancelled his bail.

The apex court also dismissed the appeal filed by the Union of India challenging the Kerala High Court judgment affirming the trial court's order granting bail to law student Allan Shuaib in a UAPA case registered over alleged Maoist link

The division bench of the high court had refused to cancel the bail of Shuaib, the second accused, considering his young age and health.

The top court had reserved judgment on September 23.

Fasal and Shuaib, who are students of Journalism and Law respectively and CPI(M)'s branch committee members, were arrested on November 2, 2019 from Kozhikode, causing widespread criticism in the Left-ruled state.

The police had allegedly seized objectionable printed and written materials from them which include violent exhortations for civil war, in tune with Maoist ideology.

The CPI(M) in Kerala had expelled them from the party following their alleged link with Maoists.
"I do not know because I have not received the order," Justice Raveendran said. (PTI Photo)

Bengaluru: Former Supreme Court judge R V Raveendran, who has been tasked with monitoring the probe into the alleged use of Israeli spyware Pegasus for targeted surveillance in India, said on Thursday he has not yet received the order to comment on it.

"I do not know because I have not received the order," Justice Raveendran told PTI, replying to a query on the scope of investigation.

"Until I receive the order and communication from the Supreme Court I will not know anything," the 75-year-old veteran legal luminary said.

Hearing a batch of petitions on Wednesday, a bench headed by CJI N V Ramana appointed a three-member panel of cyber experts to probe the allegations and gave the task of monitoring the inquiry into the politically sensitive case to Justice Raveendran.

"Justice R V Raveendran, former Judge, Supreme Court of India will oversee the functioning of the Committee with respect to the methodology to be adopted, procedure to be followed, enquiry and investigation that is carried out and preparation of the report," the CJI said in the order on pleas seeking independent probe into the allegations of snooping on Indian citizens by use of Israeli firm NSO's spyware Pegasus.
The clash broke out after a group objected to the use of a sound system by members of another group. (Photo: PTI/Representational)

Hyderabad: Two people died and three others were injured after members of two rival groups of a community clashed in a village of Adilabad district, police said on Thursday.

The incident happened in Gundala village on Wednesday ahead of a festival rally, they said adding the situation is now normal.

"Two groups of a same community clashed by attacking each other by pelting stones and hitting with sticks. Two persons died on the spot and three others, who were injured during the clash were admitted to a hospital," a senior police official said.

The clash broke out after a group objected to the use of a sound system by members of another group ahead of a religious procession resulting in hurling of stones, the official said.

After getting information about the incident, police rushed to the village but they ran away into the fields and again the members of both the groups hit each other with sticks resulting in spot death of two people, he said.

Additional police forces were rushed to the village and pickets were set up and the situation was brought under control and some people have been taken into custody.
VIJAYAWADA: The state Cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, on Thursday, took some key decisions, the foremost one being a resolution urging the Union government to take up caste-wise BC census.

The Cabinet also extended the ban on Maoists and other outlawed organizations by one more year.

Briefing the media later, I&PR minister Perni Venkataramaiah (Nani) said that the cabinet approved an agreement with Solar Energy Corporation of India to provide free nine-hour power supply to farmers every day and had approved the proposal to purchase 17,000 million units of electricity per annum at Rs. 2.49 per unit for 25 years. Other major decisions included amending the Cinematography Act and allow online ticketing platform for issuing cinema tickets, establishing Economically Weaker Section (EWS) welfare department for the upper castes and creating Jain and Sikh Corporations, administration sanction for construction of fishing harbor at Vodarevu in Prakasam district and allotment of 130 acres of land to Adani Enterprises in Madhurawada, Visakhapatnam for setting up a 200 MV data center park, business park, skill university and recreation centre at an estimated investment of Rs14,634 crore.

In order to provide employment, they had approved creation of 1,285 posts in medical health and family welfare department, 560 pharmacist posts in YSR urban clinics and 2,190 additional posts in teaching faculty, staff nurses and paramedical staff under director of medical education as part of the governments mission to fill 41,000 vacancies in the department. The Amma Vodi scheme would be implemented next June instead of January with benefits reaching only to students having 75% of attendance.

YSR Lifetime Achievement and YSR Achievement awards function will be held every November 1 commemorating the State Formation Day.

Other major decisions include allotment of 15 acre land to Sri Sarada Peetham at Kothavalasa Village in Bheemunipatnam Mandal of Visakhapatnam district, 17.79 acre to Jaya Lakshmi Narasimha Sastry Gunduluru Trust at Bommaparthi village in Raptadu Mandal of Anantapur district, and exchanging government land in Nagari constituency for an area hospital; alienation of 50-acre to Silver Jubilee College at Dinnedevarapadu in Kurnool district and also for alienation of seven acres to the education department for setting up a Kendriya Vidyalaya in Nuzvid; management of all Vasavi Kanyaka Parameswari choultries Anna satrams to Arya Vysya community from endowments department.

To boost tourism, the cabinet has approved allotment of land for setting up luxury resorts at five locations and a mega spiritual centre and a tourist base camp at the foothill of Sri Gnanagiri Laxmi Narasimha Swamy temple by ISKCON Charities at Penukonda in Anantapur district in addition to a tourism project at Shilparamam and a tourism project at Taj Varun Beach in Visakhapatnam, Hyatt place in Vijayawada.

The Minister said the cabinet has approved lift irrigation schemes and supply channels to feed minor irrigation tanks in YSR Kadapa district from GNSS canal to HNSS canal through Kaletivagu Reservoir. An ordinance is being brought to convert JNTU K engineering college in Vizianagaram to JNTU Gurajada, Vizianagaram University and also to set up Andhra Kesari University in Prakasam district.
TRS leaders created a fake letter in the name of Etala Rajendar to blame him, but they were exposed with clarification given by the Election Commission of India (ECI), BandiSanjay Kumar said. (DC Image)

Karimnagar: BJP state chief and Karimnagar MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar termed Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao a big Taliban and said the latter wanted to rule like them in Telangana. If the state government is not going to purchase food grains, then the BJP government will exert pressure on it until it procures all food grains from farmers, assured Sanjay Kumar while addressing the media in Huzurabad on Wednesday.

The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) leaders created a fake letter in the name of Etala Rajendar to blame him, but they were exposed with clarification given by the Election Commission of India (ECI), he said.

The BJP believed in calibre and character, but the TRS believed in money and liquor and distributed the in the constituency. It was spending Rs 20,000 per voter to win the byelection. But the mediator and second rung leaders were taking Rs. 15,000 and distributing only Rs 5,000 to the voters, Sanjay Kumar pointed out.

To grab votes of people belonging to Dalit communities, the TRS played a gimmick and introduced the Dalit Bandhu scheme but they realised that they had buried themselves by digging ground in the name of Dalit Bandhu scheme, he alleged.

Telangana got the name Annapurna. Who are these rulers to issue orders to farmers not to cultivate padd? Who gave the authority to the officials to seize shops selling paddy seeds? Necessary actions will be taken against Siddipet and Khammam collectors as per law for going against the orders of the Supreme and High Courts, he warned.

All surveys were indicating that Etala Rajendar was going to win with a thumping majority in the Huzurabad byelections. Sensing this, Chandrashekar Rao had not conducted a meeting in Huzurabad, Sanjay Kumar said.

Chandrashekar Rao wants to rule the Taliban, but the BJP wants Rama Rajyam. If people vote for the TRS, they have to hang themselves. People should think wisely before voting for the TRS and must elect BJP candidate Rajendar to teach a befitting lesson to the Chief Minister, he appealed.
Hyderabad: There is a deep-rooted conspiracy to destroy the separate statehood status of Telangana and merge the seven-year-old, youngest state of India into the residual Andhra Pradesh to recreate the old AP, alleged Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president A. Revanth Reddy, pointing fingers to the two Chief Ministers  K. Chandrashekar Rao and Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy as the key conspirators.

Diluting the entire spirit of self-respect of Telangana, betraying the sacrifices of thousands of martyrs and selling out the struggle for decades, TRS founder KCR is seeking to, in the name of expanding his empire, out to implement the clandestine deal forged with the leader of the neighbouring state, said Revanth Reddy.

Hatching the conspiracy, Jagan Reddy sent his sister Y.S. Sharmila Reddy to set up a party in Telangana, calling it the YSRTP, at the behest of Chandrashekar Rao, said Revanth speaking to Deccan Chronicle.

While Congress leaders are house-arrested and our cadre beaten up by police, with false cases foisted on us when we fight for the rights of Telangana people  asking for three acres of land for Dalits, for job notifications for unemployed youth, to demand payment of unemployment allowances as per the TRS manifesto, a green carpet is laid out for the political activities of Sharmila Reddy, he said.

At the plenary, K. Chandrashekar Rao showed his intent clearly when he sacrificed the Telangana Talli statue, and instead, adopted Telugu Talli worshipped by Samaikhya Andhra proponents at the TRS plenary on October 25 in Hyderabad. What kind of a leader or political party will forsake his own mother and adopt the neighbours? asked Revanth scathingly.

In his speech, TRS supremo Rao had said that several people in Andhra Pradesh were requesting him to start a branch of his party there because of his excellent work and life-changing welfare schemes  a point which Revanth harped upon, calling it a Freudian slip by KCR.

People of AP are saying if we start TRS there in their state, they will make it victorious in the next elections, KCR had said in his speech.

Quoting the statement of Andhra Pradesh minister and senior YSRC leader Perni Nani, who openly invited KCR to propose a resolution in Telangana state Assemblies for reunited the two Telugu states, Revanth Reddy said, on behalf of four crore Telangana people, the Congress party, which gave Telangana, warns both the conspirators  the TRS and the YSRCP  that we will not let such a conspiracy by enemies of Telangana succeed. Ever.

Perni Nani further said, why set up a party here. Pass a resolution in Telangana Assembly seeking the reunification of AP with a merger of the two Telugus states. This is what our leader Jagan Mohan Reddy had said in 2013  that the Telugu people need only one state  today, KCR garu is saying the same thing. We welcome his statement.

The Congress party will lead the struggle against the TRS and prevent Chandrashekar Rao from making any move to end the statehood of Telangana, he said.

Congress party activists will, with round-the-clock vigilance, stay alert to any move to do away without self-respect, self-rule and dignity.

I will sacrifice my life but not allow the future and dignity of my four crore Telangana people to be pawned away by a self-seeking power monger for the sake of expanding his rule. KCR will never be able to merge Telangana back into Andhra. Congress will stand as a stubborn wall, he said.

Invoking upon the people of Telangana to stand up in protest to show the conspirators how strong our collective commitment is to keep Telangana separate as a state, Revanth Reddy called on all activists and fighters for statehood to join the mass protests on Friday against the diabolical moves.

After Tweeting against the moves afoot, he told DC, Our struggle has begun again, this time to keep our beloved Telangana from being merged into AP to suit some financial interests of Andhra contractors. KCR and Jagan have challenged the people of Telangana  we shall give back the sternest response.

Revanth Reddy also condemned the murder of Congress leader R. Ravinder Reddy in Mahabubnagar district. The Congress party will stand behind the bereaved family members, he added.
FSN E-Commerce Ventures Ltd, which runs online marketplace for beauty and wellness products Nykaa, on Wednesday said it has raised Rs 2,396 crore from anchor investors ahead of its initial share-sale, which opens for public subscription on Thursday.

The company has decided to allocate a total of 21,296,397 equity shares to anchor investors at Rs 1,125 a share, aggregating to Rs 2,395.84 crore, according to a circular uploaded on the BSE website.

BlackRock Global Funds, Fidelity Funds, Nomura, Government of Singapore, Monetary Authority of Singapore, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, T Rowe Price, Tiger Global Investments Fund, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are among the investors that participated in the anchor book.

Also Read | Nykaa IPO heavily oversubscribed by anchor investors

In addition, shares have been allocated to domestic funds including Aditya Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund (MF), SBI MF, HDFC MF, Axis MF, UTI MF, Sundaram MF and Tata MF.

The IPO of FSN E-Commerce Ventures comprises fresh issue of equity shares worth Rs 630 crore and an offer for sale (OFS) of 41,972,660 equity shares by promoter and existing shareholders.

Those selling shares in the OFS are -- promoter Sanjay Nayar Family Trust and shareholders --TPG Growth IV SF Pte Ltd, Lighthouse India Fund III, Limited, Lighthouse India III Employee Trust, Yogesh Agencies & Investments, J M Financial and Investment Consultancy Services and some individual shareholders.

The issue, with a price band of Rs 1,085-1,125 a share, which will open for public subscription on October 28 and conclude on November 1.

At the upper end of the price band, the initial share-sale is expected to fetch Rs 5,352 crore.

Going by the draft papers, the company plans to use the proceeds from the IPO for expansion, by setting up new retail stores and establishing new warehouses.

It also plans to retire some of its debt, which should bring down interest costs, and further shore up its profitability.

In addition, the company is planning to deploy the proceeds of the IPO for marketing and promotional activities, to focus on strengthening its 13 owned brands such as Nykaa Cosmetics, Nykaa Naturals and Kay Beauty along with establishing and promoting new brands.

"Nykaa has had quite a journey! Key to that has been the fact that they set organization processes, and standardised protocol, in the early-stage, when most startups don't even give it a thought. For instance, they got their inventory management in order, by tying up with suppliers exclusively (like Huda)," Nikhil Kamath, co-founder, True Beacon and Zerodha, said.

FSN E-Commerce Ventures Ltd, which was founded in 2012 by Falguni Nayar, is a digitally native consumer technology platform, delivering a content-led, lifestyle retail experience to consumers.

The company has a diverse portfolio of beauty, personnel care and fashion products, including its owned manufactured brand products, under its two business verticals -- Nykaa and Nykaa Fashion.

The company has reported a net profit of Rs 61.94 crore for FY21 compared to a net loss of Rs 16.34 crore in FY20. Its revenue from operations jumped to Rs 2,441 crore in FY21 from Rs 1,768 crore in FY20.

The company is one of the leading influential lifestyle platforms in India with over 12.6 million followers across leading social media platforms as of March, 2021

Kotak Mahindra Capital Company, Morgan Stanley India Company, BofA Securities India, Citigroup Global Markets India, JM Financial and ICICI Securities are merchant bankers to the issue.

The equity shares of the company will be listed on the BSE and NSE.
Equity benchmark Sensex drops over 300 points in early trade on Thursday tracking losses in index majors ICICI Bank, HDFC and Infosys, amid a weak trend in global markets and unabated foreign fund outflow.

The 30-share index was trading 306.32 points or 0.50 per cent lower at 60,837.01 in initial deals. Similarly, the Nifty fell 89.50 points or 0.49 per cent to 18,121.45.

ICICI Bank was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding around 2 per cent, followed by Tata Steel, ITC, SBI, HDFC and Titan.

On the other hand, IndusInd Bank, L&T, Bajaj Auto and Bajaj Finance were among the gainers.

In the previous session, the 30-share index ended 206.93 points or 0.34 per cent lower at 61,143.33, and Nifty fell 57.45 points or 0.31 per cent to 18,210.95.

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) were net sellers in the capital market, as they offloaded shares worth Rs 1,913.36 crore on Wednesday, as per exchange data.

Elsewhere in Asia, bourses in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Tokyo were trading with losses in mid-session deals, while Seoul was positive.

Stock exchanges in the US ended on a negative note in the overnight session.

Meanwhile, international oil benchmark Brent crude fell 2.25 per cent to$81.98 per barrel.

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Bharat Biotech's Covaxin has been included to the approved list of Covid-19 vaccines for travel to Oman without quarantine.

In a tweet, Bharat Biotech noted: "Covaxin has now been added to the approved list of #COVID19 vaccines for travel to Oman without quarantine. This will facilitate travelers from India vaccinated with Covaxin."

 COVAXIN has now been added to the approved list of #COVID19 vaccines  for travel to Oman without quarantine. This will facilitate travelers from India vaccinated with COVAXIN. Please see Press Release @PMOIndia@DrSJaishankar @MEAIndia @IndianDiplomacy pic.twitter.com/3lfXPrjHGc  India in Oman (Embassy of India, Muscat) (@Indemb_Muscat) October 27, 2021

The vaccine major cited a press release issued by the Embassy of India, Muscat, in this regard.

"Embassy of India, Muscat, is pleased to inform that the Government of the Sultanate of Oman has added Covaxin to the approved list of Covid-19 vaccines for travel to Oman. The Civil Aviation Authority issued a notification on 27 October regarding this," the release stated.

All passengers from India who have received two doses of Covaxin at least 14 days before the estimated arrival date will now be able to travel to Oman without the requirement of quarantine, it added.

All other Covid-19 related requirements/conditions, such as pre-arrival RT-PCR test shall be applicable for such passengers, the release stated.

This notification will significantly ease travel to Oman for Indian nationals who have taken Covaxin, it noted.

Passengers who have taken AstraZeneca/Covishield are already permitted to travel to Oman without quarantine.

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British lawmakers are set to grill Facebook and other tech giants Thursday over how they handle online safety as European efforts to regulate social media companies gain momentum.

Representatives from Facebook, Google, Twitter and TikTok will be questioned by members of a parliamentary committee scrutinizing the British government's draft online safety legislation.

Governments on both sides of the Atlantic want tougher rules aimed at protecting social media users, especially younger ones, but the United Kingdom's efforts are much further along. UK lawmakers are questioning researchers, journalists, tech executives and other experts for a report to the government on how to improve the final version of the online safety bill.

The hearing comes the same week YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat were questioned by a US Senate panel. They provided little firm commitment for US legislation bolstering protection of children from online harm, which lawmakers say ranges from eating disorders, sexually explicit content and material promoting addictive drugs.

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen appeared before the U.K. committee this week, telling members that the company's systems make online hate worse and that it has little incentive to fix the problem. She said time is running out to regulate social media companies that use artificial intelligence systems to determine what content people see.

Also Read  Five key takeaways from the leaked Facebook documents

Haugen was a Facebook data scientist who copied internal research documents and turned them over to the US Securities and Exchange Commission. They also were provided to a group of media outlets, including The Associated Press, which reported numerous stories about how Facebook prioritized profits over safety and hid its own research from investors and the public.

The UK's online safety bill calls for a regulator to ensure tech companies comply with rules requiring them to remove dangerous or harmful content or face penalties worth up to 10 per cent of annual global revenue. The European Union is working on similar digital rules.

British lawmakers are still grappling with thorny issues such as ensuring privacy and free speech and defining legal but harmful content, including online bullying and advocacy of self-harm.

They're also trying to get a handle on misinformation that flourishes on social media.

Maria Ressa, a Filipino journalist who shared this year's Nobel Peace Prize for her fight for freedom of expression under grave risks, acknowledged the challenge, telling the committee on Wednesday that a law to curb disinformation is needed.

Regulation is our last hope," Ressa said. The problem is that you will be a model for everyone else around the the world, so you must be a gold standard, that's tough." At the same time, doing nothing pushes the world closer to fascism," she added.

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Actor John Abraham has completed finished shooting for his forthcoming action- thriller Ek Villain Returns and called it a "seamless experience".

Abraham, who stars in the film alongside Arjun Kapoor, Disha Patani and Tara Sutaria, finished his portions on Wednesday. The Mohit Suri-directorial is in the final leg of its shoot in Mumbai.

Abraham said he enjoyed the process of working on the film to the extent that everything that used to bother him--shooting in rains or at nights--didn't affect him on Ek Villain Returns.

"There were no complaints. Everything felt too good to be true. I will push aside everything to work with Mohit again. It has been such a beautiful experience. We have got a great film out.

"I am so proud of it and this I say without even seeing a single frame of it. Congratulations to all of us. The team has been fantastic, production and direction teams have been very good. If I may say so, we have a super hit in our hands," the 48-year-old actor said in a statement.

Suri said it has been a surreal journey for him to direct Abraham in the film because he was an assistant director on the actor's debut movie Jism in 2003, produced by Pooja Bhatt.

"It has been a long destined dream which has come true. I was destined to work with him since my first movie. John and I both started our careers in the same company and I always wanted to work with him and finally, I got that opportunity. Ive had a great experience on and off the set while working with him," Suri said.

Jointly produced by T-Series and Balaji Telefilms, Ek Villain Returns will release on July 8, 2022.

It is a sequel to Suri's 2014 hit Ek Villain, which starred Sidharth Malhotra, Shraddha Kapoor and Riteish Deshmukh.
NASA is teaming up with SpaceX once more to send four astronauts to the International Space Station on Sunday, including three first-timers.

The crew of mission "Crew-3" will spend six months on the orbital outpost, conducting research in areas including material sciences, health, and botany, to help inform future deep space exploration and benefit life on Earth.

Americans Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, and Kayla Barron as well as German Matthias Maurer of the European Space Agency (ESA) will launch aboard a Crew Dragon spacecraft named "Endurance," fixed atop a Falcon 9 rocket at 2:21 am (0621 GMT) from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

"Last night we got to go see Endurance in the hangar as they got ready to roll it out to the pad, and actually put our hands on the Dragon, which is a pretty special experience," Chari, a US Air Force colonel who is commanding the mission, said at a press conference on Wednesday.

Also read: SpaceX needs to fix the toilet before NASA astronauts launch

Of the four, only Marshburn has gone to space before. The medical doctor flew aboard a Space Shuttle in 2009 and a Russian Soyuz spacecraft in a mission from 2012-13.

Barron, who along with Chari was selected for the NASA astronaut corps in 2017, the most recent recruitment, previously served as a submarine warfare officer for the Navy, and told reporters she saw many parallels between that experience and going to space.

The pair are also in the mix for NASA's Artemis missions to return humans to the Moon later this decade.

Maurer, a materials science engineer, will become the 12th German to go to space and will join fellow ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet of France on the ISS, an overlap that will likely last a few days before the Frenchman returns to Earth with the rest of his Crew-2 colleagues.

Following a 22-hour voyage, Endurance will autonomously dock with the space station at 12:10 am Monday (0410 GMT).

Scientific highlights of the mission include an experiment to grow plants in space without soil or other growth media, and another to build optical fibers in microgravity, which prior research has suggested will be superior in quality to those made on Earth.

Maurer will help operationalise the European Robotic Arm which is currently being installed on the Russian side of the ISS, and test out CIMON -- an artificial intelligence assistant developed by the German space agency DLR, Airbus and IBM.

"It's an experiment which is really paving the way towards exploration," he said.

For example, it may one day act as a geology expert that astronauts on a future mission to Mars could consult for quick answers because the lag time to communicate with Earth would be 40 minutes, he said.

The Crew-3 astronauts will also conduct spacewalks to complete the upgrade of the station's solar panels, and will be present for two tourism missions including Japanese tourists aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft at the end of 2021, and the Space-X Axiom crew, set for launch in February 2022.

Crew-3 is part of NASA's multibillion dollar partnership with SpaceX that it signed after ending the Space Shuttle program in 2011, in order to restore American capacity to carry out human spaceflight.

Boeing is also part of the same commercial program but its Starliner capsule has been beset by delays and won't fly its first crew until the end of 2022 at the earliest.
From his perch 400 kilometres above Earth, French astronaut Thomas Pesquet has had a unique perspective on the climate-fuelled natural disasters that have swept the planet over the past six months.

Pesquet recently finished up his second mission at the International Space Station, an experience that made him appreciate Earth's fragility like never before.

He spoke to AFP ahead of the UN climate summit kicking off on October 31, sharing his hopes and fears for the planet.

The massive storms, and the forest fires. I have never seen anything like it, incredibly huge fires with plumes of smoke visible from space for days and days.

It was striking to think about the energy it gave off and the damage it caused for people unfortunate enough to be in its path.

We had never seen so many extremely impressive tropical storms -- you could practically see into the eye of the cyclone. They're walls of clouds with phenomenal power, coming more and more often and causing more and more destruction.

Also read: 11 years: That's how much time we have to fix climate

Yes, absolutely. Seeing the planet from the window of your space craft makes you think. You only have to see it once: you can spend two days in space and just getting that distance, seeing the fragility of the atmosphere, that thin bubble that makes life possible in the vacuum of space, that incredible oasis -- it changes your life.

When you see changes over the long term -- sometimes you need more than five years to see it -- you can't help but feel concerned.

That's why I became an ambassador for the (UN's) Food and Agriculture Organization, and an advocate for many environmental causes.

The idea that we might not succeed in reaching an agreement at an international level, and that economic concerns dominate over environmental ones.

It's a completely short-sighted approach. Over the long-term, profits are directly threatened by climate change. When you see the Great Barrier Reef not included on the list of endangered sites because of Australian government pressure, you think the priorities are wrong and we're in trouble.

The first thing to do is listen to the experts who have dedicated their lives to providing solutions on a local, regional, national and global level. We have to try to put solutions in place.

The most urgent task at hand is to decarbonise. You have to prioritise renewables and carbon-free energy. And that takes restrictive measures and international commitments for which countries can be held accountable. That's what COP26 is all about.

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Some US adults with weakened immune systems who received a third dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna coronavirus vaccine authorised just for them will become eligible for a fourth shot as a booster next year, according to updated guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In such situations, people who are moderately and severely immunocompromised may receive a total of four vaccine doses, with the fourth coming at least six months after the third, the CDC guidelines said.

In August, federal regulators cleared a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for some immunocompromised recipients of those vaccines, instructing them to get it at least 28 days after their second shot. Federal agencies said studies have shown that those people may not be adequately protected by just two shots.

Also Read  CDC recommends Covid-19 booster shots for millions of Americans

The earliest that immunocompromised people who received a third mRNA vaccine shot can get a fourth shot as a booster would be February. The agency said that people could select that booster from any of the three coronavirus vaccines available in the United States.

The CDC also recommends that moderately and severely immunocompromised adults who received Johnson & Johnsons one-dose vaccine get another dose of any one of the three vaccine brands, at least two months after their initial shot.

The agency updated its guidelines Monday, adding the possibility of a booster dose for many immunocompromised people, including those undergoing chemotherapy, recovering from a solid organ transplant or facing certain other medical issues, like infection with HIV.

The new recommendations also specified that a fourth dose of Modernas vaccine should be half the size of a normal dose.

Many health officials and experts in the United States and other countries have made a distinction between additional shots for immunocompromised people, who may not have mounted a strong immune response after their initial doses, and broader booster programs intended to shore up other peoples immunity, which can wane against infection naturally over time.

The World Health Organization has supported additional doses for people with weakened immune systems while calling for a global moratorium until the end of the year on booster programs for otherwise healthy people, so that more doses can be allocated to lower-income countries with low rates of vaccination.

The call for a moratorium has not stopped countries like Israel, the United States and Germany from moving ahead with booster programs.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
US President Joe Biden announced Thursday a revised $1.75 trillion social spending plan that he is confident Democrats will support, ending weeks of wrangling and delivering a political victory hours before he departs for twin summits in Europe.

Biden failed in his original goal of securing a vote in Congress, where Democrats hold a razor-thin majority, before going to Rome for meetings with Pope Francis and G20 leaders, then a UN climate summit in Glasgow.

Instead, his dramatic last-minute intervention will present Democrats with a deal too good to refuse, senior aides believe.

Putting the full prestige of his presidency on the line, Biden will unveil the framework agreement to Democratic leaders, then address the American people from the White House, before heading to the airport to board Air Force One.

The White House said Biden will lay out a compromise outline of legislation pouring $1.75 trillion into education, childcare, clean energy and other social services.

This is much less than the original $3.5 trillion price tag Biden and left-leaning Democrats wanted. However, this would still represent a major win a year after Biden, 78, defeated Donald Trump with a promise to heal America's "soul."

Weeks of Democratic feuding over both the details and costs have threatened to sink the bill, along with a second initiative meant to invest an additional $1.2 trillion in America's crumbling infrastructure.

Biden is now sure he has Congress ready to accept his deal, although the timing of a vote remains up to the Democratic speaker, Nancy Pelosi.

"The president believes this framework will earn the support of all 50 Democratic senators and pass the House," a senior White House official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

An official said the two bills Biden wants will "make historic investments" and that the White House is "confident" in getting Democrats to unite.

Biden was set to meet with Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives in private, before returning to the White House for a speech at 11:30 am (1530 GMT). He will depart for Rome shortly after.

Biden will "speak to the American people about the path forward for his economic agenda and the next steps to getting it done," another White House official said.

The Democrats enjoy a rare period of controlling both houses of Congress and the presidency. However, the margins are so tight -- with only a one vote advantage in the Senate and a handful in the House -- that enacting major legislation has proved far harder than supporters hoped.

Biden has been repeatedly frustrated as just two moderate Democrats in the Senate held up his social spending ambitions, while left-leaning Democrats in the House blocked the infrastructure bill.

Responding to criticism that the pending deal has been watered down too far, a White House official said Biden's framework will still "make historic investments in the United States."

This will be "the most transformative investment in children and caregiving in generations, the largest effort to combat climate change in history, and historic tax cut for tens of millions of middle class families, and the biggest expansion of affordable health care in a decade," an official said.

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The EU's foreign policy chief on Thursday accused Russia of using gas as a "geopolitical weapon" in a standoff with Moldova, and pledged further support to help the pro-Western government weather the crisis.

Moldova has declared a state of emergency in the face of a severe gas crunch after Russian state-controlled giant Gazprom hiked prices for the impoverished country.

"We see attempts by Gazprom to put political pressure in return to lower the gas prices," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said after meeting Moldova's Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita in Brussels.

"Gas is a commodity that's being bought and sold, sold and bought but it cannot be used as a geopolitical weapon."

The Kremlin has claimed the dispute is "absolutely commercial" despite fears Moscow is using its energy might to try to pull ex-Soviet Moldova back under its sway after Gavrilita vowed closer ties to the EU following elections in July.

The crisis in Moldova comes in the face of a global energy crunch that has left the EU scrambling to cope with higher prices.

But Borrell insisted "the price increase not just in Europe, but in the whole world is not in general terms the consequences of weaponisation of the gas supply, but in Moldova, yes, it is."

Brussels on Wednesday offered Moldova 60 million euros ($70 million) to help it cope in the face of the crisis.

Borrell called the grant a "first step", insisting it would go towards supporting the most vulnerable in Moldova and not "into Gazprom's pocket".

He pledged "resources and expertise" to help Moldova increase energy efficiency and diversify its supplies away from Russia.

Gavrilita welcomed the money but said her pro-Western administration "would like more technical assistance, expertise, political support".

Wedged between Romania and Ukraine, Moldova receives gas from Russia via its pro-Moscow separatist region of Transnistria and through Ukraine.

It signed a contract with EU member Poland for natural gas deliveries this week, in what the government hailed as "the first acquisition of gas from alternative sources in Moldova's history".

Moldova's contract with Gazprom ran out at the end of September. A deal has been reached for October but the Moldovan government said Moscow is sending far less gas to the country than usual.

Moldovan officials are currently in Saint Petersburg trying to negotiate a new contract with Gazprom.

Gavrilita told journalists that "there is progress in these negotiations".

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Laotian police have netted Asia's biggest-ever single seizure of illegal drugs, finding 55 million methamphetamine pills in the back of a beer truck, a United Nations official confirmed Thursday.

The 55.6 million meth tablets and 1.5 tonnes of crystal meth seized late Wednesday is a record for a single seizure in the region, UN Office of Drugs and Crime regional representative Jeremy Douglas said.

"It is three times the meth tablets that Laos seized all last year, and close to a third of the crystal meth," Douglas told AFP.

Laos has in recent years been a gateway for drug traffickers moving meth shipments out of Myanmar's troubled Shan state. The trend has noticeably accelerated in recent months, exacerbated by February's coup and economic collapse in Myanmar.

Authorities arrested the driver of a Beer Lao truck in Bokeo province, northern Laos, which is part of the so-called Golden Triangle -- a notorious drug smuggling zone at the borders of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand.

Lao Brewery issued a statement denying any involvement.

"We are deeply disappointed that our crates have been abused as a cover for illegal activities," the brewery said, adding that the truck in question was not registered with the company.

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The soldiers in rural Myanmar twisted the young mans skin with pliers and kicked him in the chest until he couldnt breathe. Then they taunted him about his family until his heart ached, too: Your mom, they jeered, cannot save you anymore.

The young man and his friend, randomly arrested as they rode their bikes home, were subjected to hours of agony inside a town hall transformed by the military into a torture centre.

As the interrogators blows rained down, their relentless questions tumbled through his mind. There was no break  it was constant, he says.

Also Read | Biden denounces coup and 'horrific violence' in Myanmar

I was thinking only of my mom. Since its takeover of the government in February, the Myanmar military has been torturing detainees across the country in a methodical and systemic way, The Associated Press has found in interviews with 28 people imprisoned and released in recent months.

Based also on photographic evidence, sketches and letters, along with testimony from three recently defected military officials, APs investigation provide the most comprehensive look since the takeover into a highly secretive detention system that has held more than 9,000 people.

The military, known as the Tatmadaw, and police have killed more than 1,200 people since February. While most of the torture has occurred inside military compounds, the Tatmadaw also has transformed public facilities such as community halls and a royal palace into interrogation centres, prisoners said.

Also Read | Over 1900 Myanmar refugee children enrolled in Mizoram govt schools: Official

The AP identified a dozen interrogation centres in use across Myanmar, in addition to prisons and police lockups, based on interviews and satellite imagery. The prisoners came from every corner of the country and from various ethnic groups and ranged from a 16-year-old girl to monks.

Some were detained for protesting against the military, others for no discernible reason. Multiple military units and police were involved in the interrogations, their methods of torture were similar across Myanmar.

The AP is withholding the prisoners names or using partial names, to protect them from retaliation by the military. Inside the town hall that night, soldiers forced the young man to kneel on sharp rocks, shoved a gun in his mouth and rolled a baton over his shinbones.

They slapped him in the face with his own Nike flip flops. Tell me! Tell me! they shouted. What should I tell you? he replied helplessly. He refused to scream. But his friend screamed on his behalf, after realizing it calmed the interrogators. Im going to die, he told himself, stars exploding before his eyes. I love you, mom.

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The problem with this publication, a bookseller in the Afghan capital Kabul explains, is not so much that it's by Michelle Obama, but that she's not wearing a hijab in the cover photo.

The former US first lady's memoir "Becoming" goes back on the stack, ready for a curious reader.

The Islamic fundamentalist Taliban movement seized the city in August and have declared Afghanistan an Islamic Emirate.

Also Read | Afghan girls learn, code 'underground' to bypass Taliban curbs

They have not yet ordered bookshops shut nor imposed censorship, but a climate of tension prevails and an economic crisis has hit takings.

Near the university, Kabul's book market was once a fashionable haven for the young intellectual crowd, but now around half the stores and stalls are closed.

Others are open, but readers are left in the dark as lights are turned off to save electricity.

Abdul Amin Hossaini, a middle-aged bookseller in a knit pullover and heavy square spectacles, tells AFP that business was good before the fall of the city.

Also read: Taliban government offers Afghans wheat for work as money dwindles

"We had at least 50 customers or books sold a day, now it's almost nothing," he says.

"I was beginning my dream to start a publishing company for children's books," he adds, describing how he was writing books about the lives of his two daughters.

Under the previous Taliban regime between 1996 and 2001, sellers of books they regarded as "profane" were forced to close, and some were ransacked.

In the two months since their return, the movement's fighters have not directly troubled the booksellers of Kabul's Pol-e-Sorkh district, but the fear remains.

Also Read | Mullah Omar's son on TV as Taliban polish public image

One stallholder, who preferred to remain anonymous, told AFP that he had withdrawn the popular works of reformist Iranian theologian Abdolkarim Soroush from the sale.

But in Saadat Books, which specialises in English-language texts, the selection is eclectic.

Alongside a dusty copy of Gustave Flaubert's masterpiece "Madame Bovary," there are seedy tales from Los Angeles by the transgressive German-American poet and author Charles Bukowski.

Stacks of science fiction lie alongside works on human evolution by Israeli intellectual Yuval Noah Harari.

Also Read | Anger over men-only foreign delegations to meet Taliban

"I am very surprised it's still open," admits customer Mustafa Barak, a 23-year-old law student, who comes every week to satisfy his passion for ideas.

"I just want to continue to learn new things, to improve my knowledge, to have an intellectual life," he says.

"We are in this situation because we can't read. Knowledge is what is left to us to try to fight this."

On this visit, he chose a book on personal development, "The Art of Thinking Clearly" by Swiss entrepreneur Rolf Dobelli.

Also Read | Women protest world's 'silence' over crisis in Afghanistan

Kabul's most famous bookshop, the Shah M Book Co, has been nicknamed Afghanistan's "national archive".

Its proprietor since 1974, Shah Muhammad Rais, left for London on a business visa in September, though he intends to return.

But the premises in Kabul remain open, as they did under previous changes in regime.

Rais' story inspired a bestseller by Norwegian writer Asne Seierstad, "The Bookseller of Kabul", but his famous store has so far not attracted the attention of the new Taliban regime.

Also Read | How ethnic and religious divides in Afghanistan are contributing to violence against minorities

In the low-ceilinged corridors, more than 17,000 titles in English, Dari, Farsi and Pashto recount the history of Afghanistan -- many of them rare treasures, available for online sale.

"We stay open because we are keeping the heritage of the Afghan people, and a way for them to be able to study it," says Suleiman Shah, the manager.

"Even the government doesn't have the archives and books on the country that we have. We are the memory of this country."

A day earlier, two Taliban members in civilian clothes visited for the first time in two decades.

Also Read | What is the future of ethnic groups in Afghanistan now that Taliban is back in power?

"They were looking for something I didn't have, a religious book," Shah says.

The missing book was the Ya-Sin, the 36th Surah that warns of the fate awaiting non-believers and of the limitless power of God to protect the faithful and to promise their resurrection. It is sometimes known as the heart of the Koran.

"They looked quickly around the shop," the manager says of the Taliban's visit. "They stopped at the postcard stand, they wanted to make sure I had nothing romantic."

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Bombay High Court granted bail to Aryan Khan and two others in drugs on cruise case. Kiran Gosavi, the elusive NCB witness in the drugs-on-cruise matter, has been arrested in 2018 cheating case. Gosavi has denied all allegations by Prabhakar Sail. Mumbai Police has deputed police officers for enquiry into complaints of alleged extortion against NCB officers including zonal director Sameer Wankhede in the drugs bust case involving Aryan.
Even as India is unlocking its borders for foreign tourists after a prolonged ban due to Covid, the Centre wants to develop border tourism, Union Minister of State for Tourism Ajay Bhatt said Thursday.

Giving the examples of Wagah border in the India-Pakistan border and Rock of Peace in the India-China border, the minister said the government will identify tourist destinations in border areas and promote them. A proposal in this regard is under consideration with the Union government.

Speaking to reporters in the sidelines of a Tourism and Culture Ministers' Conference of Southern Region here, Bhatt hoped that these tourist destinations would bring employment to people living in the border areas.

"The idea is that the border villages should not be empty. Once tourists come here, commercial opportunities will open up for villages here and people will want to stay in these regions," he explained. The proposal will be taken forward after discussions with the Indian Army, he added.

Speaking to DH, Rupinder Brar, Additional Director General, Ministry of Tourism, added that the government is also in the process of working on a South Asia tourism circuit. Several virtual meetings have taken place in this regard with the countries concerned. The government wants to ensure that any foreign tourist visiting a South Asian country also considers India as one of their destinations. For this, the government will have to coordinate with the countries involved, apart from working with tour operators to create such a circuit, she added.

Meanwhile, Union Tourism minister G Kishan Reddy hoped that the two-day conclave would enable a healthy competition between states. "Best practises must be exchanged among states," he said. Ministers and officials from all south Indian states took part in the conclave.

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Delhi Police has informed a court here that it has filed a supplementary charge sheet against the remaining accused in the Chhatrasal Stadium murder case involving Olympic medallist wrestler Sushil Kumar.

The first charge sheet which was filed by the police on August 2 named 13 accused, including Sushil Kumar as the main accused.

There are a total of 17 accused in the alleged murder case, according to the police.

Read more: Wrestler murder case: Probe reveals victims beaten for 40 minutes by Sushil Kumar, others

It is submitted by Investigating Officer of the case that supplementary charge sheet qua the remaining accused persons has been filed by him, Additional Sessions Judge Shivaji Anand noted in an order dated October 27.

Kumar, along with others had allegedly assaulted former junior national wrestling champion Sagar Dhankar and his friends at the stadium in May over an alleged property dispute. Dhankar later succumbed to the injuries.

In the first charge sheet, the police had said that the brawl at the stadium was the result of a conspiracy hatched by Sushil Kumar, who wanted to re-establish his supremacy among younger wrestlers. Kumar's bail was rejected earlier this month.

Delhi Police had filed an FIR against the accused of offences such as murder, attempt to murder, culpable homicide, criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, robbery, rioting, among others.

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Hindu-American culture has enriched the United States and the world, US lawmakers said during the annual Diwali celebrations at the Congress.

"We have come a long way as a community where someone can easily say today as I do, that I am a proud Hindu-American, that I am proud of celebrating Diwali, that the Hindu-American culture has enriched America and the world," Congressman Ro Khanna said.

Indiaspora, in association with a number of Indian-American organisations, have for the past several years been organising the festival of lights at the US Congress.

The event is normally attended by a large number of lawmakers, members of the administration and eminent community leaders from across the country. Because of Covid-19 and restrictions on the number of attendees at an event, the celebration was restricted this year but was webcast live.

In his remarks, Khanna, a three-term Congressman, said his district in California has the largest Indian-American community in the country.

"With such a growing number of Indian-Americans serving in all facets of the government, it felt fitting that during Diwali, one of the most auspicious and celebrated occasions of the year, we recognise the service of these public servants in our community," said M R Rangaswami, founder of Indiaspora.

The event included remarks from senior administration officials, including Neera Tanden, Senior Adviser to President Joe Biden who was recently named White House Staff Secretary and serves as the highest-ranking Indian-American woman in the administration after Vice President Kamala Harris, and Vice Admiral Vivek Murthy, US Surgeon General, who spoke about the inspiration behind Diwali.

"I think of Diwali as a time of sustenance  the food, the lights and a community event. To find sustenance in the things we grew up with which make us who we are today, and that is why the work of Indiaspora is important," said Indian-American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal.

"It' time to run for office we will be rooting for you and supportive of you. It doesnt matter if you win or lose, it matters that you ran for the right reasons  to serve the community," said Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi.

"As we close out 2021, I plan to introduce legislation that would further enshrine this day of light, Diwali, as a federal holiday, said Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, who was instrumental in helping Indiaspora and community partners in their advocacy for a United States Postal Stamp commemorating Diwali which came to fruition in 2016.

"We should also take a moment to acknowledge that its not just elected officials that make a difference in public service, its also the many staff members who work in the offices in congress and in city halls and in state legislatures and school boards across the country, said Congressman Joaquin Castro.

In a video message, Senator John Cornyn, Co-Chair of the Senate India Caucus, said he was proud to see how ties between the US and India have strengthened over the years.

Congressman Dr Ami Bera, the longest-serving Indian-American in Congress, also addressed the gathering.

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After chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's bid last week to make Telangana drugs/ganja free while offering them some latitude, the Hyderabad cops seem to be pulling all stops to achieve the status soon.

And one of the methods appears to be frisking people for the banned substances and also checking their phones' WhatsApp chats for any suspicious key words like ganja (cannabis).

A video of the city cops stopping commuters especially the youth in the old quarters of Hyderabad and examining the contents on their phone has gone viral on Thursday, with activists alleging it as infringement of their right to privacy.

Among other people, Bengaluru-based environmentalist Disha Ravi who was arrested earlier this year in a toolkit case also slammed the police's act. She said, Why are so many of you surprised like we haven't had people's "chats" read on national TV? If you think surveillance isn't here yet, what you essentially mean is that surveillance isn't here for YOU yet.

Why are so many of you surprised like we haven't had people's "chats" read on national TV?

If you think surveillance isn't here yet, what you essentially mean is that surveillance isn't here for YOU yet. https://t.co/bv8xdsexq5  Disha Ravi  (@disharavii) October 28, 2021

"New policing practices alert: stop and search phone chats by the @hydcitypolice. Police are searching phone chats for words like ganja. Wait until they replace words with NRC, Modi or BJP," remarked Srinivas Kodali, a researcher working on data, governance & internet, on Twitter.

A top police official, has however, defended the searches as a legitimate form of probe into an organised crime involving many criminals and users.

For the past few days the Telangana police especially under the Hyderabad and Cyberabad commissionerates are focused on eradicating the drugs-ganja trade and consumption, which according to CM Rao has become a big menace in the state.

Several arrests have been made by the city cops, while seizing large amounts of cannabis  Hyderabad police confiscated about 100 Kgs in the last two days.

The Cyberabad police has on Wednesday alone registered 10 cases and arrested 17 offenders like peddlers. Following instructions from the state Government to have Zero tolerance towards drug offenders, Cyberabad Police Commissioner Stephen Raveendra said they have even formed a special Narcotic and Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act enforcement cell.

While bulk buyers, local retailers and drug transporters are on task force radar, special teams are said to be operating in shifts throughout the day stopping and questioning any suspects with drug-ganja links.

In a meeting conducted last week on the ganja problem, CM Rao noted that WhatsApp groups are being formed by some youth to exchange information on drugs.

Rao called for a comprehensive action plan involving police and excise departments to eradicate drug availability and consumption, before the situation goes out of hand.

Officers showing good results in eradicating Ganja-drugs will be given cash awards, rewards and special promotions. Our government is ready to provide anything to you to decimate this threat. Eradicate the Ganja mafia and do not spare the criminals whoever they may be, the CM said while assuring the police-excise officials of all the support.

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India is concerned about the current situation in Afghanistan, a top Pentagon official has told US lawmakers.

"As I'm sure you're aware, they (Indians) are concerned about the situation in Afghanistan. They're concerned about the intersection between instability there and their counterterrorism concerns," Colin H Kahl, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee during a hearing on Afghanistan, South and Central Asia Security.

"They (Indians) want to work with us on those issues, sharing intelligence, cooperating where we can," he said, adding that there is a tremendous convergence between US and Indian national interests right now

Also Read | Anger over men-only foreign delegations to meet Taliban

"It provides a lot of opportunity for us to cooperate with India, not just on Afghanistan and counterterrorism, but on broader regional security questions, in the Indian Ocean and as it relates to the broader Indo-Pacific," Kahl said.

He was responding to a question from Senator Gary Peters.

"India's policies towards Afghanistan have been conceived largely through the lens of competition and proxy conflict with Pakistan. So it stands to reason that New Delhi should be no less concerned about the possibility that a Taliban government could benefit anti-Indian terrorist groups, especially those oriented towards Kashmir," he said.

"In view of our commitment to joint cooperation and interoperability with this critical partner, and the fact that India is the only designated major defence partner of the United States, I believe it's important for us to understand how its view towards Afghanistan has and will evolve," Peters said.

Earlier this month, Kahl had co-chaired a US-India Defense Policy Group meeting.

Responding to another question from Senator Jack Reed, Kahl said Pakistan is a challenging actor, but it does not want Afghanistan to be a safe haven for terrorist attacks or external attacks.

"They continue to give us access to Pakistani airspace and we're in conversations about keeping that airspace open and happy to talk about that more in the closed session. But for right now, counterterrorism cooperation with Pakistan is pretty good," he said.

"Our inability across multiple administrations to effectively deal with Pakistan is another example of the past being prologue. Managing the security relationship with Pakistan will remain important as we seek to successfully implement a regional counterterrorism strategy with other partners and allies," Reed said.

"That is why it is vitally important for us to reflect upon and study the entirety of the 20-year mission in Afghanistan," he added.
India has taken significant steps to reduce military dependence on Russia, a top American Senator said, a day after urging President Joe Biden not to impose provisions of Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) against New Delhi for buying the S-400 surface-to-air missile system from Moscow.

"We know that India is a responsible actor. It increasingly finds much in common with the United States. There's economic benefits, but also military and security cooperation, as well. Since the United States has designated India as a major defense partner in 2016, we've made serious strides to elevate our defence partnership in a dangerous world," Senator John Cornyn, a top Republican leader, said on Wednesday.

Also Read | Indian military cannot operate effectively without Russian supplied equipment: CRS report

Cornyn, who is also co-chair of the powerful Senate India Caucus, said this at in a panel discussion on US-India Partnership in Todays Geo-Political Landscape hosted by the US India Friendship Council in association with the US India Business Council.

"One of the biggest threats to our growing relationship has been the possibility of sanctions for the purchase of the Russian S-400 missile system. But I think what gives me confidence is that India has taken significant steps to reduce its reliance on Russian military equipment and has shown an interest in purchasing equipment from the United States and is working more closely with us based on shared values," Cornyn said.

"So not waiving these sanctions would achieve nothing, and perhaps derail the hard earned progress that we've made to strengthen our military cooperation," he said, a day after he and Senator Mark Warner, in a letter, urged President Biden to grant a national interest waiver to India as provided under CAATSA as this is in Americas national security interest.

Republican Congressman Mike Waltz argued the case of an US-India alliance. For a number of reasons, this is the most important relationship of the 21st century. I believe that how things go vis a vis China will mean this can be a century of light or a century of darkness," he said.

Referring to the chaotic withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, he said he feared Kashmir might be the first casualty of that. "Unfortunately, I fear that the first place you may see billions of dollars of American equipment spreading is into Kashmir. That breaks my heart. And I fear for that. I think we're going to have to be prepared to work together," he said.

A day earlier, he and Nikki Haley, former US envoy to the UN, wrote an op-ed in the Foreign Policy magazine for a US-India alliance.

Swadesh Chatterjee, chairman of the US-India Friendship Council, said the relationship between the two countries has never been this good. But its full potential is yet to be realised, he added.

Congressman Brad Sherman said he was deeply concerned by the aggression of China towards our ally India, referring to the deadly clash between the militaries of the two countries in Galwan Valley last year.

China has continued its aggression with cyberattacks, including attacks on India's power grid, which could put civilians at risk. The rise in Chinese attacks on one of America's strongest partners is a threat, not only to India's security, but to our own, Sherman said.
India will be a fighter for "climate justice" at the upcoming COP26 summit, seeking to make rich nations pay for measures to ease rising temperatures, the country's environment minister said Wednesday.

And the world's third-biggest source of greenhouse gases is not yet guaranteeing that it will offer new mitigation efforts at the crucial conference which starts Sunday in Glasgow.

India, along with the world's leading gas emitter China, is among dozens of countries still to submit fresh plans for cutting greenhouse gas emissions so they can become net zero -- eliminating as much carbon as they produce.

Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said India would set out what extra efforts it is ready to make "at the appropriate place and the appropriate time."

Also read: PM Modi reaffirms India's commitment to ASEAN centrality in Indo-Pacific

India, whose Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be at the summit, said controlling carbon should be the COP26 priority over setting target dates to become net zero.

"It is how much carbon you are going to put in the atmosphere before reaching net zero that is more important," said R.P. Gupta, the environment ministry's top permanent official.

According to the ministry's figures, each Indian produces about 1.9 tonnes of carbon per year, against 7.1 tonnes for the average European Union citizen, 8.4 tonnes for a Chinese and 18 tonnes for the average American.

Yadav said assessing and financing the world's campaign to limit temperature rises will be one of the most crucial tasks at Glasgow.

"India will fill the role of the voice of developing nations," Yadav told a small group of journalists on the eve of his departure for the talks.

"India will be a path to a solution with climate justice."

The country of 1.3 billion people, and one of the world's fastest-growing economies, has long insisted that countries who profited from past industrialisation -- Europe and North America -- should pay the lion's share of the climate crisis bill.

Yadav noted the concern of poorer nations that richer ones have failed to live up to promises made at earlier climate summits to provide hundreds of billions of dollars in financial aid and technology.

India has one of the world's leading solar power programmes, and US climate envoy John Kerry said that the country was "red hot" for solar investment.

But it currently counts on coal for about 70 per cent of generated electricity and will have to spend more than $40 billion to dismantle just 14 per cent of its oldest and dirtiest coal power stations, according to the Climate Policy Initiative think tank.

Gupta said that without finance for poorer nations "it becomes extremely difficult to have green development at our own cost."
India is well on its way to meet targets set under the Paris accord and it expects fulfilment of commitments in facilitating financial resources and technologies in helping developing countries confront climate change, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Thursday.

His comments came days ahead of the 26th Conference of Parties (COP-26) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to be held in Glasgow. "We are well on our way to meeting our NDC (Nationally Determined Contributions) commitments and even doing better than that," he said at a media briefing on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Rome and Glasgow to participate in the G20 summit and COP-26 meet respectively.

The NDCs are long-term goals and they embody efforts by each country to cut greenhouse gas emissions. "We are looking forward to a COP-26 that would bring forth fair and objective discussions and a balanced outcome," Shringla said.

Also Read | Will join G20 leaders in discussing economic and health recovery from pandemic, climate change: Modi

The developed countries promised to allocate $100 billion annually to developing countries to deal with climate change. Modi will leave for Glasgow from Rome on October 31 to attend COP-26. He will participate in the high-level segment of COP-26 titled 'World Leaders' Summit' from November 1 to 2. The prime minister will leave for Rome on Friday. In a pre-departure statement, Modi said India is taking ambitious action on expanding clean and renewable energy and energy efficiency.

"Today, India is creating new records in collective effort for climate adaptation, mitigation and resilience and forging multilateral alliances," he said. The prime minister said India is among the top countries in the world in terms of installed renewable energy, wind and solar energy capacity.

"I will also highlight the need to comprehensively address climate change issues including equitable distribution of carbon space, support for mitigation and adaptation and resilience building measures, mobilization of finance, technology transfer and importance of sustainable lifestyles for green and inclusive growth," he said. Shringla said India would like to see the fulfilment of such promises by the developed countries.

"The quantum of such financing is also, in our view, inadequate. You need much more financing in order to reach the goals that have been set," he said. Shringla said providing financial resources and technology to developing countries is key to helping them meet their climate goals. "This is something that will occupy the leaders and negotiators, this is something that we expect to see some outcomes on, not only in terms of commitments," he said.

Shringla said a global green bridge initiative with the theme of one sun, one world and one grid under the International Solar Alliance will be launched on the sidelines of the COP-26. The COP-26 is being held from October 31 to November 12 under the presidency of the UK which is partnering with Italy for the event. It is being billed as one of the biggest ever congregations of world leaders and experts in combating climate change.

The Paris Agreement of 2015 requires each party to prepare, communicate and maintain successive NDCs that it intends to achieve.

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Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia visited the Delhi airport on Thursday to supervise the progress of Digi Yatra mechanism that allows the passengers to check-in at the airport using biometric technology.

The minister said on Twitter, "Visited the Delhi airport and supervised the progress of Digi Yatra, a forward-looking mechanism to digitise passenger processing-from entry to boarding."

Visited the @DelhiAirport &supervised the progress of Digi Yatra,a forward-looking mechanism to digitise passenger processing - from entry to boarding. It will be a milestone towards realising the PMs goal of #DigitalIndia.Glad to see @MoCA_GoI s ambitious mission taking shape. pic.twitter.com/2LAfZ8AI4z  Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (@JM_Scindia) October 28, 2021

"It will be a milestone towards realising the PM's goal of Digital India. Glad to see the Ministry of Civil Aviation's ambitious mission taking shape," he added.

The Digi Yatra initiative seeks to promote paperless and hassle-free air travel. It is a biometrics-based digital processing system for passenger entry and related requirements at the airport.

The minister said he also met a few workers, who were travelling abroad, from Jharkhand at the T3 terminal of the Delhi airport on Thursday.

"Had a brief chat about their experience and wait time at the airport. On being told it was 10 hours, requested airport officials to serve food and ensure their well being," he tweeted.

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In a big setback to Bharti Airtel, the Supreme Court on Thursday rejected the telecom major's claim for a refund of Rs 923 crore by rectifying its GST returns for July to September 2017.

A bench presided over by Justice A M Khanwilkar set aside the Delhi High Courts order passed on May 5, 2020 that allowed Sunil Bharti-led Airtel to rectify Form GSTR-3B for the period, saying such directions cannot be sustained.

Tax authorities, for their part, denied any refund alleging that Airtel had under-reported input tax credit during the period. The company, on the other hand, claimed it had paid excess tax of Rs 923 crore on inputs based on estimates since the GSTR-2A form was not operational during the error period.

The apex court said that the law permits rectification of errors and omissions only at the initial stages of Forms GSTR-1 and GSTR-3 in a specified manner, thus Airtel cannot be permitted to unilaterally carry out rectification of its returns submitted electronically in Form GSTR-3B, which inevitably would affect the obligations and liabilities of other stakeholders, because of the cascading effect in their electronic records.

Any unilateral change in such return as per the present dispensation would have a cascading effect on the recipients and suppliers associated with the concerned transactions. There would be complete uncertainty and no finality could ever be attached to the self-assessment return filed electronically," the bench, also comprising Justice Dinesh Maheshwari, said.

Agreeing to the contention of the Union government, the court said any indulgence shown contrary to the statutory mandate would not only be an illegality but in reality, would simply lead to a chaotic situation and collapse of tax administration of Union, States and Union Territories.

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Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will attend the G-20 joint Finance and Health Ministers meeting in Rome on October 29, which among other things will discuss Covid pandemic prevention and response.

Union Finance Minister Smt. @nsitharaman embarks on an official visit to attend #G20 Joint Finance & Health Ministers meeting in #Rome to discuss measures to strengthen #Covid-19 #PandemicPrevention, #preparedness & #response. The meeting precedes #G20RomeSummit, the Finance Ministry tweeted.

Finance and health ministers will discuss how to keep momentum in response to the pandemic and build on further coordination arrangements between the ministries.

On October 29, G20 Finance and Health Ministers will gather in Rome for their first joint meeting under the Italian G20 Presidency. The meeting will be co-chaired by Italian Minister of Economy and Finance Daniele Franco and Italian Minister of Health Roberto Speranza.

The meeting will be held on the eve of the G20 Leaders' Summit taking place in Rome on October 30-31, 2021.

Speaking at the 36th Annual G30 International Banking Seminar earlier this month, Sitharaman had highlighted the need of an international financial architecture to fight the Covid-19 pandemic across the globe and stressed on the need to keep the supply chains open for vaccine raw materials.

The Minister also highlighted the need of an international financial architecture to fight the Covid-19 pandemic across the globe and supported the need of new financial instruments to focus and press forward green initiatives.

India has suggested a temporary waiver of intellectual property rights under a WTO agreement on Covid-19 vaccines and medicines.

Last week India, which has a population of over 130 crore, achieved a major milestone in its vaccination programme against Covid-19 as the cumulative vaccine doses administered in the country surpassed the 100-crore mark. About 104 crore people have been vaccinated till Wednesday.

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Kerala CPI(M) leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan's son Bineesh Kodiyeri getting bail in the Bengaluru drug trafficking case will be a relief to the CPI(M) as Kerala is gearing up to host the Party Congress in April 2022.

The chances of Balakrishnan returning to the party Kerala secretary post have also increased.

Bineesh's arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case on October 29 last year had triggered a political row in Kerala, especially since the state was heading for the crucial Assembly elections. Two weeks later, Balakrishnan had stepped down as the party state secretary.

Though the party's official version was that Balakrishnan was taking leave due to medical reasons, it was clear that it was a damage control exercise. Nearly a year later, the party state secretary post has remained vacant. Left-front convenor A Vijayaraghavan was given only the state secretary's charge.

Hence, the bail to Balakrishnan's son could lead the way for Balakrishnan's return as party state secretary.

Sources close to Balakrishnan said that since the ED failed to produce any solid evidence linking Bineesh with the drug trafficking racket, it was now very clear that the ED's action against Bineesh was part of a political ploy of BJP ahead of the elections. The people of Kerala already gave a befitting reply to the BJP in the Assembly election, hence there was no moral obstacles for Balakrishnan to return as party state secretary.

Party sources said that since the party's state conference was set to happen in another couple of months, the new state secretary would be most likely to be selected only during the conference.

Bineesh was implicated by the ED in the money laundering case after one Mohammed Anoop, who was held for drug trafficking in Karnataka, was found to be having financial dealings with him. He was also found to be using Bineesh's bank cards. Hence the ED suspected that Bineesh was funding the drug trafficking racket.

Bineesh also faced several allegations of association with shady characters and cheating case accused. His political connections was allegedly being used by the fraudsters.

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Tamil superstar Rajinikanth was on Thursday admitted to a private hospital in Chennai. Though there was no official statement from the hospital, Rajinikanths wife Latha said the actor was admitted for a routine check-up."

Tamil news outlets quoted Latha as saying that Rajinikanth was doing fine and that he came to hospital only for a check-up. The actors hospitalisation comes four days after he was conferred with Dadasaheb Palke award in New Delhi.

Hours later, V M Sudhakar, administrator of the All India Rajinikanth Fans Club, took to Twitter to say that Rajinikanth was doing fine. Thalaivar ( #Rajinikanth ) is fine. Don't believe rumours," he said in a terse post

The actor, who underwent a kidney transplant in 2016 in the US, had pulled out of politics months before Tamil Nadu assembly elections in 2021 citing his ill-health and Covid-19 situation.

The actor was admitted to Apollo Hospitals in Hyderabad in December 2020 following fluctuation in his blood pressure.

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Vice President of India M Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday made a case for Indianisation of food habits and the educational curriculum, asking why colonist Britain's marauder Robert Clive was referred to as 'Robert Clive the great' when Indian heroes like King Shivaji and Rana Pratap weren't given the same privilege.

Naidu, who was speaking at a function at the Sant Sohirobanath Ambiye College in North Goa, also said that local events and regional stalwarts of the Goa Liberation movement should find place in the history books in the coastal state, along with national heroes.

"Unfortunately because of colonial rule our education system was such that we are not taught about the true history of our civilization. History says Robert Clive the Great not Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaja or Rana Pratap. I have just given one example. There are many like that," Naidu said at the function.

"The VCs (vice chancellors) of universities and other great institutions must focus on this. The syllabus has to be changed to include the national and the national heroes of the local region. Their life, their teachings and their preachings must be brought into the education system," he also said.

Naidu also said that students of Goa should be taught in detail about the Goa Liberation movement, which ended with the state being liberated from 451 years of colonial rule in 1961.

"Our children, children of Goa, they must be taught about the Goa Liberation Movement. The sacrifice made by great people of this great land. The sufferings they have undergone during that suppression. This has to be told to our younger generation. They should be told how Goa was liberated by sons of this great land who have sacrificed. Who were in the forefront of the movement. That is very much required," Naidu said, adding that there was a need to "Indianise education".

He also extended the need for Indianisation in food choices in the country, urging people to abhor pizzas and burgers.

"Im not prescribing a particular food, there are a lot of varieties, thousands of varieties in India. Im only suggesting going for cooked food -- not stale or frozen food. We must go for organic, indegenous food, this burger pizza may be suitable to those countries but not to our country," the Vice President of India said.
The Bombay High Court on Thursday disposed off NCB Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede's petition seeking relief from probe into 'extortion claims' after Maharashtra government's lawyer assured the Court that three days notice will be given before arrest by the Mumbai Police, news agency ANI reported.

Mumbai | Bombay High Court disposes off NCB Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede's petition after Maharashtra govt's lawyer assured the Court that 3 days notice will be given before arrest by Mumbai Police pic.twitter.com/6pUrjVHj6s  ANI (@ANI) October 28, 2021

Wankhede had demanded that a central investing agency like CBI probe the matter. Maharashtra government lawyer told Bombay High Court that there are 4 different complaints against Sameer Wankhede. An ACP-level officer is heading the enquiry which has just begun. We have not registered any FIR against Wankhede yet so the application is at premature stage.
In a significant development, a Magistrates Court in Thane on Thursday issued a non-bailable warrant against controversial IPS officer Param Bir Singh, who has been untraceable for the last few months.

In a related event, the Crime Branch-CID of the Mumbai Police moved an application in the Mumbai Sessions Court to issue a non-bailable warrant. The court will hear the case on Friday.

Also Read | We have case where complainant has gone missing: Uddhav Thackeray's dig at Param Bir Singh

According to earlier reports, Singh is either in Europe or Russia.

Singh, a Maharashtra-cadre officer of the 1988-batch of IPS is a former Mumbai Police commissioner and last posted as commandant-general of Home Guard.

Singh who has made charges of corruption against the then home minister and senior NCP leader faces multiple cases of extortion and misuse of office in Mumbai and Thane, the places where he led police forces.

Singh had in the past repeatedly failed to appear before the Maharashtra government-appointed Justice (Retd) KU Chandiwal Commission - defying the summons.

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Cornered from all sides and two probes, NCBs controversial Mumbai zonal director Sameer Wankhede sought protection from the Bombay High Court, which gave him partial relief.

"I am personally attacked by the state. My apprehension is they will arrest me. I want interim protection in the form of no coercive action, Wankhede told the court.

An IRS officer, Wankhede also asked to transfer the investigation from the Maharashtra governments agency to any central agency or to the CBI or NIA.

A division bench comprising Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice SV Kotwal disposed of the petition after an assurance from Mumbai Police. The Mumbai Police was represented by Aruna Pai while Wankhede was represented by counsels Atul Nanda and Rameeza Hakeem

The Public Prosecutor assures three working days notice will be given before arrest," the court said.

Complaints that are being probed into are the ones filed by Prabhakar Sail, an independent witness in the cruise ship drug case, Nitin Deshmukh and Mumbai lawyer Sudha Diwedi and Kanishka Jain.

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Yasmeen Wankhede, the sister of Narcotics Control Bureau's (NCB) Mumbai zonal director Sameer Wankhede, has filed a police complaint here seeking registration of an FIR against Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik for allegedly defaming her, an official said on Thursday.

Sameer Wankhede is in the eye of a political storm following allegations of extortion in the high-profile cruise drugs case in which actor Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan was arrested.

The officer is facing the departmental vigilance probe. In her two-page complaint submitted to the Oshiwara police here, Yasmeen Wankhede claimed her family was being targeted on social media and that Malik had also called their family trip to Maldives as a "vasooli (extortion) trip", the official said.

Also read: Mumbai police set up team for inquiry into 'extortion bid' in Aryan case

She alleged that Malik was trying to defame her and her family members. She also claimed that she was being stalked online and the minister was illegally distributing to media persons her personal photographs posted on her social media handles like Instagram and Facebook, according to the complaint filed recently.

An official from the Oshiwara police station said they received a written complaint from Yasmeen Wankhede last week, but no FIR has been registered so far.

Yasmeen Wankhede also filed a complaint with the National Commission for Women (NCW) and requested it to direct the police to register a case for the alleged offences of stalking, defamation, criminal intimidation and insulting a woman's modesty, as well as relevant sections of the Information Technology Act for violating her privacy and under sections of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Malik has repeatedly termed the cruise drugs case as "fake" and levelled a string of allegations against Sameer Wankhede, including illegal phone tapping and forging documents to secure job. The NCB official has denied any wrong-doing.

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The World Health Organization on Wednesday said it expects to receive clarifications from Bharat Biotech by the end of this week on its Covid-19 vaccine -- Covaxin -- and will meet on November 3 for a final risk-benefit assessment for the Emergency Use Listing.

WHO Technical Advisory Group for Emergency Use Listing (EUL) is an independent advisory group that provides recommendations to WHO on whether a #Covid19 vaccine can be listed for emergency use under the EUL procedure, the WHO tweeted.

WHO Technical Advisory Group for Emergency Use Listing (EUL) is an independent advisory group that provides recommendations to WHO on whether a #COVID19 vaccine can be listed for emergency use under the EUL procedure.pic.twitter.com/hIS117jvty  World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) October 27, 2021

The Technical Advisory Group met October 26 and decided that additional clarifications from the manufacturer (Bharat Biotech) are needed to conduct a final EUL risk-benefit assessment for global use of the Covaxin vaccine".

Also read: WHO seeks 'additional clarifications' from Bharat Biotech for Covaxin to conduct final 'risk-benefit assessment'

The Technical Advisory Group expects to receive these clarifications from the manufacturer (Bharat Biotech) by the end of this week, and aims to reconvene for the final risk-benefit assessment on Wednesday, November 3, 2021, the WHO tweeted.

The global health body also tweeted a video of WHO Health Emergencies Programme Executive Director Dr Mike Ryan, who said the World Health Organization is very clear that we want all countries to recognise EUL vaccines that have been given an Emergency Use Listing (EUL) by the WHO advisory process. But it's also very important that WHO, when it makes a recommendation like that, is making that globally.

Ryan had said we have to be absolutely sure and its really important that we gather all of the necessary information not only on the vaccine itself but on the manufacturing processes and all of that, because we're recommending to the world that this vaccine is safe, effective and it's been produced using the highest quality standards".

Further explaining how the WHO technical advisory group works, he said the vaccine manufacturers first of all have to request and respond and say that they want their vaccines to be put for EUL and then provide documentation on the whole process - the efficacy studies and the manufacturing process.

Sometimes that requires visits to look at and examine the manufacturing practices and all of that has to come together into a dossier that's presented within this advisory group mechanism, and then it's from there that WHO can make a recommendation," he said.

Ryan emphasised that the entire process, even if people cannot see it day to day, is very measured" because we're having to say to the world we've looked at this carefully, we've looked at every piece of data, we've looked at the whole production cycle and we can say with our hands on our hearts, having looked at all that data, here is a safe, effective, and well-produced product that you as our member state or you as a citizen of the world can take with confidence.

That's very, very important and that sometimes takes longer and it is frustrating. And it is particularly frustrating if you've had a certain vaccine that is not recognised by another country and you can't travel. That becomes an issue, he said.

Ryan said the work done by the advisory group and its members has been of the highest quality, and it takes time to do that".

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Its a hugely important task. It's extremely involved and measured, and the outputs of this process have been of very high quality right ...through this pandemic. And if it takes another week or two, that's what we'll have to take to ensure that the dossier is complete to ensure that the committee have a chance to look at that and then WHO can make the right determination and give the right advice to the world.

Ryan has added that the Emergency Committee of the International Health Regulations has been very, very clear" and countries have been advised that vaccination certification should not be used as the only measure and means of restricting travel.

We have other ways of making travel safe, including testing, serologic testing, and we very strongly believe that using vaccination status as the only parameter of travel creates a double inequity because countries who have no access to vaccines then by de facto have no access to travel either. And that's a double inequity, he has said.

In another video tweeted by WHO, Dr Mariangela Simao, Assistant Director General, Access to Medicines and Health Products at WHO, explained the process of emergency approvals of these vaccines and how safety is ensured in this process.

"It's very important to highlight that no vaccine candidate should be used or issued an emergency approval at country level if it has not finished phase three trials because its during phase three trials that you do the assessment of efficacy and safety", she said in the video.

When it comes to the assessment of the authority, it already has data on both efficacy and safety. The job is not finished yet because after this in order to authorise at country level, you need to assess whether the vaccine was 'well made', and complied with good manufacturing practices and quality control, Simao said.

So this is to say that by the time it's authorised at the country level, it has gone through a lot of scrutiny. So it's very good to highlight that safety and efficacy will be guaranteed by the process that we have put in place, she said.

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The Supreme Courts much-awaited judgement in the Pegasus case is an important landmark in the history of the fight for the fundamental rights of citizens and institutional protection for them. It is especially important because these rights are being challenged in the country in various ways and Pegasus symbolised one of the most serious of such challenges. Revelations in the international media had pointed to extensive surveillance and hacking of citizens phones for the past many years with the help of a software from an Israeli company. The Supreme Courts decision to set up a committee under a former judge of the court, Justice R V Raveendran, to investigate the charges of illegal surveillance and hacking, under its own supervision, is welcome because it will hopefully bring out the truth and fix responsibility for the wrong decisions and actions that may have taken place.

Also Read | SC committee to probe Pegasus snooping issue shatters castle of govt propaganda: CPI MP

The committee will have a number of experts to assist it in its investigation. An important feature of the courts decision is that it has rejected the governments offer to set up a committee to probe the matter. This would not have helped because it is the government which is under the shadow of suspicion, and an exercise done under its auspices would not have been credible at all. The fact that the court recognised this is itself important. With its decision, the court has asserted and reaffirmed its position as the trustworthy sentinel of the fundamental rights of citizens. It has clearly said this in many words. The statements that every invasion of privacy must pass the test of reasonableness and constitutional necessity and that such invasion can't be allowed without statutory backing" are very reassuring. It has sent out the message that it will not compromise on its duty to protect the citizens rights even as it is conscious of not entering the political thicket.

The courts strong criticism of the government in the case is very significant. The very fact that it quoted from George Orwells fictional account of totalitarianism, 1984, has set the theme of that criticism. The government has been evasive and was unwilling to provide the information that the court wanted, and tried to hide behind the excuse of national security. The court has done well to reject this, and this should be relevant in other cases also where the government has tried to curb the rights of citizens. It has identified eight issues to be enquired, investigated and determined. The committee will also make recommendations for enactment of legal measures and other steps for better protection of rights. Hopefully, the government will extend full co-operation to the committee and its findings will be available earliest.
By Farhad Manjoo,

The nicest thing you can say about the Health Misinformation Act, proposed in July by Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Ben Ray Lujan, is that it means well. The internet has been a key accelerant of widespread myths, misunderstandings and lies related to Covid-19. Klobuchar and Lujans bill would force online companies like Facebook to crack down on false information during public health emergencies, or lose immunity from lawsuits if they dont.

Theres only one problem: What is health misinformation? I know of no oracular source of truth about Covid-19. Scientific consensus has shifted dramatically during the pandemic, and even now experts are divided over important issues, such as whether everyone should get a vaccine booster shot. Klobuchar and Lujans bill elides these complications. Instead they designate an all-knowing authority: Health misinformation, the bill says, is whatever the secretary of health and human services decides is health misinformation.

Im sorry  what? Have the senators forgotten that just last year we had a president who ridiculed face masks and peddled ultraviolet light as a miracle cure for the virus? Why would we choose to empower such a presidents Cabinet appointee as the arbiter of whats true and false during a pandemic? And not just a pandemic  since the law defines a public health emergency so broadly, I wouldnt put it past a science-averse future secretary from attempting to declare discussions about abortion, birth control, transgender health or whatever else as misinformation.

Also read: Five key takeaways from the leaked Facebook documents

Klobuchar and Lujans bill is one of many plans that attempt to curb the power of tech companies by altering Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the much-hated and much-misunderstood 1996 rule that affords websites broad immunity from liability for damage caused by their users. Proposals from Democratic lawmakers tend to call on tech companies to delete or demote false content in order to retain Section 230 immunity. Proposals from Republicans generally do the opposite, threatening to undo immunity if tech companies censor content unfairly or in bad faith.

The plans from both sides fill me with deep dread. Many legal experts argue that many Section 230 proposals, including the Klobuchar-Lujan bill, likely violate the First Amendment, which makes it extremely difficult for Congress to dictate to private companies and their users what people can and cant say online.

At best, then, the proposals to reform Section 230 might amount to little more than a performative gesture, a way for lawmakers to show theyre doing something, anything, about the runaway powers of tech giants.

At worst, though, these plans may backfire catastrophically. Rather than curbing the influence of Big Tech, altering Section 230 might only further cement Facebook and other tech giants hold over public discourse  because the giants might be the only companies with enough resources to operate under rules in which sites can be inundated with lawsuits over what their users post.

Smaller sites with fewer resources, meanwhile, would effectively be encouraged to police users content with a heavy hand. It is no accident that Facebook has been telling lawmakers that it welcomes reforms to Section 230  while smaller sites like Etsy and Tripadvisor are nervous about the possibility.

Recent reports have exacerbated lawmakers impatience with Facebook. This week, news organisations are running scores of stories based on documents leaked by Frances Haugen, the former Facebook employee turned whistleblower. Haugens documents show a company out of control, one whose sense of ethics rarely rises above the bottom line, one ripe for regulation and reform.

Theres so much hatred for Facebook right now that anything is possible, said Jeff Kosseff, a professor of cybersecurity law at the US. Naval Academy and the author of a book about Section 230, The Twenty-Six Words That Created the Internet.

Kosseff is most worried about a last-minute, dead-of-night change that undoes the governing law of the internet.

The worst possibility is that every proposal gets into one 500-page omnibus bill that gets passed right before people go home in December, and makes Section 230 entirely inoperable, he said.

Also Read | Facebook froze as anti-vaccine comments swarmed users

Section 230 has been a punching bag for Democrats and Republicans for years. Last year, Donald Trump, who argued that the law allowed liberal tech executives to censor right-wing ideas, issued an executive order aimed at limiting its scope. President Joe Biden revoked that order in May, but he has also called for Section 230s repeal. Both Trump and Biden are emblematic of a widespread misunderstanding about Section 230  the idea that it is the rule that gives tech companies wide leeway to moderate online discussions.

In fact, it is the First Amendment that grants technology companies that right. As Daphne Keller, director of the Program on Platform Regulation at Stanfords Cyber Policy Center, has outlined, there are at least six ways that the Constitution limits Congress power to regulate online discourse.

Among these limits: Congress cant require companies to ban constitutionally protected speech  and objectionable as it might be, in America, health misinformation is legal speech, and it is not a crime for me to tell you where to stick your syringe.

In a recent academic article, Keller makes a convincing case that the Supreme Courts First Amendment precedents also prevent Congress from telling tech companies not to amplify certain speech through recommendation algorithms like the one behind Facebooks News Feed. Such a law would constitute a burden on speech, and the court has ruled that burdens on speech get the same scrutiny as bans on speech. Congress might even run afoul of the First Amendment just by merely incentivising companies to maintain certain speech standards, Keller has argued.

Not everyone agrees that the Constitution is incompatible with speech regulations for tech companies. Lawrence Lessig, a professor at Harvard Law School who has been working with Haugen, the Facebook whistleblower, told me that some content-neutral rules for online speech might survive constitutional scrutiny  for example, a rule that set an upper limit on the number of times a Facebook post could be reshared.

More broadly, Lessig argued that legal scholars of the digital world should begin to think more creatively about ways to tame social media.

We kind of stopped our thinking too early in the evolution of these technologies, and theres a lot more thinking to be done, he said.

Indeed, Kosseff, Lessig and Keller all agreed on one idea  that before hastily enacting new online speech laws, Congress ought to appoint a kind of blue-ribbon investigative commission with the power to compel tech giants to provide much more information about how their platforms work. Lawmakers would be much better equipped to decide what to do about online discourse if they understood how it operates now, they argued.

But of course, a commission is nobodys idea of compelling politics.

Its kind of unsatisfying, Keller said.

I agree  but its better than moving haphazardly and making our problems much worse.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC)'s salvos targeting the Congress are coming thick and fast now. After Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee's repeated attacks on the Congress in the run-up to the October 30 bypolls in which the Congress is hardly relevant, his aunt, TMC chairperson, Mamata Banerjee has also taken to target her one-time political launchpad.

"Congress bhi jhootha hai," the West Bengal chief minister said on Monday, addressing the media in north Bengal. She also accused the state governments in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Tripura and Goa of not allowing TMC's political programmes. "I would like to tell the Congress that you have had enough time 10, 15, 20 years What did you do? It is because you people did nothing that we had to step out of Bengal," she said.

Abhishek Banerjee, who is considered her political heir, and the party in charge of its expansion plan beyond Bengal  particularly in Tripura, Assam, Goa and Meghalaya  stood next to Mamata Banerjee. Uttar Pradesh Congress leaders Rajesh Pati Tripathi and his son, Lalitesh Tripathi, were inducted into the TMC at the event and flanked the two leaders.

Mamata Banerjee targeting the Congress is not new. After all, it is by enfeebling the Congress that she made her political mark. Beginning her political career as a Congress student wing member in 1975 and gaining prominence after getting elected to the Lok Sabha in 1984, her political career took a new turn when Mamata Banerjee broke away from her parent party in December 1997. She accused the Congress of being incapable of taking on the state's Left Front government ruling since 1977 and launched her party, which immediately emerged stronger than the Congress. Since then, the TMC has reduced the Congress to near insignificance in the state, especially with systematic poaching of its MLAs and other senior leaders, even though the two parties were briefly in alliance from 2009 to 2012.

But the recent full-blooded attack on the Congress beyond Bengal has given the TMC's politics a new turn. After the TMC's poaching drive on the Congress prompted Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel to tweet on October 8 that "people looking for a 'national' alternative based on poaching Congress functionaries who can't win even their seats are in for a big disappointment." The reaction the tweet drew from the TMC can be called harsh, at the least. Baghel had not named any party, but the TMC's official handle quoted his tweet with the comment, "Rich words coming from a first-time CM. Punching above your weight doesn't bring honour to you, Bupesh Baghel. What a shoddy attempt to please the high command. By the way, is the Congress going to try to erase the historical defeat at Amethi through yet another Twitter trend?"

Take this for another example. After the Congress announced it would reserve 40 per cent of the party's tickets for women in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, the TMC jumped into action to take credit. "We are the first party to give 40 per cent seats to women in LS elections," the TMC tweeted. It further said, "Amid such dire times, the Congress is understandably trying to emulate, and one can only hope that this is genuine and not tokenism. If they are to be taken seriously, they must give 40 per cent seats to women in states other than UP as well."

On October 23, while campaigning in the Gosaba Assembly constituency in the Sundarbans region, Abhishek Banerjee targeted the Congress out of the blue, as the party hardly has relevance in that seat. "Over the past seven years, the Congress had only conceded defeat to the BJP all over the country, while Mamata Banerjee thwarted all challenges posed by communal and undemocratic BJP," he said, seemingly with the national perspective in mind.

It appears that the TMC is on a mission to corner the Congress and reduce it to irrelevance wherever possible - leaders in Tripura, Assam, Goa and Meghalaya are primary targets. But some of the G23 leaders are believed to be on the list, too.

Quite evidently, this is the party's bid to use the internal turbulence in the Congress for its growth beyond Bengal before any anti-BJP grand alliance takes shape for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections so that the TMC has the leading role in such an alliance. As a TMC Rajya Sabha MP explained to this author, "We are not looking for an alliance without the Congress, but we don't want a Congress-led alliance either. The Congress has lost the ability and credibility to lead a battle against Modi-(Amit) Shah."

The party hopes to assume that leadership role after making a mark in Goa, Tripura and Meghalaya. It remains to be seen if its hopes are based on political acumen. But the TMC's national aspiration is not new. It launched a drive in Meghalaya, Tripura and Andaman Islands soon after coming to power in West Bengal in 2011 and even tasted initial success. But the BJP's rise at the national level in 2014 thwarted the TMC's plan. Since 2016, Mamata Banerjee has sought a national alliance of regional parties - she loves to call it "Federal Front".

The TMC took the initiative for an opposition alliance ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election, too, hosting a grand rally in Kolkata's Brigade Parade Ground in January of that year. Leaders from 18 parties opposed to the BJP, including the Congress, attended. But no formal alliance took shape, as its prospective components had conflicting interests in territorial expansion and existing holds.

Now, in this renewed effort to ally with opposition parties, the TMC has started its journey by targeting the Congress, without which no possible opposition alliance can be imagined at present. At the all-party meeting in Delhi that Congress working president Sonia Gandhi chaired, Mamata Banerjee said anti-BJP parties with whom the Congress has conflicting interests, such as the Aam Aadmi Party, should have also been invited.

Still, in a friendly gesture, the Congress decided not to field any candidate in the September 30 Assembly bypoll that the chief minister was contesting to get elected to the Bengal Assembly. The TMC returned the gesture by attacking the Congress in the campaigns for the same bypoll.

Mamata Banerjee even asked why the Centre never harassed anyone from the Congress, except for P Chidambaram, but was after every leader of the TMC. It was because the Congress did not give the BJP enough trouble, she contended.

Of course, every party has its rights to ideological and organisational expansion, and every party has the right to win over leaders from rival parties. The TMC cannot be blamed for inducting prominent Congress leaders from different states. It is for the Congress to introspect why leaders outside the TMC's base of West Bengal were joining Mamata Banerjee's party. How did she become a symbol or, in their eyes, a bankable brand?

But there are some serious questions that the TMC needs to introspect, especially about public perception. Poaching leaders is one thing - the Congress really can't complain if it fails to keep leaders from leaving for a smaller party. But launching a tirade of attack on a prospective alliance partner, literally at the drop of a hat, does not go well with the idea of a dependable alternative to the ruling alliance. The Congress may have weakened and ridden with internal trouble. However, it still is a significant force in several states, including against the BJP - Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Kerala.

The Congress's lowest Lok Sabha tally of 44, and the TMC's highest ever of 34, were in the same elections, the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. Of the states, the TMC is eyeing beyond Bengal, which has 42 Lok Sabha seats, at Goa, Meghalaya and Tripura, all with two seats each. Assam has 14 seats, but on paper, the TMC can at best have an appeal only in two-three Lok Sabha seats. In contrast, Rajasthan, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh alone have 78 Lok Sabha seats. In all likelihood, an opposition alliance would require the leaders of its partners to share a dais, hold each others' hands and release a common minimum programme.

If bitterness were to mar the relationship between the Congress and the TMC, would the voters trust their alliance for a stable government?

(The writer is a journalist)

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.
As the goal to attain 'net zero' emissions by 2050 gains global currency, climate change mitigation by trapping excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere gains an added significance. That the soil holds three times more carbon than the atmosphere has been scientifically validated. However, unchecked soil degradation has left this potential far from being fully realised. Maintaining the capacity of the soil to act as a functional carbon sink needs to be done in tandem with the goal of emission reduction.

As a milch country, has the country valued cattle dung to gain the desired global attention? As a replenishable biological resource, dung holds soil particles together for making the landmass act like a veritable carbon sink while keeping the soil moist and productive. With 5 million tonnes of dung on offer on a daily basis, India holds rare credentials to bring dung on the global climate agenda.

While its climate-friendly credentials of trapping soil carbon are only beginning to be realised, dung has add-on benefits of being antibacterial and antifungal, with recently developed thermally-insulating paint made out of it being the latest addition to its list of virtues.

Also read: India says net zero target date for carbon emissions not a solution

Little has been done to salvage dung that lies splintered on roads with cows foraging from the roadside dust bins. Considered an economic resource of immense cultural value, its colossal neglect has yet to catch the attention it deserves. Nothing could be more curious than such an abandonment of a resource that comes virtually free. Even the National Biogas Program, launched in 1981, to convert dung into cooking gas has done pretty little to uplift dung's sagging image as a valuable resource.

Dung is a deceptively simple raw material that has shown immense conversion value. Its nutritive worth for crops and energy value as fuel runs into billions of rupees, worthy of making the market go bullish. However, dung littered on the streets provides a grim example of how its tangible aspects as a source with multiple benefits have failed to garner political attention. Political philosopher Jeremy Waldron may have been referring to dung when he said 'things are not quite as they seem'.

No surprise, therefore, people have learnt to live with dung which is unceremoniously scattered almost everywhere. While its ritual significance amidst diverse cultural traditions is discerning, dung plastered as cakes on village walls and as dung-pyramids dotting the landscape presents a different story. However, a milk-nation has paid scant attention to dung.

The question begging attention is: Despite many virtues, why have good ideas about dung lacked systematic promotion? The only exception was when noted economist E F Schumacher had pulled it out from the near abyss in the '80s by advising the government to get gas and manure out of it, through what became known as biogas. In forty years that have gone by, not only has the ambitious program of building 12 million biogas units fallen short of the target by over 70%, but also has more dysfunctional and defunct units to its credit.

It may read like a fairy tale on unsuccessful attempts at quietude but dung has continued to act as a periscope of ideas to tease creative minds. Interestingly, like most bakery products, sun-baked dung cakes can now be ordered online. There is an energy and manure value in dung cakes! Perhaps, more attractive is the recent proposal by the Chhattisgarh government to buy dung for Rs 2 per kilo at farmers' doorsteps. The country needs to value its dung from a climate perspective, incentivising its distribution to enriching soils can be a national program.

Given the climatic urgency, there can be little denying that the country needs to be both empathetic and prepared to bring dung on the climatic agenda. Unless we alert ourselves from being lout in our dealing with dung, it will remain neglected both as a resource as well as an idea,
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday stated that programmes to create better awareness and to promote pride about Kannada language would be organised every month.

"Lakhs of people are taking part in 'Matanadu Matanadu Kannada' week-long programme being held as part of Rajyotsava celebrations. I will instruct Kannada & Culture Minister Sunilkumar to organise such programmes every month," he said.

Participating in the Kannada Geetagayana programme at Kannada Bhavan at Adarsh Nagar here on Thursday, Bommai stated that modern technology is posing a challenge for the Kannada language, and Kannada has to be used in computer technology also.

Also Read | Kannada love: 5 lakh to sing on October 28 in Karnataka

The legal fight to make the study of the Kannada language mandatory from primary to higher education would continue. Due importance is given to the mother tongue under the new education policy. As many as 15 engineering colleges have already come forward to offering BE courses in Kannada medium. The government is also committed to arranging maximum jobs for Kannadigas, and to preparing our language to face the challenges of the 21st century, he said.

"Kannada is a rich language with glorious history, and it is the identity of Kannadigas. All have to join hands to have a bright future for Kannada. Kannadigas should use Kannada extensively, while other language people staying here should also speak Kannada", Bommai advised.

Along with students, teachers, Kannada activists and others, Bommai sang Nadageethe, and three Kannada songs, namely, 'Baarisu Kannada Dimdimava', 'Jogada Siri Belakinalli', and 'Huttidare Kannada Naadalli Huttabeku'.

Also Read | HC grants time to govt to reconsider Kannada Learning Act

'Huttidare Kannada Naadalli Huttabeku' was sung once again at the end of the programme, as per the wish of Bommai. Earlier, an oath about using Kannada was administered.

Meeting tomorrow

Later, Bommai told media persons that a decision on the issue of celebrating Rajyotsava in Belagavi would be taken in a meeting to be held on Friday.

In the wake of the speculation about the involvement of politicians in bitcoin and drugs scam, he said, the case has been referred to ED and CBI. If politicians are suspected to be involved, let it be informed, and a probe would be conducted, he added.

Watch the latest DH Videos here:
The sanctum sanctorum of Hasanamba temple was opened as devotees hailed the goddess at 12.19 pm in Hassan on Thursday.

Narasimharaja Urs, belonging to Talwar community felled the banana plant as per the custom after which the temple doors were opened for the year, in the presence of Adichunchanagiri seer Nirmalanandanatha Swamiji.

Excise Minister K Gopalaiah, Deputy Commissioner R Girish, Superintendent of Police R Srinivas Gowda were present.

The Hasanamba festival will be held from October 28 to November 6. There was commotion near the temple with the public eager to enter the temple to have darshan of the deity. It may be mentioned that the district administration had restricted the entry of the devotees for the first and last day of the festival.

Check out DH's latest videos
Updated: October 29, 2021

What to do with your vote-by-mail ballot, and what to do if you did not receive your ballot

Delaware County Elections has completed the printing and release of all vote-by-mail ballots requested by Delaware County voters for the Nov. 2, 2021 Municipal Election, including mail-in, absentee, and Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB) ballots requested by military and overseas voters.

Voters who have received their vote-by-mail ballot are reminded that the ballot must be received by Delaware County Elections by 8 p.m. on Election Day, Tues. Nov. 2. Vote-by-mail ballots can be returned at any official Delaware County drop box (see delcopa.gov/dropbox for locations) or in-person at the Voter Service Center in Media. Delaware County Elections is advising voters to avoid using the U.S. Postal Service due to an inability to guarantee delivery by the November 2 deadline. Postmarks will not be honored.

Voters casting a vote-by-mail ballot are reminded that they will receive two ballots, clearly marked Ballot A (that lists all contests for state and local elections) and Ballot B (that lists judicial-retention questions). The Ballot A and Ballot B sheets should be returned together in the secrecy envelope, marked OFFICIAL ELECTION BALLOT. Voters are not required to vote both ballots but only those ballots returned in the privacy envelope inside the envelope that is signed and dated by the Voter will be counted.

Delaware County voters who applied forbut still have NOT receiveda vote-by-mail ballot have the following options:

Replacement Ballots. Voters who previously applied for a vote-by-mail ballot will be able to receive a replacement ballot at the Voter Service Center in Media, mark it, and submit it on-site. The Voter Service Center is located on the 1st Floor of the Government Center Building, 201 W. Front St., in Media. Voter Service Center hours are:

- Friday, Oct. 29: 8:30 a.m.  4:30 p.m.

- Saturday, Oct. 30: 9:00 a.m.  12 noon

- Monday, Nov. 1: 8:30 a.m.  4:30 p.m.

- Tuesday, Nov. 2, Election Day: 7:00 a.m.  8:00 p.m.

Voters may also take the replacement ballot home and return it to any of Delaware Countys 40+ secured ballot drop boxes by 8 p.m. on Election Day, Tue. Nov. 2. The list of drop boxes is available at delcopa.gov/dropbox. Vote-by-mail ballots must be received by Delaware County by close of polls at 8 p.m. on Tue., Nov. 2regardless of postmark datein order to be counted.

Please note that voters who have lost, damaged, or made irreversible errors on their vote-by-mail ballot can also obtain a replacement ballot in-person at the Voter Service Center.

Provisional Ballots. Under Pennsylvania law, voters who have not received their vote-by-mail ballot by Election Day may cast a provisional ballot at the voters home precinct polling place on Election Day (Nov. 2) between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. If a completed vote-by-mail ballot is not received by the County and the voters registration is valid, that provisional ballotper Pennsylvania lawwill be counted.

Vote-By-Mail Voters Who Decide to Vote In-Person. Voters who applied to vote by mail but change their mind and decide to vote in their home precinct on Election Day must return their ballots (both Ballot A and Ballot B) and their bar-coded return envelopes at their precinct polling place in order to receive a standard ballot. If the voter lacks these items, the voter may cast a provisional ballot.

Voters are reminded that, per Pennsylvania state law, the third-party return of ballots is prohibited unless the person returning the ballot is rendering assistance to a disabled voter or an emergency absentee voter. Such assistance requires a declaration signed by the voter and the person rendering assistance. Copies of this form can be found on the Delco Votes! website at delcopa.gov/vote.

Questions? Call our Election Hotline at (610) 891-VOTE (8683), Mon-Fri, 8:30 a.m.  4:30 p.m., and Sat., 9 a.m.  12 noon.
Stetson - Alfred J. Marcotte, Jr., 89, formerly of Derry, NH, died Nov. 8, 2021 in Bangor, ME. He was born March 22, 1932 in Manchester, NH, the son of Alfred J. Marcotte, Sr. and Lila (Bartlett) Marcotte. Alfred lived in Derry until age 55 when he moved to Stetson, ME where he has resided s
The controversial lack and inaccessibility of A Level Irish provision in Derry is expected to be discussed at today's Derry City and Strabane District Council's October plenary meeting.

Independent Councillor, Gary Donnelly will bring a motion expressing concern about local Year 13 pupils being denied access to A-Level Irish.

Cllr Donnelly will call on council to recognise the detrimental impact this may have on those affected in terms of their education and general well-being, pathways to third-level education and career choices.

He will also ask the council to call on the Department of Education to engage with local schools, the Foyle Learning Community and others to explore solutions to ensure that students in local mainstream post-primary schools will not face barriers to learning and gaining qualifications in Irish.

In addition, he will call on the council to write to the Education Minister, Foyle Learning Community and post-primary school principals accordingly.

Since the start of this academic year, Derry News has reported extensively on the situation regarding A-Level Irish in the city, described as 'grossly unfair' by president of Conradh na Gaeilge, Dr Niall Comer, and 'an absolute disaster' by Ciaran Mac Giolla Bhein, the chief executive of Comhairle na Gaelscolaiochta.

Speaking to Derry Now, Cllr Donnelly said he was bringing the motion to council because he was approached by constituents, parents, who were concerned their children were not going to be in a position to study A-Level Irish.

He added: Having a child myself at meanscoil, I was also concerned things weren't going the right way as regards the provision of Irish in Derry. So, I told the parents who came to me I would bring it up at council.

The motion will be seconded by Cllr Sean Carr (Independent) and if it is passed, which I have no doubt it will be, it will become the official corporate position of Derry City and Strabane District Council, which will write to the various bodies named in the motion.

A lot of it is aspirational but it will highlight the issue and bring it out into the public domain. It will also send a message to the parents who contacted me that we are going to push this agenda and try and ensure Year 13 who want to do A-Level Irish, we will back them. We are also going to write to the Department of Education and the Education Authority, said Cllr Donnelly.

RELATED

Last month, Bishop of Derry, Most Reverend Dr Donal McKeown, said the purpose of the Area Learning Communities was that pupils who wished to study a subject like Irish should be able to attend classes in a school.

He added: That comes down to both planning and agreement between the schools in question. Thus, if the Foyle Learning Community has not offered that subject co-operation, it would be appropriate to ask them and the governors of schools that are involved, why not. With plenty of fore-knowledge and forward planning, co-operation ought to be possible.

Councillor, Emmet Doyle (Aontu) said he did not understand how timetabling could stand in the way of a child's education.

In addition, Professor Malachy O Neill, the director of regional engagement at Ulster University, said he would be following the issue up with the chairperson of the Foyle Learning Community Network in order to clarify the situation.

Reamonn O Ciarain, the director of education with Gael Linn, placed the blame squarely on the legislative authorities, boards of governors and principals.

In September, Mr O Ciarain chaired an online discussion on the 'critical decline' in the uptake of Irish in English-medium post primary schools. The discussion was attended by 57 teachers who 'felt compelled to seek urgent and decisive action.'.

They called upon the legislative bodies of the Northern Ireland Assembly, the Department of Education and their arms length bodies, such as CCEA, as well as the Education Authority, to intercede as matter of urgency to reverse the worrying trends in the study of the Irish language and other languages in English-medium post-primary schools.

Aontu education spokesperson and representative for East Derry, Gemma Brolly, expressed 'wholehearted' support for Gael Linn's position.

She added: We would also like to reiterate our demand for accessibility to A' Level Irish language courses for our young people throughout the North.

As education spokes- person and a gaeilgeoir myself, I would like to assure Gael Linn and all involved, we stand firmly, shoulder to shoulder with teachers, academics, authors and Irish language activists in their demand for urgent and decisive action to undo the wrongs and commit to the recommendation of studying a modern language at GCSE Level.

Cllr Donnelly said his motion would also acknowledge the proud history of Irish language learning in Derry and Strabane, particularly the rich learning experience afforded to generations of post-primary pupils, instilling a love for Irish language and culture in many of our citizens, and widening career opportunities.

The motion further states:'This council recognises the continuous growth in demand for Irish-medium education in this council area and beyond as reflected in the thriving communities in our local Irish-medium pre-schools and primary schools. Council welcomes the creation of new jobs, career opportunities and pathways in and around the Irish language, particularly in the context of forthcoming legislation'.
Kriti Sanon promises an 'extremely unexpected' look in Bhediya says, "You'll look at it and be like, 'Oh my God, is that you?'"

Kriti Sanon has a plethora of Bollywood films to look forward to and standing out in that bunch is her film Bhediya which is a horror-comedy, something that Kriti has never tried before. The Heropanti actress will be seen alongside Varun Dhawan in the project and there is already a lot of anticipation for the project given the recent rise in popularity of the genre as a whole in the industry.

The actress got talking about her part Bhediya in a recent interview and promised that her look in the film would be something quite unexpected. While theres still time for Bhediya to arrive in theatres, Kriti is currently busy promoting her upcoming film Hum Do Humare Do.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kriti (@kritisanon)

Talking to Peeping Moon about her upcoming projects and Bhediya in particular Kriti said, "If I say one look that's gonna be extremely unexpected, almost like you'll look at it and be like, 'Oh my God, is that you?' is going to be Bhediya. Because there my look is completely different, it just happened to have become that. It's my first horror-comedy, it's a very different genre and it's a very very hilarious script."

Bhediya belongs to producer Dinesh Vijans Stree universe which got its second installment in Janhvi Kapoor starrer Roohi this year. Bhediya is expected to arrive in theatres in 2022. Among the other projects in Kriti's kitty currently are films like Adipurush, Shehzada, Ganapath, and Bachchan Pandey.
Shoojit Sircar says Sardar Udham isn't just a revenge story, reveals he wanted to make a film on Bhagat Singh first

Director Shoojit Sircar says it is "overwhelming" to see viewers connect with the ideas of equality and unity presented in his film "Sardar Udham", a period drama that takes audiences back to the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre through the eyes of Udham Singh.

"Sardar Udham", based on the life of the titular revolutionary who later assassinated the then former Punjab governor Michael O'Dwyer in London, has been garnering critical acclaim from critics and viewers alike since its release on Prime Video earlier this month.

As someone who has always looked up to freedom fighter Bhagat Singh and his writings, the filmmaker said he did not want to make the Vicky Kaushal-starrer into a revenge story and instead wanted to delve deep into what motivated him and other young revolutionaries to take the path they eventually did.

"I wanted to say that it's not just a revenge story. Udham Singh was not in London just for revenge. He assassinated O'Dwyer (in 1940) maybe because he did not have any other option, that's what I felt," Sircar said.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Vicky Kaushal (@vickykaushal09)

"The line (between a terrorist and a revolutionary) is very thin... For them (the British), he was possibly a criminal or a terrorist, but for us, he was revolutionary. So I left that judgment for people to make on their own," he added.

Known for films such as Vicky Donor , Piku , October and Gulabo Sitabo , Sircar said the team went through extensive research to craft some of the key moments in the film, which has been praised for its restrained portrayal.

"The kind of reactions and connections the film lovers are able to make is overwhelming... It's more satisfying that the film is connecting with people. If this film can unite a lot of people to think similarly, I think that's the most important thing... that there are many people who think like that," Sircar told PTI in an interview.

The director said the sequence where both Bhagat Singh, played by Amol Parashar, and Kaushal's Udham Singh discuss their ideas about freedom, equality, and revolution was instrumental to the film.

"So the argument that 'What were you doing when you were 23?' and that 'youth is a gift of God', it is universal, and not just limited to our freedom struggle or something which is in the present context. This was a very important and relatable fact, which is what connected me to the story as a human being: 'What are your expressions? Are you thinking right or not?'

"All these factors and especially the talk about equality that this film actually proposes... We still are not equal and we are much more divided now. I'm not talking about just money or economics... I'm saying otherwise also, there are many things which are dividing... And now also, we can relate to it," he said, adding that Udham Singh identifying himself as 'Ram Mohammad Singh Azad' to the British was the revolutionary's way of talking about India's 'unity in diversity'.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Vicky Kaushal (@vickykaushal09)

Sircar has often spoken about how he waited for almost two decades to make the film on Udham Singh but he revealed he wanted to make his directorial debut with a movie on Bhagat Singh.



"I have been a huge follower of Bhagat Singh's work and life. I was a Bhagat Singh fanboy when I was in college," the director, who went to Delhi's Shaheed Bhagat Singh College for higher studies, said.

"The first film that I wanted to make was Bhagat Singh but at that time, there was a surge of films on him. So I took a step back because my Bhagat Singh was a normal romantic guy like the one in this film. Of course, he was far ahead of his time."

Talking about his trips to Amritsar's Jallianwala Bagh, the filmmaker said in the film, he tried to capture the feeling the historical site evokes in him.

The film's back-and-forth screenplay structure was also informed by the way Sircar discovered Udham Singh, first reading about his assassination of O'Dwyer, the Punjab governor who condoned Brigadier-General Dyer's action of firing on peaceful protesters in the Jallianwala Bagh on the fateful day of April 13, 1919 that killed hundreds of people, including children and women.

The director said he did not want to create the massacre scene in a Mumbai studio and found a place similar to the Jallianwala Bagh to shoot the sequence.

"The most difficult decision was to keep the continuity for that aftermath of the massacre sequence because it kept on happening the entire night but we shot for some 18-19 days for that particular sequence.

"To keep it absolutely organic in terms of the survivors' statement, which are all there in the archives... We wanted the sequence just the way it is mentioned in those accounts. That was a big task for us."

Another creative decision that the director took was to keep the Jallianwala Bagh sequence in the end and showcase O'Dwyer's assassination in the beginning.

"The film does not spell out everything completely. I've left it to people to contemplate it themselves," he said.

Asked about the delicate balance of making a patriotic film without overstating facts or dialogues as is the norm in many Bollywood movies today, Sircar said he is someone who finds beauty in the ordinary.

"When 'October' was released, many found the story to be slow but for me, that was the most fascinating thing. I have lived that life in a hospital. So I know how you spend time with a coma patient.

"For me, it's actually more poetic than just being slow and boring. It's the same thing here. I think there is a sense of beauty in being ordinary, and there is a sense of mysticism."
Minister Coveney addresses UN Security Council meeting on cooperation between the UN and the AU

Press release

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney T.D., today spoke at a high level meeting of the UN Security Council chaired by Kenya on regional cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union.

Reflecting on the conflict trends and dynamics in Africa and globally, the meeting looked at ways to strengthen the partnership between the United Nations, the African Union and other regional organisations to support international peace and security.

The Minister emphasised Irelands commitment to working with the African Union, and welcomed recent progress in strengthening the partnership between the AU and the UN. He noted the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had across the continent and the need for ongoing co-operation to address this challenge.

The Minister underlined the importance of effective collaboration between the UN and AU to address issues such as climate change, to strengthen peacekeeping, and to respond to developments in specific countries, such as Sudan and Ethiopia.

The AU and regional organisations in Africa have an instrumental role in responding to crises and building lasting peace, not least through encouraging good governance and democratic transitions. Together, when faced with crises, the UN and the AU can make a concerted push for peace.

The Minister highlighted the work of women, young people and civil society across the globe in addressing peace and security challenges.

Cooperation between the UN and the AU is essential for putting Women, Peace and Security at the heart of peace operations and crisis management. The voices of young people, civil society, political actors, and NGOs are vital. We must ensure the protection of spaces for their voices to be heard.

The Minister concluded: The challenges we face are more complex and interconnected than ever. Only by working together can we address them.

ENDS

Note to Editors

 This is the last signature events of Kenyas Presidency of the Council in the month of October.

 The meeting was chaired by the President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta.

 The briefers included the African Union Commission Chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat, and the African Union High Representative for the Peace Fund, Donald Kaberuka.

 The meeting is available to view on UN Web TV: http://webtv.un.org/

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Deteriorating lead-based paint, especially in homes built before 1978, is the main source of lead exposure in Wisconsin. It is estimated that in Wisconsin there are more than 350,000 older homes with lead paint. Leaded dust from this paint can get on toys, fingers, and other objects that any child may put in their mouths and ingest. This exposure can impact how childrens brains develop and can lead to behavioral and developmental disabilities.

Lead contamination in drinking water can occur in houses that have historic lead plumbing and/or lead service lines. There are an estimated 200,000 service lines of lead pipes in our public water systems today.

Milwaukee and Racine, the areas of the state with the highest populations of Black residents, also have the highest rates of childhood lead levels, a health disparity that cannot be overlooked. These racial disparities are the result of decades of systematic racism and discriminatory housing policies at the local, state, and federal levels. Policies such a redlining, allowed lenders to deny housing, mortgage loans, and other infrastructure funding in areas considered high riska label which was largely applied to Black and other minority neighborhoods. This policywhich was legal until the passage of the Fair Housing Act of 1968left many communities of color concentrated in underinvested and poorly maintained structures. And as a result, in 2021, the data shows us that children of color are often more exposed to lead and other environmental health hazards.

Since 1996, more than 227,500 children in Wisconsin were found to have elevated levels of lead in their bloodstream. In 2019, 3,111 children under the age of six were found to have elevated levels of lead in their bloodstream. This means that approximately nine children in Wisconsin were poisoned each day in 2019.

Lead poisoning is completely preventable. Wisconsin needs a strong investment in proven strategies at the state and local level to remove all sources of lead from our environments, including lead-based paint and lead service lines.

Preventing lead poisoning is a priority for Governor Tony Evers. Executive Order Number 36, signed in July, 2019, directed all state agencies, including DHS, to use their expertise to prevent lead poisoning, and called on DHS to appoint a person to coordinate the response to the effort. In 2020, Brian Weaver was chosen as the states Lead Policy Advisor and is working with partners and stakeholders to fulfill this important mission.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) is committed to leading Wisconsins response and working with local health departments, community organizations, and other partners to eliminate sources of lead exposure. DHS manages the states lead certification program for renovators and removes sources of lead in older homes such as windows, doors and paint via the Lead-Safe Homes Program. Both homeowners and landlords are encouraged to apply for the statewide program.

DHS supports children and families through the childhood lead poisoning prevention program that works to increase blood lead testing and to connect all lead poisoned children to services and by testing for lead in drinking water at child care facilities. A blood test is the best and most readily available way to determine if a child has been exposed to lead. Families are encouraged to talk to their health care provider to have kids under the age of six tested. Also, removing lead service lines is one way to minimize the potential for lead to get into your drinking water. The Department of Natural Resources and Public Service Commission provides options for funding the replacement of private lead service lines.

Additionally, because training and certification are required by law before anyone can offer or conduct regulated lead-based paint activities on pre-1978 housing and child-occupied facilities, DHS offers lead training and certification. Contractors who get trained and certified protect their own health, but also the health of others, and show potential customers that they are responsible and care about their community.

We can all work together to make homes safe for all children. Eliminating lead in our homes and drinking water will ensure that all Wisconsin children have a healthy start to life, and the benefits will be seen for generations to come.

Paula Tran, MPH

State Health Officer

Division of Public Health

Wisconsin Department of Health Services

How often and when to test? Where you live matters.

DHS recommends universal testing for children living in Milwaukee or Racine due to the high proportion of old, potentially hazardous housing in those communities. Those children should be tested at least three times before age threeat one year, 18 months, and two years. All children ages three to five years should be tested annually if they meet at least one of the following criteria: they live in a home built before 1950, or one built before 1978 with recent or ongoing renovations; they have a sibling or playmate with lead poisoning; they are enrolled in Medicaid or the Women, Infants and Children Nutrition Program, or are uninsured; or they have no record of a prior test.
It is not fair on families that Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has kept them waiting a year for a decision about whether a public inquiry will be held into the deaths of 22 people at Dealgan House Nursing Home in Dundalk.

Thats according to Sinn Fein TD Ruairi O Murchu who was speaking ahead of today, Thursday October 28th, which marks one year since Minister Donnelly met a number of the Dealgan families at an online meeting to hear their calls for a public inquiry.

Deputy O Murchu, who has been assisting families with their campaign for truth, said: "It is hard to believe that it has already been a year since Minister Donnelly, along with Minister of State Mary Butler, met with the families of some of those who lost their lives during a devastating Covid 19 outbreak in April and May of 2020.

"At that meeting, the families told the ministers of their pain, their questions, their efforts to get to the truth. The government had already committed to giving families some kind of mechanism to find out what happened to their loved ones, but a year on, they are still waiting.

"In the intervening 12 months, these remarkable families have continued to try to get to the truth  they have continued to find out more details through Freedom of Information requests and have met many officials, including HSE CEO Paul Reid.

"The families understood, better than most, the extremely difficult situation faced by the State in January and February of this year, when there was a further wave of Covid 19 deaths.

"They were particularly shocked and saddened to learn how so many more people died in nursing homes earlier this year, just a couple of months after the Dealgan families outlining in detail to Minister Donnelly the vulnerabilities in the private nursing home sector.

"It is clear that the Dealgan families grief has been compounded by the fact that Minister Donnelly continues to not give an answer on their calls for a public inquiry.

"Recently, I, along with the families, wrote to him again seeking an answer. I intend to raise the matter once more in the Dail next week."
Sixth class primary school students in Louth are waiting over a year for a dental check-up for the past three years.

While the number of dentists providing treatment to medical card holders in the county has more than halved, from 34 to 16, since 2017, new figures have revealed.

And everyone on the Adult Oral Surgery and Paediatric Special Care waiting lists have been waiting 12 months or more for treatment, according to official figures obtained by local Labour TD Ged Nash.

Deputy Nash has described as "scandalous" the fact that one year after raising the crisis in dental care in Louth, the problem for children, medical card holders and dental professionals has only worsened.

Deputy Nash said: The number of dentists who have withdrawn from the Dental Treatment Services Scheme (DTSS) means there are fewer dental professionals available to treat patients who are entitled to free treatment because they have a medical card.

I have recently been contacted by a host of concerned constituents who have been refused dental care at their regular practice due to their medical card status and by other patients who have been waiting an extraordinary amount of time for essential medical treatment and who are on the Adult Oral Surgery list or who have a child on the Paediatric Special Care waiting list.

Over a year on from when I first drew attention to this serious problem, the problem has only gotten worse.

"I have raised this issue directly with the Minister for Health and HSE on their behalf and behalf of all constituents in Louth and East Meath area.

Frankly, I am shocked by the statistics which prove the huge scale of the problem in terms of waiting times for dental treatment and the impact of the withdrawal of care from medical card patients.

This has left a number of vulnerable patients - from children, to students and pensioners - in the lurch, scrambling to find another dental service or scrapping together money for expensive treatments at a time when household finances are already stretched."

The Louth TD said he has repeatedly raised this issue with the former Minister for Health, Deputy Simon Harris, and current Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly and was assured last year that the Department of Health was urgently pursuing the matter with the HSE National Oral Health Office to seek to ensure that no patients are left without a service.

Deptuy Nash continued: Yet over a year later, we have seen little or no concrete action taken and the situation continues to deteriorate.

"Despite the promises, patients continue to be left without vital dental care or are forced onto unacceptably long and ever-growing waiting lists.

This flies in the face of the Governments own promise under the National Oral Health Policy to develop a model of care that will improve access and enable preventative approaches.

I am aware that the assistant national director with the HSE, Dr Joseph Green has directly warned that unless the provision of basic dental services to adult medical card holders is addressed urgently at the highest level, the HSE Louth Meath dental service may be forced to confine dental services to emergency treatment only, to the detriment of the oral health of both children and adults in particular those with special care needs.

This red alert for dental care cannot continue to be ignored by the Minister for Health.

Deputy Nash said the Minister for Health and the HSE "urgently need to engage with providers and their representative body and put an effective plan and resources in place to ensure the people of Louth & East Meath have timely and affordable access to essential dental treatment".

Deputy Nash said that he has also requested a meeting with the Irish Dental Association to establish how I can assist to address this problem and the people he represents.
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Claremont, NH (03743)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 23F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 23F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.
For more than 90 years, The Eagle-Tribune Santa Fund has assisted those in need in the Merrimack Valley through generous contributions from businesses, organizations and individuals. This year the need is as great as ever.

Contribute
Watch the EBRD events at COP26

The EBRD is participating in the COP26 climate conference, which will begin in Glasgow on Monday, to strengthen the international delivery of climate finance.

Together with other multilateral development banks (MDBs), the Bank plays a leading role in helping to decarbonise economies and enable the transition to a more sustainable future, with a focus on involving the private sector in tackling climate change. The need to involve the private sector will be highlighted during COP26 as particularly important.

EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso, who will lead the Banks delegation, said: We want to give our countries the confidence to be ambitious and brave in their net zero goals. The world needs climate action now. We have the capital, we know how to mobilise financing and we have the technical expertise to deliver crucial support. Countries that commit to the green transition  unparalleled in economic history for its speed and scale  will find the EBRD with them every step of the way.

The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference is key to delivering climate action, with countries expected to raise the ambition of their emission reduction commitments, with the goal of limiting global warming to to 1.5C. Financiers, including multilateral development banks (MBDs) like the EBRD, are preparing to deliver more support to realise those plans.

The EBRD is in Glasgow for the 2021 United Nations Climate Change conference (COP26), encouraging our countries to boost their ambitions for a net-zero world and highlighting its own role as a pioneer in the delivery of climate finance. More videos

The EBRD is supporting these goals not only with investments in green energy, energy efficiency and energy savings. The Bank is also supporting especially exposed countries like Kazakhstan or Uzbekistan to develop roadmaps to low or zero carbon economies and it is addressing the need for a just transition with recent investments, for instance in North Macedonia.

In the last 12 months climate action has really accelerated with a whole series of net zero commitments, notably from China, the US, the EU, the UK, Japan and others. We're especially pleased that in addition to our EU countries of operation, from the EBRD region Kazakhstan and Turkey have also made net zero commitments, said Harry Boyd-Carpenter, Managing Director for Green Economy and Climate Action. But at the same time emissions keep rising so there is a huge amount of work needed to turn those commitments into practical plans and real investments in low-carbon transition. That's what we're going to COP to focus on  turning that ambition into reality.

The EBRD brings two recent commitments of its own on enhancing its climate action. One, made in October 2020, is to increase the proportion of its green investments to more than 50 per cent of the total by 2025. The second, made in July 2021, is by 2023 to align all its operations with the goals of the Paris Agreement. These further enhance its work fostering the green transition in the 38 economies in Europe, Asia and Africa where it invests.

On COP26s Finance Day, 3 November, the EBRD will launch its action plan on Mobilising Private Capital for Climate Finance, which sets out a comprehensive suite of tools to scale up private sector investment in EBRD countries of operations. At the heart of this plan is a focus on policy activities to develop the enabling regulatory environment that in turn makes low-carbon investments commercially viable. These activities, from the implementation of renewable energy auctions to the design of low-carbon sector pathways, will trigger sustainable demand for climate-friendly investment and in turn for private capital. Based on this plan EBRD expects to double its private climate mobilisation by 2025.

A major challenge in emerging economies and developing countries is a shortage of bankable climate projects. Several factors limit the supply of such projects. The most fundamental is the lack of either an implicit or an explicit carbon price. Without a carbon price, many green investments are not commercially viable.

The EBRD delegation at the conference will participate in more than 30 events covering a wide range of topics, including how to make direct and indirect finance align with the Paris Agreement, helping countries design roadmap and rules for a new low-carbon economy (Long-Term Strategies) and ensuring that workers in industries impacted by the low-carbon transition are not left behind (Just Transition). A joint MDB statement on securing biodiversity and nature-based solutions will go beyond the principle of do no harm to look for positive investments in the future.
APPLES, along with potatoes, cabbages, turnips, and hazelnuts, are the taste of an Irish Halloween, Samhain.

Equally embraced for game playing as for eating, its perhaps no surprise that in times past October 31 was also referred to as Snap Apple Night.

There are close to 70 different varieties of apple native to Ireland, not including wild ones. Better known as crab apples, these tiny puckeringly tart fruits are picked in autumn and put to good use as the base of fruit jellies and jams, because of their naturally high levels of pectin for setting.

I remember the fun of apple bobbing, even into my adult years. Its impossible to take yourself seriously while dunking the head into a vat of water, blindly trying to bite into a floating apple. Often, Id throw in a lemon  for added jeopardy!

Referring to Halloween as Snap Apple Night comes from the other popular pastime of trying to take a bite of an apple strung from the ceiling - a game that is almost impossible to win!

There are also ritual games associated with marriage, such as peeling the skin from the apple in an unbroken strand then throwing it over the shoulder. If it lands in the shape of a letter, it foretells the name of a future husband.

Or a young lady who sits in front of a mirror at midnight combing her hair whilst eating an apple, will see the image of her future husband appear in the mirror over her shoulder. I dont know about you, but that sounds terrifying!

The shenanigans associated with Samhain, the old Celtic festival celebrating liminal time when the veil between this world and the Otherworld is at its thinnest, and easiest for humans and spirits alike to pass between and inhabit each others realm, are all about fun and merriment.

Rather than spend the night scared and frightened of ghosts, ghouls, and spirits, as Hollywood would have us believe, we welcome it.

We party with the spirits, throw off polite behaviours, make wishes, and cast spells. Its our time to celebrate the final days of harvest when food, and life, is at its most abundant before we retreat for the long winter ahead.

The association of apples as a symbol of fertility is more biblical than Celtic, which equates the apple with the Otherworld  a distinctly unchristian idea. The festival of Samhain coincides with the old belief that apples should not be picked after November 1, for fear the Puca would poison them by spitting on those still on the tree.

Still, today, August to October is the harvest season for all apples: eating, cooking, dessert, and cider apples. After this, only apples that have been harvested and stored, wrapped in newspaper or straw, and kept in a cool, dark place should be eaten.

Of course, this tradition flies in the face of the expectation of year-round apples, especially those imported from abroad. With ever greater proof that eating foods grown seasonally and locally has less impact on global issues, such as climate change or unnecessary food miles, should we maybe heed the Pucas apple mischief once more?

Of course, the best thing to do with apples is to eat them! As delicious, eaten as a sweet dish or a savoury dish, turned into juice or cider; jam or chutney; frozen or dried; cooked into a sweet pie or cooked with sage and thick, sticky sausages. An apple a day will keep the doctor, and Puca, away; foretell marriage, symbolise fertility, and provide an evenings amusement with games and laughter. Is there anything the humble apple cannot do? I very much doubt it!

Over the past four weeks, it has been an education talking to apple growers and producers of delicious hand-crafted drinks made from apples, and I have been experimenting with what to make with them.

So, now its your turn  enjoy!

Mulled Apple Juice. Picture: Stock

Future Orchard Mulled Apple Juice

To make this more for adults, add a dash of brandy or swap the apple juice for cider.

Ingredients

750ml Future Orchard Apple Juice

Zest of half an orange

Grating of nutmeg 3 cloves

Half stick of cinnamon

1 tbsp runny honey

Method:

Place a saucepan over a low heat, add apple juice, lemon zest and spices. Warm gently. Just before serving, add honey and swirl to dissolve. Decant into cups. Wrap chilly hands around the cup and sip!

Future Orchard Apple Jurice. Pictures: Elaine Garde

PomO-ni

This is my version of a Negroni using Killahora Orchards PomO and Future Orchards Apple Juice.

Ingredients (makes two cocktail servings)

50ml Vodka 25ml Killahora Orchards PomO

50ml Future Orchards Apple Juice

2 drops bitters

1 tsp Highbank Orchard organic apple syrup

Method:

Half-fill a glass tumbler with ice. Pour over each of the ingredients, stir to combine

Nohoval Apple Wines.

Nohoval Apple Wine Tawny

Syllabub

This recipe from Nohoval Apple Wine founder, Geraldine Emerson, has been adapted from Nigella Lawson.

Ingredients (makes four servings)

8 tbsp of Tawny

2 tbsp of Longueville House Brandy

 tsp of ground cinnamon

4 tbsp of caster sugar

Juice of a lemon

300ml cream

4 cinnamon sticks for decoration

Method:

Mix in a bowl the Tawny, Longueville House Brandy, ground cinnamon, sugar and lemon juice until the sugar is fully

dissolved.

In a separate bowl, whisk the cream to a soft peak consistency.

Gradually incorporate the Tawny mix into the cream and mix until you have a lovely fluffy cream.

Spoon into four glasses, and garnish with a cinnamon stick in each.

Caraway seed cake. Picture: Stock

Ice Wine, Apple and Caraway Seed Cake

This is a twist on an old classic seasonal apple cake popular in Cork.

Ingredients

6 eating apples (for making 150g fresh apple puree)

3 tbsp whole caraway seeds, toasted

180g soft unsalted butter

150g white caster sugar

3 medium eggs

225g all-purpose flour

3 tsp baking powder

50ml of Nohoval Arctic Wine or Killahora Orchards Ice Wine

Royal icing sugar

Method:

To make the apple puree, peel, core, and quarter six apples in a saucepan with a dash of water. Cover and cook until broken down into pulp. Spoon out into a bowl, set aside to cool. Any puree you dont use for the cake will be lovely used for breakfast in porridge or with yogurt.

Set the oven temperature to 170 degrees Celsius, fan. Grease a 1lb loaf tin.

In a dry frying pan over a medium high heat, toast the caraway seeds lightly. Set aside to cool.

Put butter and sugar into a large bowl, beat together until light and fluffy. An electric whisk makes this easier!

Add and whisk the eggs in one by one until fully combined.

Sift in the flour and baking powder, add half the caraway seeds, and fold the mixture together.

Add the wine and apple puree, beat together to form a light batter.

Pour into the loaf tin and bake for 1 hour. Test with a skewer, if it comes out clean the cake is cooked. Take out the oven and allow to cool completely.

Mix up some royal icing with another drop of apple liqueur to create the consistency of a frosting.

Pour over and let drizzle down the sides of the cake a little. Garnish the cake with remaining caraway seeds and chocolate dipped apple sticks.
A planning application to transform a Cork pub into apartments has been given the green light from Cork City Council.

Back in February, Mark Ryan lodged an application for the change of use of The Island Tavern Bar from a pub to four one-bed apartments.

The pub is located on Military Road in St Luke's.

A decision on the planning application was expected by April however Cork City Council's planning department required further information before making a decision on the development.

Council planners deemed that the proposed development of four one-bed apartments would not provide adequate levels of amenity for future residents and could not be supported.

Planners stated that there could be the capacity for a total of two apartments to be developed in the building and requested that the applicant submit revised plans for a scheme reflecting this.

The proposed development was amended to take into account the concerns expressed by the council and revised plans for two apartments were submitted.

One valid third-party submission was received regarding the initial proposals.

Amongst the objections outlined, the person deemed that the building was unsuitable for four apartments and constituted overdevelopment not in keeping with the area.

The submission also pointed to a lack of parking in the area, stating that the proposed development of four apartments would "tip the balance further against the community".

Cork City Council has now granted conditional planning permission to the revised residential scheme, with five routine conditions attached to the approval.

While Cork City Council has granted permission for the residential development, the decision could still be appealed with An Bord Pleanala.

If there is no appeal against the decision, a grant of permission in accordance with the decision will be issued after the expiration of the period within which an appeal may be made to An Bord Pleanala.
A man facing the prospect of a trial by judge and jury for producing two knives during an incident in Bishopstown in February has pleaded guilty to all of the charges against him.

Bill ODriscoll of 46 Leesdale, Model Farm Road, Cork, was arraigned at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.

He pleaded guilty to production of two knives at Leesdale estate in Bishopstown on February 28.

Other charges

The defendant pleaded guilty to another charge related to a knife on the same occasion.

ODriscoll also pleaded guilty to engaging in threatening behaviour and being drunk and a source of danger to himself or others.

Probation report

Defence barrister Niamh Stewart said the accused had not been in court previously but had a significant drink and drugs problem.

Ms Stewart requested a probation report in respect of the 28-year-old.

Judge Helen Boyle acceded to that application.

The case was put back until February 11 next year for sentencing, to allow time for preparation of the probation report.

Bill ODriscoll was remanded on continuing bail until then.
Irish Water and Cork County Council are issuing a Boil Water Notice with immediate effect to protect the health of consumers supplied by the Whitegate Regional Public Water Supply.

The notice comes following consultation with the HSE and has been put in place as a precautionary measure following issues with the treatment process at the Water Treatment Plant due to heavy rainfall overnight which may have compromised the disinfection process which makes the water safe to drink.

The notice affects approximately 9,500 people supplied by the Whitegate Regional Public Water Supply in Whitegate, Aghada, Churchtown, Ballycotton, Saleen, Shanagarry, Ballinacurra and areas of Cloyne.

Boil Water Notice issued by Irish Water on October 28.

Irish Water and Cork County Council continue to work to rectify the issues at Whitegate Water Treatment Plant with a view to lifting the notice as quickly and as safely as possible. In the meantime, all customers on this supply are advised to boil their water before use until further notice.

Vulnerable customers who have registered with Irish Water will receive direct communication on this Boil Water Notice.

Irish Waters Pat Britton said: Public health is Irish Waters number one priority and we appreciate the impact that this notice will have on the community in East Cork.

"However, the restriction has been put in place as a precaution in order to protect our consumers.

Irish Water and Cork County Council are working tirelessly to resolve the issues affecting the plant and to lift the boil water notice as early as it is safe to do so.

In line with HSE Covid-19 advice and the requirement for frequent hand washing, Irish Water advises that the water remains suitable for this purpose and boiling the water is not required.

Vulnerable customers are reminded that the water is safe to consume once boiled and that water must be boiled for drinking, drinks made with water, preparation of salads and similar foods which are not cooked prior to eating, brushing of teeth, and the making of ice.

People are advised to boil water by bringing to a vigorous, rolling boil and allowing it to cool before covering it and storing in a refrigerator or cold place.

People are also advised that water from the hot tap is not safe to drink and domestic water filters will not render water safe to drink.

Irish Water said that great care should be taken with boiled water to avoid burns and scalds as accidents can easily happen, especially with children.

Irish Water is working closely with Cork County Council to lift the notice as soon as it is safe If any customer is unsure on whether or not the Boil Water Notice applies to their area, visit www.water.ie or alternatively, customers can contact the Irish Water customer care helpline on 1800 278 278.
Mabel Emmaline Kibler age 92, passed away Saturday, November 13, 2021 at her home in rural Newton. Mabel was born on April 19, 1929 in Champaign County, Illinois the daughter of Rual and Chlora Mae (Chapman) Warfel. On October 5, 1947, Mabel married Orville R. Kibler. He survives. Mabel spen
The energy debate

When asked about the source of energy their country should rely on to fight global warming, citizens from all regions emphasise using renewable energies. While EU citizens (63%), Britons (59%) and Chinese (60%) are predominantly in favour of renewable energies, the same is true of only 50% of Americans.

Support for natural gas as a transition source of energy is low, but relative to other sources there is more support among Americans (18% in favour of natural gas) than other regions (13% are in favour in China, 9% in the United Kingdom and 6% in the European Union). Nuclear energy is a more popular option for Britons (15%) and EU citizens (12%) than for Americans (9%) and Chinese respondents (5%).

Finally, for many respondents the most sustainable energy source for addressing the climate crisis is the one we dont use: 22% of Chinese respondents, 17% of Americans and EU citizens, and 16% of Britons say energy savings should be the priority.

Most popular solutions to fight climate change

Across the world, people say they are in favour of imposing a warranty of a minimum of 5 years on any electric or electronic product: 93% of Chinese respondents, 91% of EU citizens, 87% of Britons and 77% of Americans would support this measure.

In addition, strengthening education and increasing childrens awareness of sustainable consumption should be a priority, according to 93% of Chinese respondents, 92% of EU citizens, 88% of Britons and 81% of Americans.

The adoption of a tax on products and services that contribute most to global warming would be welcomed by a majority of citizens in all regions (69% in favour in the European Union, 71% in the United Kingdom, 62% in the United States and 89% in China).
By the end of the year, the tree-covered hills of the former RockyVine campground just outside of Dutzow will be alive with the sound of laugh
IOM woman accused of trying to bring more than 360k worth of heroin into Jersey

A Manx woman has been remanded in custody in Jersey.

35-year-old Tara-Lei Cowell from the Isle of Man and 44-year-old Michael Clohessy from Liverpool were both arrested on Sunday.

The pair have been charged with several counts of drug importation.

It's estimated the drugs have a street value of between 225,000 and 360,000.

They will next appear before the Royal Court on the 7th of January 2022.
Former Isle of Man TT rider killed in collision

Tributes are being paid to a former Isle of Man TT and Manx Grand Prix rider who has died.

Paul Smart died after his motorbike was involved in a collision on the A21 near Flimwell yesterday.

The 78-year-old raced on the Island during the 1970s.

In a statement, his family said: "Paul was a hugely popular character in and out of the paddock, and much loved by his family, friends and fans around the world. He was 78.

He will forever be synonymous with Ducati, the Italian brand he propelled to international acclaim with victory in the 1972 Imola 200 race. Paul also shared a special affinity with the Brands Hatch circuit, having lived literally next door in West Kingsdown for many years.

So much more can and will be written in the days and weeks ahead about a life well lived that has been tragically curtailed.

Paul is survived by wife Maggie, son Scott and daughter Paula who kindly request their privacy is respected at this difficult time."
Poppy Appeal to be launched this weekend

This year's Poppy Appeal will be launched on the Island this weekend.

The Royal British Legion will launch the annual appeal at the Manx Legion Club in Douglas on Saturday.

Last year, the Manx public raised over 135,000 through the sale of poppies and donations.
Sandra Ellen Dunn Locke of Elkmont, Alabama, passed away at Cape Canaveral Hospital on October 31, 2021. She was a loving and caring wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend. Sandra is survived by her husband, Anthony Locke and their daughter, Ashley Norman; her son, Andrew Tybergh
2021 - 2021 The services for infant Ellie Faith Nance will be held at noon Saturday, November 20, 2021, in the Central Assembly of God Church. Burial will follow in the Kremlin Cemetery. Services are under the direction of Brown-Cummings Funeral Home. Ellie Faith Nance was born November 17, 
And Just Like That... the highly anticipated sex and the city reboot is right around the corner. The show, which will follow the story of Carrie, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, Charlotte, played by Kristin Davis, and Miranda Hobbes, played by Cythia Nixon, in the greatest city in the world approximately twenty years after the original Sex and the City aired it's last episode.

Like all reboots, And Just Like That... will change with the new year, making a concerted effort to modernize and broaden the Sex and the City landscape. An exclusive with Variety revealed that the returning cast members will be joined by Nicole Ari Parker, Sara Ramirez, Sarita Choudhury, and Karen Pittman, and the show will delve into racial issues. Parker said in the exclusive with Variety:

I'm excited to be a part of something that's different for them...We can talk about the elephant in the room that there were no fully fleshed-out characters of color, but now here's the four of us. We're real people, and they've been great to work with, and some of our [storylines] deal with race and deal with real experiences. It's New York City!

The commitment to diversifying and sharing these real stories bodes well for the reboot. They are already addressing the problems that the original Sex and the City obviously have. We are hopeful, and this quote from Parker bolsters that hope, that the show will continue on in this progressive trajectory.

While the show is moving forward, a large number of the original characters are coming back! Those returning to reprise their roles, outside of the main three, include Chris Noth as Mr. Big, John Corbett as Aidan, David Eigenberg as Steve Brady, Evan Handler as Harry Goldenblatt, Mario Catone as Anthony Marentino, and Willie Garson as Stanford Blatch. With this comprehensive returning cast, we can be sure that And Just Like That... will carry the same heart and intrigue as the original show.



And Just Like That... will be coming to HBO on December 10th. Who else is READY?
BENGALURU, India, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- bp, a global integrated energy company, and Infosys, (NSE: INFY) (BSE: INFY) (NYSE: INFY), a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting, today announced that they have agreed to develop and pilot an energy as a service (EaaS) solution, which will aim to help businesses improve the energy efficiency of infrastructure, and help meet their decarbonization goals.

Infosys and bp intend to co-develop a digital platform that can collect data from multiple energy assets and use artificial intelligence to optimize the energy supply and demand for power, heat, cooling and EV charging. The companies will pilot the digital platform at the Infosys Pune Development Center  in an environment that replicates a small city, where energy is generated, stored, and consumed at multiple points. Once the pilot is successful, they will aim to roll this model out across other Infosys campuses in India, and with some clients, to help manage energy and help reduce emissions.

In addition, the companies have agreed to collaborate on integrating solar energy production into the campus' energy system. Energy that is generated through this integration will be monitored and optimized by the digital platform and can be stored or redirected to the building power supply, heating and cooling systems, and also to an EV charging infrastructure.

Sashi Mukundan, President, bp India and Senior Vice President, bp Group, said, "At bp, we set out to provide solutions to enable cities and hard to abate industries decarbonize. Integrating advances in energy, mobility and digital technologies and services has huge potential to accelerate the progress towards a more sustainable and resilient future. By bringing together our complementary capabilities, products, and services from bp's different joint ventures in India, bp and Infosys can help each other  and our customers  achieve energy and sustainability goals faster."

Pravin Rao, Chief Operating Officer, Infosys, said, "Infosys shares bp's ambitions for a net zero carbon future. Our collaboration with bp further strengthens our long-standing commitment towards sustainability and supports our ambitious ESG goals. We will now bring together the best of digital technologies  advanced AI, connected digital systems, experience design, analytics  and decarbonization to create an integrated energy and mobility offering. Together, bp and Infosys can create compelling and sustainable value for our customers globally."

bp in India

With a century-long business presence in India, bp is one of the largest integrated energy companies in the country. In addition to their gas value chain partnership, they have a major retail, aviation fuels and mobility alliance, Jio-bp. bp's activities in India also include Castrol lubricants, oil and gas trading, clean energy projects through its investment in the Green Growth Equity Fund (GGEF), IT applications and delivery activities, an AI enabled new global business services center and a digital innovation hub, staffing and training for the global bp marine fleet, and the recruitment of skilled Indian employees for bp's global businesses.

About Infosys

Infosys is a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting. We enable clients in more than 50 countries to navigate their digital transformation. With over four decades of experience in managing the systems and workings of global enterprises, we expertly steer our clients through their digital journey. We do it by enabling the enterprise with an AI-powered core that helps prioritize the execution of change. We also empower the business with agile digital at scale to deliver unprecedented levels of performance and customer delight. Our always-on learning agenda drives their continuous improvement through building and transferring digital skills, expertise, and ideas from our innovation ecosystem.

Visit www.infosys.com to see how Infosys (NSE: INFY) (BSE: INFY) (NYSE: INFY) can help your enterprise navigate your next.

Safe Harbor

Certain statements in this release concerning our future growth prospects, financial expectations and plans for navigating the COVID-19 impact on our employees, clients and stakeholders are forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the 'safe harbor' under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding COVID-19 and the effects of government and other measures seeking to contain its spread, risks related to an economic downturn or recession in India, the United States and other countries around the world, changes in political, business, and economic conditions, fluctuations in earnings, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, our ability to manage growth, intense competition in IT services including those factors which may affect our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, industry segment concentration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks or system failures, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which Infosys has made strategic investments, withdrawal or expiration of governmental fiscal incentives, political instability and regional conflicts, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our industry and the outcome of pending litigation and government investigation. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our United States Securities and Exchange Commission filings including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. Infosys may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the Company unless it is required by law.

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1672766/Infosys_bp_EaaS.jpgLogo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/633365/Infosys_Logo.jpg
Ukrainian authorities are clamping down on a flourishing black market in forged vaccine and test documents as the country experiences some of the highest death rates from COVID-19 in the world.
From: Kathryn Troutman - Federal Career Coach(r) Washington , DC Wednesday, October 27, 2021



The IT Specialist postions are in many US locations. October 27, 2021 | Washington, DC. The Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (USICE) is hiring at least 24 IT (Information Security) Specialists. These positions would be under the jurisdiction of USICE's Office of the Chief Information Officer. This job could be telecommute as determined by the agency out of numerous locations  see below for list. The USAJOBs announcement is open until April 26, 2022 with cut-off dates. The grade level is GS 12 with promotion potential to GS 14. Look at the Vacancy Announcement here: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/599738400 Many Locations: These 20+ positions include the following locations  Altoona, Pennsylvania; Austin, Texas; Boise, Idaho; Boston, Massachusetts; Buffalo, New York; Chandler, Arizona; Dallas, Texas; Eagle Pass, Texas; Fort Snelling, Minnesota; Greenwood Village, Colorado; Honolulu, Hawaii; Irving, Texas; Kansas City, Missouri; Long Beach, California; Los Angeles, California; Manchester, New Hampshire; McAllen, Texas; Midland, Texas; Rio Rico, Arizona; San Bernardino, California; San Diego, California; San Francisco, California; Tukwila, Washington; and Washington, District of Columbia. Responsibilities As an Information Technology Specialist (Information Security), GS-12, you will perform the following duties: Troubleshooting IT security problems that affect the availability of intranet applications and recommending actions that will minimize risks;

that affect the availability of intranet applications and recommending actions that will minimize risks; Uses judgement, initiative, and resourcefulness in deviating from established methods to modify, adapt, and/or refine broader guidelines to resolve specific complex and/or intricate issues and problems; and

to modify, adapt, and/or refine broader guidelines to resolve specific complex and/or intricate issues and problems; and Establishing, implementing, and interpreting the requirements of agency compliance with higher-level policy directives and executive orders governing infrastructure protection. QUALIFICATIONS In order to be found minimally qualified for this position, you must meet both the Basic Requirements and Minimum Qualifications as outlined below: BASIC REQUIREMENTS: You must have Information Technology related experience, demonstrated by paid or unpaid experience and/or completion of specific, intensive training (for example, IT certification) which shows proficiency in each of the following competencies: Problem Solving: Solving complex or sensitive problems by developing and proposing strategic alternatives; identifying possible conflicts and shared benefits; helping team anticipate problems and identifying and evaluating potential sources of information.

Solving complex or sensitive problems by developing and proposing strategic alternatives; identifying possible conflicts and shared benefits; helping team anticipate problems and identifying and evaluating potential sources of information. Oral Communication: Convincingly conveying complex information to customers; presenting thoughts that are well-organized and demonstrating confidence in the facts and ideas.

Convincingly conveying complex information to customers; presenting thoughts that are well-organized and demonstrating confidence in the facts and ideas. Customer Service: Resolving routine and non-routine problems, questions, or complaints; developing and maintaining strong, mutually supportive working relationships with customers; conducting evaluation of support to determine quality of services and customer satisfaction.

Resolving routine and non-routine problems, questions, or complaints; developing and maintaining strong, mutually supportive working relationships with customers; conducting evaluation of support to determine quality of services and customer satisfaction. Attention to Detail: Completing thorough and accurate work independently, even in the most difficult or stressful situations; occasionally reviewing work completed by others. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: You qualify for the GS-12 grade level if you possess one (1) year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service, performing duties such as: Providing guidance in planning and implementing migration activities;

in planning and implementing migration activities; Updating the organization's contingency or disaster recovery plans to respond to new security requirements or changes in the IT architecture;

to respond to new security requirements or changes in the IT architecture; Planning and coordinating the delivery of an IT security awareness training program for end users at all levels in the organization;

for end users at all levels in the organization; Evaluating new security authentication technologies such as public key infrastructure certificates, secure cards, and biometrics. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT BENEFITS The Federal Government Job Benefits are great! Read HERE WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR FEDERAL RESUME The average length of a Federal-style resume is 5 pages. Be sure to include specific IT projects in your resume that will demonstrate the requirements and qualifications above. The Federal Resume Guidebook, 7th Edition has a chapter on writing the IT Specialist Federal Resume. The format in the book is very successful. Federal jobs guru Kathryn Troutman recommends that you follow this format. Resume Place, Inc. Certified Federal Resume Writers can review your resume during a one hour consultation. It is very important to demonstrate the qualifications in the resume. The Human Resources Specialists will not infer any information. Your Qualifications, as above, must be written in the resume to get Best Qualified and Referred for the vacancy. This is a Direct Hire position, which means hiring is faster than the regular Federal process. Kathryn Troutman is the Founder and President of Resume Place, Inc., a Federal Career Consulting business located in Baltimore, MD. Her firm specializes in writing and designing professional federal resumes, as well as consulting, coaching and education on the federal hiring process. She is the author of many best-selling federal career books, including the Federal Resume Guidebook, 7th Ed. See the books at https://resume-place.com/books/ Troutman is an enthusiastic and knowledgeable media guest, appearing on Beverly Joness Jazzed about Work on NPRs WOUB, Carol Fishman Cohens 3, 2, 1 iRelaunch (Relaunching Your Career), Mark Millers Repurpose Your Career, and numerous times on Mike Causeys Your Turn show on Federal News Network. Her business, The Resume Place, had been featured in The Washington Post. To hear interviews of this top federal jobs expert, click here.


After a series of delays, NASA is now set to launch its Artemis 1 mission in February 2022.

The uncrewed flight would mark the first time a Space Launch System rocket carries the Orion capsule around the moon and back to Earth.

Essentially, the Artemis 1 mission is a test toward the space agencys goal of sending astronauts to the moon and back to Earth in the upcoming years for the first time since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. The plan calls for the first woman and person of color to walk on the moon.

Preparing for a future Artemis 2 mission, NASA has looked to Elon Musk to use his Texas-based Starship. In April, the space agency announced its $2.89 billion deal for SpaceX to continue development of the first commercial human lander that will safely carry the next two American astronauts to the lunar surface.

On ExpressNews.com: SpaceX to send astronauts toward space station on Halloween

The Artemis 1 plans have been mired in delays since NASA scheduled the first launch in 2017 because of issues with the rockets contractor Boeing and the coronavirus pandemic. After two rocket tests in January and March, the space agency began preparations to take off by the end of the year.

NASA last week announced it stacked the 322-foot-tall mega-Moon rocket and spacecraft, tweeting images of the Orion on top of the S.L.S. at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Were getting closer and closer to embarking on a new era of human deep space exploration, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a news release. Thanks to the teams hard work designing, manufacturing, testing, and now completing assembly of NASAs new rocket and spacecraft, were in the home stretch toward the launch.

eric.killelea@express-news.net
In the Black community, theres a history of mistrust and mistreatment by the government and health officials.

So local activist Mario Salas had his work cut out for him in convincing African Americans to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Somebody (told) me, Youre going to have a hard task tonight, and I go, Why? Because youre going to talk about all these things, and then youre going to tell people to go take their COVID vaccinations, he said, prompting a ripple of laughter from the audience at the Little Carver Civic Center on the East Side.

Although research shows vaccination is a highly effective method of curbing the spread of disease, vaccine hesitancy  delaying vaccination or refusing it entirely  abounds.

In Bexar County, just 39 percent of the Black population has been vaccinated, according to self-reported data from the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District. In comparison, 75 percent of the white, 66 percent of the Asian and 55 percent of the Hispanic populations have been immunized.

The African American Health Disparities Council brought Salas and several other advocates and health care providers together Wednesday night to discuss how the trauma Black people have endured when it comes to medical care relates to the COVID-19 vaccination rates.

Josie Norris / San Antonio Express-News

Race-based health inequities have become apparent amid the COVID-19 pandemic. San Antonio and Bexar County are seeing the same patterns as the rest of the country, said Claude Jacob, director of San Antonio Metropolitan Health District Public Health.

By and large, African Americans and Hispanic-Latinos have experienced a disproportionate burden of COVID-19 for a whole host of different factors that include their ZIP code, where they live; the type of work and employment that they may have; and more importantly, just the nature of exposures that they may encounter day-to-day or any other preexisting conditions that they may have, Jacob said.

Despite their increased risk of infection, illness and death, Black Americans as a whole are reluctant to get vaccinated. But their mistrust of mainstream medicine is far from baseless, explained Salas, an assistant professor of political science and African American studies at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Salas highlighted the extensive history of medical malpractice in the United States regarding Black men, women and children.

In the 1840s, James Marion Sims, the Father of Gynecology, developed his pioneering surgical techniques by experimenting on enslaved Black women. His subjects were not anesthetized.

In the early 20th century, doctors routinely sterilized women they deemed unfit for motherhood  often Black women and poor white women  without their consent. The procedure was so common it had a nickname: the Mississippi appendectomy.

Between 1932 and 1972, scientific researchers refrained from treating Black men with syphilis, many of whom were sharecroppers, to observe the progression of their symptoms. Most of them died or were severely disabled by the time the study ended.

Josie Norris / San Antonio Express-News

In 1951, a doctor extracted cervical cancer cells from a Black woman named Henrietta Lacks. Those cells proved immortal and went on to underpin many game-changing innovations, including the development of a polio vaccine.

So all of us have a little bit of African American DNA in our system if we took the polio vaccine, Salas said.

However, Lackss descendants have never been compensated for her invaluable contribution to medicine.

Neither are injustices of this nature confined to the annals of history. Even today, some medical students and residents erroneously believe Black people have thicker skin and a higher pain tolerance than white people, Salas said.

People in the black community know this. In general, they know this. And so the medical system is looked upon suspiciously at every step of the way, Salas said.

His words resonated deeply with many of the attendees. Several had witnessed vaccine hesitancy at work in their own homes and workplaces, including Donna Boston, a caterer who attended Salas talk.

I know a lot of people skeptical of taking the shot. They think its just going to make them crazy or going to give them COVID, Boston said.

One way to overcome vaccine hesitancy and increase vaccination rates among African Americans is to increase the visibility of Black health care providers, according to Salas. In his experience, when a black-owned medical practice opens in San Antonio, it is almost sure to be flooded with Black patients because of the general distrust of white doctors.

So we need people who are African American, Mexican American, in those communities to step up to the plate and involve themselves more actively in the distribution of good, sound medical and scientific advice, he said.

Drawing on her years of experience in the field of health care, Vicki Winn, the vice president of Black Nurses Rock-San Antonio Chapter, agreed with Salass assessment: Medical professionals need to spend more time engaging with those who are reluctant to get vaccinated rather than dismissing their fears out of hand.

You want people to feel at ease? The only way theyre going to feel at ease is if you spend that time talking with them, going over their fears and trying to address each one of them, she said.

She has a personal stake in allaying vaccine hesitancy. Her own daughter, also a nurse, has refused the jab.

caroline.tien@hearst.com
New Braunfels Police Department

A Selma man was arrested Tuesday by police after he was found with a gun in his hand and his girlfriend dead inside a pickup truck.

New Braunfels police were called to the North Live Oak Avenue and West Mill Street intersection at around 10:30 p.m., after receiving reports of shots fired in the area. When they arrived on scene, officers found a man, later identified as 39-year old Clifton Adam Meneley, standing next to a Dodge Ram truck with a gun in his hand.
Lucy is struggling to unfurl its solar array, a glitch that engineers are assessing.

The NASA spacecraft launched Saturday on a 12-year mission to visit asteroids that share Jupiters orbit around the sun. After reaching microgravity, the spacecraft began opening its two solar arrays that generate power for the spacecraft.

THE SCIENCE: NASA's Lucy mission will spend 12 years examining Jupiter asteroids with clues to solar system

One of the 24-foot solar arrays did not fully open (the other is open and latched). NASA said the partially unfurled solar array is between 75 percent and 95 percent open. It's enough power to keep Lucy healthy and functioning.

The Lucy team is evaluating a range of options, including the possibility of leaving the solar array in its current state. Any attempt to safely redeploy the array would occur no earlier than Nov. 16.

This spacecraft is designed to travel farther from the sun than any other solar-powered spacecraft. The Juno spacecraft orbiting Jupiter holds the current record, but Lucy will be farther when it flies through the Trojan asteroids. Other far-flung predecessors have relied on nuclear power.

The spacecraft's two solar arrays were too big to be opened simultaneously on Earth; the testing facility couldn't accommodate the wingspan. So Lucys team opened one solar array, closed it, moved the spacecraft and then opened the other solar array.

The spacecraft never attempted to open them at the same time before reaching microgravity.

These solar arrays (if both are fully open) should generate 18,000 watts of power when the spacecraft is near Earth. Katie Oakman, Lucys structures and mechanisms lead at Lockheed Martin Space, said thats enough to power her house and a couple of her neighbors.

Near the Trojan asteroids, Lucys two solar arrays would generate just 500 watts of power. This would turn on a few lights in the living room but not power the microwave. Yet its sufficient for Lucys science instruments that will need 82 watts of power when flying by the asteroids.

This article was updated Oct. 27, 2021, with the latest NASA information.
Miguel Angel Gutierrez, already in custody as a suspect in the death of an 11-month-old baby in his care in 2017, told investigators he had squeezed the child too hard and had been afraid to admit it to authorities.

On Wednesday, jurors at the murder trial of Gutierrez, 27, watched a video showing detectives grilling him, urging him to confess that he had caused the boys death.

Xzavier Cortez died Nov. 3, 2017, after his mother, Selena Moya, left him and her three other children at Gutierrezs parents West Side home in the 200 block of North San Ignacio.

The jury watched intense, often aggressive questioning by San Antonio police Detective Tom McNelly and at least one other detective the next day, when officers took Gutierrez into custody and told him he faced a charge of capital murder.

Xzavier died from blunt force trauma to the abdomen, according to the Bexar County Medical Examiner. Testimony by first responders established he was found unresponsive, around 3:30 a.m., bruised and with words and symbols scrawled on his body, and neither they nor an emergency room team of nearly a dozen people at Childrens Hospital San Antonio could revive him. He was pronounced dead at 4:32 a.m.

On Wednesday, the second of two interviews with Gutierrez was played for the jury in 379th District Court. For an hour and a half, McNelly and others took turns questioning, often yelling and interrupting the suspect, accusing him of beating the child and making things worse for himself because he was not at the scene when first responders arrived.

We know you did this, McNelly told Gutierrez. You are a monster and wanted to kill that kid. Or, maybe you need counseling.

Gutierrez, between crying and yelling back at the detectives, denied he ever hit the child, stating he had two children of his own.

This is wrong, he told detectives as he went in and out of sobs.

Saying you didnt do it makes you look worse, McNelly told him.

As detectives came and went in the room to question Gutierrez, the interrogation became more animated. Gutierrez was told he had anger issues, was a cold-blooded killer and was going away forever, while another questioner would calmly ask Gutierrez to help himself by admitting what he did to the child.

I was just trying to help her, Gutierrez said of Moya, by watching her children for her.

McNelly told Gutierrez the autopys findings  which have not yet been introduced in court  indicated the childs testicles were ruptured, and Gutierrez yelled, I did not do that, man!

My mother is there, I live with my parents, my grandma raised me better than that, he told McNelly, before threatening to kill himself.

After Gutierrez was left alone for several minutes, another detective came into the room and asked Gutierrez if maybe he played too roughly with Xzavier that night.

Demonstrating on a doll detectives put on a table, Gutierrez showed them how he placed the child on the bed when he was crying and would play with him by tickling him and pushing on his stomach and sides. He added that at times when the baby cried, he would shake him a little.

I squeezed his stomach a little bit, he said on the video. I swear, I was just playing with him, tossing him in the air. I never beat him. I never intended to, loved that little boy.

Defense attorney John Economidy periodically objected to the showing of the video, specifically because of the mention of the capital murder charge. State District Judge Ron Rangel instructed the jury that what officers say during interrogations to defendants should not be considered as evidence in the case.

A grand jury indicted Gutierrez on a murder charge, not capital murder.

Following the showing of the video, Economidy showed jurors a snippet of a police interview with Moya, taken Nov. 3 after she was told her baby had died.

Through sobs, Moya told McNelly I swear, they were fine, when she left them in the care of Gutierrez as she went to her job as a stripper. Oh my God!

My son is going through this, his mom is living this life, my son is living it with me, my kids dont even want to be with me, she sobbed to detectives.

Testimony continues Thursday. If convicted, Gutierrez faces up to life in prison.

ezavala@express-news.net | Twitter: @elizabeth2863
Debilitating fatigue, shortness of breath, headaches, lapses of concentration and memory, hair loss, loss of smell. These are among documented post-COVID-19 symptoms.

Really, the symptoms are across the board, said Dr. Monica Verduzco-Gutierrez, chair of rehabilitation medicine at UT Health San Antonio, who has treated more than 400 COVID-19 patients with lingering symptoms.

Gutierrez is one of 18 San Antonio medical researchers participating in a federally funded study to investigate why some patients in San Antonio and Laredo suffer prolonged effects from the SARS-CoV-2 virus or develop new or returning symptoms.

Some people have suffered strokes, loss of mobility, anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, she said, adding: Theres still so much we have to learn about long COVID.

UT Health San Antonio, University Health and the Laredo Health Department plan to recruit 900 adults to participate in the study, called Prevention, Evaluation and Incidence of Long-Term COVID in South Texas  PREVAIL South Texas, for short. Children will be studied at other centers.

The effort is part of the National Institutes of Healths nationwide Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery initiative. The PREVAIL South Texas collaboration is one of 17 research hubs in that national project and the only one in Texas.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio surpasses 4,000 COVID-19 deaths

UT Health officials said they expect to receive $15 million from the NIH over the next four years to follow patients.

The studys principal investigator is Dr. Thomas Patterson, an infectious diseases specialist and professor of medicine at UT Healths Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine. He leads COVID-19 infectious disease care at University Health.

Patterson said researchers are looking in particular for Latino COVID-19 survivors, because this population has been so heavily and disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.

Research is needed to address emerging questions such as, What are the long-term consequences for people who have new variants like delta? and What happens with people who develop COVID-19 infection despite prior vaccination? he said in a news release. We already know breakthrough infections arent that common, and vaccination dramatically reduces the risk of hospitalization and death.

On ExpressNews.com: Latinos and other underserved San Antonio groups most impacted by pandemic, but reluctant to take vaccine

Researchers will send out questionnaires to participants on a quarterly basis to document how they are feeling.

Groups of patients will undergo more intensive study, depending on the symptoms they report, said Gutierrez, who works at post-COVID clinics at University Hospital and the UT Health Medical Arts and Research Center.

She said some patients who were infected 20 months ago still experience life-altering symptoms. Many cannot return to work, she said, although others may be able to request accommodations from employers, such as extra breaks.

These are young, healthy patients  in their 40s and raising families  in the peak of their lives, she said. They try to do an activity like clean a room in their house, and the exertion knocks them down for a day or two.

For more information about the PREVAIL South Texas study, call 210-567-5262 or visit Recover-TX.org.

laura.garcia@express-news.net
A new study based on Instagram selfies says new San Antonio homebuyers are among the least happy in the world.

United Kingdom-based Online Mortgage Advisor used artificial intelligence technology to analyze over 300,000 photos of recent homebuyers in 114 cities worldwide for a study that determined their happiness after the big purchase.

The company, which offers a free mortgage broker matching service and other information for homebuyers, released its findings in September and said that San Antonio ranked No. 16 out of the 20 least happiest cities in the world to buy a home in.

On ExpressNews.com: 5 outdoor patios perfect for a cool day in San Antonio

The ranking was based on the percentage difference between the average happiness level of new homebuyers' Instagram photos in each city compared to the average happiness level of homebuyers around the world and in the city's country.

By using the Microsoft Azure artificial intelligence tool, the online company in August analyzed photos in each city it studied for certain emotions, including happiness. The photos with hashtags relating to purchasing a new home, like #homeowner, were scanned to determine the dominate emotion featured in the image.

The study was based solely on the image presented and did not take into account what may have led to a less-than-enthusiastic photo. Some people may not like to smile. The study also did not consider home prices for its results.

Overall, 83 percent of people who posted photos after buying a home on the social media platform worldwide expressed happiness in their faces.

Online Mortgage Advisor

The study found that photos of new San Antonio homebuyers showed only 73 percent of people with expressions of happiness compared 82.56 percent worldwide and 83.27 in the U.S.

San Antonio was the fourth least happiest city to purchase a home in the United States. The least happiest city to buy a home in the U.S. is Atlanta, according to the study. The only other Texas city to make the list was Dallas at No. 7.

According to the study, the happiest U.S. city to purchase a home is Louisville, Kentucky, where homebuyers where 6.7 percent happier than the national average. Fort Worth was ranked second on the U.S. list and No. 18 in the world.

Barcelona, Spain was ranked as the happiest place to purchase a home in the world, with homebuyers 15.6 percent happier than the global average.

Online Mortgage Advisor

Malak.Silmi@express-news.net
Texans can now face criminal penalties if they unlawfully restrain their dogs outside.

Following widespread public backlash, Gov. Greg Abbott this week signed an updated version of a bill he vetoed over the summer that would effectively ban the use of chain tethers and empower law enforcement officers to act quickly when they find a dog in inhumane conditions.

On ExpressNews.com: Chaining dogs outside will finally be illegal in Texas as Abbott signs animal cruelty bill into law

Heres what you need to know about the new law.

Why did it happen?

Animal rights advocates have long called for Texas lawmakers to update the states tethering laws. Some criticized the existing statutes lack of enforcement because it required pet owners to be given at least 24 hours notice to correct mistreatment before legal action could be taken.

The Texas Humane Legislation Network in 2015 found that not a single prosecution had been made under the law over the previous two years, according to the Texas Tribune. In his original veto statement, Abbott said that version micro-managed and over-penalized pet owners.

What does the new law do?

The measure is pretty similar to the version vetoed by Abbott over the summer.

It eliminates a 24-hour waiting period for law enforcement to intervene if they come across an animal in inhumane conditions. The criminal penalties are the same as the existing law. However, theyre now enforceable.

It also makes specific guidelines on how a dog can be kept outside. However, there are exceptions for dog owners who use their animals for farming and agricultural purposes.

On ExpressNews.com: Here is what you need to know about carrying a gun in Texas

The law says dogs must have shelter from inclement weather, which includes rain, hail, snow, high winds, extreme low temperatures, or extreme high temperatures. The shelter is also required to allow them to sit, stand and move around comfortably.

Dog collars must be made of material specifically designed to be placed around the neck of a dog. However, the law doesnt specify which materials should be used.

The new law also clarifies that a dog must be able to avoid excessive animal waste and standing water.

On ExpressNews.com: Antisemitic protests continue in San Antonio and Austin as leaders condemn hate messages

While a dog can still be left in the bed of a truck, it can only be left there for a time that is reasonably necessary for the owner to complete a temporary task.

What impact will it have?

A representative for the Texas Humane Legislative Network, one of the measures largest proponents, told the Houston Chronicle that the change would have a huge impact on thousands of dogs across Texas.

Every season, whether its super-hot Texas summers or whether its hurricane season or in the northern part of the state where it can regularly get to freezing temperatures, we get reports of dogs that have died outside at the ends of their chains, said Stacy Sutton Kerby, the nonprofit's director of government relations. So we know that this is going to affect animals in a positive way going forward.

Timothy.Fanning@express-news.net


If theres anything fair or subtle in the states new political maps, drawn by Texas Republicans and signed by Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday, experts have yet to find it.

The maps are unconstitutional and discriminate against Latino, Black, Asian and other marginalized voters, diluting their political power.

Its blatant.

The maps can eventually be fixed by the voter protections in the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Freedom to Vote Act.

But for now, the new districts allow white voters to disproportionately make decisions for the rest of Texans.

Each one of us, regardless of party, can answer the moral question: Should Texas discriminate against voters of color or not?

No one is exempt from stopping an attack on democracy.

The think tank Freedom House, which studies democracy and rights globally, this year noted the parlous state of U.S. democracy in its Freedom in the World Report.

Though it ranks the United States as free and democratic, the report said the U.S. must work vigorously to strengthen its institutional safeguards, restore its civic norms, and uphold the promise of its core principles for all segments of society if it is to protect its venerable democracy and regain global credibility.

But what really needs to be addressed is the rotten core that has allowed such inequity and all-out cheating. No tienen verguenza. They have no shame.

Republicans dont want Latino and Black voters to elect someone of their choice, someone who might look like them.

They dont want voter support for policies that improve public health, schools, roads, air and water or a power grid set up to deliver profits to the few rather than delivering energy at a fair price for the many.

Republicans didnt use new census data to reflect population changes. They scammed it.

Its important to note that census data might be found to be inaccurate, but likely in favor of Latinos and Blacks, who may have been undercounted.

Even suppressed data shows what the future foretells. It will come in all shades of brown and will keep growing in that direction.

If youre a Republican and dont see the new maps as anti-democratic, youre part of the problem.

Here are the facts:

Ninety-five percent of the states population growth over the last 10 years is due to people of color.

White Texans make up 40 percent of the population but will control 60 percent of the districts, according to Ari Berman, author of Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America.

Latinos now make up 39 percent of the states population but will get 20 percent of the states districts, Berman notes.

Latinos, by the way, are half a percentage point away from becoming the largest demographic group in Texas.

The states Black population, at 12 percent, will control only 2 percent of districts.

The new maps will keep the State Board of Education under Republican control even though almost 70 percent of Texas students are people of color and 52 percent are Latino.

Texas Republicans dont want to compete for your vote, former San Antonio Mayor and former presidential candidate Julian Castro tweeted recently.

Theyd rather gerrymander voting maps and pass voter suppression bills to stay in power. We must protect our democracy with federal legislation immediately and defeat these cynical politicians at the ballot box.

The bill named for John Lewis would restore provisions in Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, requiring U.S. Department of Justice pre-clearance before political maps are redrawn.

The Freedom to Vote Act would protect elections against voter suppression and partisan gerrymandering, among other provisions.

If you support what Republicans in the Texas Legislature did, youre part of the assault on democracy. If you voted for Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, youre the problem.

Youre not a patriot. Youre anti-democracy. Youre willing to allow Republicans to cheat and dilute Latinos, Black and other voters political power.

Youre supporting politicians who also voted to ban teachers from talking about the history that got us here.

In Bexar County, early voting ends Friday. Election Day is Tuesday.

Wear a mask to the polls. Remain 6 feet away from others in line. Wash your hands.

eayala@express-news.net
Eight years ago, I was at a city park when I passed a woman handing out flyers in opposition to a nondiscrimination ordinance then being considered by City Council.

The proposed ordinance shouldnt have been controversial. It simply mandated that when it came to employees of the city and city contractors, housing and places of public accommodation, people receive equal treatment; that the basic civil-rights protections already included in the City Code be extended to cover sexual orientation, gender identity and veteran status.

As the woman handed flyers to people at the park, some of them asked her what her cause was all about.

Its about keeping men from going into restrooms with little girls, she said.

Thats where we were eight years ago; thats the skewed playing field on which San Antonios vitriolic NDO debate took place. Ultimately, the ordinance passed on Sept. 5, 2013, by an 8-3 vote. But it felt like the issue split the city in half.

Undeniably, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that our state  or at least its powerful political leadership  has learned nothing in the intervening years.

In 2017, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick tried and failed to pass a much reviled bathroom bill targeting transgender individuals. This year, he succeeded in enacting a law which marginalizes transgender kids by keeping them from competing in school sports.

At the same time, its impossible to overlook the strides weve made. Eight years after angry opponents of the NDO flooded the municipal complex, most of that opposition has faded away.

On a national level, for years we heard all kinds of doomsday predictions about how the legalization of same-sex marriage would destroy the institution of matrimony.

About 15 years ago, I sat in a church pew while a pastor in my hometown of Edinburg told his congregation that if this society sanctioned same-sex marriage, it would create an anything-goes environment in which some men would try to exchange I dos with monkeys.

Six years after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized gay marriage, however, heterosexual marriage somehow seems to have survived its brush with death, and much of the hysteria on this issue has receded.

Theres also the fact that eight months ago, council members in Mesa, Ariz., widely regarded as the most politically conservative big city in the nation, passed a nondiscrimination ordinance protecting the rights of the LGBTQ community.

Thats where we stand, in this messy moment of hope and fear.

This complicated climate served as the backdrop Thursday as East Side Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez  flanked by City Council colleagues Phyllis Viagran, Melissa Cabello Havrda and Ana Sandoval  stood on the steps of City Hall to propose an expansion of San Antonios NDO.

In introducing his newly filed Council Consideration Request, McKee-Rodriguez, the first openly gay man ever elected to the San Antonio City Council, fulfilled a campaign promise.

During his campaign, McKee-Rodriguez talked about his brief 2019 stint as a council aide for Jada Andrews-Sullivan, the incumbent he successfully challenged this year. He said Andrews-Sullivans chief of staff, Lou Miller, had subjected him to homophobic harassment.

It (the NDO) needs to apply to all businesses in the city. It needs to apply to contract employees as well and I believe that we (can) implement fines and fees for those businesses that do not adhere, McKee-Rodriguez told me during the campaign.

Educators in Texas can still be fired for being gay, he told the Texas Observer last month. Opposite-sex couples dont get in trouble when they talk about their partners at work, but that still happens to same-sex couples in this state.

McKee-Rodriguezs proposal would apply to private businesses with 15 or more employees. He also wants to bolster the NDO complaint process, strengthen penalties for violations and improve public awareness of the ordinances protections.

He has the enthusiastic backing of two veterans of the 2013 NDO battle.

I applaud Councilman McKee-Rodriguez for introducing a new ordinance to build on our citys nondiscrimination policy, former Mayor Julian Castro said in a statement.

Former Councilman Rey Saldana pointed out that the fight for equality is always a work in progress.

I am delighted to see this council will make the necessary improvement that build(s) on the original intent of the 2013 nondiscrimination ordinance, Saldana said.

Given that five council members already have expressed support for McKee-Rodriguezs proposal, its prospects look promising.

There will certainly be some haggling over the precise language of the proposed ordinance. But the ground has shifted on this issue. Were moving toward equality and theres no turning back now.

ggarcia@express-news.net | Twitter: @gilgamesh470
I was devastated to hear of the antisemitic gathering across from the Jewish Community Center, the Holocaust Memorial Museum of San Antonio and the Anne Frank Inspire Academy.

Occurring within hours of a prejudiced message about Jews that was lit-dropped in a North Side neighborhood, this organized effort to distort perceptions of and dehumanize members of the Jewish faith stood out in its overt and concerted shamelessness.

As these shady agitators and their messages of hate continue to slither out of online forums and into the public sphere, Id like to offer a Jewish perspective on how we, as a community, can remain resilient in the face of hate and rising tides of antisemitism.

Antisemitism is nothing new, and the many Jews who proudly call San Antonio home are well educated on its history and manifestations. We know very well that antisemitic sentiments beget anti-Jewish violence, and that discrimination in all forms begets tangible harm.

One thing we must all do to push back against acts of discrimination in our community is to not be in denial when we see it.

On ExpressNews.com: Antisemitic protests continue in San Antonio and Austin as leaders condemn hate messages

In 2018, while my mother was the director of the Holocaust Memorial Museum of San Antonio, some vandal erected a sign that read, Fake news #MAGA, with a blood-red arrow pointing to the museums marquee.

Sharing conspiracies and veiling the reality of that prejudiced harassment, some San Antonians dismissed the concerns of the Jewish community and suggested the act of hate was staged. For some, it was easier to believe a fiction than the reality of active, outspoken antisemites, made in America.

Its easy to say the deplorable goons  who were waving signs that read, Honk if you know the Holocaust is fake and spreading hateful messages steeped in COVID-19 conspiracy theories  arent from our community.

But as a community, we must recognize these movements of hate are real and emboldened as of late. These public demonstrations aim to persuade, perverse and sell a twisted fiction to San Antonians, and bring harm.

With recognition  rather than denial  we can accept there is a problem and begin to assess how to protect the character of our inclusive and diverse community.

If moving beyond denial is the first step, then promoting Holocaust education and intercultural community engagement is the crucial second step.

Those without education on the Holocaust or connection to Jewish people in our city may be most susceptible to pernicious antisemitic and discriminatory messages.

Many of my closest Jewish friends in San Antonio and I grew up hearing firsthand accounts of the Holocaust. Some had parents, grandparents or great-grandparents who bore the scars of the Shoah and shared their experiences with the younger generations.

These survivors lived through the terrors of family separation, death camps, and of knowing their home, people and touchstones of tradition were forsaken, systematically destroyed in nations theyd come to love and trust.

After escaping those horrors, they found safe harbor and community in San Antonio, where they raised families, started businesses and fostered stewardship of this Texas city that became home.

While not everyone has a relative or family friend who can attest to the tragedies, fortunately, anyone can take a free tour of the Holocaust Memorial Museum of San Antonio, which highlights some of these experiences, provides historical context on the atrocities of the National Socialists and offers a treasure trove of vital information about Americas role in liberating European Jews from the Nazi death camps.

On ExpressNews.com: Editorial: Truth teaches no 'two sides' to Holocaust

It wont take long to register that the lessons of the Holocaust extend beyond the Jewish people. They evoke conversations of unequal treatment based on race, religion, ethnicity, sexuality or gender; of systematic discrimination by government and the law; and of the perils of a populism fueled on hate and division.

Where the virus of antisemitism and hate spreads, education is the only inoculation.

As we see alarming things become increasingly normal, like a Southlake School District administrator stating Holocaust education needs to be balanced with curriculum on the opposing view, or like a group of touring Nazi organizers (coming soon to a city near you), we must be steadfast in our resolve that San Antonio is no place for hate and stalwart in our coalitional support of neighbors of all backgrounds unified against discrimination in our community.

We must equip ourselves and our youth with the education to identify and push back against narratives that distort and discriminate. And when we see this hate, we cannot be silent but must speak up  whether it is our culture or another in the crosshairs of the hateful and indifferent.

Noah Barshop is a proud member of San Antonios Jewish community and director of policy for District 8 City Councilman Manny Pelaez.
Of course, the defenders of decent society and disciples of degeneracy are often the same people.

These words by American military historian and author Caleb Carr come to the fore whenever I consider appropriate standards for members of the executive, judicial and legislative branches of government.

As Lt. Gov. Dan Patricks appointee to the Texas Judicial Council and to the Access to Justice Commission, for example, I have collaborated with many judges and attorneys to improve our judiciary and our system of justice, especially by increasing access to justice for all Texans.

Weve worked hard to ensure our judges have the education, resources and technology to do their jobs. Specifically, weve advocated for increasing judicial salaries so we dont lose our best legal talent to the private sector; enhancing court security so our judges can make impartial decisions without fear of repercussions; and creating additional courts, when justified, to reduce caseloads.

Unfortunately, not all judges in Texas personify the ideals identified with the power entrusted to them. This year, weve seen judges admonished and reprimanded for driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, failing to release court records on request as required by law, and using the prestige of their office to advance the private interests of friends and allies.

I experienced judicial misconduct years ago when I witnessed cronyism and corruption in the courtroom at its worst. Instead of simply complaining or dealing with such evil quietly, I gained a greater appreciation for the majority of Texas judges who strive for excellence in the courtroom and for the fair administration of justice for all. Simultaneously, I became increasingly interested in electing and appointing the best judges possible.

Another disappointment followed, however, with the realization that the state entity responsible for holding judges accountable, namely, the State Commission on Judicial Conduct, or SCJC, was frustratingly secretive, unresponsive and slow to act.

During the past seven years, many of us have worked tirelessly to improve SCJCs transparency, efficiency and effectiveness, including by passing SB 306 in 2015 to improve the agencys annual reports and HB 4344 in 2021, which requires SCJC to investigate and resolve complaints timely. These reforms will not be sufficient if judicial races are unscrupulous affairs.

Thats why its important for Texans to vote in favor of Proposition 5 on the constitutional amendments ballot on Tuesday. It is an important step toward improving the quality of our judiciary by authorizing SCJC to hold judicial candidates to the same standards of ethical campaign practices as incumbent judges.

The section on political activities in the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct prohibits judges seeking re-election and candidates for judicial office from telling voters how they would rule on a certain kind of case, endorsing other candidates, or knowingly misrepresenting the views or qualifications of their opponents.

Because SCJC has jurisdiction only over incumbent judges, however, it is unclear who has the authority to reprimand judicial candidates. The result, unfortunately, is to give this group free rein without holding them accountable. Proposition 5 would close this gap by giving the commission clear authority also to reprimand and discipline candidates.

By approving Proposition 5, Texas voters will send a message that all those aspiring to administer the law must first obey the law and follow ethical rules. Indeed, all defenders of decent society should be expected to behave decently on the campaign trail. SCJC should be empowered to ensure they live up to that task. Please vote yes on Proposition 5.

State Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, represents Texas Senate District 21.
Happy Election Day, San Antonio. There are two elections for voters in eastern and southern portions of Bexar County, as well as eight constitutional amendments on the ballot across Texas. It's a bit complicated, so here's what to know:

Amid the pandemic, some local governments issued stay-at-home orders that prevented churches from gathering in person. Should they be able to do that? Proposition 3 aims to do just that. Other propositions would expand military tax exemption benefits  and allow the rodeo to hold raffles.

Why should you care? The Texas Constitution has been our governing document since 1876  nearly 150 years ago. A lots changed since it was enacted, but the only way to update it is with voter approval.

The Express-News Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom, has taken a stance on each of the amendments.

On ExpressNews.com: Texas voters to decide on 8 constitutional amendments in Nov. 2 elections

Some voters will need to cast two ballots.

State Rep. Leo Pacheco, whose district stretches across the eastern and southern portions of Bexar County is vacating his seat. The South Side Democrat will be teaching at San Antonio College. Republican John Lujan and Democrat Frank Ramirez are facing one another for the spot.

Gov. Greg Abbott called a special election for the race, but it was too late for the race to be included on the general election ballot.

This is where it gets complicated. Voters in District 118 will need to vote twice  once in the general election and again for the District 118 race.

Additionally, only four voting sites will have the District 118 ballots: the Bexar County Elections Department downtown and three in District 118.

Some voters will have other elections to decide.

Alamo Heights has a special election on its tax rate.

Bexar County Emergency Services District No. 9 could be created.

Converse is holding municipal elections.

Green Valley Special Utility District is holding an election.

East Central ISD has a bond issue.

Helotes has a special election on its tax rate.

Judson ISD has a bond election.

Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD has a general election.

Schertz has a general election.

Southside ISD has a bond election.

Universal City has a special election.

Windcrest has a general election.

Comal ISD has a bond election.

Need more info about what's on the ballot? The non-partisan League of Women Voters has a searchable database to connect voters with their races and short videos explaining each proposed constitutional amendment and basic arguments for and against it. Print versions of the leagues Voters Guides are available in local public libraries to inform voters. You can also visit Bexar Countys election page to find out what will be on your ballot.

Its too late to register to vote in this election. The deadline to register has passed. To participate in early voting or election day, you must already be registered. Check your registration status here.

On ExpressNews.com:

Time is running out! Early voting ends Friday, Oct. 29. There are 41 early voting sites countywide. Four of them  the Bexar County Elections Department downtown and three in District 118  will accommodate the special election runoff.

Election Day is Tuesday Nov. 2. There will be 278 poll sites operating from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., including 24 where ballots can be cast in the special runoff.

Need a ride on Election Day? VIA Metropolitan Transit is offering free rides to those who have a valid voter registration card. Get the details.

shuddleston@express-news.net
After the Republican-controlled Texas Legislature adopted a string of conservative priorities earlier this year, including the nations strictest anti-abortion law and an overhaul of state election rules, Democrats vowed to take revenge by wielding the policies against their GOP foes in the 2022 midterm elections.

Some of the first statewide polling on the new laws, however, is casting early doubt on whether Texas Republicans hard shift to the right will provide the type of ammunition Democrats expected.

A statewide survey conducted earlier this month by researchers from the University of Houston and Texas Southern University found that a majority of Texans support the abortion and election measures, along with a law passed this month that restricts which teams transgender student athletes can join.

The results come after lawmakers spent months battling over the issues, punctuated by a standoff over the summer that ensued when more than 50 Democrats in the Texas House fled the state, thwarting the elections bill for more than a month. They argued the laws true purpose is to maintain Republicans grip on power by creating hurdles that will dissuade communities of color from voting  not the GOPs stated intent of rooting out election fraud without hampering any qualified voters ability to cast a ballot.

Still, the UH/TSU survey found that nearly 60 percent of Texans approve of new restrictions that prevent local election officials from mailing out unsolicited absentee ballot applications, stop them from giving voters the option to cast ballots at drive-thru polls, and forbid operating polling places during certain hours of the morning and evening. Those provisions, part of the package of election changes passed by GOP state lawmakers in late August, outlaw measures used by Harris County officials during the 2020 election to spur turnout and minimize contact between voters amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The results suggest voters were more convinced by the GOPs argument, which centered around what Republican lawmakers referred to as election integrity, said Renee Cross, senior director of the University of Houstons Hobby School of Public Affairs and one of the researchers who helped conduct the survey.

The Democrats definitely lost the messaging battle. The longer the walkouts continued ... people or voters started to lose track of what they were walking out over, Cross said. Focusing on those two words, fraud and integrity, I think thats where the Republicans really did a great job with their messaging. Because, whos going to say Im for fraud or Im against integrity. So, they probably had an advantage, and they certainly took it.

TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

Though some minor cases of voter fraud have been uncovered, multiple academic studies, an investigation by the Trump-controlled Justice Department and Attorney General Ken Paxtons own Election Fraud Unit have yet to discover widespread, systemic fraud on the scale alleged by Republicans in Texas and elsewhere. A survey conducted by the Hobby School in January found that 55 percent of Texans believe there was no widespread fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

Political scientists at Northern Illinois University also found that even before the latest round of changes, Texas voting laws were the most restrictive in the nation, already making it harder to register and vote than in any other state.

State Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, a San Antonio Democrat who helped spearhead his partys walkout over the summer, pointed to the polls findings that all of the restrictions were viewed more favorably by white Texans than Black and Latino residents.

The ban on 24-hour voting, for example, was backed by 56 percent of white respondents, but just 39 and 38 percent of Latino and Black residents, respectively.

I think the results are consistent with what we know: these reforms dont seem to have the majority support of communities of color, Martinez Fischer said. And I think that Democrats, in fighting SB 1 and advocating for federal voting rights legislation, there was a specific plea to protect voters of color  and to fight against voter suppression thats typically targeted at minority communities.

With 86 percent support, the most popular provision is a new requirement for local election officials to offer early voting for at least nine hours a day, instead of the current minimum of eight. Republicans, including Gov. Greg Abbott, have pointed to that change in arguing the bill expands early voting hours. But it also imposes new restrictions on early voting hours, requiring polls to operate between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.  removing the option for 24-hour voting.

Republicans also created a new criminal penalty for vote harvesting, the act of illegally coercing people to vote a certain way in exchange for compensation or some other benefit. Eight-two percent of Texans said they support the punishment  a third-degree felony, which carries a sentence of two to 10 years.

IN-DEPTH: Texas Republicans dropped the most hard-fought provisions from the elections bill

The researchers from the Hobby School and TSUs Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs did not measure support for the overall elections bill, instead asking about nine of its main provisions. Cross said the public discourse surrounding the bill tended to avoid delving into its actual contents.

People have been protesting much of this as a sum, and maybe when they looked at it individually, it didnt seem as drastic, she said.

Republicans have generally dismissed the Democrats claims as overblown, while also noting that they agreed to strip some of the most controversial provisions from the final elections bill  including changes that would have made it easier for judges to overturn elections and redistribute polling places in large urban areas to GOP-leaning neighborhoods.

The survey also measured Texans support for House Bill 25, a measure signed into law this week by Abbott that bars transgender student athletes from competing on the team that aligns with their gender identities.

The policy, a top priority of Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, was supported by 58 percent of Texans and opposed by just 25 percent. The rest answered that they were unsure of their position.

Though the bill passed along party lines, only a narrow majority of Democrats in the survey - 52 percent - opposed the measure.

Researchers conducted the UH/TSU survey from Oct. 4 to Oct. 21. The results, published Thursday morning, came two days after UH and TSU released survey findings that showed 55 percent of Texans support the states new abortion law  even though nearly seven in 10 residents said they believe the law is too restrictive. The measure bans almost all abortion procedures after roughly six weeks of pregnancy, including for victims of rape and incest.

jasper.scherer@chron.com
A swath of South Side ranchland  once the center of a feud between the heirs of barbecue entrepreneur Bill Miller and city officials over homebuilding near Toyotas plant  could become a solar farm.

A company affiliated with former Austin technology executive J.R. Carter purchased about 614 acres across the Medina River from the automakers truck facility from trusts linked to the Miller family in mid-October, deed records show.

Its a beautiful piece of property with probably 2 miles of frontage on the river, Balous Miller said.

It was his familys farm for decades and became embroiled in a showdown in the 2000s over building around Toyotas facility, which pitted the city and its agreement to discourage residential development near the plant against landowners irked about the effects on their property values.

The Miller heirs proposed constructing houses on a portion of their property and prevailed, with the city acknowledging they had the vested property rights to do so. But the family hadnt intended to build houses, having filed plans to preserve their right to develop their land in the future, Balous Miller later said. Those rights eventually expired.

The property had been on the market for a while before Carters company bought it. He expressed an interest in building a solar farm and inviting students to see how the power source works, said Balous Miller.

The site is near two solar farms across U.S. 281 that provide power to CPS Energy.

Miller declined to disclose the sale price.

It wasnt enough for land inside Loop 1604 and frontage on the Medina River, he said, chuckling.

Austin buyer

The buyer, Medina Del Rey QOZB LLC, is registered to James R. Carter of Austin, state corporate filings indicate.

Deed records also mention Maeve Capital Inc., which is affiliated with Carter as well. An expired job posting on job site Tarta.ai describes Maeve Capital as a small family office  that exclusively manages the assets of the Carter family and its investment partners.

Carter was previously the founder, CEO and executive chairman of Intersys Consulting LLC, an Austin technology company that was acquired by ASGN Inc. in 2019 for $67 million.

A real estate broker who organized Medina Del Rey QOZB LLC said he would check with Carter about discussing the South Side acquisition, but he did not respond by press time.

The property falls within a designated opportunity zone, an initiative established in then-President Donald Trumps 2017 tax bill that is supposed to attract investment capital to economically disadvantaged areas.

Investors receive tax breaks on capital gains if they put their money in long-term projects within the zones. Twenty-four census tracts in the San Antonio area are designated opportunity zones, including Port San Antonio, parts of the East Side near Fort Sam Houston, Stinson Municipal Airport, the Brooks master planned community and much of downtown.

The program has been criticized for primarily benefiting investors instead of residents within the zones, and for being used for luxury developments or businesses with few employees. Research by the Urban Institute has also shown that many of the local zones were already drawing interest before the designation.

QOZB stands for qualified opportunity zone business. Such an enterprise must earn at least half of its gross income each year from business activities within a zone, according to the Internal Revenue Service.

Toyota controversy

The Miller family had owned the South Side land for more than 60 years before the sale. It was once their farm. Balous Miller recalls baling hay and fishing in the river with his siblings.

Local leaders clashed with the family in the 2000s over development around Toyotas plant. The city annexed 6.4 square miles south of the Medina River, including the Miller property, for limited purposes in 2004.

In its deal with Toyota, the city had agreed to exercise its best efforts to annex land within a 3-mile buffer zone around the automakers facility. Provisions related to zoning and annexation were an inducement for the company to choose the site, and it heavily relied upon such agreements in deciding to locate here.

Officials portrayed the annexations as a means of extending zoning rules and preventing incompatible land uses, such as housing around the plant, as Toyota executives were concerned that having residents nearby would prompt complaints about noise, light and traffic.

But landowners protested and said the city was infringing on their right to develop their property as they wished. A group that did not include the Millers later sued the city, alleging the zoning regulations constituted a taking of their property and reduced its value to honor the Toyota deal.

The Miller family submitted plans for two residential subdivisions and other projects on part of their land. They supported Toyota but wanted to protect the value of their property, Balous Miller said at the time. The homes could be attractive to employees at the plant and other nearby businesses, since there were limited housing options in the area, he added.

Then-Mayor Ed Garza worried that the property was within the 3-mile buffer and the plans could jeopardize the Toyota deal and affect the automakers decision to expand its plant down the road. But the Miller family ultimately won, with vested property rights to build the houses.

Those rights expired in 2007. A potential land swap with the city did not pan out.

Some of the Miller familys property was annexed and some of it is outside the city limits, said Rudy Nino, assistant director of the citys planning department. A portion near the river is also zoned resource protection, which restricts uses to agricultural operations, schools, transit centers and one house per 10 acres.

madison.iszler@express-news.net
DANIEL SLIM | Getty Images

United Airlines loses about $700,000 a week by keeping its unvaccinated pilots on paid leave, according to court documents that were first reported on by Fox Business.

The airline filed the court documents on Oct. 22, arguing that the temporary restraining order placed on its vaccine mandate has forced it to place unvaccinated pilots on paid leave, which costs approximately $1.4 million every two weeks.
STAMFORD  The road to a new commuter garage in Stamford has been far from smooth, but on Monday morning, Connecticut officials celebrated finally moving forward on the perennially postponed project.

Five years after a deal to reimagine the Stamford Transportation Center and its dilapidated state garage fell apart, Gov. Ned Lamont, Transportation Commissioner Joseph Giulietti and a bevy of elected officials gathered to showcase one of the Northeasts busiest train stations into the 21st century by building a new commuter garage.

Parking should not be a hassle, Lamont said from a podium just across the street from the garage-in-progress while flanked by Stamford Mayor David Martin, U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., and Stamfords delegation to the state legislature. Parking should be something that's easy, affordable, with a lot of capacity. That's what we're doing right here.

Engineering crews have already broken ground on the 928-spot garage, a project that will cost the state $81.7 million, according to Giulietti. The entire edifice, which will feature a bridge that directly connects with one of the train platforms through an enclosed pedestrian way, is scheduled for completion in summer 2023.

The multi-million dollar car depot will encompass only a fraction of what the state originally planned to replace in 2013. The Department of Transportation that year struck a deal with a private developer to create a $500 million office, housing, retail and hotel complex beside the train station and move commuter parking a quarter-mile away. That proposal drew ire from commuters, who wanted the state to rebuild the existing garage instead.

The new building on Washington Boulevard will replace the existing state garage on Station Place, a 36-year-old structure plagued by problems since the beginning. The state plans to demolish the more structurally deficient half of the garage once the new parking facility is completed.

This is prime real estate, Giulietti said of the parcel. We're looking to go and attract investors so that we can offset some of our costs for going into an operation by maybe putting in something there that will generate funds for the system.

Even during the pandemic, the Stamford Transportation Center has remained one of the most frequented locations in the Metro-North railroad system. Data from the system shows that more than 8.4 million people rode Metro-North trains from the Stamford Transportation Center in 2016, making it the second-busiest station behind Grand Central Terminal in New York City.

After seeing a 95 percent reduction in ridership during the height of the COVID-19 crisis, the passenger count has since bounced back and hovers at around 50 percent of pre-pandemic levels, Metro-North President Catherine Rinaldi said at the ceremony. Almost two years after the virus first took hold, 175 trains a day stop at Stamford station. Weekend train service is completely back to normal, and on the weekdays 82 percent of the usual trains visit the stop, she said.

Though creating a better place for cars is the most obvious component of the garage redesign, the future of multi-modal transportation in Stamford was also front and center during the celebration.

Though future plans for the transportation center itself are still incomplete, the state plans to repave and redesign all the roads surrounding the garage and the train station, according to Giulietti. The paving would create dedicated feeder paths for the buses, taxi cabs and rideshares that frequent the station.

On top of that, he said, the new garage will bring pedestrian improvements to the streets to facilitate both walking and biking. The project will also connect nearby pedestrians to the planned Mill River Greenway, the project that will connect Stamford from the South End to Mill River Park.

veronica.delvalle@hearstmediact.com
The term metaverse" is the latest buzzword to capture the tech industry's imagination  so much so that one of the best-known internet platforms is rebranding to signal its embrace of the futuristic idea.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's Thursday announcement that he's changing his company's name to Meta Platforms Inc., or Meta for short, might be the biggest thing to happen to the metaverse since science fiction writer Neal Stephenson coined the term for his 1992 novel Snow Crash.

But Zuckerberg and his team are hardly the only tech visionaries with ideas on how the metaverse, which will employ a mix of virtual reality and other technologies, should take shape. And some who've been thinking about it for a while have concerns about a new world tied to a social media giant that could get access to even more personal data and is accused of failing to stop the proliferation of dangerous misinformation and other online harms that exacerbate real-world problems.

WHAT IS THE METAVERSE?

Think of it as the internet brought to life, or at least rendered in 3D. Zuckerberg has described it as a virtual environment you can go inside of  instead of just looking at on a screen. Essentially, it's a world of endless, interconnected virtual communities where people can meet, work and play, using virtual reality headsets, augmented reality glasses, smartphone apps or other devices.

It also will incorporate other aspects of online life such as shopping and social media, according to Victoria Petrock, an analyst who follows emerging technologies.

Its the next evolution of connectivity where all of those things start to come together in a seamless, doppelganger universe, so youre living your virtual life the same way youre living your physical life, she said.

WHAT WILL I BE ABLE TO DO IN THE METAVERSE?

Things like go to a virtual concert, take a trip online, and buy and try on digital clothing.

The metaverse also could be a game-changer for the work-from-home shift amid the coronavirus pandemic. Instead of seeing co-workers on a video call grid, employees could see them virtually.

Facebook has launched meeting software for companies, called Horizon Workrooms, to use with its Oculus VR headsets, though early reviews have not been great. The headsets cost $300 or more, putting the metaverse's most cutting-edge experiences out of reach for many.

For those who can afford it, users would be able, through their avatars, to flit between virtual worlds created by different companies.

A lot of the metaverse experience is going to be around being able to teleport from one experience to another, Zuckerberg says.

Tech companies still have to figure out how to connect their online platforms to each other. Making it work will require competing technology platforms to agree on a set of standards, so there aren't people in the Facebook metaverse and other people in the Microsoft metaverse, Petrock said.

IS FACEBOOK GOING ALL IN ON THE METAVERSE?

Zuckerberg is going big on what he sees as the next generation of the internet because he thinks it's going to be a big part of the digital economy. He expects people to start seeing Facebook as a metaverse company in coming years rather than a social media company.

Critics wonder if the potential pivot could be an effort to distract from the company's crises, including antitrust crackdowns, testimony by whistleblowing former employees and concerns about its handling of misinformation.

Former employee Frances Haugen has accused Facebook's platforms of harming children and inciting political violence after copying internal research documents and turning them over to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

They also were provided to a group of media outlets, including The Associated Press, which reported numerous stories about how Facebook prioritized profits over safety and hid its own research from investors and the public.

IS THE METAVERSE JUST A FACEBOOK PROJECT?

No. Zuckerberg has acknowledged that no one company will build the metaverse by itself.

Other companies talking up the metaverse include Microsoft and chipmaker Nvidia.

We think theres going to be lots of companies building virtual worlds and environments in the metaverse, in the same way theres been lots of companies doing things on the World Wide Web, said Richard Kerris, vice president of Nvidias Omniverse platform. It's important to be open and extensible, so you can teleport to different worlds whether it's by one company or another company, the same way I go from one web page to another web page.

Video game companies also are taking a leading role. Epic Games, the company behind the popular Fortnite video game, has raised $1 billion from investors to help with its long-term plans for building the metaverse. Game platform Roblox is another big player, outlining its vision of the metaverse as a place where people can come together within millions of 3D experiences to learn, work, play, create and socialize.

Consumer brands are trying to jump on the trend, too. Italian fashion house Gucci collaborated in June with Roblox to sell a collection of digital-only accessories. Coca-Cola and Clinique have sold digital tokens pitched as a stepping stone to the metaverse.

WILL THIS BE ANOTHER WAY TO GET MORE OF MY DATA?

Zuckerbergs embrace of the metaverse in some ways contradicts a central tenet of its biggest enthusiasts. They envision the metaverse as online cultures liberation from tech platforms like Facebook that assumed ownership of peoples accounts, photos, posts and playlists and traded off what they gleaned from that data.

We want to be able to move around the internet with ease, but we also want to be able to move around the internet in a way were not tracked and monitored, said venture capitalist Steve Jang, a managing partner at Kindred Ventures who focuses on cryptocurrency technology.

It seems clear that Facebook wants to carry its business model, which is based on using personal data to sell targeted advertising, into the metaverse.

Ads are going to continue being an important part of the strategy across the social media parts of what we do, and it will probably be a meaningful part of the metaverse, too," Zuckerberg said in the company's most recent earnings call.

Petrock she said shes concerned about Facebook trying to lead the way into a virtual world that could require even more personal data and offer greater potential for abuse and misinformation when it hasnt fixed those problems in its current platforms.

___

See AP's complete technology coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/technology
FAIRFIELD  A candidate running to keep her seat on a town board is facing criticism days before the election for once retweeting a meme depicting a swastika that compared the vaccine rollout with Nazi Germany.

Representative Town Meeting member Hannah Gale, of District 6, shared the meme on Twitter, which showed a swastika below the year 1941 next to an image of a swastika modified so that the arms were syringes with the year changed to 2021. On Thursday, Gale said she retweeted the meme a couple of months ago, but has since deleted it.

Gale, a Republican, said she is Jewish and has relatives who died in the Holocaust, and did not retweet the meme to be antisemitic. She noted she has issued an apology, but still believes the anti-vaccine messaging it implied.

I apologize from the bottom of my heart if anyone felt that my retweets were a desecration to the memory of those were murdered by the Nazi government, Gale said in a tweet on Monday. My intention was to be vigilant to the promise to never allow fascism to creep into the word again. Dehumanization is stealthy.

Gale, a naturopathic physician and acupuncturist, said she retweeted the post because it was shocking.

I found it so shocking and painful, she said. I deleted it because my intention was not to insult people who died in the Holocaust. My intention was to warn.

A vocal supporter of vaccine choice, Gale switched political parties late last year over state Democrats push for legislation to remove the religious exemption to vaccination mandates in Connecticut.

The Fairfield Democratic Town Committee decried the most recent tweet in a Facebook post last week, saying the party condemns the spread of vaccine misinformation.

Endorsed Republican RTM candidate Hannah Gale has been vocally and staunchly anti-vaccine and anti-mask, the Facebook post says. Gale regularly shares vaccine misinformation and conspiracy theories online, including those calling COVID vaccines forced experiments, and comparing the Biden Administration to Hitlers Nazi Germany.

Gale said she is not anti-mask or anti-vaccine, but is against vaccine mandates and pro-religious exemption.

Im not saying there isnt a place for vaccines in public health. I think that there might be, she said. However, I think that at this point theres simply too many, and there are certain families and certain children that its dangerous for. I dont know what to do right now but allow some selection.

While she deleted the retweet because its intention was twisted, Gale said she still thinks the vaccine rollout is reminiscent of Nazi Germany.

Why is that meme shocking? Its shocking because there is something about it that tells a certain truth, Gale said. Thats why it hits a nerve.

In a statement on Thursday, the Fairfield Republican Town Committee disavowed Gales retweet.

Fairfield Republicans unequivocally condemn the use of Nazi symbols, RTC Chairman Alex Plitsas said in a statement. Representative Gale does not speak for the local Republican party, the Republican RTM caucus, or the RTM as a whole where she serves as a member, her actions were her own. Representative Gale recently issued a written apology to both the Republican and Democrat caucus for retweeting this offensive symbol.

joshua.labella@hearstmediact.com
LOS ANGELES (AP)  Convicted murderer Robert Durst has been transferred to state prison less than two weeks after being hospitalized on a ventilator with COVID-19 following his sentencing for the slaying of his best friend.

Durst, 78, the estranged heir of a New York real estate empire, was moved from the Los Angeles jail system Wednesday and taken to the California Health Care Facility in Stockton, prison spokeswoman Terry Thornton said. The Northern California facility treats inmates with the most severe and long-term medical needs.

A mug shot showed a bearded Durst with a mask under his chin and his head on a pillow, Thornton said. She said said she cant discuss his condition.

Durst suffered from a variety of serious health problems before his hospitalization just after he was sentenced to life in prison without parole on Oct. 14 in the first-degree murder of Susan Berman.

Defense attorney Dick DeGuerin said Durst had been hospitalized with COVID-19 and was on a ventilator two days after sentencing. DeGuerin, who represented Durst over a period of about 20 years, said he had never seen him as sick as he had been in Los Angeles Superior Court at his final hearing.

Durst entered the courtroom with wide-eyed vacant stare. Near the end of the hearing after Bermans loved ones told the judge how her death upended their lives, Durst coughed hard and appeared to struggle to breathe. His chest heaved, and he pulled his mask down below his mouth and began to gulp for air.

Durst silenced Berman in December 2000 to keep her from telling authorities how she helped him cover up the killing of his wife, Kathie Durst, in New York in 1982, prosecutors said.

New York authorities charged Durst last week with second-degree murder in the killing of Kathie Durst. Her body has never been found.

Robert Durst was acquitted of killing a neighbor in Texas in 2003 after testifying he shot the man in self-defense during a struggle for a handgun.
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Alison Gash, University of Oregon

(THE CONVERSATION) Abortion rights are more vulnerable to Supreme Court reversal now than at any time since the court legalized the procedure in its landmark 1973 ruling Roe v. Wade.

The court is set to weigh in on abortion restrictions from at least two states this term. The first is a Texas law effectively outlawing abortions after six weeks. The second is a Mississippi law barring abortions after 15 weeks.

On Oct. 22, 2021, the Supreme Court upheld a Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling allowing the Texas law to go into effect while the case is being litigated.

The court will hold oral arguments about specific elements of the Texas law on Nov. 1. The court is scheduled to hear arguments on the constitutionality of the Mississippi law on Dec. 1, 2021.

Many discussions about these cases focus on the possibility that the court will specifically dismantle the precedent established in Roe v. Wade. In reality, the protections established under Roe were already limited in 1992 in a case called Planned Parenthood v. Casey. Whats more, Casey has given conservative courts ample room to further limit abortion protections.

The Fifth Circuit, among the nations most conservative courts, is a major player in the current fight over abortion restrictions. As the appellate court overseeing federal cases involving Texas and Mississippi, its interpretation of Casey will carry significant influence in the upcoming abortion cases.

Its not all about Roe

Roe v. Wade established constitutional protections for individuals seeking abortions, placing the right to choose an abortion within a broader and fundamental right to privacy. Importantly, Roe also established an explicit framework for implementing those protections, based entirely on the trimesters in a pregnancy.

Under Roe, states could not enact any legislation interfering with a persons decision to seek an abortion during the first three months of a pregnancy. The decision on whether to have an abortion existed entirely between the pregnant individual and her health care provider.

States could enact legislation regarding abortions during the second three-month period, but only to protect the health of the woman seeking the abortion. Laws intervening on behalf of the fetus were limited to the third trimester or final three months. It was at that point, argued the court, that one could reasonably expect a fetus to be able to live outside the womb, entitling the state to legislate protections.

That framework remained in place for 16 years until, in 1989, Pennsylvania Gov. Bob Casey Sr.  an anti-abortion Democrat  signed into law the Pennsylvania Abortion Control Act. The legislation imposed a range of restrictions on abortion access. These included a 24-hour waiting period for patients to give their fully informed consent, spousal notification requirement and parental consent for pregnant minors.

Planned Parenthood sued the state, arguing that the law violated the central elements of Roe by impeding a womans ability to seek an abortion during the first trimester. The case made its way up to the Supreme Court.

States get more control

In Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the Supreme Court upheld all but one main provision in the new law, the spousal notification requirement. In the decision, the court still claimed its commitment to the right of the woman to choose to have an abortion before viability. Yet the ruling allowed states to regulate that choice at any point as long as they did not impose an undue burden on access to abortion services.

Roe had given women an unmitigated first-trimester right to choose. Casey rendered abortion rights contingent on and subject to state control at any point during a pregnancy.

The new undue burden framework provided two avenues for states seeking to limit access to abortions.

First, it widened the timeline for intervention by the state. Under Roe, courts would treat any regulatory constraints on first-trimester abortions as suspect. Under Casey, states could now far more easily regulate abortions at any time during a persons pregnancy.

Second, Casey shifted the requirements for anti-abortion states and abortion-rights advocates when arguing their positions in court. For one, it reduced the requirements that states had to meet to uphold abortion restrictions. Under Roes framework, states regulating abortions during the first trimester needed to prove to the court that they had a compelling reason for limiting a womans right to choose. Casey removed that barrier. Caseys undue burden framework also required individuals suing states to prove that the policies imposed significant challenges to abortion access.

In effect, under Casey, any abortion regulation would now be presumed constitutional unless someone could prove that it imposed undue and significant burdens on a womans ability to access an abortion.

In 2015, the Fifth Circuit revisited and reinvigorated Casey when reviewing a Texas law restricting abortions, in Whole Womens Health v. Cole. According to abortion-rights advocates, the Texas law imposed costly restrictions on existing abortion providers that would have forced most clinics in the state to close. The Fifth Circuit, relying on Casey, upheld the law. It argued that regulating abortions before the third trimester is unconstitutional only if it places a substantial obstacle in the path of a woman seeking an abortion or if it serves no purpose other than to make abortions more difficult.

[Over 115,000 readers rely on The Conversations newsletter to understand the world. Sign up today.]

Three years later the Supreme Court overturned the Texas law in a 5-3 decision, invalidating the Fifth Circuits reasoning. However, two justices in the majority  Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Anthony Kennedy  are no longer on the court. Ginsburg died in 2020 and Kennedy retired in 2018. Donald Trump filled their vacancies, along with a third left by the late Justice Scalia, with three conservative justices. Their addition to the court places the Fifth Circuits reading of Casey back in play at a pivotal moment in abortion politics.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/the-erosion-of-roe-v-wade-and-abortion-access-didnt-begin-in-texas-or-mississippi-it-started-in-pennsylvania-in-1992-169925.
A Hillary Clinton campaign operation to plant a false rumor about Donald Trump setting up a secret hotline to Moscow through a Russian bank was much broader than known and involved multiple U.S. agencies, according to declassified documents and sources briefed on an ongoing criminal investigation of the scheme.

In addition to the FBI, the 2016 Clinton campaign tried to convince the Obama administrations State Department, Justice Department and Central Intelligence Agency to look into the hoax, and continued pressing the issue even after Trump was inaugurated in January 2017.

The goal was to trigger federal investigative activity targeting her Republican rival and leak the damaging information to the media.

The Clinton machine flooded the FBI with pressure from a number of angles until investigations of Trump were opened and reopened, said one of the briefed sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive law enforcement matter. "The deception was wide-ranging."

Special Counsel John Durham outlined the FBI part of the scheme in a felony indictment of Michael Sussmann. The former Clinton campaign lawyer was charged last month with making a false statement to the former general counsel of the FBI when he claimed he was not working for any client in bringing to the FBIs attention allegations of a secret channel of communication between computer servers in Trump Tower and the Alfa Bank in Russia.

According to the indictment, Sussmann was in fact acting on behalf of clients including the Clinton campaign, and an unnamed tech executive who RCI has previously reported is Rodney L. Joffe, a regular adviser to the Biden White House on cybersecurity and infrastructure policies.

Internal emails reveal the Clinton operatives knew the links they made between Trump and Russia were weak, even describing them as a red herring, but fed them to investigators anyway.

After Sussmanns meeting with the FBI in September 2016, the Clinton campaign approached the State Department the following month with the same lead, this time using paid Clinton campaign subcontractor Christopher Steele to feed the rumors. A former British intelligence officer, Steele was offered as a reliable source to help corroborate the rumors. On Oct. 11, 2016, Steele gave his contact at Foggy Bottom documents alleging that a supposed hidden server at Trump Tower was pinging Moscow.

Two days later, a State official who previously worked under former secretary Clinton funneled the information to the FBIs then-top Eurasia/Russia counterintelligence official, Stephen Laycock, according to recently declassified notes and testimony. Laycock, in turn, forwarded the information to Peter Strzok, the FBI agent who led the investigation of Trump and his campaign and had just weeks earlier texted a bureau lawyer, Well stop [Trump from being elected].

"I informed Peter Strzok and another supervisor, Laycock testified last year in a closed-door Senate hearing.

Steele, who later confessed he was desperate to defeat Trump, was the author of the debunked dossier claiming Trump colluded with Russia to steal the election. He even misspelled the name of the Russian bank as Alpha. Still, the FBI took his rumors seriously enough to interview tech vendors working for the Trump Organization and obtain warrants to search Trump Tower servers. Within days of receiving the State Department tip, Strzok also used Steeles dossier to secure a wiretap on Trump adviser Carter Page.

Clinton foreign policy adviser and current National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan would put out a written statement trumpeting the Trump-Alfa Bank story, which was shared by then-candidate Clinton on Oct. 31, 2016, after Slate reported on it. Fusion GPS, the Washington opposition-research group that worked for the Clinton campaign as a paid agent, and helped gather dirt on Alfa Bank and draft the materials Sussmann would later submit to the FBI, reportedly pressed Slate to publish the story by the account of its author, journalist Franklin Foer.

This was a highly sophisticated operation using enablers in both the media and federal agencies, George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley told RealClearInvestigations.

The Clinton campaign did not let up even after Trump won the election.

In mid-November 2016, it enlisted top Justice Department official Bruce Ohr  whose wife, Nellie, worked for Fusion GPS  to add credibility to the Alfa rumors. That month, Ohr advised the FBI that Steele had told him that the Alfa Bank server was a link to the Trump campaign. Then in early December, Ohr met with the FBI case supervisor who worked for Strzok at least twice. Declassified notes and other records show that during those meetings, Ohr provided him with thumb drives he had received from paid Clinton opposition researcher and Fusion GPS co-founder, Glenn Simpson, and Ohrs wife and Simpsons colleague, Nellie. Quoting his Clinton sources, Ohr insisted the alleged backdoor computer channel between Trump and Alfa was real.

The FBI spent months investigating the claim, eventually dismissing it as baseless. After the FBI closed the case, Sussmann turned to the nations top intelligence agency for assistance, as RCI first reported.

In December 2016, Sussmann called then-CIA Director John Brennans general counsel  Caroline Krass  to set up a meeting to brief her about the same Alfa Bank rumors. Krass expressed interest in the tip. Then in early February 2017, officials from her office formally sat down with Sussmann for more than an hour to discuss the Trump-Russian bank rumors. Sussmann provided them updated versions of the materials he had handed off to the FBI.

The CIA, in turn, referred the rumors to an FBI liaison for further investigation, according to the sources briefed on his case. Strzok was the lead FBI liaison to the CIA at the time.

Among the documents Durham has obtained is a CIA memo memorializing the meeting with Sussmann, according to the sources. In his grand jury indictment, Durham accused Sussmann of also misleading the CIA, which he referred to only as Agency-2. The special counsel alleges that Sussmann, as he did when meeting with an FBI official, had also failed to inform contacts at Langley that he was representing a client  in the latter case specifically Joffe  tied to the Clinton campaign operation and who had been promised a high-level job in a Clinton administration.

Billing the Democrats campaign for his work on the confidential project," Sussmann recruited Joffe and a team of federal computer contractors to mine proprietary databases containing vast quantities of sensitive, nonpublic Internet data for possible dirt on Trump and his advisers. In a new court document filed last week, Durham revealed his team has obtained more than 80,000 pages of documents in response to grand jury subpoenas issued to more than 15 targets and witnesses, including the computer contractors. Among others receiving subpoenas: political organizations, private firms, tech companies and other entities, including a major university  Georgia Tech  which allegedly participated in the Clinton conspiracy as a Pentagon contractor. Some witnesses have been granted immunity and are cooperating with prosecutors, the sources close to the probe said.

While Sussmann may have hidden his work for the Clinton campaign, this was obviously a useful attack on Trump, Turley said. One would expect a CIA official to express reluctance in an investigation that would have a largely domestic focus. But as with the FBI, the Clinton campaign found eager officials to move on any such allegation.

The CIA is largely barred from collecting information inside the United States or on American citizens.

The CIA has no business involving itself in a domestic political issue, Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton told RCI. The evidence suggests the primary purpose of the meeting was political."

Fitton said his watchdog group has filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the CIA demanding all records generated from the contacts Sussmann had with the agency in December 2016 and February 2017.

The CIA did not return requests for comment.

For good measure, old Clinton hands tried another pressure point. In early February 2017, Clinton's foreign policy adviser Sullivan huddled with Fusion GPS's Simpson and Daniel Jones, an FBI analyst-turned-Democrat-operative, to reboot the same smear campaign against Trump. (As RCI previously reported, Sullivan, who spearheaded the campaign's effort to promote the narrative of a disturbing Trump-Russia relationship via the Alfa Bank story, is under scrutiny for possibly lying to Congress about his role in the operation.) Jones, in turn, reached out to his former colleagues at the FBI, who reopened the investigation into the old allegations of a cyber-link between Trump and Alfa Bank.

The next month, acting on Jones recycled tip, FBI agents visited the offices of the Pennsylvania company that housed the Trump server, which was actually administered by a third-party hotel promotions firm  Cendyn, based in Florida. But their second investigation proved to be another dead end. The sinister communications Jones claimed were flowing between an alleged Trump server and Alfa Bank were found to be innocuous marketing emails. In other words, spam.

Sources say it is odd that FBI headquarters continued to pursue the allegations, because internal FBI communications reveal that the bureaus own cyber sleuths had pooh-poohed them within days of Sussmanns briefing, RCI has learned.

Strzok himself had been briefed on that assessment of the materials Sussman dropped off at headquarters on Sept. 19, 2016. In fact, in a Sept. 23, 2016, internal message to Strzok, an FBI official relayed his preliminary findings following an interview with Cendyn, the Florida marketing firm that managed the alleged Trump server.

Followed up this morning with Central Dynamics [Cendyn] who confirmed that the mail1.trump-email.com domain is an old domain that was set up in approximately 2009 when they were doing business with the Trump Organization that was never used, according to the message.

Reacting to the Durham indictment, Strzok recently tried to distance himself from the Alfa scandal, insisting in a Lawfare blog: I had a minor role in the events in question, insofar as I transferred the material Sussman gave to Jim Baker, the FBIs general counsel at the time, to the personnel who ultimately supervised and looked into the allegations.

Echoing other critics, Strzok complained that Durham  who originally was tapped to investigate the origins of the Russia collusion investigation by Trumps Attorney General Bill Barr  is conducting a partisan witch hunt on behalf of Trump.

Strzok's claims notwithstanding, Barr's successor, the President Biden-nominated Attorney General Merrick Garland, testified last week that he has renewed funding and staffing for Durhams far-reaching investigation for the next fiscal year. [Y]ou can readily assume his budget has been approved, Garland assured Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee.
A twisted joke about not being able to make ends meet goes like this, said Destini Vaile: You can be too low income to have a job.

That means maybe your car is broken, and you dont have money to fix it to drive to an interview, or you cant pay for new clothes for a new job, said Vaile, an organizer with Montana Women Vote. But the Child Tax Credit is helping, and Vaile is among those who want to see it continue in a way that works for families.

This isnt just  a narrow benefit either, Vaile said. It helps 198,000 kids in Montana, and thats a huge number.

Tuesday, a University of Montana economist and union organizer joined Vaile to discuss the benefits of the expanded Child Tax Credit  and one potential pitfall  at a panel in Missoula while Congress considers the credit as part of the Build Back Better plan.

One bright point of the Child Tax Credit is it has increased from $2,000 to as much as $3,600 per child, Vaile said: Thats a huge difference for families who are struggling. She said families also can choose to receive funds in monthly installments, which is helpful.

Another positive development is the credit has been opened to people who didnt previously qualify  because they made too little money, Vaile said. She said in the past, a lot of families of color, many who are in lower income brackets, wouldnt qualify, and now, they can get the full amount.

The money helps with the basics, such as buying food and being able to afford to get back to work, but Vaile, a member of the Blackfeet Tribe, noted it also helps people be human and maybe offer their children enrichment, like a trip.

The coronavirus pandemic has damaged the economy, and Grace Decker, with the Zero to Five coalition in Missoula County, said the tax credit is designed to help get parents back to work and stay at work. Decker, who moderated the panel at the Missoula Public Library, asked economist Amanda Dawsey to drill into the effects of the pandemic on workers and wages.

Dawsey, from the University of Montana, said on the surface, the economy looks like its chugging along because the unemployment rate looks good, but she said the labor participation rate is not as high, which is evident from all of the signs in town advertising for employees.

The labor force in Montana isnt huge to begin with, and since the pandemic started, 2,000 people have left, she said. In fact, Dawsey said the labor participation rate is at its lowest level since it started being measured, and median income has fallen even as housing prices to buy and rent continue to climb.

In 2019, the median household income in Montana was $60,200, and one year later, it fell to $56,400, Dawsey said: Weve seen a precipitous drop, I would say, in median income.

And the people who have been hardest hit are families with children, she said. In particular, she said women with children under age 13 are leaving the labor force.

Even before the pandemic, the child care capacity in Montana met just 47 percent of the demand, she said, citing a study from the state. Once the pandemic hit, she said, 120,000 child care workers left the labor force nationally, exacerbating an existing shortage.

A lot of child care takes place in peoples homes, through friends or relatives, and home options arent a sure bet because of COVID-19: People just face so much uncertainty.

Currently, the tax credit is targeting the people who really need it, and estimates show it would decrease poverty among children, Dawsey said. However, the panelists also said a possible work requirement that might be off the table but has been part of the negotiation would mean the people who need it cant use it, and those who are eligible simply dont sign up.

For example, Denver Henderson, with SEIU 775, said many caregivers are family members caring for a special needs child or parent, and they get paid for just a fraction of the actual hours they work. Henderson, who represents long term care workers in Montana and Washington, said they literally dont have time to go get another job to satisfy a work requirement.

Henderson said the plan would be paid for by sensible reforms to the tax code, including collecting taxes from wealthy people who are evading payment. He also said the scope of the Build Back Better plan is vast, and if passed, it in conjunction with the infrastructure bill will support 4 million jobs nationally. He ticked off some of the provisions, including free lunch expansion, Pell grant expansion, and universal preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds, among other items.

Its an incredibly vast set of bills and would do a lot to get our economy back on the right track, Henderson said.
The Autumn Budget offered few specific measures to help the farming industry through the toughest challenges it has faced for decades.

Despite facing huge pressures as the Basic Payment Scheme is phased out, agriculture missed out on specific measures in the Chancellors Budget.

However, there were some announcements that may help out certain sectors.

Farmers investing in their businesses plant and machinery may be able to benefit from the extension of their Annual Investment Allowance, which was due to end on the 1 January 2022 but has now been extended until 2023.

Farmers planning to diversify could be encouraged to take the plunge by the one-year 50 per cent business rates discount for retail, hospitality and leisure sectors.

However, smaller farms may be better off using the already-available Small Business Rates Relief.

There was also further incentives for farmers to invest in green property improvements, with the new Green Investment Relief encouraging businesses to adopt green tech like solar panels

Elsewhere in the budget, the end of the premium duty on sparkling wine will be a boost for the UK's growing wine sector and lower duty on draught beer and cider could help on-farm drinks manufacturers and potentially benefit growers of barley, hops and apples.

After tax hikes to dividends and National Insurance Contributions were announced in September, there were no major tax changes that would affect farmers announced in the Budget.

Sean McCann, chartered financial planner at NFU Mutual, said: "The only change made was extending the time to report and pay tax due on gains from residential property from 30 days to 60 days, a welcome change which gives people more time to pay the tax after selling or gifting residential property.

Capital Gains Tax rates was not aligned to Income Tax as feared, and there was no change to the way it relates to estates that have already benefited from Agricultural and Business Property Relief.

This means any gains from farmland or property are still wiped on death for those farming families that pass down the farm to the next generation with a reduced inheritance tax bill.

NFU President Minette Batters said it was 'disappointing' not to hear anything on government plans to develop its export strategy to help farmers grow their markets overseas.

She said there were also no details including on overhauling government procurement practices to increase the provision of British food in schools, hospitals and other public sites.

And equally the lack of focus on net zero funding, especially with COP26 only days away was a missed opportunity," Mrs Batters added.

"However, the Chancellor did announce that businesses will benefit from business rates investment relief for green technologies, which is a positive move to support continued investment in renewable energy and may help in UK farmings ambition to achieve net zero by 2040.

"We will now need to see more detail to be certain about the impacts this will deliver on farm."
The Environment Agency has been asked by MPs to review its interpretation of rules on the spreading of organic manure by farmers this autumn.

Farming groups have raised concern that, under the agencys current interpretation of the rules, farmers who want to apply organic fertiliser in the autumn, for a spring crop, are required to inform the agency that they have broken the law.

However, the Chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee (EFRA), Neil Parish MP, said that farmers were understandably reluctant to say that they had broken rules because a responsible application of organic manure in autumn was a well-established part of good soil management.

This approach, Mr Parish said, ensures nitrogen applied in the autumn was available to crops in the spring. It is not possible to apply organic manure in the spring because it will destroy the crop.

Moreover, he said if farmers are prevented from using organic fertilizer, they would likely use inorganic products instead, which have a higher carbon footprint - and this would counter the governments carbon net zero ambitions.

The Committee says it supports the agencys aim of reducing agricultural pollution but is concerned that its current interpretation of the regulations was disproportionate.

MPs said the regulations penalised farmers who follow the rules while not doing enough to stop bad practice by those who did not.

The EFRA Committee has therefore asked the agency urgently to revisit its approach to ensure it does not prevent the responsible application of organic manure in autumn.

Mr Parish asked for a clear, updated interpretation of the rules. Given the urgent need to spread fertiliser this autumn, he asked for a reply from the agency by Friday (29 October).

The Committee said it planned to publish the Environment Agencys response.
2020 was a year marked by hardships and challenges, but the Fauquier community has proven resilient. The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you for your continued support, wed like to offer all our subscribers -- new or returning --

4 WEEKS FREE DIGITAL AND PRINT ACCESS.

We understand the importance of working to keep our community strong and connected. As we move forward together into 2021, it will take commitment, communication, creativity, and a strong connection with those who are most affected by the stories we cover.

We are dedicated to providing the reliable, local journalism you have come to expect. We are committed to serving you with renewed energy and growing resources. Let the Fauquier Times be your community companion throughout 2021, and for many years to come.
The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you, we are excited to offer 4 weeks FREE Digital & Print access to all subscribers new and returning alike.

We are dedicated to continuing providing reliable, high quality journalism. This is possible with the trust and support of our subscribers in the community we are proud to serve.
For the past 17 months, its been my great honor to serve on the local Covid Task Force. Local leaders from all walks of life  health care, business, government, non-profits, churches, first responders, and more  work together so that we can better respond to the real world effects of the 
Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital has been recognized as a top performer in the 2021 Bernard A. Birnbaum, MD, Quality Leadership Annual Ranking by Vizient, Inc.


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Chef and traveller Akanksha Dean has a guide to help vegetarians truly get a taste of great Swiss food

With beautiful landscapes, enormous lakes and an envigorating climate, Switzerland is wonderful for a vacation. It is also home to some robust traditional fare. Tasting native food is an essential part of any voyage for a traveller, and food offers a valuable connection to help us appreciate a place and its culture better.If youve always wondered how a vegetarian would fare in a European country such as Switzerland, this feature is for you. In fact, Switzerland offers some outstanding vegetarian dishes, and the number of restaurants that are vegetarian or offer very good vegetarian options to locals and visitors is steadily increasing, as the world looks to adding more plant-based food choices to their plates. Just spend a few days in Switzerland to absorb and discover this variety of delicious dishes.This is an alpine all-time breakfast favourite. Interestingly, it got its name from a Swiss doctor named Bircher who believed in a healthy lifestyle. For this, oats are soaked overnight in milk or yoghurt, along with raisins and fresh fruits, usually banana, apple and grapes and some slivers of almond. There is no fixed recipe for a Bircher muesli, but I can never forget the one I tried in Engelberg at the Kempinski Palace  it had the perfect consistency, and was not overly thick like some places tend to make it.Originally a farmers breakfast dish, the quintessential Swiss dish of roesti originated in the Swiss capital city, Bern. Potatoes are shredded and baked until crisp and then topped with ingredients of your choice. I would highly recommend it with melted Swiss cheese on top, as well as some wilted spinach on the side for fibre. You will find this on most menus priced under 20 CHF, and no one ever goes wrong with the taste.Translating to melted in French, fondue is the perfect dish to be shared with family and friends. A fondue invites you to dunk chunks of rustic bread speared on a fork into a pot of melting cheese. The most standard fondue is half Gruyere and half Fribourg cheese. For those who do not know this already, just like wine, cheese in Switzerland is named after the region.Pasta is extremely popular in Switzerland owing to its proximity to Italy, and Alpen macaroni is pure comfort food. The chef gets the apple sauce and caramelised onions cooking before cooking the macaroni. Yes, this hearty dish is made with macaroni and cheese, of course (Gruyere, in this case), cream and even potatoes sometimes, then baked to perfection, before it is served topped with caramelised onions and apple sauce. Indeed, this is such a decadent blend of savoury and sweet that you just might end up eating a second portion.Raclette offers a totally adequate justification to purchase a single-purpose grill just for melting cheese wheels, and serving the melted cheese accompanied by gherkins, potatoes, onions and some sauces. The story goes that this dish came into being in perhaps the 13th century when a group of Swiss herdsmen kept their cheese next to the fire and noticed it melting. As one of them scraped up the gooey cheese that fell on a rock and tasted it, he found it exquisite. Today, in many restaurants across Switzerland, you will find individual raclette machines on your table to allow you to enjoy it in the most fun way.This hearty soup is perfect in the winter and also great after a hiking trip. Made with barley and vegetables such as carrots, potatoes and celery, it is commonly found on the menu at mountain huts across Switzerland. If you happen to visit Interlaken, do head up to Harder Kulm and try this soup there; it is sure to taste even better after a hike through the stunning terrain.A very common street- side snack, roasted chestnuts are especially popular in winter. A very well-known roasted chestnut stand is the one just by the bridge in Lucerne, at which Roger Federer, Switzerlands brand ambassador, also sampled chestnuts, and gave them a thumbs up. Not surprisingly, you will find locals and tourists alike queuing up for a photo op with the shop owner.Throw some lettuce, cucumber, tomato, and onion into a mixing bowl, add some oil and vinegar, season as per taste, and you have this healthy Swiss salad. The simple Gemischter Salat, made with the finest, freshest produce that you can get, is a thing of beauty at the Four Seasons in Geneva.Made using exceptionally good raw material obtained from many parts of the world, Swiss chocolates are globally renowned and for excellent reason. Maison Cailler in Broc is the only milk chocolate factory of Cailler-Nestle in the world and is quite like a fantasy wonderland. In Geneva at Favarger, the photographs and old books tell the story over the years of a living family of Genevan magnates. The chocolate is outstanding! Did I mention that most of the tours, with plenty of chocolate for tasting, are free?



CUCHAULE

If you happen to be in the Fribourg region, a must-try is this amber-tinted Swiss brioche kind of bread that has a distinctive flavour. This delicacy is made with flour, yeast, salt, eggs, milk, butter, sugar and a little bit of saffron. It is traditionally baked for the Benichon harvest festival, when it is customarily spread with butter and the popular Benichon mustard. The mustard, interestingly, is blended with spices such as cloves, star anise and cinnamon along with candied sugar and vin cuit (an artisanal dessert wine). That said, cuchaule can be eaten with everything savoury or sweet. I like mine with jam and cheese.



Also see: Get from London to Edinburgh in just Rs 1,500 on the UKs new low-cost train service
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BOGOTA, Colombia, Oct. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Avianca has completed the implementation of IBS Software's iCargo air cargo management platform, transforming the end-to-end management of its air cargo sales and operations.

IBS Software's iCargo system provides a single unified cargo management platform for Avianca Cargo and all its affiliated airlines, including AeroUnion - an all-cargo carrier based in Mexico. The implementation includes iCargo Web Portal suite, which provides a range of self-help tools to increase Avianca Cargo's cargo selling capabilities. It provides Avianca's customers with a dedicated, continuously available digital channel for booking and tracking as a smarter option to traditional channels like email and call centers.

Avianca Cargo has grown through acquisitions and mergers, which resulted in a range of different systems, tools, and business processes. By implementing an end-to-end cargo management platform, Avianca Cargo has unified dissimilar business systems into a single platform used by all group carriers allowing them to offer consolidated routes and bookings.

"We are very excited about our collaboration with IBS Software," said Gabriel Oliva, CEO of Avianca Cargo. "Implementing iCargo, the airfreight industry-leading system is one of the most significant IT developments for Avianca Cargo. With iCargo, we will deliver more digital advancements to be more connected to our customers and partners, raising the quality of our service, improving our efficiency and enhancing our decision-making process to a more agile and data-driven one. We will continue and accelerate our journey to digital transformation."

"Avianca Cargo is one of the largest and most respected carriers in the world, and we at IBS Software are proud to welcome them on board. The successful go-live of iCargo as the core platform that will essentially spearhead their digital transformation journey is a testament to the capability of the system as well as our team's seamless implementation record. Our total commitment to understanding our customers' needs, deep industry expertise and single-minded focus on delivering business results remain the pillars of our delivery capability and we look forward to working with Avianca to enable the cargo business' growth," said Ashok Rajan, Senior Vice President Global Head of Cargo, IBS Software. "We're seeing strong momentum for our iCargo platform as carriers and ground handlers all over the world running legacy systems have started to rethink their priorities to use IT and digitalization as strong levers to boost their cargo business."

About IBS Software

IBS Software is a leading SaaS solutions provider to the travel industry globally, managing mission-critical operations for customers in the aviation, tour & cruise and hospitality industries. IBS Software's solutions for the aviation industry cover fleet & crew operations, aircraft maintenance, passenger services, loyalty programs, staff travel and air-cargo management. IBS Software also runs a real time B2B and B2C distribution platform providing hotel room inventory, rates and availability to a global network of hospitality companies and channels. For the tour and cruise industry, IBS provides a comprehensive, customer-centric, digital platform that covers onshore, online and on-board solutions. IBS Software is a Blackstone portfolio company and operates from 15 offices across the world. Further information can be found at https://www.ibsplc.com.

For media enquiries, please email the Corporate Communications team: CorpComm@ibsplc.com.

About Avianca Cargo

The Avianca group is Colombia's biggest airline and has an operational history of more than 100 years, which makes it one of the oldest airlines in the world. With destinations all over the Americas and worldwide, Avianca Cargo offers effective and innovative solutions for shipping cargo to suit customers' needs by transporting goods and merchandise on freighter aircraft (Airbus 330F, Airbus 300F and Boeing 767F of subsidiary companies of Avianca Holdings S.A.) and using available capacity in the bellies of passenger aircraft. Avianca Cargo carries different types of cargo, meeting strict international industry standards for the transport of live animals, hazardous goods, human remains, pharmaceuticals, CoolCare, e-commerce, including perishables, which sets us apart as an airline with a track record and experience in their handling Avianca Cargo is trademark owned by Aerovias del Continente Americano S.A. Avianca, company incorporated under the laws of the Republic of Colombia and licensed to be used by Tampa Cargo S.A.S.

For media enquiries, contact Nicole van Hissenhoven, nicole.vanhissenhoven@avianca.com. More information on Avianca Cargo is found at www.aviancacargo.com

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1668746/IBS_Software_Avianca_Cargo.jpg

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1169353/IBS_Software_Logo.jpg
Quarterly Exploration Report

For the three months ended 30 September 2021

Red Chris and Havieron deliver outstanding growth and infill drilling results

At Red Chris, drilling continues to expand the known higher grade mineralisation intersected at East Ridge, with this new discovery adjacent to the East Zone continuing to return high grade intercepts, supporting the potential for resource growth.

RC705^^ returned 254m @ 1.0g/t Au & 1.1% Cu from 718m, including 80m @ 1.6g/t Au & 1.4% Cu from 852m. This hole is located 100m above RC678 (previously reported) and demonstrates continuity over 300m vertically.

RC727 returned 346m @ 1.1g/t Au & 0.79% Cu from 1,046m, including 56m @ 3.5g/t Au & 1.8% Cu from 1,336m. This hole is located 100m below RC688 (previously reported) and is the highest-grade intercept from East Ridge.

As previously noted, East Ridge is located outside of Newcrest's Red Chris initial Mineral Resource estimate. Mineralisation remains open to the east and at depth, with ongoing drilling to define the extent.

At Havieron, growth drilling continues to extend high grade mineralisation outside of the initial Inferred Mineral Resource extent, while infill results validate, and in some places upgrades, the current model interpretation.

New growth drilling continues to assess the depth extents of the South East Crescent. New intercepts show an increase in both grade and thickness with increasing depth. HAD133W1^^ has returned 133m @ 7.0g/t Au & 0.05% Cu from 1,446m, including 55.9m @ 9.7g/t Au & 0.04% Cu from 1,449.5m, ~250m below the Inferred Mineral Resource extent. The SE Crescent now has a vertical extent of over 900m.

Results received from infill drilling support the modelled grade and thickness within the South East Crescent zone Mineral Resource extents. The results also support the continuity of the high grade, and in some places upgrade the zone, as represented by HAD117W6 which returned 120.4m @ 10g/t Au & 0.66% Cu from 764.6m. This is the best gram metre intercept drilled to date at Havieron (Au_ppm x intercept length of 1,204 gram metres).

Melbourne, Australia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 27, 2021) - Newcrest Mining Limited (ASX: NCM) (TSX: NCM) (PNGX: NCM) Newcrest Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Sandeep Biswas, said, "We are really excited by the latest results from our growth and infill drilling programs at Red Chris and Havieron. At Red Chris, we reported the best high grade intercept from our new East Ridge discovery of 56m @ 3.5g/t gold and 1.8% copper from RC727. At Havieron, the infill drilling program continues to demonstrate high grade within the deposit, with the latest intercept returning a significant 120.4m @ 10g/t gold and 0.66% copper from HAD117W6 in the South East Crescent zone, which is the best gram metre intercept drilled at Havieron to date. The growth drilling results also continue to extend the high-grade mineralisation outside of the initial Inferred Mineral Resource estimate at Havieron."

"Newcrest is at a very exciting stage in its organic growth journey and the exceptional drilling results today highlight the significant potential for resource growth at both Red Chris and Havieron," said Mr Biswas.

Red Chris - Significant results since the June 2021 Quarterly Exploration Report(1):

RC705^^ 254m @ 1.0g/t Au & 1.1% Cu from 718m including 182m @ 1.3g/t Au & 1.3% Cu from 764m including 80m @ 1.6g/t Au & 1.4% Cu from 852m

RC709^^ 166m @ 0.4g/t Au & 0.49% Cu from 788m including 54m @ 0.89g/t Au & 0.96% Cu from 894m including 30m @ 1.1g/t Au & 1.1% Cu from 902m

RC718^^ 298m @ 0.33g/t Au & 0.45% Cu from 820m including 52m @ 0.67g/t Au & 0.75% Cu from 1,062m

RC727 346m @ 1.1g/t Au & 0.79% Cu from 1,046m, including 56m @ 3.5g/t Au & 1.8% Cu from 1,336m.



Havieron - Significant growth and infill drilling results since the June 2021 Quarterly Exploration Report(2):

HAD057W7^^ (infill hole) 23m @ 5.7g/t Au & 0.70% Cu from 613m including 15m @ 8.6g/t Au & 0.96% Cu from 613m 70m @ 2.2g/t Au & 0.03% Cu from 906m including 12.8m @ 5.3g/t Au & 0.02% Cu from 962.7m

HAD086W3** 44.7m @ 7.1g/t Au & 0.17% Cu from 1,412m** (Open Intercept) Including 20.2m @ 15g/t Au & 0.29% Cu from 1,421m

HAD117W6 (infill hole) 120.4m @ 10g/t Au & 0.66% Cu from 764.6m Including 27.1m @ 18g/t Au & 1.0% Cu from 812.2m Including 14m @ 38g/t Au & 1.2% Cu from 845m

HAD133W1^^ 133m @ 7.0g/t Au & 0.05% Cu from 1,446m including 55.9m @ 9.7g/t Au & 0.04% Cu from 1,449.5m

HAD133W3 29.1m @ 3.2g/t Au & 0.09% Cu from 1,261.9m 44.4m @ 5.7g/t Au & 0.11% Cu from 1,306.6m 52m @ 3.2g/t Au & 0.42% Cu from 1,362m

HAD140^^ 29.1m @ 9.7g/t Au & 0.29% Cu from 813.2m

HAD141^^ 87m @ 1.8g/t Au & 0.05% Cu from 1,328m including 17.8m @ 5.7g/t Au & 0.14% Cu from 1,378.5m



Red Chris, British Columbia, Canada(2)

Red Chris is a joint venture between Newcrest (70%) and Imperial Metals Corporation (30%) which is operated by Newcrest.

The Brownfields Exploration program is focused on the discovery of additional zones of higher grade mineralisation within the Red Chris porphyry corridor, including targets outside of Newcrest's initial Mineral Resource estimate. During the period, there were up to eight diamond drill rigs in operation. A further 29,388m of drilling has been completed from 24 drill holes, with all drill holes intersecting mineralisation (except twelve drill holes which were dedicated geotechnical holes). This contributed to a total of 196,074m of drilling from 161 drill holes since Newcrest acquired its interest in the joint venture in August 2019.

At East Ridge, located adjacent to the East Zone, drilling is ongoing with 14 holes completed and six in progress. The follow up drilling is being completed on a nominal 100m x 100m grid to determine the footprint of the mineralisation and demonstrate the continuity of the higher grade mineralisation.

Results for the reporting period include:

RC705^^ (drilled 100m above of RC678 previously reported) returned 254m @ 1.0g/t Au & 1.1% Cu from 718m, including 80m @ 1.6g/t Au & 1.4% Cu from 852m.

RC708^^ (drilled 100m above of RC700 previously reported) returned 232m @ 0.16g/t Au & 0.26% Cu from 754m.

RC709^^ (drilled 100m west of RC678) returned 166m @ 0.4g/t Au & 0.49% Cu from 788m, including 30m @ 1.1g/t Au & 1.1% Cu from 902m.

RC713^^ (drilled 100m above RC705) returned 190m @ 0.26g/t Au & 0.41% Cu from 574m, including 28m @ 0.57g/t Au & 0.74% Cu from 712m.

RC718^^ (drilled 100m east of RC700^^ previously reported) returned 298m @ 0.33g/t Au & 0.45% Cu from 820m, including 52m @ 0.67g/t Au & 0.75% Cu from 1,062m.

RC719 (drilled 100m above RC709 previously reported) returned 252m @ 0.26g/t Au & 0.36% Cu from 678m, including 10m @ 0.58g/t Au & 0.93% Cu from 732m; and

RC727 (drilled 100m below RC688 previously reported) returned 346m @ 1.1g/t Au & 0.79% Cu from 1,046m, including 56m @ 3.5g/t Au & 1.8% Cu from 1,336m.

Drilling to date has demonstrated continuity of the East Ridge zone (>0.4g/t Au and >0.4% Cu, >1g/t AuEq[3]) over dimensions of 400m high, 400m long and 125m wide, with the higher grade (>0.8g/t Au and >0.8% Cu, >2g/t AuEq3) over 300m high, 300m long and 100m wide.

East Ridge is located 300m east of East Zone and is outside of Newcrest's initial Mineral Resource estimate, supporting the potential for resource growth over time. Mineralisation is open to the east and at depth and extends the eastern side of the porphyry corridor as shown in Figures 1 and 2. Follow-up drilling is in progress to further define the extent and continuity of this high grade mineralisation.

A step out hole, RC701^^ drilled 700m east of East Ridge has extended the porphyry corridor beyond the limit of the East Ridge drilling. This hole returned 206m @ 0.2g/t Au & 0.49% Cu from 1,816m. The intercept is one of the deepest on the property. Drilling is planned for the zone between East Ridge and RC701 to search for additional high grade zones.

Approximately 50,000m of growth-related drilling is planned this calendar year from eight drill rigs.

Refer to Appendix 1 for additional information, and the Drillhole data table for all results reported during the period.





Figure 1. Schematic plan view map of the Red Chris porphyry corridor spanning East Ridge, East Zone, Main Zone and Gully Zone showing drill hole locations (Newcrest & Imperial) and significant Newcrest intercepts (drill intercepts have been reported in Appendix 1 of this report, and in prior Newcrest exploration releases). 0.3g/t Au, 1g/t Au, 0.3% Cu and 1% Cu shell projections generated from a Leapfrog model.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/101087_b2db96b944c23a8f_003full.jpg







Figure 2. Long section view of the Red Chris porphyry corridor showing drill hole locations and gold distribution.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/101087_b2db96b944c23a8f_004full.jpg







Figure 3. Oblique schematic section view of the Red Chris porphyry corridor showing gold distribution. 0.3 g/t Au,1 g/t Au , 0.3% Cu and 1% Cu shell projections generated from the LeapfrogTM model.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/101087_b2db96b944c23a8f_005full.jpg

Havieron Project, Western Australia(4)

The Havieron Project is operated by Newcrest under a Joint Venture Agreement with Greatland Gold. Following the delivery of the Pre-Feasibility Study on 12 October 2021, Newcrest is now entitled to an additional 10% interest in the Havieron Project, which would bring Newcrest's cumulative interest to 70%. Newcrest has an option to acquire an additional 5% Joint Venture interest for fair market value, exercisable during the 12 months from 12 December 2021. The Joint Venture Agreement includes tolling principles reflecting the intention of the parties that, subject to a successful exploration program, Feasibility Study and a positive decision to mine, the resulting joint venture mineralised material will be processed at Telfer.

The Havieron Project is centred on a deep magnetic anomaly located 45km east of Telfer in the Paterson Province. The deposit is overlain by more than 420m of post mineral Permian cover. A total of 26,548m of drilling has been completed from 42 drill holes during the quarter. This report is covering results from 33 holes (18 holes completed this quarter, and 15 holes from the June quarter). 23 holes returned significant assay intercepts in excess of 50 gram metres Au (Au ppm x length m). A total of 210,629m of drilling from 254 drill holes has been completed since Newcrest commenced exploration activity (excluding holes in progress, abandoned holes, or drill holes which have not been sampled).

Drilling in the reporting period was focused on potential resource growth at the South East Crescent, Northern Breccia and Eastern Breccia, and infill drilling the South East Crescent Zone to support the potential conversion of the Inferred Resource to Indicated. Drilling completed included:

South East Crescent Zone Growth - assay results reported for three drill holes, and partial results for one drill hole (HAD086W3), with five holes awaiting assays.

South East Crescent Zone Infill - assay results reported for ten drill holes, seventeen holes awaiting assays.

Northern Breccia - assay results reported for fourteen drill holes, two holes awaiting assays.

Eastern Breccia - assay results reported for five drill holes.

Further growth drilling continues to show potential for resource additions outside of the existing Inferred Mineral Resource limits, including:

Extension of the South East Crescent Zone below the current Mineral Resource, where increasing grade and thickness of mineralisation has been observed from recent drilling

Expansion of multiple higher-grade targets including Northern Breccia and North West Pod

Potential for additional North West trending corridors including the Eastern Breccia

At the South East Crescent, growth drilling targeting higher grade mineralisation at depth on 75m by 75m spacing has extended the mineralisation 250m below the initial Inferred Mineral Resource estimate. Results from three drill holes have been received, with significant results returned from HAD133W1, HAD133W3 and HAD086W3**.

Results include:

HAD086W3** 44.7m @ 7.1g/t Au & 0.17% Cu from 1,412m** (Open Intercept) Including 20.2m @ 15g/t Au & 0.29% Cu from 1,421m



HAD133W1^^ 133m @ 7.0g/t Au & 0.05% Cu from 1,446m including 55.9m @ 9.7g/t Au & 0.04% Cu from 1,449.5m including 20m @ 11g/t Au & 0.04% Cu from 1,519m



HAD133W3 29.1m @ 3.2g/t Au & 0.09% Cu from 1,261.9m 44.4m @ 5.7g/t Au & 0.11% Cu from 1,306.6m 52m @ 3.2g/t Au & 0.42% Cu from 1,362m



HAD133W1^^ extended the high-grade mineralisation ~250m below the base of the Inferred Mineral Resource estimate. This intercept is ~150m below previously reported hole HAD133^^ (85m @ 11g/t Au & 0.29% Cu from 1,345m including 13m @ 32g/t Au & 0.46% Cu from 1,363m and including 14.5m @ 32g/t Au & 0.33% Cu from 1,396.5m). HAD133W3 targeted approximately 50m below the existing resource and returned a broad crescent zone intercept incorporating three discrete zones of higher grade mineralisation between 1,261.9m and 1,414m down hole with the best interval returning 44.4m @ 5.7g/t Au & 0.11% Cu from 1,306.6m. Partial assay results have been returned for HAD086W3** which returned 44.7m @ 7.1g/t Au & 0.17% Cu from 1,412m (open intercept) including 20.2m @ 15g/t Au & 0.29% Cu from 1,421m from the South East Crescent intersection located 200m below the existing Inferred Mineral Resource extents, and remains open at depth. These new intercepts show an increase in both grade and thickness with increasing depth. Drilling continues to assess the depth extents of South East Crescent which now has a vertical extent of over 900m.

A further 27 infill holes within the South East Crescent zone were completed, ten of which have returned assay results. This drilling is designed to infill the South East Crescent Inferred Mineral Resource volume to 50m x 50m spacing to support the potential upgrade of a significant portion of the Inferred Mineral Resource to Indicated Mineral Resource. Results received from infill drilling support the modelled grade and thickness within the South East Crescent zone Mineral Resource extents. The results also support the continuity of the high grade, and in places upgrade the zone, as represented by HAD117W6 120.4m @ 10g/t Au & 0.66% Cu from 764.6m. This is the best gram metre intercept drilled to date at Havieron (Au_ppm x intercept length of 1,204 gram metres).

Results include:

HAD053W3 75.4m @ 2.9g/t Au & 0.13% Cu from 987.3m Including 14.7m @ 13g/t Au & 0.12% Cu from 1,031.5m

HAD057W7^^ 23m @ 5.7g/t Au & 0.70% Cu from 613m including 15m @ 8.6g/t Au & 0.96% Cu from 613m 70m @ 2.2g/t Au & 0.03% Cu from 906m Including 12.8m @ 5.3g/t Au & 0.02% Cu from 962.7m

HAD064W1 42.4m @ 2.5g/t Au & 0.08% Cu from 705.6m 26.9m @ 2.3g/t Au & 0.02% Cu from 772.1m Including 12m @ 4.7g/t Au & 0.02% Cu from 787m

HAD117W4 78.1m @ 2.1g/t Au & 0.20% Cu from 762m including 13.8m @ 3.7g/t Au & 0.18% Cu from 793.9m Including 10.8m @ 3.6g/t Au & 1.0% Cu from 829.4m

HAD117W5 111m @ 1.1g/t Au & 0.03% Cu from 715m

HAD117W6 120.4m @ 10g/t Au & 0.66% Cu from 764.6m Including 14m @ 38g/t Au & 1.2% Cu from 845m



At the Northern Breccia, results from fourteen drill holes were returned and a further two drillholes are awaiting assays. The focus of the drilling in this zone is to expand the mineralisation and support potential resource growth. The latest drilling (75m x 75m) has extended the mineralised breccia footprint around the Inferred Mineral Resource extents with reported drill holes supporting extensions to breccia mineralisation. Drilling has confirmed and increased the continuity of internal higher grade Crescent-like mineralisation in a north-west mineralised corridor which now extends up to 300m in length, and 100m wide, between 4,300 - 4,100mRL, and remains open at depth.

Results include:

HAD069W4 22.5m @ 2.6g/t Au & 0.15% Cu from 1,281m

HAD081W3 52.3m @ 2.1g/t Au & 0.29% Cu from 1,150.7m

HAD089W3^^ 106.8m @ 0.96g/t Au & 0.12% Cu from 911.2m including 15m @ 2.8g/t Au & 0.21% Cu from 978m

HAD099W2^^ 126.7m @ 0.66g/t Au & 0.07% Cu from 643.3m including 12.1m @ 1.3g/t Au & 0.12% Cu from 647.1m

HAD138W1^^ 157.4m @ 0.93g/t Au & 0.21% Cu from 937.6m including 16.1m @ 5.9g/t Au & 0.12% Cu from 1,043m

HAD140^^ 29.1m @ 9.7g/t Au & 0.29% Cu from 813.2m

HAD141^^ 87m @ 1.8g/t Au & 0.05% Cu from 1,328m including 17.8m @ 5.7g/t Au & 0.14% Cu from 1,378.5m

HAD147 34.5m @ 1.9g/t Au & 0.15% Cu from 1,216.4m

HAD147W2 72.3m @ 1.4g/t Au & 0.07% Cu from 1,279.5m



At the Eastern Breccia, assays for an additional five holes targeting strike extensions from previously reported drill holes HAD083 and HAD084 have been received. Interpretation of the results indicate the potential for a separate north west trending corridor, with an alteration footprint of approximately 600m, with crescent like higher grade zones developed internal to this Eastern Breccia. Significant assay intercepts were returned for two drill holes (HAD084W2 & HAD141^^), which has extended higher grade mineralisation up to 200m to the north west of HAD084. Drill testing and interpretation of the geological and mineralisation controls of the Eastern Breccia Zone is ongoing.

Results include:

HAD084W2 49.8m @ 1.5g/t Au & 0.02% Cu from 1,473m 43.3m @ 2.7g/t Au & 0.06% Cu from 1,642m

HAD141^^ 23m @ 1.7g/t Au & 0.01% Cu from 1,875m



Eight drill rigs are currently operational, including testing extensions of the South East Crescent Zone below 4,200mRL, extension and definition of the Northern Breccia and associated internal higher-grade zones to support potential expansion of the existing Inferred Mineral Resource. Additionally, infill drilling is ongoing within the Inferred Mineral Resource limits to support ongoing mining studies.

Refer to Appendix 2 for additional information and Drillhole data table for all results reported during the period.







Figure 4. 3D Plan view schematic showing the spatial association of the South East Crescent, Northern Breccia, North West Pod and Eastern Breccia targets in relation to the Inferred Resource extents. Also highlighted are previously reported intercepts >100 gram metres (Au ppm x length) that have been intersected outside of the Inferred Mineral Resource.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 4, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/101087_b2db96b944c23a8f_006full.jpg

Figure 5. 3D section view schematic across section line A on Figure 4, highlighting selected South East Crescent growth intercepts below the current Inferred Resource.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 5, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/101087_b2db96b944c23a8f_007full.jpg







Figure 6. Plan view schematic of a horizontal slice at 4300mRL through the Crescent Sulphide Zone and Breccia-hosted Zones, showing the extents of the 0.5 and 1.0 g/t Au LeapfrogTM grade shells with highlighted newly reported intercepts for this period. Also shown is the Eastern Breccia mineralisation outline projected to the 4300mRL section -drilling is ongoing to confirm the extent of these zones. This diagram highlights >50gram metres intersections drilled during the quarter which are >1g/t Au, refer to inset diagram for relationship to all Havieron drilling.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 6, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/101087_b2db96b944c23a8f_008full.jpg

Wilki Project, Western Australia

The Wilki Project is an exploration farm-in and joint venture with Antipa Minerals Limited (Antipa). The project area covers a strategic landholding of ~2,200km2 surrounding the Telfer operation and is adjacent to the Havieron Project. Newcrest entered into this exploration farm-in and joint venture agreement with Antipa on 11 March 2020. Newcrest currently maintains a 9.9% shareholding in Antipa.

During the period the Stage 1 drill program was completed which included scout reverse circulation drilling at Tyama, WEM04, Protos9, Pajero, Triangle North and Telfer SW targets. Assay results are pending, however initial indications suggest that additional diamond drilling is required at the Tyama and WEM20 targets.

These additional work programs which will include ground electromagnetic surveys and diamond drill testing will be completed in the remaining field season.

Juri Joint Venture, Western Australia

The Juri Joint Venture is a farm-in and joint venture agreement with Greatland Gold with respect to its Black Hills and Paterson Range East projects, located within the Paterson Province approximately 50km from the Telfer operation and in proximity to the Havieron Project. The joint venture covers an area of approximately 248km2.

Newcrest has met the Stage 1 exploration expenditure (A$3 million) and now holds a 51% interest in the Juri Joint Venture. Under the terms of the agreement, Newcrest has the potential to earn an additional 24% joint venture interest (for a cumulative 75% joint venture interest) through expenditure of a further A$17 million over three years during Stage 2. Greatland Gold will manage the Juri Joint Venture until the end of calendar year 2021, after which Newcrest has the right to be appointed as Manager.

Assay results for the initial scout drill holes at Goliath, Outamind and Los Diablos targets in Paterson Range East area have downgraded the potential for Havieron like targets at these prospects. Results from initial drilling at the Parlay and Saddle targets within the Black Hills Project are pending. The current and planned exploration program will include the completion of a ground electromagnetic survey over further targets at both Paterson Range East and Black Hills.

Tennant East, Northern Territory

Work programs continue at the Tennant East project (located 200km east of Tennant Creek) with gravity surveys over the initial six target areas now completed. Follow up IP (Induced Polarisation) surveys commenced in September 2021 and are ongoing. Scout drilling will be completed on defined coincident gravity, magnetic and IP targets pending the wet season in calendar year 2022.

Nevada, USA

Drill activities have commenced at the Jarbidge project in north-eastern Nevada, testing low sulfidation epithermal vein targets.

Drilling at the Fortuity89 project in south-western Nevada is scheduled to begin in the March 2022 quarter pending drill rig availability.

GJ Project, British Columbia, Canada

At the GJ Project, which is part of the Red Chris joint venture, Newcrest is planning to test the depth potential of the Donnelly Zone which is part of a 10km porphyry corridor (Groat Stock). An initial program of two holes for 2,500m originally planned to commence in the December 2021 half has been rescheduled to the June 2022 quarter.

Central Andes, Northern Chile

Drilling is planned to commence on the Gorbea and Mioceno Joint Ventures during the December 2021 quarter.

Northern Andes, Ecuador

Exploration activity resumed at the Gamora Project, which is part of the SurNorte Joint Venture operated by Newcrest. Field preparations have commenced for drilling an initial program of four holes for 2,500m. The program is scheduled to commence in the December 2021 quarter.

Brownfields Exploration

At Telfer, exploration activities focused on the Ironclad prospect during the period, including testing for both extensions to near surface mineralisation and extent of mineralisation at depth.

Appendix 1

Red Chris (70% Newcrest): JORC Table 1

Section 1: Sampling Techniques and Data

Criteria Commentary Sampling techniques Core samples are obtained from core drilling. HQ and NQ diameter diamond core was drilled on a 3, 4.5m or 6m run. Core was cut using an automatic core-cutter and half core sampled at 2m intervals. Cover sequences were not sampled. Drilling techniques Core drilling was advanced with HQ3, HQ, NQ3 and NQ diameter coring configuration.



Core from inclined drill holes are oriented on 3, 4.5m or 6m runs using an electronic core orientation tool (Reflex ACTIII). At the end of each run, the bottom of hole position is marked by the driller, which is later transferred to the whole drill core run length with a bottom of hole reference line. Drill sample recovery Core recovery is systematically recorded from the commencement of coring to end of hole, by reconciling against driller's depth blocks in each core tray with data recorded in the database. Drillers depth blocks provided the depth, interval of core recovered, and interval of core drilled.



Core recoveries were typically 100%, with isolated zones of lower recovery. Logging Geological logging recorded qualitative descriptions of lithology, alteration, mineralisation, veining, and structure (for all core drilled - 29,388m in 24 holes- all holes intersected mineralisation except for 12 dedicated geotechnical holes, including orientation of key geological features.



Geotechnical measurements were recorded including Rock Quality Designation (RQD) fracture frequency, solid core recovery and qualitative rock strength measurements.



Magnetic susceptibility measurements were recorded every metre.



All geological and geotechnical logging was conducted at the Red Chris Mine.



Digital data logging was captured, validated and stored in an acQuire database.



All drill cores were photographed, prior to cutting and/or sampling the core. Sub-sampling techniques and sample preparation

Sampling, sample preparation and quality control protocols are considered appropriate for the material being sampled.



Core was cut and sampled at the Red Chris Mine core processing facility. Half core samples were collected in plastic bags together with pre-numbered sample tags and grouped in wood crates for dispatch to the laboratory. Sample weights typically varied from 5 to 10kg. Sample sizes are considered appropriate for the style of mineralisation. Drill core samples were freighted by road to the laboratory.



Sample preparation was conducted at the independent ISO 9001 certified and ISO 17025 accredited Bureau Veritas Commodities Canada Ltd Laboratory, Vancouver (Bureau Veritas). Samples were dried at 650C, and crushed to 95% passing 4.75 mm, and the split to obtain up to 1kg sub-sample, which was pulverised (using LM2) to produce a pulped product with the minimum standard of 95% passing 106m.



Duplicate samples were collected from crush and pulp samples at a rate of 1:20. Duplicate results show an acceptable level of variability for the material sampled and style of mineralisation.



Periodic size checks (1:20) for crush and pulp samples and sample weights are provided by the laboratory and recorded in the acQuire database. Quality of assay data and laboratory tests Assaying of drill core samples was conducted at Bureau Veritas. All samples were assayed for 59 elements using a

4-acid digestion followed by ICP-AES/ICP-MS determination (method MA250). Gold analyses were determined by 50g fire assay with ICP-ES finish (method FA350). Carbon and Sulphur were determined by Leco (method TC000) and mercury using aqua regia digestion followed by ICP-ES/MS determination (method AQ200).



Sampling and assaying quality control procedures consisted of inclusion of certified reference material (CRMs), coarse residue and pulp duplicates with each batch (at least 1:20).



Assays of quality control samples were compared with reference samples in the acQuire database and verified as acceptable prior to use of data from analysed batches.



Laboratory quality control data, including laboratory standards, blanks, duplicates, repeats and grind size results are captured in acQuire database and assessed for accuracy and precision for recent data.



Due to the limited extent of the drilling program to date, extended quality control programs are yet to be undertaken, whereby pulped samples will be submitted to an umpire laboratory and combined with more extensive re-submission programs.



Analysis of the available quality control sample assay results indicates that an acceptable level of accuracy and precision has been achieved and the database contains no analytical data that has been numerically manipulated.



The assaying techniques and quality control protocols used are considered appropriate for the data to be used for reporting exploration drilling results. Verification of sampling and assaying Sampling intervals defined by the geologist are electronically assigned sample identification numbers prior to core cutting. Corresponding sample numbers matching pre-labelled sample tags are assigned to each interval.

All sampling and assay information were stored in a secure acQuire database with restricted access.



Electronically generated sample submission forms providing the sample identification number accompany each submission to the laboratory. Assay results from the laboratory with corresponding sample identification are loaded directly into the acQuire database.



Assessment of reported significant assay intervals was verified by re-logging of drill core intervals and assessment of high resolution core photography. The verification of significant intersections has been completed by company personnel and the Competent Person/Qualified Person.



No adjustments are made to assay data, and no twinned holes have been completed. Drilling intersects mineralisation at various angles.



There are no currently known drilling, sampling, recovery, or other factors that could materially affect the accuracy or reliability of the data. Location of data points Drill collar locations were surveyed using a RTK GPS with GNSS with a stated accuracy of +/- 0.025m.



Drill rig alignment was attained using an electronic azimuth aligner (Reflex TN14 GYROCOMPASS). Downhole survey was collected at 9 to 30m intervals of the drill hole using single shot survey (Reflex EZ-SHOT). At the end of hole, all holes have been surveyed using a continuous gyro survey to surface (Reflex EZ-GYRO).



Topographic control is established from PhotoSat topographic data and derived digital elevation model. The topography is generally low relief to flat, with an average elevation of 1500 m, with several deep creek gullies.



All collar coordinates are provided in the North American Datum (NAD83 Zone 9). Data spacing and distribution The drill hole spacing ranges from 100 - 200m in lateral extent within an area of 1.5km2 at the East Ridge, 1.5km2 at the East Zone, 1.5km2 at the Main Zone and 1.5km2 at the Gully Zone.



No sample compositing is applied to samples. Orientation of data in relation to geological structure Drilling of reported drill holes RC701, RC705, RC706, RC708, RC709, RC713, RC718, RC719, RC727 and RC742 are oriented perpendicular to the intrusive complex. The intrusive complex has an east-northeast orientation, with drilling established on a north-northwest orientation.



Drill holes exploring the extents of the East Ridge, East Zone, Main Zone and Gully Zone mineral system intersected moderately dipping volcanic and sedimentary units cut by sub-vertical intrusive lithologies. Steeply dipping mineralised zones with an east-northeast orientation have been interpreted from historic and Newcrest drill holes. Sample security The security of samples is controlled by tracking samples from drill rig to database.



Drill core was delivered from the drill rig to the Red Chris Mine core yard every shift. Geological and geotechnical logging, high resolution core photography and cutting of drill core was undertaken at the Red Chris core processing facility.



Samples were freighted in sealed bags with security tags by road to the laboratory, and in the custody of Newcrest representatives.



Sample numbers are generated from pre-labelled sample tags. All samples are collected in pre-numbered plastic bags. Sample tags are inserted into prenumbered plastic bags together with the sample.



Verification of sample numbers and identification is conducted by the laboratory on receipt of samples, and sample receipt advice issued to Newcrest.



Details of all sample movement are recorded in a database table. Dates, Hole ID sample ranges, and the analytical suite requested are recorded with the dispatch of samples to the laboratory analytical services. Any discrepancies logged at the receipt of samples into the laboratory analytical services are validated. Audits or reviews Due to the limited duration of the program, no external audits or reviews have been undertaken.



Internal verification and audit of Newcrest exploration procedures and databases are periodically undertaken.

Section 2: Reporting of Exploration Results

Criteria Commentary Mineral tenement and land tenure status Red Chris comprises 77 mineral tenures including five mining leases and is a joint venture between subsidiaries of Newcrest Mining Limited (70%) and Imperial Metals Corporation (30%). Newcrest Red Chris Mining Limited is the operator of Red Chris.



Newcrest Red Chris Mining Limited and the Tahltan Nation (as represented by the Tahltan Central Government, the Tahltan Band and Iskut First Nation) signed an amended and restated updated Impact, Benefit and Co-Management Agreement (IBCA) covering Red Chris on 15 August 2019.



All obligations with respect to legislative requirements including minimum expenditure are maintained in good standing. Exploration done by other parties Conwest Exploration Limited, Great Plains Development Co. of Canada, Silver Standard Mines Ltd, Texasgulf Canada Ltd. (formerly Ecstall Mining Limited), American Bullion Minerals Ltd and bcMetals Corporation conducted exploration in the areas between 1956 and 2006.



Imperial Metals Corporation acquired the project in 2007 and completed deeper drilling at the East and Main Zones between 2007 and 2012. Geology The Red Chris Project is located in the Stikine terrane of north-western British Columbia, 80 km south of the town of Dease Lake.



Late Triassic sedimentary and volcanic rocks of the Stuhini Group host a series of Late Triassic to Early Jurassic 204-198 Ma) diorite to quartz monzonite stocks and dykes.



Gold and copper mineralisation at Red Chris consists of vein, disseminated and breccia sulphide typical of porphyry-style mineralisation. Mineralisation is hosted by diorite to quartz monzonite stocks and dykes. The main mineral assemblage contains well developed pyrite-chalcopyrite-bornite sulphide mineral assemblages as vein and breccia infill, and disseminations. The main mineralisation event is associated with biotite and potassium feldspar-magnetite wall rock alteration. Drill hole information As provided. Data aggregation methods Significant assay intercepts are reported as (A) length-weighted averages exceeding 0.1g/t Au greater than or equal to 20m, with less than 10m of consecutive internal dilution; and (B) length-weighted averages exceeding 0.5g/t Au for greater than or equal to 10m, with less than 10m of consecutive internal dilution; and (C) length-weighted averages exceeding 1g/t Au for greater than or equal to 10m, with less than 10m of consecutive internal dilution; (D) length-weighted averages exceeding 5g/t Au greater than or equal to 10m, with less than 10m of consecutive internal dilution; and (E) length-weighted averages exceeding 10g/t Au for greater than or equal to 10m, with less than 10m of consecutive internal dilution. No top cuts are applied to intercept calculations. Relationship between mineralisation widths and intercept lengths Significant assay intervals reported represent apparent widths. Insufficient geological information is available to confirm the geological model and true width of significant assay intervals. Diagrams As provided. Balanced reporting This is the fifteenth release of Exploration Results for this project made by Newcrest. Previous release dates are

30 January 2020, 11 March 2020, 30 April 2020, 11 June 2020, 23 July 2020, 10 September 2020, 29 October 2020, 10 December 2020, 28 January 2021, 11 March 2021, 29 April 2021, 10 June 2021, 22 July 2021 and 9 September 2021.



Earlier reporting of exploration programs conducted by Newcrest and Imperial Metals Corporation have previously been reported. Exploration drilling programs are ongoing and further material results will be reported in subsequent Newcrest releases. Other substantive exploration data Nil. Further work Further drilling is planned to define the extents of the East Ridge, East Zone and Main Zone.

Drillhole data(1)

Red Chris Project, British Columbia, Canada

Reporting Criteria: Intercepts reported are downhole drill width (not true width) Au >0.1ppm (0.1g/t Au) and minimum 20m downhole width with maximum consecutive internal dilution of 10m. Also highlighted are high grade intervals of Au >0.5ppm (0.5g/t Au), Au >1ppm (1g/t Au), Au > 5ppm (5g/t Au), Au >10ppm (10g/t Au) and minimum 10m downhole width with maximum consecutive internal dilution of 10m. Gold grades are reported to two significant figures. Samples are from core drilling which is HQ or NQ in diameter. Core is photographed and logged by the geology team before being cut. Half core HQ and NQ samples are prepared for assay and the remaining material is retained in the core farm for future reference. Each assay batch is submitted with duplicates and standards to monitor laboratory quality. Total depth (end of hole) is rounded to one decimal place for reporting purposes.

Hole ID Hole Type Easting (m) Northing (m) RL (m) Total Depth (m) Azimuth Dip From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Au (ppm) Cu (pct) Cut off (GRID) RC701^^ DD 453530 6397490 1469 2137.4 145 -45 1140 1162 22 0.17 0.02 0.1















1190 1242 52 0.29 0.04 0.1













incl. 1194 1206 12 0.53 0.06 0.5















1704 1754 50 0.23 0.53 0.1















1816 2022 206 0.20 0.49 0.1 RC702 DD 452742 6396326 1492 1157.5 150 -59 Development Hole RC703 DD 452584 6396357 1492 1183.8 146 -62 Development Hole RC704 DD 452550 6396348 1495 971.9 149 -46 Development Hole RC705^^ DD 453310 6396503 1425 1264.3 147 -59 316 350 34 0.14 0.01 0.1















364 434 70 0.12 0.02 0.1















718 972 254 1.0 1.1 0.1













incl. 764 946 182 1.3 1.3 0.5













incl. 782 840 58 1.5 1.6 1













incl. 852 932 80 1.6 1.4 1 RC706 DD 454518 6397466 1343 1523 148 -45 No significant intercepts RC708^^ DD 453483 6396405 1417 1208 145 -62 364 384 20 0.10 0.13 0.1















612 640 28 0.12 0.23 0.1















652 734 82 0.21 0.36 0.1















754 986 232 0.16 0.26 0.1 RC709^^ DD 453184 6396558 1430 1383.2 149 -58 704 774 70 0.13 0.27 0.1















788 954 166 0.40 0.49 0.1













incl. 894 948 54 0.89 0.96 0.5













incl. 902 932 30 1.1 1.1 1















972 1064 92 0.16 0.26 0.1















1358 1382 24 0.24 0.1 0.1 RC710 DD 452580 6396361 1492 1050 146 -52 Development Hole RC711 DD 452551 6396345 1498 994.7 150 -49 Development Hole RC712 DD 454732 6397201 1236 101.7 270 -10 Geotechnical Hole - Not Sampled RC713^^ DD 453381 6396452 1425 1103.6 153 -56 408 438 30 0.20 0.23 0.1















574 764 190 0.26 0.41 0.1













incl. 712 740 28 0.57 0.74 0.5 RC714 DD 454733 6397202 1236 1100 302 -15 Geotechnical Hole - Not Sampled RC715 DD 454734 6397193 1235 173.5 181 -25 Geotechnical Hole - Not Sampled RC716 DD 452644 6396362 1489 1104.6 148 -65 Development Hole RC717 DD 454724 6397171 1244 295.2 249 -8 Geotechnical Hole - Not Sampled RC718 ^^ DD 453485 6396610 1403 1432 145 -58 820 1118 298 0.33 0.45 0.1













incl. 1012 1024 12 0.97 0.44 0.5













incl. 1062 1114 52 0.67 0.75 0.5















1166 1210 44 0.28 0.46 0.1 RC719 DD 453207 6396504 1431 1716.8 148 -56 114 134 20 0.15 0.03 0.1















604 638 34 0.10 0.24 0.1















678 930 252 0.26 0.36 0.1













incl. 732 742 10 0.58 0.93 0.5













incl. 762 788 26 0.56 0.64 0.5















1338 1376 38 0.22 0.01 0.1 RC727 DD 453316 6396752 1448 1640.7 147 -58 960 1030 70 0.29 0.39 0.1













incl. 996 1012 16 0.61 0.55 0.5















1046 1392 346 1.1 0.79 0.1













incl. 1130 1290 160 0.77 0.80 0.5













incl. 1148 1176 28 1.0 1.0 1













incl. 1260 1282 22 1.2 1.2 1













incl. 1332 1392 60 3.3 1.7 0.5













incl. 1336 1392 56 3.5 1.8 1 RC728 DD 452434 6396600 1460 1284.2 150 -49 Development Hole RC728W DD 452434 6396600 1460 1181 150 -49 Development Hole RC729 DD 452504 6396348 1495 1300.8 150 -54 Development Hole RC730 DD 452646 6396369 1488 990.2 148 -57 Development Hole RC731 DD 454216 6398337 1483 60 310 -50 Geotechnical Hole - Not Sampled RC732 DD 453931 6397964 1472 90 360 -45 Geotechnical Hole - Not Sampled RC733 DD 453919 6397851 1476 120 310 -50 Geotechnical Hole - Not Sampled RC734 DD 453890 6397715 1476 150 310 -45 Geotechnical Hole - Not Sampled RC735 DD 453568 6396656 1392 1501.8 147 -58 Assays Pending RC739 DD 453383 6396811 1451 1681.5 146 -57 Assays Pending RC740 DD 453407 6397178 1465 2142.2 146 -45 Assays Pending RC742 DD 453422 6396359 1426 751.2 151 -56 512 544 32 0.29 0.28 0.1 RC745 DD 453624 6396544 1403 1364.3 145 -60 Assays Pending RC746 DD 453207 6396497 1432 1043.1 150 48 Assays Pending RC747 DD 453548 6396527 1403 1268.2 149 -59 Assays Pending RC748# DD 453240 6396830 1461 1628 145 -60 Assays Pending RC749 DD 453314 6396917 1459 1200.1 75 -46 Geotechnical Hole - Not Sampled RC750 DD 453340 6396870 1456 994.1 146 -58 Assays Pending RC750W# DD 453340 6396870 1456 1382 146 -58 Assays Pending RC751# DD 452126 6396252 1520 1185.6 123 -63 Geotechnical Hole - Not Sampled RC752 DD 451576 6395394 1520 764.7 157 -61 Assays Pending RC753 DD 452055 6395146 1531 674.6 323 -62 Assays Pending RC754# DD 453584 6396467 1409 745 150 -57 Assays Pending RC755# DD 452579 6396361 1491 287.5 134 -76 Geotechnical Hole - Not Sampled RC756 DD 453693 6397140 1387 35.6 225 -75 Geotechnical Hole - Not Sampled RC757 DD 453991 6397090 1335 34.1 180 -75 Geotechnical Hole - Not Sampled RC758 DD 453499 6396576 1402 40.06 30 -75 Geotechnical Hole - Not Sampled RC759 DD 453717 6396795 1371 41.55 270 -75 Geotechnical Hole - Not Sampled RC760 DD 453802 6396448 1358 8.83 0 -90 Geotechnical Hole - Not Sampled RC761 DD 453469 6396215 1424 10.18 0 -90 Geotechnical Hole - Not Sampled RC762 DD 453380 6396626 1410 19.16 0 -90 Geotechnical Hole - Not Sampled RC763 DD 454049 6397309 1387 7.42 0 -90 Geotechnical Hole - Not Sampled RC764 DD 454297 6396725 1283 23.95 0 -90 Geotechnical Hole - Not Sampled RC765# DD 451551 6395471 1522 414 156 -65 Assays Pending RC766 DD 453072 6396916 1465 70 0 -90 Geotechnical Hole - Not Sampled RC768 DD 454048 6397309 1386 53.06 0 -90 Geotechnical Hole - Not Sampled RC769# DD 451944 6395147 1539 212 323 -56 Assays Pending

#drilling in progress. **partial intercept, assays pending. ^updated intercept ^^previously reported intercept







Figure 7. Schematic plan view map of the East Ridge showing drill hole locations (Newcrest & Imperial) and significant Newcrest intercepts (drill intercepts have been reported in Appendix 1 of this report, and in prior Newcrest exploration releases). 0.3 g/t Au, 1 g/t Au, 0.3% Cu and 1% Cu shell projections generated from a Leapfrog model.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 7, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/101087_b2db96b944c23a8f_009full.jpg







Figure 8. Schematic cross section of RC709 and RC719 (Section Line 33N) showing Newcrest and Imperial drill holes and Newcrest intercepts (drill intercepts have been reported in Appendix 1 of this report, and in prior Newcrest exploration releases) 0.1 g/t Au, 0.5 g/t Au and 1 g/t Au shell projections generated from Leapfrog model. Due to window size (+/- 50m) and section orientation (150) hole may appear on multiple sections.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 8, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/101087_b2db96b944c23a8f_010full.jpg







Figure 9. Schematic cross section of RC705, RC713 and RC742 (Section Line 34N) showing Newcrest and Imperial drill holes and Newcrest intercepts (drill intercepts have been reported in Appendix 1 of this report, and in prior Newcrest exploration releases) 0.1/t Au, 0.5 g/t Au and 1 g/t Au shell projections generated from Leapfrog model. Due to window size (+/- 50m) and section orientation (150) hole may appear on multiple sections.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 9, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/101087_b2db96b944c23a8f_011full.jpg







Figure 10. Schematic cross section of RC708 and RC727 (Section Line 35N) showing Newcrest and Imperial drill holes and Newcrest intercepts (drill intercepts have been reported in Appendix 1 of this report, and in prior Newcrest exploration releases) 0.1g/t Au, 0.5g/t Au and 1g/t Au shell projections generated from Leapfrog model. Due to window size (+/- 50m) and section orientation (150) hole may appear on multiple sections.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 10, please visit:

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Figure 11. Schematic cross section of RC718 and RC739 (Section Line 36N) showing Newcrest and Imperial drill holes and Newcrest intercepts (drill intercepts have been reported in Appendix 1 of this report, and in prior Newcrest exploration releases) 0.1g/t, 0.5g/t Au and 1g/t Au shell projections generated from Leapfrog model. Due to window size (+/- 50m) and section orientation (150) hole may appear on multiple sections.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 11, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/101087_b2db96b944c23a8f_013full.jpg







Figure 12. Schematic cross section of RC701 (Section Line 40/41N) showing Newcrest and Imperial drill holes and Newcrest intercepts (drill intercepts have been reported in Appendix 1 of this report, and in prior Newcrest exploration releases) 0.1 g/t Au, 0.5 g/t Au and 1g/t Au shell projections generated from Leapfrog model. Due to window size (+/- 100m) and section orientation (150) hole may appear on multiple sections.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 12, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/101087_b2db96b944c23a8f_014full.jpg

Appendix 2

Havieron Project (Greatland Gold Plc - Joint Venture Agreement): JORC Table 1

Section 1: Sampling Techniques and Data

Criteria Commentary Sampling techniques Core samples are obtained from core drilling in Proterozoic basement lithologies. PQ-HQ and NQ diameter core was drilled on a 6m run. Core was cut using an automated core-cutter and half core sampled at 1m intervals with breaks for major geological changes. Sampling intervals range from 0.2 - 1.0m. Cover sequences were not sampled. Drilling techniques Permian Paterson Formation cover sequence was drilled using mud rotary drilling. Depths of cover typically observed to approximately 420m vertically below surface. Steel casing was emplaced to secure the pre-collar.



Core drilling was advanced from the base of the cover sequence with PQ3, HQ3 and NQ2 diameter coring configuration.



Core from inclined drill holes are oriented on 3m and 6m runs using an electronic core orientation tool (Reflex ACTIII). At the end of each run, the bottom of hole position is marked by the driller, which is later transferred to the whole drill core run length with a bottom of hole reference line. Drill sample recovery Core recovery is systematically recorded from the commencement of coring to end of hole, by reconciling against driller's depth blocks in each core tray with data recorded in the database. Drillers depth blocks provided the depth, interval of core recovered, and interval of core drilled.



Core recoveries were typically 100%, with isolated zones of lower recovery.



Cover sequence drilling by the mud-rotary drilling did not yield recoverable samples. Logging Geological logging recorded qualitative descriptions of lithology, alteration, mineralisation, veining, and structure (for all core drilled - 24,509 m for 42 drill holes, all intersecting mineralisation), including orientation of key geological features.



Geotechnical measurements were recorded including Rock Quality Designation (RQD) fracture frequency, solid core recovery and qualitative rock strength measurements.



Magnetic susceptibility measurements were recorded every metre. The bulk density of selected drill core intervals was determined at site on whole core samples.



All geological and geotechnical logging was conducted at the Havieron site.



Digital data logging was captured on diamond drill core intervals only, and all data validated and stored in an acQuire database.



All drill cores were photographed, prior to cutting and/or sampling the core.



The logging is of sufficient quality to support Mineral Resource estimates. Sub-sampling techniques and sample preparation Sampling, sample preparation and quality control protocols are considered appropriate for the material being sampled.



Core was cut and sampled at the Havieron core processing facility. Half core samples of between 0.2 and 2.0 m were collected in pre-numbered calico bags and grouped in plastic bags for dispatch to the laboratory. Sample weights typically varied from 0.5 to 8kg. Sample sizes are considered appropriate for the style of mineralisation. Drill core samples were freighted by air and road to the laboratory.



Sample preparation was conducted at the independent ISO17025 accredited Intertek Laboratory, Perth (Intertek). Samples were dried at 105oC, and crushed to 95% passing 4.75mm, and the split to obtain up to 3kg sub-sample, which was pulverised (using LM5) to produce a pulped product with the minimum standard of 95% passing 106m. Routine grind size analysis is conducted.



Duplicate samples were collected from crush and pulp samples at a rate of 1:20. Duplicate results show an acceptable level of variability for the material sampled and style of mineralisation.



Periodic size checks (1:20) for crush and pulp samples and sample weights are provided by the laboratory and recorded in the acQuire database. Quality of assay data and laboratory tests Assaying of drill core samples was conducted at Intertek. All samples were assayed for 48 elements using a 4-acid digestion followed by ICP-AES/ICP-MS determination (method 4A/MS907), which is considered to provide a total assay for copper. Gold analyses were determined by 50g fire assay with AAS finish (method FA50N/AA), which is considered to provide a total assay for gold.



Sampling and assaying quality control procedures consisted of inclusion of certified reference material (CRMs), coarse residue and pulp duplicates with each batch (at least 1:20).



Assays of quality control samples were compared with reference samples in acQuire database and verified as acceptable prior to use of data from analysed batches.



Laboratory quality control data, including laboratory standards, blanks, duplicates, repeats and grind size results are captured in the acQuire database and assessed for accuracy and precision for recent data.



Extended quality control programs including pulp samples submitted to an umpire laboratory and combined with more extensive re-submission programs have been completed.



Analysis of the available quality control sample assay results indicates that an acceptable level of accuracy and precision has been achieved and the database contains no analytical data that has been numerically manipulated.



The assaying techniques and quality control protocols used are considered appropriate for the data to be used for reporting exploration drilling results. Verification of sampling and assaying Sampling intervals defined by the geologist are electronically assigned sample identification numbers prior to core cutting. Corresponding sample numbers matching pre-labelled calico bags are assigned to each interval.

All sampling and assay information were stored in a secure acQuire database with restricted access.



Electronically generated sample submission forms providing the sample identification number accompany each submission to the laboratory. Assay results from the laboratory with corresponding sample identification are loaded directly into the acQuire database.



Assessment of reported significant assay intervals was verified by re-logging of diamond drill core intervals and assessment of high resolution core photography. The verification of significant intersections has been completed by company personnel and the Competent Person/Qualified Person.



No adjustments are made to assay data, and no twinned holes have been completed.



There are no currently known drilling, sampling, recovery, or other factors that could materially affect the accuracy or reliability of the data. Location of data points Drill collar locations were surveyed using a differential GPS with GNSS with a stated accuracy of +/- 0.5m for all drill holes reported.



Drill rig alignment was attained using an electronic azimuth aligner. Downhole survey was collected at 6-12m intervals in the cover sequence, and every 6 to 30m in diamond drill core segments of the drill hole using single shot (Axis Mining Champ Gyro). The single shot surveys have been validated using continuous survey to surface (Axis Mining Champ) along with a selection of drill holes re-surveyed by an external survey contactor using a DeviGyro tool - confirming sufficient accuracy for downhole spatial recording.



A LIDAR survey was completed over the project area in Nov 2019 which was used to prepare a DEM / topographic model for the project with a spatial accuracy of +/- 0.1m vertical and +/- 0.3m horizontal. The topography is generally low relief to flat, elevation within the dune corridors in ranges between 250-265m Australian Height Datum (AHD) steepening to the southeast. All collar coordinates are provided in the Geocentric Datum of Australian (GDA20 Zone 51). All relative depth information is reported in AHD +5000m. Data spacing and distribution Within the South-East Crescent and Breccia zone drill hole spacing ranges from 50 to 100m, to 50 by 50m within the resource extents. Outside the initial resource boundary drill hole spacing ranges from 50 to 200m in lateral extent within the breccia zone over an area of ~2km2. The data spacing is sufficient to establish the degree of geological and grade continuity.



Significant assay intercepts remain open. Further drilling is required to determine the extent of currently defined mineralisation. No sample compositing is applied to samples.



Drilling intersects mineralisation at various angles. Orientation of data in relation to geological structure Drill holes exploring the extents of the Havieron mineral system intersect moderately dipping carbonate and siliclastic sedimentary facies, mineralised breccia and sub-vertical intrusive lithologies. Geological modelling has been interpreted from historic and Newcrest drill holes.



Variable brecciation, alteration and sulphide mineralisation is observed with a footprint with dimensions of 650m x 350m trending in a north west orientation and over 1000m in vertical extent below cover.



The subvertical southeast high grade arcuate crescent sulphide zone has an average thickness of 20m and has been defined over a strike length of up to 550m, and extended to over 700m in vertical extent below cover.



Drilling direction is oriented to intersect the steeply dipping high-grade sulphide mineralisation zones at an intersection angle of greater than 40 degrees. The drilled length of reported intersections is typically greater than true width of mineralisation. Sample security The security of samples is controlled by tracking samples from drill rig to database.



Drill core was delivered from the drill rig to the Havieron core yard every shift. On completion of geological and geotechnical logging, core processing was completed by Newcrest personnel at the Havieron facility.



High resolution core photography and cutting of drill core was undertaken at the Havieron core processing facilities.



Samples were freighted in sealed bags by air and road to the Laboratory, and in the custody of Newcrest representatives. Sample numbers are generated directly from the database. All samples are collected in pre-numbered calico bags.



Verification of sample numbers and identification is conducted by the laboratory on receipt of samples, and sample receipt advise issued to Newcrest.



Details of all sample movement are recorded in a database table. Dates, Hole ID sample ranges, and the analytical suite requested are recorded with the dispatch of samples to analytical services. Any discrepancies logged at the receipt of samples into the analytical services are validated. Audits or reviews Internal reviews of core handling, sample preparation and assays laboratories were conducted on a regular basis by both project personnel and owner representatives.



In the Competent Person's opinion, the sample preparation, security and analytical procedures are consistent with current industry standards and are entirely appropriate and acceptable for the styles of mineralisation identified and will be appropriate for use in the reporting of exploration results and Mineral Resource estimates. There are no identified drilling, sampling or recovery factors that materially impact the adequacy and reliability of the results of the drilling programme in place at the Havieron Project.

Section 2: Reporting of Exploration Results

Criteria Commentary Mineral tenement and land tenure status The Havieron Project is entirely contained within mining tenement M45/1287, which is jointly owned by Greatland Pty Ltd and Newcrest Operations Limited. Newcrest has entered into a Joint Venture Agreement (effective 30 November 2020) and Farm-In Agreement (effective 12 March 2019) with Greatland Pty Ltd and Greatland Gold plc. Newcrest is the Manager of the Havieron Project. Newcrest has now met the Stage 3 farm-in requirement and has earnt an additional 20% joint venture interest, resulting in a joint venture interest of 60%. Following the delivery of the PFS on 12 October 2021, Newcrest is entitled to earn an additional 10% joint venture interest, resulting in an overall joint venture interest of 70% (Greatland Gold 30%). Newcrest also has an option to acquire a further 5% at fair market value.



Newcrest and WDLAC are parties to an ILUA which relates to the use of native title land for Newcrest's current operations at Telfer and its activities within a 60-km radius around Telfer and includes its exploration activities at Havieron. The parties have agreed that the ILUA will apply to any future development activities by the Joint Venture Participants (Newcrest and Greatland Gold) at Havieron.



The mining tenement M45/1287 wholly replaces the 12 sub-blocks of exploration tenement E45/4701 (former exploration tenement on which the Havieron Project is based) and was granted on 10 September 2020. All obligations with respect to legislative requirements including minimum expenditure are maintained in good standing for prior exploration tenement E45/4701. Exploration done by other parties Newcrest completed six core holes in the vicinity of the Havieron Project from 1991 to 2003. Greatland Gold completed drill targeting and drilling of nine Reverse Circulation (RC) drill holes with core tails for a total of approximately 6,800m in 2018. Results of drilling programs conducted by Greatland Gold have previously been reported on the Greatland Gold website.



Drilling has defined an intrusion-related mineral system with evidence of breccia and massive sulphide-hosted higher-grade gold-copper mineralisation. Geology The Havieron Project is located within the north-western exposure of the Palaeo-Proterozoic to Neoproterozoic Paterson Orogen (formerly Paterson Province), 45 km east of Telfer. The Yeneena Supergroup hosts the Havieron prospect and consists of a 9km thick sequence of marine sedimentary rocks and is entirely overlain by approximately 420m of Phanerozoic sediments of the Paterson Formation and Quaternary aeolian sediments.



Gold and copper mineralisation at Havieron consist of breccia, vein and massive sulphide replacement gold and copper mineralisation typical of intrusion-related and skarn styles of mineralisation. Mineralisation is hosted by metasedimentary rocks (meta-sandstones, meta-siltstones and meta-carbonate) and intrusive rocks of an undetermined age. The main mineral assemblage contains well developed pyrrhotite-chalcopyrite and pyrite sulphide mineral assemblages as breccia and vein infill, and massive sulphide lenses. The main mineralisation event is associated with amphibole-carbonate-biotite-sericite-chlorite wall rock alteration. Drilling has partially defined the extents of mineralisation which are observed over 650m by 350m within an arcuate shaped mineralised zone, and to depths of up to 1400m below surface. Drill hole Information As provided. Data aggregation methods Significant assay intercepts are reported as (A) length-weighted averages exceeding 1.0g/t Au greater than or equal to 10m, with a maximum of 5m consecutive internal dilution; and (B) length-weighted averages exceeding 0.2g/t Au for greater than or equal to 20m, with a maximum of 10m consecutive internal dilution, and (C) intervals of >30g/t which are greater or equal to 30 gram metres (Au_ppm x length). No top cuts are applied to intercept calculations. Relationship between mineralisation widths and intercept lengths Significant assay intervals reported represent apparent widths. Drilling is not always perpendicular to the dip of mineralisation and true widths are less than downhole widths. Estimates of true widths will only be possible when all results are received, and final geological interpretations have been completed. Diagrams As provided. Balanced reporting This is the nineteenth release of Exploration Results for this project made by Newcrest. Previous release dates are

25 July 2019, 10 September 2019, 24 October 2019, 2 December 2019, 30 January 2020, 11 March 2020, 30 April 2020, 11 June 2020, 23 July 2020, 10 September 2020, 29 October 2020, 10 December 2020, 28 January 2021, 11 March 2021, 29 April 2021, 10 June 2021, 22 July 2021, and 9 September 2021.



Earlier reporting of exploration programs conducted by Newcrest and Greatland Gold have previously been reported. Exploration drilling programs are ongoing and further material results will be reported in subsequent Newcrest releases. Other substantive exploration data Nil Further work Growth drilling is planned to extend the December 2020 Inferred Mineral Resource estimate and define the limits of the Havieron mineralised system.

Drillhole data(1)

Havieron Project, Paterson Province, Western Australia

Reporting Criteria: Intercepts reported are downhole drill width (not true width) Au >0.20ppm (0.2g/t Au) and minimum 20m downhole width with maximum consecutive internal dilution of 10m. Average grades are based on length-weighting of samples grades. Also highlighted are high grade intervals of Au >1.0ppm (1g/t Au) and minimum 10m downhole width with maximum consecutive internal dilution of 5m, and intervals of >30g/t which are greater or equal to 30 gram metres (Au_ppm x length) are tabled. Gold grades are reported to two significant figures, the downhole lengths are rounded to 0.1m which may cause some apparent discrepancies in interval widths. Samples are from core drilling which is PQ, HQ or NQ in diameter. Core is photographed and logged by the geology team before being cut. Half core PQ, HQ and NQ samples are prepared for assay and the remaining material is retained in the core farm for future reference. Each assay batch is submitted with duplicates and standards to monitor laboratory quality. Total depth (end of hole) is rounded to one decimal place for reporting purposes. Collars denoted with a * show partial results, with further significant assays to be reported in subsequent exploration updates.

Hole ID Hole Type Easting (m) Northing (m) RL (m) Total Depth (m) Azi Dip From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Au (ppm) Cu (pct) Cut off HAD046W2 MR-DD 464273 7598202 257 1223 225 -62 940 1052.8 112.8 0.68 0.13 0.2 g/t Au













Incl. 1002.5 1026 23.5 1.2 0.26 1.0 g/t Au HAD046W3 MR-DD 464273 7598202 257 1323.3 225 -62 912 948 36 0.50 0.35 0.2 g/t Au















971 1060.3 89.3 0.39 0.12 0.2 g/t Au















1098 1120.3 22.3 0.66 0.45 0.2 g/t Au















1219.2 1245 25.8 0.22 0.47 0.2 g/t Au HAD053W3 MR-DD 463845 7598075 256 1141.1 132 -61 570.1 591.7 21.5 0.29 0.22 0.2 g/t Au















642.6 738.8 96.2 0.43 0.23 0.2 g/t Au















790.3 839.7 49.3 0.59 0.09 0.2 g/t Au















929 950 21 0.43 0.19 0.2 g/t Au















987.3 1062.7 75.4 2.9 0.13 0.2 g/t Au













Incl. 1031.5 1033 2.3 72 0.03 30 g/t Au













Incl. 1031.5 1046.2 14.7 13 0.12 1.0 g/t Au















1073.6 1124 50.4 0.62 0.53 0.2 g/t Au













Incl. 1084.4 1095 10.6 1.3 1.4 1.0 g/t Au HAD053W4 MR-DD 463846 7598077 256 557.4 132 -61 No Significant Assays HAD053W5 MR-DD 463846 7598077 256 1207 132 -61 Assays Pending HAD053W6 MR-DD 463845 7598075 256 1302.4 132 -61 Assays Pending HAD057W7^^ MR-DD 464459 7598026 257 1064.8 225 -55 613 636 23 5.7 0.70 0.2 g/t Au













Incl. 613 628 15 8.6 0.96 1.0 g/t Au













Incl. 626 627 1 45 0.77 30 g/t Au















660 689.3 29.3 1.0 0.02 0.2 g/t Au















906 976 70 2.2 0.03 0.2 g/t Au













Incl. 930.5 953.6 23.1 2.0 0.04 1.0 g/t Au













Incl. 962.7 975.5 12.8 5.3 0.02 1.0 g/t Au















989.4 1063 73.6 0.57 0.08 0.2 g/t Au















993.4 1003.7 10.3 1.1 0.43 1.0 g/t Au HAD057W8 MR-DD 464458 7598024 257 1153.6 225 -55 No Significant Assays HAD061W1 MR-DD 464367 7598038 257 1010.1 206 -61 Assays Pending HAD061W2 MR-DD 464367 7598038 257 997.3 206 -61 Assays Pending HAD061W3 MR-DD 464367 7598038 257 540 206 -61 Assays Pending HAD064W1 MR-DD 463591 7597377 263 799 54 -54 705.6 748 42.4 2.5 0.08 0.2 g/t Au













Incl. 717.8 719 1.2 63 0.26 30 g/t Au















772.1 799 26.9 2.3 0.02 0.2 g/t Au













Incl. 787 799 12 4.7 0.02 1.0 g/t Au HAD068W3 MR-DD 464547 7597081 261 1144.2 323 -55 1098 1128.1 30.2 1.2 0.12 0.2 g/t Au HAD068W4 MR-DD 464547 7597081 261 1170.1 323 -55 Assays Pending HAD069W3 MR-DD 464439 7598214 257 1500.9 222 -62 1070 1125.3 55.3 0.73 0.07 0.2 g/t Au















1137.9 1369.8 231.8 0.38 0.14 0.2 g/t Au















1426 1447 21 1.6 0.19 0.2 g/t Au HAD069W4 MR-DD 464439 7598214 257 1586 222 -62 1281 1303.5 22.5 2.6 0.15 0.2 g/t Au













Incl. 1289 1303.5 14.5 3.1 0.20 1.0 g/t Au HAD076W1 MR-DD 464373 7598130 257 1122.3 227 -55 Assays Pending HAD081W3 MR-DD 463407 7597521 263 1760.1 43 -57 853.7 899 45.3 1.1 0.14 0.2 g/t Au















1023 1080 57 0.65 0.09 0.2 g/t Au















1150.7 1203 52.3 2.1 0.29 0.2 g/t Au HAD084W1^^ MR-DD 463270 7597841 256 1983.8 83 -65 1044 1074 30 1.1 0.13 0.2 g/t Au















1555 1589.8 34.8 0.34 0.12 0.2 g/t Au













Incl. 1572 1583.4 11.4 0.80 0.26 1.0 g/t Au















1627 1740.5 113.5 0.40 0.07 0.2 g/t Au















1751.3 1788 36.7 0.52 0.10 0.2 g/t Au















1854.9 1892.8 37.9 0.71 0.04 0.2 g/t Au HAD084W2 MR-DD 463270 7597841 256 1914.2 83 -65 1415 1426.7 11.7 1.8 0.43 1.0 g/t Au















1473 1522.9 49.8 1.5 0.02 0.2 g/t Au













Incl. 1500.2 1500.6 0.3 110 0.04 30 g/t Au















1553.2 1612.8 59.6 0.89 0.12 0.2 g/t Au















1642 1685.3 43.3 2.7 0.06 0.2 g/t Au













Incl. 1671.8 1672.7 0.9 60 0.28 30 g/t Au















1758 1832 74 0.91 0.06 0.2 g/t Au















1799 1816.4 17.4 2.4 0.04 1.0 g/t Au HAD085W1 MR-DD 463488 7598056 255 1580.4 111 -63 Assays Pending HAD085W2 MR-DD 463488 7598056 255 1397.1 112 -63 Assays Pending HAD086W2 MR-DD 464623 7598148 258 1629.6 225 -65 Assays Pending HAD086W3** MR-DD 464623 7598148 258 1624 225 -65 991.5 1330 Assays Pending















1373 1398.7 25.7 2.0 0.11 0.2 g/t Au













** 1412 1456.7 44.7 7.1 0.17 0.2 g/t Au













Incl. 1421 1441.2 20.2 15 0.29 1.0 g/t Au















1456.7 1624 Assays Pending HAD086W4 MR-DD 464623 7598148 258 2115.3 225 -65 Assays Pending HAD089W3^^ MR-DD 464299 7597746 258 1379.3 290 -61 532.5 564 31.5 0.22 0.03 0.2 g/t Au















574.3 611 36.7 0.17 0.01 0.2 g/t Au















780.8 803 22.2 0.54 0.18 0.2 g/t Au















818 856 38 0.21 0.12 0.2 g/t Au















872 899 27 0.48 0.02 0.2 g/t Au















911.2 1018 106.8 0.96 0.12 0.2 g/t Au













Incl. 978 993 15 2.8 0.21 1.0 g/t Au













Incl. 999 1012 13 1.0 0.34 1.0 g/t Au















1289 1320 31 0.68 0.03 0.2 g/t Au HAD090W1 MR-DD 463596 7597998 255 2041.2 105 -64 1679 1727.4 48.4 0.68 0.07 0.2 g/t Au















1744 1779 35 0.57 0.11 0.2 g/t Au HAD099W2^^ MR-DD 464090 7597787 257 1059.9 294 -65 643.3 770 126.7 0.66 0.07 0.2 g/t Au













Incl. 647.1 659.2 12.1 1.3 0.12 1.0 g/t Au













Incl. 726.9 727.1 0.4 109 0.27 30 g/t Au















819.8 867 47.2 0.51 0.12 0.2 g/t Au HAD117W2 MR-DD 464210 7597976 256 547.5 211 -61 No Significant Assays HAD117W3 MR-DD 464210 7597976 256 574.6 212 -61 No Significant Assays HAD117W4 MR-DD 464210 7597976 256 868.6 212 -61 628 672 44 0.30 0.02 0.2 g/t Au















762 840.1 78.1 2.1 0.20 0.2 g/t Au













Incl. 768.1 768.6 0.5 103 0.96 30 g/t Au













Incl. 793.9 807.7 13.8 3.7 0.18 1.0 g/t Au













Incl. 829.4 840.1 10.8 3.6 1.0 1.0 g/t Au HAD117W5 MR-DD 464210 7597976 256 912.1 212 -61 715 826 111 1.1 0.03 0.2 g/t Au













Incl. 757.4 758.5 1.1 66 0.89 30 g/t Au HAD117W6 MR-DD 464210 7597976 256 901 212 -61 764.6 885 120.4 10 0.66 0.2 g/t Au













Incl. 812.2 839.3 27.1 18 1.0 1.0 g/t Au













Incl. 824.9 826.3 1.4 54 2.7 30 g/t Au













Incl. 832 833.7 1.7 134 0.72 30 g/t Au













Incl. 838.3 839.3 1 31 0.78 30 g/t Au













Incl. 845 859 14 38 1.2 1.0 g/t Au













Incl. 845 847.1 2.1 41 3.0 30 g/t Au













Incl. 852.4 853.7 1.2 311 5.3 30 g/t Au HAD133W1^^ MR-DD 464071 7598315 257 1673.6 171 -65 1362 1389 27 0.25 0.00 0.2 g/t Au













-65 1446 1579 133 7.0 0.05 0.2 g/t Au













Incl. 1449.5 1505.4 55.9 9.7 0.04 1.0 g/t Au













Incl. 1451 1453 2 52 0.06 30 g/t Au













Incl. 1460 1461 1 37 0.08 30 g/t Au













Incl. 1480 1482 2 72 0.08 30 g/t Au













Incl. 1489 1490 1 58 0.03 30 g/t Au













Incl. 1519 1520 1 38 0.02 30 g/t Au













Incl. 1519 1539 20 11 0.04 1.0 g/t Au













Incl. 1532 1536 4 36 0.11 30 g/t Au HAD133W2^^ MR-DD 464071 7598315 257 1545.2 171 -65 1269 1290 21 0.21 0.00 0.2 g/t Au















1413.2 1466.8 53.6 0.38 0.41 0.2 g/t Au HAD133W3 MR-DD 464071 7598315 257 1455.2 171 -65 1261.9 1291 29.1 3.2 0.09 0.2 g/t Au















1306.6 1351 44.4 5.7 0.11 0.2 g/t Au













Incl. 1314.9 1316 1.1 46 1.2 30 g/t Au













Incl. 1340.9 1342 1.2 60 0.11 30 g/t Au













Incl. 1346 1346.8 0.8 84 0.34 30 g/t Au















1362 1414 52 3.2 0.42 0.2 g/t Au















1387 1389 2 58 0.05 30 g/t Au HAD133W4 MR-DD 464071 7598315 257 1468.5 171 -65 Assays Pending HAD133W5 MR-DD 464071 7598315 257 1543.9 171 -65 Assays Pending HAD138^^ MR-DD 463450 7597872 253 1506.8 76 -56 683 767.5 84.5 2.0 0.05 0.2 g/t Au













Incl. 685.3 698 12.7 6.0 0.01 1.0 g/t Au













Incl. 710.2 711 0.8 73 0.28 30 g/t Au













Incl. 710.2 721 10.8 6.8 0.07 1.0 g/t Au















847.9 903 55.1 0.82 0.05 0.2 g/t Au













Incl. 864.8 865.6 0.8 44 0.42 30 g/t Au















1285.6 1308.9 23.3 0.22 0.02 0.2 g/t Au HAD138W1^^ MR-DD 463450 7597872 253 1609.7 76 -56 796 816.2 20.2 0.23 0.07 0.2 g/t Au















937.6 1095 157.4 0.93 0.21 0.2 g/t Au













Incl. 1043 1059.1 16.1 5.9 0.12 1.0 g/t Au













Incl. 1058 1058.7 0.7 101 0.60 30 g/t Au















1548.4 1575.6 27.2 0.80 0.05 0.2 g/t Au HAD139^^ MR-DD 463985 7597787 257 743.4 327 -58 516.2 563.9 47.7 0.23 0.03 0.2 g/t Au HAD140^^ MR-DD 463488 7598056 255 1207 100 -59 813.2 842.3 29.1 9.7 0.29 0.2 g/t Au













Incl. 823.9 826.1 2.2 69 0.04 30 g/t Au













Incl. 825 826.1 1.1 152 3.6 30 g/t Au













Incl. 835.6 837.8 2.2 46 0.63 30 g/t Au















898.3 919 30.7 0.23 0.18 0.2 g/t Au















965.6 991.4 25.8 0.27 0.29 0.2 g/t Au HAD141^^ MR-DD 463362 7597504 264 2036.2 29 -65 1328 1415 87 1.8 0.05 0.2 g/t Au













Incl. 1378.5 1396.3 17.8 5.7 0.14 1.0 g/t Au













Incl. 1389 1390 1 50 0.43 30 g/t Au















1561 1609 48 0.44 0.02 0.2 g/t Au















1688 1735.3 47.3 0.20 0.04 0.2 g/t Au















1795 1836 41 0.21 0.03 0.2 g/t Au















1875 1898 23 1.7 0.01 0.2 g/t Au HAD141W1 MR-DD 463362 7597504 264 1985.9 27 -65 Assays Pending HAD147 MR-DD 464489 7598137 258 1341.7 227 -69 990 992.4 2.4 38 0.20 30 g/t Au















1014 1035 21 1.7 0.27 0.2 g/t Au















1071 1102 31 0.51 0.03 0.2 g/t Au















1112.6 1201 88.4 0.35 0.04 0.2 g/t Au















1216.4 1250.8 34.5 1.9 0.15 0.2 g/t Au HAD147W1 MR-DD 464489 7598137 258 900.7 227 -69 No Significant Assays HAD147W2 MR-DD 464489 7598137 258 1405.2 227 -69 1079 1108.2 29.2 0.60 0.02 0.2 g/t Au















1144.6 1193.6 49 0.26 0.06 0.2 g/t Au















1242.3 1266.3 23.9 0.24 0.09 0.2 g/t Au















1279.5 1351.9 72.3 1.4 0.07 0.2 g/t Au













Incl. 1339 1339.7 0.7 111 0.75 30 g/t Au















1384 1404.9 20.9 0.38 0.01 0.2 g/t Au HAD148 MR-DD 464317 7598100 257 990.7 222 -55 Assays Pending HAD148W1 MR-DD 464317 7598100 257 1008.5 222 -55 Assays Pending HAD148W2 MR-DD 464317 7598100 257 1049.3 222 -55 Assays Pending HAD149 MR-DD 464243 7598106 256 1282.7 209 -60 Assays Pending HAD149W1 MR-DD 464243 7598106 256 1002.3 209 -60 Assays Pending HAD150 MR-DD 464078 7598228 256 1128.7 172 -58 Assays Pending HAD150W1 MR-DD 464078 7598228 256 1155 172 -58 Assays Pending HAD151 MR-DD 463591 7597377 263 794.3 48 -55 Assays Pending HAD151W1 MR-DD 463591 7597377 263 808 48 -55 Assays Pending

#drilling in progress. **partial intercept, assays pending. ^updated intercept. ^^previously reported intercept.







Figure 13. Schematic plan view map showing drill hole locations and significant intercepts reported in this release superimposed on the interpreted geology. Previously reported holes are not shown for the sake of clarity. Note some holes and results appear on multiple sections due to the sections orientation and sections overlap.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 13, please visit:

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Figure 14. Schematic cross section of geology and significant new drillhole intercepts (looking northwest, Section Line S1, +/-100m section width, as shown in Figure 13). Due to section window size and orientation holes may appear on multiple sections. This diagram highlights >50gram metres intersections drilled during the quarter which are >1g/t Au.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 14, please visit:

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Figure 15. Schematic cross section of geology and significant new drillhole intercepts (looking northwest, Section Line S2, +/-100m section width, as shown in Figure 13). Due to section window size and orientation holes may appear on multiple sections. This diagram highlights >50gram metres intersections drilled during the quarter which are >1g/t Au.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 15, please visit:

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Figure 16. Schematic cross section of geology and significant new drillhole intercepts (looking northwest, Section Line S3, +/-100m section width, as shown in Figure 13). Due to section window size and orientation holes may appear on multiple sections. This diagram highlights >50gram metres intersections drilled during the quarter which are >1g/t Au.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 16, please visit:

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Figure 17. Schematic cross section of geology and significant new drillhole intercepts (looking northwest, Section Line S4, +/-100m section width, as shown in Figure 13). Due to section window size and orientation holes may appear on multiple sections. This diagram highlights >50gram metres intersections drilled during the quarter which are >1g/t Au.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 17, please visit:

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Forward Looking Statements

This document includes forward looking statements and forward looking information within the meaning of securities laws of applicable jurisdictions. Forward looking statements can generally be identified by the use of words such as "may", "will", "expect", "intend", "plan", "estimate", "anticipate", "believe", "continue", "objectives", "targets", "outlook" and "guidance", or other similar words and may include, without limitation, statements regarding estimated reserves and resources, certain plans, strategies, aspirations and objectives of management, anticipated production, study or construction dates, expected costs, cash flow or production outputs and anticipated productive lives of projects and mines. Newcrest continues to distinguish between outlook and guidance. Guidance statements relate to the current financial year. Outlook statements relate to years subsequent to the current financial year.

These forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause Newcrest's actual results, performance and achievements or industry results to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements, or industry results, expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Relevant factors may include, but are not limited to, changes in commodity prices, foreign exchange fluctuations and general economic conditions, increased costs and demand for production inputs, the speculative nature of exploration and project development, including the risks of obtaining necessary licences and permits and diminishing quantities or grades of reserves, political and social risks, changes to the regulatory framework within which Newcrest operates or may in the future operate, environmental conditions including extreme weather conditions, recruitment and retention of personnel, industrial relations issues and litigation. For further information as to the risks which may impact on Newcrest's results and performance, please see the risk factors included in the Operating and Financial Review included in the Appendix 4E and Financial Report for the year ended 30 June 2021 which is available to view at www.asx.com.au under the code "NCM" and on Newcrest's SEDAR profile.

Forward looking statements are based on Newcrest's good faith assumptions as to the financial, market, regulatory and other relevant environments that will exist and affect Newcrest's business and operations in the future. Newcrest does not give any assurance that the assumptions will prove to be correct. There may be other factors that could cause actual results or events not to be as anticipated, and many events are beyond the reasonable control of Newcrest. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward looking statements, particularly in the current economic climate with the significant volatility, uncertainty and disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Forward looking statements in this document speak only at the date of issue. Except as required by applicable laws or regulations, Newcrest does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any of the forward looking statements or to advise of any change in assumptions on which any such statement is based.

Ore Reserves and Mineral Resources Reporting Requirements

As an Australian Company with securities listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), Newcrest is subject to Australian disclosure requirements and standards, including the requirements of the Corporations Act 2001 and the ASX. Investors should note that it is a requirement of the ASX listing rules that the reporting of ore reserves and mineral resources in Australia is in accordance with the 2012 Edition of the Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves (the JORC Code) and that Newcrest's ore reserve and mineral resource estimates comply with the JORC Code.

Newcrest is also subject to certain Canadian disclosure requirements and standards, as a result of its secondary listing on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), including the requirements of National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101). Investors should note that it is a requirement of Canadian securities law that the reporting of Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources in Canada and the disclosure of scientific and technical information concerning a mineral project on a property material to Newcrest comply with NI 43-101. Newcrest's material properties are currently Cadia, Lihir, Red Chris and Wafi-Golpu. Copies of the NI 43-101 Reports for Cadia, Lihir and Wafi-Golpu, which were released on 14 October 2020, are available at www.newcrest.com.au and on Newcrest's SEDAR profile. The Red Chris NI 43-101 report will be submitted within 45 days of the release titled "Red Chris Block Cave Pre-Feasibility Study confirms Tier 1 potential" dated 12 October 2021.

Competent Person's Statement

The information in this document that relates to Exploration Targets, Exploration Results, and related scientific and technical information, is based on and fairly represents information compiled by Mr F. MacCorquodale. Mr MacCorquodale is the General Manager - Greenfields Exploration and a full-time employee of Newcrest Mining Limited. He is a shareholder in Newcrest Mining Limited and is entitled to participate in Newcrest's executive equity long term incentive plan, details of which are included in Newcrest's 2020 Remuneration Report. He is a Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists. Mr MacCorquodale has sufficient experience which is relevant to the styles of mineralisation and types of deposits under consideration and to the activity which he is undertaking to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the JORC Code and as a Qualified Person under NI 43-101. Mr MacCorquodale approves the disclosure of scientific and technical information contained in this document and consents to the inclusion of material of the matters based on his information in the form and context in which it appears.

Authorised by the Newcrest Disclosure Committee

For further information please contact

Investor Enquiries

Tom Dixon

+61 3 9522 5570

+61 450 541 389

Tom.Dixon@newcrest.com.au

North American Investor Enquiries

Ryan Skaleskog

+1 866 396 0242

+61 403 435 222

Ryan.Skaleskog@newcrest.com.au

Media Enquiries

Tim Salathiel

+61 3 9522 4263

+61 407 885 272

Tim.Salathiel@newcrest.com.au

This information is available on our website at www.newcrest.com

____________________________

1 # drilling in progress ** partial intercept, assays pending ^ updated intercept or ^^ previously reported.

2 # drilling in progress ** partial intercept, assays pending ^ updated intercept or ^^ previously reported.

3 Gold equivalent (AuEq) grade calculated using a copper conversion factor ([gold grade (g/t)] + [copper grade (%) x 2.07]) using US$1,400/oz Au, US$3.40/lb Cu, 66% recovery for Au and 82% recovery for Cu. It is Newcrest's opinion that all elements included in this metal equivalents calculation have a reasonable potential to be recovered and sold.

4 # drilling in progress ** partial intercept, assays pending ^ updated intercept or ^^ previously reported.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/101087
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 27, 2021) - Speech and Hearing BC, a not-for-profit association representing more than 1200 speech-language pathologists and audiologists in British Columbia, welcomes many of the changes in today's BC Ministry of Child and Family Development announcement; however, there are concerns regarding how the changes will impact vulnerable patients across the province. Speech and Hearing BC's President Becca Yu had the following thoughts to share about today's announcement:

"We welcome the change to a needs-based model will allow families to access services without a formal diagnosis such as autism. This will allow children showing signs and symptoms of developmental delay or disorder to access services, and diagnoses such as apraxia, development language disorder, cerebral palsy and Down syndrome to access supports that they did not have before. Our concern, however, is the current shortage of professionals such as speech-language pathologists to fill these positions to provide quality therapeutic services."

While some of today's government announcement is encouraging, waitlists, caseload size, autonomy of therapist selection, and accessibility (particularly in rural areas), remain concerns for both health care professionals, families and patients alike. Speech and Hearing BC has been advocating for an increase in full time speech-language specialists in the province to address the chronic waitlists, but this is not clearly addressed with the model proposed in this announcement. Speech and Hearing BCs Private Practice Director, Amanda Locke, had this to say about the proposed changes:

"For years private practice clinicians have been faced with the challenge of treating children who do not receive funding support either because of which diagnosis they have, or because they have yet to receive a diagnosis. It is exciting that this new model will address these gaps in service provision so that children of all diagnostic backgrounds will receive the support they need. But, the inclusion of more patients adds to the already existing concern of longer wait times and more need than there are clinicians to service; my hope is that within the new model, more full-time positions will be created in the province to fulfill this need, rather than worsen the existing problem of wait times and clinician availability for clients."

There is already a shortage of skilled health care support workers for youth with support needs and concerns with retention and recruitment strategies to fill the large number of required positions within this model remain unanswered. While this is a step towards mitigating BC's substantial waitlists for care, there is a worry that as the government implements this program, children and other patients could be left behind during crucial developmental periods. Speech and Hearing BC is looking forward to a robust consultation from the Ministry of Child and Family Development with patients, families and speech-language professionals to ensure the new model helps to connect more patients with quality care.

-30-

Speech and Hearing BC is a not-for-profit association with more than 1200-member speech-language pathologists and audiologists in British Columbia. We believe in the importance of providing treatment to individuals of all ages who may experience problems with their speech, language, hearing, voice, swallowing, fluency, and social communication.

For more information, please contact:

Mitch Pratt

Impact Public Affairs

C: 905-464-4847

mitch@impactcanada.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/101099
At the conference, ATOSHI CEO Liao Wang's classic quote: "The world belongs to you, also belongs to us, in the end, the world belongs to crypto holders."

New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - October 27, 2021) - On October 21, 2021, to deeply study and implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech on blockchain, the "China Blockchain Day" hosted by the Blockchain Professional Committee of China Communication Industry Association, was held in Xinglin Villa of the State Council.

"China Blockchain Day"

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This conference invited Mr. Wu Zhongze, former vice minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology, member of Education, Science, Culture and Health Committee of the 11th National People's Congress, Mr. Wang Bingke, Chairman of China Communication Industry Association, Mr. Wang Jun, Executive Director of the Blockchain Special Committee of China Communication Industry Association, and a number of outstanding leaders and experts, including the author of Blockchain Reform - Chinese Thinking, Mr. Zhu Youping, and ATOSHI CEO Mr. Liao Wang to give speeches and exchange ideas.

Mr. Wu Zhongze, Former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology

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The conference was presided over by the Deputy Secretary-General Wu Yanfang and Secretary-General He Chao with the Blockchain Professional Committee of China Communication Industry Association. Mr. Wang Bingke, President of China Communication Industry Association, made the opening speech.

Mr. Wang Bingke, President of China Communication Industry Association

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After the opening ceremony, experts from blockchain industry gave speeches on "Promotion of Blockchain Reform Action". Among them, ATOSHI CEO Liao Wang mentioned in his speech: "The joint publication by 18 ministries and committees may make many people have many concerns about the future of blockchain. However, blockchain belongs to the world. If we want to make a correct conclusion, we should look at this matter from the perspective of the world. China's policies are not to curb the development of blockchain, but to allow blockchain to develop in a healthy and orderly manner in accordance with China's current situation. From the perspective of time, no one can stop the trend of blockchain. For example, Bitcoin is now $66,000. As the number of people holding it increases, it may go up to $100,000, $200,000, or even more than 1 million dollars in the future. Bitcoin is the simplest example of the power and vitality of this industry. Blockchain can solve the problem of trust and meet the needs of social development in real life. Trust is priceless. Trust in finance can greatly improve payment efficiency and production efficiency, reduce the payment cost to 1%. When blockchain is applied to copyright, copyright can be transferred immediately. When blockchain is applied to e-commerce, customers can participate in wealth distribution, and enjoy the dividends of economic development."

CEO Liao Wang speaks at the forum

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"The future scale of the blockchain industry will be very huge. The power of blockchain finance is infinite. A giant company will surely appear in the blockchain field, and its market capitalization will be over 10 times that of today's largest company."

ATOSHI CEO Liao Wang

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Then, CEO Liao Wang analyzed the application of blockchain in the financial industry from a geographical perspective: "At present, China is in a period of foreign exchange control, so the development of blockchain finance in China is relatively limited. However, China encourages other technical aspects of blockchain applications. Just like this conference, it was convened to thoroughly implement the spirit of Chairman Jinping's important speech on blockchain. There are many countries where foreign exchange is open, so blockchain finance there will usher in rapid development. Especially for those countries that do not have their own currencies, they value the simplicity, efficiency and unlimited value-adding potential of the blockchain finance. In these countries, blockchain finance will play a great role."

ATOSHI CEO Liao Wang

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Next, ATOSHI CEO Liao Wang gave an example of his own business and shared approaches of blockchain reform with his years of research and investment experience. He said: "ATOSHI is empowering the real economy with blockchain technology. For example, our shopping mall has a strict review system. It will review every item on shelves to ensure the prices of products are not higher than Jingdong and Taobao. In JD and Alibaba, at least tens of thousands of employees are required to conduct reviews in this way. Our review cost is almost zero, because our users can participate in review. Our shopping mall has more than 7 million users, many of them regard the mall as their own business. This is a particularly powerful motivation that promotes rapid development of the mall. Compared with traditional e-commerce, this is a very huge advantage."

Mr. Liao also added: "We are using the blockchain to empower our short video APP (Detok) to compete with Tik Tok. Detok has more functions than Tik Tok. It has roles of buyer and seller, and advantage in review. Besides, we also make videos into NFT assets, so users can buy, sell and rent.

Speakers of the forum exchange ideas

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In addition, ATOSHI is running ATOSHI Charity and games to empower the real economy. In the past two years, ATOSHI has achieved very dazzling success. I'm full of confidence in the blockchain empowering real economy, and full of expectations of the company's future." He said there are tens of thousands of roads for blockchain reform. As long as you believe it and work hard, everyone can find a broad road that suits them.

Finally, CEO Liao concluded in a very witty and humorous tone: "The world belongs to you, also belongs to us, in the end, the world belongs to crypto holders." Warm applause and approval broke out from the audience. Many participants claimed those words were very classic.

The success of "China Blockchain Day" allows us to see the trend of blockchain more clearly. We must take the blockchain as a core technology, as an important breakthrough for independent innovation and industrial innovation.

Company Name: Atoshi Technology Co., Ltd

Contact person: Liao Wang

Email: liao@atoshi.org

Website: https://www.atoshi.org/

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/101011
THIS PRESS RELEASE IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES OR TO U.S. NEWS AGENCIES

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / October 27, 2021 / Final Bell Holdings International Ltd. (the "Company") is pleased to announce that, further to its press release dated October 14, 2021, it has completed its name change from Karsten Energy Corp. to Final Bell Holdings International Ltd.

The new CUSIP for the Company's common shares is 31735C100. Shareholders of the Company are not required to exchange their existing share certificates for new certificates bearing the Company's new name.

About Final Bell Holdings International Ltd.

The Company's shares were voluntarily delisted from the NEX Board of the TSX-V on April 30, 2021. Prior to entering into the investment agreement announced in the Company's news release dated May 11, 2021, the Company was inactive and seeking to acquire or otherwise transact with a new business or company. On October 14, 2021, the Company announced that it had entered into a share exchange agreement with Final Bell Holdings, Inc. ("Final Bell") and the shareholders of Final Bell in connection with a proposed business combination between the Company and Final Bell. Please see the Company's October 14, 2021 press release for further information.

For further information please contact:

Kay Jessel

Chief Executive Officer

604.365.6099

karstenenergycorp@gmail.com

Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law, including statements herein regarding the Company's proposed business combination with Final Bell. These statements are only predictions and should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions, estimates and reasonable assumptions of management at the date the information is provided, and is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information, including, without limitation, that the parties to the proposed business combination will be unable to satisfy the conditions thereto or will otherwise fail to complete the transaction as currently contemplated or at all. There can be no assurance that the proposed business combination will occur or that, if it does occur, it will be completed on the terms currently contemplated. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates, opinions or assumptions should change, unless required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

SOURCE: Final Bell Holdings International Ltd.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/670012/Final-Bell-Holdings-International-Completes-Name-Change
A true walk away 'sample to answer' molecular diagnostic system designed for high throughput testing, offering a time-efficient and seamless workflow for clinical laboratories

Utilizes Seegene's patented, cutting-edge high multiplex real-time PCR technologies to provide 'Real' Ct values of individual pathogens in a single channel.

Incorporates Seegene's broad menu of molecular diagnostics for syndromic testing, for detection of SARS-CoV-2 and variants.

SEOUL, South Korea, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- South Korea's leading molecular diagnostics (MDx) developer Seegene Inc., (KQ 096530) is addressing the needs of small, mid-sized, and large hospitals and COVID-19 laboratories with its fully automated STARlet-AIOS: All-in-One System (AIOS). First unveiled at the 2021 AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo in Atlanta, the modular system supports a "hands-free" PCR workflow, automating everything from nucleic acid extraction to the interpretation of results. This can help sites boost their testing capacity while lessening the burden on laboratory and hospital staff.

"Seegene has played a critical role in the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in large part because of our forward-looking strategy. We moved fast from day one, rapidly developing a reliable assay for the novel coronavirus and then pivoting to multiplexed tests that can detect emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants," said Dr. Jong-Yoon Chun, Seegene Founder and CEO. "As we look ahead, the most pressing diagnostic need will be for cost-effective and high throughput automated systems that can remove any remaining testing bottlenecks. Our all-in-one system specifically addresses that need for hospitals and laboratories of all sizes."

More than 3.75 billion people worldwide have now received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. As daily case counts and fatalities decline, many countries are easing their restrictions and preparing to live with the virus. Doing so safely will require ongoing surveillance, with accurate PCR testing and rapid turnaround times.

The modular design of STARlet-AIOS: All-in-One System unites two standalone instruments--the STARlet IVD and the CFX96 Dx real-time PCR System--with a custom-built robotic arm. This unique engineering allows customers to either purchase the full AIOS system or integrate existing Seegene instruments already in use. With its compact and intuitive design, the AIOS is accessible to small-to-medium sized hospitals and clinics, along with larger organizations.

Seegene's current portfolio with an extensive test menu including GI, HPV, STI, respiratory assays as well as a suite of SARS-CoV-2 assays detecting a wide range of variants (namely, Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, kappa, Lambda, Mu, etc.) can all be processed using the AIOS. The system will also be compatible with newly developed assays and Seegene's MOBILE STATION , an innovative laboratory-on-wheels initiative that delivers mass testing capacity to communities that would otherwise lack the necessary infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the company plans to introduce Allplex Respiratory Virus Master Assay, in late 2021, a single tube syndromic assay that can differentiate between COVID-19 and other major common respiratory pathogens, such as influenza, RSV, adenovirus, parainfluenza, metapneumovirus, human rhinovirus. The introduction of the new assay will help doctors treat cases more effectively, by differentiating causative pathogens of COVID-19 and respiratory viruses for common flu, which may surge in winter season.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1357790/Seegene_logo_Logo.jpg
THE HAGUE (dpa-AFX) - Royal Dutch Shell plc(RDS-B, RDSB.L, RDSA.L, RDS-A) confirmed Wednesday that it has received an investor letter from Third Point LLC. Earlier, there were reports that activist investor Daniel Loeb's investment firm Third Point is urging the oil company to break up into two different companies. Third Point's stake in Shell is reportedly worth over $500 million. Third Point reportedly said Shell should consider creating a stand-alone company with its legacy oil business and another company that focuses on renewables and green energy. Meanwhile, Shell said it regularly reviews and evaluates the company's strategy with a focus on generating shareholder value. As part of the ongoing process, Shell welcomes open dialogue with all shareholders, including Third Point. Shell noted that its Investor Relations team has had preliminary conversations with Third Point and the company will engage with them. Shell set out its Powering Progress strategy earlier this year and its Energy Transition strategy received 89% support of its shareholders at its Annual General Meeting in May. The company will release its third quarter results on Thursday October 28th. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
7 Clinical Posters and Presentations Highlight the Breadth of Clinical Benefits

of the MolecuLight Device for Wound Care Applications

TORONTO and LAS VEGAS, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - MolecuLight Inc., the leader in point-of-care fluorescence imaging for real-time detection of wounds containing elevated bacterial loads, announces the presentation of 7 clinical posters and presentations at the Symposium of Wound Care (SAWC) Fall 2021, held from October 29 - 31, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. SAWC is one of the largest multidisciplinary meetings of wound care professionals.

"We are thrilled to have so many customers presenting their impressive clinical findings at this year's SAWC Fall conference", says Anil Amlani, MolecuLight's CEO. "The clinical topics being presented span the wound care continuum, from improved wound assessment and treatment planning, to monitoring of wound cleaning and debridement efficacy, and the resulting improvement in wound healing rates. Presenters will also describe detection and treatment of wound-related cellulitis, and findings from the recently published Delphi consensus-based guidelines for the use of the MolecuLight platform. The outcomes presented in these studies illustrate the significant clinical improvements to wound care provided to clinicians by the MolecuLight i:X".

A submission on MolecuLight by Dr. Charles A. Andersen was one of the top scoring abstracts out of more than 200 submissions. This is the fifth consecutive SAWC meeting at which an abstract on improved patient care achieved through use of the MolecuLighti:X has received this honour.

The 5 clinical posters and 2 presentations featuring the MolecuLight i:X from SAWC Fall 2021 are as follows:

Poster CR-005

12-Week RCT Evaluating Impact of Routine Fluorescence Imaging of Bacteria on DFU Healing Rates

Alisha Oropallo, MD, Scott Gawlik DPM, Dean Vayser, MD

Northwell Comprehensive Wound Health Center and Hyperbarics, Lake Success NY,

ILD Research Centre, San Diego, CA

Download poster

Poster CR-006

Cleansing Techniques for Wound Hygiene: Which Are Most Effective?

Alisha Oropallo, MD1, Amit Rao MD1, Jai Joshi1

1Northwell Comprehensive Wound Health Center and Hyperbarics, Lake Success NY

Download poster

Poster LR-025

Detection of bacterial fluorescence from in vivo wound biofilms using a point-of-care

fluorescence imaging device

Andrea J. Lopez1, Laura M. Jones2, Landrye Reynolds1, Rachel C. Diaz1, Isaiah K. George1, William Little1, Derek Fleming3,4, Anna D'souza2, Kendra Rumbaugh3, Allie Clinton Smith1, Monique Y. Rennie2

1Department of Honors Studies, Texas Tech University, Lubbock TX, USA; 2MolecuLight Inc. Toronto, ONCanada; 3Department of Surgery, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center; 4Division of Clinical Microbiology, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA

Download poster

Poster CR-020

Are Semi-quantitative Clinical Cultures Inadequate? Comparison to Quantitative Analysis of 1053 Bacterial Isolates from 350 Wounds

Thomas E. Serena1, Phil Bowler2, Gregory Schultz3, Anna D'souza4, Monique Rennie4

1SerenaGroup Research Foundation, Cambridge MA USA; 2Phil Bowler Consulting, Warrington UK; 3Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Florida, FL, USA; 4MolecuLight Inc. Toronto

Download poster

Poster PI-003

Guidelines for point-of-care fluorescence imaging for detection of wound bacterial burden based on Delphi consensus

Charles A. Andersen, Alisha R. Oropallo, Raymond Abdo, Jenny Hurlow4, Martha R Kelso5, M. Mark Melin6 and Thomas E. Serena7

1Madigan Army Medical Center, Renton WA; 2.Zucker School of Medicine Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, NY; 3St. Louis Foot & Ankle LLC, St. Louis MO; 4Consultant Wound Care Practitioner, Memphis TN; 5Wound Care Plus LLC, Blue Springs MO; 6M Health Fairview, Edina MN; 7SerenaGroup Research Foundation, Cambridge MA Download poster

Oral Presentation & Poster PI-002

Diagnosis and Treatment of the Invasive Extension of Bacteria (Cellulitis) from Chronic Wounds Utilizing Point-of-Care Fluorescence Imaging

Charles Andersen, Katherine McLeod, Rowena Steffan

Vascular/Endovascular/Limb Preservation Surgery Service, Madigan Army Medical Center, Joint base Lewis-McChord, WA USA

Download poster

Podium Presentation

Innovation Spotlight: Shining a Light on Bold Ideas in Wound Care

Charles Andersen

Vascular/Endovascular/Limb Preservation Surgery Service, Madigan Army Medical Center, Joint base Lewis-McChord, WA USA

In additional to the clinical posters and presentations at SAWC (Symposium on Advanced Wound Care) Fall 2021, the recently launched MolecuLightDX will be available for demonstration in the MolecuLight booth #439 in the Exhibit Hall at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada.

About MolecuLight Inc.

MolecuLight Inc., a privately-owned medical imaging company that has developed and is commercializing its proprietary fluorescent imaging platform technology in multiple clinical markets. MolecuLight's suite of commercially released devices, including the MolecuLight i:X and DX fluorescence imaging systems and their accessories, provide point-of-care handheld imaging devices for the global wound care market for the real-time detection of wounds containing elevated bacterial burden (when used with clinical signs and symptoms) and for digital wound measurement. The company is also commercializing its unique fluorescence imaging platform technology for other markets with globally relevant, unmet needs including food safety, consumer cosmetics and other key industrial markets.

Download for Image:

https://moleculight.box.com/s/g0a8y8b9n79vhiwsukaxojicb1t3bgon

contact: Rob Sandler, Chief Marketing Officer, MolecuLight Inc., T. +1.647.362.4684, rsandler@moleculight.com, www.moleculight.com

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1672369/MolecuLight_Latest_Clinical_Evidence_Presented_at_SAWC_2021_Illu.jpg
EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING OF 29 NOVEMBER 2021

The board of directors invites the shareholders of Leasinvest Real Estate SA to participate to the extraordinary general meeting of shareholders of the company that shall be held at Maison de la Poste in 1000 Brussels, Picardstraat 7, on 29 November 2021 at 11.00h.

There is an attendance quorum fort his meeting: the shareholders who are present and represented must represent at least half of the capital.

An extraordinary general meeting with physical access is organized, taking into account the current health and safety measures in force.

Depending on the evolution of the Covid-19 situation, the Company reserves the right to change the (participation) modalities of this meeting should the corona measures be strengthened and/or additional measures or guidelines are implemented, taking into account the general safety and health concerns, and will inform the shareholders thereof, by means of a press release and on its website www.leasinvest.be.

The documents regarding this extraordinary general meeting- 'Investor relations' - General meeting.

At this extraordinary general meeting the name change of the company in the articles of association into Nextensa will a/o be proposed.

ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE TOTAL NUMBER OF VOTING RIGHTS

In application of Article 15 of the Act of 2 May 2007 on the disclosure of major shareholdings in issuers whose shares are admitted to trading on a regulated market, the company publishes on its website and via a press release on a monthly basis the total capital, the movements in the total number of voting shares and the total number of voting rights, in so far as these particulars have changed during the preceding month.

Situation as at 28 October 2021

Total capital: EUR 109,997,148.34

Total number of voting shares: 10,002,102

Number of shares with double voting rights: 1,803,2971

Total number of voting rights (= denominator): 11,805,399

The total number of voting rights (the 'denominator') serves as the basis for the disclosure of major shareholdings by shareholders.

On the basis of this information, the shareholders of the company can verify whether they are above or below one of the thresholds of 3% (threshold set by the Articles of Association), 5%, 10%, and so on (in multiples of five) of the total voting rights, and whether there is therefore an obligation to notify the company that they have exceeded this threshold.





For more information, contact



Leasinvest Real Estate NV



MICHEL VAN GEYTE

Chief Executive Officer

T: +32 3 238 98 77

E: michel.van.geyte@leasinvest.be (mailto:michel.van.geyte@leasinvest.be) On LEASINVEST REAL ESTATE NV



Since 19 July 2021 Leasinvest Real Estate NV is a mixed real estate investor and developer.



The investment portfolio is spread across the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (45%), Belgium (42%) and Austria (13%); on 19 July 2021 its total value amounted to approximately 1.4 billion EUR.



Leasinvest is one of the largest real estate investors in Luxembourg.



The development portfolio is spread across the Sites of Tour&Taxis and Cloche d'Or, on which mixed developments (residential and offices) are ongoing and on which new subprojects will be launched in the coming years. The total value of this development portfolio amounted to 0.3 billion EUR on 19 July 2021.



The Company is listed on Euronext Brussels and has a market capitalisation of  760 million (value 27 October 2021).







1 204 of these 1,803,297 shares giving the right to double voting rights in principle are held by a subsidiary of the Company. The voting rights attached to these 204 shares have therefore been suspended





Attachment
Herzliya, Israel and Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - October 28, 2021) - Innocan Pharma Corporation (CSE: INNO) (FSE: IP4) (OTCQB: INNPF) (the "Company" or "Innocan"), is pleased to announce that CEO Iris Bincovich will embark on a 2 day trip on October 29-30 to Munich, Germany with the purpose of meeting investors and potential clients.

Ms. Bincovich will attend an open Q&A session that will take place in the Novotel Munchen Messe, Willy-Brandt-Platz 1, 81829 Munchen. Please RVSP at info@innocanpharma.com

Ms. Bincovich will also attend the BEAUTY FORUM MUNCHEN by Cosmoprof 2021 where she will meet with prospective clients and distributors at Innocan Stand E73 - Halle B1.

"I am excited to be meeting Innocan's investors and potential clients on my upcoming trip to Germany," said Iris Bincovich, CEO of Innocan Pharma and added, "The German market has a strong appreciation for and understanding of the benefits of CBD, and we are appreciative of their ongoing support and interest of Innocan's innovations."

Innocan's relationship with The Hebrew University

Innocan Pharma Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, has entered into a worldwide exclusive research and license agreement with Yissum Research and Development Company ("Yissum"), the commercial arm of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, with respect to the design, preparation, characterization, and evaluation of hydrogels containing CBD (or other cannabinoids) loaded liposomes. The research and development initiative is led by Professor Chezy Barenholz, head of the Membrane and Liposome Research Department at The Hebrew University, which is the inventor of over fifty-five patent families, two of which underlie Doxil, an FDA-approved drug for breast cancer treatment. This unique platform technology may have a wide range of applications, such as epilepsy, pain relief, inflammation, and central nervous system disorders. A patent application was filed covering this technology on September 30, 2021.

About Innocan

Innocan, together with its wholly-owned subsidiary, Innocan Pharma Ltd. ("Innocan Israel") is a pharmaceutical tech company that focuses on the development of several drug delivery platforms containing CBD. Innocan Israel and Ramot at Tel Aviv University are collaborating on a new, revolutionary exosome-based technology that targets both central nervous system (CNS) indications and the Covid-19 Corona Virus using CBD. CBD-loaded exosomes hold the potential to help in the recovery of infected lung cells. This product, which is expected to be administered by inhalation, will be tested against a variety of lung infections.

Innocan Israel signed a worldwide exclusive license agreement with Yissum, the commercial arm of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, to develop a CBD drug delivery platform based on a unique-controlled slow release Technologies to be administered by injection. Innocan Israel plans, together with Professor Barenholz, to test the liposome platform on several potential conditions. Innocan Israel is also working on a dermal product that integrates CBD with other pharmaceutical ingredients as well as the development and sale of CBD-integrated pharmaceuticals, including, but not limited to, topical treatments for the relief of psoriasis symptoms as well as the treatment of muscle pain and rheumatic pain. The founders and officers of Innocan Israel each have commercially successful track records in the pharmaceutical and technology sectors in Israel and globally.

For further information, please contact:

For Innocan Pharma Corporation:

Iris Bincovich, CEO

+972-54-3012842

info@innocanpharma.com

Lytham Partners, LLC

Ben Shamsian CPA | Vice President

Direct: 646-829-9701; Cell: 516-652-9004'Shamsian

shamsian@lythampartners.com

NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER HAVE REVIEWED OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

Caution regarding forward-looking information

Certain information set forth in this news release, including, without limitation, information regarding research and development, collaborations, the potential for treatment of conditions and other therapeutic effects resulting from research activities and/or the Company's products, requisite regulatory approvals, the granting of patents underlying the patent applications and the timing for market entry, is forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. By its nature, forward-looking information is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond Innocan's control. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by Innocan, including expectations and assumptions concerning the anticipated benefits of the products, satisfaction of regulatory requirements in various jurisdictions and satisfactory completion of requisite production and distribution arrangements.

Forward-looking information is subject to various risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results and experience to differ materially from the anticipated results or expectations expressed in this news release. The key risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to: general global and local (national) economic, market and business conditions; governmental and regulatory requirements and actions by governmental authorities; intellectual property risks, and relationships with suppliers, manufacturers, customers, business partners and competitors. There are also risks that are inherent in the nature of product distribution, including import / export matters and the failure to obtain any required regulatory and other approvals (or to do so in a timely manner) and availability in each market of product inputs and finished products. The anticipated timeline for entry to markets may change for a number of reasons, including the inability to secure necessary regulatory requirements, or the need for additional time to conclude and/or satisfy the manufacturing and distribution arrangements. As a result of the foregoing, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking information contained in this news release concerning the timing of launch of product distribution. A comprehensive discussion of other risks that impact Innocan can also be found in Innocan's public reports and filings which are available under Innocan's profile at www.sedar.com.

Readers are cautioned that undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking information as actual results may vary materially from the forward-looking information. Innocan does not undertake to update, correct or revise any forward-looking information as a result of any new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/101048
Strategic agreement covering entire Iberian capacity

Further confirming the role of satellite in expanding the availability of high-speed broadband to bridge the digital divide

Regulatory news:

Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) and Hispasat, the satellite telecommunications operator of the Red Electrica Group, have entered into a multi-year strategic agreement for wholesale capacity on the EUTELSAT KONNECT satellite with the objective of supporting ubiquitous access to high-speed fixed broadband in Spain and Portugal.

The capacity will serve to promote initiatives to bridge the digital divide in Spain and Portugal Hispasat has already implemented. Under the agreement, Hispasat will complement its current capacities with those of the EUTELSAT KONNECT satellite over the two countries, thereby operating in collaboration with Eutelsat and marketing high-quality broadband connectivity services at 100 Mbps to telecommunications operators and Internet Service Providers.

Under the agreement, which is effective immediately, Hispasat has committed to the Iberian capacity on EUTELSAT KONNECT becoming the exclusive operator and distributor of the capacity in Spain and Portugal. The agreement represents a high-single digit m annual revenue stream at full speed. At a later stage, the agreement could be extended to future capacity.

It follows wholesale contracts with Orange in France and TIM in Italy for capacity covering their respective markets, and the recent distribution agreement with Deutsche Telekom for Germany, further underlining the role of satellite as a cost-effective, off-the-shelf and reliable infrastructure to extend coverage beyond the reach of terrestrial networks.

In service since November 2020, EUTELSAT KONNECT has a total capacity of 75 Gbps, offering speeds of up to 100 Mbps to both companies and individuals in the digital divide at competitive monthly rates.

Commenting on the agreement, Rodolphe Belmer, Chief Executive Officer of Eutelsat said: "We are delighted by this strategic deal with our long-standing partner, Hispasat. Coming after wholesale agreements covering France and Italy, and a distribution deal for Germany, this latest commitment by a satellite operator to cover the territories of Spain and Portugal confirms the relevance of powerful, cost-efficient next generation geostationary satellites as an immediate solution to the ubiquitous deployment of reliable, high-speed broadband."

Miguel Angel Panduro, CEO of Hispasat added: "Digitalisation cannot be addressed without having guaranteed connectivity everywhere first. Satellite technology has evolved and permits Internet access at 100 Mbps immediately from any location, no matter how inaccessible it is. At Hispasat we are fully committed to the goal of providing all citizens Internet access and contributing to digitalising economic activity regardless of geographic location. That's why we have entered into this partnership with Eutelsat to complement our current capacity".

About Eutelsat Communications

Founded in 1977, Eutelsat Communications is one of the world's leading satellite operators. With a global fleet of satellites and associated ground infrastructure, Eutelsat enables clients across Video, Data, Government, Fixed and Mobile Broadband markets to communicate effectively to their customers, irrespective of their location. Around 7,000 television channels operated by leading media groups are broadcast by Eutelsat to one billion viewers equipped for DTH reception or connected to terrestrial networks. Headquartered in Paris, with offices and teleports around the globe, Eutelsat assembles 1,200 men and women from 50 countries who are dedicated to delivering the highest quality of service.

For more about Eutelsat go to www.eutelsat.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211027006193/en/

Contacts:

Media

Joanna Darlington

Tel.: +33 1 53 98 31 07

jdarlington@eutelsat.com

Marie Sophie Ecuer

Tel.: +33 1 53 98 32 45

mecuer@eutelsat.com

Jessica Whyte

Tel.: +33 1 53 98 46 21

jwhyte@eutelsat.com

Investors

Joanna Darlington

Tel.: +33 1 53 98 31 07

jdarlington@eutelsat.com

Cedric Pugni

Tel.: +33 1 53 98 31 54

cpugni@eutelsat.com

Alexandre Illouz

Tel.: +33 1 53 98 46 81

aillouz@eutelsat.com
SHANGHAI, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading automotive and mobility cybersecurity provider AUTOCRYPT Co., Ltd. demonstrated the interoperability of its AutoCrypt V2X security solution at the C-V2X Cross-Industry Pilot Plugfest, China's largest "Four Layers" C-V2X application testing event, held alongside the 2021 China-SAE Congress and Exhibition (SAECCE) in Shanghai from October 19 to 21.

The annual "Four Layers" C-V2X interoperability demonstration is organized by IMT-2020 (5G) Promotion Group C-V2X Working Group and China-SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers), gathering OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers from around the world. This year's demonstration was held on test roads across the Shanghai-Suzhou-Wuxi metropolitan area, one of China's major ITS hubs.

The "Four Layers" of interoperability refers to the physical layer (vehicle), network layer (on-board units or OBUs), message layer (communication modules), and security layer (V2X modules and key management). In the demonstration, AutoCrypt V2X's software development kit (SDK) was embedded in the OBUs of a major Tier 1 supplier, while its Security Credential Management System (SCMS) was paired with one of the eight participating root certificate authorities (CA).

"The successful completion of the demonstration continues to confirm the interoperability of AutoCrypt V2X in the C-ITS environment," said Daniel ES Kim, AUTOCRYPT's Co-Founder and CEO. "As the V2X security provider for all eight full-scale C-ITS projects in South Korea , AUTOCRYPT has worked closely with OEMs and chipmakers across the globe, and our team is highly experienced in adapting to the specific needs and requirements of each client."

Along with the demonstration, AUTOCRYPT showcased its latest technologies and offered consultations at SAECCE 2021, where its technical experts made two key presentations, one of which explained the role of Plug&Charge (PnC) security for smart EV charging, while the other provided guidance to OEMs on how to incorporate in-vehicle security systems to meet both WP.29 and Chinese regional regulations.

This marks AUTOCRYPT's third consecutive year of participation in the dual events. To find out more about AUTOCRYPT's comprehensive mobility security solutions, contact global@autocrypt.io .

About AUTOCRYPT

AUTOCRYPT is the leading player in automotive and smart mobility security technologies, paving the way for Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) and autonomous driving through a multi-layered, holistic approach. Through security solutions for V2X, V2G (including PnC security), in-vehicle security, and fleet management systems, AUTOCRYPT ensures that security is prioritized and optimized before vehicles hit the road.
-- Acquisition strengthens Agomab as a leader in targeting growth factor pathways --

-- Origo brings TGF--targeted approach with clinical-stage program in Crohn's disease and preclinical candidate for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis --

-- Agomab will integrate Origo's small molecule development platform, team and R&D facilities --

Agomab Therapeutics NV ('Agomab') announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement under which it will acquire Origo Biopharma S.L., a Spanish clinical-stage biotechnology company developing organ-restricted small molecule drug candidates targeting the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-) pathway for the treatment of fibrosis-related disorders. The combined organization will focus on translating growth factor signaling pathways into innovative therapies. Agomab's hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)-targeting monoclonal antibodies together with Origo's small molecule programs create a rich clinical pipeline of therapeutics that address fibrosis and organ failure in multiple therapeutic areas.

"Agomab and Origo share a common vision that targeting growth factors has tremendous disease-modifying potential. This transaction delivers on Agomab's growth strategy and brings together two teams that have complementary R&D experience and establishes an exciting clinical pipeline of therapeutics to help patients with severe unmet medical needs," said Tim Knotnerus, Chief Executive Officer at Agomab Therapeutics. "TGF- is a validated pathway known to be a master regulator of fibrogenesis. Leveraging their advanced small molecule expertise, the Origo team has done an amazing job developing organ-restricted TGF- approaches, which circumvent toxicity concerns associated with systemic TGF- blockade. I very much look forward to working with the Origo team as an integral part of our combined company going forward."

Ramon Bosser, Chief Executive Officer at Origo Biopharma commented: "We view this acquisition as a unique opportunity to accelerate the further development of our programs as part of a highly competent and committed organization. Agomab has built an impressive and driven R&D and corporate team with access to high-quality resources. We are truly excited to take this step and join Agomab to create a growth factor-focused drug development leader with both antibody and small molecule capabilities."

Origo Biopharma is a Spanish clinical-stage, privately held biotechnology company with research facilities in Touro (Galicia) and corporate offices in Barcelona. The company has developed novel organ-restricted small molecule entities to maximize the potential of local TGF- inhibition while avoiding systemic toxicities. Origo's lead program, ORG-129, is a gastrointestinal tract restricted ALK-5 inhibitor currently in a Phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics. The first target indication is fibrostenotic Crohn's disease. A second program, ORG-447, is a lung-restricted ALK-5-inhibitor, currently in IND-enabling studies, for treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Agomab will integrate these programs into its growing pipeline and add the entire Origo team and facilities to its current organization. As such, Agomab's corporate footprint will comprise its headquarters in Belgium with research and development locations in Italy and Spain.

The transaction remains subject to customary closing conditions. Financial details have not been disclosed.

About Agomab

Agomab is translating a deep expertise in growth factor biology to pioneer and develop novel treatments that aim to resolve fibrosis, repair tissue structure and restore organ function. Combining new scientific insights with robust drug development and a long-term corporate vision, we are building a broad clinical pipeline of differentiated programs with disease modifying potential in severe organ failure and fibrotic diseases.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005061/en/

Contacts:

For Agomab Therapeutics

Tim Knotnerus, CEO

E-Mail: tim.knotnerus@agomab.com

Media Requests for Agomab

Dr. Stephanie May or Dr. Laura Mittmann

Trophic Communications

Phone: +49 171 185 56 82 or 49 151 5798 4222

E-Mail: agomab@trophic.eu
The capital round brings the Belgian-based company to the threshold of reaching US markets thanks to New York-based investment fund

ANTWERP, Belgium, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- DESelect, a MarTech scaleup has successfully raised a $5.5 million seed round in less than two years since its incorporation. The funding is aimed to speed up DESelect's global expansion. The official Salesforce partner is specialized in offering marketing data enablement solutions for Salesforce Marketing Cloud. The lead investor of the just-completed capital round is Adjacent, a New York-based investment fund. Federico Larsen, the Co-Founder of Copado which recently announced reaching "unicorn status", as well as the founders of Showpad are among a number angel investors who also joined the round.

DESelect's flagship product, DESelect Segment, helps marketers segment their data in Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC) seamlessly and autonomously with its user-friendly features, which are fully integrated with SFMC. Its flagship product, DESelect Segment, enables marketers to launch campaigns 23% faster and reduce time spent on managing data by 52% on average. Recently, the platform expanded its range of products with DESelect Connect, a code-free solution to integrate external data sources. As well as DESelect Search, a free search engine embedded in the Marketing Cloud to help its users instantly find any object or data extension. Not a long while ago, DESelect announced surpassing an Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) of 1 million. World-renowned brands such as Volvo Cars Europe, HelloFresh, and T-Mobile are among DESelect's growing list of clients.

Joining the new board of directors is Nico Wittenborn, the founder of Adjacent. He will be joining the DESelect founders, CEO Anthony Lamot and CTO Jonathan van Driessen. Joining DESelect's pre-existing board of advisors, already including founders from companies like Collibra, Showpad, and 4C (now part of Wipro), there is Copado's Federico Larsen. Copado, a Spanish SaaS company that, like DESelect, is a Salesforce partner, announced a capital round that certifies it as a European unicorn just a few weeks ago. Sam Gutmann, the CEO of OwnBackup, a global cloud data protection platform company and Salesforce partner with a valuation of more than $3 billion, will also be a member of DESelect's advisory board.

DESelect's Market Potential

"With the capital injection of $5.5 million, we want to accelerate our international expansion," emphasizes Anthony Lamot, founder and CEO of DESelect. "We are opening an office in Austin, Texas, still this year; earlier than planned. I expect it to be up and running at full speed early next year. We will expand our team significantly in the US and Europe; as we plan to fill dozens of vacancies in order to quadruple our headcount in the coming 12 months or so. In tandem with the recent update from Salesforce, showing that the market potential continues to grow tremendously for Marketing Cloud partners, we see immense growth opportunities for DESelect."

DESelect is not only working on its international expansion but is also fully committed to a multi-product strategy, cites founder and CTO Jonathan Van Driessen. "DESelect Segment, where it all started for us, remains our flagship product. But we noticed that while customers were using the segmentation capabilities extensively, they were far from managing all their data in the Salesforce Marketing Cloud. That's how we came up with the idea of a code-free integration solution that allows marketers to quickly and easily connect other data sources (CMS, CRM, e-commerce, etc.). We aptly titled these solutions DESelect Connect. At the same time, we have further expanded DESelect Search our free search engine which currently has over 2000 downloads and all-5-star ratings in Google's Chrome Webstore"

Nico Wittenborn, Founder of Adjacent: "Salesforce has a fantastic ecosystem: At Insight Partners I came to see its potential through our teams' investments in OwnBackup and Copado, now well-known success stories amongst Salesforce partners. The value DESelect adds for marketers in this ecosystem is clear and taking into account how much the team has achieved with minimal prior funding, I'm really excited to see where they will take it with this investment!"

Federico Larsen, CTO & Co-Founder of Copado: "The Salesforce ecosystem is an attractive marketplace for players who can navigate it smoothly and who understand the needs of the modern consumer. DESelect succeeds in both requirements, and it has the vision and team needed to take the business to the next level."

Sam Gutmann, CEO of OwnBackup: "We understand the Salesforce market thoroughly by protecting their customers' critical data. As such, we got a front-row seat to witness just how important data has become in the tech stack of enterprises, and how much market share awaits conquest. The market is huge, just like the potential for DESelect."

To learn more about how DESelect helped businesses across different industries optimize their SFMC performance, visit DESelect Customer Success Stories.

To book a demo with a DESelect consultant, visit: https://deselect.com/demo/

www.deselect.com

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STOCKHOLM, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Capital injection initiates a new phase of accelerated expansion

Third quarter (July-September 2021)

Revenues amounted to SEK 45.2 (34.1) million, an increase of 32%. Adjusted for currency effects revenues increased by 36%.

(34.1) million, an increase of 32%. Adjusted for currency effects revenues increased by 36%. EBITDA amounted to SEK 1.2 (-3.1) million with an EBITDA margin of 3% (-9%).

(-3.1) million with an EBITDA margin of 3% (-9%). Operating profit amounted to SEK -10.7 (-14.3) million.

(-14.3) million. Net loss for the period amounted to SEK -10.8 (-16.1) million. Earnings per share amounted to SEK -0.31 (-0.48).

(-16.1) million. Earnings per share amounted to (-0.48). Cash flow from operating activities amounted to SEK 14.3 (-3.3) million, corresponding to SEK 0.41 (-0.10) per share.

Nine-month period (January-September 2021)

Revenues amounted to SEK 133.0 (130.5) million, an increase of 2%. Adjusted for currency effects revenues increased by 10%.

(130.5) million, an increase of 2%. Adjusted for currency effects revenues increased by 10%. EBITDA amounted to SEK 4.9 (21.8) million, with an EBITDA margin of 4% (17%).

(21.8) million, with an EBITDA margin of 4% (17%). Operating profit amounted to SEK -30.4 (-11.2) million.

(-11.2) million. Net loss for the period amounted to SEK -33.4 (-27.6) million. Earnings per share amounted to SEK -0.95 (-0.82).

(-27.6) million. Earnings per share amounted to (-0.82). Cash flow from operating activities amounted to SEK 18.9 (-3.2) million, corresponding to SEK 0.54 (-0.10) per share.

Key events during the third quarter

The Board of Bactiguard appointed Anders Goransson as new CEO from 1 October.

Through a directed new share issue to AMF, Bactiguard received approximately SEK 228 million in new capital before transaction costs.

in new capital before transaction costs. Carl Johan Fredin was recruited to the role of Chief Licensing Officer and took up the position in October.

was recruited to the role of Chief Licensing Officer and took up the position in October. Aniocyn, the wound care product for animals, has been launched and is now available in Sweden , Norway and Finland .

, and . Bactiguard's contract for wound care products with the public sector in Malaysia was extended by another year with increased volumes.

Key events after the end of the third quarter

New clinical study shows 53% reduction in ventilator-associated pneumonia with Bactiguard's endotracheal tube

COVID-19 effects

The global roll-out of vaccines and fewer new covid cases have gradually had a positive effect on the return to a more normal situation for healthcare in most regions. During the third quarter, we saw a continued stabilization of license revenues from BD. At the same time, a global healthcare backlog has been built up and must be managed. In this perspective, we see a great need for infection prevention, which is positive for both the licensing and BIP business. However, near term developments remain difficult to assess, as new virus outbreaks cannot be ruled out.

CEO comments the third quarter

Capital injection initiates a new phase of accelerated expansion

We saw an increase in license revenue from BD during the quarter and the rollout of Zimmer Biomet's orthopedic trauma implants (ZNN Bactiguard) is underway in Europe. At the same time, the intensity of the dialogues with potential new license partners has increased - which is a clear token that infection prevention has never been more important and that Bactiguard's technology is effective.

Sales of BIP products are still affected by the pandemic, but we have seen a recovery during this year. Compared to the third quarter of 2020 when the impact was greatest, we see a clear improvement. The level of activity in our regions has increased significantly which is a good sign.

With the capital injection of SEK 228 million before transaction costs from AMF, we have the financial strength we need to continue developing the company and accelerate growth. Bactiguard is today stronger than ever and on its way into a new, exciting growth phase.

The license business

Revenues from Becton, Dickinson & Company (BD) have gradually recovered since the second half of 2020, when the pandemic hit healthcare the hardest. During the third quarter, we saw an increase that reflects that BD's sales have now returned to more normal levels and that they need slightly larger safety margins. The underlying licensing business with BD is stable and we are back at the annual level that prevailed before the pandemic.

The collaboration with Zimmer Biomet continues to develop very positively. In Italy and South Africa, among others, the first patients have already undergone surgery with Zimmer Natural Nail (ZNN) Bactiguard implants. The launch is in progress in Spain, the United Kingdom and Germany, among others, and the product registration process in the US has intensified. The large clinical study that Zimmer Biomet has decided to carry out to further strengthen evidence that the Bactiguard technology reduces postoperative infections will be initiated this autumn.

As ZNN Bactiguard gradually reaches more patients, Bactiguard's license revenues will increase. The need for implants that reduce healthcare-associated infections is growing globally. I therefore see that the collaboration with Zimmer Biomet, one of the world's leading medical technology companies, will create new opportunities for Bactiguard and expand our licensing business considerably going forward.

BIP wound care products launched in Europe

Sales of our own portfolio for infection prevention (BIP products) continued to be negatively affected by the pandemic, although we see a positive recovery in compared with the third quarter last year. The healthcare sector in most regions is gradually returning to more normal activity levels, but there is still uncertainty about possible new outbreaks of the coronavirus. In countries and regions where we have our own sales force, Sweden, India, the Middle East and Malaysia, the level of activity has increased significantly. Our assessment is that demand for BIP products will increase with an improvement in the pandemic situation.

The acquisition of Malaysian Vigilenz (now Bactiguard Southeast Asia) in February 2020 has expanded Bactiguard's product portfolio with new effective products for wound care and infection prevention. In 2021, we have established several new collaborations with leading pharmacy chains and distributors in infection prevention in Spain, Sweden and Germany, among others. In Sweden, the wound care and animal care products are already available to consumers, and we have received good response from the market. In Germany and Spain, the launch is somewhat delayed due to the pandemic, and we expect sales to pick up early next year.

New strong clinical data for Bactiguard's technology

At the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine congress in October, primary data from a new study were presented which show that Bactiguard's endotracheal tubes reduce the risk for seriously ill intensive care patients to catch pneumonia by over 50 percent. This strengthens our clinical evidence in yet another application area.

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a serious complication that can affect intubated patients who are supported by a ventilator. During the pandemic, data from several countries have shown that the risk of VAP has increased. A recently published study in the US shows that all major types of healthcare-associated infections increased in 2020, with VAP increasing by almost 45%. This is serious as VAP leads to extended care time, increased costs and most importantly the risk of increased mortality.

The result of Bactiguard's new study is an important reinforcement of the already extensive clinical evidence and supports a broader implementation of Bactiguard's technology.

The right prerequisites for expansion through strengthened management and new share issue

In September, a directed new issue was carried out to the Swedish pension fund AMF, which provided Bactiguard with SEK 228 million in new capital before transaction costs. This gives us the financial strength to make new investments in the marketing, sales and licensing organization and to improve our operational capacity, in order to accelerate growth.

Over the past twelve months, Bactiguard has strengthened the team and expanded group management. The recent recruitment of Carl Johan Fredin as Chief Licensing Officer means that we put even more focus on the growing licensing business and the strong interest we encounter in our technology. Today, the number of license discussions is record high and the target of signing 1-2 new license deals per year remains unchanged.

Major global need for Bactiguard's technology

During my first month, I have had the privilege of meeting and listening to our licensing partners, healthcare professionals and patients and how they perceive our products. I have also had the opportunity to personally meet all the teams in both Sweden and Malaysia to discuss infection prevention and our passion to save lives. I can therefore rightly say that Bactiguard is very well positioned and that the need for infection prevention has never been greater. The pandemic has even more clearly put focus on the problem of antibiotic resistance and healthcare-associated infections. Bactiguard and our unique technology thus have an important role to play.

I am proud and happy to lead Bactiguard in this exciting phase of the company's development. We are now investing to accelerate growth and take Bactiguard to the next level.

To conclude, I would like to thank my predecessor Cecilia Edstrom for her significant contributions to Bactiguard. Cecilia has strengthened the organization, established new strategic licensing partnerships, and built a broader and stronger platform for continued expansion. It is reassuring that Cecilia continues to support Bactiguard in her new role as senior advisor and active member of the board.

Anders Goransson, CEO

The interim report for Bactiguard Holding AB (publ) for the period July - September 2021 is available as a PDF at www.bactiguard.com.

This information is information that Bactiguard Holding AB (publ) is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out below 2021-10-28, at 08:00.

For further information, please contact:

Gabriella Bjorknert Caracciolo, CFO and deputy CEO, mobile: +46 72?141 62 49

Presentation of Q3

An audiocast for investors, analysts and media will be held at 10:00 CET today, where CEO Anders Goransson and CFO Gabriella Bjorknert Caracciolo will present the interim report and answer questions.

The report and a presentation for the webcast will be available at Bactiguard's website www.bactiguard.com

To participate in the webcast, please use this link: https://tv.streamfabriken.com/bactiguard-q3-2021

To participate only by conference call, dial: SE: +46850558358 UK: +443333009273 US: +16467224904

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/bactiguard-holding-ab--publ-/r/interim-report-for-q3-2021,c3441988

The following files are available for download:
LONDON, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Stanbic IBTC Asset Management, a reputed finance company from Nigeria, has won the "Best Asset Management Company - Nigeria, 2021" and "Best Mutual Funds Provider - Nigeria, 2021" awards for 2021. The felicitation ceremony will be held at the Palm Jumeirah - Waldorf Astoria in early 2022 in Dubai.

The Global Brand Awards is an annual event held by Global Brands Magazine (GBM), an international publication headquartered in the UK. The award aims to recognise global brands achieving excellence in performance across a broad range of sectors while keeping its readers updated on the branding world's key trends. Stanbic IBTC Asset Management was evaluated based on customer service, satisfaction, digital innovation, strategic relationships, and new business development.

Commenting on Stanbic IBTC Asset Management winning the awards, ShivKumar (CEO) of Global Brands magazine said, "Despite the challenges posed by the rocky financial landscape of Nigeria, Stanbic IBTC Asset Management has braved the odds and pulled far ahead of the competition. The recognition of these two prestigious awards plus the recent announcement that Stanbic IBTC is the leading stockbroker in Nigeria demonstrates the incredible performance of this company in the year 2021."

Commenting on winning the awards, Oladele Sotubo (CE) said, "I am profoundly honoured to receive these awards for our contribution to the asset management industry. I am reminded of one of our core values which is constantly raising the bar, and it is part of who we are, what we do and why we exist. I dedicate these awards to our skilful and dedicated staff who work incredibly hard to consistently deliver value to our customers. We are committed to innovation, and we are constantly working to improve customer experience. Thank you, Global Brand Magazine, for the recognition."

About Stanbic IBTC Asset Management

Stanbic IBTC Asset Management Limited commenced operations in January 1996 and is the largest asset management company in Nigeria with assets under management in excess of ?800 billion from over 147,000 clients. The firm has consistently maintained an impressive track record of effectively managing risk to deliver performance consistent with its clients' objectives. Stanbic IBTC Asset Management Limited recently launched the ?100bn Infrastructure Fund and manages some of Nigeria's highest performing mutual funds, including the newly introduced Stanbic IBTC Enhanced Fixed Income Fund, the Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund. The company also serves as the Fund Manager for the largest REIT listed in Nigeria.

As a Fund or Portfolio Manager and Investment Adviser, it offers its numerous clients, products and services ranging from traditional asset classes (like equities, fixed income securities and mutual funds) to alternative investment options such as unlisted equities and private equity opportunities. The company also offers financial advisory to a wide range of clients and makes recommendations to help them plan towards meeting their investment goals and objectives.

About Global Brands Magazine (England)

Global Brands Magazine (GBM) has been at the forefront, bringing news, views and opinions on brands shaping the future of their industry. The UK-based magazine provides its readers with the latest news and information on 'best-in-class brands across the globe. Each year, GBM develops a series of awards for companies that stand out, having a unique vision, exceptional service, innovative solutions, and consumer-centric products among their industry leaders.

About Global Brand Awards

Global Brand Awards honours brands for their excellence in performance and rewards companies across different sectors for the quality of their services. The Brand Awards highlight accomplishments of organisations that have performed remarkably well in finance, education, hospitality, automotive, lifestyle, education, real estate, technology and several more. Global Brand Awards recognise vital players who progress towards excellence by providing a platform to acknowledge their efforts. In addition, GBM strives to create awareness concerning the significance of such organisations and rewards them for their notable efforts with the ultimate global recognition.

Check out the links below for Social Media Shout outs:

Facebook: https://bit.ly/3bfkMH3

Linkedin: https://bit.ly/3GqXAnp

Twitter: https://bit.ly/3nysYYH

Instagram: https://bit.ly/3ns8fFT

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Irish-founded company's car occupancy verification technology eliminates roadside enforcement need and is awarded for innovation from tolling industry's highest honour for private companies

CORK, Ireland and AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Carma , a smart mobility technology company with origins in Cork, and global offices in Cork, Austin, San Francisco and Washington D.C., announced that it has been awarded the Toll Excellence Award for innovation from the worldwide tolling industry group The International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA).

The company's GoCarma smartphone app, which enables 45,000 daily commuters in Dallas-Fort Worth to qualify for high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) toll discounts, has become a global industry-leading case study, and is now recognised by IBTTA with its highest honour for private companies.

"Carma's groundbreaking technology makes it easier for toll operators to keep track of high-occupancy vehicle drivers and reward them for doing their part for the environment. Here in the U.S., where Carma has successfully deployed its technology already, HOV drivers are now reliably identified and tolled at half the rate of other drivers," said Mark Compton, CEO of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and IBTTA president. "Automating the process of verifying occupancy on these roadways also eliminates the need for roadside enforcement, which makes the road safer and less congested. All in all, this is an innovative solution that we're sure will catch on among tolling operators globally."

GoCarma gives drivers in Dallas-Fort Worth, America's fourth largest metropolitan area, a simple way to qualify for HOV toll discounts. GoCarma activates automatically on qualifying roadways and confirms the proximity of at least two GoCarma users traveling in the vehicle. Only those vehicles that are verified as having at least two occupants qualify for a 50% toll discount.

GoCarma also provides regional transportation authorities with the ability to create other incentives that increase vehicle occupancy, reduce congestion, and encourage a reduction in peak period commuting. The GoCarma app is an important tool in helping the Dallas-Fort Worth region meet its goal of reducing vehicle miles travelled by 20%.

"Our automatic occupancy verification technology is just one example of how Carma is committed to finding novel solutions to some of the tolling industry's most entrenched challenges. Our goal is to make roadways as easy to operate as they are to drive on," said Lawrence Mulligan, CEO of Carma. "We're honoured to receive global recognition from IBTTA for creating an innovative solution that will improve safety, reduce congestion and lower costs for drivers while giving toll operators a more reliable way to manage HOV lanes."

Recently confirmed as one of the top climate tech investments in Sean O'Sullivan's SOSV portfolio, Carma is now working with other government partners to bring its patented GoCarma technology to other metropolitan areas in the United States and Europe. By enabling agencies to reliably reward HOVs without investing in infrastructure, GoCarma is an impactful and efficient tool for reducing congestion and emissions that can be rapidly deployed anywhere.

"Governments everywhere are looking for ways to rapidly reduce vehicle emissions and the twice-daily tidal wave of traffic congestion that afflicts our cities," said Emmett Murphy, Chief Product Officer of Carma. "Our government partners in the United States are proving that the simplest way to do this is to price roads more favourably for those who choose to travel together instead of driving alone. For the first time, GoCarma makes this easy for agencies and commuters alike - whether for toll discounts, carpool lane verification, or smartphone-based congestion pricing."

IBTTA's annual Toll Excellence Awards highlights the most outstanding, unprecedented projects, innovations and solutions from the international tolling industry. For more information about the Toll Excellence Awards, visit here .

About Carma Technology Corporation

Carma is a global industry leader in smartphone technology for high occupancy vehicle verification, GPS tolling, road user charging, and dynamic road pricing. For more than a decade, Carma has been a trusted partner of government agencies in incentivising more efficient travel behaviour, without traditional roadside infrastructure. Carma's patented technology has verified tens of millions of road transactions while saving commuters time and money on their commute. Carma's latest app, GoCarma, is used by more than 45,000 daily commuters to qualify for HOV toll discounts on Dallas-Fort WorthTEXpress Lanes during weekday peak periods. For more information, visit www.gocarma.com/media .

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The Danish Energy Agency said it will now begin talks with the renewable energy industry to analyze the tender's disappointing result and to evaluate if more tenders of this kind should be held, starting from next year.The Danish Energy Agency has announced, yesterday, that not a single bid has been submitted for the technology-neutral tender launched in late June for the deployment of large scale power plants based on solar PV; both onshore and offshore wind; wave energy; and hydropower. The agency said it will now begin talks with the renewable energy industry to analyze the tender's disappointing ...

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
October 28, 2021

Aiming for at least 50% of its suppliers (based on spend) committing to science-based targets for CO2 emission reduction by 2025, Philips is stepping up its supplier support and incentivization program



Amsterdam, the Netherlands - Royal Philips supplier sustainability program with the goal of at least 50% of its suppliers (based on spend) committing to science-based targets (SBTs) [1] for CO2 emissions reduction by 2025. If successful, this major push to decarbonize the company's supply chain - by supporting its suppliers and incentivizing them to adopt and meet SBTs - will have an impact seven times greater than the reduction of CO2 emissions from Philips' own operations. Progress updates will be reported annually in the company's Annual Report.

"Over the last few years, we have made major progress in reducing our own greenhouse gas emissions. We have been carbon neutral in our operations since 2020 and source all of our electricity from renewable sources," said Frans van Houten, CEO of Royal Philips. "We are now using what we have learned to further build out and scale that success with our partners in the supply chain, where the overall environmental impact can even be even greater."

COP26

Philips targets its CO2 emission reduction efforts in three key areas . Alongside product and business model innovation and carbon-neutrality in its own operations, reducing the CO2 footprint of its supply chain is key to fulfilling Philips' commitment to doing business responsibly and sustainably, in line with the Paris Agreement preferred goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C. In light of the urgency for agreement at the upcoming United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Partiestogether with its customers and partners across the value chain.

"We are at a critical point of urgency where we need to accelerate the global transition to climate neutral, circular and resource-efficient economies and societies," said Frans van Houten. "As a purpose-driven company, we are conscious of our responsibility towards society and have set clear, ambitious Environmental, Social and corporate Governanceto climate actions and science-based targets, deliver on those actions, and provide proof of progress and delivery through continuous, transparent and in-depth reporting."

Building on the company's existing extensive supplier sustainability performance program, in which more than 200 suppliers currently participate, Philips will take an active role in supporting and incentivizing its suppliers to bring about the changes needed to meet science-based emission reduction targets within their organizations. This collaborative approach will focus on structural improvements that maximize the impact of CO2 reduction activities, as well as offering incentives, such as direct support for capability building and preferential payment terms, to accelerate the adoption of SBTs by its suppliers.

By leveraging the latest insights in machine learning and data science, Philips will iteratively optimize the effectiveness of the program to extend its reach and impact. Philips will also actively explore the establishment of Virtual Power Purchase Agreements, in order to support funding for new renewable energy projects such as wind farms and solar farms and further 'green the grid'.

New study on environmental impact of the UK's health system

The global healthcare industry currently accounts for around 4% of global CO2 emissions [2]. In the lead up to COP26 Philips, as a key partner to the UK's National Health System, has initiated a research project with the University of Exeter, a globally leading circular economy research institution, to study the environmental impact of the UK's health system and evaluate how Philips' healthcare products and services can contribute to reducing the system's footprint.

Global recognition

Philips was the first health technology company to have its CO2 emission targets for the 2020 - 2040 period assessed and approved by the Science-Based Targets initiative . In March 2021, the company was awarded an ESG score of 90 out of 100 by S&P Global Ratings , the highest score the organization has awarded to date. Philips also achieved second place in 2020 on Wall Street Journal's 100 Most Sustainably Managed Companies in the World .

[1] Science-based targets are a set of goals developed by a company to provide it with a clear path to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Targets are considered 'science-based' if they are in line with what the latest climate science deems necessary to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement - limiting global warming to well-below 2C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit warming to 1.5C. More information: sciencebasedtargets.org

[2] European Commission, EDGAR - Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research, https://edgar.jrc.ec.europa.eu/

For further information, please contact:

Joost Maltha

Philips Global Press Office

Tel: +31 610 558 116

Email: joost.maltha@philips.com

Ben Zwirs

Philips Global Press Office

Tel: +31 6 1521 3446

Email: ben.zwirs@philips.com



About Royal Philips

Royal Philips.



Forward-looking statements

This release contains certain forward-looking statements with respect to the financial condition, results of operations and business of Philips and certain of the plans and objectives of Philips with respect to these items. Examples of forward-looking statements include statements made about the strategy, estimates of sales growth, future EBITA, future developments in Philips' organic business and the completion of acquisitions and divestments. By their nature, these statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to future events and circumstances and there are many factors that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these statements.

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LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Travis Perkins plc (TPK.L) said that like-for-like sales growth of 13.1% in third quarter. Total sales growth was 14.2%. The Merchanting business delivered like-for-like sales growth of 15.3% with end market demand remaining robust, notably in RMI. Toolstation grew by 1.4% on a like-for-like sales basis in third-quarter as customer mix normalised following exceptional demand from DIY customers during 2020. The company now expects that adjusted operating profit for the full year 2021 will be ahead of current market expectations of 316 million pounds, and will be at least 340 million pounds. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
DGAP-News: GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft / Schlagwort(e): Sonstiges

GEA und Hochwald: Erste Milchannahme in modernster Molkerei Europas (News mit Zusatzmaterial)



28.10.2021 / 10:15

Fur den Inhalt der Mitteilung ist der Emittent / Herausgeber verantwortlich.



GEA and Hochwald: First milk intake in Europe's most modern dairy plant - GEA equips dairy in Mechernich, Germany, with entire milk processing technology - Cutting-edge process technology and design ensure sustainable operation - Hochwald to start commercial production in new facility in 2022; plant to process around 800 million liters of milk annually Dusseldorf, October 28, 2021 - GEA Group AG and Hochwald Foods GmbH yesterday celebrated the first milk intake of a new, highly efficient dairy near Cologne together with all employees of the large construction site. The new plant in the German town of Mechernich will be the most modern dairy in Europe and will start commercial production as early as January 2022. Stefan Klebert, CEO GEA, is impressed by the project's progress: "GEA has defied the challenges in Mechernich. We kept this greenfield project on track through the Covid 19 period and the flood in summer 2021: we are on schedule and in exceptionally constructive cooperation with our long-standing customer." In the meantime, commissioning of the various process steps is underway. "Hochwald's new facility is a lighthouse project that we can all be proud of." GEA's highly efficient process technology lays the foundation for sustainable production of the new dairy. For example, the particularly short downtimes of the GEA plant ensure resource-saving operation. In addition, the sophisticated cleaning-in-place (CIP) concept saves water. Energy-efficient heat exchangers return the otherwise wasted waste heat from the process to an energy cycle for reuse elsewhere. In the future, Hochwald Foods will process around 800 million liters of milk per year in the new plant into high-quality dairy products such as UHT milk, UHT cream, UHT mixed milk products as well as condensed milk and UHT drinking yogurt. Detlef Latka, CEO Hochwald Foods, takes the first milk intake as an opportunity to thank all those involved in the project for their outstanding adherence to deadlines and quality in the course of the project so far: "Four years ago, the members of our cooperative paved the way for the construction of a new dairy with their resolution. From the search for land to the planning and construction work, the project is the result of a great team effort of which we can already be proud today. We will also overcome the final hurdles together until the start of commercial production next year." As a general equipment supplier, GEA's contract includes the execution planning, building, delivery, assembly and commissioning as well as acceptance of all process-related and operational treatment and processing machinery for the manufacturing of the various dairy products. The Mechernich plant focusses on products with a long shelf life, a benchmark field for GEA's aseptic technology[1]. This ensures the quality and taste of food to last six months and longer - even without cooling and preservatives, which in turn improves the environmental balance of the products. Media Relations

Anne Putz

Peter-Muller-Str. 12, 40468 Dusseldorf, Germany

Phone +49 211 9136-1500

anne.putz@gea.com About GEA

GEA is one of the world's largest systems suppliers to the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. The internationally active industrial technology group focuses on machines and plants as well as sophisticated process technology, components and comprehensive services. With more than 18,000 employees, the Group generated sales of more than EUR 4.6 billion in fiscal year 2020. A key focus is on making customers' production processes ever more sustainable and efficient. GEA's plants, processes and components help to significantly reduce CO 2 emissions, the use of plastics and food waste in production worldwide. In line with its corporate mission statement "Engineering for a better world", GEA is thus making a decisive contribution to a sustainable future. GEA is listed in the German MDAX and the STOXX(R) Europe 600 Index, and is also among the companies comprising the DAX 50 ESG and MSCI Global Sustainability Indices. More information can be found online at gea.com.

If you do not want to receive any further information from GEA, please send an e-mail to pr@gea.com. About Hochwald Foods

Hochwald Foods GmbH is the third-largest dairy company in Germany with a milk processing output of more than 2.3 billion kg of milk and around 1.65 billion euros in sales in 2020. With production sites in Germany and the Netherlands, the company covers the full range of dairy products. Hochwald owns well-known brands such as Barenmarke, Lunebest, Glucksklee, Elinas and Hochwald, as well as trademarks and international brands such as Bonny. Hochwald has set itself the goal of becoming an international marketing-oriented dairy specialist. To this end, the company is relying on its greatest strengths: its cooperative members and its employees. Cooperatives do not rely on short-term participation, but rather on long-term cooperation and organisation - principles on which sustainable business is built.



You can find more information online at www.hochwald.de [1] Aseptic technology protects food from microorganisms for a particularly long shelf life without refrigeration and preservatives, making it safe for consumption. Quality and taste are preserved for six months or longer, depending on the treatment.





Kontakt:

GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft

Tel. +49 (0)211 9136 1081

Fax +49 (0)211 9136 31087

gea.com Zusatzmaterial zur Meldung:



Datei: Die modernste Molkerei Europas nimmt Gestalt an: Stefan Klebert, CEO GEA (rechts), und Detlef Latka, CEO Hochwald Foods (links) feiern die erste Milchannahme. Bild: Hochwald Foods GmbH



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Tallinn, Estonia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 28, 2021) - Broxus, one of the leading developers of the FreeTON network, has announced that they have made key updates to TON Swap, the FreeTON powered DEX. The most significant changes are centered around the platform's farming offerings, which will be given expanded parameters in conjunction with the sustained growth and increase in liquidity the platform has experienced.

Since the project's early days, an ecosystem has crystallized around the network and its TON Crystal token, structured in large part by Broxus and other developers working to translate the unique capabilities of FreeTON into use cases that can be enjoyed by everyone. One of the brightest stars in the FreeTON constellation has been TON Swap, the platform's Broxus-powered DEX.

Recently, Broxus has completed an overhaul of the exchange, rewriting the exchange's frontend while also making it much easier to use by adding a bevy of relevant market and token data. In addition to the exchange's overall upgrade, Broxus has announced that it has expanded the parameters of one of the exchange's central features in its farming program.

Infinity Pools and Vesting

Due to prolonged growth and internal dialogue in the FreeTON community, Broxus has structured a long-term farming program on TON Swap. Central to the program are the new additions of infinity pools and vesting.

With infinity pools, farming pools are now capable of operating without set time limits. While there is no end date for farming, farming speed can be changed without having to create new pools. As it stands now, farming speed can be changed at intervals of a minimum of once every two weeks. While this update is being introduced, the platform's main WTON mining pools will remain unchanged for the next month, and token rewards will continue to be those that are specified by the pool.

Vesting is a means of managing excess supply in the market created by increases in Total Value Locked (TVL) and farming speeds. Vesting is an additional option for farming pools with set parameters on the percentage of tokens allocated for vesting and the duration they can remain that way. Vesting lasts for a period of 120 days and 50% of the rewards are unlocked by day 110. Over the course of 120 days everything will be unlocked. Two new parameters, vesting ratio and vesting period, have been added to the vesting protocols, along with two new designations pertaining to user data: entitled and unclaimed.

Beyond that, in connection with the Crystal Handshake program that is working to bring promising DeFi projects into the FreeTON ecosystem, there are a number of new tokens that are slated to be added to TON Swap, which will further expand the DEX's farming capabilities. Among the projects expected to join TON Swap are:

FRTN (gaming industry, tip-3)

EUPI (stable euro, tip-3)

BDCC (gaming industry, binance ecosystem)

FRAX (fractional-algorithmic stablecoin system based on ETH)

Chatex (DeFi crypto bank)

A bundle of tip-3 projects from the FreeTON ecosystem

A bundle of projects from the ETH ecosystem

These changes come as TON Swap has established itself firmly at the center of the FreeTON economy. Currently, there is more TON liquidity on TON Swap than there is on all of the industry's CEX's combined and total trading volume on TON Swap is nearing the equivalent of $60 million over its existence. Farming has played a central role in the flourishing of the exchange, and long-term farming in particular. The new changes and expansions to the farming program will see those figures continue to rise and more projects getting involved and adding to the already diverse FreeTON economy.

About FreeTON:

FreeTON is a fast, secure and scalable network with near-zero fees, which can process up to a million transactions per second thanks to its unique dynamic sharding technology. As a development built off of the Durov brothers' original TON concept, the FreeTON blockchain is designed to facilitate the widespread adoption of decentralized solutions by lowering the price and complexity entrance thresholds. The ecosystem features a number of products, including TON Swap Decentralized Exchange, the main DeFi ecosystem wallet Crystal wallet and bridges with other blockchains.

Media Contacts

Name: Lily

Company name: Broxus

Email: lily.pr@broxus.com

Website: https://tonswap.io/swap

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/101134
Kebony's patented wood modification technology enhances the qualities of sustainable softwood, giving it the characteristics and usability of premium hardwood

Kebony enables the production of sustainable and environmentally friendly wood at low cost, which has the potential to transform the construction industry

Kebony has demonstrated strong year-on-year growth, and will use the funding to expand and scale across the European and US markets

OSLO, Norway, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Kebony, the leading environmentally friendly wood modification technology company, today announces a successful EUR 30 million funding round led by Jolt Capital and Lightrock. Kebony's vision is to reduce CO2 emissions and tropical deforestation using its patented wood modification techniques, which produce superior wood in an environmentally friendly way.

The key disruptive trends in the construction industry are expressed by the need for greener, safer and better products, as the standard construction materials concrete and steel are large emitters of CO2 globally. In addition, the current large market for tropical wood is set to be replaced by enhanced wood to protect bio-diversity and reduce tropical deforestation.

The Kebony technology permanently transforms sustainable wood species such as pine into Kebony wood with features that are comparable, and in some cases superior, to those of precious tropical hardwoods. This unique environmentally friendly process is also a superior alternative to traditional wood treatment based on impregnation with wood preservatives.

Kebony's EUR 30 million financing round is led by Jolt Capital and Lightrock, who will join longstanding Kebony shareholders such as Goran, MVP, FPIM, PMV and Investinor, of which the latter two will remain represented on the Board of Directors. The capital injection will expand and accelerate Kebony's growth initiatives in core markets in Europe and the US. The funding will enable Kebony to further penetrate a EUR 3 billion market, and leverage the underlying megatrends of producing sustainable materials for the residential and non-residential construction industries.

"Kebony produces the most beautiful and ecological wood on the market, with a superior quality that is both environmentally friendly and cost-effective. To further leverage opportunities within the enhanced wood technology industry, we are proud to announce Jolt Capital and Lightrock as new investors in Kebony," says Norman Willemsen, Chief Executive Officer of Kebony.

"At Jolt Capital we have a strong interest in material science companies which leverage their patented technologies to offer sustainable products. With over 20 years of R&D in woodtech and a well-proven process that gives cultivated soft woods the desirable properties of hard tropical ones, Kebony is one of them. We are thrilled to finance the expansion of their European production facilities to both support the strong market growth and offer an alternative to rainforests deforestation," says Antoine Trannoy, Managing Partner at Jolt Capital.

"Kebony is perfectly positioned in the race for a decarbonized world with an ambition to be the leader within wood modification technologies. We look forward to supporting the company to implement its growth strategy and to leverage the significant operational scalability and continue the profitable growth journey," says Kevin Bone, Partner at Lightrock.

"The new management team has conducted a successful transformation of the company, and with backing of our new high-quality investors providing improved financial flexibility, Kebony can accelerate growth, enhance its technology development roadmap, and explore potential acquisitions. The addition of Didier Roux and Rebekah Braswell to the Board of Directors will strengthen Kebony's expansion and scalability. Coupled with the company's unique selling proposition and backed by double-digit growth, we believe Kebony is ideally positioned to unlock the full potential of sustainable and enhanced wood" says Cornelius Walter, newly appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors.

"Kebony reported a revenue growth of 23% in the first half of 2021, compared to the same period in 2020, with a strong positive EBITDA. The revenues in 2020 had already increased by 26% year-over-year, with a significant EBITDA improvement, driven by the company's geographical growth strategy in key markets. The finalization of the private placement significantly strengthens Kebony's financial flexibility and supports the accelerated growth strategy," says Thomas Vanholme, Chief Financial Officer of Kebony.

"As early investors in Kebony, we were impressed by the technology and the market opportunity that lay in substituting tropical hardwood with a sustainable alternative. We have seen the company through its transition from an early pioneer in the modified wood market to being a market leader in the segment, with demonstrated international growth potential. We are delighted to have Lightrock and Jolt Capital bring momentum to scaling Kebony in the years to come. What better way to make a massive impact on sustainability than stopping logging of precious tropical hardwoods, whilst still providing a long-lasting wood alternative to concrete, plastic and steel?" added Thomas Hoegh, Founder and CEO of Arts Alliance Ventures.

Carnegie AS and Pareto Securities AS have acted as financial advisors to the company.

About Kebony | www.kebony.com

Kebony is a Norwegian company which aims to be the leading wood brand and technology company. Underpinned by proven wood modification technologies, it produces an enhanced wood of a superior quality that is both environmentally friendly and cost-effective.

The company's headquarters is based in Oslo, while production, research and development and other administrative functions are located in the Skien municipality, south of Oslo. In addition, the Group has a production facility in Antwerp, Belgium. Kebony has subsidiaries in Norway, Denmark and Sweden, sales representatives in Germany, France, UK and the US and a wide distribution network internationally. Shareholders are leading the venture with private equity investors from Belgium, Germany, France, Norway and UK. The company has received numerous awards for its environmentally friendly technology and innovation, including its naming as a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer.

The Kebony technology permanently transforms sustainable wood species such as pine into Kebony wood with features that are comparable, and in some cases superior, to those of precious tropical hardwoods. This unique environmentally friendly process is also a superior alternative to traditional wood treatment based on impregnation with biocides (wood preservatives). The company's patent-protected production processes yield products that deliver major improvements in durability and dimensional stability, at the same time as being highly attractive. The Kebony products are suitable for a multitude of applications and designs - encompassing both indoor and outdoor applications.

Kebony's purpose and mission is, through active innovation, quality thinking and understanding of commercial possibilities; give the world beautiful, long lasting and environmentally friendly wood products. The company will show social responsibility and contribute to improvements of the environment in a way that builds a better future.

About Jolt Capital | www.jolt-capital.com

Jolt Capital provides growth equity financing to European B2B technology companies about to go global and with current revenue from 15m to 50m. Led by seasoned investors and former C-level executives, Jolt Capital actively drives portfolio companies' expansion and exits. Jolt Capital's proprietary AI platform, Jolt.Ninja, exponentially improves mapping of Europe's technology ecosystem, ESG-compliant deal flow generation, due diligences and post-investment activities.

About Lightrock | www.lightrock.com

Lightrock is a global private equity platform backing purpose-driven entrepreneurs tackling the world's biggest challenges. Since 2007, Lightrock has invested in companies that pursue scalable and tech-driven business models around the key impact themes of people, planet, and productivity/tech for good. Lightrock's portfolio includes more than 60 high-growth companies, supported by over 50 professionals based in 7 cities across Europe, Latin America, India and Africa.

Lightrock is backed by the Princely House of Liechtenstein and LGT, the international private banking and asset management group.
Open source leader actively recruiting interested enterprises to develop a new vendor-neutral, working group focused on building the next-generation vehicles based on open source

BRUSSELS, Belgium, Oct. 28, 2021, one of the world's largest open source foundations, along with multiple industry leaders, including Bosch, Microsoft and others, today announced an open invitation for technology leaders to help define a new working group focused specifically on the Software-Defined Vehicle. The ultimate goal will be the creation of a vendor-agnostic, open source ecosystem with a vivid, contributing community focused on building the foundation for a new era in automotive software development. This announcement serves as a "call to action" for all interested parties to join this initiative and help shape the future of mobility.



Today, next-generation vehicle developers are turning to software-based solutions for their new designs. The Eclipse Foundation believes this will lead to an open source revolution that results in software-defined vehicles. Software-defined vehicles will enable vehicle manufacturers as well as automotive suppliers to put software at the very center of vehicle development, with hardware considerations to follow.

"We're very excited to develop this new effort here at the Eclipse Foundation. Although we have extensive roots with the automotive community, a project of this scope and scale has never been attempted before," said Mike Milinkovich, executive director of the Eclipse Foundation. "This initiative enables participants to get in at the 'ground level" and ensure they each have an equal voice in this project."

To achieve this significant change in the design process, this new working group will build the foundation of an open ecosystem for deploying, configuring, and monitoring vehicle software in a secure and safe way. Vehicle manufactures around the world may use this foundation to focus on differentiating customer features, like mobility services and end-user experience improvements, while saving time and cost on the non-differentiating elements, like operating systems, middleware or communication protocols.

To support the transformation to software-defined vehicles, major players from the technology industry as well as the automotive industry are encouraged to collaboratively develop an open source in-vehicle application runtime stack, cloud-based vehicle operations as well as highly integrated development toolchains. The ultimate goal of the open source software-defined vehicle initiative is to scale in-vehicle software across vehicle models, product lines, brands, organizations, and time.

The Eclipse Foundation and its decades of experience managing the governance of complex technology initiatives and multi-vendor organizations make it the ideal organization to help manage such an endeavor. Its commitment to transparency, vendor-neutrality, and a shared voice will ensure that all participants have the opportunity to shape the future of the working group.

To learn more about getting involved with the Eclipse Foundation's Software-Defined Vehicle initiative, please visit us at sdv.eclipse.org , or email us at membership@eclipse.org.

Quotes from Members

BlackBerry

"This Eclipse Foundation Software-Defined Vehicle collaboration will be an important factor in influencing next-generation Software-Defined Vehicle architectures," said Grant Courville, vice-president of product management and strategy at BlackBerry QNX. "BlackBerry QNX has a long history of embracing industry standards and we continue to work very closely with our customers and partners to help define and enable future automotive architectures. As a founding member, for 20 years BlackBerry has had a front row seat to The Eclipse Foundation's relentless pursuit to help spur developer innovation and we're thrilled to be part of this new initiative with a view to accelerating the software-defined future of automotive."

Bosch

"Technological, organizational, and cultural innovations pave the way for the software-defined vehicle. The use of open-source software and technology neutrality are the pillars for a strong community to actively shape the transformation in automotive software engineering together with our customers and partners," said Sven Kappel, vice president - Head of Project Software Defined Vehicle at Bosch. "For Bosch, collaboration across industries is key to realize the software-defined vehicle. Together with the Eclipse Foundation and other participants we are driving this change and looking forward to welcoming additional contributors to the initiative."

EPAM Systems

"The automotive industry is undergoing a period of rapid transformation, with the next generation of vehicles transitioning to software-defined," said Alex Agizim, CTO, Automotive & Embedded Systems, EPAM. "EPAM is proud to bring its embedded engineering and digital orchestration expertise to this industry-first initiative for open-source software-defined vehicles. In partnership with Bosch, Microsoft, The Eclipse Foundation and more, this collaboration will help usher in the new era in automotive development."

ETAS

"The software-defined vehicle will play a key role in the future of mobility," said Christoph Hartung, president and chairman of the ETAS Board of Management. "The explosive increase in complexity can only be mastered by working closely together as we do in this initiative."

Microsoft

??"With digital technologies unlocking the future of accessible, sustainable and safe transportation experiences, mobility services providers are increasingly looking to differentiate through software innovation," said Ulrich Homann, corporate vice president and Distinguished Architect, Microsoft. "By standardizing the development, deployment and management of software-defined vehicles through collaboration in the open-source space, businesses can bring tailored mobility solutions to their customers faster and can focus on innovations."

Red Hat

"Since our founding, Red Hat has clearly seen and advocated for open source collaboration as a force multiplier for software quality and value," said Francis Chow, vice president, In-Vehicle Operating System, Red Hat. "We are pleased to collaborate on software-defined vehicles built with an open source backbone alongside the other member organizations of the Eclipse Software-Defined Vehicle initiative."

SUSE

"Defining and developing the software-defined vehicle will transform the automotive industry, enabling manufacturers to truly address the rapidly changing concerns and pain points the market is experiencing today," said Thomas Di Giacomo, SUSE chief technology and product officer. "For nearly 30 years, SUSE has been a trusted partner supporting systems and essential workloads in some of the most challenging and critical industries, including the automotive industry. We are eager to contribute our experience and ready-to-use open source technologies to help advance the automotive software industry."

About the Eclipse Foundation

The Eclipse Foundation provides our global community of individuals and organizations with a mature, scalable, and business-friendly environment for open source software collaboration and innovation. The Foundation is home to the Eclipse IDE, Jakarta EE, and over 400 open source projects, including runtimes, tools, and frameworks for cloud and edge applications, IoT, AI, automotive, systems engineering, distributed ledger technologies, open processor designs, and many others. The Eclipse Foundation is an international non-profit association supported by over 330 members, including industry leaders who value open source as a key enabler for their business strategies. To learn more, follow us on Twitter @EclipseFdn , LinkedIn or visit eclipse.org .

Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

Media contacts:

Schwartz Public Relations for the Eclipse Foundation, AISBL

Julia Rauch / Sophie Dechansreiter / Tobias Wei

Sendlinger Strae 42A

80331 Munich

EclipseFoundation@schwartzpr.de

+49 (89) 211 871 - 43 / -35 / -70
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 28, 2021) - BAROYECA GOLD & SILVER INC. (TSXV: BGS) (the "Company") is pleased to announce it has finished the first drill hole from its phase 1 drilling program at its flagship Atocha high-grade silver project in Tolima, Colombia.

Baroyeca's initial 2,000m phase 1 drilling program at the La Ye vein system is underway and the company finished drilling its first drill hole, which intersected two mineralized zones as initially targeted. Two shallow mineralized zones were intersected from 14.8m to 16m and from 32m to 33.2m comprised of thin quartz/adularia veins showing disseminated pyrite/sphalerite/galena sulfides. The target larger mineralized zone corresponds to the San Antonio Vein mapped at surface dipping 60 degrees to the northwest, which was intersected from 69.25m to 75.8m. The vein zone is locally very brecciated and spans a wide interval marked by pervasive sericite/pyrite alteration of the host rock and a high density of quartz and coarse sulfides, mainly pyrite. Core samples are being processed and the Company will release results in groups of two or three holes once assays have returned from the laboratory.

Baroyeca will drill a total of three holes from this initial drill pad before moving to the next using multiple drill platforms to follow the vein trend along strike from its northeastern end towards the southwest. It is anticipated to target several stacked and closely spaced parallel silver-rich veins identified at surface with 25m step outs. Drilling will help characterize these veins at depth as well as the distribution of the high-grade silver (and gold) zones found at surface. Depending on results, and as land permits are obtained, the drill program will progress beyond 2,000m, to test other targets.

Raul Sanabria, P.Geo., President of Baroyeca commented: "I was on site during the drilling of the first hole and I was very excited to see us hit the target mineralized zone in the first hole and see the core coming out of the barrel. Hitting the vein with the first hole as planned sets us up well for continuing to define the vein as we step out long its strike."

The La Ye vein system is a zone comprised of three parallel vein zones over a width of 250m. The northernmost vein is well exposed and appears to be a high-grade shoot with silver values from rock chip samples collected at surface returning up to 948.2g/t AgEq. The central part of the system is comprised of three large parallel veins and several low angle associated vein sets. The best sampling results have come from an exposure of the vein along the San Antonio creek in the north-facing slopes with assay results from rock chip samples returning bonanza grades of 2,544g/t Ag in one vein and 1,317g/t Ag in a parallel vein. Other samples returned more than 300g/t Ag (see previous corporate press releases).

About Baroyeca Gold & Silver Inc.

Baroyeca Gold & Silver Inc. is a mineral exploration company focused on high-grade silver and gold projects located in Colombia. Baroyeca's flagship asset is the high-grade Atocha Silver-Gold Project located in Tolima Department, Colombia. The Company also holds an option to acquire a 100% interest in the Santa Barbara Property, Bolivar Department, Colombia, which is renowned for its high-grade gold mineralization and vein density. Current exploration activities on the Santa Barbara Property involve the bulk sampling of vein structures, which material then feeds into a trial production facility which has consistently been producing gold for over a year. The revenue from the sale of produced gold defrays part of the operating costs. The Company is planning to expand these activities.

The Company's Board and senior management are committed to creating shareholder value through the discovery process, careful allocation of capital, and environmentally and socially responsible mineral exploration.

Qualified Person

Raul Sanabria, M.Sc., P.Geo., President of Baroyeca Gold & Silver Inc. and a qualified person ("QP") as defined by Canadian National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this release.

BAROYECA GOLD & SILVER INC.

Per: "Raul Sanabria"

Raul Sanabria, President

FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:

Rick Wilson - (604) 351-3599

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or the accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/101092
Solidium's Annual General Meeting was held in Helsinki on 28 October 2021. The Annual General Meeting adopted the company's financial statements for the financial year 1 July 2020-30 June 2021 and discharged the members of the Board of Directors and the CEO from liability. In accordance with the Board's proposal, the Annual General Meeting decided on a profit distribution of EUR 368 million to the owner. For a term ending at the end of the next Annual General Meeting, the following persons were re-elected to the Board of Directors: Harri Sailas (Chairman), Aaro Cantell (Vice-Chairman), and Timo Ahopelto, Jannica Fagerholm, Marjo Miettinen and Laura Raitio as Board members. Jouko Karvinen and Jukka Ohtola were elected as new Board members. The Annual General Meeting confirmed the existing remuneration of the Board of Directors: Chairman of the Board of Directors shall receive a remuneration of EUR 5,500 per month, the Vice Chairman EUR 3,000 per month, and each member EUR 2,500 per month. In addition, a meeting remuneration of EUR 600 was confirmed for each meeting. KPMG Oy Ab, authorised public accountants, with APA Marcus Totterman as the principal auditor, was re-appointed as Solidium's auditor to serve for a term ending at the end of the next Annual General Meeting.





Solidium Oy





Further information: Harri Sailas, Chairman of the Board, call-back requests Inka Virtanen, tel. +358 (0)10 830 8901





Solidium is a limited company wholly owned by the State of Finland. Its mission is to strengthen and stabilise Finnish ownership in nationally important companies and increase the value of its holdings in the long term. The basis and core objective of Solidium's strategy is proper, value-enhancing asset management of its current holdings. Through its stakes, Solidium is a minority owner in eleven listed companies: Elisa, Kemira, Konecranes, Metso Outotec, Nokia, Nokian Tyres, Outokumpu, Sampo, Stora Enso, TietoEVRY and Valmet. The market value of Solidium's investments is approximately EUR 9.7 billion. Further information: www.solidium.fi
NEW YORK, Oct. 28, 2021(AICI), today announced the appointment of two additional experienced professionals to its leadership team. Karine Fillion has joined as Deputy Managing Director, and Lauren O'Connor was promoted to VP of Global Account Management.



"2021 is a remarkable year for Synthesio, with a significant growth trajectory, some great new strategic client wins, and several industry awards. To seize the opportunity of our Leader position in the emerging AICI category, we must invest the necessary resources. Building an invested, capable, and passionate leadership team is an essential step in the success of any organization. I am also very proud that Synthesio's leadership reflects more our values of multiculturalism and inclusion," stated Leendert de Voogd, Global Service Line Leader, Social Intelligence Analytics.



Karine Fillion previously managed consultancy companies and held leadership roles at agency Wunderman, Palo IT, and Viseo. She brings 24 years of experience helping clients gain the up-to-date methods, tools and expertise to better seize the power of digital technology, and benefit from the knowledge, insight, and decision empowerment only data can give. "I am delighted to join the Synthesio team. Our company is made up of highly experienced professionals who are determined to offer an industry-leading product and an unparalleled level of service and consulting to help brands face more and more complex challenges. I am excited that together we will help our customers see what they have been missing, and understand consumers, their environment, and unearth business opportunities through AI-enabled Consumer Intelligence," noted Ms. Fillion.

Lauren O'Connor previously served as Director of Account Management at Synthesio, before being promoted to VP of Global Account Management. In this new role, Lauren's purpose is to help customers get the most value from Synthesio and provide them the best support to uncover meaningful, actionable insights. Lauren has more than 15 years of experience in account management and marketing across various industries and firms including Teradata and Ford Motor Company.

"Synthesio's client experience stands out among the top players in the AI-enabled consumer intelligence market. In fact, Synthesio received the top ranking of the hybrid providers who offer both services and a platform in the most recent Forrester report. This is why I am particularly excited about the idea of helping our clients to surface the insights that will allow them to support strategic business decisions," added Ms. O'Connor.

These additions follow the recent appointment of industry veteran Allen Bonde , as CMO of Synthesio in June of 2021.



About Synthesio

Synthesio, an Ipsos company, is a global leader in AI-enabled Consumer Intelligence. Our hybrid offering provides companies, brands, and agencies with the most complete, accurate, and predictive picture of their markets and buyers. Our AICI platform, powered by the most advanced natural language understanding and AI algorithms, supports the broadest set of online and offline data sources and fully leverages Ipsos' award-winning analytical frameworks. Synthesio was founded in 2006 and has offices in New York, Paris, London, Singapore, and Brussels.


Leading NMR diagnostics company numares AG today announced that the company signed an exclusive licence agreement with Oxford University Innovation. This allows numares to translate and exploit preliminary work of Oxford University on Multiple Sclerosis (MS) biomarkers for the development of an urgently needed in-vitro diagnostics (IVD) test able to detect disease progression earlier to improve patient management and outcome. The exclusive licence enables numares to further develop the biomarkers into a multi-marker based diagnostic test and commercialization thereof.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005044/en/

numares AXINON IVD System: The AI-driven AXINON Software, in combination with advanced NMR technology, is expected to allow evaluation of a multi-marker algorithm for early detection of disease progression in Multiple Sclerosis. Further numares' tests* can be implemented on AXINON: e.g. to identify early kidney rejection in post-transplant surveillance, assess kidney function by improved determination of glomerular filtration rate (GFR), and determine risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). For Research Use only in the United States. numares' products are not yet available for sale within the United States; they have not yet been approved or cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (Photo: Business Wire)

In about 85% of patients with MS, the disease initially takes a relapsing-remitting course. Most patients with "relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS)" will eventually transition to "secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS)" with continuous worsening of symptoms. This transition occurs subtly and is difficult to define clinically, requiring retrospective evaluation of the disease course over the past 12 months. This delay in diagnosis prevents timely adoption of treatment regimens for effective patient management and improved long-term clinical outcomes.

The collaboration between Oxford University and numares began in 2017 with the common goal to validate a set of biomarkers, which had been previously identified by Oxford researchers, for detecting transition from RRMS to SPMS. This used clinical data acquired from a multi-centre cohort collected by Oxford's partners.

numares provided its proprietary AXINON IVD System that delivers standardized Magnetic Group Signaling (MGS measures of metabolite levels in patient samples from Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy (NMR). Based on such NMR data, the company develops multi-marker algorithms for several diagnostic tests, by combining relevant biomarkers into "biomarker constellations" and applying machine learning and other modelling approaches.

"We are enthusiastic to enter the next phase of the collaboration and utilize Oxford's excellent preliminary scientific work and numares' expertise for the development of an MS IVD test based on the multi-marker approach," comments Volker Pfahlert, CEO of numares. "Our mission is to improve patient care by providing better diagnostic tools to help physicians better manage their patients. This fruitful collaboration with Oxford researchers gets us closer to our mutual goal to bring first class research to the bedside of MS patients."

Professor Daniel Anthony, Head of Experimental Neuropathology Laboratory, Department of Pharmacology at the University of Oxford and lead scientist on the project, adds:

"We are very pleased to have such anexperienced industrial partner in numares to commercialize our research findings as a breakthrough test, which enables early detection of the transition from RRMS stage to SPMS stage for the first time. This will have a significant impact on the care of individuals living with MS. The test opens up the possibility to monitor the condition more closely and thus improve therapeutic decision making."

The IVD development will start in 2022. In early 2021, both parties also agreed to extend their partnership for another two years and expand the approach of multi-marker use in diagnostics to the field of Alzheimer's disease.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005044/en/

Contacts:

numares

Christiane Proll

Tel.: +49 941 280 949-14

E-Mail: christiane.proll@numares.com
Global leader in speech and language industry welcomes 20-year voice industry Silicon Valley veteran from Amazon.

PROVO, Utah, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Canary Speech announced Oct. 28 that Gavin O'Duffy has agreed to join the company as Chief Business Officer (CBO). O'Duffy will report directly to Henry O'Connell, CEO for Canary Speech and will be tasked with opening European offices for Canary Speech in Dublin, Ireland.

O'Duffy has spent the last 10 years with Amazon, both in Silicon Valley and in Europe. He was hired originally to develop and manage Amazon's technical partnerships with global tier 1 wireless carriers for tablets, e-readers and smartphones. Subsequently, he was selected to be a founding member of Alexa Voice Service (AVS) technical team, working with ODMs and system integrators to design new voice controlled products. O'Duffy also was responsible for creating, designing and staffing the Alexa Certification Program for Alexa built-in devices. This organization grew into a cross functional team of over 50 external facing engineers, solution architects and security engineers. Most recently, he was responsible for EU technical strategy with consulting and professional services including Alexa for Hospitality.

O'Duffy's career in telecommunications began when he worked as a network design consultant on assignment across Europe and Asia for Ericsson and Vodafone. He then moved to Palo Alto where he worked for Danger, Microsoft and HP, in senior external-facing roles managing strategic relationships responsible for regulatory and industry approvals on smartphones. O'Duffy received a master's degree of electrical engineering from University of York, a bachelor's degree of electrical engineering from the University of Hull in England and is an Advanced Project Management (APM) graduate of Stanford University.

"I first met Gavin a few years ago at Harvard University while attending a voice conference and was immediately impressed with his knowledge and professionalism. We could not be more elated to have a leader such as him to guide our sales and marketing strategy as we continue to expand our technology capabilities," stated Henry O'Connell, co-founder and CEO of Canary Speech.

In joining Canary Speech, O'Duffy comments, "I'm excited by Canary's mission to leverage AI and Machine Learning (ML) techniques to assist healthcare professionals in the diagnosis and evaluation of diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease well as developing objective measurements in the evaluation of stress, anxiety, depression and PTSD. As part of my role, I will be establishing a new office in Dublin, Ireland and growing the team to better support United States and international customers."

ABOUT CANARY SPEECH

Canary Speech is the global leader in the speech digital biomarker industry by achieving real time vocal analysis on as little as 40 seconds of speech using smart devices. The Utah-based company enhances patient care and outcomes by improving quality of care and quality of life with its patented AI speech technology. Canary Speech technology also provides the opportunity to enhance telemedicine and remote medical services. For more information, visit www.canaryspeech.com .

Press Contact:

Caitlyn Brooksby

801-369-8408

caitlyn@canaryspeech.com

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FRANKFURT, Germany, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The new World Robotics 2021 Industrial Robots report presented by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) shows a record of about 310,700 industrial robots operating in factories of the United States - an increase of 6%. Sales of new robots slowed down by 8% in 2020. This was the second year of decline following eight years of growth.

"The USA is the largest industrial robot user in North America, with a share of 84% of the region's total installations," says Milton Guerry, President of the International Federation of Robotics. "Installations in the electrical and electronics industry grew by 7% to 3,700 units in 2020, while the automotive industry demanded substantially fewer robots with 10,500 units and minus 19%."

After a contraction by 3.5% of GDP in 2020, the US economy is expected to grow by 6.7% in 2021 and by 4.4% in 2022, thus exceeding the pre-crisis level in 2021. Order intake in the robotics industry has been growing since the second half of 2020 and turnover has been following suit since the first half of 2021.

The disruptions to international supply chains make "reshoring" of formerly offshored supply chains an option. This requires building up new production capacity, using modern technology, including robots. Additional stimulus will be gained if the new US government finds a diplomatic solution to the existing trade conflicts with China and the EU.

The North American countries United States, Canada, and Mexico represent the second largest operational stock of industrial robots in the world after China. Following the US with 310,700 units in 2020, Mexico's operational stock comes second with about 42,600 units, which is a plus of 6% and Canada - ranking third - with about 29,400 units - plus 3%. Most of the robots in the USA are imported from Japan, Korea, and Europe. Although there are not many North American robot manufacturers, there are numerous important robot system integrators.

Outlook

The "boom after crisis" is expected to fade slightly in 2022 on a global scale. From 2021 to 2024, average annual growth rates in the medium single-digit range are expected. Minor contractions may occur as a statistical effect, 'catch-up' occurs in 2022 or 2023. If this anomaly takes place, it will not break the overall growth trend. The notable mark of 500,000 units installed per year worldwide is expected to be reached in 2024.

Please find the FULL INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE for download here: https://ifr.org/ifr-press-releases/news/robot-sales-rise-again

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TOKYO, Oct 28, 2021 - (JCN Newswire) - Fujitsu Limited and Autofleet, Ltd., providing an optimization platform for fleets, leveraging AI for demand prediction and vehicle dispatching technology, have agreed to embark on global strategic cooperation to develop sustainable logistics solutions and contribute to the resolution of issues including labor shortages in the logistics industry and environmental problems. To kick-start co-creation activities, Fujitsu has made a strategic investment in Autofleet through a corporate venture capital fund managed by its subsidiary Fujitsu Ventures Limited (1).Logistics represents a critical element in the infrastructure of society, and enriches peoples' lives by supporting economic development within a complex ecosystem. Changes in peoples' lifestyles with the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has upended existing consumer business models, highlighting the importance of logistics as demand for shipping and e-commerce services increase dramatically.These trends have exposed fundamental weaknesses in the global supply chain, as the logistics industry confronts new challenges posed by labor shortages and environmental issues due to increased CO2 emissions. With this latest move, Fujitsu and Autofleet recognize the urgent need to develop more dynamic and resilient models for logistics to ultimately deliver more efficient and environmentally sustainable approaches.By combining Autofleet's platform, with Fujitsu's know-how in systems development and industry expertise in logistics, the two companies aim to leverage their joint activities to develop and bring to market sustainable global logistics solutions.The two companies envision use cases including solutions for the dynamic allocation of trucks for last-mile transport for home delivery, where demand for logistics fluctuates widely, as well as vehicle matching (2) for emergency transport, the coordination of mixed vehicles transporting passengers, and freight with public transport. The companies will also explore the possibilities of route optimization solutions based on the location of charging points for electric vehicles, which are being introduced in the logistics industry with the aim of achieving decarbonization targets.This partnership will be introduced during a virtual session during Fujitsu's flagship digital experience, "Fujitsu ActivateNow 2021" Session 2 (https://event.jp.fujitsu.com/activatenow/), during the "Green DX Accelerated Through Sustainable and Resilient Logistics" part of the "Trusted Society Day" scheduled for Friday, October 29 for audiences in Japan (available on demand from October 29 until November 30).(1) Fujitsu Ventures Limited:Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Hideaki Yajimahttps://www.fujitsu.com/jp/group/fjv/en/about(2) Matching of vehicles:matching of truck operators with cosigners for freight transportationAbout FujitsuFujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company offering a full range of technology products, solutions and services. Approximately 126,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with our customers. Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) reported consolidated revenues of 3.6 trillion yen (US$34 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021. For more information, please see www.fujitsu.com.About AutofleetAutofleet provides the leading Vehicle-as-a-Service platform for fleets to optimize existing operations and to seamlessly launch new business models from existing assets. The platform leverages advanced machine-learning algorithms for demand prediction, optimized placement and matching, automated pit-stop management and in/de-fleeting, and more. To date, Autofleet is optimizing tens of thousands of vehicles, and has partnered with some of the largest fleets on the planet. More information is available at https://www.autofleet.io/.Source: Fujitsu LtdCopyright 2021 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Oil prices fell more than 1 percent on Thursday to extend losses from the previous session after official figures showed a jump in U.S. inventories of crude and Iran said talks with world powers to revive a 2015 nuclear deal would resume before the end of next month. Brent crude futures for January delivery fell 93 cents, or 1.1 percent, to $82.94 per barrel, while U.S. crude futures for December settlement were down $1.24, or 1.5 percent, at $81.42. Data released by U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) on Wednesday showed crude oil inventories increased by about 4.3 million barrels last week, more than twice the expected increase of 1.9 million barrels. Gasoline stocks fell by nearly 2 million barrels last week, while distillate inventories dropped by about 432,000 barrels. Meanwhile, media reports suggest that Iran will return to broader nuclear talks before the end of November, setting the stage for a lifting of sanctions and the return of Iranian oil. Iran has agreed to resume talks with six world powers aimed at reviving the Iran nuclear agreement by the end of November, Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani tweeted on Wednesday, after his meeting with his EU counterpart Enrique Mora on the same day. Bagheri Kani added that an exact date would be announced next week. If talks turn out to be successful, about 1.3 million b/d of Iranian oil would return to global export markets, according to some analyst estimates. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
TOKYO, Oct 28, 2021 - (JCN Newswire) - Mazda Motor Corporation's production and sales results for September 2021 and for April through September 2021 are summarized below.I. Production1. Domestic Production(1) September 2021Mazda's domestic production volume in September 2021 decreased 49.3% year on year due to decreased production of passenger vehicles.[Domestic production of key models in September 2021]CX-5: 18,921 units (down 38.9% year on year)MAZDA3: 7,260 units (down 45.7%)CX-30: 5,808 units (down 21.9%)(2) April through September 2021Mazda's total domestic production volume in the period from April through September 2021 increased 14.3% year on year due to increased production of passenger vehicles.[Domestic production of key models in the period from April through September 2021]CX-5: 139,403 units (up 25.8% year on year)MAZDA3: 48,124 units (up 29.6%)CX-30: 28,719 units (up 28.5%)2. Overseas Production(1) September 2021Mazda's overseas production volume in September 2021 decreased 34.0% year on year, reflecting decreased production of passenger and commercial vehicles.[Overseas production of key models in September 2021]MAZDA3: 13,322 units (down 0.8% year on year)CX-30: 9,190 units (down 28.1%)CX-5: 2,798 units (down 16.1%)(2) April through September 2021Mazda's total overseas production volume in the period from April through September 2021 decreased 24.7% year on year due to decreased production of passenger and commercial vehicles.[Overseas production of key models in the period from April through September 2021]CX-30: 55,683 units (up 9.5% year on year)MAZDA3: 50,854 units (down 8.1%)MAZDA2: 18,516 units (down 4.3%)II. Domestic Sales(1) September 2021Mazda's domestic sales volume in September 2021 decreased 50.0% year on year due to decreased sales of passenger and commercial vehicles.Mazda's registered vehicle market share was 4.0% (down 1.6 points year on year), with a 1.8% share of the micro-mini segment (down 0.5 points) and a 3.2% total market share (down 1.2 points).[Domestic sales of key models in September 2021]CX-30: 1,632 units (down 43.8% year on year)MAZDA3: 1,599 units (down 29.8%)CX-5: 1,535 units (down 41.1%)(2) April through September 2021Mazda's domestic sales volume in the period from April through September 2021 decreased 19.2% year on year due to decreased sales of passenger and commercial vehicles.Mazda's registered vehicle market share was 3.5% (down 1.1 points), with a 1.8% share of the micro-mini segment (down 0.3 points) and a 2.9% total market share (down 0.7 points year on year).[Domestic sales of key models in the period from April through September 2021]MAZDA2: 9,388 units (down 22.8% year on year)CX-5: 7,230 units (down 15.3%)CX-30: 6,772 units (down 33.1%)III. Exports(1) September 2021Mazda's export volume in September 2021 decreased 61.1% year on year due to decreased shipments to North America, Europe, Oceania and other reasons.[Exports of key models in September 2021]CX-5: 12,022 units (down 59.8 % year on year)MAZDA3: 4,598 units (down 55.0%)CX-30: 3,368 units (down 35.4%)(2) April through September 2021Mazda's export volume in the period from April through September 2021 increased 28.9% year on year due to increased shipments to North America, Europe, Oceania and other regions.[Exports of key models in the period from April through September 2021]CX-5: 136,975 units (up 29.7% year on year)MAZDA3: 41,935 units (up 43.9%)CX-9: 25,899 units (up 40.3%)IV. Global SalesSource: MazdaCopyright 2021 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / October 28, 2021 / (TSXV:OGN) (OTCQX:OGNRF) Orogen Royalties Inc. ("Orogen" or the "Company") is pleased to announce an update for its royalty portfolio including the Ermitano 2% Net Smelter Return ("NSR") royalty in Sonora, Mexico and the Silicon 1% NSR royalty in Nevada, USA.

The following disclosure is summarized from disclosure by the project owners and has not been independently verified by Orogen.

Ermitano West Deposit

Project owner First Majestic Silver Corp. ("First Majestic") announced[1] that initial production at the Ermitano deposit will begin in the coming months and represents a significant step-up in output at the Santa Elena processing facility. Development of the Ermitano deposit and infrastructure have progressed well over 2021, with an initial 45,271 tonnes of ore grading 4.0 grams per tonne ("g/t") gold and 41 g/t silver (5,800 ounces gold and 59,640 ounces silver) stockpiled on surface. First Majestic intends to stockpile up to 60,000 tonnes of ore by the end of 2021.

Road construction connecting the Ermitano West deposit to the processing plant is now 80% complete and upgrading Santa Elena's liquid natural gas ("LNG") facility for long term power requirements continues. Two drill rigs are presently exploring Ermitano and a pre-feasibility study is expected to be released by the end of this quarter[2].

Current resources at Ermitano West reported by First Majestic include the following[3]:

Resource Category Tonnes (K) Gold grade (g/t) Silver grade (g/t) Gold (K ounces) Silver (M ounces) Indicated 2,452 4.25 64 335 36.1 Inferred 6,022 2.69 57 522 59.5

Orogen's 2% NSR royalty interest covers the Ermitano deposit and 122 square kilometres of prospective ground within the Rio Sonora Valley in Mexico. (See Figures 1 and 2)

Figure 1 - Orogen's Ermitano royalty interest (tan-coloured claims) in Sonora, Mexico

Figure 2 - Ermitano east and west portals. (source: https://www.firstmajestic.com/projects/exploration-development/ermitano/ )

Silicon and Merlin Projects

Project owner AngloGold Ashanti N.A. ("AngloGold") has taken several significant and positive steps at the Silicon and Merlin projects and within the greater Beatty District over 2021. AngloGold began the year following up on approximately 28,000 metres of drilling completed at Silicon and Merlin and now are in excess of 70,000 metres in the area[4]. According to AngloGold, exploration results "indicate the potential for significant oxide orebodies at Silicon and Merlin, as well as additional sulphide potential at Silicon at depth." AngloGold announced plans to publish a mineral resource at Silicon and Merlin for the year ending December 31, 2021, with additional drilling and exploration ongoing.

AngloGold also recently announced it entered into an agreement with Corvus Gold Inc. ("Corvus") to acquire all the securities of Corvus for a total equity value of US$450 million. The acquisition of Corvus includes the North Bullfrog, Lynnda Strip and Mother Lode areas. These lands surround the Silicon and Merlin areas and collectively provide AngloGold the opportunity to develop a low-cost Tier 1 asset in one of the premier mining districts in the world. AngloGold anticipates mining production at North Bullfrog in the next three to four years, followed by Silicon and Merlin (where Orogen holds its 1% NSR royalty interest), Lynnda Strip and Motherlode.

Orogen's 1% NSR royalty covers 58.9 square kilometres of prospective ground in the Beatty District including the Silicon and Merlin areas. (See Figure 3)

Figure 3 - Claim map of Orogen's Silicon royalty interest (red box) in the Bare Mountain area of Nevada

Other Royalties

Orogen holds royalty interests in nine other exploration properties in Canada, United States and Mexico. In particular, Orogen holds a 2% NSR royalty on Kodiak Copper Corp.'s ("Kodiak") Axe project in south central British Columbia, a gold-rich copper porphyry target adjacent and on the same structural trend to Kodiak's MPD Project. Recent exploration results at MPD's Gate Zone include drill hole MPD-21-16 that intersected 105 metres grading 0.50% copper, 0.39 g/t gold and 1.57 g/t silver within a broader 504 metre interval of 0.37% copper, 0.15 g/t gold and 1.11 g/t silver[5]. Kodiak plans to explore the Axe project and other areas on the MPD Project in 2022.

In Mexico, Orogen holds a 1% NSR royalty on the Cumaro Project, a low sulpidation epithermal gold target in Sonora. Project owner Heliostar Metals Ltd. ("Heliostar") recently announced high-grade gold and silver results from a channel sampling from three closely spaced veins along the 'Verde' vein corridor[6]:

10.3 g/t gold and 168 g/t silver over 5.0 metres

11.5 g/t gold and 125 g/t silver over 1.75 metres

8.35 g/t gold and 92 g/t silver over 2.1 metres

4.68 g/t gold and 61 g/t silver over 3.0 metres;

11.9 g/t gold and 130 g/t silver over 1.65 metres; and

2.65 g/t gold and 105 g/t silver over 5.9 metres;

Heliostar plans to drill up to 3,000 metres at Cumaro upon the completion of their recently announced private placement[7].

Qualified Person Statement

All technical data, as disclosed in this press release, has been verified by Laurence Pryer, Ph.D., P.Geo., Exploration Manager for Orogen. Dr. Pryer is a qualified person as defined under the terms of National Instrument 43-101.

Orogen relies on technical information and certain forward-looking statements that have been publicly disclosed by other mining and exploration companies. Additional information can be found at www.sedar.com, www.sec.gov, and on respective company websites.

About Orogen Royalties Inc.

Orogen Royalties Inc. is focused on organic royalty creation and royalty acquisitions on precious and base metal discoveries in western North America. The Company's royalty portfolio includes the Ermitano West gold deposit in Sonora, Mexico (2% NSR royalty) being developed by First Majestic Silver Corp. and the Silicon gold project (1% NSR royalty) in Nevada, USA, being advanced by AngloGold Ashanti N.A. The Company is well financed with several projects actively being developed by joint venture partners.

On Behalf of the Board

OROGEN ROYALTIES INC.

Paddy Nicol

President & CEO

To find out more about Orogen, please contact Paddy Nicol, President & CEO at 604-248-8648, and Marco LoCascio, Vice President, Corporate Development at 604-248-8648. Visit our website at www.orogenroyalties.com.

Orogen Royalties Inc.

1201 - 510 West Hastings Street

Vancouver, BC

Canada V6B 1L8

info@orogenroyalties.com

Forward-Looking Information

This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this presentation, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that Orogen Royalties Inc. (the "Company") expect to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur.

Forward-looking information relates to statements concerning the Company's future outlook and anticipated events or results, as well as the Company's management expectations with respect to the proposed business combination (the "Transaction"). This document also contains forward-looking statements regarding the anticipated completion of the Transaction and timing thereof. Forward-looking statements in this document are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the Company, including expectations and assumptions concerning the receipt, in a timely manner, of regulatory and stock exchange approvals in respect of the Transaction.

Although the Company believe the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, and continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Furthermore, the extent to which COVID-19 may impact the Company's business will depend on future developments such as the geographic spread of the disease, the duration of the outbreak, travel restrictions, physical distancing, business closures or business disruptions, and the effectiveness of actions taken in Canada and other countries to contain and treat the disease. Although it is not possible to reliably estimate the length or severity of these developments and their financial impact as of the date of approval of these condensed interim consolidated financial statements, continuation of the prevailing conditions could have a significant adverse impact on the Company's financial position and results of operations for future periods.

Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.

[1] First Majestic Silver Corp. October 12, 2021. https://www.firstmajestic.com/investors/news-releases/first-majestic-produces-a-record-73m-silver-eqv-oz-in-the-third-quarter-consisting-of-33m-oz-silver-and-54525-oz-gold-suspended-silver-sales-and-held-14m-oz-of-silver-in-inventory-at-quarter-end

[2] Denver Gold Forum September 14, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jEuO7TrrDE

[3] First Majestic Silver Corp. Santa Elena NI 43-101 Technical Report. March 17, 2021. https://www.firstmajestic.com/_resources/reports/Santa-Elena-Technical-Report-Final-2021-03-17.pdf

[4] AngloGold Ashanti N.A. September 13, 2021. https://www.anglogoldashanti.com/investors/media/news-releases/

[5] Kodiak Copper Corp. October 18, 2021. https://kodiakcoppercorp.com/news/news-releases/kodiak-drills-105-m-of-0.76-cueq-within-504-m-of-0.47-cueq-at-gate-zone-begins-drilling-dillard-copper-porphyry-target/

[6] Heliostar Metals Ltd.. September 28, 2021. https://www.heliostarmetals.com/news-articles/heliostar-hits-multiple-channels-up-to-12-6-gt-gold-equivalent-over-5-0-metres-defines-significant-drill-target-at-cumaro-mexico

[7] Heliostar Metals Corp. October 19, 2021. https://www.heliostarmetals.com/news-articles/heliostar-announces-closing-of-first-tranche-of-4-million-non-brokered-private-placement

SOURCE: Orogen Royalties Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/669970/Orogen-Royalties-Royalty-Update
TORONTO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / October 28, 2021 / Tartisan Nickel Corp. (CSE:TN)(OTCQX:TTSRF)(FSE:A2D) ("Tartisan", or the "Company") is pleased to report that the Company will begin trading today on OTCQX International under the symbol "TTSRF." United States investors can find current financial disclosure and Real-Time Level 2 quotes for the Company on www.otcmarkets.com. Tartisan Nickel Corp. home-market listing is the Canadian Securites Exchange "CSE," where Tartisan Nickel Corp. will continue to trade under the symbol "TN."

Upgrading to the OTCQX International is an important step for companies seeking to provide transparent trading for their U.S. investors. For companies listed on the OTCQX International, streamlined market standards enable them to utilize their home market reporting to make their information available in the U.S. To qualify for OTCQX, companies must meet high financial standards, follow best practice corporate governance, and demonstrate compliance with applicable securities laws. Graduating to the OTCQX International from the Pink Sheets marks an important milestone for Tartisan, enabling the Company to demonstrate their qualifications and build visibility with U.S Investors.

Securities Law USA acted as the company's OTCQX sponsor.

Mark Appleby, President and CEO of Tartisan Nickel, stated: "We are pleased to graduate to the OTCQX today as we expand both our U.S institutional and retail investor base. Tartisan has a 10,000-meter drill program underway which is now 9,000 meters complete at the Kenbridge Nickel Deposit and at the Kenbridge North targets. Geophysics is occurring at site and we are updating the historic Preliminary Economic Assessment "PEA". Management is aggressively moving all aspects of the Company forward to best allow us to gather all information which should lead Tartisan towards a potential feasibility study go decision".

About Tartisan Nickel Corp.

Tartisan Nickel Corp. is a Canadian based mineral exploration and development company whose flag ship asset is the Kenbridge Nickel Deposit located in the Kenora Mining District, Ontario. Tartisan also owns; the Sill Lake Silver Property in Sault St. Marie, Ontario as well as the Don Pancho Manganese-Zinc-Lead-Silver Project in Peru.

Tartisan Nickel Corp. owns an equity stake in; Eloro Resources Limited, Class 1 Nickel and Technologies Limited, Peruvian Metals Corp. and Silver Bullet Mines Inc.

Tartisan Nickel Corp. common shares are listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE:TN)(OTCQX:TTSRF)(FSE:A2D). Currently, there are 110,817,303 shares outstanding (122,113,344 fully diluted).

For further information, please contact Mark Appleby, President & CEO and a Director of the Company, at 416-804-0280 (info@tartisannickel.com). Additional information about Tartisan Nickel Corp. can be found at the Company's website at www.tartisannickel.com or on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, potential mineral recovery processes, etc. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore, involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.

The Canadian Securities Exchange (operated by CNSX Markets Inc.) has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this press release.

SOURCE: Tartisan Nickel Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/669986/Tartisan-Nickel-Corp-Begins-Trading-on-the-OTCQX-International-Under-the-Symbol-TTSRF
Lyon-based Co-Fidentia is to become the first French retail broker to adopt CyberCube's Broking Manager, the cyber risk analytics platform for insurance intermediaries.

Co-Fidentia is an independent risk management consultancy and retail broker founded by Julien Perret who has several decades of experience in broking, creating feasibility studies for captives and designing innovative risk transfer solutions for large groups.

Broking Manager is the first software-as-a-service application CyberCube has built specifically for the insurance broking community. It offers a streamlined approach to generating financial exposure impact that enables brokers to help their clients make more informed decisions on coverages and limits.

Broking Manager will allow Co-Fidentia to quantify and explain to their clients the sources and financial impact of cyber risk exposure. The platform also produces reports that can be used to educate prospects and clients on potential sources of loss, recent and relevant cyber events, and peer-to-peer benchmarking.

Nate Brink, CyberCube Sales Manager, said: "As a trusted advisor, Co-Fidentia provides risk management and insurance broking services for organizations based in France. We are excited they have chosen to use Broking Manager to empower their clients to make data-driven decisions to manage their unique cyber exposure. We look forward to working together and empowering Co-Fidentia to meet the needs of insurance buyers in the years to come."

Julien Perret, Founder of Co-Fidentia, commented: "Having spent many years working in the broking industry, we have a wealth of knowledge that we want to share with clients. A tool like Broking Manager allows specialist intermediaries like us to level the playing field with larger brokers in the support and expertise we are able to share with the more sophisticated buyers with whom we deal."

Broking Manager complements CyberCube's two other products: Portfolio Manager and Account Manager, which are designed for risk carriers and are used by leading companies across the insurance ecosystem.

ENDS

About CyberCube

CyberCube delivers the world's leading cyber risk analytics for the insurance industry. With best-in-class data access and advanced multi-disciplinary analytics, the company's cloud-based platform helps insurance organizations make better decisions when placing insurance, underwriting cyber risk and managing cyber risk aggregation. CyberCube's enterprise intelligence layer provides insights on millions of companies globally and includes modelling on thousands of points of technology failure.

The CyberCube platform was established in 2015 within Symantec and now operates as a standalone company exclusively focused on the insurance industry, with access to an unparalleled ecosystem of data partners and backing from ForgePoint Capital, HSCM Bermuda, MTech Capital and individuals from Stone Point Capital. For more information, please visit www.cybcube.com or email info@cybcube.com.

About Co-Fidentia

Co-Fidentia provides comprehensive risk management advice, insurance placement for property casualty and alternative risk financing solutions. Co-Fidentia serves commercial companies, non-profits and public entities. For more information, please visit www.co-fidentia.fr.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005488/en/

Contacts:

Megan Brand

info@cybcube.com
Farfetch Limited (NYSE: FTCH), the leading global platform for the luxury fashion industry, announced that the company's third quarter 2021 financial results will be released after the U.S. market close on Thursday, November 18, 2021.

Farfetch will host a conference call to discuss its results at 4:30 p.m. ET the same day. The live webcast of the call, along with the company's earnings press release, can be accessed at the Farfetch Investor Relations website at www.farfetchinvestors.com. Following the call, a replay will be available at the same website.

About Farfetch

Farfetch Limited is the leading global platform for the luxury fashion industry. Founded in 2007 by Jose Neves for the love of fashion, and launched in 2008, Farfetch began as an e-commerce marketplace for luxury boutiques around the world. Today the Farfetch Marketplace connects customers in over 190 countries and territories with items from more than 50 countries and nearly 1,400 of the world's best brands, boutiques and department stores, delivering a truly unique shopping experience and access to the most extensive selection of luxury on a single platform. Farfetch's additional businesses include Browns and Stadium Goods, which offer luxury products to consumers, and New Guards Group, a platform for the development of global fashion brands. Farfetch offers its broad range of consumer-facing channels and enterprise level solutions to the luxury industry under its Luxury New Retail initiative. The Luxury New Retail initiative also encompasses Farfetch Platform Solutions, which services enterprise clients with e-commerce and technology capabilities and innovations such as Store of the Future, its connected retail solution.

For more information, please visit www.farfetchinvestors.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005592/en/

Contacts:

Investor Relations:

Alice Ryder

VP Investor Relations

IR@farfetch.com



Media:

Susannah Clark

VP Communications, Global

susannah.clark@farfetch.com

+44 7788 405224



Brunswick Group

farfetch@brunswickgroup.com

US: +1 (212) 333 3810

UK: +44 (0) 207 404 5959
HONG KONG, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On October 12, 2021, Suren Sargsyan, President and Founder of the Armenian Center for American Studies, joined Armenian News Radio FM 106.5 to discuss the new world order and the situation of Armenia under the confrontation between world powers.

Sargsyan said there are countries in the world that once held the status of regional superpowers and are now trying to expand their regional influence. Turkey, for example, has become a player in today's world, trying to participate in other regional processes through confrontation with Russia, and it has become an important player in these regions of Europe, Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. Iran is also an important geopolitical factor. And many of the processes taking place in these regions are taking place at the expense of Armenia's interests. In other words, Armenia is making concessions on all fronts - military, political, economic and diplomatic.

When it comes to the world's superpower, the United States, Sargsyan believes that the United States has been actively involved in intervening in international affairs. After Armenia's independence, the U.S. intensified its political and economic cooperation with Armenia, which, in turn, actively responded to the U.S. while maintaining its traditional relations with Russia. Recently, at the initiative of the United States, Armenia joined the Religious Liberty Union, and Armenian experts and people expressed their dissatisfaction with it. They do not understand why Armenia should destroy its relations with neighboring countries for this reason, and China, for example, expressed its strong opposition and dissatisfaction with it. He believes that Armenia should further develop its relations with neighboring countries and other developing countries.

Sargsyan said Armenia desperately needs international recognition, but currently does not have a complete strategy, which is a huge obstacle. Armenia should pursue a more balanced policy in order to protect its interests against the world powers and even achieve good development.

This program will be broadcasted on Armenian news HDV channel soon, stay tuned.

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900 million users are now able to make overseas tuition payments online in 3 minutes on the new official WeChat mini program, WeRemit Tuition Pay

Studying abroad just got easier for hundreds of thousands of Chinese students thanks to a new partnership between EasyTransfer, Tencent Financial Technology and payment platform Tenpay, subsidiaries of Tencent (00700.HK). The newly launched official WeChat mini program WeRemit Tuition Pay allows students to pay university tuition and other expenses using WeChat Pay's secure, world-class payment infrastructure.

Over 700,000 Chinese students study overseas each year, according to China's Ministry of Education, but navigating foreign banking systems can be daunting and complicated. WeRemit Tuition Pay's easy-to-use system on WeChat lets students register their payment institution in as fast as three minutes from a list of 1,200 universities and schools across 80 countries, including the UK, Australia, Canada and the US. Student's transfer fees are capped at US$28, and they don't have to worry about language barriers or time zones. They simply select their institution, indicate their payment amount, personal information, and click complete. Payments arrive as fast as one hour.

The ease of EasyTransfer's global payment network makes cross-border payments feel like domestic payments, offering students a real-time, transparent exchange rate with a 12-hour exchange rate lock-in to counter volatile fluctuations. Recipient universities enjoy zero processing fees with no markup on either side of the transaction.

EasyTransfer is in full compliance with China's SAFE regulations for education payments and has the highest level National Information System Safety and Protection Certification for non-bank institutions from China's Ministry of Public Security. EasyTransfer is also the exclusive educational payment channel on the UnionPay QuickPass App.

EasyTransfer is trusted by 200,000 students, with a US$2 billion annual transaction volume. Through this new partnership with Tencent Financial Technology, EasyTransfer expects to reach as many as 500,000 families by 2023 thanks to Tenpay's 900 million users on WeChat Pay and Mobile QQ Wallet. Key investors in EasyTransfer include IDG Capital and Zhenfund.

"WeRemit Tuition Pay looks forward to helping even more overseas students and their families pay their school fees economically and risk-free through our cooperation with Tencent Financial Technology," said EasyTransfer Co-founder and President Tony Gao

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005600/en/

Contacts:

Guohao Sun

partner@easytransfer.cn
BENGALURU, India, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- bp, a global integrated energy company, and Infosys, (NSE: INFY) (BSE: INFY) (NYSE: INFY), a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting, today announced that they have agreed to develop and pilot an energy as a service (EaaS) solution, which will aim to help businesses improve the energy efficiency of infrastructure, and help meet their decarbonization goals.

Infosys and bp intend to co-develop a digital platform that can collect data from multiple energy assets and use artificial intelligence to optimize the energy supply and demand for power, heat, cooling and EV charging. The companies will pilot the digital platform at the Infosys Pune Development Center - in an environment that replicates a small city, where energy is generated, stored, and consumed at multiple points. Once the pilot is successful, they will aim to roll this model out across other Infosys campuses in India, and with some clients, to help manage energy and help reduce emissions.

In addition, the companies have agreed to collaborate on integrating solar energy production into the campus' energy system. Energy that is generated through this integration will be monitored and optimized by the digital platform and can be stored or redirected to the building power supply, heating and cooling systems, and also to an EV charging infrastructure.

Sashi Mukundan, President, bp India and Senior Vice President, bp Group, said, "At bp, we set out to provide solutions to enable cities and hard to abate industries decarbonize. Integrating advances in energy, mobility and digital technologies and services has huge potential to accelerate the progress towards a more sustainable and resilient future. By bringing together our complementary capabilities, products, and services from bp's different joint ventures in India, bp and Infosys can help each other - and our customers - achieve energy and sustainability goals faster."

Pravin Rao, Chief Operating Officer, Infosys, said, "Infosys shares bp's ambitions for a net zero carbon future. Our collaboration with bp further strengthens our long-standing commitment towards sustainability and supports our ambitious ESG goals. We will now bring together the best of digital technologies - advanced AI, connected digital systems, experience design, analytics - and decarbonization to create an integrated energy and mobility offering. Together, bp and Infosys can create compelling and sustainable value for our customers globally."

bp in India

With a century-long business presence in India, bp is one of the largest integrated energy companies in the country. In addition to their gas value chain partnership, they have a major retail, aviation fuels and mobility alliance, Jio-bp. bp's activities in India also include Castrol lubricants, oil and gas trading, clean energy projects through its investment in the Green Growth Equity Fund (GGEF), IT applications and delivery activities, an AI enabled new global business services center and a digital innovation hub, staffing and training for the global bp marine fleet, and the recruitment of skilled Indian employees for bp's global businesses.

About Infosys

Infosys is a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting. We enable clients in more than 50 countries to navigate their digital transformation. With over four decades of experience in managing the systems and workings of global enterprises, we expertly steer our clients through their digital journey. We do it by enabling the enterprise with an AI-powered core that helps prioritize the execution of change. We also empower the business with agile digital at scale to deliver unprecedented levels of performance and customer delight. Our always-on learning agenda drives their continuous improvement through building and transferring digital skills, expertise, and ideas from our innovation ecosystem.

Visit www.infosys.com to see how Infosys (NSE: INFY) (BSE: INFY) (NYSE: INFY) can help your enterprise navigate your next.

Safe Harbor

Certain statements in this release concerning our future growth prospects, financial expectations and plans for navigating the COVID-19 impact on our employees, clients and stakeholders are forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the 'safe harbor' under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding COVID-19 and the effects of government and other measures seeking to contain its spread, risks related to an economic downturn or recession in India, the United States and other countries around the world, changes in political, business, and economic conditions, fluctuations in earnings, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, our ability to manage growth, intense competition in IT services including those factors which may affect our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, industry segment concentration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks or system failures, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which Infosys has made strategic investments, withdrawal or expiration of governmental fiscal incentives, political instability and regional conflicts, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our industry and the outcome of pending litigation and government investigation. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our United States Securities and Exchange Commission filings including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. Infosys may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the Company unless it is required by law.

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1672766/Infosys_bp_EaaS.jpg

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TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / October 28, 2021 / Trigon Metals Inc. (TSX-V:TM) ("Trigon" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a credit agreement with IXM SA ("IXM") for a US$5 million project finance facility to provide the next tranche of funding required for the restart of the Kombat Mine. The parties have also agreed on concentrate offtake terms for the offtake of copper concentrate by IXM from the Company's Kombat Mine in Namibia.

IXM is a global merchandiser of base and other non-ferrous metals, with expert teams on every continent. It is among the top copper, zinc, and lead concentrate, and cobalt merchants internationally and is a leading trader of refined base metals. It is already active in Namibia, with a strong track record in that region, making it the ideal partner for the Kombat Mine as it commences production. IXM is fully owned by the CMOC group, which is an international mining company with operations across the world and one of the leading suppliers of copper, cobalt, molybdenum, tungsten, niobium and phosphate fertilizer products.

Financing Facility

Trigon and its Namibian subsidiary, Trigon Mining (Namibia) (Pty) Ltd ("Trigon Namibia"), have entered into a credit agreement with IXM for a US$5 million project finance facility (the "Facility"), the proceeds of which will be used for capital and operating expenditure for the restart of the Kombat Mine.

The Facility is expected to be drawn down in two tranches of US$2.5 million each. The drawdowns are subject to various conditions precedent, including signature of the offtake agreement as referred to below, receipt of applicable board of directors, and regulatory approvals, as well as confirmation of further funding support from Trigon as required.

The Facility is repayable over 36 months, commencing 6 months after the initial drawdown. Trigon Mining will pay to IXM a commitment fee of 3.2% of the Facility amount and an arrangement fee of 1.0% of the Facility amount, each fee payable pro rata based on the amount of each tranche.

Trigon will provide an unsecured guarantee of the obligations under the Facility, Trigon Namibia will provide certain security over substantially all of its assets that do not require third party approval to charge and Kombat Holdings Namibia (Pty) Ltd. will pledge its shares of Trigon Namibia to IXM as security for Trigon Namibia's obligations under the Facility.

Copper Concentrate Offtake

IXM has agreed on terms with Trigon Namibia to acquire 100% of the production from the Kombat open pit mine, which is scheduled to produce its first concentrate in early 2022.

Jed Richardson, President and CEO of Trigon, commented, "We have been engaging with IXM over the past few months and are pleased to announce our partnership with them as we take the Kombat Mine into production. The finalization of our financing and offtake arrangements was a key milestone in the restart process and we look forward to developing a long-term relationship with IXM as the operation grows."

About Kombat Mine

The Kombat Copper Project is the flagship project of Trigon, with the Company's mining and prospecting licence areas covering an area of more than 7,500 ha in the Otavi Mountainlands in Namibia. The Kombat Project is comprised of three mining licences, which produced approximately 12.46 million tonnes of copper between 1962 and 2008, at a grade of 2.62%. The other two mining licences are within close proximity to Kombat at Gross Otavi and Harasib, which are believed to be highly prospective for lead and zinc. In addition, the Company also holds an interest in two exclusive prospecting licences, which represent a potential strike extension of Kombat.

Trigon Metals Inc.

Trigon is a publicly traded Canadian exploration and development company with its core business focused on copper and silver holdings in mine-friendly African jurisdictions. Currently the company has operations in Namibia and Morocco. In Namibia, the Company holds an 80% interest in five mining licences in the Otavi Mountainlands, an area of Namibia widely recognized for its high-grade copper deposits, where the Company is focused on exploration and re-development of the previously producing Kombat Mine. In Morocco, the Company is the holder of the Silver Hill project, a highly prospective copper and silver exploration project.

Cautionary Notes

This news release may contain forward-looking statements. These statements include statements regarding offtake and financing facility terms, the restart of the Kombat Mine, the Company's strategies and the Company's abilities to execute such strategies, the Company's expectations for the Kombat Project, and the Company's future plans and objectives. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially because of factors discussed in the management discussion and analysis section of our interim and most recent annual financial statements or other reports and filings with the TSX Venture Exchange and applicable Canadian securities regulations. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable laws.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For further information, contact:

Jed Richardson

+1 647 276 6002

jed.richardson@trigonmetals.com

Website: www.trigonmetals.com

SOURCE: Trigon Metals, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/670079/Trigon-Signs-US5-Million-Project-Finance-Facility-with-IXM-and-Agrees-Offtake-Terms
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - While reporting third-quarter results on Thursday, Textron Inc. (TXT) increased its full year earnings per share and cash guidance. The company now expects 2021 earnings per share from continuing operations to be in a range of $3.17 to $3.29, or $3.20 to $3.30 on an adjusted basis. Previously, the company projected 2021 earnings per share from continuing operations in a range of $2.97 to $3.21, or $3.00 to $3.20 on an adjusted basis. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expect the company to report profit per share of $2.84. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items. Textron also projects cash flow from continuing operations of the manufacturing group before pension contributions to be in a range of $1 billion to $1.1 billion. Third quarter adjusted income per share from continuing operations was $0.85, compared to $0.53, prior year. On average, three analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected the company to report profit per share of $0.66, for the quarter. Profit from continuing operations was $185 million or $0.82 per share compared to $115 million or $0.50 per share. Revenue increased to $2.99 billion from $2.74 billion, a year ago. Analysts expected revenue of $2.69 billion, for the quarter. Shares of Textron were up 2% in pre-market trade on Thursday. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - Belgium's economy grew at a slightly faster pace in the third quarter, returning to the pre-crisis levels for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic, preliminary estimates from the National Bank of Belgium showed Thursday. Gross domestic product grew a seasonally and calendar-adjusted 1.8 percent from the second quarter, when the economy expanded 1.7 percent. The economy grew for a third quarter in a row. The value added decreased 0.1 percent in industry and 0.5 percent in construction. In services, the value added increased 2.3 percent. Compared to the same period last year, GDP rose 4.7 percent, which was sharply slower than the robust 15.1 percent growth in the second quarter when the economic activity was largely boosted by the vaccine roll-out. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
DUBAI, UAE, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TrueProfile.io has unveiled its latest addition to the blockchain-powered career platform for the healthcare industry - TrueProfile.io Jobs. Healthcare employers and recruiters can now advertise their current vacancies directly on the TrueProfile.io platform which is currently home to over 300,000 career-focused healthcare professionals.

TrueProfile.io Jobs is an end-to-end hiring solution: the TrueProfile.io team sources and shortlists healthcare candidates based on their suitability for a role, as well as their adherence to regulatory requirements and qualifications. Due to TrueProfile.io's insights into verification and licensing as part of the world-renowned DataFlow Group, the TrueProfile.io team can also assist with licensing processes to streamline the hiring process even further. The end result is a pre-screened selection of talented healthcare professionals who are ready to be deployed and have the required documentation for an overseas career move.

As one of the most severely impacted industries in the post-pandemic world, medical recruiters, employers, recruiters, hospitals and clinics have amplified their hiring efforts on a global scale. To accommodate the growing requirement for qualified medical staff in order to continue to dampen the spread of COVID-19 and provide continued patient care throughout all departments, industry recruitment leaders have invested in a partnership with TrueProfile.io to secure quality healthcare talent.

Notably, TrueProfile.io has expertise in hiring Filipino healthcare staff due to an ongoing partnership with a renowned POEA licensed Philippine recruitment agency. Together, the objective is to stem the growing shortfall of healthcare staff in the UK and the GCC by hiring qualified medical professionals in the Philippines, India or any country required.

The advent of TrueProfile.io Jobs advocates for hiring international healthcare professionals at scale and at speed with no boundaries to better support strained healthcare systems in the post-pandemic era.

About TrueProfile.io

TrueProfile.io is powered by the DataFlow Group, a company which has been serving the PSV needs of government entities, authorities and companies around the world since 2006. By being built upon blockchain, TrueProfile.io's aim is to provide these services in a modern environment which ultimately provides applicants with a portable, digital, professional portfolio while providing employers and hiring managers with the verified information they need to make the best hiring decisions. For more information visit: https://www.trueprofile.io.

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TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / October 28, 2021 / Tartisan Nickel Corp. (CSE:TN)(OTC PINK:TTSRF)(FSE:A2D) ("Tartisan", or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update from the ongoing 10,000 metre diamond drilling program at the 100% owned Kenbridge Nickel Project located in the Kenora Mining District, Ontario. The Phase 1 drill campaign, utilizing 2 drill rigs, is approximately 90% completed. One drill has been mobilized to the Kenbridge North target where it will complete 3 planned drill holes, approximately 500 meters each drill hole. The Kenbridge North target is located approximately 2.5 kilometres north of the Kenbridge Nickel Deposit and was identified from a ground based Time Domain Electromagnetic (TDEM) survey completed in early 2021. The Kenbridge North target is interpreted to represent similar rock types that host the Kenbridge Nickel Deposit.

A geophysical crew has completed Time Domain Electromagnetic (TDEM) surveying of holes KB21-199, 201, 202, and 204 in addition to previously surveyed holes KB21-198 and KB21-200. Preliminary interpretation from data collected in KB21-198 and KB21-200 suggest that two parallel, steeply dipping, strongly conductive zones extend below the intersections from holes KB21-198, KB21-200 and KB21-202. Hole KB21-204 was targeted to test these same interpreted conductors approximately 200 metres down dip of KB21-202. Highlights from KB21-202 included two nickel-copper zones (Zone A and B) at a drill depth of 663.0 metres and 693.7 metres. KB21-202 Zone A returned 25.5 metres of 1.13% Ni and 0.61% Cu including higher grade intersections of 4.5 metres of 2.96% Ni and 1.66% Cu and 1.5 metres of 4.17% Ni and 2.14% Cu. (SEDAR October 12, 2021). Hole KB21-204 has been completed with assays pending. Hole KB21-205 was completed to a depth of 1179 metres and intersected the gabbro pyroxenite host rock approximately 150m north of KB21-204. Assays are also pending. Hole KB21-206 is in progress and is targeted to test the gabbro pyroxenite host rocks between KB21-204 and KB21-205.

Interpretation of all available data including recently acquired borehole TDEM and drill core assays will be incorporated into the existing geological model to aid in guiding additional diamond drilling, particularly downdip of the known mineralization.

The current drill program was designed to target the down dip and along strike extension of the Kenbridge Ni-Cu Deposit and to test the Kenbridge North target.

Figure 1: Location of the Kenbridge North Grid Drill Target

Figure 2: Inclined 3D view of proposed drill holes and interpreted TDEM geophysical conductors (red plates represent KBN1 conductor).

Figure 3. Section at Kenbridge Deposit looking south. Green outline is the current Mineral Resource. Blue and purple are associated gabbro pyroxenite favorable host rocks. Hole 204 is located approximately 150m below the deepest drill hole intersection completed in the 1950's (Drill hole K2011- 4.25% Ni over 3m).

The Company previously released an Updated Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) of the Kenbridge Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Project, Atikwa Lake Area, Northwestern Ontario (SEDAR June 1, 2021).

About Tartisan Nickel Corp.

Tartisan Nickel Corp. is a Canadian based mineral exploration and development company whose flag ship asset is the Kenbridge Nickel Deposit located in the Kenora Mining District, Ontario. Tartisan also owns; the Sill Lake Silver Property in Sault St. Marie, Ontario as well as the Don Pancho Manganese-Zinc-Lead-Silver Project in Peru.

Tartisan Nickel Corp. owns an equity stake in; Eloro Resources Limited, Class 1 Nickel and Technologies Limited, Peruvian Metals Corp. and Silver Bullet Mines Inc.

Tartisan Nickel Corp. common shares are listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE:TN; OTCQX:TTSRF; FSE:A2D). Currently, there are 110,817,303 shares outstanding (122,113,344 fully diluted).

Dean MacEachern P.Geo. is the Qualified Person under NI 43-101 and has read and approved the technical content of this News Release.

For further information, please contact Mark Appleby, President & CEO and a Director of the Company, at 416-804-0280 (info@tartisannickel.com). Additional information about Tartisan Nickel Corp. can be found at the Company's website at www.tartisannickel.com or on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, potential mineral recovery processes, etc. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore, involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.

The Canadian Securities Exchange (operated by CNSX Markets Inc.) has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this press release.

SOURCE: Tartisan Nickel Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/670047/Tartisan-Nickel-Corp-Drilling-Kenbridge-North-Targets-Updates-Progress-at-the-Kenbridge-Nickel-Copper-Cobalt-Project-NW-Ontario


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Among children aged 5 to 11 who died in the United States over the last year, COVID-19 was one of the top 10 causes of death, according to CDC's data presented at FDA Advisory Committee meeting to review Pfizer vaccine efficacy on kids.



Since the start of the pandemic, there have been more than 8,300 hospitalizations among children in this age group, and there have been 745 deaths in children less than 18.



Hospitalization rates are three times higher for non-Hispanic Black, non-Hispanic African - American Indian and Alaskan Native, and Hispanic children compared to non-Hispanic white children.



These data were provided at a press briefing by White House COVID-19 Response Team on Wednesday.



The day before, an FDA Advisory Committee met and reviewed data from Pfizer that described COVID-19 vaccine efficacy in 4,500 children aged between 5 and 11. The trial showed a vaccine efficacy rate of nearly 91 percent in preventing Covid infection in children who did not contract the deadly virus previously.



'Right now, there are over 60 million Americans eligible for vaccination who are not yet vaccinated, leaving themselves and children around them vulnerable,' CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said at the news conference.



Stressing the importance of vaccination, she pointed out that the hospitalization rate among unvaccinated adults is 12 times higher than those who are vaccinated.



'As we look at hospitalizations, we also see week-on-week decreases with a 54 percent decrease from our peak in the week of August 28,' Dr. Walensky told reporters.



The seven-day average of hospital admissions was about 5,500 per day, which is a decrease of about 12 percent from the prior week.



The seven-day daily average of cases was about 65,900 per day, representing about a 16 percent decrease over the previous week.



While COVID-19-associated deaths have continued to decline, the seven-day average of daily deaths remains greater than 1,000 per day.



With 94917 new cases reporting on Wednesday, the total number of Covid infections in the country rose to 45,704,110, as per the latest data from Johns Hopkins University.



An additional 2353 Covid deaths on the same day took the total number of people who died due to the pandemic to 741,235.



White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients said the US health authorities are on track to have more than 200 million rapid at-home tests available to Americans each month starting in December. That's more than four times the level of supply in late summer. The number of places Americans can access free testing increased to 30,000 community-based locations.



Zients added that this week, the FDA and NIH took additional steps that will make even more tests available and help reduce testing costs.



'From vaccinating more unvaccinated Americans, to getting booster shots to tens of millions, to planning for vaccinations for kids age 5 to 11, to increasing at-home testing supply and making tests more affordable, we are making important progress,' he said.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL / ACCESSWIRE / October 28, 2021 / Swisher Hygiene Inc. (the "Company") today announced the completion of its final distribution to stockholders and the filing of a motion with the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (the "Delaware Court") to terminate the Company's existence.

As previously reported in a Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on September 3, 2021, the Delaware Court approved a second and final distribution to the Company's stockholders of record as of September 13, 2021, payable September 17, 2021, in the amount of approximately US$2.096 million, calculated at the rate of US$0.1185 per share of the Company's outstanding common stock, $.001 par value ("Common Stock"). The Company, through its transfer agent TSX Trust Company, made the distribution on September 17, 2021, after which the Company has no remaining assets. Prior to August 31, 2021, the Company paid all outstanding vendor bills and under the supervision of the Delaware Court resolved all creditor claims.

On October 14, 2021, the Company filed a motion to terminate its existence with the Delaware Court, effective October 31, 2021 (the "Termination Date"). This motion is pending and a hearing on the motion has been set for November 5, 2021. Since May 27, 2016, the Company has been in dissolution and the Company's existence has been extended several times by the Delaware Court to permit an orderly windup of the Company, most recently extended until December 31, 2021. The Company's motion, if granted, will accelerate the Company's termination from December 31, 2021 to the Termination Date or such other date determined by the Delaware Court. As part of the Company's termination, the Company's directors and officers, other than the Company's Chairman, have submitted their resignations effective on the Termination Date. The Company's Chairman will remain on the board until the completion of all remaining ministerial actions related to the Company's termination. Promptly following the termination of the Company's existence, the Company intends to file a Form 15 with the SEC, as required by a no-action letter dated August 5, 2016 issued to the Company by the SEC, terminating the registration of its common stock.

In the event any stockholder wishes to update its mailing address or does not receive a distribution as expected and wishes to have a check reissued, it should contact the Company's Transfer Agent, TSX Trust, by email at tmxeinvestorservices@tmx.com, or by telephone 1-866-600-5869 (in North America) or 416-342-1091 (International). Failure to contact the Transfer Agent on or prior to the fifth anniversary of the September 13, 2021 record date for the distribution will result in forfeiture of any entitlement to payment of the distribution that would otherwise be payable to such stockholder.

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information

All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this press release constitute "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws and the Securities Act (Ontario) and are based on the expectations, estimates and projections of management as of the date of this press release unless otherwise stated. All statements other than historical facts are, or may be, deemed to be forward looking statements. The words "plans," "expects," "is expected," "scheduled," "estimates," or "believes," or similar words or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may," "could," "would," "might," or "will be taken," "occur," and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by the Company as of the date of such statements, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. All of these assumptions have been derived from information currently available to the Company including information obtained by the Company from third-party sources. These assumptions may prove to be incorrect in whole or in part. All of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by the above cautionary statements. The forward-looking information set forth in this press release is subject to various assumptions, risks, uncertainties and other factors that are difficult to predict and which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events and circumstances, except to the extent required by applicable law.

For Further Information regarding stockholders' distributions, Please Contact the Company's Transfer Agent:

TSX Trust Company

Email: tmxeinvestorservices@tmx.com

Telephone 1-866-600-5869 (in North America) or 416-342-1091 (International)

SOURCE: Swisher Hygiene Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/670087/Announces-Completion-of-Final-Distribution-to-Stockholders-and-Companys-Motion-to-Terminate-Its-Existence
Expansion of senior leadership team reflects firm's continued growth

NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / October 28, 2021 / ALT 5 Sigma Inc., a global fintech that provides next generation blockchain powered technologies for the trading, clearing, settlement, payment and insured custodianship of digital instruments, announced today the appointment of Bruno Dumais as Chief Financial Officer, Louis Ialenti as Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Jason Lake as Vice President of Marketing, and Tarun Kishnani as Managing Director of Institutional Business.

The four senior hires come on the heels of continued growth from ALT 5 Sigma, which appointed Richard Groome as Executive Chairman and CEO in July, and signed a partnership expanding business into Latin America with Fisherman Wealth Management last month.

Andre Beauchesne, president of ALT 5 Sigma said, "We are thrilled to welcome Bruno, Louis, Jason, and Tarun to our team. As we continue to grow and expand our business, it was imperative to bring in senior leaders with expertise in marketing, business strategy, corporate law, and corporate finance. Between the four of them, Bruno, Louis, Jason, and Tarun have decades' worth of experience in these fields. They will all play vital roles in growing ALT 5 Sigma and bringing our suite of blockchain technologies to an even broader audience."

Bruno Dumais joins ALT 5 Sigma as Chief Financial Officer, overseeing the planning, implementation, managing and running of all finance activities, including business planning, budgeting, and forecasting. Mr. Dumais brings two decades of experience managing finances, most recently serving as Chief Financial Officer of Positron, Inc. Bruno has also served as CFO of Emergia, Inc., Maya Gold & Silver, Inc., KDA Group, and Mitec Telecom. He has extensive expertise in external financial reporting, compliance, internal controls, budgeting, tax management, and more. Bruno has overseen finances for both privately owned and publicly traded companies.

Louis Ialenti is now the Vice President of Corporate Affairs at ALT 5 Sigma, in charge of governance processes, coordinating policy and internal audit, and providing legal advice. Previously, Louis served as a lawyer for DSS Law, focused on commercial legal practice and dealing with clients across a broad spectrum of corporate and commercial affairs. While at DSS Law, Louis specialized in debt recovery for both corporate and private clients, and advised clients on corporate restructuring and growth model implementation.

As the new Vice President of Marketing for ALT 5 Sigma, Jason Lake will be responsible for designing, implementing, and monitoring effective marketing strategies to increase brand awareness, as well as overseeing the marketing team's budget. Jason joins ALT 5 Sigma from CM2 Solutions, where he served as Marketing Asset Director responsible for process development and management as well as asset rights procurement and management. Jason also served as Senior Experiential Marketing Director for Innocean, where he managed the development and implementation of a new data capture system for Kia and oversaw new digital efforts for Toronto FC. Jason brings a successful background in the development and execution of multi-disciplined marketing projects within set timelines, budget parameters and brand standards.

Tarun Kishnani joins ALT 5 Sigma as Managing Director of Institutional Business, responsible for developing new relationships with prospective clients, overseeing new business generation activities, and providing support for new clients. Tarun most recently served as Head of North America Business Development and Deal Strategist for ICICI Securities, India's largest retail and institutional broker dealer firm. While at ICICI, Tarun drove revenue, client base, and engagement growth, and advised the United States and Canada institutional client bases to assess, manage, and expand share, bonds, private company holdings, and other holdings within their emerging market portfolios. Tarun has been instrumental in taking more than 50 emerging market companies public in the last five years, including India's largest insurance company, India's first small finance bank, and India's first, second, and third largest micro-finance institutions (MFI.)

ALT 5 Sigma's products and services are available to Banks, Broker Dealers, Funds, Family Offices, Professional Traders, Retail Traders, Digital Asset Exchanges, Digital Asset Brokers, Blockchain Developers, and Financial Information Providers.

About ALT 5 Sigma

ALT 5 Sigma is a fintech company specializing in the development and deployment of digital assets trading and exchange platforms. ALT 5 was founded by financial industry specialists out of the necessity to provide the digital asset economy with security, accessibility, transparency, and compliance. ALT 5 provides its clients the ability to buy, sell and hold digital assets in a safe and secure environment deployed with the best practices of the financial industry. ALT 5 Sigma's products and services are available to Banks, Broker Dealers, Funds, Family Offices, Professional Traders, Retail Traders, Digital Asset Exchanges, Digital Asset Brokers, Blockchain Developers, and Financial Information Providers. ALT 5's digital asset custodian services are secured by Fireblocks, which has securely transferred roughly $400 Billion USD in digital assets for more than 200 institutional accounts.

Learn more at www.alt5sigma.com or connect on LinkedIn or Twitter

Contact: ScottK@calibercorporateadvisers.com

(917) 647-1810

SOURCE: Caliber Corporate Advisers

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/669902/ALT-5-Sigma-Appoints-Four-Senior-Hires
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / October 28, 2021 / Star Alliance International Corp, (OTC PINK:STAL), a minerals company, is pleased to announce their upcoming official site inspection visit at their Mother Lode Mine property.

This site inspection meeting is currently scheduled for Dec. 6-8, and is slated to include several representatives from the Pacific Southwest Region, otherwise known as District 5. This meeting is slated to include the current District Ranger, key members of the U.S. Forest Service (including the abandoned mine supervisor, head of mining and geology, and others) as well as a certified minerals analyst.

The combined goal of this meeting will be to create an initial site assessment and to provide the company with required specifications and guidelines. These will inform the preparation of our operations plan, which is the key to the restart of mining operations. This very important step will also provide guidance for the company in regards to the scope of our required reclamation bond. This is a required element of any future mining operations.

In preparation for this meeting, our contracted ground crews will be continuing our internal site assessment work, including; access maintenance operations, adit inspection, discharge testing and engineering assessments of the road, grounds, facilities and equipment.

Richard Carey, CEO of Star Alliance International, stated, "I am very pleased to announce that we currently have a scheduled date for our long overdue initial site inspection. This inspection will help to define the parameters and requirements for our proposed mining operations. We are very excited at the prospect of completing this crucial step in our progress. We will follow up with more information as we move through the creation and filing of our mining plan. Much more to follow."

About Star Alliance International Corp.

Star Alliance International Corp. ("the Company", "we", "us") was originally incorporated with the name Asteriko Corp. in the State of Nevada on April 17, 2014 under the laws of the State of Nevada.

In August 2019, following a change in control, the Company acquired the mining claims, buildings and equipment from Troy Mining Corporation. The Projectis located at the base of the "gold mother lode" in one of the three major vein belts where the greatest concentration of minerals settled over the years in California.

Since August 2019, although delayed by Covid 19 and the problems created by the fires in California last year, the Company has worked with the government departments so that a plan of operation of the mine can be submitted and approved.

Historical assay reports performed by top geologists were confirmed to show indications of significant reserves of gold located in veins within the areas that are covered by our mining leases.

While primarily a gold recovery project, geologists and assay reports indicate the amount of recoverable silver available in quantity is equal to that of gold which adds to the potential profit of mining operations.

The Company plans to commence mining as soon as is feasibly possible and we are making every effort to move swiftly through planning, permitting and the assay process.

Safe Harbor and Informational Statement

This press release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of Section 21E of the Security Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), including all statements that are not statement of historical fact regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of the company, its directors or its officers with respect to, among other things: (i) the company's financing plans; (ii) trends affecting the company's financial conditions or results of operations; (iii): the company's growth strategy and operating strategy; and (iv) the declaration and payment of dividends.

The words "may", "would", "will", "expect", "estimate", "anticipate", "believe", "intend", and similar expressions and variations thereof are intend to identify forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statement is not a guarantee of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the company's ability to control, and that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors including the risk disclosed in the company's statements and reports filed with the OTC Markets. The Company claims the safe harbor provided by Section 21E(c) of the Exchange Act for all forward-looking statements.

For more information contact Richard Carey

E Mail: info@staralliancemines.com

Web Site: staralliancemines.com

Twitter: @staralliancin1

SOURCE: Star Alliance International Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/670061/Star-Alliance-International-Corp-Announces-Crucial-Step-Toward-Filing-Plan-of-Operation-at-Mother-Lode-Mine
HONG KONG, CHINA / ACCESSWIRE / October 28, 2021 / China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation ("Sinopec Corp." or the "Company") (HKEX:00386; SSE: 600028; NYSE:SNP)today announced its unaudited results for the nine months ended 30 September 2021.

Financial Highlights

In accordance with IFRS, net profit attributable to shareholders of the Company was RMB 60.755 billion, increased 148.5%. Basic earnings per share were RMB 0.502. In accordance with CASs, the Company's operating income in the first three quarters was RMB 2.0034 trillion, up by 29.0% year on year. Net profit attributable to equity shareholders of the Company reached RMB 59.892 billion.

During the first three quarters, the Company achieved good performance in operation and profitability. Oil and gas production, refinery throughput, total domestic sales volume of refined oil products and total chemical products sales volume recorded year on year increase. Operating profit was RMB 84.806 billion, representing a year on year increase of 1578.3%.

In accordance with IFRS, the Company's liability-to-asset ratio as of 30 September 2021 was51.78%, maintaining a sound financial position.Net cash generated from operating activities up by 37.4% year on year. Cash and cash equivalents amounted to RMB 203.955billion(including time deposits) as at 30 September 2021.

Operating Review

In the first three quarters of 2021, as the world economy gradually picked up, China's economy kept a sustainable and steady recovery, registering a GDP growth of 9.8% year-on-year among which up by 4.9% in the third quarter. In the first three quarters the average spot price of Platts Brent was USD67.73 per barrel, up by 65.9% year-on-year. Domestic demand for natural gas continued to grow rapidly, with an apparent consumption up by 16.6% year-on-year. Domestic demand for refined oil products recovered steadily and demand for major chemicals sustainedstable.

Confronted with the environment where the international oil price went up and the demand for petrochemical products recovered steadily, the Company stressed on improving our systems, expanding markets, and controlling costs, thus realising outstanding operation results.

Exploration and Production: The Company seized the favourable opportunity of rising oil prices, pressed ahead with high-quality exploration and profit-oriented development, strengthened the foundation of resources. In terms of exploration, we strengthened risk exploration in new regions and new sectors, which led to new discoveries in Tarim Basin, Sichuan Basin, and Erdos Basin, and major breakthroughs in continental facies shale oilfields of Bohai Bay Basin, Sichuan Basin, and North Jiangsu Basin. In terms of production, we efficiently proceeded with the capacity building of major natural gas and crude oil projects, and the natural gas production increased by 13.7% year-on-year and the crude oil production kept stable. The exploration and production segment realised earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) of RMB 10.904 billion in the first three quarters.

Exploration and Production Unit Nine-month period ended 30 September Changes 2021 2020 (%) Oil and gas production million boe 355.01 339.39 4.6 Crude oil production million barrels 208.65 210.65 (0.9) China million barrels 186.59 186.69 (0.1) Overseas million barrels 22.06 23.96 (7.9) Natural gas production billion cubic feet 877.85 772.14 13.7 Realised crude oil price USD/barrel 60.94 38.24 59.4 Realised natural gas price USD/thousand cubic feet 6.74 5.32 26.7

Conversion: For domestic production of crude oil, 1 tonne = 7.10 barrels. For overseas production of crude oil, 1 tonne = 7.21 barrels. For production of natural gas, 1 cubic meter = 35.31 cubic feet.

Refining: The Company actively responded to market changes, strengthened integration of refining and marketing, raised processing volume, kept high utilisation rate, actively adjusted product slate and maximised profits along the industrial chain. We optimised crude oil allocation and cut procurement costs. We insisted on the strategy of shifting from oil to chemicals, lowered refined oil products yield, and increased production of readily marketable products like gasoline and light chemical feedstock. We increased production of high value-added products and specialty products, built 6 sets of hydrogen purification units, developed high-end needle-shaped coke products and domestic market share of low-sulphur bunker fuel ranked the first. We expedited advanced capacity building and pushed ahead with restructuring projects. In the first three quarters of 2021, the Company processed 191 million tonnes of crude oil, up by 9.3% year-on-year, and produced 109 million tonnes of refined oil products, up by 3.2% year-on-year. The refining segment realised EBIT of RMB 54.268 billion in the first three quarters.

Refining Unit Nine-month period ended 30 September Changes (%) 2021 2020 Refinery throughput million tonnes 190.73 174.46 9.3 Gasoline, diesel and kerosene production million tonnes 108.60 105.19 3.2 Gasoline million tonnes 49.07 42.46 15.6 Diesel million tonnes 42.92 47.86 (10.3) Kerosene million tonnes 16.60 14.87 11.6 Light chemical feedstock production million tonnes 33.71 29.54 14.1 Light product yield % 73.72 74.63 (0.91) percentage points Refining yield % 94.71 94.89 (0.18) percentage points

Marketing and Distribution: The Company leveraged our advantages of integration of refining and marketing to expand markets and adopted targeted marketing strategy, resulting in an elevation of scale. We consolidated our resources of customers and marketing throughout the country, and continuously improved the quality of our services. We optimised the network layout to reach end users, accelerated the construction of integrated energy service stations offering petrol, gas, hydrogen, power, and non-fuel services, and put our first carbon-neutral station and BIPV (building integrated photo-voltaic) station into operation. In the first three quarters, total sales volume of refined oil products was 166.59 million tonnes, among which total domestic sales volume of refined oil products was 127.88 million tonnes, up by 3.8% year-on-year. The Company strengthened the development and marketing of company-owned brands, actively explored emerging business models such as car services, fast food, and advertising, and speed up the development of non-fuel businesses. The marketing and distribution segment realised EBIT of RMB 24.316 billion in the first three quarters.

Marketing and Distribution Unit Nine-month period ended 30 September Changes (%) 2021 2020 Total sales volume of refined oil products million tonnes 166.59 162.25 2.7 Total domestic sales volume of refined oil products million tonnes 127.88 123.19 3.8 Retail million tonnes 83.70 83.06 0.8 Direct sales & Distribution million tonnes 44.18 40.13 10.1 Annualised average throughput per station tonnes/station 3,633 3,605 0.8

Chemicals: By adhering to "following the market and centering on profits", the Company sped up the advanced capacity building and structural adjustment. We fine-tuned chemical feedstock to reduce costs; we adjusted the structure of the facilities and optimised maintenance schedule to raise the utilisation of profitable facilities; we enhanced integration of production, marketing and research and continuously increased the ratio of high value-added products, raising the ratio of synthetic resin, synthetic rubber, and synthetic fibre by 1.4, 3.7 and 1.6 percentage points respectively year-on-year. In the first three quarters, ethylene production reached 9.75 million tonnes, up by 10.2% year-on-year. Meanwhile, we scored achievements in key clients management, scaled up profit generation through exports, and launched self-marketing products on e-commerce. The total sales volume of chemical products for the first three quarters was 60.77 million tonnes. The chemicals segment realised EBIT of RMB 23.064 billion in the first three quarters.

Chemicals Unit Nine-month period ended 30 September Changes (%) 2021 2020 Ethylene thousand tonnes 9,752 8,850 10.2 Synthetic resin thousand tonnes 14,002 12,773 9.6 Monomers and polymers for synthetic fibre thousand tonnes 6,820 6,711 1.6 Synthetic fibre thousand tonnes 1,032 935 10.4 Synthetic rubber thousand tonnes 891 790 12.8

Note: Including 100% production of domestic joint ventures.

Capital expenditure: Focusing on investment quality and profitability, the Company optimised its investment management system, with total capital expenditures of RMB89.7 billion in the first three quarters of 2021. The capital expenditure for exploration and production segment was RMB38.6 billion, mainly for the capacity building of Shunbei oilfield, Weirong, Fuling, and Western Sichuan natural gas projects, and the construction of storage and transportation facilities for phase II of Tianjin LNG project, etc. The capital expenditure for the refining segment was RMB10.6 billion, mainly for the refining structural upgrading projects in Zhenhai and Anqing, and construction of hydrogen purification project, etc. The capital expenditure for the marketing and distribution segment was RMB9.9 billion, mainly for building oil (gas) stations, integrated energy service stations offering petrol, gas, hydrogen, power, and services and logistics facilities, etc. The capital expenditure for the chemicals segment was RMB29.7 billion, mainly for Zhenhai, Sino-Korea, and Hainan ethylene projects, the overseas AGCC project, Jiujiang Aromatics project, Yizheng PTA project, etc. The capital expenditure for corporate and others was RMB900 million, mainly for R&D facilities and information technology projects, etc.

Appendix: Principal financial data and indicators

Principal financial data and indicators prepared in accordance with CASs

Units: RMB million Items As of 30 September 2021 As of 31 December 2020 (adjusted) Changes from the end of the preceding year to the end of the reporting period (%) Total assets 1,887,282 1,734,445 8.8 Total equity attributable to equity shareholders of the Company 769,346 742,885 3.6

Nine-month period ended 30 September Year-on-year(%) 2021 2020 (adjusted) Net cash flow from operating activities 115,723 84,230 37.4 Operating income 2,003,350 1,552,536 29.0 Net profit attributable to equity shareholders of the Company 59,892 23,492 154.9 Net profit attributable to equity shareholders of the Company excluding extraordinary gains and losses 58,720 (10,243) - Weighted average return on net assets (%) 7.92 3.20 4.72 percentage points Basic earnings per share (RMB) 0.495 0.194 155.2

Note: The Company has completed the formation of Sinopec Baling Petrochemical Co. Ltd on 1 November 2020, and has completed the purchase of non-equity assets of Beihai Petrochemical Limited Liability Company of Sinopec Group, Cangzhou branch of Sinopec Group Asset Management Co., Ltd and Beijing Orient Petrochemical Industry Co., Ltd on 1 July 2021. The business reorganisation and transactions have been accounted as business combination under common control. Accordingly, the Company has retrospectively adjusted the relevant financial data.

Principal financial data and indicators prepared in accordance with IFRS

Units: RMB million Items As of 30 September 2021 As of 31 December 2020 (adjusted) Changes from the end of the preceding year to the end of the reporting period (%) Total assets 1,887,282 1,734,445 8.8 Total equity attributable to shareholders of the Company 768,412 741,916 3.6

Nine-month period ended 30 September Year-on-year(%) 2021 2020 (adjusted) Net cash generated from operating activities 115,723 84,230 37.4 Operating profit 84,806 5,053 1578.3 Net profit attributable to shareholders of the Company 60,755 24,445 148.5 Basic earnings per share (RMB) 0.502 0.202 148.5 Return on net assets (%) 7.91 3.35 4.56 percentage points

About Sinopec Corp.

Sinopec Corp. is one of the largest integrated energy and chemical companies in China. Its principal operations include the exploration and production, pipeline transportation and sale of petroleum and natural gas; the sale, storage and transportation of petroleum products, petrochemical products, coal chemical products, synthetic fibre, fertiliser and other chemical products; the import and export, including an import and export agency business, of petroleum, natural gas, petroleum products, petrochemical and chemical products, and other commodities and technologies; and research, development and application of technologies and information.

Sinopec sets 'fueling beautiful life' as its corporate mission, puts 'people, responsibility, integrity, precision, innovation and win-win' as its corporate core values, pursues strategies of value-orientation, innovation-driven development, integrated resource allocation, open cooperation, and green and low-carbon growth, and strives to achieve its corporate vision of building a world leading energy and chemical company.

Disclaimer

This press release includes "forward-looking statements". All statements, other than statements of historical facts that address activities, events or developments that Sinopec Corp. expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future (including but not limited to projections, targets, reserve volume, other estimates and business plans) are forward-looking statements. Sinopec Corp.'s actual results or developments may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors and uncertainties, including but not limited to the price fluctuation, possible changes in actual demand, foreign exchange rate, results of oil exploration, estimates of oil and gas reserves, market shares, competition, environmental risks, possible changes to laws, finance and regulations, conditions of the global economy and financial markets, political risks, possible delay of projects, government approval of projects, cost estimates and other factors beyond Sinopec Corp.'s control. In addition, Sinopec Corp. makes the forward-looking statements referred to herein as of today and undertakes no obligation to update these statements.

Investor Inquiries: Media Inquiries:

Beijing

Tel:(86 10) 5996 0028Tel:(86 10) 5996 0028

Fax:(86 10) 5996 0386Fax:(8610) 5996 0386

Email: ir@sinopec.com Email: ir@sinopec.com

Hong Kong

Tel:(852) 2824 2638 Tel:(852) 2522 1838

Fax:(852) 2824 3669 Fax:(852) 2521 9955

Email: ir@sinopechk.com Email: sinopec@prchina.com.hk

SOURCE: China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/670073/Sinopecs-Net-Profit-for-First-Three-Quarters-2021-Reached-RMB-60755-Billion-Achieved-Good-performance-in-Operation-and-Profitability
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / October 28, 2021 / E2Gold Inc. (TSXV: ETU) (the "Company" or "E2Gold") is pleased to report on the results of a large airborne geophysics survey on its 75-km long Hawkins project in Northern Ontario. The 2,941line-km survey covered the westernmost claims on the project, a 100 km2 sized area underlain by 757 claims about 10 km west of the McKinnon Zone.

Dr. Natalie Pietrzak-Renaud, VP Exploration, stated, "This survey is a crucial step towards developing drill targets on these underexplored claims. It provides an important guide to show continuity of geology along strike from our recently concluded summer field mapping and trenching program."

Eric Owens, President and CEO, added: "The confluence of two major fault zones ajacent to the Strickland granite makes for a complex geologic setting, which in our minds makes this an excellent gold target."

Figure 1: Location of the Western claim group on the Hawkins Gold Project (where "x" indicates gold occurances).

Note 1: Inferred Mineral Resource estimate from National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report and Updated Mineral Resource Estimate on Hawkins Gold Project, Ontario by P&E Mining Consultants Inc. with lead author Eugene Puritch et al., effective date September 10, 2020 filed with the Preliminary Prospectus on November 11, 2020

In other matters, the company continues its second stage drill program on its Hawkins Project with two drill rigs. Focus is on the at-surface McKinnon Zone, which hosts an Inferred Resource, compliant with National Instrument 43-101, consisting of 6.2 Mt grading 1.65 g/t gold, for 328,800 ounces of gold. To-date, the company has completed some 5,789 m of drilling in 12 holes, as it aims to better examine the depth extent of the deposit. Assay results are pending for these holes, due to an industry-wide backlog at assay labs.

Figure 2: Preliminary airborn magnetic results over the Western claim group.

Qualified Persons: Eric Owens, Ph.D., P.Geo. and Natalie Pietrzak-Renaud, Ph.D., P.Geo. act as the Qualified Persons for E2Gold, and has reviewed the content of this press release.

ABOUT E2GOLD INC.

E2Gold Inc. is a Canadian gold exploration company with a focus on Its large flagship property, the Hawkins Gold Project, covers seven townships in north-central Ontario, about 140 km east of the Hemlo Gold Mine. The Company is currently aggressively drilling the second half of an 8,000 metre 2021 drill program to confirm and expand the McKinnon Inferred Resource. E2Gold is commited to increasing shareholder value through the development of all targets at Hawkins and future potential of the Band-Ore property.

For further information please contact:

Eric Owens Ellie Owens

President & Chief Executive Officer Vice President

Tel. (416) 509-5385 Tel. 647-575-2888

Email: eric.owens@e2gold.ca Email: ellie.owens@e2gold.ca

All scientific and technical information contained in this press release was prepared under the supervision of Eric Owens, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company and a "qualified person" within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward Looking Statements - Certain information set forth in this news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties, including the risk that the Offering may not be completed on the terms currently proposed or at all. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of E2Gold, including with respect to the potential size and composition of the Offering and the receipt of all regulatory approvals. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements.

SOURCE: E2Gold Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/670088/E2Gold-Completes-Large-Airborne-Magnetic-Survey-at-Hawkins
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 28, 2021) - Nextleaf Solutions Ltd. (CSE: OILS) (OTCQB: OILFF) (FSE: L0MA) ("Nextleaf", "OILS", or the "Company"), a federally regulated producer of cannabis oil that owns one of the largest portfolios of U.S. patents for the extraction and distillation of cannabinoids, has signed a wholesale and distribution agreement with National Cannabis Distribution Inc. ("NCD"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kiaro Holdings Corp. (TSXV: KO) ("Kiaro"), for wholesale distribution and supply of Glacial Gold in the Province of Saskatchewan.

Under the terms of the Wholesale Agreement, NCD will act as the exclusive provincial wholesaler and distributor of Glacial Gold branded CBD and THC products in Saskatchewan for an initial period of two years.







Glacial Gold to be available in Saskatchewan

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5347/101120_dd8ab65a84cf1a78_001full.jpg

"The Saskatchewan model is unique and our partnership with NCD and Kiaro allows Glacial Gold to be distributed in two-thirds of the cannabis retailers in that provincial market," said Nextleaf CEO and co-founder Paul Pedersen. "Since the launch of Glacial Gold vapes and distilled oils in September, we have received nation-wide interest from cannabis retailers and consumers that enthusiastically recognize our brand from its prohibition days and are eager to consume it once again. We are delighted to partner with NCD to bring Glacial Gold CBD and THC products to loyal consumers in Saskatchewan with affinity for the brand, as well as expand our reach to new consumers looking for accessibly priced extracts."

"We are excited to partner with Nextleaf to bring high quality products like Glacial Gold vapes and distilled oils to the Saskatchewan market," said Brent McFadzen, General Manager of NCD.

"NCD is very pleased to be working with a first-class producer such as Nextleaf to further expand our product range in Saskatchewan and continue to introduce high quality Canadian cannabis brands to the market," added Kiaro CEO Daniel Petrov.

Monthly recreational cannabis sales in Saskatchewan reached $13.4 million in August 20211.

Nextleaf launched its award-winning, prohibition-era brand Glacial Gold in British Columbia last month, receiving national attention for quality products at disruptive price points. Included in the initial launch of Glacial Gold were seven total SKUs, consisting of four 1-gram cannabis vapes and three distilled oils.

Glacial Gold Distilled CBD 50 Oil features high-purity distillate in a base of organic coconut MCT oil for a premium consumption experience, without premium pricing. A clean tasting and neutral oil allows for the greatest flexibility in use and consumption occasions. Glacial Gold has quickly become one of the top selling brands of CBD oil in British Columbia.

The initial vape lineup from Glacial Gold is offered in two potency levels to match the consumer's tolerance level or consumption occasion. The Session THC Vape features a full potency THC profile for cannabis enthusiasts who seek a more elevated experience and connection. The Anytime 1:1 Vape is formulated with a balanced THC and CBD profile for consumers looking for a more moderate, go-to vape. The Glacial Gold Anytime Vape is currently the top value CBD 1:1 vape cart in B.C.

About National Cannabis Distribution Inc.

National Cannabis Distribution Inc. (NCD) is a division of Kiaro Holding Corp. (TSXV: KO) and is a leading wholesaler in the province of Saskatchewan, the only vertically integrated province in the Canadian cannabis market. NCD distributes to over two-thirds of the market share in Saskatchewan and continues to build a solid portfolio of products with a commitment to providing craft, artisan, and boutique licensed producers a proven path to market within Saskatchewan. With multiple exclusive distribution partnerships in Saskatchewan and strategic feature planning, NCD has positioned itself as a leader within the cannabis supply community.

About Kiaro Holdings Corp.

Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Kiaro is an independent, omni-channel cannabis retailer and distributor. Through existing storefronts across British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Ontario, and with the completion of the recent acquisition of Hemisphere Cannabis from Aegis Brands, Kiaro has 16 stores in operation and another two expected in early 2022. This is in addition to its wholesale distribution division servicing Saskatchewan, and ecommerce sites in Canada, the US and Australia. Kiaro is driven to introduce new and experienced consumers to a lifelong exploration of cannabis. With more than 70 years of collective retail and wholesale focused experience, Kiaro's leadership team has a proven track record of executing on acquisitions and financings, and moreover growing brands across North America. The Company plans to continue its growth trajectory through its consumer-centric retail, ecommerce, and wholesale distribution segments over the coming years.

About Nextleaf

Nextleaf is a federally regulated producer of cannabis oil that owns one of the largest portfolios of U.S. patents for the extraction and distillation of cannabinoids. Nextleaf distributes cannabis vapes and distilled oils under its award-winning prohibition-era brand, Glacial Gold, and supplies cannabis distillate to its wholesale customers. Nextleaf's proprietary closed-loop automated extraction plant in Metro Vancouver efficiently transforms cannabis and hemp grown in B.C. and throughout Canada into high-purity cannabis distillate at an industrial scale. Nextleaf is developing delivery technology and differentiated cannabinoid-based formulations through its Health Canada Research Licence with sensory evaluation of cannabis via human testing. The Company owns 17 U.S. patents and has been issued 95 patents globally.

Nextleaf Solutions trades as OILS on the Canadian Securities Exchange, OILFF on the OTCQB Market in the United States, and L0MA on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.

Follow the Company across social platforms: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

www.nextleafsolutions.com

Follow Glacial Gold across social platforms: Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. www.Glacial.Gold

For more information please contact:

Jason McBride, Corporate Development

604-283-2301 (ext. 219)

jason@nextleafsolutions.com

On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Company,

Paul Pedersen, CEO

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements". All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this press release, including, without limitation, those regarding the Company's ability to capitalize on its IP portfolio, the Company's strategy, plans, objectives, goals and targets, and any statements preceded by, followed by or that include the words "believe", "expect", "aim", "intend", "plan", "continue", "will", "may", "would", "anticipate", "estimate", "forecast", "predict", "project", "seek", "should" or similar expressions or the negative thereof, are forward-looking statements. These statements are not historical facts but instead represent only the Company's expectations, estimates and projections regarding future events. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve assumptions, risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual results may differ materially from what is expressed, implied or forecasted in such forward-looking statements. Additional factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially include, but are not limited to the risk factors discussed in the Company's MD&A for the most recent fiscal period. Management provides forward-looking statements because it believes they provide useful information to investors when considering their investment objectives and cautions investors not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Consequently, all of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements and other cautionary statements or factors contained herein, and there can be no assurance that the actual results or developments will be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, the Company. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect subsequent information, events or circumstances or otherwise, except as required by law. The CSE has not reviewed or approved the contents of this press release.

_____________________________

1 https://mjbizdaily.com/cannabis-sales-in-canada-set-6th-straight-monthly-record-in-august/

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/101120
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 28, 2021) - Boosh Plant-Based Brands Inc. (CSE: VEGI) (OTCQB: VGGIF) (FSE: 77I) ("Boosh" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has begun its US expansion with the first shipment of 16,000 units to its US distribution warehouse. The shipment includes an equal portion of our six frozen entrees; Shepard's Pie with Beyond Meat, Rustic Pot Pie, Mexican Fiesta Bowl, Coconut Curry Cali, Mac & Cheeze & Peas and Veggie Bolognese with Beyond Meat.

"As we have begun to send samples to our US food broker to distribute to key accounts in the US the feedback has been extremely positive. In fact, our first shipment to the US distribution center was anticipated to be 10,000 units, however, because of the high interest, we've increased it to 16,000 units," states founder and president Connie Marples.





Figure 1

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7944/101127_bfac408fe451fbde_002full.jpg

After an extended search, Boosh is proud to announce the hiring of TJ Walsh as VP of Sales for North America. Boosh's recently formed sales department will be reporting to TJ, who will be responsible for all sales strategy, development, direction and budget. TJ will be developing on-site sales training and policy formulation, and will report directly to the president, Connie Marples, and CEO Jim Pakulis. He has extensive sales experience including, but not limited, to National Director of Sales for Silver Hills, a plant-based bakery and organic foods company. Prior to that he was Sales Manager for UNFI, North America's largest all natural and organic distributor. Previously he spent eight years with Bolthouse Farms eventually being promoted to Director of Field Sales. At Bolthouse Farms he was responsible for implementing a multi-million dollar sales budget, overseeing 30 sales representatives, developing strategic growth plans for selling all new product lines, and creating merchandising and sales strategies for Walmart, Kroger, Target, Safeway/Albertsons, HEB, Loblaws, Save On, Kroger's and Whole Foods.

"The timing of our first shipment to the US is aligning perfectly with the hiring of TJ. As we've grown the SKU count from 6 at the beginning of the year to 24 SKU's today, we'll be needing to expand our North American sales department, and we believe TJ is the perfect candidate for the undertaking. And the fact he grew up in the US and now resides in Vancouver is another major advantage for Boosh," states CEO Jim Pakulis.

"I have over fourteen years of either selling or overseeing sales teams in the natural food industry, both in the US and Canada. With my comprehensive knowledge and deep relationships with grocery store buyers, I believe I'll be a strong asset and will provide sales leadership as we continue to expand our retail footprint throughout North America," states TJ Walsh.

In other news, the Company retained the services of Globull Media LLC to provide investment relations services. The provider is charging the Company US fifty thousand dollars for one month of service.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

James Pakulis

Chief Executive Officer

Telephone: (833) 882-6674

www.Booshfood.com

Investor Relations

Contact - Edge Communications Group

Email: invest@booshfood.com

Telephone: (236) 237-1315

About Boosh Plant-Based Brands Inc.:

Boosh Plant-Based Brands Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiary, Boosh Food (www.booshfood.com), offers high quality, non-GMO, gluten free, 100% plant-based nutritional comfort foods for the whole family. We currently offer six frozen meals and three refrigerated meals which are sold throughout Canada. Boosh, good for you and good for planet earth.

The information in this news release includes certain information and statements about management's view of future events, expectations, plans and prospects that constitute forward looking statements. These statements are based upon assumptions that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Because of these risks and uncertainties and as a result of a variety of factors, the actual results, expectations, achievements or performance may differ materially from those anticipated and indicated by these forward looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, the Company's proposed use of the proceeds of its initial public offering. Any number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements as well as future results. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in forward looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurances that the expectations of any forward looking statements will prove to be correct. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward looking statements to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward looking statements or otherwise.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/101127
Portland Clinic Scheduled to Close and Updated LOI Completed for Sale of Sun Valley Health

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / October 28, 2021 / EMPOWER CLINICS INC. (CSE:CBDT)(FRA:8EC)(OTCQB:EPWCF) ("Empower" or the "Company") an integrated healthcare company - serving patients through medical centers, telemedicine platforms, a medical device company and a high complexity medical diagnostics laboratory processing thousands of COVID-19 specimens - is providing an update on its efforts to divest from the Company's legacy cannabis assets. Empower remains committed to entirely focusing its corporate priorities and expenditures on its integrated healthcare business.

Negotiations continue with Andrea Klein and Dustin Klein (together the "Kleins") regarding the 100% sale of Sun Valley Certification Holdings, LLC and all subsidiaries thereof (together "Sun Valley"). The terms of the previously announced non-binding term sheet have been updated in the form of a new Letter of Intent ("LOI") to proceed to a definitive agreement within 30 days. Under the new terms, it is proposed that Sun Valley will be acquired in exchange for 1,000,000 shares of Empower and payment of the balance of prepaid rent for one of the clinic locations in Mesa, AZ.

Completion of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including completion of due diligence, negotiation of definitive agreements and receipt of all necessary approvals. If such conditions are not satisfied it is possible that the proposed transaction will not be completed on the terms set forth herein or at all.

The Company is also moving to formally close its Portland clinic operations as of October 31st 2021. This closure and the formal sale of the cannabis related assets will enable the Company to robustly embrace its integrative healthcare business model through pharmacy partnerships, healthcare clinics, Kai Medical Laboratory, Kai Care tesing and MediSure diabetic and medical device management solutions.

ABOUT EMPOWER:

Empower is an integrated healthcare company that provides body and mind wellness for patients through its clinics, with digital and telemedicine care, a medical device company and world-class medical diagnostics laboratories. Supported by an experienced leadership team, Empower is aggressively growing its clinical and digital presence across North America. Our Health & Wellness and Diagnostics & Technology business units are positioned to positively impact the integrated health of our patients, while simultaneously providing long term value for our shareholders.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

Steven McAuley

Chief Executive Officer

CONTACT:

Media:

Steven McAuley CEO

s.mcauley@empowerclinics.com

604-789-2146

Investors:

Tamara Mason

Business Development & Communications

t.mason@empowerclinics.co

416-671-5617

DISCLAIMER FOR FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains certain "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" (collectively "forward looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Forward-looking statements can frequently be identified by words such as "plans", "continues", "expects", "projects", "intends", "believes", "anticipates", "estimates", "may", "will", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or information that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding: the expected benefits to the Company and its shareholders as a result of the sale of Sun Valley; that the sale will be completed on the outlined terms if at all. Such statements are only projections, are based on assumptions known to management at this time, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, including: that the Company's products may not work as expected; that the Company may not be able to expand COVID-19 testing; that legislative changes may have an adverse effect on the Company's business and product development; that the Company may not be able to obtain adequate financing to pursue its business plan; that general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; failure to obtain any necessary approvals in connection with the proposed transaction; and other factors beyond the Company's control. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if they do occur, what benefits the Company will obtain from them. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements in this release, which are qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. The Company is under no obligation, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation, to update or revise any forward-looking statements in this release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable laws.

SOURCE: Empower Clinics Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/670032/Empower-Clinics-Provides-Update-on-Sale-and-Discontinuation-of-Cannabis-Related-Assets
Sunshine Hemp subsidiary aims to disrupt textile industry with cottonized hemp production facility, bringing jobs and economic potential to North Florida

SEATTLE, WA / ACCESSWIRE / October 28, 2021 / Renewal Fuels Inc. (OTC PINK:RNWF) (the "Company") today announces that its subsidiary, Sunshine Hemp Inc. has applied for a planning grant to fund its "Florida Hemp Fiber Innovation Project," a regional industrial hemp processing facility that will "cottonize" hemp for commercial textiles. The Company forecasts that Sunshine Hemp will recognize revenues of approximately $60 million within the first two years of production as it introduces an impactful new industry to the State of Florida.

Recognizing changes in the hemp cannabidiol (CBD) oil market and dislocations in the supply chain for farmers in the state, Sunshine Hemp's goal is to create, develop and prove feasibility of a prototype production facility and seed variety testing farm for the early steps of full commercialization of hemp in Florida. This will be a business sector incubator for the state; Sunshine Hemp will not focus on the CBD biomass or CBD components of the market.

"Sunshine Hemp is building a seed-to-sale infrastructure, satisfying the growing demand for sustainable materials and giving a much-needed push to Florida's economy, workforce and farming industry," stated Alka Badshah, CEO of Renewal Fuels. "The goal will be to jump start the development of a regional hemp fiber industry in North Florida using Florida State-approved hemp fiber seed genetics."

Funding, Economic Impact

Sunshine Hemp is working in cooperation with the Apalachee Regional Planning Council and Florida A&M University as part of its submission of a major planning grant to the U.S. Economic Development Agency (EDA), entitled "Forgotten Coast Coalition - Build Back Better Regional Challenge."

The key to this opportunity - and Sunshine Hemp's portion of the proposal - is to develop a state-of-the-art Hemp Innovation Processing Center in North Florida that will be a viable demonstration center as well as a commercial facility to produce cottonized hemp along with other hemp-based products such as hemp seed oil, hempcrete, hemp protein powder and others.

Phase I funding of the processing facility will cover seed genetics research, fiber processing equipment acquisition, and setup expenses. The funding will enable an industrial hemp processing and manufacturing capability with region-wide impact, which will convert the raw product into cottonized fibers as well as produce other derivatives and products. The EDA planning grant funding will allow Sunshine Hemp to finalize site development, construction plans, and equipment acquisition required by full grant funding in Q1 2022.

In addition to financial benefits for Sunshine Hemp, this project will provide several intangible benefits for the state of Florida including, carbon sequestration, production of sustainable materials and support of a new scalable industry in the state. It will create employment for about 50 workers directly and many more indirectly. All workers employed by Sunshine Hemp, including the blue-collar jobs, will meet or exceed the maximum rate of the U.S. living wage at or above $18 per hour.

This will also provide farmers in the region with a higher value / faster turnaround crop to replace the timber production enterprises devastated by Hurricane Michael and other storms.

In the first year of production, Sunshine Hemp conservatively projects about $20 million in revenue from finished fiber and other byproducts produced, with a margin of roughly 48%. In the second year, the company anticipates doubling that revenue to roughly $40 million and the margin goes up to 65%.

Cottonized Hemp Creates Scalable Opportunity

Sunshine Hemp is teaming with a hemp fiber processing technology company with a proprietary process to develop cottonized hemp fiber. The process utilizes ultrasonic waves in water to remove all the resins and abrasiveness of the fiber. This process allows the fiber to be directly utilized in current cotton mills without equipment changes or adjustments. The processed fiber can be immediately substituted as a raw material input in lieu of cotton, producing a higher value consumer product without factory modifications or product redesign. In current world markets, cottonized hemp fiber maintains a value multiplier of 2.5 times the value of cotton fiber.

Sunshine Hemp anticipates it will produce two crops of hemp fiber each season in North Florida and possibly three in South Florida. The production lines can be scaled to handle more hemp as demand grows. Each of the fiber line set-ups will produce 120 tons of cottonized hemp fiber with one shift per year; with two shifts, the output grows exponentially. The company's goal is to produce hemp seed oil and hempcrete that will require additional processing machinery which is much less expensive than the cottonized fiber machinery.

The Natural Fiber Market

Hemp fiber is categorized as a natural fiber for world commodity markets. Cotton is the dominate natural fiber commodity, capturing ~85% of the world market and establishing the natural fiber pricing for the world.

As of this writing, the current world price for cotton is $0.95 per pound. Forecasts of current production and consumption are allowing the pricing to be at the higher range not seen since 2011. Cottonized hemp fibers are an equal or better substitute for cotton, as the farming and production processes are more sustainable for hemp. As cottonized hemp fibers have begun to enter the natural fiber world markets, demand has been extremely high with supply being extremely low.

Sunshine Hemp is in discussions with two separate hemp fiber "cottonization" processing facility manufacturers. The company has discussed technology options with various U.S., Asian and European hemp fiber processing companies and is comparing quality, costs, capabilities, and adaptability to Florida. In addition, these manufacturers have distributors and denim and outerwear manufactures interested in purchasing U.S. grown hemp fiber.

Though demand for end-use hemp fiber products in the U.S. increases each year, there are very few hemp fiber production facilities in the U.S.; as of this writing, there are none in Florida.

Due to the U.S. supply deficiencies, clothing manufacturers are required to import the thread or materials from outside countries. Many small startup companies are forming and developing a small domestic availability of fibers, thread and material, but manufacturers are still seeking outside sources for large and continuous supplies. Sunshine Hemp aims to change that.

"It is our goal to produce fully researched Florida grown hemp fiber genetics and develop an industrial-scale hemp fiber processing facility that will produce hemp fiber at a consistent high-grade cottonized quality that will meet the specifications and needs of major clothing and apparel manufacturers," stated Sunshine Hemp President Jeff Sharkey. "This could make Sunshine Hemp and Florida a leader in this emerging hemp fiber industry."

CONTACT:

Dr. Jeffrey Sharkey

President, Sunshine Hemp

JeffreyShark@gmail.com

Doug Warren

Vice President,

Doug.Warren@SunshineHempFl.com

About Renewal Fuels Inc.

Renewal Fuels Inc. (OTC PINK:RNWF) is a Delaware-registered publicly traded company.

Renewal Fuels is a diversified business enterprise focused on providing valuable products and services to consumers and businesses in dynamic and emerging sectors. Through our subsidiaries and business sections, we provide financial and management advisory services, and financial technology services to customers in a variety of industries including the legal psilocybin, hemp and cannabis industry.

Website: https://www.RenewalHolding.com

Facebook: https://www.Facebook.com/RenewalFuelsInc/

Twitter: https://Twitter.com/RenewalFuelsInc

LinkedIn: https://www.Linkedin.com/Company/Renewal-Fuels/

For more information, please contact:

Alka Badshah

Info@RenewalHolding.com

About Sunshine Hemp Inc.

Located in Tallahassee, Florida, Sunshine Hemp was the first industrial hemp research company licensed by state authorities in Florida to research, produce and sell approved hemp genetics seeds and seedlings for growing in Florida. In partnership with Florida A&M University, Sunshine Hemp has been marketing and selling its state-authorized CBD and CBG "Pilot Project Approved Hemp" seeds and seedlings to the over 850 hemp growers across the state.

Forward-looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" which are not purely historical and may include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations, or intentions regarding the future. Such forward-looking statements include, among other things, the development, costs and results of new business opportunities and words such as "anticipate", "seek", intend", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "project", "plan", or similar phrases may be deemed "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such factors include, among others, the inherent uncertainties associated with new projects, the future U.S. and global economies, the impact of competition, and the Company's reliance on existing regulations regarding the use and development of cannabis-based products. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and we assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although we believe that any beliefs, plans, expectations, and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any such beliefs, plans, expectations, or intentions will prove to be accurate. Investors should consult all the information set forth herein and should also refer to the risk factors disclosure outlined in our annual report on Form 10-k, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and other periodic reports filed from time-to-time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For more information, please visit www.sec.gov.

SOURCE: Renewal Fuels, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/670035/Renewal-Fuels-Inc-RNWF-Announces-Initiation-of-Florida-Hemp-Fiber-Innovation-Project
Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - October 28, 2021) - ApartmentLove Inc. (CSE: APLV) ("ApartmentLove" or the "Company") is a leading provider of online home and apartment rental marketing services to landlords and renters across the United States and around the world. Continuing its rapid growth and expansion, the Company is pleased to announce that is has signed a non-binding letter of intent (the "LOI") to acquire the certain assets of Traffic2Revenue, Inc. (the "Vendor"), a Florida-based internet marketing company, comprising a collection of local internet listing service websites and related assets referred to as the "iLS Network" (the "Proposed Transaction").

Based on representations of the Vendor, the business of the iLS Network being acquired by the Company pursuant to the Proposed Transaction earned the Vendor approximately USD$779,000 in pre-tax net operating income ("NOI") from gross revenues of approximately USD$1,663,000 in 2020 and approximately USD$673,000 in pre-tax NOI from gross revenues of approximately USD$1,547,000 in 2019.

"Signing the LOI to acquire the iLS Network exemplifies the type and kind of acquisitions we aim to complete in major rental markets across the United States," explained Trevor Davidson - President & CEO of ApartmentLove. Mr. Davidson added, "Integrating the assets of the iLS Network into the larger ApartmentLove envelope will have an immediate and profound impact on both our top and bottom lines. Having identified operating efficiencies that ApartmentLove intends to be realized post-closing, successfully completing this transaction will further our growth by acquisition mandate, while enabling ApartmentLove to become cashflow positive as we continue to expand throughout the United States and elsewhere around the world."

Finalizing their respective due diligence investigations, the Company and the Vendor are now actively negotiating the terms and conditions of a definitive Asset Purchase Agreement (the "APA") to provide for the Proposed Transaction. Subject to the successful negotiation and entering into of the APA, and the receipt of all governmental and regulatory approvals, including, if required, the approval of the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE"), the Company and the Vendor intend to close the Proposed Transaction within 90 days of the execution of the APA.

"We're excited," exclaimed Pete Zimek - Chief Executive Officer of the Vendor. Mr. Zimek added, "ApartmentLove has proven its ability to win market share and continues to scale their operations. Retaining 100% of our operating team will provide great confidence for iLS Network clients safeguarding our long history of recurring revenues and strong earnings growth. We have absolute confidence in Trevor and are thrilled to share in the upside provided by bringing our two great businesses together."

Subject to the terms and conditions of the APA, ApartmentLove intends to extend letters of employment to the existing sales, marketing, and development team members of the iLS Network. Following the anticipated closing of the Proposed Transaction, ApartmentLove intends to hold the acquired assets of the iLS Network as standalone websites with the intention of providing for a continuity of service for current iLS Network clients and maintaining consistency in the revenues and operating margins from the iLS Network assets for ApartmentLove post-closing of the Proposed Transaction.

Subject to the terms and conditions of the APA, the Company and the Vendor anticipate that 25% of the purchase price for the iLS Network assets (the "Purchase Price") will be paid through the issuance of common shares in the capital of the Company ("Common Shares") and the remaining 75% of the Purchase Price will be paid in cash. It is anticipated that the APA will include customary closing conditions for a transaction of the nature of the Proposed Transaction, and shall include a financing condition whereby the closing of the Proposed Transaction will be subject to the Company completing a successful offering of Common Shares, and/or securities convertible into Common Shares, in an amount not less than the amount required to satisfy the cash portion of the Purchase Price.

The Common Shares issuable pursuant to the payment of the Purchase Price the ("Consideration Shares") shall be subject to a trading restriction pursuant to applicable Canadian securities legislation of four months and one day, and trading restrictions pursuant to applicable United States securities legislation. In addition, it is anticipated that the Consideration Shares will be subject to the terms of an escrow agreement whereby the Consideration Shares are released from escrow in equal tranches every three months following the closing date of the Proposed Transaction.

Further details regarding the final terms and conditions of the Proposed Transaction shall be announced if and when the Corporation and the Vendor enter into the APA.

About iLS Network

The iLS Network lives at the intersection of service and technology. The iLS Network websites are decision engines that quickly adapt to an ever-changing renters' population, and iLS Network is excited to help renters find the ideal apartment for them through dynamic search options and localized insight. Featuring unique search criteria, such as green initiatives, individual leasing options, and locally written neighborhood guides, the iLS Network offers better matching technology to create stronger fits for renters and more qualified traffic for apartment communities.

About ApartmentLove Inc.

ApartmentLove Inc. (CSE: APLV) is a leading provider of residential rental marketing services to landlords and renters nationwide. Promoting rental properties in every major rental market in Canada and the United States, ApartmentLove has active rental listings in 30-countries on 5-continents around the world. Having proven its ability to scale as a fast-growing technology company in the hot "PropTech" industry, ApartmentLove is executing its growth and expansion plans by acquiring good assets in choice rental markets at attractive multiples.

For more information visit www.ApartmentLove.com or contact:

Trevor Davidson

President & CEO

ApartmentLove Inc.

tdavidson@apartmentlove.com

(647) 272-9702

Reader Advisory

Certain information set forth in this news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of the Company. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "continue", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. These statements are only predictions. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements include, but are not limited to: the successful negotiation and entering into of the APA; the terms and conditions of the APA, including but not limited to the proposed Purchase Price, the issuance of Consideration Shares, the conditions to the closing of the Proposed Transaction, and the escrow conditions of the Consideration Shares; the closing of the Proposed Transaction pursuant to the terms and conditions of the APA; the proposed equity financing of the Company to fund the Purchase Price for the Proposed Transaction; the anticipated benefits of the Proposed Transaction and the ability of the Company to realize the benefits of the Proposed Transaction; the Vendor management-estimated annual gross revenues, pre-tax NOI, and operating margins remaining consistent; the Company realizing the benefits of its growth by acquisition mandate; the ability of the Company to become cashflow positive; the offering of letters of employment to the existing sales, marketing, and development team members of the iLS Network by the Company and the ability of the Company to successfully integrate and realize the benefits of the proposed new employees; and the receipt of all governmental and regulatory approvals, including the approval of the CSE, if required. The Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

The forward-looking information contained in this release is made as of the date hereof and the parties are not obligated to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Because of the risks, uncertainties and assumptions contained herein, investors should not place undue reliance on forward looking information. The foregoing statements expressly qualify any forward-looking information contained herein.

To the extent any forward-looking information in this press release constitutes "future-oriented financial information" or "financial outlooks" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws, such information is being provided to demonstrate the anticipated product sales of the Company and the reader is cautioned that this information may not be appropriate for any other purpose and the reader should not place undue reliance on such future-oriented financial information and financial outlooks. Future-oriented financial information and financial outlooks, as with forward-looking information generally, are, without limitation, based on the assumptions and subject to the risks set out above under the heading "Reader Advisory". The Company's actual financial position and results of operations may differ materially from its management's current expectations and, as a result, the Company's actual revenue may differ materially from the prospective revenue projections provided in this press release. Such information is presented for illustrative purposes only and may not be an indication of the Company's actual financial position or results of operations.

Pre-tax NOI (net operating income) does not have any standardized meaning as prescribed by International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, and, therefore, are considered non-GAAP measures and may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. ApartmentLove believes the non-GAAP measure of "pre-tax NOI", combined with IFRS measures, such as revenue and net income (loss), are useful measures to its shareholders as management relies on such measures to provide insight into future operations. Readers are cautioned, however, that "pre-tax NOI" should not be construed as an alternative to financial measures determined in accordance with GAAP or IFRS as an indicator of the Company's financial performance.

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ApartmentLove | the feeling of home

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/101116
San Francisco, California--(Newsfile Corp. - October 28, 2021) - RealKey, an innovator in digital mortgage technologies that enable bank and non-bank mortgage lenders and brokers to streamline the mortgage loan processing experience, today announced that it closed $3.4 million in seed funding, led by Zulu Assets. Additional investors included 2Enable Partners, Second Century Ventures (NAR-National Association of Realtors investment arm), Sandalphon Capital, Little Green Bamboo Capital, and numerous notable angel groups.

To view the full announcement, including downloadable images, bios, and more, click here.

Key Takeaways:

Digital mortgage technology provider RealKey has received $3.4 million in seed funding.

The lead investor is Zulu Assets, with additional funding from 2Enable Partners, Second Century Ventures (NAR-National Association of Realtors investment arm), Sandalphon Capital, Little Green Bamboo Capital, and numerous notable angel groups.

The funding allows RealKey to accelerate the launch of new products, broaden its services, and aggressively pursue new market opportunities.





Click image above to view full announcement.

About RealKey



RealKey is an innovative provider of digital mortgage technologies that enables bank and non-bank lenders to streamline the mortgage processing experience. Disrupting the status-quo in the mortgage industry, the RealKey Automated Lending Platform (ALP) makes the mortgage process more efficient and empowers Lenders and Brokers to close more loans, faster, with less effort.



RealKey fills the gaps of present and established systems in the industry (LOSs, POSs, and AUSs) that do not address inherent/historic inefficiencies. The RealKey platform provides automated and intelligent collection of documents, review of data, and secure communications among all parties involved. These combined capabilities shorten the loan processing cycle by roughly 50%, giving Lenders and Brokers time to close more loans and grow their business to meet increasing loan application demands. RealKey's software works seamlessly with existing point-of-sale and loan origination systems to bring an end-to-end, fully digital mortgage processing experience to lenders, brokers and their clients.





Contacts:

Nancy MacGregor

4153095185

nancy@triercompany.com

Source: Realkey

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/101149
Ottawa, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 28, 2021) - The Health Research Foundation (HRF) of Innovative Medicines Canada is pleased to announce that Dr. Brianne Wood has been awarded the Fellowship in Health Systems Resilience. Dr. Wood is an Associate Scientist, Social Accountability and Learning Health Systems at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine University and the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted significant and persistent healthcare inequities in Canada. Northern, rural and remote communities in particular suffer from limited infrastructure, workforce shortages, and unequal distribution of resources. Dr. Wood's research aims to improve healthcare in these regions by building a socially accountable health system that reflects the unique contexts of inhabitants. She will investigate how these communities and their health systems can better generate knowledge for decision- and policy-making during public health emergencies and ongoing health systems transformation.

The HRF is a non-profit organization that has long supported research excellence and promoted world-class scientists focused on the discoveries and innovations that keep our communities healthy, and our economy thriving. The new Fellowship will examine the factors that enhance or undermine the resilience of the health system, specifically to strengthen the system's capacity to accommodate and adapt to shocks while maintaining and improving performance. Dr. Wood's selection was resoundingly endorsed by the Foundation's Fellowship Selection Committee, which is made up of leading Canadian life sciences experts. She will receive $450,000 in funding over the course of three years.

Quotes

"I'm thrilled for the opportunity this Fellowship provides, and for the trust the HRF places in me to advance my research. My vision is to improve health and healthcare in northern, rural and remote communities. Partnerships, shared strategies and resources between education, research, health services and communities are essential to create meaningful impact. This Fellowship will enable me to better prepare underserved health systems to meet the needs of their health workforce and the communities they serve," Dr. Brianne Wood.

"The Fellowship in Health Systems Resilience is a vital piece in HRF's research strategy as we form deeper partnerships and prepare for future health challenges. On behalf of the HRF, I extend my congratulations to Dr. Brianne Wood. I am particularly pleased that her work will inform more effective health planning and preparedness in northern, rural and remote settings. This focus on previously underserved areas aligns with HRF aims to ensure Canadians experience the benefits of health research no matter where they live," Mel Cappe, Chair of the HRF Board of Directors.

"Through initiatives such as the Fellowship in Health Systems Resilience, our industry makes valuable contributions to public policy and helps Canadians prepare and be equipped to face our next public health crisis. I believe that Dr. Wood and her work will help Canada curb the impact of future pandemics and other health threats, especially in vulnerable communities," Pamela Fralick, President, Innovative Medicines Canada.





Dr. Brianne Wood

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About Innovative Medicines Canada

Innovative Medicines Canada is the national association representing the voice of Canada's innovative pharmaceutical industry. The association advocates for policies that enable the discovery, development, and delivery of innovative medicines and vaccines to improve the lives of all Canadians and supports the members' commitment to being a valued partner in the Canadian healthcare system. The association represents 48 companies who invest nearly $1.2-billion in R&D annually, fueling Canada's knowledge-based economy, while contributing $8-billion to Canada's economy. Guided by the Code of Ethical Practices, all members work with governments, private payers, healthcare professionals, and stakeholders in a highly ethical manner.

About IMC's Health Research Foundation

The Innovative Medicines Canada Health Research Foundation is a non-profit organization whose mission is to support and promote the value of health research in Canada. By applying the highest standards of scientific excellence, addressing health challenges and establishing partnerships, HRF, one of the leading private health foundations in the country, contributes significantly to the prevention and treatment of disease, to a better health care system and the availability for Canadians to access effective health products.

- 30 -

For further information:

Erin Brophy

Executive Director, Communications

Telephone: 613-236-0455, extension 241

E-mail: media@imc-mnc.ca

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/101117
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 28, 2021) - North American Nickel Inc. (TSXV: NAN) (OTCQB: WSCRF) (CUSIP: 65704T 405) (the "Company") is pleased to provide details of its Annual General and Special Meeting (the "Meeting") of shareholders of the Company and announce that it has granted incentive stock options to an officer of the Company which is subject to shareholder approval.

The Meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 24, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. (Toronto time) at the offices of Bennett Jones LLP, 100 King Street West, Suite 3400, Toronto, Ontario, for the purposes set out in the Notice of Meeting which was mailed out to shareholders. This includes; to determine the number of directors and to elect directors; to appoint auditors for the ensuing year and to authorize the directors to fix their remuneration; to consider and, if thought fit, to approve the Company's amended stock option plan which makes a total of 19,000,000 shares of the Company available for issuance thereunder, as described in the management information circular; and to consider and approve the grant of options to Keith Morrison pursuant to the Amended Option Plan.

The Company has granted incentive stock options to NAN Chief Executive Officer, Keith Morrison, to purchase 4,993,972 common shares in the capital of the Company. All of the options are exercisable for a period of five years at an exercise price of $0.40 per share. The Grant is subject to acceptance of the amended Option Plan by the TSXV and the options issued pursuant to the grant are not exercisable until approved by Shareholders.

The Board is of the opinion that the Grant provides the Company with the ability to retain Keith Morrison and more fully align the interests of Keith Morrison with those of Shareholders in terms of value accretion and long-term share performance.

Only persons who are able to prove that they are fully-vaccinated and, if applicable, have adhered to isolation and quarantine regulations, will be able to attend the meeting in person. Shareholders unable to attend the AGM will be able to listen to the meeting, but not participate, via teleconference toll free dial in: 1-888-433-2192 [USA and Canada only] international dial in: 1-778-945-1044 [worldwide] participant passcode: 393 7160.

About North American Nickel

North American Nickel is a mineral exploration company with 100% owned properties in Maniitsoq, Greenland and Ontario, Canada. In 2019 the Company became a founding shareholder in Premium Nickel Resources ("PNR") a private Canadian company, to provide direct exposure to Ni-Cu-Co opportunities in the southern African region. PNR has submitted an Indicative Offer to acquire the assets, currently in liquidation, formerly operated by BCL Limited in Botswana. In addition, the Company is expanding its area of exploration interest into Morocco and building a relationship with the Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines ("ONHYM"), the leading resource crown corporation and the single largest permit holder in Morocco.

The Maniitsoq property in Greenland is a Camp scale permitted exploration project comprising 3,048 square km covering numerous high-grade nickel-copper + cobalt sulphide occurrences associated with norite and other mafic-ultramafic intrusions of the Greenland Norite Belt (GNB). The >75km-long belt is situated along, and near, the southwest coast of Greenland and is accessible from the existing Seqi deep water port with an all-year-round shipping season and hydroelectric power potential from a quantified watershed.

The Post Creek/Halcyon property in Sudbury is strategically located adjacent to the past producing Podolsky copper-nickel-precious metal sulphide deposit of KGHM International Ltd. The property lies along the extension of the Whistle Offset dyke structure. Such geological structures host major Ni-Cu-PGM deposits and producing mines within the Sudbury Camp.

The Company acquired 100% ownership of property near the southern extent of the Lingman Lake Greenstone Belt in northwest Ontario known as Lingman Nickel and in the Quetico region near Thunder Bay Ontario. The acquisition of these properties is part of the Company's strategy to develop a pipeline of new nickel projects. The Company is evaluating direct and indirect nickel asset acquisition opportunities globally.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Keith Morrison

Chief Executive Officer

North American Nickel Inc.

For more information contact:

North American Nickel Inc.

Jaclyn Ruptash

Corporate Communications

+1 (604) 770-4334

Toll Free: 1-833-770-4334

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION: This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian securities legislation concerning the business, operations and financial performance and condition of the Company. Forward-looking statements and forward-looking information include, but is not limited to, statements about the future prospects of any assets or properties of the Company, the ability of the Company to successfully complete due diligence, the ability of the Company to access capital, any spending commitments, the success of exploration activities, the future economics of minerals including nickel and copper, the benefits of the development potential of the properties of the Company, the benefits of drilling and advancement of projects. Forward-looking information is necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. All forward-looking information contained in this press release is given as of the date hereof and is based upon the opinions and estimates of management and information available to management as at the date hereof. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be anticipated, estimated or intended. Statements concerning mineral reserve and resource estimates may also be deemed to constitute forward-looking statements to the extent they involve estimates of the mineralization that will be encountered if the property is developed.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/101151
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - United said Thursday that it will add five new flights to London's Heathrow Airport, including two more flights from New York/Newark, additional trips from both Denver and San Francisco, as well as an all-new direct flight from Boston. The new service begins in March of 2022. United noted that it will offer 22 flights per day from the U.S. to London, and more flights between New York City and London than any other U.S. carrier. London was the most booked international destination for United's business customers in October, and the airline expects this trend to continue into 2022. United said London is an integral part of United's network and United remains confident demand will continue to grow, particularly as international business travel returns in 2022. United currently operates a total of seven flights to Heathrow from the U.S.: two daily flights from New York/Newark and Washington D.C., and one daily flight from Chicago, Houston, and San Francisco. In December, service will increase to 10 daily flights, with additional flights from New York/Newark and Chicago, just in time for the winter holidays. United plans to reopen United Polaris lounges at New York/Newark, Chicago O'Hare and Houston by the end of this year; the remaining lounges are set to reopen by early 2022. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
RIGA, Latvia, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Is Ukraine a difficult neighbor or a future partner for the EU? Open Europe Virtual Congress experts tried to find the answer during an online event on October 26.

The discussion facilitated by Ruslan Pankratov, leader the Latvian "Ricibas" political party, was joined by representatives of 5 countries: ex-member of Bundestag Waldemar Herdt (Germany), Luis Marinelli, who ran for California's governor office in 2020 (USA), ex-vice mayor of Vilnus Algirdas Palezkis (Lithuania), political scientist and the president of "Peter the Great" foundation Valery Dvoinikov (Belgium), director of the Center for Geopolitical Studies Dragana Trifkovich (Serbia).

Valery Dvoinikov started off elaborating on the context in which russophobia was being actively promoted in the EU, and that laid the foundations for the following chaos around Ukraine. The main problem, according to Dvoinikov, lies in the troubled relations between Russia and the USA, and the destructive policies targeting Eastern Europe. His suggestion was for France to use its diplomatic potential for conflict resolution instead of causing more escalations.

Algiras Palezkis, who had to stand trial in Lithuania for "denying Soviet occupation", continued by adding that 30 years ago the Baltic states presented themselves as mediators, diplomats able to bridge the gap between Western and Eastern Europe due to their history, culture and geographical location. And now they ended up not just stepping away from that role, but moreover, becoming the frontline, and having their governments behave in a very provocative way. The same mistake is repeated by Ukraine: instead of reinforcing its strengths it has lost common sense following external orders rather than the interests of its people.

Waldemar Herdt had a clear answer to the key event question, stating that Ukraine cannot be a partner for the EU anytime soon as it will require a lot of investment to restore from the chaos it is in at the moment. That investment is a commitment given by the EU to be able to impose its own standards and vision. Ukraine at the moment is governed by a team that ignores the interests of its own people, putting them in danger, ruining the country's economy. The war in the southeast will continue until they are the ones benefiting from it, and those mainly are the Ukrainian government that can use it to justify its own weakness and incompetence, and its American puppeteers interested in destabilization next door to Russia. Following this madness the EU has already lost more than 170bln because of sanctions. European Union was founded as a union of sovereign states, nowadays it dictates more regulations than Moscow used to do at any point of Soviet history. "Brussels want to regulate everything in the EU: from the width of cucumbers farmed to the length of vacuum cleaners produced" - Waldemar says.

Luis Marinelli expressed his opinion saying that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is fueled externally, but the extremes it has got to are a complete nonsense.

Dragana Trifkovich compared the current events in Ukraine to Yugoslavia of the 1990s, noting that a very similar "divide and conquer" scenario is being used. She said that she witnessed the events in the Southeast of Ukraine in 2014-2015 and the powerful propaganda in EU trying to present the situation is an extremely distorted way.

Experts still remain optimistic saying that it could still be possible to build the Big Europe as a common economic space from Lisbon to Vladivostok if European countries acted as sovereign entities securing the best interests of their peoples.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1672882/Open_Europe.jpg
Both channel sales and customer growth up significantly in Q3, with Planful signing another 12 global partners

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Planful Inc., the pioneer of end-to-end financial close, consolidation, and financial planning & analysis (FP&A) cloud software, announced today that the record-breaking growth it reported in the first half of the year is continuing with strong increases in subscription bookings, new customer acquisition, and global partnership expansion in the third quarter.

Planful's net new customer acquisition increased 100% year-to-date over 2020, with new brands added to its roster spanning a range of industries, including Bardavon Health Innovations, Mews, Parts Authority, Quantum Metric, and Zeon Chemicals L.P.

Measurable progress also continues on customer-first initiatives to create the best customer support and user experience in the industry. "Planful is a well-developed product with unmatched customer service," said Janet Golla, Vice President, Planning and Analysis, Capitol Petroleum Group, a leading wholesale distributor of petroleum services in metropolitan Washington, D.C. and New York City. "I have never been more impressed by the genuine customer service provided by all of Planful's departments. I am also impressed with the online training resources and customer support, as well as the support of the Planful user community."

Q3 highlights include:

Strong year-over-year growth, with a 65% increase in subscription bookings

Expanded global partner ecosystem, with the addition of 12 new global partners this quarter and channel sales up six fold year-over-year in Q3, building on the momentum from the company's recently announced strategic partnership with Trintech

recently announced strategic partnership with Continued investment in global growth, by doubling international go-to-market hires year-to-date and year-over-year

Announced expansion of its Planful Predict portfolio , a suite of native AI/ML products designed specifically for complex financial data

, a suite of native AI/ML products designed specifically for complex financial data Recognized with the WellBeyond Program of the Year Award for Emerging Companies from Sequoia, for commitment to employee health via Planful's innovative wellness programs

Held a highly successful Planful Perform 2021 virtual user conference in September--doubling attendance from the 2020 virtual event--that featured 20 hours of content, 35 speakers, and 2,000 attendees

virtual user conference in September--doubling attendance from the 2020 virtual event--that featured 20 hours of content, 35 speakers, and 2,000 attendees Deployed performance, UX, and AI platform enhancements, more than doubling the speed of data aggregation and calculations of large scale-planning and analysis models

Named an Experience Leader in the 2021 Dresner Advisory Services' Wisdom of Crowds Study based on customer feedback, receiving a perfect recommended score from users

Planful Chief Executive Officer Grant Halloran commented, "Our Q3 results demonstrate that the strong momentum we gained in the first half of the year is continuing. I'm very proud of the Planful team's skillful execution, as we relentlessly focus on delivering great customer experiences and rapidly expanding our direct and channel distribution."

About Planful

Planful (formerly Host Analytics) is the pioneer of end-to-end financial close, consolidation, and financial planning & analysis (FP&A) cloud software. The Planful platform is used by the Office of the CFO around the globe to streamline business-wide planning, budgeting, consolidations, reporting, and visual analytics. More than 900 customers, including Boston Red Sox, Del Monte, TGI Friday's, and 23andMe, rely on Planful to accelerate cycle times, increase productivity, and improve accuracy across the end-to-end FP&A process. Planful is a private company backed by Vector Capital, a leading global private equity firm. Learn more at www.planful.com .

Contact

press@planful.com

Additional Resources

Hear from Planful customers

Explore FP&A use cases

Discover Continuous Planning

Join the conversation on social media: LinkedIn , Twitter , or Facebook .

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NEW YORK, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As per the report published by Market Research Store, global demand for On the Go Packaging market was valued at approximately USD 2,290 Million in 2019, and is expected to generate revenue of around USD 3,309 Million by end of 2026, growing at a CAGR of around 5.4% between 2020 and 2026.

On-the-go packaging is a state-of-the-art packaging solution that offers convenience and easy transportation. This packaging solution may be categorized into cans, films and wraps, trays, rigid boxes, bottles, sachets, and jars. Cereal meals, bakery, sandwiches, drinks and egg foods are some of the products on-the-go which is used to pack the packaging solution referred to above. Paperboard packaging and flexible packaging are the two type of on the Go Packaging.

Get Free Sample Report with All Related Graphs & Charts (with COVID 19 Impact Analysis): https://www.marketresearchstore.com/sample/on-the-go-packaging-market-828538

Major players in the market are Bemis, Berry Plastics, American Packaging, Amcor, Bryce, InterFlex, Huhtamaki, Mondi, Sigma Plastics, Coveris, Hood Packaging, Novolex, Pregis, Sealed Air, Proampac, Scholle IPN, Sonoco Products, Printpack, 0020Oracle Packaging, WestRock, and Winpak among others.

Growing Demands for On-The-Go Foods and Proactive Consumer's Lifestyles have driven Demand for the Market.

Increased consumer preferences for processed foods are the main driving forces on the global market for on-the-go packaging. The global on-going packaging market is expected to grow consumer inclination towards portability, reusability, simple use, and re-closable characteristics. In addition, the pharmaceutical industry is also contributing to the growing demand for such packaging solutions. Medicines such as syrups, tablets, and ointments require re-closable ability that will drive the on the go packaging market. Health and hygiene products, other consumer goods, and the increasing consumption of dairy-based food products are anticipated to fuel global market demand during the forecast timeline. Furthermore, rising emphasis on manufacturers investing in the development of an innovative packaging solution promotes the market growth of on-the go packaging. Citing an instance, Nestle had announced in January 2020 that it would invest up to USD 2.09 billion in transforming virgin plastics into recycled food-grade plastics and speeding up the development of innovative sustainable packaging solutions. Certain initiatives are propelling the market growth in recent years.

Request Pre and Post COVID-19 Impact Analysis on Businesses: https://www.marketresearchstore.com/covid19/on-the-go-packaging-market-828538

North America & Asia Pacific Region Projected To Dominate Global On the Go Packaging Market Growth

Geographically, the global on the go packaging market has been analyzed into five major regions. In 2019, North America is dominating the global market owing to presence of several numbers of players in the packaging sector. Besides the presence of an established mature packaging industry and changing customer patterns, regional market development is also a significant factor. Asia-Pacific is projected to grow at a fastest rate during the projected years. Increasing consumption of ready to eat food, increasing disposable income and the growing population, are the major market dynamics that will aid the market to grow in next five years.

Browse the full "On the Go Packaging Market By Flexible Packaging (Clamshells, Peel off Lids, Plastic Trays, and Zip Pouches), By Paperboard Packaging (Corrugated Boxes, Folding Cartons, and Rigid Boxes), and By End User (Food Beverage, Healthcare, Hygiene Products, Personal Care Industries, and Pharmaceuticals): Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis, and Forecast, 2020 - 2026."

Get More Insight before Buying @ https://www.marketresearchstore.com/inquiry/on-the-go-packaging-market-828538

The global On the Go Packaging market is segmented as follows:

By Flexible Packaging:

Clamshell

Peel off Lids

Plastic Trays

Zip Pouches

By Paperboard Packaging:

Corrugated Boxes

Folding Cartons

Rigid Boxes

By End User:

Food & Beverage

Healthcare

Hygiene Products

Personal Care Industries

Pharmaceuticals

Directly Purchase a Copy of the Report with TOC @ https://www.marketresearchstore.com/checkout/828538/0/r

By Region:

North America

The U.S.



Canada

Europe

France



The UK



Spain



Germany



Italy



Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific

China



Japan



India



South Korea



Southeast Asia



Rest of Asia Pacific

Latin America

Brazil



Mexico



Rest of Latin America

Middle East & Africa

& GCC



South Africa



Rest of Middle East & Africa

Browse all other Packaging Industry Research Reports - https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/category/packaging

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ATLANTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / October 28, 2021 / Atlanta's flourishing dining scene is set to welcome the first US locations of The Captain's Boil, where the city's hungriest crowds can enjoy fresh, succulent seafood feasts and modern digs.

Founded in Canada in 2015, The Captain's Boil immediately saw success in its unique offering of build-your-own Asian influenced, Louisiana-style, low country boils served in a family-style fashion. Inspired by a trip taken by one of the restaurant founders to the American South, the popularity of the restaurant grew swiftly, and the brand now boasts more than 20 locations across the country. The restaurant chain would go on to be named "Best Seafood in Toronto" by Now Magazine, prompting their ambitions to open locations in the United States.

"We are very excited to have Atlanta as the launch point of our U.S. expansion," said Eugene Chan, CEO of The Captain's Boil. "The city's growing reputation as a 'food destination' is what makes opening our first locations in the U.S. right here so special, and we can't wait to share our favorite meal with Atlantans."

The approachable menu showcases delicious seafood prepared with a mix of Southern flavors and Asian influences, which makes for a mouth-watering meal big enough for friends and family to share. Seafood options include shrimp, crab legs, lobster, mussels, and crawfish and can be seasoned in flavors like lemon pepper, garlic, Cajun, and The Captain's special blended sauce when ordering a boil. Conversely, guests can choose to have this seafood hand-breaded and fried to order. Classic sides like corn, potatoes, Cajun fries, sausages, and okra are optional "add-ons," as are "shareables" for the table like creamy gouda macaroni and cheese bites, chicken wings, breaded calamari, and fresh oysters. Ten dipping sauces, tasty dessert options and endless mix-and-match capabilities round out the menu. Guests will enjoy a casual, boil presentation and are encouraged to literally dig in with provided gloves, bibs, and scissors, creating an indulgent yet amusing experience.

With multiple openings planned, the official launch of The Captain's Boil brand in the U.S. and its inaugural location in Georgia will be held later this year at the Cumberland Mall location. Grand Opening Event and ribbon cutting festivities will be announced next month with plans to partner with local charities in support of the community.

"We hand-picked each of our locations because of the wonderful neighborhoods and people that surround them," said Eugene. Beginning this fall, The Captain's Boil will open at Cumberland Mall with additional locations in the Greater Atlanta area including Woodstock, Lawrenceville and Sandy Springs following shortly thereafter.

For media inquiries regarding The Captain's Boil, please contact Chelsea Calhoun, Green Olive Media, at ccalhoun@greenolivemedia.com.

###

ABOUT THE CAPTAIN'S BOIL | ATLANTA, GA

Originally established in Canada with now more than 20 locations, The Captain's Boil is bringing fresh, succulent seafood feasts to its very first U.S. restaurants in Atlanta. After seeing success from its offerings in cities such as Toronto and Vancouver, the team at The Captain's Boil identified Atlanta as the ideal place to start its expansion in the U.S. due to its burgeoning dining scene and celebrated culinary diversity. Known for Louisiana-style seafood boils, the approachable menu showcases delicious seafood prepared with a mix of Southern flavors and Asian influences that make for a mouth-watering meal big enough for friends and family to share. With a plethora of seafood options including crab legs, crawfish, shrimp, and mussels paired with classic sides and sauces, The Captain's Boil is the perfect destination for a fresh and flavorful meal that has something for everyone in your crew! For more information, follow along on Instagram at @thecaptainsboilus or visit The Captain's Boil US website.

SOURCE: The Captain's Boil

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/670111/The-Captains-Boil-Makes-US-Debut-in-Georgia
Oklahoma City Innovation District is named AURP's 2021 "Outstanding Research Park / Innovation District"

TUCSON, AZ / ACCESSWIRE / October 28, 2021 / The Association of University Research Parks (AURP), a 35-year global nonprofit membership organization serving research park communities and innovation districts, presented its 2021 Awards of Excellence honorees last week at AURP's 2021 International Conference held in-person and virtually at the University of Utah Research Park, October 18-21.

"On behalf of the AURP membership, we are delighted and proud to announce our 2021 Awards of Excellence honorees," said Leah Burton, AURP President and Director, Centennial Campus Partnership Office at North Carolina State University. "This year's awards recipients have truly distinguished themselves in building and leading our communities of innovation."

AURP's International Conference annually brings together more than 200 research park and innovation district leaders from around the world for high-impact knowledge exchange and networking with the industry's premier experts and leaders.

"Congratulations to all of our 2021 Awards of Excellence honorees," said AURP CEO Brian Darmody. "Each of these high-impact individuals and the organizations they represent are truly deserving of AURP recognition. We're delighted to honor their energy, devotion and commitment to advancing the mission of growing innovation and technology communities in the US and worldwide."

The Outstanding Research Park / Innovation District Award recognizes research parks and innovation districts and their leadership for their achievements and encourages continuous evaluation and development of best practices for the research park community.

The 2021 Outstanding Innovation District Award honoree is the Oklahoma City Innovation District: The Oklahoma City Innovation District, founded in 2019, is a 1.3 square mile ecosystem of collaboration, innovation and economic growth located in Northeast Oklahoma City. The Oklahoma City Innovation District focuses on a diverse array of industry sectors, including healthcare, bioscience, aerospace and unmanned systems, specialized manufacturing, academia, technology and energy. The Oklahoma City Innovation District brings together resources, programming and state-of-the-art facilities to facilitate cross-industry collaboration through the convergence of scientists, researchers, academics and industry experts.

"Oklahoma City is very proud of this award and excited for the continuing development of our Innovation District," said Mayor David Holt, City of Oklahoma City. "Our voters recently made a major financial commitment to the Innovation District through our MAPS 4 initiative, investments that will serve as a catalyst not just for growth, but for equitable and inclusive growth. By any objective standard, Oklahoma City is booming right now, but to maintain that momentum we have to stay on the cutting edge, and this Innovation District ensures that we will. I am proud of this award, but I know that we are just getting started."

Other individuals and organizations recognized at the 2021 Awards of Excellence event include:

Emerging Research Park Award - VanCamp Incubator + Research Labs, Michigan State University (MSU) University Corporate Research Park: This award recognizes parks that have been in operation less than ten years, which excel in bringing technology from the laboratory to economically viable business activities.

The VanCamp Incubator + Research Labs is a new 22K square foot corporate and academic research incubator named for Loretta VanCamp, an MSU biochemist who created a leading anti-cancer drug. The VanCamp Incubator + Research Labs is a multi-tenant facility, open to emerging companies and researcher groups across the Greater Lansing region. Jeff Smith, Director of the University Corporate Research Park at MSU Foundation, accepted this award at AURP's event.

AURP Innovation Award - IonQ (based at the University of Maryland Discovery District): The Innovation Award is given each year to the business or nonprofit institution located in a research park that has brought forward one or more proprietary products, processes or services which represent a substantial technology breakthrough or have the potential for a significant positive impact on the economic, health or welfare status of a broad spectrum of humanity. IonQ, whose President & CEO, Peter Chapman, accepted this award at AURP's Awards event, is a leader in quantum computing. IonQ's next-generation quantum computer is the world's most powerful trapped-ion quantum computer.

"The world's most complex problems require the world's most innovative solutions - and that's what we set out to create with IonQ," said Chapman. "We're honored to receive the Innovation Award as it marks another exciting milestone for our quantum community. We're creating tangible solutions to challenges that matter, and we're just getting started."

Appreciation Award - This Award is given as recognition to an individual who, through the course of his or her career, has made a significant contribution to the advancement and recognition of the industry.

Joe Meredith, former President and Chief Executive Officer of the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center (VTCRC): Meredith, a former AURP Board Member, served as VTCRC President and CEO from 1993 to 2020 of the internationally renowned research park. Under his leadership, the campus grew from one to 36 buildings and extended its footprint with the development of Tech Center Research Park in Newport News, VA. As part of his legacy, Meredith mentored many research park professionals over his long career and helped VTCRC win AURP's Outstanding Research Park award in 2010.

Charles Dilks, former AURP President and President of Dilks Consulting, Inc.: Charlie Dilks, a former AURP President and Board Member, was one of the co-founders of AURP in 1986. For over 35 years, Charlie has served in various senior officer positions at The University City Science Center and managed the development and operation of the nation's first urban research park in Philadelphia, helping it win AURP Outstanding Research Park award in 2006.? Charlie has conducted numerous consulting assignments in technology-led economic development as President of Dilks Consulting with Wexford Science & Technology as his largest client.

Rising Star Award: A New Generation of Innovation Leadership - Keisha Demps, Partnership Developer at Centennial Campus Partnership Office at NC State University: This award recognizes an individual exhibiting significant contributions to the development and success of communities of innovation. Keisha Demps supports the ongoing development, promotion and implementation of NC State's Centennial Campus partnership model. She works to build and manage long-term collaborative relationships between NC State and partners from business, industry and government to advance research and development.

"From the time Keisha started on Centennial Campus, she was a Rising Star," said Leah Burton, AURP President and Executive Director, Centennial Campus at North Carolina State University. "Keisha has a drive for impact that has become invaluable to the campus's success. The role Keisha holds, Partnership Developer, is the heartbeat of the office and she has become a leader, mentor and champion for Centennial Campus. In essence, the ROI on Keisha Demps is off the charts."

Founder's Awards - In conjunction with AURP's 35th anniversary celebration, founding institutions were recognized for their farsighted vision of our collaborative and collective community of innovation. Recognized institutions were the Research Triangle Park (accepting Scott Levitan, CEO & President, Research Triangle Foundation) and Arizona State University (accepting Kelly Sandin, Senior Manager, Economic Development and Innovation Zones).

Vision Award - Vickie Palmer, Director of Operations & Events at AURP:

The Vision Award is occasionally given to recognize an individual who has made an exceptional contribution to the AURP community and to the innovation community as a whole. This year's Vision Award winner is Vickie Palmer. Vickie was been a long-term member of the AURP team and the backbone of the Association. During her 14-year career at AURP, she has brought her talents not only with association management and event production, but her leadership has been crucial to the growth of the AURP community - helping to drive the vision, collaboration and idea sharing that have become staples of AURP and its conferences.

About AURP:

AURP, a not-for-profit international organization with offices in the Washington, DC area at the University of Maryland Discovery District and in Tucson, AZ at the University of Arizona Tech Park, focuses on creating communities of innovation and education for research parks both operating and planned, plus innovation districts, incubators, accelerators and the businesses that support the research park industry. AURP and its global membership promote research, institute-industry relations and innovation districts to foster innovation and to facilitate the transfer of technology from such institutions to the private sector. Learn more: www.aurp.net

Media Contact:

Ken Berlack

AURP

kenberlack@aurp.net

SOURCE: AURP

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/670099/AURP-Presents-25th-Annual-Awards-of-Excellence-at-2021-International-Conference
MUNICH, GERMANY / ACCESSWIRE / October 28, 2021 / The highly anticipated 27th annual BIO-Europe(R) global life sciences partnering event, held October 25-28 in a fully digital format, wrapped up today with 2,941 attendees from 1,686 companies and 55 countries, engaging in 15,000+ one-to-one partnering meetings.

The event was produced by EBD Group in collaboration with the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) and endorsed by many sponsors and supporters of the life science industry.

"Whether in a digital environment or face-to-face, our mission is to continue to connect the international life science community across more than 60 nations. It is crucial to ensure continued deal flow and drive the innovation that could ultimately improve healthcare globally. The collaboration between pharma and biotech confirms exactly the vision of EBD Group's event which began bringing pharma and biotech companies together in the early 1990s and continues until now" said Pam Putz, Managing Director at EBD Group.

The event program highlighted a wide range of topics including gene therapy, RNA, neurodegenerative disease therapeutics, women's unmet medical needs, oncology, autoimmune diseases, COVID-19 measures and vaccine development, as well as datasharing for collaboration.

In 2022 BIO-Europe will be held in Leipzig, Germany October 24-26, 2022. This will be the first face-to-face edition of the event since 2019.

"We are more than honoured to host BIO-Europe 2022 in Leipzig" said Andre Hofmann, CEO of biosaxony Management GmbH. "The biosaxony Cluster has made impressive progress since BIO-Europe's last stop over here - it's definitely worth a visit!" Saxony has invested more than one billion euros into developing the region into a very special and, above all, an exceptionally dynamic life sciences location. More than 300 commercial enterprises and 30 research institutions with about 200 workgroups and 15,500 employees from 40 countries are working on innovative solutions for human health here today.

This emerging life science region, in the heart of Germany, will provide access to new business opportunities that have yet been discovered.

We look forward to seeing many of you next year in Leipzig!



EVENT DETAILS:

BIO-Europe produced by EBD Group, the leading partnering firm for the global life science industry, in collaboration with Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO).

To join the conversation:

Visit: https://informaconnect.com/bioeurope/

Follow: @EBDGroup BIOEurope

About EBD Group?

EBD Group's overriding mission is to help collaborations get started across the life sciences value chain. Our range of partnering conferences has grown to become the largest and most productive conference platform in the industry. Each one of our landmark events held in key life sciences markets around the world is powered by our state-of-the-art partnering software, partneringONE(R), that enables delegates to efficiently identify and engage with new opportunities via one-to-one meetings.

Today our events (BIO-Europe(R), BIO-Europe Spring(R), BioPharm America, Biotech Showcase, China Showcase, Digital Medicine & Medtech Showcase, ChinaBio (R) Partnering Forum, Startup Springboard, Therapeutic Area Partnerships, Rare Disease Innovation and Partnering Summit, and BioEquity Europe) annually attract more than 15,000 senior life sciences executives who engage in over 50,000 one-to-one partnering meetings. These vital one-to-one engagements are the wellspring of deals that drive innovation in our industry.

Tune into EBD Group's Partnering Insight for timely coverage of news that influences the business strategies of the life sciences industry. EBD Group is an Informa company. For more information please visit www.ebdgroup.com.

Media Contacts:

Simone Neeten

MC Services AG

+49-211-529252-101

simone.neeten@mc-services.eu

Karina Marocco

EBD Group

kmarocco@ebdgroup.com

SOURCE: EBD Group

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/670122/27th-Annual-BIO-EuropeR-Digital-Executes-its-Pivotal-Role-in-Facilitating-the-Flow-of-Global-Life-Science-Deals
HALIFAX, NS / ACCESSWIRE / October 28, 2021 / Namibia Critical Metals Inc. ("Namibia Critical Metals" or the "Company" or "NMI") (TSXV:NMI) today announced that, it has received proceeds of Cdn. $525,000 as a result of the exercise of approximately 2.9 million previously issued common share purchase warrants. The Company intends to use the proceeds of the warrant exercises for general working capital purposes. The warrants were issued in connection with the Company's non-brokered private placement offering of units completed in April 2020 and were set to expire on October 28, 2021.

The exercise price of the warrants was $0.18 and 100% of the warrants have been exercised. "This infusion of equity indicates that investors are confident in the future of NMI. We have an exciting few months ahead with continued rapid acceleration of our Lofdal Heavy Rare Earth Dysprosium-Terbium Project with our joint-venture partner JOGMEC as well as continued efforts on our 95% owned gold, tantalum and niobium projects." said Darrin Campbell, President of NMI.

About Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) and the JV

JOGMEC is a Japanese government independent administrative agency which among other things seeks to secure stable resource supplies for Japan. JOGMEC has a strong reputation as a long term, strategic partner in mineral projects globally. The mandated areas of responsibilities within JOGMEC relate to oil and natural gas, metals, coal and geothermal energy. JOGMEC facilitates opportunities with Japanese private companies to secure supplies of natural resources for the benefit of the country's economic development.

Rare earths are of critical importance to Japanese industrial interests and JOGMEC has extensive experience with all aspects of the sector. JOGMEC provided Lynas with US$250,000,000 in loans and equity in 2011 to ensure supplies of the Light Rare Earths metals suite to the Japanese industry.

The Company currently owns a 95% interest in the Lofdal project with the remaining 5% held for the benefit of historically disadvantaged Namibians. The terms of the JOGMEC joint venture agreement with the Company stipulate that JOGMEC provides $3,000,000 in Term 1 and $7,000,000 in Term 2 to earn a 40% interest in the Lofdal project. Term 3 calls for a further $10,000,000 of expenditures to earn an additional 10% interest. JOGMEC can also purchase another 1% for $5,000,000 and has first right of refusal to fully fund the project through to commercial production and to purchase all production at market prices. The collective interests of NMI and historically disadvantaged Namibians cannot be diluted below a 26% carried working interest upon payment of $5,000,000 to JOGMEC for the dilution protection. The JV Agreement is structured such that no NMI equity will be issued and it is totally non-dilutive to NMI shareholders. To date, JOGMEC, has funded Term 1 and 2 expenditures totaling $6,600,000.

About Namibia Critical Metals Inc.

Namibia Critical Metals Inc. holds a diversified portfolio of exploration and advanced stage projects in the country of Namibia focused on the development of sustainable and ethical sources of metals for the battery, electric vehicle and associated industries. The two advanced stage projects in the portfolio are Lofdal and Epembe. The Company also holds significant land positions in areas favourable for gold mineralization.

Figure 2: Location of Namibia Critical Metals' projects highlighting position of gold projects (Erongo, Otjiwarongo and Grootfontein) in relation to important gold projects within the Navachab-Otjikoto gold belt

Heavy Rare Earths: The Lofdal Dysprosium-Terbium Project is the Company's most advanced project being fully permitted with a Mining Licence (ML 200) issued in 2021. The project is being developed in joint venture with Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation ("JOGMEC") to provide a sustainable supply of heavy rare earths to Japan, most notably dysprosium and terbium.

Gold: The Company's Exclusive Prospecting Licenses ("EPLs") prospective for gold are located in the Central Namibian Gold Belt which hosts a number of significant orogenic gold deposits including the Navachab Gold Mine, the Otjikoto Gold Mine and more recently the discovery of the Twin Hills deposit. At the Erongo Gold Project, stratigraphic equivalents to the meta-sediments hosting the recent Osino gold discovery at Twin Hills have been identified and soil surveys are progressing over this highly prospective area. The Grootfontein Base Metal and Gold Project has potential for magmatic copper-nickel mineralization, Mississippi Valley-type zinc-lead-vanadium mineralization and Otjikoto-style gold mineralization. Detailed interpretation of geophysical data and regional geochemical soil sampling have identified first gold targets, with the first targets currently being drill-tested.

Tantalum-Niobium: The Epembe Tantalum-Niobium-Uranium Project is at an advanced stage with a well-defined, 10 km long carbonatite dyke that has been delineated by detailed mapping and radiometric surveys and over 11,000 meters of drilling. Preliminary mineralogical and metallurgical studies including sorting tests (XRT), indicate the potential for significant physical upgrading. Further work will be undertaken to advance the project to a preliminary economic assessment stage.

Copper-Cobalt: The Kunene Copper-Cobalt Project comprises a large area of favorable stratigraphy along strike of the Opuwo cobalt-copper-zinc deposit. Secondary copper mineralization over a wide area points to preliminary evidence of a regional-scale hydrothermal system. Exploration targets on EPLs held in the Kunene project comprise direct extensions of the cobalt-copper mineralization to the west, sediment-hosted copper, orogenic copper, and stratabound manganese and zinc-lead mineralization.

The common shares of Namibia Critical Metals Inc. trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "NMI".

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For more information please contact -

Namibia Critical Metals Inc.

Darrin Campbell, President

Tel: +01 (902) 835-8760

Fax: +01 (902) 835-8761

Email: Info@NamibiaCMI.com

Web site: www.NamibiaCriticalMetals.com

The foregoing information may contain forward-looking information relating to the future performance of Namibia Critical Metals Inc. forward-looking information, specifically, that concerning future performance, is subject to certain risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially. These risks and uncertainties are detailed from time to time in the Company's filings with the appropriate securities commissions.

SOURCE: Namibia Critical Metals Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/670130/Namibia-Critical-Metals-Inc-Receives-Proceeds-of-525000-From-Exercise-Of-Warrants
The combined premier event of DeFi Summit & NFTCON is set to bring together finance, collectibles and art during Art Basel week

MIAMI, FL / ACCESSWIRE / October 28, 2021 / DCentral Miami, the largest, in person combined NFT and DeFi conference in history will take place on November 30 - December 1 2021 at Miami Airport Conference Centre (MACC).

The event coincides with the biggest art week in the United States, Art Basel Miami and is set to merge the world of art with the world of decentralized finance.

"Miami is not only becoming the hub for innovation and crypto, but also breathing life into the explosive market of NFTs in new and exciting ways. The city is truly flourishing and making its own original name for itself in this crypto space," said Justin Wu, co-founder and CEO of DeFi Summit.

Miami Airport Convention Center will have three dedicated stages running constantly throughout the two days with a plethora of Keynotes, Panels, Workshops, and Talks.

With three stages at the event the agenda will be jam-packed with speakers such as Pplpleasr, Gala Games, The Sandbox, VaynerNFT, The Graph, and many more projects across the Polygon, Cosmos, Solana, Polkadot, Bitcoin and Ethereum communities.

A big highlight of the conference will be the one of a kind NFT Art Gallery, hosted by Superchief , the world's first NFT Gallery in New York City alongside the many exhibitor booths on the expo floor.

"It has been a huge year for DeFi and NFTs. With the sales volume of NFTs reaching $10.7bn during Q3 of 2021 and the $235bn TVL in DeFi, we don't see this slowing down anything soon. That's why we couldn't be more excited to host this showcase during the largest art week in Miami to further advance what's possible in digitized art," said Michael Huynh, COO of DeFi Summit.

Throughout the conference, there will be a dedicated Metaverse World area with digital fashion experiences by DIGITALAX, The Fabricant, DressX plus VIP dinner events and after-parties.

In June 2021, DeFi Summit led by Justin Wu, Co-founder and CEO, hosted the largest DeFi Conference online with over 9,000 attendees which featured speakers such as Mark Cuban, Coinbase, Polygon, Cosmos, Web3 Foundation, Acala Network, and more.

Earlier in October, DeFi Summit hosted NFTCON - an online conference that saw 97,393 total viewers dial in to watch the wide variety of in-depth talks across the three-day event. For both DeFi Summit and NFTCON, all panels and talks can be viewed via the DeFi Summit YouTube Channel .

DCentral Miami is in-person with a select number of talks being streamed for those to attend virtually and tickets will be released in waves leading up to the event in two week tiers. A full list of speakers can be viewed on the website: DCentralCom.com

DCentral tickets are on sale now here.

About DeFi Summit

DeFi Summit is an event organizer focusing on DeFi, NFTs, GameFi and DAOs. We aim to educate and give builders, developers and the community a chance to meet, share ideas, and discuss the biggest issues affecting the world of blockchain and cryptocurrencies. We organise free-to-all virtual and paid in-person events with keynote presentations, fireside chats, roundtable discussions, demos, and workshops from leading innovators in the industry. In June 2021, we organized the largest ever gathering for the decentralized finance community. In October 2021, NFTCON , was a virtual summit dedicated to non-fungible tokens with attendees and participants from around the globe.

Media Contact:

US:

Mia Grodsky

mia@yapglobal.com

@mia_koda

UK:

Martyna Borys

martyna@yapglobal.com

@MartynaMLB

SOURCE: DeFi Summit

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/670028/DeFi-Summit-Organizers-Are-Launching-DCentral-Miami-the-Largest-NFT-and-DeFi-Conference-in-History
Instadose Pharma Corp speaks to the potential impact of the growing global market for Medicinal Cannabis and the benefits for the developing world.

CHESAPEAK, VA / ACCESSWIRE / October 28, 2021 / Instadose Pharma Corp (Formerly Mikrocoze) is very happy to announce that Instadose Pharma Corp (Canada) ("Instadose Canada", "Instadose" or the "Company"), a global wholesale cannabinoid company, will be speaking at Future Cannabis Strategies Europe in London, UK, January 2022. The Company will be focusing on the topic of the development and evolution of the global wholesale Cannabis market and the potential impact and benefits that it may have on the developing world.

"The commoditization of Cannabis will have a huge impact on countries where it can be grown outdoors, particularly in the developing world. The hope is that these counties will benefit from the development of a global market for Medicinal Cannabis. Food and water security, as well as, the environment and climate change, are global issues and Medicinal Cannabis could be central to the story as a green renewable resource." said Chairman Grant F. Sanders.

The hope is that these countries will benefit from the development of a global market for Medicinal Cannabis

Instadose Pharma Corp Canada participated in a similar virtual conference held by Future Cannabis Strategies North America August 18, 2021 where they spoke on the topic "Evergreen Everlasting" which can be viewed here www.instadosepharma.com/news-media/ever-green-and-ever-lasting

About Instadose Canada

Instadose is seeking to create a large commercial outdoor growing, cultivation, production and global distribution platform for Medicinal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Oil (the "Global Distribution Platform"). Instadose endeavors to utilize the Global Distribution Platform to open the commercial gateway to a new wholesale marketplace capable of providing pharmaceutical industry companies with large, sustainable, consistent, diverse, and low-cost supplies of high-quality medicinal cannabis and cannabinoid oil for use in bulk as an active pharmaceutical ingredient.

Instadose's Global Distribution Platform spans five (5) world continents to date, including Africa, Europe, Asia, South America, and North America. Within each continent, Instadose is establishing operational subsidiaries and joint venture partnerships to secure access to government-issued licenses and permits in countries including The Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of North Macedonia, the Portuguese Republic, the Republic of India, Colombia, Mexico, and Canada, each seeking to increase their level of participation within the global Medicinal Cannabis industry.

Instadose Pharma's relationships with international partners are based on sustainable, long-term agreements that were initially designed to give back to people and protect the natural environment. Instadose Pharma's projects aim to increase the quality of life, provide jobs, fresh water, education, food security and capital.

Forward Looking Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities laws relating to the Company's plans and other aspects of our anticipated future opportunities. Forward-looking information typically uses words such as "anticipate", "believe", "continue", "trend", "sustain", "project", "expect", "forecast", "budget", "goal", "guidance", "plan", "objective", "strategy", "target", "intend", "estimate", "potential", or similar words suggesting future outcomes, statements that actions, events or conditions "may", "would", "could" or "will" be taken or occur in the future, including statements about our plans, focus, objectives, priorities and position. In particular, and without limiting the generality of the foregoing, this press release contains forward-looking information with respect to our upcoming shipments of Medical Cannabis. The forward-looking information is based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by our Board and Management. Although we believe that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking information is based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking information because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking information addresses future events and conditions, by its very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Our actual results, performance or achievement could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, the forward-looking information and, accordingly, no assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking information will transpire or occur, or if any of them do so, what benefits that we will derive therefrom. Management has included the above summary of assumptions and risks related to forward-looking information provided in this press release in order to provide security holders with a more complete perspective on our future operations and such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing lists of factors are not exhaustive. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release and we disclaim any intent or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, other than as required by applicable securities laws.

For further information: info@instadosepharma.com

Related Links

https://www.instadosepharma.com/

SOURCE: Instadose Pharma Corporation

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/670128/Instadose-Pharma-Corp-and-the-Future-of-Medicinal-Cannabis
Company Enjoys Most Successful Year on Record

Marked Increase in Revenue and Growing Technology Portfolio

Sponsorship of a Phase I Clinical Trial

MILWAUKEE, WI / ACCESSWIRE / October 28, 2021 / IQ-AI Limited (OTCQB:IQAIF) (LSE:IQAI), a developer and manufacturer of medical image processing platforms, released a letter to shareholders from Director Michael Schmainda. The entire letter follows:

Dear Shareholders:

The intent of this inaugural quarterly letter is to share our optimism with our shareholders and to help underscore the tremendous progress and potential of our company.

2021 has already proven to be our busiest and most successful year on record. The marked increase in revenue, our growing technology portfolio, our advancement of new products and platforms, and our sponsorship of a Phase I clinical trial drive our strategy to build upon the momentum gained during this banner year. Our listing on the OTCQB: IQAIF, which provides direct access for U.S. investors, is another key milestone that positions us to achieve our goals as we head into 2022. Likewise, our Depository Trust Company (DTC) application, which is in process, will provide clearing and settlement efficiencies between custodian banks and broker-dealers. We are also accelerating product development with the expansion of our software team. A senior software engineer with artificial intelligence (AI) experience will join us as a fulltime employee on November 8th.

Year-to-date revenues have more than doubled, driven primarily by the continued adoption of IB Clinic - container edition (IB Clinic), and the continued funding from awarded grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). IB Clinic provides seamless integration of fully automated processing of our clinically validated software platforms. While ideally suited for large, high-volume brain cancer centers, IB Clinic can be easily adopted by hospitals and diagnostic imaging chains of any size. The growing market acceptance of our automated applications has intensified our focus on the continued development and enhancement of IB Clinic. Automation has the obvious benefit of off-loading busy radiologists and technologists, and the quantitative output provides healthcare systems with consistency that improves efficiency in study interpretation and longitudinal comparisons. We are proud to be the only company that can offer quantitative magnetic resonance (MR) imaging software that answers the most frequently asked question in neuro oncology today: "is the enhancing region tumor or is it treatment effect?". Our pipeline is healthy, with two additional National Cancer Institute (NCI) designated cancer centers undergoing trial evaluations of IB Clinic.

Our flagship product, IB Neuro, is at the heart of our automated and quantitative processing. This product was the outcome of a multi-year comparison study published in Radiology in 2008. In this landmark study, the technology developed by the co-founder of IQAI's subsidiary, Imaging Biometrics, LLC (IB), Professor Kathleen Schmainda, PhD, at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) demonstrated superiority over other technologies that proclaimed to do the same computational analysis. Specifically, the approach used by Professor Schmainda uniquely accounts for contrast agent leakage across the blood-brain-barrier (BBB) and was able to distinguish between tumor and normal brain tissue more reliably than the commonly available technologies to which it was compared. Since then, the underlying technology has been enhanced by Professor Schmainda and the team at IB, which has enhanced and further differentiated IB Neuro from the competition. More recently, it has been recognized to be consistent with the national consensus recommended protocol for MR DSC perfusion imaging, a protocol officially endorsed by several of the major neuro-oncology and neuro-radiology societies.

We are acutely aware other groups offer varied and inconsistent versions of DSC perfusion imaging platforms. These groups use their internal versions to conduct and publish studies that may not always shed a favorable light on the true diagnostic value of DSC imaging. In our early days, this resulted in confounding reviews and prolonged the sales cycle of IB Neuro. Fortunately, decades of proven science are on our side: We have the scientific track record and a growing body of published literature that backs up the quality, accuracy, and robustness of our products. We continue to invest in our core platforms, and we are grateful for Professor Schmainda and our long-standing collaborators who continue to translate novel technologies and ideas from the laboratories to routine clinical use.

New products and technology development are also at an all-time high for us. In June of this year, we were awarded a US patent for IB Zero G, our 0% gadolinium AI technology: this technology uses only non-contrast medical images as input and generates synthetic "with-contrast" images as output. Since receiving the patent, and as announced in recent press releases, we have attained and labeled over 1,000 datasets for development purposes, we have completed the processing pipeline, and will prepare a US FDA 510(k) application for a late Q1 2022 submission. We believe the disruptive potential of IB Zero G to be extremely exciting on multiple levels: institutional costs of gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) are significant and could be avoided, administering GBCAs is an additional step in the clinical workflow, and GBCA administration can be prone to error if not done properly. From the patient's perspective, GBCAs are administered intravenously. Therefore, patients could enjoy a more comfortable scan experience if GBCA administration is avoided. And, while still unknown, the long-term adverse side effects of repeated GBCA dose administrations remain a concern. IB Zero G addresses these concerns, from both a patient risk and an institutional liability standpoint.

The market drivers for IB Zero G are as follows:

People with compromised renal (kidney) function cannot efficiently process contrast agents and are at risk of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF), which is an untreatable condition that gadolinium contrast can cause. Kidney patients, mostly those in late-stage renal disease, have the highest risk. This means there is a population of patients who would immediately benefit from this technology.

If hospitals can minimize these concerns without compromising image quality, it will be an easy decision to adopt IB Zero G. GBCAs are expensive and administering them - via power injectors, intravenously - can inhibit patient throughput on capitally-intensive MR scanners. In some cases, GBCAs may not be administered properly, thus rendering the patient scan a waste and requiring the patient to be reschedule for a repeated scan.

Pediatric and neonatal patients, as well as patients who require multiple MR contrast-enhanced scans, such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and follow-up brain tumor patients, stand to benefit as well since contrast-enhanced images provide critical diagnostic information not available with other standard imaging technology. Patients with understandable concerns about gadolinium retention in the body will find IB Zero G as an attractive alternative.

In addition to IB Zero G, we are focusing development efforts on IB Trax (metastatic tumor monitoring), IB "CAD" (AI to detect infiltrating tumor cells not visible on standard MRI), and "dual echo", our patented MR acquisition and post-processing technology that generates both DSC and DCE (dynamic contrast enhanced) parameters using a single MR acquisition and a single dose of GBCA. IB Trax is being designed to facilitate an optimal workflow for systematically tracking metastatic brain lesions. At its core, IB Trax will employ IB Delta T1 (patent pending) maps to help identify and track the locations and sizes of metastatic tumors. Metastatic brain lesions are much more prevalent than primary tumors, and the industry is lacking a robust and reliable platform that reduces errors and improves efficiency for follow-up imaging and volumetric analysis. We believe we have the core tools that can provide a competitive advantage and, more importantly, help clinicians help patients. IB CAD is another AI-based technology that has demonstrated the ability to detect infiltrating cancer cells that are not visible on standard imaging. We anticipate this having a tremendous influence on the future management of and treatment planning for brain tumors.

Our longstanding involvement in the brain tumor imaging sector, and our relationship with Professor Kathleen Schmainda, PhD, led to this year's pinnacle announcement - the sponsorship of an oral agent that combats high-grade brain tumors. Imagine if a brain cancer patient could take a daily pill, experience no adverse side effects, and live much longer than they can using today's standard of care. That is our goal and, given the highly promising results of pre-clinical studies, we intend to follow this through to the end. Prior Phase I clinical studies have shown that the key ingredient, gallium, was well tolerated in human subjects. As previously announced, we are working with the principal investigators of the study as we qualify a new vendor for encapsulating the agent. These things never go as fast as we like, but progress is being made.

On October 1st we enlisted an experienced US based client relations manager to help us market our software and sell it to prestigious health networks. We have an established footprint in a growing number of National Cancer Institute (NCI) designated cancer centers that purchase annual license subscriptions to IB Clinic. Give the large number of cases processed at these high-volume centers, these annual subscriptions consistently range well above $100,000 per year. We intend to focus our efforts on deploying IB software to more NCI-designated cancer centers in 2022 and, as mentioned previously, have active trials in two more sites.

We have not attended any medical or science conferences since the Covid-19 pandemic began, but we plan to be active participants once again at upcoming shows, including SNO (Society of Neuro Oncology), ASNR (American Society of Neuro Radiology), ASFNR (American Society of Functional Neuro Radiology) and RSNA (Radiological Society of North America). We continue to conduct R&D with our collaborators at MCW, Mayo AZ, Rhode Island/Brown University, the University of Southern California (USC), and the Barrow Neurological Institute (BNI).

I want to emphasize we are the only dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC) MR perfusion platform that generates quantitative parameter maps and the only platform validated with actual tissue biopsy samples. Our software has been repeatedly proven to accurately distinguish between tumor and non-tumor tissue - a basic yet critical question challenging treatment teams each day. We are also the only company that can generate quantitative difference maps. The quantitative approach we use accounts for the inherent variability within MR scans and across vendors: even if a patient is scanned on the same day, on the same scanner, with all the same scanner settings, by the same technologists, the maps will appear different and are only qualitative. With our quantitative technology, clinicians can now directly (numerically) compare MR DSC perfusion output independent of scanner, patient, timepoint, etc. This direct comparison between scans allows clinicians and their patients to assess treatment response on a timelier and more consistent basis. Our software provides this information sooner and helps clinicians optimize treatment, extend lives, and improve quality of life of their patients.

In closing, I want to extend our sincere appreciation to all our shareholders. I look forward to providing you with more exciting news and continued progress in this quarter and as we ramp up for another milestone year in 2022.

Sincerely yours,

Michael Schmainda, CEO

Imaging Biometrics, LLC

About Imaging Biometrics, LLC

Imaging Biometrics, a subsidiary of IQ-AI Limited (LSE:IQAI)(OTCQB:IQAIF), develops and provides visualization and analytical solutions that enable clinicians to better diagnose and treat disease with greater confidence. Through close collaboration with top researchers and clinicians, sophisticated advancements are translated into platform-independent and automated software plug-ins which can extend the base functionality of workstations, imaging systems, PACS, or medical viewers. By design, IB's advanced visualization software seamlessly integrates into routine workflows. For more information about Imaging Biometrics, visit the company's website at www.imagingbiometrics.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release includes statements that may constitute forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," or the negative of these words and/or similar statements. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. For example, statements about future revenues and the Company's ability to fund its operations and contractual obligations are forward looking and subject to risks. Several important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the inability to raise capital to support the Company through its growth stage, the Company's inability to generate projected sales and trade relations between the United States and China. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

Investor Relations Contact:

Michael Porter, President

Porter, LeVay & Rose, Inc.

Tel: 212-564-4700

mike@plrinvest.com

SOURCE: IQ AI Ltd.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/670118/IQ-AI-Letter-to-Shareholders
CHICAGO, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In-depth analysis and data-driven insights on the impact of COVID-19 included in this Russia data center market report.

Russia data center market size is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 6.56% during the period 2020-2026. Russia data center market research report includes market size in terms of area, investment, power capacity, and colocation revenues. Get insights on 68 existing data centers and 13 upcoming facilities spread across Moscow and other cities (including Novosibirsk, Omsk, Udomlya, and Yekaterinburg).

Key Highlights Offered in the Report:

Russia is an emerging data center market globally, with the increase in the adoption of digital platforms, digital economy, cryptocurrency mining, and increased technology adoption under Industry 4.0 expecting to boost market investments in coming years. Locations such as Moscow and St. Petersburg have a high number of data centers, with 47 existing third party data centers in Moscow accounting for over 70% of the existing capacity in the country. Tier II and Tier III cities in Russia are expected to see an increase in modular data center development with a capacity of <3 MW. The Russian Federal Law on Personal Data is the data privacy law implemented in Russia , that states that data collection, storage, and retrieval of Russian citizens must be conducted in databases located within the Russian Federation itself, that will be a significant boost to the data center market. Skolkovo Technopark, IstraDigital, and Mordovia Republic's Technopark are some of the techno parks located in Russia , which provide multiple benefits to data center investors developing facilities in these techno parks. Russia is the sixth-largest sustainable energy producer, with hydroelectric power contributing a major part of the renewable energy. Around 260 MW of power capacity is to be added in Russia during 2021-2026.

Key Offerings:

Market Size & Forecast by Area, Power Capacity, Investment, and Colocation Revenue | 2020-2026

Impact of COVID-19 on Data Center Market

Snapshot of existing and upcoming third-party facilities in Russia

Facilities Covered (Existing): 68



Facilities Identified (Upcoming): 13



Coverage: 2+ cities



Existing vs. Upcoming (Data Center Area)



Existing vs. Upcoming (IT Load Capacity)

Data center colocation market in Russia

Market Revenue & Forecast (2020-2026)



Retail Colocation Pricing



Wholesale Colocation Pricing

Market Dynamics - Leading trends, growth drivers, restraints, and investment opportunities

Market Segmentation - A detailed analysis by IT infrastructure, electrical infrastructure, mechanical infrastructure, general construction, and tier standard

Key Market Participants - List of 12 IT infrastructure providers, 6 construction service providers, 24 support infrastructure providers, and 6 data center investors

Get your sample today! https://www.arizton.com/market-reports/russia-data-center-market-investment-analysis

Russia Data Center Market - Segmentation

In 2020, CROC Cloud Services expanded its cloud capabilities with installation of Dell Technologies infrastructure, - Dell EMC PowerEdge servers and Dell EMC ScaleIO software-defined solution. In Russia , Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) supports all HPE systems in the MegaFon infrastructure, which include servers, storage devices, SAN, LAN, OS, and applications support.

, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) supports all HPE systems in the MegaFon infrastructure, which include servers, storage devices, SAN, LAN, OS, and applications support. Majority of data centers adopt N+1 redundant diesel generators, with DRUPS systems gaining traction in the country. The trend expects to grow during the forecast period. For instance, Restelecom's (DataLine) NORD data centers site has installed FG Wilson diesel generators with N+1 redundancy.

In 2020, DataPro opened its Moscow II data center, which installed modular cooling design with N+1 redundancy and 125 kW capacity. Linxdatacenter's facilities are equipped with double circuits, chillers, precision air conditioners, and free cooling solutions with 2N and N+1 redundancies.

Market Segmentation by Infrastructure Type

IT Infrastructure

Electrical Infrastructure

Mechanical Infrastructure

General Construction

Market Segmentation by IT Infrastructure

Server

Storage Systems

Network Infrastructure

Market Segmentation by Electrical Infrastructure

UPS Systems

Generators

Transfer Switches and Switchgears

PDUs

Other Electrical Infrastructure

Market Segmentation by Mechanical Infrastructure

Cooling Systems

Rack Cabinets

Other Mechanical Infrastructure

Market Segmentation by Cooling Systems

CRAC & CRAH Units

Chillers

Cooling Towers, Condensers, and Dry Coolers

Economizers & Evaporative Coolers

Other Cooling Units

Market Segmentation by General Construction

Building Development

Installation and Commissioning Services

Building & Engineering Design

Physical Security

Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM)

Market Segmentation by Tier Segments

Tier I & Tier II

Tier III

Tier IV

Market Segmentation by Geography

Moscow

Other Cities

Russia Data Center Market - Dynamics

According to IDC, Russia's cloud market is currently growing twice than the global market, which makes the country as an attractive place for both domestic and global businesses, especially among start-ups and SMEs. Russia has the presence of global cloud providers, including Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, along with its own cloud service providers - Yandex and Mail.ru. In July 2021, Huawei opened its arm-based data center in Moscow, which is the first facility in the country built by Huawei's Intelligent Computing Systems Department. In July 2021, Russian telecom firm, Mobile TeleSystems (MTS), acquired GreenBush's data center in Moscow. The company plans to use the facility's additional capacity for offering cloud solutions, along with colocation services to customers.

In July 2021, MTS launched a new supercomputer "MTS GROM" and plans to offer its services to customers through the cloud platform. In June 2021, MTS signed an agreement with Microsoft and SAP to develop cloud technologies in Russia. In April 2021, a consortium, including the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), ER Telecom Holding, and Talos Fund I, acquired Svyaz VSD, idata centers operated by Linxdatacenter, as well as the LinxCloud platform, to create a leading autonomous cloud service platform in Russia. In December 2020, Rostelecom signed an agreement with VTB Bank for joint development of Rostelecom Data Centers that comprise the company's data centers and cloud business. VTB Bank acquired 44.8% stake in Rostelecom Data Centers.

Key Drivers and Trends fueling Market Growth:

Big Data and IoT increasing Data Center Investments

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Data Centers

5G Deployment Leading Edge Data Center Investment

Increase in Digital Economy in Russia

Russia Data Center Market - Existing Vs. Upcoming Data Centers

Existing Facilities in the region (Area and Power Capacity)

(Area and Power Capacity) Moscow



Other Cities

List of Upcoming Facilities in the region(Area and Power Capacity)

Get your sample today! https://www.arizton.com/market-reports/russia-data-center-market-investment-analysis

Key Market Participants

IT Infrastructure Providers

Atos

Cisco Systems

Dell Technologies

Fujitsu

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)

Huawei Technologies

IBM

Juniper Networks

Lenovo

NetApp

Oracle

Super Micro Computer

Data Center Construction Contractors & Sub-Contractors

Arup Group

Aurora Group

Datadome

Free Technologies Engineering

GreenMDC

Haka Moscow

Support Infrastructure Providers

ABB

Aksa Power Generation

Aermec

Carrier

Caterpillar

Climaveneta Climate Technologies (Mitsubishi Electric)

Cummins

Delta Electronics

Daikin Applied

Eaton

Emicon

HiRef

HITEC-Power Protection

Johnson Controls

KOHLER-SDMO

KyotoCooling

Legrand

Mitsubishi Electric

Perkins Engines

Rittal

Rolls-Royce Power Systems

Schneider Electric

STULZ

Vertiv Group

Data Center Investors

3data

DataPro

IXcellerate

MobileTeleSystems (MTS)

Rostelecom Data Centers (RTK-DC)

Yandex

Explore our data center knowledge base profile to know more about the industry.

Read some of the top-selling reports:

Germany Data Center Market - Investment Analysis and Growth Opportunities 2021-2026

France Data Center Market - Investment Analysis and Growth Opportunities 2021-2026

UK Data Center Market - Investment Analysis & Growth Opportunities 2021-2026

Turkey Data Center Market - Investment Analysis and Growth Opportunities 2021-2026

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We offer comprehensive market research reports on industries such as consumer goods & retail technology, automotive and mobility, smart tech, healthcare, and life sciences, industrial machinery, chemicals and materials, IT and media, logistics and packaging. These reports contain detailed industry analysis, market size, share, growth drivers, and trend forecasts.

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BEIJING (dpa-AFX) - US military chief has expressed concern over China's recent suspected test of a hypersonic weapon system, saying that is significant and very concerning.



'What we saw was a very significant event of a test of a hypersonic weapon system. And it is very concerning,' Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley said in an interview with Bloomberg News Wednesday.



Gen Milley was referring to Pentagon's claims that China test fired two hypersonic missiles over the summer. China denies reports that it tested nuclear-capable missile that can evade US air defense systems. It was a spacecraft, according to Beijing.



China's recent test of a hypersonic weapon system is an example of why the U.S. military is concerned about Chinese intentions, according to the four-star general.



'I don't know if it's quite a Sputnik moment, but I think it's very close to that. It has all of our attention,' Gen. Milley said on Bloomberg News' David Rubenstein Show.



He noted the Chinese are expanding rapidly in all domains of warfare - land, sea, air, cyber and space. 'They have gone from a peasant army that was very, very large in 1979 to a very capable military that covers all domains, and has global ambitions. China is very significant on our horizon.'



The commander of U.S. Strategic Command warned in August that Beijing is pursuing advanced weapons such as hypersonic missiles, and that the United States' current terrestrial- and space-based sensor architecture may not be sufficient to detect and track them.



Defense Department spokesman John Kirby refused to comment on Gen. Milley's remarks at a news conference Wednesday, but said, 'This is not a technology that is an alien to us that that we haven't been thinking about for a while.'



Kirby emphasized that China's development of a wide range of systems and capabilities paired with their aggressive foreign and economic policies are clearly why Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin sees the Communist powerhouse as the United States' pacing challenge.



The hypersonic test is just one part of a suite of security issues with respect to China. Kirby said DOD leaders are concerned about the trajectory of where things are going in the Indo-Pacific region. This suite 'taken together [is a] reason for concern and [is] being used to inform the operational concepts that we want to be able to employ.'



The Pentagon press secretary said China's actions are factored into deliberations on the global posture review and will be factored into the National Security Strategy and National Defense Strategy next year.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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CHICAGO, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Mobile Mass Spectrometers Market by Application (Homeland Security, Military & Defence, Environmental monitoring, Emergency/rapid response & Disaster Management, Narcotics Detection, Chemical leak detection, Forensics), & Region - Global Forecasts to 2026", published by MarketsandMarkets, the Mobile Mass Spectrometers Market size is expected to grow from an estimated USD 120 million in 2021 to USD 404 million by 2026, at a CAGR of 27.4% during the forecast period.

Browse in-depth TOC on "Mobile Mass Spectrometers Market"

28 - Tables

02 - Figures

100 - Pages

Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=186510414

Product architecture & ease of use and technological advancements are high growth prospects for the mobile mass spectrometers market during the forecast period.

Environmental testing segment, by application, is expected to be the largest and the fastest-growing market from 2021 to 2026.

Based on application, mobile mass spectrometers market has been segmented into homeland security, environmental testing, narcotics detection, forensics, rapid response & disaster management military and other applications. Environmental testing is the key application of mobile mass spectrometers. Rising global demand for in situ environmental monitoring is expected to drive the mobile mass spectrometer market. Moreover, regulations and legislations set forth by government organizations have triggered the testing, inspection, and certification of environmental samples tested by the government and manufacturing companies. Regulatory bodies have introduced guidelines for regulating the inspection, sampling, and testing services of environmental samples to detect the presence of pollutants and contaminants. These bodies have introduced various programs to generate awareness and set testing specifications to ensure the safety of the environment and reduce the health risks associated with a polluted environment.

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North America: The dominating market in the mobile mass spectrometers industry.

North America has a diverse and well-established R&D infrastructure, with the rapid adoption of portable and technologically advanced techniques among end-user industries. North America accounted for the largest market share in the mobile mass spectrometers market in 2020. A number of factors, such as growing greater government focus on narcotics detection and homeland security and the opioid crisis are driving the growth of the North American mobile mass spectrometers market globally. Moreover, in North American region the regulatory bodies are closely monitoring the safety and quality of the environment to establish environmental safety across the geographies.

Speak to Analyst: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalystNew.asp?id=186510414

To enable an in-depth understanding of the competitive landscape, the report includes the profiles of some of the top players in the mobile mass spectrometers market. The major players in the mobile mass spectrometer industry are FLIR (US), 908 Devices(US), PerkinElmer (US), Inficon (Switzerland), BaySpec (US)Bruker Corporation (US), PURSPEC (US), Focused Photonics (China), 1st detect (US), and Kore Technology(UK) among others.

These players are adopting various strategies to increase their share in the mobile mass spectrometers market. Products up-gradation, new product launches, investments, and expansions have been a widely adopted strategy by the major players in the mobile mass spectrometers industry.

Browse Adjacent Markets: Analytical and Scientific Instrumentation Market Research Reports & Consulting

Browse Related Reports:

Environmental Monitoring Market by Product (Indoor, Outdoor Monitors [Fixed, Portable], Sensors, Wearables), Component (Particulate, Gas, Temperature, Noise), Sampling Method (Continuous, Active), Application (Air, Water, Soil, Noise) - Global Forecast to 2025

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/environmental-monitoring-market-216846315.html

Forensic Equipment and Supplies Market by Product (Camera, Reagent, Consumable, LC, GC, Electrophoresis, PCR, NGS, MS, IR, UV-Vis Spectrometer), Application (Toxicology, DNA Analysis, Biometric), End user (Government & Forensic Lab) - Global Forecast to 2024

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/forensic-equipment-supplies-market-254612639.html

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EU announces the two 2022 European Capitals of Smart Tourism for their excellence as tourism destinations in accessibility, sustainability, digitalisation, and cultural heritage & creativity

BRUSSELS, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Bordeaux ( France) and Valencia (Spain)have been selected as the winners of the EU's 2022 European Capital of Smart Tourism competition, following a European Jury meeting in Brussels on 26 October 2021. The two winners will receive their official award at the Award Ceremony during the European Tourism Forum gala dinner on 16 November 2021, an event co-organised by the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU together with the European Commission.

In total, 30 cities from across 16 countries competed, out of which 7 shortlisted cities were invited to present their candidatures in front of the European Jury. Bordeaux and Valencia impressed the European Jury not only with their remarkable achievements across all four categories of the competition, but also with the outstanding programmes of activities they intend to execute during 2022, as well as their notable capacity to act as a role model for other cities.



The European Capital of Smart Tourism is an EU initiative, currently financed under the COSME Programme. It is built on the successful experience of the Preparatory Action proposed by the European Parliament and implemented by the European Commission. It aims to contribute towards raising the profile of Europe as a smart tourism destination and to setting up a platform to share best practices in the field of tourism among European cities.

It recognises exceptional performance by European cities as tourism destinations in four categories: Accessibility, Sustainability, Digitalisation along with Cultural heritage and creativity.

The two European Capitals of Smart Tourism will benefit from communication and branding support during 2022. This will include a promotional video, a purpose-built sculpture for their city centres, as well as bespoke promotional actions designed to raise the profile of the awarded cities and boost visitor numbers.



For all the latest news on the European Capital of Smart Tourism, sign up to our newsletter, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

For further press information, contact:

European Capital of Smart Tourism Secretariat:

Antigoni Avgeropoulou, info@SmartTourismCapital.eu, +49 (0) 30 70 01 86 390

Notes to Editors:

1. The 2022 European Capital of Smart Tourism competition was open to submissions from 22 April 2021 to 16 June 2021. Terms and conditions are available at www.SmartTourismCapital.eu

2. In the first stage of the competition, a panel of independent experts evaluated the applications. As the result of the evaluation, a shortlist of 7 finalist cities was established. All finalist cities demonstrated excellence across the four competition categories combined.

3. In the second stage, representatives of the 7 finalist cities presented their candidatures and the programme of activities planned for 2022 in front of the European Jury. The European Jury met on 26 October 2021 in Brussels and selected two cities to hold the title of the European Capitals of Smart Tourism in 2022.

4.Helsinki and Lyon won the inaugural competition in 2019, and the following year Gothenburg and Malaga jointly held the titles of 2020 European Capitals of Smart Tourism. No competition was launched for 2021.

5. A selection of the most innovative projects, ideas and initiatives, submitted by cities competing for the 2019 and 2020 European Capital of Smart Tourism competitions can be found in the Compendium of Best Practices, the go-to guide to smart tourism in the EU.
9-MONTH REVENUES (DELIVERIES) UP 34.9%

9-MONTH RETAIL SALES (ORDER INTAKES) UP 34.8%

ANNUAL FINANCIAL GUIDANCE CONFIRMED

Paris, 28 October 2021

ROCHE BOBOIS SA (ISIN: FR0013344173 - Ticker: RBO), a global benchmark in high-end furniture and French art de vivre, is publishing its revenues and retail sales[1] for third-quarter 2021.

The Roche Bobois Group confirmed its business momentum in third-quarter 2021 with an 18.2% increase in revenue at current exchange rates. The Group thus grew its nine-month revenues by 35%.

Retail sales (order intakes for the network of owned stores and franchises for the two brands) rose by 9.7% at current exchange rates in the third quarter and by 34.8% in the first nine months. It has to be noted that third-quarter revenues in 2020 grew substantially compared with the same period in 2019 owing to a strong post-lockdown business rebound. Compared with third-quarter 2019, order intakes in third-quarter 2021 rose sharply, by 32.2%.

Revenues

(unaudited data in m) 2020 2021 Change at current

exchange rates (%) Change at constant exchange rates (%) H1 109.6 159.6 +45.6% +49.1% Q3 70.0 82.7 +18.2% +18.6% 9 months 179.6 242.3 +34.9% +37.1%

Detailed information on revenues by region is available in the appendices.

Solid growth in revenues in the third quarter driven by the US / Canada region

Business remained brisk in all regions, and in particular in the US / Canada region, which posted the strongest growth in the third quarter, illustrating once again the positioning and attractiveness of the Roche Bobois brand in North America.

The North America (US / Canada) region posted revenues of 29.2m in third-quarter 2021, compared with 20.1m in third-quarter 2020, for a substantial 45.3% increase at current exchange rates (+47.2% at constant exchange rates). The remarkable performance reflects impressive retail sales in the last few months and extremely robust momentum in deliveries. Nine-month revenues for the region came out at 74.4m, up 50.4% at current exchange rates (+58.4% at constant exchange rates).

Roche Bobois France reported an excellent third quarter (21.4m), comparable with third-quarter 2020, in which it generated record revenues (extremely high level of deliveries post-lockdown). Growth thus stood at 21.1% compared with the same period two years ago. Roche Bobois France posted nine-month revenues of 75.5m, up a strong 30.7% year on year.

The Cuir Center brand maintained solid business activity in third-quarter 2021. Revenues totalled 10.4m, up 8.7% compared with third-quarter 2020 (9.6m) and a full 31.2% compared with the same period two years ago. Cuir Center posted revenues of 29.6m in the first nine months of the year, compared with 24.8m for the same period last year, for a substantial increase of 19.2%.

Business activity in the UK remained brisk, at 4.2m in third-quarter 2021 compared with 3.6m in third-quarter 2020, for growth of 17.3% (+11.8% at constant exchange rates) Nine-month revenues in the region came out at 10.7m, compared with 8.6m in 2020, for a considerable 25.1% increase at current exchange rates.

The rest of Europe achieved quarterly revenue growth of 12.2% (at current exchange rates), fuelled by excellent business momentum in Switzerland, Belgium, Spain and Portugal. Nine-month revenues amounted to 44.8m, for a sharp increase of 32.4% at current exchange rates (+33.4% at constant exchange rates).

The Group reported nine-month revenues of 242.3m, compared with 179.6m last year, for a strong increase of 34.9% at current exchange rates (+37.1% at constant exchange rates).

Continued strong business momentum in the third quarter

Order intakes continued to trend positively in third-quarter 2021. The Group even succeeded in outperforming the solid rebound achieved in third-quarter 2020 after the lockdown period.

Retail sales for the entire Group network (including franchises) totalled 139.4m in third-quarter 2021, up 9.7% on last year's 127.1m. Owned stores[2] outperformed franchises with retail sales of 78.3m, up 12.8%. Growth was driven in particular by the North America region, up 30.0%, and Europe (excluding France and the UK), up 17.5%. Growth in retail sales in third-quarter 2021 was 32.2% compared with third-quarter 2019.

In the first nine months of the year, Roche Bobois SA reported retail sales (all brands combined) of 451.6m, compared with 335.1m for the same period in 2020, for a substantial 34.8% increase, mainly on a like-for-like basis (scope of existing stores). Retail sales for owned stores were 246.5m, up a considerable 38.4% year on year (178.1m in the first nine months of 2020).

The order backlog for the Group's owned stores was 136.1m at 30 September 2021 (compared with 108.9m at 30 September 2020). This represents revenues that will be recognised in the coming months.

Financial guidance confirmed

Roche Bobois is pursuing its plan of international store openings. A new owned store will open in the very near future in Monaco, while the construction of two new owned stores in the United States (in Florida and California) will begin in late 2021 for openings scheduled for early 2022.

Bolstered by these positive aspects, the company is confirming its financial guidance of annual revenues of over 325m and a strong increase in EBITDA.

About ROCHE BOBOIS SA



ROCHE BOBOIS SA is a French family business founded in 1960. The Group operates in 55 countries and has a network of 337 owned stores and franchises (at 31 December 2020) marketing its two brands: Roche Bobois, a high-end furniture brand with a strong international presence, and Cuir Center, positioned in the mid-range market segment with an essentially French customer base. Through its Roche Bobois brand, the Group embodies the French Art de Vivre whose presence can now be felt on the world stage, with original and bold creations from talented designers (Bruno Moinard, Jean Nouvel, Ora Ito, Sacha Lakic, Christophe Delcourt, Stephen Burks, Kenzo Takada, Bina Baitel...) and partnerships with fashion and haute couture houses. Roche Bobois is also a committed partner in the world of culture and the arts. Including franchises, these two brands posted 2020 revenues of 484.5 million excluding VAT, to which Roche Bobois contributed 392.8 million and Cuir Center

92 million.

Roche Bobois SA 2020 consolidated revenues came to 266.0 million.



For more information please visit www.finance-roche-bobois.com



CONTACT



Actus Finance - Anne-Pauline Petureaux

Investor Relations

Tel.: 01 53 67 36 72/ apetureaux@actus.fr



Actus Finance - Serena Boni

Media Relations

Tel.: 04 72 18 04 92 / sboni@actus.fr







APPENDICES Revenues per region and brand

(unaudited, in m) Q3

2020 Q3

2021 Current exchange rates (%) Constant exchange rates (%) Roche Bobois France 21.3 21.4 +0.5% +0.5% Roche Bobois US/Canada 20.1 29.2 +45.3% +47.1% Roche Bobois UK 3.5 4.2 +17.3% +11.8% Roche Bobois Other Europe 13.4 15.1 +12.2% +12.5% Roche Bobois Overseas 1.3 1.6 +18.6% +15.6% Cuir Center 9.6 10.4 +8.7% +8.7% Corporate 0.6 0.8 +29.4% +29.4% TOTAL 70.0 82.7 +18.2% +18.6% Revenues per region and brand

(unaudited, in m) 9 months

2020 9 months

2021 Current exchange rates (%) Constant exchange rates (%) Roche Bobois France 57.8 75.5 +30.7% +30.7% Roche Bobois US/Canada 49.5 74.4 +50.4% +58.3% Roche Bobois UK 8.5 10.7 +25.1% +22.2% Roche Bobois Other Europe 33.9 44.8 +32.4% +33.4% Roche Bobois Overseas 3.1 4.5 +46.8% +45.5% Cuir Center 24.8 29.6 +19.2% +19.2% Corporate 1.9 2.6 +36.4% +36.4% TOTAL 179.6 242.3 +34.9% +37.1%

Reconciliation between retail sales and revenues (m) 9-month 2021 retail sales 451.6 Franchise retail sales -205.2 Retail sales of associates -1.1 Impact of pace of orders and deliveries -32.3 Royalties 9.3 Other services 19.9 Consolidated 9-month 2021 revenues 242.3

Forward-looking statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements do not constitute guarantees regarding the future performance of ROCHE BOBOIS. This forward-looking information covers the future outlook, growth and commercial strategy of ROCHE BOBOIS and is based on the analysis of future result forecasts and estimates of amounts that cannot yet be determined. By nature, forward-looking information involves risks and uncertainties, as it relates to events and depends on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future. ROCHE BOBOIS draws your attention to the fact that forwardlooking statements provide no guarantee of future performance and that its actual financial position, results and cash flow, as well as changes in the sector in which ROCHE BOBOIS operates, may differ significantly from those proposed or suggested by the forward-looking statements contained in this document. Moreover, even if ROCHE BOBOIS' financial position, results, cash flow and changes in the sector in which ROCHE BOBOIS operates were to be in accordance with the forwardlooking information contained in this document, these results or changes may not be a reliable indicator of ROCHE BOBOIS' future results or developments. A description of events that could have a material adverse impact on ROCHE BOBOIS' business, financial position or results, or on its ability to achieve its targets, is given in Chapter 4 "Risk Factors" of the Base Document.

[1] Order intakes excluding VAT for the network of owned stores and franchises for the two brands.

[2] As a reminder, the retail sales of owned stores account for the lion's share of Group revenues with a delay of a few months, franchises contributing through royalties.

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Press release

InvibesAdvertising announcesits management teams in South Africa, Nordics, and UAE

Appointment of Grant Thornton as new statutory auditor

London, October 28, 2021 - Invibes Advertising, an advanced technology company specialising in digital advertising, presentsits senior management teams across the newly launched markets, South Africa, Nordics and UAE.

South Africa; Linda Snyman joins the group as Country Director, South Africa. She has announced the appointment of Amy Hurle-Hill in the role of Head of Sales.

Linda Snyman has nearly 15 years' experience in the advertising industry. Previously, Snyman held commercial and operational roles at digital advertising specialists The SpaceStation, Media24 Newspapers, and Clockwork.

Amy Hurle-Hill has nearly six years of experience in the media and digital industry. Until recently, she held the position of Digital Portfolio Manager at news publisher group Arena Holdings. Prior to which, Hurle-Hill was an account executive at digital publisher AutoTrader. Amy is also a member of the IAB South Africa's Youth Action Council



Nordics; Niklas Bellander, joins the group as Country Director, Nordics. He has announced the appointment of Jan Nilsson as Commercial Director Sweden.



Niklas Bellander has nearly 20 years of experience in the media industry. Previous positions held include Director of Business Development for video SSP/ad serving platforms SpotX and Smartclip, ad tech company Adtoox and 10 years on the media agency side.

Jan Nilsson has over 25 years of sales experience, with 20 of those in media. He served as Sales director Nordics for Viacom and business development consultant for Turner Nordics. Additionally, Nilsson has worked closely with most of the big global networks developing and selling within the online video sector across EMEA.

Invibes Advertising is in the process of recruiting Heads of Sales for both the Copenhagen and Oslo offices.

United Arab Emirates; Wissam Azzi joins the group as UAE Country Director.

Wissam Azzi has 10 years of experience in the advertising industry. Previously, a media planner at Carat, more recently Azzi has held sales management positions for the advertising intelligence specialist Exponential and 360VUZ - the mobile application for immersive social video.

A scalabledevelopment model

Invibes Advertising points out that its development model is based on a set of key parameters which have ensured its continued success since the beginning. This model has also enabled them to capitalise quickly in each new market that opens:

Innovation - Anchored in its DNA, Invibes Advertising is constantly reviewing and renewing its offer. Creating new and more innovative formats that are both non-intrusive and proven to drive increased user engagement.

Talent - Invibes Advertising continues to seek the best talent from throughout Europe, ensuring the right expertise and structure are in place to lead and develop the local teams.

Reach - Building on the success seen across Europe, with over 1,000 ad-enabled content publishers within the network, the monetisation opportunity for publishers from new markets to join the network is vast as the advertiser base grows.

Performance - Invibes Advertising proprietary technology combines powerful advertising algorithms and cutting-edge machine learning technologies to generate performance that is far superior to other offerings in the market.

Customers - Invibes Advertising solutions are proven, the growth of new advertisers and repeat business is testament to the work we have achieved.

Appointment of Grant Thornton as new auditor to support international acceleration

On 25 October 2021, the shareholders of Invibes Advertising met in an Extraordinary General Meeting at the company's head office in Ghent, Belgium, convened by the Board of Directors. On this occasion the resolution was approved, to appoint Grant Thornton as the new auditor for a term of 3 years. This appointment will replace Mss. Buysse, whose term of office expires on the same date and whom, Invibes Advertising would like to thank warmly for her investment and contribution in recent years.

The change of auditor reflects the acceleration strategy of the Group, specifically the growth of the international offices and development of new markets, 10 years after Invibes Advertising was founded by Nicolas Pollet and Kris Vlaemynck.

Next publication: Q4 2021 sales, January 26, 2022, after the close of trading

About Invibes Advertising

Invibes Advertising is an advanced technology company specialising in digital advertising. Its innovative solutions are based on an in-feed format, integrated into media content.

Invibes is inspired by social media advertising and develops its own technology to help brands better communicate with consumers. Its technology is optimized for delivery on a closed network of media groups, including Bertelsmann, Hearst, Unify, Groupe Marie Claire, Axel Springer along with many others. Clients include major brands such as Mercedes, Samsung, Levis, and IBM.

Founded in 2011, Invibes Advertising is a company listed on Euronext Growth Paris (Ticker: ALINV - ISIN: BE0974299316). Visit www.invibes.com for more information.

Find our latest press releases on:

https://www.invibes.com/uk/en/investors.html

Follow live the latest news from Invibes Advertising:

LinkedIn @Invibes AdvertisingTwitter @Invibes_adv

Financial & Corporate Contacts:

Invibes Advertising

Kris Vlaemynck, CFO

kris.vlaemynck@invibes.com

Listing Sponsor

Atout Capital

Rodolphe Ossola

rodolphe.ossola@atoutcapital.com

+33 (0)1 56 69 61 80

Group Investor Relations

Actifin

Alexandre Commerot

acommerot@actifin.fr

+33 (0)1 56 88 11 11

Financial Media Relations

Actifin

Jennifer Jullia

jjullia@actifin.fr

+33 (0)1 56 88 11 19

Attachment
OperASIAN, an international non-profit organization dedicated to manufacturing and distributing rape kits to police stations in Asian countries, while raising advocacy for culturally stigmatized people and topics.

DALLAS, TX / ACCESSWIRE / October 28, 2021 / During the universal lockdown, while most teens were texting and uploading TikTok videos, one group of community-minded friends changed the world. 17-year-olds Annabel Hong, Navya Sampathkumar, and Tej Bhoga banded together to create a one-of-a-kind solution for victims of sexual assault. These unique kits were specifically designed after careful consultation with the medical examiners as well as Chinese law enforcement.

"We were constantly told that it couldn't be done. We never stopped believing and continued to fundraise, study the legal processes, and work closely with our international representatives. The team has come so far in creating tangible change, but I know that our efforts don't end here. We are just getting started." says Navya Sampathkumar.

With the help of carefully vetted Chinese suppliers, the team sourced the goods to complete the kits. In the first phase of distribution, 200 curated kits were sent to Chinese law enforcement agencies on Friday, October 22, 2021, to aid with the apprehension and conviction of sexual predators. After more than a year of painstaking investigation, interviews and probing OperASIAN compiled the first-ever rape forensic examination kits for China. The packages were sent to multiple under-resourced counties within cities like Jinshi, Lixian, and Jiuli among others to aid survivors in their pursuit of justice.

A recent report by the UN Council states that incidences of rape have increased to a staggering 29% globally, with only 3% of sex offenders ever being prosecuted in the Asia Pacific. In the U.S., the CDC estimates that over one million women are victims of rape annually, while in India, reports show one rape occurs every 16 minutes. Further disparaging are reports from the Office of National Statistics which conclude that 20% of women and 4% of men in the Asia Pacific have experienced a sexual assault since the age of 16, accumulating to roughly 3.4 million female victims and 631,000 male victims. Sadly, because of the social stigma surrounding these assaults, 5 in 6 victims do not report the abuse. Now, through the help of OperASIAN, victims have hope for the prosecution and conviction of their perpetrators.

"We drove from center to center, organized calls with social services, visited different manufacturing plants and discussed previously dismissed cases with police, trying to find evidence collecting mechanisms near our own town. We spent extensive time studying the intricacies of what truly makes a kit effective and easy to use," says Annabel Hong.

While victims grapple with the physical and psychological issues surrounding their experience, they are often further victimized by the dishonor and disgrace associated with rape and sexual abuse. Because of this, many victims within the Asian community remain silent. The team conducted interviews with police officers, medical examiners, and local activists to deepen understanding of the issue at hand. In one interview with a police official in southern China, he said victims may face blame and shaming from those within their own families and communities, which only further hampers rape convictions. "I personally experienced a case where after the case was finally convicted, the victim's family, the mother, wanting to protect her daughter's reputation, the family was willing to negotiate with the teacher who sexually assaulted their daughter for a settlement. And there isn't anything we can do if the family decides to stop moving forward with the case," the sheriff reflected.

OperASIAN seeks to remove the social barriers surrounding topics deemed taboo by creating safe spaces for discussion through podcasts, member-published article databases, social media discussions, and other ongoing activities to destigmatize the assaults and foster advocacy.

Another challenge noted by Chinese officials is the complexity of collecting evidence, particularly days after a rape has occurred. The lack of resources to provide aftercare, such as forensic exams, therapy, and case management of clients, is often not a top priority in cash-strapped communities in China. One local official explained "For small cities like ours, the city government doesn't really prioritize giving money to programs like these. They rather distribute their budget to other areas like building factories and helping businesses." The network at OperASIAN is lifting that financial burden by providing these kits free of charge.

What began as a conversation amongst peers committed to making the world a better place, now is a movement changing one city at a time. This is a youth-led social advocacy initiative made up of a global conglomerate of world changers who hail from the United States, China, England, and India. Collectively, they shed light on taboo topics within the Asia Pacific community, demonstrating their capacity to help make social change. Tej adds, "It took a lot of courage and diligence but being able to provide a voice for those who are being silenced is what motivates us to keep on fighting against these stigmas that plague our society."

Contact:

OperASIAN, Inc.

Tej Bhoga

(469) 213-0103

tej@operasian.org

www.operasian.org

SOURCE: OperASIAN, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/669978/Texas-Teen-Activists-Fight-Unsolved-Sexual-Assault-Cases-in-China-with-Revolutionary-Rape-Kits
Nature, a world-leading scientific journal, today announced Dr. Kiana Aran, associate professor at Keck Graduate Institute, and Chief Scientific Officer at Cardea Bio, Inc., won the 2021 Nature Research Award for Inspiring Women in Science in the Scientific Achievement category.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005110/en/

Over her short career, Dr. Aran's innovative work on harnessing the power of biology through modern electronics has significantly advanced the field of biosensing and enabled myriad applications in human health and beyond. For example, her work combining CRISPR and transistors has produced the world's first CRISPR-powered transistor for amplification-free DNA detection. Dr. Aran's contributions to science have been featured in preeminent journals including Nature, Science, Advanced Journals, and the CRISPR Journal

"When I was informed that I was the winner, I was shocked because all the other candidates are outstanding! I'm honored to be selected in a field of visionary women doing fantastic and inspirational research. My hope is that this award can serve as an inspiration for future women working in research." Dr. Kiana Aran states in a pre-recorded interview. She continued, "On November 4, we're hosting a live interview session to talk about what it means to win this prize and the attendees can ask me questions. During that session, I'll also share how I'm planning to spend the $40,000 prize money something that I'm truly excited about!"

Editor-in-Chief at Nature, Dr. Magdalena Skipper, stated, "Despite increasing numbers of women who chose to pursue research careers, we still see too few who take on senior roles of responsibility and leadership. There are many reasons for it, among them is that many do not feel sufficiently supported, and that their efforts early on in their careers are not sufficiently recognized."

CEO of Cardea Bio, Michael Heltzen adds, "We always saw Dr. Aran as a leader and a rock star in science, so for us it was natural to recognize the importance of her early efforts, given her impressive scientific achievements and potential. Working closely together with Dr. Aran, it's hard not to notice her impact as a leader, source of inspiration, and dedicated mentor to other scientists around the world!"

Skipper concluded, "This year, I was struck by how many of our outstanding applicants' work at the interface between disciplines. Breaking down traditional silos and working collaboratively to take advantage of the expertise of others, will be key in advancing research in the years to come."

Dr. Aran's efforts have been recognized through multiple awards in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), including the Clinical OMICs 10 under 40 Award and the Athena Pinnacle Award in science. Earlier in 2021, The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded Dr. Aran the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award. The NSF CAREER award recognizes promising early-career scientists who "have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization."

This Nature Research Award recognizes early-career women researchers, where the winner has made an exceptional demonstrable contribution to scientific discovery, and has faced significant challenges, personal or professional. The winner has also exhibited the potential for developing and leading an independent research group.

Live interview session

As a follow-up to this award, Dr. Aran will be interviewed by TEDx speaker, 2017 San Diego Business Journal's Business Woman of the Year, and President and co-founder of LunaPBC, Dawn Barry, during a webinar on November 4, 2021.

In addition to the interview, the audience will have the opportunity to engage in an AMA (ask me anything) session. Finally, Dr. Aran will share a profound announcement at the end of the webinar on how she plans to spend the $40,000 prize money from Nature.

Free sign-up for the webinar here.

About Cardea Bio

Cardea has linked computers to the live molecular signals running biology. Its multi-omics technology consists of a Tech+Bio Infrastructure (hardware, software, and wetware) and Chipsets manufactured with proprietary graphene-based, biology-gated transistors, called Cardean Transistors.

Cardean Transistors leverage graphene, a nanomaterial that is biocompatible and a near perfect conductor as it is only one atom thick, in contrast to the common semiconductor material, silicon. Cardea thereby gains a signal resolution high enough to listen into molecular signals in a manner that replaces optical and static measurements with interactive live-streams of multi-omic signals and analyses.

Cardea is on a long-term mission they call "Linking up to Life" to empower its partners with Tech+Bio solutions that make significant positive impacts on the world via innovative applications that are "Powered by Cardea." For more information about Cardea Bio, Inc. visit www.cardeabio.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005110/en/

Contacts:

Investor Relations and Media Inquiries

Rob Lozuk, Chief Business Officer

publicrelations@cardeabio.com
CALGARY, AB and SAN ANTONIO, TX / ACCESSWIRE / October 28, 2021 / Nexera Energy Inc. (TSX Venture:NGY)(OTC PINK:EMBYF) (the "Corporation", the "Company" or "Nexera") reported today that the Huebinger E1 well has averaged 26 barrels of oil per day during its first six weeks of production. The Company is very encouraged by these initial rates. With anticipated first year production of 8,700 barrels, the well is expected to pay out in approximately seven months.

Additionally, the Company has now successfully drilled the second well on the Huebinger lease, Huebinger E2. The well has been completed in the Buda formation, and will be on production this week. The Huebinger E1 and E2 wells were drilled on the Company's Wooden Horse property and represent the latest vertical wells drilled at Wooden Horse. At approximately 2600' deep, the wells can be drilled and put on production economically and quickly, and with the recent results at E1 and E2, the Company as now identified five new locations for future drilling.

The Company is also pleased to report that, at the Company's Stockdale Horizon project, the McGrew 1H horizontal Austin Chalk well is now equipped and on production. Further information on initial production rates will be released as they become available.

About Nexera Energy Inc.

Nexera Energy Inc. (TSX Venture: NGY) is an energy company with oil producing properties in Southwest Texas. Nexera is owner and operator of the Lavernia, Wooden Horse and Stockdale Horizon Projects. Additionally, the Company owns and operates various working interests in the HugoCellR, HagCo, and MarPat partnerships. The Company also now owns 100% of Production Resources Inc., a South Texas oil company.

For further information, please contact:

Nexera Energy Inc. President, Shelby D. Beattie, by telephone at (403) 262-6000

Email: info@nexeraenergy.com

www.nexeraenergy.com.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes statements that may constitute "forward-looking" statements, usually containing the words "believe," "estimate," "project," "expect", "plan", "intend", "anticipates", "projects", "potential" or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements inherently involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts.

Information inferred from the interpretation of drilling results may also be deemed to be forward looking statements, as it constitutes a prediction of what might be found to be present when and if a well is actually developed. BOE's may be misleading, particularly if used in isolation. A BOE conversion ratio of 6 Mcf: 1 Bbl is based on energy equivalency conversion method primarily applicable at the burner tip and does not represent a value equivalency at the wellhead. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of such information, which are considered reasonable by Emerald Bay at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect. Actual results achieved will vary from the information provided and the variations may be material. There is no representation by Emerald Bay that actual results achieved will be the same in whole or part as those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this document include statements regarding the Company's exploration, drilling and development plans, the Company's expectations regarding the timing and success of such programs. In particular, forward-looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to: pipeline acquisitions and leasing; pipeline permits, pipeline construction, production estimates, drilling operations, completion operations, funding and development goals. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. We cannot guarantee future results, level of activity, performance or achievements. Consequently, there is no representation that the actual results achieved will be the same, in whole or in part, as those set out in the forward-looking information. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, fluctuations in the prices of oil and gas, uncertainties inherent in estimating quantities of oil and gas reserves and projecting future rates of production and timing of development activities, competition, operating risks, acquisition risks, liquidity and capital requirements, the effects of governmental regulation, adverse changes in the market for the Company's oil and gas production, dependence upon third-party vendors, and other risks detailed in the Company's periodic report filings with the applicable securities regulators.

SOURCE: Nexera Energy Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/670159/Nexera-Provides-Update-On-Hueginger-And-Stockdale-Wells
Aging infrastructure and the need for higher reliability and resiliency will compel economies to adopt a digital grid, says Frost & Sullivan

SAN ANTONIO, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Frost & Sullivan's recent analysis, Global Digital Grid (Sensors, Meters, and Communications) Growth Opportunities, finds that technological advancements and countries' emphasis on climate change policies are expediting market growth of the global digital grid. Aging infrastructure, the need for higher reliability and resiliency, increased distributed resources, and the declining cost of digital solutions will also compel economies to adopt a digital grid. As a result, the market is likely to garner $9.21 billion in revenue by 2030 from $8.15 billion in 2020, an uptick at a moderate compound annual growth rate of 1.2%. However, the COVID-19 pandemic slowed market expansion in the short and mid-terms. Despite this, the industry will likely cross 2019 levels by 2026 as halted digital gird deployment projects gradually gather momentum and new projects begin.

Chinawill remain the largest market in terms of revenue potential for digital grid solutions through 2030. The country's move to replace first-generation meters is one of the main reasons it will dominate the global digital grid market. North America will be the second-largest market due to its increase in second-generation metering deployments. Similarly, driven by the smart meters rollouts, Europe will occupy the third spot, followed by Asia-Pacific (excluding China), where electrification initiatives, growing renewables, and electric vehicles (EVs) prompt digital grid adoption.

For further information on this analysis, please visit: https://frost.ly/6l4

"Integrating technologies such as digital grid equipment, virtual power plant (VPP), distributed energy resources management system (DERMS), demand response (DR), 5G, Big Data, and blockchain will have strategic implications on future growth in the grid space," said Rajalingam Arikaarampalayam Chinnasamy, Energy & Environment Industry Principal at Frost & Sullivan. "This will intensify competition between traditional grid equipment manufacturers and start-ups. As a result, grid equipment companies will focus on offering Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled grid equipment to capture a sizeable market, addressing the challenges posed by standalone digital grid solution providers."

Chinnasamy added: "Global trends, such as evolving business models-which comprise software-as-a-service (SaaS), smart metering-as-a-service (MaaS), infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), and outcome-as-a-service (OaaS)-and growth in the adoption of Big Data analytics in the digital grid space will unlock new revenue streams for companies. Further, smart meters as grid intelligence devices will play a pivotal role in edge intelligence as an integral asset to grid intelligence, benefiting utilities and prosumers."

To tap into digital grid growth opportunities, participants need to focus on:

IoT to enable T&D equipment integration and grid to strengthen resiliency : Switchgear manufacturers should adapt their product offerings to synchronize with future industry preferences.

: Switchgear manufacturers should adapt their product offerings to synchronize with future industry preferences. Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) between strategic competitors to leverage market synergies : Companies should partner with data analytics experts to develop use cases for ecosystem vendors.

: Companies should partner with data analytics experts to develop use cases for ecosystem vendors. As-a-service business models to enable superior customer experiences : Partner with cloud providers to design cloud-hosted applications that can rapidly develop new functionalities for predictive maintenance and energy-efficient solutions.

: Partner with cloud providers to design cloud-hosted applications that can rapidly develop new functionalities for predictive maintenance and energy-efficient solutions. Digital marketing for transformed selling process: Vendors can use the massive customer data to react swiftly to shifting market trends, leveraging an innate understanding of the consumer psyche.

Global Digital Grid (Sensors, Meters, and Communications) Growth Opportunities is the latest addition to Frost & Sullivan's Energy & Environment research and analyses available through the Frost & Sullivan Leadership Council, which helps organizations identify a continuous flow of growth opportunities to succeed in an unpredictable future.

About Frost & Sullivan

For six decades, Frost & Sullivan has been world-renowned for its role in helping investors, corporate leaders and governments navigate economic changes and identify disruptive technologies, Mega Trends, new business models, and companies to action, resulting in a continuous flow of growth opportunities to drive future success. Contact us: Start the discussion

Global Digital Grid (Sensors, Meters, and Communications) Growth Opportunities

K520

Media Contact:

Jaylon Brinkley

Corporate Communications

E: Jaylon.brinkley@frost.com

P: +1 210.247.2481

http://www.frost.com

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- Sustainable Tourism Global Center launches to unite stakeholders and ensure tourism remains a key driver of growth for communities all over the world

- Saudi puts tourism on the global stage for the first time at FII 2021, launching the Principles for Redesigning Tourism

- UNWTO founder-member Spain joins Saudi Arabia's efforts to future-proof the industry

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Saudi Arabia's efforts to redesign the future of tourism accelerated this week with a string of major initiatives in Riyadh this week.

For the first time in FII history, tourism was brought to the forefront of the global agenda with the special summit, Redesigning Tourism - laying the foundations for future success, uniting more than 150 worldwide tourism leaders from the public and private sectors. During the Summit, the Ministry of Tourism launched five Principles for Redesigning Tourism, with support of governments and the private sector and endorsed by summit attendees.

Following the special summit, HE Ahmed Al Khateeb, Minister of Tourism, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and HE Maria Reyes Maroto, Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism, Kingdom of Spain agreed to work together to build a more resilient, sustainable, and inclusive tourism sector that provides prosperity for the long term.

The news comes after Saudi announced its Sustainable Tourism Global Center, a global coalition that will not only help the industry meet net zero goals, but work to ensure that tourism becomes a key driver of growth for communities all over the world, working with international partners to provide tools to support the sector in developing countries.

HE Ahmed Al Khateeb, Minister of Tourism, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia said: "This industry is very important. It connects nations, and Saudi Arabia is playing a very important role today, developing a number of initiatives including the Sustainable Tourism Global Center, to build resilience and ensure tourism provides the growth and opportunities we all want and need."

HH Princess Haifa, Vice Minister of Tourism, Saudi Arabia, said: "We need to enhance collaboration, to sit down at a table together, listen and understand what the issues are, agree on what the issues are and set a way forward. During the financial crisis back in 2008 we said banking is too big to fail. Today I'm telling the world tourism is way too big to fail."

Julia Simpson, President & CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council added: "Travel & Tourism is a driving force behind the global economy. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic the Kingdom brought public and private sectors together, under their G20 Presidency. Today, they are bringing the leaders of Travel & Tourism to reignite the sector."

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1673052/Ministry_of_Tourism_1.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1673053/Ministry_of_Tourism_2.jpg
HONG KONG / ACCESSWIRE / October 28, 2021 / We are approaching the last quarter of 2021, and the world has shown that the COVID-19 pandemic has been partly controlled by vaccination. The economy is gradually reopening, and our lives are returning to a more normal pace. As the tourism industry is expected to recover significantly, many places in Vietnam are set to reopen for fully-vaccinated international and domestic visitors in the near future. With a lot of dedication, passion and commitment, Pi Edutainment Global Limited decided to deploy a project named Heron Eco Retreat ($HERON), the first 'ReDeFining Wealth' vacation sanctuary developed in Vietnam. This would be the first commercially viable way to embrace the trend of NFTs in the hospitality industry.

Heron Asia - ReDeFining Wellness Retreat

On October 30th, 2021, the team will launch a crowd-funding campaign for the first-ever tokenized eco retreat. There are two rounds of token sales, with a total supply of 235,000,000 $HERON. On that day, 13,000,000 $HERON will be available for public purchase through the LZPad IDO (Initial DEX Offering).

Heron's Allocation

The Heron core team's ambition is to create a project in which all investors may participate and watch the place develop from a concept to a beautiful and tranquil wellness sanctuary. Besides, tokenized eco retreat creates real investment opportunities for small to medium investors with limited financial resources.

The leading experts of Heron

$HERON holders can stake their tokens in exchange for $HERON-NFTs, which can be converted into vouchers to be claimed for accommodation at the Heron Retreat over the following 15 years. And of course the benefits do not stop here. In November, 2021 LaunchZone will launch their strategic product - LZ Farm, an interactive farm-simulation online game. This opens up a new way for investors to stake $HERON through LZ Farm and gain $LZP tokens, which can then be exchanged for points to be used in the Farmstay Heron.asia ecosystem.

Z Farm - an interactive farm-simulation online game

Public investors might have a significant ROI up to 311.04% over 15 years, according to the project's estimated calculation. With the aim of optimizing investor's experience, owning $HERON not only allows access to the future expanding Heron Retreat series, but also the Heron Marketplace, where holders can:

* Convert $HERONNFT into accommodation vouchers

* Stake $HERONNFT on LZ Farm to receive more $LZP tokens

* Book Room & Services in the form of digitalized proof of services (NFTs)

* Enjoy Integrated Payment System with fiat payment gateways and multiple supported crypto wallets

Heron is your ultimate destination for wellness

Heron Eco Retreat is located at Thach That Town, next to Co Dung Lake, surrounded by greenery with lake views, only a 45-minute drive from Hanoi center. The retreat sanctuary promises to preserve and recreate

You'll find the complete privacy, tranquility and serenity with Heron

70% of the indigenous vegetation, aiming to "reconnect with Mother Nature without compromising on luxury."

Heron Eco Retreat offers sustainable wellness and investment solutions by applying DeFi, NFT, and GameFi into the hospitality industry.

If you want to breathe crisp mountain air beneath a canopy of gold, or just want to find a few things that inspire slow living and self-care, like cozying up in the relatively pristine natural environment. You've come to the right place.

Contact

Yi Han

Chief Growth Officer

yihan@lz.finance

SOURCE: Heron Asia

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/670113/Heron-Asia--One-of-the-First-Tokenized-Hospitality-Projects-which-Opened-the-Creative-Era-of-NFT-EcoFi-and-GameFi
Gross Profit Surges (+61.8%)

Regulatory News:

CLASQUIN (Paris:ALCLA):

9 months Q3 Q2 Q1 Sept 2021 9 months Sept 2020 9 months Change at current

scope exch. rates Like for like (lfl) 30 09 21/ 30 09 19 Q3 2021/ Q3 2020 Q2 2021/ Q2 2020 Q1 2021/ Q1 2020 CONSOLIDATED (unaudited) Number of shipments 220,455 182,448 +20.8% +20.8% +9.0% +14.1% +41.1% +10.9% Sales (m)* 498.8 279.2 +78.7% +78.7% +107.5% +109.6% +68.6% +54.9% Gross profit (m) 83.4 55.6 +50.0% +49.0% +49.9% +61.8% +50.1% +36.8%

*Reminder: Sales is not a relevant indicator for assessing activity in our business, because it is greatly impacted by changing sea and air freight rates, fuel surcharges, exchange rates (especially versus the $), etc. Variations in the number of shipments, the volumes shipped and-in terms of the Group's finances-gross profit are relevant indicators.

** lfl: at constant exchange rates excluding the acquisition of Transports Petit International

MARKET AND BUSINESS REVIEW

Market conditions experienced in H1 2021 persisted in Q3 2021 on account of a very severe disruption of logistical chains worldwide: congestion at port entrances, lengthened delivery times, the lack of truck drivers, scarcity of containers, lack of space aboard ships. The same adverse situation applied for air freight, as a large proportion of long-haul passenger flights used to carry most of the air freight cargo were still grounded.

This underlying context was worsened by economic disturbances such as:

the partial closure of the Port of Ningbo (China) for 2 weeks during August

the slowdown in operations (50%) at Shanghai airport for several weeks from the end of August on account of COVID cases among the handling staff.

Hence, sea freight rates were maintained at very high levels.

Air freight rates, eased slightly in early summer, but turned very sharply upwards from late August onwards

Against this heavily disrupted business environment, and despite a less favourable base effect than in H2, the Group saw in Q3 a sizeable increase in volumes shipped (TEU: up 6.9% Tonnage: up 13.6%) and in the number of its shipments (up 14.1%).

Roll On Roll Off* volume (North Africa and Turkey) also grew by 10.9% in number of shipments.

Gross profit, the prime financial indicator of the Group's business performance, soared a dramatic 61.8% in Q3, to reach 31.5m (rising 50.0% over the first 9 months).

As pointed out in the published report for Q2, this very strong growth in gross profit is due to the following factors:

strong growth in the Group's core business

substantial market share gains , themselves attributable to: The relevance and quality of the offering (PO Management, digital offerings, air chartering, block-trains from China, rental of sea freight containers, etc.) The energy and commitment of our sales force

, themselves attributable to: the fulfilment of development projects or of acquisitions (Impact: up 9.7% in Q3 up 6.5% at end September): The January acquisition of the Colombus Transit business in Spain Creation of CLASQUIN Belgium in April and the latter's acquisition of the international business of Interlines Belgium Acquisition of a 55.56% share in Transports Petit International in June Developments in these 3 projects at end September are ahead of the initial roadmap.

or of acquisitions (Impact: up 9.7% in Q3 up 6.5% at end September): U nprecedented market conditions resulting in: A very sharp increase in freight rates Increased complexity in processing shipments A sizeable expansion of the headcount since the start of the year to support volume growth and the diversification of solutions for supporting clients Heavy growth in working capital requirement (with sales doubled in Q3 2021)

resulting in:

* Roll-on/roll-off: combined road sea transport (trailers or trucks loaded on ships)

BREAKDOWN BY BUSINESS LINE

NUMBER OF SHIPMENTS GROSS PROFIT (m) At current scope and exchange rates 30/09/21 30/09/20 30 09 21/ 30/09/20 30 09 21/ 30 09 19 Q3 2021/ Q3 2020 30/09/21 30/09/20 30 09 21/ 30 09 20 30 09 21/ 30 09 19 Q3 2021/ Q3 2020 Sea freight 103,120 86,810 +18.8% +18.6% +8.1% 45.8 25.7 +78.3% +85.1% +94.1% Air freight 58,272 47,879 +21.7% -6.4% +21.0% 23.5 19.4 +20.6% +28.7% +19.5% RORO* 33,099 27,434 +20.6% -4.5% +10.9% 6.6 4.9 +33.4% +4.5% +32.9% Other 25,964 20,325 +27.7% +41.1% +28.9% 5.8 3.9 +48.6% +21.9% +125.2% TOTAL OVERSEAS BUSINESS 220,455 182,448 +20.8% +9.0% +14.1% 81.6 53.9 +51.3% +51.1% +64.1% Log System 2.2 2.2 +0.6% -5.4% -8.5% Consolidation entries (0.4) -0.5 N/A N/A N/A TOTAL CONSOLIDATED 83.4 55.6 +50.0% +49.9% +61.8%

* Roll-on/roll-off

VOLUMES 30/09/2021 30/09/2020 30 09 2021/ 30 09 2020 30 09 2021/ 30 09 2019 Q3 2021/ Q3 2020 Sea freight 200,808 TEUs* 167,469 TEUs* +19.9% +24.0% +6.9% Air freight 48,763 T** 40,948 T** +19.1% +6.2% +13.6%

* Twenty-foot equivalent units

** Tons

Q3 2021 HIGHLIGHT

Continued expansion of the offering and deployment of the LIVE By CLASQUIN solution (the Group's digital platform): Launching of the LIVE PO Management offering, in partnership with the Windle collaborative platform for monitoring supply flows.

This new offering enhances the "control towers" monitoring goods at the start of shipment, as well as affording several extra weeks of visibility over supplies to the Group's clients. In a disrupted environment, this offering contributes to greater security both upstream in international transport and hence, downstream for delivery to clients at their destination. Scope covered by LIVE at 30 September 2021 : 181 clients generating 26% of Group gross profit.



2021 OUTLOOK

Market

International trade estimates (by volume): up 10.8% (WTO 04/10/2021)

Sea freight market estimates (by volume): up 5-7%

Air freight market estimates (by volume): up 7-9%

CLASQUIN

Business forecast: Largely outperforming market growth

UPCOMING EVENTS (publication after-market closure)

Thursday 24 February 2022

Tuesday 22 March 2022

Thursday 28 April 2022 Q4 2021 business report FY 2021 results Q1 2022 business report

CLASQUIN is an air and sea freight forwarding and overseas logistics specialist. The Group designs and manages the entire overseas transport and logistics chain, organising and coordinating the flow of client shipments between France and the rest of the world and, more specifically, to and from Asia-Pacific, North America, North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa.

Its shares are listed on EURONEXT GROWTH, ISIN FR0004152882, Reuters ALCLA.PA, Bloomberg ALCLA FP. Read more at www.clasquin.com.

CLASQUIN confirms its eligibility for the share savings plan for MSCs (medium-sized companies) in accordance with Article D221-113-5 of the French Monetary and Financial Code established by decree number 2014-283 of 4 March 2014 and with Article L221-32-2 of the French Monetary and Financial Code, which set the conditions for eligibility (less than 5,000 employees and annual sales of less than 1,500m or balance sheet total of less than 2,000m).

CLASQUIN is listed on the Enternext PEA-PME 150 index.

LEI: 9695004FF6FA43KC4764

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005973/en/

Contacts:

CLASQUIN

Philippe LONS Directeur general delegue/Directeur financier

Domitille CHATELAIN Group Head of Communication International Marketing Executive

Groupe CLASQUIN 235 cours Lafayette 69006 Lyon

Tel.: 04 72 83 17 00 Fax: 04 72 83 17 33
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / October 28, 2021 / Canagold Resources Ltd. (TSX:CCM)(OTCQB:CRCUF)(FSE:CANA) ("Canagold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has closed an oversubscribed brokered private placement (the "Offering") with Red Cloud Securities Inc. ("Red Cloud" or the "Agent"), acting as sole agent and bookrunner, for gross proceeds of CAD$5.3 million. The Offering was previously announced by Canagold in a press release dated September 24, 2021 for gross proceeds of CAD$5 million. Pursuant to the Offering, the Company issued 10.6 million "flow-through shares", within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the "Tax Act") (each, a "FT Share"), at a price of CAD$0.50 per FT Share.

Proceeds from the sale of FT Shares will be used to incur "Canadian exploration expenses" as defined in subsection 66.1(6) of the Tax Act and "flow-through mining expenditures" as defined in subsection 127(9) of the Tax Act ("Qualifying Expenditures"). Such proceeds will be renounced to the subscribers with an effective date not later than December 31, 2021, in the aggregate amount of not less than the total amount of gross proceeds raised from the issue of FT Shares. Proceeds from the Offering will be used for to fund eligible exploration expenditures of the Company's New Polaris gold project in north-western British Columbia.

In connection with the Offering, the Company paid to the Agent an aggregate cash commission of approximately CAD$253,555. The Company also issued an aggregate of 638,510 broker warrants (the "Broker Warrants"). Each Broker Warrant is exercisable to acquire one non flow-through common share of the Company at an exercise price of CAD$0.75 at any time on or before that date which is 24 months after the closing date of the Offering.

The securities issued in the Offering are subject to a four-month plus one day hold period ending on March 1, 2022, in accordance with applicable securities laws and the policies of the Toronto Stock Exchange (the "Exchange"). The Offering is subject to the final acceptance of the Exchange.

"Scott Eldridge"

Scott Eldridge, Chief Executive Officer

CANAGOLD RESOURCES LTD.

About Canagold

Canagold Resources Ltd. is a growth-oriented gold exploration company focused on generating superior shareholder returns by discovering, exploring and developing strategic gold deposits in North America. Canagold shares trade on the TSX:CCM and the OTCQB:CRCUF.

For More Information, Please Contact:

Knox Henderson, VP Corporate Development

Toll Free: 1-877-684-9700

Tel: (604) 604-416-0337

Cell: (604) 551-2360

Email: knox@canagoldresources.com

Website: www.canagoldresources.com

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States private securities litigation reform act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Statements contained in this news release that are not historical facts are forward-looking information that involves known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the potential gross proceeds of the Offering, the timing of closing and the potential use of proceeds from the Offering. In certain cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "has proven", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "potential", "appears", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "at least", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "should", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved".

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and other factors include, among others risks related to regulatory approvals; risks related to the uncertainties inherent in the estimation of mineral resources; commodity prices; changes in general economic conditions; market sentiment; currency exchange rates; the Company's ability to continue as a going concern; the Company's ability to raise funds through equity financings; risks inherent in mineral exploration; risks related to operations in foreign countries; future prices of metals; failure of equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; accidents, labor disputes and other risks of the mining industry; delays in obtaining governmental approvals; government regulation of mining operations; environmental risks; title disputes or claims; limitations on insurance coverage and the timing and possible outcome of litigation. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could affect the Company and may cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, do not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. All statements are made as of the date of this news release and the Company is under no obligation to update or alter any forward-looking statements except as required under applicable securities laws.

SOURCE: Canagold Resources Ltd.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/670202/Canagold-Closes-Oversubscribed-Flow-Through-Financing-for-CAD53-Million
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / October 28, 2021 / Marvel Discovery Corp. (TSXV:MARV)(Frankfurt:O4T1)(OTCQB:MARVF); (the "Company") reported on April 20, 2021 it had expanded its footprint in the Rocky Mountain Rare-Earth Metals Belt. The Company entered into an agreement to purchase two claim groups, located approximately 85km NE of Prince George, B.C. The Wicheeda North property is located 5km northeast from Defence Metals Wicheeda Rare Earth (REE) Project which has an indicated mineral resource of 4,890,000 tonnes averaging 3.02% LREO (Light Rare Elements) and an inferred mineral resource of 12,100,000 tonnes averaging 2.90 LREO (https://defensemetals.com/project/). Defence Metals just announced a second drill was being mobilized to expediate their resource expansion. Marvel and through Power One Resources one of our equity holdings we control one of the largest land packages adjacent to Defence Metals ground.

Karim Rayani, President Chief Executive Officer, commented, "Geophysical studies show the Wicheeda North shares similar geology and structures as our neighbor Defence Metals. Defence is aggressively working to expand their resource - we are well positioned in the area and look forward to commencing our inaugural exploration program once we have reviewed all our newly acquired datasets. Our exploration plans include new high-resolution aeromagnetic surveys and to utilize AI (artificial intelligence) algorithms to assist with the prioritization of target areas. We are thrilled to be involved in the REE sector, including what I like to call Space Metals. This further solidifies Marvel as a multi-commodity resource company."

The Wicheeda Carbonatite Deposit, held by Defense Metals Corp., is host to an indicated resource of 4.89 million tonnes (Mt) at 3.02% light rare earth oxide (LREO) and an inferred resource of 12.1 Mt at 2.90% LREO, using a cut-off grade of 1.5% total metal (see "Technical Report on the Wicheeda Property, British Columbia, Canada" with an Effective Date of June 27th, 2020). Management cautions that past results or discoveries on proximal properties (i.e. the Wicheeda Carbonatite Deposit) may not necessarily be indicative to the presence of mineralization on the Company's properties (i.e. Wicheeda North).

The Defense Metals Wicheeda REE Property is located in the Foreland Belt of the Canadian Cordillera, within the structurally dominant NW-trending Rocky Mountain Trench. The Rocky Mountain Trench is recognized for the occurrence of several Paleozoic carbonatite-syenite intrusion-related complexes that were geologically deformed, tilted, and transported to the east in thrust panels. The REE-enriched carbonatites located on the Defense Metals property is part of a narrow, elongate, southeast-trending intrusive carbonatite-syenite complex utilizing a structural panel within sedimentary sequences of the Cambrian to Ordovician Kechika Group.

Carbonatite-related rocks are exceptionally rare, with less than 700 complexes know worldwide. They are a major host for rare metals, such as niobium and tantalum, and rare earth elements (REE's), and are also known to host economic concentrations of copper, gold and other base metals. The world's largest niobium mine, Araxa in Brazil, and several of the world's largest-rare earth element deposits, including Lynas Corporation's Mt. Weld deposit in Australia and MP Material's Mountain Pass Deposit in the United States, are all hosted by carbonatites. Mineralization and REE deposits described above are not necessarily indicative of the mineralization on the Property.

Marvels Wicheeda North Property, consists of six mineral claims, which encompass 2135 ha, immediately northwest of Defense Metals Wicheeda Property, which hosts the Wicheeda Carbonatite. This brings the company's total land holdings within the Wicheeda Rare Earth Metal Belt to 4,423 ha covering a total of 18 claims. Preliminary interpretation of the regional magnetic fabric by Marvel indicated the Property contained a distinct oval magnetic feature underpinning Marvel's acquisition of the ground. Similar magnetic features are prominent on the Defense Metals REE Project, interpreted to be consistent with the carbonite host to their REE mineralization.

Within the USA, the recent announcement of $2 Trillion USD of green infrastructure spending and jobs plan will focus on modernizing and electrifying the US energy grid to handle modern electric vehicles that will result in a carbon-neutral economy by 2035. In order to facilitate this transition, a dramatic surge in demand for green energy metals and minerals will take place. These include light rare earth elements such as neodymium and praseodymium (used in the creation of permanent magnets), niobium, and copper. Marvel Discovery Corp. is actively positioning itself to ensure it is well placed to capitalize on this growing market. Space metals, and various rare earth metals such as Niobium are known for their high melting point withstanding extreme heat and have direct applications in nuclear and space flight.

Qualified Person

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Mike Kilbourne, P.Geo., who is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

The QP and the Company has not completed sufficient work to verify the historic information on the properties comprising the Great Burnt property claim group particularly regarding historical exploration, neighbouring companies, and government geological work.

About Marvel Discovery Corp.

Marvel, listed on the TSX Venture Exchange for over 25 years, is a Canadian based emerging resource company. The Company is systematically exploring its extensive property positions in:

Newfoundland (Slip, Gander North, Gander South, Victoria Lake, Baie Verte, and Hope Brook - Au Prospects )

) Atikokan, Ontario (BlackFly - Au Prospect )

) Elliot Lake, Ontario (East Bull - Ni-Cu-PGE Prospect )

) Quebec (Duhamel - Ni-Cu-Co prospect & Titanium, Vanadium, and Chromium Prospect )

) Prince George, British Columbia (Wicheeda North - Rare Earth Elements Prospect)

The Company's website is: https://marveldiscovery.ca/

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Marvel Discovery Corp.

"Karim Rayani"

Karim Rayani

President/Chief Executive Officer, Director

Tel: 604 716 0551 email: k@r7.capital

Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information:

Certain statements in this release are forward-looking statements which reflect the expectations of management. Forward-looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations, or intentions regarding the future. Forward-looking statements in this press release relate to, among other things: completion of the proposed Arrangement. Actual future results may differ materially. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions, and projections on the date the statements are made and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the respective parties, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release concerning these times. Except as required by law, the Company does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Marvel Discovery Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/670204/Marvel-to-Initiate-Geophysical-Studies-at-Wicheeda-North-REES--Niobium--Space-Metals-Prince-George-BC
BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The Switzerland stock market closed on a firm note on Thursday despite a weak start and a subsequent long sluggish spell, as select counters saw some brisk buying in late afternoon trade. The benchmark SMI, which edged down to 12,064.21 in early trades, ended the session with a gain of 65.65 points or 0.54% at 12,153.10, the day's high. Nestle climbed 1.63%. Sika gained nearly 1%, while Richemont, Givaudan and Swiss Re gained 0.8 to 0.85%. Geberit, Novartis, Roche Holding, Logitech, Lonza Group and Holcim posted modest gains. Swisscom shares plunged 7.4% after the company trimmed its 2021 sales outlook, citing a review of its fibre-optic partnership with Salt as well as developments in exchange rates. Swisscom said it expects net revenue of around 11.2 billion Swiss francs for the year, down from its previous forecast of around 11.3 billion Credit Suisse declined by about 1.7%, while ABB and UBS Group ended lower by 0.6% and 0.3%, respectively. Among the stocks in the Swiss Mid Price Index, Zur Rose soared 10.3%. Clariant, Temenos Group, Straumann Holding, SIG Combibloc and AMS gained 4 to 5%, and AMS gained 3.52%. Sonova, BB Biotech, Vifor Pharma, Swatch Group and Tecan Group also closed with strong gains. Ems Chemie Holding, OC Oerlikon Corp and Julius Baer lost 3.6%, 2.2% and 1.3%, respectively. In vaccination news, the Swiss medicines regulator, Swissmedic, announced recently that it had approved third shots or so-called boosters of the Pfizer/BioNtech and Moderna vaccines for high-risk individuals and people with weakened immune systems. Meanwhile, Switzerland reported 1785 new cases over the last 24 hours, much higher than the 7-day average of 1352 cases. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 28, 2021) - Phenom Resources Corp. (TSXV: PHNM) (OTCQX: PHNMF) (FSE: 1PY0) ("Phenom" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it is selectively strengthening its gold portfolio in Nevada by signing an Option Agreement exclusively with Dave Mathewson for a property he has held since 2015 and planned to drill himself in the Independence- Eureka Gold Trend. The option of the SMOKE Property will further strengthen Dave Mathewson's position and engagement in Phenom Resources Corp. with additional stock in the Company as he spearheads and supervises the exploration on both the SMOKE Property and the Carlin Vanadium-Gold Project. Mr. Mathewson is a renowned Nevada gold specialist and former Newmont Mining Corporation Regional Exploration Manager. Mr. Mathewson was instrumental in several significant gold deposit discoveries in the Rain and Railroad Mining Districts in the southern portion of the Carlin Gold Trend where the Carlin Vanadium-Gold project is located.

Paul Cowley, President & CEO states, "We are very pleased to add this high-quality asset from Dave Mathewson who has a proven eye for good gold prospects in Nevada. The terms are very modest to manage, still allowing us to focus the bulk of our treasury on drilling the Carlin Vanadium-Gold Project which is still in progress. In our aggressive fashion, the Company plans to drill the SMOKE prospect in November with a first pass 5-7 hole reverse circulation of approximately 1,100m (3,600ft) program."

The SMOKE claim group, 65 kilometres south of Eureka, Nevada comprise 48 unpatented lode claims protecting a 3.9 square kilometre area of intriguing geological and geophysical characteristics for gold exploration. SMOKE is on the southern extension of the Independence-Eureka Trend, near the intersection with the Battle Mtn-Eureka Trend (see Figure 1). The SMOKE claims cover two strongly altered, silicified Paleozoic limestone exposures that bear some resemblance to Devils Gate Fm of Devonian age, a known host to gold mineralization in Nevada. One silicified exposure is substantial at 0.5 kilometres long. The limited exposures are surrounded by what is believed to be a thin veneer of post-mineral gravel located in the central Little Smoky Valley east of the Antelope Range. Regional gravity data exhibit a prospective gravity high that suggests that the limited exposures could be part of a much larger Paleozoic, shallow limestone platform in the valley, ideal for a gold prospect in Nevada.

The SMOKE prospect was initially looked at by Atlas Precious Metals Inc. in 1986. Seventeen of 22 samples from the surface returned a high level of pathfinder metals for gold that averaged 341ppm arsenic and anomalous mercury, antimony and limited gold. Subsequent sampling in 1987 returned similar metal elevations. Small amounts of what was believed to be cinnabar (a mercury mineral) was observed on the small western exposure by Mathewson. Late in 1987 two very shallow 200-300 foot holes were drilled by Atlas with one yielding 80 feet averaging 80ppb gold. No other drilled is evident in the area.

SMOKE Transaction

The Company has signed a three-year option agreement with Nevada Gold Ventures, LLC ("Nevada Gold"), exclusively owned by Dave Mathewson, whereby the Company has the option to acquire a 100% interest in the SMOKE Property by completing the following cash payments and share issuances to Nevada Gold and incurring the following exploration expenditures on the property:

On signing of the Option Agreement, pay US$10,000;

On receipt of approval from TSX Venture Exchange ("TSX-V"), issue 150,000 Phenom common shares;

On or before the first anniversary of TSX-V approval, spend US$100,000 in work commitments and issue an additional 150,000 common shares;

On or before the second anniversary of TSX-V approval, spend an additional US$200,000 in work commitments and issue an additional 150,000 common shares;

On or before the third anniversary of TSX-V approval, spend an additional US$200,000 in work commitments and issue an additional 150,000 common shares;

Nevada Gold will retain a 3% Net Smelter Return Royalty ("NSR") on any mineral products derived from the SMOKE Property. Phenom will have the right to purchase up to a 2% NSR for US$1.0 million for each 1% NSR prior to commencing commercial production, leaving Nevada Gold with a 1% NSR. The proposed transaction is subject to the acceptance of the TSX-V.

Figure 1: Principal Gold Trends in Nevada and Location of SMOKE



To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3372/101195_5ae21e7f44646989_002full.jpg

AVP Drill Results

At AVP in the Battle Mountain-Eureka Trend, the Company completed the planned first pass, broad spaced drilling program of 6 reverse circulation drill holes totaling 1,148 metres (3,765 ft) through shallow post-mineralization colluvial gravel cover along a 2.5km (1.5 mile) strike length within the core of the claims. Ground magnetic and gravity surveys were completed by the Company on AVP prior to drilling, revealing a >2.5km (1.5 mile) long by 500m (1640 ft) wide disrupted structural zone coincident with elevated gold in historic shallow drilling from the 1980's AVP Property. Although perspective limestones, intrusives and sills were encountered that were silicified and veined with sulfides, no significant gold intercepts were found. No further work on AVP is planned.

About Phenom Resources Corp.

Phenom has an option to earn a 100% interest in the Carlin Vanadium Project, located in Elko County, 6 miles south from the town of Carlin, Nevada and Highway I-80. The Project lies in the Carlin Gold Trend. Approximately 9 million ounces comprised of multiple gold deposits, including past producing mines, are present near the FVAN property (5-15km). The Carlin Vanadium-Gold Project also hosts the Carlin Vanadium deposit.

ON BEHALF OF PHENOM RESOURCES CORP.

per: "Paul Cowley"

CEO & President

(778) 655-4311

pcowley@firstvanadium.com www.firstvanadium.com

Technical disclosure in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Dave Mathewson, a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, and Geological Advisor to the Company.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-looking information

Certain statements in this news release constitute "forward-looking" statements. These statements relate to future events or the Company's future performance and include the Company's ability to meet its obligations under the Access and Mineral Lease Agreement and the conditions required to exercise in full its option to acquire the Carlin Vanadium project, to finance and drill test the interpreted gold target model and to encounter potential gold zones shown in the gold model . All such statements involve substantial known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results to vary from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties, they should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results, and they will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether or not such results will be achieved. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes are reasonable assumptions on the date of this news release, the Company cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable securities regulations.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/101195


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - An American Airlines (AAL) flight from New York to Orange County, California, was diverted to Denver on Wednesday after a passenger allegedly attacked a female flight attendant. While condemning the attack, the airline CEO said, 'It was one of the worst displays of unruly behavior we've ever witnessed.'



While certain witnesses to the attack claimed that it took place over the issue of wearing a mask, American Airlines clarified that it was not the case.



In a statement, the company said, 'Flight 976 from John F. Kennedy International Airport to John Wayne Airport, in Santa Ana, was diverted to Denver due to a passenger who physically assaulted a flight attendant. The aircraft landed safely and taxied to the gate, where law enforcement removed and apprehended the passenger.'



The attacked attendant was shifted to a local hospital and according to reports, is suffering from broken bones to the face. The Federal Aviation Administration said that it would investigate the case.



According to witnesses, the incident took place about halfway during the flight, when it was over Ohio. The passenger was seated in the first or business class. No other injuries were reported. The Denver FBI, which is investigating the case, has not yet released the name of the suspect.



Incidents of passengers assaulting airline crew has been on the rise since travel restarted after lifting of Covid restrictions.



In 2021 alone, the Federal Airline Authority has received around 5,000 complaints of alleged assault and in 215 cases, the offenders are charged under federal rules and will be arrested.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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MOSCOW, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF, Russia's sovereign wealth fund) announces that Israeli authorities have granted approval for entry of individuals vaccinated with the Sputnik V vaccine. To date, a total of 101 countries have approved entry of those to have received the Sputnik V vaccine.

Key requirements of the 101 countries which allow visits following Sputnik V vaccination*:

Sputnik V vaccinated individuals may visit a total of 31 countries without any additional COVID-19 related approval;

Negative PCR or positive antibody tests at entry expand this by an additional 50 countries;

Obligatory quarantine is required in an additional 20 countries.

Only 15 countries require vaccines other than Sputnik V. Only 5 of these countries (less than 9% of international travel journeys), including the U.S. (representing less than 3%), fully rely on the WHO's approved list of vaccines which Sputnik V is expected to be added to this year.

Countries opening their borders for those who have received the Sputnik V vaccine are demonstrating the will to help their tourism industry and businesses to recover more quickly, welcoming of the waves of tourists and laying the new foundations for economic recoveries.

Separating authorization of COVID vaccines from vaccination certificates is another important step to avoiding vaccine discrimination and supporting governments' efforts in safely re-opening borders for both locals and tourists.

Sources: ministries of respective countries, tourism sites

* Visa and (or) other entry permit needed, A person should also meet other requirements not related to coronavirus restrictions. The analysis of entry opportunities is based on requirements for the population of the most countries, and may not reflect restrictions or indulgences in force for selected countries or certain categories. 27 countries still have borders closed for visitors from majority of other countries.
PD-L1 IHC 22C3 pharmDx can now be used as an aid in identifying TNBC patients for treatment with KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) in Europe.

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) today announced that its PD-L1 IHC 22C3 pharmDx assay is now labelled for use in TNBC in the European Union.

PD-L1 expression is a critical biomarker for response to anti-PD-1 therapies such as KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab), an anti-PD-1 therapy manufactured by Merck (known as MSD outside the United States and Canada). The expanded use of PD-L1 IHC 22C3 pharmDx strengthens the ability of pathologists to identify patients who may be eligible for treatment with KEYTRUDA. In Europe, KEYTRUDA, in combination with chemotherapy, is indicated for the treatment of locally recurrent unresectable or metastatic TNBC in adults whose tumors express PD-L1 [Combined Positive Score (CPS) 10] and who have not received prior chemotherapy for metastatic disease.1

PD-L1 IHC 22C3 pharmDx is the only clinical trial proven PD-L1 assay CE-IVD-marked as an aid in identifying TNBC patients for treatment with KEYTRUDA. PD-L1 IHC 22C3 pharmDx now helps physicians in Europe identify patients for treatment with KEYTRUDA in five cancer types: non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), urothelial carcinoma, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), esophageal cancer and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).2

"Anti-PD-1 therapies like KEYTRUDA continue to offer new treatment options for cancer patients," said Sam Raha, president of Agilent's Diagnostics and Genomics Group. "This indication expansion of PD-L1 IHC 22C3 pharmDx in TNBC will allow physicians in Europe access to critical information to qualify even more patients who could benefit from these treatments. This further demonstrates Agilent's role as a leader in developing companion diagnostics for targeted therapies."

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women, with more than 530,000 new cases diagnosed in Europe in 2020.3 Approximately 15-20% of breast cancer diagnoses are TNBC.4

KEYTRUDA is a humanized monoclonal antibody that enhances the ability of the immune system to detect and fight tumor cells. KEYTRUDA blocks the PD-1 pathway, thereby activating T-lymphocytes that may affect both tumor cells and healthy cells.1 KEYTRUDA and other targeted immunotherapies are changing cancer treatment, and their therapeutic value is being realized across a growing list of cancer types. PD-L1 IHC 22C3 pharmDx was developed by Agilent as a companion diagnostic for KEYTRUDA in partnership with Merck.

About Agilent Technologies

Agilent is a leader in life sciences, diagnostics, and applied chemical markets, delivering innovative technology solutions that provide trusted answers to researchers' most challenging scientific questions. The company generated revenue of $5.34 billion in fiscal year 2020 and employs 16,400 people worldwide. Information about Agilent is available at www.agilent.com. To receive the latest Agilent news, subscribe to the Agilent Newsroom. Follow Agilent on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

KEYTRUDA is a registered trademark of Merck Sharp Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA.

References: 1. Keytruda [Summary of Product Characteristics]. European Medicines Agency; 2021.

2. PD-L1 IHC 22C3 pharmDx [Instructions for Use]. Santa Clara, CA: Agilent Technologies, Inc.; 2021.

3. World Health Organization. Global Cancer Observatory. https://gco.iarc.fr/today/data/factsheets/populations/908-europe-fact-sheets.pdf (accessed September 07, 2021).

4. Ismail-Khan R, Bui MM (2010) A review of triple-negative breast cancer. Cancer Control 17(3):173-176.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028006225/en/

Contacts:

Naomi Goumillout

Agilent Technologies

+1.781.266.2819

naomi.goumillout@agilent.com
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 28, 2021) - Santacruz Silver Mining Ltd. (TSXV: SCZ) (the "Company" or "Santacruz"). The Company wishes to provide an update with respect to the previously announced proposed acquisition of a portfolio of Bolivian mining assets from Glencore (the "Acquisition").

In accordance with TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") Policy 5.3 - Acquisitions and Dispositions of Non-Cash Assets ("Policy 5.3"), the trading of the common shares of the Company on the TSXV was halted on October 12, 2021 pending TSXV review, as the Acquisition is expected to constitute a "Fundamental Acquisition" for the Company, as defined in Policy 5.3. The trading halt will be lifted by the TSXV once certain conditions have been met under Section 5.6 of Policy 5.3, including the delivery to the Exchange of technical reports prepared in compliance with National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Mineral Disclosure with respect to the material mineral properties to be acquired.

About Santacruz Silver Mining Ltd.

Santacruz is a Mexican focused silver company with one producing silver project (Zimapan) and two exploration properties, the La Pechuga property and Santa Gorgonia prospect. The Company is managed by a technical team of professionals with proven track records in developing, operating and discovering silver mines in Mexico. Our corporate objective is to become a mid-tier silver producer.

'signed'

Arturo Prestamo Elizondo,

Executive Chairman and Interim CFO

For further information please contact:

Arturo Prestamo

Santacruz Silver Mining Ltd.

Email: info@santacruzsilver.com

Telephone: (604) 569-1609

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements contained in this news release constitute "forward-looking information" as such term is used in applicable Canadian securities laws, including statements relating to: the closing of the Transaction, including the anticipated timing thereof; the satisfaction of all conditions to closing the Transaction including, without limitation, obtaining all necessary consents and approvals; the lifting of the trading halt and the Company's plan to prepare technical reports on the material mineral properties to be acquired.

Forward-looking information is based on plans, expectations and estimates of management at the date the information is provided and is subject to certain factors and assumptions. In making the forward-looking statements included in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including that the Company's financial condition and development plans do not change as a result of unforeseen events and that future metal prices and the demand and market outlook for metals will remain stable or improve. Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause plans, estimates and actual results to vary materially from those projected in such forward-looking information. Factors that could cause the forward-looking information in this news release to change or to be inaccurate include, but are not limited to: the risk that any of the assumptions referred to above prove not to be valid or reliable; market conditions and volatility and global economic conditions, including increased volatility and potentially negative capital raising conditions resulting from the continued or escalation of the COVID-19 pandemic and risks relating to the extent and duration of such pandemic and its impact on global markets; controls or regulations and political or economic developments in Bolivia; risk of delay and/or cessation in planned work or changes in the Company's financial condition and development plans; risks associated with the interpretation of data (including in respect of third party mineralized material) regarding the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; the uncertainty of the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits and the risk of unexpected variations in mineral resources, grade and/or recovery rates; risks related to gold, silver, base metal and other commodity price fluctuations; employee relations; relationships with and claims by local communities and indigenous populations; availability and increasing costs associated with mining inputs and labour; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development, including the risks of obtaining necessary licenses and permits and the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on mining; risks relating to environmental regulation and liability; the possibility that results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations, as well as the other risks and uncertainties applicable to mineral exploration and development activities and to the Company as set forth in the Company's continuous disclosure filings filed under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com.

There can be no assurance that any forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, the reader should not place any undue reliance on forward-looking information or statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information or statements, other than as required by applicable law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/101213


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Social media behemoth Facebook, Inc (FB) announced on Thursday that it will be known as Meta, a social technology company. Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of the company confirmed the name during its annual Connect festival. Zuckerberg, among other things, also announced that the company is going to retire the Oculus brand name.



The name change was on the cards for a long time and the name Metaverse, which sounds like a dimension from a Sci-Fi movie, was also heard from Zuckerberg himself back in July when he told The Verge, 'We will effectively transition from people seeing us as primarily being a social media company to being a metaverse company.'



Walking in the heel of Google, which created a holding company back in 2015 named Alphabet (GOOGL), the name Meta distances Zuckerberg's company from being just a social media company to an overarching entity that looks over multiple social media platforms as well creates futuristic tech.



The company will start trading under the ticker MVRS from December 1.



Building up to the announcement, Zuckerberg said, 'I've been thinking a lot about our identity as we begin this next chapter. Facebook is one of the most used products in the history of the world. It is an iconic social media brand, but increasingly it just doesn't encompass everything that we do.'



He went on to add, 'Today we're seen as a social media company, but in our DNA, we are a company that builds technology to connect people. And the metaverse is the next frontier just like social networking was when we got started.'



Zuckerberg explained that he got the inspiration for the name from the Greek word 'Meta' which means 'beyond.' 'For me, it symbolizes that there is always more to build,' said the 37-year-old.



Along with the change in name, the company has also gone through a logo overhaul, changing the thumbs up to a blue infinity logo. Following the announcement, Zuckerberg changed his job title to 'Founder and CEO at Meta.'



Facebook has been under immense pressure since the start of the month after a huge chunk of internal documents were leaked to the government by former employee Frances Haugen. But Zuckerberg was in no mood to get bogged down by the graver stories.



Referring to whether this is the right time for the name shift, he said, 'I know that some people will say that this isn't a time to focus on the future, and I want to acknowledge that there are important issues to work on in the present. There always will be. So for many people, I'm just not sure there ever will be a good time to focus on the future. But I also know that there are a lot of you who feel the same way that I do. We live for what we're building. And while we make mistakes, we keep learning and building and moving forward.' At its core, it is based on the idea that by creating a greater sense of 'virtual presence,' interacting online can become much closer to the experience of interacting in person.



The company is planning to create 10,000 new high-skilled jobs within the European Union over the next five years to help build the metaverse, a new concept of a digital world.



However, the company has decided to retire the name Oculus for its VR headsets and changed the name to Meta Quest. Messenger, Facebook's messaging platform will also be available for Meta Quests which will have a serious overhaul in the coming days.



'Your devices won't be the focal point of your attention anymore,' added Zuckerberg. 'We're starting to see a lot of these technologies coming together in the next five or 10 years. A lot of this is going to be mainstream and a lot of us will be creating and inhabiting worlds that are just as detailed and convincing as this one, on a daily basis.'



Meta promises to break away from 'the lack of choice and high fees' that popular tech companies are responsible for and want to build an ecosystem 'so that millions of people can have a stake in the future, can be rewarded for their work and benefit as the tide rises, not just as consumers, but as creators and developers.'



Whether it can actually deliver on the promises or it will crumble under the growing scrutiny and pressure, is the burning question.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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LAKEWOOD, CO / ACCESSWIRE / October 28, 2021 / Solera National Bancorp, Inc. (OTC PINK:SLRK), ("Company"), the holding company for Solera National Bank, ("Bank"), a business-focused bank primarily serving the Denver metropolitan area, today announced that Cheri Walz has joined the Company and the Bank as Chief Financial Officer.

CEO Scott Wilson stated: "We are delighted to welcome Cheri to our executive team. Cheri is a first-class talent with results-driven leadership who brings a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm to Solera. Her experience in building a thriving team culture, coupled with her financial and banking acumen, make her a perfect fit for our organization.

Ms. Walz has served in senior executive roles at Midwest Independent Bank, Town & Country Bank, and most recently at Providence Bank. She has more than 25 years of experience in banking and is active in various banking and financial professional organizations. Ms. Walz holds a certificate from the Stonier Graduate School of Banking and Wharton Leadership Program at the University of Pennsylvania. Ms. Walz is a certified public accountant (CPA), certified treasury professional (CTP) and holds a Bachelor's of Science in Accounting from Lincoln University.

"I am very excited to be joining the Solera team. I believe Solera has an impressive business model with a talented management team that uniquely positions Solera to grow and compete with banks of all sizes. I look forward to building upon Solera's current successes and focusing on delivering value for our clients and shareholders," said Ms. Walz.

About Solera National Bancorp, Inc.

Solera National Bancorp, Inc. was incorporated in 2006 to organize and serve as the holding company for Solera National Bank, which opened for business in September 2007. Solera National Bank is a community bank serving the needs of emerging businesses and real estate investors. At the core of Solera National Bank is welcoming, attentive and respectful customer service, a focus on supporting a diverse economy, and a passion to serve our community through service, education and volunteerism. For more information, please visit https://www.solerabank.com/

Cautions Concerning Forward-Looking Statements:

This press release contains statements that may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The statements contained in this release, which are not historical facts and that relate to future plans or projected results of Solera National Bancorp, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiary, Solera National Bank, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, anticipated or implied. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement. Readers of this release are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

CONTACT:

Scott Wilson

CEO

(319) 541-8649

SOURCE: Solera National Bancorp, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/670278/Solera-National-Bancorp-Names-Cheri-Walz-CFO
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 28, 2021) - Cypherpunk Holdings Inc. (CSE: HODL) (OTC Pink: KHRIF) ("Cypherpunk" or the "Company"), a sector leader for privacy-technology investments, announces that Daniel Cawrey, Chief Operating Officer, is leaving the Company. Incoming Chief Executive Officer, Jeffrey Gao, will assume full strategic and operational responsibility at the management level.

Jeff Gao stated: "On behalf of the Cypherpunk, I would like to thank Daniel for his contributions to the Company. I enjoyed working closely with Dan in my role as Advisor to the Investment Committee prior to my appointment as CEO. The Cypherpunk team wishes Dan well in his future endeavours and knows that he will enjoy every bit of success in his next role."

About Cypherpunk Holdings Inc.

Cypherpunk is a company set-up to invest in companies, technologies and protocols, which enhance or protect privacy. Its strategy is to make targeted investments in businesses and assets with strong privacy, often within the blockchain ecosystem, including select cryptocurrencies. Current equity investments include Samourai Wallet, Wasabi Wallet, Chia, NGRAVE, and Animoca Brands.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Generally, any statements that are not historical facts may contain forward-looking information, and forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or indicates that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be" taken, "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to the Company's goal of making investments in the blockchain and other sectors and enhancing value. There is no assurance that the Company's plans or objectives will be implemented as set out herein, or at all. Forward-looking information is based on certain factors and assumptions the Company believes to be reasonable at the time such statements are made and is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. There can be no assurance that such forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Forward- looking statements are made based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date that statements are made and the Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as required by law. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements.

Officer/Director Contact:

Jeffrey Gao

Chief Executive Officer

jeff@cypherpunkholdings.com

Office: 1-647-946-1300

Investor Relations Contact:

Veronika Oswald

Investor Relations

veronika@cypherpunkholdings.com

Office: 1-647-946-1300

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/101156
Companies to Focus on Decarbonization to Support Clean Energy Transition

Fluor Corporation (NYSE: FLR) announced today that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Bulgarian Energy Holding EAD for the consideration of new nuclear units in Bulgaria. Bulgarian Energy Holding is comprised of a group of companies engaged in the electricity generation, supply and transmission, natural gas transmission, supply and storage and coal mining market in Bulgaria.

"This new agreement exemplifies Fluor's strategy to deliver decarbonization solutions in support of the world's clean energy transition journey," said Jim Breuer, group president of Fluor's Energy Solutions segment. "Fluor has unparalleled experience in the nuclear industry. Coupled with its investment and demonstrated project capabilities with NuScale Power's unique small modular reactor technology, Fluor is positioned as a leader in this global imperative."

Fluor and Bulgarian Energy Holding have agreed to cooperate in evaluating potential program management services, front-end engineering, evaluation of the existing coal-fired fleet for potential nuclear small modular reactor re-purposement projects, and the assessment of the Bulgarian supply chain and other related services.

"The necessity of implementing safe and reliable clean energy power at Kozloduy is well understood in Bulgaria and eastern Europe," said Valentin Nikolov, chief executive officer, Bulgarian Energy Holding. "Fluor is a leading engineering, procurement, construction and project management services company in the energy transition space. Coupled with NuScale's small modular nuclear reactor technology, we can achieve European and Bulgarian policy goals in a more diversified power market, improve the security of energy supply and add sufficient value for the national gross domestic product."

Fluor has been serving the nuclear industry for more than 70 years including the design and construction support of more than 25 nuclear plants, plus nearly 100 million hours of nuclear operations and maintenance work.

About Fluor Corporation

Fluor Corporation (NYSE: FLR) is building a better world by applying world-class expertise to solve its clients' greatest challenges. Fluor's 44,000 employees provide professional and technical solutions that deliver safe, well-executed, capital-efficient projects to clients around the world. Fluor had revenue of $14.2 billion in 2020 and is ranked 196 among the Fortune 500 companies. With headquarters in Irving, Texas, Fluor has been providing engineering, procurement and construction services for more than 100 years. For more information, please visit www.fluor.com or follow Fluor on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.

About NuScale Power

NuScale Power has developed a new modular light water reactor nuclear power plant to supply energy for electrical generation, district heating, desalination, hydrogen production and other process heat applications. This groundbreaking small modular reactor (SMR) design features a fully factory-fabricated NuScale Power Module capable of generating 77 megawatts of electricity using a safer, smaller and scalable version of pressurized water reactor technology. NuScale's scalable design-power plants that can house up to four, six, or 12 individual power modules-offers the benefits of carbon-free energy and reduces the financial commitments associated with gigawatt-sized nuclear facilities. The majority investor in NuScale is Fluor Corporation, a global engineering, procurement, and construction company with a 70-year history in commercial nuclear power.

NuScale is headquartered in Portland, Oregon, and has offices in Corvallis, Oregon; Rockville, Maryland; Charlotte, North Carolina; Richland, Washington; and London, UK. Follow us on Twitter: @NuScale_Power, Facebook: NuScale Power, LLC, LinkedIn: NuScale-Power, and Instagram: nuscale_power. Visit NuScale Power's website.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028006244/en/

Contacts:

Brian Mershon

Media Relations

469.398.7621

Jason Landkamer

Investor Relations

469.398.7222
GENEVA, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On World Stroke Day, 29 October, the World Stroke Organization (WSO) is calling for urgent action after a survey by the WSO and the World Health Organization (WHO) found that only 35% of hospitals worldwide provide essential clot-busting medicine tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), despite it being added to the WHO essential medicines list 2 years ago. On World Stroke Day, the WSO is calling for urgent improvement in treatment and increased awareness of symptoms.

Stroke remains the second biggest killer globally: 15 million people will have a stroke every year, 6.5 million of whom will die. Most survivors will face a lifetime of disability or impairment as a result. tPA is a highly effective and cost-effective treatment but provision is dependent on the establishment of specialist stroke units. While these units exist in 91% of higher income countries, in low-income countries it is as low as 18%. Patients in low-income countries experience four times the rate of stroke-related death and disability, compared to their high-income counterparts.

The WSO has launched a "Roadmap to Quality Stroke Care" to improve stroke services, a platform which can be used in all settings to identify areas for improvement, and urges health professionals to take part.

Prof Sheila Martins, President-Elect at WSO says "People treated with tPA have a 31% higher recovery rate and can go on to lead independent lives. It is shocking that 65% of hospitals still do not provide it. Hospitals must urgently prioritise the development of stroke units in order to administer tPA. Donors, industry, pharmaceutical companies and governments need to come together to prioritise stroke care units. We also need training for non-specialist doctors and nurses, particularly in low-income settings, to widen access to stroke ready hospitals."

Prof Marc Fisher, WSO President added "We want everyone to learn the symptoms of stroke and recognize stroke as a medical emergency. It is then vital that when that call comes in, health providers can give everyone an equal chance of recovery."

An open, livestreamed panel, 'No time to waste' hosted by journalist Rageh Omaar, with gold medal Olympian and stroke survivor Michael Johnson, global stroke and public health experts, will discuss the future of stroke services worldwide. Everyone is asked to raise awareness of stroke symptoms by sharing the campaign Precioustime, with toolkits and more info available at www.world-stroke.org

Social media handles:

Instagram

@worldstrokecampaign

Facebook

@worldstrokecampaign

Twitter

@WorldStrokeOrg

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1672923/World_Stroke_Day_2021_Precioustime.jpg

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1672924/World_Stroke_Day_Logo.jpg
IRVINE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / October 28, 2021 / Award-winning e-liquid and cannabinoid-infused products manufacturer Savage Enterprises ("Savage") is proud to announce a brand new product to its Delta Extrax catalog: the Plus 2G Edition Disposable Vape. This innovative, disposable vape is packed with two grams of the emerging cannabinoid delta-10-THC and is available in two popular cannabinoid strains: Orange Creamsicle (sativa) and Green Cush (indica). The new Plus 2G Edition Disposable Vape is available for purchase via distributors nationwide and is also available for purchase online at www.DeltaExtrax.com.

The Plus 2G Edition Disposable Vape was specifically formulated to increase customer satisfaction by providing more delta-10-THC than any other disposable vapes in the market.

The Plus 2G Edition Disposable Vape is the newest addition to the Delta Extrax catalog and will be featured under Delta Extrax's prominent Euphorica Collection, which primarily focuses on products that contain delta-10-THC.

Similar to Savage Enterprises' other products, the Plus 2G Edition Disposable Vapes are lab tested, and the lab results can be accessed readily by scanning the QR code on each unit's packaging.

The Plus 2G Edition Disposable Vapes are sold individually at a MSRP of $44.99 or $180 for a pack of ten. The 10-pack of disposable vapes are sold encased in a premium quality pop-up display that is perfect for showcasing the product on display counters.

Christopher G. Wheeler, CEO of Savage Enterprises, stated, "We're extremely proud to add these two-gram disposable vapes to our Euphorica Collection because we believe this to be an emerging trend in the industry. Customers are actively pursuing more value when shopping and we feel that this product will provide that customer satisfaction while also allowing our nationwide distributors to capitalize on the market trend at the right time."

Matt Winters, CFO of Savage Enterprises, expanded, "Since its inception, our Euphorica Collection has garnered tons of success and it's a great feeling to expand our selection of delta-10-THC products. We believe that the Plus 2G Edition Disposable Vape is the perfect addition to the Euphorica Collection and we're confident that it will largely benefit our nationwide distributors seeking to increase customer satisfaction and customer retention."

About Savage Enterprises

Based in Irvine, California, Savage Enterprises was founded in 2014 by co-owners Christopher G. Wheeler and Matt Winters with the vision of bringing innovation to the counter-culture space. Savage has been committed to improving the community it serves by providing superior, consumer-centered, and cost-effective products that are third-party lab tested with quality assurance, consistency, and traceability. Savage's goal is to create the benchmark for quality and assurance in the industry. Under its flagship Delta Extrax brand and Chronix sub-brand, Savage Enterprises sells hemp-derived delta-10-THC cartridges, disposables and tinctures, delta-8-THC and delta-9-THC-infused shots, cartridges, concentrates, disposables, edibles, delta-8-THC-infused hemp flower, pods, tinctures, THC-O, HHC, THC-V, and THC-P products. Under Vix, Savage sells male enhancement products. Under Savage CBD, Savage sells CBD cartridges, disposables, edibles, tinctures, topicals, vape juice, and CBD for pets. Under its Vape 100 brand, Savage produces nicotine-infused e-liquids. Under its Zen Panda brand, Savage sells various kratom and kava-based products. Savage also sells disposable nicotine vapes. The team at Savage is currently developing at least three other products in the supplement arena, as well as innovative apparatuses for marijuana consumption. Savage Enterprises also owns 46% of MKRC, 51% of RJMC Brands, LLC, 6% of AAA, LLC, and 33% of Remediez. For more information about Savage Enterprises, please visit www.SavageEnterprises.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this document are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such information includes the acquisition, financing, revenue growth, profitability, and product strategies, plans, and expectations of Savage Enterprises, Premier Greens LLC, and MKRC Holdings, LLC. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause or contribute to the actual results of these companies' merger plans, financing plans, operations, or the performance or achievements of these companies differing materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These companies undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Actual results, performance, or achievements could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of certain other factors.

CONTACT:

Savage Enterprises

Attn: Brittany Warner

Phone: 714-612-1091

Email: Bwarner@savageenterprises.com

Website: www.SavageEnterprises.com

SOURCE: Savage Enterprises

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/670269/Savage-Enterprises-Launches-the-Plus-2G-Edition-Disposable-Vape-Under-Its-Leading-Brand-Delta-Extrax
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Connecticut-based machinery manufacturing company, Terex Corporation (TEX), has slashed its outlook for the full year. The company forecast earnings in the range of $2.75 to $2.85 per share for the full year. The prior outlook for earnings was in the range of $2.85 to $3.05. On average 15 analysts polled by Thomson Reuters currently expect earnings of $2.82 for the full year. The company expects revenues to be $3.85 billion for the year, down from prior guidance of $3.90 billion. Analysts' estimate for revenue is $3.86 billion for the same period. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John L. Garrison, Jr. said, 'We will close out the full year 2021 with a strong backlog, continued cost discipline, and positive free cash flow. We remain confident in our team's ability to manage through current market conditions and emerge with stronger customer and supplier relationships. We will continue our investments to enable longer-term growth.' Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Ontra (fka InCloudCounsel), a San Francisco, CA-based Contract Automation and Intelligence global leader, received $200m in Series B funding.

The round was led by funds managed by Blackstone, with participation from existing investor, Battery Ventures, and board member, Mike Paulus. Blackstones investment was made through Blackstone Growth (BXG), the firms growth equity business. Paul Morrissey, a Managing Director at Blackstone, joined InCloudCounsels board of directors as part of the transaction. Past funding includes a $40m Series A round from Battery Ventures in July of 2019.

The company intends to use the funds to expand operations and its business reach and become a leader in Contract Automation and Intelligence and further invest in R&D.

Led by Troy Pospisil, Founder and CEO, Ontra provides tech solutions that streamline contracts, lower legal costs, accelerate business operations, mitigate risk and free internal resources to focus on more impactful work. In March 2021, the company launched Insight, a SaaS solution that transforms funds documentssuch as Limited Partnership Agreements, Side Letters, and Managed Account Agreementsinto structured data. With Insight, fund managers can assign obligations to individuals or functions across their organization, track compliance with obligations in real time and build a comprehensive digital audit trail. While Insights initial use case is for funds documents, Ontra will soon expand Insights applicability to other document types and industries.

To date, Ontra has processed over 500,000 contracts and 15,000 NDAs monthly for more than 500 enterprise customers, including financial services companies like AllianceBernstein, Warburg Pincus, Houlihan Lokey, Silver Lake and Blackstone itself.

FinSMEs

28/10/2021
The Earth is 71 percent water. Up to 60 percent of the human adult body is water. From the Nile River in ancient Egypt to the Thames in London, for thousands of years the locations of our civilizations have been determined by the accessibility of water.

For many of us getting clean, drinkable water is as simple as turning on a tap, but worldwide one person in nine lacks access to safe water, totaling 785 million people. Additionally, water for sanitation purposes can help the two billion people in the world who lack access to a toilet. Like water, toilets are critical, preventing the spread of disease and providing health, privacy and safety.

The World Economic Forum has reported in 2020 that the water crisis is the number five global risk in terms of impact to society. The simple solution of providing quick and easy access to safe water has the power to change millions of lives, especially those of women and children who are disproportionately affected by lack of access. As the ones who are often responsible for collecting safe water, the time and energy expended to do so cuts into time that could be spent at school or working, contributing to the cyclical nature of poverty.

Thankfully there are many organizations who are working against this crisis, but in the vast landscape of non-profits it can be difficult to know where monetary contributions will do the most good, and which charitable organizations are the most trustworthy and provide the most value.

One poll has found that one in three Americans lack faith in charities to spend their funds well, and more than 60 percent of people worldwide say they dont believe that groups can accomplish their missions. The solution to this problem is also perhaps the simplest: more transparency. By being transparent about their partnership and goals, disclosing who is benefiting from a project or campaign, disclosing how much they are receiving and precisely how and when funds are being raised and disbursed, organizations have a chance to break the cycle of mistrust within the nonprofit sector.

One of the core value of the nonprofit charity: water is transparency. Furthermore, charity: water is committed to ensuring that 100 percent of the public donations they receive go directly to fund their clean water projects, even going so far as to pay out of their operating account any credit card fees deducted from donations. The nonprofits business model sees their clean water projects and the operational side of their business differently and treats them as such, separating out purposes, fundraising goals and even bank accounts to ensure that every public dollar donated goes directly to their charitable cause. In order to cover the inevitable overhead costs such as office rent and staff salaries, they rely on private donors who commit multi-year support specifically for operations funding. By separating out funding in this way, each donor public or private knows the exactly where their funds are going

Websites such as Charity Navigator and GuideStar allow people to learn more information about charities before making a contribution and have significantly changed the expectation of transparency within nonprofits as a result. In one study, researchers from Villanova University and the University of Wisconsin found that charities who earned a seal of transparency from GuideStar gained an average of 53 percent more contributions one year later, evidencing the importance of transparency when it comes to securing much-needed donations. charity: water is a platinum-level GuideStar participant and has a score of 91.5 out of 100 on Charity Navigator, placing it in the four-star category that indicates donors can give with confidence. The organizations active involvement in transparency platforms such as these are just another way in which they show their commitment to full accountability and ensuring that donated funds are being used to their full potential.

As an organization committed to charitable giving, charity: waters transparency and mission made it a natural selection as the beneficiary of funds from the asset management firm Pine River Capital Management (Pine River). Named after the small lakeside town in Minnesota where it was founded in 2002, Pine River Capital is employee-owned and provides investment solutions to their clients through commingled hedge funds, and bespoke solutions. Wanting to place charitable contributions where they can have the most impact, Pine River has sponsored over 50 water projects for charity: water, including projects related to drilled wells, and piped systems.

The projects undertaken by Pine River and charity: water on average start at $10,000, but can cost $25,000 or more depending on factors such as location and scale. The entire process takes about 21 months, beginning with a lengthy research period in which vetted partners do prep work, get permits and supplies and work with the local communities to ensure long-term sustainability. After the construction of the necessary infrastructure, time is then taken to train the local communities to maintain their new water systems, ensuring self-sufficiency after the project is completed. Finally the project is completed once data collection is done, and a new community that was previously lacking clean water is set up for a better future.

From sponsoring entire water projects like Pine River, to smaller donations by individuals and businesses, every donation to charity: water can help worldwide access to safe water, which is critical to prevent the spread of disease and to providing health, privacy and safety.
Pure Harvest Smart Farms, an Abu Dhabi  United Arab Emirates-based company focused on sustainable technology-enabled agribusiness, raised USD64M in Growth funding.

The round, which brought cumulative capital invested to USD 271.6m, was led by IMM Investment Corp., together with existing investors and management.



the company intends to use the funds to accelerate technology expansion and development efforts.



Led by Sky Kurtz, Founder and Chief Executive, Pure Harvest Smart Farms provides operates three farms in the UAE with the fourth and fifth projects under development in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, respectively. The Company currently produces a variety of crops including tomatoes, leafy greens and strawberries. Upon final completion of the beforementioned in-progress projects, the company will operate over 18 hectares of production capacity across numerous crops and will employ over 300 people.

The funding announcement accompanies Pure Harvests joint venture partnership with PlanTFarm, one of the worlds largest and most innovative vertical farming solutions providers, whereby the partners will jointly design, build and operate indoor vertical farms, deploying PlanTFarms proprietary vertical farming systems.

The smart farming technology union enables Pure Harvest Smart Farms to serve as an omnibus controlled-environment solutions provider, adding new CEA growing systems to its existing portfolio (ranging from retailer-integrated in-store farms to large-scale, warehouse-style indoor vertical farms), and adds 100+ commercially proven crops, including [to confirm list of most exciting, commercially relevant crops that are proven in PFs systems].

FinSMEs

28/10/2021
Tampa, FL (33646)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 79F. Winds NE at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds. Low 67F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
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After the announcement of the HONOR Play5 Vitality Edition earlier this week, HONOR today introduced the X30 Max and X30i smartphones in the X series in China, as it had promised.

There is HONOR 30 Max has a 7.09-inch FHD+ RGBW LCD screen with an 8MP inside the waterdrop notch, is powered by MediaTek Dimensity 900 processor, has a 5,000mAh battery with support for 22.5W charging. It has a 64MP main camera and a 2MP depth-of-field camera.

HONOR X30 Max specifications

7.09-inch (2280  1080 pixels) Full HD+ LCD 2.5D curved glass display, HDR 10, DCI-P3 color gamut, up to 780 nits brightness

Octa Core (2 x 2.4GHz Cortex-A78 + 6 x 2GHz Cortex-A55 CPUs) MediaTek Dimensity 900 6nm processor with Mali-G68 MC4 GPU

8GB LPDDR4x RAM with 128GB / 256GB storage

Dual SIM

Android 11 with Magic UI 5.0

64MP rear camera with f/1.8 aperture, 2MP depth sensor with f/2.4 aperture

8MP front camera with f/2.0 aperture

Side-mounted fingerprint sensor

3.5mm audio jack, 1217 ultra-linear stereo speakers, Smart PA, Huawei Histen

Dimensions: 174.3784.918.3mm; Weight: 228g

5G SA/ NSA, Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac (2.4 GHz + 5GHz), Bluetooth 5.1, GPS/GLONASS/Beidou, USB Type-C, NFC

5000mAh (typical) / 4900mAh (minimum) battery with 22.5W Fast charging

HONOR X30i

The company also introduced the HONOR X30i with a 6.7-inch 90Hz LCD screen, Dimensity 810 processor, 48MP + 2MP + 2MPtriple rear cameras and a 4,000mAh battery with support for 22.5W charging.

HONOR X30i specifications

6.7-inch (2388  1080 pixels) Full HD+ LCD screen, 90Hz refresh rate

Octa Core MediaTek Dimensity 810 6nm processor (Dual 2.4GHz Cortex-A76 + Hexa 2GHz Cortex-A55 CPUs) with Mali-G57 MC2 GPU

6GB LPDDR4x RAM with 128GB, 8GB LPDDR4x RAM with 128GB / 256GB storage

Dual SIM

Android 11 with Magic UI 5.0

48MP rear camera with f/1.8 aperture, 2MP depth and 2MP macro camera with f/2.4 aperture

8MP front camera with f/2.0 aperture

Side-mounted fingerprint sensor

3.5mm audio jack

Dimensions: 163.4x 74.7x 7.45mm; Weight: 175g

5G SA/ NSA, Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac (2.4 GHz + 5GHz), Bluetooth 5.1, GPS/GLONASS/Beidou, USB Type-C

4000mAh (typical) / 3900mAh (minimum) battery with 22.5W Fast charging

The HONOR X30 Max comes in Midnight Black, Sea Blue and Titanium Silver colours, is priced at 2399 yuan (US$ 375 / Rs. 28,077 approx.) for 8GB+128GB and the 8GB+256GB version costs 2699 yuan (US$ 421 / Rs. 31,590 approx.).

The HONOR X30i comes in Midnight Black, Sea Blue, Titanium Silver and Rose Gold colours, is priced at 1399 yuan (US$ 218 / Rs. 16,375 approx.) for 6GB+128GB, 1699 yuan (US$ 265 / Rs. 19,890 approx.) for 8GB+128GB and the 8GB+256GB version costs 1899 yuan (US$ 297 / Rs. 22,230 approx.). These are available to order today and will go on sale from November 1st in China.

Source
Redmi today announced the Redmi Note 11 Pro and Note 11 Pro+ smartphones at an event in China, as it had promised. These feature a 6.67-inch FHD+ Samsung AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate, 360Hz touch sampling rate, 1.75mm ultra-narrow bezel and a tiny 2.96mm punch-hole that house a 16MP camera.

These are the first phone to be powered by Dimensity 920 SoC with up to 8GB of RAM and support for VC liquid cooling with 12600 mm heat dissipation, fully covering the heat sources of the main device body.

The Note 11 Pro series phones feature a flat-edge design and a frosted AG glass back. The Redmi Note 11 Pro+ also comes in YIBO DESIGN limited edition, designed in collaboration with Redmis brand ambassador Wang Yibo. It features the worlds first holographic suspension manufacturing process, a micron-level Redmi logo appears suspended on the surface of the rear. This also features a set of racing strips inspired by an auto racing track, and a fluorescent green signature by Wang Yibo.

These have dual super linear speakers tuned jointly with JBL for a balanced sound, Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res Audio. These retain the 3.5mm headphone jack, and also supports NFC and feature X-axis linear motor.

The Redmi Note 11 Pro and Note 11 Pro+ sport a 108MP rear camera with 1/1.52 Samsung HM2 sensor with support for 9-in-1 pixel binning technology that offers large 2.1m pixels. It has dual native ISO that promises clear and textured images with reduced noise, even in low light conditions. There is an 8MP ultra-wide camera with a 120 field-of-view and a 2MP telemacro camera.

The Note 11 Pro has a 5160mAh battery with 67W fast charging and the Note 11 Pro+ comes with a 4500mAh battery with support for 120W fast charging that can charge up to 100% in 15 minutes, and comes with charger in the box.

Redmi Note 11 Pro and Note 11 Pro+ specifications

6.67-inch FHD+ (10802400 pixels) AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate, DCI-P3 color gamut, 1200nits peak brightness, Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection

Octa Core (2 x 2.5GHz Cortex-A78 + 6 x 2GHz Cortex-A55 CPUs) MediaTek Dimensity 920 6nm processor with Mali-G68 MC4 GPU

6GB / 8GB LPDDR4X RAM with 128GB UFS 2.2 internal storage / 8GB LPDDR4X RAM with 256GB UFS 2.2 internal storage

Android 11 with MIUI 12.5

Dual SIM (nano + nano)

108MP rear primary camera with Samsung HM2 sensor, 8MP 120 ultra-wide angle camera, 2MP telemacro macro camera with f/2.4 aperture

16MP front camera

Side-mounted fingerprint sensor

3.5mm audio jack, 1115 super-linear speakers with a max amplitude of 0.65mm, SOUND BY JBL, Dolby Atmos

5G SA / NSA, Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz), Bluetooth 5.1, GPS + GLONASS, USB Type-C, NFC

Note 11 Pro  5160mAh (typical) with 67W fast charging

Note 11 Pro+  4500mAh (typical) battery with 120W fast charging

Pricing and availability

The Redmi Note 11 Pro comes in Mysterious Black, Forest Green, Timeless Purple, and Milky Way Blue (Glossy) colours and is priced at 1599 yuan (US$ 250 / Rs. 18,710 approx.) for the 6GB + 128GB, 1899 yuan (US$ 296 / Rs. 22,245 approx.) for 8GB + 128GB and the 8GB + 256GB version costs 2099 yuan (US$ 328 / Rs. 24,572 approx.).

The Redmi Note 11 Pro+ comes in Mysterious Black, Forest Green, and Timeless Purple colours and is priced at 1899 yuan (US$ 296 / Rs. 22,245 approx.) for the 6GB + 128GB, 2099 yuan (US$ 328 / Rs. 24,572 approx.) for 8GB + 128GB and the 8GB + 256GB version costs 2299 yuan (US$ 359 / Rs. 26,915 approx.). These are available to order and will go on sale in China starting from November 1st.

Source
2019 F450 is in for a dpf AND converter replacement

My F450 only has 16k on the clock. CEL came on while on a 5 hour trip from Michigan to Kentucky a couple weeks ago.

Ford Pass said I had a dpf issue. Well, it was right, the dealer is replacing the Cat and the DPF and all the piping there after.



Now, I looked up the costs of the two units and wow, the dpf is over $3100.00 and the Cat is over $4,000.00. I'd imagine the pipes and vented tips aren't cheap either.



I get it, I have a warranty, but what if I didn't? I'd be starring at a $10k-$12k invoice. That is ridiculous.



So, my question is, what the heck caused these parts to go bad? Is this common? I've always been in the know with every ford diesel since the old 6.9's and I have been in love with the 6.7 since it's debut in 2011, so maybe I just didn't notice it, but I really hope this was caused by a factory defect and I never see these things go bad again.



Anybody have any thoughts on this?
Bettina Lerman was on a ventilator for weeks after getting COVID-19 and hadn't responded to doctors' efforts to wake her from a coma when her family made the difficult decision to take her off of life support.
GREENVILLE, SC (FOX Carolina)- The Greenville Police Department said one person was killed and another person was injured during a shooting along Nichol Street this morning.
Keep the conversation about local news & events going by joining us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Recent updates from The News-Post and also from News-Post staff members are compiled below.
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AP

Paid family leave falls out of Biden bill as tempers rise

JACQUELYN MARTIN/AP Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., center, and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., far left, board an elevator as they leave a meeting Wednesday on Capitol Hill in Washington. ANDREW HARNIK/AP House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California arrives for a meeting with House Democrats on Capitol Hill in Washington on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON

Top Democrats signaled a deal is within reach on President Joe Bidens big domestic bill, but momentum fizzled and tempers flared late Wednesday as a paid family leave proposal fell out and a billionaires tax appeared scrapped, mostly to satisfy a pivotal member of the 50-50 Senate.

With his signature domestic initiative at stake, Biden will head to Capitol Hill on Thursday morning to urge Democratic lawmakers to bring talks on the social services and climate change bill over the finish line before he departs for global summits overseas.

Still in the mix: expanded health care programs, free pre-kindergarten and some $500 billion to tackle climate change remain in whats now at least a $1.75 trillion package.

And Democrats are eyeing a new surcharge on the wealthy  5 percent on incomes above $10 million and an additional 3 percent on those beyond $25 million  to help pay for it, according to a person who requested anonymity to discuss the private talks.

Theyre all within our reach. Lets bring these bills over the finish line. Biden tweeted late Wednesday.

To help push lawmakers toward that goal, Biden will speak Thursday morning to the House Democratic Caucus, a person familiar with the plan told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Besides pressing for important party priorities, the president was hoping to show foreign leaders the United States was getting things done under his administration.

The administration was assessing the situation hour by hour, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.

It was a fast-moving day on Capitol Hill that started upbeat as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared that Democrats were in pretty good shape.

But hopes quickly faded as Bidens big proposal ran into stubborn new setbacks, chief among them how to pay for it all.

A just-proposed tax on billionaires could be scrapped after Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia objected, according to a senior party aide, who requested anonymity to discuss the private talks.

The billionaires tax proposal had been designed to win over another Democratic holdout, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, but Manchin panned it as unfairly targeting the wealthy, leaving Democrats at odds.

People in the stratosphere, rather than trying to penalize, we ought to be pleased that this country is able to produce the wealth, Manchin told reporters.

Manchin said he prefers a minimum 15 percent flat patriotic tax to ensure the wealthiest Americans dont skip out on paying any taxes. Nevertheless, he said: We need to move forward.

Next to fall was a proposed paid family leave program that was already being chiseled back from 12 to four weeks to satisfy Manchin. But with his objections, it was unlikely to be included in the bill, the person said.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., had devised several new options for Manchins review and told reporters late in the evening, Its not over until its over.

Together, Manchins and Sinemas objections packed a one-two punch, throwing Bidens overall plan into flux, halving what had been a $3.5 trillion package, and infuriating colleagues along the way.

In the evenly divided Senate, Biden needs all Democrats support with no votes to spare.

White House officials met at the Capitol with Manchin and Sinema, two senators who now hold enormous power, essentially deciding whether or not Biden will be able to deliver on the Democrats major campaign promises.

Making progress, Sinema said as she dashed into an elevator.

A Sunday deadline loomed for approving a smaller, bipartisan roads-and-bridges infrastructure bill or risk allowing funds for routine transportation programs to expire.

But that $1 trillion bill has been held up by progressive lawmakers who are refusing to give their support without the bigger Biden deal.

Despite a series of deadlines, Democrats have been unable to close the deal among themselves, and Republicans overwhelmingly oppose the package.

At best, Democrats could potentially reach a framework Thursday that could send Biden overseas with a deal in hand and unlock the process while the final details were sewn up.

Applying pressure, Pelosi announced a Thursday committee hearing to spur the Biden package along toward a full House vote, though timing remained uncertain.

Democrats had hoped the unveiling of the billionaires tax Wednesday could help resolve the revenue side of the equation after Sinema rejected the partys earlier idea of reversing Trump-era tax breaks on corporations and the wealthy, those earning more than $400,000.

The new billionaires proposal would tax the gains of those with more than $1 billion in assets or incomes of more than $100 million over three consecutive years  fewer than 800 people  requiring them to pay taxes on the gains of stocks and other tradeable assets, rather than waiting until holdings are sold.

The billionaires tax rate would align with the capital gains rate, now 23.8 percent. Democrats have said it could raise $200 billion in revenue that could help fund Bidens package over 10 years.

Republicans have derided the billionaires tax as harebrained, and some have suggested it would face a legal challenge.

But Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, insisted the billionaires tax remains on the table.

Ive not heard a single United States senator  not one  get up and say, Gee, I think its just fun that billionaires pay little or nothing for years on end, Wyden said.

More likely in the mix was the companion proposal, a new 15 percent corporate minimum tax, as well as the new surtax being proposed on higher incomes above $10 million.

Together they are designed to fulfill Bidens desire for the wealthy and big business to pay their fair share. They also fit his promise that no new taxes hit those earning less than $400,000 a year, or $450,000 for couples. Biden wants his package fully paid for without piling on debt.

Resolving the revenue side has been crucial, as lawmakers figure out how much money will be available to spend on the new health, child care and climate change programs in Bidens big plan.

Under the House bill approved by Neals panel, the top individual income tax rate would rise from 37 percent to 39.6 percent, on those earning more than $400,000 a year, or $450,000 for couples. The corporate rate would increase from 21 percent to 26.5 percent.

Opposition from the two senators is forcing difficult reductions, if not the outright elimination, of policy priorities  from child care assistance to dental, vision and hearing aid benefits for seniors.

The once hefty climate change strategies are less punitive on polluters, as coal-state Manchin objected, focusing instead on rewarding clean energy incentives.

Said Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont Independent: You got 48 out of 50 people supporting an agenda that works for the American people.
Corvallis Fire Chief Ken McCarthy has resigned his post and returned to California.

McCarthy was hired in April 2019 after retiring after 17 years as a deputy chief in San Jose. McCarthy officially took over the department June 17, 2019, with the retirement of Roy Emery.

Emery, a former volunteer with the department who rose through the ranks to become chief in 2006, officially retired July 1, 2018, but he remained in the post until McCarthy came aboard.

McCarthy left the department for personal reasons, Corvallis City Manager Mark Shepard said.

The chief recently lost two friends from the San Jose FD at early ages and has decided it is time for his next chapter in life, Shepard said.

McCarthy could not be reached for comment.

Shepard said he had named Deputy Chief Ben Janes to lead the department on an interim basis as I evaluate how to proceed in filling the fire chief position permanently. The fire department has a strong management team that will allow it to operate at a high level during this interim time and into the future under a new chief.

Shepard praised McCarthys tenure in Corvallis, noting in a statement that in his 2 1/2 years leading the Corvallis Fire Department Chief McCarthy provided fresh perspectives and made many positive changes. I am grateful for his service leading CFD.

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Corvallis Gazette-Times.

McCarthy came up with a plan that calls for expanding Fire Station No. 3 on Northwest Circle Boulevard via a land swap with the Corvallis School District and planning for a new Fire Station No. 4 in South Corvallis by using land donated by B&R Auto Wrecking. The stations need more space, McCarthy concluded, because of added staffing and gender equity issues.

The overall city plan for facilities upgrades is moving into the conceptual facility plan stage and will be discussed at the Nov. 15 City Council meeting.

Contact reporter James Day at jim.day@lee.net or 541-812-6116. Follow at Twitter.com/jameshday or gazettetimes.com/blogs/jim-day.

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A Lebanon man stands accused of stealing and damaging an Albany Fire Department vehicle.

Albany Police Department arrested Joseph William Noel, 34, on Tuesday, Oct. 26 on suspicion of burglary, theft, unlawful use and entry of a vehicle and criminal mischief. He was set to be arraigned in Linn County Circuit Court Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 27.

Albany Police Department Capt. Brad Liles said Noel was arrested in Albany after investigators identified the graffiti signature on the stolen AFD vehicle as matching that of Noels signature on his own vehicle.

According to a Facebook post from AFD, a window in the Station 13 weight room was left unlocked Sunday night. Noel allegedly entered through the window with the intention of stealing a vehicle. He is believed to have stolen the stations water rescue utility truck, tagging with graffiti, damaging it and then leaving it in Eugene.

The station is located off of Three Lakes Road.

There were five crew members in between night calls and sleeping when the theft happened, according to AFD.

Our overarching concern is our people first, AFD Deputy Fire Marshal Sandy Roberts said. Our focus is keeping our people safe because the most important people are our crew members.

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Albany Democrat-Herald.

Roberts said there was body damage done to the vehicle, but estimates are still being done on the total cost for repairs.

The Facebook post said the outcome of the theft could have been worse because crew members could have encountered the suspect during the incident. The post describes the crime as a near miss.

Roberts said the department wants the theft to serve as a reminder to community members to stay safe and lock their doors and windows. She added this type of situation could happen to anyone.

We learn from our own experiences so we want to make sure we pass those experiences onto the community, Roberts said.

Maddie Pfeifer covers public safety for Mid-Valley Media. She can be contacted at 541-812-6091 or Madison.Pfeifer@lee.net. Follow her on Twitter via @maddiepfeifer_

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Jamie McLeod-Skinner, a Democrat from Crooked River Ranch, has filed to run for Congress against incumbent U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Canby.

McLeod-Skinner, who previously ran for Congress in 2018 and Oregon Secretary of State in 2020, filed a "statement of candidacy" on Tuesday with the Federal Election Commission.

The filing also created a "Jamie For Oregon" political action committee to raise and spend funds for a 2022 campaign for the 5th district seat.

McLeod-Skinner's filing is the first open salvo in a bid by progressives to unseat Schrader, who has opposed legislation to control prescription drug prices and other policies supported by President Joe Biden and most Democrats in Congress.

McLeod-Skinner said Tuesday that she had no comment, but that there would be more information coming out later this week. In a comment on Oct. 11, McLeod-Skinner said "I haven't made a final decision, but I'm very seriously considering it."

She faces what she says is a small obstacle: the northern end of the district line is just south of her ranch outside Terrebonne, in the portion of Crooked River Ranch that lies within Jefferson County.

The Constitution allows for non-residents of the district to run for congressional seats, but most who do so move to the district either during or after the campaign.

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McLeod-Skinner said being less than two miles outside of the border was a mapmaker's aberration that she hopes can be fixed prior to the election, but that she will deal with if a change is not made.

"People in Deschutes County know me very well," she said. "I won the county when I ran before."

Oregon received a sixth congressional seat because of population growth in the past decade, as shown by the 2020 U.S. Census. The Legislature approved new congressional and legislative district maps to go into effect beginning with the 2022 election.

Schrader is the official incumbent of the 5th district, but one with extremely different boundaries than the area he represents today. The new district will run from the Woodstock neighborhood of Portland, through parts of Linn, Clackamas, and Marion Counties. It then crosses the Cascades at the Santiam Pass and scoops up portions of northwestern Deschutes County, including Bend, parts of Redmond, and parts of Sunriver, before dead-ending near Waldo Lake.

The district has a population of 706,209. Democrats who drew the district lines say it is contiguous via U.S. Highway 20. During debate in the legislature, Republicans said the maps were drawn in a way that the only connection within the 5th district was a political desire to link increasingly Democratic northern Deschutes County with other Democratic areas across the mountain range. Bend and Redmond are both currently in the 2nd U.S. Congressional District represented by the lone GOP member of Oregon's delegation, freshman U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario.

Republicans led by former Oregon Secretary of State Bev Clarno of Redmond filed a lawsuit claiming the maps unfairly gave Democrats an overwhelming chance to win five of the six districts. A special panel of five retired judges will begin hearing arguments over the lawsuit on Wednesday in Salem. They can recommend that the Oregon Supreme Court accept the new maps or that the court should require a revision.

Schrader has said through a spokeswoman only that he planned to run for Congress and that his home was in the 5th district. But the U.S. Constitution does not require House members to be residents of their districts, just of the state. That gives Schrader the option of seeking the new 6th U.S. Congressional District seat, which is adjacent to his hometown of Canby and includes much of his current district.

If the maps are upheld in court, the 2022 race for the 5th district already has a Republican filed to run, former Happy Valley Mayor Lori Chavez-DeRemer. While critical of the new district, former state Rep. Cheri Helt, R-Bend, has also said she is looking at the race. With a plethora of possible candidates on both sides of the Cascades, the race could be crowded and expensive.

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A lawsuit by a former Republican state representative from Clackamas and a lawyer from Lake Oswego have asked the Oregon Supreme Court to overturn the legislative redistricting plan passed by the Legislature's Democratic majorities.

Patrick Sheehan, a real estate agent who was in the Oregon House for one term a decade ago, and Samantha Hazel are represented by Kevin Mannix, a Salem lawyer, former legislator and two-time candidate for both attorney general and governor and 2008 candidate for the 5th District congressional seat. Mannix was a Democrat when first elected to the House in 1988, but he became a Republican in 1997, after he lost his first bid for attorney general in the 1996 Democratic primary.

In their suit filed by the deadline of Monday, they asked the high court to substitute the "Equitable Map Oregon Plan."

They allege that the plan approved in Senate Bill 882 on Sept. 27 violated the legal standards for legislative redistricting, that there were no in-person public hearings and that the hearings that were held focused only on plans submitted by the Democratic and Republican caucuses.

"Failure to consider nonpartisan maps, or even allow testimony on those maps, even when their submission was allowed, violated" Oregon law, the suit alleges.

"This showed that the legislative districts were drawn not based on public input, but instead in regard to the preferences of Oregon's two major political parties. The redistricting process was limited to maps that use political party preferences as a basis. This favored the two major political parties of Oregon, and nothing else."

They said they vetted the fairness of their plan via the Campaign Legal Center, a nonprofit, nonpartisan government watchdog group. The center, based in Washington, D.C., has a tool to measure whether a plan is tilted toward one party or another. Its website said the legislative districting plans in effect in Oregon during the last decade were not skewed in favor of Democrats or Republicans.

Challenges to a legislative redistricting plan go directly to the Supreme Court.

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What's next

Lawyers for the Legislature and the Oregon Department of Justice have until Nov. 8 to respond to the court about why the approved plan complies with legal and constitutional requirements.

The justices have until Nov. 22 to decide the lawsuit.

If the court decides no changes are required, the plan takes effect Jan. 1 for the 2022 election cycle.

If the court decides there should be changes, an opinion specifying them will be issued by Dec. 6, and Secretary of State Shemia Fagan, the state's chief elections officer, would submit proposed changes by Jan. 17. The court would then face a final deadline of Jan. 31; the amended plan would become final on Feb. 1, slightly more than a month before the March 8 filing deadline for the 2022 primary election.

A separate challenge, led by former Secretary of State Bev Clarno, has been filed against the congressional redistricting plan that lawmakers also approved on Sept. 27. Though the Supreme Court is also the ultimate arbiter of that plan, the initial review will be conducted by a panel of five retired judges named by Chief Justice Martha Walters.

Among the legal standards for redistricting are that districts must be contiguous, be of equal population, use existing geographic and political boundaries, not divide communities of common interest and be connected by transportation links. Districts also cannot be drawn to favor a political party, incumbent legislator or other person and cannot dilute the voting strength of any language or minority group.

Two House districts must be nestled within the boundaries of a single Senate district. Oregon has 30 Senate and 60 House districts.

The Senate and House redistricting committees had planned a series of in-person public hearings around Oregon when they released draft maps on Sept. 3, following the Aug. 12 release of 2020 federal census-block data used to draw maps to account for population shifts in the past decade.

But the onset of the delta variant of the COVID-19 coronavirus compelled the committees to revert to a series of virtual hearings  two for each of Oregon's five existing U.S. House districts  between Sept. 8 and 13. Committees conducted all hearings and votes online during the 2021 regular session that ended June 26.

Recent history

No challenges were filed to the 2011 plan that lawmakers came up with for Senate and House districts, the first time in a century that happened in Oregon. The House was split at 30-30; the Senate, 16 Democrats and 14 Republicans.

About a dozen lawsuits were filed against the 2001 legislative redistricting plan drawn up by Secretary of State Bill Bradbury, a Democrat, after Democratic Gov. John Kitzhaber vetoed a plan by Republican legislative majorities which initially attempted to impose one by a resolution that does not require the governor's approval. (The Supreme Court ruled later that lawmakers cannot bypass the usual process for legislation when they do redistricting.)

The justices ordered a single correction relating to the population of the federal prison in Sheridan. Bradbury had already acknowledged an error and corrected it.

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PORTLAND (AP)  The Portland school board ended an in-person meeting amid controversy over a proposed COVID-19 vaccine mandate for children 12 and older after unmasked protesters showed up and refused to don a face covering.

The board that oversees Oregons largest school district resumed its meeting with online streaming Tuesday after protesters refused to comply with requests from security guards to put on masks, according to a statement from Portland Public Schools.

Some of the protesters were not from Portland but traveled from elsewhere in Oregon and Washington state, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported Wednesday. Earlier in the day, about 500 students walked out of class in favor of the proposed vaccine mandate.

Rules to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in schools, such as a statewide school mask mandate for all children, have generated protests in other school districts and school boards and superintendents are often the focus of such actions.

In Redmond, critics of state mandates have crowded board meetings and dominated public comment periods. In Adrian, school board members voted to fire Superintendent Kevin Purnell when he refused to buck state policy, the newspaper reported.

The Portland school board is set to vote on the vaccine mandate for students older than 12 on Nov. 2.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Jay Sexton and Toni Hoyman were sitting on chairs on the main floor of the Willamette Grange and Community Hall talking about restoration work at the hall.

A hard rain was falling outside Monday, but not a drop was finding its way to the floor. Thats because Grange backers have completed a long-sought roof replacement project in rural Greenberry.

It took about five weeks, and there were some weather delays along the way. The schedule, Sexton said, went something like this: Do the truss work, delay; do the plywood, delay; and then add the shingles.

There was no big damage, and nobody got hurt," said Hoyman, who is Sextons wife.

We knew we had to do it by winter, Sexton said of the roof. We were hoping to do it by Aug. 15. By then we realized that if we kept delaying  we werent not going to get better weather.

The Grange, between Corvallis and Monroe in Benton County, even made $1,200 when Aurora Mills Architectural Salvage in Marion County paid to haul away and recycle the 2x6s in the used trusses.

The money has been rolling in at a pretty good clip for the Grange. The community is seeing results in a structure that hasn't been in general use since 2007, and, as a result, public interest and momentum are building.

The Oregon Cultural Trust granted the project $12,285 to help with the trusses and wall supports. The Ford Foundation came forward with $25,000. Individual donors provided another $27,000, with $10,000 coming from one donor.

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The person came to one of our events, Heyman said, took a look around and said You guys are doing a lot of good work here, here you go, and gave us a check. We didnt even know them.

More money will be necessary, perhaps more than $150,000, to get the Grange ready for its 100th anniversary in 2023. Future phases include:

 Phase 2: Electricity, lighting and insulation.

 Phase 3: Outer walls, foundation and dry rot repair.

 Phase 4: Interior drywall and plaster.

 Phase 5: Kitchen and bathrooms.

Sexton and Hoyman are both driven  and dreamers  and they are already thinking of even more exotic phases, including a heat pump, and perhaps adding an elevator to make the Grange compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act.

"That's Phase 20," Sexton said of the elevator.

Sexton and Heyman also like to look out the back window at a 1-acre-plus back 40 where they are contemplating an outdoor stage and picnic tables and covered spaces with solar panels (a no-go on the Grange roof because of historic resource regulations) that would allow the Grange to host outside events and fairs.

People come up the highway all the time and stop here to make a phone call or let the dogs and kids out for bit, Sexton said. Wed like to have some things here for them.

And, speaking of dreamers, a couple has booked the Grange for their wedding next November. They are pre-paid, Heyman said, and have told the Grange they are happy to get married in the building in whatever state it finds itself by that date.

Sexton and Hoyman speak glowingly of the partners they have brought into the project, and it seems clear that folks in the building trades want to be involved.

Ironhead Roofing was the main contractor on the roof. Relco Truss of Harrisburg provided the trusses and nearby Hiatt Farms is bringing treats to Saturdays roof celebration (see info box for details). Service Electric, just 6 miles west of the Grange in rural Benton County, set up a ground fault protection system that allowed crews to have power without the dangers that can come with working in the rain.

Grange membership also is up. Three years ago the list was at 15, Sexton said, but last year it went to 30, and this year they are at 45.

Its great to see it like this, said Sexton.

Hoyman responded: And a year ago we were saying, Will it happen? 

Its happening.

Contact reporter James Day at jim.day@lee.net or 541-812-6116. Follow at Twitter.com/jameshday or gazettetimes.com/blogs/jim-day.

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Ethan Beachy, Bermudian Springs Football: Ethan rushed for 3 touchdowns and rushed for 2 more TDs in a 33-21 win over Littlestown.

Honey Strosnider, Fairfield Cross Country: Honey posted the fastest time among Times Area girls' runners in the YAIAA Championships after placing 16th in 21:07.3

Landon McGee, Gettysburg Football: Landon rushed for an area-high 235 yards and a touchdown in a 27-10 win over New Oxford

Denae Bello, Delone Catholic Girls' Volleyball: Denae combined for 20 kills, 23 digs and 45 serve-receive point in 3 matches for the Squirettes

Drew Cole, Gettysburg Cross Country: Drew was the fastest among Times Area runners at the YAIAA Championships, placing 19th in 17:25.0

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Gillette, WY (82718)

Today

Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy in the afternoon. A few flurries or snow showers possible. High 41F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph..

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Mostly clear skies. Low 23F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph.
Gillette, WY (82718)

Today

Mainly cloudy with a mixture of rain and snow showers developing late. Low 32F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precip 50%..

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Mainly cloudy with a mixture of rain and snow showers developing late. Low 32F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precip 50%.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Imperial Metals Corporation (the Company) (TSX:III) reports Red Chris metal production (100%) for the third quarter of 2021 was 17.2 million pounds copper and 15,249 ounces gold, compared to 17.6 million pounds copper and 15,451 ounces gold produced during the second quarter of 2021.

Imperials 30% portion of the third quarter production was 5.2 million pounds copper and 4,575 ounces gold.

Higher throughput and recovery for the quarter were offset by lower head grades of 0.39% copper and 0.34 g/t gold compared to 0.40% copper and 0.35g/t gold in the second quarter.

Red Chris Exploration Update

Drilling at the newly discovered East Ridge continues to expand the extent of mineralization in this zone, the drilling has demonstrated continuity of the copper gold mineralization over dimensions of about 400 metres high, 400 metres long and 125 metres wide. Contained within this zone of mineralization is a higher-grade portion with dimensions of approximately 300 metres high, 300 metres long and 100 metres wide. East ridge remains open to the east and at depth.

Diamond drill hole RC727 intersected 346 metres from 1046 metres to 1392 metres grading 0.79% copper and 1.1 g/t gold. This intercept includes a 56 metre section grading 1.8% copper and 3.5 g/t gold, the highest grade intercept to date form the East Ridge.

East Ridge is located adjacent to the East Zone and outside the current Red Chris Mineral Resource estimate. Ongoing drilling continues to extend the copper/gold mineralization. Exploration drilling has not yet defined the limits of the mineralized porphyry corridor.

Brian Kynoch, President of Imperial Metals said, The results from ongoing drilling in the East Ridge continue to demonstrate the potential for significant growth in the copper/gold resource at Red Chris.

Results since last release:

Hole ID From (m) To (m) Width (m) Copper (%) Gold (g/t) RC719 678 930 252 0.36 0.26 Including 732 742 10 0.93 0.58 RC727 1046 1392 346 0.79 1.1 including 1336 1392 56 1.8 3.5

During the third quarter, there were up to eight diamond drill rigs in operation. A further 29,388 metres of drilling was completed in 24 drill holes, with all drill holes intersecting mineralization (except twelve drill holes which were dedicated geotechnical holes).

Red Chris Block Cave Development Update

The exploration decline for the proposed block cave development has progressed to 393 metres as at October 20, 2021.

The results of the recently released Red Chris Block Cave Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS), have confirmed Imperials long held belief that Red Chris had the potential to become a long-life, low-cost block cave copper gold mine.

See release titled Red Chris Block Cave Pre-Feasibility Study Confirms Low Cost, Long Life dated 11 October 2021 for further information.

There are significant opportunities to enhance the results of the PFS including the early mining of the highest-grade pods in the East Zone and the emerging opportunity associated with the discovery of new distinct higher grade zones of mineralization such as East Ridge.

Jim Miller-Tait, P.Geo., Imperial Metals Vice President Exploration, is the designated Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 for the Red Chris exploration program and has reviewed this news release. Red Chris samples for the 2021 drilling reported were analysed at Bureau Veritas Mineral Laboratories in Vancouver. A full QA/QC program using blanks, standards and duplicates was completed for all diamond drilling samples submitted to the labs. Significant assay intervals reported represent apparent widths. Insufficient geological information is available to confirm the geological model and true width of significant assay intervals.

Cross sections, drillhole data, and plan view map are available on imperialmetals.com.

About Imperial

Imperial is a Vancouver based exploration, mine development and operating company. The Company, through its subsidiaries, owns a 30% interest in the Red Chris mine, and a 100% interest in both the Mount Polley and Huckleberry copper mines in British Columbia.

Company Contacts

Brian Kynoch | President | 604.669.8959

Jim Miller-Tait | Vice President Exploration | 604.488.2676

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information contained in this news release are not statements of historical fact and are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect Company managements expectations or beliefs regarding future events and include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the Companys expectations with respect to the ongoing drilling programs at Red Chris including the expansion of the extent and continuity of mineralization in the East Ridge Zone, the potential for significant growth in the copper/gold resource at Red Chris, the progression of the exploration decline for the proposed block cave development, the cost and length of life mine of Red Chris, and the significant opportunities to enhance the results of the PFS including the early mining of highest-grade pods in the East Zone and the discovery of new distinct higher grade zones of mineralization.

In certain cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "outlook", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative of these terms or comparable terminology. By their very nature forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.

In making the forward-looking statements in this release, the Company has applied certain factors and assumptions that are based on information currently available to the Company as well as the Companys current beliefs and assumptions. These factors and assumptions and beliefs and assumptions include, the risk factors detailed from time to time in the Companys interim and annual financial statements and managements discussion and analysis of those statements, all of which are filed and available for review on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended, many of which are beyond the Companys ability to control or predict. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and all forward-looking statements in this news release are qualified by these cautionary statements. Such information is given only as of the date of this news release. The Company does not assume any obligation to update its forward-looking information to reflect new information, subsequent events or otherwise, except as required by law.
SAN FRANCISCO/LONDON, Oct. 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- This release has been revised to correct the following errors: Koushik Chatterjee is Executive Director and CFO of Tata Steel, not Group CFO; Mr. Chatterjee was appointed to his current position in 2004, not 2008; and he has provided stewardship in corporate finance involving US $60 billion of capital raising, not US $70 billion.

The Value Reporting Foundation on October 26, 2021 announced the appointment of five new directors to its governing board. Representing entities from Japan, India, Netherlands and the United States, the new directors increase regional and preparer perspectives on the governing board.

The Value Reporting Foundation has a structure that includes a governing board of directors (the "Value Reporting Foundation Board") and two independent boards that govern the content of the <IR> Framework and SASB Standards. The SASB Standards Board develops, issues and maintains the SASB Standards. The role of the International Integrated Reporting Framework Board is to recommend for approval any revision, modification or other update to the International Integrated Reporting Framework.

The new directors of the Value Reporting Foundation governing board join amidst a time of growing corporate and investor support for the inclusion of the <IR> Framework and SASB Standards in a comprehensive corporate reporting system. Japanese asset managers Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation (MUFG) and Asset Management One have recently joined the SASB Standards Investor Advisory Group, comprised of 61 international institutional investors representing >$51 trillion assets under management.

The new directors of the Value Reporting Foundation are:

Joe Allanson, Executive Vice President, Finance ESG, salesforce (San Francisco, USA)

Joe Allanson joined salesforce in August 2003, which was four years after salesforce was founded in 1999. He served as their Chief Accounting Officer and Corporate Controller since July 2011, and now serves as Executive Vice President, Finance ESG. Prior to the expansion of his responsibilities to include the role of the Chief Accounting Officer, he served as the companys Corporate Controller from July 2007 to July 2011. Mr. Allanson oversees Salesforces Environmental, Social and Governance external reporting in its 10-K and Proxy, as well as the preparation of its annual Stakeholder Impact Reports. Mr. Allanson also serves on the Board of Trustees of the University of San Francisco.

Koushik Chatterjee, Executive Director and CFO, Tata Steel (Mumbai, India)

Mr. Chatterjee joined Tata Steel limited in 1995 and took over the responsibility of Chief Financial Officer of the company in 2004, joining its Board as Executive Director in 2012. During the last 15 years he has provided stewardship in the areas of financial strategy, performance management and corporate finance involving US $60 billion of capital raising, US $17 billion of acquisitions and complex negotiations for structural de-risking of a 16 billion pension scheme. He also oversees the risk management, reporting and control, investor relations and taxation functions. He has been a member of several advisory committees of the Securities Exchange Board of India and was also the member of the Global Preparers Forum, the advisory body to the International Accounting Standards Board, London. He is a member of the UNGC Global CFO Taskforce on SDGs, the Task Force on Nature-Related Financial Disclosures and the UK Voluntary Carbon Markets Forum steering committee.

Tetsuo Kitagawa, Emeritus Professor, Aoyama Gakuin University Professor (Tokyo, Japan)

Tetsuo Kitagawa is the representative director of WICI Japan and the ESG Information Disclosure Study Group, which consists of major Japanese companies, institutional investors, and four major audit firms. He is also the Chairman of the judging committee of the "Integrated Reporting Award" sponsored by Nikkei Inc. and "IR Excellent Companies" at the Japan IR Association. He is also currently an outside director of Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking and a specially appointed professor at Tokyo Metropolitan University. Prior to becoming a university professor, he worked in the research department of institutional investors such as JP Morgan Asset Management, where he analyzed global pharmaceutical companies for over 25 years.

Robert Swaak, CEO, ABN AMRO (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

Robert Swaak was appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chairman of the Executive Board of ABN AMRO Bank N.V. effective 22 April 2020. As CEO he is also responsible for Audit, Legal & Corporate Office, Strategy & Sustainability and Brand, Marketing & Communications. Previously, he held various positions at PricewaterhouseCoopers (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) where he started in 1988 and became partner in 1998. From 2006 until 2013 he was member of the Management Board of PwC the Netherlands (CFO, COO, CHRO), and served as Chairman of the Management Board from 2008 onwards. Subsequently, from 2013 until 2017 he was Global Vice Chairman/Global Clients and Industries leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers International. In 2017 he became Global Relationship Partner and continued his responsibilities as Lead Audit Partner in the Financial Service practice of PwC the Netherlands.

Takatoshi Yamamoto, Independent Director, Hitachi (Tokyo, Japan) and Murata Manufacturing (Kyoto, Japan)

Takatoshi Yamamoto is currently an external director of Hitachi Ltd. and Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. He had been a corporate auditor of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd (current SUBARU) since June 2012 and a corporate auditor of Tokyo Electron Ltd. since June 2013. He was Managing Director and Advisor of Casio Computer Co. Ltd from 2009 to 2012. Prior to joining a manufacturing company in 2009, he had 34 years of experience in the securities and investment banking industry. He was a Vice Chairman and Managing Director of UBS Securities Japan Ltd. and moved from Morgan Stanley in July 2005. He was a securities analyst for 28 years and an investment banker for six years, mainly focusing on the technology sector and companies.

To see the full list of directors, please click here.

About the Value Reporting Foundation

The Value Reporting Foundation is a global nonprofit organization that offers a comprehensive suite of resources designed to help businesses and investors develop a shared understanding of enterprise valuehow it is created, preserved or eroded over time. The resources  including Integrated Thinking Principles, the Integrated Reporting Framework and SASB Standards  can be used alone or in combination, depending on business needs. These tools, already adopted in over 70 countries, comprise the 21st century market infrastructure needed to develop, manage and communicate strategy that creates long-term value and drives improved performance. To learn more, visit www.valuereportingfoundation.org.
BROOKFIELD, NEWS, Oct. 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Brookfield Business Partners L.P. (NYSE:BBU) (TSX:BBU.UN) ("Brookfield Business Partners") together with institutional partners (collectively Brookfield) today announced an agreement to acquire Scientific Games Corporations global lottery services and technology business (Scientific Games Lottery or the Business) for approximately $5.8 billion.



With innovative capabilities in game design, production, distribution, systems and terminals, and turnkey technology solutions, Scientific Games Lottery has long-term relationships with approximately 130 lottery entities in over 50 countries. The Business is deeply integrated across the lottery ecosystem as an essential service provider to global lottery programs which represent a critical and growing source of funding for governments around the world.

We are pleased to continue to grow our business with the acquisition of a market leader and essential service provider to governments around the world, said David Nowak, Managing Partner, Brookfield Business Partners. We look forward to partnering with management and bringing our global scale and capabilities to support Scientific Games Lotterys future growth.

Investment Highlights

Strong market position. Scientific Games Lottery is a market leader supplying products, services and technology to leading lotteries around the world. The breadth of its product offering, scale and differentiated service offerings contribute to long-standing partnerships with its customer base.





Scientific Games Lottery is a market leader supplying products, services and technology to leading lotteries around the world. The breadth of its product offering, scale and differentiated service offerings contribute to long-standing partnerships with its customer base. Durable financial performance . The Business operates in a resilient industry, with favorable margins and low ongoing capital requirements. Its recurring revenue base is driven by a clear value proposition, strong customer relationships and contracts with high renewal rates.





. The Business operates in a resilient industry, with favorable margins and low ongoing capital requirements. Its recurring revenue base is driven by a clear value proposition, strong customer relationships and contracts with high renewal rates. Favorable market dynamics. Scientific Games Lottery is well positioned to meet strict regulatory frameworks and oversight which require high standards of service and security.





Scientific Games Lottery is well positioned to meet strict regulatory frameworks and oversight which require high standards of service and security. Opportunities for growth. The Business has access to multiple levers to drive future revenue growth, including expansion of service offerings to existing customers, participation in expected digital growth and new customer acquisition.



Funding

Brookfields investment will be funded with approximately $2.6 billion of equity.

Brookfield Business Partners intends to fund approximately 30% of the equity on closing from existing liquidity on-hand and capital which will be raised from internal initiatives currently underway. Brookfield Business Partners also recently increased the availability on its credit facilities by $500 million to maintain a strong corporate liquidity position.

The balance of the equity investment is expected to be funded by institutional partners. Prior to or following closing, a portion of Brookfield Business Partners' commitment may be syndicated to other institutional investors.

Transaction Process

Closing of the transaction remains subject to customary closing conditions including regulatory approvals. Closing is expected in the second quarter of 2022.

Advisors

Financing will be led by a syndicate of banks including Barclays, Deutsche Bank Securities, BNP Paribas, Credit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank, Macquarie Capital and RBC Capital Markets. Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP is acting as legal advisor to Brookfield.

Brookfield Business Partners is a business services and industrials company focused on owning and operating high-quality businesses that benefit from barriers to entry and/or low production costs.

Brookfield Business Partners is the flagship listed business services and industrials company of Brookfield Asset Management, a leading global alternative asset manager with over $625 billion of assets under management. More information is available at www.brookfield.com.

Brookfield Business Partners is listed on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges. For more important information, please visit our website at https://bbu.brookfield.com.

For more information, please contact:

Investor Relations



Alan Fleming

Tel: +1 (416) 645 2736

Email: alan.fleming@brookfield.com

Media



Sebastien Bouchard

Tel: +1 (416) 943-7937

Email: sebastien.bouchard@brookfield.com

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND INFORMATION

Note: This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian provincial securities laws and forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and in any applicable Canadian securities regulations. Forward-looking statements include statements that are predictive in nature, depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, include statements regarding the operations, business, financial condition, expected financial results, performance, prospects, opportunities, priorities, targets, goals, ongoing objectives, strategies and outlook of Brookfield Business Partners, as well as the outlook for North American and international economies for the current fiscal year and subsequent periods, and include words such as expects, anticipates, plans, believes, estimates, seeks, intends, targets, projects, forecasts or negative versions thereof and other similar expressions, or future or conditional verbs such as may, will, should, would and could.

Although we believe that our anticipated future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements and information are based upon reasonable assumptions and expectations, the reader should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond our control, which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Brookfield Business Partners to differ materially from anticipated future results, performance or achievement expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and information.

Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated or implied by forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: the impact or unanticipated impact of general economic, political and market factors in the countries in which we do business; including as a result of the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19); the behavior of financial markets, including fluctuations in interest and foreign exchange rates; global equity and capital markets and the availability of equity and debt financing and refinancing within these markets; strategic actions including dispositions; the ability to complete and effectively integrate acquisitions into existing operations and the ability to attain expected benefits; changes in accounting policies and methods used to report financial condition (including uncertainties associated with critical accounting assumptions and estimates); the ability to appropriately manage human capital; the effect of applying future accounting changes; business competition; operational and reputational risks; technological change; changes in government regulation and legislation within the countries in which we operate; governmental investigations; litigation; changes in tax laws; ability to collect amounts owed; catastrophic events, such as earthquakes; hurricanes and pandemics/epidemics; the possible impact of international conflicts and other developments including terrorist acts and cyber terrorism; and other risks and factors detailed from time to time in our documents filed with the securities regulators in Canada and the United States.

In addition, our future results may be impacted by various government mandated economic restrictions resulting from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the related global reduction in commerce and travel and substantial volatility in stock markets worldwide, which may negatively impact our revenues, affect our ability to identify and complete future transactions, impact our liquidity position and result in a decrease of cash flows and impairment losses and/or revaluations on our investments and assets, and therefore we may be unable to achieve our expected returns. See Risks Associated with the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Risks Factors section included in our Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2020.

We caution that the foregoing list of important factors that may affect future results is not exhaustive. When relying on our forward-looking statements, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. Except as required by law, Brookfield Business Partners undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether written or oral, that may be as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
MONTREAL, Oct. 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bullion Gold Resources Corp. (TSX-V: BGD) (Bullion Gold or the Corporation) today announced that Martin Nicoletti, Chief Financial Officer (CFO), has left the Corporation to pursue other interest. Mr. Nicoletti has agreed to assist in a smooth transition. Effective immediately, Jonathan Hamel will assume the role of interim CFO until a permanent successor to Mr. Nicoletti is appointed.



"I would like to thank Mr. Nicoletti for making this transition as smooth as possible and wish him continued success in his future endeavors," says Bullion Gold President and CEO Jonathan Hamel.

About Bullion Gold

Bullion Gold is involved in the identification, exploration, and development of viable mineral properties in the Province Quebec and British Columbia. For more information on the Corporation, visit www.bulliongold.ca.

For further information, please contact:

Jonathan Hamel

President and CEO

jhamel@bulliongold.ca



Other Information

The TSX Venture Exchange and its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts no responsibility for the veracity or accuracy of its content.

Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "would", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. The forward-looking statements are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the Corporation. Although Bullion Gold believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because Bullion Gold can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. In addition to other risks that may affect the forward-looking statements in this press release are those set out in the Corporations management discussion and analysis of the financial condition and results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2019 and the third quarter ended September 30, 2020, which are available on the Corporations profile at www.sedar.com. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof and Warrior Gold undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws.

NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER OF THE SECURITIES DESCRIBED HEREIN.




DALLAS, Oct. 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- San Joaquin Renewables (SJR) announced today that it reached an agreement with Cresta Fund Management and Silverpeak Energy Partners to invest up to $165 million to develop and construct a biomass to renewable natural gas ("RNG") project near McFarland, California. Frontline BioEnergy, a leading provider of waste and biomass gasification solutions, is developing the project, which will take orchard residuals and shells from San Joaquin Valley farms and convert them into RNG that will be sold as transportation fuel. The project will also sequester carbon dioxide in an EPA Class VI sequestration well located on the project site. When completed, SJR's RNG facility will replace the current practice of open burning of agricultural waste with an enclosed system that will produce a non-fossil form of natural gas, capture and store carbon dioxide, and serve as a substitute to diesel; thereby reducing overall greenhouse gas emissions.

Frontline BioEnergy, the project development team, was formed in 2005 to develop, manufacture, and construct biomass and waste gasification technologies. The management team has extensive gasification experience, with a history of successful development and operations, including its Chippewa Valley Ethanol Company facility that converted biomass waste into fuel gas for an ethanol plant.

"The San Joaquin Renewables project will be a showcase for Frontline's advanced gasification technology," said Frontline CEO Jerod Smeenk. "The finalization of these agreements will allow us to continue expanding the future of renewable energy technology. We believe this project will serve as a model for many more environmental projects." For more information, please visit www.frontlinebioenergy.com.

SJR President T.J. Paskach described the project impact. "This project will give California farmers a higher-value outlet for ag waste and will, at the same time, produce super-clean natural gas fuel for displacement of diesel fuel. We're excited to be building this plant in McFarland and appreciate the collaborative spirit the city leaders have shown us. The environmental benefits to the local residents and the state of California are real and huge." For more information, please visit www.sjrgas.com.

"We are pleased to align with the Frontline team to develop the San Joaquin Renewables project," said Chris Rozzell, Cresta's managing partner. "The project has the exciting potential to both mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and improve overall air quality in the San Joaquin Valley. Agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, which are notoriously difficult to mitigate, comprised 10% of overall U.S. emissions in 2019. We are glad to contribute to the Frontline team's efforts to address these emissions."

"We are excited to partner with Frontline and Cresta to build a largescale RNG project in the San Joaquin Valley, which will significantly reduce agricultural greenhouse emissions from the region," said Kaushik Amin, a partner at Silverpeak. "The Valley experiences some of the worst air quality in the U.S., and the project provides a proven solution that is supported by the local community."

About Cresta

Cresta is a growth-oriented private equity firm that invests in sustainable and conventional energy and industrial infrastructure. Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Cresta Management's founding partners are seasoned industry veterans who bring value across the investment cycle from initial diligence through business operations. For more information, please visit www.crestafunds.com.

About Silverpeak

Silverpeak is an alternative investment management firm focused on creating long-term value for its partners in the real estate and energy sectors. Founded in 2010 and headquartered in New York, Silverpeak has acquired more than $21 billion of gross asset value across industries, sectors, and geographies. For more information, please visit www.silverpeak.com.

Media Contact: info@sjrgas.com

Related Images











Image 1: CNG Sign









This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

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Orem, Utah, Oct. 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

OREM, Utah  Qualtrics co-founder Scott M. Smith and his wife Karen Smith announced a $25 million gift to help fund Utah Valley Universitys (UVU) planned engineering building. The building is part of UVUs response to the states need for higher education to increase the number of engineers and computer scientists in Utahs workforce.

The new building will be named the Scott M. Smith Engineering and Technology Building and the name of the college will be changed to the Smith College of Engineering and Technology.

Karen and I are delighted to support UVU and its students in this way, Scott Smith said. Utah County is a special place for us. Our families settled Utah County in pioneer days, our children were raised here, and we started Qualtrics in our home in Provo. We want to give back in a way that will make an impact, honor my profession, and make Utah County a better place to live. We found the perfect match with UVU.

The Smiths grant will jump-start the private fundraising campaign to raise the $40 million needed to start construction on the 180,000 square-foot, five-story building that will be located on UVUs Orem Campus. UVU will also be seeking additional support from the state legislature for this transformational building.

Utah Valley University is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year, said Astrid S. Tuminez, president of Utah Valley University. We honor those who sacrificed and worked hard to bring us to this point. We now celebrate Scott and Karen Smith and their visionary gift, which will lay the foundation for UVUs next 80 years. Their generosity will benefit thousands of students  many yet to be born. They will change peoples lives and help fill a critical need to increase the number of engineers in Utah now and in the future.

Addressing Workforce Needs with UVU Engineering Graduates

The Smiths announcement comes at a critical time when there is an urgent demand for more engineers and computer scientists in the state. Last year, Utah universities together produced more than 3,000 engineers and computer scientists, but there remained approximately 4,000 unfulfilled positions across Utahs workforce.

Engineering and computer science graduates from UVU are particularly valuable in filling the demand created by technology companies in Utah Countys Silicon Slopes. According to UVUs Institutional Research Department, UVU graduates stay and work locally. Eighty-four percent of graduates remain in Utah after graduation for at least one year and 76% are still in Utah 10 years after graduation.

Expanding UVUs College of Engineering and Technology

There are more than 5,000 students in UVUs College of Engineering & Technology, and that number continues to increase. Space is at a premium as hallways have been converted to student and faculty meeting places. The new building will solve the critical need for more lab and office space, classrooms, and conference rooms and will align technical infrastructure with existing and emerging technologies as the number of students grows.

Scott Smith began developing survey and statistical analysis software in the 1980s, online software in the 1990s, and founded Qualtrics in 2002 with the goal of making sophisticated research simple, accessible, and more cost effective. He is an industry expert in marketing research, having authored six books and more than 100 referred publications, many appearing in the top journals in his field.

UVU offers nine accredited engineering or engineering-related programs that include civil, computer, electrical, mechanical, and software engineering, computer science, information systems, information technology, and construction management.

For more information about Utah Valley Universitys planned engineering building, please visit the Engineering Building website.

B-roll footage of the Smith donation announcement and the renderings of the planned engineering building can be downloaded at: https://www.dropbox.com/s/t21864rfxgh1kdc/Donation%20Announcement.mov?dl=0

B-roll footage of the UVU campus can be downloaded at:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/4wxmrle3oooy5lw/AACjWuYek7HAh3CO_kUqWmkTa?dl=0

###

About Utah Valley University

At Utah Valley University, we believe everyone deserves the transforming benefits of high-quality education  and it needs to be affordable, accessible, and flexible. With opportunities to earn certificates to masters degrees, our students succeed by gaining real-world experience and developing career-ready skills. As we celebrate the milestone of our 80th anniversary in 2021, we continue to invite people to come as they are  and leave ready and prepared to make a difference in the world. For more, visit uvu.edu or follow us on Instagram or Facebook.

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Novadip Biosciences announces EUR 19 million Series B financing backed by international investors

New investment to fuel continued growth of 3M platform for the development of products in

tissue reconstruction and oncology

Mont Saint-Guibert, Belgium - October 28, 2021  Novadip Biosciences (Novadip or the Company), a clinical stage company developing treatments to regenerate impaired tissue in patients with significant unmet medical needs, today announced that it has raised 19 million in the first close of a Series B financing, which was co-led by new investor CR-CP Life Science Fund, a Hong Kong-based venture capital firm, US-based New Science Ventures and Belgian investors Fund+ and SRIW Life Sciences. Existing holders VIVES Louvain Technology Fund and Invest BW also participated with Belgian based InvestSud joining as a new investor. Following the completion of the raise, the Company has appointed Jason Zhou (MD), CEO and Managing Director of CR-CP as a new Board member.

The proceeds will support the future growth of the business whilst enabling continued innovation of the proprietary 3M platform. In the near term Novadip is firmly focused on delivering further clinical evidence in support of its regenerative product platform. This includes demonstrating the clinical efficacy of its autologous NVD-003 bone product in highly debilitating diseases, such as congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia (CPT), a rare pediatric indication that primarily affects children with devastating long-term functional disabilities. IND approval has been granted by the FDA allowing Novadip to conduct a pilot study with NVD-003 in the US. The trial will investigate the potential of the Companys cell-based osteogenic product in young children, between two and eight years of age, suffering from CPT. For more information, please follow this link. Novadip also recently reported positive interim data of its Phase I/IIa clinical trial for NVD-003 in adults with non-healing and recalcitrant fractures of the lower limb, highlighting its safety and bone formation capabilities. The press release can be found here.

The funds will also enable Novadip to demonstrate the clinical potential of its allogenic off the shelf NVD-X3 product in the bones of the foot and ankle and in posterolateral spine fusion. The Company expects to commence the first clinical trial for its allogeneic program in 2022, following positive in vitro and in vivo results. In addition, Novadip is exploring the potential of its 3M platform to manufacture highly specific exosomal miRNA in the treatment of solid tumors with trials due to take place in the US and Europe. Separately to this, Novadip is currently exploring future clinical development opportunities in China.

This first close of the Series B financing takes the total amount of equity financing raised to date to EUR 58 million including the conversion of a EUR 11 million loan into Class B shares. On top of that, Novadip has received recently non-dilutive public funding from the Walloon Region of EUR 13.4 million to support the Series B developments.

Denis Dufrane (MD, PhD), CEO and Co-Founder of Novadip Biosciences, commented: This successful major equity financing will enable us to accelerate the development of our unique technology platform and complete a US clinical study for our lead autologous product in CPT, a rare and seriously debilitating pediatric condition. In addition to NVD-003 for CPT, we are highly excited by the clinical potential of our allogenic off the shelf NVD-X3 product as well the most recent potential applications we are now exploring in oncology. Novadip has a strong balance sheet to deliver on its strategy of progressing its highly differentiated and valuable pipeline of products for patients with clear unmet needs.

Prof. Eric Paul Paques, Chairman of the Board of Novadip Biosciences, said: The support of high calibre new and existing investors in both this financing round and the loan conversion is testament to the confidence in the long-term opportunities for our platform to deliver life-changing benefits for patients. We look forward to leveraging Jasons medical and financial expertise and warmly welcome him to the Board.

Jason Zhou (MD), CEO and Managing Director of CR-CP, and new Board member of Novadip Biosciences said: Novadip is an exciting growth business operating in significant and underserved markets and I am highly excited to be joining the Board. CR-CP has been impressed with the potential that Novadips platform has shown, and I believe that Novadips research and clinical development to date has shown highly promising progress in bone tissue engineering with further great potential in oncology. Looking ahead, it is clear that Novadips portfolio of treatments can be hugely important for patients in Asia and I look forward to supporting Denis and the management team to develop clinical pathways in China in the future.

Christina Franssen, SRIW Life Sciences, Board member of Novadip Biosciences, said: We are proud to have been part of Novadips journey since the early days of the Company. With this new financing round, we are looking forward bringing the autologous NVD-003 to CPT patients providing them a therapy they are sorely lacking. Thanks to the outstanding quality of the 3M platform and the team, we are confident the new acellular product will show good results in patients suffering from bone defects, such as foot and ankle injuries or spinal fusion issues.

About NOVADIP BIOSCIENCES

Founded by Prof. Denis Dufrane and Jean-Francois Pollet, Novadip Biosciences, a spin-off company from University of Louvain (UCL) and Saint-Luc University Hospital (CUSL), is active in skeletal regenerative medicine. Novadip Biosciences is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company leveraging its unique 3D tissue regeneration technology platform to generate multiple product candidates to address hard and soft tissue reconstruction for patients with limited or no treatment options. The companys proprietary 3M3 platform is a 3-dimensional, extracellular matrix that utilizes adipose-derived stem cells to deliver highly-specific growth factors and miRNAs to mimic the physiology of natural healing and generates a range of products that address specific challenges in tissue regeneration. Novadips initial focus is on critical size bone reconstruction. It is also applying its 3M3 platform to develop truly novel off-the-shelf/allogeneic therapies to address more prevalent tissue defects and miRNA/exosome products for broader indications as oncology. For more information, visit www.novadip.com .

About CR - CP Life Science Fund

CR-CP Life Science Fund is a Hong Kong based private equity fund jointly established by China Resources Group and Charoen Pokphand Group, focusing on early-/growth-stage companies in the life science universe. These two conglomerates sponsored the major capital contribution of the total fund size of US$168 million, and they continue to support the fund with their broad existing business network connection in China and Asia.

About New Science Ventures

New Science Ventures (NSV) is a Connecticut and London-based venture capital firm which invests in both early and late-stage companies using novel scientific approaches to address significant unmet needs and create order of magnitude improvements in performance. NSV manages over $800 million and has invested in more than 40 companies located in the US, Europe, India and China in the life sciences and information technology sectors.

About Fund+

FUND+ is an open-ended Belgian fund for long term equity investment in innovative Life Sciences companies with a focus on Europe. Fund+ is Patient-centric investment focus by creating sustainable shareholders value, contribute to the development of a leadership position in the Life Sciences sector and generate a tangible, beneficial societal impact alongside a financial return. Fund+ manages 200+ Mio EUR in assets under management (vintage year: 2015)

About SRIW Life Sciences

By relying on the traditional strengths of Wallonia, SRIW Life Sciences invests in local heroes, scientists and entrepreneurs in life sciences who want to leverage their innovation to build a sustainable and equitable global economy with roots in Wallonia. SRIW Life Sciences focuses on diversity and cross-fertilization in its broadest sense. We invest in life sciences companies at diverse stages of development across a wide range of technologies and disease areas. We are an early and patient investor, we invest in the most promising early-stage companies and can act with a long-term view  longer than the average VCs. The role of SRIW as a risk capital provider in the life sciences sector support empowering innovators to explore areas they might hesitate to venture into alone. And by supporting innovative start-ups, we aim to strengthen the economic health of our region. More information: http://www.sriw.be

For more information, please c ontact:

NOVADIP BIOSCIENCES

Denis Dufrane

Chief Executive Officer, Chief Scientific Officer

+32 (10) 779 220

info@novadip.com

CONSILIUM STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS

Chris Gardner, Matthew Neal, Angela Gray

+44 (0) 23709 5700

novadip@consilium-comms.com




The Board of Royal Dutch Shell plc today announced the intended timetable for the 2022 quarterly interim dividends.

2022 Interim Dividend Timetable

4th Quarter 2021 1st Quarter 2022 2nd Quarter 2022 3rd Quarter 2022 Announcement date 03-Feb-22 05-May-22 28-Jul-22 27-Oct-22 Ex- Dividend Date for ADS.A and ADS.B 17-Feb-22 19-May-22 11-Aug-22 09-Nov-22 Ex- Dividend Date for RDS A and RDS B 17-Feb-22 19-May-22 11-Aug-22 10-Nov-22 Record date 18-Feb-22 20-May-22 12-Aug-22 11-Nov-22 Closing date for currency election (see Note below) 04-Mar-22 07-Jun-22 26-Aug-22 25-Nov-22 Pounds sterling and euro equivalents announcement date 14-Mar-22 13-Jun-22 05-Sep-22 05-Dec-22 Payment date 28-Mar-22 27-Jun-22 19-Sep-22 19-Dec-22

Note

A different currency election date may apply to shareholders holding shares in a securities account with a bank or financial institution ultimately holding through Euroclear Nederland. This may also apply to other shareholders who do not hold their shares either directly on the Register of Members or in the corporate sponsored nominee arrangement. Shareholders can contact their broker, financial intermediary, bank or financial institution for the election deadline that applies.

The 2022 interim dividend timetable is also available on www.shell.com/dividend

Royal Dutch Shell plc

The Hague, October 28, 2021

ENQUIRIES:

Media: International +44 (0) 207 934 5550 Americas +1 832 337 4355

CAUTIONARY NOTE

The companies in which Royal Dutch Shell plc directly and indirectly owns investments are separate legal entities. In this announcement Shell, Shell Group and Royal Dutch Shell are sometimes used for convenience where references are made to Royal Dutch Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words we, us and our are also used to refer to Royal Dutch Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These terms are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular entity or entities. Subsidiaries, Shell subsidiaries and Shell companies as used in this announcement refer to entities over which Royal Dutch Shell plc either directly or indirectly has control. Entities and unincorporated arrangements over which Shell has joint control are generally referred to as joint ventures and joint operations, respectively. Entities over which Shell has significant influence but neither control nor joint control are referred to as associates. The term Shell interest is used for convenience to indicate the direct and/or indirect ownership interest held by Shell in an entity or unincorporated joint arrangement, after exclusion of all third-party interest.

This announcement contains forward-looking statements (within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) concerning the financial condition, results of operations and businesses of Royal Dutch Shell. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on managements current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning the potential exposure of Royal Dutch Shell to market risks and statements expressing managements expectations, beliefs, estimates, forecasts, projections and assumptions. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as aim, ambition, anticipate, believe, could, estimate, expect, goals, intend, may, objectives, outlook, plan, probably, project, risks, schedule, seek, should, target, will and similar terms and phrases. There are a number of factors that could affect the future operations of Royal Dutch Shell and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements included in this announcement, including (without limitation): (a) price fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas; (b) changes in demand for Shells products; (c) currency fluctuations; (d) drilling and production results; (e) reserves estimates; (f) loss of market share and industry competition; (g) environmental and physical risks; (h) risks associated with the identification of suitable potential acquisition properties and targets, and successful negotiation and completion of such transactions; (i) the risk of doing business in developing countries and countries subject to international sanctions; (j) legislative, judicial, fiscal and regulatory developments including regulatory measures addressing climate change; (k) economic and financial market conditions in various countries and regions; (l) political risks, including the risks of expropriation and renegotiation of the terms of contracts with governmental entities, delays or advancements in the approval of projects and delays in the reimbursement for shared costs; (m) risks associated with the impact of pandemics, such as the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak; and (n) changes in trading conditions. No assurance is provided that future dividend payments will match or exceed previous dividend payments. All forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional risk factors that may affect future results are contained in Royal Dutch Shells Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2020 (available at www.shell.com/investor and www.sec.gov). These risk factors also expressly qualify all forward-looking statements contained in this announcement and should be considered by the reader. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this announcement, October 28, 2021. Neither Royal Dutch Shell plc nor any of its subsidiaries undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other information. In light of these risks, results could differ materially from those stated, implied or inferred from the forward-looking statements contained in this announcement.

The content of websites referred to in this announcement do not form part of this announcement.

We may have used certain terms, such as resources, in this announcement that the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) strictly prohibits us from including in our filings with the SEC. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our Form 20-F, File No 1-32575, available on the SEC website www.sec.gov.

LEI number of Royal Dutch Shell plc: 21380068P1DRHMJ8KU70

Classification: Additional regulated information required to be disclosed under the laws of a Member State
Dallas, Texas, Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Data visualization has a wide variety of commercial applications. Data visualization is a term that is used in a variety of technologies and concepts, such as infographics, dashboards, scorecards, big data, analytics, and business intelligence. Data visualization aids in the extraction of useful reports from the various and continuously growing amounts of corporate data. Many users feel that using big data through data visualization aids in improved decision-making. The quantity of data created by different channels, such as blogs, social networks, and applications, is rapidly increasing in the retail industry. The majority of unstructured data created remains useless, despite the fact that it may give important information if utilized.

Get a sample of the report from: https://www.adroitmarketresearch.com/contacts/request-sample/2285

Data visualization technologies provide a wide range of benefits to businesses, including increased sales, accurate data analysis, improved comprehension, better decision making, detection of numerous trends and patterns in a competitive market, and so on. Companies spend a lot of money collecting data in order to make the most use of it. For instance, banks can pay attention to how online consumers arrived at the applications page, which can help them figure out how to attract more customers. Using underutilized data may assist businesses in gaining useful insights and driving their business. Data visualization tools generate strategies for using all underutilized data. As a result, the growing demand for producing insights from underutilized data is projected to fuel the expansion of the data visualization market.

Leading players comprise of:

MicroStrategy

InetSoft Technology

Dundas Data Visualization

Information Builders

IBM

TIBCO

Oracle

Microsoft

SAS Institute

SAP SE

Pentaho

Salesforce

Cloud computing is one of the major factors driving the expansion of the global data visualization market. Cloud computing has changed the way businesses scale, process, and manage large-scale applications, as well as get value from data. Enterprises are increasingly incorporating cloud services due to their availability, adaptability, high efficiency, and IT skills. Oracle introduced a data visualization cloud package in 2017 to assist companies in organizing data in an appealing manner that is easy to evaluate. The market trend toward producing visualization tools that give insights and add aesthetic appeal has risen, and the trend is likely to acquire market momentum with cloud capabilities.

Product types comprise of:

Executive Management

Marketing

Operations

Applications comprise of:

BFSI

IT

Telecommunication

Education

For more Information or Any Query Visit: https://www.adroitmarketresearch.com/contacts/enquiry-before-buying/2285

The use of devices such as sensors and RFID has boosted the inclusion of the Internet of Things (IoT) in the retail industry in recent years. Furthermore, retailers throughout the world have been focused on improving their communication solutions, connection, and gadgets, resulting in a massive amount of big data. This is further examined to understand a consumer's pattern and purchase behavior, which is likely to fuel market expansion during the forecast period.

The global data visualization market is segregated into various segments such as tool, deployment mode, organization size, business function, vertical, and geography. On considering the tool, this market is segregated into integrated and standalone. On considering the organization size, this industry is fragmented into large enterprises and SMEs. By deployment mode, the market is segregated into cloud and on-premises. By business function, the market is fragmented into finance, HR, operations, and marketing & sales. On considering the vertical, this industry is segmented into manufacturing, retail & eCommerce, government, healthcare & life sciences, BFSI, transportation, IT & telecommunication, and others.

In terms of regions, the North American market is projected to have a substantial share because of the presence of the United States, which is a key market for data visualization. Because of the rising amount of data created by small and medium-sized businesses, the data visualization industry in the United States is seeing robust development. Factors such as the need for analytics in the retail industry and the growth of big data are driving the need for data visualization solutions in North America.

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction

1.1. Introduction

1.2. Market Definition and Scope

1.3. Units, Currency, Conversions, and Years Considered

1.4. Key Stakeholders

1.5. Key Questions Answered

2. Research Methodology

2.1. Introduction

2.2. Data Capture Sources

2.3. Market Size Estimation

2.4. Market Forecast

2.5. Data Triangulation

2.6. Assumptions and Limitations

3. Market Outlook

3.1. Introduction

3.2. Market Dynamics

3.2.1. Drivers

3.2.2. Restraints

3.2.3. Opportunities

3.2.4. Challenges

3.3. Porters Five Forces Analysis

3.4. PEST Analysis

4. Global Data Visualization Market by Organization Department, 2018-2028 (USD Billion)

4.1. Executive Management

4.2. Marketing

4.3. Operations

4.4. others

5. Global Data Visualization Market by Deployment Mode, 2018-2028 (USD Billion)

5.1. On-premise

5.2. Cloud

6. Global Data Visualization Market by End User, 2018-2028 (USD Billion)

6.1. BFSI

6.2. IT and Telecommunication

6.3. Education

6.4. Others.continued

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TRADITIONAL UNCEDED ALGONQUIN TERRITORY, OTTAWA, Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) released The MPA Monitor, a first-of-its-kind assessment of the quality of Canadas federal Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).



The analysis examined 18 MPAs that make up 8.3% of Canadas ocean. It found that 0.4% of Canadas ocean is strongly protected by federal MPAs, 5.7% is weakly protected by federal MPAs, and 0.3% is in federal MPAs that are incompatible with a conservation designation. One very large MPA, the Tallurutiup Imanga proposed National Marine Conservation Area covering 1.9% of Canadas ocean, is only proposed and so was not scored.

The results were driven by two very large and weakly protected MPAs, the Scott Islands marine National Wildlife Area in B.C. and Tuvaijuittuq interim MPA in the Arctic. We found that most Atlantic MPAs were strongly protected, Arctic MPAs tend to have weaker protection but fewer activities occurring, and B.C. was a mixed bag, said Alex Barron, National Director of CPAWS Ocean Program.

MPAs are one of the most effective tools to restore ocean habitats, rebuild biodiversity, and help species adapt to climate change, but only when they are strongly protected and effectively managed. In 2019, Canada announced it had protected almost 14% of its ocean, exceeding the international goal of 10% by 2020, and has since committed to build on this to protect 25% of the ocean by 2025 and 30% by 2030.

We are encouraged by Canadas efforts and commitments to date, but this report shows that stronger protection is needed to ensure we are effectively restoring and protecting ocean ecosystems, said Sandra Schwartz, CPAWS National Executive Director. The re-elected federal government and the incoming Minister of Fisheries and Oceans need to prioritize improving the quality as well as quantity of MPAs as we push to meet our 2030 conservation target," Schwartz adds.

The CPAWS report focuses on 18 federally designated MPAs that cover about 8.3% of Canadas ocean. These MPAs were established under the most comprehensive legal tools and therefore should theoretically be the best protected areas in Canadas ocean, said Barron. "We are now working on assessing the rest of the sites Canada is counting towards its marine protection targets and those results will be presented in future reports.

Questions about the quality of Canadas ocean protection measures are not new. In 2019, in response to these concerns, the Government of Canada committed to minimum protection standards for all new federal MPAs that would prohibit bottom trawling, oil and gas, mining, and dumping, and to eventually review existing MPAs against these minimum standards.

Altogether, seven of the MPAs assessed are strongly protected, eight are weakly protected, two are incompatible with biodiversity conservation and the one proposed MPA has no regulations in place. The team found that implementing the federal governments minimum protection standards throughout all 18 MPAs in the study would provide a critical basic level of protection and improve Canadas scores under The MPA Guide framework. The MPA Guide was developed by an international team of experts. CPAWS is the first organization to assess Canadas federal MPAs against both The MPA Guide and the minimum protection standards.

Canada has shown leadership on ocean protection by exceeding the 10% target, setting an ambitious new target of 30%, and committing to implement minimum protection standards, said Schwartz. The science tells us that we need to strongly protect at least 30% of our ocean by 2030 if we are going to stand a chance of restoring ocean health, and The MPA Guide and The MPA Monitor show us how to do that.

Visit www.cpaws.org/oceanreport to read the full version of the report.

Background

About CPAWS

The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) is Canadas only charity dedicated to the protection of public land, freshwater and ocean with a strong national and regional presence across the country. Working in a way that respects the sovereignty and leadership of Indigenous nations, we are focused on conserving nature to respond to the dual crises of accelerated biodiversity loss and climate change. Our vision is that at least half of land, freshwater and ocean in Canada is permanently protected to sustain nature and people for current and future generations. For more information about CPAWS and the work we do to safeguard Canadas natural heritage, visit cpaws.org . Join our community on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Donate today. Take action.

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Jennifer (Jenn) Brown

Communications and Events Coordinator, National Ocean Program, CPAWS

jbrown@cpaws.org

416-389-6668
Portland, OR, Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to the report published by Allied Market Research, the Australia and New Zealand fetal bovine serum market was pegged at $20 million in 2020 and is estimated to hit $35 million by 2030, registering a CAGR of 5.2% from 2021 to 2027. The report provides an in-depth analysis of the top investment pockets, top winning strategies, drivers & opportunities, market size & estimations, competitive landscape, and changing market trends.

Increase in funding & investment for R&D activities & innovation in the life science industry, high demand for FBS, and rise in advancements associated with biotechnology propel the growth of the Australia and New Zealand fetal bovine serum market. On the other hand, high price of fetal bovine serum and increased use of alternatives restrain the growth to some extent. However, untapped potential of the emerging economies has been highly beneficial for the market growth.

Download Report Sample- https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/14071

Impact of COVID-19 on Fetal Bovine Serum Market in Australia and New Zealand-

Fetal bovine serum has extensively been used in vaccine production and in-vitro cell-culture preparation in healthcare industries. This factor has impacted the Australia and New Zealand fetal bovine serum market positively during the pandemic.

This trend is quite likely to continue till the pandemic is completely over.

Get detailed COVID-19 impact analysis on the Australia and New Zealand Fetal Bovine Serum Market- https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-for-customization/14071?reqfor=covid

The Australia and New Zealand fetal bovine serum market is analyzed across origin, application, and end user.

Based on origin, the Australia origin segment contributed to around three-fourths of the total market share in 2019, and is expected to lead the trail by 2027. The same segment would also cite the fastest CAGR of 5.4% from 2021 to 2030.

Based on application, the cell culture segment accounted for more than one-third of the total market revenue in share in 2020, and is anticipated to rule the roost by 2027. The biopharmaceuticals segment, however, would grow at the fastest CAGR of 5.9% from 2021 to 2027.

For Purchase Inquiry- https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/14071

Based on end user, the biotechnology & pharmaceutical company segment held the major share in 2019, generating nearly half of the Australia and New Zealand fetal bovine serum market. The same segment would also manifest the fastest CAGR of 5.4% during the forecast period.

The leading market players analyzed in the Australia and New Zealand fetal bovine serum market report include Atlas Biologicals, Biowest, HiMedia Laboratories Pvt. Ltd., Merck KGaA (Sigma Aldrich), Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Biological Industries, Rocky Mountain Biologicals, Pan Biotech, Bio Techne, and GE Healthcare. These market players have adopted different strategies including partnership, expansion, collaboration, joint ventures, and others to reinforce their status in the industry.

Official Press Release- https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/press-release/australia-and-new-zealand-fetal-bovine-serum-market.html

AVENUE- A Subscription-Based Library (Premium on-demand, subscription-based pricing model) Offered by Allied Market Research:

AMR introduces its online premium subscription-based library Avenue, designed specifically to offer cost-effective, one-stop solution for enterprises, investors, and universities. With Avenue, subscribers can avail an entire repository of reports on more than 2,000 niche industries and more than 12,000 company profiles. Moreover, users can get an online access to quantitative and qualitative data in PDF and Excel formats along with analyst support, customization, and updated versions of reports.

Get an access to the library of reports at any time from any device and anywhere. For more details, follow the link: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/library-access

About Allied Market Research:

Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domains. AMR offers its services across 11 industry verticals including Life Sciences , Consumer Goods, Materials & Chemicals, Construction & Manufacturing, Food & Beverages, Energy & Power, Semiconductor & Electronics, Automotive & Transportation, ICT & Media, Aerospace & Defense, and BFSI.

We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Allied Market Research CEO Pawan Kumar is instrumental in inspiring and encouraging everyone associated with the company to maintain high quality of data and help clients in every way possible to achieve success. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.
Newly-renovated Radisson Blu brings stylish boutique hotel to the cultural heart of Madrid

Set in the heart of the city, Radisson Blu Hotel, Madrid Prado has been fully refurbished and welcomes guests to enjoy contemporary yet comfortable design, a new all-day dining tapas restaurant and outstanding service. Located in the Barrio de Las Letras, Madrid's liveliest and most exciting district, the hotel is a stone's throw from Spain's top art venues - the Prado, Reina Sofia and Thyssen museums  and within walking distance of the citys main shopping districts.





The renovation of Radisson Blu Hotel, Madrid Prado has created a stylish yet warm and welcoming offering for our guests and visitors. Teamed with a new eclectic, forward-thinking restaurant concept and an enviable location within one of Europes leading cities, it is a stand-out property within our Radisson Blu portfolio, says Tom Flanagan Karttunen, Area Senior Vice President for Northern & Western Europe.

The hotel, which occupies an elegant early twentieth-century building, has undergone an extensive refurbishment on all bedrooms and common areas, carefully respecting the listed features that make the property so unique. It has almost 60 rooms, all of which boast enviable views of the Prado Museum and the Paseo del Prado boulevard, and make ideal venues for relaxing or holding small lunches or business meetings. Each guest room contains all the necessary features to provide a cozy, enjoyable space, including a large armchair and desk. Large photographs by Scandinavian artists adorn the walls and are a nod to Radisson Hotel Groups origins, while the use of wood and marble create an atmosphere of quality and relaxation. The layout of the bathrooms has been updated, with grey stone used throughout the design. Technological features have also been updated, including a mixer control in the shower that lets you set the temperature automatically before stepping in.





Radisson Blu Hotel, Madrid Prado is designed to cater to the needs of both leisure and business travelers. What's important is to concentrate on what really makes a hotel work: comfort and highly trained service, and our aim is to create memorable moments for all our guests, explains General Manager Sam Bath. We want the hotel to act like a large-scale exhibition space, so all our rooms feature work by young, emerging artists. And just like an art gallery, we'll change the pictures and the artists regularly.

The hotels newly-opened restaurant, Lona, showcases a fusion of Spanish and Asian gastronomy, bringing a twist to the traditional tapas. The menu is divided into two sections, with both individual pinchos and dishes to share. Among the former you'll find tomato bruschetta with anchovies or Iberian ham, spider crab croquettes, and salmon tartare with crunchy jiaozi. The shared dishes include campfire cod, Batavia lettuce tacos with beef ribs and okonomiyaki omelette. Finally, the dessert menu includes delights such as coconut panna cotta, cream and Nutella sandwich and sesame doughnuts.





There's a touch of the nostalgic to these dishes. We've taken a classic base and updated it with some contemporary touches. You'll find a quintessential Madrid dish - fried squid - revisited with sunflower-seed romesco sauce and black aioli, patatas bravas with shichimi togarashi (a blend of Japanese spices), and cod with miso, banana leaf, seaweed salad and sesame. We also have a wide selection of vegan dishes", explains Mitz Vora, Radisson Hotel Group's culinary director.

For the restaurant interior, the design team at Radisson Hotel Group wanted to create something timeless, with classic touches and natural finishes. The decor combines wood with stone, complemented with large mirrors and velvet chairs that bring a cozy, intimate touch for tourists and locals alike. Another of Lona's hallmark features is its terrace in the middle of the Plaza de la Plateria de Martinez, where guests can make the most of the restaurant's all-day dining. With the same menu as the indoor dining room, the terrace offers great views of the Prado Museum across the boulevard.

The hotels spa is the ideal space for visitors, locals, and hotel guests to relax, unwind and dedicate time to their own wellbeing. It has an indoor heated hydro-massage pool in a central space bathed in natural light. It also features giant rain-effect showers and chromotherapy, a hammam and a relaxation area. Whats more, there is the Thai Room Wellness center, a leading name in massage and other treatments, which draws its inspiration from yoga, Ayurveda, Chinese medicine, traditional Indonesian Jamu massage, Thai massage, and other ancient methods from Southeast Asia.





Radisson Blu Hotel, Madrid Prado is well located for accessing travel hubs; just 400m from Puerta de Atocha train station and a 20-minute drive to Madrids international airport.

In 2018, Radisson Hotel Group started an ambitious plan to transform the company. For the Spanish market, the ambition  always with a prudently optimistic approach  is to open more than 20 hotels within the next five years. Radisson Collection Hotel, Magdalena Plaza Sevilla recently opened its doors and, in the coming months, a Radisson Collection hotel will open in Bilbao, and Spains first Radisson RED lifestyle property will open in the center of Madrid.

With the health and safety of guests and team members as its top priority, Radisson Blu Hotel, Madrid Prado is implementing the Radisson Hotels Safety Protocol program. The in-depth cleanliness and disinfection protocols were developed in partnership with SGS, the worlds leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company, and are designed to ensure guest safety and peace of mind from check-in to check-out.

***

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Katie Ollier Redman, Area Manager PR and Communication, Western Europe, Radisson Hotel Group: katie.redman@radissonhotels.com

Sophie Clarke, Director, Social Media & Consumer PR EMEA, Radisson Hotel Group: sophie.clarke@radissonhotels.com

***

ABOUT RADISSON HOTEL GROUP:

Radisson Hotel Group is one of the world's largest hotel groups with nine distinctive hotel brands, and more than 1,500 hotels in operation and under development in 120 countries. The Groups overarching brand promise is Every Moment Matters with a signature Yes I Can! service ethos.

The Radisson Hotel Group portfolio includes Radisson Collection, Radisson Blu, Radisson, Radisson RED, Radisson Individuals, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson, Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, and prizeotel brought together under one commercial umbrella brand Radisson Hotels.

Radisson Rewards is our global rewards program that delivers unique and personalized ways to create memorable moments that matter to our guests. Radisson Rewards offers exceptional loyalty benefits for our guests, meeting planners, travel agents and business partners.

Radisson Meetings provides tailored solutions for any event or meeting, including hybrid solutions placing guests and their needs at the heart of its offer. Radisson Meetings is built around three strong service commitments: Personal, Professional and Memorable, while delivering on the brilliant basics and being uniquely 100% Carbon Neutral.

More than 100,000 team members work at Radisson Hotel Group and at the hotels licensed to operate in its systems. For more information, visit our corporate website. Or connect with Radisson Hotels on:

LinkedIn | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube



ABOUT RADISSON BLU:

Radisson Blu is the largest upper upscale hotel brand in Europe and delivers a positive and personalized service in stylish spaces. By paying close attention to small details that make a big difference, Radisson Blu inspires unforgettable experiences with every stay. Our hotels and resorts provide a full range of innovative products and services, delivering genuine and relevant guest experiences with a distinctive Yes I Can! attitude. Radisson Blu hotels can be found in major cities, key airport gateways, and leisure destinations. Guests and professional business partners can enhance their experience with Radisson Blu by participating in Radisson Rewards, a global loyalty program offering exceptional benefits and rewards.

Radisson Blu is part of Radisson Hotel Group, which also includes Radisson Collection, Radisson, Radisson RED, Radisson Individuals, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson, Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, and prizeotel brought together under one commercial umbrella brand Radisson Hotels.



For reservations and more information, visit our website. Or connect with Radisson Blu on:

LinkedIn | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube

Attachments
BOCA RATON, Fla., Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Innovative online insurance shopping tool GetAQuote.com continues its rapid growth, expanding the ease with which individuals can secure homeowners insurance. Established in Boca Raton, Florida, a prime market for high-value homes and country club residences, GetAQuote.com is pouring new effort into focusing on the unique homeowners insurance market of Florida, with the goal of adding clarity and increasing options for shoppers.

Users will be pleased to know that the service is free and easy to use. It centers around a quiz  a simple way to simultaneously highlight what it is they want in a policy, while also saving time and getting a more direct connection to the insurance answers  and quotes  consumers are looking for.

GetAQuote.com listens. Rather than push options onto the users that visit the website, right out of the gate, Get-A-Quote enables shoppers to express what their preferences are. From there, a connection to a GetAQuote.com rep moves the process forward in the right direction.

Florida's home insurance market represents major challenges to shoppers. On one hand, homes face risk due to Florida's uniquely flat, flood-prone topography, as well as its regular hurricane season. On the other hand, Florida is considered a high-fraud state, which means, for many, that premiums for some policies can be exceptionally high while other insurers simply choose not to write in certain areas of Florida. Shoppers wanting to get the best coverage for their home need an advocate and a partner that is familiar with the market, and who is willing to support shoppers to save them money.

With a specialization in Florida homeowners insurance, GetAQuote.com is positioned as the first step in a great insurance decision. With reps reaching out directly to those that complete the quiz, users are able to access an added level of customized support and guidance at a crucial part of the shopping process: getting the right quote.

Founder of GetAQuote.com Marcio Pepe explained why the company is growing, and why Florida is so uniquely positioned to benefit from its model. "So many types of insurance, including homeowners insurance, have changed dramatically in the past decade. It's become more important than ever to shop around, and Florida is one market where GetAQuote's customer-centric approach can really extend options to shoppers that they couldn't have found otherwise."

For more information or to get a quote, visit GetAQuote.com.

About GetAQuote.com

Leveraging consumer-centric technologies and education resources, GetAQuote.com connects insurance shoppers to better options, enabling them to get custom quotes and recommendations in less time, thanks to a powerful web-based resource that streamlines insurance decisions and maximizes connection. GetAQuote.com continues to innovate, with the vision of being the best place online to get an insurance quote.

For more information about the release, please contact:

Marcio Pepe

866-536-6525

Marcio@getaquote.com

Related Images











Image 1: GetAQuote.com for Homeowners Insurance









This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

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McHenry, IL, Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As businesses across the country continue to struggle to fill open positions, a recent survey found that 52 percent of working moms who left the workforce during the Covid-19 pandemic have no plans to return before next year. The study, conducted in September 2021 for New Moms' Healthy Returns by Medela and Mamava  the partners behind the program  surveyed more than 3,100 moms to understand why they left the workforce and what it may require to motivate them to return.

Balancing work responsibilities with families has never been easy, but the strain of the recent year and a half forced parents to make hard decisions, explains Dana Kirwin, director of employer groups for USA at Medela. Employers need to reconsider work culture and working families who need more than what was offered pre-COVID. Supporting working parents benefits retention. Of the moms we surveyed who are reluctant to return, 75 percent are concerned about balancing work and family.

More than 3,100 moms who work shared what motivated them to leave and why they are hesitant to return. Results from the survey indicate that one in three who are not returning to work have made that decision because they dont feel adequately supported by their employer to care for their families. Additionally, 19 percent of those surveyed dont feel like an employer would support their needs in balancing family and work responsibilities, with another 13 percent sharing that they dont feel an employer will support their personal goals to start or grow a family.

Insights from the study can help employers consider steps to help retain and attract employees with families. Of study respondents who stayed in their jobs through the pandemic, having employer support was key. Two out of three moms surveyed reported that they felt supported by their employer, with most sharing a few key benefits that made the most difference:

Work from home policies

Flexibility in the form of modified schedules, flexible hours, or the ability to take time off as needed

A general culture of support for family responsibilities, including taking time off to care for family/children

New Moms' Healthy Returns was established to help parents and employers with the transition back to work after a new baby. Medela and Mamava have published white papers on how parental support and lactation accommodation policies can help foster an inclusive workplace culture, and positively impact a company's bottom line. The white papers can be downloaded for free at: newmomshealthyreturns.com/whitepaper.

For more information, visit newmomshealthyreturns.com/surveyfindings to view the data infographic highlighting key survey findings.

About Medela

Through advancing research, observing natural behavior and listening to our customers, Medela turns science into care while nurturing health for generations. Medela, the most trusted breast pump brand in North America*, supports millions of moms, babies, patients and healthcare professionals in more than 100 countries all over the world. As the healthcare choice for more than 6 million hospitals and homes across the globe, Medela provides leading research-based breast milk feeding and baby products, healthcare solutions for hospitals, and clinical education. Medela is dedicated to building better health outcomes, simplifying and improving life, and developing breakthroughs that help moms, babies and patients live their life to the fullest. For more information, visit medela.us.



About Mamava

Mamava, the leading expert in lactation space design, is dedicated to transforming the culture of breastfeeding in the United States by providing flexible lactation space solutions designed to meet the needs of breastfeeding families. Mamava pods are linked into a proprietary smart technology system that empowers easy wayfinding and autonomous access. Parents can open them with Mamavas free app (available for iOS and Android). The app also allows moms to see availability of pods, opt into vacancy alerts, adjust interior lighting and airflow, and leave digital notes of support for the next person. Best of all, the app helps breastfeeding people find thousands of (Mamava-vetted) places to pump on the gonot just Mamava pods, and never a bathroom. To learn more, visit Mamava at mamava.com.

*Voted most trusted breast pump brand by United States and Canadian shoppers based on the 2021 BrandSpark American and Canadian Trust Studies

Medela wordmark and logo are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. New Moms' Healthy Returns is a trademark of Medela.

SOURCE Medela LLC

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First production vehicle (Unit #0001) to be auctioned along with a one-of-a-kind Non-Fungible Token (NFT) art collage commemorating creation of SPIRITUS from concept to final assembly

from concept to final assembly NFT will bring to life a collage of hundreds of pictures of the development of the Spiritus electric vehicle and be available through OpenSea for 30 days

TORONTO, Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Daymak Inc., a pioneer in personal Light Electric Vehicles (LEVs), today announced the creation of several Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) that commemorate the production timeline of the worlds first-ever crypto mining electric vehicle (EV), the Daymak Spiritus. These one-of-a-kind NFTs, one of which also entitles the winning bidder to ownership of the Companys first Spiritus production unit (Unit #0001), will be featured on the OpenSea NFT marketplace for 30 days where bids can be placed in Ethereum. This will mark the first ever instance where a car is sold on the blockchain.

As the name suggests, Beyond the Black Diamond is a piece of digital art documenting the struggles and the victories on the long uphill road to a green, electrified future. This NFT is one pillar of the innovative strategy Daymak is utilizing to make its mark and achieve something few have.

It has not been a smooth journey getting here, said Aldo Baiocchi, President of Daymak. The completion of the Spiritus prototype is a massive milestone for us, and this NFT marks that achievement. By purchasing this NFT, someone will become part of our team, helping us use green tech to change the world, and owning a very cool piece of EV history in the process.

With hundreds of pictures and animations spanning three years of challenges, Daymak has embodied the entire build progression of the first Spiritus prototype in this one-of-a-kind work of art. A photo-mosaic in the shape of the Spiritus EV, Beyond the Black Diamond documents the struggles the Company overcame to reach the final target and make its mark on the planet. The piece chronicles the creativity, passion, commitment, and out-of-the- box mentality it took to bring the first Spiritus to life.

This NFT commemorating the historic build of the worlds first crypto mining EV will also come with a document of authenticity in addition to the right to receive the first Spiritus production vehicle delivered anywhere in the world. Additionally, ownership includes the right to a lifetime of vehicle storage at Daymak facilities, if required. This ownership is a separate NFT, which will be transferred to the wallet of the winning bidder on Beyond the Black Diamond.

Imagine paying for the right to receive the first-ever Ferrari, Lamborghini or Shelby Cobra, continued Baiocchi. This gives someone the unique opportunity to own the first-ever Spiritus build in both physical and digital form: a unique NFT plus the vehicle itself, with the likelihood of both appreciating significantly over time.

The EV and green-tech sector house some of the brightest minds on the planet, all competing with the collective goal of making this world a greener place, said Baiocchi. We are at the dawn of a technical and financial revolution, led by blockchain technology, and it is very exciting to see how NFTs have allowed creators to take ownership of their work and raise funds in a way that was never before possible.

In addition to the Beyond the Black Diamond bundle, the following collections will also be available for purchase on OpenSea:

The Spiritus Project (10 available)  an officially licensed EV NFT collection, a mosaic featuring thousands of 64x64 photos of the worlds first crypto car, documenting over 15 years of work

Gem Mint Spiritus (4 available)  A series of iconic, officially licensed, Spiritus art pieces capturing the magic of the first EV in the world to mine crypto

The Daymak Spiritus Ultimate edition is the fastest three-wheel production car on the planet with an astonishing acceleration from 0 to 60 in 1.8 seconds. Proceeds from the sale of the NFT will go directly towards expediting manufacturing of the vehicle, with a portion of proceeds being donated to Daily Bread Food Bank in Toronto.

To pre-order Spiritus, track progress, or for more information on the Avvenire Series, please visit https://daymakavvenire.com . For more information about Daymaks exclusive NFT offerings, visit https://daymakavvenire.com/nft/, or purchase on OpenSea.

About Daymak, Inc.

Daymak, Inc, founded in 2002 with headquarters in Toronto, is a pioneer in personal light electric vehicles (LEVs). Daymak has a world-class global distribution network including 150 dealers and big-box retailers like Walmart, Costco, and Best Buy. Daymak is the number one distributor and developer of LEVs in Canada with more than 100,000 vehicles sold, and is known for cutting-edge designs like the world's first fully wireless e-bike and Canadas first solar-powered, off-road e-bike.

The Companys Daymak Avvenire Series is a comprehensive line-up of ground-breaking personal mobility vehicles including everything from electric cars to electric flying vehicles, set for production starting in 2022. Daymak Ondata, Daymaks patent-pending wireless charging technology, is a more compact, cost-effective, and scalable solution than any other wireless charging technology available on the market today.

Daymak continues to redefine powered mobility, empowering individuals to make statements, not emissions, on their way to a connected, accessible future. To explore that future please visit https://daymak.com/ .

The Daymak Avvenire series pre-order campaign is now live. To reserve your vehicle visit https://daymakavvenire.com/ .

MEDIA CONTACT:

Jeremy Ertl

Skyya for Daymak

jeremy@skyya.com

INVESTOR RELATIONS:

To request a copy of audited financials please contact:

Aldo Baiocchi

ab@daymak.com

416.658.3993 ext. 1114

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/71642618-d144-4285-bd90-6dfbd7970a35

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8ae5431c-c3ba-4c70-a2af-13fd8b516371

A video accompanying this announcement is available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6beceb9c-1559-4380-b6b3-f1f44b208c3e
Vietnam, Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vietnam is the first country in the world to routinely use an innovative method to diagnose tuberculosis (TB) using stool. The Simple One-Step Stool Method, developed by KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation, is implemented in 10 healthcare facilities across the country. ,,This simple and painless test is an important development for diagnosing TB in children under the age of five and people living with HIV. This can save many lives and reduce suffering, says Prof. Dr. Nguyen Viet Nhung, Director of the National Lung Hospital and Head of the Vietnam National Tuberculosis Control Program (NTP).

In Vietnam 170,000 people get ill and 11,400 people die of TB every year, according to WHO estimates. Although all new born babies are vaccinated against TB, some of them still acquire TB. And even though TB is a curable disease, still many adults and children lose their lives.

,,The early diagnosis of child tuberculosis for treatment only accounts for 10% of the total cases of child tuberculosis, says Prof. Dr. Nguyen Viet Nhung. Child tuberculosis is a difficult disease. Its symptoms are hard to find especially with the under 5-year-old children and acquiring a diagnosis faces many difficulties.

To raise the number of children being diagnosed and treated in time, the NTP decided to start an implementation pilot  financed by the Global Fund - with the KNCV Simple One-Step (SOS) Stool Method. This turned out to be very successful and made the NTP decide to continue working with the SOS Stool Method routinely.

The WHO has very recently recommended the use of stool as a primary sample for TB diagnoses in children. The Pediatric TB Operational Sustainability Expertise Exchange (POSEE) Taskforce also describes the benefits of using stool to diagnose TB. As the SOS Stool Method is published in the peer reviewed Journal of Clinical Microbiology, many other countries are expected to follow Vietnams example and use this method.

SOS Stool Method: Painless and simple diagnosis

Worldwide, sputum from the lungs is currently mainly used as a sample to diagnose TB. However, it can be very difficult for many people living with HIV and children to cough up sputum. For very young children it is completely impossible on command. For that reason, an invasive and painful procedure is necessary - for example a tube passed through the childs nose to the stomach - to collect a sputum sample.

These invasive methods are often traumatizing for the children, parents and healthcare workers. Materials for these procedures are not available everywhere and sometimes it is only done when the child is already very ill. This results in many children worldwide not being diagnosed or being diagnosed too late, explains Mustapha Gidado, executive director of KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation (KNCV). This is one of the main reasons why 170.000 children die of TB every year. Unnecessary, because with a timely diagnosis and good treatment, TB can be cured.

A stool sample is painless and easy to obtain from children. KNCV laboratory experts dove into the matter and developed the SOS Stool Method, that was first presented during the Union World Conference in 2018. Extended research  such as head-to-head comparisons with other stool processing methods (FIND and TB Speed study) and the cost effectiveness of the SOS Stool Method (SOS-TBIM study) - have since be done. The results and scientific publications will follow this fall 2021, as well as presentations at the Union World Conference 2021.

Training and implementation

KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation provides online training courses for laboratory staff, so that all countries can start using this method for diagnosing TB in children and people living with HIV. Vietnam sets an example of how this can be done successfully on all levels.

Dr. Nguyen Thien Huong, KNCV Country Representative in Vietnam: The same machine that is used to examine sputum - the GeneXpert - is used in the SOS Stool Method and no other materials are needed. In Vietnam, the GeneXpert systems are equipped nationwide from central to provincial and district levels. To train staff on how to use it for stool samples is a small step. While the difference for the lives of the affected children and people living with HIV, their families and the communities is immense.

SOS Stool Method: no more suffering for baby Dang

Vietnamese Thao, mother of the baby boy Dang (pictured above), knows from her own experience how big the difference between the painful sputum method and the painless KNCV SOS Stool Method is. Her son was only three months old, when he underwent both procedures. In the first hospital where he was tested, they only used the sputum test. Witnessing how the doctors collected sputum from him was really painful. They had to push a tube through his mouth to his stomach. They tested the boy three times, but all results were negative. Eventually he was referred to the National Lung Hospital, where a sputum and stool test were done. Both tests turned out positive for TB. It made Thao and her husband cry to hear the diagnosis, but their boy is now under treatment and recovering well. Thao: The SOS Stool Method made my sons diagnosis and treatment much more accurate and easier. Read the full story of baby boy Dang here.

More information on the SOS Stool Method can be found here.

Attachments
NEW YORK, Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- This week, Danielle Colby, star of the hit reality series American Pickers, hangs out with the Sailor Jerry Podcast, taking a behind-the-scenes dive into her over-the-top adventures in American antiquing. Also known as the Queen of Rust, Colby has built a fan following as the Shop Manager on the wildly popular History Channel show, where she scouts out exciting finds and helps keep Mike and Frank in line.

On the latest episode, she sits down with Sailor Jerry host and the Bronx frontman Matt Caughthran to chat about some of the most memorable moments in her antiquing career. With a collection that ranges from vintage circus costumes to early 1800's burlesque costumes to objects from all over the world, Colby has some wild stories to tell. Speaking of burlesque, Colby (who showed up for the interview dressed for the part in a completely vintage cat suit with makeup) opens up about why the seductive art form and creative freedom mean so much to her. She also discusses her big move to Puerto Rico, shares some incredible secrets for listeners who are interested in building their own vintage empire, and spills the tea on the future of American Pickers.

Sailor Jerry is a bad*** podcast journey inspired by Norman Sailor Jerry Collins KTRG radio show Old Ironsides. Released every other Thursday at noon EST, Sailor Jerry pays homage to all the things its creators love most, from tattooing and travel, to food, music and beyond. Past guests have included The Hives frontman Pelle Almqvist, rapper and Queen of bounce music Big Freedia, painter and tattoo artist Rose Hardy, and vocalist Amy Taylor and guitarist Declan Martens of Amyl and the Sniffers.

Listen to the Sailor Jerry podcast here.



ABOUT SAILOR JERRY SPICED RUM

Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum was created to honor Norman Sailor Jerry Collins, a Navy vet who built his rep inking soldiers and sailors in WWII-era Honolulu where he established his legendary tattoo parlor and himself as the undisputed father of American old school tattooing. Crafted in the traditional Navy way by William Grant & Sons, Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum is bold and smooth, with hints of caramel and vanilla. Just like the man who inspired it, this 92-proof rum speaks for itself and holds itself to the traditional values and standards of craftsmanship that Norman Collins espoused. Made in America from Caribbean Rum and blended with spices including ginger, cinnamon, clove and vanilla, Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum is an exceptionally smooth drink with an ABV of 46%. From the liquid itself to the packaging, every detail of Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum stays true to the vision of Norman "Sailor Jerry" Collins. For more information, visit www.sailorjerry.com or follow www.twitter.com/sailorjerry and www.facebook.com/SailorJerry.

For Media Inquiries:

Dawn Kamerling

(646) 322-4903

dawn@thepresshouse.com

The Press House

www.thepresshouse.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e8565798-110d-4422-8578-1f97b5d8dab8




New York, Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "United Arab Emirates Freight and Logistics Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2021 - 2026)" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06039483/?utm_source=GNW





The COVID-19 pandemic impacted overall supply chain operations in the UAE, with road freight due to sealing of borders and air freight due to flight cancellation being the major sufferers. Moreover, companies have been struggling with employee infections and have been forced to move to a remote working setup, at least for non-operational staff. The industry is gradually recovering from the transport restrictions. Going forward, pharmaceutical logistics will play an important part in the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine, once it is ready and is hence, expected to lead vertical market growth in the future.



Dubais strategic location between Asia and Europe, serves both the East and the West, providing optimum trading conditions for the Emirate. To facilitate the trade and e-commerce market, Dubai has implemented initiatives for the development of its infrastructure and technology, to implement a well-integrated transport system and excellent logistics infrastructure. According to the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority, the logistics sector in the country is expected to contribute 8% to the UAE economy by 2021, up from the current 5.4% listed by the official UAE government portal.



In recent years and despite economic headwinds swirling around the Arabian Gulf, the logistics sector continues to occupy the fast lane. The logistics arena outperforms other major industries, but it is now rightly-regarded as a crucial enabler in the countrys economic diversification efforts.



Key Market Trends



Growing E-Commerce in United Arab Emirates



The United Arab Emirates is making rapid strides as the fastest growing e-commerce market in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), according to a joint study by Dubai Economy and global payments technology company Visa, which ranks first in Forbes list of Worlds Best Regarded Companies.



Growth in e-commerce comes as digital becomes the future in the United Arab Emirates. High internet usage, accompanied by smartphone penetration is one of the primary driving forces of growth in the e-commerce market in the United Arab Emirates.



A significant advancement in digital technology has led to a dramatic increase in active mobile internet users in the country. The mobile phone penetration in the country is at a world-record high of 210.9%. UAE residents are among the top 10 globally when it comes to spending time on the internet and social media, averaging seven hours and 54 minutes daily.



The government has implemented a number of initiatives to support it, such as the wage protection system. Moreover, a digital, lean, connected paperless, cashless government, driven by cutting-edge, disruptive technologies, defining the government of the future now, is part of the Smart Dubai 2021 initiative.



COVID-19 is boosting the UAE ecommerce business as consumers change their shopping behavior by opting to buy online rather than shopping at physical stores. This extensive growth of e-commerce is driving the investments in e-commerce logistics related infrastructure and technology to support the growth of the e-commerce.



Growing Pharmaceutical Industry in UAE Driving Logistics



In the past decade, Pharma Industries have been a focus of UAEs business development.



With the recent approval of the Dubai Silk Road Strategy and existing outstanding logistics infrastructure, the UAE is fast turning into a source market in the supply chain, manufacturing and exporting pharmaceuticals to high-demand markets such as Africa and Asia.



To achieve sustainable growth for the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry the U.A.E. government has adopted a series of long-term plans. The Dubai Industrial Strategy 2030 and the Abu Dhabi vision 2030, consider the pharmaceutical industry as one of the main sub-sectors to develop with its future growth prospects, export potential, and mid-term to long-term economic impact. A key long-term focus for the UAE government has been to reduce its reliance on imported pharmaceuticals.



One huge incentive for international companies looking to expand is the ease of doing business. This is something that the UAE excels in. To increase their infrastructure the UAE has created several free zones across the country that are now hubs for the pharmaceutical industry. These include Dubai Healthcare City, Dubai Science Park and Jebel Ali Free Zone.



In Oct 2021, Solidifying its position as a global leader in the field of handling and storage of pharmaceutical products and vaccines across all temperature ranges, Abu Dhabi Ports Logistics, a subsidiary of AD Ports Group, has been awarded the coveted Good Distribution Practice (GDP) accreditation by one of the worlds leading testing, inspection, and certification bodies.



The award was issued by Bureau Veritas, which certified AD Ports advanced pharmaceutical cold and ultra-cold storage facility in the Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (KIZAD) and its related logistical services, against both European Union and World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines. The announcement marks the first instance a UAE organisation has secured accreditation for both standards and is one of the few in the Middle East to hold that distinction.



Competitive Landscape



The United Arab Emirates freight and logistics market is competitive and fragmented with many international and local players actively competing for market share. DHL, Aramex, Al-Futtaim Logistics are some of the leading players in the market. The technology integration in the logistics sector is high and the emergence of digital players in the pool is increasing. Ecommerce growth has also helped in the emergence of digital players in the region. With the overall logistics infrastructure in the country developing rapidly the rivalry within the industry is expected to be fueled further.



Additional Benefits:



The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format

3 months of analyst support

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06039483/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



__________________________
Trenton, ON, Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sandra Hussey, a sales representative with EXIT Realty Group, Brokerage, in Trenton, Ontario, was honoured with the companys top award during EXIT Realty Corp. Internationals annual awards event recently broadcast throughout the US and Canada.

Ms. Hussey is a first-time winner of the Tri-Real-A-Thon, EXITs Iron REALTOR award, presented in recognition of outstanding achievement in sales production, listings taken, and helping to grow the company. Thousands of real estate professionals across the US and Canada vie for this honour, and since 2014 it has been awarded to real estate professionals in the US. Ms. Hussey also took top honours in Gross Closed Commission Income in North America and Top Sales Volume in North America.

Ms. Hussey is a Canadian Armed Forces veteran and has been with EXIT Realty Group, Brokerage, since 2013. In 2021, she also achieved the Million Dollar Circle, the Titanium Award and was inducted into the Emerald Circle in recognition of closing 750 real estate transaction sides during her career with EXIT. All awards were tabulated for the production period of July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021.

Sandra began her career at EXIT with a mindset of success. She rose to be our Canadian Rookie of the Year and never looked back, said Joyce Paron, CEO of EXIT Realty Corp. Internationals Canadian Division. She is gracious, caring, and always has time to share her wisdom with others. This spirit of mentorship is not always what one might expect from someone who runs so hard in this business. Her work ethic is exceptional and her love for the business shines in all that she does. Sandra is an extraordinary champion who always sets a wonderful example for everyone in the business. Our special congratulations to her on winning the highly coveted Tri-Real-A -hon Award and for all of her many accomplishments.

Founded in Canada in 1996, EXIT Realty Corp. International is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2021.

About EXIT Realty: EXIT Realty is a company founded and built on human potential. A full service, forward-thinking, real estate franchisor with offices across North America, EXIT has to-date paid out more than a half a billion dollars in single-level residual income to its associates. The Expert Marketing Suite including geolocation Smart Sign technology gives sellers an edge in a competitive marketplace. A portion of every transaction fee received by EXIT Realty Corp. International is applied to its charitable fund, and to-date, $6 million has been allocated to charity. For more information, please visit www.exitrealty.com and www.joinexitrealty.com

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Washington, DC, Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Government Marketing University (GMarkU) announced today the sponsors of their sixth annual GAIN 2021 conference. GMarkU has attracted sponsorship support from 21 local and national businesses. Sponsors include distributors, media companies, service providers, public relations and marketing agencies, systems integrators, and technology firms who are all dedicated to helping GMarkU make sure marketers are In the Know when it comes to the latest government marketing tips and techniques.

GAIN 2021 will bring government marketing professionals together with subject matter experts, government officials and their peers in a self-paced virtual setting. Streaming in November, this years conference will take the format of a 3-part series with episodes streaming over a 3-week period on November 4, 11, and 18 so attendees can watch and learn at their own pace.

Our sponsors are an integral part of GAIN, and our government marketing community said Stephanie Geiger, Co-Founder and Executive Vice President of Government Marketing University, and the host of the GAIN event. We are thankful to each of our sponsors for their contributions to this years conference. It is because of their support that we are able to provide such an impactful and content rich program to the government marketing community.

GAIN 2021 sponsors are given the opportunity to raise their brand awareness and increase visibility for their organizations across this highly influential target audience of government marketing decision makers. By creating content and taking advantage of select sponsorship benefits, they can position themselves as thought leaders in the B2G market. Sponsorship opportunities are still available. For more information, please download the GAIN 2021 Sponsor Prospectus or contact GAINSponsor@gmarku.com.

We are proud to announce this year's GAIN 2021 sponsors:

PhD Sponsors:

Artform Business Solutions

Carahsoft

Federal Business Council, Inc.

Federal News Network

GovEvents

GovernmentCIO Media and Research

Market Connections, Inc.

Washington Technology

Yes& Agency

Zoom

Masters Sponsors

Refuel Agency

Bachelors Sponsors:

Government Matters

L&R Communications

MeriTalk

Sage Communications

StoryTech Consulting

ThunderCat Technology

Trezza Media Group

World Wide Technology

Award Sponsor

Advanced Technology Academic Research Center (ATARC)

Community Partners:

The Pulse of GovCon

Capitol Communicator

Register Today

Individuals interested in attending the GAIN 2021 conference can register today by visiting https://thegainconference.com/tickets/

About GAIN 2021

GAIN 2021 will have all the hottest content and speakers to ensure you are In the Know. Join us to hear the latest tips and techniques in reaching your government audience by checking out our agenda and registering today. You can count on Government Marketing University to lead the way with incredible and innovative training content like Creating a Holistic Marketing Strategy, Staying Agile in an Evolving Landscape, Translating Policies and Mandates into Actionable Campaigns and so much more. All in a new format of a 3-part series with episodes launching over a 3-week period so you can watch and learn at your own pace.

About Government Marketing University

Government Marketing University, now part of GovExecs portfolio, is an innovative learning platform that applies a collaborative, community-based approach toward knowledge sharing and skills development in the field of public sector marketing. Experts from all corners of the U.S. public sector marketplace  marketers, thought leaders, government, media, and sales  are contributing their knowledge to this unique, content-rich platform. Government Marketing University offers training, research, certifications, mentoring, and community resources all in one place.

About GovExec



As the market-leading information platform, for over 50 years GovExec has empowered the government ecosystem to engage and support government leaders as they work to achieve their missions across federal, defense, and state and local agencies. All powered by the largest and most sophisticated database in the public sector, GovExecs platform services are three-folddata that informs, media that connects, and marketing services that activate. Reaching over 2.8 million government influencers each month, GovExecs brand and platform portfolio includes Government Executive, Nextgov, Defense One, Route Fifty, The Atlas for Cities, City & State New York, City & State Pennsylvania, Military Periscope, Government Contracting Institute, and a strategic investment in Power Almanac.

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Livingston, Calif., Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As the economic impact of the pandemic  and corresponding food insecurity  continues for American families, Foster Farms renews its holiday hunger relief efforts this week with a 64,000-pound turkey donation to West Coast food banks. This donation will bring the comfort of a holiday meal to more than 80,000 people in need across three states to help address staggering food assistance needs. In the coming weeks, Foster Farms will deliver thousands of holiday turkeys to food banks from Seattle to San Diego.

According to Feeding America, an estimated 42 million people, including 13 million children, remain dependent on food assistance and are vulnerable to hunger. In California alone, one out of every five residents  eight million people  do not know where their next meal is coming from.

As part of its ongoing commitment to address food insecurity, Foster Farms has an annual tradition of donating Thanksgiving turkeys to local hunger relief organizations, most of which have partnered with the company for the last 13 years. One longtime partner in the fight against hunger is San Francisco-Marin Food Bank, which will feed 10,000 people with the 8,000 pounds of turkey donated by Foster Farms.

Since the pandemic began, we have seen nearly twice as many families turn to us. The need continues as a majority have yet to recover, and there is no vaccine for hunger, explained San Francisco-Marin Food Bank Executive Director Tanis Crosby. We are grateful to Foster Farms for its continued generosity, especially during the holidays. Their donation will be a hand up again this year to the thousands in Northern California who are still struggling to make ends meet.

At Foster Farms, we remain dedicated to fighting hunger in our local communities and are proud to continue our tradition of donating Thanksgiving turkeys, especially this year, as families return to more traditional Thanksgiving celebrations, said Ira Brill, vice president of communications for Foster Farms. We hope that others who are able will join us in supporting their local food bank by donating food, money or time.

Among the organizations receiving turkey donations this year are:

About Foster Farms

Since 1939, West Coast families have depended on Foster Farms for premium quality chicken and turkey products. Family-owned and operated, the company continues its legacy of excellence and commitment to quality established by its founders, Max and Verda Foster. Foster Farms specializes in fresh, all-natural chicken and turkey products free of preservatives, additives, or injected sodium enhancers. Based in Californias Central Valley, with ranches in the Pacific Northwest, the companys fresh chicken and turkey are produced in or near each region served. Foster Farms also produces delicious pre-marinated, ready-to-cook and fully cooked products that meet the quality and convenience needs of todays home cooks, retailers, warehouse clubs and foodservice customers. The companys commitment to excellence, honesty, quality, service, and people is a source of great pride, and a longtime family tradition.

Food safety is Foster Farms' highest priority, and the company would like to remind consumers to always follow safe handling, preparation, and storage guidelines for the preparation of fresh poultry products. All fresh poultry products should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit as measured by a meat thermometer to ensure safety. Visit www.fosterfarms.com to learn more.

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Editors note: For interviews about turkey donations and accompanying community needs, photos and video footage of donations, please contact Heidi White at media@finemanpr.com

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Portland, OR, Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As per the report published by Allied Market Research, the global Vertebral Compression Fracture Devices Market was accounted for $866.7 million in 2020, and is estimated to reach $1.90 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 8.1% from 2021 to 2030.

For Right Perspective and Competitive Insights, Get Sample Report at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/669



Rise in the geriatric population, shift toward minimally invasive spine procedures, and surge in prevalence of spine disorders have boosted the growth of the global vertebral compression fracture devices market. However, unfavorable reimbursement scenarios hinder the market growth. On the contrary, untapped potential in the emerging market is expected to open new opportunities for the market players in the future.

Covid-19 scenario:

The Covid-19 pandemic presented unprecedented challenges in the healthcare industry and had a negative impact on the demand for vertebral compression fracture devices.

The economic slowdown and prolonged pandemic has impacted the demand for vertebral compression fracture devices that are used in surgical procedures that are considered elective.

The report divides the global vertebral compression fracture devices market on the basis of product type, diseases, and region.

Based on product type, the balloon kyphoplasty segment held the largest share in 2020, accounting for more than four-fifths of the market. Moreover, the segment is projected to manifest the highest CAGR of 8.5% during the forecast period. The report includes an analysis of the vertebroplasty segment.

Do You Have Any Query Or Specific Requirement? Ask to Our Industry Expert: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/669



On the basis of diseases, the minimally invasive spine surgery segment held the lions share in 2020, contributing to nearly 90% of the market. Moreover, the segment is estimated to portray the highest CAGR of 8.6% from 2021 to 2030. The report includes an analysis of the open spine surgery segment.

The report offers an analysis of the global vertebral compression fracture devices market across several regions such as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA. The market across North America held the lions share in 2020, accounting for nearly three-fifths of the market. However, the market across Asia-Pacific is anticipated to showcase the highest CAGR of 10.5% during the forecast period.

The global vertebral compression fracture devices market report includes an in-depth analysis of the prime market players such as Alphatec Holdings, Inc. Globus Medical, Inc., Benvenue Medical, Medtronic plc, Johnson & Johnson (Depuy Synthes), Osseon LLC, Orthovita, Inc., VEXIM SA, Stryker Corporation, and Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.

Avenue Basic Plan | Library Access | 1 Year Subscription |

Sign up for Avenue subscription to access more than 12,000+ company profiles and 2,000+ niche industry market research reports at $699 per month, per seat. For a year, the client needs to purchase minimum 2 seat plan.

Request for 14 days free trial: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/avenue/trial/starter





We have also published few syndicated market studies in the similar area that might be of your interest. Below are the report title for your reference, considering Impact of Covid-19 Over This Market which will help you to assess aftereffects of pandemic on short-term and long-term growth trends of this market.

Trending Reports in Healthcare Industry (Book Now with 10% Discount):

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About Us

Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.
Dublin, Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Military Robots Market by Application, Mode of Operation, and Platform: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



Military robots are autonomous or remote-controlled machines designed specifically for military applications such as surveillance, search and rescue, as well as transportation. Robot deployments in modern battles are supported by the changing nature of warfare and the high costs and soldier casualties. High soldier casualties in the past wars have raised concerns and resulted in various governments investing in new robotic systems to maintain a fleet of UUVs, UAVs, and UGVs for critical mission operations.



The investment in military robots and related technologies has become quite important for the defense forces throughout the world. Since military robots systems would result in requirements for lesser warfighters, superior defense capabilities could be made available into previously inaccessible locations, and human losses would be reduced by removing military personnel from dangerous missions, military robots systems would prove to be a big military advantage.



For the purpose of analysis, the report segments the global military robots market based on application, mode of operation, platform, and region. The report outlines the details about major applications of military robots, which include combat support, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), mine clearance, explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), and others. In addition, the study provides information about various modes of operation such as human-operated and autonomous. Furthermore, the platforms covered in the study include airborne robots, land robots, and marine robots. Moreover, it analyses the current market trends of military robots across different regions such as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA and suggests future growth opportunities by analyzing the government regulations & policies.



Key Benefits

This study presents analytical depiction of the global military robots market analysis along with current trends and future estimations to depict imminent investment pockets.

The overall military robots market opportunity is determined by understanding profitable trends to gain a stronger foothold.

The report presents information related to the key drivers, restraints, and opportunities of the global military robots market with a detailed impact analysis.

The current military robots market is quantitatively analyzed from 2021 to 2030 to benchmark the financial competency.

Porter's five forces analysis illustrates the potency of the buyers and suppliers in the industry.

Key Topics Covered:



CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION



CHAPTER 2: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY



CHAPTER 3: MARKET OVERVIEW

3.1. Market definition and scope

3.2. Key findings

3.2.1. Top impacting factors

3.2.2. Top investment pockets

3.2.3. Top winning strategies

3.3. Porter's five forces analysis

3.4. Key player positioning, 2020

3.5. Market dynamics

3.5.1. Drivers

3.5.1.1. Increase in investments to develop autonomous systems throughout the world

3.5.1.2. Rise in demand for underwater drones for defense and security applications

3.5.2. Restraints

3.5.2.1. High cost of military drones

3.5.2.2. Communication problems associated with autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs)

3.5.3. Opportunities

3.5.3.1. Increasing investment for robotics technologies in unmanned ground vehicles

3.5.3.2. Rise in defense spending globally

3.6. COVID-19 impact analysis

3.6.1. Evolution of outbreak

3.6.2. Micro economic impact analysis

3.6.2.1. Consumer trends

3.6.2.2. Technology trends

3.6.2.3. Regulatory trends

3.6.3. Macro-economic impact analysis

3.6.3.1. GDP

3.6.3.2. Import/export analysis

3.6.3.3. Employment index

3.6.4. Impact on the military robots industry



CHAPTER 4: MILITARY ROBOTS MARKET, BY APPLICATION

4.1. Overview

4.2. Combat support

4.2.1. Key market trends, growth factors, and opportunities

4.2.2. Market size and forecast, by region

4.2.3. Market analysis, by country

4.3. Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR)

4.3.1. Key market trends, growth factors, and opportunities

4.3.2. Market size and forecast, by region

4.3.3. Market analysis, by country

4.4. Mine clearance

4.4.1. Key market trends, growth factors, and opportunities

4.4.2. Market size and forecast, by region

4.4.3. Market analysis, by country

4.5. Explosive ordnance disposal (EOD)

4.5.1. Key market trends, growth factors, and opportunities

4.5.2. Market size and forecast, by region

4.5.3. Market analysis, by country

4.6. Others

4.6.1. Key market trends, growth factors, and opportunities

4.6.2. Market size and forecast, by region

4.6.3. Market analysis, by country



CHAPTER 5: MILITARY ROBOTS MARKET, BY MODE OF OPERATION

5.1. Overview

5.2. Human operated

5.2.1. Key market trends, growth factors, and opportunities

5.2.2. Market size and forecast, by region

5.2.3. Market analysis, by country

5.3. Autonomous

5.3.1. Key market trends, growth factors, and opportunities

5.3.2. Market size and forecast, by region

5.3.3. Market analysis, by country



CHAPTER 6: MILITARY ROBOTS MARKET, BY PLATFORM

6.1. Overview

6.2. Airborne robots

6.2.1. Key market trends, growth factors, and opportunities

6.2.2. Market size and forecast, by region

6.2.3. Market analysis, by country

6.3. Land robots

6.3.1. Key market trends, growth factors, and opportunities

6.3.2. Market size and forecast, by region

6.3.3. Market analysis, by country

6.4. Marine robots

6.4.1. Key market trends, growth factors, and opportunities

6.4.2. Market size and forecast, by region

6.4.3. Market analysis, by country



CHAPTER 7: MILITARY ROBOTS MARKET, BY REGION



CHAPTER 8: COMPANY PROFILES

8.1. BAE Systems plc

8.1.1. Company overview

8.1.2. Company snapshot

8.1.3. Operating business segments

8.1.4. Product portfolio

8.1.5. Business performance

8.1.6. Key strategic moves and developments

8.2. Elbit Systems Ltd.

8.2.1. Company overview

8.2.2. Company snapshot

8.2.3. Operating business segments

8.2.4. Product portfolio

8.2.5. Business performance

8.2.6. Key strategic moves and developments

8.3. GENERAL DYNAMICS CORPORATION

8.3.1. Company overview

8.3.2. Company snapshot

8.3.3. Operating business segments

8.3.4. Product portfolio

8.3.5. Business performance

8.3.6. Key strategic moves and developments

8.4. ISRAEL AEROSPACE INDUSTRIES LTD. (IAI)

8.4.1. Company overview

8.4.2. Company snapshot

8.4.3. Operating business segments

8.4.4. Product portfolio

8.4.5. Business performance

8.4.6. Key strategic moves and developments

8.5. LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION

8.5.1. Company overview

8.5.2. Company snapshot

8.5.3. Operating business segments

8.5.4. Product portfolio

8.5.5. Business performance

8.5.6. Key strategic moves and developments

8.6. NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORPORATION

8.6.1. Company overview

8.6.2. Company snapshot

8.6.3. Operating business segments

8.6.4. Product portfolio

8.6.5. Business performance

8.6.6. Key strategic moves and developments

8.7. Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd.

8.7.1. Company overview

8.7.2. Company snapshot

8.7.3. Product portfolio

8.7.4. Key strategic moves and developments

8.8. RHEINMETALL AG

8.8.1. Company overview

8.8.2. Company snapshot

8.8.3. Operating business segments

8.8.4. Product portfolio

8.8.5. Business performance

8.8.6. Key strategic moves and developments

8.9. SAAB AB

8.9.1. Company overview

8.9.2. Company snapshot

8.9.3. Operating business segments

8.9.4. Product portfolio

8.9.5. Business performance

8.9.6. Key strategic moves and developments

8.10. THALES GROUP

8.10.1. Company overview

8.10.2. Company snapshot

8.10.3. Operating business segments

8.10.4. Product portfolio

8.10.5. Business performance

8.10.6. Key strategic moves and developments

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/o6aoko
KING OF PRUSSIA, PA, Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The American College of Financial Services is proud to announce a contribution of $1 million by New York Life, Americas largest1 and most admired2 mutual life insurer, and a contribution of $250,000 by the New York Life Foundation, for the American College Center for Economic Empowerment and Equality. These major gifts, announced at the 15th annual Conference of African American Financial Professionals (CAAFP), are some of the first The College has received in support of The Colleges commitment to closing the racial wealth gap with lasting collective, community-focused solutions. For its leadership, New York Life will be recognized as a Founders Circle donor and the New York Life Foundation will be recognized as a Partnership Circle donor to the Center.

The generous support of New York Life and the New York Life Foundation is a seed of opportunity to take huge strides towards measurable impact in our collective effort to promote economic justice and uplift underserved communities, said George Nichols III, President and CEO of The American College of Financial Services. We are tremendously grateful for these critical investments that will allow the Center for Economic Empowerment and Equality to collaborate with others seeking to write a new narrative in history around economic equity and social justice.

New York Life and the New York Life Foundations financial support will help with the expansion of the Centers Four Steps Forward initiative and programs to reach underserved communities and increase their opportunities for economic mobility, as well as educate and empower Black financial professionals as they start and grow their careers. This seed funding is critical to expanding the Centers financial education programs for Black women, bolstering the Centers scholarship programs for HBCU and early-career financial professionals, and implementing a new approach to study groups for Black financial professionals.

Growing and developing a diverse and educated force of financial professionals who mirror the diversity of our communities is aligned with New York Lifes mission of providing financial security and peace of mind to our customers,  said New York Life Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ted Mathas. We are proud to partner with The College to help provide access and education to financial professionals of color so that more families in America have a chance to build financial security and economic mobility.

New York Lifes contributions align with the companys initiatives to close the racial wealth gap, which includes the companys $1 billion impact investment initiative. As part of this initiative, New York Life is partnering with diverse asset managers, federally chartered community development financial institutions, and other mission-driven organizations to invest in underserved and undercapitalized communities over the next three years with a focus on supporting small businesses, affordable housing, and community development. Overall, New York Life has a longstanding record of supporting organizations that support the Black community. During the last 20 years, the company has provided more than $28 million to such organizations.

Inspired by New York Lifes tradition of service and humanity, the New York Life Foundation invests in programs that benefit young people, focused on educational enhancement and childhood bereavement support. In particular, it recognizes the systemic inequities in the educational system. Since 2014, the New York Life Foundation has dedicated over $63 million in grants and programs to support education for middle school youth students and since its founding in 1979, it has made nearly $380 million in charitable contributions to national and local nonprofit organizations.

Learn more about The Center for Economic Empowerment and Equality and our committed partners at Equality/TheAmericanCollege.edu.

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ABOUT THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF FINANCIAL SERVICES

The American College of Financial Services was founded in 1927 and is the nations largest nonprofit educational institution devoted to financial services. Holding the highest level of academic accreditation, The College has educated one in five financial advisors across the United States and offers two masters degrees in management and financial services, along with prestigious financial planning designations such as the Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP), Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), Wealth Management Certified Professional (WMCP), Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP), Chartered Special Needs Consultant (ChSNC), Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC), and education leading to the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) certification. The Colleges faculty represents some of the foremost thought leaders in the financial services profession. Visit TheAmericanCollege.edu and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

1Based on revenue as reported by Fortune 500 ranked within Industries, Insurance: Life, Health (Mutual), Fortune magazine, 6/1/2021. For methodology, please see http://fortune.com/fortune500/.

2As reported by Fortune 2021 Worlds Most Admired Companies ranking within Insurance (Life and Health), Fortune magazine, 2/1/2021. For methodology, please see https://fortune.com/franchise-list-page/methodology-worlds-most-admired-companies-2021/.
Sandton, South Africa, Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --



CMTrading is helping people learn how to trade like a proproviding educational and training tools needed to become an expert trader. As the largest forex trading platform in Africa for nearly a decade, CMTrading has streamlined the optimal trading process, which begins with education, courtesy of Africas top broker.

CMTrading is among the best-performing brokers in South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria, offering clients access to global markets, through forex, stocks, commodities, cryptocurrencies, and stock indices. But, beyond offering a state-of-the-art trading platform that produces real results for clients, CMTrading provides incomparable educational resources through free, in-person trading seminars in South Africa and Nigeria, as well as online trading webinars. These opportunities allow prospective investors to instantly begin learning how to tradefrom account registration to closing that first tradeeach client receives professional guidance along the way from industry experts. Whether attending in-person or online, attendees tap into specialized educational materials geared toward leveraging capital to maximize profit potential.

When traders sign up for a CMTrading account, there are multiple options with a range of deposit options, segmented as Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Premium Accounts. However, clients at all levels gain access to CMTradings eBooks, market reviews, trading webinars, and videos on demand  because this company is dedicated to help its clients reach their financial goals. At higher deposit amounts, traders gain access to all-inclusive services and customized accounts, including a personalized trading specialist.

CMTrading offers an unparalleled experience that is safe and secure for everyone trading through the online platform, no matter where the trader is located. Utilizing high-level encryption technology, CMTrading ensures every clients funds are kept secure in segregated accountsbacked by leading banks in their native region. Through this process, CMTradings clients are better able to withdraw funds from their accounts safely and easily.

Groundbreaking technology solutions allow CMTrading to keep their clients information protectedbut they also mean traders receive access to the leading trading platforms, including Sirix and MT4, CopyKat, mobile apps, and advanced trading tools. Silver Members and up also get premium trading signals and analytics. In addition to top-tier technology, CMTradings expert team leverages a comprehensive educational libraryoffering customized educational packages, daily market updates, and professional trading seminars and webinars. This company constantly strives for innovation, providing clients with the optimal tools to succeed.

In addition, individuals all over the world can earn high commissions by introducing clients to CMTrading and helping them become successful traders. The companys top Business Developers will provide expert advice, guidance, marketing advice, sales boosts, professional training rooms and, most importantly, a lucrative business model  partners can earn revenue as their clients trade. There are no earning limits.

With CMTrading anyone has access to the limitless earning potential of the largest financial markets in the world. Now is the time to tap into these resources through no-cost, local trading seminars in South Africa and Nigeria. Through online webinars, training and how-to videos, live trading seminars, and eBooks, CMTrading can help traders discover market assets, trading techniques, and strategies to become trading pros in no time. CMTrading is experiencing rapid growthbecoming the broker of choice for over one million clients around the world. Invest with confidence through CMTradingan FSCA-regulated, and award-winning broker.

About CMTrading

Established in 2012, CMTrading has carved a niche in the trading industryestablishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with. Following the motto, Founded by traders, for traders, CMTrading strives to deliver quality service and a best-in-class trading experience for every client. With branches strategically located around the globe, CMTrading ensures every trader has access to the best educational materials and resources, state-of-the-art trading platforms, and the most advanced trading tools the industry offers. CMTrading has been recognized for its success and effortsreceiving several awards, including Best Financial Broker Africa, for five consecutive years, from 2017 through 2021.

https://thenewsfront.com/learn-to-trade-like-a-champion-with-cmtradings-expert-trading-seminars/
OAKVILLE, Ontario, Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The family of Chloe Kaniusis, who was killed in an impaired driving crash in 2014, will be joined by Red Deer Mayor Ken Johnston and representatives from Red Deer RCMP, Fire Services and Emergency Medical Services on November 1st to launch MADD Canadas national Project Red Ribbon campaign to promote sober driving during the holiday season.



Chloe and her mother, Brenda Brown, were returning home from a Christmas shopping trip in Red Deer on November 21, 2014 when an impaired driver hit their vehicle. Chloe died instantly. Brenda was pinned inside the wreckage for three hours, her beloved daughter just out of her reach. A mother of two young sons, a wife, a daughter  Chloe was just 30 years old when she was taken so horribly and so tragically from her heartbroken family.

This years Project Red Ribbon campaign materials honour Chloes memory.

With the holiday season being one of the busiest times on most social calendars, Project Red Ribbon reminds Canadians about the importance of always driving sober, or planning ahead for a sober ride home if alcohol, cannabis or other drugs are being consumed.

Media are invited to attend the national launch event: Date & Time: Monday, November 1, 2021 at 11 a.m. Location: RCMP North Red Deer Detachment  6592 58 Avenue, Red Deer, Alberta Guest Speakers: Brenda Brown, Mother of Chloe Kaniusis and MADD Red Deer Vice-President Red Deer Mayor Ken Johnston Sgt. Michael Zufferli, Red Deer RCMP Traffic Services Platoon Chief Kevin Bettesworth, Red Deer Emergency Services Stephanie Theede, Vice-President of Human Resources, KAG Canada Jaymie-Lyne Hancock, MADD Canada National President Photo Opportunities: Traditional red ribbon cutting, and tying of red ribbons on police vehicles. At 3 p.m., MADD Canada representatives will join police for a special sobriety checkpoint. Safety Protocols: To keep the event as safe as possible, all participants and attendees must have received two COVID-19 vaccinations (the second being a minimum of two weeks ago), and bring proof of vaccination. Children under 12 are exempt. In addition, proper distancing protocols will be followed and masks will be required.

Project Red Ribbon runs from November 1, 2021 to January 3, 2022. Throughout the campaign, MADD Canada volunteers in communities across Canada distribute thousands of red ribbons and red ribbon car decals to the public to display as a symbol of their commitment to always drive sober. The ribbons also serve as a powerful tribute to the thousands of Canadians killed and injured in crashes involving alcohol and/or drugs each year.

MADD Canada thanks its 2021 Project Red Ribbon sponsors for their generous support: Irving Oil, KAG Canada, Uber, BMO Financial Group and Economical Insurance. For a full list of this years sponsors and coin box partners, visit https://madd.ca/pages/giving/sponsors-and-donors/our-sponsors/.




St. Petersburg, FL, Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Smith & Associates Real Estate, a longtime supporter of Tampa Bays art scene, has commissioned local artist, Derek Donnelly, to complete another aspiring outdoor mural to adorn their Fourth Street office in downtown St. Petersburg. Donnelly is one of the most popular and celebrated artists in St. Petersburg. His work can be seen throughout town and has become synonymous with promoting the local, unique flavor of the area. With work underway, the artist says the technique he is using has never been done before in St. Petersburg.

I am ecstatic to be doing this project. This mural will have a vintage feel with a nod to the unique culture of St. Pete, says Donnelly. Adding, the immense inspiration and support from the people of our area are what keeps me going and gives these projects purpose.

Donnelly is using a style he developed that he has not done on a large scale in the area yet, called copper patina. This technique creates a timeless, weathered look that appears rustic. The scenic process is performed by using a few colors to create an aged copper tone. With a design that honors the culture of St. Pete, this vintage large-scale painting will serve as an excellent introduction to tourists of the flourishing mural scene in St. Pete and represents the artistic support of the community.

For Bob Glaser, President and CEO of Smith & Associates Real Estate, having a mural along Fourth Street seemed like a natural way of bringing more art to the community. Much like street artists have strived to bring art to the masses, the outdoor murals throughout St. Petersburg are a way to bring art to the people. With outdoor art, you dont have to pay a gallery entrance fee to see something beautiful. We think St. Petersburg is a remarkable place to live and Dereks design reflects the love we have for this community, says Glaser. Smith recently unveiled another mural at the Beach Drive location with art by Ya Laford.

The burgeoning art scene is one of the things that locals and tourists alike enjoy about downtown St. Petersburg. Outdoor murals have represented a major part of the artistic character and culture of the urban core and beyond. To view the mural, visit 1100 4th St N, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.

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About Smith & Associates Real Estate

Founded in 1969, Smith & Associates Real Estate is Tampa Bay's largest independent and locally-owned real estate brokerage, with a commitment to exceptional service and superior market knowledge. Deeply embedded in the community and comprised of six strategically located offices in the Tampa Bay area, 280 associates, an annual sales volume of $1.6 billion, and over 2,400 transactions a year. Smith & Associates Real Estate is the number one luxury brokerage firm of $1M + residences with 15.4% of the market share and an average price of $1.87M* (*average of luxury transactions as of December 31, 2020). The company completes seven transactions a day and is a nationally recognized leader in the Real Estate industry. For more information on Smith & Associates Real Estate, please visit smithandassociates.com.

Follow Smith & Associates on Social Media:

https://www.facebook.com/SmithAndAssociatesRE/

https://www.instagram.com/smithandassociates/

https://twitter.com/Smith_Associate

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Moscow, Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- An international conference on bioremediation (biological cleanup) of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems of the Arctic coast was held in Moscow this past week. Leading scientists in remediation of contaminated soil and water bodies from Russia, Canada, the United States and Finland attended the event. Discussions were held as part of the plan of major events in connection with the Russian Chairmanship of the Arctic Council in 20212023, operated by the Roscongress Foundation.

The Arctics fragile ecosystems are increasingly becoming exposed to technogenic pollution, including oil products. One of the most promising directions of pollution elimination is the use of microorganisms to decompose pollutants.

Russia has a strong scientific community in the field of bioremediation, which has had a positive experience of interaction with scientists from Norway, the United States and Canada. And we need to keep working together. The path from scientific development to practical application is often long and difficult, said Pavel Krasilnikov, corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, doctor of biological sciences and acting dean of the faculty of soil science at Lomonosov Moscow State University. Russia's chairmanship in the Arctic Council may help the government and businesses pay attention to the achievements of scientists in the field of northern nature restoration.

Each specialist presented their experience in research and practical application of bioremediation technologies to restore Arctic nature. The effectiveness of biological methods in a comprehensive approach to the cleanup of contaminated areas was highlighted.

Biological cleaning methods are most effective in the Arctic due to the increasingly intensive development of the region, including the growth of hydrocarbon production, cargo traffic and the size of the population. Not only can they be used during the elimination of the consequences of emergencies but also for prevention and early detection of vulnerable areas, said Mikhail Makarov, doctor of biological sciences and acting director of the Murmansk Marine Biological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

The prospects of international scientific cooperation were also discussed during the conference. In particular, a joint project of scientists from Russia, Norway and Finland to create innovative biotechnology for the comprehensive restoration of oil-polluted Arctic coastlines as part of the Kolarctic, a cross-border cooperation program, was discussed.

We see great potential in studying the influence of microorganisms on the decomposition of petroleum products. Such methods are especially effective in the phase after mechanical cleaning of a contaminated area or when other methods are not feasible, said Kirsten Jorgensen, an expert from the Finnish Environmental Institute.

The results of the practical application of bioremediation methods were presented. Graeme Spiers, professor Emeritus of Environmental Geology at Laurentian University (Ontario, Canada), reported on soil remediation and afforestation of former industrial and mining sites in Canada.

Conference participants noted that bioremediation projects play a significant role in improving environmental safety in the Arctic. The importance of scaling up methods in a way that is safe and technologically sound was particularly highlighted.

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Gallatin, TN, Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SERVPRO, a leader in the cleaning, restoration, and construction industries, was honored with the Corporate Hero Award by the First Responders Childrens Foundation at their annual gala and concert  A Celebration of Heroes  held in honor of National First Responders Day, observed today, October 28. National First Responders Day was designated by the U.S. Congress in 2019 to honor those who are first on the scene in critical situations.

During the Celebration of Heroes, the First Responders Childrens Foundation presented a Hero Award to a member of each first responder category: police officer, firefighter, paramedic/EMT, nurse, medical personnel, and 911 dispatcher, in addition to presenting the Corporate Hero Award to SERVPRO.

SERVPRO CEO Rick Isaacson accepted the Corporate Hero Award on behalf of the franchise system, which consists of more than 1,900 locally owned and operated franchises in the U.S. and Canada. SERVPRO donated $100,000 to the foundation this summer and has been working on a strategy to localize the relationships among SERVPRO franchises, their communities first responder organizations, and the First Responders Childrens Foundation.

SERVPRO and first responders have a natural relationship, Isaacson said. Our franchises and crews see the brave work of these heroes every day as SERVPRO heads towards disaster, after first responders address emergency situations, to help clean up and restore homes, businesses, and lives.

The partnership between SERVPRO and the First Responders Childrens Foundation is helping to connect eager supporters with deserving recipients of the foundations mission. This will be showcased on ESPN during the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl in December and during multiple Toy Express events across the country.

SERVPRO is proud to support the children and families of these brave men and women who selflessly help others, and we are humbled to be honored with the Corporate Hero Award, Isaacson said. But make no mistake, first responders are the real heroes, owed a debt of gratitudenot only on National First Responders Day but every day.

The 20th annual event, held October 27 at New York Citys City Winery, raises money for the foundation which provides financial support to children and families who have lost a parent in the line of duty. Emceed by Bob Saget, the gala included musical performances by Lauren Alaina, the Blind Boys of Alabama, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, Maddie and Tae, Josh Turner, Chris Janson, and Southside Johnny. More than $265,000 has already been raised for families of first responders from the event and concert, which will broadcast on stations throughout the iHeart Radio network on Veterans Day, November 11. For more information about National First Responders Day or to support the First Responders Childrens Foundation, visit 1strcf.org.

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About SERVPRO

For more than 50 years, SERVPRO has been a trusted leader in fire and water cleanup and restoration services, construction, mold mitigation, and biohazard/pathogen remediation. SERVPROs professional services network of more than 1,900 individually owned and operated franchises spans the United States and Canada, responding to property damage emergencies large and small  from million-square-foot commercial facilities to individual homes. When disaster strikes, homeowners, business owners, and major insurance companies alike rely on SERVPRO to make it Like it never even happened.

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Denver, CO, Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Associa Colorado names Andy Weitzel as director of construction and field services.

Mr. Weitzel joins Associa Colorado with many years of construction experience, including a background in project management, construction services, commercial and residential painting, and hospitality. As a skilled leader with experience serving community associations and multi-family properties, Mr. Weitzel has a history of building strong relationships with clients, team members, and subcontractors. In his new position at Associa Colorado, he will lead the branchs construction, maintenance, and capital projects division.

Andys project management and construction services experience makes him the perfect candidate to join the Associa Colorado team, stated Kim Corcoran, CMCA, AMS, PCAM, Associa Colorado president. His leadership will be an asset to our team as we continue to provide our client communities and residents with the best management, maintenance, and project services available.

Mr. Weitzel earned his bachelors degree in recreation, tourism, and hospitality from the University of Northern Colorado.

With more than 200 branch offices across North America, Associa delivers unsurpassed management and lifestyle services to nearly five million residents worldwide. Our 10,000+ team members lead the industry with unrivaled education, expertise and trailblazing innovation. For more than 40 years, Associa has provided solutions designed to help communities achieve their vision. To learn more, visit www.associaonline.com.

Stay Connected:

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Irvine, CA, Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Origence, the leader in lending technology solutions, is reporting continued growth and market strength of credit unions using its CUDL auto lending network to originate indirect loans.

Lenders have funded 1.6 million loans through the CUDL auto lending network, generating $42.6 billion in credit union auto loans, an increase of 14.3% YoY through the third quarter of 2021. Applications also rose in the third quarter, as 5.8 million loan applications were submitted through the CUDL system, an increase of 4.6% YoY. Further reflecting their growing marketplace strength, Origence credit unions have increased auto loans 100.8% since 2013.

Origence reports that used vehicles comprise 74% of all cars financed through the CUDL system YTD, with the remaining 26% being new vehicles.

Credit unions continue to demonstrate their ability to win in the auto lending marketplace, said Tony Boutelle, president and CEO of Origence. We remain focused on delivering innovative lending technology that helps our credit union partners make more loans and create a better member experience.

Origence credit union partners, as an aggregate, have been the nations largest auto lender overall since 2017, and have experienced 16.3% loan growth YoY. More than 1,120 credit unions, serving 52 million members, are utilizing the companys industry-leading network of lending technology, including its innovative lending platforms and online auto shopping tools.

Origence also noted that their CUDL AutoSMART auto shopping program has grown to include 940 credit union branded digital storefronts in the third quarter, connecting 14,000 dealers and 1.5 million vehicles to millions of credit union members. The program had a 40% increase in lead generation activity for dealers between year-end 2019 and year-end 2020.

# # #

About Origence

Origence, a CU Direct brand, provides lending technology that enhances the origination experience to increase loan volume, create efficiencies, and grow accounts. With Origence, financial institutions can provide consumer, indirect, and home equity loans with greater efficiency and increased scale while also delivering a convenient and personalized experience to borrowers. Solutions also include marketing and CRM, auto shopping, outsourced loan processing, and more. Origence is headquartered in Irvine, California. For more information, visit www.origence.com and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
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HAMILTON, Ontario, Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reliq Health Technologies Inc. (TSXV:RHT or OTCQB:RQHTF) (Reliq or the Company), a rapidly growing global telemedicine company that specializes in developing innovative Virtual Care solutions for the multi-billion dollar Healthcare market, today announced that the annual audited consolidated financial statements (Financial Statements) and Managements Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) for the year ended June 30, 2021, are now available on the Companys profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com).



We have now filed our annual audited financials for Fiscal Year 2021, said Dr. Lisa Crossley, CEO of Reliq Health Technologies, Inc. As we have previously stated, revenues in FY 2021 were relatively flat due to the global pandemic. Subsequent to June 30, 2021, however, we have seen rapid growth both in terms of new clients/contracts and revenues. As reflected in the financials, there was a significant increase in sales towards the end of Q4 FY 2021 such that revenues for Q4 were 25% higher than revenues in Q3. That exponential growth trajectory continued in Q1 FY 2022 (quarter ending September 30, 2021) and we remain on track to reach a revenue run rate of $2 Million/month by the end of Calendar Year 2021. Margins increased from 15% in FY 2020 to 58% for FY 2021. In 2022, the majority of our revenue will come from software and services instead of hardware, which will allow us to achieve our targets of 75% gross margins and 45% EBITDA margins.

We would like to remind shareholders that we cannot issue invoices or recognize revenue until a given patient has been on the platform for a full month, per the reimbursement requirements for Medicare and Medicaid, continued Dr. Crossley. As a result, the revenue run rate at the end of a given month, which is calculated based on the number of active subscriptions to Reliqs software and services at that time, isnt reflected in the financials until the following month. Revenue is typically collected within 60 days of the invoice date, however during the pandemic we extended generous payment terms to our clients and were fortunate to receive equally generous payment terms from our suppliers. All outstanding receivables shown in the FY 2021 Financial Statements will be collected by the end of Q1 Calendar Year 2022 in accordance with the payment plan agreements we have with our clients.

The Company is also pleased to provide the following corporate update.

1. Highlights from FY2021 Annual Audited Financial Statements



During the period ending June 30, 2021 and subsequent, the Company:

Increased gross margin to 58% for FY 2021, as compared to gross margins of 15% for the year ended June 30, 2020 (FY 2020), in keeping with the Companys guidance that gross margins will increase to 75% by December 31, 2021.



Increased revenue quarter-over-quarter for Q4 FY 2021 by 25%, with the increase primarily occurring in the latter part of June, consistent with the Companys guidance that the majority of its growth would occur in the second half of Calendar Year 2021.





Launched the iUGO Home solution, a highly scalable solution that was designed to support patients in their own homes or in residential care settings such as long-term care, skilled nursing and hospice facilities. The iUGO Home solution provides fall detection with automated alerts to the patients care team, medication reminders for the patient, two-way audio communication and automated geofencing-based alerts to the care team or family members if a patient wanders outside a defined area.





Launched a new multilingual Interactive Voice Recognition product, iUGO Voice.





Adopted the FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) standard for its iUGO Care platform to meet the needs of large-scale enterprise clients such as managed care plans and other payers, who must comply with new CMS regulations for interoperability.





Expanded its platform to provide virtual care services to HIV patients.





Initiated investor outreach programs to build awareness of the Company and its significant growth potential among potential investors, particularly in the US investment community. The Company engaged Lytham Partners for US Investor Relations and Wall Street Reporter for Investor Marketing.





Subsequent to June 30, 2021, the Company signed contracts with over 30 new customers in the continental US, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.



2. Date for Webinar to Review Q1 FY2022 Financials and Provide Updated Guidance for 2022



The Companys consolidated financial statements for Q1 FY2022 (quarter ending September 30, 2021) are due to be filed on or before November 29, 2021. The webinar to review the financial statements will be scheduled on or before November 30, 2021. At that time the Company will provide updated guidance for Calendar Year 2022.



About Reliq Health

Reliq Health Technologies is a rapidly growing global telemedicine company that develops innovative Virtual Care solutions for the multi-billion dollar Healthcare market. Reliqs powerful iUGO Care platform supports care coordination and community-based healthcare. iUGO Care allows complex patients to receive high quality care at home, improving health outcomes, enhancing quality of life for patients and families and reducing the cost of care delivery. iUGO Care provides real-time access to remote patient monitoring data, allowing for timely interventions by the care team to prevent costly hospital readmissions and ER visits. Reliq Health Technologies trades on the TSX Venture under the symbol RHT and on the OTCQB as RQHTF.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Dr. Lisa Crossley

CEO and Director

For further information please contact:

Company Contact

Investor Relations at ir@reliqhealth.com

US Investor Relations Contact

Investor Relations

Lytham Partners, LLC

Ben Shamsian

New York | Phoenix

646-829-9701

shamsian@lythampartners.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward Looking Information

Certain statements in this press release constitute forward-looking statements, within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements that are not historical facts, including without limitation, statements regarding future estimates, plans, programs, forecasts, projections, objectives, assumptions, expectations or beliefs of future performance, are "forward-looking statements".

We caution you that such "forward-looking statements" involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual and future events to differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.

Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to commercial operations, including technology development, anticipated revenues, projected size of market, and other information that is based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management.

Reliq Health Technologies Inc. (the "Company") does not intend and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements except as required by law. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties relating to, among other things, technology development and marketing activities, the Company's historical experience with technology development, uninsured risks. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

SOURCE: Reliq Health Technologies Inc.
Fort Myers, Florida, Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, the Lee Health Board of Directors approved plans to move forward in planning a new hospital campus in the City of Fort Myers. Tentatively known as Lee Health Colonial Campus, the property will sit on 52 acres of land along Challenger Blvd. between Colonial Blvd. and Winkler Ave.

The Board of Directors approved proceeding with issuing a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for architectural services, construction management and commissioning authorities as a first step in developing the hospital campus. The RFQ process identifies well-qualified firms that wish to work with Lee Health to undertake this project.

We anticipate the campus will include an acute care hospital with 216 beds, 16 operating rooms, an emergency department with 30 emergency room bays, and a 16-bed observation unit. An observation unit allows a patient to stay in the hospital while their care team determines whether they need to be admitted or discharged. The campus will also house a complement of ancillary and social services and will include a Medical Office Building. Lee Healths data center will move to the new campus.

Lee Health is planning a medical destination aimed at innovating health care in Southwest Florida. Our area is one of the fastest-growing regions in the country, and this new hospital campus will ensure that everyone has the access to the quality health care they deserve, said Dr. Larry Antonucci, president & CEO for Lee Health. Lee Health is committed to growing with our community and staying current with trends in the delivery of health care to provide the best possible care for our patients. We look forward to working with community leaders as this project moves forward to ensure we are meeting all of the needs of our patients and our community.

As Lee Health is developing this new location and evaluating its services and the needs of the community, Lee Memorial Hospital will continue to offer clinical services, including an emergency department, inpatient beds, and surgical services for the Fort Myers community.

Lee Health is committed to working with the City of Fort Myers throughout the process of developing the new campus and will continue to serve the downtown area of Fort Myers. The health system will undertake a visioning process to determine the best use of the Lee Memorial property to meet the needs of the community into the future.

The City of Fort Myers is excited to welcome a new, state-of-the-art, health care destination within our city limits. Lee Health has served our city for more than 100 years, and this project exemplifies their commitment to our community by expanding access to high-quality health care, said Kevin Anderson, mayor of the City of Fort Myers. I want to thank Lee Health for engaging community leaders to ensure that all of the health care needs of our community are met with this project, and I look forward to working together on the Lee Health Colonial Campus and the future of health care in the downtown area.

This project is the latest in a long line of investments in our community to expand access to health care throughout our region. Gulf Coast Medical Center is wrapping up a $315 million expansion project that will culminate in the transfer of the Regional Trauma Center from Lee Memorial and Lee Health recently announced $150 million in expansion plans in the City of Cape Coral. In 2018, Lee Health opened Lee Health Coconut Point, a full-service medical destination in Estero. Also, in 2017, Lee Health opened the regions only childrens hospital  Golisano Childrens Hospital of Southwest Florida  a $250 million investment in the community.

The permitting process for the new, state-of-the-art campus is expected to take about two years. After that portion of the project is complete, the build timeline is estimated to take an additional three years. The anticipated opening date of the campus is 2027.

Lee Health will announce detailed plans of the new hospital and services offered as they become available.

About Lee Health

Since the opening of the first hospital in 1916, Lee Health has been a health care leader in Southwest Florida, constantly evolving to meet the needs of the community. A non-profit, integrated health care services organization, Lee Health is committed to the well-being of every individual served, focused on healthy living and maintaining good health. Staffed by caring people, inspiring health, services are conveniently located throughout the community in four acute care hospitals, two specialty hospitals, outpatient centers, walk-in medical centers, primary care and specialty physician practices and other services across the continuum of care. Learn more at www.LeeHealth.org.
OAKLAND, Calif., Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Affirmed Housing, a leading provider of affordable housing throughout California, announces the completion of Aurora, a new, supportive housing development with on-site services to help people experiencing homelessness live more stable lives. A virtual ceremony was held to commemorate the projects grand opening and included special guests Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and Councilmember Dan Kalb. While touring Aurora prior to its grand opening, U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Marcia Fudge touted the project as a great example of how multiple stakeholders can successfully work together to house people experiencing homelessness.



Ensuring housing security is the best investment our government can make, and thats our charge in this moment  to demonstrate to policy makers that putting a roof over someones head is investing in their health, their productivity, their contribution to society  and thats exactly what Aurora does, said Mayor Libby Schaaf. This project is a shining example of first-class development that goes beyond delivering just housing, but also provides residents with on-site services and care. Oakland is proud to be a partner in Auroras development.

Situated on a formerly vacant car wash just three blocks from the MacArthur BART Station, Aurora brings critically needed, affordable housing targeted to the regions most vulnerable population while serving as a resource to help revitalize the area. Its proximity to several off-site amenities, such as retail, dining and grocery stores, offers enhanced livability and seamless integration into the surrounding neighborhood. On-site, specialized homelessness prevention counselors are available to residents with supportive services relating to mental health, job training and referrals, and various other needs.

Aurora is proof of how a dedicated team can transform an underutilized infill site into a vibrant transit-oriented project that residents and communities can be proud of, said Rob Wilkins, Affirmed Housings Vice President of Northern California. Affirmed Housing is grateful to have partners who understand and recognize the powerful impact that our process of supportive housing has when it comes to providing care for individuals and resources that foster greater urban livability.

Leveraging Affirmed Housings strengths, the development involved community engagement and complex financing and permitting expertise. The company was able to skillfully align Auroras various funding sources on the same timeline to move the project forward. After purchasing the site from another developer, Affirmed Housing quickly transformed an approved market-rate project into a 100% supportive housing development, while still maintaining the design standard for market-rate rentals to ensure successful integration into the surrounding community. Aurora was funded by a diverse group of stakeholders, including the City of Oakland, Alameda County, California Department of Housing and Community Development, Federal Affordable Housing Program General Fund, California Municipal Finance Authority, and Oakland Housing Authority.

The five-story, 44-unit development leverages Housing First methods that combine on-site social services with permanent, independent and affordable rental apartments in addition to approximately 3,000 square feet of commercial space on the ground floor. Amenities include two laundry rooms with six washers and dryers, case manager offices, a computer room with free internet access, a community room and an outdoor courtyard. An additional outdoor common space is located on the rooftop terrace, with views of Downtown Oakland, the bay, and sightlines to San Francisco.

Affirmed Housings development partners for Aurora include DAHLIN Group Architecture Planning, Cahill Contractors, BKF Engineers, Jett Landscaping and Bay Area Community Services.

About Affirmed Housing

Affirmed Housing is a leader in affordable, multifamily housing development, delivering safe, sustainable, high-quality communities for families, veterans, seniors and people experiencing homelessness. The company works with municipalities and private owners throughout the state to promote housing stability and neighborhood well-being by leveraging deep expertise in public finance, low-income housing tax credits, and tax-exempt bond finance, as well as site selection, engineering, architecture, construction, relocation and marketing. Since 1992, Affirmed Housing has secured more than $1.85 billion in total financing to successfully complete 55 communities and house more than 10,000 vulnerable residents. The company has offices in San Diego and San Jose. Visit: www.affirmedhousing.com.
SAN DIEGO, Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Golden States Greens wants the community to join them at their Point Loma dispensary for an end of the year customer appreciation party and food drive that includes live music, giveaways and free food from Gringas Tacos, leading into the upcoming holiday season.

The event is being held to support the local community and doubles down on its commitment to remain consistent in being community-minded. "This is one more way for us to acknowledge community needs and do our best to meet the demands," said Golden States Green Chief Marketing Officer Alex Leon.

On Friday, Oct. 29, Golden State Greens is partnering with Punk Rock Food Drive and Lowell Farms to benefit the San Diego Food Bank and The Harm Reduction Coalition of San Diego to talk about the role cannabis plays in the harm reduction community and how to keep communities safe.

"It's important for us to make sure that the community knows we're here to support them in a variety of ways," Leon said. "Going into the holiday season especially, there's a real need in the community, and we want to provide platforms for organizations in order to help further their altruistic endeavors."

A core principle of Golden States Greens is education, which translates to taking its customers on an elevated journey along their cannabis experience. "We invest our energy and money into what our community needs so they know that our commitment is meaningful and authentic," Leon said.

The Cannabis You Can Trust Brand has partnered with several musicians, featuring members of Slightly Stoopid, Pink, Parliament Funkadelic, The Pharcyde, Fishbone, Hirie and others, with BEEB$ Music as the event's co-producer. Lowell Farms, which offers high-quality cannabis oil, flower and pre-rolls is also an event sponsor.

Leon said that Golden State Greens is a dispensary that recognizes the social responsibility to create a friendly, family-oriented environment, which initiates community awareness and inspires compassion. "We're the brand that wants our customers to understand that giving back is an important aspect of what we do," he said. "We never lose sight of that because it's embedded in our core values."

The food drive and music event is being held at 3453 Hancock Street in San Diego from 4 to 9 p.m. The event will be livestreamed on Trubify. For more information on Golden State Greens, visit www.goldenstategreens.com. Press inquiries for Punk Rock Food Drive, contact Jason at 760-594-0926. Press inquiries for Harm Reduction Coalition of San Diego, contact Tara at 619-961-0527.

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2021 Third Quarter Results Include:



Stockholders Equity of $2,084.5 million.

Financial Debt of 12.2 percent from Stockholders Equity.

Accumulated Financial expenses decreased 29.8 percent.

Consolidated revenues increased 23.5 percent.

Long-term contract for 3 specialized vessels (Mud-vessels).



MEXICO CITY, Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Grupo TMM, S.A.B. (OTC: GTMAY and BMV: TMM A; TMM or the Company), a Mexican Maritime-management transportation and logistics Company, reported today its financial results for the third quarter of 2021.

Jose F. Serrano, Chairman of Grupo TMM, said, With its proven experience and the confidence of its clients, Grupo TMM is capitalizing on opportunities by carrying out projects such as the hiring of specialized vessels (Mud-vessels), as well as forming strategic alliances with world-renowned companies to commercialize fuels in the national territory.

The Company continues its financial recovery quarter by quarter in both revenues and EBITDA, thanks to the generation of new ship contracts, the restart of cruise agency activities, the rebound in work at the Shipyard, as well as the increase in bulk carrier trips to South America.

The General Management and its collaborators continue to focus on increasing the market share of the Company's businesses, offering its clients integrated transportation, logistics, warehousing and distribution services; relying on the strategies of technological transformation, cost optimization and customer diversification.

THIRD-QUARTER 2021 OPERATING AND FINANCIAL RESULTS

Consolidated revenue in the third quarter of 2021 was $371.3 million, compared to $271.3 million in the same period of the previous year. Consolidated revenue for the first nine months of 2021 was $940.3 million compared to $906.6 million for the same period of the previous year. The Company continues its recovery trend quarter by quarter, thanks to at the start of operation of the specialized vessels recently hired by one of our main clients, also its diversification and customer service strategy, and the gradual reactivation of the economy, as well as of the energy industry.

The consolidated operating result in the third quarter of 2021 resulted in a loss of $11.2 million, $11.0 million of which was from non-recurring operations. The consolidated operating result in the first nine months of 2021 resulted in a loss of $142.9 million, of which $69.6 million was from non-recurring operations, representing 48.7 percent, mainly due to the sale of the chemical tanker Olmeca during the first quarter of the year.

Maritime revenue in the third quarter 2021 was $287.5 million compared to $171.4 million in the same period of the previous year, mainly due to the start of operations of the three specialized vessels called Mud-Vessels, a greater number of calls in the bulk carrier segment, and a greater number of jobs in the shipyard derived from the gradual recovery of the industry, partially offset by the decrease in volume transported in parcel tankers. Maritime revenue in the first nine months of the year was $670.3 million, compared to $553.7 million for the same period of the previous year.

Maritime operating income in the third quarter of 2021 was $40.5 million compared to $15.2 million in the same period of the previous year. During the first nine months of 2021, Maritime operating income was $60.2 million compared with $37.8 of the same period last year.

Maritime EBITDA in the third quarter of 2021 was $44.2 million and EBITDA margin was 15.4 percent. For the first nine months 2021, Maritime EBITDA was $72.6 million and accumulated EBITDA margin was 10.8 percent.

Ports and Terminals revenues in the third quarter of 2021 was $51.2 million, compared to $69.1 million for the same period of the previous year. During the first nine months of 2021, Ports and Terminals revenue was $177.4 million, still being affected by the prolonged impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ports and Terminals operations results in the quarter resulted in a loss of $5.6 million, compared to a loss of $14.4 million reported in the same period of the previous year. During the first nine months of 2021, the operating result of the Ports and Terminals registered a loss of $14.7 million.

Ports and Terminals EBITDA in the third quarter of 2021 was $1.3 million. For the first nine months 2021, Ports and Terminals EBITDA was $11.2 million and accumulated EBITDA margin was 6.3 percent.

Warehousing Services revenue was $32.6 million in the third quarter of 2021. During the first nine months of 2021, Warehousing Services revenue was $92.5 million.

DEBT

As of September 30, 2021, Grupo TMMs net debt was $178.4 million, and our cash position was $76.2 million. Additionally, the cost of debt decreased 29.8 percent.

Total Debt*  Millions of Mexican Pesos  As of 9/30/21 As of 12/31/20 Short-Term Debt $180.8 $129.1 Long-Term Debt 73.8 53.6 Total Debt $254.6 $182.7 Cash 76.2 143.0 Net Debt $178.4 $39.7 Short-Term Leases $64.1 $58.2 Long-Term Leases 253.6 297.3 Leases IFRS 16 $317.7 $355.5 Stockholders Equity $2,084.5 $2,247.4 Book value per share $20.4 $22.0

*Book Value

Headquartered in Mexico City, Grupo TMM is a Mexican Maritime-management transportation and logistics Company. Through its branch offices and network of subsidiary companies, Grupo TMM provides a dynamic combination of Maritime services port management and logistics. For more information on Grupo TMM, please visit the companys web site at www.grupotmm.com. The site offers Spanish/English language options.

Included in this press release are certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and are based on the beliefs of the Company's management as well as on assumptions made. Actual results could differ materially from those included in such forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainty. The following factors could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements: global, US and Mexican economic and social conditions; the effect of the North American Free Trade Agreement on the level of US-Mexico trade; the condition of the world shipping market; the success of the Company's investment in new businesses; risks associated with the Company's reorganization and restructuring; the ability of the Company to reduce corporate overhead costs; the ability of management to manage growth and successfully compete in new businesses; and the ability of the Company to restructure or refinance its indebtedness. These risk factors and additional information are included in the Company's reports on Form 6-K and 20-F on file with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

Financial tables follow









Grupo TMM, S.A.B. and Subsidiaries

Balance Sheet*

- Millions of Pesos -

September 30, December 31, 2021 2020 Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents Cash in cash and banks 33.5 50.1 Cash and temporary investments 0.9 53.1 Restricted cash 41.9 39.7 Total cash and cash equivalents 76.2 143.0 Accounts receivable Accounts receivable  Net 379.9 228.6 Other accounts receivable 78.7 60.8 Taxes to be recovered 254.7 203.5 Prepaid expenses and others current assets 101.4 86.3 Total current assets 891.0 722.2 Taxes to be recovered long term 238.0 238.0 Property, machinery and equipment 2,785.6 2,894.8 Cumulative Depreciation (320.3) (366.1) Property, machinery and equipment  Net 2,465.3 2,528.7 Rights of use 296.4 354.2 Other assets 204.1 187.5 Total assets 4,094.8 4,030.5 Current liabilities: Bank loans and current maturities of long-term liabilities 180.8 129.1 Leases short-term 64.1 58.2 Suppliers 430.3 229.0 Other accounts payable and accrued expenses 551.9 526.6 Total current liabilities 1,227.1 942.9 Long-term liabilities: Bank loans 73.8 53.6 Leases long-term 253.6 297.3 Deferred taxes 284.3 312.3 Other long-term liabilities 171.4 177.0 Total long-term liabilities 783.2 840.3 Total liabilities 2,010.3 1,783.1 Total stockholders equity 2,084.5 2,247.4 Total liabilities and stockholders equity 4,094.8 4,030.5 *Prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board.









Grupo TMM, S.A.B. and Subsidiaries *Statement of Income - Millions of Pesos - Three months ended

Nine months ended September 30,

September 30, 2021 2020 2021 2020 Maritime 287.5 171.4 670.3 553.7 Ports and Terminals 51.2 69.1 177.4 245.4 Warehousing Services 32.6 30.8 92.5 107.5 Revenue from freight and services 371.3 271.3 940.3 906.6 Maritime (243.3) (146.5) (597.7) 483.9 Ports and Terminals (49.9) (74.8) (166.2) (225.2) Warehousing Services (23.5) (31.9) (68.5) (91.4) Cost of freight and services (316.7) (253.2) (832.4) (800.5) Maritime (3.7) (9.7) (12.5) (32.0) Ports and Terminals (6.9) (8.7) (25.9) (28.1) Warehousing Services (12.1) (10.5) (36.9) (31.2) Depreciation and amortization (22.8) (29.0) (75.2) (91.3) Maritime 40.5 15.2 60.2 37.8 Ports and Terminals (5.6) (14.4) (14.7) (7.9) Warehousing Services (3.0) (11.6) (12.9) (15.1) Results by business 31.8 (10.9) 32.6 14.7 Corporate expenses (30.9) (28.6) (102.7) (79.6) Corporate depreciation and amortization (1.1) (2.1) (3.3) (14.1) Non-recurring (expenses) income (11.0) (207.4) (69.6) (181.5) Operating (loss) gain (11.2) (248.9) (142.9) (260.5) Financial (expenses) income - Net (8.4) (10.0) (18.9) (27.0) Leases financial expenses (9.3) (2.7) (30.0) (22.0) Exchange gain (loss) - Net (7.7) (3.9) 7.8 (54.2) Net financial cost (25.4) (16.5) (41.1) (103.2) (loss) gain before taxes (36.6) (265.4) (184.1) (363.6) Provision for taxes (0.1) (28.0) 21.1 35.9 Net (loss) gain for the period (36.7) (293.4) (162.9) (327.7) Attributable to: Minority interest (0.5) (1.4) (6.8) (4.9) Equity holders of GTMM, S.A.B. (36.2) (292.1) (156.1) (322.8) Weighted average outstanding shares (millions) 102.183 102.183 102.183 102.183 Income (loss) earnings per share (pesos/share) (0.4) (2.9) (1.5) (3.2) Outstanding shares at end of period (millions) 102.183 102.183 102.183 102.183 Income (loss) earnings per share (pesos/share) (0.4) (2.9) (1.5) (3.2) *Prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board.





Grupo TMM, S.A.B. and subsidiaries *Statement of Cash Flow - Millions of Pesos - Three months ended Nine months ended September 30, September 30, 2021

2020 2021 2020 Cash flow from operation activities: Net loss for the period (36.7) (293.4) (162.9) (327.7) Charges (credits) to income not affecting resources: Depreciation & amortization 23.9 31.4 78.5 106.5 Deferred taxes (2.8) 15.5 (28.0) (64.6) Other non-cash items 22.9 162.9 100.7 161.7 Total non-cash items 44.0 209.8 151.2 203.6 Changes in assets & liabilities (36.5) (34.6) (84.3) (121.5) Total adjustments 7.6 175.2 66.9 82.1 Net cash used in operating activities (29.2) (118.3) (96.0) (245.6) Cash flow from investing activities: Proceeds from sales of assets - 0.2 83.5 0.6 Payments for purchases of assets (29.6) (5.3) (41.8) (14.9) Net cash (used in) provided by investment activities (29.6) (5.1) 41.7 (14.4) Cash flow provided by financing activities: Short-term borrowings (net) 44.0 5.8 33.8 (29.2) Repayment of leases (24.5) (18.3) (69.1) (70.3) Proceeds from (repayment of) long-term debt (3.1) 11.2 19.7 (14.6) Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities 16.5 (1.3) (15.6) (114.1) Exchange effect on cash 4.4 (11.2) 3.2 49.7 Net decrease in cash (38.0) (135.8) (66.7) (324.3) Cash at beginning of period 114.2 324.3 143.0 512.8 Cash at end of period 76.2 188.5 76.2 188.5 *Prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board.




Accra, Ghana / Philadelphia, PA, Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, former United States Congressman and CEO of Fattah Neuroscience Global Advisors, Chaka Fattah, delivered a powerful virtual lecture during the 15th Annual International Conference of the Society of Neuroscientists of Africa (SONA). During his lecture, Fattah announced, African neuroscience is indispensable to the scientific success of the U.S. and global brain projects. If you are searching for answers about the modern human brain, go to the environment in which the human brain emerged.

The allocation decisions of the Research Fund, as envisioned by Fattah, would be completely directed by African science stakeholders. Fattah told attendees, I believe that the support of African governments, institutions, and global partners like the United States, China, EU, and other major funders and stakeholders will be available for these efforts.

Fattah lauded the U.S. National Institute of Healths announcement this week of a $75 million investment for African data science innovation at seven research hubs, all led by African universities.

To view the lecture, CLICK HERE.

About Fattah Neuroscience Global Advisors

Fattah Neuroscience Global Advisors was created to support the advancement of brain research. During his tenure as a U.S. Congressman, Fattah facilitated the creation of the Interagency Working Group on Neuroscience whose flagship project is the Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative, which is focused in part on developing better technologies and tools to accelerate progress in neuroscience.

Attachment
TOKYO, Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Leading semiconductor test equipment supplier Advantest Corporation (TSE: 6857) (the Company) has announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire US based R&D Altanova, Inc. (R&D Altanova).



R&D Altanova is a leading supplier of consumable test interface boards, substrates and interconnects for high-end applications, offering simulation, design, layout, fabrication and assembly of test interface boards which are used by testing equipment in the testing of advanced integrated circuits.

As process nodes continue to shrink, and device complexity grows, advanced capabilities of testing devices are becoming increasingly important to manufacturers of semiconductors for high-end applications, such as 5G, IoT and cloud computing. R&D Altanova has a long history of successfully innovating solutions for high-performance and high-density printed circuit boards to address the growing needs of advanced testing systems. In combination with Advantests test equipment, these solutions will provide enhanced end-to-end test solutions and bring advanced printed circuit board manufacturing capability to the Company.

Advantest President and CEO Yoshiaki Yoshida commented, "This acquisition is part of our medium- to long-term growth strategy to expand our test and measurement solutions across the continuously evolving semiconductor value chain. R&D Altanova's engineering and manufacturing capabilities, excellent customer base, and first-rate technical team will complement our semiconductor test equipment business. We hope to accelerate the growth of R&D Altanova's business by leveraging our global customer base and production process expertise. I am confident that our customers will be very interested in the high-precision, end-to-end test solutions we will be able to offer as a result of adding R&D Altanova products to our portfolio. To that end, we plan on expanding R&D Altanovas manufacturing footprint in the US to meet an expected increase in demand by our US customers. In addition, R&D Altanova's business is directly linked to our goal of strengthening our recurring business, so I believe that the acquisition will also contribute to diversifying and stabilizing our earnings base.

R&D Altanova, which is headquartered in South Plainfield, New Jersey, will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Advantest America, Inc., Advantests U.S. subsidiary. The closing of the transaction is tied to regulatory approvals, which we expect in the fourth calendar quarter of 2021.

The financial advisors on this acquisition were GCA Advisors, LLC, and the legal advisors were Stoel Rives LLP and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP.

About Advantest Corporation

Advantest (TSE: 6857) is the leading manufacturer of automatic test and measurement equipment used in the design and production of semiconductors for applications including 5G communications, the Internet of Things (IoT), autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, smart medical devices and more. Its leading-edge systems and products are integrated into the most advanced semiconductor production lines in the world. The company also conducts R&D to address emerging testing challenges and applications, produces multi-vision metrology scanning electron microscopes essential to photomask manufacturing, and offers groundbreaking 3D imaging and analysis tools. Founded in Tokyo in 1954, Advantest is a global company with facilities around the world and an international commitment to sustainable practices and social responsibility. More information is available at www.advantest.com.

ADVANTEST CORPORATION

Shin-Marunouchi Center Building

1-6-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0005

Tel 03-3214-7500

Contact: Yoichi Oyama, PR Department
MONACO, Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Scorpio Tankers Inc. (NYSE: STNG ) ("Scorpio Tankers," or the "Company") announced today that on Thursday, November 11, 2021, the Company plans to issue its third quarter 2021 earnings press release in the morning (Eastern Standard Time) and host a conference call at 8:30 AM Eastern Standard Time and 2:30 PM Central European Time.



Conference Call Details

Date: Thursday, November 11, 2021

Time: 8:30 AM Eastern Standard Time and 2:30 PM Central European Time

The conference call will be available over the internet, through the Scorpio Tankers Inc. website www.scorpiotankers.com and the webcast Link: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/2d8p5voo

Participants for the live webcast should register on the website approximately 10 minutes prior to the start of the webcast.

The conference will also be available telephonically:

US/CANADA Dial-In Number: 1 (855) 861-2416

International Dial-In Number: +1 (703) 736-7422

Conference ID: 5281973

Participants should dial into the call 10 minutes before the scheduled time.

The information provided on the teleconference is only accurate at the time of the conference call, and the Company will take no responsibility for providing updated information.

About Scorpio Tankers Inc.

Scorpio Tankers is a provider of marine transportation of petroleum products worldwide. The Companys fleet consists of 131 wholly owned, finance leased or bareboat chartered-in tankers (42 LR2, 12 LR1, 63 MR and 14 Handymax) with a weighted average age of approximately 5.8 years. Additional information about the Company is available at the Companys website www.scorpiotankers.com, which is not a part of this press release.

Forward-Looking Statements

Matters discussed in this press release may constitute forwardlooking statements. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides safe harbor protections for forwardlooking statements in order to encourage companies to provide prospective information about their business. Forwardlooking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements, which are other than statements of historical facts. The Company desires to take advantage of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and is including this cautionary statement in connection with this safe harbor legislation. The words believe, expect, anticipate, estimate, intend, plan, target, project, likely, may, will, would, could and similar expressions identify forwardlooking statements.

The forwardlooking statements in this press release are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions, including without limitation, managements examination of historical operating trends, data contained in the Companys records and other data available from third parties. Although management believes that these assumptions were reasonable when made, because these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies which are difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond the Companys control, there can be no assurance that the Company will achieve or accomplish these expectations, beliefs or projections. The Company undertakes no obligation, and specifically declines any obligation, except as required by law, to publicly update or revise any forwardlooking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. In addition to these important factors, other important factors that, in the Companys view, could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forwardlooking statements include unforeseen liabilities, future capital expenditures, revenues, expenses, earnings, synergies, economic performance, indebtedness, financial condition, losses, future prospects, business and management strategies for the management, the length and severity of the ongoing novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, including its effect on demand for petroleum products and the transportation thereof, expansion and growth of the Companys operations, risks relating to the integration of assets or operations of entities that it has or may in the future acquire and the possibility that the anticipated synergies and other benefits of such acquisitions may not be realized within expected timeframes or at all, the failure of counterparties to fully perform their contracts with the Company, the strength of world economies and currencies, general market conditions, including fluctuations in charter rates and vessel values, changes in demand for tanker vessel capacity, changes in the Companys operating expenses, including bunker prices, drydocking and insurance costs, the market for the Companys vessels, availability of financing and refinancing, charter counterparty performance, ability to obtain financing and comply with covenants in such financing arrangements, changes in governmental rules and regulations or actions taken by regulatory authorities, potential liability from pending or future litigation, general domestic and international political conditions, potential disruption of shipping routes due to accidents or political events, vessels breakdowns and instances of offhires, and other factors. Please see the Companys filings with the SEC for a more complete discussion of certain of these and other risks and uncertainties.

Contact Information

Scorpio Tankers Inc.

(212) 542-1616
Palm City - Margaret Jan Crandall passed away at home on November 14. Her daughter Martha and her husband Robert were at her side. Jan Crandall, nee Schmults, was born on June 2, 1935, in Barrington, Rhode Island. During WWII, the family lived in Newport where her father, Ernest, worked at t
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Governor Northam Announces Siemens Gamesa Chooses Virginia to Establish First U.S. Offshore Wind Turbine Blade Facility, Propelling Largest New Renewable Energy Project in United States

Industry leader to partner with Dominion Energy, create hundreds of new jobs on $200 million project in Portsmouth

PORTSMOUTHGovernor Ralph Northam today announced an agreement for Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy to establish the first offshore wind turbine blade facility in the United States, propelling construction of the countrys largest new renewable energy project.

Virginia-based Dominion Energy had previously selected the company as its partner for the energy generation project 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach. Next, Siemens Gamesa will lease more than 80 acres of the Commonwealths Portsmouth Marine Terminal and will build a facility to produce turbine blades supplying offshore wind projects in North America. The facility, combined with its operations and maintenance activities, will create a total of 310 new jobs, of which roughly 50 will be service jobs to support the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project. The project represents a total cost of $200 million, including over $80 million in investments for buildings and equipment at the Portsmouth Marine Terminal.

Virginians want renewable energy, our employers want it, and Virginia is delivering it, said Governor Ralph S. Northam. The Commonwealth is joining these leading companies to create the most important clean-energy partnership in the United States. This is good news for energy customers, the union workers who will bring this project to life, and our business partners. Make no mistake: Virginia is building a new industry in renewable energy, with more new jobs to follow, and thats good news for our country.

The announcement comes two months to the day after Governor Northam announced that Dominion Energy had agreed to lease 72 acres of the deep-water Portsmouth Marine Terminal as a staging and pre-assembly area for the foundations and turbines. Once fully constructed in 2026, Dominion Energys Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project will generate enough clean, sustainable energy to power up to 660,000 homes at peak and avoid as much as 5 million tons of carbon dioxide annually, the company reports.

The announcement also comes 18 months after Governor Northam signed into law the Virginia Clean Economy Act, cementing Virginias commitment to clean and renewable energy. The law sets a target for Dominion Energy to construct or purchase at least 5,200 megawatts of energy through offshore wind by 2034 and to achieve 100 percent carbon-free energy production by 2045.

For more than 40 years, Siemens Gamesa has been a pioneer and leader in the wind industry, and today its team of more than 25,000 people is working at the heart of the global energy revolution to address the climate crisisthe most important challenge of our generation. With a leading position in onshore, offshore, and services, Siemens Gamesa designs, builds, and delivers powerful and reliable wind energy solutions in close collaboration with its customers. As a global company with local impact, it has installed more than 110 GW across the world and provides access to clean, affordable, and sustainable energy.

Offshore wind energy will create jobs and economic prosperity across the country, and with President Bidens Build Back Better Agenda, were showing that the United States is open for business on clean energy, said Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. Virginia is helping lead the way to strengthen the nations domestic supply chains of renewable energy and keep energy prices affordable for American households as we strive for a cleaner future.

We at Siemens Gamesa have shown the offshore wind industry the way for over 30 years. Establishing the industrys first dedicated offshore wind turbine blade facility in the United States proves again that we are leading the offshore revolution, said Marc Becker, Chief Executive Officer of the Siemens Gamesa Offshore Business Unit. The U.S. offshore market is a critical part of our overall global strategy, with our presence in Virginia playing a crucial and central role. Our investment  reaching triple-digit millions of U.S. dollars  would be energized by the strong collaboration with Dominion Energy and support of Virginias legislature and authorities.

Virginia is leading the way in offshore wind and using blades from this new facility in Hampton Roads on our Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project is a major win for the region, said Robert M. Blue, Dominion Energy Chair, President, and Chief Executive Officer. It is great to see well-paying, clean energy jobs are on the horizon as an offshore wind supply chain develops here in Virginia.

This announcement is a major milestone in the development of Virginias first offshore wind project  and the second active offshore wind project in the country, said U.S. Senator Mark Warner. I am proud that Virginia is leading the way in offshore wind development and reinforcing its role as a major player in an industry that will power our future. I commend Governor Northam for his leadership on this issue and Siemens Gamesa and the Port of Virginia for bringing this project to the Commonwealth and creating 21st century jobs. As the project progresses, I look forward to working at the federal level to pass infrastructure legislation, which will support a wealth of other investments to drive innovation, job creation, and economic growth for years to come.

I applaud Governor Northam and Siemens Gamesa for working together on this historic partnership that will bring good-paying jobs to the Commonwealth and strengthen our clean energy economy. Todays announcement is a testament to Virginias talented workforce and robust infrastructure network, including the Port of Virginia, which are key to attract economic development, said U.S. Senator Tim Kaine. This partnership will further cement the Commonwealth as the premiere offshore wind hub for the Eastern United States. Ill keep pushing to get the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Build Back Better bill  two transformative, complimentary, and essential pieces of legislation  across the finish line to ensure Virginia has the resources it needs to power homes and businesses in need and continue to lead the nation in clean energy for years to come.

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy recognized early on what Virginia has to offer companies looking to invest in this country's budding offshore wind industry: unparalleled coastal assets, comprehensive and cutting-edge infrastructure systems, and a robust workforce pipeline unlike any other on the East Coast," said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Brian Ball. "This announcement is years in the making and takes the Commonwealth one step closer to becoming a national leader in offshore wind. We thank Siemens Gamesa for its commitment to Virginia and look forward to a long and productive partnership.

Virginias agreement with Siemens Gamesa will accelerate the potential of offshore wind power production, advancing our transition to clean, renewable energy and resulting in good-paying jobs and increased economic opportunities, said Secretary of Transportation Shannon Valentine. The Port of Virginias world-class facilities make it the premier location for this emerging industry and positions the Commonwealth as a national leader in offshore wind power.

The Port of Virginia is proud to be able to help with the development of an entirely new industry that will spur job growth, drive our economy, and create the U.S. East Coasts offshore-wind logistics hub right here in Portsmouth, said Stephen A. Edwards, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of the Virginia Port Authority. The industry is going to be closely watching Virginia and this port and we welcome the interest. We have a very unique opportunity to set ourselves apart by being at the forefront of this movement to create clean, renewable energy along the East Coast. We welcome Siemens Gamesa and are looking forward to a long and productive relationship.

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) worked with The Port of Virginia, Dominion Energy, the City of Portsmouth, the Hampton Roads Alliance, and the General Assemblys Major Employment and Investment (MEI) Project Approval Commission to secure the project for Virginia. The Commonwealth will support the project through MEI-approved Virginia Public Building Authority bonds of up to $17.1 million to support infrastructure improvements and site preparation required for the construction of the facility.

Support for job creation will be provided through the Virginia Talent Accelerator Program, a workforce initiative created by VEDP in collaboration with the Virginia Community College System and other higher education partners, with funding support from the Northam administration and the Virginia General Assembly. Launched in 2019, the program accelerates new facility start-ups through the direct delivery of recruitment and training services that are fully customized to a companys unique products, processes, equipment, standards, and culture. All program services are provided at no cost to qualified new and expanding companies as an incentive for job creation.

Todays announcement demonstrates that the offshore wind industry has the potential to power economic growth in the Commonwealth, said Major Employment and Investment Project Approval Commission Chair Senator Janet Howell. I commend the team that worked to ensure Siemens Gamesa selected The Port of Virginias Portsmouth Marine Terminal, and I am proud the MEI Commission could play a role in securing this important project.

We thank Siemens Gamesa for its major investment in the Commonwealth and partnering with Dominion Energy to advance offshore wind development, said Major Employment and Investment Project Approval Commission Vice Chair Delegate Luke Torian. I am pleased the MEI Commission could collaborate with our state, regional, and local partners to secure this project that will create 310 new jobs for the citizens of Hampton Roads.

The City of Portsmouth is excited to welcome Siemens Gamesa to the Portsmouth business community, said Shannon E. Glover, Mayor of Portsmouth. The worlds energy leader will have access to Portsmouths immensely skilled workforce, our robust infrastructure, and our central waterways. I am proud of the many teams that brought this announcement to fruition.

This announcement from Siemens Gamesa showcases the importance of Portsmouth and Hampton Roads as an offshore wind supply chain hub, said Robert D. Moore, Portsmouth Economic Development Director and Deputy City Manager. Virginia is ready and able to support all offshore wind needs, from manufacturing to skilled trades and beyond. We look forward to seeing the project come together and continue to grow renewable energy for generations to come.

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energys decision to establish an offshore wind blade facility at the Port of Virginias Portsmouth Marine Terminal is an important milestone for the U.S. offshore wind industry and for Hampton Roads, said Doug Smith, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Hampton Roads Alliance. Establishing a domestic supply chain is critical to the success of the industry. This facility will help anchor Virginia as an offshore wind supply chain hub and bring the potential for significant additional capital investment and job creation.

This announcement today will bring good jobs to Virginia and boost clean energy efforts. Hampton Roads is one of the most vulnerable communities to climate change and rising sea levels, and as such, we must ensure we are on the frontlines of the clean energy economy, said Congressman Bobby Scott. I applaud Governor Northam for his efforts to secure investments in jobs and clean energy right here in Hampton Roads and across the Commonwealth.

The offshore wind industry will secure Coastal Virginias economic prosperity for decades while ensuring the Commonwealth is leading the way in addressing climate change and promoting clean energy solutions, said Congresswoman Elaine Luria. I want to thank Governor Northam for prioritizing this growing industry and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy for investing in Hampton Roads and its workforce. I will continue to push for clean energy investments in Congress to create jobs and advance renewable energy.

Siemens Gamesas significant investment in the first offshore wind turbine blade facility here in the United States is a quantum leap in the right direction. I am immensely proud of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, The Port of Virginia, Dominion Energy, the City of Portsmouth, the Hampton Roads Alliance, and the General Assemblys Major Employment and Investment Project Approval Commission for securing this project for the Commonwealth, said Senator Louise Lucas. It will bring 310 new jobs to the City of Portsmouth, produce blades for offshore wind projects across the nation, supply 660,000 homes with clean sustainable energy, which will potentially avoid 5 million tons of carbon dioxide annually, and more. Simply put, this initiative is a bright new day for clean energy, the Commonwealth, and the nation.

The Port of Virginia is a major economic driver for the Hampton Roads region, as evidenced by Siemens Gamesas decision to establish its offshore wind turbine blade facility at the Portsmouth Marine terminal, said Delegate Don Scott. We thank all the partners involved in this major project that will create new jobs and put Virginia on the map as a leader in the offshore wind industry.

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Governor Northam Announces Federal Approval of Major Disaster Declaration for Buchanan County

Federal assistance will help Virginians recover from disaster damages and build back stronger, more resilient infrastructure

RICHMONDGovernor Ralph Northam today announced that President Biden has approved a Major Disaster Declaration for Buchanan County, after extreme rainfall on August 30 resulted in devastating flash floods and landslides. The declaration provides federal support through Public Assistance and Hazard Mitigation grant programs to assist in recovery efforts and protect against future disasters.

Im grateful to President Biden for approving my request and providing much needed federal assistance, said Governor Northam. Federal support will help Buchanan residents recover from this devastating storm and reduce the future flood risk to local organizations, homes, and businesses. As Governor, I will continue to do everything I can to support the Hurley community.

The Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) will hold Applicant Briefings in the coming weeks to help inform potential grant applicants of the process for applying for and receiving federal grants. Applicants will have 30 days to register and submit a Request for Public Assistance (RPA) in the FEMA Grants Portal.

Public Assistance (approved)

With this approval, local, state, and private non-profit organizations with infrastructure damage or emergency and debris removal expenditures, may apply to FEMA for reimbursement of 75 percent of eligible costs. The FEMA Public Assistance program could take years to be fully reimbursed for disaster related expenditures. The Virginia Department of Emergency Management is the administrative agency for this grant program.

https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20210318/what-fema-public-assistance

Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (approved)

With this approval, Virginia will receive funding for projects to reduce future flooding to homes, businesses, and infrastructure. This program could take 5-7 years to implement. The application phase of this program is 12 months, and then FEMA may take 6-18 months to award the project based on environmental and historic review compliance or technical feasibility review. Federal assistance is approved at 75 percent of the total eligible project costs. Local governments and state agencies will apply through the Virginia Department of Emergency Management as the administrative agency.

https://www.fema.gov/es/grants/mitigation/hazard-mitigation

Were pleased President Biden has heeded our calls and supported Governor Northams request for a Major Disaster Declaration, said Senator Mark R. Warner and Senator Tim Kaine. Now, Virginia can receive much-needed federal funds to help Buchanan County recover. We will continue working with the Governors office, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and other relevant federal and state agencies to ensure the residents of Buchanan County have the resources they need following this tragic natural disaster.

Recovery from Augusts severe flooding will take time, but the federal major disaster declaration will significantly help Hurley move forward, said Congressman Morgan Griffith. This declaration opens up new sources of aid for the rebuilding effort and will contribute to overcoming the floods devastation.

A decision on the potential award of Individual Assistance is still pending.

For more information, please visit VDEMs grants page.

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In Formula 1 there is always one team boss at the helm, but Alpine was going to do it with two. Surprisingly, that does not seem to be working, so Alpine is in a mess and Davide Brivio would like to leave again.

New structure at Alpine

Brivio was brought to Alpine with a lot of fuss. After the departure of Cyril Abiteboul, things had to change at the French racing team. Renault was renamed in the blue colour of Alpine, Fernando Alonso was brought in as the frontrunner and with a three-year contract for Esteban Ocon, the French nationality was enough for a long-term contract.

Read more Can these American drivers make the transition to Formula 1?

The remarkable thing was that two team bosses were appointed. Marcin Budkowski was already with the team and was promoted to the leading position, but had to share it with Brivio. The Italian was moved from Suzuki's MotoGP team. Brivio had played a key role in the title for that team, but what was his link to F1?

False promises by Alpine

Brivio must be wondering about that too now, because while it was previously announced that he might want to return to MotoGP, now he knows why. Speedweek.com now also reports why. Brivio would be dissatisfied with Alpine and especially with the false promises of the CEO of Renault, Luca de Meo. According to reports, Brivio assumed that he would become the team boss at Alpine.

He didn't get that role, however. Along with Budkowski, he is responsible for the day-to-day operations of Alpine, but they must answer to Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi. He in turn is responsible to the CEO of Renault.

Alpine had great plans for the future in F1, but the fact that it all started to rumble so early says it all. Daniel Ricciardo ran away as soon as he could and if the performance in 2022 is disappointing also Alonso will be heard talking about the poor performance of the car. A team with so many internal problems can hardly build a perfect car for 2022.

Read more This is how many points Verstappen needs if he wins in Mexico and Brazil
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Plug Power and Lhyfe, a producer and supplier of renewable hydrogen, announced an partnership to pursue and develop jointly green hydrogen generation plants throughout Europe. The initiative seeks to generate a total hydrogen capacity of 300MW by 2025, and to start the development of a 1GW production site.

The agreement builds upon the working relationship already established between the two companies earlier this year. In that project, Plug Powers hydrogen electrolyzer technology will provide 1MW of capacity to the worlds first offshore hydrogen production facility, developed by Lhyfe and powered by electricity from a floating wind turbine off the coast of Le Croisic, at SEM-REV, Centrale Nantes offshore test site, which will be operational by 2022.

Plug Power is the largest buyer of liquid hydrogen globally and has been present in Europe for more than 10 years. The company has made significant progress in deploying hydrogen applications with key European industrials, logistics customers and vehicle manufacturers, including its joint venture with Renault called HYVIA. (Earlier post.)

Plug Power has installed several PEM technology solutions in Germany, France, The Netherlands, Italy and Portugal, and recently announced the launch of its European headquarters in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

In September, Lhyfe inaugurated the worlds first industrial production site for renewable hydrogen in direct connection with a wind farm. The company will also launch the worlds first offshore renewable hydrogen production site on the SEM-REV offshore test site in 2022. Lhyfe is deploying some 60 projects in Europe for mobility and industry.

As part of the partnership, Plug Power and Lhyfe will pursue opportunities to jointly develop green hydrogen generation plants throughout Europe, generated with state-of-the-art PEM electrolysis technology and supplied with electrical power from renewable energy sources. The new initiative will primarily serve on-road and off-road mobility applications. Finally, the two parties will also consider working together to co-develop a US-based offshore wind electrolyzer plant.
Solid Power, a leading developer of all-solid-state battery cells for electric vehicles (earlier post), announced a partnership with SK Innovation to manufacture automotive-scale all-solid-state batteries under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) and joint development agreement (JDA). Together, the partnership is expected to enable SK Innovation to produce automotive-scale all-solid-state battery cells utilizing Solid Powers sulfide-based solid electrolyte, proprietary cell designs and production processes.





Source: Solid Power, June 2021

The partnership is intended to facilitate the validation of Solid Powers all-solid-state cell development and production techniques as part of the industry-standard automotive qualification process (APQP). This marks a key milestone on Solid Powers strategic roadmap to achieve commercial production of all-solid-state battery cells for electric vehicle integration and use.





Source: Solid Power, June 2021

The partnership with SK Innovation is designed to validate that Solid Powers all-solid-state production processes are scalable and compatible with existing lithium-ion production technology. The ability to collaborate with a global leader in lithium-ion cell production is key to our go-to-market strategy and meeting anticipated demand. Doug Campbell, CEO and co-founder of Solid Power

Through the JDA, SK Innovation and Solid Power plan to cooperate on all-solid-state cell development, validation and production to enable Solid Power to deliver pre-commercial all-solid-state cells to the Companys automotive customers for qualification testing. Solid Powers Silicon EV Cell is expected to be safer, provide longer range, and cost less than todays leading lithium-ion batteries.

In June, Solid Power entered into a definitive agreement for a business combination with DCRC, a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) that would result in Solid Power becoming a publicly listed company. In addition to the joint development agreements, SK Innovation agreed to invest $30 million in Solid Power through a subscription to purchase shares in DCRCs previously announced private investment in public equity (PIPE) transaction. This investment adds to the $165-million fully committed PIPE, resulting in aggregate PIPE commitments of $195 million. The PIPE is anchored by investors Koch Strategy Platforms, Riverstone Energy Limited, Neuberger Berman funds and Van Eck Associates Corporation.

This investment, along with the other previously announced PIPE investments related to Solid Powers business combination with DCRC, is subject to certain conditions, including the successful completion of the business combination within the period contemplated by the subscription agreements.

Through this partnership, Solid Power intends to license its proprietary technology, manufacturing know-how and practices to SK Innovation to enable full integration of the companys sulfide-based solid electrolyte material and the companys cell designs into SK Innovations existing cell production environment.

The technology license and future commercial supply are subject to the parties successfully negotiating and entering into further commercial agreements, along with regulatory approvals and other customary conditions.

The JDA and MoU provide the framework for us to jointly develop and industrialize our high-content silicon all-solid-state battery cells as part of Solid Powers current technology development roadmap.To successfully develop and launch our cell products, we follow the standard automotive APQP process, which will ensure our cell design meets automotive partner specifications, meets the highest quality standards and is manufacturable at high rates with high yields. The ability to quickly transfer production know-how and cell designs to a partner with lithium-ion production at GWh scale saves on capital expenses, in line with Solid Powers capital light business model. Derek Johnson, Chief Operating Officer at Solid Power

Solid Power plans to supply SK Innovation with its proprietary electrolyte for use in the manufacturing of all-solid-state cells. Under terms of the JDA, Solid Power expects to generate a small amount of revenue from both research and development and from the sale of electrolyte samples beginning in 2022.
Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) has unveiled the first real-world example of a self-learning concept wheel loader with the brains to make decisions, perform tasks, and interact with humans. It is also the first time a LEGO Technic model has been turned into a real machine. While not commercially available, engineers expect that valuable insights from the LX03 will feed into applications for today and tomorrow.





The prototype LX03 with the LEGO Technic Concept Wheel Loader ZEUX which inspired its creation.

Inspired by a concept devised by Volvo CE and LEGO Technic engineers and designers, the Volvo LX03 breaks new grounds in smart construction technology. It represents both the next stage in Volvo CEs exploration into machine intelligence and its determination to decarbonize the construction industry.





LX03 with its unique scissor frame.

The prototype LX03 has been built by a dedicated team of engineers, programmers and workshop technicians from Volvo CE sites in Eskilstuna, Sweden and Konz, Germany, in collaboration with the design team in Gothenburg, Sweden. It is a 5-ton wheel loader that has been developed as a modular concept, with the capability of being made larger or smaller with just one or two changes to the manufacturing process. It also shares its driveline with the L25 Electric, making it a zero-emission, low-noise machine with a runtime of up to eight hours depending on its application.

It is designed to be a smart and safe worker, equipped with a brain that has the capacity to adapt to different scenarios, make decisions in real-time andmost importantlycollaborate with humans. It can be programmed by customers to complete heavy, repetitive or dangerous tasks, reducing the need for a human on site.
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GREENWICH  The vast majority of candidates seeking Greenwichs top municipal offices say they are vaccinated against COVID-19, but many Republicans expressed reluctance to share proof of their vaccination status with Greenwich Time.

All of the candidates running for the Board of Selectmen, Board of Education and Board of Estimate and Taxation, as well as the candidates for tax collector and town clerk, were asked via email for their vaccination status, why they chose to get the vaccine or not, along with a photo of their vaccination card solely for internal verification.

While most of all of the candidates answered they were vaccinated, the majority of Republicans chose not to share copies of their card with the press, citing privacy concerns, including First Selectman Fred Camillo, who offered instead to share his card privately.

As someone who is vaccinated, who has urged people to get vaccinated and who is very proud of the towns high vaccination numbers, I find the request to be a bridge too far, Camillo said. I will not share my vaccination card with a newspaper. I think it intrudes on someones privacy and I personally dont care to know what someones vaccination status is as long as they are observing the protocols of mask wearing or being tested, if thats what the protocols call for.

Democrat Bill Kelly, who is running against Camillo, shared a photo of his vaccination card. He said his daughter and sister both work at hospitals and have been on the front lines of the pandemic.

My daughter was a first-hand witness to the horror as she tried to save lives. Even with all her protective gear, she even got COVID, he said, adding: Understanding and appreciating the minimal risks of the vaccine and weighing that information against the devastating consequences of COVID as relayed to me by my sister and daughter, the choice was easy.

Republican Selectwoman Lauren Rabin also said she made the call to get the vaccine because of her family. However, she said she was uncomfortable showing her card to the media but also offered to show it privately.

And many of the Republicans felt as Camillo and Rabin did, saying they were vaccinated but not wanting to send their cards to the media. Such was the case of town clerk candidate Jackie Budkins and BET candidates Karen Fassuliotis, William Drake, Michael Basham, Dan Ozizmir, Nisha Arora and Leslie Tarkington.

I am grateful that the private sector corporations, Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson, working in partnership with the U.S. government, accelerated the development of vaccines so rapidly to protect me and those I love, Tarkington said.

Republican Board of Education candidate Michael Joseph Mercanti Anthony called it a distasteful question but did provide proof of vaccination as did his fellow Republican school board candidate Cody Kittle.

I decided to get vaccinated based on my own assessment of the risks and rewards for myself, Kittle said.

Kittle did add he did not think it was an appropriate question to ask candidates.

Someone could be a great municipal employee without a vaccine or a terrible municipal employee with one, and as a society we should respect how important privacy is for people's health choices, Kittle said.

Victor Rodriguez, chair of the legal studies and political science department at the University of New Haven, said the vaccination survey made perfect sense.

Are your candidates vaccinated? First Selectman Fred Camillo, Republican: Yes* Bill Kelly, Democrat: Yes Selectman Lauren Rabin, Republican: Yes* Janet Stone McGuigan, Democrat: Yes Board of Education Michael-Joseph Mercanti-Anthony, Republican: Yes Megan Galletta, Republican: Did not respond Cody Kittle, Republican: Yes Kara Philben, write-in candidate: Did not respond Kathleen Stowe, Democrat: Yes Laura Kostin, Democrat: Yes Board of Estimate and Taxation Karen Fassuliotis, Republican: Yes* Leslie Tarkington, Republican: Yes* William Drake, Republican: Yes* Michael Basham, Republican: Yes* Dan Ozizmir, Republican: Yes* Nisha Arora, Republican: Yes* Leslie Moriarty, Democrat: Yes Jeff Ramer, Democrat: Yes David Weisbrod, Democrat: Yes Stephen Selbst, Democrat: Yes Laura Erickson, Democrat: Yes Miriam Kreuzer, Democrat: Yes Town Clerk Jackie Budkins, Republican: Yes* Molly Saleeby, Democrat: Yes Tax Collector Heather Smeriglio, Republican: Declined to participate Trevor Crow, Democrat: Yes Starred candidates did not provide a photo of their vaccination card for verification purposes. Only selectman, town clerk, tax collector, school board and Board of Estimate and Taxation candidates were contacted by Greenwich Time. See More Collapse

Across the country, the vaccination status of every governor has been reported on (theyre all vaccinated for COVID-19). We also know the COVID-19 vaccination status of all living former presidents and first ladies. As of Sept. 2, 80 percent of Congress had reported on their vaccination status, according to a USA Today fact check.

Its inevitable that public officials need to have a position, Rodriguez said. It is an issue that is so important for public health and for the community in general that you need to talk about it.

As for the other Democrats running for the top town offices, like Kelly, all said they were vaccinated and shared proof.

The impacts of the COVID pandemic have been widespread and devastating, said BET member Leslie Moriarty. I believe the best protection for minimizing the ongoing threats from COVID is to reduce the opportunity for the spread and mutation of the virus, which can be best accomplished with a vaccinated public.

Fellow BET Democrats David Weisbrod, Jeff Ramer, Stephen Selbst, Laura Erickson and Miriam Kreuzer shared photos of their vaccination cards with no resistance.

Selectman candidate Janet Stone McGuigan, Board of Education candidates Kathleen Stowe and Laura Kostin, town clerk candidate Molly Saleeby and collector candidate Trevor Crow, all Democrats, did the same.

Only one candidate declined to participate: Tax Collector Heather Smeriglio, a Republican. Greenwich Time did not receive any answers from Board of Education candidate Megan Galletta, a Republican, and Board of Education write-in candidate Kara Philbin.

Some politicians hesitancy to share their vaccination status is echoed in similar surveys across the country.

When the LA Times wrote a similar article in July, 12 legislators refused to respond. Twenty percent of Illinois lawmakers did not disclose their vaccination status in an August survey from reporters.

In Brookfield, the entire slate of Republican Town Committee-endorsed candidates said they would not respond because it was an overreach of any persons information and was not up to the Hearst Publications to collect anyones information, according to an email from a committee member.

The Danbury RTC sent out an email on Oct. 21 telling its candidates: If you want to answer the question please do and email (the reporter). If you do NOT want to answer, just dont answer it. PLEASE: Do not engage in a back and forth. Just let it go. We gain nothing by pushing back on (the reporter), only bad press.

Rodriguez, the UNH professor, said that if people are trying to get elected to a public office, having a position on vaccines and a plan on how to handle the pandemic would be inevitable.

He pointed out that the term public health crisis means that the issue extends beyond the health outcome of a single person to affect things like jobs, the economy and local infrastructure.

It impacts every aspect of everyday life. And local government at the municipal level, at the town level, is the government that has to deal with the everyday life of the residents of a community, he said. It cannot be looked at as simply a health issue.

There are no formal requirements or policies locally saying elected officials must be vaccinated against COVID-19. The vaccinations have been required for city employees, school workers, bus drivers, hospital workers, nursing home workers, workers at many private companies and for many students attending colleges in the state. For those not willing to get the vaccines, there is often a requirement they agree to regular COVID-19 testing.

The science is clear with the CDC saying time and again that the vaccine is safe and effective, and Connecticut has some of the highest vaccination rates across the country, with 72 percent of residents having initiated vaccination and 67 percent fully vaccinated.

The data is so obviously compelling that the vaccine saves lives, Weisbrod said

Kreuzer agreed: I believe in science. Vaccination is how we reduce risk in our community and get back to normalcy.

kborsuk@greenwichtime.com
CAIRO (AP)  Sudanese security forces detained three prominent pro-democracy figures overnight, their relatives and other activists said Wednesday, as internal and international pressure mounted on the country's military following its coup.

The arrests came as protests denouncing Mondays takeover continued in the capital of Khartoum and elsewhere, and many businesses shut in response to calls for strikes. The coup threatens to halt Sudans fitful transition to democracy, which began after the 2019 ouster of longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir in a popular uprising.

Groups of protesters  in some places, dozens, in others, hundreds  set up barricades of stones on main roads throughout the day. Security forces waded in, chasing demonstrators and dismantling the barriers.

It looks like a hit-and-run process, they remove, and we build, activist Nazim Sirag said.

Some protesters were shot and wounded, activists said, though they did not have exact figures. Security forces confronting demonstrators have killed at least six people since Monday and wounded over 140 others, many in critical condition, according to physicians with the Sudan Doctors Committee.

Prominent rights defender Tahani Abbas said the pro-democracy movement would continue street protests despite the crackdown.

We are frustrated, she said, but we have no other option but the street.

In a nod to deteriorating security conditions, the State Department authorized nonessential personnel and the families of all government employees at the U.S Embassy in Khartoum to leave Sudan due to civil unrest and possible supply shortages.

The coup came after weeks of mounting tensions between military and civilian leaders over the course and pace of Sudan's moves toward democracy.

The African Union suspended Sudan  an expected move typically taken in the wake of coups. The AU Peace and Security Council said via Twitter on Wednesday that the suspension would remain in place until the effective restoration of the civilian-led Transitional Authority, as the deposed government is known.

The AU plans to send a mission to Sudan to hold talks with rival parties.

The World Bank also suspended disbursements for its operations in Sudan, whose economy has been battered by years of mismanagement and sanctions and was dealt a blow when the oil-rich south seceded in 2011 after decades of war, taking with it more than half of public revenues and 95% of oil exports.

We hope that peace and the integrity of the transition process will be restored, so that Sudan can restart its path of economic development and can take its rightful place in the international financial community, bank President David Malpass said in a statement.

Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok's now-deposed government had embarked on a series of reforms meant to transform the countrys economy and have the nation rejoin the international community after over two decades of isolation under al-Bashir.

In May, the World Bank said it had allocated $2 billion to Sudan to finance big infrastructure projects along with others over the next 12 months, after the U.S. provided bridge financing of $1.15 billion to Cleese Sudans overdue payments to the global financing body.

Following widespread international condemnation, the military allowed Hamdok and his wife to return home on Tuesday night. Hamdok, a former U.N. economist, was detained along with other government officials when the military seized power.

Several Western embassies in Khartoum said Wednesday they will continue to recognize Hamdok and his Cabinet as the constitutional leaders of the transitional government of Sudan.

In a joint statement, the embassies of the European Union, the U.S., the U.K., France and several other European countries called for the release of other detained officials and for talks between the military and the pro-democracy movement.

EU foreign affairs chief Joseph Borrell tweeted that he spoke with Hamdok on Wednesday to voice his support for the return of a civilian-led transitional government as the only way forward.

We dont want Sudan to go back to dark hours of its history, he said.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken also spoke with Sudanese Foreign Minister Mariam al-Mahdi about how to support the civilian-led transition to democracy, and condemned the military takeover.

The general leading the coup, Abdel-Fattah Burhan, has pledged to hold elections, as planned, in July 2023, and to appoint a technocrat government in the meantime.

Burhan met Wednesday with Saudi Ambassador Ali Hassan bin Ghafar to discuss efforts to resolve the crisis through consultations with all concerned parties, the Sudanese military said.

But critics doubt the military is serious about eventually ceding control, noting that the coup came just weeks before Burhan was supposed to hand over the leadership of the top ruling body, the Sovereign Council, to a civilian. The council, which was made up of both civilian and military leaders but led by a general, was the ultimate authority in the country, while Hamdoks transitional government ran day-to-day affairs. Both were dissolved in the coup.

Volker Perthes, the U.N. special envoy for Sudan, met Wednesday with Burhan and reiterated the U.N.s call for a return to the transition process under the constitutional document and the immediate release of all those arbitrarily detained.

Perthes also met Hamdok in his residence where he remains under guard, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

The activists taken overnight were Ismail al-Taj, a leader of the Sudanese Professionals Association, the group at the forefront of the protests that brought down al-Bashir; Sediq al-Sadiq al-Mahdi, a leader in Sudans largest political party, known as Umma and brother of Foreign Minister Mariam al-Mahdi; and Khalid al-Silaik, a former media adviser to the prime minister.

The three have been outspoken critics of the military takeover and have called for protests. Already, tens of thousands of Sudanese have taken to the streets, and activists are planning a mass demonstration on Saturday.

Al-Silaik was detained moments after he gave an interview to broadcaster Al-Jazeera, according to his wife, Marwa Kamel. In the interview, he criticized the militarys takeover, calling Hamdok and his government the legitimate administration of Sudan.

What Gen. Burhan did is a complete coup. ... People will respond to this in the coming days, al-Silaik said.

Activists Nazim Siraj and Nazik Awad and the Umma party confirmed the arrests of the other two figures.

When Burhan dissolved the Sovereign Council and the transitional government on Monday, he alleged that the military was forced to step in to prevent the country from sliding into civil war. But he had repeatedly warned he wanted to delay the transition to civilian leadership of the council.

Meanwhile, flights in and out of Khartoums international airport resumed Wednesday, a day after the countrys Civil Aviation Authority said they would be suspended until Oct. 30.
Christian Abraham / Hearst Connecticut Media

Our endorsement of Democrat Caroline Simmons for mayor of Stamford was validated this week when unaffiliated opponent Bobby Valentine called her a 35-year-old girl in an interview with the Associated Press.

It was a demeaning, unsportsmanlike attack that reflected badly on Stamford. At least 80 women leaders across Connecticut have called on Mr. Valentine to apologize.
Google's Pixel 6 Pro seems like the company's first earnest attempt at a proper flagship smartphone in years - one that looks like it's actually competitive in all areas, not just one or two like before. The new phone is due to be released in a few hours in the handful of markets where Google sells its devices.

So it might be interesting to find out how Google's latest and greatest would fare compared to Apple's latest and greatest, right? Say, in a side-by-side speed test? Well, that's just what we have for you today, courtesy of PhoneBuff. The Google Pixel 6 Pro is pitted against the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max, and it's going to be a deadly battle. Let's buckle up and hit play then.

Spoiler alert: the Pixel takes the lead from the beginning, but then the iPhone makes a comeback, and then it's neck-and-neck with the iPhone taking the first 'round' in the end, but the Pixel coming in at only 4 seconds late. Where the RAM management test comes in, the two devices are still toe-to-toe, but the iPhone eventually has the edge by 6 seconds.

So in the end, while the Pixel is fast in this kind of test, it can't beat the iPhone 13 Pro Max. In day to day life, however, it's unlikely that such marginal differences in app loading times would ever be perceived - unless for some reason you have both a Pixel 6 Pro and an iPhone 13 Pro Max and are using both at the same time to do the exact same things. Hopefully that's not an actual use case.
Zound Industries, the Swedish brand behind Marshall and Urbanears audio products is partnering with Adidas on three new TWS earbuds. The Adidas Z.N.E. 01 ANC is the leader of the pack with active noise cancelation, 6mm drivers and 20-hour battery life with the included charging case. They pair over Bluetooth 5.2, come with 3 mics in each bud and are IPX5 sweat-proof and water-resistant. Pricing is set at $189 and you can pick between Light Grey and Night Grey colors.



Adidas Z.N.E. 01 ANC (image: Adidas)

Z.N.E. 01 skips out on ANC but offers larger 12mm dynamic drivers and a more classical earbud design without silicone tips. Each bud carries a single microphone and battery life is again rated at up to 20 hours with the charging case and 5 hours on the buds alone. Z.N.E 01 come in a single Night Grey color and retail for $99.



Adidas Z.N.E. 01 (image: Adidas)

Lastly, we have the FWD-02 Sport earbuds which focus on running and come with several replaceable ear tips for maximum comfort. Battery life on the buds alone is rated at 6 hours while the charging case extends it up to 19. These also feature programmable touch gestures. Pricing is set at $169 and you get the same Light Grey and Night Grey color options.



Adidas FWD-02 Sport (image: Adidas)

All three new Adidas branded headphones are available on the Adidas headphones store and will ship from November.
Masks from popular horror films and other genres hang on a display wall at Underground Dungeon Halloween Store Guam in Dededo Oct. 12.
A sign posted inside the Micronesia Mall offers individuals 55 years old or older, as well as those with a physical disability, head-of-the-line preference during a COVID-19 vaccination clinic Sept. 25, 2021.
A District Court of Guam naturalization ceremony Thursday included 24 new citizens and a vaccination clinic on-site.

Tepura Opuu Tuiho is a former citizen of French Polynesia and resident of Tahiti who moved to Guam in 1996. She said its a miracle she is now a U.S. citizen.

I thank the lord, Tuiho said.

A husband and wife from the Philippines, Cleto and Marina Samonte, also expressed their gratitude for receiving U.S. citizenship.

Weve been waiting for this for a long time, so this is a very important day for us, Marina Samonte said.

This is the American dream, Cleto Samonte added.

Keynote

Guam Fire Department Chief Daniel Stone served as the keynote speaker at the naturalization in celebration of Fire Prevention Month. In his speech, Stone shared tips on fire safety and urged everyone to reach out to GFD if they had any questions.

Stone said he was proud to take part in the event.

To be a part of a ceremony where people have made the effort, took the time and made the commitment to become a U.S. citizen, its a great and proud moment and Im glad I was able to share on it, Stone said.

Chief Judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood expressed her gratitude for Stone participating in the event.

Were excited to have the fire chief since weve never had him speak before at the naturalization, which was the brainchild of our community outreach team, Tydingco-Gatewood said.

Vaccination clinic

Following the naturalization ceremony, the District Court of Guam, along with the Department of Public Health and Social Services, had a vaccination clinic for the new citizens and the public.

Tydingco-Gatewood said Stones involvement in partnering up with Public Health helped to be sure the employees are fully vaccinated and incorporating it in the naturalization celebration made it a great event.
Brandon James Flaherty will have to pay $150,000 cash bail to be released from the Department of Corrections after being charged in the death of Adam Messier in 2017.

In a continued hearing, Magistrate Judge Jonathan R. Quan sided with the Office of the Attorney General in setting the $150,000 cash bail.

The AGs office, which brought the aggravated murder charge, cited the seriousness of the alleged crime and Flaherty being a potential threat to the community as reasons for the amount. It also cited Flahertys criminal history, which includes a 2014 negligent homicide conviction and a 2018 conviction for a vehicle without identification.

Aggravated murder

Flaherty was charged with aggravated murder after a witness told police she saw Flaherty and three other men kill Messier, who was first reported missing in 2017, court documents state.

The witness alleged Flaherty held Messier down while three others  Jason Alianza, who is now deceased; Curtis James Blas, 23, Alianzas son; and Donavan Elliott Alianza Carriaga, 23, Alianzas brother  beat up and strangled Messier.

Flaherty was also seen hitting Messier with a bat, documents state.

Flaherty initially denied being involved in the disappearance but later admitted to helping Blas and Carriaga dispose of Messiers body at Alianzas request, documents state.

Blas and Carriaga on Tuesday were charged with aggravated murder in the case.

Blas was given a $100,000 cash bail while Carriagas bail was set at $200,000.
A man who was found stabbed and burned in Dededo in August has died, according to a news release from Guam Police Department spokesman Sgt. Paul Tapao.

John Pinaula, who had been at Guam Regional Medical City since the attack, died on Wednesday, Tapao said.

Pinaula will undergo forensic medical examination when the off-island forensic pathologist arrives on Guam.

Manuel Junior Cabrera Tedtaotao, 39, of Sinajana, was arrested in connection with the attack. He was charged with attempted murder, kidnapping, aggravated assault and felonious restraint.

Neighbors reported hearing screams for help on Aug. 21., and found Pinaula lying on the ground with burns from his neck to his feet, large cuts to his head, cuts on his calf and finger and bruises on his knees, according to PDN files.

Pinaula told investigators Tedtaotao and other individuals assaulted him, tied him up and kidnapped him before setting him on fire, according to court documents.

Pinaula had several lacerations and life-threatening third-degree burns over a significant portion of his body, and an attending physician at GRMC said he had a 5% chance of surviving, court documents state.

Police have been in discussion with prosecutors from the Office of the Attorney General about possible additional charges against Tedtaotao, Tapao said.

Tedtaotao remains in custody at the Department of Corrections.
The Post-Mortem Commission has selected Guams potential chief medical examiner, according to a news release from the Office of the Attorney General.

The Commission of Post-Mortem Examinations voted unanimously to select Dr. Keng-Chih Kenny Su for the position, the release stated.

The recommendation to select Dr. Su was made by Attorney General Leevin T. Camacho and Dr. John Taitano from the Guam Medical Society, who acted as the search committee, the release stated.

The recommendation was based on the experience, education and interviews of all eligible candidates.

Su was trained in Taiwan in neurology before studying pathology. He is board- certified in the United States in three different forensic categories, according to the release.

Su will be notified of his selection and the search committee will meet with him to learn his views on salary and benefits. The commission will then hold a follow-up meeting in the upcoming weeks to publicly discuss his compensation, the release said.
I want to address two letters to the editor of this newspaper from Sinot Manny Cruz that have protested the way I have written about a 1946 




Haiti - FLASH : The USA will intervene in the delivery of fuel in Haiti





Wednesday, October 27 in the morning, Liszt Quitel, the Minister of the Interior on the instruction of Prime Minister ai Ariel Henry, accompanied by about fifteen police officers went to the Varreux terminal in Cite Soleil, controlled by the coalition of Gangs "G9 and allies", with the aim of finding a safe corridor for trucks carrying petroleum products.



However, the Minister's procession was derouted by automatic gunfire from individuals controlling the area. Fortunately, no casualties were caused by the attack. As a result, service stations have remained closed in Port-au-Prince and in the provinces for lack of fuel.



At the same time, the emergency fuel supply to hospitals, Digicel and airport facilities, among others, started on the same day from the Thor oil terminal (Carrefour). A supply made possible by the National Police of Haiti (PNH), which escorted the tankers. Note that the Varreux oil terminal (70% of Haiti's storage capacity) still remains inaccessible and under the control of the "G9".



Faced with the situation which is beginning to become very worrying in the several public and private hospitals in the face of their inability to replenish their fuel stocks Jen Psaki, White House spokeswoman announced that the United States would help to the delivery of petroleum products to the Haitian market and will support the PNH in order to secure the roads to allow the delivery of these products to service stations and to all priority places "were working to do an our focus right now is on supporting the Haitian National Police. What they are trying to do is secure transportation corridors to allow for fuel deliveries.. And it is a challenge, obviously, because, as you know, Yamiche, there are parts of Haiti where it is hard to get to because of the threats of crime on the ground and challenging circumstances on the ground." However, it is not yet clear how American support on the ground will translate to ensure the delivery of fuel to Haiti.



Note that to strengthen the already existing stock of fuels, 240,000 barrels of Petroleum Products arrived Wednesday, October 27 in Port-au-Prince, aboard the RIDGEBURY ALEXANDRA Z Ship (160,000 barrels of diesel and 80,000 barrels of gasoline). Three more ships are expected in the window from October 28 to 31, 2021 in the hope that these ships will be able to unload their precious cargo, which so far for security reasons is not possible.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-35102-haiti-news-zapping.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-35096-haiti-flash-barbecue-demands-the-resignation-of-the-pm-against-the-resupply-of-fuel-in-the-country.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-35086-haiti-flash-deprived-of-fuel-by-gangs-the-country-at-the-gates-of-hell.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34843-haiti-news-zapping.html



SL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping...





Fuel : 50 health centers closed

Haiti is plunged into a fuel crisis that has forced the country to suspend health services in 50 of its health centers, including 15 in Port-au-Prince, the capital. If the situation does not improve very quickly, more clinics and hospitals will have to close.



End of operation "Femen peyi"

On Wednesday, October 27, 2021, trade unionist Jacques Anderson Desroches of the Union Force to Save Haiti (FOSAH) announced that following a consultation it was decided to put on the whole of the national territory to "Femen peyi" at the term of the 3rd day of paralysis



Marine police : Seizure of 635.5 kg of marijuana

On Wednesday, October 27, 2021, Haitian maritime police officers during a joint operation with the United States Coast Guard, proceeded in territorial waters to the seizure of 635.5 kg of marijuana and to the arrest of 3 individuals of Jamaican nationality. They are currently under the control of the Narcotics Trafficking Brigade (BLTS).



Fuel : MSF is reducing its services

Due to the fuel shortage, the NGO Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) is forced to take care of only life-threatening emergencies at Tabarre hospital, the only center in the country specializing in the treatment of serious burns. "Without fuel, we will not be able to operate our hospital [...] this situation is untenable," said Dr Kanoute Dialla, head of the hospital. In addition, the MSF Emergency Center in the Turgeau zonz is also affected by the crisis and it is becoming increasingly difficult for the center to refer its patients who need hospital treatment.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-35103-haiti-flash-the-usa-will-intervene-in-the-delivery-of-fuel-in-haiti.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-35086-haiti-flash-deprived-of-fuel-by-gangs-the-country-at-the-gates-of-hell.html



Lambert advocates an international armed intervention in Haiti

Joseph Lambert, the President of the Senate declared on a local radio station to always be in favor of assistance from the international community, logistics, technical, operational and armed to support the National Police of Haiti (PNH) which according to him does not have the capacity to end gangs.



3 Fuel tanker ships

To strengthen the already existing stock, 3 ships are expected in the window from October 28 to 31, 2021 and will increase the Haitian oil stock by 400,000 barrels, hoping that they can unload their cargo, which is impossible in Varreux for the moment (70% of Haiti's storage capacity) See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-35103-haiti-flash-the-usa-will-intervene-in-the-delivery-of-fuel-in-haiti.html



HL/ HaitiLibre


















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Published on 2021/10/28 | Source

Korean movies opening today 2021/10/28 in Korea: "Short Bus: Bad Dream"m "Another Record", "The Asian Angel", "Willow Tree Forest Yangnim", "Aegwan Cinema", "We Go Together", "Mom's Song" and "Stalker - 2020"

Advertisement

"Short Bus: Bad Dream" (2021)

Directed by Jeon Min-hyeok, Kang Dayeon, Kim Sang-kyu-I, Lim Eui-jun

With Chun Ha-young, Kim Byeo-ri, Kim Young-joo-I, Baek Ji-hye, Lee Jung-min-IV, Kyung Sung-hwa,...

Synopsis

A short omnibus movie that shows various perspectives on human anxiety and fear.

"Dear God" (  , sin-e-ge bo-nae-neun pyeon-ji) (25m) by Kang Dayeon

Bae-hee wants to do well on her swimming tryouts for her mother, but she suffers from hearing the strange sound of monsters coming from the water. She starts seeing Go-eun, a classmate who is good at swimming, with her mother through her mother.

"Grand Jete" (, geu-rang-ju-tte) (17m) by Kim Sang-kyu-I

Da-hee, who is focusing on her practice ahead of her dance performance had difficulty in performing high-level movements. Stage directors, rivals, colleagues, and even herself, everything around her feels like a nightmare.

"Hammer" (mang-chi, ) (18m) by Jeon Min-hyeok

Gi-hyeon discovers that her pregnant wife Hye-ji is hiding something. One day, Gi-Hyeon's life begins to crack because of Hye-ji's older brother Gi-seong, who suddenly visits the house.

"The Wart" (sa-ma-gwi, ) (27m) by Lim Eui-jun

Hye-yeon who is pregnant had a wart on her belly. As time went, the wart grew bigger and bitter, and Hye-yeon is caught up in anxiety.

"Another Record" (2021)

Directed by Kim Jong-kwan

With Shin Se-kyung,...

Synopsis

3.6 million search engine hits, 46 million views on YouTube,

Shin Se-kyung, an actress well-known by everyone

The real "Shin Se-kyung" who shares her inner thoughts that she couldn't bring up while eating, drinking, and talking with the various people she met while walking on the friendly Seochon street, Director Kim Jong-kwan with an unrivaled sensibility, captures it!

Shin Se-kyung that everyone knows.

And her story that no one knows.

"The Asian Angel" (2021)

Directed by Yuya Ishii

With Sosuke Ikematsu, Choi Hee-seo, Joe Odagiri, Kim Min-jae, Kim Ye-eun,...

Synopsis

Tsuyoshi (Sosuke Ikematsu), who recklessly flew to Korea with his son believing in the words of his brother Toru (Joe Odagiri), who said he was doing well as a business in Seoul, is on the verge of throwing himself on the unfamiliar streets of Seoul because his brother was scammed by his partner.

Then Toru seduces Tsuyoshi, who was frustrated by saying that he had a brilliant business item, and heads to Gangneung, and meets three siblings Sol (Choi Hee-seo), Bom (Kim Ye-eun), and Jung-woo (Kim Min-jae) who are filled with stories on the train to accompanies him.



A fate that happened in a life full of bad luck!

When we're desperate for miracles, we meet!

"Willow Tree Forest Yangnim" (2021)

Directed by Jung Sung-hyun

With Song Young-hak, Joo Seok-je,...

Synopsis

A chance meeting on a vacation destination.

A meeting becomes a new relationship, and a relationship becomes a beautiful life.

Ordinary but special stories of people who reminisce about the past, choose the present, and make future memories against the backdrop of beautiful Yangnim-dong.

"Aegwan Cinema" (2021)

Directed by Yun Ki-hyoung

Synopsis

In the 1980's, Incheon was the 'Cinema Heaven'. The streets were filled with theaters where numerous filmmakers developed their dreams.

Everything disappeared with the wind over time, but Aegwan Cinema, Korea's first cinema, has silently maintained its place and proved its history. However, it is now on the verge of disappearing.

The burning story of people who still live and breathe with the Aegwan Cinema still in their heads, remember the theater which is approaching its last.

"We Go Together" (2020)

Directed by Cho Seung-won

With Kim Ki-hyun-III, Park Han-i, Kang Hyung-suk, Yoo Kyung-sun-I, Kwon Ip-sae, Ji Dae-han,...

Synopsis

"With no money and no backer, the U.S. Military is the only answer. Help me!"

A dirt-poor high school graduate KATUSA tries hard.

In Korea, if you are a man who speaks English well, you can apply as a KATUSA once in your lifetime. In that place where elite prestigious universities and people born with golden spoons dominate, there is Choo Hae-jin, the sergeant who graduated high school. Hae-jin, dubbed as a legend, prepares for the 'US Army' as his breakthrough in escaping Korea, where all kinds of discrimination are rampant. As a result of his resilience, not losing his smile despite insults, he gets caught up in a sudden theft case before enlisting in the US military and has to get five signatures of the petition. Struggling to the point where he nearly got shot by a racist U.S. military policeman, Hae-jin desperately gets his signature, but he's left with one final step in convincing someone vehemently that he wants to become an American...

"I hate for you to become successful when you don't even have anything!"

Being a part of the U.S. military is not the only option to leave Korea??

Hae-jin's shocking counterattack begins!

"Mom's Song" (2020)

Directed by Shin Dong-min

With Kim Hye-jung-IV, Sin Jeong-ung, Noh Yoon-jung, Koo Yang-wook,...

Synopsis

He who came home without saying a word receives a phone call from his mother and calmly listens to her trivial stories and sad songs.

Can the affectionate feelings between the heart of a mother and his son become the wind to blow the fog away?

For a mother and son who are sometimes sick and tired of each other, it's a film about family stores of our generation.

"Stalker - 2020" (2020)

Directed by Lee Soong-hwan

With Kim Ga-bin-II, Yeo Woo-rin, Kim Jung-han, Lee Sang-hee-V, Yoo Seung-min,...

Synopsis

A horror film about a young woman suffering from a bizarre experience in a low-rent rooftop house and eventually learning the terrible things that happened in the house.
Published on 2021/10/27 | Source

New stills added for the Korean drama "One the Woman" (2021).

Advertisement

Directed by Choi Yeong-hoon

Written by Kim Yoon

Network: SBS

With Lee Sang-yoon, Lee Hanee, Lee Won-geun, Jin Seo-yeon, Song Won-seok, Jeon Gook-hwan,...

16 episodes - Fri, Sat 22:00

Synopsis

The drama depicts the story a chaebol daughter-in-law who and a corrupt female prosecutor who look the same, switching lives due to memory loss.

Broadcast starting date in Korea : 2021/09/17
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Reporter

Sophia Voight is a reporter for the Hastings Star Gazette. She is from Oshkosh, WI and graduated from the UW Oshkosh with a bachelor's degree in Multimedia Journalism in 2021. She can be reached with any news tips at svoight@orourkemediagroup.com

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Editor: Arizona 4th Congressional District, really? Is Paul Gosar the best you can do?
Editor: Sometimes I couldnt be prouder of my elected representatives! Top of the 
FFA members prepare for hands-on learning at Montanas land-grant university

From Montana FFA

BOZEMAN  Montana FFA will be returning to Montana State University Nov.11-13 for the 10th Annual Montana FFA Ag Expo, sponsored by Montana John Deere Dealers: C&B Operations, Frontline Ag Solutions, and RDO Equipment Co.

Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020, the Montana FFA Foundation visited communities across the state to deliver experiential learning through small, competitive events as part of the Ag Expo. They ventured into 12 local communities to provide in-person contests while holding others online.

A year ago, like the rest of the world, we were completely rewriting the rule book and trying to do something we have never done before, Montana FFA Program and Events Coordinator Saralyn Standley said. But that is what FFA does: adapt and overcome. We are thrilled to be back in Bozeman at Montana State University with new contests and experiences for students.

All activities will be back on MSUs campus in Bozeman and will be held in-person. This year will be unique with three new contests and the first-ever Equipment Operators Seminar and Driving Contest.

We are incredibly thankful for the support of our John Deere Dealers for continuously going above and beyond to serve our students through this event for the past decade, Montana FFA Executive Director Gwynn Simeniuk said,

With 25 competitive events and 1,600 FFA members attending, Montana FFA is searching for 500 volunteers throughout these in-person, hands-on activities. People interested in volunteering at Montana FFA Ag Expo can visit https://montanaffa.org/agexpo online and learn more about how to sign up to volunteer.

Volunteering isnt the only way to stay involved in Montana FFAs largest conference. With more than 1,500 students, it also is the perfect opportunity for people to get their organization involved. Montana FFA Ag Expos Career Fair is a great tool to market a business, especially for organizations looking to hire or recruit FFA members. Colleges, universities, training programs and other organizations benefit as FFA members are all approaching graduation and want to further their education, enter the workforce, or look for their next leadership opportunity.

The Montana FFA Foundation supports 100 FFA chapters across the state of Montana, representing over 5,000 members. The Montana FFA Foundations mission is to cultivate partnerships, promote awareness and secure resources to enhance Agricultural Education and the Montana FFA Association.
Gov. Greg Gianforte visited Blaine, Hill and Liberty counties Wednesday, where he spoke representatives of Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation, the operators of Bear Paw Meats in Chinook and the staff of Liberty Medical Center in Chester, as part of his 56-county tour.

At Bear Paw Meats, Gianforte spoke to owners Dexter and Karla Buck, as well as their daughter and Bear Paw Meats Manager Ashley Buck, who took him on a tour of the facility.

During the tour, Ashley Buck talked about how they used grant money from the state, and showed him the equipment it helped buy, as well as the food that equipment helped produce.

"They put that money to good use," he said in an interview after sampling some of the products.

As they toured the facility, the Bucks talked about operations, potential expansion plans and staffing and Gianforte suggested a few programs the state has that may be able to help them out by helping pay for workers to get more training through education, covering up to half of their tuition.

He said facilities like Bear Paw Meats are important because Montana needs more processing capacity to help bolster local food chains and make Montana meats more available locally and otherwise.

He said the efforts of businesses like Bear Paw Meats supports investigations into the increased consolidation in the meatpacking industry, which he said has gone too far in recent years.

Gianforte said he wants to know if laws are being broken in the industry with all of this consolidation and he's sent letters to the U.S. Department of Agriculture encouraging them to investigate and address the issue.

On the state level, he said, the Montana Department of Agriculture is focusing on supporting value-added ag products which will help producers get a fair price for their goods.

During his visit to north-central Montana, he also spoke to the staff at Liberty Medical Center in Chester and thanked them for their work on the night of the Amtrak derailment outside of Joplin last month.

Gianforte said Liberty Medical Center CEO Ron Gleason's team preformed admirably that night, and he thought he should thank them in person, which he didn't have the chance to do when he was in Chester last month.

He also visited with representatives of Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation, returning their flag, which had to be retired, from the state capital.

About a year ago, he said, a tribal flag plaza was built at the state capital and the Chippewa Cree's flag flew at the capital for the first time upon the plaza's completion.

The flag was retired in June and, given the importance of the flag and what it represents, he decided that he would return it to the tribe himself, along with a certificate commemorating the state's partnership with the tribe, he said.
Kerr County officials received word today that a raccoon tested positive for rabies after coming in contact with a family pet in a residential neighborhood.
A DECISION by MPs not to vote in favour of reducing sewage discharge into the River Thames has been met with fury.

Henley MP John Howell and Theresa May, MP for Maidenhead, were among those who voted against proposed changes to the Environment Bill.

The amendments passed through the House of Lords with cross-party support but were defeated in the Commons by 268 votes to 204.

Environment Secretary George Eustice recommended MPs reject the changes, which would have put a legal duty on water companies not to pump sewage into rivers.

Twenty-two Conservatives rebelled by voting for the amendments.

The vote was condemned by the Rivers Trust, the Angling Trust and campaign group Surfers Against Sewage as well as Jo Robb, the River Thames champion for South Oxfordshire District Council.

She said: With some 80 miles of continuous river frontage, Henley has more of the River Thames than any other constituency. This beautiful river defines our landscape and our lives.

These amendments would go some way to protecting our precious river, cutting sewage pollution and improving water quality for people and nature. Our residents and all those who use and love the river want to see an end to sewage dumping. It is a great shame that our MPs decided not to stand up for the River Thames and chose instead to vote down these important amendments.

Cllr Robb, an open-water swimmer and member of the Henley Mermaids, launched a campaign last year to reduce sewage overflows.

She has called on companies such as Thames Water to make information about sewage discharge available to the public in real time.

This came after the company was fined 2.3million for a preventable sewage spill into the Fawley Court ditch and stream that flows into the river in April 2016. The raw sewage contained high ammonia levels and resulted in the death of 1,200 fish.

Mr Howell defended his decision to reject the amendments, saying the process of eliminating sewage completely would be expensive due to the age of the countrys pipe systems.

He said: The accusation that I voted to allow water companies to pump raw sewage into rivers is far from the truth. It would be just as fair to say that Liberal-Democrat and Labour MPs voted to pump raw sewage into your home given that resolving the problem by their half-baked proposal of sewage discharges would require rebuilding the sewage system and could cost up to 600billion and take many years.

At each debate I listen carefully to the speech made by the relevant minister. In this case, the speech set out very carefully what we are doing in relation to sewage and what we have already put into the Bill by way of amendments in the House of Lords.

Mr Howell said the Bill would force water companies and the Environment Agency to publish data on storm overflow operations.

Firms such as Thames Water would be required to publish near real-time data on the operation of storm overflows and to monitor water quality.

Mr Howell said that the water companies would invest 7.1billion in environmental improvements between 2020 and 2025. Of this,

3.1 billion would be spent on storm overflow improvements.

Matt Rodda, MP for Reading East, said: I share concerns about sewage pollution and I believe the Government must commit to taking fast action against water companies that pump raw sewage into our rivers, killing wildlife and habitats, without further rollback of environmental protections. This pollution has happened a number of times due to sewage works not being able to cope with high volumes of water in floods or after heavy rain.

In recent years, customers have faced rising bills while those in charge of water companies have received multi-million pound packages, huge bonuses and dividends.

The cost of cleaning up our rivers must come from these profits rather than from customers. In the climate and nature emergency, I believe we need a larger strategy to tackle current and future challenges for our water and sewerage system.

Mrs May did not respond to a request for comment.

A Thames Water spokesman said: Our aim will always be to try to do the right thing for our rivers and for the communities who love and value them.

By working with local partners, were actively listening to our customers, who want us to do more. Our planned investment in our sewer network and upgrading sewage treatment works across our region will help improve the situation.

Its our view that discharges of untreated sewage are simply unacceptable, even when they are legally permitted, and well work with the government, Ofwat and the Environment Agency to accelerate work to stop them being necessary.
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(JNS)  Nearly 90 percent of the Palestinian films in a collection launched last week by Netflix are directed by BDS supporters, Israeli NGO Im Tirtzu reported on Monday.

The collection, titled Palestinian Stories, is made of up 32 films, most of which had been uploaded to the streaming service by Monday.

Of the 28 movies by and about Palestinians that are so far available on the Israeli version of Netflix, 25 (89 percent) are directed by BDS supporters, Im Tirtzu research revealed.

According to the NGOs findings, 12 of the directors in question also signed an open Letter Against Apartheid in May, during Operation Guardian of the Walls, Israels 11-day conflict with terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip.

Palestinians are being attacked and killed with impunity by Israeli soldiers and armed Israeli civilians who have been roaming the streets of Jerusalem, Lydda, Haifa, Jaffa and other cities, chanting, Death to Arabs, the letter began, going on to accuse Israel of committed lynchings against and the ethnic cleansing of unprotected Palestinians.

To frame this as a war between two equal sides is false and misleading, the letter said. Israel is the colonizing power. Palestine is colonized. This is not a conflict: This is apartheid.

The following 12 directors signed the letter:

Ameen Nayfeh, director of The Crossing.

Annemarie Jacir, director of Salt of the Sea, When I Saw You and Like Twenty Impossibles.

Arab Nasser and Tarzan Nasser, directors of Condom Lead.

Elia Suleiman, director of Divine Intervention and Chronicle of a Disappearance.

Farah Nabulsi, director of The Present.

Hany Abu-Assad, director of Omar.

Larissa Sansour, director of In Vitro.

Mahdi Fleifel, director of A Man Returned, Xenos, A Drowning Man, A World Not Ours and Logical Exits.

Mai Masri, director of 3,000 Nights, Frontiers of Dream and Fears and Children of Shatila.

NaJwa Najjar, director of Pomegranates & Myrrh and Eyes of a Thief.

Raed Andoni, director of Ghost Hunting.

It is disgraceful that Netflix is featuring propaganda films directed by BDS supporters whose sole goal is to slander and delegitimize the only democracy in the Middle East, said Im Tirtzu CEO Matan Peleg.

If Netflix wants to tell the Palestinian story, it should start by contacting the thousands of bereaved Israeli families who are victims of Palestinian terrorism, he added.
(JTA)  An 700-year-old Jewish prayerbook from Germany, offered for sale by a French Jewish organization to shore up its finances, sold at auction on Tuesday for $8.3 million.

Known as the Luzzatto High Holiday Mahzor, the prayerbook easily beat the $4-6 million pre-sale estimate by Sothebys New York auction house as four bidders battled one another for five dramatic minutes.

The item, which was sold to an unnamed private buyer, comes out of the collection of the Alliance Israelite Universelle, a 160-year-old French Jewish organization that operates schools in Israel, France and Morocco.

Only one Judaica item has ever sold for more at auction: the Bomberg Talmud from the Valmadonna collection, which sold for $9.3 million in 2015.

An artifact of medieval Germany that went on to circulate among various Jewish communities in Europe, the Luzzatto Mahzor is handwritten in Hebrew and features colorful illustrations of human bodies with animal heads.

In my 26 years at Sothebys I handled many rare and interesting books, said Sharon Mintz, the auction houses senior consultant for Judaica, in a video presentation. However I have never had an opportunity to sell an early illustrated medieval Hebrew prayerbook and Id be surprised if I ever have this opportunity again. It is such a rare manuscript.

The sale offers another sign of just how hot the rare Judaica market has become in recent years in line with the overall market for collectibles.

But the transfer of the book from a library to private hands also points to the increasingly precarious state of some public Judaica collections serving the Jewish community.

In interviews in French media, Alliance representatives said their organization, which runs an important Jewish library in Paris as well as numerous Jewish schools, is facing an economic crisis.

The sale is the only solution that will guarantee the survival of the organizations library until 2030, Marc Eisenberg and Roger Cukierman told the French outlet Actualite Juive, according to Haaretz. The money raised from the auction will pay for scholarships, programs for children with special needs and investments in digital education, according to a statement released by Alliance.

There had been efforts to stop the sale from taking place with some calling on the French government to invoke a law declaring the prayerbook a national treasure.

The disclosure of the sale and the reason for it stands in contrast to recent revelations that the renowned library of the Jewish Theological Seminary had quietly sold off assets to raise funds in recent years.

The winning bidder for the Luzzatto Mahzor has not been publicly named but some hints are available, leading Judaica experts to speculate on the persons identity.

Sothebys said the item went to a renowned American collector, who has one of the most significant collections of Medieval Hebrew manuscripts in the world.

In an email to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Mintz, the Sothebys advisor, gave an additional clue.

I would add to this that the buyer is known to be very generous in sharing his manuscripts with the public  they have been in many public exhibitions and the buyer also provides access to scholars, she wrote.

Ironically, the sale to a private collector could end up increasing the publics interest and engagement with the prayerbook.

According to Mintz, very few people knew of its existence before the auction, and those who did could only examine it in the physical setting of the library. As part of the preparation for the auction, the prayerbook was professionally digitized and reproduced online.

I am fairly certain that as a result of our research and cataloging and photography, a much larger group of people than ever before now know of its existence and significance, Mintz wrote. Should they wish to study it, they are now able to do so 24/7 through the comprehensive digital images.
(JTA) - Jean Meltzer always knew how "The Matzah Ball," her first novel, would end.

"The rule of romance is that there has to be a happy ending; the characters have to get together," Meltzer told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. "If they don't get together, that's not a romance; that's literary fiction."

So (not-really-a-spoiler alert) it was a foregone conclusion that protagonist Rachel Rubenstein-Goldblatt, a best-selling Christmas-themed romance writer who has kept her career from her observant Jewish parents, would wind up with Jacob Greenberg, her Camp Ahava crush who is now throwing the glitziest Chanukah party New York City has ever seen.

But while Rachel and Jacob's love story conforms to the conventions of the romance novel, Meltzer sees it as subverting traditional Jewish stories that more often dwell on the difficulty or danger of being Jewish.

"I wanted to write a book for Jews where the heroes were sexy, where the men were strong, where the women were beautiful, where they got their happy ending," said Meltzer, a self-proclaimed rabbinical school dropout and Christmas junkie.

Meltzer also wanted to spotlight a character who, like her, struggles with chronic illness. Rachel's myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome, is invisible to those who don't know her but shapes her life in every way, much as it has for Meltzer, who was diagnosed as a young adult and describes herself as "basically homebound."

Meltzer spoke to JTA from her silver-tinsel-draped home office in Northern Virginia about the impetus behind "The Matzah Ball," why she believes the Chanukah bush has a place in Jewish homes and the power of romance novels to shape Jewish identity.

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

JTA:

Meltzer: I've always been a nice Jewish girl who loves Christmas. And every year I go into, say, Target, and there's a holiday display with all of the Christmas books. Year after year, I went looking for a Chanukah book, and there never was one. I just wanted to see myself represented on that table. I could envision it: a blue and white book in the sea of red and green.

I also had an experience where my 7-year-old niece was sitting on my lap and she looked at me and she goes 'Auntie Jean, you have a big nose, and big noses are ugly.' She goes to Jewish day school, she's surrounded by strong Jewish women, and I thought, where did she get this message?

So when I sat down to write this book, I wanted to do something different from the stories I had grown up with, which were Holocaust stories, stories where Jews were being taken hostage by terrorists - you never really saw us as the heroes of their own stories. I wanted to write a book for Jews where the heroes were sexy, where the men were strong, where the women were beautiful, where they got their happy ending

I think we all know that antisemitism is a growing problem. I didn't want to add to that. I wanted to write the best of my community. I wanted to write the best of Shabbat dinners that I've been to, the best of Jewish mothers, the best of Jewish friendships, and all the fun of living in the Jewish world. I wanted people to see Jews in a different light.

In the literary world, the #OwnVoices movement has argued that stories about communities and cultures should be written by people from those communities and cultures. There's also backlash to this idea from those who say it deprives writers of the power to invent and may cause writers to be pigeonholed. How do you see your work fitting into this debate?

Having worked with non-Jewish editors and seeing how people have reacted to the book, I can see now that I think in a very Jewish worldview that is very different from how the rest of the world thinks. Things that I sort of take for granted and nuances that I thought everybody would sort of understand, I had to realize and learn that that was not the case.

Listen, I'm a writer. I love writing. Any writer should be able to write any story. But I really think there is something to #OwnVoices. You would have to do years and years and years of research, I think, to write a book like "The Matzah Ball," if you didn't have the experience. I think there's absolutely something to be said for #OwnVoices.

The book is very thoroughly Jewish - not just the characters and setting but the text, which is peppered with references to the Talmud and other Jewish texts. Who do you see as the audience?

At the end of the day I don't know who the audience will be but I will tell you that absolutely non-Jews have picked up the book. Debbie Macomber is the queen of Christmas romance: She fell in love with the book, and not only gave me a blurb but she did my launch event recently.

Your story is about a celebration of holiday aesthetics, but there's also a moment where the characters realize that a bunch of dreidels and menorahs just don't have a glitzy effect. The Christmas aesthetic is so well developed, and there are so many variations on it. Why do you think the Jewish holiday aesthetic is so much less developed?

I did not grow up in a family that had any type of Christmas or Chanukah decor, but I love it now. Every year I start sort of scouring for, like, a new Chanukah inflatable for the lawn, and every year it's impossible to find something that's good, that doesn't look just like a tchotchke on my lawn. Even so, I'm very proud of my outdoor display - we have gone insane. We have giant blow-ups and we put up lights and it's gotten to a point where people literally drive to see it.

In Jewish law, there are prohibitions against mimicking your foreign neighbors and things like that. So growing up I think that was very strong: There was a fear of assimilation and that having a Christmas tree, we were all going to go off and marry non-Jews and not be Jewish anymore. For me, I feel like I've done the work Jewishly, and I am very comfortable in my Judaism. So I don't feel like the Chanukah bush is going to be my slippery slope that's going to push me over the edge and change my belief system.

But there is also a commandment of beautifying your holy objects, and then the commandment for Chanukah lights is that you're supposed to publicize the miracle, right? I'm not a rabbi, but you can maybe make an argument [in favor of Chanukah lawn displays].

I've always been a person who likes pretty things, and especially with chronic illness and in the middle of a pandemic, holding on to my joy is such a big part of my life. And when I walk and it's nighttime and the lights are twinkling, I feel it in my kishkes. It just makes me feel good.

If you were to pick a favorite moment in the book or the writing process, one that felt like a peak moment for you, what would it be and why?

The hardest thing for me to write, or what I think was the most important thing, was the bedazzled wheelchair. [Jacob sends a sparkly wheelchair to Rachel's apartment after a flareup of her chronic fatigue leaves her unable to leave home.]

The problem of chronic illness is that it's invisible. Because we're invisible, our struggles are not fully seen and because they're not seen, they're not understood. So this idea that like, again, it's almost like intersectionality of identity - we think of ourselves as Jewish, but we're more than just Jewish. A lot of us have multiple identities. By making it visible, by showing that it's so much more normal than we realize, that's how we get people to understand that it's part of our experience.

And when you're chronically ill, that moment where you want to use a wheelchair is really the moment when you're like "holy crap, I'm really sick," and when your disability goes from invisible to visible. So I felt it was incredibly important and powerful that women who were chronically ill and sick could see that they could be loved, even in a wheelchair. And that it's okay to accept your disability, and then also that a man or a woman or a partner will love you in spite of whatever your disability is, will love you through all the good and bad of your life.

It was the hardest thing to write because I had never seen anything like that in a romance, but I felt like at the end of the day it was the most important scene I wrote in the book.

What else would you want Jewish readers to know about your book?

Mira Books

It was written to create a joyous Jewish story. I know it's different but I really think everyone should at least pick it up, give it a chance. I know it's new for the Jewish world.

I really think it's important that young people and all of us see ourselves in stories beyond the lens of victimhood, and I really think that one of the ways we do that is by making ourselves heroes in our own stories.

I hope I'm not the only Jewish romance writer going forward. I hope we have lots of Jewish rom coms because there's a huge gaping hole in the market there. And, you know, I think it's really important that we start telling stories where we get a happy ending. I know it's not what we do, but everyone deserves a happy ending, including Jews.
WASHINGTON (JTA) - Colin Powell will be remembered in history as the first Black U.S. national security adviser, the first Black military chief of staff and the first Black secretary of state.

He was also the first military chief to speak Yiddish as a second language, and he loved surprising Jews with his skill.

Powell, the former U.S. secretary of state who brokered the "road map" to a two-state peace deal that still informs much of U.S. policy in the region, died Monday aged 84. He died of COVID-19, his family said on Facebook. He was fully vaccinated and, according to news reports, had been undergoing treatments for blood cancer.

Powell made history three times as the first Black man in a senior security position: As President Ronald Reagan's last national security adviser from 1987 to 1989; as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1989 to 1993 under President George H.W. Bush, who commanded the successful first Gulf War; and as secretary of state from 2001 to 2005 under Bush's son, President George W. Bush.

Powell, the child of Jamaican immigrants who grew up in the Bronx, was a hero in Vietnam who upon his return stayed in the military and rapidly rose through the ranks.

From when he was 13 until his sophomore year at the City College of New York, Powell worked for Sickser's, a Jewish-owned shop in the Bronx that sold goods to new parents - many of them Jewish who spoke Yiddish as a first language. He also worked as a "Shabbes goy," turning on the electricity for Orthodox families on the Sabbath, and picked up the language.

When he met Yitzhak Shamir, the Israeli prime minister ahead of the first Gulf War in 1991, he said, "Men kent reden Yiddish," we can speak in Yiddish, to Shamir's surprise. At least twice, addressing the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, he joked about his Yiddish skills.

Shamir and Powell shared more than a language: In Powell, Shamir found the only senior national security official who was sympathetic to Israel's reluctance to hold fire in the face of Iraqi Scud missile attacks on the country. The senior Bush and Brent Scowcroft, his national security adviser, were baffled that Israel did not want to rely on American protection.

Powell, as a military officer, understood Shamir's concern that staying out would lower Israel's deterrence, and his sympathetic ear helped bring Shamir around toward complying with the Bush administration's demand that Israel lay low throughout the conflict.

Powell was consistently concerned about Jewish sensibilities; heading a volunteerism initiative under President Bill Clinton, he formally apologized to the Jewish community after the commission's first summit was held on Passover.

The pro-Israel community, mindful of his history, welcomed his ascension to secretary of state under the younger Bush, a development that accelerated talk that Powell would eventually run for president as a Republican.

There were tensions, however, as Powell at times clashed with the government of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon over Israel's actions during the Second Intifada.

Powell was the first Bush administration official - indeed the first U.S. official - to say, in 2001, that the likely outcome of peace talks would be a Palestinian state. The development stunned the pro-Israel community, which had expected the second Bush administration to step back from the intensive Middle East peace brokering that had characterized the Clinton and first Bush administrations.

Powell had the ear of his boss; by the summer of 2002, Bush was speaking of Palestinian statehood, and by 2003, Powell had dragged a reluctant Sharon into endorsing - with caveats - the roadmap, which envisioned a process culminating in Palestinian statehood.

Sharon was signing onto the very thing he had accused his Labor Party opponents of rushing toward barely a decade earlier, when the Oslo Process, which did not explicitly envision Palestinian statehood, was launched under Clinton. Powell worked hard to bring the U.S. pro-Jewish community on board with the road map, mindful of how opposition among U.S. pro-Israel groups had helped frustrate the Oslo process.

The Trump administration suspended some provisions of the road map, deemphasizing statehood as an outcome for Palestinians. The Biden administration has reinstated its parameters.

Powell wanted a second term as secretary of state; he forever regretted becoming the leading pitch man for the Iraq War ahead of its 2003 launch, notably with a speech to the United Nations that was later revealed to have included distortions, and wanted to stick around to clean up the mess. Powell clashed with Vice President Dick Cheney over how the war developed.

Bush, however, chose in his second term to let Powell go and elevated his national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, to the job, making her the first Black woman to be secretary of state. Once again the pro-Israel community, noting Rice's reputation for hawkishness, rejoiced; once again, it was disappointed when she spearheaded pressure on Israel to enter the Annapolis peace process in 2007.

Powell, meantime, disillusioned with the course of the Bush presidency and resigned to the fact that his own presidential hopes were dashed in Iraq, endorsed Barack Obama for president in 2008. He remained a critic of the rightward drift of his party, endorsing Obama again in 2012, and Hillary Clinton in 2016, although he disliked her.
WASHINGTON (JTA)  The Washington D.C. branch of a national climate action group turned down a role at a voting rights rally because a number of Zionist organizations will be taking part.

Given our commitment to racial justice, self-governance and indigenous sovereignty, we oppose Zionism and any state that enforces its ideology, Sunrise DC said in a statement it posted Tuesday on Twitter.

The group named the National Council of Jewish Women, the Reform movements Religious Action Center and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs as groups supporting Israel, which Sunrise DC called a colonial project.

The Freedom to Vote Relay-Rally on Saturday features a bike ride to the U.S. Capitol from West Virginia, the home state of Senate Democrat Joe Manchin, who is sponsoring a voting rights act named Freedom to Vote.

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency has asked the Sunrise Movement, a youth group garnering attention for its advocacy to stem human-caused climate change, whether it endorses the statement by its D.C. chapter. The national group is not listed among the groups joining the rally although its West Virginia chapter appears to be participating. Sunrise Movement has not responded.

Sunrise DC called for one of the rallys main organizers, Declaration for American Democracy, to remove the three Jewish groups from its coalition. Not mentioned in the Sunrise DC statement are two other Jewish groups belonging to the same coalition, Bend the Arc and Workers Circle. Bend the Arc has no position on Israel and Workers Circle backs the two-state solution, but has been highly critical of Israel, and has called on the U.S. government to condition aid to Israel on its human rights record.

Notably, the Declaration for American Democracy coalition includes at least two groups that are highly critical of Israel, the Arab American Institute and Code Pink; neither group appears to have objected to joining in a coalition with the three Jewish groups named by Sunrise DC.

All three Jewish groups cited by Sunrise DC have long-established records of pro-Israel advocacy but have in recent years devoted much of their focus on domestic issues. The three groups all back the two-state outcome; NCJW and the Reform movements RAC have sister groups in Israel that advocate for the rights of minorities and for women.

Each of the groups said in statements to JTA that they would not be deterred from attending the rally on Saturday.

National Council of Jewish Women works for the safety and wellbeing of Americans, Israelis, and Palestinians, said its CEO, Sheila Katz. We fight for access to the ballot, an end to gender-based violence, increased equity, and for women to build power despite systemic barriers at every turn. All of this work is done in the coalition, often led by impacted communities, to center those with lived experiences. Our commitment to working across lines of difference includes our willingness to engage in dialogue with groups that take issue with our policies. Lets move forward together to advance human rights and dignity for all people.

JCPA, the umbrella group for Jewish public policy groups, and Reforms RAC have in recent years emphasized voting rights advocacy. In keeping with our 77-year history, JCPA will continue our ongoing engagement on voting rights efforts in coalition with interfaith and diverse communities, including our involvement in the freedom to vote rally and in support of fair, free and accessible elections for all people, said its senior vice president, Melanie Gorelick.

Rabbi Jonah Pesner, RACs director, said it was unfortunate that any organization would refuse to join together to protect voting rights. The work of our coalition to ensure that every American has access to the right to vote is too important not to remain in partnership as we push Congress to act. As an organization committed to social justice and our progressive Zionist values, we will continue to work toward the passage of comprehensive voting rights legislation.

Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-New York, the chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives and a leading voting rights advocate in Congress, also weighed in. Refusing to participate in civic life with Jewish groups  especially those groups who are committed to social justice here in the US, in Israel and around the world  is misguided, unproductive, offensive and wrong, he said on Twitter.
(JTA)  The statue of Thomas Jefferson that will be removed from the chambers of the New York City Council at the urging of Black lawmakers was a gift in 1834 from one of the first Jewish officers in the U.S. military.

The citys Public Design Commission decided to remove the statue following complaints from Assemblymen Charles Barron, Councilwoman Inez Barron and others that Jefferson was a slaveholder.

The statue, which has stood in the city councils chambers for over a century, was commissioned by Uriah Phillips Levy, a lifelong fan of Jeffersons. Levy was a member of Congregation Shearith Israel, the Spanish-Portuguese synagogue in New York City.

Levy served in the U.S. Navy, including during the War of 1812, eventually earning the rank of commodore. Having faced antisemitic prejudice in the Navy, Levy fought against religious discrimination and commissioned a bronze sculpture of Jefferson that stands in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, in honor of Jeffersons support for religious freedom. The New York version is a copy. Levy even purchased Monticello, Jeffersons mansion in Virginia, in 1836 and restored it.

It is not yet clear where the statue will end up after it is removed from the city council chambers. Possible new locations include another place within City Hall or at the New-York Historical Society, where it can be displayed with historical context.

In the same week that the decision was made to remove the Jefferson statue, a statue of a Jewish woman was put up in New York City. A life-size bronze of Diane Arbus, a photographer who was born on Manhattans Upper West Side in 1923, was erected in Central Park, where she took some of her most famous photos. The statue, only the second sculpture in the park to honor a real-life woman, will be on display until August 2022.
NEW YORK (JTA)  Three rabbis and six Jewish teenagers were among those arrested Monday at a climate protest at the Manhattan headquarters of BlackRock, the largest investment management company in New York.

The demonstration, organized by the Jewish Youth Climate Movement with support from the interfaith organization GreenFaith, demanded the firm stop its investments in and cut ties with companies that fund the fossil fuel industry, which include Enbridge, Inc., Formosa Plastics and Shell.

Rabbis Rachel Timoner and Stephanie Kolin of Congregation Beth Elohim in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and Rabbi Rachel Kahn-Troster, vice president of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, were among those arrested.

Judaisms highest priority is saving lives, said Timoner in a statement. The Jewish youth who are leading us today understand that we are in a life or death moment, that we must divest from fossil fuels now in order to save lives.

The Jewish Youth Climate Movement, founded by the Jewish environmental group Hazon in 2019, is a Gen Z-led movement dedicated to combating climate change and environmental injustice from a Jewish lens.

The demonstration was one of 500 demonstrations across 41 countries taking place over Oct. 17-18 as part of the Faiths 4 Climate Justice campaign organized by Greenfaith. The campaign was set for two weeks ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), which will take place in Glasgow, Scotland, starting on Oct. 31.

The activists specifically called on Larry Fink, BlackRocks founder and CEO since 1988, to stand by his Jewish values and end BlackRocks funding of the fossil fuel industry and end human rights violations, according to a news press release.

BlackRock is the biggest funder of climate destruction in the world. Its time for Larry Fink to live up to his talk and divest from the fossil fuel industry and end BlackRocks human rights violations, said Morgan Long, one of the organizers of the event.

Fink, in a 2021 Letter to CEOs, said BlackRock was taking steps to ensure that the companies its clients are invested in are both mitigating climate risk and considering the opportunities presented by the net zero transition, that is, emitting no more carbon dioxide than they remove from the atmosphere by 2050.
Nir Distelfeld, an inspector for the Israel Antiquities Authority, with the Crusader sword, Oct. 18, 2021.

(Israel21C via JNS) - If there's proof that you can't go anywhere in Israel without stumbling on some kind of ancient artifact, it's got to be the news this morning that a scuba diver has discovered an ancient Crusader sword on the sea bed off the Carmel coast in the north of the country.

Atlit resident Shlomi Katzin was diving off the coast at the beach in Carmel on Saturday when he spotted ancient artifacts lying on the sea bed, uncovered apparently by shifting sands.

Katzin saw ancient stone anchors, anchors made of metal pottery fragments and a sword with a meter-long (3.3 foot) blade and a hilt measuring 30 centimeters (11.8 inches).

He took the sword ashore, fearing that the find might be stolen or buried once more by the sands, and reported it to the Israel Antiquities Authority.

"The sword, which has been preserved in perfect condition, is a beautiful and rare find and evidently belonged to a Crusader knight," said Nir Distelfeld, an inspector for the IAA's Robbery Prevention Unit.

"It was found encrusted with marine organisms but is apparently made of iron. It is exciting to encounter such a personal object, taking you 900 years back in time to a different era, with knights, armor and swords," he said.

The sword was discovered in a natural anchorage that has been in use as a temporary natural shelter for ships from the Late Bronze Age, 4,000 years ago, according to Kobi Sharvit, director of the IAAs Marine Archaeology Unit,

"The recent discovery of the sword suggests that the natural cove was also used in the Crusader period, some 900 years ago," said Sharvit.

Archeologists have been monitoring this particular spot on the Carmel coast since an earlier discovery in June this year. Finds are elusive, however, as they appear and disappear with the shifting sands.

"The Carmel coast contains many natural coves that provided shelter for ancient ships in a storm and larger coves around which entire settlements and ancient port cities developed, such as Dor and Atlit," explained Sharvit.

"These conditions have attracted merchant ships down the ages, leaving behind rich archaeological finds," he added.

The sword has been handed over to the National Treasures Department, and Katzin was awarded a certificate of appreciation for good citizenship. Once the sword has been cleaned and researched in the Israel Antiquities Authority's laboratories, it will be displayed to the public.

"The discovery of ancient finds by swimmers and leisure divers is a growing phenomenon in recent years, with the increasing popularity of such sports," says Sharvit.

"Underwater surveying is dynamic. Even the smallest storm moves the sand and reveals areas on the sea bed, meanwhile burying others. It is therefore vitally important to report any such finds, which we always try to document on-site, in order to retrieve as much archaeological data as possible."

This article first appeared in Israel21c.
(JNS)  The pro-Israel student group Maccabee Task Force organized its first three-day conference to help strengthen the relationship between Black and Jewish communities.

Roughly 100 people from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) attended the Black Student Leaders Summit, which was held from Oct. 1-3 in Atlanta, where many of the student leaders were based.

The goal of the summit was to help re-establish an alliance that has increasingly split in the last decade as a result of politics and various social movements in the United States.

David Brog, executive director of the Maccabee Task Force, told JNS that one of its aims was to bridge some of the distance thats crept into the communities.

Its an important history; its history thats largely been forgotten, he said. Its really important that as racist persists, anti-Semitism grows and anti-Zionism spreads, we rekindle the alliance and rebuild this relationship in a way that can do a lot of good now, just like it did in the past.

Topics covered included the shared history of the two communities, the similarities between both minorities, and how anti-Semitism persists and is a cousin of racism, said Brog. Other issues addressed the Abraham Accords, the importance of U.S.-Israel relations, the cooperation between Israel and other Middle East countries, and the fight against anti-Semitism.

The event featured presentations from student activists, diplomats and community leaders, such as Darius Jones, founder and executive director of the National Black Empowerment Council; Consul General of Israel to Atlanta Anat Sultan-Dadon; Omar Al Busaidy, an entrepreneur from the United Arab Emirates; and Ethiopian Jewish activist Rebecca Avera.

Marvel Joseph, coalitions coordinator for the task force and a pro-Israel Christian activist, also spoke at the summit. He believes that the conference made a positive impact on the student leaders, as it gave them the opportunity to build some tangible relationships with the Jewish community.

It allowed them to come to the table, he said. Theyve been able to make decisions on where they stand. That is something that I think has helped us build genuine relationships, and has helped a lot of our students become more curious and say, What can I do next? How can I get involved in my local Jewish community? How can I get involved with the local pro-Israel community? Thats been the response that Ive seen. And thats where were going to continue working and building relationships.

Since the conclusion of the summit, the task force has reported that many attendees have called asking how they can take action in their local communities. Some have already started working with their local Hillel chapters in supporting Jewish causes.

No amount of training can help people really get to that point. It has to be something thats intrinsic, and you have to have a fire and a passion for, said Joseph. The speakers at our conference really gave our students a call to action to do more.
(JTA)  A Jewish man who asked for a new trial on the grounds that the judge who sentenced him to death was antisemitic will be granted a new trial.

Randy Halprin, 44, was originally set to be executed on Oct. 10, 2019 but won a stay from the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals after he alleged that the judge who presided over his 2003 murder trial was biased against Jews and referred to him using antisemitic slurs, including fin Jew and k-ke.

The stay sent Halprins case back to Dallas County, where Judge Lela Lawrence Mays heard Halprins arguments in June and this week issued a decision granting Halprin a new trial.

Judge Vickers Cunningham possessed antisemitic prejudice against Halprin which violated Halprins constitutional right to a trial in a fair tribunal equal protection, and free exercise of religion, Mays wrote in her decision.

Halprin was serving a 30-year sentence for harming a child when he and six other inmates attempted to escape from prison. A police officer was killed during the attempt, and each member of the group, which came to be known as the Texas 7, was sentenced to death. Halprin claimed in his trial that he never fired his gun.

The judge who presided over the original case, Vickers Vic Cunningham, has been accused of using several antisemitic and racist slurs and, according to the Dallas Morning News, set up a trust fund for his children on the condition that they marry white Christians of the opposite sex. Court documents quoted a childhood friend of Cunninghams who said the judge took special pride in sentencing the Texas 7 to death because they included Latinos and Jews.

Several Jewish groups got involved in Halprins case in recent years as he sought a new trial. The American Jewish Committee, Central Conference of American Rabbis, Men of Reform Judaism and Union for Reform Judaism were among those filing a joint amicus brief in support of Halprins 2019 appeal, and more than 100 Jewish lawyers in Texas signed on.

The brief made the case that the appeal was not about Halprins guilt, but about Cunninghams antisemitism.

[T]hose issues are irrelevant, because questions of guilt and punishment follow a fair trial; they do not precede it, it said. And if Judge Cunningham is the bigot described in the application, a fair trial has not yet happened.
Alta Fixsler, a 2-year-old Jewish girl, taken off life support in UK despite parents wishes

By Cnaan Liphshiz

(JTA)  A 2-year-old Jewish girl died in the United Kingdom Monday after she was taken off life support despite her parents objections.

Alta Fixsler of Manchester, England, had serious natal complications that made her dependent on life support from birth. When medical authorities at the hospital where she was treated wanted to take her off life support, her parents, both haredi Orthodox Jews, took the medical authorities to court, claiming that taking the child off life support would violate their religious principles.

Chaya and Abraham Fixsler said that taking their daughter off life support would contradict their Jewish faith. Judaism commands the preservation of human life and generally forbids actions to end it, though rabbis, including Orthodox ones, have diverging opinions taking patients with incurable ailments off life support.

The High Court of London ruled in May that ending Altas life would be in her best interest, as medical experts said she felt discomfort but could not recover or feel pleasure, the BBC reported. A British judge rejected a petition by the girls parents to have her moved to a hospital in Jerusalem. Attempts to make Alta a U.S. citizen did not succeed in time to prevent her death.

Sky News quoted a spokesperson for the family who announced Altas death Monday evening: Sad news, little Alta Fixslers life support was turned off this afternoon and she died at the hospice with her parents by her side.

Portuguese diplomat who saved thousands of Jews during the Holocaust receives posthumous honor

By Cnaan Liphshiz

(JTA)  The government of Portugal honored the memory of Aristides de Sousa Mendes, a diplomat who saved thousands of Jews during the Holocaust, at a ceremony in Lisbon Tuesday.

President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was among the many dignitaries who attended the ceremony at the National Pantheon, a former church in Lisbon where national heroes are commemorated.

The parliament at the National Assembly in Portugals capital decreed the honor unanimously last year, voting to add a monument honoring de Sousa Mendes to the statues already on display there.

Aristides de Sousa Mendes changed Portuguese history in that tragic moment, Rebelo de Sousa, the president, said during the ceremony, according to the SAPO public broadcaster which aired the ceremony live. Portugal is eternally grateful to him, the president said.

In 1940, de Sousa Mendes served as consul in Bordeaux, France, where he granted visas to refugees fleeing the Nazi advance. He is estimated to have saved 30,000 people, including 10,000 Jews.

Mendes was eventually suspended and fired from Portugals diplomatic service for his actions in Bordeaux under the dictatorship of Antonio de Oliveira Salazar. However, he was posthumously vindicated and recognized in 1966 as a Righteous Among the Nations, a title conferred on behalf of the State of Israel by the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem to non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust. Mendes, who died in 1954, was the first diplomat to be recognized with the title.

He has received several honors in his native Portugal, including by the national airline TAP, which named an airplane for him in 2014.

Jewish serial sperm donor Ari Nagel nears 100 children after a prolific pandemic

By Shira Hanau

(JTA)  While others were perfecting their sourdough bread-baking or watching the entire catalogue of Netflix, Ari Nagel spent the past 20 months of the pandemic doing what he does best: donating sperm. He now has nearly 100 children to show for it.

Nagel, whom the New York Post once dubbed Sperminator, grew up in an Orthodox Jewish family in Monsey, New York, before becoming a college math teacher and eventually a serial sperm donor. In a profile published Wednesday in Esquire, Nagel said he fathered 21 children in 2020 and expected another 30 babies in 2021, bringing him to a total of almost 100 babies.

I wasnt meant to have 90 kids. You have to make it happen, Nagel says in the Esquire story.

Nagel has donated sperm in Target restrooms, the American Museum of Natural History and countless hotel rooms. Hes traveled the world to do so, including during the pandemic. At one point, he even snagged his brothers passport to travel to Israel after the country banned him from donating sperm there.

Nagels accelerated donations come at a time when donor sperm is under short supply worldwide. He says he is driven to donate because he wants to help women, especially those in same-sex relationships, and he frequently stays in touch with the families he helps to grow. He also has children from his own marriages.

Over lunch on Tisha Bav, the Jewish day of mourning that this year fell in mid-July, Nagel told Esquire that his parents didnt understand his life choices and that his mother believes he brings shame on the family. Nagel took a different view.

I hope Im a better grandparent to my kids children than they are to mine, Nagel told the magazine.

United Arab Emirates to join Israel in moon shot

By Ron Kampeas

(JTA)  The next time Israel tries to land a spacecraft on the moon, it will have some neighborly help.

United Arab Emirates and Israel plan to land Israels un-crewed Beresheet craft on the moon in 2024 in a joint space exploration deal, Haaretz reported on Wednesday.

Israels first attempt to land a lunar module on the moon failed in 2019 when it crashed.

The Beresheet 2 effort will be part of an agreement slated to be signed between Israel and the UAE to develop space technologies. The craft will collect soil samples and conduct experiments.

Israel and the UAE are accelerating their cooperation under the Abraham Accords normalization deal brokered last year by the Trump administration. Last week, their foreign ministers met in Washington with their U.S. counterpart, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, to sign trilateral agreements on advancing religious freedoms and collaborating on climate change.

Rachel Levine is named an admiral, becoming the most senior transgender person in the uniformed services

By Ron Kampeas

WASHINGTON (JTA) Rachel Levine made history in March when she assumed the role of assistant secretary for health, becoming the first known transgender person to be confirmed by the Senate.

Now Levine, who is Jewish, is the most senior transgender person in the uniformed services, after she was sworn in on Tuesday as the admiral of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, one of two nonmilitary U.S. uniformed services. The other is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps.

The swearing-in also makes Levine the first known transgender four-star officer in U.S. history.

The public health corps, established more than 200 years ago and numbering 6,000 workers, is deployed to assist in national health emergencies, most recently in helping to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Levine, in her previous position as the health secretary in Pennsylvania, earned accolades for stemming the spread of the virus in that state.

Levine told The Washington Post that she plans to wear the uniform immediately.

This is a momentous occasion and I am honored to take this role for the impact that I can make and for the historic nature of what it symbolizes, she said in a video message after the swearing-in. I stand on the shoulders of those LGBTQ+ individuals who came before me, both those known and unknown.

Levine, 63, was born and raised in Massachusetts. Speaking to the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle upon becoming Pennsylvania physician general in 2015, Levine noted that though she grew up attending a Conservative synagogue, she became more inclined to Reform Judaism as an adult, in part because of the movements embrace of transgender people.

Turkey arrests 15 on suspicion of spying for Israel

(Israel Hayom via JNS)  Turkish media outlets on Thursday reported that 15 individuals had been arrested on suspicion of spying for Israel, following a large-scale operation by local security forces. According to local reports, 200 members of the Turkish security forces took part in the series of arrests.

While Turkish media outlets did not reveal the alleged spies country of origin, they did note their Middle Eastern appearance. According to the reports, the agents transferred confidential information and classified documents to the Mossad intelligence agency.

The agents were spying on senior Hamas officials, according to the reports.

Last year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans government bolstered its already warm relationship with the Hamas terrorist group by granting Turkish citizenship to senior Hamas members, U.K. newspaper The Telegraph reported. The move would allow them to travel freely and enable them to plot terrorist attacks on Israelis across the globe.

According to the report, seven of 12 Hamas operatives who use Turkey as their base of operations have received Turkish citizenship, as well as passports, while another five are in the process of receiving them. In some cases, the Hamas terrorists are living under Turkish aliases.

These are not foot soldiers but the most senior Hamas operatives outside of Gaza. [They] are actively raising funds and directing operatives to carry out attacks in the present day, a senior source in the region told The Telegraph.

The Turkish government gave in to pressure by Hamas to grant citizenship to its operatives, thereby allowing them to travel more freely, endangering other countries that have listed Hamas as a terror group, the source added.

This article first appeared in Israel Hayom.

Bennett, Indian external affairs minister meet in Jerusalem

(JNS)  Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met in Jerusalem on Wednesday with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

The two discussed strengthening the strategic alliance, expanding bilateral ties and deepening the warm friendship between Israel and India, according to an official statement. On behalf of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Jaishankar also extended an invitation for Bennett to make his first official visit to India.

Bennett thanked Jaishankar and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for their commitment to the partnership between the two countries, a partnership he said Israel was eager to expand.

I speak on behalf of Israelis: We love India. We view India as a huge friend and were looking forward to expanding our relationship in all fields and all dimensions. I look forward to a very productive meeting, he said.

Earlier on Wednesday, Jaishankar also held a diplomatic working meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

Herzog, too, extended his gratitude to Jaishankar and Modi for their role in promoting and strengthening Israel-India ties.

Noting that 2022 would see the thirtieth anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and India next year, Herzog vowed to personally assist in promoting ties between the two countries.

Israel to allow 3,000 more work permits for Palestinians from Gaza Strip

(JNS)  Israel announced on Wednesday that it is issuing work permits for 3,000 Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to enter the country, bringing the total to 10,000.

COGAT, the Israeli defense body that controls Palestinian civil affairs, said the decision was conditional upon the continued preservation of the regions security stability for the long term, AP reported.

Palestinians come to Israel mainly for employment in the fields of construction, agriculture and manufacturing.

Israel has also relaxed other restrictions since the 11-day conflict in May with Hamas and other terror factions in Gaza with concessions meant to solidify the ceasefire.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians living in the West Bank work in Israel, according to the report.

In related news, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz directed Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alyan, the Israel Defense Forces Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), to approve the registration of some 4,000 Palestinians to the Palestinian Population Registry on Tuesday.

An appearance in the registry is necessary for West Bank Palestinians to receive Palestinian ID cards and passports. The Palestinian Authority manages the Palestinian Population Registry in coordination with Israel.

Israeli interior minister opposes anti-Netanyahu law

(JNS)  Israeli Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked announced on Wednesday that she opposes newly proposed legislation that would prevent those under indictment from serving as prime minister.

I dont think that the attorney-general should determine who is prime minister, said Shaked, according to Channel 12.

Shakeds comments came in the wake of Justice Minister Gideon Saars publication on Tuesday night of a memorandum of the bill in question, dubbed by opposition politicians the Netanyahu law, referring to opposition leader and former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The memorandum proposes an amendment to Israels Basic Law: The Government, which would prohibit a criminal defendant from being given the mandate to form a government.

Netanyahu, head of the Likud Party and opposition in the Knesset, is currently on trial for bribery, fraud and breach of trust.

Speaking at a conference in Modiin, Shaked said that the coalition government had agreed not to deal with this issue until after the budget is passed.

When it is, her party, Yamina, will have a faction meeting and make a decision, she said, according to Channel 12.

A poll conducted by Channel 12 last week showed that if elections were held today, a Netanyahu-led Likud would garner 34 Knesset seats, far more than any other single party.

At 95, Mel Brooks will finally deliver History of the World: Part II

By Ron Kampeas

(JTA)  You couldnt Torquemada it: Mel Brooks is making a sequel to History of the World: Part I, the 1981 revue that delighted and/or appalled Jews with, among other segments, a cheery musical take on the Spanish Inquisition.

The original was a feature film; the sequel on Hulu will be a variety series, Variety reported on Monday. Brooks, who is 95, will executive-produce and write; joining him will be professional funny people Nick Kroll, Wanda Sykes, Ike Barinholtz, David Stassen and Kevin Salter. Production is set to begin in 2022.

Most of the original films cast, including Madeline Kahn, Dom DeLuise, Gregory Hines, Cloris Leachman and Sid Caesar, have died in the 40 years since it was released.

I cant wait to once more tell the real truth about all the phony baloney stories the world has been conned into believing are History! Brooks told Variety.

Brooks played a number of roles in the original History, including the Spanish inquisitor Torquemada in the Inquisition skit  a tough competition for the most joyfully tasteless segment. We have a mission to convert the Jews, Brooks sings as Torquemada, after sliding down a bannister, Broadway-style, to greet his prisoners in the torture chamber.

Jew, Jew Jew Jew Jew Jew Jews! the chorus of monks replies. Were going to help them see the light and make an offer that they cant refuse, Brooks sings. That the Jews just cant refuse! say the monks.

Other sketches covered cavemen, Moses, the Last Supper, the Roman era and the French Revolution, in which Brooks, as King Louis XVI, uttered the immortal catchphrase, Its good to be the king.

The new series finally fulfills the teaser at the end of Part I, which promised a sequel that would cover Hitler on Ice and Jews in Space.
Domestic antisemitism has a new tactic.

The present wave of antisemitic drivel comes not from the Right (Jews will not replace us) but from the Left. Now, in clearing up who and what is the Right and the Left, we have to shift our ideas from just a few short years ago. We knew that the Far Right was antisemitic, yet seemed to favor Israel. Confusing? Of course. The Left for the most part in its early configuration was Liberal, in favor of most minorities, fought for voting rights, etc.

Today however, in the Democratic party, there is a Far Left. This group borders on Socialism (not your granddaddies brand) and generates support from some strange bedfellows.

BLM turns out to be Far Left and has even supported antisemitic tropes spread by some pro-Palestinian interest groups who want the Jewish nation to disappear.

If we are to pick out a particularly dangerous voice for this new form of hatred we have only to look to Washington and the group called the Squad. There, a Democratic Congress person about whom we have written before is touting old antisemitic tropes and updating them enough to make them relevant in todays shaky truth environment. Her name is Rashida Tlaib. Together with other members of the Squad, her strategy is to try to equate the BLM and the Black struggle in the U.S. with Israels treatment of Arabs on the West Bank in Israel. She and other members of the Squad take direct aim at Israels attempt to defend itself against violent attacks launched from the West Bank.

To begin with, Israel has no issue with Arabs per se, in Israel. No. Their issue is with Hamas, the militant Arab organization dedicated to the destruction of the Jewish State. Is Tlaib anti-Israel? She is way beyond that in her clear antisemitic statements. She does not like Jews. She and fellow Representative Omar want to stop shipments of the Iron Dome rocket system to Israel. As the name suggests, Iron Dome is a defensive weapon used to deflect rockets fired by Hamas from the Palestinian territory into Israel designed to kill Israeli civilians in their homes.

We are well aware of far-right groups promoting violence in their hatred of Jews. Attacks from the Left are rather new. You know, if you look at history, it becomes even less believable. The base of the Labor Movement in the 1920s and 1930s were left-leaning Democrats and Socialists.

Here we are 100 years later and the movement has been usurped by antisemitic activists with a deep hatred of Jews. Many sprang from Bernie Sanders and his backers (he is a Jew, right?). Others, like Tlaib and Omar are of Arab descent and use their political power to spread lies and antisemitic tropes from their seats of privilege.

They created the myth that Israel is starving the citizens of Israels West Bank by preventing food and critical medical supplies to be shipped in. Its a lie. Lets get it straight. Israel has no animosity toward the Arab population, nor with Fatah, the leading Arab political party. The problem is Hamas wants to destroy Israel (and every Jew for that matter).

Jews for generations, back to Franklin Roosevelt supported Democrats almost as a Block. Now, it seems the Left-leaning portion of the Democratic Party are now becoming clearly antisemitic by allowing people like Tlaib and Nina Turner to have power. Turner, a former Bernie Sanders surrogate who lost a Democratic Primary in Ohio, then blamed it on evil money, which had manipulated and maligned this election. It was a clear reference to ads funded by the Democratic Majority for Israel.

Jews do NOT have a choice. We, as a people have had to fight for our very existence since biblical times. The enemy has been both direct and subtle. Direct is easy to detect, to call out and fight. This is a more subtle approach, cloaking itself in the fight for equality, masking itself with the BLM movement and taking advantage of the oldest of antisemitic tropes, Jews are facing an old threat in a new cloak.

What do we do about it? We are a minority under attack. With no pro-Israel organization outside of the Anti-Defamation League we are without loud, powerful voices to counter the lies and the Tropes. We have however, our individual voices. We need to bring them to bear with a bright focus on antisemitism in the fields of journalism, politics and daily life.

If there is a weakness in our national organizations, we have to counter that with personal action. Letters to the editor, calls and texts to TV stations, protest groups where it is proper  anything to call attention to the problem and offering a solution.

It is not the first time Jews have had to stand up for ourselves. The battlefield may look different but the battle is the same.
(Jewish Journal via JNS) The greatest threat to the survival of the Jewish community is neither Iran nor intermarriage. Rather, it is our increasing political and cultural isolation, and the resulting hostility that we face from both ends of the ideological spectrum.

The fringes of the nationalist hard right continue to traffic in Charlottesville-style blood-and-soil anti-Semitism, and such ugly racism will always constitute an intolerable threat to Jews around the world. But the growing anti-Zionism of the far-left fringe represents a less obvious but equally dangerous menace, when host...
(JNS)  I am the child of Holocaust survivors, who lost their homes and families because a Nazi regime implemented the Final Solution to eradicate the Jewish people. There are no gravestones to mark the place where all my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins were murdered and buried.

This week, I spoke to Lawdan Bazargan, an Iranian Muslim woman whose brother Bijan was murdered in another more recent attempt at a Final Solution, and who does not know where her brother or the thousands of others who were massacred with him rest today. She and I have little in common except the ope...
(JNS)  Some Jewish liberals say that they saw this coming. There were those who believed that the movement to stop the teaching of critical race theory in the schools was bound to negatively impact teaching about the Holocaust. They claim that those fears were vindicated by the comments of a Texas educator in Southlake, Texas, who was taped telling teachers in a training session that make sure that if  you have a book on the Holocaust, that you have one that has opposing, that has other perspectives.

The context for this absurd suggestion was how to abide by a law recently...
(JNS)  Each day, it becomes clearer that the Israeli Civil Administration is one of the greatest dangers to the Jewish peoples realization of the goal to resettle the Jewish heartland of Judea and Samaria. Since the signing of the 1993-1995 Oslo Accords, the Civil Administration has lost its way.

Despite being a branch of the Israeli Defense Ministry/Israel Defense Forces, the Civil Administration is more concerned with facilitating the creation of the State of Palestine than it is with ensuring the rights of the Jewish people in its ancestral homeland.

A recent report from Isra...
(JNS)  A state-by-state survey of young Americans last year showed that more than half in Texas could not name a concentration camp or ghetto where Jews were imprisoned and tortured during the Holocaust, despite there being more than 40,000 sites in Europe.

The Claims Conference survey of 18- to 39-year-olds discovered that more than 60 percent did not know that 6 million Jews were brutally murdered, and almost a third of those students believed that the number was less than half that. Some believed that Jews caused the Holocaust and nearly half (47 percent) had no idea what Auschwitz...
Very, we have an emergency plan and complete emergency supply kit.

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Little, we have incomplete plan and/or supply kit.

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28 October 2021

Six Senses Southern Dunes, The Red Sea will take guests on a journey into seldom-experienced nature, wildlife and culture, setting new standards in sustainability and desert hospitality as Saudi Arabia drops its pin on the global tourism map.

The Concept

Untouched and enticing, this part of the world remains relatively unknown. In ancient times, however, it was a busy trading route, used by the Nabataeans to transport luxury goods like silk, incense and textiles. Along the way, they would set up camp and gather around the fire under a starlit night. In 106 CE, the Nabatean Empire was annexed by the Romans, and Red Sea routes overtook land trading routes. Nabatean cities were no longer centres of trade, and so began their decline.

Six Senses is now recreating these elements to write the next chapter in the region's story, combining an architectural approach that pays homage to the Nabataean heritage and majestic desert surroundings along with the brand's trademark wellness formula and respect for centuries past. This vision is being realized in collaboration with the British architectural firm, Foster + Partners, renowned for its eco credentials and responsible design development.

The transfer route from the new Red Sea International Airport will take guests southeast along the coastal highway before turning east inland through serene desert mountains and narrow wadis and on to the 76-key resort.

The Oasis

The heart of the resort is the Oasis. Inspired by a desert flower, the canopy is a self-shading structure, blurring the lines between the natural finishes inside and the native plants and water features outside. The base structure is a modular, precast system that ensures the building only touches the ground lightly to leave most of the site undisturbed, with minimal paving to ensure the surrounding pathways remain natural and authentic.

The plan for the Oasis is to gather vibrant activities and functions under one roof, including the reception, lobby lounge, boutique, meeting spaces and prayer rooms, plus a community lounge and Earth Lab. The Artisan Village will host four pods to tell the story of the region's history and cultural heritage through arts and crafts, dance and music. The all-day dining restaurant is complemented by a chef's table and cooking school, along with a juice bar, brew bar, and water bar.

Guest Accommodations

Surrounding the Oasis is a collection of guest rooms featuring an open-plan bedroom and living area, and an outdoor terrace allowing guests to enjoy the serenity of the pristine landscape and become one with nature.

Clusters of villas occupy strategic peaks to offer prime aspects over the landscape. Ranging from one to four bedrooms, the villas are inspired by the sandy dunes, with their double-layered undulating roofs creating their own unique scenery. Inside, the interiors also reflect the tones and textures of the desert, with soft furnishings drawing from the rich colors and patterns of traditional tribal dress.

Six Senses Spa

A vision of its own, the spa features self-shaded water surfaces and deep cold pools creating a contrast to the hot climate. Highlights include a Holistic Anti-Aging Center, male and female grooming centers and indoor zones with wet facilities, sensory suite, outdoor treatment cabanas with a relaxation area, and a pool bar.

Six Senses Southern Dunes, The Red Sea is one of two inland locations that together with coastal and marine initiatives form The Red Sea Project that spans 10,800 square miles (28,000 square kilometers) on Saudi Arabia's west coast. It is set to pursue high environmental standards to demonstrate to the world that development can serve to preserve and enhance the region's biodiversity and beauty.

Six Senses Southern Dunes, The Red Sea is set to open during the first phase of development of The Red Sea Project, which is well underway and on track to be completed by the end of 2023.
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28 October 2021

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. is excited to announce the debut of The Ritz-Carlton, Mexico City, providing discerning travelers with a new way to discover one of the world's most dynamic destinations. Transforming the city's skyline and sitting amongst the country's tallest buildings, the hotel is centrally located along the iconic Paseo de Reforma and showcases uninterrupted views of the famed Chapultepec Park. Featuring the legendary service of the brand's Ladies and Gentlemen, each detail of the hotel is thoughtfully designed to immerse guests in the city's rich culture and offer a unique perspective on this beloved destination.

Soaring 58-stories high, The Ritz-Carlton, Mexico City is located in a stunning building concepted by Taller G and features 153 guest rooms and suites. Capitalizing on its enviable location and views, a double glass facade provides unique open-air terraces, inviting guests to discover a new perspective on the enchanting city. The interiors, designed by Chapi Chapo Design, were created to serve as a looking glass into Mexico City's dynamic past, present, and future. Paying homage to the city's profound influence on the surrealist art movement, the hotel embraces the way famed Mexican artists like Frida Kahlo, Gunther Gerzso and Leonora Carrington celebrated their indigenous roots and broke away from colonial influences. At The Ritz-Carlton, Mexico City, the use of metals, mirrors and glass serve to reflect the exterior into the interior, creating a surrealist experience by playing with perspective and distorting the surrounding, traditional architecture. While a neutral color palette invokes a sense of calm, shades of smokey ash, deep blues, and metallic fibers are woven in throughout the hotel as a nod to Mexican storytelling and folklore.

"The Ritz-Carlton, Mexico City will act as a literal and figurative gateway along the Paseo de Reforma, welcoming and encouraging guests to learn about the colorful history, dynamic present and bright future of Mexico City," stated Luis Lopez, General Manager at The Ritz-Carlton, Mexico City. "The Ladies and Gentlemen of The Ritz-Carlton, Mexico City are eager to welcome our guests and accompany them on a memorable journey during their stay."

Featuring unparalleled service, The Ritz-Carlton, Mexico City celebrates legendary Mexican hospitality and offers guests a highly personalized experience. The hotel features a wide range of carefully curated amenities designed for cultural discovery and epicurean adventures or business travel, including The Ritz-Carlton Club Lounge with an exclusive Club Concierge, a heated indoor swimming pool, large fitness center with state-of-the-art equipment and a signature Ritz-Carlton Spa with six luxurious treatment rooms. Bringing the destination to life in a unique way, The Ritz-Carlton Spa thoughtfully sources local ingredients and botanicals, which are then coupled with the healing and spiritual traditions of Mexico City's Aztec culture. In addition to relaxing and rejuvenating treatments, the spa features an assortment of wellness areas, including steam rooms, saunas, and a timeless capsule room.

Dining at Samos, the Mediterranean inspired restaurant on the 38th floor of The Ritz-Carlton, Mexico City, guests can enjoy cuisine featuring dynamic local flavors for a one-of-a-kind experience. Bringing vast luxury experience and expertise in Mexican, Italian, French, Peruvian and Argentinian cuisines, Chef Jonathan Felix has carefully created each dish to offer a culinary journey where flavors and sensations are elevated with every bite. The epicurean experiences continue through the dessert course with delicate sweets like Nido, an airy mango and passion fruit mousse encased in white chocolate and cradled by a spun sugar nest.

The Ritz-Carlton, Mexico City also offers more than 4,300 square feet of meeting space with floor to ceiling windows overlooking Chapultepec Park, ideally suited for a variety of events from meetings to celebratory occasions. The spaces have been designed to foster inspiration and connection whether a large gathering in the ballroom or an intimate board meeting.

For more information or to reserve a stay, please visit the hotel's website here.
Appointment

28 October 2021

The former Chief Commercial Officer of the World Tourism Association for Culture and Heritage (WTACH), Mr Nigel Fell, has been promoted to President and Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately.

The WTACH Advisory Board approved the promotion, proposed by former CEO Chris Flynn, on 26 October. Flynn will assume the position of Executive Chairman of WTACH.

Fell's first engagement as President and CEO will be at the QATAR Travel Mart and Conference in Doha 16-18 November. While at QTM as President and CEO, Fell will make two keynote presentations and join panel discussions.

Further information: WTACH.org.
Appointment

28 October 2021

Four Seasons Hotel Chicago announces the promotion of Tristan Baker to Executive Chef.

Off the heels of its multi-million-dollar renovation last fall and the launch of a new dining concept, Adorn Bar & Restaurant, the newly transformed Hotel ushers in a new era of culinary craftsmanship and creativity in the food-forward city of Chicago.

Tristan Baker joined Four Seasons Hotel Chicago in 2018 from Four Seasons Resort Nevis as Executive Sous Chef where he quickly became an invaluable member of the Hotel's renowned banquet and events team. Tristan not only leads culinary for Banquets, but he also plays an active management role with In-Room Dining for the Hotel and the kitchen of Adorn. In August 2021, Tristan was promoted to Executive Chef where he leads a culinary team of 25.
Appointment

28 October 2021

Steigenberger Hotels AG has confirmed the appointment of Hans-Rudolf Rutti as new General Manager of the Steigenberger Grandhotel Belvedere with effect from 1 November 2021. Mr. Rutti was born in Switzerland and is held in high esteem internationally as a hotelier. He is able to look back on 30 years of experience, particularly in areas connected with the strategic positioning and repositioning of prestigious hotel properties. High points of his career thus far have included the opening of the legendary Hotel Eden Roc in Ascona, the repositioning of the Hotel Intercontinental in Bucharest and the realignment of the 7132 Hotel in Vals. Hans-Rudolf Rutti has also been successfully managing various sustainability projects in the NGO sector for several years.

Hans-Rudolf Rutti succeeds Tina Heide, who spent four years as General Manager of the Grandhotel Belvedere. Prior to that, Ms. Heide had held various other positions at the hotel for five years before taking over at the helm. Under her leadership, the Belvedere was able to establish itself as one of the major conference hotels hosting the annual World Economic Forum in Davos.
Appointment

28 October 2021

Thompson Central Park New York today announces the appointments of executive team leaders, ahead of the hotel's opening this November. Amanda Reed will serve as director of sales and marketing.

As director of sales and marketing, Amanda Reed will oversee growth initiatives and innovative campaigns for Thompson Central Park New York, expanding the hotel's clientele, leading multi-faceted marketing programs and executing cutting-edge events. Reed has been a member of the Parker New York team since 2019 and was nominated for 2019 Hyatt Sales Leader of the Year. Reed's prior experience includes executive positions with Viceroy Hotel Group and Morgans Hotel Group, where she worked across sales and marketing for destination properties.
Press Release

28 October 2021

Cycas signs strategic partnership with London Town Group to operate its first two Mercure properties and second Hotel Indigo

New deal increases Cycass footprint to eight hotels in London, and 18 across the UK

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Cycas Hospitality, the award-winning pan-European operator, has signed a deal to operate London Town Groups portfolio of upscale boutique hotels in the UK capital.

The London Town Group of Companies, founded by Koolesh Shah, is one of the UKs leading, privately-held real estate and energy investment companies.

The agreement sees Cycas welcome its first two Mercure-branded hotels  part of Accor  to its portfolio. While the 72-room Mercure London Hyde Park  set within a Grade II listed building  recently completed a multi-million-pound refurbishment, the 86-room Mercure London Paddington is scheduled to start a fully renovation programme next year. As part of the extensive works, the hotel will upgrade its ground floor food and beverage facilities and transform its top floor into a rooftop bar.

As Cycass seventh IHG-branded property, the 64-room Hotel Indigo London Paddington becomes its first Hotel Indigo in London and joins Hotel Indigo Dundee as its second in the UK.

All three properties offer a wide range of dining options, meetings facilities and state-of-the-art fitness centres, all just a short walk from Hyde Park and Paddington Station, whose access will be further boosted with next years opening of Crossrail and the Elizabeth Line.

Cycas has appointed Tanja Furby as Cluster General Manager for the three London hotels. A seasoned operator who has worked across a wide range of leading hospitality brands, Tanjas commercial skills, leadership and local knowledge will help Cycas maximise each propertys customer offering.

Koolesh Shah, Founder of London Town Group, said As our business diversifies and grows, I felt now was the time to bring on board a recognised industry leader in hotel operations to partner on the transformation journey of our hotels."

Weve always prided ourselves on our collection of leading branded-boutique hotels, and were confident that Cycass track-record in delivering the highest hospitality standards will ensure we can continue to give our guests the best possible experience.

Matt Luscombe, Chief Executive Officer at Cycas Hospitality, said: Ive known and admired Koolesh and his team for many years, since he opened the first Hotel Indigo outside of North America in 2009. Over the last decade, London Town Group has been synonymous with commercial and operational excellence."

With their central locations and exceptional transport links, these three hotels are ideally positioned to capitalise on the recovery in business and leisure travel. Were proud and excited to begin this partnership together."

The deal follows continued expansion for Cycas Hospitality, which has now opened or taken over 17 hotels in 12 months, despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

About London Town Group Of Companies
AMSTELVEEN, Netherlands (AP) _ Core Laboratories NV (CLB) on Wednesday reported third-quarter net income of $874,000.

The Amstelveen, Netherlands-based company said it had profit of 2 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, were 18 cents per share.

The results missed Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of five analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 19 cents per share.

The energy services company posted revenue of $118 million in the period.

For the current quarter ending in December, Core Laboratories said it expects revenue in the range of $121 million to $124 million.

_____

This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on CLB at https://www.zacks.com/ap/CLB
Kim Roxie can be found dancing on a Facebook Live video while teaching viewers how to apply her makeup products or promoting them at every opportunity around the country. She is part of a new social media campaign and hashtag  #BlackFashionMovement  developed to promote and support Black-owned businesses.

Roxie is also one of the founding users of Hello Alice, a free, online platform considered by Forbes magazine as the first machine-learning technology to help business owners find personalized opportunities and resources to grow.

As the owner of the makeup and merchandising firm LAMIK Beauty, Houstonian Roxie shifted the business she founded in 2004 from a brick-and-mortar shop to her own online store. And now, after surviving the economic uncertainties brought by the coronavirus pandemic, she is celebrating the launch of her products on one of the largest online beauty stores worldwide.

For many Black entrepreneurs, taking a small business to fruition often never passes the dream stage due to obstacles, in particular access to capital and networking opportunities.

To change inequalities impacting Black entrepreneurs, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People recently announced a part ownership acquisition in Hello Alice.

NAACP President Derrick Johnson called the purchase a first-of-its-kind and a pivotal step toward putting Black businesses at the forefront of the economy.

The NAACPs Empowerment Programs took the unprecedented step to join as a part-owner of Hello Alice precisely as a creative way to address long-standing economic inequality that has left Black communities underfunded and undervalued for centuries, Johnson said.

The partnership is an innovative and unprecedented one between the oldest civil rights advocacy organization in the country and a private firm to achieve a social goal, the organization said.

This partnership is particularly important in the state of Texas, home to the second-largest concentration of Black-owned businesses in the United States, Johnson said.

You just dont expect that NAACP would be buying (part of) a business, Roxie said.

Although Black women are eager entrepreneurs opening businesses at a faster rate than most communities, Roxie said, were underfunded, we need resources, our community needs support around our businesses.

Black businesses have historically faced inequalities and what some experts call systemic racism in the financial system. Firms with Black ownership are half as likely as those with white owners to obtain bank funds, according to a report from the Federal Reserve System.

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However, perceptions of treatment by banks also hold them back, said a 2020 study from the National Bureau of Economic Research. Its report indicates that Black entrepreneurs apply less for bank loans than white counterparts, even when they have good credit records, largely because they expect to be denied.

Hello Alice also wants to change the disparities holding entrepreneurs back, said the firm co-founder Carolyn Rodz, a Houston Latina with Bolivian heritage.

We formed the company because we wanted to make sure that there was diversity in small business (and) weve been fighting for equality in small business since the day we launched in 2017, Rodz said. Bringing the NAACP onto our cap table is another example for us of saying, look, this is really critical and important from our mission standpoint.

About two-thirds of Hello Alice are members of minority populations. Forty-four percent of its users are Black entrepreneurs and 67 percent are female owners, Rodz said.

These are the groups of entrepreneurs that are not being supported, that are not being represented, that are not getting access, she said.

On Hello Alice, users start by creating a profile about their business and the artificial intelligence platform guides them in finding personalized resources, networking opportunities and mentors.

Before its investment in Hello Alice, the NAACP partnered with Hello Alice to create the Black-owned Business Resource Center. The page compiles capital and networking opportunities for black and brown entrepreneurs.

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The partnership has been successful in deploying $4 million in grant funding from NAACP Empowerment Programs for small-business owners during the pandemic, Rodz said.

Rodz noted that the platform is also helping small businesses to use the grants in smart ways. Every time we give a grant, or anytime somebody even applies for a grant, theyre getting a whole bunch of wraparound services and expertise around that, all for free.

For small-business owner Roxie, being a Hello Alice user has brought significant support for her business, including a $10,000 development grant.

This is a good partnership being in Hello Alice feels like a community for me, said Roxie. I have been supported, and we chat, we collaborate with other business owners there. Its been good for me.

olivia.tallet@chron.com

twitter.com/oliviaptallet
WASHINGTON - Exxon Mobil CEO Darren Woods defended former CEO Lee Raymond's 1996 statement calling climate science inconclusive, during a hearing on climate change before the House Oversight and Reform Committee Thursday.

Taking questions from U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., chairwoman of the committee, Woods said Exxon's views on climate science in the mid-1990s were aligned with the scientific consensus at that time.

"As science has evolved and developed our understanding has evolved and developed," he said.

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The hearing was called by House Democrats to examine the role of large oil companies in spreading disinformation about climate change, not only the industrys earlier history of climate denial but modern-day efforts to block climate regulations despite public endorsement of those same policies.

Testifying before the committee, Mike Sommers, president of the American Petroleum Institute, defended the industry as "enable(ing) modern life."

"It's is the opportunity of our time to address climate change while meeting the world's rising need for energy," he said.

In her opening statement, Maloney described the hearing as an opportunity for oil companies to come clean on their role in causing climate change and sowing doubt about scientific studies showing the planet was warming.

To open the hearing, she asked Woods along with BP America CEO David Lawler, Chevron CEO Michael Wirth and Gretchen Watkins, president of the U.S.-based Shell Oil Co., whether climate change represented an existential threat to humanity, quoting a recent report by the Department of Defense.

Watkins said she believed climate change was, "one of the biggest challenges we have," but would not directly answer Maloney's question. When the congresswoman asked the panel whether anyone disagreed with the Defense Department's assessments, no one responded.

House Republicans attempted to shift focus away from the oil sector, pointing to the situation in China where emissions continue to rise at a fast clip despite the nation's pledges to address climate change. And Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, pointed out oil companies' efforts to clean up oil and gas production.

"Instead of vilifying them congress should be working with these companies to accelerate this technology," he said.

But Democrats pressed on. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., asked the assembled CEOs to disavow efforts by the American Petroleum Institute to block legislation increasing tax credits for electric vehicles and putting a tax on natural gas production - something Royal Dutch Shell endorsed Thursday.

Watkins, of Shell, said, "there are several places we're not fully aligned with API."

Following Woods' comment about Raymond, Maloney quoted internal reports made by Exxon scientists prior to 1996 saying there was unanimous agreement that the planet was warming dangerously due to fossil fuel emissions. She compared Woods' testimony to that made by tobacco executives in the 1990s when they claimed they did not know cigarettes were addictive.

"I was hoping you would be better than the tobacco industry," she said. "I'm disappointed with the statement you made."
Royal Dutch Shell responded to external pressure by setting a more ambitious target for cutting greenhouse gas emissions from its operations, while reporting an increase in third-quarter profit that fell short of expectations.

Like its peers, Shell has been lifted by the surge in oil and gas prices, but nevertheless finds itself pulled in many different directions by people unhappy with its plans. Dan Loebs Third Point Capital LLC is seeking the breakup of the energy giant, a move that would thwart its plan to keep pumping oil and gas as it embraces renewable energy. A Dutch court has also ordered the company to cut carbon emissions much faster than it had previously planned.

This quarter weve generated record cash flow, maintained capital discipline and announced our intention to distribute $7 billion to our shareholders, Chief Executive Officer Ben van Beurden said in a statement on Thursday. Combined with the more ambitious emissions target, this is clear evidence of how we are accelerating our Powering Progress strategy, purposefully and profitably.

Shell B shares fell 1.6% to 1,740 pence at 8:01 a.m. in London.

The Anglo-Dutch company set an absolute carbon-reduction target of 50% by 2030, compared to 2016 levels on a net basis. The new goal covers Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, which are directly under Shells operational control. It does not affect the bulk of the greenhouse gases resulting from Shells business -- so called Scope 3 emissions that are released when customers burn fuel.

That new target is a big jump from Shells previous aims, but will have a limited impact overall as Scope 1 and 2 aims represent a small sliver of its carbon footprint. A 50% decrease will only amount to a 2.5% reduction in Shells total emissions, including Scope 3, said Shu Ling Liauw, lead analyst at Global Climate Insights.

Shells third-quarter adjusted net income was $4.13 billion, up from $955 million a year earlier but well below the average analyst estimate of $5.42 billion. Cash flow from operations jumped to $16.03 billion, compared with $10.4 billion a year earlier.

The earnings demonstrate Shells capacity to deliver superior free cash flow leverage to the oil and gas recovery, analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. said in a note. Third Points emerging activism on portfolio breakup potential is likely to be supportive of shares, according to the note.

In September, Shell sold its Permian oil business to ConocoPhillips for $9.5 billion and promised to return $7 billion of that to shareholders. The company said those additional distributions -- which were in addition to buybacks it already announced in the second quarter -- will start next year once the deal is completed.

In addition to boosting returns to shareholders, Shell used its extra funds to pay down net debt, which fell to $57.5 billion at the end of the third quarter, compared with $65.7 billion three months earlier.

Like its peers, Shell kept a tight lid on spending despite surging profits. The company expects capital expenditure to total $20 billion this year, down from previous guidance that went as high as $22 billion.
From the pews of Riverside Church to the location where Houstons Black Panther Party head member Carl Hampton was killed by police, ShaWanna Renee Rivon aims to bring the history of Third Ward to the world.

The award-winning Houston playwright partnered with Catastrophic Theatre to create a virtual tour of the historic neighborhood, focusing on eight locations that exude local Black history. Each location, pinned on an interactive map, is accompanied by a collection of historical facts, interviews and storytelling by artists, activists and community elders.

Rivon featured places that she felt defined the city, like the location of Houstons lunch counter sit-ins, the focal point for Houstons push for desegregation; and Jack Yates High School, which was named after Rev. John Henry Jack Yates, a formerly enslaved minister who led the efforts to purchase Emancipation Park  the first Black park in Houston and Texas. Theres also Eldorado Ballroom, a historic Black-owned live music venue that once welcomed major acts like Ray Charles and Etta James; the dedication site to late Cleveland The Flower Man Turner, a beloved Third Ward resident known for his eclectic art and decorations; artist Brian Ellisons studios; and the place where Hampton was assassinated as some say, by police, as described by former Black Panther Party member John Bunchy Crear.

Rivon, who has written nationally touring plays like Marriage Material starring actress Vivica A. Fox, said the project has been a labor of love  an effort to help people learn about both Third Wards history and present as it stands.

The 43-year-old native Houstonian attended school at the University of Houston and engaged in arts and community service in Third Ward. Its a community thats informed her work, inspiring her to loosely base her storylines on historical events such as the lunch counter sit-in led by Texas Southern University students at Weingartens grocery store, and the formation of the Peoples Party II, the city chapter of the Black Panthers. Its also made her protective and cautious about Third Ward preservation, particularly as gentrification threatens its original dynamic and flair, she said.

Shes witnessed events thrown in the community that have not invited or considered its residents. So many people were taking out and not putting in, she said. So Rivon wanted to add something.

I wanted to make other people aware of how great Third Ward really is and how much Houston benefits from the different Civil Rights activities that took place, she said. She wanted to show why its important to keep Third Ward Third Ward, and not erase it.

Rivon applied for a grant, envisioning on-site plays hosted throughout the community. The COVID-19 pandemic forced her to rethink that plan, and after deciding against a physical tour that would bus groups to the different locations, she settled on a virtual tour  a safe option that could also be accessed by anyone with an internet connection.

I wanted something that would live on, Rivon said. And so, it became not so much about the places (or buildings), but getting the stories out.

The filming process was an educational one for Rivon.

She learned and grappled with the legacy of Lynn Eusan, University of Houstons first Black homecoming queen and a Black Power student leader who co-founded Third Wards Shape Community Center; Eusan was murdered in 1971 after reportedly accepting a ride home from a stranger. (UH later erected Lynn Eusan Park in her honor). And Rivon was moved by how people in the community took interest, often stopping in their tracks to listen to the interviews; some honking their horns as they drove by.

The tour has been a success so far, with at least 300 check-ins for the tour on opening day. And though already launched, Rivon said the project is not over.

She and Catastrophic Theatre have plans to compile the tour into a full-length documentary. With all the messages she has received from community members hoping to share their stories, Rivon sees ample opportunity to expand the tour with additional locations and history.

The more people with whom she can share the beauty of Third Ward with, the better, she said.

You can take the virtual tour by visiting her website at virtual3wardtour.com.

brittany.britto@chron.com


Lacey Tezino didnt know she was passing until her Black college roommates told her she was Black.

She had lived in a white world in Vidor, adopted by a white father who died when she was 7. She was raised by his parents and family. Tezino, 35, was told her late mother was Hawaiian. In reality, her mother was Black, Samoan and alive; her dad was white, possibly biracial.

Tezinos roommates pointed to her curly hair, full lips and caramel skin tone. They even referenced her childhood school photos, in which she stood out among her all-white classmates.

Girl, how do you not know youre Black? they would say. Today, they are among Tezinos best friends.

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While Tezinos story is unique in that she didnt know about her Black heritage, passing typically means when a person of one race, identity, ethnicity, sexual orientation, economic status, gender or religion has the ability to pass for another group. They often abandon relationships with family and friends to assume a new life.

Its a concept spotlighted in the new movie, Passing, which stars Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga. Its based on Nella Larsens 1929 novel of the same name, in which two light-skinned Black women, who are childhood friends, reconnect in adulthood. One chooses to pass as white; the other chooses not to.

The movie opened this week at limited theaters nationwide and streams on Netflix beginning Nov. 10. Its directed by Rebecca Hall, whose Black grandfather passed for white, and her mother never acknowledged her Black heritage.

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The movie is about passing, along with other binary issues  male, female, gay straight identity. Its a cross-section between the story we tell about ourselves and the one that society tells and puts on us, Hall said on CBS Sunday Morning.

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Tezino had an exclusive pass into the white world, in which she witnessed the disparaging remarks about Black people and the use of the n word. That changed when she learned about her own heritage and met her late biological mother for the first time; she was in college.

I knew I was different. I actually thought I was white, Tezino said. I guess I was passing. Then I got all confused. Once I discovered my Blackness, I was disgusted because I was viewed as white because of my lighter skin. It makes me sad that this still exists. That theres a ranking of your value based on the color of your skin.

The concept of passing, while maybe foreign to some, is not new. Passing was a means of escape and survival from slavery and then became common with laws that made it legal to discriminate with anyone with one drop of Black blood. In the 1950s, a light-skinned Black man from Missouri who couldnt find work as a pianist transformed himself into an Indian pop star. He changed his name from John Roland Redd to Korla Pandit, wore a turban and never uttered a word onstage. His identity was not revealed until after his death in 1998.

More recently, best-selling novels such as The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett and The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray, delve into the issue of Black characters passing for white.

Perceptions about race can be damaging.

In Laureen Lucas case, she was identified as white on her birth certificate, even though her mother is Filipino, who immigrated to the U.S. in her 20s; her father is white. Lucas was often perceived as Latina and regularly asked about her quinceanera growing up in Port Lavaca.

In elementary school, when Lucas, 39, checked the Asian Pacific Islander box on a standardized test, her teachers insisted her parents to come to school to prove that she was indeed Asian. Its a memory that still haunts her.

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It was a feeling of not belonging or that there was something wrong with me, Lucas said. There was always confusion about who I was because I didnt really look Asian. As a kid, you dont understand that. Then as an adult, Ive had friends identify me as white because I dont act how they perceived Asian people to act.

Perceptions about race also have impacted Yvette Chargois, 79, was born as Yvette Guerra to a Creole-Mexican father and Creole mother. She was raised as Black in Fifth Ward, just one block south of Frenchtown, where Black Creoles from Louisiana settled and married others like them.

Chargois always has proudly identified as Black, though many mistake her for being Latina.

I still go to restaurants and people speak Spanish to me. It has happened so much Ive felt like Ive had to explain my Blackness. All I have to do is open my mouth and talk and you know who I am, said Chargois, who has a rich Louisiana-Texas accent.

Growing up, I was too light to be Black and too dark to be white. But I was never confused about who I was.

Chargois said that several of her relatives did pass for white many years ago. But the younger generation seems less influenced by race. I really do think with each generation, race issues become less and less, she said.

Still, in some industries, such as fashion, race and stereotypes seem ever present.

Rachel Darby, 25, a model with Houston roots, said shes often perceived as biracial, when in fact both of her parents are Black. Because of this, her look can be a harder sell for some markets, where beauty is viewed in terms of stereotypes.

People assume because I have light skin, Im mixed or biracial. Because I dont look like the Black stereotype they have in mind, I might not get casted. Im in this weird category of racially ambiguous, said Darby, who has modeled in New York, Paris and Milan.

She said she sometimes received special treatment growing up because of her light skin, with comments such as, Youre Black, but youre so pretty or You dont look Black.

The fashion industry has a stereotype of how they see Black, Asian and Latinos, and they want models who can sell that, she said. The world is also changing, so if they could see Black comes in many different shades, just as other races and ethnicities, that everyone is equally beautiful, it would be a leveled playing field. Ive experienced both sides of privilege, and I want use whatever privilege I have so that I can be seen for who I am and not be valued by the color of my skin color.

At 95, Gertrude Gagne, who by all accounts looks like a white woman, knows she easily could have passed for white growing up in Houstons Frenchtown. She recalled the time when she was able to try on hats at a local department store that discriminated against Black people. Another time she sat in the back of a segregated bus with other Black riders and had to tell them that she, too, was Black.

I was proud to be Black, Gagne said. But white people seemed mad when they found out I was Black. Then there was this tension between Black people and Creole. My dad was very prejudice against darker-skinned Black people. They were trying to keep the Creole and Catholic thing going. It was part of the times.

Tezino believes some white people, still today, feel more comfortable around Black people with lighter skin. But she hopes to teach her children to embrace their skin tone. Its why she is sending them to a predominately Black private school.

Its so important for my children to feel comfortable in their Black skin. I want them to have humility and fall in love with their skin color and the skin tone of other Black kids. I want them to know they belong, she said.

joy.sewing@chron.com
Diwali, the popular Hindu festival of lights, is always a special time for Ushma Prajapati.

Diwali symbolizes the goodwill and positivity we need to have in our lives, she said.

This years celebration will be especially significant for the Pearland resident, who looks forward to a return to a more normal observance. Because of the pandemic, last years Diwali was limited at her temple, BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Stafford.

This year, people will come, Prajapati said. Im excited to see the friends and family I couldnt because of the pandemic.

She will also celebrate the holiday with her mother, Kumud Lakhani, who recently moved to Houston from Chicago. The two have been busy planning Diwali traditions together  including making rangolis, the colorful holiday art, and lighting diyas, the oil lamps that take center stage during the festivities.

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Of course, sharing sweets, mithai, will be on the menu, Prajapati said.

Lakhani is preparing traditional treats, and Prajapati is eager to learn her mothers recipes.

When COVID-19 forced Houstons Hindu community to observe the holiday at home last year, she and her husband filled Diwali boxes with homemade treats to drop off at their friends doors.

We wanted to let them know, Even though were not able to see each other, were thinking of you, she recalled.

Now, that is becoming a new tradition for the couple.

I already bought the ribbons, Prajapati said. Its a way to pass on the good and positivity to others, sharing that light.

Most of all, Prajapati looks forward to going with her mother to the mandir, or temple.

At BAPS, this years theme for the holiday is where there is unity, there is bound to be happiness.

If were united, we can accomplish anything, Prajapati said.

Multiday festivals

In 2020, the mandirs spokesman Viral Desai explained the mantra was #Diwaliathome.

Now its like #Diwalieverywhere, he said with a smile.

At his home in Sugar Land, lights and decorations are up for the holiday.

Its really festive, he said. Diwali is colorful in all ways. Its a very joyous time. And spending the time together as a family, thats the most important part.

His children are especially excited, Desai added.

They get gifts, and we let them eat sweets, he said. Its not just one day. Its a multiday festival, and they look forward to all of the days.

NEWSLETTERS Join the conversation with HouWeAre We want to foster conversation and highlight the intersection of race, identity and culture in one of America's most diverse cities. Sign up for the HouWeAre newsletter here.

He serves as spokesman for BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Houston, which will host several festivities this year.

The kickoff is at 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 30 with a light show that will continue each night through Nov. 4.

What we experience is the brightness of the lights, the colors and, of course, well have food, Desai said.

The Hanuman Puja, a time of reflection on the year ahead, is held at 7 p.m. Nov. 3. Then, at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 4, the mandir hosts the Chopda Pujan, a special ritual to ensure prosperity for the new year.

Desai explained that individuals bring their accounting books  or flash drives and USBs  to the temple to ask goddess Laskshmi to bless them. The mandir also hosts a Chopda Pujan for children.

The kids can bring in their notebooks for prayers for a successful year in education, Desai said.

On Nov. 5, the New Year is celebrated with the Annakut, or offerings of 1,000 vegetarian delicacies in devotion.

In Hinduism, you thank God for everything in your life, Desai explained. This is one way to do that  to make an offering to God on the first day of the year.

The Diwali Samaiyo, a general assembly with spiritual discourses and bhajans, or devotional music, is celebrated at 4:30 p.m. Nov. 6; a virtual kids celebration will be streamed at 10:30 a.m. Nov. 13.

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness Houston is also gearing up for a large Diwali celebration beginning at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 4 on its campus at 1320 W. 34th St. Attendees make a reservation to tour the temple, view the deities surrounded by candlelight and pay homage. They will also pick up food containers.

Then, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Nov. 5, ISKCON Houston will host its Annakut Darshan.

Chirag Bhatt, spokesman for the temple, said the display shouldnt be missed.

He explained the spiritual significance of the lamp on Diwali.

First, there is the offering of the lamp  lit by the devotee, he said.

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The lamp is also illuminated by the Divine, Bhatt said. He quoted the Bhagavad Gita, when Lord Krishna says, Out of compassion for those who devote themselves to Me, I  dwelling within the innermost chambers of their hearts  destroy the darkness born of ignorance, with the effulgent lamp of knowledge.

God is breaking through the darkness to fill our life with understanding, he said. Its a pure act of grace  and a gift that God gives us.

Finding new ways to celebrate

The Shri Sita Ram Foundation, 1200 Blalock, usually hosts a large Diwali celebration at the Sugar Land Skeeters stadium with thousands in attendance.

After celebrating virtually last year, the Shri Sita Ram Foundation had hoped to reprise its traditional celebrations in 2021.

But then all the events at Skeeter got canceled because of COVID, said Arun Verma, the nonprofits founder and president. We had to figure out what to do next.

The group decided on an outdoor festival on Oct. 16, which brought more than 6,000 vaccinated attendees. Those who felt safer to watch from behind their windshields enjoyed the holiday from the safety of their parked cars.

People had fun, and it was very heartwarming, Verma said.  It was a wonderful event, and everyone appreciated it  especially after a two-year gap.

Diwali stands for good triumphing over evil, hope over despair, he continued. You can say after all the evils of COVID, we are in hope again.

Hindu nonprofit Sewa International Houston honored Diwali this year with an Oct. 23 clothing drive for refugees from Afghanistan.

Gently used traditional Indian garments called salwar kameez were collected to donate to refugees.

Most Indian women in America have a special place in their hearts for their traditional Indian salwar kameezes, said Sewa International Houstons executive director Kavita Tewary. We pass them from mother to daughter, and its a gesture of love.

During Diwali, friends and family exchange gifts and share their blessings, Tewary said. The clothing drive invited the entire community to share in that spirit.

While they are giving away these traditional dresses, they are also sharing some happy memories, she added.

Light after COVID

Vipin Kumar, executive director of the nonprofit India House, explained that Diwali centers on the story of Lord Rama defeating Ravana, the king of Lanka.

Lanka had kidnapped his wife, Kumar said. After the victory, Rama and wife Sita finally are able to return to their kingdom of Ayodhya after 14 years.

The whole city is lit with lamps, every house and street, Kumar said.

That sight, welcoming the returning king, is now the way to prepare for Diwali, by decorating homes and lighting diyas.

Kumar sees parallels to the holiday with the pandemic.

Now this evil  COVID  is being conquered by our scientists, he said. Thats the victory of good over bad.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Houston teen uses his rockin' bar mitzvah project to help others with learning differences like him

Bhatt, with ISCKON Houston, said that when Lord Rama returned to his kingdom, there was a new moon and the sky was dark.

We might look at a world around us, observe hatred and suffering and selfishness, and see it as a dark, moonless night, he said. Let us develop that courage to be carriers of light; let us light lamps.

He offered a prayer from the scripture Bhagavatam: May all living beings develop abiding concern for the welfare of others. May our own hearts and minds be filled with purity and serenity.

In the Sikh tradition, Diwali celebrates the release from prison of the sixth guru, Guru Hargobind, explained Hardeep Singh, president of the Sikh Center of Gulf Coast Area.

She said that Guru Hargobind was imprisoned with 52 Hindu princes in 1619.

And they were innocent, she added.

The emperor agreed to release Guru Hargobind, but the Guru asked that the princes be freed as well. The emperor agreed  but only for those princes able to hold Guru Hargobinds cloak.

Guru Hargobind responded with an ingenious solution, Singh said: He had a coat made with 52 tassels.

Each prince could then hold onto the strings from the garment and became eligible for release from prison.

That spirit of freedom will be on the minds of the Sikh community members as they light diyas for Diwali, Singh explained.

Its all about good over evil, she said.

Lindsay Peyton is a Houston-based freelance writer.
What began as an effort to raise funds for dog rescue has become a pet boutique experience unlike any other. Pucci Cafe, a high-end pet boutique that also sells coffee, wine and beer is opening soon in Katy.

Pucci Cafe is opening in LaCenterra, located at 23501 Cinco Ranch Boulevard, by late fall. At Pucci, dog enthusiasts can sip coffee or wine and beer with their pups while shopping for luxurious dog accessories from across the world. Pucci has sold the pet items online for about a year now, but the cafe will be the first physical location for the company.

More Katy news:Katy Insiders share their favorite spots to watch the Astros play in the World Series

The vision for Pucci, said owner Maria Davidson, began when she and her husband Bobby adopted a Yorkshire terrier mix from a dog rescue. We noticed that they're trying to get funds to support these dogs that they rescue either from car accidents or from neglect, and so we wanted to help them out in some way, Maria said. And so we decided that by opening a dog boutique, we could help them with the proceeds that we get.

The boutique, Maria said, was inspired by the high-end pet cafes the couple visited in Europe.

All through Europe, we noticed that there are cafes where people bring their dogs outside for a glass of wine or cup of coffee, she said. So we wanted to bring that kind of element here in the U.S. and have that same feel where you can bring your dog out to the patio for a morning coffee or a glass of wine in the evening.

Dog cafes in Europe are simply part of their lifestyle. It seemed like an obvious need for pet lovers in our community, Bobby added. We wanted a space that was open late that felt luxurious and high-end where you can enjoy time with your dog. After working a long day, sometimes our dogs end up being an afterthought, and we want to change that.

The pair added an extra element to the European concept by offering luxury pet items to the cafe, and the result was Pucci.

The Davidsons purvey the best quality pet items they can find across the globe, Maria said. We work with a manufacturer in Canada that does these high end leather collars and leashes that will last you a long time, she said. I have a relationship with this lady in Colombia that hand-makes these designer dresses that we brought in. We have other companies from other countries that we even get harnesses and jewelry from.

The most luxurious item in Pucci is a pearl necklace for dogs made in Dubai. We develop these relationships with people from different countries so we can provide these unique, good quality high-end products for people. Pets are a member of the family, and you want to give your pets the same love you give your family.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Chaining dogs outside will finally be illegal in Texas as Abbott signs animal cruelty bill into law

The Davidsons are Katy locals, and Maria said that the couple decided to open their first brick-and-mortar store in Katy so they could be onsite as often as possible. The LaCenterra atmosphere, she said, is already inviting to dog owners.

The shop will be located next to the lake at LaCenterra, Maria noted, so dogs and their owners can sit outside with a soothing lake view. The 2,000-square-foot patio will feature live music as well as a fenced in play area.

The core of the business, Maria reiterated, is Puccis mission to help rescue dogs. We always say, You cant buy love, but you can rescue it, Maria said. We want to not only bring awareness to rescue groups, but also help them as much as we possibly can.

claire.goodman@chron.com
PHOENIX (AP)  President Joe Biden has picked a career prosecutor to be the top federal law enforcement officer in Arizona.

The president announced Wednesday he's picked Gary M. Restaino to be the United States Attorney for Arizona. Restaino has been a federal prosecutor in Arizona since 2003 and was previously the chief of the criminal division and the white collar crime section.

Restaino has also worked as a trial attorney for the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section.

He worked on some of the highest profile cases of the past decade in Arizona, including the prosecution of former Fiesta Bowl executives in a scheme to make illegal campaign contributions to politicians. He also was among the lawyers who successfully prosecuted former U.S. Rep. Rick Renzi for extortion and bribery in connection with a federal land swap deal. Renzi, a Republican, was later pardoned by President Donald Trump on his last day in office.

Before joining the U.S. Attorney's Office, Restaino was a civil rights lawyer for the Arizona Attorney General's Office and represented farmworkers for a Phoenix-based legal aid service. He also served in the Peace Corps in Paraguay.

Restaino must be confirmed by the Senate before he can take on the role. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Arizona has been led by Glenn McCormack, the office's 1st Assistant U.S. Attorney, since April.

Restaino, a 1996 graduate of the University of Virginia law school, was among four U.S. Attorney nominees announced Wednesday.
BANGOR, Maine (AP)  The son of a man who died in a snowblower accident in 2017 has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against both of Bangor's hospitals and two medical professionals.

Herbert Pelletier, 86, died four years ago of complications of a ruptured spleen caused by the handle of his snowblower. The lawsuit alleged that Pelletier was not properly diagnosed and that delayed treatment led to his death, The Bangor Daily News reported.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  Many North Carolina nonprofit hospitals are falling short in treating the poor for free or reduced rates to validate their tax-exempt status, State Treasurer Dale Folwell said Wednesday while highlighting a university report on charity care.

Johns Hopkins University expanded its national analysis on hospital care for low-income residents to focus on North Carolina hospitals with the help of the State Health Plan, which covers medical costs state employees, teachers, retirees and dependents. Folwell's agency oversees the plan.

The report found that the state's largest nonprofit hospital systems received more than $1.8 billion in estimated federal, state and local tax breaks for a 12-month period ending in 2019 or 2020, depending on how a system's finances are accounted. But charity care spending  expenses for which they don't expect to receive payment  for a majority of these systems failed to exceed 60% of the value of the system's tax breaks.

Those that failed to reach that 60% threshold included Duke Health, Vidant Health and Novant Health, according to the report, which examined financial records and information filed with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. WakeMed exceeded its tax-break value. Of the several dozen nonprofit hospitals in the state, fewer than 25 exceeded their tax exemption values with charity-care spending, the report said.

Nonprofits, which can retain revenues left over after expenses, are supposed to provide significant community benefits to justify their tax status to the IRS, the report said. They can avoid paying property or income taxes, or get reimbursed for state and local sales taxes.

The question is why should the taxpayers continue to subsidize these nonprofit hospitals? asked Ge Bai, a professor at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and Bloomberg School of Public Health involved in the analysis. Why should local communities be deprived of their property tax revenues and other tax revenues that would allow them to fund local schools, parks and other public services?

The North Carolina Healthcare Association, which represents for-profit and nonprofit hospitals and hospital system, didnt immediately have a response Wednesday about the report's detailed finding. But it said the study didnt reflect many other financial benefits that hospitals provide to their coverage areas, including research, health worker training, in-kind donations and preparations for local disasters.

North Carolinas nonprofit hospitals annually submit audits to state and federal tax regulators who determine each year that hospitals meet their tax status obligations, the association said in a written statement.

The association said North Carolina hospitals and hospital systems provided $1.1 billion in charity care overall in 2019 and took close to $3.5 billion in combined losses to treat patients covered by Medicaid and Medicare. Bai said including such Medicaid and Medicare figures in charity totals can be misleading.

The State Health Plan spends $3 billion on health care and pharmacy services annually to cover up to 750,000 people.

Folwell, a Republican reelected in 2020, has been critical of large, ever-consolidating hospital systems for what he calls excessive and opaque pricing while he's working to control plan costs. The plan has been told often that health care expenses are higher in part because the costs are used to cover care for the uninsured and underinsured, the report said.

The report said North Carolina policymakers could require certain levels of charity care, as some other states have done, with consequences for failing to meet them, such as limiting or rescinding tax-favored treatment.

We need solid, accountable and auditable benchmarks for what (the) definition of charitable care is so that the average person can figure out whether these entities are actually earning the right to continue to be nonprofit entities, Folwell told reporters.
MIAMI (AP)  Venezuelas government quietly offered last year to release imprisoned Americans in exchange for the U.S. letting go a key financier of President Nicolas Maduro, according to people with knowledge of the proposal and message exchanges seen by The Associated Press.

The offer was discussed at a previously reported meeting in Mexico City in September 2020 between a top Maduro aide and Richard Grenell, a close ally of former President Donald Trump, one of the people involved in organizing the meeting said.

The offer, which was rejected by the Trump administration, has taken on new relevance following the extradition this month to Miami of businessman Alex Saab, who prosecutors believe was the main conduit for corruption in Maduro's inner circle. In retaliation, Venezuela reimprisoned six executives of Houston-based Citgo, a subsidiary of Venezuela's state-owned oil giant, who had been under house arrest.

A little over a year ago, Maduros government was looking to release the so-called Citgo 6 along with two former Green Berets tied to a failed cross-border raid in exchange for Saab, according to former Miami Congressman David Rivera, who says he helped organize the meeting.

Grenell declined to say what the September 2020 meeting was about but adamantly denied it had anything to do with hostage negotiations.

I never discussed a swap. It wasnt something we were interested in nor was it a point of negotiation  ever, he said in a brief statement. The purpose of the meeting was clear to everyone who was actually negotiating."

However, Venezuela's interest in negotiating for Saab was corroborated by another individual with knowledge of the proposal on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private diplomatic effort. The AP also saw text messages from right after the meeting between some of the organizers  but not Grenell  in which follow-up steps for a deal to return the American prisoners is discussed.

Rivera's account raises fresh questions about the nature and scope of the back-channel diplomacy. Its also likely to add pressure on the Biden administration, which is already facing criticism for not doing enough to bring home Americans wrongfully detained abroad, to pursue a prisoner deal of its own with Maduro  something it has resisted until now.

Among new details to emerge: Grenell was joined in Mexico City by Erik Prince, the founder of controversial security firm Blackwater and whose sister, Betsy DeVos, was Trumps education secretary.

In Rivera's telling, he was asked to get involved by Raul Gorrin, a Venezuelan businessman who had been trying to bridge differences between the U.S. and Maduro before being indicted himself on charges of bribing top Maduro officials. Rivera, a Republican who served a single term in Congress, said he was a translator in encrypted conference calls over Wickr, a messaging app, ahead of the meeting in which Gorrin explained to Prince that Maduro was willing to swap the Americans for Saab.

"Both Gorrin in Spanish and me in English made it crystal clear to Prince repeatedly that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss freeing the Americans in exchange for Saab," Rivera said.

Saab had been arrested a few months earlier in Cape Verde en route to Iran and was fighting tooth and nail against extradition to the U.S. He was joined by Maduro's government, which considers the previously low-profile Colombian-born businessman a diplomatic envoy and keeper of state secrets that, if revealed, would compromise Venezuela's national security.

According to Rivera, after several back-and-forth calls Prince arranged for him and Grenell to travel to Mexico City to meet with Jorge Rodriguez, a top aide to Maduro and now president of the pro-government congress. In 2019, Prince traveled to Caracas to meet with Rodriguez's sister, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, cementing his role as one of the few American interlocutors to the otherwise isolated Maduro government.

Rivera said he was supposed to be present for the meeting as well, but got delayed while making a connection in Houston. When he arrived to the Mexican capital, the meeting at The Westin hotel had already blown up over Grenell's insistence that any prisoner swap be accompanied with an exit plan for Maduro, Rivera said.

In a subsequent call, Prince told Gorrin that the Citgo 6 were simply not valuable enough to the Trump administration for a straight prisoner swap for Saab, Rivera said.

It's not clear how seriously the Trump administration considered Maduro's offer  if at all. The trip to Mexico City surprised some senior Trump officials, who learned about it from reporters and worried it could undermine efforts to undermine Maduro through sanctions and ongoing investigations into corruption.

Unlike prisoner exchanges the U.S. has recently carried out with other hostile governments, from Cuba to Iran, Saab hasn't yet been tried for his alleged crimes. Moreover, his arrest was the result of a years-long effort by law enforcement that had been cheered on by foreign policy hawks and influential Venezuelan exiles in Florida for whom Saab  the architect of efforts to circumvent U.S. sanctions  was a trophy too valuable to give up before he was behind bars in the U.S.

There was no way we were going to swap for Saab. Grenell and the others had absolutely no authority to offer that," said Elliott Abrams, who served as the U.S. special representative for Venezuela under Trump. "The move to detain and try Saab was an all-of-government interagency effort. These freelancers represented no one but themselves.

Rodriguez and Prince didn't respond to requests for comment. A U.S. government official told the AP the State Department is not in a position to comment on reports of deliberations of a prior administration.

Rivera said he decided to get involved in the prisoner swap because he believed Gorrin had played a positive behind the scenes role securing the release from jail of Venezuela's most prominent anti-governmental activist, Leopoldo Lopez. He also knew a few of the jailed Citgo executives from his time as a consultant working for another U.S. subsidiary of PDVSA.

That work, for which Rivera was to be paid $50 million, is the subject of a lawsuit by Maduro's opponents, who now run Citgo and other PDVSA operations in the U.S. They say Rivera never performed any meaningful work. Rivera, a target of past state and federal investigations into improper campaign dealings, has countersued, arguing breach of contract.

Whatever the extent of Trump's closed-door dealings with Maduro, families of nine Americans jailed in Caracas are less hopeful about the prospects for a deal under the Biden administration.

Unlike Trump, who regularly hosted former American captives at the White House and whose unconventional foreign policy gave a boost to informal hostage negotiations, the Biden team has so far been short on high-profile detainee releases.

Mr. President, we are frustrated by the lack of action by your administration, the families wrote to Biden in a letter this month. The people-in-charge of protecting and returning wrongfully detained Americans have not even taken the basic first step of directly engaging with the Venezuelans that are holding our loved ones.

The lack of urgency is especially troubling to the family of Jose Pereira, the former president of Citgo, who over the weekend was rushed to a private clinic in Caracas for emergency treatment for a cardiac condition that his family says has worsened since his detention four years ago.

Pereira and the other Citgo executives were sentenced last year to long prison sentences over a never-executed plan to refinance billions in the oil companys bonds. They're being held at Caracas' infamous Helicoide prison along with two former Green Berets  Mark Denman and Airan Berry  who were arrested for their involvement in a confusing plot to overthrow Maduro. Also detained is former U.S. Marine Matthew Heath, who is being held on weapons charges.

Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a veteran hostage negotiator who has traveled to Caracas to push for the American prisoners' release, said the new details of the Mexico City meeting should serve as a wake up call.

My involvement and discussions with the Venezuelans and Maduro on behalf of the families of the American prisoners leads me to believe Maduro is interested in negotiating for their release," he said. "I think the Biden Administration should approach this with an open mind.

___

AP writer Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report.

Follow Goodman on Twitter: @APJoshGoodman
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A 19-year-old has been charged with murder after a man was fatally shot earlier this month in north Harris County, according to the Harris County Sheriffs Office.

Officials arrested the teenager, Nathan Sam, at a southwest Houston apartment complex Tuesday, the sheriffs office said in a release. He was charged with murder in the killing of Charles David Stepp, 34.
Jay R. Jordan / Jay Jordan, Staff

A 51-year-old woman was fatally shot in a possible road rage incident in central southwest Houston, according to Houston Police.

The woman, identified as Bridgett Holloman, got shot around 7:15 a.m. Wednesday in the 3500 block of West Airport Boulevard, police said in a release. Officers had been advised a road rage incident resulted in the shooting.
For nearly a year, the three siblings watched their brothers body decompose.

Police on Sunday found the skeletal remains of 8-year-old Kendrick Lee under a blanket in a bedroom. His mother, Gloria Williams, 35, found him under the blanket in November 2020 after her boyfriend beat the child to death, according to court records.

The boyfriend, Brian Coulter, 31, said he lost his temper and punched the child. Punches turned to kicks, court records continued.

Harris County Sheriff's Office

Two of the boys witnessed the brutal assault. Kendrick eventually stopped moving. The man continued to kick him, according to police.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Abandoned kids lived for weeks with no power, relied on neighbor for food

The three surviving children, ages 7, 10 and 15, were rescued Sunday from a third-floor apartment unit in west Harris County after the eldest child called police to report the death. Deputies found the children malnourished and living in deplorable conditions with their brother's skeleton after their mother and her boyfriend abandoned them alone in the apartment to fend for themselves, authorities said.

More details of the case emerged on Wednesday at a news conference during which Sheriff Ed Gonzalez described the situation as the most disturbing scene veteran homicide investigators had responded to in their careers.

It seemed too horrible to be real, Gonzalez said.

The kids were living in unspeakable conditions and were forbidden from leaving the apartment by their abusers, he said. They were possibly locked in different parts of the apartment. The carpet was soiled and there was no furniture, bedding or blankets. Roaches and flies crawled around the empty space.

Two of the children may be on the autism spectrum, officials said. When deputies arrived, the kids were hungry and asked for doughnuts.

The eldest brother was afraid to reach out for help because he had been abused and traumatized, officials said. The boy was relying on his mother to contact authorities after discovering his brothers body in a bedroom last Thanksgiving, but she never did.

Williams said she did not report the abuse or death because Coulter told her not to, authorities said. She also feared that Child Protective Services would take her children away and she would go to jail  which ultimately happened. The state agency this week took custody of her children.

Williams and her boyfriend moved out of the apartment in March, leaving the children to fend for themselves  all while Kendricks body continued to decompose. Williams had food like noodles, chips and soft drinks delivered to the apartment on a fairly routine basis, officials said on Wednesday.

One of the investigators, Dennis Wolfford, presumes the couple left the apartment in an attempt to distance themselves from the child's body.

"They knew the entire time there was a dead body in the apartment," Wolfford said.

In the couple's absence, neighbors at the CityParc II at West Oaks Apartments complex started providing the children food and a chance to charge a phone. The apartment at 3530 Green Crest Drive did not have power when deputies went inside.

The boyfriend returned to the apartment in the weeks before their rescue and punched one of the children, records continued.

Police found injuries to the boys jaw which required surgery. The boy had not received medical treatment or pain medication.

One child said his brothers remains eventually turned into a skeleton. And the youngest child later checked on the body and saw him covered in cockroaches.

The gruesome details were outlined in court records as authorities handled cases for both defendants in probable cause court. A magistrate ordered that Coulter be held on a $1 million bail, while Williams was held on a combined $900,000 bail on the charges.

The mother and boyfriend were arrested Tuesday afternoon with Williams facing charges of injury to a child by omission, injury to a child causing serious bodily injury and tampering with evidence, in this case a human corpse.

Coulter has been charged with murder in Kendricks death.

One boy told police that Coulter often drank alcohol. The eldest brother revealed that Coulter would often hit the brothers and lock them in a bedroom. He told his mother of the abuse and she said she would speak with Coulter.

The boy expressed doubt that anything would change.

Linda Smith, the youngest boys grandmother, said Williams and the children stayed with her in south Houston until 2016. She helped care for Kendrick.

She learned Tuesday that Kendrick was not among those rescued from the apartment.

He was a sweet boy, Smith said. He did his best  like any other child.

Her attention turned to another child  a teenage girl who is also Williams child. Where is she, Smith wondered.

The sheriff said Williams had six children. The other two children are in another location, said Gonzalez.

Of the four children found in the west Harris County apartment, there are two biological fathers, said Gonzalez. One is presumed to be dead and the other is not involved in the family, the sheriff said.

Coulter and Williams appeared to have active social media accounts.

An Instagram account appearing to belong to Coulter includes posts which show the man bragging about owning a lot of jewelry and having money. The man purports to be a music producer with a company called F.O.E. productions, which he says stands for Family Over Everything.

Social media appearing to belong to Williams shows jewelry she says she received as a Valentines Day gift from Coulter in February. The mother also shared pictures of two of her sons on Facebook as recently as June.

As authorities continue their investigation, they have also wondered why neighbors at the complex never called law enforcement. The Harris County Sheriffs Office never received a report of foul odors or other suspicious activity from the unit, the agency has said.

City Parc II at West Oaks Apartments is a Highmark Residential community, according to the companys website. The property management company owns more than 200 properties in a dozen states, including more than a dozen in the Houston area.

Were not interested at this time in any statement, an employee said Wednesday when she answered the phone at the companys Dallas corporate office, declining to answer any further questions.

An employee who answered the phone at the apartment complex hung up on a reporter.

The children found in the apartment are now in CPS care, making them wards of the state. But there are other obstacles on the horizon. If placed in foster care, they would remain the states responsibility unless someone adopts them.

Texas has a grim record of caring for the thousands of children in its custody, as evidenced by a civil rights challenge brought on behalf all long term foster children. The suit alleged that the governor, the commissioner of Family and Protective Services and the head of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission had been deliberately indifferent to the safety of children in their care.

In 2015, Janis Graham Jack, a federal judge in Corpus Christi, ruled these 12,000 young wards had a constitutional right to be free from the unreasonable risk of harm caused by the state. Jack placed the foster care system under an indefinite federal conservatorship. Texas appealed this ruling seven times, but it finally stuck in 2020 and federal monitors now oversee compliance and make reports to the judge.

The rights of Williams children, however, would not fall under federal review, because they havent been in CPS custody, said Paul Yetter, one of a team of private and public interest lawyers who represented the foster children during 10 years of civil litigation.

This tragedy falls outside of the court monitors scope of investigation because it does not involve foster children who were in the states conservatorship, Yetter said.

Hannah Dellinger, Alejandro Serrano and Gabrielle Banks contributed to this report.

nicole.hensley@chron.com
Jay R. Jordan / Jay Jordan, Staff

Surveillance footage of three suspects in a fatal shooting on Oct. 3 in southwest Houston was released Tuesday afternoon by Houston police.

The footage shows the moments before the shooting of Dakota Bawary, 20, at 4601 West Orem Drive where a fight broke out between two groups of people outside of a party. Police are looking for three suspects described as men in their 20s and a black Nissan sedan  either a Maxima or Altima  they used to leave the scene.
As the delta surge wanes, health officials are pushing to vaccinate a wider portion of the population to prevent another major uptick in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.

This weeks COVID Help Desk tackles forward-looking questions about Modernas vaccine efficacy in children, national and statewide vaccine rates and the feasibility of another vaccine on the U.S. market.

How effective is Modernas shot for teens and children?

While Pfizer-BioNTech nears emergency authorization to expand eligibility to children in the 5-11 age group, Moderna has yet to receive emergency authorization from federal health agencies to administer its shot in most teenagers as well as younger children.

Moderna announced in May that late-stage clinical trials showed strong efficacy for the 12-17 age group, with none of the roughly 3,700 study participants showing symptomatic infection after a two-dose series. The company in June applied for emergency authorization for that age group. Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel told Reuters on Wednesday that he believes the Food and Drug Administration will approve the shot for adolescents in the next few weeks.

The company also published positive data on Monday from clinical trials in the 6-11 age group. The data showed that children between the ages of 6 and 11, who were given half the dosage adults were administered, showed a similar antibody response as adults who received the Moderna shot. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says Modernas vaccine is about 93 percent effective at preventing hospitalization in adults with COVID.

The company plans to apply for regulatory clearance for the 6-11 age group very soon, Bancel told Reuters.

MORE HEALTH NEWS: Texas reaches $290 million settlement with opioid manufacturer Johnson & Johnson

How quickly are vaccine rates rising?

State vaccination trends mirror those of the country, with a slightly lower percentage of the Texas population seeking the shots. The delta wave drove up vaccine rates across the state, from a seven-day average of 46,519 new doses on July 4 to 98,299 by Aug. 31, according to data from the CDC.

Vaccine rates fluctuated in September but started falling again in early October, as the delta variant subsided. In Texas, the seven-day moving average of new doses has dropped by 34 percent, from 73,599 on Oct. 1 to 51,831 on Oct. 22. As of Wednesday, nearly 64 percent of the states eligible population was fully vaccinated.

As delta fades into peoples memories, people will very quickly forget we had a major surge in August and September and that hospitals were full, said Dr. James McDeavitt, executive vice president and dean of clinical affairs at Baylor College of Medicine. He said federal vaccine mandates will play a key role in addressing vaccine holdouts.

In less populated parts of the state, such as West Texas, a lack of healthcare infrastructure contributes to a slowing vaccine rate, said Dr. Susan Wootton, professor of pediatric infectious diseases at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. People who live in low-income areas also are less likely to have access to quality healthcare, she said.

Were trying to think of ways to bridge that and find ways that are convenient for these families, she said.

COVID Q&A: Peter Hotez says COVID rates are declining, just like October 2020. Is a winter wave ahead?

Is another vaccine going to become available in the United States  and when?

Dr. Peter Hotez and Dr. Maria Elena Bottazzi, Baylor College of Medicine scientists who co-direct the Texas Childrens Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, drew on years of past research into severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) to develop a COVID vaccine that now is poised for emergency approval in India.

But right now, the vaccine lacks the financial and logistical resources to make headway into the U.S. market anytime soon.

If we identify a U.S. vaccine development and manufacturing partner this would be a possibility, Hotez said in an email.

COVID vaccine trials are ongoing at the Galveston National Laboratory at UTMB, the nations largest high-security containment facility on an academic campus. Three or four candidates have shown positive results in pre-clinical studies in animals and could reach clinical trials next year, said Dr. Scott Weaver, the laboratorys scientific director.

But those vaccines, which are designed to create better protection than the existing shots, face similar financial obstacles as the one developed at Baylor, he said.

Theres a little bit less pressure to make a new vaccine than there was at the beginning of the pandemic, he said.

Weaver said one vaccine, made by Novavax, appears the most likely candidate for U.S. approval. The company this week said it filed for authorization in the U.K. and will likely seek approval in other global markets soon.

julian.gill@chron.com
As Harris County leaders prepared to squabble over proposed maps that will reshape precinct lines for the next 10 years, advocacy groups demonstrated outside the downtown administration building Thursday to promote their vision of an equitable map that prioritizes marginalized communities.

Top on the list of priorities is that communities of common interest be grouped together by district so that each commissioner will have an incentive to truly take heed of constituents needs  if that official hopes to be reelected.

Voting districts at every level of government across the United States, are often drawn in partisan ways that benefit an incumbents reelection chances or strengthen a partys footing in certain areas  a process known as gerrymandering.

Were advocating for a commissioners court that reflects and understands the issues that marginalized communities face on a daily basis, said Juan Cardoza-Oquendo, director of public policy at Houston in Action, a coalition of grassroots advocacy groups. He cited criminal justice, immigrant rights, pollution and infrastructure among other key issues for the organizers.

Our proposal is a starting point for conversation, its what we want our commissioners court to look like based on our communities of interest, Cardoza-Oquendo said.

When the U.S. Census Bureau released 2020 Census data in August, it set the stage for redistricting fights over proposals that have stirred controversy in the Texas legislature and prompted lawsuits accusing legislators of racism.

Houston in Action built its map after the coalition spent six months meeting with dozens of community leaders to identify common threads and priorities. The organization mapped 43 communities of interest, loosely based around neighborhood boundaries, that would become the foundation for how they divided the four precincts. While common interests in those communities often fell along racial lines, other characteristics the mappers looked for were shared economic status, environmental concerns and more.

Office of the Harris County Attorney

We call our proposed map the Unity Map because it is intentionally organized by conversations with some of the most underserved and neglected communities  folks in places like East Aldine, where flooding impacts an entire community, but an imaginary line made by politicians says that were somehow separate and distinct, said Marla Lopez, the Houston coordinator for Mi Familia Vota, a member group of Houston in Action.

The biggest difference between the Houston in Action proposal and the current Harris County precinct map is that Precincts 2 and 3 on the Houston in Action map are more centralized to keep together voters with common interests.

Office of the Harris County Attorney

As the official map is currently drawn, residents of southeast Houstons industrial corridor share Precinct 2 with wealthier suburban areas like Kingwood and Lake Houston. A similar situation plays out in Precinct 3, which is split between poorer residents of southwest Houston and wealthier residents in the northwest suburbs. Such maps dilute the voting power of the low-income residents in the precinct, who tend to be people of color, advocates say.

The proposed map that most reflects the Unity Map drawn by Houston in Action is the second draft of Pct. 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis proposal, the organization said. County Republicans, however, have said that Ellis proposal is a naked example of gerrymandering on the Democratic side, because it would pack Republicans into fewer districts.

Office of the Harris County Attorney

The map that our coalition has proposed centers communities of interest, and while it is similar to other proposals, it also has some key differences, Cardoza-Oquendo said in a statement.

Our message is that we want to unite communities across different lines and based on issues, Cardoza-Oquendo said earlier. Its not a perfect process, and our map isnt perfect, but its our best attempt to make sure the marginalized communities and low-income communities that we work with will be grouped together and not be split.

sam.kelly@chron.com
City Councilmember Greg Travis on Wednesday announced he is running for a seat in the Texas House of Representatives, effectively resigning his District G post at City Hall.

Travis told supporters at a River Oaks fundraiser and in an email Wednesday evening that he would seek the Republican nomination for House District 133 in west Houston.

The Texas Constitution forbids council members serving four-year terms from actively campaigning for another office while they hold their seats, and Travis announcement automatically triggers his resignation.

I am torn between representing you at Council or representing you at the State House in Austin, Travis wrote to his constituents. I have chosen the latter as I feel I can do more for our families, this District, and Houston in general as a State Representative.

The city will have to call a special election to replace Travis on City Council within 120 days, according to the Texas Constitution.

City Attorney Arturo Michel said a hold-over provision in the law means Travis will keep his seat until his successor is elected and sworn in. At the fundraiser, Travis said that was news to him, but he will keep the job if he is allowed. He told supporters in River Oaks that once he made the announcement, he no longer was their council member.

The announcement marks the end of Travis six-year tenure representing District G, the citys wealthiest council district and one of its only reliably conservative bastions. It includes much of River Oaks and Uptown, stretching west below Interstate 10 to State Highway 6.

Travis, a commercial litigation lawyer, will run in a district that has been represented by state Rep. Jim Murphy since 2011. Murphy, who is chair of the House Republican Caucus, announced earlier this year that he would not seek re-election.

One of Travis District G predecessors, Bert Keller, also has announced a campaign for the seat. Keller served on City Council from 1999 to 2003. Republican attorneys Mano DeAyala and Shelley Barineau are running as well. It does not appear any Democrats have joined the race yet. The primary elections are March 1, and the general election will be Nov. 8, 2022.

HD-133 has been solidly red, but this years redistricting process might have made it slightly more competitive. Former President Trump carried the previous boundaries of the district by 4.1 percentage points. He would have won the newly-drawn district by less than 1 percentage point. Sen. Ted Cruz, though, carried the new district by 7 percentage points in 2018.

The legislative district mirrors much of Travis council district, but it does not extend inside the Loop 610, so it does not include River Oaks.

Travis told supporters there is a 90 percent overlap to the districts, and he thinks that will work to his advantage.

Travis was one of the councils most conservative members and a frequent critic of Mayor Sylvester Turner. He often advocated for fiscally and culturally conservative policies on council, regularly finding himself outnumbered as he proposed or voted for lower tax rates, fees and spending.

He also opposed many of the city's measures aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19, saying the decision to cancel last years rodeo only serves to perpetuate the artificial panic of the virus. His last words from the City Council dais Wednesday were Lets Go Brandon, a conservative, anti-Joe Biden euphemism.

Travis first won his council seat in 2015 by a narrow margin of 2.3 percentage points. He cruised to re-election in 2019, with 67 percent of the vote against two challengers.

City Council has not seen a vacancy since former District K Councilman Larry Greens death in March 2018. A special election to fill out his term was called for May of that year. Vice Mayor Pro Tem Martha Castex-Tatum ultimately won that election and remains in the seat.

District B went roughly a year without a new council member in 2020 after litigation among candidates led to an unprecedented delay in that districts runoff. Former Councilmember Jerry Davis remained in the seat past his term in that case, avoiding a vacancy.

Special council elections typically have abysmal voter participation. The District K race had 6 percent turnout, and the District B race  which was added to a more crowded ballot last December  gleaned 7.9 percent.

Staff writer Jasper Scherer contributed to this article.

dylan.mcguinness@chron.com
A cold front is expected to settle over southeast Texas for Thursday after a storm sliced through the region on Wednesday morning leaving downed trees and other damage.

The foul weather left some trees down, power outages, especially east of Beaumont, congested highways for commuters and a generally soggy start to the school and work day in the greater Houston region.

But the storm passed through Houston fairly quickly, leaving a sunny day with highs in the mid-70s. Temperatures overnight were expected to drop into the low-60s and bring cooler, drier weather on Thursday and for the Halloween weekend.

According to the National Weather Service, a wind advisory will be in order for the Houston area from 7 a.m. till 7 p.m. Thursday with strong northwest winds forecasted to reach 20-30 mph and gusts up to 40 mph.

The storms will pave the way for a pleasant stretch of temperate autumn weather expected to last through Halloween weekend, Luchs said. High temperatures should hover in the 70s and lows will dip into the 40s across inland areas and 50s along the coast. Forecasters expect few clouds and no precipitation.

It should be pretty pleasant, NWS meteorologist Sean Luchs said. Plenty of blue sky.

The passing storm, however, led to a dark few moments for millions. Radar in a handful of locations detected suspected or possible storm rotation, meaning a tornado forming was imminent. Officials activated alerts, telling thousands to take shelter immediately.

No immediate injuries were reported in the Houston area, but a confirmed tornado in Deweyville, northeast of Beaumont, sent emergency responders scrambling.

In Houston the scene was more subdued, but some residents were addressing problems. A tree snapped in the area of Airway Drive in Aldine, crashing into Brianna Johnson's home. Johnson, 23, had heard a commotion and only moments prior took cover. She huddled with her dogs, Snowflake and Zeus, in a closet after and called 911.

Johnson said she became emotional when she saw her late mothers vehicle, a small red sedan, parked outside and hit by the tree.

I just broke down and started crying, Johnson said.

Maria Serratos, 50, a neighbor across the street, said she heard gushes of wind and a boom Wednesday morning. She didnt realize until later it was a tree falling on the nearby home.

Thats scary for the people that were staying there, Serratos said, adding she saw people coming out of there.

She didnt see any other wreckage in the area. Her power was out Wednesday morning, which she said happened when the winds started.

Leah Brennan/Houston Chronicle

On Wednesday morning, the weather service received tornado reports from a cluster of residents in western Harris County and another group near Montgomery County. Meteorologists will conduct more data gathering to confirm if those weather events were indeed tornados.

Schools in Spring Branch ISD went under a shelter in place Wednesday morning, while Houston ISD caused school bus delays.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Cold front will bring beautiful weather for Halloween after hot, muggy start to this week

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
It was a scene at once familiar and unusual last week at Harris County Commissioners Court, with dozens of speakers from the minority party declaring that the proposed new commissioner precincts will lead to tyranny. Phrases like mockery of democracy and corruption run rampant echoed through the halls.

In Texas, its Democrats who usually line up to speak out against gerrymandered maps. Now, with Republicans losing power in Harris County  no GOP candidate has won a countywide race here since 2014  its Democrats who control the map-drawing process, and the Republicans who are complaining.

After weeks of watching GOP officials approve maps with the overarching goal of ensuring safe seats for Republican incumbents, Harris County Democrats are poised to approve new district maps that would pack Republican voters into a massive Precinct 4 stretching 52 miles across from Katy to Baytown. The vote at the court, which has a 3-2 Democratic majority, could happen as soon as a 12:30 p.m. special meeting on Thursday.

Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey and Precinct 4 Commissioner Jack Cagle, the two Republicans on the court, fervently object. Ramsey called the proposed map the most corrupt plan I have ever seen in my 45 years of doing work in Harris County.

Ramseys comments are proof that theres no partisan lock on hyperbole. Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis proposal is legal, routine and not nearly so partisan as the new state and federal maps pushed through in Austin over the past few months, where the GOP ignored the fact that 95 percent of the states growth has come from communities of color. By contrast, Ellis map responds to an increasingly diverse Harris County, where Democrats won decisive control in 2018.

And yet, to call the maps just business as usual, when the business of redistricting is so broken, is no compliment. Every decade, state and local lawmakers of both parties draw the districts so as to keep themselves in power. At its heart, it means lawmakers pick their voters, rather than the other way around, and it stinks.

For starters, it traps both parties in an unending cycle of tit for tat. The party in power one decade tilts the maps in its favor, and as soon as the other party, usually after enduring unfairly diluted voting power for years, gains control, its leaders do the same thing.

Renee Cross, senior director of the University of Houstons Hobby School of Public Affairs, said the current commissioners court map, approved in 2011 over activist and Democrats objections, is itself gerrymandered. The 2011 redistricting largely crammed Black communities, which tend to lean Democratic, into Precinct 1, divided Aldine into three precincts and diluted the countys growing Latino vote. she said.

Ellis told the board his map attempts to undo the suppression of voices that has occurred in this county over the last two decades.

Ellis maps

Harris County added nearly 700,000 residents since 2010, with the most growth in Precincts 3 and 4 from voters who tend to vote Democratic. Each district must have roughly the same population, so the new maps must distribute some of the new growth to the other two precincts. The goal ought to be to redraw the boundaries to keeps communities together and distribute voting power in a way that fairly reflects the changing numbers.

Ellis plan would put more likely Democratic voters in Precinct 2, where Commissioner Adrian Garcia won his seat in 2018 by the thinnest of margins. Precinct 3 would move from Republican to competitive with a Democratic tilt. Rice political scientist Mark Jones told us it would likely swing with national trends.

On their face, those changes, while making it harder for Republicans to compete, arguably are justified by the Democratic swing in Harris Countys population. But in getting there, Ellis maps make other changes that create other problems.

For instance, the giant new Precinct 4 would encompass northern, eastern and western suburbs, making it tough for residents to feel a close connection to their commissioner. Thats important because commissioners do more than just vote. They take care of infrastructure, provide community centers and maintain parks within their district. How does it make sense to give one commissioner responsibility for hundreds of square miles, while others are incredibly compact?

Ellis points to similarities among the suburbs that makes lumping them together sensible, but thats a stretch. The wildly drawn Precinct 4 mostly makes political sense, especially if the goal is packing as many Republicans into it as possible. Such baldly partisan gerrymandering shouldnt even be legal, as several federal courts have ruled over the years. But any restrictions of the practice went out the door in 2019, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that despite the obviously unjust results of partisan gerrymandered maps, courts have no authority to decide political questions such as whether lawmakers were driven by politics in drawing district maps.

Talk about a dodge. But legal or not, its still a rotten basis upon which to distribute voting power.

We deserve a system in which politicians dont get to pick their voters.

Lets hope that the Harris County GOPs outrage, hypocrisy notwithstanding, is proof that all sides  activists, moderates and conservatives  are finally fed up with business as usual. Lets seize that momentum and seek true reform in Texas, with nonpartisan commissions and constituent-led processes that truly let voters pick their leaders.
When I was growing up there were very few female political role models. In fact, when asked who served as my early roles models, I point to women suffragists like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and risk takers like Amelia Earhart.

That all changed when Ann Richards came on the scene in Texas in the 1980s as the state treasurer and then winning the 1990 race for governor. I met her not long after she established the womens empowerment group, Leadership Women Texas. Shortly thereafter, Ann sent me a letter urging me to apply for admission. I came to realize that was Anns way. She encouraged, promoted and mentored women to do more than they ever dreamed of.

I was honored when the Ann Richards Legacy Project asked me to host a public art exhibit honoring Ann in downtown Houston to celebrate the 30th anniversary of her inauguration. Today 50 red, white and blue Ann Banners currently line 10 Houston city blocks, along Dallas street, from Milam street to the George R. Brown Convention Center, and will be on display through mid-November. The same designs have also been on display in the downtowns of Austin, Dallas, San Antonio and El Paso.

At a recent news conference to announce the Ann Banners, I proudly stood with my former colleague, Mayor Sylvester Turner, along with Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, County Commissioner Rodney Ellis, and U.S. Federal District Judge Vanessa Gilmore, who was Anns appointee to the Texas Department of Commerce Policy Board  the first African American to serve in that capacity .

Judge Gilmore told the crowd that Ann Richards had a way of bringing out the best in others. She recalled that, when Ann appointed her to the board, she wasnt sure shed be up to the task. But Ann, referencing the Sermon on the Mount, told the judge, You can do this, because youre not the kind of person who would hide your light under a bushel.

The banners feature 12 different designs with images and notable quotes from Ann including:

Life isnt fair, but government must be.

Sobriety has freed me to deal with failure and never give up.

I get a lot of cracks about my hair, mostly from men who dont have any.

You can put lipstick on a hog and call it Monique, but it is still a pig.

Both Mayor Turner and Commissioner Ellis served with the governor during their time in the Texas Legislature and both recalled how the governor bravely used her power to make government look like the people of Texas, appointing an unprecedented number of women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ community and people with disabilities.

It was also wonderful to hear Judge Hidalgo, who never had the honor to meet the governor, share that Anns spirit is with her every day as she is often the only woman in the room as she leads the 3rd largest county in the U.S. She praised the governor for courageously taking on tough and unpopular causes like criminal justice reform, ethics in state government and school finance, and praised her for show[ing] us that policy and principles are more important than job security.

Ann was one of a kind. She was feisty, charismatic and passionate. Like she once said about Ginger Rogers, Ann did everything other Texas governors did  she just did it in high heels, backwards and with a towering helmet of white hair recognizable from blocks away. She warned us if youre not at the table youre on the menu.

Downtown Houston is vibrant and exciting and the Ann Banners add to the pride we take in our city. Come on down. I promise looking up at those banners will make you smile.

Ellen Cohen served as Houston mayor pro tem, Texas state representative and CEO of the Houston Area Womens Center.
Four years ago, I traveled around America, visiting historical archives. I was looking for documents that might reveal the hidden history of climate change - and in particular, when the major coal, oil and gas companies became aware of the problem, and what they knew about it.

I pored over boxes of papers, thousands of pages. I began to recognize typewriter fonts from the 1960s and 70s and marveled at the legibility of past penmanship, and got used to squinting when it wasnt so clear.

What those papers revealed is now changing our understanding of how climate change became a crisis.

On Oct. 28, 2021, executives from Exxon, BP, Chevron, Shell and the American Petroleum Institute were on Capitol Hill to face questions from a Congressional subcommittee about the oil industrys efforts to downplay the role of fossil fuels in climate change. The industrys own words, as I found in my research, show they knew about the risk long before most of the rest of the world.

Surprising discoveries

At an old gunpowder factory in Delaware - now a museum and archive - I found a transcript of a petroleum conference from 1959 called the Energy and Man symposium, held at Columbia University in New York. As I flipped through, I saw a speech from a famous scientist, Edward Teller (who helped invent the hydrogen bomb), warning the industry executives and others assembled of global warming.

Whenever you burn conventional fuel, Teller explained, you create carbon dioxide.  Its presence in the atmosphere causes a greenhouse effect. If the world kept using fossil fuels, the ice caps would begin to melt, raising sea levels. Eventually, all the coastal cities would be covered, he warned.

1959 was before the moon landing, before the Beatles first single, before Martin Luther Kings I Have a Dream speech, before the first modern aluminum can was ever made. It was decades before I was born. What else was out there?

In Wyoming, I found another speech at the university archives in Laramie - this one from 1965, and from an oil executive himself. That year, at the annual meeting of the American Petroleum Institute, the main organization for the U.S. oil industry, the groups president, Frank Ikard, mentioning a report called Restoring the Quality of Our Environment that had been published just a few days before by President Lyndon Johnsons team of scientific advisers.

The substance of the report, Ikard told the industry audience, is that there is still time to save the worlds peoples from the catastrophic consequences of pollution, but time is running out. He continued that One of the most important predictions of the report is that carbon dioxide is being added to the earths atmosphere by the burning of coal, oil, and natural gas at such a rate that by the year 2000 the heat balance will be so modified as possibly to cause marked changes in climate.

Ikard noted that the report had found that a nonpolluting means of powering automobiles, buses, and trucks is likely to become a national necessity.

Secret research revealed the risks ahead

While I traveled the country, other researchers were hard at work too. And the documents they found were in some ways even more shocking.

By the late 1970s, the American Petroleum Institute had formed a secret committee called the CO2 and Climate Task Force, which included representatives of many of the major oil companies, to privately monitor and discuss the latest developments in climate science.

In 1980, the task force invited a scientist from Stanford University, John Laurmann, to brief them on the state of climate science. Today, we have a copy of Laurmanns presentation, which warned that if fossil fuels continued to be used, global warming would be barely noticeable by 2005, but by the 2060s would have globally catastrophic effects. That same year, the American Petroleum Institute called on governments to triple coal production worldwide, insisting there would be no negative consequences despite what it knew internally.

Exxon had a secretive research program too. In 1981, one of its managers, Roger Cohen, sent an internal memo observing that the companys long-term business plans could produce effects which will indeed be catastrophic (at least for a substantial fraction of the earths population).

The next year, Exxon completed a comprehensive, 40-page internal report on climate change, which predicted almost exactly the amount of global warming weve seen, as well as sea level rise, drought and more. According to the front page of the report, it was given wide circulation to Exxon management but was not to be distributed externally.

And Exxon did keep it secret: We know of the reports existence only because investigative journalists at Inside Climate News uncovered it in 2015.

Other oil companies knew the effects their products were having on the planet too. In 1986, the Dutch oil company Shell finished an internal report nearly 100 pages long, predicting that global warming from fossil fuels would cause changes that would be the greatest in recorded history, including destructive floods, abandonment of entire countries and even forced migration around the world. That report was stamped CONFIDENTIAL and only brought to light in 2018 by Jelmer Mommers, a Dutch journalist.

In October 2021, I and two French colleagues published another study showing through company documents and interviews how the Paris-based oil major Total was also aware of global warmings catastrophic potential as early as the 1970s. Despite this awareness, we found that Total then worked with Exxon to spread doubt about climate change.

Big Oils PR pivot

These companies had a choice.

Back in 1979, Exxon had privately studied options for avoiding global warming. It found that with immediate action, if the industry moved away from fossil fuels and instead focused on renewable energy, fossil fuel pollution could start to decline in the 1990s and a major climate crisis could be avoided.

But the industry didnt pursue that path. Instead, colleagues and I recently found that in the late 1980s, Exxon and other oil companies coordinated a global effort to dispute climate science, block fossil fuel controls and keep their products flowing.

We know about it through internal documents and the words of industry insiders, who are now beginning to share what they saw with the public. We also know that in 1989, the fossil fuel industry created something called the Global Climate Coalition - but it wasnt an environmental group like the name suggests; instead, it worked to sow doubt about climate change and lobbied lawmakers to block clean energy legislation and climate treaties throughout the 1990s.

For example, in 1997, the Global Climate Coalitions chairman, William O'Keefe, who was also an executive vice president for the American Petroleum Institute, wrote in the Washington Post that Climate scientists dont say that burning oil, gas and coal is steadily warming the earth, contradicting what the industry had known for decades. The fossil fuel industry also funded think tanks and biased studies that helped slow progress to a crawl.

Today, most oil companies shy away from denying climate science outright, but they continue to fight fossil fuel controls and promote themselves as clean energy leaders even though they still put the vast majority of their investments into fossil fuels. As I write this, climate legislation is again being blocked in Congress by a lawmaker with close ties to the fossil fuel industry.

People around the world, meanwhile, are experiencing the effects of global warming: weird weather, shifting seasons, extreme heat waves and even wildfires like theyve never seen before.

Will the world experience the global catastrophe that the oil companies predicted years before I was born? That depends on what we do now, with our slice of history.

Benjamin Franta is a Ph.D. candidate in history at Stanford University. This piece was first published by The Conversation.
A Harris County grand jury on Thursday declined to charge Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis with crimes related to his unauthorized storage of more than 1,100 pieces of African art in a government warehouse, District Attorney Kim Ogg said.

Elliss office failed to follow some standard procedures and best practices and should have done more to ensure public funds were spent appropriately, Ogg wrote in a letter to County Attorney Christian Menefee.

While the actions taken concerning the African Art may not be illegal, the taxpayers of Harris County deserve to have their taxpayer dollars spent wisely and in a transparent manner, Ogg wrote.

Ogg, whose public corruption unit opened an investigation into Ellis this past February at the request of then-County Attorney Vince Ryan, referred the case back the county attorney for any potential civil penalties.

Ellis, who spent much of Thursday in a hearing on Harris County redistricting, offered a terse statement.

We believe it was a full and fair investigation and are happy with the grand jurys outcome, Ellis said.

What potential charges prosecutors presented to jurors remains unknown, as grand jury proceedings are secret. Texas law gives elected officials wide discretion to spend  and even waste  public funds. Misuse of government resources is illegal only when officials do so with the intent to personally gain or commit fraud.

Ellis persuaded Commissioners Court in 2018 to approve an agreement for his precinct to accept 14 pieces of African art from collector Sam Njunuri to display in public buildings.

Precinct 1 staff later accepted more than 1,400 pieces, however, without amending the agreement that expired in 2020.

A Houston Chronicle investigation found Njunuri has never produced any records proving he owns the works, nor any documents detailing the age, provenance or country or origin for the pieces. For more than four years, Ellis has stored the collection at a Precinct 1 warehouse on Reed Road at no expense to Njuniri.

Two Houston art storage facilities provided the newspaper quotes of between $12,000 and $16,000 per month for similar accommodations. Only a handful of the pieces, which include metal and wood masks, furniture and sculptures, have ever been displayed in county facilities.

Ogg said in her letter that Elliss office spent $10,000 transporting the art and $16,000 on fumigation. Precinct 1 also expended $326,000 renovating the warehouse, though the facility was used for several other purposes. The only warehouse expense directly related to the art was the expansion of existing steel cages to secure the collection, the cost of which prosecutors did not calculate.

Njunuri told the Chronicle last year he wished to create a museum or community center in Houston to display the art. He said his total collection consists of 5,000 pieces from all 54 African nations.

Ellis, an African art enthusiast, long has sponsored a public art program that includes neighborhood murals and other works that celebrate the diverse communities of Precinct 1. Since 2017, he has spent more than $11,000 in campaign funds on art for public display.

He never made any public statements related to Njunuris museum idea. The art collector did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.

zach.despart@chron.com
Mayor Sylvester Turner gathered with counterparts across the country Thursday to urge Congress to pass infrastructure and spending bills before the end of the week.

Turner said the joint bills, stalled for weeks in Washington, D.C., would offer enormous hope for the future.

It would repair crumbling infrastructure, create well-paying jobs, supercharge the economy, expand access to the internet, and help us create the technology to combat our climate crisis, Turner said.

The mayor led a conference call with other members of the African American Mayors Association to lobby for the legislation. Turner chairs that group. He was joined by counterparts in Columbia, S.C.; Little Rock, Ark.; Mt. Vernon, NY; Montgomery, Ala.; and Augusta, Ga.

Turner joined another call later in the day with Vice President Kamala Harris.

Turner said the legislation would be instrumental especially in uplifting minority communities. Black Americans are three times as likely as white Americans to die from exposure to air pollutants, he said. Black communities have lower quality roads and transit systems, Turner said, and they are more likely to live without running water and basic indoor plumbing.

Since our nations inception, the people planning our infrastructure have paid little attention to the welfare of communities of color, Turner said. Builders constructed highways that went straight through communities of color, often taking houses by eminent domain to complete their projects.

That point has been a subject of political debate recently in Houston, as some communities rally against a proposed $9 billion dollar expansion of Interstate 45 through downtown Houston that would displace more than 1,000 residences and 300 businesses.

The investment in high speed internet, lead pipe replacement, and solar facilities can begin to tear down the systemic racism that our infrastructure has left in its wake, Turner said.

President Joe Biden has been trying for months to get the two main pillars of his agenda through Congress after lengthy deliberations. He went to Capitol Hill on Thursday morning to lay out a revised spending framework to try to appease both progressive and moderate wings in the Democratic Party.

Biden unveiled a $1.85 trillion compromise Thursday to spend aggressively on a slew of social policies, according to national news reports. Among them: $555 billion to fight climate change, $400 billion to provide universal Pre-K education; and $200 billion to expand tax credits for parents through 2022.

The revised proposal cuts language that would have reduced prescription drug prices, offered guaranteed paid leave for workers, and provided free community college for all.

It would pay for the proposals with a 15 percent minimum tax on large corporations profits; efforts to reduce profit-shifting; a 1 percent tax on corporate stock buybacks; and an additional 5 percent tax on incomes over $10 million.

That bill has been paired with a $1 trillion infrastructure framework passed by the Senate and held up in the House. Also pared down from its original proposal, the bill would offer $110 billion for roads and bridges; $65 billion to expand high-speed internet access, and $39 billion for public transit, among other priorities.

At one point in the mayors call, Turner hinted that the administration had asked mayors to ratchet up their support for the legislation Thursday as the president headed to Capitol Hill.

The mayor, a longtime former state legislator, offered this advice for progressives in D.C.: Let's not sacrifice the good, seeking the perfect, and end up with nothing.

He also expressed hope the bills would include direct allocations to cities and other local governments for them to spend as they see fit. Houston alone has received more than $1 billion from the federal government in COVID-19 recovery funds.

Weve gotten assurances that that is something thats a priority from the administration, Turner said.
Newly uncovered emails capture the ridicule and disbelief of top lawyers at the Florida attorney generals office as Texas AG Ken Paxton sued in December to overturn Donald Trumps loss in the 2020 presidential election.

Batst insane, wrote the states senior deputy solicitor general, Christopher Baum.

Baum also recounted a colleagues theory: Perhaps this is Paxtons request for a pardon, a reference to the criminal indictment for securities fraud that has hung for more than six years over Paxton, the top law enforcement official in Texas.

Nevertheless, a day after the emails were exchanged, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody signed onto a brief supporting it, along with 16 other Republican state attorneys general.

The suit was quickly tossed out by the high court, which ruled that Texas did not have standing to sue other states over their elections.

The emails, obtained through a public information request by progressive-leaning nonprofit American Oversight, illustrate the legal communitys skepticism about the suit  one that has since landed Paxton under investigation by the Texas State Bar for alleged professional misconduct.

Paxton, who has dimissed the bar investigation as one-sided and partisan, was not the first attorney general to be asked to spearhead the case, and lawyers in his own office, including then-Solicitor General Kyle Hawkins, had argued against it, according to the New York Times. The suit recycled already-debunked claims that battleground states Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin were won by Joe Biden as a result of irregularities and voter fraud.

The decision to take up the case a month after the Nov. 3 election, however, apparently pleased Trump.

Though he never issued Paxton a pardon, Trump gave Paxton an early endorsement in his re-election bid, a critical boost for the embattled incumbent who will face three well-known challengers in next years Republican primary. Paxton did not respond to a request for comment.

SEAL OF APPROVAL: Trump endorses Texas AG Ken Paxton over George P. Bush in Republican primary

The release of the correspondence from the Florida attorney generals office comes as Paxton fends off yet another threat.

In a whistleblower suit, four former employees claim their firings were retaliation after they reported him to federal law enforcement for alleged bribery and other corruption crimes. The allegations, brought forward by a total of eight former top aides of Paxton, are under investigation by the FBI.

A Texas appellate court last week tossed Paxtons motion to dismiss and ruled that the employees deserved whistleblower protections under state law, allowing the case to move forward in the lower court.

The two-term Republican has denied wrongdoing in all cases.

Moody, Floridas attorney general, did not respond to requests for comment from Hearst Newspapers, but in a statement to the Tampa Bay Times , her spokeswoman dismissed the emails.

Clearly this was water cooler conversation by a few employees in response to breaking news and prior to any request to join a jurisdictional brief, she wrote. There was strong legal analysis to support the Supreme Court hearing and deciding this case on such a novel issue.

TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

The emails show that Evan Ezray, Floridas deputy solicitor general, was the first to flag the filing for other attorneys in the office. Interesting that this doesnt appear to be coming from the SG (Solicitor Generals) office, he wrote.

Baum responded: Bats--t insane, which is why Kyle (Hawkins) is not on it. Must be the only guy in the Texas AGs front office who didnt quit/wasnt fired for alleging that Paxton committed crimes.

Hawkins resigned a month later.

Another top lawyer, Floridas chief deputy solicitor general James Percival, questioned how Texas had standing.

Whats the theory for how one state has standing to allege Bush v. Gore violations against another state ? he asked, referencing the 2000 case in which the U.S. Supreme Court blocked a Florida recount and handed the election to George W. Bush.

 Because,  Baum wrote.

The belief that the 2020 election was stolen, despite a lack of evidence, has prevailed among Republicans nationwide, encouraged by Trum. In recent months, Trump, without success, pushed Texas lawmakers to pass a bill that would have required a statewide audit of the 2020 election, which Trump won by nearly 6 percentage points.

THE LIMITATION OF DONALD TRUMP: Election audit bill fails to pass in Texas Legislature

Austin Evers, executive director of American Oversight, which filed the public records request that unveiled the emails, criticized the Florida attorney generals office for continuing with the suit even after high-ranking staff questioned its legal basis.

The Office of the Florida Attorney General joined in an unprecedented and dangerous effort to overturn the 2020 election despite knowing the legal arguments were baseless, Evers said. This is the epitome of bad faith and a gross misuse of official resources in service of the Big Lie and putting party over country.

The emails also drew criticism from Kevin Moran, president of the Galveston Island Democrats, who filed one of the four complaints against Paxton that are under investigation by the State Bar. Moran said the emails lend credence to his contention that Paxton should have known better than to file the suit and waste taxpayer dollars.

He knew in advance that this lawsuit had no merit, Moran said. Hed been told. And yet even when experts across the country, if not the world, said it was a completely meritless lawsuit, he pursued it. He refused to withdraw it. Thats just irresponsible.

taylor.goldenstein@chron.com
The Retired Investor: The Billionaire Tax That Wasn't

This week, the Democrats unveiled a new plan to finance President Biden's "Build Back Better" legislation. That proposal, along with a 15 percent corporate minimum tax, has politicians scrambling to line up for or against the idea. Does it have a chance to pass?

Credit for the idea goes to the Senate's top tax expert, Finance Chair Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat. His plan is to target only people with $1 billion in assets, or who are earning more than $100 million over three consecutive years. This group would be required to pay capital gains taxes each year on the appreciation in the value of their assets. It won't matter whether they sell or hold those assets.

The plan would impose a one-time tax on all the gains accumulated before the tax was created. That could mean a huge tax bill for some entrepreneurs that still hold a sizable portion of their company in stocks, bonds, etc. These founders would have five years to pay off their one-time tax. Each year after that capital gains taxes would be levied on the annual appreciation of assets that are easily valued such as publicly traded assets (bonds and stocks). Ownership of private companies and real estate holdings might not be assessed until after they are sold with different tax rules, depending on the nature of the assets.

The beauty of this plan for politicians on both sides of the aisle is that if passed, the billionaire tax would only impact around 700 people. As such, there is not a lot of voter risk involved in this idea. But the upside would be that it would generate several hundred billion dollars in revenues. Capital losses on assets would be allowed, which could also be carried forward (and in some cases backwards).

For those who might oppose this plan, the idea of defending a bunch of billionaires is dicey at best. Most voters (and most of the media) believe this wealthy handful of people are not paying their "fair share" of taxes in the first place. And as for the corporate tax rate, most large corporations are not paying the official tax rate any way. After all the credits and other tax loopholes that have been accumulated over the decades, the effective tax rate for most corporations is well below. The tax rate for some companies is zero or below.

As with most new or proposed legislation nowadays, even if the tax is passed, it would likely be challenged in court. The American Constitution does not allow so-called direct taxes. The idea is that you can't levy a tax on someone that can't be imposed on others. However, thanks to the 16th Amendment, there is an exception when it comes to income taxes, which allows Congress to tax earnings. A court case would focus on whether a billionaires' tax would count as an income tax.

The new plan is a result of the present stumbling block between Democrats of different persuasions. Sen. Joe Manchin III, a Democrat from West Virginia, and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat from Arizona, have stalled any agreements, both from the size of the spending, as well the best way to pay for it. Will this tax, as well as the minimum corporate tax, ever see the light of day?

In the case of the corporate minimum tax there may be enough support for it within the Senate. As for a billionaire's tax, probably not. Aside from the question of constitutionality, the current Supreme Court would also be an obstacle to interpretating the legality of the tax. The billionaire victims of the proposal, while a small group, carry enormous political weight among politicians. They would be sure to express their opposition (privately) to those that matter.

And finally, most Americans would probably see this kind of wealth tax as an unmistakable step toward socialism, if not Marxist. I don't think the average voter is ready to take that step quite yet.

Bill Schmick is the founding partner of Onota Partners, Inc., in the Berkshires. His forecasts and opinions are purely his own and do not necessarily represent the views of Onota Partners Inc. (OPI). None of his commentary is or should be considered investment advice. Direct your inquiries to Bill at 1-413-347-2401 or email him at bill@schmicksretiredinvestor.com .
Piano Bought By Morgans Returns Home ti Ventfort Hall

LENOX, Mass.  Ventfort Hall will celebrate the return of the piano purchased by the Morgans in 1895 for Ventfort Hall.

The concert will be played on the rosewood, six foot Steinway. Attendees can enjoy some songs from the Bowery, a bit of Ragtime, and of course a bit of audience participation for a musical step back to the Gilded Age, with Amy Renak. A tea shall follow the program.

A few months ago, an offer came from George and Sarah Morgan's great, great, great grandson to donate the piano that had been purchased by the couple 126 years ago for their new home, Ventfort Hall! He received the piano from his grandmother in 2011 who requested that if he could no longer keep the piano, it be returned to Ventfort Hall.

The piano had left Ventfort Hall when the Morgan children took over the mansion after their parents' passing and almost all of the original furnishings were auctioned off and thus lost to us. Since 1895 it has travelled from the Steinway factory in Astoria New York to Lenox, Ma to New York City to Portland Oregon and finally back to Lenox, coming full circle.

Although Steinway keeps confidential information about their customers, Ventfort Hall was able to confirm, using the serial number etched into the piano, that the instrument was completed on March 28, 1895, and shipped to a customer at 104 Walker St. in Lenox, Massachusetts, on May 29, 1895.

That a piano purchased in 1895 is still owned by the same family is indeed rare. The piano arrived at Ventfort Hall last month. It is indeed a fitting addition to the museum. It makes the return of the piano even more special. This event is a fundraiser to establish a fund for the maintenance of the piano

Amy Renak has been a piano teacher and choir director in Pittsfield and Great Barrington for many years. She happily teaches piano at the Berkshire Music School and Miss Hall's School, is the director of music at Zion Lutheran Church in Pittsfield and is the choir director at Hevreh of Southern Berkshire in Great Barrington. Amy enjoys entertaining the occasional gathering, in a ball room, living room, or beautifully appointed drawing room such as the one at Ventfort Hall. Amy is married to Mark Mitchell and lives in Pittsfield.

This event is co-chaired by Board Members Helen Charbonneau and Natalie Johnsonius Neubert.

Tickets to attend the concert and tea are $35 per person. Reservations are required by calling 413-637-3206. Please note that all tickets are nonrefundable and non-exchangeable. Payment is required to make a reservation for an event. The historical mansion is located at 104 Walker Street in Lenox.
Administrative Assistant Deborah Dunlap, left, fills in the license subcommittee on the details for businesses to renew their liquor licenses.

Future Unclear for Inactive Liquor Licenses in Adams

ADAMS, Mass.  Venues that closed during the pandemic may be in danger of losing their pouring licenses.

Administrative Assistant Deborah Dunlap told the local license authority subcommittee meeting on Wednesday morning that is unclear if the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission will let businesses that have been closed because of COVID-19 keep their licenses.

"The ABCC has put out the guideline that the limit is six months [of inactivity], but they basically said it's the discretion of the town," she said. "They strongly urge you not to go beyond six months, but I think it's the town's discretion, the way they had said it to me. I don't know if they changed their feeling on that. But that's what was expressed to me when I talked to them about it."

She said she will determine how to handle these cases, noting Red Carpet at 69 Park St., which closed at the end of 2019, and the Grille at 77 Summer St. as examples of such businesses.

The ABCC decides the number of liquor licenses a city can have based on population quotas as determined by the U.S. Census. She said the commission has been re-evaluating the current quotas, which could alter the number of licenses Adams can give out.

"The way they've done it in the past is that if they changed the population to allow certain quota, if we had active licenses, they are not going to take those away," she said. "But they just won't let you use them after they go away."

Dunlop also shared that liquor license renewal applications for Adams businesses are due on Monday, Nov. 15, with the pickup deadline for the renewed licenses slated for noon on Nov. 31.

In addition to Dunlap, Selectmen Vice Chairwoman Christine Hoyt, Selectman Richard Blanchard, and Town Administrator Jay Green were in attendance.

Adams businesses that need to renew their liquor license will have to fill out several forms for the Nov. 15 deadline to keep serving alcohol. Dunlap explained that these businesses are going to receive these forms from the town.

Another business mentioned was Poseidon Coffee, located at 3 Hoosac St. behind the Adams Visitors Center. The subcommittee discussed Poseidon Coffee's interest in obtaining a seasonal liquor license or something similar.

Owner Todd Fiorentino subcommittee a few months ago that he was interested in selling Irish coffees and similar beverages.

"I think somebody had the idea that, rather than a seasonal license, we issue them a series of special events, which might work," Green said.
FILE - In this Sept. 27, 2021, file photo, workers stand near train tracks next to overturned cars from an Amtrak train that derailed near Joplin, Mont. A preliminary report released Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2021, on the derailment of an Amtrak train in north-central Montana last month that killed three people and injured dozens more gave no information on the cause of the accident. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
On October 27, a gaunt-looking Julian Assange was able to follow only an hour of the hearing that would determine whether he is extradited to the United States. The Australians legal team opened the hearing seeking the courts permissions that their client be allowed not to attend by video link because of ill health, Tim Dawson, from the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), reports for the IFJ.

Police officials stand guard as protestors in support of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange hold placards outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London during an appeal hearing by the US government against the UK's refusal to extradite him on October 27, 2021. The United States told a British court Wednesday that Julian Assange would not be held at a federal supermax prison, as it appealed a decision to block his extradition on the grounds he is a serious suicide threat. JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP

An hour in, the Wikileaks founder did appear before the camera, wearing an untucked white shirt and tie. Looking increasingly like his father, he seemed distracted and has visibly lost weight. White hair straggles to his shoulders and deep lines etch his face. Before sixty minutes had passed Assange appeared to indicate that he could not hear proceedings and requested to leave the video facility. He gathered his papers and left. In the afternoon he appeared to manage fewer than ten minutes on the video link.

This hearing arises from District Judge Vanessa Baraitser's dismissal of the US government application to extradite Assange  handed down last January. She found that conditions in US prisons created a significant risk that Assange would commit suicide. It would be oppressive if he were incarcerated there, she ruled.

Yesterdays hearing was to consider an application by the US to overturn Baraitsers judgement.

James Lewis QC, acting for the US government told the court that since Judge Baraitsers ruling the US government had offered significant assurances in respect of Assanges treatment, should he face US justice. He committed that the Wikileaks founder would not be subject to Special Administrative Measures (SAMS), and, if he were convicted, would be sent to his native Australia to see out his sentence.

SAMS is a form of prisoner management that keeps the most serious criminals in solitary confinement, with very limited access to family or lawyers. Lewis told the court that Baraitsers ruling had been based on the erroneous expectation that Assange would inevitably face such conditions. Given the import that the judge attached to prison conditions, the US had now offered fresh assurances.

Lewis, who spoke for four hours, said that Baraitser had: misinterpreted the Extradition Act; given undue weight to the single psychiatrist who had detected significant suicide risk; and had been swayed by alarmist accounts of the likely length of sentence that Assange might face.

Edward Fitzgerald QC, who heads Assanges defence, responded saying: Mr Assange would inevitably be in solitary confinement if he is sent to the US. There is a significant increase in chance of suicide if you have Autistic Spectrum Disorder and there is an increase of the chance of suicide if you are in solitary confinement.

Most of todays hearing will be devoted to Fitzgeralds detailed case for upholding the refusal.

A noisy crowd outside kept up chants throughout the hearing. Julian Assanges partner, Stella Moris, told supporters that it was unbearable sitting in court hearing the Americans representatives picking Julian to pieces.
No. of journalists killed since 2011: 106 Cases unsolved: 95%. Fifteen years after the countrys military launched the war on drug trafficking, crimes against Mexican press workers and their disappearances are emblematic of the systemic violence which has flowed from it.

Mexico remains one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists. The IFJ has already documented 9 killings in 2021, to be added to over one hundred murders (148 as of the date of this report) since 2006 - the beginning of the so-called "war against the drug trafficking".

A "war" that, following the decision of then President Felipe Calderon Hinojosa to send the Mexican army to fight cartels in the State of Michoacan, has claimed the lives of more than 250,000 Mexicans in addition to around 61,000 people going missing. Despite the declaration by current President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in 2019 that the war was over, violence continues to wreak havoc on the entire Mexican population.

The IFJ has consistently monitored and denounced the violence against media workers in Mexico in numerous publications, statements and actions.

Rampant crime against journalists is widespread throughout the country. Violence, murders, disappearances, rapes and displacements of journalists carried out overwhelmingly by criminal and paramilitary groups affect large swaths of Mexico. These levels of violence, in which some local administration officials connive with organised crime groups, are designed to silence critical investigations and crime reporting.

Despite the fact that Mexico has, for years, adopted dedicated mechanisms designed to protect journalists, such as the Law for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists and the Special Prosecutor's Office for Crimes against Freedom of Expression (FEADLE), crime continued to increase, exposing the fact that such bodies have failed to deliver a guarantee of effective protection. At the same time, other state authorities, such as the judiciary, fail year after year to provide victims and their families with any kind of justice or reparation.

Impunity: the other side of the violence against journalists in Mexico

According to the Sindicato Nacional de Redactores de la Prensa (SNRP), the IFJ affiliate in Mexico, out of the total number of crimes committed against journalists, 95% have remained unresolved.

This year, Mexican journalism was shooked by the exoneration of Jose Kamel Nacif Borge, one of the businessmen accused of ordering, with the former governor of Puebla Mario Marin, the kidnapping and torture of the journalist and human rights advocate Lydia Cacho in 2005.

Two emblematic cases have been solved recently: the murders of Miroslava Breach and Javier Valdez.

The killing of Miroslava Breach on 23 March 2017, who reported on organised crime, drug trafficking and corruption is one of the few cases that has ended with the sentencing of its killers. Juan Carlos Moreno, responsible for the murder of the journalist is currently behind bars, and the former mayor of Chinipas, Hugo Amed Schultz Alcaraz, pleaded guilty for giving information about Breach to the mastermind behind the crime.

In 2021, a second suspect was convicted for the murder of Javier Valdez, a well known journalist who had investigated the Sinaloa Cartel. The first one was imprisoned in 2020 and both of them were found guilty for the killing of the journalist.

In a country with a 95% rate of impunity, these convictions are historic. But in both cases, justice will not be complete until all the material authors and the masterminds behind their murders are brought to justice.

Killings in Mexico: a long lasting concern

In the last ten years, the IFJ has worked side by side with the SNRP to elaborate strategies and projects to assess and find solutions for the alarming situation of the press workers in Mexico.

In 2014 a delegation the IFJ, FEPALC and FAPE (Spain) to Mexico held meetings with the Senates Special Commission for the follow-up of aggressions against Journalists and the Media, the Human Rights Attorney and the FEADLE. In 2019, there was another mission to Mexico, this time within the framework of an international convention organised by UNESCO. IFJ Senior Vice-President Zuliana Lainez participated on behalf of the IFJ and FEPALC.

In 2015, Canadian union UNIFOR supported a project to improve the security conditions of press workers in Mexico, including a series of activities, the drafting of a security protocol that is currently being used as a valuable resource by the SNRP.

With the support of the IFJ and FEPALC, the SNRP arranged in 2017 a meeting with the FEADLE to demand stronger commitment to investigating the killings of journalists and to conduct more meetings to follow up on the investigations process. At the time, the rate of impunity was 98% and the FEADLE had suffered constant budget cuts by the national administration. That same year, FEPALC organised its congress in Mexico, in order to promote and participate in numerous activities in support of journalists and the SNRP.

The IFJ has continuously urged the Mexican authorities to take urgent steps to increase the effectiveness of the Protection Mechanism for human rights defenders and journalists. In particular, it called on judicial authorities to immediately resolve outstanding cases and make definitive progress towards reparation for the victims, so that Mexico can finally move forward in reducing the alarming levels of impunity.

To mark the World day to end impunity for crimes committed against journalists, the SNRP maintains thatMexico is today, along with Afghanistan, Kosovo, Somalia and Yemen, one of the most dangerous and deadly countries for the professional practice of journalism, and the most lethal in Latin America. If in Mexico the different bodies and levels of government in charge of imparting justice do not act promptly and expeditiously, impunity for the murders of journalists will continue to be one of the democratic pending subjects of the Mexican governments, because it violates life, the right to work, freedom of expression and the citizens' right to know."
Yemen: 45 journalists killed in the last ten years

Forty five journalists were killed in Yemen between 2011 and September 2021, many of whom lost their lives since the outbreak of the fighting between the Houthis and the Yemeni government forces supported by the Saudi led-coalition. According to the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate (YJS), none of the perpetrators has been brought to justice.

The bloody conflict, the political instability, the multiplicity of actors in the absence of state authority but also the growing hostility towards the press and journalists have contributed to enshrining the impunity of the perpetrators of these crimes.

Most of the warring factions in the ongoing war in Yemen, which started in 2015, bear responsibility for the attacks on journalists. The situation of impunity is fostered by the absence of an independent judiciary and inadequate security conditions.

In addition to the killings, Yemeni media workers suffer arbitrary detentions, injuries and threats on a daily basis. They often face media restrictions or closures and self-censorship out of fear of reprisals. They are regularly prevented from covering news and hundreds of journalists working for state media have not been paid since 2016. Yemeni media has become highly polarised along political and sectarian lines and media professionals are considered by most warring factions as the enemy.

The war in Yemen is often considered as a forgotten war, because of the little coverage by international media due to attempts to silence independent reporting, which has resulted in a news deficit.

While many journalists fled the country, some have stayed and continue to remind the world of the havok which the conflict continues to exact on the civilians. Sometimes, the price for informing the public about the current situation and the suffering of the people has been the loss of journalists' lives.

The most vulnerable group are local journalists who face the daily challenges of reporting a war.

2021: another difficult year for Yemeni journalists

The latest YJS reports on the state of media freedom in the country list 63 violations against journalists and media from January to the end of September 2021. The crimes range from targeted killings, imprisonment, attacks on media houses, shutdown of media and confiscation of newspapers to death threats, harassment and assaults.

Government forces and armed groups are all implicated in the violence against journalists. The YJS cites Yemen's internationally recognised government of President Hadi, the Houthis who lead the de facto government in Sana'a and the Southern Transitional Council which controls the interim Yemeni capital Aden, as those mainly responsible for the attacks against media workers this year.

To date, 10 journalists are still under Houthi custody. Four of them, Abdel-Khaleq Amran, Akram al-Walidi, Hareth Hamid and Tawfiq al-Mansouri, have been sentenced to death on charges of alleged "treason and spying for foreign states" in arbitrary trials and are held since 2015 in extremely dire conditions, subjected to torture and denied appropriate medical care. They are mostly denied family visits.



Two journalists have been arrested recently and later released, namely Youness Abdelsalam who has been held since August 2021 by the Houthis and investigative journalist Adel al-Hasani who was detained from September 2020 to March 2021 by the Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces. A third journalist, Muhammad Qaid al-Maqri, is also detained by Al-Qaeda.

Regarding attacks on media houses, the union noted the suspension of radio stations Adeniya FM and Bandar Aden in Aden by the STC.

The Yemeni press is undergoing a dangerous situation, as the war has created an unsafe environment for journalists and the media. The warring parties in Yemen are hostile towards the media and journalists who do not follow the orientations of the conflicting sides. The press freedoms have been exposed since 2015 until the third quarter of the year to 1359 cases of violations of media freedoms. Moreover, many journalists lost their jobs, dozens were fired, and hundreds of journalists havent been paid, said the YJS.

The YJS General Secretary, Mohammed Shubaita, added that: "Over 1,300 cases of violations have been recorded since 2015, either through website blocking, closure of news agencies and media outlets, abductions and imprisonment. There are currently 10 journalists abducted by the Houthi group, and four of them have been sentenced to death. The judicial process has been suspended in order to proceed with negotiations for the exchange of the kidnapped persons. This process is rejected by YJS which demands their immediate release and the punishment of all those responsible for this suffering. We hope that all organisations, unions and federations around the world will take a stand of solidarity and condemn these unjust violations of the right to freedom of opinion and expression. Thirty-eight journalists have been killed in several regions of Yemen between 2015 and mid 2021"

The IFJ believes that impunity cannot be eradicated if there is no accountability for these crimes. The Federation praises the work of its affiliate YJS and considers that its monitoring and reporting over the situation of media workers in Yemen is essential in the seeking justice.
2021 has been the most devastating year for Afghan journalists in living memory. As the Talibans new regime solidifies, journalists and media workers across Afghanistan have been directly targeted, from the capital Kabul to the outermost borders, caught in the crossfire and deliberately assassinated. Between 2010 and 2021, 87 Afghan journalists have been killed in the course of their duties, and in 2021 alone, at least 9 journalists and media workers have lost their lives.

Only 5 of these cases have been resolved, and, under Taliban rule, the remainder are unlikely to ever be given the justice they are owed despite the militant groups insincere assurances to uphold press freedom. The longer these cases lie cold the longer extremist groups and lawless perpetrators are empowered to continue to brazenly silence those who speak up for press freedom. Investigation and prosecution of killings and attacks are elusive in Afghanistan as impunity for crimes against journalists runs rampant.

A government incapable of protecting journalists

Before the Talibans rise to power, the former National Unity Government, led by President Ashraf Ghani, repeatedly made promises and expressed its commitment to improve the overall security situation in Afghanistan. The government pledged to thoroughly investigate cases of the murders of journalists and to put an end to impunity for crimes against journalists and media workers. However, due to a lack of political will and continued threats from militant groups, there was no improvement. In fact, the situation escalated.

On December 10, 2020, Malala Maiwand, a female television anchor for Enkaas TV and Radio, was assassinated by two gunmen in a targeted attack in the Nangarhar province of eastern Afghanistan. Only two days later, Afghan government officials confirmed that two suspected perpetrators had been arrested. It took authorities a week to apprehend suspects for the assassination of journalist Elyas Daee in the Helmand province that took place a month earlier, on November 12. On March 2, 2021, the Afghan government announced that it had arrested a member of the ISIS group in connection with the killings of three Enikass TV employees, Shazia Roufi, Saadia Sadat and Morsal Wahedi, the very day they were killed. However, justice has not been served in any of these cases. Although the suspected perpetrators were detained almost immediately, the Afghan government continued to delay the investigations, letting impunity take hold.

Mudasir Dawat, the brother of journalist Elyas Daee, said that the government had not conducted a satisfactory investigation into his murder. The Taliban did not claim responsibility, leaving the family in the dark about the reason for his killing. Dawat said his brother had been threatened by the armed Taliban and militants for the past 12 years, but the government had failed to take action to address the issue.

When the Afghan government did convict perpetrators for crimes against journalists, their sentences did not comply with international standards. In April 2019, two suspects were found guilty of the murder of Kabul News TV and Xinhua journalist, Abdul Manan Arghand, who was murdered on April 25, 2018, in Kandahar in southern Afghanistan. The two accused were sentenced to death. All court proceedings relating to the case were sealed, and neither the public nor the media were able to attend. Many, including Arghands family, journalist unions and international human rights organisations, were not satisfied that there was a sufficient link between the two arrests and the murder of Arghand. It was thought that government officials arbitrarily convicted individuals not involved with the case, failing to do their job to protect their community.

Impunity rife under Taliban rule

Since the Taliban came to power in August 2021, at least six journalists have lost their lives, with many more suffering threats, harassment, intimidation and violence. At least 153 media organisations have been forced to cease operations , with women journalists barred from working, telecommunication shutdowns and the introduction of draconian media regulations that aim to quash freedom of the press. The Taliban has no intention of either ensuring the safety of journalists in Afghanistan or of convicting those perpetrators who have committed crimes against them. In other words, impunity is escalating to critical levels.

On 8 August, as Taliban forces moved towards Kabul, journalist and station manager of Paktia Ghag radio, Toofan Omar, was murdered in a targeted attack. Two days earlier, on 6 August, the Taliban murdered the head of Afghanistans Media and Information Centre Dawa Khan Minapal, also in Kabul. A month later, Fahim Dashti, a veteran leader of the Afghanistan National Journalist Union (ANJU), was killed in Panjshir province on September 5 during a clash between the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRFA) and the Taliban. Dashti was known as a powerful champion for free media and a key voice in the collective of journalists, the Federation for Afghan Journalists and Media Entities established in 2012.

Journalists Ali Reza Ahmadi and Juhad Hamidi, who were reporting from the chaotic scenes at Kabul airport, were among those killed in the deadly bombing outside the Kabul airport on August 26. Prominent Afghan journalist and author Sayed Maroof Sadat, a former government spokesperson and an affiliate of radio Sub Bakhair and Sham Bakhai, was gunned down on October 2. Sadat was one of four people, including two Taliban fighters, who were killed in a drive-by shooting in Jalalabad city, the capital of Nangarhar Province in eastern Afghanistan. Sadats son was also critically injured during the attack. The perpetrators are currently unknown; however, Islamic State militants are thought to be behind the incident. The safety of journalists has been critically compromised under the Taliban and securing justice for these crimes will be a near-impossible task.

Advocacy and action from IFJ affiliates

Amidst the increasingly dire state of impunity in Afghanistan, IFJs affiliates on the ground have continued to fight harder than ever for justice and support for Afghan media workers. Members from the Afghan Independent Journalists Association (AIJA) and Afghanistan National Journalists Union (ANJU) have been working tirelessly to provide support and guidance to media workers across the nation since the Taliban regime has taken hold. The IFJ thanks its affiliates for their continued efforts in the face of extreme adversity.

The ANJU Operations Manager Sahel Ghazi said: The media and journalists have been instrumental in Afghanistan's development over the past 20 years. But with the rise of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, many gains have been made, and the Afghan media and press family are one of the main victims. The findings of Afghanistans National Journalists Union shows that the majority of media outlets in Afghanistan have been shut down due to economic and security problems and the vast majority of journalists have been either verbally or physically threatened, with women being the main victims. ANJU is working with international organizations to reflect the problems of journalists in Afghanistan and to find solutions to the problems of Afghan journalists in cooperation with international organizations and countries that are committed to human rights and democratic values.

The AIJA President Hujatullah Mujadidi said: In Afghanistan, the media and freedom of expression are being destroyed, and media closures have increased in recent years, especially in the last two months, mostly due to lack of funding and some due to restrictions. For 20 years, the perpetrators of the killings of journalists and media workers who guarantee the survival of freedom of expression and the media have not been dealt with legally if necessary, and what has been done has not been satisfactory to the media community. The money that came to Afghanistan from sources of support for freedom of expression for 20 years was wasted due to mismanagement. This is a big part of the problem of media work in Afghanistan. Recently, in addition to the increasing financial problems of the media, some practices and restrictions imposed and violence against journalists have exacerbated this problem. The AIJA calls on the international community and pro-freedom countries to pay serious attention to the financial problems of the media, to talk to the Taliban in creating a better work environment for journalists and the media, and to ask them to support the media and journalists. Let the Taliban know that if they support the freedom of expression that all Afghans want, it will also be beneficial to a progressive and authoritarian system that they need
On October 15, Malaysia secured a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for the 2022  2024 term with 183 votes. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) urges the Malaysian government to fulfil its role in upholding human rights in and create a safe and enabling environment for the media to carry out its responsibilities without fear of discriminatory restrictions or interference.

Malaysia has won one of the 18 seats on the UNHRC, reflecting the countrys determination to continue to make progress to protect and promote human rights, both domestically and internationally. The appointment comes at a critical juncture for Malaysia, as the nation recovers from the social and economic effects of COVID-19.

Announcing the news on social media, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said, We are ready to play an active role - to be the facilitator for conciliation, enabler for cooperation, and builder of consensus.

Malaysia will work closely with UN Member States to advance the global human rights agenda, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Prime Minister continued.

Ahead of its win, Malaysia made voluntary pledges to undertake the Universal Periodic Review, an examination of human rights records of all UN member nations, and to cooperate with relevant UN agencies and engageconstructively with the HRC.

Domestically, the Malaysian government vowed to implement policies to protect the rights of vulnerable groups, strengthen gender equality and female empowerment. They also committed to a national action plan on business and human rights, climate change, cultural rights and strengthening human rights institutions.

Civil society organisation, Article 19, urged the Malaysian government to honour these pledges if accepted to the UNHRC, referencing the existing lack of freedom of expression as a key concern. The Malaysian government made a series of promises to uphold human rights in a bid for a seat in 2006 and failed to uphold them.

According to the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ), in the first 8 months of 2021, at least 17 cases involving 37 activists, media workers and artists were investigated under draconian legislation, such as Malaysias Sedition Act of 1948. At least five journalists have been detained by authorities this year.

The IFJ said: The IFJ urges the Malaysian government to uphold international human rights and honour its obligations as pledged as an elected member of the UNHRC. The Malaysian government should do its utmost to foster a free, democratic press and maintain freedom of speech.
At this stage of the pandemic, it's surprising to exactly no one that spending lots of time on Zoom can be exhausting. The problem is so common that it even has a catchy name -- Zoom fatigue -- and an avalanche of articles suggesting fixes and workarounds. What's often less well understood is that not everyone is equally at risk of Zoom-related mental exhaustion.

A new study recently published in the Journal of Applied Psychology showed that women and newer employees were more likely to feel exhausted by too much time on video calls. The reason helps to both illuminate the causes of Zoom fatigue and how we can all avoid it.

Zoom fatigue affects some employees more than others

To dig into who is most affected by Zoom fatigue, a team of researchers out of the University of Arizona monitored the video calls of just over 100 employees at a heavily remote company over the course of 19 working days. By asking participants to sometimes switch their cameras off or on and questioning them about their level of fatigue each day, the researchers were able to track the mental effects of time spent on camera during calls.

Their first finding was not exactly shocking: More time on camera increases your risk of feeling mentally exhausted at the end of the day. But when they looked closer at the data, the researchers noticed something less intuitive. Women and newer employees felt the effects of lots of Zoom time more strongly than more senior or male employees.

"The relationship between having the camera turned on and fatigue was stronger for women than men, and for those who were new to an organization compared with those who had been there for a longer time," the British Psychological Society Research Digest blog sums up.

They're not the first to notice this gender gap. Stanford research earlier this year also found that women and younger employees were more likely to suffer from Zoom fatigue. And that people of color were also at slightly higher risk.

What that tells us about avoiding Zoom fatigue

Why do these groups suffer disproportionately? That question is still under investigation, but the authors of the latest study have some ideas. They speculate that the explanation is self-consciousness. Those who are more worried they will be judged for their appearance, professionalism, or degree of engagement with the call spend more energy monitoring their own image during video calls, which leaves them feeling more drained afterward.

"Women often feel the pressure to be effortlessly perfect or have a greater likelihood of child care interruptions, and newer employees feel like they must be on camera and participate in order to show productiveness," explains study co-author Allison Gabriel.

The findings might provide some comfort to female or junior employees who were feeling alone in their struggles with Zoom fatigue. But they also offer actionable insight to just about anyone who spends a fair amount of time on video calls. The researchers note that simply switching off the camera, hiding your own image, or opting for a voice call can fight exhaustion, so if your workplace culture allows it, consider taking these steps when you start to feel tired.

The biggest lesson of all, however, might be for leaders who see video calls as the best way to keep tabs on out-of-office employees. You might feel more secure monitoring your people this way, but your insistence on always using video is likely having the unintended effect of sapping the effectiveness of your team, the women, young people, and people of color in particular.
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While Indians may now be open to the concept of live-in relationships, which is largely deemed western, it turns out the country may not be completely alien to live-in relationships.

The concept of live-in relationships is not new to Indians. In ancient times, it was known as maitri-karar in which a written agreement was made between people of two opposite sex that they would live together as friends and look after each other.

Similarly, Gandharva marriage, one of the eight Hindu marriages, has its roots in the concept of live-in. A man and woman meet each other of their own accord, consent to live together, and their relationship is consummated in copulation born of passion.

In many areas and communities, live-in relationships are still prevalent but are mostly looked down upon.

Staying with a man in a relationship, bearing their children without getting married, without any social acceptance and legal rights - this is an Adivasi tradition in Jharkhand, known as 'dhuku marriage'.

According to the tribal community norm, the woman is recognised as Dhukni and the man is called 'Dhukua'.

It is a civil cohabitation and is approved before and after pregnancy and even after the birth of children. But dhuku marriages are a social bane for tribals in Jharkhand.

Representational Image

The Munda, Oraon, and Ho tribes primarily practice Dhukna in tribal-dominated rural areas of Jharkhand, and such marriages have been flourishing in patriarchal tribal communities for centuries due to poverty and illiteracy.

Why do couples enter live-in relationships?

Thousands of couples in the tribal villages of Jharkhand stay in live-in relationships because they fail to organise wedding parties.

Sumli Kumari of Khunti, who had got married at the mass wedding, says, Our people did not allow us to get married as we did not have money to hold a feast for the entire village.

Nikita Sinha, an activist working for the legal rights of live-in couples, tells Indiatimes that there are cases where the three generations of a family never got married only because they had no money to get married and throw a feast for the village. "The fellow villagers do not allow the marriage of a grandson because his grandfather did not throw a wedding feast, and chose to get into a live-in relationship instead," she says.

While the couples in live-in relationships are never harassed, they are never given the respect they deserve, and women suffer the most. The women, dhukni, are not given the rights of a wife, they cannot apply sindoor, nor do they get a part in the husbands ancestral property, if he dies.

Any children born out of this relationship too are not socially recognised. Getting a child's nose and ears pierced is a tradition in our society but children born out of Dhuku marriages are not allowed to get piercings. As a result, they are never socially recognised and accepted.

Dhuku marriage is a compulsion, not a choice, and tribals for centuries have been deprived of basic social recognition and respect because of poverty.

Nikita tells Indiatimes that she once helped a 70-year-old man get married to his long-time live-in partner who was of a similar age. She is now helping hundreds of tribals in dhuku marriages get married legally by organising mass weddings.

Mass weddings

These couples typically have five to eight children. When you have so many children, marriage is not seen as a priority. Having food on the table is the priority, she says, adding that there is fierce opposition from the villagers when such couples finally find the means to get married because for them it is the end of exercising oppression.

Status of live-in relationships in India

The legal status of children born out of live-in relationships remains indecisive in the Indian legislature, though women in live-in relationships have found some respite through the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005.

The Supreme Court of India, for the first time in the case of S Khushboo v. Kanniammal (2010) gave legal recognition to live-in relationships by categorizing them as domestic relationships protected under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005

The Court held that a live-in relationship comes within the ambit of the right to life enshrined under Article 21 of the Constitution of India.

The right and freedom of choice to either marry or have a live-in relationship with an individual of ones own will, thus, emerges from this inalienable fundamental right.

The Supreme Court demarcated the difference between law and morality and expressed that even if live-in relationships are regarded as immoral by society, it is neither illegal nor an offence.

Still, no legal protections are extended to couples as the state does not legally recognise the relationship.
Won't it be awesome if, for protection, a man and a woman can wear the same kind of condom? Well, there may be one really soon.

A Malaysian gynaecologist has created what he says is the 'world's first unisex condom' that can be worn by females or males and is made from a medical-grade material usually used as a dressing for injuries and wounds.

This condom is named Wondaleaf Unisex Condom. Its inventor hopes the Wondaleaf Unisex Condom will empower people to take better control of their sexual health regardless of their sex or sexual orientation.

A Malaysian company is getting ready to launch what it says will be the worlds first unisex condom https://t.co/IQyM8acc1j pic.twitter.com/HJNlw4nN9p  Ashrf Ben Ali  (@AshrfSben) October 28, 2021

"It's basically a regular condom with an adhesive covering," said John Tang Ing Chinh, a gynaecologist at medical supplies firm Twin Catalyst. It's a condom with an adhesive covering that attaches to the vagina or penis, as well as covering the adjacent area for extra protection," Tang said.

The adhesive is only applied to one side of the condom, he added, meaning it can be reversed and used by either sex. Each box of Wondaleaf contains two condoms and will cost 14.99 ringgit ($3.61). The average price for a dozen condoms in Malaysia is 20-40 ringgit.

Unsplash

This genius gynaecologist created the condoms using polyurethane, a material used in transparent wound dressings that is thin and flexible yet strong and waterproof.

"Once you put it on, you often don't realise that it's there," he said, referring to dressings made from the material. Tang said the Wondaleaf had gone through several rounds of clinical research and testing and would be available commercially via the firm's website this December.

"Based on the number of clinical trials we have conducted, I am quite optimistic that given time it will be a meaningful addition to the many contraceptive methods used in the prevention of unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases," Tang said.

Unsplash

During the lockdown period induced by the pandemic, condom sales had increased. So, in times like these, a unisex condom would be a great idea considering both men and women can be in control. The lockdown period even though was stressful full got many family members to spend more time with each other. This was especially the case for couples who got the time to get physically intimate.
Culpeper, VA (22701)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun early, then becoming cloudy later in the day. High near 50F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly cloudy early with increasing clouds overnight. Low near 30F. Winds light and variable.
Woodbridge, VA (22192)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun in the morning followed by cloudy skies during the afternoon. High around 50F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 33F. Winds light and variable.
Woodbridge, VA (22192)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. High near 50F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 31F. Winds light and variable.
Woodbridge, VA (22192)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun early, then becoming cloudy later in the day. High around 50F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 33F. Winds light and variable.
Woodbridge, VA (22192)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this morning will become overcast during the afternoon. High around 50F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. Low 33F. Winds light and variable.
A 20-acre estate on Tucsons east side recently sold for $4,080,000, making it the citys most expensive residential real estate sale on the multiple listing service of southern Arizona since 2007. The property on 1416 N. Smokey Springs is a 8,860 square-foot home with six bedrooms, seven ba
Three teenagers accused of starting a fatal apartment building fire in Maine have been charged with felony murder, officials said.

Two 13-year-olds and a 14-year-old were charged last month with arson, but those charges have been upgraded to felony murder, the Maine attorney generals office said.

The building was evacuated during the fire, but Felicien Betu, 70, was trapped on the top floor, officials said. He died from his injuries after he jumped from a window to escape the flames last month.

Felony murder is a charge that can be brought when a death occurs during the commission of a felony crime.

The juveniles names have not been made public, and its unclear which attorneys are representing them.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Abuse Molestation Numbers Arson
Navistar Inc., an integrated manufacturer of trucks and diesel engines based in Lisle, Illinois, has agreed to mitigate at least 10,000 tons of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions and pay a $52 million civil penalty in a consent decree to resolve violations of the Clean Air Act, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Oct. 25.

Navistar illegally introduced into commerce onhighway Heavy-Duty Diesel Engines (HDDEs) that were not covered by EPA-issued certificates of conformity.

In 2015, the United States filed suit against Navistar alleging that in 2010, after lower emission standards went into effect, the company introduced into commerce 7,749 HDDEs that were not certified and did not meet the lower emission standards. Navistar had marketed and sold the engines installed in its international-branded trucks as being EPA-certified model year 2009 engines even though it completed all manufacturing and assembling processes for the engines in 2010. The court held that the engines were in fact model year 2010 engines and required to be covered by a 2010 certificate of conformity demonstrating compliance with the lower emission requirements.

This settlement shows we will hold companies accountable when they skirt the law to gain advantage at the expense of public health, said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Departments Environment and Natural Resources Division. The departments steadfast pursuit of this case achieved a just result, including that the company must mitigate the harm it caused and, in doing so, specifically must consider assisting communities overburdened by pollution.

Under the settlement, Navistar will pay a civil penalty of $52 million, forfeit its current account of NOx credits, and purchase and destroy enough older diesel engines to prevent 10,000 tons of future NOx emissions, a powerful air pollutant known to cause significant adverse health effects.

The settlement requires Navistar to structure its mitigation of NOx emissions through one or more programs approved by EPA that will take into consideration geographic diversity and benefits to communities that are overburdened by air pollution. Navistar will report back to the EPA on its implementation of the program to ensure compliance with the environmental justice and geographic distribution requirements in the consent decree.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice

Topics Illinois
Kemper Insurance has won preliminary approval of its $17.6 million proposal to settle a class action stemming from two data breaches.

Judge Martha M. Pacold of the federal court for the Northern District of Illinois on Wednesday gave the green light for notification of members of the class action to begin.

The judge set a March 15, 2022 date for a final approval hearing.

The dual breaches could have compromised the personal information of an estimated 6.1 million customers and employees. The breach incidents occurred on December 14, 2020 and March 25, 2021 and were announced by the insurer in March and May 25, 2021.

The class action and settlement also involve Infinity Insurance Co., a subsidiary that sells nonstandard auto policies and was acquired by Kemper in 2018. Kemper offers home, life, auto, business, property and umbrella insurance.

Under the terms of the settlement that the insurer negotiated with plaintiffs, all affected customers will be provided automatic access to 18 months of credit monitoring and financial account protection without the need to file a claim.

Additionally, every class member has the opportunity to make a claim for up to $10,000 in reimbursement for out-of-pocket losses, including for up to six hours in lost time. Additional benefits in the amount of up to $50 are available for California members of the class settlement who alleged violations of Californias Consumer Privacy Act.

Those eligible for the settlements include all citizens who were sent letters by the insurers notifying them that their personal data was compromised. The personal information at risk included names, addresses, Social Security numbers, drivers license numbers, medical leave information, and workers compensation claim information.

Topics Cyber
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced a $290 million statewide opioid settlement agreement with Johnson & Johnson to resolve opioid-related claims. The agreement will largely track the terms of the Global Prescription Opioid Litigation Settlement Agreement that was announced July 23, 2021.

According to the settlement, Johnson & Johnson has agreed to pay $291,841,754.89 into the Qualified Settlement Fund, representing Texass allocation of the Global Abatement Settlement.

In addition to the funds from Johnson & Johnson, Texas is also slated to receive up to $1.2 billion from the three distributors, which will bring to Texas up to $1.5 billion in funding for statewide opioid abatement efforts.

I am pleased that all parties have reached final agreement on this monumental settlement. This is the next step to bring much-needed funding for Texans who have fallen victim to the irresponsible and deceptive marketing practices from opioid manufacturers that spurred this epidemic, Paxton said. My office will continue to aggressively work to hold those accountable for causing this crisis. These funds will bring life-changing resources to those victimized by this tragic crisis.

Source: Texas Attorney Generals Office

Topics Texas
The Georgia insurance commissioner is proposing a wide range of rule changes for insurance and fire safety. A hearing will be held Nov. 22, and written comments can be submitted by Nov. 15, the office said in a bulletin.

Most of the insurance rule changes are necessary because of market conditions and new laws adopted by the Georgia General Assembly.

The changes include:

Amending Chapter 120-2-3 entitled Regulations Regarding Agents, Subagents, Counselors, Adjusters, Surplus Lines Brokers, and Agencies

Modifying Regulation Chapter 120-2-58 entitled Certification of Private Review Agents by Amending Regulation Chapter 120-2-58-.01 through 120-2-58-.09.

Modifying Regulation Chapter 120-2-78 entitled Credit for Reinsurance by Amending Chapters 120-2-78-.09 through 120-2-78-.16, and by Promulgating Form RJ-1.

Promulgating Regulation Chapter 120-2-108 entitled Valuation of Life Insurance Policies

Promulgating Regulation Chapter 120-2-109 entitled Term and Universal Life Insurance Reserve Financing Regulation

Promulgating Regulation Chapter 120-2-110 entitled Right to Shop

Amending Chapter 120-2-1 entitled Organization.

Stakeholders may submit written comments to Gregg Conley, Administrative Procedure Division, at gconley@oci.ga.gov.

The hearing will be at 9 a.m. on Nov. 22, at the ninth floor, West Tower of the Floyd Building, 2 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Atlanta.

Topics Georgia
Unlicensed insurance agent Karyl Lynn Reed, 57, formerly of Cosa Mesa, Calif., was arraigned this week on multiple felony counts of grand theft, forgery, embezzlement, and aggravated white-collar crime after allegedly defrauding three victims of over $1.4 million.

Reed was arrested in Seabrook, Texas, and extradited to Orange County, earlier this month.

An investigation by the California Department of Insurance reportedly found that between 2012 and 2019, Reed acted as an insurance agent without a license and collected premiums for workers compensation insurance through her businesses, Envoy Business Partners and Allenn Specialty Group. She allegedly provided victims with fraudulent certificates of insurance, causing them to believe they had valid coverage when there was actually none.

The CDI investigation reportedly discovered Reed also operated a staffing company without valid workers comp coverage and personally adjusted and administered employee injury claims. She collected workers comp premiums and payroll, employer and employee taxes from victims, and provided them with falsified Certificates of Insurance as well leading them to believe they were covered when they were not, according to investigators.

It was reported that one victim did not have workers comp coverage for an employee who became injured. Another victim reportedly had requested an updated certificate of insurance from an insurer and was told no policy or coverage was in place and found out the policy number Reed had provided belonged to a policy for another business. Another reported victim discovered the money they were paying Reed to her staffing service was not being remitted to the insurance company.

This case is being prosecuted by the Major Fraud Unit of the Orange County District Attorneys Office.

Topics California Agencies Workers' Compensation Fraud
The deluge California received from a powerful atmospheric river made streams and waterfalls come alive while coating mountains with snow, but as the storm headed east to the Plains on Tuesday it left the Golden State still deep in drought.

The atmospheric river, a long plume of moisture pulled in from the Pacific, capped a series of back-to-back storm systems that abruptly switched the states immediate emergency concerns from wildfires to flooding.

But the long-term problem of a drought that scientists say is part of a warming and drying trend driven by climate change was not washed away.

One storm this early in the water year does not predict the rest of the winter storm season, state climatologist Michael Anderson said in a statement. After this system we see a period of dry conditions return to California.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations 2021 winter forecast shows the probability of precipitation in California to be significantly below average while temperatures run well above average.

And the state is already running a water deficit.

During normal years, the winter snowpack in the Sierra Nevada supplies about 30% of water statewide when the spring melt comes and water runs off to be captured in the states system of reservoirs.

Winters, however, have not been normal lately.

Last April 1, the date when the snowpack is typically at its deepest and contains the greatest amount of water, the state Department of Water Resources system of electronic monitors found it was only 59% of average.

Then, in a stunning development, about 80% of the predicted runoff never appeared. Soils were so dry and temperatures so warm that the water instead was soaked up or evaporated, and reservoir water storage fell to shocking levels.

One of those huge reservoirs, Lake Oroville, has risen more than 20 feet since the series of storms began last week, but the Department of Water Resources website showed it was at just 27% of capacity Tuesday.

The early season storms were beneficial but officials say much more rain is needed.

We have much less accumulated precipitation over the past few years than we should normally receive and the soils are particularly dry  we cannot fix this condition with one storm, Anderson said.

The northern Sierra generally received 2-20 inches of snow, with a few sites reporting more, but snow depth dropped to 1-2 inches in the central Sierra and just a trace fell in the southern end of the range, according to the department.

Even before the rains, the pace of California wildfires that have burned nearly 3,900 square miles this year was slowing and then the wet weather pushed several of the remaining huge blazes to 100% containment.

In Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, the lightning-sparked KNP Complex fire was 69% contained after receiving several inches of rain and snow. Firefighters sheltered in place Monday and on Tuesday supervisors were to assess conditions. When safety permits, the crews will reengage the fire, a situation report said.

Most of this years major fires have occurred in now-saturated Northern California. In Southern California, however, the fire season typically begins in fall, when the regions powerful, dry Santa Ana winds blow.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics California Windstorm
Tom Purl is an Iowa State graduate and has been a Farm Bureau Financial agent for six years.
The incident happened many years ago, which is why I feel comfortable recounting it here and now.

There was a house fire in a certain part of Cork city and thankfully nobody was hurt, but the house itself was gutted, and the family living in the house lost everything theyd accumulated through all their years making it into a home.

After the smoke cleared - literally - a fireman was taking details from the head of the house about who the occupants were and so forth, and he finished off his notes with the full address of the house, including a reference to the suburb where it was located.

Wait a minute, said the householder, glancing over the firemans shoulder at the notebook. We dont live in (a southside neighbourhood). We live in (an adjacent southside neighbourhood). Really? said the fireman, puzzled. I always thought this stretch of the road was No, no, continued the householder. See the phone box over there? Thats the boundary. Everything on this side is (adjacent southside neighbourhood), and everything on the far side is (a south-side neighbourhood).

In later years the fireman, a person known well to your columnist, would stress the supporting details of this little scene.

The house smouldering in the background, the four walls blackened and smoke wisping out of the windows. The rest of the family huddled nearby in shock, understandably, after their close escape. The lights of the ambulances and fire engines throwing an unholy colour across the proceedings.

And here was this man, having lost everything, correcting me on where he lived. Because that was his number one priority in spite of it all. Granted, its a story that loses something when you dont use the exact locations, but I have my reasons for the careful editing.

The main reason is simple self-protection: if I were to give the names of those suburbs, Id be inundated with a variety of corrections  first about the location of this Checkpoint Charlie/boundary marker (It wasnt a phone box, it was the second telegraph pole from the corner), followed quickly by arguments from strong adherents to/opponents of the geographical points espoused by the burnt-out homeowner.

Those arguments might fixate on him being right or wrong because the ancient Brehon-determined divisions ran through that section of the city and were marked by human sacrifices (where the phone box fits into those arguments isnt clear).

Distinct and different neighbourhoods

One of the above possibilities would likely morph into something else entirely  a lengthy and increasingly dull correspondence about the precise parameters of not just the two suburbs in question, but every distinct and different neighbourhood in the city.

Increasingly dull to those with no poetry in their soul, that is. For your columnist working out the precise dimensions of every separate part of Cork is the kind of task that has an overwhelming appeal. Its a source of never-ending fascination to me.

Where does Blackpool start and where does it end? What are the exact borders of Douglas, north, south, east and west? Is Bishopstown reducible to a known, discrete territory? Mayfield: a notional zone or grounded in reality?

Clearly Im not alone in my obsessions. Take this, the result of a random flick through one of the foundation texts in this house - Val Dorgans biography of Christy Ring.

The biography of Christy Ring gave a flavour of the arguement.

My quick glance threw up this classic: Ring introduced me as a Blackpool man to an Irish-American, Johnny Fenton, in New York. Fenton, who knew my family, corrected Ring and said I came from Gerald Griffin Street.

As a starting point this is difficult to beat when it comes to teasing out boundaries and borders. Books and documentaries can be written and produced about debatable lands and exotic locales, but

I am very much in the market for a lengthy thesis on the exact reasoning behind the exclusion of Gerald Griffin St from Blackpool.

Other cities enjoy that kind of self-examination as well. A few years ago I stumbled across an interesting dissection of localised identity in London, and how that was being affected by noise pollution, of all things.

The traditional definition of a cockney is anyone born within earshot of the bells at the church of St Mary-Le-Bow, but ambient noise means the sound from those bells carries across a far smaller area than a century or two ago. Hence there are now far fewer true cockneys than there were a hundred years ago, when London was quieter.

Theyre even more interested in the subject a couple of hours up the road. Kudos here to a terrific piece by Claudia Dalby in the Dublin Inquirer recently which interrogated notions of neighbourhood in the capital, including this contribution from and about historian and guide Arran Henderson: He lives in Portobello, he says. Well, maybe.

An area that myself and my wife and I think most of our neighbours sort of blithely call Portobello, says Henderson. But actually, strictly speaking, it may not be Portobello at all. Strictly speaking, Portobello doesnt actually stretch across the South Circular Road, he says. But the area has been creeping northwards. The Dublin Inquirer has gone one step further by providing its readers with maps and asked them to draw their neighbourhoods, but Im not sure whether I can get fully behind this move, as it seems unnecessarily prescriptive.

(Fancy talk for someone who said Gerald Griffin Street isnt in Blackpool - ed.) Whats attractive about defining a neighbourhood is simple - the neighbourhood you can define best is your own, and the reason that appeals to you is the most obvious one you can imagine: identity.

Tribal connections

Being recognised as a member of a tribe is significant for all sorts of reasons, not least for the element of differentiation it delivers in the wider family. Youre from Cork but youre also from Blackrock. Or Togher. Or Farranree. Or Sundays Well.

When you meet your fellow Corkonian on foreign soil that extra geographical detail helps everyone to orient themselves immediately. And much as Id like to be liberal and progressive about expanding or contracting my neighbourhood boundaries, I cant quite bring myself to be that liberal. If you know, you know.

The reason why was explained with perfect clarity by Denis Long almost 50 years ago.

In his description of one of Corks neighbourhoods Long wrote: Cousins even to the tenth degree, there is a tight bond of friendship and loyalty among its people, and a compassion and a neighbourliness that is their distinctive badge.

Though the stranger is welcomed and shown every hospitality, he should exercise care with criticism for, in all probability, he would be belittling a brother or a favourite son. So when any club was formed to promote any sporting activity, the basis of that club was a fanatical loyalty, such as would be felt in a tightly-knit family. Anyone who reads these columns on a regular basis will no doubt guess which particular neighbourhood Long is describing, but it would fit many areas in Cork perfectly. Including those on either side of that southside phone box.
Interview Myanmar Junta Losing Diplomatic Battles: NUG Foreign Minister

NUG's Foreign Minister Daw Zin Mar Aung / The Irrawaddy

Some nine months after the coup, Myanmars military regime is losing the battle for diplomatic recognition, after the junta leader was not invited to ASEANs summits and no country has yet officially recognized the regime.

Daw Zin Mar Aung, foreign minister for the parallel National Unity Government (NUG), recently told The Irrawaddy if the regimes failures on the international stage are a diplomatic victory for the parallel government.

How is the relationship between the NUG and ASEAN?

The NUG tries to engage as much as possible with regional countries and others on the diplomatic front so that the international community can better understand our actions and the situation in Myanmar and provide support to us.

As to the relationship with ASEAN as the whole, we give regular updates [about Myanmar] and on the appointment of a special envoy [to Myanmar]. We regularly present our recommendations regarding the implementation of the five-point consensus.

We urged ASEAN not to invite the military council to the ASEAN summits because it had staged a coup in defiance of the ASEAN Charter and it does not represent Myanmars people.

We told them that the NUG is ready to cooperate with ASEAN members, representing Myanmars people and that we are ready to send a representative [to the summits].

What is the opinion of the NUG about the ASEAN summit which was held without Myanmar?

No country has recognized the regime since Feb. 1. [The absence of Myanmar] is the consequence of that. No country has recognized the regime and the whole world is condemning it. The ASEAN summit further highlights the fact that no country has recognized the military council as the legitimate government.

What does the NUG expect from the ASEAN summit? Was the NUG allowed to present its case to the summit? What will be the NUGs next diplomatic steps?

As the internet and email are widely used, we try to continuously engage with the ASEAN Secretariat and cc ASEAN members on the emails. Some countries replied that they had received our emails. I send emails to the foreign ministries of all ASEAN members as well as the ASEAN Secretariat.

As the president [U Win Myint] could not attend [the summit], the acting president sent a message on behalf of the NUG. Whether the message was read or not, we could show our cooperation with our ASEAN family.

As to our expectations of the summit, there is a need to increase diplomatic pressures. ASEAN alone is not enough to handle the issue, so I expect to see how ASEAN and its partners, such as China and US, will together provide a solution.

I hope ASEAN and its partner countries will discuss that. We also expect to see cooperation between ASEAN and the UN. As the UN has appointed a new special envoy on Myanmar, I hope they will discuss better solutions.

What does the NUG expect from the UNs appointment of Noeleen Heyzer as the new special envoy to Myanmar?

Ms Noeleen is familiar with Myanmar to an extent. She is also from Singapore and I understand she was selected because she is from the region. This will help avoid tensions between bigger countries.

From a diplomatic perspective, Myanmar is not an easy task for anyone. It is a huge challenge to engage with dictators who are bigoted and always thinking of how to gain the upper hand and maintain their grip on power rather than solving problems in the national interest.

So rather than assigning an individual or an entity to solve the issue, this problem has to be solved through a coordinated approach. Only through cooperation with partner countries and entities can an effective and successful solution be found.

The United Nations will decide next month whether to keep Myanmars ambassador [to the UN] U Kyaw Moe Tun. What has the NUG prepared and what does it expect?

It is our top priority to make sure U Kyaw Moe Tun, who really represents the voices of Myanmar, continues to have diplomatic representation. Currently, the UN still recognizes U Kyaw Moe Tun as the envoy appointed by President U Win Myint and Foreign Minister Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. The UN still recognizes U Win Myint and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. This remains unchanged and we plan to approach based on that.

At the same time, the NUG will continue to work to win recognition both at home and abroad. Despite the difficulties, we have been providing services to Myanmars people. Even if we cant win [international] recognition, we will try to increase our diplomatic engagement.

What did you discuss with the US national security advisor last week?

We have regular engagement with diplomats from other countries. We have regular engagement with the international community as there are continuous events, meetings and decisions regarding Myanmar.

As to the US, we have regular meetings with different levels of diplomats. Recently, we met the national security advisor who directly advises the US president.

We have already met three times with the advisor to the secretary of state. And we also have engagement with diplomats from other countries, including from the region and Europe.

The US sent the national security advisor to affirm support for our movement to build democracy and bring justice. US President Joe Biden wanted to hear about the situation on the ground and the voices from Myanmar before he attended the ASEAN summit. We also discussed the US provision of humanitarian aid to Myanmar and the NUGs relations with regional countries.

To summarize the meeting, we received a clear message from the US that they would continue to support the revolution, where the NUG and Myanmars people are fighting for democracy and human rights to establish a federal democracy.

What is the NUGs view on the situation in Myanmar? Is the NUG is winning the diplomatic battle?

The administrative, judicial and legislative branches have fallen under the control of one entity. We are resisting and revolting to restore them. We are discharging the duties assigned by the people through elections. At the same time, the people must reject the junta and oppose any attempt to prolong the dictatorship.

We are fighting for democracy, human rights and to establish a federal union and we must continue our efforts while attracting international attention. Thanks to the persistence and sustained efforts of people from all walks of life, we have achieved certain progress. We have yet to maintain and accelerate the momentum until we achieve victory.

Only when all revolutionary forces inside and outside the country work harmoniously, will we be able to achieve a real victory.



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Burma 40 Myanmar Junta Troops Killed in Upcountry Clashes

Dead junta soldiers pictured before their cremation in Kawlin Township, Sagaing Region on Wednesday. / Photo- Kawlin Revolution Facebook

At least 40 junta soldiers were killed on Wednesday when civilian resistance fighters raided regime forces in Kawlin Township, Sagaing Region, according to local residents and the Defense Ministry of the parallel National Unity Government (NUG).

At 2am early Wednesday morning, the Kawlin Peoples Defense Force (KLPDF) attacked two groups of 100 junta soldiers stationed near Kyunbyintha Village in Kawlin Township.

The NUGs Defense Ministry said that the KLPDF used heavy explosives to attack the military regime forces, killing around 40 junta troops. A civilian resistance fighter suffered minor injuries.

Kawlin Revolution released a photo showing members of the KLPDF preparing to cremate the dead soldiers.

A local resident told The Irrawaddy that six military vehicles carrying reinforcements arrived in Kawlin at around 2am early Thursday morning.

Later on Thursday morning, Myanmar military jets launched airstrikes on a rural area of Kyunhla Township in Sagaing, where junta reinforcements have been sent, according to local media.

On Wednesday, three military convoys were ambushed with mines by Peoples Defense Forces (PDF) in Sagaings Myaung and Myinmu townships. Seven military vehicles were damaged in the attack, but junta casualties are unknown.

In early July, 44 junta soldiers were killed and another 20 injured in attacks by the KLPDF in Kawlin Township. Three civilian fighters died during those raids.

Since early October, the regime has sent 3,000 reinforcements and extra weapons to Sagaing and Magwe regions and Chin State, the countrys most restive areas, to conduct clearance operations against the PDFs.

Military regime forces continue to commit atrocities including raiding villages, bombarding and burning down houses and arbitrarily killing civilians.

As of Wednesday, 1,218 people have been slain since the February 1 coup by junta forces during their raids, crackdowns, arrests, interrogations and random shootings, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.

Another 9,281 people including elected government leaders have been detained by the junta.



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Burma Indian Company Drops Plan to Develop Myanmar Military-Owned Port

Ahlone Port in Yangon

Indias Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited said it would withdraw its investment in the military-owned Ahlone Port by June next year.

On Wednesday, Indias largest port operator said it was abandoning plans to build a container terminal in Myanmars commercial capital, Yangon.

The companys Risk Management Committee, after a review of the situation, has decided to work on a plan on exiting [the] companys investment in Myanmar, including exploring any divestment opportunities, said the company in its operational and financial highlights statement, adding that the move would be concluded by June 2022.

Adani was granted permission by the Myanmar Investment Commission in April 2019 to develop, operate and maintain Ahlone International Port Terminal 2 on 54 acres (21.85 hectares) of land, with a 630-meter (2,067-foot) jetty owned by the Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC).

In March 2021, the Australian Centre for International Justice (ACIJ) and Justice for Myanmar (JFM) published Port of Complicity, a report on Adani Ports business in Myanmar that included new evidence of payments to MEC and the companys direct relationship with junta leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, increasing pressure on investors.

MEC is one of the two military-controlled conglomerates sanctioned by the US following the Feb. 1 military coup. Adanis initial response was to deny the stark evidence of its business relationship with MEC.

In May, the company said it would abandon its container terminal project and write down the investment if it is found to be in violation of sanctions imposed by the US.

According to Adani, it paid a US$90-million upfront payment to MEC to lease land.

Foreign investments with links to Myanmars military have come under pressure from international agencies and human rights organizations since the coup.

Norwegian pension fund KLP divested from Adani in June, saying the Indian companys links with the Myanmar military breach the funds responsible investment policy.

On Thursday, ACIJ and JFM cautiously welcomed Adanis plans to divest from their Myanmar container port business.

Adani Ports plan to divest shows community and investor pressure works. Business with the terrorist Myanmar military does not pay. Adani Ports should never have gone into business with MEC, knowing they would be complicit in the Myanmar militarys atrocities, said JFM spokesperson Daw Yandana Maung.

Adani has become the latest international investor to leave Myanmar following the coup. Switzerlands Kempinski Hotel in Myanmars capital Naypyitaw ceased its operations on Oct. 13.

More than 10 foreign companies have either abandoned or suspended their planned investments in Myanmar since the military takeover.



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Burma Karen National Union Slammed Over Claims it Acknowledged Junta Ceasefire Anniversary Event

Karen National Union leader General Saw Mutu Say Poe (center) in Naypyitaw in November 2018. / KNU HQ

Myanmars military regime held an event in Naypyitaw this month to mark the sixth anniversary of the signing of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) which was attended by most of the signatories.

General Saw Mutu Say Poe, the chairman of the Karen National Union (KNU), which is a signatory to the NCA, sent a message to the event, according to other ethnic armed organizations.

Only the Chin National Front and KNU reportedly boycotted the event. The Restoration Council of Shan State, New Mon State Party, All Burma Students Democratic Front, Karen National Union/Karen National Liberation Army  Peace Council, Lahu Democratic Union, Arakan Liberation Party and Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO) all attended the October 15 event.

After receiving criticism, the armed groups said the KNU, the most powerful signatory, sent a message.

The KNUs armed wing, the Karen National Liberation Army, is Myanmars oldest ethnic armed group and started fighting for federal powers in 1948.

It is supporting the civilian resistance against the regime and provided military training for volunteers. It has attacked regime bases near the Thai border in response to the juntas deadly crackdowns on protesters. The KNU has urged the regime to step down.

PNLO patron Colonel Khun Okkar, who attended the event, told The Irrawaddy: General Mutu sent a message online. He said he has a hearing impairment and could not read the message himself. General Min Naung [of Myanmars military] read his message. So it is not true that the KNU did not attend the meeting. It attended virtually.

When the NCA was signed on October 15, 2015, Mutu Say Poe signed as the KNU chairman and also the leader of the eight armed organizations, according to Col Khun Okkar.

Eight groups signed the agreement. Each group has its leaders so we asked General Mutu to represent us as the head of all eight groups. Though the KNU alone [out of NCA signatories] has been critical [of the regime], General Mutu had to say something as he signed the pact as the leader of the eight groups. So he sent a message in honor of the pact, said Col Khun Okkar.

Another source from the event confirmed the KNU message.

But a KNU officer, who is close to Gen. Saw Mutu Say Poe, told The Irrawaddy that there had been a misunderstanding.

He extended greetings as the Tatmadaw [Myanmars military] phoned him. It is possible that they noted down what he said and read it to participants. He said it has been six years since [the NCA] and both sides need to maintain it and make sure it does not fail. Thats all he said, the KNU officer told The Irrawaddy on condition of anonymity.

In an Oct. 15 statement, the KNU said, Myanmar is on the verge of collapse.

The armed group urged Myanmars military to salvage its reputation by quitting politics and making a public pledge to support the establishment of a federal democracy.

Some armed groups are helping the civilian resistance with training and shelter while others have worked with the junta.

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Burma Mandalay Office of Myanmars Ousted NLD Bombed

The NLD regional office in Mandalay is seen on Oct. 28 after the bombings.

A regional office of the National League for Democracy, the party of detained Myanmar democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, was bombed in Mandalay on Wednesday night in the latest in a series of attacks on the partys offices across the country.

The ruling party of Myanmar since 2016, the NLD won a landslide victory in last years general election. However, the military said the polls were fraudulent and staged a coup in February.

Residents near the five-story office building in Chanayethazan Township said two blasts occurred on two floors of the office building at around midnight, during the regimes 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. nighttime curfew hours, when civilians are not allowed outdoors.

They said the intensity of the explosion was strong enough to rock some buildings in the neighborhood, and some had their houses windows broken.

An NLD member said residents told him that some junta troops went into the office building just before the blasts.

I think they [the junta] intentionally destroyed the office to demolish it. All the things inside the office were destroyed by the blasts. Im speechless, said the NLD member, who asked not to be named for security reasons.

The building has been sealed by the junta since the February coup, in which almost all of the partys leaders, including its chairwoman Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior members, were arrested.

On Oct. 16, unknown people destroyed a number of portraits of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi that had been hanging in the office.

The NLDs headquarters and party offices across the country have been raided and sealed by the junta since the coup. Most of the partys members have been targeted with arrest and lawsuits or are in hiding.

In recent days, three NLD township offices in in Mon State, a regional office in Dawei and the Myeik Township office in Tanintharyi Region were also bombed.

Following the coup, the junta accused the NLD of electoral fraud and association with some organizations that they have outlawed. It has threatened to abolish the party on the grounds that associating with outlawed organizations is a violation of the countrys electoral laws.

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Burma New UN Special Envoy to Myanmar Faces Uphill Task in Dealing With Junta

Daw Zin Mar Aung / The Irrawaddy

Noeleen Heyzer, a former United Nations (UN) Under-Secretary-General who had a warm relationship with Myanmars previous military regime and its proxy government, was appointed on Monday as the new UN Special Envoy for Myanmar.

The 73-year old Singaporean is the successor to Christine Schraner Burgener. As well as inheriting the mission to tackle the Rohingya Muslim issue in Rakhine State in western Myanmar, she must also continue with the task of trying to persuade the Myanmar junta leaders to engage in dialogue to settle the ongoing political and social turmoil caused by their February 1 coup.

Unsurprisingly, Noeleen Heyzers appointment as the new UN Special Envoy has drawn considerable interest from Myanmars politicians. The Irrawaddy talked to some local politicians  including one from Myanmars parallel civilian National Unity Government (NUG)  and a political analyst to find out what they think of the UNs latest appointee.

Sai Leik, General Secretary of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy

The appointment of a Singaporean to tackle Myanmar affairs is because of the countrys influence on Myanmar, such as in financial or social issues including labor and education. We hope that she will be able to put more pressure on the current military government than her predecessor. At the very least, she should be allowed to visit the country and hold talks.

Zin Mar Aung, NUG Foreign Minister

From a diplomatic point of view, Myanmars issues are not easy for anyone to tackle. We see it as a huge challenge to engage with a dictator who thinks only of staying in power, who is extremely stubborn when it comes to tackling political issues and who puts his own personal power above the interests of the country.

No matter how good the diplomats are, there will be challenges for them. Rather than focusing on individual efforts, Myanmars issues need to be addressed by the international community with a really well-coordinated approach.

U Pe Than, Former Rakhine Lawmaker

No matter who is the new UN Special Envoy, it will be very difficult for them at this time to work inside the country as the junta will not permit that. The regime is under diplomatic pressure from all the international community, including the UN, the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

If the UN envoy is allowed to visit Myanmar, they [the military] will suffer even more. There may be more demands from the UN, just as ASEANs Special Envoy is demanding to meet with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and calling for the release of political prisoners.

The junta has no willingness to comply with these demands. Thus, the UN envoy will be limited in what she can do. No matter who holds the position of envoy, they will not be able to do very much in practice.

U Aung Thu Nyein, Political Analyst

She is a veteran ambassador from Singapore. She came to Myanmar to help during Cyclone Nargis [in 2008]. She also had a good relationship with former prime minister U Thein Sein in 2009.

Her predecessor as UN Special Envoy was not allowed to enter Myanmar [after the coup], and it was challenging for her.

Noeleen Heyzers strengths are her close ties to the previous regime and its proxy government. I think the UN appointed her on the grounds that Singapore, as an Asian country, is in a better position to talk to Myanmar. But success or failure does not depend on her alone. It has to do with all aspects.

All the stakeholders need to engage in dialogue. The talks need to include the junta, local political parties and all opposition groups, including ethnic groups.



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Technicalities, a lack of communication or even proper record-keeping can sometimes hinder a building recertification process, landing property owners or its management teams on delinquent lists.

Take, for example, the case regarding the Key Biscayne Ambassador Condominiums.

Property manager Jackie Gonzalez, who came on board in 2020 working for the national company FirstService Residential, believed she had fully complied with all the details necessary for her 91-unit structures 40-year Miami-Dade County-mandated recertification.

Village of Key Biscayne Building Official Rene Velazco had received all the necessary paperwork from an engineers report in January of 2019, and Gonzalez said she made sure an additional letter was sent Aug. 24 of this year from the engineer certifying that our building is safe for occupancy for electrical and structural compliance, she said.

Thinking her building cleared those major hurdles, she and many worried residents were stunned Tuesday when they saw their structure on a list of 13 provided by the Village to the Islander News as not yet being in compliance for three or more years.

I have a receipt (they received that letter) but never heard anything, so Im thinking Im good, Gonzalez said. Then I received this certified letter Friday (the Village warned property owners or management teams they would be fined $500 on Nov. 15 if there was no update on their situations, a starting point for building closures).

The problem, Velazco said, traces back to 2016. He went into the Village files and noticed that there was no permit pulled by the Ambassadors then-property management team or the electrical work done that year. That raised a red flag, for legal reasons, if nothing else.

I have the letter from the engineer saying everything is safe electrically and structurally, but in 2016 some electrical items were supposed to be fixed, but there is no record of permits being pulled (within the Village), Velazco said.

Fortunately, he said Tuesday afternoon, There is nothing really complex here. Ill talk to an electrical engineer, and my hope is to issue her the letter (Wednesday) that it would be certified.

Velazco will meet with the management company and the homeowners association at the Ambassador to discuss the permit situation. Our inspector has the right to go in and inspect what they claim to have done, Velazco said. The legal thing, the right thing ... would have been to pull permits.

In the meantime, Commodore Club South Property Manager Todd Patterson was caught in a similar dilemma Tuesday over a technicality dating back three years. He issued a letter To whom it may concern, saying:

Im writing to let you know that Commodore Club South received a letter from our Structural Engineer in 2018 that the building was structurally safe. We were recently made aware that the letter for electrical was not turned in to the city."

Im currently working with the City of KB, Electrical Engineer and Electrical Contractor to make sure the garage and parking lot lighting meets code in order to receive (the) letter for Electrical Safety. Once that is completed in the next few weeks our building will be 100% compliant, Patterson's letter concluded.
An unfortunate set of circumstances  not even directly traced to the immediate parties in question  resulted in a happy ending Wednesday for residents of the Key Biscayne Ambassador Condo and the Villages Building Department.

When Jackie Gonzalez, who in December started her job as property manager for the Key Biscayne Ambassador Condominiums at 575 Crandon Blvd.  woke up Tuesday, she was inundated with calls from concerned residents who wondered why their property was on a list of 13 that were being delinquent with Miami-Dade Countys 40-year recertification process.

After all, the proper paperwork was filed back in 2019 and Gonzalez had even sent a letter in late August in response to Village building officials who were updating their large-structure inspection files in the wake of the building collapse in Surfside that resulted in 98 deaths.

But, when Village Chief Building Official Rene Velazco, who started his new position last November, began reviewing the backlog of files, he could not find 2019 permits regarding electrical work being done on what, in essence, amounted to 15 breakers among the 91 units at the Ambassador.

Subsequent meetings between Gonzalez and Velazco, and an online story by the Islander News, resulted in a confirmation letter from the Villages Building, Zoning, Planning and Public Works Department, stating that the property at 575 Crandon Blvd. is structurally and electrically safe for continued occupancy.

The letter also reads: Recertification is GRANTED, with an expiration date of 10 years.

Im happy Rene took the time and (further) reviewed my file and made the right decision to grant us our recertification, said Gonzalez, a member of the FirstService Residential management team. I thank him.

Her concerned residents  including some planning to sell their units  also were satisfied and reassured everything is up to code.

I let them know, Gonzalez said. Theyre all happy.

Velazco said he still wants to legalize the process by locating those permits.

The engineer obviously inspected (the property) based on her paperwork, so this is just administrative, said Velazco, keeping in line with Miami-Dade Countys Code 8-11 (f). It was a matter of, when you dont have a record to (make) repairs, it becomes questionable. But she came to talk yesterday and most are simple things.

Velazco is making the permit issue a separate entity so the recertification could proceed.

The reason Gonzalez had sent her confirmation letter in August was because the Village reached out to property owners and management teams after the building collapse in Surfside to make sure electrical and structural documents were in order.

Thats the reason I was shocked, Gonzalez said. If you received the second letter ... if there was anything that would hold us back, communicate with us and that would never have happened.
Les leaders mondiaux de la normalisation ont diffuse une declaration commune appelant tous les pays a reconnaitre, soutenir et adopter les normes internationales afin de contribuer directement aux trois points dancrage de la Presidence italienne du G20 : les Populations, la Planete et la Prosperite.

Cette declaration s'inscrit dans le cadre du Sommet sur les normes internationales interessant les Populations, la Planete et la Prosperite, organise sous l'egide de la Presidence italienne du G20.

Dans cet appel adresse aux decideurs politiques et aux chefs d'Etat, les Dirigeants de la Cooperation mondiale de la normalisation ( WSC )[1] mettent laccent sur le role majeur que peuvent jouer les normes pour faciliter la reprise a tous les niveaux en termes de durabilite. La declaration fait valoir qu'en faisant reference aux normes dans leurs politiques, les gouvernements peuvent soutenir de maniere significative l'emploi, la sante et l'education (les Populations), contribuer a la durabilite (la Planete) et favoriser la resilience economique des entreprises (la Prosperite).

Les Dirigeants de la WSC relevent a quel point la pandemie actuelle a demontre les avantages de la numerisation sur ces trois axes fondamentaux et le role essentiel que jouent a cet egard les normes internationales. Les normes internationales sont l'epine dorsale des technologies numeriques, creant un  langage commun , gage de qualite et de compatibilite pour tous les utilisateurs.

 Avec des technologies numeriques fonctionnant de maniere sure et efficace au profit de la societe il est possible dassurer un avenir durable, equitable et prospere. Ces technologies permettent de nouvelles formes de collaboration et ouvrent de nouvelles possibilites creatives en matiere de politique environnementale. Appuyees par des normes internationales, elles constituent de puissants outils pour l'action climatique et la durabilite economique , indique l'appel a l'action.

Le Secretaire general de lIEC, Philippe Metzger, a declare que la tache des normes internationales et de l'evaluation de la conformite est dappuyer les efforts visant a edifier un monde plus durable et inclusif.

Comme il la precise :  Pour nous, cela veut dire de soutenir la realisation d'une  societe tout electrique  avec une economie zero carbone, qui assurera la prosperite mondiale en fournissant un acces universel a une energie abordable generee par des sources renouvelables et durables.

Les normes internationales et l'evaluation de la conformite peuvent egalement poser les jalons dune economie circulaire plus soucieuse de nos ressources. Ce sont des instruments de poids qui peuvent aider les pouvoirs publics et les autorites de reglementation a mettre en uvre des politiques plus efficacement et a atteindre plus rapidement les objectifs de developpement .

De gauche a droite: Giuseppe Molina, Directeur general du CEI; Gilles Thonet, Secretaire general adjoint de l'IEC; Chaesub Lee, Directeur du Bureau de la normalisation des telecommunications de lUIT; Sergio Mujica, Secretaire general de l'ISO; et Ruggero Lensi, Directeur general de l'UNI.

Le Secretaire general de l'ISO, Sergio Mujica, a releve que face aux defis mondiaux sans precedent auxquels le monde est confronte, une cooperation et une collaboration internationales plus soutenues sont indispensables.

Il a insiste sur le fait que :  Le monde a plus que jamais besoin de collaboration au plan national et international, et des evenements comme le G20, dans linteret des Populations, de la Planete et de la Prosperite, sont essentiels.

La communaute des normes internationales doit promouvoir ses efforts multilateraux alors que nous traversons une periode instable et aspirons a une reprise economique mondiale robuste, equilibree et inclusive. Les normes internationales sont effectivement de puissants outils pour aider a tenir les engagements qui decoulent d'une telle collaboration et nous permettre de construire un avenir durable. 

Chaesub Lee, Directeur du Bureau de la normalisation des telecommunications de lUIT, a souligne l'importance de donner a chacun la possibilite de s'exprimer sagissant de la place que devraient occuper, dans notre avenir, les nouvelles capacites technologiques.

Il a declare notamment que : Les normes internationales representent des engagements volontaires en faveur de nouvelles facons de travailler ensemble  elles doivent nous aider a veiller a ce que l'innovation dans l'interet de la durabilite soit partagee dans le monde entier.

La transformation numerique s'accelere, creant une convergence dans les activites des differents secteurs de lindustrie et les responsabilites des autorites de reglementation associees. Nous devons continuer a rassembler tout le monde pour clarifier nos contributions respectives a un avenir durable, y compris le concours attendu des organismes internationaux de normalisation. 

L'appel a l'action invite egalement tous les pays a s'assurer que les normes et publications internationales contribuent a accelerer la realisation des objectifs de l'Accord de Paris, des ODD des Nations Unies et de l'Appel a l'action des Nations Unies en faveur de l'adaptation et de la resilience. La Declaration de Londres, signee par l'ISO lors de sa recente Assemblee generale annuelle, qui souligne l'engagement de l'ISO a travailler avec les membres et les parties prenantes pour faciliter et atteindre ces objectifs, va egalement dans ce sens.

En outre, lIEC et l'ISO ont elabore un  Kit daction pour le climat , destine a appuyer lengagement des decideurs politiques a reduire les emissions nettes de gaz a effet de serre. Ce kit regroupe des etudes de cas precisant de quelle maniere les normes peuvent appuyer les politiques publiques et influer sur les initiatives relatives aux changements climatiques.

Dans son allocution de cloture de l'evenement, Renzo Tomellini, Conseiller technique principal aupres de Roberto Cingolani, Ministre italien de la transition ecologique, a souligne l'importance des normes pour parvenir a la neutralite carbone.

 Les normes internationales sont essentielles pour relever les defis auxquels notre monde est confronte, aux niveaux economique, environnemental et social , a-t-il declare.

 Elles nous permettent dagir et de ne plus nous contenter de belles paroles. La communaute de normalisation est essentielle au bien-etre de la societe. Je felicite les leaders de la normalisation et les participants a cet evenement pour leur collaboration, leur engagement et les resultats obtenus a ce jour. 

L'evenement s'est tenu dans le cadre du G20 preside cette annee par lItalie, avec la contribution du Ministere italien du developpement economique et du Ministere italien des affaires etrangeres. Il a ete organise conjointement par les organismes italiens de normalisation UNI et CEI, ainsi que par la Commission electrotechnique internationale (IEC), lOrganisation internationale de normalisation (ISO) et l Union internationale des telecommunications (IUT).

Ce Sommet, initialement prevu a Naples, en Italie, a eu lieu virtuellement en raison de la pandemie mondiale. Cette manifestation a attire des participants du monde entier.

Le premier sommet sur la normalisation a eu lieu l'an dernier alors que la Presidence du G20 etait assuree par lArabie saoudite. Cette annee, avec lItalie a la Presidence du G20, marque le centenaire de l'UNI, fonde en 1921. Le Comite electrotechnique italien (CEI) a, pour sa part, ete cree en 1909.
Ithaca, NY (14850)

Today

Partly cloudy this morning, then becoming cloudy during the afternoon. High near 45F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy. Low 34F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
Apple appears to have given up some of its profit margin due to competition from rivals judging from a teardown of the top-end iPhone 13 Max Pro, the Japanese news agency Nikkei says, following an exercise it undertook along with the Financial Times.

Nikkei Asia reported that the teardown, carried out by specialist Fomalhaut Techno Solutions, found that the component cost was 2 times more than a decade ago, much more than the 60% rise in the price of the device itself. The overall cost was put at US$438 or 36.5% of its RRP.

The camera cost went by a factor of 10, while the semiconductors cost three times as much, the report said, adding that the use of recycled materials had increased.

The display used for the iPhone 13 Max Pro was Samsung's OLED which cost about US$105, making it more expensive than any other single part. It was covered with ceramic shield glass from Corning to protect against shocks.

{loadposition sam08}The three cameras  telephoto, wide-angle and super-wide angle  cost US$77, with the size and price of modules both having increased. The image sensors came from Sony.

Technology had been incorporated to move the image sensor in the wide-angle camera, making bigger, but making it shock-resistant. The sensor was moved by using a magnet and a coil and passing current through the coil.

Augmented reality was managed through a LiDAR sensor, first introduced in the iPhone 12 Pro line. It helps find out the distance between an object and its shape and also to take photos in the dark.

The report said the mainboard was small, taking up about 15% of the available space. Kioxia's flash memory was used for storage.

The SoC, Apple's own A15 Bionic, was made using a 5nm process and cost US$45, a tenth of the total cost of the phone. The 5G modem chip was made by Qualcomm.

The battery, which was 20% bigger than the previous device in this line, was made by China's Sunwoda Electronic.

The report said separating the body from the display was the most difficult part of the teardown, with the two parts fixed together much more firmly than in earlier models.

This made repair more difficult as opening the device required picks, a suction cup and a heat gun or pad. The report quoted Zach Nelson, who tears apart iPhones on his Youtube channel JerryRigEverything, as saying: "The most anti-consumer slap in the face Apple introduced was in the iPhone 5 in which the rear glass was permanently fastened to the phone.

The iPhone 13 Pro is claimed to be the first device to use 100% recycled gold on the mainboard. The profit margin remained high due to the power of Apple's brand, with the cost to RRP ratio being 36.5 for the Pro Max 256Gb model.

But the cost ratio was lower than other brands such as Samsung (39.4%), Huawei (51.0%) and Google (44.9%).

"The cost of iPhone components has gone up sharply over the past 10 years. When the 4s came out a decade ago, the total cost of its parts was equal to roughly 23% of the devices US$749 price tag," Nikkei Asia said.

"By comparison, the latest flagship model is priced at US$1199 - and the component cost ratio has risen to 36% to 40%. This reflects Apple's strategy of using the latest, most advanced components in its premium devices. For example, the total cost of camera parts for the 13 Pro Max is more than 10 times that of the iPhone 4."
Australias economy could be $18 billion larger and more than 42,000 extra full-time jobs could be created over the next decade if the country adopts a hybrid working future.

A report commissioned by Telstra has found businesses that have adopted hybrid working, turbo-charged by the Covid-19 pandemic, overall have higher income, productivity, and levels of innovation.

Telstra CEO Andrew Penn said the findings about the potential benefits of hybrid working came at an exciting time when organisations around the globe were debating the future of work.

This report busts the myth that we need to get back to the office to be productive and proves hybrid working can boost the economy, boost businesses, large and small, as well as boost engagement and wellbeing for employees, Penn said.

As we continue to battle the pandemic and seek to understand what a Covid-normal Australia will look like, hybrid working can and should play an important part of this discussion.

Many of us have been working-from-home during lockdown which hasnt been without its challenges, but the future looks brighter when we have greater choice and flexibility over how and where we work.

"In a hybrid working world, the role of the office isn't dead, it'll be different. Offices will become places where people will come together for training, collaboration, and connection rather than the outdated model of 9 to 5 desk-work.

Hybrid working wont just benefit large organisations. Small and medium businesses have more to gain through higher incomes and productivity from hybrid working than their larger counterparts, in part as larger organisations have invested earlier in digitising their customer experiences and workplaces.

At Telstra, weve had flexible working for the better part of a decade, giving our people greater work-life balance and choice. Covid-19 has truly accelerated the adoption of hybrid working as our new normal and weve seen the benefits for our company, our customers and our people, Penn said.

The research found that businesses with hybrid working have six% higher income, on average, are 22% more likely to see higher productivity and are 28% more likely to be innovative than those without hybrid working policies. They also have improved customer service and more engaged employees.

This research proves hybrid working is enabling people to be more productive no matter how, when and where they work and means businesses have higher incomes and higher levels of innovation.

The report also found hybrid working could provide a critical boost to Australias economy by increasing labour force participation and productivity in an environment where population growth slows.

Hybrid working is not just a boost for business but also Australias economy more broadly, which could grow by more than $18 billion with 42,000 extra full-time jobs created over the next decade.

Removing barriers to work creates more opportunities for mums and dads with young kids, people with disabilities or caring responsibilities, Indigenous Australians and those living in regional and remote parts of Australia as we open up the talent pool to more people, Penn said.

The research was undertaken for Telstra by Deloitte Access Economics and researchers from the Australian National University, providing quantitative analysis using business modelling with ABS data covering 7,000 organisations and a survey of 1,250 business leaders and employees.

The findings are supported by hybrid working policies already in place at some of Australias leading companies including Telstra, BHP, Microsoft, Commonwealth Bank, and Officeworks.

Working remotely has been possible for a long time but Covid-19 has sparked a tectonic shift among Australias leading employers and executives who now realise the power and potential of hybrid work, Penn said.

With huge staff upheaval and record turnover internationally, top talent is now demanding true flexibility from their employers and hybrid work is one way we can change the workplace experience for the better.

We know hybrid working is going to be critically important to attract and retain top talent and demonstrate that workplaces and managers understand the seismic shift Covid-19 has caused to the traditional workplace relationship.

Mr Penn said the report findings show there were three factors for success regardless of industry.

Leaders need to make bold and deliberate choices to suit their workplaces and their people, so they strengthen the ties they have with their employees. They need to know where to invest and they need to stay committed, while evolving their approach as they learn and listen to employee feedback.

This also means investing in the right tools, technologies, policies, and employee support to unlock the real benefits hybrid working can bring.

We know hybrid working isnt without its challenges and managing the experiences of employees from onboarding and cyber security to collaboration and even mental health considerations will be crucial to this new way of working.

We need to be bold and not squander the opportunity to think differently, to not just recover but recover stronger by building more resilient, more digital and more future-ready organisations.

We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, out of one of the most disruptive events of the last century, to choose whether we look back to what we knew or look ahead to whats possible with a hybrid work future fit for purpose in the digital age. It is a moment we must not waste, Penn said.

This first appeared in the subscription newsletter CommsWire on 22 October 2021.
GUEST OPINION: What does it take to make company executives proactively take charge of their own cybersecurity? Clearly, watching company after company get breached isnt quite cutting it.

With the average cost of a data breach in 2020 sitting at $3.86 million taking a reactive approach is an expensive lesson, and while a financial hit can be weathered, rebuilding trust with your customers can not be fixed overnight.

Take the recent attacks on American businesses by cyber gang REvil. REvils successful supply chain attack was effective because many organisations operate on a trust model and rely upon the security of their suppliers to protect their systems. To put it more simply: the hope everyone does the right thing strategy. It is hard to imagine that cybersecurity was a top priority for any of the executives at these companies.

The Department of Home Affairs has been looking at cybersecurity as an incentive problem; its recent Home Affairs Cybersec Regulations call for papers has brought an age-old question in cybersecurity to the forefront - can litigation lead to better mitigation?

Can't we just regulate?

Current regulation has not produced the cybersecurity kickstart that many had hoped for. Since the introduction of tougher financial penalties with the GDPR in 2018 very little has been done to seriously reform the digital realm. While the GDPR still sets the standard for global cybersecurity regulations, other developed nations are introducing stricter national data protection policies. In the US, the Biden administration has issued an executive order and is moving towards a rare national standard for cybersecurity regulation. However, these developments are merely a blueprint and have yet to majorly affect cybersecurity standards.

The argument for litigation

Many of the most successful malware attacks leverage undisclosed, signatureless or zero-day exploits as the point of ingress. Even in these scenarios, it is still possible to protect your data. As an industry, we have learned from our mistakes and built solutions that will help mitigate the damage done even when breached. Our encryption and proactive anti-malware service such as Votiro are home-grown examples of the security on offer to businesses. Zero Trust is a global movement that assumes breach so that companies can keep customer data secure even if the worst does happen.

The problem - adoption of these technologies is just too slow. Whilst a third of enterprise-scale organisations claim to make widespread use of encryption technology, just 9% believe they have an effective cybersecurity strategy in place that will provide long-term data protection. Encrypted data is a potent last line of defence that renders any truly valuable or sensitive information useless to a ransomware attacker.

For anti-malware to be effective it needs to be proactive, not signature dependent, and adopt a zero-tolerance approach to file sanitization. We already have solutions and weve seen the costs of cyber attacks - litigation just might be the missing piece of the puzzle that will spur proactive cybersecurity investment.

For so many industries, it is the threat of litigation that ensures best practice and maintains standards. Perhaps cybersecurity should join them. Cybersecurity is esoteric to executives, but litigation is a well-understood motivator.

If negligence is proven, it could break the cycle of apathy and re-set the rules of engagement. Well be watching the result of citizen-led litigation such as the class action suit launched on behalf of motorist Ramon Dickerson against the Colonial pipeline very closely. It may be the stick we need to finally see proactive security technology become a priority and ultimately get implemented.
GUEST OPINION by Luke Smith, Regional Account Director, Barracuda MSP : Ransomware is rife but organisations that do the work may be able to avoid paying out, should the worst occur.

Wondering exactly when it was that ransomware became such a thing? The past couple of years have certainly seen it thrust into the limelight, courtesy of a seemingly never ending series of high profile attacks, here at home and further afield. Household name victims have included the brewing and beverage giant Lion which saw production and distribution significantly disrupted in June 2020, after hackers hijacked its key systems and demanded a reported ransom of $1 million to set things to rights. As an incentive for the company to pay up, proof that the perpetrators were in possession of confidential customer and company data was provided, in the form of file screenshots.

Hello, you have 5 days to contact us and pay, otherwise all your financial, personal information your clients and other important confidential documents will be published or put up for auction, the accompanying ransom note read.

Old tricks, new targets

Truth to tell, ransomware has long been with us, even if it used to struggle to make the headlines. In days of yore, it was consumers who copped it, when they activated a dubious attachment, or clicked on a dodgy link, and were subsequently adjured to part with a smallish sum to have normal service restored.

But, over the past decade, the advent of crypto-currency, the rise of the cloud and widespread digitisation have created a happy hunting ground for hackers in the business world.

Organisations which havent paid sufficient attention to the increasing risk have made themselves ever more vulnerable to well planned, sophisticated attacks.

Not only can these attacks cripple their operations by encrypting the files they need to stay up and running, they can compromise, or threaten to compromise, the integrity of whats arguably become their most valuable asset: data.

Just how valuable that data can be has been reflected in the size of the ransoms being levied, with hackers commonly demanding their large victims pony up six, seven and even eight figure sums.

To pay or not to pay?

Although its not something they want shouted from the roof tops, many victims do end up paying some or all of the ransom, to regain possession of whats rightfully theirs.

It can be an expensive but expeditious option, particularly if the potential cost of the disruption  and the accompanying reputational damage  looks likely to exceed the sum youre being asked to part with.

But its not your only option. Adopting a strong cybersecurity posture, which includes best practice protection and rigorous back-up measures that have strict access controls and multi-layer protection to prevent backups from becoming a ransomware attack target can put you in a good position to say yeah nah, should hackers come calling and find a way in.

What does that posture look like in practice? Unfortunately, theres no single solution, no silver bullet guaranteed to ward off adversaries or stop them in their tracks. Rather, whats needed is continuous assessment of the threat landscape and a commitment to implementing multi-layered protection, to minimise opportunities for attackers to penetrate your infrastructure and lock up your systems and data. If your business is already using an IT service provider, ensure they are using a multi-layer approach and leading vendor technologies to achieve this.

Extending your security provisions

If your organisation has adopted remote working and cloud-based applications  as thousands of businesses have done during the ongoing Covid crisis  then your attack surface has expanded exponentially. An extended protection and response program is necessary, to ensure every inch of that attack surface is monitored and managed.

A comprehensive endpoint protection solution, featuring zero trust access control and multi-factor authentication, should be an integral component of that program to protect access to applications and workloads.

So should a patching protocol that sees applications updated as a matter of urgency whenever updates are released. Its simple housekeeping, yet known vulnerabilities for which security patches have already been developed continue to enable thousands of malware attacks each year.

Meanwhile, employees can be the strongest or the weakest link in your security chain. Youll ensure theyre the former if you implement email protection and regular cyber awareness training, for everyone from the CEO down, and take steps to foster a security culture which sees all employees alert to the ongoing possibility of an attack.

At the same time, make sure your IT service provider is working closely with your IT teams, not just to cover the current state of the environment but to proactively discuss what new services could be added to future proof the business.

A stronger safer future

In 2021, ransomware attacks have rapidly become the favoured means for financially motivated cybercriminals to extract profit through data theft, public disclosures, and business disruption often costing millions of dollars. New ransomware-as-a-service and double extortion models are being used to increase the frequency and severity of attacks.

Falling victim may be unavoidable but paying a large sum to regain access to your infrastructure need not be. Get your organisations security in order and you can be well placed to react, remediate and recover without opening your digital wallet to high tech extortionists. Indeed, when a breach has occurred, the speed, efficiency and experience applied to the response can make a significant difference in the impact to an organisation.

As a result, security teams need to be a position to immediately triage the incident to begin to fight back. They must work to remediate the vulnerabilities and get back to normal business operations faster, and with minimal user disruption.

In order to prevent future compromises, organisations must also deploy services such as cyber threat intelligence and 24/7 threat hunting to help security teams eject threats from the networks quickly and prevent silent failure. A security team with clear roles and responsibilities is key to enable faster, more complete remediation.

To learn more, visit here: https://www.barracuda.com/ransomware
GUEST OPINION by Jim Cook, ANZ Regional Director, Attivo Networks: Attacks against public and private sector assets reached a crescendo in 2021, and moves are now underway to stem the tide more permanently.

Cybersecurity is on the government radar and addressing it has finally become a top priority. It has taken a lot  potentially even too many  successful attacks over the years to reach this point.

Increasingly, governments themselves are targets: Australia found itself in the sights of a sophisticated state-based cyber actor in mid-2020. The attacks increased in frequency over the following months. Another attack hit parliamentary systems in March this year.

All of which is to say that governments  in Australia and abroad  are under no illusions of the threats and risks they face.

But they are also responding to the threats.

Governments have warmed to the idea of taking meaningful action:

Enacting legislation

Exerting political and economic pressure

Re-examining its vulnerabilities

Identifying ways to address them

Australia, US make legal moves

The Australian government has a heightened legislative interest in cybersecurity. It is seeking to expand the number of sectors deemed to be critical infrastructure providers and require these organisations to disclose attacks expediently and accept government assistance on incident response.

In addition, it has created a ransomware action plan that could result in mandatory reporting of ransomware encounters. It would levy criminal offences and penalties for those caught distributing the malware or seeking to profit from it.

Some observers see Australia as a leader in pursuing more advanced cybersecurity legislation, particularly compared to some of its Five Eyes alliance partners - the United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Canada.

However, these, and other jurisdictions and administrations, are starting to catch up.

In the US, for instance, there are currently more than a dozen pieces of federal cybersecurity legislation in various states of consideration. Not all these bills are necessarily good, and most will never see the light of day. Still, it is encouraging to note that cybersecurity issues are gaining traction within the highest levels of government.

There is bipartisan support for regulating industries more stringently to report breaches and share information for the first time. Stopping 100% of attacks will never be a realistic possibility. However, more reliable incident reporting and sharing of indicators of compromise and adversary tactics, techniques and procedures represent steps in the right direction.

The new US administration has also shown an increased willingness to pressure nation-states supporting these large-scale attacks. Countries like Russia, Iran, and North Korea are already under substantial political and economic pressure.

The US is in a prime position to offer both the carrot and the stick by lifting or strengthening its economic sanctions but needs the support of other countries for a coordinated and united response, which it is now receiving.

Extra billions

The US has also played a key role in extracting billions of dollars of commitments from big tech companies that will go towards security system enhancements and training. The billions of extra dollars in backing for cybersecurity shows the gravity of the situation currently facing governments and organisations worldwide and the resolve of all interested parties to come together to quell attacks and regain an upper hand.

The substantive nature of some of these actions has caught the attention of observers and threat actors alike.

Its also the persistence of the efforts: cybersecurity has never commanded this kind of time or resource commitment. There are few signs that the current scrutiny will be allowed to trail off, and attackers will again be left to their own devices and tools to attack organisations indiscriminately and with impunity.

Chasing better cyber hygiene

Outside of legislation and policy, more robust cyber hygiene in government and its chosen partners and the industries it regulates is also essential.

Hygiene is about more than using strong passwords and installing updates promptly. Identity security must be a part of the broader definition, and agencies must manage their pool of permissions more effectively. Attackers have realised that once they breach perimeter defenses, many networks lack the in-network protections to promptly detect and derail their activities.

When attackers are free to move laterally throughout a network with minimal fear of detection, they can look for valuable information and assets to steal, increasing the potential damage. Worse, it allows them to escalate their attacks by targeting Active Directory, potentially compromising administrator-level identities, and effectively seizing the keys to the castle, which happens all too often.

Active Directory and identity services are essential to the function of todays network and cloud environments and protecting them must be a part of basic cyber hygiene.
GUEST OPINION: Australia is opening back up and employees will be returning to the office but expecting new ways of working. Its important to set a solid platform that will evolve with you. Crestron has solutions to help.

Remote working is not new, but COVID greatly accelerated and expanded how entrenched and adopted remote working is, across every industry. With lockdowns easing employers, and employees too, are looking to return to some semblance of normal. We will see reinvigorated team building, collaboration, conferences, events, sales calls, and all the other things we used to do.

At the same time, the world has changed; remote working is not going away and the reality is while theres a place for face-to-face meetings, the work/life balance of remote working has been well proven. Instead, the future of work will be a hybrid model with people working in the office some of the time and outside at other times.

The challenge for business and government is effectively managing this transition and the ongoing evolution of work from here. Its imperative to leverage equipment and tools that aid your workforce in being equally as effective wherever they are, whenever they work, and whatever device they use. Communication and collaboration must be ever so simple. Sharing and editing documents must be seamless and inspire confidence in the participants, even the technophobes.

Technology and business leaders who want the greatest results will be looking for platforms they can use today and which will expand in the future, and importantly, which dont break the bank or force existing office equipment to retire prematurely.

For example, your company might now be committed to Microsoft Teams because it served you well throughout the pandemic, but your existing boardroom was never set up for Teams because it was set up during a simpler time.

Or, perhaps, you need to conference with people who are divided among the office and elsewhere. Its not a great experience if you require all your in-office staff to individually dial-in to a call, and its similarly dissatisfying if your outside workers are unable to effectively participate in the discussion around the table.

Happily, these are solvable problems. What you want is a cloud-supported, standards-based suite of integrations that allow you to create hybrid collaboration spaces that allow for connectivity regardless of platform, implementing solutions without any custom programming or expensive setup.

These are critical in today's workplace and heres where Crestron comes in; the well-known company has been in business for half a century and provides a rich suite of audio-visual, automation, and integration technologies which all come to the aid of helping people get back to work safely and reliably.

Crestron's roots are in audiovisual equipment but evolved over its 50-year history to be a smart space Internet of Things company, providing enhanced experiences for commercial and residential customers. Its solutions cater for all the places where people live, learn, work, and play, but especially focus on the workplace, bringing Crestrons vast expertise in control and automation.

This includes the Flex platform with a full range of solutions for any size of meeting space and AirMedia (pictured above) which provides wireless sharing over an organisations existing network.

Crestron's options include unified communications, meeting solutions, collaboration tools, presentation solutions and more, but with simplicity at heart. Instead of piecing together multiple disparate elements, companies expect and demand options that are simple to deploy and manage and which largely are set-and-forget.

As one example, the Crestron Flex MX (pictured below) is such a product that allows any user or visitor to connect and present on any platform with one touch, for companies that have standardised on Microsoft Teams. It really cant get simpler than that. The Flex M-series can extend beyond the camera, microphone, and touch panel to also handle shading, lighting, environment controls, audio, scheduling, and more - all without custom programming.

If your business is working on its return-to-work plan you need to consider your policies and processes - and you also need to consider the technology and practicalities of how you will facilitate hybrid working for the greatest business benefit. Crestron has your back with product offerings to implement your vision, limited only by what you can imagine, not by what you own or where you work.

Learn more.
After a long time, Telstra has literally hit the jackpot with a business move: the company has fallen in with the Australian Government's wishes and jointly acquired Digicel's business in the South Pacific, something that the US has pushed Australia to do.

The entire deal was in Telstra's favour: there was minimal outlay, with Canberra bearing the brunt of the expenditure (US$1.3 billion from the government as opposed to US$270 million from Telstra). And given that the telco has provided the government with a lifeline, it is well placed to call in the favour when the sale of the NBN Co comes around.

A high-level version of I'll-scratch-your-back-if-you-scratch-mine. Telstra gets to own and operate the company and also own 100% of the ordinary equity.

Canberra has been under pressure from Washington ever since it became known that China Mobile, one of the top three operators in China, might be casting a covetous look towards Digicel. One only has to mention the term "national security" in the US capital these days to set the fire alarms screaming.

The last time a similar situation arose was when ASIS director-general Nick Warnerto the Solomon Islands in 2017 to prevent a deal with Chinese telecommunications equipment vendor Huawei Technology for the laying of a submarine cable.

Warner spoke to Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare and forced him to cancel the deal. The message conveyed was that if the Solomon Islands proceeded with the project, then Australia would withdraw the licence for the cable landing rights in Sydney.

The project was finally awarded to the Vocus Group, with Australia footing two-thirds of the bill, a sum of about A$100 million. Anything to keep the administration in Washington happy.

The sale of the NBN Co has been part of the logic (if one can call it that) behind setting up such a company to provide broadband to the whole country. Only the most biased observer would call it a success, but it still staggers on its merry way, even forking out healthy bonuses to its executives.

The mandarins in Canberra would like to recoup whatever cash they can through the sale of the company, but will have to wait until an opportune time arrives. There hasn't been any talk about this for the last two years given the outbreak of COVID-19.

The fact that a sale, most likely to Telstra, would take the country back to where it was in the 1990s  when a certain large firm partly owned by the government was able to dictate terms to all and sundry in the telco business  does not appear to have registered with government bureaucrats.

Telstra has been looking for a way to become the 800-lb gorilla again and joining in the purchase of Digicel has now put it firmly in the box seat to acquire NBN Co as and when the latter is put on the market.

For a company that has seen its share price go mostly south ever since David Thodey left its portals, that would be a very sweet day indeed.
Lawyers pushing to overturn a British verdict to deny the extradition of WikiLeaks founder and publisher Julian Assange to the US have avoided any mention of a report that the CIA planned to kill him in 2017, during the two-day appeal that ended on Thursday.

Appearing for the American side, James Lewis QC said four assurances had been given, including that Assange could be moved to an Australian prison to serve any prison term he was given.

On 4 January, British District Judge Vanessa Baraister ruled that Assange should not be extradited, saying the risk he would commit suicide in a US jail were too high.

US: "Even if we lose, we can start again with Mr. Assange and issue another extradition request" -James Lewis QC today at the UK High Court on behalf of the US Government  WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) October 28, 2021

Lewis claimed the verdict was based on the assumption that Assange would be subjected to what are known as Special Administrative Measures and held at the ADX Florence Supermax jail. The four assurances given changed the basis of the judgment, he said.

The Court of Appeal, comprising Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett, sitting with Lord Justice Holroyde, said it would issue its verdict later as lawyers had given them "much to think about".

Assange's lawyers told the court that American assurances about Assange's treatment, were he to be extradited, should be disregarded as they would not prevent him committing suicide.

They said even though the US side said Assange would not be subjected to SAMs, he could be held in extreme isolation which could cause him to take his own life.

One of his lawyers, Mark Summers, said the CIA could use its powers to ensure that Assange was subject to SAMs after he was in American hands, and the wording of the assurances given by the US lawyers did not rule out this happening.

The report, which was published by Yahoo! News in September, said the American spy agency was angry about the leak of some of its hacking tools that year, which the whistleblower organisation called Vault 7.

The Yahoo! News story said the drive to act against Assange came after the appointment of Mike Pompeo as CIA director.

Assange faces criminal charges for publishing classified information that was leaked to WikiLeaks by an American soldier, then known as Bradley Manning, but now, after gender reassignment surgery, known as Chelsea Manning.

US assurances have come too late to be properly tested, they dont undermine the findings on mental health and risk of suicide, they are conditional and cant be trusted. @Amnesty agrees with #Assange's defence: US assurances inherently unreliablehttps://t.co/Eg7J6p3prO pic.twitter.com/P2SYKw9NTo  WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) October 28, 2021

He was arrested by British police on 11 April 2019 and removed from the Ecuador embassy where he had taken refuge. His asylum was withdrawn shortly before he was arrested and he appeared in court shortly thereafter. The US made a formal request for his extradition on 6 June 2019.

The Australian, 50, one of the better known hackers his country has produced, is being held at Belmarsh Prison in the UK.

In 2018, the US gave up appealing a decision by a court in the UK to oppose the extradition of British security researcher Lauri Love to the US to face charges of allegedly breaching the computer networks of a number of federal government agencies.

And another British hacker, Gary McKinnon, was not extradited for accessing US Government computers in 2012, after a 10-year legal battle, because he was considered to be seriously ill.

Former British prime minister Theresa May, who was home secretary at the time, made the decision not to extradite McKinnon.
Today

A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. High near 80F. Winds light and variable.

Tonight

Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 54F. Winds light and variable.

Tomorrow

Partly cloudy skies. High 82F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph.
This Week in Review

A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more.
Today

Clouds and some sun this morning with more clouds for this afternoon. High near 80F. Winds light and variable.

Tonight

Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 54F. Winds light and variable.

Tomorrow

Partly cloudy skies. High 82F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph.
Virginia Beth Bounds Gray passed away Saturday, November 6, 2021 in Flint. She was born April 14, 1938 in Sacul, Texas to James and Callie Bounds. Funeral Services are scheduled for Friday, November 12, 2021 to begin at 1:00pm at Boren-Conner Funeral Home in Jacksonville. A visitation will b
The attorney for a Black man who was run over by a Kansas deputy in an encounter caught on dashcam video says he was shocked to learn the deputy is now employed as a master sergeant at the Hutchinson prison while under criminal investigation
FILE  In this May 29, 2018, file photo, then-Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens announces his resignation during a news conference in Jefferson City. An election watchdog says former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens violated campaign finance laws in his bid for U.S. Senate. The Washington-based nonprofit campaign finance watchdog group Campaign Legal Center filed a federal complaint against Greitens Senate campaign Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021.
Joplin, MO (64801)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. High 56F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 42F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.
Betty Jean Pulley, 95, passed away November 4, 2021, at Windridge Nursing Home, Miami, Oklahoma. Betty was born September 7, 1926, at home in Riverton, Kansas, to Albert Petty Cutright and Alta Elizabeth (Newkirk). She graduated from Riverton High School Class of 1944, and attended Joplin Ju
Two Martinsburg sites - the former Interwoven Mill, above, and Perfection Garment Company  will be revitalized after an agreement with Monument Companies out of Richmond, Virginia.
Living Reporter and Theatre Critic

Tim covers leisure and arts, and he is also a theater critic. He interned for the JI in 2015, and was hired in 2016. Tim graduated from UConn, Central College of McPherson, Kansas, and American Musical & Dramatic Academy. His favorite movie is "Jaws."
MANCHESTER CANDIDATES

Candidates whose names will appear on the ballot in the Nov. 2 election.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

(Vote for up to six; nine elected)

Democrats

Tim Bergin

Pamela Floyd-Cranford

Sarah L. Jones

Jay Moran

Jesse Muniz-Poland

Dennis Schain

Republicans

Brian Marois

Zachary Reichelt

Jeff Sullivan

Kelly Lierzer

Peter Conyers

Jacqueline Crespan

SELECTMEN

(vote for up to two; three elected)

Democrats

Kevin Zingler

Steve Cassano

Republicans

Mark Tweedie

Kristine Moulard

CONSTABLES

(Vote for up to four; seven elected)

Democrats

Colin ONeill

Ed Slegeski

Albert Gionet

Warren Packer

Republicans

Salvatore Mancini

Rusty Meek

Kevin Hood

TOWN CLERK

Democrat

Darryl E. Thames Sr.

Republican

Cheri Pelletier Eckbreth

BOARD OF EDUCATION

Term beginning 2021

(Vote for up to two; three elected)

Democrats

David M. Eisenthal

Melanie Stefanovicz

Republicans

Richard Kohls

Rich Rader

BOARD OF EDUCATION

Term beginning in 2022

(Vote for up to two; three elected)

Democrats

Tracy R. Patterson

Chris Pattacini

Republicans

Cathy Hopperstad

Michael Orsene

BOARD OF EDUCATION

One year term beginning 2021

Democrat

No candidate

Republican

Michael Orsene
I was able to turn the page thanks to my abusers trial, says Olivier Savignac, one of the few victims of sexual abuse in the French Church whose assailant was tried and convicted. According to archival research  Church, judicial and media archives  carried out by the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes at the request of the Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church (Ciase), only 330 ecclesiastical abusers have been tried and sentenced in France since the beginning of the 1950s, out of a total number of abusers estimated at between 2,900 and 3,200. The real number may be much higher.

The statute of limitations is the reason evoked to explain this gap and the fact that Ciase itself has only referred 21 cases to the justice system, whereas more than 6,000 victims testified before it and it has recorded 330,000 victims. The hearings of victims carried out by the Commission involved mostly people aged 60 or even 70. Few of them fit the box for a possible criminal prosecution, because of successive laws on the statute of limitations for sexual assaults on minors, says lawyer Nadia Debbache, who defended the victims of Father Bernard Preynat in a highly publicized trial that led to his conviction in Lyon in 2020, and which raised awareness in France.

New statute of limitation rules

The Commissions report also specifies that 42 other cases were reported to the Church. These were time-barred cases where the perpetrator is still alive, says Antoine Garapon, a magistrate and member of Ciase. The report indicates that 56% of the sexual violence committed by members of the clergy took place between 1950 and 1969  the height of the violence. All of these cases are time-barred. In French law, the statute of limitations cancels legal proceedings for sexual crimes against minors after 30 years, for rape after 20 years, and for sexual assault and harassment after six years.

This wall has been breached very partially with the law of April 21, 2021, intended to protect minors from sexual crimes and incest [by creating] new statute of limitation mechanisms that allow more punishment of perpetrators long after the event. This reform targets repeat offenders. From now on, if an aggressor commits another attack before the statute of limitations has expired for a first victim, the latter will benefit from a new statute of limitations. This gives the victim more time to break their silence, because we know, in the context of these offences within the Church, how important time is in order to come forward, says Debbache. This so-called rolling statute of limitations also lengthens the period of obligation for witnesses of such acts to denounce them.

This is a great step forward, says Francois Devaux, a victim of Father Preynat and founder of the association La Parole Liberee, now dissolved. It shows that justice is finally reaching the heart of the Church and its endemic problems. Garapon says this will only be the case if victims and associations take it up. It is one of those laws that offer a possibility to victims or associations. We have a similar situation in environmental matters: it will depend on the pugnacity of the associations or the victims to put this provision into effect.

The Ciase report clearly discards the option of legislative reform to further extend the statutes of limitation. It would not improve acknowledgment of the facts and would not help the healing of victims confronted with a criminal trial whose outcome is all the more uncertain for coming so late.

Accords between prosecutors and dioceses

Following the Ciase report, Minister of Justice Eric Dupond-Moretti sent a letter to public prosecutors asking them to systematically open a preliminary investigation, including for facts likely to be time-barred. Debbache agrees with this: The public prosecutors office should systematically investigate if a victim comes forward to denounce time-barred acts that took place during their childhood, or if it is a vulnerable person. This allows other victims to be identified in cases where the aggressor is a repeat offender. This was the case in the Preynat affair; the first victim was time-barred, the second also, but the third one was not. A criminal investigation could be opened, the lawyer explains.

French former priest convicted for sexual assaults Bernard Preynat leaves Lyons courthouse, southeastern France, at the end of his trial on January 2020.  Philippe Desmazes / AFP

The statute of limitations considerations are quite complicated; they depend on the age of the victim and the nature of the facts (crime or misdemeanor). The more evidence there is, the more complicated the statute of limitations can be, hence the benefit of an investigation to find out more, agrees Jacques Dallest, public prosecutor in Grenoble (southeast France). Dallest is one of the first public prosecutors (after the Paris prosecutor) to have put in place an agreement between courts in the jurisdiction of the Grenoble Court of Appeal and the bishops of the region. This was done in November 2019, well before the Ciase recommendation to generalize accords between public prosecutors and dioceses.

An accord means obligations on both sides: The bishops must inform the prosecutor as soon as possible, by e-mail, telephone or mail, that they have received information about abuse, without trying to find out more, explains Dallest. It is up to the prosecutor to open an investigation, so that the bishop is not accused of having covered up a case, or of having tried to steer it this way or that. In Grenoble, for example, two preliminary investigations are under way on suspicions of sexual assault following a report from the bishop of Isere. At least one priest is concerned. Dallest says the accord is a beautiful document but it must be made to live, to be applied. This approach has existed for years in different areas. Experimenting with bishops is very new, the subject is very sensitive, but we need such accords in the 36 French courts of appeal. To date, 17 public prosecutors offices in France  each under the jurisdiction of a court of appeal  have signed an accord of this kind.

Collective complaints from victims?

But criminal cases are not enough, Ciase stresses, because to have investigations, victims still need to come forward. In cases of sexual violence, and even more so when it comes to the Church, victims sometimes take decades to break their silence because psychologically it is very hard [to start a criminal procedure], says lawyer Debbache. Garapon adds that this is why very often victims want recognition or consideration of their claim more than a conviction.

As well as the primary responsibility of the aggressor, the Ciase report explores the possibility for victims to invoke the legal responsibility of bishops and religious institutions. A first barrier arises, notes Ciase: the Church is not, in the sense of the law, a legal person, nor are the dioceses and parishes. On the other hand, a religious congregation, convent or monastery constitute legal persons. But in all cases, responsibilities should be established: Bishops ordain priests, with the powers that bestows on them especially in sacramental matters. As religious superiors they provide through missions they assign contact with children, and some provide the means of aggression.

Ciase goes further to quote the civil code, which states that one is responsible not only for the damage that one causes by ones own act, but also for that caused by the act of the persons for whom one is responsible, stressing that the justification of this provision is guarantee of compensation for the victim. In the case of violence within the Church, the report adds, there is responsibility of the principal (in this case the bishop) and the author of the fault (the priest). This is a very interesting avenue, according to Debbache, who says he is currently thinking about organizing collective complaints from victims.

Restorative justice

Finally, the report calls for a process of restorative justice which centres on the victim and repairing the wrongs s/he suffered. One of the ways restorative justice can work, adds Ciase, is through meetings between victims, aggressors and representatives of the community or civil society () This type of meeting can help reparation, by bringing recognition of the facts, the responsibility of the perpetrator, and the suffering of the victim.

This form of justice is very experimental in France, but already very developed in Canada, says Garapon, who studied this issue at Ciase. It is a very good way to get around the impossibilities of justice; we can see that a formal trial is no longer satisfactory, and even less so for sexual violence. He admits, however, that to introduce restorative justice within the Church would be completely new.

We will have to invent the tools of such justice for this specific context, says Carole Damiani, director of Paris Aide aux victimes and member of Ciase. Savignac thinks it is essential to prioritize the children by firstly worrying about the victims but also thinking about the perpetrators, who very often are not monitored or helped after having served their prison sentence. But he also fears the fragility of such a process: When we know that a good number of manipulative sexual predators cannot overcome their behaviour, restorative justice is only a partial answer to the problem of paedo-criminality.

Whether inside or outside the Church, it seems all possibilities should be explored to punish and repair child sexual abuse, a scourge affecting one family in ten in France. Thus, the Independent Commission on incest and sexual violence against children (Ciivise)  to which Ciase has passed on its listening service for victims  has just collected 4,200 testimonies in one month. The Church is only one place amongst others where violence takes place.
Under fire for his environmental policies, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro will skip climate talks in Glasgow next week and instead visit an Italian town awarding him honorary citizenship, Rome said Thursday.

The presidents provisional itinerary shows Bolsonaro will attend the G20 summit in Rome this weekend before heading to Anguillara Veneta in northeast Italy on Monday.

Other world leaders will be in Glasgow Monday for the start of the UN COP26 climate talks.

Bolsonaro and his government have faced biting criticism on the environment, especially in the wake of massive deforestation in Brazil  and associated greenhouse gas emissions.

Hes also under fire for his Covid policy.

On Tuesday, a Brazilian Senate commission endorsed a report that seeks to indict Bolsonaro for nine crimes, including crimes against humanity, over his Covid response.

Some 606,000 Brazilians have died from Covid-19, second only to the United States.

The citizenship decision by Anguillara Veneta, approved by the city council, has caused a stir in Italy.

The spokesman for the regional opposition, Arturo Lorenzoni, called it a slap in the face for the values of the Constitution.

But mayor Alessandra Buoso, a member of the far-right League party, told AFP that the honorary citizenship was to reward the welcome that migrants from Anguillara Veneta have received in Brazil.

About a thousand inhabitants of the town fled poverty to emigrate to Brazil at the end of the 19th century, among them Bolsonaros ancestors.

Bolsonaro is suffering low approval ratings at home, one year ahead of an election that polls predict him to lose.

Earlier this month, he was accused of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court for his alleged role in the destruction of the Amazon.

The complaint brought by Austrian environmental justice campaigners AllRise accused Bolsonaro of waging a widespread campaign resulting in the murder of environmental defenders and of endangering the global population through emissions caused by deforestation.

Earlier this week, Brazils Vice President Hamilton Mourao suggested the country would continue a confrontational negotiating strategy at COP26, renewing calls for other countries to pay Brazil to preserve the Amazon.

Brazis Environment Minister Joaquim Leite will lead the coutnrys COP26 delegation.
The International Criminal Court in The Hague said Thursday it had shelved a preliminary probe into crimes committed during Colombias near six-decade civil war, saying it would leave investigations to domestic institutions.

The court had opened a preliminary investigation in 2004, more than a decade before a peace deal between Bogota and the FARC guerilla group ended a conflict that authorities say resulted in nine million people being either killed, disappearing or being displaced.

It focused on crimes against humanity and war crimes committed by government forces, paramilitary forces and rebel groups, including murder, kidnapping, torture, rape and forceful displacement of civilians.

On Thursday, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan said the court had concluded that Colombia was living up to its international obligations to investigate and prosecute the crimes itself.

Thousands are under investigation by Colombian authorities, he said.

If genuine efforts were made to put an end to impunity, we (the ICC) do not have the right to superimpose the national system, said Khan, flanked at a press conference in Bogota by President Ivan Duque.

Duque said the decision recognized the solidity of Colombias institutions.

Colombia has shown that there are sentences here, that there are convictions here, that there is reparation here and above all that a great effort is made for the truth, the president said.

Colombia established the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), a tribunal to try the worst atrocities committed during the conflict.

Since 2017, it has charged former FARC commanders with the kidnapping of at least 21,000 people and the recruitment of 18,000 minors.

Senior military officials have been charged with killing some 6,400 civilians presented as guerillas.

The JEP hopes to deliver its first verdicts this year or in early 2022. It has the authority to offer alternatives to jail time to people who confess their crimes and make reparations to their victims.

Khan said that if needed, the ICC preliminary investigation could be reopened under a cooperation agreement with Colombia  the first the court had ever concluded with a state party.

The closure of the preliminary examination does not detract from the reality that significant work is still required and that the institutions established must continue to be given the space to perform their constitutional responsibilities, the ICC said in a statement.

Colombia is experiencing its most violent period since the 2016 peace deal, which ended most fighting.

Some dissident FARC rebels, as well as guerillas with the surviving ELN group, paramilitary groups and drug gangs are battling for control of lucrative smuggling routes.
The Overland Park Police Department offense report just came to light, but was filed by Principal David Ewers on Nov. 8 at 1 p.m., a couple of hours after hundreds of students walked out while holding signs saying things like, "Protect the victims, not the assailants," "It's not a joke," and
Thriller-mystery Kdramas reigned in 2021, giving the audience jaw-dropping twists while keeping them at the edge of their seats - one of which is JTBC's crime-thriller drama "Law School."

Released in April, the Wednesday and Thursday series follows the story of professors and law students at the prestigious Hankuk University. Despite the inviting and calm aura of the university, there lies a mysterious incident that involved the faculty and first-year law students.

"Law School" stars Kim Myung Min as former prosecutor turned terror professor Yang Jong Hoon also known as "Yangcrates" to his students.

Together with him is judge-turned-law professor Kim Eun Sook, played by the veteran actress Lee Jung Eun.

Meanwhile, Hankuk freshmen featured Kim Bum, Ryu Hye Young, Lee Soo Kyung, Lee David, Go Yoon Jung and more, who were involved in a crime concerning the death of another Hankuk law professor Seo Byung Joo, portrayed by Ahn Nae Sang.

In case you miss the Hankuk students and professors, here are the "Law School" cast members and their current and upcoming projects that every fan should look forward.

Kim Myung Min (Yang Jong Hoon)

IN CASE YOU MISSED: 'Law School' Star Kim Myung Min Reveals Why He Almost Quit Acting

The 49-year-old award-winning actor impressed the viewers when he played the role of "Yangcrates" in the JTBC drama.

He wowed everyone with his frightening stares and mind-boggling remarks, stimulating the public's curiosity regarding the unsolved case.

After starring in "Law School," it seems like Kim Myung Min has taken a brief hiatus being the thriller crime series as his latest Kdrama.

Kim Bum (Han Joon Hwi)

He played the ace student Han Joon Hwi, who almost got imprisoned for his alleged involvement with the crime.

Following the JTBC drama, he is set to star in a slew of Kdramas in the coming year, one of which is the Kdrama comeback of Rain for the upcoming series "The Ghost Doctor."

Moreover, he is also rumored to reprise his role, alongside Lee Dong Wook, in the "Tale of the Nine-Tailed" Season 2.

Ryu Hye Young (Kang Sol A)

At the height of the drama, viewers lauded Ryu Hye Young's performance as the sassy Kang Sol A in "Law School" and her dual character Kang Dan.

After her impressive portrayal in the thriller crime series, the "Reply 1988" actress is in talks to appear in "When the Day Breaks" together with "Dr. Romantic" star Han Seok Kyu, Yeom Hye Ran and Jung Yu Mi.

Not only that, the 30-year-old beauty is making a comeback on the big screen with "Dead Man."

Lee Soo Kyung (Kang Sol B)

"Law School" cast update will not be complete without the competitive Kang Sol B, played by Lee Soo Kyung.

After the JTBC series, she appeared in the recently released movie "Miracle: Letters to the President," alongside SNSD's Yoona and Park Jung Min.

David Lee (Seo Ji Ho)

His character in "Law School" Seo Ji Ho plays a mysterious freshmen student but seems quite goofy over David Lee's Instagram.

The South Korean cutie is in talks to star in the upcoming movie "Holy Night: Demon Hunters" joining the star-studded cast including Ma Dong Seok, Seohyun, Kyung Soo Jin and Jeong Ji So.

KDramastars owns this article

Written by Geca Wills
Yoo Ah In, Kim Hyun Joo, Park Jung Min and more work together to return to the small screen with a heart-stopping thriller Kdrama "Hellbound."

On October 28, Netflix Korea finally unveiled the main trailer for the drama, which shared a glimpse of what would happen in the drama.

Yoo Ah In, Kim Hyun Joo and Park Jung Min Fight For Their Lives in 'Hellbound'

The upcoming thriller drama "Hellbound" follows the story of the poor people facing a harrowing supernatural phenomenon, where unknown creatures from hell invade the Earth without a warning to condemn people.

The teaser video begins with two children who are happily singing the birthday song for their beloved mother Park Jung Jae (Kim Shin Rok). The three celebrate a short-lived glee as a terrifying creature evades their home and warns her that she'll die in five days.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Yoo Ah In's Upcoming Netflix Series 'Hellbound' to Premiere in Toronto International Film Festival

Amid the chaos of reality, an emerging religion spearheaded by Jung Jin Soo (Yoo Ah In) soon collects books. Yoo Ah In, who is just beginning to gain popularity, desperately searches for the truth behind the strange phenomena.

Chaos, fear and turmoil embroil the town and turn the world upside down. Jung Jin Soo asks the people, "Why do people sin? Humans choose to sin. And now, God has found a way to directly show you what hell is like."

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Park Hae Soo Transforms Into a Homicide Detective in New Drama 'Chimera' + Actor Shares Thoughts on New Role and Drama

People, both rich and poor, clamored for freedom and safety. However, Jung Jin Soo shows off a sinister smile and declares, "Welcome to the new world."

Attention is focused on what kind of acting performance the cast will give, especially the award-winning actor Yoo Ah In.

The drama is also expected to be added to the list of "cult classics," amplifying anticipation from thriller and drama fans.

Kdrama 'Hellbound' Pre-Production and Further Details

The upcoming Netflix cult thriller series "Hellbound" is based on a webtoon of the same name. It is helmed to perfection by the award-winning director and writer of the "Train to Busan" and "Peninsula".

Apart from the main stars, Won Jin Ah, Yang Ik June, Ryu Kyung Soo and Lee Re are also part of the cult drama.

Yoo Ah In, Kim Hyun Joo and Park Jung Min's "Hellbound" held its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival 2021 on September 9, Busan International Film Festival 2021 on October 7 and BFI London Film Festival on October 15.

The series will be available for streaming for over 190 countries on November 19 on Netflix.

Watch the spine-chilling teaser of "Hellbound" here:

Follow KDramaStars for more KMovie, KDrama, and celebrity updates!



KDramaStars owns this article.

Written by Elijah Mully.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden says he has reached a historic framework with Democrats in Congress on his sweeping, though scaled-back domestic policy plan.

Biden's remarks at the White House come after he traveled early Thursday to Capitol Hill to pitch House Democrats on the package. The proposal is now $1.75 trillion and without a paid family leave program and other priorities. But it's still a sweeping plan with new health care, free-prekindergarten and climate change programs.

He told lawmakers in the plainest language: I need your votes. He wanted a deal before departing for global summits. Progressive House Democrats want to see the fine print.

The Democratic president is headed first to Rome and later to Scotland for talks on stopping a global pandemic, boosting economic growth and halting the acceleration of climate change. But it could be harder to get the world to commit to Biden's stated goals if Americans refuse to fully embrace them.

Biden and Democrats are getting low marks from the public as they try to get the roughly $1.75 trillion spending package over the finish line. Fewer than half of Americans approve of how they've handled negotiations. And many say they know little to nothing about the bill.

Overall, 36% say they approve of Bidens handling of the talks, while 41% disapprove. Another 23% say they neither approve nor disapprove. That's according to The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll.

Ratings of Republicans role in the situation are even worse. Republicans have been shut out from the talks over the bill. They're expected to overwhelmingly, if not unanimously, oppose the Democratic package.
RUCH, Ore.  An Applegate Valley man suspected of killing his wife before turning the gun on himself last week has now been formally charged with second-degree murder, the Jackson County District Attorney's Office announced on Thursday. 54-year-old David Allen Karnes remains in the hospital, recovering from his self-inflicted wound.

Deputies and troopers from Oregon State Police responded to a home along Little Applegate Road southeast of Cantrall Buckley park in the early morning hours of October 20 for a report of a gunshot victim. When they arrived at the home, Karnes reportedly refused commands to come out, leading police to bring in the Jackson County SWAT and crisis negotiation teams.

Shortly before 3 a.m., officers reported hearing a single gunshot as the SWAT team entered the home. They found Karnes suffering from an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound. Karnes' wife, 54-year-old Constance Maria Murphy, was found dead from visible gunshot wounds.

First responders performed lifesaving measures on Karnes and he was taken in a Mercy Flights ambulance to a local hospital, where he has remained since.

Last week, a Jackson County judge approved temporary intensive release from jail for Karnes due to his condition. An Asante physician reported that Karnes "presents no threat" and remained heavily sedated while medical staff waited for swelling to decrease pending follow-up procedures. That process was expected to last at least a week.

Judge Lorenzo Mejia ordered that Karnes have an electronic ankle monitor placed on him until he is conscious and can be discharged from Asante Rogue Regional, then immediately transported to the Jackson County Jail.

A Jackson County grand jury met on October 26 and approved an indictment of Karnes for Murder in the Second Degree. The court will set a future date for Karnes' arraignment pending his release from the hospital.
PORTLAND, Ore.  The Oregon Health Authority announced Thursday that 80% of Oregonians 18 and older have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, accounting for more than 2.68 million people.

OHA said that the achievement was measured through CDC data, which is slightly higher than numbers reported by the state itself. The CDC's data includes vaccinations done through federal facilities, such as the Veteran's Administration.

By total population, Oregon has now delivered at least one dose of a COVID-19 to 68% of all residents. Currently, children under the age of 12 remain ineligible for a vaccine.

The state ranks 20th in the nation for the percentage of residents who have received at least one shot. Fully vaccinated individuals make up 63% of all Oregon residents, and the state ranks 12th in the nation by this metric.

Coronavirus Watch: Oregon COVID-19 cases and deaths fell last week, but hospitalizations rose

State officials said that they are encouraged that Oregon has reached the threshold of 80% of adults who have received at least a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccines, but health experts believe that Oregon and other similarly situated states are still below the level of "herd immunity" needed to halt viral transmission. The OHA continues to urge those who are unvaccinated to get a shot.

Reaching 80 percent is an important milestone because it loosens COVID-19s grip on our state. Vaccines work and we know they save lives. We strongly encourage everyone who has not yet been vaccinated to do so at their earliest opportunity. Getting vaccinated is  quite simply  our states best way out of this pandemic, said Rachael Banks, OHAs Public Health Director.

Banks said that while the state has made significant progress in closing the vaccination gap among people of color and rural communities, Oregon is still below the 80% threshold of those vaccinated  suggesting that vaccinations in Oregon have not been administered as equitably as they should be.

The OHA says it has prioritized outreach across the state through its Community Partner Outreach Program and Community Engagement Team to engage more than 170 community-based organizations, producing outreach materials in 11 languages and dozens of community-specific vaccine events.

We are working with leaders in communities of color and faith communities to redress the lack of fair access to vaccines, Banks added. We are committed to making sure our health care system and our vaccination efforts do a better job at eliminating long held health injustices. We also are working with organizers to incorporate child-friendly services wherever possible, knowing that very soon children ages 5-11 will be authorized to receive the vaccine as well.

While we celebrate this milestone, our hope is that the 80% vaccination rate only continues to rise to include every Oregonian.
ROGUE VALLEY, ORE. -- Southern Oregon Climate Action Now believes one of the most effective actions individuals can take to address the climate crisis is to electrify their lives as much as possible.

The group hosted a meeting open to community members on Tuesaday, October 26, to discuss opportunities for Rogue Valley residents to solarize their lives.

Ray Sanchez-Pescador with Solarize Rogue has already been apart of establishing the community solar project in Talent at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Production facility where 11 homeowners and 5 renters have purchased ownership or subscribed to having energy generated at the facility to power their homes.

"One of the large groups that has been left out of the solar energy transformation were renters.", Pescador told Newswatch 12.

SOCAN recognizes not everyone owns their own home, or has a South-facing roof on which to install the panels, so with the help of community partners, Ashland Solar Cooperative is working toward another community solar project.

Though the group is being supported by a number of local partners including OSF, Rogue Climate, and Oregon Community Solar program, Ashland Solar Cooperative still needs a roof large enough in the city of Ashland that could be used for installing a project.

Jim Hartman with Ashland Solar Cooperative said with it's project, "We're going to try to give 10 percent of the electricity generated from all our systems to low income households for free."

As of right now, those families would be selected through a lottery drawing, according to Hartman.

For more information on Solarize Rogue visit it's website https://solarizerogue.org/community-solar/. To learn about Ashland Solar Cooperative visit https://ashland-solar.coop/.
Two cranes are being assembled this week on a downtown Kelowna construction site where five people were killed in July. Two online petitions protesting the resumption of work have garnered about 750 signatures.
A person receives a COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination clinic run by Vancouver Coastal Health, in Richmond, B.C., Saturday, April 10, 2021. An independent group of researchers analyzing the course COVID-19 in British Columbia says cases are declining at about two per cent a day but children under 10 could now be more at risk of contracting the virus due to their unvaccinated status. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
News

Judge denies bond motion for Oak Grove arson defendant

Charles Smalls

The man accused of setting a home on fire in Oak Grove while his wife was inside in April appeared in Christian Circuit Court Judge John Atkins court Wednesday morning for a bond reduction motion hearing.

Charles Smalls, 50, appeared in Atkins court via Zoom while at the Christian County Jail while his defense attorney Stephanie Ritchie-Mize appeared in person to argue on his behalf to have his bond reduced and be allowed release from custody.

Smalls is currently charged with a single count of first-degree arson.

Ive been in contact with his family and Mr. Smalls has been in custody for quite some time, Ritchie-Mize said as she began arguing for his bond reduction.

His sister lives in North Carolina and we are asking the court to allow him to post bond and be placed on an ankle monitor and stay with his sister while this case is pending.

Ritchie-Mize added that the defense and the commonwealth is hoping to get a resolution in the case, but there had been a delay on their negotiations as the victim in the case had to recover from her injuries before she could be interviewed by police.

Christian County Commonwealths Attorney Rick Boling shared that the commonwealth would be against any form of change to Smalls bond.

Ive talked to the victim and we are not in agreement to any kind of reduction of bond whatsoever, he said.

We feel the bond is appropriate based on the charges in this case. The wife is truly scared for her life, so again, our position is that the bond is appropriate as is and we would object to any release, but more importantly, we object to release on ankle monitor. I dont think he should get any jail credit while hes out based on his conduct and this crime.

After hearing both arguments, Atkins ultimately sided with the commonwealth and chose to deny the bond reduction motion.

I find that Mr. Smalls is clearly a danger to others and that the bond is appropriate, he said.

Following Atkins decision, Ritchie-Mize advised the court that she would be obtaining additional evidence from the commonwealth this week and that the defense has reviewed all other evidence they have received in the case.

Ritchie-Mize added that after she learned the wifes position in the case that she believes the case may still be able to be resolved. Boling agreed.

Atkins then continued the case to a another pretrial conference to allow both parties to continue negotiating a resolution.

According to past reports, Smalls is alleged to have set fire to a mobile home on Zackary Street in Oak Grove while his wife was trapped inside on April 21.

Smalls allegedly used lighter fluid and poured inside their home in the area of the bedroom, where his wife was still inside. Smalls was reportedly able to escape the home while he allegedly left his wife in the burning mobile home.

His wife suffered life-threatening injuries and was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Nashville, where she was ultimately treated.

Smalls had claimed to police that the fire was set accidentally.

In other court news, Robert Jackson, 36, who was recently arrested on a warrant for reckless homicide for allegedly causing the death of two individuals in a vehicle collision that occurred in December 2019, also appeared in court as his defense attorney argued for a bond reduction on his behalf.

His bond is currently set at $100,000 in cash.

Jacksons defense attorney Alison Mohon argued that Jackson had also received serious injuries from the collision and is still dealing with those injuries two years later and argued that while the court previously ordered that he be allowed all of his medications in jail, he is only getting them sporadically.

And, $100,000 is just an oppressive bond for him, especially if you take his past out of it, which is the reason hes (in jail), Mohon added.

However, Mohon also acknowledged that her bond motion had only been filed Tuesday, the day before Jackson was to appear for a regular pretrial conference hearing.

She continued to argue, though, that he is not a danger to the community and if he were allowed to be released, he would be able to get his medications consistently, which she said would also allow him to appropriate work on his case.

I understand that there are people that died in this accident and I understand that one was a juvenile, she said.

However, keeping him incarcerated as a danger to the community, just doesnt seem to fit, especially in light of what his parole officer would say if she were here to testify on his behalf. When I spoke with her, she offered to write a letter or whatever she needed to do to show that he was doing what he was supposed to be doing at the time of that accident.

Mohon also raised an issue that the commonwealth had told her that the evidence in the case had been sent to her, but she had not yet received it.

After hearing her argument, Boling, who was standing in for Assistant Commonwealths Attorney Stephanie Bolen, shared that the evidence in the case was forwarded to Mohon right after the commonwealth received her motion Tuesday.

First of all, I would object to that filing of a motion the day before court  seven days is what its supposed to be for the commonwealth to be able to respond to it, Boling said before requesting the court to continue the bond motion hearing one week to allow Bolen to appear and properly argue the matter.

Self, however, decided to allow the commonwealth two weeks to file a written response to Mohons motion and subsequently argue it in person in his court.

Self set the bond hearing for Nov. 10.

Jackson is currently charged with two counts of reckless homicide and two counts of first-degree wanton endangerment.

According to New Era archives, Jackson was served a warrant for his arrest on charges of reckless homicide and wanton endangerment on Sept. 19, this year.

Jackson is accused of crossing the centerline of Princeton Road and colliding head-on with a vehicle driven by Misty Quarles, 32 on Dec. 23, 2019.

The collision reportedly caused Quarles vehicle to exit a bridge and land in a creek bed. Misty Quarles and Alexia Trump, 11, who was a passenger in the vehicle died from their injuries sustained in the wreck.

Two other passengers in the vehicle, Marcus Quarles, 34, and a juvenile who was referenced in the indictment as G.Q., were seriously injured in the collision and were flown to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, but were able to survive.
FILE - In this April 10, 2018, file photo, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg takes his seat to testify before a joint hearing of the Commerce and Judiciary Committees on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
ALBANY, Ore.  An Albany man is accused of driving under the influence in a crash that killed his passenger, the Linn County Sheriffs Office said.

The night of Oct. 22, Eric Valencia, 35, was driving on Knox Butte Road near Albany when his 2018 Kia went off the road and hit concrete blocks near a driveway, causing significant damage, according to deputies.

Passenger Benjamin Mendoza, 23, of Albany was found dead in the car. Valencias injuries were not life threatening, and he was taken to Salem Hospital.

Authorities arrested Valencia in Corvallis on Oct. 27 after he was released from the hospital. He was taken to the Linn County Jail on charges of first-degree manslaughter, reckless driving, reckless endangering and DUII.

No other vehicles were involved in the crash, and the Multi-Agency Investigation Team joined the Albany Fire Department, Oregon State Police and Albany and Lebanon police in assisting with the investigation.
EUGENE, Ore. -- People are experiencing longer wait times than ever for prescriptions at their local pharmacies.

Places like Walgreens on River Road in Eugene have seen long wait times before.

RELATED: Some customers report long wait times and reduced hours at local pharmacies

Eugene resident Jan Heaton-Norton, who has ovarian cancer, told KEZI she is undergoing chemotherapy, which causes her to feel nauseated, but she's down to her last few pills and she'll start feeling very sick if she doesn't get her medicine soon.

"And I'm not even supposed to leave the house, but I got so mad I got in my car and drove to the [Walgreens] drive-thru. And I was going to drive through but there were cars lined up around the building and into the side street," said Heaton-Norton.

She said she is in the process of changing pharmacies so she can get her medication on time.

In a statement, Walgreens said in part: "Walgreens continuously reviews staffing levels, as we have throughout the pandemic. In communities where staffing shortages have impacted our stores, we have adjusted continuity plans with the goal of creating minimal disruption to our customers and patients."

MORE: Walgreens buying all of Bi-Mart's pharmacy locations

The interim dean of the College of Pharmacy at Oregon State University, David Bearden, explained why people are seeing such long wait times. He said the COVID-19 pandemic has brought on a whole new set of responsibilities.

"Kind of the scope and scale of the pandemic response and the uptake of pharmacies of providing vaccines really changed how much work the folks in those individual locations need to do," said Bearden.

He also said at the College of Pharmacy, students are continuously taught new developments in the world of medicine, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic bringing with it new things to learn.

But what about smaller, more local pharmacies?

Steve Hirons, the owner of Hirons drug stores in Eugene, said he and his staff are doing quite well. He said he is on the lookout for even more pharmacists.

"We're a little different here from the chains. We really try to know our customers by name when they come in, know what's going on in their lives. I think that they tend to feel loyal to a locally-owned business such as ourselves," said Hirons.

As far as how to handle these long wait times, Bearden at OSU said being patient is the best way and that pharmacists continue to work hard.
LINN COUNTY, Ore. -- A Linn County property owner accused of animal neglect is out of jail.

RELATED: DEPUTIES: 14 ANIMALS DEAD AFTER SEVERE NEGLECT IN LINN COUNTY

Lynette McConnell was charged with 19 counts of second-degree animal neglect, a class C felony, after authorities said they found 14 dead animals on her property and several more that were in poor condition.

Oregon Deputy District Attorney Jake Kamins, who is lead prosecutor for the case, said from a statute standpoint, felonies carry a maximum of five years in prison. Prior charges also play a role in how long McConnell could spend in jail if convicted, he added.

In 2017, she was convicted of first-degree attempted assault constituting domestic violence, Kamins said.

"I've prosecuted or assisted-prosecuted in the majority of Oregon's counties and for me, one animal that's abused or neglected is too many. This is a case that I will prosecute to my fullest ability," Kamins said.

McConnell's next scheduled hearing is on Nov. 22.

As for the four cows and two dogs that are still alive, they are at shelters and with foster families who have experience nursing neglected animals back to health. The two dogs are at Linn County Sheriff's Office Animal Control facility.

Making this case especially sad and avoidable is the fact there are agencies and programs out there to help with feed and supplies to prevent starvation and neglect from happening in the first place.

Sara Girres of SafeHaven Humane Society said it is working to prevent these kinds of tragedies with its pet food pantry program.

"The program basically just offers pet food for anyone in need; we have dates and times that people can come pick that up from us and hopefully ensure that pets are being fed and staying in the home with their owners," Girres said.

More information about the program is available on the SafeHaven Humane Society website.
Weather Alert

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM PST THIS MORNING... * WHAT...Wet snow. Additional snow accumulations up to 1 inch on the West Plains, and Coeur d'Alene area. * WHERE...Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls, Airway Heights, Davenport, and Hayden. * WHEN...Until 10 AM PST this morning. * IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions could impact the Friday morning commute. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Slow down and use caution while traveling. The latest road conditions for the state you are calling from can be obtained by calling 5 1 1. &&
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Weather Alert

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM PST THIS MORNING... * WHAT...Wet snow. Additional snow accumulations up to one inch. * WHERE...Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls, Airway Heights, and Hayden. * WHEN...Until 10 AM PST this morning. * IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Slow down and use caution while traveling. The latest road conditions for the state you are calling from can be obtained by calling 5 1 1. &&
A third of respondents in a recent survey have experienced domestic abuse in their personal life according to Amber Women's Refuge, who are based in Kilkenny.

The survey was undertaken by Amber of women and men who work outside the home in Kilkenny and Carlow.

'The Impact of Domestic Abuse on the Workplace survey, which 200 women and men responded to, is the first of its kind to attempt to quantify the impact of domestic violence and abuse on employees and their employers in Kilkenny and Carlow.

Of the respondents who answered that they have or are experiencing domestic abuse, over 66% of them said the abuse negatively impacted their work performance with them feeling exhausted, unwell or distracted as a result of an abusive relationship in their personal life. 3.5% said their work performance was impaired by a physical injury resulting from the abuse.

35% said the abuse periodically affected their ability to work productively, with 21% saying that the abuse negatively affected their work performance most of the time. 38% experienced significant stress while at work, while 24% had to deal with frequent phone calls, messages or emails from their abuser while at work. Almost 21% experienced physical threats from their abuser during their workday.

Almost 58% of respondents who have or are experiencing domestic abuse have been absent or late for work as a result. 10% had their car keys, money for transport to work or their work clothes/uniform hidden or withheld from them and 44% needed to take planned or unplanned time off work to deal with issues related to domestic abuse.

54% of respondents cited an ex-partner as their abuser. For a quarter of respondents, a family member was the main perpetrator.

82% of respondents to Ambers survey were women, with the majority aged between 35-54 years. The highest number of respondents work in large companies with 500+ staff and under 20 staff respectively, across Kilkenny and Carlow.

These findings are in keeping with research undertaken by the Centre for Global Womens Studies at NUI Galway earlier this year. This research quantified the impact of domestic violence on productivity loss, finding that Irish women experiencing domestic violence miss, on average, 15 days of productive work each year. Research by economists in the US, UK and other European countries has also established that women who experience domestic violence are at increased risk of absenteeism, more irregular work history and reduced performance at work, consequently costing businesses time and money. These women also experienced limited occupation mobility and were at risk of dropping out of the labour force and ultimately lower earnings.

While the personal and societal effects of domestic abuse have been documented, less recognised is the impact of the serious crime of domestic abuse on the victims work and workplace. We were aware from our work on the ground in Kilkenny and Carlow that domestic abuse has a significant impact, not only for the victims in their personal lives, but that the abuse often invades their working lives. Many victims and their colleagues frequently face harassment, disruptions to their working day and job sabotage by an abusive partner or family member. Domestic abuse can also negatively impact staff turnover levels, workplace culture and morale. 1 in 4 Irish women and 1 in 7 Irish men will experience abuse from an intimate partner in their lifetime. They are very often someone who works with us or for us. said Lisa Morris, Manager, Amber Womens Refuge.

Almost 70% of respondents who said they have or are experiencing domestic abuse did not disclose it to their employer/manager or co-workers. 60% felt too embarrassed or ashamed to, while 27% did not want to get their work colleagues involved. 5% said they feared they would lose their job or be discriminated against if they disclosed the abuse.

65% of those who made a disclosure about their abuse said their employer/manager were helpful and empathetic to their situation. Encouragingly, 23% of respondents said their employer/manager suggested specialists the respondent could speak to, while 29% actively discussed possible solutions with them. 12% of respondents said their employers/managers were not helpful when they made their disclosure.

The impact of domestic abuse was also felt by their co-workers. Over half of respondents, who hadnt personally experienced domestic abuse, said they witnessed the effects of a colleagues abuse while at work in Kilkenny or Carlow. Over 18% said the abuse caused conflict or tension at work, causing them to feel stress and concern for their colleague. Only 3% of those who had witnessed a colleague dealing with domestic abuse said it did not affect them personally while at work.

83% of all respondents said that a policy on domestic abuse would benefit their workplace. 66% stated that a designated advisor or counsellor would be the most suitable person in the workplace to make a disclosure of domestic abuse to.

Globally there is a growing movement across various jurisdictions that the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion agenda must also address the consequences of domestic violence, in addition to workplace harassment and bullying. The International Labour Organisation Convention on Violence and Harassment in the World of Work, to which Ireland is a signatory, calls for governments and employers to address the risks and impacts of domestic violence in workplace policies.

Our survey findings highlight how domestic abuse is not just a devastating personal issue for those experiencing it, its a societal issue that pervades all aspects of our lives, from the person we buy our morning coffee from, to the colleague we sit beside in work or see on the screen on a Zoom call. While the response from local employer/managers was, in the main, positive for the minority of respondents who chose to disclose their abuse, gaps in knowledge, support and training on the issue of domestic abuse remain in local workplaces. said Naoimh Murphy, Communications & Training Officer, Amber Womens Refuge.

Amber is calling on employers and people managers in Kilkenny and Carlow to first acknowledge and then address the impacts of domestic abuse being experienced by some of their employees while at work. Engage in conversations, develop a Policy for Domestic Abuse for your workplace and avail of specialist training for your people managers. With the average fulltime Irish worker spending over a third of their lives at work, employers have a duty of care, as well as a financial and HR imperative, to make their workplaces a safe and supportive place for all their employees. concluded Naoimh Murphy.

Amber Womens Refuge offers specialist guidance and support to employers on developing a workplace policy on Domestic Abuse, how to spot the signs, what to do if a member of staff makes a disclosure and how to appropriately respond and refer. Contact communications@ amberwomensrefuge.ie for more details.

Amber Womens Refuge Helpline can be reached on 0818 42 42 44 and the Mens Aid Helpline is on 01 554 3811.

The Impact of Domestic Abuse on the Workplace survey was authored by Jennifer Walsh, as part of her post graduate studies at University College Cork, in partnership with Amber Womens Refuge.

Amber Womens Refuge provides emergency refuge accommodation, support and information services and a 24hr Helpline to women and children in Kilkenny and Carlow who are victims of domestic violence and abuse. Amber also provides safe, inclusive, community-based support services in Kilkenny city and county and throughout county Carlow to women and children living with or fleeing the serious crime of domestic abuse. Amber Womens Refuge works to achieve equality and the right to live a life free from violence and abuse for all in our community.
Nightclubs and venues that breach new ticketing laws will be fined up to 2,500.

This follows the announcement this week that nightclubs and venues in Ireland will operate under a new ticketing system where tickets will have to be bought at least one hour before.

Covid compliance officers will now be able to enter a premises at any time without a warrant, for an inspection to ensure customers have Covid Certs.

It is understood that the regulations will set out penalties of 2,500 for every offence and a final penalty of 5,000 and/or closure.

Industry representatives sought a grace period in the roll-out of the new rules, as many do not have the systems in place for ticket bookings, but this was not granted by officials.

The electronic tickets must also contain details to allow for contact tracing and would have to be booked at least one hour in advance.

The requirement for a ticket will be determined by whether dancing is taking place at a venue.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly is due to sign the regulations later which will take effect tomorrow.
For a defendant to have a fair trial, there are loaded terms that should never be used in a courtroom.

The Wisconsin judge in the murder trial of Kyle Rittenhouse is right about that.

But the word "victim" is not one of them.

And that's where the judge is very wrong.

Frankly, "victim" is no more pejorative than the word "defendant."

It is regarded as an identifier, much like commonly used trial terms like "evidence" or "weapon" or "testimony."

Nothing about its use guarantees a conviction or fatally undermines a defendant's right to a fair trial.

The use of either term -- "victim" or "defendant" -- does not absolve the prosecution of its burden to prove a defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Nor does their use alone persuade a juror to convict.

They orient the conversation.

Yet, Kenosha County Circuit Judge Bruce E. Schroeder, who is presiding over the murder trial of Rittenhouse -- the teenager who killed two men and wounded another during 2020 protests over the police shooting of Jacob Blake -- has decided that the term "victim" is too powerful and prejudicial to be used to describe these men in court.

In a final motions hearing Monday, the judge reasoned that the term "victim" was too loaded because it suggested that Rittenhouse  charged with felony homicide related to the shooting and killing of Anthony M. Huber and Joseph Rosenbaum and felony attempted homicide for allegedly wounding Gaige Grosskreutz -- committed a crime because he was not otherwise entitled to shoot them in self-defense.

His reasoning? If a jury hears the word "victim," they will be incapable of objectively evaluating whatever evidence Rittenhouse might present to show that he was in fear of his life when he shot the three men. Using the term "victim" to describe the three men would cast Rittenhouse in such a negative light that the jury would somehow be compelled to convict him, this thinking goes.

Everyone is entitled to the benefit of the doubt for the crimes they're accused of, and the word "victim" would preclude that benefit.

According to that logic, one would assume that in a trial the judge would apply the same principle to the use of any term that negatively depicts the person described, especially if the term is an accusation of a crime, right?

Wrong.

Rittenhouse is free, in Schroeder's court, to refer to three men he shot, two of whom lost their lives, as "rioters" and "looters" if he can present any evidence that they, in fact, were.

But here's the rub. Two of the men are deceased, and the other has never been charged with a crime for any behavior associated with his participation in the protest.

At best, Rittenhouse, therefore, would be presenting evidence through speculation that their mere presence confirms criminal behavior entirely unrelated to a claim of self-defense. There is no allegation, and Rittenhouse has not claimed, that he was the owner of any property that was stolen or dwelling that was damaged. He merely states that he was patrolling the streets of Kenosha with an AR-15 out of a sense of civic duty.

So even if there were any evidence presented that these men were somehow involved in criminal activity, which prosecutors have not even suggested, it would have no relevance to Rittenhouse's underlying claim of self-defense of his own person.

This is precisely why the use of the terms "rioters" and "looters" to describe these three men in relation to a self-defense claim is not only legally inapplicable but prejudicial.

But the judge cares not about the prejudice. "Let the evidence show what the evidence shows, that any or one of these people were engaged in arson, rioting or looting, then I'm not going to tell the defense they can't call them that," Judge Bruce Schroeder boldly said during the pre-trial hearing. Rittenhouse "can demonize them if he wants, if he thinks it will win points with the jury," Schroeder said.

But the judicial inconsistencies don't end there.

The judge believes the term "victim" is too loaded, but said the prosecution is allowed to theoretically refer to Rittenhouse as a "cold-blooded killer" In its closing arguments.

So what, pray tell, do we call the people killed in cold-blood? Decedents? The murdered? The killed? Whatever you decide, just don't let this judge catch you saying something as loaded as a "victim."

Confused? You should be.

The judge's rationale defies logic.

Or, perhaps more disturbingly, defies fairness.

The-CNN-Wire

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OLMSTED COUNTY, Minn. - Authorities in southeastern Minnesota want the public to be on the lookout for a wanted woman whose three-month-old child recently died after a traffic accident.

Dectrini Boldien, 30, of Rochester, has three active warrants out of Minnesota, and she was recently involved in a fatal traffic accident in Missouri that left her infant child dead.

Dectrini Boldien Dectrini Boldien

In connection to that crash, authorities in Missouri have filed charges of first-degree child endangerment resulting in death.

Boldien was hospitalized in Missouri but fled once she was released, and authorities think it's possible she has or will return to Minnesota.

In April, she was arrested in Rochester after allegedly leaving her children in a hot car while she was taken to jail.

In that case, officers were called to the Olmsted County Government Center parking lot for a car alarm going off. Police say they found three children, all under the age of five, sitting in a car in the middle of the parking lot with the windows up and the sun beating down on it.

Investigators say Boldien is the childrens mother and had repeatedly told authorities her children were being taken care of and never said they were left in the parking lot.
FORT DODGE, Iowa  A murder case that started with five defendants has ended with one guilty verdict.

A Webster County jury on Wednesday convicted Michael James Shivers, 56 of Eagle Grove, on two counts of second-degree murder. He was found guilty of shooting to death Jamal Cox and Tyrone Cunningham on June 16, 2020, in Fort Dodge. Shivers is now scheduled to be sentenced on December 13.

Four other men were initially arrested and charged with the double-killing along with Shivers. Murder charges against James Davis Jr., Darryll Jones, Jeremiah Hatten, and Michael Wells were later dismissed after the Webster County Attorneys Office said it determined those men could not be found guilty at trial beyond a reasonable doubt.

Shivers murder trial began October 19 and jury deliberations started Tuesday.
ROCHESTER, Minn. - This month, the Just Deeds Coalition was honored by the Minnesota Lawyer for their work for diversity and inclusion.

The coalition was formed to educate the community on discriminatory covenants in property deeds.

Rochester was the first greater metro city to join the program.

"Just Deeds' does the research and we're able to identify which property has these covenants," said City Attorney Tran Nguyen. "We go in and do paperwork that denounces this language. And that will forever be in the deed, it moves forward with any land ownership transfer."

In 1984, the use of restrictive covenants based on race in property titles became unenforceable and in 1968 this discriminatory language was made completely illegal.

The restrictive language still remains in property titles created before 1968 that have been passed down through generations.

After Just Deeds denounces the racially discriminatory language in a property title, they ensure it gets recorded with the county property office. That is the symbolic part of the coalition.

Nguyen said the active part is to continue to have open conversations about how these restrictive covenants have shaped our society and how people acquire wealth and education.

"My parents came here from Vietnam in 1975," said Nguyen. "Had they come 15 or 20 years earlier, my dad would have never been able to buy a home and to raise us in the home that I grew up in. So, it's really interesting to think about that."
ROCHESTER, Minn.  A man charged with seven felonies in two cases takes a plea deal.

Abdirahman Yasin Mohamed, 25 of Rochester, was first accused of attacking a woman on December 31, 2020, in the 1000 block of 21st Street SE. The victim told police Mohamed walked over, pulled her hair, pulled her to the ground, and started kicking her in the face. Investigators say the victim and Mohamed were involved in a dispute over money. He was taken into custody after a high-risk traffic stop.

Mohamed was arrested again on June 14 after a traffic stop where Olmsted County sheriffs deputies say he was found in the backseat of a vehicle with around 1  pounds of marijuana, edibles, and other drug items.

Mohamed has pleaded guilty to violating a no-contact order in connection with the drug arrest. Charges of fifth-degree drug possession, stalking, simple robbery, and domestic assault for the December 31 arrest have been dismissed. He has been sentenced to two years and two months in prison, with credit for 130 days already served.
MASON CITY, Iowa - A Mason City woman is facing multiple charges connected to fraud in Cerro Gordo County.

Sarah Price, 37, is being held in the Cerro Gordo County Jail on charges of felony ongoing criminal conduct, theft and forgery.

Authorities said Price has been forging checks belonging to other people at local convenience stores.

She was arrested on her warrants Wednesday morning.
ROCHESTER, Minn. - The hotly-discussed fate of a Downtown Med City building with a historic past could take another turn in the coming days.

Rochester Mayor Kim Norton has vetoed a plan to keep the Labor Temple building, former site of Legends Bar and Grill, standing for the time being. The move comes after the Rochester City Council denied designating the Labor Temple a local historic landmark, but voted to retain the structure while options for the property are considered.

Council members also approved spending up to $20,000 removing signs and an awning from the site, in addition to the $17,000 the city estimates it would cost to maintain the empty building over the next six months. Mayor Norton calls this an unnecessary and unwise use of city tax dollars on a property the city purchased with the express intention of clearing and redeveloping.

"I just have to do what I think is best for this community, and I think when you purchase a building for demolition, to continue to put money in it is just not a good idea." Norton continued, "That is prime waterfront area. We've had architects look at it already. Do I think an architect could keep that building there and build around it? Maybe. Do I think that building is worth saving? I personally don't architecturally, and SHPO agreed."

Mayor Norton says she is a strong supporter of creating a historic district in the Med City, but expert reviews clearly find the Labor Temple no longer has historic integrity. Norton tells KIMT city leaders need to be wise in selecting which buildings to preserve.

"There are many, many wonderful buildings in this community that have good memories for the people in this community, and you could find historical significance in many of them. But I think we need to be very careful about which ones we choose," Norton said.

The Med City mayor adds leaving the building standing will only extend unnecessary tension, and complicate redevelopment of the site. The Rochester City Council will vote Monday on whether to override Mayor Norton's veto, which would take a super-majority of five out of seven council members.
ROCHESTER, Minn. - U.S. Senator Tina Smith is leading a push on Capitol Hill to make cancer medications more affordable.

Senator Smith introduced the so-called Cancer Drug Parity Act alongside Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kans.) Wednesday. The legislation would prevent insurance companies from charging patients higher copayments for oral cancer meds than intravenous chemotherapy.

Health care plans routinely cover IV chemotherapy treatments for the nearly 2 million Americans who are diagnosed with cancer each year, according to the senator, but oral medications often come with high, unaffordable copays. Senator Smith tells KIMT patients who may already be struggling to pay their bills shouldn't be charged more because of the way they choose to take their medication.

"Some insurance companies are charging patients thousands of dollars more for that pill that they can take at home than if they went into the doctor's office, and that's just wrong," Senator Smith told KIMT. "My cancer drug parody act will fix that. It will stop that extra charge for taking your chemotherapy medicines at home, and this just makes sense. It is so much better for people to be able to stay at home, be comfortable at home, and be able to live a much more normal life while they're getting this really important medication."

The senator says oral cancer drugs have seen significant improvements that make life better for cancer patients across the country, and cost shouldn't be a factor in their choice of medication.

"As people are struggling to make ends meet and they're confronted with a cancer diagnosis that they weren't expecting, thousands of dollars more can be a big deal for a lot of people. So the value of this bill is that it fixes that fundamental unfairness, and it will make these valuable cancer medications more affordable."

So far, the Cancer Drug Parity Act has received support from a number of senators on both sides of the aisle, including Senator Amy Klobuchar. Senator Smith says the legislation just makes common sense, and is hopeful it will pass before the end of 2021.

Senators Smith and Moran add more than 40 states and the District of Columbia have already enacted laws requiring parity in the price of cancer medications, with researchers finding zero-dollar copays more than tripled for oral cancer drugs in those states in 2017.
Senator Amy Klobuchar and New York's 8th Congressional District Congressman Hakeem Jeffries led a virtual roundtable with parents about social media privacy protections and Facebook's algorithm on Wednesday at 1 p.m.

Parents from Minnesota and New York voiced their concerns over the content their kid's view on Facebook and Instagram.

Instagram in particular has made thoughts of suicide worse for 13% of teenage girls due to unrealistic body image content, according to Klobuchar.

Jeffries stressed that social media companies are looking to sell Americans, the consumer, as the product, while telephone providers look to sell phones.

Facebook earns $51 per user. per quarter, according to Klobuchar.

More than 2.8 billion people worldwide use Facebook, according to Pew Research Center, which earns Facebook roughly $143 billion per quarter.

While addressing the four parents, Jeffries said Congress has two options.

"We can allow the wild west to continue thinking somehow that they are going to change their behavior because they come to the hill and promise to do so and as Amy pointed out, they never do, or we can act decisively based on all of the concerns the four of you have raised to us in such a powerful way and others and I think we have to choose that latter course of action," Jeffries said.

Klobuchar said Congress is already working on privacy protection bills.

"It is everything from improving the children's privacy bill that my colleague Ed Markey has in the Senate. It is finally getting a privacy bill. We have not passed federal privacy legislation," Klobuchar said.

Klobuchar and Jeffries' social media roundtable come after the Senate Commerce Committee's Facebook whistleblower hearing, where former Facebook employee Frances Haugen laid out how the company pushes content to kids and spreads false information.
AUSTIN, Minn.  A woman accused of firing a gun during an argument is pleading guilty.

Cassandra Lynn Nelson, 31 of Omaha, Nebraska, is charged with reckless discharge of a firearm in Mower County District Court. The Austin Police Department says Nelson was at a home in the 600 block of 14th Street NE on March 13 when she allegedly fired a gun near the head of another person.

Investigators say the shot came during an argument about money, a bullet hole was visible in a hallway ceiling, and a .38 caliber revolver was found at the scene.

Nelson is now set to be sentenced on December 30.
Shenandoah, IA (51601)

Today

Partly cloudy this morning, then becoming cloudy during the afternoon. High 56F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. Low 32F. Winds light and variable.
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The Shin Hanul Nuclear Plant units 1 and 2 are seen in this photo. Construction of units 3 and 4 was stopped following the Moon administration introducing a nuclear phase-out plan. Korea Times file



Some countries choosing to temporarily increase nuclear energy along path to carbon neutrality



By Yoon Ja-young



With 24 reactors in operation, Korea ranks as the world's sixth-largest producer of energy from nuclear power. But the country began losing its luster as a leader in the industry after President Moon Jae-in introduced his plan to phase out the energy source when he took office in 2017, citing safety concerns.



However, the Moon administration is facing a major dilemma, as the phase-out plan is emerging as a major stumbling block in its ambitious goal of achieving net-zero in carbon emissions. The presidential committee on carbon neutrality recently unveiled a new road map, according to which, Korea, the world's ninth-largest carbon emitter as of 2019, will cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent from 2018 levels by 2030, and achieve net-zero by 2050.



To meet the target, coal-fired power plants, which accounted for 35.6 percent of total energy generation last year, will be closed down by 2050, with the government explaining that it will increase renewable energy sources to compensate for this.



Experts, however, criticize the plan as taking a rosy outlook on renewable energy, which will lack competitiveness in Korea for a considerable time.



"The output from solar panels in Korea is around 55 percent that of Chile. It can produce electricity for an average of 3.5 hours a day. Korea's offshore wind power, which is superior to onshore wind, also has only 20 to 30 percent of wind energy density, compared with the U.K. or Denmark," notes the "Guidebook for the President on Energy Policy," a book co-authored by a number of energy experts. They added that Korea lacks not only fossil fuel energy but is also short on renewable energy sources.



"It is evident that we should be expanding renewable energy in the mid- to long-term. However, we need a strategic approach, taking into account our particular geography," said Cho Gyeong-lyeob, director of the economic research department at the Korea Economic Research Institute (KERI).



He said the social and economic costs are estimated to be greater than expected if the government hastily expands the ratio of renewable energy, which still lacks a competitive economic edge.



Many other countries are also still finding their feet in the implementation of renewable energy plans. Spain, for instance, increased renewable sources of energy in its power generation mix while decreasing that from coal-fired power plants to 5 percent in 2019, from 36 percent in 2000. However, an unexpected steep decline in wind this summer decreased the country's energy production by 20 percent. Accompanied by soaring natural gas prices, Spanish consumers are facing power rates that have tripled from last year.



Role of nuclear energy










The national flag of Korea at the Gwangju Metropolitan City office has not been lowered to fly at half-mast, Thursday, during the funeral of former President Roh Tae-woo. The city, where many citizens died during the 1980 pro-democracy movement against Chun Doo-hwan's 1979 military coup, in which Roh played a major role, has decided not to commemorate Roh's death in respect to victims of the military government's lethal suppression. Yonhap



By Jung Da-min



After the government's Wednesday announcement to hold a state funeral for former President Roh Tae-woo who died the day before, controversies are still raging over whether it was an appropriate decision.



Members of the country's liberal bloc, as well as many citizens, especially residents of Gwangju, are protesting the government's decision, saying Roh's role in Chun Doo-hwan's 1979 military coup and violent suppression of the 1980 Gwangju pro-democracy movement were serious crimes, and providing any support for Roh's funeral would insult those who fought for the country's democratization.



Multiple petitions have been posted on the Cheong Wa Dae website calling for the cancellation of the state funeral.









"Roh, together with Chun Doo-hwan, led the Dec. 12 coup (in 1979) and was one of the main culprits behind the brutal suppression of Gwangju citizens," one petitioner wrote. "It is unreasonable to hold a funeral for him with taxpayers' money."



Another wrote, "If Roh receives such courtesy, it can lead to a claim that Chun, a mass murderer, deserves a state funeral, too."



Some lawmakers of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) representing constituencies in Gwangju said the government's decision was regrettable, as it would fail to achieve the goal of uniting the people.



"The single fact that he was a former president is not enough of a reason for a state funeral to be held for him," they said in a statement. "Roh Tae-woo was the second-in-command in the military junta that took power though the Dec. 12 military coup led by Chun, and was one of those responsible for suppressing the May 18 democratization movement with force. Roh was just one of the serious criminals responsible for treason and murder."





A memorial altar for the funeral of former President Roh Tae-woo is set up at Seoul Plaza, Thursday. Yonhap
By Ahn Ho-young





The standard North Korean tactic toward South Korea and the United States is the so-called "Tong-mi-bong-nam" strategy, which is roughly translated as "engage the U.S. and block South Korea." In rare and exceptional circumstances, North Korea shifts that tactic and tries the reverse strategy of "Tong-nam-bong-mi."



For the past several weeks, North Korea has played this tactic. On Sept. 24, North Korea welcomed President Moon Jae-in's U.N. proposal for an "end of war declaration." Within a day, North Korea made a follow-up statement suggesting that positive actions on the part of South Korea could lead to the restoration of the South-North liaison office and even another inter-Korean summit.



Several days later, North Korea agreed to reconnect communication hotlines connecting the two Koreas. But the North continued to ignore continued U.S. offers for dialogue, alleging that they are not genuine and lack sincerity.



As exceptional as "Tong-Nam-Bong-Mi" is, it is creating widely different responses in South Korea. Some North Korea observers cannot hide their excitement and are urging the South Korean government to take all the necessary measures to make the best of the offer, while warning the U.S. that it must not stand in the way of the two Koreas' peace-making efforts.



Others disregard it as an all-too-familiar tactic of North Korea, aimed at undermining the combined defense capabilities of South Korea and the U.S. and timed at the upcoming presidential election in South Korea. I wish to share some of my thoughts.



First, we must not confuse tactic with strategy. The strategy of North Korea, as reaffirmed through the North's amendment of the charter of the ruling Workers' Party at the eighth party congress in January this year, is to unify the whole Korean peninsula under the banner of communism, taking advantage of its military capability enhanced through the development of weapons of mass destruction.



The current "Tong-nam-bong-mi" proposals accordingly come with several conditions. One is that South Korea and the U.S. must stop practicing double standards against North Korea. Pyongyang alleges that its development of weapons of mass destruction is in fact aimed at strengthening national security. Thus, it is a double standard that South Korea and the U.S. condemn North Korea for the same efforts that the two countries themselves make.



Another condition contained in North Korea's proposal is that South Korea and the U.S. must stop hostile actions against the North, meaning that joint military exercises held by the two allies must be renounced and the deployment of U.S. military assets for nuclear deterrence must be stopped.



These two conditions, put together, will effectively clear the way for North Korea to implement and complete its strategy. These are clearly excessive demands that even progressive newspapers in the South condemn as North Korea's "double standard."



Second, North Korea's diplomatic overture must not divert our attention from the real issue, which is the accelerated actions North Korea is taking to further enhance its nuclear and missile capability.



There are increasing signs that North Korea is now heavily engaged in accelerating the production of plutonium and weapons-grade enriched uranium. Listen to Rafael Mariano Grossi, a director- general at the International Atomic Energy Agency, who says that North Korea is currently going "full steam ahead" with its nuclear activities.



During the same period of North Korea's "Tong-nam-nong-mi" tactic, Pyongyang conducted no less than five tests of both cruise and ballistic missiles. Most ominously, the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) announced Sept. 29 that it succeeded in the first test of a Hypersonic Glide Vehicle (HGV) weapon system which has been developed so far by only three countries  Russia, China and the U.S.



HGVs fly faster than Mach 5 and at an altitude of up to 30 kilometers. Chang Young-keun, a renowned rocket scientist who has followed North Korea's missile technology for the past 10 years, says that HGVs cannot be countered with any anti-missile systems currently deployed on and around South Korea. On top of it, KCNA announced Oct. 20 that North Korea had successfully launched a submarine-launched ballistic missile from underwater.



Third, North Korea has shown surprising consistency in pursuing its strategy and equally surprising stubbornness in developing nuclear and missile technology. Unless we are equally consistent and equally stubborn, there is no way that we can defend ourselves against the asymmetric threats arising from North Korea's nuclear weapons and missiles.



President Joe Biden, in his first address to Congress on April 28, had this to say with respect to the threats arising from the nuclear developments of North Korea and Iran: "We will be working closely with our allies to address the threats posed by both of these countries through diplomacy and stern deterrence."



Given the serious and worsening threats we face in our national security, we must be consistently and stubbornly focused on how to further strengthen deterrence against these threats. North Korea's "Tong-nam-bong-mi" tactic must not divert our attention from such efforts.





Ahn Ho-young (hyahn78@mofa.or.kr) is president of the University of North Korean Studies. He served as Korean ambassador to the United States and first vice foreign minister.






Visitors take photos near an antique telephone booth and a child at the China Telecom stand during the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing, Sept. 5. AP-Yonhap
The minor child has been located and is with law enforcement in Elko Co Nevada. An arrest warrant has been served on the party believed to have kidnapped the minor child. Read more
MISSOULA, Mont. - Over three months, that's how long it's been since Rebekah Barsotti went missing.

She was living in Missoula before she disappeared and was last seen in Superior on July 20. But her parents aren't giving up hope, that's why they're inviting the community to a vigil in her honor at the Missoula County Courthouse on Thursday, Oct. 28, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Gerry and Angela Mastrovito are from Virginia but have been in Missoula since July, looking for their daughter.

Angela Mastrovito said the pain of not being able to find her is nearly killing them.

"I've had some really good dreams about Rebecca but last night was a nightmare and so I could hear myself screaming," Mastrovito said.

The Mineral County Sheriff's Office said the case is still active, but after an extensive search between four counties, they said all credible leads have been exhausted.

Now, Rebakah's parents are bearing the consequences.

"I considered myself a really strong prayer warrior before this event, and now I have others lifting me up in prayer because I can't and um...my prayer every day is that God would release her from wherever's she's at and let us find her," Angela said.

But Gerry said the communities support is unrelenting.

"The people are just awesome. I just can't say enough about the community and how they opened their arms and accepted us," Gerry said.

Rebekah's parents said she was in an abusive relationship and they hope the vigil will bring awareness to both her case and domestic violence.

To continue following her friends and familys efforts, you can visit this Facebook page.
U.S. SENATE  Following severe drought and disastrous farming conditions, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is providing $500,000 in funding to the Montana Department of Agriculture to provide stress assistance and mental health resources for agricultural producers across the state through the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN).

Between historic drought and hail storms, this was a stressful year for producers across the Treasure State, Senator Jon Tester said. Production ag is a tough business, and we need to do everything we can to combat the stigma around talking about the stress and mental health challenges that come with it. This funding will go a long way toward achieving that goal, and will help get folks the health resources that they need to stay healthy and work through a difficult year.

A mini-grant program will be created to distribute this funding to agricultural groups and organizations across the state, allowing them to bring mental health-specific programs to their members and communities.

According to a release, the grants will be capped at $10,000 per organization and can be used for speaker fees, travel and other costs associated with mental health programming. Funding will also be used to increase awareness of the program through a marketing campaign.

This funding was secured through a bipartisan push to include full funding for the FRSAN in the Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) Appropriations bill, and recently led a similar push for the FY22 Appropriations bill.

According the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the suicide rate is 45% higher in rural America than in urban areas, and Montana already has one of the highest suicide rates in the country.

Anyone experiencing a mental health crisis can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 24/7 at 1-800-273-TALK, or 1-800-273-8255.
BILLINGS - Billings City Council is limiting where marijuana dispensaries can open if voters decide to legalize recreational dispensaries in city limits next week.

Some business owners aren't bothered by dispensaries, but others don't want them around at all.

"I've been against it since high school and junior high, I guess I don't feel like it's a necessity. A lot of times we don't leave until 6 or 7 at night, and so I don't want anybody to have to worry about their safety," Owner of Bitterroot Cabinetry and Interiors Kate Knels said.

She says she'd consider moving her business if a dispensary ended up near her building, and if that happens, she doesn't think it'll bring her more customers.

"I don't see that as being a benefit to our business in particular," Knels said.

But over on Gabels Road, other business owners don't mind if dispensaries are nearby.

"We don't really mind, we get a lot of their calls anyway. We had some folks stop in from South Dakota and they were real disappointed when they walked through the doors," Co-Owner of Weed Man Landscaping Beth Hollenbeck said.

The City of Billings decided to cap the number of dispensaries at four within city limits if recreational cannabis sales are allowed by voters next week. But a dispensary owner says that won't help the local cannabis industry.

"You've got four casinos back to back, but we're only allowing four dispensaries to fight over a license?" Zack Schopp, owner of Seed of Life Labs, said.

City officials say the licensing system for new dispensaries will be a lottery, where potential owners have to meet certain criteria to be put in the lottery system.

But I'm told the city will wait until after the Nov. 2 election to finalize those plans.

"It's going to cost you money, and then hope to get a license, and then even if you do get in, the zoning regulations are so absurd. I don't know how much better it is than where we are right now," Schopp said.

The City Council decided to keep a rule that keeps dispensaries at least 1,000 feet from all churches, schools and rehab centers.
JENBACH, Austria--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 28, 2021--

INNIO announced today that it has signed on to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) to set science-based emissions reduction targets in line with 1.5C emissions scenarios, criteria and recommendations. This commitment builds on INNIOs leading position as a shaper of the energy transition. In addition, INNIO is proud to join the Race to Zero, a global campaign established by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to bring together global leadership for a healthy, resilient, and zero-carbon future.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005102/en/

INNIO furthers commitment to sustainability by signing on with SBTi to set science-based emissions reduction targets and joining the United Nations' "Race to Zero" campaign (Photo: Business Wire)

INNIO is a leading provider of renewable gas, natural gas, and hydrogen-based solutions and services for power generation and gas compression at or near the point of use. With its Jenbacher and Waukesha engines, INNIO contributes to the energy supply of communities, industry and the public.

At INNIO, we are relentlessly addressing the threat of climate change by developing carbon reduction actions across our businesses and aligning with external impactful policies that support delivering net-zero emissions, said Dr. Olaf Berlien, president and CEO of INNIO. The Science Based Target initiative is an essential part of our commitment to reduce carbon emissions.

INNIOs bold sustainability ambitions include that its engines be ready to be powered by 100% climate-neutral gases by 2025 and that 100% of its material inputs be recycled, renewable or reclaimed.

INNIO also is committed to the reduction of greenhouse gases within its value chain and therefore has pledged to lower these emissions at its production and office sites by 50% by 2030. In addition, INNIO suppliers will commit to achieving the same target in the same timeframe, and distributors will be encouraged to follow suit. INNIO used 2020 as the baseline for setting targets and ambitions.

INNIO has taken bold steps to ensure that its sustainability journey is a collaborative process involving all parts of its Jenbacher and Waukesha organizations, from employees to communities to customers to suppliers. Most recently, INNIO published its inaugural Sustainability Report,  Together for a Sustainable Future ; joined the United Nations Global Compact, the worlds largest corporate sustainability initiative; and received a Silver Medal rating from EcoVadis, placing INNIO Jenbacher in the top 17% of its peers working toward sustainability.

More detailed information regarding INNIOs path to a sustainable future can be found at www.innio.com/en/company/sustainability.

About INNIO

INNIO is a leading provider of renewable gas, natural gas, and hydrogen-rich solutions and services for power generation and gas compression at or near the point of use. With our Jenbacher and Waukesha gas engines, INNIO helps to provide communities, industry and the public access to sustainable, reliable and economical power ranging from 200 kW to 10 MW. We also provide life-cycle support and digital solutions to the more than 53,000 delivered gas engines globally, through our service network in more than 100 countries. We deliver innovative technology driven by decarbonization, decentralization, and digitalization to help lead the way to a greener future. Headquartered in Jenbach, Austria, the business also has primary operations in Welland, Ontario, Canada, and Waukesha, Wisconsin, U.S. For more information, visit the company's website at www.innio.com. Follow INNIO on Twitter and LinkedIn.

View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005102/en/

CONTACT: Susanne Reichelt

INNIO

+43 664 80833 2382

susanne.reichelt@innio.com

KEYWORD: AUSTRIA EUROPE

INDUSTRY KEYWORD: ALTERNATIVE ENERGY ENERGY ENVIRONMENT OIL/GAS

SOURCE: INNIO

Copyright Business Wire 2021.

PUB: 10/28/2021 08:00 AM/DISC: 10/28/2021 08:02 AM

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COLCHESTER, Conn. & SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 28, 2021--

The Town of Colchester, Connecticut and Bloom Energy, a leading energy company, today announced the deployment of 10 megawatts of highly efficient fuel cells to help meet the clean energy needs of the community. The Bloom Energy Servers will cut community carbon emissions by 3,850 tons per year and reduce smog-forming pollution and particulate matter by over 99 percent in comparison to current displaced grid alternatives.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005425/en/

Bloom Energy Servers in Colchester, CT (Photo: Business Wire)

Bloom Energys fuel flexible, solid oxide fuel cell technology produces electricity from natural gas, biogas, or hydrogen through an electrochemical process, without combustion, at one of the highest efficiencies of any power solution available in the world today.

This project aligns with the State of Connecticuts efforts to increase clean and renewable energy sources. The Bloom Energy installation in Colchester was selected as part of Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protections (DEEP) Clean Energy Request for Proposals. In addition to fuel cell adoption, other selected projects included offshore wind and anaerobic digestion.

Colchester, with its beautiful natural resources and plentiful outdoor activities, is a fitting home for a clean energy project, especially as the town has been named a Community Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. With the introduction of more clean and renewable energy technologies to the community, Colchester will have the ability to reduce dependence on heating oil, and thereby reduce its carbon footprint.

We are environmental stewards of this land and of our planet, said Mary Bylone, first selectman of the Town of Colchester. Implementing clean energy solutions, such as Bloom Energy Servers, aligns with our dedication to our land, wildlife, and the future generations of our community.

We are focused on helping communities reduce emissions, build energy resilience, and meet their sustainability goals, through our distributed, always-on, non-combustion process of generating clean electricity, said Kris Kim, vice president of global commercial operations, Bloom Energy. "We are proud to support the town of Colchester and the state of Connecticut in the pursuit of a clean energy future that will drive positive environmental impact and support the health of local citizens.

The fuel cell installation is located at a local substation for targeted local power generation capacity. This deployment in Colchester has been made possible through a long-term purchase agreement with energy providers Eversource and United Illuminating.

About Town of Colchester

The Town of Colchester, Connecticut was founded in 1698 and is located in New London County. To learn more, please visit www.colchesterct.gov

About Bloom Energy

Bloom Energys mission is to make clean, reliable energy affordable for everyone in the world. Bloom Energys product, the Bloom Energy Server, delivers highly reliable and resilient, always-on electric power that is clean, cost-effective, and ideal for microgrid applications. Bloom Energys customers include many Fortune 100 companies and leaders in manufacturing, data centers, healthcare, retail, higher education, utilities, and other industries. For more information, visit www.bloomenergy.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws that involve risks and uncertainties. Words such as anticipates, could, expects, intends, plans, projects, believes, seeks, estimates, can, may, will, would and similar expressions identify such forward-looking statements. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning Blooms expectations in cutting community carbon emissions and reducing smog-forming pollution and particulate matter in comparison to current displaced grid alternatives; and the ability to reduce dependence on heating oil, and thereby reduce its carbon footprint. These statements should not be taken as guarantees of results and should not be considered an indication of future activity or future performance. Actual events or results may differ materially from those described in this press release due to a number of risks and uncertainties, including those included in the risk factors section of Bloom Energys Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2021 and other risks detailed in Bloom Energys SEC filings from time to time. Bloom Energy undertakes no obligation to revise or publicly update any forward-looking statements unless if and as required by law.

View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005425/en/

CONTACT: Media Relations Contacts

Town of Colchester

860.537.7200Erica Osian

Bloom Energy

401.714.6883

erica.osian@bloomenergy.comInvestor Relations Contact

Edward Vallejo

Bloom Energy

267.370.9717

edward.vallejo@bloomenergy.com

KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA CONNECTICUT UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA

INDUSTRY KEYWORD: ALTERNATIVE ENERGY ENERGY ENVIRONMENT

SOURCE: Bloom Energy

Copyright Business Wire 2021.

PUB: 10/28/2021 08:59 AM/DISC: 10/28/2021 08:59 AM

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Have a news tip or would like to report a typo? Email Anthony Victor Reyes at areyes@kvoa.com.
Have you seen the proposed redistricting maps for New Hampshire? What do you think of the plans?
A dozen pieces of French correspondence recently donated to the Missouri Historical Societys archives involve what may well rank as the slickest real estate deal ever made: President Thomas Jeffersons $15 million acquisition for the still-in-its-infancy United States of 530 million acres in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803.

That territorial coup comprised the entirety of what subsequently became six states (Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma) and large or small parts of nine others (Colorado, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming), as well as comparatively small chunks of Alberta and Saskatchewan in Canada.

The parcel, which effectively doubled the area of the nascent nation, took place with diplomatic assistance from fifth President-to-be James Monroe and Robert R. Livingston.

Molly Kodner, who serves as the societys head archivist, has been researching the letters extensively for posts to its History Happens Here blog and a forthcoming article for Gateway, its biannual journal. She succinctly explains why the letters, which date from1796-7 and 1803, look fabulous despite their age and the vicissitudes of sunlight and humidity.

The letters are absolutely in remarkable condition, Kodner says. I think there are two reasons:

First, paper from this time period was made completely differently [from paper today]. Its cotton rag paper, not wood pulp. As a general rule, paper from this time period is in far better condition  and will last a lot longer  than paper from the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s. We have documents from that time period that are already brown and crumbling because of the acidic content of the paper.
A local leader in lake management is ready to retire. One of his former students is getting ready to take his place.

After nearly 50 years with the Geneva Lake Environmental Agency (GLEA), Ted Peters is stepping down as director, to be replaced by George Williams College alum Jake Schmidt.

Schmidts first day was Monday, Oct. 18. That evening, he introduced himself at a meeting of the Williams Bay Village Board.

Im excited to work with you and further the protection of Geneva Lake, he said.

Schmidt graduated from George Williams College in 2017. Most recently, he worked as a groundskeeper at McHenry County College. He spent the years between in various positions at Kishwauketoe Nature Conservancy, Geneva Lake Conservancy and more.

Five years later, his passion for the environment has brought him back to George Williams campus, home of GLEA headquarters. Schmidt will train under Peters for the next few months while Peters prepares to retire at the years end.

Its a comfortable pairing, Peters said. After all, Schmidt was one of Peters students years ago on this very campus. Peters was teaching a class on water resources at the time, and Schmidt was a dedicated student of sustainability and environmental management.

He was a very good student, Peters said. But more importantly, I sensed that there was a genuine desire to learn and understand water resources.

This deep-held passion for natural resources is common ground for Schmidt and Peters. Schmidt described Peters profound dedication to the lake.

Ive never met someone so passionate about their job, Schmidt said.

Now in his second week on the job, Schmidt is already diving into the agencys ongoing lake management efforts. Starry stonewort management and phosphorus reduction plans are high up on the agenda.

Schmidt said he is looking forward to furthering the protection of Geneva Lake at the helm of such a uniquely resourced agency.

Youve got five municipalities that come together for one goal, so Geneva Lake can stay pristine as it is he said.

Managing Geneva Lake demands a pragmatic and holistic approach, Peters said. He said GLEA should continue to make decisions in a transparent way that engages surrounding communities.

Schmidt and Peters agreed on the guiding principle of GLEAs decisions  good science.

Teds very much a scientist, Schmidt said. He just wants whats best for this lake, as do I.

As much as Peters is a scientist when it comes to Geneva Lake, he is also its friend.

He has spent the past several decades getting to know the lake in all its unique qualities  the waters clarity, the wooded shorelines, the biological community and so much more.

Theres so many things you learn after 45 years of being its best bud, Peters said.

And now, with Schmidt getting ready to take the lead, Peters is optimistic about the future of Geneva Lake and the agency that cares for it.

I feel very confident in where were going, he said.

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YORKVILLE  The Racine County Sheriffs Office announced in a Thursday morning news conference that it has identified eight cases of what it believes to be election fraud at a Mount Pleasant nursing home.

Following the allegations, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, a Racine County Republican, called for Wisconsin Elections Commissioner Meagan Wolfe to resign. The WEC called an emergency special meeting to be held by teleconference Thursday evening.

Sheriff Christopher Schmaling and Sgt. Michael Luell, who led the investigation, said that eight men and women whose mental capacities had diminished due to age and/or disease, several of whom were largely unaware of what day it was and sometimes couldnt recognize family members, sent mail-in ballots from Ridgewood Care Center, 3205 Wood Road.

No charges have, to date, been filed in connection to the investigation. Schmaling and Luell said they may forward recommendations to the Racine County District Attorneys Office, but would prefer that a statewide investigation be launched.

Focus on SVDs and WEC

The Sheriffs Office is alleging that the Wisconsin Elections Commission repeatedly broke the law when it advised municipalities throughout the state to not follow state law and no longer require Special Voting Deputies to go into nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Typically, SVDs include one Republican volunteer and one Democratic volunteer who go into a nursing home to ensure that those want to vote but cannot physically make it to the polls are able to cast an absentee ballot. That law was waived by a bipartisan vote of the WEC throughout 2020, which the RCSO alleges is illegal and should be considered election fraud under Wisconsin statute. According to the investigation, staff members acted as SVDs, even though state law was supposed to have prohibited this.

In March 2021, Special Voting Deputies  which have no affiliation with a sheriff's deputy other than the name similarity  were again OKd by the Wisconsin Elections Commission.

The WEC is a six-member board with three Democratic appointees and three Republican appointees. As such, the guidance it passed in a series of votes regarding Special Voting Deputies  which the RCSO alleges broke the law  was bipartisan, often with a 5-1 vote, with Republican Commissioner Commissioner Robert Spindell voting against due to asserting that SVDs could safely go into nursing homes.

"I have had some discomfort ... We will be telling the clerks to break the law ... Is there some other way we can accomplish this same thing?" Republican Commissioner Dean Knudson said during a WEC meeting, a recording of which was played Thursday by Luell, even though Knudson still voted to ignore the law.

Vos released a statement Thursday afternoon, saying: "Peoples trust in Wisconsins elections has been tested. Many Wisconsinites feel elections are not safe and secure, and now the Racine County Sheriffs investigation found clear violations and lawbreaking within the Wisconsin Elections Commission. Clearly there is a severe mismanagement of WEC, and a new administrator is needed. I am calling for the resignation of Meagan Wolfe as Elections Commission Administrator."

JR Ross, editor of WisPolitics.com, pointed out on Twitter Thursday afternoon that Vos' statement made no mention of WEC Commissioner Dean Knudson, who Vos appointed, or one of the two other Republicans on the commission who "supported (the) initial decision to suspend SVD requirement."

In a statement, Wolfe said: The discussion about Special Voting Deputy access during the COVID-19 pandemic is over 18 months old and has occurred entirely in public meetings. Information about the topic is available on the WEC website here: https://elections.wi.gov/node/7537. Agency staff cannot speak on behalf of our Commissioners without their guidance to do so.

When asked for comment on Vos' demand for Wolfe's resignation, Riley Vetterkind, the new spokesman for the WEC, replied in an email: "Let us get back to you on this."

Other options unexplored, RCSO alleges

Luell alleged Thursday that not only did the WEC advise that laws be ignored, but also that they failed to find alternatives to traditional SVDs to ensure that people who wanted to act as SVDs could do so in the interest of election integrity. He pointed out that the WEC has been meeting virtually for months, but never advised that perhaps SVDs could also do their work virtually.

Luell also reviewed visitor logs from the facility throughout 2020 that found dozens of non-employees and non-residents, such as maintenance workers and those coming in for interviews and at least one DoorDash food delivery driver, were allowed into the building throughout 2020, but no exceptions were made for SVDs.

Seeking statewide investigation

Schmaling said that he suspects that election fraud is more widespread, but said that Luells investigation dealt only with Ridgewood.

No allegations or evidence of election fraud beyond the eight alleged cases at Ridgewood were made Thursday. The Wisconsin Department of Justice said that it is unaware of any similar allegations in the state as of Thursday.

The Journal Times called the Ridgewood Care Center to seek comment on the investigation soon after the sheriff's press conference ended. The woman who answered the phone said she couldnt speak on the allegations, forwarded the call to a supervisor, Administrator Scott Myers, who then did not pick up the phone.

Schmaling said that in the spring, he contacted Attorney General Josh Kauls office to initiate a statewide investigation of voting in nursing homes, but Kauls office rejected that suggestion.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice, headed by Kaul, responded to questions with a statement Thursday afternoon.

Were confident that local law enforcement and District Attorneys in Wisconsin take voter fraud seriously and that, if there are credible allegations of fraud, they will be thoroughly investigated by local law enforcement. In the event that local law enforcement or District Attorneys need assistance in any case involving credible evidence of fraud, the Wisconsin Department of Justice is available to assist," Gillian Drummond, spokesperson for the Wisconsin DOJ, said in an email. "Here, DOJ was previously in contact with Sheriff Schmaling, and DOJ advised that certain interviews be conducted that had not been at that time. Significantly, no charges have been filed in this case by the Racine County DAs office. DOJ is also currently not aware of similar allegations anywhere else in Wisconsin."

No agency in the state other than the Attorney Generals Office has the authority to launch such a statewide investigation, Schmaling said

During Thursdays press conference, Schmaling repeatedly said he is not trying to overturn any elections or get any votes retroactively changed. Joe Biden won Wisconsin by 21,000 votes in 2020, which has been repeatedly affirmed by recounts and, so far, by a Republican-ordered audit of the 2020 election.

"We're not trying to change one vote," Luell said. "We're not trying to change one election. We're trying to hold the government accountable."

The RCSO investigation, which was not known to the public or to the Wisconsin Elections Commission until Wednesday, is not part of any of the statewide probes, Schmaling said.

Luell and Schmaling said they are not explicitly seeking charges against anyone; they are leaving that to prosecutors.

"Whatever happens to the WEC is up to the Legislature," Luell said.

Still, Luell and Schmaling repeatedly stated that they believe laws were broken and that there should be consequences. "There was clear violations of the law," Schmaling said.

Nursing home questions

Luell said he reached out to the families of more than 40 Ridgewood residents who voted in the election; eight of them said their loved one should not have voted and would not have consciously wanted to vote because of their own diminished mental capacity. According to Luell, he recalled that one of the eight had a court order ruling them to be "adjudicated incompetent." Per LawInsider.com, "Adjudicated incompetence means inability or unfitness to manage one's affairs because of mental condition determined in a court proceeding."

Under state law, "No person may be denied the right to register to vote or the right to vote by reason that the person is alleged to be incapable of understanding the objective of the elective process unless the person has been adjudicated incompetent in this state."

However, Luell said that he was told by Ridgewood employees that they filled out ballots for people who were only capable of pointing to the ballot, and then the employee inferred who they were voting for. One employee, Luell said, said they were instructed that for residents who did not appear they wanted to vote could be placed in a chair pointed at a TV with the news turned on, and then "come back in a day or two and try again" to see if they want to vote.

One of those who voted, identified only as Shirley, allegedly cast an absentee ballot even though she often could no longer recognize her own daughter  a woman named Judy, who filed the original complaint  and had begun hallucinating, then died in Oct. 9, 2020, weeks prior to Election Day, according to the Sheriffs Office.

"The facility took advantage of Judy's mother," Schmaling alleged.

The investigation began in late 2020 after Judy filed a complaint with the WEC. The WEC forwarded the complaint to the Racine County District Attorneys Office, which then forwarded the complaint to the RCSO for investigation, according to the Sheriffs Office.

Judy and five other people, all of whom appeared middle-aged or older, attended the press conference but did not take questions. The Sheriff's Office declined to share Judy's and Shirley's last name(s). Schmaling said they were there to show the "human impact" of what had been alleged.
WILLIAMS BAY  A group of high school students is working to uncover and honor the Native American history of Williams Bay.

Late afternoon on Tuesday, Oct. 26, members of the Williams Bay High School History Club gathered at the ancient Native burial ground on Elm Street for a moment of remembrance.

The small plot of land sits between two houses on Elm Street, across from Barrett Memorial Library. A handful of community members stopped by for the ceremony.

Aaron Robertson, chair of the history clubs Burial Ground Committee, welcomed the visitors.

We appreciate that you have taken a few moments from your busy lives to remember a grave injustice done to our Indigenous people 185 years ago, Robertson said.

Over the past year, the Burial Ground Committee has worked with the Forest County Pottawatomi People to compile a history of Chief Big Foots tribe, Robertson said.

Club advisor and local historian Deb Soplanda said burials on the Elm Street plot occurred in 1836, around the same time white settlers forced the native Potawatomi people from Williams Bay.

Marking the site is a plaque mounted on a large stone.

On the crest of this ground was buried, on a platform and dressed in Indian finery, a wife of Big Foot, chief of the Lake Geneva Potawatomi, the plaque reads.

The ceremonys speakers asked attendees to imagine a Williams Bay of generations past, pre-1836. Where Barrett Memorial Library stands on Geneva Street, one would see nothing but fields of corn, beans, and squash  the three sisters, student Zach Beinetti said.

Zach Malisow gestured up towards the hill of the burial ground.

At the top, imagine two platforms, Malisow said. Each cradling the bodies of Chief Big Foots two wives dressed in finery with beads and bracelets.

One by one, three students representing Sisters Corn, Beans, and Squash carried plates of harvest up the hill.

Each sister delivered a few words, personifying how each resource withered away without the care of the removed Indigenous people.

We stand in the warmth of the sun, beautiful, tall, healthy, Rosa Jimenez said, performing as Sister Corn. Yet, no one comes. Where are they?

The other students solemnly echoed her words: Where are they?

Sister Bean and Sister Squash followed, their performances punctuated by the same resounding question: Where are they?

David Valley, a lifelong Williams Bay resident, was among the community members at the ceremony on Tuesday afternoon. He said he carried mixed emotions standing on the burial ground.

I am glad the community is finally taking the time to recognize what occurred, Valley said. Maybe, in some very, very small way, its bringing a little justice to those people.

The club hopes to make the ceremony an annual tradition.

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NEW YORK (AP)  An American Airlines flight from New York to California was diverted to Denver after a passenger assaulted a flight attendant, authorities said.

Flight 976 was heading Wednesday from John F. Kennedy International Airport to John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana when it landed at Denver International Airport and taxied safely to the gate.

The passenger was removed, the airline said, and the flight continued on to California. The flight attendant was reportedly taken to a hospital, but details on her condition weren't immediately released.

We are outraged by the reports of what took place on board. Acts of violence against our team members are not tolerated by American Airlines, the Fort Worth, Texas-based airline said in statement.

The passenger will be banned from American Airlines flights, the airline said, but we will not be satisfied until he has been prosecuted to the full extent of the law. This behavior must stop."

Mackenzie Rose, another passenger on the flight, told CBS Los Angeles that the flight attendant was assaulted about halfway through the trip, when the plane was over Ohio.

"I understand that he actually punched her twice," Rose said after landing in Santa Ana. "I did see her walk back down the aisle afterwards. She had blood splattered on the outside of her mask."

The assault comes amid a surge in unruly airline passengers this year, who sometimes become violent.

The FBI and the U.S. Attorneys Office in Colorado said they were investigating. No arrests had been made as of Thursday, FBI spokesperson Courtney Bernal said.

The United States Attorneys Office takes seriously all matters involving potential threats to the safety of airline flights, crew or passengers, the office said in a statement.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it would investigate, as well.
More than eight union workers sat in silence outside a gate of the John Deere Seeding plant in Moline plant along River Drive.

The setting was similar to other days  a tent covering food and firewood, chairs, crackling fire barrels, and cars honking as they passed the site  but the typical chatter and enthusiastic sign waving was muted. Members stood or sat by themselves rather than grouped in conversation. Even a union members yellow lab, sporting a red UAW bandana, was laying quietly in the grass.

The UAW workers were mourning one of their own, Richard Rich, a Local 79 member, who was struck and killed walking to the picket line at John Deere Parts Distribution Center in Milan Wednesday morning.

According to Milan Police, Rich, 56, was crossing the Rock Island-Milan Parkway at Deere Drive when he was struck by a motorist. He was pronounced dead at the scene. According to the UAW leadership, he was a 15-year employee of the Deere PDC.

We didnt want it to come to this, said one Moline worker about the strike. We are still trying to take it all in.

Picketing has been halted for the day at the Milan site, a union member said.

Concerns of safety

At the Milan gate intersection, streetlights have been out since the start of the strike, according to union workers, who feel this may have contributed to decreased visibility in the dark at night and in the early morning.

One union member, who asked to remain anonymous due to fear of retribution, said they called the Milan Municipal Building on Oct. 15 to report the outage. They called at 8:58 a.m., according to a screenshot of their call log.

According to an email obtained under an open records request, on the morning of Oct. 15, a Milan public official, whose name was redacted, submitted a streetlight repair request to MidAmerican Energy Company for the Rock Island-Milan Parkway and Deere Drive intersection.

An Oct. 15 confirmation email, time stamped 9:13 a.m., from a MidAmerican customer service account said standard completion time is three weeks; however, some orders may take longer to complete.

A family member of union workers, who has children and a spouse on the Milan picket line, said they also called the Milan Municipal Building at 9:16 a.m. Oct. 25 to report the outage, according to their cell phone log.

The streetlight is still not repaired, according to three picketers.

'Near misses'

At the Moline plant, workers bundled in hats, gloves and UAW gear gathered around smoking fire barrels. They were concerned a similar incident could take place at their plant, especially at night and in the early mornings. They said they have seen near misses at their facility between vehicles and picketers.

You should see how fast people drive here, said one Moline union worker.

On Oct. 19, for example, Moline Police said a semi-truck entered Gate 24 of the Moline plant driving too fast near a group of union workers on the picket line.

Union members were near the driveway when the truck entered the gate. A night shift officer in a squad car was at the intersection when the truck entered the plant and asked the driver to drive slower.

The officer dealt with the incident like any any other observed traffic infraction, Moline police said in an email to the Quad-City Times/Moline Dispatch-Argus at that time. No additional police were called to the scene.

Paul Iversen, labor expert at the University of Iowa Labor Center, said deaths on the picket lines are not common, but near misses or minor accidents, like the incident at Moline, are. Specifically, vehicles entering a plant with a picket line in front have been known to speed through the picket line without waiting for union members to completely clear the driveway.

It doesn't sound like that was the case in this situation, Iversen said. But there are a number of situations where there have been near-misses where people have had to jump out of the way very quickly to avoid being hit.

To improve safety on the picket lines, Iversen said instructing motorists to drive carefully near picket lines, especially when it is dark out, can help. Overall, he said there is a general lack of safe ways to cross most highways.

There should just be more ways to cross big roadways like that safely, Iversen said. (Like) pedestrian bridges, or some cities are putting like pedestrian tunnels rather than crosswalks on some major intersections.

Multiple workers at the Moline plant said they would feel safer if more lighting was installed near their strike sites for increased visibility at night. Additionally, they said an increase in crosswalks and signs warning drivers of a picket line ahead would make them feel safer.

A 'heartbreaking loss'

One Milan worker, who requested to be anonymous out of fear of retribution, said he worked with Rich and the loss was heartbreaking.

It makes you wonder that maybe if Deere would have taken a stronger position to really want to settle all these problems, we wouldn't have had to go through this, said the worker, referencing the union's rejection of the initial contract and their so far unheeded call for higher wage increases and improved retirement plans.

Deere & Co. released a statement Wednesday morning, stating we are saddened by the tragic accident and death of one of our employees and are awaiting reports from law enforcement.

All of us at John Deere express our deepest condolences to their family and friends, the statement read.

The UAW also issued a press release on behalf of the national and Region 4 offices.

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our brother who was reporting to the picket line. Our brother was fighting for what is right and we all mourn for his family and co-workers, said Ron McInroy, director of UAW Region 4, in the release. Through our tears, we continue to picket and honor the solidarity of our fallen brother. But we do this with heavy hearts today.

Emily Andersen contributed to this story.

Quad-City Times
A delegation of 15 Chinese researchers from the Huaiyin Institute of Agricultural Sciences visited Delaware Valley University on Nov. 28 as guests of the U.S. State Department in collaboration with Citizen Diplomacy to engage and interact with various American institutions.
Heres what solar companies are looking for in solar fields and what they say are the best ways to manage the land once solar arrays are installed.
Hollywood action star Liam Neeson will lead "In The Land Of Saints And Sinners", an Ireland-set thriller in which he will play a former contract killer.The film reunites the actor with "The Marksman" director Robert Lorenz, reported Deadline. "In The Land Of Saints And Sinners" will see Neeson play a newly retired assassin who finds himself drawn into a lethal game of cat and mouse with a trio of vengeful terrorists. Liam Neeson Reminisces About His Action Movies, Says 'There's a Couple of Fights Left in Me'.

Ciaran Hinds, known for "Belfast" and "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy", also stars in the film. Mark Michael McNally and Terry Loane have penned the screenplay, which has been revised by Matthew Feitshans. Philip Lee, Markus Barmettler, Bonnie Timmermann, Geraldine Hughes and Terry Loane are backing the film for Prodigal Films Limited. Executive producers on the movie include Ehud Bleiberg, Danny Dimbort, Nicholas Donnermeyer, Kieran Corrigan, Marc Jacobson and Robert Lorenz. Financing is by Facing East in collaboration with RagBag Pictures. Liam Neeson Reveals He Is Not a Fan of the Superhero Genre, Says Have No Desire to Go into the Gym for Three Hours Every Day.

Principal photography on the movie is expected to begin in March 2022 in Ireland. Neeson is currently completing post-production work on "Blacklight", "Memory" and "Retribution", all action movies.

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New Delhi [India], October 28 (ANI): To assess India's coastal security preparedness, Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a meeting of the Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday.

The meeting started here around 11.30 a.m. at Parliament premises. The meeting was meant to assess India's coastal security preparedness to prevent any "attempt by anti-national elements to carry out an attack on its territory or against its citizens by infiltrating through the sea route."

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The meeting was attended by top Indian Coast Guard and Ministry of Home Affairs officials. Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai and Ajay Mishra Teni and Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla were also present in the meeting.

Since the 2008 terrorist attack on Mumbai, coastal security has assumed particular importance among India's national security concerns.

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Because that attack came through a sea route, the Central government and state governments along India's long coastline have taken several steps to address potential capacity issues of various intelligence and security forces. (ANI)

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New Delhi [India], October 28 (ANI): The Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) of Bangladesh Navy on Wednesday visited Mumbai to interact with Vice Admiral R Hari Kumar of Western Naval Command to discuss the bilateral cooperation, the Ministry of Defence on Thursday said.

According to the official release, the two admirals discussed various issues pertaining to enhancing and strengthening the joint manship, interoperability, training, anti-terrorism collaboration, overall bilateral cooperation as part of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two nations.

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"India and Bangladesh are bound by a common history, culture and language. The co-operation between the nations in the War of 1971 is still rejoiced with great pride and fondness by peoples of both nations," the Ministry said.

It stated that Admiral Hari Kumar brought out during the exchange that India is proud to have contributed to the liberation of Bangladesh in 1971 and that as a nation, India has immense respect for the role played and sacrifices made by the proud people of Bangladesh in the war. He also said that Indians are participating enthusiastically in many commemorative events of the golden jubilee of Bangladesh liberation.

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The C-in-C also assured the visiting CNS that all assistance required for the successful conduct of the International Fleet Review by Bangladesh in 2022 will be extended, the release said.

The current visit of the Bangladesh Navy Chief to India from October 22 to 29 is significant as it coincides with the golden jubilee celebration of the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, the statement added. (ANI)

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New Delhi [India], October 28 (ANI): Centre will soon start a mega COVID-19 vaccination campaign 'Har Ghar Dastak' in poor-performing districts aiming to achieve full vaccination by the end of November, said Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday.

"We are going to launch a mega vaccination campaign 'Har Ghar Dastak'. We have decided that for the next one month, healthcare workers will go door-to-door to vaccinate people eligible for the second dose and also those who have not taken the first dose," the minister told media persons.

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Mandaviya on Wednesday chaired a national review meeting with health ministers of states and UTs to discuss the scaling up of the COVID-19 vaccination drive in the country.

According to the minister, 77 per cent of the eligible population in India has been vaccinated against COVID with the first dose while 32 per cent people have received both doses. "More than 10 crores people have not taken the second dose of vaccine. People who are eligible for the second dose should take the vaccine," he added.

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Highlighting the need to accelerate the pace and coverage of vaccination, he stated that there are more than 10.34 crore people in the country who have not taken the second dose after the prescribed interval.

Speaking to ANI, Chhattisgarh Health Minister TS Singh Deo raised concerns about the number of people who have dropped out of taking the second dose of the COVID vaccine. "A cause of worry is that a huge number of people have dropped out from taking the second dose of COVID vaccine. Wherever there is vaccine hesitancy, we should reach out to people through social, religious, and other organisations," Deo said.

He added, "Wherever there is a deficiency, there is always scope for trying to do better." Deo also said that vaccination hesitancy has not been witnessed in Chhattisgarh.

Uttar Pradesh Health Minister Jai Pratap Singh told ANI that 67 per cent of the eligible population in the state have taken the first dose while the second dose has been administered to about 21 per cent of people. "We will fully vaccinate people with the first dose while for the second dose we will try our best with the solutions given by the Union Health Minister," he added.

Uttarakhand Health Minister Dhan Singh Rawat after the meeting told ANI that people in the state have been fully vaccinated with the first dose while more than 50 per cent have been administered the second dose.

The Union Health Minister also stated that adequate vaccine doses were available in the country, and more than 12 crore balance unutilised doses are available with the States for administering. "No district should be without full vaccination", he exhorted the States. He further added- "Let us aim to cover all eligible with 1st dose of COVID-19 vaccine by end-November 2021."

During the meeting, the state health ministers were requested to ensure continuous oversight on the progress of the national COVID-19 vaccination programme. Mandaviya urged the State and UTs to make regional and local level plans with all the stakeholders to reduce the number of people with vaccination overdue. He also urged for innovative strategies to encourage them to achieve their targets to review the planning and execution of district-wise plans for coverage of due beneficiaries of the second dose as available on the Co-WIN portal.

Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar was also present during the national review meeting. State Health Ministers Alo Libang (Arunachal Pradesh), Keshab Mahanta (Assam), Mangal Pandey (Bihar), T S Singhdeo (Chhattisgarh), Satyendra Jain (Delhi) Rushikesh Patel (Gujarat), Dr Narrotam Mishra (Home Minister Madhya Pradesh), Dr Mani Kumar Sharma (Sikkim), M A Subramanian (Tamil Nadu), Jai Pratap Singh (Uttar Pradesh), Dhan Singh Rawat (Uttarakhand), Dr Subhash Garg (Rajasthan), Banna Gupta (Jharkhand) participated in the review meeting. State officials along with Mission Directors (NHM) from various states were also present.

Mandaviya highlighted the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi guiding the recently launched PM Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-BHIM). "COVID has given us the opportunity to analyse the gaps in our existing health infrastructure. We have also learned that in a federal democracy, the Centre and States working in a synchronized collaborative mode can achieve significant milestones". He informed that with an outlay of Rs 64,180 crore, PM-AB HIM, announced in the Budget 2021-22, is the largest pan-India Health Infrastructure Scheme and would provide a much-needed fillip to India's capacity to address emergent Public Health issues.

This will give a major boost to India's healthcare infrastructure and make it more resilient, he added. He urged the States to make strategies for timely utilization of the allocated funds under the new Mission. Mandaviya also requested State Health Ministers to ensure that plans and implementation schedules for the ECRP-II are reviewed for timely completion of the proposed initiatives and schemes.

Speaking about India's philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, Dr. Mandaviya said that India's pharma sector is fulfilling this philosophy by catering to people with new cost-effective treatments and vaccines. "India supplied essential drugs to the world during first wave of COVID. The world reciprocated and helped India during the second wave", he stated. Praising the efforts of Indian scientists and researchers, he said that there is no dearth of brain and manpower in India. "India is rightly called 'pharmacy of the world' due to its quality drugs. It is a matter of immense pride for India that we have manufactured the COVID vaccine and also administered 100 Cr doses in a short span since 16th Jan 2021", he stated.

The Union Health Minister further exhorted the State Health Ministers to ensure that the country's goals for TB elimination, AIDS control and treatment, and other non-COVID schemes are kept in sharp focus.

Dr Mandaviya assured the Health Ministers that the Centre will extend all support and assistance to the States/UTs in matters of health. "In a federal democracy, the Centre and States form a collaborative platform. We should work as a team for ensuring Swastha Bharat, Samruddh Bharat", he said.

The State Health Ministers heartily thanked the Union Health Minister for this interactive meeting which gave them the opportunity to discuss various issues at a personal level. As desired and assured by Mandaviya, an interactive group with State Health Ministers has been created on WhatsApp to facilitate real-time interaction with the Union Health Minister. (ANI)

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Pune (Maharashtra) [India], October 28 (ANI): The Pune Police arrested Kiran Gosavi, a witness of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in the Mumbai cruise ship drugs case, from Katraj area of the city in the early hours of Thursday in connection with a cheating case of Rs 18 lakh.

Amitabh Gupta, Pune City Police Commissioner said, "Kiran Gosavi was arrested from Katraj area of Pune city at around 3 am after several teams were formed to nab to him."

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The police commissioner said that Gosavi was hiding in different cities like Fatehpur, Jabalpur, Hyderabad, Jalgaon and many other locations using an alias of one Sachin Patil.

"After tracking for a long time, Gosavi was arrested from the area. He did not surrender before the police, but we arrested him," said Gupta.

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The police said, "According to prima facie, he was using the name of Sachin Patil when he was staying at different locations. According to him, he used this name when he was staying at different NGOs and other organisations. He reportedly introduced himself as a businessman, dealing in the export and import of metals. However, we are yet to ascertain his claims. More details will be revealed on further investigation."

Furthermore, Gupta said that enforcement agencies have been contacted to handover Gosavi's custody.

"I have not received calls or requests from the Mumbai police. If they contact us then we will surely cooperate with him," adding that he has not spoken to NCB officials in this regard.

Gosavi, a key witness in the Mumbai cruise drugs case in which Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan has been arrested, has allegedly been involved in the cheating case of Rs 18 lakh in the year 2018.

He had duped one Chinmay Deshmukh, promising to give job in Malaysia and collected Rs 18 lakh. Deshmukh was sent on a tourist visa to Malaysia and according to the complainant (Deshmukh), Gosavi had assured him that the tourist visa would be converted once he lands in Malaysia. But he had to return to India before the expiry of the tourist visa.

Deshmukh had filed a complaint against Gosavi in 2019 and a chargesheet was filed in the case. Since then he was on the run. (ANI)

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Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], October 26 (ANI): Bombay High Court on Tuesday began hearing on Aryan Khan's bail application in drugs on cruise case.

Former Attorney General of India, Mukul Rohatgi, who is appearing for Aryan Khan said that he has received a copy of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB)'s reply on bail plea.

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"I received a copy of the NCB's reply on the bail plea this afternoon, and I filed a rejoinder," Rohatgi stated.

Meanwhile, big chaos was witnessed outside the courtroom which interrupted the court hearing.

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Justice Sambre gave instructions to court staff to look into the matter. Later, the court was informed by a lawyer that the subordinates of the lawyers in the courtroom want entry into the courtroom.

A special court in Mumbai on Wednesday refused to grant bail to Aryan and two others in connection with the seizure of drugs. Following this, Aryan Khan moved a bail application in the Bombay High Court against the NDPS court order on his bail rejection.

Bombay High Court on October 21 said that it would hear Aryan Khan's bail application on October 26.

An NCB team busted an alleged drugs party on the Cordelia Cruise ship which was on its way to Goa at mid-sea on October 2. A total of 20 people, including two Nigerian nationals, have been arrested so far in the case. (ANI)

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Ahmedabad, October 28: In view of the upcoming Diwali and Chhath Puja festivals, the Gujarat government on Thursday announced that the night curfew time in eight major cities will be relaxed by two hours for the next one month.

At present, night curfew is in force from midnight to 6 am in Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Surat, Vadodara, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar, Gandhinagar and Junagadh cities to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection.

From October 30 to November 30, night-time restrictions will be in force from 1 am to 5 am in these eight cities, a government release said. As per the new guidelines, commercial establishments including APMCs, shops and beauty salons in these eight cities can operate till 12 at night. Firecracker Ban in India Not Against Particular Festival; Ban Order Needs to be Followed Strictly, Says Supreme Court.

Restaurants can remain open till 12 at night with 75 per cent occupancy, while home delivery and take-away services too are permitted till midnight, the release stated.

Cinema halls can function with 100 per cent capacity in the entire state. Public gatherings on the occasion of Gujarati New Year should be held by strictly adhering to the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for COVID-19 issued earlier, the government said.

Norms of social distancing and use of masks must be followed, it added.

Not more than 400 persons can gather at one place for the new year and Chhath Puja celebrations across the state, the government said.

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Panchkula, Oct 28 (PTI) Starting any conflict is against the values of a peace-loving India but it is always prepared to face any challenge, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday.

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The Defence Minister made the assertion during his visit to the Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL) here, where he also inaugurated the augmented environment test facility.

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Friends, you know that India has always been a peace-loving nation and (it remains so) even today. It is against our values to start any kind of conflict from our side, Singh said in his address.

But at the same time, it is also equally right that if the need arises, our country is fully prepared to face any challenge, he added.

He said he had the opportunity to address the top defence leadership of the country at the Army Commanders' Conference on Wednesday.

There was a discussion on how the times are changing very fast. This change can be clearly seen in the mutual relations, trade, economy, political and security affairs between countries around the world.

The increase in scientific capabilities and new inventions have also made a big impact on the security, said Singh, emphasising on the need to be ready to deal with any situation.

Recalling former President and scientist APJ Abdul Kalam, Singh said he used to say, There is no place for fear in this world. Only one power respects another.'

He said, We also want to make India a strong India which can look into the eyes of the greatest power.

Defence Minister Singh said during his visit to the TRBL range, he was informed about warheads and weapons being developed here and also testing and evaluation facilities.

He said in August this year, he had handed over a multi-mode hand grenade to the Indian Army. Developed and designed by TRBL, it was the first ammunition produced by the private sector, he said.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also said the private industry should be supported.

The safety of the grenade and performance parameters makes it world class. It is a clear demonstration of the capabilities of our scientists and production agency, he stated.

I was told that this grenade has achieved more than 99.5 per cent functional reliability in production, he further said.

Singh said the Indian Army has also been given the system of Bund Blasting Device Mark II, designed and developed earlier by the TRBL.

He said it will be produced by the private sector through the transfer of technology.

He indicated that indigenous systems would keep getting inducted regularly.

Moreover, the active participation of industry, specifically the private sector, in manufacturing these products with DRDO technologies is the strength, both military and economic, that would make the country 'Aatmanirbhar'.

On this occasion, Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat, DRDO Chairman and R&D Secretary (Department of Defence) Dr G Satheesh Reddy and Vice Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Sandeep Singh too were present.

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Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], October 28 (ANI): The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Thursday sacked 8 tainted employees under Article 226 (2) of the Jammu Kashmir Civil Service Regulations on charges of corruption and misconduct.

The rules say the government in the public interest may retire an employee after completion of 22 years of qualifying service or attaining 48 years of age.

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According to sources, Ravinder Kumar Bhat, Mission Director, RUSA was indulged in corruption during his posting in different departments. The then vigilance department, now, Anti Corruption Bureau had registered a corruption case against him in 2015.

"As the then Assistant Commissioner, Revenue, Budgam, Bhat was involved in the irregular transfer of state land under Roshni Scheme and arbitrarily fixed the price of land lower than the prevailing market rate of the area and also incorrect application of rates, unauthorized change of classification of land from residential to agriculture etc. The officer while acting in league with the beneficiaries inflicted huge monetary loss to the government. The sanction was prosecution was accorded against the officer in October 2019," sources said.

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It is learnt that the officer was also involved in another corruption case when he was posted as a Director of the Rural Development Department. He had allegedly made huge procurement without following the tender process. A joint surprise check by ACB had revealed his malpractices.

"The officer is also involved in cases related to embezzlement/ misappropriation which inter-alia casts doubt on the functioning of the officer and his abilities with regard to dealing of financial responsibilities," sources further added.

Another Officer dismissed on charges of corruption and misconduct is Mohammad Qasim Wani, JKAS, Regional Director, Survey and Land Records, Srinagar. Sources said Wani as District Programme Officer, ICDS, Kupwara had procured substandard material at highly exorbitant rates for the ICDS project. An FIR under the prevention of corruption act was filed against Wani. The sanction for prosecution was accorded by the government in 2020 and a charge sheet has been filed against him by ACB before the trial court.

"Wani had purchased huge properties in the name of his wife. He has made fortune misusing official position, clearly indicating his doubtful integrity," Sources confirmed.

Noor Alam, Deputy Secretary, ARI & Training Department has also been dismissed after scrutiny of corruption cases of the tainted employee. During his posting in different departments, Alam, amassed huge wealth, misusing his official position. ACB had registered a case against Alam in 2019 to investigate his illegal assets and subsequently attached 4 of his properties- A house in Jammu, A plot measuring 10 marlas in Jammu, A plot of land measuring 3 Kanals in Jammu and another plot measuring 10 marlas in Jammu.

"Apart from these assets, he had raised various other properties in the name of his wife and other family members and also owns several vehicles including commercial vehicles."

An employee, Mohd Mujib Ur Rehman Ghassi, JKAS, who has been dismissed is currently under suspension. Ghassi during his tenure in the Cooperative department had facilitated a loan amount of Rs. 223 Crore in favour of a non-existent Cooperative society.

Sources said that the government has also expedited the identification of officials facing corruption charges and wrongdoings. (ANI)

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Mumbai, October 28: Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil on Thursday informed that he has tested positive for COVID-19.

"After experiencing mild symptoms I decided to get tested for COVID-19. I have tested positive. My condition is stable and I am following my doctor's advice. I urge all those who came in contact with me during Nagpur and Amravati tour, and other programs, to get themselves tested," Patil said in a tweet.

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Meanwhile, India reported 16,156 new COVID-19 cases and 733 deaths in the last 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry said on Thursday. The active caseload of the infection in the country stands at 1,60,98.

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New Delhi, Oct 28 (PTI) A man was allegedly attacked with a blade near the parking space outside one of the gates of the Delhi High Court here on Thursday, police said.

The attacker has been detained, they said.

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The incident took place near the parking space of gate number seven of the Delhi High Court. The man had come to the court regarding a 2011 case in which he is an accused, they said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Deepak Yadav said the victim is an accused in a 2011 case and was attacked with a blade by another person.

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The injured victim himself went to the hospital for treatment, he said.

"We have detained a person in connection with the incident and are interrogation him for further details," he said.

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Mumbai, Oct 26 (PTI) The Bombay High Court will continue on Wednesday hearing on a bail plea filed by Aryan Khan, Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan's son, arrested in a case of alleged seizure of narcotic drugs from a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast earlier this month.

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Justice N W Sambre on Tuesday commenced hearing on the bail application.

Aryan Khan's lawyers Mukul Rohatgi and Satish Maneshinde argued that the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has no evidence against the 23-year-old, and he was wrongly arrested and has been kept in jail for over 20 days.

"There is no evidence of consumption, no recovery of drugs and absolutely no evidence to show his participation in this so-called conspiracy and abetment as alleged by the NCB," senior advocate Rohatgi said.

Rohatgi completed his arguments after which the court said it would continue the hearing on the bail pleas of co-accused Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha on Wednesday.

The court will on Wednesday also hear the arguments of Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, appearing for the NCB.

Aryan Khan was arrested on October 3. A special NDPS Act court has rejected his bail plea.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Islamabad [Pakistan], October 28 (ANI): Two Pakistani soldiers were killed in an exchange of fire with terrorists attempting to cross the fence along the Pak-Afghan border into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Kurram district, local media reported on Wednesday.

Citing the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Dawn reported that terrorists from inside Afghanistan attempted to infiltrate into Pakistan in the intervening night between October 26 and October 27.

Also Read | 1.5 Million Children in Central Africa Need Emergency Aid: UN.

"Troops initiated a prompt response and thwarted the attempted illegal crossing by engaging the terrorists," the ISPR said in a statement.

It added that during the exchange of fire with the terrorist, 24-year-old Lance Naik Asad, a resident of Kurram, and 21-year-old Sepoy Asif, a resident of Lakki Marwat, were killed, Dawn reported

Also Read | 1.5 Million Penguins Supercolony Earlier Detected From Space, Discovered on Antarcticas Danger Islands.

Last week, two soldiers were killed and two others injured in a terrorist attack in the North Waziristan tribal district.

According to officials, fighting between security forces and terrorists had broken out near Miramshah, the headquarters of North Waziristan, and one terrorist had also been killed in the exchange of fire, Dawn reported. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Sydney [Australia], October 28 (ANI/Xinhua): The Australian state of Victoria recorded its deadliest day since the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak on Thursday with 25 deaths reported.

The state also reported 1,923 new local infections on the day. Some 746 infected Victorians are in hospital, including 137 patients in ICU and 85 people on ventilators.

Also Read | 1.5 Million Children in Central Africa Need Emergency Aid: UN.

Despite high case numbers, most indoor settings in the state will be allowed to reopen from 6 pm local time Friday, since the state will reach the double-dosed vaccination milestone this week, according to a government statement.

From Friday night, masks will no longer be required outdoors. Retail, cinemas and theatres will reopen and regional travel will be allowed.

Also Read | 1.5 Million Penguins Supercolony Earlier Detected From Space, Discovered on Antarcticas Danger Islands.

Students from every year level will return to full-time face-to-face learning from November 1.

In Victoria, more than 76 per cent of people aged over 16 are now double-jabbed. The state of New South Wales (NSW) has hit its 80-per cent vaccination target, while in the state of Queensland that figure is just over 61 per cent.

To prompt up the vaccination efforts, thousands of frontline emergency vehicles in Queensland will carry a message urging all residents to get vaccinated, as Australia's border restrictions will be eased gradually.

The message on the stickers is simple but poignant, "Our job saves lives, your jab saves lives".

"We will see more COVID-19 coming into Queensland once the borders open and we cannot protect you from the virus if you won't protect yourself," Queensland Vaccine Operations Coordinator and Acting Deputy Commissioner Shane Chelepy said.

"Our emergency response vehicles are out in the community every day ... Vaccination is our pathway out of this pandemic, so I call on every Queenslander to get vaccinated as soon as possible." (ANI/Xinhua)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Belgrade [Serbia], October 28 (ANI): Amid a Chinese push to gain influence in Serbia, Huawei appears to have paid large sums to a former Serbian state telecom executive through an offshore shell company, according to a report by a non-profit organisation.

A former executive at state telecom company Telekom Srbija received over USD 1 million through an offshore firm in the British Virgin Islands that had contracts with Chinese company Huawei, reported Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).

Also Read | 1.5 Million Children in Central Africa Need Emergency Aid: UN.

Former Telekom Srbija executive Igor Jecl, appears to have received over USD 1.4 million in contracts, dividends, loans, consulting fees, and an apartment from an offshore company that was paid by Huawei for consultancy.

The payments were linked to contracts with Huawei, some for consulting services that included introducing Huawei to government officials and arranging meetings for the Chinese company.

Also Read | 1.5 Million Penguins Supercolony Earlier Detected From Space, Discovered on Antarcticas Danger Islands.

In 2016, Huawei inked a major agreement with Telekom Srbija to overhaul Serbia's telecommunications infrastructure.

Experts say the offshore arrangements raise red flags for corruption. A current Telekom Srbija official said they should not have happened, reported OCCRP.

Neither offshore company that dealt with Huawei has a public track record of doing consulting work, or any business at all.

Although OCCRP has not uncovered evidence that the payments were improper, they were made over a period of time when Huawei was doing business in Serbia. In 2016, it landed a 150-million-euro deal to upgrade Serbia's telecommunications infrastructure.

Reporters found out about the deals through The Pandora Papers, a leak of nearly 12 million documents from 14 offshore service providers obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and shared with news organizations including KRIK and OCCRP.

Crime and Corruption Reporting Network (KRIK) is a non-profit organization established to improve investigative journalism in Serbia.

They provide an inside look at how the wealthy and powerful hide money in secretive jurisdictions like Panama and the British Virgin Islands.

The papers suggest that Jecl wasn't just dealing with Huawei on his own, but tapping into an existing offshore structure set up by another person: Milorad Ignjacevic, a prominent Serbian lawyer who had business ties to Telekom, reported OCCRP.

Pandora Papers documents only provide a brief snapshot of how Jecl's and Ignacevic's companies operated, but among them are multiple invoices showing planned payments to the offshores, justified by contracts with Huawei.

Together, the two companies had at least six such contracts, for which they issued invoices to collect at least 947,399 Euros (about USD 1.1 million). Four of the contracts were handed over from one of their shell companies, in Panama, to another one in the British Virgin Islands, for reasons that were not explained, reported OCCRP.

One of the invoices was sent from Jecl's offshore company to Huawei, for 150,000 Euros.

The Pandora Papers include the full details of only one of these contracts. Signed on January 1, 2014, it stipulates that the consultant would be paid 359,000 Euros (over USD 493,000) to organize meetings for Huawei with Serbian telecom officials and executives.

The consultant is also asked to help Huawei obtain approvals and licenses, and "urge the Customer [Telekom] to make the payment to Huawei timely and promptly." Another document in the Pandora Papers shows that the contract was fulfilled, and the 359,000 Euros were paid, reported OCCRP.

The new revelations about the Serbian deals come amid widespread distrust of Huawei, which is pitching its 5G networks around the globe.

Australia, the US and the UK have all banned Huawei from building 5G infrastructure for fear that China could use it for spying. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
London [UK], October 28 (ANI/Xinhua): Another 43,941 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 8,897,149, according to official figures released Wednesday.

The country also reported a further 207 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 140,041. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.

Also Read | 1.5 Million Children in Central Africa Need Emergency Aid: UN.

There are currently 8,801 patients in hospital with COVID-19.

The latest data came as the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said antibodies are increasing in younger adults, but there is a small decline in older cohorts.

Also Read | 1.5 Million Penguins Supercolony Earlier Detected From Space, Discovered on Antarcticas Danger Islands.

The latest data, which covered the period of the week beginning Sept.27, showed that around nine in 10 adults in Britain have antibodies for COVID-19. This means they have either been vaccinated or had the virus.The country could see a fifth vaccine added to its armoury after Novavax submitted its data to Britain's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for approval.

Phase Three trial showed the vaccine offers 100 percent protection against severe disease. Britain has ordered 60 million doses of the jab from the company behind the vaccine.

More than 86 percent of people aged 12 and over in Britain have had their first dose of vaccine and more than 79 percent have received both doses, the latest figures showed.

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the United States have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines. (ANI/Xinhua)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
It's a relief for Aryan Khan, as Shah Rukh Khan's son has finally gotten bail in the drug case. The Bombay High Court has granted bail to Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha in the Mumbai cruise drug bust case. However, reportedly, until the court passes the operative part of the order, all the three accused will remain in prison. Aryan Khan was arrested by NCB on October 3 and later was in police custody. Aryan Khan Granted Bail by Bombay High Court in Cruise Drugs Case.

In the court, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi for Aryan Khan responded to NCB's rejoinder by saying, "There were 1,300 people on cruise. I did not know anybody else except Arbaaz and Aachit. Their (NCB's) case is -- it is not coincidence and therefore it is conspiracy. Conspiracy is meeting of the minds. It cannot be based on coincidence. You (NCB) failed to prove meeting of minds with these eight people and therefore called them independently. There is absolutely no material for the purpose of conspiracy."

A single-judge bench of Justice Nitin W Sambre of the Bombay High Court heard the bail pleas of Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant and Munmum Dhamecha and passed the decision in favour of the three accused. If Aryan Khan would have not gotten bail today (October 28), he would have to stay in jail till November 15 considering the Diwali holidays. Aryan Khan Granted Bail: Sonu Sood, R Madhavan and Other Celebs Rejoice Over the Verdict for Shah Rukh Khan's Son. Indeed, it's a calming moment for Shah Rukh Khan, Gauri Khan, and their family as finally their son has been granted bail after staying in jail for almost 25 days. Justice will always be served. Stay tuned!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 28, 2021 05:08 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Bhopal, October 28: The Madhya Pradesh High Court has directed the Centre to submit a point-wise compliance report on the recommendations of the monitoring committee in the Bhopal Gas Tragedy case.

A division bench headed by newly appointed Chief Justice Ravi Vijay Kumar Malimath and Justice Vijay Kumar Shukla, has asked the government to submit detailed action taken reports in the matter by November 30. The Court's direction came after the Centre recently submitted a report to the court, however, the Court was not satisfied with the report.

Advocate representing the monitoring committee told IANS that it has recommended the Centre and State government to appoint doctors and other medical staff and also to provide some medical equipment for treatments of the gas tragedy survivors. Bhopal Gas Tragedy: Facts To Know About The 'World's Worst Industrial Disaster' That Killed 15,000.

"Among the several recommendations in the matter, one was to provide doctors and other medical staff for treatment of survivors. Centre has submitted that it has sanctioned to appoint doctors but it was not a complete report and therefore, the Court has asked the Centre to submit a point-wise compliances in the case," said an advocate representing the monitoring committee. It was was the first time Chief Justice Ravi Vinay Kumar Malimath was hearing the Bhopal Gas Tragedy case after taking charge last week.

Earlier in 2012, Bhopal Gas Peeth Mahila Udyog Sangthan along with others had filed a petition in the Supreme Court following which the apex Court had then issued 20 directions regarding the treatment and rehabilitation of Bhopal Gas victims.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 28, 2021 10:24 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Nepal Army Chief General Prabhu Ram Sharma to visit India between Nov 9 & Nov 12



"During his visit, General Sharma will be conferred upon the honorary rank of General of Indian Army. He will also meet his counterpart General MM Naravane & other service chiefs," says Nepali Army pic.twitter.com/EI1E92G2yB ANI (@ANI) October 28, 2021

(SocialLY brings you all the latest breaking news, viral trends and information from social media world, including Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. The above post is embeded directly from the user's social media account and LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body. The views and facts appearing in the social media post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY, also LatestLY does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)
President Joe Biden's social spending bill took a blow on Wednesday after the Democrats scrap the family paid leave on the package, as they work to narrow down the bill and secure the said agreement.

A source close to Senator Joe Manchin's firm opposition told New York Post that parental family leave will likely not be in the final bill. However, many members are pushing Manchin to support the measure, which President Biden also campaigned for.

The move came after Manchin raised his opposition to include the guaranteed paid leave in the social spending bill or the social safety net bill, NBC News reported.

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Originally, President Joe Biden sought 12 weeks of federally subsidized paid leave for workers to take care of new children or sick family members. However, the paid leave was scaled down to four weeks before it was scrapped by the Democrats altogether.

"What is important for people to understand here and now is: from the beginning, we have said that the president was open to compromise," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a meeting on Wednesday.

Psaki went on to say that Biden understands that "you're never going to get every single thing you want in the package," mentioning the president's 36 years of experience in legislation.

Reactions on the Removal of Paid Family Leave

Reactions surfaced as the Democrats moved to scrap the paid family leave on President Biden's social spending bill.

Laura Nafresky, counsel on education and workplace justice at the National Women's Law Center, said that she can't imagine why Congress decided to set aside paid leave in the bill.

"It is still a little inconceivable to me that after 18 months - and everything we saw during the course of pandemic - that we are hearing that Congress is going to leave paid leave for another day," Nafresky said. She added that the U.S. cannot recover "holistically" if the government would not provide what working families need.

"Paid family and medical leave is a benefit that touches everyone," Nafreska pointed out.

Meanwhile, Think Tank New America's Paid Leave Expert Vicki Shabo mentioned that the decision of the Democrats to remove the paid leave in the bill is a blow to the American families.

"This was a once in a generation opportunity to build on Family and Medical Leave Act to finally bring the promise of paid leave to the U.S., to end its outlier status," Shabo said.

To date, federal workers currently get 12 weeks of paid parental leave. However, private sectors have their paid leave depending on the state or the employer.

Experts Say Paid Family Leave a GameChanger

If paid leave is passed, experts think that it will be a game-changer in the labor force, especially the involvement of females.

Economists argue that a federal paid leave policy could boost female participation in the workforce and make it easier for new mothers to return to work, FOX 17 reported. Moreover, the leave would also benefit people of color and low-wage workers.

"It would disproportionately benefit women, low-wage workers, including those who have been at the frontline of the pandemic," Shabo said. She added that people who are also a "paycheck away" from harm when they need to care for their family would also experience the benefit.

Until the bill is printed, I will continue working to include #PaidLeave in the #BuildBackBetter Agenda.  Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (@gillibrandny) October 27, 2021

Despite being removed in Biden's social spending bill, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand pledged that she will continue to work in including paid leave in the agenda until the bill is printed.

READ NEXT: First Lady Jill Biden, Teen Vogue's Versha Sharma, Activists Amanda Nguyen and Helen Zia Headline Changemakers Summit 2021 for Asian American and Pacific Islander Youth

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written By: Joshua Summers

WATCH: Paid Family Leave, Billionaire Tax Likely Cut From Spending Bill Over Manchin Opposition - From PBS NewsHour
ISIS-K terrorists in Afghanistan could possibly launch attacks outside their country in as little as six to 12 months, a Pentagon official said while testifying in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee. The United States could possibly be one of the target countries of the terrorist group, according to The Blaze report.

Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl warned that ISIS-K has every intention of launching such attacks but currently lacks the ability to do so. Al Qaeda could also be planning the same attacks.

Kahl said that there could be a change in those abilities in relatively short order. He said that the current assessment by the intelligence community noted that they could see ISIS-K gaining the ability to launch attacks between six to 12 months. Kahl added that al Qaeda would take a year or two to gain that capability.

The defense undersecretary warned that everyone should remain vigilant against that possibility.

READ NEXT: Taliban Executes Public Hanging With a Dead Body Suspended From Crane; Note Says the Hanging Was "Punishment for Kidnapping"

Terror Watch

Kahl acknowledged the possibility that foreign fighters may once again gather in Afghanistan just as they had in the years leading to the 9/11 attacks, according to a Time report. However, he noted that the U.S. is much better prepared than it was 20 years ago.

Kahl also said that the Taliban could be more proactive in keeping other militant groups in check. He said that the Taliban is wary about Afghanistan being a catalyst for al Qaeda external attacks, explaining it is not because the Taliban are "good guys" but that the group fears international retribution.

The Pentagon official also insisted that the current risk of a foreign terror attack on the United States is at its lowest point since the 2001 attacks.

ISIS-K was responsible for the killing of 13 U.S. service members during the days of U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

In September, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley told the committee that there was a real possibility ISIS-K or al Qaeda could rebuild within six to 36 months, according to a CBS News report.

Lieutenant General James J. Mingus testified with Kahl. He is the Joint Staff director for operations. Mingus said that the assessment of the intelligence community was based on no U.S. or coalition intervention.

Kahl said that the Defense Department is doing intelligence and surveillance work in Afghanistan every day.

U.S. Withdrawal from Afghanistan

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had ordered a full-scale review of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August.

Blinken lauded the State Department's evacuation effort. However, he noted that the agency needs to learn from the experience as well, in case the U.S. would be faced with a similar situation, according to a Voice of America News report.

The state secretary said that there are many things that one can and should ask, such as if they could have taken that step differently.

Blinken did not add more details regarding the review. However, he said that "we owe it to ourselves" and to the future of State Department employees who might face the same challenge.

READ MORE: 2 Afghan Refugees Staying in Wisconsin Arrested for Trying to Rape Child, Strangle Woman

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: US Drone Strike Targets ISIS-K Planner Following Kabul Airport Bombing - from TODAY






Five individuals were charged in connection to the sophisticated scheme of trafficking drugs, wherein the group smuggled millions of dollars worth of cocaine into New York City by utilizing lunchboxes of kids.

Cocaine on Lunchboxes in Big Apple

According to New York Post, the city's Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor said that the drug traffickers used the zip-up lunchboxes and mailed them to homes across New York and Massachusetts via the US Postal Service. The lunchboxes even had designs of cartoon characters from "My Little Pony" and "Despicable Me."

Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget G. Brennan stated that concealing narcotic drugs in children's lunchboxes was the modus operandi for this organization. The prosecutor added that the drug ring used the tactic to throw off law enforcement, but it did not work.

Based on the report of ABC7NY, the alleged ringleaders, 36-year-old Carlos Duarte and 41-year-old Alexis Garcia, were accused of shipping several packages of coke from Puerto Rico to New York City between May 2020 and July 2021.

Both foreign nationals are working as music managers. They both represented artists in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, which allowed them to travel frequently. Prosecutors stated that the alleged cover enabled them to have the drug-running operation.

Duarte faced the top narcotics charge of operating as a major trafficker, while other charges included conspiracy, criminal sale of a controlled substance, and drug possession.

READ MORE: Portuguese Authorities Recover 5 Tons of Cocaine From 79-Foot Yacht; Record Haul Estimated Worth $232 Million

The Drug Ring's Operation and Distribution Uncovered

Duarte, popularly known as "Showtime," was busted Wednesday morning at his home in Yonkers with 400 grams of a white powdery substance. Authorities said that some of them tested positive as cocaine in a field test.

Alongside Duarte were Bryan Centeno-Rosado, 23, Raul Sweeney, 27, and Wesley Coddington, 43, who were also present and arrested in Yonkers.

Investigators said that they have seized 30 kilograms of cocaine over the course of the investigation. Also, they believe that they could have scored if it were not trafficked by the narcotics ring.

Moreover, prosecutors said that in many instances, the parcels were mailed to individuals who did not exist or individuals that were not associated with that address.

The return addresses were often in New York, though the shipments came from Puerto Rico. At least two shipments had the return address of a luxury clothing boutique situated in Upper Manhattan.

Meanwhile, the indictment stated that a search of a vehicle Coddington was in on January 21 allegedly turned up two kilograms of cocaine nestled in the lunch boxes inside a hidden trap compartment in the back seat area of the vehicle.

The court documents said that on April 28, agents allegedly stopped Centeno-Rosado in a Lyft heading to Duarte's Yonkers home with 4 kilograms of cocaine that were split between two lunchboxes, one gray and one red.

Philip R. Bartlett, Inspector in Charge of the US Postal Inspection Service, said that over the years, they have seen many creative ways on how drug traffickers concealed illegal narcotics. Drug Traffickers have made several efforts eluding detection from law enforcement.

READ NEXT: Border Patrol Seizes Over $700K Cocaine, Meth in Multiple Operations at Pharr International Bridge

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Written by: Jess Smith

WATCH: Cocaine disguised as children's gifts seized in a drug trafficking ring bust in Brooklyn: police -PIX11 News


Queen Elizabeth II has pulled out of attending the COP26 climate change summit in Glasgow next week due to her health condition, according to Buckingham Palace.

Royal experts said there could now be a review and possible slight change in the kind of work the Queen would do following her overnight stay in a hospital last week, Daily Mail reported.

Buckingham Palace said the Queen had regretfully decided not to go and would instead remain at Windsor Castle. However, the palace noted that the Queen would continue to work behind the scenes and record a video message that would be broadcast to delegates in Glasgow, Scotland.

Palace sources said the Queen's decision not to go was a "sensible precaution" as her doctor advised her to rest. Another source added that it would also be "unwise" for the 95-year-old Queen to make the 800-mile round trip from Windsor to Glasgow for the event.

Royal expert Roya Nikkhah said the Queen was very keen that other world leaders and heads of state would not use her absence as an excuse not to attend. Nikkhah noted that the Queen is "following it very, very closely."

Meanwhile, CBS News reported that the Prince of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are still set to attend the COP26 climate change summit.

READ NEXT: Queen Elizabeth Overheard on Livestream Saying She's 'Irritated' by World Leaders' Inaction on Climate Change

Queen Elizabeth II on COP26 Climate Change Summit

Queen Elizabeth II earlier said she was "irritated" by world leaders who "talk but don't do" on climate change. She was talking to the Duchess of Cornwall and Elin Jones when her remarks were picked up on the livestream of the sixth ceremonial opening of the Welsh parliament in Cardiff.

The Queen said it was extraordinary how she has been hearing all about COP26 but still doesn't know who is coming. She noted that they only knew about people who were not coming, and it was "really irritating when they talk, but they don't do."

Former U.K. ambassador to the U.S. Sir Peter Westmacott said the Queen's cancellation was a "blow" to the summit, BBC News reported. But Westmacott noted that the substance of the talks should not be affected by the Queen's absence.

The Queen was seen back at work on Tuesday and sent a signal that all was well. She resumed public engagements by meeting ambassadors via video calls from Windsor Castle.

A royal expert said meetings held on video and video messages would likely be more of how we'll see the Queen in the future.

The royal expert added that the Queen would be more online, while those in-line would take up more of the public responsibilities.

Queen Elizabeth II's Health

The Buckingham Palace had announced that she had gone to a hospital last Wednesday for preliminary medical checks and had returned to Windsor Castle the next day, TODAY reported.

Buckingham Palace released a statement about the Queen taking a rest. However, it did not suggest that it's more serious than a few days off.

The palace has lightened her workload and changed her schedule to ensure that the monarch has time to focus on her health. Her medical team has also recommended that she make some changes to her evening routine.

The Queen had given up her signature Dubonnet cocktail, which she had been drinking every night. She also stopped going on long walks in Windsor Great Park with her dogs.

Queen Elizabeth II's last known health issue was back in 2017 when she has skipped a New Year's Day church visit because of a bad cold.

READ MORE: Prince Charles Won't Allow Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Kids to Receive Royal Titles When He Becomes King

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Queen Elizabeth to Miss COP26 Climate Conference in Glasgow - From CBS News






A Long Beach school safety officer is now being charged with murder after fatally shooting an 18-year-old girl last month, California officials announced Wednesday.

In a press conference, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said Eddie Gonzalez was charged with one count of murder for the death of Manuela "Mona" Rodriguez.

California authorities had filed murder charges against the former school safety officer who fatally shot an unarmed teen. The Guardian reported that it was a rare prosecution for an on-duty killing by an officer.

Long Beach School Safety Officer Fatally Shoots California Teen Mom

According to KTLA, the shooting incident happened on September 27 in the area of Spring Street and Palo Verde Avenue, near Millikan High School.

Mona Rodriguez, who had a five-month-old boy, was brain dead and placed on life support after Eddie Gonzalez shot her in the back of her head. Despite the medical treatment, the California teen mom died eight days after being shot.

READ NEXT: Missing Florida Teen Killed by 3 High School Classmates Over Sexual Relationship With Suspect's Ex-Girlfriend

The Shooting Incident that Killed the California Teen Mom

Early this month, the Long Beach police said they had opened a homicide investigation into Mona Rodriguez's death.

According to the police department's preliminary investigation, Rodriguez got involved in a fight with a 15-year-old girl on the day she was shot. A witness said the fight broke out when the California teen mom got out of a car and confronted the younger girl in the street near the school.

While driving and patrolling in the area, the 51-year-old safety officer from the Long Beach Unified School District happened to see the physical dispute between Rodriguez and the girl, who was walking from the school.

Gonzalez then threatened to use pepper spray on the two teenagers, who immediately stopped fighting and walked away. However, things took a sudden turn when the California teen mom got back in the car with her 16-year-old brother and her 20-year-old boyfriend, Rafeul Chowdhury.

A video seemed to show the school safety officer firing two shots at the car, which nearly hit him as the vehicle began to speed away from the parking lot.

Police said Rodriguez, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, was the only person injured in the shooting. She was rushed to Long Beach Memorial Medical Center after she was shot.

Chowdhury has said that Gonzalez did warn Rodriguez and the other teen girl that he would use pepper spray if they would not stop fighting, which they did. But Chowdhury noted that Gonzalez did not give any other warnings before the shooting and "never told us to stop anytime soon."

The California teen mom was taken off life support on October 5, following surgery to remove some of her organs, which would be donated to save the lives of five other individuals.

Gonzalez was placed on administrative leave while the tragic incident was being investigated. He was later fired as a result of a vote held during a closed school board meeting on October 6.

The district attorney's office said Eddie Gonzalez was being held at the Long Beach city jail on a $2 million bail and was scheduled to be arraigned on Friday.

READ MORE: 3 Starving Children Living Next to Skeletal Remains of Their Brother for a Year Found in Texas House of Horrors

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Jess Smith

WATCH: Long Beach School Officer Fired After Fatally Shooting 18-Year-Old Mom - From ABC7
Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso has called for a dialogue with indigenous and civil society groups on the second day of demonstrations against the fuel price hike.

Demonstrations erupted in several provinces days after the government scrapped plans to enforce an incremental increase in fuel prices. And instead, it raised the price of diesel to $1.90 a gallon and $2.55 a gallon for petrol.

The president of Ecuador announced the 12 percent increase in the country's fuel prices last Friday. Al Jazeera reported that this set off the largest protests since he took office.

Thousands of demonstrators marched on Tuesday to call for a reduction in fuel prices and answers to alleged tax fraud by Lasso based on the Pandora Papers.

Various road blockades continued on Wednesday, including a barricade of soil, tree trunks, and burning tires on one of capital Quito's access roads.

According to Ecuador's public safety department, there were also roadblocks in the provinces of Imbabura, Cotopaxi, Chimborazo, and Tungurahua on Wednesday.

READ NEXT: Ecuador Officials to Pardon Thousands of Inmates Following Deadly Prison Riot That Killed 118

Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso on the Protesters

Guillermo Lasso sounded his willingness to talk with the indigenous and rural protesters on Wednesday.

"I call once more for dialogue, for consensus, for thinking of the good of the country and not of personal, party or union interests," Lasso said during a military ceremony.

The Ecuadorian president stressed that people in Ecuador should be united "in these moments of economic recovery." Lasso also said that the government would keep security forces on highways to maintain order.

"If tomorrow the challenges remain we'll maintain the control by police in the cities, plazas and countryside of Ecuador," Lasso noted.

The president has criticized the ongoing protests in their country, saying the demonstrations represent economic losses for small businesses, "which are the livelihood of thousands of Ecuadorian families and households."

"Say no to unemployment, for the reactivation and prosperity of the entire country," the Ecuadorian president added.

Protester Dennis Viteri, a 28-year-old textile worker, told AFP that the government has "messed up" for pushing fuel prices up "all the time."

The Ecuadorian president earlier said this would be the last increase, but it could not calm the simmering anger of the protesters. Ecuador typically exports oil but imports much of the fuel it consumes.

Ecuador Protests: 37 Detained by Police

Officials said at least eight police officers were injured during protests on Tuesday, and 37 people were arrested for blocking roads.

According to Interior Minister Alexandra Vela, the majority of demonstrations were peaceful on Tuesday. However, he said a group of protesters was believed to have been aggressive against the police, which resulted in agents throwing tear gas in Santo Domingo Plaza to disperse the crowds.

Protest organizers said some protesters were also hurt but did not give a figure.

Last week, Guillermo Lasso declared a 60-day nationwide state of emergency in response to a wave of violent crime and drug trafficking in the country. It allows for the quick deployment of the police and armed forces to conduct routine checkpoints in hotspots.

The Ecuadorian president is currently facing a parliamentary investigation over Pandora Papers' revelations that he reportedly hid millions in assets overseas. Lasso has since denied wrongdoing after being named in last month's report.

READ MORE: Haiti Gang Leader Demands Haitian PM to Resign in Exchange of Allowing Fuel to Be Accessible

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Written by: Joshua Summers

WATCH: Demonstrators Clash With Police in Ecuador During Protest Over Fuel Price Hike - From South China Morning Post
Police have denied claims that went viral on social media that the skeletal remains found in a Florida park do not belong to Brian Laundrie.

In a statement released by the North Port Police Department on Tuesday, the medical examiner said the human remains found at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park on October 20 belonged to Laundrie, and it was confirmed by "comparison to known dental records."

The statement added that no DNA analysis has yet been performed on the remains, and "samples will be submitted for DNA testing once the examination of the remains by the medical examiner's office is complete."

As of Tuesday, the Daily Beast reported that a Facebook post claiming that Laundrie's DNA did not match the remains has already garnered some 150,000 shares, and a YouTube video with the same claim has been viewed over 110,000 times.

The month-long manhunt for Laundrie finally came to an end after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced that the skeletal remains discovered in the Florida park belonged to Gabby Petito's fiance.

Laundrie family attorney, Steven Bertolino, said the initial autopsy of Laundrie's remains did not uncover a cause or manner of his death.

Bertolino noted that police told him that the autopsy by the Sarasota County medical examiner did not produce concrete results on Laundrie's death.

He said the remains of Gabby Petito's fiance were already sent to a forensic anthropologist for further examination.

READ NEXT: Brian Laundrie's Parents 'Not Convinced' Yet That Skeletal Remains Found at Florida Park Belong to Son

Allegations That Brian Laundrie Had a Twin

Wink News reported that some social media and blog posts claimed, without evidence, that Brian Laundrie was actually alive in Mexico. It has persisted even after his death.

A Facebook post also claimed that Gabby Petito's fiance had a twin, and the skeletal remains discovered in the Florida park belonged to his twin while he was still somewhere south of the border.

However, there was no evidence to support the allegations. Facebook flagged the post as part of its effort to fight fake news and misinformation.

There was no mention in the news or law enforcement reports that Laundrie had a twin. A study published in a 1982 Journal of the American Dental Association further noted that twins, even identical twins, do not have similar dental patterns.

Anthropologist Examining Brian Laundrie's Remains May Have Results in November

Bertolino told Fox News the results of a forensic anthropologist's examination of Brian Laundrie's remains are expected in November.

The lawyer said he believed the forensic anthropologist's examination would conclude in two to three weeks. Forensic anthropologists analyze human remains, conduct DNA tests and look for signs of weapon evidence to help determine how an individual died, whether accidental, suicide, homicide, or natural.

Laundrie's remains were discovered in a swampy area of the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park. Retired NYPD commander Tom Joyce earlier said if the remains are skeletal, it would mean that the tissue has been pulled away from the bones.

Joyce noted that the tissue could be pulled away by alligators, crabs, and fish, among others. The retired NYPD commander added he believes this is what happened since it's not long enough time for the flesh to go naturally.

"If it's only a three to four week period and there are only skeletal remains and very limited tissue remaining. I would have to say there's a lot of activity that pulls the skin and flesh and stuff away," he noted.

Brian Laundrie was named a person of interest by North Port police after returning home on September 1 or 10 days before Gabby Petito was reported missing by her family.

Petito disappeared on a cross-country road trip Brian Laundrie. The couple was traveling to Oregon when the YouTuber stopped communicating with her family in Wyoming in late August.

Gabby Petito's body was found at the Spread Creek Dispersed Campground near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming on September 19.

A Teton County, Wyoming coroner said she was strangled to death by a "human being," and the manner of death was homicide.

READ MORE: Brian Laundrie Manhunt: Parents of Gabby Petito's Fiance Change the Date of Florida Fugitive's Disappearance

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: How Did Brian Laundrie Die? USF Forensic Anthropologist Explains What's Next - From FOX 13 Tampa Bay






TikToker JinnKid accused of shooting and killing his wife and her friend in an apartment in San Diego, California has pleaded not guilty on Monday.

The TikTok star, whose real name is Ali Nassar Abulaban, was booked into San Diego Central Jail on two counts of murder last week, NBC San Diego reported.

The 29-year-old TikToker allegedly shot his wife, Ana Abulaban, 28, and friend Rayburn Barron, 28, on October 21 at the Spire San Diego luxury apartment complex because Ali thought his wife was cheating on him. Paramedics pronounced both victims dead at the scene, The Sun reported.

READ NEXT: TikTok Star Gabriel Salazar, 3 Mexicans Died in Car Crash Following Police Chase in Texas

TikTok Star JinnKid Reportedly Installs a Listening Device on Daughter's Tablet

TikToker JinnKid has reportedly installed a listening device on his daughter's tablet hours before he shot his wife and her friend to monitor activity in the apartment.

With the listening app, prosecutors said the TikTok star allegedly heard Abna and Rayburn talking in the apartment and rushed to the home he shared with his wife from a hotel he was staying in.

Prosecutors noted that Ana was in the process of ending the marriage and asked the TikToker to leave the apartment on October 18. Ali reportedly began stalking his wife since then.

Deputy District Attorney Taran Brast told NBC 7 that the TikTok star fired one bullet into his wife's forehead and shot Rayburn three times - in the neck, cheek, and back of the head at close range.

Brast said the couple's five-year-old daughter was not at home at the time and was only picked up by the TikToker at school afterward.

Brast noted that Ali's daughter was with him in the vehicle when he was taken into custody. Brast said the TikTok star confessed to the killing, both to his mom and the police, and told his daughter that he "hurt mommy."

According to San Diego police, someone called 911 at around 3 p.m. to report the shooting. When the police arrived at the apartment, they found Ana and Rayburn dead with gunshot wounds in the living room.

Police believed that it was Ali who called as he fled the scene. The TikToker was later found near the Interstate 805/I-15 junction with his daughter.

On Wednesday, the cousin of the TikTok star, Louis Marinari, said Ali wanted to control his wife.

"He [JinnKid] loved her [wife] so much that he became obsessed with her, and then he wanted to control her," Marinari noted. The cousin also said that Ali could not grasp control over his wife because "she had a really big social life."

"He couldn't control her anymore and it drove him mad. I think this is what led up to him killing her," Marinari noted.

Investigators said it was not the first time the TikTok star had harmed his wife. Brast noted that there was an earlier incident of domestic violence reported in September.

Brast said the TikToker pushed his wife, causing an injury. However, Brast added that there was no restraining order issued at the time.

The TikTok star is being held without bail. But Ali is set to go back to court on October 28 for a bail review. The preliminary hearing in the case is slated for January 5, 2022.

TikTok Star JinnKid

JinnKid is well known in the social media app TikTok as he garnered nearly a million followers. He's known for doing impressions of John Wick, Scarface, and the Godfather.

Aside from being a TikToker, JinnKid also connects with his fans on YouTube where he has at least 170,000 subscribers. The TikToker's cousin said the fame that Ali experienced has changed him.

"I think it created a fake reality for him to escape his insecurities, to escape his depression, to escape whatever it was that was going on in his head," said Marinari, adding that he thinks "fame created a monster."

The TikTok star's net worth was reportedly amounted anywhere from $1 million to $5 million. The said wealth came from his career on TikTok and from being a film producer.

READ MORE: TikTok Removes Videos of Viral Trend "Devious Licks" Promoting Students to Steal School Properties

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Written by: Joshua Summers

WATCH: TikTok Star Pleads Not Guilty To Killing Estranged Wife, Friend In San Diego High-Rise - From NBC News
National

Exacerbated by pandemic, child care crisis hampers economy

Associated Press Amy McCoy reads a book to preschoolers as they finish their lunch at her Forever Young Daycare facility on Monday in Mountlake Terrace, Wash.

SEATTLE  After Bryan Kangs son was born in July, the occupational therapist and his wife, a teacher, started looking for child care in the Los Angeles area. The couple called eight day care centers: Some didnt have spots for months; others stopped taking their calls and some never answered at all.

So with no viable options, Kang scrambled to find a new job that would allow him to work remotely.

I told my manager, Hey, by the end of the month, I have to transition out, Kang said. They were very supportive and very understanding because theyre all mothers. But now theres one less body to see patients.

Kang said hes fortunate he found a job teaching online classes, but the unexpected career pivot forced him to take an 11% pay cut.

The truth is, even if he could find a day care spot for his now 3-month-old son, the $2,500 monthly cost of infant care is so high that taking a lower-paying job so he can work from home and care for the baby is the most financially sensible thing to do.

The child care business has for years operated in a broken, paradoxical market: low wages for workers and high costs for consumers. Yet the critical service somehow managed to limp along.

Now, the pandemic has made clear what many experts had long warned: The absence of reliable and affordable child care limits which jobs people can accept, makes it harder to climb the corporate ladder and ultimately restricts the ability of the broader economy to grow.

Early learning is no longer seen as just a womens issue or a childrens issue. Its really seen as an economic issue. Its about workforce participation, said Mario Cardona, policy chief for Child Care Aware of America. Its about employers who dont have to worry about whether theyll be able to rely upon employees.

Child Care Aware estimates 9% of licensed child care programs have permanently closed since the pandemic began, based on its tally of nearly 16,000 shuttered centers and in-home day cares in 37 states between December 2019 and March 2021.

Now, each teacher resignation, coronavirus exposure and day care closure reveals an industry on the brink, with wide-reaching implications for an entire economys workforce.

The national crisis has forced many people  mostly women  to leave their jobs, reshaping the child care crisis as not just a problem for parents of young children, but also anyone who depends on them. It has contributed to a labor shortage, which in turn has hurt businesses and made it more difficult for customers to access goods and services.

The decisions we make about the availability of child care today will shape the U.S. macroeconomy for decades to come by influencing who returns to work, what types of jobs parents take and the career path they are able to follow, said Betsey Stevenson, an economist at the University of Michigan.

President Joe Biden has pledged an unprecedented burst of federal spending in hopes of fixing the child care market. At a recent town hall in Baltimore, he assured parents they would not have to pay more than 7% of your income for child care. Federal money would go directly to care centers to cover costs in excess of the 7% cap. This means the median U.S. family earning $86,372 would pay $6,046 annually for child care.

Bidens plan also includes universal pre-kindergarten, which could further reduce child care expenses for families. The expanded monthly payments from the child tax credit approved in Bidens $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package would be extended for another year. The president also proposed increasing the size of a tax credit for the cost of child care, all of which should help improve access for families.

The Congressional Budget Office has yet to score the costs as the measures are still being negotiated ahead of Bidens departure Thursday for the G-20 conference in Rome. But Donald Schneider, a former chief economist for the House Ways and Means Committee who now works for the consultancy Cornerstone Macro, estimates the child care and pre-kindergarten support would cost $465 billion over 10 years. The one-year price-tag of the expanded child tax credit would be around $120 billion. The credit would cost an additional $940 billion if renewed for nine more years.

It remains to be seen what survives in the brutal negotiations in Congress for Bidens broad family services agenda, but the pandemic is proving to be a make-or-break catalyst for the future of the child care industry.

At Forever Young Daycare in the Seattle suburb of Mountlake Terrace, Amy McCoy is burning out fast.

Shes spent half of this year trying to hire a new assistant for her in-home child care, but until then, the former public school teacher works 50 hours a week caring for children herself and doing the cooking, cleaning and administrative work needed to run her business.

At what point is my day care more important than my own family? McCoy asked.

One of McCoys assistants, who worked there for five years, quit the $19-an-hour job in April for a $35-an-hour job nannying. McCoy has posted the opening for an entry-level assistant on Indeed and Facebook, offering $16 per hour  nearly 20% more than the state minimum wage. Shes gotten few responses and all turned her down over pay, making hiring impossible without a tuition increase.

Nobody wants to work for what I can afford to pay right now, McCoy said. I absolutely believe these are $20-an-hour employees, but I hate that, most likely, I will have to raise tuition.

The U.S. Treasury Department noted in a September report that child care workers earn on average $24,230. More than 15% of the industrys workers live below the poverty line in 41 states and half need public assistance. The sector has high levels of turnover, with 26% to 40% leaving their job each year. Nor is there much room to give among child care centers that tend to operate on profits of 1% or less.

In nearby Edmonds, Briana McFadden shuttered her business, Cocoon Child Care Center, last month due to the stress of the pandemic, though McFadden thinks she would have stayed open if there were government subsidies to stabilize the industry.

In 12 years in business, McFadden said she never raised tuition and was the rare day care in the affluent northern Seattle suburbs to accept low-income families on a state subsidy. In pre-pandemic times, Cocoon employed seven people to care for 37 children. Now McFadden plans to open a convenience store.

It really wasnt worth it to continue, McFadden said, her voice quivering with emotion. Day care is a hard business.

Tatum Russells livelihood depended as much on McFaddens day care as the restaurant that employs her to hand-bread seafood.

During a COVID-19-related day care closure in August, the single mom could only stitch together help from relatives for some of the time. Russell ultimately had to miss four days of work.

Its been a nightmare, and its not over, Russell said.
Portland, TN (37148)

Today

Sunshine this morning then becoming mostly cloudy this afternoon. High 58F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 43F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.
A Laois councillor has said she is disappointed at the lack of progress to install a burial wall at Portlaoise cemetery.

A 'columbarium wall' is needed urgently in Portlaoise cemetery says Cllr Catherine Fitzgerald.

The wall is a permanent resting place for the cremated remains of loved ones, and can save room in a cemetery.

Cllr Fitzgerald first suggested the idea last June at the Portlaoise Municipal District meeting and this October she tabled a motion to ask what progress had been made.

The council's reply is that the wall may be included in next year's budget estimates but it will depend on the cost.

"I am disappointed. This is an important issue. I really want to see this in the estimates. It can be built in stages. There is huge demand out there. A cathedral in Ennis sold out all their spaces in weeks with people booking them in advance.

"Well over 100 people a year die in Portlaoise on average. We really have to seriously look at this. It's the people who really want this. We need to do this in the very near future.

"You'll have people from outside Portlaoise will want to use it as well. It's important to have one in Laois.

"I don't think that Laois County Council realise the demand out there and we also have very little land," she said.

Cllr Fitzgerald had also asked what land the council has in her motion, and was told there are 2.7 acres still available for new graves at the cemetery which is on the Stradbally road in the town.

Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley seconded the motion.

"We have many people now who bury their dead differently. A columbarian wall is one part, a crematorium is another. The nearest one is in Dublin. It's a long term project but it's needed. We don't have one in this region," she said.
A Laois/Offaly TD has welcomed news that non-EU truckers are to be allwoed to work in Ireland, saying it will tackle a shortage in the sector.

Deputy Charlie Flanagan, welcomed news announced on October 28 of changes to the employment permits system for workers from outside the European Economic Area (EEA).

I am happy to receive confirmation that the quota for HGV driver work permits is to be removed. I raised this issue with An Tanaiste Leo Varadkar some weeks ago and welcome the greater level of flexibility to be afforded for HGV work permits.

"There is a particular problem with the haulage industry with the shortage of truck drivers and this change should help tackle this problem. I am now calling on the RSA to broaden the pool of workers with particular reference to some non-EU European workers.

Many other Non-EU workers will also be eligible to work. They include 1,000 permits for Horticulture Operatives, 500 Meat Deboners, 1,500 Meat Processing operatives and 100 Dairy Farm Assistants.

In addition, Social Workers and most construction sector jobs will also be eligible for the General Employment Permits.
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Minister of State and Fine Gael TD for Sligo/Leitrim/ South Donegal and North Roscommon, Frank Feighan, has welcomed the announcement today of a new Technological University for the North West, stating that the new TU for the North West of Ireland will transform the region.

Speaking on the announcement Minister Feighan said,  I have received confirmation this morning from Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research , Innovation and Science, Simon Harris TD, that the new Technological University has been approved for the North West".

Todays announcement follows an application from Galway  Mayo, Sligo and Letterkenny institutes of Technology.

The new Technological University will be the latest of 4 new TUs established across Ireland since 2019.

Minister Feighan continues, The new TU for the North West will be one of the largest multi campus universities in Ireland and will offer excellent opportunities for the entire region. It will benefit students, staff, communities and enhance the local economy.

The TU will be spread right across the region with campuses based in 8 locations across Galway, Mayo, Sligo and Donegal, said Feighan.

This is a fantastic opportunity for the North West and will allow greater access to 3rd level education for many students in the area. It will transform the entire region.

Minister Feighan said, "I was delighted to have the opportunity to welcome Minister Harris to Sligo recently where he saw first hand the fantastic 3rd level campus we have here in Sligo. He also met with representative from the colleges to discuss plans for the future."

I must commend the three colleges on their determinations, commitment and vision to achieve this goal of establishing a Technological University for the North West and I look forward to a bright future for the staff, and students and the communities that will now benefit from this newly established TU for Galway, Mayo, Sligo and Donegal.

Dr Blaithin Gallagher, Constituency Spokesperson and National Coordinator of the Green Party/An Comhaontas Glas also said We warmly welcome this announcement which represents an excellent investment in the North West. University towns attract and retain people. They provide a solid research infrastructure and drive peripheral development. Not only will the new TU offer increased high quality employment opportunities, both directly with the university, but also indirectly in supporting suppliers and local businesses, it will and open us up as place of and space for innovation. Huge congratulations to all who contributed to this successful application.
The Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF) are inviting applications from groups nationwide before the new closing date of Friday November 12th 2021 at 5.00pm to facilitate those adapting to new Covid-19 restrictions.

This extended IHF programme offers communities across Ireland multiple ways to process the impact of death, dying, grief, and more general losses that have taken place during the pandemic.

IHF Seeds programme piloted in early 2021. Awardees included GAA clubs, individual artists, local choirs and hospitals. This year IHF are encouraging as wide a group of people as possible to apply with a simple application process and lots of support.

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin said:

I am conscious that every community in Ireland has been affected by this terrible pandemic.

"Not only did COVID take so many of our loved ones, it also disrupted our traditional ways of grieving and memorialising. I recognize that the arts, culture and creativity can bring comfort and help people grieve and remember in some tangible way.

"With funding from my department through the Creative Ireland Programme, I am delighted that Irish Hospice Foundation can continue its important support for people and communities to cope with bereavement through creative and artistic expression.

Sharon Foley, CEO of IHF, is confident that the continued investment in this programme will yield long lasting benefits.

Arts and Creative Engagement offers us, in IHF, opportunities to use creativity and the arts to construct meaningful spaces where difficult things such as dying, death and bereavement are explored.

"The potential of the arts and creativity to strengthen meaningful engagement and support around death and loss has been known for centuries. We are thrilled to have the backing of Creative Ireland and Minister Catherine Martin to do it.

Irish Hospice Foundation with Creative Ireland sets out to inspire and support the work of groups, organisations and individuals who wish to mark in some tangible way their response to the universal realities of dying, death and bereavement especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Seed Grants are to support groups, organisations and individuals in exploring creative ways to do this. Priority will be given to creative initiatives that take innovative approaches to reflection and remembrance.

They aim to help start new local art projects, or to support existing projects gain momentum - this may involve artists, crafts people or coders. It may be a group or individual who has a good idea.

Grants of up to 1,000 are available with up to 26 awards on offer. Full details can be found on the IHF website.
An Irish doctor has said pregnant women who have already had Covid should still consider gettting vaccinated.

Dr Ronan Glynn made the comments on Twitter as part of a thirteen-part informational about pregnancy, Covid-19, and vaccination.

In a post, he said, "If you have already had Covid-19 you should still consider getting the Covid-19 vaccine. Although previous infection does provide some protection, vaccination is still recommended."

Although he said "most" pregnant women infected with the virus have mild or no symptoms and don't experience serious complications, there is "increasing evidence that Covid-19 can affects your pregnancy".

There is growing evidence that pregnant women may be at increased risk of severe illness from #COVID19 compared with non-pregnant women, particularly in the third trimester.

(4/13)  Dr Ronan Glynn (@ronan_glynn) October 28, 2021

He said, "Pregnant women with Covid-19 are at higher risk of preterm birth, high blood pressure, postpartum haemorrhage and stillbirth than those who are not infected with Covid-19."

According to the doctor, the vaccines can be given "at any time in pregnancy" and that breastfeeding women can receive a vaccine without having to stop breastfeeding.

He also said those who have had laboratory-confirmed Covid-19 in the previous six months will only need one dose.
LIMERICK city and county nightclubs have opened their doors for the first time in 18 months.

While nightclubs reopened at full capacity, pubs, limited to social distancing capacities, were given the green light to return to normal trading hours.

While excited to begin trading once again, current guidelines are open to interpretation, one County Limerick nightclub owner stated.

This weekend we have a teenage disco and an adult disco. For the teenage one, we sold out within 10 minutes and decided to create another one the following week, Conal Kelly Jr of Bulgaden Castle near Kilmallock told the Limerick Leader last Friday.

Teenagers attending the disco must be scanned for vaccine passports at the door, which is such a grey area, as this is not required in any other setting for them, he added.

RTE 2FM presenter and Limerick DJ Jay Hartigan was delighted to return to the decks on Friday at Amber Lounge, after nearly 500 days of radio silence at the Howleys Quay nightclub.

We never thought this day would come. Were beyond excited to open our doors again. The butterflies have properly kicked in now, he smiled.

He added that he is most looking forward to playing to a now permitted packed out dancefloor and teased that the night will end with a special nod to Limerick's very own The Cranberries.

Dolans Warehouse welcomed Minister Catherine Martins statement that live gigs can accommodate 1,500 standing with a 100 per cent seated capacity.

We are on an upward trajectory. Our main thing is live music, said owner Mick Dolan, who is delighted that the new guidelines serve an already sold-out string of new shows.

In addition to this, drinks can now be ordered from the bar at both clubs and pubs, but seating at the counter is strictly prohibited.

The guidelines also state that mask wearing is essential except when eating, drinking or dancing.

Vaccine passports and at least one other form of Identification for cross reference are required on entry to nightclubs.

Pubs, on the other hand, require vaccine passports or proof of recovery from Covid-19 in the last six months and can now sit up to 10 at a table and facilitate multiple bookings.

The Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI), whilst ecstatic that businesses can return to some form of normality, said anomalies remain in the guidelines for pubs compared to guidelines for night clubs.

This will lead to a farcical situation where 1,000 people can dance or stand around drinking in a nightclub but a small number of customers cannot sit at the bar of their local pub or, indeed, play darts or pool, said VFI Chief Executive Padraig Cribben.

For more news from Limerick city and county log onto www.limerickleader.ie
MEMBERS of the business community in Rathkeale will join with community leaders and members of the public this Thursday to protest against AIBs plans for the town.

The bank has announced it will discontinue cash and cheque services later this year.

This is a bit like having a pub with no beer, a bank with no money, says Peter ODonovan of Rathkeale Community Council who is one of the organisers of Thursdays protest.

Combined with the closure of the Bank of Ireland branch on October 8, it will leave the town without full and proper banking facilities, Mr ODonovan said. Moreover, AIB customers wanting to avail of cash services will have to go to the AIB branch in Newcastle West, taking potential extra business out of Rathkeale.

The rise in internet banking has been given as a big reason for the changes, Mr ODonovan continued. But a few miles out from Rathkeale, broadband connectivity falls off, he pointed out. Besides, he added, not everybody, especially older customers, can or is willing to do internet banking.

We have a letter from the bank saying it is not in a position to change its position, he said. And he cited Finance Minister Pascal ODonoghue, speaking in the Dail, who said he couldnt tell the bank what to do.

But, Mr ODonovan said, the people of Ireland are shareholders in AIB and had helped bail out the banks at great cost. Our children and grandchildren will be paying for that, he added.

We deserve better from AIB, he declared. A lot of bank branches around the country were closing, he said, but they were prepared to fight back in Rathkeale. We want the bank to stay open with full services and with a manager liaising with the local community.

He urged people to come along to Thursdays protest which begins at 1pm sharp.
NEGOTIATIONS are still ongoing between Focus Ireland and Limerick City and County Council about the fate of 16 houses being built in The Orchard Estate, Pallaskenry.

The council, in August of last year, signed off on a fixed price contract with Top Drawer Development Ltd to buy 16 houses in turnkey condition on the estate, at a cost understood to be in the region of 3.5m. But now, it has emerged, the council is in discussions with Focus Ireland to take over the contract, but at a much higher price.

A special meeting of Adare Rathkeale councillors will take place next Wednesday to discuss the issue.

But local councillor Emmett OBrien said this week that locals were very annoyed about the matter and he was very concerned that a contract was now being reneged on.

Now Focus Ireland has come in to take up the slack and pay a higher price without public consultation and without the oversight from councillors, he said.

In a statement, a spokesman for Focus Ireland Association told the Limerick Leader they had been approached by the council to explore the potential purchase of the 16 properties.

Focus Housing Association agreed to explore all options on this project so a solution can be found to ensure the homes are built to provide permanent, secure homes to families and individuals who need homes in Limerick, including those on the Limerick social housing waiting lists, he said.

The Council was clear in their exchanges with us that there had been issues with its pre-existing contract for these 16 homes due to increased building costs over the intervening months during the pandemic, and this meant they were not able to proceed with the project on this basis as the council cannot change its offer under procurement rules. This meant the 16 homes would not be built and there was a high risk the development could be left to languish as a ghost estate, the spokesman said.

He did not disclose the figure being discussed but said that discussions were continuing. Focus Ireland has already provided 150 homes in Limerick, the spokesman added.

Meanwhile, Limerick City and County Council said that Top Drawer Development got into difficulties due in part Covid-19 pandemic, which led to a delay in the project. As well as the pandemic, the impact of Brexit and other supply chain issues have seen an additional increase in the cost of building materials, a spokesman said.

There was, he continued, no mechanism for the local authority to seek additional funding from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage as a result of increased costs but Approved Housing Bodies did have greater funding flexibility. To ensure that these homes are delivered for those on the housing waiting list, the Council has decided to assign the contract to a nominee, to step in and take over the contract, he said.

However , the council was unable to confirm whether eight of the 16 houses, would be available to buy at a discount under the Incremental Purchase Scheme, a scheme targeted at working households currently in private rented accommodation who may be on HAP, RAS or social leasing. In May this year, it was announced that eight houses in Orchard Estate would be available at a discounted price ranging from 106,000 to 162,000 for a three-bedroom semi-detached home.
Aer Lingus have today confirmed a Summer schedule for 2022 which includes 16* transatlantic routes, two of which are Shannon  Boston and Shannon - New York (JFK)

Shannon Group CEO Mary Considine has warmly welcomed todays announcement which also included the confirmation that Aer Lingus will continue its Heathrow service from Shannon.

Today is a great day for the West of Ireland economy. It is great to get these strategic routes back which support thousands of jobs across the tourism and industry sectors. Shannon to JFK and Boston are key services so to see Aer Lingus recommence these routes next year is hugely positive. These are essential routes not just from an inbound and outbound tourism viewpoint, but they are critical also from a business travel perspective. Over 40% of US FDI companies are located within Shannon Airports catchment and these services very much underpin that investment, she said.

Ms Considine also welcomed the airlines continuation of the vital Heathrow service. We are delighted to have the Heathrow service back here already and its continuation is very important to Shannon Airport and the wider region. This is an essential strategic route that provides vital hub connectivity for our entire region.

She added: Its still early days in our recovery but we are very encouraged by the response of our airline partners, including Aer Lingus today. This is a very significant statement regarding the importance of the Shannon market on key international routes and a most welcome and timely commitment as we continue our COVID recovery. We have no doubt that these flights will be hugely supported from across the region and we look forward to working closely with Aer Lingus to ensure the success of their services.

Ms Considine said that as challenging as the pandemic was for the airport and its staff, the time was spent wisely with the introduction of improvements across the Shannon campus that will ensure an enhanced customer experience in recovery.

Our new airport security screening system, for example, will ensure a quick, smoother and easier experience for our passengers, halving the time they spend in this area. This, along with our combined USA TSA and Europe security screening, gives Shannon a unique edge over other airports internationally and lives up to our brand promise to make our airport experience even easier, says Ms. Considine.

Aer Lingus most recent consumer survey conducted in September showed that almost 2 in 3 (65%) adults in Ireland are planning to travel internationally in 2022, whether thats to reconnect with family and friends, to have that important business meeting in-person, or to simply enjoy a relaxing and refreshing break abroad.

The welcome return of flying to North America

Anticipating strong customer demand for travel to / from North America, following 18 months of travel restrictions, direct flights are available to favourite destinations such as New York, Chicago, Boston, LA, San Francisco, Toronto, Washington, Seattle and Philadelphia from as little as 169 each way including taxes and charges. Aer Lingus will re-introduce flying from Shannon in March to JFK and Boston with 14 flights per week to the USA.

Speaking about the new Summer 2022 schedule, Reid Moody, Chief Strategy and Planning Officer said

This is an ambitious schedule for Summer 2022 and an important step for the airline, and the country, as we reconnect Ireland to the world. We know from our customer research that Irish people are very keen to get back flying, and we certainly are looking forward to welcoming them on board again.

Month by month, we can see more and more people taking to the skies again. Were confident that the demand is there for travel next year, and that is reflected in our announcement today.

We can assure everyone that we continue to deploy all of our health and safety measures from check-in through to boarding, and on-board the aircraft. We are also delighted to announce the extension of our market-leading book with confidence policy, giving customers the option to change flights for free* up to seven days before they fly.
With the dip in Covid-19 cases across the globe, several countries have eased the travel guidelines to revive tourism and business activities. Recently, three big countries--the US, Singapore and Australia have issued new Covid guidelines for travellers, including Indian passengers because of the dip in cases. Previously, countries like the UK, UAE, and Canada also reopened their borders for Indians with conditions.

Here are the latest travel rules which Indians should know if there are travelling to the following countries:

The US

The US has allowed the movement of foreign travellers from November 8. The Joe Biden administration recently signed a new order imposing new vaccine requirements for most foreign nationals and has lifted Covid-19 restrictions.

As per the US government's latest order, foreign air travelers should be required to be fully vaccinated and must provide proof of vaccination status prior to boarding an airplane to the US.

However, India's who have taken Covaxin or Sputnik V Covid vaccine shot won't be able to travel to the country next month. This is because the World Health organization (WHO) has not given emergency approval to the two vaccines yet.

So far, the WHO has approved seven vaccines which include - Moderna's m-RNA-1273; Pfizer/BioNTech's BNT162b2; Johnson & Johnson' Ad26.COV2.S; Oxford/AstraZeneca's AZD1222; Serum Institute of India's Covishield; Sinopharm's BBIBP-CorV (Vero Cells), and Sinovac's CoronaVac.

The fully vaccinated Indian travellers will have to show the result of a viral test taken no more than 3 days before the flights departure. A traveller will be considered fully vaccinated 2 weeks after the second dose of an accepted 2-dose series COVID-19 vaccine.

Not fully vaccianted passengers need to submit a viral test no more than 1 day before the flights departure.

If someone has recently recovered from Covid-19 and wish to go to the US then in that cases the passengers need to travel with documentation of recovery which should not be more than 90 days old and must also carry a letter from a licensed healthcare provider or a public health official stating that you were cleared to travel.

SINGAPORE

Travellers having a 14-day travel history to India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka have been allowed to enter the country from October 26. However, such travellers will have to go through its Category IV border measures.

This means, only permanent residents of Singapore, and travellers under the Death and Critical Illness Emergency Visits Lane are allowed entry. Other travellers, including ones who have received prior entry approvals, are not allowed to enter Singapore.

Eligible candidates will have to go through the Covid-19 RT-PCR test not more than 48 hours ahead of departure. they will have to take another test upon arrival in Singapore and stay at a dedicated quarantine facility for 10 days.

AUSTRALIA

Australia has decided to open its borders from November and allow citizens and permanent residents to leave the country. The country has not foreign travellers to travel to Australia yet.

Meanwhile, Australian airline company Qantas said it will start operating flights on the Sydney-Delhi route from December 6 onwards.

Qantas said the Sydney-Delhi flight is its first commercial service between Australia and India in almost a decade.

The Sydney-Delhi flight will operate three times a week with its Airbus A330 aircraft.

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NEW DELHI : The global rollout of Covaxin has run into further delays with the World Health Organization (WHO) seeking more clarifications from its manufacturer Bharat Biotech Ltd, even as the US opened its doors for those vaccinated with Indias first indigenously developed vaccine.

The global health agencys technical advisory group (TAG) discussed granting emergency use listing (EUL) for Covaxin on Tuesday but did not come to a decision.

WHOs chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said if the Hyderabad-based company furnishes the data in time, the global health agency will meet and discuss it on 3 November.

The @WHO independent TAG met today and asked for additional clarifications from the manufacturer @BharatBiotech to conduct a final EUL risk-benefit assessment for global use of #Covaxin. It will reconvene for the final assessment on Wednesday, 3 November if data is received soon," Swaminathan said in a tweet.

Swaminathan also said the WHOs goal is to have a broad portfolio of vaccines approved for emergency use and expand access to populations everywhere. The approval holds importance for Indians vaccinated with Covaxin. WHOs EUL will facilitate global travel for Indians who have received the locally developed vaccine. The delay has been impacting students and businessmen who want to travel to countries where a vaccination certificate for WHO-approved vaccines is mandatory.

Meanwhile, in some relief for those fully vaccinated with Covaxin, the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on Wednesday permitted such individuals who were part of the vaccines phase-3 trials to travel to the US without restrictions.

As of Wednesday, over 118 million doses of Covaxin have been administered in India. WHOs EUL is a prerequisite for supplying vaccines under Covax, a multilateral initiative to foster global access to covid vaccines. A potential approval will also place Covaxin in an important spot on the world map, as it can be supplied to more countries.

Covaxin has received EULs from 14 countries, and another 50 are in the process. In June, the drugmaker said its US partner Ocugen received a recommendation from the US Food and Drug Administration to pursue biologics license applications (BLA) for Covaxin.

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  Iran's president said Wednesday that a cyberattack which paralyzed every gas station in the Islamic Republic was designed to get people angry by creating disorder and disruption, as long lines still snaked around the pumps a day after the incident began.

Ebrahim Raisi's remarks stopped short of assigning blame for the attack, which rendered useless the government-issued electronic cards that many Iranians use to buy subsidized fuel at the pump.

However, they suggested that he and others in the theocracy believe anti-Iranian forces carried out an assault likely designed to inflame the country as the second anniversary of a deadly crackdown on nationwide protests over gasoline prices approaches.

There should be serious readiness in the field of cyberwar and related bodies should not allow the enemy to follow their ominous aims to make problem in trend of peoples life," Raisi said. State television later aired footage of the president visiting a gas station in central Tehran.

The attack Tuesday also bore similarities to another months earlier that seemed to directly challenge Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as the countrys economy buckles under American sanctions.

On Wednesday morning, the state-run IRNA news agency quoted another official who claimed 80% of Iran's gas stations had begun selling fuel again. Associated Press journalists saw long lines at multiple gas stations in Tehran. One station had a line of 90 cars waiting for fuel. Those buying ended up having to pay at higher, unsubsidized prices.

The semiofficial ISNA news agency, which first called the incident a cyberattack, said it saw those trying to buy fuel with a government-issued card through the machines instead receiving a message reading cyberattack 64411.

While ISNA didnt acknowledge the numbers significance, that number is associated with a hotline run through Khameneis office that handles questions about Islamic law. ISNA later removed its reports, claiming that it too had been hacked. Such claims of hacking can come quickly when Iranian outlets publish news that angers the theocracy.

Farsi-language satellite channels abroad published videos apparently shot by drivers in Isfahan, a major Iranian city, showing electronic billboards there reading: Khamenei! Where is our gas? Another said: Free gas in Jamaran gas station, a reference to the home of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

The use of the number 64411 mirrored the attack in July targeting Irans railroad system that also saw the number displayed. Israeli cybersecurity firm Check Point later attributed the train attack to a group of hackers that called themselves Indra, after the Hindu god of war.

Indra previously targeted firms in Syria, where President Bashar Assad has held onto power through Irans intervention in his countrys grinding war.

Abolhassan Firouzabadi, the secretary of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace, linked the attack to the Irans rail system assault in July in comments reported by IRNA. He also said it affected all of Iran's 4,300 gas stations nationwide.

There is a possibility that the attack, like a previous one on railway system, has been conducted from abroad, Firouzabadi said.

However, a former deputy telecommunications minister, Amir Nazemy, earlier wrote on Twitter that the infrastructure of system of gas stations is an exclusive network and this sort of communications were not on the internet. That raises questions on whether someone inside of Iran with access to the system launched the cyberattack or otherwise facilitated it.

A previously unheard-of group claimed responsibility for the cyberattack hours afterward late Tuesday, in a message on the messaging app Telegram. It did not provide any evidence that it carried out the assault.

Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, a researcher at cybersecurity firm SentinelOne, said the attack appeared extensively planned. He said that suggests a foreign intelligence agency  not an activist hacking group  could be responsible.

Its super brazen, Guerrero-Saade said.

Cheap gasoline is practically considered a birthright in Iran, home to the worlds fourth-largest crude oil reserves despite decades of economic woes.

Subsidies allow Iranian motorists to buy regular gasoline at 15,000 rials per liter. Thats 5 cents a liter, or about 20 cents a gallon. After a monthly 60-liter quota, it costs 30,000 rials a liter. Thats 10 cents a liter or 41 cents a gallon. Regular gasoline costs 89 cents a liter or $3.38 a gallon on average in the U.S., according to AAA.

In 2019, Iran faced days of mass protests across some 100 cities and towns over rising gasoline prices. Security forces arrested thousands and Amnesty International said it believes 304 people were killed in a government crackdown. Tuesdays cyberattack came in the same month in the Persian calendar as the gasoline protests in 2019.

The attack also came on the birthday of the late Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi who, stricken with cancer, fled the country in 1979 just before the Islamic Revolution.

Iran has faced a series of cyberattacks, including one that leaked video of abuses at its notorious Evin prison in August.

The country disconnected much of its government infrastructure from the internet after the Stuxnet computer virus  widely believed to be a joint U.S.-Israeli creation  disrupted thousands of Iranian centrifuges in the countrys nuclear sites in the late 2000s.

Iran, long sanctioned by the West, faces difficulties in getting up-to-date hardware and software, often relying on Chinese-manufactured electronics or older systems no longer being patched by manufacturers. That would make it easier for a potential hacker to target. Pirated versions of Windows and other software are common across Iran.

___

Karimi reported from Tehran, Iran. Associated Press writer Alan Suderman in Richmond, Va., contributed to this report.
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Hong Kong legislators on Wednesday approved an amended law that will allow film censorship on the basis of national security considerations. It does not cover the online screening of movies, though a government minister described that omission as a loophole.

The revision to the law is the latest operation to tighten the government grip on civil society, artistic and speech freedoms in the country.

The citys legislative council  in which there are no opposing forces  amended the Film Censorship Bill by a show of hands to give movie censors the task of vetting content for violations of a draconian national security law written and imposed by Beijing in July 2020.

The National Security Law bans anything that is deemed to be or incite secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces. Under the film censorship amendment, violators screening unauthorized films may face punishments including fines up to $129,000 (HK$1 million) and three years in prison.

Significantly, the amended law gives authorities retrospective powers. Films that have previously received release approval can now be blocked if they are considered to be glorifying or supporting acts that could endanger national security.

Authorities may search any venue screening a film without warrant, including company offices or private clubs. Film censorship authorities are now free to request more information about particular screenings.

At the legislative meeting, Hong Kongs Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau Tang-wah made it clear that the new law, while making reference to video, does not apply to online distribution.

We hope the bill will commence as soon as possible, to enhance the film censorship system and to plug the loopholes, he told the council. If we are to add online regulation, itd go beyond the original intent of the ordinance, not to mention the technological and enforcement considerations.

Foreign streaming companies like Disney Plus and Netflix are currently available to viewers in Hong Kong, which has traditionally had greater internet freedoms than mainland China. They are off limits in mainland China, which operates one of the worlds strictest censorship regimes. In Hong Kong, the streamers have been able to host, and in some cases produce, content offensive to Beijing such as the Netflix original Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower, a documentary about a democracy activist.

Yau sought to reassure that most movies will not be affected by the new rules. Our objective is simple and direct  it is to improve our film censorship system and effectively prevent and suppress any act that would endanger national security, he said.

The Chinese state press widely reported a quote from pro-establishment lawmaker Priscilla Leung Mei-fun, who said she stood against films like 2015 omnibus movie Ten Years, a searing envisioning of Hong Kongs future under Chinese control made years before its current, eerily similar political moment. Ten Years is currently available on Netflix in Hong Kong.

The film shouldnt be shown, Leung said, because no society in the world welcome forces that encourage young people to break the law, harbor hatred against their own countries and embrace terrorism.

It is a treacherous climate for businesses having to make content decisions, Darrell West, senior fellow at the Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution, told Bloomberg.

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Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies has given an update on the details of the polices investigation into the tragedy on the set of the independent film Rust, in which a prop gun handled by Alec Baldwin accidentally discharged, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

While speaking on NBC News Nows Top Story with Tom Llamas, Carmack-Atlwies stated that she believed that corners were definitely cut on [the] set of Rust in regards to its execution of safety protocol. The D.A. also touched on the possibility of charges being pressed against Baldwin for the accident.

Obviously, [Baldwin is] very important. Hes the one that pulled the trigger. Hes the one that was holding the gun. And so hes very important, Carmack-Altwies stated. Does that mean that charges will be filed? Not necessarily. It also doesnt mean that they wont be filed.

Carmack-Altwies maintained a stance that the ongoing investigation has not proceeded far enough to seriously discuss who could be charged for the accident.

Not everyone has been interviewed, the D.A. said. I think it will really depend on the investigation, finding out where those live rounds came from, who or what put them there, how they got mixed in with dummy bullets, what sort of safety protocols were not followed, and who all knew about it?

On Wednesday, the Santa Fe county sheriffs office announced that it had recovered 500 rounds of ammunition from the set of Rust during its investigation. The haul was composed of a mix of blanks, dummy rounds and, possibly, live rounds. Witnesses are continuing to be interviewed to determine how live rounds were brought onto the films set.

Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed during rehearsal for a scene on the films Santa Fe set. Baldwin, the star of the film and also a producer, was holding the gun at the time of the incident. According to affidavits in the case, the actor had been informed that the prop was a cold gun, and was unaware that it contained a live round. David Halls, the first assistant director on Rust, has acknowledged to investigators that he should have checked a weapon for live rounds before giving it to Alec Baldwin.

Hutchins killing has left the industry questioning whether real guns have any place on a film or television set, with many experts arguing that they arent needed at all. A Change.org petition to ban real guns from movie and TV productions has garnered nearly 70,000 signatures.

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A Dallas woman was arrested while trying to smuggle a child through a Laredo international bridge, according to an arrest affidavit.

At about 9:33 p.m. Oct. 25, Rosa Elena Mendez-Castillo, 22, and a girl arrived at the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge as passengers of a commercial bus. Mendez-Castillo identified the child as her friends daughter, a U.S. citizen. She then presented a Texas birth certificate on behalf of the girl, according to court documents.
JustServe.org volunteers from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the local community contributed over 300 man-hours the past two Saturdays assisting the Holding Institute in getting their new El Cenizo facility ready for service.

Under the direction of The Church of Jesus Christ Laredo area President Ted Wagner, and the Texas McAllen Mission President Jared R. Ocampo, members and missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, along with other community volunteers and Holding staff, filled two containers with debris as they trimmed trees, removed dead stumps, mowed lawns, cleaned street gutters, painted interior and exterior walls, and scrubbed the 10,000-square-foot facility, which includes a chapel area, classrooms, kitchen serving area, restrooms and craftwork areas.

Volunteers received a surprise visit from Elder Carlos Villarreal, The Church of Jesus Christ area seventy overseeing the Family Transfer Center in Houston.

I am very impressed with the dedication of Pastor Mike Smith (director of the Holding Institute), his wife and the many volunteers working to provide shelter, care and direction to those in need, he said. They are truly following the teachings of Jesus Christ to love thy neighbor as thyself.

Wagner also expressed his gratitude for the efforts of the volunteers, but more importantly for the life's work of Smith, his wonderful wife, Nidia, and family, as well as the many other Holding Institute and Catholic Charities employees and volunteers who have provided the heart and soul of humanitarian services in Laredo for many years. He emphasized that their example inspires all who know them to follow the admonition of the Savior to love one another.

We, as volunteers, felt it an honor to serve with them, he said.

Wagner announced today that The Church of Jesus Christ is providing a $28,000 grant to Holding Institute for the construction of much needed additional shower and restroom facilities.

Victor Montemayor, of Montemayor General Contracting Services and the project manager for the improvements, could not say enough about the JustServe.org volunteers and the amount of work they were able to accomplish.

What a beautiful experience watching so many good people work so hard without pay or any complaining, he said. They were a Godsend in helping us get this facility ready.

Two years ago, the 0.89-acre facility at 3520 Cecilia Lane was donated by the Southwestern Lutheran Synod to the Methodist-sponsored Holding Institute in Laredo with the goal of helping Holding extend their community service ministry of emergency food, shelter, counseling, job development and tele-health to the members of the El Cenizo Community.

Smith noted that this clean up and preparation effort culminates extensive repairs made possible by other Holding donations in excess of $42,000 to upgrade electrical, plumbing and water lines to bring this facility up to code. He said that in addition to providing counseling and other services, he is hopeful that they can provide a small community store/pantry for basic items not currently available in the community.

Wagner also added that the Laredo Stake will continue to support this community project by providing Holding with free curriculum support and training for no cost self-improvement courses that focus on self-reliance in the areas of finances, improving education, starting a business, getting a better job and emotional resilience, to be organized as cohort groups under the direction of Holding staff on an as needed basis.

Smith explained that this center will also help with assisting the migrant populations seeking asylum as it is only a 10-minute drive from the new Border Patrol processing facility just south of Laredo on Hwy 83. Migrant families, often single mothers with children, after processing at the Border Patrol facility, will be transported to this new facility. These families will be welcomed by medical staff providing vaccinations as well as assisting with any medical emergencies. Then they will receive assistance with transportation arrangements to their final destinations.

The center provides food, hygiene kits, shelter for the night, a shower and basic clothing items before the immigrants are sent on their way within 24 hours of arrival. Smith also emphasized the important ongoing partnership they have had over many years with Catholic Charities and others, without whose support and help their work would not be possible.

Texas McAllen Mission President Jared R. Ocampo expressed his gratitude to Holding for not only providing these services but for allowing the missionaries to assist with such a worthy cause. He explained that as part of their two-year mission experience each missionary is expected to serve the communities where they live in meaningful ways and the experiences in helping Holding with this project and over the past years in various weekly assignments in service to migrants and others has provided them with life lessons they will take with them long after their missions are completed.

Joseph Lambert, Laredo area communications director and event coordinator for The Church of Jesus Christ, expressed appreciation for the all in attitude of so many non-government and faith based organizations that participated, with each bringing their best to the table that would serve so many of our Heavenly Fathers children.
PARIS (AP)  France announced Wednesday that it will bar British fishing boats from some French ports starting next week if no deal is reached with the U.K. in a dispute over fishing licenses  and suggested it may restrict energy supplies to the Channel Islands as well.

Since the U.K. left the economic orbit of the European Union at the start of the year, relations between London and Paris have become increasingly frayed.

France vehemently protested the decision last month by the U.K. and the Channel Island of Jersey to refuse dozens of French fishing boats a license to operate in their territorial waters. France considers the restrictions as contrary to the post-Brexit agreement that the British government signed when it left the EU. Dozens of other French fishing boats did get such a license.

Jersey, which is only 14 miles (22 kilometers) off the French coast, is a British Crown dependency outside of the U.K. As such, it has its own powers with regards to who is allowed to fish in its territorial waters. It has granted licenses based on its interpretation of the U.K.-EU trade deal, and has accused France of acting disproportionately.

After weeks of negotiations, British authorities have issued more fishing licenses but that still only accounts for 50% of what France believes it is entitled to, French government spokesman Gabriel Attal said Wednesday.

The French ministers for Europe and for maritime affairs said in a joint statement Wednesday that if no agreement is reached by Nov. 2, France will bar British fishing boats from designated ports and tighten customs, security and other controls on any British boats and trucks traveling between France and Britain.

And then in the coming weeks, France said that it doesnt exclude measures targeting energy supplies to Britain, the statement said. Attal specified that meant the Channel Islands, which are closer to French shores than British ones and rely heavily on electricity supplied by the French grid.

We have worked with the British, we gave them all the requested data, documents, information to back these (license) requests, Attal said. Our patience has reached its limits today.

The French government also asked the EU for Europe-wide efforts to force Britain to honor its alleged commitments under the Brexit deal.
NEW YORK (AP)  Gordon Wood has engaged in many debates during his long and celebrated career, but rarely had he been confronted so starkly as by fellow scholar Woody Holton last weekend at the Massachusetts Historical Society.

The two American Revolution historians had been billed to discuss their most recent books and their differing views of the country's origins. But midway through the 60-minute event the subject turned to The New York Times' 1619 Project, the Pulitzer Prize winning series from 2019 that placed slavery at the center of the American narrative. The mood soon resembled less a spirited, but academic gathering than a court of law, with Wood on the stand.

Holton's allegation: Wood's criticism of the 1619 project, which he and four other historians have condemned for saying the preservation of slavery was a primary reason the colonists sought independence, helped make credible the current backlash from such Republican politicians as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, along with school boards around the country.

You did an open letter putting that project beyond the pale, outside the wire, and making it vulnerable to the attack by these demagogues," Holton told Wood, who appeared startled but reiterated his criticism of the Times and 1619 project creator Nikole Hannah-Jones even as he acknowledged the language he objected to had since been modified to some of the colonists wanting independence over fears of slaves aligning with the British.

You are a founding father, Professor Wood, of a massive campaign of censorship. You're not the most responsible, but the five of you are responsible. And that's why, right now, I want to ask you to write another open letter to Sen. Cotton, and to Gov. DeSantis, and to all the other demagogues who are using your letter to ban the 1619 project, to say, I am Gordon Wood, and damnit, I am not in favor of censorship."

During a telephone interview a few days later, Wood called the debate a disaster," said he was blindsided by Holton's attack and that Holton was carrying out his role as the primary defender among historians of the 1619 project. Asked if he found any positive qualities in the series, which includes essays on politics, culture, criminal justice and religion among other subjects, he criticized it for encouraging a sense of victimhood" and feeling aggrieved that he called understandable but self-destructive" in the long run.

The letter Holton asked for will not be written.

"I had no idea of what DeSantis was doing," he said of the Florida governor, who has labeled the 1619 project critical race theory and backed the state's board of education's decision last summer to ban the book from classrooms. It's out of my hands. We can't do our historical research ... (worrying) that it might be misused by politicians.

Hannah-Jones declined comment through a spokesperson for the Penguin Random House imprint One World, which next month will publish a book-length edition of the project.

Wood and Holton already have books out this fall: Woods Power and Liberty: Constitutionalism in the American Revolution is a brief summation of his views on the Revolution that centers on the country's political, economic and legal foundations. Holtons Liberty Is Sweet: The Hidden History of the American Revolution is a 700-plus page account that, as its subtitle indicates, seeks to broaden the traditional story of the countrys founding beyond Washington, Jefferson and other leaders to include the contributions of women, Black and indigenous people among others.

Authors providing blurbs for Liberty is Sweet" include Hannah-Jones (His book rightly decenters the almost exclusively white revolutionary narratives that weve all been taught) and Pulitzer Prize winner Annette Gordon-Reed (A deeply researched and bracing retelling of the origins of the American Revolution). Wood, in his blurb, called it a spirited account of the Revolution that brings everybody and everything into the story.

Wood, 87, is likely the most honored living scholar of the American Revolution  Hes Muhammad Ali, the 62-year-old Holton says of him  and he has become a prime target for historians who see him as the embodiment of a traditional, top-down view of the countrys origins. During their debate at the historical society, Wood and Holton repeatedly disagreed on the role of slavery in the Revolution, especially the importance of a 1775 proclamation by the Virginia royal governor, the Earl of Dunsmore, offering freedom to any enslaved person who joined the British cause.

An act of sheer desperation, Wood called it.

It was a desperate measure, Holton agreed, but one that resonated. He backed his argument by handing Wood a printout of dozens of tweets he has sent in recent weeks (he plans 76 in all) that show evidence of ties between Blacks and the British and how it frightened white colonists.

I know you're not on Twitter, Holton said.

Wood does not see himself as a triumphalist or champion of any great white man and says he follows no agenda beyond where the scholarship leads him. He calls the Revolution both ironic and tragic. He has portrayed it, most famously in his Pulitzer Prize winning The Radicalism of the American Revolution, as having a profoundly democratizing effect on the new country, well beyond what Washington and other leaders had desired.

He said he objects to the 1619 Project and to some of Holtons book because he believes they apply contemporary standards to the past. During the debate, Wood praised Holton as a superb narrator of military battles, but said he was misguided in other ways. He cited Holton's emphasizing that the vast majority of Americans in the early years, notably women and those enslaved, were unable to vote, when the same was true virtually everywhere in the world.

He does see the past through modern eyes," Wood said. Woody's a good activist-historian who wants a usable past to solve problems in the present.

Wood and Holton dont just disagree about the 18th century, but about last weekend. Holton said that Wood had no reason to feel blindsided because they had discussed ground rules, raised the subject of the 1619 project and agreed only that it shouldn't be the primary focus of conversation. Holton's memory was backed by Massachusetts Historical Society President, Catherine Allgor, who moderated the event, and by Gavin Kleespies, the society's director of public programs.

Both showed the AP notes they took  showing references to the 1619 project  when Holton and Wood met prior to the debate.

I'm blindsided that he said he was blindsided, Allgor said.

Holton and Wood, who at the start of the debate greeted Holton as my old buddy, have met before. In 2013, they debated at the University of Carolina over the influence of capitalism on the framing of the Constitution. They had been on friendly terms. Holton told the AP during a recent interview that he had reached out to Wood in hopes of receiving a blurb from him for Liberty Is Sweet and called him a really decent person when not arguing his own historical viewpoints.

Wood said he found Holton very charming, but also a little underhanded.

I get along with the guy and I like him, he added, but now I'm not so happy.
As Tuesday marked the day when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved of an age 5-11 pediatric vaccine, the city and its partners are currently waiting for the CDCs recommendation during a meeting on Nov. 2-3.

Laredo Health Authority Dr. Victor Trevino said on Wednesday that while there is no guarantee until the CDC approves and moves forward with the recommendations, preparations are being made to presumably start administering doses during the first week of November  with his practice already incorporating a waitlist for families and their children.

I encourage everyone to make efforts in vaccinating our most vulnerable populations and in underserved areas such as rural areas that may not have access to convenient transportation, Trevino said.

According to his son and General Counsel of Tesoro Medical Care Dr. Victor Trevino Jr., a total of 3,600 pediatric Pfizer vaccines have been allocated to Trevinos office with a tentative date of Nov. 3 to start vaccinations.

As the pediatric doses have been a long-awaited component in the citys vaccination plan, Trevino Jr. said that the first doses will most likely be used by Webb County residents, and any unused vaccines will be utilized in clinics such as the border clinics for Mexican nationals. However, with the high demand by families, he anticipates that no vaccine will go unused.

As per the city, during the Wednesday COVID-19 media briefing, Laredo Health Department Director Richard Chamberlain said that it has placed a preorder of 5,000 pediatric vaccines, which are expected to be received in the next few days.

This will compound the city partners orders of pediatric vaccines such as the school districts, national guard and pharmacies.

According to UISD Health Services Director, Irene Rosales, the school district has already placed an order for 3,000 doses and has planned to start with El Cenizo children to provide doses in areas further away from medical health care providers. She adds that while the dose is 1/3 of an adult dosage and has been approved by the FDA, medical professionals will be standing by for any unexpected reactions.

After the initial vaccine clinic, Rosales said the district may move to four sites and school clusters to provide more opportunities for vaccines. With 57 nurses, staff members will be available at the vaccine clinics alongside the National Guard to administer doses.

Prior to the vaccine clinics, the district will issue surveys to probe for parent interest, as they will need to give their consent via signature for children to receive the vaccine. The current state of vaccines has proven to be a cause for concern as Rosales said that during this years flu campaign, parents have shown little interest in flu vaccines for children.

Approximately 1,600 students have been vaccinated by the district for the flu this year, when in other years it would reach on average 5,000, she said.

Im afraid of what we are going to be seeing if they do want this done for their children or not. I know they do trust us, but it is a new vaccine and its for emergency use only. Thats what deters people from wanting to get vaccinated, is what I see, Rosales said.

Rosales encourages parents to read up on the viability of the vaccine and avoid information from uneducated and uninformed individuals throughout social media. She added that the vaccine benefits clearly outweigh the naysayers opinions, and she believes that this uncertainty over the vaccine stems from it being new, despite its proven viability.

Currently there are 25 active positive cases throughout UISD, and Rosales said that a majority of COVID cases are from unvaccinated individuals  a fact which has been repeatedly shared by both Laredo Health Director Richard Chamberlain and Dr. Victor Trevino in their experiences with the city as a whole.

Ultimately, she hopes that parents see the new vaccine as a positive safeguard as it is a move to keep children as safe as possible at schools and continue to get their education.

LISD will see the same process as its sister city, stating that more details will be presented to parents as the days close in on the CDC recommendations. Clinic schedules and locations will be available on their social media pages, and parents are encouraged to ask their respective schools nurse over any concerns or questions they may have.

LISDs partnership with the local health authority and the National Guard has resulted in a series of successful clinics conducted at LISD facilities with COVID-19 vaccinations for hundreds of Laredoans including LISDs staff, students and their families, LISD stated in an email.

Like UISD, parental permission will be required to administer the vaccine, but in the meantime, LISD stated Along with LISDs efforts to keep our campuses sanitized and secure, the district is doing everything it can to mitigate the effects of the pandemic in our classrooms.

cocampo@lmtonline.com
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP)  Taiwan's defense minister said Thursday that the island must defend itself and not depend entirely on others for help if China were to launch an attack, even as Taiwan's president said she had faith the U.S. would defend it.

The country must rely on itself, and if any friends or other groups can help us, then it's like I said before, we're happy to have it, but we cannot completely depend on it," the minister, Chiu Kuo-cheng, told reporters after being questioned in the legislature as part of a session on national defense.

Tensions between Taiwan and China have risen to their highest level in decades, with China sending record-breaking numbers of fighter jets toward international airspace close to the island, and stepping up a campaign of military harassment. Taiwan's Defense Ministry has said that China would have comprehensive capabilities to invade the island by 2025.

China claims Taiwan as part of its national territory although the island has been self-ruled since it split from the communist-ruled mainland in 1949 after a long civil war.

Chiu has called the rising tensions between China and Taiwan the most severe he has seen in 40 years.

Taiwans President Tsai Ing-wen said in an interview with CNN that aired Thursday that she was confident the U.S. would defend Taiwan if China made a move against the island.

I do have faith given the long term relationship we have with the U.S. and also the support of the people of the U.S. as well as Congress, Tsai said.

Tsai also confirmed the presence of a small number of U.S. troops on the island to help train their Taiwanese counterparts.

Although the U.S. has no formal diplomatic relationship with the Taiwanese government, it has strong unofficial ties. Under the Trump administration, the U.S. stepped up weapon sales to Taiwan.

Further, the U.S. has a policy of strategic ambiguity toward Taiwan, where it has been deliberately vague about whether it would defend the island in the face of an assault. However, the U.S. also has a policy to support the islands self defense, including by providing it arms, as declared in the Taiwan Relations Act.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spoke out against the confirmation of troops, saying it is firmly opposed to any form of official contacts and military ties between the U.S. and Taiwan, and that no one should underestimate the strong determination, firm will and strong capacity of China to defend its sovereignty.

Separately, the Chinese Defense Ministry said in a statement that China strongly opposes military exchanges between the U.S. and Taiwan and called on the U.S. to clarify the situation.

If the U.S. continues to stubbornly cling to the illusion of using Taiwan to contain China... China will resolutely counter and fight back," Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Tan Kefei said at a press conference.

Last week, U.S. President Joe Biden seemingly contradicted the decades-long U.S. policy toward Taiwan when he said the U.S. was committed to protecting the island if China attacked it.

The White House later said Bidens comments did not represent a change in policy toward the island.
The former gas station at 641 West Ave. has been a troubling eye-sore welcoming travelers coming from the west for many years now. A resolution to ask the city to demolish it was sent to committee at the last Niagara County Legislature meeting. Since then Mayor Michelle Roman has committed to the city taking it down, but said that ownership issues had to be finalized before the city can foreclose. (Photograph by Benjamin Joe)
Lockport, NY (14094)

Today

Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. A few flurries or snow showers possible. High 42F. Winds W at 15 to 25 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low near 30F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.
The beginning of the school year when you got to show off your new duds, new cars, new looks!

Sports! Playing, cheering, watching high school athletics.

The arts: Dramatic arts, musical groups and shows, graphic arts groups, debate, etc.

The prom! No dancing the night away or punch bowl antics.

The daily interactions. Just being with the group, hanging with friends and classmates.

Access to college recruiters and advisors  its harder to line up higher education.

Walking onstage to get a diploma while all the family is watching with everyone elses family.

Vote

View Results
Attorneys in child murder case work their way through slew of motions
Local authority chiefs are eyeing up the possibility of snapping up Granard's former Bank of Ireland offices, the Leader understands.

The branch was one of over 100 locations to be affected by a sweeping nationwide closure of offices earlier this month.

Now, council officials are believed to be running the rule over securing the three storey building from Ireland's largest bank.

Granard based Fianna Fail Cllr PJ Reilly welcomed the move, saying any deal brokered by the council had the prospect of adding much needed promise to a town still reeling from seeing its last mainstream banking institution close.

It is a very secure, well maintained building that is located right in the centre of town, said Cllr Reilly.

The Fianna Fail local representative has been a long time campaigner for a purpose built car park to be developed in the north Longford town.

Cllr Reilly said the addition of Bank of Ireland's former headquarters could not only allay those long-standing overtures but also supplement the town's complement of housing for senior citizens.

There is a huge area to the back of the bank which has a great deal of potential, he said.

It's believed council senior officials have not totally exhausted efforts to snap up the town's long vacant Hourican's Hotel which lies adjacent to its former bank offices.

In the hope those moves reach a breakthrough, it's believed the local authority would look to level the once thriving 18 bedroom hotel with a view to building a car park at its rear.

Cllr Reilly remained adamant, however, that whatever the outcome for Granard's now derelict former bank institution, the building itself should remain intact.

It's closed now and there's no point crying about it, the time has come to look at what potential it has, he said.

If it was to be bought by the council and if a car park and OPD (Older Persons Dwellings) could be developed there, it would be totally transformational for the town of Granard.
A rare opportunity has arisen to acquire a substantial fully-serviced residential farm of the finest quality with free draining land presented in pristine condition.

Carrigys of Robinstown, Granard, Co. Longford is coming to the market by way of an Executor sale following the passing of well-known local farmer Seamus Carrigy.

It will be sold by public auction in a number of lots and as an entire on 19th November, 2021 through J. J. Flood & Sons, Granard.

Seamus, who lived on the farm until his passing in 2019, was hugely involved in the local community. He, along with 42 other local farmers and businesspeople were the founding shareholders of Granard Farmers Mart Limited which celebrated its 50th Anniversary last year.

The founding shareholders contributed a combined 10,750 which would be the equivalent today of c. 300,000 to buy the site and construct the mart. It continues to make a significant contribution to the local economy over half a century later.

Carrigys of Robinstown is well-known locally as an outstanding farm. While in recent years the farm has been used for cattle fattening the holding had a great reputation for cattle breeding and horses.

The farms Bull Book lists covers of the farms bulls over generations. The 14 acre Sporting Field bordering the Abbeylara to Killasonna road played host to a range of sporting events including GAA and Point-to-Point racing. Abbeylara GAA club is now located on neighbouring lands.

Home to the same family for over 150 years, this magnificent 81 acre residential farm with highly fertile land is laid out in newly fenced generous-sized fields with recently cut natural hedgerows.

A well-presented and maintained four-bedroomed bungalow on an elevated site with the benefit of uninterrupted scenic views is located at the northern perimeter of the farm.

Built in 1967 to a very high standard, this really nice and well-maintained bungalow was designed with an underground water harvesting tank to collect rainwater from the roof of the house, making it eco-friendly long before it was popular.

Two serviced yards with high quality purpose-built sheds and hard-standing are strategically located at opposite ends of the holding.

All fields in the farm are serviced for water and enjoy good access and generous road frontage extending to c. 2km.

The layout and superb quality of this farm make it ideal for any type of farming, be it dairy, cattle, sheep or crop.

The farm was actually used to grow tobacco in the 1920s and 1930s at a time when cultivation of the crop in Ireland was legal and overseen by the then Irish Tobacco Commission. It takes good land to grow good tobacco.

The farm is being offered reflective of a variety of potential purchasers in mind including: those interested in acquiring a unique trophy farm in a single lot Ready-to-Go; potential hobby farmers; large farmers seeking a high quality and accessible outfarm; or those looking to add the best of land to adjoining holdings. With substantial road frontage at the perimeters of the farm there is considerable site potential subject to planning permission.

Speaking about the sale of Carrigys of Robinstown, Paul Flood, auctioneer of J. J. Flood & Sons, Granard, said: A residential farm of this scale and quality is a rarity so the intense interest has been of no surprise. It is, without question, one of the finest farms of fattening land in the Midlands.

"The phones have been hopping, not just with queries locally but beyond, especially in neighbouring counties given the holdings proximity to the Westmeath and Cavan borders. Recent sales in the area have attracted significant interest and strong prices, but given the quality of the land, fencing, outbuildings and handling facilities combined with an excellent dwelling house and site potential there is expectation in the market of a premium for such a rare and high quality farm.

The sale of this property is being managed by Paul Flood of J. J. Flood & Sons, Granard and will be sold by public auction online through LSL Auctions and in the Mullingar Park Hotel on Friday, 19th November, 2021 at 3pm. Interested parties should contact the auctioneer and those bidding need to register with the auctioneer by 16th November, 2021.
The Minister for Higher Education has announced a new Technological University for the North West following the merger of Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, IT Sligo and Letterkenny Institute of Technology.

Speaking about the news on Twitter, Minister Simon Harris said he was "delighted" to announce the new designation.

In a tweet, he said, "I have just signed a letter to confirm this news. A major day for higher education and regional development in our country. Opens in 2022. Thanks to GMIT, IT Sligo and LYIT."

IT Sligo commented on the news, calling it "a historic day" for the three institutions.

GMIT president, Dr Orla Flynn, said, "We expect to begin operating as a multi-campus university from early 2022."

According to the president of LYIT, Paul Hennigan, almost 600 academic programmes will be on offer, from pre-degree to doctoral level onsite and online.

The new university will provide courses to a population of over 20,000 students and will be supported by more than 2,000 staff.

In a promotional video, the president of IT Sligo, Dr Brendan McCormack, stated that many of the campus locations will become university towns for the first time.

He said, "As a university, we will be significantly contributing to the transformation of the educational landscape of this region driving innovation, research and development and propelling the region on to an international stage."
Sports & Recreation, Local News, Business & Finance

By Chris Boyle Published: October 28 2021

Stop & Shop will serve as the Official Supermarket of the New York Islanders.

Stop & Shop and the New York Islanders have announced a three-year partnership. As the official supermarket of the team, Stop & Shop is not only a sponsor, but also a partner in the community, with much of the multi-year relationship focused on eradicating hunger on Long Island.

Stop & Shops sponsorship will be visible via in-game signage at the new UBS Arena at Belmont Park, located on the border of Queens and Nassau County, when the Islanders play their home opener on November 20.

We are excited to partner with the New York Islanders both on the ice and in our communities, said Gordon Reid, President of Stop & Shop. We look forward to working as a team to achieve the ultimate goal  eradicating hunger on Long Island.

For every home game assist the Islanders make, Stop & Shop will donate 100 meals to Island Harvest, Long Islands leading hunger relief organization. Additionally, the Islanders will support several of Stop & Shops anti-hunger initiatives, including its annual Turkey Express program which will bring thousands of turkeys to Long Islanders in need, as well as Stop & Shops Shop with an Islander program where youngsters will have the ability to shop for their holiday meal with team alumni, with Stop & Shop picking up the tab. Stop & Shop will also partner with the Islanders for their annual Food Drive game taking place on November 24th.

The Islanders believe it is our role and responsibility to help strengthen the community, said Bryan Calka, Senior Vice President of Global Partnerships for the Islanders. Fighting hunger is truly a team effort and we couldnt ask for a better partner than Stop & Shop.
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(Alliance News) - All remaining countries on England's red list for international travel will be removed, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said.

The Cabinet minister announced that the Latin American countries of Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Panama, Peru and Venezuela will be taken off the list at 4am on November 1.

This means arrivals will no longer need to spend 11 nights in a quarantine hotel at a cost of GBP2,285.

Shapps wrote on Twitter: "We will keep the red list category in place as a precautionary measure to protect public health and are prepared to add countries and territories back if needed, as the UK's first line of defence."

He added that from Monday, the UK government will recognise coronavirus vaccines for arrivals from more than 30 new countries and territories including Peru and Uganda.

The Welsh government confirmed that it will adopt the same changes to the red list and vaccine recognition.

No announcement has been made by the devolved administrations in Scotland or Northern Ireland, but in recent months they have mirrored Westminster's changes to travel rules.

The end of hotel quarantine would bring the UK into line with most of the rest of Europe.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said: "I am glad we are able to reduce the travel list even further, giving a huge boost to businesses, families and friends wanting to travel.

"The red list and quarantine remain vital in protecting our borders. We are keeping a small number of quarantine rooms on standby and will not hesitate to take swift action by adding countries to the red list if the risk increases again."

The hotel quarantine policy was introduced in February as part of measures to reduce the risk from arriving travellers infected with coronavirus.

But it has been blamed for contributing to UK travel firms struggling to recover from the pandemic.

Karen Dee, chief executive of the Airport Operators Association, said the announcement was a "significant step forward to normalising international travel and should give people confidence to book".

She went on: "Ultimately, we need to return to a situation similar to prior to the pandemic, in which people can travel without further tests or forms to fill out.

"The UK and devolved governments should aim for this as soon as is safely possible."

Clive Wratten, head of the Business Travel Association, commented: "The removal of all countries from the red list is appreciated.

"However, the lurking threat of further introductions to this list and the continued existence of quarantine hotels means that it does not give travellers the confidence that they need."

Paul Charles, chief executive of travel consultancy The PC Agency, claimed there is "no justification" for hotel quarantine to be used.

He said: "There have been no new variants of concern since May and countries are now learning that blanket border measures, such as blocking whole countries, don't work.

"The best approach is to check for an individual's vaccine status and ensure they are up to date if they want to travel without restrictions.

"It's encouraging that the UK government have finally cottoned on to this."

source: PA

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Sharecast News) - London stocks were set for a muted open on Thursday ahead of the latest policy announcement from the European Central Bank and the US third-quarter GDP reading.



The FTSE 100 was called to open unchanged at 7,253.



CMC Markets analyst Michael Hewson said: "European markets underwent a modest pullback yesterday with modest losses across the board, however there was little in the price action to suggest that the declines were anything other than a brief pause in the overall move higher, with shares set to open unchanged later this morning, despite a sell-off in Asia markets."



Hewson noted that in September, the ECB announced it was slowing the pace of its monthly PEPP bond buying programme, over the next three months, which is currently at 80bn a month.



"There will be a wider discussion on its future in December, which means today is likely to be a placeholder, although it was made clear that the PEPP number could be moved in either direction if required.



"While the ECB looks a long way from acting to significantly pare back its current monetary policy stance, today's US Q3 GDP numbers, even as they come in weaker than Q2 should still support the narrative of the Federal Reserve starting the process to slow down its own asset purchase program when they meet next week.



"US Q3 GDP is expected to slow to 2.6% from the 6.7% seen in Q2, as a combination of rising delta variant cases, weaker demand, and supply chain disruptions act as a brake on the economic rebound."



In corporate news, Royal Dutch Shell reported lower-than-expected third-quarter adjusted earnings after taking a $400m hit from Hurricane Ida's impact on operations.



The company said earnings fell by 25% quarter on quarter to $4.13bn, below analyst forecasts of $5.31bn and compared with $955m a year ago.



Lloyds Banking Group improved its full-year guidance after reversed bad debts contributed to a near doubling of third-quarter profit.



Pre-tax profit for the three months to the end of September rose to A2.03bn from A1.04bn a year earlier as net income increased 20% to A4.08bn. The bank released A84m of impaired loans compared with a charge of A301m a year earlier.



Lloyds said based on its performance and the improved UK economic outlook it expected its 2021 net interest margin to be slightly above 250 basis points and for operating costs to be about A7.6bn. Impairments will be a net credit and the return on tangible net equity will exceed 10% excluding a benefit from tax rate changes.




(Alliance News) - The following is a round-up of updates by London-listed companies, issued on Thursday and not separately reported by Alliance News:







Hunting PLC - London-headquartered oil field services - Oilfield services firm says during third quarter, Hurricane Ida and Covid-19 disruptions weighed on operating efficiencies and activity levels. During third quarter, Hunting generated a break-even earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation result given the ongoing subdued trading conditions. "Management now anticipate the group's Ebitda result for the 2021 full year will be broadly breakeven due to a combination of the above factors. However, the initiatives we have undertaken while the market was depressed by the impact of the pandemic have positioned the company well for the recovery that is beginning to manifest itself," it says.







React Group PLC - South Derbyshire, England-based cleaning, hygiene and decontamination firm - Says revenue rose 77% year-on-year to GBP7.7 million in year ended September 30, though this fell short of GBP7.8 million market forecast. Revenue in prior year amounted to GBP4.4 million. Expects earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation, not including exceptional items relating to acquisition of Fidelis as well as some restructuring costs, in range of GBP725,000 to GBP775,000. This is below market forecasts of GBP850,000 but up from GBP261,000 in prior year.







Checkit PLC - Cambridge-based workflow management software provider - Signs deal with BP PLC to rollout out intelligent operations platform to 441 more forecourts in Australia and New Zealand. "It is expected that installations for these forecourts will commence in the early part of 2022 (the next financial year) and will double the size of Checkit's footprint within BP in terms of total number of locations and contracted annual recurring revenues. This contract underpins the board's confidence of performance in subsequent financial years." Checkit says.







Dev Clever Holdings PLC - Tamworth, England-based software developer for immersive learning and career guidance - Says detailed due diligence process in regard to Veative Labs Private Ltd purchase has been completed. Deal remains subject to FCA approval.







Pioneer Media Holdings Inc - Vancouver, Canada-based e-sports and mobile games investment company - Enters into non-binding letter of intent to acquire UK-based Kodoku Studios Ltd, a non-fungible token-focused gaming company. "Their principal project, THE PIT, is currently undergoing development and will serve as an innovative platform for players to wager their NFTs and will represent a unique opportunity for other creators to host their own NFT arenas. Kodoku Studios expect a successful launch sometime before the end of 2021 in partnership with Pioneer," Pioneer says. Pioneer will pay CAD8.9 million in total, about GBP5.2 million, including CAD850,000 paid on January 31 and 8 million Pioneer shares valued at CAD1.00. Pioneer plans wider shift to this part of gaming sector. Company adds: "NFT gaming is looking like the first real breakaway crypto that is not necessarily tied to the success of bitcoin." "Pioneer will be the first true listed Metaverse investment company focused on NFT gaming. Building off of its success in mobile gaming, eSports and its foundational investment in NFT investments."







Filtronic PLC - Yeadon, England-based telecommunications firm - Says trading in opening months to financial 2022 in line with internal expectations and also show "healthy improvement" on a year prior. "Therefore, we remain confident of delivering results for the full year in line with market expectations," Filtronic says. Plans to release results for six months to November 30 on February 8.







IQ-AI Ltd - Jersey-based medical services firm - Says "2021 has already proven to be our busiest and most successful year on record". Hails "marked" revenue increase and growing technology portfolio. "Year-to-date revenues have more than doubled, driven primarily by the continued adoption of IB Clinic - container edition (IB Clinic), and the continued funding from awarded grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)," IQ-AI says.







Integrated Diagnostics Holdings PLC - consumer healthcare firm with operations in Egypt, Jordan, Sudan, and Nigeria - Says named in arbitration in Egypt but says it is confident it can defend itself. Claim related to a pact struck in November 2007, which IDH says is seven years before company's incorporation. "In 2020, Abdulkader Al Muhaidib and Sons Co filed an arbitration claim under the number 1394 of 2020 against Dr Moamena Kamel, Dr Hend El Sherbini, the heirs of Mr Mahmoud Abdulmaguid and IDH," company explains. "IDH believes that it will succeed in defending the arbitration claim. Al Muhaidib Co previously filed a civil claim based on the MOU, which was won by IDH. Previous claims brought by Al Muhaidib Company against the former shareholders of Al Mokhtabar Co for medical resting based on the memorandum of understanding also failed."







Rutherford Health PLC - Hereford, England-based cancer care centre provider - Says patient at one of its cancer centres becomes first in UK to receive new treatment for prostate cancer. Rutherford adds: "Clinicians are hoping the new drug therapy - which is also the first trial to take place at a Rutherford Cancer Centre - could increase survival benefits for patients with an advanced form of prostate cancer, known as metastatic castration-resistant cancer. It is believed that about 20% of patients with mCRPC possess the biomarker to be eligible for this new form of treatment, with current treatment options offering a limited duration of clinical and survival benefits." Trial forms part of a phase 2 study aimed at determining optimal dose for the potential new therapy. Phase one studies outside of UK have been successful, Rutherford adds.







MaxCyte Inc - Maryland, US-based biotechnology company - Strikes strategic platform license deal with Nkarta Inc, a company developing engineered natural killer cell therapies to treat cancer. MaxCyte will allow Nkarta use of its Electroporation technology and ExPERT platform. MaxCyte will receive "platform licensing fees and program-related milestone payments". Company adds: "The Nkarta approach maximizes the therapeutic effect of allogeneic NK cells through robust expansion, enhanced targeting and extended persistence resulting in potent immune cells that enable a sustained anti-cancer immune-mediated attack."







Tintra PLC - Windsor, Berkshire-based investment and advisor company formerly known as St James House - Says trading of shares on OTCQB Venture Market begins on Thursday.







Nippon Active Value Fund PLC - Japan-focused investment firm - Says C shares to fetch GBP1.00 if Nippon proceeds with offer. Earlier in October, company said it planned to implement a share issuance programme to raise capital for further investment through the issue of up to 300 million ordinary shares or C shares over the next 12 months. The programme will include an initial issue comprised of a placing, offer for subscription and intermediaries offer, which will comprises up to 150 million new shares.







Gulf Investment Fund PLC - invests in companies in Gulf Cooperation Council countries - Says all assets in tender pool sold. October 26 was tender determination date. Says as at October 26, final tender offer asset value was USD9.8 million. Says 5.5 million tendered shares will be cancelled.







Equals Group PLC - London-based payments services for small and medium enterprises - Seals transaction with "large corporate client", adding GBP1.5 million in revenue for current year. Company adds: "The transaction is one-off in nature but evidences the ability of the group to attract large corporate clients through its state-of-the-art platforms. That, coupled with highly professional service levels, translates into increased credibility for the group's ability to act as a financial counterpart in major transactions."







Chariot Ltd - Africa-focused transitional energy company - Signs memorandum of understanding with "leading international energy group" relating to gas offtake and partnership at Anchois gas development within the Lixus licence in offshore Morocco. Sale agreement includes 40 million standard cubic feet of gas per day for up to 20 years. "The parties will progress discussions with the view to signing final agreements to implement the Anchois gas development with targeted final investment decision in 2022 and first gas in 2024," Chariot.







Eurasia Mining PLC - UK-based mining & mineral exploration company - Says nickel-copper-PGM assets sale is progressing as buyer completes due diligence. Chief Executive Officer James Nieuwenhuys says: "We are advancing our development projects to production, increasing production on our operating mines adding value to Eurasia, while also focusing on other strategic options that are progressing well".







Greatland Gold PLC - gold explorer in Australia - Notes Newcrest Mining Ltd's quarterly exploration update. Greatland says latest results include 22 new drill holes, and 11 which were previously reported. Greatland adds: "Significant mineralisation was reported in 18 of the new holes. The Havieron joint venture has now completed a total of 210,629 of drilling from 254 holes, with all the latest completed holes continuing to intersect mineralisation, and all but one reporting significant mineralisation. A further 24 drill holes have been completed, awaiting assay."







Future Metals NL - Australia-focused platinum group metals explorer - Reports "high grade" drill results from Panton platinum group metals asset in Australia. "Initial results demonstrate considerably higher PGM grades and widths when compared to historical drilling and resource modelling," Future says.







Power Metal Resources PLC - exploration company seeking metal discoveries in the US, Australia and Africa - Says environmental management plan covering Kanye Resources joint-venture approved for two-year period. Partner in joint-venture is Kavango Resources PLC, who also notes progress. Exploration vectoring underway, including re-logging of data from historic drill holes, as well as a ground magnetic geophysics survey. An initial drill strategy is being finalised.







Gem Diamonds Ltd - Lesotho and Botswana-focused diamond miner - Says 23,435 carats recovered in third quarter, leading to 82,266 carats year-to-date, up 14% year-on-year. Year-to-date carats sold at 84,906, up 20% annually from 70,559. "During the quarter, diamonds recovered were of a relatively lower quality for Letseng's normal run of mine production. Notwithstanding that, prices achieved for these goods were strong reflecting the continued good demand and market prices paid for Letseng category diamonds," Chief Executive Clifford Elphick says. Revenue generated during period was USD47.3 million.







Pure Gold Mining Inc - Vancouver, Canada-based gold miner - Says latest drilling results are some of its best of year. "Our drilling program continues to return outstanding high-grade results from both infill and step-out drilling conducted at the PureGold mine. Highlighted drill results from this quarter represent some of the best results returned this year, with many targeting extensions to production areas planned for extraction within the next three months," Chief Executive Darin Labrenz says.







Mosman Oil & Gas Ltd - London-based metals exploration and development company - Says exploration work at EP 145 asset in Australia ongoing. This includes airborne gradiometry acquisition and related geological interpretation work. Says Covid-19 has disrupted and delayed activities and is stil "an issue that must be dealt with". Mosman says: "The technical work analysed the recently acquired gravity data and integrated it with regional gravity, magnetic and seismic data. This is the first permit wide data acquisition and evaluation and has provided positive clarification of the basement structure and composition. Given the results and the excellent work by Geognostics, Mosman wish to undertake a follow up study and are in discussion with Geognostics regarding this work. The project will aim to further update the geological model and petroleum/helium play."







Southern Energy Corp - North American gas-weighted producer focused on growth - Plans to raise CAD15.3 million, about USD12.0 million, through offer of new shares. Fundraise will fund plans to drill up to three horizontal Selma Chalk wells in the Gwinville gas field. Southern Energy says total capex for the drilling program at Gwinville is up to USD12 million.







Orcadian Energy PLC - North Sea-focused oil and gas development company - Receives three expressions of interest for provision of a floating production system for pilot development. Orcadian adds: "Three of the four companies, currently operating FPSOs on the UK Continental Shelf, submitted detailed proposals to Orcadian. The company will now enter into discussions to clarify the proposals which the directors expect to take several months. The company anticipates announcing its preferred partner for the development of pilot in due course."







Eqtec PLC - Cork, Ireland-based gasification company focused on turning waste into sustainable energy - Secures resolution to grant planning consent for an advanced gasification facility deploying EQTEC technology at Deeside Refuse Derived Fuel project, Wales. Eqtec is partnering with Logik Developments Ltd. Permission granted by Flintshire County Council. Also, enters into deal with Anaergia Inc to develop multi-technology waste-to-energy project at Deeside. "Under the agreement, Anaergia will develop the engineering design for both the waste processing facility and the AD plant. The processing facility will take the waste and produce the required standard of RDF fuel for EQTEC's Advanced Gasification Technology employed at the plant," Eqtec says.







Fox Marble Holdings PLC - AIM listed company focused on marble quarrying and processing in Kosovo and the Balkans region - Signs contract to provide processed marble to a project in Kosovo. "Fox Marble will provide Alexandrian Blue and Alexandrian White marble from its quarry in Macedonia, which will be processed at Fox Marble's factory in Lipjan in Kosovo," company says, adding contract is worth EUR100,000 and will be supplied during the end of 2021 and 2022.







By Eric Cunha; ericcunha@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - Boris Johnson's UK government has condemned "unjustified" French threats and summoned the country's ambassador in London as the dispute over fishing rights escalated.

The row over post-Brexit fishing rights has turned increasingly bitter, with a UK boat detained in a French port and threats of further action by the Paris government.

Diplomatic efforts to resolve the row have involved the UK's ambassador in Paris, Menna Rawlings, and Cabinet minister George Eustice talking to ministers in the French government.

But in a sign of growing concern in Westminster, Brexit minister Lord Frost chaired a meeting to consider the Government's response.

"The proposed French actions are unjustified and do not appear to be compatible on the EU's part with the trade and cooperation agreement or wider international law," a UK government spokesman said.

"We regret the confrontational language that has been consistently used by the French government on this issue, which makes this situation no easier to resolve.

"We have raised our concerns strongly with both the French and the EU Commission.

"As a next step, the foreign secretary has instructed minister (Wendy) Morton to summon the French ambassador."

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the ambassador Catherine Colonna would be expected to attend the Foreign Office on Friday "to explain the disappointing and disproportionate threats made against the UK and Channel Islands".

French ministers have warned they will block British boats from some French ports and tighten checks on vessels travelling between France and the UK if the issue is not resolved by Tuesday, as well as threatening the electricity supply to the Channel Islands.

On Thursday, the row intensified as the scallop vessel Cornelis was ordered to divert to the port of Le Havre after the French authorities said it was fishing in French waters without a licence.

The French said that another British trawler had also been fined for obstruction after refusing to allow police to board to carry out checks.

The incidents came amid anger in France after the UK and Jersey turned down applications from dozens of French boats to fish in their waters in what Paris said was a breach of Britain's post-Brexit trade deal with the EU.

The owner of the Cornelis, Macduff Shellfish, said the vessel had been fishing legally in French waters and called on the British government to protect the rights of British fishermen.

Andrew Brown, director of sustainability and public affairs at Macduff, said: "It appears our vessel has been caught up in the ongoing dispute between the UK and France on the implementation of the Brexit fishing agreement.

"The Cornelis does have catch aboard.

"This may be confiscated by the French authorities unless a speedy resolution is achieved.

"We are looking to the UK government to defend the rights of the UK fishing fleet and ensure that the fishing rights provided under the Brexit fishing agreement are fully respected by the EU."

In an emergency Commons statement, Environment Secretary Eustice said the government was investigating what had happened.

He said the vessel had been granted a licence by the EU but that there were reports that it subsequently had been removed from the list of vessels permitted to fish in French waters for reasons that were unclear.

Earlier, France's Europe minister Clement Beaune told French TV news channel CNews: "We have been extremely patienta our fishermen have been extremely responsible.

"And so, from November 2, it's over: we will engage in dialogue if the British want to, but we are taking retaliatory measures."

He added: "Now we need to speak the language of force because, unfortunately, that seems to be the only thing this British Government understands."

French maritime minister Annick Girardin also told French radio news programme RTL Matin that Britain's "failure to comply" with the trade and co-operation agreement is "unacceptable".

"It's not war, it's a fight," she said.

"The French and the fishermen have rights.

"An agreement was signed.

"We must enforce this agreement.

"We have fishing rights, we must defend them and we will defend them."

The French embassy in the UK highlighted comments by Prime Minister Jean Castex saying that while Paris would like "de-escalation" it was down to the British government to keep its word.

"I'd like nothing more than for there to be a de-escalation," Castex said.

"We are permanently open to discussions, but I want to say to the British government that we will see to it that our interests are respected and that their word is kept."

Eustice said the UK has licensed 98% of EU vessels that have applied for access post-Brexit and more are expected to be granted following "constructive" talks with the European Commission.

source: PA

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Today

Sunny. High around 75F. Winds light and variable.

Tonight

Mostly clear this evening, then becoming foggy and damp after midnight. Low 56F. Winds light and variable.

Tomorrow

Sunshine and clouds mixed. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 76F. Winds light and variable.
Today

Plentiful sunshine. High near 75F. Winds light and variable.

Tonight

Mostly clear skies during the evening will give way to low clouds and fog after midnight. Low 57F. Winds light and variable.

Tomorrow

Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. High around 75F. Winds light and variable.
Malibu, CA (90265)

Today

Some sun in the morning with increasing clouds during the afternoon. High 64F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A few clouds. Strong Santa Ana winds possible. Low 58F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph.
Editor

Darren Marcy, a journalist since 1992, is the editor of the Manchester Journal. A New Mexico native, he previously worked for newspapers in the Land of Enchantment before moving to Vermont in 2004. He joined the Journal in October 2018.
Mankato, MN (56001)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low near 30F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low near 30F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph.
The LocALE Brewing Co. was one of the redevelopment projects to benefit from an EPA grant obtained by the city of Mankato, using the funds to help transform an oil change business into a brewery and taproom. The EPA has provided another $300,000, and the city is looking for a new set of applicants.
Julia A. Johnston, 68, of Wilburton, OK passed away at her home in Wilburton on Sunday, November 14, 2021. Services will be on Wednesday, November 17, 2021 at 2 p.m. at the Waldrop Funeral Home Chapel in Wilburton, OK with the burial to follow in the Peachland Cemetery in Bengal, Oklahoma. O
McAlester, OK (74501)

Today

Clouds and some sun this morning with more clouds for this afternoon. High around 70F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph..

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Mostly cloudy. Low 57F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
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"I would like to tell investors that Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji said to invest in India, set up an industry here. You are as safe in India. The world's industry should take advantage of the efforts being made by the Indian Government to make this country the best investment destination," he added.Talking about being pro-farmer and industry-friendly, Mandaviya said: "We see to it that the industries go ahead and sustain. Indian companies never cheat while making supplies. Our character is to maintain quality."The virtual summit was a part of the vision to further strengthen India's position globally in terms of pharmaceuticals and medical devices. The session was held to discuss how India can develop as a land of opportunities for medical devices and the key learnings from the leading innovators.The summit provided an opportunity for industry participants to discuss the success stories from the Indian medical devices sector, end to end integration for enhancing vaccine manufacturing capabilities, financing start-ups in the pharmaceutical and medical devices sector.Source: IANS
Kiran Gosavi, the highly controversial 'independent witness' of the Narcotics Control Bureau that detained Aryan Khan in the cruise ship drug scandal, was finally detained in Pune by the police.

Gosavi was the person who was seen in the selfie with Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan just after the star kid was detained by the NCB from the Goa-bound cruise ship.

 Twitter

However, soon after the image went viral on the internet, Gosavi was nowhere to be found, with people speculating who exactly he was and why he was clicking a selfie with Shah Rukh's eldest son. Well now, weeks after absconding, Gosavi was finally arrested by the Pune police after a lookout notice had been stamped over his head for being involved in a 2018 cheating case.



 Twitter

The arrest comes three days after Gosavi claimed that he had offered to surrender himself to the Uttar Pradesh police in Lucknow, with the police refusing to accept his surrender. A private investigator by profession, Gosavi had stated that he felt "threatened" in Maharashtra and wanted to surrender, however, his claims were refuted by the Lucknow police.



One of the absconded witness mr kiran gosami has returned with New allegations on nawab Malik @nawabmalikncp pic.twitter.com/lcMKSj85NJ  shaffiullha shareef (@Shaffihyd) October 28, 2021

So far, we don't know the truth behind his statement, but soon after his arrest, social media users made some very, very interesting and hilarious observations about him. Take a look.

Did he used beauty plus app during his infamous selfie moment with aryan?  Pito Swu (@Pitoswu01) October 28, 2021

filter effect and i am sure he went to some beauty parlour before joining his NCB team lol  Saju Gopal Ambatt (@sajgopalambatt) October 28, 2021

Kyase kya hogaye dekhte dekhte pic.twitter.com/tzQmrm4Wz6  SitsRtoK (@k_sits) October 28, 2021

Bechara sochtha hoga

Kyon usne woh selfie nikali aur share Kiya.

Seriously @ss_suryawanshi without the Selfie

This story could have been totally different

Shayad Aryan Khan bhi Kab ka bhar aagaya hota  Ashok Shetty (@savidhyashok) October 28, 2021

Ganja was first confiscated.

Now Ganja is arrested.  Jones Joseph (@jonesjoseph) October 28, 2021

Wasn't he supposed to surrender in Lucknow?

Or did bjp realize it can't play from behind any more as Wankhede is being exposed too for fraud and extortion.#AryanKhan #NCB  Fasiha Mujahid (@Fasiha28) October 28, 2021

Zindagi ajeeb mor lata hai



arrest karwane wala khud hi arrest hogya



I suspect next will be Sameer Wankhede  Intekhab Alam (@Bhola4U) October 28, 2021

Now he will revale all insider of NCB and Sameer Wankhade  Ashok Shekhawat (@Ashokkshekhawat) October 28, 2021

He lost so much weight running from here and there  Faizaan (@momin0077) October 28, 2021

Gosavi was present on the cruise ship during the NCB raid in which Aryan along with Arbaaz Merchant, Munmum Dhamecha, and others was detained by the police for possessing drugs. According to the videos and photos taken by Gosavi right after the arrest showed that he had unlimited access to Aryan.



Later, this clearly brought up questions about NCB's investigation by Maharashtra's ruling alliance with many leaders asking as to why an "independent witness" of the agency was present at the cruise ship raid, the office, and how he could take selfies with Aryan.

Gosavi's name is also a thing of particular interest as he is accused of extorting money from Shah Rukh for the release of his son Aryan.

Earlier, Prabhakar Sail, another witness in the cruise ship drugs case, had said he had proof of the payoff allegations made against Gosavi. Sail, who claimed to be Gosavi's personal bodyguard said that he had overheard Gosavi and one Sam D'Souza talking about a Rs 25 crore payoff to let off Aryan Khan in the case.

"They were discussing that Rs 8 crore would go to NCB Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede," Sail claimed at a press conference earlier. However, Gosavi on Monday released a video statement to rubbish Sail's account.

He said, "Sail is lying. I just want to request that his CDR (call details record) should be released. My CDR report or chat should be issued, along with the CDR report of Sail and his brother, then everything will be clear. At least one minister or any leader of the opposition from Maharashtra should stand with me. At least they should request the Mumbai Police to do what I am asking (to release CDR and chat of Sail."

Seems like the Aryan Khan drug case took yet another interesting turn.
Ahead of Diwali this year, like every year, brands are trying different strategies to sell their products. To this effect, FabIndia also launched its new collection but it landed in troubled waters as soon as its new advertisement was shared on social media platforms. They released an ad featuring their new collection, titled, Jashn-E-Riwaaz. People were quick to start bashing the brand for hurting Hindu sentiments.

FabIndia had tweeted out the collection on October 9, with the post, As we welcome the festival of love and light, Jashn-e-Riwaaz, by FabIndia is a collection that beautifully pays homage to Indian culture. The ad was beautifully shot and the message was loud and clear that India is a country of diverse cultures but it backfired at the brand because of the name.

The hashtag #boycottFabIndia started to trend on Twitter, with many people asking for the brand to shut down its operations. After this fiasco, the brand removed the tweet and even pulled down the ad.

Heres the ad that was pulled down by the brand:

Now, Javed Akhtar, who is known for being vocal on various issues, has shared his opinion on the row and called it "crazy". He wrote on Twitter, "I failed to understand why some people have any problem with FabIndias Jashn- e- Riwaj . Which in English means nothing but a celebration of tradition how and why anybody can have a problem with that . It is crazy.

Heres the tweet:

 Javed Akhtar Twitter

The lyricist is not new to trolling and this time is no different either. People are brutally trolling him for siding with the brand, with some asking him to change his name to Amar.



One of the users wrote, Their problem is right there in your tweet, sir. Their problem is the usage of language. They wouldn't have a problem if the tagline was in simple English, "Celebration of Tradition".

Another wrote, Let's name Eid as Nirih Vadh Diwas. What say? Javed, you can write Diwali or Deepawali in Urdu that's not the issue, changing the name is not acceptable. The soft targeting by Abrahamics will be opposed vehemently.

Heres how people reacted:

 Twitter

 Twitter

 Twitter

 Twitter

 Twitter

 Twitter

 Twitter

Do you agree with people or side with Javed Akhtar? Let us know in the comments section below.


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AG Nessel Joins Coalition Supporting Florida's Firearm Age Regulations

AG Nessel Joins Coalition Supporting Florida's Firearm Age Regulations

Attorney General

Media contact: Lynsey Mukomel 517-599-2746

Public inquiries: 517-335-7622



October 28, 2021

LANSING - Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel joined a coalition of 20 attorneys general in defending a Florida law limiting the sale of firearms to people ages 21 and up. In an amicus brief filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, the coalition argues that states have the right to enact reasonable, age-based firearm regulations that protect public safety and reduce the prevalence of gun violence.

The coalition filed the brief in National Rifle Association v. Commissioner, Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The lawsuit challenges a provision of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act that generally prohibits the purchase of firearms by individuals under the age of 21. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit claim that the law infringes upon the Second Amendment rights of young people. A lower court in this case rejected that argument, holding that laws regulating the sale of firearms to young people are longstanding and constitutional.

"States have a responsibility to protect residents against harm, and with common sense gun regulation, we can do just that," Nessel said. "Across the country we have seen the carnage inflicted by gun violence. Preventing people under the age of 21 from legally obtaining firearms can help reduce this violence."

In the brief, the coalition argues that the Second Amendment gives states the ability to enact sensible regulations designed to protect the public, including age-based restrictions that limit the ability of people younger than 21 to purchase firearms. Although regulations differ based on each state's needs, virtually every state and the District of Columbia has imposed some age-based restrictions on the sale or use of firearms, and at least 19 states and the District of Columbia have enacted a minimum age requirement of 21 for the sale or possession of certain categories of firearms. Similarly, courts across the country have consistently upheld age-based regulations, noting that the goal of these regulations is to deter crime and promote public safety.

Joining Attorney General Nessel in filing this brief are the attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington.
Coldwater Man Sentenced in Second Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Case Against Him

Coldwater Man Sentenced in Second Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Case Against Him

Attorney General

Media contact: Lynsey Mukomel 517-599-2746

Public inquiries: 517-335-7622



October 28, 2021

LANSING - A Coldwater man already serving a decade in prison related to a Kalamazoo County sexual assault received a second sentence of more than three decades in prison in Jackson County, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and Jackson County Prosecutor Jerry Jarzynka announced today.

Last month, a jury found Brad Allen Risner, 29, guilty of first-degree criminal sexual conduct (CSC) after spending 10 minutes deliberating.

Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Edward Grant sentenced Risner to between 35 and 70 years in prison this morning, which will be served concurrently to his Kalamazoo County sentence.

The charge stemmed from a February 2010 assault and was brought as part of the state's Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI). Risner was first charged by the Kalamazoo County SAKI team and was sentenced last month in that case.

During the course of the Kalamazoo County investigation, ten other women were identified as being sexually and/or physically assaulted by Risner between 2005 and 2018. Those investigations led to this case in Jackson County and a third case in Calhoun County, where he's charged with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct for assaults committed in 2006. That case is not yet set for trial.

"Today's sentencing serves as a reminder that we remain committed to securing justice for survivors who long thought they would never see their abuser held accountable," Nessel said. "I'm proud of the work done by the Jackson County SAKI team to obtain this conviction and sentence against Mr. Risner."

"Justice was served not only for the victim, but for our community," Jarzynka said. "The Jackson County SAKI Team did outstanding work to bring this defendant to justice."

Since 2013, the Michigan Legislature has appropriated funds to the Attorney General's office for the purpose of investigating and prosecuting cases that arise from previously untested sexual assault kits. In fiscal year 2021, the legislature again appropriated money to the Attorney General's office to provide funding to SAKI projects in Kalamazoo, Calhoun, Ingham, Jackson, Washtenaw and Wayne counties.
State and federal agencies and droves of volunteers have partnered to count Michigan's Kirtland's warbler population. The agencies recently announced that surveys conducted in June show the small songbirds have continued to flourish since their October 2019 removal from the federal list of endangered species. "The power of partnership continues to yield excellent results for the Kirtland's warbler after coming off the endangered species list," said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Director Charlie Wooley. "Recovery of this beloved species required a strong, creative set of partners, and that spirit continues into the future with agencies, organizations and private entities working together locally, nationally and internationally. I'm confident this strong partnership will secure the long-term future of this bird." With the June survey results now tallied, the Kirtland's warbler global population is estimated at 2,245 pairs, which is more than double the 1,000-pair recovery goal for the species - which has been exceeded over each of the past 20 years. Researchers survey nesting areas, listening for singing males advertising and defending nesting territories. Each male found is presumed to have a mate, so the number of males also indicates the number of pairs. Kirtland's warblers build nests on the ground, only in young, dense stands of jack pine in Michigan, Wisconsin and Ontario. This habitat was historically created by large wildfires. Today, wildfires are suppressed, and the nesting habitat is created by harvesting mature jack pine and planting jack pine seedling in the logged areas. This year's Kirtland's warbler counts took place in jack pine nesting habitat situated across lands managed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Forest Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Nearly all the world's Kirtland's warbler population nest in Michigan's northern Lower Peninsula. In 2017 and 2019, partial surveys were completed. This year's thorough census was the first full count of Kirtland's warbler since 2015, when 2,365 singing males were counted. This is believed to represent ALL the adult males of the entire global population of this highly localized bird species. "Recovering a species as imperiled as the Kirtland's warbler wasn't easy," said Brian Bogaczyk, Regional Threatened and Endangered Species Biologist for the USDA Forest Service Eastern Region. "The US Forest Service is honored to play a part in the Kirtland's warbler comeback, an incredible success story that's a great example of what we can achieve with strong partnerships. We must continue to invest in creating habitat for this disturbance-dependent species to thrive, and the Forest Service is committed to doing our part in the future." More specifically, 1,114 singing males were located on the Huron National Forest - representing a 9% increase over the number counted in 2019 - while 994 singing males were found on lands managed by the DNR and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the northern Lower Peninsula. In addition, two singing males were found in Lake County on the Manistee National Forest in jack pine not established for Kirtland's warbler breeding habitat. This was the first time the birds have been found on the Manistee National Forest since 1977. "The number of singing males was above what we expected," said Phil Huber, Wildlife Program Manager for the Huron-Manistee National Forests in Cadillac, MI. "It's really gratifying to see this species doing so well, especially compared to the population lows we observed in the 1970s and early 1980s when 200 singing males was the average. The recovery of this species has been a decades long effort by many dedicated individuals." In the Upper Peninsula, a record number of Kirtland's warblers were recorded by census participants. Previous counts recorded 37 singing males in 2015, 44 in 2017 and 40 in 2019. This year, 67 singing males were found across the Upper Peninsula, including 42 on the Hiawatha National Forest and 25 on state forest lands, with 22 of those situated within recovering jack pine forests burned in the 21,069-acre Duck Lake Fire of 2012. "Expansion of Kirtland's warblers into new areas, and in greater numbers, is good news for the future of the species in Michigan," said DNR Director Dan Eichinger. "From the Kirtland's Warbler Alliance and American Bird Conservancy to our state and federal partners in the Great Lakes region, the effort and teamwork committed to the recovery of this species continues to pay great dividends." In addition to the birds found in Michigan, Wisconsin surveyors detected 39 singing males, largely in central Wisconsin's Adams County. This is an all-time high for Wisconsin, which has been seeing ever-increasing numbers since first being detected in 2008. Also, surveyors in Ontario detected 22 singing males, also representing an all-time high there since surveys began. Kirtland's warbler surveys have been conducted in Michigan since 1951. The species was among the first animals included when the Endangered Species Act was passed in 1973. Populations sunk to a low of 167 pairs in 1974 and 1987 before mounting a gradual recovery. Aiding greatly in that return were cooperative efforts between state and federal agencies, along with conservation groups, to conserve and expand suitable jack pine habitat and control brown-headed cowbirds. Cowbirds are nest parasites that lay their eggs in the nests of Kirtland's warblers and other bird species. The larger cowbird chicks out-compete warbler chicks for food, which causes them to die, while the warbler parents unknowingly raise the cowbird chicks. By 2001, the number of Kirtland's warbler pairs in Michigan had surpassed 1,000, while the places the birds were located expanded to include the U.P., Ontario and Wisconsin. The birds migrate to and overwinter in The Bahamas. The Kirtland's Warbler Breeding Range Conservation Plan was developed in 2015 and is now the guiding management strategy for the species. Additionally, funding and other commitments to habitat management and cowbird control are in place to ensure continued conservation actions in the absence of Endangered Species Act protections. In addition, the Kirtland's Warbler Conservation Team has replaced the Kirtland's Warbler Recovery Team established under the Endangered Species Act. Today, the Conservation Team preserves institutional knowledge, shares information and facilitates communication and collaboration among agencies and partners to maintain and improve Kirtland's warbler conservation. The current make-up of the team includes representatives from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Forest Service, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, USDA-Wildlife Services, Canadian Wildlife Service, Huron Pines, Kirtland's Warbler Alliance, American Bird Conservancy and California University of Pennsylvania. The Kirtland's Warbler Conservation Team is an integral part of post-delisting monitoring efforts and provides an important forum for sharing information, coordinating management efforts and ensuring that effective adaptive management occurs. The Kirtland's Warbler Alliance is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping ensure needs of the species are addressed. Find out more about Kirtland's warbler recovery, delisting, tours and more.
Gov. Whitmer Signs Directive Limiting State Purchases of Products Containing PFAS

Gov. Whitmer Signs Directive Limiting State Purchases of Products Containing PFAS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

October 27, 2021

Contact: press@michigan.gov

Gov. Whitmer Signs Directive Limiting State Purchases of Products Containing PFAS

Governor hosts roundtable with residents and community leaders in Oscoda, seeks input on reducing toxic contaminants to keep families safe

LANSING, Mich. - Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed an Executive Directive (ED) to minimize the purchase of products containing PFAS by state government. She also hosted a roundtable with Oscoda residents impacted by toxic contaminants from the decommissioned Wurtsmith Air Force Base.

"PFAS are dangerous, man-made chemicals that pose a threat to our health," said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. "I'm proud to sign an Executive Directive today that will require the State of Michigan to procure PFAS-free products whenever possible. While this is a good step, we still have so much more to do to address these forever chemicals. We need to lead with science and work together to keep families safe and ensure Michigan continues leading the nation when it comes to protecting people from toxic contaminants."

"Protecting Michiganders from unnecessary exposure to PFAS chemicals and their risks is the foundation of our state response to find and addresses sources of PFAS contamination," said Liesl Clark, Director of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. "Governor Whitmer's directive is a critical step towards accomplishing that mission by using the state's purchasing power to move away from harmful products and toward smarter, safer alternatives. EGLE will continue finding ways to protect public health and our natural resources from PFAS and other toxic contaminants." "It is critical that the products purchased by state government are safe for our residents and employees," said Jared Ambrosier, Chief Procurement Officer for the Department of Technology Management and Budget. "Putting a priority on products that are free of PFAS when making purchasing decisions will reduce the amount of the dangerous chemical present in Michigan. DTMB is proud to be a national leader in this effort."

"This is a ground-breaking and important action by Governor Whitmer on behalf of the people of Michigan," said Tony Spaniola, Co-Chair of the Great Lakes PFAS Action Network. "The Governor's Executive Directive makes clear that forever chemicals have no place in our bodies or our environment. We urge businesses across Michigan to follow Governor Whitmer's lead and remove PFAS from the products they sell, not just to state agencies, but to all Michiganders. And we call on the legislature to take immediate action to more broadly limit the sale of products containing PFAS."

"We are capable of limiting our exposure to these toxic chemicals, and this directive sets important groundwork for substantial change," said Sen. Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids), whose district has personally been affected by PFAS contamination. "I'm grateful the governor is making this move, and I am committed to continuing the long and hard work necessary in the legislature to hold corporate polluters accountable and bring justice, safety and security to our residents."

Executive Directive (ED) Actions

The ED will serve to limit the purchase of nonessential products that contain PFAS. The State of Michigan has $2.5 billion worth of purchasing power annually, and the ED directs the Department of Technology, Management, and Budget (DTMB) to purchase PFAS-free products whenever possible. At the state-level, PFAS are primarily found in seating and office furniture, carpets, and sanitary supplies.

To view the full executive directive, click the link below:

Executive Directive 2021-08.pdf

PFAS

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of over 4,000 man-made chemicals that have been used in several industry and consumer products worldwide since the 1940s. PFAS have been used in non-stick cookware, fast food packaging, water-repellent jackets, stain-resistant carpets or furniture, cosmetics, and firefighting foams. PFAS are stable chemicals, breaking down slowly in the environment, such that they accumulate over time, and they also are highly soluble, easily transferring through soil to groundwater. As a result, they are persistent in the environment and in the human body. According to the CDC, over 95% of the U.S. population has PFAS in their bodies. While research is ongoing, there is evidence that exposure to PFAS can lead to adverse human health effects. People can be exposed to PFAS in a variety of ways, including working at locations where PFAS are produced or used in manufacturing, through the water they drink or the foods they eat, or when PFAS are released during normal use, biodegradation, or disposal of consumer products containing PFAS.

Whitmer-Gilchrist Administration Actions

Michigan's proactive and transparent approach to PFAS contamination is widely recognized as a national model for action on PFAS. In 2019, Governor Whitmer issued Executive Order (EO) 2019-3. This EO made the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team (MPART) an established, enduring body and directed MPART to increase citizen engagement, transparency and accountability in the ongoing state efforts to identify PFAS contamination and protect public health.

Since MPART was established the team has sampled all public water supplies throughout Michigan, established some of the nation's most comprehensive health based regulations limiting 7 PFAS chemicals in drinking water supplies, developed groundwater cleanup criteria for the same 7 PFAS, identified 189 sites to date where one or more of the 7 PFAS compounds exceed standards, removed 51,400 gallons of firefighting foam from Michigan's fire stations and airport as part of a pickup and disposal program, and so much more.

In addition to MPART's work, the state has made critical investments to protect our waters. The State of Michigan has invested more in its water infrastructure than the previous five years-from 2014 to 2018-combined. The governor launched the MI Clean Water plan to invest $700 million to build up drinking and wastewater infrastructure while supporting 10,000 good-paying jobs. The plan addresses tackles toxic contaminants like PFAS, high water rates, builds up sewer and septic systems that can't meet demand, and replaces lead service lines. In addition to MI Clean Water plan, Michigan has invested millions to address PFAS contamination and improve water infrastructure across the state.

The governor also created the Office of the Clean Water Public Advocate to elevate the concerns of residents and investigate complaints related to drinking water and has partnered with Attorney General Nessel to hold PFAS polluters accountable for their contamination. While the State of Michigan has made significant progress on PFAS, additional action remains necessary to protect from the wide-ranging effects of PFAS contamination.

###
Lee Jin-man/AP

SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  Samsung Electronics on Thursday reported its highest quarterly profit in three years as it continues to see robust global demand for its computer memory chips.

The South Korean technology giant also said its revenue of 74 trillion won ($63 billion) for the July-September period was a new quarterly record. Operating profit jumped 26% from the previous quarter to 15.8 trillion won ($13.48 billion), its highest since the same period of 2018, a growth the company attributed to favorable market conditions that led to rising semiconductor prices and shipments.
BIG RAPIDS - The Ferris State University women's volleyball squad notched one of its biggest wins of the season on Tuesday night as the Bulldogs swept nationally 18th-ranked Hillsdale 3-0 score at Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena in Hillsdale.

The Bulldogs claimed the regional road showdown with a 25-21, 27-25, 25-23 triumph to improve to 18-4 overall this year.

The victory was FSU's 13th in a row this campaign and it also marked the Bulldogs' 10th sweep in their last 12 contests.

The Bulldogs had three players reach double-digits in kills in the win with senior hitter Katie O'Connell leading the way with 17 kills. She also added 17 digs in the victory.

Along with O'Connell, the Bulldogs received 13 kills from freshman outside hitter Keona Salesman to go with 12 by Olivia Henneman-Dallape. Middle hitter Kira Merkle chipped in with six kills.

The Bulldogs were led defensively by libero Nina Gorgijevska with 19 digs. In addition to Gorgijevska and O'Connell, FSU's Brooke Norder tallied 13 digs and Kaylee Maat had 12 to go with her 47 assists in leading the Bulldog attack.

Ferris State finished with a .264 attack percentage and totaled 81 digs on the night. FSU also had four service aces and finished with 10 block assists and two solo stops at the net.

Hillsdale was led by Maggie DePorre with 13 kills. Marilyn Popplewell added 10 kills for the Chargers.

Ferris State will return to GLIAC play with another West Michigan matchup at longtime rival Grand Valley State on Friday with match time set for 3 p.m.\ at the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena in Allendale.

Houghton Lake 3, Pine River 2

On Tuesday, Pine River travel to Houghton Lake and lost five in five set 25-14, 20-25, 25-20, 13-25, 15-14.

Our serving let us down early in the match but we started serving more aggressively and that really helped, Pine River coach Jana Dennis said. We kept building throughout the night but just weren't able to get the win. The team never gave up and fought until the very end.
STANWOOD  Following the recent announcement from Blue Triton Brands, Inc., formerly Nestle Waters North America, that it will not be utilizing the water withdrawal capacity authorized by the permit issued to them under the Michigan Safe Drinking Water Act, Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation stated in a news release that the company is seeking a backdoor to increase withdrawal.

It seems that Blue Triton has abandoned the 400-gpm permit to duck the more rigorous comprehensive review of impacts required by Part 327 and the Safe Drinking Water Act for a bottled water well that exceeds 200,000 gallons per day, said Ross Hammersley, environmental attorney for MCWC in the pending legal action. But whether Nestle or now Blue Triton can avoid these requirements is one of the critical questions before the circuit court.

In a letter to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, Arlene Anderson-Vincent, with Ice Mountain Natural Spring Water, stated that Blue Triton intended to amend its water withdrawal assessment for the White Pine Springs well in Osceola County to reduce the registered capacity to 288 gallons per minute, a withdrawal capacity that does not require a permit.

MCWC said in its news release that the companys intent to reduce pumping to 288 gallons per minute, or 416,000 gallons per day, does not resolve the legal issues over the wells operation.

Private equity companies will find us not easily fooled by self-serving gestures that are the opposite of what they seem, MCWC stated. Two hundred and eighty-eight gallons per minute is not an improvement over 250.

"We welcome the partial victory of not having to oppose 400 any further but continue the battle for water protection. MCWC who, along with allies, have contested the legality of the White Pine Spring well for the last five years is not willing to stipulate that the case in Circuit Court regarding the contested case is moot.

While MCWC is pleased that the company has withdrawn the 400-gpm permit, which weve said all along was improperly approved, significant impairment of the two blue-water trout streams and habitat has already occurred," the group stated in the news release. "It is not in the best interests of Blue Triton, affected landowners, or the public to pump at 400 gpm, or even 200 gpm.

LARGE WELLS 'NOT SUSTAINABLE'

In 2016, Nestle applied for the permit to increase water withdrawals to 400 gallons per minute. Despite overwhelming opposition from the community and environmental groups, the permit was granted.

MCWC and the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians challenged the permit, filing a petition for a contested case hearing.

In May 2020, EGLE dismissed the groups appeal after an administrative judge upheld the permit approval, stating that the higher pumping rate was reasonable under common law principles of water law in Michigan.

MCWC is currently awaiting an Ingham County judges appellate decision on whether the organization has standing to contest the permit within the state administrative court.

Nestle lost a similar eight-year court battle in Mecosta County, where the final amended order reduced pumping from 400 gpm to an average 125 gpm in summer months and 218 gpm the rest of the year to prevent further damage and restore the stream, a lake and adjacent wetlands.

Given Michigans unique glacial geology and annual rainfall patterns, large-volume water wells near headwater creeks and wetlands are not sustainable, MCWC said in the news release. The companys request to continue pumping at its proposed reduced rate cannot be permitted unless there is a full monitoring plan to measure the effects on flows, levels, and impacts, before and during pumping, to Twin and Chippewa Creeks.

According to the news release, analysis has already documented substantial drying up or alteration of the creeks to the point that they are unrecognizable.

EGLE has prematurely approved Blue Tritons request to pump at the increased 288 gpm, without notice to the public, and without public comment or input, MCWC states in the news release. Moreover, EGLE appears to have abandoned its demand for a monitoring plan that would have verified whether current or the proposed 288 gpm would cause harm or leave adequate water in the streams and wetlands.

'CHART A DIFFERENT COURSE'

MCWC urges the company to chart a different course and become a good corporate citizen by implementing a true monitoring plan, based on scientific data gathering on site rather than computer models, under the supervision of a neutral hydrogeologist, the community impacted and state agencies charged with protecting the waters of the state.

Further, it urges that the company reduce, rather than increase, its pumping rate until the monitoring plan is in place and baseline data is established, and the impacts of pumping are determined; reduce pumping to an agreed amount that will minimize impacts until the plan and determinations are made; hold the permit for the 288 gpm in abeyance until the plan is in place; and meet with MCWC and EGLE so that all affected stakeholders can work directly to resolve these issues.

"MCWC and its members stand ready to cooperate in good faith to achieve these above actions to determine what, if any, amount Blue Triton can pump from the White Pine well and at the same time maintain adequate water in the creeks and wetlands for riparian owners, the health of the ecosystem, and the use and enjoyment of the public," the news release states. "It is MCWCs hope that Blue Triton officials and investors will work with EGLE and us to establish a new legacy for water protection in Michigan.

If this cannot be done, then MCWC, cannot agree that the pending circuit court case is moot or that Blue Tritons pumping, past or proposed at 288 gpm, is lawful, it continues.

MCWC stated that it would urge Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and EGLE director Liesl Eichler Clark to insist that the states water laws not be diluted, but are applied to the letter of the law.

There must be public participation, comment, and an individual permit review. We need government accountability in the management of our lakes, streams, and the Great Lakes, the news release said.

"We stand ready to meet with EGLE and Blue Triton to chart this new course, so that companies like Blue Triton who want to use the waters of our state understand that it is a privilege," MCWC stated.
MECOSTA COUNTY  Trick-or-treat or trunk-or-treat. However your little, and not-so-little, ghouls and goblins prefer to get their Halloween candy, Mecosta County has you covered.

Heres a list of fall festivals, truck-or-treat events, and residential trick-or-treat hours.

BIG RAPIDS

 Big Rapids DBA Chili Cook Off and Beer Tent: 5-8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 29, at Big Rapids City Hall parking lot, 226 N. Michigan Ave., Big Rapids.

 Betten Baker Trunk or Treat: 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 30, at Betten Baker, 14120 Northland Drive, Big Rapids

 Big Rapids DBA Fall Festival Family Day: Noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 30, on North Michigan Avenue in downtown Big Rapids. Activities include truck or treat (noon to 2 p.m.), celebrity pumpkin roll (3 p.m.) craft show (2-6 p.m.) and family friendly activities (2-6 p.m.).

 BRCL Fall Festival: 3-9:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 30, at the Big Rapids Community Library, 426 S. Michigan Ave., Big Rapids. Join Mr. Howard at 3 p.m. for crafts, a cookie walk, lollipop pull and other fun activities. A family friendly movie begins at 6:30 p.m. Bring your own seat.

 Big Rapids Twp. Fire Dept. Halloween Party: 6-10 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 31, at Big Rapids Township Fire Department, 14212 Northland Drive, Big Rapids. Free admission, lots of free stuff from area businesses, coffee, cider, the haunted maze and more.

 Big Rapids Residential Trick-or-Treating Hours: 5-8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 31

MORLEY STANWOOD

 Stanwood Eagles Trunk or Treat: 4-5:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 30, at parking lot near Fraternal Order of Eagles, 7200 Stanwood Drive, Stanwood

 Peacock Real Estate Trunk or Treat: 4-6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 30, at Peacock Real Estate, 18030 3 Mile Road, Morley.

 Trick-or-Treat Through the Trail: 5:30-7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 30, at, Morley Stanwood Bands' Haunted Trail, off Jefferson Street, about a half mile west of downtown Morley. Walk through the trail, where creatures will be handing out sweet treats.

 Morley Stanwood Elementary Trick the Halls: 4-6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 31, at Morley Stanwood Elementary School, 4808 Northland Dr., Morley. Roam the halls of MSE to find treats. Includes a costume contest, cake walk, games, a haunted house and photo booth.

 Brockway Wesleyan Trunk or Treat: 5- 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 31, at Brockway Wesleyan Church, 10951 3 Mile Road, Morley. Includes free hot dogs and hot cocoa, while they last.

CHIPPEWA HILLS

 Barryton Fall Craft Show & Trick or Treating: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 30, at the Barryton Conservation Club, 3444 18 Mile Road, Barryton.

 Barryton's Residential Trick or Treat Hours: 4-7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 30

 Ag-Oween Halloween Drive Thru: 2-4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 31, at Young Farms, 8396 70th Ave. Mecosta

 Mecosta VFW Post 2335 Trunk or Treat: 4-6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 31, at 1050 W. Main St., Mecosta.

 Chippewa-Martiny Fire Department Open House/Halloween Party: 5-7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 31, at Chippewa Township Community Center, 10467 19 Mile Road, Rodney

 Chippewa Lake Trunk or Treat: 5-7:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 31, at 10545 Dwight St., Chippewa Lake.
A pack of strangers, a famed detective and a mysterious death become intertwined in Midland High School Drama Clubs production of Agatha Christies Murder on the Orient Express.

The play opens this week at Central Auditorium, just in time to get audiences in the mood for Halloween.

Director Megan Cummins grew up reading Christies stories and watching PBS dramatizations of her stories, the most famous of which is Murder on the Orient Express.

Murder on the Orient Express is, I think, one of her best. I think that it is one of those stories that really shaped the mystery genre into its present form and I'm very excited to bring it to the stage, Cummins said.

A few elements make the story so unique and beloved since the novel was first published in 1934, including the luxurious setting and a colorful array of personalities.

This is a story that hinges on its characters and the characters all have their own unique stories on how they got here. Its interesting to put together, said Leif Maslowski, a senior.

Maslowski will portray Hercule Poirot, a Belgian detective who boards the Orient Express as a mere passenger traveling from his last case. As events unfold, Poirot, who Maslowski describes as very fastidious and tidy, is engaged to help solve the murder.

Its exciting. I really hope I give it the justice that it deserves, Maslowski said. Poirot is such a well-known character and hes been portrayed by many different actors, so I can live up to how theyve portrayed this role.

As Dr. Watson is to Sherlock Holmes, is the character of Monsieur Bouc is to Poirot. Portrayed by senior Caedmon Applegate, Bouc is the owner of the Orient Express and is good natured, even if a little naive. One of Applegates favorite scenes in the play is the big reveal and portraying his characters shocked reaction.

(Bouc) is very expressive, pretty energetic for a middle-aged guy. He has a nice foil dynamic with Poirot, who is more reserved and calm, Applegate said.

Another passenger on the train is Mary Debenham, played by senior Sadie Thomas. Thomas explained that Debenham provides foreshadowing to the audience that something sinister is about to happen.

I feel like she relates to the audience the most because she is the most normal out of the whole bunch, Thomas said. She thinks what theyre doing is crazy  which it is  so it relates more to real life.

I think what makes this particular story so compelling is that it is not simply a puzzle to solve; it is also a thought-provoking question about what real justice is and how we define villains, Cummins stated.

The MHS Drama Clubs production is based on a more recent adaptation of Christies work by Ken Ludwig, which incorporates moments of comedy and a few less characters than the original work, according to Cummins. Otherwise, the plot closely follows the story that audiences know and love.

Id expect (audiences) to be surprised and entertained. If youre a lover of the arts, youll love this one because its very creative, Thomas said.

For Cummins and her students, Murder on the Orient Express feels like a return to normal since the pandemic started in March 2020. Cummins stated the students are excited to perform for a live audience, while Maslowski noted the importance of seeing the action and reaction between characters and viewers. The cast and sets are slightly larger, as last year they were allowed only 10 total members in the combined cast and crew. Thomas explained the cast and crew feel like family, as they are able to bond more. Now, a number of freshmen and sophomores are learning the ropes behind the scenes while 17 students are in the cast.

We're learning again. I'm so proud of what all these students have accomplished and the story they are creating together, Cummins said.

Remaining cast members are Audrey Applegate, Alexandria Bressett, George Hageage, Juwairiya Iqbal, Isla McCubbins-Green, Rorie McCubbins-Green, Rylee Marshall, Quinn McMath, Cody Ridder, Ethan Santos, Emily Schultz, Myah Sheldon, Maxwell Teal and Louis VanValkenburg.

Murder on the Orient Express will perform at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 28 through Saturday, Oct. 30 at Central Auditorium. Tickets are $6 for students and $8 for adults, and can be purchased at https://centralauditorium.ludus.com or at the door. A dessert fundraiser will follow each performance.
U.S. Reps. John Moolenaar, Debbie Dingell, Lisa McClain and Elissa Slotkin introduced the bipartisan Veterans Patient Advocacy Act and the bipartisan Patient Advocate Tracker Act to improve critical components of the VAs care programs. Both bills are supported by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and the Student Veterans of America (SVA).

The Veterans Patient Advocacy Act, led by Moolenaar and Dingell, will require the VA to appropriately staff its patient advocacy programs by increasing the number of patient advocates for veterans.

The Patient Advocate Tracker Act, led by McClain and Slotkin, will create an online portal where veterans can track the status of formal complaints they file through the VA.

Our veterans deserve to have better service from the VA, and I have heard from many veterans that there are simply not enough patient advocates at the VA, said Moolenaar, R-Midland, in a statement Wednesday. The legislation we are introducing today will increase the number of patient advocates and improve accountability, so our veterans will receive better care and attention from VA staff. My Michigan colleagues and I have worked across the aisle to introduce these important solutions for our veterans, and we are proud to have support of the VFW, the SVA, and their members for our legislation today.

This countrys veterans put their lives on the line for us and we need to give them the care they deserve, stated Dingell, D-Dearborn. Currently, VA patient advocates are being assigned to multiple medical centers at a time, leading to a lack of quality care for veterans. This bipartisan legislation would address this challenge by ensuring every veteran has easy access to a patient advocate and that patient advocates have the bandwidth to fulfill their duties.

The Patient Advocate Tracker Act is commonsense legislation that will make the VA more transparent and cause less frustrations for our veterans, stated McClain, a Bruce Township Republican. Veterans deserve the best health care possible, and when they receive subpar care, they need to be able to easily report complaints to their patient advocate, track it and get the best outcome possible. This bill will simplify the process and help them track their complaint.

I hear from veterans across Mid-Michigan who have struggled to access the VA care and benefits theyve earned," stated Slotkin, D-Holly. "Expanding the VAs patient advocacy programs is a commonsense way to improve quality of service and make sure our veterans needs are being met. These two bills will increase transparency at the department and help it operate as efficiently as possible on behalf of our veteran community.

"This legislation will save lives and will provide a dramatic leap forward in the quality of care our veterans receive across the country," said VFW State Commander Kevin Conklin. "The teamwork seen with Representatives Moolenaar, Dingell, McClain and Slotkin, alongside the Veterans of Foreign Wars and Student Veterans of America shows the importance of strengthening and streamlining the VA's Patient Advocacy program. We are proud that the idea for this legislation came from one of the SVA and VFW's very own members, Cameron Zbikowski, and we'll continue to look for solutions from the end users of VA care and programs."

The Veterans Patient Advocacy Act "provides a substantial solution to this problem by requiring no fewer than one PA for every 13,500 veterans enrolled in the system. With this requirement, we believe the Patient Advocacy program will see stronger returns and superior representation of veterans seeking assistance, " wrote Jared Lyon, the president and CEO of the Student Veterans of America, in a letter of support for both pieces of legislation.

Lyon also wrote the "Patient Advocate Tracker Act, requires VA to create an electronic system that allows veterans to file complaints and track the status of those complaints in real time. It is important to note that this filing and tracking system already exists for VA, they simply do not provide such information to veterans. With this solution in hand, veterans will have access to updated and timely information regarding their complaints, leading to decreased frustration and a higher quality, transparent experience from VA."
WASHINGTON (AP)  Top executives of ExxonMobil and other oil giants denied spreading disinformation about climate change as they sparred Thursday with congressional Democrats over allegations that the industry concealed evidence about the dangers of global warming.

Testifying at a landmark House hearing, ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods said the company has long acknowledged the reality and risks of climate change, and it has devoted significant resources to addressing those risks.

The oil giants public statements on climate are and have always been truthful, fact-based ... and consistent with mainstream climate science, Woods said.

Democrats immediately challenged the statements by Woods and other oil executives, accusing them of engaging in a decades-long, industry-wide campaign to spread disinformation about the contribution of fossil fuels to global warming.

They are obviously lying like the tobacco executives were,'' said Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., chairwoman of the House Oversight Committee.

She was referring to a 1994 hearing with tobacco executives who famously testified that they didnt believe nicotine was addictive. The reference was one of several to the tobacco hearing as Democrats sought to pin down oil executives on whether they believe in climate change and that burning fossil fuels such as oil contributes to global warming.

Maloney said at the end of the nearly seven-hour hearing that she will issue subpoenas for documents requested by the committee but not furnished by the oil companies.

Republicans accused Democrats of grandstanding over an issue popular with their base as President Joe Bidens climate agenda teeters in Congress.

Kentucky Rep. James Comer, the top Republican on the oversight panel, called the hearing a distraction from the crises that the Biden administrations policies have caused," including gasoline prices that have risen by $1 per gallon since January.

The purpose of this hearing is clear: to deliver partisan theater for primetime news, Comer said.

The hearing comes after months of public efforts by Democrats to obtain documents and other information on the oil industrys role in stopping climate action over multiple decades. The fossil fuel industry has had scientific evidence about the dangers of climate change since at least 1977, yet spread denial and doubt about the harm its products cause undermining science and preventing meaningful action on climate change, Maloney and other Democrats said.

Do you agree that (climate change) is an existential threat? Yes or no?" Maloney asked Shell Oil President Gretchen Watkins.

I agree that this is a defining challenge for our generation, absolutely,'' Watkins replied.

Watkins, Woods and other oil executives said they agreed with Maloney on the existence and threat posed by climate change, but they refused her request to pledge that their companies would not spend money  either directly or indirectly  to oppose efforts to reduce planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions.

We're pledging to advocate for low-carbon policies that do in fact take the company and the world to net-zero carbon emissions, said BP America CEO David Lawler.

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who leads a subcommittee on the environment, said he hopes "Big Oil will not follow the same playbook as Big Tobacco'' in misrepresenting the facts to Congress.

As Im sure you realize, that didnt turn out too well for them,'' Khanna said. These companies must be held accountable.

The committee released a memo Thursday charging that the oil industrys public support for climate reforms has not been matched by meaningful actions, and that the industry has spent billions of dollars to block reforms. Oil companies frequently boast about their efforts to produce clean energy in advertisements and social media posts accompanied by sleek videos or pictures of wind turbines.

Maloney and other Democrats have focused particular ire on Exxon, after a senior lobbyist for the company was caught in a secret video bragging that Exxon had fought climate science through shadow groups and had targeted influential senators in an effort to weaken Bidens climate agenda, including a a bipartisan infrastructure bill and a sweeping climate and social policy bill currently moving through Congress.

In the video, Keith McCoy, a former Washington-based lobbyist for Exxon, dismissed the company's public expressions of support for a proposed carbon tax on fossil fuel emissions as a talking point.

McCoys comments were made public in June by the environmental group Greenpeace UK, which secretly recorded him and another lobbyist in Zoom interviews. McCoy no longer works for the company, Exxon said last month.

Woods, Exxons chairman and chief executive, has condemned McCoys statements and said the company stands by its commitment to work on finding solutions to climate change.

Chevron CEO Michael Wirth also denied misleading the public on climate change. "Any suggestion that Chevron has engaged in an effort to spread disinformation and mislead the public on these complex issues is simply wrong,'' he said.

Maloney and Khanna sharply disputed that. They compared tactics used by the oil industry to those long deployed by the tobacco industry to resist regulation while selling products that kill hundreds of thousands of Americans.

Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., accused the oil industry of greenwashing its climate pollution through misleading ads that focus on renewable energy rather than on its core business, fossil fuels. Shell spends nearly 10 times as much money on oil, gas and chemical production than it does on renewables such as wind and solar power, Porter said, citing the companys annual report.

Shell is trying to fool people into thinking that its addressing the climate crisis when what its actually doing is continuing to put money into fossil fuels, she told Watkins.

While U.S. leaders and the oil industry rightly focus on lowering carbon emissions, the world consumes 100 million barrels of oil per day  an amount not likely to decrease any time soon, said Mike Sommers, president of the American Petroleum Institute, the oil industrys top lobbying group.

The industry group supports climate action, Sommers added, "yet legislative proposals that punitively target American industry will reverse our nations energy leadership, harm our economy and American workers, and weaken our national security.''
KONYA, Turkey (AP)  For centuries, Lake Tuz in central Turkey has hosted huge colonies of flamingos that migrate and breed there when the weather is warm, feeding on algae in the lakes shallow waters.

This summer, however, a heart-wrenching scene replaced the usual splendid sunset images of the birds captured by wildlife photographer Fahri Tunc. Carcasses of flamingo hatchlings and adults scattered across the cracked, dried-up lake bed.

The 1,665 square kilometer (643 square mile) lake  Turkeys second-largest lake and home to several bird species  has entirely receded this year. Experts say Lake Tuz (Salt Lake in Turkish) is a victim of climate change-induced drought, which has hit the region hard, and decades of harmful agricultural policies that exhausted the underground water supply.

There were about 5,000 young flamingos. They all perished because there was no water, said Tunc, who also heads the regional branch of the Turkish environmental group Doga Dernegi. It was an incredibly bad scene. Its not something I can erase from my life. I hope I do not come across such a scene again.

Several other lakes across Turkey have similarly dried up or have receded to alarming levels, affected by low precipitation and unsustainable irrigation practices. Climate experts warn that the entire Mediterranean basin, which includes Turkey, is particularly at risk of severe drought and desertification.

In Lake Van, Turkeys largest lake, located in the country's east, fishing boats no longer could approach a dock last week after the water fell to unusual levels, HaberTurk television reported.

(We have) rising temperatures and decreasing rain, and on the other side, the water needs for irrigation in agriculture, said Levent Kurnaz, a scientist at Bogazici Universitys Center for Climate Change and Policy Studies. Its a bad situation all over Turkey at the moment.

A study based on satellite imagery conducted by Turkey's Ege University shows that water levels at Lake Tuz started to drop beginning in 2000, according to Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency. The lake completely receded this year due to rising temperatures, intensified evaporation and insufficient rain, according to the study.

The study also noted a sharp decline in underground water levels around Lake Tuz, a hypersaline lake that straddles the Turkish provinces of Ankara, Konya and Aksaray.

The Konya basin in central Anatolia, which includes Lake Tuz, was once known as Turkeys breadbasket. Farms in the region have turned to growing profitable but water-intensive crops such as corn, sugar-beet and alfalfa, which have drained groundwater supplies, photographer Tunc said. Farmers have dug thousands of unlicensed wells while streams feeding the lake have dried up or been diverted, he said.

Environmental groups say poor government agricultural policies play a significant role in the deterioration of Turkeys lakes.

If you dont pay them enough money, the farmers, they will plant whatever is water intensive and will make money for them. And if you just tell them its not allowed, then they wont vote for you in the next election, Kurnaz said.

The overuse of groundwater is also making the region more susceptible to the formation of sinkholes. Dozens of such depressions have been discovered around Konyas Karapinar district, including one that Associated Press journalists saw next to a newly harvested alfalfa field.

Tunc, 46, a native of Aksaray, is saddened by the thought that he wont be able to enjoy the flamingos with his 7-month-old son like he did with his 21-year-old son. He remains hopeful, however, that Lake Tuz may replenish itself, if the government stops the water-intensive agriculture.

Kurnaz, the climate scientist, is less optimistic.

They keep telling people that they shouldnt use groundwater for this agriculture and people are not listening. There are about 120,000 unlicensed wells in the region, and everybody is pumping out water as if that water will last forever, Kurnaz said.

But if you are on a flat place, it can rain as much as you want and it wont replenish the groundwater in a short time. It takes maybe thousands of years in central Anatolia to replenish the underground water table, he added.

The drought and flamingo deaths at Lake Tuz were just one of a series of ecological disasters to strike Turkey this summer, believed to be partly due to climate change.

In July, wildfires devastated swaths of forests along Turkeys southern coast, killing eight people and forcing thousands to flee. Parts of the countrys northern Black Sea coast were struck by floods that killed 82 people. Earlier, a layer of sea mucilage, blamed on soaring temperatures and poor waste management, covered the Sea of Marmara, threatening marine life.

Although Turkey was among the first countries to sign the 2015 Paris climate agreement, the country held off ratifying it until this month as it sought to be reclassified as a developing country instead of a developed one to avoid harsher emission reduction targets. Turkish lawmakers issued a declaration rejecting the status of developed country at the same time they ratified the climate agreement.

In the town of Eskil, near the shores of Lake Tuz, farmer Cengiz Erkol, 54, checked the irrigation system on his field growing animal feed.

The waters arent running as strong and abundant as they used to, he said. I have four children. The future doesnt look good. Each year is worse than the previous year.

___

Ayse Wieting and Robert Badendieck in Istanbul contributed.

___

Follow all AP stories on climate change at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-change.
War Memorial Hospital and MidMichigan Health have signed an agreement which would make War Memorial the eighth Medical Center in the MidMichigan Health system. War Memorial and MidMichigan leadership expect the affiliation to be completed in early 2022.

This is a very exciting time for our organization. We are pleased to have reached this portion of the agreement and look forward to completing the final steps to become part of the MidMichigan Health family, stated David Jahn, president and CEO, War Memorial Hospital. MidMichigan is well-respected and shares our commitment to our community, employees, health care providers and volunteers. This partnership will allow us to continue our growth and offer greater services and advanced care for our patients.

In April 2021, the War Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees gave approval to move into a nonbinding letter of intent with MidMichigan following months of evaluating proposals from various health systems. A letter of intent was signed and an extensive due-diligence process was recently completed.

It has been a joy to work with David, the board and the leaders of War Memorial, throughout this journey and to this stage of a definitive agreement. They share the same focus of keeping the patient the center of all that we do, stated Diane Postler-Slattery, president and CEO, MidMichigan Health. We believe coming together will make our organizations stronger. More importantly, the communities we serve will benefit from our collaboration with enhanced services and the delivery of trusted, reliable and high-quality health care.

This agreement continues the positive progress that we have made at War Memorial Hospital. Our affiliation with MidMichigan will provide even more opportunities for our hospital to grow and provide additional services to our community. We are looking towards a bright future ahead, said Jahn.

War Memorial Hospital is a non-profit independent hospital located in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. The 49-bed hospital employs over 900 people and serves the Eastern Upper Peninsula by providing complete medical care including diagnostic services, emergency services, urgent care, orthopedics, rehabilitation, obstetrics, family medicine and many specialty services. War Memorial has a Long Term Care facility attached to the main campus of the hospital and a standalone Behavioral Health Center in nearby Kincheloe, Michigan. War Memorial also many outpatient offices across the Eastern Upper Peninsula including lab, primary care and rehabilitation services.

MidMichigan Health, a non-profit health system headquartered in Midland, serves a 23-county region, with medical centers in Alpena, Clare, Gladwin, Gratiot, Midland, Mt. Pleasant and West Branch. MidMichigan Health provides a full continuum of care across a wide array of settings, including urgent care centers, home health, virtual care, as well as medical offices in more than 30 specialties and subspecialties including cardiology, hematology/oncology, orthopedics, vascular surgery, family medicine and more. It has more than 8,800 employees, volunteers and health care providers who meet the ever-changing needs of the 938,000 residents in the health systems service area. In fiscal year 2020, MidMichigan Health provided more than $91 million in community benefits, as well as supported its patients and families with new equipment, services and programs with funds raised by the MidMichigan Health Foundation.
Following its merger with Peoples United Financial, M&T Bank has pledged $43 billion in loans, investments, grants and other financial ventures across five years to support low- to moderate-income families.

The bank worked with the National Reinvestment Coalition to develop the community benefits agreement. The benefits will focus on the northeastern and mid-Atlantic states in M&Ts footprint in the broad areas of community development, affordable housing, small business lending, and financial support and services, according to a news release sent this week.

When the merger came up, they were pretty willing participants in putting this together, said Jesse Van Tol, president and chief executive officer of the coalition.

M&T announced its acquisition of Bridgeport-based Peoples United in February. M&T said it would eliminate hundreds of positions in the merger.

At its core, M&T is a bank with a deep commitment to serve our communities and make a difference in peoples lives, Rene Jones, M&T Bank chair and chief executive officer, said in a statement about the community development plan. We are also committed to taking action to help address inequities that have existed for years. This plan is another step in our journey to orient ourselves around what our communities need most.

The banks new agreement promises $11.95 billion over five years in community development lending and investing, including the low-income housing tax credit program, new market tax credits and small business investment programs, according to the release.

Under a new small business lending requirement, the bank is gathering data on the race of its lenders, and once that information is available, the company will develop more nuanced plans to increase lending to minority-owned businesses, Van Tol said.

About $15.8 billion will go toward homeownership and affordable housing programs. Some of that will be loans for home improvement projects and investments in multi-family, affordable housing.

In Connecticut, theres a shortage of close to 87,000 housing units available and affordable for extremely low-income renters. Advocates have said its hard to develop affordable multi-family housing in the state because of restrictive zoning laws. Housing is considered affordable if people are spending up to a third of their income on rent.

Noah Gotbaum, chief executive officer and president of Building Neighborhoods Together, said he thinks the community development and housing initiatives will be of particular benefit to Bridgeport and southern Connecticut.

Gotbaums organization develops affordable housing and manages properties for people with low to moderate incomes in Fairfield County and southern Connecticut. He added that M&T and Peoples had already contributed philanthropically to the community in past years.

Theyre just saying, Were going to do even more because we have an even greater responsibility to Bridgeport now that were merging with People, Gotbaum said.

The bank also plans to increase small business lending by $10.5 billion over the five years. The increases will target communities where the median income is less than 80 percent of the metropolitan statistical areas median income and minority communities, according to the news release.

Additionally, the bank has launched a financial education initiative and will designate up to 115 banks as multicultural banking centers staffed by bilingual employees. The bank also created a Spanish version of its website and added Chinese and Korean to its ATMs.

The bank is also working to find ways to improve access to services in rural and urban areas where there is a limited presence of financial institutions, according to the release.

This isnt the first such plan Van Tols group has worked on, he said.

The first plan started in 2016, so the group will evaluate in the next year or so what effect it had on the community, he said.

We know just anecdotally that many of these plans make a real difference, Van Tol added.
Connecticut utility regulators on Wednesday approved a $103.4 million plan to hold Eversource Energy accountable for its handling of power restoration following Tropical Storm Isaias during the summer of 2020.

The plan approved by Connecticuts Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, calls for $65 million in Eversource funds to be immediately returned to customers using credits to the utilitys customers on their December and January bills. The average customer will see a $35 total credit, according to state officials.

The deal was announced earlier this month by Gov. Ned Lamont and Connecticut Attorney General William Tong.

Additionally, Eversource has agreed not to appeal a $28.4 million penalty levied by PURA due to what was determined to be an inadequate response to Isaias. Ratepayers are seeing this as a credit on their bills labeled TS Isaias Performance Penalty.

The remaining $10 million in the settlement will be used to assist customers who are having difficulty paying their utility bills. All customers are eligible to participate in a 24-month payment plan  without fees or interest  to pay down any money they owe of their and to avoid any service disconnection.

Eversource agreed not to apply for a rate increase until at least January 2023 that if it was approved by regulators at that time could not take place until at least January 2024.

At the time the agreement was announced, Lamont and Tong said the settlement provides immediate and significant ratepayer relief while also avoiding a costly and potentially risky legal battle that could have taken years to resolve.

Lamont said PURAs approval of the plan also provides new and necessary accountability for Eversource, in terms of utilitys dealings with local elected officials around the state in the event of future storms.

This settlement was reached after more than a year of a thorough process that involved hearing from ratepayers, elected officials, and the publicly regulated utility, the governor said. The settlement also provides certainty to Eversource customers about the remedies they will receive as a result of Eversources poor performance in response to Tropical Storm Isaias by disposing of legal claims related to the storm penalty decisions. This clears the way for PURA to make real progress on performance-based ratemaking, which I have championed since the aftermath of Tropical Storm Isaias.

Tong said he will work with PURA officials to implement the accountability plan and to ensure every term is honored.

I will continue to aggressively monitor Eversources performance and will hold them accountable whenever and wherever necessary, Tong said in a written statement.

The settlement ensures this significant ratepayer relief now and avoids years of potential legal challenges.

Other terms of the settlement include a requirement that Eversource must create a new Connecticut-based president of Connecticut Light & Power to improve local accountability and control and to add new seats to its governance board for representatives from Connecticut. The utility will also be required to enhance its Connecticut-based training and apprenticeship programs to ensure access to line worker career opportunities and adequate staffing of line workers in around the state.

Mitch Gross, a company spokesman, said Eversource officials learned valuable lessons as a result of Tropical Storm Isaias and have made numerous improvements that have changed how we respond to communities and communicate during storms.

We look forward to moving on and winning over hearts and minds in Connecticut by demonstrating our commitment to both customers and Connecticut leadership, at a time when we must work together to deliver a new clean energy future, Gross said.

During the storm, more than 750,000 power outages were reported statewide. Some customers didnt have power for up to a week as utility crews rushed to repair damaged utility poles and transformers.

luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.com
STAMFORD  Manufacturer and technology-services company ITT says its planning to open its new headquarters in the citys South End by March.

ITT said in a statement that it is actively renovating its new home, which covers about 24,000 square feet at 100 Washington Blvd., which is part of the mixed-use Harbor Point development. The company announced in June that it would move its headquarters there from White Plains, N.Y. It plans to have at least 60 employees based in the new offices.

We are looking forward to beginning ITTs next chapter in Stamford and becoming a part of the community, the companys statement said. As a global manufacturer and developer of highly engineered components and technology, the newly designed space will inspire innovation, collaboration and provide creative solutions to serve our customers.

In June, the state Department of Economic and Community Development said it would provide a grant of up to $1.995 million to support ITTs move to Stamford. The funding is contingent on the company creating and retaining up to 57 full-time jobs.

Our administration has been laser-focused on doing everything we can to get Connecticuts economy growing again, and having a company with a worldwide reputation like ITT deciding to move their global headquarters to our state is nothing but a win, Gov. Ned Lamont said in a statement in June. I appreciate the team at ITT, including CEO Luca Savi, on selecting Connecticut, and I look forward to having a strong working relationship as this company continues to grow here.

ITT employs approximately 9,700 people across 35 countries. The company produced revenues of approximately $692 million in the quarter ending July 3  a 34 percent year-over-year increase driven by growth in its Motion Technologies Friction business.

In June, several other major companies also announced they would open or expand their offices in southwestern Connecticut.

That group includes a future neighbor of ITT, Tomo Networks, a financial-technology firm focused on real estate. Started last year, Tomo is based at 2200 Atlantic St., yards from 100 Washington. The company has said it plans to create up to 100 local jobs by the end of this year.

Another company in that group, financial-technology firm iCapital Network, last month opened offices in the Greenwich Plaza complex in downtown Greenwich. Company officials predict the number of Greenwich-based employees could rise to approximately 300 during the next two years.

Also in June, tobacco giant Philip Morris International announced that it would relocate its headquarters from Manhattan to somewhere in Connecticut and bring about 200 jobs to the state. This week, Lamont and U.S. Rep. Jim Himes said they expected PMI to locate the new headquarters at 677 Washington Blvd., in downtown Stamford. In a statement this week, PMI said it had not finalized the location of its new main offices.

pschott@stamfordadvocate.com; twitter: @paulschott
PORTLAND  There are eight candidates running for the Board of Selectmen in Portland.

Running for the open seats are incumbents Ralph Zampano, Democrat, and Michael Pelton and Michael Hernandez, Republicans. Their challengers are John Dillon, Laurel Steinhauser and April Graves, Democrats, and Shaun Manning and Robert Hetrick Jr., Republicans.

Leading up to the Nov. 2 election, Hearst Connecticut Media requested the Democratic and Republican town committees to ask their candidates to complete a brief survey about their background and why they are running for office.

Here are the responses to the survey received by the deadline:

Shaun Manning

Town/City: Portland

Party affiliation: Republican

Age: 55

Current job/employer: Manning Home Builders Inc.

The top issue you will address if elected: Water and sewer expansion.

Other issues you feel are important: Economic development.

Tell us about your family: Married to wife Teri for 24 years, daughter Stephanie and 2 grandchildren.

Elected offices held or community groups involved with: Portland volunteer fire department 37 years vice chair Brown Fields commission.

Why are you seeking public office?: To help Portland move forward expanding economic development to stabilize tax base.

Robert Hetrick

Town/City: Portland

Party affiliation: Republican

Age: 46

Current job/employer: Correction Officer/Department of Correction.

The top issue you will address if elected: Economic development.

Other issues you feel are important: Replace and expand the water and sewer systems.

Tell us about your family: Married for 19 years, to my wife Heather, one son Tommy who is a freshman PHS.

Elected offices held or community groups involved with: Served for 14 years on inland wetlands, currently on P&Z and long range capital improvements.

Why are you seeking public office?: I would like to see our town broaden our tax base and take the burden off of the homeowners. We have been left behind while surrounding towns have been are welcoming new businesses every year. We are looking at tens of millions of dollars in infrastructure needs and we have had minimal development the last two decades.

John Dillon

Town/City: Portland

Party affiliation: Democrat

Age: 60

Current job/employer: State of Connecticut

The top issue you will address if elected: Water affordability ,

Other issues you feel are important: Economic development, schools, affordable housing.

Tell us about your family: Married to wife Maura for 35 years, three adult children, two grandchildren. Lifelong Portland resident.

Elected offices held or community groups involved with: Portland Board of Assessment Appeals, past member of Portland Inland Wetlands, past VP Portland Fair.

Why are you seeking public office?: Give back to the town (Portland) that has given so much to me and my family, and offer my 30+ years of business experience to the Portland Board of Selectmen.

Ralph Zampano

Town/City: Portland

Party affiliation: Democrat

Age: 59

Current job/employer: IT Project Manager (contract) at Yale.

The top issue you will address if elected: Finding an alternative water source for Portland.

Other issues you feel are important: Riverfront Development, Supporting Education

Tell us about your family: Wife, son and daughter, 27 years in Portland.

Elected offices held or community groups involved with: Deputy first selectman. BOS (2017-). Rt 17 Park Build, Lions Club, Exchange Club Brownstone Quorum.

Why are you seeking public office?: When I was elected to the Board of Selectman in 2017, we were challenged to deal with the residents cost of water. We have worked hard to address skyrocketing MDC costs while balancing the burden on the consumers. Now with only 5 years left on our MDC water contract, it is imperative that we find a solution for our water system that has a reasonable cost to consumers and sustains Portland going forward. It is also a critical component of getting more economic development on the Route 66 corridor. I would like to continue to work with my fellow selectmen to identify this solution as it is going to be one of the most critical decisions made on Portlands future.

Laurel Steinhauser

Town/City: Portland

Party affiliation: Democrat

Age: 38

Current job/employer: Perinatal massage therapist and birth doula, currently a stay at home parent.

The top issue you will address if elected: School facilities infrastructure challenges,

Other issues you feel are important: Water affordability, Riverfront redevelopment,

Tell us about your family: I have been married to my husband, Chris, for 11 years and we have three children, Cora, 9, Gretta, 6, and Hugo, 4, who all attend Portland schools.

Elected offices held or community groups involved with: Elected member of the Board of Education, co-chair of the Portland Library Board of Directors.

Why are you seeking public office?: It has been the greatest honor to serve my community on the Board of Education, particularly through the last year and a half as we have had to face the challenges of a global pandemic and work to keep our students and staff safe. While I love serving on the BOE, I am running for the Board of Selectmen because one of the biggest challenges facing our community moving forward is how to address our school facility needs. Our children deserve a learning environment that is safe, efficient, and up to date, and we need voices on the BOS who will support making those necessary investments in and improvements to our schools. I have been a strong advocate for our schools on the BOE and I am confident I can be the strong advocate for our schools that we need on the BOS.

April Graves

Town/City: Portland

Party affiliation: Democrat

Age: 45

Current job/employer: Health Services Specialist for ACES (Area Cooperative Educational Services).

The top issue you will address if elected: The need for new water and sewer infrastructure.

Other issues you feel are important: Education, infrastructure, economic development.

Tell us about your family: I am married and have three sons.

Elected offices held or community groups involved with: Chairwoman Solidarity Committee, Secretary Brownfields Redevelopment Group, president Little League

Why are you seeking public office?: I want to help Portland continue to move forward with the progress we have made around revamping our water and sewer systems, developing our riverfront, addressing our rising infrastructure needs, and increasing economic development. Many projects are already in place and need to be seen through to fruition, while adhering to the towns Plan of Conservation and Development.
MIDDLETOWN  Eight of the nine candidates for four open Middletown Board of Education seats in November laid out their platforms at a virtual forum sponsored by the Middletown 466 Federation of Teachers Oct. 20.

Democratic candidates are Susan Owens, Emily Jackson, Ian McMahon and Debra Guss. Republican candidates are Bill Perkins, David Booth, Charles Wiltsie and incumbent Jon Pulino.

Cromwell teacher and mother Laura Morello, a Republican who is running as an independent write-in, did not take part in the event.

Each candidate shared their background at the start of the nearly two-hour forum.

Booth is originally from Michigan, served in the military and has traveled around the world. Its allowed me to experience Third World countries  how they handle their education versus how we handle our education here, he said.

Booth holds sociology and criminal justice degrees and a masters degree in public administration. He has four children in the public schools.

Guss is a corporate lawyer with Otis Elevator and has worked for Pratt & Whitney and United Technologies. She has two daughters, both of whom went to city schools where, she said, they received a first-rate education.

I think Middletown schools are very special, said Guss, who added that she values the diversity of the district. I care very much about them, and Im at a point in my life where I feel its important to give back to the Middletown community.

Jackson is director of operations/human resources at Booker T. Washington Academy. She and her wife, a teacher in Middletown, have lived in town for 11 years. They have four children, two of whom attended the middle and high schools and two at Farm Hill Elementary School, she said.

For many years, Jackson worked in the nonprofit field, and, for more than 20 years, was an executive director collaborating closely with schools, she said.

I do have a special look into whats happening in schools through that position, she said, adding shes invested as a community member, parent and professionally. Im compelled to serve, she said, and is intent on transparent communication.

McMahon grew up in Killingworth and moved to the city between five and six years ago, he said. He graduated from Central Connecticut State University and works as a cloud engineer at Travelers.

He also grew up with a learning disability. I understand how challenging it can be going through the system with a lack of support and how beneficial it can be if there is adequate support, he said.

Hed like to see the district at the forefront of todays technology. Its ever-changing, and I want to be able to use my experience to prepare students for what I believe will be the dominant workforce in the next few years, he said.

Owens was born and raised in Middletown, attended the public schools and graduated from Middlesex Community College with a degree in multimedia. She is a retired state employee who is raising her three great-grand-nephews, and has a grown son, she said.

Shes served on the boards of several organizations, including the North End Action Team, and used to own a store. Owens also co-founded a mentoring program at the high school called Girls Inspired for Total Success.

One day, her nephews came home and told her they needed to sign some papers. They didnt know anything about cursive writing, Owens said, which spurred her to run. Shed also like to see more diversity of teachers and more work on the achievement and opportunity gaps.

Perkins is founder and president of the Knight of Valhalla auto club, whose members are partners in the Middletown Community Thanksgiving project. They also hold an annual holiday toy drive, and hand out gifts at Macdonough Elementary School on Christmas Eve.

Perkins also has children in the school system. I think one of the biggest things we need as a parent right now ... is transparency, he said, as well as student and teacher safety.

Mental health is an issue. We could probably add some counselors, said Perkins, who grew up with a learning disability and attended an alternative school. I understand that struggle of getting the proper help. It took my mother and educational advocate a very long time to get me what I needed, but I got it.

Pulino is a lifelong resident and public school teacher, now in his 22nd year. This year has been exhausting, said Pulino, pointing to the pandemic. He previously worked at a special education school in Washington and was a paraprofessional in Mansfield.

When he was approached four years ago to run, he said, I thought it would have been a little easier. The problem is, its good to have people from different walks of life, of course, but I know what happens at the school every day and I see ... my friends and colleges, kids, too, falling apart.

These are things that need to be addressed, Pulino said.

Wiltsie owns a business continuing education company in Middletown, and went to public and private schools, then graduated from Xavier High School. He has five adult children. Id like to get back to a fundamental civil conversation, Wiltsie said. I do believe teachers need to be at the table all the time.

Administrators are transient. Teachers continue to stick around, he said.

Morellos platform is placing students first. She has worked as both a high and elementary school teacher. Years in both placements affords me the knowledge and needs of a pre-K setting, she said in a press release.

Morello is running for my children, their peers, and all of Middletowns magnificent students. The students in our district deserve to have a representative who places students first, I promise to do that.

She also said she supports teachers because its an incredibly important profession.

I am here to advocate for teachers and to give them a voice, she said. Morello and her husband, Michael, and their two children, who attend Beman Middle School, have lived in town for the past 12 years.

Changing worker oversight

Candidates were asked myriad questions from union members. One, which came out of the Charter Revision Commission, was whether non-certified BOE staff, such as secretaries, custodians and cafe workers, should remain under city management.

The matter is a referendum question on the Nov. 2 ballot.

In Middletown, such staff are hired and managed by the city, rather than the Board of Education or superintendent.

I think its reinventing the wheel, said Perkins, who is against both options. Splitting the union, he said, is a bad idea. Once you do that, the teachers that remain in the union are going to have to renegotiate, and it creates further problems and headaches. I say leave it as it is.

Wiltsie agreed. I dont understand why the administration would not want to be a backstop for that union, which is the case now. ... It would be under the BOE, and it creates a different animal. ... I really do see it as kind of a union-busting thing.

Being in the schools

Several weighed in on whether its important to visit, co-teach and shadow a teacher for a day or a few times a year at various levels and subject areas to gain a broader perspective of what the classroom truly is like.

Goss said she was an active parent while her children were in school, and has volunteered in the classroom. I think thats hugely helpful, she said. At the end of the day, teachers are at the front of the line for any kind of educational experience.

Jackson concurred, saying, I think its extremely important to have that first-hand experience and knowledge as to whats happening  in different classrooms.

McMahon offered a different perspective: Realistically, we can make all these curriculum changes, and push all these ideas that will help the students and teachers, but unless we actually see whats happening  or even get a glimpse of whats happening  we cant produce anything productive.

Pulino talked about how he plans to use social media in his role on the board.

He worked in public access television for 21 years, Pulino said, and had a show that became more and more political because of multiple calls and emails into the station, he said.

Things changed a lot when I was elected to the Board of Ed. The phone doesnt stop ringing  youre getting calls  mostly from teachers.

We dont want problems, but, unfortunately, education has become very political, and I would have to use social media to let people know whats going on, Pulino said, And, as an elected official, I would try to solve some of the problems.

If elected, Wiltsie said, he would need to use social media, but believes the platform should be used for uplifting information. The kids would be looking at Board of Education members to be grownups, so youd have to act like one when youre posting, said Wiltsie, adding that he is disinclined to use Twitter.

Supporting BOE staff

Candidates were asked how they would address central office administration when teachers and staff say they dont feel supported.

Owens said she would try to visit a school a couple of times per week, and talk to the teachers to determine the issue. I would most likely take it to the other board members ... and lets decide  not as one person, but a group  what we can do, and how we can make teachers more comfortable, she said.

Perkins stressed the need for paraeducators. I think theyre essential, he said. We could use a few less directors and a few more paras.

Paras take a lot of weight off the teachers with lesson planning and helping the kids learn, he said. I think they do Gods work. I support them 100 percent. Id really like to see the district hire more paras.

To watch the entire forum, and hear every candidates platforms, access the video at youtube.com.

To view Middletowns election day ballot, go to portal.ct.gov. To see a full list of candidate biographies, visit middletownpress.com.
MIDDLETOWN  After the tent outside Oddfellows Playhouse was stolen in late September, members of the community took it upon themselves to pay for a replacement that turned out to be even better than the original  thanks to a paint job from a local artist.

The organization is a youth theater organization founded in 1975 that has produced hundreds of shows in Middletown starring thousands of young people from around the state. In 1994, the performing arts venue moved into its permanent location at 128 Washington St., and has since become a community staple.

Since the theater is a popular resource and institution, Executive Artistic Director Dic Wheeler said that staff were very surprised to find that the tent set up by the front steps of their building had been stolen.

It was a feeling of violation and vulnerability at first, Wheeler said of the thievery, which took place out front on busy Route 66.

The tent had only recently been set up. When the venue reopened after being closed for a period due to COVID-19, staff used the tent to serve as a place for parents to safely wait to pick up their children.

However, almost immediately, the temporary structure disappeared. Within six days, it was gone, Wheeler said.

Staff reported the incident to police, and also posted on a Middletown community Facebook group to see if anyone had any information. Wheeler said there was an overwhelming showing of support from others in the group.

We have never done something on social media that got that type of attention before, Wheeler said. There were a lot of ideas and suggestions from people we didnt even know.

Staff realized an opportunity, and turned it into a fundraiser. Within three hours, over $1,000 was raised for a new tent, he said. It pretty much paid for the old tent and the new one.

A brand new one was purchased shortly after, but that wasnt the end of it. After taking advice from police into consideration, staff decided that, in an effort to deter another theft, they would customize the tent so it would be recognizably theirs  and a deterrent from further theft.

Wheeler contacted a local artist to see if she would be willing to do the job. Karen Xu, a Wesleyan University student and seasonal employee at Oddfellows, told Wheeler she would be happy to help.

I said yeah, I would love to, Xu said.

Wheeler gave minimal instruction for the project, telling Xu to paint Oddfellows Playhouse on the front and to use lots of color. The result is a colorful array of characters enjoying various forms of art.

Wheeler is very pleased with the outcome, because it perfectly encapsulates what the place is all about.

Our brand is fun and funky, he said. I think it helps the creative atmosphere here.

Xu, who is in her senior year, said she took on the project as a chance to paint something that people would see as they walk by, and because of her great relationship with the theater.

I think that Oddfellows is an awesome place with awesome programs, Xu said.

For Wheeler, Xus eagerness to help out was just a final example of the community showing their support.

It just felt so great having people reach out to help, he said. They know this is a community resource.

He said there hasnt been any recent update from the police, other than the investigation is still ongoing, but they have already moved on with this new and improved tent.

So far its outlasted the old one, Wheeler said, adding that it even survived the recent noreaster.

For information, visit oddfellows.org.
MIDDLETOWN  A man who police say has a history of assaulting women has been accused of a beating that may cause a woman to lose her eye sight, according to his arrest affidavit.

Kasime L. Leary, 39, a North Carolina resident with ties to Middletown, was charged with first-degree assault, stemming from an incident on Oct. 16, his arrest affidavit states. Bail was set at $500,000.

Police said a woman was dropped off at Middlesex Hospital around 10:30 p.m. Oct. 16 with significant injuries to her head, face and eyes, the affidavit said.

Lead investigator on the case, Detective Nathan Peck, wrote in the affidavit that he saw the victim with both eyes swollen shut and with an unnatural depression in her left eyelid.

Peck said when he spoke to the victim about her injuries, she told him she was at a house party  believed to be in Middletown  when she went for a walk and was approached by a man who propositioned her for sex, the affidavit said.

The victim told Peck that when she refused to have sex with the man, he began beating her, according to the affidavit. Police said the woman knew the man, who then dropped her off at the hospital, the affidavit said.

Due to the severity of her injuries, police said the woman was transferred to Hartford Hospital for additional treatment.

Peck said he was initially told the victim had suffered a possible fractured orbital bone and could lose her left eye from the attack. However, hospital staff later said she would likely not lose her left eye, but it was unknown whether shed be able to see out of it, the affidavit stated.

Police said Leary, who has an address on Church Street in Ahoskie, N.C., has multiple previous convictions in North Carolina for assaults on women, the affidavit said.

Survivors of domestic violence can reach the statewide 24/7 hotline at 888-774-2900. To reach a Spanish-speaking individual, call 844-831-9200.
TYLER, Texas (AP)  A jury sentenced a former Texas nurse to death Wednesday for killing four patients by injecting air into their arteries after heart surgery.

The Smith County jury deliberated about two hours before condemning William George Davis to death. The 37-year-old Hallsville mans sentence will be automatically appealed.
MIDDLETOWN  A city man who police say has been arrested seven times in the past year has been charged with breaking into a home and assaulting a person who has a protective order against him, according to an arrest affidavit.

Joseph Santamaria, 28, of Middletown, was charged with home invasion, second-degree strangulation, first-degree burglary, six counts of violation of a protective order, first-degree criminal mischief and third-degree assault. Bail was set at $300,000.

The charges stem from what was described by the lead investigator, Officer Brian Murphy, as a domestic incident around 11 a.m. on Oct. 18.

Murphy said the victims  a 28-year-old man and a 45-year-old woman  said Santamaria broke into the home and assaulting the man, the affidavit said.

Shortly before Murphy arrived, the man told police, he was in his bedroom on the second floor when he heard someone in the bathroom, the affidavit said.

The man said he saw Santamaria and told him to leave because he was not welcome in the house, the affidavit said.

Santamaria broke the bathroom vanity cabinet and punched the bathroom door, the affidavit said. The man said Santamaria then attacked him when he said he was calling the police, the affidavit said.

The affidavit said Santamaria put the victim in a chokehold in the hallway. The victim told officers he could barely breathe before the woman helped to pull Santamaria off him, the affidavit said.

The man tried to put Santamaria in a chokehold to calm him down and get him to stop attacking him, but was instead bit on the forearm and forced to let go, the affidavit said.

Santamaria then picked up a knife before running down the stairs and out the back door, the affidavit said.

The woman told police the garage door of the residence was ripped out and broken off its tracks, the affidavit said. The affidavit said she told police that since the front and back sliding doors were locked, they believe Santamaria broke in through the garage.

The total damage done to the bathroom and garage door was estimated to be over $1,500, the affidavit said.

Murphy said he saw minor redness around the mans neck and a red mark on his left cheek. He also saw the bite mark on his forearm, which the affidavit said broke skin and was very red and bruising. The woman said she had minor leg pain from being knocked down by Santamaria while trying to intervene in the attack, the affidavit said.

Both victims declined medical attention.

The man had four active protective orders against Santamaria at the time of the incident and the woman had two, the affidavit said.

The protective orders included several stipulations, including not to assault, threaten, abuse, harass, follow, interfere with or stalk the protected person. The document also ordered Santamaria to stay away from the mans home and not to contact him. Santamaria was also ordered to surrender or transfer any guns in his name.

When police ran a check on Santamaria, they found an extensive criminal history in Connecticut, dating back nearly a decade, the affidavit said.

On Oct. 1, Santamaria was charged with providing an officer with false information, disorderly conduct, two counts of second-degree criminal mischief, violation of a protective order, two counts of first-degree failure to appear, five counts of violation of a protective order, disorderly conduct and interfering with police.

Since 2017, Santamaria has been arrested nine times  including seven since September 2020  on charges that include criminal mischief, violating a protective order, disorderly conduct, criminal trespass and possession of narcotics, according to his affidavit.
DURHAM  On Oct. 11, the Durham Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee honored Ann Cornelius, an Indigenous woman buried in the Old Durham Cemetery.

Ann Cornelius is believed to be a member of the Wangunk Tribe, of which a small number of members lived in this area in the 18th century, EDIC Chairman Bob Donahue said in a press release.

As Euro-Americans moved into the area, many of the Wangunk people were Christianized, he said. According to the Middlesex Historical Society, this is probably what happened to Ann, judging from her name, he added.

She was most likely given a Christian burial in 1776, Donohue said, but was not allowed a final resting place within Durhams actual graveyard. According to the historical society,  . . . segregation existed even among the dead, and most colonial cemeteries relegated non-whites to a separate section at the side or rear of the lot, the chairman added.

The committee was formed in 2021, charged with strengthening Durhams identity as a diverse, equitable and inclusive community, the news release said.

Members work to identify programmatic, community, and legislative practices with regard to race, color, ethnicity, religious creed, age, sex, national origin, ancestry, status as a veteran, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, familial and marital status, pregnancy, or physical and mental disability.

It also organizes and supports events, programs, and opportunities to educate, promote and encourage diversity and inclusion, Donohue said. The program is the beginning of a long-term project to which we hope to add and expand. We hope to explore Durhams multicultural history and follow the example often set by the students of our town through their own curiosity and community endeavors.

These endeavors weave their way into intergenerational conversations at various levels of the community, and, for that, we are so thankful, Donohue said in the statement.

For information, visit townofdurhamct.org/EDI.
GUILFORD  Itemized campaign finance disclosure statements filed with the State Elections Enforcement Commission for Board of Education race donations from July through October show that 43.6 percent of donations to the Republican campaign came from outside of town.

Documents analyzed by Hearst Connecticut Media show that approximately 225 donations were received by the Parents for Guilford Students campaign in that time frame, with 98 donations coming from out of town.

Out of the 98 donations, all but two came from Connecticut, with one donation coming from Siesta Key, Fla., and the other from Hoboken, N.J.

Towns in Connecticut that have contributed most to the Board of Education race are Cheshire, Meriden, Southington, Middletown, Greenwich, Branford and New Canaan.

Bill Bloss, campaign adviser to three independent candidates running on the combined slate, said that during his own six campaigns for Guilfords Board of Education they rarely had more than a handful of out of town donors, usually from family members.

When asked if the Republican campaign would comment on the out of town donors, Campaign Manager Mary Beeman responded by asking for the figures for the other candidates. She asked why it mattered from where the funds came.

Nick Cusano Sr., treasurer for the Parents for Guilford Students Committee, said the campaign has not been keeping track of percentages of donors or where they live.

With the exception of one donation from the Republican Town Committee of Guilford, all donations are from individuals, within the legal parameters of the SEEC, Cusano wrote in an email.

Guilford has been embroiled in the debate on critical race theory.

Critical race theory is a controversial academic framework through which to view systems of racism and oppression in America. Some have said a few Connecticut school districts have been teaching critical race theory. However, school officials have denied those claims and there has been no evidence of it being taught in classrooms.

Officials, both in Guilford and other towns throughout Connecticut such as New Canaan and Greenwich, have said critical race theory is not being taught.

Our donors are individuals from Guilford, other towns in Connecticut, and elsewhere in the country who believe strongly that politics should stay out of the classroom and that our administration and faculty should get back to teaching the basics, Cusano Sr. said in an email.

christine.derosa@hearstmediact.com
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Editors note: This is the first of a series, Connecticut Comeback at a Crossroads,on Connecticuts quest to gain economic momentum.

Remember the one percent? It was the simplest phrase to sum up the most vexing problem ailing the Connecticut and U.S. economies, before the COVID-19 pandemic shifted attention in 2020 to horrific death tolls and the stories of survivors.

As COVID infection rates sink and a pill shows promise as an effective treatment, Connecticuts seemingly incurable wealth gap  most likely made worse by coronavirus  is coming back into focus.

The issue as the states economy struggles to grow isnt the gap itself so much as affordability for people on the lower-income side of the divide. Pandemic relief programs have started to dry up for people scraping by, even as a new influx of affluent people have moved into the state.

That migration, along with chaos jostling sectors such as housing, retail, commercial development and manufacturing, has highlighted three pressing questions for the Connecticut economy that may have reached a tipping point.

What is the path to convincing employers to add good-paying jobs here, whether in traditional workplaces or in home offices?

What will it take to bring back the roughly 100,000 Connecticut residents who were working two years ago but remain on the sidelines now?

And will the added jobs pay enough to trigger broader personal spending to help Main Street retail, restaurant and services businesses bounce back  and pay their own workers enough to live here?

For many of those earners, it is a story of financial survival in a state where the high cost of owning a home or renting leaves little cushion to sock away money for retirement, emergencies and lifes splurges.

That cost crisis, absent a magnet city to attract young professionals, has vexed the state for decades.

Through booms, collapses and the pandemic shutdown, Connecticuts economy has failed to show long-term, sustained growth  leading to a cycle of weak job opportunities and budget shortfalls. Its especially clear in Bridgeport, Hartford, New Haven and other cities with high property taxes, low average incomes and large Black and Hispanic populations who bear the brunt of an economy short on opportunities.

Now, after the pandemic, Connecticut shows signs of a sea change, breaking that cycle of languishing incomes and flat job gains. Its a tenuous tide, however, with the core question  will people who have a choice want to live in Connecticut?

As attractive job opportunities dwindled in Connecticut, many people took jobs in information technology and other fast-growth sectors in New York and elsewhere, UConn economist Fred V. Carstensen points out, while they maintained residency in Connecticut.

Now, many of those folks have lost their jobs and may decide to move out of state to find new jobs, Carstensen said. It points to a very difficult future as our population falls along with our tax revenues  an ugly trajectory absent major policy changes and investments.

Missing: 100,000+ workers

Alexander Soule /Hearst Connecticut Media /

Under the Coronavirus, Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act of 2020, the CARES Act, many Americans collected thousands of dollars in assistance  including an extra $600 in weekly unemployment assistance later pared to $300  while small business owners got hefty cash payments.

For some who lost jobs and businesses, it was a crucial boost. For others who saw no lost income, it amounted to a welcome cash bonus from Uncle Sam.

Now all eyes turn to Connecticuts private sector to pick up the momentum. The key questions there are which sectors will emerge as engines of growth, which the state desperately needs in order to keep alive the cycle of people wanting to live here, which leads to more job growth.

The state boasts some advantages even beyond the influx of people (mostly from New York), and of course, some steep challenges.

As of September, Connecticut employers had about 1,609,000 people on their payrolls as estimated by the Connecticut Department of Labor, based on surveys. That was 87,000 jobs short of the number two years before on the doorstep of the pandemic. The rate of unemployment has fallen but remains 2 percentage points above the national rate.

Because many people have stopped looking for work, Connecticut in September had about 164,000 fewer residents with jobs, compared with two years ago, according to the monthly survey of households. State officials suspect some of that gap is due to a quirk in the data  surveys are not a hard science.

But theres no question the number of people living here and not working is way up in the pandemic  an increase at least in the neighborhood of 100,000.

Business is at home now

Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media

David Lehman, commissioner of the state Department of Economic and Community Development, maintains that while Connecticut trails much of the nation in recovering jobs lost during the pandemic, it has fared comparatively well among other states in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.

But Connecticut did not keep pace with New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Island for economic growth in the second quarter of this year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Gross domestic product increased at a 5.9 percent annual rate from the prior three months, ranking Connecticut 29th nationally for growth.

And as of August, Connecticut ranked fourth from last nationally on a Federal Reserve coincidental index that assesses economic growth since 2007 as dictated by jobs, personal income and a few other factors. Only Alaska, West Virginia and Louisiana scored lower on the Fed index.

New Jersey, like Connecticut a land of small cities with large numbers of commuters and businesses with ties to Manhattan, ranked 11 slots higher on the index over that span, while Massachusetts  with a magnet city and a booming biosciences sector  ranked 13th overall to lead all Northeast states.

I think getting to full employment and where we need to be  that is going to be more challenging, and thats going to be based on other factors beyond the pandemic, Lehman said in a recent discussion with members of the General Assembly.

Jessica Hill / Associated Press

Gov. Ned Lamont is attempting to reinvigorate Connecticuts historic appeal with a renewed commitment to workplace and societal equity  while chipping away at a mountain of state debt and future obligations to give employers the confidence the state can hold taxes in check. Republicans say the state needs to do more to hold down costs, even if that means doing without some government programs designed to bolster the economy.

Speaking in early October at a press conference for East Hartford homes to get access to fiber optic broadband, Lamont cited Connecticuts new opportunities in the current work-from-home era.

You got to understand, business is at home now  business is folks who are telecommuting, Lamont said. But it only works if nobody is left behind.

Raising children  and companies

Dan Haar /Hearst Connecticut Media /

Why are those missing tens of thousands of workers staying on the sidelines? Among many reasons, child care  made worse in the pandemic  and the lack of a strong start-up economy creating high-paying hometown jobs.

Jumping right back into the work force right now might be concerning  especially if we are talking about single parents, said Dante Bartolomeo, commissioner of the state Department of Labor.

I have a friend whos got a 10-year-old, Bartolomeo added. If she had an opportunity to not be working right now she wouldnt, because she never knows when her child is going to be quarantined and sent home for a couple weeks. During the pandemic she was allowed to remote-work  now shes not.

Rachel Toussaint, a makeup artist in Danbury who does work for weddings, photo shoots, commercials and as a personal consultant, described the trade-offs for working parents in a recent interview with Connecticut Voices for Children, as part of the advocacy groups State of Working Connecticut report.

Its always, Oh my gosh, how am I going to make this happen? Toussaint told Connecticut Voices for Children. Do I say yes to the job, and then figure it out later? Or do I have to say, Hold please, let me see if I can get child care  and then maybe lose the job? Its a lot of emotional, mental work.

Pandemic stimulus dollars well into the hundreds of millions will fund child care in Connecticut over the next couple of years. It remains to be seen whether state and federal programs will pick up that slack, as debates continue in Hartford and Washington, D.C.

Matt McCooe runs the Connecticut Innovations venture fund, the states quasi-public startup investment arm. His goal: grooming a new generation of entrepreneurs who are determined to add jobs where they live. As one example, he cites the data-backup firm Datto in Norwalk, whose founder Austin McChord grew up in Newtown.

More than ever today, McCooe says, Connecticut Innovations is getting pitches from women with great ideas that could become the foundations for companies.

Whereas they were underrepresented before, I think we finally are indexing closer to 50-50 which is great, McCooe said. Hopefully this is part of a new wave of great companies in Connecticut.

900,000 households under $50K

Alexander Soule

As of mid-October, there were more full-time job openings in Connecticut than people drawing unemployment compensation  on the raw numbers alone, a job for everyone.

But many of those jobs offer only subsistence-level pay, despite the best employment market since the early 2000s nationally as businesses scramble to fill positions with people who can do the work.

Large numbers of employers are dangling one-time cash bonuses as hiring perks, which is enticing but sometimes comes instead of higher base pay that can help workers maintain a better standard of living in the long term.

Of more than 44,000 full-time openings listed in Connecticut last week on Indeed, just 7,500 offered more than $75,000 a year. That contrasts with about 31,000 offering less than $50,000 in annual pay.

Connecticuts minimum wage for most jobs rose to $13 an hour in August, with a legislative mandate of $15 an hour by June 2023  in alignment with many blue states as southern states and many others remain mired at the federal level of $7.25.

Connecticut is still the envy of most states nationally by one measure: an estimated median household income of $81,848 as of the second quarter of 2021 according to the Federal Reserve. Thats a 2.1 percent increase from a year earlier.

But that median, where half of households earn more and half earn less, doesnt buy a good lifestyle for Connecticut families. An online living wage calculator maintained by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology calculates that a Connecticut family of four requires two working adults each making about $22.50 an hour to make ends meet.

That works out to about $47,000 a year for each if they get pad vacations  or $94,000 in yearly income.

On the year-end W2 forms for many workers, however, earnings fall well short of that median. For the 2018 tax year, the Internal Revenue Service counted about 908,000 tax returns from workers and households whose adjusted gross income checked in at under $50,000.

While many of those households combine earnings from two adults  or dodge reporting money they earn in the underground economy  the IRS numbers nevertheless suggest a deep struggle.

It leaves little wiggle room for people looking for houses and apartments. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development calculates fair rent  homes or apartments at the 40th percentile of any regions housing stock  at about $1,800 a month for a three-bedroom unit in the Bridgeport-New Haven corridor. Stamfords fair rent figure tops $2,400 for that size pad.

Opportunity is there now

Alexander Soule/Hearst Connecticut Media

After federal dollars, Connecticuts biggest gain in the pandemic was the influx of people relocating from New York City where the cost of living is even higher, as employers switched over to remote work and people reassessed the importance of extra space contributing to quality of life, whether indoors or out.

Lehman, the DECD commissioner, described the hybrid-remote working era as one of the biggest opportunities before Connecticut today.

If someone worked in Midtown Manhattan previously, they never felt like they could move to a Fairfield or a Trumbull, Lehman said. That Trumbull opportunity is there now, and were seeing it in the numbers. We saw it in 2020 and we are seeing it continue in 2021.

But that economic benefit arrived with an accompanying challenge  a squeeze on many who were on the cusp of buying prior to the pandemic, only to see prices race up out of their reach.

Between 2005 and 2021, Connecticut had the sharpest decline in home ownership rates, dropping 8.4 percentage points to 66.1 percent according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates. Among eastern states, that trailed only Virginias 8.7 percentage point decline.

Home sales were up another 11 percent in the first nine months of this year compared with the same period in 2020, as 40,700 properties were sold to new owners according to a preliminary count this week by Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New England Properties. Now thre are signs that house sales boom might be slowing.

The market is in a slightly lower gear today from the frenetic pandemic patterns between the spring of 2020 and 2021, in the words of Joan Carty, CEO of the Housing Development Fund based in Stamford. Thats a welcome development for first-time buyers.

Weve actually seen a pickup in the number of people who are able to close on transactions and purchase homes, Carty said. Any properties that are on the market now are on for a little longer than they had been  theyre not just being snapped up willy-nilly by cash-only buyers.

The New York state of mind

Brian A. Pounds / Hearst Connecticut Media

Some believe that jobs will return eventually back to New York City and other urban centers, despite the possibility that new variants of COVID-19 could make vaccines and treatments an ongoing challenge in containing the virus. Others think that satellite offices in the suburbs will become the norm, giving workers greater flexibility in choosing where to live.

New Yorks ripple effect on the Connecticut economy has been profound, dating back to the 1849 completion of a rail link between New Haven and Manhattan, through the 1980s as financiers and consultants came pelting out of the city to the Greenwich-Westport corridor. That included the hedge funds that minted many of the multi-millionaires and billionaires making up the one percent in Connecticut.

New York has long been a source of people moving to Connecticut. Even as the state lost an average of 20,000 residents per year to other states in the five years ending in 2018, about 6,500 people a year moved from the Empire State to Connecticut.

But Connecticut learned the hard way as well that those ultra-high earners can live anywhere, with New York City and Florida having lured many away for permanent residency.

Defense manufacturing remains a bulwark, with the trio of giant contractors Pratt & Whitney, Sikorsky and Electric Boat. The submarine ramp-up has made EB a growth engine, a clear bright spot in the southeastern part of the state. Notably, all three of those defense and aerospace contractors report to corporate headquarters in other states.

And while the state has major academic research centers in Yale and the University of Connecticut, it has yet to see a surge of startups emerge from those think tanks as in Boston, the Silicon Valley in California or Austin, Texas.

In life sciences, for example, Yale researchers have created companies in recent years such as Alexion Pharmaceuticals and Arvinas, which have in some cases achieved huge valuations as they develop potential treatments for cancer and rare diseases. And thousands of people still work at Pfizer in Groton  but the state has never had more than a small handful of large employers in the sector.

I do think investments in innovation and the knowledge economy....is going to drive population growth and ultimately economic growth, Lehman said in an October interview with Hearst Connecticut. Thats going to enable the jobs we need to have that living wage here in Connecticut for much of our population.

Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulman
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey was the face of the city through some of its darkest days  the death of George Floyd under an officer's knee last year and rioting that marred the ensuing protests, including the burning of a police precinct after Frey ordered officers to abandon it.

Frey, a Democrat, is now in a tough fight to keep his job as the city tries to rebuild since Floyd's death in May 2020 sparked the most widespread unrest in the U.S. since the Rodney King riots. Tuesday's election will likely turn on how voters view Frey's efforts to find a middle road in a city sharply divided by questions on racism, policing and crime.

Frey has positioned himself as a defender of keeping the police department  and against the most liberal and vocal progressives seeking a symbolic victory in Floyd's city.

Theres not a mayor in the country that is content with the pace of change, and count me in on that vote, Frey, 40, said in an interview. But we have passed a litany of reforms and changes, more than any mayor in the history of this city.

During the worst of the unrest following the death of Floyd, a Black man, under white Officer Derek Chauvin's knee, conservatives accused Frey of failing to stem the riots or crack down on soaring crime and gun violence.

But he has also been pilloried by many on the left for not doing enough to overhaul Minneapolis police. Most of his serious challengers in a 17-candidate field are more liberal than Frey in a city that last elected a Republican mayor 64 years ago. Some have made a mantra of the slogan Don't Rank Frey  a plea for voters to leave him off their ballot in the city's ranked-choice voting system, thus increasing the chances someone else will win.

Frey's fate may well be tied to a ballot question that asks voters whether they want to replace the police department with a new Department of Public Safety. The ballot question would drop a requirement that the city have a police department and a minimum number of officers. Opponents have said that could mean too few officers; supporters have dismissed that as fear-mongering.

The mayor opposes the ballot question. He notes it doesn't include a clear plan for whatever would replace it, and that it would shift sole oversight of police from the mayor's office to a system that gives the 13-member City Council more input.

Two top challengers, Sheila Nezhad and Kate Knuth, both support replacing the current department. Nezhad was a leader of the campaign behind the ballot question. Knuth is a former state representative and environmental justice activist.

Progressive groups have united around the two women and the Don't Rank Frey strategy, including U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, who represents the Minneapolis area in Congress. In an appearance with both candidates in mid-October, Omar blasted four years of failed leadership in the city, and Nezhad and Knuth sounded similar notes.

Our path forward does not require us to choose among safety, justice and police accountability, Knuth said.

Frey, a lawyer by training and a Virginia transplant, first won a City Council seat in 2013. He ascended to the mayor's office in 2017 by ousting incumbent Betsy Hodges in a race also roiled by police accountability issues, including the 2015 shooting of Jamar Clark, a Black man, in a struggle with white officers and the 2017 shooting of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, a white woman, by a Black officer.

The divisions in the campaign in the wake of Floyd's death don't break down cleanly along racial lines. Frey said his strongest support comes from the Black and Somali communities, which have been hit hard by crime and where support for defunding police is not universal. He said there's a massive disjoint between what he's hearing from those communities compared to what white progressive activists are saying.

Frey said he has made substantial progress in overhauling policing. As examples, the mayor said police compliance with rules on using body cameras was just 55% when he took office. Penalties that he and Medaria Arradondo, the city's first Black police chief, imposed after Floyd's death brought it to 95%. The department banned warrior-style" training. They overhauled use-of-force rules including a ban on choke holds. They banned pretext stops for low-level offenses such as air fresheners hanging from mirrors and expired license plate tabs.

Frey said Minnesota law requires changes to do more to hold bad cops accountable. He said the department has terminated or disciplined more officers in 2020 and 2021 than the previous four years combined: final disciplinary decisions in 73 cases last year and this year, compared to 63 between 2015 and 2019. But Frey said it's hard to make those decisions stick.

Right now when Chief Arradondo or I fire or discipline an officer, 55% of the time that decision is overturned by mandatory arbitration, which is required under state law," he said. "Fifty percent of the time theyre returned and they go back to violate trust with the community.

Frey said he wants to continue working on public safety and police accountability in a second term, and on a strong and inclusive recovery from both the pandemic and last year's destruction. He'd also like to revisit affordable housing, an issue where he had some early successes.

For all these issues, public safety, police accountability, affordable housing, economic inclusion and recovery, there are no magic wand fixes," he said. "There are no hashtags that lead to utopia. You gotta do the work."

Steve Cramer, president and CEO of the Minneapolis Downtown Council and a former City Council member, said Frey has staked out a strong position of wanting to work with Arradondo to reform the police department as it is.

I think that stance is popular with a big chunk of voters in the city, including many in the African American community, but theres also a cohort of young people who dont see it that way, Cramer said.
The recent FBI Uniform Crime Report statistics for 2020 have clarified what is  and what is not  happening in Connecticut and across the nation regarding a wide variety of crime, from murder and arson to motor vehicle theft and larceny.

These unbiased, purely factual statistics compiled by Connecticuts own local police departments serving 97 percent of our population should provide needed perspective to those Connecticut residents who have allowed themselves to be whipped into a crime wave frenzy by Republicans intent on bending the facts to suit their political objectives.

So, lets discuss the facts. First, heres the link to the FBI report, so you can see the statistics for yourself: https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis/ucr

Connecticut was the fourth-safest state in America in 2020, according to the FBI. Connecticuts violent crime rate  murder, manslaughter, rape, robbery and aggravated assault  was just 181.6 instances per 100,000 residents. Thats the fourth lowest in America, after Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. The national average was 398.5, and Republican states like Texas, Arizona and Tennessee had violent crime rates in the 400s and 600s  two to three times higher than Connecticut.

The instances of violent crime in Connecticut last year were at their lowest or second-lowest levels of the past 36 years  the furthest back these FBI statistics go. Our violent crime rate has dropped 34 percent since Democratic governors took office in 2011 and various Democratic judicial reforms and budget investments have been made. These investments are paying off. Connecticut residents should not  as one Republican mayor recently complained  be afraid to step outside their homes to go to the ATM or nail salon for fear of being shot.

And yet Connecticut does have crime, primarily in urban areas, and while it is lower than the national average and much lower than our own historical average, it still has tragic consequences.

The first is homicide. Connecticuts homicide rate last year was 3.9 instances for every 100,000 residents  40 percent lower than the national average, but still higher than 2019. Homicides have been trending up across America for a few years now, mostly in large cities, and Connecticut is part of that national trend. Police departments and community activists are trying to get a handle on the cause of this spike, which some believe is related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting loss of jobs and community involvement, leading to increased isolation and despair, as well as to slowdowns in the criminal justice system and other factors.

The second is motor vehicle thefts. Again, we are below the national average, but Connecticut  like America in general  saw a spike in motor vehicle thefts from our historic low in 2019 to 2020. Motor vehicle thefts in Connecticut peaked in 1991, when a car was stolen every 20 minutes, then peaked again in 1995 and 2000 before falling to their lowest levels in at least 36 years in 2019. Now theyre up again.

So, what can be done?

First, we should do what police officers all across America have been asking people to do for several years: Lock our cars and take our key fobs inside our homes. Police departments all across Connecticut complain that guns, credit cards, cash, jewelry, laptop computers  and cars  are being stolen simply because cars are left unlocked with the keys inside. Lets all practice what police call the 9 p.m. routine and lock our cars and take the keys inside.

Meanwhile, Hartford police have announced a new initiative to use drones to track four-wheelers, dirt bikes and stolen cars, and to assist with other situations. Police departments in Fairfield County have formed a regional task force to prevent and investigate car thefts, patrolling specific areas with extra officers on any given night. New Haven is renewing its commitment to Project Longevity, which identifies young people who may be involved in criminal activity and intervenes to provide them with positive options to deter them and rehabilitate them. And Connecticuts judicial branch is working with local police departments to ensure that police have real-time access to the records of any juvenile they arrest.

Where the facts take us, we will find solutions, or at least mitigations, to car theft and other crimes. In the meantime, the public should rest assured that Connecticut is one of the safest states in America when it comes to violent crime. The facts  compiled by our own local police departments  dont lie.

Martin M. Looney is president pro tempore of the state Senate and Bob Duff is the Senate Majority Leader.
While the Army recovers from decades of fighting guerrilla forces in the Middle East, leaders are setting their eyes on the wars of tomorrow. And despite rapid advances in cyberweapons, drones and artificial intelligence, they're stressing the next war will still feature bloody, close quarters combat

"All this technology is awesome, but it's going to come down to city fighting chucking grenades, and being able to do that over and over," Lt. Gen. Ted Martin told Military.com in an interview Thursday.

The U.S. has spent its last several campaigns mostly fighting enemies without much in the way of advanced technology. That wouldn't be true in a conflict with Russia or China, the two potential adversaries military planners continue to focus on in their preparations.

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Martin, who commands the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center at Fort Leavenworth, said the next war won't just be "about pushing buttons," and that U.S. forces on the ground are going to have to quickly close in and destroy enemy forces who will come to battle equipped with artillery and aircraft.

Speed and mobility will be critical to evading enemy munitions, and getting close to an enemy quickly makes it harder for them to drop bombs due to the risk of hitting their own troops, or other collateral damage. Long gone will be the days of Afghanistan warfare, which often had troops in shoddy forward operating bases standing their ground against Taliban fighters with radios and basic rifles shooting down from ridgelines.

"We aren't going to be doing the type of fighting we were doing in 2003, when we had air superiority and dominated, and cyber wasn't as big of a player," Martin said. "What we are looking at is what weapons [adversaries] are investing in, what their doctrine says ... our competitors' ability to operate freely ... use satellites ... gives them surveillance on us and potentially subjects [American troops] to precision fires from long range. We need to rapidly close in and destroy."

After the peak of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars in the 2000s, the Pentagon has pursued a vast effort to modernize the force. A major culminating point of that effort was the establishment of the Space Force, given expectations the next major conflict will largely involve electronic warfare that could include attacks on electronic grids, financial institutions, elections and communications.

The Pentagon's so-called Third Offset Strategy, a plan to move military technology ahead by a generational leap, meant that the services focused on investing in emerging technologies. That meant establishing new offices focused on innovation and developing abilities in AI, hypersonic missiles and cyberwarfare.

A report to lawmakers from the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service last week highlighted that the U.S. is still more technologically advanced than China and Russia, but urged that competitive advantage could quickly shrink.

"Although the United States is the leader in developing many of these technologies, China and Russia -- key strategic competitors -- are making steady progress in developing advanced military technologies," the report said. "As they are integrated into foreign and domestic military forces and deployed, these technologies could hold significant implications for congressional considerations and the future of international security writ large."

This summer, China tested a hypersonic missile that has set off alarms among national security planners about a potentially waning U.S. military advantage. Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Bloomberg on Wednesday the missile tests took the Pentagon by surprise, calling it "very close" to a "Sputnik moment," which spurred the space race during the Cold War.

But there's a dichotomy the Army is trying to balance. While new technology will likely be a key factor in the next war, Army leaders are urging that traditional ground combat will still be a major player.

"I hear the same conversations that the future of warfare will be some dude sitting down in his basement at his mom's house cyber hacking everyone, drinking a Monster [energy drink], and I push back on that hard," Brig.Gen. John Kline said during an Army webinar Thursday.

Part of preparing for chaotic ground warfare was the Army's move to extend basic training for some of the key combat jobs. Last year, training for tankers and cavalry scouts were extended to 22 weeks, from 15 and 17 weeks, respectively. That move, Martin said, will hopefully have better prepared privates, mostly with more trigger time behind weapons, showing up to their units that may be deploying overseas soon, or are already on the battlefield and unable to bring new soldiers up to speed.

The Army has also completely revamped how it tests physical fitness, with the Army Combat Fitness Test, a more comprehensive test with measurements of strength of speed. However, data obtained by Military.com in May showed that women are struggling to pass the test, which is set to become official next year.

The service is also eyeing methods to make it less burdensome for units to test for expert infantry, soldier and medic badges without making the tests themselves any less difficult. A side effect of more opportunities to earn those badges, leaders say, is more training on the fundamentals of combat skills.

-- Steve Beynon can be reached at Steve.Beynon@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevenBeynon.

Related: Our Next War in Afghanistan Is Already Looming. And It May Be Even Harder.
WASHINGTON -- Military chaplains say they are navigating a nuanced process of determining which service members get religious exemptions to avoid the mandated coronavirus vaccine as attorneys representing some troops contend their methods have led to unfair treatment in some cases.

Now as deadlines loom for all service members to get the vaccine, troops who are denied exemptions will be forced to choose between taking the shots or leaving the service. But measuring a person's religious sincerity can be tricky, leaving some troops waiting anxiously for a decision, some chaplains and attorneys said.

While the religious-exemption processes are established in service doctrines, military chaplains said their role in the process is complicated. Chaplains must determine whether service members are truthful in their religious objections to the vaccine or simply using faith to avoid a shot they don't want to take. It's a case-by-case process that requires the chaplains to make recommendations to the chain of command.

"For those who are against the vaccine for religious reasons, the chaplains really determine the severity of their religious conviction," said Navy Capt. Richard Ryan, the chaplain overseeing the service's Pacific fleet. "The policy says it'll be on a case-by-case basis and it is based on the sincerity of the religious conviction."

But some attorneys claim the case-by-case nature of the process leads to uneven treatment that derides military effectiveness by making social pariahs out of vaccine refusers.

"They can do this ad hoc treatment where some individuals are getting assistance from the command and others are being basically bullied and harassed," said Houston attorney Sean Timmons, a former Army prosecutor who is representing some troops in this matter. "That's creating a lot of readiness issues because the unit's supposed to be a cohesive team to deploy together to fight a mission."

The mandate, which Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin issued in August, requires all service members who refuse the shot without an approved medical, religious or other administrative exemption to be separated from the military for failing to obey a lawful order, according to the Pentagon.

There are several steps before separation, which include a series of consultations with commanders and medical professionals meant to address any misinformation about the vaccine, which the Food and Drug Administration approved for emergency use nearly a year ago. The FDA in August gave full approval to the Pfizer vaccine, which prompted Austin to issue the military mandate.

Austin called the vaccine "necessary to protect the force and defend the American people" in his Aug. 24 memo announcing the mandate.

"Mandatory vaccinations are familiar to all of our service members, and mission-critical inoculation is almost as old as the U.S. military itself," he said.

The coronavirus has killed 71 service members, about half of whom died after the vaccine became available, according to the latest Defense Department data. Most were unvaccinated, though some vaccination statuses were not reported.

Despite some troops seeking exemptions, the services have reported high vaccination rates.

About 97% of active-duty troops have received at least one dose of the vaccine, though a fraction have submitted exemption requests for religious, medical or other administrative reasons. The rates for active-duty troops broken down by service are about 92% of the Marine Corps, 93% of the Army, 99% of the Navy and 98% of the Air Force and Space Force who are at least partially vaccinated, according to the services' latest data.

"I think you can see from the numbers ... there's not a lot of resistance," Kirby told reporters Wednesday at the Pentagon. "People understand that this is an important program, and they're participating in it."

Troops in the Air Force and Space Force must be fully vaccinated by Nov. 2, those in the Marine Corps and Navy by Nov. 28 and soldiers in the Army by Dec. 15, each service branch has announced separately.

Service leaders have declined to say how many exemption requests have been filed, though the Army, Navy and Marine Corps said no permanent religious exemptions so far had been approved. The Air Force, which also oversees the Space Force's vaccine data, did not say whether any religious exemption requests by guardians or airmen have been approved.

While Austin has said vaccinating troops against the coronavirus is a matter of military readiness, chief Pentagon spokesman John Kirby on Monday said it is also important to allow troops an opportunity to request accommodations if the vaccine goes against their religious convictions.

"We want to respect people's religious beliefs in the military, and one of the freedoms that we fight for here in the military is religious freedom," he said. "So in keeping with our values as an institution, [we] allow people who are concerned from a religious perspective to be able to state that perspective and to have that worked out."

Complicated Process

The military has an established protocol for handling exemption requests. While each branch has service-specific guidelines, the processes are largely the same: File an exemption request with the commanding officer, undergo a series of interviews with commanders, chaplains and doctors, then wait for a decision from the Pentagon to approve or deny the request.

Timmons said his office has helped secure a handful of exemption recommendations from commands at Fort Hood, Texas, and Fort Bragg, N.C. Those recommendations now are awaiting final approval by the Army secretary.

His colleagues have also helped some troops in the Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force, but Timmons could not say how many. None had received secretary-level approval yet.

"Each branch has to go to the office of the secretary of the service for final approval, so a lot of applications are sitting waiting [to be] finally approved by the secretary," Timmons said.

But the judgment included in that process is anything but clear cut, he added.

"They're trying to 'determine if individuals have a sincere religious conviction that's causing them to be opposed morally to vaccination,' but how do you judge somebody's religious sincerity?" he asked. "That's really subjective. There's not really an objective way to do that."

To answer that question, the military turns to its chaplains, who have been tasked with interviewing exemption requestees to help commanders and other decisionmakers understand whether a claim is true.

"Sincerely held religious beliefs are hard to judge by someone else, so you kind of have to go by that person's conviction," Ryan said.

Religious freedom is protected by the First Amendment, and the services traditionally have allowed some accommodations to honor religious beliefs, such as allowing female Muslim troops to wear hijabs in uniform.

With the coronavirus vaccine, some Christians, for example, have objected to accepting shots tested on laboratory-grown cells that descended from fetal cells aborted decades earlier, according to Eve Schatelowitz, an attorney based in Round Rock, Texas. The vaccines themselves contain no aborted fetal cells, according to the FDA.

That issue complicates the sincerity determination for chaplains when the same service members objecting to the coronavirus vaccine for fetal-cell reasons did not object to other military-mandated vaccines that used the same process, such as the chickenpox and hepatitis A vaccines.

"Can you say, 'I have a sincerely held religious belief against the [coronavirus] vaccine, but I'm OK taking every other vaccine'?" Ryan asked. "I don't know, can you do that? It's a case-by-case basis."

Fairness Concerns

Timmons said the case-by-case process can cause fairness issues. Among his clients, he said he's seen a pattern of those who are well liked by their command having an easier time securing the exemptions than those who are not.

"The reality is they're helping those who they think are top performers, and everybody else, they're browbeating them and putting them under duress, and if they don't comply ... they're moving to separate [them]," he said.

Timmons, who is vaccinated, said he's seen his "clients inflicted with significant harassment -- being admonished, being mocked, being bullied, being ostracized" by their chain of command for refusing to get the shot.

For example, he said some troops were told to "sit in the corner" after declining the shot at command-ordered mass vaccination events, which is "a way to mock those individuals who aren't complying with directives to get vaccinated."

"They look like kids in a classroom back in the '80s when it used to be that the ones who talk too much were put in the corner of the room to prevent them from talking," Timmons said.

Kirby on Wednesday told reporters that he was unaware of reports of unfair treatment regarding vaccine exemptions, adding Austin expects "leaders throughout the department are going to handle the mandatory vaccination program with compassion and with understanding."

"There's an exemption policy that's been in place well before the [coronavirus] vaccine. It's not new," Kirby said. "And [Austin's] expectation is that if members of the military want to apply for one that they should be able to, and they should be able to make their case."

Determining Sincerity

While there's no standardized Defense Department script that chaplains must use to determine religious convictions, some commands have developed key questions to ask.

For example, a religious accommodation interview questionnaire used by the Army Chaplain Corps asks questions such as "How does your religion influence and shape your lifestyle?" and "How is your religious practice burdened by military regulation?"

Schatelowitz, who is helping her Greek Orthodox son through the Army's exemption process, advises troops seeking exemptions to know and study their religious beliefs before starting the request process.

"In order to show sincerity, you're going to have to know what you're talking about," she said.

Schatelowitz said those seeking waivers should at least know the basic tenants of the religion and why receiving the vaccine violates one's religious convictions.

"If you just walk in and go, 'Hey, you know, this is against my religion,' they're not going to believe you," she said. "You basically have to convince them and the only way you can convince people of anything is if you know your position inside and out."

'Belief of the Individual'

Religious beliefs don't necessarily have to align with what an established church or religion teaches about the vaccine, Ryan said.

For example, Pope Francis has said taking the vaccine is "an act of love" and consistent with the Catholic faith, but that doesn't nullify a Catholic service member's claim that it goes against his or her beliefs to receive the vaccine.

"It's not just about what the denomination thinks -- it's the belief of the individual," Ryan said. "You can be Catholic and disagree with the Catholic Church on that and it's still a sincerely held religious belief."

Believers also do not have to be affiliated with an established, mainstream religion or denomination to qualify for exemption. For example, Ryan said if an individual claimed the Holy Spirit told them not to receive a vaccine, that belief could also be enough to grant a religious exemption if a chaplain is convinced of the service member's sincerity.

"It's still a sincerely held belief [and] it qualifies to be processed under that religious accommodation waiver," he said. "Now I'm not saying that guarantees the waiver."

Within days until the first vaccine deadline, Schatelowitz said interested troops need to file religious exemption requests as soon as possible. Contacting an attorney is not required, but it can help, she said.

"I don't think it's a situation where people should just say, 'Well, I'm never going to get it so I shouldn't try,'" Schatelowitz said. "I think a person should try, but they have got to be very sincere."
The office of the second-highest ranking military officer in the U.S. -- Gen. John Hyten, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs -- is set to be vacant within weeks because the Biden administration hasn't named a replacement.

The coming gap between vice chiefs on Nov. 21, when Hyten retires, is what the Pentagon described this week as "not optimal." Hyten helps lead the Joint Chiefs, the top military planners and advisers, and is also responsible for overarching strategies that unify the military services.

It is a "big job with immense responsibilities," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.

By law, nobody can temporarily fill the vice chief position in an acting capacity, unlike so many civilian leadership jobs, and the Pentagon can't farm out all of those job responsibilities to others while it waits for a replacement, according to Kirby.

Instead, Congress must confirm a new vice chief with a hearing and a vote. But President Joe Biden has been slow to name a nominee even amid new and growing geo-political threats such as China's recent test of a hypersonic missile, which Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley called a near Sputnik moment in a Bloomberg interview.

"I hoped to actually have a conversation with my successor but he has not been nominated yet, so I may be writing that letter," Hyten said Thursday during a meeting with reporters.

Hyten, an Air Force officer and Harvard graduate, has warned that his successor also faces a Defense Department and military services that take far too long to develop new weapons and needed capabilities to fend off global threats, while China and other adversaries leap ahead.

"Right now, it's so frustrating because the answer to every question I get is that, OK, we need the following capability and how long is it going to take, and the answer is 10-15 years," he said.

"Every program you look at, you can see it that way," Hyten added.

Read Next: With a Wink and a Nod, Japan Has an Aircraft Carrier Again

The new intercontinental ballistic missile program, know as the ground-based strategic deterrent, started around 2015 and will not be fully operational until 2035, while the U.S. built 800 ICBMs as well as silos and control systems in five years in the 1960s, he said.

The long development times in the U.S. drag on as China bounds ahead with testing and development, which Hyten credits with Beijing's higher willingness to tolerate initial failures along the path to new military technology.

China tested what appeared to be a hypersonic weapon that orbited the Earth over the summer, though Hyten and the Pentagon have repeatedly declined to provide additional details. Hypersonic weapons travel at least five times the speed of sound and are more difficult to intercept compared to more conventional missiles.

"I think in the last five years, maybe longer, the U.S. has done nine hypersonic tests," Hyten said. "In the same time -- I can't give you the exact number because that would be classified, too -- the Chinese have done hundreds."

Hyten will take deep expertise on the subject with him when he retires. He was head of U.S. Strategic Command from 2016-2019 and responsible for U.S. nuclear weapons, global bombers, and missile threats and defense.

Kirby said Thursday he would not discuss what is causing the holdup in finding a nominee to replace Hyten. The time left before Nov. 21 is almost certainly not enough time to name a replacement and complete the Senate confirmation process, which can typically take months.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will make recommendations to Biden, who will announce his pick "at the right time," Kirby said.

"There will be a nominee, and the confirmation process will proceed," he said.

Under law, the potential pool for a new vice chief is larger compared to the Joint Chiefs chairman. The vice chief must be a general or admiral and have a joint military education and a full tour of duty at a joint command assignment. The chairman must have either served as vice chairman or a service chief.

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., whose position as Senate Armed Services Committee chairman makes him responsible for shepherding Pentagon nominees through the Senate, said the panel would like to see someone nominated to replace Hyten "quickly."

Once the White House sends the Senate a nominee, Reed said he hoped there would be bipartisan cooperation to move as quickly as possible to confirm the person.

"This is a very important position to national defense and to the protection of our service men and women, so I would hope, first of all, that we would get, I expect, a highly qualified nominee, and then second, that we would move on a bipartisan basis expeditiously to confirm that person," Reed told Military.com on Thursday.

Still, Reed noted that the vice chairman job has been vacant before and expressed confidence that Milley will be able to make up for any gaps.

The vice chairman position sat vacant for four months in 2019 between Hyten's confirmation and his predecessor's retirement as senators looked into allegations Hyten committed sexual assault. Hyten denied the claims by a female Army officer and was approved by the majority of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Milley was chairman for part of that four-month period.

"He understands and is prepared," Reed said of Milley managing the Joint Chiefs without a vice chairman, citing recent conversations with the general.

-- Travis Tritten can be reached at travis.tritten@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @Travis_Tritten.

-- Rebecca Kheel can be reached at rebecca.kheel@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @reporterkheel.
NPS graduate ret. Adm. Guillermo Barrera utilized his education in electrical and electronics engineering throughout his career in the Colombian Navy, culminating in his service has Chief of Naval Operations from 2006-2010.
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Rays right-hander Nick Anderson underwent a UCL brace procedure on his right elbow, according to Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). Anderson will miss the majority of the 2022 season recovering from the surgery, as he isnt expected back until after the All-Star break.

Elbow problems already cost Anderson virtually all of the 2021 campaign, as he suffered a partial ligament tear during Spring Training last March and then didnt pitch until September, eventually tossing only six innings. Anderson also missed about two weeks of the 2020 season due to forearm inflammation, but didnt seem any worse for wear, allowing only one earned run in seven regular-season innings after returning from the 10-day injured list.

It is fair to wonder, however, whether Andersons heavy usage in the 2020 postseason led to his current issues. Anderson pitched 14 2/3 innings over 10 playoff games and lacked much of his effectiveness from the regular season, delivering only a 5.52 ERA after allowing runs in eight of those appearances.

Anderson is already 31 years old and didnt make his MLB debut until he was 28, but he achieved definite late-bloomer status with his big strikeout numbers out of the Marlins and Rays bullpens. Anderson posted a stunning 42.2% strikeout rate over his first 81 1/3 Major League innings, complementing all those missed bats with some strong control (6.5% walk rate). Tampa Bay acquired Anderson from Miami at the 2019 trade deadline, and quickly made the righty a featured member of their ever-shifting relief corps.

Unfortunately for Anderson, his abbreviated 2021 season came just before he became eligible for salary arbitration, so he is projected for a modest $900K salary in his first trip through the arb process. Given how the Rays operate within such a tight budget, it now seems possible that they could potentially non-tender Anderson, if the team has any doubts about how he might recover from this latest setback. Or, the Rays might just figure that $900K could be better allocated towards a player who could help them for the entire season, rather than just the last two-plus months.
Vinod Rai, former comptroller and auditor general (CAG), has tendered an unconditional apology to Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam over his remark in 2014 about being pressurised by few members of Parliament (MPs), including Mr Nirupam, to drop Dr Manmohan Singhs name from the CAG report on 2G spectrum allocation scam.

In his apology letter, the former CAG says, I have realised that in answer to question posed to me by the interviewers, I had inadvertently and wrongly mentioned the name of Sanjay Nirupam as one of the MPs, who pressurised me to keep the then prime minister Dr Singhs name out of the CAG report on 2G spectrum allocation during the meetings in the public accounts committee (PAC) or the sidelines of the joint parliamentary committee (JPC)...

In a tweet, Mr Nirupam, the then secretary of the All India Congress Committee (AICC), shared Mr Rais statement.

Finally former CAG Vinod Rai tendered an unconditional apology to me in a defamation case filed by me in MM Court, Patiyala house, New Delhi today.

He must apologize to the nation now for all his forged reports about 2G and Coal block allocations done by the UPA Govt.#VinodRai pic.twitter.com/OdxwZXonCq  Sanjay Nirupam (@sanjaynirupam) October 28, 2021 My Video statement regarding former CAG Vinod Rais unconditional apology to me.

He must apologise to the nation now for his all false reports. pic.twitter.com/cYOK7eaSX3  Sanjay Nirupam (@sanjaynirupam) October 28, 2021

In August 2014, Mr Rai, had told Times of India and Times Now that three Congress MPs approached him  former law minister Ashwani Kumar, who had to resign for allegedly pressuring the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to dilute the role of the prime minister's office (PMO) in the Coalgate scam, Sanjay Nirupam and Sandeep Dikshit  to drop the name of prime minister Dr Singh from the CAG report on 2G spectrum allocation.

Speaking with the media at that time, Mr Nirupam had rejected the statements of the former CAG as an outright lie. Rai has told an outright lie. I never talked to him. I challenge his memory and want to remind him that I never met him, the Congress leader was quoted as saying in reports.

Mr Nirupam, who had also sent a legal notice to Mr Rai, had further said, I also want to remind him that I had attacked the CAG strongly at the PAC meeting and said that the report was a total fraud and politically motivated. I had also said that PAC should interrogate the CAG. But Joshiji (Murli Manohar Joshi) did not allow it.

In his book, Not Just an Accountant, Mr Rai had mentioned that the UPA government turned a blind eye to red flags and continued along the same path.

In the chapter on the 2G saga, he points out, Unbelievably, the prime minister (Manmohan Singh) chose to ignore the red flags of deviation from policy, and questionable facts and figures offered by the minister (A Raja, the then telecommunications minister).

Commenting on Dr Singhs statement in January 2014 that spectrum allocation should be transparent, Mr Rai writes that had the PM stood by his beliefs, the fate of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA)-2 would have been different. However, Dr Singh engaged in a routine and distanced handling of the entire process, in spite of the fact that the A Raja had indicated, in writing, the action he proposed to take, Mr Rai wrote in his book.

The CAG had estimated the Indian government lost about US$39 billion during the 2008 telecoms permits sale process. Earlier, the CAG report in 2012 found that underpriced sales of coal blocks over the years had cost the exchequer as much as US$33 billion.
Weather Alert

...DENSE FOG ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM MST THIS MORNING... * WHAT...Visibility less than 0.25 miles at times in dense fog. * WHERE...Mainly in the Bitterroot Valley especially along Highway 93 between Darby and Missoula. * WHEN...Until 11 AM MST this morning. * IMPACTS...Hazardous driving conditions due to low visibility. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... If driving, slow down, use your headlights, and leave plenty of distance ahead of you. &&
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(Bloomberg) -- The Biden administration is poised to unveil a crackdown on methane leaks from oil and gas wells that will be its most consequential action yet to reduce greenhouse gases -- but is still likely to disappoint climate activists.

The Environmental Protection Agency is expected within days to propose requirements for plugging leaks at hundreds of thousands of oil and gas wells, according to people familiar with the drafted proposals. Yet the agency is expected to stop short of an outright ban on flaring, the burning off of excess natural gas, said the people. Flaring is a major source of climate-warming emissions.

The EPA measures will seek to strengthen existing mandates on newly drilled wells and impose first-of-their-kind requirements from hundreds of thousands of older wells that so far have escaped methane regulations. The proposals are on track to be announced before President Joe Biden arrives in Glasgow, Scotland, for the COP26 climate summit, said the people, who asked not to be named before a formal announcement.

Even without a flaring ban, the measures will anchor Bidens promise to world leaders that -- absent congressional passage of his clean energy plan -- the U.S. will fulfill its Paris Agreement pledge to at least halve greenhouse gas emissions by the end of the decade from 2005 levels. The initiatives may also add momentum to a U.S.- and European Union-driven effort to recruit world leaders to collectively target a 30% cut in methane emissions by 2030.

This will be really critical for the administration going into COP, said Rosalie Winn, a senior attorney with the Environmental Defense Fund. It will be a tangible piece of climate policy and a critical area for the administration to both meet its methane pledge and its broader climate commitment.

Thats grown even more important amid ongoing congressional negotiations over Bidens climate-and-social-spending bill. Even if lawmakers reach a deal in principle on key climate components, the measure is unlikely to clear Congress before Biden and other world leaders arrive in Glasgow on Sunday. However, regulations such as those on methane emissions are a key weapon in Bidens climate arsenal; the administration plans to wield them against greenhouse gas releases from automobiles and power plants too.

The speed with which the administration has developed these methane rules speaks volumes to their commitment to addressing the climate crisis, said Sarah Smith, director of the Clean Air Task Forces super pollutants program. Its a really big deal if the worlds No. 1 oil and gas producer is taking this on and cracking down on methane pollution across the industry.

Methane, the chief component of natural gas, is blamed for a quarter of global warming today. And because its such a powerful short-lived greenhouse gas, packing most of its punch in the first two decades after its released, reductions now can deliver a big impact in restraining near-term warming and limiting temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, a critical tipping point.

The EPA proposals are expected to block companies from widely venting methane from oil wells where it sometimes is considered a less valuable byproduct of more profitable crude.

Administration officials have been deliberating over the proposals approach to routine, intentional flares, when excess natural gas is burned instead. Those flares convert natural gas into carbon dioxide, but when they burn incompletely or go out, methane vents directly into the atmosphere. The EPA could stop short of proposing a phase out or immediate ban on flaring and ask for public comment on the matter instead.

More than 70 community, health and environmental groups in September asked the EPA to follow the lead of state regulators in Colorado and New Mexico by banning routine flaring, after field surveys revealed widespread problems with intermittent or unlit flares throughout the Permian Basin in Texas.

These flares are a huge source of emissions either because they are completely blown out so they are straight venting to the atmosphere or they are not combusting as efficiently as they should be so rather than destroying 98% of the gas that is sent to them they are only combusting a far lower percentage, said Jon Goldstein, senior director of regulatory affairs for the Environmental Defense Fund.

The best way that we know of to get after that source of pollution is to stop sending so much gas to flares in the first place and ban routine flaring, he added.

It remains unclear how aggressively the EPA will target aging, low-producing sites that yield just a trickle of crude but can be a major source of methane. Environmentalists have pressured the agency to require oil and gas companies to keep vigilant watch over equipment, with monthly to quarterly checks, even for those low-producing wells that eke out fewer than 15 barrels of oil equivalent each day. Without regular checks, leaks at the sites can go undetected and keep spewing methane.

A major question is whether the EPA will propose widespread retrofits of oilfield equipment that by design leaks natural gas as part of its regular operation. Some oil and gas companies have pushed back against rigorous equipment replacement mandates for older wells, warning the cost of upgrades could make the sites unprofitable.

Republican lawmakers on Monday urged EPA Administrator Michael Regan to delay the proposals until an Energy Department study on low-producing wells is completed in December instead of unveiling the measures before the UN climate summit. Rushing to meet an arbitrary political deadline set by unelected bureaucrats in Washington would needlessly jeopardize our nations oil and gas producers, Representative Liz Cheney, a Republican from Wyoming, said on Twitter.

2021 Bloomberg L.P.
LONDON (AP)  Britain said Thursday it would summon the French ambassador for a dressing-down, the latest move in a worsening dispute over fishing licenses that has stoked tensions following the U.K.'s departure from the European Union.

After French authorities fined two British fishing vessels and kept one in port overnight, Britain warned it would it retaliate if French officials followed through on threats to block British boats from some French ports and tighten checks on U.K. vessels unless French vessels get more permits to fish in U.K. waters. France also suggested it might restrict energy supplies to the Channel Islands, British Crown dependencies that lie off the coast of France.

We believe these are disappointing and disproportionate, and not what wed expect from a close ally and partner, U.K. Environment Secretary George Eustice told lawmakers, as Britain accused France of raising tensions.

Eustice said the threatened measures do not appear to be compatible with the Brexit divorce deal agreed by Britain and the EU or wider international law, and if carried through will be met with an appropriate and calibrated response.

The reference to international law is sure to irk French officials, since EU nations have accused the U.K. of threatening to break the legally binding Brexit agreement it signed with the bloc setting out the conditions of its departure.

The U.K. government said Frances ambassador, Catherine Colonna, would be summoned to the Foreign Office, in an official sign of displeasure.

We regret the confrontational language that has been consistently used by the French government on this issue, which makes this situation no easier to resolve, the British government said in a statement.

Since the U.K. left the economic orbit of the EU in January, relations between London and Paris have become increasingly frayed as the nations on either side of the English Channel sort out a post-Brexit path.

France vehemently protested the decision last month by the U.K. and the Channel Island of Jersey to refuse dozens of French fishing boats licenses to operate in their territorial waters. Dozens of other licenses were granted. France says the restrictions are contrary to the post-Brexit agreement that Britain signed when it left the EU.

After weeks of negotiations, British authorities have issued more fishing licenses, but the number still only accounts for 50% of what France believes it is entitled to, French government spokesman Gabriel Attal said Wednesday.

We have worked with the British, we gave them all the requested data, documents, information to back these (license) requests, Attal said. Our patience has reached its limits.

Britain disputes that. The government says it has granted 98% of fishing license applications from European vessels, but there is a dispute over 31 boats that the U.K. says did not supply evidence to support their applications.

It was against this backdrop that French authorities fined the two British boats, one for failing to comply with checks by police and the other for not holding a proper license. The French Sea Ministry said the fines resulted from bolstered boating and license checks.

"We have been extremely patient ... our fishermen have been extremely responsible, Frances Europe minister, Clement Beaune, told French TV news channel CNews. And so, from Nov. 2, its over. We will engage in dialogue if the British want to, but we are taking retaliatory measures.

As part of the retaliatory measures, France doesnt exclude actions that would target energy supplies to Britain, Beaune and French Minister of the Sea Annick Girardin said in a joint statement. Attal said the threat applied to the Channel Islands, which rely heavily on French electricity.

To be very frank, Im not happy about these measures, Beaune later said at an event organized by the European Policy Center think tank. We have to defend a very clear specific interest  fisheries  because its important and there is no reason why we should sacrifice it.

Either we increase (the retaliation) if the situation deteriorates, or we withdraw if the situation improves, its as simple as that, he added.

Jersey, which is only 14 miles (22 kilometers) off the French coast, is a British Crown dependency outside of the U.K and can decide who is allowed to fish in its territorial waters. It has granted licenses based on its interpretation of the U.K.-EU trade deal and has accused France of acting disproportionately.

Barrie Deas, from the U.K.'s National Federation of Fishermens Organizations, called the tit-for-tat actions unhelpful.

It may be normal enforcement action, but against the background of the threatening noises coming from the French government, its very concerning, Deas told the BBC. France seems determined to escalate this issue about licenses, and I suppose we have to wonder why.

___

Adamson reported from Paris. Samuel Petrequin contributed to this story from Brussels.

___

Follow AP's coverage of Brexit at https://apnews.com/hub/brexit
Tim Fischer

Oil prices have regularly closed above $80 per barrel of late, something that hadnt happened since 2014. Theyve more than doubled in the past year and are a far cry from the doldrums of last spring. High oil prices ripple through the economy. More than half of the cost of gasoline is directly determined by oil prices, and most manufacturing and distribution involves some use of derivative fuels. Consumers are paying higher prices both directly at the pump and indirectly through other products.

Demand is rising as the world emerges from the pandemic, and supplies are tight. Thus far, OPEC has not increased production in any meaningful way. There seems to be a growing recognition that most of these nations actually need prices at this level to support their internal economies, although production will likely increase more aggressively at some point. Similarly, activity in the US energy sector has increased significantly since the depths of the pandemic, but the response has been somewhat muted.
79, formerly of Muskogee left us November 15, 2021 in Nebraska. Her Service of Memory will be on Tuesday, 12pm at Worship Community Center 820 E. Okmulgee. Keith D. Biglow Funeral Directors, Inc- Muskogee
Robert Palmer spent four terrifying years in a state prison before his conviction for homicide by child abuse was overturned and he was released.

His mother, Gail Palmer of Conway, never lost faith in his innocence and has always contended that he deserves some kind of compensation for his lost years.

His attorney, Gene Connell with the law firm of Kellaher, Connell and Connor in Surfside, agrees. Seeing this as a national issue hes continued to take the case through the legal process, most recently (this week) filing a brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case based on their belief that Palmer deserves compensation for the wrong that he was forced to endure.

Connell contends that nothing but rank hysteria and speculation convicted Palmer of homicide by child abuse and aiding and abetting homicide by child abuse. His co-defendant, Julia Shawnette Gorman, who is 50-years-old now, will complete her tenth year in jail in December. She is housed now in Leath facility on convictions that stood against her for child neglect and homicide by child abuse, according to S.C. Department of Corrections records.

Connell and Gail Palmers arguments are simple.

There are 35 states that have compensation when someone has been wrongfully convicted. South Carolina is not one of them, according to Connell.

He sees this as a matter of substantial interest.

Later adding, I suspect this is an issue thats boiling over.

He doesnt think due process has been satisfied when someone is held in jail for four years, released and not given financial compensation.

The question the way he presents it to the U.S. Supreme Court is, Does the Constitution require South Carolina to provide a remedy for wrongful conviction?

The crime in question is the death of Gormans 17-month-old grandson that occurred in 2008 when the child was left in the care of Gorman and Palmer after the his mother went away with her husband.
Emotions ran high Wednesday afternoon as former students of Whittemore Elementary School urged Conway city staff to preserve a building that is part of the community's history.

This historic building is sacred grounds, said Tamir Mubarak, a former student.

During the hour and a half meeting, former students gathered under tents in the parking lot of the old school, which was last used as an IT building for Horry County Schools. It has since been damaged by a hurricane and its exterior windows are shattered. Wednesdays meeting revealed information some former students were not aware of previously.

The students questioned the citys plans for the building and accused city officials of having a lack of communication with residents about the site.

They argued the property should be treated as a landmark such as the town clock, courthouse and city hall.

But city administrator Adam Emrick stressed that the cost of renovating the building would run between $14 million and $20 million.

The building is beyond repair in our opinion, he said. There is not a fiscal justification.

Emrick said after multiple surveys and studies of the two buildings on the property, all parties came to a similar conclusion about the high costs to renovate the building.

However, Emrick made an effort to assure the crowd that the city would like to see the property used for a community space and pay tribute to its history.

The building is unquestionably historic, he said.

Wednesdays meeting was the first time Mubarak heard about the millions of dollars it would take to renovate the school.

I just think, as some of the people said, they are always putting a price tag on it, Mubarak said. Its something so valuable that you cant put a price tag on it. If it doesnt fit into the scheme of things, theyll demolish it.

Im very disappointed, he said following the meeting. I really hope we havent heard the last of this.
The Illinois House passed a measure Wednesday that would give employers greater authority to enforce COVID-19 vaccine or testing requirements.

The final vote came after 10 p.m., passing on a 64-52 roll call with two present votes.

Among those voting against the measure was state Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer, who said more than 50,000 people filed slips of opposition against the legislation.

It forces people to take a vaccine against their will because Governor Pritzker thinks he knows what is best for Illinois citizens, the Jacksonville Republican said.

Davidsmeyer called it an infringement on peoples right to make their own health care decisions.

Right now the majority party is trying to use the general publics fear of COVID as a reason to take this health care choice away from an individual. This is another example of big government saying they know better than individual citizens, Davidsmeyer said.

He spoke out against the legislation during committee debates, saying it was a double-standard because legislators are not under a mandate to be vaccinated.

But many public and private employees are, and they no longer have the right to object to this mandate because Illinois Democrats have taken away their freedom, he said. Illinois citizens lost their religious rights and will now be forced to take a vaccine or lose their jobs.

Davidsmeyer said it was unfair to label people who did not want to be vaccinated as anti-vax.

Many of these individuals get the flu shot every year, but are concerned that the short timeline and lack of study over time makes this vaccine less vetted, he said. All they want is the opportunity to make their own health care decisions, and I support that freedom.

No Republicans voted for the measure, and enough Democrats peeled support for it to fail to meet the three-fifths majority that would allow it to become law before June 1. It still needs Senate approval before it can head to the governor, who supports it.

The measure, also backed by Attorney General Kwame Raoul, had become a flash point, with opponents calling it an infringement on personal freedoms and proponents classifying it as an effort to clarify existing law to close a legal loophole allowing people to flout COVID-19 vaccine or testing mandates.

House Floor Amendment 3 to Senate Bill 1169 would amend the Health Care Right of Conscience Act, which currently prohibits discrimination against anyone for their conscientious refusal to receive, obtain, accept, perform, assist, counsel, suggest, recommend, refer or participate in any way in any particular form of health care services contrary to his or her conscience.

The amendment would insert language stating that it is not a violation of the law for an employer to take any measures or impose any requirements  intended to prevent contraction or transmission of COVID-19.

Its proponents argued in committee and on the floor that its needed to strengthen vaccine mandates by allowing employers to enforce them.

Ashley Wright, chief of legislative affairs for Raouls office, said at a committee hearing Tuesday that there have been recent court decisions in Illinois, including one Tuesday, in which judges have blocked employers from enforcing vaccine mandates, citing the existing HCRC Act.

The court decisions have also been used to forgo testing requirements.

After 8 p.m. Wednesday, Raoul was seen discussing the matter with Rep. Robyn Gabel, an Evanston Democrat and the bills chief House sponsor, outside of House chambers, but he declined a Capitol News Illinois interview request.

In floor debate, Gabel said the HCRC Act was initially passed to preserve the ability of health care providers, including pharmacists, to refuse to perform or provide health services related to abortion and reproductive health care that violate their conscience.

The reason for her bill was to clarify that existing law, she said, because it should not be applicable to mitigation measures aimed at slowing a deadly pandemic. Those with health care or religious concerns regarding mandate compliance can still access federal exemptions, she said.

Contrary to rampant misinformation campaigns, this bill is not a vaccine mandate, she said. In fact, it does not require anyone to do anything. As the bill itself says, this is simply a declaration of existing law and shall not be construed as a new enactment.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker spoke on the bill at a news conference earlier in the day, pointing to its use to skirt vaccine or testing mandates.

Just yelling out conscience and saying, you know, I dont want to do it isnt good enough, Pritzker said. We have to keep people healthy and safe. Thats the whole purpose of the mitigations that weve put in place. Now, the Health Care Right of Conscience Act is being misinterpreted and used in court cases to try to allow people who just dont want to get vaccinated, are anti-vaxxers, the anti-maskers, to avoid the rules.

Critics of the bill, however, argued the language is overly broad and that the Health Care Right of Conscience Act actually was intended to protect an individuals right to make his or her own health care decisions.

This legislation is designed to lead to absurd results, where you can let an employer or any person employed by any unit of government in the state of Illinois to force a person to do things, even things your doctor thinks is medically contraindicated, wrong or harmful, Rep. Deanne Mazzochi, R-Elmhurst, said in floor debate. And tonight, your yes vote means youve denied them a remedial claim.

Rep. Keith Wheeler, R-Oswego, said a decision on vaccination should be between a doctor and a patient, and the proposed change is a clear change to existing law, not simply a clarification of it.

This is pretty clear, he said of the existing law. This is actually very clear, that people expect a right, they have a right right now. They have a right and this bill effectively changes that right when it comes to COVID-19.
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP)  The soldiers in rural Myanmar twisted the young mans skin with pliers and kicked him in the chest until he couldnt breathe. Then they taunted him about his family until his heart ached, too: Your mom, they jeered, cannot save you anymore.

The young man and his friend, randomly arrested as they rode their bikes home, had been subjected to hours of agony inside a town hall transformed by the military into a torture center.

Im going to die, the young man told himself, stars exploding before his eyes. I love you, mom.

Since its takeover of the government in February, the Myanmar military has been torturing those it has detained in a methodical and systemic way across the country, The Associated Press has found in interviews with 28 people imprisoned and released in recent months. Based also on photographic evidence, sketches and letters, along with testimony from two military captains and an aide to a high-ranking commander, the AP investigation provides the most comprehensive look since the takeover into a secretive detention system that has held more than 9,000 people.

While most of the torture has occurred inside military compounds, the military, known as the Tatmadaw, has also transformed public facilities such as community halls into interrogation centers, prisoners said. The AP identified a dozen interrogation centers in use across Myanmar, in addition to prisons and police lockups.

The prisoners interviewed came from every corner of the country, and ranged from a 16-year-old girl to monks. Some were detained for protesting against the military, others for no discernible reason. Multiple military units and police were involved in the interrogations, their methods of torture similar across Myanmar.

The Myanmar military has a long history of torture, particularly before the country began transitioning toward democracy in 2010. While torture in recent years was most often recorded in ethnic regions, its use has now returned across the country, APs investigation found. The vast majority of torture techniques described by prisoners were similar to those of the past, including electric shocks, near-drownings and relentless beatings.

But this time, the torture is the worst its ever been in scale and severity, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which monitors deaths and arrests. Since February, the group says, security forces have killed more than 1,200 people, including at least 131 detainees tortured to death.

The military tortures detainees, first for revenge, then for information, says Ko Bo Kyi, AAPPs joint secretary and a former political prisoner. I think in many ways the military has become even more brutal.

The military has also taken steps to hide evidence that it has tortured prisoners, with several prisoners saying interrogators brutalized only the parts of their bodies that could be hidden by clothes. An aide to the highest-ranking army official in western Myanmars Chin state told the AP that soldiers covered up the deaths of two tortured prisoners, forcing a military doctor to falsify their autopsy reports.

A former army captain who defected from the Tatmadaw in April confirmed to the AP that the militarys use of torture against detainees has been rampant since its takeover.

In our country, after being arrested unfairly, there is torture, violence and sexual assaults happening constantly, says Lin Htet Aung, the former captain.

After receiving detailed requests for comment, military officials responded with a one-line email that said: We have no plans to answer these nonsense questions.

All but six of the prisoners interviewed by the AP were subjected to abuse, including women and children. Most of those who werent abused said their fellow detainees were.

The AP also sent photographs of several torture victims injuries to a forensic pathologist with Physicians for Human Rights. The pathologist concluded wounds on three victims were consistent with beatings by sticks or rods.

You look at some of those injuries where theyre just black and blue from one end to the other, says forensic pathologist Dr. Lindsey Thomas. This was not just a swat. This has the appearance of something that was very systematic and forceful.

Photographs taken inside several detention and interrogation facilities confirmed prisoners accounts of overcrowded, filthy conditions. Most inmates slept on concrete floors, packed like sardines.

Some became sick from drinking dirty water only available from a shared toilet. Cockroaches swarmed their bodies at night. There was little to no medical treatment.

Not even the young have been spared. One woman was imprisoned alongside a 2-year-old baby.

The interrogation centers were worse than the prisons, with nights a cacophony of weeping and wails of agony.

It was terrifying, my room, one man recalls. There were blood stains and scratches on the wall.

Back inside the rural town hall, the young man and his friend survived the night amid a haze of pain. When dawn came, the interrogators sent them to prison.

Their small cell was home to 33 people. They lay next to the lone squat toilet.

Their fellow inmates shared water and biscuits, though the young mans mouth was too torn apart to eat.

After two days, the families of the young man and his friend paid officials to get them out of prison. Both men were forced to sign statements saying they had participated in a demonstration and were anti-police.

For two months, his entire body ached. Even today, his right shoulder  stomped on by a soldier  wont move properly.

After they caught us, I know their hearts and their minds were not like the peoples, not like us, he says. They are monsters.

___

Gelineau reported from Sydney. Associated Press journalist Sam McNeil in Beijing contributed to this report.
The Illinois Prisoner Review Board will decide this week whether an Alton woman who killed her two infant daughters  including 13-day-old Loralei, who was suffocated and thrown into a wooded ravine in Jersey County  will be set free after more 30 years in prison.

Paula Sims was a household name in 1990, when she was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of 6-week-old Heather Sims the year before. She later admitted to the 1986 killing of daughter Loralei.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker commuted Paula Sims life sentence in March, making her parole-eligible for the first time.

Her attorney, Jed Stone, will argue at a Springfield hearing today that Sims, now 62, committed the crimes while suffering from postpartum psychosis, a rare mental illness that causes some new mothers to experience delusions, hallucinations and paranoia.

Because of her age, because of her rehabilitation, because of her acceptance of responsibility, she is ready to be released from prison, Stone said last week.

Prisons are the most expensive solution to Americas criminal-justice problem. To house a geriatric woman who is of no threat to herself or to others at a cost of about $40,000 a year for the rest of her life is an abomination.

Stone said knowledge and understanding of postpartum psychosis and depression have evolved over the past three decades, and recent changes in Illinois law allow them to be considered as mitigation factors in sentencing.

Sims is a prisoner at Logan Correctional Center for women, about 30 miles northeast of Springfield. She was incarcerated at Dwight Correctional Center until it closed in 2013.

An Illinois Prisoner Review Board member interviewed Sims recently and submitted a report to the full board to help with its decision-making on the case, according to spokesman Jason Sweat.

Sims sensational, four-week trial in 1990 made headlines across the United States. It was moved from Madison County to Peoria County because of intense publicity in the St. Louis region.

The jury convicted Sims of first-degree murder, concealing a homicide and obstructing justice in the suffocation death of Heather, whose badly decomposed body was found in a trash can six weeks after Paula and her husband, Robert Sims, reported her missing from their Alton home.

Three years earlier, Loraleis remains had been found in a wooded area near the familys former home in Brighton. In both cases, Paula Sims told police the babies were abducted by a masked gunman.

Surely, lightning doesnt strike twice in the same place, former Madison County Assistant States Attorney Don Weber said at the time of her trial, summing up the case by quoting his wifes reaction.

The jury asked Judge Andy Matoesian to sentence Sims to life in prison without parole instead of giving her the death penalty because of lingering questions about Roberts involvement in Heathers death and the subsequent cover-up, according to one juror.

Authorities had openly speculated that Paula Sims may have killed her baby girls because Robert preferred boys. He was never charged with a crime. The couple divorced shortly after her conviction.

Paula Sims ultimately pleaded guilty in Jersey County to obstructing justice in the investigation of Loraleis death.

Stone, 72, said hes been representing Sims free of charge since the 1990s, when she wrote him a letter asking for help, because he believes in redemption for those who deserve it.

Stone has submitted Sims pleas for clemency to other Illinois governors, as well as requests for a new trial over the years. All were denied.

Pritzker didnt grant Sims full clemency, but he commuted her sentence from life without parole to life with the possibility of parole.

Prosecutor weighs in

Weber prosecuted the Sims case under the late William Haine, Madison County states attorney from 1988 to 2002. His son, Tom Haine, now holds the office.

Haine, 36, sent a five-page letter to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board on Aug. 30, strenuously opposing parole for Sims. He began by quoting a 2001 order by Justice Clyde Kuehn of the Fifth District of the Appellate Court of Illinois upholding a lower-court ruling on one of her petitions.

Paula J. Sims gave birth to three children, but she was a mother to only one, Kuehn wrote. Rather than nurture her two baby girls, she killed them.

Haine argued that Sims lied about the crimes for years to avoid punishment and confessed only after she was found guilty of murder and wanted to avoid the death penalty.

Haine characterized Sims request for clemency as a shifting and far-fetched psychological story that shouldnt change the conclusions of jurors at her trial or the decisions of judges who handled appeals, petitions and other court reviews over the years.

Post-partum depression is a difficult mental illness and complicated issue, Haine wrote. But in this case, Defendants claims about her psychological state from decades ago have been fully litigated and her life sentence maintained.

William Haine served as an Illinois state senator for the 56th district from 2002 to 2019. He died in August.

Weber went on to write a true-crime book about the Sims case titled Precious Victims with co-author Charles Bosworth, a former St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter. It was made into a TV movie in 1993. Weber also served as a judge before returning to private law practice.

Disturbing details

Haines letter to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board summarized key facts and allegations in the prosecutions 1990 case against Sims, saying that:

 Sims suffocated Loralei and threw her small, lifeless body into a wooded ravine 100 feet from the doorstep of her home in Jersey County.

 Sims suffocated Heather and kept her body in a freezer before wrapping it in a trash bag and dumping it in a trash can in a public park in West Alton.

 Sims falsely told investigators that the same masked intruder took both babies and, in the second abduction, rendered Sims unconscious by striking her in the head.

 Sims repeatedly lied to police, doctors, family members, friends and jurors.

 Sims confessed to the killings only when facing the death penalty, in hopes of getting a lighter sentence.

The Fifth District of the Appellate Court of Illinois affirmed Sims conviction in 1993. The Illinois Supreme Court denied Sims request for leave to appeal in 1997.

Postpartum revisited

One of Haines arguments against the Illinois Prisoner Review Board granting parole for Sims is that her use of postpartum psychosis as an explanation for the killings is old news.

In Sims 1994 petition for post-conviction relief, she maintained that her Alton attorney, Don Groshong, failed to provide adequate representation, partly because he didnt pursue an insanity defense based on the mental illness.

Groshong considered going that route, according to Haine, but he ultimately rejected it. Again, the states attorney quoted Justice Kuehns order: An insanity plea would have detracted from Paulas claimed innocence. Moreover, Paula had never complained of depression-like symptoms, and an examination of her medical records proved consistent with this lack of complaint.

Experts say postpartum psychosis occurs in one to two mothers per 1,000 who give birth. The resulting delusions and hallucinations can cause the women to hurt themselves or their children, according to Chicago-area psychologist and author Susan Feingold.

Stone has asked Feingold to answer questions at the parole hearing today at Crown Plaza Hotel in Springfield. The board also will hear from Bill Ryan, a prison-reform activist who knows Sims.

Its unclear who else might speak at the hearing. Ex-husband Robert Sims, 63, and son Randall, 27, died in a Mississippi car crash six years ago. Paula Sims has no other close family, Stone said.

Haine isnt expected to attend the hearing.

Our office has made its position known, and now its in the hands of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, spokesman Philip Lasseigne said last week.

Sims is Prisoner B07074 at Logan Correctional Center. Stone said she counsels other female inmates through a prison ministry and helps women all over the country understand and cope with postpartum psychosis and depression.

Stone called freedom for Sims a matter of justice and mercy.

Shes really a genuinely decent woman who did an unspeakably bad thing, came to grips with it and struggled to understand it, he said. (She has) done everything she was asked to do to rehabilitate herself.
Paula Sims  who was convicted of killing one of her children and later admitted to a second child murder  on Thursday was granted parole.

Sims, 62, has spent more than 30 years in prison for killing her 6-week-old daughter, Heather, in 1989 in Alton. She later acknowledged killing her first daughter, Loralei, in 1986 in Brighton.

The Illinois Prisoner Review Board voted 12-1 in favor of parole after Sims appeared at a hearing Thursday morning, according to an agency spokesman.

Madison County States Attorney Tom Haine had sent a letter to the board opposing parole, but no one from his office participated in Thursdays hearing.

Life should mean life, Haine said earlier this year. Two babies are dead. At the time of the trial, she insisted she was not guilty.

Sims was serving a life sentence at the Logan Correctional Center in Lincoln after being convicted of killing Heather Sims in 1989 in Alton.

In March, Gov. J.B. Pritzker granted Sims executive clemency, changing her sentence from life without the possibility of parole to life with the possibility of parole.

In 1986 Sims initially told police that Loralei Sims  just 13 days old  was taken by a masked gunman. The childs body was found in a wooded ravine behind the rural Jersey County home she shared with her husband, Robert.

The couple later moved to Alton where, on April 29, 1989, Paula Sims said she was taking out the garbage when a masked man knocked her unconscious and, when she awoke, her 6-month-old daughter, Heather, was gone.

Robert Sims and the couples son, Randall, died in an automobile accident in 2015.

The crime was initially treated as a kidnapping. But according to court testimony, Paula Sims kept her deceased daughter in the freezer before dumping her in a park trash receptacle.

Both cases created a firestorm of media coverage, with Heathers disappearance and death leading to an unprecedented media presence. Eventually, former Assistant Madison County States Attorney Don Weber and former St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Charles Bosworth wrote a best-selling book about the crimes and a television movie was made based on it, titled Precious Victims.

The parole boards action Thursday was heavily criticized by Republican state senators.

Yet again, the 14-member Prisoner Review Board, 10 of which are acting and serving unconfirmed, has voted to release another individual who has committed heinous, unspeakable crimes, according to a statement released by state Sens. Jason Plummer, R-Edwardsville; Steve McClure, R-Springfield; and Terri Bryant, R-Murphysboro.

Its the gravity of these crimes and the heavy responsibility that these board members hold that make it vital and imperative that they go through the constitutionally-required vetting process and come before the Illinois Senate for confirmation, the three said. Gov. Pritzker is circumventing that process to avoid transparency and legislative oversight over his hand-picked appointees, and his allies in the legislature are complicit in allowing him to do so.

To make matters worse, the Pritzker-appointed Prisoner Review Board hasnt posted their meeting minutes since March, breaking the statutory requirements set forth by the Open Meetings Act, the senators stated. Not only are 71 percent of the members of the board being protected from Senate questioning, but their votes are also being hidden from the public.

The people of Illinois deserve to know that due diligence is being performed on the individuals making parole decisions, the statement read. Right now they have no reason to believe that is happening.

In the past several years Sims attorney, Jed Stone, had sought a new trial or commutation of her sentence, citing laws allowing postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis to be introduced at a trial or sentencing.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden announced Thursday that he and Democrats in Congress have reached a historic" framework for his sweeping domestic policy package. But he still needs to lock down votes from key colleagues for what's now a dramatically scaled-back bill.

Eager to have a deal in hand before his departure late in the day for global summits, Biden made his case privately on Capitol Hill to House Democrats and publicly in a speech at the White House. He's now pressing for a still-robust package  $1.75 trillion of social services and climate change programs  that the White House believes can pass the 50-50 Senate.

The fast-moving developments put Democrats closer to a hard-fought deal, but battles remain as they press to finish the final draft in the days and weeks ahead.

Lets get this done, Biden exhorted.

It will fundamentally change the lives of millions of people for the better, he said about the package, which he badly wanted before the summits to show the world American democracy still works.

Together with a nearly $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, Biden claimed the infusion of federal investments would be a domestic achievement modeled on those of Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson.

I need your votes, Biden told the lawmakers at the Capitol, according to a person who requested anonymity to discuss the private remarks.

But final votes will not be called for some time. The revised package has lost some top priorities, frustrating many lawmakers as the presidents ambitions make way for the political realities of the narrowly divided Congress.

Paid family leave and efforts to lower prescription drug pricing are now gone entirely from the package, drawing outrage from some lawmakers and advocates.

Still in the mix, a long list of other priorities: free prekindergarten for all youngsters, expanded health care programs  including the launch of a new $35 billion hearing aid benefit for people with Medicare  and $555 billion to tackle climate change.

There's also a one-year extension of a child care tax credit that was put in place during the COVID-19 rescue and new child care subsidies. An additional $100 billion to bolster the immigration and border processing system could boost the overall package to $1.85 trillion if it clears Senate rules.

One pivotal Democratic holdout, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, said, I look forward to getting this done.

However, another, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, was less committal: This is all in the hands of the House right now."

The two Democrats have almost single-handedly reduced the size and scope of their partys big vision, and are crucial to sealing the deal.

Republicans remain overwhelmingly opposed, forcing Biden to rely on the Democrats' narrow majority in Congress with no votes to spare in the Senate and few in the House.

Taking form after months of negotiations, Biden's emerging bill would still be among the most sweeping of its kind in a generation, modeled on New Deal and Great Society programs. The White House calls it the largest-ever investment in climate change and the biggest improvement to the nations healthcare system in more than a decade.

In his meeting with lawmakers at the Capitol, Biden made clear how important it was to show progress as he headed to the summits.

We are at an inflection point, he said. The rest of the world wonders whether we can function.

With U.S. elections on the horizon, he said its not hyperbole to say that the House and Senate majorities and my presidency will be determined by what happens in the next week.

At one point, Biden asked for a spirited, enthusiastic vote on his plan, said Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass.

Twice over the course of the hour-long meeting Democratic lawmakers rose to their feet and started yelling: Vote, vote, vote, said Rep. Gerald Connolly of Virginia.

Bidens proposal would be paid for by imposing a new 5% surtax on income over $10 million a year, and instituting a new 15% corporate minimum tax, keeping with his plans to have no new taxes on those earning less than $400,000 a year, officials said. A special billionaires tax was not included.

Revenue to help pay for the package would also come from rolling back some of the Trump administrations 2017 tax cuts, along with stepped-up enforcement of tax-dodgers by the IRS. Biden has vowed to cover the entire cost of the plan, ensuring it does not pile onto the debt load.

With the framework being converted to a 1,600-page legislative text for review, lawmakers and aides cautioned it had not yet been agreed to.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., the progressive leader, said her caucus endorsed the framework, even as progressive lawmakers worked to delay further action. "We want to see the actual text because we dont want any confusion and misunderstandings, she said.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Biden asked the House to vote on the related $1 trillion infrastructure bill, which already cleared the Senate but became tangled in deliberations over the broader bill. But Jayapal said she did not hear an urgent request from him, which emboldened progressives to halt the hoped-for Thursday vote.

When the president gets off that plane we want him to have a vote of confidence from this Congress, Pelosi told lawmakers, the person at the private meeting said.

But no votes were scheduled. Progressives have been withholding their support for the roads-and-bridges bill as leverage until they have a commitment that Manchin, Sinema and the other senators are ready to vote on Biden's bigger package.

Hell no, said Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., about allowing the smaller infrastructure bill to pass.

Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., shared her own story of making pennies at low-wage work, struggling to afford child care and wanting to ensure constituents have better.

We need both bills to ride together. And we dont have that right now, Bush said. "I feel a bit bamboozled because this was not what I thought was coming today.

Instead, Congress approved an extension to Dec. 3 of Sunday's deadline for routine transportation funds that were at risk of expiring without the infrastructure bill.

The two holdout Democratic senators now hold enormous power, essentially deciding whether Biden will be able to deliver on the Democrats major campaign promises.

Sinema has been instrumental in pushing her party off a promise to undo the Republicans' 2017 tax cuts. And Manchin's resistance forced serious cutbacks to a clean energy plan, the elimination of paid family leave and the imposition of work requirements for parents receiving the new child care subsidies.

At the same time, progressives achieved one key priority  Vermont Independent Bernie Sanders' proposal to provide hearing aid benefits for people on Medicare. However, his ideas to also include dental and vision care were left out.

Other expanded health care programs build on the Affordable Care Act by funding subsidies to help people buy insurance policies and coverage in states that declined the Obamacare program.

Overall, the new package also sets up political battles in future years. The enhanced child care tax credit expires alongside next year's midterm elections, while much of the health care funding will expire in 2025, ensuring a campaign issue ahead of the next presidential election.

___

Associated Press writers Zeke Miller in Rome and Colleen Long, Kevin Freking, Alan Fram and Padmananda Rama in Washington contributed to this report.
Police have determined a social media post threatening violence against a school some thought was Jacksonville High School was not a credible concern.

The viral Snapchat post said there was going to be a shooting at a school with the initials JHS.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP)  Violence at an anti-France Islamist rally Wednesday in eastern Pakistan left at least four police officers and two demonstrators dead, officials said. The government deployed paramilitary troops to restore order.

Thousands of supporters of an outlawed radical Islamist party rallied on a highway in the town of Sadhuke as they marched toward the capital Islamabad. They demanded the expulsion of France's envoy to Pakistan over publication of caricatures of Islams Prophet Muhammad in France.

The violence erupted a day after the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan said it would not accept the Islamists' demand to close the French Embassy and expel the French envoy.

Khan's decision infuriated supporters of the Tehreek-e-Labiak Pakistan party who over the weekend suspended their march to Islamabad to give the government three days to consider their demands.

Usman Buzdar, chief minister in Punjab province, said in a tweet that the violent clashes left four police dead and 253 injured. He warned of stern action against those responsible for the violence.

Pakistan Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed blamed demonstrators for initiating gunfire and said the government was deploying paramilitary rangers to Punjab for two months. He asked demonstrators to end the protest and return to Lahore to avoid any government action.

Also on Wednesday, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry told a news conference that Rizvi's TLP party will now be treated as a militant organization. He said violent activities of Rizvi's party would not be tolerated and the TLP cannot blackmail the government.

Earlier, Sajid Saifi, a spokesman for Saad Rizvi, the TLP's leader, said two of their supporters died when police opened fire at the rally in Sadhuke. Police say they were not aware of any deaths among demonstrators. However, police said more than 200 supporters of the TLP party were detained in a crackdown aimed at containing the spread of violence to other parts of the province.

Rallygoers have also been demanding Rizvi's release from prison. He was arrested last year during previous protests against France over the caricatures.

Rizvi's party started demanding the expulsion of French envoy in October 2020 when French President Emmanuel Macron tried to defend caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad as freedom of expression. Macrons those comments came after a young Muslim beheaded a French school teacher who had shown caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in class. The images were republished by the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo to mark the opening of the trial over the deadly 2015 attack against the publication for the original caricatures.

That enraged many Muslims who believe those depictions were blasphemous.

Since then, Rizvi's party had been threatening a march toward Islamabad, which it launched last week amid clashes that killed at least five people, including two police officers, in the city of Lahore.

Rizvis party gained prominence in Pakistans 2018 elections, campaigning on the single issue of defending the countrys blasphemy law, which calls for the death penalty for anyone who insults Islam.

___

Ahmed reported from Islamabad. Associated Press writer Asim Tanveer contributed from Multan, Pakistan.
Watertown, SD (57201)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low 29F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low 29F. Winds light and variable.
Vatican cancels live TV broadcast of Biden greeting pope View Photo

ROME (AP)  The Vatican on Thursday abruptly canceled the planned live broadcast of U.S. President Joe Biden meeting Pope Francis, the latest restriction to media coverage of the Holy See that sparked complaints from White House- and Vatican-accredited journalists.

The live broadcast of Bidens Friday visit was trimmed to cover just the arrival of the presidents motorcade in the courtyard of the Apostolic Palace. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said the revised plan reflected the normal procedure established during the coronavirus pandemic for all visiting heads of state or government.

That protocol also has meant an 18-month ban on any independent media being in the room for the beginning and end of the audience, as would normally be the case for a visiting head of state.

Cancelled was the live coverage of Biden actually greeting Francis in the palace Throne Room, as well as the live footage of the two men sitting down to begin their private talks in Francis library, at which time the cameras would have stopped running.

The Vatican said it would provide edited footage of the encounter after the fact to accredited media. Bruni didnt say why the Vatican had originally announced fuller live coverage only to dial it back on the eve of the visit.

Biden, the second Catholic U.S. president, has met Francis three previous times, but this will be his first as president.

The audience was being closely monitored since U.S. bishops are due to meet in a few weeks for their annual fall convention, with one of the agenda items inspired by conservatives who contend that Bidens support for abortion rights should disqualify him from receiving Communion. Though any document that emerges from the bishops conference is not expected to mention Biden by name, its possible there could be a clear message of rebuke.

Francis has strongly upheld the churchs opposition to abortion, calling it murder. But he has said bishops should be pastors, not politicians. As a result, the Biden-Francis body language could have given a clue about their mindsets going into the meeting.

The Vatican has provided live television coverage for the visits of major heads of state for years, including President Donald Trump, and had scheduled such coverage Friday for Biden and for South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who is also in Rome for a Group of 20 meeting.

Asked to comment on Vatican access during a gaggle with reporters on Air Force One, the U.S. national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said the administration was actively engaged in the issue and would see what Friday brings.

The United States will always advocate for access for the free press, and especially for our good friends in the American press who travel with us on these long flights over, to be able to capture and chronicle the presidents engagements, he said.

A live broadcast was particularly important because the Vatican has barred independent photographers and journalists from papal audiences with leaders since early 2020, even though external news media are allowed into other papal events.

It is during those moments in the popes library that reporters can view the gifts that are exchanged, watch as the formal photograph is taken and overhear remarks as the leaders arrive and depart to get a sense of how visit is going. Only the popes official photographer and Vatican video journalists are now allowed in.

The Vatican correspondents association has protested the cancellation of such pool access and several media outlets, including The Associated Press, formally complained about Thursdays cut of the live Biden-pope broadcast and asked for an explanation.

The head of the White House Correspondents Association, Steven Portnoy of CBS News Radio, expressed disappointment at the lack of live coverage as well as the absence of independent media access. Biden is travelling with his own pool of reporters who would normally be allowed into the popes library for the beginning and end of the audience alongside reporters accredited to the Vatican.

In a series of tweets, Portnoy noted that the White House travelling pool was fully vaccinated and that such a substantial meeting between a Catholic president and the head of the 1.3-billion strong Catholic Church demands independent coverage.

___

AP correspondent Zeke Miller contributed from Rome.

By NICOLE WINFIELD

Associated Press
Drive Thru Flu Clinic flyer View Photo

San Andreas, CA  Calaveras Public Health is making it easy to get the flu shot  just roll on up.

The fourth annual drive-thru flu clinic put on by the county health department and Dignity Health, Mark Twain Medical Center will be held next month. At the clinic, the flu vaccine is available to anyone age 10 and up at no cost. Adults 65 years and older and adults with chronic health conditions are groups at higher risk for developing serious flu complications.

Getting a flu shot each year is a great way to protect yourself and others from the flu. It lowers your risk of getting sick with the flu and possibly being hospitalized or dying from flu, recommends Dr. Rene Ramirez, Calaveras County Health Officer.

The flu clinic is slated for Saturday, November 6th, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Calaveras High School. To keep the drive-thru clinic running smoothly, individuals are encouraged to register for an appointment online by clicking here or calling (833) 422-4255 to schedule an appointment.

Health officials encourage attendees to wear loose clothing with easy access to the upper arm. Not provided at this clinic are the nasal spray Fluzone and COVID-19 vaccines. One requirement is a mask that covers the nose and mouth.

The tools we use to fight against COVID-19 such as vaccination, avoiding close contact with people who are sick, washing your hands, and staying home when sick work well for the flu too. It is essential in protecting yourself, your family, and your community, advised Dr. Ramirez.

Additionally, health officials relay that the Flu and COVID-19 are both contagious respiratory illnesses caused by different viruses. While they have similar symptoms, testing is needed to confirm which virus a person might have, according to health officials. They also stress that people can be infected with both the flu and COVID-19 at the same time.
U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) testified before the Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining in support of his bill, the PUBLIC Lands Act (S.1459).

Padilla was Thursdays KVML Newsmaker of the Day.

The legislation would protect more than one million acres of public lands and well over five hundred miles of rivers in Californias Northwest, Central Coast, and Los Angeles regions. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) is an original cosponsor of the legislation in the Senate.

According to Padilla, the PUBLIC Lands Act is a key to ensuring equitable access to public lands for local communities and supporting public health and economic recovery. The legislation is also critical to the states work to address the climate crisis, build resilience, and protect 30% of lands and waters by 2030. Senator Padillas PUBLIC Lands Act was also included as an amendment to the House passed National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022.

I am proud to see the PUBLIC Lands Act gain momentum in the Senate, and Im going to keep pushing to advance this legislation until it reaches the Presidents desk for signature, said Senator Padilla. Enacting this legislation this year is necessary because our public lands are our best natural weapon to fight the climate crisis, protect clean air, and reduce emissions. The bill is also an essential equity bill because it protects public lands and rivers near communities that have limited access to the outdoors. Now is the time to pass these vital protections into law and finally protect these public lands for generations to come.

The legislation has passed the House already this year.

The PUBLIC Lands Act includes protections for the following places:

Protection of public lands and rivers in Northwest California, including in Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, and Trinity counties. This includes protecting about 317,000 acres of public lands as wilderness, designating 379 miles of new wild and scenic rivers, requiring management plans for an additional 101 miles of existing wild and scenic rivers.

Protection of special places in the Los Padres National Forest and the Carrizo Plain National Monument, located in the Central Coast region. This includes approximately 288,000 acres of wilderness, two scenic areas encompassing 34,882 acres, and 159 miles of wild and scenic rivers. This would be the first wilderness protection on the Central Coast in twenty years, and is particularly important as many of these areas are currently under threat from extractive industries. It also includes the designation of a 400 mile-long trail, the Condor National Scenic Trail, which would connect the northern and southern portion of the Los Padres National Forest by a single hiking route.

In the Los Angeles area, the bill would expand the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument by over 109,000 acres to include the western Angeles National Forest. The bill would also designate over 30,000 acres as protected Wilderness and over 45 miles of Wild and Scenic rivers throughout the San Gabriel range. Finally, the bill would also establish a National Recreation Area in the San Gabriel Valley.

The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML.
Venezuela sought to swap Americans for Maduro ally View Photo

MIAMI (AP)  Venezuelas government quietly offered last year to release imprisoned Americans in exchange for the U.S. letting go a key financier of President Nicolas Maduro, according to people with knowledge of the proposal and message exchanges seen by The Associated Press.

The offer was discussed at a previously reported meeting in Mexico City in September 2020 between a top Maduro aide and Richard Grenell, a close ally of former President Donald Trump, one of the people involved in organizing the meeting said.

The offer, which was rejected by the Trump administration, has taken on new relevance following the extradition this month to Miami of businessman Alex Saab, who prosecutors believe was the main conduit for corruption in Maduros inner circle. In retaliation, Venezuela reimprisoned six executives of Houston-based Citgo, a subsidiary of Venezuelas state-owned oil giant, who had been under house arrest.

A little over a year ago, Maduros government was looking to release the so-called Citgo 6 along with two former Green Berets tied to a failed cross-border raid in exchange for Saab, according to former Miami Congressman David Rivera, who says he helped organize the meeting.

Grenell declined to say what the September 2020 meeting was about but adamantly denied it had anything to do with hostage negotiations.

I never discussed a swap. It wasnt something we were interested in nor was it a point of negotiation  ever, he said in a brief statement. The purpose of the meeting was clear to everyone who was actually negotiating.

However, Venezuelas interest in negotiating for Saab was corroborated by another individual with knowledge of the proposal on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private diplomatic effort. The AP also saw text messages from right after the meeting between some of the organizers  but not Grenell  in which follow-up steps for a deal to return the American prisoners is discussed.

Riveras account raises fresh questions about the nature and scope of the back-channel diplomacy. Its also likely to add pressure on the Biden administration, which is already facing criticism for not doing enough to bring home Americans wrongfully detained abroad, to pursue a prisoner deal of its own with Maduro  something it has resisted until now.

Among new details to emerge: Grenell was joined in Mexico City by Erik Prince, the founder of controversial security firm Blackwater and whose sister, Betsy DeVos, was Trumps education secretary.

In Riveras telling, he was asked to get involved by Raul Gorrin, a Venezuelan businessman who had been trying to bridge differences between the U.S. and Maduro before being indicted himself on charges of bribing top Maduro officials. Rivera, a Republican who served a single term in Congress, said he was a translator in encrypted conference calls over Wickr, a messaging app, ahead of the meeting in which Gorrin explained to Prince that Maduro was willing to swap the Americans for Saab.

Both Gorrin in Spanish and me in English made it crystal clear to Prince repeatedly that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss freeing the Americans in exchange for Saab, Rivera said.

Saab had been arrested a few months earlier in Cape Verde en route to Iran and was fighting tooth and nail against extradition to the U.S. He was joined by Maduros government, which considers the previously low-profile Colombian-born businessman a diplomatic envoy and keeper of state secrets that, if revealed, would compromise Venezuelas national security.

According to Rivera, after several back-and-forth calls Prince arranged for him and Grenell to travel to Mexico City to meet with Jorge Rodriguez, a top aide to Maduro and now president of the pro-government congress. In 2019, Prince traveled to Caracas to meet with Rodriguezs sister, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, cementing his role as one of the few American interlocutors to the otherwise isolated Maduro government.

Rivera said he was supposed to be present for the meeting as well, but got delayed while making a connection in Houston. When he arrived to the Mexican capital, the meeting at The Westin hotel had already blown up over Grenells insistence that any prisoner swap be accompanied with an exit plan for Maduro, Rivera said.

In a subsequent call, Prince told Gorrin that the Citgo 6 were simply not valuable enough to the Trump administration for a straight prisoner swap for Saab, Rivera said.

Its not clear how seriously the Trump administration considered Maduros offer  if at all. The trip to Mexico City surprised some senior Trump officials, who learned about it from reporters and worried it could undermine efforts to undermine Maduro through sanctions and ongoing investigations into corruption.

Unlike prisoner exchanges the U.S. has recently carried out with other hostile governments, from Cuba to Iran, Saab hasnt yet been tried for his alleged crimes. Moreover, his arrest was the result of a years-long effort by law enforcement that had been cheered on by foreign policy hawks and influential Venezuelan exiles in Florida for whom Saab  the architect of efforts to circumvent U.S. sanctions  was a trophy too valuable to give up before he was behind bars in the U.S.

There was no way we were going to swap for Saab. Grenell and the others had absolutely no authority to offer that, said Elliott Abrams, who served as the U.S. special representative for Venezuela under Trump. The move to detain and try Saab was an all-of-government interagency effort. These freelancers represented no one but themselves.

Rodriguez and Prince didnt respond to requests for comment. A U.S. government official told the AP the State Department is not in a position to comment on reports of deliberations of a prior administration.

Rivera said he decided to get involved in the prisoner swap because he believed Gorrin had played a positive behind the scenes role securing the release from jail of Venezuelas most prominent anti-governmental activist, Leopoldo Lopez. He also knew a few of the jailed Citgo executives from his time as a consultant working for another U.S. subsidiary of PDVSA.

That work, for which Rivera was to be paid $50 million, is the subject of a lawsuit by Maduros opponents, who now run Citgo and other PDVSA operations in the U.S. They say Rivera never performed any meaningful work. Rivera, a target of past state and federal investigations into improper campaign dealings, has countersued, arguing breach of contract.

Whatever the extent of Trumps closed-door dealings with Maduro, families of nine Americans jailed in Caracas are less hopeful about the prospects for a deal under the Biden administration.

Unlike Trump, who regularly hosted former American captives at the White House and whose unconventional foreign policy gave a boost to informal hostage negotiations, the Biden team has so far been short on high-profile detainee releases.

Mr. President, we are frustrated by the lack of action by your administration, the families wrote to Biden in a letter this month. The people-in-charge of protecting and returning wrongfully detained Americans have not even taken the basic first step of directly engaging with the Venezuelans that are holding our loved ones.

The lack of urgency is especially troubling to the family of Jose Pereira, the former president of Citgo, who over the weekend was rushed to a private clinic in Caracas for emergency treatment for a cardiac condition that his family says has worsened since his detention four years ago.

Pereira and the other Citgo executives were sentenced last year to long prison sentences over a never-executed plan to refinance billions in the oil companys bonds. Theyre being held at Caracas infamous Helicoide prison along with two former Green Berets  Mark Denman and Airan Berry  who were arrested for their involvement in a confusing plot to overthrow Maduro. Also detained is former U.S. Marine Matthew Heath, who is being held on weapons charges.

Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a veteran hostage negotiator who has traveled to Caracas to push for the American prisoners release, said the new details of the Mexico City meeting should serve as a wake up call.

My involvement and discussions with the Venezuelans and Maduro on behalf of the families of the American prisoners leads me to believe Maduro is interested in negotiating for their release, he said. I think the Biden Administration should approach this with an open mind.

___

AP writer Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report.

Follow Goodman on Twitter: @APJoshGoodman

By JOSHUA GOODMAN

Associated Press
Official: Meeting didnt impact Noem daughters application View Photo

South Dakotas labor secretary told lawmakers Thursday that officials had decided to give Gov. Kristi Noems daughter another chance to win her state real estate appraiser license even before a meeting in the governors mansion that has spurred conflict of interest questions.

The Associated Press reported last month that on July 27, just days after a state agency moved to deny Kassidy Peters license, her mother, Noem, convened a meeting that included Secretary of Labor and Regulation Marcia Hultman, the then-director of the appraiser certification program, and Peters herself.

Testifying before the Legislatures Government Operations and Audit Committee, which is looking into the agency at the center of the controversy, Hultman acknowledged it was unusual to have an applicant like the governors daughter in a meeting that she said mostly covered potential changes to the application process but included a discussion of Peters application. However, Hultman defended her departments handling of Peters licensure as keeping with the normal course of business.

Hultman told lawmakers that before the meeting in the governors mansion, state regulators had worked out an agreement with Peters to seek further education and resubmit work samples to be reviewed for compliance with federal standards. Hultman did not give specifics on how or when that decision was made but said it was not unusual for applicants to enter into such an agreement.

We should not say never to an applicant who wants to take extra steps to learn the trade, Hultman said.

When asked by lawmakers why Peters was at the meeting, Hultman said, Someone who is going through the process, regardless of who they are, has insight.

But Kathleen Clark, a law professor who specializes in government ethics at Washington University in St. Louis, told the AP the fact that Peters application was discussed at the meeting was evidence the governor had used her power to aid her daughter because it brought pressure on the government employees.

Theres every reason to think this applicant was being treated differently to other applicants, she said.

The governors spokesman, Jordan Overturf, insisted the committee testimony showed just the opposite, saying it confirms that Kassidy Peters never received special treatment.

After several hours of questioning, Republican lawmakers acknowledged the episode did not look good for the governor but said there was no evidence of direct pressure from the governor. Democrats, who hold just two seats on the 10-member committee, pressed for a deeper inquiry. As the committee concluded its meeting Thursday, it moved to submit a request for the training agreements between Peters and the Department of Labor and Regulation.

Part of the committees investigation has dealt with another official who was in the meeting, Sherry Bren, the former director of the states real estate certification program. About a week after Peters received her license in November 2020, Bren was pressured to retire by Hultman. She eventually did so this year but not before receiving a $200,000 payment from the state to withdraw an age discrimination complaint.

Republican Sen. David Wheeler said it looked, at the onset, like the governor created a conflict of interest by including her daughter in the meeting. But he was convinced by Hultmans explanation that the agreement was reached before the meeting. He also pointed out that Bren herself did not review Peters work samples.

At no point, was there pressure placed on Sherry Bren to approve the license, he said.

Lawmakers also requested that Bren appear before the committee, but she declined. She and Hultman are both barred from disparaging each other as part of Brens settlement.

In a statement to the AP, Bren said, I am at this time working with my attorney to achieve an opportunity to provide relevant facts to members of the Government Operations and Audit Committee and to correct any factual inaccuracies that were provided to them by Secretary Hultman in her testimony today.

Lawmakers learned Thursday the state had to pay an additional $19,000 in outside legal fees to negotiate the settlement agreement.

Noem, who has positioned herself as a prospect for the GOP presidential ticket in 2024, has defended her conduct by saying she was working to cut red tape to solve a shortage of appraisers. But the organization that represents appraisers in South Dakota told lawmakers they were worried about changes to the agency since Brens departure.

Sandra Gresh, the president of the Professional Appraisers Association of South Dakota, told lawmakers there has been a breakdown in communication with state regulators since shortly before Bren left her position. She also reported that delays to license renewals had disrupted business for some appraisers and took issue with recent rule changes proposed by the agency.

Hultman said the agency would work to smooth the relationship with the appraisers association.

The committee chair, Republican Sen. Kyle Schoenfish, said the committee could potentially take further action next month. A separate government ethics board is also expected to review the issue next week.

It still seems like there are a lot of questions that remain unanswered, said Democratic Sen. Reynold Nesiba. And Ill just leave it at that.

By STEPHEN GROVES

Associated Press
Some Spanish-speaking voters in a Pennsylvania city where Hispanics account for nearly 70% of the population are at risk of being disenfranchised in next weeks general election because of an error in Spanish-language instructions that accompanied 17,000 mail-in ballots, activists and elected officials said Thursday.

Berks County mailed erroneous Spanish-language instructions that said the ballots had to be returned by Nov. 18  16 days past the actual deadline of 8 p.m. on Election Day. Voters who got the botched instructions include those in Reading, population 95,000, a growing city in southeastern Pennsylvania with the states highest percentage of Latino people.

The incorrect date did not appear on the ballot itself, and Berks County sent a follow-up letter to the affected voters and enlisted Hispanic groups to do outreach. But people rallying outside the Berks County Courthouse on Thursday demanded that county officials do more.

The harm has already been done, said Patty Torres, organizing director for Make the Road Pennsylvania, an advocacy group for immigrants and working-class Latinos. Torres decried what she called voter misinformation from Berks County and said any voter who received the incorrect instructions should be permitted to return their mail-in ballot until Nov. 18 and still have it counted.

That suggestion was rejected by county officials, who said they had no legal authority to extend the deadline. The Pennsylvania Department of State, which oversees elections, agreed, saying such an extension would have to be ordered by a court.

Torres also asked the county to retain any ballots received between Nov. 2 and Nov. 18 so an investigation can take place into whether the ballots were returned according to the erroneous instructions sent by the county, in which case they should be honored.

County officials said that they do not know many Spanish-speaking voters received the botched instructions, since voters get instructions in both English and Spanish, but that about 2,800 of the ballots went to voters in precincts federally designated as bilingual.

County officials said the error happened when Spanish-language mail-in ballot instructions that were used in the May 18 primary were updated for the November general election. A worker switched the month from May to November, but neglected to change the date of the deadline, the county said.

Meeting Thursday, the Berks County Board of Commissioners took action to strengthen the procedure for having Spanish-language voting materials reviewed for accuracy.

All three members of the board  two Republicans and one Democrat  rejected suggestions made by activists and others that the flawed ballot instructions represented a deliberate attempt to suppress Latino votes.

This is not a partisan issue. It was an honest mistake and we take responsibility, GOP Commissioner Christian Leinbach said at the meeting.

Those rallying outside the Berks County Courthouse cast the error as just the latest in a series of obstacles to voting faced by the areas fast-growing Latino population, including hourslong waits to vote in last years presidential election. They pointed out that the U.S. Department of Justice sued Berks County as far back as 2003 over its failure to provide language accommodations for Spanish-speaking voters.

When is enough enough? said state Rep. Manuel Guzman Jr., D-Reading. How many mistakes need to happen before somebody is held accountable?

The ballot for Tuesdays election includes statewide judicial races, as well as local races for city and county offices and the school board.

By MICHAEL RUBINKAM

Associated Press
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  A Wisconsin sheriff who supports former President Donald Trump accused the bipartisan state Elections Commission of breaking the law during last years election, taking the unusual step Thursday of detailing the allegations publicly even though no charges have been filed.

Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling called on the Wisconsin Department of Justice to investigate the commissions decision last year to tell local elections officials not to send poll workers into nursing homes to assist residents with voting during the pandemic.

The move is the latest example of Trump supporters seeking to undermine confidence in the election in a critical battleground state that President Joe Biden carried last year. The state justice department has already said it has no plans to pursue the case, the sheriff said.

In a 75-minute presentation streamed on his Facebook page, Schmaling detailed what he said was evidence collected from the Ridgewood Care Center in Racine County. Trump issued a statement encouraging his supporters to watch the presentation.

The former president has wrongly claimed that he won Wisconsin, even though there is no evidence of fraud that would have overturned his loss by nearly 21,000 votes to Biden.

Schmaling said the families of eight residents told investigators they believed their love ones did not have the capacity to vote but ballots were cast for them. Its not known who any of them voted for in the election.

I dont know how or who they voted for, Schmaling said. I didnt ask because it doesnt matter.

The elections commission, controlled by an equal number of Republicans and Democrats, in March 2020 voted 5-1 that poll workers could not be sent into nursing homes to help with voting due to a safer-at-home order issued by Gov. Tony Evers. Evers order closed all non-essential businesses early in the COVID-19 pandemic. The order came at a time when nursing homes were severely limiting who could come into their facilities, often not even allowing immediate family members inside.

State law requires local election clerks to send so-called special voting deputies to nursing homes to give residents an opportunity to vote. After trying to make two visits, the deputies can mail absentee ballots to the residents instead.

An audit released last week, conducted by the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau, determined that the commission broke the law when it told clerks in 2020 not to send or attempt to send deputies into nursing homes. Instead, the commission directed clerks to mail absentee ballots to people in nursing homes who had requested them.

Schmaling, a Republican who was first elected sheriff in 2010 and supported Trump in 2020, said his call for an investigation into the commissions actions was not politically motivated. He said his department only got involved after the daughter of a nursing home resident who didnt think she was able to vote, but did, came to him with concerns.

State justice department spokeswoman Gillian Drummond said that all allegations of election fraud are taken seriously and thoroughly investigated, but that it was significant that the Racine County district attorneys office had not filed any charges. She said the justice department was not aware of any similar allegations elsewhere in the state.

Only four people out of more than 3 million who cast ballots in the 2020 presidential race in Wisconsin have been charged with election fraud and none of those cases are related to voting in nursing homes.

Wisconsin Elections Commission administrator Meagan Wolfe said in a statement that the discussion about special voting deputies happened over 18 months ago and all occurred in public meetings. She also referred to additional information about the topic that is available on the commissions website.

Republicans who have long been critical of the agency they voted to create, including Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, called for Wolfe to resign in the wake of the sheriffs allegations. She does not have a vote on the commission and its initial action halting special voting deputies had bipartisan support.

Wolfe brushed off Vos statement with an additional statement later, saying it would be irresponsible to spend any energy engaging a blatantly partisan and coordinated attempt to baselessly challenge the integrity of democracy in our great state.

Last weeks audit bureau report made 48 recommendations for improvements in how elections are run, but did not find any widespread fraud or abuse that would have affected the outcome of the election. Republican lawmakers said the audit showed that the election was safe and secure, even if mistakes were made.

Wisconsin also has an ongoing Republican-ordered investigation into the election being led by former conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman. Senate Republicans this week said they were also launching an investigation into issues raised by the nonpartisan audit.

___

This story was updated to correct that the Racine County sheriffs name is Christopher Schmaling, not Charles Schmaling.

By SCOTT BAUER

Associated Press
LONDON (AP)  British lawmakers grilled Facebook on Thursday over how it handles online safety as European countries move to rein in the power of social media companies.

Facebook's head of safety said the tech giant supports regulation and has no business interest in providing people with an unsafe experience.

Representatives from Google, Twitter and TikTok also answered questions from a parliamentary committee scrutinizing the British governments draft legislation to crack down on harmful online content. It comes days after the companies testified before American lawmakers and provided little firm commitment for U.S. legislation bolstering protection of children from online harm, ranging from eating disorders, sexually explicit content and material promoting addictive drugs.

Governments on both sides of the Atlantic want tougher rules for protecting social media users, especially younger ones, but the United Kingdom's efforts are much further along. U.K. lawmakers are questioning researchers, journalists, tech executives and other experts for a report to the government on how to improve the final version of the online safety bill. The European Union also is working on digital rules.

Antigone Davis, Facebooks head of global safety who addressed the British lawmakers via video conference, defended the company's handling of internal research on how its Instagram photo-sharing platform can harm teens, including encouraging eating disorders or even suicide.

Where does the buck stop? asked Damian Collins, the lawmaker who chairs the committee.

Its a company filled with experts, and we all are working together to make these decisions, Davis said. She added that we have no business interest, no business interest at all, in providing people with a negative or unsafe experience.

Davis said Facebook is largely supportive of the U.K.'s safety legislation and is interested in regulation that gives publicly elected officials the ability to hold the company accountable.

She said she doesnt agree with critics that Facebook is amplifying hate, largely blaming societal issues and arguing that the company uses artificial intelligence to remove content that is divisive or polarizing.

Did you say that Facebook doesnt amplify hate? Collins asked.

Correct, Davis said, adding, I cannot say that weve never recommended something that you might consider hate. What I can say is that we have AI thats designed to identify hate speech.

She declined to say how much dangerous content those AI systems are able to detect.

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen told the U.K. committee this week that the companys systems make online hate worse and that it has little incentive to fix the problem. She said time is running out to regulate social media companies that use artificial intelligence systems to determine what content people see.

Haugen was a Facebook data scientist who copied internal research documents and turned them over to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. They also were provided to a group of media outlets, including The Associated Press, which reported numerous stories about how Facebook prioritized profits over safety and hid its own research from investors and the public.

In one of several pointed exchanges Thursday before the parliamentary committee, Scottish lawmaker John Nicolson told Davis that all this rather suggests that Facebook is an abuse facilitator that only reacts when youre under threat, either from terrible publicity or from companies, like Apple, who threaten you financially.

Lawmakers pressed Facebook to provide its data to independent researchers who can look at how its products could be harmful. Facebook has said it has privacy concerns about how such data would be shared.

Its not for Facebook to set parameters around the research, said Collins, the committee chairman.

The U.K.'s online safety bill calls for a regulator to ensure tech companies comply with rules requiring them to remove dangerous or harmful content or face penalties worth up to 10% of annual global revenue.

British lawmakers are still grappling with thorny issues such as ensuring privacy and free speech and defining legal but harmful content, including online bullying and advocacy of self-harm. They're also trying to get a handle on misinformation that flourishes on social media.

Representatives from Google and its YouTube video service who spoke to U.K. lawmakers Thursday urged changes to what they described as an overly broad definition of online harms. They also appeared virtually, and the tenor of lawmakers' questions wasn't as harsh as what Facebook faced.
(NOTE: This is part of a series entitled "Looking Back" offering interesting glimpses into Plainview history. To coincide with the city's centennial, articles will rely heavily on information gleaned from Herald files.)

By DOUG McDONOUGH

Herald Managing Editor

Eerily like an opening scene from "CSI," the real-life drama began on Halloween night 30 years ago as five teenagers in a pickup cruised past the rural residence of two self-professed "witches."

The sheriff already had been called to the scene that evening to chase away carloads of yelling, horn-honking teens, but he was gone by the time the pickup pulled into the couple's gravel driveway, past a concrete block wellhouse.

As the pickup turned around on the gravel drive, someone stepped from the shadows and a shotgun boomed . . . perhaps twice.

Three of the five teens were hit by pellets and within an hour one of them  15-year-old Roxanne Casas  was dead.

The incident took place outside Dimmitt near the tiny community of Easter, but the drama climaxed 27 months later  on Feb. 1, 1980  in a Plainview courtroom.

Two weeks before the 1977 shooting, Loy and Louise Stone appeared on an Amarillo television station to announce an upcoming witchcraft seminar. They almost immediately became a lightning rod for Dimmitt-area teens.

According to articles written by Herald staff writer Buddy Baker, who covered the protracted court proceedings against Loy Stone, the couple became interested in the occult while at West Texas State University where Loy Stone earned a master's degree in counseling.

Both took a 366-day, $100 correspondence course before becoming eligible for initiation into the Church of Wicca. They subsequently became a high priest and priestess in the Church of Arianhu, one of five branches of the Church of Wicca. Stone ultimately earned a doctorate in Celtic witchcraft from the International School of Wicca.

In 1980, Skip Tarrant, trustee of the School of Wicca Association and operations manager of the New Bern, N.C.-based school, told The Herald that Wicca members don't believe in Satan. Rather, they believe that "each person creates their own hell, evil or Satan."

Tarrant explained that Wicca developed from ancient European fertility cults and traces its roots to ancient times.

On the night of the shooting, 50 to 100 local teenagers "were coming in droves" to the Stones' house, "spinning their wheels, yelling threats and obscenities; some of them firing guns," said defense attorney Travis Shelton during almost two weeks of jury selection.

He explained that the Stones called Castro County Sheriff Granville Martin to chase the teens away about an hour before Casas and four of her friends sought directions to the Stone house. Some accounts suggested that the teens were hoping to see witchcraft ceremonies being preformed that night.

Casas, who had been shot in the head, was dead within minutes when the pickup arrived at Plains Memorial Hospital  7 1/2 miles away in Dimmitt.

The Stones were arrested hours after the teenager's funeral amid growing tension in the community.

The trial was moved to Plainview on a change of venue and heard by 64th District Court Judge John Thomas Boyd in a crowded makeshift courtroom inside what is now the Hale County Appraisal District office since the courthouse was closed due to extensive renovations.

The Stones originally were to be tried together, but Boyd separated the cases and decided to try Loy Stone first.

Some 420 prospective jurors were summoned and 68 quizzed individually before the jury pool was narrowed to 35, and then to the final 12.

The case presented by Castro County District Attorney Jimmy Davis was obviously hampered by contradictory testimony presented by several witnesses.

There were differing accounts of whether a search warrant was served on the Stones on the night of the shooting, if the Stones were informed of their Miranda rights during the initial questioning and search, if the unmarked shotgun that Castro County Sheriff Granville Martin obtained from the Stones that night was the same gun admitted into evidence at the trial, and whether No. 6 or No. 7 1/2 pellets were found in the teens' pickup after the shooting.

Even the testimony from the teens in the pickup was inconsistent.

One testified that as the pickup pulled into the Stone's driveway, an "old" woman in her 40s and carrying a gun came from behind a pump house near the road and stood in front of the vehicle. That witness subsequently said he heard only one shot.

Another passenger testified that she saw a man who "was the biggest man I ever saw" step from behind the pump house immediately before two shots were fired.

Both Loy and Louise Stone testified on their own behalf.

Loy Stone admitted that when a pickup pulled into his driveway that evening, he yelled, "get out of there and fired into the air." Louise Stone testified that she was unarmed.

Loy Stone told the jury that he and his wife were standing in a cluster of trees next to the road alongside their property when they saw the pickup pull into their drive.

He walked between the trees and stood next to the pump house before stepping out to yell.

Then, "I got out of the way, because I didn't know what they were going to do," he said.

Stone admitted that he was frightened during the incident, and when Sheriff Martin arrived 30-40 minutes later, he related the incident to him.

Louise Stone testified that she had called the sheriff's office three times that evening because of the ongoing harassment, but that Martin didn't arrive until after the last call.

She said that when the sheriff asked for their shotgun later that evening, she was "very curious about that," but didn't learn until much later that night that someone had been shot on their property.

The defense also offered testimony from three teens who were in another vehicle near the Stones' residence when the shooting occurred. They recounted seeing a mysterious white car parked next to the Stones' house moments before hearing "something that sounded like a shot."

Two hours and 20 minutes after the seven-woman, five-man jury was asked to decide "Cause No. A-7290, The State of Texas vs. Loy D. Stone," they were ready to announce their verdict  Not Guilty.

Contacted later, one juror said, "We felt the evidence was lacking." Still, "quite a few" ballots were taken before the 12 agreed on the verdict.

A civil suit filed against the Stones by the parents of the dead girl was settled out of court three months later, and murder charges against Louise Stone were subsequently dropped. Although the amount of the settlement was not disclosed, the parents later said the Stones agreed to pay for their daughter's funeral.

The United Earth Assembly, a pagan conclave that Loy Stone was promoting in the weeks before Halloween 1977, continued as an annual event in Amarillo before relocating to Dallas about 15 years ago, after Stone died.

Stone's white Buick with personalized license tags "WICCA 1" was a familiar sight at each annual Amarillo assembly.

(Contact Doug McDonough at 806-296-1350 or dmcdonough@hearstnp.com)
NEW YORK (AP)  An American Airlines flight from New York to California was diverted to Denver after a passenger assaulted a flight attendant, authorities said.

Flight 976 was heading Wednesday from John F. Kennedy International Airport to John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana when it landed at Denver International Airport and taxied safely to the gate.

The passenger was removed, the airline said, and the flight continued on to California. The flight attendant was reportedly taken to a hospital, but details on her condition weren't immediately released.

We are outraged by the reports of what took place on board. Acts of violence against our team members are not tolerated by American Airlines, the Fort Worth, Texas-based airline said in statement.

The passenger will be banned from American Airlines flights, the airline said, but we will not be satisfied until he has been prosecuted to the full extent of the law. This behavior must stop."

Mackenzie Rose, another passenger on the flight, told CBS Los Angeles that the flight attendant was assaulted about halfway through the trip, when the plane was over Ohio.

I understand that he actually punched her twice," Rose said after landing in Santa Ana. I did see her walk back down the aisle afterwards. She had blood splattered on the outside of her mask."

The assault comes amid a surge in unruly airline passengers this year, who sometimes become violent.

The FBI and the U.S. Attorneys Office in Colorado said they were investigating. No arrests had been made as of Thursday, FBI spokesperson Courtney Bernal said.

The United States Attorneys Office takes seriously all matters involving potential threats to the safety of airline flights, crew or passengers, the office said in a statement.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it would investigate, as well.
Three people have been indicted by a Bexar County grand jury in separate street racing cases, including two deadly accidents this year.

"It's kids and it's innocent people being killed on the streets because of racing and irresponsible behavior," District Attorney Susan D. Reed told the San Antonio Express-News for its Friday editions. "I want to make it well known that the attitude of street racers stinks, and their behavior won't be tolerated."

Reed said Thursday's indictments should send a strong message to those who race their cars on city streets that authorities no longer are taking such offenses lightly.

David Rangel, 17, was indicted on a charge of manslaughter in the death of 17-year-old Jessica Santos, a Jefferson High School senior who was riding in his vehicle when it crashed into a tree. She died at the scene.

Jacob Mena, 20, was indicted on a charge of manslaughter for allegedly causing the death of Jesse Castro, a 53-year-old produce seller, when Mena's vehicle struck Castro's truck. He died instantly.

The third person indicted, 19-year-old Ernest Lira, was charged with aggravated assault for an incident that occurred in May 2001. Lira allegedly was street racing when he struck and severely injured a 20-year-old bystander, Phillip Elizondo, prosecutors said.

A conviction of manslaughter or aggravated assault is punishable by two to 20 years in prison and fines up to $10,000, prosecutors said.

The district attorney's office also charged a 16-year-old girl with reckless driving in Santos' death. The offense is a misdemeanor, which could result in a jail sentence of no more than 30 days and up to $200 in fines, prosecutors said.

Rangel was racing with the 16-year-old girl when he lost control of the vehicle, police said. He was arrested Thursday morning and was released from jail after posting $50,000 bond, according to Bexar County Jail officials.

The grandmother of Santos disagrees with Reed's actions. Olga Kypuros, 58, said she's forgiven Rangel, and says punishing him just would waste another young life.

On Wednesday, Mena was released from custody on $40,000 bond, county jail officials said.

Police still are investigating another street racing incident that occurred March 18 and resulted in the deaths of Manuel Galvez Jr. and his passenger, Victor Delgado, both 16.

Street racing has been linked to four deaths already this year.
Alamo Candy Co. has been crafting sweet and sour uniquely South Central Texas treats in San Antonio for 30 years. Founded in 1991 by Felix and Juanita Samame, the business continues to sweeten under their son Ricky Samame, who took over the reins at the company's newer and larger location on Hildebrand roughly 15 months ago.

Samame says new options have moved in since the early 1990s, but the family business remains a candy cornerstone.

"Yes, there's a lot of competition. But thank god we work with the best ingredients, our candies taste different," he says.

If you're a San Antonian, you've likely spotted and enjoyed bags of original Alamo Candy tangy treats at gas stations and grocery stores, or unwittingly sampled their chamoy or chili powder garnishing the rim of your favorite adult beverage at a local bar or restaurant. For the past eight years, the company has been importing their highly sought after sugar to mom-and-pop shops all over the world.

Alamo Candy's products are local staples, just as iconically Texan as Buc-ee's Beaver nuggets. Offering products from the U.S, Mexico and the company's own line, Alamo Candy Co. is a representative staple of San Antonio's hybridized cultural heritage and identity.

If you haven't yet wandered through the halls of the local institution, anticipate a contact sugar rush. Awash with technicolor treasures and packaging, nostalgic and modern confections line the shelves. Then there's the pinatas imported from Mexico suspended from the ceiling, just waiting to be whacked.

Camille Sauers/MySA

Camille Sauers/MySA

Sunset-hued mangonadas fill the fridges. Samame prides himself in sourcing unique and quality items. In the drink case you'll find beverages like "Marilyn Monroe Lemonade" and canned boba tea. Samame also claims they were the first folks in town to sell Topo Chico.

"We try our best to carry more than just the candies, we carry a lot of items you won't see anywhere," says Samame.

If you stop in to buy your Halloween candy this week, you'll see the shop decorated with animatronic ghouls and a new towering grim reaper figure  converting the retail floor into a sugar-coated haunted house.

Camille Sauers/MySA

While they love Halloween, Fiesta is the busiest time of year at one of San Antonio's largest candy operations. However, the month of October is when all the bags of Kit Kat, Reese's, and Snickers start flying out of stock.

Gummy candy  from bears to worms  is a top seller year round. In terms of Mexican candy, it's always difficult to keep tamarind flavor Pulparindo candy in stock.

For the best of both worlds, you can also buy Alamo Candy Co. brand "Gummy and Bloody Worms" that are "crawling in chamoy and chili" by the tub.

Camille Sauers/MySA

Camille Sauers/MySA

Camille Sauers/MySA

Since relocating, business has been doing so well they're already outgrowing the new location.

"We've been breaking records," says Samame. "The problem is we're getting people buying, buying, buying and then the shelf comes out empty because merchandise is not coming in."

The pandemic, which has impaired a lot of businesses, has actually given Alamo Candy Co. a leg up. Government relief checks have been well spent on their stock, says Ricky Samame. Since they started accepting EBT benefits earlier this year, things have continued to improve.

"Right now, our chamoy and chili powders are top sellers," says Samame.

Previous to the pandemic, Alamo Candy Co. would sell two full pallets of chamoy and two to three of chili powder a week. Now, they sell anywhere from five to eight pallets of chamoy and clear six pallets of chili powder in the same time frame.

While it can be challenging to keep up with production and deal with product prices in an ever-changing global economy, being San Antonio's leading candy man is mostly a fulfilling gig.

"You see a lot of people's faces when they walk in, it's like 'oh my god, I haven't seen this for so many years' and these are women and men in their 70s and 80s. Kids go crazy. When they come in here, they love it. They think it's a playground. But of course, we have to tell them 'OK, you can't open all this up,'" explains Samame.

"It just makes people happy."

Spending any amount of time in the colorful space will make you happy, too.

Alamo Candy Co. is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can find it on 1149 W Hildebrand.

Camille Sauers/MySA
Charles Sykes /Associated Press

NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt is traveling "Across America" next week, with stops in five cities in five days. The normally New York City-based production will be filming in Austin on Monday, November 1, to kick off its mini tour.

Anchor Lester Holt will be "taking the pulse of Americans on the highs and lows they are facing almost two years into the global pandemic," notes a release. Each broadcast will feature stories on how the past 18 months has impacted each city's real estate markets, schools, crime rates, and political systems. Holt will also be speaking to residents in each city.
As families roamed through Confluence Park during this year's Monarch and Pollinator Festival, an event designed to celebrate the power of pollinators in the area, it was hard not to get a bit misty-eyed  and not just because the role these critters play in our ecosystem.

Booths about bees, butterflies, plants, and anything you can think of outdoors scattered the green space. However, the Southwest Latino Outdoors set-up caught my attention immediately as it uniquely incorporated a striped Mexican serape blanket as a table runner. Placed on the table were maracas, wooden tree-like coasters children could draw on, and, surprisingly, information about camping and hiking at state parks.

I'm surprised because seeing camping and Latinos in the same subject wasn't something I was introduced to growing up. My family's idea of recreational fun was either playing on the streets outside or going to Six Flags Fiesta Texas, not heading to state parks or camping.

But, I felt seen and represented as a Latina and hiking enthusiast when I saw the leader of the Southwest Latino Outdoors chapter, Josie Gutierrez, embrace excited children and families at her booth with educational warmness and kindness. Founded by Jose Gonzalez in 2013, Latino Outdoors is a nationwide organization with a local Southwest chapter based in San Antonio. Its mission is to help Latino families better explore and enjoy the outdoors.

Latino Outdoors

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After serving her hours at the booth, other volunteers took over the space so Gutierrez and I could roam the grounds. While walking, Gutierrez shared how she launched the local chapter in 2015 after becoming an ambassador for Latino Outdoors a year prior.

For the first year, Gutierrez said it was just her and her family exploring nature. More and more families started to notice her efforts after she posted stunning pictures about her great adventures in Texas' beauty on Facebook. Once people learned how easy it can be to camp or hike, things started to pick from there, she said.

As she was explaining the importance of the group and its representation, I could see and hear the passion she had when it came to the organization and its families. She mentioned how amazing and fulfilling it feels to see multigenerational families embrace the outdoors for the first time and then leave her group to camp on their own.

Latino Outdoors

"We want them to be comfortable and be around others who are going to help them and teach them how to do all this," she said. "We're all in this together. It can be scary, but it doesn't have to be. The scary part is the not knowing, but once they figure out how easy it can be, maybe they can go back."

When Gutierrez invited a group to Garner State Park in September, she shared how beautiful it was seeing all the families and children stargazing at night, jumping in the river, and creating memories in nature. It reminded me of the vivid memories I have of my family going to Medina Lake one year when I was little. I remember thinking I wish we explored the outdoors even more. Sure, my brothers pushed me into the deep lake and I almost drowned, but they made up for it by giving me their Flamin' Hot Cheetos (which is something Latinos don't share).

Latino Outdoors

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In a volunteer-run organization, passion goes along way in keeping spirits high, so do donations. Camping equipment, food, first aid kits, bedding for tents  all of it costs money. In my family, forts made out of blankets in the house were the closest things to tents we were going to get.

That's why this particular Saturday was big deal for Latino Outdoors. Gutierrez and other volunteers met with retired Major General Alfred Valenzuela, representing the National Recreational Foundation, and Latino Outdoors executive director Luis Villa at Con Huevos on the Eastside before heading to the festival.

Between the tacos and coffee, the members gathered around on the patio and talked shop. It was one of those get-together Latino families have where the conversations are all over the place but in an endearing and comfortable way. My ear caught delightful chats about why groups like this need help to pursue their mission.

Growing up on the Westside of San Antonio, Valenzuela knows firsthand how Latino Outdoors is filling a void. While at the meeting, Valenzuela held court at a table of 10 people or so  most were family members of the leaders involved. The retired Major General shared stories about his family not exploring parks or going camping because it felt out of reach, which resonated with me as someone who also lived on the Westside until I was 11 years old.

"There was Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, but we couldn't afford those things," he said between sips of coffee. "Latino Outdoors is a way to get Hispanic families outdoors and make them visible because it isn't really emphasized to minorities on the Southside or Westside."

Latino Outdoors

Hoping to help fill the void, even more, Valenzuela handed the local chapter a $10,000 grant this year to support "groups who aren't in uniform" (meaning kids who aren't in Boy or Girl Scouts). Gutierrez said the chapter would use the funds to provide 13 local families with two overnight camping experiences at state parks, including all the gear, equipment, and first aid kits.

Villa (who incidentally tried his first Big Red at the meeting) said the Southwest group is among the most active, and praised the chapter for being family-oriented.

Being able to experience nature as a family is key for the group. Volunteer Lissette Cantu told me about one time when an apprehensive grandmother struggled to open up while camping with her granddaughter and daughter. She was afraid of snakes and refused to get out of the vehicle until she absolutely had to. However, after seeing her family swim in the lake, roast marshmallows, and set up a tent, she ended the trip thanking Latino Outdoors for showing her there wasn't a lot to fear.

"We all got teary-eyed when she told us, 'this was the most beautiful experience of my life,'" Cantu told me. "She was so happy seeing her daughter kayak and get in the water. Seeing her so happy made us all happy."

For other camping outings that aren't funded with a grant, Gutierrez expanded her options for the group after partnering with Texas Outdoor Family to make it easier for families to show up and camp. The program provides camping equipment and bookings for only $25 per family. It's usually about $80.

Gutierrez said all the families have to do is drive to the state park and bring any type of food they might want. The menu usually includes breakfast tacos, sandwiches, burgers and s'mores.

As everyone at the meeting said, "representation matters" and Latino Outdoors is highlighting that. When Valenzuela and I walked back to our vehicles after the monarch festival, he expressed how much it meant to him that I was even writing about Latino Outdoors. He said the work Gutierrez and her team deserve to be recognized, especially from a fellow Latina.

For those who are interested, you can join the group on Facebook at Latino Outdoors San Antonio/Austin. Camping trips book up quickly, but the group also hosts hikes, family activities, and more.
The Texas River Company is spicing things up in downtown San Antonio by bringing something locals don't see every day  jazz musicians playing their instruments while in a kayak.

Yes, it's exactly that  and it's beautiful.

While at the Mission Reach point at Roosevelt Park on Wednesday morning, joggers and nature seekers stopped along their trail to record videos of Tiny Jazz artists John Spears (on the trumpet) and Billy Ray Sheppard (on the alto saxophone). A peaceful moment flooded over the area as they played their instruments in crisp tuxedo jackets with life jackets on top.

No, they don't paddle while performing. Texas River Company associate Erik Reynolds tied a rope to their kayaks to pull them along while he did the kayaking. It may seem heavy as he's hauling two men, instruments, equipment, and kayaks. However, Reynolds looked at ease during the trip. He was in his element. It wasn't strenuous for him at all, Reynolds said.

Priscilla Aguirre, MySA.com

Victor Rivera, chief exploration officer for the Texas River Company, set up the gig to give MySA an in-person experience of his new series within his business. It was just me, Rivera, the musicians, and his two helpers Ken Rice and Reynolds. However, it was a preview of what the music sounds like along the dam that splits the Mission Reach and the Blue Star Complex routes.

Earlier this year, the kayaking service officially launched its public events. Rivera says they offer top kayak adventures on the San Antonio River  either a one-hour-long round trip to the Blue Star Arts Complex or a two-hour trip to Mission Concepcion. Every weekend, the outdoor business sets up camp at Roosevelt Park.

During the weekend of October 23, Rivera teamed up with Spears of Tiny Jazz, to test the waters on a new service The Texas River Company is hoping to add to its lineup. Spears says he raised his eyebrows at first when Rivera asked him about his concept. But the jazz musician is not one to pass up a little experimentation.

Priscilla Aguirre, MySA.com

Eight years ago, Spears brainstormed Tiny Jazz as a way to get gigs and play with friends in duos, trios or larger groups. It first started as a hobby while he worked cubicle jobs. However, Spears officially launched it as a rotating group during the coronavirus pandemic to help musicians schedule gigs. Spears and Sheppard, who's been a professional musician for as long as he can remember, have a regular show every Wednesday evening at the Vine In The Village in Bulverde.

"The idea behind Tiny Jazz is to be able to travel anywhere and play jazz for people in places that they wouldn't normally experience jazz," Spears says. "In a kayak is one of the most unique places to do that."

Musicians can come from out of town and join in on any gig Tiny Jazz might have at the moment. That's what happened with Sheppard, who had his first kayaking experience ever while on the San Antonio River. He just so happened to be playing an alto saxophone as well.

"I've known John (Spears) for a while now, and he always has some interesting opportunities," Sheppard says. "The biggest obstacle was getting into the kayak, but after that, it was smooth. It was amazing."

Priscilla Aguirre, MySA.com

Texas River Company will host the new series on a monthly basis, with some in the works for the holiday season. The dates haven't been set, but Rivera says you can follow the business on Facebook at The TX River Company for future announcements.

"We are really trying to connect more residents with kayaking," Rivera says. "That's our mission. I have so many ideas for this. Right now, we are focusing on the San Antonio River, but more trips will come."
SEATTLE (AP)  After Bryan Kangs son was born in July, the occupational therapist and his wife, a teacher, started looking for child care in the Los Angeles area. The couple called eight day care centers: Some didn't have spots for months; others stopped taking their calls and some never answered at all.

So with no viable options, Kang scrambled to find a new job that would allow him to work remotely.

I told my manager, Hey, by the end of the month, I have to transition out," Kang said. "They were very supportive and very understanding because theyre all mothers. But now theres one less body to see patients.

Kang said he's fortunate he found a job teaching online classes, but the unexpected career pivot forced him to take an 11% pay cut.

The truth is, even if he could find a day care spot for his now 3-month-old son, the $2,500 monthly cost of infant care is so high that taking a lower-paying job so he can work from home and care for the baby is the most financially sensible thing to do.

The child care business has for years operated in a broken, paradoxical market: low wages for workers and high costs for consumers. Yet the critical service somehow managed to limp along.

Now, the pandemic has made clear what many experts had long warned: The absence of reliable and affordable child care limits which jobs people can accept, makes it harder to climb the corporate ladder and ultimately restricts the ability of the broader economy to grow.

Early learning is no longer seen as just a womens issue or a childrens issue. Its really seen as an economic issue. Its about workforce participation, said Mario Cardona, policy chief for Child Care Aware of America. Its about employers who dont have to worry about whether theyll be able to rely upon employees.

Child Care Aware estimates 9% of licensed child care programs have permanently closed since the pandemic began, based on its tally of nearly 16,000 shuttered centers and in-home day cares in 37 states between December 2019 and March 2021.

Now, each teacher resignation, coronavirus exposure and day care closure reveals an industry on the brink, with wide-reaching implications for an entire economys workforce.

The national crisis has forced many people  mostly women  to leave their jobs, reshaping the child care crisis as not just a problem for parents of young children, but also anyone who depends on them. It has contributed to a labor shortage, which in turn has hurt businesses and made it more difficult for customers to access goods and services.

The decisions we make about the availability of child care today will shape the U.S. macroeconomy for decades to come by influencing who returns to work, what types of jobs parents take and the career path they are able to follow, said Betsey Stevenson, an economist at the University of Michigan.

President Joe Biden has pledged an unprecedented burst of federal spending in hopes of fixing the child care market. At a recent town hall in Baltimore, he assured parents they would not have to pay more than 7% of your income for child care. Federal money would go directly to care centers to cover costs in excess of the 7% cap. This means the median U.S. family earning $86,372 would pay $6,046 annually for child care.

Bidens plan also includes universal pre-kindergarten, which could further reduce child care expenses for families. The expanded monthly payments from the child tax credit approved in Bidens $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package would be extended for another year. The president also proposed increasing the size of a tax credit for the cost of child care, all of which should help improve access for families.

The Congressional Budget Office has yet to score the costs as the measures are still being negotiated ahead of Bidens departure Thursday for the G-20 conference in Rome. But Donald Schneider, a former chief economist for the House Ways and Means Committee who now works for the consultancy Cornerstone Macro, estimates the child care and pre-kindergarten support would cost $465 billion over 10 years. The one-year price-tag of the expanded child tax credit would be around $120 billion. The credit would cost an additional $940 billion if renewed for nine more years.

It remains to be seen what survives in the brutal negotiations in Congress for Biden's broad family services agenda, but the pandemic is proving to be a make-or-break catalyst for the future of the child care industry.

At Forever Young Daycare in the Seattle suburb of Mountlake Terrace, Amy McCoy is burning out fast.

She's spent half of this year trying to hire a new assistant for her in-home child care, but until then, the former public school teacher works 50 hours a week caring for children herself, and more doing the cooking, cleaning and administrative work needed to run her business.

At what point is my day care more important than my own family?" McCoy asked.

One of McCoy's assistants, who worked there for five years, quit the $19-an-hour job in April for a $35-an-hour job nannying. McCoy has posted the opening for an entry-level assistant on Indeed and Facebook, offering $16 per hour  nearly 20% more than the state minimum wage. She's gotten few responses and all turned her down over pay, making hiring impossible without a tuition increase.

Nobody wants to work for what I can afford to pay right now, McCoy said. I absolutely believe these are $20-an-hour employees, but I hate that, most likely, I will have to raise tuition."

The U.S. Treasury Department noted in a September report that child care workers earn on average $24,230. More than 15% of the industrys workers live below the poverty line in 41 states and half need public assistance. The sector has high levels of turnover, with 26% to 40% leaving their job each year. Nor is there much room to give among child care centers that tend to operate on profits of 1% or less.

In nearby Edmonds, Briana McFadden shuttered her business, Cocoon Child Care Center, last month due to the stress of the pandemic, though McFadden thinks she would have stayed open if there were government subsidies to stabilize the industry.

In 12 years in business, McFadden said she never raised tuition and was the rare day care in the affluent northern Seattle suburbs to accept low-income families on a state subsidy. In pre-pandemic times, Cocoon employed seven people to care for 37 children. Now McFadden plans to open a convenience store.

It really wasnt worth it to continue, McFadden said, her voice quivering with emotion. Day care is a hard business.

Tatum Russells livelihood depended as much on McFaddens day care as the restaurant that employs her to hand-bread seafood.

During a COVID-19-related day care closure in August, the single mom could only stitch together help from relatives for some of the time. Russell ultimately had to miss four days of work.

Its been a nightmare, and its not over, Russell said.

___

Boak reported from Washington, D.C.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)  The mayor of the Florida county that is home to the nations biggest theme park resorts is lifting a pandemic-related state of emergency order.

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said he was letting the order expire Wednesday afternoon.

The decision to let the order expire was made because Orange County's positivity rate has been below 5% for 17 consecutive days and the 14-day average rate was 3.5%, the mayor said. Demings said he would not hesitate to reinstate the emergency order if Orange Countys numbers rise.

Under the state of emergency, county employees were required to be vaccinated with at least one shot by the end of August, or face discipline. Unvaccinated workers also were required to be tested weekly for COVID-19, but they will no longer have to do that.

Orange County employees still will be required to wear masks indoors until the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention moves the county's risk threat from substantial to moderate. But individual private employers will be able to decide what safety precautions they want to take, Demings said.

That is a business decision they are going to have to make," Demings said.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration has threatened municipalities and businesses with fines for mandating vaccines.

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Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.
Antisemitic rallies denying the Holocaust and spreading hateful rhetoric outside the Holocaust Memorial Museum of San Antonio were met with law enforcement and denunciation from local leaders and groups on Tuesday evening.

According to the Jewish Federation of San Antonio and photos and videos of the incident, the group gathered as guests of the memorial left an event which included a live video feed from Auschwitz, Poland.

In a letter addressed to the community, the Jewish Federation says the "antisemitic hate group was across the street spewing hateful rhetoric and waving Holocaust denial messages."

Here's what we've learned since the incident:

It's unclear who the group is associated with

Photos of the banners posted on social media have "Infowars" scribbled on the side, but it's unclear if the conspiracy theorist group is directly tied to the actions. The Jewish group and local leaders call the group "outsiders" to the city.

This isn't the first anti-Jewish incident in recent days

According to the letter, flyers with hate speech have also been distributed in San Antonio neighborhoods in recent days.

Police were also called to a protest outside Cornerstone Church on Sunday during a "Night to Honor Israel." Men in "Nazi T-shirts" were part of that incident, the San Antonio Express-News reported.

According to a San Antonio Police report obtained by the San Antonio Express-News, the antisemitic group got as close as the church's doors and used a bullhorn to yell "all kinds of names and racial slurs" at security guards.

Local and federal enforcement was on site

The Jewish Federation says law enforcement from both local and federal agencies showed up "immediately" on Monday to maintain safety. Though racist, the actions are considered protected speech under the First Amendment. A hate crime is defined as offenses such as "murder, arson, or vandalism with an added element of bias," according to the FBI. The Jewish Federations letter to the community says that the protest was "aggressive," in messaging but did not come in direct contact with anyone.

What is the FBI's involvement?

The FBI is working with local law enforcement. In a statement provided to the San Antonio Express-News, the FBI said that "If, in the course of the local investigation, information comes to light of a potential federal violation, the FBI is prepared to investigate."

Austin rallies

Similar groups hung antisemitic banners on overpasses in Austin on Tuesday afternoon. The group was also present on Saturday, according to KXAN. The group responsible for that incident are "fans of Infowars," the TV station reported.

San Antonio officials stand in solidarity

Tuesday evening, Mayor Ron Nirenberg, whose father is Jewish, released the following statement:

"Amid a rise of antisemitic incidents in our community, we must stand with our Jewish neighbors and reject the hatred and ignorance that endangers the spirit of our entire city. San Antonio will not tolerate these heinous acts and we will never give a platform to white nationalists."

District 9 Councilman John Courage, whose district encompasses the area where the antisemitic gathering occurred, also released a statement saying the city has "zero tolerance" for anyone "seeking to sow hate and incite violence."

"These professional out of town agitators are hiding behind the first amendment to bring fear to our Jewish community," he says in a statement. "I want our Jewish neighbors to know we stand with them but refuse to give these anti-Semites any more media attention. They are not welcome here."

Manny Pelaez, whose District 8 neighbors Courage's, also released a statement echoing that of Nirenberg and his fellow council member.

"My San Antonio overwhelmingly rejects hatred, bigotry, and racism. Protests like these are a nothing but sleazy attempts to dehumanize those whom I call my friends and neighbors."
A former U.S. Border Patrol agent accused of sexually assaulting a migrant has pleaded guilty, according to court documents.

David Villarreal, 36, pleaded guilty on Oct. 18 to sexual assault and tamper, fabricate physical evidence with intent to impair.

Villarreal was sentenced to serve two years in the Texas Department of Corrections as to the sexual assault charge with credit for time served and 10 years of probation as to the tampering charge. Villarreal was turned over to the Webb County Jail to start his 2-year sentence.

When released, Villarreal will register as a sex offender and attend sex offender classes. In addition, he is to complete 200 hours of community service at a rate of four for one.

An arrest affidavit states that Villarreal threatened to deport a female migrant before sexually assaulting her in his vehicle outside a local Taco Palenque. Villarreal claimed that the sex was consensual because the woman had become affectionate toward him, states the affidavit.

The case unfolded on March 26, 2018, at the Taco Palenque on McPherson Road. At about 3:30 a.m., an attendant approached a Laredo police officer asking him how she could check if someone was an actual investigator or agent, the affidavit states.

(She) stated to the officer that a male federal agent was threatening to deport her if she did not provide him with information on criminal activity, according to the affidavit.

She stated she only knew the agent as David, who was later identified as Villarreal. She and Villarreal had met on previous occasions and would notice he had a gun and a badge with him. She then told police she had sex with Villarreal.

(She) added that David told her if he didnt have sex with her, he would deport her, the affidavit states.

Court documents state that the woman would provide Villarreal information on a human smuggling case. On March 25, 2018, Villarreal texted her saying he needed to speak to her. She responded at about 1 a.m. March 26, 2018, agreeing to meet him at the Taco Palenque on McPherson. She got into his vehicle when he arrived.

While speaking in the vehicle, (she) said David had told her that his supervisors had sent him to arrest her. She explained that she started to cry, for fear that she would be deported, the affidavit states. (She) said that David told her, The case is in your hands. David then leaned toward her and kissed her. (She) said she moved away from him and David again told her he would deport (her) and he wasnt playing around.

Villarreal began to touch her private parts over her clothes. He then pulled her into the backseat of her vehicle, where he continued to sexually assault her, states the affidavit.

Further investigation revealed that Villarreal was a Border Patrol intelligence agent. Villarreal was working at the time of the incident. During the investigation, Villarreal admitted to deleting text messages between him and the woman knowing that an investigation was ongoing, according to court documents.
John Jay High School and neighboring Northside ISD schools were placed on lockdown earlier today after a nearby shooting incident.

The shooting incident involving two males occurred around 1 p.m. today, October 28, "across the street" from John Jay High School, says NISD spokesperson Barry Perez.

The district placed John Jay, Jones Middle School and Mary Hull Elementary on lockdown while police secured the scene. San Antonio Police Department spokesperson Jennifer S. Rodriguez says in an email that the incident occurred at the 7600 Block of Marbach and not on campus.

Perez says no one on campus was injured, but did not know if anyone from the schools were injured in the off-campus incident. Rodriguez says she could not confirm at this time whether the males involved in the shooting attend any of the surrounding schools.

When MySA spoke to Perez around 2:30 p.m., he said parents that heard about the incident were picking up their children school at that time.

The investigation is ongoing and MySA will update as more information is available.
By Lambert Strether of Corrente.

No UPDATEs today. This is the lot! lambert

Bird Song of the Day

Hawk-Cuckoo sounds like a contradiction in terms. Where is the Eagle-Pigeon?

* * *

#COVID19

Patient readers, I have started to revise this section, partly to reduce my workload, but partly to focus more as an early warning, if that is possible. Hopefully I will have a variant tracker map soon. In the meantime, I added excess deaths.

Vaccination by region:

Bubba doing their part. Coercion works? Or boosters? (I have also not said, because its too obvious, that if by Bubba we mean The South, then Bubba has done pretty well on vax.)

57.5% of the US is fully vaccinated (CDC data. Mediocre by world standards, being just below Turkey, and just above the Czech Republic in the Financial Times league tables of this Monday). Same as yesterday. However, as readers point out, every day those vaccinated become less protected, especially the earliest. So we are trying to outrun the virus

Case count by United States regions:

Downward trend resumes. Levels that once were a crisis is now not newsworthy (presumably because hospitals are not overwhelmed, normal medical billing is about to resume, etc.).

Simply tape-watching, this descent is as steep as any of the three peaks in NovemberJanuary. Its also longer than the descent from any previous peak. We could get lucky, as we did with the steep drop after the second week in January, which nobody knows the reasons for, then or now. Todays populations are different, though. This population is more vaccinated, and I would bet  Ive never seen a study  that many small habits developed over the last year (not just masking). Speculating freely: There is the possibility that natural immunity is much, much greater than we have thought, although because this is America, our data is so bad we dont know. Also, if the dosage from aerosols drops off by something like the inverse square law, not linearly, even an extra foot of social distance could be significant if adopted habitually by a large number of people. And if you believe in fomites, theres a lot more hand-washing being done. On the other hand, Delta is much more transmissible. And although readers will recall that I have cautioned against cross-country comparisons, Im still not understanding why were not seeing the same aggregates in schools that weve see in Canada and especially the UK, although we have plenty of anecdotes. Nothing Ive read suggests that the schools, nation-wide, have handled Covid restrictions with any consistency at all. So whats up with that?

Even if hospitalizations and the death rate are going down, that says nothing about Long Covid, the effect on children, etc. So the numbers, in my mind, are still terrifying, even if that most-favored word is not in the headlines any more, and one may be, at this point, inured.

MWRA (Boston-area) wastewater detection:

Seems like a sine-wave pattern on the right. Why?

The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) service area includes 43 municipalities in and around Boston, including not only multiple school systems but several large universities. Since Boston is so very education-heavy, then, I think it could be a good leading indicator for Covid spread in schools generally.

From CDC: Community Profile Report October 25, 2021 (PDF), Rapid Riser counties:

Arizona improves. Trouble spots in the West. Upper Midwest improved. Weird flare-ups, like flying coals in a forest fire. They land, catch, but  one hopes  sputter out.

Speculating freely: One thing to consider is where the red is. If air travel hubs like New York City or Los Angeles (or Houston or Miami) go red that could mean (a) international travel and (b) the rest of the country goes red, as in April 2020 and following. But  for example  Minnesota is not a hub. If Minnesota goes red, who else does? Well, Wisconsin. As we see. Remember, however, that this chart is about acceleration, not absolute numbers. This map, too, blows the Blame Bubba narrative out of the water. Not a (Deliverance-style) banjo to be heard. (Red means getting worse, green means bad but getting better.)

The previous release:

Hospitalization (CDC Community Profile):

Finally some relief for the states of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, although I dont understand why they they have the bad luck to be so stubbornly still red.

Death rate (Our World in Data):

Total: 761,949 760,080 . Going down again, mercifully. We had approached the same death rate as our first peak last year. Which I found more than a little disturbing.

Excess deaths (total, not only from Covid). This seems not to be updating:

So how long does it take before 10% excess deaths becomes the new normal?

(Adding: I know the data is bad. This is the United States. Needless to see, this is a public health debacle. Its the public health establishment to take care of public health, not the health of certain favored political factions. Also adding: I like a death rate because it gives me a rough indication of my risk should I, heaven forfend, end up in a hospital. I should dig out the absolute numbers, too, now roughly 660,000, which is rather a lot.)

Covid cases in historic variant sources, with additions from the Brain Trust:

Look at Chile go! Also Portugal, oddly, which lifted restrictions about a month ago. Remember this is a log scale. Sorry for the kerfuffle at the left. No matter how I tinker, it doesnt go away.

* * *

Politics

But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? James Madison, Federalist 51

They had one weapon left and both knew it: treachery. Frank Herbert, Dune

They had learned nothing, and forgotten nothing. Charles Mice de Talleyrand-Perigord

Capitol Seizure

The Department of Justice Is Letting the Coup Plotters Get Away [The Nation]. The Department of Justice should be leading the criminal investigation into the attack on the Capitol. That is the entity that can not merely catalog but actually punish the insurrectionists. Congresss role is oversight and lawmaking. It is therefore entirely appropriate for its members, through the Select Committee, to subpoena documents and testimony to try to understand what happened. That helps them serve their function of proposing and passing new laws so that it cant happen again. But accountability for any crimes that happened that day is a different matter. So is any investigation into the larger criminal conspiracy that came to fruition that day. Both are supposed to come through Justice and its subordinate investigations division, the FBI. The problem is, Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray dont seem to have the stomach for all that. Oh sure, theyll go after the small people. Theyll prosecute the dude with the horns and charge the guy with the cattle prod. But when it comes time to prosecute the powerfulthe congresspeople and the financiers who aided and abetted the insurrectionGarland and Wray have shown no desire to take on that challenge.  Well, institutionally the people who should be prosecuting (Justice) are not, while the people who should not be prosecuting (Congress; see under Joe McCarthy) are not. The Cossacks, Wray and Garland  if I may so denominate ectoplasmic Attorney General Garland  work for the Czar (Biden, properly denominated). So Biden doesnt want crimes prosecuted, why? (1) Perhaps the crimes are nothing-burgers, despite liberal aghastitude. After all, the only person to get whacked was one of the criminals. (2) Perhaps Biden doesnt want to offend the other side of the aisle. (3) Perhaps both Wray and Biden want to keep a lit on the involvement of FBI informers  or agent provocaters, where the FBI has form.

Biden Administration

Joes potty mouth [Politico]. Behind closed doors, the former Catholic school boy is quite profane, according to several current and former aides. When he gets going he definitely gets going, said one White House official. In meetings with aides, Bidens vulgarities include but are not limited too: Fuck them, What the fuck are we doing? Why the fuck isnt this happening? bullshit, dammit, or just simply: fuck, according to several current and former aides. When pushing aides for better answers, he will sometimes say, dont bullshit a bullshitter.'  Indeed Whats in and whats out of the Biden framework [The Hill]. WHATS OUT: Drug pricing, Medicare for dental and vision, Billionaire tax, Paid family leave, Clean Electricity Performance Program, and Free community college.  Its important that the working class have bad teeth. Its also important that they dont get educated, and get ideas above their station. Very clarifying. Fractious Dems struggle to unite around $1.75T megabill [Politico]. Soon after the White House outlined a framework for a $1.75 trillion deal on social spending, Biden made a high-stakes appearance on Capitol Hill to sell Pelosis caucus on it. While some liberal priorities were included in the package of climate, health care and other social policy investments, others were scrapped  and multiple House progressives said theyre not prepared to vote yes on infrastructure given their uncertainty about the frameworks Senate future. The Congressional Progressive Caucus held its own meeting after Biden left, as its chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) signaled her group still had significant concerns after the presidents pitch for its votes. One of her members, Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), said simply no when asked if she would vote for the infrastructure bill after the presidents push. Another, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) answered hell no on the infrastructure question. There are too many no votes in the progressive camp, Jayapal told reporters Thursday afternoon, to pass the infrastructure bill on Thursday.  $1.75T above Manchins $1.5T is a kick in the teeth for progressives/the left and indicates no real pressure was brought to bear on the moderates; that indicates to me that Manchins number was what Biden always had in mind. As in Nevada (where the regulars gave the budget to the DCCC when the DSA took over the state party) or Buffalo (where the regular Mayor, defeated by a socialist, is running a write-in campaign with the full support of the party apparatus) liberal Democrats, gelatinous everywhere else, have spines of steel when it comes to seeing off the left. Since the end-game for them can only be to break the House Progressive Caucus with the floor vote, Jayapal and crew had better understand that its hang together, or hang separately. So much for the FDR talk, mercifully, but at least we have clarity now. Half the Progressive Caucus would be an excellent number, if true. Bribery and deference is for the likes of Manchin and Sinema; I assume progressives are now being threatened: .@RepJayapal: "I don't think the Speaker has ever brought a bill to the floor that doesn't have the votes, and right now there are over three dozen members, [] who feel very strongly these two bills need to move together." https://t.co/8opX4pLTPa pic.twitter.com/yl6v4O1v8U  The Hill (@thehill) October 28, 2021 In a sane world, a perfectly reasonable demand: .@RepJayapal says she and progressives need to see legislative text of the reconciliation before the House holds floor votes on that and the bipartisan infrastructure bill. Assuming that we're fine with that, we'll vote both bills through at the same time.  Jennifer Shutt (@JenniferShutt) October 28, 2021 Its gonna get ugly: New  Pelosi told her members: Dont embarrass the president by voting down the infrastructure bill as he flies overseas, Im told She also said she would put the infrastructure bill on the floor today and hold the vote open to get the bill through.  Manu Raju (@mkraju) October 28, 2021 Big test for AOC here, BTW. Sanders signals House should hold off on infrastructure vote [The Hill]. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Thursday said hes not prepared to support a stripped-down $1.75 billion framework unveiled earlier in the day by the White House, and signaled that progressives in the House should hold off on voting for a separate infrastructure measure. Sanders argued that House progressives shouldnt send the bipartisan infrastructure bill to President Bidens desk until they know that all 50 members of the Senate Democratic caucus support the reconciliation package. Before there is a vote in the House on the infrastructure bill, the members of the House have a right to know that 50 U.S. senators are supporting a strong reconciliation bill, he said.  A bill that must pass through Sanders committee. * * * Fact Sheet: National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality [Whitehouse.gov]. [T]he Biden-Harris Administration established the White House Gender Policy Council, charged with leading the development of the first-ever National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality, which sets forth an aspirational vision and a comprehensive agenda to advance gender equity and equality in domestic and foreign policyand demonstrates that families, communities, and nations around the world stand to benefit. The strategy identifies ten interconnected priorities: 1) economic security; 2) gender-based violence; 3) health; 4) education; 5) justice and immigration; 6) human rights and equality under the law; 7) security and humanitarian relief; 8) climate change; 9) science and technology; and 10) democracy, participation, and leadership. These priorities are inherently linked and must be tackled in concert.  Of course, if you look at the reconciliation bill, youll see that the Biden administration is giving mere lip service to all of these priorities (except perhaps for science).

Realignment and Legitimacy

Unions Take Center Stage In Buffalo Mayors Race [HuffPost]. Aside from elected officials, a spoken-word poet, and a former candidate for governor, the only speakers at Democratic mayoral nominee India Waltons mayoral campaign rally in downtown Buffalo, New York, on Saturday were labor union officials and activists. Waltons message was clear: As the only unabashed critic of corporate power at City Hall in the running for the top job, she was the true ally of organized labor in the Nov. 2 election. This is our city. We are the workers. We do the work, declared Walton, a registered nurse and former union member. We are sick and tired of those that have the most always getting everything. A few hours later, Mayor Byron Brown, a moderate who lost to Walton in the Democratic primary in June and is running a well-funded write-in campaign against her, laid his claim to the union mantle. Blanked by union members atop the bed of a truck parked in a vacant lot on Buffalos East Side, Brown singled out organized labor for gratitude that he accorded to none of his other allies. I want to thank organized labor that has stood so strong with me, he said, ticking off a list of union members contributions that included door knocking, phone calls and literature distribution on his behalf. The competition between Brown and Walton over who is a greater friend to organized labor is lopsided: The Western New York Area Labor Federation and the lions share of individual unions that have gotten in the race  from unions representing city and state employees to manufacturing workers and building tradespeople  are backing Brown. Still, a handful of more progressive unions decisions to get behind Walton, and her own forceful case that she would be a more pro-labor chief executive, speak to a divide within the labor movement that has echoes in elections across the country.  Ka-ching. Incumbent Mayor and primary loser Brown is running an exceptionally well-funded write-in campaign: Its as easy as 1, 2, 3! 1. Go to the BOTTOM RIGHT-HAND CORNER of the ballot. 2. Use a pen to FILL IN THE OVAL next to Write-in. 3. Clearly WRITE OR STAMP Byron Brown within the lines of the ballot box.#WriteDownByronBrown #BrownforBuffalo #BuffaloMayor #Buffalo pic.twitter.com/YmTRugsY5v  Mayor Byron W. Brown (@byronwbrown) October 24, 2021 Innovation: Wow. https://t.co/4olvjH4aDd  Briahna Joy Gray (@briebriejoy) October 23, 2021 Im only surprised Clyburn hasnt shown up yet. India Walton under fire after explicit Facebook comment against Buffalo Common Councilmember [WIVB].  India Waltons fitness to serve as mayor of Buffalo is under fire after a comment she posted a year ago  an insult with racial overtone against a city councilman  resurfaced. And I said I am not going to vote to defund the police because theres a thin line between anarchy and civility, Golombek said. And when the North District councilman posted his feelings on Facebook, India Walton responded with a potentially racially insensitive comment  You dont know what you are talking about tender *expletive* white man. The expletive referred to a mans genitals.  The aghastitude! * * * Race-blind redistricting? Democrats incredulous at GOP maps [Associated Press]. The Republican-controlled legislature has complete control of redistricting; its maps cannot be vetoed by its Democratic governor. A federal court in 2016 found North Carolina Republicans improperly crammed Black voters into two congressional districts to dilute African American votes elsewhere. It ordered the map redrawn, and in a separate case another panel of judges found that dozens of state legislative districts were illegal racial gerrymanders as well. The updated congressional map was the basis of the 2019 Supreme Court case. But, barely two months later, a North Carolina state court found the GOP advantage in some of the redrawn state legislative maps still violated the state constitution. Based on this and other rulings, Republicans redrew the maps once again in late 2019, this time saying they werent looking at racial or partisan data, and they passed legal muster. Then, in August, the legislature formally adopted a rule that it wouldnt consider race or partisanship in its latest line-drawing that would begin after the U.S. Census Bureau released data on population changes over the past decade. Lawmakers noted that, during the epic litigation of the prior decade, a federal court had found the state didnt have racially polarized voting and didnt require special attention to racial data. Democrats and civil rights groups strenuously objected.  Tit for tat: Breaking: as predicted, IL Dems have revised their proposal to a safer, more aggressive 14D-3R gerrymander. It's still about as ugly as before, though. https://t.co/Av1otFjvWl pic.twitter.com/Nydc9mhd4E  Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) October 23, 2021 I would imagine the maps in New York and California are also being drawn to suit. Are Identity Politics Campaign Contributors Happy They Gave Big To Kyrsten Sinema? [Down with Tyranny]. You dont always look for wisdom not even political wisdom by turning to members of Congress except in a few cases. The other day I had a long chat about the bane of identity politics with one of those few cases. He told me about a former colleague, someone we both know, who was up for a job in the Biden administration. The guy lets call him Congressman X, since hes no longer in Congress was certainly qualified for the job, being one of the smartest and most ethical and well-liked members of Congress when he served. The current member told me that our friend had been recommended by several people close to Biden and that he received an email from the transition with a form to complete. Almost the entire form was about demographics, and hes a straight, cisgender, white, over-40, non-Hispanic male without any disabling condition, and hes not the first in his family to attend college, although neither of his parents could afford to complete college. So he looked to the Biden people just like Tony Blinken, only Blinkens father founded a private equity firm and has five Rothkos in his living room overlooking the East River and [Congressman Xs] father worked for the post office and died when he was 12. Anyway, he never heard back from them. The Evangelical Church Is Breaking Apart [The Atlantic]. Bob Fryling, a former publisher of InterVarsity Press and the vice president of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, an evangelical campus ministry, has been part of a weekly gathering of more than 150 individuals representing about 40 churches. Hes heard of conflicts in almost every church and reports that pastors are exhausted. Earlier this year, the Christian polling firm Barna Group found that 29 percent of pastors said they had given real, serious consideration to quitting being in full-time ministry within the last year. David Kinnaman, president of Barna, described the past year as a crucible for pastors as churches fragmented. The key issues in these conflicts are not doctrinal, Fryling told me, but political. They include the passions stirred up by the Trump presidency, the legitimacy of the 2020 election, and the January 6 insurrection; the murder of George Floyd, the Black Lives Matter movement, and critical race theory; and matters related to the pandemic, such as masking, vaccinations, and restrictions on in-person worship. I know of at least one large church in eastern Washington State, where I grew up, that has split over the refusal of some of its members to wear masks. Is there a constitutional right to food? Mainers to decide [Associated Press]. For supporters, the language is short and to the point, ensuring the right to grow vegetables and raise livestock in an era when corporatization threatens local ownership of the food supply, a constitutional experiment that has never been tried in any state. For opponents and skeptics, its deceptively vague, representing a threat to food safety and animal welfare, and could embolden residents to raise cows in their backyards in cities like Portland and Bangor. In the Nov. 2 election, voters will be asked if they favor an amendment to the Maine Constitution to declare that all individuals have a natural, inherent and unalienable right to grow, raise, harvest, produce and consume the food of their own choosing for their own nourishment, sustenance, bodily health and well-being.  And freedom from Oxford commas (yes, in the original).

Stats Watch

Employment Situation: United States Initial Jobless Claims [Trading Economics]. The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell to a fresh 19-month low of 281 thousand in the week ending October 23rd, as the labor market slowly recovers to its pre-pandemic normal amid a surge in demand for labor, the expiration of enhanced jobless benefits, and record levels of job openings and quits by employees. Still, the number of new filings remained well above the 212 thousand figure seen back in early March 2020, just before the COVID-19 crisis hit the US economy.

Manufacturing: United States Kansas Fed Manufacturing Index []. The Kansas City Feds Manufacturing Production Index rose to 25 in October 2021 from 10 in the previous month, the highest since July. Factory growth in October was driven by increased activity at nondurable goods plants, in particular paper and printing production, chemical manufacturing, and plaTrading Economicsstics products, while durable goods manufacturing grew more moderately. 

* * *

Supply Chain: German chipmaker Infineon calls for rethink of auto supply chain [Nikkei Asia]. German chip giant Infineon Technologies is urging automakers to rethink their just-in-time supply chain strategy and instead start building up stockpiles of semiconductors as the global shortage of the key components drags on. The company, a leading provider of auto-related chips, predicts the chip crunch could last through the end of next year, Helmut Gassel, Chief Marketing Officer and a member of the Management Board of Infineon, told Nikkei Asia. Infineon is struggling with very low inventory levels of products across multiple industries, Gassel said, with the shortage most visible in the automotive sector. The company supplies a broad range of sectors, including consumer electronics, industrial machines and new applications such as the Internet of Things and smart cities.

Supply Chain: The Covid-19 oxygen crisis: How did we get here? Part 6. Oxygen supply chains [GasWorld]. Its difficult to pinpoint an exact installed base of oxygen production capacity, given the many small and large oxygen production plants globally, many of which may not be known or capacities undisclosed, while significant volumes will be captive capacity (privately owned and operated by a steel company, for example) and not merchant (customer) supply. With PSA oxygen generation gradually on the rise, it is also challenging to put estimates beside this varying range of supply capability. There likely exists a very broad sliding scale of oxygen supply capacity at any one time. What we do know, however, is both the commonly accepted utilisation rates of ASUs (production plants) and the understanding from within the industry and externally that a large percentage of any bottleneck issues sits within the distribution chain and not in production. Its understood that ASUs typically run at utilisation rates of circa 70-80% of their oxygen capacity, so ramping up capacity within the installed infrastructure should not be a problem in itself, assuming captive plants are willing and able to do so of course. The challenge is to package and transport that increased product, and ensure it reaches its destination and can be appropriately accessed/used once there. Karina Kocha, Business Intelligence Manager for gasworld, had explained during the height of the pandemic in Western Europe and North America that this was the case; that it seemed the challenge was not so much in the supply of oxygen in the market, but rather the capacity of the hospital supply systems to cope with the sharp increases in demand as they become overwhelmed with stricken patients. The problem here may be in the capacity of the hospital supply systems, which could be not enough for increased consumption. The fastest way to increase it is to bring oxygen in cylinders. The amount of oxygen can hardly be a problem. Any shortage might be caused by the delivery system, which can serve as a bottleneck between producers and patients.'  For example:

 Supply chain issues for getting testing kits and supplies remains a challenge.

 Also, many rural home oxygen suppliers are having difficulties meeting the demand for oxygen cylinders or concentrators for home patients. (14)  Great Basin Institute (@GBInstitute) October 27, 2021

I dont know the business of oxygen cylinders at all; how full cylinders are delivered, and empty cylinders returned. I wonder if the situation is as messed up as it is with containers at ports? Do fee structures mean cylinders are hard to recirculate?

* * *

Todays Fear & Greed Index: 69 Greed (previous close: 63 Greed) [CNN]. One week ago: 69 (Greed). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Oct 28 at 12:58pm. Now that poor people wont get dental, Mr. Market is in his happy space.

The 420

He gave the world the perfect pot pipe. Fifty years later, he took it to the internet [Los Angeles Times]. If you invent something that becomes known as the Swiss Army knife of pot pipes, a virtually indestructible, highly designed 4 ounces of brass called the Proto Pipe that sells more than 1.5 million units to generations of stoners, youd expect the world to beat a path to your door. (You know, that whole build a better mousetrap thing.) So why was I the only one whod found my way to the doorstep of a dusty industrial park just off the main drag in Willits, Calif.?  This is a very good example of going into the forest to find the bird  and finding the bird. Also, its fine service journalism, because I have heard this kind of pipe is the kind of pipe you need, if you need this kind of pipe.

Groves of Academe

Kentucky principal investigated after getting lap dance at homecoming event [New York Post]. A Kentucky school district is investigating after a teenage boy gave lap dances to his high school principal and other staff members during a homecoming event. Other provocative photos of spirit events at Hazard High School posted on social media showed teen girls parading around the gym dressed as Hooters waitresses and boys being paddled, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader.  Spirit events?

Our Famously Free Press

I wonder how long this will last:

Big news: As part of your @USATODAY subscription, you can now sign up to text directly with our fact-checking team  https://t.co/t3l9qAmbDn  Daniel Funke (@dpfunke) October 26, 2021

Class Warfare

Not worth the paper its written on (1):

John Deere declares accident reports confidential following tractor crash by non-union worker, per internal memo leaked to me. Deere exec says theyre not putting things in writing to prevent leaks to media, per recording leaked to me:https://t.co/z9rY6hlaku pic.twitter.com/NJZLCbKyFw  Ken Klippenstein (@kenklippenstein) October 26, 2021

Not worth the paper its written on (2):

Wow. I missed this choice detail in Deeres ridiculous filing to bust the picket line in Davenport IA: All nine people said they "personally observed the picketers' improper and unsafe conduct"  The five drivers signed prepared documents, which contained identical wording. https://t.co/5NgGGUVD9x  Jonah Furman (@JonahFurman) October 28, 2021

Now Deere is just trolling.

News of the Wired

How I battle the evil leaf blowers [Yahoo Finance]. My suburban neighborhood has been noisier than usual this year. In addition to the ubiquitous roar of gas-powered leaf blowers, there is now the sound of me fighting back. Ive been a lonely scold griping to my neighbors about their obnoxious leaf blowers for years. After a beautiful spring day wrecked by hours of nonstop droning earlier this year, I decided complaining wasnt enough. So I messaged a group of offending neighbors, telling them that every time their leaf blowers rattled my house, I would respond with a like amount of hip-hop or heavy metal blared directly at them from my 70-watt guitar amplifier. The neighbors united against me, deeming the leaf blowers essential and calling my bluff. The first time I did it, I felt nervousuntil I felt elated. About five minutes after my neighbors landscaping crew lit up their leaf blowers on a bright Tuesday morning, I put the amp on my deck, aimed it at the problem, set the amps volume to 5leaving room to escalateand hit play. Blaring hip-hop collided with leaf-blower racket in a terrible cacophony between the two houses. But after the blowers stopped, I treated my neighbors to another 20 minutes or so of carefully cultivated hip-hop thumping like a trailer for Rolling Loud. It might be unwanted noise, but now I was the one making it. Hooya. There are also a few encouraging signs it may be curtailing the abusive overuse of these noxious machines. One targeted neighbor has switched from a gas-powered blower to electric. The same lawn worker who told me everybody violates the blower ban used a battery-powered blower a few times over the summer. I waved and gave him a thumbs-up.

Still true, although for different reasons:

* * *

Readers, feel free to contact me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, with (a) links, and even better (b) sources I should curate regularly, (c) how to send me a check if you are allergic to PayPal, and (d) to find out how to send me images of plants. Vegetables are fine! Fungi and coral are deemed to be honorary plants! If you want your handle to appear as a credit, please place it at the start of your mail in parentheses: (thus). Otherwise, I will anonymize by using your initials. See the previous Water Cooler (with plant) here. Todays plant (rh):

rh writes: Old apple tree in Maine.

Bonus (dc):

dc writes, from North Carolina: This is in a lower class neighborhood, and is wonderful. They also have free copies of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

* * *

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If you hate PayPal, you can email me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, and I will give you directions on how to send a check. Thank you!2:00PM Water Cooler 6/8/2021
Yves here. The desperation of the poorest countries is set to get worse. The sorry prospects are due to a history of neglect, such as advanced countries failing to meet even meager foreign aid commitments, as well as inconsistent breaks on trade relief.

By Anis Chowdhury, Adjunct Professor at Western Sydney University and University of New South Wales (Australia), who held senior United Nations positions in New York and Bangkok and Jomo Kwame Sundaram, a former economics professor, who was United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development, and received the Wassily Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought. Originally published at Inter Press Service

The outlook for least developed countries is grim.

Promises Unkept

Half a century ago, least developed countries (LDCs) were first officially recognised by a UN General Assembly resolution. It built on research, analysis and advocacy by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

The landmark 1971 declaration drew attention to least developed countries unique challenges and pledged support from the international community. The UN has convened four LDC conferences since, with each adopting a 10-year programme of action for national governments and development partners.

But actual progress has been disappointing, with only seven countries graduating. The list of LDCs has grown to 46 as more qualify to join. With the fifth conference due in Doha in January 2022, some critical soul-searching is urgently needed for efforts not to disappoint yet again.

The failure of development partners to meet their commitments has been a major long-standing problem. Only 6 of 29 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) partners have kept their promise to give at least 0.15% of their national incomes as aid to least developed countries.

As the 1969 UN definition of official development assistance (ODA) has been compromised, the UN report unsurprisingly laments declining aid concessionality. New OECD aid reporting rules mean its numbers do not reliably measure additional sustainable development finance.

Systemic Incoherence

The UN uses three criteria  income, human assets and vulnerability  to classify LDCs. Although nominally part of the UN system, the World Bank and International Monetary Fund do not recognise least developed countries.

Instead, the Bank only uses income to classify countries, with only low-income countries eligible for concessional loans from both Bank and Fund. Thus, middle-income LDCs  so classified due to poor human assets and/or high vulnerability  are left out.

When the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) was adopted in 1995, LDCs were given more time to comply: first, until November 2005, extended to July 2013, then July 2021, and most recently, July 2034. But such ad-hoc postponements undermine LDCs long-term planning.

Instead of the current case-by-case approach, LDCs need more predictability. The grace period should be while a country remains an LDC, say, plus a further 12 years after graduation, as proposed by Chad. The 12-year grace period should also apply to other international support measures, including all types of special and differential treatment.

Limited Market Access

LDCs account for only 0.13% of global trade. But despite touting trade liberalisation as necessary for development, OECD countries have not given LDCs much access to their own markets. Allowing more meaningful duty-free, quota-free (DFQF) access is thus crucial to LDCs.

Helpful 97% DFQF access for LDCs to developed country markets was agreed to at the 2005 World Trade Organization (WTO) ministerial in Hong Kong. But most LDC exports are concentrated in a few tariff lines, such as agricultural products and textiles, still subject to constant re-negotiation.

Tariff reduction alone is no panacea, as non-tariff measures have posed barriers to LDC exports. Regulatory standards  e.g., sanitary and phyto-sanitary requirements  and Rules of Origin clauses limit LDC eligibility for preferences. Even when requirements are met, onerous procedures can still frustrate access.

Also, preferential arrangements  like the European Unions Everything But Arms initiative and the US Generalised System of Preferences (GSP)  have often been arbitrarily implemented.

Needing frequent Congressional approval makes GSP unpredictable, ever subject to capricious new conditions. Thus, some US lawmakers are demanding that GSP renewal  which expired on 31 December 2020  should be subject to conditions such as particular human rights, rule of law, labour or environmental regulation priorities.

Trade Concessions?

Despite the lofty 2000 Millennium Declaration, OECD countries have conceded little since. After the African walkout at the 1999 Seattle WTO ministerial, the promise of a Development Round brought developing countries back to the negotiating table. Launched in Doha after 9/11, with much rhetoric about global unity, there was little enthusiasmamong rich countries.

Still pushing developing countries to open their markets more, rich countries demanded they lower tariffs to nearly zero in sectors never previously covered by multilateral trade agreements, including agriculture and services.

Refusing to recognise tariffs as poor countries means to protect their farmers and ensure food security, OECD demands ignore their own heavy subsidisation of food agriculture. Also, LDC protection of their modern services  still in infancy  is deemed necessary to withstand transnational competition.

OECD countries became more protectionist after the 2008-2009 global financial crisis, later pursuing bilateral, regional and plurilateral free trade agreements. In December 2015, the Financial Times gleefully proclaimed the Doha Round had finally died a merciful death after long being comatose.

Preferential Trade?

Despite DFQF market access, margins of preference (MoP) for LDC products have been squeezed by other developing countries exports. MoP refer to the difference between preferential rates for LDCs and other rates. These may refer to Most Favoured Nation (MFN) rates available to all countries, or preferential rates available to some.

Meanwhile, tariffs have fallen with MFN liberalisation, in some cases to zero. Tariff cuts have deprived LDCs of important revenue. Aid for Trade (A4T)  purportedly to promote exports  has never tried to compensate developing countries for lost tariff revenue.

Moreover, A4T conditionalities make them less developmental. A4T is often used for trade policy capacity building  typically focused on encouraging LDCs to open their markets more, as desired by rich countries  rather than enhancing LDCs productive capacities and capabilities.

Even if market barriers are reduced, most LDCs still lack the infrastructure and support services to export much more. OECD countries demand LDC trade liberalisation even before they have developed sufficient productive capacities. Hence, even graduate LDCs fail to become internationally competitive.

International Solidarity Critical

While LDCs lot remains dismal, new challenges have emerged. For many LDCs, global warming poses an existential threat. The pandemic has also worsened their lot. Inadequate international fiscal support and the high costs of containing the pandemic meant 2020 saw LDCs worst growth since the 1980s lost decade.

The UN report acknowledges even the meagre progress painstakingly achieved on several dimensions of development, notably on the fronts of poverty, hunger, education and health has been reversed. Besides emerging challenges, the LDCs conference must also address the roots of their condition.

LDCs development trajectories and options are shaped by the global environment. Besides foreign trade, concessional international financing is key to LDC progress. The latest UN LDCs report proposes new international support measures, but recent trends suggest they are unlikely to materialise.
Officials Put A Tracker On A Dog Using Public Transportation And Learned He Traveled 30 Km Every Day Animal Rescue (David L)

Icelands Orcas Will Do Anything to Avoid a Pilot Whale The Atlantic (mgl)

How to Map a Fly Brain in 20 Million Easy Steps New York Times (David L)

The story of a tiny fossil that solved an evolutionary puzzle The Lighthouse (Kevin W)

An Ultra-Precise Clock Shows How to Link the Quantum World With Gravity Quanta (David L)

The Brain Processes Speech in Parallel With Other Sounds Quanta (David L)

Green tea discovery upends ideas about its health benefits Futurity (David L)

A physician and a philosopher on curating a good death STAT (Dr. Kevin)

#COVID-19

Deadly US Sanctions Are Exacerbating the Pandemic Globally Truthout

State Department and USAID Officials Testify on Global COVID-19 Response C-SPAN

COP26/Climate Change

China?

Brexit

New Cold War

Syraqistan

Imperial Collapse Watch

Big Brother is Watching You Watch

Assange

In a London court this morning, the Biden Admin is appealing a ruling from a UK Judge that rejected the US request to extradite Assange to the US, on the ground that his physical and mental health cannot endure US prisons. Follow @richimedhurst reporting on the hearing today: https://t.co/uNM9rwCS7j  Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) October 27, 2021

Trump

Wall Street Journal Prints an Entire Letter Trump Wrote Continuing to Push Election Lies Mediate (David L)

Thinking the unthinkable Crooked Timber. KLG:

I stopped paying attention to Crooked Timber (the shades of Immanuel Kant and Isaiah Berlin should sue for misappropriation) when one of them called me a moron for making the argument that many people who voted for Trump in 2016 had good reason and that the road to Trump was surveyed by Carter, cleared by Reagan and Bush I, graded by Clinton and Bush II, and then paved with polished granite by ObamaI see this particular post as the more genteel strain of TDS exhibited by the PMC. And a bit precious. Do these people ever leave their bubble? Rhetorical question.

Biden

Paid Family Leave Dropped From Biden Economic Plan Bloomberg. Profiles in courage. Todays must read. No surprises on what happened but describes how bodies were buried: If you really want to know why a provision is being killed, all you have to do is follow the money  Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) October 28, 2021 And progressives to be told to bend over: Biden expected to be on Capitol Hill tomorrow morning at 9am House Dem Caucus meeting, per source. The goal in part is to convince progressives to vote for infrastructure bill. Dem leaders want bill on floor as soon as tomorrow. WH hasnt announced Hill visit yet  Manu Raju (@mkraju) October 28, 2021 Of COURSE Dems are going to pass a bill. This "last minute negotiations" farce is just to set up the Biden=FDR media coverage. Biden & Pelosi did what they had to do to keep the status quo undisturbed. Manchin/Sinema played the villains. And progressives gave everyone cover.  Peter Daou (@peterdaou) October 27, 2021 New Yorks attorney general said to be planning run for governor Politico. Expected but also sets up Zephyr Teachout to run for AG.

Reported yesterday but worth not forgetting:

BREAKING: After 100 pages of legal briefing, the appellate court today denied my release in 10 words. This is not due process of law. Nor is it justice. I must report to prison by tomorrow afternoon. We will get through this. pic.twitter.com/6SuW0c7lP5  Steven Donziger (@SDonziger) October 26, 2021

Black Injustice Tipping Point

Supply Chain

Our Famously Free Press

People Arent Meant to Talk This Much The Atlantic (John Siman). PMC proto-fascists show their true colors. The subhead: Breaking up social-media companies is one way to fix them. Shutting their users up is a better one. Facebook tells staff to preserve documents amid heated inquiries Guardian

Woke Watch

CFPBs new leader is putting big tech on notice American Banker

Theranos Elizabeth Holmes accused of bilking Betsy DeVos family out of $100 million Salon (Kevin W)

Class Warfare

Capitalism Is Violence Caitlin Johnstone (David L) Warrior Met Coals New PR Strategy: Smearing Striking Miners Kim Kelly. dk also sent: a striking miner in Alabama just posted that a judge has now forbidden ALL PICKETS in the warrior met coal strike  strikers are being told to get off the picket line by 5pm or they'll he arrested pic.twitter.com/MhUUefN5Bx  union jake (@JacobM_AL) October 27, 2021

Antidote du jour (Tracie H):

And a bonus (Chuck L):

See yesterdays Antidote du Jour here.
Yves here. I know many readers wont have to worry about Medicare for some time. Nevertheless, it is an important case study in crapification and sneaky gotcha terms. Frankly, I dont understand why someone hasnt gone after Medicare Advantage providers for advertising fraud. The ads regularly say that users can get free vision or dental coverage, when no cost up to a cap is not free coverage.

I have a beef with Medicare Advantage because my mother had to pay $30,000 to go to the only skilled nursing facility in the area that does actual rehab, as opposed to warehousing, and it wasnt covered because not in her network (Medicare normally pays for up to 100 days of skilled nursing after a sufficiently long hospital stay). She also had to pay $1650 out of her hospital stay. So much for wonderful Medicare Advantage. At least my mother could afford being in a crap policy. Shes also lucky that she takes only one medication, an inhalerand even then, her crappy plan reimburses only 60%.

And more generally, the notion of being limited to an HMO or PPO is completely wrongheaded and anti-patient, yet its become fundamental to how we do health care in the US.

By Phil Galewitz, Kaiser Health News Senior Correspondent, who covers Medicaid, Medicare, long-term care, hospitals and various state health issues. He has been on the health beat for more than two decades and is a former board member of the Association of Health Care Journalists. Originally published at Kaiser Health News

When Teresa Nolan Barensfeld turned 65 last year, she quickly decided on a private Medicare Advantage plan to cover her health expenses.

Barensfeld, a freelance editor from Chatham, New York, liked that it covered her medications, while her local hospitals and her primary care doctor were in the plans network. It also had a modest $31 monthly premium.

She said it was a bonus that the plan included dental, hearing and vision benefits, which traditional Medicare does not.

But Barensfeld, who works as a copy editor, missed some of the important fine print about her plan. It covers a maximum of $500 annually for care from out-of-network dentists, including her longtime provider. That means getting one crown or tending to a couple of cavities could leave her footing most of the bill. She was circumspect about the cap on dental coverage, saying, I dont expect that much for a $31 plan.

Through television, social media, newspapers and mailings, tens of millions of Medicare beneficiaries are being inundated this month  as they are each autumn during the open enrollment period  by marketing from Medicare Advantage plans touting low costs and benefits not found with traditional Medicare. Dental, vision and hearing coverage are among the most advertised benefits.

Those services are also at the center of heated negotiations on Capitol Hill among Democrats as they seek to expand a number of social programs. Progressives, led by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), are pressing to add dental, vision and hearing benefits to traditional Medicare.

Despite the high-powered advertising of the Medicare Advantage plans pitched by the likes of celebrities Joe Namath and Jimmie Walker, beneficiaries still generally end up with significant out-of-pocket costs for many of these services, a recent study by KFF found. Thats partly because the private plans limit benefits. While people in traditional Medicare paid on average about $992 for dental care in 2018, those in Medicare Advantage plans paid $766, according to the study. For vision, people with traditional Medicare paid $242, compared with $194 for those covered by a Medicare Advantage plan.

It stands to reason there would be lower out-of-pocket spending in Medicare Advantage than in traditional Medicare, but the differences are not as large as one might expect, said Tricia Neuman, a senior vice president at KFF and executive director of its Medicare policy program.

More than 26 million people were enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans for this year  42% of all Medicare beneficiaries. Enrollment in the private plans has doubled since 2012 and tripled since 2007. Unlike traditional Medicare, these private plans generally allow coverage through a limited network of doctors, hospitals and pharmacies.

Open enrollment for 2022 plans runs from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, and some Advantage plans offer enticements such as hundreds of dollars worth of groceries, home-delivered meals or $1,000 in over-the-counter items such as adhesive bandages and aspirin.

But many seniors dont realize there are restrictions on these benefits. They may cover extras only for enrollees with certain health conditions or have a narrow network of providers or annual dollar limits, often around $100 for vision or $1,300 for dental.

All these extra benefits encourage people to sign up, but people dont know what they have until they try to use it, said Bonnie Burns, a training and policy specialist for California Health Advocates who helps Medicare beneficiaries evaluate their health plan options.

Seniors typically can choose from more than 30 Medicare Advantage plans sold by several insurers. The choice is so daunting that fewer than a third of seniors bother to shop and compare during the open enrollment window  even though costs and benefits change every year.

And for those who want to shop around, comparisons are not easy. The Medicare.gov website provides an overview of health plan costs and benefits and lets seniors compare plans premiums based on what medications the beneficiary uses. But it doesnt offer a comparison of which doctors, dentists or hospitals are in the Medicare Advantage network or provide details about limits on dental, hearing and vision care. For that information, consumers must go to each insurers website and read through a summary of benefits that can be dozens of pages long.

Mary Beth Donahue, CEO of the Better Medicare Alliance, a research and trade group representing Medicare Advantage plans, sees things differently. Medicare Advantages flexible benefit design means that beneficiaries can choose a plan tailored to their needs  whether that means more robust coverage, or more basic coverage, potentially for a lower cost, she said.

Casey Schwarz, senior counsel for education and federal policy at the Medicare Rights Center in New York, an advocacy group for seniors, said the extra benefits offered by plans have increased confusion among beneficiaries. Those benefits come at a price.

There is almost always a trade-off such as narrower provider networks, tighter drug formulary or restrictions in other areas, she said.

Jenny Chumbley Hogue, an insurance broker near Dallas and an analyst at medicareresources.org, which helps seniors navigate the program, said marketing misleads some of her clients. They see a TV ad that says they can get everything for free when they may not qualify for those benefits, she said. Its hard to know if they are misinformed or not reading the fine print.

She added that consumers should choose a plan based on whether their doctor is in that network or their drugs are covered at the lowest cost. For example, while most plans offer a hearing aid benefit, its usually only for a certain type of aid from a single company, Chumbley Hogue said.

The devil is in the details, particularly when it comes to dental, she said. The coverage is not typically what they are used to coming from an employer plan.

Medicare Advantage dental benefits are becoming more robust, though. Nearly 90% of the private plans offer dental benefits at no extra cost and most offer coverage for treatment as well as cleanings and checkups, according to a report by the consulting firm Milliman. The percentage of plans offering preventive and comprehensive dental has jumped to 71% this year from 48% in 2019.

Plans also are increasing benefits so they meet Medicares requirement to spend at least 85% of enrollees premium dollars on health services, Neuman said. Plans that dont reach that threshold can face sanctions, including not being allowed to enroll new members.

While some consumers may find the dental benefit alluring, not everyone uses the coverage. The Medicare plan may not cover their existing dentist, so they continue to pay out-of-pocket, she said.

Medicare Advantage beneficiaries use their dental benefits less frequently than people with dental coverage through their employer, said Joanne Fontana, a principal with Milliman. Not everyone buys a plan because it covers dental, she said, and its not top of mind or they [dont] think to go the dentist every year.
My position with Nashville Post has evolved since 2000 when I began work with the now-defunct The City Paper. TCP became a Post sister pub in 2008 (when I began some Post work) and folded in 2013. I have worked mainly with the Post since late 2011.

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(Natural News) British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has admitted that the COVID-19 vaccine does not prevent recipients from contracting the virus nor prevent them from spreading the dreaded China flu.

(Article by Shane Trejo republished from BigLeaguePolitics.com)

Johnson, who was elected into office to be an anti-globalist before betraying the voters, is using the lack of efficacy for the COVID-19 vax as an excuse to push boosters.

So the message is that the boosters are fantastic. The levels of protection are really very high, but its also very, very important that you get one because the double vaccination provides a lot of protection against serious illness and death but it doesnt protect you against catching the disease, and it doesnt protect you against passing it on. So now is the time to get your booster, Johnson said.

His words can be seen here:

Big League Politics has reported on how the goalposts are being moved by bureaucrats to push vaccine boosters:

Dr. Anthony Fauci appeared to redefine who would be considered vaccinated from coronavirus on Tuesday, suggesting that booster shots would be considered part of a standard regimen of vaccination.

Fauci was speaking at an interview event during the Atlantic Festival Tuesday. It is likely, for a real complete regimen, that you would need at least a third dose, Fauci told Ed Yong.

Faucis redefinition of vaccination to include the boosters contrasts with advice from 18 senior officials of the Food and Drug Administration, who have rejected the notion that the boosters will be necessary for the broader population through the release of a scientific report on the matter. The FDA officials recommended using the vaccine doses that would be used for boosters in poor countries with diminished access to the drug, recommending boosters for seniors and the immunocompromised as opposed to everyone.

Ive made it clear that my opinion has always been that I believe that a third-shot booster for a two-dose mRNA [vaccine] should ultimately and will ultimately be the proper, complete regimen, reiterated Fauci.

Scientific consensus suggests that a third booster shot can only serve to provide temporary protection from incurring the coronavirus. This contrasts with the purpose of the vaccine, which is designed to prevent infections of the disease from becoming severe to the point of hospitalization and death. Fauci defended the notion of medicine merely intended to prevent coronavirus infections, admitting that booster shots wont prevent the long-term possibility of hospitalization as the vaccines do.

The vaccine regime is likely the cruelest and most nonsensical tyranny that has developed in the history of mankind.

Read more at: BigLeaguePolitics.com
(Natural News) Residents of Ontario, Canada who chose not to get the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines are receiving calls from the Ontario Ministry of Health (OMH), reminding them to get vaccinated. There are almost two million unvaccinated people in Ontario, which has fully vaccinated 83 percent of its population.

The Northwestern Health Unit (NWHU), which covers a large area west of Thunder Bay to the Manitoba border, released a public statement on Oct. 14 saying that calls from the OMH aim to help answer questions and ensure unvaccinated residents know how and where to get vaccinated.

The OMH said that the calls are part of a vaccine outreach campaign by the Provincial Vaccine Contact Center. These obtrusive calls are targeting residents with a health card who remain unvaccinated.

According to the OMH, the calls come from live agents and are only to offer information and an opportunity to book an appointment. To get the numbers of unvaccinated people in Ontario, the government is accessing databases of contact information provided to the OMH when registering for or renewing a health card.

Anna Miller, a spokesperson with the OMH, said that they are also tapping into databases with data about vaccines already administered to citizens in Ontario. Miller explained that the OMH has the authority under section 37(1)(c) of the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 to use and link the information from these databases for planning and delivering the COVID-19 vaccination program.

The OMH can also contact individuals to encourage vaccination, said Miller. (Related: Canadian university forcing online students to report their vaccination status or be PUNISHED.)

Canadas vaccination campaign intensifies

The number of fully vaccinated people vary by region. Ottawa is the first health region in Ontario with at least 90 percent fully vaccinated population while Cornwall has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the province with 69 percent fully vaccinated population.

In various areas of Canada and in Ontario, mobile vaccine units, vaccination vans and pop-up clinics have been sent into vulnerable communities to help citizens who may have issues with language, technology or other barriers to getting their doses of the vaccine. The summer vaccine vans traveled to parks to reach youth and families in Montreal.

Additionally, British Columbia launched a widespread Vax for B.C. outreach program in mid-summer. The province is now targeting specific areas with high rates of coronavirus cases, such as the Fraser Valley.

In Canada, schools are one of the last remaining community centers that have yet to be utilized in the nationwide vaccine campaign. It is still unclear if schools will be used as a site for the vaccination campaign once a coronavirus vaccine is approved for children younger than 12.

Poll suggests tensions are high between vaccinated and unvaccinated Canadians

According to a recent poll, tensions over COVID-19 vaccines in Canada are high while frictions grow between vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.

Results of the Leger survey, which was conducted for the Association of Canadian Studies (ACS), revealed that more than three in four respondents have negative views of those who are unvaccinated. The online poll surveyed 1,549 Canadians from September 10 to 12.

The survey showed that vaccinated people consider the unvaccinated irresponsible and selfish, which is obviously not the case. Some unvaccinated citizens have been taking part in demonstrations outside hospitals and schools to protest vaccine passports and other public health measures in Canada.

According to an earlier association poll, unvaccinated Canadians are more worried about getting the vaccine than contracting coronavirus. The same poll also revealed that most Canadians wont welcome unvaccinated adults into their homes.

ACS President Jack Jedwab concluded that he expected tensions between the vaccinated and unvaccinated to worsen as governments and employers continue to push for vaccine mandates instead of allowing citizens to choose for themselves amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Follow Pandemic.news for more news related to the coronavirus pandemic.

Sources include:

NationalPost.com

CTVNews.ca
(Natural News) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Dr. Anthony Fauci is under fire for spending millions of taxpayers money to conduct cruel experiments on animals. This included one inhumane experiment that allowed hungry insects to eat beagle puppies alive.

The accusations come from the White Coat Waste Project (WCW), a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending taxpayer funding of cruel animal experiments.

The WCWs allegations against Fauci began last year when the organization released a video showing researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), NIAIDs mother agency, conducting an experiment in which monkeys were intentionally given brain damage and then psychologically tortured by being exposed to fake spiders and snakes.

Never-before-seen videos released to WCW depict distraught monkeys chained by the neck in tiny cages being tormented with rubber spiders and mechanical snakes, objects the primates instinctively fear, just to observe their reactions, wrote the WCW in the organizations report. NIH white coats sucked out parts of these monkeys brains or destroyed them with toxic acid to intentionally worsen the primates fear.

Beagle puppies tortured to death using taxpayers money

The latest accusation leveled by the WCW against Fauci was about an NIH-funded experiment to test an experimental drug. The experiment conducted in a laboratory in Tunisia involved as many as 44 beagle puppies being tortured and killed.

The heads of the beagles were locked in cages and eaten alive by hungry insects. Many of the beagles had their vocal cords removed to prevent them from barking.

Our investigators show that Faucis NIH division shipped part of a $375,800 grant to a lab in Tunisia to drug beagles and lock their heads in mesh cages filled with hungry sandflies so that the insects could eat them alive, said a representative of the WCW.

They also locked beagles alone in cages in the desert overnight for nine consecutive nights to use them as bait to attract infectious sandflies.

Lawmakers demand answers from Fauci

Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina and 23 of her colleagues in the House of Representatives have sent a letter to Fauci demanding him to address their grave concerns about reports of costly, cruel and unnecessary taxpayer-funded experiments on dogs.

According to documents obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request by taxpayer watchdog group White Coat Waste Project, and subsequent media coverage from Oct. 2018 until Feb. 2019, NIAID [National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases] spent $1.68 million in taxpayer funds on drug tests involving 44 beagle puppies, the lawmakers wrote.

The commissioned tests involved injecting and force-feeding the puppies an experimental drug for several weeks, before killing and dissecting them. This is a reprehensible misuse of taxpayer funds.

On Monday, Oct. 25, during an appearance on Fox News, Mace accused Fauci of sending puppies to slaughter using taxpayer dollars.

According to Mace, she and her office immediately began investigating the accusations against Fauci. What she found was almost $2 million in taxpayer dollars spent just to kill 44 beagle puppies.

Why are we wasting this kind of money on these kinds of barbaric and gruesome scientific experiments on these sweet and innocent animals? asked Mace. These poor dogs killing them with our money. Terrible. We would never do this here in the U.S.

Its disgusting. And its as if those lies about [Wuhan coronavirus] COVID-19 were not bad enough, now there is this. The more I learn about what is going on with taxpayer dollars and these grants that were sending to other countries overseas, literally the worse it gets, Mace continued. (Related: NIH confesses to funding gain-of-function coronavirus research in Wuhan, proving Fauci a liar.)

I have been an animal rights activist for a long time. I promise to work across the aisle with Democrats and Republicans when we agreed on an issue. This is one where millions of Americans agree. This should stop immediately.

Mace hopes the country can come together in a bipartisan fashion to prevent any animals from being subjected to such cruelty.

Its devastating. If this is what will bring our country together to do the right thing to save these animals from slaughter in the future, I am for it, said Mace. Dr. Fauci has got to be held accountable for everything he has done to this country in the last years. Its devastating.

Follow Evil.news for more news related to cruel and sadistic experiments on animals.

Sources include:

The-Sun.com

Breitbart.com

NYPost.com

FoxNews.com
(Natural News) In a 17-0 decision, an FDA committee has codified medical atrocities against innocent children across America by voting to approve emergency use of covid vaccines in children aged 5  11.

Importantly, there is no medical need for children aged 5  11 to take covid vaccines at all, given that their mortality rate from covid infections is nearly zero.

Because of the near-zero mortality rate, there is no benefit that can be offered by the vaccines. Only risks. And these vaccines are incredibly risky, having already killed an estimated 250,000 Americans so far (and counting). Source: Dr. Zev Zelenko.

This means the FDA panel members, by approving this deadly vaccines for children, are carrying out medical genocide against innocent children on a scale never even imagined by Third Reich medical experiments doctor Josef Mengele.

The White House now plans to assault 28 million children with vaccine violence, and the mass slaughter of innocents is being carried out like clockwork. The only question remains: Will the slaughter of innocent children finally be enough to awaken America to the genocidal evil of Big Pharma and its captured regulators like the FDA?

Find more answers in todays Situation Update podcast below

NPR admits emergency rooms across America are swamped with organ failures and serious illness it looks like a wave of vaccine injuries

As weve documented numerous times, covid vaccines destroy the innate immune system. This is part of their functional design, for if they didnt suppress immunity, the vaccines mRNA strands would be attacked and destroyed by the immune system before they could infect human cells and take over the protein synthesis of ribosomes.

Current estimates show that people who have taken mRNA-based covid vaccines (Moderna and Pfizer) lose about 5% of their innate immune function each week. After about 20 weeks, they are characterized as AIDS patients who have little to no functioning immunity against in-the-wild pathogens such as common colds and flu viruses.

Beyond merely theoretical, this phenomenon is now being confirmed by the swamping of US hospital emergency rooms with post-vaccine patients who are exhibiting extreme levels of sickness against common health insults. ERs are now swamped with seriously ill patients  but many dont even have COVID, reported NPR.org yesterday. Running out of ER rooms, patients are being treated in reclining chairs placed in hallways. From the NPR story: (emphasis added)

Months of treatment delays have exacerbated chronic conditions and worsened symptoms. Doctors and nurses say the severity of illness ranges widely and includes abdominal pain, respiratory problems, blood clots, heart conditions and suicide attempts, among others.

A separate section of the hospital was turned into an overflow unit. Stretchers stack up in halls. The hospital has even brought in a row of brown reclining chairs, lined up against a wall, for patients who arent sick enough for a stretcher but are too sick to stay in the main waiting room.

There is no privacy, as Alejoz Perrientoz just learned. He came to the ER this particular morning because his arm has been tingling and painful for over a week now. He can no longer hold a cup of coffee. A nurse gave him a full physical exam in the brown recliner, which made him self-conscious about having his shirt lifted up in front of strangers. I felt a little uncomfortable, he whispers. But I have no choice, you know? Im in the hallway. Theres no rooms.

[Notice that the tingling arm is a typical consequence stemming from vaccine injury and blood clots]

We are hearing from members in every part of the country, says Dr. Lisa Moreno, president of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM). The Midwest, the South, the Northeast, the West  they are seeing this exact same phenomenon.

NPR, of course, utterly fails to link any of this with vaccines, even when patients are being diagnosed with blood clots, heart conditions, breathing difficulty and the tingling of extremities. These are all vaccine side effects, yet no one in the media will dare report that truth.

The upshot is that emergency rooms are being overrun with vaccine injured patients and its not even November yet. Imagine what the scene looks like in mid-January.

This is one of those we told ya so moments, it seems, when the vaccine zealots realize theyre already dead because they foolishly believed a depopulation weapon system was a beneficial vaccine. Without question, millions of vaccinated Americans will be dead or health compromised before Spring. What were seeing now is just the leading edge of the health care catastrophe yet to be fully realized.

Find more details in todays Situation Update podcast here:

Brighteon.com/0b12e476-5181-40f9-b43d-47b92e766296

Find news interviews and podcasts each day at:

https://www.brighteon.com/channels/hrreport
(Natural News) Chicago police officers are being forced to get vaccinated against the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) and report their vaccination status. Failure to comply means they may be punished or potentially lose their jobs. After hearing about the plight of officers in Chicago, officials in the neighboring state of Indiana are throwing the doors open to disgruntled cops, with the assurance that their rights as American citizens will not be violated.

As of Oct. 15, all of the Chicago Police Departments 12,000 or so officers are required to report their vaccination status. Those who chose not to get vaccinated are required to get tested for COVID-19 twice weekly. Non-compliance will result in a no pay status.

According to Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown, 67 percent of officers have already entered their information into the citys database. Out of those, 82 percent are vaccinated.

In a now-deleted tweet, Indiana State Police spokesman Sgt. Glen Fifield welcomed cops from Chicago. The tweet read: Hey Chicago police officers, were hiring! No vaccine mandate  lower taxes, great schools, welcoming communities.

Chicago police officers who dont follow the vaccine mandate can have their pay and powers suspended. To date, at least 21 officers were already facing those consequences, said Brown. At least 4,000 officers have yet to disclose their vaccine status. (Related: The vaccine mandate is a hoax, and no entity or person in America is obliged to follow it.)

Chicagos Fraternal Order of Police has criticized coronavirus vaccine mandates. Members have even clashed with city officials on the issue publicly and encouraged officers to practice their freedom of choice and not comply.

One judge has already ordered John Catanzara, the local union president, to stop making statements. The citys attorney also accused Catanzara of municipal sedition and treason.

Earlier in October, Catanzara said Chicagoans should expect a lot less officers on the street because of oppressive coronavirus mandates.

Braun: Respect police officers

Some Indiana officials have offered to help police officers in Chicago, even promising that vaccination wont be a requirement if they seek employment in the state. Sen. Mike Braun took to Twitter to offer support to police officers from Chicago.

Braun said his office stands ready to help connect Chicago police officers to an Indiana police department that is hiring now and doesnt have a vaccine mandate.

In a statement to Fox News, Braun said Chicagos police officers deserve respect that they arent being shown, and they wont suffer the same government overreach in Indiana. Police officers have one of the hardest jobs and they deserve respect instead of losing their pay or being fired for not complying with a strict vaccine mandate, added Braun.

Steve Scheckel, chief of police in Munster, Indiana, echoed Brauns sentiment. He expressed his desire to help officers who want a better quality of life for their family after being fired from their jobs.

Scheckel said his department, which doesnt have a vaccine mandate, has already employed one officer from Chicago. While Munster is 30 minutes away from Chicago, Scheckel said that its rated one of the 10 safest cities in the state of Indiana.

Catanzara clarified that police officers are not refusing to protect the citizens of Chicago. Instead, the city is refusing to let them protect the citizens of the state by enforcing the vaccine mandate without considering their right to health freedom.

If officers lose their jobs because of the vaccine mandate, several suburban counties surrounding Chicago said that their police departments will not help police the city.

Visit Pandemic.news for more articles related to vaccine mandates and coronavirus pandemic.

Sources include:

KansasCity.com

Fox32Chicago.com

Twitter.com 1

Twitter.com 2
The FBI under former director Robert Mueller stands accused of staging a hoax in Madisonville, Tennessee in 2010 to falsely entrap a man on a rare gun charge  and that case is now used as precedent to prosecute a January 6 protester on the same rare gun charge.

(Natural News) (Article by Patrick Howley republished from NationalFile.com)

Evidence provided to National File suggests that Muellers FBI completely invented the details of a supposed militia attempt to take over a courthouse, framing a man named Darren Wesley Huff. One of Muellers top deputies is alleged to have provided a false statement that contradicts numerous other sworn statements and evidence in the case.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) opened an investigation into Muellers conduct, according to documented evidence presented below and in audio recordings obtained by NATIONAL FILE in which a witness in the case speaks to TBI investigators. Muellers FBI coordinated on the takedown of Huff with the left-wing Fogbow activist organization led by a leftist named PJ Foggy, who wears a hammer and sickle hat, according to PJ Foggys admissions.

Guy Reffitt has been charged under the firearm provision of the rioting statute, stemming from the January 6 Election Integrity protest in Washington, D.C. in which Capitol Police allowed pro-Trump demonstrators to peacefully enter the Capitol building.

Prosecutors claim that Reffitt transported two guns, an AR-15 and a Smith & Wesson, to Washington, D.C., even though Reffitts lawyer argues that theres no evidence whatsoever that Reffitt was armed at the Capitol.

Its the latest charge against Reffitt, after he pleaded not guilty to three other charges. Its a charge that has very concerning implications for the justice system going forward, since people can now be charged with a crime simply for having firearms if the government thinks they are going to a protest. And its a charge that insiders believe is propped up by a hoax.

The Washington Post reported on Reffitt and the federal rioting statute, noting that the precedent used to prosecute Reffitt is based on the case of another man named Darren Wesley Huff.

The Washington Post reported: In 2015, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit upheld the law, saying the statute does not criminalize speech or any protected rights. Unlawful conduct is not protected conduct, a three-judge panel ruled, upholding the 2011 conviction at trial of Darren Wesley Huff, a former Georgia militia member found guilty of bringing an AK-47 rife, Colt .45-caliber handgun and 300 rounds of ammunition and trying to rally others to take over a Monroe Co. (Tenn.) courthouse after a grand jury wouldnt charge President Barack Obama with treason. (Washington Post passage concludes).

But theres a big problem with that precedent. It turns out, according to massive evidence including eyewitness sworn affidavits and photographic evidence provided to this outlet, Darren Wesley Huff never actually tried to take over the courthouse in Tennessee, and Robert Muellers FBI allegedly fabricated the case.

The DOJ / FBI are using a DOJ / FBI manufactured domestic terrorist hoax gun charge conviction as precedent to target Mr. Guy Reffitt for prosecution on a gun charge regarding Mr. Reffitts attendance at the U.S. Capitol rally on 6 January 2021, Walter Fitzpatrick, a witness in the Huff case, tells NATIONAL FILE.

The federal precedent results from the DOJ / FBI targeting Mr. Darren Wesley Huff in 2010 accusing Navy Veteran Huff of traveling from Georgia to Tennessee on 20 April 2010 to a trailer park courthouse in Madisonville, Tennessee. The federal accusation accuses of traveling across state lines with guns with intent to riot. Its all an FBI manufactured hoax. Mr. Huff was never at the courthouse. The 12 or so other men Van Balen talks about are ghosts. No one at the courthouse on 20 April 2010 was armed, saving for law enforcement officials, Walter Fitzpatrick said, noting that a sheriffs deputy told him that the entire exercise was good for training.

At the time, Fitzpatrick was calling for then-President Barack Obama to be investigated. He was accused of attempting to make citizens arrests of local officials who refused to investigate Obama, prompting Huff and others to come to his defense in Madisonville. Huff was ultimately convicted of one count and acquitted of another, though the jury initially came back hung.

The FBI under Mueller declared his anticipated activity on 20 April 2010 a federal police emergency. Their law enforcement presence is the stuff of legend around East Tennessee. Hundreds of officers, many in camo, snipers on roofs and in windows, roadblocks into and out of Madisonville, helos (plural) airborne, pixelated pole cameras, Walter Fitzpatrick said.

An Oath Keeper has footage of the traffic stop of Darren Wesley Huff, who never actually went to the courthouse.



No one was arrested on the date in question. Huff was arrested 10 days later on April 30 after he was pulled over on Interstate 35 based on a warrant stemming from a federal affidavit from Mueller henchman Mark Van Balen that witnesses claim is fabricated. Van Balens affidavit is dated April 26, six days after the protest.

A photo of the crowd of protesters outside the courthouse that day shows women and children, and clearly shows that Huff did not lead a band of 12 armed men to take over the courthouse. Huff is not in the photograph because he was not at the courthouse. In fact, Darren Wesley Huff was at a restaurant during the peaceful protest.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation opened an investigative case file on Muellers conduct, according to the 2018 document presented below. Fitzpatrick spoke with TBI investigators about the case, as documented on audio recordings.

Mark Van Balens affidavit stated, allegedly falsely:

SWORN AFFIDAVIT OF WILLIAM R. LOOMAN, former Sergeant of the Marines, drill instructor at Paris Island, he traveled with Darren Huff that day on April 20 from Georgia, never left his sight or his side:

2013 SWORN AFFIDAVIT FROM JOHN IVENS: To Whom It May Concern: On 20 April 2010, I did attend a hearing for arraignment of Walter Fitzpatrick in Madisonville, Tennessee. I was one who had to stay outside and await the outcome of the arraignment. All around me were law officers and only a few others, like myself, awaiting the outcome. During this time, I heard no derogatory comments about the government or anyone involved in this situation that would have caused alarm in anyone. I, myself, had no weapon, neither did I observe anyone else other than officers with weapons. No threatenings [sic] were made toward anyone. I had coffee with Mr. Fitzpatrick and Mr. Huff in Donnas cafe along with 8-10 others who had showed up for the hearing during a break.

I heard nothing threatening out of either and none of us were armed. The only conversation was as you would imagine given the circumstances but nothing harmful to anyone. Later I had FBI appear at my door, I guess from obtaining tag numbers while we were there, asking me about my trip and why I was there?

They seemed to have the impression that I and members of the group were armed. I informed that that was a lie. I did feel they were invading my privacy and right to go where I wanted when I wanted and asked them to leave which they did. I have heard about Mr. Fitzpatricks situation since that time and feel this is a travesty against all we have been taught and believe about our government. It should never have happened but I have not heard any threats against anyone regarding this situation.

I am a U.S. citizen and former military also an Oath Keeper who feels that this was my right and duty to attend this meeting. I was unarmed and did no harm to anyone, just a bystander and a coffee drinker. These were my rights and I feel I was well protected by the outrageous number of law enforcement that day who were using our tax dollars.

PJ FOGGY SPILLLS THE BEANS: PJ Foggy, a blogger who wears a hammer and sickle hat and is part of the leftist FOGBOW network stated, Were the ones who got more than 100 cops ready for Cdr. Walt Fitzpatrick, when he showed up on April 20 with a group of armed men who thought theyd take over the Monroe County courthouse.

Here are is a photo of PJ Foggy followed by his admission that he played a role in what insiders believe was a Mueller hoax:

Read more at: NationalFile.com
(Natural News) The effects of the severe ongoing drought in South America can be felt throughout the continent, with the second-longest river there, the Parana River, hitting a 77-year low that is compromising commercial shipping, fishing and the drinking water supply of 30 million people.

Paraguay is being especially hard hit. The landlocked nation of seven million inhabitants depends on the Parana and Paraguay Rivers, which have been drying up significantly in the most extreme drought seen there since the 1940s.

The pair of rivers power this countrys grain, cattle and fruit industries. The country, which is roughly the size of California, gets drinking water from the rivers, which also serve as ways of connecting Paraguay to the world around it. They provide the means of moving agricultural exports that feed 80 million people abroad and allow fertilizers, chemicals, fuel and machinery to make their way into the country.

All told, Paraguay uses its rivers for 96 percent of its commerce, so the effects of the drought have been devastating. The water levels at one important port on the Parana River were so low recently that barge convoys were unable to haul grain for export. Instead, it had to be loaded onto trucks and brought down to the deeper Paraguay River, where barges were able to be loaded, albeit at 50 percent capacity.

However, this is an unsustainable way of doing business. The Wall Street Journal reports that the trucks can carry just 30 tons of grain compared to the 2,000-ton capacity of barges. The convoy of barges normally used for this can haul a total of 30,000 tons; it would take 350 trucks to accomplish the same feat.

Brazils energy grid in danger

Meanwhile, at Itaipu, the second biggest dam in electricity production in the world, Superintendent of Operations Hugo Zarate said its been a quarter of a century since such little energy was produced there, with the drought only worsening and water flow continuing to decline. Water flow has been down by more than 30 percent since 2019 at the dam, whose revenue is expected to drop 40 percent this year.

This is impacting the energy grid in Brazil, which gets around 11 percent of its power from Itaipu.

The dam is run jointly by Paraguay and Brazil. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has asked citizens to avoid elevators and find other ways to cut down on power use, while Vice President Hamilton Mourao has warned that energy rationing could occur thanks to the drought.

Deforestation in the Amazon is said to be contributing to the problem by leading to a hotter and drier growing season due to lower rainfall.

Drought unlikely to end any time soon

The droughts are being followed by spells of cold weather with temperatures low enough to devastate crops. Some farmers have reported yield drops of 60 percent per acre for corn and wheat compared to 2018, while the prices of fertilizers and gasoline are climbing thanks to the challenges of importing them on rivers that are now too shallow to safely navigate.

It is also impacting fishermen, with the low water levels causing a lack of oxygen that is inhospitable to fish. One fisherman said that a week of fishing normally yields around 20 or 30 kilos; a recent extended fishing trip, however, yielded just one 2.5-kilo salmon.

A Paraguayan scientist, Dr. Norman Breuer, said that more drought conditions are expected for this year thanks to the La Nina weather phenomenon. While that may not mean there will be no rain at all, it will likely continue to be significantly less than the historic median.

Sources for this article include:

WSJ.com

BBC.com
(Natural News) The Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic forced millions of students to learn through online classes. Studying online suddenly doesnt sound that bad for one Colorado Springs student who was forced to tape her mask to her face.

The teenaged girl, a student at Academy School District 20, said that she was forced to tape her mask to her face while at school. According to the students mother, the incident occurred because the students face mask kept falling off while she was in class.

The school district explained that it started getting reports about this happening at Chinook Trail Middle School in mid-October. Its still unclear what happened leading up to the mask taping incident. (Related: Segregation returns to America as universities threaten, harass, intimidate unvaxxed students.)

Allison Cortez, chief communications officer for District 20, advised others not to speculate on the matter. Because of social media, we now have so many other voices in the mix that may not have been involved and so now theres misinformation thats mingled in with actual facts, warned Cortez.

According to reports, the same thing happened to some other students in Colorado Springs. After finding out about the incident, concerned parents are now demanding answers.

It is believed that teachers are forcing middle school students to tape their masks to their faces. Over 100 students and staff members are being interviewed for the investigation.

Student: Teachers have been enforcing taped masks policy for weeks

Parent Stephanie M. first posted on social media a picture of her sixth-grade daughter from Chinook Trail Middle School with a mask taped to her face. She asked on her post if other parents knew about a policy of taped masks. The mother also wanted to know if other students have experienced the same thing.

Her daughter said that teachers have been enforcing the taped masks policy for weeks.

Parent Tori Skeldum added that her daughter said teachers were carrying the masking tape around their wrists like bracelets. When teachers saw someones mask fall down, they would tape the mask to the students face.

While Academy School District 20 enforced a mask mandate since Sept. 27 because a lot of students were forced to quarantine, parents said that the district is going too far by taping masks to childrens faces. The district said an email was sent out to parents about the situation.

Cortez said that there were rumors that the students taped the masks to their faces on their own. Because there are many versions of the story, Cortez emphasized the need to talk to all students and find out the truth.

The principal of Chinook Trail Middle School requested a meeting with Stephanie and her daughter to discuss what happened. However, Stephanie declined the invitation.

Stephanie is now seeking advice from an attorney while her daughter will attend school online until the investigation is complete. The district encompasses the northern part of Colorado Springs and the area surrounding the Air Force Academy. Officials asked the public for patience while theyre investigating the incident.

Visit CampusInsanity.com to learn more about these shocking incidents amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Sources include:

Denver.CBSLocal.com

Fox21News.com
(Natural News) More and more teenaged girls around the world have been showing up at doctors offices with tics since the start of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Doctors suspect that the social media app TikTok is one of the factors behind it.

Tics, or physical jerking movements and verbal outbursts, are movement disorders that had doctors stumped at first. Girls with tics are rare in general, but theres an unusually high number of teen girls who suddenly developed the disorder recently.

After months of studying the patients and consulting with other specialists from top pediatric hospitals in the U.S., Canada, Australia and the U.K., doctors discovered that these girls had something in common: TikTok.

Doctors say that the girls had been watching videos of TikTok influencers who said they had Tourette syndrome, a nervous-system disorder that causes people to make repetitive and involuntary movements or sounds. While no one has tracked these cases nationally, pediatric movement-disorder centers across the U.S. are reporting an increasing number of teen girls who have experienced similar tics. (Related: Hypnosis Helps Reduce Symptoms of Tourette Syndrome.)

A neurologist at Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center who specializes in pediatric movement disorders and Tourette syndrome said that he has seen about 10 new cases of teens with tics a month since March 2020. Before the pandemic, his clinic has seen about one a month.

Specialists from other major institutions also reported similar cases, with Texas Childrens Hospital seeing approximately 60 teens with such tics since March 2020. Before that, they only saw one or two cases a year.

At the Johns Hopkins University Tourettes Center, 10 to 20 percent of pediatric patients described having acute-onset tic-like behaviors  a significant increase from 2 to 3 percent a year before the pandemic.

Rush University Medical Center in Chicago said it saw 20 patients with these tics from March to June this year, up from 10 the entire 2020.

Doctors say that most of these teens have already previously been diagnosed with anxiety or depression that was brought on or exacerbated by the pandemic. Physical symptoms of psychological stress can manifest in ways that patients have seen in others. In most cases, they had witnessed the seizures of relatives with epilepsy.

Tic-like behaviors on TikTok

When doctors in the U.K began studying the phenomenon in January, they found plenty of tic-like behaviors that these teens can see on TikTok. Some of the videos contain #tourettes, which has about 4.8 billion views now.

In a separate study, researchers said that there had been reports of tic-like behaviors starting after watching videos on TikTok and YouTube showing persons allegedly having Tourette syndrome.

However, many of these videos show movement and vocalizations not typically present in Tourette syndrome, including predominantly complex, variable and often continuous movements and elaborated and variable swearing and offensive phrases, the authors said.

When data was analyzed, patients were found to have a primary tic disorder and some were found to have rapid onset functional tic-like behaviors or FTLBs. Of the 20 patients exhibiting FTLB symptoms, 17 had no previous history of tics, while three had mild simple tics earlier in childhood.

The patients exhibited symptoms ranging from the repetition of random words, curse words or even obscene, offensive or derogatory statements. Others had complex hand and arm movements such as clapping, pointing or throwing objects. Others also exhibited behavioral issues such as hitting or banging parts of their body, other people or objects.

The safety and well-being of our community is our priority, and were consulting with industry experts to better understand this specific experience, a representative from TikTok said.

Some doctors say that while the number of patients they are seeing is much higher than before, it isnt necessarily an epidemic.

There are some kids who watch social media and develop tics and some who dont have any access to social media and develop tics. I think there are a lot of contributing factors, including anxiety, depression and stress, Dr. Joseph McGuire from Johns Hopkins said.

Many doctors also question the stated diagnoses of some Tourette TikTokers and say that the behaviors of these mostly female influencers dont look like Tourette syndrome to them. The condition affects far more boys than girls and tends to develop gradually over time from a young age. The tics can also be treated with medication.

Despite the TikTokers claims, Dr. Donald Gilbert from the Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center said that the symptoms of teens who watched them are real and likely represent functional neurological disorders, which are afflictions that include vocal tics and abnormal body movements not tied to underlying diseases.

To unlearn these tics, cognitive behavioral therapy may be needed. Staying off TikTok can help, too.

Read more about Tourette syndrome and other neurological conditions at Health.news.

Sources include:

WSJ.com

ADC.BMJ.com

CTVNews.ca
(Natural News) A new comprehensive study has found that higher Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination rates were not associated with fewer cases.

Most scientists that are in favor of the COVID-19 vaccines claim that they are highly effective at reducing the risk of developing severe COVID-19 symptoms. But multiple studies have shown that the vaccine barely reduces symptoms and virus transmissibility. (Related: Top scientists release study warning against COVID-19 vaccines, demand an immediate end to vaccinations.)

Another study published on Sept. 30 adds to the growing list of evidence that proves the ineffectiveness of vaccines.

This study, published in the European Journal of Epidemiology, a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal, has found no apparent relationship between vaccine acceptance rates and decreasing COVID-19 cases.

The study was conducted by researchers from the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies and the Turner Fenton Secondary School in Canada. It relied on data gathered online regarding COVID-19 cases and vaccination rates in 168 countries and 2,947 counties in the United States.

The study concluded that higher vaccination rates did not result in fewer COVID-19 cases.

At the country-level, there appears to be no discernable relationship between percentage of population fully vaccinated and new COVID-19 cases in the last seven days, wrote the researchers. In fact, the trend line suggests a marginally positive association such that countries with higher percentage of population fully vaccinated have higher COVID-19 cases per one million people.

The researchers compared countries like Iceland and Portugal, which both have over 75 percent of their population fully vaccinated at the time they conducted the study, to countries like Vietnam and South Africa which only have around 10 percent of their population fully vaccinated. Iceland and Portugal have more COVID-19 cases per one million people than Vietnam and South Africa.

The researchers came to a similar conclusion after examining nearly all the counties in the United States. They said there appears to be no significant signaling of COVID-19 cases decreasing with higher percentages of population fully vaccinated.

The sole reliance on vaccination as a primary strategy to mitigate COVID-19 and its adverse consequences needs to be re-examined, especially considering the delta (B.1.617.2) variant and the likelihood of future variants, wrote the researchers.

The researchers said public health strategies need to focus more on non-vaccine pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions. Such course correction, especially with regards to the policy narrative, becomes paramount with emerging scientific evidence on real world effectiveness of the vaccines.

COVID-19 spreads fast in states with high vaccination rates

Jonathan Miltimore, the managing editor of the Foundation for Economic Education, wrote that the findings by the Harvard and Turner Fenton researchers can help so-called public health experts explain why some of Americas states with the highest vaccination rates like Vermont and Maine are currently dealing with disastrous COVID-19 outbreaks.

In fact, Vermont has the highest vaccination rate in the country, wrote Miltimore. Among those 65 years and older, 99.9 percent are fully vaccinated, and 74 percent of those 18 to 64 are fully vaccinated.

Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island and Massachusetts are all experiencing growing COVID-19 case rates as of Oct. 1. All of the northeastern states listed above have extremely high COVID-19 vaccination rates.

Miltimore compared the situation in New England with that of California. The Golden States vaccination rate lags behind many states that are struggling with COVID-19. Despite this, it has a case rate lower than most of New England states.

Experts believe the explanation lies in natural immunity, not the immunity supposedly acquired through vaccinations.

During last winters surge in COVID-19 cases, New England was relatively unscathed compared to California. Hospitals in the Golden State were overwhelmed and death rates hit their peaks. But the states residents emerged from it with a significant amount of natural immunity.

Maine is paying the price of not having had big numbers of cases, said Dr. Shira Doron, an infectious disease physician and epidemiologist at Tufts Medical Center in Boston. They dont have natural immunity to help.

Learn the truth about how ineffective the experimental and deadly COVID-19 vaccines are by reading the latest articles at Vaccines.news.

Sources include:

WakingTimes.com

VisionTimes.com

Link.Springer.com

FEE.org

NYTimes.com

SFChronicle.com
(Natural News) The Biden regime is already planning to reeducate government workers and police who refuse the blood-clotting gene therapy shots for man-made Covid-19. The CDCs Director Rochelle Walensky announced plans for rewiring the brains of anyone who thinks blood-clotting injections arent healthy and safe, using psychotherapy to alter the thinking of unvaccinated humans who are enslaved by the government or who patrol cities and counties for violence.

Between 1938 and 1945, concentration camps for the reeducation of Jews were one of the primary ways the Nazis imposed their control. Anyone who fell out of compliance at the reeducation camps ended up at the extermination camps and were labeled enemies of the state. Everyone knows what happened next.

During the Holocaust, over 3 million people were exterminated after arriving at reeducation camps

If you disagree with any of the philosophies of the government, you have two choices and two choices only: Agree to complete mental conversion of support or be executed. That was Nazi Germany, and many other regime tactics for prisoners of war and enemies of the state. It looks like this is the plan for America also, as the insane Covid regime sets up internment camps to brainwash all police, military and government workers into getting the clot shots, or else.

The initial concentration camps set up in Nazi Germany were just called detention centers so people wouldnt know they were being sent there to be executed if they didnt bow down and swear allegiance to the new regime (most were killed anyway). These were not just the Jews that were rounded up, but also so-called a-socials. Today, the unvaccinated are the scapegoats, the a-socials, and the political dissidents.

US Police officers who dont become the CDCs new Covid-SS police force will be hauled off to concentration camps until they swear allegiance to Fauci

If you dont believe in getting experimental gene therapy shots for the rest of your life, then you are an enemy of the state right now in the USA. Any police officers or government workers who refuse ongoing clot-shot therapy will soon be boarding buses and trains, heading for Covid Auschwitz for reeducation, according to the Center for Disease Creation Director, Rochelle Mengele Walensky.

All military members who deny the clot shots for China Flu will be discharged dishonorably, face prison time, lose all benefits, incur fines, lose all voting rights and lose the right to bear arms.

According to the CDC, anyone who doesnt believe that myocarditis, blood clots, paralysis and blindness are not worthy conditions for the greater good are domestic terrorists who must get counseling or face the wrath of the Communist Biden Regime. There is a plan, should these people not want to be vaccinated, says Dr. Mengele Walensky. Fauci said that his plan is to coerce Americans into getting vaccinated, and if that doesnt work, hell mandate them. Mandates mean getting fired from your job and locked out of basic societal functions, including attending school and shopping for food and basic necessities. None of this is legal, by the way.

American taxpayer dollars will be used to pay for the Covid concentration camps, according to Dr. Mengele Walensky. Netflix already has a series of false-narrative educational films about Covid, to brainwash people into getting the deadly vaccines, so these will probably be projected on huge screens at the death camps for rebel police and government workers.

Tune your truth news dial to Pandemic.news to stay informed of the engineered pitfalls of the Covid scamdemic. It doesnt take a scientist or doctor to see that Covid vaccines, Remdesivir, masks and ventilators are compounding the problems of the pandemic, creating a pandemic of their own.

Sources for this article include:

Pandemic.news

TruthWiki.org

NaturalNews.com

ZeroHedge.com
(Natural News) There are not enough electric vehicle charging stations in Glasgow, Scotland to power the supposedly green cars that will transport heads of state and other VIPs around the city during the United Nations 2021 Climate Change Conference, or COP26. Instead of using the coal-powered electric vehicle charging stations, some of the cars will instead be charged using diesel generators.

The COP26 climate change summit is set to begin on Oct. 31 and will last for almost two weeks until Nov. 12. More than 120 heads of state and their respective delegations are set to attend and commit to even more unrealistic climate policies, similar to those outlined in the 2015 Paris Agreement.

To transport the VIPs around Glasgow, the events organizers have procured around 240 electric vehicles from British automobile company Jaguar Land Rover, including I-Pace SUVs. (Related: The Chinese Communist Party is behind a U.S. climate change activism conference.)

But the entire city of around 610,000 residents has fewer than 250 electric vehicle charging points, or about one for every 23 electric vehicles in Glasgow. It should be noted that these charging stations are powered at least partially by coal.

The arrival of the 240 electric vehicles to be used by COP26 VIPs will only make the demand for electric vehicle charging infrastructure surge. To make sure that the vehicles of the heads of state and their delegations have power at all times, the electric vehicle fleet has to be recharged using diesel generators.

A spokesman for COP26 has admitted that the diesel generators will be necessary, but he insisted that they would run on renewable hydrogenated vegetable oil derived from food waste products like chip fat rather than on actual diesel.

World leaders will be provided with EVs for the duration of their stay, said the spokesman.

Organizers are still finalizing the number of diesel generators and where they will be placed in the city. But there is speculation that some of them could be placed as far away as 47 miles outside of the city.

COP26 organizers claim they will offset carbon emitted by the electric vehicles

The British government has also confirmed the plan to ferry VIPs around in Jaguar Land Rover SUVs powered by diesel despite it insisting that sustainability will be at the core of COP26.

The government claimed the SUVs have been procured from existing fleets of vehicles in the U.K., helping ensure the carbon footprint remains low.

The U.K. will be offsetting all carbon emissions associated with running the event, said the COP26 spokesperson. We are aiming to achieve ISO 20121 certification, which will address all aspects of sustainability of the event including carbon, waste management and supply chain management. We are working with sustainability consultants on this effort.

The spokesperson continued: COP26 will be a carbon-neutral event and we will be the first COP to achieve validation using the PAS2060 international standard on carbon-neutrality.

These statements from the British government and COP26 organizers have been met with skepticism, even from other climate activists.

Colin Howden, director of Transform Scotland, a nonprofit organization dedicated to sustainable transportation, called the British government disgraceful.

Governments are great at pretending to take action on sustainable transport, but this reveals the complete lack of preparedness for the wholesale switch away from fossil fuel cars that we require, said Howden.

Instead of using the electric vehicles powered by coal and diesel generators, Howden insisted that world leaders should instead use Glasgows fleet of electric buses.

COP26 will be held at the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow, an exhibition center. Along with the 120 heads of state, around 25,000 people are expected to come to the event as conference participants and protesters.

The events carbon output is expected to be massive. Apart from the electric vehicles that will be powered using coal and diesel generators, a huge security operation is in the works to ensure the safety of the VIPS.

This security operation, codenamed Operation Urram, will involve the deployment of around 10,000 police officers and 200 police dogs each day. Many of the police officers will be flown in from England.

Operation Urram also puts the British Armed Forces and the coast guard on high alert for potential threats.

The Queen of England is even expected to attend a banquet for the world leaders attending the event.

It is unclear how exactly the events organizers plan to offset all the supposedly dangerous carbon that will be emitted during the event.

Learn more about the hypocrisy of climate change activists by reading the latest articles at ClimateAlarmism.news.

Sources include:

WattsUpWithThat.com

DailyMail.co.uk

EnergyLiveNews.com

Scotsman.com
(Natural News) National Public Radio (NPR) is flabbergasted by a major uptick in emergency room admissions across the United States.

Even though it is painfully obvious that fully vaccinated Americans are getting sick in droves NPR is chalking it all up to mystery  or perhaps something spooky since Halloween is just days away.

In Lansing, Mich., for instance, Sparrow Hospital is seeing a massive swarm of very ill patients having to be lined up on stretchers in the facilitys hallways due to a shortage of available beds.

Its hard to watch, said Tiffani Dusang, the emergency rooms nursing director.

I always feel very, very bad when I walk down the hallway and see that people are in pain or needing to sleep or needing quiet. But they have to be in the hallway with, as you can see, 10 or 15 people walking by every minute.

At the start of the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, long before the so-called vaccines were made available through Operation Warp Speed, Sparrow Hospital was fairly normal. Once the jabs became widespread, however, the sickly really started to pour in.

Most U.S. hospitals, it turns out, were as empty as could be prior to the release of the jabs. It was only after the injections had been widely distributed that hospitals across the country began to get flooded with new patients.

Once Biden Boosters get into peoples arms, the entire health care system could collapse from all the sick patients they create

Doctors and nurses say that the severity of patient illnesses is all over the map. Some patients are complaining of abdominal pain while others are having trouble breathing.

There are also lots and lots of blood clots, which have become a common occurrence in people who get injected with the spike protein bioweaponry disguised as medicine.

There is also a surge of patients suffering from cardiovascular events, failed suicides, acute organ failure and an array of debilitating symptoms. Many of these patients can no longer work and have trouble just getting through the day.

Had they taken their chances with the Chinese Virus without getting injected, they would probably be doing just fine. Because they listened to Tony Fauci, however, they are now suffering immensely from vaccine-induced adverse events.

Not once in NPRs lengthy article about this phenomenon is the word vaccine even so much as mentioned. Do a word search for yourself: You will see that it is not even part of the equation, even though it is the most obvious culprit.

As the U.S. approaches the winter season, hospital admissions are up nearly 20 percent, according to the report, despite being down over the summer when people were out in the warmth and sunlight. This suggests that once winter comes into full swing, it is going to be a dark one as far as public health is concerned.

Its an early indicator that whats happening in the ED is that were seeing more acute cases than we were pre-pandemic, said Caleb Cox, a data scientist at the Epic Health Research Network.

Even though were seeing the overall volumes come back to normal over the summer here, we see that the more acute conditions still remain higher than the pre-pandemic normals, while the lower-acuity conditions still remain below pre-pandemic normal.

As the Biden Boosters get rolled out, we expect another wave of acute health problems to emerge that results in hospitals becoming even more overwhelmed with sick, fully vaccinated patients.

Millions of lives are being destroyed by Fauci Flu shots. To keep up with the latest, be sure to check out ChemicalViolence.com.

Sources for this article include:

NPR.org

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Experts are wondering if the American governments response to the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is a psychological operation (PSYOP).

David Marks, an investigative reporter writing for the Childrens Health Defense, was one of the first to notice the similarities between the way the federal government is aggressively pushing for vaccinations and PSYOP.

According to Marks, the campaign to get people to agree to take the experimental and deadly vaccines is manipulation of citizens on a grander scale than any effort in recent history. (Related: Government sponsored experiments to craft the best pro-vaccine messages FIVE MONTHS before COVID-19 vaccines became available.)

Marks pointed out that a lot of the messaging regarding the COVID-19 vaccines is painting vaccine skeptics as the enemy of the vaccinated. This is despite the fact that the position of those who are hesitant to take the experimental, rushed and deadly vaccines is neither the result of mass hypnosis nor cult-like programming, [but] rather an exercise in freedom of speech and choice.

A large majority of the unvaccinated have reviewed information and statistics from a range of sources, that either support or contradict government policy, wrote Marks. They have made choices based on concerns about efficacy and risks, but are open to engaging in debate.

In contrast, the most vocal opponents of vaccine skeptics among the general populace deem the information they have received from the government and mainstream media outlets to be unassailable.

They are willing to accept a filtered version of data, and staunchly refuse to look at any material that might cause doubt about their decisions or challenge authoritative mandates, he said. They refuse to engage in debate.

YouTube working with the government to censor vaccine skepticism

To help push the pro-vaccine narrative, the government has enlisted the help of social media networks to censor any skepticism of the COVID-19 vaccines.

This is most prevalent on YouTube, which announced late last month that it will begin removing all content that questions any approved medical vaccine, not just the COVID-19 vaccines.

According to Matt Halprin, YouTubes vice president for trust and safety, this ban will cover any video that questions the effectiveness of vaccines and talks about their side effects.

Halprin claimed in an interview that the companys previous pronouncement regarding coronavirus-related content on the website was too limited. The previous policy only banned videos that were critical of COVID-19 vaccines.

We can imagine viewers then potentially extrapolating to COVID-19, said Halprin. We wanted to make sure that were covering the whole gamut.

As of the end of September, YouTube said it has taken down more than one million videos for misinformation related to all aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Workers continue to get fired for not complying with vaccine mandates

While YouTube and other social media networks are focusing on censoring vaccine skepticism on the internet, corporations all over the country are forcing their employees to get vaccinated under threat of unemployment.

This is the case in the healthcare industry. According to the latest tally by healthcare industry news website Fierce Healthcare, nearly 6,000 healthcare workers have been terminated or resigned from nearly 50 hospitals and health systems all over the country. Additionally, around 6,600 healthcare workers are currently suspended or have yet to report their vaccination status.

It is expected that hundreds or thousands more healthcare workers will lose their jobs as more hospitals and health systems reach their deadlines for partial or full vaccination.

The assault on Americans who are skeptical of the vaccines from the government and the private sector is relentless.

Of all the aspects of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Marks wrote that the push to force everyone to get vaccinated is one of the most troubling, and should cause us to consider its probability, provenance and rectification. Learn more about how governments and corporations all over the world are working together to coerce people into getting the deadly COVID-19 vaccines at Vaccines.news.

Sources include:

WakingTimes.com

Bloomberg.com

FierceHealthcare.com
(Natural News) To curb the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Hong Kongs government enforced a zero-COVID policy and tightened travel restrictions for international travelers. However, the largest financial lobby group in Asia warned that the restrictive policy may put the citys status as a financial hub at risk.

The Asia Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (ASIFMA) sent an open letter to Hong Kongs Financial Secretary Paul Chan. The association wrote that a survey of members, including BlackRock and Goldman Sachs, revealed that 48 percent were thinking of relocating staff or functions out of the city due to operational challenges.

Because of the ongoing travel restrictions, a zero-COVID policy in place and limited detail on an exit strategy from these policies, ASIFMA wrote that Hong Kongs status as an international financial center (IFC) may be at risk. The association added that the citys long-term economic recovery and competitiveness as a renowned place to do business hang in the balance.

To date, Hong Kong has some of the most draconian travel restrictions in the world. It also currently has no public plan for opening up to international travelers.

Earlier in October, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced that even one coronavirus death would be a major concern for the city.

ASIFMAs letter also detailed several suggestions, such as publishing a comprehensive roadmap for exiting Hong Kongs zero-case based COVID-19 strategy instead of just focusing on opening borders with China and prioritizing getting more people vaccinated against coronavirus. (Related: New Zealand transforms into a tyrannical regime in pursuit of COVID Zero.)

Mark Austen, chief executive of ASIFMA, explained that some of the challenges include the ambiguity of when and how the travel and quarantine restrictions will be lifted in the city. Austen suggested that the Hong Kong government should phase out travel restrictions. He added that it was also crucial to eventually accept that the city will have to learn how to live with coronavirus.

As the rest of the world moves on, Austen noted that Hong Kong still hasnt provided a plan, which is important to help reassure businesses in the city.

Because of the uncertainty, some firms are moving operations. While only a handful of groups are doing so, Austen advised that more businesses might consider moving out of Hong Kong the longer the city keeps mum about its plans amid the pandemic.

The government must do its utmost to foster informed dialogue and full consideration of the long-term risks to livelihoods if its borders remain effectively closed, in contrast to competing international financial and business centers, said Austen.

Since the coronavirus pandemic, Hong Kong has reported only 12,300 or so cases. Most of the cases are imported, with 213 deaths.

Lam: Reopening to mainland China is more important

On Tuesday, Oct. 26, Hong Kong announced that it will continue to tighten coronavirus travel restrictions to bring it more in line with mainland China.

Most travelers arriving in Hong Kong have to undergo 14 to 21 days of hotel quarantine. The city has extended its streak of over two months without a major local coronavirus outbreak.

Lam said she is currently trying to convince Chinas leaders to restore travel with the mainland. She also mentioned an upcoming announcement will soon reveal which quarantine exemptions granted to specific groups of visitors coming from overseas and mainland will be revoked.

Lam added that cross-border truck drivers and other essential workers are allowed to make quarantine-free trips. As of writing, Hong Kong allows certain groups of people to forego quarantine or isolate at home, including diplomats and business leaders, along with some mainlanders who have Hong Kong resident cards.

Lam previously stated that reopening to the Chinese mainland was more important than restoring Hong Kongs international travel links.

On Tuesday, she said that Beijing expects Hong Kong to enforce similar strict restrictions. Hong Kongs business community is tied down because of the restrictions while rival finance hubs like London, New York, Singapore and Tokyo are gradually reopening. Singapore, for instance, is already expanding quarantine-free travel to nearly a dozen countries.

Follow Pandemic.news for more updates on the coronavirus pandemic.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

ASIFMA.org[PDF]

Reuters.com

NewsBreak.com
(Natural News) Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has been granted an emergency extension of his Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) emergency powers, which he plans to use to expand his vaccine mandate to the private sector.

According to reports, the Washington Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) filed the emergency rulemaking package last week, which allows Inslee to maintain dictatorial power over Washingtonians.

Elected officials say that the package extends and expands the states Fauci Flu shot mandates, which will soon apply to all private businesses throughout the state in addition to the public sector.

State representatives Jim Walsh (R-Aberdeen) and Jesse Young (R-Gig Harbor) released a statement condemning the L&I for re-upping Inslees tyrant powers, which are already being used to further enslave Washingtonians under extreme covid fascism.

This mandate from L&I demonstrates a complete lack of transparency, which dilutes public trust in our government and fails to show the agencys good faith in promulgating the rule, that statement reads.

The reality is this move by L&I is a blank check for the agency to enforce any of the Governors mandates or edicts on private employers.

What L&I should have done, the letter goes on to state, is allow the public to review and comment on the extension before decreeing it. This would have facilitated openness and transparency.

Even if an opportunity for review and comment is not afforded the public, L&Is website should host the proposed rulemaking to grant easy access to the public, they further wrote. Furthermore, adopting such a broad, vague rule without clear direction will lead to arbitrary enforcement.

Washington is turning into a total communist police state hell

Walsh recently uploaded a video explaining that he and several other unvaccinated lawmakers are now locked out of the Capitol building in Olympia, which prevents them from performing their lawmaking duties.

He and the others key cards were apparently deactivated without their knowledge, which means they can no longer open the door to get inside any of the buildings on the Capitol campus.

I cant access my office, Walsh said, demonstrating his key cards inability to provide access. I cant access the floor, the main chambers over under the dome. I cant do work from the Capitol as a legislator in this state.

Just like L&Is extension of Inslees emergency powers, the key card fiasco was done behind closed doors without any legal authority.

Walsh and Young both agree that L&I cannot demonstrate that it exercised honestly to arrive at its decision to expand Inslees dictatorial powers due to the Chinese Virus.

There is no clear case for good cause or the preservation of the public health, safety, or general welfare as the governors proclamation already addresses these issues, making L&Is mandate arbitrary and capricious, they said.

We call on the governor to immediately repeal this mandate. If L&I wants to push this policy, it needs to go through the proper channels and work with the Legislature.

Back in August, Inslee issued a Chinese Flu shot mandate that, unlike most others across the country, does not allow for the option to test-out as an alternative. Washingtonians affected by it either have to comply or be fired.

Thousands of state workers protested the ruling, but Inslee went through with it anyway and fired all resisters for their non-compliance, including several seasoned State Patrol troopers who were forced to walk off the job in order to preserve the integrity of their DNA.

Those affected by the first wave of vaccine mandates were state and city workers including; firefighters, law enforcement officers, healthcare workers, public and private school employees, power line workers, caregivers, etc., reported The Post Millennial.

The latest news about Chinese Virus injection tyranny can be found at MedicalFascism.news.

Sources for this article include:

ThePostMillennial.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) The supply chain crisis that is preventing Americas economy from fully recovering is forcing many of the countrys small businesses to change how they operate, sometimes for the worse. This is according to the most recent survey conducted by the federal government known as the U.S. Census Small Business Pulse Survey.

Due to the heavy congestion at Americas ports, many small businesses are forced to operate despite delays in important items. (Related: Massive congestion in Chinese ports indicate global supply chain disruptions will continue.)

According to the survey, 45 percent of small businesses said they are experiencing delays with their domestic suppliers. This number is up from 26.7 percent who reported experiencing similar delays in a similar survey held near the beginning of President Joe Bidens tenure at the start of 2021.

Delays make it difficult for business owners to continue operating

Rene Kirby, owner of a cafe in Baltimore, is unable to operate the business properly due to a severe lack of essential products on the stores shelves.

We just cant serve the same size beverages, or sometimes any beverages, because they dont have the cups we need in stock, said Kirby. The business owner added that purchasing essential items needed to run the business from other suppliers increases the price. This forces the cafe to raise how much it charges customers, making it difficult for the stores patrons to remain loyal to the business.

Pete Marcus, owner of a toy and hobby store in Groton, Connecticut, said he has done pretty well during the supply chain crisis. He has done his best to keep his store stocked with the most popular toys and products.

But he has noticed that his stores remaining stock of these popular items is becoming very limited. He has advised his customers to shop now if they are looking for these popular items.

When you get into specifics, thats when youre going to be in trouble, he said.

Jeremy Plemons, owner of a food truck in southern Maryland, said he was surprised to learn that the same businesses he had gone to for the past six years to restock his business are running out of essential items that used to be plentiful. He is finding it difficult to keep his food truck stocked with essential, single-use items.

It would be one thing if I couldnt find fries, we can change that, he said. But when we got nothing to put it in, its heartbreaking and stressful.

The business owner said he has the same thought every time he tries to purchase items for his business: What am I not going to be able to find today?

Plemons has turned to his local community of restaurateurs and other small business owners to find short-term solutions for the problems he is experiencing, but he understands that he cant rely on them forever.

We have been supporting each other a lot. If anyone needs anything, they know to call me, and I can always call them, said Plemons. He is currently in talks with a fellow small business owner to purchase a shipping container and to fill it up with single-use items and other essential goods.

Kandace Loge, the owner of a four-employee business in Ohio, said she has been upfront with her customers regarding the shortages. She has been dealing with supply shortages since May, and it has forced her to change her supplier. But this has resulted in her having to adjust her budget and how much she charges customers for her products.

You have to be very honest with your customer, said Loge. When they know that you are honest, they are usually very nice about it.

Michelle Smith, a cafe owner in North Carolina, is wondering what Biden is going to do to fix the situation.

What is he going to do to save small businesses across America? she wrote in her opinion piece for Newsweek. This supply chain crisis is changing life as we know it. Many of us will disappear and not come back.

We have lost many small businesses in our community and many of these people are our friends, continued Smith. We have a loyal customer base, and we hope to maintain our standards, but the cost of doing business is becoming more difficult as the days pass.

The nation needs to return to normal sooner rather than later, she concluded. Pray for us small businesses.

Learn more about the ongoing supply chain crisis and how it is affecting small businesses in America by reading the latest articles at MarketCrash.news.

Sources include:

ABCNews.go.com

Portal.Census.gov

News.Yahoo.com

Newsweek.com
(Natural News) Victorian Premier Dan Andrews has officially announced that in order to participate in Australias emerging vaccinated economy, all residents will need to take every government booster shot in order to be considered fully vaccinated.

Speaking to reporters, Andrews rambled about how it will be in everybodys interests, all of us, for the health and safety, for the health system, and of course to continue participating in the vaccinated economy  you will need to have a booster shot.

As you may recall, Andrews was caught back in the summer making up ridiculous lies about how the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) had supposedly been found in sewage poop. Andrews used this fake claim as an excuse to extend the regions stay-at-home order for flattening the curve.

Now, Andrews is attempting to impose a system of medical apartheid in Australia where the only people allowed to participate in the economy are those who take every injection forced on them by the government, including all boosters.

The vaccinated economy will operate across the board, Andrews decreed. Two doses, or youre not getting in [to the state]. Two doses, or youre not going to work. This is absolutely critical.

As for third, fourth and etcetera doses, Andrews says that these, too, are just as important as the first and second and will be treated as such for purposes of participation in the vaccinated economy.

All those requirements, all those settings where you only get in if you are double-vaxxed ?and you can tap and verify that for everybody  that vaccinated economy is here to stay, Andrews went on to state.

World Health Organization says booster shots are not backed by science

Andrews apparently believes he knows better than the World Health Organization (WHO), which has patently denied the need for any further booster shots of Chinese Virus vaccine.

WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan gave a media briefing back in August during which she declared that the data is not conclusive and that the agency cannot make a recommendation in favor of boosters due to a lack of science.

We also dont know about the safety of boosters, she added, because when we talk about vaccines, its not just the efficacy. [W]hat happens  when you give a third dose of an mRNA vaccine or any other kind of vaccine?

Andrews should listen to Swaminathan because unlike himself, she seems to know a whole lot more about what she is talking about. Andrews should also pay close attention to the waves of breakthrough cases of the Wuhan Flu that are sweeping across countries that are mostly fully vaccinated.

Antibody-Dependent Enhancement (ADE) is becoming a real problem among the jabbed who are now flooding hospitals with vaccine-induced illnesses that are often wrongly blamed on the unvaccinated.

Andrews is one of the most tyrannical politicians in the world when it comes to pushing Fauci Flu fascism on people who just want to be left alone. His policies include mandatory injections as a condition of employment and other essential freedoms, including visiting family members or going to church.

Victoria has been in a perpetual state of lockdown for many months now, and during this time Andrews has been sending roves of troops to go door-to-door and mass-inject Victorians. This has produced a 90 percent vaccination rate, the government claims.

We think whats going to happen is that a booster shot will be made available six months from your second dose, announced Lieutenant General John Frewen, the head of Australias vaccine task force.

So well work the priority groups in the very first instance  aged and disability care, frontline workers, those sorts of areas.

The latest news coverage about Chinese Virus injection tyranny can be found at ChemicalViolence.com.

Sources for this article include:

LifeSiteNews.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Perth, the largest city in Western Australia, is about to join Melbourne, the largest city in Victoria, with an enhanced Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccine mandate.

Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan announced that his government will be expanding the territorys existing jab mandate to include more than one million people, or about 75 percent of the states workforce.

According to reports, the change is the most drastic to occur yet in Australia. Not only will essential workers be required to get injected, but so will others who work in a variety of industries.

The deadline to receive the first two injections is Jan. 31, 2022, though some places of employment will need to verify compliance by as soon as Dec. 31, 2021.

Employers will be required to keep a record of the evidence, and authorized officers will run spot checks to ensure compliance is occurring, McGowan said in an announcement.

If relevant, employers that have unvaccinated staff working after the deadline run the risk of being fined up to $100,000.

Individual employees who are caught working unvaccinated after the deadline could face fines of up to $20,000 for failing to provide proof of injection.

Based on the latest health advice, we have just outlined a new overarching workforce vaccination policy  with a phased approach which will cover a majority of occupations and workforces within WA (Western Australia), McGowan added in a tweet.

Unvaccinated areas of Australia are healthy while fully vaccinated areas are sick

Western Australia made a name for itself early on in the plandemic when it was announced that international travelers had supposedly brought the disease there back in early March of 2020.

Since that time, Australia has been in the news quite a bit for imposing all kinds of tyranny on citizens, mostly in the eastern part of the country, i.e., Melbourne and Sydney. Now, Perth in the West is joining them.

McGowan maintains that these latest impositions are proportionate and reasonable as they aim to prepar[e] Western Australia safely for the inevitable community transmission of whatever new variant the media decides to talk about on any given day.

Were doing the right thing by vulnerable people, particularly those who are unwell, immunocompromised and the elderly, and were trying to ensure that we dont have to close industries or workplaces in the future, McGowan stated.

There is still zero evidence to suggest that Chinese Flu shots provide any protection against infection or spread. In fact, most of the data suggests that people who get jabbed have an increased risk of getting sick and needing hospitalization.

The unvaccinated are doing quite well relying on their own natural immune systems, but the fully vaccinated are struggling with breakthrough cases that often come with serious symptoms.

Some of the worst-hit countries with the new waves of the Wuhan Flu are those with high vaccination rates, including Israel, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Western Australia currently has the lowest rate of vaccination in the entire country, as well as the fewest number of cases. Areas of Australia with high vaccination rates are seeing the most new symptomatic cases of Chinese Germs.

Australian legal expert Dr. Rocco Loiacono reportedly told LifeSiteNews that McGowans radical new public health orders are a desperate attempt to conceal his incompetent leadership.

McGowan is deferring to authoritarianism, Loiacono says, which is unlikely to go over well with the average person living in Western Australia.

For many months an Australian nightmare was mainly limited to the states of Victoria and New South Wales, wrote one LifeSiteNews commenter. Now Australias other five states are rushing to out-do those first two. This has absolutely nothing to do with any virus or pandemic.

The latest news about Chinese Virus injection coercion can be found at Fascism.news.

Sources for this article include:

LifeSiteNews.com

NaturalNews.com
Scientists are currently trying to confirm a record-breaking temblor. If they succeed, it would fundamentally alter how geologists see earthquakes.

World's Deepest Earthquake

A great number of earthquakes occur within a few hundred miles of the Earth's surface. Scientists were perplexed six years ago when the globe was shocked by deep-seated quakes. We're not talking about the typical range of a few dozen miles.

We're talking hundreds of miles below the surface of the Earth, where it was previously considered that a typical earthquake wouldn't be possible because of the extreme temperature and pressure.

The improbable earthquake occurred 467 miles beneath the surface of the planet, at a layer known as the lower mantle. There have been clues of lower mantle quakes here and there, but scientists have never been able to locate them.

Douglas Wiens is one of the researchers who thinks that this is sufficient proof. He's a seismologist at Washington University in St. Louis who specializes in deep quakes. Despite the fact that he was not a member of the research team, he has his own opinions about the event.

"This is by far the best evidence for an earthquake in the lower mantle," Wiens told National Geographic.

Heidi Houston also spoke with the outlet about what she thinks. Houston is a geophysicist at the University of Southern California and a deep quake specialist. She, like Wiens, was not a member of the research team.

Also Read: Experts: Taiwan Earthquakes Triggered by Seasonal Changes in the Levels of Water

Do Deep Earthquakes Happen Often?

Quakes does not happen often.

Most earthquakes, in fact, are rather shallow. Between 1976 and 2020, a total of 56,832 moderate to major earthquakes were registered. Only roughly 18% of those were deeper than 43 miles. Moving on, just approximately 4% of the strikes were below 186 miles.

This is the standard cut-off depth for classifying a "deep earthquake." As you may expect, a 7.9 earthquake occurring 467 miles below is rather unusual.

Scientists and academics from all around the world are still attempting to figure out how these quakes might have occurred in the first place.

Surface Temblors

When it comes to surface temblors, the explanation is simple: tectonic plates build up stress until the earth fissures and moves. That's when the quake's tremors is noticed and felt

This is not the case, however, deep within the globe. Those shudders are prevented by excessively high pressure.

Houston said: "Everything is just very strongly compressed in all directions."

Buildings, bridges, pipelines, trains, embankments, and other infrastructure can all be severely damaged by surface temblors. The strength of the ground vibrations and the behavior of the foundation soils are connected to the type and quantity of damage sustained.

The impacts of a large earthquake in the most severely damaged region, known as the meizoseismal area, are frequently multifaceted and depend on the topography and composition of the surface materials. On soft alluvium and unconsolidated sediments, they are generally more severe than on hard rock.

Inside the Earth's core, rocks function more like putty than solid pieces, according to Magali Billen, a geodynamicist at the University of California, Davis. So, what is it that might create an earthquake? That is an issue that researchers are still looking into.

Related Article: Can Pets Predict an Incoming Earthquake? Animals' Eerily Amazing Perception May be the Key

For more news, updates about earthquakes and similar topics don't forget to follow Nature World News!
Europe's manufacturers appear to have stepped up to the plate to compete for the most successful electric vehicle brand on home turf. Let's take a look at which brands have had the most success in Europe.

3rd Quarter Report

Tesla (15.9%) narrowly edged out Volkswagen (15.5%) for the top rank in the third quarter, and the two companies are way ahead of the pack. In Europe, the Volkswagen Group stands out from the throng. People were interested to see how the Volkswagen brand would fare against other Volkswagen brands and the big dog from California. It performed admirably! Volkswagen came close to taking the top spot in a big quarter for the Americans!

Related Article: Electric Car Interest Sky Rockets in the UK During Fuel Supply Crisis



Home Court Advantage?

Granted, Volkswagen's home turf in Europe, while Tesla reigns supreme in the United States (and China). Still, Teslas are in great demand worldwide, and the business has been selling electric vehicles in Europe for far longer than any MEB-platform EVs like the ID.3 and ID.4 have been planned - since the days when Diess was at BMW. So, for Volkswagen to be neck-and-neck with Tesla, it should make Diess and the other Volkswagen EV aficionados happy. It should also make anyone who claims Volkswagen can't compete reevaluate.

It is not easy to get enthusiastic about other manufacturers when they're so far behind Tesla and Volkswagen, but Hyundai (6.8%) and Renault (6.7%) belong in the second tier of top sales, much behind Tesla and Volkswagen but well ahead of the rest.

SKODA (5.3 percent), Kia (5.1 percent), Peugeot (5.1 percent), and Audi (4.8 percent) round out the top five.

No Significant Changes

Things haven't changed much, but there have been some shifts in position, notably at number one! In this situation, Volkswagen is 16,000 miles ahead of Tesla. With Tesla's production allowing it to beat Volkswagen in Q3, one has to question if Tesla will be able to grab the trophy from Volkswagen in the end. With a 16,000-vehicle advantage and its ambitions for excellent end-of-year performance, that did not seem very likely. Volkswagen appears to be on track to win in 2021. What about the year 2022? Let's see what happens!

On the other hand, Renault has little chance of catching Tesla but has nothing to fear from the manufacturers chasing it. In this specific brand competition, Renault will take home the bronze medal. However, it would be fantastic to see it, along with a few others, sell 100,000 BEVs in Europe next year.

Peugeot and Hyundai are tied for fourth place, and it's evident that those two brands account for the majority of their total alliance ratings (Stellantis is in second place, just below Volkswagen Group, while the Hyundai-Kia pair is in fifth place, just behind the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance).

Also Read: Will Charging EV Batteries Be as Effecient as Pumping Fuel?

For more news about making the environment sustainable, don't forget to follow Nature World News!
During the late Cretaceous period, when the Earth was on its warmest era, the now ice-covered landmass of Antartica used to burn raging wildfires, leaving behind charcoal remnants that scientists took interest of.

These charcoal remnants from fossils plants collected during a 2015-2016 expedition suggest that Antarctica was ablaze 75 million years ago.

"This discovery expands the knowledge about the occurrence of vegetation fires during the Cretaceous, showing that such episodes were more common than previously imagined," said the study lead researcher Flaviana Jorge de Lima, a paleobiologist at Federal University of Pernambuco in Recife, Brazil.

These remnants are the first recorded evidence of a paleo-fire on James Ross Island off the southeast side and near the northeastern extremity of the Antarctic Peninsula, in addition to common wildfires in Antarctica during the Campanian age about 84 million to 72 million years ago.

A separate study in 2015 documented the first known evidence of dinosaur-age wildfires in West Antarctica, where macroscopic charcoal remains were preserved by volcanic ashes.

The Cretaceous "high-fire" period

During the 2015-2016 expedition to the northeastern part of James Ross Island, an international team of scientists collected fossils of plants that had weathered over tens of millions of years ago. The largest paper-thin pieces of these charcoal fragments were just 0.7 by 1.5 inches, but electron microscope images revealed during scanning that the fossils are likely burned gymnosperms, likely from a botanical family of coniferous trees called Araucariaceae.

Evidence points that the extreme forest fires in the late Cretaceous had been far more documented in the Northern Hemisphere, while several cases in the Southern Hemisphere.

As the supercontinent of Gondwana were breaking up at the time, the ice-free Antarctica had many ignition sources like lightning strikes and volcanic activity, as well as flammable vegetation and high oxygen levels, that helps generate burning fires.

Also read: Africa's Rare Glaciers May Disappear in Two Decades, Millions at Risk of Disastrous Flooding and Drought

Volcanoes spread fire and devastated Antarctica

Antarctica was once a utopia of green vegetation and flowering plants millions of years ago, but volcanoes filled its landscape that sparked occurrence of vegetation fires during the Cretaceous period, "more common than previously imagined."

Experts say that the once lush forests on James Ross Island that gone burnt may have been fueled by volcanic activity caused by tectonics.

"Antarctica had intense volcanic activity caused by tectonics during the Cretaceous, as suggested by the presence of fossil remains in strata related to ash falls," the researchers wrote. "It is plausible that volcanic activity ignited the palaeo-wildfire that created the charcoal reported here."

"Volcanic activity was also the probable cause proposed for the coal present in the Cretaceous deposits on Nelson Island."

Nelson Island in West Antarctica is the first region on the continent to record evidence of ancient fires.

For more news and updates about nature and similar topics, don't forget to follow Nature World News!

Also read: Researchers Detected Traces of Microplastics in Beluga Whale's Stomach, as Proof of Worsening Contamination
According to economists, chronic underinvestment in new oil supply since the 2015 crisis, as well as pressure on oil and gas corporations to reduce emissions and even "keep it in the ground," would likely lead to global oil output peaking sooner than initially projected.

This would be a positive outcome for green energy proponents, net-zero agendas, and the environment if it weren't for one simple fact: oil demand is recovering from the pandemic-induced dip and is on track to reach a new annual average record as early as next year.

Nearing Peak Oil Consumption?

Analysts have predicted that peak oil consumption will arrive sooner than envisaged just a few years ago, thanks to the energy transition and numerous government initiatives for net-zero emissions.

However, based on current oil and gas investment trends, global oil production may peak before global oil demand, creating a supply imbalance resulting in increased market volatility, price spikes, and perhaps fundamentally higher oil prices by the middle of this decade.

In a report published by Reuters this week, Morgan Stanley's research department noted, "On present trends, global oil production is projected to peak much earlier than demand."

"The planet establishes limits on how much carbon may be safely released. As a result, oil consumption must peak, according to Morgan Stanley analysts.

The problem with the globe is that oil consumption is not peaking, despite wishful thinking, investment pressure, and other factors. According to most forecasts, it will not peak until the end of this decade at the earliest.

Related Article: Fossil Fuel Investors are Backing Down But Renewables Energy Still Needs More Time



OPEC Report

According to OPEC's latest annual estimate, global oil consumption will continue to climb through the mid-2030s, reaching 108 million barrels per day (BPD), then plateauing until 2045.

Other researchers predict that demand will peak in the late 2020s.

However, new supply investment is falling well behind global oil demand growth.

After the 2020 COVID crisis, demand is increasing again, and, contrary to early 2020 predictions that global oil consumption will never recover to pre-pandemic levels, demand is only a few months away from reaching and exceeding those levels.

Beyond the OPEC+ agreement, however, supply appears to remain capped.

Last year, new investment fell to a decade-and-a-half low. According to Wood Mackenzie projections from earlier this year, global upstream investment hit a 15-year low of $350 billion last year.

Despite $80 oil, investment is not likely to increase significantly this year. This is because supermajors adhere to capital discipline and commit to net-zero emission goals, which some of them seek to achieve in part by limiting investment and development in non-core, low-profitable new oil projects.

What Oil Producers are Doing

For its part, American shale producers are not rushing to "drill themselves into oblivion," as Harold Hamm put it in 2017, as they try to finally reward shareholders after years of diverting cash flows into drilling and pursuing output increases.

Given that oil consumption would continue to rise for at least a few more years, underinvestment in new supply would be a severe medium- and long-term issue.

Demand will persist regardless of the energy transition, and a new supply will be required for years to replace diminishing output and reserves.

According to OPEC, the oil sector will require huge expenditures to fulfill demand over the next 25 years. According to OPEC, the industry will require $11.8 trillion in long-term upstream, middle, and downstream oil-related investments by 2045.

At the Energy Intelligence Forum this month, Patrick Pouyanne, CEO of TotalEnergies in France, stated that if the sector stopped investing in new supply by 2030, as some scenarios for net-zero by 2050 predict, oil prices would "go to the roof." "If we stop investing in 2020, we will leave all of these resources in the ground, and the price will skyrocket. And that will be a major concern even in rich countries," Pouyanne added.

A triple-digit oil price is no longer a far-fetched forecast, as it was in early 2020.

Oil is anticipated to hit $100 by September 2022, according to Francisco Blanch, global head of commodities and derivatives research at Bank of America, or even sooner if this winter is significantly harsher than expected.

"The underinvestment problem is difficult to overcome, and at the same time, demand is growing," he remarked.

Recovering Demand and Inevitable Shortage

Demand is recovering; despite substantial underinvestment in supply over the previous 18 months, Blanch told Bloomberg in September.

According to Blanch, while oil prices are unlikely to stay in the triple digits for long, underinvestment has become a "multi-year crisis" for the sector.

Even if oil did not remain above $100 per barrel, a supply shortage in the future would raise the floor beneath oil prices, leading to unsustainable price rises. As much as climate activists would like to see new supply investment halted, the business and the globe cannot afford it since oil demand is growing.

Also Read: OPEC Member Calls for Change, Urges Oil Producers to Invest More on Renewable Energy

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ALBANY, N.Y. (AP)  Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was accused in a criminal complaint Thursday of committing a misdemeanor sex crime, two months after he resigned under pressure in a sexual harassment scandal.

But prosecutors said Thursday they didn't know the document had been filed, and the woman's attorney said she hadn't been given a chance to decide whether she wanted to go through with a case.

The one-page complaint, filed by an investigator with the Albany County Sheriff's Office, accused Cuomo of putting his hand under a woman's shirt on Dec. 7, 2020. The document didn't name the woman but Cuomo had been publicly accused of groping an aide, Brittany Commisso, at the executive mansion in Albany last year around that date.

The office of the county's district attorney, David Soares, which would handle any prosecution and was involved in the investigation, issued a statement saying it had been caught off guard by the filing.

"Like the rest of the public, we were surprised to learn today that a criminal complaint was filed in Albany City Court by the Albany County Sheriffs Office against Andrew Cuomo, it said. The Office of Court Administration has since made that filing public. Our office will not be commenting further on this case.

The Times Union newspaper quoted unnamed officials as saying the complaint had been issued prematurely" before a final decision had been made about whether Cuomo would face charges.

The office of Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple didn't directly address that report, but confirmed in a statement that Albany City Court had issued a criminal summons ordering Cuomo to appear at 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 17.

The statement suggested it was court officials, not prosecutors or a law enforcement agency, that made the decision to issue the summons. It said sheriff's investigators had determined there was probable cause to present evidence to the court for their review to determine the most appropriate legal pathway moving forward on the investigation."

Cuomo's lawyer, Rita Glavin, said in a statement that the Democrat never assaulted anyone and that the sheriff's "motives here are patently improper.

Sheriff Apple didnt even tell the District Attorney what he was doing. But Apples behavior is no surprise given (1) his August 7 press conference where he essentially pronounced the Governor guilty before doing an investigation, and (2) his Offices leaking of grand jury information. This is not professional law enforcement; this is politics.

The crime of forcible touching is punishable in New York by up to year in jail and up to three years probation, with discretion for the court to impose lesser penalties including no jail time.

Commisso, an executive assistant for Cuomo, says he groped her when they were alone in an office at the governors mansion in Albany.

She said Cuomo pulled her in for a hug as she prepared to leave. When she told him, youre going to get us in trouble, Cuomo replied, I dont care, and slammed the door, according to her account. Commisso said Cuomo slid his hand up her blouse and grabbed her breast.

Cuomo has adamantly denied groping her, saying once, I would have to lose my mind to do such a thing.

Commisso's lawyer, Brian Premo, said in a statement to the Times Union that she hadn't been consulted about the criminal complaint.

It was my clients understanding that the district attorneys office was in agreement with the sheriffs department that it was going to conduct a thorough, impartial and apolitical evaluation of the case, and only after completion of the investigation, speak to my client to allow her to make an informed decision as to whether she would proceed as a victim in the case, Premo said. Like the district attorneys office, she was informed about this recent filing through media.

The Associated Press doesnt identify alleged sexual assault victims unless they decide to tell their stories publicly, as Commisso has done in interviews.

Commisso filed a complaint with the sheriff in August in the same week a report from state Attorney General Letitia James concluded Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women. Other accusations outlined in the report range from planting unwanted kisses to asking unwelcome personal questions about sex and dating.

Cuomo announced his resignation a week after the release of the report, marking a dramatic downfall for the third-term governor who had been seen as a beacon of sturdy competence during his daily COVID-19 briefings in 2020. He attacked the attorney general's report as inaccurate and biased.

James, whose office is not involved in the criminal investigation, issued a statement saying her civil probe had been conducted without fear or favor.

The criminal charges brought today against Mr. Cuomo for forcible touching further validate the findings in our report, she said.

James is said to be close to announcing a run for governor, multiple people with knowledge of her plans have told The Associated Press.

The complaint filed by the sheriff's department investigator said evidence in the case included police BlackBerry messages, cell phone records, building security records, Cuomo's flight records and a text message from his mobile phone. The complaint was signed by the officer Monday and stamped by the court as received Thursday.

Cuomos attorney, Glavin, has claimed records show the two were unlikely to have spent time alone during the period in question. Cuomo's spokesman, Rich Azzopardi, ridiculed Thursday's turn of events.

"'Accidentally' filing a criminal charge without notification and consent of the prosecuting body doesnt pass the laugh test and this process reeks of Albany politics and perhaps worse. The fact that the AG  as predicted  is about to announce a run for governor is lost on no one. The truth about what happened with this cowboy sheriff will come out, he said.

District attorneys in Oswego, Manhattan, suburban Westchester and Nassau counties also had said they asked for investigative materials from the attorney generals inquiry to see if any of the allegations could result in criminal charges.

The Assembly Judiciary Committee is completing a wide-ranging impeachment investigation of Cuomo that began before he resigned. The also were looking at the administrations handling of COVID-19 data and efforts to rush COVID-19 testing for Cuomos inner circle in spring 2020.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  Retired NFL player Brett Favre has repaid $600,000 in state welfare money he accepted for speeches where he didn't appear, but the state attorney general could sue Favre if he doesnt pay interest owed on the amount, the Mississippi auditor said Wednesday.

Auditor Shad White said Favre paid the $600,000 to the auditors office this week. White sent the former Green Bay Packers quarterback a letter Oct. 12 demanding $828,000, which was the $600,000 plus $228,000 in interest.

Of the $228,000, White said: "If he does not pay that within 30 days of our demand, the AG will be responsible for enforcing the payment of the interest in court."

Favre is not facing criminal charges, but former Mississippi Department of Human Services director John Davis and other people have been charged in one of the states largest embezzlement cases. Allegations of misspending came to light in early 2020 when Davis and five others were indicted.

White said in May 2020 that Favre, who lives in Mississippi, had repaid $500,000 of the $1.1 million in welfare money he received for multiple no-show speeches. Favre was paid by Mississippi Community Education Center, a nonprofit group whose former leader is among those awaiting trial.

In a Facebook post when he repaid the first $500,000, Favre said he didnt know the money he received came from welfare funds. He also said his charity had provided millions of dollars to poor children in Mississippi and Wisconsin.

White on Oct. 12 demanded that several people and organizations repay $77 million in misspent welfare money intended to help people in one of the poorest states in the nation. With interest, the demand jumped to $96 million. That included money sought from Favre.

White issued the demands about two weeks after a Maryland-based CPA firm issued an independent report about how the Mississippi Department of Human Services spent federal money from 2016 through 2019 through Temporary Assistance to Needy Families. The report found nearly $41 million in questioned costs for items including travel and programs to support college athletes.

White demanded the whole $96 million from Davis and most of it from Mississippi Community Education Center and another nonprofit organization, Family Resource Center. Davis left the Department of Human Services in July 2019.

Those indicted along with Davis were former professional wrestler Brett DiBiase; former Department of Human Services employee Latimer Smith; Nancy New, who has been the director of Mississippi Community Education Center and New Learning Resources; her son Zach New, who has been assistant executive director of the education center; and Anne McGrew, an accountant for the education center.

DiBiase pleaded guilty in December to one count of making a false statement. He said in court documents that he had submitted documents and received full payment for work he did not complete. He agreed to pay $48,000 in restitution, and his sentencing was deferred.

McGrew pleaded guilty on Oct. 11 to one charge of conspiracy to commit embezzlement for her role in the case. She awaits sentencing and has agreed to testify against others.

Davis, Smith, Nancy New and Zach New have all pleaded not guilty and await trial in state court.

Nancy New and Zach New also have been indicted on federal charges, have pleaded not guilty and await trial.

Mississippi Community Education Center, operating as Families First for Mississippi, received more than $44 million in government grants from mid-2014 to mid-2018, according to nonprofit tax filings. Amounts spiked to $12.9 million and $26.7 million in the final two years, as Davis outsourced a large portion of Mississippis Temporary Assistance to Needy Families spending to the group.
Paresh Jha / Hearst Connecticut Media

The New Canaan Department of Public Works, DPW, is planning to re-pave Main Street from Farm Road to Lakeview Avenue in the town on Friday, October 29, 2021, and on Monday, November 1, 2021, weather permitting, according to a press release from the town. November 1 is also All Saints Day.

Detours will be in place where they are necessary to properly direct traffic through, and around the work zones where the upgrades to the driving surfaces are being done.
Theres nothing more terrifying than driving down a dark and lonely highway on a rainy night as the wind buffets my Toyota Prius, when suddenly a 702 hp Dodge Ram 1500 TRX pickup truck with antlers on the hood comes out from the bushes, barreling up behind me with blinding high beams.

Absolutely nothing more terrifying. Not Freddy Krueger, not Jason Voorhees, not Linda Blair in The Exorcist or Mr. Whipple squeezing the Charmin.

When that happens, I muster up my courage and slow down in defiance, which really ticks her  or him  off.

GET OFF MY BUTT, YOU LUNATIC! I yell. IM SAVING THE PLANET!

Thats the kind of fool I am. Ill do what must be done. Im like John Kerry, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, who doesnt mind getting on a private jet if he needs to avert a global climate crisis.

My personal idol is Larry David because hes a bald guy like me who drives his Prius around California, where theyve taken the bold step of banning gas-powered lawn mowers and raised taxes so much celebrities are moving to Wyoming, where they can cut their grass without government interference.

Right about now, with gas prices going through the ceiling, I bet you wish you had a Prius. Fat chance, Buddy. This is America, where theres a shortage of toilet paper, red meat and cars.

The environment is important to me, and I consider myself a kindred spirit with Pope Francis, Al Gore and Greta Thunberg, even though she recently mocked our president by saying, Build Back Better blah blah blah!

Im just upset I wasnt invited to join that U.S. delegation of 13 big shots President Joe Biden is sending to the U.N. climate summit in Glasgow. Maybe next year.

All I can say is Im on a crusade to control carbon emissions, even if I have to drive my Prius 45 mph in the passing lane on the Merritt Parkway.

Because of my personal sacrifices, theres enough gas for my other idol, Vin Diesel, to cruise around in his 1970 Dodge Charger R/T.

What bugs me is there have been nine Fast & Furious movies, and Diesel hasnt driven a Toyota Prius in one of them. That would be a perfect opportunity for Hollywood to demonstrate the seriousness of climate change instead of just talking about it.

Id love to see him save the world from global warming by driving a souped-up Prius with racing strips and a canister of NOS, aka nitrous oxide, to catapult him into another time zone.

Lets face it, Prius drivers get no respect. When Im at the stop light, the guys who pull up beside me in Pontiac GTOs or Ford Mustangs, with their engines growling and their suspension rocking, dont even bother to spit at me if I give them the sign I want to drag race. In the automotive world, Im the 97-pound weakling who gets sand kicked in his face, not to mention exhaust.

When I take my hot rod Prius on the Merritt, people are either driving 45 mph or 75 mph. If I pull into the passing lane, someone always tries to run me off the road. They think guys like me should be driving on the shoulder. Fat chance. Im swimming with the sharks. Im flying with the eagles.

Im also plotting my revenge. At night when I say my prayers, I mutter, May the president please make the price of gas go even higher so guys who drive muscle cars have to trade them in for Fiat Puntos.

Since Joe Biden is saving the world with mask mandates, vaccine mandates and butter pecan ice cream mandates, its time for him to mandate 50 miles to the gallon.

Last week when I took my car in for a 12-month servicing, the mechanic said, You have only 7,500 miles on the odometer. I guess you stayed home during COVID.

That got me thinking. Its time to celebrate. Since I have thousands of miles to burn and I get such good mileage, Im planning a cross-country road trip ... even though my wife wants to put the kibosh on the idea because she says we have more important things to do, namely yard work. But I told her its against my principles to use a gas-powered lawn mower or leaf blower  or any other mower or blower for that matter.

Former Stamford Advocate and Greenwich Time Editor Joe Pisani can be reached at joefpisani@yahoo.com.
The shoreline is receding at Emerald Bay on the southwest corner of Lake Tahoe on Oct. 20, east of South Lake Tahoe, Calif. Drought fueled by climate change has dropped Lake Tahoe below its natural rim and halted flows into the Truckee River.
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When Kyle Rittenhouse goes on trial Monday for shooting three men during street protests in Wisconsin that followed the police shooting of Jacob Blake last summer, he'll argue that he fired in self-defense.

Legal experts say under Wisconsin law he has a strong case. What's less clear is whether prosecutors will be able to persuade the jury that Rittenhouse created a deadly situation by showing up in Kenosha with an AR-style semiautomatic rifle  and that in doing so he forfeited his claim to self-defense.

Rittenhouse, 18, of Antioch, Illinois, faces six counts including homicide charges in the Aug. 25, 2020, deaths of Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber, and he could face life in prison if convicted of the most serious charge.

Rittenhouse, then 17, was among people who traveled to Kenosha after calls went out on social media to come bearing weapons to protect the city from damaging protests that followed a white police officer shooting Blake, a Black man, in the back on Aug. 23. (A prosecutor later cleared the officer, ruling that Blake was turning toward the officer with a knife.)

Rittenhouse and all three men he shot are white.

Here's a look at the legal issues in the Rittenhouse case:

WHAT HAPPENED?

The Rittenhouse case isn't a whodunit. Bystander video captured most of the shootings.

It shows an unarmed Rosenbaum chasing Rittenhouse into the parking lot of a used car dealership. At one point, Rosenbaum throws a plastic bag at Rittenhouse before the two move off-camera and Rittenhouse fires the fatal shots at around 11:45 p.m.

Soon after, Rittenhouse is seen running down a street away from the scene with several protesters on his heels. He falls. Huber appears to strike him in the head and neck area with a skateboard; Rittenhouse shoots Huber, striking him in the heart.

Seconds later, Gaige Grosskreutz steps toward Rittenhouse holding a pistol. Rittenhouse shoots him, badly injuring Grosskreutz's arm. Rittenhouse then gets to his feet and leaves the scene.

WHAT DOES THE DEFENSE CLAIM?

Self-defense, pure and simple. Rittenhouse's attorneys say he came to Kenosha not to hurt anyone but to protect businesses from damage and looting. And they say the people he shot left him no choice.

They're expected to highlight Rosenbaum's pursuit of Rittenhouse, and Huber and Grosskreutz subsequently coming at him. The defense has said Rosenbaum and Huber tried to wrest Rittenhouse's rifle away, leading Rittenhouse to fear he would be shot with his own weapon.

The defense also wants to introduce evidence that police handed water to Rittenhouse and other rifle-carrying citizens, and said, We appreciate you guys, we really do." They argue that the friendly greeting contributed to Rittenhouse thinking there was nothing wrong with his presence on the streets that night  and that it undermines any argument that he acted recklessly.

WHAT DO PROSECUTORS SAY?

Rittenhouse's trip to Kenosha will be a key part of their case. They portray him as a wannabe cop who came looking for trouble and fame, and that by bringing a rifle to the late-night protest, he was the primary cause of the deadly encounters.

They also argue that Rittenhouse wasn't there to protect businesses but to join other armed counterprotesters with whom he sympathized. Rittenhouse was the aggressor, there with the intent to violently clash with those opposed to his beliefs, prosecutors have said.

Prosecutors had hoped to bolster their case by introducing as evidence a brief video taken 15 days before the protest shootings that shows Rittenhouse watching some men exit a CVS pharmacy and commenting that he wished he had his rifle so he could shoot them because prosecutors say he baselessly thought they were shoplifters. Thomas Binger, the lead prosecutor, said it showed Rittenhouse's mindset as a teenage vigilante, involving himself in things that don't concern him. But Judge Bruce Schroeder questioned the relevance of the video to the charges. He ruled it wouldn't be allowed, though he suggested he could reassess that ruling later.

Schroeder has also blocked prosecutors from connecting Rittenhouse to the far-right extremist group the Proud Boys. Rittenhouse was photographed in January in a Wisconsin bar with some Proud Boys members, but his attorneys say Rittenhouse had no affiliation or involvement with the group.

WHAT DOES WISCONSIN LAW SAY ABOUT SELF-DEFENSE?

It allows someone to use deadly force only if necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm. And it sets a two-part test for jurors.

First, they have to decide if Rittenhouse really believed he was in peril. Hindsight may show he was wrong. But did he sincerely believe it at the time?

Next, they must determine if Rittenhouses belief was objectively reasonable. To make that call, jurors will be instructed to consider whether any reasonable person in Rittenhouses shoes would have also felt they had no choice but to shoot.

WHAT OTHER LEGAL FACTORS COME INTO PLAY?

Wisconsin law doesn't require someone whose life is in danger to flee before shooting. But jurors can consider whether someone tried to move away from danger as they assess the reasonableness of a self-defense claim. Self-defense can't be invoked by someone if they were an aggressor.

Wisconsin doesn't have a so-called stand-your-ground law that grants wide-ranging rights for a person to stay put and fend off an attack no matter where it occurs.

Rittenhouse faces two counts of homicide, one count of attempted homicide, and two counts of recklessly endangering safety for firing his gun near people adjacent to those he shot. A successful self-defense argument would seem to apply to all five of counts.

Rittenhouse faces a sixth count, possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18, that the defense unsuccessfully tried to get dismissed. Andrew Branca, a Colorado lawyer who wrote the book The Law of Self Defense: Principles, said whether Rittenhouse was legally carrying the gun or not that night shouldn't factor into his right to self-defense.

WHAT ARE THE CHANCES OF RITTENHOUSE TESTIFYING?

Defense lawyers normally oppose putting clients on the stand and typically only do so in last-resort bids for acquittals because the risks are too high. But some legal experts say defense calculations change when self-defense is claimed.

Paul Bucher, a Milwaukee-area lawyer and former Waukesha County district attorney, said once jurors hear from the defense that a client feared for his life, they expect to hear straight from the defendant about his or her mindset at the time of the shooting.

Prosecutors would surely welcome the chance to try and rattle Rittenhouse on cross-examination in front of jurors.

HOW DO LEGAL EXPERTS SEE THE CASE?

Under self-defense law and precedent, Rittenhouse's motives for being in Kenosha are irrelevant to whether he had a legal right to shoot when threatened, some legal experts say. What matters is what happened in the minutes surrounding the shooting, Branca said.

If I had a 17-year-old-son, I would not encourage him to engage in this kind of behavior. But poor judgment is not a crime, said Branca, who thinks Rittenhouse has a strong case for self-defense.

Even if it isn't directly relevant to the self-defense claim, legal experts agreed that the question of why Rittenhouse was in Kenosha will loom over the trial.

Everybody in that courtroom is going to be thinking he deserved what he got because he put himself in a hostile situation.  What are you doing down there with a gun? said Bucher.

Branca said the law and facts should lead to Rittenhouse's acquittal, but said he's not sure that will happen.

Trials are dangerous and unpredictable  and innocent people get convicted all the time, he said. So its quite possible that Kyle Rittenhouse could be convicted in this case based on that kind of rhetoric, despite the legal merits of the charges.

___

Find APs full coverage of the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse at: https://apnews.com/hub/kyle-rittenhouse



Follow Michael Tarm on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mtarm
WASHINGTON (AP)  When President Joe Biden meets with Pope Francis on Friday, he wont kiss the ring.

Biden, who has met with Francis three times and with two previous popes, has said he eschews the traditional sign of respect because his mother told him not to  that no one is better than him. In their meeting, the two are expected to discuss issues like the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change as equals.

Biden, only the second Catholic president in U.S. history, often speaks publicly about his faith and attends Mass every weekend.

As a second-term senator, Biden met with Pope John Paul II in 1980, when the two spent a reportedly chummy 45 minutes together. As vice president, he met with Pope Benedict XVI in 2011, when he famously told the pope to go easier on American nuns, who then were under fire by the church for activism on issues like poverty.

By all accounts, Biden has a positive relationship with the current pontiff, beginning when he attended Francis inauguration as pope in 2013. They also met during the pontiffs 2015 visit, including a private meeting where Biden said the pope prayed for his family as they mourned the recent death of Bidens son Beau. In 2016, they met again, when Biden spoke about cancer care at a conference on regenerative medicine at the Vatican.

The president keeps a photo of one of his meetings with the pope behind his desk in the Oval Office. Their upcoming meeting continues a long tradition of president-and-pope encounters.

Some notable moments from meetings past:

President John F. Kennedys 1963 meeting with Pope Paul VI at the Vatican was historic: The first Roman Catholic president of the United States was seeing the Roman Catholic pontiff only days after his coronation. Kennedy, who faced anti-Catholic bias during his presidential campaign, shook hands with the pope rather than kissing his ring, as is the usual practice for Catholics.

Pope Paul VIs trip to New York in October 1965 presented protocol problems. President Lyndon Johnson wanted to see him, but the pontiff was a chief of a state not officially recognized by the U.S. The solution: Johnson flew to New York for dinner at the apartment of his friend Arthur Goldberg, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and the pontiff was welcomed to Johnsons suite at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel the next day.

Johnson had a penchant for somewhat odd papal presents. At that 1965 meeting, his gifts to Paul included a silver-framed, autographed photograph of himself. Two years later, at their next meeting at the Vatican, Johnson presented the pontiff with a foot-high bust of himself.

Jimmy Carter was the first president to play host to a pope at the White House. Pope John Paul II's stay at the White House featured 10,000 guests  split between separate arrival and departure ceremonies on the North and South Lawns.

President Ronald Reagan had trouble keeping his eyes open on his first visit to the Vatican in 1982. Reagans head bobbed and his eyes repeatedly closed for seconds at a time while John Paul talked solemnly of crises in the Falkland Islands and Lebanon. The incident came during a 10-day European trip with a packed schedule for Reagan. But it fed already rampant talk that the 71-year-old president wasnt physically up to the job.

Reagan sparked controversy over the separation of church and state in 1984 by establishing formal U.S. diplomatic relations with the Vatican, a long desire of the Holy See. Shortly afterward, Reagan and John Paul met during refueling stops at the airport in Fairbanks, Alaska (their paths were crossing as one finished and one began trips to Asia). The Alaska stop generated lots of excitement, but also scores of T-shirts reading The Pope Meets the Dope.

For his last of four meetings with Pope John Paul, President Bill Clinton flew to St. Louis to greet the pontiff as he began a U.S. tour. Back in Washington, the Senate was in the throes of its impeachment trial against Clinton, and John Paul said America faces a time of trial. But it was generally assumed that the pontiff, who also challenged Americans to a higher moral vision, was speaking about his long-running and sharp dispute with Clinton over the president's support for abortion rights.

At George W. Bushs last meeting with John Paul, at the Vatican in June 2004, he presented the pope with the Medal of Freedom, the nations highest civilian honor. The pontiff responded by reading a statement about his grave concern over events in Iraq, where the U.S.-led war had been going on for just over a year.

After John Paul died in 2005, Bush became the first sitting U.S. president to attend a papal funeral.

At his first audience with John Pauls successor, Pope Benedict XVI, Bushs overly casual behavior was noted by many Italians and Vatican watchers. He addressed the pope as sir, rather than the customary your holiness, and leaned far back in his chair with one leg thrown informally over another, instead of the ramrod-straight physical posture more commonly seen in the pontiffs presence. Romes ANSA agency flashed a Gaffe Presidente headline.

For Benedicts first U.S. tour as pope, there were several presidential firsts: Bush traveled to Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland to meet the pontiffs plane, brought the largest crowd of his presidency to the South Lawn for Benedicts arrival ceremony, and hosted a dinner in the popes honor that Benedict didn't attend.

Former President Barack Obama met with Pope Francis twice, once at the Vatican in 2014 and again during the popes 2015 visit to the U.S., where Obama met Francis on the tarmac at Andrews and played host in the Oval Office. Before 11,000 people on the South Lawn of the White House, Obama praised the pope as a living example of Jesus teachings, while Francis lauded Obama for his commitment to addressing climate change.

Former President Donald Trump had a famously prickly relationship with Pope Francis. The two sparred during the 2016 campaign, with Francis taking a veiled swipe at Trump by declaring that people who think only of building barriers instead of bridges are not Christian. Trump, who campaigned on building a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border, called the comments disgraceful and suggested the Mexican government was using Francis as a pawn. When the two met at the Vatican in 2017, photos showed a stone-faced Francis standing next to a grinning Trump. The president later said their meeting had been fantastic.

___ AP News Researcher Rhonda Shafner in New York contributed to this report.
BEIRUT (AP)  The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions Thursday on two Lebanon businessmen and a lawmaker, saying they have profited from corruption while the country struggles through its worst economic crisis in modern history.

The two businessmen, Jihad al-Arab and Dany Khoury, are influential contractors in Lebanon who have taken over major infrastructure contracts in Beirut and other parts of Lebanon in recent years. Jamil el-Sayyed, a former security chief and a current member of parliament also sanctioned Thursday, is an ally of the militant Hezbollah group.

The sanctions were a clear warning from Washington to Lebanon's political class that has failed to implement reforms two years after the crisis began with nationwide protests.

The U.S. has targeted Hezbollah officials and institutions over the years and more recently imposed sanctions on politicians allied with the group. Thursday's move was rare, since it is the first time a businessman has been targeted who is not an ally of Hezbollah.

Al-Arab, dubbed by some in Lebanon as the contractor of the republic, is close to former Prime Minister Saad Hariri who resigned from his post in October 2019 following nationwide protests against corruption.

The third man sanctioned, Khoury, is close to President Michel Aouns powerful son-in-law, Gebran Bassil, who himself is under U.S. sanctions.

The Treasury Department said each of the three have "personally profited from the pervasive corruption and cronyism in Lebanon, enriching themselves at the expense of the Lebanese people and state institutions.

It said the three are being designated pursuant to an executive order which targets people contributing to the breakdown of the rule of law in Lebanon.

Lebanon is being hit by its worst economic and financial crisis in its modern history in what the World Bank has described as one of the worst in the world since the 1850s. The Lebanese pound has lost more than 90% of its value and more than 70% of the population now lives in poverty.

The crisis is mostly the result of widespread corruption and mismanagement by a political class that has run the small nation of 6 million people, including 1 million Syrian refugees, since 1990, the end of the country's civil war.

The Lebanese people deserve an end to the endemic corruption perpetuated by businessmen and politicians who have driven their country into an unprecedented crisis, said Director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control Andrea M. Gacki.

The statement said that because of close political connections, al-Arab has been awarded multiple public contracts in exchange for kickback payments to government officials. It said among the contracts al-Arab won was a deal in 2016 in which he received a $288 million from a government development arm to build a landfill after garbage filled the streets of Beirut. Three years later, the statement said, the garbage situation remained urgent.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted that the sanctions are an important step in promoting accountability in Lebanon. He added that Lebanese officials must end corruption and take urgent action to address the crises the Lebanese people face.

In June, al-Arab announced that he will close all his business in Lebanon, saying his companies and family are being subjected to an illegitimate campaign of fabrications." His announcement came days after his daughters were verbally attacked by anti-corruption protesters in Beirut.

The Treasury Department said Khoury has been the recipient of large public contracts that have reaped him millions of dollars while failing to meaningfully fulfill the terms of those contracts.

The U.S. agency said el-Sayyed sought to skirt informal capital controls imposed by local banks since November 2019 and was aided by a senior government official in transferring over $120 million to overseas investments, presumably to enrich himself and his associates. The statement did not name the government official.

El-Sayyed tweeted that he will not comment on the accusation, adding that he will be holding a news conference on Friday.
UpNest used data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Developments State of the Cities Data Systems to rank the states and Washington, D.C., according to how many new housing permits were issued between August 2020 and August 2021. Click for more.
Champaign, IL (61820)

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Rain showers this morning with some sunshine during the afternoon hours. High 53F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

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Reporter

Mary Schenk is a reporter covering police, courts and breaking news at The News-Gazette. Her email is mschenk@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@schenk).
Champaign, IL (61820)

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Rain early. A mix of sun and clouds by afternoon. High 53F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

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Our County Editor

Dave Hinton is editor of The News-Gazette's Our County section and former editor of the Rantoul Press. He can be reached at dhinton@news-gazette.com.
"As many folks know, Im a townie. Being a first-generation college grad, resources were tight. My brothers put themselves through school. When my parents said to me If you want to go to college, youll go to Illinois and youll live at home, my response was: Thank you very much. That would be lovely."
Champaign, IL (61820)

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The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is constantly mutating. As of now, several different distinct SARS-CoV-2 lineages have arisen in multiple geographic areas around the world.

In a recently published Nature Communications study, the authors describe the B.1.620 lineage discovered in Lithuania. According to this study, the lineage is inferred to have originated in the Central African Republic and then dispersed to several neighboring countries throughout Europe, as well as the United States.

Study: Emergence and spread of SARS-CoV-2 lineage B.1.620 with variant of concern-like mutations and deletions. Image Credit: Fit Ztudio / Shutterstock.com

GISAID

The Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID) aims to integrate efforts of the international scientific community to understand the spread and evolution of influenza viruses. As a result of this initiative, scientists have full access to comprehensive genetic sequencing, clinical, and epidemiological data from virus isolates.

GISAID is a community resource project that was originally established in 2008. Since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic began, GISAID has proved to be a valuable resource for the dissemination of SARS-CoV-2 genomic data and for inferring the emergence and spread of several SARS-CoV-2 lineages.

The B.1.620 lineage

B.1.620, which was first identified in Lithuania, exhibits the spike protein mutation E484K. Due to repeated reports of this mutation, this lineage was redirected to sequencing.

A search for relatives of this lineage on GISAID showed a few genomes from Europe initially; however, more relatives of this strain continue to be found. B.1.620 has a Pango lineage designation integrated into GISAID.

This lineage now includes genomes from France, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, England, Scotland, Italy, Spain, Czechia, Norway, Sweden, Ireland, Portugal, the United States, Canada, and, most recently, the Philippines and South Korea. Initial B.1.620 European cases included travelers returning from Cameroon; however, more recently, genomes are also being submitted to GISAID from the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, and the Republic of Congo.

VOC mutations and deletions within the B.1.620 lineage

B.1.620 genomes carry a large number of unique mutations. In fact, this SARS-CoV-2 strain is 18 mutations away from nearest relatives and 26 from the reference strain Wuhan-Hu-1.

B.1.620 shares multiple mutations and deletions with known SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) including HV69/70, LLA241/243, S477N, E484K, and P681H. However, it does not appear to be of recombinant origin.

The scientists of the current study determined precise travel dates and travel history through GISAID associated metadata and by contacting the submitting labs, who contacted the originating lab or the patient's general practitioner.

Through travel-related cases of B.1.620, the scientists suspected Cameroon as the immediate source of this lineage. The genomes on GISAID from Cameroon were diverse and informative, thus suggesting that these could be distant relatives of B.1.620.

While this study was ongoing, SARS-CoV-2 genomes from the Central African Republic were deposited on GISAID; however, none of them resembled forebearer or sibling lineages to B.1.620.

B.1.620 may escape antibody-mediated immunity

B.1.620 carries the D614G mutation, which enhances infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 as a result of its enhanced interactions with the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2) receptor. B.1.620 also carries the P26S, HV69/70, V126A, Y144, LLA241/243, and H245Y mutations in the N-terminal domain (NTD) of the spike protein. These mutations may have arisen as an escape from antibody-mediated immunity.

The spike protein of B.1.620 also carries S477N and E484K mutations in the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein. However, in contrast to other VOCs, this strain of SARS-CoV-2 does not carry the N501Y or K417 mutations.

Using in silico methods, the scientists modeled the RBD-ACE-2 interface with the S477N and E484K substitutions. Molecular dynamics simulation of this interface indicated that B.1.620 may escape antibody-mediated immunity while maintaining a favorable interaction with the ACE-2 receptor.

B.1.620 in Lithuania and Europe

In Lithuania, the B.1.620 strain was found 2.4 times more often in vaccine breakthrough cases as compared to its population prevalence. The frequency of B.1.620 across the five most affected European countries of Lithuania, Germany, Switzerland, France, and Belgium appeared relatively stable, though at a low level. This may be attributed to the increasing vaccination rates and improving weather in Europe.

There is an ongoing disseminated outbreak of B.1.620 in Lithuania. However, genomes of this lineage have been found from other regions in Europe. These other B.1.620 genomes from Europe appear to indicate ongoing transmission in Europe.

B.1.620 in central Africa

The scientists compiled the B.1.620 genomes dataset. They had seven genomes from travelers, six of which were sampled in the Central African Republic (CAR) near the border with Cameroon. This indicates that the most plausible geographic region where B.1.620 is circulating widely is central Africa.

The individual travel histories that the scientists collected point to several independent introductions of B.1.620 into Europe. There were documented cases of infected travelers returning from Cameroon to Belgium, France, and Switzerland, as well as from Mali to Czechia.

The scientists identify evidence of ongoing local transmission of B.1.620 within Belgium.

Using a Bayesian phylogeographic inference methodology, the scientists infer an African origin of lineage B.1.620.

According to this study, the variant then spread to different European countries through multiple introductions. Subsequent country-level phylogeographic analysis pointed to central Africa as the likely origin of this lineage.

This study suggests that B.1.620 could be circulating more widely in Africa and that its detection in Europe mostly occurred in countries with recent active genomic surveillance programs. Detections of B.1.620 in African states neighboring Cameroon and the Central African Republic such as Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, even at low sequencing levels, suggest that B.1.620 may be prevalent in central Africa.

Implications

The current study highlights the global inequalities in infectious disease monitoring. These inequalities have an impact around the world since it is a global pandemic. Furthermore, the findings discussed here emphasize the importance of collecting and sharing associated metadata with genome sequences like travel histories.

Taken together, the scientific community should not undermine the importance of sharing critical metadata in a consistent and standardized manner.
Medicines come from chemical reactions, and better chemical reactions lead to better medicines.

Yet, the most popular reaction used in drug discovery, called the amide coupling, makes an inherently unstable amide bond. Because the body excels at metabolizing medication, one of the most important and difficult goals of drug research is to invent metabolically stable molecules, so we can take one pill a day instead of every 15 minutes.

To that end, researchers at the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy hacked the popular amide coupling to produce a carbon-carbon bond instead of an amide. The carbon-carbon bond is the most prevalent bond arrangement in nature and in synthetic drugs, and its also typically more stable than the amide bond, said Tim Cernak, assistant professor of medicinal chemistry and principal investigator of the study that appears online in the Angewandte Chemie International Edition.

The discovery of the carbon-carbon bond-forming reaction opens the door to more stable medicines, and is particularly applicable to biological probes and new medical imaging agents, Cernak said.

Its actually really, really difficult to invent a molecule that has that stability so that you can take just one pill a day. If we dont put all this optimization into stabilization of molecules, wed have to take one pill every 15 minutes or 20 minutes. It would be very inconvenient. Tim Cernak, assistant professor of medicinal chemistry and principal investigator of the study

The common amide bond is formed by coupling an amine and a carboxylic acid. To form a carbon-carbon bond, researchers identified a catalyst that deaminates the amine and decarboxylates the carboxylic acid, forming a carbon-carbon bond in the process.

Joining an amine and a carboxylic acid to make a carbon-carbon bond is also advantageous because these reagents are available in the highest diversity, and are typically less expensive than other raw ingredients that could be used to make a carbon-carbon bond.

Think of a big box of Lego pieces, Cernak said. What if you knew you could only take the nub on one side and connect it only to one side. But by adjusting the reaction conditions, researchers could join those Legos in different ways. Now you learn you can turn the piece and connect it on the other side. Were taking the classic breaking point of two Lego pieces and making that the stable union.

Cernaks lab focuses on the merger of data science and chemical synthesis. Rapid adjustments to the starting materials were possible because of the labs own miniaturized high throughput experimentation technique, said co-author Zirong Zhang, a postdoctoral researcher in Cernaks lab.

Zhang navigated through more than 1,300 failed reactions before she found the one that yielded the carbon-carbon bond. Miniaturization makes the experimentation greener and faster by using smaller quantities of reactants, she said.

We are using as much as a hundred times less starting material than traditional methods, Zhang said. When you go smaller, its a more green chemistry because you consume less, and this also allows you to more efficiently look at reactions.

Its analogous to Moores law, the observation that computational power would double about every two years as transistors shrank.

Weve applied Moores law to the process of chemical experimentation, Cernak said. We shrink the size of the reaction, but we backfill that additional space that we got with more reactions.

Thats what allowed Zhang to run hundreds of reactions to finally find that diamond in the roughthe hidden catalytic condition that worked, which nobody could find before.

Also unique was the data science strategy on the front end.

We did a huge amount of data science to target this specific reaction, Cernak said.

The group analyzed chemical vendor building block catalogues to understand which raw ingredients were most broadly available, and mined drug databases to look for the most important bonds.
Emilie Sayler's roots run deep in southwestern Montana. She serves on a nearby town council and the board of the local Little League. She went to college in a neighboring county and regularly volunteers in the schools of her three kids.

Just a few months into her new job as public health director for Madison County, she had hoped that those local connections might make a difference, that the fewer than 10,000 residents spread out across this agricultural region would see her familiar face and support her efforts to curtail the covid-19 pandemic raging here.

That largely hasn't happened. School boards have rebuffed even minor measures to prevent outbreaks, vaccination rates languish and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention categorizes infection levels in the rural county as high. Parents, Sayler said, are sending sick kids to school.

On top of that, a resident phoned her office and told a member of her staff, "I wish that you would get covid and die."

"People have used the term 'free-for-all,' and I really hate to admit that that's what it kind of feels like," Sayler said.

Nationally, KHN and The Associated Press have documented that more than 300 public health leaders, weary of abuse and of their expertise being questioned, have resigned or retired as the country struggles to recover from the worst pandemic in a century. They have been replaced by people like Sayler, often inexperienced yet tasked with repairing the trust of a polarized and fatigued public.

At least 26 states have passed laws or regulations limiting the powers of public health officers this year, meaning these replacements have fewer tools and less authority than their predecessors to enforce their orders and recommendations.

Montana passed laws considered some of the most restrictive. This year, the state legislature curbed the powers of health officers to, among other things, quarantine infected citizens or isolate those in close contact with them. Lawmakers also prevented public and private employers from requiring workers to be vaccinated and gave local elected officials the ability to overturn public health orders.

Now Montana is at or near the bottom of many national statistics charting the covid surge  rates of new cases, hospitalizations and deaths  that is happening in counties big and small.

Lori Christenson is the new health officer for Gallatin County, Madison County's neighbor to the east and home of the city of Bozeman and Montana State University. In June, she replaced Matt Kelley, who before resigning had become a political punching bag as the county mandated masks in public places and restricted business hours and the size of crowds. Protesters on social media demanded his ouster; a few picketed outside his home. Christenson had served in the health department for seven years before her promotion and worked closely with Kelley.

While her office still hears daily from frustrated citizens "on both sides," she said the vitriol is not quite as malicious as in the past. That's in large part, she believes, because the new laws that gutted her department's power shifted criticism to other entities like local school boards that still have the authority to mandate measures such as wearing masks.

"Sometimes it can be pretty frustrating not having the ability to make some immediate changes that previously helped to slow transmission," Christenson said. "We just don't have the tools at our disposal in the same way that we did before."

That reality, she said, has been "morally challenging."

"I have a duty to protect the community. You want to do what is right, but you also want to do what is lawful. In this situation, it didn't mesh."

Joe Russell does not envy health officers new to their positions. He retired as head of the Flathead City-County Health Department in 2017 but returned in December after the interim director resigned over what she called a "toxic environment" inflamed by the "ideological biases" of local politicians.

"Think about going into a brand-new profession, in a leadership role that you've never held, in a crisis like covid-19," Russell said. "It would be miserable."

He said his experience  30 years in the Flathead health department, including 20 as its leader  has eased navigating through the pandemic in one of the state's most populous and conservative counties, although the rate of cases there remains high and its vaccination rate low.

His tenure, he said, has given him the credibility to confront officials who question the seriousness of covid or the safety and effectiveness of vaccines.

"When someone spouts this nonsense, who better to stand up and give them the science-based evidence and tell them that they are full of crap?" Russell said. "I love it when that happens at a public meeting."

Although Montana laws essentially prevent public health officials from following many CDC guidelines, Christenson said they still have useful tools available to combat the virus: testing, contact tracing, vaccination, communicating with the public.

"That is what I focus on," she said. "That is what we can do."

Christenson believes she has the community's support. She noted that while a few people protested outside of Kelley's home, crowds countered that criticism by lining Bozeman's Main Street, offering cheers of support on his drive home.

"Not to say that every day is rosy," she said. "That would be naive. But you can feel the staff here continue to try to move forward, and that to me is a success."

In Madison County, Sayler said she is taking an "olive branch" approach to turning things around, advancing recommendations rather than orders, as her staff works to nudge vaccination rates up from the current 48%. She's doubtful that will quickly reduce covid.

In September, the county saw approximately 200 new cases  roughly 20% of all its infections since the pandemic began  and had more residents hospitalized with the virus than ever before.

While the pandemic has filled Sayler's first months on the job, she said she looks forward to focusing on other ways the health department can restore the public's faith and help Madison County, such as offering car seats for babies or nutrition advice for expectant mothers.

"There is a lot of rebuilding to do here, because this whole office has been consumed by covid for so long," she said. "I can still see long-term goals for us and what we can do for this community. That's not just a goal. That's a need."

Her office has on occasion persuaded those sick with covid, even those who insisted the virus is not serious, to seek medical help. "Tell your story," Sayler said she advises those covid survivors. "Make sure everybody knows how sick you were."

But then there are more difficult encounters, such as when a mother cursed her out over the phone about the recommendation that her child be quarantined. A week later, she saw the woman at her daughter's volleyball game.

"She was sitting there and looked directly at me and then looked away," Sayler said. "That made me feel better. You truly don't feel that way. You were just expressing frustration in that moment."

That experience left her with cautious optimism about the difficult task she has ahead with the pandemic set to enter its second winter.

"It is reassuring that there is potential here. We can still work with these people," she said. "We just really don't want to be a punching bag, either."
New research from UBC Okanagan shows that gradual nicotine reduction is key to helping e-cigarette users quit.

The study, published in this week's issue of the Journal of Medical Internet Research, has implications for young adults who are currently hooked and want to stop using e-cigarettes, commonly called vapes.

Vaping has become a popular global phenomenon, with more than 40 million users worldwide. Despite this growth in popularity, many current vapers admit they want to quit, particularly young Canadians. In fact, over 60 per cent of youth-;ages 15 to 19-;who vape reported trying to quit in the last year. Our study is the first to use the social media forum, Reddit, to find out how they are breaking this habit and how they can be best supported." Dr. Laura Struik, assistant professor, UBCO School of Nursing and lead researcher of the study

According to Health Canada, vaping is the act of inhaling and exhaling an aerosol produced by a vaping product, such as an electronic cigarette. Unlike cigarette smoking, vaping doesn't require burning, rather, the device heats a liquid into a vapour, which then turns into an aerosol.

Dr. Struik and Youjin Yang, a recent UBCO Bachelor of Science in Nursing graduate, analyzed 1,228 public posts from 318 users on a "quit vaping" Reddit forum. The information was categorized into quitting method, reasons for quitting, and barriers and facilitators to quitting.

"We chose social media to gather our data because this is where individuals, especially young people, the largest users of e-cigarettes, are sharing their experiences, including those about health," says Dr. Struik.

The research showed that negative health experiences were the number one reason these individuals chose to quit. Symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain, wheezing and poor sleep were the complaints listed, which concerns Dr. Struik.

"This is very different from the number one reason that smokers want to quit smoking, which is future health concerns," she says. "We need to pay attention to these early adverse health effects. I'm particularly concerned by the impact of vaping on young and healthy lungs. That e-cigarette users are experiencing such intense negative health effects from vaping relatively early indicates that something different is going on biologically compared to smoking."

Dr. Struik also notes that the users reported intense withdrawal symptoms and dependency on nicotine as the top barrier to quitting.

"This is not surprising given that the most popular e-cigarettes deliver very high concentrations of nicotine," she says. "In addition, previous studies suggest that the developing brain, such as that seen in youth and young adults, is vulnerable to long-term nicotine addiction. This makes quitting harder for this population."

For those who pursued quitting, the study found that more than 65 per cent of them said they preferred a gradual reduction approach. This involved tapering the nicotine concentration, followed by using different nicotine replacement therapies, such as patches and gum. To help with this, individuals used distraction techniques like exercising, to keep themselves busy and get a dopamine release-;the "feel good" neurotransmitter in the brain-;from something other than vaping.

It was also noteworthy that e-cigarette users were vocal about the need for self-grace and a positive self-concept as they engaged in the quitting process.

"Health promotion efforts should encompass messaging that does not shame those who vape or are struggling to quit; instead, we need to build each other up and support each other's efforts in reducing exposure to health risks, like vaping."

She suggests that online interventions may be particularly useful for this group, given that most of them are young and embrace digital platforms. "We have an opportunity here to help support them."

Dr. Struik also notes that cessation guidelines, including pharmacological and behavioural approaches, specific to e-cigarette are critical.

"Our research findings show that vaping and vapers are different than those who smoke tobacco. Therefore, the cessation approaches should also be unique."
Both the messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) and adenoviral vaccines have proven to be quite effective in reducing the spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and severity of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in fully vaccinated people. In fact, individuals vaccinated against COVID-19 have a ten times lower risk of experiencing severe COVID-19. However, following a quick-paced vaccination in early 2021, vaccination rates have slowed down in many countries during the summer months, despite the proven benefits of the vaccine.

Additionally, with the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant, an increased viral transmission was observed, even with high vaccination rates. As a result, several non-pharmaceutical interventions had to be re-introduced including wearing masks and staying indoors.

Study: COVID-19 Vaccination Mandates and Vaccine Uptake. Image Credit: Michael Vi / Shutterstock.com

Therefore, a higher vaccination rate would be required in some places to minimize the health and economic impacts of the virus. For example, several governments have introduced proof of vaccination mandates to increase the vaccination rates and reduce the transmissibility of the virus.

A new study published in the preprint server medRxiv* aimed to evaluate and quantify the effect of proof of vaccination mandates on first-dose vaccine uptake in nine Canadian provinces and three European countries including France, Italy, and Germany between July and September 2021.

About the study

The current study included data on COVID-19 vaccination numbers, cases, and deaths for all Canadian provinces, as well as France, Italy, and Germany. Announcement dates and implementation dates for the proof of vaccination mandates were collected from major newspapers and government websites.

The study also assessed the magnitude of changing weekly first doses after the announcement of the vaccination mandate. A behavioral model was also used to estimate where the decision to receive the first dose of the vaccine was affected by the announcement of the vaccination mandate, as well as to assess the current COVID-19 epidemiological and public health conditions.

The current study assumed that no lag was present between the mandate announcement and a persons ability to receive a first vaccine dose, as well as that information on current public health conditions, is taken into account.

Study findings

The panel data analysis results indicated that Canadian provinces that announced vaccination mandates might have different trends in first dose vaccinations as compared to provinces that did not. The impact of the mandate was found to be relatively quick, at around one week after the announcement, with a significant effect on the pace of first-dose vaccinations. However, this effect gradually decreased with time and dissipated seven weeks after the announcement.

Vaccination mandates and first dose uptake as of Sep. 30, 2021

First doses after mandate announcement.

The robustness analysis indicated that the results were not affected by any assumptions, particular provinces, choice of weekly doses, and asymptotic inference approximations. The current study was also found to be consistent with the ceiling effect idea that suggests that provinces with more eligible people at the time of the announcement will have more room for vaccination boost.

Assessment of second doses indicated that there was an increase in second dose uptake in the second week from the announcement; however, this trend was short-lived and did not persist in the following weeks. A structural break test following the announcement of a mandate was associated with a trend break in first-dose vaccine uptake in most or all locations.

The counterfactual analysis helped to get an idea about location-specific mandate effects and thus potentially gain precision. The counterfactual analysis for the Canadian provinces suggested that the announcement of the vaccination mandate led to 289,000 additional first doses in Canada.

The largest gains in vaccination were observed in Alberta, Ontario, and British Columbia. For countries, the additional first doses after the announcement were found to be large in France and Italy, whereas its impact was rather small in Germany.

Conclusion

The increase in the speed of vaccination is important, as it can accelerate the progress toward achieving herd immunity against SARS-CoV-2.

The results of the current study indicate that the proof of vaccination mandate imposed by the Canadian provinces and France, Germany, and Italy were quite effective in increasing first dose vaccinations. However, vaccination mandates are controversial, as some people consider them to be restrictions on personal freedom. Additionally, the costs of imposing and enforcing these mandates are quite high. Therefore, governments must devise cost-benefit methods to increase vaccination rates in order to reduce COVID-19 cases.

*Important notice

medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.
When Lori Popejoy and Amy Vogelsmeier were working as registered nurses early in their careers, they saw firsthand how quickly respiratory infections, such as the common flu, could spread in nursing homes.

Outbreaks of respiratory infections are notoriously hard to control in places like nursing homes because you typically have enclosed spaces where many elderly people are close together. While a global pandemic of this magnitude with COVID-19 has been rare, infectious outbreaks in nursing homes do occur from time to time. So, it is important to help guide these facilities in managing infectious diseases so they are better prepared for the next outbreak." Lori Popejoy, Associate Professor, MU Sinclair School of Nursing

To help assess how more than 500 Missouri nursing homes have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, Popejoy and Vogelsmeier, now research faculty at the University of Missouri, recently earned a 4-year, $1.9 million grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. By identifying strategies nursing homes used to overcome challenges related to the pandemic, the research team hopes to develop recommendations nursing homes across the country can use to improve quality of care and, ultimately, patient health outcomes.

"We will be taking a comprehensive view by comparing facilities in both urban and rural areas, as well as facilities with both high COVID-19 infection rates and facilities with low infection rates, which allows us to potentially identify patterns for what went well or what can be improved," said Vogelsmeier, an associate professor in the MU Sinclair School of Nursing. "By talking to various stakeholders, including residents and their families, nursing home staff and administrators, public health experts and the Department of Health and Senior Services, we can find helpful strategies to assist nursing homes to better prepare and respond to infectious outbreaks."

Since the pandemic began, nursing shortages that already existed have gotten worse due to burnout and exhaustion. A recent MU study found 31% of all Missouri nurses are older than age 54, and some rural Missouri counties have more than half of their nursing workforce aged 54 or older.

"The workforce was already at a breaking point, and now the pandemic has pushed many of these older nurses into retirement," Popejoy said. "These kind of studies can help inform public policy and hopefully implement best practices that nursing homes dealing with similar challenges can implement nationwide."

Vogelsmeier added how powerful empathy can be when talking with nursing home administrators and staff, given she and Popejoy know firsthand the obstacles nursing homes are trying to overcome.

"When we were in practice, we could influence things at a very local level, but now as researchers, we have the chance to influence things at the state and national level," Vogelsmeier said. "It is very rewarding to make a difference that positively impacts nursing home care and quality, which ultimately improves patient health outcomes."

Funding for the study was provided by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
RUDN University and Shahid Beheshti University (SBU) chemist together with colleagues from Iran created a system for targeted delivery of anti-cancer drugs. The complex based on graphene and gelatin using green chemistry methods. In future, it can help to avoid side effects during cancer chemotherapy. The results are published in the journal Materialia.

One of the methods of cancer treatment is chemotherapy. Cytostatic drugs are usually administered intravenously, they help to minimize the growth of the tumor, but at the same time they put a serious strain on the body and cause side effects. Targeted drug delivery systems help improve the effectiveness of treatment and reduce side effects. However, there is no exact targeted delivery method yet. RUDN University chemists, together with colleagues from Iran, have proposed a hydrogel compound made of graphene and gelatin that can potentially deliver the anti-cancer drug doxorubicin to a tumor.

It is important to introduce an alternative vehicle that can deliver anticancer drugs effectively in the targeted tumor tissue. Based on our previous findings in modification/functionalization of materials via multicomponent reactions we report a green, straightforward, and efficient novel method to prepare GQD-G hydrogel, which can be used as an implantable antitumor agent." Ahmad Shaabani, leading researcher, Joint Institute for Chemical Research of RUDN and SBU

Chemists have created a hydrogel that can hold a drug and slowly release it as it dissolves. The GQD-G hydrogel consists of gelatin and graphene-based quantum dots. Quantum dots are semiconductor particles with electrons "trapped" in it. They were obtained by pyrolysis of citric acid. The solution with quantum dots was combined with gelatin and excipients (bromobenzaldehyde and cyclohexyl isocyanide) to form a hydrogel, a "vehicle" for the drug. Then they injected doxorubicin in it (a common drug used in cancer chemotherapy). Cytotoxicity of the drug was studied on breast cancer cells.

Within 100 hours, up to 25-70% of doxorubicin is released from the hydrogel compound, depending on the acidity of the environment and the concentration of auxiliary bromobenzaldehyde in the hydrogel. The ability to kill cancer cells in this compound was lower than that of pure doxorubicin, but the hydrogel complex provides another advantage. One can control the rate of drug release and reduce side effects, since the hydrogel with the drug can be injected directly into the desired tissue.

"The designed hydrogels may attract great attention to construct a safe system, having the potential to be employed as an implantable anticancer and bio-detection agent. In addition, we believe that the presented strategy could attract much attention from the community of material chemistry for the preparation of biomedical platforms thanks to its green chemistry principle," said Ahmad Shaabani, a leading researcher at the Joint Institute for Chemical Research of RUDN and SBU.
UT Southwestern researchers have identified a new mechanism by which stress causes cells to stop dividing.

Using techniques created at UT Southwestern, the team identified a protein in yeast that plays a previously unrecognized role in halting the cell cycle, the process by which one cell reproduces itself by splitting into two. After accumulating in response to stressful events, the Xbp1 protein appears to suppress the cell cycle, the study suggests.

The findings, published in the Journal of Cell Biology, appear to solve one long-standing mystery of the cell cycle. If scientists can identify a protein in mammals with a similar function, the research might eventually lead to new ways to accelerate wound healing by encouraging cell division or improve cancer treatment by doing the opposite.

"Scientists have been studying this fundamental process for nearly seven decades," said Orlando Arguello-Miranda, Ph.D., an Instructor who co-led the study with Assistant Professor Jungsik Noh, Ph.D., both of UTSW's Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics. "We've essentially identified a protein that can stop the cell cycle in response to stressful conditions."

Scientists have long known that the cell cycle consists of several defined stages as a cell goes from a resting state to increasing in size as it copies its genetic material  or DNA  in a process known as DNA replication, condenses its DNA, and finally divides into two "daughter" cells.

It has long been known that a stressful event such as starvation can send a cell into a protective state known as quiescence. Typically, the cell cycle halts just before DNA replication takes place, Dr. Arguello-Miranda explained. However, a minority of cells seem to become quiescent at other points in the process.

To understand why, Dr. Arguello-Miranda, Dr. Noh, and their colleagues studied yeast cells challenged by nutritional stress. The researchers were able to study individual cells in that state by using a technique called microfluidics six-color imaging developed at UT Southwestern. That technique combines a technology for cell culture called microfluidics with a six-color fluorescent-microscopy approach pioneered at UTSW in 2018. In microfluidics six-color-imaging, investigators pass cells through a tiny, fluid-filled chamber monitored with a specialized microscope and camera array. The researchers also used machine learning to track and detect up to six biochemical reactions in single cells in real time.

In previous studies in the field, researchers cultured yeast cells in flasks and were unable to track single cells. In contrast, we have obtained movies that record how individual cells stop dividing and enter quiescence." Orlando Arguello-Miranda, Ph.D.

Although most of the starved cells entered quiescence at the expected stage, right before DNA replication, about 7% paused at another stage of the cell cycle, he said.

Using the new techniques to tag and follow specific proteins in individual cells over time, the researchers found that all the starved cells showed elevated levels of a suite of stress response proteins. However, cells that became quiescent at unexpected points in the cell cycle all had an abundance of Xbp1, which the study found is needed to stop the cell cycle after DNA replication.

Further experiments showed that this accumulation of Xbp1 caused the cell cycle to pause, even when the activity of another protein called Cdk1 that encourages cell proliferation is high. A closer look showed that Xbp1 levels weren't static  rather, they climbed higher after each stressful event an individual cell experienced or the longer a stressful event lasted.

"This accumulation was so predictable we could tell how many stressful events a cell had been exposed to by how much Xbp1 was present in the cell nucleus," Dr. Arguello-Miranda said. The findings suggest that Xbp1 has a newly discovered function in regulating the cell cycle, allowing yeast cells to "remember" exposure to stress and to protect themselves by entering quiescence, he added.

Although there is no direct homolog to Xbp1 in mammals, other proteins seem to show similar biochemical activity in mammalian cells. Those proteins will be the subject of future research, he said.
Low back pain (LBP) is no stranger to office workers. In Japan, 1 out of 10 otherwise healthy office workers suffer from LBP. Stretching and exercise help alleviate the pain, but workers often do this when it is too late. But what if our chairs could alert us before the pain worsens?

Now, researchers at Tohoku University have developed a new prediction method that employs pressure sensors installed on a conventional office chair. The sensors detect workers' movements on the chair dynamically and quantitatively.

The "smart chair" was tested in a real-life setting outside of the lab. Amassing data from 22 study participants over a period of three months, the research group combed through the information to investigate the dynamics of sitting behavior and identify a predictable LBP progression.

Further aided by various machine learning methods, the researchers discovered a common motif present in the sitting behavior of most participants. They pinpointed small motions in the body trunk that prevent the fixation of vertebral joints, therefore avoiding LBP's progression. The frequency of this motif could be used to predict the worsening of LBP throughout the day when compared to a morning reference state.

The research group hopes to apply the technology to other areas of the body.

Although the current method focused on LBP, we hope to collect data relating to the head and neck regions to be able to predict and prevent stiff necks and headaches." Ryoichi Nagatomi, paper coauthor
A new study shows that in the last two decades the death rate from Parkinson's disease has risen about 63% in the United States. The research is published in the October 27, 2021, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study also found that the death rate was twice as high in men as in women, and there was a higher death rate in white people than other racial/ethnic groups.

"We know that people are living longer and the general population is getting older, but that doesn't fully explain the increase we saw in the death rate in people with Parkinson's," study author Wei Bao, MD, PhD, who conducted the research at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. "Understanding why more people are dying from this disease is critical if we are going to reverse the trend."

The study looked at a national death registry that included 479,059 people who died of Parkinson's between 1999 and 2019.

After adjusting for age, researchers found that the number of people who died from the disease increased from 5.4 per 100,000 people in 1999 to 8.8 per 100,000 people in 2019. The average annual increase was 2.4%.

Researchers found mortality increased significantly across all age groups, both sexes, various racial and ethnic groups and different urban-rural classifications. However, death rates were twice as high in men as in women. Bao says one possible explanation for this sex difference is that estrogen, which leads to higher dopamine levels in parts of the brain that control motor responses, may protect women from developing Parkinson's.

White people were more likely to die from Parkinson's than other racial and ethnic groups. In 2019, the death rate for white people was 9.7 per 100,000 people, followed by Hispanic people, at 6.5 per 100,000 people, and non-Hispanic Black people, at 4.7 per 100,000 people. Bao said previous studies have shown that compared to white people, Black and Hispanic people are less likely to see an outpatient neurologist, due to socioeconomic barriers, suggesting that white people may have a higher chance of receiving a Parkinson's diagnosis.

It's important to continue to evaluate long-term trends in Parkinson's death rates. This can inform future research that may help pinpoint why more people are dying of the disease. Also, updating vital statistics about Parkinson's death rates may be used for priority setting and financing of health care and policy." Wei Bao, MD, PhD, Study Author

A limitation of the study is that only one underlying cause of death was recorded on each death certificate, so only people who were recorded as having died of Parkinson's were included in the study. This may not accurately reflect the prevalence of the disease as a cause of death.
Young adults, ages 18-34, are more likely to report experiencing chronic pain compared to older adults (65% vs. 52% ages 35+), with a large majority of them (73%) saying they are in pain every day, according to a new survey conducted online by The Harris Poll on behalf of the Samueli Foundation. More than one in five young adults who experience chronic pain (22%) say they use cannabis and/or CBD oil for pain, and they are twice as likely to do so compared to those ages 45+ (11%).

"The prevalence of persistent pain among young adults is alarming, and their use of cannabis or CBD oil indicates they are seeking more ways to manage their pain through self-care," said Wayne Jonas, MD, executive director of Integrative Health Programs at Samueli Foundation. "We know cannabis and CBD can be effective in treating pain that stems from various conditions, such as cancer. But there's insufficient evidence to support the effectiveness of CBD and cannabis in treating common chronic pain conditions. Instead, young people should be working with their physicians to first try non-drug treatments that are recommended by the medical community, such as massage therapy, yoga, physical therapy, and exercise."

Young adults with chronic pain  most commonly experienced in their back (32%), neck and knees (20% each)  are looking for help from health care providers to manage their pain, according to the online survey conducted in September of more than 2,000 U.S. adults. Nearly 3 in 10 young adults with chronic pain (29%) say they are talking to their doctors more often about their pain since the pandemic began, compared to just 15% of those age 45 and older. However, three-quarters of young adults (75%) also say they don't know what kind of health care provider can best help them manage their pain.

"It's clear that young people are trying to deal with their chronic pain on their own, but they also want and need their providers' help in determining the most effective treatments for their pain," said Jonas. "And primary care providers, who manage most patients with pain, should steer their patients  especially young adults  to proven, effective strategies to manage their everyday pain."

Seventy-eight percent of adults with chronic pain use non-drug treatments, while 70% use pharmacological treatments. The most common approaches are over-the-counter pain relievers (53%), followed by exercise (43%), heat/ice (34%), healthy eating (26%), cannabis/CBD (16%), physical therapy (15%), massage therapy (15%), and yoga (14%). Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, two-thirds of those with chronic pain (66%) say they have changed their pain management. Some people are now using over-the-counter medications (37%), exercising (35%), and healthy eating (25%) to manage their pain more often than they did before the pandemic.

Large majorities of Americans experiencing chronic pain are interested in using non-drug treatments. Among those not currently using these treatments, 80% are interested in trying healthy eating; 71% in exercise; and more than 3 in 5 would be interested in trying massage therapy (68%), physical therapy (62%), or mindfulness-based stress reduction or meditation (61%).

Quality of life for Americans with chronic pain is likely also suffering, and the majority would like more help and guidance to manage their pain. More than 4 in 5 Americans experiencing chronic pain (83%) say their quality of life would greatly improve if they were better able to manage it, and 79% of Americans with chronic pain say they wish it was taken more seriously by health care providers. Additionally, 68% wish they had more information about how to manage their chronic pain.

"This should be a wake-up call to physicians that their patients are looking for more information from them about managing their chronic pain, especially for non-drug approaches." said Jonas. "It's up to providers across the health care system to engage in regular conversations with patients to uncover the best ways to manage their pain on a daily basis."
The beginning of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic was officially announced on March 11, 2020 by the World Health Organization (WHO). The appearance of some unusual cases of pneumonia back in December 2019 had been reported from Wuhan, China, followed by reported cases in the United States and Europe the next month on January 21 and 24, 2021, respectively.

Recently, researchers find that the exponential spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus responsible for COVID-19, occurred during this period but went largely unrecognized. International travel was the major stimulus for the numerous introductions that occurred at this time, coupled with poor case detection strategies that left almost 97% of cases undetected.

Study: Cryptic Transmission Of SARS-Cov-2 And the First COVID-19 Wave. Image Credit: Alones / Shutterstock.com

Background

The introduction of SARS-CoV-2 into a number of countries in Europe and Asia, as well as into the United States over the weeks following its emergence in Wuhan was reported early in January 2021. Only a few daily cases were detected at this time, most of which were the result of testing individuals who exhibited COVID-19 symptoms and had a history of travel to China.

However, many earlier papers have shown that SARS-CoV-2 entered these countries much earlier than it originally believed, which indicates that the testing and screening policies used at the time were inefficient. The current study used the Global Epidemic and Mobility Model (GLEAM) to explore the global spread of SARS-CoV-2.

This model links the various possible pathways of virus spread using data from the earliest days of the pandemic, to reveal the potential transmission of SARS-CoV-2 during this cryptic phase. The researchers included data from the U.S. and Europe, incorporating human mobility real-time, and population data using mechanistic modeling with changes in the patterns of contact and of people movement to fit the non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) in each region.

Study findings

The researchers found that the median number of new cases occurring daily in the U.S. and Europe were much higher than official numbers, thereby indicating that many transmission events had occurred before rigorous testing and surveillance strategies were put in place without the consideration of travel history. In other words, significant community transmission had occurred already while travel history was considered a risk factor.

Initially, only a tenth of cases was being detected by March 8, 2020, in the U.S. and 3.5% in Europe. With increased testing capacity, the model estimates that about twice the original number was being detected. As early as February 21, 2020, some areas had already experienced outbreaks.

Defining local transmission for a state or country as the date on which ten or more new infections were first recorded, the model demonstrates that by the week of January 26, 2020, and February 2, 2020, California and New York might have already become centers of local spread. The model describes the spread of SARS-CoV-2 over the U.S. and Europe largely in accordance with the data from the John Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center.

The origin of the introduction of SARS-CoV-2 to the U.S. and Europe owes little to China, according to this model, while local spread becomes far more important. The latter was, of course, sparked by an initial spurt of introductions from abroad, but gave way to cryptic transmission sustained by the internal circulation of the virus.

Thus, Texas, California, and Massachusetts saw 70% to 80% of introductions owing to domestic introductions, while in Europe, 60-70% of the introductions were from within the country. Once a local spread chain has been initiated, additional chains can still begin due to further introductions of the virus.

In other words, a seeding introduction may have brought SARS-CoV-2 from China to the U.S. and Europe in January 2020; however, later introductions led to additional introductions and onward transmission. Air travel was shown to be the major driver of the seeding introduction and early spread.

However, regions with high population density would be prone to increased contacts before NPIs were implemented. This effect was not separated from the effect of increased seeding because of high travel volumes linked to similar population sizes.

The weekly deaths, as estimated by the model, matched well with the reported values from selected states and countries. This was evident in Belgium, with the highest estimate of 13% infection attack rate compared with the highest reported mortality at 8.5 per 10,000 individuals by July 4, 2020. A similar agreement was seen with the U.S. northeastern states.

Implications

The findings of this study show uncanny agreement with the reported figures from the cryptic phase of the pandemic, thus allowing researchers to understand the mechanism by which the pandemic evolved throughout the world. Over 70% of early introductions into Italy, for instance, were from China, thereby indicating the role played by imported infections at this point.

Further, most importations into the U.S. came from Europe through April 2020, with less than 1% from China, mostly at a very early or seeding point of the outbreak there.

Over time, SARS-CoV-2 was introduced through multiple routes that saw rapid changes, most of which were responded to in a reactive fashion. This resulted in travel restrictions on countries where local outbreaks had already been confirmed. However, with an earlier extension on testing without the requirement for a travel history to a place with high transmission rates such as China, cases could have been detected earlier and transmission chains halted.

The current model also sheds light on the effect of lockdowns, showing that most COVID-19 diagnoses happened after local spread had already begun. The earlier the NPI initiation date, the smaller the peak of the first wave of COVID-19 in that place, confirming that NPI timing is key to keeping the case burden low.

Overall, our results strengthen the case for preparedness plans with broader indication for testing that are able to detect local transmission earlier.

The researchers used modeling and analytic methods that allowed them to map the spread of SARS-CoV-2, as well as other emerging viruses. These approaches can be applied to evaluate the risk of spread in real-time, thus helping to predict the cryptic transmission phase. As such, these methods could be useful in planning public health strategies to regulate international travel, as well as assessing the threats of emerging variants in low-income regions that have limited resources for testing and surveillance.
President Joe Biden unveiled a purported compromise on his social-spending plan shortly before taking off for a series of meetings in Europe. But it remains unclear whether the proposal  which jettisons some of the president's health priorities  will win the support of enough Democrats to push it over the finish line.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Monday will hear oral arguments in a case brought by the Biden administration trying to strike down the Texas law that has stopped most abortions in the state since it took effect in September.

This week's panelists are Julie Rovner of KHN, Joanne Kenen of Politico and Johns Hopkins, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet and Rachana Pradhan of KHN.

Among the takeaways from this week's episode:

The framework announced by the White House provides few details about health care provisions. But the White House may have pushed this forward because the president wanted to show progress on climate provisions as he heads to an international climate meeting next week and figured that the health issues could be resolved later.

Despite Democrats longtime push for bringing down Medicare drug prices, the framework announced by the White House includes only one fairly small provision that would affect that spending. It would overturn a Trump administration effort to make sure discounts offered by drugmakers to insurers be passed on to consumers. In the byzantine world of federal budgeting, that measure was going to cost the government money and jettisoning the policy will provide savings that lawmakers can use for other benefits they want to put into the overall spending bill.

Progressives in the Democratic Party have been pushing hard for an expansion of Medicare benefits to cover hearing, vision and dental services. But the framework includes only some hearing coverage.

The framework also dramatically reduces a proposal to improve home health services.

The Supreme Court arguments next week are in a suit seeking to overturn a Texas abortion law that bans the procedure after fetal cardiac activity can be detected  usually at about six weeks of pregnancy. Although conservatives are hoping the justices will use the case to overturn Roe v. Wade, much of the case could revolve around other issues, including the law's unusual enforcement mechanism that allows individuals  not the state  to bring civil cases against people who help women get an abortion.

If the high court were to overturn Roe, its possible abortion could become a voting issue for progressives. But its not likely to mobilize enough people in deeply red states to change the conservative culture or leadership.

The Food and Drug Administration was expected to announce this week that one of the covid-19 vaccines can be used safely in children ages 5 to 11. After that, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will offer its assessment. Health experts will be watching to see whether the CDC says all children in that age group need the vaccine or the agency sets up different criteria among groups of kids.

The FDA last week said Cyltezo, a biosimilar drug that treats some inflammatory diseases, can be used interchangeably with the expensive biologic drug Humira. That means pharmacies can substitute the drug without a doctor's approval. But it doesnt mean prices will fall immediately; it often takes several drug alternatives to bring down costs.

Also this week, Rovner interviews Amy Howe of SCOTUSblog about the upcoming Supreme Court arguments over Texas' controversial abortion law.

Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read too:

Julie Rovner: Rewire News Group's "When a Miscarriage Becomes a Jail Sentence," by Caroline Reilly.

Joanne Kenen: Nature's "COVID Vaccine Makers Brace for a Variant Worse Than Delta," by Emily Waltz.

Rachana Pradhan: KHN's "3 States Limit Nursing Home Profits in Bid to Improve Care," by Susan Jaffe.

Sarah Karlin-Smith: KHN's "'Down to My Last Diaper': The Anxiety of Parenting in Poverty," by Jenny Gold.

To hear all our podcasts, click here.

And subscribe to KHNs What the Health? on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Thought Leaders Dr. Akpaka Kalu Team Leader for Malaria World Health Organization,Regional Office for Africa

In this interview, we spoke to Dr. Akpaka Kalu, the World Health Organization's team leader for malaria in Africa, about the groundbreaking malaria vaccine rollout announcement.

Please could you introduce yourself and tell us about your role within the World Health Organization (WHO)?

My name is Akpaka Kalu. I am a physician and public health leader, and I am leading the team called Tropical and Vector-borne diseases for the WHO African region.

The WHO has an incredibly important role in communicating scientific information and advice to the public. How important do you think science communication is and how does this make a difference in terms of malaria?

We always say let science lead. Everything we do in public health must be based on evidence and this evidence comes from laboratories, institutions, and researchers.

In the case of malaria, anybody who knows a little bit of the history of the disease knows that the name itself is called mal'aria, 'bad air'. This is to say, initially, it was taught that malaria was caused by bad air. It was then science that showed that it is caused by a plasmodium parasite. That's the power of science.

It is science that has also been leading the discovery of medicines, and now a vaccine. It is science that led us to know that chloroquine was no longer effective and science that led us to artemisinin combination therapy. Science has been the center of malaria control, especially in Africa.

Image Credit: nechaevkon/Shutterstock.com

Can you give an overview of malaria and why this deadly disease mainly kills babies and infants?

We call malaria or the mosquitoes small, but mighty. A little insect causes so much silent devastation. For instance, last Monday I was in the hospital and was tested for malaria. I tested positive and was put on anti-malaria treatment. Can you imagine malaria fighting back against the team leader of malaria in Africa? That is real. I am trying to bring out the devastation that malaria causes. I was traveling in Abuja, Nigeria when I came down with the disease.

In Africa every year nearly 400,000 people die of malaria. It is a silent epidemic and the worst part of it is that people regard it as okay. That it is okay that someone had malaria, and it is okay that someone died of malaria. No child should die of malaria nobody should die of malaria.

Why? Malaria is preventable and malaria is treatable. So, the death of hundreds of thousands of children and pregnant women from malaria every year in Africa is an indictment of our health systems.

The deaths reflect our failure to prevent malaria and our failure to treat malaria effectively. Moving forward, everybody must commit to zero malaria which is why the theme of the antimalaria campaign globally is Zero Malaria Starts with Me. Why? Because I have to do my bit, and part of my bit is talking to you and spreading the information. You also have to do your bit.

Malaria is preventable and malaria is treatable. When we deploy the vaccine, it is because we know that malaria can be prevented through vaccination. Malaria can also be prevented by spraying homes with insecticides, sleeping under insecticide-treated nets, and taking some medicine as prevention. That is the message, and it is based on science.

Moving forward, everybody must commit to zero malaria which is why the theme of the antimalaria campaign globally is Zero Malaria Starts with Me. Why? Because I have to do my bit, and part of my bit is talking to you and spreading the information. You also have to do your bit."

Malaria has had a hold on humanity for years, especially in Africa where 94% of cases are found, but researchers have struggled to develop a vaccine. Why is this?

Malaria is a very complex disease. For instance, the malaria parasite at various stages of its development finds home in both mosquitoes and humans. So if you are developing a treatment, you face the challenge of deciding whether your treatment will target the mosquito or humans carrying the parasite. In the mosquito, the malaria parasite has different stages in different parts of the mosquito. In humans, the malaria parasite also has different stages in different parts of the body including the liver and the blood. The organism is very sophisticated.

Therefore, targeting the organism or producing a vaccine that is effective and can also target at the same time, the parasite in all different parts of the body is difficult. So, the difficulty has been the sophistication of the organism and coming up with a vaccine that targets the parasite concurrently at different stages of its development. But now we have one vaccine that is proven to prevent disease and prevent death. That is why we are committed to deploying it in countries.

It was announced that the RTS, S vaccine has been given the go-ahead to be rolled out across sub-Saharan Africa and other regions with high malaria transmission, what does this mean for science, child health, and malaria control?

The fact that we have a vaccine that has been proven to be effective for us, is a game-changer. We need to ensure that these vaccines are given to children in all moderate to high transmission areas of Africa, of course, subject to availability of supplies. That is the next stage of the work, we need to deploy the vaccine.

COVID-19 has taught us that we can deploy two, three, four vaccines at the same time so we look forward to the next generation of malaria vaccines. In fact, we look forward to even more efficacious ones, we will deploy them too. We will work with member states, with African countries to deploy these vaccines because we believe that a malaria-free Africa makes a malaria-free world.

Image Credit: Novikov Aleksey/Shutterstock.com

This huge milestone is also one step closer to ensuring health is fairer and more accessible to all. How else can the world collaborate and work together to ensure global health equality?

You know when we talk about malaria vaccines, we also talk about appropriate delivery mechanisms and delivery platforms. The RTS, S vaccine will be delivered in Africa through the routine immunization system- the immunization system is part of the national health system.

Treatment of malaria, testing, and treating people with fever, is also done through the national health system. So the health system is the prime platform for delivering health services, not just malaria.

Therefore, investing in strengthening these delivery platforms, investing in strengthening national health systems is also investing in malaria elimination. We must invest in strengthening national health systems in order to be effective in preventing malaria, and in delivering malaria interventions to those who need them be it vaccines or medicines, or indeed vector control interventions.

Over the last year, much of the world has been fixated on the COVID-19 pandemic, and so it is crucially important to continue to raise awareness for other infectious diseases such as malaria that continue to have devastating effects on the worlds most vulnerable populations. What more can be done to help people to pay attention to this disease especially in regions where malaria is not found?

You know COVID-19 hit and basically, the entire world didn't know what to do. Yes, public health actions were being taken slowly. We were learning about the virus, understanding it, and putting proper measures into place. That is what happens when there's a pandemic. But there is a synergy, there is a relationship between being prepared for the next pandemic, and delivering and managing endemic diseases like malaria, it is the same health system that is used for both responses.

Whether a country has malaria or not, surveillance is important, that's part of the health system. It is also important that we strengthen these systems to be able to pick up any disease, be it malaria or COVID-19, or COVID-like illnesses in the future. Countries that do not have malaria have to invest in strengthening their health systems and surveillance systems so that if someone travels to a malaria-endemic place and comes to your country that has no malaria, and becomes sick from malaria, you would be able to pick it up.

For instance, like myself, what if I had traveled to the UK that has no malaria, but I came down with malaria. Will the health system in the UK have been able to make the diagnosis that this is malaria and therefore pick it up and treat me, or do I run a risk of dying? Many have died because the health system did not think of malaria, but of course, that's why travel history is so, so, so important.

All countries are involved because we live in a global village. People travel, people who have visited malarious areas have visited your country. When you get a case of fever or cold, you test for as many infections as possible, especially if travel history guides you towards an infectious disease like malaria.

Please test it. We need national systems that are effective and efficient at detecting any disease, whether you have malaria or whether you are a country that has no malaria.

All countries are involved because we live in a global village. "

What impact has COVID-19 had on malaria?

We are actually very grateful to all the countries in Africa for preventing a catastrophe that we thought would happen with COVID-19. Yes, COVID-19 negatively impacted the delivery of routine health services, especially the first six months.

After that, countries adapted, countries took precautions, and countries reopened the delivery of routine health services, including malaria interventions. We were able to support countries in doing this.

Yes, last year there were probably increases in the number of cases of malaria beyond what was expected. But it did not go to the extent that we had projected, and for that, we have to thank the resilience of countries, leaderships of districts, and, even households in ensuring that they went for their malaria treatments or used their malaria interventions.

Health workers delivered especially in vector control interventions like nets, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was an extraordinary achievement, and we congratulate everybody for that in all malaria-endemic communities, districts, and nations.

Image Credit: Justinboat.29/Shutterstock.com

Do you believe that a world without malaria is possible in our future and what further research is critical to making this happen?

A malaria-free future is possible. We know this because between the years 2000 and 2019 we had over a 60% reduction in malaria deaths, thanks to the interventions. What we need now is perhaps new interventions that will drive down our curve further because we know that between 2016 and 2020, the curve flattened, the rate of reduction of malaria cases flattened out. Therefore, we believe that we need to work differently to have a different result and achieve the 2030 targets.

That will mean perhaps using technology, analytics, to target interventions, tailoring interventions to look at contexts, adopting problem-solving approaches, rather than using one size fits all, and looking at the distribution of the disease. Perhaps there are parts of each country we need to focus on. So, these are the things we are doing, supporting countries to stratify malaria and tailor interventions to local contexts. Of course, we need new interventions; there is a need for research and development of new insecticides, new medicines, and indeed of new vaccines.

We must remember, Zero Malaria Starts with Me, and starts with you."

Is there anything else you would like to mention?

Everybody has a role to play, especially people in malaria-endemic countries. We are asking for a comprehensive, whole society approach. Malaria is not just a medical problem, it is a socio-economic development challenge. Malaria causes stunting among those who suffer it at a young age. Malaria also causes poor progress in education. Of course, it also leads to death. So we need to work together.

If you are working in agriculture, for instance, that irrigation project changes the ecology. It potentiates the breeding of the mosquito that transmits malaria. Therefore, when developing agricultural projects, it is important to think of how to prevent the unintended impact it will have on increasing malaria transmission.

If you are involved in mining, how do we prevent the unintended consequences of open mining? Which is digging holes that mosquitoes breed in, and so on and so forth. The whole of society, the whole of the government engaging in malaria elimination is the way to go. Communities, of course, need to take charge of their own malaria problem.

Of course, with the support of the malaria leadership in the country, that is the route to go towards a malaria-free future. We must remember, Zero Malaria Starts with Me, and starts with you.

Where can readers find more information?

To read more information on malaria, click here

About Dr. Akpaka Kalu

Dr. Akpaka A. Kalu  A public health practitioner with over 30 years experience leading health development and disease control in Africa. Dr. Akpaka Kalu holds M.PH and M.B.B.S degrees from the University of Lagos, Nigeria, and the University of Nigeria, respectively.

He currently serves as the Team Leader for Malaria in the Africa Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO). Other leadership positions held by Akpaka in the past include: WHO Representative, South Africa; WHO Representative, Ethiopia; WHO/Africa Region Lead for malaria strategy, information and planning; WHO/Kenya Country Adviser on immunization and polio eradication; and Resident Coordinator, Nigeria Combating Childhood Communicable Diseases Project. In all of these positions, Akpaka left a trail of transformational leadership.
Although there are several COVID-19 vaccines approved for use today, concerns exist regarding the immune escape capabilities of these vaccines against many severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants of concern (VOCs).

According to nasopharyngeal swab analyses, fully vaccinated individuals  like unvaccinated ones - harbor infectious viral loads of the Delta variant, which is currently the most dominant VOC worldwide.

Many studies to date have determined the prevalence of vaccine breakthrough infections among health care workers (HCWs), and most of them were based on spontaneous self-reporting by symptomatic HCWs. Thus, asymptomatic HCWs, who could also transmit the virus, were not part of these studies. In most countries, HCWs who test positive are asked to quarantine for 14 days or until two consecutive follow-ups after ten days before they can come back to work. These mandatory quarantine measures lead to massive HCW shortages that can lead to health crises in hospitals.

Systematic surveillance of fully vaccinated, asymptomatic HCWs

In a study published in Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers from Italy systematically monitored 2,397 HCWs who were fully vaccinated with BNT162 at the ASST Settelaghi hospitals in Lombardy, Italy during February 2021. HCWs who worked in 8 wards deemed at high risk for infection from attending patients had to undergo mandatory nasopharyngeal swab testing with SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction every two weeks. HCWs working in 8 moderate-risk wards were tested every four weeks.

On detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA, the HCWs underwent daily nasopharyngeal swab testing until two consecutive swabs tested negative for SARS-CoV-2. While positive samples with cycle thresholds under 25 were retested by spike gene sequencing, ones with cycle thresholds between 25 and 35 were reassessed with a VOC-specific multiplex real-time PCR targeting E484K, L452R, and N501Y.

Several cases of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection were identified during the surveillance period

The team identified 33 cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection during the surveillance period between 15 March and 17 August 2021. A total of 17 (2.1%) of the 789 HCWs in the high-risk group were tested every two weeks and 16 (1.1%) out of 1,387 HCWs in the moderate-risk group were tested every 4 weeks. None of these tested HCWs ever developed any symptoms, nor had an immune deficiency or other significant comorbidities.

Five HCWs were retested using spike gene sequencing and 12 HCWs by VOC-specific real-time PCR. Eight HCWs (0.4%) tested positive during the same interval and were symptomatic; only 1 Alpha variant could be characterized by sequencing. All 33 asymptomatic HCWs tested negative a day after the initial positive test result, and all negative results remained negative on a third swab test 2 days later, while symptomatic cases cleared after an average of 11 days.

The mean IgG level was twice as high in the asymptomatic than the symptomatic group.

Rapid viral clearance noted in asymptomatic breakthrough infections

According to the results, it is clear that systematic surveillance of asymptomatic and fully vaccinated HCWs reveals several more cases of breakthrough infection compared to symptomatic testing.

The incidence of asymptomatic VBT infections seemed to depend on the frequency of testing and not occupational risk or community prevalence; once corrected for frequency of testing, the incidence was similar in the high- and moderate-risk groups.

Asymptomatic HCWs were found to clear more quickly than symptomatic HCWs. They also had higher mean antibody levels compared to symptomatic cases. Thus, according to the authors, their surveillance program could have missed many other such infections due to the rapid viral clearance in asymptomatic breakthrough infections.

The study had some limitations, such as the inability to perform genetic sequencing for more accurate VOC imputation in HCWs with cycle thresholds over 25 and the lack of viral neutralization assays to determine neutralizing antibody levels.

Although these findings indicate that regular asymptomatic testing of vaccinated HCWs who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 may prevent the need for lengthy mandatory quarantines, this needs to be confirmed in more extensive studies. In addition, surveillance programs for capturing vaccine breakthrough infections should include frequent testing, without which vigilant use of personal protective equipment among HCWs is a must.

Our findings suggest that regular testing of asymptomatic vaccinated HCWs who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 may preclude the need for long quarantines, but this requires confirmation in larger studies.
The spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can be stopped or slowed by implementing several strategies such as mass vaccination, wearing masks, and usage of tracer apps. But the success of these strategies depends on the capacity and commitment of individuals to accept the strategies and change their behaviors accordingly.

Study: Predicting willingness to be vaccinated for Covid-19: evidence from New Zealand. Image Credit: Mirza Kadic/ Shutterstock

The failure to achieve high rates of COVID-19 vaccination can lead to repeated lockdowns and increased hospitalization due to severe COVID-19 infections. Therefore, the effectiveness of mass vaccination programs depends on the willingness of individuals to participate in the program.

Previous studies indicate that the beliefs and attitudes of people towards vaccination played an important role in people's acceptance of vaccines and their willingness to be vaccinated. The current study has culminated in the development of models such as the 5C model to explain vaccine hesitancy, where the five components stand for confidence, calculation, constraints, complacency, and collective responsibility. Since most of the components depend on awareness and beliefs, education and promotions were considered fundamental in changing these awareness, beliefs, and attitudes which would encourage more people to participate in vaccination programs. The current study implemented the I 3 Framework to determine the willingness of New Zealanders to be vaccinated against COVID-19

The I 3 Framework

The I 3 Framework proposed that the response of people to policy measures can be guided by two ways, involvement with the relevant policy outcome and attitude towards the policy measure itself. The framework enabled decomposition of the overall involvement with a policy outcome and corresponding measures. It also helped to distinguish between the involvement of different measures. It provided a closer analysis of the role of beliefs held by individuals that serve as important context for attitudes.

The responses of people to policy could be divided into four quadrants. People from quadrant one had low involvement with both policy outcome and measure. They were also indifferent to confidence in vaccines. People from quadrant two had high involvement with the policy outcome but low involvement with the measure and were unsure or indifferent concerning confidence in vaccines.

People from quadrant three had high involvement with both the policy outcome and the measure. They could be polarized with respect to vaccine hesitancy. People in quadrant four exhibited low involvement with the policy outcome but high involvement with the measure and could be polarized regarding vaccine hesitancy.

Therefore, the I 3 Framework helped predict people's compliance with policy measures such as willingness to participate in a mass vaccination program and provided ways to enhance that compliance. This Framework has been used to predict and understand compliance behavior in agriculture, rural and urban predator control, and community support for predator control.

COVID-19 in New Zealand

The first case of COVID-19 was detected on February 28, 2020, in New Zealand, following which the country closed its international borders to all except returning citizens and permanent residents. The government imposed a restrictive strategy along with several control measures to reduce the transmission of the virus.

The government started a mass vaccination program against COVID-19 in February 2021 that was campaigned using traditional and social media. The current study took place during the first and second week of March 2021, when full-fledged vaccination had begun.

A new study published in the pre-print server medRxiv* involved the I 3 Response Framework for the prediction of how strongly New Zealanders were motivated to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The study investigated the stability and strength of New Zealander's attitudes towards vaccination. Also, it indicated the attentiveness of New Zealander's to education and promotional activities that would encourage people for mass vaccination programs.

About the study

The study involved respondents who had to fill out a questionnaire that was designed based on the I 3 Response Framework. The involvement was measured by a specialized involvement scale where respondents had to rate two statements on each of the five components of involvement (functional, experiential, identity-based, risk-based, and consequence-based). The respondents could indicate their agreement with the help of a five-point rating that ranged from disagree (1) to strongly agree (5).

The strength of respondents' attitudes depended on the strength of their involvement, which was also measured. Other information such as demographic characteristics of the respondents, including their age, ethnicity, education, and willingness to get a vaccination, was also collected.

Furthermore, participation in the survey was voluntary; respondents were allowed to leave anytime they wanted. Also, the survey questions were optional and could be skipped. The questionnaire was distributed randomly by a few New Zealanders who belonged to an online consumer panel. A total of 1002 completed responses were reported, out of which 53 percent were from women and 47 percent from men.

The study took place from March 4 to March 15, 2021. Auckland was under Alert 2, where the people had to wear masks and maintain social distancing. The rest of the country was under Alert 1, where wearing masks and maintaining social distancing were not mandatory. Furthermore, the study assumed that most of the respondents were aware of COVID-19 and the government's intention to implement a mass vaccination program.

The study also reported some social desirability bias in self-reporting behaviors for both high and low involvement groups for COVID-19 elimination. However, further investigation is required on the interaction between involvement and social desirability. Finally, the involvement and attitude scores were calculated, and the respondents were classified into belief segments based on their agreement ratings.

Study findings

The results indicated that most of the respondents showed moderate to high involvement with eliminating COVID-19 from New Zealand and getting vaccinated. Therefore, they were placed in quadrant three as per the I3 response Framework. However, a minority of participants showed low-to-mild involvement with getting vaccinated and thus were placed in quadrants 1 and 2.

Furthermore, most respondents showed a favorable attitude towards vaccination, while those in quadrants 1 and 2 were unsure about getting vaccinated. Additionally, some relationships were found between the I 3 Framework and the 5C model. Comparison of respondents in quadrant three to those in quadrant one indicated that the latter was less confident about the safety of the COVID-19 vaccines, showed less complacency, believed the vaccination to be impractical, consulted fewer traditional and social media, and were unsure whether healthier and younger people need to be vaccinated.

Belief segments

The beliefs of respondents were investigated as they helped to guide the design of the policies. Modification of beliefs and attitudes that underlie compliance could influence compliance. The respondents were classified into belief segments based on the nature of COVID-19 and the advantages and disadvantages of COVID-19 vaccines.

The different segments included beliefs about COVID-19, eliminating COVID-19, and getting vaccinated for COVID-19. They were associated with demographic characteristics such as ethnicity, age, income, and education.

Belief segments for COVID-19

The respondents were divided into five belief segments. The beliefs of most of the respondents aligned with the scientific facts. They were classified as 'COVID-19 convinced' and 'COVID-19 moderates'. The beliefs of 'COVID-19 asymptomatics' mostly aligned with the scientific facts, but they disagreed that COVID-19 could spread by people coughing and sneezing or by contact with surfaces that infected people touched. 'COVID-19 ambivalents' were unsure about what to believe regarding COVID-19, while 'COVID-19 skeptics' believed COVID-19 to be a hoax.

Belief segments for eliminating COVID-19

The respondents were divided into four segments for eliminating COVID-19. Most of their beliefs aligned with seeking to eliminate COVID-19. They were classified as 'elimination enthusiasts' and 'elimination moderates.' 'Vaccination hopefuls' also wanted to eliminate COVID-19 from New Zealand but were unsure how long can COVID-19 be kept out of New Zealand indefinitely. At the same time, 'elimination skeptics' believed COVID-19 could not be eliminated indefinitely.

Belief segments for COVID-19 vaccination

The respondents were classified into five belief segments with respect to being vaccinated. Most of the respondents were classified as 'vaccine enthusiasts' and 'vaccine moderates.' They believed that for vaccinated individuals, the recovery from COVID-19 would be faster, and they would have weaker symptoms. They also believed that vaccination should be made compulsory and free.

The 'vaccination cautious' segment was concerned about the vaccine's side effects, and believed individuals at risk should not be vaccinated. The 'vaccination ambivalent' segment was unsure about the protection provided by the COVID-19 vaccines and their safety. The fifth segment, 'vaccination skeptics,' believed that vaccines were not beneficial.

Conclusion

Governments around the world are implementing mass vaccination programs to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The success of such programs depends on the commitment of individuals to respond and participate. The results of the current study in New Zealand highlight that beliefs strongly influenced the respondents' attitudes towards elimination COVID-19 about the effectiveness of an elimination strategy as well as confidence in vaccination. The willingness to get vaccinated was also influenced by beliefs about COVID-19 vaccination and involvement with and attitude towards vaccination.

Limitations

The study had certain limitations. First, the attitude, behavior, and beliefs regarding preventing COVID-19 spread and vaccination might have changed over time. Second, there might be a presence of selection bias and social desirability bias. Third, adopting behaviors such as being vaccinated has been associated with a range of variables such as the local incidence rate of COVID-19, perceived risk of infection, and feelings of stress concerning COVID-19. All these variables were not included in the study.

*Important notice

medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.
ODENVILLE - Funeral Service for George Reid Martin, Jr., age 66, will be held Saturday, September 11 at 2:00 p.m. at Coosa Valley Church of God. Interment will follow in the adjoining cemetery. The family will receive friends from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Church. Mr. Martin passed away Sunday, Sep
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(Newser)  Horrific details emerged Wednesday in the case of three Houston-area siblings believed to have lived an an apartment with their brother's remains for almost a year. Police say mother Gloria Williams, 35, and her 31-year-old boyfriend Brian Coulter apparently moved out of the apartment weeks after Coulter allegedly beat 8-year-old Kendrick Lee to death last year, leaving the siblings, ages 15, 10, and 7, behind, KHOU 11 reports. Williams and Coulter were arrested Tuesday and Coulter was charged with murder. Police say the couple, who lived around 25 minutes away, would occasionally visit the apartment. Coulter is believed to have severely injured the 10-year-old's jaw in a beating around three weeks ago.

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Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez told reporters Wednesday that the apartment was in "horrible" shape. "No bedding, no blankets that we could see. We saw roaches and flies and very bad condition for anyone to live in," he said. The teen called 911 Sunday and homicide unit supervisor Sgt. Dennis Wolfford said he believes "absolute fear" stopped him from calling sooner. "I believe that the beatings were consistent, mainly directed at the younger children, and the 15-year-old was absolutely afraid, basically, hoping and relying on his mother to at some point to contact law enforcement ... and that didn't happen," he said, per KHOU. Coulter is not believed to be the father of any of the siblings.

Wolfford described the boys as "special needs children" and said at least two of them are believed to be autistic, KTRK reports. The siblings are now in the care of Child Protective Services. According to court documents, Williams said Wednesday that she didn't call police after Coulter killed her son in November last year because she was afraid the other children would be taken away and she would be jailed. The hearing was told that the two younger children described their abuse to deputies and said they had seen Coulter kicking and punching their brother until he stopped moving. Police say his skeletal remains were found under a blanket.

Police say the children were malnourished and while there appear to have been occasional food deliveries, it was snack food instead of anything substantial. Coulter is being evaluated at a mental health facility, with bond set at $1 million. The Daily Beast reports that his Instagram page has videos of him eating welland talking about how much he loves his family. Williams has been charged with injury to a child by omission and tampering with evidence. "I would say they are both an abuser," Wilford said Wednesday. "He's an abuser physically, and she's an abuser by omission." (Read more Texas stories.)
(Newser)  The US has tweaked its position on the potential imprisonment of Julian Assange in an effort to get a British court to allow his extradition. If he's convicted in the US, the WikiLeaks founder will be allowed to serve his sentence in an Australian prison, ABC Australia reports. The court had prevented Assange's extradition in January over mental health concerns: The judge ruled the prisoner might well commit suicide if he was held in harsh conditions in the US; government lawyers argued their appeal Wednesday in London.

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To counter that argument, the lawyers also told the court that were Assange to be imprisoned in the US, he wouldn't be held at the Supermax prison in Colorado or face strict conditions. The court had noted the new US proposals over the summer when it agreed to hear the appeal. On Wednesday, the US argued against the assumption that Assange was a suicide risk, per the BBC, putting a University of Oxford psychiatrist on the stand. In court documents, Assange's lawyers discounted the US proposals and said he'd be at risk of suicide even while awaiting extradition.

They also noted that Australia had not said it would accept Assange as an inmate. "The prisoner transfer assurance  is meaningless," they wrote. His lawyers told the court Assange was unwell and wouldn't attend the hearing, though he later appeared on a video hookup. Supporters outside court demonstrated against extradition, Stella Moris, Assange's partner, addressed the crowd. "Julian should never be extradited because he was doing his job as a journalist," she said, adding that Assange has been "criminalized as a journalist." The US, Moris said, has abused its extradition agreement with Britain.

A legal adviser for Amnesty International said diplomatic assurances like the ones the US made in court are unreliable, per ABC. "They're based on diplomatic relations between states, they're not legally binding under international law," Simon Crowther said. The US wants to try Assange on espionage charges and one count of computer misuse involving the leaking of classified documents about the Iraq war in 2010 and 2011. Conviction on all charges could bring a prison sentence as long as 175 years. (Read more Julian Assange extradition stories.)
(Newser)  The California school safety officer who fatally shot an unarmed teen in September will be charged with murder. The Los Angeles County district attorney announced the charge against Eddie Gonzalez on Wednesday, reports the Guardian, which notes that this is "a rare prosecution for an on-duty killing by an officer." Gonzalez was patrolling the area around Millikan High School in Long Beach when he witnessed an altercation between 18-year-old Manuela "Mona" Rodriguez and another teen; he fired at a vehicle after Rodriguez climbed into the backseat and the car started driving away. Rodriguez was struck in the head and died after a week on life support, ABC 7 reports.

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Gonzalez was terminated from his position in a 5-0 vote by the Long Beach Unified School District's school board. District policy states that school safety officers must not fire at someone who is fleeing or in a moving vehicle, and also must not fire through a vehicle's window "unless circumstances clearly warrant the use of a firearm as a final means of defense." "We must hold accountable the people we have placed in positions of trust to protect us," DA George Gascon said. "That is especially true for the armed personnel we traditionally have relied upon to guard our children on their way to and from and at school." Rodriguez was the mother of a baby boy. (Read more California stories.)
(Newser)  American Airlines says it is "outraged" by the actions of a passenger who allegedly assaulted a flight attendant on a Wednesday flight from New York City to California, causing the aircraft to be diverted to Denver. Witnesses say they saw staff duct-tape the passenger to a seat after he assaulted the attendant in a dispute over wearing a mask, CBS reports. The airline says the man was "removed and apprehended" after Flight 976 from JFK Airport to John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana landed in Denver. Passenger Mackenzie Rose says the incident apparently occurred in first or business class while the plane was over Ohio.

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"I understand that they actually punched her twice," a passenger tells ABC7. "I did see her walk back down the aisle afterwards. She had blood splattered on the outside of her mask." Another witness says the attendant was taken to a hospital after the unscheduled landing. Rose shared a photo of the suspecthandcuffed and wearing a masksitting at a gate after he was removed from the plane in Denver. "The individual involved in this incident will never be allowed to travel with American Airlines in the future, but we will not be satisfied until he has been prosecuted to the full extent of the law," the airline said in a statement. The FBI is investigating the incident. (Read more American Airlines stories.)
(Newser)  A week before she turned 12, Monica Goods was killed on the New York State Thruway last winter after her family's car flipped over and threw her from the vehicle. Now, a New York State Trooper has been charged with murder, with Monica's family claiming Christopher Baldner rammed his patrol car into theirs and caused the accident. Per the New York Times, Monica was with her father, stepmother, and older sister just before midnight on Dec. 22 as they headed north in Ulster County to visit family for Christmas, when her father, Tristan Goods, was pulled over by Baldner for speeding.

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According to Goods' attorney, an argument ensued, and when Goods asked to speak to a supervisor, Baldner blasted pepper spray into the carat which point Goods sped away, fearing for his safety. Baldner allegedly pursued Goods' car in a high-speed chase, rammed it twice, and caused it to flip, hurling Monica from the car and killing her. On Wednesday, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced an indictment of the 43-year-old trooper for second-degree murder. "Police officers are entrusted to protect and serve, but Trooper Baldner allegedly violated that trust when he used his car as a deadly weapon and killed a young girl," James said, per a release.

Bolstering the family's push against Baldner is the fact that he's been involved in two other crashes on the Thruway, including one in 2019 in which three people were seriously hurt, an incident also mentioned in the indictment. In a statement, however, the New York State Troopers Benevolent Association backs Baldner, sending condolences to Monica's family but noting it will help him fight the charges. "We look forward to a review and public release of the facts, including the motorist's reckless actions that started this chain of events," a statement reads.

Monica's mother, meanwhile, wants justice for Monica. "I didn't lose just one child that day. I lost two, because [my other daughter] will never be the same," Michelle Surrency tells CBS New York. "Trooper Baldner needs to be convicted and sent to jail." In addition to the murder accusations against him, for which he could see up to 25 years behind bars if found guilty, Baldner, who's since been suspended without pay, faces manslaughter and reckless endangerment charges. His next hearing in the case is Nov. 4. Monica's family says they also plan to file a lawsuit against him, per the New York Daily News. (Read more state trooper stories.)
(Newser)  Isaiah Andrews spent 45 years in prison after he was convicted of killing his wife in 1974. But "the guy was in prison for something he didn't do," a juror told Cleveland.com on Wednesday after the 83-year-old was acquitted of aggravated murder in a Cuyahoga County retrial. The jury had something jurors in the 1975 trial did not: a withheld Cleveland police report showing detectives had arrested a man named Willie Watts, based on evidence at the scene, before releasing him and focusing on Andrews. But the juror said there wasn't enough evidence to convict Andrews, even excluding that police report.

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Regina Andrews' body was found in a park connecting East Cleveland and Cleveland Heights on Sept. 18, 1974, about a month after the couple were married. It was wrapped in bedding from three different hotels, including one in which Watts had stayed the previous evening. A maid said one sheet was of the same type used at a motel in which the Andrewses had been living. Apart from that, Isaiah Andrews, a former Marine, had served 15 years in prison after a 1958 conviction for fatally shooting his drill sergeant. Defense attorneys had sought to test DNA evidence from the Cleveland murder scene in 2018, but found it was destroyed.

That's when Andrews' backers at the Ohio Innocence Project discovered the police report regarding Watts, who died in 2011, per WEWS. He'd produced an alibi back in 1974. "But when detectives later altered their estimated time of death to a time frame when Watts did not have an alibi, they never revisited him a suspect," Cleveland.com reports. During the retrial, defense attorneys noted an investigator could find no one to provide Watts with an alibi for the true time of death. They also noted the suspect had other arrests for assaulting and kidnapping women and his mother lived within 1,500 feet of the park.

"This was the right result today, but I don't know if he'll ever get actual justice," Ohio Innocence Project attorney Brian Howe told Cleveland.com. "He should have never been convicted in the first place and he certainly never should have been retried." Prosecutors tried to push a plea deal that would have Andrews admit to murder in exchange for a judge deciding whether or not he should serve more time in prison, but he refused, saying he wanted "justice for my wife." Now, the acquittal has "relieved all the weight off [of me]," he told reporters. "I've become free." (Read more wrongful conviction stories.)
(Newser)  Wall Street Journal reporters aren't happy about a letter to the editor from a certain Donald J. Trump of Palm Beach that was published Wednesday. CNN reports that the decision to publish the letterwhich claimed the 2020 election was "rigged" and included a long list of debunked claimswas criticized by members of the newsroom, which is separate from the paper's opinion operation. "I think it's very disappointing that our opinion section continues to publish misinformation that our news side works so hard to debunk," CNN quotes one reporter as saying. "They should hold themselves to the same standards we do." More:

The letter. In his letter, a response to an Oct. 25 story on Pennsylvania's Supreme Court, Trump scolded the WSJ for saying that President Biden won the state by more than 80,000 votes. "Well actually, the election was rigged, which you, unfortunately, still havent figured out," he wrote.

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WSJ criticized . The paper was widely criticized for allowing the former president to spread election misinformation. "The WSJ publishes a garbage oped from Trump spewing election lies but calls it a 'Letter to the Editor' to avoid taking responsibility," tweeted conservative political commentator Amanda Carpenter. She noted that the WSJ normally edits letters to the editor down to 200 words or fewer, but Trump's letter was almost 600 words.

. The paper was widely criticized for allowing the former president to spread election misinformation. "The WSJ publishes a garbage oped from Trump spewing election lies but calls it a 'Letter to the Editor' to avoid taking responsibility," tweeted conservative political commentator Amanda Carpenter. She noted that the WSJ normally edits letters to the editor down to 200 words or fewer, but Trump's letter was almost 600 words. Former editor speaks out . Columbia University journalism school professor, Bill Grueskin, a former WSJ deputy managing editor, says it's "generally fine" for readers to voice complaints about coverage in letters to the editor. "But if someone is going to spout a bunch of falsehoods, the editor usually feels an obligation to trim those out, or to publish a contemporaneous response," he tells the Washington Post. "The Wall Street Journal editorial page chose not to do that in this case."

. Columbia University journalism school professor, Bill Grueskin, a former WSJ deputy managing editor, says it's "generally fine" for readers to voice complaints about coverage in letters to the editor. "But if someone is going to spout a bunch of falsehoods, the editor usually feels an obligation to trim those out, or to publish a contemporaneous response," he tells the Washington Post. "The Wall Street Journal editorial page chose not to do that in this case." What the WSJ could have done. Philip Bump at the Washington Post has a long list of things the WSJ could have done differently, including assessing Trump's claims or at least explaining its decision to "run the letter without contextualizing it." He says the WSJ could have "pushed back on obviously false claims," like Trump's assertion that Mark Zuckerberg spent millions to interfere in Pennsylvania's election. The main thing to know about the letter, Bump writes, "is that Donald Trump is still railing against his election loss 358 days after it occurred."

Sympathy for reporters . Columnist Frank Rich tweeted that he feels sympathy for WSJ "reporters of talent and integrity who are going to go down with this ship, whether now or when their grandchildren are taught about it." The Post's Josh Dawsey noted that the "newsroom has fact checked a lot of the claims made in that letter."

. Columnist Frank Rich tweeted that he feels sympathy for WSJ "reporters of talent and integrity who are going to go down with this ship, whether now or when their grandchildren are taught about it." The Post's Josh Dawsey noted that the "newsroom has fact checked a lot of the claims made in that letter." Not everybody's complaining . Jim Hoft at the right-wing Gateway Pundit praises Trump for continuing his "push for the truth in the greatest crime in American history."

. Jim Hoft at the right-wing Gateway Pundit praises Trump for continuing his "push for the truth in the greatest crime in American history." News, opinion sides have clashed before. The New York Times reported last year that almost 300 WSJ newsroom employees complained to publisher Almar Latour about the opinion desk's "lack of fact-checking and transparency," citing errors in essays including then-Vice President Mike Pence's June 16, 2020 piece "There Isn't a Coronavirus 'Second Wave.'" The opinion side responded with a note to readers promising that it wouldn't "wilt under cancel-culture pressure."

(Read more Donald Trump stories.)
(Newser)  The closely watched governor's race in Virginia is in its final days, and controversy over a Toni Morrison novel is suddenly dominating the conversation. It all revolves around the differing opinions of the candidatesDemocrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkinon how much say parents should have in school curriculums. Coverage:

The ad: This week, Youngkin released an ad featuring Laura Murphy, who has become something of a conservative activist since launching a campaign against Morrison's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Beloved back in 2013, reports CNN.

This week, Youngkin released an ad featuring Laura Murphy, who has become something of a conservative activist since launching a campaign against Morrison's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Beloved back in 2013, reports CNN. The book: The 1987 novel tells the tale of a woman who kills her newborn daughter rather than see the child become enslaved. In 2013, Murphy said the book's graphic scenes gave her teenage son nightmares and pushed for legislation to give parents more say in books chosen by teachers. As governor, McAuliffe vetoed two versions of the so-called Beloved bill.

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Red faces: Murphy doesn't mention Beloved in her ad, but she criticizes McAuliffe for vetoing the bills. "When my son showed me his reading assignment, my heart sunk," she says, per the Washington Post. "It was some of the most explicit material you can imagine." She adds that when she showed certain passages to lawmakers, "their faces turned bright red with embarrassment."

Murphy doesn't mention Beloved in her ad, but she criticizes McAuliffe for vetoing the bills. "When my son showed me his reading assignment, my heart sunk," she says, per the Washington Post. "It was some of the most explicit material you can imagine." She adds that when she showed certain passages to lawmakers, "their faces turned bright red with embarrassment." A counter: In the New York Times, Black columnist Charles Blow notes that the novel does indeed depict graphic sexual violence, but it is, after all, about the institution of slavery. In regard to those embarrassed lawmakers: "When you talk about people's faces turning bright red, Black people know that you are talking about white people; dark-skinned people don't do that," he writes. "For us, it is a subtle way of indicating race without ever having to mention it."

In the New York Times, Black columnist Charles Blow notes that the novel does indeed depict graphic sexual violence, but it is, after all, about the institution of slavery. In regard to those embarrassed lawmakers: "When you talk about people's faces turning bright red, Black people know that you are talking about white people; dark-skinned people don't do that," he writes. "For us, it is a subtle way of indicating race without ever having to mention it." Racism charges: "There's only one thing that is disgusting and gross here, and it's Glenn Youngkin's newest racist dog whistle," says Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, per NBC News. "Black Virginians know it when they see it and know it when they hear it." A Youngkin spokesperson, however, points out that the legislation vetoed by McAuliffe passed with bipartisan support. The leader of the conservative Heritage Foundation calls the racism charges a sign of Democratic "desperation," adding, "African American parents want to be involved in their children's education just as much as anyone else."

"There's only one thing that is disgusting and gross here, and it's Glenn Youngkin's newest racist dog whistle," says Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, per NBC News. "Black Virginians know it when they see it and know it when they hear it." A Youngkin spokesperson, however, points out that the legislation vetoed by McAuliffe passed with bipartisan support. The leader of the conservative Heritage Foundation calls the racism charges a sign of Democratic "desperation," adding, "African American parents want to be involved in their children's education just as much as anyone else." Campaign issue: How much say parents should have in the schools emerged as a flashpoint in the campaign after a debate in which McAuliffe said he didn't think "parents should be telling schools what they should teach," per CNN. Youngkin has seized on the themesee his website. At a rally Tuesday, McAuliffe mentioned the ad: "This is his closing message," he said. "Glenn Youngkin is promoting banning [a] book by one of America's most prominent Black authors. Just the fact he is even discussing this brings shame here to the commonwealth of Virginia."

(Read more Virginia stories.)
(Newser)  While traditional Halloween costume inspirations like vampires, pirates, and Batman aren't known for their nonviolent tendencies, elementary schools in upstate New York have decided that Squid Game costumes are a step too far. At least three schools in the region have banned costumes inspired by the hit South Korean Netflix show. Parents were informed of the policy in an email. Fayetteville-Manlius School District Superintendent Dr. Craig Tice said in a statement to CBS News that the district "wanted to make sure our families are aware that it would be inappropriate for any student to wear to school a Halloween costume from this show because of the potential violent messages aligned with the costume."

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Tice said district policy bans items "that can be interpreted as weapons," including toy swords and guns, as well as "gory and scary" costumes that could scare younger students. In Squid Game, debt-ridden contestants play South Korean schoolyard games, including the "squid game" itself, for a chance to win around $40 million. The losers are killed. Tice said staff members have seen children playing games from the show, and principals want to "reinforce the school message that games associated with violent behavior are not appropriate for recess."

CBS New York reports that some parents have called the ban "overbearing." Dr. Joseph Ricca, superintendent of New York's White Plains Public Schools, says Squid Game costumes won't be banned in district schools because "it's hard to single out one particular type of costume and say that's not allowed," though the district is concerned about children watching the show and mimicking violent scenes from it. Netflix says the show is intended for mature audiences and parents have a "wide variety of parental controls to make the appropriate choices for their families," per People. (In 2018, an Idaho school district apologized after staff members dressed up as a border wall.)
(Newser)  A wait for a doctor can be long, but it was especially painful for a patient needing emergency ankle surgery at Boston Medical Center. The patient had been taken into an operating room by two doctors, one of whom then said he had to eat first. He left, went to his car to eat, and fell asleep, USA Today reports. It was the next day before Dr. Tony Tannoury, a spinal surgeon, returned. And this was before the pandemic.

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It happened in November 2016, per WBZ, and Tannoury, 54, is just now being disciplined. He's been fined $5,000 and ordered by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine to complete five continuing education credits in professionalism. He also has to review regulations for supervising residents. Medical officials gave several reasons for the slow response time. One evidently is that no real harm was done. "The patient was notified of the situation, and the surgical outcome was positive," a spokesperson for the hospital said. A resident performed the surgery without the oversight of Tannoury.

Also, no complaints were made about Tannoury's work in the five years since he left the patient waiting in the operating room. He's the director of spine services at Boston Medical Center and also teaches orthopedic surgery at the Boston University School of Medicine. The board said Tannoury "engaged in conduct that undermines the public confidence in the integrity of the medical profession," per the Boston Globe. The hospital also reprimanded him, per WBTS. Tannoury has had his Massachusetts medical license since 2005. (Read more operating room stories.)
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Economic growth is a continuous process that requires enhancing competitiveness through developing policies and legislation.

This was emphasised yesterday by Finance and National Economy Minister Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa as he spoke during his participation in the 5th edition of the Future Investment Initiative, being held in Riyadh.

Competitiveness, Shaikh Salman said, should support openness and growth in various sectors of a country as well as innovative initiatives to achieve economic development in the region.

He pointed out that the Future Investment Initiative reflects the pioneering role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in promoting the development role of the region and its competitiveness.

The minister described the initiative as a platform to exchange experiences and bolster cooperation to attract investments to the region and enhance economic diversity.

Shaikh Salman was part of a high-level delegation headed by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, in the forum held under the patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

The event is held under the chairmanship of Saudi Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

In a general discussion session run by former US Secretary of the Treasury and investment banker, Steven Mnuchin, Shaikh Salman shed light on many issues including economic recovery in the post-pandemic period, promoting financial stability in the Kingdom of Bahrain, challenges and opportunities in the Gulf economy, and the investment opportunities in the next five years.

Bahrain support

The minister commended success of Saudi Arabia in leading quality development initiatives in the region, stressing support of Bahrain to them.

He lauded strong ties binding the two brotherly countries, affirming Bahrains keenness on continuous bilateral cooperation in the financial and economic fields.

He also pointed out the measures taken by Bahrain during the coronavirus pandemic to protect peoples health, support the national economy and ensure stability of the labour market.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The Board of Trustees of the Arab Observatory for Human Rights at the Arab Parliament has praised the steady progress of the human rights system in Bahrain, in light of the unwavering support of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

The panel commended HM the Kings directives to the government, led by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to begin putting in place the necessary executive mechanisms to adopt the reformation and open prisons programme.

Shura Councils Services Committee Chairperson and Arab Observatory for Human Rights Board of Trustees member, Dr Jehad Abdulla Al Fadhel, said that the third preparatory meeting of the Board of Trustees, held here under the chairmanship of Arab Parliament Speaker, Adel bin Abdulrahman Al Asoomi, had lauded the quantum leap witnessed by the human rights situation in the kingdom as a result of the HM the Kings civilised and enlightened mindset in the field of human rights.

She also indicated that the Arab Observatory for Human Rights had praised the distinguished results of the application of the alternative sentencing law, and the Law on Restorative Justice for Children and their Protection from Ill-Treatment, which meets the highest international human rights standards.

The Board of Directors also called on Arab countries to respond positively to HM King Hamads proposal to join the Arab Court for Human Rights in order to develop its bylaw in a way that would achieve the aspirations of the Arab peoples.

During the same meeting, Dr Al Fadhel submitted a proposal to launch the Arab Food Security Index to enable Arab countries to produce sustainable food products by using modern technology and building international partnerships.


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NEWTOWN  The three Republican candidates for Board of Education in Newtown will not attend the candidate forum Thursday night, after the local Republican Town Committee cited concerns about a fair, balanced, and safe environment, according to a letter sent to the Parent Teacher Associations hosting the event.

We have concluded that election conditions in Newtown are so negative that maintaining a fair, balanced, and safe environment at public events is exceedingly difficult, the letter says.

The letter states while security may be provided at the event, the committee does not want to put their candidates in a potentially hostile situation that could be avoided.

The debate was scheduled for Thursday night at the Newtown High School auditorium, with all five candidates present.

Now, only two candidates  Democrats Jennifer Padilla and Daniel Cruson  will be there. Republican candidates Janet Kuzma, Jenn Larkin and Donald Ramsey will not be in attendance.

We deliberated about it for a long time. It wasnt something that I think anyone truly wanted to do, said Dennis Brestovansky, chair of the Newtown RTC.

Brestovansky added that the decision was made after candidates had allegedly been exposed to more and more negativity on social media and publicly.

To be very clear, our Board of Education meetings over the last year have drawn many more public comments than in past years. The issues can be very contentious, and board members often hear sharp criticism, wrote current Board of Education Chair Michelle Embree Ku in a Facebook post.

But Ku questioned whether public comment should be the catalyst for the RTCs decision.

If this instance is considered evidence of a threat to candidates, wrote Ku, a Democrat, in reference to a specific public comment, it leads me to wonder  is the perceived threat one of physical violence or that of ideas?

From Crusons view, meetings had maintained an admirable level of decorum, especially when compared to the rest of the country.

The Republican candidates could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.

Forum no more

National outlets touting headlines like Sleepy School Board races are waking up and Local School Boards Emerge as Hot Races in November have dominated this falls news cycle, drawing attention to discussions of race and COVID-19 that have riled parents on both sides of the aisle.

Newtown is no different.

The Newtown RTC letter referenced concerns about public participation at Board of Education meetings, saying that the comments have strayed over into disparaging candidates, and pointed to hostile social media comments.

In the sense of a fair and safe environment, its virtually impossible for that to be ensured, said Brestovansky of a forum. He added: Its not safety necessarily in the physical sense, but rather that candidates could be subjected to hostile questioning from the audience thats shouted out or called out.

Candidates Padilla, Cruson and Ku, who is running for Legislative Council, said they were disappointed in the news.

The forum presents a chance for candidates to answer questions posed by the moderator. There is no debating between candidates or public participation.

My biggest concern is that voters are now left without an opportunity to ask them questions in a public forum, Padilla said.

Across the state, other Board of Education debates and forums have also shifted formats or had candidates pull out at the last minute.

Three Republican candidates in Stratford pulled out of a Wednesday debate after objections to a vaccination mandate for attendees and claims of a partisan bias on the part of the moderator. Bridgeports League of Women Voters, the events host, canceled the forum.

In Wallingford, a forum was restructured so that no questions were posed to the candidates. Instead, they read their personal statements.

Padilla empathized with the fact that the Republican candidates may have felt threatened or bullied, having experienced this negativity as a candidate herself. But she added the forum was an important part of the election process, and didnt think anyones safety would be compromised at the event.

This race has been incredibly difficult for all five candidates, Padilla said.

Theres work that needs to be done and the Board of Education needs individuals who are strong enough to stand up to the bullies and move forward.

Answering the public

In Crusons view, the two issues that seemed to drive conversation around the Board of Education election were COVID-19 and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

We have some very heavy issues this time around, he said.

Recently, the district has been working towards improving diversity, equity and inclusion  or DE&I  within the schools. The district even added a new diversity, equity and inclusion coordinator this fall  Wesley Johnson  who previously worked with Bethel Public Schools on their DE&I training.

The district has also discussed including books with more diverse authors and characters for students, adding more diverse perspectives to the social studies curriculum, and revising social and emotional learning lessons, according to the Newtown Bee.

The debate was important to Nicole Maddox, a mother of four and executive committee member of Newtown Allies for Change. She said the community would have finally had an opportunity to hear more from the candidates on their stances, including diversity, equity and inclusion.

I would have hoped that they would at least engage the community that they want to represent in conversation, said Maddox, who is not registered with either of the major parties.

Maddox, who is Black, said her children have experienced a lot of racial incidents in the school system.

She and Nerlande Foote, another Newtown mother and member of Newtown Allies for Change, said they are not clear on the Republican candidates stances on diversity, equity and inclusion.

As a Black mother, Foote said that wanting to know how elected officials view issues of race and equity just comes with the territory.

I think its important to know where people are coming from, she said.

However, Brestovansky said he thought candidates from all parties had done a very good job articulating their positions.

Candidates were more concerned about uncontrolled public participation, rather than the questions that could be posed, he said. The RTC chairman did not specifically point out which issues or topics were responsible for stirring hostility around their candidates.

I think the organizers will do everything they can to control them [the public], Brestovansky said. I think there was a lot of concern based on what our candidates have experienced during this election cycle that this may not be possible.
DANBURY  Savings Bank of Danbury unveiled plans on Thursday for a four-story office building that officials say will be the centerpiece of the downtown.

The 35,000-square-foot building would be constructed at the corner of Main and White streets on a property the bank plans to purchase from the YMCA. The project would require the bank to buy the former Tuxedo Junction building from the city, too.

Im excited about this landmark project and all that it will lead to with additional employment opportunities to invigorate and revitalize downtown Danbury and really create an impressive gateway to our city center, Martin G. Morgado, CEO of the bank, said at a Thursday press conference held in the parking lot behind where the building is planned.

The announcement comes as Danbury wraps up the first phase of its streetscape project, which is meant to liven the downtown and attract development. New sidewalks and amenities will be built along the planned bank building as part of phase two of the project.

This is going to be monumental for Main Street, Mayor Joe Cavo said. I really am so excited about this project and what it means for downtown, for walk ability for employees, for foot traffic and opportunities for folks.

But the bank, which hopes to open the new space by the end of 2023, must cross a few hurdles before construction could begin.

Danbury City Council will need to approve the sale of the Tuxedo Junction building, which the city purchased in 2017, thinking at the time that it could become a community theater. The nightclub shuttered in 2015 due the legal troubles of operator Ian Bick, who was sentenced to three years in prison on charges that he defrauded investors out of nearly $500,000.

At its meeting next Thursday, City Council will consider creating an ad hoc committee to explore the sale of the former nightclub, Cavo said. The idea would next go to a public hearing in December, followed by the City Councils vote in January, he said.

He expects council members will back the sale and said the city looks forward to working with the bank to construct a building of such beautiful stature.

Its really going to be just an unbelievable centerpiece here in the city of Danbury, Cavo said.

The bank must also finalize the purchase of the YMCA building. The YMCA supports the sale, said Marie Miszewski, CEO of the Regional YMCA of Western Connecticut.

Its a great opportunity for downtown and certainly its a huge step in the revitalization of downtown, she said.

Were happy that we could be a part of it. YMCA has run its Escape to the Arts program out of the building, but that initiative halted during COVID and had been struggling before the pandemic, she said. The plan is to phase out that program and find a space elsewhere on Main Street for its other activities.

Progress for downtown

A couple blocks from the planned bank building, developers are building 149 apartments at the former News-Times building. That project has been cited as a positive sign for downtown, where development had languished for some time. A new restaurant, ItadakiMAS, is a block away and another sign of life downtown.

The banks plans will help downtown to be successful, said Sharon Calitro, the city planner. The project will bring new employees to downtown, activating the public street, restaurants and businesses, she said.

It shows business sector willing to reinvest, she said.

Thats due to the citys streetscape project, she said.

The first phase of the streetscape around the downtown green and other locations is expected to be completed before winter, she said. The hardscape is complete and trees are planted, but the slowed supply chain from COVID-19 has delayed amenities like parking kiosks and banner posts, she said.

It looks great, Calitro said.

The city hopes to create a river walk on Crosby Street along the Still River, in addition to the second phase of the streetscape project.

The state must approve that next phase, which includes Main Street  a state road  and the corner where the new building is planned.

Weve been talking about this corner and redevelopment and what could be put here since 2010, Calitro said. So were really excited that its Savings Bank of Danbury and a local business and reinvestment into downtown.

The bank plans to tear down the YMCA building and construct a new structure with conference and collaboration rooms, a customer care center, an employee gym, and community meeting space, Morgado said. About 15 to 20 parking spaces will be built on site, with the rest of the employees using nearby parking garages.

The project must go through the land use commissions, but Morgado said the bank is working closely with the Calitro and doesnt anticipate problems.

Pending city approval, construction would start in spring 2022 and take about 1 1/2 years, Morgado said. He hopes to be completed by the end of 2023.

Need to expand

The new building will join Savings Banks headquarters at 220 Main St., as well as its 15 branch offices in the region, including on West Street. Those spaces will remain open, but the non-branch, back-operations team will move to the new building.

If the building were to open today, about 70 employees would move in, but Morgado said he expects more people will be hired by the time the space is ready. Some employees will come from offices in other towns.

Additional space is needed because Savings Bank of Danbury, which opened in 1849 and is the oldest continuously operating business in the city, has grown significantly since its last major building project in Danbury in 1999, when the 35 West St. branch was constructed, Morgado said.

Then, the bank had 65 employees and $362 million in assets. Now, it has more than 200 employees and $1.4 billion in assets, according to the bank. The bank plans to open its 16th branch in Norwalk this fall.

We literally have no space in our buildings right now for growth, Morgado said. Weve converted old supply rooms, closets into offices because weve grown quite a bit.

Due to COVID, office employees have been working remotely on alternate weeks, but are expected to return full-time in January, he said.

The bank has been working for years with the city  first with the former Mayor Mark Boughtons administration and then with Cavo  to find space for new offices. Danbury, meanwhile, has been searching for a new owner of the Tuxedo Junction building since 2017, at one point pitching creating a community theater there.

These spaces became the perfect spot for the new office building because theyre perfectly located downtown, Morgado said.

Downtown is just so important to us, he said. This is like the gateway. This building, you come downtown Danbury, people are going to see Savings Bank of Danbury when they get here.

The Tuxedo Junction space wont be physically connected to the new building at the corner of Main and White streets. But it will used for utilities, green space and create a gateway for employees who will walk from the Patriot Parking Garage to the office.

The bank could also choose to expand further at the Tuxedo Junction.

At the rate were going, we wanted to make sure that if we were going to build this, we had more room to grow in the future, Morgado said. Were going to fill this building, and then well move onto the next.
DENVER (AP)  Colorado officials identified the victim of an unsolved 33-year-old homicide by using DNA analysis that traced the victim to relatives in Israel.

The victim was identified as 36-year-old Akram Bada'an, who was killed in August 1988. His body was found in Sheridan, a suburb just south of Denver, Sheridan Police Detective Bryan Penry announced at a press conference Wednesday.
KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii (AP)  Big Island coffee farmers are expected to receive $300,000 from the state to help them battle coffee leaf rust, a disease that can kill coffee trees.

The money comes from the state Department of Agriculture thanks to a bill passed by the Legislature extending and enhancing the states Coffee Berry Borer Pesticide Subsidy program.
NEW ORLEANS (AP)  New Orleans is largely ending a mandate requiring residents and visitors wear masks indoors as infections of the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus continue to fall, the city's mayor announced Wednesday.

Mayor LaToya Cantrell said in a news release the mandate will be lifted Friday, with some exceptions: Masks will still be required in healthcare facilities, on public transportation and in K-12 schools.

That comes as the city slowly revives some of the large-scale events that it was known for before the pandemic. On Saturday thousands crowded city streets for the first large parade  Krewe of Boo  since Mardi Gras 2020. The 2020 parades were largely considered fuel for New Orleans becoming an early virus epicenter. Music festivals and parades that normally draw hundreds of thousands of people, including this year's Mardi Gras, were canceled.

But it increasingly looks as if the city will host Mardi Gras parades next year. On Friday, Cantrell said the parades will go ahead if there's no dramatic rise in coronavirus infections.

The city's mask mandate was implemented July 30 as the fourth coronavirus surge packed hospitals. Soon after, Gov. John Bel Edwards implemented a statewide mask mandate.

At the time, Louisiana had the nations highest per capita COVID-19 infection growth and hospitals were inundated. New hospitalizations have fallen dramatically since, and Louisiana now has one of the nations lowest rates of new infections.

The city's announcement comes one day after Edwards largely lifted the statewide mask mandate, saying the worst of the fourth surge appeared to be over.

But another key city measure requiring people to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to enter certain businesses will remain, the mayor said.

About 60% of New Orleans is fully vaccinated while 75% of those eligible for the shots are fully vaccinated, according to the news release.
CAIRO (AP)  U.S. President Joe Biden called Thursday for Sudan's people to be allowed to protest peacefully as the number of those killed in recent demonstrations against the military coup rose to nine.

Biden's statement was the latest from the international community urging the generals to restore the civilian-led transitional government and release those detained after their takeover earlier this week. But there were signs the military was not backing down.

The coup's leader, a top general, fired at least six ambassadors, including the envoys to the U.S., the European Union and France, after they condemned the militarys takeover of the country, a military official said Thursday.

Their dismissal came hours before the U.N. Security Council issued its first statement on recent events in Sudan, calling for the civilian transitional government to be restored to power and for those detained during the coup to be released.

The diplomats had pledged their support for the now-deposed government of Prime Minister Abddalla Hamdok. Also fired by Gen Abdel-Fattah Buran late Wednesday were the Sudanese ambassadors to Qatar, China and the U.N. mission in Geneva, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief media. The state-run Sudan TV also reported the dismissals.

The ambassadors were fired two days after Burhan dissolved the transitional government and detained the prime minister, many government officials and political leaders in a coup condemned by the U.S. and the West. The military allowed Hamdok to return home Tuesday after international pressure for his release.

The U.N. statement released Thursday was approved by all 15 members from the council but went through several revisions, diplomats said, mainly to address objections from Russia, which did not want to condemn the military takeover as originally proposed in the British-drafted text - or use the word coup.

Burhan has said the military forces were compelled to take over because of quarrels between political parties that he claimed could lead to civil war. However, the coup also comes just weeks before Burhan would have had to hand over the leadership of the Sovereign Council, the ultimate decision-maker in Sudan, to a civilian, in a step that would reduce the military's hold on the country. The council has military and civilian members. Hamdok's government ran Sudan's daily affairs.

The coup threatens to halt Sudans fitful transition to democracy, which began after the 2019 ouster of long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir and his Islamist government in a popular uprising.

The takeover came after weeks of mounting tensions between military and civilian leaders over the course and pace of that process.

Ali bin Yahia, Sudans former envoy in Geneva under the transitional government, was defiant after his dismissal.

I will spare no efforts to reverse the situation, explain facts and resist the blackout imposed by coup officials on what is happened my beloved country, he said in video comments posted online.

Nureldin Satti, the Sudanese envoy to the U.S., said Tuesday he was working with Sudanese diplomats in Brussels, Paris, Geneva and New York to resist the coup to achieve the aims of the uprising against al-Bashir.

Activists circulated videos on social media showing mostly empty streets in the capital, with many stores except for groceries and bakeries closed on Thursday. Earlier, protesters called for a national strike to pressure the military to relinquish power.

Earlier this week, a group of over 30 Sudanese diplomats in and outside Sudan condemned the militarys takeover in a joint statement, saying that the ambassadors in Belgium, Switzerland and France had pledged their continued allegiance to the Hamdok government.

In another development, Burhan fired Adlan Ibrahim, head of the countrys Civil Aviation Authority, according to the official. Adlans dismissal came after flights in and out of Khartoums international airport were supposed to resume Wednesday after they stopped amid the confusion.

The military has also reopened some bridges that were closed earlier by protesters.

Protesters, meanwhile, took to the streets of Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman late Wednesday in continued demonstrations against the coup amid heavy security across the capital. By Thursday morning, security forces had cleared several makeshift stone barricades that protesters had set up in a few residential neighborhoods.

Hundreds of people marched on in a funeral procession on Thursday in Khartoum for one of the protesters.

One man was killed and two were seriously injured in Thursday's protest gatherings, according to a statement by the Sudanese Doctors' Committee. Another young man died in a Khartoum hospital late Wednesday of wounds sustained in Mondays protests and two others who were shot in the head earlier this week died Thursday, activist Nazim Siraj said.

This raised to nine the number of protesters killed since Monday.

Al least 170 people have been wounded since the militarys takeover, according to a statement issued by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA. Most of the cases, including moderate and severe ones, are lying in Khartoum hospitals, which are battling a shortage in surgical and other medical supplies as the movement in the capital remains restricted by roadblocks, OCHA said.

Also on Thursday, the Friends of Sudan Group, which consists of several EU states as well as the U.S. and the U.N., issued a statement saying the country's future is at risk.

The actions of the security forces deeply jeopardize Sudans hard-won political, economic and legal gains made over the past two years and put Sudans security, stability and reintegration into the international community at risk, read the statement issued by the alliance formed after Bashirs ouster in 2019.

Biden also echoed the fears that the country's economy could fall victim to the military's designs on power.

We believe strongly in Sudans economic potential and the promise of its future  if the military and those who oppose change do not hold it back, he said in a statement.



Associated Press writers Noha el-Hennawy in Cairo and Edith M. Lederer in New York contributed to this report.
Visits to Canadian Food Banks Soared +20% Nationally During the Pandemic

Food Bank Visits Topped 1.3M in March 2021; Largest Increase Since 2008 Recession

1 in 4 Food Banks Experiencing 50%+ Increase in Demand

TORONTO, Oct. 28, 2021 /CNW/ - A volatile combination of high housing costs, pandemic job losses, rising food costs and an anticipated further pull-back on government supports is creating a "perfect storm" that has Canada's food banks bracing for a "tidal wave" of new clients in the months ahead, according to the newly released Food Banks Canada HungerCount 2021 report- https://hungercount.foodbankscanada.ca/

Defining Moment: Opportunity to Build a Canada Where No One Goes Hungry Tweet this (CNW Group/Food Banks Canada) (CNW Group/Food Banks Canada)

The landmark report  the only research study encompassing the country's 4750+ food banks and community organizations  shows the stark impact of how the pandemic is exacerbating poverty, food insecurity and hunger in Canada and advocates for long-term social programs to help low-income and unemployed Canadians weather the storm. HungerCount 2021 reports that in March 2021, Canadians made 1.3 million visits to food banks  a 20.3% increase over March 2019, the largest increase in visits since the country was plunged into recession in 2008.

HungerCount 2021 findings

Over one-in-four food banks located in larger urban centres saw their usage more than double compared to two years earlier

One third of clients are children, even though they only represent 19% of the general population

27% of Canadians accessing food banks are on fixed incomes such as pensions or disability benefits

Food bank demand in larger urban centres was more likely to be attributed to job loss

Urban food banks were also more like to be accessed by racialized populations than food banks in other regions

Defining Moment: Opportunity to Build a Canada Where No One Goes Hungry

"We have a pivotal choice to make, to return to a "pre-pandemic" cycle of poverty or to build a better Canada where no one goes hungry and poverty is addressed at its root causes," says David Armour, Interim CEO of Food Banks Canada. "Early in the pandemic, government housing and income supports helped flatten demand at Canada's food banks, but in recent months, visits are beginning to surge with nearly one-in-seven food banks experiencing doubling of demand  and food bank visits soaring in Quebec, Alberta, and Ontario," he says.

Provinces experiencing largest increase in need compared to 2019

Quebec 474,000 visits +38% Ontario 419,000 visits +23% AB 116,000 visits +29.6%

Social Supports Demonstrate Power to Prevent Food Bank Visits

According to HungerCount 2021, the power of COVID-19 related government supports like the CERB, and housing relief measures were felt immediately at food banks and helped to temporarily flatten food bank visits by supporting vulnerable Canadians who were hit hard by the pandemic.

"Our experience during the pandemic, proves that good social policies have significant impact on reducing food insecurity when they truly address the causes of low-incomes, unemployment, housing costs and poverty," says Kirstin Beardsley, Food Banks Canada's Chief Network Services Officer. Beardsley explains that Food Banks Canada is calling for five steps to repair Canada's broken and outdated social safety nets to stem the tidal wave of increased poverty and food insecurity Canada faces in the months ahead.

HungerCount 2021 Recommendation Highlights

See all policy recommendations in report

New supports for renters living with low incomes

67% of current food bank clients live in rental housing

46% of Canadians now say the cost of housing is the highest obstacle in affording food  up from 21% in 2020

Immediately implement a national rent support program based on an expanded version of the Canada Housing Benefit so that Canadians who are struggling to afford their rent can access support while the rest of the National Housing Strategy takes effect.

Modernize and expand supports for low wage and unemployed workers

HungerCount 2021 advocates for a sweeping overhaul of Canada's outdated EI policy, benefits and eligibility requirements  including allowing workers to retain more earnings while claiming EI, permanently expanding eligibility to include "self-employed" Canadians, the creation of a Disability Hiring Strategy  and government incentives for employers who offer a living wage.

Progress toward a minimum income floor

"It's time to build a Canada where no one is left behind. That means adopting a new approach towards a social safety net that creates a minimum income floor so that every Canadian has the supports they need to lift themselves up and move ahead," says Beardsley, who explains that HungerCount 2021 recommends a phased approach to work with provinces to test and pilot new and progressive minimum income floor programs focused on breaking the poverty cycle.

Income supports for low income single adults

Almost half of all people who need help from a food bank are adults who live alone

Single adults are grossly over-represented in food banks, and one third of all single adults in Canada live in poverty

Make single, low-income, working age adults a priority consideration in all future poverty reduction measures, including an expanded and modernized EI and mental health supports to ensure that this vulnerable population is no longer left behind.

Enhance measures to reduce Northern food insecurity

"Northern food insecurity remains a significant concern for Food Banks Canada, and we anticipate lasting pandemic impacts in the months ahead that will require thoughtful and progressive minimum income reforms, the creation of a new Northern Development and Revitalization Plan and skills training opportunities," says Beardsley.

HungerCount 2021 also recommends collaboration with the newly formed Inuit to Crown Working Group, to initiate a comprehensive review of Nutrition North Canada to determine why the program is only minimally achieving its objectives of reducing the cost of food in the North.

About HungerCount 2021

HungerCount is the only national research study of food banks and other food programs in Canada  and was initiated by Food Banks Canada in 1989. The information provided by the report provides invaluable insight into the root causes of food insecurity and poverty issues in Canada. https://hungercount.foodbankscanada.ca/ #HungerCount2021

About Food Banks Canada

Food Banks Canada provides national leadership to relieve hunger today and prevent hunger tomorrow in collaboration with the food bank network from coast-to-coast-to-coast. For 40 years, food banks have been dedicated to helping Canadians living with food insecurity. Over 4,500 food banks and community agencies come together to serve our most vulnerable neighbours who  last year  made 1.1 million visits to these organizations in one month alone, according to our HungerCount report. Over the past 10 years, as a system we've sourced and shared over 1.4 billion pounds of food and Food Banks Canada shared nearly $168 million in funding to help maximize collective impact and strengthen local capacity  while advocating for reducing the need for food banks. Our vision is clear: create a Canada where no one goes hungry. Visit http://www.foodbankscanada.ca/ to learn more.

SOURCE Food Banks Canada

For further information: For more information and to book interviews, access regional and local HungerCount 2021 data findings, request visuals and video, please contact: [email protected] (647) 985-7162

Related Links

https://www.foodbankscanada.ca/


Seniors calling to end requirement for pre-departure PCR test to ensure travel is affordable and accessible for all

TORONTO, Oct. 28, 2021 /CNW/ - Together with the Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable ("The Roundtable"), seniors from across Canada are calling on the federal government to remove unnecessary and non-science-based obstacles to cross-border travel, such as the pre-departure PCR test for fully vaccinated travellers, that is disproportionately impacting senior citizens.

Travel is becoming increasingly difficult to reach for the average Canadian senior. The burdensome cost of a PCR test can add over $200 CAD per person. This policy was intended to be temporary and is counter to the recommendations made by the federal government's COVID-19 Testing and Screening Expert Advisory Panel Report ("The Expert Panel") in May of this year.

Many countries have recognized that requiring pre-departure and arrival tests for vaccinated travellers is redundant and have exempted fully vaccinated travellers from testing requirements, including France, Portugal, Germany and the United Kingdom.

Although many had travel bookings lined up over the November-December period, the travel and tourism industry is bracing for cancellations.

The pandemic, vaccination status, and available science have changed; so too should the response and measures to keep Canadians safe while allowing the travel and tourism industry to re-open.

Quotes

"As the voice of more than 115,000 members, the Canadian Snowbird Association is concerned about the burden on Canadian travellers incurring high testing costs to travel. Based on science, other countries have removed testing for vaccinated travellers, making travel more accessible and far less cost prohibitive."

- Michael MacKenzie

Executive Director of the Canadian Snowbird Association

"Bookings are on the rise, but the travel and tourism industry is bracing for cancellations. Confusion around the rules, the border and testing is creating an environment of uncertainty for travellers, especially for Seniors. It's time for the rules to keep up with developments in science that will keep Seniors safe while allowing them to travel."

- Wendy Paradis

President of the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies

"Seniors have been isolated at home away from family, friends and the world. As travel opens up we need to make sure that seniors are not left out - again. As Canada's national seniors advocacy organization we are calling for a streamlined vaccine-passport approach, rather than creating costly additional barriers to travel especially in our upcoming holiday season."

- Jana Ray

Chief Operating Officer of CanAge

"As we enter this new phase of the pandemic, once characterized by mass-vaccination and low-case counts, travel should have been up and running. In pre-pandemic times, Senior travel accounted for about 35 percent of international Canadian travel  and that does not even include the United States. This market just simply has not returned."

- Lorraine Simpson

Founder of Lorraine Simpson Travels

About the Canadian Tourism Roundtable

The Canadian Tourism Roundtable is a cross-Canadian coalition of leaders in the tourism and travel sector  including representatives from airports, airlines, hotels, and chambers of commerce across the country  committed to working together to restart the sector smoothly and safely. Travel and Tourism is a $102 billion sector, employing millions of Canadians across the country and accounting for 2.1% of the country's gross domestic product. It advocates for a safe and prosperous tourism and travel sector across Canada.

SOURCE Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable

For further information: For media inquiries, please contact: Randi Rahamim, [email protected]
More than 100 organizations call for a bold economic vision, and issue a scorecard to track the country's economic, social and environmental progress

OTTAWA, ON, Oct. 28, 2021 /CNW/ - Following a two-day summit in Ottawa, the Coalition for a Better Future is calling for a higher level of economic ambition in Canada. In a just-released statement, it is pledging that the private and non-profit sectors will work together with the public sector to achieve a more prosperous, inclusive, and sustainable future.

Hosted by former federal Cabinet Ministers Anne McLellan and Lisa Raitt, the Summit brought together a broad range of leading Canadians and organizations - including community, youth and business leaders, environmental organizations, and Indigenous groups - to discuss Canada's economic future.

"The Summit has shown that leading organizations across the country, with diverse perspectives and interests, are united in the belief that the country needs a plan to improve living standards, reduce inequality and lessen Canada's impact on the global climate. These goals can only be achieved through stronger economic growth," said Anne McLellan. "The statement we are issuing today reflects our collective commitment to work together to transform an ambitious vision into reality."

The statement, based on extensive consultations with Coalition members, calls on Canada to "make economic growth a policy priority," describing it as a "necessary precondition for job creation, rising incomes, a cleaner environment, and a better quality of life." The statement can be viewed here.

The Coalition has also made accountability a priority by creating a scorecard to track Canada's progress on key economic, social, and environmental indicators over the next decade. The scorecard includes 21 key metrics focused on three goals: winning globally, living better and growing sustainably. For each metric an ambitious but achievable target will be set for 2030, and every year the Coalition will update Canada's progress in moving towards these targets. Each metric is an internationally accepted indicator of a country's economic, social or environmental progress. The scorecard can be viewed here.

"We refuse to accept that slow growth and stagnation are inevitable," said Lisa Raitt. "The scorecard is a critical tool that we can use to hold all of us  the public, private and non-profit sectors  accountable for the decisions we make in the years to come."

Coalition members have agreed to hold another summit in 2022. McLellan and Raitt will continue to co-chair the Coalition's Advisory Council and will be assisted by Rosemary Thompson, who has just joined the Business Council of Canada as vice president, stakeholder relations. As a member of the Coalition, the Business Council of Canada is offering support to help the Coalition's ongoing development. Rosemary Thompson is a former award-winning journalist and senior executive with several of Canada's leading cultural institutions, including the National Arts Centre and the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.

Find more information about the Coalition for a Better Future please visit https://canadacoalition.ca/ or https://coalitioncanadienne.ca. Follow the Coalition on your favourite social media platforms:

Twitter - https://twitter.com/CdnCoalition_

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/CanadaCoalition

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/canadacoalition/

Organizations interested in joining the Coalition for a Better Future are encouraged to contact [email protected].

SOURCE Coalition for a Better Future

For further information: Lauren Kutchaw, Senior Consultant, Hill+Knowlton Strategies, [email protected], +1 613 617 9071.
The creation and implementation of the program by our MRCO Sisters In The Brotherhood is an excellent example of what can be achieved through collaboration efforts between multiple organizations.

The training and skills-upgrade program will prepare successful candidates to become millwright apprentices and begin careers as millwrights in the construction and maintenance industry.

"The ITM program and its curriculum outlines the fundamentals of the Millwright trade. It provides the participants an incredible opportunity to secure a meaningful and rewarding career as a fully licensed Millwright within the Millwright Regional Council of Ontario." said Drew Chittenden, Business Manager Millwright Local 2309, Toronto.

The ITM program is a 6-week program that consists of 4 weeks of Millwright skills training in conjunction with 2 weeks of training in the area of math, spatial reasoning and communication. The goal of the program is for the participants to be indentured into the MRCO as first year apprentices, guide their successful completion of the required Union entry aptitude test and prepare them for safe dispatch to a site for work.

"The MRCO is committed to working with our partners, Indigenous and community leaders to build pathways for success through education, experience, and knowledge," said Mark Beardsworth, Director of Operations with the Millwright Regional Council of Ontario.

The following organizations were involved in the creation, funding and launching of the ITM program.

Millwright Regional Council of Ontario

Millwright Local 2309

Ontario Power Generation

OCNI (Organization of Canadian Nuclear Industries)

Kagita Mikam

AABO (Aboriginal Apprenticeship Board of Ontario

Durham College

College First Nations Power Authority

The MRCO is committed and eager to look at future opportunities of this nature to support the hiring of more indigenous people into our membership. Upon completion of this 6-week program, a review will be completed and the next ITM program will be scheduled.

About the Millwright Regional Council of Ontario

Millwright Regional Council of Ontario (MRCO) is composed of eight affiliated Local Unions of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America (UBC) across the Province of Ontario.

We represent thousands of women and men working as progressive cross-trained construction and maintenance professionals with exceptional skills to install, maintain, diagnose, and repair precision machinery.

UBC millwrights are vital partners in industries as diverse as energy, automotive, aerospace, food processing, pharmaceuticals and more.

SOURCE Millwright Regional Council of Ontario

For further information: For media inquires, please contact Duncan McIntosh, Director of Communications, [email protected]
A team led by Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Milind Khetale will investigate allegations levelled against Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Zonal Director, Sameer Wankhede. In a brief statement issued by the Mumbai Police, it said, A team led by ACP Milind Khetale to investigate the allegations levelled against NCB Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede. Four Police stations in Mumbai have received complaints against Wankhede. On Wednesday, the probe agencys Deputy Director General (Northern Region) Gyaneshwar Singh said that Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede will remain the investigating officer in the drugs-on-cruise case until substantial information is found against him.



An NCB team, led by Gyaneshwar Singh, is in Mumbai to probe allegations of corruption levelled by Prabhakar Sail, a witness in the drugs-on-cruise case. An NCB team, led by Gyaneshwar Singh, is in Mumbai to probe allegations of corruption levelled by Prabhakar Sail, bodyguard of the NCB witness in the drugs-on-cruise case. Sameer Wankhede was questioned for about four hours on Wednesday as part of the investigation and he put forward many facts before the team. Gyaneshwar Singh told reporters that a five-member inquiry team of NCB on Wednesday started an investigation into allegations levelled by Prabhakar Sail through an affidavit. We requested the Southwest region office to get notice served to key witnesses KP Gosavi and Sail but they could not be contacted. Through media, I request them to join the investigation and give evidence before the special enquiry team which is camping at CRPF mess in Bandra, Mumbai, Singh said. Sameer Wankhede was questioned for about four hours. He put forward many facts before the team. If necessary, more evidence and documents will be sought from him. He submitted case related documents that were sought. If needed, he will be questioned further. He will remain the investigating officer in the drugs-on-cruise ship case until substantial information is found against him, Singh added.



Sail, a bodyguard of NCB witness Kiran Gosavi, had alleged that Gosavi took Rs 50 lakh from an individual after the raid at the cruise ship. Gosavi has denied the allegations. NCB named Sail as a hostile witness in its affidavit in the court on Monday. An NCB team busted an alleged drugs party on the Cordelia Cruise ship which was on its way to Goa on October 2. A total of 20 people including Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, have been arrested in the case.
Kiran Gosavi has been detained by the Pune Police three days after he claimed he would surrender at a police station in Uttar Pradesh's capital Lucknow.

Kiran Gosavi, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) witness in the drug-on-cruise case involving Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khans son Aryan Khan, has been detained in Pune. Kiran Gosavi has been detained, said Pune Police Commissioner Amitabh Gupta on Thursday. Gosavi has been detained by the Pune Police three days after he claimed he would surrender at a police station in Uttar Pradeshs capital Lucknow.



A case was registered against Gosavi with Faraskhana police station of Pune city on May 19, 2018, for allegedly committing fraud by promising a person a job in Malaysia by taking money. However, he neither returned the money nor offered the job to the complainant. The accused was booked under sections 419, 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) along with relevant sections of the Intellectual Technology (IT) Act. Chargesheet was filed in the court as the accused was not found. He is still wanted in the case.



Other than this, a case of fraud has also been registered against Gosavi at the Kelwa Police station in Palghar on October 18. As per the police, he had duped people of lakhs of rupees on the pretext of sending them abroad for jobs. Notably, Prabhakar Sail, who is the personal bodyguard of Kiran Gosavi and also a witness in the Mumbai cruise ship raid case has alleged that he took Rs 50 lakh from an individual after the raid at the cruise ship.

Meanwhile, the Bombay High Court will resume the hearing today for the bail application of Shah Rukh Khans son Aryan Khan, others who were arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Mumbai cruise drugs case. On Wednesday, the defence counsels for all accused concluded their arguments, and the prosecution will be putting forward its arguments today. The hearing is set to begin at 3 pm.
Diesel is reportedly being rationed in China amid the ongoing energy crisis in the country. This ongoing energy crisis is expected to disrupt the global supply chain and result in a rise in commodity prices.

China has been facing an energy crisis that started gaining global media attention in October when reports of coal shortage and power blackouts in the country emerged. And now, rationing of diesel is being reported by users on Chinese social media. This ongoing energy crisis is expected to disrupt the global supply chain and result in a rise in commodity prices.

According to posts on the Chinese social media platform, Weibo, truck drivers are having to wait for days to get their quota of diesel. Chinese media reports, citing a truck dealer from Shijiazhuang city in Hebei province, suggest that truck drivers are only getting 100 litres of diesel each, about 10% of their vehicles capacity. In other parts of the country, reports suggest rations are even tighter with drivers only allowed to buy up to 25 litres.

The energy crunch in China and in many other parts of the world, including India, are being attributed to a rebound in economic activities after economies facing severe downfall due to the Covid-19 pandemic. According to experts, fuel supply has failed to keep pace with the surge in demand, and as a result, fossil fuel prices have reached record levels.
Luther Turmelle / Hearst Connecticut Media

BRANFORD  A Canadian company that makes molded plastic containers for the food industry is coming to town next year, opening its second U.S. facility on Beaver Road, according to the commercial realtor who brokered the deal.

Hi-Quality Packaging Inc., which is based in Scarborough, Ontario, signed a seven-year lease for 26,500 feet in what is now the home of a trucking company at 14 Beaver Road, said Frank Hird with OR&L Commercial in Branford. The lease is in excess of $1 million, according to Hird.
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP)  A Danish appeals court on Thursday increased a sentence to two brothers by a year, giving them 15 years in prison each for the murder of a biracial man on a Danish island in June 2020, a slaying that had sparked a nationwide debate about racism.

The Eastern High Court ruled that Mads and Magnus Moeller, aged 23 and 26, were guilty of murder but it also found insufficient evidence of a racist motive in the killing, saying it was a personal relationship gone wrong. Witnesses and defense lawyers ruled out racism, and the defendants denied it.
THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP)  Fighter jets flew over the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki Thursday as parachutists landed and troops marched in the citys center to mark a national holiday commemorating Greece's defiance of Fascist Italy that forced it to enter World War II.

But some student parades traditionally held in municipalities across Greece were cancelled, especially in northern areas which have seen a spike in coronavirus infections, fueled by low vaccination rates in those areas.

Greeces Oct. 28 national holiday, known as Ochi Day, or No Day, marks the day in 1940 when Athens rejected a pre-dawn Italian ultimatum to allow its forces to enter Greek territory and take control of parts of it.

Italian troops invaded hours later, prompting Greeces entry into the war, in which outnumbered and outgunned Greek forces successfully repulsed the Italians only to be overwhelmed months later by a separate German invasion.

The anniversary of No is a day of honor and pride for our nation, President Katerina Sakellaropoulou said, adding that the countrys actions in 1940 remind us of everything we can achieve when we are united.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who attended a student parade in a southern suburb of Athens, said the day honored those who fought against fascism and the conqueror.

Today we have the right to look to the future with more confidence and more optimism, he said, adding that Greece was now stronger both geopolitically and economically.

I wish and hope we can move forward in this future with the unity the times demand and always have the discretion to tell the difference between the useful yes and the necessary no.

Last year's parades were cancelled as the country grappled with the coronavirus pandemic. This year, most were allowed to go ahead, although Thessalonikis military parade was somewhat pared down, with only military, fire service and security forces parading without the participation of many of the civic groups and associations that traditionally take part. Participants and spectators alike were asked to wear masks.

But several municipalities and regions across northern Greece cancelled parades by schoolchildren amid spiking coronavirus cases.

Just over 61% of Greeces population of around 11 million has been fully vaccinated, and only slightly more  just under 64%  has received at least one dose. The country has been seeing increasing coronavirus infections, particularly in the north, with intensive care units beginning to fill up.

New infections are over 3,000 per day with dozens of deaths, and ICUs set aside for COVID-19 patients in the country are now at an average 77% capacity. On Wednesday, Greece reported 63 deaths and 3,651 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total death toll to 15,770 since the start of the pandemic, with 728,210 confirmed cases.

___

Follow all of APs pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic
Ben Lambert / Hearst Connecticut Media

HAMDEN  Police are investigating after a victim reported that his car was stolen at gunpoint in a grocery store parking lot this week by two male teens who then crashed while fleeing through a red light.

Hamden police said officers were sent to the Save-A-Lot grocery store on Dixwell Avenue at about 10 a.m. Tuesday, where the 36-year-old said the two teens approached him at his car.
NEW HAVEN  Acting Chief of Police Renee Dominguez said she will recommend that the Board of Police Commissioners issue a 6-month suspension for a police sergeant who was the supervisor in a domestic violence dispute involving a city worker.

Her decision came a day after the city Civilian Review Board asked Dominguez to delay disciplinary action in the first case in which the panel was weighing in on a recommendation on that discipline.

The case involves a Police Department internal investigation into three officers and their response to a domestic dispute. The IA concluded the officers allegedly were in violation of multiple general orders. The Civilian Review Board said it was seeking the delay so more facts could be uncovered.

Dominguez said she met with Sgt. Jasmine Sanders Thursday to tell her of the decision.

If Dominguez did not delay a decision, a subcommittee of the board, which was empowered to speak for all the members, voted Wednesday to send to her suggested discipline for the three officers investigated by Internal Affairs.

Those recommendations have not yet been made public, but Dominguez, in her email to the CRB, said the board now has another month to provide me with a recommendation for discipline. I will then provide your recommendation to the Board of Police Commissioners.

The CRB potentially could embark on an independent investigation in this case, as it has some $150,000 in a budget for that purpose.

To date, the board has not opted to do this, something that could bump up against the police contract but is allowed by the Civilian Review Board ordinance.

Internal Affairs in May, at Dominguezs request, had opened an investigation into the three individuals who issued a misdemeanor summons to a suspect involved in a domestic violence crime who later committed suicide, a police document submitted to the CRB shows.

The IA report said the three officers allegedly violated multiple police policies in the domestic case. The other two individuals investigated by IA were Officer Yalexa Melendez and Officer Chris Acosta.

The interim chief said it always was her intention to send Sanders to the Board of Police Commissioners, which can impose discipline beyond 15 days.

The case against Sgt. Sanders I believe is serious misconduct and the discipline should be beyond what I am able to render, Dominguez wrote.

In addition to the 6-month suspension, Dominguez recommended a period of probation.

The interim chief also wrote that she only had 90 days to impose discipline after the close/sustaining of an IA case. This case closed on Sept. 10.

When a subcommittee of the board voted Wednesday night to send the request to Dominguez, it wrote: The Civilian Review Board asks the chief to delay the discipline so the case can be investigated further. We are concerned that all of the relevant facts have not been discovered, and we want to go deeper and broader.

The board was trying to meet a deadline before the chief was obligated to decide on discipline by Thursday night for one of the three officers under review in the IA report. For the rest, it was asked to act by mid-week next week.

Capt. David Zannelli, at the CRBs regular meeting Monday, said the deadline for discipline is dictated by the union contract. Lt. Manmeet Colon asked at that time that any recommendations be completed in a timely manner.

They have known about this case for months, Colon said Wednesday.

Many Internal Affairs investigations stem from citizen complaints. Others are initiated by the police chief, which was the case in this instance. Records kept by the board show the case was brought on May 7 and it was closed by Internal Affairs on Sept. 10. The role of the CRB is to review the IA cases, make recommendations and to continue investigations it deems unresolved.

Unredacted records and any body camera information are available to board members at the IA offices. About half of the 14-member board had viewed the entire record in this case.

The request to delay a decision on the case was one of two options board members had come up with in executive, or closed, session.

Richard Crouse, secretary of the board, said if they passed on its proposed discipline now, It puts too much discretion on the matter. Member John Pescatore said putting forth one recommendation  to seek a delay  was a firmer option.

After the vote, CRB member Steve Hamm said if the chief were to decide she could not delay a decision on discipline, then we have to decide what to do next on the fly, immediately.

What other choice do we have? Chairman Samuel Ross-Lee asked.

Ross-Lee said if the chief were to reject their request, the committee should then send its proposed discipline for the three officers that were the subject of the IA investigation.

The board members eligible to vote on the issue were: Hamm, Crouse, Jean Jenkins, Nina (Sam) Fawcett and Chris Peralta.

Colon said the timeline from the start of the investigation to sending it to the chief is 90 days. Although the board can ask for an extension, they dont like to have to do that, Colon said, unless there is more work to be done.

Crouse had asked Zannelli Monday what would happen if the board were to suggest reopening a case or making recommendations after the 90 days or when discipline already has been carried out.

I do think it could become problematic based on the stipulations of not only the collective bargaining agreement but on our general orders directed to ... civilian complaints where it articulates and defines that an IA investigation is to last 90 days, Zannelli said.

He imagined there would be conflicts, but the new CRB ordinance is still a work in progress and we have to kind of consult and see how this goes. A lot of the ordinance does not coincide with the way the collective bargaining agreement is written.

The alleged policy violations, according to a summary of the 44-page IA report, allege that the supervisor failed to go to the scene to offer guidance to the newer investigating officer as required; no firearm check was conducted on the suspect and firearms were not seized; the misdemeanor charge of simple trespass and breach of peace was inappropriate; and the arrest report was approved despite alleged errors and missing facts.

At Mondays meeting, the members spoke about several aspects of the case.

Crouse said the report does not go into peoples motivations. While the IA thoroughly set out the alleged policy violations, he said, the motivations or rationales for why these things came to pass were not.

Crouse said there were also very big inconsistencies about things that either were not recorded or things that I think are paramount to the case and how it could be understood that were not really well explained.

Hamm said what the report does not get to the bottom of is whether or not this guy (suspect) got special treatment (with the misdemeanor charge) because he was a city worker.

The issue is raised but never resolved, Hamm said.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP)  Missouris Republican Gov. Mike Parson on Thursday said his administration won't help enforce President Joe Bidens federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate in some limited instances.

Parson's executive order bans his administration from enforcing the mandate or penalizing noncompliance, but only when people refuse coronavirus vaccination for religious or medical reasons.

While Biden has argued that the sweeping mandates will help end the deadly pandemic, Republicans nationwide have opposed the vaccination requirements and warned that they could exacerbate supply-chain problems.

These federal mandates pose a significant risk to our state economy and workforce, and jeopardize public health by increasing vaccine hesitancy, Parson wrote in his order.

Biden is expected to release details soon about implementing the mandate. The Democrat has said companies with at least 100 employees will have to require all their employees to be vaccinated or undergo weekly testing. The mandate for federal contractors goes into effect in December, and it does not have a testing option.

Let me be clear, we continue to encourage all Missourians to get vaccinated, Parson said. We can support vaccination without supporting mandates. We are issuing this order to protect our system of government and the individual rights of Missourians to make their own health care decisions.

Parson said Missouri, which ranks in the bottom 10 of states based on the percentage of the total population that have completed vaccinations, has been doing fine without mandates.

Close to half of Missourians have been fully vaccinated, according to data from the state health department. Of the population eligible to be vaccinated, those at least 12 years old, the vaccination rate is closer to 58%. More than 80% of Missourians 65 and older, who are considered at high risk for COVID-19 complications, are fully vaccinated.

Other Republican governors have taken similar stands against Biden's vaccine requirement.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Monday directed the states executive-branch agencies not to cooperate with the federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate, where possible. And Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order Oct. 11 to bar private companies or any other entity from requiring vaccines.

Florida's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday announced the state is suing the Biden administration over the vaccine mandate for federal contractors, and Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt on Wednesday said he plans to sue, too.

Parson's executive order also directs his administration to comply with any lawsuits Schmitt files against the federal vaccine mandate.

Democratic state House Minority Leader Crystal Quade said in a statement that Parson's order is generally toothless.

The governors executive order appears carefully crafted to do absolutely nothing  except promote the attorney generals latest frivolous lawsuit at taxpayer expense, she said. "If these two put as much energy into fighting the pandemic as they do into fighting those fighting the pandemic, Missouri would be in a much stronger position.
Ron Chapple / Getty Image

BRISTOL  A Bristol Central High School student was arrested Wednesday morning after police discovered an airsoft handgun in his backpack, police officials said.

High school staff contacted the police departments school resource officer around 11:50 a.m. Wednesday after an anonymous complaint of a student carrying a handgun in their backpack, according to the Bristol Police Department.
HAMDEN  Police are investigating a possible gunfire exchange that took place near Dixwell Avenue Wednesday.

Police were called to the area of Concord Street near Dixwell Avenue around noon Wednesday for a report of a person firing several shots at a stopped car.

The suspect fled on foot and was described as a thin man either in his late teens or early 20s. Police said the suspect also had short braided hair and was wearing a black sweatsuit.

Police described the car, which also fled the scene, as a newer, black, four-door sedan. The car is possibly a Volkswagen Jetta, police added.

Later on, a 35-year-old man arrived by car at St. Raphaels Hospital in New Haven with a non-life-threatening shooting injury. Police believe this injury is related to the investigation.

Detectives recovered ballistic evidence from the scene and are looking into whether the suspect and occupant in the stopped car exchanged gunfire.

Anyone with information related to this incident should contact Hamden Police Detective Donald Remillard at 203-230-4052. Callers can remain anonymous.

liz.hardaway@hearst.com
CT State Police / Contributed

WALLINGFORD  Several lanes of Interstate 91 north were closed for hours Thursday morning after a crash involving a tractor-trailer carrying produce, according to Connecticut State Police.

State police reported the crash shortly after 7 a.m. near Exit 15 in Wallingford.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  Twenty-one Republican state attorneys general sent a letter to President Joe Biden on Wednesday saying they think his COVID-19 vaccination mandate for federal contractors stands on shaky legal ground," is confusing to contractors and could exacerbate supply-chain problems.

They wrote that companies could be blacklisted for federal contracts unless they get their workers vaccinated on an unworkable timeline.

We strongly urge you to instruct agencies to cease implementing the mandate or, at a minimum, to provide clarity to agencies and federal contractors across the country and delay the mandates compliance date, said the letter signed by attorneys general from Texas, Mississippi, Alaska and other states.

Republican officials have already threatened to sue over the order that Biden issued Sept. 9. Some legal experts have said they think the Biden administration is on strong legal footing with the mandates to protect public safety.

The administration is expected to release details soon about implementing the mandate. Biden has said companies with at least 100 employees will have to require all their employees be vaccinated or undergo weekly testing. The mandate for federal contractors goes into effect in December, and it does not have a testing option.

Many businesses, governments and schools are already setting COVID-19 vaccination requirements.

Employees of some federal contractors  including at a shipbuilder and a NASA rocket engine test site in Mississippi  have been protesting what they see as federal overreach into private lives.

Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch said in a news release Wednesday that vaccination should be an individual decision.

Forcing people to vaccinate or lose their jobs is a flawed premise ... and the mismanaged execution of that idea demonstrates how utterly unworkable it is as a national policy, Fitch said.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order Oct. 11 to bar private companies or any other entity from requiring vaccines.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Monday directed the state's executive-branch agencies not to cooperate with the federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate, where possible.

____

This story has been corrected to remove Nevada from the list of states with an attorney general who signed the letter. The Nevada attorney general did not sign it.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  Intermountain Healthcare, Utah's largest health care provider, announced Wednesday that it will require all its caregivers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to comply with pending federal rules.

Dr. Mark Briesacher, the chief physician executive with Intermountain Healthcare, said the hospital system will be complying with federal vaccination requirements announced by President Joe Biden in September.
The national assembly joint committee on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says the commission is free to use electroni...

The national assembly joint committee on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says the commission is free to use electronic means to transmit results in the forthcoming Anambra election.





The governorship election has been fixed for November 6.

Speaking with reporters on Wednesday after meeting with officials of the commission and stakeholders in Abuja, Kabiru Gaya, chairman of the senate committee on INEC, said results in Edo and Ondo governorship elections were transmitted electronically.

It is left for INEC to decide whether it will transfer the election results in Anambra or not, the senator said.





They have done that in the previous elections in Edo and Ondo states. Even before the INEC started transferring election results from polling units, Nigerians have been monitoring results of elections the moments they are being announced at polling stations and by 4pm.

Even before the final results are announced, many Nigerians would have seen them on the internet. Nigerians are fully involved in elections.

We expect the people of the state to cooperate fully with the electoral body by being law-abiding.





The chairman said Anambra could only have free, fair, and credible elections when every stakeholder embraces peace.

Speaking on the level of preparedness for the Anambra poll, Mahmood Yakubu, INEC chairman, said the commission has been able to deploy all the non-sensitive materials in all the LGAs of the state.

We have recovered from the series of attacks on our facilities and I am happy to say that we have deployed all the non-sensitive materials to all the local government areas, he said.

We have trained the requisite number of adhoc staff for the election and we have also mobilized members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers for efficient distribution of materials on election day. As far as INEC is concerned, we are good to go on November 6, 2021.
The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Professor Bolaji Owasanoye, SAN, has said the Pre...

The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Professor Bolaji Owasanoye, SAN, has said the President, Muhammadu Buhari, has a strong political will to fight corruption in Nigeria.

Owasanoye said this during the presentation of a paper titled, Anti-Corruption Legislations, Policies and Practices: How they Align with UNCAC, OECD Anti-Bribery Convention and other Regional Conventions on Preventing and Combating Corruption, at the 26th INTERPOL Global Programme on Financial Crimes and Assets Recovery in Abuja recently.

The ICPC Chairman, who was represented by ICPCs Director of Operations, Mr. Akeem Lawal, stated that the Buhari regime was known for not interfering with the work of the anti-corruption agencies.

He also said the regime had been noted internationally to have a strong political will to fight corruption.

According to him, Even if you are in his political party, he does not care. Go and answer the anti-corruption agencies. If you are free, you are free, if you are not, he doesnt care. So he has a strong political will to fight corruption at this moment. Notwithstanding our internal challenges, we know this government to have the political will to fight corruption.

He called for collective effort to ensure anti-corruption is institutionalised in Nigeria, adding that there was a need for strong institutions that would survive governments in order to make the fight against corruption a continuous one.

The Chairman also spoke on the need for principles, morals and good attitudes while stating that leaders had a role to play just like the followers.

All of us are in this battle to ensure that corruption is brought to a standstill, and we do it in a manner that is logical and consistent with other international legislation and convention, the ICPC boss declared.

The programme had in attendance officers from security agencies of different African countries.
A Cambridge University College has handed back a stolen bronze cockerel named Okukur to Nigeria. Okukur was taken by British colon...

A Cambridge University College has handed back a stolen bronze cockerel named Okukur to Nigeria.

Okukur was taken by British colonial forces in 1897 and given to Jesus College in 1905 by the father of a student.

BBC reports that the decision to return it was made in 2019 after a spirited campaign by students.

Its massively significant. Its a momentous occasion, said Sonita Alleyne, master of Jesus College.

The official stressed that returning the artefact was the right thing to do.

Okukur is a piece of cultural and spiritual significance to the people of Nigeria. Its part of their ancestral heritage, Alleyne added.

The Nigerian government would decide how and when to move Okukur removed from display at the college in 2016.

The bronze statue will be given to National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM).

In 2019, the colleges Legacy of Slavery Working Party agreed that the cockerel belongs with the current Oba at the Court of Benin.

The incumbent, Omo NOba NEdo Uku Akpolokpolo, Ewuare II, expressed hope that countries and institutions would give back artefacts taken from Benin.

The monarch urged them to expedite the return of our artworks, which in many cases are of religious importance to us.
The Gombe State chapter of the National Youth Service Corps has warned corps members against feigning sickness in order to be relocated to...

The Gombe State chapter of the National Youth Service Corps has warned corps members against feigning sickness in order to be relocated to another state of their choice.

The Camp Director, Ndako Bida, gave this warning to corps members as he lectured them about relocation from one camp to another.

This was contained in a statement by the Gombe NYSC chapter on Thursday, where Bida also encouraged the corps members to be active in camp activities.

Relocation will be granted as long as you have papers; medical report or marriage certificate as the case may be, attached to your application. There is no need to invite sickness you do not have upon yourself for the sake of relocation, the statement quoted Bida as saying.

Encouraging all camp participants to attend every camp activity, Bida stated that such activities were included for a good cause; to entertain, enlighten and educate them.

Speaking to his fellow members, the Corps Camp Director, Oyeniyi Emmanuel, emphasised on the code of conduct of corps members during the Orientation Course, adding that the rules and regulations of the Orientation Course must be adhered to, at all times.

Ndako also decorated the Corps Camp Directors with identification tags.
Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, says an article by The Economist about security challenges in Nigeria is badly researc...

Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, says an article by The Economist about security challenges in Nigeria is badly researched.

The Economist, in an article published in its latest edition, criticised the federal governments approach to insecurity, saying when violence erupts, the government does nothing or cracks heads almost indiscriminately.

The article also described the Nigerian army as mighty on paper, and whose personnel are ghosts who exist only on the payroll, and much of its equipment is stolen and sold to insurgents.

The article had elicited reactions from the presidency, army, and, most recently, from Sarafa Isola, Nigerias high commissioner to the UK, who wrote to The Economist to complain about the unfair reportage.

Speaking on Thursday at a media briefing in Abuja, Mohammed described the article as an inaccurate portrayal of insecurity in the country, just as he criticised the Nigerian media for amplifying the report.

The idea of the Nigerian media, especially the traditional media, regurgitating anything and everything published or reported by its foreign counterpart is totally antithetical to its reputation of independence and vibrancy, the minister said.

The Nigerian media does itself a great disservice by turning itself into an echo chamber of the foreign media.

When The Economist reported its patently-wrong and badly-researched story, it was immediately amplified by the local media, without even interrogating its content? This is totally unconscionable! For example, The Economist reported that the jihadist threat in the north-east has metastasized, and everyone knows that this is totally inaccurate.

Prior to the time it was dislodged, which was before December 2015 when I led a team of local and international journalists to Bama in Borno state, Boko Haram established the headquarters of its so-called caliphate in that town (Bama), where it hoisted its flag, collected taxes, as well as installed and removed emirs at will.

Today, Boko Haram has no caliphate anywhere in Nigeria. Yet, the Nigerian press regurgitated that report by The Economist.
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

Overcast. High 44F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy. A shower of rain or wet snow possible. Low 37F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.
Was there ever a class you wanted to take when you were younger but didnt? Something like archaeology because it appealed to you, but didnt fit into your major? Or an art or art history class, but you just didnt have the time?

The Jefferson Parish Library has got you covered. Recently, the library purchased a bunch of "The Great Courses" or received donations in DVD or audiobook format. That means there are dozens of these items ready for check-out. No tests. No essays. Just learning for fun. All free with a library card.

Here are some of the new titles:

Art and art history

"From Monet to Van Gogh, A History of Impressionism," taught by Richard Bretell, Yale University; "A History of European Art," taught by William Kloss, Oberlin College; "Classical Archaeology of Ancient Greece and Rome," taught by John Hale, University of Louisville; "Leonardo da Vinci and the Italian High Renaissance," taught by George Bent, Washington and Lee University.

History

"Americas Founding Fathers," taught by Allen Guelzo, Gettysburg College; "A History of Hitlers Empire," taught by Thomas Childers, University of Pennsylvania; "The American Civil War," taught by Gary Gallagher, University of Virginia; "The World of Byzantium," taught by Kenneth Harl, Tulane University.

The Universe

"Cosmology: The History and Nature of Our Universe," taught by Mark Whittle, University of Virginia; "Black Holes Explained," taught by Alex Filippenko, University of California-Berkeley; "The Nature of Matter," Cleveland State University; "Major Transitions in Evolution," taught by Anthony Martin, Emory University.

Literature

"The Life and Work of Mark Twain," taught by Stephen Railton, University of Virginia; "Joyces Ulysses," taught by James Heffernan, Dartmouth University; "Shakespeare  The Word and the Action," taught by Peter Saccio, Dartmouth University; "George Orwell, A Sage for all Seasons," taught by Michael Sheldon, Indiana State University.

Religion

"Great Figures of the New Testament," taught by Amy-Jill Levine, Vanderbilt University; "Introduction to Judaism," taught by Shai Cherry, Brandeis University; "Thinking About Religion and Violence," taught by Jason Bivins, North Carolina State University; "The Pagan World," taught by Hans-Friedrich Mueller, Union College.

There are dozens more representing a variety of subjects: dog training, the history of Spain, Russia and China, chaos theory, surviving disasters, music and the brain, elements of jazz, photography, mindfulness, and even understanding the dark side of nature.

DVD sets can be checked out, but many of The Great Courses can be viewed on Kanopy, one of the librarys streaming services that can be found under the digital content tab on the home page. Other Great Courses can be found on Hoopla, the other streaming service that can also be found under the digital content tab but these items are audio only.

FREE FINANCIAL PLANNING: The Financial Planning Association of New Orleans offers a free financial planning clinic from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 11, at the River Ridge Library, 8825 Jefferson Highway. The organization consists of certified financial planners and financial advisers. This free event is part of its outreach programming.

MYSTERY CLUB: The Old Metairie Mystery Book Club meets from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 16 at the Old Metairie Library, 2350 Metairie Road. The book to be discussed is "A Midsummers Equation" by Keigo Higashino.

The plot: Manabu Yukawa, the physicist known as "Detective Galileo," has traveled to Hari Cove, a once-popular summer resort town that has fallen on hard times. He is there to speak at a conference on a planned underwater mining operation, which has sharply divided the town. The night after the tense panel discussion, one of the resort's guests is found dead on the seashore at the base of the local cliffs. Free of charge and open to the public.

JEFF HIGHWAY BOOK CLUB: The group meets from 2:30 to 4 p.m. Nov. 16 at the River Ridge Library, 8825 Jefferson Highway. The book to be discussed is "Yellow House" by Sara Broom.

The plot: In 1961, Sarah Broom's mother, Ivory Mae, bought a shotgun house in the then-promising neighborhood of New Orleans East and built her world inside of it. It was the height of the Space Race and the neighborhood was home to a major NASA plant. The postwar optimism seemed assured. But times change.

WWII DISCUSSION GROUP: The group meets at 7 p.m. Nov. 4, at the River Ridge Library, 8825 Jefferson Highway, River Ridge. The speaker is Rhonda Roederer, a genealogist who will discuss the tale of a German immigrant, and former Nazi Youth member, and the impact his village of Oberschopfheim had on him.

Chris Smith is manager of adult programming at the Jefferson Parish Public Library.
In the past 90 years, the characters in Little Women have been portrayed by a host of movie stars, including Katharine Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, Susan Sarandon, Timothee Chalamet and Saoirse Ronan.

Now, a group of talented New Orleanians has taken on the roles in the Louisa May Alcott classic, and theyve delivered their performances without opening their mouths or letting their audiences watch them work.

These professionals are calligraphers, artisans who provide exquisite handwriting for hire. Through their penmanship, they have expressed the characters personalities and circumstances in a new version of Little Women (Chronicle Books, $40) in 17 letters that the March sisters and others in their circle wrote.

The characters letters are separate pieces, hand-folded inside glassine envelopes that are interspersed throughout the text.

Anne Boyd Rioux, an Alcott scholar who is a professor of English at the University of New Orleans, calls the concept really cool because it makes the reader feel really intimate with the characters to actually see the handwriting.

The letters give you the feeling of being in the world that the book creates, Rioux said. Youre always at a bit of a remove from the printed page, but theres something about the letters that brings the reader closer to the characters.

Little Women tells the story of the four March sisters  Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy  as they come of age in Concord, Massachusetts, during and after the Civil War. Although it is a novel, the inspiration for Little Women came from the lives of Alcott and her three sisters.

The new edition of the classic is the brainchild of Barbara Heller, who supervised a similar treatment last year of missives that Jane Austens characters penned in Pride and Prejudice.

Heller, a native New Orleanian who lives in New York City, got the idea from her publisher and one of her sisters. Since she was in New Orleans for much of the pandemic, Heller decided to take on the project with five local calligraphers  she calls them scribes  whom she found through the New Orleans Lettering Arts Association.

Working with local talent let Heller have frequent face-to-face meetings with the scribes about such details as the types of paper and ink that the Marches would use, the way a ditzy teenager in love would write, the way Mr. March would write to his family while fighting the Civil War, and the evolution of a persons penmanship over the years.

All of this was bolstered by a hefty amount of research. Except for LSU, where in person she pored over letters written during the Civil War, virtually all of her research had to be online because of pandemic restrictions.

Such painstaking work was tough but necessary, Heller said. To make it feel real for the reader, it has to be rooted in the ability to truly convey the time as well as the characters emotion. Getting details right matters a lot to me, and it mattered a lot to the scribes, too. They worked to make the writing appropriate to the character and appropriate to the period.

Then there was the matter of mistakes, crossed-out words and splotchy paper and, Rioux said, passages where the reader can see where a scribe ran out of ink and had to dip a quill into the ink pot.

Even though calligraphers take pride in producing beautifully inscribed invitations and proclamations, Heller encouraged occasional messiness among the scribes because, she said, that is the way mortals write.

Need I say that is anathema to a professional calligrapher? said Patti Adams, who wrote Theodore Laurie Laurences letters. Letting go of perfect letters was the biggest challenge. Barbara told me she had had to let calligraphers (for Pride and Prejudice) go because she said they couldnt write messily enough.

You have to let go and think more about the character and what was going on at the time.  Youd be amazed how many sheets I sent to Barbara. The messiest one was the one that she really liked.

Yvette Eve Rutledge, who wrote Beth Marchs and Amy Marchs letters, explained it this way: Were chameleons. We put on different colors for different people.  This is our living. We dont represent us. We represent them.

Besides, she said, Barbara made it clear that people didnt have stacks of paper lying around. If you made mistakes, youre not going to toss a messy sheet.

Rutledge is married to Vince Mitchell; the two own Mystic Blue Signs, a Magazine Street business that produces handmade signs. Mitchell was the scribe who wrote the letters from Mr. March, the patriarch of the March family, and Mr. Laurence, Lauries father.

Its minor acting in a way, but its fun, Mitchell said. Mr. March was an upper-middle-class man, and Mr. Laurence was wealthy and kind. I tried to embody that in handwriting."

Mr. March was easy. I dont know if thats because my family has a military background, but I felt like I connected to Mr. March in a way. I was able to get his style. For Mr. Laurence, on the other hand, I pretended like I went to boarding school and had a pretty good handwriting. I worked a little harder on that one.

In addition to penning Mr. Laurences letters, Mitchell devised a monogram for that fictional characters stationery.

Rutledge and Mitchell have adjoining work tables. I was fascinated watching Vince become Mr. Laurence, Rutledge said. Mr. Laurence had self-confidence and was an established member of the community. There was a point where Vince was comfortable with that change.

Rutledge and Mitchell teach calligraphy, as does Adams, who also plays flute in the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.

For this project, Barbara was the conductor, Adams said, and I was trying to play my instrument, and I dont ordinarily play it that way. It was an effort to lose my own sense of what fine calligraphy is and go to Laurie.

Part of that process included watching every Little Women movie and freezing the action whenever a letter appeared so she could study the penmanship. She also was tough on her pen nibs.

The less good the nib was, the better my writing got, Adams said. Its weird, but I definitely was in character mode after two or three weeks of this. I had to get messy enough.

Its just like method acting, taking on a role about which you have no idea about the character. We were doing it with pens in our hands, trying to capture the frivolousness of a young girl in love, or a young boy in love with Jo and her sister. Its like a cloak you have to put on to become someone else.

Adams likened her work on the book to her flute playing when, she said, I take on the voices of the different composers we play.  I really think (the book) was a transformative experience in the way that you could lose yourself in a character like the way I lose myself in a piece of music. I would imagine thats the way people feel when they're acting.

Adams got so deeply into her work that she missed Laurie when she had finished her assignment, almost as if she had said goodbye to a real person. When she saw the letters in an early copy of the book, I had this visceral reaction, she said. I was really very moved. It was strange. I was looking at the last letter I wrote, and as I was folding it up, I thought, 'I hope youre enjoying your life now.' 

Barbara Heller and the scribes will present the Little Women project and sign copies of the book on Saturday, Nov. 6, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Octavia Books, 513 Octavia St.

+7 New edition of 'Pride and Prejudice' tucks realistic-looking letters between classic's pages In this age of instant communication, Barbara Heller loves letters. She loves to get letters, and she loves to write letters.
Note: This story was updated on Nov. 11 with more information.

In the hot, dreary days after Hurricane Ida scourged New Orleans, eye-catching, silver-gray tents popped up in homeless encampments under the highway overpasses beside Claiborne Avenue, Earhart Boulevard and elsewhere. The tents were accompanied by a social media rumor that they had previously been occupied by rock n roll fans at the renowned Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival.

After Hurricane Ida roared through New Orleans on Aug. 29, it continued on a northeasterly path, producing 24 hours of torrential rain over the outdoor site of Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tennessee. The earth was so saturated, festival organizers were forced to cancel the concert series scheduled to begin Sept. 2. The four-day event reportedly draws as many as 100,000 attendees.

The campgrounds are flooded to the point that we are unable to drive in or park vehicles safely, the Bonnaroo website reported.

According to Bonnaroos website, the festival sells souvenir tents to those wishing to camp out at the festival for $395. And, based on photographs of Bonnaroo tents found on the internet, some look like those that appeared among homeless camps in New Orleans. When contacted by telephone and text, Bonnaroo representatives acknowledged that the festival had provided New Orleans tents but didn't comment further on the gift.

The tents were distributed to the needy of New Orleans by volunteers from various grassroots organizations.

Joe Warpup has regularly slept in one of the Bonnaroo tents over the past weeks. He runs a small organization called the Homeless for Homeless Community from an impermanent camp beneath Interstate 10 on North Claiborne Avenue near Lafitte Street. Warpup said he prepares soup and other meals for as many as 25 fellow homeless people each day and seeks to help the community however hes able.

Warpup said he received a dozen of the tents about a week after Hurricane Ida from members of an organization called Southern Solidarity that collects and distributes food and supplies to people without homes. Southern Solidarity members said the group passed out between 150 and 175 tents.

Idas winds were disastrous to many New Orleans dwellings, but none more so than the small tents and other temporary shelters occupied by homeless people, who numbered more than 2,000 in 2020. Marginal people became unhoused,  Warpup said.

+6 Civic-minded panhandler warns passing drivers of tire-popping potholes near cemeteries The intersection of City Park Avenue and Canal Street is one of New Orleans busiest. Countless cars roll through the traffic knot each day fr

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Having the new tents delivered was a real blessing, he said. I said, Oh my God, bless you, thank you,  he recalled.

The cube-shaped tents are awesome, Warpup said. They may be a bit warm for the New Orleans climate, but theyre very light-resistant, he said. On Tuesday morning, he demonstrated how easy it is to pitch the tents. Warpups was rolled up like a giant cigar, but in just minutes, with a few tugs on the flexible interior poles, the fabric shelter popped into shape.

Warpup, 44, said he was born in Detroit and attended the University of Michigan in Flint, where he studied poverty issues. He said that through his life hes regularly volunteered at shelters and churches and held several jobs. But when he lost the lease on his last house, he realized that living as a homeless person among other homeless people was his best path to being helpful.

Homeless people listen to me in a way they dont listen to any institution, he said. If I had the opportunity to move into a stable life, I wouldnt do it.

The Bonnaroo tents are already showing signs of wear and tear, Warpup said, but they were extremely helpful in the short run and could be a model for more largesse in the future. Warpup believes for many, the path out of poverty requires a series of small steps that can begin with something as simple as ownership of a nice tent.

After this story was published, a Bonnaroo representative, Ken Weinstein, wrote to provide more details about the music festivals post-Hurricane Ida donation, which included 485 souvenir tents, 840 pillows, 980 sleeping bags, 950 air mattresses, and 280 cases of water.

Following the cancelation of the 2021 festival, Weinstein wrote in an email, Bonnaroo organizers partnered with Southern Solidarity, a New Orleans local organization that collects and redistributes resources to the Orleans and surrounding Parishes. Most of the tents were distributed to the United Houma Nation Headquarters, a tribe in southern Louisiana that saw major destruction due to Ida, as well a New Orleans local organization, Homeless for Homeless.

+2 New Orleans tourism ad didn't reflect demographics of city, prompting apology and removal A 30-second television commercial issued by New Orleans and Co., a publicly funded tourism booster agency, was meant to send the message that 
New Orleans-based Pan-American Life Insurance Group on Thursday announced the retirement of its head of finance and named three co-presidents, an executive-suite reshuffling that hints at the top candidates to lead the insurance firm when its longtime chief executive eventually retires.

Carlos Mickan, Pan-American's head of finance and administration and the right-hand man to Chief Executive Officer Jose Suquet, plans to retire at the end of the year, according to a Thursday news release. He will remain on the company's board of directors.

Meanwhile, Suquet, who serves as president, CEO and board chairman, will step down as president at the end of the year. He plans to remain CEO and board chairman, and the job of president will be divided between three other Pan-American Life executives.

Steve Friedman, currently the firm's investment chief and deputy head of finance, will become a co-president overseeing finance and investments. Robert DiCianni, will remain president of global benefits, and Bruce Parker will remain president of global life.

In the prepared statement, Pan-American Life said the three executives will be in charge of the firm's corporate strategy and initiatives.

A Pan-American Life spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment on the announcement, but the management shuffle potentially sets up a three-way competition for the top job at the firm, which provides insurance and other financial services for nearly 6 million customers in the U.S. and Latin America.

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Suquet, 65, has not announced any plans to step down from his other leadership posts. He has run Pan-American Life since 2004, and is credited with reviving a moribund insurance firm that struggled due to a series of unprofitable U.S. ventures into a growing, profitable company focused on its core markets overseas.

Mickan served with Suquet for much of that time, and led a number of acquisitions that raised the firm's asset base to more than $6 billion from $2 billion, according to the news release.

The firm, which maintains its headquarters at 601 Poydras Street, has more than 2,100 employees across its network of offices. It operates in 49 U.S. states and 22 countries.

+12 The man behind Pan-American Life's big comeback At age 45, Jose Suquet was ready to retire early and leave the business world for good.

As of the end of 2020, it had assets of more than $6.7 billion. Last year, it posted net income of $48 million, down from $95 million in 2019, on revenue of $1.18 billion.

The firm said higher insurance payouts on COVID-related claims, coupled with a decrease in the value of some of its stock holdings, was behind the 50% drop in profits.

Earlier this year, it was hit by a cyberattack that compromised some of its systems. Some customer data was stolen.
Three men pleaded guilty to roles in the killing of 12-year-old Todriana Peters at a Lower 9th Ward graduation party on Wednesday, handing New Orleans prosecutors an early victory in a sprawling criminal case.

With Peters parents watching in silence, the trio admitted to a judge that they were present when a barrage of 60 bullets killed Peters and wounded two men on May 30. They were the first to plead guilty out of a 10-person grand jury indictment returned in August.

One defendant, Pernell Young, acknowledged that he fired a gun as he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter. The other two pleading guilty werent shooters, a prosecutor said in court.

Assistant District Attorney Alex Calenda gave one of the fullest public accounts yet of the shooting, which left New Orleanians outraged over the death of a girl who had only finished the 6th grade.

Investigators believe that Young, 19, and other men were in a pair of cars heading from St. Bernard Parish to a graduation party in the 500 block of Delery Street when someone opened fire on Youngs car.

Youngs vehicle was struck multiple times, Calenda said. When the cars in his party made their way to Delery Street, they spotted a vehicle which they believed had been used in the earlier shooting.

+17 10 charged with murder, conspiracy in fatal shooting of 12-year-old Todriana Peters Less than three months after a hail of bullets outside a graduation party cut down a 12-year-old girl and wounded two others, Orleans Parish p

Seven men from Youngs party opened fire on the vehicle, Calenda said. Two men were injured in the attack. Mortally wounded was Peters, who had been sitting in the car to charge her cellphone. Afterward, the shooters scattered around the city to get rid of evidence, Calenda said.

Ballistics and witness statements corroborated Young having fired a weapon, Calenda said.

Young was originally charged with counts including second-degree murder, which carries a mandatory life without parole sentence.

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New Orleans DA Jason Williams charges more juveniles in adult court, bringing total to 6 Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams has charged two more juveniles with murder in adult court, continuing a controversial practice

Under an agreement with the state, Young pleaded guilty to manslaughter, conspiracy to commit second-degree murder, illegal discharge of a weapon during a crime of violence and obstruction of justice. He was sentenced to 10 years on the last count only, with sentencing held open on the other counts.

The most serious charge, manslaughter, carries a 40-year maximum prison term.

Young didnt speak except to acknowledge a standard set of questions about his guilty plea, including whether he had been pressured into making it. Im pleading guilty because of me, he said.

Young also pleaded guilty to a separate charge of illegal carrying of a weapon. On Sept. 30, 2020, U.S. marshals looking for an associate of Young's in the 3400 block of Humanity Street near the former Desire housing development found Young with a .40-caliber handgun hidden on his person, Calenda said. Young received the maximum, six-month sentence on that count.

Young's attorney, Bradley Phillips, declined comment.

Also pleading guilty were Marcus Venible, 18, and Tyrese Riley, 19.

Both received eight years in prison on counts of conspiring to commit second-degree murder and conspiring to commit the illegal discharge of a weapon during a crime of violence, and five years on accessory after the fact to second-degree murder.
The Archdiocese of New Orleans has agreed to pay more than $1 million to settle a whistleblower lawsuit that alleged the church was one of several local institutions that inflated damage estimates after Hurricane Katrina to collect more recovery cash from the federal government.

Details of the settlement surfaced Tuesday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New Orleans, where the archdiocese has filed for Chapter 11 protections after being hit with a wave of civil lawsuits resulting from the Catholic Churchs decades-old clergy sex abuse crisis.

The agreement requires the archdiocese to pay $1.05 million to the U.S. Department of Justice over the next two years, with as much as $262,500 going to whistleblower Robert Romero and his attorneys. Romero, a former project manager at the California-based engineering firm AECOM, claimed the church collected $46 million more in hurricane aid than was defensible.

Romero filed his lawsuit under seal in 2016. In it, he accused his co-worker, Randall Krause, of helping clients of the engineering firm game the system to pocket larger storm-related payments from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Church officials did not have to admit liability as part of the deal, and court papers note that the archdiocese expressly denies the claims in Romeros complaint, which the DOJ joined with an eye toward clawing back at least some of the alleged overpayments.

Whistleblower suit: Engineering firm pushed Xavier, archdiocese to cheat FEMA after Katrina An explosive whistleblower lawsuit unsealed Wednesday alleges that a California engineering firm pushed Xavier University, Dillard University,

Judge Meredith Grabill, who is overseeing the archdioceses bankruptcy filing, signed off on the terms Tuesday, about two months after they had been proposed.

Church officials and Romeros lawyers did not immediately comment on the settlement, the second to be reached in the case.

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Last June, Xavier University agreed to pay a $12 million after being accused of accepting payment for damage to a basement that didnt exist, at Krause's urging. Then in July, the DOJ dismissed Krause and Dillard University as defendants, because it was commensurate with the public interest and  the matter does not warrant the continued expenditure of government resources to pursue or monitor the action based on currently available information. DOJ officials did not elaborate. Dillard was accused of collecting $15 million it didn't deserve for damage to three buildings.

AECOM, which received around $300 million, appears to be the last remaining defendant in the case. The suit stops short of saying how much money the plaintiff and the DOJ believed that the company should return in light of the alleged overpayments to some clients AECOM represented.

The firm has denounced Romero, saying it adhered to FEMAs directives in seeking aid for its clients.

As for the local church, Romeros suit purported that it got grossly overpaid for two projects. The archdiocese was paid $10.1 million to rebuild St. Raphael School cafeteria in Gentilly after Krause ginned up bogus documents, according to Romero. The suit estimated it cost only $401,920 to repair.

The other project centered on two five-story buildings at Villa St. Maurice, an archdiocese-run assisted living center in the Lower 9th Wards Holy Cross area. Romero alleged that the archdiocese submitted documents citing catastrophic damage to the top four floors in both buildings, when in reality nearly all of the destruction was on the bottom level. Romero said the result was a $36 million overpayment.

The archdiocese issued a statement vehemently denying Romeros claims after the DOJ joined his suit and unsealed it in June of last year.

Every dollar of FEMA funds received has gone back into the restoration of parish, school and other properties to service the people of the Greater New Orleans community, the statement read. We deny the allegation that the Archdiocese of New Orleans knowingly conspired to submit false information. We have cooperated with the federal governments investigation and will continue to work with them as we resolve this claim.
A state appeals court on Wednesday upheld an order for the New Orleans Police Department to reinstate a top female lieutenant who was fired in 2019 after lying about where she lived to get a take-home car.

The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals found that the NOPD's internal investigation into 2nd District Commander Jennifer Dupree violated state-mandated time limits for disciplinary investigations. For that reason, the city's Civil Service Commission last year told the NOPD to bring Dupree back on board, and the appellate court's ruling upheld that decision.

Dupree was in charge of officers patrolling much of Uptown when she was dismissed.

In a statement Thursday, City Communications Director Beau Tidwell defended the NOPDs handling of Duprees case. City officials have not said if they plan to ask the appellate court to reconsider its decision or appeal to the state Supreme Court.

The New Orleans Police Department correctly determined that Jennifer Dupree violated NOPD policy by engaging in dishonest conduct and appropriately sought to hold her accountable, Tidwells statement said. That decision was overturned on a technicality. We will evaluate and determine the best path forward.

Duprees attorney, Kevin Boshea, couldnt immediately be reached for comment.

Dupree joined the NOPD in 1999, and in the summer of 2017, she was appointed commander of the 2nd District, which includes the neighborhoods surrounding Tulane and Loyola universities.

A year later, an anonymous tipster reported that Dupree had lied on a form requesting a take-home vehicle.

After nearly two months of covert surveillance, the NOPDs Public Integrity Bureau determined Dupree would park the take-home car two days a week at her parents house in Metairie, where she claimed to live. The rest of the time, she would drive to a house in Geismar, well beyond a 40-mile limit for take-home vehicles.

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An internal investigator wrote a formal complaint against Dupree on Dec. 28, 2018. From there, the NOPD had about two months to complete its investigation to comply with time limits set out by state law.

The department secured a two-month extension, and investigators submitted their report on May 8, 2019, a day before the deadline.

But the commander of the PIB, Deputy Superintendent Arlinda Westbrook, rejected that report and asked a different investigator to write a new one with some additional details.

The second report, which included more serious claims that justified termination, was filed on Aug. 2, 2019. Three months later, Dupree was fired.

Dupree appealed to the Civil Service Commission, which agreed with the NOPD that she intentionally lied  in part by using fake odometer readings  so she could have use of a take-home vehicle.

But the commission also found that the PIB had blown its deadline to investigate Dupree when it tossed the first report for a more damning second one. So the commission ordered the NOPD to reinstate Dupree in December 2020, along with giving her more than a year of back pay and benefits.

Though Dupree returned to her job, the City Attorneys Office asked the state's 4th Circuit to overturn the commissions decision, arguing that the second report did not constitute a continuation of the investigation into Dupree. But the appellate court disagreed with the citys position.

The NOPD failed to comply with the  time limit to complete its investigation, read the 4th Circuits opinion.
Mayor LaToya Cantrell plans to increase funding for trash pickups, police, paramedics and other public-safety and quality-of-life initiatives next year, according to a proposed 2022 New Orleans budget that counts on a return of Carnival and other events to boost city revenue.

The pandemic cost the city tens of millions of dollars over the past 20 months in lost tax receipts and other revenues, but federal relief funds plugged much of that gap.

Now, as Cantrell and other administration officials look towards next year, they are charting a course that aims to restore funding in some areas and invest in other priorities  such as purchasing trash-hauling equipment and a million-dollar tire-shredding machine  while using the remaining relief funds to plug funding gaps until tourism and other parts of the economy return to normal.

"I have the ultimate responsibility of juggling all of the needs, all of the pressures put forth on our city at any given time, on any given day. I don't take it lightly. I take it very seriously. But I am very hopeful," Cantrell said during a presentation to the City Council on Wednesday.

All told, the $652.1 million general fund portion of the budget is almost a 5% increase over this year's spending plan. The administration's overall operating budget totals $1.5 billion, a 27% increase over 2021. It relies on $85 million in federal funds sent to cities through the federal American Rescue Plan, a slight increase from the $77 million Cantrell wants to use to plug the 2021 budget  though the City Council on Wednesday reduced that amount.

New Orleans could see larger general fund in 2022 as city continues to rebound Despite anticipating less property tax revenue, city revenue estimators are forecasting general fund growth of nearly 5% next year amid contin

Additionally, the administration is proposing a $1.4 billion capital budget, including $200 million from an anticipated bond issuance.

Nearly two-thirds of the capital budget would go towards streets and drainage, with the airport and improvements to public safety and facilities making up the rest.

The mayor's draft budget will set the tone for budget negotiations between her office and the City Council that will run over the next month; the council must approve a final budget by Dec. 1.

Among the biggest increases in funding is aimed at sanitation. The department would get $41.6 million in 2022, a boost of about $3 million over the pre-pandemic funding level set in 2019 and a sharp increase from last year.

The money will largely be used to add in-house equipment. Still, the administration acknowledged that sanitation spending next year remains a bit of a wild card due to plans to overhaul the city's privately-operated garbage-collection setup.

Cantrell has committed to rebidding the 7-year contract held by Metro Service Group since 2017 after that hauler fell far behind on pickups before Hurricane Ida and left trash rotting on some streets for over a month after the storm.

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City officials said the spending plan could be tweaked again after the administration hears from a host of firms who could do Metro's job. The city expects to rebid the contract by the end of the year.

The mayor also wants to spend $1 million on a tire shredding center that could help officials more quickly get rid of the old tires that are often dumped on abandoned lots in various neighborhoods.

In 2022, additional federal funding would help pay for something the council and administration both strongly support: raising the hourly minimum wage for city employees to $15, which will cost about $10.2 million, and granting the Orleans Public Defenders Office an extra $2.5 million to put its revenue on a par with that of the District Attorneys Office.

The departments of parks and parkways, public works and health would see major spending increases over last year. In particular, the health departments budget would increase more than 40%, in part to help improve its ability to respond to behavioral health crises.

The citys police, fire and emergency medical services departments would also see significant increases aimed at recruitment and retention, with funding expected to increase to $193.8 million.

Cantrell and other city officials said the spending plan is conservative and does not account for a third tranche of federal relief funding that could come next year. The budget does reflect a plan by Assessor Erroll Williams to devalue residential properties in light of damage caused by Hurricane Ida, a move officials estimate will lead to a 4% overall revenue cut.

It also uses recent estimates of 2022 tax receipts that are based on Carnival, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Fest and other major events returning next year. Though in an interview Tuesday, Chief Administration Officer Gilbert Montano said he doesn't expect the city to make up the ground lost during the pandemic until 2024 or 2025.

When it comes to public safety, the mayor wants to fund police promotions, recruitment efforts and efforts meant to ensure the city's understaffed police has more time to focus on violent crime. The latter efforts include automated license plate readers, more staffing at the city's real-time crime center, and an "alternate response program" that lets mental health professionals, not police, respond to calls for service about mental health crises.

Increased funding to the city's Office of Business and External Services, which oversees code enforcement, safety and permits and the City Planning Commission, will help beef up city enforcement of various rules meant to protect residents' quality of life, Cantrell said.

All of those plans must be approved by the council, and on Wednesday council members pushed back on a portion of the administration's 2021 spending plan. Of the $77 million in federal funding Cantrell had sought to use to plug funding gaps, the council approved $54.3 million.

Council President Helena Moreno said that council members needed more information on some of the items in Cantrell's plans for federal funding.

The administration did not respond to a request for comment on the council vote.
Harrisburg, Pa. -- Hemp was grown in Pa. and throughout the United States until after World War II. Shortly after, cultivation of hemp and marijuana were prohibited under federal law.

Hemp and marijuana are different varieties of the same plant species. Unlike marijuana, hemp is grown for fiber and seed, in addition to floral extracts.

The Pa. Department of Agriculture said they are now taking applications for permits to grow or process hemp in the 2022 season. Grower applications for commercial use or research are due by April 1, 2022. The department accepts processor permit applications year-round.

Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding also encouraged 2021 growers to report their production, harvest, yield and sales figures by responding to the USDA National Agricultural Statistical Service's 2021 Hemp Acreage and Production Survey.

"With hemp growers in nearly every county, and more than 60 processors statewide, Pennsylvania's hemp supply chain is growing steadily," said Redding.

For 2021, the department said that they issued 426 hemp growing permits including nine research permits, and 64 processing permits including two research permits. Data on acreage planted and harvested this season are not yet available.

Under current federal law, anything containing above 0.3% of the psychoactive chemical THC is considered marijuana.

In 2017 and 2018, Pennsylvania's Industrial Hemp Pilot Research Program was enabled by the 2014 federal Farm Bill and the Pennsylvania Industrial Hemp Research Act.

In 2019, Pa. lifted the 100-acre cap for research plots and became one of the first states to create a commercial program under the 2018 federal Farm Bill. Pa.'s 2019 program permitted 324 growers, with more than 4,000 acres of hemp in 55 Pennsylvania counties.

Pa. added processor permits in 2020 to help connect growers with markets for their products. The department facilitated faster THC testing by partnering with the Department of Health's medical marijuana testing labs to increase the state's testing capacity during a tight harvest window.

Under the historic 2019 Pennsylvania Farm Bill, the state made $460,000 in funding available each of the past three years to support the growing industry through the creation of a state Specialty Crop Block Grant.

"With cutting-edge research into exciting new products that promise to bring dollars to our economy and sustainable, green solutions in textiles, architecture and design, we are pleased to invest in making Pennsylvania an industry leader. The data growers provide informs solid decision-making by those positioned to invest and grow opportunities," Redding said.

The department said they encouraged the USDA to make federal specialty crop funds available to hemp farmers, and convened a Hemp Steering Committee to bring together researchers, funding entities, regulators, growers, processors and others whose expertise is key to building a successful PA hemp industry from the ground up.

Permit application instructions can be found online. The website also includes a map and listing of hemp permits issued to growers for the 2021, 2020, and 2019 seasons, as well as registered processors.

For more about Pennsylvania's Hemp Program.
On Oct. 26, an FDA advisory committee approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children aged 5-11. Now, the decision awaits full FDA approval before moving to the CDC for approval of vaccine distribution.

The FDA intends to use research to guide their decision-making, according to an Oct. 1 press release and previous FDA statement from Acting FDA commissioner Janet Woodcock.

When vaccination of children aged 5-11 was first under discussion, Woodcock said, "We know from our vast experience with other pediatric vaccines that children are not small adults, and we will conduct a comprehensive evaluation of clinical trial data submitted in support of the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine used in a younger pediatric population, which may need a different dosage or formulation from that used in an older pediatric population or adults."

Both Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna are performing clinical trial studies on children aged 5-11. Pfizer presented their findings to the FDA for authorization yesterday; Moderna expects to present their research "soon," according to the company's Oct. 25 press release.

According to Pfizer's September press release, their primary clinical research study provided children with one-third of the regular Pfizer dose, a value of 10 micrograms. Pfizer administered three, one-third doses 21 days apart.

Moderna's study of children aged 6-11 reveals similar findings. Moderna administered one-half of the regular dose of the Moderna vaccine, a value of 50 micrograms. Two, one-half doses were administered 28 days apart.

The difference in complete dosage, with Pfizer at 30 micrograms and Moderna at 100 micrograms, has not resulted in different study outcomes, as evident in the shared findings of the press releases.

In both studies, the antibodies tests reported a "strong immune response" similar to people aged 16-25, according to the releases.

The most commonly reported side effects of the studies  fatigue, headache, fever, and injection site pain  are also comparable to the effects of vaccination of children and adults 16 and over, according to both releases.

Both trials include testing of children under 5 years of age. Pfizer expects to report their findings on that sample group within this year, according to the September press release.




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Harrisburg, Pa.  Labor unions, lawyers, and a political committee with ties to a billionaire advocate for school choice are underwriting the increasingly contentious race for a spot on Pennsylvanias top court.

Democrat Maria McLaughlin this year raised nearly $2.7 million, including $1.8 million from a Philadelphia group of criminal and civil trial lawyers and from unions that represent teachers, truck drivers, and police, campaign finance reports filed last week show.

Republican Kevin Brobson received the majority of his $2.8 million from a single political action committee: the conservative Commonwealth Leaders Fund. The group receives much of its financial support from PACs associated with Jeffrey Yass, the suburban Philadelphia billionaire owner of a financial and technology firm who has spent millions over the years to advance tuition vouchers for children in poor-performing districts.

The flow of dollars in an off-year race underscores the importance of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which has been the final arbiter in recent years of high-stakes and highly partisan conflicts surrounding elections and redistricting.

The Nov. 2 election to replace outgoing Justice Thomas Saylor, a Republican, will not change the balance of power on the bench, where Democrats currently hold five of seven seats. But the new justice will have a hand in what cases the court accepts and will weigh in on significant matters in the coming months, including one that could change how the state funds its poorest school districts.

The large-scale donations to both campaigns also showcase the states lax campaign finance rules, which place no limits on contributions, allowing deep-pocketed individuals and PACs to sway election outcomes. Pennsylvania is one of the few states that elects appellate court judges, including Supreme Court justices, through partisan races.

We dont appreciate as a country how important state supreme courts are, said Bruce Ledewitz, a Duquesne University law professor and an expert on Pennsylvanias high court. They are vastly more important to our everyday decision making than the U.S. Supreme Court.

In recent years, the state Supreme Court has thrown out Pennsylvanias gerrymandered congressional map, upheld Democratic Gov. Tom Wolfs coronavirus pandemic restrictions, and decided contentious issues involving the states mail voting law.

It is possible that the states upcoming congressional and state legislative maps could ultimately end up before the high court.

Campaign finance reports due Oct. 22 show both candidates raised the bulk of their money  over $1 million each  in the past two months alone. McLaughlin raked in $1.3 million in direct and in-kind contributions since mid-September, while Brobson brought in $1.5 million.

Overall, McLaughlin, a longtime prosecutor who is now a state Superior Court judge, brought in more than $900,000 from unions since the start of the year. The Supreme Court has, in recent years, weighed in on labor cases with far-reaching effects on workers and employers, including one that mandated workers be compensated for time spent in security checks at Amazon warehouses.

Top donations came from the Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Philadelphia local and the United Association. Two teachers unions, the Pennsylvania State Education Association and the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, gave another $60,000 combined.

The Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association, a group of civil and criminal litigation lawyers, gave $850,000 through its Committee For A Better Tomorrow, while Fairness PA injected another $50,000 into McLaughlins campaign. The latter fueled Wolfs 2018 bid for reelection, but later became a source of controversy for the governor for drawing support from doctors and lawyers looking to indirectly oppose limits on how much pharmacies can charge insurance.

McLaughlins largest individual donor this year: Neil T. ODonnell, a personal injury lawyer based in Luzerne County. She also received support from the state Democratic Party, which spent about $272,000 on creating and distributing campaign materials; and from former Philadelphia Controller Jonathan Saidels PAC, Bridge Across Pennsylvania, which paid for billboard advertisements worth $23,780. Saidel is married to McLaughlin.

McLaughlins campaign manager, Celeste Dee, said the large donations from interest groups have no influence on how she presides.

Its just not who she is, Dee said. Her judicial record shows it. She has been in the legal profession for 29 years. If that was the case, I think you would have seen that already.

Brobson, currently a Commonwealth Court judge, received the majority of his campaign cash from the Commonwealth Leaders Fund, a political action committee associated with longtime conservative strategist Matt Brouillette.

The Commonwealth Leaders Fund this year received the majority of its money from a related PAC called the Commonwealth Childrens Choice Fund. The latter gets much of its money from yet another PAC associated with Yass.

In an email, Brouillette  the onetime head of the libertarian-leaning Commonwealth Foundation think tank  said the PAC has invested in Brobsons campaign because we care about our courts because special interests have turned them into a super-legislature to advance a preferred policy agenda that harms families, taxpayers, and job creators across Pennsylvania.

Asked whether Commonwealth Leaders amounts to a special interest group, given that much of its funding traces back to a single donor with a well-publicized cause, Brouillette responded: Our special interest is for equality before the law for everyone, and favor for no one.

Brobsons campaign did not return a phone call or respond to a text message seeking comment.

The majority of the nearly $1.9 million Brobson received from the Commonwealth Leaders Fund was in the form of in-kind donations  those for goods or services, rather than direct financial giving  for unspecified production and digital media costs.

Brobson also received large donations from the state Republican Party, which contributed $504,000; and from Bob Asher, a Montgomery County candymaker and, until last year, a veteran Republican National Committee member, who together with his PAC contributed $85,000. Brobsons wife, Lauren Brobson, also loaned his campaign $20,000.

Brobsons campaign also benefited from large independent expenditures, or money spent by groups that want to influence an election but are not allowed to coordinate with a candidates campaign.

The national Republican State Leadership Committees Judicial Fairness Initiative, for instance, spent just over $152,500 on Brobsons behalf. The Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry separately spent just under $192,000. Both groups spent the money for television ads.

Recent rulings have made the Supreme Court a target among some Republicans, who contend that the justices have attempted to legislate from the bench and taken partisan stances on highly charged issues. Separately, advocates outside the legislature have pushed for years to do away with partisan elections and instead select judges based on merit  although opponents say campaign dollars would simply shift to the people overseeing the appointments.

In the legislature, several GOP lawmakers in recent months have pushed proposals to require appellate-level judges to run in district elections, rather than statewide ones, in an effort to give more voting power to Pennsylvanias less populous areas. Legislators passed one resolution to amend the state constitution, but have not voted on the second resolution required to put the issue on the ballot for voters to decide.

Such a change could further politicize the courts, Kadida Kenner, executive director of the New Pennsylvania Project and co-chair of Why Courts Matter-PA, said during a panel on judicial races hosted by Spotlight PA.

The future of the courts is right now in the hands of Pennsylvanians, she said. As long as we can continue to come out and vote in judicial elections in record numbers, thats important that we do that, while we continue to vote for our judges.

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Jersey Shore, Pa.  A Lycoming County man allegedly kicked in a locked door while a woman slept inside the residence.

Tyler Moore, 31, of Jersey Shore posted $15,000 unsecured bail on Oct. 20 and was released from the Lycoming County Prison, charged after being accused of kicking a door in and causing approximately $529.77 in damage.

Upon forcibly entering the residence, Moore was informed that the police would be called. He allegedly left without further damaging anything in the home.

Along with a third-degree felony trespassing charge, Moore was also charged with third-degree misdemeanor criminal mischief. He was being held at the Lycoming County Prison until his bail was changed on Oct. 20.

In 2017, Moore was charged with second-degree misdemeanor assault. According to court documents, he was also in 2016, with two counts of felony possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and one count of third-degree felony criminal use of a communication facility.

Docket sheet
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Xiaomi has introduced the Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus, its latest and greatest mid-range smartphone. The Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus features the same Samsung ISOCELL HM2 camera as the Redmi Note 10 Pro, but also supports 120 W wired charging that can fully recharge it within 15 minutes. The Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus will be available with up to 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage.

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Xiaomi has launched the Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus, or Redmi Note 11 Pro+ as Xiaomi calls it. The Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus is the top tier device in the Redmi Note 11 series, at least for the time being. The Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus is not just a better version of the Redmi Note 11 Pro though; the latter has a bigger battery than the former.

Specifically, the Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus has a 4,500 mAh battery compared to the 5,160 mAh one in the Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus. Both devices feature a Dimensity 920 SoC too, along with a 6.67-inch AMOLED display that operates at 120 Hz with a 360 Hz touch sampling rate. Moreover, they share a 108 MP primary camera that Xiaomi has confirmed is the ISOCELL HM2.

By contrast, the Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus is the only Redmi Note 11 series device that supports 120 W charging. According to Xiaomi, 'Mi Turbo' charging will return the Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus to 100% from flat in 15 minutes, or 19 minutes in 'comfort mode'. The Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus will come with a 120 W charging brick, unlike with modern Apple, Google and Samsung smartphones.

The Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus will launch for CNY 1,899 (~US$297), CNY 500 (~US$47) more than the Redmi Note 11 Pro. While the entry-level model comes with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage, Xiaomi has also announced 8 GB of RAM versions with 128 GB or 256 GB of storage for CNY 2,099 (~US$328) and CNY 2,299 (~US$360).
Evans said the two new trucks will help the police department continue to modernize its vehicle fleet and ensure Gary police officers are ready to safely respond to every call, no matter the weather or road conditions.

"Vehicles are an expensive part of police operations," Evans said. "Right now vehicles are more than just police cars, they're actually a mobile office. The officer can do everything in the vehicle, from a basic police report to an arrest report."

O'Donnell noted the Gary fire department likewise "sorely" is in need of new vehicles.

He said the two new trucks funded by the casino will enable chief officers to more easily get around to different fire scenes and carry additional firefighting equipment to where it's needed, when it's needed.

Gary Mayor Jerome Prince said the first responder donations, along with Hard Rock's other ongoing philanthropic work throughout the Steel City, "shows they are committed to the city of Gary and truly here to stay."

"From the beginning, Hard Rock has proven itself to be a great partner to the city of Gary," Prince said. "Thank you. What a great day in the city of Gary! Clouds are out, but this truly this is a tremendous day."
Notre Dame Federal Credit Union has extended membership eligibility to all parishioners of the Diocese of Gary.

The South Bend-based credit union recently established its first Lake County branch in the new Illiana Building on 119th Street in downtown Whiting. Notre Dame Federal Credit Union, the nation's largest Catholic-oriented credit union, partnered with the Catholic Diocese of Gary as a Select Employer Group.

Parishioners can become credit union members, gaining access to favorable rates, student scholarships, financial education resources and other benefits.

Our mission for financial empowerment is based in Catholic Social Teachings, and we exist to put people before profits," Notre Dame FCU President and CEO Tom Gryp said. "While banks are busy answering to stockholders, we answer to you. Where you bank really does matter.

Notre Dame Federal Credit Union serves more than 800 Catholic organizations in 26 dioceses. Last year, it gave back $2 million to the community where it does business.
When authorities returned to Thomas on Aug. 12 and offered him immunity from prosecution, he told them the whole story, he said.

Thomas testified he wasn't present when Buchanan was killed and had nothing to do with her death. He never met her before her death, he said.

When Westberg asked if he knew who killed Buchanan, Thomas said, "As far as I know, James did, because he told me."

Witness: McGhee hid body in suitcase

Thomas said McGhee told him about finding a picture of Buchanan engaging in a sex act with another man before she attended the rap concert with him, so he "jumped on her neck" later that night.

Thomas went to McGhee's apartment July 28, 2019, and saw a woman's body wrapped in plastic in a bedroom, he said.

Thomas testified he backed out, and McGhee exited the apartment a short time later with a suitcase that appeared to have legs sticking out of the top of it. The legs were covered with a blanket or sheet, he said.

Thomas said McGhee placed the suitcase in McGhee's Chevrolet Impala, and McGhee drove to the forest preserve.

McGhee took the suitcase out of the trunk and carried it down into the woods from a gravel road, he said.
CROWN POINT  The Indiana Court of Appeals wont reopen a three-year-old legal dispute between two politically connected men.

Appeals court judges Wednesday declined to give Christopher Meyers, a consultant and former Gary city official, a new chance to sue Randolph Randy Palmateer.

It was a win for Palmateer, business manager of the Northwest Indiana Building and Trades Council, who has had the litigation hanging over his head since 2018.

It also was a win for the reputations of a building and trades union and a restaurant.

It was a loss for Meyers' attorneys Roy Dominguez and Susan M. Severtson.

They took the brunt of the rulings criticism that unnecessary delays in pursuing claims against Palmateer caused the suits dismissal, which the appeals court will now let stand.

We respectfully disagree with the opinion. We are discussing future options with our client and fully intend to appeal this matter to the Indiana Supreme Court," Dominguez said Wednesday.

It all began as a chance meeting between the two men April 6, 2018, at Gino's Steakhouse, 600 E. U.S. 30, Merrillville, a popular meeting place for county officials and politicians.
McCloud-Smith said he taught his ex-girlfriend to be more "self-sufficient" during the course of their relationship and accused her of trying to "demonize" his character.

He said Wednesday he went to the women's apartment out of frustration, because he wanted more visitation time with his child.

The two women were not in court to give victim impact statements.

Lake County Deputy Prosecutor Nadia Wardrip said McCloud-Smith had three juvenile adjudications, eight misdemeanor convictions and five felony convictions. He also violated probation five times, both as a juvenile and an adult.

Wardrip said McCloud-Smith's past convictions showed he was unstable and violent and asked Bokota to sentence him to four years, the maximum under his plea agreement. She said her office would stand by its promise to recommend he serve his time in the Lake County Community Corrections alternative placement program.

McCloud-Smith had hoped to resolve several pending Porter County criminal cases, but he ultimately was deemed unacceptable for the Community Corrections program because those cases remained pending, defense attorney Gojko Kasich said.
Delegates to the Indiana Republican Party's state convention next summer will have at least five candidates from which to choose the GOP nominee for state treasurer.

The latest hopeful to enter the race is Elise Nieshalla, of Zionsville, a real estate investor and president of the Boone County Council.

Nieshalla is promising, if elected, to align the management of state funds overseen by the treasurer with "our American values" by "avoiding investment funds that promote woke, far-left policies," as well as all companies headquartered in China.

"Indiana's constitutional officers have an important responsibility to defend our state from the creeping, socialist overreach of the Biden Administration and the extreme liberals in Congress," Nieshalla said.

"Together, we'll fight the Democrats' efforts to turn America into a socialist country and defend the effective America First policies of President Trump and Vice President Pence."
According to Feeding America, approximately 883,260 Indiana residents regularly struggle with food insecurity  274,080 of whom are children.

Food banks, pantries, and soup kitchens continue to work to protect the most vulnerable and under-served during these uncertain times.

Proper nutrition is vital to the growth and development of children and the health of all Hoosiers. That is why protein, an important component of every cell in the body and one of the most important nutrients for brain and body development, is so important. Sadly, it is also the hardest commodity for food banks to obtain, especially now.

Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry would like to remind all hunters and landowners about its deer donation program.

The group is asking hunters, once they've filled their freezers, to help feed those in need by donating to Hoosiers Feeding the Hungrys Meat the Need initiative.

Hunters are asked to take their deer in to a local, participating meat processor and tell them you would like to donate it to Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry. There is no charge to hunters.

After being processed, the donation will be given to local hunger relief agencies.
Laird, prior to the walk, said she was excited to take part.

"It's nice to do fun things," Laird said.

Salk students during Red Ribbon Week also took part in other activities including hat day, wear red day and pajama day, Laird said.

Merrillville police Lt. Jeff Rice, who lent assistance as the students walked, said the Salk Walk is a good thing.

"It's a good program and it gets them out and moving," Rice said.

Some of the residents in the neighborhood came out of their homes Wednesday morning to wave or clap as the students, led by the marching band, paraded past them.

Parents Summer Issa and Abdullah Abdelghani came out on their front porch to wave and take photos of their son, Salk second grader Mohammed Abdelghani.

"He's been really excited," Issa said.

Down the block, Nikki Daniels cheered on her second grade son, C.J. Daniels, as his group of second graders walked by her house.

Daniels, who was joined by her younger son, Bryce, 3, said she feels the Red Ribbon campaign is a good one.

"My son came home with a new fact every day," Daniels said.
Studies have shown, Tenbarge said, that youngsters using the reading buddies do better in reading than their peers who do not have the stuffed Peanuts or Dr. Seuss characters, sea creatures, dogs, giraffes and Curious George.

What more positive gift can we give children than help them learn to read? said Allen. Literacy is fundamental to success, and Im proud to be part of this.

After presenting Yost students with their buddies, Allen read a Dr. Seuss book to the first graders in Karen Donley's and Sarah Arrigo's classes.

This is my ninth year at Yost, and weve been doing reading buddies at least five of those years, Donley said. The kids look forward to this every year. Ive seen the joy and excitement that reading buddies bring.

Donley added that first grade is a time when improvements in reading skills become very evident. Reading buddies, she said, encourage students to read. Students in Donleys and Arrigos classes have 15 minutes daily for silent reading
COLUMBUS, Miss. (AP)  A 70-year-old Chicago man traveled to Mississippi to meet his 90-year-old sister in person for the first time, and their extended group of relatives found an easy sense of connection.

Roland Irions Sr. and Susie M. Hood gathered with other relatives Saturday in Hood's hometown of Columbus, Mississippi, the Commercial Dispatch reported. The family arranged a gathering at a hotel, with videos showing family photos.

Hood said she and Irions have the same father, Johnnie Irions, who married twice. Each is the only surviving member of their own sibling group.

Irions said when Hood walked into the hotel, he knew exactly who she was.

I said that there is no way that you could be anybody else, but my sister, because she looks just like our father, he said.

Irions and Hood first contacted each other about seven years ago. After one of their brothers died last year, Irions wanted to meet his sister in person for his 70th birthday. The families started making arrangements.

We have the same father, and it was time for us to come together and break that gap," Irions said.
Merck to share its Covid pill

The American pharmaceutical giant Merck granted a royalty-free license for its promising Covid-19 antiviral pill to a U.N.-backed nonprofit organization. The agreement restricts sales to developing countries and excludes most middle-income countries  including China and Russia, as well as many Latin American nations.

The deal with the Medicines Patent Pool would allow the drug, called molnupiravir, to be manufactured and sold cheaply in 105 countries, mostly in Africa and Asia, where vaccines for Covid-19 are in short supply. Affluent nations have rushed to negotiate deals to buy the drug, tying up supply and raising concerns that poor countries could be shut out.

The deal has been welcomed by advocates for treatment access, who called it an unusual step for a major Western pharmaceutical company. Merck has already licensed eight large Indian drug makers to produce generic versions of molnupiravir, pending authorization.

Results: The drug halved the rate of hospitalizations and deaths in high-risk Covid patients who took it soon after infection in a large clinical trial, according to Merck.
Federal regulators on Wednesday placed so-called black box warnings on breast implant packaging and told manufacturers to sell the devices only to health providers who review the potential risks with patients before surgery.

Both the warnings and a new checklist that advises patients of the risks and side effects state that breast implants have been linked to a cancer of the immune system and to a host of other chronic medical conditions, including autoimmune diseases, joint pain, mental confusion, muscle aches and chronic fatigue.

Startlingly, the checklist identifies particular types of patients who are at higher risk for illness after breast implant surgery. The group includes breast cancer patients who have had, or plan to have, chemotherapy or radiation treatments.

That represents a large percentage of women who until now were encouraged to have breast reconstruction with implants following their treatment.
The novel also covers gang rape by white men of a Black woman, who ultimately kills her own child to prevent her from enduring the slavery she has endured.

To be sure, this is not delicate fare, but Beloved accurately and brutally portrays slavery as a horrific institution that eats away at the souls and sanity of both enslaver and enslaved. In the presence of that much savage inhumanity, the borders of morality blur or are completely obliterated.

There is no way to teach slavery accurately while omitting sexual violence. Rape and perversion are central to the slave narrative. Violence came not only from the lash, but also from lust.

Sexual violence was pervasive during slavery. As PBSs Slavery and the Making of America series notes:

Within the bonds of slavery, masters often felt it their right to engage in sexual activity with Black women. Sometimes, female slaves acquiesced to advances, hoping that such relationships would increase the chances that they or their children would be liberated by the master. Most of the time, however, slave owners took slaves by force.

A 2014 study examining 23andMe data found that the average African American genome was about a quarter European. That genetic material didnt just drop out of the sky.

The bills that McAuliffe vetoed would have required schools to notify parents of sexually explicit content, but as the National Coalition Against Censorship pointed out in a letter:

The bill is silent on what content would be labelled sexually explicit, or how that term would be defined. On its face, however, the term is vague and could apply to a great deal of classic and contemporary literature, including Anne Franks The Diary of a Young Girl, Geoffrey Chaucers The Canterbury Tales, Theodore Dreisers An American Tragedy, Kurt Vonneguts Slaughterhouse-Five, Gustave Flauberts Madame Bovary, Sherman Alexies The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian, the Bible, and most works by William Shakespeare.

But, of course, those works were not the object of offense here. The work that offended parents like Laura Murphy positioned white men as uncontrollable, irrepressible sexual deviants, the very pathology that enslavers tried to project onto the enslaved.
SAN JOSE, Calif.  The eighth week of testimony in the fraud trial against Elizabeth Holmes raised questions of what risks and responsibilities investors have when they put money into high-growth start-ups like Theranos, Ms. Holmess failed blood testing company.

In past weeks of the trial, the jury heard from former Theranos employees who were alarmed by its practices, as well as executives and board members who said they were taken in by Ms. Holmess pitch for blood testing machines that could conduct hundreds of blood tests accurately and quickly from a drop of blood.

That built up to testimony from investors, who prosecutors said are the victims in the 12 counts of wire fraud at the heart of the trial. Before Theranos collapsed in 2018, it raised $945 million from investors, valuing it as high as $9 billion and making Ms. Holmes a billionaire.

Ms. Holmes has pleaded not guilty. If convicted, she faces 20 years in prison.

Here are the key takeaways from this weeks proceedings, which took place only on Tuesday after a water main break near the courthouse on Wednesday forced the cancellation of the days events.
Carolines imperviousness at first tips the balance of the shows sympathy toward Noah, whose fantasy of being centrally important in her life is excused by his youth and his grief. (If he is something of a martyr, perhaps it is not insignificant that Kushner sets the semi-autobiographical story at 913 St. Anthony Street.) In a more typical musical, the fulfillment of his needs would fulfill Carolines as well.

Instead, Noah (Jaden Myles Waldman on the night I attended) precipitates the shows crisis, unwittingly egged on by Rose (Caissie Levy). Recently married to Noahs feckless father, and trying to assert authority in the awkward situation, she imposes a new rule: Caroline should keep any change she finds in Noahs dirty clothes. When Noah, in response, starts leaving money deliberately, Caroline must fight with herself about taking it; the emotional underpinnings of the household, which Kushner equates with economics, very quickly collapse. Change causes change.

And thats barely the half of it. Caroline is as full of incident as Kushners Angels in America, but hugely condensed and then heightened by song. The wonder is that it is never less than thrilling to experience. This being a musical, the music is part of that; Tesoris wondrous score is like the search function on a car radio, picking up snippets of every genre on the dial. The sounds of klezmer, blues, Broadway, Motown, Mozart and girl-group pop, among many others, pinpoint each character but also serve as expressive vehicles for the larger ideas the story is assembling.

Those ideas start small. It seems merely an irritating infraction, for instance, that Rose mispronounces Carolines name as Carolyn  until you notice Clarke wincing as if struck when it happens.

And Noahs fantasies, which at first seem merely sweet, soon grow ridiculous and grandiose. He imagines Carolines children  teenage Emmie (Samantha Williams) and her younger brothers Jackie and Joe (Alexander Bello and Jayden Theophile on the night I attended)  praising him over dinner for his largess: Thank God we can eat now! In reality, they do not think of him at all.

Caroline does, if no longer as a pitiful boy then as an ethical dilemma, an heir to the exploitative ways of even liberal whites. Nor does she see Rose as anything more than a tightfisted employer. Im afraid I almost did, too; its a rare miscalculation that she is made the villain of a piece that doesnt need one. (Surely Noahs father, Stuart, a musician who in John Carianis performance is as mournful as the clarinet he plays, is just as culpable.) In any case, the force of the characters needs, once set in motion, is more than enough to do the damage.
ARLINGTON, Va.  In the final days of the tight race for Virginia governor, the candidates are turning to the unlikeliest of campaign props: a novel from 1987.

A new online advertisement released this week by Glenn Youngkin, the Republican candidate, features a mother who pushed to have Toni Morrisons Beloved banned from her sons English curriculum eight years ago, citing the books graphic scenes. When that failed, she started an effort that eventually became a bill passed by the Republican-controlled General Assembly, but that was rejected by former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, the Democrat now running to win back his old job.

It gave parents a say  the option to choose an alternative for my children, the Northern Virginia mother, Laura Murphy, says in the ad. But then Gov. Terry McAuliffe vetoed it twice. He doesnt think parents should have a say. He said that. He shut us out.

Left unsaid in the ad was that the mother and her husband are Republican activists, that their son was a high school senior taking advanced placement English when he read the passages that supposedly gave him nightmares, or that he later went on to work briefly in the White House under former President Donald J. Trump and now works for the G.O.P.s congressional campaign committee. Also unmentioned was the novel in question: a Pulitzer Prize-winning fixture of the American literary canon  by a Nobel Prize-winner, no less  whose harrowing scenes conveyed the horrors of slavery, a subject with obvious historical resonance in Virginia.
But news accounts over the past year have detailed physical fights, arrests, charges of disorderly conduct and threats made against board members, faculty and administrators stemming from arguments over topics that have animated the right, such as mask mandates, gender issues and curriculum that deals with racism.

But several Republicans on the Judiciary Committee, including Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, said that a memo directing the F.B.I. to look at harassment and threats could have a chilling effect on parents who wish to voice complaints.

The full force of the F.B.I. is now something a parent has to think about before they go before a school board meeting to express their concerns and they get frustrated, Mr. Tillis said. He asked Mr. Garland to consider rescinding or revising the memo.

Republicans also said that Mr. Garland had politicized the Justice Department by issuing the memo soon after public school leaders asked President Biden to address safety issues at schools.

Senator Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas, said that Mr. Garlands memo came just days after the heads of the National School Boards Association wrote a letter to Mr. Biden that detailed instances of disruptions and threats at school board meetings. He suggested that the timing raised questions about whether the Justice Department memo was directed by the White House.

Mr. Garland denied having been directed by the White House.

When we get reports of violence and threats of violence, we need to act very swiftly, Mr. Garland said to Mr. Cotton. I would have hated it, to have gotten this letter and then acts of violence occurred in the interim.

He said that he issued the memo in the wake of the news reports about threats and violence against school employees and boards, and not solely because of the National School Boards Association letter.
WASHINGTON  Just days after the Supreme Court agreed to fast-track challenges to a Texas abortion law, setting an exceptionally abbreviated schedule, the parties filed a flurry of briefs on Wednesday attacking and defending the law.

The court will hear arguments on Monday in two different challenges, one brought by abortion providers in the state and the other by the Justice Department. The courts scheduling order required the two sides to file their opening briefs simultaneously, with responses due on Friday.

Both challengers said the law, which bars most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, is at odds with Roe v. Wade, which prohibits states from banning abortions before fetal viability, or around 23 weeks. They added that the law, known as Senate Bill 8, was cynically drafted to avoid review by federal courts.

S.B. 8 was designed to nullify this courts precedents and to shield that nullification from judicial review, wrote Brian H. Fletcher, the acting solicitor general, in the federal governments brief. So far, it has worked: The threat of a flood of S.B. 8 suits has effectively eliminated abortion in Texas at a point before many women even realize they are pregnant, denying a constitutional right the court has recognized for half a century.
Early results looked at neutralizing antibodies, which are the specific antibodies that stop the virus and protect you from getting sick. All the booster shots stimulated a neutralizing antibody response, but there were differences. Those who received the Moderna vaccine for their first two doses and Moderna as a booster had the highest antibody levels. Second place went to people who got two doses of Pfizer, followed by Moderna.

But its important to note that the small study groups werent designed to compare which shot was best, and the first studies used a full dose (100 micrograms) of Moderna, and not the half dose that has been approved. Its possible that differences in the study subjects led to the difference in results. And while the difference in antibody levels sounds impressive, its probably not all that meaningful in terms of protecting you in the real world.

The biggest differences in antibody levels were seen in the Johnson & Johnson recipients, who showed a fourfold rise in neutralizing antibodies after the J.&J. booster, but had a 76-fold rise after the Moderna booster and a 35-fold increase after a Pfizer booster.

Does that mean if I had Johnson & Johnson, I should definitely switch to Moderna or Pfizer?

Not necessarily. For J.&J. recipients, who initially would have received a single dose, theres another study to consider. This one included 30,000 people and looked at overall protection from the coronavirus. That study found that a second dose of J.&J., at least two months after the first, resulted in 94 percent protection against mild to severe cases of Covid-19.

Whats intriguing about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is that it appears to trigger a different part of the immune system, stimulating not just neutralizing antibodies but also T cells, possibly resulting in more durable protection. The N.I.H. study will eventually look at T-cell response following the various booster shot combinations, but the data arent available yet.

So how should I decide which one to pick?

All the booster shots stimulate the immune system, so the answer about which shot to get depends on your priorities and personal risk. Here are some examples to help you decide.

Talk to your doctor: Depending on your personal health circumstances  whether you have underlying health problems, or are prone to blood clots or heart problems, or have been undergoing cancer treatment  your physician might have an opinion about which shot is best for you. Different vaccines, for example, have different possible side effects.
The trip began in Shanghai, where the couple, both former professors, joined a tour group of other retirees. They traveled through Gansu Province and Inner Mongolia, staying at a bed-and-breakfast and eating three times at the same lamb chop restaurant. Flying south to Xian, they dropped in to a 1,300-year-old temple. Their fellow tour group members checked out an art museum, strolled through parks and visited friends.

Then, on Oct. 16, the day they had planned to visit the Terracotta Warriors, the couple tested positive for the coronavirus.

Since then, China has locked down a city of 4 million, as well as several smaller cities and parts of Beijing, to contain a fresh outbreak that has infected more than 240 people in at least 11 provinces and regions. The authorities have shuttered schools and tourist sites. Government websites have detailed every movement of the unlucky couple and their sprawling web of contacts, including what time they checked into hotels and on which floors of restaurants they sat.

The no-holds-barred response is emblematic of Chinas zero Covid policy, which has served the country remarkably well: China has reported fewer than 5,000 deaths since the pandemic began. The scale of the new outbreak, while tiny compared to many other countries, is large for China.
Its tough for billionaires. If youd like to sponsor one, you can make a difference for just $34 million a day.  JIMMY FALLON

You know cash is tight for billionaires when their flights in space have to lay over in Cleveland.  JIMMY FALLON

But by this afternoon, Democrats scrapped the tax on billionaires and now they might tax millionaires instead. When they heard that, Kim and Kylie were like, Yes! while Khloe, Kourtney and Kendall were like, No.  JIMMY FALLON

Senator [Ron] Wyden wants to pay for the Biden agenda with something called the billionaires income tax. Now the details are a little complex. Let me try to explain it: Billionaires, theres this thing called taxes, and you should pay any.  STEPHEN COLBERT

The proposal affects only people with a billion dollars in assets or those earning more than $100 million in income three years in a row. OK, heres a simple way to see if it affects you: Take your spare super yacht to your third house thats on the private island shaped like your own head; look in your garage. If there isnt a spaceship in there, youre fine.  STEPHEN COLBERT

Calling it a billionaire income tax was smart branding by the Democrats, because Republicans are going to sound pretty out of touch if they oppose it, which they immediately did.  STEPHEN COLBERT
For a true TV devotee, watching the latest episode is just the beginning. Depending on the show at hand, there are plot twists and character revelations to dissect, theories to discuss and historical context to plumb. Fans have been gathering online to do all this since before the turn of the century, but in recent years, shows have started producing their own post-episode debriefs.

Starting in the early 2010s, the TV after-show became a subgenre. Immediately after a new episode aired, a host would interview the stars and creators about what just happened, in programs like AMCs Talking Dead and Talking Bad, HBOs After the Thrones, and more recently Netflixs The Netflix Afterparty. But as Hollywood seems to be realizing, the format works just as well (if not better) in audio form.

As a result, theres now a huge selection of official tie-in podcasts for your favorite TV shows. Some of these offer real added value, while others are skippable puffery. These six are worth your time.

Since fans of HBOs towering, dramatic family tragicomedy have had to wait a full two years for new episodes, audio stepped in to fill the void. Beginning last summer, the host Roger Bennett (best known for the soccer podcast Men in Blazers) conducted interviews with the Succession ensemble, diving into the psychology of the power-hungry, emotionally stunted Roy clan. Now that the long-awaited third season has finally debuted, the podcast has switched up its format, swapping out Bennett for the veteran Silicon Valley journalist Kara Swisher (host of The New York Times podcast Sway). The focus now is less on the show itself, and more on the realities of the kind of power it depicts  Episode 1 features a conversation with Jennifer Palmieri, a former White House communications director, who weighs in on a politically charged moment from the season premiere. Though it may not please every fan, this shift in focus sets it apart from other tie-in podcasts.
Every day Im alive is a day Im thankful that my parents were too busy to supervise my reading as a child. Or too bored by the idea of it. As long as I was relatively clean and not punching my younger brothers lights out, I pretty much had the run of the house and a one-mile radius surrounding it. Included in that roaming zone was Green Apple Books, a cherished San Francisco institution packed to the beams with new books, old books, blue books and paperbacks from the 1970s that reeked so powerfully of menthol cigarettes and camphor that I often emerged with that same scent wafting from my stretchy purple turtleneck.

Like my parents, the employees at Green Apple were unconcerned with the reading habits of the 12-year-old in their midst. With laser focus I absorbed Carl Sagan and Charles Dickens and the diary of Anne Frank, along with NC-17 titles by Iceberg Slim and Charles Bukowski and multiple volumes of a series titled Truly Tasteless Jokes. Every session at Green Apple was a roller coaster, with the classic readerly emotions of wonder and discovery interlaced with titillation, fear, shock and repulsion.

I didnt get to Toni Morrisons Beloved until a decade later, but I like to think my early exposure to sex and violence in print had laminated me with a cognitive resilience that meant I could handle Morrisons masterly brutality. (The book, which won the Pulitzer Prize and is widely considered one of the great modern novels, takes place in the antebellum South and focuses on a woman who is haunted by the ghost of her dead infant. Part of the books achievement is its visceral summoning of slaverys horrors.) However you come by it, this kind of resilience is a useful tool. Its the internal assurance that difficult books will not fry your hard drive upon impact; a confidence that its fine to be frightened or upset or baffled by books, that it wont kill you. That it may, in fact, enlarge you.

Explore the New York Times Book Review Want to keep up with the latest and greatest in books? This is a good place to start. Learn what you should be reading this fall: Our collection of reviews on books coming out this season includes biographies, novels, memoirs and more. See whats new in October: Among this months new titles are novels by Jonathan Franzen, a history of Black cinema and a biography by Katie Couric. Nominate a book: The New York Times Book Review has just turned 125. That got us wondering: What is the best book that was published during that time? Listen to our podcast: Featuring conversations with leading figures in the literary world, from Colson Whitehead to Leila Slimani, the Book Review Podcast helps you delve deeper into your favorite books.



On Monday, the Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin released a campaign ad featuring Laura Murphy, a woman whose son had been assigned Beloved in his A.P. English class. The student complained to his mother about the book (It was disgusting and gross). Murphy went on to lobby the county school board, and then the Virginia State Legislature, to remove the book from commonwealth school curriculums. In 2016, then-Gov. Terry McAuliffe (running again now as the Democratic candidate against Youngkin) vetoed what became known as the Beloved bill, which would have given parents the right to block books with sexually explicit content.
The Archivist, by Rex Pickett (Blackstone, Nov. 9)

In this new novel from the author of Sideways, Emily Snow is hired as an archivist for a Pulitzer-winning novelist, Raymond West. But as she carries out her work, she discovers an illicit affair between West and her predecessor, who died under mysterious circumstances.

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Both/And: A Life in Many Worlds, by Huma Abedin (Scribner, Nov. 2)

Abedin, a longtime aide to Hillary Clinton who was once married to the former congressman Anthony Weiner, reflects on her career on the Hill and the uncomfortable scrutiny trained on her personal life after Weiners transgressions came to light. This journey has led me through exhilarating milestones and devastating setbacks, Abedin has said, but promises a story I look forward to sharing.

Read our review | Read our takeaways from the book

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Davis has been producing literary translations since she was in her 20s  mostly from the French, but she notes here that shes worked in German, Swedish, Spanish and other languages, even translating older English works into a more contemporary idiom. Several essays describe her experience working on Marcel Prousts Swanns Way. Altogether, the collection makes a case for the singular pleasures and rewards of translation.
LINFEN, China  Desperate to meet its electricity needs, China is opening up new coal production exceeding what all of Western Europe mines in a year, at a tremendous cost to the global effort to fight climate change.

The campaign has unleashed a flurry of activity in Chinas coal country. Idled mines are restarting. Cottage-sized yellow backhoes are clearing and widening roads past terraced cornfields. Long columns of bright red freight trucks are converging on the region to haul the extra cargo.

Chinas push will carry a high cost. Burning coal, already the worlds single biggest cause of human-driven climate change, will increase Chinas emissions and toxic air pollution. It will endanger the lives of coal miners. And it could impose a long-term cost on the Chinese economy, even while helping short-term growth.

World leaders are gathering next week in Glasgow to discuss ways to halt climate change. But Chinas extra coal by itself would increase humanitys output of planet-warming carbon dioxide by a full percentage point, said Jan Ivar Korsbakken, a senior researcher at the Center for International Climate and Environmental Research in Oslo.
But the rules are opaque and sometimes arbitrarily enforced  or mistakenly enforced, in Novaras case. Policy experts say Novaras experience is indicative of the thorny free speech issues YouTube faces as the worlds largest online video service.

The gatekeeper role leads to criticism from multiple directions. Many on the right of the political spectrum in the United States and Europe claim that YouTube unfairly blocks them. Some civil society groups say YouTube should do more to stop the spread of illicit content and misinformation.

Sometimes that leaves organizations like Novara in the middle.

After an outcry online, YouTube restored Novaras channel in a few hours, saying that it had been removed in error. But other independent journalists, activists and creators on YouTube often dont have similar success, particularly in countries like Belarus, Russia and Turkey where YouTube is under pressure from authorities to remove opposition content and where the company does not have as much language or cultural expertise. Roughly 500 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute globally in different languages.

Its impossible to get our minds around what it means to try and govern that kind of volume of content, said Evelyn Douek, senior research fellow at the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University. YouTube is a juggernaut, by some metrics as big or bigger than Facebook.

In its email on Tuesday morning, YouTube said Novara was guilty of repeated violations of YouTubes community guidelines, without elaborating. Novaras staff was left guessing what had caused the problem.
China formalized the pledges its leader announced last year, but the country went no further, in an official update of its targets to fight climate change, which were submitted on Thursday with the United Nations climate change agency.

It foreshadows a grim start to the international climate talks in Glasgow next week, considering that Chinas emissions account for the largest share in the world right now. It reflects the political and economic challenges within China in pivoting away from fossil fuels. China burns more coal than every other country combined in order to power its factories and produce the massive amounts of steel and cement used in its construction projects.

And so what China does, from now to 2030, is crucial to global efforts to slow down catastrophic climate change.

The updated Nationally Determined Contribution, or NDC, as it is called, commits to four main things that Chinas leader, Xi Jinping, outlined nearly a year ago: China would peak its emissions of carbon dioxide, a key planet-warming greenhouse gas produced by the combustion of oil, gas and coal, before 2030; it would also lower the carbon emissions intensity of its economy by 65 percent compared with 2005 levels; it would ensure that renewable energy sources make up a fourth of its energy mix; and it would increase its forest cover.
If enacted, it would be the largest action ever taken by the United States to address climate change. And it would enshrine climate action in law, making it harder to be reversed by a future president.

In remarks Thursday, Mr. Biden called it the most significant investment to deal with the climate crisis that ever happened, beyond any other advanced nation in the world.

The centerpiece of the climate spending is $300 billion in tax incentives for producers and purchasers of wind, solar and nuclear power, inducements intended to speed up a transition away from oil, gas and coal. Buyers of electric vehicles would also benefit, receiving up to $12,500 in tax credits  depending on what portion of the vehicle parts were made in America.

The rest would be distributed among a mix of programs, including money to construct charging stations for electric vehicles and update the electric grid to make it more conducive to transmitting wind and solar power, and money to promote climate-friendly farming and forestry programs.

The plan would still fall short of the ambitious pledge Mr. Biden has made to halve the countrys greenhouse gases, from 2005 levels, by the end of this decade. Scientists say that nations must quickly and deeply cut emissions from burning oil, gas and coal to avert the most harrowing impacts of climate change.
WASHINGTON  Centuries of land loss and forced relocation have left Native Americans significantly more exposed to the effects of climate change, new data show, adding to the debate over how to address climate change and racial inequity in the United States.

The findings, which took seven years to compile and were published Thursday in the journal Science, mark the first time that researchers have been able to quantify on a large scale what Native Americans have long believed to be true: That European settlers, and later the United States government, pushed Indigenous peoples onto marginal lands.

Historic land dispossession is a huge factor contributing to extreme climate change vulnerability for tribes, said Kyle Whyte, one of the studys authors, who is a University of Michigan professor and a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation.

The new data comes as the United States suffers through increasingly severe heat waves, drought, wildfires and other disasters made worse by a warming planet. By demonstrating that government actions have made Native Americans more exposed to climate change, the authors argue, the data strengthens the case for trying to make up for that damage, however imperfectly.
PARIS  At the premiere on Sunday before the release of his latest movie, The French Dispatch, Wes Anderson stood onstage in a rumpled, brownish suit and told the crowd packed into a Champs-Elysees theater, I have a French air about me. He had, he said, spent my whole life feeling I am in a French movie.

Now this artful Texan and sometime Parisian with a tousled Left-Bank look has made a film so French that not a Gallic cliche is omitted. The trees are pollarded, the shutters are largely drawn, the police tend toward Inspector Clouseau look-alikes. The streets of the fictional town of Ennui-sur-Blase  roughly translated as Boredom-on-the-World-Weary  are dotted with rats beneath steeply pitched zinc roofs, and, of course, the talk is of love and art and gastronomic pleasure.

Ennui (a word that conveys a peculiarly French sense of tedium mixed with spleen) is home to The French Dispatch, an English-language magazine whose avowed inspiration is The New Yorker. In Andersons telling, the fictional publication existed between 1925 and 1975 under the editorship of a certain Arthur Howitzer, Jr., who keeps as close an eye on his journalists expense reports as on any redundant phrase in their copy. Howitzer is loosely modeled on Harold Ross and William Shawn, the co-founder and longtime editor of the magazine that The French Dispatch relocates from Manhattan.
With the help of a teacher, Ms. Yussuf began to improve her English and now is a voracious reader  one of her favorite books is Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver.

As the end of her senior year in virtual school approached, Ms. Yussuf was working on her English language skills with a teacher, who suggested that she participate in an after-school program at the International Rescue Committees Seattle office.

In Washington, students must complete an individual High School and Beyond Plan to graduate. The International Rescue Committees program, called Youth Futures, helps multilingual high school students prepare for this, and can connect them with academic tutors. The program also prepares high-school students for careers and higher education.

Ms. Yussuf, who lives about 25 miles south of Seattle in Auburn, distinguished herself as she worked through the program.

Kamar had a lot of leadership in the Youth Futures program, just was a great support to her peers, said Rachel Kurz, the youth and education program manager in Seattle at the International Rescue Committee, one of nine organizations supported by The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund.
The criminal complaint centers on an alleged interaction between Mr. Cuomo and a female aide in the governors residence in Albany on Dec. 7, 2020. The aide, Brittany Commisso, had previously accused Mr. Cuomo of groping her breast while they were alone in the mansion late last year.

The charge against Mr. Cuomo caught many in the state capital by surprise, including David Soares, the district attorney in Albany, who said in a statement that, like the rest of the public, we were surprised to learn about the complaint filed by the countys sheriff, Craig Apple. In such investigations, prosecutors and local police departments typically work as partners in initiating the criminal process.

In a statement, Mr. Cuomos personal lawyer, Rita Glavin, said the governor had never assaulted anyone and described Mr. Apples motives as patently improper. She criticized Mr. Apple for not communicating with the district attorney and accused him of effectively pronouncing the governor guilty at a news conference earlier this year before an investigation by his office had concluded.

This is not professional law enforcement, she said. This is politics.

Mr. Apples office did not respond to several requests for comment on Thursday, and news of the criminal complaint was public for several hours before the sheriff released a statement confirming that a criminal summons had been issued. The complaint, which was first reported by New York Focus, was made public not by the sheriffs office, but by the Albany City Court, where it was filed, initially leading to a flurry of confusion over its origin.

Forcible touching is a misdemeanor that carries a penalty of up to one year in jail; it is not an unusual charge, and it can be brought in cases in which prosecutors are unable to prove that touching was done for sexual purposes.
But my colleagues Patrick McGeehan and Michael Gold write that serenity has been elusive. Helicopters come and go hundreds of times on weekdays  and more than 150 times on some Sundays.

New Yorkers have long lived with some level of noise, but the coronavirus prompted many to rethink their relationship to it  and to complain about sounds they might once have tolerated.

Calls about noise to the citys 311 hotline jumped in 2020 and are on pace to do so again this year. And calls about helicopter noise have spiked significantly: Through the end of September, the city received 17,733 calls about helicopter noise, more than triple the number during the same period last year.

Its a lot of people whose apartments lie in the flight path and people who now work at home, said Mark Levine, a city councilman who represents parts of northern Manhattan.

The jump in calls coincided with a resurgence of sightseeing flights. While most companies offering aerial tours of the city have suffered financially, there is one exception  NYONAir.
At the same time, Republicans spent millions of dollars attacking Democrats for supporting the original law, as well as the defund the police movement, running ads that were meant to stoke fears over the supposed harm to public safety from the law.

Their tactic worked, to an extent. Democrats lost two House seats in 2020, as well as two State Senate seats just outside of New York City, including on Long Island. But Democrats in the State Capitol ultimately expanded their majority in the State Senate, buoyed by record turnout from the 2020 presidential election and an aggressive mail-in vote campaign.

Now, the district attorney race has catapulted the bail law, and Mr. Kaminskys involvement in it, to the forefront for a second year in a row.

This race has become a talisman for how deeply this bail reform issue cuts with voters, said Bruce Gyory, a Democratic political consultant. You can bet that if Kaminsky were to lose this race, having gone into it as such a clear favorite, that the Republicans and some of their allies will double down and run against incumbent Democrats on this issue.

Mr. Kaminsky said Ms. Donnelly was being dishonest in saying that he wrote the bail law in 2019. While he voted for the state budget that included the bail law, he was not a co-sponsor of the law and was one of the Democrats who lobbied for a more restrained version of the law, in 2019, as well as when it was rolled back in 2020.

The Republicans have basically said, Whats the penalty for lying? Mr. Kaminsky said. I think being honest is a central character trait of being the district attorney, which has to have the most integrity of any position in government.

Mr. Kaminsky entered the race with an edge.

Once a reliable G.O.P. stronghold, Nassau County has turned more Democratic over the past few decades as a result of demographic changes, mirroring a national political shift of traditionally conservative suburban voters slowly moving to the left. The county has more registered Democrats than Republicans  it voted twice for Barack Obama, as well as for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020  but it still has a sizable contingent of independent voters. The previous district attorney, Madeline Singas, who resigned this year to become an associate judge on the State Court of Appeals, is a Democrat.
It would be easy to surmise that nature blossomed and the creatures came out during New York Citys lockdown last year. But wildlife needs habitat, and the animals return, according to Kathryn Heintz, the executive director of the NYC Audubon Society, is because of the citys 40-year effort to expand and clean up its parks, rivers, forests and wetlands. This has included planting more trees, wildflowers and grasses that are native to the area, banning pesticides in parks and spending billions on converting former landfills and industrial wastelands into nature sanctuaries.

New York is now the greenest big city on earth, Ms. Heintz said.

But while parks officials say they are excited by these ecological breakthroughs, many cite concerns about the citys relatively low parks budget, which they say poses a threat to natural habitats because of deteriorated drainage systems and understaffed maintenance crews.

Funding is more critical than ever, said Ms. Heintz, Mr. Benepe and other officials.

Last month, the remnants of Hurricane Ida overwhelmed parts of the city, killing at least 13 New Yorkers. Parks should operate as sponges, but instead they are seeing massive flooding, said Adam Ganser, the executive director of the nonprofit New Yorkers for Parks.

Park funding has remained at 0.6 percent of the total budget for decades, while other cities spend 2 to 4 percent, Mr. Ganser said. Eric Adams, the Democratic mayoral candidate, has said he is committed to raising the budget to 1 percent, while Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa said in a debate earlier this month that he would raise it to 2 percent. Mr. Ganser said such a move would be transformative.
But these are exceptions; many countries still recommend two Covid-19 vaccine doses for everyone and issue vaccine mandates that make no exception for people who have had Covid-19 previously.

The rationale behind such blanket recommendations is that not everyone mounts a strong immune response after infection. And data shows that while so-called natural immunity can last a long time  possibly up to a year  the duration varies based on factors such as a persons age, medical conditions and disease severity.

But studies also suggest that otherwise healthy people who previously had Covid-19 do exhibit equal or higher levels of immune responses after one vaccine dose compared to people with two doses and no prior infection. People with hybrid immunity also dont appear to gain much more immunity from a second dose, which suggests second shots may not be necessary for them (though future boosters may still be needed).

A more tailored approach may be worth considering for certain groups.

Children, for example, are far less likely than adults to become severely ill from Covid-19. And there is a risk, though it is rare, of vaccine-related myocarditis (inflammation of the heart), which is more common in younger people, in particular boys, after their second dose of an mRNA vaccine. Some countries like Norway and Britain give only one dose of the Pfizer vaccine to children age 12 to 15 to avoid potential risks like myocarditis from the second dose.

But giving a single dose to all children comes with concerns that one dose might not provide strong and long-lasting protection. Whether a child has had Covid-19 isnt a part of these vaccination decisions  and should be.

If scientists and policymakers consider the power of hybrid immunity, its reasonable to recommend a single dose for children without serious health problems who have had Covid-19. If parents are unsure if their children have been previously infected, antibody tests could be given when they get their first vaccine dose. Although these tests may not pick up all children who have had Covid-19, they would pick up most, and only children without confirmed infection could be called back for a second dose. Such an approach could also help free up doses for the many other countries with low vaccine supply and at-risk adults who havent been vaccinated. The approach should at least be considered for further study.

There are other reasons for not factoring natural immunity into decisions about vaccination. Adding antibody tests to determine who has had Covid-19 to an already logistically challenging vaccine rollout may be difficult. In countries like the United States with deep political divides concerning the vaccines, a one size fits all strategy may be preferable over a more tailored approach that could sow confusion, rouse anti-vaccine sentiment and interfere with the issuing of vaccine passports.
I seriously doubt that J.D. Vance has scraped the bottom of his barrel  it appears to be a roomy barrel, and he seems to be poised to sink lower and lower  but a tweet of his late last week will surely endure as one of the boldest markers of his descent.

It came shortly after Alec Baldwins apparently accidental shooting, with a prop gun, of a cinematographer. The cinematographer had died. And Vance, who identifies himself as Christian even before husband and father on his Twitter profile, appealed to the head of that social media platform to let Trump back on because we need Alec Baldwin tweets.

Interesting interpretation of need. Interesting interpretation of Christian. Interesting all around  but, more than that, sickening. Vance, whos campaigning on his values as he seeks a Senate seat, uses a tragic killing as a timely calling to taunt a liberal actor and blow air kisses at a pathological ex-president. Never mind the loss of the cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, 42, or the grief of her young son and others who loved her. Lets mud wrestle.

Vance was hardly alone. Proving that the crab apple falls less than a millimeter from the tree, Donald Trump Jr. began using his website to sell, for $27.99, T-shirts with the message, Guns dont kill people, Alec Baldwin kills people. What a wit. Which I mean as a suffix, with a nit just beforehand.
To the Editor:

Re The Global Stakes at Glasgow (editorial, Oct. 24):

Success in Glasgow will not look like anything from past climate summits. It will be measured by what concrete actions are taken, mainly by the United States, and which are followed up on.

The fact that some major polluters have not accepted invitations to join the summit will not bode well for a global effort to reduce and/or reverse the deadly and disastrous effects of a warming planet. But the United States, under a confident and forceful President Biden, can certainly set the right example.

If Congress would pass Mr. Bidens Build Back Better legislation, with significant climate provisions included, it would help the president pressure other countries to follow suit and reduce their carbon dioxide pollution.

Our small blue dot in this vast universe is warming, and we can clearly see the effects in severe weather around the globe, melting ice sheets in Greenland and the Arctic, wildfires in the West, horrendous hurricanes in the South and East, and severe drought in the Midwest and West.
Even then, supporters of the change assured critics that the white character of the country would not be affected. Our cities will not be flooded with a million immigrants annually, Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts said that year. The ethnic mix of this country will not be upset.

Mr. Kennedys pledge turned out to be wrong: The provisions of the 1965 act have led to more diverse immigration to the United States. Yet even as that law has remained in place, politicians on both sides of the aisle have expanded enforcement at the border and increased crackdowns on undocumented immigrants. Donald Trump made anti-immigrant policies a cornerstone of his presidency and, according to a Stanford study, implemented more than 1,000 changes that made it more difficult to immigrate to the United States.

Many of the proposals of the Biden campaign suggested a different way forward, even as the administration has not yet followed through. Mr. Bidens immigration plan is floundering in Congress, but he can carry out much of his agenda on his own. He could immediately increase the refugee quota well beyond the current cap of 125,000 and work to ensure all of these spaces are filled. The president can unilaterally expand the use of temporary protected status and parole in place to remove barriers that prevent people already in the United States from applying for green cards. It is troubling that so far Mr. Biden has shown little interest in expending political capital to rally support for the changes he promised during his campaign.

In the longer term, the 75 percent of Americans who believe that the United States is a nation of immigrants need to grapple with the fact that for most of the countrys history its laws meant that only white immigrants could come. From the Chinese Exclusion Act to the Muslim ban, immigration restrictions have been a mechanism for protecting a fleeting vision of a white country. Do Americans still believe we are a nation of immigrants? If we do, and truly want to live up to that ideal, then more barriers to immigration should come down, and explicit and implicit racial favoritism of those we do let in must end.

Although the anti-immigrant language of the Republican Party and the violence at the border today may make some Americans uncomfortable, this is exactly how America has treated nonwhite immigrants throughout its history. It is who we are. The question is whether it is who we want to be in the future.

Reece Jones (@ReeceJonesUH) is a 2021 Guggenheim Fellow and chair of the department of geography and environment at the University of Hawaii. This essay is adapted from his book White Borders: The History of Race and Immigration in the United States From Chinese Exclusion to the Border Wall.
Last winter Trysta Barwig was burned out.

She was overwhelmed by her job as a program manager and she was traveling too often for work from her home in Atlanta. She needed a break. So when Ms. Barwigs boss asked her to pack her bags again, she used what had become her go-to excuse: a Covid exposure.

I figured this would be easier to tell my boss than having to answer a million follow-up questions of why I couldnt go, said Ms. Barwig, 31, who is also the founder of a travel blog, This Travel Dream. He was very supportive and excused me from traveling for work.

Problem solved.

As Halloween and other holidays lurk around the corner, plans are picking up in some parts of the world. And so too is social anxiety, at least among those who are naturally introverted or who might be feeling a little rusty after about a year and a half of restricted interactions.

Some people have started lying about Covid exposure, figuring its the one way out of plans  from work to dates to dental appointments  that few will argue with. Others have been using the lie all along.
The Victorian-era retail entrepreneur William Whiteley long dreamed of building a London emporium to rival the Crystal Palace in its grandeur, a place where, as he purportedly put it, you could buy everything from a pin to an elephant. But in 1907, he was murdered by a man claiming to be his son, and it was left to his acknowledged sons to realize his vision.

Working with Belcher & Joass, leading neo-Baroque architects of the day, they created a sprawling department store on Queens Road (now Queensway), in west London, that became one of the citys premier shopping destinations when it opened in 1911. Whiteleys, as the store was known, was a magnificent theatrical design, with a very articulated columned facade, featuring granite along the base and Portland stone above, with cupolas and domes on top, said Patrick Campbell, an architect with Foster + Partners. The firm has master-planned a $1.4 billion redevelopment of the landmark, which fell into decline after its conversion to a shopping mall in the 1980s.

The project, scheduled for completion in 2023, will largely preserve the buildings facade and repurpose original architectural elements such as the central glass-and-steel dome and a curved ironwork staircase. But the remainder is being demolished and rebuilt as a mixed-use complex with 139 residences, a Six Senses hotel and spa, a gym and swimming pool, a movie theater, and some 20 new shops, restaurants and cafes, all of which will wrap around an interior courtyard accessible to the public.

A major goal is to help rejuvenate the surrounding area of Bayswater. By giving the building a more porous skin, with additional access points and street-facing shops, Mr. Campbell said, We feel that it will really start to animate the neighborhood. thewhiteleylondon.com
Activision Blizzard, the embattled video game company behind Call of Duty and other titles, announced a slate of new initiatives Thursday morning aimed at improving diversity and the companys work environment.

The company has faced intense pressure since July, when a lawsuit from a California fair employment agency accused the video game publisher of fostering a frat-like culture in which sexual harassment and gender discrimination were rampant. The lawsuit, the companys fumbled response to the claims against it and the subsequent investigations by federal agencies prompted outrage among Activisions game developers and the broader gaming industry, which has long grappled with sexism and toxic behavior.

Activision is putting $250 million toward hiring more women, people who identify as nonbinary and those from underrepresented communities, the companys chief executive, Bobby Kotick, said in an email to employees. About 23 percent of Activision workers are women or nonbinary, Mr. Kotick said, and the goal was to increase that number by about 50 percent over five years.

The company said it was also waiving mandatory arbitration  a way of settling disputes outside of the court system  of sexual harassment and discrimination claims, a much-requested change by Activision employees and protesters in recent months.
SAN FRANCISCO  Facebook rose to prominence over the past two decades with some of the worlds most recognizable branding: a big blue-and-white letter F.

No longer. On Thursday, the social networking giant took an unmistakable step toward an overhaul, de-emphasizing Facebooks name and rebranding itself as Meta. The change was accompanied by a new corporate logo designed like an infinity-shaped symbol that was slightly askew. Facebook and its other apps, such as Instagram and WhatsApp, will remain but under the Meta umbrella.

The move punctuates how Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive, plans to refocus his Silicon Valley company on what he sees as the next digital frontier, which is the unification of disparate digital worlds into something called the metaverse. At the same time, renaming Facebook may help distance the company from the social networking controversies it is facing, including how it is used to spread hate speech and misinformation.

Ive been thinking a lot about our identity with this new chapter, Mr. Zuckerberg said, speaking at a virtual event on Thursday to showcase Facebooks technological bets on the future. Over time, I hope were seen as a metaverse company.
This article is part of the On Tech newsletter. Here is a collection of past columns.

Google and Facebook love to talk about the cutting-edge stuff that theyre working on. Metaverse! Driverless cars! Cloud! Artificial intelligence!

The reality, though, is that these tech companies are rich and powerful because they are the biggest sellers of advertising in the world. They do essentially the same thing that William Randolph Hearst did a century ago: They draw our attention to try to sell us yoga pants. (OK, Hearsts newspapers probably didnt have ads for leggings.)

Theres a vigorous public debate about the benefits and serious trade-offs of the digital worlds that Google and Facebook created. Its less jazzy to think about digital advertising that these tech titans have popularized. But like everything else about these companies, its complicated and important.

Alphabet, the corporate entity that includes Google, made about 80 percent of its revenue this year from the ads that we see when searching the web, watching YouTube videos, checking out Google Maps and more. Facebook generated 98 percent of its revenue from ads. (Facebook likely wont mention this today, when it plans to discuss the companys vision of us living, shopping and working in its virtual reality world.)
A Senate committee on Thursday approved a critic of the tech giants to lead the Justice Departments antitrust division, sending his nomination to the full Senate for a final vote.

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted for Jonathan Kanters nomination to lead the division without taking a count of how each lawmaker voted. But one Republican senator, John Cornyn of Texas, asked to be marked down as voting against the nomination.

Mr. Kanter said during his confirmation hearing that he supported vigorous antitrust enforcement in the technology area. As a lawyer in private practice, Mr. Kanter has represented critics of Google, Facebook, Amazon and Apple  helping them make the antitrust case against the tech giants.

If confirmed by the full Senate, as is widely expected, he will join other critics of Silicon Valley in key antitrust positions. Lina Khan, a young legal scholar who wrote a popular critique of Amazon, leads the Federal Trade Commission. Another scholar who argues for greater antitrust enforcement against major companies, Tim Wu, holds an economic policy role at the White House.
The tiny hamlet of Netarts, Ore., protected by a long spit of sand from the Pacific Oceans churn, is so small you might miss it if you didnt know it was there. But on a Saturday morning in October, Netarts Bay was alive with small motorboats and kayaks, whose occupants were searching for the delectable crabs and scallops that thrive in its briny waters, as the oystermen waited for low tide.

A gray-haired man in jeans and Birkenstocks was walking his dog at the waters edge. Notebook in hand, I asked him about his favorite spots on this often overlooked stretch of Oregons rugged coast. He wouldnt bite.

Who would give that up? he asked, shaking his head.

Netarts, whose oysters are prized by restaurateurs, is one of several hidden gems on the Three Capes Scenic Loop  a winding 40-mile drive along windswept cliffs, through towering forests of centuries-old Sitka spruce overlooking ribbons of sand, and past dairy farms and charming beach towns. The drive alone is spectacular, but each of the capes  Cape Meares, Cape Lookout and Cape Kiwanda  is a treasure unto itself, with its own distinctive ecosystem, hikes and wildlife.

Because driving the loop requires leaving the main north-south highway, U.S. 101, many visitors zip right past it, missing some of the most spectacular views and natural landscapes the West Coast has to offer.
The Justice Department reached an $88 million settlement with the families of nine Black parishioners who were killed by a white supremacist in a South Carolina church in 2015, and with survivors of the shooting, the authorities and lawyers said on Thursday.

The settlement includes millions for families of the victims and survivors of the shooting, in the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, a historically Black church in Charleston.

The survivors and the victims families had sued the government for wrongful death and physical injuries, accusing the authorities of negligence in the background check system that allowed the gunman to purchase a firearm, the department said. The settlement amounts range from $6 million to $7.5 million for those killed, and $5 million for survivors, the department said in a statement.

This is what the law is about. We cannot bring back those nine victims. We cannot erase the scars that those survivors have, Bakari Sellers, one of the lawyers for the families, said Thursday at a news conference in Washington, D.C. But what we do here today as lawyers in these families is we say we stand on justice.
Ms. Wu rushed home and was shocked by her mothers condition. She has described finding Yu-Min standing in the rain with a suitcase, convinced a driver was coming to ferry her to a secret meeting. She examined her daughters face closely, seeking evidence that she was not an android.

Youre not my daughter anymore, and Im not your mother, Ms. Wus mother told her.

Ms. Wu marks this period as the crossroads in her life, the point where she let go of the script that her parents had written for her.

Life feels very short when that kind of switch happens, she said.

Thrust into position as the head of the family, Ms. Wu, then 22, dived in. She became a primary parent to her youngest sister, who was 11, eventually filing for legal guardianship. She managed psychiatric treatment for her mother, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia, and opened a small tea shop, thinking her mother might take it over.

Then, frustrated by the bureaucratic obstacles she had encountered, she enrolled at Harvard Law School, bringing her mother and sister back to Boston with her. This time, she intended to stay.

A political baptism

Ms. Warren, who taught contract law, remembers Ms. Wu coming to her office hours in her first semester of law school.

Ms. Wu had come to apologize for some academic shortcoming, though Ms. Warren had not noticed any. She felt she hadnt done her best and wanted me to know she had not intended any disrespect, Ms. Warren recalled.

As they sat together, Ms. Wu told the story about how she had come to care for her mother and sisters. Ms. Warren listened, marveling. Michelle was doing something in law school that, in 25 years of teaching, I never knew another student to be doing, she said.
WASHINGTON  President Bidens new plan to pay for his climate change and social policy package includes nearly $2 trillion in tax increases on corporations and the rich. But many of the more contentious and untested proposals that Democrats have been considering in recent weeks were left on the cutting-room floor.

The latest proposal reflects the reality that moderate Democrats are unwilling to back certain ideas aimed at raising money, including taxing the unrealized capital gains of billionaires and giving the Internal Revenue Service more insight into the finances of taxpayers. Ultimately, the package of tax increases mostly turns up the dial on more conventional tax policies, while adding some new wrinkles to curb maneuvers that allow tax avoidance.

I think in terms of who theyre targeting, they did decide to target the larger population of very rich people and not just get the money from a very small group of superrich people, said Howard Gleckman, a senior fellow at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center.

Heres a look at whats in the new tax plan:

Taxing the rich.

Instead of a wealth tax or a special tax on billionaires, Mr. Biden rolled out a new surtax on income for multimillionaires and billionaires. It would effectively raise the top tax rate on ordinary income to 45 percent for the highest earners.
WASHINGTON  The Supreme Court on Thursday lifted a stay of execution that a federal appeals court had granted to two Oklahoma death row inmates, clearing the way for the men to be put to death by lethal injection.

One of them, John Marion Grant, who was convicted of murdering a prison cafeteria worker in 1998, was executed on Thursday, a few hours after the Supreme Court ruled.

Like other executions in the state, this one  the first in six years  did not go smoothly, The Associated Press reported. Mr. Grant, who was strapped to a gurney, convulsed and vomited as the first chemical, a sedative, was administered. After several minutes of this, members of the execution team wiped vomit from his face and neck.

The Oklahoma Department of Corrections said the execution was carried out in accordance with protocols and without complication.
A former Texas nurse was sentenced to death this week for injecting air into the arteries of four patients recovering from heart surgery, causing fatal brain damage, a court official said.

A jury in Tyler, Texas, handed up the sentence on Wednesday in the capital murder case of the former nurse, William Davis, eight days after convicting him.

Prosecutors said during the trials sentencing phase that Mr. Davis, 37, had harmed at least 11 patients altogether by injecting air into their arterial lines or venous systems.

Two of those other patients later died, according to prosecutors, but charges were not brought because the cases would have been harder to prove.
In mid-August, Japan was recording over 20,000 daily coronavirus cases, its highest levels during the pandemic. On Wednesday, it reported just 310 nationwide.

About 70 percent of the eligible population has been fully vaccinated, the government announced Wednesday, and life in the country has returned to a state of cautious optimism and near normalcy from one of acute concern. Tokyo has lifted nearly all restrictions on daily life, and the subways, streets and shopping arcades are once again filled with people. The city has reported fewer than 50 daily cases for over a week.

Experts in Japan are unclear about what caused the precipitous drop in cases, although they agree that high vaccination levels and ubiquitous masking are probably the most important factors keeping the virus at bay.

In remarks to reporters on Wednesday, government experts said other factors, such as cooler weather, an effective testing regime and heightened caution during the recent surge in cases, may have also contributed to the sudden drop in cases.
The discovery made Brescia a must-see destination for 19th-century travelers on their Grand Tour of Europe, and copies of the statue came to be in high demand among museums and collectors worldwide.

The find revived local pride in Brescias Roman heritage, when Brixia, as the city was known in ancient times, was a thriving place, and the Winged Victory was a gilded beacon seen from afar by travelers on the ancient Via Gallica, which linked some of the most important towns in northern Italy.

As a cluster of kingdoms, papal states and communes began to successfully shake off foreign influences in the 19th century to be unified as the Kingdom of Italy, the Winged Victory became a symbol of civic identity and inspiration during the citys 1849 insurrection against Austrian forces. The poet Giosue Carducci wrote an ode to the statue that also celebrated Brescia as the Lioness of Italy because of its citizens bravery during a 10-day revolt for the cause of Italian unity.

That spirit survives today, residents say. In general, this is a city of people who dont give up, said Nicola Albarelli, the owner of a toy store on a street leading to Brescias main hospital, where ambulances raced by nearly nonstop during the first three months of the pandemic.
PARIS  French authorities said Thursday that they had detained a British fishing trawler, prompting the government in London to summon Frances ambassador for talks, escalating months of rising tension between the two nations.

The confrontation was the latest in a series of cross-Channel flare-ups over post-Brexit fishing rights that have led to accusations of bad faith, threats and even a brief naval standoff in May between the two NATO allies.

Thursdays moves will likely stoke tensions in French-British affairs that have become increasingly frayed as both nations have tried to define a new relationship after Britains departure last year from the European Union.

French leaders were infuriated in September when the United States and Britain announced a deal to develop nuclear-powered submarines for Australia, prompting Australia to cancel a French contract to build conventional submarines. The episode played into longstanding French concerns about the English-speaking nations looking out for their own interests, without regard for their European allies.
Already on Thursday evening, the Vaticans announcement that it had canceled the planned live broadcast of the beginning of the meeting  limiting it just to the arrival of Mr. Bidens motorcade  became grist for partisan analysis.

Matteo Bruni, the Vatican spokesman, said that this is normal procedure during the pandemic, and exactly the same as for any head of state or government. The Vatican said it would supply news organizations with edited video clips after the meeting.

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters that the administration was working through every lever we have to get more access for the media.

The pope has been careful not to give political ammunition, either way, when he has been asked directly about the effort to deny Mr. Biden communion. Instead, he has sought to avoid partisan politics.

Asked about it on a papal flight in September, he told reporters that I have never refused the eucharist to anyone, though he added that he did not know of any instance when a politician who supported abortion rights had come to him for communion.

Francis considers the politicization, and weaponization, of the eucharist disastrous for the church and its ability to remain above the secular fray. The Vatican has noted that Mr. Bidens bishop, Cardinal Wilton Gregory of Washington, who was appointed by Francis, has said he will not deny the president communion.

Francis clearly has avid backers in the United States, especially among the bishops and cardinals he has appointed. But among American bishops, his appointees and allies are not a majority, and Vatican officials have worried that movement by a majority of Catholic bishops against a Catholic president and other top Catholic office holders in the United States could set a dangerous precedent.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia  This week, as Saudi Arabia held its annual investment conference in Riyadh, a boisterous event that attracts business leaders and political officials from around the world, the big mystery was what happened to the host.

Yasir al-Rumayyan, the Saudi official who oversees the kingdoms $450 billion sovereign wealth fund, was missing from the annual investment conference he typically presides over.

He did not deliver opening remarks in the conference ballroom, as he had been scheduled to do, and he did not show up at a panel discussion with the chief executives of Goldman Sachs and the money management company BlackRock.

He was even absent from the weeks signature evening get-together: an opulent dinner for scores of event speakers at his home in Riyadh, the capital.
New Zealands government announced on Thursday that it would halve the mandatory quarantine period for travelers to the country next month.

From Nov. 14, those arriving in New Zealand will be required to spend only one week in a hotel quarantine facility, down from two, Chris Hipkins, the official responsible for the nations pandemic response, said at a news conference. After testing negative multiple times over that period, they will then be allowed to quarantine at home for another three days, before taking one additional test.

People arriving in the country who are not citizens will be required to be fully vaccinated from Nov. 1, he added.

The changes will free up about 1,500 rooms a month in New Zealands quarantine hotels, allowing more people to return to the country from overseas and permitting some rooms to be allocated to those already in the country who could not quarantine safely at home. Tens of thousands of New Zealanders are waiting to gain access to a room in the hotels, which can be booked only via a lottery system.
Public school students in Oakland, Calif., who are 12 or older and have not been vaccinated against Covid-19 by January will either be transferred to an independent-study school or dropped from enrollment entirely, under a plan the districts Board of Education approved on Wednesday.

Students who are not vaccinated by the Jan. 1 deadline and do not have a valid exemption will be offered a transfer to Sojourner Truth, the districts long-term independent study school, according to a memorandum published by education officials in Oakland on Wednesday.

Unvaccinated students who do not agree to be transferred to that school will be unenrolled after having been provided with sufficient information and opportunities to access the Covid-19 vaccine as well as progressive warnings, the memorandum said.

Oaklands Board of Education voted on Sept. 22 to require students aged 12 or older who attend school in person to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. The mandate allows exemptions for medical reasons, personal beliefs, and some others as required by law, according to the memorandum. The board required Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Tramell to make recommendations by the end of October on how to enforce the mandate.
Why was Mr. Rittenhouse in Kenosha?

Mr. Rittenhouse had been closely following news of the shooting of Mr. Blake, which occurred when officers had arrived at an apartment in response to a domestic complaint and tried to arrest Mr. Blake, who is Black. As Mr. Blake, who was holding a knife, tried to climb into an S.U.V., Officer Sheskey, who is white, grabbed him and fired seven times into his back, leaving him crumpled on the ground.

Image Jacob Blake, right. Credit... Adria-Joi Watkins, via Associated Press

The shooting immediately sparked demonstrations in Kenosha. On the second night of protests, there was widespread destruction in the citys downtown and Uptown neighborhood, where several blocks of businesses were looted and burned to the ground.

The destruction prompted a response from some people in Kenosha  and outside of the city  who owned guns. They organized on Facebook and vowed to protect the city and assist the police and National Guard members, who appeared outnumbered. By the third night of protests, Mr. Rittenhouse had joined a group of armed men who said they were there to protect businesses.

Part of my job also is to protect people, Mr. Rittenhouse said on the evening of the fatal shootings, in an interview with The Daily Caller. If someone is hurt, Im running into harms way. Thats why I have my rifle; Ive got to protect myself obviously. But I also have my med kit.

Wisconsin is an open-carry state, meaning that people can carry legal firearms in public without a permit, unless they are otherwise prohibited from possessing them. But with certain exceptions for hunting, minors are not allowed to carry weapons in public.

What happened that night?
After a summer of reports of breakthrough coronavirus infections, when it seemed that everyone knew someone who tested positive after vaccination, recently released federal data sheds light on how common these cases really were, how severe they became and who was most at risk.

Average weekly cases by vaccination status 200 400 600 cases per 100,000 April 10, 2021 June 26 Sept. 4 Fully vaccinated Delta variant

becomes dominant Unvaccinated

6x as high Average weekly deaths by vaccination status 5 10 deaths per 100,000 April 10, 2021 June 26 Sept. 4 Fully vaccinated Delta variant

becomes dominant Unvaccinated

12x as high

Compared with the unvaccinated, fully vaccinated people overall had a much lower chance of testing positive for the virus or dying from it, even through the summers Delta surge and the relaxation of pandemic restrictions in many parts of the country. But the data indicates that immunity against infection may be slowly waning for vaccinated people, even as the vaccines continue to be strongly protective against severe illness and death.

The No. 1 take-home message is that these vaccines are still working, said Dr. David Dowdy, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. If you saw these data for any disease other than Covid, what everyones eyes would be drawn to is the difference between the unvaccinated and fully vaccinated lines.

The data shows notable differences in breakthrough death rates by age and slight differences in both case and death rates by vaccine brand, trends that experts say are important to consider as tens of millions of Americans weigh whether to get a booster shot.

The data, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is based on health department records from 14 states and two cities. A second dashboard reveals similar trends for hospitalized patients with and without vaccination.

All vaccinated age groups saw similar rates of breakthrough infection, and they all had much lower rates of infection and death compared with their unvaccinated peers.

Average weekly cases by age Unvaccinated

Fully vaccinated Ages 12-17 200 400 600 800 cases per 100,000 April 10 Sept. 4 18-29 April 10 Sept. 4 30-49 April 10 Sept. 4 50-64 200 400 600 800 cases per 100,000 April 10 Sept. 4 65-79 April 10 Sept. 4 80+ April 10 Sept. 4

While every age group had similar rates of breakthrough cases, death rates varied more drastically by age. Unvaccinated seniors were the most likely to die from Covid of any group. Still, vaccinated people 80 and older had higher death rates than unvaccinated people under 50.

Age is our top risk factor for vaccine breakthrough deaths, said Theresa Sokol, the state epidemiologist in Louisiana, one of the jurisdictions that contributed to the C.D.C. data.

Average weekly deaths by age Unvaccinated

Fully vaccinated Ages 12-17 20 40 deaths per 100,000 April 10 Sept. 4 18-29 April 10 Sept. 4 30-49 April 10 Sept. 4 50-64 20 40 deaths per 100,000 April 10 Sept. 4 65-79 April 10 Sept. 4 80+ April 10 Sept. 4

Breakthrough deaths among seniors may be because of immunosenescence, or the weakening of the immune system in older people, said Heather Scobie, an epidemiologist at the C.D.C. who helps lead the team that produced the new data.

They dont usually form as robust a response to vaccination, added Dr. Scobie. Hopefully the booster dose for ages 65 years and older will address that issue.

The federal data also makes it clear that all three brands of vaccine administered in the United States substantially reduced rates of cases and deaths. But among those vaccinated, Johnson & Johnson recipients had slightly higher rates of breakthrough cases and related deaths. And Pfizer-BioNTech recipients had slightly higher rates than those who got Moderna.

Average weekly cases by vaccine manufacturer 200 400 600 cases per 100,000 April 10, 2021 June 26 Sept. 4 Unvaccinated J&J Moderna Pfizer Average weekly deaths by vaccine manufacturer 5 10 deaths per 100,000 April 10, 2021 June 26 Sept. 4 Unvaccinated J&J Moderna Pfizer

Similar data from scientific studies helped shape the new federal recommendation that all Johnson & Johnson recipients, 18 and older, receive a booster dose at least two months after getting the first shot, said Dr. Scobie.

In contrast, booster shot recommendations for those who got the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine are focused on high-risk groups, including those over 65, and younger adults at greater risk of severe Covid-19 because of medical conditions or where they work.

The C.D.C. data, which will be updated monthly, is the closest yet to a detailed, nationally representative view of breakthrough cases and deaths. States are not required to report this information  though many do in myriad formats  and the C.D.C. had previously only provided estimates of total breakthrough hospitalizations and deaths.

See the latest data for cases and deaths by vaccination status on the U.S. coronavirus tracking page.

The data can also give scientists a crude understanding of the effectiveness of the vaccine over time. If the ratio of cases or deaths among the unvaccinated to those among the vaccinated holds steady, the vaccines are thought to be maintaining their protection.

For example, the ratio of case rates declined somewhat in the summer, to six times as high for the unvaccinated in August from about 11 times as high in mid-June, giving scientists reason to believe that the vaccines protection against infection might be waning slightly. The ratio for deaths has been flatter over time for all but the oldest age groups, an indication that vaccine protection against death is holding strong.

Ratio of unvaccinated case rate to vaccinated case rate 5x 10x as high April 10, 2021 June 26 Sept. 4 Ratio of unvaccinated death rate to vaccinated death rate 5x 10x 15x as high April 10, 2021 June 26 Sept. 4

The C.D.C. data so far runs through early September and captures only the crest of the Delta wave. But data from states like New York and California shows similar patterns through September and October. That suggests that the vaccines, despite some slight differences among the brands, are still working to protect against the most severe outcomes.
Bospar has organized the PRoviding Choices virtual job fair for PR pros looking to relocate from Texas as a result of that states abortion ban.

On Sept. 19, the San Francisco technology shop offered its six Austin employees relocation money if they feel the need to exit the Lonestar Star due to the law.

The job fair will launch Nov. 4 at 7 a.m. CDT and run for 30 days, showcasing roles available in PR and communications, in places not subject to the ban.

It is free to attend and other participating agencies include Bateman Agency, BOCA, EvolveMKD, Highwire PR, Karbo Communications, Manhattan Strategies, Redwood Climate Communications, Strange Brew Strategies and Trier and Company.

As other Silicon Valley-based agencies heard about what we were doing, they asked to join this effort, said Bospar principal and co-founder Curtis Sparrer.
Gil Bashe

FINN Partners global health chair Gil Bashe joins the corporate strategic advisory board of Rezilient Health, which offers cloud-based, telehealth and remote-care technologies. Bashe will advise Rezilient executives on their public health, partnership and brand-building efforts. Rezilient was among the 10 companies selected by Melinda French Gates' Pivotal Ventures and TechStars to participate in its inaugural Future of Longevity Accelerator , which supports startups building products and services for the unmet needs of older adults and their caregivers. "Gil, who is long known for communicating the importance of primary care medicine in tackling and preventing non-communicable illnesses, offers us the experience and strategic thinking we need to amplify our message," said Rezilient Health head of communications Sar Ruddenklau.

Kim Blake, Julie McCracken

Padilla promotes senior directors Kim Blake and Julie McCracken to vice president posts. Blake, who will serve as vice president in the agency's health practice, leads its work for clients such as CommonSpirit Health, Mayo Clinic, VITAS Healthcare, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota. McCracken, who is now vice president in the agency's corporate advisory group, focuses on social impact, employee engagement, corporate culture and change communications. She helped lead the development of Padilla's social impact consultancy, which includes environmental, science and governance, diversity, equity and inclusion and community relations capabilities.

Kris Fetterman

Seven Letter hires Kris Fetterman as a director. Fetterman previously served as a communications strategist at Blue Engine, which rebranded as Seven Letter in 2019. He was most recently a writer at Pivotal Ventures. Before that, he was on the speechwriting team of the 2016 Democratic National Convention and wrote over 500 speeches for U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLaurowho now chairs the House Appropriations Committee. Seven Letter has also promoted chief of staff Catherine Adamchak to partner and named founding partner Allison Fastow head of Seven Letter talent and engagement.
Carol Goodall

Carol Goodall, who was VP-global communications at Toronto-based Manulife insurance and financial services giant, has joined DXC Technology as VP & head of communications.

Tysons, Va.-based DXC is a $17B provider of IT services that counts half the Fortune 500 as customers.

The New York Stock Exchange-listed company has 130K employees working in more than 70 countries.

Goodall joined Manulife, which has $1.1T in assets under management and operates as John Hancock in the US, in 2017 as head of global internal communications.

Earlier she was global head of employee communications at Royal Bank of Scotland and senior director of internal communications at Rogers Communications.
A Portarlington man who was at death's door from Covid-19 has finally recovered enough to come home.

Gerard 'Jack' McHugh from Portarlington was in hospital for the past seven months, after being rushed to Portlaoise by ambulance last April.

Nurse Gerard Hosey who works in Portlaoise Intensive Care Unit, recently completed a mammoth walking fundraiser on Jack's behalf.

He is delighted that the patient who became his friend has made it home at last, after a difficult recovery, learning how to walk again and suffering setbacks including pneumonia.

"It is with overwhelming happiness that I heard the joyous news over the weekend on the recent discharge from Portlaoise Hospital of Jack. Jack spent 32 weeks in 2 hospitals after suffering from Covid.

"He is now back home with his loving wife Patricia and family. I know I am so proud to be part of his road to recovery, along with the rest of the excellent team I work with in Portlaoise Hospital, Intensive Care Unit and the staff in the Intensive care and ECMO unit in the Mater," nurse Gerard said.

On the same week, the Nurse got to present his cheque for the 4,000 he raised, to the offices of the Mater Foundation in Dublin. Photo below.

"At this moment we think of those patients who have not been so lucky to return home and who have lost their lives to this terrible disease. May they all rest in peace and God bless their families," he said.

Read our original interview with Jack's wife about his ordeal, below.
Councillors breathed a collective sigh of relief when they learned last week that the Department for Housing, Local Government and Heritage stated it will grant Offaly County Council a sum of 1.7 million, thus making up for the big Rates shortfall caused by last year's closure of Shannonbridge Power Station.

During the October monthly meeting of Birr Municipal District all the councillors warmly welcomed the good news.

Director of Services Stephane Duclot began the meeting by saying that Area Engineer John Mitchell would present to the councillors the financial report for 2022.

Mr Mitchell talked about the current cumulative budget deficit of 1.64 million which the Department for Housing, Local Government and Heritage had said it would look after, at the last minute.

"Offaly County Council had a cumulative current deficit to the end of 2020 of 1.64 million. There was huge uncertainty in relation to the outturn for 2021. Also taking into account the effect of the global pandemic we are all living through, a significant deficit was likely."

He added that by the end of June 2021 an additional 650,000 deficit had been incurred by Offaly County Council. He said the 1.7 million last minute announcement, just before the local authority's budget meeting, was therefore very welcome.

Problems remain, however.

"As the pandemic continued, there is no additional rates income buoyancy to report in framing the 2022 rates budget. If anything, net rates income for 2022 could be lower than 2021. Other income lines (e.g. parking income, environmental charges) have declined dramatically in 2021 due to the effects of Covid and are unlikely to recover well into 2022. Budget 2022 is currently being drafted against a challenging national economic outlook."

Mr Mitchell said that it was the closure of Shannonbridge Power Plant which resulted in a reduction of 1.64m in rates income for Offaly County Council in 2021 and again in 2022, and in future years. "Discussions are ongoing with central government on this issue but currently no continuous long term central funding has been secured to replace this lost income which has arisen directly as a result of the national decarbonisation agenda.

"Offaly County Council currently estimates that additional monies may need to be provided by Offaly County Council to cover the potential inability of businesses in Offaly to pay rates in 2022. There is huge uncertainty in this area and the local government sector continues to lobby the DHPLG (Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage) on this matter.

"Consequently, discretionary expenditure in all service areas across the entire Council could face cuts in 2022."

The councillors also discussed the GMA (the General Municipal Allocation) which goes to many worthy, small community groups and was being proposed at 170,000 for Birr Municipal District. Cllr Peter Ormond said the GMA is the same as last year for the District. Cllr Eamon Dooley proposed that they go with the proposed figure. Cllr John Carroll seconded. Cllr Carroll said the sum of 170,000 may seem a bit on the small side, but from a morale point of view it is crucial.

Regarding the shortfall in rates because of Shannonbridge Power Station's closure, he said the Councillors are "shooting in the dark", in the sense that they are never sure, year on year, if they are going to get the funding from the Department. "At the moment we are having to go each year to the government with cap in hand. Afterwards, we are never sure if they have listened to us, and each year the money arrives very late.

He pointed out that since the census in 2016 the average person's disposable income has reduced dramatically in the county.

The Department's grant is very welcome, but it's not acceptable that we are now having to go to them every year and beg them. It's not acceptable that we are never certain if we will get the grant. There has to be certainty in this.

Cllr Carroll said the GMA of 170,000 is only a small part of Offaly County Council's total budget of 72 million. Birr Municipal District's budget is about 10 million of the 72 million.

Cllr John Leahy said the Council is on a knife-edge each year since it lost the rates from Shannonbridge Power Station's closure. "Because of the decarbonisation programme and the cutbacks in Bord na Mona and the ESB, life has become that bit more difficult."

Cllr John Clendennen welcomed the 1.7 million. "It was announced by Minister Peter Burke last week and was a big relief to us all, because we were worried, particularly as our County Council budget day in mid November was fast approaching. I don't mean to be cynical but if we didn't have a Minister in the Midlands would we have ever seen this funding announcement, making up for the rates shortfall?"

Area Engineer John Mitchell gave an overview of Offaly County Council's projected total spend for 2022. The Council will spend a total of 72,511,000 next year. This breaks down as follows: Staff pay: 25,774,000; Pensioners pay: 3,800,000; Income related expenditure: 23,957,000; Non discretionary spend: 12,606,000; Discretionary spend: 6,315,000.

In the Birr/Ferbane area the Council's spend breaks down as follows: "Frontline Services": Housing maintenance and estate management: 922,068; Grant-aided roadworks: 4,804,812; Discretionary Road Maintenance: 792,322; Public Lighting: 294,345; Street Cleaning and Environment Activities: 243,805; Local Fire Services - Non HQ: 607,173; Local Library Services - Non HQ: 343,101; Other Amenity - Parks, Arts, etc: 137,874; Veterinary Control: 35,989; Area Offices: 525,724; Burial Grounds: 56,375; Drainage: 20,000.

"One of the purposes of this meeting," remarked Mr Mitchell, "is to consider and agree the amount of General Municipal Allocation to the MD from central funds proposed by the Chief Executive. Typically the GMA will be spent on activities like: Community Groups: Christmas Lights; MD Civic Receptions; Local Arts Schemes, and also to leverage matched funding from other sources. This does not replace the main, strategic, non discretionary expenditure of the local authority, the spending of which will be prioritised by the members as part of the development of a schedule of municipal district works after the budget has been adopted. Areas such as County Roads, Housing Repairs are allocated after the main local authority budget meeting as is the practice.

Birr Municipal District will meet on Monday, November 8 at 2pm to consider the draft budgetary plan. Cllr Peter Ormond, Cathaoirleach of Birr MD, said it's not certain at the moment whether the meeting will be in the chamber or by zoom.

The County Council's statutory budget period is November 1 to November 30, during which the members may consider the draft budgetary plan. Offaly County Council's budget meeting is scheduled for November 15, 2021.
That was the first time he raped me, said Ana Amoros, now 72, about the day she was taken to her barracks in prison in Uruguay by a colonel after she refused to answer his questions.

Amoros is one of a group of 28 women who are former political prisoners pursuing justice for torture and sexual offenses perpetrated by the military regime that controlled Uruguay between 1973 and 1985.

UN Human Rights has documented numerous human rights violations committed during the Uruguayan dictatorship - many of which were against women - such as torture, killings and enforced disappearances.

Amoros was imprisoned for being a member of an anarchist group. The Uruguayan dictatorship banned all political parties and unions, so anyone belonging to a rival group could be detained.

She was stripped naked, tortured with a riding crop they used to hit horses, and raped, she explained. She was blindfolded, but she said she could sense there were men in the room.

I always thought that ... that if one day that happened, I was going to bite him, Amoros said. I was going to scratch him. I would hit him in the genitals. I thought I could defend myself. I did nothing, nothing.

After the regime fell in 1985, victims were unable to hold the perpetrators accountable for these crimes due to the 1986 Expiry Law, a law which gave complete impunity to military, police personnel and civilians who collaborated for systematic human rights violations committed during the Uruguayan dictatorship.

But the Inter-American Court of Human rights repealed this law in 2011, which meant the Expiry Law could no longer stop investigations or complaints of past crimes.

Twenty-five years later, these women were finally free to seek justice.

In 2011, the 28 women filed a criminal complaint before Uruguay's courts, for sexual violence and rape against more than 100 people. Recently, in March 2021, they presented their case to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

A pivotal moment for victims

This is a case of 28 courageous women who denounce human rights violations which they suffered for being women, said Jan Jarab, UN Human Rights Regional Representative for South America. It is a clear example of why a gender perspective in the investigation of such crimes, past and present, is urgently needed.

Jarab explained that UN Human Rights provided the women with support in the public hearing and has been following up with the authorities.

Immediately after the hearing, there were signs of progress in the case  in fact, the first signs of progress in years  but it is necessary to maintain the attention of the entire human rights community, not just UN Human Rights, on further developments, he said.

Jarab said this is a starting point for the Government to address other problems that impact victims of the dictatorship. He also hopes that women and other victims of the dictatorship will be inspired to come forward.

Fear and horror in prison

Ivonne Klingler, 72 and a retired doctor, was hesitant about sharing her traumatic story of being tortured and raped during her three-year detainment after living eight years clandestinely.

The first thing I asked myself was, can I talk about this? she said. Who will listen to me? Who will understand me?

In 1973, Klingler was targeted for being a member of the Communist Party. In January 1982, she was kidnapped by the police, arrested, and tortured, she said.

They showered me, and I heard around me voices of men who were soldiers that talked about what was going to happen to me, she said.

Klinger said she never thought she would get to know such a horrifying world, where the main goal was to destroy another human being only because they think differently.

"According to the torturers, we committed two serious crimes: we were women and also militants."

Time is running out

Jarab said this specific case is urgent because it has not progressed significantly for a decade. However, hes hoping for a positive outcome for the victims, which includes justice and accountability for the perpetrators.

Lucy Menendez, 67, is hoping that accountability prevails.

We could not die without people knowing the atrocities they did to us, especially the sexual abuse," she said.

But time is running out.

The victims are ageing, Jarab said. In such cases, justice delayed is justice denied.

Lucia Arzuaga Gilboy, 62, was a 24-year-old medical student when she was arrested in 1983 for being active in the Union of Communist Youth and the Association of Medical Students. She was tortured before she was sent to the Punta de Rieles Prison, she said.

Almost 40 years have passed, and I am still waiting for justice and for the truth of what happened to be recognized in my country.

28 October 2021
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NEW YORK (AP)  A New York judge on Wednesday refused to pause a vaccine mandate set to take effect Friday for the citys municipal workforce, denying a police unions request for a temporarily restraining order.

Judge Lizette Colon ruled that the citys COVID-19 vaccine mandate can take effect as scheduled while also ordering city officials to appear in court Nov. 12 to defend the requirement against a union lawsuit seeking to have it declared illegal.

Colon, whose court is on Staten Island, ruled hours after hearing arguments from lawyers for the Police Benevolent Association, the citys largest police union, and the city, which prevailed in arguing the mandate should be implemented without delay.

Police officers, firefighters, garbage collectors and most other city workers must show proof that theyve gotten at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by 5 p.m. Friday. Workers who dont comply will be put on unpaid leave starting Nov. 1. Previously, city workers were able to show proof of a negative test to stay on the job.

PBA President Pat Lynch said in a statement that the ruling sets the city up for a real crisis" and will inevitably result in fewer cops available to protect our city.

As of Tuesday, 73% of police department personnel had gotten at least one vaccine dose, Police Commissioner Dermot Shea told WPIX-TV on Wednesday. The fire department reported a vaccination rate of 68%. A firefighters union said it was holding a rally Thursday outside Mayor Bill de Blasios official residence, Gracie Mansion, to protest the mandate.

Also Wednesday, a federal appeals panel presiding in another mandate-related case seemed to be supportive of arguments that a New York state vaccine mandate for health care workers does not violate their Constitutional rights even though the mandate doesn't provide religious exemptions.

The three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals did not immediately rule, but largely seemed in agreement with oral arguments by a state lawyer. The arguments came after a Utica federal judge ruled that the mandate violated workers Constitutional rights.

In an August order, the state required at least a first shot for health care workers at hospitals and nursing homes by Sept. 27, and more recently expanded the requirement to include workers at assisted living homes, hospice care, treatment centers and home health aides.

Attorney Steven Wu, New Yorks deputy solicitor general, said under the mandate, employers can allow religious exemptions when the workers agree not to work on the front lines directly with patients. Religious exemption requests are as much as 20 to 30 times higher than medical exemption requests in the northern part of the state, Wu said.

Wu also defended the mandate's exemption for medical reasons when the threat to a worker from something like an allergic reaction to a vaccine poses as big a threat as the coronavirus. He said medical exemption requests are generally temporary in duration and affect relatively few workers.

Attorney Christopher Ferrara, arguing for medical workers, said the state had allowed nurses and doctors to continue doing what they did for 18 months when they were heroes on the front line before imposing the vaccine mandate.

He also said the state lacked data to support its positions and used claims of an emergency to impose a one-size-fits-all solution.

The plaintiffs, all Christians, oppose as a matter of religious conviction any medical cooperation in abortion, including the use of vaccines linked to fetal cell lines in testing, development or production, according to court papers.

The court papers said all of the available vaccines employ aborted fetus cell lines in their testing, development or production. But religious leaders have disagreed over the issue and the Vatican issued a statement last year saying the vaccines were morally acceptable.

In the police union case in state court, a lawyer for the city said Wednesday that officers will be given back pay if the judge ultimately sides with the police union in finding that the mandate is arbitrary, capricious and an abuse of discretion.

Lawyers for the PBA, which represents about 23,000 current and retired NYPD officers, said in court papers after Wednesday's hearing that the vaccine mandate forces officers to choose between their careers and their personal beliefs, infringing officers right to bodily integrity.

The PBA argued that some officers put on leave wont be able to afford to wait out a legal fight over the mandate and will be forced either to get vaccinated or find new jobs, which it said will mean the loss of seniority and city medical and pension benefits.

The police department on Wednesday did not provide specific answers when asked how it will manage personnel levels and public safety if one-quarter of its workforce  including thousands of officers  is put on unpaid leave for noncompliance.

In response to detailed questions, NYPD spokesperson Al Baker provided a one-sentence written statement: We will be prepared for any changes in personnel due to the mandate.
Olean, NY (14760)

Today

Light snow this evening will yield to a mostly cloudy sky late. Low 27F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 80%..

Tonight

Light snow this evening will yield to a mostly cloudy sky late. Low 27F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 80%.
An investigation by The Associated Press has found that the Myanmar military has been torturing detainees across the country in a methodical and systemic way since its takeover of the government in February
Ottumwa, IA (52501)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. High 54F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy. Low near 35F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
Ottumwa, IA (52501)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. High around 55F. WSW winds shifting to NNW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy. Low 36F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
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MANISTEE COUNTY  Its the one time of year when violating policies is generally seen as a great thing for the community at large.

While law enforcement departments in Manistee County are no stranger to the No Shave November fundraising efforts, this year another countys department issued a challenge to surrounding departments in the name of raising money for local organizations.

Around the end of September, the Mason County Sheriffs Office issued the challenge to Manistee County Sheriffs Office and two other counties on who can raise the most during October and November.

Kim Cole, Mason County sheriff, said the challenge started this month.

This year, I extended an invitation to Oceana, Lake and Manistee (county sheriffs offices) for a competition, he said. I think competition is always good, and its in good fun and its to help local charities.  Theres a lot of great charities in all four counties that could use a hand up.

Typically, departments have policies about what facial hair is considered acceptable, but during the two months, participants violate the policies and pay fines that are then donated toward a chosen organization.

Cole said the female deputies typically contribute toward the causes as well during October and November.

Brian Gutowski, Manistee County Sheriff, explained in an email how his office is participating in the fundraising.

To participate, the deputies and corrections officers have to pay a $25 entry fee and then $5 per week to violate the policy. Outside individuals or organizations that want to participate can donate by check  made out to the Manistee County Child Advocacy Center  at the sheriffs office, Gutowski said.

Not only did Gutowskis office agree to compete, but he is confident they will win.

According to a Facebook post by the sheriffs office, it pointed out the work that the advocacy center does by providing a child-centered environment for children and their families who have experienced sexual abuse or severe physical abuse.

The Manistee CAC is an invaluable tool that assists law enforcement in these types of investigations. Along with their assistance to law enforcement, the CAC also provides counseling services and other resources to victims and their families, reads part of the post.

Megan McCarthy, executive director of the advocacy center, said in an email that the center is incredibly grateful to the Manistee County Sheriff's Office for selecting our organization as their charity recipient for the No Shave November fundraiser.

The Child Advocacy Center works closely with all local law enforcement agencies every day in order to provide a coordinated response to allegations of child abuse, McCarthy said. Manistee County's law enforcement officers are dedicated and compassionate. They show this daily in their work and they also show it in their charity efforts including No Shave November. Thank you to Sheriff Gutowski and his team at the Manistee County Sheriff's Department.

McCarthy noted How fortunate we are for their leadership, partnership and their commitment to our community's children.

Last year, the sheriffs office raised $5,138 toward Manistee County Habitat for Humanity during No Shave November. Previously, the office had raised funds for the Manistee County Child Advocacy Center, Armory Youth Project and Disabled American Veterans Salt City Chapter #43.

Even though Cole is convinced that Manistee County may have a leg up on the fundraising portion of the competition, he noted that some of his deputies in Mason County are great at growing a beard.

Manistee raises a lot of money, Cole said of the fundraising by the Manistee County Sheriffs Office in previous years.

The Mason County Sheriffs Office selected Miss Sawyer's Kids With A Cause as the beneficiary this year.

Cole said previously his office had given to a food pantry, advocacy group and then last year it was the Friends of the Ludington State Park.

In 2019, we had a really tough year in Mason County on our waterways. We had seven drownings; three of them were in Lake Michigan and two of those three were at the Ludington State Park, he said. So we gave the money last year to the Friends of the Ludington State Park  They bought with those funds a really nice digital display thats at the entrance to the beach.

The display shows the water conditions.

A lot of people they come here and they vacation and they dont realize the dangers. They see a few waves on the lake and they dont see that as a threat, Cole said.

Though not officially part of the multi-county challenge, the Manistee City Police Department is also on a mission to fundraise through facial hair growing efforts.

Josh Glass, Manistee City Police Department chief, said in an email that 11 Manistee officers are participating.

We actually started it in October and will run through November. The officers essentially pay fines to violated department policy on facial hair, Glass said.

He said the Police Officers Association of Michigan and the Command Officers Association of Michigan police unions are then donating the money to Safe Harbor this year.

Safe Harbor is the sole homeless shelter in Manistee. It offers overnight shelter at its main facility at ECHO His Love, located on 525 Michael St. from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. during the winter. It provides shelter to around 25 to 30 people every night and is open to men, women and families.

Cole also encouraged other groups like fire departments to take up the challenge if members are interested and compete with other fire stations in the area as well.

RELATED: Manistee County Sheriff's Office No Shave raises $5,138 for Habitat

Safe Harbor volunteers numbers decline by half last year

Manistee men host barbecue for people who are homeless
The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriff's Office and the Midland Police Department. Compiled by reporter Tess DeGayner.

Monday, Oct. 25

11:38 p.m.  Deputies were dispatched to a Jerome Township location for a report of a dog locked in a vehicle. The log notes the vehicle was not "too hot" and it was after dark. The deputies determined the dog was not in immediate danger and they located the owner of the vehicle. The owner, a 22-year-old Jerome Township female, advised she was briefly visiting a friend and left the dog in the vehicle.

11:09 p.m.  A deputy made contact with a 20-year-old Saginaw female who reported a vehicle traveling in front of her was shining a bright light at her, and someone threw trash out of one of the car's windows. The deputy identified the vehicle but it has not yet been located. The incident is under investigation.

9:34 p.m.  Deputies were dispatched to a Jerome Township residence for a suspicious situation. The caller, a 57-year-old Jerome Township female advised she heard something growling at her door. Deputies searched the property and residence and did not locate anything suspicious.

8:33 p.m.  Officers responded to a wellbeing check request near the 3900 block of North Cambridge Street.

7:22 p.m.  Deputies were dispatched to a Larkin Township location regarding a pile of logs on the side of a local road. Deputies located the pile of the logs, but they weren't a traffic hazard. The logs were also marked with an orange barrel and sign.

6:29 p.m.  Deputies responded to a car versus deer crash in Mt. Haley Township.

4:55 p.m.  A deputy responded to a report of a 16-year-old male harassing customers in a business parking lot. The male left prior to arrival, but the deputy located him walking down a local roadway and explained "the laws" to the subject.

3:53 p.m.  Deputies were dispatched to a Jasper Township location for two subjects "messing around" in a local road and yelling. Deputies contacted the subjects and told them to stay out of the road and quiet down. The subjects said they would. This incident was closed.

2:56 p.m.  Deputies were dispatched to a storage unit facility in Hope Township regarding a damaged storage unit. After investigation, this incident was determined to be civil.

8:51 a.m.  Officers conducted a death investigation in the 1500 block of West Carpenter Road.

7:43 a.m.  A deputy was dispatched to the area of East Blackhurst Road near North Eastman Road in Larkin Township for the report of a one-vehicle traffic crash.

6:43 a.m.  Deputies were dispatched to a two-car property damage crash at a Lee Township location.

4:07 a.m.  Deputies responded to a Lee Township residence for a domestic dispute between a 27-year-old Lee Township male and his 27-year-old Midland brother. The 27-year-old brother was arrested for domestic assault and transported to the Midland County Jail, where he was lodged without incident. The victim sustained minor injuries. A report was completed and forwarded to Midland County Prosecutor's Office.

3:57 a.m.  Officers responded to a call regarding disorderly conduct near the 2800 block of Ronan Street, subsequently the subject was charged with resisting and obstructing an arrest.

2:12 a.m.  A deputy took a report from a Coleman gas station regarding a customer who failed to pay. The male driver left without paying $87.50 in fuel. He was driving a single cab truck black in color with white lettering in the back window and he was also wearing a Carhart jacket.

12:37 a.m.  A deputy responded to a Jerome Township location for a 20-year-old Jerome Township male who reported his 50 year-old female neighbor kept harassing him and showing up to his door. The male didn't want the deputy to make contact with the female; he only wanted the incident to be documented. The deputy explained to the male how to file for a personal protection order, and this case was closed.
BANGKOK (AP)  Police in the Southeast Asian nation of Laos have made one of Asias biggest-ever drug busts, seizing more than 55.6 million methamphetamine pills in a single raid. The drugs were found in the northern province of Bokeo, the state-run Vientiane Times newspaper reported Thursday.

The drugs were found Wednesday in sacks in a house that police searched after earlier discovering 10 million tablets hidden in beer crates on a truck on its way to the capital, Vientiane, the newspaper said in an online report. Information from the truck driver led them to the house, where 65 bags of crystal methamphetamine, also known as ice, were also found, it said. Lao National Radio said they weighed a total of 1,537 kilograms (3,380 pounds).
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP)  The Louisiana Senate has created a special committee to dig into complaints about the use of excessive force by the State Police, after troopers were documented in a series of beatings of Black men that have drawn attention from federal investigators.

Senate President Page Cortez told The Associated Press that he set up the seven-member advisory panel in response to requests from senators concerned about troopers' behavior. He sent a letter Thursday officially naming lawmakers to the committee. Two senators from Baton Rouge will lead the work: Republican Sen. Franklin Foil will be chairman, and Democratic Sen. Cleo Fields will work as vice chairman.

Foil intends to hold the panels first meeting in December. He expects the committee to hear from the State Police and the public with an eye toward developing recommendations for tightened laws regarding use of force that legislators can consider. The review will focus more on overall policies, rather than specific allegations of improper force, he said.

The Senate Select Committee on State Police Oversight will go over what kind of oversight the State Police has when there are reports of excessive force that may have been used inappropriately and what mechanisms they have as far as safeguards, said Foil, a lawyer and Navy officer who has worked as a military judge.

Cortez asked the panel to submit its recommendations to the full Senate by Oct. 31, 2022.

The committee is set to examine the Louisiana State Polices use-of-force policies as federal prosecutors are scrutinizing a series of beatings by troopers and whether top police brass obstructed justice to protect troopers involved in the deadly 2019 arrest of Ronald Greene.

The investigation began as a civil rights probe into Greenes death, which police initially blamed on a car crash at the end of a chase near Monroe. But prosecutors interest has since broadened to look at other beatings and whether commanders broke the law to shelter the troopers seen on long-withheld body camera video punching, dragging and stunning the Black motorist.

Officials from Gov. John Bel Edwards on down refused for more than two years to publicly release the body camera video of Greene's arrest before it was obtained and published by the AP this spring.

Greenes death was among at least a dozen cases over the past decade in which the AP found state troopers or their bosses ignored or concealed evidence of beatings, deflected blame and impeded efforts to root out misconduct.

Its behavior that dozens of current and former state troopers told the AP is part of the agencys culture of impunity, nepotism and, in some cases, outright racism.

Col. Lamar Davis, the superintendent of State Police, said he's tightened policies on the use of force, and he suggested problems were limited to the actions of a few troopers whose behavior he called appalling."

Our agency welcomes the legislative review of departmental policies and processes including the recent improvements made to our operations, training and administration over the last year, Davis said in a statement. We remain committed to the reform process.

Fields, a lawyer who requested creation of the Senate special committee, didnt return calls for comment. He previously persuaded lawmakers to set up a task force to study law enforcement training and misconduct issues. The task force's suggestions led to passage earlier this year of new restrictions on the use of chokeholds and no-knock warrants, detailed policies for use of body cameras and a requirement for police agencies to have anti-bias training for state grant eligibility.

Members of the new Senate committee come from around the state, including from the northeast Louisiana region whose State Police unit is at the heart of many of the allegations.

Sen. Katrina Jackson, a Democrat whose district includes Monroe, said one of her priorities on the committee is ensuring that the State Police can't obscure troopers' wrongdoing.

My goal is policy, said Jackson. But my goal is also policy in the area of internal affairs and what happened and how are officers able to hide body cameras and other evidence and totally cover things up.

___

Bleiberg reported from Dallas.
Hes been called Meridian Public Schools No. 1 sports fan by students and their parents, and his absence is felt while hes in the hospital battling COVID-19.

Johnny Thorington is a Meridian Public Schools bus driver and has been on the road for a long time, said one parent Melissa Halladay, noting he drove her now 21-year-old daughter when she was in school, and he now drives her 5-year-old daughter. She said her children love him.

He goes to nearly every game, Halliday said, noting his absence has been noticeable. We all call him our No. 1 fan.

Meridian Public Schools Superintendent Craig Carmoney agrees with the sentiments.

He is at every event he can go to, Carmoney said of Thorington, citing tournaments, band events and sports. He is one of their biggest supporters.

The kids know this. The softball team once made him a chair for him to sit at their games.

Hes just a graceful, humble man who would do anything to support our students, Carmoney said.

The latest update on Thorington from Tuesday was optimistic. However, the Daily News received word late Wednesday afternoon that Thorington is in the ICU at MidMichigan Health Medical Center-Midland, and doctors were discussing putting him on a ventilator.

Halladay said Thorington would do anything for people.

Hes just got a big heart,she noted.

Once she, her two children and her mother were near Charleston, North Carolina, when their car was totaled in an accident. Thorington got word of what happened.

Johnny went and picked up my boyfriend in Midland and drove all the way in his own car to pick us up and bring us back to Michigan, she said. That is the kind of guy he is.

Sanford Village President Dolores Porte heard about Thorington and hopes he is on the mend. She said she doesnt know him personally but is sending him well wishes.

If you'd like to send an e-card to Johnny Thorington in Midland, visit https://www.midmichigan.org/patients-visitors/visitor-information/e-cards/
Although Walbro LLC received variances, a tax abatement, and $400,000 in state funding toward its $11.4 million project and construction of its new facility has started, there are still challenges ahead.

It was a very hard struggle from when we first learned they had purchased a massive machine, to getting funding for the project, and now how to get it here from Germany, explained Tuscola County Economic Development Corporation Director Steve Erickson. The next challenge is how do we move such a large piece of equipment from Germany to Cass City.

The company's $6.21 million coex molding press will have to be broken down into sections, loaded on a ship. And, when the ship docks, it will have to be loaded on trains, and then trucked to the Thumb.

Trucking companies are in the process of being contacted, and checking to see if permits will be needed to move the sections by truck.

It will come in 10 huge crates," Erickson said. "They will be oversized and overweight. The railroads have been helpful, but there are still details to be worked out.

According to the preliminary schedule, the machine is scheduled to arrived in December and be installed in January 2022.

After months of negotiations between Wabro and the state of Michigan for funding, we won," Erickson said. "The machine is coming here and the funding for the expansion was secured. It was difficult because other states were also competing for this. Walbro has other plants throughout the U.S. and world. So we had our hands full to compete.

After Erickson thought everything was completed, Indiana offered Walbo a free building to house the companys press if it would take the project there.

After Indiana made that offer, Tuscola made a new counter offer. Funding was secured, a tax abatement of up to 12 years was approved by the council, and a height variance was approved.

After months of negotiations between Walbro and the state of Michigan, the company decided on Cass City for the project.

It was one challenge after another, but we were able to get it here, he said. We are excited for that.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  A Wisconsin sheriff who supports former President Donald Trump accused the bipartisan state Elections Commission of breaking the law during last year's election, taking the unusual step Thursday of detailing the allegations publicly even though no charges have been filed.

Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling called on the Wisconsin Department of Justice to investigate the commissions decision last year to tell local elections officials not to send poll workers into nursing homes to assist residents with voting during the pandemic.

The move is the latest example of Trump supporters seeking to undermine confidence in the election in a critical battleground state that President Joe Biden carried last year. The state justice department has already said it has no plans to pursue the case, the sheriff said.

In a 75-minute presentation streamed on his Facebook page, Schmaling detailed what he said was evidence collected from the Ridgewood Care Center in Racine County. Trump issued a statement encouraging his supporters to watch the presentation.

The former president has wrongly claimed that he won Wisconsin, even though there is no evidence of fraud that would have overturned his loss by nearly 21,000 votes to Biden.

Schmaling said the families of eight residents told investigators they believed their love ones did not have the capacity to vote but ballots were cast for them. Its not known who any of them voted for in the election.

I dont know how or who they voted for, Schmaling said. I didnt ask because it doesnt matter.

The elections commission, controlled by an equal number of Republicans and Democrats, in March 2020 voted 5-1 that poll workers could not be sent into nursing homes to help with voting due to a safer-at-home order issued by Gov. Tony Evers. Evers' order closed all non-essential businesses early in the COVID-19 pandemic. The order came at a time when nursing homes were severely limiting who could come into their facilities, often not even allowing immediate family members inside.

State law requires local election clerks to send so-called special voting deputies to nursing homes to give residents an opportunity to vote. After trying to make two visits, the deputies can mail absentee ballots to the residents instead.

An audit released last week, conducted by the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau, determined that the commission broke the law when it told clerks in 2020 not to send or attempt to send deputies into nursing homes. Instead, the commission directed clerks to mail absentee ballots to people in nursing homes who had requested them.

Schmaling, a Republican who was first elected sheriff in 2010 and supported Trump in 2020, said his call for an investigation into the commission's actions was not politically motivated. He said his department only got involved after the daughter of a nursing home resident who didn't think she was able to vote, but did, came to him with concerns.

State justice department spokeswoman Gillian Drummond said that all allegations of election fraud are taken seriously and thoroughly investigated, but that it was significant that the Racine County district attorney's office had not filed any charges. She said the justice department was not aware of any similar allegations elsewhere in the state.

Only four people out of more than 3 million who cast ballots in the 2020 presidential race in Wisconsin have been charged with election fraud and none of those cases are related to voting in nursing homes.

Wisconsin Elections Commission administrator Meagan Wolfe said in a statement that the discussion about special voting deputies happened over 18 months ago and all occurred in public meetings. She also referred to additional information about the topic that is available on the commission's website.

Republicans who have long been critical of the agency they voted to create, including Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, called for Wolfe to resign in the wake of the sheriff's allegations. She does not have a vote on the commission and its initial action halting special voting deputies had bipartisan support.

Wolfe brushed off Vos' statement with an additional statement later, saying it would be "irresponsible to spend any energy engaging a blatantly partisan and coordinated attempt to baselessly challenge the integrity of democracy in our great state.

Last week's audit bureau report made 48 recommendations for improvements in how elections are run, but did not find any widespread fraud or abuse that would have affected the outcome of the election. Republican lawmakers said the audit showed that the election was safe and secure," even if mistakes were made.

Wisconsin also has an ongoing Republican-ordered investigation into the election being led by former conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman. Senate Republicans this week said they were also launching an investigation into issues raised by the nonpartisan audit.

___

This story was updated to correct that the Racine County sheriffs name is Christopher Schmaling, not Charles Schmaling.
Paducah, KY (42003)

Today

Partly cloudy this morning, then becoming cloudy during the afternoon. High 58F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Considerable cloudiness. Occasional rain showers after midnight. Low 43F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
Cora Heart Crether, 64 of Palestine, died on November 10th in Tyler. Funeral service will be held Saturday at 1 p.m. at Rising Star Baptist Church in Grapeland. Burial will follow in Golden Gate Cemetery in Grapeland. The viewing will be Friday from 10 to 6 at Emanuel Funeral Home Palestine.
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Libyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has honoured the commissions, bodies and institutions that contributed to the success of the Conference on the Initiative to Support Stability in Libya, held in Tripoli on 21 October
Photo: (Photo : Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartMediamagesImages)

An initiative to encourage the relocation of new families has been launched in Greensburg, an Indiana city southeast of Indianapolis, which includes a unique incentive where free babysitting grandparents will be on hand to step in and help.

Tami and Dan Wenning are just two of the grandparent volunteers who have promised to assist the new families as they adjust and acclimate to the environment and community culture in their first year in the Indiana city. The elderly couple is part of the Grandparents on Demand, which has five sets of volunteers. However, if more families move to Greensburg, more free babysitting grandparents will be added to the program.

"We're the perfect place for somebody to raise a family," said Tami, 57, a long-time Greensburg resident. "I cannot begin to imagine moving away and being in a place where you don't have that network of people that, in a pinch, you've got somebody to rely on."

Read Also: New Jersey to Boost Child Care Costs With Subsidies and $1,000 Bonus for Workers

Make My Move Indiana City Program

The Indiana city program, dubbed MakeMyMove, also offers families $5,000 in cash gifts to cover the moving expenses. New families could also receive gift cards from the farmer's market, tickets to the local stage, as well as a year-long membership to the city's YMCA chapter.

The relocation package was designed to cater to young professionals who are permanently working from home due to the shift in workplaces brought about by the pandemic. The trend reflects a growing number of people looking to move to smaller neighborhoods where living costs are more affordable.

Two weeks after the launch, more than a thousand applications from remote workers across the U.S. were placed on the website. Evan Hock, the founder of Make My Move, said that the free babysitting grandparents' incentive had been such a big contributor to the deluge of interest.

Make My Move plans to evaluate the applications within 30 days. However, because of the generated interest, Hock and his team are finding ways to move in more people to diversify this Indiana city's economy. They also want a family who can stick to the community for the longer term.

Greensburg Mayor Joshua Marsh said the goal of the relocation program is to make families feel welcome like they have "been here a long time." The mayor said that he wants the newcomers to feel integrated, creating an "instant community" that will matter to their growth and success.

Where is Greensburg?

Nestled between Indianapolis and Cincinnati, Greensburg is home to 13,000 residents. This Indiana city is known as the "Tree City" because of its famous natural landmark at the Decatur County courthouse. Its downtown shopping center has about a dozen storefronts.

Meanwhile, neighboring communities of Greensburg have also set up different incentives to attract more residents. For instance, college towns like Bloomington and West Lafayette offer several co-working spaces and networking for new talents. Other towns also offer higher cash incentives, free after-school activities for the kids, or partial student loan payments.

Related Article: Stimulus Check: California Residents to Receive Between $600 and $1,100 for October
Photo: (Photo : DaModernDaVinci/Pixabay)

One in three kids who struggle with food allergies is most likely bullied, harassed, or teased because of their condition, a new assessment by the Children's National Hospital has shown.

According to the report, while bullying is already a problem among young people, having food allergies increases their threats by 17 percent. Of the children surveyed for the research, 31 percent said that they did experience attacks by bullies just because of their food sensitivities and aversions to certain food and ingredients.

More than a hundred kids with food allergies, between the ages of nine to 15, were asked to answer the survey, where the experts confirmed that only 12 percent told their parents about their experiences. According to lead study author Linda Herbert, the results also showed why parents or carers have no idea that bullying is a major problem for kids with food allergies, and this should raise some alarm bells.

Read Also: Peanut Allergies Treatment Program Brings Hope for Kids

Open Dialogue with the Kids

The researchers explained that food allergies are automatic roadblocks for children, so they do not need bullying to pile up on the challenges they face every single day. Herbert advised parents and carers to actively check on their kids by regularly talking about their experiences in school, especially in scenarios that involve food.

The expert said it might help to ask open-ended questions instead of directly asking the kids if they are being bullied because of food allergies. Herbert said parents could ask about who they spent lunch or recess with or how the school party went to better understand the child's experiences.

If the parents assessed that bullying did happen, they might involve school officials and the other parents, then make it clear to the children that this should not be tolerated. Teachers and staff members are also encouraged to respond to bullying incidents immediately. They also have to educate the kids about the serious health threats in people with food allergies.

Minneapolis mom, Kristin, who is also the director of the Anaphylaxis and Food Allergy Association of Minnesota, said that she teaches her son who has food allergies to be a self-advocate. This way, Vincent, her 16-year-old boy, could stand up for himself with the confidence to state what he wants to say to other people.

Additionally, parents should watch for other signs that the child is struggling with bullying but might not yet be ready to talk about it. Some of the signs may include a decline in school performance, social withdrawal, and less enthusiasm about participating in school activities.

Parents Are Also Bullied

In 2020, the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology learned in a study that bullies also target one in five parents of children with food allergies from various sources. In a survey of over 250 parents, 17 percent said they encountered incidents with the offender or the offender's parents after speaking about their children's situation.

Dr. Ruchi Gupta, who led the research, said that no parent or child should be ridiculed and bullied because of their condition. Food allergies bring "tremendous stress" on the family, and bullying makes this so much harder.

He said schools should have a management plan that includes more education from primary care doctors or allergists. The school should also assess the kids' experiences with their peers and invite parents to regular dialogues.

Related Article: Study Shows Bullying in School, Even Cyberbullying, Drop During the Pandemic
Photo: (Photo : ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

A group of Loudoun County parents in Virginia is calling for the superintendent's resignation and the school board members after they allegedly tried to cover up a sexual assault in May 2021.

According to reports, the cover-up surfaced in an email detailing that Superintendent Scott Ziegler lied about what he knew of the incident involving a 15-year-old male student who assaulted female students. Grandmother Carrie Michon called out the school officials during a meeting on October 26, stating that they buried the sexual assault incident in favor of their transgender policy.

Mom Patti Hidalgo Menders, who also leads the Loudoun County GOP Women's Club, said that because the school officials were more "concerned with pushing race and gender," they allowed a predator to attack girls at two different schools. Another mom, Erin Smith, said that the email from Ziegler should have raised the alarm bells, but the school officials failed to respond appropriately.

Read Also: Catholic School Teacher Fired by Brooklyn Diocese for Marrying a Man

The Email Content

According to the New York Post, Ziegler referred to the sexual assault in a May 28 email to the school board. However, during a meeting on June 22, the superintendent said that they do not have any records of such an incident.

Ziegler responded to the fury coming from the victim's family and their supporters following the arrest of Scott Smith, the victim's father, who confronted the officials about what happened to his daughter. Smith, who was branded as a domestic terrorist for calling out the school officials, said that "a boy wearing a skirt" attacked his daughter in the girls' bathroom, highlighting the problems of their transgender policy.

Brenda Sheridan, the school board chairperson, told the angry Loudoun County parents that they could focus on the school district's leadership changes during the gubernatorial elections in Virginia in November. However, the parents insisted that Ziegler and the rest under his team should be out of their post as soon as possible and be ready to lawyer up.

The Sexual Assaults

The protest comes as a Loudoun County judge ruled on October 26 that the 15-year-old boy, who attended the Stone Bridge High School, was guilty of forcible sodomy and sexual assault against Smith's daughter. According to Attorney Buta Biberaj, the judge found sufficient evidence against the teenager, who has remained in detention since his arrest in early October.

The 15-year-old is still awaiting the outcome of another trial because he was charged with a second sexual assault when he transferred to Broad Run High School. On October 6, the boy allegedly attacked and inappropriately touched a female student, which resulted in his arrest.

Biberaj said that the court would decide on the boy's appropriate sentence once the two separate sexual assault cases were concluded.

Meanwhile, students at Broad Run High School, Stone Bridge High School, and Riverside High School have also staged a walkout protesting Ziegler and the school board members. They said that they no longer feel safe in their schools because of the transgender bathroom policy.

Related Article: Parents React Against FBI Crackdown on Threats to School Boards for Possible Domestic Terrorism
Photo: (Photo : Carolyn Booth/Pixabayy)

A Florida model, who has thousands of followers on social media, faces a tremendous amount of backlash and criticism after doing a photo shoot right next to her dead father's open casket.

Jayne Rivera from Miami has gained popularity on social media because of her fashion, travel, and trendy posts. However, her recent upload on her Instagram account has gone viral for the wrong reasons. She posted glamour photos of herself during her father's funeral that her followers did not appreciate.

The Florida model shared at least eight snaps from the photoshoot, where she was wearing a sexy black dress for mourning. She wrote in the captions that her father was her butterfly and best friend. However, Rivera also posed for the snaps like a professional model, prompting some to call her out for her lack of discretion and disrespect for her father.

"Not cool Jayne," one follower wrote. "Your dad was a decorated vet, a photo shot by his casket should be beneath you. May he rest in eternal peace."

Read Also: Friends and Family Remember Madie Nicpon Who Choked to Death During a Hot Dog Eating Contest

No Response but Deletion

It's unclear who found out and shared Rivera's funeral photoshoot, but it made its way to Reddit's discussion board under "Cringetopia." HITC reported that she has over 300,000 followers on TikTok and over 80,000 followers on Instagram. The Florida model's other claim to fame is a dance video on TikTok, which has raked in over 11 million views.

The social media star, who also works as a fitness instructor, has not yet responded to the criticisms nor issued a statement to her followers. Rivera deleted her accounts as a result of the negative reaction to her pictures. Before that, her followers told her that they would unfollow her because of her "most horrific" post.

Rivera's controversial funeral photoshoot sparked a debate among netizens on Twitter. One person asked why it was offensive, and someone explained that a funeral should be a solemn affair to honor the dead.

"It's wrong to take such a significant ritual and turn it into a vanity fair," the netizen wrote.

Offensive? Not necessarily.



Its disrespectful. Youre there to honor the person in the casket. Not to show yourself off.



A funeral is about the person who is dead, not those in attendance.



Its wrong to take such a significant ritual and turn it into a vanity fair.  Anonymous IV (@AnonIV_Politics) October 27, 2021

However, another netizen defended Rivera's action because she chose to remember her father by doing a photoshoot. The netizen added that it was more bizarre to see strangers on the internet dog piling on the Florida model. Some commenters agreed that every person grieves differently.

whats actually bizarre is an internet stranger joining in to dog pile on a random woman for what she chooses to do with the concept of HER fathers death. And unless you can give proof of being her family members, you and everyone in this thread are very bizarre.  Overrall best in Ashawo (@always_Joan) October 27, 2021

Plea from Funeral Directors

Meanwhile, funeral directors ask mourners to stop taking selfies with the dead to post on social media. In Quebec, Denis Desrochers said that they had seen friends and relatives of the deceased taking out their camera for the snaps.

Though they have tried to ban the activity, some could still steal a few shots in. Worse, some funeral-goers take photos and use a face swap app to share comically filtered images of the dead person.

In 2017, a young woman from Mexico also sparked outrage after posting a sensual photo while waiting in the line of mourners for her grandfather's funeral. According to local reports, the girl is in the habit of posting sexy selfies on her social media account, regardless of the event.

Related Article: Indiana City Entices New Families to Move With Free Babysitting Grandparents
Last year, Bulgarian IT systems integrator SSARM was awarded a major contract to equip the countrys aviation hubs with entry-exit system-compliant (EES) border control solutions following a tender by the Bulgarian Ministry of Interior.

SSARM has since installed a secure turnkey solution at Sofia, Varna and Burgas airports in cooperation with its German partner secunet. Bulgaria has thus become one of the first countries in Europe to comprehensively prepare its busiest air borders for the EU-wide EES initiative, long before its expected launch in May 2022.

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Nikolay Dimchev, managing director of SSARM, discusses the project, its most interesting findings and the added value for passengers, border control and airports.

What exactly did you install at the airports in Varna, Burgas and Sofia and why?

The reason for implementing new border control systems is closely related to the EUs decision to introduce the EES throughout the Schengen area in 2022. By taking facial images and fingerprints, all member states will in future know better which third-country nationals are entering the EU and ensure that individual passengers do not overstay. This enhances the security for all of us.

However, the integration of these additional process steps at primary border control threatens to cause a collapse if infrastructures remain unchanged, because clearance takes an average of 40-45 seconds longer  per passenger! Therefore, process automation at all possible steps, such as at stationary border control counters, is inevitable. The Ministry of the Interior therefore decided to comprehensively modernize the border control technology and commissioned us with the implementation. We then installed  in collaboration with our project partner secunet  ABC gates, self-service kiosks as well as camera systems and fingerprint readers for the stationary counters at the three aviation hubs in Bulgaria. The technologies fulfil very different functions and are sometimes intended for different passenger groups  but all technologies together will noticeably speed up the border control process and greatly reduce the workload of the responsible officers.

Why did you decide to bring secunet on board as a partner for the EES implementation?

We have been working with secunet in the area of high-security technologies for a long time and it has consistently proven to us in previous projects that the quality of its products is not only right, but comprehensively meets the requirements of our customers. The experts at secunet simply understood the processes and requirements on the customer side well and implemented them respectively in its products. Thats why we also contacted secunet for the EES project. Although we are in an excellent position ourselves as system integrator who is very familiar with the Bulgarian market, we dont have our own product portfolio in this area.

We were also convinced by the EES solutions from secunet: they deliver EES-compliant biometric solutions, that assure the best possible quality of the biometric capture and are designed to be highly resistant to circumvention and forgery. This is extremely important, especially for unattended systems where the officer is not standing right next to them monitoring each passenger. Finally, all products have a very eye-catching, modern design  not to be underestimated considering todays innovative airport architectures.

The modernization of the border control infrastructure was certainly a major investment. What advantages does it bring for passengers, airports and border control?

The benefits are quickly summed up: passengers  wherever they come from  now have access to automation technologies at the Bulgarian airports in Sofia, Varna and Burgas. If you like, they have at least a part of their border crossing in their own hands. Thanks to intuitive user guidance and innovative security mechanisms, passengers can be sure that their data will be captured quickly and is processed securely and in accordance with data protection regulations. The high-quality biometric acquisition is of course especially important for the border police. The officers are moreover ideally supported by the technologies and not put under additional strain. And the airports benefit from the fact that despite more extensive border control processes, which actually take more time, there are no significantly longer queues and missed connecting flights. In short: With automation and process optimization, we have ensured that time limits and the increasing number of passengers under EES operations can also be thoroughly and securely absorbed.

What are your most important insights from this EES project?

Actually, we were confronted with the same challenges in the EES project as in almost every IT project: when things become more concrete than a description on paper, it is not uncommon that new or changed requirements arise from the customer side that have to be implemented in the running project at short notice. This is completely normal, and we can deal with it very well.

In the case of the EES installations, for example, we installed the most modern, secure products and had to realize that this alone was not enough. Border control projects are about more than just installing technologies. The products should optimize passenger processes and fit perfectly into the respective environment and infrastructure, which is different at every airport and at every land border. This was an important and new insight for us. In this specific case, we also have integrated functional enhancements into the current project that were not planned beforehand. The installation of glass walls between stationary and automated border control or the construction of racks for the fingerprint scanners, which otherwise would not be perfectly positioned for the passengers, are small examples. Fortunately, together with secunet, we were able to offer all new customer requirements quickly and as needed, integrated them into the project implementation and still delivered on time.

Another important insight yet certainly not new is: You must react flexibly right up to the end and remain focused on details if you want installations that fit perfectly and are also visually attractive.

Are there further points you would like to highlight?

The EES installation was our first border control project, our premiere, so to speak. We are proud and relieved that we fulfilled the task to the fullest satisfaction of the Bulgarian Ministry of the Interior. Having secunets people on board, who are very experienced, was of course an enormous advantage for us. In times of this pandemic, we learned a lot together and supported each other in the best possible way, even if we were forced to do so remotely for most of the project. Through this perfect collaboration, we succeeded in implementing the installations on time and achieving the customers declared goal: Bulgaria is one of the first countries in the EU to be equipped with an EES-compliant overall solution at the three aviation hubs, long before the official launch of the EES. We are proud of this.

To read more about the project, click here.
A first-of-its-kind proposal from Democratic lawmakers to tax U.S. billionaires on the assets they own is expected to face challenges from the super-rich, and be tough to implement, say tax experts and investors.



The proposal, set to be unveiled as soon as Tuesday, would require roughly 700 U.S. billionaires to pay taxes annually when their stocks and some other assets increase in value, according to people familiar with the matter.



Currently, such taxes are only due when the stocks are sold.



House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi says Democrats hope the plan would raise as much as $250 billion to help pay for expanding the social safety net and tackling climate change.



The provisions may be tough to implement even if they become law. Experts say some billionaires will shift their wealth away from assets that are easily tracked and taxed under the new rules to ones that are not. They also warn that a sharp market decline could give billionaires a new tax break.



"It's a stupid idea," said billionaire Leon Cooperman, an investor who warned such a law could cause "unnatural" economic reactions. "The progressives are out to lunch."



But Gabriel Zucman, a University of California at Berkeley economics professor whose research on the subject helped inspire Democratic tax proposals, said that "billionaires have lower taxes than the middle class" as a percentage of their income.



"It would be historic. It would be the most progressive tax ever," Zucman said.



Getting billionaires to pony up may be one of the ideas capable of uniting Democrats, who are trying to resolve other ideological disputes over what should be in their social spending package. The bill is a signature policy for President Joe Biden and is likely to be valued at $1.5 trillion or more over 10 years.



Biden backs taxing the wealthy and corporations more heavily and has privately supported the proposal focused on taxing billionaires, according to a person familiar with his thinking.



Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, a centrist with a virtual veto over Biden's agenda in the evenly divided Senate, said on Monday: "I'm open to any type of thing that makes people pay that's not paying now."



CHALLENGES AHEAD



The proposal, if passed, will likely face an immediate challenge in court and by taxpayers eager to evade the rules, according to tax and legal experts.



"I could potentially see people trying to get out of easier-to-value assets," said Tim Laffey, a lawyer who heads tax policy and research at Rockefeller Capital Management, which manages money for wealthy families. "Obviously, everything that's publicly traded has an established value, so maybe we see a push into alternative investments."



He also said there could be legal challenges, such as contesting whether appreciated assets that have not been sold can be treated by the federal government as taxable income.



Republicans do not support Biden's social spending bill and will also likely oppose the billionaire tax.



"They are talking about rewiring the entire economy after a couple of days' discussions on the back of an envelope," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, adding the "harebrained scheme" had not received "any meaningful study or scrutiny."



Under the plan, details of which are still being finalized, gains on stocks and other easily traded assets would be taxed only for U.S. taxpayers with over $1 billion in assets or $100 million in income for three consecutive years, according to people familiar with the matter.



The billionaires would pay capital gains rates on their gains that year rather than putting off the bill indefinitely by holding on to the assets. Losses would offset that liability. The capital gains tax for assets held over a year top out at 23.8% currently, less than the 37% maximum for regular income.



A new levy would also be placed on assets that do not trade as easily, like real estate or a stake in a business. In that case, billionaires would essentially pay a surcharge when they sell the asset.



Not all billionaires are opposed. George Soros, the investor and liberal activist, is "supportive," his spokesperson told Reuters on Monday.



A ProPublica report in June said Soros paid no federal income tax for three years in a row. Citing private Internal Revenue Service data, it said Amazon.com Inc's (AMZN.O) Jeff Bezos and Tesla Inc's (TSLA.O) Elon Musk had also been able to skirt all federal income tax liability in some years.



The new law would likely include a set of rules to ensure the wealthy comply, including giving the federal government the power to examine whether trusts, estates and other legal structures are being used to evade the tax.



Still, the proposal would put new pressure on the IRS, which enforces U.S. tax law and has been hollowed out by budget cuts and hobbled by obsolete technology.



Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt and Jarrett Renshaw; Additional reporting by David Morgan, David Randall and David Lawder; Editing by Kieran Murray and Peter Cooney

Source: REUTERS









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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Member of Parliament(MP) for Bolgatanga Central, Isaac Adongo says the country's economy has reached a point of no return with the level of hardship, fuel price increment and the excessive borrowing of the Nana Akufo-Addo-Dr. Bawumia-led government.



According to him, there should be a way out in the next budget to boost the confidence of investors who are planning to sell off their bonds and leave the country.



Speaking on Okay FMs 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, Isaac Adongo indicated that the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia government is unable to fulfil its numerous promises to Ghanaians due to the unavailability of funds.



He, however, wondered why the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia who paraded himself as the 'economic messiah' of the country has suddenly gone mute on the economic situation and rather moved to an area of digitization in which he has no expertise.



He insisted that Dr Mahamudu Bawumia is no longer interested in the dying economy of the country but has abruptly discovered his love for digitization, talking of Ghana Post, Interoperability and paperless transaction which are the brainchild of others.



" . . Dr Bawumia has run away from touted economic expertise to talk about Ghana Post, Interoperability and Paperless transactions at the Port, but the actual economic prowess he was touted for which Ghanaians trusted him for has been abandoned," he said.



You are rather fronting the achievements of others but the economy that you studied and rose to the point of a lecturer and a doctorate, you have stopped talking about it. Dr Bawumia is now championing someones brainchild called digitization; he is taking credit for a blueprint he did not develop, he chided.



Watch video below





Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Four persons, including a retired midwife, allegedly involved in the stealing and sale of babies at Atuabo and Half Assin in the Western Region, have been nabbed by the National Investigative Bureau (NIB).



An Accra Circuit Court, on Tuesday, remanded the four into the custody of the NIB.



The accused persons are: Cynthia Beyeden, a 63-year-old Retired Midwife/ Nurse, Sylvester Quashie Nyamekeh, a mason, Ediemu Bozoma, a 55-year-old trader, Cynthia Quashie, a private security and one Mr Quashie now at large.



Beyeden is facing two counts of child stealing.



They have been variously held over abetment and hindrance to the inquest.



They have all pleaded not guilty.



Prosecution led by Chief Inspector Simon Apiosornu, who held brief, prayed the court to remand the accused persons into custody pending further Investigations.



Chief Inspector Apiosornu, said the Police had received tip-offs, which would lead to the arrest of some more persons and vehemently opposed the grant of bail, saying it was premature.



The prosecution said one of the babies found was still on admission at the Police Hospital and that the accused persons could interfere with Investigations.



Mr Yaw Dankwah, who represented Nyamekeh, Bozoma and Cynthia Quashie, prayed for bail for his clients, saying they were not flight risks.



Mr Dankwah said remanding the accused persons were not founded in law, assuring that they would not interfere with investigations.



He said the accused persons had been in the custody of NIB for one month and that it was becoming difficult for them (counsels) to get access to their clients while in the custody of NIB.



Mr George Asamaney, who represented Beyeden, said the accused persons could be granted bail whiles investigations went on.



Mr Asamaney said his client had grown lean in the NIB custody and pleaded for them to be kept in the custody of the Police.



The Court presided over by Mrs Evelyn Asamoah, said considering the fact that one of the children had died and the fact that another child was on admission, it could not grant the accused persons bail.



The Court, therefore, remanded them into the custody of the NIB to reappear on November 10.



It further directed the NIB to offer the accused persons access to their lawyers.



Narrating the facts, Chief Inspector Apiorsornu, said NIB, acting on intelligence, arrested suspects Cynthia Beyejen, Ediemu Bozoma, Cynthia Quarshie and Sylvester Quarsive Nyamekeh in the Western Region.



The prosecution said Sylvester Quarshie Nyamekeh, was arrested after he tried to offer a seven-month baby boy for sale at GH80,000.00 at Atuabo to an undercover NIB personnel.



He said the Bureau's Agent feigned interest in buying the said victim and arrested him.



The prosecution said Sylvester did all the negotiation on phone with the Agent and even sent recorded video of the late victim, Nhyira, a 10-day-old baby girl to show that he was into the business of baby selling.



Sylvester mentioned Beyejen, a retired midwife as his source, it said.



The prosecution said investigations revealed that Bozoma and Cynthia Quarshie had been assisting Sylvester Quarshie Nyamekeh.



It said Bozoma and Cynthia Quashie had been keeping and taking care of the victims in their houses and later given to Sylvester Quarshie Nyamekeh for 'disposal'.



According to the prosecutor, it was also established that the late victim Nhyira was with Ediemu Bozoma, Cynthia Quarshie and one Mr. Quarshie now at large and that they claimed the victim, Nhyira, died while with them at home.



It said Bozoma, had informed Cynthia Beyejen of the death of Nhyira and Beyejen ordered Bozoma, Cynthia Quarshie and Mr. Quashie, now at large to bury Nhyira without reporting to any authority.





Source: graphiconline.com









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Zipline, the global leader in instant logistics, today celebrates five years in flight since its launch in Rwanda in 2016. The company, which on average makes a delivery every four minutes, recently surpassed 200,000 commercial deliveries, the most of any unnamed aircraft system (UAS) company to date. This marks a significant acceleration over the last year, after Zipline spent its first four years building to 100,000 deliveries.



We set out five years ago with a goal to come as close to teleportation as possiblea goal many people found crazy at the time, said Keller Rinaudo, co-founder and CEO of Zipline. Since then, weve shown not just that automated, on-demand delivery can work, but also that it can transform systems like healthcare to make them more resilientand were just getting started.



Zipline first launched blood deliveries in Rwanda in October 2016, and has since built the first and only automated, on-demand delivery service to operate at multinational scale. Its service offers a more sustainable alternative to traditional logistics systems, with one Zip producing about 30 times less CO2 emissions per mile than an average electric vehicle, according to Zipline estimates. Today, the company delivers more than 200 different products, including supplies with complex storage and transportation requirements like cold chain products, has completed 37,000 emergency deliveries and transported more than four million doses of medical products, including 90,000 units of blood products and 3.5 million vaccine doses.



In recent months, the company has significantly expanded its footprint in Africa, signing new partnerships with the Cross River and Kaduna States in Nigeria and closing an agreement to double its presence in Ghana to be capable of serving 90% of the countrys population. The company has also played an integral role in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, launching the first and only national-scale UAS delivery for COVID-19 vaccines. To date, Zipline has delivered more than 170,000 doses across Ghana. The company has also partnered with Pfizer to develop and test an end-to-end delivery solution for cold chain products. All told, Zipline has delivered millions of products to nearly 2,000 healthcare facilities.



Over the last five years, weve established instant logistics infrastructure that is more practical, sustainable and scalable than anything that came before, said Keenan Wyrobek, co-founder and CTO of Zipline. The 200,000 deliveries weve made over nearly 15 million miles of flight is a powerful testament to what weve builtand we are just getting started. I can't wait to share what's next.



To join Ziplines growing team, visit https://flyzipline.com/careers/. To learn more about the company, visit https://flyzipline.com/.





About Zipline



Zipline is the global instant logistics leader. Our purpose is to inspire possibility, transform systems and serve all people equally. We design, manufacture and operate the worlds largest automated on-demand delivery service, which to date has made more than 200,000 commercial deliveries. Zipline is the trusted partner for governments, global brands and leading health care systems. For more information about Zipline, visit flyzipline.com.





Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Organizers of the Elite Mentoring Program has begun a media tour to raise awareness about the essence of their campaign.



The Elite Mentoring program (EMP) is a Non-Governmental Organization set to equip young people with skill training, mentorship in their quest to shape the conversation around youth empowerment in Ghana, Africa and beyond.



With the vision to become the most reliable source of life transforming opportunities for the youth in Africa and beyond, the Founder of the Elite Mentoring Program (EMP) Reverend Edgar Collingwood-Williams expressed the need to guide and mentor the Ghanaian youth into fully functioning adults that can contribute to their quota to National Decisions.



He made this statement when a team of EMP members paid a courtesy call to Global Media Alliances ETV and Happy FM for possible collaboration on the vision of EMP.



Management of ETV and Happy FM gave officials of EMP the assurance to partner them for the latters future programs.



The leadership of the NGO in return expressed profuse thanks for the warm reception.



Other activities of the foundation will be outlined on all EMP social media platforms and official website- www.emp-gh.com

Source: Kofi Aduonum









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Head of Linguistics at the University of Ghana, Professor Kofi Agyekum, has advised the youth in Ghana to develop the right qualities towards work.



Addressing Ghana's unemployment rate, Professor Kofi Agyekum, popularly called Opanyin Agyekum, was alarmed by the attitudes of some employees at the workplaces.



He recounted instances where a customer service employee lacks respect for customers of an organization which employed him or her and also where an employee has little to no respect for reporting to work on time, stating all these habits among others are "employment killers".



Offering a word of advice to the youth, Opanyin Agyekum called on them to imbibe these virtues: attitude, energy, timeliness, interest and commitment.



He explained that the youth should have the right attitude to work, not become indolent, stay committed and have interest in what they do which, he believes, will lead to a better work output.



He also encouraged the youth to be interested in the entrepreneurial and agricultural sectors to help resolve the unemployment situation in the country.





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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Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr has revealed that he has been trying since 2017 to schedule an interview with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.



He said all efforts have failed but that he was proud that another journalist in the person of Peace FMs Kwami Sefa-Kayi had been able to do so. I want to commend Chairman General, what I have wanted to do and failed, he (Sefa-Kayi) has been able to do. Kwamo, over the last five years, I have done all it takes to be able to interview the president and I havent succeeded. Im telling you.



I dont know what you told him or did, I have tried all I could but have failed, so I commend you. You have achieved what I failed to do, Pratt said while speaking on Peace FMs Kokrokoo programme last week.



President Akudo-Addo was hosted on the show by Sefa-Kayi, in an interview that spanned different sectors of governance and party politics.









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Chiefs who thwart investigations into rape, defilement and other criminal cases and settle them in their palaces will suffer swift and ruthless consequences, DCOP Edward Kwateng, Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the Volta Regional, has warned.



He made it clear at a Meet-The-Press session in Ho yesterday that chiefs do not have any mandate whatsoever to settle such cases.



The regional police commander also warned pastors who meddled in police investigations to desist from that conduct in their own interest.



DCOP Kwateng revealed that since the beginning of this year, 14 people had been sentenced to a total of 140 years in jail for sex-related offenses in the region while four robbers were caged for a total of 82 years.



Five others convicted of human trafficking have been sentenced to a total of 24 years imprisonment and fines adding up to GH 25,840.



He said that the Volta Regional Police Command was maintaining an uncompromising stance to prevent crime and make the region safe for the people and the business community.



In that vein, the regional police commander said that any individual or group whose unruly conduct disturbed the public peace would be made to face the full rigors of the law.



He said that the Volta Region was one of the peaceful regions in the country and that the police would continue to adopt and implement strategic initiatives at operational and tactical levels of law enforcement to enhance security in the region.



Meanwhile, DCOP Kwateng announced that police officers in the region had benefitted and were still receiving training in the area of high-risk law enforcement while personnel of the Criminal Investigations Department had also trained in crime scene investigations, anti-human trafficking, and cyber-related crimes.



There is no doubt that the training is manifesting positive results in sensitive criminal cases, he added.



DCOP Kwateng touched on the recent activities of secessionists in the region and gave the assurance that with the collaboration of other sister security agencies situation was now under control.



He renewed his appeal to the public to promptly volunteer information to the police on suspicious characters to speedy action.





Source: The Ghanaian Times









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Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin has served a notice to a US-based Ghanaian lady, Maame Afua Adom-Boakye over a defamatory statement she made against him.



He is warning the woman to retract the offensive defamatory statement and apologise within 48 hours else he will sue her.



According to Eugene, the allegations made by the woman are without an iota of truth and have lowered his person in the eyes of right-thinking members of the public.



He has therefore given the lady an ultimatum to render an unqualified apology within 48-hours of the publication of the 26 October dated statement.



The statement signed by his counsel, Lawyer Gary Nimako Marfo of Marfo and Associates hinted of legal action if she does not make use of the window afforded her.



We are instructed to bring the following to your attention;



That your publication that As far as I am concerned, EUGENE ARHIN is a THIEF is defamatory of our client as same was made without any basis.



That no Court has convicted him of the crime of thievery and there being no evidence of same, you have no basis to call him a thief.



That it is absolutely regrettable to say the least the ill-mannered and unprintable language with which you described our Client that his thievery has become apparent is most unfortunate,



We wish to respectfully inform you that our Client denies the criminal allegation of thievery and challenges you to prove same.



In the absence of your so-doing, we are instructed to demand an immediate unqualified apology for the defamatory publication made on your Facebook wall on or before 28th October 2021.



Please be informed that we have our Clients firm instructions to use all the available legal remedies to vindicate his grievances without further recourse to you should you fail to comply with our request within the period stated supra, excerpts of the statement read.



Maame Afua Adom-Boakye is quoted to have alleged in a social media post that Eugene Arhin was using his office to create wealth for himself.



Our politics is a funny thing. The boldness with which we pilfer and bribe our way up the ladder is laughable.



Can he prove the sources of donors to his foundation? As far as I am concerned, EUGENE ARHIN is a THIEF. Until an independent probe is launched into his dealings to prove otherwise, no one can tell me his ex wifes claims are false!



But will that ever happen? Absolutely not. Because amassing wealth through illicit means comes with the job. Almost everyone is doing it. And yes, theres no one under Gods sun who can write memos and speeches for the president BUT him. Lol.



The reason he will always remain on my radar is because hes the one scapegoat amongst the lot whose thievery became apparent!



Years from now, his aS$-kissers will tell you hes a MILLIONAIRE and so no one dares question him. Anokwa! she said.

Source: Daily Guide









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President Buhari has said that 12 million children in the country are traumatized and afraid of going to school due to the rate of abduction in the country.



The President disclosed this during the opening of the Safe School Programme in Abuja on Tuesday, October 26.



Represented at the event by his Chief of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, the President also said it had been tough dealing with security challenges in the country.



The incessant attacks on the countrys education system such as kidnapping, abduction of pupils/students, increased activities of insurgence and general insecurity in our schools have exacerbated many factors responsible for the growing number of out-of-school children.



It is disheartening to note that even when the abducted students are released, the trauma of the incidences remain long in their minds; hence the plan to have teachers trained on psycho-social support.



There are more than 12 million children currently traumatised and afraid of going to school, especially the girl child.



I must tell you that it has been tough dealing with these security challenges and their effect. Moving forward, our faith in the nation is unshaken. We have been strong, determined and robust in order to enhance the security of learning institutions.



Permit me to share with you a report released by S.B Morgen which revealed that a total of 1,462 learners and education personnel were abducted between 1st December 2019and September 2021 in school-related abductions, as well as home and community-related abductions of learners and teachers.



A total of 17 lives of teachers and learners have been lost in these abductions. On the other hand, for learners currently in school, the fear and trauma created by having their fellow students and friends attacked has impacted negatively on the quality of schooling as concentration and attention span for learning in such conditions have certainly waned.''the President said









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As part of the annual celebration organized by Dash AM Foundation, the ALL( A Living Life) STAGE festival is an innovative festival which seeks to empower the youth and even children to become great problem solver and innovators.



The very first of its kind, ALL STAGE1; which was launched in October, 2020. The theme of the ALL STAGE1 was Unleashing Potentials to Inspire Social Change The festival saw a massive attendance as being the very first. The festival was held at the Dash AM Recreational Centre at Aveshieve, Wudoaba in the Volta Region.



For this years festival ALL STAGE2, it is themed Social Inclusiveness for Rural Communities Young Innovators, the way to a sustainable future. It is planned to span from October to November, 2021 with several activities including COVID-19 campaign in rural community schools, education on Teenage Pregnancy, ICT training and Sustainable Agricultural development.



On the 25th October, 2021, the Dash AM team visited the Keta RC Mixed Basic School,located at kedzikorpe,Keta with the Covid-19 campaign. They enlightened the students and the teaching staff on the status of the pandemic across the world and in Ghana. They also encouraged them to continue to keep practicing the needed protocols such as hand washing with soap under running water, the use of nose masks and keeping social distance.



The founder of the Dash AM foundation, Dorothy Afi Amelor who was present at the COVID-19 campaign program encouraged the school community to be ambassadors to spread the news to their households and the entire community to continue to practice the protocols. This battle we are fighting with the pandemic cannot not be won by just a certain group of people, we all need to accept that it is a battle for the entire humanity to fight she said.



Madam Cynthia Vuvor, on behalf of the teaching staff of the school who called on the Dash AM Foundation to extend their programs to her school applauded the commitment of the foundation, stating that she appreciates the wake up call. She promises to do her best with her team to make sure they play their role to make the fight against the Covid-19 become a success.



The Dash AM team climaxed the activity by donating reusable nose masks and face shields to the school.









Source: Peacefmonline.com









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A US-based Ghanaian lady, Maame Afua Adom-Boakye has rendered an unqualified apology to the Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin.



Beating a hasty retreat a day after Eugene served notice on her, the lady at the centre of the storm indicated that she was misread.

According to her, she did not mean to say what the context of her Facebook post sought to suggest thereby she was apologising for the post.



In a letter written to the lawyer of Eugene Arhin, the apologetic lady stated that I refer to your letter dated October 26, 2021.



I wish to sincerely apologise to your client Eugene Arhin on the Facebook post I made October 25, 2021.



I feel oblige to say, also, that the interpretation which Mr. Arhin has put on my post, plausible though it may be, does diverge considerable from the context which I made and intended it.



That not withstanding, I understand his concern and displeasure (as well as yours) over my post, particularly since Mr. Arhin has never been prosecuted or found guilty of stealing anything in Ghana and elsewhere.



Accordingly, I retract my post together (both here and on Facebook) with my true imputation which they may carry in respect of him.







Source: Daily Guide









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The Director of Communications for the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Yaw Buaben Asamoa has declared the 2020 elections as the best election organized in the history of this country.



He added that the Chairperson of the EC, Jean Mensa, was right to tout her achievements at the High-Level Meeting of the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Winneba.



Yaw Buaben made these comments during an interview with Don Prah on the Epa Hoa Daben show.



I believe the 2020 election is the most credible election ever. I agree with the EC chair. This election was one of the best elections ever. This is the election that they registered voters in six months even though the NDC was against it. Even in a year, the NDC did not want to accept the registration. They resisted with all their will. They mobilized political parties with them for a year and then the EC within 6 months, in the face of COVID, registered people successfully. There was also a quiet and peaceful election also because the President was against vigilantism during the election. The government also paid for all expenses for the election.



EC boss Mrs. Jean Mensa in a High-Level Meeting of the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Winneba, Central Region described the 2020 elections as historic for the transparency, credibility, cost-effectiveness, the high turn-out and the peaceful conduct that characterized it.



According to her, the 2020 election is an inspiration for other countries in the sub-region.



Some have, however, opined that the 2020 election in December is not an event worth emulating as it was characterized by so many controversies.













Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has pledged to revisit the referendum to amend Article 55 (3) of the Constitution to pave the way for direct election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies Chief Executives (MMDCEs) by Ghanaian voters.



Speaking at the opening of a three-day orientation for confirmed MMDCEs in Accra yesterday, he said, the government in line with its commitment to the matter would continue to work for a broad national consensus on this issue.



Should such a consensus be attained for the repeal of Article 55(3), and an agreement reached for political parties to participate in and sponsor candidates for election in the MMDCEs at any point during my tenure of office as President of the Republic, the matter would be brought back to the front burner of public discourse for the necessary action to be taken, he said.



The orientation which was for the 250 MMDCEs who had been confirmed out of the 261 nominated, was on the theme Effective leadership for local economic transformation and improved service delivery in Ghana.



The referendum was expected to take place in 2019 but was suspended due to a lack of consensus between the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the opposition National Democratic Congress.



While the NPP wanted political party-sponsored candidates to contest in the election of MMDCEs, the NDC wanted the election to be held without partisan politics.



President Akufo-Addo said his administration was still be committed to the referendum on the partisan election of the MMDCEs because it would lead to a deepening of accountability.



Noting that MMDCEs were pillars of local development, he charged the appointees to work diligently to support efforts by sector ministers to deliver the policies of the government.



He promised that common fund allocations would be regular and on time but they should work to increase internally generated funds and use them judiciously to execute local projects.



I will not hesitate to disappoint any MMDCE who fails to live up to expectation, he said.



President Akufo-Addo advised them to respect Regional ministers; ensure peace and security in their areas and declare their assets by the next three months as required by law.



The chairman of the Council of State and Paramount Chief of Juaben Traditional Area, Nana OtuoSiriboe II, advised the MMDCEs to avoid confrontation with the traditional leaders, Members of Parliament and Ministers but collaborate with them to work.



While urging them to be selfless in service, he encouraged them to form a closer bond with the citizenry in order to appreciate their concerns and address them.



The Minister of Local government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, Daniel Botwe, said the orientation was to enlighten the appointees on government policies and programmes and local management tools to enable them to work effectively.



He said the ministry would continue to drive the governments decentralization agenda through policy direction.



The Volta Regional Minister and Dean of Regional Ministers, Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, said they were expecting a renewed commitment, citizen-centered and result-oriented leadership from the MMDCEs to achieve the presidents local level agenda.



The Obuasi East DCE, Faustina Amissah, said the MMDCEs would work hard to enhance local development to justify their appointment.





Source: The Ghanaian Times









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Former General Secretary of the Convention People's Party (CPP), James Kwabena Bomfeh, has sent a caustic reply to Ex-President John Dramani Mahama over his allegations against the Eelctoral Commission of Ghana.



Ex-President Mahama has been accusing the Electoral Commission of election malpractices during the 2020 general elections, alleging the Commission padded votes in favor of President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.



The former President claims the EC used soldiers to intimidate his polling agents and stuffed 1 million ballots to get Nana Addo to become President for the second time.



"2020 was Ghanas worst election. If I was marking her, I would have given her an F. She is marking her own paper after the examination so she can give herself any mark she likes.



Tell me which election in Ghana was ballot papers printed yet one million ballot papers were found elsewhere...We didnt witness this under Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan. She [Jean Mensa] knew there was ballot stuffing," Ex-President Mahama is quoted on 3news.com.



His allegations have invited the EC's response as the Commission, during its 'Let the Citizen Know' series, has challenged him to provide evidence to susbtantiate his claims.



''The Former President has said the EC thumb printed 1million ballots in favour of the president. This is untrue. This is a grave matter that undermines the credibility of our electoral process and should not be ignored. We call on him to provide evidence to support his claim."



The Commission has referred the allegations to the Police for investigations saying ''this is not a matter to be ignored and we call on the Ghana Police Service to investigate this".



Touching on the issue on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' programme, James Kwabena Bomfeh, also known as 'Kabila', asked the former President why he kept such valuable piece of information from the Supreme Court when he petitioned the court to cancel the President's legitimacy, if indeed the 1 million ballot stuffing is indeed true as Mr. Mahama holds.



Kabila reminded Ghanaians of what transpired in the court saying the President and his party went to the Highest Court with two major claims which were that none of the Presidential candidates attained the 50+1 votes to emerge victor in the elections and that there was vote padding.





On vote padding, the party presented to the court 5,662 ballots which they said were overvoting for President Nana Addo.



"Former President Mahama, I just want to ask you, you had this knowledge of 1 million votes but didn't present it. You rather presented 5,662. Did you want to win a case?'', Kabila questioned.



He charged Mr. Mahama to live an exemplary life of a leader and stop meddling in ''street politics'' stressing ''you find answer on the street and invite us to discuss it. Former President, if you understand the burden of responsibility of leadership, I beg you won't do that. You will not!''



He reiterated that ''nobody in Ghana and I mean nobody can rig elections''.

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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China has stated that Taiwan has no right to join the United Nations, after the United States made a call for the democratic island to have greater involvement in the world body.



In a statement marking 50 years since the UN General Assembly voted to seat Beijing and boot out Taipei, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday October 26, he regretted that Taiwan had been increasingly excluded on the world stage.



As the international community faces an unprecedented number of complex and global issues, it is critical for all stakeholders to help address these problems. This includes the 24 million people who live in Taiwan, Blinken said. Taiwans meaningful participation in the UN system is not a political issue, but a pragmatic one, he said.



That is why we encourage all UN member states to join us in supporting Taiwans robust, meaningful participation throughout the UN system and in the international community.



Taiwan has become a democratic success story, Blinken said. We are among the many UN member states who view Taiwan as a valued partner and trusted friend.



Blinken pointed to Taiwans exclusion from meetings associated with the International Civil Aviation Organization and the World Health Organization. He noted that Taiwan was hailed for its world-class response to Covid-19  which largely spared the island after early intervention  and that tens of millions of passengers go through Taiwanese airports each year.



China considers Taiwan where nationalist forces fled to in 1949 after losing a civil war to the communists, to be a province awaiting reunification, by force if necessary.



Chima responded to Blinkens statement, emphasising its position that Taiwans government had no place on the global diplomatic stage.

Taiwan has no right to join the United Nations, Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office in Beijing, told reporters.



The United Nations is an international governmental organisation composed of sovereign states Taiwan is a part of China.

The latest statement adds to an escalation of diplomatic rhetoric and military posturing over Taiwan.



US President Joe Biden last week told a televised forum that the United States was ready to defend Taiwan from any Chinese invasion.













Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A former clerk to Parliament, Emmanuel Anyimadu, has kicked against the Speakers directive for MPs to publicly vote on the controversial anti-gay bill before Parliament.



Alban Bagbin on Tuesday directed that committee sittings, debates and voting on the passage of the proposed Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021 will be made public to ensure transparency and inclusiveness.



Reacting to the comment on The Asaase Breakfast Show on Wednesday (27 October), Anyimadu said secret voting is ideal.



 It would have been better to ask members to vote secretly, after all we have a way of doing it, everybody will have a stance on marking or picking whether they are in favour of the bill or not, Anyimadu said.



At the end of the day the papers that are picked are counted. But then they have decided that this is how they want to go and once the decision has been taken, that is if leadership has met on the matter and they have agreed that this is how they want to do it, they can go ahead and do it. I dont see anything wrong with it. But personally I would have advised that it should be done privately or secretly, he added.



Anyimadu, however, admitted the speakers stance may have been influenced by some background deliberations.



It will be very difficult for a Speaker to come publicly to speak the way he spoke, otherwise somebody might get up from the floor and even challenge what he said. So, I have a strong belief that something might have gone on, he added.



Background

Bagbin has directed that committee sittings, debates and voting on the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021 (anti-LGBTQ+ bill) will be made public to ensure transparency and inclusiveness.



Welcoming MPs from recess to commence the third meeting of the first session of the eight Parliament on Tuesday (26 October), Bagbin gave the assurance that all stakeholders and interested parties will be given the opportunity to share their opinions on the bill.



The Parliament of Ghana is capable of handling the situation. Ill assure citizens of this country that well create the enabling environment for all to put across their views. At the end of the day the processes of the House will determine the outcome, Bagbin said.



And when that is done, Im convinced that the law that will come out of this, will protect the culture and values of our people and the Ghanaian identity.



The law agrees that we also take into consideration the human rights and freedoms that have been guaranteed under our constitution and its a law that takes into consideration the richness of the common sense, human decency and morality, fact and logic. And at the end of the day its a law that will bring and transform this country into something else. Lets allow all stakeholders to participate in the deliberations of this House, he said.



He added: I know Ghanaians are expectant and I know weve over 100 petitions before the committee of constitutional, legal and parliamentary affairs. Its not only Africa but the whole world is looking for the outcome of this bill, so well not just allow people to come and delay the process. Well make the process public and the decision of this House will be public. Well want to know where each Member of Parliament stands.



Violation of human rights

A group of 18 prominent Ghanaian citizens has rejected the anti-gay bill in Parliament, saying it constitutes an impermissible invasion of the inviolability and human dignity of the LGBTQI community.



The first reading of the anti-LGBTQI Bill took place on 2 August 2021 in Parliament, and its consideration is expected to resume in November 2021.



It was initiated by some six MPs, led by the opposition MP Sam George. The new law seeks to criminalise lesbianism and sex between men in Ghana.



The group of prominent citizens, led by the renowned legal practitioner Akoto Ampaw, said the anti-LGBTQI Bill violates all the fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the 1992 constitution. The group said that, if passed into law, the proposed legislation would send Ghana to a dark age of lawlessness.



The bill violates virtually all the key fundamental freedoms guaranteed under the constitution, namely the right to freedom of speech and expression, the right to assemble, freedom of association and the right to organise, the right to freedom from discrimination and the right to human dignity, Ampaw said at a press conference on Monday (4 October).





Source: asaaseradio.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Mr. Dawood has been accused of alleged incest and abortion with his biological daughter. Mr Kojo Quansah, the Regional Secretary of the NDC, confirmed the suspension in an interview with the media in Assin-Fosu on Monday.



He said Mr Dawood's suspension was in line with the Party's Constitution on misconduct and anti-party behaviour.



"Now, we want to put it on record that Mr Dawood is suspended as the Regional Communications Officer until further notice," he said and noted that the NDC could not pretend to be unconcerned about the incident.



Mr Quansah said the decision was taken after a thorough investigation and information from the Ghana Police Service, the victim and the mother, stating that "the NDC will not cover up anything."



He said as a leading political force in Ghana, the NDC regretted the alleged act and expressed strong optimism in the Party's unflinching quest to, at all times, uphold the rights and freedoms of all manner of persons without prejudice.



"The Party is not pleased with the alleged misconduct of Mr Dawood because it vehemently frowns on such attitudes, especially in his former capacity as the Regional Communications Officer.



"Though the alleged incident concerned one person, its rippling consequences cast a slur on the Party and its leadership," he stated.



Mr Dawood was reported by his former wife to the police for allegedly having sex with his daughter multiple times, leading to a pregnancy.



He allegedly contacted a quack doctor, who performed an abortion on the victim.

According to a petition submitted by the victims mother, Mavis Ayitey to the Central Regional Police Command, the suspect had allegedly engaged in the act since the girl was 15.



She is now 16 years,



The father, Mr Dawood, has been forcibly having sexual affair with the daughter since at the age of fifteen years (Incest) and even had an abortion with her and warned her not to inform anyone else he will make her life miserable, the petition read in part.



According to details contained in the same petition, the victim who could not bear the pain of the fathers actions anymore, on Friday, August 24, 2021, confided in her schools Housemaster.



The school official then invited the girls grandmother, with whom she was staying at Swedru and informed her about the victims ordeal, and they reported the case to the police.







Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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60-year-old highlife musician, Nana Addo, has said, he has been neglected by the ruling New Patriotic Party, despite contributing to the electoral success of the party.



The edan ntese adaka hitmaker who was speaking in an interview with Kumasi-based Kessben FM, revealed how he ended up using a loan secured to fix his faulty taxi which he was feeding from, to compose a campaign song to help the presidents electoral course.



I bought a Taxi after I returned from Asia so I was working as a Taxi driver at Bantama but unfortunately the engine of the car broke down and I had to go for a loan of GHC2000 to get a new engine and fix the car.



When I went for the loan, it was around the 2020 Elections. I had a dream where I saw Nana Addo as the president who made railway transport in Ghana very active. I decided to use the Ghc2000 loan to do a piece of music for Akufo-Addo, he said.



Nana Addo went on to say that after contributing to the campaign of the NPP, he has not received any benefit for his contribution and he is currently having issues finding a decent accommodation as he could not renew his rent which expired recently.



According to the musician, he eventually had to sell his taxi for a paltry GHC3,000 to repay the loan he took back in 2020.



"After the elections, I have not heard of them and life has been extremely difficult. My landlord has evicted me from his House, someone in Nkoranza has given me a small room where I currently stay.



Im therefore using your medium to plead to the general public to come to my aid, he added.



He, however, debunked certain assertions that musicians in the days lived a life of extravaganza at the expense of saving for their retirement.



Contrary to that he said the music industry back in time was not with high economic benefits.



During our time, there wasnt too much money in the music industry. And also it was a time where piracy was at its peak. You will do the music and some other people will make recordings of it, put your name on it, and be selling them, he stated. "After the elections, I have not heard of them and life has been extremely difficult. My landlord has evicted me from his House, someone in Nkoranza has given me a small room where I currently stay.



"Im therefore using your medium to plead to the general public to come to my aid, Nana Addo stressed.

Source: ghanaweb.con









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has entered into partnership with the Grow, Unite, Build Africa (GUBA) for the 2021 awards intended to celebrate a centenary of the demise and legacies of Yaa Asantewaa, the Asante Queen Mother of Ejisu and the last African woman to lead a major war against the British colonial powers in 1900.



The awards, according to GUBA, will be heralded with a cultural durbar at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi on November 7, with the main awards ceremony slated for November 8, 2021 at the Accra International Conference Centre.



A letter from UNFPA to GUBA on the upcoming awards, said UNFPA recognizes the importance and critical role of women in the development of any nation, and has therefore accepted to partner GUBA for the awards.



The letter noted that the UNFPA, having reviewed the works of GUBA over the years, and realizing the organizations focus on the resilience of women, promoting greater economic, social and cultural cooperation between Africa and the African diaspora, has been convinced that the collaboration will go a long way to inspire women to achieve more in their fields of endeavor.



UNFPA delivers a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young persons potential is fulfilled while the girl child is empowered, the letter said.



Receiving the support, GUBA Enterprises President and CEO, Dentaa Amoateng MBE, lauded the partnership between GUBA and UNFPA and said the support will further increase the success of the awards this year.



This partnership is a great motivation for us at GUBA because we find similar synergies and share similar aspirations in the works of the UNFPA. This support is a big deal for us at GUBA, Dentaa noted.



2021 marks exactly 100 years of the death of Yaa Asantewaa, the last African woman to lead a major war against colonial powers in 1900, where she played the role of the Commander-in-Chief of the powerful Asante Empire.



These events will observe an important moment in African history, one that is unique to the relations between the Republic of Ghana and the Republic of Seychelles and is expected to host several high-profile personalities from the diaspora.



While celebrating Yaa Asantewaa, the awards will also recognize the contribution of Black women in the diaspora and Africa.



The 2021 GUBA Awards will also raise awareness on maternal mortality and call for measures to ensure safe child delivery across the continent.





About the Theme



The year 2021 marks a centenary of the death of Nana Yaa Asantewaa, an Asante Queen Mother and the last African woman to lead a major war against colonial powers in 1900, where she played the role of the Commander-in-Chief of the powerful Asante Empire. After the war, Yaa Asantewaa was captured and taken to Seychelles in exile, where she lived until her demise on October 21, 1921.



This year marks exactly 100 years of her transition.



GUBA seeks to promote greater economic, social, and cultural cooperation between Africa and the African diaspora through harnessing the power of the African youth to advance the socio-economic interests of the continent.



This years events has seen several collaborations and supports from high profile organizations, including the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture, Ghana Tourism Authority, GNPC, ECOM among others.

Source: Naomi Obenewaa Abrokwa/Peace News









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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Willis Brown of Brown Schneider Farms did some entertaining of his own at the first Penticton Farmers Market of the season in April.
Shawn and Amy Souza called their daughters assignment to explore the industrial revolution and the way children were treated as gruesome.
Eastbound Happy Valley Road was closed until about 10 a.m. Oct. 20 after a road rage shooting in the area.
Peru, IN (46970)

Today

Cloudy skies this morning will become partly cloudy this afternoon. High 48F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early, then off and on rain showers overnight. Low near 35F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
Logansport, IN (46947)

Today

Rain and snow tapering off this morning. Decreasing cloudiness for the afternoon. High 47F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Cloudy skies. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low around 35F. Winds light and variable.
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President Joe Biden signed his $1 trillion infrastructure deal into law Monday on the White House lawn, hailing it as an example of what bipartisanship can achieve.
Update 10/28/2021: A 24-year-old warehouse worker has been arrested on charges of murder, weapon possession, and hindering his own arrest,



Willem's brother has launched a A 24-year-old warehouse worker has been arrested on charges of murder, weapon possession, and hindering his own arrest, Bicycle Retailer reported today . Christian V. Giron was a co-worker of Jeanette Willem at Jamis. Prosecutors say Giron used a hammer as his weapon and stole Willem's credit cards as well as a company credit card, drove home and changed his clothes and then returned to the office where he called 911. They say he confessed to the crimes at the Northvale police department soon after.Willem's brother has launched a GoFundMe campaign to assist with the family's memorial and travel costs.

Jamis Bikes announced today that a suspect has been taken into custody in the murder investigation following an employee's death. The body was discovered early this morning at Jamis' headquarters in Northvale, NJ.The victim, Jeanette Willem, was a Jamis employee for 20 years and a beloved wife, mother, and friend in the bike community, Jamis said in a press release. "We are devastated," the brand wrote.Jamis has also requested that the privacy of Willem's friends and family be respected. The company's offices will be closed until November 1.The Bergen County's Major Crimes unit and the Northvale Police Department continue to investigate the incident. They believe that the suspect taken into custody was the only individual involved in the killing, Bicycle Retailer reported We will update this story as more information becomes available.Our sincere condolences from Pinkbike to everyone affected by this tragic, senseless act.
Poker Philanthropist Gershon Distenfeld Wins WSOP Bracelet, Pledges All Winnings to Charity ($204K)

October 28, 2021 Brandon Bloom

On the third and final day of Event #48: $1,500 Shootout No-Limit Hold'em at the 2021 WSOP, a champion was crowned as Gershon Distenfeld defeated Johan Schumacher after a back-and-forth heads-up battle for $204,063 and his first World Series of Poker bracelet.

The event attracted 800 entries who created a prize pool of $1,068,000, with the majority of that money awarded to the ten players who navigated their way to the final table. Ari Engel and Thomas Boivin were among those to win their first two tables, but ultimately come up short for the coveted prize.

As he did with the winnings from his domestic Main Event final table last year, Distenfeld has pledged to donate his entire score to various charities and hopes he can inspire other members of the poker community to be more philanthropic when possible.

"My wife Aviva and I have been blessed with financial means and it's a core value of ours to give both our money and our time to help make the world a better place," Distenfeld said earlier this week.

"Id love to offer a challenge to every bracelet winner to give away 1% of their money to the charity of their choice. Theres no lack of needs out there. If I could have a lasting impact in the poker community, it would be that," he added today.

Event #48: $1,500 Shootout No-Limit Hold'em Final Table Results

Place Player Country Prize (USD) 1 Gershon Distenfeld United States $204,063 2 Johan Schumacher Belgium $126,133 3 Jonathan Betancur United States $94,270 4 Orson Young United States $71,142 5 David Tran United States $54,217 6 Sohale Khalili United States $41,728 7 Ari Engel Canada $32,439 8 Thomas Boivin Belgium $25,473 9 AP Garza United States $20,208 10 Craig Trost United States $16,197

Gershon Distenfeld

On his bracelet win, Distenfeld said: "Ive always dreamt of winning one, and its one of those things you think is never going to happen. I just dont know what to say. I even teared up a little bit which is not very like me."

"I want to thank my family for showing up and surprising me. My brother-in-law and sister-in-law Sam and Jen Goldstein. They came and rooted me on, it was great. I wanted a rail so last night I offered a bunch of my friends to fly them in today and no one could do it."

"Id love to offer a challenge to every bracelet winner to give away 1% of their money to the charity of their choice."

"Theres one person who always told me I was going to make a final table and would come no matter what, and he, unfortunately, passed away. His name is Yonky Berger. Id like to dedicate my win to him. He was one of my biggest supporters, and I have a lot of supporters..."

"Theres no doubt he would have flown out this morning had he been alive and healthy, so I want to dedicate my bracelet win to him."

Distenfeld, a backgammon player by trade ("I think I'm much better at backgammon") credits poker pro Jonathan Little for helping his poker game, after the latter volunteered to help Distenfeld prepare for the 2020 WSOP domestic final table where he ultimately finished in eighth place for $125,885.

Learn more about Gershon Distenfeld

Gershon Distenfeld and Johan Schumacher

Final Table Action

Ten players started the day with nearly even stacks and it wasnt long before the first player was eliminated in a cooler. Craig Trost got his stack in preflop holding kings against the aces of Distenfeld and the aces held to eliminate Trost only a few hands into the day. Over an hour later, AP Garza was next to go in ninth, and Thomas Boivin was gone in eighth when getting rivered against fellow Belgian, Johan Schumacher.

Ari Engel was then eliminated in seventh after running tens into the jacks of Distenfeld, Sohale Khalili hit the rail in sixth after losing a flip, and David Tran had his run ended in fifth place by Orson Young.

Young was the next player to bust after running kings into Schumachers aces to lose a chunk of his stack and losing the rest to Schumacher soon after. Jonathan Betancur had a solid stack but lost two hands in a row to Schumacher, first with fives against kings and the second one as a flip, to hit the payout desk in third and set up a heads-up battle between Schumacher and Distenfeld.

Related: Scott Wellenbach Gives Away All of His Poker Winnings 'Because He Can'

Heads-Up Play

When heads-up play began, Schumacher held nearly twice as many chips as Distenfeld, but Distenfeld wasnt going to go down easily. The two found themselves at the first possible junction to end the tournament when Schumacher jammed deuces into Distenfelds ace-ten. An ace came on the turn to keep Distenfeld alive and the two practically swapped stacks.

Distenfeld extended his lead and soon had Schumacher on the ropes. Schumacher was all-in and at-risk several times, and every time, he won the hand to stay alive. He eventually took back the chip lead after having been down to only a couple of big blinds and it was anyones match.

Down to a short stack again, and once again, he had several all-in and at-risk situations in which he was able to survive. Distenfeld and his rail likened Schumacher to a cat, seemingly having nine lives, since at that point Schumacher may very well have doubled nine times in the heads-up match.

After that double, the two players got all the chips in again with Schumachers queen-ten looking to be in good shape against Distenfelds queen-four. The flop changed nothing, but the dealer put out a four on the turn to put Distenfeld ahead, and the river blank meant that the match was over and Distenfeld was officially the winner and claimed his maiden World Series of Poker bracelet.

Johan Schumacher navigated his way to the heads-up stage

Johan was incredible, such a good player, Distenfeld said of the heads-up match. He just had an instinct. He called my hand a couple of times. I thought he was a better player than me, to be perfectly honest. What a nice guy too, such a nice guy. Couldve gone either way certainly.

I was supposed to be on a noon flight home today, then I switched it to a red-eye but Im missing that as well. So I dont even have a hotel room for tonight, I dont have a flight back for tomorrow, but again my brother-in-law and sister-in-law are here so I think were gonna go out and celebrate something.

Congratulations to Gershon Distenfeld for winning Event #48: $1,500 Shootout No-Limit Hold'em!

The Charities

The morning after his victory, Distenfeld shared with PokerNews the charities he selected to receive funds.

"And all of this in memory of my dear friend and largest poker fan - Yonky Berger, who passed away six weeks ago after a battle with cancer," he said. "I hope hes looking down from heaven with pride. Im crushed that I cant celebrate this accomplishment with you."

Charity Series of Poker (CSOP) - Benefitting Three Square Food Bank and Families for Effective Autism Treatment .

- Benefitting and . Leket - Leket (Hebrew word for gleaning) rescues excess food that would go to waste and distributes it to the needy.

- Leket (Hebrew word for gleaning) rescues excess food that would go to waste and distributes it to the needy. Yad Leah - Collects and distributed lightly used clothing donations while preserving the dignity and privacy of the recipients.

- Collects and distributed lightly used clothing donations while preserving the dignity and privacy of the recipients. Minds Matter - Minds Matter connects driven and determined students from low-income families with the people, preparation, and possibilities to succeed in college, create their future, and change the world.

- Minds Matter connects driven and determined students from low-income families with the people, preparation, and possibilities to succeed in college, create their future, and change the world. Rofeh Cholim Cancer Society - provides an array of services for cancer-stricken patients in need.

- provides an array of services for cancer-stricken patients in need. Iron Mike Youth Foundation - changing the lives of children and families through youth sports. This charity was recently started by the family of Distenfeld's late friend, Mike Snyder who tragically passed away three years ago at the age of 57. "Me winning this bracelet would have brought him so much joy," said Distenfeld.

- changing the lives of children and families through youth sports. This charity was recently started by the family of Distenfeld's late friend, who tragically passed away three years ago at the age of 57. "Me winning this bracelet would have brought him so much joy," said Distenfeld. Young Israel of Hollywood Thanksgiving food drive

Thanksgiving food drive Chabad of Emerald Hills (the synagogue the Distenfelds belong to)

Check out our 2021 WSOP Hub here!
Ottomar Ladva Wins His Second Super MILLION$ ($286,842)

October 28, 2021 Matthew Pitt

Estonian chess grandmaster Ottomar Ladva became a two-time Super MILLION$ champion on October 26 when he bested a tough final table online at GGPoker. Ladva, who won this event in June 2021, prevented Artur Martirosian from securing his third such title, and walked away with the lions share of the spoils, namely $286,842.

Super MILLION$ Final Table Results

Place Player Country Prize 1 Ottomar Ladva Estonia $286,842 2 Artur Martirosian Russia $224,012 3 ChiNana Andorra $174,944 4 Ben Tollrene Canada $136,624 5 Biao "d7777" Ding China $106,697 6 Joakim Andersson Malta $83,326 7 Thomas Muehloecker Austria $65,074 8 Konstantin Maslak Russia $50,820 9 Isaac Haxton Canada $39,688

Isaac Haxton sat down at the final table with the shortest stack and could not rectify his situation. He found a great spot during the 17,500/35,000/4,500a level when Martirosian opened to 77,000 and Ladva flat called from the next seat along. Haxton looked down at ace-king and jammed in his 376m272 stack, which folded out everyone except Ladva who called with pocket jacks. Ladvas hand remained true, and Haxton busted.

Konstantin Maslak was the next player heading to the payout desk. Biao "d7777" Ding min-raised to 100,000 with pocket aces from late position before instantly calling when Maslak three-bet all-in for 1,066,980 with ace-queen of hearts. A ten-high board reduced the field by one.

Thomas Muehloecker saw his final table cut short

Seventh place went to Thomas Muehloecker; he crashed out during the 30,000/60,000/7,500a level. Ding moved all-in when first to act in the small blind. Muehloecker called all-in for less, 1,029,354 to be exact. it was king-queen for Ding and ace-jack for Muehloecker. A king on the flop resigned Muehloecker to an early shower.

Super MILLION$ Season 1 MVP Joakim Andersson was the next out of the door. The two-time champion min-raised to 160,000 with ace-jack of diamonds only to see Martirosian three-bet to 560,000 from the small blind with what turned out to be pocket kings. Andersson decided to rip his 2,236,816 stack. Martirosian beat his opponent into the pot with a call. The five community cards provided no drama, and Andersson was done.

The remaining five players were now guaranteed a six-figure score for their investment. Ding was the first player to receive such a prize, $106,697 to be exact. Martirosian opened to 300,000, three-times the big blind, with king-nine on the button before calling the additional chips when Ding jammed with king-seven of hearts from the big blind for 575,853 in total. Martirosian flopped trip nines and extended his chip lead.

Ben Tollerene isn't known or his MTT prowess but you would not know that on this showing

Ben Tollerenes rare foray into online poker tournaments ended in a fourth place finish worth $136,624, a great result for his first-ever Super MILLION$ appearance. Tollerene was down to only 293,552 chips after paying the 120,000 big blind, so was on life support. Martirosian set him all-in with queen-deuce, and Tollerene committed himself with jack-five suited. Martirosian flopped two pair and turned a boat to bust Tollerene.

Heads-up was set when Andorras "ChiNana" crashed out. ChiNana won his way into the Super MILLION$ for only $108 and turned that into $174,944. Bizarrely, Ladva open-shoved from the small blind with ace-three at the 160,000 big blind level. ChiNana called off the 2,948,608 chips he had behind with the dominating ace-queen, only to see the five community cards fall with a three on the flop.

Ladva and Martirosian had almost even stacks at the start of heads-up but Martirosian bluffed off almost all his chips betting all three streets with just nine-three offsuit when Ladva had turned two pair, aces and fives. The rest of Martirosians tiny stack, less than three big blinds, went into the middle with ace-queen versus jack-four, and he doubled.

The next hand saw Martirosian jam with five-four of hearts and lose to Ladvas queen-eight courtesy of a queen on the flop.

Ladva now has more than $870,000 in Super MILLION$ winnings and over $4.5 million in cashes at GGPoker alone.
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DALLAS  When Polk County Sheriff Mark Garton answered his phone recently, both his hearing and his livelihood were threatened.

In an eardrum-blasting diatribe, a caller told him that his decision not to enforce masks and not to carry out the states vaccine mandate should disqualify him from public office. Garton listened, waited for a pause, and then calmly told the person on the other end that, in fact, he was wearing a mask and, also, that he was fully vaccinated.

However, Garton is a strong advocate for personal choice within individual rights. And, in a highly transparent way, hes made that position clear. He posted his views about it on the sheriff offices Facebook page.

And, in an interview after the high-decibel phone call, Garton reiterated that masking and vaccine mandates are a rule, not a law in Oregon.

We dont enforce rules, he said of his office. We enforce laws.

Sheriffs deputies arent employees of Oregon, rather, they work under county jurisdiction. When it comes to the state-issued health mandates, enforcement is the domain of Oregons Occupational Safety and Health Administration, he said.

However, as the head of county law enforcement, Garton understands why some people dont realize the distinction. And he is troubled over the way the issue has split certain segments of the public. There are keyboard warriors who thrive on conflict, Garton noted, using the internet  technology designed to create connections  as a divisive tool to lob these fireballs back and forth.

Garton added that he doesnt hesitate to put on a mask when entering a store or restaurant.

I respect private property rights, which are outlined in our constitutions, he said. Rights are things that the government should seek to protect, not the other way around.

As an elected official, its his duty to uphold both the state and US constitutions, he explained.

I am looking at it from this perspective, he said. We seem to be shifting away from thinking about our rights. But we cannot lose sight of them  when a right is altered, we may never get it back.

Additionally, Garton believes strongly in local control  and he is uniquely familiar with it. The sheriffs office has been a part of Gartons life even before he was old enough to vote  and votes are now what keep him in that office.

An early start

Gartons law enforcement career began as a high school student. He began working as a 17-year-old volunteer cadet in the same office he now oversees. Law enforcement had been in his sights since he entered elementary school.

Garton always wanted to emulate his dad, an Oregon State Police trooper, who he considers his first and best role model. However, it was Sheriffs Deputy Rick Bojorquez who became his professional example. He was so down-to-earth, Garton recalled of his experience shadowing Bojorquez.

The deputy taught him that even alleged criminals deserve to be treated with dignity in the course of upholding the law.

I had this idea of what it was to have command presence and his kind of authority was different, Garton said.

Its an example Garton said he has always tried to follow.

The sheriff is truly community-minded, affirmed Polk County Commissioner Jeremy Gordon, when asked how he would characterize Garton.

As an example, Gordon cited his own experience, when he was elected mayor of Falls City. Garton was the first person Gordon heard from in an official capacity.

That shows a real commitment to building relationships, when there is that kind of outreach, Gordon said.

Pandemic measures

During the pandemic, Garton is under constant pressure to keep the jail free of the coronavirus and, to a large extent, thats been accomplished.

However, there was one outbreak, so measures to isolate anyone who tests positive are carefully followed. Under these precautions and due to minor symptoms, individual cases have been treated medically at the jail.

If we hadnt been doing these precautions, the virus would have spread to other areas in the jail, but it didnt, Garton said.

However, theres been a negative impact from such procedures: When COVID is detected inside the jail, it does reduce our ability to take new intakes from the local agencies, he said.

Morale is critical

The COVID-19 crisis brought unwelcome changes, such as the switch to near-universal dismissal of cases for non-violent criminals.

To keep the jail from becoming crowded or the courtrooms from clogging, individuals who were picked up for offenses ranging from drug possession to merchandise theft were diverted away from prosecution, Garton noted.

It wasnt simply that these cases were postponed or that they gave way to more plea bargains, it was that in many instances these cases went no further than the initial arrest, he said.

You can see how that makes someone feel (in law enforcement) when they have done everything right, gotten good, solid evidence, Garton said. Maintaining morale is essential, Garton said. So, he not only tolerates some joshing around, he appreciates it.

He recalled the day that deputies staged a paper snowstorm.

It occurred when the little disks made by a hole puncher  used fastidiously by a sergeant for putting pages neatly into notebook binders  were collected and tossed into a defroster inside the sergeants car to create a mini-blizzard when the device was turned on. The punch-hole storm is now part of the job-related lore in the Polk County Sheriffs Office, no longer remembered as just a practical joke but also as a piece of spirit-boosting history.

Management style

Public servant is the way Garton describes himself. His role is all about servant leadership, he said.

And its important to keep it that way, he stressed. This philosophy was a big part of his upbringing; Gartons mother was a teacher. He believes in holding anyone and everyone accountable for their actions.

I think accountability is just about the most important aspect of any supervisory role, he said. Though Garton believes in leading by example, just as Bojorquez did, there are many times when even a small lapse needs to be a source of his attention  or it can become a slippery slope, he said.

If we dont address the small issue first, it will fester into a larger issue, many times leading to termination or decertification  or both, he said, likening it to the habit-forming temptation of driving too fast.

We know people speed, he explained. The people who are speeding know they are speeding. But if they dont get caught they will either continue to speed or potentially increase their speed, he said.

Garton said its key to catch employees when they do the equivalent of violating a job-related speed limit, before they start accelerating to travel even faster.

Boyhood MacGyver

Garton didnt enjoy high school very much, he said. He liked learning, but not necessarily the kind that took place in the classroom.

And he disliked the way his fellow adolescents divided into groups. Garton was drawn to a different kind of engagement. He took some of his early inspiration from an inventive neighbor  a fellow student at Dallas High School, named Sam.

Even as a youth, Sam seemed to be the mid-Willamette Valley twin of the lead character in MacGyver, a 1980s television show in which the heros innovation with ordinary objects invariably solves the problem at hand, Garton recalled.

Sam, a young jack-of-all trades, had certification as an emergency medical technician, which came in handy when Garton injured himself severely as a teenager.

One day I was cutting down a tree and the chain saw slipped and sliced my leg, Garton said. With stunning stoicism, Sam cut off his pants, then put him back together and drove him into town.

It wasnt just that he could build anything, which is why I thought of him as a MacGyver. It was that he would help anybody, just drop everything to help, he said.

Garton became an avid camper, which gave him his own opportunities to MacGyver. He still likes MacGyvering, but these days that often means putting that brand of resourcefulness into personnel issues.

Rural childhood

Garton, who grew up near Pedee outside Dallas, met his wife, Stefanie, early in life. They became a couple while both were at Dallas High School.

I am so fortunate to have a wife who knows I need decompression sometimes when I come from work and I dont want to talk about work, I dont really want to talk about anything, he said.

By the time Garton and Stefanie wed in 2003, Garton had joined the sheriffs office, beginning as a part-time records clerk while working as a volunteer reserve deputy. He made steady, stair-step progress toward his current position.

One potential pitfall to those in a top job is becoming too conscious of title and authority, which can be detrimental to service, he stressed.

Staying grounded usually translates into staying in touch, he explained. To do that, Garton has a full life outside of work, with his family, but even with that, he needs to take down time fairly frequently.

Youngest sheriff

While a volunteer reserve deputy in the sheriffs office  after his stint as a volunteer cadet  Garton was offered the less-than-full-time job as a corrections technician, a position with a lot of paperwork. Then came a promotion, to corrections deputy, which meant he could no longer serve as a volunteer reserve deputy.

To continue to gain experience in law enforcement, Garton clinched a spot as a reserve officer with the Dallas Police Department.

Over the years he ascended all the way to sergeant and, six years ago, when former Sheriff Bob Wolfe retired, the Polk County Board of Commissioners appointed Garton to replace him on an interim basis.

In January of 2017, the voters of Polk County elected Garton Sheriff, making him the youngest holder of that title in the entire state. Is this why Garton is said to have brought a wave of freshness to the job?

Mark has an open-door policy that I really love, said Polk County Commissioner Lyle Mordhorst. He is just so open to ideas and collaboration.

Mordhorst, who has been at work on the problem of homelessness in the county, said Garton seemed as willing to tackle the issue as he was  and ready to unite in the effort.

Workforce worries

Recently, Garton expressed a desire to issue recruiting bonuses using funds from the America Rescue Plan, but the Polk County Board of Commissioners turned him down.

Garton had expressed worry about retention of current employees and attracting new recruits. After the commission meeting in which he presented the proposal, Garton said he was concerned about what will happen to the office he has worked hard to build.

With the population growing in all the areas of the county, and the price of housing continually on the upswing, Polk County needs to keep up with its counterparts in other counties.

We really need incentives, he said. It used to be that living here, that was a big one, and it probably still is, he said. But we are facing situations here now that we simply werent before, until a few years ago.

For example, an operation that uncovered two illegal marijuana-grow facilities in Polk County  in which three of the principal individuals were arrested  confiscated nearly 15,000 marijuana plants worth nearly $30 million.

But even the value of hundreds of pounds of processed marijuana might not be as high as the cost to county residents if the operations hadnt been stopped  continuous unlawful use of water to cultivate such crops poses a huge threat, Garton said.

I dont know if people realize how much water use is required for this, he said. It is massive.

Depletion of waterways and watershed was one possible outcome and, in fact, it had been occurring until the marijuana farms were shut down, he added.

When asked about whether additional compensation will be approved for sheriffs office staffing, Craig Pope, chair of the Polk County Board of Commissioners, declined to speculate.

Until he sees tangible evidence of need, which would come from a task force or specially convened committee, hes unwilling to express any opinion.

I can say this, that I would look carefully at that, when it happens, Pope said.

THIS IS THE THIRD FEATURE IN AN ONGOING SERIES ON INDIVIDUALS AT THE CENTER OF POLK COUNTYS JUSTICE SYSTEM.
Starting this week, Aiken Regional Medical Centers will loosen its restrictions on visitation.

The hospital's visitation hours will be from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. beginning Friday, but the guidelines have been updated.

In the emergency department, two visitors may accompany a patient. The visitors must come in with the patient and stay in the specific room or bay assigned to the patient until discharge. If the patient is admitted, the visitors may accompany the patient during visiting hours.

Inpatient areas, including the ICU and PCU, are permitted two visitors per day during visiting hours. In the labor and delivery/postpartum area, new mothers are permitted two adult visitors per day and one adult overnight visitor; one visitor is permitted for diagnostic testing.

COVID-positive patients are permitted one visitor per day for a maximum of four hours, but restrictions apply.

Patients with physical, intellectual and/or developmental disabilities and patients with cognitive impairments are permitted two adult visitors per day, with one visitor permitted to stay overnight.

A patient at the end of life is permitted two visitors and a clergyman; exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis.

Pediatric patients can be accompanied by two adults or guardians throughout the entire treatment; siblings are not permitted.

For outpatient testing/surgery, two visitors may accompany a patient. Surgery visitors may stay in the waiting room, wait in their vehicle or leave and come back when notified by phone that the patient is ready to be discharged and picked up.

No visitors are permitted in the behavioral health area, with limited critical exceptions.

Visitors must be at least 18 years old; an exception may be made if the patient is at the end of life.

To ensure social distancing and limit potential exposures, visitors are limited to the patients room and are not to gather in hallways or visit the cafeteria.

Additionally, all patients, visitors, medical staff and associates will continue to be screened prior to entry, have their temperatures checked and will be required to wear a mask, regardless of their COVID-19 vaccination status. All individuals must wear a face covering over the nose and mouth while in the facility; neck huggers/gaiters and bandanas are not approved coverings.

Aiken Regional also announced Wednesday it has confirmed 2,093 cases of COVID-19 in Aiken County. Of these 2,093 individuals, five are currently receiving care in the hospital, with three in the ICU, and 230 have died. The five individuals receiving care in the hospital are all unvaccinated.
Problems with Boeing Co.'s North Charleston-based 787 program that forced the company to halt deliveries, spend months reworking jets and slash production will cost $1 billion in what the planemaker described as "abnormal" expenses.

Boeing booked $183 million of the projected loss in the third quarter when it issued its latest earnings report Oct. 27.

The company also said its production rate for the widebody program, which since February has been based solely in South Carolina, has been cut to two aircraft a month from five.

The planemaker said over the summer that it was slashing output to "focus 787 production resources on conducting inspections and rework," but it did not give a specific figure until Wednesday.

Production will continue at the current pace until 787 deliveries resume, according to Boeing.

Deliveries of the jet have been on hold for about 10 of the last 12 months. No estimate has been given on when Boeing will start handing over 787s again. When it does, the rate will eventually return to five per month, the company said.

I can't give you certainty until I'm certain, CEO Dave Calhoun told analysts during a conference call.

The planemaker needs approval from the Federal Aviation Administration before it can resume deliveries. It said Wednesday that it "continues to engage in detailed discussions" with the safety agency.

Overall, Boeing reported $15.3 billion in revenue for the third quarter, an 8 percent gain from the same period of 2020. It also posted a $132 million net loss, including the 787 expense, compared to a $466 million loss a year ago.

Revenue for the commercial airplanes division was $4.5 billion, a 24 percent increase from last year. The gain was largely driven by higher 737 Max deliveries and offset by the 787 hiatus.

In an interview with CNBC, Calhoun described the estimated $1 billion in abnormal costs associated with rework and slowed production of the 787 as an "investment."

"It keeps all of our people warm," Calhoun said Wednesday. "Everybodys there, while were only producing two (787s) a month."

When Boeing announced in July that is was slowing down the Dreamliner assembly line, it reassigned employees who would typically be working on production tasks to focus on inspections and fixes for the jets. Calhoun called it "important work" in a message to staffers posted on the company's website.

"While we never want to disappoint or cause delays for our customers, quality and safety always come first  and I am proud of our team for the detailed and rigorous work theyre completing to ensure we meet the highest standards, while communicating transparently with our regulators, customers and suppliers," Calhoun wrote.

The Chicago-based aerospace giant has been grappling with 787 production issues for more than a year.

Most recently, Boeing disclosed that titanium parts used on 787s had been improperly made by a supplier. The issue wasn't an immediate safety concern for the in-service fleet, Boeing and the FAA have said, but affected 787s that have not been delivered need to be reworked.

Previously, gaps were discovered where sections of the aircraft's fuselage are joined together.

As a result, Boeing has delivered only 14 Dreamliners this year. By the end of the third quarter, about 105 completed jets were still in the company's possession, finance chief Brian West said.

Calhoun said that once deliveries resume, the outlook for getting them out the door will largely depend on what customers want and need.

"They're going to take them when they want to take them," he said.

Calhoun said Boeing must make sure it is compliant with the specifications for the 787's design before deliveries can resume. That "takes some time," he said.

"We're well past halfway," he said.

The most recent snarl involving the titanium parts is the "long pole in the tent" right now, he said.

Pressure to deliver Dreamliners has been eased somewhat by the drop-off in demand for widebody planes during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 787 is favored for long-haul international routes, which Calhoun has said he expects to be the last to recover.

Boeing has continued to express confidence in the program for the long-term.

It was a year ago that the company disclosed its decision to consolidate all 787 manufacturing in South Carolina and shutter the original assembly line near Seattle in a cost-cutting move. The production problems plaguing the program have been found on aircraft made both at both sites.

At the 787 program's peak, Boeing built 14 Dreamliners a month between the two plants  seven times the current rate.
The federal government will pay $88 million to resolve lawsuits brought by the victims' families and survivors of the race-related 2015 Emanuel AME Church shooting, marking one the nation's largest civil rights settlements and potentially providing a legal roadmap for other gun violence victims.

The agreements, filed Oct. 28, cap a grueling legal odyssey that has spanned more than five years and involved a who's who of South Carolina legal minds. A judge still must approve the settlements because they involve wrongful death cases.

The legal quest began in 2016, when the shooting's five survivors and estates for the nine people killed sued the FBI, which runs the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, over errors that allowed killer Dylann Roof to buy the firearm he used in the mass shooting.

From the settlement total, the nine victims' estates will split $63 million. The five survivors will split $25 million. Attorneys' fees, capped at 25 percent in federal Tort Claims Act cases, will be paid out of those totals.

Columbia-based attorney and former state lawmaker Bakari Sellers, son of civil rights legend Cleveland Sellers, led the settlement talks. He called the cases unique in American history and credited Attorney General Merrick Garland and his staff for helping to provide the families closure and justice.

"There was a lot of pushing and pulling, but at the end of the day, everybody in this case  everybody  feels justice was served," Sellers said.

Garland agreed.

Since the day of the shooting, the Justice Department has sought to bring justice to the community, first by a successful hate crime prosecution and today by settling civil claims," he said in a statement.

The FBI, he added, has worked to improve background checks since the massacre.

Susan Ferensic, the FBI's special agent in charge at the Columbia field office, added that she hopes the settlements "bring some relief to those directly affected.

In early August, the talks gathered energy when the survivors and key plaintiffs' attorneys traveled to Washington, D.C., for a high-level U.S. Department of Justice meeting.

The group hunkered down with Vanita Gupta, associate attorney general, and Brian Boynton, head of the Civil Division, along with other federal attorneys. During an emotional recounting of the shooting, the survivors conveyed the enormity of their losses and the trauma they suffered because Roof had obtained a firearm.

Then, two weeks ago, a larger group that included the survivors, families of all nine victims and their attorneys gathered for two days of confidential mediation talks at Charleston Place.

Mullins McLeod, a Charleston-based attorney who represents three of the nine victims' estates, was among the key lawyers involved. He applauded the plaintiffs, who endured five years of litigation.

It is a tribute to a remarkable group of people whose loss, patience, determination and grace made the settlement possible," McLeod said.

'The best among us'

The Rev. Sharon Rishers mother, Ethel Lance, was killed in the shooting. At the time, Risher was a trauma chaplain in Dallas. She has since turned to a different ministry, one of pushing for gun law reforms  especially requiring stores to wait for completed background checks before selling firearms. The settlement will allow her to focus on that, not paying rent, and of being a "good steward" of the money.

Risher said she felt the victims' hands in the settlement: I know that all of them are saying, 'We took care of our people, even in death. Our lives stood for something other than a white supremacists idea of starting a race war.' 

Kayo Singleton's mother, Myra Thompson, led the Bible study that June night. A father of five young children, he agreed.

Its a great start to bring something positive out of this," he said. "It's bittersweet."

Also killed was the Rev. Clementa Pinckney, senior pastor of Emanuel, a 200-year-old Black church in downtown Charleston. Roof sat quietly beside Pinckney during the church's Wednesday evening Bible study until closing prayer began. That's when Roof pulled out the gun and blasted 77 shots at the 12 people gathered, killing all but three in the room; two others were in an adjacent office.

Pinckney also was a Democratic state senator whose fellow lawmaker Gerald Malloy was his attorney. Malloy now represents the pastor's wife and two daughters.

Malloy called the nine people killed that night the best among us.

They had gathered to study the Bible and welcomed a stranger who didnt look like them. Yet Roof targeted them simply because they were Black.

Even after the horrific crimes, the survivors and victims families did not riot, Malloy noted. Instead, some spoke words of forgiveness. Many supported a huge unity walk, peacefully pressed for the Confederate flag's removal from the Statehouse and joined conversations about race in America.

Thats what these people did for our country, Malloy said. It is altogether fitting and proper that our country would at least be fair to that.

He called the settlement a story of lessons learned.

Botched check

The 16 lawsuits brought against the FBI hinge on actions of a federal background check examiner who failed to obtain a police report about Roofs felony drug arrest. The arrest would have indicated he was an unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance and therefore barred from legally possessing a gun.

Columbia police had found Roof with Suboxone, a narcotic used to treat opiate addiction. He didn't have a prescription for the drug, which also can be abused.

Just weeks after that arrest, in April 2015, Roof drove to a Columbia-area Shooter's Choice to purchase a .45-caliber Glock pistol. Newly 21 years old, he applied for the required federal background check.

An examiner then set out to find the Columbia Police Department's report from the drug arrest. But when she consulted a database of law enforcement agencies, the department didn't appear on it. So she contacted several nearby agencies trying to find the report.

After a few unsuccessful tries, she set Roof's background check aside  even though she had other tools at her disposal and the FBI's rules require that she make every effort" to find it.

"They were required to contact the arresting agency, period, end of story. And they didnt, McLeod said. Had they done that, the firearm would not have been sold.

With Roof's background check stalled, the required three-day waiting period expired, and Roof returned to the gun store. A store employee legally sold him the pistol.

Two months later, on June 17, 2015, Roof walked into Emanuel's Bible study carrying the loaded firearm and seven magazines of ammunition hidden in a pouch.

As he shot the worshippers, Felicia Sanders pulled her young granddaughter beneath a round plastic table. They played dead as Roof gunned down Sanders' 26-year-old son and 87-year-old aunt on either side of them. Polly Sheppard, the only other person in the room to survive, prayed aloud beneath another table.

Soon after the killings, then-FBI Director James Comey released a statement saying Roof should not have been allowed to buy the gun. Errors in his background check allowed Roof to do so anyway.

We wish we could turn back time because, from this vantage point, everything seems obvious, Comey said in the statement. "But we cannot."

A year later, the survivors and estates of the nine people killed sued the FBI.

Legal sea change

U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel, who had presided over Roof's criminal hate crimes trial, dismissed the lawsuits. He blasted the background check system but ruled that the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, which set up the system, granted government employees immunity in most cases when they fail to stop firearm sales to dangerous people.

Attorneys for the survivors and victims families then asked attorney William Billy Wilkins to argue the appeal. Wilkins, a former chief judge of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, agreed to do so.

The 4th Circuit reversed Gergel's decision in 2019 in what Wilkins called a landmark decision. At issue: whether the FBI's policies gave the examiner discretion over her actions in Roof's check. If so, the government couldn't be held liable. But the judges ruled that the FBI's policies are mandatory for the examiners, making it the first federal appellate court to address the issue, Wilkins said.

The result will be more courts throughout the country recognizing the serious task that background examiners have and the necessity to require thorough background checks to prevent something like this from happening in the future," Wilkins said.

The 4th Circuit also sent a separate legal question back to a trial judge, who last year also ruled in the plaintiffs' favor.

Then the Biden administration took office.

That's when Sellers stepped in to lead settlement efforts. With its two main legal arguments so far defeated, and a new attorney general at the helm, the Justice Department was responsive.

That was a sea change in the litigation," McLeod said.

The Emanuel lawsuits follow a 20-year shift as gun violence victims sue not only the shooters but also gun stores and government entities, said Timothy Lytton, a Georgia State College of Law professor who edited the book Suing the Gun Industry: A Battle at the Crossroads of Gun Control and Mass Torts.

The idea is to look beyond the shooter for some more systemic source of gun violence, Lytton said.

Moving forward, the enormity of the $88 million settlement will attract other people to try their hand at this," he said.

In a statement, Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham backed the settlement.

"I have been very supportive of the families' rights to pursue legal recourse because of the failure of the NICS (background check) program," he said.

U.S. Sen. Tim Scott tweeted, "While the $88 million settlement is welcomed news, no amount of money can make up for the lives that were lost."

Several attorneys credited Alvin Hammer of the Gedney Howe law firm as the "legal genius" behind the scenes. But for many of the attorneys, these cases became unusually personal. Most had prior connections to the nine people killed or the survivors.

Charleston attorney Andy Savage represents three survivors and more victims' families than any other lawyer. He knew Felicia Sanders, before the shooting, and they have become particularly close since.

While the settlement will meet the plaintiffs' material needs, "the depth of their loss of cherished loved ones, and the continued mental anguish caused by their vivid memories of helplessly watching the racist slaughter of family and friends, cannot be assuaged by money alone," Savage said. He hopes it focuses national leaders' attention on gun violence and racism.

Emanuel's current pastor, the Rev. Eric S.C. Manning, pledged to continue working for gun law reforms and pursue hate crime legislation, which South Carolina lacks.

"We are truly thankful for those who never gave up," he said.

Attorney Steve Schmutz expressed relief the families won't have to endure a second trial.

"Nobody wanted that," he said.

They already have endured an emotionally brutal criminal trial when a jury convicted Roof on 33 federal charges, including hate crimes, and sentenced him to death. He is being housed on the federal death row in Terre Haute, Ind., during his appeal.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control reported 630 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases and 39 deaths on Oct. 27, illustrating the sustained downward trend in cases during the pandemic's third surge.

At the height of this surge, several thousand new cases were being reported each day. Still, hundreds of deaths continue to be reported on a weekly basis.

Health officials continue to urge residents to remain vigilant against the spread of the virus ahead of the holiday season.

Statewide numbers

New cases reported: 364 confirmed, 266 probable.

Total cases in S.C.: 717,446 confirmed, 177,478 probable.

Percent positive: 5.1 percent.

New deaths reported: 29 confirmed, 10 probable.

Total deaths in S.C.: 11,767 confirmed, 1,837 probable.

Percent of ICU beds filled (with COVID-19 and other patients): 74.17 percent.

S.C. residents vaccinated

In South Carolina, 62.3 percent of people who are eligible for the vaccine have received one shot, and 54.7 percent of eligible residents are considered fully vaccinated.

Hardest-hit areas

On Oct. 27, Greenville (70), Spartanburg (46) and Richland (21) counties saw the highest totals of newly confirmed cases.

What about the tri-county?

Charleston County had 20 new cases on Oct. 27, while Berkeley had 11 and Dorchester eight.

Deaths

DHEC releases county-level data regarding COVID-19 deaths and the ages of those who have died from the virus on Tuesdays. According to the latest data, at least 224 people in South Carolina died from the virus Oct. 17-23, and their ages ranged from young adult (18-34) to elderly (65 and older).

Greenville County recorded 31 COVID deaths that week  the highest number of any county in the state. Health officials have reported the vast majority of patients who are dying from the coronavirus at this stage of the pandemic are unvaccinated.

Hospitalizations

Of the 759 COVID-19 patients hospitalized as of Oct. 27, 213 were in the ICU and 144 were using ventilators.

Variants of concern

DHEC sequences a small, random sample of positive COVID-19 cases each week to determine which variants of concern (alpha, beta, gamma and delta) are circulating in the state. According to the latest data published by the agency on Oct. 13, 3,299 samples have been identified as variants of concern over the course of the pandemic. Of those, 2,053 have been identified as the delta variant, which health officials say is now the dominant strain in South Carolina.

What do experts say?

A recent study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Kaiser Permanente Research Center in California looking at millions of vaccinated and unvaccinated people found no increased risk of death among COVID-19 vaccine recipients.

Experts from the CDC say these findings support that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and that the benefits outweigh potential risks.

To find a vaccine clinic near you, go to vaxlocator.dhec.sc.gov.
State Epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell (left) and State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman participate in a press conference about recommendations for COVID-19 school operations at the South Carolina Medical Association on Tuesday, August 17, 2021, in Columbia. Bell encouraged residents in late October to gather outside, if possible, when socializing. File/Sean Rayford/Special to The Post and Courier
Chloe Johnson covers the coastal environment and climate change for the Post and Courier. She's always looking for a good excuse to hop on a boat.
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No one should underestimate the gravity of the news that federal judges are investigating the sweetheart contract between the Charleston County Council and its then-attorney Joe Dawson, a contract inked just days before he was confirmed to a lifetime position on the federal bench.

As The Post and Couriers David Slade reports, the chief judge of the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the appointment of a special investigative panel last week after concluding that a complaint about that contract involves actions that are prejudicial to the effective and expeditious administration of the business of the courts and that changes the county made after Mr. Slade unearthed the contract didnt remove those problems.

Under federal law, such investigations can result in a private or public reprimand or the court refusing to assign cases to the judge or requesting that he retire.

We hope Judge Dawson understands by now how out of bounds it was to enter into a contract that obligated him to provide what sounds like legal advice after he ascended to the bench. Clearly, he either didnt comprehend that last year or else was convinced no one would discover it. We also hope he doesnt want this stain to remain indelibly on his record, overshadowing any good work he does on the bench  and that he will take action immediately to remove that stain, by breaking his contract with the county.

Frankly, Judge Dawson doesnt have a lot of time to redeem himself, because his ethically questionable obligations under that contract expire in mid-December; anything he does after that could correctly be seen as a meaningless gesture. Similarly, anything he does after the judicial panel orders him to act.

If that means he has to return some or all of the $216,000 the County Council secretly agreed to pay him as an inducement for his institutional and historical knowledge and insight  and it should  thats the unfortunate price of a lifetime job that he apparently wanted in spite of the fact that it pays less than half his old Charleston County salary. He could console himself by recalling that federal judges who don't want to get into legal trouble have done without any such payments.

Indeed, unless he pays back all of the money, and not just the sixth of it that represents the remaining two months of this year, the only way Judge Dawson can go through his career without a giant ethical asterisk is for the panel of judges to issue a public statement exonerating him. Which it should do if its investigation concludes the contract was proper. If not, it should reprimand him in a public way.

Despite prohibitions on judges practicing law and inviting their impartiality to be called into question, Mr. Dawson wrote and signed the contract in December that paid him the equivalent of half a years salary and the promise of 1.5% of any settlement Charleston County receives from national litigation over opioid pharmaceuticals.

The county already amended the contract to remove the promise of money from any opioid settlement  an outrageous promise even if Mr. Dawson were still the county attorney, since the taxpayers already compensated him quite handsomely for his work on that lawsuit. The council also tried to alleviate ethical concerns by spelling out that Mr. Dawson wouldnt provide any legal advice. But Chief Judge Roger Gregory said that didnt cure the problem.

Up until now, our editorial staff has focused primarily on the secrecy with which the County Council entered into the contract. Not because we thought it was ethically appropriate for a federal judge-in-waiting to enter into such a contract  it absolutely was not  but because we didnt think it was realistic to expect Judge Dawson to face any official censure. And because all of us as voters have some control over the behavior of County Council members. So Judge Gregorys order is an encouraging indication that there is in fact some serious oversight of judicial ethics, even if theres an equally serious limit on how far such oversight can go.

Like all judges on the U.S. District, Circuit and Supreme courts, Judge Dawson has no boss. That is, theres no one who can fire him, or end his contract after a set period. Those judges hold the jobs for life, unless theyre impeached by the U.S. House and removed by the U.S. Senate  something that has happened only eight times in U.S. history, all for infractions far more severe than Judge Dawsons. We dont necessarily object to those lifetime appointments, but they underscore how vitally important it is to make sure judicial nominees are thoroughly vetted.

Indeed, it was a failure of the vetting processes of the Trump White House and U.S. Senate that no one knew about Mr. Dawson's contract before the Senate confirmed him. Of course, it didnt help that Mr. Dawson left that information off of his judicial disclosure questionnaire. We are saddened to say that we hope federal officials will learn from this that they cant simply take the word of judicial nominees on such matters. We hope too that Judge Dawsons answers to those questions will be one of the things the federal panel is investigating.
SPARTANBURG  Spartanburg City Council will decide in November whether to extend Blue Duck's electric scooter pilot program in the city.

The program was launched on May 27 for six months, allowing the city to collect data on ridership and provide residents with another mode of transportation downtown into surrounding neighborhoods. It is scheduled to end in late November. City Council was provided an update on Oct. 25.

City Communications and Marketing Manager Christopher George said the daily average number of rides on the scooters has been 121, with an average of 21 minutes per ride. In May, there were just more than 500 rides. George said in June there were 4,375 rides, followed by 4,794 rides in July. In August, the total number of rides were 3,223 and 1,168 rides in September. The rides in September decreased because Blue Duck shut down the scooters while working on a new version of its app, which is used to operate the scooters.

The blue scooters can travel up to 15 mph and use GPS to signal where they are allowed to operate. Spartanburg was the first city in South Carolina to use Blue Duck scooters with possible expansions into Charleston and Columbia.

"I think, for what I can tell, the scooters have been well received and they add a nice dynamic to our downtown and community as a whole," Councilman Jamie Fulmer told The Post and Courier. "There are still some things that need to be addressed, but I think the (pilot) test has proven to be successful and, with some additional tweaks and changes, it can even be a better service to our downtown."

Assistant City Manager Mitch Kennedy reported to City Council there have been seven calls made to police regarding the scooters since the program launched, with a majority of the calls about residents believing the scooters parked in various locations were stolen. Kennedy said another concern raised was scooters being driven on sidewalks near Morgan Square. The city will continue to educate the public on where it is appropriate to ride the scooters.

Councilwoman Meghan Smith said the city should consider creating bike lanes for the scooters and have better enforcement on where they are used if the pilot program is extended beyond November.

"I was one of the few who voted against the scooters coming, and I will admit I have been pleasantly surprised and a lot of my fears have not been as pronounced as I thought they might be," Smith said.

Blue Duck operates between 80 and 100 scooters downtown. It costs $1.25 to unlock a scooter for use by using the app found at flyblueduck.com. The cost to use a scooter is 30 cents per minute. The scooter program was later launched at Converse University in September and Wofford College in October, providing students with additional modes of transportation.

Councilman Jerome Rice said adding Converse and Wofford to the pilot program was beneficial.

"I think it is another great amenity for our citizens in Spartanburg," Rice said. "I am happy it is working and we are getting more agencies involved. I am all in favor of Blue Duck."

Blue Duck launched its first scooter program in late 2017 in two Texas cities, Waco and El Paso. Jen Holbrook, Blue Duck director of marketing and communications, told The Post and Courier the Spartanburg market was chosen because of its workforce, tourism, and colleges and universities.

"Spartanburg is one of the most successful markets we have," Holbrook said.

Several cities in North Carolina are also using the scooters, including in Durham, Winston-Salem and Greensboro. The pilot program in Spartanburg has allowed Blue Duck to be a finalist in a mobility program in Charleston, Holbrook said. The company also hopes to launch the program in Charlotte.

Holbrook said Blue Duck continues to work with Spartanburg to improve the program. The app provides a map of locations in the city where scooters are permitted to go. The company is also addressing nuisance concerns such as incorrect parking or use on the sidewalks.

"We are doing our best to make sure those issues are taken care of in a timely way," Holbrook said.
Now I know what youre thinking: Defund the cops!?? Has Hayward lost his mind at last? Is he growing desperate for new ways to troll Lucretia?

Not at all. In this case, I mean not Defund the Police, but Defund the COPs, meaning the annual UN globull warming Council Of the Parties conference (known in climatista lingo as COP 26) opening in a few days in Glasgow, Scotland.

President Biden is attending, and to show his commitment to climate mania he is taking half of his cabinet with him. Which provokes the obvious question: Is there any way we can make them stay there? Defund their return plane tickets!

It is hard to know where to begin with this prolonged and solemn farce (to borrow Churchills phrase about the equally fatuous disarmament conferences of the 1930s). Actually the problem is knowing where to stop, as every day brings fresh evidence of how the entire Climate Change Circus Tent Show is collapsing in real time.

First, COP 26 has been in disarray for months. Rail workers in Glasgow are threatening a strike in service of typical union wage demands. Road closures for COP 26 will make getting around impossible for local residents. Theres theres this detail:

Today MPs have been warned of an accommodation crisis amongst attendees, with as many as 3000 people still without room bookings, and emergency accommodation now being provided in gyms and community centres. Despite being in the calendar for years, the governments accommodation provider only managed to book out around a third of the Glasgow areas hotel rooms.

Im sure Greta is getting a deluxe suite though. But: Queen Elizabeth is not coming after all! And Prince Charles in her place is sure to sink the thing.

Second, President Biden may be showing up with a nearly full cabinet, but otherwise he is coming empty-handed to go along with his empty head. The U.S. hasnt passed any significant climate legislation to point at. The Green New Deal is pretty much dead. Nor is the U.S. going to cough up the huge wealth transfers (aka, bribes) that Third World countries are demanding to go along with this charade.

Third, there is the growing recognition that we actually need to keep using fossil fuels, including from Wall Street virtue signalers who have been leading the green bandwagon:

Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman warned Tuesday that high energy prices will likely set off social unrest around the world.

Were going to end up with a real shortage of energy. And when you have a shortage, its going to cost more. And its probably going to cost a lot more, the private-equity billionaire told CNN Internationals Richard Quest at a conference in Saudi Arabia. US oil prices climbed above $85 a barrel on Monday for the first time in seven years. Gas prices continue to creep higher, nearing $3.40 a gallon nationally, according to AAA. Natural gas prices have likewise skyrocketed, especially in Europe and Asia, prompting the shutdown of factories. Part of the problem, the Blackstone billionaire said, is that its getting harder and harder for fossil fuel companies to borrow money to fund their expensive production activities, especially in the United States. And without new production, supply wont keep up.

If you try and raise money to drill holes, its almost impossible to get that money, Schwarzman said, adding that this is happening on an extremely wide-scale basis.

So. . . theres one obvious idea that comes to mind.

And then theres China:

Chinas Ambitious Climate Goals Collide With Reality, Hampering Global Efforts China, the worlds largest greenhouse-gas polluter, is heading to Glasgow climate talks next week with a bold agenda: For the first time, it promises to take major steps to wean itself off fossil fuels, committing to net-zero emissions before 2060. But in the coming decade, the country says, its carbon emissions will continue to rise, peaking sometime before 2030. Chinas climate pledges are bumping up against realities on the ground. The worlds No. 2 economy is so large and still growing so quickly that it might not be technically possible, let alone politically palatable, for the countrys leaders to move faster. . .

Stay tuned. well have more to say about Defunding these COPs over the next week.
When Attorney General Merrick Garland testified before the House Judiciary Committee last week, he told Rep. Jim Jordan that FBI agents will not be attending school board meetings. However, an activist mother in Fairfax, Virginia says the feds did show up at a school board meeting last Thursday, the same day Garland made his statement to Jordan.

The mom says a Department of Homeland Security vehicle was present in the parking lot the night of the meeting. She took a photograph of it. Unmarked government-looking vehicles were also present. In addition, she says a helicopter flew overhead shining a light on protesters.

The mom  Stacy Langton  also says she has been harassed ever since she spoke out against the presence of pornography at her sons school. The harassment includes threats against her children by name and being followed in her car.

The Department of Justice has called on the FBI to protect school board members against harassment and threats. If the Feds are going to get involved in the dispute between school boards and parents, they should protect not just school board members, but also parents who speak up.

However, no such memo from Merrick Garland will be issued. The DOJ is taking the school boards side.

Meanwhile, of course, theres a governors race going on. Glenn Youngkin should demand that Terry McAuliffe speak out against the Feds showing up at local school board meetings. If McAuliffe refuses, this can, and should, become an issue in the campaign.

Here is what Langton told Fox News:



Watch the latest video at foxnews.com
In case you missed it  and its easy to have done so given media lack of coverage  pro-Iranian forces launched a drone attack last week on a U.S. outpost in Syria. No U.S. casualties have been reported, but thats no thanks to the attackers.

Iranian media celebrated the attack, which it credited to something called Allies of Syria. This is a militia controlled by Iran through its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Iran declared that this attack will help change the balance of power in Syria. Hezbollah called the attack a new phase in the confrontation by which Iran and its allies will liberate Syria from U.S. troops. It noted that the U.S. left Afghanistan under the pressure of military operations.

According to the Washington Post, Iran and its proxy militias left the small contingent of U.S. forces in Syria alone until recently. But that is no longer the case.

How will the U.S. respond to this attack? We know how President Trump would have responded. He would have hit back, and hit back harder.

Joe Biden doesnt seem so inclined. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby tried to downplay the attack. He refused to blame Iran. Kirby didnt rule out a military response, but at this late date, one would be surprising.

Accordingly, it wouldnt be surprising if Iran, whether directly or more likely via proxy, launches more attacks. If Biden isnt willing to respond forcefully to protect our troops, he owes it to them to pull out of Syria, or at least out of any portion of the country in which they are highly vulnerable.

Iran has taken the measure of Joe Biden. I assume China has, as well.

Biden measures small.
Stanley Chibuna, a Nigerian comedian, popularly called Funnybone, on Wednesday; said he bagged his first romantic role in the latest Showmax original, Ghana Jollof.

The Africa Magic Viewers Choice Award (AMVCA) winner disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

Funnybone, in the latest Showmax original, Ghana Jollof, plays Jasper, a first-class graduate who moved to Ghana in search of greener pastures after failing to secure a job in Nigeria.

He acted alongside Ghanaian actress, Joselyn Dumas, for the first time.

 It was actually my first time being in a romantic space with a female on set, I have never done scenes where I had to kiss or hug somebody.

But shout out to Joselyn Dumas for her skill and professionalism, she gave me the vibe and energy I needed to make the scene work, she would say to me, calm down.

If it was someone else, I probably would not have done that scene as well as I did it, she gave me the freedom I needed.

But on the whole, Joselyn is really cool, when she walks into the room, it is all good vibes, she is smiling, talking to you, and wants you to be on the same wavelength with her, she earned my respect for life, he said.

Playing Jasper

About his character in the film, Funnybone said Jasper is caught in the emotional triangle between Abena and Jackie who both work in Kwekus company; he is very laid back, funny and an absolute pain in Kwekus behind.

Funnybone confessed that he shares certain traits with the character in Ghana Jollof in real life.

I share Jaspers humour in real life but I am not a nerd, am also intelligent like Jasper but am not a first class student because I cannot kill myself, he said.

On how he got the role, Funnybone said: Right after the AMVCA, Basketmouth told me he had something he would like us to do together and that was it.About eight months later, he gave me the script to read and asked me to come through so we could discuss it.

As someone I had worked with for a long time, I think he understood what I could do, and my range, the role challenged me but I liked it because it is my first time doing drama and not just sitcoms.

Sitcoms come naturally to me, unlike drama where I have to be serious and funny at the same time.

Something about me a lot of people dont know is that I like to be in my lane, if I wasnt filming or out working I would be home with the air condition and television on while watching something or just sleeping, he said.

He said acting in the Ghana Jollof was evident that he was pushing his craft beyond the Nigerian borders.

He said the attribute he admired most with the Ghanaians was that they were never in a hurry.

Ghanaians are not in a hurry like we are, if I was in Ghana, I wouldnt be complaining about a 6a.m. call time, whereas in Lagos, you could shoot from 5a.m. till the next day. Ghanaians are chill; they take their time.

(NAN)
Despite vaccine hesitancy being experienced in the country, the Lagos State government has approved the sum of N6,000 for the administration of vaccines against coronavirus infection at private health facilities in the state.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu made this known on Wednesday while declaring open the states mass vaccination campaign, expressing the governments desire to have a minimum of 4 million residents vaccinated by December 25.

The vaccines to be administered by the approved 400 private health facilities alongside the public centres are the same that have been sourced by the Nigerian government through donations and various other means.

This is as the treatment for the pandemic now costs a minimum of N350,000 per day at the state-owned cardiac and renal centre, which is located inside the general hospital, Gbagada.

PREMIUM TIMES exclusively gathered that patients who are referred to the centre are asked to cough out a minimum of N1.35 million as deposit for five days with N400,000 to pay up if the person does not spend more than five days.

Findings by this newspaper from the centre show that a patient may spend 14 days before being certified fit to be discharged from the facility.

But government officials have defended the decisions, saying they are all aimed at carrying those they described as big men along in the efforts to address the biting consequences of the pandemic.

Both the states commissioner for information and the chief press secretary to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Gbenga Omotoso and Gboyega Akosile respectively, accused many Lagosian elites of seeking exclusivity, and that no matter how cheap a public item is, they would prefer those offered by private companies.

On mass vaccination

With the fourth wave of the pandemic already noticed in the United Kingdom, Mr Sanwo-Olu said ahead of the Yuletide, his administration was prepared to protect Lagosians from the impending further spread of the infection.

The governor, while addressing a briefing on the sideline of the 7th African Conference on One Health and Biosecurity at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, said the mass vaccination campaign is in line with his promise and mandate to vaccinate 30 per cent of the Lagos population within one year.

He said vaccination has been an essential necessity towards mitigating the third wave of the pandemic, adding that a total of 1.2 million individuals have as of October 27 been vaccinated with the first dose of either AstraZeneca or Moderna while those fully vaccinated individuals are 550,000, accounting for just about four per cent of our target population.

With a full understanding that a substantial proportion of the population will need to be vaccinated to reduce the impact of the ongoing spread of the COVID-19 virus and prevent the re-emergence of the catastrophes witnessed during the previous waves by a potential fourth wave, the state has developed a robust vaccination strategy leveraging on both the strengths we have in the public and private sectors of our healthcare system, he said.

Private partnership

The governor disclosed that the state and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), will be partnering private sector in the mass vaccination campaign, stressing that the decision stemmed from the huge successes he said was recorded in various strategies that have been deployed in the management of the pandemic in partnership with the private sector.

Mr Sanwo-Olu noted that whilst the administration of the COVID vaccines remains free in public health facilities, an administrative cost will apply to residents who choose to receive the vaccine at approved private facilities of their choice.

He said: Leveraging on private health facilities and corporate institutions as additional sites for the COVID-19 vaccination, it is our hope that we increase the reach and access to the available vaccines provided through the generous contributions and donations by the Federal Government and our donors. By doing this, we are once again recognising the impact of the collaboration between the public and private sector for healthcare and strengthening the link for far-reaching initiatives in the state.

At this point, it is imperative to emphasise that the vaccines administered in our public facilities would remain free to the public. However, whilst the vaccines remain free as they were contributed to us by the Federal Government through the NPHCDA and our donors, a charge of N6,000 has been approved for relevant stakeholders in the administration of the vaccines in the private sector.

This is to allow the private sector to recoup the resources they have deployed in the process of administering this vaccine. We encourage all Lagos residents to visit our listed public facilities to receive this vaccine at no cost to them; however, those that wish to receive them in the comforts of a private facility can do so at this administrative cost.

He added that the state will set up COVID-19 vaccination fixed posts across 205 public primary health centres, 14 secondary and tertiary hospitals, and 400 private health centres across the 57 local government areas and local council development areas.

At the core of this campaign, we aim to strengthen vaccine equity to ensure that every resident of Lagos State has a fair and equal chance to fully access the vaccine regardless of who they are or where they are from which is key to seeing the unbearable impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr Sanwo-Olu said.

He enjoined residents particularly political, traditional, religious and community leaders to mobilise support for the campaign in order to ensure a successful outcome.

About fee-paying COVID-19 centre

The Lagos State Cardiac and Renal Centre, Gbagada, a N5.6 billion health facility, is presumed to be one of the signature legacies of the administration of former governor Babatunde Fashola, which was neglected to rot by his successor, Akinwunmi Ambode.

An investigation conducted by PREMIUM TIMES on the super tertiary health facility and titled; INVESTIGATION: Why Lagos govts N5.6bn cardio-renal centre remains grounded, in terrible state, exposed the shady deals between the government and the contractor, leading to conflicts of interests and eventual abandonment by both the government and some private investors that attempted to run it.

The report, which was published in 2019, attracted the attention of the states house of assembly which set up a probe committee to investigate the allegations.

But while awaiting the report of its findings, the incumbent administration of Mr Sanwo-Olu gave the facility a facelift and converted it for temporary use to care for coronavirus patients during the first phase of the pandemic.

Another private partner takes over

Meanwhile, without releasing the details of its findings on the controversies surrounding the cardio-renal centre to the public, the government has handed over the multimillion naira facility to another private investor, Life Centre Medicals.

When our reporter pretended to be in need of care at the centre, one of its officials who identified herself simply as Serah, said the COVID-19 test at the centre costs N50,500.

She said; Patients who have been confirmed positive and want to isolate are to pay the sum of N350,000 daily for five days bringing the total to N1,750,000 and they must make a deposit of N1,350,000 before any treatment is administered on them.

She said patients usually spend between 10 and 14 days before they could be certified fit to be discharged.

If the patient is severely sick and his or her admission exceeds five days, the patient will be required to pay an additional N350,000 daily until he/she is discharged, the official added.

But efforts to get the official response of the management of Life Centre Medicals to react to the development proved abortive, as our reporters are always told that there is no one on hand to speak on the matter.

Another official, whose phone number was given as an authority that could speak on the matter, and who identified himself as Michael Ogunkoya, told our reporter on the phone that he could not speak.

Im just a medical doctor working here, so I will have to refer you to the management, Mr Ogunkoya said.

He, however, failed to send the details of the management members as promised, saying he would need to confirm from them.

On two different occasions when our reporter visited the centre, he was not allowed to see any of the management, as the receptionists insisted that they were not available.

Government defends decisions

Both Messrs Omotoso and Akosile said the decision to bring in the private health centres was simply to take care of those they described as the big men, saying no matter how much they are persuaded they would not visit the public health facilities.

I can tell you that many private companies, including media houses, have approached us for private arrangements for vaccination and that they are ready to pay. They dont want to use the public facilities. And this is about public health, we need to do whatever we can to mobilise as many people as possible to be part of the campaign, Mr Omotoso said.

On his part, Mr Akosile said the state is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that everyone is carried along, saying the government is working towards increasing the public vaccination points to about 8,000 across the state.

And vans are also going to be made available for the interior so that we can achieve the 4 million target by December, the CPS said.

Mr Omotoso also added that the vaccines also have a short lifespan and that even though they are free, the N6,000 charges for the private health centres will cover the two doses as purely administrative charges.

Meanwhile, while Mr Akosile refused to comment on the privatised cardiac and renal centre, Mr Omotoso said the initiative was only to salvage the ruins at the facility, and provide care equivalent to what the big men go to receive at private hospitals.

Many of these big men and women want privacy but in the process, they go to private hospitals that do not have the capacity to manage them. That is what has contributed to the increased fatality from the pandemic that is recorded in Lagos. That is why this administration felt we needed to factor them in our arrangements. It is never for money, he added.

Vaccination in Nigeria

The Executive Director of NPHCDA, Faisal Shuaib expressed confidence that meeting and surpassing the target of fully vaccinating four million Lagosians against the global pandemic before Christmas is achievable.

Mr Shuaib noted that a total of 5,588,477 eligible persons have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine in Nigeria as of the 26th of October 2021 adding that 2,950,236 have received their second dose and are fully vaccinated.

He said; These represent five per cent and 2.6 per cent respectively, of the targeted eligible population of 111,776,503. From this data, it is obvious that we are very far from reaching our target of vaccinating almost 112 million eligible persons, which is necessary for Nigeria to attain herd immunity against COVID-19. This is why the flag-off today is very significant.

While we are glad that Nigeria is ranked among the high performing countries in terms of COVID-19 vaccine roll-out, we still have a lot of work to do, in order to reach levels of immunization that will ensure our nations safety. This campaign is an important step in that direction.

The Mass Vaccination Campaign is a carefully designed and quality-controlled strategy that creates greater access to COVID-19 vaccines in Nigeria through prudent expansion of vaccination sites and involvement of private and even more public health facilities in vaccine administration. We now have enough vaccines, so this is the opportunity to get vaccinated.

COVID-19 in Lagos

Lagos State remains the epicentre of COVID-19 in Nigeria, with 77,723 infections recorded out of 211,330 cases confirmed nationwide.

The state has also recorded 749 deaths out of a total of 2,884 fatalities reported across Nigeria, while 76,916 have been successfully treated and discharged.
Local and foreign corporations are owing the Nigerian government over N7 trillion in taxes, limiting the governments revenue and helping to fuel massive borrowing, the head of the countrys financial intelligence unit has said.

The Director of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), Modibbo Tukur, said the companies are partly responsible for the rise in the debt profile of the country.

Mr Tukur said the NFIU carried out an analysis of firms operating in Nigeria to arrive at the figure.

The amount is about half of Nigerias total budget for 2021 which had a deficit of over N5 trillion. The proposal for 2022 has a revenue shortfall of more than N6 trillion and the government said it will borrow to close the gap as it has done over the years.

Speaking on Tuesday shortly after defending the NFIUs 2022 budget proposal before the Senate committee on anti-corruption, Mr Tukur said the tax analysis his agency did covered between 2010 and 2020.

He said the companies, mostly in the oil and gas and telecoms sectors, had a total inflow of over N76 trillion within the period, requiring a projected payment of over N3.9 trillion as value added tax (VAT).

The firms total outflow was over N72 trillion with a projected withholding tax of over N3.7 trillion.

Mr Tukur said the analysis, which was done for the Federal Inland Revenue Service, (FIRS), will also be submitted to the Federal Ministry of Finance for further action.

He expressed the hope that all the companies involved will be made to reconcile their accounts and pay all taxes expected of them.

If compliance is still weak, this will be escalated to the Presidency, the National Assembly, EFCC, ICPC and even the Corporate Affairs Commission, he said.

Already, the FIRS is locked in a legal battle with the satellite television provider, South Africa-based Multichoice, over unpaid tax.

The tax body accuses Multichoice of owing company income tax of N1.2 trillion and VAT of $342 million.

The firm on Wednesday lost an appeal against the FIRS at the Tax Appeal Tribunal, and has filed another appeal at the Federal High Court.
Christian lawmakers, under the aegis of The Christian Legislators Forum in the National Assembly, will hold their 11th annual prayer breakfast on Thursday.

The Chairman of the forum, Emmanuel Bwacha, a PDP senator from Taraba State, disclosed this at a press conference on Wednesday in Abuja.

He said the breakfast session will take place at the National Assembly complex at 7 a.m., with David Abioye, a bishop and vice president of the Living Faith Church Worldwide (LFC), as the guest speaker.

He also said the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, will be in attendance.

Until he assumed office in 2015, Mr Osinbajo, a professor of law, was a pastor with the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).

The prayer session comes amidst general insecurity and dwindling economy in the country.

Flanked by a member of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Yusuf (PDP, Kogi), and a former senator, Ita Enang, at the press conference, Mr Bwacha said the session will be praying over some of the challenges facing the country.

He said the 2020 edition was hosted on Zoom due to the outbreak of COVID-19.

According to the lawmaker, the non-partisan forum is seeking to pull down strongholds affecting the country.

The battle is not canal, it is spiritual, through pulling down of stronghold, he said.

He added, Increasing hike in prices of foodstuff does not recognise political parties, it does not recognise geopolitics and it does not recognise tribe. By the way, it does not segregate based on age.

Ours is to pray on all issues, that our Lord and Saviour will intervene and restore our nation that we will able to overcome these challenges.
The Headquarters, Multinational Joint Taskforce (MNJTF) has honoured 24 military staff officers (MSOs) from Republic of Benin, Nigeria and Chad with MNJTF medals and Operation YANCIN TAFKI Medal in recognition of their meritorious service for peace and security in the Lake Chad region.

The Chief Military Public Information for MNJTF, Muhammad Dole, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in NDjamena Chad.

Mr Dole said the officers were decorated at a colourful medal parade ceremony for the outgoing MSOs who have completed one year tour of duty.

The Force Commander, MNJTF, Abdul-Khalifah Ibrahim, said the award of medals had remained one of the most cherished and sacred traditions of the military in recognition of bravery or gallantry, heroism, or meritorious service.

Mr Ibrahim said MNJTF was re-operationalised in 2015 to tackle the insurgency in the Lake Chad Basin region and restore normalcy to the affected communities.

He added that since its inception the force had conducted operations and undertook other non-kinetic activities towards the achievement of its mandate.

According to him, these operations and activities, which are coordinated at MNJTF Headquarters by MSOs, have yielded many successes including the liberation of communities previously held by the terrorists, rescue of thousands of captives, neutralisation of countless insurgents.

He said the operations had also led to resettlement of thousands of refugees and internally displaced persons back to Banki town, Baga and Doron Baga in Nigeria; Amchide and Kolofata in Cameroon; and Baroua in Niger Republic among others.

The commander disclosed that there had not been record of mistreatment of the surrendering Boko Haram/ISWAP insurgents by MNJTF troops, saying the ongoing mass surrender of terrorists were being handled professionally.

He also confirmed the killing of key BHT/ISWAP leaders; Abu Musab Al-Barnawi and Mallam Bako and gave assurance that MNJTF troops would go after any successor as well as the terrorists groups as a whole.

Mr Ibrahim however, called on the remaining BHT/ISWAP criminals to embrace the path of peace, by dropping their arms and surrender to security forces.

He commended the Republic of Chad for being a good host to the MNJTF as well as playing brotherly role to its neighbours.

In his remarks, the Chadian Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Abakar Daoud, represented by G Mandjita congratulated the recipients for the excellent performance to merit the award of MNJTF Medal.

Mr Daoud commended the commander for the great work of ensuring return of normalcy in the region, thus creating necessary conditions for relocation and resettlement of affected communities.

He assured MNJTF of continuous safety ,security and a conducive working environment for its operatives. (NAN)
Some gunmen on Tuesday invaded an home in Itapaji-Ekiti in Ikole local government of Ekiti State, and kidnapped eight persons, the police have said.

The kidnap comes barely a week after four persons were kidnapped at the Ayebode area of the state. On Monday, the police said they rescued the victims.

The gunmen reportedly besieged a house located in the town around 9.30 p.m. on Tuesday, shot sporadically into the air, and made away with eight occupants of the building.

The gunshots that lasted for over one hour terrified the residents of the community.

The owner of the house was preparing for the burial of his mother when the gunmen attacked.

The men numbering seven came around 9.30 p.m. with guns and surrounded the building. They fired gunshots sporadically, a source who did not want to be named due to security concerns said.

As the occupants of the house were coming out, they were grabbed and made to lie face down. They were later taken away into the bush. They were 14 initially, but six of them escaped into the bush.

Early today (Wednesday), one of the family members received a call from the abductors who demanded for (sic) a ransom of N50 million.

Some residents have blamed the absence of a police station in Itapaji, Ayuebode and Irele-Oke Ako areas for the increasing rate of kidnapping in the towns.

The nearest police post to the towns is about 25 kilometre.

Sunday Abutu, the police spokesperson in Ekiti, while confirming the incident, said efforts were underway to rescue the victims.

The command is working on that. Already special police operatives, as well as the JTF, have been deployed in that axis to ensure they rescue the victims and for possible arrest of the culprits.
A former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, has asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to dismiss the N800 million suit that was instituted against him by his estranged wife, Precious Chikwendu.

The controversial erstwhile minister, in a counter-affidavit he filed through his team of lawyers, told the court that his ex-wife who is a former beauty queen, deprived his children of breast milk on the account of the need to preserve her shape.

He also said it was coupled with a contrived medical condition which she claimed would not permit her to breastfeed them.

It will be recalled that his estranged wife had approached the court to enforce her fundamental human rights, even as she urged the court to issue a restraining order against the former Minister.

The estranged couple have been locked in a child-custody battle following their break-up in August 2020.

In a 23-paragraph affidavit he personally deposed to in opposition to the suit, Mr Fani-Kayode, said it was not true that the applicant (Ms Chikwendu) was violently separated from the four children they had together.

He told the court that rather, she elected to leave her matrimonial home and consciously abandon the children, in order to optimise without restraints, her extra-marital and inordinate sexual escapades.

As a fact, it is not surprising that Ms. Precious Chikwendu is capable of such reckless abandonment, because: whilst she was with me in the house afore-described, she employed 12 in-house nannies to cater for the children, excluding supervisors and nurses who equally attend to them.

The applicant did not at any time extend maternal care to the children, for the reason that she had a medical condition which deprived her of any filial bond with them; she deprived the children of the natural sucks or breast milk, also on account of the need to preserve her body shape, coupled with a contrived medical condition which she claimed would not permit her to breastfeed them, the statement read in part.

Consequently, he urged the court to dismiss the suit for lacking in merit, as well as for constituting an abuse of judicial processes.

Obsession?

Ms Chikwendu has claimed in a new Instagram post that the ex-minister is obsessed with her and has refused to let her have peace.

The ex-beauty queen said she had tendered proof of her allegations against her ex-husband adding that he had not responded to any.

Whenever I make a post and you see me at peace, next day you send the police to come harass or invite me, she wrote on Instagram.

She also said Mr Fani-Kayodes claim that she was evading court service was false and that he was the one guilty of it.

Youve summoned me at the Karu Magistrate for 6th November, we are to meet in court but you are so pained that you are pushing another baseless case again at the Force CID. All of these to get me locked up again. What is your obsession with me? Move on sincerely, charge whatever case you have to court and lets get started but leave my libertyalone, Ms Chikwendu said.

Background

On October 7, a Magistrates Court in Karu, Abuja, summoned Ms Chikwendu to answer to charges of forging court documents and deposing to false claims against her ex-husband in a series of court affidavits.

Ms Chikwendu is charged alongside one of Mr Fani-Kayodes domestic workers, Emmanuel Anakan, and five others, in the First Information Report (FIR) filed by the police.

Contacted by PREMIUM TIMES, Ms Chiwendu denied the allegation levelled by the police that she was evading service of court summons.

Ms Chikwendu and Mr Fani-Kayode have been locked in a legal battle over the custody of their four sons since they split last year.

She has levelled a series of allegations against Mr Fani-Kayode in series of filings in the suit which she had instituted to obtain an order to compel her ex-husband to yield custody of their children to her.

Her lawyers alleged in one of her filings in her suit pending before the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, that Mr Fani-Kayode beat her up on several occasions even while she was pregnant.
The Senior Pastor, Living Faith Church (LFC), Abuja, David Abioye, on Thursday, urged Christians to be prayerful in the face of the insecurity in some parts of the country, saying Nigeria would overcome.

Mr Abioye, a Guest Speaker at the 2021 11th National Prayer Breakfast organised by the Fellowship of Christian Legislators in Abuja, urged the people to continue to pray for peace in Nigeria.

The theme of the 2021 11th National Prayer is: Faith in a time of Crisis.

The cleric advised Christians to have faith, adding that there was a need to pray in time of crisis.

We must pray in the face of crisis; it is not time to be silent and stop praying. Individuals must operate in faith to quell the crisis, he said.

Mr Abioye, a bishop and vice president of LFC, gave assurance that Nigeria would overcome the current crisis, urging the lawmakers and members of staff of the National Assembly to stand out.

According to him, faith remains the core value of Christianity.

This is why we need faith at a time like this in our nation. I see a great calm coming to the country.

Crisis existed because faith went to sleep. Its time to rise up to our faith and stop the mouth of lion, and quench the edge of the sword, he said.

Maurice Mbaeri, Permanent Secretary, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), who represented President Muhammadu Buhari, described prayer as a source of strength for any nation, regardless of religion.

The president stated that sincere prayer would bring about the desired change in the polity and commended the legislators for the programme.

He noted that the prayer was coming at a time when most Nigerians thought that the challenges confronting the nation was insurmountable.

The Aso Rock Chaplain, Seyi Molomo, represented the Vice-President, Yemi Osinbajo, at the event.

According to Mr Osinbajo, when a country is passing through challenges, it is Gods call for them to act and use the opportunity to enable God to take control of such situation.

We believe that God has ordained us to speak what we want into the country in the time of crisis, because the destiny of a nation is in the hand of God.

Also speaking, Ajayi Boroffice, the Senate Deputy Leader, who represented the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, said Nigeria would win the battle and her enemy would be shamed.

Mr Lawan stated that if there was any time to pray for the country, it is now, because of the numerous challenges facing the country.

He said that as children of God, we must not be intimidated but should continue to pray for the country.

The senate president urged the people to put their trust in the Almighty God, adding that He would hear the cry of the people.

(NAN)
The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Mojisola Adeyeye, has said the removal of its agency officials from the ports led to the influx of substandard drugs into the country.

According to the DG, between 2011 and 2018, NAFDAC was removed from ports thereby resulting in massive importation of drugs, as cabals took over.

Mrs Adeyeye stated this while defending the 2022 budgetary allocation to her agency before the House Committee on Health Services on Thursday.

In 2011, the federal government ordered NAFDAC and Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to vacate the ports, as part of efforts to decongest them.

However, the agency was asked to return to the ports in 2018.

At the budget defence session, Mrs Adeyeye stated that NAFDAC ought to be inspecting commodities that fall within its mandate. She noted that the absence of the agency led to cabals taking advantage of the situation to flood Nigeria with substandard goods.

For seven years, we were absent and cabals were formed. We cannot undo the cabals overnight. That is why it has been extremely challenging for the last three and a half years. The federal task force is domiciled in NAFDAC, we are putting a lot of money on enforcement, she said.

She said NAFDAC needs more staff at the borders while lamenting the porous nature of Nigerias border corridor.

We have 2,118 staff now. We need more staff at the borders. We do not have enough men and women to guard our borders, the DG added.

Speaking on the issue raised by the DG, the Chairman of the Committee, Tanko Sununu (APC, Kebbi), tasked the agency to do more market surveillance in a bid to rid markets of substandard drugs.

Mr Sununu said the agency should develop multiple approaches to market surveillance.
The Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors Forum, Aminu Tambuwal, said he, along with three other governors, were in Ondo State to woo Olusegun Mimiko, a former governor of the state, back to the party.

Mr Tambuwal, the Sokoto State Governor led Governors Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Seyi Makinde (Oyo) and Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) on the visit to meet Mr Mimiko.

They also had discussion with Agboola Ajayi, the immediate past deputy governor in the state, who is the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) governorship candidate in the 2020 governorship election, his running mate, Gboye Adegbenro, and state Chairman of ZLP, Joseph Akinlaja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the governors had on arrival held a closed door meeting with Mimiko at his residence in Ondo Town.

Speaking with journalists after the meeting, Mr Tambuwal said that the visit was aimed at bringing like minds together to rescue the country from its current challenges.

According to him, the visit is on the directive of the party to embark on a trip to historic town of Ondo to woo Mr Mimiko back to his family.

We have had a robust engagement with him and we are very hopeful that we are going to hear something very positive from him soonest.

Our message is simple, lets come back and reposition the PDP and work toward rescuing Nigeria. The urgency of the matter is now.

The essence is for rebuilding the party toward ensuring that PDP is back to power in 2023, Mr Tambuwal said.

Also, Mr Mimiko told journalists that he would consult with his political structures across the state before taking final decision on his return to the PDP.

Mr Mimiko said: This is one of the series of interactions we had in the last two months and they have come, at least to convince us why we should come back to join forces with them in PDP.

We have listened to them; we will go back to our stakeholders meeting, because it is them that will decide before we jointly take our decision on it, he said.

Mr Mimiko had been a member of the Alliance for Democracy, PDP, Labour Party and Zenith Labour Party.

He had also served as health commosioner, secretary to the Ondo State Government, housing minister before becoming governor for eight years.

He failed in his bid to go to the Senate in 2019.

(NAN)
The Central Bank of Nigeria on Wednesday warned the public against a Twitter handle suggesting that it is disbursing 50 billion eNaira.

The bank said some fraudulent individuals have been posting messages relating to the currency wooing Nigerians in their criminal and illegal activities.

Nigeria on October 25 launched its digital currency, making it the first African country to do that.

A statement by the banks spokesperson, Osita Nwanisobi, identified the impostor handle as @enaira_cbdc.

The bank said it is not in any way associated with the handle and had in fact not been on the app since the ban by the federal government.

The impostor handle and fraudulent persons have been posting messages related to the eNaira with the intent of wooing unsuspecting Nigerians with claims that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), among other falsities, is disbursing the sum of 50 Billion eNaira currency, he said.

These impostors are bent on defrauding innocent and unsuspecting members of the public through the links attached to their messages for application to obtain eNaira wallets and become beneficiaries of the said 50 billion eNaira currency.

For the avoidance of doubt, the Central of Nigeria (CBN) is not the owner of that twitter handle (@enaira_cbdc) and indeed suspended its presence on Twitter following the Federal Governments Ban.

The bank clarified that it is not disbursing eNaira currency to citizens.

To this end, members of the public are hereby warned to be wary of fraudsters who have resolved to take advantage of unsuspecting Nigerians.

Members of the public should always endeavor to seek clarifications on information about the eNaira either by visiting the eNaira website: www.enaira.gov.ng or calling the eNaira contact centre on 080069362472 or visiting any CBN Branch nearest to them.

For clarity, the current official social media handles of the eNaira are: www.facebook.com/myenaira; www.instagram.com/myenaira and www.youtube.com/myenaira

Any suspicious activity by members of the public should be reported to the CBN using helpdesk@enaira.gov.ng or to relevant law enforcement agencies.

Please be guided accordingly.
The police in Imo State, Nigerias South-east, have confirmed the arrest of some of their officers for allegedly extorting N60,000 from a traveler, identified as Victor Agunwah.

The police disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday in Owerri, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

The police statement did not disclose the identity of those involved but said the erring officers would face an orderly room trial.

NAN reported that the victim, Mr Agunwah, lodged a complaint with the police commissioner in the state, Rabiu Hussaini, against the officers who allegedly extorted N60,000 from him through point of sale (POS) recently.

The victim also alleged that the officers assaulted him and others inside his vehicle before intimidating him into transferring the money to one of them through POS.

The police commissioner, in the statement, said the suspects have been arrested and detained at the police headquarters for necessary disciplinary action.

The Imo Police command has commenced investigations into a report making the rounds online where police personnel were alleged to have extorted N60,000 from one Victor Aguwah travelling from Sam Mbakwe Airport to his home town in Mbaise.

The CP, while condemning the incident, confirmed that the police officers have been identified, arrested and detained at the State Criminal Investigations and Intelligence Department (SCIID), where they will be made to face disciplinary action.

The command has established contact with the victim through his cell phone and he is currently cooperating with the command in seeing that he gets justice.

The CP, while commending the good people of Imo, assured them of the commands commitment, under his watch, to ensuring that no police officer found in corrupt practices is spared.

He assured all and sundry of making the outcome of the investigation and trial public, the statement said.

(NAN)
The Senate said on Wednesday that it had commenced investigation into the Nigerian Armys utilisation of its 2019, 2020 and 2021 budgets.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Army, Ali Ndume, made the disclosure when he led committee members on oversight of the 6 Division Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt.

Mr Ndume said the investigation would enable the committee to properly make budgetary allocation for the army in 2022.

According to him, the inspection of projects in barracks and interaction with the army hierarchy would enable the committee to make adjustments in the 2022 Appropriation Bill.

This will enable the committee to know areas that need adjustment, addition and attention, especially now that the 2022 budget is before the National Assembly.

This oversight function will enable us to allocate what the army will get in 2022 with focus to the security challenges we are facing across the country, he said.

Mr Ndume said the strength of any nation was determined by the strength of its military and paramilitary agencies, noting that the government would continue to assist them to succeed.

He noted that the army was currently being overstretched due to its engagement in multiple fronts across the country.

We commend the military and encourage the new guard (service chiefs) to continue with their good works while observing the rules of engagement, he added.

The senator thanked the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Faruk Yahaya, for boosting the morale of troops and condoled with the 6 Division over the death of Olu Irefin, a major general.

The General Officer Commanding (GOC) 6 Division Nigerian Army, Sani Mohammed, a major general, commended the committee for its efforts to address the constraints in the army.

We are happy that most of the interventions have been done especially in the area of equipment that are coming and efforts to improve army barracks.

We also appreciate the donation of various types of operational vehicles to the army while the COAS has informed us that many more are coming, he said.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives on Wednesday said it would consider better budgetary allocation for the Nigerian Navy in the 2022 Appropriation Bill.

The Chairman, House Committee on Navy, Yusuf Gadji, gave the assurance when he led other members of the committee on inspection of projects at the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder, Port Harcourt.

According to him, the navy and NNS Pathfinder had recorded milestone achievements in the execution of projects in its formations and units as budgeted in the 2020 fiscal year.

We are on oversight to seek feedback from the navy that we superintend over, to enable us to address the concerns and seek ways to improve their operations.

Going by what we have seen from our inspection of NNS Pathfinder base, we can say that they are doing a good job in the area of contract execution.

We understand the challenges in this base but we will only assist in budgeting for the primary projects that are more significant due to the meagre resources available, he said.

Mr Gadji said the National Assembly was currently seeking ways to make the nations armed forces self-sufficient in the area of funding.

To this end, we have two bills before the national assembly, including the Armed Forces Support Fund and the Maritime Security Trust Fund.

These bills when passed will go a long way to solving the problems associated with funding of our military, he said.

In a presentation, the Commander, NNS Pathfinder, Abdullahi Ahmed, a commodore, said the base had destroyed hundreds of illegal refineries, bunkering sites as well as made many arrests in 2021 alone.

He said the successes were recorded with the deployment of swamp buggy machines that completely crushes the illegal refineries, thereby making it impossible for them to be reactivated.

(NAN)
The House of Representatives Committee on Healthcare Services has endorsed the National Health Insurance Schemes (NHIS) group, individual, family, social health insurance programme (GIFSHIP) for constituency projects.

GIFSHIP is a health insurance scheme for people outside the formal sector of the economy.

The Chairman of the Committee, Tanko Sununu, gave the endorsement Wednesday during the budget defence of the NHIS.

Mr Tanko said the lawmakers should include GIFSHIP as part of the constituent projects, noting that constituents above 60years should be targeted.

He noted that the committee is endorsing the initiative because it is flexible and can allow lawmakers to select beneficiaries.

We are calling on members of the National Assembly to take advantage of this opportunity,

Mr Mohammed Sambo, executive secretary of NHIS, said with N15 million, a lawmaker can cover 1,000 beneficiaries.

If youre a philanthropist, you can pay like N15 million and cover over one thousand people. If you pay N30 million, you can cover two thousand people, he said.

The committee also queried the utilisation of the funds released to the agency in the 2020 appropriations Act.

According to Mr Sununu, the agency utilised N140 million out of the N144 million released to it.

Mr Sambo disclosed that the balance was rolled over to the 2021 budget.
The Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debt has rejected President Muhammadu Buharis $700 million loan request for Sustainable Urban and Rural Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (SURWASH).

The request was made under the Federal Ministry of Water Resources.

At the ministrys budget defence session on Wednesday, the committee mandated the ministrys delegation, led by the Permanent Secretary, Esther Walson-Jack, to provide it with an update of loans collected so far for the Water Projects in the ministry.

The rejection comes barely 24 hours after the Ministry of Health sought the approval of $200 million for the procurement of mosquito nets and malaria medicines.

At the session, the Chairman of the Committee, Clifford Ordia, and a few other members, noted that three different loans have been approved for various water projects.

Mr Ordia noted that $450 million was approved for the Ministry for water project being financed by Africa Development Bank and another $6 million loan under the integrated program for Development also financed by Africa Development Bank and Gurara water project.

You need to tell us what you are doing with $700 million for water projects, he said.

Other members of the panel, including Obinna Ogba, Sani Musa, Bima Enagi and Ibrahim Oloriegbe wanted the loan request denied because some loans had been collected for water projects in the past and results from the projects are yet to be seen.

What is the criterion for selecting benefiting states? The details you are providing is not enough. What are the projects you want to do with $640 million and how many water are you going to do?

You are giving each state $3 million to develop personnel capacity, do we need loan to do this function? You mean all states cant do that on their own?, Mr Oloriebge wondered.

The lawmaker requested the criteria for selecting benefiting states, adding that details provided by the ministrys permanent secretary are not enough to justify the loan.

Ms Walson-Jack, who was unable to give updates on previous loans approved for water projects, told the panel that SURWASH will last for five years.

She said $640 million out of the proposed loan will be used for the project, while the remaining $60 million will be used for capacity building.

The proposal was negotiated with the World Bank on April 2021 and was approved at Federal Executive Council on August 11, 2021.

States that would benefit from the $700 million loan from World Bank are Delta, Ekiti, Gombe, Imo, Kaduna, Katsina, and Plateau, with counterpart funding of $175 million.

The programme will deliver improved water sanitation and hygiene services to 2,000 schools and health care facilities and assist 500 Communities to achieve an end to open defecation free status, she explained.

The committee, therefore, resolved to invite the Minister of Water Resources, Adamu Suleiman, to appear before it for an explanation on the loan request and state of loans collected so far.
Some journalists, activists and civil society organisations across the West African region are currently in Abuja to discuss and proffer solutions to the menace of fake news and mis/disinformation gaining a foothold in their countries.

The three-day event organised by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) with support from the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) will allow participants share tips and learn from the experiences of colleagues across the region on the challenges of fake news.

Fake news is currently a major challenge in Nigeria and other nations in Africa, especially with the increasing access to social media and the emergence of citizen journalists.

Theres also the ease and fluidity of circulating unverified information across various platforms, including online and offline spaces, which has worsened the trend.

Even though many news outlets have set up fact-checking arms like the PREMIUM TIMES Dubawa in an attempt to curb the spike in fake news, the trend has continued unabated.https://dubawa.org/

Event

The journalists and civil society groups will deliberate on the challenges under the theme: Learning and experience sharing session on tackling fake news in West Africa.

The organisers say the sessions, which will be largely moderated by CDD, will also draw heavily on participants experiences in their respective countries.

Select participants will be asked to provide brief presentations on some of the key themes mentioned above, but these will be designed to open up discussions to all participants in what is envisaged to be a co-learning environment, where knowledge is being shared between practitioners.

Objectives

The three objectives of the three-day capacity building sessions are: To improve the capacity of media and CSOs to tackle fake news; to discuss strategies for building public awareness and education efforts into broader governance agendas  such as elections and peacebuilding  both with governments and international development partners and donors and to establish a network of media and governance oriented CSOs working on stemming fake news and disinformation in West Africa.

It will also provide a platform for continued peer learning in the future.

We envisage two core outputs of the capacity building workshop that will improve wider understanding of this issue and strengthen regional efforts among CSOs and media entities to tackle fake news.

The development of a best practice guidance sheet, drawing on the discussions of the workshop  to be published in French and English  that can be a tool for CSOs and media houses across West Africa to use in their efforts to stem fake news.

The creation of a network of media and governance oriented CSOs working on these issues, that will continue to share best practices and learnings. This will include the creation of an online forum for continued debate and discussion, the organisers said.

Speakers, participants

Expected at the sessions to moderate, provide guidance and also submit positions are the host, Idayat Hassan, Director CDD-West Africa; Francis Oke, ECOWAS Commission; Jamie Hitchen, Lead Researcher, CDD-West Africa; Eyesan Okorodudu, ECOWAS Commission and Naziru Mikailu, Editor-in-Chief, Daily Trust Nigeria.

Others are Samba Dialimpa Badji, Africa Check, Senegal; Victoria Bamas, ICIR, Nigeria; Alhassan Ibrahim, CDD-West Africa; Stella Iyaji, Managing Editor, Daily Trust Newspaper; Ladji Django Masse, Convention des Organisations de la Civile pour observation Domestique, Des.

Sait Matty Jaw, Executive Director, Center for Research and Policy Development (CRPD), The Gambia; Yeama Sarah Thompson, Initiatives for Media Development (IMdev), Sierra Leone; Fiacre Kakpo, Togo First, Togo and Deji Abdulwahab, News Agency of Nigeria.

There will also be country presentations tagged: Context, Experiences and Responses to Fake News, where participants will discuss country-specific experiences on tackling fake news.
Defence Headquarters says the military has eliminated no fewer than 70 bandits in various theatres of operation across the North-west and North-central zones in the last two weeks.

The acting Director, Defence Media Operations, Bernard Onyeuko, a brigadier general, disclosed this while giving update on the operations of armed forces across the country between 14 and 28 October , on Thursday, in Abuja.

Mr Onyeuko said under Operation Hadarin Daji, the troops had dominated the operations theatre with aggressive fighting patrols and other kinetic operations, with the support of intensive air operations in Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina and Kaduna States.

He said a total of 15 kidnapped civilians were rescued and nine bandits neutralised, while 34 bandits and other criminal elements were arrested and 11 AK 47 rifles, 43 rounds of ammunition and 86 livestock were recovered within the period.

He said the arrested criminals and recovered items had been handed over to appropriate prosecuting agencies for necessary action.

Under Operation Whirl Punch/Thunder Strike, Mr Onyeuko disclosed that troops also dealt heavy blows on the bandits, as they suffered heavy casualties from troops superior firepower in Kaduna axis.

He said no fewer than 12 bandits were neutralised, while 11 AK-47 rifles, 64 rounds of ammunition, 24 livestock, among other items, were recovered in the course of the operations.

Mr Onyeuko added that the Nigerian Air Force helicopter gunships neutralised no fewer than 50 bandits at Saulawa  Farin Ruwa axis in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

This feat was achieved on the heels of credible intelligence which revealed armed bandits laying ambush against own advancing ground troops in the location.

Consequently, air strikes were executed on the location in successive turns, leading to the neutralisation of some of the armed elements, while some others escaped with gunshot wounds, he said.

Under Operation Safe Haven, the spokesperson said that troops arrested eight criminals, recovered 13 assorted arms, 291 ammunition and 28 livestock, among other items, in Plateau.

He said the troops also carried out non-kinetic operations by conducting security and peace meetings with community leaders and other critical stakeholders within its area of responsibility during the period.

Under Operation Whirl Stroke, Mr Onyeuko said the troops arrested a total of 11 bandits and rescued two kidnapped victims in parts of Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba States.

(NAN)
Nnamdi Okonkwo, the immediate past Fidelity Bank head will take the helms as the new group managing director of FBN Holdings Plc, the parent company of Nigerias oldest bank FirstBank, effective from January next year, the financial services group said Thursday.

Mr Okonkwo replaces U.K Eke, whose second term in office terminates on December 31, according to the holdcos note to the Nigerian Exchange Limited.

The board decision is coming five days after the chairman of Geregu Power Plc, Femi Otedola, declared his 5.07 per cent stake in the group, making him a substantial shareholder. It also comes a day after Tunde Hassan-Odukale (FirstBanks chairman) responded to a query from the exchange to FBN Holdings, seeking clarification on why the shareholding of Hassan-Odukale and related parties were classified into two parts of 4.16 and 1.20 per cent respectively, totalling 5.36 per cent.

Mr Okonkwo will now be looking to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to give its nod and the shareholders at the next annual general meeting for the appointment to be consummated.

Mr Okonkwo has been facing charges from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for his part in a corruption allegation that involves his part in moving $153.3 million from the Nigerian National Petroleum Commission in favour of Diezani Alison-Madueke, Nigerias former petroleum minister.

With a career in banking spanning over three decades, Okonkwo has firsthand experience in business strategy development and visioning, risk management and corporate governance.

He served as Fidelity Bank CEO for seven years and was a one-time managing director of UBA Ghana, director at UBA Liberia and a director of Ghana National Banking College.

FBN Holdings also disclosed in the statement the appointment of Tope Orhionsefe Omage as a non-executive director of FirstBank with approval expected from the CBN.

The holdco renewed the appointments of FirstBank Managing Director Adesola Adeduntan and his deputy, Gbenga Shobo.

It equally declared the renewal of the appointments of Kayode Akinkugbe and Taiwo Okeowo as the managing director and the deputy managing director of FBN Quest Merchant Bank Limited respectively.

The appointed Meristem Registrars Limited as its new registrars in replacement of First Registrars and Investors Services Limited, a subsidiary of FBN Holdings.
Despite the rampant killings across the country, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Alkali, has said security has significantly stabilised.

He said the police force under his leadership is doing its best to sustain peaceful coexistence in the country.

Mr Alkali stated this in Abuja on Thursday during the weekly briefing organised by the Presidential Communications Team.

The declaration by the IGP comes against the backdrop of several killings in various parts of the country almost on a daily basis.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported several times how dozens of Nigerians were killed with little or no intervention by the security agencies.

At least 200 persons including security personnel were killed by non-state actors in the past four weeks across the country.

Every part of the country suffers one form of insecurity or the other while others are faced with spike in unresolved crimes.

Isolated cases

But the IGP, in his remarks, said the force is reviewing its public safety strategies in order to address what he described as isolated cases of crime in some parts of the country.

The security situation in the country has been significantly stabilised though we are still experiencing isolated cases of crime and threats to public safety, peace and security in some parts of the country.

The Nigeria Police Force is however unrelenting in rejigging its public safety strategies to adequately contain prevailing and emerging crime trends across the country.

He also noted that the strong collaboration between the police, armed forces and other security agencies led to the improved security situation in the country.

Let me state categorically that the new spirit of collaboration between the Nigeria Police, the Nigeria Armed Forces, the Department of State Services and other security and intelligence agencies in the country has indeed spurred a common front in reducing crime and criminality nationwide, he said.

Mr Alakli said the force is deploying a well-coordinated intelligence operation to tackle banditry, kidnapping and other forms of insecurity bedeviling the country.

We are expanding well-coordinated intelligence led operations to confront bandits, kidnappers and armed secessionist groups by enhancing intelligence gathering efforts and utilising capacity. Enhancing intelligence sharing through strengthening inter-agency collaboration with the military and other security agencies is also an aspect that is being pursued.

We are deepening community engagement to weaken recruitment drive by secessionist groups. We are also improving our public relations and regaining the trust of the citizens through improved community engagements and enhancing ethical policies in the fight against corruption, he stated.

The police boss said there is a strong collaboration between the Nigeria Police Force and its foreign counterpart in a bid to tame crime across the countrys borders.

Mr Alkali said the use of technology is also being explored by the Police, to aid its fight against crime and criminality.

The Nigeria Police National Command and Control Centre, Nigeria Police Crime and Incident Data Base and the Nigeria Police Crime analysis Centre are technology driven outfits that are used to detect and tackle criminals and are also available for the public to use for what we call Rescue me and once you download the app and use it appropriately, wherever is your position, request or complain, it will directly hit our control room within minutes and we will respond to your request. I, the IGP said.
Its not for nothing that I call him the high priest of the cabal. And in my book, he remains so, many years after stepping down as two-term president of the Guild. He has excellent contacts and has managed to combine the innate stubbornness of an Ife man with the charity of his Christian faith.

Vanguard, like many businesses, has had difficult moments and one that I remember clearly was the exit of its iconic editor, Frank Aigbogun, in 1998.

After about seven years at the helm, Aigbogun left behind such a huge pair of shoes it seemed unlikely that revered publisher, Sam Amuka, fondly called Uncle Sam, would easily find a fit.

Toye Akiyode, Aigboguns predecessor, had tried to steady the brand from the teething problems of its founding days. Aigbogun built rapidly on Toyes successes and made Vanguard a household brand, especially favoured among women.

After Aigboguns tenure as editor, the task of his successor was not only how to consolidate the gains he had made, but also how to broaden the appeal of the brand among other segments.

With The Guardian newspaper making strong strides in the South South and regional hegemony hugely in play, the Vanguard also needed to tap the ancestral roots of its publisher, Uncle Sam, and establish itself as a prominent regional brand.

The poor state of infrastructure and the business model which required every publisher to be a mini-government, owning everything from water supply to printing presses and distribution vans, did not help matters.

These were the circumstances under which Gbenga Adefaye, was appointed Editor of Vanguard. I didnt know him well at the time. Also, since I had my own cross to bear as newly appointed Editor of Saturday PUNCH, how people at the Canal managed their storm wasnt my cup of tea. I would later be forced to take notice and cross swords more than once with them  a story for another day.

Those were truly tumultuous days. The country was in the throes of military dictatorship. Being an editor didnt only mean producing a newspaper that is commercially successful; it also meant providing a platform that echoed the frustrations of the people and their rising agitation for democratic rule. This was often at the great displeasure of the powers that be.

Vanguard did not flinch. And on Adefayes watch, the newspaper grew in stature and reputation, emerging Newspaper of the Year and Adefaye, Editor of the Year, more than once. Within a few years of his appointment, Adefayes performance had justified his appointment and settled anxious nerves.

If Uncle Sam had any doubts when he chose Adefaye to succeed Aigbogun, subsequent events must have cleared them. In the early late 1990s and early 2000s when the newspaper industry began to face an existential crisis, what was required to stay afloat was no longer the regular editorial skillset alone.

His success did not happen overnight.

Back in 1985, he had shown signs of a promising career when he worked as a reporter for NTA Benin. One of the most outstanding DGs of NTA, Professor Tonnie Iredia, who supervised Adefaye in NTA at the time, once told me that Adefaye was a very serious-minded intern, who took his assignments with dedication.

He also worked for a brief time at Newbreed, the feisty weekly published by Chris Okolie, but it was at Vanguard that he cut a path for him as a sub-editor.

The sub is often despised and hardly thought of as a place to find editor material. Subs do the dirty job; writers get the accolades. But proprietors who are anxious about standards, especially fidelity to good English, house style and quality, know that a good sub desk is the backbone of editorial quality.

And I know more than one great editor who emerged from the sub: Henry Odukomaiya, Yakubu Mohammed, Lade Bonuola, Femi Kusa, Doyin Mahmoud, and Najeem Jimoh, to mention a few.

Before computers and robots supplanted the food chain, the sub desk was the factory that regularly produced editorial stars while getting very little, if any credit at all. It was at the Vanguard sub desk that Adefayes talent began to show.

If Uncle Sam had any doubts when he chose Adefaye to succeed Aigbogun, subsequent events must have cleared them. In the early late 1990s and early 2000s when the newspaper industry began to face an existential crisis, what was required to stay afloat was no longer the regular editorial skillset alone.

In fact, in one of its famous cover stories, Time magazine predicted the death of the newspaper. Maybe it was exaggerated. What was clear, however, was that the industry was on the throes of a major crisis. Business as usual was no longer sufficient. What was required was a knack to seize the moment and steer the editorial ship in uncharted waters brought on by the seismic changes in technology.

Adefaye seemed made for exactly that moment. On his watch, Vanguard was transformed from the old bastion of cut-and-paste to cutting edge technology, making it one of the most commercially successfully digital platforms for Nigerian news. It has remained on this totem pole for years.

If there was ever an argument about who did what in journalism in the last four decades or a grey area to be cleared, you can count on Adefaye to shed the light in an encyclopedic way that almost always settles the matter.

And Adefaye did most of this without a fuss: silent water running deep.

We were not very close until my appointment as PUNCH Editor and, later, when we both joined the Guild of Editors as members of the Standing Committee. It was here, working very close with Adefaye, that I saw, first hand, the depth of his professional commitment and benefited from his extraordinary institutional memory.

Whenever we discussed the shortcomings of the profession and the need to inspire greater public confidence by raising the standard of practice, Adefaye would take the floor and insist that until editors set personal examples, the profession was going nowhere.

The Guild was doing its best, Adefaye would say, but for the profession to regain its prestige and reputation, there was more to be done at the corporate and personal levels. And he would often lace his arguments rich anecdotes and historical examples.

When there was a vacancy after Baba Dantiyes presidency, I had no qualms rooting for Adefaye as president of the Guild and helping to execute the coup that brought about his successful election.

Its not for nothing that I call him the high priest of the cabal. And in my book, he remains so, many years after stepping down as two-term president of the Guild. He has excellent contacts and has managed to combine the innate stubbornness of an Ife man with the charity of his Christian faith.

If there was ever an argument about who did what in journalism in the last four decades or a grey area to be cleared, you can count on Adefaye to shed the light in an encyclopedic way that almost always settles the matter.

He knows where the saints reside and where the dead bodies are buried. Thats why he is the high priest.

And long may he live!

Azu Ishiekwene is Editor-in-Chief of LEADERSHIP.
Nobel laureate and renowned playwright, Wole Soyinka, on Thursday, narrated how he was banished from entering Nigeria.

In a press conference at Freedom Park, Lagos Island, the Noble laureate said he was denied his right to movement twice.

Not being able to return to your own country is banishment. Mr Soyinka said.

The ordeal

The Professor of Literature said a few months ago when he wanted to come into the country from Paris, at the point of boarding the aeroplane, he was told he couldnt get on board.

I had my vaccination, I have taken the 72-hour covid test, I was negative but there was one more, there was a new one called PCR which the Nigerian government had begun to insist on, he said.

PCR means Polymerase Chain Reaction. Its a test to detect genetic material from a specific organism, such as a virus. It is a covid-19 travel test requirement for travelers coming in and out of the country.

Mr Soyinka said he believed it was his fault, so he went back to Paris with his luggage.

But it happened the second time a week ago despite following all travel protocols and having the PCR, he said.

This time I had my PCR and of course it did not happen to me alone, there were other Nigerians who had a similar scenario, they couldnt leave because they had already passed the immigration, he said.

He said they were denied entry because they had not obtained a travel permit from the Nigerian government. He said he was directed to make certain payments then permission would be generated so I could travel back to my own country.

He said despite his status in the country, he refused to contact any government authority to intervene.

Mr Soyinka said the portal was inaccessible for him to generate the permit.

The next day, about six staff of the aviation company tried to access the portal from different computers but it was not reachable, he said.

He noted that although payment from his credit card was acknowledged, it still did not generate this permit to enter Nigeria which has the barcode.

The professor said at a point in a bid to gain entry into the country, he almost took a flight to Lome. He added that it took special permission for him to enter his homeland.

Ludicrous questionaire

He also berated the internal affairs and health ministries for making travelers fill a ludicrous questionnaire that has nothing to do with COVID-19 on the travel portal.

What the majority of those questions have to do with Covid, I dont understand. I went through some of the questions repeatedly We do not require this kind of secret service questionnaire, he said.

He said it was disheartening to see fellow Nigerians sleeping on couches, trapped in limbo, because some government officials are technologically inefficient.

Mr Soyinka pleaded with the ministry of health and internal affairs to stop treating Nigerians as criminals and illegal immigrants.

He suggested that the Nigerian government provide an emergency line should there be technological hitches.
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Plattsburgh, NY (12901)

Today

Snow showers this evening. Becoming clear later. Low near 25F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 60%..

Tonight

Snow showers this evening. Becoming clear later. Low near 25F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 60%.
Plattsburgh, NY (12901)

Today

Mostly sunny skies this morning will become overcast during the afternoon. High 43F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

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Cloudy. A shower of rain or wet snow possible. Low 34F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
Larry Rock, 76, of Charles Way, passed away on November 17, 2021 at his home. He was born May 17, 1945 the son of Clarence and Rose (Rell) Rock. Services will be private and held at the convenience of the family. Larry will be laid to rest in St. Mary's Cemetery in Champlain. Arrangements ha
Southbury, CT (06488)

Today

Rain or snow showers this evening will give way to partly cloudy skies overnight. Low 27F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precip 50%..

Tonight

Rain or snow showers this evening will give way to partly cloudy skies overnight. Low 27F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precip 50%.
LAS VEGAS, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- AAA20Group, LLC, a leader in the subscription-based robotic solutions industry, announced that the labor-saving potential of their approach was universally valued at the 2021 PACK EXPO / PHARMA EXPO packaging symposium in Las Vegas, Nevada. 2019-2020 marked an explosive level of robotic demand. While much of this growth was seen in the technology, automobile, and heavy industry sectors, the need for integrating automation in small to mid-size packaging operations is growing rapidly. Popular in Asia and Western Europe, the business case for collaborative robots is garnering rapid interest in the U.S. as well.

A new way to integrate collaborative robotic automation

As a leader in the nascent Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS) business model, AAA20Group, LLC provides a method for lowering the barrier to entry for customers seeking robotic automation. In the past, robotic automation was feasible for companies with greater than 1,000 employees. With AAA20Group, LLC, this is no longer the case. According to Karen Mallouk, Co-Founder of Las Vegas, NV-based AAA20 Group, LLC, "the immediate benefit for the SMB is a combination of reduced labor costs and eliminating the prohibitive cost of equipment ownership." RaaS results in reduced capital requirements, lowered fixed costs, and flexible lease terms. Significant cost-saving potential can be realized in nearly any packaging line that requires labor-dependent, end-of-line palletizing.

Mallouk adds, "growing companies can reallocate their workforce toward higher-level activities, and thus conserve valuable working capital. We eliminate the need for any robotics expertise whatsoever, as our application experts will fully configure the robots and deliver a turn-key solution." AAA20 offers a unique, risk-free opportunity for small to mid-sized operations to benefit from safe, world-class collaborative robotics for their palletizing process. No long-term commitments are required, there is no software or AI to develop, and the customer requires no specialized robotics expertise.

About AAA20 Group, LLC

AAA20 Group, LLC is a privately held company headquartered in Las Vegas, NV. The company provides collaborative robotic equipment solutions used in the flexible packaging industry. Proven automation industry leaders manufacture the robots offered by AAA20 for lease. More about AAA20 Group collaborative palletizers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8GvxE4c4Po

Corporate contact:

Karen Mallouk, Co-Founder

10241 Kirkwood Gaps Ave.

Las Vegas, NV 89135 USA

(847) 220-6733

https://collaborativepalletizer.com

[email protected]

Media contact:

Robert Goldberg

StartupFactory, LLC

[email protected]

SOURCE AAA20Group, LLC

Related Links

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SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The global actinic keratosis treatment market size is expected to reach USD 8.12 billion by 2028 according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 4.3% over the forecast period owing to a rise in demand for AK treatment products, increasing awareness among people, and favorable government initiatives. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the market adversely. A downfall has been observed in the diagnosis and treatment rate of actinic keratosis in 2020, globally.

Key Insights & Findings:

Surgical therapy acquired the highest market share in 2020 due to the high penetration of cryotherapy and other surgical options

Photo-enhancers and photodynamic therapy are anticipated to witness the fastest CAGR over the forecast period

A paradigm shift in consumer preference towards homecare products is anticipated to drive the homecare end-use segment

The risk of developing AK increases with age. Hence, the growing geriatric population is expected to accelerate the market growth

Strategic partnerships among major players are expected to propel the number of new product launches, driving the market

Read 115 page market research report, "Actinic Keratosis Treatment Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Therapy (Surgery, Photodynamic Therapy), By Drug Class, By End-Use (Hospitals, Homecare), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2021 - 2028", by Grand View Research

Key pharmaceutical companies are collaborating to develop novel therapies to treat actinic keratosis. For instance, in December 2017, Almirall, S.A., and Athenex, Inc. collaborated to develop KX2-391(tirbanibulin), an investigational drug for AK treatment. According to the deal, Athenex, Inc. granted the development and commercialization rights to Almirall, S.A. in the U.S. and Europe. Furthermore, in December 2020, Almirall, S.A. received the U.S. FDA approval for Klisyri (tirbanibulin) and was commercialized in February 2021 in the U.S.

Actinic keratosis may malignantly transform into Invasive Squamous Cell Carcinoma (iSCC). Although there are several causative factors of iSCC, AK is one of the most common causes. AK could also lead to basal cell carcinoma and non-melanoma skin cancer. Thus, the early diagnosis and treatment of AK as a preventive strategy for the comorbidities is fueling product sales across various sales channels.

Photodynamic therapy is anticipated to grow at the fastest CAGR over the forecast period. The high efficacy of the therapy compared to other treatment options and adoption of aggressive market strategies by key players to increase the market share are driving the segment growth. For instance, BIOFRONTERA AG has collaborated with many regional players to commercialize Ameluz (photo-enhancer) in the market. In December 2020, the company entered into a marketing agreement with Galenica AB to commercialize its products in the Scandinavian region. Moreover, the company has also collaborated with Medac GmbH in Poland and Maruho Co., Ltd. in Japan for the commercialization of Ameluz in the regional market.

Increasing government involvement & initiatives to improve healthcare services across the globe are expected to boost the market growth. The regulatory bodies are closely monitoring the treatment options for AK and adopting strategies accordingly. For instance, in January 2020, the European Medicines Agency recommended to stop using Picato (ingenol mebutate) for treating AK. The Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee of EMA is reviewing the clinical data related to skin cancer in a patient using Picato.

Grand View Research has segmented the global actinic keratosis treatment market on the basis of therapy, drug class, end-use, and region:

Actinic Keratosis Treatment Therapy Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2028)

Topical



Surgery



Photodynamic Therapy

Actinic Keratosis Treatment Drug Class Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2028)

Nucleoside Metabolic Inhibitor



NSAIDs



Immune Response Modifiers



Photoenhancers



Others

Actinic Keratosis Treatment End-use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2028)

Hospitals



Private Clinics



Homecare



Others

Actinic Keratosis Treatment Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2028)

North America



U.S.





Canada



Europe



U.K.





Germany





France





Italy





Spain



Asia Pacific



India





China





Japan





Australia





South Korea



Latin America



Argentina





Brazil





Mexico



Middle East & Africa



Saudi Arabia





UAE





South Africa

Key Players of Actinic Keratosis Treatment Market

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.

Novartis AG

GALDERMA

Hill Dermaceuticals, Inc.

Viatris Inc.

Mylan N.V.

Bausch Health Companies Inc.

LEO Pharma A/S

Almirall, S.A.

Biofrontera AG

3M

Browse through Grand View Research's coverage of the Global Pharmaceuticals Industry:

Cryotherapy Market  The global cryotherapy market size is expected to reach USD 8.4 billion by 2028. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 10.3% from 2021 to 2028.

The global cryotherapy market size is expected to reach by 2028. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 10.3% from 2021 to 2028. Cancer Supportive Care Drugs Market  The global cancer supportive care drugs market size is projected to reach USD 22.9 billion by 2026. Rising expenditure on healthcare, and availability of effective treatment methods, including target specific and tailored treatments are anticipated to drive the growth.

The global cancer supportive care drugs market size is projected to reach by 2026. Rising expenditure on healthcare, and availability of effective treatment methods, including target specific and tailored treatments are anticipated to drive the growth. Home Healthcare Market  The global home healthcare market size is expected to reach USD 545.1 billion by 2028. It is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.88% from 2021 to 2028.

Gain access to Grand View Compass, our BI enabled intuitive market research database of 10,000+ reports

About Grand View Research

Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead.

Contact:

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Corporate Sales Specialist, USA

Grand View Research, Inc.

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SOURCE Grand View Research, Inc.
SEOUL, South Korea, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In a hair follicle, there are "dermal follicle papilla cells" that appear 3,000 grapes clustered together.

The name was given because its outline resembles the papilla of the human body when observed under a microscope.

Hair loss occurs when dermal follicle papilla cells, which draw nutrients from capillaries and allow hair to grow, do not function properly.

Treatment that proliferates these cells and transplants them into hair follicles has been drawing attention. The effect was proven by domestic research teams in 2019.

The question is whether dermal follicle papilla cells can be produced enough to meet the demand of 10 million people.

The critical thing here is a "cell culture media" that proliferates the cells to grow.

If people search for "media" in the dictionary, it is "liquid or solid containing nutrients necessary to grow plants, bacteria, or cells."

It might be unfamiliar to the general public, but familiar to those who have the slightest interest in biology. It is also widely used for bacteria culture experiments of elementary school students.

Cell culture media for medical and academic use is a liquid-type nutrient that creates an appropriate in vitro environment in which cells can proliferate depending on the characteristics of each cell.

Recently, the cell therapy market, including dermal follicle papilla cells, has been growing rapidly.

The study of cartilage therapy was the most active, but research developments are being conducted in various fields now.

As the market expands, the material, component, and equipment industries for the development and production of cell therapy are growing fast as well.

The Global market for cell culture media is expected to grow by $8.2 billion in 2027

Among them, the media market, which is a key material, has drawn attention.

According to Technavio, a global market research company in the UK, the size of the cell culture media market reached $3.67 billion (4.35 trillion won) in 2020.

Technavio expects the media market to constantly grow at an annual average of 12.12% by 2025. According to this estimate, the market size is expected to be $8.17 billion (9.6 trillion won) by 2027.

If cell therapy goes beyond alopecia and cartilage and accelerates to organoid treatment, which is a human organ analog treatment, the growth estimates will get bigger exponentially.

A new era of the biomedical industry is coming.

Xcell Therapeutics is the Korean startup venture company that has developed innovative manufacturing technology of culture media, a key element of cell therapy.

Serum harvested from animal or human blood has been used in the production of media so far, but it is difficult to extract and also has limitations as a therapy.

Xcell Therapeutics produces media that do not contain serum.

Ph.D. Lee Jooyeon, CTO of the Institute of Life Science at Xcell Therapeutics, explained media, which can be unfamiliar to the public, is food for cells.

She said, "Just as how the longevity of an electric car depends on the performance of the car's battery, stem cells' proliferation rate depends on the efficacy of media."

"Antibody therapy" includes COVID-19 treatment, which has been recently developed by Merck US. is recognized for its efficacy. It is also currently under development by various pharmaceutical companies including Korea's Celltrion.

Media used in antibody treatment is focused on enabling the efficient secretion of antibodies.

Unlike antibody therapy, in "cell therapy", cell secretions do not act as a medication. The cultured cells themselves act as a treatment,

Although both media are food for cells, the difference between media used in antibody therapy and cell therapy is whether the media contain ingredients that stimulate secretion or are focused on maintaining the cells' health and intrinsic properties.

Next-generation cell therapy includes organoid therapy in which cultivated cells grow into organ analogs.

The global market size of organoids reached \ 777.5 billion ($649.4 million) in 2019, which is expected to have an annual CAGR of 20%.

Ph.D. Lee said, "The development of cell therapy in Korea is mostly concentrated on cartilage therapy. There are only 5-6 products on sale with New Drug Approvals, but many companies are actively conducting clinical trials."

She also said, "The clinical trials for Alopecia using dermal papilla cells are actively in progress and our company will also launch dermal papilla cell media used for alopecia treatment and keratinocyte media used for treating serious burns by the end of this year."

Depending on the components, media falls into different category: serum containing media, serum-free media, and chemically defined media.

Antibody treatments, which have already entered maturity, began clinical trials almost 50 years ago. It started slow but grew rapidly due to the introduction of chemically defined media.

The chemically defined media made the mass production of antibody therapy possible.

The introduction of 'serum-free media' became the turning point.

In the past, serum was extracted and used as a supplement by puncturing the hearts of bovine fetuses.

The extracted serum is called "Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS)."

There were various issues concerning the use of FBS such as technical limitations, ethical issues, and production limitations.

Hence, serum-free media has been developed. However, cells did not grow well without the use of FBS. Alternatives using human-derived substances were developed.

A typical example is 'human platelet lysate (hPL).'

However, human-derived substances also have limitations similar to FBS such as Risks of virus contamination and the limited amount of production.

Chemically defined media is more advanced than serum-free media. Chemically defined media does not contain any animal nor human-derived substances. It is only composed of synthetic substances or recombinant proteins.

In most cases, chemically defined media have become common in antibody treatments, while the fetal bovine serum media are still widely used in cell therapy.

Nevertheless, various serum-free media have been released as the global bio-industry began to move away from using FBS (Fetal Bovine Serum).

Large multinational bio companies, such as Thermo Fisher Scientific, mainly produce serum-free media.

Q. What are some advantages of Xcell Therapeutics' media compared to serum-free media?

"Since serum-free media sold on the market often contain human-derived substances such as platelet lysates or serum albumin, it is impossible to cut off all the risks of contaminations, such as the possibility of virus contamination from human origin," Ph.D. Lee explained.

"The recent COVID-19 pandemic has caused many disruptions in the supply of human-derived substances, especially platelet lysates. CellCor CD, a chemically defined media which was successfully developed in 2019 and newly launched last year by our company, does not contain materials that can't be defined such as animal or human-derived substances, enabling prevention of any risk of contamination or physical response," she spoke.

"As there is no possibility of disruptions in the supply of materials due to pandemic situations such as COVID-19, it is quite competitive in not only medical utility but also industrial productivity," she added.

The media should be perfect in three ways: nutrition, proliferation, and prevention of side effects.

Q. In addition to the raw materials or ingredients in the formulation of media, what factors influence technological competitiveness?

"To produce the media properly, you need to know the cells well enough to control from birth to death. The material of the chemically defined media is similar to human nutrients such as vitamins and minerals, and the first of technological competitiveness is to supply enough nutrients in a balanced way." PhD. Lee explained.

"The second edge is to supply customized ingredients for cell characteristics so that each cell can proliferate well without losing its characteristics. For example, in the case of cell therapy for serious burns, a person with a full body third-degree burn needs to obtain a part of his or her skin tissue and produce enough cells from it to treat the burn. The most important thing is whether cells separated from the patient's skin tissue can proliferate enough to make up for skin.

"The next is to ensure that cells maintain their own characteristics and proliferate to become a part of the human body, and prevent side effects such as contamination after transplantation. To do that, you need to thoroughly block contaminants during the proliferation process," she added.

In the case of chemically defined media, there are no companies in Korea that have similar technologies to Xcell Therapeutics.

Although it has a high market growth potential in Korea, Xcell Therapeutics has to open up overseas markets first.

The technological development capability of Korea is not inferior to the rest of the world.

However, domestic buyers have strong stereotypes concerning media, so they prefer using foreign products.

As a result, Korean medical companies import more than 90% of raw materials and subsidiary materials for the development and production of treatments from overseas, including the United States and Europe.

Such a supply and demand structure has disrupted the supply of media and resins, which are the key materials for the bio-industry, since COVID-19.

Due to the high reliability of products labeled 'made in Korea' in overseas, Xcell Therapeutics has been able to enter the global market earlier than other companies. "The recent COVID-19 has caused problems in supplying materials to the bio-industry, but the domestic market is expected to expand significantly as the localization of core technologies in bio-industry takes place."

"Xcell Therapeutics and Ajinomoto in Japan are the only company that can manufacture chemically defined media for mesenchymal stem cells worldwide. When the facility in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do expands at the end of this year, we will have the capacity to produce 255,000 liters annually with the Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) approved by the U.S. FDA.

Xcell Therapeutics has completed two years of technology verification with multinational companies through aggressive technology and product promotion activities since its success in the research and development of chemically defined (CD) media in 2019.

Even before entering the global market, Xcell Therapeutics signed a "White Label" contract (OEM) with a U.S. company.

Aiming to expand global market distributors to 15 companies in 2022 and 30 companies in 2023

CD media products have been officially released since the second half of 2020. Xcell has currently signed distribution agreements with 10 distributors in each base region such as Germany, India, Southeast Asia, and China, expecting to be sold to 62 countries.

Xcell Therapeutics aims to expand to 15 distributors by this year and 30 by 2023.

In preparation for an increase in demand in the global market, Xcell Therapeutics is also considering to set up distribution hubs in a certain region as it is necessary to secure a stable logistics chain.

Currently, discussing the establishment of distribution hubs with Singaporean companies for distribution in Asia and Hungarian and Dutch companies for distribution in Europe.

In addition to cell therapy, Xcell Therapeutics is also moving towards the production of cultured meat.

Alternative meat is processed from plant-based ingredients like soybeans, but cultured meat is made by culturing cells.

Xcell Therapeutics has engaged a strategic investment (SI) for joint projects in cultured meat with Daesang Corporation, famous for its seasoning Miwon, which has the largest market share in Korea.

Also, two types of media are under development: a proliferation media for muscle stem cells and a differentiation media that can convert stem cells into muscles.

Xcell Therapeutics received Bioindustry Innovation Awards from the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy in 2020 and was certified as a bio company specializing in material parts.

It was also selected as a "preliminary unicorn," a national project for a venture powerhouse by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.

Thanks to high scores in the government and overseas market evaluations, starting with Series A in October 2017, Xcell Therapeutics attracted 20 billion won in Series C investments in March 2021 and received a total of 33.6 billion won in investment.

There are about 10 major institutional investors of Xcell Therapeutics, including Korea Investment Partners, Korea Development Bank, and Industrial Bank of Korea.

Ph.D. Lee said, "Media for stem cells have been successfully launched and our first goal is to build the pipeline of various cell media, including the development of Keratinocyte media and dermal papilla cell media expected to be released at the end of this year."

"We are preparing to launch media for immune cells such as Natural Killer (NK) cells and T cells, which are actively researched for immunotherapy. We aim to grow into a company like Lonza, the world's leading bio-Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO), based on our high understanding and technology of cells."

Diana Jung/BD Team Leader

Tel) +82)-10-7104-4252

Email) [email protected]

Homepage) www.xcell.media

SOURCE Xcell Therapeutics
IC technology is a fundamental enabler of our 21 st century, digital lifestyles. It is the secret sauce behind cutting-edge innovations such as the Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning and cloud computing applications. But it is also an essential component of countless 'everyday' objects. Think of cars, washing machines, smartphones, etc.

Over the years, the introduction of ever smaller, more powerful and increasingly more energy-efficient generations of chips has made smart devices progressively more sustainable. In contrast, it is precisely the world's growing dependence on semiconductor technology and its intricate production processes that have largely added to the IC-making industry's own ecological footprint; a footprint not only characterized by high energy consumption and the use of chemicals, scarce materials, and ultrapure water  but also by the emission of greenhouse gases such as NF 3 .

Creating a snowball effect  backed by Apple Inc.

"Many systems companies are carbon neutral today for their corporate footprints and have expressed the ambition to have their entire carbon footprint to net zero by 2030. They are very committed to achieving that goal, yet often lack the data to decipher the IC part end-to-end. That is where imec comes in. We have that data, and are ready to support the industry with all necessary insights, tools, instruments and numbers," says Luc Van den hove, CEO of imec.

"Moreover, companies realize they can only become carbon neutral if their whole supply chain follows suit. So, that is the snowball effect we want to create  together with Apple  today: I would like to call upon the whole semiconductor value chain not to stand at the side, but to act as one and to join forces with us to cut back the entire semiconductor industry's ecological footprint," he adds.

A firm ambition: helping the complete IC value chain reduce its ecological footprint

Fully determined to contribute to the fight against global climate change, resources depletion and pollution, fabs and equipment suppliers around the world have been doubling their efforts to come to a more sustainable IC manufacturing value chain. Research has shown, for instance, that close to 75% of a mobile device's CO 2 emissions can be attributed to its fabrication  with almost half of that resulting from the underlying IC manufacturing. Yet, so far, a holistic approach to reducing the IC-making industry's emissions has been lacking.

"That is why imec is launching its Sustainable Semiconductor Technologies and Systems (SSTS) research program," says Luc Van den hove. "It is a program drawing on our widely acclaimed fab expertise. It combines imec's insights in infrastructure, technology and machinery to help the complete IC value chain reduce its ecological footprint. Our aim is to inform partners of the environmental impact of certain choices made at chip technology's definition phase. That holistic view  consisting of concrete and reliable models, and detailed (carbon) footprint analyses  is what sets our SSTS program apart."

About imec

Imec is a world-leading research and innovation center in nanoelectronics and digital technologies. Imec leverages its state-of-the-art R&D infrastructure and its team of more than 5,000 employees and top researchers, for R&D in advanced semiconductor and system scaling, silicon photonics, artificial intelligence, beyond 5G communications and sensing technologies, and in application domains such as health and life sciences, mobility, industry 4.0, agrofood, smart cities, sustainable energy, education,  Imec unites world-industry leaders across the semiconductor value chain, Flanders-based and international tech, pharma, medical and ICT companies, start-ups, and academia and knowledge centers. Imec is headquartered in Leuven (Belgium), and has research sites across Belgium, in the Netherlands, Taiwan and the USA, and offices in China, India and Japan. In 2020, imec's revenue (P&L) totaled 680 million euro.

Further information on imec can be found at www.imec-int.com.

Imec is a registered trademark for the activities of imec International (IMEC International, a legal entity set up under Belgian law as a "stichting van openbaar nut"), imec Belgium (IMEC vzw supported by the Flemish Government), imec the Netherlands (Stichting IMEC Nederland), imec Taiwan (IMEC Taiwan Co.), imec China (IMEC Microelectronics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.), imec India (IMEC India Private Limited), imec San Francisco (IMEC Inc.) and imec Florida (IMEC USA Nanoelectronics Design Center Inc.).

SOURCE Imec

Related Links

https://www.imec-int.com/en


Founded nearly 200 years ago by two fearless Frenchmen  Alexandre Bisquit and Adrien Dubouche  Bisquit & Dubouche was built on a revolutionary vision: to buck long-held tradition and embrace an innovative method to distillation that relies on intuition over conventional techniques. This radical approach launched what would become a world-renowned house of fine cognac. By the end of the 1800s, Bisquit & Dubouche was the third most exported cognac in the world and was popular among celebrities like Josephine Baker, one of the most important entertainers of the 20 th century.

Known as Bisquit Cognac for many years, the brand returned to its roots and its original name Bisquit & Dubouche in March 2020, honoring both its founders and heralding in a new chapter and contemporary look as part of Campari Group.

"Bisquit & Dubouche's progressive spirit is a direct reflection of its founders," said Vincent Chappe, Ambassadeur Global de la Maison. "Since its inception, the house has pioneered an approach audacious in its simplicity: instinct, patience, and a singular appreciation for the craft behind cognac making. As we announce this historic introduction to the U.S. market, cognac connoisseurs and novices alike can relate to this story of bold determination and appreciate its distinctive taste."

Bisquit & Dubouche offers a classic range that is differentiated by age  flagship V.S.O.P. (SRP $59) and high-end selection X.O. (SRP $180). The inimitable cognac is renowned for its smoothness and bouquet, which boasts nuanced floral and fruity aromas. The taste features a seductive blend of vanilla and caramel, with a subtle smoothness led by notes of honey, fig and dark fruits.

Both offerings will initially launch in select states, focusing on California, Texas, and Florida, where the premium plus and super-premium business is concentrated, with plans for further expansion in 2022.

The unique art and craft of Bisquit & Dubouche cognac

Bisquit & Dubouche cognac undergoes traditional double distillation in a copper pot still from November to March, producing its hallmark 'eau de vie.' But this is where the similarity to other cognacs ends. They retain the "heart" of the cognac longer than other traditional cognac brands and only cut the "tails" by hand at the very end of the process, a method that requires the highest mastery and patience and is achievable only with years of practice. The distillers wait for the precise moment to cut, guided by deep knowledge and intuition while continuously tasting and smelling the liquid to guarantee that it has the signature Bisquit & Dubouche aromatic notes with strong floral and fruity concentration.

La Maison Bisquit & Dubouche received high accolades at the annual International Wines & Spirits Challenge. In 2018, both the V.S.O.P. and the limited-edition Bisquit Interlude blend won a Gold "outstanding" medal. In 2021, the V.S.O.P. was awarded 93 points and the X.O. 94 points in the Ultimate Spirits Challenge. The V.S.O.P. was awarded a Double Gold Medal including "Cognac V.S.O.P. of the Year" at the New York International Spirits Competition, a Double Gold medal at the SFWSC Awards in 2021, and a Gold Medal (92 Points) in the prestigious international Beverage Tasting Awards (BTI).

For more information visit: www.bisquitdubouche.com and www.camparigroup.com .

ABOUT BISQUIT & DUBOUCHE

Established in 1819 by Alexandre Bisquit, the Bisquit & Dubouche cognac brand is renowned for its excellence, thanks to its unique distillation method that allows a superior concentration of aromas and smoothness. The brand offering includes a classic range of cognacs: V.S., V.S.O.P., and X.O., characterized by craft and unique features. Bisquit & Dubouche is crafted with a distinctive distillation method, distinguished by intuition, experience, continuous tastings and ability to "listen" and identify the exact moment to cut, when the aroma and body of the eaux de vie match the strong floral and fruity concentration that is the signature profile. As a result, Bisquit & Dubouche unveils a smooth aromatic bouquet, with floral notes of rose, dried apricot, muscat grape; followed by a persistent taste broadly described as fruity with subdued smoothness to its profile and with specific notes of honey, fig and dark fruits; all forged in a disruptive packaging that underlines the brand character, always challenging the status quo.

Since the foundation, 200-years ago, Bisquit & Dubouche embodies the ambitious and charismatic spirit of its two French founders. Bisquit & Dubouche became part of the Gruppo Campari portfolio in 2017.

ABOUT THE CAMPARI GROUP

Campari Group is a major player in the global spirits industry, with a portfolio of over 50 premium and super premium brands, spreading across Global, Regional and Local priorities. Global Priorities, the Group's key focus, include Aperol, Appleton Estate, Campari, SKYY, Wild Turkey and Grand Marnier. The Group was founded in 1860 and today is the sixth-largest player worldwide in the premium spirits industry. It has a global distribution reach, trading in over 190 nations around the world with leading positions in Europe and the Americas. The Group's growth strategy aims to combine organic growth through strong brand building and external growth via selective acquisitions of brands and businesses.

Headquartered in Milan, Italy, Campari Group owns 18 plants worldwide and has its own distribution network in 20 countries. The Group employs approximately 4,000 people. The shares of the parent company Davide Campari-Milano S.p.A. (Reuters CPRI.MI - Bloomberg CPR IM) have been listed on the Italian Stock Exchange since 2001. For more information: www.camparigroup.com/en

Please enjoy our brands responsibly.

High-res images available here.

SOURCE Bisquit & Dubouche
With this support from investors, Awardco is primed to completely change the way organizations reward and recognize their people. Tweet this

Since its inception in 2012, Awardco has been cash-flow positive while doubling its size and revenue annually. General Catalyst Managing Director Paul Kwan, who led the company's investment, underscored this approach: "Awardco has scaled an impressive enterprise software business while bootstrapping it from the ground up. This is particularly rare in today's marketplace where the prevailing mentality is often growth at any cost. Awardco's DNA is reminiscent of Atlassian and Qualtrics, two other bootstrapped companies that I have had the privilege to work with."

Operating under a model that emphasizes financial discipline and maximizing value for customers, this round of funding advances Awardco's vision of the future of work by becoming the marketplace for the world's loyalty and incentive spend. This vision was kickstarted with an Amazon Business partnership that allows Awardco to provide dollar-for-dollar value and near-limitless reward choice for customers. It also led to a software platform with best-in-class flexibility and all-in-one simplicity to meet all the incentive needs of the modern workplace, including recognition, milestones, and professional development.

Awardco is transforming employee rewards, recognition, and compensation while driving value-based behavior. Its network and platform have already amassed a client list of over 1,000 companies across 141 countries. Over 3 million employees from companies like L3Harris Technologies, Texas Roadhouse, Hertz, and Zillow received over 9 million recognitions using the Awardco platform in the past year. Organizations using Awardco to build culture during the workday generate positive reinforcement every 0.8 seconds.

In addition to General Catalyst, Ryan Smith, co-founder and executive chairman of Qualtrics, also backed Awardco. "Everything about the way we work has changed in the last two years  yet, the way we recognize, manage, and compensate people has remained unchanged for too many companies. It's so impressive to see the way Awardco is helping companies adapt to the future of work. It also helps that Awardco is contributing to Utah's vibrant tech community right here in Silicon Slopes."

About Awardco

Awardco incentivizes behavior and builds workplace culture through value-driven recognition and rewards. It is the only employee recognition and total rewards platform to partner with Amazon Business to offer the power of Amazon for any size organization's incentive programs. Offering millions of products, hotels through Priceline, event tickets, gift cards, swag, and custom catalogs, Awardco is the largest reward network on the planet  all with zero markups. Coupled with the flexibility to build any number of recognition, incentive, milestone, or behaviorally driven programs, Awardco's platform drives employee loyalty. For more information, visit us online at award.co .

About General Catalyst

General Catalyst is a venture capital firm that invests in powerful, positive change that endures  for our entrepreneurs, our investors, our people, and society. We support founders with a long-term view who challenge the status quo, partnering with them from seed to growth stage and beyond to build companies that withstand the test of time. With offices in San Francisco, Palo Alto, New York City, London, and Boston, the firm has helped support the growth of businesses such as: Airbnb, Deliveroo, Guild, Gusto, HubSpot, Illumio, Lemonade, Livongo, Oscar, Samsara, Snap, Stripe, and Warby Parker. For more: generalcatalyst.com .

SOURCE Awardco

Related Links

http://www.award.co


DUBAI, UAE, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Azadea.com, the lifestyle retail website based in UAE, has announced yet another pioneering online partnership with Italian makeup and cosmetics brand, Kiko Milano . Launching the multi-national Italian brand across the MENA region aims to accelerate its growth by reaching consumers in the Middle East and Africa. With stores currently operating in 14 malls across the UAE, the all-new digital partnership commits to expanding the brand's online presence by adapting to an evolving worldwide digital landscape. Since the growing demand for digital solutions, Azadea.com demonstrates its support by shifting towards a renewed global vision with a powerful blend of in-store and online experiences. Kiko Milano, which has over 770 stores in 15 countries, has united with Azadea.com to align its efforts to create compelling shopping experiences and enhanced interaction with the 1400 quality products the brand currently offers.

Already, Azadea.com boasts an ever-expanding network of global brands throughout the Middle East and Africa. Proving its promise to bring unique online experiences to its customers, its 40-year history captures its undeniable success in representing international brands. From fashion and accessories to home furnishing, sports, technology, and beauty, its dedication to seeing the potential of new digital concepts across the MENA region is unmatched.

An indication of Azadea.com's strategic business aptitude can be recognized through its ongoing alliances with over 60 international brands online including Urban Outfitters , Mango , Missguided , Boggi Milano , Reserved , Virgin Megastore , and many more.

Founded in 1997, Kiko Milano has built the foundation of its brand on creativity and innovation and has been rapidly increasing its presence in the global market. With revolutionized products closely inspired by its ties to Italy's fashion capital, Milan, its trailblazing reputation, experimental concepts, and original cosmetic technologies, make it truly one of its kind. Offering its customers a reliable playground to explore colorful makeup, perfect pigments, and silky skincare formulas, Kiko Milano cosmetics has been consistently transforming the beauty industry with affordable luxury items.

The recent partnership between Azadea.com and Kiko Milano compliments the emerging worldwide digital perspective that is beginning to dominate in most business strategies. The collaboration comes at a pivotal time when the importance of digital marketing is seeping into e-commerce across the Middle East and Africa. Azadea.com recognizes this venture as a progressive step towards redefining traditional methods of commerce and deepening the connection between the consumer and the product.

SOURCE Azadea.com
Presented annually since 1996, the BBB International Torch Awards recognize companies in North America that maintain outstanding dedication to upholding ethical business standards and promoting trust in the marketplace. Each of the winners and finalists won a local or regional Torch Award from the BBB where they are based.

"For decades, BBB has been setting standards to make trust a fundamental component of the American and Canadian marketplace," said Melissa Trumpower, executive director of the BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust. "These International Torch Award winners and finalists embody that vision on a daily basis, and we are proud to honor them."

About the Winners

Texas Vets Roofing , Mesquite, TX (Category 1 1-10 employees)

In business since February 2012, woman-owned Texas Vets Roofing proudly offers topnotch roofing services with a dedication to providing its valued customers with the highest quality workmanship and excellent customer service. The company provides whole roof systems and trains its technician to put quality service over profits. Every customer is offered a free, no-obligation professional roof assessment by a specially trained technician. At least once a month the Texas Vets Roofing team comes together for a "Family Meeting" to encourage and redefine the standard that is expected out in the field and in the office. Along with serving their customers, the company focus is on the community as well. Last year, Texas Vets Roofing donated over 20% of its profits back into the community. They use their time and funds to support veterans through the Roof 4 Vets program. The company's goal for 2021 is to provide one free roof each month to a veteran or a veteran's family in need. Texas Vets Roofing is the recipient of the BBB Serving North Central Texas 2020 Torch Award for Ethics.

Scottco Mechanical Contractors, Inc. , Amarillo, TX (Category 2 11-99 employees)

For 49 years, Scotto Mechanical Contractors has provided plumbing, drain cleaning, heating, air conditioning, and electrical services to homeowners and businesses in the Texas Panhandle. The company's 89 employees and 60 service vehicles serve more than 10,000 commercial and residential customers each year. Staying true to its founding principles of professionalism, integrity, and quality, as well as its Code of Ethics, has not only helped the company to grow but has allowed it to maintain positive relationships with its employees, customers, suppliers, and the community. The company's goal is to make every customer a "customer for life" by exceeding the expectations. Customers receive flat-rate pricing, "red carpet" protection in their homes, and follow-up calls after the job is completed. The company recognizes the value of its associates and invest heavily in their personal and professional development. Associates receive stock ownership, above-average pay, and an excellent benefits package. Scottco gives generously to its surrounding community through monetary donations, goods, and services. The company has received numerous industry and community recognitions. Scottco Mechanical Contractors was named a 2005 and 2020 BBB Torch Awards for Ethics winner and a 2009 finalist by BBB serving the Texas Panhandle. The company was also a finalist in the 2020 BBB International Torch Awards for Ethics program.

Anderson Plumbing, Heating & Air , El Cajon, CA (Category 3, 100-499 employees)

Serving all of San Diego County, Anderson Plumbing, Heating & Air was founded in 1978 with the guiding principles of quality, integrity, service, and commitment to its community. The company's tagline "Nobody wows clients like we do!" is its promise to deliver the highest quality experience to every client, every day, in every way. At Anderson, jobs are not considered finished until each customer has found their work to be more than satisfactory. Internal communications are frequent, open, and meticulously organized to ensure everyone in the company is prepared to do business at a higher standard, to "wow" the client. Employees are not only offered a generous benefits packet, but ongoing continuing education and training is required to provide outstanding service, quality, and professionalism to the company's clients. The company launched the Anderson Career Builder Institute in 2017 to help fill the need for qualified, skilled trade candidates and to provide additional training to its employees. Whether it's helping a family in need, sponsoring a major community event, or encouraging colleagues to participate in community service, giving back is a constant in the Anderson corporate culture. Anderson Plumbing, Heating and Air was named a 2014 winner of the BBB International Torch Awards for Ethics and a winner of the 2020 BBB Torch Awards for Ethics by BBB serving the Pacific Southwest.

CITY Furniture , Tamarac, FL (Category 4 500 or more employee)

For 49 years, CITY Furniture's mission has been to provide quality home furnishings at excellent values in an exciting and fun environment. Learning and development is at the heart of its people strategy. CITY's training programs ensure that Associates are equipped to provide customers with an exceptional customer experience. Its People First Training Program is mandatory for all leaders within the company. The company values a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and strives to provide a work environment where all Associates feel welcomed, respected, appreciated, and valued, and are given opportunities to grow both personally and professionally. CITY strives to establish a culture of mutual trust and respect with its customers, as well. Throughout the entire customer process, CITY ask for feedback so they can continue to improve their overall customer experience. The company is committed to giving back a minimum of 5% of annual profits through their 5% Giving Pledge, and partners with over 40 non-profit organizations throughout Florida to provide support through fundraising, volunteerism, and activism. CITY Furniture has received numerous awards and recognitions, including the 2021 BBB Torch Awards for Ethics from BBB of South Florida and the Caribbean.

In addition, three companies were named finalists in the competition. They are:

The Burn Shop , Wichita Falls, TX  a family-owned custom metal fabrication, for their commitment to customer satisfaction, quality craftmanship, and their community.

,  a family-owned custom metal fabrication, for their commitment to customer satisfaction, quality craftmanship, and their community. Edafio Technology Partners , Little Rock, AR  an information technology management provider and technology consulting firm, for its people-first technology approach and commitment to client success.

,  an information technology management provider and technology consulting firm, for its people-first technology approach and commitment to client success. First Volunteer Bank, Chattanooga, TN  a community bank, for its customer focused service and investing in the communities where its customers and employees live.

Winners and finalists are selected by an independent panel of judges. Businesses are evaluated against criteria such as leadership commitment to ethical practices; communication of ethical practices; leadership practices to unify the organization; organizational commitment to performance management practices; organizational commitment to ethical human resource practices; and organizational commitment to the community. To be eligible for entry in the BBB International Torch Awards for Ethics, a business must first be a winner of their local BBB awards program.

About the BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust

The BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust is the educational foundation of the International Association of Better Business Bureaus and a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. Its goals are to advance trust in the marketplace through programs that promote best practices and business ethics, raise consumer awareness and training about scams, fraud, and deceptive advertising, and build financial and digital literacy. The Institute offers in-person and online training, print and digital educational resources, scholarships, and programs, and works with BBB offices across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

SOURCE IABBB

Related Links

iabbb.org


Infosys and bp intend to co-develop a digital platform that can collect data from multiple energy assets and use artificial intelligence to optimize the energy supply and demand for power, heat, cooling and EV charging. The companies will pilot the digital platform at the Infosys Pune Development Center  in an environment that replicates a small city, where energy is generated, stored, and consumed at multiple points. Once the pilot is successful, they will aim to roll this model out across other Infosys campuses in India, and with some clients, to help manage energy and help reduce emissions.

In addition, the companies have agreed to collaborate on integrating solar energy production into the campus' energy system. Energy that is generated through this integration will be monitored and optimized by the digital platform and can be stored or redirected to the building power supply, heating and cooling systems, and also to an EV charging infrastructure.

Sashi Mukundan, President, bp India and Senior Vice President, bp Group, said, "At bp, we set out to provide solutions to enable cities and hard to abate industries decarbonize. Integrating advances in energy, mobility and digital technologies and services has huge potential to accelerate the progress towards a more sustainable and resilient future. By bringing together our complementary capabilities, products, and services from bp's different joint ventures in India, bp and Infosys can help each other  and our customers  achieve energy and sustainability goals faster."

Pravin Rao, Chief Operating Officer, Infosys, said, "Infosys shares bp's ambitions for a net zero carbon future. Our collaboration with bp further strengthens our long-standing commitment towards sustainability and supports our ambitious ESG goals. We will now bring together the best of digital technologies  advanced AI, connected digital systems, experience design, analytics  and decarbonization to create an integrated energy and mobility offering. Together, bp and Infosys can create compelling and sustainable value for our customers globally."

bp in India

With a century-long business presence in India, bp is one of the largest integrated energy companies in the country. In addition to their gas value chain partnership, they have a major retail, aviation fuels and mobility alliance, Jio-bp. bp's activities in India also include Castrol lubricants, oil and gas trading, clean energy projects through its investment in the Green Growth Equity Fund (GGEF), IT applications and delivery activities, an AI enabled new global business services center and a digital innovation hub, staffing and training for the global bp marine fleet, and the recruitment of skilled Indian employees for bp's global businesses.

About Infosys

Infosys is a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting. We enable clients in more than 50 countries to navigate their digital transformation. With over four decades of experience in managing the systems and workings of global enterprises, we expertly steer our clients through their digital journey. We do it by enabling the enterprise with an AI-powered core that helps prioritize the execution of change. We also empower the business with agile digital at scale to deliver unprecedented levels of performance and customer delight. Our always-on learning agenda drives their continuous improvement through building and transferring digital skills, expertise, and ideas from our innovation ecosystem.

Visit www.infosys.com to see how Infosys (NSE: INFY) (BSE: INFY) (NYSE: INFY) can help your enterprise navigate your next.

Safe Harbor

Certain statements in this release concerning our future growth prospects, financial expectations and plans for navigating the COVID-19 impact on our employees, clients and stakeholders are forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the 'safe harbor' under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding COVID-19 and the effects of government and other measures seeking to contain its spread, risks related to an economic downturn or recession in India, the United States and other countries around the world, changes in political, business, and economic conditions, fluctuations in earnings, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, our ability to manage growth, intense competition in IT services including those factors which may affect our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, industry segment concentration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks or system failures, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which Infosys has made strategic investments, withdrawal or expiration of governmental fiscal incentives, political instability and regional conflicts, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our industry and the outcome of pending litigation and government investigation. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our United States Securities and Exchange Commission filings including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. Infosys may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the Company unless it is required by law.

SOURCE Infosys
SAN DIEGO, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Opy USA, Inc., (Opy), and its parent company Openpay Pty Ltd (ASX: OPY) (Openpay), have officially entered the US payments market with the most flexible installment plans in the market as a differentiated Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) product: 'Buy now, Pay smarter.'

US demand for BNPL options continues to rise, with forecasted transactions expected to exceed $100 billion in 2021. Recent research from PYMNTS.com shows that 8 in 10 consumers would prefer to make high-value purchases using BNPL over personal loans or credit cards. With Opy, US consumers now have a better version of BNPL that offers customized payment plans with spending power for up to $20,000 with longer terms of up to 24 months, enabling consumers to budget better and pay smarter.

Opy partners with leading aggregators and key merchants to provide a meaningful difference in a consumer's life. Opy provides consumers with a flat fee BNPL product with predictable payments designed for larger purchases and comes with longer terms, up to 24 months. Targeted industry verticals include healthcare, dental and veterinarian services, education, home improvement, auto repair and servicing, and big-ticket retail.

"Through our longer, larger, customized installment plans in verticals we own, we are making a true difference. Our mission is to change the way people pay for the better," explained Brian Shniderman, CEO of Opy and Global Chief Strategy Officer for Openpay. "Opy delivers new and improved ways for consumers to make purchases, especially when faced with unexpected expenses, such as emergency dental surgery, a sudden auto repair, or medical care for a beloved pet. Our flat fee is as little as one-third the cost of traditional consumer loans for the same purchases and provides marketplace expansion for merchants who accept Opy."

To ensure US success, Opy has completed its strategic launch plan, setting the stage for Opy's growth within the largest market in the world.

Unmatched Team

Opy assembled an unmatched leadership team in US fintech that has decades of experience in payments, banking, fintech, regulatory, and retail.

Localized Solution & Responsible Banking

Opy has Americanized its global platform, accelerating BNPL access to US consumers through its partnership with Cross River Bank (CRB). The relationship enables Opy to offer closed-end consumer loans up to $20,000 with terms up to 24 months with a mix of responsible consumer fees and flexible merchant fees.

Marquee funding

Opy is funded by Goldman Sachs and Atalaya Capital Management and their $271.4 million-dollar receivables warehouse facility triples Openpay's credit facilities to support its US scale. This funding will enable Opy to take advantage of established and efficient capital markets and offer affordable products with reasonable financing rates for US consumers.

Customized Risk Management

In its partnership with Experian, Opy has tailor-made risk solutions for the US with customized decision tools for the US Market. The partnership enables Opy to manage risk, guide consumers to make better financial decisions, and extend low-cost, more affordable, and transparent loans to a greater number of consumers.

Scaled Distributors

At launch, Opy broadened its footprint in the US healthcare market, serving more than 2,500 healthcare providers in partnership with PatientNow and additionally, became the first BNPL provider to be partnered into a cloud-based platform for veterinarian care with ezyVet. With ezyVet, Opy's OpyPay product will be distributed through ezyVet's leading practice management platform and will feature full-scale integration with partner practices to deliver Opy's flexible payment plans. With PatientNow, Opy's OpyPay product will be distributed through PatientNow's leading practice management platform, providing immediate access to the healthcare market to support elective and life-changing procedures. Additionally, Opy will be the first US BNPL to offer Pay-by-Text via its partnership with Everyware.

"As we are now live with ezyVet, we are accepting transactions in the US and are ready to accelerate on our growth and are poised to scale," commented Shniderman. "Opy is committed to supporting its consumers by offering the most flexible installment plans in the market, partnering with leading payment providers, market leaders, distribution partners, and aggregators to create a diversified global fintech company that is highly differentiated for the US market".

James Intermont, Principal at Atalaya Capital Management, said, "Opy's BNPL product can help consumers budget and manage their expenses, providing a useful and sensible market solution. Through our credit facility, we're excited to help support Opy's expansion into the US payments sector."

Pete Brown, Chief Growth Officer at ezyVet, said, "We've had enormous success working with Openpay in both Australia and the UK and are delighted to roll out in partnership with Opy here in the US. The veterinarians we partner with deeply care about their consumers and are ecstatic to offer alternative payment solutions to assist in providing care for their most loyal companions."

Charles Layne, Chief Executive Officer and Director at PatientNow, said, "Opy's product is a perfect fit for larger healthcare treatment coverage instead of limiting both providers and patients alike to a single option. Opy's larger, longer, and customized plans created a powerful next-generation BNPL solution for those who need it the most."

Kevin Feagan, Chief Revenue Officer at Everyware, said, "With Opy, we are now able to feature a differentiated BNPL offering that will enable merchants and consumers alike to have greater control over their financial decisions and payment options, which is in line with our commitment to jumpstarting the next generation of payments. We truly look forward to the success that this partnership will bring."

Craig Boundy, CEO of Experian North America, said, "We share Opy's vision to inform and enable consumers positively, and we're thrilled to provide Experian's tools to enable their operation in many sectors, including healthcare and retail. We're excited to deepen our relationship with Opy to create new business opportunities and significant success for all stakeholders."

Gilles Gade, Founder, President, and CEO of Cross River, said, "Our partnership with OPY is solution driven. Too many consumers are left without innovativeyet responsibleways to obtain financial lifelines to pay for crucial life needs. We're proud to partner with OPY by providing our best-in-class core infrastructure and embedded finance solutions that enable them to offer consumers the financial products they want and need."

For more information, visit www.opy.com.

About Openpay and Opy

Openpay Group Ltd (ASX: OPY) is a global, fast-growing, and highly differentiated provider of 'Buy now pay later' (BNPL) payment solutions. Through its platform, Openpay delivers the most flexible BNPL plans in the market, with longer terms - up to 24 months, and with higher limits - of up to $20,000. Openpay brings fairness, transparency, and flexibility to merchants and consumers alike, and focuses on industries where it can truly make a difference: Automotive, Healthcare, Home Improvement, Memberships, and Education. The company focuses on providing a greater range of payment solutions and has created a powerful next generation BNPL solutionBuy Now, Pay Smarterthat provides transparency and control to consumers when they need it most. Openpay's B2B offering, OpyPro, is a SaaS-based platform that enables companies to manage trade accounts end-to-end, including applications, credit checks, approvals, and account management all in one system. Openpay provides services to, payment processors, merchants, and their customers in Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and in the United States, where it operates under the brand name Opy. The company was recent ranked number 318 on the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 Asia Pacific 2020 and is ranked 41 on the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Australia. For more information, www.opy.com.

SOURCE Opy

Related Links

https://www.opy.com/us/


AMERICAN FORK, Utah, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Clifton Mining Company ("Company") held its Annual General Meeting on Friday, October 22, 2021. Scott Moeller announced that a quorum of votes had been received and gave the results, supporting the re-election of each of the proposed directors and the appointment of the auditing firm. Ken Friedman briefly discussed the background and strategic positioning of the Company, noting that despite difficult times for the precious metals industry, the Company has accumulated more than $2 million in cash and holds more than 5 million shares of Desert Hawk Gold Corp. ("Desert Hawk"). The Company has also repurchased more than 3.5 million of its shares. Keith Moeller gave a detailed presentation of the progress of Desert Hawk, including the identification of a new deposit at Rainbow Hill, which Desert Hawk tentatively estimates at roughly 10 million tons, with the initial sampling averaging 0.025 ounces per ton gold. He explained this deposit appears to be an extension of the Kiewit deposit, with exploration work indicating additional extensions on the other sides of the Kiewit mine pit as well.

Clifton Mining Company has received the production and sales report from Desert Hawk Gold Corp. (Desert Hawk) for the month of September 2021. Desert Hawk, reported that during the month they sold 178 ounces of gold and 178 ounces of silver, from metals recovered from the leach pad. During the month, they also reported that an additional 9,614 tons of ore were crushed and added to the leach pad. Currently, there are an estimated 1,741 recoverable ounces of gold still on the pad. The average blasted gold ore grade going on the leach pad has also continued to increase over previous historical grades, with this month's average up to 0.0267 ounces per ton. Tonnage mined has been restricted by permitting limitations, but Desert Hawk management believes additional permits are soon forthcoming with the required notice period now complete, with no registered objections. Desert Hawk reports that the expanded permits will enable them to mine significantly greater tonnages. Clifton owns 5.81 million shares of Desert Hawk, as well as the property on which the operation resides.

Clifton's new website is now active and contains links to several of the Company's independent geological reports. Management invites all who have interest to read the reports and learn more about the history of the property and some of the exploration and development work that has occurred. The new website also contains a flyover view of the Kiewit mine pit and heap leach operations.

Please see the Company's website https://www.cliftonmining.com for additional Company information. Clifton trades on the OTC Markets under the symbol: "CFTN".

Note: Any statements released by Clifton Mining Company that are forward looking are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Editors and investors are cautioned that forward looking statements invoke risk and uncertainties that may affect the company's business prospects and performance.

SOURCE Clifton Mining Company

Related Links

https://www.cliftonmining.com/


CHICAGO, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new market research report "Cloud Computing Market by Service Model (Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS)), Deployment Model (Public and Private), Organization Size, Vertical, and Region - Global Forecast to 2026", published by MarketsandMarkets, the global Cloud Computing Market size is expected to grow from USD 445.3 billion in 2021 to USD 947.3 billion by 2026, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 16.3% during the forecast period.

The flexibility and agility of cloud-based models would support the IT service needs of enterprises. The leading CSPs/hyperscalersMicrosoft, Alphabet, IBM, and AWSare expected to increase their CAPEX primarily for data center expansion to support the increasing workload for their internal and external stakeholders. The increasing volume of data generation in websites and mobile apps, rising focus on delivering customer-centric applications for driving customer satisfaction, and growing need to control and reduce Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) and Operational Expenditure (OPEX) are a few factors driving the growth of the emerging technologies. The emerging technologies, such as big data, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Machine Learning (ML) are gaining traction which is ultimately leading to the growth of the Cloud Computing Market, globally.

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The sudden shutdown of offices, schools, colleges, and physical retail stores has massively disrupted operations; this has led to an increase in the demand for digital workplace tools and services, such as Zoom, Slack, Blackboard, Lynda, Canvas, Google Classroom, AnyMeeting, and Moodle. AWS, Microsoft, and Google host and manage all applications in a public cloud environment. Increased spend on cloud services by select industries due to COVID-19. Industries, such as IT and ITeS, telecom, online retail/commerce, media, and BFSI, are expected to increase spending on cloud-based services to sustain their business. Highly regulated and cash-rich industries, such as BFSI, are also expected to move selective workloads to public cloud environments.

IaaS segment to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period

Growth of IaaS to be driven by increasing need of enterprises to shift enterprise workloads to cloud. The key features of IaaS include automated administrative tasks, dynamic scaling, platform virtualization, and network connectivity. The ever-changing business environment and customer demands encourage enterprises to increase their focus on their core business operations. IaaS enables enterprises to leverage their IT infrastructure without paying for the construction of the physical infrastructure. Moreover, it provides flexibility, mobility, easy, and scalable access to applications, and enhanced collaboration to help enterprises focus on their core businesses.

Public deployment model to account for the highest market share during the forecast period

Lower cost and increased security capabilities result in rising popularity of public cloud. The services offered over the public deployment model are either free or offered under a subscription model. The advantages of using the public cloud include simplicity and ease of deployment. Moreover, the initial investment required for the deployment is minimum, and there are no responsibilities involved in managing the infrastructure.

Request Sample Pages: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=234

North America to account for the highest market share during the forecast period

North America is a mature market in terms of cloud computing services adoption, owing to a large presence of enterprises with advanced IT infrastructure and the availability of technical expertise. BFSI, IT and telecommunications, and government and public sector verticals majorly adopt cloud computing services. As the benefits of adopting cloud computing services are becoming more evident, more companies are expected to implement cloud computing services. The US and Canada are the top countries contributing to the growth of Cloud Computing Market in North America.

The report also studies various growth strategies, such as mergers and acquisitions, partnerships and collaborations, and developments, adopted by the major players to expand their presence in the global Cloud Computing Market. The Cloud Computing Market includes major vendors, such as AWS (US), Microsoft (US), Google (US), Alibaba (China), SAP (Germany), IBM (US), Oracle (US), VMware (US), Rackspace (US), Salesforce (US), Adobe (US), CenturyLink (US), Fujitsu (Japan), Workday (US), Infor (US), Sage Group (UK), Intuit (US), Epicor (US), IFS (Sweden), ServiceNow (US), OpenText (US), Cisco (US), Box (US), Zoho (US), Citrix (US), Upland Software (US), DigitalOcean (US), Bluelock (US), OVH (France), Joyent (US), Skytap (US), Virtuestream (US), Tencent (China), DXC (US), NEC (Japan), and Navisite (US).

Browse Adjacent Markets: Cloud Computing Market Research Reports & Consulting

Related Reports:

Cloud Applications Market by Application (ERP, CRM, HCM, SCM, Content Management, BI and Analytics), Organization Size, Vertical (BFSI, Manufacturing, Government & Public Sector, and Telecommunications), and Region Global Forecast to 2025

Cloud Infrastructure Services Market by Service Type (Storage as a Service, Compute as a Service, Disaster Recovery and Backup as a Service), Deployment Model, Organization Size, Vertical, and Region - Global Forecast to 2024

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SOURCE MarketsandMarkets
JACKSON, Mich., Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CMS Energy announced today reported earnings per share from continuing operations of $0.54 for the third quarter of 2021, compared to $0.72 per share for the same quarter in 2020, which exclude the discontinued operations of EnerBank USA. The company's adjusted earnings per share from continuing operations were $0.54 for the third quarter of 2021, compared to $0.73 per share for the same quarter in 2020, which exclude the discontinued operations of EnerBank.

"CMS Energy's strong execution in 2021, including closing the sale of EnerBank on October 1 for over $1 billion, has positioned the company well for long-term success to the benefit of customers, investors and the communities we serve. We are actively redeploying the proceeds from the transaction into our core utility business to fund key initiatives like grid hardening and our clean energy transformation," said Garrick Rochow, President and CEO of CMS Energy and Consumers Energy.

CMS Energy raised its full-year 2021 adjusted earnings from continuing operations guidance to $2.63 to $2.65 per share, from $2.61 to $2.65 per share* (*See below for important information about non-GAAP measures). CMS Energy also reaffirmed 2022 adjusted earnings guidance of $2.85 - $2.87 per share and long-term adjusted EPS growth of 6 to 8 percent, with continued confidence toward the high end of the EPS growth range.

CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS) is a Michigan-based energy company featuring Consumers Energy as its primary business. It also owns and operates independent power generation businesses.

CMS Energy will hold a webcast to discuss its 2021 third quarter results and provide a business and financial outlook on October 28 at 9:30 a.m. (EDT). To participate in the webcast, go to CMS Energy's homepage (cmsenergy.com) and select "Events and Presentations."

Important information for investors about non-GAAP measures and other disclosures.

*This news release contains non-Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (non-GAAP) measures, such as adjusted earnings and adjusted earnings per share from continuing operations. All references to net income refer to net income available to common stockholders. All references to reported earnings per share from continuing operations refer to Income from continuing operations per average common share available to common stockholders on a diluted basis. Adjustments could include items such as discontinued operations, asset sales, impairments, restructuring costs, changes in accounting principles, changes in federal tax policy, regulatory items from prior years, unrealized gains or losses from mark-to-market adjustments recognized in net income related to CMS Enterprises' interest expense, or other items. Management views adjusted earnings as a key measure of the company's present operating financial performance and uses adjusted earnings for external communications with analysts and investors. Internally, the company uses adjusted earnings to measure and assess performance. Because the company is not able to estimate the impact of specific line items, which have the potential to significantly impact, favorably or unfavorably, the company's reported earnings in future periods, the company is not providing reported earnings guidance nor is it providing a reconciliation for the comparable future period earnings. The company's adjusted earnings should be considered supplemental information to assist in understanding our business results, rather than as a substitute for the reported earnings.

This news release contains "forward-looking statements." The forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause CMS Energy's and Consumers Energy's results to differ materially. All forward-looking statements should be considered in the context of the risk and other factors detailed from time to time in CMS Energy's and Consumers Energy's Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

Investors and others should note that CMS Energy routinely posts important information on its website and considers the Investor Relations section, www.cmsenergy.com/investor-relations, a channel of distribution.

For more information on CMS Energy, please visit our website at cmsenergy.com.

To sign up for email alert notifications, please visit the Investor Relations section of our website.

CMS ENERGY CORPORATION

Consolidated Statements of Income

(Unaudited)





In Millions, Except Per Share Amounts



Three Months Ended

Nine Months Ended



9/30/21

9/30/20

9/30/21

9/30/20

























Operating revenue $ 1,725

$ 1,507

$ 5,296

$ 4,691

























Operating expenses

1,465



1,167



4,354



3,768

























Operating Income

260



340



942



923

























Other income

44



28



136



99

























Interest charges

125



130



374



378

























Income Before Income Taxes

179



238



704



644

























Income tax expense

26



40



90



88

























Income From Continuing Operations

153



198



614



556

























Income from discontinued operations, net of tax

30



12



82



34

























Net Income

183



210



696



590

























Loss attributable to noncontrolling interests

(6)



(8)



(18)



(7)

























Net Income Attributable to CMS Energy

189



218



714



597

























Preferred stock dividends

3



-



3



-

























Net Income Available to Common Stockholders $ 186

$ 218

$ 711

$ 597

























Basic Earnings Per Average Common Share





















Income from continuing operations per average common share

available to common stockholders





















$ 0.54

$ 0.72

$ 2.18

$ 1.98 Income from discontinued operations per average common share

available to common stockholders























0.10



0.04



0.28



0.12 Basic earnings per average common share $ 0.64

$ 0.76

$ 2.46

$ 2.10

























Diluted Earnings Per Average Common Share





















Income from continuing operations per average common share

available to common stockholders





















$ 0.54

$ 0.72

$ 2.18

$ 1.97 Income from discontinued operations per average common share

available to common stockholders























0.10



0.04



0.28



0.12 Diluted earnings per average common share $ 0.64

$ 0.76

$ 2.46

$ 2.09

CMS ENERGY CORPORATION

Summarized Consolidated Balance Sheets

(Unaudited)





In Millions



As of



9/30/21

12/31/20 Assets













Current assets













Cash and cash equivalents

$ 102



$ 32 Restricted cash and cash equivalents



30





17 Assets held for sale



494





429 Other current assets



1,851





1,926 Total current assets



2,477





2,404 Non-current assets













Plant, property, and equipment



21,934





21,017 Assets held for sale



2,606





2,680 Other non-current assets



3,496





3,565 Total Assets

$ 30,513



$ 29,666

















Liabilities and Equity













Current liabilities (1)













Liabilities held for sale

$ 1,233



$ 953 Other current liabilities



1,436





1,530 Total current liabilities



2,669





2,483 Non-current liabilities (1)













Liabilities held for sale



1,523





1,894 Other non-current liabilities



7,008





6,821 Total non-current liabilities



8,531





8,715 Capitalization













Debt, finance leases, and other financing (excluding securitization debt) (2)













Debt, finance leases, and other financing (excluding non-recourse and securitization debt)



12,370





12,083 Non-recourse debt



79





83 Total debt, finance leases, and other financing (excluding securitization debt)



12,449





12,166 Preferred stock and securities



224





- Noncontrolling interests



563





581 Common stockholders' equity



5,866





5,496 Total capitalization (excluding securitization debt)



19,102





18,243 Securitization debt (2)



211





225 Total Liabilities and Equity

$ 30,513



$ 29,666

















(1) Excludes debt, finance leases, and other financing.

















(2) Includes current and non-current portions.

















CMS ENERGY CORPORATION Summarized Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited)





















In Millions



Nine Months Ended



9/30/21

9/30/20

















Beginning of Period Cash and Cash Equivalents, Including Restricted Amounts

$ 185



$ 157

















Net cash provided by operating activities (3)



1,483





1,144 Net cash used in investing activities



(1,460)





(2,298) Cash flows from operating and investing activities



23





(1,154) Net cash provided by financing activities



28





1,555

















Total Cash Flows

$ 51



$ 401

















End of Period Cash and Cash Equivalents, Including Restricted Amounts(4)

$ 236



$ 558

















(3) Includes the impact of a $531 million pension contribution in 2020.













(4) In June 2021, CMS Energy entered into an agreement for EnerBank to merge with Regions Bank. As a result, EnerBank's cash and cash equivalents are presented as assets held for sale on CMS Energy's consolidated balance sheets at September 30, 2021 and September 30, 2020.



CMS ENERGY CORPORATION

Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Adjusted Income from Continuing Operations

(Unaudited)





In Millions, Except Per Share Amounts



Three Months Ended

Nine Months Ended



9/30/21

9/30/20

9/30/21

9/30/20

























Net Income Available to Common Stockholders $ 186

$ 218

$ 711

$ 597 Reconciling items:





















Disposal of discontinued operations (gain) loss

3



-



8



- Tax impact

(1)



-



(2)



- Discontinued operations income

(42)



(16)



(115)



(44) Tax impact

10



4



27



10 Other exclusions from adjusted earnings**

(*)



4



(1)



11 Tax impact

*



(1)



*



(2) Tax reform

-



-



-



(9) Voluntary separation program

-



*



-



11 Tax impact

-



(*)



-



(3)

























Adjusted income from continuing operations  non-GAAP $ 156

$ 209

$ 628

$ 571

























Average Common Shares Outstanding





















Basic

289.1



285.6



288.9



284.8 Diluted

289.6



286.9



289.4



286.3

























Basic Earnings Per Average Common Share





















Reported net income per average common share $ 0.64

$ 0.76

$ 2.46

$ 2.10 Reconciling items:





















Disposal of discontinued operations (gain) loss

0.01



-



0.03



- Tax impact

(*)



-



(0.01)



- Discontinued operations income

(0.14)



(0.05)



(0.39)



(0.15) Tax impact

0.03



0.01



0.09



0.03 Other exclusions from adjusted earnings**

(*)



0.01



(*)



0.03 Tax impact

*



(*)



*



(0.01) Tax reform

-



-



-



(0.03) Voluntary separation program

-



*



-



0.04 Tax impact

-



(*)



-



(0.01)

























Adjusted income from continuing operations per average common share  non-GAAP $ 0.54

$ 0.73

$ 2.18

$ 2.00

























Diluted Earnings Per Average Common Share





















Reported net income per average common share $ 0.64

$ 0.76

$ 2.46

$ 2.09 Reconciling items:





















Disposal of discontinued operations (gain) loss

0.01



-



0.03



- Tax impact

(*)



-



(0.01)



- Discontinued operations income

(0.14)



(0.05)



(0.39)



(0.15) Tax impact

0.03



0.01



0.09



0.03 Other exclusions from adjusted earnings**

(*)



0.01



(*)



0.03 Tax impact

*



(*)



*



(0.01) Tax reform

-



-



-



(0.03) Voluntary separation program

-



*



-



0.04 Tax impact

-



(*)



-



(0.01)

























Adjusted income from continuing operations per average common share  non-GAAP $ 0.54

$ 0.73

$ 2.18

$ 1.99

























* Less than $0.5 million or $0.01 per share.





















** Includes restructuring costs and unrealized gains or losses from mark-to-market adjustments recognized in net income related to CMS Enterprises' interest expense. Management views adjusted (non-Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) earnings as a key measure of the Company's present operating financial performance and uses adjusted earnings for external communications with analysts and investors. Internally, the Company uses adjusted earnings to measure and assess performance. Adjustments could include items such as discontinued operations, asset sales, impairments, restructuring costs, changes in accounting principles, changes in federal tax policy, regulatory items from prior years, unrealized gains or losses from mark-to-market adjustments recognized in net income related to CMS Enterprises' interest expense, or other items. The adjusted earnings should be considered supplemental information to assist in understanding our business results, rather than as a substitute for reported earnings.

CMS ENERGY CORPORATION

Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Adjusted Income from Continuing Operations

(Unaudited)





In Millions, Except Per Share Amounts



Three Months Ended

Nine Months Ended



9/30/21

9/30/20

9/30/21

9/30/20 Income Available to Common Stockholders





















Reported income from continuing operations available to common stockholders $ 156

$ 206

$ 629

$ 563 Reconciling items:





















Other exclusions from adjusted earnings**

(*)



4



(1)



11 Tax impact

*



(1)



*



(2) Tax reform

-



-



-



(9) Voluntary separation program

-



*



-



11 Tax impact

-



(*)



-



(3)

























Adjusted income from continuing operations  non-GAAP $ 156

$ 209

$ 628

$ 571

























Average Common Shares Outstanding





















Basic

289.1



285.6



288.9



284.8 Diluted

289.6



286.9



289.4



286.3

























Basic Earnings Per Average Common Share





















Reported income from continuing operations per average common share

available to common stockholders





















$ 0.54

$ 0.72

$ 2.18

$ 1.98 Reconciling items:





















Other exclusions from adjusted earnings**

(*)



0.01



(*)



0.03 Tax impact

*



(*)



*



(0.01) Tax reform

-



-



-



(0.03) Voluntary separation program

-



*



-



0.04 Tax impact

-



(*)



-



(0.01)

























Adjusted income from continuing operations per average common share  non-GAAP $ 0.54

$ 0.73

$ 2.18

$ 2.00

























Diluted Earnings Per Average Common Share





















Reported income from continuing operations per average common share

available to common stockholders





















$ 0.54

$ 0.72

$ 2.18

$ 1.97 Reconciling items:





















Other exclusions from adjusted earnings**

(*)



0.01



(*)



0.03 Tax impact

*



(*)



*



(0.01) Tax reform

-



-



-



(0.03) Voluntary separation program

-



*



-



0.04 Tax impact

-



(*)



-



(0.01)

























Adjusted income from continuing operations per average common share  non-GAAP $ 0.54

$ 0.73

$ 2.18

$ 1.99

























* Less than $0.5 million or $0.01 per share.





















** Includes restructuring costs and unrealized gains or losses from mark-to-market adjustments recognized in net income related to CMS Enterprises' interest expense. Management views adjusted (non-Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) earnings as a key measure of the Company's present operating financial performance and uses adjusted earnings for external communications with analysts and investors. Internally, the Company uses adjusted earnings to measure and assess performance. Adjustments could include items such as discontinued operations, asset sales, impairments, restructuring costs, changes in accounting principles, changes in federal tax policy, regulatory items from prior years, unrealized gains or losses from mark-to-market adjustments recognized in net income related to CMS Enterprises' interest expense, or other items. The adjusted earnings should be considered supplemental information to assist in understanding our business results, rather than as a substitute for reported earnings.

Check out Consumers Energy on Social Media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/consumersenergymichigan

Twitter: https://twitter.com/consumersenergy

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/consumersenergy

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/consumersenergy

SOURCE CMS Energy
NEW YORK, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Colbeck Capital Management is proud to have supported The Sydney Tedone Memorial Fund's most recent Virtual Event on October 19th, 2021. This month's Virtual Event was hosted by Dana, Mike and Lucas Tedone, alongside Girl Rising CEO Christina Lowery. Each year The Sydney Tedone Memorial Fund focuses on one specific Girls Rising project. For 2021, the Fund will support Girl Rising's local partners in Guatemala, India, and Kenya to keep girls engaged in their education, and to address urgent needs at a time when COVID-19 school disruptions have created unprecedented risks.

Girl Rising originally began as an award-winning film, documenting the lives of 9 girls in 9 different countries as they struggle to overcome societal barriers. Sydney Tedone first saw the film Girl Rising in 2014, and it sparked her sense of justice and channeled her extraordinary empathy and compassion. The Sydney Tedone Memorial Fund supports Girl Rising as they continue to create awareness around the struggles girls face in many countries around the world.

Currently, Girl Rising operates in 12 countries, with more than 130 partners. Throughout 2021, Girl Rising will provide more than 10,000 educators with the tools they need to provide a multi-part curriculum to more than 200,000+ students.

Jason Colodne and Colbeck Capital Management's support of The Sydney Tedone Memorial Fund will help Girl Rising continue to push forward with those goals.

About Colbeck Capital Management

Colbeck Capital Management ( colbeck.com ) is a leading, middle-market private credit manager focused on strategic lending. Colbeck partners with companies during periods of transition, providing creative capital solutions. Colbeck sponsors its portfolio companies through consistent engagement with management teams in areas such as finance, capital markets and growth strategies, distinguishing itself from traditional lenders. Founded in 2009 by Jason Colodne and Jason Beckman, the principals have participated in over $22 billion of strategic investments and have extensive experience investing through market cycles at leading institutions such as Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank, and Macquarie.

SOURCE Colbeck Capital Management

Related Links

http://colbeck.com


MARLBOROUGH, Mass., Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Communication Technology Services, LLC, (CTS) an in-building wireless managed service provider, announced a new partnership with Samsung Electronics America, a leading provider of smartphones and tablet computers. As a new member of the Samsung Ascend Partner Program for mobility solutions, CTS can now offer customers the most-recognized brand of ruggedized, secure mobile devices for frontline workers as part of its private wireless network solutions.

Both companies bring joint expertise in devices and networks to help customers solve their private wireless network challenges. Customers will receive expert consultative advice from both sides and coordinated post-sale support.

"At CTS, it is critical that we create partnerships that add value to our end customers," said Dean Fresonke, CTS Vice President of Channel Development. "The team at Samsung brings both industry-leading devices and application-specific knowledge that will help our customers be more successful with their private wireless network deployments." In addition, Rob Cerbone, CTS VP of Product Management and Marketing, said, "CTS will combine Samsung's industrial device portfolio with applications from other ecosystem partners to deliver tailored, integrated solutions for customers in different verticals such as oil and gas, utilities, manufacturing and logistics."

Samsung's devices will run on CTS's custom, carrier-grade, in-building connectivity solutions for enterprises and mobile network operators. The devices will be managed and secured by Samsung Knox, a combination of a proven security foundation and a mature suite of business solutions.

The Samsung devices below have MIL-STD and IP-68 ratings for 4.5-foot drop tests, along with proven resistance to dust, dirt, sand and water. CTS plans to offer the following:

Samsung Galaxy Tab Active Pro- a rugged 10.1" tablet

Samsung Tab Active 3- a rugged, military-grade, 8" tablet

Samsung XCover Pro- a rugged, waterproof 6.3" smartphone

About CTS

CTS provides custom, carrier-grade, in-building and campus connectivity solutions for enterprises and mobile network operators, solving and managing the most complex networking challenges. Leveraging our advanced design and network operations centers, CTS provides our customers with industry-leading customer service. Our ability to design, build, run and support connectivity solutions that power our customers' mission-critical applications is unmatched. CTS only provides one solution: the one that's right for the customer. CTS is vendor agnostic, allowing customer requirements to drive the right design, using the right equipment, to fit each customer's specifications, anywhere across the country. From conception to construction to operations, CTS is the trusted connectivity partner.

For more information, visit https://www.cts1.com/.

SOURCE Communication Technology Services
DALLAS, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Consilium Staffing, a premier locum tenens healthcare staffing firm bringing doctors and advanced practitioners to facilities nationwide, announced that it has formed a new team dedicated solely to locum tenens placements in surgical and sub-specialties, including pulmonary critical care. While Consilium had been servicing these areas in a lighter capacity before, creating a dedicated team will strengthen its efforts in these specialties and align resources more expeditiously. The team will also focus on placements in obstetrics and gynecology, an area that has seen steady demand even throughout the past year and a half.

Consilium formed this team in response to the changing healthcare environment and the needs of its clients. The group was originally expected to launch in 2019, but the number of cancelled elective surgeries and procedures dramatically changed the healthcare landscape and delayed the need for surgical locum tenens services. With surgeries and procedures now opening up, the time is right for a renewed focus on existing and expanded medical specialties.

"We've seen great stress on the healthcare system, especially in respect to provider burnout, and we wanted to provide greater help," explained Brent Burrows, divisional vice president and partner at Consilium Staffing. "With this team, our offerings are more robust and better position us to help meet our clients' needs."

Consilium expects to double the number of team members in this group by the end of the year.

ABOUT CONSILIUM STAFFING

Consilium Staffing is a locum tenens company offering temporary healthcare providers to medical facilities nationwide. For more information, please visit Consilium Staffing and follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook.

Media Contact:

Stephan Terrill, Creative Director

[email protected]

877-536-4696

SOURCE Consilium Staffing

Related Links

www.consiliumstaffing.com


WILMINGTON, Del., Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Corteva, Inc.'s ("Corteva") (NYSE: CTVA) Board of Directors today announced that it has appointed Chuck Magro as the company's new Chief Executive Officer, effective November 1, 2021. He will also join Corteva's Board of Directors. Mr. Magro most recently served as Chief Executive Officer of Nutrien and brings to Corteva extensive experience leading global agriculture companies to support value creation for all stakeholders. He succeeds James C. Collins, Jr., who will work with Mr. Magro to assure a smooth transition and will retire from Corteva at year-end.

Greg Page, Independent Chairman of Corteva, said, "Chuck has an extensive, proven track record driving profitable growth through innovation and execution in the agriculture industry. During nearly a decade of strong leadership at Nutrien and its predecessor Agrium, Chuck led the creation and integration of the world's largest crop inputs, services, and solutions company and established a culture with a clear commitment to operational excellence and advancing sustainable agriculture solutions. Our Board is confident that he is the right leader to carry our strong momentum forward and create significant near- and long-term shareholder value."

"Corteva has established itself as the premier global agricultural technology company and I am excited to build on the momentum Jim Collins and this terrific team have generated," said Mr. Magro. "With an unparalleled tradition of innovation, exceptionally strong customer relationships, and sustainability at the core of its business, we have an incredible opportunity to accelerate Corteva's growth and value creation. Corteva is ideally equipped to advance the transformation of agriculture, helping farmers become more productive and sustainable and enabling us to feed a growing population while finding new ways to protect the planet. I can't wait to get started."

Mr. Page added, "On behalf of Corteva and our entire Board, I would like to thank Jim Collins for his indelible contributions while leading Corteva's formation and first two years as an independent company. As a result of Jim's efforts and clear vision, Corteva has the culture, capabilities, and strategy in place to capitalize on its unique value creation opportunity moving forward. We are especially grateful that he will work with Chuck to help assure a smooth transition."

Chuck Magro Biography

Mr. Magro served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Nutrien from the company's launch in 2018 until April 2021. Prior to that, for four years Mr. Magro served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Agrium, which merged with PotashCorp to create Nutrien.

Before his appointment as Chief Executive Officer of Agrium in 2014, Mr. Magro held a variety of other key leadership roles, including Chief Operating Officer, Chief Risk Officer, Executive Vice President of Corporate Development, and Vice President of Manufacturing. He joined Agrium in 2009 following a productive career with NOVA Chemicals.

Mr. Magro serves an active role on the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. He was also vice chairman of the International Fertilizer Association and past chair and board member of The Fertilizer Institute, and served as a Board Steward for the World Economic Forum's Food Systems Initiative, providing strategic leadership to build inclusive, sustainable, efficient, and healthy global food systems.

Mr. Magro holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (Chemical Engineering) from the University of Waterloo and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Windsor.

About Corteva

Corteva, Inc. (NYSE: CTVA) is a publicly traded, global pure-play agriculture company that provides farmers around the world with the most complete portfolio in the industry  including a balanced and diverse mix of seed, crop protection and digital solutions focused on maximizing productivity to enhance yield and profitability. With some of the most recognized brands in agriculture and an industry-leading product and technology pipeline well positioned to drive growth, Corteva is committed to working with stakeholders throughout the food system as it fulfills its promise to enrich the lives of those who produce and those who consume, ensuring progress for generations to come. Corteva became an independent public company on June 1, 2019 and was previously the Agriculture Division of DowDuPont. More information can be found at www.corteva.com. Follow Corteva on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.

   Trademarks and service marks of Corteva Agriscience and its affiliated companies.

Media Contact:

Kasey Anderson

+1 317-337-4478

[email protected]

Investor Contact:

Jeff Rudolph

+1 302-485-3704

[email protected]

Cautionary Statement About Forward-Looking Statements

This communication contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, which are intended to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and may be identified by their use of words like "goals", "plans," "expects," "will," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "target," or other words of similar meaning. All statements that address expectations or projections about the future, including statements about Corteva's strategies for growth, capital allocation, and productivity savings are forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions and expectations of future events which may not be accurate or realized. Forward-looking statements also involve risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Corteva's control. While the list of factors presented below is considered representative, no such list should be considered to be a complete statement of all potential risks and uncertainties. Unlisted factors may present significant additional obstacles to the realization of forward-looking statements. Consequences of material differences in results as compared with those anticipated in the forward-looking statements could include, among other things, Corteva's ability to competitively attract, develop and retain talent; employee turnover rates; restructurings; supplier disruptions and consolidations; and similar risks, any of which could have a material adverse effect on Corteva's results. Some of the important factors that could cause Corteva's actual results to differ materially from those projected in any such forward-looking statements include: (i) failure to obtain or maintain the necessary regulatory approvals for some Corteva's products; (ii) failure to successfully develop and commercialize Corteva's pipeline; (iii) effect of the degree of public understanding and acceptance or perceived public acceptance of Corteva's biotechnology and other agricultural products; (iv) effect of changes in agricultural and related policies of governments and international organizations; (v) effect of competition and consolidation in Corteva's industry; (vi) effect of competition from manufacturers of generic products; (vii) costs of complying with evolving regulatory requirements and the effect of actual or alleged violations of environmental laws or permit requirements; (viii) effect of climate change and unpredictable seasonal and weather factors; (ix) risks related to oil and commodity markets; (x) competitor's establishment of an intermediary platform for distribution of Corteva's products; (xi) impact of Corteva's dependence on third parties with respect to certain of its raw materials or licenses and commercialization; (xii) effect of industrial espionage and other disruptions to Corteva's supply chain, information technology or network systems; (xiii) effect of volatility in Corteva's input costs; (xiv) failure to realize the anticipated benefits of the internal reorganizations taken by DowDuPont in connection with the spin-off of Corteva and other cost savings initiatives; (xv) failure to raise capital through the capital markets or short-term borrowings on terms acceptable to Corteva; (xvi) failure of Corteva's customers to pay their debts to Corteva, including customer financing programs; (xvii) increases in pension and other post-employment benefit plan funding obligations; (xviii) risks related to the indemnification obligations of legacy EID liabilities in connection with the separation of Corteva; (xix) effect of compliance with laws and requirements and adverse judgments on litigation; (xx) risks related to Corteva's global operations; (xxi) failure to effectively manage acquisitions, divestitures, alliances and other portfolio actions; (xxii) risks related to COVID-19; (xxiii) risks related to activist stockholders; (xxiv) Corteva's intellectual property rights or defend against intellectual property claims asserted by others; (xxv) effect of counterfeit products; (xxvi) Corteva's dependence on intellectual property cross-license agreements; (xxvii) other risks related to the separation from DowDuPont; (xxviii) risks related to the Biden executive order Promoting Competition in the American Economy; and (xxix) risks associated with our CEO transition. Additionally, there may be other risks and uncertainties that Corteva is unable to currently identify or that Corteva does not currently expect to have a material impact on its business. Where, in any forward-looking statement, an expectation or belief as to future results or events is expressed, such expectation or belief is based on the current plans and expectations of Corteva's management and expressed in good faith and believed to have a reasonable basis, but there can be no assurance that the expectation or belief will result or be achieved or accomplished. Corteva disclaims and does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, except as required by applicable law. A detailed discussion of some of the significant risks and uncertainties which may cause results and events to differ materially from such forward-looking statements or other estimates is included in the "Risk Factors" section of Corteva's Annual Report on Form 10-K, as modified by subsequent Quarterly Reports on Forms 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K.

SOURCE Corteva, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.corteva.com


NEW YORK, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- DLA Piper represented ICV Partners, LLC in its sale of Outpatient Imaging Affiliates, LLC, a leading provider of outpatient radiology services, to The Cranemere Group Limited, a holding company focused on partnering with outstanding businesses for the long-term. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

ICV Partners is a leading private equity firm focused on middle-market companies in business services, consumer goods and services, food and beverage, and healthcare.

"It was a pleasure to once again serve as ICV Partners' trusted advisor in this transaction, bringing together our wide-ranging healthcare sector experience and our strong private equity capabilities to facilitate a smooth closing," said Joe Alexander, DLA Piper's US vice chair and the partner who led the firm's deal team.

In addition to Alexander (Miami), the DLA Piper team representing ICV Partners included partners Dan Rollman, Kristi Kung (Northern Virginia) and Jordan Bailowitz (Baltimore); associate Wenxi Li (Washington, DC); and attorneys Marikit Bankston and Landon Wright (both of Atlanta).

DLA Piper's Private Equity practice includes more than 100 US lawyers who provide strategic counsel to private equity funds and the industry-leading companies they invest in. Pitchbook has repeatedly recognized DLA Piper as one of the most active private equity law firms globally, further solidifying the strength of the firm's team and its depth of experience executing private equity transactions.

DLA Piper's Healthcare sector consists of a multidisciplinary legal team with niche experience in health-related business and legal issues. The team regularly works with corporations and financial institutions, private investors, private equity groups, venture capital funds, institutional investors and portfolio companies in all types of healthcare transactions.

About DLA Piper

DLA Piper is a global law firm with lawyers located in more than 40 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific, positioning us to help clients with their legal needs around the world. In certain jurisdictions, this information may be considered attorney advertising. dlapiper.com

SOURCE DLA Piper

Related Links

http://www.dlapiper.com


Embrey's purchase of the high-quality, 280-unit property built in 2006 closed on October 27 in a sale brokered by Patton Jones of Newmark. Embrey will benefit from the community's prime location along the I-35 corridor in the northeast sector of San Antonio's metropolitan area that has seen high rental demand in recent years. The nationally recognized, award-winning Embrey Management Services will take over management of the community.

Retreat at Chelsea Park is the first closing of Embrey's recently introduced acquisition group led by Alex Sampson, Vice President of Acquisitions. The newly formed group is aggressively seeking multifamily procurement opportunities across high-growth Texas and Sunbelt markets.

"The Retreat at Chelsea Park community fits perfectly into Embrey's focus on creating places where people want to be," said Sampson. "The location is outstanding, just off I-35 with easy access to San Antonio, New Braunfels and Austin, in the middle of a rapidly evolving area that has seen the population grow more than tenfold since 2000. Renters are drawn to Retreat at Chelsea Park for its large floor plans, top-of-class amenities, and tranquil conveniences. The added attention to residents that will be provided by Embrey Management Services will position this asset as second-to-none in its submarket."

Retreat at Chelsea Park exemplifies Embrey's value-add investment approach. About two-thirds of the one-, two- and three-bedroom units remain in classic or outdated conditions since the property's construction in 2006. Embrey will upgrade unit interiors and position the property as a quality and affordable rental option in a flourishing area along the I-35 path of growth, according to Sampson.

Retreat at Chelsea Park's focus on lifestyle experience will be most readily apparent in its lifestyle amenities. Outdoors, this includes an inviting clubhouse, swimming pool, recreation center, dog park, and covered outdoor grilling areas. Residents have access to a fitness center, coffee bar, and resident lounge, plus covered and surface parking with a gated entrance.

Upon completion of Embrey's renovation program, apartment unit interiors will feature premium kitchens, including granite countertops, undermount kitchen sinks with goosehead faucets, updated cabinetry with nickel pulls, updated appliances, wood-style flooring, private patio or balconies, expansive walk-in closets, and 9-foot ceilings.

"Embrey is proud to be a member of the Selma community and to bring its all-star management team to Retreat at Chelsea Park," Sampson said.

About Embrey Partners

San Antonio-based Embrey Partners, LLC is a diversified real estate investment company that owns, develops, builds, acquires, and manages multifamily residential communities and commercial assets in targeted markets across the United States. Since 1974, Embrey has developed more than 44,000 apartments and over 6 million square feet of commercial property. Embrey is a leading developer in the multifamily sector, with more than 6,000 units under construction or in development. www.embreydc.com

SOURCE Embrey

Related Links

http://www.embreydc.com


Those brave enough will enter Wendy's House of Fryght amidst a graveyard of tombstones, surrounded by recreations of freaky films, recast with the scariest star of them all  a cold and soggy fry. Roast in peace, clowns, kings and jack-o-lanterns.

Guests who successfully stomach the experience will make it to fry-topia, where the fries are nothing but hot and crispy. Don't worry, the experience isn't all tricks. Locals will be treated to Wendy's new Hot & Crispy fries, paired with a bone chilling Frosty dessert. Now, that's worth facing your fears!

WHEN:

Customers in the Jacksonville metro area can get their scare on leading into Hallo-Weendy's weekend:

Thursday, October 28 from 3-10 p.m.

from Friday, October 29 from 3  10 p.m.

from 3  Saturday, October 30 from 8 a.m.  10 p.m.

WHERE:

Located down the block from TIAA Bank Field at 1010 East Adams Street in Jacksonville.

HOW:

If you dare, stroll up to the House of Fryght and join the queue to experience the journey from barren bone chilling graveyard of cold and soggy fries to the land of Hot & Crispy. Hot, hot, victory.

Don't be scared if you can't make it to the fry-ghtful experience  Wendy's has a few more treats up its sleeve:

Frozen with Fear? Hot & CrispyGuaranteed: No one deserves to be a victim of the fry-ghtening cold and soggy offerings at industry competitors. With the Hot & Crispy Guarantee if your fries aren't hot and crispy when you receive them, Wendy's will replace them*, no questions asked.

No one deserves to be a victim of the fry-ghtening cold and soggy offerings at industry competitors. With the if your fries aren't hot and crispy when you receive them, Wendy's will replace them*, no questions asked. Free Bone-Chilling Frosty: Score a FREE Small Frosty with the purchase of any size Hot & Crispy Fry via Wendy's app offer.**

Score a FREE Small Frosty with the purchase of any size Hot & Crispy Fry via Wendy's app offer.** Handing Out Candy for Trick or Treaters? Treat Yourself and Order In:

Wendy's is offering $0 delivery fee in-app this Halloween weekend***

in-app this Halloween weekend***

Free Any Size Fry with $15 Min order from October 25  November 7**** via Grubhub

Wendy's Hot & Crispy Fries are available nationally via Wendy's drive-thru, contactless pickup via mobile order or through delivery with Wendy's app, DoorDash, Grubhub, Postmates and Uber Eats.

ABOUT WENDY'S:

Wendy's was founded in 1969 by Dave Thomas in Columbus, Ohio. Dave built his business on the premise, "Quality is our Recipe", which remains the guidepost of the Wendy's system. Wendy's is best known for its made-to-order square hamburgers, using fresh, never frozen beef*****, freshly-prepared salads, and other signature items like chili, baked potatoes and the Frosty dessert. The Wendy's Company is committed to doing the right thing and making a positive difference in the lives of others. This is most visible through the Company's support of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and its signature Wendy's Wonderful Kids program, which seeks to dramatically increase the number of adoptions of children waiting in North America's foster care systems. Today, Wendy's and its franchisees employ hundreds of thousands of people across more than 6,800 restaurants worldwide with a vision of becoming the world's most thriving and beloved restaurant brand. For details on franchising, connect with us at www.wendys.com/franchising.

Visit www.wendys.com and www.squaredealblog.com for more information and connect with us on Twitter and Instagram using @wendys, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/wendys/.

*If Wendy's new fries are not hot & crispy when you receive them, bring them back and we'll replace them.

**Offers only available at participating U.S. Wendy's. Offers must be redeemed via the Wendy's app. Account registration required. Not valid within combo or with any other offer. Not valid for delivery orders placed outside of the Wendy's app. Excludes Topped Fries. See offer in Wendy's app for further details.

***Available at participating U.S. Wendy's. Offer only valid this Saturday and Sunday, October 30-31, 2021 on delivery orders placed in the Wendy's App. Service fee and taxes apply. Wendy's App download and registration required. Not valid on third-party delivery platforms. Subject to cancellation at any time. See Wendy's App for further details.

****Offer valid 10/25/21  10/31/21. Ala carte only. Taxes and fees still apply. Order min of $15 before taxes and applicable fees. Valid at participating Wendy's U.S. locations only, where Grubhub is available. Exclusions may apply.

*****Fresh beef available in the contiguous U.S., Alaska, and Canada.

SOURCE The Wendy's Company
BOSTON, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- EverTrue, the leading advancement software platform, today announced a merger with ThankView, the largest personalized video platform for nonprofits. The integration of the two products will allow advancement and donor relations teams to automate personalized outreach based on continually updated engagement, wealth, interest, and career data, unlocking a modern and more effective approach to fundraising and stewardship that is unparalleled in the industry.

The combination of two market-leading companies is supported by a strategic majority investment from Rubicon Technology Partners (Rubicon), a leading private equity firm based in Boulder, Colorado, that is focused exclusively on investing in and growing enterprise software companies.

The combined company now serves more than 2,000 nonprofit customers, including more than 1,000 universities, colleges, and independent schools. Already, mutual customers can use the donor insights provided by EverTrue to send highly personalized video messages via ThankView.

"From the first time we met the ThankView team, it was clear that we shared a passion for this sector and delivering incredible experiences for our customers and their donors," said Brent Grinna, founder and CEO of EverTrue. "We're excited to scale authentic donor engagement across the entire giving pyramid."

Higher education advancement teams assign less than 3% of their constituents to a gift officer [(source: EverTrue)]. This approach means that the vast majority of alumni do not have a one-on-one relationship with their alma mater. By introducing fundraising teams to the strategies and technologies used by for-profit sales and marketing automation platforms, EverTrue and ThankView will enable organizations to personally engage thousands more supporters and increase donor participation.

"The shift toward digital advancement exploded during the pandemic and it's clear that now is the right time to build the category-leading platform to support the education and nonprofit fundraising sectors," said JD Beebe, co-founder and CEO of ThankView.

Video consumption is up 120% since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic [(source: Wistia)] and in the last five years, 81.3% of donors at EverTrue's partner institutions who received a ThankView video renewed their gift. And yet, at least one in every three donors who give $1,000 isn't thanked personally [(source: EverTrue)].

"Alumni engagement is lead generation," commented Brooks Hull, VP for University Advancement and Chief Executive Officer at the Louisiana Tech University Foundation. "As a longtime customer of both companies, this is one of the best partnerships I've seen in my career. By pairing this combination of data and technology, we will reach more of our supporters in an authentic and personalized manner, thereby increasing revenue and philanthropic impact in the short term while building a healthy long-term donor pipeline."

In early 2022, EverTrue and ThankView will launch their first joint initiative, Career Moves. This offering pairs EverTrue's human-verified updates every 90 days from LinkedIn to congratulate alumni who recently changed jobs or received a promotion with a personalized video via ThankView. In an early test of sending videos to graduates who had changed jobs, staff at the Louisiana Tech University Foundation saw engagement increase by 300%.

"Advancement professionals understand that legacy approaches to engagement are ineffective at reaching donors who increasingly expect a more personalized experience," said Alex Kleiner, Partner at Rubicon. "Until now, there has been no solution in the market that could meet this need. Through the combination of these two companies, customers will be able to unlock insights and engage donors in a harmonious and data-based way like never before. We are excited to support Brent, JD, and the entire team during this next phase of growth."

Horizon Partners served as the exclusive financial advisor to EverTrue and ThankView. EverTrue was advised by Goodwin Procter and ThankView was advised by Perkins Coie.

About EverTrue

EverTrue's software, powered by exclusive TrueView insights, gives fundraising teams a comprehensive view of every donor by connecting their data to a hub of social and demographic information sources. Today, more than half of the top 100 colleges use EverTrue's modern, mobile-first platform to engage alumni, fundraise, discover prospects, manage gift officer portfolios, and coordinate volunteer programs. EverTrue is a remote-first company that's headquartered in Boston. Visit www.evertrue.com for more information.

About ThankView

ThankView's platform empowers advancement teams to create compelling, personalized video campaigns that dramatically boost donor engagement. Multiple contributors can include content asynchronously to create unique, high-leverage content at scale that can be sent across email or text. ThankView is currently used by over 1,600 universities, schools, and nonprofits that seek to easily personalize their donor outreach, boost their engagement, increase donor retention, and learn more about their recipients through in-depth engagement analytics. Visit www.thankview.com for more information.

About Rubicon Technology Partners

Rubicon Technology Partners invests in enterprise software companies with proven products and talented management teams to help grow and scale their businesses. Rubicon enables companies to adapt to the changing requirements of their businesses as they grow and scale using a proven set of proprietary processes, best practices, and a portfolio-wide engagement model. Rubicon has over $2 billion in assets under management and is headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, with additional offices in New Haven, Connecticut, and Palo Alto, California. For more information, please visit www.rubicontp.com .

SOURCE ThankView

Related Links

www.thankview.com


DALLAS, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Iconic trial lawyer Frank L. Branson has earned the top honor for a trial lawyer practicing in Texas  the Texas Bar Foundation's Ronald Secrest Outstanding Trial Lawyer Award.

The Secrest Award honors the state's top courtroom practitioner based on peer recognition and careful evaluation of trial and advocacy skills, commitment to the highest standards of ethical and moral conduct, and proven record of success.

The founder of Dallas-based Law Offices of Frank L. Branson, Mr. Branson and his trial team represent clients in a variety of personal injury cases across the Southwest. They routinely achieve major wins involving transportation crashes, oil field accidents, and serious injuries resulting from defective products and reckless or negligent corporate practices. In the last six years, Mr. Branson and his attorneys have won four verdicts that were recognized by VerdictSearch among the Top 100 in the nation.

In addition to the Secrest Award, 2021 saw repeat selection by peer attorneys and Thomson Reuters/Super Lawyers researchers as one of the Top 10 lawyers in Texas. It is an honor he has earned every year since 2007.

Mr. Branson has earned repeat inclusion in D Magazine's Best Lawyers in Dallas list, the Best Lawyers in America, and the Lawdragon 500. He has been named to Texas Lawbook's "Lions of the Bar," The National Law Journal's "50 Most Influential Lawyers in the U.S.," and D CEO's "Dallas 500: The Most Powerful Business Leaders."

For the past two years, the firm has been recognized by the National Law Journal and The National Trial Lawyers as the Elite Trial Lawyers "Law Firm of the Year" for product liability litigation. In 2019, the Texas Trial Lawyers Association honored Mr. Branson with its Lifetime Achievement Award while the Dallas Trial Lawyers Association named him among its Living Legends.

The Law Offices of Frank L. Branson represents clients in cases involving complex product liability, catastrophic injury, truck accidents, commercial air crashes, electrical and gas explosions, and truck and auto catastrophic injury. To learn more about the firm, visit http://www.flbranson.com.

Media Contact:

Robert Tharp

800-559-4534

[email protected]

SOURCE Law Offices of Frank L. Branson

Related Links

http://www.flbranson.com


O'Duffy has spent the last 10 years with Amazon, both in Silicon Valley and in Europe. He was hired originally to develop and manage Amazon's technical partnerships with global tier 1 wireless carriers for tablets, e-readers and smartphones. Subsequently, he was selected to be a founding member of Alexa Voice Service (AVS) technical team, working with ODMs and system integrators to design new voice controlled products. O'Duffy also was responsible for creating, designing and staffing the Alexa Certification Program for Alexa built-in devices. This organization grew into a cross functional team of over 50 external facing engineers, solution architects and security engineers. Most recently, he was responsible for EU technical strategy with consulting and professional services including Alexa for Hospitality.

O'Duffy's career in telecommunications began when he worked as a network design consultant on assignment across Europe and Asia for Ericsson and Vodafone. He then moved to Palo Alto where he worked for Danger, Microsoft and HP, in senior external-facing roles managing strategic relationships responsible for regulatory and industry approvals on smartphones. O'Duffy received a master's degree of electrical engineering from University of York, a bachelor's degree of electrical engineering from the University of Hull in England and is an Advanced Project Management (APM) graduate of Stanford University.

"I first met Gavin a few years ago at Harvard University while attending a voice conference and was immediately impressed with his knowledge and professionalism. We could not be more elated to have a leader such as him to guide our sales and marketing strategy as we continue to expand our technology capabilities," stated Henry O'Connell, co-founder and CEO of Canary Speech.

In joining Canary Speech, O'Duffy comments, "I'm excited by Canary's mission to leverage AI and Machine Learning (ML) techniques to assist healthcare professionals in the diagnosis and evaluation of diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease well as developing objective measurements in the evaluation of stress, anxiety, depression and PTSD. As part of my role, I will be establishing a new office in Dublin, Ireland and growing the team to better support United States and international customers."

ABOUT CANARY SPEECH

Canary Speech is the global leader in the speech digital biomarker industry by achieving real time vocal analysis on as little as 40 seconds of speech using smart devices. The Utah-based company enhances patient care and outcomes by improving quality of care and quality of life with its patented AI speech technology. Canary Speech technology also provides the opportunity to enhance telemedicine and remote medical services. For more information, visit www.canaryspeech.com .

Press Contact:

Caitlyn Brooksby

801-369-8408

[email protected]

SOURCE Canary Speech

Related Links

http://www.canaryspeech.com


Key Highlights Offered in the Report:

Information on how to identify strategic and tactical negotiation levels that will help achieve the best prices.

Gain information on relevant pricing levels, detailed explanation on pros and cons of prevalent pricing models.

Methods to help engage with the right suppliers and discover KPI's to evaluate incumbent suppliers.

Get a free sample report for more information

Insights into buyer strategies and tactical negotiation levers:

Several strategic and tactical negotiation levers are explained in the report to help buyers achieve the best prices for the Financial Reporting Software market. The report also aids buyers with relevant Financial Reporting Software pricing levels, pros, and cons of prevalent pricing models such as volume-based pricing, spot pricing, and cost-plus pricing and category management strategies and best practices to fulfil their category objectives.

For more insights on buyer strategies and tactical negotiation levers, www.spendedge.com/report/financial-reporting-software-market-procurement-research-report

Key Drivers and Trends Fueling Market Growth:

The pressure from substitutes and a moderate level of threat from new entrants has resulted in the low bargaining power of suppliers.

Price forecasts are beneficial in purchase planning, especially when supplemented by the constant monitoring of price influencing factors. During the forecast period, the market expects a change of 2.00%-4.00%.

Identify favorable opportunities in Financial Reporting Software TCO (total cost of ownership).

Expected changes in price forecast and factors driving the current and future price changes.

Identify pricing models that offer the most rewarding opportunities.

Some of the top Financial Reporting Software suppliers listed in this report:

This Financial Reporting Software procurement intelligence report has enlisted the top suppliers and their cost structures, SLA terms, best selection criteria, and negotiation strategies.

SAP SE

Oracle Corp.

IBM Corp.

To get instant access to over 1000 market-ready procurement intelligence reports without any additional costs or commitment.

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Table of Content

Executive Summary

Market Insights

Category Pricing Insights

Cost-saving Opportunities

Best Practices

Category Ecosystem

Category Management Strategy

Category Management Enablers

Suppliers Selection

Suppliers under Coverage

US Market Insights

Category scope

Appendix

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About SpendEdge:

SpendEdge shares your passion for driving sourcing and procurement excellence. We are the preferred procurement market intelligence partner for 120+ Fortune 500 firms and other leading companies across numerous industries. Our strength lies in delivering robust, real-time procurement market intelligence reports and solutions.

Contacts

SpendEdge

Anirban Choudhury

Marketing Manager

Ph No: +1 (872) 206-9340

https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us

SOURCE SpendEdge
DUBLIN, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Vaccine Storage and Packaging Market - Global Outlook & Forecast 2021-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Vaccine Storage and Packaging market was valued at USD 3,544.28 million in 2020 and is expected to reach USD 5,661.25 million by 2026 growing at a CAGR of 8.12%



The COVID-19 outbreak has led to intensifying demand for vaccines to fight the disease; thus, it has contributed to the growth of the global vaccine storage & packaging market. With the utilization of technology, the disruptors and innovators are reimaging the daily lives of the past few decades. The influence of technology on the cold chain logistics industry is equally intense.

Automations at the coldest temperature is an innovation that has provided ease to the vaccine storage process. The prevalence of COVID-19 has provided vast opportunities to the vaccine freezers, refrigerators, ampoules, vials, and other packaging material providers. COVID-19 has enabled the key vaccine players to partner with the key vendors in the vaccine storage equipment market.

VACCINE STORAGE AND PACKAGING MARKET SEGMENTATION

In 2020, the global vaccine packaging industry by vials accounted for a revenue share of 41.68%. The most used material for packaging vaccines is borosilicate glass vials because of their unresponsiveness nature. As the demand for vaccines increases, the vial manufacturers are also increasing their production and are implementing advancements in vaccine packaging.

The increasing use of drugs in laboratory procedures provides an excellent opportunity for pharmaceutical refrigerators and freezers to develop their markets. Research institutions will be one of the most targeted segments of the pharmaceutical refrigerator and freezer market.

GEOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS

Europe: The rising number of vaccines manufactured, increasing acceptance and awareness among the population, increasing demand for COVID-19 vaccine, and growing government initiatives are propelling the demand for the global vaccine storage and packaging industry in Europe.

North America: With an increasing number of newborns in the region, the need for immunization is arising. The US government supports many public agencies and programs that are involved in vaccine-related activities. Each year, they spend hundreds of millions of dollars to research new and improved vaccines. These factors are propelling the market demand.

APAC: The rise in new coronavirus cases impacted patients in mid-2021 has once again highlighted the need to accelerate and expand vaccination programs in the Asia-Pacific region, which will fuel the market growth.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

To promote the importance of immunization among people, the government is organizing vaccination camps, public conferences, and immunization programs in collaboration with several players. WHO provides knowledge and assistance to immunization programs worldwide, contributing to the market's demand throughout a rapidly evolving situation.

Technological advancements such as RFID tags, BFS technology, temperature monitoring devices, etc., are improving the penetration of the global vaccine storage and packaging industry.

Due to the emergence of COVID-19, the demand for vaccine storage equipment increased significantly. These vaccines have specific cold storage requirements that should not be too cool or too hot to maintain the vaccine's potency.

The sudden onset of covid-19 gave significant growth opportunities for manufacturers offering packaging and storage solutions for the vaccine supply chain. With the immunization process happening globally in many countries, vendors need to prioritize and manufacture products required for packaging and storage of a wide range of covid-19 vaccines to have a good and efficient supply chain between vaccine manufacturers and vaccine administrators.

VENDOR ANALYSIS

One of the key vendors, Gerresheimer, acquired Swiss technology company Sensile Medical in 2018, which has contributed to the inorganic growth in the company.

COVID-19 provided significant growth opportunities for manufacturers offering packaging and storage solutions. Vendors should prioritize and manufacture products required for the packaging of COVID-19 vaccines to have a good and efficient supply chain.

FedEx provides specialized and temperature-controlled packaging services to its healthcare logistics customers with fast, reliable, and secure deliveries.

Key Vendors

Arctiko

Gerresheimer

Panasonic Healthcare

Schott AG

Stevanato Group

Thermo Fisher Scientific

Other Prominent Vendors

American Biotech Supply

B Medical Systems

Chongqing Zhengchuan

Cognex

Cole-Parmer

Corning

Desco Medical India

DHL

DWK Life Sciences

Eppendorf

EVERmed SRL

FedEx

Haier Biomedical

Helmer Scientific

Nipro

Philipp Kirsch

SGD Pharma

SM Pack

Softbox Systems

Rockwell Industries

United Parcel Service

Vestfrost Solutions

Qorpak

Key Topics Covered:



1 Research Methodology



2 Research Objectives



3 Research Process



4 Scope & Coverage

4.1 Market Definition

4.2 Base Year

4.3 Scope Of The Study



5 Report Assumptions & Caveats



6 Market at a Glance



7 Introduction



8 Market Opportunities & Trends

8.1 Improvement In Storage Infrastructure

8.2 Continuous Technological Advancements In Cold Chain Facilities

8.3 Improvement In The Quality Of Packaging Material

8.4 Contracts Between Pharma Manufacturers And Packaging Providers

8.5 Strong Portfolio Of Key Companies For Covid-19 Vaccine



9 Market Growth Enablers

9.1 Prevalence Of Infectious Diseases And Immunology Disorders

9.2 Increased Production Capacity Of Vaccines By Key Manufacturers

9.3 Growing Government Initiatives To Promote Immunization & Its Awareness

9.4 Outbreak Of Covid-19



10 Market Restraints

10.1 Shortage/Delayed Supply Of Vials And Dry Ice

10.2 Risk Of Product Damage Or Perishing While In Transit

10.3 Significant Capital Investment



11 Market Landscape

11.1 Market Overview

11.2 Market Size & Forecast

11.3 Five Forces Analysis



12 Type

12.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

12.2 Market Overview



13 Vaccine Packaging

13.1 Market Overview

13.2 Market Size & Forecast

13.3 Vaccine Packaging: Product Segmentation

13.3.1 Vials: Market Size & Forecast

13.3.2 Ampoules: Market Size & Forecast

13.3.3 Corrugated Boxes: Market Size & Forecast

13.3.4 Others: Market Size & Forecast

13.4 Vaccine Packaging: Layer Segmentation

13.4.1 Primary Layer: Market Size & Forecast

13.4.2 Secondary Layer: Market Size & Forecast

13.4.3 Tertiary Layer: Market Size & Forecast

13.5 Vaccine Packaging: Geography Segmentation



14 Vaccine Storage

14.1 Market Overview

14.2 Market Size & Forecast

14.3 Vaccine Storage: Product Segmentation

14.3.1 Refrigerators: Market Size & Forecast

14.3.2 Freezers: Market Size & Forecast

14.3.3 Others: Market Size & Forecast

14.4 Vaccine Storage: Geography Segmentation



15 End-User

15.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

15.2 Market Overview

15.3 Pharma & Biotech Companies

15.4 Healthcare Facilities

15.5 Others



16 Geography

16.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

16.2 Geographic Overview

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/4blulf

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

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For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com


Greenhouse, the hiring software company, today announced it has acquired sourcing automation provider, Interseller. Tweet this

This acquisition comes on the heels of a year of strong growth for Greenhouse. In early 2021 Greenhouse secured a major investment from TPG Growth and The Rise Fund. The company is far exceeding its current financial plan, surpassing $110M in annual recurring revenue in the third quarter, and growing 50% annually. This momentum extends to EMEA, where the team has grown 300% and supports more than 700 customers in the region.

"Our decision to buy Interseller came after an extensive review of the market. Interseller absolutely stood out because of their rigorous approach to email deliverability and innovations that ensure high-quality candidate interactions. Their approach massively enhances the success recruiters see when doing outreach, and we realized we could enable that at scale within our platform," said Chait.

"We built Interseller to solve the problems that talent-centric companies experience finding top talent," said Steven Lu, founder and CEO of Interseller. "Our technology saves recruiters hours of wasted effort doing outreach."

Interseller's sourcing automation technology makes it easier for recruiters to personalize messages at scale, quickly, which improves the candidate experience and boosts hiring team performance.

"Years of R&D and constant optimization of our tools for better email deliverability and data enrichment means that our users see more success doing fewer, high quality interactions. We've focused on developing solutions that engage fewer candidates while decreasing the time to hire. By joining Greenhouse we can massively scale our impact and help thousands of companies actively diversify their talent pool and engage top talent at will," said Lu.

Greenhouse sourcing tools will help recruiters find, pinpoint and connect with prospective candidates from one place within Greenhouse. End to end reporting will make it easy to show sourcing activity, pipeline progress and hiring impact. The new functionality will be available to customers in late Q1 2022.

For more context on the acquisition and our focus on sourcing, visit our blog: https://greenhouse.io/blog/acquiring-interseller

About Greenhouse

Greenhouse is the hiring software company. We help businesses become great at hiring through our powerful hiring approach , complete suite of software and services, Hiring Maturity methodology and large partner ecosystem  so businesses can hire for what's next.

Based in New York City with offices in San Francisco, Denver and Dublin, Greenhouse Software has over 5,000 customers. Some of the smartest and most successful companies like HubSpot, Buzzfeed, J.D. Power, Booking.com, Scout24 and The Knot Worldwide use the Greenhouse hiring software platform to improve all aspects of hiring, helping them to attract top talent.

 2021, Greenhouse Software, Inc. All rights reserved. "Greenhouse Hiring Maturity", "Talent Makers", and the G Logo are trademarks of Greenhouse Software, Inc.

SOURCE Greenhouse

Related Links

www.greenhouse.io


PASADENA, Texas, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- H+M Industrial EPC, provider of engineering design, procurement, and construction services for the Energy and Chemicals industries, recently opened a new office and shop space to facilitate construction activities in Corpus Christi, TX. The new location address is 1959 Saratoga Blvd. Bldg. 11 Corpus Christi, TX 78417.

H+M opened the office to provide capital project services to all surrounding cities in and around the Corpus Christi area, such as Ingleside, Brownsville, Point Comfort, San Antonio, Seadrift, Rock Port, Eagle Ford, among others.

H+M Industrial EPC Corpus Christi Office

Headquartered in Pasadena, TX, the opening of this new location will enable H+M Industrial EPC to service new and existing clients in the South Texas region. Additionally, this new location will utilize the extensive project execution infrastructure of the H+M home office while being local to the South Texas region, further allowing the team to execute capital projects swiftly and seamlessly.

"We are excited to take this next step in the expansion of H+M and provide best-in-class capital project management to the region. South Texas is in an amazing growth stage right now, and we look forward to providing great project experiences to the area," stated Brandon Hogan, President and CEO of H+M Industrial EPC.

"We knew it was imperative to the Corpus area to open a local office as a way to streamline the project execution process for our clients. Additionally, having this local office will allow our teams to understand better the unique situations and needs of our clients in the region," stated Hugo McBride, General Manager  South Texas Region.

About H+M Industrial EPC: H+M Industrial EPC has provided design/build services to the Energy and Chemicals industries along the Gulf Coast since 1988. The H+M vision is to be the preferred partner for EPC capital project services up to $50MM, providing trust, expertise, and efficiency. Uniquely, the company's engineering design, procurement, and construction services are all in-house, bolstering a unified approach that results in better customer deliverables. Reach out to Clancey Pearson, H+M South Texas Business Development, at 361-445-7197 to discuss project needs. https://www.hm-ec.com/

Robyn Hall  Sr. Marketing Manager

H+M Industrial EPC

832-850-2103

[email protected]

SOURCE H+M Industrial EPC
NEW YORK, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Jensen Partners, a woman-owned, data-driven, global human capital advisory firm focused on solving staffing and DEI challenges across the alternative asset industry, today announced it has been named "Best Recruiter" for the fourth consecutive year at the 2021 Alt Credit US Services Awards.

The Alt Credit US Awards recognize private debt managers, credit hedge funds and industry service providers that have best been able to navigate the opportunities and pitfalls stemming from the 2020 pandemic crisis. The Alt Credit US Services Awards honors those service providers that outperform their peers by leading the way within the US credit fund industry. Judging was conducted by leading institutional and private investors as well as investment consultants. The winners were announced during an in-person ceremony on October 27th at the Metropolitan Club in New York.

"Winning this award validates the impact our data-driven approach is having across credit recruiting and DEI. This year Jensen Partners placed more credit talent than ever before in our history  and more than 80% of the candidates we placed identify as belonging to one or more underrepresented groups," said Sasha Jensen, Founder and CEO of Jensen Partners. "We have also expanded our ability to leverage data for our credit clients through our proprietary Diversity Pipeline Tracker and the launch of DiversityMetrics -- the first enterprise software platform to combine self-reported diversity data and human capital management technology specifically designed for asset managers seeking to quantify, measure, report and improve workforce diversity and inclusion.

Launched in June 2021, Jensen Partners' DiversityMetrics features a high-tech, high-touch approach that combines customizable data visualization tools with verified demographic data on more than 25,000 investment and distribution professionals, including 8,000 who identify as having a diverse background, working at more than 700 alternative investment firms around the world. DiversityMetrics empowers credit managers to build diverse candidate pipelines, benchmark DEI metrics and develop realistic goals and prescriptive actions to drive meaningful progress toward DEI objectives.

"This year has been an inflection point for DEI within the credit industry. Our long-standing commitment to identify diverse talent has enabled us to rise to the occasion," added Jensen. "We started tracking diverse talent in 2017 and have since grown our pipeline of diverse and underrepresented talent to include thousands of highly-qualified credit professionals. With our proprietary Diversity Pipeline Tracker, powered by DiversityMetrics, Jensen Partners is able to source more diverse credit candidates than any other recruiter."

Jensen Partners specializes in the sourcing and placement of capital raising and investment professionals for the credit investment industry by leveraging its extensive investor relationships as well as its proprietary platform DiversityMetrics and big data recruitment model. Jensen Partners' model is based on the firm's global database of more than 25,000 global alternative capital raisers, which includes professionals from private equity firms, private credit firms, real estate investment firms, real asset investors, infrastructure investors and hedge funds.

In addition to winning the 2021 Alt Credit US Awards, Jensen Partners also won the 2021 Alt Credit European Awards for the third consecutive year and has won six other global awards for recruiting in the alternatives space during the last twelve months.

About Jensen Partners

Jensen Partners is a global advisory, corporate development and executive search firm that leverages its extensive relationships in the investor and alternative asset management community to source and recruit leading capital-raising and investment candidates. The firm takes a data-driven approach, combining quantitative and qualitative insights to source and place the ideal human capital. In addition to executive search, Jensen Partners offers LP/GP referencing, proprietary 360 Investor Referencing methodology, and compensation benchmarking and analysis. To learn more, please visit www.jensen-partners.com.

About DiversityMetrics

DiversityMetrics combines rich diversity analytics with the latest research from the field of human capital management, providing an objective, 360 degree view of where a firm stands on DEI and how they can make meaningful progress towards a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce, including: verified demographic data for more than 25,000 investment and distribution professionals from across the industry, a candidate pipeline of over 8,000 investment and distribution professionals who self-identify as having a diverse background and a proprietary scoring algorithm that enables objective DEI comparisons across firms and industries. With DiversityMetrics, firms can benchmark against competitors, develop diverse candidate pipelines, analyze hiring and retention practices, identify biases in workplace culture and report progress to investors.

Jensen Partners publishes DiversityMetrics data and insights in its quarterly newsletter. To sign up for Jensen Partners' newsletter, please visit: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/tbmquk0

Media Contact:

Alex Nye

(814) 671-7497

[email protected]

SOURCE Jensen Partners
NEW YORK, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Jewish Communal Fund (JCF), the largest Jewish donor advised fund in the country, distributed $520 million in grants to charities in all sectors during the 2021 fiscal year ending June 30, 2021. JCF Fundholders recommended a record-number of grants72,000to thousands of charitable organizations, a 13% increase from 2020. The average grant amount was $7,194.

JCF Granted $520 Million in FY 21

"We are proud to report that the number of grants JCF sends out on behalf of our fundholders continues to grow exponentially," said Susan F. Dickman, Executive Vice President and CEO of Jewish Communal Fund. "As the needs have increased in the wake of the pandemic, so have the grants that JCF is distributing to charities in all sectors."

A leader in the world of Jewish philanthropy, JCF continues to be the largest and most active Jewish donor advised fund in the country with more than $2.4 billion in charitable assets under management. In FY 2021, JCF distributed 21 percent of assets, well above the industry average.

While grants were distributed to charities in all sectors, the largest categories of grants by dollar amount were directed to charitable organizations whose missions focused on education, community organizations and human services, and Israel/international.

A donor advised fund at JCF enables Fundholders to organize their charitable giving with ease and tax-efficiency. JCF's educational events and toolsincluding recent webinars highlighting Jewish impact investments available on JCF's robust investment platformhelp Fundholders increase their philanthropic impact.

Jewish Communal Fund is one of the largest and most active networks of Jewish funders, currently managing $2.4 billion in charitable assets for more than 4,200 donor advised funds. JCF's donor advised funds make giving easy, flexible and efficient. The Chronicle of Philanthropy designated JCF a "Top 100" Charity in the U.S. on its Philanthropy 400 list. Learn more about JCF by visiting www.jcfny.org. Visit JCF on LinkedIn, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Tamar Snyder

Jewish Communal Fund

212-752-8277

[email protected]

SOURCE Jewish Communal Fund

Related Links

http://www.jcfny.org


SEOUL, South Korea, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Jubilee Biotech, a startup in South Korea, has developed JUBIwatch, a smart watch and medication management platform that uses microneedles to administer exact amounts of medication at set times.

"Wearing, setting up, and sending information on medication." This is the phrase that has inspired the slogan "wear, set, and forget," which Sung-Kyoung Lee, CEO of Jubilee Biotech has stuck close by in developing JUBIwatch.

Medicine in the JUBIwatch is contained in a microneedle cartridge, which a patient inserts manually into the watch. The patient can then connect the watch to their medication schedule via mobile app. Then, at the correct time, the JUBIwatch microneedle administers the medicine via transdermal administration. JUBIwatch has been developed by R&D for the past two years and has plans in place for FDA review and commercialization.

When the doctor asks the dreaded question, "Did you take your medicine properly?", the patient responds based on unclear, incorrect memories, which can lead to misdiagnosis. However, if medicine is administered via JUBIwatch, time and dosage are accurately measured in seconds and micrograms. Further, datafication secures more meaningful medical information for the patient.

Over the past 20 years, Smartphones and Social Media have completely changed the world. Personalization and customization are emphasized in many areas and have affected all areas of life beyond shopping, mass media, and learning.

However, in the healthcare industry, especially in the medical sectors that have the greatest impact on our lives and are the cornerstone of the quality of life, progress is slow.

For instance, the pharmaceutical system through which doctors prescribe medicine for patients to conveniently pick up at local drugstores has lasted for a long time.

Compared to other areas in the industry that have made a lot of progress in the past years, progress in this system is mostly dormant, and the system remains surprisingly ineffective.

For instance, according to statistics from the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), three out of four patients do not take medicine as prescribed.

There are various reasons for this statistic: patients might miss a dose, forget to take their medicine, or fail to get a refill due to other factors. In a study ,The APhA found:

1 in 2 people missed a dose,

1 in 3 forgot if they took the med,

and 1 in 4 did not get a refill on time.

In medical terms, this phenomenon is called a "Medication Non- adherence"-- and the personal and social costs from it are truly enormous.

In North America, 125,000 deaths are directly caused by medication non-adherence, with the estimated cost reaching 300 billion USD per year.

Sung-Kyoung Lee, CEO of Jubilee Biotech Co., Ltd., founded a company to solve this problem.

Lee majored in molecular biology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and earned a Doctoral Degree in Toxicology and Molecular Pharmacology. Since then, he has worked as a Postdoctoral fellow at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He has also published a number of SCI(Science Citation index)-registered papers and won the Society of Dermatology Young Fellow Award in 2017.

When asked what led him to the start-up industry, Lee replied: "I believe that the medical market is leaning into a focus on Personalized Medicine, Telemedicine, and Pain. I established this company to create a medical platform that addresses these three areas to build a better healthcare system."

While working at UPenn, Lee learned of the numerous hurdles that came before research in the laboratory was industrialized and used in daily life. From this, he started his business to create a platform that can help both patients and doctors in the problem of medication.

Jubilee Biotech's motto is "to make patients and doctors happy." Lee notes, "Human life will become more personalized with people increasingly becoming more interested in improving the quality of life. I predict that this will lead to a healthcare system that has a direct impact on the quality of life, as attempts to minimize pain continue."

JUBIwatch is a platform to secure accurate medication information for the benefit of both doctors and patients.

The ultimate challenge to solve: Medication Non- adherence.

"As important as developing a good medicine is helping patients take it properly. While maintaining awareness of the problem, I came up with the idea of creating a 'wearable device' that uses microneedles to administer quantities on time and convert them into data," says Lee.

JUBIwatch, a small mobile device, fundamentally solves the problem of Medication Non-adherence.

"Jubilee" is a Hebrew word, meaning Freedom, Recovery, and Joy.

As its name suggests, Jubilee Biotech's mission is to become a company that provides joy, recovery, and specific solutions to those that are suffering. Jubilee Biotech is preparing for R&D and FDA approval simultaneously in Korea and the United States.

Jubilee Biotech has filed relevant patents and will attempt to secure more patents in near future. Through IP landscaping, it was found that there are no patents relevant to JUBIwatch. Accordingly, Jubilee is putting intense effort towards proposing diverse and influential patent applications and is expected to become the front runner of the market if the patents are successfully registered.

Although competitors are also developing drug delivery devices that utilize microneedles, the JUBIwatch platform differs from their products. Competitors' current solutions are single dose medications that still require the patient's action in taking the medicine, which does not account for medication non-adherence. However, the JUBIwatch platform is unique in the sense that by simply wearing the device, the patient can save themselves the trouble of finding a medicine container and water on time to take the medicine. Moreover, JUBIwatch will help patients with physical disabilities to more conveniently take their medicine.

JUBIwatch is a necessity for drugs that only function when taken at the right times.

Nowadays, smart watches in the market have diverse medical functions, such as heart rate and blood pressure checks. The dosing function of JUBIwatch is decisively different from these pre-existing functions, in that other smartwatches utilize sensing technology to provide measurement. Thus, the microneedle cartridges used by JUBIwatch are structurally incompatible with smartwatches currently released in the market. Apple Watches and Galaxy Watches do not have the space to insert a cartridge for medication, nor can they implement a mechanism to drive it since their inside spaces are already full of sensors and batteries. On the other hand, JUBIwatch was designed to prioritize loading cartridges as a core function, and its patented mechanism provides efficient administration. JUBIwatch's IT functions, which include information about the patient's medication, are possible through a small microchip. With JUBIwatch 2nd generation, Jubilee Biotech plans for more diverse sensing and IT functions to be installed in the tiniest spaces.

Lee says, "Through JUBIwatch, we first plan to provide hormonal drugs and medicines that are particularly efficient when taken in small doses in the form of cartridges. We will start mainly with hormones and plan to expand to medicines for stroke and Parkinson's disease, such as levodopa and rheumatism. These drugs are a priority because they are effective when taken on time. This device/cartridge/app-web service will be a different type of medical platform"



Some medicines can cause health issues or disturb the balance of the entire body if they are not taken on time. This is the case for estrogen, a female hormone, doctors do not suggest doses of estrogen for patients who miss correct intake time. The same goes for thyroid hormones. People with palsy (Parkinson's disease) must take their medication as soon as they wake up in the morning, but they may face difficulties in achieving this task due to physical discomforts or difficulties. In many cases, such as schizophrenia, caregivers are needed to help patients take their medication.

JUBIwatch can solve these problems and increase the efficacy of these medications by allowing patients to take their medicines at accurate times. Through the JUBI App, guardians and doctors can have live feedback regarding the patient's drug delivery and the medication dosages.



Recently, medicine is being developed in the form of patches or implants that show high efficacy in administration. However, it is ultimately up to the patient to attach the patch to themselves at a certain time, which makes it easy to miss dosages-- as previously stated, only 1 in 4 people take their medicine on time. JUBIwatch helps to overcome the intrinsic limitations of human beings and its effect cannot simply be estimated in economic values.

Jubilee Biotech has nearly reached the completion of JUBIwatch for FDA Pre-submission in 2022 and plans to establish a US branch next year. Currently, Jubilee Biotech is in discussion with a number of VC and PEs to expand the company for diverse drugs. Jubilee Biotech's current goal is to launch a data-based treatment platform with JUBIwatch by the end of 2023 in the US market.

SungKyoung Lee Ph.D. CEO

Tel) +82)-10-4050-7322

Email) [email protected]

Homepage) www.jubileebio.com

SOURCE Jubilee Biotech
WASHINGTON, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- What do the King of Jordan, the President of Colombia, Congressman Henry Cuellar and the Executive Director of UNICEF have in common? They all understand that human displacement is reshaping the world and they are each a contributor to the latest issue of The Wilson Quarterly. More than 82.4 million people worldwide are currently identified as a refugee, asylum seeker or internally displaced. The Fall 2021 issue brings fresh perspectives from world leaders, scientists, scholars, and journalists on the front lines of one of the most critical issues facing global governance and development today.

Access the Fall 2021 issue at wilsonquarterly.com.

"Through this issue we are hoping to show the depth and breadth of the global human migration crisis and advance the conversation beyond the hot-button issues at the U.S.-Mexico border. We have reached a point where generations of children around the world have been displaced for their entire lives, a reality that has profound implications for us all," says Stephanie Bowen, Wilson Quarterly editor. "By highlighting a diversity of voices, geographies and story formats, we hope that policymakers have a more complete understanding of human migration, and can therefore identify more effective solutions to an issue that is only going to get more complex over time."

In this issue:

King Abdullah II of Jordan The Forgotten Refugee Crisis Calls for Renewed Global Attention - Jordan has experienced the challenges and opportunities that accompany the displaced. King Abdullah II of Jordan provides a compelling foreword to our issue.



of has experienced the challenges and opportunities that accompany the displaced. of provides a compelling foreword to our issue. Ivan Duque Marquez, President of the Republic of Colombia - A Commitment to Integration - Colombia has welcomed more than 1.7 million Venezuelans, and recently opened its doors to Afghan refugees. President Duque tells us why, and what is next.



- has welcomed more than 1.7 million Venezuelans, and recently opened its doors to Afghan refugees. President Duque tells us why, and what is next. Rep. Henry Cuellar and Claudia Ruiz-Massieu - Mexico-U.S. Cooperation on Migration - Two leaders come together to offer solutions and help both of their countries navigate the rough waters ahead.



and - Two leaders come together to offer solutions and help both of their countries navigate the rough waters ahead. A Conversation with David Beasley and Henrietta Fore - Generations are Being Lost to Displacement. That Can  and Must  Change - Wilson Center President, Executive Director, and CEO Mark Green talks with two prominent leaders working with displaced populations around the world.



and - - Wilson Center President, Executive Director, and CEO talks with two prominent leaders working with displaced populations around the world. Journalists and scholars examine the drivers of displacement  including conflict and climate  provide historical context and cover displacement in Afghanistan , Syria , Iraq , the Sahara and Peru .

Contact:

Ryan McKenna

[email protected]

SOURCE Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

Related Links

http://www.wilsoncenter.org


SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- LILEE Systems, Access Services and Sunset Vans are proud to announce a new accessible autonomous vehicle purpose-built to help improve paratransit services and make public transportation more accessible for people with disabilities. The vehicle and its self-driving technologies will be showcased at the annual American Public Transportation Association (APTA) TRANSform Conference and EXPO 2021 from November 8-10.

"Sharing the same vision of using automated driving technologies to transform paratransit operations, Access Services has teamed up with LILEE Systems and Sunset Vans to develop innovative solutions for the urban mobility challenges that both the ADA community and transit agencies have been facing," said William Tsuei, Director of Information Technology, Access Services. "The implementation and integration of autonomous driving technology will allow paratransit operators to focus more on assisting passengers, providing care as needed and ensuring their safety"

Headquartered in Silicon Valley, LILEE Systems specializes in advanced transportation safety software and is the leading technology provider of autonomous vehicles. Following several successful full-size self-driving bus pilot projects in Taiwan, LILEE Systems launched an accessible autonomous vehicle pilot program in the U.S. in partnership with Access Services, the second largest paratransit services public agency, and Sunset Vans, a leader in manufacturing and retrofitting wheelchair and electric vans. The program, in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations, aims to form an autonomous vehicle fleet with smart assistive technologies and demonstrate a ready-to-deploy solution for transit agencies seeking new opportunities in the paratransit industry.

"Paratransit has been an important transportation mode for individuals with mobility difficulties. LILEE Systems is proud to introduce a wheelchair-ready autonomous vehicle specially designed to benefit paratransit travelers," said Jia-Ru Li, CEO of LILEE Systems.

Derek Murray, CEO of Sunset Vans, stated: "As an industry leader in making and modifying wheelchair-accessible vehicles that are fully ADA-compliant, we are excited to work with LILEE Systems and Access Services to bring new technologies and deliver the autonomous paratransit solution to the market."

At APTA's TRANSform Conference & EXPO, booth 2111, in Orlando, Florida from November 8-10, the team will showcase their newly retrofitted accessible autonomous vehicle and electric van, featuring a special vehicle design that provides greater accessibility and usability for people with disabilities. The video-based OCC (operations control center) platform for transit agencies to monitor, track and manage the vehicles will also be demonstrated.

To schedule a meeting and discuss how self-driving technologies and OCC software a can revolutionize public transportation services, please contact [email protected].

About LILEE Systems

LILEE Systems was founded in 2009 by industry leaders in wireless communications and software-defined radio (SDR) with the main purpose of enabling positive train control systems for North American Class I railroads. Headquartered in Silicon Valley with an office in Taipei, Taiwan, LILEE Systems is the leading solution provider of video-based safety and OCC software, passenger connectivity services, and autonomous driving systems.

SOURCE LILEE Systems

Related Links

https://www.lileesystems.com


ORLAND PARK, Ill., Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Marquette Bank was recently nationally recognized by the American Bankers Association Foundation for its Marquette Bank Mobile Food Pantry as part of its Community Pandemic Response with a 2021 ABA Foundation Community Commitment Award. The award was given to Marquette Bank for its efforts in the Volunteerism category and was presented during ABA's Annual Convention in Tampa, Fla.

Marquette Bank supported the federal Coronavirus Food Assistance Program to bring the Farmers to Families Food Box Program to local communities by creating mobile drive-through food pantries. The bank's Marquette Neighborhood Commitment, with help from Illinois Partners In Hope, hosted multiple mobile drive-through food pantries which distributed more than 6,000 35-pound boxes of food to neighbors in need with the help of employee-volunteers.

Entries for the awards were submitted in six categories including affordable housing, community and economic development, financial education, economic inclusion, protecting older Americans, and volunteerism. Award winners were chosen by a field of nationally-recognized experts.

The selection committee chose the winning banks based on the creativity and thoughtfulness of programs  traditional or innovative in nature and structure  that embody the ideals of corporate social responsibility and demonstrate success in measurable terms.

"Marquette Bank saw an opportunity to improve the lives of those in its neighborhoods and took action," said Corey Carlisle, executive director, ABA Foundation. "It's Mobile Food Pantries made a meaningful difference around their branch locations and we hope their work serves as a blue print for others throughout the industry."

"It is who we are. Marquette Bank and our employees are always working to find new and innovative ways to positively impact our community," said Christie Cox, First Vice President of Neighborhood. "We are humbled and honored to accept this award for our efforts."

Marquette Bank's Community Pandemic Response was also recognized by Community Bankers Association of Illinois (CBAI) with a 2021 Excellence and Innovation BKD Award. The Marquette Neighborhood Commitment is the bank's coordinated efforts to address the needs of shelter, hunger, education and health/wellness in the communities it serves. To learn learn more about the Marquette Neighborhood Commitment visit www.emarquettebank.com/neighborhood or call 1-888-254-9500.

To learn more about the ABA Foundation Community Commitment Awards, visit: www.aba.com/awards.

About Marquette Bank

Marquette Bank opened its doors for business May 12, 1945, with a philosophy and commitment to provide financial services to meet the savings and borrowing needs of the Chicagoland area communities. Today, Marquette Bank has 23 offices located throughout the Chicagoland area, including 20 banking centers, two loan production offices, and a corporate administrative center. Marquette Bank is a subsidiary of Marquette National Corporation (OTCQX: MNAT). With assets more than $1.9 billion, Marquette Bank is one of the few remaining privately-held, locally-owned financial institutions in Chicagoland. Find out more about Marquette Bank online at www.emarquettebank.com or by calling 1-888-254-9500.

For More Information:

Jeff MacDonald

708-873-3560

[email protected]

SOURCE Marquette Bank
MIAMI, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Miami Dade County Expressway Authority ("MDX") filed suit this morning in Miami Dade County Circuit Court against the five individuals appointed by Governor DeSantis to serve as the Board of Directors of the Greater Miami Expressway Agency ("GMX"), thus taking another step in the long-running feud over who controls the agency charged with operating Miami-Dade County's $4 billion expressway system.

According to MDX's attorney Gene Stearns of Stearns Weaver Miller, "GMX is a 'zombie agency' that was abolished by the Miami-Dade County Commission through the proper exercise of the County's home rule powers provided by the Florida Constitution. MDX's lawsuit," he said, "simply seeks to have the court make clear that under the Constitution, only the County can determine who has the right to own and control MDX's transportation assets."

The County Commission created MDX in 1994. It entered into an agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation to purchase "in perpetuity" all of the County's east/west expressways and since then has expanded the system four-fold, establishing itself as one of the County's most successful local agencies, serving millions of motorists each year.

Stearns said that some local legislators "don't seem to understand that the Constitution gives the County the absolute right to keep local government close to the people. When MDX acquired the expressway system 'in perpetuity,'" he said, "that meant forever. Only the County can decide to make it less than forever. Local legislators have short terms," he said, "but the damage their grab for power would cause would last forever."

The dispute began on May 3, 2019, when the House Speaker and Senate President joined with some of the legislators elected by County voters to support a "local bill," applicable only in Miami-Dade County that would seize control of MDX and all of its assets, terminate its existence and turn over all of the expressway system to a new state agency, GMX, that would be controlled by what Stearns describes as "Tallahassee politicians who talk about keeping government close to the people but do exactly the opposite."

This is the second lawsuit raising the issue of who controls the County's expressway system. The first challenge to the legislature was brought by MDX on May 7, 2019 in a suit filed in the Circuit Court in Leon County. MDX won that suit when Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper determined that the act of the legislature abolishing MDX and creating GMX was unconstitutional, citing a long string of Supreme Court decisions going back over 70 years. MDX's victory was cut short, however, as the First District Court of Appeal determined that MDX did not have "standing" to complain in its own name about an act of the legislature abolishing its existence. In deciding the issue on standing only, the First District declined to consider the lawfulness of the act creating GMX and abolishing MDX, leaving that issue for another day.

The dispute took a sharp turn after the First District decision, when the County Commission turned the tables on the legislature by adopting an ordinance which abolished GMX and reinstated MDX. The County also refused to fill seats on the GMX board, preventing a GMX board from having a quorum and thus delaying a showdown over control of the system.

In an attempt to overcome the County Commission's unwillingness to accept its actions, the legislature last session amended the statute creating GMX to allow the Governor to appoint a majority of a GMX board, an act intended to allow the Governor to create a quorum and proceed with the takeover. The announcement that the Governor's appointees to the Greater Miami Expressway Agency board would be meeting Thursday in Fort Lauderdale led to MDX's decision to initiate legal action.

Stearns said that this suit is different than the first because it is a "quiet title" claim, a cause of action that exists in the law to resolve disputes over the ownership of property. "This time, it is the legislature's agency that has been abolished," Stearns said. "Its board has no lawful power to do anything and, if the First District's decision is followed, it is now GMX that lacks standing to complain about its abolition."

Stearns said Judge Cooper was right and the Constitutional issues could hardly be more clear. "An oath to uphold and defend the Constitution should actually mean something," he said. "For over 70 years, generations of County leaders who often disagreed on many things joined together shoulder to shoulder to defend home rule against attacks like this one, fighting the good fight against those who would take local government away from the people. This," he said, "is one of the moments where thoughtless acts of legislative politicians whose terms and powers are limited by the Constitution they have chosen to disrespect, could destroy what 70 years of County leaders have to this point successfully defended, government closer to the people."

Contact:

Eugene E. Stearns, Esq.

Stearns Weaver Miller Weissler Alhadeff & Sitterson, P.A.

150 West Flagler Street, Suite 2200

Miami, FL 33130

Direct: 305.789.3400

Main: 305.789.3200

[email protected]

SOURCE Stearns Weaver Miller

Related Links

http://stearnsweaver.com


BRUSSELS, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Middelfart been selected as the winner of the 2022 European Destination of Excellence (EDEN) competition, following a European Jury meeting in Brussels on 26 October 2021. The winner will receive the official award at the Award Ceremony during the European Tourism Forum gala dinner on 16 November 2021, an event co-organised by the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU together with the European Commission.

In total, 43 destinations competed, out of which 3 shortlisted destinations were invited to present their candidatures in front of the European Jury. Middelfart impressed the European Jury not only with their remarkable achievements in sustainable tourism, but also with the outstanding programmes of activities they intend to implement during 2022, as well as their notable capacity to act as a role model for other destinations.

The European Destinations of Excellence is an EU initiative, implemented by the European Commission. Its aim is to recognise and reward smaller destinations that have in place successful strategies to boost sustainable tourism through green transition practices. The competition is founded upon the principle of promoting the development of sustainable tourism in destinations which brings value to the economy, the planet and the people.

Middelfart will be positioned as a tourism sustainability pioneer committed to the European Green Deal objectives and will receive expert communication and branding support at the EU level throughout 2022.

For all the latest news visit the European Destinations of Excellence website.

Contact

European Destinations of Excellence Secretariat:

Antigoni Avgeropoulou, [email protected], +49 (0) 30 70 01 86 390

Notes to Editors

Since 2007, the European Commission supported EU Member States and other countries participating in the COSME programme to reward non-traditional, emerging sustainable tourism destinations in Europe through the 'European Destination of Excellence" (EDEN) award. This action aimed to foster sustainable tourism destination management models across Europe by selecting and promoting EDEN destinations. To date, 175 destinations from 27 different countries have received the award under different annual themes. In 2019 the "Study on EDEN evaluation" was carried out to assess the continued relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and impact of the EDEN initiative and the various actions implemented in its framework, as well as its coherence with other EU initiatives. Following the results and recommendations of the evaluation study, the European Commission relaunched the initiative, which is renewed, taking into account European Green Deal goals. In addition to the EU countries, it also covers non-EU countries participating in the COSME programme. The competition addresses smaller tourism destinations which can showcase their outstanding achievements in sustainability and inspire other tourism destinations in their green transition. The EDEN Award was implemented first as a pilot project and as a preparatory action initiated by the European Parliament and since 2011 has continued under the CIP/COSME programmes. The competition for the European Destination of Excellence 2022 opened on 22 April 2021 . Details on how to apply and terms and conditions can be found at https://ec.europa.eu/eden. The deadline for applications was 16 June 2021 at 17:00 CET .

SOURCE European Destination of Excellence
Wages have not kept up with home price growth, keeping new construction out of reach for many, Knock analysis finds. Tweet this

To qualify for a mortgage on a $390,900 home, the median price of a new home sold in the U.S. in August, a buyer making a 6% down payment, the national average, would need an annual household income of just under $80,000. This means nearly 60% of Americans would not be eligible, based on the 2020 national median household income of $67,521.

"This analysis highlights how years of building undersupply and the current supply shortages are disproportionately impacting lower income homebuyers looking for alternatives in a housing market where homes are garnering multiple offers and selling for over asking price," said Knock Co-Founder and CEO Sean Black. "Although more new homes are expected to come onto the market in 2022, wages have not kept up with home price growth, keeping new construction out of reach for many, especially first-time buyers who don't have the benefit of equity from a home sale."

Of the 50 largest metros in which new homes accounted for at least 8% of total home sales, Miami, Sacramento, Calif., and Las Vegas rank as the least affordable new construction markets. Based on household income, 80% of buyers in Miami and Sacramento would not qualify for a mortgage on a median-priced new home and 65% of buyers in Las Vegas are unable to afford a new home. It would take these buyers anywhere from 18 to 30 years to save for a 6% down payment.

Top Five Most Unaffordable New Construction Metros Metro Median Existing Home Price Median New Construction Home Price New Construction Premium Average Down Payment Income Required Median Household Income % of House- holds Priced Out % New Construction Transactions Average Savings Period for FTHB Miami-Fort Lauderdale-

West Palm Beach, Fla. $410,000 $720,000 $310,000 $43,200 $141,430 $60,141 80% 8% 30 Sacramento-- Roseville--

Arden-

Arcade, Calif. $550,000 $650,000 $100,000 $39,000 $128,447 $76,706 80% 12% 21 Las Vegas- Henderson- Paradise, Nev. $375,500 $441,490 $65,990 $26,489 $89,305 $62,107 65% 14% 18 Phoenix-Mesa- Scottsdale, Ariz. $410,000 $427,375 $17,375 $25,643 $86,655 $64,427 63% 13% 17 Denver-Aurora- Lakewood, Colo. $535,000 $544,013 $9,013 $32,641 $108,432 $85,641 62% 9% 16

With some of the highest percentage of new home sales among the major metros, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Raleigh, N.C., Minneapolis and Atlanta rank as the most accessible markets for new construction. In each of these markets, approximately 50% of households would not qualify for a mortgage on a median-priced new home based on their income. On average, it would take 15 years to save for a 6% down payment on a median-priced new home.

Top Five Most Affordable New Construction Metros Metro Median Existing Home Price Median New Construction Home Price New Construction Premium Average Down Payment Income Required Median House-hold Income % of House- holds Priced Out % New Construction Transactions Average Savings Period for FTHB San Antonio-New Braunfels, Texas $297,000 $306,200 $9,200 $18,372 $64,707 $62,355 49% 17% 12 Oklahoma City, Okla. $212,000 $292,800 $80,800 $17,568 $62,701 $60,605 50% 12% 12 Raleigh, N.C. $375,000 $379,970 $4,970 $22,798 $77,757 $75,165 50% 20% 13 Minneapolis- St. Paul- Bloomington, Minn.-Wis. $341,000 $432,657 $91,657 $25,959 $87,647 $83,698 51% 8% 13 Atlanta-

Sandy Springs- Roswell, Ga. $335,000 $353,283 $18,283 $21,197 $72,747 $71,142 52% 12% 12

In the markets with the most new homes for sale, the premium for new construction to existing homes on average is $68,454. However, this gap increases significantly in several markets, including Miami, where the median price for a new home is $720,000, approximately $310,000 more than a median-priced existing home.

Top Five Metros with the Largest New Construction Premiums Metro Median Existing Home Price Median New Construction Home Price New Construction Premium Average Down Payment Income Required Median Household Income % of House- holds Priced Out % New Construction Transactions Average Savings Period for FTHB Miami-Fort Lauderdale- West Palm Beach, Fla. $410,000 $720,000 $310,000 $43,200 $141,430 $60,141 80% 8% 30 Baltimore- Columbia- Towson, Md. $340,000 $526,726 $186,726 $31,604 $105,299 $83,160 58% 9% 16 Austin-

Round Rock, Texas $373,258 $499,450 $126,192 $22,395 $76,497 $59,433 60% 19% 16 Indianapolis- Carmel- Anderson, Ind. $250,000 $359,185 $109,185 $21,551 $73,777 $62,505 58% 8% 14 Washington- Arlington- Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-

Md.-W. Va. $500,000 $600,000 $100,000 $36,000 $119,061 $105,659 57% 9% 14

Top New Construction Metros Versus Their Relative Affordability Metro Median Existing Home Price Median New Construction Home Price New Construction Premium Average Down Payment Income Required Median Household Income % of House- holds Priced Out % New Construction Transactions Average Savings Period for FTHB San Antonio-New Braunfels, Texas $297,000 $306,200 $9,200 $18,372 $64,707 $62,355 49% 17% 12 Oklahoma City, Okla. $212,000 $292,800 $80,800 $17,568 $62,701 $60,605 50% 12% 12 Raleigh, N.C. $375,000 $379,970 $4,970 $22,798 $77,757 $75,165 50% 20% 13 Minneapolis- St. Paul- Bloomington, Minn.-Wis. $341,000 $432,657 $91,657 $25,959 $87,647 $83,698 51% 8% 13 Atlanta-

Sandy Springs- Roswell, Ga. $335,000 $353,283 $18,283 $21,197 $72,747 $71,142 52% 12% 12 Dallas-Fort Worth-

Arlington, Texas $380,000 $389,847 $9,847 $23,391 $79,631 $72,265 52% 18% 13 Houston-The Woodlands- Sugar Land, Texas $301,000 $326,207 $25,207 $19,572 $67,664 $69,193 54% 15% 12 Nashville- Davidson-- Murfreesboro-Franklin, Tenn. $389,700 $391,000 $1,300 $23,460 $79,827 $70,262 54% 16% 14 Charlotte- Concord-

Gastonia, N.C.-S.C. $335,000 $362,900 $27,900 $21,774 $74,552 $66,399 56% 13% 14 Washington- Arlington- Alexandria, DC-Va.-Md.-W. Va. $500,000 $600,000 $100,000 $36,000 $119,061 $105,659 57% 9% 14 Jacksonville, Fla. $305,000 $340,000 $35,000 $20,400 $70,254 $65,880 57% 15% 13 Indianapolis- Carmel- Anderson, Ind. $250,000 $359,185 $109,185 $21,551 $73,777 $62,505 58% 8% 14 Baltimore- Columbia- Towson, Md. $340,000 $526,726 $186,726 $31,604 $105,299 $83,160 58% 9% 16 Richmond, Va. $315,000 $388,344 $73,344 $23,301 $79,244 $68,324 58% 10% 14 Orlando- Kissimmee- Sanford, Fla. $329,900 $375,000 $45,100 $22,500 $76,824 $61,876 60% 14% 15 Austin-Round Rock, Texas $373,258 $499,450 $126,192 $22,395 $76,497 $59,433 60% 19% 16 Tampa-St. Petersburg- Clearwater, Fla. $305,000 $363,900 $58,900 $21,834 $74,740 $57,906 61% 11% 16 Denver-

Aurora- Lakewood, Colo. $535,000 $544,013 $9,013 $32,641 $108,432 $85,641 62% 9% 16 Phoenix- Mesa Scottsdale, Ariz. $410,000 $427,375 $17,375 $25,643 $86,655 $64,427 63% 13% 17 Las Vegas- Henderson- Paradise, Nev. $375,500 $441,490 $65,990 $26,489 $89,305 $62,107 65% 14% 18 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-

West Palm Beach, Fla. $410,000 $720,000 $310,000 $43,200 $141,430 $60,141 80% 8% 30 Sacramento-- Roseville-- Arden-

Arcade, Calif. $550,000 $650,000 $100,000 $39,000 $128,447 $76,706 80% 12% 21

"If new construction homes do not align with the buying power of the average consumer, benefits of these added units are felt disproportionately throughout the country and are attenuating a much smaller portion of the building gap issue than previously thought," said Alexandria Quintana, Knock Research Analyst and the report's author.

To view the full report, including charts and methodology, please visit: Most Americans Cannot Afford a New Construction Home

About Knock

Knock makes home buying simple and certain by transforming all buyers into cash buyers and giving them complete control of the process from their phone. Knock's flagship Home Swap product empowers consumers with a cash-like offer to buy the home they want before selling the home they have, providing the convenience of not having to live through repairs or showings in the process. Knock GO (Guaranteed Offer) is a cash-backed home loan solution for first-time homebuyers looking to compete in today's hot housing market.

Launched in 2015 by founding team members of Trulia.com, Knock has raised more than $600 million in debt and equity from top-tier investors, including RRE Ventures, Foundry Group, Redpoint, Greycroft, Corazon Capital, Correlation Ventures, Great Oaks Venture Capital and FJ Labs. The National Association of Realtors, through its investment arm Second Century Ventures, is a strategic investor in Knock, giving its 1.5 million members the ability to market Knock's homeownership solutions to their clients. Knock currently operates in 65 markets nationwide and plans to be in over 100 markets by 2023.

Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Knock

Related Links

www.knock.com


MIAMI, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Piano virtuoso and social media millionaire Lola Astanova is doing something unusual to commemorate her new album. The music star has announced the launch of her first digital artwork NFT with a unique feature  The Forever Ticket. Named after the album "Love in the Time of Covid", the original art piece created by artist Cem Altibas will also grant its collector lifetime access to any public performances by Lola Astanova anywhere in the world. Listed for an auction on OpenSea digital marketplace, "Love in the Time of Covid" marks Astanova's first crypto-art release.

Lola Astanova - piano virtuoso & social media millionaire

"For me, this art piece and the album capture the essence of this moment in time," says Astanova, "It is the first time in my life when I felt, on a visceral level, the power of art to touch and connect lives, so I wanted to do something lasting and memorable to express this emotion."

The new album was produced by 11-time GRAMMY & Latin GRAMMY winner Julio Reyes Copello, whose previous credits included albums by Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, Thalia, and Marc Anthony. "Love in the Time of Covid" features classical compositions, as well as three new pieces by Lola Astanova, Julio Reyes Copello and a Latin GRAMMY-nominated composer Jorge Mejia. The album also boasts the recording and mixing techniques that are historically used in jazz and intended to create a more intimate listening experience.

The album was released on all major music platforms worldwide on September 29, 2021. The NFT auction will continue on OpenSea platform until December 1, 2021.

Web Links:

Lola Astanova NFT auction on OpenSea: https://opensea.io/assets/0x495f947276749ce646f68ac8c248420045cb7b5e/91343493626005729756915714759117648641100503627724948490803732736971684970497

Lola Astanova official web site:

https://lolaastanova.com

Love in the Time of Covid album:

https://onerpm.link/loveinthetimeofcovid

Album documentary:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IQ0gSfidxM

Contact Information:

Miami Art House

Juan Sebastian Naranjo

+1.917.853.5532

[email protected]

Astanovella LLC

Misha Levintas

[email protected]

SOURCE Miami Art House

Related Links

https://lolaastanova.com/


The group aims to educate, empower, and end stigma. The mission is to create heartfelt communications to help people navigate the world of mental health ideas, concepts, treatments, and realities, while the vision is to promote compassion and understanding through education about mental health facts and lived experiences.

"Uniting to eliminate stigma builds bridges of community, care, and compassion and we are thrilled to be part of such an important initiative," said Cathryn Nacario, CEO of NAMI San Diego.

The newly created website https://www.themindcollective.org features the highlights of this partnership, including videos, resources, and links to Wellness Wednesdaysan interactive monthly online presentation that generally features a NAMI peer or family member and a CSPP professor speaking on a topic related to mental health and wellness, followed by a Q and A session with audience participation and sharing. The one-hour sessions are free and start at 1 pm on the third Wednesday of every month. Participants can register for the events in the 'Upcoming Events' section on the website.

Along with Wellness Wednesdays, the Mind Collective website will feature videos and podcasts, interviews with peers and professors, and related blogs. The goal is to offer a robust site for the latest in mental wellness news, trends, and information as well as a place for interaction and support.

"This is a cause which is societally vital and also mission-driven and aligns to our university values," said Andy Vaughn, President and CEO of the Alliant International University System. "We are grateful to be a part of building this community and fostering this dialogue."

Mental illness affects everyone in one way or another. One in five people in the United States experience mental health conditions and the numbers are rising in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Mind Collective takes a deep dive into the numbers, the stories, the education and, ultimately, the hope.



The goal may be lofty, but if this collaboration can help people see that there is a way to live well with mental illness, experiencing recovery through education, support, facts, resources, and sharing, then it could help create a compassionate shift in the culture towards mental health healing, wellness, and understanding.

About NAMI San Diego

The National Alliance on Mental Illness in San Diego is the city's voice on mental illness. It is an affiliate of the grassroots, non-profit, national NAMI organization founded in 1979 by family members of people with mental illness. The mission is to provide support, education and advocacy services for everyone affected by mental illness (including family members and friends). At the heart of NAMI San Diego's vision is the sharing of information and striving to end the stigma associated with mental illness. Their services include education classes, support groups, outreach, housing opportunities, a clubhouse and much more. To learn more, visit www.namisandiego.org.

About Alliant International University

Alliant is a private university accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) which offers programs in psychology, education, business management, forensic studies, and law.

Alliant's mission is to prepare students for professional careers of service and leadership, and to promote the discovery and application of knowledge to improve the lives of people in diverse cultures and communities around the world.

Alliant's vision: An Inclusive World Empowered by Alliant Alumni.

More information is available at www.alliant.edu.

Contact:

Cielo Villasenor

AVP of Communications

Alliant International University

[email protected]

SOURCE Alliant International University

Related Links

www.alliant.edu


"National has always practiced a policy of 'business with social commitment.' We have been at the forefront of numerous global crisis as first responders, which includes successful missions delivering COVID-19 medical relief supplies across the globe. This partnership with 'Food For The Poor' is a small token of our shared responsibility to provide needed medical relief supplies around the World. We will continue collaborating with organizations throughout our future."  said Mr. Christopher Alf, Chairman, National Air Cargo Group, Inc.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, National Air Cargo group has been instrumental in swiftly airlifting medical supplies including protective masks, gowns, oxygen cylinders etc. into regions including the United States of America, China, Africa, India, Pakistan and Nepal. National teams also coordinated the safe and secure transport of COVID-19 vaccines to different inaccessible terrains. This is not the first time National has coordinated missions in Jamaica and Haiti, National had previously partnered with the Republic of Haiti to operate B747-400F cargo flights from Shanghai to Port-au-Prince in Haiti as part of COVID-19 relief missions. Critical supplies including respirators, surgical masks, N95 masks, full beds etc. were airlifted during this mission.

About National

National Airlines is a U.S. FAA-certificated Part 121 air carrier, with a fleet of six B747-400Fs, A330-200, and B757-200 which provides global cargo and passenger charter services. National Air Cargo offers international freight forwarding, sea-to-air multi-modal transportation and logistics solutions worldwide. Established in 1991, the global reach of National is maintained via global operations centers and strategically located offices in the U.S, Middle East (Dubai), Germany, Spain, Netherlands, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Tokyo. For more information, log on to www.GoNational.com.

SOURCE National Air Cargo

Related Links

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KISTA, Sweden, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- One year after Ericsson entered a global partnership with UNICEF to support the Giga Initiative's school connectivity mapping efforts, the initiative has reached a major milestone in mapping the location and connectivity status of one million schools.

Giga - founded by UNICEF and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in 2019 - aims to connect every school to the internet by 2030 and every young person to information, opportunity, and choice.

Mapping schools is a key pillar of Giga as it helps provide an understanding of the scale of investment, actions and partnerships needed to bridge the digital divide and provide all school children around the world with access to digital learning opportunities.

Ericsson's support for the initiative is in line with the company's vision to create a world in which limitless connectivity improves lives - including school and learning opportunities - redefines business and pioneers a sustainable future.

Over the past year, Ericsson has provided funding and applied data science to help map internet coverage in schools across seven countries. Along with contributions from multiple partners, this has helped Giga accelerate the mapping work and pass the one-million-school milestone. Under the partnership, Ericsson has committed to help map connectivity in schools across 35 countries by the end of 2023, supporting Giga's ambition of mapping every school in the world.

School connectivity breeds opportunity and fosters inclusivity

Giga works on the premise that connecting schools to the internet is one of the most impactful ways of improving life chances. Through school connectivity children have access to a wider pool of information, a range of learning styles and receive a higher standard of education.

The improvement in learning and the understanding of technology which results from an internet-enabled education is vital to improving digital literacy and closing the digital divide. A workforce that has been educated to this higher standard is more likely to be innovative and foster ground-breaking ideas, leading to economic development and job creation.

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) report - Connecting Learners: Narrowing the Educational Divide - sponsored by Ericsson in support of UNICEF, found that nations with low broadband connectivity have the potential to realize up to 20 percent GDP growth by connecting schools to the internet, if access is affordable and accompanied by investment in skills, content and devices.

While progress has been achieved in the first year of the partnership, to meet this global challenge, collective action is needed. Ericsson is calling on internet service providers and political stakeholders to join Giga and donate their time and resources to accelerate the bridging of the digital divide.

Heather Johnson, Vice President, Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility, Ericsson, says: "According to the ITU, 369 million young people don't have access to the internet and 260 million children aged 5-16 receive no schooling. This results in exclusion and fewer resources to learn and limits future potential for many young people. Mapping schools is a crucial first step in connecting every school to the internet and every student to opportunity and choice."

Johnson adds: "This milestone of over one million schools mapped is a testament to the power of public private partnerships. It's the first step to achieving universal school connectivity. But there is more to be done and the industry must come together to play its part in closing the digital divide."

Building on a decade of digital inclusion

For more than a decade, Ericsson has worked to promote digital inclusion and increase opportunities for education worldwide. Ericsson's partnership with UNICEF, in support of Giga, reflects the ambitions of Ericsson Connect To Learn, which aims to empower teachers, students and schools with technology to deliver a quality education that's accessible to all.

This partnership with UNICEF has seen Ericsson commit resources for data engineering and data science capacity to accelerate school connectivity mapping. Ericsson lends technical expertise and assistance to the collection, validation, analysis, visualization and monitoring of school connectivity data. This data enables governments and the private sector to design and deploy digital solutions that enable online learning for children and young people.

Chris Fabian, Co-Lead Giga, UNICEF, says: "Ericsson's expertise has helped Giga's data science team build better models for school connectivity. Technical partnerships, like this one, are vital to Giga as we create an open-source resource of school locations and connectivity that, as of today, includes more than one million schools."

Related news:

Ericsson and UNICEF launch global partnership to map school internet connectivity

New report: Connecting schools has the potential to boost GDP by up to 20 percent in the least connected nations

NOTES TO EDITORS:

See current school mapping efforts at www.projectconnect.world Or, for more information on this important initiative and how to get involved, please visit https://gigaconnect.org

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Ericsson enables communications service providers to capture the full value of connectivity. The company's portfolio spans the business areas Networks, Digital Services, Managed Services and Emerging Business. It is designed to help our customers go digital, increase efficiency and find new revenue streams. Ericsson's innovation investments have delivered the benefits of mobility and mobile broadband to billions of people globally. Ericsson stock is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm and on Nasdaq New York. www.ericsson.com

ABOUT THE GIGA INITIATIVE:



Launched in 2019, Giga is a global initiative to connect every school to the Internet and every young person to information, opportunity and choice. It is a broad partnership led by UNICEF and International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and harnesses engagement and leadership from governments, business, civil society, technology providers, donors, and finance experts. Giga maps school connectivity in real-time, creates models for innovative financing, and supports governments contracting for school connectivity. As a global UNICEF partner, Ericsson supports Giga's work to map connectivity levels in schools. https://gigaconnect.org

Follow Giga on Twitter and LinkedIn

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/ericsson/r/one-million-schools-mapped--unicef-and-itu-s-giga-initiative--with-support-from-ericsson--reaches-mi,c3442018

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/15448/3442018/1487777.pdf PDF One million schools mapped: UNICEF and ITUas Giga initiative, with support from Ericsson, reaches milestone towards connecting every school to the internet https://news.cision.com/ericsson/i/-unicef-uni232328-noorani,c2973318  UNICEF/UNI232328/Noorani

SOURCE Ericsson
The discussion facilitated by Ruslan Pankratov, leader the Latvian "Ricibas" political party, was joined by representatives of 5 countries: ex-member of Bundestag Waldemar Herdt (Germany), Luis Marinelli, who ran for California's governor office in 2020 (USA), ex-vice mayor of Vilnus Algirdas Palezkis (Lithuania), political scientist and the president of "Peter the Great" foundation Valery Dvoinikov (Belgium), director of the Center for Geopolitical Studies Dragana Trifkovich (Serbia).

Valery Dvoinikov started off elaborating on the context in which russophobia was being actively promoted in the EU, and that laid the foundations for the following chaos around Ukraine. The main problem, according to Dvoinikov, lies in the troubled relations between Russia and the USA, and the destructive policies targeting Eastern Europe. His suggestion was for France to use its diplomatic potential for conflict resolution instead of causing more escalations.

Algiras Palezkis, who had to stand trial in Lithuania for "denying Soviet occupation", continued by adding that 30 years ago the Baltic states presented themselves as mediators, diplomats able to bridge the gap between Western and Eastern Europe due to their history, culture and geographical location. And now they ended up not just stepping away from that role, but moreover, becoming the frontline, and having their governments behave in a very provocative way. The same mistake is repeated by Ukraine: instead of reinforcing its strengths it has lost common sense following external orders rather than the interests of its people.

Waldemar Herdt had a clear answer to the key event question, stating that Ukraine cannot be a partner for the EU anytime soon as it will require a lot of investment to restore from the chaos it is in at the moment. That investment is a commitment given by the EU to be able to impose its own standards and vision. Ukraine at the moment is governed by a team that ignores the interests of its own people, putting them in danger, ruining the country's economy. The war in the southeast will continue until they are the ones benefiting from it, and those mainly are the Ukrainian government that can use it to justify its own weakness and incompetence, and its American puppeteers interested in destabilization next door to Russia. Following this madness the EU has already lost more than 170bln because of sanctions. European Union was founded as a union of sovereign states, nowadays it dictates more regulations than Moscow used to do at any point of Soviet history. "Brussels want to regulate everything in the EU: from the width of cucumbers farmed to the length of vacuum cleaners produced" - Waldemar says.

Luis Marinelli expressed his opinion saying that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is fueled externally, but the extremes it has got to are a complete nonsense.

Dragana Trifkovich compared the current events in Ukraine to Yugoslavia of the 1990s, noting that a very similar "divide and conquer" scenario is being used. She said that she witnessed the events in the Southeast of Ukraine in 2014-2015 and the powerful propaganda in EU trying to present the situation is an extremely distorted way.

Experts still remain optimistic saying that it could still be possible to build the Big Europe as a common economic space from Lisbon to Vladivostok if European countries acted as sovereign entities securing the best interests of their peoples.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1672882/Open_Europe.jpg

SOURCE Open Europe

Related Links

https://openeurope.space/


SEOUL, South Korea, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In 1941, "whitlockite," the second most abundant inorganic mineral of the bone was named in honor of Herbert Whitlockite, Curator of Minerals and Gems in the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Whitlockite is a unique form of magnesium tricalcium phosphate that has shown superior bioactive regenerative and reconstructive properties and excellent biocompatibility, making it an ideal biomaterial for implant use on sites of fracture or bone defects. In 2018, a Korean bio-venture company was founded based on the manufacturing and mass production technology of 'high-purity Whitrokite' that mimetics the structure of inorganic substances present in human bones. Osfirm was established within the Healthcare Innovation Center of Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, one of the most prestigious medical institutions in Korea.

The CEO, Professor Chan Yeong Heo is also the Head of the Regenerative Medical Center at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital.

Product Line Diversity Ranging from 3D Printing Customizable Implant to Absorbable Composite Bone Bonding Plates and Screws

With regard to the legal issues on patents, the substance itself may not be patentable but its manufacturing process is eligible for patents. Osfirm holds 7 patents to this day on the various methods for manufacturing whitlockite and has completed registry of the substance with the American Chemical Society.

One patented technology involves the development of synthetic bone graft based on whitlockite. For example, in dentistry, it is a material used to firmly fix the implant by implanting it in the implant site.

whitlockite based synthetic bone is an innovative alternative to allograft bone from a human cadaver which is both costly and considered barbaric by many patients and xenograft bone from animal recipients which presents risks of allograft rejection and infection.

And the existent synthetic bone graft materials using hydroxyapatite and tricalcium beta phosphate are relatively inexpensive but present limitations in bone regenerative and reconstructive abilities. For this reason, the medical community began to seek different substances leading to the discovery of whitlockite.

Osfirm is preparing to submit applications to the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety by 2022 for approval of IND on whitlockite-based bone implants, and if approved, is expecting to begin the clinical trials by year 2023. Findings on the efficacy of whitlockite as a synthetic bone graft material is currently awaiting publication as an original article in an internationally recognized medical journal.

Additionally, 3D printing technology have been incorporated to create "patient-specific bone implants" based on whitlockite synthetic material. In such cases, CT scans are used to model the bone structures. With sufficiently accrued database for bone imaging, manufacturing time is expected to be curtailed. It may be possible to generate standard ready-made products at reduced cost and manufacturing time. The therapeutic effect of these implants is significantly influenced by accurate alignment and position of implants, operation time and recovery period of the patients. With the use of novel technologies, Osfirm expects to address drawbacks to currently available products in the market.

The medical devices being developed by Osfirm are expanding the product line by combining whitlockite with various materials such as polymers, titanium, and hyaluronic acid as a basic material.

One of their products is the plate and screw for attaching and fixing fractured bones. It is a product made by mixing whitrokite with a biodegradable polymer. "A biodegradable material implies that after the human tissue such as the bone is regenerated and fully reconstructed, the substance will naturally degrade and absorb into the human tissue over a period of 6 months to 2 years," said Chan Yeong Heo, CEO of Osfirm. He continued, "These plates and screws will stabilize and support the fractured bones until the break heals and will dissolve on its own within 2 years."

In the past, plates and screws based on titanium were used for treatment fracture. However, secondary operation was necessary to have them removed. Osfirm's biodegradable plates and screws offer complete biodegradability in addition to enhanced bone regenerative effects with the addition of whitlockite.

Outstanding R&D Capacity Leads to Development of Whitlockite-Based Beauty and Oral Care Products

The company pipeline includes whitlockite-based cosmetic surgery and oral care products. S. Korea, home to the ever-growing K-beauty trend, is becoming world's center for cosmetic surgery market especially facial plastic surgery such as the double jaw surgery.

Osfirm is currently developing two products, a synthetic thread for improving facial wrinkles, and a dermal filler for augmenting the volume of the face, that takes advantage of the properties which the nanosized particles of whitlockite offer with the goal of being marketed in 2025.

In addition, oral care market such as whitening products and implants are rapidly growing with the expanding aging population and higher demand for improved living standards. CEO Chan Yeong Heo claimed, "Osfirm is concentrating a significant part of its corporate activities on R&D." "We are securing new technologies by investing in R&D, and with its successful implementation, continuing to receive government funds for projects." He added, "The important aspect of a company is its competitiveness in the global market including the US market."

Osfirm is preparing to enter the US market at the same time as its entry into domestic clinical trials in 2023. The goal is to obtain 6 clinical trial approvals and 3 product approvals by 2026. Although the current primary pipelines are concentrated on medical equipment development, bone disease-related cell therapy is being prepared alongside. The company's strategic business development is undergoing amends, but the R&D capabilities to align with our business plans are expected to be secured by 2022.

The clinical network offered by CEO Chan Yeong Heo is a valuable asset that underpins the company's grand vision and action plan. "With extensive clinical experience, it is easier to understand the needs of the medical community such as the products required by doctors and are essential to patients," he said. "For twenty years have been devoted to establishing a healthcare business platform with hospital, pharmaceutical companies and biotech startups as the main players in the market. This platform will make possible the increased success rate of commercialization through the facilitated interaction between medical, research and industrial sites."

Chan Yeong Heo M.D.,PhD. (CEO)

Tel) +82)-10-3079-7222

Email) [email protected] / [email protected]

Homepage) www.osfirm.co.kr

SOURCE Osfirm
Ford is investing more than $30 billion in fully electric vehicles globally through 2025 and by 2030 expects 40 to 50 percent of its global vehicle volume to be fully electric. The company's current retail EV lineup includes the Mustang Mach-E and GT derivatives, to which Qmerit is a retail installation provider. The automaker is putting strong emphasis on EV charging infrastructure through North America's largest public charging network, the Blue Oval Charge Network, and is providing customers with seamless solutions for at-home charging as well:

Ford Mobile Charger  Comes standard with two connectors with charging speeds that fit different lifestyles. The first can plug into any 120V outlet in a standard home or garage. It has an average range of three miles per charging hour. The second connects to 240V/30A NEMA 14-50 outlets and provides an average of 20 miles per charging hour. However, outlets like this typically require installation from a licensed electrician. Ford Connected Charge Station Offered as an additional purchase to the Mustang Mach-E. These 240V/48A hard-wired stations provide an estimated average of 28 miles per charging hour. The stations also come with intelligent features such as charge time scheduling, energy tracking, and connectivity to customer devices via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

Teaming Up with Ford to Support Current Mustang Mach-E Customers

Qmerit operates the largest network of certified EV charger station installers in North America. They connect individual and fleet customers with licensed electrical contractors best suited for their unique configurations, personal needs and geography. Qmerit has already performed over 10,000 EV charger installations in homes and multi-family residences, making them a reliable Ford Preferred Partner for the EV [email protected] solution.

"Ford is striving to make the transition to an all-electric lifestyle easy for our customers," Matt Stover, Director of Charging, Energy Services and Business Development, Ford Motor Company. "With up to 80 percent of charging currently being done at home, a seamless installation process for all Mustang Mach-E at-home charging needs is critical."

Ford's Mustang Mach-E customers can choose to add a Ford Connected Charge Station to their orders and finance them with the vehicle. They can also order directly through their dealer of choice before or after the purchase. Afterward, they can visit Qmerit to find certified installers in their area. The installation service extends to Mustang Mach-E customers who need an upgrade to a 240V outlet for their Ford Mobile Chargers.

"Qmerit is honored to support this historic and groundbreaking American institution in the electrification of some of the most iconic cars and trucks ever. Coupling at-home charging with Henry Ford's foundational mass market vehicle production vision and innovation makes it all the more meaningful in driving mainstream adoption of EVs" Tracy K. Price, CEO & Founder, Qmerit.

Qmerit teaming up with Ford is a big step toward making at home EV charging an industry standard, bringing electrification directly into the homes of light-duty vehicle owners and pushing zero-carbon initiatives forward.

About Qmerit

Qmerit, headquartered in Irvine, California, simplifies the adoption of electrification products for residential and small business markets. A leader in green energy transformation, the company provides value-driven services throughout the renewable energy equipment implementation lifecycle. This is delivered through Qmerit's network of company-owned contractors, independent Certified Solutions Partners and Certified Installers, who are skilled in system implementation and integration as well as ongoing support and maintenance. Combining this nationwide network of certified electrical contractors with the company's purpose-built digital managed services platform and white-glove concierge services, Qmerit delivers customers an unmatched quality experience related to electric vehicle charging stations, battery storage systems, solar system integration and microgrid solutions. For more information on Qmerit, please visit: Qmerit.com.

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan, that is committed to helping build a better world, where every person is free to move and pursue their dreams. The company's Ford+ plan for growth and value creation combines existing strengths, new capabilities and always-on relationships with customers to enrich experiences for and deepen the loyalty of those customers. Ford designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of connected, increasingly electrified passenger and commercial vehicles: Ford trucks, utility vehicles, vans and cars, and Lincoln luxury vehicles. The company is pursuing leadership positions in electrification, connected vehicle services and mobility solutions, including self-driving technology, and provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. Ford employs about 182,000 people worldwide. More information about the company, its products and Ford Motor Credit Company is available at corporate.ford.com.

Contact: Samantha Graham, [email protected]

SOURCE Qmerit

Related Links

http://qmerit.com/


SAN DIEGO, Oct. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The law firm of Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP announces that purchasers of Reconnaissance Energy Africa Ltd. f/k/a Lund Enterprises Corp. ("ReconAfrica") (OTCMKTS: RECAF; LGDOF) publicly traded securities between February 28, 2019 and September 7, 2021, inclusive (the "Class Period") have until December 27, 2021 to seek appointment as lead plaintiff in Muller v. Reconnaissance Energy Africa Ltd. f/k/a Lund Enterprises Corp., No. 21-cv-05910 (E.D.N.Y.), the ReconAfrica class action lawsuit. Commenced on October 25, 2021, the ReconAfrica class action lawsuit charges ReconAfrica as well as certain of its top officials with violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff of the ReconAfrica class action lawsuit, please provide your information by clicking here. You can also contact attorney J.C. Sanchez of Robbins Geller by calling 800/449-4900 or via e-mail at [email protected]. Lead plaintiff motions for the ReconAfrica class action lawsuit must be filed with the court no later than December 27, 2021.

CASE ALLEGATIONS: ReconAfrica purports to engage in the identification, exploration, and development of oil and/or gas assets in Namibia and Botswana, including in the Kalahari Desert and other fragile areas.

The ReconAfrica class action lawsuit alleges that, throughout the Class Period, defendants made false and misleading statements and failed to disclose: (i) ReconAfrica's plan for using unconventional means for energy extraction (including fracking) in the fragile Kavango area; (ii) that ReconAfrica would begin unlicensed drilling tests; (iii) that ReconAfrica would illegally use water for well testing; (iv) that ReconAfrica would illegally store used water in unlined pools; (v) that ReconAfrica would skirt Namibian law and hire an inadequate and inappropriate consultant; (vi) that, as a result, ReconAfrica risked future well, drilling, and water-related licenses in Namibia and Botswana; (vii) that, contrary to its representations, ReconAfrica did not reach out nor provide adequate information (including in relevant local languages) through accessible means to those to be impacted by its testing and potential energy extraction; (viii) that ReconAfrica's interests are in the Owambo Basin, not the so-called Kavango Basin; (ix) that ReconAfrica has continuously engaged in stock pumping; and (x) as a result of the foregoing, defendants' public statements were materially false and/or misleading at all relevant times.

THE LEAD PLAINTIFF PROCESS: The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 permits any investor who purchased ReconAfrica securities during the Class Period to seek appointment as lead plaintiff in the ReconAfrica class action lawsuit. A lead plaintiff is generally the movant with the greatest financial interest in the relief sought by the putative class who is also typical and adequate of the putative class. A lead plaintiff acts on behalf of all other class members in directing the ReconAfrica class action lawsuit. The lead plaintiff can select a law firm of its choice to litigate the ReconAfrica class action lawsuit. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery of the ReconAfrica class action lawsuit is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.

ABOUT ROBBINS GELLER RUDMAN & DOWD LLP: With 200 lawyers in 9 offices nationwide, Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP is the largest U.S. law firm representing investors in securities class actions. Robbins Geller attorneys have obtained many of the largest shareholder recoveries in history, including the largest securities class action recovery ever  $7.2 billion  in In re Enron Corp. Sec. Litig. The 2020 ISS Securities Class Action Services Top 50 Report ranked Robbins Geller first for recovering $1.6 billion for investors last year, more than double the amount recovered by any other securities plaintiffs' firm. Please visit http://www.rgrdlaw.com for more information.

Attorney advertising.

Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.

Services may be performed by attorneys in any of our offices.

Contact:

Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP

655 W. Broadway, San Diego, CA 92101

J.C. Sanchez, 800-449-4900

[email protected]

SOURCE Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP

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"As a family-owned company, we care about the communities we serve and are proud to support these organizations that are making a difference in the City of Detroit," Store Manager Marcus Reliford said. "The community has embraced Rivertown Market since our doors opened, and we're excited to build on that momentum and work with the community to make an even bigger impact."

The following nonprofits each received $5,000 donations to support their missions:

GIVE Merit will utilize the funds for its upcoming Alumni Summit.

Greening of Detroit plans to further support its operations, tree planting and workforce initiatives throughout Detroit with the donation.

plans to further support its operations, tree planting and workforce initiatives throughout with the donation. Detroit PAL will earmark the funds to support its spring radiothon.

COTS Detroit plans to use the funds for its operations.

plans to use the funds for its operations. Bees In The D will utilize the funds to help restore and harvest honey at a blighted lot in Core City within North Corktown.

Better Detroit Youth plans to use the funds to train young people to bake and sell brownies while building basic entrepreneurial skills, and create youth empowered apparel.

Stem Genius will use the donation to continue helping youth in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math.

Pure Heart Foundation will use the funds to provide its scholars with financial support while visiting their parent incarcerated for the holidays, as well as activate its outreach facility that provides 150 scholars access to afterschool activities and programs.

"We are so thankful for the financial contribution," said Yul Allen, Founder of STEM Genius. "Using creative and exciting hands-on, project-based learning educational programs are a key element to our success, but without corporate partners like Meijer Rivertown this success would be impossible. We understand the seriousness and urgency of continuing to establish strategic partners  to accomplish such an ambitious undertaking for STEM Education in Detroit. We humbly and graciously thank you for your continued support."

Rivertown Market is a new 42,000-square-foot market opened by Meijer that features a vast assortment of fresh and prepared foods, including bakery items, fresh meat offerings; Meijer and national brand products; and an estimated 2,000 local, artisan items. It's the retailer's fourth small format store in Michigan.

About Rivertown Market

Rivertown Market is a new neighborhood grocery store operated by Meijer that focuses on bringing fresh food and value to customers in a market-like setting. As a standalone market in the East Jefferson Corridor in the City of Detroit, Rivertown Market will provide residents and businesses alike access to fresh food and easily accessible convenience items in a one-of-a-kind store. For more information, please visit, www.RivertownMarket.com.

SOURCE Meijer

Related Links

www.meijer.com


NEW YORK, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Honorable Shelley C. Chapman, of the United States Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan, issued a sweeping court order this past week, granting recognition of the Israeli insolvency proceeding against Michael David Greenfield, a.k.a. Michael Ben-Ari ("Greenfield"). Judge Chapman issued the Order upon the petition of Seiden Law Group LLP on behalf of Adv. Lior Dagan, the Trustee appointed by the Israeli court.

Greenfield, who has recently been dubbed "the Israeli Madoff," is under criminal investigation by the Israeli Securities Authority following an alleged 15-year long Ponzi scheme that ensnared hundreds of American and Israeli victims and caused losses that may exceed $150 million. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court's latest order effectively makes permanent the powers the Court granted to Adv. Dagan on an emergency basis in August 2021, to investigate and recover assets in the United States that are fruits of the alleged criminal enterprise. It also grants Adv. Dagan further administrative authority by recognizing him as Greenfield's Foreign Representative under U.S. bankruptcy law, with the power to manage Greenfield's estate and affairs in the United States.

Greenfield, who is currently a fugitive after he jumped bail and absconded from Israel using a fake passport, moved to Israel from the US thirty years ago and began to solicit investment money in Israel from investors in a "guaranteed" return investment scheme. Seiden Law Group represents Adv. Dagan, who has been appointed by the Israeli court and leads global efforts to recover the allegedly stolen money. Seiden Law Group is a globally recognized law firm leader in fighting for clients to recover stolen money and aggressively resolve business disputes.

If you or someone you know is a victim of this alleged Ponzi scheme or any other large-scale fraud, please contact Seiden Law Group.

SOURCE Seiden Law Group LLP
DUBLIN, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Solid-State Li-ion Batteries with Inorganic Solid Electrolytes Patent Landscape 2021" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Japanese players have a good IP position in the solid-state Li-ion battery field

Solid-state batteries with inorganic solid electrolytes hold a key position in the booming developments to get safer Li-ion batteries for electrical vehicles (EV) with greater autonomy and maximum speed. Solid-state batteries can be classified into two categories: thin-film solid-state batteries and "bulk" solid-state batteries.

The thin-film technology approach proven for thin-film solid-state batteries is not directly applicable for bulk solid-state batteries. New processes and materials therefore have to be developed to get bulk solid-state batteries up to market requirements (performance, stability, cost).

There are currently three main axes for development to enhance bulk solid-state battery performance: improve solid electrolyte performances; improve the electrode/electrolyte interface; and develop material/cell assembly manufacturing processes compatible with industrial production.

Many companies have recently presented solid-state battery prototypes and announced their commercialization and integration in electric vehicles by 2025. However, many questions remain: which solid electrolyte has the most promising performance? What are the most recent technological developments? Who has the best position across the supply chain? In this context, the publisher is releasing a new patent landscape report covering the whole value chain of solid-state Li-ion batteries with inorganic solid electrolytes from electrolyte materials to electrodes and battery cells.

Patent landscape analysis is the perfect complement to market research, to fully comprehend the competitive landscape and technology roadmap, keep abreast of cutting-edge technology developments, anticipate future technology adoption, and understand the different competitors' strategies. This kind of patent landscape report reveals the companies, technical solutions and strategies not identified through standard market analysis.

The publisher's analysts have selected and analyzed more than 14,400 patent filings grouped into 7,300+ patent families (inventions) related to solid-state Li-ion batteries with inorganic solid electrolytes. In this report, the publisher reveals the main IP trends, key patented technologies, recent development trends, key IP players and newcomers, their strategies regarding inorganic solid electrolyte materials, and their IP strategies and strengths by supply chain segment and inorganic electrolyte material.

Understand the competitive landscape and IP strategy of key players

The publisher has identified more than 1,000 different entities that have filed patent applications related to inorganic-based solid-state Li-ion batteries. The report provides a clear overview of the most active patent assignees as well as a presentation of newcomers to the patent landscape.

Furthermore, patent segmentation reveals the IP position of patent assignees by supply chain segment (electrolyte materials, electrodes, battery cells) through a detailed analysis of their patent portfolios. The publisher also provides insights into the key players' patented technologies, their IP strategy, and their ability to limit other firms' patenting activity and/or freedom-to-operate.

The benchmarking of patent assignees is evaluated by supply chain segment, on the basis of their IP portfolio size, prior-art contribution, geographical coverage of the IP portfolio, and enforceability of their patents. A special focus is placed on the main IP collaborations (co-filings, license agreements, transfer of IP rights) related to solid-state Li-ion batteries with inorganic solid electrolytes.

Identify the leading IP players and IP newcomers across the supply chain, by electrolyte material

All patents selected for this study have been categorized by supply chain segment (electrolyte material, electrode, battery cells), electrolyte type (inorganic/polymer, inorganic) and inorganic electrolyte material (argyrodite, Thio-LISICON, sulfide glass ceramic, oxide glass ceramic, perovskite, anti-perovskite, LISICON, garnet, NASICON, hydride).

For each supply chain segment, this report includes a time-evolution of patent applications, main and key patent assignees, newcomers, and a description of key and recently patented technologies. An understanding of the current technical challenges addressed in the patents is also presented.

Focus on key players' patent portfolios

The report provides a detailed analysis of a selection of key players: Toyota, Samsung, LG Chem, Panasonic/Sanyo, Idemitsu Kosan, Fujifilm, Bosch/SEEO, Murata/Sony, Hyundai/Kia, QuantumScape, QingTao Energy Development, SVOLT, and OHARA. For each player, the publisher summarizes their IP portfolio, highlight their strengths and weaknesses by segment, identify their key patents and provide information about their recent IP developments.

Useful Excel patent database

This report also includes an Excel database with the 7,300+ patent families (inventions) analyzed in this study. This useful patent database allows for multi-criteria searches and includes patent publication numbers, hyperlinks to an updated online database (original documents, legal status, etc.), priority date, title, abstract, patent assignees, patent's current legal status, and segments (electrolyte materials, electrodes, battery cells, inorganic, inorganic/polymer, sulfide glass ceramics, Thio-LISICON, argyrodite, oxide glass ceramics, NASICON, perovskite, garnet, anti-perovskite, hydride, etc.).

Report's Key Features

PDF with > 200 slides

Excel file + Online database > 7,300 patent families

IP trends, including time-evolution of published patents, countries of patent filings, legal status, etc.

Ranking of main patent assignees.

Newcomers in the IP landscape.

Patent categorization by supply chain segments (electrolyte materials, electrodes, battery cells), type of electrolyte (inorganic, inorganic/polymer), and inorganic electrolyte materials (sulfide glass ceramics, Thio-LISICON, argyrodite, oxide glass ceramics, NASICON, perovskite, garnet, anti-perovskite, hydride)

For each segment: IP dynamics, ranking of main patent assignees, IP newcomers, key IP players, key patents, and recent developments.

Focus on patent portfolios of key players: Toyota, Samsung, LG Chem, Panasonic/Sanyo, Idemitsu Kosan, Fujifilm, Bosch/SEEO, Murata/Sony, Hyundai/Kia, Quantumscape, QingTao Energy Development, SVOLT, Ohara.

For each key players: Time-evolution of patenting activity, legal status of patents and countries of patent filings, patent segmentation by electrolyte material, IP strength by segments, key patents and recent IP developments.

Excel database containing all patents analyzed in the report, including technology, material segments, and hyperlinks to an updated online database.

Companies Mentioned

AGC

Albemarle

Alps Electric

Amperex Technology/TDK

Asahi Kasei

BASF

Belenos Clean Power

Blue Solutions/Bollore

Bosch/Seeo

BYD

CEA

CNRS

Daiso

DKS

Dow/Corning

FDK

Fujifilm

Fujitsu

Furukawa

FZ. Juelich

GLESI (Guilin Electrical Equipment Scientific Research Institute)

GS Yuasa

Hitachi Chemical

Hitachi Maxell

Honda

Honeycomb Energy

Huawei

Hydro Quebec

Hyundai/Kia

Idemitsu Kosan

Ionic Materials

Johnson Matthey

JSR

KAIST

LG Chem

Lionano

Lishen

Lithium Werks/Valence Technology

MIT

Mitsubishi Chemical

Mitsubishi Materials

Mitsui Chemicals

Murata/Sony

Nakajima Industry

NGK

NIAIST

NIMS

Nippon Chemical Industrial

Nippon Electric Glass

Nippon Shokubai

Nippon Soda

Nissan

NOF

Nohms Technologies

Ohara

Optimumnano Energy

Panasonic/Sanyo

Polyplus Battery

Qingtao Energy

Quantumscape

Saft/Total

Samsung Electronics

Samsung SDI

Schott

Seiko

Shin Etsu Chemical

Sila Nanotechnologies

Solid Power

Solvay

Sumita Optical Glass

Sumitomo Chemical

Sumitomo Metal Mining

Toho Titanium

Toray Industries

Toshiba

Toyota

Wildcat Discovery Technologies

Yuhuang Chemical

Zeon

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/sw61p6

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



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SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

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AMSTERDAM, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Synaffix B.V., a biotechnology company focused on commercializing its clinical-stage platform technology for the development of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) with best-in-class therapeutic index today announces that the Company was awarded Best Poster at Hanson Wade's 2021 World ADC Conference. Separately, Synaffix was also awarded 'Runner-Up' for the Best ADC Platform Technology.

New data presented in the winning poster, titled: "GlycoConnect ADCs Based on Topoisomerase 1 Inhibitor Exatecan (SYNtecan E) Show Excellent In Vivo Efficacy and Tolerability Data" demonstrated complete tumor regression and high tolerability of SYNtecan E based ADCs, and underscores the ability of Synaffix's technologies to enable best-in-class, next generation ADCs.

This marks the fifth year that Synaffix' groundbreaking ADC platform technology has been acknowledged at the World ADC Awards ceremony as industry-leading, by a judging panel of world-renowned ADC experts. The 2021 finalists were shortlisted through a voting pool of over 2,500 individuals, with a panel of distinguished, independent industry experts from across the ADC field assessing each finalist to decide the winners.

Prof. Floris van Delft, CSO of Synaffix, said: "The SYNtecan E linker-payload represents a transformational innovation that emerged from our own laboratories here in the Netherlands. This appreciation by our industry peers serves as yet another testament to the high-quality science that underlies our broader ADC platform technology offering and we look forward to continuing the close collaboration with our various partners as this linker-drug enters the clinical development phase."

About Synaffix B.V.

Synaffix B.V. is a biotechnology company that enables ADC product candidates using its clinical-stage, site-specific ADC technology platform based on GlycoConnect, HydraSpace and toxSYN that together enable any company with an antibody to develop proprietary best-in-class ADC products under a single license from Synaffix.

The Synaffix platform enables a rapid timeline to clinic due to the established supply chain of technology components. Granted patents covering Synaffix' technology provide end-to-end protection of the manufacturing technology as well as the resulting products through at least 2035. The business model of Synaffix is target-specific technology out-licensing, as exemplified through its existing deals with ADC Therapeutics, Mersana Therapeutics, Shanghai Miracogen, Innovent Biologics, ProfoundBio and Kyowa Kirin.

Synaffix is backed by a top tier, life science-focused investor syndicate that includes Aravis, BioGeneration Ventures, BOM Capital and M Ventures.

For more information, please visit the website at www.synaffix.com.

About The Synaffix ADC Platform Technology

Synaffix' proprietary ADC technology platform consists of GlycoConnect, HydraSpace and toxSYN technologies. Both GlycoConnect and HydraSpace are clinical-stage technologies that enable best-in-class ADCs with significantly enhanced efficacy and tolerability.

GlycoConnect is a conjugation technology that exploits the native antibody glycan for site-specific and stable payload attachment and is tunable to DAR1, DAR2 or DAR4 formats.

HydraSpace is a compact and highly polar spacer technology that is designed to further enhance therapeutic index, particularly with hydrophobic payloads. toxSYN is a linker-payload platform that spans key, validated MOAs for ADC product development, including SYNtecan E and SYNeamicin G, among other linker-payloads.

The combination of these three technologies provides developers with a "one stop" and easy-to-use ADC technology platform, allowing any antibody developer to develop its own proprietary ADC and any ADC developer to expand its pipeline further and increase its competitive position.

SOURCE Synaffix
NEW YORK and BOCA RATON, Fla., Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Tailwind Two Acquisition Corp. (NYSE:TWNT) ("Tailwind Two"), a special purpose acquisition company, and Terran Orbital Corporation, the global leader and pioneer in the development, innovation and operation of small satellites and earth observation solutions, jointly announced today that they have entered into a definitive business combination agreement. Upon the closing of the transaction, the combined company (the "Company") will operate as Terran Orbital Corporation, with plans to list on the NYSE under the symbol LLAP. The pro forma total enterprise value of the combined companies is approximately $1.58 billion. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2022.

The transaction is supported by gross proceeds of $345 million from Tailwind Two's cash-in-trust, $50 million from a PIPE with participation from AE Industrial Partners, long-term Terran Orbital investor Beach Point Capital, Daniel Staton1, Lockheed Martin and Fuel Venture Capital, as well as $75 million of additional financial commitments from Francisco Partners and Beach Point Capital. In connection with the closing of the transaction, up to an additional $125 million in debt commitments from Francisco Partners and Lockheed Martin may be available subject to certain conditions. Existing Terran Orbital shareholders will roll 100% of their equity into the combined company.

Terran Orbital is the pioneer and innovator of small satellites, with fully integrated operations, scale manufacturing and mission management capabilities. The company is the leading provider of small satellite solutions for military, intelligence community, civil and commercial customers. In addition, Terran Orbital is capitalizing on its fully integrated manufacturing capabilities to launch one of the most advanced earth observation constellation of small satellites, which will provide highly persistent, real-time earth imagery as a service, making earth observation data more abundant and accessible than ever before.

On September 27th, Terran Orbital announced plans to develop a $300 million, 660,000 sq.ft. space manufacturing facility on the Space Coast of Florida. Upon completion, the newly constructed facility is expected to become one of the most advanced, largest vertically integrated satellite manufacturing facilities in the world, capable of producing over 1,000 satellites and space vehicles annually.

"Terran Orbital is the largest independently-owned manufacturer of small satellites in the United States, serving national interests and enabling our customers to leverage the strength of our platform and insights. With our high volume, innovative manufacturing of small satellites, we will be able to deliver emerging technologies to space faster, more affordably and with greater reliability than anyone. Fundamentally, we are creating the new SaaS, Satellites-as-a-Service," said Marc Bell, Co-Founder and CEO of Terran Orbital. "In addition, our industry-leading earth observation constellation will deliver images of any geography on earth, at any time of day or night, within minutes. This capability will unlock a high-growth, high-margin data-as-a-service business model that will be truly transformational for Terran Orbital, its customers and investors."

"Terran Orbital offers an outstanding solution to address the increasing demand for cost-effective data that is only available from space," said Philip Krim, Chairman of Tailwind Two. "Tens of thousands of small satellites will be launched over the next decade, and Terran Orbital is ideally positioned to meet this demand, offering the most innovative, cost-effective small satellites that can meet the data demands for governments and corporations. Similarly, Terran Orbital's own earth observation constellation will make the most technologically advanced data about our planet commercially available, which will unlock new markets for data and insights across industries."

"At Lockheed Martin, supporting our customers' missions means not only delivering the most innovative products and services, but also collaborating with future-forward teams," said Rick Ambrose, Executive Vice President, Lockheed Martin Space. "We actively pursue working with organizations that are developing disruptive technologies and leveraging alternative business models. Our experience with Tyvak, which is part of Terran Orbital, has helped us expand our core capabilities to enable hybrid, networked architectures and we look forward to continuing to work together for the benefit of our customers."

"Small satellites will play a critical role in the future of space infrastructure and exploration, as well as provide customers with real time data to make informed and actionable decisions," said Kirk Konert, Partner at AE Industrial Partners. "Terran Orbital is entering into commercial partnerships with BigBear.ai and Redwire to develop and enhance next generation artificial intelligence and space solutions offerings, which is why we're pleased to back the company and support its future growth."

Terran Orbital and Tailwind Two's boards of directors have unanimously approved the proposed business combination. Completion of the proposed business combination is subject to approval by Tailwind Two's shareholders and the satisfaction or waiver of other customary closing conditions identified in the Agreement and Plan of Merger entered into by Terran Orbital and Tailwind Two.

Additional information about the proposed transaction will be provided in a Current Report on Form 8-K to be filed by Tailwind Two today with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available on www.sec.gov.

Advisors

Jefferies is serving as sole placement agent on the PIPE and exclusive capital markets advisor to Tailwind Two. Goldman Sachs is serving as financial advisor to Tailwind Two. Houlihan Lokey provided additional financial advice to Tailwind Two. Jefferies is serving as exclusive financial advisor and capital markets advisor to Terran Orbital. Kirkland & Ellis LLP is acting as legal counsel to Tailwind Two and Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP is acting as legal counsel to Terran Orbital.

Conference Call, Webcast and Presentation Information

Management of Terran Orbital and Tailwind Two will host an investor call on October 29, 2021 at 8:30am ET to discuss the proposed transaction. The investor call will include formal remarks from management and a video introduction to Terran Orbital.

Webcast: https://viavid.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1510065&tp_key=53f4eb05d9

Toll Free: 1-877-451-6152

Toll/International: 1-201-389-0879

Conference ID: 13724836

Please call the conference telephone number 5-10 minutes prior to the start time. An operator will register your name and organization.

A replay of the webcast will be available through November 30, 2021

In addition, Tailwind Two will file an investor presentation with the SEC as an exhibit to a Current Report on Form 8-K prior to the call, which will be available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov and at twnt.tailwindacquisition.com.

All materials can also be found at www.terranorbital.com.

About Tailwind Two Acquisition Corp

Tailwind Two is a blank check company "for founders, by founders"  formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization, or similar business combination with one or more founder-led businesses in a sector being disrupted by technological change. Tailwind Two's management team and directors have invested extensively in founder-run businesses, with notable success in the space industry. Tailwind Two is led by Chairman Philip Krim, and Co-Chief Executive Officers Chris Hollod and Matt Eby. In addition to the members of its management team and board of directors, Tailwind Two has assembled an Advisory Board that will help position Tailwind Two as the value-add partner of choice for today's leading entrepreneurs.

About Terran Orbital

Terran Orbital Corporation is a leading vertically integrated provider of end-to-end satellite solutions. Terran Orbital combines satellite design, production, launch planning, mission operations, and in-orbit support to meet the needs of the most demanding military, civil and commercial customers. In addition, Terran Orbital is developing the world's largest, most advanced NextGen Earth Observation constellation to provide persistent, real-time earth imagery.

Important Information and Where to Find It

In connection with the proposed potential transaction, Tailwind Two intends to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") a registration statement on Form S-4 containing a preliminary proxy statement and a preliminary prospectus of Tailwind Two, and after the registration statement is declared effective, Tailwind Two will mail a definitive proxy statement/prospectus relating to the proposed potential transaction to its shareholders. This press release does not contain all the information that should be considered concerning the potential transaction and is not intended to form the basis of any investment decision or any other decision in respect of the potential transaction. Tailwind Two's shareholders and other interested persons are advised to read, when available, the preliminary proxy statement/prospectus and the amendments thereto and the definitive proxy statement/prospectus and other documents filed in connection with the potential transaction, as these materials will contain important information about Terran Orbital, Tailwind Two and the potential transaction. When available, the definitive proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant materials for the potential transaction will be mailed to shareholders of Tailwind Two as of a record date to be established for voting on the potential transaction. Shareholders will also be able to obtain copies of the preliminary proxy statement/prospectus, the definitive proxy statement/prospectus and other documents filed with the SEC, without charge, once available, at the SEC's website sec.gov.

Participants in the Solicitation

Tailwind Two and its directors and executive officers may be deemed participants in the solicitation of proxies from Tailwind Two's shareholders with respect to the potential transaction. A list of the names of those directors and executive officers and a description of their interests in Tailwind Two is contained in Tailwind Two's final prospectus relating to its initial public offering dated March 8, 2021, which was filed with the SEC and is available free of charge at the SEC's web site at www.sec.gov. Additional information regarding the interests of such participants will be contained in the proxy statement/prospectus for the potential transaction when available. Terran Orbital and its directors and executive officers may also be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from Tailwind Two's shareholders in connection with the potential transaction. A list of the names of such directors and executive officers and information regarding their interests in the potential transaction will be included in the proxy statement/prospectus for the potential transaction when available.

Non-Solicitation

This press release and any oral statements made in connection with this press release shall not constitute an offer, nor a solicitation of an offer, of the sale or purchase of any securities, nor shall any securities of Terran Orbital or Tailwind Two be offered or sold, in any jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. Neither the SEC nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of the transactions contemplated hereby or determined if this press release is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense. Nothing in this press release constitutes investment, tax or legal advice or a recommendation regarding any securities. You should consult your own counsel and tax and financial advisors as to legal and related matters concerning the matters described herein, must make your own decisions and perform your own independent investment and analysis of the potential transactions.

Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes certain forward-looking statements, estimates, and projections provided by Terran Orbital that reflect management's views regarding the anticipated future financial and operating performance of Terran Orbital. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical, including statements regarding operational and financial plans, terms and performance of Terran Orbital and other projections or predictions of the future. Forward looking statements are typically identified by such words as "project," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "estimate," "may," "will," "should," and "could" and similar expressions. Such statements, estimates, and projections reflect numerous assumptions concerning anticipated results. Forward-looking statements in this press release may include, for example; statements about Terran Orbital's industry and market sizes; future opportunities; expectations and projections concerning future financial and operational performance and results of Terran Orbital; and the potential transactions, including items such as the implied enterprise value, ownership structure, the amount of redemption requests made by Tailwind Two's shareholders, the ability of Tailwind Two to issue equity or equity-linked instruments in connection with the potential transactions or in the future, the likelihood and ability of the parties to successfully consummate the potential transactions, and those factors set forth in the section entitled "Risk Factors" and "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" in Tailwind Two's final prospectus relating to its initial public offering dated March 8, 2021, and in subsequent filings with the SEC, including the proxy statement/prospectus relating to the potential transaction expected to be filed by Tailwind Two. As these assumptions may or may not prove to be correct and there are numerous factors which will affect Terran Orbital's actual results (many of which are beyond Terran Orbital's control), there can be no assurances that any projected results are attainable or will be realized. Terran Orbital and Tailwind Two disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Terran Orbital's actual results may differ materially from those set forth in this press release. Accordingly, no representations are made as to the accuracy, reasonableness or completeness of such statements, estimates, or projections.

1 At closing and in return for a $30 million investment in the PIPE, an affiliate of Daniel Staton will receive a payment obligation equal to $30 million to be paid quarterly over four years with the first payment occurring at quarter end after transaction close; the first year's payments are to be paid in cash and the remaining payments are to be paid in stock or, subject to certain conditions, in cash, at the discretion of the Company. Mr. Staton serves as a director of Terran Orbital and is an existing shareholder.

SOURCE Tailwind Two Acquisition Corp.
COLUMBIA, Maryland, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Mexico Fund, Inc. (NYSE: MXF) announced today that the Board of Directors of the Fund (the "Board" of the "Fund") and Impulsora del Fondo Mexico, S.C. ("Impulsora"), the Fund's investment adviser, have renewed and reinforced the Funds Expense Limitation Agreement ("ELA") between the Fund and Impulsora. The ELA was initially announced on March 12, 2019, with the objective to support the long-term performance of the Fund and to further the interests of Fund stockholders by continuing to deliver a competitive investment vehicle providing exposure to Mexican equities.

Under the current ELA, the Fund and Impulsora have committed to a 1.50% ordinary expense ratio (excluding amounts payable via the performance adjustment factor under the Fund's Investment Advisory Agreement, taxes, interest, brokerage fees and any non-recurring expenses), for fiscal year 2021, beginning on November 1, 2020, through October 31, 2021, so long as Fund net assets remain greater than $180 million.

The Board and Impulsora have agreed to renew and further strengthen the Funds ELA for fiscal year 2022, reducing the ordinary expense ratio cap from 1.50% to 1.40%. Impulsora will waive fees and/or reimburse expenses (excluding amounts payable via the performance adjustment factor under the Fund's Investment Advisory Agreement, taxes, interest, brokerage fees and any non-recurring expenses) to the extent necessary so that the Funds ordinary annual expense ratio does not exceed 1.40% from November 1, 2021 through October 31, 2022, so long as Fund net assets remain greater than $260 million. When Fund net assets are below the threshold of $260 million, Impulsora will still waive fees in an amount necessary to maintain an ordinary operating expense ratio of 1.40% at a hypothetical Fund net asset level of $260 million.

In addition to the significant reduction in expenses since the implementation of the ELA in March 2019, the Fund reinstated its Managed Distribution Plan ("MDP") in July 2021. Under its MDP, the Fund pays quarterly distributions of $0.18 per share, which translates into an annualized distribution rate of 4.7% based on the Funds market price as of October 15, 2021.

CONTACT:

Tofi Dayan

+5255-9138-3350

Email: [email protected]

About The Mexico Fund, Inc.

The Mexico Fund, Inc. is a non-diversified closed-end management investment company with the investment objective of long-term capital appreciation through investments in securities, primarily equity, listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange. The Fund provides a vehicle to investors who wish to invest in Mexican companies through a managed non-diversified portfolio as part of their overall investment program.

This release may contain certain forward-looking statements regarding future circumstances. These forward-looking statements are based upon the Fund's current expectations and assumptions and are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in such forward-looking statements including, in particular, the risks and uncertainties described in the Fund's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results, events, and performance may differ. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. The Fund undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to these forward looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. The inclusion of any statement in this release does not constitute an admission by The Mexico Fund or any other person that the events or circumstances described in such statement are material.

SOURCE The Mexico Fund, Inc.
"Because there's such strong demand for affordable housing, we are rapidly scaling up our business, and in order to keep delivering the results that our Residents and our Investors expect, we knew we needed to bring that next level of professional talent on board," said Daniel Weisfield, co-founder of Three Pillar Communities. "These new hires will help us execute our business plan across our current portfolio, and also enable new growth when we launch our second fund in 2022," said Yoel Kelman, Three Pillar's other co-founder.

Mike Skoczylas joined the company as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). A licensed CPA and licensed attorney, Skoczylas is an expert in commercial real estate finance, tax, and accounting. His previous experience includes roles at KPMG, PwC, Madison 1031, and EisnerAmper. "I'm excited to bring rigor to Three Pillar Communities' finance and accounting function to ensure efficiency, compliance, and financial performance," said Skoczylas.

Jack Walls joined the company as Director of Manufactured Home Sales, with full responsibility over Amber Homes, the company's affiliated manufactured home dealership. Walls previously managed manufactured home sales at Investment Property Group (IPG), a major owner of manufactured housing communities in the Western United States. Earlier in his career Walls was an award-winning sales manager at KB Homes. "I saw the growth trajectory here at Three Pillar, and I'm excited to work with Daniel and Yoel and to move hundreds of American families into new, attractive, energy-efficient homes," said Walls.

George Han joined the company as Acquisitions Manager. With his experience as an institutional real estate investor at AIG ($12 billion in real estate assets under management as of June 2021), as well as real estate private equity experience working with partners such as Oaktree Capital, Han brings sophistication and creativity to Three Pillar's acquisitions and underwriting process. "I see untapped opportunity in the manufactured housing asset class," said Han, "and I love working with the team to unlock value in the assets that we're acquiring."

In recent months Three Pillar Communities has acquired new properties in Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Montana, and Colorado. The company's value-add strategy includes installing solar power facilities in mobile home parks, rebuilding outdated infrastructure, filling vacant lots with new energy-efficient manufactured homes, and working hand-in-hand with cities and counties to upgrade affordable housing stock without government subsidy.

Key words: manufactured housing, mobile home parks, affordable housing, RV parks, commercial real estate, real estate investing, multi-family, talent, CFO, home sales, acquisitions

SOURCE Three Pillar Communities LLC

Related Links

https://www.threepillarcommunities.com


COLLEGE PARK, Md., Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of Maryland's Ed Snider Center for Enterprise and Markets today released an issue brief that outlines five steps federal policymakers can take to ensure the U.S. immigration system enhances U.S. economic growth, stimulates startup creation and innovation, and fosters better work opportunities for native residents and immigrants. Maryland Smith's Rajshree Agarwal, the Rudolph Lamone Chair in Entrepreneurship and Strategy and the Snider Center's director, authored the brief.

"In a knowledge-based economy, wages and job opportunities for U.S.-born, domestic workers depend on how visa and work requirement rules improve or impede innovation, entrepreneurship, investment and knowledge transfer," writes Agarwal . "Badly constructed rules will erode each of these factors, creating lower wages and job opportunities for all Americans."

Agarwal outlines a growing body of research, including her own , that finds restrictive federal immigration policies negatively impact the U.S. economy and American workers by hastening the:

Offshoring of existing jobs to countries like Canada .

. Loss of U.S. firms' competitiveness due to reduced access to intellectual capital.

Reduction of in-shoring and foreign direct investment.

Reduction of cross-border collaboration and global prosperity.

Agarwal notes that, even if they even make it to the United States at all, 20% to 50% of skilled immigrants who leave their countries seeking education or employment in another nation eventually go back home. While reverse migration can have positive impacts on both the home and host countries, it means host countries like the United States could lose some of the world's most promising innovators, entrepreneurs and change leaders. She recommends that federal policymakers:

Reform optional practical training permit rules to allow for more flexibility.

Reduce high fees and paperwork burdens that cause foreign graduates to sort away from early career start-up employment in favor of more established firms.

Award employment-based green cards based on skills and qualifications and remove the requirement for employment sponsorship.

Soften visa rules that compel migrants to remain with their employer for an extended period of time.

Enact legislation, like the StartUp Visa Act, that would establish visa programs and rules that allow for startup and entrepreneurial activity.

"Comprehensive reform of the U.S. immigration system would lead to higher U.S. economic growth, more startup creation and innovation, and better work opportunities for native residents," Agarwal concludes . "In the meantime, policymakers can also focus on more incremental changes that will result in reduced offshoring of jobs and more high-skill immigrants staying in the United States to start firms and create jobs."

About the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business

The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 12 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and part-time MBA, executive MBA, online MBA, specialty master's, PhD and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in North America and Asia.

About the Snider Center

Housed at University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business, the Ed Snider Center's mission established at founding is "to research and teach in order to improve our understanding of the historical development, institutions and philosophical premises of capitalism and its effect on economic and social outcomes and the maintenance and proliferation of stable and widely shared prosperity." The center investigates free enterprise and markets by researching what makes individuals, organizations and markets flourish; educating thought leaders and influencers, and partnering with executives to apply the center's research to real-world challenges.

SOURCE University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business
WASHINGTON, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors will meet Nov. 10, 2021, in open session at Postal Service headquarters, 475 L'Enfant Plaza, SW, Washington, DC. The public is welcome to observe the meeting beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET in the Benjamin Franklin Room on the 11th floor. The Board is expected to discuss the following items:

Remarks of the Chairman of the Board of Governors Remarks of the Postmaster General and CEO Approval of Minutes of Previous Meetings Committee Reports Financial Matters, including FY2021 and Financial Statements, and Annual Report to Congress FY2022 Integrated Financial Plan and Financing Resolution FY2023 Congressional Reimbursement Request Quarterly Service Performance Report Approval of Tentative Agendas for February 2022 Meetings Board Leadership

A public comment period will begin immediately following the adjournment of the open session on November 10, 2021. During the public comment period, which shall not exceed 60 minutes, members of the public may comment on any item or subject listed on the agenda for the open session above. Additionally, the public will be given the option to join the public comment session and participate via teleconference. Registration of speakers at the public comment period is required. Should you wish to participate via teleconference, you will be required to give your first and last name, a valid email address to send an invite and a phone number to reach you should a technical issue arise. Speakers may register online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BOG-11-10-2021. No more than three minutes shall be allotted to each speaker. The time allotted to each speaker will be determined after registration closes. Registration for the public comment period, either in person or via teleconference, will end on November 8 at 5 p.m. ET. Participation in the public comment period is governed by 39 CFR 232.1 (n).

Open session meetings of the Board of Governors are available on live audio webcasts at http://about.usps.com/who/leadership/board-governors/briefings/welcome.htm. Three hours after the conclusion of the open session meeting, a recorded audio file will be available for listening. In compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, the audio webcast will be open-captioned.

The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

Please Note: For U.S. Postal Service media resources, including broadcast quality video and audio and photo stills, visit the USPS Newsroom. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. Subscribe to the USPS YouTube Channel, like us on Facebook and enjoy our Postal Posts blog. For more information about the Postal Service, visit usps.com and facts.usps.com.

Contact: Dave Partenheimer

202-268-2599

[email protected]

usps.com/news

SOURCE U.S. Postal Service

Related Links

http://www.usps.com


Healthcare organizations participating in the beta testing will have the opportunity to develop an AI-driven solution that's specific to their needs and environment. Vitalacy's goal is to have the Fall Risk Alert Solution reduce falls and unattended bed exists more effectively than the use of virtual or in-person sitters or bed alarms. Organizations interested in beta phase participation can apply here .

"We believe the Fall Risk Alert Solution can directly prevent falls in healthcare facilities by serving as an early indicator of a fall event," said Vitalacy CEO and Co-Founder Janel Nour-Omid. "By linking a reduction in falls to the solution, healthcare executives can improve patient safety while demonstrating return on investment."

Current approaches to fall prevention haven't significantly reduced the number of falls

The fall management marketplace is estimated to grow from about $150 million per year to about $216 million in 2026, according to Allied Market Research. About 2 million patients in hospitals and long-term care facilities fall each year and many are injured as a result, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare estimates a cost per injury of $14,000 and an average of 6.3 additional in-hospital days. Because falls have been deemed "Never Events" by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, reimbursement for the costs of treating in-hospital falls is limited.

Current approaches to fall prevention have not significantly reduced the number of falls. In addition, current approaches, such as virtual or in-person sitters, are costly and often don't work well, according to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in 2020. Bed alarms produce alert fatigue and too many false positives, to the point where caregivers decide to turn them off, according to an article published by the Washington Post and Kaiser Health News.

How does the Vitalacy Fall Risk Alert Solution work?

An optical sensor is contained within the Vitalacy Fall Risk Alert Solution, which is hardwired into the ceiling or wall above or aside the patient's bed. During this beta phase, the machine learning algorithm monitors a bedded patient's movements 24/7 and studies motion patterns that will eventually enable the technology to predict movements that may lead to a patient fall.

"It's very similar to the process used to develop self-driving cars," said Tal Cohen, Vitalacy's Chief Technology Officer. "We collect hundreds of thousands of videos and images of patient movements with the sensor and then place annotations around those images," he explained. This visual data is pixelated to keep the identities of the patients private.

In this way, the Vitalacy Fall Risk Alert Solution can prevent falls without beeping, voice reminders or audible alarms that can disrupt an entire nursing unit. Instead, the alert silently notifies nearby caregivers who can quickly attend to the patient.

The Fall Risk Alert Solution is the latest addition to the Vitalacy Patient Safety Platform  a suite of products designed to deliver accurate and transparent data on hand hygiene compliance monitoring, workflow and nurse rounding patterns, and contact tracing.

Vitalacy Board Vice Chair Ann Scott Blouin, R.N., Ph.D., said the Fall Risk Alert Solution will be an aid to staff in their efforts to reduce falls. "By notifying staff early, the solution helps healthcare staff to become more proactive in falls reduction. Falls have been a long-standing problem; retrospective reviews and root cause analyses after the fall are useful but alerting staff to patient movements can be even more useful."

SOURCE Vitalacy

Related Links

http://www.vitalacy.com


$216.8 million in total support is largest ever

MADISON, Wis., Oct. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) today announced a total of $216.8 million in support for the University of Wisconsin-Madison research enterprise during the 2021-22 academic year. The figure is WARF's largest annual investment in UW-Madison-based research and education in the foundation's history.

In addition to its traditional base grant, which this year amounts to $63.6 million, WARF announced several other areas of supplement grants, most notably $55 million to support new research buildings and $40 million for pandemic support. The topline number of $216.8 million also includes $11.4 million in grants to the Morgridge Institute for Research as well as $35 million in the form of operational and functional support provided by WARF to the university.

"For the past 19 months the UW-Madison community has risen to the challenge of a global pandemic without ever giving ground in its mission to teach and discover," says WARF's CEO Erik Iverson. "We also know our greatest challenges and opportunities lie ahead. WARF is pleased to be part of the solution through our annual grant, additional facility and pandemic support and our everyday work advancing Badger inventions to market."

"WARF was founded over nine decades ago by Professor Steenbock to protect and commercialize inventions from UW-Madison," says Dr. James Berbee, Chair of the WARF Board of Trustees. "With WARF's largest grant in history this year, we see the importance of his legacy to the university itself."

The traditional $63.6 million base grant includes $13 million for faculty recruitment and retention, $2.5 million for faculty fellowships and $11.5 million for graduate student support.

"Recruiting and retaining top faculty to teach the next generation of Wisconsin leaders and innovators is a top priority. We are fortunate to have a strong and generous partner in WARF to help us in that goal," Chancellor Rebecca Blank says. "The support we receive from WARF allows UW-Madison to advance our research enterprise, provide support to promising graduate students, and maintain a margin of excellence that keeps our institution in the top tier of American universities."

$10.9 million is dedicated to the time-honored Fall Research Competition, which draws hundreds of research proposals from as many as 120 different academic departments each year.

In addition, $10.5 million has been allocated to strategic initiatives such as Research Forward, which provides funding to advance transformative research on campus. Another $5.5 million provides grant matches for instrumentation, facilities, doctoral training and research programs. And $1.5 million covers leadership, personnel, policy and implementation support.

"WARF's gift is essential to the continuing research success on campus and has been especially instrumental in research support during the COVID-19 pandemic," says Steve Ackerman, UW-Madison Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education. "With WARF's increased investment this year, we are even better able to support our world class faculty with fellowships and seed funding of new research, as well as more competitively recruit new faculty including those who are rising stars in in emerging fields. The focus on new funding for research buildings support enhances our research productivity, and these facilities also are training grounds for the scientists and engineers of tomorrow."

$8.2 million is committed to the university's cluster hire program (Endowment for Excellence) and a number of other targeted research programs and initiatives; among them are Discovery to Product (D2P) and the Law/Business Entrepreneurship Clinics on campus.

WARF's support for the Morgridge Institute for Research continues, with an investment of $11.4 million. The private, nonprofit institute works to improve human health through interdisciplinary biomedical research in collaboration with UW-Madison.

"WARF's support of the Morgridge Institute helps us stay true to our mission of serving as a catalyst for bold new initiatives in the UW-Madison biomedical community," says Morgridge Institute CEO Brad Schwartz. "It allows us to partner with the university in promising but unproven frontiers in science and take advisable risks that may lead to big advances in scientific knowledge."

WARF's annual grant continues a tradition of investing in UW-Madison that dates back almost a century. Since 1925, the foundation has provided mission-driven operational and functional support for UW-Madison in the form of technology commercialization and asset management. These wide-ranging services are a unique model in higher education as most universities must bear the cost of such expenses on their own.

Throughout the years, WARF's ongoing support and annual grants have been supplemented by additional investments in buildings, major equipment and campus infrastructure including development of the new Computer, Data and Information Science facility announced earlier this fall.

About WARF

The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) helps steward the cycle of research, discovery, commercialization and investment for the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Founded in 1925 as an independent, nonprofit foundation, WARF manages more than 2,000 patents and an investment portfolio as it funds university research, obtains patents for campus discoveries and licenses inventions to industry. WARF is home to WARF Accelerator advancing promising university technologies, WARF Therapeutics combining world-renowned research and an industry-focused approach to improve value propositions of drug candidates and WARF Ventures which actively invests in startups with UW-Madison technology over two decades. For more information, visit warf.org and view WARF's Cycle of Innovation .

CONTACT:

Jeanan Yasiri Moe

Director of Strategic Communications and Public Affairs

[email protected]

(608) 960-9892

SOURCE Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
DUBLIN, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Water Purifier Market Overview, 2020-26" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The water purifier in a simpler term is defined as the device used to decontaminate the water from harmful substances, chemicals, pathogens, microorganisms, and other dissolved solids and to make it portable. This report 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.



While substantial progress has been made in increasing access to clean drinking water and sanitation, billions of people mostly in rural areas still lack these basic services. Nevertheless, up to 80% of available surface and groundwater is being used every year and water demand globally is projected to increase by 55% by 2050 according to united nations. 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%. The main reason for drinking water scarcity around the world is the growing human population at the same time as the water supply has remained the same furthermore it is exploited to a greater extent.



Put it bluntly, water pollution kills. In fact, it caused 1.8 million deaths in 2015. Contaminated water can also make humans severely ill. Every year, unsafe water sickens about 1 billion people. And low-income communities are disproportionately at risk because their homes are often closest to the most polluting industries. Considerably the RO water purifiers are one of the safe, cost-effective and easy to maintain, the segment held nearly half of the market share. Even in water-wealthy nations, accidental or illegal releases from sewage treatment facilities, contribute harmful pathogens to waterways. Thousands of people across the United States are sickened every year by Legionnaires' disease, with cases cropping up from California's Disneyland to Manhattan's Upper East Side. 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.



Aging water infrastructure and old pipelines are also major causes of water contamination. One such common case is the recent lead contamination crisis in Flint, Michigan. The problem went far beyond Flint and involved much more than leads, as a wide range of chemical pollutants, from heavy metals such as arsenic and mercury to pesticides and nitrate fertilizers getting into water supplies. The market has witnessed a hike in the under sink purifier segment, which in 2015 was at USD 15.29 Billion. As groundwater works its way through the soil, it can pick up excess nutrients and transport them to the water table. When polluted groundwater reaches drinking water systems it can pose serious public health threats. 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.



Based on the sales channel, the offline sales channel holds an unbeatable market share of nearly 90%. This can be attributed to the higher affinity of consumers toward physical stores, which are perceived to be safe and allow consumers to have a trial before purchase. Moreover, retail stores have the added advantage of immediate gratification, which further boosts their popularity. 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.



Regionally, Asia holds the highest share of the market, as the region is home to almost 60% of the world's population. 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.



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



Key Topics Covered:



1. Executive Summary



2. Report Methodology



3. Market Structure

3.1. Market Considerate

3.2. Market Definitions



4. Global Water Purifier Market Outlook

4.1. Market Size by Value & by Volume

4.2. Market Share

4.2.1. By Product Type

4.2.2. By Technology

4.2.3. By Sales Channel

4.2.4. By Region

4.2.5. By Country

4.2.6. By Company

5. North America Water Purifier Market Outlook

5.1. Market Size by Value & by Volume

5.2. Market Share

5.3. US Water Purifier Market Size by Value

5.4. Canada Water Purifier Market Size by Value

5.5. Mexico Water Purifier Market Size by Value

6. Europe Water Purifier Market Outlook

6.1. Market Size by Value & by Volume

6.2. Market Share

6.3. Germany Water Purifier Market Size by Value

6.4. UK Water Purifier Market Size by Value

6.5. France Water Purifier Market Size by Value

6.6. Spain Water Purifier Market Size by Value

6.7. Italy Water Purifier Market Size by Value

6.8. Russia Water Purifier Market Size by Value

7. Asia Pacific Water Purifier Market Outlook

7.1. Market Size by Value & by Volume

7.2. Market Share

7.3. China Water Purifier Market Size by Value

7.4. Japan Water Purifier Market Size by Value

7.5. India Water Purifier Market Size by Value

7.6. Australia Water Purifier Market Size by Value

7.7. Vietnam Water Purifier Market Size by Value

7.8. Indonesia Water Purifier Market Size by Value

7.9. South Korea Water Purifier Market Size by Value

8. Latin America Water Purifier Market Outlook

8.1. Market Size by Value & by Volume

8.2. Market Share

8.3. Brazil Water Purifier Market Size by Value

8.4. Argentina Water Purifier Market Size by Value

8.5. Columbia Water Purifier Market Size by Value

9. Middle East & Africa Water Purifier Market Outlook

9.1. Market Size by Value & by Volume

9.2. Market Share

9.3. UAE Water Purifier Market Size by Value

9.4. Saudi Arabia Water Purifier Market Size by Value

9.5. South Africa Water Purifier Market Size by Value

10. Market Dynamics

10.1. Key Drivers

10.2. Key Challenges



11. Market Trends and Developments



12. Competitive Landscape

12.1. Porter's Five Force Model

12.2. Company Profiles

12.2.1. 3M

12.2.2. A.O. Smith Corporation

12.2.3. Aquatech International LLC

12.2.4. Brita GmbH

12.2.5. BWT Holding Gmbh

12.2.6. Coway Company Limited

12.2.7. Culligan International Company

12.2.8. Eureka Forbes Limited

12.2.9. Pentair PLC



13. Disclaimer



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/en9gmn

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

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For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

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Company Receives Business License for 170,000 Sq. Ft. Cannabis Manufacturing Facility in Commerce, California

Facility Currently Producing Nine 4Front In-House Cannabis Infused Brands and Serving Owners and Operators' Growing Wholesale and Processing Needs in The Golden State

PHOENIX, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - After being awarded its Business License ("License") from the City of Commerce , California, 4Front Ventures Corp. (CSE: FFNT) (OTCQX: FFNTF) ("4Front" or the "Company"), a vertically integrated, multi-state cannabis operator and retailer, announced it has commenced operations at one of the largest, most efficient cannabis manufacturing facilities in the world. The Company's 170,000 sq. ft. facility (the "Commerce Facility" or "Facility") will manufacture both in-house and partner brands, including infused pre-rolls, gummies, hard candies, fruit chews, caramels, mints, soft gel capsules, vapes, tinctures and other manufactured infused products.

4Front Commerce Facility Highlights

170,000 sq. ft. manufacturing Facility, located outside of the City of Los Angeles

80,000 sq. ft. of distribution and warehousing space

25,450 sq. ft. of finished goods storage

3,931 sq. ft. of dry flower storage

Currently producing nine of 4Front's 20 brands and 164 different SKUs

Advanced machine and automation technologies and expert commissioning

Produces a minimum of 10 times more product per shift than the Company's largest managed facilities in Washington

Distribution partnership with Nabis, a fully-licensed cannabis wholesale platform with the largest portfolio of cannabis brands in the world, supplying 100% of California's dispensaries and delivery services 1

dispensaries and delivery services Cost-effective wholesale solutions void of overhead capital infrastructure costs

"I want to thank the City of Commerce for granting us approval to commence operations at what we believe to be one of the largest, most efficient processing facilities in the world," said 4Front CEO Leo Gontmakher . "The manufacturing scale of our Facility is first of its kind, and the response we've seen during our pre-commercial sales has been tremendous. With our suite of brands, custom-built automated machinery, signature low-cost production and manufacturing capabilities, we're confident our Commerce Facility will enable us to emerge as one of the top high-quality cannabis producers and price leaders in one of the largest and most competitive marketplaces in the world."



4Front's Commerce Facility announcement comes on the heels of its definitive agreement to acquire New England Cannabis Corporation2 ("NECC"), a best-in-class cannabis cultivator with facilities based in Holliston, Massachusetts (the "Transaction"). With 4Front's Commerce Facility now online, and upon the closing of the NECC Transaction, the Company aims to immediately begin scaling its presence as a dominant wholesaler and producer in the two adult-use markets of Massachusetts and California.



Mr. Gontmakher continued, "Today's announcement is another significant milestone in 4Front's journey and cements our position as one of the most efficient cannabis operators capable of producing finished goods at scale. This Facility, along with our previously announced acquisition of NECC, completes the infrastructure needed to fuel our growth expectations as we look forward to 2022. With disciplined execution, enhanced production capabilities and innovation, we are anticipating a strong finish to the year, and with these pieces in place, have established a great foundation for a robust 2022.

1 Source: https://nabis.com 2 For more information on the Transaction, see the Company's press release dated October 7, 2021, and the Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on October 8, 2021 (File no. 000-56075).

About 4Front Ventures Corp.

4Front Ventures Corp . ("4Front" of the "Company") ( CSE: FFNT ) ( OTCQX: FFNTF ) is a national, vertically integrated multi-state cannabis operator with operations in strategic medical and adult-use cannabis markets, including California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Washington. Since its founding in 2011, 4Front has built a strong reputation for its high standards and low-cost cultivation and production methodologies earned through a track record of success in facility design, cultivation, genetics, growing processes, manufacturing, purchasing, distribution, and retail. To date, 4Front has successfully brought to market more than 20 different cannabis brands and nearly 1,800 unique product lines, which are strategically distributed through its fully owned and operated Mission Dispensaries and retail outlets in its core markets. As the Company continues to drive value for its shareholders, its team is applying its decade of expertise in the sector across the cannabis industry value chain and ecosystem. For more information, visit https://4frontventures.com/ .

Forward Looking Statements

Statements in this news release that are forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties concerning the specific factors disclosed here and elsewhere in 4Front Ventures' periodic filings with securities regulators. When used in this news release, words such as "will, could, plan, estimate, expect, intend, may, potential, believe, should," and similar expressions, are forward-looking statements.



Forward-looking statements may include, without limitation, statements related to future developments and the business and operations of 4Front Ventures including our manufacturing and production capability and expectations regarding our growth and results, statements regarding when or if transactions will close or if/when required conditions to closing are attained, the impact of the transactions on the business of 4Front, the position of 4Front in the markets of California and Massachusetts and other statements regarding future developments of the business. Although 4Front Ventures has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, there can be other factors that cause results, performance or achievements not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended, including, but not limited to: dependence on satisfying closing conditions, [obtaining regulatory approvals]; and engagement in activities currently considered illegal under U.S. federal laws; change in laws; limited operating history; reliance on management; requirements for additional financing; competition; hindering market growth and state adoption due to inconsistent public opinion and perception of the medical-use and adult-use marijuana industry and; regulatory or political change.

There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate or that management's expectations or estimates of future developments, circumstances or results will materialize. As a result of these risks and uncertainties, the results or events predicted in these forward-looking statements may differ materially from actual results or events.

Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this news release are made as of the date of this release. 4Front Ventures disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise such information, except as required by applicable law, and 4Front Ventures does not assume any liability for disclosure relating to any other company mentioned herein.

SOURCE 4Front

Related Links

https://4frontventures.com


NEW YORK, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- 5W Public Relations, one of the largest independently-owned PR firms in the U.S., announces today the creation of a dedicated metaverse division. The creation of the new division will allow a focused and strategic approach to clients building business and offerings in the metaverse.

As a leading agency and innovator in the PR space, 5WPR has a track record of identifying emerging industries and helping build the space from the early days. 5W has supported the launch of businesses in this space for over 8 years, working with pioneers in the metaverse including Roblox, which 5W helped break into mainstream media across gaming, consumer tech, lifestyle and business verticals. The launch of a dedicated metaverse specialty team will offer clients in the developing space a team of knowledgeable PR experts ready to tackle the rapidly expanding industry.

"Rapid advancements in technology promise an entirely new reality on our horizon, soon we will all be exploring and operating within the metaverse," said 5WPR Founder and CEO Ronn Torossian. "5W has a history of working with clients who pave the way within their emerging industries, setting a precedent for those who come after. Even with technology as complex as creating new shared realities, we have the expertise to bring these visions to the forefront of the media and capture consumer imagination."

5WPR's technology practice has experienced incredible growth this year, expanding into multiple new areas and adding cybersecurity, cryptocurrency, and non-fungible token (NFT) specialty practices.

Services offered to metaverse public relations clients include media relations, targeted outreach to industry publications, content creation, digital media campaigns, speaking opportunities and celebrity relations.

About 5WPR

5W Public Relations is a full-service PR agency in NYC known for cutting-edge programs that engage with businesses, issues and ideas. With more than 250 professionals serving clients in B2C (Beauty & Fashion, Consumer Brands, Entertainment, Food & Beverage, Health & Wellness, Travel & Hospitality, Technology, Nonprofit), B2B (Corporate Communications and Reputation Management), Public Affairs, Crisis Communications and Digital Marketing (Social Media, Influencer, Paid Media, SEO). 5W brings leading businesses a resourceful, bold and results-driven approach to communication. 5W was awarded 2020 PR Agency of The Year and CEO Ronn Torossian, was named 2020 Entrepreneur of the Year by the American Business Awards.

SOURCE 5W Public Relations
SAN RAMON, Calif., Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Accela, the leading provider of cloud-based solutions for government, today announced its continued business growth and expanded digital capabilities as it closed the first quarter of its new fiscal year.

During the past quarter, Accela completed 10 customer migrations to the company's multi-tenant cloud on Azure with more than a dozen currently in progress, unveiled multiple strategic partnerships, and delivered new customer solution implementations to bolster agencies' agility and resilience. Accela also launched its Fall 2021 Product Release , which enhances mobile, reporting and data visualization capabilities to support agencies as they meet the demands of residents and the current digital-first landscape. Accela's leadership in providing cutting-edge tech solutions to communities was recognized by the 2021 Microsoft US (MSUS) Partner Awards and highlighted at Accela's virtual annual govtech conference, Accelarate 2021 .

"Accela is helping more communities than ever unlock the power of the cloud to boost citizen engagement as we all continue to focus on recovery and paving our best path forward," said Gary Kovacs, CEO of Accela. "We meet agencies where they are on their digital transformation journey. Accela's application-specific solutions can be rapidly deployed for immediate needs and are built on a secure, configurable platform that solves the most pressing needs at agencies. It also allows them to work across the jurisdiction to improve citizens' experiences and team efficiency grows with them as they connect new departments, or even other agencies, to share data and create a unified resident experience."

Accela's SaaS platform is accelerating digital transformations for cities, counties, and states around the globe. One of the counties at the forefront of their transformation is Coweta County, GA, which replaced its in-person development services with the Accela Civic Platform to rapidly modernize its technology.

"As we continue to move into a digital age, we are thrilled to expand our online offerings to accelerate plans and permit approvals," said Angela White, assistant director of Coweta County Community Development. "This new, convenient technology will enhance accessibility, provide quicker turnarounds, boost transparency, and better allow us to keep up with our growing community."

Accela Starts New Fiscal Year With Expanded Customer Roster, New Go-Lives and Migrations

Accela opened its new fiscal year by continuing to grow its customer roster, with new additions including Kane County, IL; Santa Cruz County, AZ; and St. Cloud, MN.

Existing customers Monterey County Environmental Health, CA and Santa Barbara County, CA both migrated onto Accela's cloud-based Environmental Health Civic Application. For Santa Barbara County Environmental Health Services, the investment  which introduces new capabilities for permitting, inspection, and billing  streamlines manual work so the agency can stay focused on the education, monitoring, and enforcement activities critical to protecting public health.

In addition, Accela completed several significant implementations with customer go-lives including Arlington, VA; Birmingham, AL; Butler County, OH; Pima County, AZ; and Solano County Environmental Health, CA. Some customer go-lives that Accela implemented with partners include Monterey Bay Air Resources District, CA and Maplewood, MN with Vision33; March Joint Powers Authority, CA with [s]Cube; Montgomery County, OH with ePlanSoft; Santa Clara, CA with TruePoint Solutions; Coweta County, GA with RedMark; and Tempe, AZ with Silver Lining Solutions.

Fall 2021 Product Release Facilitates Data Insights and Agility

In October, Accela's Fall 2021 Product Release was rolled out to customer test environments and will be released to production in November. This release includes new features that empower agencies to more easily derive the high quality data insights they need to improve service delivery, and do so efficiently. The Fall Release focused on bolstering agility and resilience, as well as invigorating the interfaces crucial to deepening citizen engagement. Updates include the Civic Platform V21.2 featuring a new Configuration Manager, a state-of-the-art Premium Citizen Experience for Accela's pre-configured Civic Applications, and enhanced security capabilities for Accela Mobile customers.

New Partnerships Offer Integrated Solutions to Streamline Digital Services for Both Agencies and Residents

The Accela partner ecosystem continues to foster new collaborations that result in exceptional solutions for customers and the communities they serve. This quarter, these included:

A new reseller partnership with Avolve that brings together two industry-leading technologies into a robust solution for permitting and electronic plan review, all delivered on Microsoft Azure. Jurisdictions can now eliminate paper and PDF/email plan submissions, as well as conduct concurrent online plan reviews  resulting in lower costs, faster review cycles and a streamlined experience for both residents and agency staff.

with Avolve that brings together two industry-leading technologies into a robust solution for permitting and electronic plan review, all delivered on Microsoft Azure. Jurisdictions can now eliminate paper and PDF/email plan submissions, as well as conduct concurrent online plan reviews  resulting in lower costs, faster review cycles and a streamlined experience for both residents and agency staff. A technology partnership with Symbium to streamline building and planning compliance reviews by introducing pioneering zoning code compliance tools that align with Accela solutions to help reduce permit processing delays. The partnership allows Accela to help address barriers to community development through the integration of Symbium Plancheck into Accela's Civic Application for Planning.

"We couldn't be prouder of partnering with Accela, the nationwide leader in permit tracking and workflow solutions for planning departments," said Symbium CEO Leila Banijamali. "This partnership has significant implications for how our companies will futureproof local planning departments together and create intuitive end-to-end permit application experiences for the public and planners at scale."

Accela Recognized For Leadership, Cutting-Edge Tech Solutions

In July, Accela received two 2021 Microsoft US (MSUS) Partner Awards for "Government Partner of the Year" and "Community Response." These awards recognize Accela among a global field of top Microsoft partners for demonstrating excellence in innovation and implementation of customer solutions based on Microsoft technology. Accela's pandemic solutions also garnered a 2020 Microsoft US Partner Award.

The following month, Accela CEO Gary Kovacs was recognized as a Top 50 SaaS CEO by The Software Report. The award honors the leaders behind some of the largest, fastest-growing, and innovative software companies propelling the SaaS space forward and promoting diversity, inclusion, and fairness.

Accela works with local and state governments across the globe. To learn more about Accela's solutions, please visit https://www.accela.com/solutions/ .

About Accela

Accela provides market-leading cloud solutions that empower the most innovative state and local governments around the world to build thriving communities, grow businesses, and protect citizens. More than 275 million citizens globally benefit from Accela's solutions, which are powered by Azure, for permitting, licensing, code enforcement, and service request management. Accela's fast-to-implement Civic Applications, built on its robust and extensible Civic Platform, help agencies address specific needs today, while ensuring they are prepared for any emerging or complex challenges in the future. The company was recognized as a Microsoft US Partner Award winner for Community Response (2021, 2020), and Government Partner of the Year (2021), and was named as one of the Largest East Bay Tech Employers by San Francisco Business Times. Accela is headquartered in San Ramon, California, with additional offices around the world. For more information, visit www.accela.com .

Contact: Holly Langbein, (916) 769-2199, [email protected]

SOURCE Accela

Related Links

www.accela.com


Sargsyan said there are countries in the world that once held the status of regional superpowers and are now trying to expand their regional influence. Turkey, for example, has become a player in today's world, trying to participate in other regional processes through confrontation with Russia, and it has become an important player in these regions of Europe, Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. Iran is also an important geopolitical factor. And many of the processes taking place in these regions are taking place at the expense of Armenia's interests. In other words, Armenia is making concessions on all fronts - military, political, economic and diplomatic.

When it comes to the world's superpower, the United States, Sargsyan believes that the United States has been actively involved in intervening in international affairs. After Armenia's independence, the U.S. intensified its political and economic cooperation with Armenia, which, in turn, actively responded to the U.S. while maintaining its traditional relations with Russia. Recently, at the initiative of the United States, Armenia joined the Religious Liberty Union, and Armenian experts and people expressed their dissatisfaction with it. They do not understand why Armenia should destroy its relations with neighboring countries for this reason, and China, for example, expressed its strong opposition and dissatisfaction with it. He believes that Armenia should further develop its relations with neighboring countries and other developing countries.

Sargsyan said Armenia desperately needs international recognition, but currently does not have a complete strategy, which is a huge obstacle. Armenia should pursue a more balanced policy in order to protect its interests against the world powers and even achieve good development.

This program will be broadcasted on Armenian news HDV channel soon, stay tuned.

SOURCE Armenian News Radio FM 106.5
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Speaking during a Future Investment Initiative (FII) session titled, "Wealth of Nations: How New Legal Policies Can Turbocharge FDI," His Excellency Vice-Minister for Mining Affairs Khalid Al-Mudaifer highlighted the need for a country's entire government to embrace transformation of its legal and regulatory system to attract foreign direct investment (FDI).

Noting the Kingdom's recent FDI success, Mr Al-Mudaifer shared insights with FII participants about critical characteristics needed to foster positive governance changes, using the well-received recent legal and regulatory transformation within the mining sector as a case study.

"We commissioned global research and studied the findings of groups like the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development, to understand what's needed to attract foreign direct investment," said Vice-Minister Al-Mudaifer. "We learned that the basic requirements for successful attraction of FDI are things like political stability and clear fiscal policies. However, what elevates FDI attraction, are characteristics which demonstrate a holistic approach to investment. This includes institutional coordination, broad stakeholder engagement, coherent and consistent legislation to name a few."

Mr Al-Mudaifer noted that the government of Saudi Arabia, through Vision 2030 and its implementation, and through governance reforms that are well under way, has made more than 400 updates and improvements to the country's overall legal system since 2016. This includes the issuance of more than 60 new law systems and 77 new regulations designed to spur growth. As a result investments in the Kingdom have been increasing steadily, reaching the highest-ever level in the second quarter of 2021 with more than $13.8 billion invested.

"The dramatic changes to the overall legal and regulatory framework associated with FDI are paying major dividends in Saudi Arabia," added Vice-Minister. "We can see the results in mining, following the launch of the new Mining Investment Law, $4.7 billion worth of industrial investments were made in the first quarter of 2021, more than four times higher than the same quarter in 2020."

The Vice-Minister explained how the Mining Investment Law and Regulation, which came into effect only in January 2021 is built around the regulatory predictability and security of tenure that long-term investors require. Key principles of the mining sector's approach to its transformed legal and regulatory framework include:

Non-discrimination between local and foreign investors

Transparency

Procedural fairness and predictability

Disclosure and clarity of investment policy actions

Regulatory proportionality

Accountability

The featured session was moderated by John Quinn, Partner and Founder of global law firm Quinn Emanual Urquhart & Sullivan. Other esteemed panelists included Y.S. (Steve) Leigh, Visiting Professor of Law, Georgia State University (USA); and Shihana Al-Azzaz, General Counsel, Saudi Public Investment Fund. The Hon. Dan Tehan, Minister of Trade, Tourism and Investment from Australia provided recorded comments on the topic.

Following the panel, Mr. Quinn commented: "The Kingdom's Mining Investment Law is an excellent example of how positive changes to a country's rule of law can have a positive effect on foreign direct investment and create an overall ecosystem that attracts the right kind of investors by giving them confidence in the stability and efficiency of their country-partners."

Vice-Minister Al-Mudaifer closed his remarks by inviting all FII participants to the inaugural Future Minerals Summit (FMS), the first-ever event to offer a 'one-stop-shop' for investors, miners and other industry stakeholders interested in learning more about the mining potential of the Middle East, Central Asia, and North and East Africa. Planned for January 11 to 13, 2022, in Riyadh, FMS will welcome attendees from around the world, including governments, investors, and mining majors and corporates. For more information, visit www.futuremineralssumit.com.

SOURCE The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources (MIM)
Prior to her appointment, Jackie served as the Director of Intermediate School at Bennett for two years. As Principal and Chief Academic Officer, Jackie now oversees the school's operations and programming, partnering with faculty and outside resources to deliver a successful program. She brings more than a decade of experience in education to the role, previously serving as a Principal at Frances Xavier Warde School (FXW), Curriculum Director, and SEED (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity) facilitator. She began her career as a fourth-grade teacher and is passionate about collaborating with faculty and families to enhance the learning experience for every student. Jackie is a graduate of Indiana University where she earned her Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education. She also holds a M.Ed. from Loyola University. In addition to her new role, she will also be welcoming the title of Bennett Parent, as her daughter, Evie, joins the PreK program.

"I am so grateful to have the opportunity to further Bennett's mission and vision to deliver innovative project-based learning experiences and resources for children and adults," said Miller. "I couldn't be more excited to bring my family into this incredible community and look forward to the school year ahead!"

A South Chicago native, Kim brings more than 15 years of administrative education experience at elementary and secondary schools to her role at Bennett. As Director of Intermediate and Middle School, Kim oversees the day-to-day operations of second through seventh grade, engages with Bennett parents to manage their children's learning experience at the school, and oversees faculty and curriculum development and implementation. Prior to working in administration, she taught three years of middle school math and science. Kimberly earned her B.A. in Merchandising from Howard University and interned with Chicago Public Schools each summer throughout her program. While teaching middle school math and science she earned her Master's degree in Administration with a concentration in School Leadership and Supervision from Trinity University, Washington, D.C., and a certificate in education finance from Georgetown University. Kim is excited to combine all of her unique academic, business, and life experiences to create a dynamic instructional program dedicated to bringing out the best in every child at Bennett. Kim resides in Bronzeville with her fiance Clinton and their dogs Bo and Pippa.

"I'm so thrilled to be part of the growing Bennett Day School community," said Burks. "I look forward to helping students and educators meet their fullest potential by providing an environment that is safe, supports risk-taking, and invites the sharing of ideas."

For more information, visit www.bennettday.org .

CONTACT: [email protected]

SOURCE Bennett Day School

Related Links

https://bennettday.org


HOUSTON, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In recognizing businesses and non-profits for their superior commitment to ethics, overall excellence, and quality in the workplace, Venetian Blind Carpet One Floor & Home was honored at the annual Better Business Bureau Awards of Excellence event on October 12, 2021. Recognized as a Winner of Distinction, this was the 14th straight year the company has been recognized for service excellence by the Better Business Bureau.

When asked what it means to have received this recognition yet again, Gary Touchton, General Sales Manager, states, "We work hard each day to make sure that our customers receive a first-class, pleasant experience with our company. To be recognized among the best is very rewarding and quite an honor."

Venetian Blind has been a long-time member of the Carpet One flooring cooperative, the industry's largest buying group of independent flooring dealers. Since 1952, builders, architects and designers have relied upon Venetian Blind Carpet One Floor & Home to help create their dream homes. Conveniently located on Bissonnet just east of Kirby in West University, the showroom offers the area's most extensive selection of premier flooring, countertops and window coverings in one convenient setting.

For more information call 713-528-2404 or visit www.vbaf.com.

SOURCE Venetian Blind Carpet One Floor & Home

Related Links

http://www.vbaf.com


ATLANTA, Oct. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Jasmine "Jay" Love, has been announced as the new President of Blackground Records 2.0. Jay, co-owner of the award-winning Public Relations Firm Meme Agency began working at Blackground Records 2.0 in Summer 2021 alongside her business partner Tu Love for the catalog rollout of Blackground Records artists such as Aaliyah, Timbaland, Tank, and more. Jay also holds an executive position at a private tech company in which she is responsible for purchasing some of today's biggest music catalogs in all genres of music.

Jay's hard work, tenacity, innovative ideas, and knack for the industry quickly earned her the title of President. With Jay's new executive position as President of Blackground Records 2.0, she is ready to usher in a new wave of talent and possibilities. Jay states, "To be an executive at 34 at such an iconic record label and learning from the legendary music mogul himself Barry Hankerson, is an honor. I want to leave a lasting legacy for my daughter and empower other women who are looking to be execs." Jasmine "Jay" Love is here to leave a mark and show the world the amazing things they should expect to come from the new Blackground Records 2.0. Tu Love has been named Head of Publicity making two sisters the driving force of Blackground Records 2.0. Barry Hankerson states, "I wanted someone that understood my vision and these two young sisters get it."

ABOUT BLACKGROUND RECORDS 2.0

Founded by Barry Hankerson initially and launched in 1993, Blackground Records became a staple name in music and pop culture in the 1990s and early 2000s with the Hankerson's expert ear for artist development that would evolve into prolific careers for the aforementioned artists. Over the years, Blackground Records - with artists such as the late Aaliyah, Timbaland, Tank and JoJo - sold millions of records, had ten Top 10 Billboard 200 albums and won countless awards. Now, as Blackground Records 2.0, Hankerson plans to continue their undeniable impact on pop culture. Visit www.blackgroundrecords.net

Contact:

For Press Inquiries

[email protected]

Photos:

https://www.prlog.org/12891324

Press release distributed by PRLog

SOURCE Meme Agency
We carefully select partners such as TheGuarantors who share our values and our belief that everyone deserves sanctuary. Tweet this

TheGuarantors sponsored the Bozzuto Management Awards (BMAs) on Wednesday, Sept 29th, 2021. The BMAs are a longstanding annual tradition at Bozzuto, focusing on celebrating and recognizing the incredible and impactful work of their teams.

"We carefully select partners such as TheGuarantors who share our values and our belief that everyone deserves sanctuary. With technology and innovation at the forefront, we are collectively able to deliver extraordinary experiences to even more consumers," said Stephanie L. Williams , Bozzuto Management Company President.

TheGuarantors, an insurance technology company helping landlords, leasing, brokers, prospective renters, and tenants with innovative risk and financial solutions. Right now, renters of Bozzuto properties can access their dream apartment with a lease guarantee and pay less during move-in with security deposit replacement.



Bozzuto is the North Star for how to run a business and treat a client. Our goal is to emulate this philosophy to the point that when a Bozzuto client is referred to us (TheGuarantors) we will always provide them with equal to or better customer experience than they received at Bozzuto. Robert Schmidt - CRO of TheGuarantors



About Bozzuto

Bozzuto is an experience-focused real estate company distinguished by its innovative developments, dedicated customer service, and top-rated workplace culture. Since their founding in 1988, they have developed, acquired, and built more than 50,000 homes and apartments. Celebrating 33 years of creating sanctuary for its residents, Bozzuto currently manages 85,000 apartments and 3 million square feet of retail space across the U.S.



About TheGuarantors

TheGuarantors is an insurance technology company providing innovative products and financial solutions for residential and commercial real estate professionals as well as their residents and tenants. They are based in New York, NY, and currently operate in 49 states. TheGuarantors' mission is to empower renters.

SOURCE TheGuarantors

Related Links

theguarantors.com


LOS ANGELES, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Brentwood Home, maker of California-inspired sleep products, is celebrating Black Friday early with big savings, including limited-time offers on top-rated mattresses and its best-selling City Bed Frame.

Customers can save $300 on Brentwood's #1 ranked Oceano Luxury Hybrid mattress, as well as the 100% GOTS certified organic (CU861640) Cedar Natural Luxe mattress, using the code EARLYBF on BrentwoodHome.com. Using the code SLEEPY, shoppers can also save $200 on the Hybrid Latex and dual-sided Crystal Cove Mattress. And to save 15% on the affordable Cypress Mattress, the code CYPRESS is available for all models. In honor of our service members, veterans, military members, first-responders, doctors, nurses, and teachers, can also save $250 on the Cedar and Crystal Cove (offer cannot be stacked with the sale).

Brentwood Home is also offering $50 off their City Bed Frame. Made from 100% solid sustainably-harvested alder, Brentwood's City Bed Frame features an innovative, durable, patented design that requires virtually no hardware. Assembly is easy and shoppers can pair it with optional platform shelves or book nook.

Brentwood Home designs and handcrafts all their mattresses in Southern California. They include free shipping, a one-year trial period, and a 25-year limited warranty. For every mattress sold on their website, Brentwood Home will make a donation to the National Forest Foundation. Their goal is to plant 10,000 trees  part of an ambitious effort to help stem the impact of climate change and help replant America's forests. Brentwood Home is also a carbon negative company. They partner with Climate Neutral to measure, reduce, and offset their emissions across every scope of the business.

Since 1987, Brentwood Home has handcrafted the finest luxury mattresses, pillows, and bedding  thoughtfully made with nontoxic materials and natural elements  in their Los Angeles factory. As designers, makers, and artisans, they thrive on articulating the details that others ignore. Yet it is their "California ethos" that truly defines Brentwood Home, compelling them to craft beautiful sleep products that also promote healthy lifestyles and greater wellbeing.

If you would like more information, please contact Jessica Hann at [email protected].

SOURCE Brentwood Home

Related Links

https://www.brentwoodhome.com/?utm_medium=pr&utm_source=release&utm_campaign=presidents_day_sale


ATLANTA, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Caliber Car Wash today announced further expansion into the Florida market, with new locations coming to Sebring and Deltona, Florida.

In addition to these locations, Caliber has over 10 Sunshine State washes under development with plans to open before or during 2024. Caliber currently operates seven washes in Central Florida, the Orlando area, and the Panhandle.

Caliber utilizes state-of-the-art technology and practices. Caliber recently opened new washes in Winter Park, Florida.

"Florida is not only the home of our first wash and owners, but the heart of our business," said Caliber spokesperson Mac McCall. "We're honored to provide even more quality washes and value for our customers throughout the state and to be able to create more jobs in these communities."

The new locations will be located at 2805 US 27 in Sebring, Florida, and at the intersection of Fort Smith Boulevard and Howland Boulevard in Deltona, Florida. The new washes will each employ approximately 15-18 team members as well as support staff.

"We know our fellow Floridians take pride in their vehicles and their communities," McCall said. "That's one reason why we are committed to reducing water usage and using safe, biodegradable cleaners to better protect the environment and neighborhoods we live in."

Using a state-of-the-art water reclamation system, Caliber reduces water usage during vehicle cleaning. On average, the typical home or self-service car wash utilizes 140 gallons of water per wash. Meanwhile, Caliber uses only 30 gallons of water per wash and doesn't leak harmful chemicals into local sewer systems.

"No matter where you are in Florida, you can expect the same great wash and customer service when you visit a Caliber," McCall said while reemphasizing the company's commitment to the environment through innovative wash technology.

Caliber opened its first wash in Ocala, Florida, in 2019 and quickly became a customer favorite thanks to its unique detailing tools, Limitless wash packages, and military discounts. It recently opened locations in Winter Park and Lake Wales, Florida. Caliber customers also saved over 40 million gallons of water this year by choosing to wash at Caliber.

"We look forward to bringing Caliber quality to our neighbors in Sebring and Deltona," McCall said. "And to support the environment as we know that good neighbors build strong communities."

Media Contact:

Jet Moody

470-828-5592

[email protected]

SOURCE Caliber Car Wash
PORTLAND, Ore., Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cambia Health Foundation today announced philanthropic investments of $320,000 to fund innovative strategies designed to increase the diversity of students entering and completing post-secondary programs in health care across Idaho, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. In addition, the funds will expand outreach to underrepresented communities to educate and engage potential students about career paths in health care.

The advantages of a diverse health care workforce have been well documented , including greater patient satisfaction, increased access to care, and improved ability to meet the needs of underserved populations. However, the recruitment and retention of underrepresented minorities across all health professions is challenging, especially in mental and behavioral health settings.

"This regional health care workforce diversity initiative looks to break down the barriers of entry and completion of post-secondary health care education programs for minority and underrepresented students," said Peggy Maguire, President, Cambia Health Foundation. "Ultimately, our goal is to foster a diverse workforce that is culturally and linguistically representative of the communities it serves to improve access to and quality of care while advancing health equity."

All partners in the initiative work closely across urban and rural communities that are most impacted by these issues. These institutions are working toward a variety of creative solutions and include:

About Cambia Health Foundation

Cambia Health Foundation is the corporate foundation of Cambia Health Solutions. Founded in 2007, the Foundation has funded over $80 million in grants to advance person-focused and economically sustainable healthcare. We support whole person health at every stage of life to build a just and inclusive health care system for all. Learn more at http://www.cambiahealthfoundation.org and follow us on Twitter:@CambiaHealthFdn.

SOURCE Cambia Health Foundation
CLEVELAND, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CBIZ, Inc., (NYSE: CBZ) ("CBIZ", or the "Company") a leading provider of financial, insurance and advisory services, today announced results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2021.

For the 2021 third quarter, CBIZ recorded revenue of $282.7 million, an increase of $44.3 million, or 18.6%, compared with $238.4 million reported for the same period in 2020. Acquired operations, net of divestitures, contributed $24.6 million, or 10.3%, to third-quarter 2021 revenue growth. Same-unit revenue increased by $19.8 million, or 8.3%, for the quarter, compared with the same period a year ago. Income from continuing operations was $21.7 million, or $0.41 per diluted share, in the 2021 third quarter, compared with $20.1 million, or $0.36 per diluted share, for the same period a year ago.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2021, CBIZ recorded revenue of $862.1 million, an increase of $109.3 million, or 14.5%, over the $752.8 million recorded for the same period in 2020. Acquisitions, net of divestitures, contributed $54.8 million, or 7.3%, to revenue growth in the nine months ended September 30, 2021. Same-unit revenue increased by $54.5 million, or 7.3%, compared with the same period a year ago. Income from continuing operations was $80.5 million, or $1.50 per diluted share, for the nine months ended September 30, 2021, compared with $78.4 million, or $1.41 per diluted share, for the same period a year ago.

As previously announced on June 30, 2021, the Company reached a settlement agreement with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center ("UPMC") related to claims arising from a lawsuit filed in connection with actuarial services provided by a former employee in 2013. Net of insurance proceeds, the pretax charge related to this settlement in the second quarter of 2021 was $30.5 million. In addition, on June 1, 2021, the Company divested a small, non-core wholesale insurance business and recorded a pretax gain of $6.4 million on the sale. Eliminating the impact of these non-recurring items, Adjusted EPS for the first nine months of 2021 increased by 30.5% to $1.84, compared with $1.41 reported a year ago. Adjusted EBITDA increased by 20.9% to $153.5 million, compared with $126.9 million in 2020.

Reconciliations for Adjusted EPS and Adjusted EBITDA to the most directly comparable GAAP measures can be found in the tables of this release.

During the first nine months of 2021, the Company repurchased a total of 2.7 million shares of its common stock. Between September 30, 2021, and October 26, 2021, the Company repurchased an additional 259,000 shares. The balance outstanding on the Company's unsecured credit facility on September 30, 2021, was $190.2 million with $201.6 million of unused borrowing capacity.

Jerry Grisko, CBIZ President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "I am pleased that the exceptional results we reported through the first six months of this year have continued through the third quarter. On top of extremely strong performance from ongoing operations, we are also pleased with the number and size of the acquisitions that we have completed so far this year, including the addition of Shea Labagh and Dobberstein ("SLD") that was announced in September. SLD is a full service accounting, tax and advisory firm headquartered in San Francisco, CA, with an outstanding team of professionals. SLD helps to expand our geographic footprint, breadth of services and depth of expertise on the West Coast and brings our total number of acquisitions for the year to five with anticipated aggregate annual revenue of approximately $72 million on a full year basis."

"Given the strong demand that we are experiencing across nearly every major service line and the impact of the acquisitions that we have completed this year, we are raising our full-year 2021 guidance to reflect anticipated revenue growth between 12% and 15% and growth in adjusted earnings per share between 20% and 24%," Grisko concluded.

2021 Outlook

The Company increased its revenue growth expectations to within a range of 12% to 15% over the prior year.

Although a number of factors may impact the tax rate, the Company expects an effective tax rate of approximately 24% to 24.5%.

The Company expects a weighted average fully diluted share count of approximately 53.5 to 54.0 million shares.

On a GAAP basis, the Company expects full-year fully diluted earnings per share within a range of $1.36 to $1.42 . The Company expects Adjusted Diluted EPS to grow within a range of 20% to 24% over the $1.42 reported for 2020. A schedule reconciling GAAP Diluted EPS to Non-GAAP Adjusted Diluted EPS is attached.

Conference Call

CBIZ will host a conference call at 11:00 a.m. (ET) today to discuss its results. The call will be webcast for the media and the public, and can be accessed at www.cbiz.com . Shareholders and analysts who would like to participate in the call can register at https://dpregister.com/sreg/10161179/eead598c37 to receive the dial-in number and unique personal identification number. Participants may register at any time, including up to and after the call start time.

A replay will be made available approximately two hours following the call on the Company's website at www.cbiz.com . For those without internet access, a replay will also be available starting at approximately 1:00 p.m. (ET), October 28, through 5:00 p.m. (ET), November 5, 2021. The toll-free number for the replay is 1-877-344-7529. If you are listening from outside the United States, dial 1-412-317-0088. The access code for the replay is 10161179.

About CBIZ

CBIZ is a leading provider of financial, insurance and advisory services to businesses throughout the United States. Financial services include accounting, tax, government health care consulting, transaction advisory, risk advisory, and valuation services. Insurance services include employee benefits consulting, retirement plan consulting, property and casualty insurance, payroll, and human capital consulting. With more than 100 offices in 31 states, CBIZ is one of the largest accounting and insurance brokerage providers in the U.S. For more information, visit www.cbiz.com .

Forward-Looking Statements

Forward-looking statements in this release are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the impact of COVID-19 on the Company's business and operations and those of our clients; the Company's ability to adequately manage and sustain its growth; the Company's dependence on the current trend of outsourcing business services; the Company's dependence on the services of its CEO and other key employees; competitive pricing pressures; general business and economic conditions; and changes in governmental regulation and tax laws affecting the Company's insurance business or its business services operations. A more detailed description of such risks and uncertainties may be found in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov .

CBIZ, INC.

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS (UNAUDITED)

THREE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 AND 2020

(In thousands, except percentages and per share data)





Three Months Ended September 30,



2021

%

2020

% Revenue

$ 282,719



100.0 %

$ 238,389



100.0 % Operating expenses (1)

238,328



84.3



204,760



85.9

Gross margin

44,391



15.7



33,629



14.1

Corporate general and administrative expenses (1)

13,035



4.6



11,339



4.8

Operating income

31,356



11.1



22,290



9.3

Other (expense) income:















Interest expense

(1,016)



(0.4)



(974)



(0.4)

Loss on sale of operations, net









(74)





Other (expense) income, net (1) (2)

(1,133)



(0.4)



5,914



2.5

Total other (expense) income, net

(2,149)



(0.8)



4,866



2.1

Income from continuing operations before income tax expense

29,207



10.3



27,156



11.4

Income tax expense

7,512







7,060





Income from continuing operations

21,695



7.7



20,096



8.4

Loss from operations of discontinued businesses, net of tax

(4)







(19)





Net Income

$ 21,691



7.7 %

$ 20,077



8.4 %

















Diluted income per share:















Continuing operations

$ 0.41







$ 0.36





Discontinued operations















Net income

$ 0.41







$ 0.36























Diluted weighted average common shares outstanding

53,226







55,360





Other data from continuing operations:















Adjusted EBITDA (3)

$ 37,268







$ 33,990











(1) CBIZ sponsors a deferred compensation plan, under which a CBIZ employee's compensation deferral is held in a rabbi trust and invested accordingly as directed by the employee. Income and expenses related to the deferred compensation plan are included in "Operating expenses" and "Corporate general and administrative expenses," and are directly offset by deferred compensation gains or losses in "Other income (expense), net." The deferred compensation plan has no impact on "Income from continuing operations before income tax expense."





Income and expenses related to the deferred compensation plan for the three months ended September 30, 2021, and 2020 are as follows (in thousands):







Three Months Ended September 30,



2021

% of Revenue

2020

% of Revenue Operating (income) expenses

$ (212)



(0.1) %

$ 5,364



2.3 % Corporate general and administrative expenses

(86)



 %

672



0.3 % Other income (expense), net

(298)



(0.1) %

6,036



2.5 %



Excluding the impact of the above-mentioned income and expenses related to the deferred compensation plan, the operating results for the three months ended September 30, 2021, and 2020 are as follows (in thousands):







Three Months Ended September 30,



2021

2020



As

Reported

Deferred

Compensation

Plan

Adjusted

% of

Revenue

As

Reported

Deferred

Compensation Plan

Adjusted

% of

Revenue Gross margin

$ 44,391



$ (212)



$ 44,179



15.6 %

$ 33,629



$ 5,364



$ 38,993



16.4 % Operating income (expense)

31,356



(298)



31,058



11.0 %

22,290



6,036



28,326



11.9 % Other (expense) income, net

(1,133)



298



(835)



(0.3) %

5,914



(6,036)



(122)



(0.1) % Income from continuing

operations before income

tax expense

29,207







29,207



10.3 %

27,156







27,156



11.4 %





(2) Included in "Other (expense) income, net" for the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, is expense of $0.8 million and $0.1 million, respectively, related to net changes in the fair value of contingent consideration related to CBIZ's prior acquisitions.



(3) Refer to the financial highlights tables for a reconciliation of Non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, and for additional information as to the usefulness of the Non-GAAP financial measures to shareholders and investors.

CBIZ, INC.

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS (UNAUDITED)

NINE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 AND 2020

(In thousands, except percentages and per share data)





Nine Months Ended September 30,



2021

%

2020

% Revenue

$ 862,097



100.0 %

$ 752,787



100.0 % Operating expenses (1)

699,233



81.1



613,603



81.5

Gross margin

162,864



18.9



139,184



18.5

Corporate general and administrative expenses (1)

41,334



4.8



32,988



4.4

Legal settlement, net

30,468



3.5









Operating income

91,062



10.6



106,196



14.1

Other income (expense):















Interest expense

(2,852)



(0.3)



(4,167)



(0.6)

Gain on sale of operations, net

6,385



0.7



78





Other income, net (1) (2)

12,029



1.4



3,450



0.5

Total other income (expense), net

15,562



1.8



(639)



(0.1)

Income from continuing operations before income tax expense

106,624



12.4



105,557



14.0

Income tax expense

26,100







27,120





Income from continuing operations

80,524



9.3



78,437



10.4

Loss from operations of discontinued businesses, net of tax

(17)







(44)





Net income

$ 80,507



9.3 %

$ 78,393



10.4 %

















Diluted income per share:















Continuing operations

$ 1.50







$ 1.41





Discontinued operations















Net income

$ 1.50







$ 1.41























Diluted weighted average common shares outstanding

53,796







55,473





Other data from continuing operations:















Adjusted EBITDA (3)

$ 153,480







$ 126,923





Adjusted EPS (3)

$ 1.84







$ 1.41











(1) CBIZ sponsors a deferred compensation plan, under which a CBIZ employee's compensation deferral is held in a rabbi trust and invested accordingly as directed by the employee. Income and expenses related to the deferred compensation plan are included in "Operating expenses" and "Corporate general and administrative expenses," and are directly offset by deferred compensation gains or losses in "Other income (expense), net." The deferred compensation plan has no impact on "Income from continuing operations before income tax expense."





Income and expenses related to the deferred compensation plan for the nine months ended September 30, 2021, and 2020 are as follows (in thousands):







Nine Months Ended September 30,



2021

% of Revenue

2020

% of Revenue Operating expenses

$ 11,165



1.3 %

$ 2,796



0.4 % Corporate general and administrative expenses

1,260



0.1 %

343



 % Other income, net

12,425



1.4 %

3,139



0.4 %



Excluding the impact of the above-mentioned income and expenses related to the deferred compensation plan, the operating results for the nine months ended September 30, 2021, and 2020 are as follows (in thousands):





Nine Months Ended September 30,

2021

2020

As

Reported

Deferred

Compensation

Plan

Adjusted

% of

Revenue

As

Reported

Deferred

Compensation

Plan

Adjusted

% of

Revenue Gross margin $ 162,864



$ 11,165



$ 174,029



20.2 %

$ 139,184



$ 2,796



$ 141,980



18.9 % Operating income 91,062



12,425



103,487



12.0 %

106,196



3,139



109,335



14.5 % Other income (expense), net 12,029



(12,425)



(396)



 %

3,450



(3,139)



311



 % Income from continuing

operations before income

tax expense 106,624







106,624



12.4 %

105,557







105,557



14.0 %





(2) Included in "Other income (expense), net" for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, is expense of $1.6 million and income of $0.1 million, respectively, related to net changes in the fair value of contingent consideration related to CBIZ's prior acquisitions.



(3) Refer to the financial highlights tables for a reconciliation of Non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, and for additional information as to the usefulness of the Non-GAAP financial measures to shareholders and investors.

CBIZ, INC.

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS (UNAUDITED)

(In thousands)

SELECT SEGMENT DATA





Three Months Ended September 30,

Nine Months Ended September 30,



2021

2020

2021

2020 Revenue















Financial Services

$ 187,232



$ 155,499



$ 577,970



$ 498,359

Benefits and Insurance Services

85,797



73,881



255,656



227,433

National Practices

9,690



9,009



28,471



26,995

Total

$ 282,719



$ 238,389



$ 862,097



$ 752,787



















Gross Margin















Financial Services

$ 31,054



$ 25,577



$ 129,126



$ 102,422

Benefits and Insurance Services

16,758



11,868



51,908



38,914

National Practices

1,176



939



2,929



2,652

Operating expenses - unallocated (1):















Other expense

(4,809)



609



(9,934)



(2,008)

Deferred compensation

212



(5,364)



(11,165)



(2,796)

Total

$ 44,391



$ 33,629



$ 162,864



$ 139,184







(1) Represents operating expenses not directly allocated to individual businesses, including stock-based compensation, consolidation and integration charges, and certain advertising expenses. "Operating expenses - unallocated" also includes gains or losses attributable to the assets held in a rabbi trust associated with the Company's deferred compensation plan. These gains or losses do not impact "Income from continuing operations before income tax expense" as they are directly offset by the same adjustment to "Other income (expense), net" in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income. Net gains/losses recognized from adjustments to the fair value of the assets held in the rabbi trust are recorded as compensation expense (income) in "Operating expenses" and "Corporate, general and administrative expenses," and offset in "Other income (expense), net."

CBIZ, INC.

SELECT CASH FLOW DATA

(In thousands)





Nine Months Ended September 30,



2021

2020 Net income

$ 80,507



$ 78,393

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:







Depreciation and amortization expense

19,921



17,277

Gain on sale of operations, net

(6,385)



(78)

Bad debt expense, net of recoveries

562



3,166

Adjustments to contingent earnout liability, net

1,599



(80)

Stock-based compensation expense

8,359



6,765

Other noncash adjustments

2,654



(3,095)

Net income, after adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities

107,217



102,348

Changes in assets and liabilities, net of acquisitions and divestitures

(26,253)



(20,486)

Operating cash flows provided by continuing operations

80,964



81,862

Operating cash used in discontinued operations

(18)



(66)

Net cash provided by operating activities

80,946



81,796

Net cash used in investing activities

(70,728)



(9,491)

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

1,678



(94,058)

Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash

11,896



(21,753)

Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of year

$ 170,335



$ 146,505

Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of period

$ 182,231



$ 124,752











Reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash to the consolidated balance sheet:







Cash and cash equivalents

$ 2,749



$ 6,113

Restricted cash

37,320



25,275

Cash equivalents included in funds held for clients

142,162



93,364

Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash

$ 182,231



$ 124,752



CBIZ, INC.

SELECT FINANCIAL DATA AND RATIOS

(In thousands)





September 30, 2021

December 31, 2020 Cash and cash equivalents

2,749



4,652

Restricted cash

37,320



23,951

Accounts receivable, net

293,890



216,175

Current assets before funds held for clients

359,653



268,991

Funds held for clients

175,451



167,440

Goodwill and other intangible assets, net

843,246



756,750











Total assets

1,712,768



1,513,754











Current liabilities before client fund obligations

266,467



211,285

Client fund obligations

175,364



166,989

Total long-term debt

189,662



107,192











Total liabilities

992,121



811,134











Treasury stock

(683,217)



(595,297)











Total stockholders' equity

720,647



702,620











Debt to equity

26.3 %

15.3 % Days sales outstanding (DSO) - continuing operations (1)

88



72











Shares outstanding

52,310



54,099

Basic weighted average common shares outstanding

52,885



54,288

Diluted weighted average common shares outstanding

53,796



55,359







(1) DSO is provided for continuing operations and represents accounts receivable, net, at the end of the period, divided by trailing twelve month daily revenue. The Company has included DSO data because such data is commonly used as a performance measure by analysts and investors and as a measure of the Company's ability to collect on receivables in a timely manner. DSO should not be regarded as an alternative or replacement to any measurement of performance under GAAP. DSO on September 30, 2020 was 87.

CBIZ, INC.

GAAP RECONCILIATION

Income from Continuing Operations to Adjusted EBITDA (1)

(In thousands)



Three Months Ended September 30,

Nine Months Ended September 30,

2021

2020

2021

2020 Income from continuing operations $ 21,695



$ 20,096



$ 80,524



$ 78,437

Interest expense 1,016



974



2,852



4,167

Income tax expense 7,512



7,060



26,100



27,120

Loss (gain) on sale of operations, net 



74



(6,385)



(78)

Legal settlement, net 







30,468





Depreciation 2,808



2,412



8,010



7,052

Amortization 4,237



3,374



11,911



10,225

Adjusted EBITDA $ 37,268



$ 33,990



$ 153,480



$ 126,923







(1) CBIZ reports its financial results in accordance with GAAP. This table reconciles Adjusted EBITDA to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, "Income from continuing operations." Adjusted EBITDA is not defined by GAAP and should not be regarded as an alternative or replacement to any measurement of performance under GAAP. Adjusted EBITDA is commonly used by the Company, its shareholders and debt holders as a performance measurement to evaluate, assess and benchmark the Company's operational results.

CBIZ, INC.

GAAP RECONCILIATION

Income and Diluted Earnings Per Share ("EPS") from Continuing Operations to Adjusted Income and EPS (1)

(In thousands)



Three Months Ended September 30, 2021

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2021

Amounts

EPS

Amounts

EPS Income from continuing operations $ 21,695



$ 0.41



$ 80,524



$ 1.50

Adjustments:













Gain on sale of operations, net 







(6,385)



(0.12)

Legal settlement, net 







30,468



0.57

Income tax effect related to adjustments 







(5,896)



(0.11)

Adjusted income from continuing operations $ 21,695



$ 0.41



$ 98,711



$ 1.84







(1) CBIZ reports its financial results in accordance with GAAP. This table reconciles Adjusted Income and Adjusted EPS to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures, "Income from continuing operations" and "Diluted earnings per share from continuing operations." Adjusted Income and Adjusted EPS are not defined by GAAP and should not be regarded as an alternative or replacement to any measurement of performance under GAAP. Adjusted Income and Adjusted EPS, which excludes significant non-operating related gains and losses, are used by the Company for its shareholders and debt holders as a performance measure to evaluate, assess and benchmark the Company's operational results.

CBIZ, INC.

GAAP RECONCILIATION

Full Year 2021 EPS from Continuing Operations Guidance to Full Year 2021 Adjusted Diluted EPS

(In thousands)



Full Year 2021 Guidance

Low

High Diluted EPS - GAAP Guidance $ 1.36



$ 1.42

Gain on sale of operations, net (0.09)



(0.09)

Legal settlement, net 0.43



0.43

Adjusted Diluted EPS Guidance $ 1.70



$ 1.76









Diluted EPS - Reported for 2020 $ 1.42



$ 1.42

Change in diluted EPS - GAAP (4) %

 % Change in diluted EPS - Adjusted Guidance 20 %

24 %

SOURCE CBIZ, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.cbiz.com


In the form of "envoy live streaming", the program creates the "anchor + ambassador + celebrity" live streaming mode as a new way for sales promotion to attract the wide attention from all walks of life in China. By means of multimedia transmission, "The World's Specialty" is a good try for China Hainan Satellite TV to widen the international view of the Chinese audience with global goodies under the background of China's concept and practice of building a new type of international relations with win-win cooperation as the core as well as a "community with a shared future for mankind". Hainan Satellite TV intends to record an opening China as a great discovery and to promote Hainan business card through conversations, so as to explain in details the great leading role of Chinese values in the world.

The program features songs and dances with national characteristics, promotion of national culture and the presentation of high-quality goodies from different countries, with ambassadors in China being invited to speak for their national specialties and national cultures. The ambassadors in the program not only introduce the selected goods of their countries and the cultural connotation behind those goodies, but also look back with nostalgia the exchanges and friendship between their countries and China and look forward to the economic and trade development between the two countries. At the same time, they probe into the uniqueness of each product with the hosts and guests to make the program enjoyable and practical.

Since the launch of the program on September 25, 2021, Ambassadors from South American and African countries, such as Uruguay, Peru, Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Costa Rica, Bahamas, Guyana, Cuba, Cabo Verde, Sao Tome and Principe, Egypt and Malta, have shown their talents in the program to recommend their selected national specialties. The ambassadors interact with the guests in Chinese in the program, and give improvisational performances of their own masterpieces, so as to deeply impress Chinese audiences and attract numerous fans among Chinese audiences. After the show was broadcast, it has been well received by audiences from all walks of life in China and the countries involved. The Taobao live streaming room for "The World's Specialty", which was broadcast at the same time, has attracted more and more fans for online shopping.

There are different themes for different episodes of this program, so as to make it more attractive. It will also launch the characteristic special mode for countries with varied styles and wonderful goodies, the screen moments of Tanzanian, Kenyan, Rwandan, Malaysian, Indonesian, Sri Lankan, Japanese, Pakistani and Nepalese Ambassadors in China are wroth expecting.

"The World's Specialty" will be broadcast on China Hainan Satellite TV at 19:30 every Saturday night, during which the goodies will be sold online simultaneously in the Taobao live streaming room.

Youtube website:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClBqPUi9Tm_d55kKy3yVwaQ/featured

SOURCE China Hainan Satellite TV
HONG KONG, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CNOOC Limited (the "Company", SEHK: 00883, TSX: CNU) today announced its key operational statistics for the third quarter of 2021.

The Company achieved a total net production of 144.1 million barrels of oil equivalent ("BOE") for the third quarter of 2021, representing an increase of 9.9% year-over-year ("YoY"). Production from China increased by 13.0% YoY to 100.1 million BOE, mainly attributable to production growth from the commencement of new projects including Caofeidian 6-4 oilfield, Luda 21-2 oilfield and the production growth from onshore unconventional gas fields. Overseas production increased by 3.2% YoY to 43.9 million BOE.

During the period, the Company made nine new discoveries and successfully appraised 13 oil and gas structures. In offshore China, a large-sized commercial discovery was made in the Kenli 10-2 structure with 100 million tons oil and gas proved in-place volume. A proved in-place volume of over 10 million tons was made in the Bozhong 28-1 structure. Baodao 21-1 structure was appraised with a positive progress. In overseas, three new discoveries were made in the Stabroek block in Guyana, namely Whiptail, Pinktail and Turbot-2. In terms of development and production, six new projects commenced production in the third quarter, which are Luda 29-1 oilfield, Liuhua 21-2 oilfield, Luda 6-2 oilfield, Bozhong 26-3 oilfield expansion project, Qinhuangdao/Caofeidian onshore power project and Bozhong 19-4 oilfield adjustment project. Among them, the successful commencement of operation of the Qinhuangdao/Caofeidian onshore power project makes a historical milestone in green, efficient, and intelligent development of China's offshore oilfield operations. It also signifies the energy consumption structure of offshore oilfields has embarked on a fully-fledged implementation of low-carbon transformation.

For the third quarter of 2021, the Company's average realised oil price increased by 63.6% YoY to US$70.38 per barrel, which is in line with the trend of international oil prices. The Company's average realised gas price increased by 21.0% YoY to US$7.08 per thousand cubic feet, mainly attributable to the higher realised gas in China and overseas. Due to combined effects of the increase in international oil and gas prices, and the increased oil and gas sales volume, the unaudited oil and gas sales revenue of the Company reached approximately RMB58.03 billion, representing an increase of 63.3% YoY.

During the period, the Company's capital expenditure increased by 13.8% YoY to approximately RMB20.94 billion, which was mainly due to the increase in workload.

Mr. Xu Keqiang, CEO of the Company, commented, "During the quarter, the Company has made steady progress in various performance, the key operational statistics have improved substantially. The Company is confident of achieving the annual production and operation targets, and will strive to create value for our shareholders."

- End -

Notes to Editors:

More information about the Company is available at http://www.cnoocltd.com .

*** *** *** ***

This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding expected future events, business prospectus or financial results. The words "expect", "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "objective", "ongoing", "may", "will", "project", "should", "believe", "plans", "intends" and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements.

These statements are based on assumptions and analyses made by the Company in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors that the Company believes are appropriate under the circumstances. However, whether actual results and developments will meet the expectations and predictions of the Company depends on a number of risks and uncertainties which could cause the actual results, performance and financial condition to differ materially from the Company's expectations, including but not limited to the Company and its controlling shareholder being listed in the list of the U.S. for sanction against companies with alleged ties to the Chinese military, those associated with fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas prices, macro-political and economic factors, changes in the tax and fiscal regimes of the host countries in which we operate, the highly competitive nature of the oil and natural gas industry, environmental responsibility and compliance requirements, the Company's price forecast, the exploration and development activities, mergers, acquisitions and divestments activities, HSSE and insurance policies and changes in anti-corruption, anti-fraud, anti-money laundering and corporate governance laws. For a description of these and other risks and uncertainties, please see the documents the Company files from time to time with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Annual Report on Form 20-F filed in April of the latest fiscal year. Consequently, all of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements. The Company cannot assure that the results or developments anticipated will be realised or, even if substantially realised, that they will have the expected effect on the Company, its business or operations.

*** *** *** ***

For further enquiries, please contact:

Ms. Jing Liu

Manager, Media & Public Relations

CNOOC Limited

Tel: +86-10-8452-3404

Fax: +86-10-8452-1441

E-mail: [email protected]

Bunny Lee

Porda Havas International Finance Communications Group

Tel: +852 3150 6707

Fax: +852 3150 6728

E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE CNOOC Limited

Related Links

http://www.cnoocltd.com


SANTA CLARA, Calif., Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- cnvrg.io, the operating system for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) built by data scientists, today announced the exclusive early release of the cnvrg.io Metacloud, a new managed service enabling AI developers full flexibility, to run AI/ML workloads on a mix of infrastructure and hardware choices, even within the same AI/ML workflow or pipeline. Available platform integrations include Intel, AWS, Azure, GCP, Dell, Redhat, VMWare, Seagate and more. Exclusive early access to the cnvrg.io Metacloud is now available upon request on our website.

Many AI projects are stalled due to the inability of the existing IT infrastructure (either in the cloud or on-prem) to meet the growing demands of AI workloads. AI developers are often locked-in to one infrastructure architecture, giving them little flexibility to try new and exciting ML/AI infrastructure options. In order to experiment with new environments, data scientists need to re-instrument a completely new stack which might take months to set up. AI developers need the ability to choose the best of breed compute and cloud solution for each workload, based on each architecture's cost/performance trade-offs, instantly, without the burden of a long-term commercial commitment.

With the early release of cnvrg.io Metacloud, AI developers now have the full flexibility and choice to run any AI architecture for any AI workload on demand. Together with the cnvrg.io end to end operating system for machine learning, AI developers can now manage data, develop, train, and deploy models on any infrastructure instantly.

cnvrg.io Metacloud introduces a new flexible interface for running AI workloads instantly: BYOC (Bring Your Own Compute) and BYOS (Bring your Own Storage) by delivering a developer friendly portal to set-up and launch AI/ML workflows using any hardware or storage service available from a partner menu. cnvrg.io Metacloud works with any AI infrastructure provider as it is designed by cloud native technologies such as containers and Kubernetes. Developers simply create an account, select the AI/ML infrastructure to run their project (any public cloud, on-prem, co-located, dev cloud, pre-release hardware and more) and run the workload. The cnvrg.io Metacloud is provided as part of cnvrg.io, a Kubernetes-based full stack machine learning operating system that includes everything data scientists and developers need to build and deploy AI applications.

"AI has yet to meet its ultimate potential by overcoming all the operational complexities. The future of machine learning is dependent on the ability to deliver models seamlessly using the best infrastructure available," said Yochay Ettun, CEO and Co-Founder of cnvrg.io. "cnvrg.io Metacloud is built to give flexibility and choice to AI developers to enable successful development of AI instead of limiting them, so enterprises can realize the full benefits of machine learning sooner."

"Two years ago, Wargaming was stalled with an aging technology that wasn't scaling to its growing needs for ML&AI. We transformed our ML pipeline with cnvrg.io that provided us with the scalability and flexibility to develop and deploy algorithms in production in a broader and more efficient manner." said Jonathan Crow, Senior Director of Data Science at Wargaming "Having fully integrated cnvrg.io into our ML stack we are continuing to explore and expand its capabilities to benefit our business. Recently, we started deploying cnvrg.io on the cloud (in addition to on-prem) to provide our users with quicker access to needed resources to do their jobs. We're excited for cnvrg.io Metacloud as a new way to get immediate access to any AI/ML infrastructure in the market that is best suited for the work in just one click." said Jonathan Crow, Senior Director of Data Science at Wargaming.

cnvrg.io Metacloud is being launched at IntelOn , a virtual event to inspire innovation. Yochay Ettun, cnvrg.io CEO and Co-Founder and Tushar Kant, Dell Co-Founder, Global IIT Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning are co-presenting, " Solve Your Machine Learning Operation Challenges with cnvrg.io Featuring a Dell Use Case ", on Wednesday, Oct. 27, 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM PDT.

cnvrg.io Metacloud preview is now available for early access upon request at https://metacloud.cloud.cnvrg.io/early-access.

About cnvrg.io

cnvrg.io is an AI OS, transforming the way enterprises manage, scale and accelerate AI and data science development from research to production. The code-first platform is built by data scientists, for data scientists and offers unrivaled flexibility to run on-premise or cloud. From advanced MLOps to continual learning, cnvrg.io brings top of the line technology to data science teams so they can spend less time on DevOps and focus on the real magic - algorithms. Since using cnvrg.io, teams across industries have gotten more models to production resulting in increased business value. For more information, visit https://cnvrg.io/.

SOURCE cnvrg.io
CHICAGO and MUMBAI, India, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Vastu Housing Finance Corporation Ltd., a leading Indian affordable housing finance company, has raised US$200 million from institutional investors in the U.S. and India as it seeks to help millions of Indians fulfill their dreams of home ownership.

Chicago-based Creation Investments Capital Management LLC, a global alternative asset manager and leading impact manager in emerging markets, and Palo Alto, Calif.-based Norwest Venture Partners, a global venture and growth equity investment firm, are co-leading the Series C funding round with each investing US$75 million in Vastu. Mumbai-based IIFL Finance, one of India's largest financial services companies, is investing US$50 million.

Vastu's award-winning proprietary technology platform PULSE helps customers estimate and demonstrate their undocumented income to access credit solutions. As of July 2021, Vastu has provided financial assistance to more than 35,000 customers, most of whom don't have formal access to credit from financial institutions in India because they lack documented income.

"Our mission is to provide easier, faster and simpler access to own affordable homes for millions of Indians who have limited access to formal channels of credit," said Sandeep Menon, founder, managing director and CEO of Vastu. "We are pleased to receive this significant support from capital partners Creation, Norwest, IIFL and continued support from the majority investor, Multiples Private Equity."

"This is Creation's biggest investment to date and we are delighted to support Vastu, whose goal aligns with oursto help those at the bottom of the economic pyramid secure sorely needed financial resources," said Tyler Day, a partner at Creation. "We feel that Vastu's capabilities, operations and systems are industry leading and we have great confidence that Vastu will continue to scale swiftly and expand operations while maintaining high underwriting standards."

"We are excited to partner with Vastu on this journey in building one of India's fastest growing, highly profitable, tech-enabled financial services platforms," said Niren Shah, managing director and head of Norwest Venture Partners India. "It is clear that Vastu's differentiation lies in its experienced and high-energy team and its investments in technology, data and analytics."

Multiples Private Equity, founded by Renuka Ramnath in 2009, was the first institutional investor in Vastu in 2015, and remains the majority owner today.

About Vastu

Vastu Housing Finance Corporation Ltd. is a leading Indian affordable housing finance company working to enable millions of Indians to own homes. With a unique focus on self-employed individuals and small-business owners, Vastu's business is built on data science and analytics. As of July 2021, Vastu has assisted more than 35,000 customers, many of whom are low income, in owning a home. For more information, visit the firm's website.

About Creation Investments

Creation Investments Capital Management, LLC is a global alternative asset manager and leading impact investor in emerging markets. Worldwide, Creation's investments directly help more than 28 million small businesses. The firm manages more than US$1.5 billion on behalf of institutional investors, family offices and high net worth individuals. Leveraging its deep industry experience, Creation partners with management teams to inject growth equity and facilitate buyout transactions in firms specializing in microfinance, small- and medium-enterprise credit, leasing, factoring, insurance, savings, payments, and mobile money. Together with its portfolio companies, and in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Creation aims to improve the lives of those at the bottom of the economic pyramid in emerging markets. For more information, visit www.creationinvestments.com.

About Norwest Venture Partners

Norwest Venture Partners is a leading venture and growth equity investment firm managing more than $9.5 billion in capital. Since its inception, Norwest has invested in more than 600 companies and currently partners with over 160 active companies in their venture and growth equity portfolio. The firm invests in early to late stage companies across a wide range of sectors with a focus on consumer, enterprise, and healthcare. Norwest has offices in Palo Alto and San Francisco, with subsidiaries in India and Israel. For more information, visit www.NVP.com.

SOURCE Creation Investments

Related Links

https://www.creationinvestments.com


IRVING, Texas, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Darling Ingredients Inc. (NYSE: DAR), awarded more than $200,000 in scholarships and grants to members of the National Future Farmers of America (FFA) Association in 2021. College scholarships of $10,000 each were awarded to 11 students across the country while various state grants were distributed to agriculture-based student projects and financial assistance.

Darling Ingredients partnered with the FFA to develop accomplishment-based criteria for scholarship/grant qualifications. The criteria included GPA, agricultural career pathway, and entrepreneurial project description. Based on students' responses, the National FFA made the final selections on scholarship/grant recipients. Darling's contribution is part of the $1.5 million in scholarships awarded to FFA members in the last year.

"These young people are the future of sustainable agriculture," said Randall C. Stuewe, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Darling Ingredients Inc. "Darling is thrilled to partner with the FFA and its mission to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education."

This announcement falls the week of the 94th National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis, Indiana. Darling's presence at the convention will include hosting a booth, #1109, and meeting with young agriculturalists about their future prospects.

About Darling

Darling Ingredients Inc. (NYSE: DAR) is a world leading producer of organic ingredients, generating a wide array of sustainable protein and fat products while being one of the largest producers of renewable clean energy. With operations on five continents, Darling collects waste streams from the agri-food industry, repurposing into specialty ingredients, such as hydrolyzed collagen, edible and feed-grade fats, animal proteins and meals, plasma, pet food ingredients, fuel feedstocks, and green bioenergy. Darling Ingredients named one of the 50 Sustainability and Climate Leaders in 2021, to learn more Darling Ingredients: The greenest Company on the planet - 50 Sustainability & Climate Leaders (50climateleaders.com) . The Company sells its ingredients around the globe and works to strengthen our promise for a better tomorrow, creating product applications for health, nutrients and bioenergy while optimizing our services to the food chain. Darling is a 50% joint venture partner in Diamond Green Diesel (DGD), North America's largest renewable diesel manufacturer, currently producing approximately 290 million gallons of renewable diesel annually which products reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by up to 85% compared to fossil fuels. For additional information, visit the Company's website at http://www.darlingii.com.

For more information contact:

Investors Media Jim Stark Melissa Gaither VP, Investor Relations VP, Global Communications and Sustainability +1 (972) 281-4823 +1 (972) 281-4478 [email protected] [email protected]

SOURCE Darling Ingredients Inc.

Related Links

http://www.darlingii.com


NEW YORK, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Daybase , the hybrid work company, today announced the launch of its first three locations, in Hoboken and Westfield, New Jersey, and Harrison, in Westchester County, New York, to meet the evolving needs of the remote and hybrid workforce. Daybase is developing a network of on-demand workspots in residential areas across the country.

Breaking from the traditions of the pre-pandemic workplace, which was largely defined by a single office location, Daybase's new model will enable a full interconnected ecosystem of work spots, located close to where workers live, oriented around specific activities and employee experience.

"Work is no longer a place," said Daybase CEO Joel Steinhaus. "In the past, individuals and companies alike did not have professional-grade, convenient options between home and the main commercial office. We created Daybase to solve this challenge and bring a long overdue alternative to neighborhoods outside central business districts, as well as to suburban communities. Today's announcement represents the first step toward Daybase's long-term plans to build a national network of close-to-home workspots."

Steinhaus added, "We are excited to unveil this new model in the New York City tri-state area, which has seen a dramatic change in commuting patterns since the pandemic and where there is enormous demand for this new model." According to a recent Partnership for New York City report, just over 20% of New York City office workers have returned to their workplace.

Daybase spokes will finally complete the workplace ecosystem of the new hybrid organization, seamlessly integrating corporate headquarters, regional spokes, traditional co-working spaces, home offices, and completely on-demand, adaptable work spaces like Daybase.

"The Daybase model allows New York City-based enterprise companies to reimagine their corporate headquarters and real estate footprint while providing their employees the flexible work options they've come to expect," said Daybase COO Doug Chambers.

"The hybrid model of Daybase fills a critical need within the evolving preferences of today's workforce," said Chris Dalton, Director with Asana Partners, which owns the Hoboken property where Daybase will open. "With its walkability, nearby transit hub, and attractive neighborhood atmosphere, our Hoboken property is well-suited for the high-quality, flexible work environment they are creating."

Users can easily book time at any Daybase location using the Daybase mobile application. Low membership fee options, as well as pay-as-you-go pricing, allow ultimate flexibility and unparalleled accessibility to professional-grade space. A credit system for reservations allows for users to pay for only what they actually use. Daybase is also developing enterprise software to support companies in the management of their remote teams.

Each location will include the complete Daybase package, with a hospitality team and a range of adaptable work units from focus rooms, dedicated video conferencing space, larger collaboration spaces, and common areas.

About Daybase

Founded in 2020 in New York City, Daybase is a new model designed to create a seamless hybrid work experience. Created by a team of seasoned executives with experience in enterprise workplace solutions, design, architecture, technology, construction, finance, and real estate, Daybase offers a network of professional-grade, on-demand workspots, located close to home, in neighborhoods and communities across the country. For more information, please visit www.daybase.co.

Media Contact:

Jason Fink

Mark Allen & Co.

[email protected]

(917) 495-8639

SOURCE Daybase

Related Links

https://www.daybase.co/


HALIFAX, NS, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Densitas Inc., a global provider of A.I. technologies for digital mammography and breast screening, signed an agreement with RAD-AID International to deploy densitas intellMammo A.I. software platform at Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) in Guyana.

The age-adjusted breast cancer death rate in Guyana for 2018 was 24.36 per 100,000 women, compared to 17.49 in the United States. To address this disparity, Guyana launched its first public sector breast screening program in 2019 at GPHC with assistance from RAD-AID International. Mammography exams in the program are performed using a digital mammography unit at GPHC by one lead radiologic technologist who has been trained by RAD-AID. RAD-AID is further supporting the training of other breast imaging technologists in Guyana to scale up the program's impact in the public sector. Radiology attendings and residents at GPHC are receiving daily PACS-based interpretative support and education by RAD-AID's breast imaging volunteers. RAD-AID has also implemented breast health outreach training curriculum for nurses, physicians, technologists and patient-navigators to help women engage these new vital services.

In partnership with RAD-AID International and GPHC, Densitas has deployed intellMammo as part of a collaborative initiative to support breast cancer screening effectiveness and efficiency. The initiative aims to improve early detection by supporting training and education for effective and sustainable breast screening practices.

"In an environment with limited radiological resources, effective patient and process management improves precision breast health through A.I. driven clinical decision support" says Mo Abdolell, CEO of Densitas. "When integrated into healthcare systems, especially in under-resourced regions, A.I. can level the playing field by providing sustainable and scalable solutions at a population level that can reduce healthcare disparities and support better quality care.

Densitas' novel solution for technologist training identifies positioning errors and integrates training materials for easy access while the patient is still in the exam room. The deployment will empower technologists with mammography-specific workflows and advanced analytics for comprehensive and continuous quality assurance processes to improve efficiency and performance. This has the potential to significantly impact quality of care, particularly in understaffed and/or under-resourced regions.

"We thank Densitas for collaborating with us at RAD-AID to help low-resource hospitals safely and effectively test, engage, and adopt A.I.," says Daniel Mollura, President and CEO of RAD-AID International. "In understaffed regions where skilled radiologic technologists, breast-health nurses, and radiologists are scarce, RAD-AID's collaboration with Densitas helps hospitals to increase the quality, safety, and efficiency of medical imaging in highly needed breast cancer screening programs."

About RAD-AID International

RAD-AID is a charitable nonprofit global health organization, founded in 2008, serving over 85 resource-poor hospital partners in 38 low and middle-income countries (LMICs). RAD-AID has a diverse interdisciplinary composition of over 14,000 volunteer radiology professionals, including radiologists, nurses, technologists, physicists, engineers, and information technology specialists. Through outreach, radiology education, and equipment donations for medical imaging, RAD-AID advances radiology to support health services.

Visit RAD-AID.org to learn more.

About Densitas

Densitas is a global leader in artificial intelligence solutions for breast cancer screening, focused on quality, safety, efficiency, and precision breast health. Our products equip mammography facilities with solutions for improving mammography quality, operational efficiencies, clinical care team burnout, compliance with MQSA EQUIP and breast density inform legislation, patient-specific rapid risk assessment, and tailored radiological technologist training protocols. Densitas solutions align with value-based care delivery models by providing standardized metrics and quantitative performance indicators delivered through a continuous quality assurance platform powered by advanced A.I. analytics to cost-effectively manage the care delivery.

Learn more at www.densitas.health or visit https://rsna.vporoom.com/Densitas

SOURCE Densitas Inc.

Related Links

www.densitas.ca


WASHINGTON, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- This article is the first in a new series, "Diversity at a Glance," from DCI Consulting (DCI) that will explore labor force benchmarks within and across sectors. With the increased awareness around social justice movements, more employers are examining the diversity profile of their workforces. However, employers are frequently concerned about the lack of robust and meaningful benchmarks against which to compare their workforces. With the recent release of the EEO Tabulation 2014-20181 by the United States Census Bureau, more timely labor force data is now available for companies to use in evaluating diversity.

Demographics of the United States Labor Force

This series of articles will focus on various employment sectors. "Sectors" are essentially the broadest tier in the North American Industry Classification System's (NAICS) hierarchical structure. Sector data captures subsector and industry group data within it. DCI will share demographic insights on various sectors to bring more diversity awareness to employers. There will be more to come on the advantages and vulnerabilities of this source data, as well as alternative source data, at the conclusion of this series. Although this series will not provide comparisons at refined levels such as EEO-1 Category or job level, it will allow for a high-level diversity review within particular employment sectors.

The chart below displays the representation of women and people of color in the total labor force. These employment percentages create a baseline to compare to various employment sectors.

This baseline chart shows that the employment rate of White women in the labor force is 29.51%, but women across all races is 47.39%. It also shows that the employment rate of Black women in the labor force is 6.32%, but percent of Black employees in the labor force is at 11.85%. Various other demographic groups are reported on this chart.

DCI's series on labor force benchmarks will initially explore the sectors which represent employees doing vastly different work. The series will compare representation in these sectors to the participation rates depicted in the general chart.

In this series, we will explore the data within sectors and ask questions, such as:

How do specific sectors differ in representation compared to the overall labor force?

What race and sex intersectionality differences exist between sectors?

What are the strengths and weaknesses of this data source if using it for diversity measurements?

Our observations from this review will provide a perspective on opportunities that exist to develop efforts to address equity in the workforce. We will end the series with ideas for utilizing diversity data sources such as this EEO Tabulation 2018 in diversity benchmarking projects and in identifying barriers that may exist for the employment of women and people of color. This series should help employers in certain key sectors consider how they can, at minimum, mirror the diversity of their sector.

To follow the weekly installments, subscribe here: https://content.dciconsult.com/diversity-at-a-glance.

Next week we will be releasing our review of the Finance and Insurance sector.

1Table Set 9 available at https://www2.census.gov/EEO_2014_2018/EEO_Tables_By_Geographic_Area/

Contact:

Amanda Beety

(202) 768-7786

[email protected]

SOURCE DCI Consulting Group, Inc.
ORLANDO, Fla., Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- It's tempting to hope Don't Say My Name, the newest feature film release by 24 Flix, is based in fiction. Unfortunately, the modern-day horror story featuring human trafficking is all too real. As main character and trafficking victim Adriana suffers through a terrifying journey toward survival, the truism that the script is based on actual events has audiences reeling.

24 Flix 24 Flix

Producer Marty Jean-Louis sees this reaction as a success. The film is an artistic accomplishment and an agent of change, he says -- it serves to help people who have been abused find healing by showing them that they are not alone. And its authenticity (Homeland Security, survivors and different aid organizations all participated in the project and shared real-life data and experiences) is palpable. Thus far, public response to the project has been overwhelmingly supportive.

"The audiences are asking the questions we're hoping to hear," he said. "Those include: How can anyone let this happen? and What can I do to help?"

After the initial success with the movie's sold-out premiere in Indiana, the film with the urgent message is going viral. Screenings are now scheduled for New Jersey, Atlanta, Orlando, Dallas and more. Discover upcoming showings and learn more about human trafficking and what you can do to stop it at www.dontsaymyname.com.

"Most movies on trafficking end after the rescue, but in this movie, we follow the victim's journey throughout the entire process," says Jean-Louis.

It's a process he hopes will end.

CONTACT

Lisa Goldberg

407-442-3691

Marty Jean-Louis

407-371-2591

[email protected]

SOURCE 24 Flix
NEW YORK, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Eastern Union, one of the country's largest commercial real estate finance firms, has launched a Hospitality Group and has named industry veteran Charles Hoffman to serve as managing director of the new unit.

The Hospitality Group will provide commercial financing services to hotels and short-term rental properties across America, with a special focus on localities where the hospitality market has been weakened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Charles Hoffman has been named managing director of Eastern Union's Hospitality Group. The new unit provides commercial financing services to hotels and short-term rental properties across America. Eastern Union is one of the country's largest commercial real estate finance firms.

Eastern Union has served numerous clients in the hospitality industry over its twenty-year history, as well as a full range of other commercial real estate sectors.

Charles Hoffman has spent more than 17 years as a commercial real estate professional, including experience as a lender, owner and developer. He has had an extensive history of involvement with hotel financing and has developed relationships with more than 60 hospitality lenders. Mr. Hoffman managed a family office for more than a decade, and has attended the Schack Institute of Real Estate at the New York University School of Professional Studies.

"Charles Hoffman is eminently qualified to lead Eastern Union's new Hospitality Group," said Abe Bergman, co-founder and managing partner of Eastern Union. "He has an intimate understanding of the entire capital stack associated with the hotel industry, and he understands the degree to which the pandemic has stirred up volatility within this sector.

"Hospitality poses special challenges as an asset class," Mr. Bergman said. "It's cumbersome to underwrite and manage, and COVID-19 has added new complications. Charles Hoffman will manage a skilled team of specialists ready to serve this sector."

About Eastern Union

Founded in 2001, Eastern Union is a leading, national commercial mortgage brokerage firm. It employs more than 125 real estate professionals and closes an average of $5 billion in transactions annually. Eastern Union leverages its relationships with lenders and its marketplace knowledge to secure the best available rates and terms.

Eastern Union, headquartered in New York, closes transactions of all sizes across the United States. It secures financing for all asset types. Transactions -- which can include multi-state and multi-site portfolios -- encompass both conventional and structured financing. In 2020, Eastern Union's Multi-Family Group reset market pricing by offering a quarter-point fee for refinancing properties backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Capital introductions are handled through Eastern Union's affiliate, Eastern Equity Advisors.

For more information, visit www.easternunion.com.

Media contact:

Steve Vitoff

Eastern Union

516 652 0785

[email protected]

SOURCE Eastern Union

Related Links

http://www.easternunion.com


HEALDSBURG, Calif., Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- This past Saturday, Enso Village co-sponsors San Francisco Zen Center and The Kendal Corporation together with City Mayor Evelyn Mitchell and City Manager Jeff Kay, welcomed approximately 200 guests  virtually  during a special "Ground Blessing" ceremony celebrating the official start of construction for Enso Village.

Unlike a traditional ground-breaking, with silver shovels and ceremonially turning soil, the Ground Blessing event was meant to bless and thank the ground on which the new Enso Village will eventually rest. As part of the ceremony, which was led by Susan O'Connell, the Spiritual Director of Enso Village and Lind Ruth Cutts, Senior Dharma Teacher for the San Francisco Zen Center, guests who joined virtually received a special box with soil from the property. They were invited to place the soil in the box  interacting with and touching the earth during the blessing and then place the box in a special place in their current home. This was offered as a way to take part in the ceremony of blessing the ground from which Enso will spring to life.

When complete, Enso Village will comprise of 221 much needed residences for seniors on approximately 16 acres of land located in what is called the North Village. The community will also boast a large, onsite Greens-inspired vegetarian restaurant, a demonstration kitchen, indoor pool and gym, meditation hall, onsite farm for growing fresh produce for the restaurant and much more.

During her remarks, Mayor Mitchell stressed the need for more senior housing and welcomed the new community as an important and critical addition to Healdsburg. City Manager Jeff Kay was also very supportive of the new community pointing out that while he "deals with complex negotiations with developers and project sponsors every day, his dealings with the Enso team have been pleasant, cooperative and positive"  showcasing that the spirit of what Enso Village will become is already taking root in Healdsburg. A major part of that team is Steve Bailey, Senior Vice President of Development for Kendal, who pointed out that "after six years of work so far, Enso Village for me is the project of a lifetime, but not for the obvious reasons. This partnership between two values-driven organizations, San Francisco Zen Center and Kendal, has demonstrated I think the importance of HOW we do our work, not just what we accomplish. How we live, how we behave in support of a vision that is larger than ourselves."

Chris Harrison, the representative from Weitz, the construction company working on the site also commented on how the values of Enso Village were communicated to them and were quite different from any other job they had done  for example the request to make sure to treat the workers respectfully and well.

It will also be the first-of-its-kind community in the United States blending Kendal values, which are founded on Quaker principles, with the mindfulness of the San Francisco Zen Center. The new community is slated for completion in 2023. You are invited to learn more about Enso Village by visiting us here or contacting the preview center directly at 707-756-5036.

Media Contact

Marcus Young

415-505-2524

[email protected]

SOURCE Enso Village

Related Links

http://enso.kendal.org/


RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Future Investment Initiative (FII) Institute has announced a 1 million EUR investment in AZmed, developers of Artificial Intelligence-enabled diagnostic applications which can help address the shortage of radiologists around the world.

The investment, which is part of AZmed's latest 3.5 million EUR round, builds on the Institute's commitment to catalyze globally relevant, real-world solutions in five focus areas: Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Education, Healthcare and Sustainability. AZmed is a medical technology company that develops AI-enabled diagnostic applications for medical images.

AZmed CEO Julien Vidal said the company is addressing the recognised global shortage of radiologists. "Our goal is to be the trusted tech partner for every doctor analysing a medical image anywhere in the world," he said. "We are excited to work with the FII Institute which will bring strategic value to AZmed through connections with healthcare and AI specialists in its network, as well as go-to-market partners in the United States and MENA region."

The AZmed investment announcement comes during the 5th Anniversary of FII, the Institute's marquee platform taking place this week in Riyadh. The platform is centered around the theme "Invest in Humanity" and discussions that can create the greatest benefits for humanity especially in the post-COVID era.

FII Institute CEO Richard Attias welcomed the investment and said that AZmed fits the Institute's mission to make an impact on healthcare, AI and education. "We are very excited to support a company that is focused on life-saving technologies. Improving products and services for radiologists is an important issue for this specialty and we need to relieve the pressure on healthcare systems around the world that are already stretched by limited resources."

The company's first product, Rayvolve, is a market leading, AI-powered Fracture and chest abnormalities detection tool that was the first in its field to receive CE-certification, ensuring the product is compliant with all applicable European health, safety, performance and environmental requirements.

This marks the fourth FII Institute investment announced with Interstellar Lab, a space technology company designing closed-loop biodomes for sustaining life on Earth, the moon, and Mars; Lilium, an electric-powered aircraft reducing the carbon impact of regional travel; and Red Sea Farms agtech making it possible to grow food using sun and saltwater in challenging desert climates.

For more information visit https://fii-institute.org/en

About FII Institute

FII Institute is a global nonprofit foundation with an investment arm and one agenda: Impact on Humanity. Committed to ESG principles, we foster the brightest minds and transform ideas into real-world solutions in five focus areas: AI and Robotics, Education, Healthcare and Sustainability.

We are in the right place at the right time  when decision makers, investors and an engaged generation of youth come together in aspiration, energized and ready for change. We harness that energy into three pillars  THINK, XCHANGE, ACT  and invest in the innovations that make a difference globally.

Join us to own, co-create and actualize a brighter, more sustainable future for humanity.

https://fii-institute.org/en

About AZmed

AZmed facilitates X-ray diagnostics thanks to artificial intelligence. It helps doctors save time and dedicate resources to life-threatening exams. AZmed has been the first French company to commercialize an AI-powered radiology software.

Deep learning technologies as developed by AZmed are fully integrated into doctors' workflow, making it easy to use, without requiring any change in their work habits.

AZmed solutions are already used in more than 250 centers. More than 2500 doctors are using their solutions on a daily basis, in 12 different countries.

https://azmed.co

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1672880/FII_Institute_and_AZmed_logos.jpg

SOURCE FII Institute
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The global flow meter market size is estimated to reach USD 12.99 billion by 2028, according to the new report conducted by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 5.7% from 2021 to 2028. The penetration of IoT has helped the evolution of smart flow rate measurement solutions, leading to an increased demand for intelligent flow meters. The adoption of flow meters is expected to increase as rapid urbanization triggers the need for better water and wastewater management.

Key Insights & Findings:

The market for the flow meter is anticipated to witness substantial growth during the forecast period due to the integration of IoT in flow meters, which has led to the introduction of smart flow rate measurement solutions

Custody transfer application in the oil and gas sector is one of the key applications creating lucrative opportunities for ultrasonic and Coriolis flow meters

The water and wastewater segment is anticipated to witness substantial growth during the forecast period owing to the increasing initiatives taken by several governments for water and wastewater management

The Asia Pacific is expected to expand at the fastest CAGR over the forecast period owing to substantial demand and adoption of flow meters in various application sectors, particularly in China , India , and Southeast Asian countries

Businesses in Middle Eastern countries such as Iran , Iraq , and Syria are highly vulnerable to political instability. Businesses in other Middle Eastern countries such as UAE, Saudi Arabia , Oman , and Qatar focus on expanding their presence by establishing friendly relations with eminent manufacturers in Western countries

Key market participants are ABB Ltd., Emerson Electric Corporation, General Electric, Krohne Messtechnik Gmbh, HONTZSCH GMBH & CO. KG, Hitachi High-Tech Corporation, Yokogawa Electric Corporation, and Siemens

Read 100 page market research report, "Flow Meter Market Size, Share, & Trends Analysis Report By Product (Differential Pressure, Positive Displacement, Magnetic, Ultrasonic), By Application, By Power Type, By Pipe Size, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2021 - 2028", by Grand View Research

The advancements in technology have made ultrasonic and Coriolis flow meters more reliable and accurate than their counterparts. The integration of IoT in flow rate measurement solutions has helped transform Coriolis meters into intelligent flow meters. Hence, the adoption of these meters is expected to grow significantly over the forecast period. Besides, extensive adoption of Coriolis flow meters by the oil and gas, chemical, and refinery sectors is projected to drive the growth of the overall product segment over the forecast period.

The water and wastewater segment is expected to witness robust growth over the forecast period owing to rapid urbanization in various parts of the world, particularly in Asia Pacific, South America, and Africa. These regions have aggressively started to adopt efficient solutions for the treatment, control, monitoring, and regulation of water supplies and management of wastewater, thereby driving the demand for flow rate measurement solutions and instruments.

Europe dominated the global market in 2020 as the region is home to several manufacturers and product innovators of flow rate measurement solutions and services, including flow meters. However, APAC is expected to witness the highest growth rate over the forecast period owing to the rapid urbanization underway in APAC countries, which would subsequently trigger the need for adequate power generation and efficient water and wastewater management. The market in India is likely to witness a significant boost over the forecast period on account of the growing need for expanding fuel refining capacity in the country.

With emerging economies in the Asia Pacific such as China, India, and other Southeast Asian nations witnessing rapid industrialization, regional manufacturers and providers of flow rate measurement solutions are forming collaborations and partnerships with global players to cash in on opportunities prevailing in the regional as well as global markets. Regional players are also improving their customer engagement activities and enhancing their portfolio of products and services.

Moreover, General Electric (U.S.), ABB Ltd. (Switzerland), Emerson Electric Corporation (U.S.), Yokogawa Electric Corporation (Japan), and Hitachi High-Tech Corporation (Japan) are some of the major providers and vendors of flow rate measurement solutions. Market players are constantly emphasizing product innovation and enhancing their products and solutions. With the lucrative opportunities, the oil and gas, petroleum, chemicals, and water and wastewater management sectors offer, manufacturers, focus on meeting the various requirements of these sectors in particular.

Grand View Research has segmented the global flow meter market based on product, application, power type, pipe size, and region:

Flow Meter Product Outlook (Shipment, Units; Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2028)

Differential Pressure (DP)



Positive Displacement (PD)



Magnetic



Wired





Wireless



Ultrasonic



Coriolis



Turbine



Vortex



Others

Flow Meter Application Outlook (Volume, Shipment Units; Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2028)

Water & Wastewater



Oil & Gas



Chemicals



Power Generation



Pulp & Paper



Food & Beverage



Others

Flow Meter Power Type Outlook (Volume, Shipment Units; Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2028)

Electric



Solar



Battery Powered

Flow Meter Pipe Size Outlook (Volume, Shipment Units; Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2028)

2 inches



4 inches



6 inches



More than 6 inches

Flow Meter Regional Outlook (Volume, Shipment Units; Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2028)

North America



U.S.





Canada





Mexico



Europe



Germany





U.K.





France



Asia Pacific



China





Japan





India



South America



Brazil



Middle East & Africa

List of the Key Players of the Flow Meter Market

ABB Ltd.

Emerson Electric Corporation

em-tec GmbH

Endress+Hausar AG

General Electric

Hitachi High-Tech Corporation

Honeywell International Inc.

HONTZSCH GMBH & CO. KG

Krohne Messtechnik Gmbh

Siemens

Yokogawa Electric Corporation

Browse through Grand View Research's coverage of the Global Sensors & Controls Industry:

Oxygen Flow Meters Market  The global oxygen flow meters market size is expected to reach USD 1.60 billion by 2028. It is expected to expand at a CAGR of 5.9% from 2021 to 2028.

The global oxygen flow meters market size is expected to reach by 2028. It is expected to expand at a CAGR of 5.9% from 2021 to 2028. Positive Displacement Pumps Market  The global positive displacement pumps market size is expected to reach USD 4.2 billion by 2025. Growing opportunities in the water treatment sector are expected to propel the growth of the market.

The global positive displacement pumps market size is expected to reach by 2025. Growing opportunities in the water treatment sector are expected to propel the growth of the market. Environment Health & Safety Market  The global environment health & safety market size is expected to reach USD 88.39 billion by 2027. It is projected to witness a CAGR of 6.9% during the forecast period.

Gain access to Grand View Compass, our BI enabled intuitive market research database of 10,000+ reports

About Grand View Research

Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead.

Contact:

Sherry James

Corporate Sales Specialist, USA

Grand View Research, Inc.

Phone: 1-415-349-0058

Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519

Email: [email protected]

Web: https://www.grandviewresearch.com

Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter

SOURCE Grand View Research, Inc.
BOSTON, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Most food companies are not taking the necessary action to reduce their demands and impacts on freshwater resources, further worsening the global water crisis, according to a new report released today by Ceres.

Feeding Ourselves Thirsty, a benchmark analysis of 38 food companies, shows some encouraging signs of progress on corporate water management, but underscores that more work needs to be done by companies to help ensure sustainable water supplies.

Companies called on to improve management and disclosure of water risks in agricultural supply chains and watersheds. Tweet this

"Food companies are lagging in taking the appropriate water action, and are fundamentally unprepared for a more water-stressed world," said Kirsten James, director of water at Ceres. "As Feeding Ourselves Thirsty shows, companies must move more quickly and more boldly to value water and better manage the related risks in their direct operations and global supply chains."

Overall, Ceres' analysis found companies do not have adequate practices in place across categories of water management, including governance structures, risk assessment, target setting and implementation actions.

The top scoring companies by industry were: Coca-Cola (Beverage); Unilever (Packaged Food); Cargill (Agricultural Products); and Tyson Foods (Meat).

"We are pleased to be this year's top scoring company," said Michael Goltzman, Vice President, Global Policy & Sustainability at Coca Cola. "Our 2030 Water Security Strategy focuses on increasing water security for our business, supply chain and in the communities where we operate. Importantly, we prioritize our investments based on an in-depth understanding of water-related risks at a watershed level, contextualizing our targets to address local risks while focusing on the water used to produce our agricultural ingredients."

Feeding Ourselves Thirsty can be used as a guideline for engagement by investor initiatives, such as the Ceres' Valuing Water Task Force, an advisory council of major investment funds, financial institutions and banks.

"My job as the Illinois State Treasurer is to prudently invest the money entrusted to my office," said Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs, who is a founding member of the Valuing Water Task Force. "Given the growing threats of climate change to the companies in which we invest, as well as the ways flooding and droughts have impacted Illinois' agricultural community over the years, I have to consider water as a material risk when upholding my duties. Investors have a direct interest in advancing better water management practices that both protect our investments and the people in our communities."

Contact:

Miranda Cawley

[email protected]

SOURCE Ceres

Related Links

http://www.ceres.org


TRACY, Calif., Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sweet treats with functional benefits took home the four finalist spots this week in the Real California Milk Excelerator product innovation competition created by the California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) and VentureFuel. The finalists tap into the nutritional and flavor profiles of milk and dairy ingredients to deliver performance and recovery benefits in products consumers crave.

Finalists include:

Nightfood  Uniquely formulated by sleep experts and nutritionists, Nightfood ice cream delivers great taste for those nighttime cravings and a sleep-friend nutritional profile to help promote quality sleep.

 Uniquely formulated by sleep experts and nutritionists, Nightfood ice cream delivers great taste for those nighttime cravings and a sleep-friend nutritional profile to help promote quality sleep. ReThink Ice Cream  Low sugar, stomach and diabetic-friendly ice cream that is infused with fiber and sourced from lactose-free A2 dairy, ReThink Ice Cream is a decadent source of natural nutrition.

 Low sugar, stomach and diabetic-friendly ice cream that is infused with fiber and sourced from lactose-free A2 dairy, ReThink Ice Cream is a decadent source of natural nutrition. Sweetkiwi  Founded by a McKinsey 2021 Black Executive Leader and certified cultured dairy professional, Sweetkiwi makes whipped Greek yogurt that is low in calories and high in nutrition. Sweetkiwi pints are under 320 calories and formulated with fiber, protein, and probiotics for better gut health with fewer calories.

 Founded by a McKinsey 2021 Black Executive Leader and certified cultured dairy professional, Sweetkiwi makes whipped Greek yogurt that is low in calories and high in nutrition. Sweetkiwi pints are under 320 calories and formulated with fiber, protein, and probiotics for better gut health with fewer calories. Wonder Monday  A 2020 RCM Snackcelerator finalist, Wonder Monday returns with a new protein keto cheesecake snack bar with no added sugar and 10g of clean protein to indulgently refuel.

These four innovators were selected from a field of 12 semi-finalist competitors during a two-day virtual pitch event judged by a group of experts from Hershey's, Nestle, Mars, PepsiCo Ventures Group, Amberstone Ventures, Branch Venture Group, FoodNavigator.com, Rosa Brothers Milk Company, Health Magazine, SnackRiot, and The Save Mart Companies. Over 2,000 fans also were able to vote virtually through Perksy, which provides market research for the mobile generation.

Nightfood, ReThink, Sweetkiwi and Wonder Monday move on to the final, live event at 5 p.m. PST on November 18th where they will compete for $150,000 in marketing support to bring their visions to market with a runner up receiving $100,000 towards the same goal. Registration for the event is available online.

"We had tremendous diversity in our field of semi-finalists this year but ultimately, the four products moving to the finals reflect America's sweet tooth and our continuing desire for treats that don't give up taste in favor of function. And the votes through Perksy, which polled 2000 consumers on which of these products they would be most interested in buying, support the judge's decisions," said John Talbot, CEO of the CMAB. "These creative products are tackling some of consumers bigger concerns around sugar content and lactose sensitivity without sacrificing the taste and texture that make a dessert something special."

The 12 semi-finalists received $10,000 worth of support each, to develop an edible prototype, while receiving a suite of resources including graphic design, lab or kitchen time and elite mentorship from global marketing, packaging, and distribution experts from companies including Branchfood, Brandology, Bristol Farms, the California Dairy Innovation Center, Diageo, Garrand Moehlenkamp, Heywell, Highlight, Ignite2x, Ketchum, LA Distributing Company, Lemos Jerseys, Mondelez International, Rodeo, Vori, and Whole Brain Consulting. The total value of competition prizing is over $650,000.

"Great innovators often take something we love and make it better by removing an issue or adding a benefit," said Fred Schonenberg, Founder of VentureFuel "Each of these entrepreneurs have created delicious products we all love to eat  but now help us optimize our health by delivering on the functional benefits of dairy."

For the final event, each founder will be presenting to an all-star judging panel of experts from across CPG, retail, venture capital and food science, featuring: Russell Barnett, Managing Director/CMO of My/Mochi Ice Cream, Donna Berry, Editor of the Daily Dose of Dairy, Heather Boyd, Managing Director, RTD of Beam Suntory, Chad Coester, SVP Own Brands at Albertsons Companies, Chris McCann, CEO of 1-800-Flowers.com, Julia Bello, Principal, Local Producer Loan Program at Whole Foods, John Talbot, CEO of the California Milk Advisory Board, and Adriano Torres, Senior Director Global Marketing, Dairy & Plant-Based Beverages at Coca-Cola.

"It's a tremendous honor to be a finalist in this years' RCM Excelerator program. With support and access to resources from CMAB, we're looking forward to securing distribution for sleep-friendly Nightfood ice cream sandwiches in hotel lobby shops across the country," said Nightfood Founder and CEO, Sean Folkson.

"We are so excited to make it to the finals, it was such a shock and means the world to us," said Sweetkiwi Founder and CEO Ehime Eigbe. "For a small brand that started in my kitchen, I cannot believe how far we have come. Thank you for the CMAB and VentureFuel for this amazing opportunity."

George T. Haymaker III, Founder and CEO of ReThink Ice Cream shared, "We're grateful to be moving onto the next stage of the CMAB/VentureFuel Dairy Innovation competition. In terms of what it means for our brand, more than anything it's validation that others (consumers and CPG experts) feel we are on the right track and have a product of value to offer consumers; that it fills a need not currently being filled by other brands. We are trying to make ice cream as healthy as possible, without taste and texture being negatively affected. We want all people, regardless of health circumstances or restrictions, to have access to a great-tasting, creamy and decadent ice cream experience."

Candace Wu, Co-Founder of Wonder Monday agreed, "We're thrilled to be moving on to the finals, and by the reception to our 1g net carb, no sugar added cheesecake. We loved hearing the reactions of the judges when they tried their first bite. We're glad that everyone loves cheesecake as much as we do! Thanks to CMAB and VentureFuel for giving us this fantastic opportunity."

California, known for innovation, has a reputation for quality dairy products. As the number one producer of fluid milk in the nation, California also leads the nation in sustainable dairy farming practices. More than 1,100 family dairy farms produce the California milk found in fluid milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, ice cream and other dairy products identified by the Real California Milk seal.

About the RCM Snackcelerator

The 2021 Real California Milk Excelerator taps into the thriving functional foods market  a market that has grown significantly over the past year and is projected to reach over $275 billion globally by 20251 and focused on early-stage, high-growth companies with a cow's milk-based product that plays a critical role in personal performance and/or recovery.

About Real California Milk/California Milk Advisory Board

The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB), an instrumentality of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, is funded by the state's dairy farm families who lead the nation in sustainable dairy farming practices. With a vision to nourish the world with the wholesome goodness of Real California Milk, the CMAB's programs focus on increasing demand for California's sustainable dairy products in the state, across the U.S. and around the world through advertising, public relations, research, and retail and foodservice promotional programs. For more information and to connect with the CMAB, visit RealCaliforniaMilk.com , Facebook , YouTube , Twitter , Instagram and Pinterest .

About VentureFuel, Inc.

Founded in 2014, VentureFuel is an independent innovation consultancy that builds innovation programs for industry leaders by unlocking the power of external innovation through startup collaboration. Its programs focus on changing behaviors and beliefs in order to unlock new sources of growth. We provide senior leaders with the tools to drive transformative change within their organizations by opening up their teams to new ways of working, products, services and routes to market. Learn more at: www.venturefuel.net, Linked-In, Twitter and Instagram. You can hear The VentureFuel Podcast on Apple, Spotify or Simplecast.

SOURCE California Milk Advisory Board
NEGEV, Israel, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Vova Even is happy to announce the launch of a free outsourcing course to help viewers master everything related to effective outsourcing and delegation of tasks for their business. This YouTube video series also features Barak Almog, an online business expert and the owner of SellerFrame.

This online course is available at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNrN6xFnz4NKRp9gGsCZMS4SY98zQCddJ .

Vova Even

"I am delighted to announce that my new outsourcing tutorial with SellerFrame's Barak Almog is now live on YouTube. These six videos will teach you everything you need to know to outsource and delegate tasks effectively. If you have concerns about outsourcing, this course will help you, and best of all, it's completely free," Even said.

The outsourcing training program is a combination of six videos discussing

How to outsource a business easily

Why most people fail at outsourcing and how to avoid these errors

How to easily hire the perfect virtual assistant

Tools for managing remote employees with live examples

How to delegate tasks effectively with live examples

How to build strong and long-lasting relationships with virtual assistants.

Barak Almog is an e-commerce entrepreneur, blogger and speaker. Through his business SellerFrame, he helps online businesses systematize and outsource their operations to the Philippines. Over the last four years, Almog has successfully served many Amazon FBA sellers, drop shippers, software development agencies, graphic designers, and lead generation agencies.

To find out more about Barak Almog and his expertise, please visit https://sellerframe.com/ .

Vova Even started his e-commerce career in 2016 as a private label Amazon seller. He has learned key lessons over the last five years and loves sharing his expertise with aspiring online sellers. His Amazon FBA courses have been instrumental in providing much-needed support to more than 10,000 students. Through his YouTube channel, Even shares Amazon FBA-related videos. This channel currently has more than 250 high-quality training videos.

Please visit Vova Even's YouTube channel at https://youtube.com/vovaeven for more free e-commerce and Amazon FBA tutorials.

Contact Name : Vladymyr Even

Contact Phone: +972546321630

Contact Email: [email protected]

About Easy Function

Hello! I am a seller on Amazon and a creator on YouTube. My goal is to intensify your knowledge, inner peace, and motivation through truly valuable content, so you can achieve your fullest potential in the aspects of life that really matter to you.

SOURCE Vova Even
WASHINGTON, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Friendship Place, the nonprofit leading the fight to end homelessness in the Washington, D.C. region, announced that it has been selected as a beneficiary of The Washington Post Helping Hand giving initiative. The designation follows a rigorous application process and provides the organization a three-year opportunity to be featured in high-impact, in-depth columns written by John Kelly, local columnist for The Washington Post.

"I am incredibly grateful to The Washington Post team for allowing us to bring awareness and resources to our work," says Friendship Place President & CEO Jean-Michel Giraud. "My staff and I eagerly look forward to reading John Kelly's columns about our programs and our participants' courageous journey from homelessness to housing."

The Washington Post Helping Hand was created to facilitate significant financial donations directly to nonprofit organizations in the Washington, D.C. area that work toward the prevention and remediation of hunger, homelessness, and poverty. Since its inception in 2014, the initiative has successfully raised $1.14 million. Each beneficiary of The Washington Post Helping Hand initiative will be covered from mid-November through mid-January annually for a three-year term.

To learn more about how your support makes a difference, visit friendshipplace.org.

About Friendship Place

Friendship Place is a leader in the Washington, D.C. region, in developing solutions to homelessness that have measurable results and a lasting impact. Using innovative, customized, person-focused programs, Friendship Place empowers participants to rebuild their lives, find homes, get jobs, and reconnect with friends, family and the community, permanently.

Media Contact

Yimka Odebode

Media, Marketing & Communications Director

Friendship Place

[email protected]

202-306-1958

SOURCE Friendship Place
DUBLIN, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Oleochemicals Market - Global Outlook & Forecast 2021-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The oleochemical market is expected to reach USD 38,577.16 million by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 5.74% during 2021-2026.



Oleochemical-based products provide various diversification opportunities for chemical companies. The shift towards global trends is expected to boost the oleochemicals industry.

To match the increasing demand from the consumers, the manufacturers are focusing on oleochemicals as renewable, sustainable alternatives to petrochemicals in the chemical industry. The growing acceptance of performance-oriented oleochemicals is driving the growth of the market.

OLEOCHEMICAL MARKET SEGMENTS

Type: The increase in spending on healthcare and rising awareness associated with the health consciousness of the people are boosting the demand for pharmaceutical products. The growing pharmaceutical industry demands more raw materials, excipients, and glycerin, resulting in the high growth of the whole oleochemicals industry.



Application: Oleochemicals in detergents are used to produce more lather and increasing cleansing properties. With the increasing concerns and environmental friendliness of oleochemicals, the manufacturers are promoting the adoption of oleochemicals across all detergents in the global market.



Raw Material: Tropical oils are healthy for consumption and use; this has encouraged manufacturers to adopt oleochemicals derived from tropical oil in multiple applications.

VENDOR ANALYSIS

Companies in the oleochemicals industry focus on mergers and acquisitions to strengthen their product portfolio and enter new markets. Regional players have started to expand their presence internationally to gain a high market share. Manufacturers are extensively investing in R&D to develop innovative products to get an edge over the competition.

For instance, Emery oleochemicals have expanded its distribution partnership with Omya Inc. The company provides technical support to Emery's US customers for Green Polymer additives products, such as lubricants and specialty plasticizers.

SNIPPETS

The growing demand for bio-based eco-friendly products is surging the growth of oleochemicals in multiple applications across North America .

. In recent years, tropical oils have been environmentally friendly and animal cruelty-free, gaining high traction in the global industry. The tropical oil market will grow at a faster rate during the forecast period.

The personal care sector is witnessing rapid growth in emerging economies such as China , India , and Latin American countries, which in turn, is fueling the demand for oleochemicals.

Key Vendors

BASF

Croda International plc

Evonik

Wilmar

Emery oleochemicals

Other Prominent Vendors

Cargill

Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad

Kao Corporation

Nouryon

Stepan

Eastman Chemical Company

Corbion

IOI Oleochemical

SABIC

Godrej Chemicals

Ecogreen Oleochemicals

Vantage Specialty Chemicals

Oleon Nv

Chemrez Technologies

JNJ Oleochemicals

Sakamoto Yakuhin Kogyo

Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM)

Terravia

P&G Chemicals

AkzoNobel

Key Topics Covered:



1 Research Methodology



2 Research Objectives



3 Research Process



4 Scope & Coverage

4.1 Market Definition

4.2 Base Year

4.3 Scope Of The Study



5 Report Assumptions & Caveats

5.1 Key Caveats

5.2 Currency Conversion

5.3 Market Derivation



6 Market at a Glance



7 Introduction

7.1 Overview

7.2 Impact Of Covid-19

7.3 Value Chain Of Oleochemicals



8 Growth Opportunity

8.1 By Type

8.2 By Raw Material

8.3 By Application

8.4 By Geography



9 Market Opportunities & Trends

9.1 Increasing Demand For Green Chemicals

9.2 Increasing Demand For Biodegradable Chemicals



10 Market Growth Enablers

10.1 Easy Availability Of Raw Materials

10.2 High Demand From Consumer Markets



11 Market Restraints

11.1 Challenges Regarding Feedstock Prices

11.2 Contamination In Animal Feed



12 Market Landscape

12.1 Market Overview

12.2 Market Size & Forecast

12.3 Five Forces Analysis



13 Type

13.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

13.2 Market Overview

13.3 Fatty Acids

13.4 Fatty Alcohols

13.5 Methyl Ester

13.6 Glycerin



14 Application

14.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

14.2 Market Overview

14.3 Soaps & Detergents

14.5 Personal Care & Cosmetics

14.6 Pharmaceuticals

14.7 Food & Beverage



15 Raw Material

15.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

15.2 Market Overview

15.3 Tropical Oils

15.4 Animal Oils

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/kqnik

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com


Globant is the first tech services company to create a Studio comprised of specialists in metaverse to help clients reinvent their digital spaces

Globant to host a panel on metaverse impact and opportunities on November 10th at its signature Converge event

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Globant (NYSE: GLOB), a digitally native company focused on reinventing business through innovative technology solutions, announced today the launch of the Globant Metaverse Studio , which will offer organizations a set of solutions and services to take advantage of the sphere of opportunities provided by this new space.

"The metaverse opens new digital spaces where companies can extend their presence, offering and creativity, maximizing customer and employee engagement. These new spaces will open the doors for the reinvention of how existing brands connect with their consumers, as well as the opportunity for a new breed of fully digital ones to grow their business," explained Martin Migoya, Globant CEO & Co-founder.

This new Studio will be able to leverage Globant's expertise on digitalization, media, gaming and blockchain to develop these experiences. Globally, more than 2000 skilled Globers will be working on projects related to the new studio, helping to build the tools, technologies, and strategies that will allow Globant's clients to reinvent themselves and emerge as industry leaders as this evolves.

"The metaverse is the next evolution of our society. Many brands have already been exploring the space and creating innovative experiences but we understand that companies need to have a holistic view into their existence within the metaverse to be successful. We want to help our clients rethink the consumer experience and reinvent their business models for the future," said Matias Rodriguez, VP of Technology of the Metaverse Studio.

To learn more about the metaverse, register to Converge, The Power of Reinvention that will take place virtually on November 10th | 12 PM EST. Cathy Hackl, CEO of Futures Intelligence Group and also known as The Godmother of Metaverse, Ted Schilowitz, Futurist at Paramount Pictures, and Kasper Weber, Co-Founder & CEO of BeyondCreative, will sit together to discuss the future of the metaverse, what it means for organizations and much more.

About Globant:

We are a digitally native company that helps organizations reinvent themselves to create a way forward and unleash their potential. We are the place where innovation, design and engineering meet scale.

We have more than 20,000 employees and we are present in 18 countries working for companies like Google, Rockwell Automation, Electronic Arts and Santander, among others.

We were named a Worldwide Leader in CX Improvement Services by IDC MarketScape report.

We were also featured as a business case study at Harvard , MIT , and Stanford.

, , and Stanford. We are members of the Green Software Foundation (GSF) and the Cybersecurity Tech Accord.

Contact: [email protected]

Sign up to get first dibs on press news and updates

For more information, visit www.globant.com

SOURCE Globant

Related Links

http://www.globant.com


WASHINGTON, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- GovernmentCIO (GovCIO), through its subsidiary Salient CRGT, has been awarded an $875 million Task Order (TO) supporting the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for Information Technology Infrastructure Modernization. This seven-year, single-award TO, named Bluestone, was awarded as a competitive order under the General Services Administration (GSA) Alliant 2 governmentwide acquisition contract vehicle. The TO was procured through FEDSIM using Alliant 2.

The United States (U.S.) Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is the world's leading drug law enforcement agency, and the only U.S. federal agency entirely dedicated to drug law enforcement. As a part of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the full range of DEA's drug law enforcement partnerships and activities have a global impact on disrupting the drug trade and organizations that use drug trafficking for profit. DEA has a presence in more than 350 domestic offices in 23 divisions within the U.S. and 92 foreign offices in 69 countries. DEA's operation and support activities are distributed across seven core business lines that include the following: Investigative, Financial, Forensic, Intelligence, Regulatory and Support Operations/Administration. DEA's Information Systems Division supports approximately 16,000 users.

Bluestone is an enterprise-level initiative to transform DEA's IT infrastructure and operating environment by establishing enterprise capabilities utilizing DevSecOps practices and incorporating a certified, agile-at-scale methodology. This enterprise approach will enable DEA to promptly respond to emerging needs with faster delivery, increased reliability, and minimal downtime. This initiative will modernize DEA's legacy IT systems and networks to enhance security, usability, and accessibility to better meet the business requirements of the DEA community.



As the prime contractor on Bluestone, GovCIO will continue to provide proven successful solutions and support to the DEA. Through this TO, GovCIO will provide DEA with a new enterprise-level capability comprising an integrated organization, innovation, operations, engineering services, solutions architecting, and associated software/hardware acquisition and asset management support to modernize the DEA IT infrastructure.

"Our agile and mission focused approach to Bluestone will provide the DEA with an integrated enterprise IT and operating environment that will feature DevSecOps practices and incorporate a certified, agile at scale methodology," said Jim Brabston, GovCIO CEO.

These modernization activities will also include evaluating and implementing commercially available cloud-based solutions and next-generation network options for future software application capabilities and network needs of the organization. The program will further provide the business analysis, development, implementation, enhancements, maintenance, user, and supporting ancillary services required to successfully manage and operate an integrated, agile organizational capability designed to better support DEA's critical mission needs.

"We are honored to partner with the DEA on this important transformation journey in support of their critical mission," said Rebecca Miller, Salient CRGT President of Health and Civilian Sector.

About GovCIO

GovCIO is a rapidly growing provider of advanced technology solutions and digital services to the federal government. In the 11 years since its founding, GovCIO has become a leading prime contractor supporting the mission of federal health agencies, including the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Health and Human Services, Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Homeland Security. GovCIO's core capabilities are in agile development, digital services, DevSecOps and IT modernization.

CONTACT:

Michael Hoffman

President, GovernmentCIO Media & Research

[email protected]

SOURCE GovernmentCIO

Related Links

http://www.governmentcio.com


CORONA, Calif., Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- GP Solutions (Ticker: GWPD), announced that GrowPods provide businesses, communities, farmers and non-profit organizations a way to grow healthy and clean food while reducing carbon footprints.

According to the World Resources Institute, agriculture plays in central role in carbon pollution.

Earlier this year, Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue called for innovation in reducing agricultural carbon emissions while increasing production.

GP Solutions heard the call for innovation and has introduced what some are calling "a revolution in agriculture."

One of the biggest contributors to global carbon pollution is food transportation. Over 95% of the lettuce and the majority of some other vegetables consumed in US markets are grown in California and Arizona and trucked long distances. According to reports, these trucks can emit as much as 9,033.2 lbs of CO2 getting this food to market.

GrowPods can help reduce the carbon footprint by bringing the farm closer to the point of consumption.

The World Resources Institute says a multi-pronged approach is necessary to reduce carbon emissions while simultaneously meeting rising demand for food, and increasing resilience to extreme weather. "A recurring theme in our research was the need to advance technological innovation," the organization reported.

"Growing and distributing vegetables locally is one of the most effective ways to lower our society's carbon footprint," said George Natzic, President of GP Solutions. "GrowPods can bring food where it's needed, reduce carbon emissions, and create economic opportunities."

GrowPods are also now available with additional methods to reduce carbon footprints, including solar power and other off-the-grid solutions.

For more information on GrowPods, or to find out how to start a farm near you, contact GP Solutions at: www.growpodsolutions, or call: (951) 549-9490.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release includes predictions or information considered "forward-looking" within securities laws. These statements represent Company's current judgments but are subject to uncertainties that could cause results to differ. Readers are cautioned to not place undue reliance on these statements, which reflect management's opinions only as of the date of this release. The Company is not obligated to revise any statements in light of new information or events.

SOURCE GP Solutions
MEXICO CITY, Oct. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Grupo Comercial Chedraui, S.A.B. de C.V. reports its 2021 third quarter results. All figures in this report are shown in nominal terms and reported in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).

Quarter Highlights:

9.1% same store sales increase in Mexico vs. ANTAD's 5.4% increase

7.5% consolidated EBITDA margin, +46.5% year on year, +11.7% on a comparable basis

40% consolidated Net Income increase YoY; +261% vs Q3'19

Close of Smart & Final acquisition on July 28, 2021

Proforma leverage ratio: 0.91x in Q3'21

CONSOLIDATED RESULTS FOR THE THIRD QUARTER 2021

The following chart summarizes the Income Statement in million pesos for the third quarter 2021. The margin for each figure represents its ratio to net sales as compared to the same period in 2020.



As reported

As reported

Comparable (1) MXN in millions Q3'20 % NS

Q3'21 % NS Var %

Q3'21 % NS Var % Net Sales 35,412 100.0%

52,473 100.0% 48.2%

36,779 100.0% 3.9% Gross Profit 8,148 23.0%

11,835 22.6% 45.3%

8,360 22.7% 2.6% Operating Income 1,694 4.8%

2,521 4.8% 48.8%

2,148 5.8% 26.8% EBITDA 2,677 7.6%

3,923 7.5% 46.5%

2,991 8.1% 11.7% Recurring EBITDA (2) 2,677 7.6%

4,206 8.0% 57.1%

2,991 8.1% 11.7% Net Income 640 1.8%

896 1.7% 40.0%

1,028 2.8% 60.6% Recurring Net Income (2) 640 1.8%

1,084 2.1% 69.4%

1,028 2.8% 60.6% (1) Comparable excludes the effect of the consolidation of the Smart & Final result (2) "Recurring" excludes one-time expenses related to the Smart & Final acquisition

Comments from Mr. Antonio Chedraui, CEO of Grupo Comercial Chedraui

"The great results for the third quarter of the year demonstrate once again the strength of our business model, and our ability to execute. In Mexico, we are achieving growth rates above the market thanks to our strong competitive advantages, while meeting our profitability goals. In the United States, during this quarter, we closed the acquisition of Smart & Final, an operation that complements our current formats and will allow us to reach a broader customer base. Today, we approach the integration of this new business determined to continue creating value for Chedraui and its shareholders."

For the full version, please click here.

Conference Call Information

Date

Thursday, October 28th, 2021

10:00 am (EST)

9:00 am (CST)

Dial-in

Operator-assisted US toll-free dial-in number: +1 877 353 7089

Operator-assisted Mexico dial-in number: +52 55 4742 9159

Operator-assisted Mexico dial-in number: +52 55 8526 1645

Operator-assisted Mexico dial-in number: +52 55 5980 3594

About Grupo Chedraui

Grupo Comercial Chedraui S.A.B. de C.V. trades on the Mexican Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "CHDRAUIB"; the Company as of September 30, 2021 was operating 710 stores in both Mexico and the US.

Contact:



Humberto Tafolla Nunez

Chief Financial Officer

Tel. + 52 (228) 8-42-11-10

[email protected]

Jesus Arturo Velazquez Diaz

Investor Relations

Tel. + 52 (228) 8-42-11-17

[email protected]

SOURCE Grupo Chedraui
AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- HackNotice , provider of the world's first habit-forming security awareness platform, now makes it effortless to monitor ransomware gangs. HackNotice customers can use interactive visuals and timelines to track each ransomware gang's hacks. Ransomware is a critical threat in every organization, making it essential for businesses to better understand these criminal groups.

Only HackNotice provides a single, safe environment to trace and track ransomware gang hacks. HackNotice instantly notifies its users about ransomware activities and is often the first to report on new hacks. For instance, the HackNotice team discovered that ransomware gang Ragnarok gave up and released a public decryptor on its website.

Ransomware is the most prominent threat organizations are facing now. Businesses can mitigate the risk of being victims by tracking, tracing, and reviewing ransomware exploits, to ensure no compromising data is exposed, leading to a security breach. HackNotice makes it easier for security teams to monitor the threats ransomware gangs pose on companies.

"We quickly realized how important this addition was to HackNotice users," said Steve Thomas, HackNotice CEO and Co-Founder. "Our customers were stunned at seeing the sheer amount of hacks caused by ransomware in real-time. Now, security teams can better understand the ransomware threat and prevent attacks before they occur." he continued.

Scraping the dark web can be dangerous if not done properly. HackNotice makes it easy for security teams to instantly know about ransomware gangs and their latest exploits and take swift, calculated actions that can significantly reduce damage to the company. Additionally, the platform provides a ransomware timelapse, showing how the different ransomware groups have grown and new ones taking the top spot.

About HackNotice

HackNotice is a security awareness platform that helps organizations build a security culture by building strong security habits with each employee. The platform increases security awareness in companies through real-time alerts, around-the-clock monitoring, and actionable recovery recommendations. Building an average of six security habits per employee, HackNotice provides employees with the information and actions they need to protect their digital identities. Founded in 2018, HackNotice is located in Austin, TX. For more information, visit www.hacknotice.com .

SOURCE HackNotice

Related Links

https://hacknotice.com


SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Health at Scale , the market leader in machine intelligence for value-based care delivery, today announced a partnership with HealthComp , the nation's largest independent health plan administrator for self-funded employer groups, to protect against low-value care and drive optimal use of health care resources. Through the partnership, HealthComp's employer clients will have access to Health at Scale's industry-leading artificial intelligence and machine learning-powered fraud, waste and abuse detection platform to identify low-value services during prior authorization and pre-pay before they are delivered or paid.

Low-value care services contribute to over $345 billion annually in wasteful health spending. These services provide little or no benefit, incur unnecessary costs, waste limited resources and have the potential to cause harm. Eliminating low-value care is critical to optimizing health care outcomes and spend but has traditionally been difficult to accomplish using rules-based systems that are manually intensive to develop and maintain, limited to detecting patterns of low-value care that are obvious and known, and affected by high rates of false positives and false negatives.

Health at Scale's machine intelligence goes beyond rules-based systems and identifies low-value care with a deep, clinically-nuanced understanding of the patient, provider, time and setting of care for each service  flagging fraud, waste and abuse with unprecedented accuracy and actionability in real-time, and self-learning new patterns of low-value care as they emerge.

"Low-value care is an existential challenge for the health care industry," said Zeeshan Syed, CEO of Health at Scale. "With access to care increasingly limited, costs continuing to rise, and members being asked to pay more out-of-pocket, health plans are right to be concerned about wasting resources on unnecessary services that provide no benefit and often pose harm. Our technology has shown the ability to solve what has been a hard problem for decades, through breakthrough advances in machine intelligence. We are delighted to be working with HealthComp to bring this innovative capability to its employers and to support its mission of transforming benefits and changing lives for the members it serves."

"Our in-house Fraud, Waste, and Abuse (FW&A) team has long been seeking a partner that goes beyond traditional rules- and outlier-based analytics" Justin Tran, SVP of Medical Cost Management at HealthComp. "Better predictive analytics means higher hit rates, improved provider experience, and increased capacity for us to review long-tail claims. Our work with Health at Scale showed us we could do exactly that. The AI looks at exhaustive provider behavior patterns with member longitudinal context. HealthComp's multi-disciplinary team of clinicians, coders, benefits experts, and special investigators create water-tight cases with every savings approach on the table. The client sees results: hard dollar savings ahead of industry."

About Health at Scale

Health at Scale is a health care machine intelligence company that uses proprietary advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning to match individuals to the next best action in real-time and when needed most: whether it's the ideal choice of treatment, an early intervention, or the right provider. Founded by machine learning and clinical faculty from MIT, Harvard, Stanford, and the University of Michigan, the company's mission is to bring precision delivery to healthcare, learning from thousands of health variables from over a hundred million lives to generate personalized and precise insights for individual patients. Health at Scale's machine intelligence is deployed at scale in real operational settings--including with some of the largest payers in the country, driving better health outcomes and affordability for its customers. The company's software solutions service a broad range of use cases: provider navigation and network design, early targeted prediction and prevention of adverse outcomes, optimized treatment planning; and fraud, waste and abuse prevention. For more information, please visit https://healthatscale.com/.

About HealthComp

HealthComp, a New Mountain Capital company, is the nation's largest independent health plan administrator for self-funded employer groups, serving over 700,000 medical members and 1.3 million total members. Our solution brings together concierge-level service, best-in-class operations, powerful analytics and expert medical cost management and integrates seamlessly with any benefit ecosystem. The result is an industry-leading experience that delivers better clinical outcomes for our members and higher savings for our book of business. For more information about HealthComp, visit https://healthcomp.com/.

SOURCE Health at Scale Corporation

Related Links

https://healthatscale.com


WACO, Texas, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hello Bello, the leading brand of premium, yet affordable baby and family care products, celebrated the grand opening of the company's first US diaper factory in Waco, Texas on Tuesday, October 26. The official ribbon cutting ceremony was attended by co-founders Kristen Bell, Dax Shepard, Sean Kane, Jay McGraw and Jennifer Pullen alongside Waco Mayor Dillon Meek.

The factory's official opening establishes Hello Bello as the only independent diaper company in the US to manufacture their own diapers from design to delivery. The custom, state-of-the-art 312,000 square-feet integrated facility was brought to life by Waco hometown heroes Chip and Joanna Gaines' Magnolia design team who assisted on general design, staging and visual merchandising for the space.

"We started this company with a simple mission to provide access to premium products for all; ensuring that parents never have to sacrifice on quality or choose between their baby or their budget," said Kristen Bell. "By having this extraordinary (and very colorful) factory, we will be able to reduce our carbon footprint, create US jobs, provide superior quality control and produce a best-in-class product for all families. We are so grateful."

This new diaper distribution and manufacturing factory represents Hello Bello's multi-million dollar investment in U.S. manufacturing. Creating nearly 200 new jobs for the region, the made-in-the-USA factory will provide greater sustainability (in production and distribution), best-in-class quality control and will keep costs low for the consumer. The decision to open and operate in Waco is based on the location's central geography for its direct-to-consumer customers, retail and premium supply partners; providing logistical efficiencies and significant reduction in freight. Hello Bello plans to source a majority of raw materials from local and regional premium U.S. supply partners which will improve reliability, flexibility and cost efficiency, ultimately improving the company's overall carbon footprint.

"As a Texas native, it brings me great pride to celebrate the opening of our new Waco factory and to bring a piece of Hello Bello to the region," said Sean Kane, co-CEO Hello Bello. "From the beginning we set out to design the absolute best diaper on the market that's both premium, affordable and accessible to all families. Opening our new diaper factory and distribution center here, means we can deliver even more on our brand promise."

Hello Bello, known for its premium and affordable products, manufactures and distributes over 100 family essentials, including diapers, wipes, toiletries, cleaning supplies, seasonal goods and more to leading retailers across North America, including Walmart.

Hello Bello's location into greater Waco represents a regional economic development collaboration between Waco and McLennan County, both partnering to provide incentive support of the project based upon the company's job creation and capital investment commitments.

Assets for the factory opening can be found here .

About Hello Bello:

Hello Bello, launched in February 2019, makes premium and affordable baby products designed to eliminate the choice many parents have to make  deciding between what's best for their kids and what's best for their budget. From diapers, shampoo, and sunscreen to organic multivitamins, laundry detergent, refillable cleaners, towels and bedding Hello Bello's products are carefully crafted with babies, parents, and the planet in mind. Hello Bello was co-founded by Kristen Bell, Dax Shepard, Sean Kane, Jay McGraw and Jennifer Pullen. For more information, please visit https://hellobello.com/ or follow @hellobello on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and @myhellobello on Pinterest.

About Greater Waco:

Greater Waco, located in McLennan County, Texas, along the Interstate 35 corridor is home to more than 14,000 companies, 270,000 people and a regional workforce of approximately 330,000. Greater Waco's centralized location, with access to Dallas and Austin (90 miles) and Houston and San Antonio (185 miles), makes it a regional center of economic activity and an ideal community for businesses and individuals.

Since 2006, Greater Waco has seen nearly $2 billion in new industrial capital investments and more than $750 million in riverfront and downtown development, making it an attractive place to live, work and play. Greater Waco is landscaped with top-rated higher educational institutions, including Baylor University, McLennan Community College, Texas State Technical College  Waco, Tarleton State University and Texas Tech University at Waco representing 30,000 students.

The Greater Waco Chamber leads economic development efforts for the area focusing on talent development and targeting six key industries for growth: Advanced Manufacturing, Aerospace and Defense, Health Care, Innovation, Professional and Financial Services and Supply Chain Management.

For more information, visit WacoChamber.com.

SOURCE Hello Bello

Related Links

https://hellobello.com/


HUB Wins Retirement Plan Business for the National Association of Manufacturers Retirement Plan Tweet this

According to recent research, 83% of small-to-medium sized businesses see retirement plan offerings as essential to attract and retain employees, and another 58% say employee benefits can help improve workplace productivity. As the sector continues to deal with record job openings, the Manufacturers Retirement & Savings Plan can help manufacturers improve the bottom line by attracting and retaining talented employees while providing employees with security for their retirement.

"Manufacturers want their employees to feel safe and secure about their financial well-being and to have confidence that they will be able to retire when they are ready," said Jay Timmons, President of NAM. "But operating a 401(k) plan can be challengingespecially for smaller companies. We can help with thisI'm proud that the National Association of Manufacturers now offers our members access to best-in-class benefits for their teams."

Principal, one of the U.S.'s largest retirement solutions providers, and National Benefit Services, LLC, a well recognized 3(16) and third-party administrator, are the service providers for the plan. Hub, through its wholly owned registered investment advisor (RIA), Global Retirement Partners, LLC, is the independent 3(38) investment fiduciary overseeing investments and will assist the NAM with distribution to its members. In addition, Hub has over 20,000 manufacturing clients that will complement this offering to those that need access to coverage.

About Hub Retirement and Private Wealth

HUB Retirement and Private Wealth ("RPW") offers institutional and retirement services to for-profit and not-for-profit organizations and customized private wealth management services to individuals and families. Employees of HUB International offer securities through partner Broker Dealers not affiliated with HUB. Employees of HUB provide advisory services through both affiliated and unaffiliated Registered Investment Advisors (RIA). Global Retirement Partners, LLC, Millennium Advisory Services, Inc, TCG Advisors, Hub Investment Advisors, LLC, HUB International Investment Advisory Services, Inc, and Sheridan Road Advisors, LLC are wholly owned subsidiaries of HUB International. Learn more about HUB Retirement and Private Wealth.

About Hub International

Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Hub International Limited is a leading full-service global insurance broker and financial services firm providing risk management, insurance, employee benefits, retirement and wealth management products and services. With more than 13,000 employees in offices located throughout North America, Hub's vast network of specialists brings clarity to a changing world with tailored solutions and unrelenting advocacy, so clients are ready for tomorrow. For more information, please visit www.hubinternational.com.

1 Principal Well-Being Index, Q1 and Q2, 2021.

CONTACT:

Media: Marni Gordon

Phone: 312-279-4601

[email protected]

SOURCE Hub International Limited

Related Links

www.hubinternational.com


SEATTLE, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- JND Legal Administration, the Court-appointed Settlement Administrator, reports that a proposed class action settlement that has been reached in the case captioned Martinelli v. Johnson & Johnson, et al., Case No. 2: 15-cv-01733-MCE-DB (E.D. Cal.). You have the right to know about your rights and options.

What is this about? The lawsuit alleges that Johnson & Johnson and McNeil Nutritionals, LLC ("Defendants") misrepresented the trans fat content of Benecol Regular and Light Spreads ("Benecol Spreads") by labeling them as containing "No Trans Fats" when they contain trans fat through the use of partially hydrogenated oils. Defendants deny the allegations and contend that the label is not misleading and clearly identified that the product contained insignificant amounts of Trans Fats. To avoid the cost, risk, and delay of litigation, Plaintiff JoAnn Martinelli ("Plaintiff") and Defendants agreed to a Settlement.

Who is affected? All persons who purchased Benecol Spreads in the United States between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2011 for personal use.

What does the Settlement provide? Defendants have agreed to pay up to $2 million to be used to pay benefits to eligible Class Members, attorneys' fees and expenses (not to exceed one-third of the Settlement amount), administration costs, and the Class Representative Incentive Award ($7,500). Class Members who submit a timely and valid Claim Form may receive (1) a full refund for each tub of Benecol Spreads purchased between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2011 for which a Proof of Purchase is provided, or (2) $5.00 each for up to four (4) tubs of Benecol Spreads purchased during the same time period without a Proof of Purchase. Payments are subject to a pro rata reduction if the total value of all Valid Claims exceeds the $2 million after the payment of attorneys' fees and expenses, administration costs, and the Incentive Award.

How do I file a claim? Go to www.BenecolSettlement.com to file or download a Claim Form. You can also write: Benecol Spreads Settlement, c/o JND Legal Administration, P.O. Box 91426, Seattle, WA 98111, or email: [email protected]. All Claim Forms must be submitted online or postmarked by February 25, 2022.

What are my other options? Do Nothing: If you do nothing, you will not get any money or benefits from the Settlement; you will be legally bound by all orders and judgments of the Court; and you won't be able to sue, or continue to sue, Defendants as part of any other lawsuit involving the same claims that are in this lawsuit. Exclude Yourself: If you ask to be excluded from the Class, you cannot get any money or benefits from the Settlement, but you will keep any rights to sue Defendants for these claims, and will not be bound by any orders or judgments of the Court. Object: If you do not exclude yourself from the Settlement, you may object to it or tell the Court what you don't like about the settlement. Exclusions and objections must be postmarked by January 26, 2022. For details about your rights and options and how to exclude yourself or object, go to www.BenecolSettlement.com .

What's next? The Court will hold a Final Approval Hearing on March 24, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time to consider whether to approve the Settlement, attorneys' fees and expenses, and the Incentive Award. The Court has appointed Bursor & Fisher, P.A. as Class Counsel. Class Counsel will answer any questions that the Court may have. You may hire your own lawyer to appear in Court, but you don't have to.

Questions? Visit www.BenecolSettlement.com , call 1-888-921-1531, or write: Benecol Spread Settlement, c/o JND Legal Administration, P.O. Box 91426, Seattle, WA 98111. You may also contact Class Counsel by email at [email protected]

SOURCE JND Legal Administration
STOCKHOLM, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Capital injection initiates a new phase of accelerated expansion

Third quarter (July-September 2021)

Revenues amounted to SEK 45.2 (34.1) million, an increase of 32%. Adjusted for currency effects revenues increased by 36%.

(34.1) million, an increase of 32%. Adjusted for currency effects revenues increased by 36%. EBITDA amounted to SEK 1.2 (-3.1) million with an EBITDA margin of 3% (-9%).

(-3.1) million with an EBITDA margin of 3% (-9%). Operating profit amounted to SEK -10.7 (-14.3) million.

(-14.3) million. Net loss for the period amounted to SEK -10.8 (-16.1) million. Earnings per share amounted to SEK -0.31 (-0.48).

(-16.1) million. Earnings per share amounted to (-0.48). Cash flow from operating activities amounted to SEK 14.3 (-3.3) million, corresponding to SEK 0.41 (-0.10) per share.

Nine-month period (January-September 2021)

Revenues amounted to SEK 133.0 (130.5) million, an increase of 2%. Adjusted for currency effects revenues increased by 10%.

(130.5) million, an increase of 2%. Adjusted for currency effects revenues increased by 10%. EBITDA amounted to SEK 4.9 (21.8) million, with an EBITDA margin of 4% (17%).

(21.8) million, with an EBITDA margin of 4% (17%). Operating profit amounted to SEK -30.4 (-11.2) million.

(-11.2) million. Net loss for the period amounted to SEK -33.4 (-27.6) million. Earnings per share amounted to SEK -0.95 (-0.82).

(-27.6) million. Earnings per share amounted to (-0.82). Cash flow from operating activities amounted to SEK 18.9 (-3.2) million, corresponding to SEK 0.54 (-0.10) per share.

Key events during the third quarter

The Board of Bactiguard appointed Anders Goransson as new CEO from 1 October.

Through a directed new share issue to AMF, Bactiguard received approximately SEK 228 million in new capital before transaction costs.

in new capital before transaction costs. Carl Johan Fredin was recruited to the role of Chief Licensing Officer and took up the position in October.

was recruited to the role of Chief Licensing Officer and took up the position in October. Aniocyn, the wound care product for animals, has been launched and is now available in Sweden , Norway and Finland .

, and . Bactiguard's contract for wound care products with the public sector in Malaysia was extended by another year with increased volumes.

Key events after the end of the third quarter

New clinical study shows 53% reduction in ventilator-associated pneumonia with Bactiguard's endotracheal tube

COVID-19 effects

The global roll-out of vaccines and fewer new covid cases have gradually had a positive effect on the return to a more normal situation for healthcare in most regions. During the third quarter, we saw a continued stabilization of license revenues from BD. At the same time, a global healthcare backlog has been built up and must be managed. In this perspective, we see a great need for infection prevention, which is positive for both the licensing and BIP business. However, near term developments remain difficult to assess, as new virus outbreaks cannot be ruled out.

CEO comments the third quarter

Capital injection initiates a new phase of accelerated expansion

We saw an increase in license revenue from BD during the quarter and the rollout of Zimmer Biomet's orthopedic trauma implants (ZNN Bactiguard) is underway in Europe. At the same time, the intensity of the dialogues with potential new license partners has increased  which is a clear token that infection prevention has never been more important and that Bactiguard's technology is effective.

Sales of BIP products are still affected by the pandemic, but we have seen a recovery during this year. Compared to the third quarter of 2020 when the impact was greatest, we see a clear improvement. The level of activity in our regions has increased significantly which is a good sign.

With the capital injection of SEK 228 million before transaction costs from AMF, we have the financial strength we need to continue developing the company and accelerate growth. Bactiguard is today stronger than ever and on its way into a new, exciting growth phase.

The license business

Revenues from Becton, Dickinson & Company (BD) have gradually recovered since the second half of 2020, when the pandemic hit healthcare the hardest. During the third quarter, we saw an increase that reflects that BD's sales have now returned to more normal levels and that they need slightly larger safety margins. The underlying licensing business with BD is stable and we are back at the annual level that prevailed before the pandemic.

The collaboration with Zimmer Biomet continues to develop very positively. In Italy and South Africa, among others, the first patients have already undergone surgery with Zimmer Natural Nail (ZNN) Bactiguard implants. The launch is in progress in Spain, the United Kingdom and Germany, among others, and the product registration process in the US has intensified. The large clinical study that Zimmer Biomet has decided to carry out to further strengthen evidence that the Bactiguard technology reduces postoperative infections will be initiated this autumn.

As ZNN Bactiguard gradually reaches more patients, Bactiguard's license revenues will increase. The need for implants that reduce healthcare-associated infections is growing globally. I therefore see that the collaboration with Zimmer Biomet, one of the world's leading medical technology companies, will create new opportunities for Bactiguard and expand our licensing business considerably going forward.

BIP wound care products launched in Europe

Sales of our own portfolio for infection prevention (BIP products) continued to be negatively affected by the pandemic, although we see a positive recovery in compared with the third quarter last year. The healthcare sector in most regions is gradually returning to more normal activity levels, but there is still uncertainty about possible new outbreaks of the coronavirus. In countries and regions where we have our own sales force, Sweden, India, the Middle East and Malaysia, the level of activity has increased significantly. Our assessment is that demand for BIP products will increase with an improvement in the pandemic situation.

The acquisition of Malaysian Vigilenz (now Bactiguard Southeast Asia) in February 2020 has expanded Bactiguard's product portfolio with new effective products for wound care and infection prevention. In 2021, we have established several new collaborations with leading pharmacy chains and distributors in infection prevention in Spain, Sweden and Germany, among others. In Sweden, the wound care and animal care products are already available to consumers, and we have received good response from the market. In Germany and Spain, the launch is somewhat delayed due to the pandemic, and we expect sales to pick up early next year.

New strong clinical data for Bactiguard's technology

At the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine congress in October, primary data from a new study were presented which show that Bactiguard's endotracheal tubes reduce the risk for seriously ill intensive care patients to catch pneumonia by over 50 percent. This strengthens our clinical evidence in yet another application area.

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a serious complication that can affect intubated patients who are supported by a ventilator. During the pandemic, data from several countries have shown that the risk of VAP has increased. A recently published study in the US shows that all major types of healthcare-associated infections increased in 2020, with VAP increasing by almost 45%. This is serious as VAP leads to extended care time, increased costs and most importantly the risk of increased mortality.

The result of Bactiguard's new study is an important reinforcement of the already extensive clinical evidence and supports a broader implementation of Bactiguard's technology.

The right prerequisites for expansion through strengthened management and new share issue

In September, a directed new issue was carried out to the Swedish pension fund AMF, which provided Bactiguard with SEK 228 million in new capital before transaction costs. This gives us the financial strength to make new investments in the marketing, sales and licensing organization and to improve our operational capacity, in order to accelerate growth.

Over the past twelve months, Bactiguard has strengthened the team and expanded group management. The recent recruitment of Carl Johan Fredin as Chief Licensing Officer means that we put even more focus on the growing licensing business and the strong interest we encounter in our technology. Today, the number of license discussions is record high and the target of signing 1-2 new license deals per year remains unchanged.

Major global need for Bactiguard's technology

During my first month, I have had the privilege of meeting and listening to our licensing partners, healthcare professionals and patients and how they perceive our products. I have also had the opportunity to personally meet all the teams in both Sweden and Malaysia to discuss infection prevention and our passion to save lives. I can therefore rightly say that Bactiguard is very well positioned and that the need for infection prevention has never been greater. The pandemic has even more clearly put focus on the problem of antibiotic resistance and healthcare-associated infections. Bactiguard and our unique technology thus have an important role to play.

I am proud and happy to lead Bactiguard in this exciting phase of the company's development. We are now investing to accelerate growth and take Bactiguard to the next level.

To conclude, I would like to thank my predecessor Cecilia Edstrom for her significant contributions to Bactiguard. Cecilia has strengthened the organization, established new strategic licensing partnerships, and built a broader and stronger platform for continued expansion. It is reassuring that Cecilia continues to support Bactiguard in her new role as senior advisor and active member of the board.

Anders Goransson, CEO

The interim report for Bactiguard Holding AB (publ) for the period July  September 2021 is available as a PDF at www.bactiguard.com.

This information is information that Bactiguard Holding AB (publ) is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out below 2021-10-28, at 08:00.

For further information, please contact:

Gabriella Bjorknert Caracciolo, CFO and deputy CEO, mobile: +46 72 141 62 49

Presentation of Q3

An audiocast for investors, analysts and media will be held at 10:00 CET today, where CEO Anders Goransson and CFO Gabriella Bjorknert Caracciolo will present the interim report and answer questions.

The report and a presentation for the webcast will be available at Bactiguard's website www.bactiguard.com

To participate in the webcast, please use this link: https://tv.streamfabriken.com/bactiguard-q3-2021

To participate only by conference call, dial: SE: +46850558358 UK: +443333009273 US: +16467224904

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/bactiguard-holding-ab--publ-/r/interim-report-for-q3-2021,c3441988

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/9686/3441988/1487482.pdf Interim Report Q3 Bactiguard Holding AB (publ) https://mb.cision.com/Public/9686/3441988/b2fbb5a090588b29.pdf Press release Q3 2021 Bactiguard Holding AB publ

SOURCE Bactiguard Holding AB (publ)
Atlanta patient advocate Jameca Barrett was diagnosed with myeloma, a cancer of the blood plasma cells, when she was just 26. The average age of onset of the disease is 70, but is 66 in African Americans. At first, she says, "I felt overwhelmed." But she quickly became educated about the disease. "Your wellness teamespecially your primary care physician and oncologisthave the knowledge that will guide you towards what is best for you, and what isn't," she points out.

Barrett joined an Atlanta myeloma support group, and before long, she became an active advocate for policies that impact cancer patients. She will be a featured panelist at the virtual November 13th M-Power Atlanta Community Workshop (register here to attend), sharing her personal story to help raise awareness about the elevated risk of myeloma in the African-American community.

A cancer of the blood plasma cells that will strike more than 30,000 adults in the U.S. this year, myeloma is the most common blood cancer in African Americans and is more than twice as common in people of African descent as in other races and ethnicities. But the good news is that early detection and access to treatment can improve survival.

M-Power's key message? Getting a myeloma diagnosis as early as possible and treating the disease before it progresses is the best way to improve survival, says Dr. Joseph Mikhael, Chief Medical Officer of the IMF.

"The latest research data show that African-American myeloma patients do well when barriers to early diagnosis and treatment are eliminated," says Dr. Mikhael. "These findings have been our organization's call to action to raise awareness."

According to Dr. Mikhael, doctors do not typically check people for myeloma during a regular visit because currently there are no national screening recommendations for myeloma. Complicating a myeloma diagnosis is that some of the disease's early symptomsback pain, extreme fatigue, recurring infections, worsening shortness of breathare similar to those of other conditions.

"That's why it is so important for African Americans to learn about the early symptoms of myeloma and let their doctors know that they are at higher risk for the disease during regular check-ups."

At the workshop, Jameca Barrett will compare her myeloma journey to the process of navigating MARTA, Atlanta's public transportation system. "With the right map," she says, "you'll be your best medical care advocate. But you can't always do it alone. So you need to ask for help."

ATTEND A FREE, VIRTUAL MYELOMA WORKSHOP

To spread the word about the risk and impact of multiple myeloma in the African-American community, the IMF is presenting a free, virtual myeloma workshop Saturday, November 13, 10 a.m. ET:

Register now for a free myeloma education workshop featuring a panel of leading experts, including Dr. Ajay K. Nooka and Charise Gleason , MSN, NP-C, AOCNP (both from Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University ), Dr. Joseph Mikhael , and patient advocate Jameca Barrett . Topics will include: Myeloma Made Simple, Managing Symptoms and Side Effects, and Race Matters in Myeloma Care and Survival.

ABOUT MULTIPLE MYELOMA

Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the bone marrow plasma cellswhite blood cells that make antibodies. A cancerous or malignant plasma cell is called a myeloma cell. Myeloma is called "multiple" because there are frequently multiple patches or areas in bone where it grows. It can appear as both a tumor and/or an area of bone loss, and it affects the places where bone marrow is active in an adult: the hollow area within the bones of the spine, skull, pelvis, rib cage, and the areas around the shoulders and hips.

ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL MYELOMA FOUNDATION

Founded in 1990, the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) is the first and largest foundation focusing specifically on multiple myeloma. The Foundation's reach extends to more than 525,000 members in 140 countries worldwide. The IMF is dedicated to improving the quality of life of myeloma patients while working toward prevention and a cure by focusing on four key areas: research, education, support, and advocacy. The IMF has conducted more than 250 educational seminars worldwide, maintains a world-renowned InfoLine, and in 2001, established the International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG), a collaborative research initiative focused on improving myeloma treatment options for patients. In 2012, the IMF launched the Black Swan Research Initiative, a groundbreaking research project aimed at curing myeloma. The IMF can be reached at (800) 452-CURE (2873). The global website is www.myeloma.org. Follow the IMF on Twitter @IMFmyeloma.

Contact: Debra Gendel, IMF

[email protected]

310.710.1903

Contact: Sapna Kumar, IMF

[email protected]

818.487.7455 ext. 258

SOURCE International Myeloma Foundation

Related Links

http://www.myeloma.org


MEMPHIS, Tenn., Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- International Paper Company (NYSE: IP) (the "Company") announced today that it has commenced a cash tender offer (the "Offer") for up to $500 million aggregate principal amount (the "Aggregate Maximum Amount") of its outstanding 5.000% Notes due 2035 (the "5.000% Notes"), 5.150% Notes due 2046 (the "5.150% Notes"), 4.80% Notes due 2044 (the "4.80% Notes"), 6.00% Notes due 2041 (the "6.00% Notes"), 4.400% Notes due 2047 (the "4.400% Notes) and the 4.350% Notes due 2048 (the "4.350% Notes," and, together with the 5.000% Notes, the 5.150% Notes, the 4.80% Notes, the 6.00% Notes and the 4.400% Notes, the "Notes"). The terms and conditions of the Offer are described in the Company's offer to purchase dated October 28, 2021 (as may be amended or supplemented from time to time, the "Offer to Purchase").

In the Offer, the Company is offering to purchase, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase, its 5.000% Notes, 5.150% Notes, 4.80% Notes, 6.00% Notes, 4.400% Notes and 4.350% Notes as summarized in the table below, which sets forth certain information regarding the Notes and the Offer:

Title of Security CUSIP Principal Amount

Outstanding Acceptance

Priority

Level Reference U.S. Treasury

Security Bloomberg

Reference

Page Fixed

Spread

(basis points) Early

Tender

Premium

(per $1,000)(1) 5.000% Notes due 2035 460146 CM3 $600,000,000 1 1.250% due August 15, 2031 FIT1 120 bps $50 5.150% Notes due 2046 460146 CN1 $694,500,000 2 2.375% due May 15, 2051 FIT1 105 bps $50 4.80% Notes due 2044 460146 CK7 $747,945,000 3 1.750% due August 15, 2041 FIT1 105 bps $50 6.00% Notes due 2041 460146 CH4 $585,000,000 4 1.750% due August 15, 2041 FIT1 110 bps $50 4.400% Notes due 2047 460146 CQ4 $648,174,000 5 2.375% due May 15, 2051 FIT1 100 bps $50 4.350% Notes due 2048 460146 CS0 $744,052,000 6 2.375% due May 15, 2051 FIT1 100 bps $50















(1) Upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase, an early tender premium (the "Early Tender Premium") will be paid to holders of Notes who validly tender, and do not validly withdraw, their Notes at or before the Early Tender Deadline (as defined below). For each series of Notes, the applicable Total Consideration (as defined below) will be calculated taking into account the par call date (rather than the maturity date) for such series. An overview of the calculation of the Total Consideration (including the applicable par call date) is set forth under the Offer to Purchase.

The aggregate principal amount of Notes purchased in the Offer will not exceed the Aggregate Maximum Amount. Tendered Notes will be accepted in the order of the acceptance priority level for such series (in numerical priority order) as set forth in the table above, with 1 being the highest acceptance priority level, and based on whether the Notes are tendered at or before the Early Tender Deadline or after the Early Tender Deadline, as described in the Offer to Purchase. Notwithstanding the acceptance priority level, if any Notes are purchased in the Offer, Notes tendered at or prior to the Early Tender Deadline will be accepted for purchase in priority to Notes tendered after the Early Tender Deadline and at or prior to the Expiration Time (as defined below). Accordingly, if the Aggregate Maximum Amount is reached in respect of tenders made at or prior to the Early Tender Deadline, no Notes tendered after the Early Tender Deadline (regardless of acceptance priority level) will be accepted for purchase, unless we increase the Aggregate Maximum Amount. Under certain circumstances, Notes accepted for purchase in the Offer may be subject to proration, so that the aggregate principal amount of Notes accepted for purchase in the Offer will not exceed the Aggregate Maximum Amount.

The Offer will expire at 11:59 p.m., New York City time, on November 26, 2021 unless extended (such date and time, as the same may be extended, the "Expiration Time") or earlier terminated. Holders of Notes must validly tender and not validly withdraw their Notes at or before 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on November 10, 2021, unless extended (such date and time, as the same may be extended, the "Early Tender Deadline") to be eligible to receive the Total Consideration for the applicable series of Notes. Any Notes tendered before the Early Tender Deadline may be withdrawn at any time at or prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on November 10, 2021, unless extended (such date and time, as the same may be extended, the "Withdrawal Deadline").

Holders of Notes that are validly tendered and not validly withdrawn at or before the Early Tender Deadline, and that are accepted for purchase will receive the applicable Total Consideration for such Notes, subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase. Holders of Notes that are validly tendered after the Early Tender Deadline and at or before the Expiration Time and accepted for purchase will receive the applicable Tender Consideration for such Notes, which equals the Total Consideration for Notes of such series minus the applicable Early Tender Premium for the applicable series, subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase (the "Tender Consideration").

The date of payment for Notes validly tendered at or before the Early Tender Deadline and accepted for purchase is referred to as the "Early Settlement Date." The date of payment for Notes validly tendered after the Early Tender Deadline and at or before the Expiration Time and accepted for purchase is referred to as the "Final Settlement Date." The Early Settlement Date is expected to be November 15, 2021 and the Final Settlement Date is expected to be November 30, 2021. The Early Settlement Date and the Final Settlement Date are each referred to as a "Settlement Date." Holders whose Notes are accepted for purchase pursuant to the Offer will also receive accrued and unpaid interest on their purchased Notes from the last interest payment date for such Notes to, but excluding, the Early Settlement Date or the Final Settlement Date, as applicable ("Accrued Interest").

The "Total Consideration" for each $1,000 principal amount of Notes tendered and accepted for payment pursuant to the Offer will be determined in the manner described in the Offer to Purchase by reference to the applicable fixed spread specified in the table above for a series of the Notes over the yield based on the bid-side price of the applicable Reference U.S. Treasury Security specified in the table above, as calculated by BBVA Securities Inc. and Citigroup Global Markets Inc. at 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on November 12, 2021, unless extended (the "Price Determination Time").

Notes tendered may be validly withdrawn at any time at or before the Withdrawal Deadline, but not thereafter, except in certain limited circumstances where additional withdrawal rights are required by law (as determined by the Company). Notes tendered after the Withdrawal Deadline may not be withdrawn except in certain limited circumstances where additional withdrawal rights are required by law (as determined by the Company).

The Offer is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase.

The Company has retained Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and BBVA Securities Inc. to serve as Lead Dealer Managers for the Offer. The Company has also retained Global Bondholder Services Corporation to serve as depositary and information agent for the Offer.

Requests for documents relating to the Offer may be directed to Global Bondholder Services Corporation by telephone at (866) 807-2200 or (212) 430-3774, in writing at 65 Broadway, Suite 404, New York, New York 10006 or online at https://www.gbsc-usa.com/ip/. Questions regarding the Offer may be directed to BBVA Securities Inc. at 1345 Avenue of the Americas, 44th Floor, New York, New York 10105, Attn: Liability Management, Toll-free: (800) 422-8692, email: [email protected] or Citigroup Global Markets Inc. at 388 Greenwich Street, Trading 4th Floor, New York, New York 10013, Attn: Liability Mgt. Group, Toll-free: (800) 558-3745, Collect: (212) 723-6106.

This press release is not a tender offer to purchase or a solicitation of acceptance of a tender offer, which may be made only pursuant to the terms of the Offer to Purchase. In any jurisdiction where the laws require the Offer to be made by a licensed broker or dealer, the Offer will be deemed made on behalf of the Company by one of the Dealer Managers or one or more registered brokers or dealers under the laws of such jurisdiction.

None of the Company, its board of directors, the depositary, the information agent, any of the dealer managers or the trustee for the Notes is making any recommendation as to whether holders should tender Notes in response to the Offer. Holders must make their own decisions as to whether to tender Notes, and, if so, the principal amount of Notes to tender.

Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including statements related to the expected timing, terms and completion of the Offer, and similar statements concerning anticipated future events and expectations that are not historical facts. Such forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as "may," "will," "could," "should" and "would," and variations of these words or comparable words. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions, and inherently involve risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, the following: the amount of Notes tendered and satisfaction of the conditions of the Offer contained in the Offer to Purchase. Other factors that could cause or contribute to actual results differing materially from such forward looking statements are discussed in greater detail in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. You should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. We undertake no obligation to make any revision to the forward-looking statements contained in this press release or to update them to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this press release.

About International Paper

International Paper (NYSE: IP) is a leading global producer of renewable fiber-based packaging and pulp products with manufacturing operations in North America, Latin America, North Africa and Europe. We produce packaging products that protect and promote goods, and enable worldwide commerce, and pulp for diapers, tissue and other personal hygiene products that promote health and wellness. We are headquartered in Memphis, Tenn. and employ approximately 38,000 colleagues. Net sales for 2020 were $21 billion*. In Russia, the Company has a 50/50 joint venture, Ilim Group, the country's largest integrated manufacturer of pulp and paper and its largest foreign-domestic alliance in the forestry products sector. For more information about International Paper, our products and global citizenship efforts, please visit internationalpaper.com.

*Inclusive of our former pulp and paper mill in Kwidzyn, Poland, which was sold on August 6, 2021, and our former global papers business, which became a standalone, publicly traded company on October 1, 2021.

SOURCE International Paper

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LOS ANGELES, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Schall Law Firm, a national shareholder rights litigation firm, announces that it is investigating claims on behalf of investors in ON24, Inc. "ON24" or "the Company") (NYSE: ONTF) for violations of the securities laws.

If you are a shareholder, click here to participate.

We also encourage you to contact Brian Schall of the Schall Law Firm, 2049 Century Park East, Suite 2460, Los Angeles, CA 90067, at 310-301-3335, to discuss your rights free of charge. You can also reach us through the firm's website at www.schallfirm.com, or by email at [email protected].

The Schall Law Firm represents investors around the world and specializes in securities class action lawsuits and shareholder rights litigation.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and rules of ethics.

CONTACT:

The Schall Law Firm

Brian Schall, Esq.

310-301-3335

[email protected]

www.schallfirm.com

SOURCE The Schall Law Firm

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DALLAS, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Jacobs (NYSE:J), as a member of the United Cleanup Oak Ridge LLC (UCOR) joint venture, was awarded the Oak Ridge Reservation Cleanup Contract (ORRCC). UCOR, formed by Amentum, Jacobs and Honeywell, will support the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) mission by performing environmental clean-up at the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR), which includes the Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP).

The DOE estimates the contract value at $8.3 billion, to be awarded over a 10-year period. The new contract will replace the ETTP contract awarded in 2011 to Jacobs as part of URS|CH2M Oak Ridge LLC.

"Jacobs has supported the DOE's Office of Environmental Management's (EM) mission at Oak Ridge since 2003 to support the clean-up of the ORR and our commitment to creating and preserving more than 2,000 high-quality jobs in the area," said Jacobs Energy, Security and Technology Senior Vice President Karen Wiemelt. "This award demonstrates how we live our values by delivering sustainable solutions that generate a positive environmental, social and economic impact in the communities where we live and work."

UCOR will deliver the ORRCC under DOE's End-State Contracting Model. UCOR's team includes four pre-selected small businesses, RSI EnTech, Strata-G, Longenecker & Associates and Environmental Alternatives, Inc. The single award indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract allows DOE, UCOR and project stakeholders to collaborate to define the end states necessary to accelerate work at ORR.

UCOR will be responsible for cleanup and remedial actions at ETTP; cleanup of excess facilities at ORNL and Y-12; design, construction and operation of the new onsite disposal facility, Environmental Management Disposal Facility; operational activities and surveillance and maintenance for multiple EM operational and non-operational facilities; and core functions for central and project services.

At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good. With $14 billion in revenue and a talent force of approximately 55,000, Jacobs provides a full spectrum of professional services including consulting, technical, scientific and project delivery for the government and private sector. Visit jacobs.com and connect with Jacobs on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking statements as such term is defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and such statements are intended to be covered by the safe harbor provided by the same. Statements made in this release that are not based on historical fact are forward-looking statements. We base these forward-looking statements on management's current estimates and expectations as well as currently available competitive, financial and economic data. Forward-looking statements, however, are inherently uncertain. There are a variety of factors that could cause business results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the emergence and spread of variants of COVID-19, and the related reaction of governments on global and regional market conditions and the company's business. For a description of some additional factors that may occur that could cause actual results to differ from our forward-looking statements, see our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended October 2, 2020, and in particular the discussions contained under Item 1 - Business; Item 1A - Risk Factors; Item 3 - Legal Proceedings; and Item 7 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended July 2, 2021, and in particular the discussions contained under Part I, Item 2 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations; Part II, Item 1 - Legal Proceedings; and Part II, Item 1A - Risk Factors, as well as the company's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company is not under any duty to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release to conform to actual results, except as required by applicable law.

For press/media inquiries:

Kerrie Sparks

214.583.8433

SOURCE Jacobs

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Technologies such as OpenBlue exist today to bend the carbon emissions curve Tweet this

"The recent IPCC report spelled out in no uncertain terms that the climate crisis is here and needs urgent action now. COP26 is the perfect opportunity for governments to set out the policies that can help the private sector to better support that effort," said George Oliver, chairman and CEO, Johnson Controls. "Technologies exist today that will enable us to bend the carbon emissions curve to reach net-zero by 2050. At Johnson Controls we have been lowering the global carbon footprint of our customers, our supply chain, as well as our own operations through the use of technologies such as OpenBlue, which is playing a key role in decarbonizing buildings. Buildings are a major component of global emissions  as much as 40 percent of global CO 2 emissions are from the building sector."

Johnson Controls believes that taking meaningful government action would not only accelerate private sector investment in major carbon emitting areas such as buildings, industry and infrastructure, but would also bring greater accuracy and transparency to corporate emissions data, thereby achieving net zero faster and more reliably.

The Alliance letter follows a call in June on the G7 for greater collaboration between business and government on achieving net-zero ambitions, and also identifies several points that will enable businesses to accelerate emission reductions, scale-up innovations and achieve a net-zero world by 2050.

Technology and collaboration are key to meeting global net zero targets. With the capability to drive 50 percent and more in improvement in energy efficiency and corresponding carbon emissions, the OpenBlue platform is already at the cutting edge of technology for decarbonizing buildings. Johnson Controls is now pushing innovation further through collaboration, such as the recently announced joint collaboration on data and services with Atos. This will accelerate clients' net zero journey by marrying Atos' Net Zero Transformation Portfolio and EcoAct advisory solutions with the OpenBlue Net Zero Buildings portfolio of sustainability offerings.

Johnson Controls is a signatory to The Climate Pledge, an initiative of business leaders co-founded by Amazon and Global Optimism. Signatories to the pledge commit to reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2040  ten years ahead of the Paris Climate Agreement goal. The company aims to cut its operational emissions by 55 percent and reduce customers' emissions by 16 percent before 2030. These ambitious 2030 emissions reduction targets have been approved by the Science Based Targets Initiative. Johnson Controls also recently issued a Sustainability Linked Bond to support its commitment to achieving ambitious absolute GHG emission reductions by 2025.

Johnson Controls is continuing to exercise its leadership in climate action through the Business Roundtable, with George Oliver joining the organization as chair of the Energy & Environment Committee in January. Business Roundtable is an association of chief executive officers of America's leading companies. Its Energy & Environment Committee is dedicated to advancing policies that encourage innovation and support an environmentally and economically sustainable future.

As a leader in the buildings space for more than 135 years, Johnson Controls has been a pioneer in sustainability. It is ranked in the top 12 percent of climate leadership companies globally by CDP and for the 14th time was recently named among the World's Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere  a distinction achieved by just four companies in its industry  and as one of Corporate Knights' global 100 Most Sustainable Companies.

Click here for full details on the Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders open letter to world leaders attending COP26. To read more about Johnson Controls commitment to sustainability, please visit: https://www.johnsoncontrols.com/corporate-sustainability/environment

About Johnson Controls:

At Johnson Controls (NYSE:JCI) we transform the environments where people live, work, learn and play. As the global leader in smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, our mission is to reimagine the performance of buildings to serve people, places and the planet.

With a history of more than 135 years of innovation, Johnson Controls delivers the blueprint of the future for industries such as healthcare, schools, data centers, airports, stadiums, manufacturing and beyond through its comprehensive digital offering OpenBlue. With a global team of 100,000 experts in more than 150 countries, Johnson Controls offers the world`s largest portfolio of building technology, software as well as service solutions with some of the most trusted names in the industry. For more information, visit www.johnsoncontrols.com or follow us @johnsoncontrols on Twitter.

SOURCE Johnson Controls International plc

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OSLO, Norway, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Kebony, the leading environmentally friendly wood modification technology company, today announces a successful EUR 30 million funding round led by Jolt Capital and Lightrock. Kebony's vision is to reduce CO2 emissions and tropical deforestation using its patented wood modification techniques, which produce superior wood in an environmentally friendly way.

The key disruptive trends in the construction industry are expressed by the need for greener, safer and better products, as the standard construction materials concrete and steel are large emitters of CO2 globally. In addition, the current large market for tropical wood is set to be replaced by enhanced wood to protect bio-diversity and reduce tropical deforestation.

The Kebony technology permanently transforms sustainable wood species such as pine into Kebony wood with features that are comparable, and in some cases superior, to those of precious tropical hardwoods. This unique environmentally friendly process is also a superior alternative to traditional wood treatment based on impregnation with wood preservatives.

Kebony's EUR 30 million financing round is led by Jolt Capital and Lightrock, who will join longstanding Kebony shareholders such as Goran, MVP, FPIM, PMV and Investinor, of which the latter two will remain represented on the Board of Directors. The capital injection will expand and accelerate Kebony's growth initiatives in core markets in Europe and the US. The funding will enable Kebony to further penetrate a EUR 3 billion market, and leverage the underlying megatrends of producing sustainable materials for the residential and non-residential construction industries.

"Kebony produces the most beautiful and ecological wood on the market, with a superior quality that is both environmentally friendly and cost-effective. To further leverage opportunities within the enhanced wood technology industry, we are proud to announce Jolt Capital and Lightrock as new investors in Kebony," says Norman Willemsen, Chief Executive Officer of Kebony.

"At Jolt Capital we have a strong interest in material science companies which leverage their patented technologies to offer sustainable products. With over 20 years of R&D in woodtech and a well-proven process that gives cultivated soft woods the desirable properties of hard tropical ones, Kebony is one of them. We are thrilled to finance the expansion of their European production facilities to both support the strong market growth and offer an alternative to rainforests deforestation," says Antoine Trannoy, Managing Partner at Jolt Capital.

"Kebony is perfectly positioned in the race for a decarbonized world with an ambition to be the leader within wood modification technologies. We look forward to supporting the company to implement its growth strategy and to leverage the significant operational scalability and continue the profitable growth journey," says Kevin Bone, Partner at Lightrock.

"The new management team has conducted a successful transformation of the company, and with backing of our new high-quality investors providing improved financial flexibility, Kebony can accelerate growth, enhance its technology development roadmap, and explore potential acquisitions. The addition of Didier Roux and Rebekah Braswell to the Board of Directors will strengthen Kebony's expansion and scalability. Coupled with the company's unique selling proposition and backed by double-digit growth, we believe Kebony is ideally positioned to unlock the full potential of sustainable and enhanced wood" says Cornelius Walter, newly appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors.

"Kebony reported a revenue growth of 23% in the first half of 2021, compared to the same period in 2020, with a strong positive EBITDA. The revenues in 2020 had already increased by 26% year-over-year, with a significant EBITDA improvement, driven by the company's geographical growth strategy in key markets. The finalization of the private placement significantly strengthens Kebony's financial flexibility and supports the accelerated growth strategy," says Thomas Vanholme, Chief Financial Officer of Kebony.

"As early investors in Kebony, we were impressed by the technology and the market opportunity that lay in substituting tropical hardwood with a sustainable alternative. We have seen the company through its transition from an early pioneer in the modified wood market to being a market leader in the segment, with demonstrated international growth potential. We are delighted to have Lightrock and Jolt Capital bring momentum to scaling Kebony in the years to come. What better way to make a massive impact on sustainability than stopping logging of precious tropical hardwoods, whilst still providing a long-lasting wood alternative to concrete, plastic and steel?" added Thomas Hoegh, Founder and CEO of Arts Alliance Ventures.

Carnegie AS and Pareto Securities AS have acted as financial advisors to the company.

About Kebony | www.kebony.com

Kebony is a Norwegian company which aims to be the leading wood brand and technology company. Underpinned by proven wood modification technologies, it produces an enhanced wood of a superior quality that is both environmentally friendly and cost-effective.

The company's headquarters is based in Oslo, while production, research and development and other administrative functions are located in the Skien municipality, south of Oslo. In addition, the Group has a production facility in Antwerp, Belgium. Kebony has subsidiaries in Norway, Denmark and Sweden, sales representatives in Germany, France, UK and the US and a wide distribution network internationally. Shareholders are leading the venture with private equity investors from Belgium, Germany, France, Norway and UK. The company has received numerous awards for its environmentally friendly technology and innovation, including its naming as a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer.

The Kebony technology permanently transforms sustainable wood species such as pine into Kebony wood with features that are comparable, and in some cases superior, to those of precious tropical hardwoods. This unique environmentally friendly process is also a superior alternative to traditional wood treatment based on impregnation with biocides (wood preservatives). The company's patent-protected production processes yield products that deliver major improvements in durability and dimensional stability, at the same time as being highly attractive. The Kebony products are suitable for a multitude of applications and designs  encompassing both indoor and outdoor applications.

Kebony's purpose and mission is, through active innovation, quality thinking and understanding of commercial possibilities; give the world beautiful, long lasting and environmentally friendly wood products. The company will show social responsibility and contribute to improvements of the environment in a way that builds a better future.

About Jolt Capital | www.jolt-capital.com

Jolt Capital provides growth equity financing to European B2B technology companies about to go global and with current revenue from 15m to 50m. Led by seasoned investors and former C-level executives, Jolt Capital actively drives portfolio companies' expansion and exits. Jolt Capital's proprietary AI platform, Jolt.Ninja, exponentially improves mapping of Europe's technology ecosystem, ESG-compliant deal flow generation, due diligences and post-investment activities.

About Lightrock | www.lightrock.com

Lightrock is a global private equity platform backing purpose-driven entrepreneurs tackling the world's biggest challenges. Since 2007, Lightrock has invested in companies that pursue scalable and tech-driven business models around the key impact themes of people, planet, and productivity/tech for good. Lightrock's portfolio includes more than 60 high-growth companies, supported by over 50 professionals based in 7 cities across Europe, Latin America, India and Africa.

Lightrock is backed by the Princely House of Liechtenstein and LGT, the international private banking and asset management group.

SOURCE Kebony
Communities: Members can join communities with thousands of peers based on industries, roles, and interests that matter to them.

Content: Ladder communities are filled with high-quality, social career content that range from opportunities and resources to debates and AMAs.

Connections: The antithesis of LinkedIn, on Ladder, connections start in the communities and flourish through AMAs , Group Chats , Events , and Coffee Chats , a tool that handpicks the best people on Ladder to meet.

Ladder was founded in 2020, during the height of COVID-19, when millions of college students across the country were sent home with no job lined up, no idea what remote work meant, and no sense of community. Ladder CEO Andrew Tan , then at Stanford studying computer science, was one of these students. Shocked at how the pandemic disproportionately affected young professionals, he immediately went to work to help classmates and peers get back on their feet. Ladder started as a mentorship program that connected 500+ students with industry mentors, then launched the Remote Students Newsletter to share remote opportunities and career resources to 75,000+ subscribers, and is now a popular app with tens of thousands of users and dozens of customers and partners.

"Our mission is to democratize access to career growth," said Andrew Tan , CEO of Ladder. "And community is one of the most important aspects of growing and being successful in your career. It doesn't matter what you do or where you're from, you deserve to have a community for wherever you are at in your career."

"Ladder is not just a job board or online resume; it's where the next generation can be their best selves by making career growth more inclusive and community-driven." Tan added.

The funding round was led by Forerunner Ventures, a leading consumer-focused venture capital firm. "Forerunner is inspired by Ladder's mission to empower recent-graduate job seekers like never before," says Brian O'Malley , General Partner at Forerunner Ventures. "The platform's 50% WAU / MAU ratio shows that members are highly motivated to show up, connect, and learn alongside their peers in the workforce."

While the world slowly returns to in-person experiences, the need for both online and offline communities still remains. Ladder will use the funding to grow its team and develop innovative ways to help professionals and communities get more out of their careers. The company is working on products for communities to curate job opportunities , for community builders to launch their own professional communities , and for companies to meaningfully engage early career talent .

For more information on Ladder, visit ladder.to and download the mobile app . If you're interested in joining the team or looking to partner, please reach out at [email protected] .

About Ladder

Ladder is the professional community platform for the next generation. We're a team of hackers, founders, builders, operators, and overall fun human beings who care deeply about democratizing access to career growth. If this resonates with you, come join our rocketship !

Learn more at ladder.to and keep up with us on Twitter , LinkedIn , Instagram , and TikTok .

SOURCE Ladder

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SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Lear Corporation (NYSE: LEA), a global automotive technology leader in Seating and E-Systems, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire substantially all of Kongsberg Automotive's Interior Comfort Systems (ICS) business unit.

Kongsberg Automotive's ICS business unit specializes in comfort seating solutions, with a leadership position in seating product areas experiencing growth within the auto industry  massage, lumbar, seat heat and ventilation. With almost 50 years of experience, the ICS business unit has cutting-edge technology, a well-balanced customer portfolio built on longstanding relationships with leading premium automakers and an experienced and dedicated team.

The purchase of Kongsberg Automotive's ICS business unit will further advance Lear's vertical integration and expand product offerings into specialized comfort seating solutions that improve vehicle performance and packaging  important benefits as more customers demand these features across various vehicle segments.

"By integrating Kongsberg Automotive's Interior Comfort Systems business unit into our operations, we will build on our strengths in design, engineering and operational excellence  advancing our strategy to offer a complete suite of premier comfort seat systems to our customers and ultimately to consumers," said Ray Scott, Lear President and CEO. "This acquisition represents an opportunity for Lear to capture more content-per-vehicle by providing an optimized solution with a better value proposition for our customers, in terms of cost, quality and performance. Lear looks forward to welcoming the talented ICS workforce to our team."



Under the terms of the deal, Lear will acquire Kongsberg Automotive's ICS business unit for 175 million, on a cash and debt free basis. The transaction, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions and adjustments, is expected to close in the first quarter of 2022. Market dependent, the acquisition will likely be funded through debt financing.

Lear is leading an era of unprecedented evolution in automotive seating innovation. The acquisition of Kongsberg Automotive's ICS business unit will provide additional resources to proactively adapt to emerging market trends and customer demand.

"As automakers look for greater product differentiation, increased efficiency and improved performance, especially in the luxury, SUV and electric vehicle segments, Lear is integrating seating comfort with more features," said Frank Orsini, Lear Executive Vice President and President, Seating. "This acquisition complements our strategic portfolio of vertically integrated design solutions and comfort capabilities."

Kongsberg Automotive's ICS business unit brings operational leadership personnel and more than 3,800 employees globally from its production, engineering and sales facilities throughout Asia, Europe and North America and is expected to generate approximately $300 million in revenue this year.

"I am convinced our ICS employees will be in good hands and continue to thrive at a much larger scale at Lear, our longstanding partner," said Joerg Buchheim, President and CEO of Kongsberg Automotive, adding, "For Kongsberg Automotive, the transaction provides us the room for additional financial maneuvering and allows us to fully concentrate on our path towards highly-focused and profitable growth."

Forward-Looking Statements



The forward-looking statements in this press release are made as of the date hereof, and the Company does not assume any obligation to update, amend or clarify them to reflect events, new information or circumstances occurring after the date hereof.

About Kongsberg Automotive ASA

Kongsberg Automotive provides world class products to the global vehicle industry. Our products enhance the driving experience, making it safer, more comfortable and sustainable. With approximately 11,000 employees in 19 countries, Kongsberg Automotive is truly a global supplier. The company has more than 27 production facilities worldwide. The product portfolio includes seat comfort systems, driver and motion control systems, fluid assemblies, and industrial driver interface products developed for global vehicle manufacturers. Find more information at www.kongsbergautomotive.com.

About Lear Corporation

Lear, a global automotive technology leader in Seating and E-Systems, enables superior in-vehicle experiences for consumers around the world. Lear's diverse team of talented employees in 38 countries is driven by a commitment to innovation, operational excellence, and sustainability. Lear is Making every drive better by providing the technology for safer, smarter, and more comfortable journeys. Lear, headquartered in Southfield, Michigan, serves every major automaker in the world and ranks 179 on the Fortune 500. Further information about Lear is available at lear.com or on Twitter @LearCorporation.

SOURCE Lear Corporation

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MILWAUKEE, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- MGIC Investment Corporation (NYSE: MTG) announced its board of directors has authorized a new share repurchase program under which the Company may repurchase up to $500 million of its common stock through the end of 2023. The new authorization is in addition to the Company's remaining stock purchase authorization of approximately $141 million (as of September 30, 2021), which expires at the end of 2021.

Repurchases may be made from time to time on the open market (including through 10b5-1 plans) or through privately negotiated transactions. The repurchase programs may be suspended for periods or discontinued at any time.

As of September 30, 2021, the Company had approximately 329.3 million shares of common stock outstanding and had approximately $716 million of cash and investments. The Company expects to fund the purchases with these resources and future dividends that may be received from its principal subsidiary, Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corporation.

The Company also announced that its board of directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.08 per share payable on November 23, 2021, to shareholders of record as of November 11, 2021.

About MGIC

Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corporation "MGIC" ( www.mgic.com ), the principal subsidiary of MGIC Investment Corporation, serves lenders throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, and other locations helping families achieve homeownership sooner by making affordable low-down-payment mortgages a reality through the use of private mortgage insurance.

From time to time MGIC Investment Corporation releases important information via postings on its corporate website, and via postings on MGIC's website for information related to underwriting and pricing, and intends to continue to do so in the future. Such postings include corrections of previous disclosures, and may be made without any other disclosure. Investors and other interested parties are encouraged to enroll to receive automatic email alerts and Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds regarding new postings. Enrollment information for MGIC Investment Corporation alerts can be found at https://mtg.mgic.com/shareholder-services/email-alerts . For information about our underwriting and rates, see https://www.mgic.com/underwriting .

SOURCE MGIC Investment Corporation
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- MINDD, the first bra company engineered for the D+ woman, announces partnership with the world's largest intimates specialty brand, Victoria's Secret, as their exclusive retailer.

MINDD was created by Helena Kaylin, who started her two-decades long intimates career at Victoria's Secret in 2005. In her role on the brand's research and development team, Kaylin was tasked with exploring innovation, sustainability, and efficiency in the design of bras globally. "It was during my invaluable time at Victoria's Secret where I really learned the importance of design and forward-thinking technology when it comes to building truly best in class bras."

Kaylin went on to serve in leadership roles at global brands like Lululemon, Under Armour, and Calvin Klein; however, despite being on the forefront of bra design and production, she saw that the D+ consumer was significantly underserved. A 36DD herself, Kaylin launched MINDD in 2020, and created a patent-pending fit technology (MINDDTech) that addresses seven key zones throughout the bra, addressing key pain-points experienced by D+ women.

MINDD and Victoria's Secret began working together in early 2021, carefully curating a collection specifically for the Victoria's Secret audience, which features a range of MINDD's most popular products, including their signature bras, seamless underwear and bodysuits, across a variety of colors.

MINDD is now available on www.VictoriasSecret.com within the "Brands We Love" platform. All MINDD products are also available at www.MINDDBra.com.

About MINDD:

Launched in February 2020, MINDD is the first direct-to-consumer bra company engineered for the D+ shopper, founded by fashion and intimates expert Helena Kaylin. Based in Los Angeles, MINDD introduced its inaugural bra line in February 2020, and also features a seamless underwear line as well as bodysuits. MINDD leverages MINDD Tech, a proprietary, patent-pending technology created for optimal fit and function, within the design of their bras. All MINDD bras are wire-free. MINDD is committed to sustainability and reducing waste by eliminating any use of wires, plastics, and foams. For more about MINDD, visit www.MINDDBRA.com, or check out our Instagram - @MINDDBra.

About Victoria's Secret:

Victoria's Secret (NYSE: VSCO) is the world's largest intimates specialty retailer offering a wide assortment of modern, fashion-inspired collections including signature bras, panties, lingerie, casual sleepwear and athleisure, as well as award-winning prestige fragrances and body care. With nearly 1,400 retail stores worldwide and a predominately female workforce of more than 25,000, Victoria's Secret boasts the largest team of specialty trained bra fit experts worldwide. Victoria's Secret is committed to inspiring women around the world with products and experiences that uplift and champion them and their journey while creating lifelong relationships and advocating for positive change.

SOURCE MINDD

Related Links

https://www.minddbra.com/


GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo., Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On Sunday, November 28, 2021, Museum Store Sunday will celebrate five years of offering inspired shopping at 1,700 museum stores around the world. This signature advocacy eventfounded by the Museum Store Association in 2017 to stimulate visitors to support museums and other cultural nonprofitshas grown to include museums representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia, 24 countries, and five continents. With many museums in America and worldwide recovering from extended closures due to COVID-19 and continuing to see attendance affected by the pandemic, the revenue generated by museum stores is more important than ever. Museum Store Sunday, occurring annually the Sunday after Thanksgiving, invites the public to contribute much needed, critical support to these valued institutions by shopping at museum stores during the holiday season.

"Museum Store Sunday celebrates a milestone anniversary during a time when museums are in critical need of community support," said Laura Lott, President and CEO of the American Alliance of Museums. "While this holiday season looks different for everyone, there is a unique opportunity to shop locally at your community's museum store or virtually around the world while supporting museums' vital work."

Whether in-person or online, shoppers will enjoy distinctive experiences and find a diverse and broad selection of creative, mission-driven gifts for all ages. Through their purchases, patrons help support small businesses, independent suppliers, and artisan makers featured in museum stores. Proceeds directly support the missions and programs of museums and help arts, cultural, and nonprofit attractions educate and thrive.

Many stores will offer discounts, special in-store or virtual events, gifts with purchase, and online shopping in celebration of Museum Store Sunday. Consumers can easily find participating museum stores at https://museumstoresunday.org/find-a-store, and those with online stores at https://museumstoresunday.org/online-store-locator as e-commerce continues to grow in importance for museum retailers.

While there is only one Museum Store Sunday every year, consumers are encouraged to shop at and support museum stores throughout the year.

For more information, visit www.museumstoresunday.org.

About the Museum Store Association (MSA)

The Museum Store Association is a 501(c)3 organization with the mission of advancing the nonprofit retail industry, its stores, and the success of professionals engaged in it. www.museumstoreassociation.org.

SOURCE Museum Store Association

Related Links

www.museumstoreassociation.org


"We're so fortunate to have put together a dream team of professionals with ample experience in the insurance industry." Tweet this

"We've been leaders in the industry for many years, and the guidance and expertise from our strategic advisory board will ensure we stay there," said Nunery. "We are so fortunate to have put together a dream team of professionals with ample knowledge and first-hand experience in the insurance industry. Their support is incredibly meaningful and will no doubt be a catalyst for more growth as we tap into their influence."

The board has already begun discussing potential industry partnerships and meaningful innovation opportunities with myCOI leaders. Some of the strategic advisory board members include:

David Wroe brings more than 40 years of relevant experience to his current role as the CEO of Clareworks, his technology strategic and tactical consulting business. Wroe is a key member of myCOI's Board of Directors and also holds several other board positions within the insurance, technology and software industries. Before founding Clareworks, he served as Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Chicago -based CNA from 1996 to 2001. From 1983 to 1996, he served as Chairman and CEO of Agency Management Systems, Inc., building AMS (now Vertafore) into the largest provider of automation services to insurance agents.

brings more than 40 years of relevant experience to his current role as the CEO of Clareworks, his technology strategic and tactical consulting business. Wroe is a key member of myCOI's Board of Directors and also holds several other board positions within the insurance, technology and software industries. Before founding Clareworks, he served as Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of -based CNA from 1996 to 2001. From 1983 to 1996, he served as Chairman and CEO of Agency Management Systems, Inc., building AMS (now Vertafore) into the largest provider of automation services to insurance agents. Jim Hackbarth has spent the last 18 years as the CEO and President of Assurex Global , the world's largest privately-held commercial insurance, risk management, and employee benefits brokerage group. The Columbus, Ohio resident has transitioned from his leadership role and is continuing his presence in the insurance industry as an advisor and board member to select companies across the industry.

has spent the last 18 years as the CEO and President of , the world's largest privately-held commercial insurance, risk management, and employee benefits brokerage group. The resident has transitioned from his leadership role and is continuing his presence in the insurance industry as an advisor and board member to select companies across the industry. Mark Berthiaume spent 43 years working with various insurance carriers and is now enjoying retirement and offering his expertise to a select number of organizations through board positions. Previously, he was the Executive Vice President, Chief Information Officer, and Chief Innovation Technology Officer at The Hanover Insurance Group .

"myCOI has a solution that is already a difference-maker for organizations, and a team that is ready to scale at a faster pace," said Hackbarth. "Together, the board and myCOI's leadership team will continue to address pain points and challenges within the insurance industry and ensure we're serving the market with a solution that propels the company and industry forward. I'm proud to work in this capacity to enhance the insurance industry as a whole."

With the formation of the strategic advisory board, existing and future clients can expect even more capabilities and increased automation.

The board's creation comes after multiple years of steady growth and accolades for myCOI. Recently, myCOI announced $5 million in debt financing to fuel its continued growth from SaaS Capital , a leader in growth debt for B2B SaaS companies. The company also enjoyed a 96 percent client retention rate year-over-year from 2019 to 2020. Additionally, the total number of employees has doubled within the past few years with more hiring plans in the works.

To learn more about myCOI, visit https://www.mycoitracking.com/ .

About myCOI

Leading the industry for over a decade, myCOI offers a complete Certificate of Insurance software and service solution. myCOI transforms how companies manage risk, with next-generation technology and automated workflows backed by insurance experts. With myCOI, companies can achieve insurance compliance and protect against costly claims. To learn more about myCOI, visit https://www.mycoitracking.com/

SOURCE myCOI

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WASHINGTON, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA will hold a virtual media briefing 11 a.m. EDT Tuesday, Nov. 2, to discuss the engineering of the James Webb Space Telescope, the world's largest and most powerful space science telescope. Participants will discuss how the observatory's science goals drove its design and preview the complex series of deployments Webb will complete as it unfolds in space.

The briefing will livestream on NASA TV, the NASA app, and the agency's website .

The briefing participants are:

Bill Ochs , Webb project manager, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

, Webb project manager, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Alphonso Stewart , Webb deployment systems lead, Goddard

, Webb deployment systems lead, Goddard Begona Vila , Webb instrument systems engineer, Goddard

, Webb instrument systems engineer, Goddard Krystal Puga , Webb spacecraft systems engineer, Northrop Grumman, Redondo Beach, California

, Webb spacecraft systems engineer, Northrop Grumman, Mike Menzel , Webb lead mission systems engineer, Goddard

To participate by telephone, media must RSVP no later than two hours before the start of the briefing to Laura Betz at: [email protected] and Alise Fisher at: [email protected] . Media and members of the public may also ask questions on social media using #NASAWebb.

NASA's media accreditation policy for virtual and onsite activities is available online.

The James Webb Space Telescope, an international partnership with the European and Canadian space agencies, is targeted for launch Dec. 18. It will explore every phase of cosmic history  from within our solar system to the most distant observable galaxies in the early universe, and everything in between. Webb will reveal new and unexpected discoveries, and help humanity understand the origins of the universe and our place in it.

For more information about the Webb mission, visit:

https://webb.nasa.gov

SOURCE NASA

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WASHINGTON, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- New findings from NASA's Juno probe orbiting Jupiter provide a fuller picture of how the planet's distinctive and colorful atmospheric features offer clues about the unseen processes below its clouds. The results highlight the inner workings of the belts and zones of clouds encircling Jupiter, as well as its polar cyclones and even the Great Red Spot.

Researchers published several papers on Juno's atmospheric discoveries today in the journal Science and the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. Additional papers appeared in two recent issues of Geophysical Research Letters.

"These new observations from Juno open up a treasure chest of new information about Jupiter's enigmatic observable features," said Lori Glaze, director of NASA's planetary science division at the agency's headquarters in Washington. "Each paper sheds light on different aspects of the planet's atmospheric processes  a wonderful example of how our internationally-diverse science teams strengthen understanding of our solar system."

Juno entered Jupiter's orbit in 2016. During each of the spacecraft's 37 passes of the planet to date, a specialized suite of instruments has peered below its turbulent cloud deck.

"Previously, Juno surprised us with hints that phenomena in Jupiter's atmosphere went deeper than expected," said Scott Bolton, principal investigator of Juno from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio and lead author of the Journal Science paper on the depth of Jupiter's vortices. "Now, we're starting to put all these individual pieces together and getting our first real understanding of how Jupiter's beautiful and violent atmosphere works  in 3D."

Juno's microwave radiometer (MWR) allows mission scientists to peer beneath Jupiter's cloud tops and probe the structure of its numerous vortex storms. The most famous of these storms is the iconic anticyclone known as the Great Red Spot. Wider than Earth, this crimson vortex has intrigued scientists since its discovery almost two centuries ago.

The new results show that the cyclones are warmer on top, with lower atmospheric densities, while they are colder at the bottom, with higher densities. Anticyclones, which rotate in the opposite direction, are colder at the top but warmer at the bottom.

The findings also indicate these storms are far taller than expected, with some extending 60 miles (100 kilometers) below the cloud tops and others, including the Great Red Spot, extending over 200 miles (350 kilometers). This surprise discovery demonstrates that the vortices cover regions beyond those where water condenses and clouds form, below the depth where sunlight warms the atmosphere.

The height and size of the Great Red Spot means the concentration of atmospheric mass within the storm potentially could be detectable by instruments studying Jupiter's gravity field. Two close Juno flybys over Jupiter's most famous spot provided the opportunity to search for the storm's gravity signature and complement the MWR results on its depth.

With Juno traveling low over Jupiter's cloud deck at about 130,000 mph (209,000 kph) Juno scientists were able to measure velocity changes as small 0.01 millimeter per second using a NASA's Deep Space Network tracking antenna, from a distance of more than 400 million miles (650 million kilometers). This enabled the team to constrain the depth of the Great Red Spot to about 300 miles (500 kilometers) below the cloud tops.

"The precision required to get the Great Red Spot's gravity during the July 2019 flyby is staggering," said Marzia Parisi, a Juno scientist from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California and lead author of a paper in the Journal Science on gravity overflights of the Great Red Spot. "Being able to complement MWR's finding on the depth gives us great confidence that future gravity experiments at Jupiter will yield equally intriguing results."

Belts and Zones

In addition to cyclones and anticyclones, Jupiter is known for its distinctive belts and zones  white and reddish bands of clouds that wrap around the planet. Strong east-west winds moving in opposite directions separate the bands. Juno previously discovered that these winds, or jet streams, reach depths of about 2,000 miles (roughly 3,200 kilometers). Researchers are still trying to solve the mystery of how the jet streams form. Data collected by Juno's MWR during multiple passes reveal one possible clue: that the atmosphere's ammonia gas travels up and down in remarkable alignment with the observed jet streams.

"By following the ammonia, we found circulation cells in both the north and south hemispheres that are similar in nature to 'Ferrel cells,' which control much of our climate here on Earth", said Keren Duer, a graduate student from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel and lead author of the Journal Science paper on Ferrel-like cells on Jupiter. "While Earth has one Ferrel cell per hemisphere, Jupiter has eight  each at least 30 times larger."

Juno's MWR data also shows that the belts and zones undergo a transition around 40 miles (65 kilometers) beneath Jupiter's water clouds. At shallow depths, Jupiter's belts are brighter in microwave light than the neighboring zones. But at deeper levels, below the water clouds, the opposite is true  which reveals a similarity to our oceans.

"We are calling this level the 'Jovicline' in analogy to a transitional layer seen in Earth's oceans, known as the thermocline  where seawater transitions sharply from being relative warm to relative cold," said Leigh Fletcher, a Juno participating scientist from the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom and lead author of the paper in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets highlighting Juno's microwave observations of Jupiter's temperate belts and zones.

Polar Cyclones

Juno previously discovered polygonal arrangements of giant cyclonic storms at both of Jupiter's poles  eight arranged in an octagonal pattern in the north and five arranged in a pentagonal pattern in the south. Now, five years later, mission scientists using observations by the spacecraft's Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) have determined these atmospheric phenomena are extremely resilient, remaining in the same location.

"Jupiter's cyclones affect each other's motion, causing them to oscillate about an equilibrium position," said Alessandro Mura, a Juno co-investigator at the National Institute for Astrophysics in Rome and lead author of a recent paper in Geophysical Research Letters on oscillations and stability in Jupiter's polar cyclones. "The behavior of these slow oscillations suggests that they have deep roots."

JIRAM data also indicates that, like hurricanes on Earth, these cyclones want to move poleward, but cyclones located at the center of each pole push them back. This balance explains where the cyclones reside and the different numbers at each pole.

More About the Mission

JPL, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Juno mission. Juno is part of NASA's New Frontiers Program, which is managed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built and operates the spacecraft.

Follow the mission on Facebook and Twitter, and get more information about Juno online at:

https://www.nasa.gov/juno

-end-

SOURCE NASA

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ROCKVILLE, Md., Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- National Spine and Pain Centers (NSPC), the nation's leading network of interventional pain management practices, today announced the expansion of its leadership team with the appointment of three key executives. The expanded team now includes Kenneth Fazzino as Vice President of Ancillary Integration, Kelly Martinelli as Director of Compliance, and Dr. Sanjay Wagle as Vice President of Workers Compensation and Personal Injury.

Kenneth Fazzino joins NSPC with more than three decades of healthcare experience in both large hospital systems and multi-location physician practices. Most recently, Ken served as Senior Practice Director at Envision Physician Services, and has also held positions at Radisphere National Radiology Group and Virginia Physicians, Inc.

Kelly Martinelli brings more than 30 years of diverse healthcare experience to NSPC. In her most recent role, she served as Director of Compliance and Privacy Officer for Physician Practices at Ohio-based Aultman Hospital. She has also previously held senior-level positions with Radisphere, Inc. and Alliance Imaging, Inc., among other senior leadership roles.

Dr. Sanjay Wagle joins the company with more than 20 years of innovating and implementing transformative healthcare programs for neuromusculoskeletal, pain, bariatric and cardiometabolic disease management. He has created partnerships with healthcare systems, specialty practices, and government medical programs by championing clinical interdisciplinary collaboration for improved patient outcomes.

"What I look for most when adding new talent to the team is an undeniable ability to get things done, which will have an immediate positive impact on the organization," said Douglas Wisor, MD, NSPC's Chief Executive Officer. "I am confident that these proven healthcare leaders will do exactly that, and as a result, will accelerate our long-term strategic growth plan," concluded Wisor.

Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, NSPC has continued to pursue its mission to end needless human pain and suffering by facilitating world-class care. Specifically, through its diligent adherence to CDC guidance, introduction of telemedicine for new and existing patients, and its 2020 combination with Prospira PainCare, NSPC has become an industry-leading organization operating across 13 states, including: Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.

About National Spine and Pain Centers: For more than 30 years, NSPC affiliated physicians have been pioneers in the relief of chronic and acute pain through minimally invasive procedures and leading-edge clinical research. Today, with more than 120 locations and 1,200+ health professionals facilitating more than a million patient visits a year, NSPC continues to be one of the most trusted brands in healthcare for people seeking access to pain relief. NSPC's stated mission is to end needless human pain and suffering by facilitating world-class care. For more information, visit www.NationalSpine.com.

Medical services provided by independently operated physician practices branded as National Spine and Pain Centers and other affiliated brands.

SOURCE National Spine and Pain Centers

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The FACT Teacher Form measures how stress and trauma affect children's behavior and performance in school. Tweet this

The Feifer Assessment of Childhood Trauma (FACT) Teacher Form is a new teacher rating scale that measures how stress and trauma affect children's behavior and performance in school. Appropriate for students ages 418 years, the instrument relies on the teacher's perspective to gather information about how kids function in the classroom. It should be completed by a classroom teacher familiar with the student's typical behavior and day-to-day functioning.

Entirely digital, the test is administered through the PARiConnect online testing platform, which means it can be administered regardless of the teacher's physical location.

Test author and noted school psychologist and educational neuropsychologist Steven G. Feifer, DEd, aimed to develop a tool that would enable school staff to formulate targeted interventions that better meet students' needs. As a result, the FACT Teacher Form covers a broad range of trauma symptoms and comprises four clinical scales (Behavior, Emotional, Physiological, Academic), one index (Trauma Index), a supplemental Resiliency scale, and two validity scales.

Critical items are included to help identify children who may need immediate follow-up or intervention.

Development of the full instrument, which will include parent and self-reports, is ongoing. However, this prepublication version has been made available for immediate use during the 20212022 school year.

For more information, or to order the FACT Teacher Form, visit parinc.com/FACT_Teacher or call PAR Customer Support at 1.800.331.8378.

Founded in 1978, PAR is a leading publisher of assessment instruments, software, and other related materials. Over the past four decades, PAR has earned a reputation for providing customers with innovative assessment solutions and unparalleled customer service.

1 Paneitz, D. C., & Ahmad, S. (2018). Pediatric trauma update. Missouri Medicine, 115(5), 438442.

SOURCE PAR, Inc.

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http://www.parinc.com


This news follows Noble's March 2021 acquisition of Tactical & Survival Specialties, Inc., (TSSi), a mission-focused equipment and logistics provider to military, law enforcement and disaster response professionals worldwide.

"Together, we will provide more customers with mission-focused, single-source procurement and just-in-time delivery," said Tom Noble, the company's co-founder and CEO. "In complex and shifting threat environments around the world, we will simplify our customers' operations, and their lives, by connecting them seamlessly with the products and services of more than 13,000 suppliers."

The CEO called the deal a turning point for the people of both organizations. "We're combining our experience, expertise and offerings," he said, "along with our integrated systems, cutting-edge data analytics and customized user interfaces, to serve our great customers better than ever."

About Noble

Noble is a provider of supply chain management, logistics, mission support, and technology solutions for the U.S. military and federal, state, and local governments. Headquartered in the greater Boston area, the company operates around the world under multiple DLA TLS Prime Vendor contracts and GSA Multiple Award Schedules. Its global footprint includes 26 storefront operations and six international operations centers, distribution centers, and consolidation points positioned to expedite delivery and enhance product availability. As a distributor of 11,000 manufacturers, Noble stocks more than a million items in warehouses throughout the U.S. and abroad.

About Federal Resources

Federal Resources, founded in 1986, is a supplier of highly technical safety and security solutions primarily serving the U.S. military, federal government, and state and local first responders. It offers:

Procurement & distribution expertise as a leading provider of technical solutions for highly attractive growth segments of defense, Homeland Security, and first responder markets.

Differentiated life cycle sustainment including consultative support services that create a network of valuable offerings throughout a customer's mission life cycle, including guidance through complex government procurement processes.

Federal Resources' end markets include CBRNE (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear & explosive, and emergency preparedness), C4ISR (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, and surveillance & reconnaissance), and MRO (maintenance, repair and operations).

About TSSi

Tactical & Survival Specialties, Inc., provides mission-focused equipment and logistics support to military, law enforcement and disaster response professionals worldwide. Offerings include mission-critical solutions, operational support equipment, product integration & kitting, logistical services & support, simplified customer procurement, vendor relations management, specialized program management, and product research & development.

Founded in 1980, TSSi, now a Noble company, has flexible warehouse and operations space and access to more than 1,600 suppliers and 50 master distributors, offering 25,000 product lines worldwide. The company has been awarded multiple long-term contract vehicles, and counts more than 100 manufacturer partners on its GSA MAS Consolidation schedule. Select staff members have U.S. security clearances.

For more information, visit Noble.com.

Media Contact

For more information, please contact Cela Libeskind at [email protected] or 781-285-7608.

SOURCE Noble.com, LLC
"Transparency matters in how we conduct business, and we believe that transparency coupled with action is the best way to foster a sustainable world for future generations," said Dave Boennighausen, chief executive officer at Noodles & Company. "This impact report is a strong testament to the progress we've made in building a better world through our operations."

"Supporting our team members has always been our first priority, with no limits to how far we will go to ensure our people are taken care of," said Sue Petersen, executive vice president of inclusion, diversity, and people at Noodles & Company. "This past year, we built upon that promise by offering a flexible work schedule with industry-leading benefits to foster an inclusive and diverse workforce and support team members' personal and professional growth."

Noodles' Big Impact

Noodles & Company has made significant progress in its commitment to people, the planet, community, and food. Major impacts include:

Placing People First: Women now comprise 56% of the Noodles' operations team and 50% of its executive team. During a time when the labor crisis continues to pressure businesses, Noodles has maintained lower-than-industry-average turnover rates and increased general manager tenure across its locations nationwide.

Since the onset of COVID, Noodles has invested $7.6 million in new team member benefits to impact team members' lives and support them through unprecedented circumstances. These benefits include thank-you and retention bonuses and a continued focus on mental health, including prioritizing a balanced life for team members both inside and outside of work.

This commitment is further demonstrated through the Noodles & Company Foundation, which provides financial support to team members during times of crisis, provides educational scholarship opportunities to qualifying team members, and allows Noodles to directly give back to its dedicated team members. The Noodles & Company Foundation has given back more than $800,000 to its team members and remains a top focus for the Company.

Quality Fresh Food: Behind every bowl Noodles & Company serves is a commitment to bettering the world from the inside out. The Company is committed to clean ingredients and has banned artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, and preservatives from its core menu. Noodles offers healthy, fresh, made-to-order bowls for guests and pushes the boundaries of menu innovation. From delicious Zoodles and Cauliflower Noodles to its new fan favorite Tortelloni, Noodles prioritizes offering fresh, quality options for the whole family. The brand strives to make every bowl of noodles a catalyst for unifying its team members, guests, and communities.

Creating Community: Noodles places the utmost importance on its philanthropic efforts and provides direct donations of food and funds to those in need. The Company donated more than 4,000 meals to frontline workers during the beginning of COVID-19 and hosted more than 2,000 local fundraisers over the past two years, giving back more than $400,000 to local schools and organizations. Through an ongoing partnership with No Kid Hungry, Noodles has also supported the mission to end childhood hunger, helping raise more than $2.5 million for the organization since 2015.

Caring About the Planet: Noodles recognizes its responsibility to nourish the planet and contribute to making the future brighter. From responsible packaging focused on reuse and recyclability, to facility updates to reduce water and energy usage, Noodles is committed to making impactful changes across its operation. Noodles also acknowledges that there is important progress still to be made and continues to focus its efforts toward a more sustainable future.

Noodles is proud to serve its team members, guests, and communities one bowl at a time. Learn more about the ways Noodles & Company is committed to environmental and social governance by visiting Noodles.com/nourishandinspire .

About Noodles & Company

Since 1995, Noodles & Company has been serving noodles your way, with noodles and flavors that you know and love as well as new ones you're about to discover. From indulgent Wisconsin Mac & Cheese to better-for-you Zoodles and Other Noodles, the Company serves a world of flavor in every bowl. Made up of more than 450 restaurants and thousands of passionate team members, Noodles was recently named one of America's Best Employers for Diversity 2021 by Forbes and also has been named one of the Best Places to Work by the Denver Business Journal for its unique culture built on the value of "Loving Life," which begins by nourishing and inspiring every team member and guest who walks through the door. Noodles also has earned the Women in the Lead Certification for its investment in women-empowering initiatives for its female team members and has proudly partnered with the Multicultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance to build cultural intelligence within its teams. To learn more and find the location nearest you, visit www.noodles.com.

Media Contact: Danielle Moore, [email protected]

SOURCE Noodles & Company

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http://www.noodles.com


Most recently, Fournier served as Oatey's Director, Retail Channel, accountable for leading new product development; establishing product, brand and positioning strategies in the retail market space; and supporting the retail sales teams. As Vice President, Retail Business Unit, Fournier will lead Oatey's retail division, which also includes ongoing support for the Keeney brand. In addition to her continued responsibility for product and channel marketing, Fournier will now lead the retail sales function.

"Nicole's extensive marketing and sales strategy background and significant experience with Oatey's retail customers position her well to lead our retail business unit," says Michelle Newland, President, Retail & International. "In addition, she is an influential leader with a unique ability to drive her internal team's success. I am confident that her leadership will help Oatey continue to deliver the quality and partnership our customers have come to expect."

ABOUT OATEY CO.

Since 1916, Oatey has provided reliable, high-quality products for the residential and commercial plumbing industries, with a commitment to delivering quality, building trust and improving lives. Today, Oatey operates a comprehensive manufacturing and distribution network to supply thousands of products for professional builders, contractors, engineers and do-it-yourself consumers around the world.

Oatey is based in Cleveland, Ohio, and has locations in the United States, Canada, Mexico and China. For more information, visit www.oatey.com, call (800) 321-9532 or follow Oatey on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram.

SOURCE Oatey Co

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oatey.com


TORONTO, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Odd Burger Corporation (TSXV: ODD) (OTCQB: GBLYF), one of the world's first vegan fast-food chains and first to go public, today announced it will open two new locations in Ontario in early 2022, bringing its locally made plant-based burgers, fries, and shakes to Brampton and Whitby.

With these locations under development, Odd Burger will bring its store count to 10, halfway to its goal of having 20 restaurants operational by this time next year.

Last month the company initiated its western expansion with a signed franchise agreement for Calgary, AB, and is actively seeking a location. Its Broadview, Toronto location is projected to open in early 2022 due to longer than expected completion times of landlord related work.

In addition to these 10 sites, Odd Burger is in active negotiations for a location in Manhattan, NY, as part of its U.S. expansion initiative.

"Meeting our expansion goals is not only about building our company and brand, but also a pathway to transforming fast food into a healthier, more sustainable industry," said Odd Burger co-founder and CEO James McInnes. "As we grow, we are making it easy and affordable for people to access fast food that is better for our planet and our bodies."

The vegan fast-food concept pioneer opened its first location in London, Ontario in 2016, to make plant-based eating affordable, healthy, and satisfying. The company produces its own proprietary vegan product line that includes burgers, "chickUn" and dairy-free sauces, using primarily natural ingredients that are minimally processed and designed to maximize nutrition and flavour. This gives Odd Burger a unique product offering that is unmatched in the fast-food industry.

Brampton basic facts:

Address: 9055 Airport Road Unit 7, Brampton

In the Woodhill area situated at the epicenter of one of the GTA's busiest commercial nodes, and will serve Brampton's 600,000 plus residents

600,000 plus residents 1031 square feet

Projected opening estimate: Early 2022

Whitby basic facts:

Address: 150 Taunton Road Unit E2, North Whitby

In the plaza anchored by Walmart, LCBO, and Real Canadian Superstore, near the growing community of Brooklin

1000 square feet

Projected opening estimate: Early 2022

About Odd Burger Corporation

Odd Burger Corporation is a chain of company-owned and franchised vegan fast-food restaurants as well as a food technology company that manufactures and distributes a proprietary line of plant-based protein and dairy alternatives to its locations. Odd Burger restaurants operate as smart kitchens, which use state-of-the art cooking technology and automation solutions to deliver a delicious food experience to customers craving healthier and more sustainable fast food. With small store footprints optimized for delivery and takeout, advanced cooking technology, competitive pricing, a vertically integrated supply chain along with healthier ingredients, Odd Burger is revolutionizing the fast-food industry by creating guilt-free fast food. Odd Burger Corporation is traded on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol ODD and on the OTCQB under the symbol GBLYF. For more information visit https://www.oddburger.com.

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including statements that relate to among other things, the Company's strategies, intentions, plans, beliefs, expectations and estimates, and can generally be identified by the use of words such as "may", "will", "could", "should", "would", "likely", "expect", "intend", "estimate", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "objective" and "continue" and words and expressions of similar import. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve risks and uncertainties, and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. Certain material factors or assumptions are applied in making forward-looking statements, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements, including but not limited to its expansion plans into the United States and the number of restaurant locations anticipated in the following period.

Forward-looking statements or information are based on a number of factors and assumptions which have been used to develop such statements and information, but which may prove to be incorrect. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements or information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to: negative cash flow and future financing requirements to sustain operations; dilution; competition; economic changes; and the impact of and risks associated with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The forward-looking information in this news release reflects the current expectations, assumptions and/or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available to the Company.

Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations include but are not limited to: general business and economic conditions (including but not limited to currency rates); changes in laws and regulations; legal and regulatory proceedings; and the ability to execute strategic plans. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the forward-looking statements contained in this document, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

SOURCE Odd Burger Corporation

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https://oddburger.com/


DENVER, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- OmniTRAX , Inc. , a comprehensive logistics solutions provider and the transportation affiliate of The Broe Group, has announced the promotions of senior executives Sergio Sabatini and John Bradley. Sabatini, a member of the OmniTRAX leadership team since 2013 and current Company President, has also been named OmniTRAX's Chief Operating Officer. Bradley, who joined OmniTRAX in 2017, assumes the expanded role of Senior Vice President with direct oversight of all rail operations, engineering and locomotive and car repair, ensuring our customer base is served safely and on-time.

The announcements coincide with current Chief Operating Officer, Gord Anutooshkin's, decision to depart at year's end. Anutooshkin, a Class I veteran of 24 years and OmniTRAX colleague since 2014, led the company's safety, operational, engineering, and mechanical functions.

"These moves provide the agility to support our customers' dynamic rail needs while ensuring the continuity of service that OmniTRAX customers rely on each day," said OmniTRAX CEO Dean Piacente. "We are grateful for Gord's contributions to nurture an exceptional operational culture of safety and service that truly defines OmniTRAX."

Sabatini and Bradley begin the transition into their expanded roles to coincide with Anutooshkin's scheduled departure.

About OmniTRAX, Inc.

As one of North America's largest and fastest growing private railroad and transportation management companies, OmniTRAX's core capabilities range from providing transportation and supply chain management services to railroad and port companies, to providing intermodal and industrial switching operations to railroads, ports and a diverse group of industrial companies. Through its affiliation with The Broe Group and its portfolio of managed companies, OmniTRAX also has the unique capability of offering specialized industrial development and real estate solutions, both on and off the rail network managed by OmniTRAX. More information is available at omnitrax.com.

About The Broe Group

Founded in 1972, The Broe Group is a private, multi-billion-dollar investment group with diversified holdings in real estate, rail, infrastructure, energy, agriculture, water, healthcare and technology throughout 37 North American states and provinces. Its deep operational knowledge derived from owning and operating multi-billion-dollar businesses and the global economic insights gleaned from serving its vast Fortune 500 clientele are strategic differentiators. The Broe Group's entrepreneurial focus enables it to find true value wherever it resides. For more information, visit broe.com.

SOURCE OmniTRAX
MINSK REGION, Republic of Belarus, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As the global economy continues its steady path to recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, markets around the world witnessed enhanced financial activity in Q3 of 2021. Subsequently, world-renowned online forex company Inceptial has announced it is expanding its outreach and focusing on the Middle East and Northern Africa (MENA). Among other actions taken by the company is the facilitation of all its services and infrastructure to Arabic, as well as the adaptation of its support staff to MENA's financial activity hours.

"We are very excited about this step we're taking," commented Inceptial's spokesperson. "We've been working on suiting ourselves to the needs of traders from the region for several months now, leaving no stone unturned in our efforts to provide nothing but the most optimal services to our valued clients. We are fully aware of the needs, customs, aspirations and limitations of the markets that make up this region. We look forward to sharing our success with our new partners on this journey."

A global brand with a local touch

Thanks to a significant drop in daily COVID-19 cases across the Middle East and North Africa, national and regional markets are awakening quicker than expected. Since this area is known for its close financial ties between nations, traders from the MENA are the first to gain from this development.

"At Inceptial we set out on this mission with a clear goal: to put our Arabic users at the center of our strategy as a company," added the spokesperson. "This is part of our vision, from the day of our establishment, that our growth as a business must stem from our customers' success and ability to flourish as skilled traders."

About Inceptial

Established in 2020 and already considered a key player in the online trading industry, Inceptial offers its services globally, wherever local regulations permit online trading. The brand operates its own proprietary WebTrader , alongside the access it grants to the popular MetaTrader 4 platform and apps. All users benefit from round-the-clock support, 7 days a week, via several popular means of communication such as telephone, email and various social media platforms. Further benefits are granted to account holders, with four custom account types offered to traders, tailored to different trading budgets and strategies. More information on these matters and others can be found at www.inceptial.com.

SOURCE Inceptial

Related Links

http://www.inceptial.com


SANTA FE, N.M., Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- OpenEye Scientific, an industry leader in computational molecular design, has officially introduced its Scientific Advisory Board, which includes experts in the fields of biophysics and molecular modeling.

The Scientific Advisory Board will provide guidance and support to OpenEye as it continues development of its methods and technologies and as it revolutionizes drug discovery with Orion, its cloud-native computational environment.

"OpenEye's Scientific Advisory Board is a great asset," said Anthony Nicholls, CEO of OpenEye Scientific. "These are distinguished leaders in their fields, who bring invaluable expertise and perspectives. Their challenges and scientific insights continue to aid us as we chart a course forward for our toolkits, applications, and cloud-based science platform, all of which help advance our customers' efforts to create new and better therapeutics."

Members of the OpenEye Scientific Advisory Board include:

John Chodera, Ph.D. - Dr. Chodera is an Associate Member at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. His research focuses on the use of rigorous statistical mechanics and physical modeling to develop predictive, quantitative computational models to enable rapid rational engineering of small molecule ligands for use as tool compounds for computational biology or potential therapeutics. He also serves as a faculty member at Weill Cornell Medicine in the program in Physiology, Biophysics & Systems Biology. Dr. Chodera earned his bachelor's degree in biology from the California Institute of Technology and his doctorate in biophysics from the University of California, San Francisco.

Lillian Chong, Ph.D. - Dr. Chong is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh. Her research focuses on the development of advanced molecular simulation methods for providing detailed views and kinetics properties of rare events such as protein binding and conformational switching. Dr. Chong earned her bachelor's degree in chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and her doctorate in biophysics from the University of California, San Francisco.

David Mobley, Ph.D. - Dr. Mobley is a Professor at the University of California, Irvine, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science. His research focuses on predicting thermodynamic properties from molecular simulations, with an emphasis on problems relating to pharmaceutical drug discovery. Dr. Mobley earned his bachelor's and doctorate in physics from the University of California, Davis.

Kim Sharp, Ph.D. - Dr. Sharp is an Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. His research seeks to gain an understanding of how proteins bind and recognize other proteins, drugs, ligands and nucleic acids. Dr. Sharp earned his bachelor's in biophysics from Leeds University and his doctorate in chemistry from the University of British Columbia.



About OpenEye Scientific

OpenEye Scientific is an industry leader in computational molecular design through rapid, robust, and scalable software, toolkits, technology and design services, and Orion, the only cloud-native fully integrated software-as-a-service molecular modeling platform. Combining unlimited computation and storage with powerful tools for data sharing, visualization and analysis in an open development platform, Orion offers unprecedented capabilities for the advancement of pharmaceuticals, biologics, agrochemicals, and flavors and fragrances. Founded in 1997, OpenEye is a privately held company headquartered in Santa Fe, N.M., with offices in Boston, Mass.; Cologne, Germany; and Tokyo, Japan. For more information, go to www.openeye.inc .

MEDIA CONTACT:

OpenEye Scientific: Josh Segal | [email protected] | 617-947-3795

SOURCE OpenEye Scientific

Related Links

www.eyesopen.com


This round was led by DigitalDx Ventures and supported by Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund

Other investors include Desjardins Capital, Hike Ventures, Advisors Fund, MEDTEQ+ and Biomed Propulsion (participative debt)

New funding will support the development of Optina's Retinal Deep Phenotyping TM platform

platform It will also support Optina's pivotal study for the FDA regulatory submission of the awAIrTM cerebral amyloid status test for Alzheimer's disease detection, aligning the platform with novel therapeutic approvals

MONTREAL, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Optina, an innovative diagnostics company, leader in Retinal Imaging, Brain Health and Systemic Disease detection, announced today the closing of a CA$24.8 million Series-A round of funding.

Optina's Retinal Deep PhenotypingTM platform obtained FDA Breakthrough Device Designation status in 2019 for its non-invasive and more accessible test to improve diagnosis accuracy and the management of patients undergoing evaluation for Alzheimer's disease (AD). The Series A's primary focus is to support the pivotal study for Optina's awAIr TM cerebral amyloid status test when AD is suspected and will also support the platform development for early detection of systemic diseases.

"DigitalDx is honored to have led a successful round for Optina Diagnostics. At DigitalDx we believe the recent technological advances in health data capture enabled by artificial intelligence (AI) could dramatically impact our ability to diagnose illness earlier, potentially drastically improve patient outcomes and save our healthcare system billions of dollars and could redefine the way we create value in healthcare," says Michele Colucci Founder & CEO of DigitalDx Ventures.

"The Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund recognizes the potential of the Optina technology for capturing a variety of data types at extremely high resolution through a possibly faster and simpler non-invasive eye scan. This technology could be tremendously valuable for advancing efforts in R&D biomarker development. We are excited that Optina will continue to develop their platform in multiple areas and strive to bring meaningful health outcomes for patients," said Debbie Lin, Ph.D., Executive Director of Digital Health Investments, Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund.

Funds will also be used to accelerate the deployment of additional clinical study sites with the installation of Optina's Retinal Deep PhenotypingTM platform at leading institutions in the United States, Canada, and Europe.

"We are eager to put this investment to work. Optina is at the forefront of Systemic Diseases and Brain Health diagnosis and clinical experts are advocating for novel objective tools for early diagnosis and monitoring of at-risk patients for these underserved disease areas. This funding could allow us to make a significant difference by changing mindsets when it comes to Brain Health and hopefully ease millions of worried patients around the world by detecting the causes of their cognitive impairment and providing them access to novel therapeutics," said David Lapointe, CEO Optina Diagnostics.

About Optina Diagnostics

Optina Diagnostics is a Montreal-based company focused on changing mindsets when it comes to Brain Health and systemic diseases. With a first application in the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's, Optina challenges the status quo by providing an accurate, simple, and non-invasive optical test to understand the age-related sources of memory loss, empowering millions. optinadx.com.

About DigitalDx Ventures

DigitalDx Ventures is a woman-owned Venture Capital fund in Silicon Valley supporting companies that diagnose illness earlier, less invasively, more accurately and less expensively enabled by artificial intelligence and data. The Fund is committed to producing a triple bottom line: superior financial returns, diversity and access to healthcare for all. There are currently 8 companies in the portfolio providing game changing diagnostics in Alzheimer's diagnosis, kidney health, breast cancer, mental health, maternal health, patient monitoring and multi cancer screening.

About Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund

The Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund is the strategic venture fund of Boehringer Ingelheim Corporation. Since 2010, we invest in pioneering science that offers the potential to provide a significant benefit for our patients. Innovation is not restricted by geography; therefore, we invest worldwide.

About Desjardins Capital

Over 45 years strong, Desjardins Capital has a mission to value, support and nurture the best of Quebec entrepreneurship. With assets under management of C$2.8 billion as of June 30, 2021, Desjardins Capital helps contribute to the longevity of more than 610 companies, cooperatives and funds in various sectors from across Quebec. In addition to helping to maintain and create many thousands of jobs, this subsidiary of Desjardins Group offers business owners access to a large business network and supports their business growth. For more information, visit our website, desjardinscapital.com.

SOURCE Optina Diagnostics

Related Links

http://www.optinadx.com


NEW YORK, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM), operator of financial markets for 11,000 U.S. and global securities, today announced Tartisan Nickel Corp. (CSE: TN;OTCQX: TTSRF), a Canadian mineral exploration and development company, has qualified to trade on the OTCQX Best Market. Tartisan Nickel Corp. upgraded to OTCQX from the Pink market.

Tartisan Nickel Corp. begins trading today on OTCQX under the symbol "TTSRF." U.S. investors can find current financial disclosure and Real-Time Level 2 quotes for the company on www.otcmarkets.com.

Upgrading to the OTCQX Market is an important step for companies seeking to provide transparent trading for their U.S. investors. For companies listed on a qualified international exchange, streamlined market standards enable them to utilize their home market reporting to make their information available in the U.S. To qualify for OTCQX, companies must meet high financial standards, follow best practice corporate governance and demonstrate compliance with applicable securities laws.

Securities Law USA acted as the company's OTCQX sponsor.

About Tartisan Nickel Corp.

Tartisan Nickel Corp. is a Canadian mineral exploration and development company. The flagship asset is the Kenbridge Nickel Deposit, Kenora Mining District, Ontario, Canada. The Kenbridge Nickel Deposit has a Mineral Resource Estimate with a measured and indicated mineral resource estimate of 7.5 Mt of 0.58% nickel, 0.32% copper for a total of 95 Mlb of contained nickel, along with an additional 0.985 Mt at 1% Ni and 0.62% Cu (22 Mlb contained Ni) of inferred resource along with a contained resource estimate of 53 Mlb of copper (Sedar: September 17, 2020). All terms are defined under Canadian regulatory and disclosure standards, which differ in certain respects from U.S. disclosure standards regarding mineral exploration. The Kenbridge Project has a 622m deep, 3 compartment shaft. Mineralization is open at depth, down plunge and along strike. Additional Tartisan assets include; the Sill Lake Lead-Silver Project, Sault Ste Marie, Ontario and the Don Pancho Manganese-Zinc-Lead-Silver Project, 9km from Trevai's Santander mine in Peru. Tartisan investment portfolio holdings include 2 NSR's and equity stakes in the following: Eloro Resources Ltd (TSXV:ELO), Class 1 Nickel & Technologies (CSE:NICO), Peruvian Metals Corp. (TSXV:PER) and Silver Bullet Mines Inc. Tartisan Nickel Corp. has an "NCIB" in place to buy back up to 5% of its common shares if circumstances warrant.

About OTC Markets Group Inc.

OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM) operates the OTCQX Best Market, the OTCQB Venture Market and the Pink Open Market for 11,000 U.S. and global securities. Through OTC Link ATS and OTC Link ECN, we connect a diverse network of broker-dealers that provide liquidity and execution services. We enable investors to easily trade through the broker of their choice and empower companies to improve the quality of information available for investors.

To learn more about how we create better informed and more efficient markets, visit www.otcmarkets.com.

OTC Link ATS and OTC Link ECN are SEC regulated ATSs, operated by OTC Link LLC, member FINRA/SIPC.

Subscribe to the OTC Markets RSS Feed

Media Contact:

OTC Markets Group Inc., +1 (212) 896-4428, [email protected]

SOURCE OTC Markets Group Inc.

Related Links

http://www.otcmarkets.com


NEW YORK, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP is LLC is investigating whether Owlet, Inc. ("OWLT or the "Company") (NYSE: OWLT) complied with federal securities laws.

On October 4, 2021, the Company disclosed through an SEC filing that it received a warning letter from the FDA. The FDA's letter informed Owlet that the Company's marketing for its Owlet Smart Sock in the United States "renders the Smart Sock a medical device requiring premarket clearance or approval from FDA, and that the Company has not obtained such clearance or approval in violation of the Federal, Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act." The FDA has requested that the Company take "prompt action" to remedy the alleged violations.

On this report, the price of the Company's stock declined over 33%.

If you purchased whether Owlet, Inc. shares and suffered lossoves, please call Gregory Stone at (800) 575-0735 or (212) 545-4774, email [email protected] or submit this form:

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO CONTACT THE FIRM

Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP has extensive experience in the prosecution of securities class actions and derivative litigation in state and federal trial and appellate courts across the country. The firm has attorneys in various practice areas; and offices in New York, Chicago and San Diego. The reputation and expertise of this firm in shareholder and other class litigation has been repeatedly recognized by the courts, which have appointed it to major positions in complex securities multi-district and consolidated litigation.

If you wish to discuss this investigation or have any questions regarding your rights and interests in this matter, please immediately contact Wolf Haldenstein by telephone at (800) 575-0735, via e-mail at [email protected], or visit our website at www.whafh.com.

Contact:

Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP

Gregory Stone, Director of Case and Financial Analysis

Kevin Cooper, Esq.

Email: [email protected] or [email protected]

Tel: (800) 575-0735 or (212) 545-4774

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome.

SOURCE Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP

Related Links

http://www.whafh.com


First launched in 2018, Reddy quickly became one of Petco's most popular brands, inspired by millennial urban pet parents looking for high-quality, innovative, functional and sustainably-made products for their pets. The brand offers a broad assortment, including apparel, collars, leashes, harnesses, beds, bowls, feeders and travel accessories for everyday adventures.

"Reddy's growth and popularity among active and trend-forward pet parents has been steady since launch," said Nick Konat, Petco's Chief Merchandising Officer. "And it's only accelerated over the last 18+ months as millions of pet parents are exploring outdoor activities and taking their pets with them wherever they go. This first-of-its-kind boutique will continue fueling that exploration by giving New York City pet parents a hub to bond, recharge and find the latest must-have gear to style their best lives together."

The launch of Reddy SoHo marks the first time the company has opened a retail location dedicated to a single, exclusive brand. The space is designed as an edgy, urban boutique inspired by industrial design and complemented by Reddy's bold color palette, patterns and textures. In addition to a robust selection of Reddy merchandise across apparel, accessories and supplies, the store provides local and visiting dogs and their parents an exclusive interactive experience, including:

A lounge area with free Wi-Fi and, in the coming months, an adventure concierge to plan activities with your pet, along with a calendar of recommended monthly activities in and around the city;

A fitting station for finding the perfect look and fit for your furry friend, as well as custom services like personalized pet tags and on-site product monogramming, plus phone charging stations at the customization table;

Exclusive, complimentary amenities for pets, including sanitary water stations, a "treatery" and whipped cream cups for pups;

A JustFoodForDogs fresh nutrition station offering a range of high-quality dog foods and treats formulated to meet specific, critical nutritional needs, as well as a variety of supplements to help boost pets' health; and

Gram-ready walls, a "Bark Board" for community updates and a pet polaroid wall showcasing furry shop-goers in their element.

Reddy SoHo is currently open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. EST. In the coming months, Reddy SoHo will release new products exclusive to the store. Customers can also apply their Petco Pals Rewards and Petco gift cards to in-store purchases and make appointments at local Petco pet care centers for grooming, training and veterinary services. Reddy products are available at Petco pet care centers nationwide and petco.com.

Reddy products are designed with clever, functional solutions and innovative fabrications paired with intuitive details. The brand regularly unveils new innovations, like the launch of PrimaLoft jackets and vests, featuring a first-of-its-kind technology for pets that offers a water-resistant, reflective fabric and premium, lightweight insulation to help keep them dry and warm during the colder months. In addition to cutting-edge technologies, Reddy products are made of durable, sustainable materials, with 90% of the portfolio created with recycled content such as plastic bottles.

For more information on Reddy, visit petco.com/reddybrand. Reddy is a registered trademark of Petco Animal Supplies Stores, Inc.

About Petco, The Health + Wellness Co.

Petco is a category-defining health and wellness company focused on improving the lives of pets, pet parents and our own Petco partners. Since our founding in 1965, we've been striving to set new standards in pet care, delivering comprehensive wellness solutions through our products and services, and creating communities that deepen the pet-pet parent bond. We operate more than 1,500 Petco locations across the U.S., Mexico and Puerto Rico, including a growing network of more than 150 in-store veterinary hospitals, and offer a complete online resource for pet health and wellness at petco.com and on the Petco app. In tandem with Petco Love (formerly the Petco Foundation), an independent nonprofit organization, we work with and support thousands of local animal welfare groups across the country and, through in-store adoption events, we've helped find homes for more than 6.5 million animals.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, concerning expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance and underlying assumptions and other statements that are other than statements of historical fact. Although Petco believes that the expectations and assumptions reflected in these statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that these expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are subject to many risks and uncertainties, including the risk factors that Petco identifies in its Securities and Exchange Commission filings, and actual results may differ materially from the results discussed in such forward-looking statements. Petco undertakes no duty to update publicly any forward-looking statement that it may make, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable law, regulation or other competent legal authority.

Contact:

Yvonne Tarrab

[email protected]

SOURCE Petco Health and Wellness Company, Inc.
PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Maria Quattrone, the CEO of Maria Quattrone & Associates at RE/MAX @ HOME, made a major announcement today seeking to change the lives of the people who are traditionally underrepresented in the lucrative and rewarding career of real estate sales  women and minorities.

Starting immediately, Maria Quattrone & Associates in Center City, Philadelphia, is launching its PA Real Estate Scholarship Program , which will pay 100% of the cost for women and minorities looking to obtain their real estate licenses. This scholarship includes course materials, 75 hours of schooling and training at Maria Quattrone & Associates at RE/MAX @ HOME, also known as MQA.

This new initiative, based on MQA's #1 core value  BE THE SOLUTION  is aimed at those women and minorities in the community who are considering a career change and are ready to take that first step.

MQA's "can-do" attitude, aggressive marketing and 360-degree approach to the customer experience have allowed Maria Quattrone and her team to offer such a unique scholarship program, the first of its kind in the area.

"In the belief of giving back, we're hoping to enrich the lives of those who have the drive to BE THE SOLUTION, but maybe not the opportunities and resources to start a career in real estate," said CEO Maria Quattrone, owner of one of the top real estate agencies in Pennsylvania.

Motivated candidates who are looking to start a new career, should go to parealestatescholarship.com to apply and begin this exciting journey that will change their lives.

For more information, go to parealestatescholarship.com or call 215-607-3525.

About Maria Quattrone & Associates

Founded in 2004, Maria Quattrone and her team have risen to become a top team in the Philadelphia Metro Market by growing Maria Quattrone & Associates at RE/MAX @ HOME into one of the most successful real estate groups in the area with more than 2,700 properties closed and over $700 million in sales. Learn more at mqrealestate.com.

Media Contact:

Joe Zoltek

215-607-3525

[email protected]

mqrealestate.com

SOURCE Maria Quattrone & Associates at REMAX @ HOME

Related Links

http://mqrealestate.com


HONG KONG and SHANGHAI, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd. (hereafter "Ping An" or the "Group", HKEX: 02318; SSE: 601318) announced it is on track to achieve operational carbon neutrality in 2030. The announcement came at the opening ceremony of the Nujiang  Gaoligong Mountain, the Sound of Ping An Exhibition Center in Yunnan Province.

At the ceremony, Ping An also announced the enhanced operation plan for Green Finance+. Ping An will focus on green operations, green assets, green insurance, green charity and green technology to support societal green transformation and sustainable development.

Focused on Operational Carbon Neutrality in 2030 and Green Finance

"Carbon neutrality" is an emerging topic around the globe. Ping An officially announced that the company will achieve carbon neutrality by reducing internal carbon emissions first, then investing or purchasing carbon credits to align with international operations standards.

Ping An also announced the enhanced operation plan for Green Finance+. To support China's "30-60" target  to hit peak emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060  Green Finance+ is an upgraded operational plan in five aspects, including green operations, green assets, green insurance, green charity, and green technology. In April 2021, Ping An published its targets for the annual growth rates for its green investments of no less than 20%, green insurance premiums no less than 70% and green credit balance no less than 20%. Ping An aims to achieve the overall targets by 2025 with investment and credit of RMB400 billion and total green insurance premiums of RMB250 billion.

In addition to working towards green operations with carbon neutrality, Ping An's investment in green assets will help establish standards and policies for green finance. Ping An will also launch a roadmap for carbon neutrality in the asset portfolio. For green insurance, the company promotes innovation on existing policies and products, and will provide comprehensive green insurance products and services. For green charity, the company will release its plan on its new Carbon Neutral Charitable Trust and organize public welfare activities. For green technology, the company will continue to leverage its technological edge to achieve carbon neutrality.

As of the third quarter of 2021, Ping An achieved green investment of RMB208.89 billion, green credit of RMB53.28 billion, and green insurance of RMB25.11 billion. The green projects included the Baihetan Dam, Shenzhen compulsory environmental pollution liability insurance, Zhuhai catastrophe index insurance, data center planning to improve power usage efficiency, and a Natural Disaster Early Warning Mechanism.

Deliver the sound of Ping An in harmonious symbiosis between human and nature

The Nujiang  Gaoligong Mountain, the Sound of Ping An Exhibition Center showcases the Gaoligong Mountain's ecological environment to locals and visitors in visual and audio dimensions. The Gaoligong Mountain in Yunnan, which connects the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the Indochina Peninsula, is one of 17 key biodiversity areas in China. It is also the gene bank of species resources of China and the world and is listed as a UNESCO biodiversity protection circle.

The center, in Nujiang Baihualing Lisu Music Town, was jointly built by Yunnan Province Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture and Ping An.

Chinese explorers travelled around the Gaoligong Mountain region to collect the sounds of nature and humanity. The documentaries featured at the center enable audiences to discover the symbiotic relationships between humans and nature.

Ping An is committed to supporting China's green transformation and industry upgrades to realize China's "30-60" target, contributing to global sustainable development, and promoting the well-being of all mankind.

About Ping An Group

Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd. ("Ping An") is a world-leading technology-powered retail financial services group. With over 225 million retail customers and near 634 million internet users, Ping An is one of the largest financial services companies in the world. Ping An focuses on two over-arching domains of activity, "pan financial assets" and "pan health care", covering the provision of financial and health care services through our integrated financial services platform and our ecosystems; in financial services, health care, auto services and smart city services. Our "finance + technology" and "finance + ecosystem" transformation strategies aim to provide customers and internet users with innovative and simple products and services using technology. As China's first joint stock insurance company, Ping An is committed to upholding the highest standards of corporate reporting and corporate governance. The Group is listed on the stock exchanges in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Ping An ranked 6th in the Forbes Global 2000 list in 2021 and ranked 16th in the Fortune Global 500 list in 2020. Ping An also ranked 49th in the 2021 WPP Kantar Millward Brown BrandZTM Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands list.

For more information, please visit www.group.pingan.com and follow us on LinkedIn - PING AN.

SOURCE Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd.

Related Links

www.group.pingan.com


PM Group is an employee owned company recognized for its culture of commitment, inclusivity and innovation. It has a 48-year track record delivering complex projects for the world's leading multinationals. With over 3,400+ people, PM Group is a recognized ENR Top 5 Pharma Engineering design firm. Turnover in 2020 was US$400 million and clients include AbbVie, Bayer, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Regeneron, Resilience, Sanofi, and Thermo Fisher Scientific.

Allan Schouten, PM Group's US President, said, 'The opening of our Philadelphia office is a significant milestone in the strategic development of our global life science business. As with our offices in Boston and San Francisco, we are investing to build a leading life science center in Philadelphia to serve our clients in the US and internationally.'

'The new office will provide our clients with the highest quality professional services in engineering, architecture, project management and technical consultancy. Our core life science leadership team is well established in Philadelphia. Together with support from our international network, we are already delivering projects for our clients in the US,' said Brendan O'Connell, Operations Manager Philadelphia.

PM Group is currently recruiting for a range of positions across key specialties, including project management, engineering, architecture, commissioning and qualification  see www.pmgroup-global.com/careers for further information.

Contact: Paul Clifford, +353 87 327 2161

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1671490/pm_group_philadelphia_office_opening.jpg

SOURCE PM Group

Related Links

https://www.pmgroup-global.com/


BOSTON, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- EVs certainly mark the path to a more environmentally friendly future, but there are still concerns around the sourcing of certain components or materials within EVs. As the market for EVs expands rapidly, the demand for components like electric motors does so along with it. In 2021, the demand for EV motors is expected to increase by 40% in the car market alone. Electric motors literally drive EVs, but many designs utilize kilograms of magnetic materials. These magnets rely heavily on rare-earth materials like neodymium and dysprosium, which are expensive, produce lots of waste and have various mining concerns. Will EV manufacturers continue to rely so heavily on rare earths going into the future?

IDTechEx expects neodymium demand for electric car motors to increase 11 fold by 2032. Source: IDTechEx - "Electric Vehicle Motors 2022-2032"

The Problem

The supply chain for rare earths is extremely constrained geographically. China accounts for the vast majority of worldwide production which has historically led to price volatility. Back in 2011, China restricted exports of rare earths seeing an approximate price rise of 750% and 2000% for neodymium and dysprosium respectively. Prices since have remained fairly stable aside from a 1.5 fold increase in 2017 thanks to environmental reforms in China. 2021 is proving to be especially volatile, with a 2.2 fold increase at the start of the year which has yet to settle down.

In addition to the price concerns, there are environmental concerns. Rare earths are extracted from ores which can contain radioactive materials such as thorium and extracting the required rare earths typically uses a huge amount of carcinogenic compounds like ammonia, hydrochloric acids, and sulphates. It has been estimated that processing 1 tonne of rare earths can produce up to 2,000 tonnes of toxic waste.

For EVs to truly be a transition to green technology something about the situation has to change.

The Solution

Electric drive motors come in many different designs the most popular being permanent magnet machines, but some designs do not require permanent magnets (and hence rare-earths). The induction motor utilizes a copper or aluminum cage on its rotor, this design has been used historically by Tesla for its Model S and X. Some have adopted a wound rotor configuration with copper windings on the rotor such as Renault for their Zoe. Some, especially in heavy-duty or commercial vehicle segments, are opting for the switched reluctance motor which has a silicon steel rotor without the need for magnets or copper on the rotor.

Typically, permanent magnet motors present better power density and efficiency, hence why so many use them. As well as eliminating the magnets, there are efforts to reduce the rare-earth or at least heavy rare-earth content of the magnets. OEMs such as Honda and Nissan have reduced or eliminated the heavy rare-earth component.

What Is Actually Happening

Despite the above concerns, according to IDTechEx research ("Electric Vehicle Motors 2022-2032"), in 2020, 77% of the electric car market used permanent magnet motors, a ratio that has remained fairly consistent over the past 5 years.

The huge neodymium price spike in 2011 may have factored into the decision by Renault to continue with their wound rotor design and for the development of Audi's induction motors used for the e-tron, but in general, with the settled price, we are seeing more announcements of a switch to permanent magnets. In 2018, Tesla adopted a permanent magnet motor for their Model 3 onwards whilst keeping an induction motor on the front axle and Audi's new Q4 e-tron for 2021 takes a similar approach. One key player who has recently made the switch to a wound rotor design is BMW for their 5th gen drive system which will power their next-generation EVs including the iX3, i4, and others.

Whilst we have seen some differentiation in the European market, as China largely controls the rare-earth supply, the price volatility is not as much of a concern and they are unlikely to shift away from permanent magnet machines. With China being one of the largest EV markets, this means that permanent magnet motors are here to stay.

Automotive development timescales are long, normally on the scale of several years, with the neodymium price volatility in 2021, we could see a few more announcements about the reduction of rare earths in the next few years.

The US Attempts to Compete

The US has made previous attempts to increase its involvement in the rare-earth supply chain and now the Biden administration has made it one of its priorities under the $2 trillion infrastructure proposal. MP Materials bought a previously closed mine in California in 2017, vying to restore the US's rare-earth supply chain with a focus on neodymium and praseodymium, and is hoping to become the lowest-cost producer. MP Materials are planning to complete their goals by 2025 ready for the ramp-up of EV production in the US. Lynas Corporation has received government funding for a processing plant in Texas for light rare-earths and has another contract for a heavy rare-earth separation facility also in Texas. Despite these goals and investments, China has invested approximately double the US in the energy-related transition over the last decade. The US will certainly have a big task to try and compete with China, especially on cost and we would expect China to remain dominant at least in the short term.

Outlook

With China's current dominance of rare-earth supply, they are likely to continue to use permanent magnet motors in a big way. In the EU, we are seeing some differentiation in motor designs in order to avoid rare-earths but in general, they are further converging on permanent magnet designs for their superior efficiency and power density. However, efforts are being made to decrease the utilization of magnetic materials and especially heavy rare-earths. Even with these decreases, IDTechEx expects the neodymium volume demand from battery-electric vehicles in 2032 to be 11 times the demand experienced in 2021.

IDTechEx's new report "Electric Vehicle Motors 2022-2032" takes a deep dive into the types of electric motor used in electric vehicles as well as emerging alternatives like axial flux and in-wheel motors. The report considers the EV market for cars, buses, trucks, vans, and two-wheelers across China, Europe, and the US, including forecasts for motor demand over the next 10 years. Granular motor performance statistics are given for these categories and regions including a detailed power and torque density benchmark of several motors used currently in BEVs, PHEVs, and future alternatives. IDTechEx's model database of 150 models with more variants is used to determine various trends in the electric vehicle motor industry. The materials used in the motors are also considered, addressing rare-earths in magnets in addition to copper and aluminum used in the motor windings, with material demand forecasts out to 2032.

About IDTechEx

IDTechEx guides your strategic business decisions through its Research, Subscription and Consultancy products, helping you profit from emerging technologies. For more information, contact [email protected] or visit www.IDTechEx.com.

Images download: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/epbbtgfqwsx9hv3/AADQIVXti2YaxZ4bAQtPjsq-a?dl=0

Media Contact:



Natalie Moreton

Digital Marketing Manager

[email protected]

+44(0)1223 812300



Social Media Links:



Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/IDTechEx

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/idtechex/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IDTechExResearch

SOURCE IDTechEx
"Today, we announce a product that represents a new kind of Black Badge motor car, one that seizes on the minimalist, Post Opulent design treatment that has recast the legend of Ghost but amplifies and subverts it with the application of black. Our most advanced motor car yet has been reengineered to characterise the alter ego of Rolls-Royce: assertive, dynamic and potent. This is the purest Black Badge motor car in the marque's history. This is Black Badge Ghost."

Torsten Muller-Otvos, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has always attracted subversive clients  rebellious women and men who built their success by breaking rules, taking risks and challenging conventions. Their approach to Rolls-Royce products is no different. The marque has responded accordingly, developing new colour palettes, more technical surface treatments and even more powerful driving experiences without ever compromising the effortless sensibilities that have drawn this bold group of clients to the Rolls-Royce brand.

Black Badge, the highly successful alter ego of Rolls-Royce, now represents more than 27% of commissions worldwide. Rolls-Royce debuted Black Badge with Wraith and Ghost in 2016, followed by Dawn in 2017 then Cullinan in 2019. Today, a new, Post Opulent expression of Black Badge joins the family. The purest and most technologically advanced Black Badge motor car yet, Black Badge Ghost.

Conceived in response to a group of clients who requested a Rolls-Royce that was agile, discreet, highly connected and free of any superfluous design, the new Ghost is not just the most technologically advanced Rolls-Royce yet, but also the most aesthetically pure. Named 'Post Opulence' by Rolls-Royce designers, exceptional materials are selected and celebrated while overt design is limited, intelligent and unobtrusive.

However, within this group of clients  who celebrate minimalism and material substance  a rebellious subset sought to create a disruptive expression of Ghost by permanently cloaking it in a shade so pure that its very classification as a colour remains a subject of debate: black. Black Badge Ghost reflects these clients' desires. It is the dark side of Post Opulence: minimalism in extremis.

Black Badge is not just an aesthetic  it is an experience. The capacity of the Rolls-Royce twin-turbocharged 6.75-litre V12 engine was deemed sufficient. However, the flexibility of this celebrated power plant has been exploited to generate an extra 29PS, creating a total output of 600PS. The sense of a single infinite gear has also been dramatised with the addition of a further 50NM of torque, for a total of 900NM.

Read more at Rolls-Royce PressClub: www.press.rolls-roycemotorcars.com

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1672930/Black_Badge_Ghost.jpg

SOURCE Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
NEW YORK, Oct. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --

WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of the securities of loanDepot, Inc. (NYSE: LDI) pursuant and/or traceable to the registration statement and related prospectus (collectively, the "Registration Statement") issued in connection with loanDepot's February 16, 2021 initial public offering (the "IPO") of the important November 8, 2021 lead plaintiff deadline.

SO WHAT: If you purchased loanDepot securities pursuant and/or traceable to the IPO you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.

WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the loanDepot class action, go to http://www.rosenlegal.com/cases-register-2156.html or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] or [email protected] for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than November 8, 2021. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.

WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources or any meaningful peer recognition. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.

DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, the Registration Statement featured false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) loanDepot's refinance originations had already declined substantially at the time of the IPO due to industry over-capacity and increased competition; (2) loanDepot's gain-on-sale margins had already declined substantially at the time of the IPO; (3) as a result, loanDepot's revenue and growth would be negatively impacted; and (4) as a result of the foregoing, defendants' positive statements about loanDepot's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.

To join the loanDepot class action, go to http://www.rosenlegal.com/cases-register-2156.html or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] or [email protected] for information on the class action.

No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.

Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/.

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Contact Information:

Laurence Rosen, Esq.

Phillip Kim, Esq.

The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.

275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor

New York, NY 10016

Tel: (212) 686-1060

Toll Free: (866) 767-3653

Fax: (212) 202-3827

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

www.rosenlegal.com



SOURCE Rosen Law Firm, P.A.

Related Links

www.rosenlegal.com


CHICAGO, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In-depth analysis and data-driven insights on the impact of COVID-19 included in this Russia data center market report.

Russia data center market size is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 6.56% during the period 20202026. Russia data center market research report includes market size in terms of area, investment, power capacity, and colocation revenues. Get insights on 68 existing data centers and 13 upcoming facilities spread across Moscow and other cities (including Novosibirsk, Omsk, Udomlya, and Yekaterinburg).

Key Highlights Offered in the Report:

Russia is an emerging data center market globally, with the increase in the adoption of digital platforms, digital economy, cryptocurrency mining, and increased technology adoption under Industry 4.0 expecting to boost market investments in coming years. Locations such as Moscow and St. Petersburg have a high number of data centers, with 47 existing third party data centers in Moscow accounting for over 70% of the existing capacity in the country. Tier II and Tier III cities in Russia are expected to see an increase in modular data center development with a capacity of <3 MW. The Russian Federal Law on Personal Data is the data privacy law implemented in Russia , that states that data collection, storage, and retrieval of Russian citizens must be conducted in databases located within the Russian Federation itself, that will be a significant boost to the data center market. Skolkovo Technopark, IstraDigital, and Mordovia Republic's Technopark are some of the techno parks located in Russia , which provide multiple benefits to data center investors developing facilities in these techno parks. Russia is the sixth-largest sustainable energy producer, with hydroelectric power contributing a major part of the renewable energy. Around 260 MW of power capacity is to be added in Russia during 20212026.

Key Offerings:

Market Size & Forecast by Area, Power Capacity, Investment, and Colocation Revenue | 2020-2026

Impact of COVID-19 on Data Center Market

Snapshot of existing and upcoming third-party facilities in Russia

Facilities Covered (Existing): 68



Facilities Identified (Upcoming): 13



Coverage: 2+ cities



Existing vs. Upcoming (Data Center Area)



Existing vs. Upcoming (IT Load Capacity)

Data center colocation market in Russia

Market Revenue & Forecast (2020-2026)



Retail Colocation Pricing



Wholesale Colocation Pricing

Market Dynamics  Leading trends, growth drivers, restraints, and investment opportunities

Market Segmentation  A detailed analysis by IT infrastructure, electrical infrastructure, mechanical infrastructure, general construction, and tier standard

Key Market Participants  List of 12 IT infrastructure providers, 6 construction service providers, 24 support infrastructure providers, and 6 data center investors

Get your sample today! https://www.arizton.com/market-reports/russia-data-center-market-investment-analysis

Russia Data Center Market  Segmentation

In 2020, CROC Cloud Services expanded its cloud capabilities with installation of Dell Technologies infrastructure, - Dell EMC PowerEdge servers and Dell EMC ScaleIO software-defined solution. In Russia , Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) supports all HPE systems in the MegaFon infrastructure, which include servers, storage devices, SAN, LAN, OS, and applications support.

, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) supports all HPE systems in the MegaFon infrastructure, which include servers, storage devices, SAN, LAN, OS, and applications support. Majority of data centers adopt N+1 redundant diesel generators, with DRUPS systems gaining traction in the country. The trend expects to grow during the forecast period. For instance, Restelecom's (DataLine) NORD data centers site has installed FG Wilson diesel generators with N+1 redundancy.

In 2020, DataPro opened its Moscow II data center, which installed modular cooling design with N+1 redundancy and 125 kW capacity. Linxdatacenter's facilities are equipped with double circuits, chillers, precision air conditioners, and free cooling solutions with 2N and N+1 redundancies.

Market Segmentation by Infrastructure Type

IT Infrastructure

Electrical Infrastructure

Mechanical Infrastructure

General Construction

Market Segmentation by IT Infrastructure

Server

Storage Systems

Network Infrastructure

Market Segmentation by Electrical Infrastructure

UPS Systems

Generators

Transfer Switches and Switchgears

PDUs

Other Electrical Infrastructure

Market Segmentation by Mechanical Infrastructure

Cooling Systems

Rack Cabinets

Other Mechanical Infrastructure

Market Segmentation by Cooling Systems

CRAC & CRAH Units

Chillers

Cooling Towers, Condensers, and Dry Coolers

Economizers & Evaporative Coolers

Other Cooling Units

Market Segmentation by General Construction

Building Development

Installation and Commissioning Services

Building & Engineering Design

Physical Security

Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM)

Market Segmentation by Tier Segments

Tier I & Tier II

Tier III

Tier IV

Market Segmentation by Geography

Moscow

Other Cities

Russia Data Center Market  Dynamics

According to IDC, Russia's cloud market is currently growing twice than the global market, which makes the country as an attractive place for both domestic and global businesses, especially among start-ups and SMEs. Russia has the presence of global cloud providers, including Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, along with its own cloud service providers - Yandex and Mail.ru. In July 2021, Huawei opened its arm-based data center in Moscow, which is the first facility in the country built by Huawei's Intelligent Computing Systems Department. In July 2021, Russian telecom firm, Mobile TeleSystems (MTS), acquired GreenBush's data center in Moscow. The company plans to use the facility's additional capacity for offering cloud solutions, along with colocation services to customers.

In July 2021, MTS launched a new supercomputer "MTS GROM" and plans to offer its services to customers through the cloud platform. In June 2021, MTS signed an agreement with Microsoft and SAP to develop cloud technologies in Russia. In April 2021, a consortium, including the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), ER Telecom Holding, and Talos Fund I, acquired Svyaz VSD, idata centers operated by Linxdatacenter, as well as the LinxCloud platform, to create a leading autonomous cloud service platform in Russia. In December 2020, Rostelecom signed an agreement with VTB Bank for joint development of Rostelecom Data Centers that comprise the company's data centers and cloud business. VTB Bank acquired 44.8% stake in Rostelecom Data Centers.

Key Drivers and Trends fueling Market Growth:

Big Data and IoT increasing Data Center Investments

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Data Centers

5G Deployment Leading Edge Data Center Investment

Increase in Digital Economy in Russia

Russia Data Center Market - Existing Vs. Upcoming Data Centers

Existing Facilities in the region (Area and Power Capacity)

(Area and Power Capacity) Moscow



Other Cities

List of Upcoming Facilities in the region(Area and Power Capacity)

Get your sample today! https://www.arizton.com/market-reports/russia-data-center-market-investment-analysis

Key Market Participants

IT Infrastructure Providers

Atos

Cisco Systems

Dell Technologies

Fujitsu

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)

Huawei Technologies

IBM

Juniper Networks

Lenovo

NetApp

Oracle

Super Micro Computer

Data Center Construction Contractors & Sub-Contractors

Arup Group

Aurora Group

Datadome

Free Technologies Engineering

GreenMDC

Haka Moscow

Support Infrastructure Providers

ABB

Aksa Power Generation

Aermec

Carrier

Caterpillar

Climaveneta Climate Technologies (Mitsubishi Electric)

Cummins

Delta Electronics

Daikin Applied

Eaton

Emicon

HiRef

HITEC-Power Protection

Johnson Controls

KOHLER-SDMO

KyotoCooling

Legrand

Mitsubishi Electric

Perkins Engines

Rittal

Rolls-Royce Power Systems

Schneider Electric

STULZ

Vertiv Group

Data Center Investors

3data

DataPro

IXcellerate

MobileTeleSystems (MTS)

Rostelecom Data Centers (RTK-DC)

Yandex

Explore our data center knowledge base profile to know more about the industry.

Read some of the top-selling reports:

About Arizton:

Arizton Advisory and Intelligence is an innovation and quality-driven firm, which offers cutting-edge research solutions to clients across the world. We excel in providing comprehensive market intelligence reports and advisory and consulting services.

We offer comprehensive market research reports on industries such as consumer goods & retail technology, automotive and mobility, smart tech, healthcare, and life sciences, industrial machinery, chemicals and materials, IT and media, logistics and packaging. These reports contain detailed industry analysis, market size, share, growth drivers, and trend forecasts.

Arizton comprises a team of exuberant and well-experienced analysts who have mastered in generating incisive reports. Our specialist analysts possess exemplary skills in market research. We train our team in advanced research practices, techniques, and ethics to outperform in fabricating impregnable research reports.

Mail: [email protected]

Call: +1-312-235-2040

+1 302 469 0707

SOURCE Arizton Advisory & Intelligence
NEW YORK, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Smartization, or smart transformation, has become a hot topic for individuals, enterprises, and society as a whole. The uncertainty in the early stages of the pandemic caused companies to rethink their existing business models, supply chains, production processes, and working environments. Emerging technologies, including but not limited to IoT, AI, 5G, blockchain, and quantum mechanics are having a very real and exciting impact across all industries. As remote work and remote development have become widely adopted during the pandemic, companies have taken swift actions to address this market demand with technology breakthroughs to foster new drivers for growth.

In this context, Gartner, a world-renowned research and advisory company, along with Tuya Smart, an IoT development platform, and media platforms, Global Intelligent Business and IoT Business Vantage (IBV) have collaborated to produce the whitepaper, The 60 Smartest Companies Thriving Post-Pandemic, published October 21. The white paper explores how new technologies contribute to smartization trends across nine major industries. Here are two examples that demonstrate this transformation across the hospitality and security monitoring industries.

Smart Transformation Helps Hotels Welcome Back Customers

The hospitality industry, which focuses on personalized services as its core business model, was hit especially hard by the pandemic. In less than a year, more than 150,000 hotels have closed globally. Smart transformation allows companies to embrace new technologies and innovative solutions to solve the challenges of COVID-19 and be poised for a strong comeback. One such company is A-STAY, a contemporary Belgian hospitality brand. Its parent company, BESIX, a century-old construction group headquartered in Brussels, has a presence around the world in Europe, Oceania, Africa, and Asia. Its signature projects include the Burj Khalifa Tower in Dubai and the Grand Egyptian Museum at the Pyramids of Giza.

In November 2019, the first A-STAY hotel opened in Antwerp, Belgium. Soon afterwards, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic drove hotels across the industry to adopt contactless check-in to ensure guest safety. With its technology-friendly approach to the hotel business, A-STAY hotel not only rolled out contactless check-in but also sought to find further smart device solutions to improve the guest experience.

A-STAY created contactless public spaces by installing biometric locks across its hotels. To date, the company has applied the biometric palm scanning solution for door locks on nearly 200 guest rooms to further expand contactless check-in and contactless room entry to elevate guest safety. The company is also piloting faster and more advanced biometric palm scanning technology in selected A-STAY guest rooms to continually experiment and improve the hotel guest experience.

A-STAY hotels utilize both smart hardware and software. Guests can adjust room lighting, control the thermostat, operate window curtains, make instant online orders, and book public spaces such as meeting rooms through the TV screens in their rooms or using their personal mobile phones.

With a strategic digital approach to smart transformation, hotels can harness the benefits of digital technology and leverage it to improve the guest experience, enhance personalized services, create high-impact marketing content, and streamline everyday administrative processes. Smart transformation in the hospitality industry is a necessary and highly rewarding path for hotels of every size, meeting the needs of a digital consumer market while preserving a quality experience.

Smart Security Transformation Comforts an Unsteady Society

As COVID-19 brought fear and uncertainty into people lives, contact-free social interaction has become a global trend. During the pandemic, the application of science and technology, including smart security technology, is helping society win the war against the pandemic.

A company leading this trend is AvantGuard Monitoring (AG), a provider of wholesale alarm monitoring solutions throughout North America. The company name is derived from the word avant-garde, meaning, "leaders in new and revolutionary ideas."

With a history of more than 40 years, AvantGuard was originally established as a traditional security alarm company. More recently, its business has evolved into a premier monitoring service, rapidly expanding across the United States and Canada, serving over 1,200 distributors and 1.2 million subscribers.

In the early onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, AvantGuard began to explore how to insert AI into its wholesale alarm monitoring services. After analyzing thousands of incoming subscriber calls, AG developed an AI-powered solution that recognizes and gives priority to more urgent calls that require live monitoring agents to dispatch emergency services. This smart transformation has substantially improved work efficiencies and subscriber outcomes.

At present, the AI solution created and utilized by AvantGuard has effectively handled over 500,000 alarm signals throughout North America, providing interconnected security operations for its clients and deploying solutions rapidly.

Adaptability is now a mandatory business competency, and an accelerated pace of change has become normal. Business executives around the world have become more trusting of what technology can do, and they are pushing ahead with smart transformation. The benefits long extolled by technophiles have become more broadly embraced across organizational leadership. Plus, it's become apparent that few companies will rebound on their own, leading to a stronger need for partnerships and collaborations. Reliance on tech platforms is more acute, and those platforms, along with the brands who use them, will deliver positive results.

For more information, visit: https://www.gartner.com/technology/media-products/newsletters/Tuya/1-27E4H8LZ/index.html

To download the entire white paper in PDF, visit: https://www.tuya.com/resources/whitepaper/ebook-2022

SOURCE Tuya Smart
SACRAMENTO, Calif., Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The California Cannabis Authority (CCA) is pleased to announce that the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors has voted in favor of joining the CCA to improve insight and management of the county's licensed cannabis businesses. CCA membership provides the County with access to actionable data to assist with enforcement, audits, targeted compliance, and revenue forecasts through its partnership with NCS Analytics.

Greg Turner, Executive Director of the California Cannabis Authority, said, "We're excited to have Santa Barbara join the CCA and look forward to showcasing how membership in CCA drives efficiency and effectiveness for local cannabis regulatory and compliance efforts." Turner further noted, "The NCS Platform has been a game-changer for local government oversight. It's more than data aggregation; it's predictive analytics that provides invaluable information to our members. We're excited about the future for CCA and looking forward to Santa Barbara being part of that journey."

Adam Crabtree, CEO of NCS Analytics, added, "NCS is delighted to support the efforts of Santa Barbara to leverage the data to improve their oversight and compliance of the industry through our ongoing partnership with CCA. As one of the largest cultivation counties in the State of California, Santa Barbara staff will be able to streamline their processes and find efficiencies that would otherwise be impossible."

About CCA

The California Cannabis Authority is a Joint Powers Authority with a mission to provide its members access to a sophisticated data analytics platform that delivers up-to-date actionable intelligence and reports on commercial cannabis activity in their jurisdictions. Access to data that would otherwise be unobtainable gives regulators the power to make decisions quickly, efficiently, and founded in fact. CCA also promotes a community of local governments working cooperatively to regulate and tax commercial cannabis more efficiently and effectively. For more information, please visit cca.ca.gov.

About NCS

Since 2015, Denver, CO-based NCS Analytics has operated under its founding principle of empowering real-time critical decision making. By aggregating diverse data streams, NCS provides governments and financial institutions with actionable intelligence to monitor and regulate high-risk industries to prevent fraud and reduce risk exposure. NCS solutions bring a new level of refinement and reliable data to emerging industries. For more information, please visit ncsanalytics.com

SOURCE NCS Analytics; California Cannabis Authority

Related Links

https://www.ncsanalytics.com/


SODERTALJE, Sweden, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Swedish company Jula Logistics uses a 32 metres Scania truck as High Capacity Transport to be able to bring more cargo for each transport and consequently lower emissions. Now it's time for the next step: the huge truck will be powered by electricity. This is the latest example of a sustainable transport solution that Scania develops in close collaboration with a progressive customer.

European trucks are allowed to carry 40 tonnes and bring a 12 metres container. Since 2015, Jula Logistics uses a vehicle twice that size, which means it carries two containers and is 32 metres long. This truck has a total weight of 64 tonnes, including load and trailer. By carrying a bigger cargo in each transport, and thereby decreasing the number of times it has to drive between the warehouse and loading port each day, Jula Logistics saves 70 percent on energy and emissions per transported unit. Now, the truck will be powered by electricity, and will be put into operation sometimes the first half of 2022.

"We use intermodal transport, where our cargo arrives to the port in Gothenburg by boat, are stowed onto a train that goes to Falkoping. From there, the cargo is carried by truck the last bit of the journey to our warehouse in Skara. To make this chain of transport even more sustainable by using a truck powered by electricity from the solar panels that we will build on the roof of our warehouse is just fantastiv," says Lennart Karlsson, CEO Jula Logistics.

The collaboration with Jula Logistics is in line with how Scania drives the shift to sustainable transport.

"'Electrification is a must for our commitment towards zero emissions and to reach our climate targets. Close partnerships with stakeholders that share our values is important for this to proceed at necessary pace. We can't do this on our own, and Jula Logistics is a much-appreciated partner that cares deeply for the environment," says

Fredrik Allard, Head of E-mobility at Scania.

Scania works with both prototypes and new business models, and together with customers and other partners, future solutions are simulated and realised. The solution that Scania has assisted Jula Logistics with enables the extra long and heavy vehicle to take the round-trip from where the train stops in Falkoping to the warehouse in Skara a couple of times, a distance that measures 60 kilometres.

"The new, extremely long and heavy electrified truck is a great example of how a close dialogue with customers makes it possible for us to build a one-of-a-kind vehicle that meets that particular customer's demands at a very early stage, also for a model that is not in series production," says Allard.

A detailed overview of energy consumption, an optimised route schedule and the need to charge is meticulously simulated beforehand to enable this transport flow. Once the truck is in operation, it has a positive influence from day one when it comes to the adjustment of Jula's distribution flow. A vital part in the collaboration with Jula Logistics will be to optimise the charging process, related infrastructure and the complete flow in due time.

"Our partnership with Scania shows that this is technically possible, but we also need to create a long-term possibility to drive these longer vehicles that enable us to have a larger amount of cargo on the last part of our intermodal flow," says Karlsson.

Scania and Jula Group are aiming for a long-term partnership with extensive electrification of the transport flows that Jula Logistics runs. The electrification of this 32 metres Scania truck is just the beginning.



For further information, please contact:

Karin Hallstan, Head of Corporate Communication, Scania

Phone: +46 76 842 81 04

E-mail: [email protected]

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/scania/r/scania-builds-extremely-heavy-and-extra-long-electrified-truck-for-jula-logistics,c3442268

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/209/3442268/1487760.pdf Scania builds extremely heavy and extra long electrified truck for Jula Logistics https://news.cision.com/scania/i/jula-scania-16x7,c2973454 jula-scania-16x7

SOURCE Scania
SHELTON, Conn., Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- "Brilliant workflows. Made for you." is the key theme for international medical imaging IT and cybersecurity company Sectra (STO: SECT B) in booth #8115 at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) 2021 Annual Meeting. The company will showcase its complete enterprise imaging offering and latest innovations for enhancing workflows to help tackle the growing workloads in radiology.

The radiology community has taken one of its biggest hits in history with the COVID-19 pandemic. Radiology professionals are not only under pressure to manage the massive post-pandemic imaging backlogthey also need to adapt to advancements in cancer care that are resulting in higher imaging volumes and increased complexity. To successfully handle this predicament, they must be equipped with the proper and most efficient IT tools to accomplish more in less time.

Marie Ekstrom Tragardh, President of Sectra Imaging IT Solutions adds, "We strive to make our customers more efficient with every new release we bring to the market. To achieve this, we listen closely to our users and actively involve them in our development. While many improvements come in the form of new and exciting offerings, we also work diligently with the smaller detailssuch as reducing everyday pain points to provide a smooth working environment for our end users. At RSNA 2021, we are excited to showcase our latest advancements, with an emphasis on workflow enhancements in the areas of oncology follow-up, breast imaging, musculoskeletal radiology, and cloud-based enterprise imaging."

In a recently published report, Sectra shares new insights on which IT tools to adopt to help providers create a post-COVID game plan based on a survey of 70 radiologists from North America and Europe. The report shows the most significant barriers to radiology productivity and includes a technology adoption analysisclick here to get your free copy of "Radiology post-pandemic game plan".

Selected highlights and news in Sectra's booth at RSNA

Experience Sectra's high-performance, rich diagnostic application and the plethora of accessible and easy-to-use tools that help create brilliant workflows and optimize radiology reading and reporting. Learn why Sectra has been awarded the prestigious customer satisfaction award "Best in KLAS" for eight consecutive years.

Learn more about the all new Sectra Keypaddesigned in close collaboration with breast radiologists, it empowers users to be more efficient during mammography screening reading and beyond . Its ergonomic design reduces fatigue while easily reconfigurable keys provide access to the right tools at the right time.

Its ergonomic design reduces fatigue while easily reconfigurable keys provide access to the right tools at the right time. Get to know Sectra One and how enterprise imaging as a subscription makes it easier for providers to scale from ology to ology and from enterprise to enterprise, adopt new innovations, and manage growing imaging volumes.

Explore the many benefits of cloud-based enterprise imagingfully managed, secure, and high-performing enterprise imaging as a cloud servicebuilt on Sectra's experience from cloud delivery to large and small enterprises and designed for health providers' current and future imaging needs.

Discover how the Sectra Amplifier Marketplace enables easier, faster, and more secure AI application deployment in radiology, breast imaging, and pathology. Visit our AI showcase area and get to know the latest additions of Amplifier Partners in the continuously expanding AI marketplace.

Learn how easy it is to add content using iOS and Android compatible mobile devices and the Sectra Upload & Store App, utilizing one enterprise platform to store and access medical images, videos, and documents from anywhere in the enterprise.

See what has been done to increase access to information, images, and videos in the universal viewer, Sectra UniView, by adding worklist support. Talk with our on-site specialists to learn how to integrate the viewer within your EMR.

Book your meeting with Sectra at RSNAlive or virtually

Visitors to booth #8115, North Hall Level 3, can experience Sectra's complete enterprise imaging offeringwith its VNA and Best-in-KLAS PACS for radiology, pathology, and cardiology at its coreand discuss ongoing development projects directly with product managers and executives. Click here to schedule a priority demonstration and/or meeting with Sectra at RSNA 2021, which will be held at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL, November 28December 1. During this period, Sectra will also have solution area experts and executives available for virtual product demos and in-depth discussions for those not attending the in-person event in Chicago.

Don't miss Sectra's pre-RSNA live industry symposia

In the weeks leading up to RSNA, Sectra is arranging three live industry symposia with panelists from Carilion Clinic, Microsoft, Penn Medicine, Trillium Health Partners, and others. These sessions are open to anyone who wishes to attend and registration for RSNA is not required:

Contact:

Andrea Sowitch

Vice President of Marketing Sectra, Inc.

E-mail: [email protected]

Phone: 720 351 0949

Torbjorn Kronander

President and CEO Sectra AB

E-mail: [email protected]

Phone: +46 705 23 5227

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1672638/Sectra_logo.jpg

SOURCE Sectra, Inc
OKLAHOMA CITY, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Premium outdoor gear brand, Hyke & Byke, is reaching out to its customer base for input on the next conservation project to support. The company, well known to backpackers for its sleeping pad ultralight, is a recent member of the Conservation Alliance, a group of more than 250 companies with a common goal to support grassroots environmental organizations.

Learn more about sleeping pad insulated by visiting https://www.amazon.com/Hyke-Byke-Appalachian-Inflatable-Sleeping/dp/B08F956Q2N.

Hyke & Byke sleeping pad

Daniel Ede, the senior spokesperson for the brand, explains, "Twice a year, the Alliance votes on which community-level conservation efforts they will fund. These projects serve to protect North American habitats and outdoor recreation areas." The company is turning to its valued customers to help decide which of the following worthy conservation projects to support:

Northern Red Desert Permanent Protection Campaign - Pass legislation that permanently protects up to one million acres of public land in Wyoming's Northern Red Desert from mineral leasing, up to 100,000 acres as wilderness, and up to two million acres of high-elevation desert to ensure sustainable recreation, hunting, thriving wildlife, and the preservation of ancestral lands.

Northern Red Desert from mineral leasing, up to 100,000 acres as wilderness, and up to two million acres of high-elevation desert to ensure sustainable recreation, hunting, thriving wildlife, and the preservation of ancestral lands. Women For Forests: Tongass Protection - Permanently protect 9.2 million acres of Alaska's Tongass National Forest from extractive industries.

Tongass National Forest from extractive industries. Achieving Permanent Protection For The Thompson Divide - Protect 200,000 acres of the Thompson Divide from oil and gas development and designates 100,000 acres along Colorado's Continental Divide as wilderness, recreation and wildlife management areas, and the first National Historic Landscape.

Continental Divide as wilderness, recreation and wildlife management areas, and the first National Historic Landscape. Mariano Rancho Acquisition Project Phase 2 - Acquire the 1,645 Mariano Rancho property in downtown Ventura, California , and open it to the public, providing hiking and biking access along 12 miles of trails.

, and open it to the public, providing hiking and biking access along 12 miles of trails. White Rocks & Otter Creek - Acquire and protect 813 acres of forestland in the foothills of Wallingford, Vermont , including 5.7 miles of rivers and streams, 117 acres of wetlands, old-growth stands, quartzite cliffs, and 4.5 miles of trails that connect to the Appalachian National Scenic Trail.

, including 5.7 miles of rivers and streams, 117 acres of wetlands, old-growth stands, quartzite cliffs, and 4.5 miles of trails that connect to the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. Land Conservation & Trail Connection Between Austin and San Marcos, Texas - Purchase 850 acres for conservation and trail connection between Austin and San Marcos, Texas , contributing to a long-term goal of conserving 25,000 acres for recreational, health, and cultural benefits.

Anyone interested can cast their vote directly on the company's website: https://www.hykeandbyke.com/blogs/hyke-byke-blog/what-conservation-projects-would-you-most-like-to-support

To find additional information about the highly-rated Hyke & Byke sleeping pad for car camping or view the brand's other products, visit the official website or Amazon storefront.

Contact Name: Daniel Ede

Contact Phone: 1 (888) 300-1001

Contact Email: [email protected]

About Hyke & Byke

Hyke & Byke is a small but rapidly growing, independent outdoor gear company that was inspired and built by a group of entrepreneurial outdoorsmen who felt that the outdoor gear market was filled with overpriced products that could be better designed and sold at honest prices. We struggled for years to always find a great deal on each product we buy to support our addiction to the outdoors. After years of turmoil, we felt we could do better and launched Hyke & Byke to the public in 2015, after years of start-up conversations and planning efforts.

SOURCE Hyke & Byke
SLS is part of Ennismore, a creative hospitality company rooted in culture and community, with a global collection of entrepreneurial and founder-built brands with purpose at their heart. Ennismore is a joint- venture with Accor, formed in 2021

Chadi Farhat, SLS Brand COO & Head of Middle East & Asia Pacific states, "We are happy to announce SLS Red Sea in collaboration with John Pagano and his team at The Red Sea Development Company. We are excited to be working with architect Piero Lissoni again to deliver our signature SLS experience at this stunning property. We truly believe that once open, the property will be a highly sought-after destination for global travelers and locals alike with its exclusive spa, lounge and culinary concepts."

John Pagano, Group CEO, The Red Sea Development Company, "We are pleased to partner with Ennismore & Accor for the launch of these three prestigious brands, the Fairmont, Raffles and SLS. The Red Sea Project aims to deliver a unique barefoot luxury experience to our guests, and the name Accor has become synonymous with luxury the world over. We are proud to have these prestigious brands at the development and look forward to working together to set a new global benchmark in regenerative luxury tourism. This is truly a milestone moment for the brands, for TRSDC and for the Kingdom"

The property's opening and involvement in this exceptional new development is a testament to the SLS Hotels & Residences brand's long-standing experience in delivering unforgettable, experiential and timeless experiences.

The Red Sea Development Company has an uncompromising commitment to protect and enhance the natural, historical and cultural environments that will make this destination unique. Leading the global transition towards regenerative tourism, the project is going beyond sustainability to have a regenerative impact on not only the environment, but also on society and the economy too. 22 islands will be developed, leaving 75 percent of the islands untouched and only 1 percent of the entire destination will be developed. Nine islands will be designated as special conservation zones to protect the species that live and thrive there. Part of The Red Sea Project's regenerative approach will be achieved by exploring new technologies, such as 3D coral printing and coral farming processes to boost coral populations. Additionally, the project is investigating suitable carbon sequestration techniques to help reduce the overall carbon footprint, such as marine algae farms, expansion of seagrass and mangrove habitats and mechanical trees, as well as sustainable drinking water production technology.

Architectural design for the property is led by London based Foster + Partners who designed the "Coral Bloom" concept for the resort, which will be operated by 11 international hotel brands including SLS. Shurayrah Island forms the hub island of The Red Sea Project and is inspired by the island's natural state, with each of its hotels designed to give the impression that they have washed up on the beaches and nestled among the dunes like driftwood. The resorts on Shurayrah will be created using lightweight materials with a low thermal mass and manufactured offsite, meaning more energy efficient construction and less impact on the environment. Interior Design is being handled by Milan and New York based Lissoni + Partners.

This news comes on the heels of the recent opening of the first SLS property in the Middle East, SLS Dubai Hotel & Residences.

ABOUT SLS HOTELS & RESIDENCES

SLS is the home of an extraordinary experience coupled with a playful ambiance. Culinary artistry, theatrical interiors, subversive design touches and unexpected indulgences are at the heart of every SLS property. Collaborations with leading developers, architects, designers and chefs allow SLS to continue anticipating, innovating and shaping the future of luxury lifestyle living. With seven properties in Beverly Hills, Miami, Bahamas, Cancun, and Dubai, SLS is set to open two additional properties in Puerto Madero, Argentina and Scottsdale by 2023. Learn more at SLSHotels.com .

SLS is part of Ennismore, a creative hospitality company rooted in culture and community, with a global portfolio of entrepreneurial and founder-built brands with purpose at their heart. Ennismore is a joint- venture with Accor, formed in 2021. ennismore.com

ABOUT THE RED SEA DEVELOPMENT COMPANY

The Red Sea Development Company (TRSDC) was incorporated as a standalone entity on 10th May 2018, to spearhead the development of The Red Sea Project, and is wholly owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia. TRSDC is also developing a second luxury destination on the Red Sea coast, AMAALA, that will create a unique tourism destination where people and nature thrive in harmony.

The Red Sea Project is one of the world's most ambitious regenerative projects, covering 28,000 square kilometers on Saudi's west coast, the destination will offer a new type of barefoot luxury experience for visitors from around the world.

The destination will be developed to the highest standards of sustainability. Including an archipelago of more than 90 untouched natural islands, as well as dormant volcanoes, desert, mountains and cultural sites, the project will deliver new levels of service excellence, using technology to enable a seamless personalized experience that will position Saudi Arabia on the global tourism map.

Media Contacts

Emily Venugopal, [email protected]

Cara Chapman, [email protected]

Rebecca Cousins

Director  PR & Communications

The Red Sea Development Company

[email protected]

SOURCE SLS

Related Links

http://www.ennismore.com


Gregg Allman is widely regarded as one of the most iconic rock and roll songwriters, celebrated for his unique sound which blended elements from blues, jazz, rock and country. Some of Allman's most notable hits include "Whipping Post," "Melissa," and "Midnight Rider" by the Allman Brothers Band, and his critically acclaimed solo albums such as 1973's Laid Back , 1987's I'm No Angel , and his GRAMMY nominated 2011 album Low Country Blues , produced by T-Bone Burnett.

Michael Lehman said, "I am very pleased to begin this partnership with Brian Monaco and the Sony Music Publishing team to build upon Gregg Allman's legacy. I look forward to bringing his music to new generations of fans and inspiring audiences around the world."



Sony Music Publishing President, Global Chief Marketing Officer Brian Monaco said, "Gregg Allman is without a doubt one of the greatest rock and roll songwriters of all time. On behalf of all of us at Sony Music Publishing, we are honored to partner with his estate to support his incredible catalog, and we look forward to creating new opportunities for his songs."



Throughout his storied career spanning over five decades, Allman earned numerous accolades including the ABB's 1995 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; his 2006 induction into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame; a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012 at the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards; several GRAMMY nominations; and RIAA platinum and gold certifications. In addition, Allman received an honorary doctorate from Macon, GA's Mercer University in 2016, presented by his longtime friend, former President Jimmy Carter.

SOURCE Sony Music Publishing
LONDON, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Stanbic IBTC Asset Management, a reputed finance company from Nigeria, has won the "Best Asset Management Company - Nigeria, 2021" and "Best Mutual Funds Provider - Nigeria, 2021" awards for 2021. The felicitation ceremony will be held at the Palm Jumeirah  Waldorf Astoria in early 2022 in Dubai.

The Global Brand Awards is an annual event held by Global Brands Magazine (GBM), an international publication headquartered in the UK. The award aims to recognise global brands achieving excellence in performance across a broad range of sectors while keeping its readers updated on the branding world's key trends. Stanbic IBTC Asset Management was evaluated based on customer service, satisfaction, digital innovation, strategic relationships, and new business development.

Commenting on Stanbic IBTC Asset Management winning the awards, ShivKumar (CEO) of Global Brands magazine said, "Despite the challenges posed by the rocky financial landscape of Nigeria, Stanbic IBTC Asset Management has braved the odds and pulled far ahead of the competition. The recognition of these two prestigious awards plus the recent announcement that Stanbic IBTC is the leading stockbroker in Nigeria demonstrates the incredible performance of this company in the year 2021."

Commenting on winning the awards, Oladele Sotubo (CE) said, "I am profoundly honoured to receive these awards for our contribution to the asset management industry. I am reminded of one of our core values which is constantly raising the bar, and it is part of who we are, what we do and why we exist. I dedicate these awards to our skilful and dedicated staff who work incredibly hard to consistently deliver value to our customers. We are committed to innovation, and we are constantly working to improve customer experience. Thank you, Global Brand Magazine, for the recognition."

About Stanbic IBTC Asset Management

Stanbic IBTC Asset Management Limited commenced operations in January 1996 and is the largest asset management company in Nigeria with assets under management in excess of 800 billion from over 147,000 clients. The firm has consistently maintained an impressive track record of effectively managing risk to deliver performance consistent with its clients' objectives. Stanbic IBTC Asset Management Limited recently launched the 100bn Infrastructure Fund and manages some of Nigeria's highest performing mutual funds, including the newly introduced Stanbic IBTC Enhanced Fixed Income Fund, the Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund. The company also serves as the Fund Manager for the largest REIT listed in Nigeria.

As a Fund or Portfolio Manager and Investment Adviser, it offers its numerous clients, products and services ranging from traditional asset classes (like equities, fixed income securities and mutual funds) to alternative investment options such as unlisted equities and private equity opportunities. The company also offers financial advisory to a wide range of clients and makes recommendations to help them plan towards meeting their investment goals and objectives.

About Global Brands Magazine (England)

Global Brands Magazine (GBM) has been at the forefront, bringing news, views and opinions on brands shaping the future of their industry. The UK-based magazine provides its readers with the latest news and information on 'best-in-class brands across the globe. Each year, GBM develops a series of awards for companies that stand out, having a unique vision, exceptional service, innovative solutions, and consumer-centric products among their industry leaders.

About Global Brand Awards

Global Brand Awards honours brands for their excellence in performance and rewards companies across different sectors for the quality of their services. The Brand Awards highlight accomplishments of organisations that have performed remarkably well in finance, education, hospitality, automotive, lifestyle, education, real estate, technology and several more. Global Brand Awards recognise vital players who progress towards excellence by providing a platform to acknowledge their efforts. In addition, GBM strives to create awareness concerning the significance of such organisations and rewards them for their notable efforts with the ultimate global recognition.

Check out the links below for Social Media Shout outs:

Facebook: https://bit.ly/3bfkMH3

Linkedin: https://bit.ly/3GqXAnp

Twitter: https://bit.ly/3nysYYH

Instagram: https://bit.ly/3ns8fFT

SOURCE Global Brands Publications Limited
PHOENIX, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Andy Harris, a serial CEO and Managing Director of STS Capital Partners, will join with STS Chairman and CEO Rob Follows to lead a discussion at The Chief Executive Leadership Conference In Phoenix Nov. 5. exploring how managing strategies in selling a company can produce extraordinary value for owners.

The Conference will be held at the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort, 11111 North Seventh St., and the two STS leaders will be part of a 7:15 a.m. Peer Roundtable Discussion called "Preparing for an Extraordinary Exit."

STS Capital Partners is a mergers and acquisitions firm with operations worldwide.

Harris has an outstanding record of achieving profitable growth leveraging strategy, culture, people, organic growth, acquisitions and selling to strategic buyers.

With his more than 30 years of experience as a corporate leader, Harris has managed more than 20 merger and acquisition transactions totaling more than $1 billion. He has been Managing Director at STS since 2020, involved in developing exits, mergers and acquisition strategies for a wide range of clients.

"We're in the business of creating value and solving problems, with the result that we deliver extraordinary value and return for entrepreneurial and family owners seeking to sell a majority or all of the businesses they have created and built," says Harris.

"We are the expert guides on the journey to achieving extraordinary exits," he adds. "By selling your business strategically to the people that buy strategically, you can achieve maximum multiples, create legacy, and realize true potential value."

Founding STS Partner Rob Follows notes, "In our client engagements, clients trust STS Capital Partners to take their private family entrepreneurial businesses to market through confidential processes to absolutely maximize value in the sale of their businesses."

The Chief Executive Leadership Conference is a premier senior leadership conference in the United States. The Chief Executive Group exists to improve the performance of CEOs, corporate directors and other C-Suite executives through its peer networks, live events, proprietary research and flagship publications  Chief Executive magazine, ChiefExecutive.net, Corporate Board Member magazine, BoardMember.com and StrategicCFO360.com.

About STS:

STS Capital Partners is a different kind of global M&A firm creating billions of dollars in new philanthropic and impact capital. STS stands for Success to Significance through Selling to Strategics.

We expertly guide entrepreneurial business owners towards Extraordinary Exits with a focus on supporting their legacy.

Our global relationships and world-class team bring international strategic buyers to the deal process. The result is highly competitive, multi-bidder, soft auctions that achieve maximum value. To learn more about STS, please visit www.stscapital.com.

STS is also growing globally and recruiting talented individuals that share our passion for enabling Extraordinary Exits. To learn more, please visit www.stscapital.com/join-our-team/.

STS supports The Knowledge Pledge, the organization building a platform to unlock human capital and connect volunteers with business skills to leading nonprofits with scalable solutions to the United Nations Global Goals. Please visit https://www.theknowledgepledge.world/.

PR Contact: Alan Hermesch, (202) 210-6262, [email protected].

Photo(s):

https://www.prlog.org/12891335

Press release distributed by PRLog

SOURCE STS Capital Partners
VENICE, Italy, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Business and political leaders as well as scientists and representatives from academia met recently in Italy to discuss the growing problem of "greenwashing" and its impact on investors and consumers.

Organized by Alcantara S.p.A. in partnership with Venice International University and the support of Social Impact Agenda for Italy, the one-day international symposium focused on the need to curb false or misleading claims that certain products or policies were eco-friendly.

"Greenwashing is capable of creating cases of unfair competition and misdirecting investments that otherwise might have been dedicated to genuine sustainability projects," said Alcantara Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Andrea Boragno. "This is why greenwashing needs to be stopped and why representatives from government, finance, education, the media and other institutions gathered together at this symposium to discuss the problem."

The sixth annual International Symposium on Sustainability entitled "Greenwashing and Sustainability  A growing trend that needs to be addressed" took place recently on Venice's San Servolo Island."

Symposium participants discussed the need for more transparency and the implementation of technical and certification standards. Comments from symposium panelists and speakers included:

Simona Bonafe  Member, European Parliament: "The European Union is determined to achieve the goals of climate neutrality set for 2050. However, there can be no climate neutrality without a new, truly circular model of production and consumption.

This is why it is necessary to adopt clear rules and set authentic limits for the use of environmentally harmful materials and for methods that allow the environmental impact of products to be measured."

Gionvanna Melandri  Chairwoman, Social Impact Agenda for Italy: "All those who for decades have been working towards ecological and social transition must now face a new problem - the risk that compliance reported to ESG is seen by some companies exclusively as a marketing opportunity."

Enrico Giovanni  Italy's Minister of Sustainable Infrastructure and Mobility: "Finally, after years in which some governments had banned the use of the term, sustainability has become a central theme and standard to measure social and economic policies."

Timothy Nixon  CEO, Signal Climate Analytics: "Only 10 percent of companies are truly transparent and many others do not fully understand how many opportunities lie in the process of transformation towards sustainability."

Monica Billio  Professor of Econometrics, CA' Foscari University of Venice: "In recent years, both Europe and the U.S. have seen an ever-increasing demand for sustainable investments with a strong ESG aspect."

Anotonello Ciotti  Chairman, Committee of European PET Manufacturers: "Achieving sustainability must be a commitment which requires support for global sustainability goals, above all bearing in mind that the world population is due to increase by 2 billion over the next 30 years. We need to promote the introduction of new technologies and implement a unified system that allows for the certification of recycled content."

About Alcantara S.p.A.

Founded in 1972, Alcantara is one of the leading Made in Italy brands. The registered trademark of Alcantara S.p.A. and the result of unique and proprietary technology, Alcantara is a highly innovative material offering an unparalleled combination of sensory, aesthetic and functional qualities. Thanks to its extraordinary versatility, Alcantara is the chosen material for leading brands in numerous specialist fields: fashion and accessories, the automotive industry, interior design, home decor and consumer electronics. These features together with a serious and certified commitment in terms of sustainability, make Alcantara a true icon of contemporary lifestyle. Having analyzed, reduced and offset all CO 2 emissions linked to the company, in 2009 Alcantara was certified "Carbon Neutral." To document the company's journey in this field, Alcantara conducts and publishes an annual Sustainability Report, certified by BDO and available on the company website.

Headquartered in Milan, Alcantara also has production facilities and a research department in Nera Montoro in the heart of Italy's Umbria region (Terni).

For more information:

www.alcantara.com

twitter.com/alcantaraspa

facebook.com/alcantara.company

youtube.com/alcantaracompany

Instagram.com/alcantara_company

SOURCE Alcantara S.p.A.
LUXEMBOURG, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SustainCERT SA ("SustainCERT", or "the Company"), the leading digital platform for verification of carbon emissions and an official certification body for Gold Standard for the Global Goals, announces today the completion of an ambitious $10 Million capital raise.

The round was led by impact investment fund Citizen Capital and venture capital firm Innovacom, joined by the Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund. Prior to this round, SustainCERT had spun-off from the Gold Standard Foundation in 2018, raising seed capital from the Gold Standard Foundation, World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) Impact Ventures, Blue Orchard and 1to4 Foundation, who maintain an ownership stake in the Company.

With growing international momentum towards reaching Net-Zero targets, emission reduction commitments are proliferating across governments and corporates, creating a pressing need to mitigate greenwashing through innovative and robust impact verification solutions. Driven by the mission to accelerate progress towards the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda, SustainCERT uses technology to inspire a Race to the Top in the market for environmental impact claims. SustainCERT's carbon emissions accounting and verification software simplifies processes for data collection, calculation and verification, reimagining a future where issuance of carbon credits and other impact claims becomes scalable with integrity.

SustainCERT's digital carbon project application (SustainCERT App) launched in 2018 has successfully supported over 1200 projects spanning across energy, land-use, waste and community services sectors, simplifying the process to certify carbon offset projects under Gold Standard for the Global Goals.

SustainCERT's vertically integrated business has successfully expanded into value chain emissions where the Company is one of the founding partners of the Value Change Initiative - a pre-competitive collaboration platform for corporates and civil society to co-develop and implement value chain emissions accounting rules. The initiative has grown to over 60 organisations, 8 sectors and more than 130 technical representatives and partners participating since 2018.

Impressive early-stage success and growing demand for SustainCERT's services provide clear insight into the potential for SustainCERT to gain significant market share in the rapidly growing market for carbon emissions verification.

Funds from this capital increase will support the next phase of growth, seeing further investments in the Company's technologies with major enhancements expected to the digital monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) application to unlock near real-time issuance of carbon offsets. SustainCERT is currently in the development stage of an emissions factor software that helps accurately account, allocate and report Scope 3 emissions among value chain players. A prototype is expected to be unveiled later this year along with new infrastructure for SustainCERT's digital MRV platform. Further investments will also take place in research and innovation, the Value Change Initiative, and to strengthen the company's position as the leading provider of best practice solutions in carbon markets and corporate value chains.

"The rise in climate commitments signals a turning point in global awareness on the need to curb emissions to Net-Zero. Without credible solutions to verify that those impacts claimed are real, we will fail. SustainCERT's role is to bring transparency and credibility to the many efforts taken to achieve Net-Zero." said SustainCERT CEO, Marion Verles. "I am deeply honoured to have Citizen Capital, Innovacom and Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund join SustainCERT on our journey to drive a Race to the Top in carbon emissions accounting and verification."

"SustainCERT's tech-driven approach to measurement, reporting and verification of climate impact claims is poised to transform the market for carbon credits." said Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund Director Brandon Middaugh. "Corporates and other buyers in the market today can feel more confident in their purchases with SustainCERT's certification process to meet the Gold Standard requirements for credible claims."

"Citizen Capital is very excited to partner with SustainCERT and support its ambition to foster more ambitious climate action through reliable and scalable carbon impact measurement." commented Jonathan Piquet, director of Citizen Capital's growth fund. "We are especially proud to back a team with such unmatched experience in carbon markets and a long-standing commitment to fighting climate change."

"We have been impressed by the quality of SustainCERT's team and expertise. Carbon markets require trust and transparency which is precisely what SustainCERT has to offer." said Innovacom's Benjamin Wainstain. "The technology being developed to accelerate adoption of impact monitoring and reporting has the potential to become a key enabling technology for numerous applications that require reliable frameworks and data to work on."

AltRaise, a sustainability focused independent financial advisory firm, acted as exclusive financial advisor to SustainCERT on this transaction.

SustainCERT operates globally with teams across Europe, South and North America, Asia, and Australia. The company embraces diversity across the team with an executive team of industry leading experts, notably led by Chief Executive Officer, Marion Verles, who brings over 15 years of carbon market experience, and served as former CEO of The Gold Standard Foundation.

About SustainCERT

SustainCERT is the leading global carbon emissions accounting and verification platform for carbon markets and corporate value chains. By using technology to simplify processes, SustainCERT helps project developers and corporates quantify and verify carbon emissions accurately and certify carbon credits and corporate claims in line with leading international frameworks such as Gold Standard for the Global Goals, the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and the Sustainable Development Goals. SustainCERT leverages technology to mainstream best-practice impact verification thereby accelerating progress towards the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda.

To learn more visit:

www.sustain-cert.com | @Sustain_CERT

About Citizen Capital

Founded in 2008, Citizen Capital is a pioneer and leading European impact investing fund. Citizen Capital mobilizes funds to back high growth companies that build innovative solutions addressing major social and environmental issues. Citizen Capital is an independent company authorized by French market authority AMF managing various investment vehicles dedicated to early stage, growth and expansion capital investments in European start-ups and SMEs, and a thematic fund for agriculture.

Citizen Capital's portfolio includes some of the most iconic French mission-driven companies, such as OpenClassrooms, Ulule, Deepki, Certideal, or Ipso Sante.

Citizen Capital is the first B-Corp certified fund in France and has adopted the French legal framework of "societe a mission". It is a founding member of the "Communaute des Entreprises a Mission", the reference body of the purpose-driven companies movement in France.

To learn more visit:

www.citizencapital.fr | @Citizencapital

About Innovacom

Since 1988, Innovacom has invested close to one billion euros, supported more than 300 digital startups, participated in more than 20 Initial Public Offerings and completed 150 industrial disposals. Innovacom has contributed to several recent successes in a diverse range of sectors: electric vehicles (Gmobility), ad tech (Videoplazza), medical imaging (Olea Medical), digital customer relations (Dimelo), connectivity in trains (21Net Ltd), materials for energy transition (Exagan) or components for smartphones with the Heptagon unicorn.

Innovacom is currently supporting high-potential companies such as Acklio, Antaios, Aryballe Technologies, Aura Aero, Avicenna.ai, CAILabs, Cozy Cloud, Exotrail, Intersec, Iten, MicroEJ, Matrixx Software, OSO AI, Robart, Upciti or Scintil Photonics.

Its recent association with the Turenne Group, one of France's leading independent private equity firms, has resulted in a 1,2 billion platform under management. Present in Paris and Marseille, Innovacom is a company certified by the Autorite des Marches Financiers.

www.innovacom.com // @innovacomvc

Media inquiries:

SustainCERT SA

Paris Golab, Director of Marketing and Public Relations

Tel: +49 159 0 634 6257

E-mail: [email protected]

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains or refers to certain forward-looking information. Forward-looking information can often be identified by forward-looking words such as "anticipate", "believe", "expect", "plan", "intend", "estimate", "may", "potential" and "will" or similar words suggesting future outcomes, or other expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions, intentions or statements about future events or performance. All information other than information regarding historical fact, which addresses activities, events or developments that SustainCERT SA ("SustainCERT" or the "Company") believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future, is forward looking information. Forward-looking information does not constitute historical fact but reflects the current expectations the Company regarding future results or events based on information that is currently available. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions, known and unknown risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, that contribute to the possibility that the predictions, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking information will not occur. Such forward-looking information in this release speak only as of the date hereof.

SOURCE SustainCERT
"There is a rise in popularity in Asian TV series globally, showing that stories based on local culture have a unique edge in the international market," states TAICCA CEO, Izero LEE. "For the highly competitive North American market, TAICCA not only showcases the best of Taiwanese cinema at the AFM, but also assists the Los Angeles chapter of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office for the 3rd Taiwan Biennial Film Festival, hoping to recommend more Taiwanese works to the American audience."

The lineup for this year's AFM at the Taiwan Pavilion includes American Girl which was shortlisted by the 2021 Tokyo International Film Festival for Asian Future section. The list also includes films selected at Busan International Film Festival for A Window on Asian Cinema section: MONEYBOYS, Increasing Echo, and Days Before the Millennium. As well as Taste of Wild Tomato, Crossing's End, RAIN in 2020 and Good Day for the Wide Angle section. The only Taiwanese film to be selected to BIFF's Asian Project Market and the winner of NUTRILITE Award, Lives of Crime, will also meet its potential funders at AFM.

Throughout the event, TAICCA will also introduce resources available for filming in Taiwan and various co-funding programs, such as Taiwan's International Co-funding Program (TICP). which aims to increase the international market presence for Taiwanese original creative content, such as feature films, documentaries, TV series, and animation.

To further showcase Taiwan's content industry to the world, TAICCA has organized the second edition of the Taiwan Creative Content Fest (TCCF), an annual international market and exhibition from November 10th to 14th that celebrates Taiwanese content driven by technology and creativity. For more information, please visit https://tccf.taicca.tw/en/.

The American Film Market Official Sitehttps://americanfilmmarket.com/

TAICCA ' s 2021 AFM Online Cataloguehttps://taiwancinema.taicca.tw/2021-american-film-market-afm/

s 2021 AFM Online Cataloguehttps://taiwancinema.taicca.tw/2021-american-film-market-afm/ Showreelhttps://youtu.be/K328Ldxq8MY

About TAICCA ( https://en.taicca.tw/ )

The Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA), established in June 2019 and supervised by the Ministry of Culture, is a professional intermediary organization working to promote the development of Taiwan's content industries including film and TV, publishing, pop music, ACG, and more.

SOURCE Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA)

Related Links

https://en.taicca.tw/


CHICAGO, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. (NYSE: TDS) and United States Cellular Corporation (NYSE: USM) will be webcasting their third quarter operating results conference call on November 4, 2021, at 4:00 p.m. central time.

The companies will release their financial results on November 4, 2021 after market close.

To listen to the webcast, please visit the events & presentations pages of investors.tdsinc.com or investors.uscellular.com. The presentations will be webcast both live and on-demand. It is recommended that you register at least 15 minutes before the beginning of the presentation to register, download and install any necessary multimedia streaming software.

About TDS

Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. (TDS), a Fortune 1000 company, provides wireless; broadband, video and voice; and hosted and managed services to approximately 6 million connections nationwide through its businesses, UScellular, TDS Telecom, and OneNeck IT Solutions. Founded in 1969 and headquartered in Chicago, TDS employed approximately 8,900 associates as of June 30, 2021.

For more information about TDS and its subsidiaries, visit:

TDS: www.tdsinc.com

UScellular: www.uscellular.com

TDS Telecom: www.tdstelecom.com

OneNeck IT Solutions: www.oneneck.com

SOURCE Telephone and Data Systems and U.S. Cellular
Curtin will discuss TE Connectivity's financial results for fiscal 2021 and how the company has been able to outperform the market due to the strength and diversity of its portfolio. He will also talk about TE's strong position in long-term technology trends including electric vehicles, data and cloud, factory automation and renewable investments, and how the company is driving content growth and share gains despite broader global supply challenges.
As the ultimate destination for luxury enthusiasts seeking the latest in innovation, FLIBS' Superyacht Village offers the perfect setting to launch this limited edition. Made in celebration of and tribute to, the six-decades long career of The Glen Grant's Master Distiller Dennis Malcolm, one of Scotland's most renowned and longest serving Master Distillers, this offering is the oldest to-date in the brand's 181 year history.

An extremely rare and precious liquid, The Dennis Malcolm 60th Anniversary Edition, is a luxurious, aromatic spirit, exuding an elegance that can only be achieved with time and dedication. The result is - quite simply - a sublime masterpiece. With only 360 decanters available, this complex alchemy of spirit and time is a rare specimen and a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience that presents a distinctive, rich and fruity taste with a beautiful balance of dark chocolate layered with treacle toffee. The taste has elements of a liquid fruit cake, finished with long, lingering flavours of figs, dates, liquorice, and a slight hint of smoke.

Presented in a hand-blown Glencairn crystal bottle, this unique bottle will be shown in the Superyacht Village, where visitors can enjoy daily tastings of the brand's principal collection  The Glen Grant 12 year-old, 15 year-old, and 18 year-old, led by Robin Coupar, Campari Group Global Whisky Advocate. A native of Edinburgh, Scotland, Robin is a leading Scotch and American whisky expert with over 27 years of industry experience.

The first of the decanters was purchased at an exclusive Chinese auction last week in Shanghai, with the winning bid coming in at 380,000 RMB (over $59,000 USD value)  nearly double the bottle's SRP, making it the highest-price sale in The Glen Grant's history.

The Glen Grant was established in 1840 in Rothes, Speyside  Scotland's premier region for whisky production. The historic distillery's award winning range of single malt Scotch whisky is still produced in Rothes today. The Glen Grant holds a range of prestigious industry awards and is world renowned for its consistent quality across its aged variants.

The 62nd annual Fort Lauderdale Boat Show will run October 27-31, 2021. For additional information, or to schedule a private tasting during FLIBS, please contact: Image Land, [email protected] , (347) 609-5963.

About The Glen Grant

The Glen Grant's story began in 1840, in Rothes, Speyside  Scotland's premier region for Whisky production; by brothers John and James Grant. Still produced in Rothes today, The Glen Grant holds a range of prestigious industry awards and is world renowned for its consistent quality across its aged variants. The elegant and seductively smooth taste for which The Glen Grant is famous is the result of the innovative tall slender stills and revolutionary purifiers that James 'The Major' Grant, son of founder James Grant, was one of the first to introduce over a century ago. Still used to this day, this lasting legacy continues to distinguish the brand.

Today, Dennis Malcolm, the multi-award winning The Glen Grant Master Distiller, directs and presides over the amber liquid. Born in the grounds of The Glen Grant Distillery in 1946, he has worked for The Glen Grant for over five decades, with an uncommon passion and unrivaled knowledge of the industry. Dennis' unmatched Scotch whisky experience ensures that every expression in The Glen Grant range makes the absolute best of the complex alchemy of spirit, wood and time.

The current range includes; The Glen Grant Major's Reserve, Arboralis, 10 Years Old, 12 Years Old, 15 Years Old, 18 Year Old (select markets), limited edition bottles and a selection of travel retail exclusive offerings, including a 12 Years Old Non-chill Filtered and Cask Haven. The Glen Grant became part of the Campari Group portfolio in 2006. The Glen Grant single malt Scotch whisky differs between each expression and consumers are encouraged to always drink responsibly.

ABOUT CAMPARI GROUP

Campari Group is a major player in the global spirits industry, with a portfolio of over 50 premium and super premium brands, spreading across Global, Regional and Local priorities. Global Priorities, the Group's key focus, include Aperol, Appleton Estate, Campari, SKYY, Wild Turkey and Grand Marnier. The Group was founded in 1860 and today is the sixth-largest player worldwide in the premium spirits industry. It has a global distribution reach, trading in over 190 nations around the world with leading positions in Europe and the Americas. The Group's growth strategy aims to combine organic growth through strong brand-building and external growth via selective acquisitions of brands and businesses.

Headquartered in Milan, Italy, Campari Group owns 22 plants worldwide and has its own distribution network in 22 countries. The Group employs approximately 4,000 people. The shares of the parent company Davide Campari-Milano N.V. (Reuters CPRI.MI - Bloomberg CPR IM) have been listed on the Italian Stock Exchange since 2001.

For more information: www.camparigroup.com/en.

Please enjoy our brands responsibly.

SOURCE The Glen Grant
MCLEAN, Va., Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Media Trust, global leader in quantifying and managing digital risk, is proud to introduce the Gold Shield program, which showcases digital advertising companies' dedication to protecting digital consumers by employing the highest standards of ad quality. To earn this seal of distinction, the inaugural Gold Shield recipients have demonstrated impressive diligence in identifying and removing malware from their platforms.

The first companies to wield the Gold Shield include:

Adobe Advertising Cloud

Index Exchange

Viant

Yahoo

"In a super competitive AdTech marketplace, a reputation for high-quality advertising is becoming a crucial distinction," said Chris Olson, CEO of The Media Trust. "But revenue isn't the only driver behind these AdTech platforms' intense scrutiny of the myriad ads running through their platformsthey're committed to the safety and well-being of consumers, which is why The Media Trust recognizes these remarkable companies with Gold Shields."

The Gold Shield is a true differentiator in digital advertising as many AdTech companies claim they are committed to stopping malware and promoting overall ad quality without incorporating the necessary tools and resources. This lack of concern exacerbates the challenges of malvertising and low-quality ads for other platforms and publishers, and is increasingly putting consumers at risk by exposing them to digital threats like backdoors that infect systems by circumventing authentication; phishing outbreaks that steal personally identifiable information or defraud consumers; and even ransomware attacks that can cost individuals and organizations hundreds of thousands of dollars or more. Threat actors have only been emboldened by their successover the last year, The Media Trust's Digital Security & Operations team has detected a ~2X rise in unique malware attacks compared to 2020.

A no-cost program, Gold Shield was created to elevate digital advertising companies dedicated to beating back this malware menace and keeping consumers safe. This means applying tools and resources to keep abreast of emerging threats and ensure ads are clear of malware and other harmful content, as well as staying on top of the latest trends in malvertising and ad quality. Among other criteria, participants are required to:

Employ high tag- and clickthrough-scanning rates to ensure ads and landing pages are malware-free and of generally high quality;

Participate in The Media Trust's Gold Shield Working Groups that bring ad platforms together to develop best practices around ad quality;

Complete the Interactive Advertising Bureau course, Introduction to Malware and Ad Quality , and receive certification; and

, and receive certification; and Be certified by the Trustworthy and Accountability Group (TAG) for Malvertising or Brand Safety.

''Securing the programmatic supply chain against malvertising requires a collaborative effort from the industry," said Azma Gohar, Director of Compliance at Index Exchange. "We're committed to delivering malware-free demand to our publisher partners and safeguarding end-users; participating in The Media Trust's Gold Shield Program is a critical component of our prevention program."

Furthermore, the Gold Shield demonstrates to publishers and other AdTech platforms (downstream or upstream) that the recipient company is a premium, well-lit advertising marketplace and can serve as a trusted partner. Gold Shield emblems will be displayed within The Media Trust's platform dashboards that are used by brand advertisers and publishers alike to evaluate the caliber of AdTech companies and their impact on user experience.

"At Viant, we're committed to high-quality, safe consumer advertising experiences," said Jon Ahuna, Senior Vice President of Technical Operations at Viant. "It is an honor to be recognized by The Media Trust's Gold Shield program, a trusted partner with a like-minded commitment to applying rigorous industry standards that protect both inventory value and the end-user experience."

To learn more about The Media Trust's Gold Shield program, visit https://mediatrust.com/gold-shield/

To learn more about The Media Trust's ad quality and malware prevention tools that help keep digital consumers safe, please visit https://mediatrust.com .

About The Media Trust

The Media Trust is on a mission to make the internet a healthier, more valuable place for publishers, AdTech providers, enterprise, and consumers. Working with the world's largest, most-heavily trafficked digital properties and their upstream partners, The Media Trust delivers real-time security, data privacy, performance management and quality assurance solutions which help protect, monetize and optimize the user experience across desktop, smartphone, tablet and gaming devices. More than 600 enterprises, media publishers, ad networks/exchanges, and agenciesincluding 40 of comScore's AdFocus Top 50 websitesrely on The Media Trust to protect their website, their employee internet use, their revenue and, most importantly, their brand. www.MediaTrust.com .

Media Contact:

Gavin Dunaway

[email protected]

Telephone: 347-986-6451

SOURCE The Media Trust
The multi-day event will start at 11:00 am until 6:00 pm at 48 Ludlow St, New York, and will include a silent auction. Four limited-edition area rugs are up for auction for each country, with entire proceeds going to DIFFA (Design Industries Foundation Fighting Aids).

Talk Carpet will also dedicate a cocktail party on the 13th of November to DIFFA for attendees to enjoy appetizers and drinks. Ticket will be available for purchase through DIFFA. The World Through Materials serves to celebrate material across borders and make a DIFFArence through design. Talk Carpet invites the design community to come together and celebrate the main thing that we have in common: love for design.

Talk Carpet's business core is to talk carpet and talk design inspiration. They target to be more than just a source of unique carpets; they are an inspiration source for design. Talk Carpet specializes in hospitality carpets, office carpets, and carpets for multifamily projects. They are a partner of established Danish brand ege Carpet, one of the leading commercial carpet companies. Together, they transform the way designers and end clients approach commercial carpets.

SOURCE Talk Carpet

Related Links

https://talkcarpet.com/


Independent children's book publisher Barefoot Books has been committed to teaching kids about the values of conservation, community and connectedness for nearly 30 years. They offer a collection of eco-conscious titles, but this year, they are taking commitment to sustainability even further. Barefoot Books has partnered with The White Feather Foundation , founded by Julian Lennon, to curate a collection of products and resources to educate kids about the environment, and give them real ways they can make a positive impact in their communities right now. The Planet Protector Pack includes critically acclaimed Barefoot Books titles about renewable energy and natural resources, a tote bag made from recycled water bottles, a tree planting kit as well as a suite of online activities for teachers and families. One of the titles included in the pack, Barefoot Books Water , was just recognized by Kirkus Reviews as one of the "150 Most Anticipated Books for Fall." With each purchase of a Planet Protector Pack, $10 will be donated to The White Feather Foundation to support their conservation efforts. The Planet Protector Pack is available in the United States and Canada in October for $79.99 USD / $99.99 CAD.

New York Times bestselling author Julian Lennon, who is also a member of The Explorers Club, contributes a photo print to the pack, including a letter of inspiration to kids. He hopes this collaboration will encourage kids to take action on climate change saying, "I am hopeful these books and activities compel kids to be the best stewards of the earth that they can be." His next book, a graphic novel for middle-grade kids, The Morning Tribe , will be released in November by Sky Pony. Lennon was recently honored with the World Literacy Award for his work promoting literacy through The White Feather Foundation.

For interview requests or other media inquiries, contact Jeanne Stafford (Director of PR and Brand Marketing) at [email protected] or +1.617.335.7946

About The White Feather Foundation:

Established in 2007 by Julian Lennon, The White Feather Foundation brings awareness to worthy organizations by amplifying their voices, expanding their supporter communities and providing funding for their initiatives. This is achieved through the support of projects across the globe that foster education and good health; preserve Indigenous cultures; sustain our environment and give access to clean water for the conservation of life. Visit whitefeatherfoundation.com and follow the charity on Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter .

About Barefoot Books:

Barefoot Books is an independent, award-winning children's publisher based in Concord, MA, with a mission to share stories, connect families and inspire children. In 2017, they were named by Forbes as one of the 25 Best Small Companies in America . Barefoot Books has created more than 700 books, spoken word stories, music, animations, characters, puzzles and games that open children's hearts and minds to our wonderfully diverse world. However, their proudest accomplishment is to have put nearly 30 million books into the hands of children around the world.

SOURCE Barefoot Books

Related Links

https://www.barefootbooks.com


VANCOUVER, BC, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - TUT Fitness Group Inc . (TSXV: GYM) ("TUT") announced today that it has appointed fitness industry sales veteran, Stefan Sillner, to the position of VP of International Sales and Distribution and has promoted Mark Addison to Director of Strategic Sales and Partnerships.

TUT Fitness Group CEO, Rob Smith, commented, "I am very excited about these additions to our team as we expand our sales and distribution reach into strategic verticals within consumer fit-tech, health, and wellness. Mark is someone I've known personally for more than 20 years, and he is a maverick when it comes to positioning and evangelizing new consumer technologies and Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) brands globally. Stefan brings two decades of international sales and distribution experience in the fitness equipment and now connected fitness space -- having helped launch several leading brands such as CLMBR and having created distribution partnerships into 65 countries worldwide."

"TUT Fitness Group has developed a unique product in a sector that is crowded with look-alikes, and I am excited about the sales potential," said Mark Addison. "The sleek design reduces our manufacturing costs, and our patented TUT Plates replace 200 pounds of iron weights with just 32 ounces of resistance bands, which is a game-changer for apartment dwellers and those who can't dedicate an entire room to a home gym. It also radically lowers our shipping costs. As we expand sales, I will be focusing especially on affiliate sales channels and licensing opportunities."

In his new role heading up the international sales team, Stefan will report directly to TUT Fitness Group CEO Rob Smith with responsibility for Australasia, Europe and North America.

Stefan Sillner commented, "I really like what TUT is doing to bring more value and performance to the home gym market. The TUT Trainer micro gym is a game changer in terms of its portability, compact size and the power it generates to make functional strength and cardio training both fun and demanding."

LICENSING, SALES & DISTRIBUTION:

TUT Fitness products feature internationally patented, stackable TUT Plates resistance bands as the core element in both its TUT Trainer Tower and TUT Rower, which are being marketed and sold into the $10.7 billion market for home gym equipment. TUT Fitness Group is further revolutionizing the home gym market by licensing its stackable resistance band technology to other equipment manufacturers.

Parties interested in retail, wholesale, distribution or licensing should contact Mark Addison, Director of Strategic Sales & Partnerships, at: [email protected]

Please see our Corporate Video or our social channels: Instagram , Facebook , Twitter , LinkedIn , TUT Highlights (YouTube) .

ABOUT TUT FITNESS GROUP:

TUT is a Vancouver-based Canadian manufacturer of high-performance fitness products. The company has designed, patented, and manufactured one of the world's smallest (11.6 lbs), and most affordable high-performance micro gyms. Incorporated in 2018, TUT is an emerging player in the connected Home Gym and Fit Tech hardware space, targeting the US$10.7B Global Home Exercise Equipment Market1 and Online Fitness Market, expected to be US$30B by 20262.

TUT's patented, industry-first, stackable resistance bands (TUT Plates) allow the user to increase or decrease resistance loads with up to 200 lbs of resistance. Utilized in both the TUT Trainer Tower and TUT Rower, this new breakthrough in functional strength and cardio training incorporates Time Under Tension to target every muscle group without the added pressure to joints or tendons, optimizing workouts, and raising the bar for personal home gyms.

For further information please contact:

Rob Smith

CEO, TUT Fitness Group Inc.

[email protected]

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this release are forward-looking statements or information, which include TUT Fitness Group licensing its technology, expectations and outcomes from the TUT Fitness Group's patented technology, development of technologies, expectations of sales and growth, customer demand for TUT Fitness Group's products, the updates to TUT products, future plans, regulatory approvals and other matters. Forward-looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such information can generally be identified by the use of forwarding-looking wording such as "may", "expect", "estimate", "anticipate", "intend", "believe" and "continue" or the negative thereof or similar variations. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, including but not limited to, business, economic and capital market conditions, the ability to manage operating expenses, security threats, and dependence on key personnel and including those other risks filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Such statements and information are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies and the environment in which the Company will operate in the future, including the demand for its products, anticipated costs, and the ability to achieve goals. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include, failure to obtain regulatory approval, the continued availability of capital and financing, equipment and technology failures, litigation, increase in operating costs, the impact of COVID-19 or other viruses and diseases on the Company's ability to operate, competition, failure of counterparties to perform their contractual obligations, exchange rate fluctuations, government regulations, loss of key employees and consultants, and general economic, market or business conditions. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information.

The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Additionally, the Company undertakes no obligation to comment on the expectations of, or statements made by, third parties in respect of the matters discussed above.

_______________________ 1Source: Fortune Business Insights

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/04/15/2210905/0/en/Home-Fitness-Equipment-Market-to-Reach-USD-14-74-Billion-in-2028-Introduction-of-Smart-Treadmills-to-Boost-Growth-reports-Fortune-Business-Insights.html 2Source: Global Market Insights, Inc.

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/09/24/2098446/0/en/Online-Fitness-Market-growth-predicted-at-30-through-2026-Global-Market-Insights-Inc.html

SOURCE TUT Fitness Group Limited
The project will enable the Integrator UAS to operate during atmospheric icing conditions by incorporating UBIQ Aerospace's DICE solution, an autonomous, electrothermal system optimized for the size, weight, and power (SWAP) available on small, tactical UAS. Once complete, the Integrator equipped with DICE will be the first tactical UAS capable of operating routinely in known icing conditions.

Atmospheric icing has long been one of the great inhibitors to UAS operations because most UAS platforms are designed for warmer climates and lack the SWAP for traditional anti-icing or de-icing equipment.

According to Kim Lynge Srensen, UBIQ Aerospace co-founder and CEO, "Our objective is to make the Integrator UAS operationally available even during the cold weather conditions experienced in Northern Europe and the Northern- and Arctic Seas. We will achieve such weather robustness by integrating our proprietary DICE technology into one of the most proven UAS on the planet."

Dave Funkhouser, Insitu's Director of International Business Development, adds: "Insitu has several NATO and NORDEFCO customers who need UAS that can operate year-round in the Arctic and High North. Whether in Alaska, Andya, or anywhere in-between, this project will make it possible, and we're thrilled to be working with an innovative Norwegian company such as UBIQ Aerospace."

The Integrator UAS is a runway-independent, NATO Class I UAS with an 18-kilogram payload capacity and a maximum takeoff weight of nearly 75 kilograms. It can operate on land and ships and features a modular construction that simplifies maintenance and enables payloads to be easily swapped between missions. The Integrator offers more than 24 hours of endurance, depending on the payload configuration and environmental conditions. Insitu has delivered more than 50 systems to customers around the globe.

The project begins in November 2021 with a comprehensive study of the Integrator UAS that will "provide insights related to cold weather vulnerabilities and reveal optimal design options for ice protection," according to Astrid Myckland Stevik, UBIQ Aerospace's project manager for the effort.

About UBIQ Aerospace

UBIQ Aerospace provides solutions that enhance the capabilities of UAS and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) aircraft. Potential icing or visible moisture conditions will no longer be a cause for canceling critical operations. UBIQ Aerospace has created the revolutionary DICE autonomous ice protection solutions that allow for aircraft operations in possible and known icing conditions. We offer these capabilities for defense, and commercial OEMs focused on UAS and AAM aircraft. To learn more, visit ubiqaerospace.com, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

About Insitu

With offices in the U.S., U.K., and Australia, Insitu creates and supports unmanned systems and software technology delivering end-to-end solutions for collecting, processing, and managing sensor data. Our systems have accumulated more than 1.3 million flight hours. Insitu is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Boeing Company.

For more information, visit www.insitu.com

Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Insitu, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.insitu.com


DALLAS, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- UC Asset LP (OTCQX: UCASU) and Puration, Inc. (USOTC: PURA) today announced entering into a letter of intent outlining terms for UCASU to finance the construction of PURA's Farmersville Hemp Brand facilities on PURA's 72 acre property in Farmersville, Texas. UCASU also plans to provide financing to PURA's Farmersville Hemp Brand partners.

PURA has launched an initiative to build a cooperative of hemp growers and processers all selling under one brand name, Farmersville Hemp, similar to the way that Sun-Maid Raisins collectively markets for growers all selling under one brand name.

Now, as part of UCASU's recently announced overall strategy to enter the cannabis real estate market, UCASU plans to finance the construction of the Farmersville Hemp Brand facilities. A definitive agreement is anticipated to be completed next week.

UCASU also plans to partner with PURA to offer real estate financing to PURA's Farmersville Hemp Brand partners.

PURA has already established Farmersville Hemp Brand partnerships with North American Cannabis Holdings, Inc. (USMJ), PAO Group, Inc. (PAOG) and Alkame Holdings, Inc. (ALKM).

Look for more information on UCASU and PURA's real estate partnership plans next week with the anticipated announcement of a definitive agreement.

About UC Asset LP

UC Asset LP is a limited partnership formed for the purpose of investing in real estate with innovative strategies, concentrating in metropolitan areas of Atlanta, GA. For more information about UC Asset, please visit: www.ucasset.com

Disclaimer:

This News Release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that could cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results, to differ materially from any these statements. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any those forward-looking statements. Except as otherwise required by the federal securities laws, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements after the date of this news release. None of such forward-looking statements should be regarded as a representation by us or any other person that the objectives and plans set forth in this News Release will be achieved or be executed.

For More Information Contact:

Christal Jordan

Executive Director

UC Asset LP

[email protected]

+1 678-499-0297

For more information on Puration, visit http://www.purationinc.com

Puration, Inc.

Brian Shibley,

[email protected]

+1 (800) 861-1350

SOURCE Puration, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.purationinc.com


MIAMISBURG, Ohio, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Verso Corporation (NYSE: VRS) today announced that it will host a conference call and webcast for analysts and investors on Friday, November 5, 2021 at 9 a.m. (EST) to discuss third quarter 2021 financial results.

Analysts and investors may access the live conference call only by dialing 888-317-6003 (U.S. toll-free), 866-284-3684 (Canada toll-free) or 412-317-6061 (international) and referencing elite entry number 1707105 and Verso Corporation. To register, please dial in 10 minutes before the conference call begins. The news release and third quarter 2021 results will be available on Verso's website at http://investor.versoco.com by navigating to the Financial Information page.

Analysts and investors may also access the live conference call and webcast by clicking on the event link https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/1524/42871 or by visiting Verso's website at http://investor.versoco.com and navigating to the Events page. Please go to this link at least one hour before the call and follow the instructions to register, download and install any necessary audio/video software.

A telephonic replay of the call can be accessed at 877-344-7529 (U.S. toll-free), 855-669-9658 (Canada toll-free) or 412-317-0088 (international), access code 10160274. The replay will be available starting at 11 a.m. (EST) Friday, November 5, 2021, and will remain available until December 3, 2021. An archive of the conference call and webcast will be available at http://investor.versoco.com starting at 11 a.m. (EST) Friday, November 5, 2021, and will remain available for 120 days.

About Verso

VERSO CORPORATION is a leading American owned and operated producer of graphic, specialty and packaging paper and market pulp, with a long-standing reputation for quality and reliability. Verso's graphic paper products are designed primarily for commercial printing, advertising and marketing applications, including direct mail, catalogs, corporate collateral, books and magazines. Verso's specialty paper products include release liner papers and label face stock for pressure sensitive, glue-applied and laminate applications. Verso produces packaging paper used in higher-end packaging and printing applications such as greeting cards, book covers, folders, labels and point-of-purchase displays. Verso also makes market pulp used in printing, writing, specialty and packaging papers, facial and toilet tissue, and paper towels. For more information, visit us online at versoco.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

In this press release, all statements that are not purely historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "project," "plan," "estimate," "intend," "potential" and other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are based on currently available business, economic, financial, and other information and reflect management's current beliefs, expectations, and views with respect to future developments and their potential effects on Verso. Actual results could vary materially depending on risks and uncertainties that may affect Verso and its business. Verso's actual actions and results may differ materially from what is expressed or implied by these statements due to a variety of factors, including those risks and uncertainties listed from time to time in Verso's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Verso assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement made in this press release to reflect subsequent events or circumstances or actual outcomes.

SOURCE Verso Corporation

Related Links

http://versoco.com


SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- With US opening its borders to European travelers, Discover the World and Virgin Atlantic are extending its partnership to develop sales via travel agencies in France, Germany, Benelux, Italy, Cyprus, Greece, and Russia.

Discover the World's Head of Airline Development Aiden Walsh commented, "We are delighted Virgin Atlantic has reappointed the Discover Team. We have had a great relationship for more than 12 years for European sales and we look forward to continuing this partnership. It's fantastic that Virgin Atlantic is fully committed to European trade partners. We see even more opportunities for destinations served from London Heathrow (LHR) with better connections from our markets. It's exciting that for the first time we can offer an extensive range of Caribbean destinations from Europe with a LHR connection. We look forward to growing sales over the coming months."

Virgin Atlantic recently announced a significant expansion to its Caribbean portfolio. For the first time in its history, Virgin Atlantic will fly to the idyllic island of Barbados from Edinburgh Airport, providing Scotland's only direct gateway to the Caribbean. The airline is delighted to be returning to the beautiful island of St Lucia, flying from London Heathrow, whilst there will be new services from Manchester to vibrant Montego Bay, Jamaica. Further new flying includes new services to the Bahamas launching November, as well as the first direct service from UK and Europe to St Vincent in October.

Virgin Atlantic's Head of UK and Europe Sales Tom Maynard commented, "Our partnership with Discover the World is an integral part of our European strategy and we are delighted to be able to renew this relationship. Our consolidated flying program from London Heathrow offers exciting opportunities for travelers based across Europe with seamless connections in London to a growing list of Caribbean destinations."

Discover will reengage, reeducate, and recharge trade partners over the next 3 months as part of an awareness campaign which will include a number of webinars and a dedicated micro site to ensure agents are up to date on all things Virgin Atlantic.

About Discover the World

Discover the World has earned a reputation as an innovative global sales representation leader in the travel industry through a worldwide network of 85 offices in more than 60 countries. With a portfolio of over 100 clients utilizing its sales, marketing and business process outsourcing services, the work of Discover the World has a direct positive impact on the growth of our clients and trade industry partners every day.

SOURCE Discover the World
WCP currently operates 19 EWC locations, and is actively seeking to expand its footprint throughout the network. Tweet this

In addition to the new center promotion, European Wax Center offers new guests 50% off their first Brazilian wax or a free bikini line, underarm, nose, ear, or brow wax.

The San Leandro center is open Mon-Fri from 8:30 am to 8:00 pm and Sat-Sun from 8:30 am to 6:00 pm. To book an appointment please call (510) 288-4949 or visit www.waxcenter.com.

Wax Center Partners is a European Wax Center platform launched in May 2021 as a partnership between the Stieber EWC franchise and MKH Capital Partners ("MKH"), a family-backed, Miami-based private equity firm. WCP combines the Stieber's outstanding European Wax Center operating knowledge and brand culture, with MKH's expertise in growing businesses and financial resources. WCP defined a strong growth plan, and in less than five months has scaled from 11 to 19 European Wax Centers throughout California and Texas and has 3 additional centers scheduled to open this year in northern California.

"I'm proud of the effort and commitment the entire WCP team has shown to grow our business, all while we continue to focus on the importance of culture and delivering best-in-class services to our guests," said Julie Marlin, VP of Center Operations for WCP.

Wax Center Partners is actively seeking opportunities to expand its footprint throughout the European Wax Center network through both new developments and additional acquisitions or partnerships in new and existing markets. For more information, please contact Larry Stieber at [email protected] and visit www.mkhcapitalpartners.com.

About European Wax Center

European Wax Center, Inc. is the largest and fastest-growing franchisor and operator of out-of-home (OOH) waxing services in the United States, with a network of over 800 centers nationwide. European Wax Center, Inc. provides guests with a first class, professional waxing experience by the most highly trained estheticians in the industry, within the privacy of clean, individual waxing suites. European Wax Center, Inc. continues to revolutionize the waxing category with their innovative, signature Comfort Wax. This proprietary blend is formulated with the highest quality ingredients to leave skin feeling smooth and make waxing a more pleasant, virtually painless experience. Delivering a 360-guest experience, they offer solutions to consumers' top hair removal related skincare concerns with a full collection of proprietary products in the skincare, body, and brow categories. For more information including how to receive your first wax free, please visit: www.waxcenter.com.

SOURCE Wax Center Partners

Related Links

https://waxcenter.com/


WELL has organized all its business operations in two key lines of business, Omni-Channel Patient Services and Virtual Services 1

Omni-Channel Patient Services includes all patient services businesses that have exposure to in-person operations in addition to virtual care and/or other business models. Virtual Services are comprised of businesses that are almost entirely digital in nature inclusive of SaaS and services, revenues from the company's practitioner enablement platform or patient services businesses and have little to no exposure to in-person care.

WELL acquired both CRH Medical or " CRH " and MyHealth Partners or " MyHealth " in the past few months and is pleased to report that both are on track and producing as expected. Both CRH Medical and MyHealth are part of the Omni-Channel Patient Services Group.

" and MyHealth Partners or " " in the past few months and is pleased to report that both are on track and producing as expected. Both CRH Medical and MyHealth are part of the Omni-Channel Patient Services Group. CRH Medical will deliver north of US$40M in free cash flow before leverage and tax costs in 2021 and will have completed another 10 additional tuck-in transactions in 2021, positioning for elevated cashflow performance in 2022.

in free cash flow before leverage and tax costs in 2021 and will have completed another 10 additional tuck-in transactions in 2021, positioning for elevated cashflow performance in 2022. MyHealth has completed two tuck-in transactions post becoming a WELL Health company and is expected to continue to grow with double-digit organic growth rates in 2022 and deliver north of CAD$20M in free cashflow in 2022.

VANCOUVER, BC, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - WELL Health Technologies Corp. (TSX: WELL) (the "Company" or "WELL"), a company focused on positively impacting health outcomes by leveraging technology to empower healthcare practitioners and their patients globally, is pleased to provide key updates on the company's newly updated lines of business and progress reports on its two largest acquisitions to date, CRH Medical and MyHealth Partners.

Hamed Shahbazi, WELL's Founder and CEO commented: "WELL has been working hard to integrate, streamline operations and activate network effects and we are excited to report that the results are excellent, mainly because WELL has phenomenal business unit leaders and operators. Our tech enablement of healthcare practitioners plus capital allocation program is working and as a result, we are experiencing unprecedented growth. We look forward to speaking to this acceleration of organic growth across our business at our upcoming earnings event."

WELL Organizational Update  Two Key Lines of Business

WELL is very pleased to update its stakeholders on its simplified and streamlined organizational view. WELL has formed two key lines of business, Omni-Channel Patient Services and Virtual Services. The key differentiator between these two divisions is material exposure to brick-and-mortar operations. Virtual services have very little exposure to aforementioned, whereas WELL's Omni-Channel Patient Services have material exposure to both in-person care and other virtual care and fulfillment models.

Michael Frankel, WELL's Chief Medical Officer commented: "WELL provides healthcare practitioners a powerful choice to modernize their practice, you can choose to source any part of our digital practitioner enablement platform directly for your own patient service business or you can join one of WELL's own patient services businesses, where WELL provides a total managed service offering. You can run your own business or join ours."

Despite the fact that more than 15,000 healthcare practitioners use the company's products and services, the majority of revenues generated by the Company are attributable to the over 2,000 healthcare practitioners that work in WELL's omni-channel patient operations.

CRH Progress Update

CRH continues to be a force in the GI practice community, having closed 10 additional anesthesia transactions in 2021 thus far with a number of new initiatives at its O'Regan banding segment, including a patient-focused multiplatform digital app which we expect to roll out in the next few weeks. CRH is on track to generate more than US$40M in free cashflow before leverage and tax costs in 2021. CRH is also making a number of strides towards digitizing legacy processes to improve areas of operations. A key example of this is its revenue cycle management function. As part of the WELL ecosystem now, CRH has been instrumental in unlocking opportunities for WELL's other business units. Examples are as follows; CRH has opened a new sales channel for the Source44 business unit, namely providing cybersecurity tools to GI practices; WELL is now working on ramping up patient services using the O'Regan system, its own patented and FDA approved best-in-class hemorrhoid banding system.

MyHealth Progress Update

MyHealth has completed its first two accretive acquisitions with the latest being Durham Nuclear Imaging, a nuclear medicine clinic east of Toronto in Ontario, Canada. MyHealth is on track to deliver more than CAD$20M in free cashflow generation in 2022 before leverage and tax costs. With WELL's recently announced acquisition of Aware MD, WELL will soon own the Cerebrum EMR that powers MyHealth's substantial cardiology practice. The integration of clinical services and technology on a single platform will allow WELL to enhance and digitize the Practitioner and Patient experience in specialty care. Leveraging WELL's past success in primary care with the integration of our Oscar Pro EMR and our WELL Health Medical Clinic Network, WELL will seek similar synergies in our specialty care platform. MyHealth is also pleased to announce that upon invitation from the Canadian Federal Government the company is offering medical examinations and associated diagnostics to newly arrived refugees from Afghanistan. MyHealth is proud to have been selected for this important humanitarian effort and views this opportunity as a chance to serve those more vulnerable in a welcoming environment. WELL remains the largest owner-operator of outpatient medical clinics in Canada with 75 combined clinics.

Both CRH and MyHealth are fully integrated with WELL's backoffice accounting and governance programs. The Company has also recently launched a corporate-wide procurement optimization program overseen by its Chief Operating Officer, Amir Javidan. The results have been promising with significant cost savings across all business units accounting for what is expected to be millions of dollars over the next few years.

Footnotes:

(1) WELL's Virtual Services Businesses includes all aspects of our practitioner enablement platform, including EMR or Electronic Medical Records, RCM or Revenue Cycle Management, digitally oriented patient service businesses, cybersecurity services, and WELL's digital app Business Unit which includes virtual care and other physician productivity tools and applications.

WELL HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES CORP.

Per: "Hamed Shahbazi"

Hamed Shahbazi

Chief Executive Officer, Chairman and Director

About WELL Health Technologies Corp.

WELL is a technology enabled healthcare company whose overarching objective is to positively impact health outcomes to empower and support healthcare practitioners and their patients. WELL has built an innovative practitioner enablement platform that includes comprehensive end to end practice management tools inclusive of virtual care and digital patient engagement capabilities as well as Electronic Medical Records (EMR), Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) and data protection services. WELL uses this platform to power healthcare practitioners both inside and outside of WELL's own omni-channel patient services offerings. WELL owns and operates Canada's largest network of outpatient medical clinics serving primary and specialized healthcare services and is the provider of a leading multi-national multi-disciplinary telehealth offering. WELL is publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "WELL" and is part of the TSX Composite Index. To learn more about the company, please visit: www.well.company.

Forward-Looking Information

This news release may contain "Forward-Looking Information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws, including, without limitation: information regarding the Company's goals, strategies and growth plans; the expected benefits and synergies of completed acquisitions; the expected financial performance as well as information in the "Outlook" section herein. Forward-looking information are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties, and contingencies. Forward-looking information generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as "may", "should", "will", "could", "intend", "estimate", "plan", "anticipate", "expect", "believe" or "continue", or the negative thereof or similar variations. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause future results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the estimated future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by those forward-looking statements and the forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. WELL's statements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, and conditions, many of which are outside of WELL 's control, and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. Forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by inherent risks and uncertainties, including: direct and indirect material adverse effects from the COVID-19 pandemic; adverse market conditions; risks inherent in the primary healthcare sector in general; regulatory and legislative changes; that future results may vary from historical results; inability to obtain any requisite future financing on suitable terms; any inability to realize the expected benefits and synergies of acquisitions; that market competition may affect the business, results and financial condition of WELL and other risk factors identified in documents filed by WELL under its profile at www.sedar.com, including its most recent Annual Information Form. Except as required by securities law, WELL does not assume any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, events or otherwise.

SOURCE WELL Health Technologies Corp.

Related Links

https://www.well.company/


Free Frosty Fry-Day** (NY Metro Area): Customers who purchase any size Hot & Crispy Fry on October 29 , will score a FREE Small Frosty (perfect for dipping!) with Wendy's app offer**. Simply apply the app offer to your mobile order or scan the app offer in-restaurant or in the drive-thru.

Customers who purchase any size Hot & Crispy Fry on , will score a FREE Small Frosty (perfect for dipping!) with Wendy's app offer**. Simply apply the app offer to your mobile order or scan the app offer in-restaurant or in the drive-thru. Hallo-Weendy's Hot & Crispy VIP Pass & Giveaway*** ( Wood-Ridge, NJ ): On October 29 , New Jersey locals are invited to "Trick or Treat" at the Wendy's in Wood-Ridge with a guarantee their experience will be hot and crispy. Any "Trick or Treater" who shows a "VIP Pass" (a.k.a. a social media post with hashtag #HotAndCrispyHalloWeendys) at checkout will receive a complimentary small order of Hot & Crispy Fries and small Dave's Craft Lemonade. Additionally, one lucky customer will be in for a real treattaking home a year of free Hot & Crispy French Fries and Lemonade. There's nothing sweeter than 52 weeks of hot & crispiness paired with a refreshing beverage.

WHERE:

Free Frosty Fry-Day** offer valid at participating Wendy's locations in the NY metro area. Hallo-Weendy's Hot & Crispy VIP Pass & Giveaway*** entry exclusively offered at Wendy's restaurant located at 359 NJ-17 South in Wood-Ridge, NJ.

WHEN:

On October 29th, the final Fry-Day before Halloween weekend.

WHY:

Unlike the other guys, Wendy's doesn't think there should be any room for scary surprises or disappointment, when it comes to French Fries. And what better way to enjoy Hot & Crispy salty goodness than with something sweet and refreshing?

HOW:

Wendy's new Hot & Crispy Fries and Dave's Craft Lemonade are available nationally via Wendy's drive-thru , contactless pickup via mobile order or through delivery with the Wendy's app , DoorDash, Grubhub, Postmates and Uber Eats.

To enter for a chance to win the Hallo-Weendy's Hot & Crispy Fries and Lemonade for a Year Giveaway***, simply visit Wendy's located at 359 NJ-17 South in Wood-Ridge, NJ and fill out an entry card at the register.

ABOUT WENDY'S:

Wendy's was founded in 1969 by Dave Thomas in Columbus, Ohio. Dave built his business on the premise, "Quality is our Recipe", which remains the guidepost of the Wendy's system. Wendy's is best known for its made-to-order square hamburgers, using fresh, never frozen beef****, freshly-prepared salads, and other signature items like chili, baked potatoes and the Frosty dessert. The Wendy's Company is committed to doing the right thing and making a positive difference in the lives of others. This is most visible through the Company's support of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and its signature Wendy's Wonderful Kids program, which seeks to dramatically increase the number of adoptions of children waiting in North America's foster care systems. Today, Wendy's and its franchisees employ hundreds of thousands of people across more than 6,800 restaurants worldwide with a vision of becoming the world's most thriving and beloved restaurant brand. For details on franchising, connect with us at www.wendys.com/franchising.

Visit www.wendys.com and www.squaredealblog.com for more information and connect with us on Twitter and Instagram using @wendys, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/wendys/.

* If Wendy's new fries are not hot & crispy when you receive them, bring them back and we'll replace them.

**Offer only available at participating U.S. Wendy's for a limited time. Offer must be redeemed via the Wendy's app. Wendy's app download and account registration required. Excludes Topped Fries. Not valid for delivery orders placed outside of the Wendy's app. See offer in Wendy's app for further details.

***No purchase necessary. Ends 10/29/2021. Open only to legal residents of 50 US and DC, who are 18+. Void where prohibited. For Official Rules, go to https://locations.wendys.com/united-states/nj/wood-ridge/359-rt-17-south.

****Fresh beef available in the contiguous U.S., Alaska, and Canada.

SOURCE The Wendy's Company
BOSTON, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital transformation is the buzzword in every sector; materials science and chemistry R&D is behind the curve but certainly no exception. The prospects are, of course, very attractive, but the reality far, far harder. The status of this transformation, the enabling solutions, and those unresolved pain points are all examined below.

The heart of this R&D transformation is the field of materials informatics; this is a data-centric approach to materials R&D that builds data infrastructures and leverages machine learning solutions. IDTechEx has released a new version of their leading report on the topic, "Materials Informatics 2022-2032", which provides the most comprehensive commercial overview of the field.

There are 3 main considerations to truly enable a digital transformation in materials science R&D: data entry and management, the physical or computation experimental data, and AI-driven screening and analysis.

Data Entry and Management

This is the genesis of any digital transformation and shows quite how far chemistry and materials science must go. Data must be electronically available in suitable formats, even today the jump to electronic lab notebooks and overcoming data silos is not widely employed. There are plenty of solutions out there, but until this is tackled the transformation can only go far, as Sasha Novakovich, CEO of Alchemy Cloud, stated to IDTechEx:

"For years firms have lauded the benefits of AI in material science: accelerated discovery; faster derivative product development; streamlined material compatibility. The dirty secret you likely didn't hear: none of these outcomes are possible with mismanaged, unstructured data. If you bought into AI thinking that decades' worth of stitched together Excel files were the magic wand, you're likely on a longer (and more expensive) journey than required. From day 1, driven by our insight that better data quality yields better predictive accuracy, Alchemy has been building software solutions to optimize for AI-ready data. AI-ready, in the context of the lab, means data that is automatically validated, formatted, labeled based on your custom ontology, and connected to other data in real-time without the need for chemists to do anything other than their routine work."

Many notable companies have made this change, most notably in Japan, with some even going back to get their extensive historical data in a usable format.

Internal data is an essential part of any companies IP, but there is also the ability to leverage external data sources within a digital approach to R&D. Public and private data repositories are increasingly common that vary from being highly specific to very broad. In addition, there are many consortia being established to pool knowledge and establish best practices even amongst traditional competitors, a prime example is the Materials Open Platform (MOP) which is a joint effort in establishing a polyolefin database and involves data sharing between Mitsubishi Chemical, Sumitomo Chemical, Asahi Kasei, Mitsui Chemicals and with NIMS at its core.

Physical and/or Computational Experimental Data

How the data is stored is important, but materials informatics is nothing without the data itself. One routine challenge is sparse, high-dimensional, biased, and noisy data. Combinatorial chemistry, high throughput screening, and general laboratory automation has become much more common for physical experiments with numerous tailored instruments available. However, this is still not mature and in man cases still an overly manual process that results in scientists carrying out repetitive tasks rather than applying their domain expertise. There are still innovations arising to tackle this solution, as shown by a spin-out from Northwestern University in the USA, Professor Chad Mirkin stated to IDTechEx that:

"In the race to bring AI to materials discovery, it is all about the size and quality of the datasets. Stoicheia, with its proprietary MeglibraryTM technology (high-density chips that contain upwards of billions of positionally-encoded materials) and companion screening tools, is uniquely positioned to mine and monetize the materials genome."

Modifying the synthetic composition or process is essential but characterising and quality control also become key pieces of the puzzle that must not become a bottleneck. Computational chemistry ad materials science has come a long way in the past decade and can provide key insights and data inputs to this data-centric approach. The challenge is the speed and degree of complexity that can be achieved with current computing technology, it is no surprise that chemistry is considered as one of the key applications for quantum computers. The modelling field continues to advance at pace, typified by the likes of OTI Lumionics who are initially applying their approach to advanced materials for OLED displays. Dr Michael Helander, President and CEO, stated to IDTechEx:

"The key bottleneck in materials informatics, regardless of the approach, algorithms or AI/ML used, is access to large high-quality datasets, which is typically lacking in chemistry and materials science. Highly accurate simulations of chemical and materials properties are thus required to accelerate the digital transformation of these fields. Quantum computing techniques, which offer a path to high accuracy simulations in reasonable compute time, are therefore an essential element of future materials informatics roadmaps."

AI-Driven Screening and Analysis

The third piece of the equation is the one that grabs the headlines, using artificial intelligence in R&D to drive the screening, guide experimentation, and enhance the analysis. Machine learning can be used in several ways, it can be looking to optimize many multi-variable properties, it can be in learning new structure-property relationships, or virtual screening for a desired candidate. A wide range of bespoke supervised and unsupervised learning techniques have been deployed and although there are success stories many are tackling the same challenging data problems. Two central themes arise across many approaches when handling challenging materials datasets, understanding the uncertainty in a model, and leveraging domain knowledge. There are numerous emerging companies offering materials informatics platforms, one of the most prominent is Citrine Informatics and their CEO, Greg Mulholland, stated to IDTechEx that:

"At Citrine, our approach to AI is tailor-made for materials and chemicals. We know that our customers don't have enormous volumes of structured like big tech companies, and often their data is sparse or incomplete, so we've developed a modeling approach that leverages uncertainty quantification for each prediction and allows our customers to incorporate their scientific knowledge into the modeling process in the form of analytical relationships and materials-specific descriptor libraries. These capabilities, plus "no-code" AI model creation and deployment, allow our customers to develop new materials up to 98% faster than traditional product development approaches."

This problem is very different to the deep learning advancements many envisage when considering autonomous cars or search engines. Certain examples do have access to reasonable datasets, and more known inputs, but this is not the case for most of the real-world problems and is perceived as an insurmountable barrier. Intellegens is another company tackling this problem for numerous sectors, Steven Warde commented on this problem:

"To fully leverage this technology there is a perception that vast amounts of data will be required, however, in the real-world data is often limited and of poor quality, especially in industrial or experimental settings. Whilst many organizations are moving ahead with digitalization strategies to collect and manage this data in an attempt to improve the quality there are options for working with the limited data they do have now. Using techniques that clearly highlight uncertainty will enable insights from available data no matter how small, using models from limited data to help guide which data is most important to collect next and merging with other information sources, internal or external will add more understanding to the models."

Interestingly both Citrine Informatics and Intellegens have partnered with large companies primarily in engineering software in Siemens and Ansys, respectively. This shows the capability of these processes progressing towards inverse design and reversing the relationship between design engineers and their material suppliers. It should also be noted that this analysis does not have to stop at physical properties, but could be content with supply chain variations, toxicity, and price.

So, What's the End Goal

The ideal goal is where this transformation is not discussed and instead, a materials informatics solution is any scientist's toolkit. That is a long way to go, but not starting that journey could be catastrophic as more agile and disruptive R&D divisions emerge.

One idealized solution is a way in which all three solutions are combined into a self-driving or autonomous laboratory. There are a handful of exciting university demonstrations, but this is now starting to even come into the commercial sphere. The leading start-up at the forefront here is Kebotix, and their CEO, Dr Jill Baker, stated to IDTechEx that:

"Our secure cloud and data technologies coupled with AI, machine learning, physical modeling, and automation enable Kebotix's revolutionary autonomous, 'self-driving' lab to deliver an efficient, optimized R&D process -- something I like to call 'Fast R&D @Scale'. By discovering novel materials quicker, Kebotix offers inventive solutions that create new, disruptive chemistries and materials at a rapid pace while reducing costs. Even better, our sustainable solutions are addressing some of the world's most urgent needs."

Where are the Early Successes

Many will read this article and think this is great, but how will they get involved. There are numerous strategic approaches to end-users and a range of business models being deployed by external providers, each with their respective strengths and weaknesses. As seen, this is an attractive place for young companies; not only is there plenty of interest in AI but rather than requiring considerable funds and taking 10+ years to generate any notable revenue to bring a new material to market, just a small amount of computing power and a start-up can start bringing in consulting revenue overnight or progress towards a MI subscription platform. Lots of end-users are looking to build these capabilities in-house and there are even external companies, such as Enthought, looking to support this training. Many of these companies have been highlighted throughout the article and a full comprehensive list is available in the market report, but a more recent trend has been in companies more focussed on specific applications such as Matmerize and Polymerize (for polymers) and Aionics (for battery electrolytes).

The other key question that arises is where are the demonstrated success stories that have shown a clear value-add. Now, this is always challenging to prove, and despite claims from early adopters of rapidly reduced research hours and expenditures a genuine side-by-side comparison is practically never seen. IDTechEx have reported on these case studies and believe that given the status of the technology the most promising fields are in thin film materials and liquid formulations, the latter is certainly where most of the commercial activity is seen in polymers, coatings, lubricants, and electrolytes. That is not to say we will not see increasing results and adoption elsewhere, there are some early wins in metal alloys, heterogeneous catalysts, superconductors, and many more. Rather than considering the material families, it can also be beneficial to look at problems that this has seen success in such as screening for a band gap, mapping a phase diagram, or reducing your computational load.

The digital transformation of chemistry and materials science R&D is behind the times and in many ways only just waking up to all the technology advances the first 2-decades of the 21st century has offered. This will change a lot in the next 2-decades as the revolution begins.

For more information on this topic see the leading report by IDTechEx on Materials Informatics at www.IDTechEx.com/MaterialInformatics. This leading report on the topic gives the reader a detailed assessment of this area including interview-based company profiles, critical technology analysis, adoption roadmap, business model appraisals, and granular application case studies. IDTechEx has extensive knowledge in the relevant fields of energy storage, additive manufacturing, organic electronics, nanomaterials, and green technology, to explore the significance of these developments. For more information contact [email protected].

About IDTechEx

IDTechEx guides your strategic business decisions through its Research, Subscription and Consultancy products, helping you profit from emerging technologies. For more information, contact [email protected] or visit www.IDTechEx.com .

Media Contact:

Natalie Moreton

Digital Marketing Manager

[email protected]

+44(0)1223 812300

Social Media Links:

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/IDTechEx

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/idtechex/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IDTechExResearch

SOURCE IDTechEx

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COLUMBUS, Ohio, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Is the White Castle restaurant in Scottsdale, Arizona, haunted?

People who search the location on Google Maps are finding some interesting  and haunting  images on Google Street View, including a massive full moon glowing on signage that now says Fright Castle instead of White Castle, giant spiders creeping toward the building, shadowy ghosts appearing and disappearing in the dining room, a menacing clown beckoning guests inside. The list of eerie images goes on and on.

Google Street View Shows Arizona White Castle Overcome by Creepy Clowns, Giant Spiders, Zombies and More Tweet this Google Street View is showing that the Scottsdale, Arizona, White Castle has been transformed into a Fright Castle, with myriad ghosts, goblins and ghoulish creatures apparently haunting the place.

Something weird is happening at the Castle. But is it real?

Well, White Castle is actually having some good, old-fashioned fun with its fans for Halloween, enhancing actual photos of the Scottsdale location with creepy characters, scary objects and spine-chilling scenes. Take a close look at the photos and you might see tombstones for Anita Slider, Stella Craver and Gotta Crave from the Grave. Window signage invites guests in with signs like, "Nothing scary inside. Honest." And the self-ordering kiosks display macabre messages, like "All work and no Sliders makes Jack a dull boy" written over and over again.

The activation is meant to draw attention to White Castle's scary good deals, including a $0 delivery fee on DoorDash orders of $15 or more and $5 off a 20-Slider Crave Clutch when ordered through Uber Eats, DoorDash, Postmates or Grubhub, both through October 31.

"Halloween is a spooktacular time to treat our Cravers to some dealicious offers," said Jamie Richardson, a vice president at White Castle. "And if we create a little mischief in the process, so be it!"

About White Castle

White Castle, America's first fast-food hamburger chain, has been making hot and tasty Sliders as a family-owned business for 100 years. Based in Columbus, Ohio, White Castle started serving The Original Slider in 1921. Today White Castle owns and operates more than 350 restaurants dedicated to satisfying customers' cravings morning, noon and night. Through its retail division, which launched in 1987, White Castle also offers its famous fare in freezer aisles of grocery, convenience and club stores nationwide. The Original Slider, named in 2014 as Time magazine's "Most Influential Burger of All Time," is served alongside a menu of creatively crafted Sliders and other mouthwatering food options, including White Castle's Impossible Slider, named by Thrillist in 2019 as the "Best Plant-Based Fast Food Burger." White Castle's commitment to maintaining the highest quality products extends to the company owning and operating its own meat processing plants, bakeries and frozen-food processing plants. In 2021, 100 years after the first Slider was sold, Fast Company named the fast-food pioneer one of the "10 Most Innovative Dining Companies." White Castle is known for the legendary loyalty of its team members, more than 1 in 4 of whom have worked for White Castle for at least 10 years, and also for its faithful fans ("Cravers"), many of whom compete each year for entry into the Cravers Hall of Fame. The official White Castle app, available at iTunes App Store or Google Play, makes it easy for Cravers to access sweet deals and place pickup orders at any time. They can also have their orders delivered using one of White Castle's delivery partners. For more information on White Castle, visit whitecastle.com.

SOURCE White Castle

Related Links

http://www.whitecastle.com


- Successfully completed nearly 20 regulatory inspections in total, including 13 regulatory inspections since the start of 2021

WUXI, China, Oct. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- WuXi Biologics ("WuXi Bio") (2269.HK), a global company with leading open-access biologics technology platforms, announced that it has completed a remote GMP inspection by Health Canada for its drug substance facility (MFG2) in Wuxi city. There were no observations during the inspection, demonstrating that the company's premier quality system is in full compliance with global regulatory requirements.

The comprehensive inspection was conducted by three inspectors and covered the facility's quality processes and entire production system. So far, WuXi Biologics has successfully completed nearly 20 regulatory inspections conducted by eight different agencies including the U.S. FDA, EMA and NMPA, 13 of which were conducted this year.

"We are very proud of successfully completing another regulatory inspection," said Dr. Chris Chen, CEO of WuXi Biologics. "Our world-class quality system being certified by various regulatory agencies in the U.S., EU, China, Japan, Brazil, and Singapore is a strong testament to our commitment to maintaining the highest global quality standards. With those standards as our cornerstone, WuXi Biologics will continue to enable our global partners to provide life-saving treatments quickly and effectively to benefit patients worldwide."

About WuXi Biologics

WuXi Biologics (stock code: 2269.HK), a Hong Kong-listed company, is a leading global open-access biologics technology platform offering end-to-end solutions to empower organizations to discover, develop, and manufacture biologics from concept to commercial manufacturing. The company's history and achievements demonstrate its commitment to providing a truly ONE-stop service offering and strong value proposition to its global clients.

The company is currently conducting on behalf of its clients and partners (as of June 30, 2021) a total of 408 integrated projects, including: 212 in pre-clinical development stage; 160 in early-phase (phase I and II) clinical development; 32 in late-phase (phase III) development; and 4 in commercial manufacturing. With a total estimated capacity exceeding 430,000 liters for biopharmaceutical production planned after 2024 in China, Ireland, the U.S., Germany, and Singapore, WuXi Biologics will continue to provide its biomanufacturing partners with a robust and premier-quality global supply chain network.

WuXi Biologics views Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) responsibilities as an integral component of its ethos and business strategy and aims to become a global ESG leader in biologics manufacturing. We use next-generation clean biomanufacturing technologies and utilize cleaner energy sources. We have also established an ESG committee led by the CEO to increase efficiency while advancing commitment to sustainability. For more information about WuXi Biologics, please visit: www.wuxibiologics.com.

Contacts



Media

[email protected]



Investors

[email protected]

SOURCE WuXi Biologics
Alluded to some of the key ideas that would define the United Nations in the next 25 years, Damodaran said there would be a need for global governance in areas of global public good like health, sustainable development beyond 2030, artificial intelligence, use of digital technology, peaceful use of outer space, creation of emergency platforms and so on.

"It is appropriate that the country that brought `Surya Namaskar' (sun salutation) to the world should lead the global initiative on solar energy working with the United Nations. India is now going to ask the United Nations for observer status so that countries can pool in their intellectual and entrepreneurial abilities to harvest solar energy and also create bilateral platforms blending creative solutions with financial mechanisms," he said.

Referring to the UN Security Council, Mr Damodaran said to the young audience, "India will certainly become a permanent member of the United Nations and this will happen in your lifetime and the Security Council will be enriched by it."

Mr Ramu Damodaran joined the United Nations Department of Global Communications in 1996. His responsibilities included relationships with civil society, the creative community and celebrity advocates, publications (as Chief Editor of the UN Chronicle), the Dag Hammarskjold Library and the United Nations Academic Impact. He has also been the Secretary of the United Nations General Assembly's Committee on Information since 2011.

SOURCE Prabha Khaitan Foundation
DALLAS, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Zips Car Wash (www.zipscarwash.com), one of the largest express tunnel car wash operators in the U.S. and a portfolio company of Atlantic Street Capital, announced today the promotion of Gene Dinkens to Chief Executive Officer. Brett Overman, Founder and former CEO of Zips, will continue as Chairman and as majority owner of Zips.

Commenting on Mr. Dinkens' promotion, Mr. Overman, said, "Finding the right partner to work with us as we move the company forward was a priority and I am very pleased that Gene joined us last year as part of our talented team. He is a skilled business leader who has had a tremendous impact on the business and his promotion to CEO puts us in a stronger position to move Zips forward as we continue the rapid growth of the company."

Founded in 2004 by Mr. Overman, Zips is the second largest branded express only ride-thru tunnel wash experience at 220 locations across 19 states in the South, Southeast, and Mid-Atlantic. Zips has over 1,600 employees and is based in Dallas, Texas. In 2020, Atlantic Street Capital invested in Zips in partnership with Mr. Overman.

Andy Wilkins, Managing Partner of Atlantic Street Capital, commented, "We are very happy with our partnership with Brett who, for nearly 20 years, has built the Zips brand into a leader in the car wash industry. We are pleased that he will continue to provide his extensive industry expertise as Chairman as we continue to build the business. Gene has worked closely with the Atlantic Street team at several portfolio investments and could not be a better Chief Executive to lead this subscription based business model."

Mr. Dinkens, added, "Brett is a true leader in the industry, and it has been an incredible opportunity to work with him directly over the past 18 months and to collaborate with the Atlantic Street team to accelerate Zips' growth and surpass the milestone of 200 stores. I couldn't be more excited to lead the next phase of development of the company with Brett and the team."

Mr. Dinkens, an experienced executive in consumer-focused industries, joined Zips last year as President. Prior to joining Zips in 2020, Mr. Dinkens most recently served as Chief Operating Officer of Lori's Gifts, the nation's largest provider of hospital gift shop outsourcing solutions, with over 400 locations across the country. Prior to his tenure at Lori's, he served nearly four years as Chief Operating Officer of Z Wireless, a Verizon Premium Wireless Retailer in which he helped scale from 200 locations into Verizon's largest agent with over 1,100 locations by 2018. Mr. Dinkens is a graduate of the University of Toledo.

About Zips Car Wash

Zips Car Wash (www.zipscarwash.com), headquartered in Dallas, Texas, operates 220 locations in 19 states, including Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin. Zips Car Wash offers multiple levels of car wash packages in the convenient form of a ride-thru car wash experience. Zips Car Wash also offers free self-serve vacuums and Unlimited Wash Club Memberships.

About Atlantic Street Capital

Atlantic Street Capital is a private equity firm that invests in lower middle market companies. The firm invests in fundamentally sound companies that will benefit from capital investment and value-added strategic and operational initiatives. Atlantic Street Capital's approach are hands-on investors who work closely with management to unlock their business' underlying value and help them succeed. The firm is currently making investments in Atlantic Street Capital IV, LP. For more information, visit www.atlanticstreetcapital.com.

Contacts:

For Zips Car Wash

Sarah Elizabeth Falanga

870-819-7354

For Atlantic Street Capital

Chris Tofalli

Chris Tofalli Public Relations, LLC

914-834-4334

SOURCE Zips Car Wash
Srinagar, Oct 28 : A terrorist was killed in a brief exchange of fire with the security forces at Cherdari in North Kashmir's Baramulla district, police said on Thursday.

According to the police, the terrorists fired upon an army and police party which triggered the encounter.

The identity of the killed terrorist is being ascertained.

Arms and ammunition, including one pistol and a grenade, was recovered from the possession of the slain terrorist.
Kabul, Oct 28 : Education Cannot Wait (ECW), which sent the first all-women mission to Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover, on Thursday appealed to donors to significantly increase financial support for a robust collective humanitarian-development nexus response, including urgent funding for education.

This includes urgent scaled up funding to UN agencies and NGO partners delivering life-saving education to vulnerable children and adolescents on the ground.

Amid an escalating health and nutrition crisis for children, with cold winter temperatures dropping quickly, a national economic meltdown, and the impacts of prolonged drought and years of conflict, the World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that over half the population in Afghanistan -- 23 million people -- will struggle to put food on the table during the upcoming winter; the largest number ever recorded.

Additionally, nearly 10 million girls and boys depend on humanitarian assistance to survive. All this against a backdrop of two decades of development programming severely impacted in the past two months.

"Salaries have not been paid for months, money and goods are no longer circulating in the country, entire communities and families have lost their livelihoods and struggle to make ends meet. Those who suffer the brunt of this acute crisis are the most innocent and vulnerable: girls, boys, adolescents and youth," said ECW Director Yasmine Sherif.

"UN member states, donors and humanitarian organizations, as well as crisis-sensitive development organisations, must remain engaged and act together now to support children, teachers, educators and the Afghan people -- with education at the center of the response -- because education is their future and the future of the country.

"An estimated $1 billion dollars is urgently required by organisations working in the education sector," she added.

The ECW, hosted by Unicef, is the global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises.

While the majority of schools were closed in Afghanistan during 2020-2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, most primary schools for both girls and boys have reopened since the takeover of power in August.

According to UN and NGO partners on the ground, with regards to secondary education, girls' education has resumed in some provinces to date.

"For the millions of children living through the turmoil of today's Afghanistan, education and learning is a lifeline that must be supported. Not only does it give girls and boys the tools to lead a healthy and productive life, but it also keeps them protected and safe," said Alice Akunga, Unicef's Deputy Representative in Afghanistan.

"We are asking the international community to come together to prevent the collapse of the education system and safeguard the gains made for children over the past two decades." During her three-day mission, Sherif met the de facto authorities in Kabul, stressing the importance of increasing access to quality education for all children, with an emphasis on adolescent girls, throughout the country.

Sherif also visited a girls' school in Kabul and met with a wide range of education partners, including the UN-SRSG, UN agencies, international and national civil society organisations, and members of the education in emergency working group to take stock of the situation on the ground and identify additional opportunities to expand ECW emergency education investments and scaled up funding for UN and NGOs in the education sector.

Working with a direct execution modality through UN agencies and civil society organisations, ECW has been supporting the delivery of education programmes for the most vulnerable girls and boys in Afghanistan since 2018.

To date, ECW has invested $45 million to support the education of girls, boys and adolescents in Afghanistan. This includes $36 million for the first Multi-Year Resilience Programme (of which $24 million has already been disbursed), previous First Emergency Response grants of $4.6 million, and a recent First Emergency Response grant of $4 million in response to the recent escalating needs.
Lucknow Oct 28 : In a recent order, the Allahabad High Court's Lucknow bench has granted bail to an accused who was arrested for possessing 350 kg ganja illegally.

The order came from a bench of Justice Siddharth on the bail plea of one Kaleem.

The accused had been in jail since January 18, 2019.

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) had arrested the accused with heavy contraband in possession and booked him under NDPS Act.

An FIR had been lodged in this connection with the NCB police station in January 2019 in Ayodhya district.

Filing the bail plea before the court, the accused had pleaded that the recovery was planted due to ulterior motives and that he was innocent.

It was also submitted that there was no independent witness to the recovery of ganja.

"There was no compliance of the provisions of section 50 of NDPS Act asking the accused if he wanted his search from a magistrate," added the accused.

He also assured the court that if he was released on bail, he would not misuse the liberty of bail.

Opposing the bail plea, the NCB counsel contended that there was no occasion to plant such heavy contraband ganja on the accused.

It was also said that innocence cannot be adjudged at the pre-trial stage of the case.

"If the accused is released on bail, he is likely to involve in similar activity," added the NCB.

Allowing the bail plea, the bench observed: "Considering the plea of bail in view of a Supreme Court ruling, larger mandate of Article 21 of the Constitution of India, the nature of accusations, the nature of evidence in support thereof, the severity of punishment, the character of the accused, circumstances which are peculiar to the accused, reasonable possibility of securing the presence of the accused at the trial, reasonable apprehension of the witnesses being tampered with, the larger interest of the public/ State and other circumstances, but without expressing any opinion on the merits, I am of the view that it is a fit case for grant of bail."
Lucknow, Oct 28 : The Uttar Pradesh Police's Special Task Force (STF) has gunned down a sharpshooter of Mukhtar Ansari's gang along with his aide in an encounter in Lucknow's Madiaon area.

The encounter took place on Wednesday evening.

The sharpshooter, Alisher a.k.a Doctor, was an accused in the February 15 murder of BSP leader Kalamuddin of Khundanpur village in Azamgarh. He had also killed BJP leader Jitram Munda in Ranchi last month.

He carried a reward of Rs 1 lakh on his head.

His aide Bannu a.k.a Kamran of Azamgarh, used to conduct recce of the targets.

ASP, STF, Vishal Vikram Singh, who led the encounter, said: "Alisher and his aide were planning to kill a prominent trader leader in the old city area of Lucknow. After getting a tip-off, a team laid a trap and cornered them between the Ghaila police outpost and Faizullaganj road.

"When the duo was asked to surrender, they opened fire on the STF team. They suffered gunshot injuries in the retaliatory firing. The duo was taken to Bhaurao Deoras Hospital in Mahanagar where they were pronounced dead." Alisher had over 24 cases against him of which five were of murders in Azamgarh.

Other cases were of loot, robbery and dacoity. He ran extortion rackets in 20 states of India.

Bannu had two criminal cases lodged against him in Azamgarh.

The STF sleuths recovered a carbine, two pistols, a country-made pistol, a motorcycle and live cartridges from the two victims.
Bengaluru, Oct 28 : The Karnataka government has put on hold a proposal to survey official, unofficial churches and Bible societies and is waiting for the verdict of the state High Court on a PIL in this regard.

The Committee on Welfare of Backward Classes and Minorities discussed the survey aimed at checking alleged forced conversions on October 13, and asked the Deputy Commissioners to carry out the exercise.

Acting Chairman of the Committee Goolihatti Shekar vehemently proposed for the survey and had also raised the issue in the Monsoon session of the Assembly.

Shekar, also a BJP MLA, had stated on the floor of the House that conversion is rampant in his Hosadurga constituency.

"Even his mother has been converted and missionaries got those who questioned conversions booked under atrocity and rape charges," he claimed.

Shekar later organised a "Ghar wapsi" programme in his constituency in which many families were brought back to Hindu religion. He also stated that his mother, who embraced Christianity, returned to Hinduism.

Christian religious leaders and progressive thinkers held press conferences across the state to condemn the move of the government to conduct surveys of churches.

Shekar apologised if he had hurt anyone's religious sentiments with his statements. He maintained that he is opposed to forceful religious conversions.

Only five of the 20 members of the Legislature Committee were present for the meeting on Wednesday and it could not take place for want of quorum.

The meeting is expected to take place on Thursday.

The panel's tenure will end on November 9 and the Speaker of the Assembly Vishveshwara Hegde Kageri will formulate a new committee by mid-November, sources in the government stated.

Government officers explained that the survey is not feasible as it goes against the Constitution.

The government is also waiting to see how the High Court responds to the PIL filed against conducting a survey of churches.

As many as 36 cases of religious conversions have been reported in the state this year.
London, Oct 28 : The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess the $40 billion acquisition of chip designer Arm by graphic chip giant Nvidia.

The Nvidia deal to purchase the UK-based company Arm from SoftBank for $40 billion was announced in September last year.

The Commission said in a statement late on Wednesday that the merged entity would have the ability and incentive to restrict access by Nvidia's rivals to Arm's technology, and that the proposed transaction could lead to higher prices, less choice and reduced innovation in the semiconductor industry.

Semiconductors are everywhere in products and devices that we use everyday as well as in infrastructure such as data centres.

"While Arm and Nvidia do not directly compete, Arm's IP is an important input in products competing with those of Nvidia, for example in data centres, automotive and in Internet of Things (IoTs)," said Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President and responsible for competition policy.

"Our analysis shows that the acquisition of Arm by Nvidia could lead to restricted or degraded access to Arm's IP, with distortive effects in many markets where semiconductors are used," Vestager added.

Nvidia develops and supplies processor products for various applications, including in data centres, IoT, automotive applications and gaming.

Arm licenses out intellectual property (IP) for processing units, in particular to semiconductor chipmakers and Systems-on-Chip (SoC) developers.

The Commission said that by acquiring Arm, Nvidia would gain full control over Arm's technology and licensing business.

The preliminary investigation suggests that the merged entity would also have the economic incentive to engage in such foreclosure strategies which could reduce competition in the market for the supply of processor products across different fields of application.

The Commission will now carry out an in-depth investigation into the effects of the transaction to determine whether its initial competition concerns regarding these markets are confirmed, and will take a decision by March 15, 2022.
Seoul, Oct 28 : South Korea has found more than two dozen bone fragments presumed to be from troops killed in the 1950-53 Korean War during recent excavation work in a former battle site, the Defence Ministry said on Thursday.

The military has discovered 26 bone pieces and 5,132 articles, including combat gear, in the White Horse Ridge, the site inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, reports Yonhap News Agency citing the Ministry as saying.

Many of them are thought to be from fallen South Korean troops, it added.

In September, the Ministry launched the excavation work there as part of efforts to fulfil a 2018 inter-Korean military accord, including the joint retrieval project.

The South currently conducts the project alone, as the North remains unresponsive to calls to join it.

The Ministry said that the Agency for Killed In Action for Recovery and Identification will carry out a DNA analysis to identify the bone pieces.

"(The government) will make its best efforts for excavation in all areas, including the DMZ, until the return of the last soldier killed in the Korean War to his family and home country," the Ministry said.

The recovery work in the White Horse Ridge followed the conclusion of the years-long excavation work at the nearby Arrowhead Ridge in June.

At the Arrowhead Ridge, the military recovered a total of 3,092 bone fragments believed to have belonged to 424 troops killed in action.
Seoul, Oct 28 : North Korea slammed the US and other western nations on Thursday for having double standards on human rights and racism, taking issue with their absence from a recent UN meeting.

In a note posted on the Foreign Ministry's website, North Korea criticised the US, the UK and others for not taking part in a high-level meeting at the UN General Assembly last month to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action that calls for racial justice, reports Yonhap News Agency.

It accused the countries of having "the darkest history" in racism and "pouring cold water" on efforts to protect and improve human rights, while claiming to be "advanced nations" and acting like "judges" in the fields.

"Before western countries dispute here and there of non-existent 'human rights problems' of others, (they) should focus on their own domestic affairs, such as systematic racism and human rights violations," it added.

In recent years, Pyongyang has increased such postings, related to diplomatic and international issues, on the website of its Foreign Ministry.

An official at South Korea's Unification Ministry said on Thursday that it continues to monitor those messages considered to reflect the North Korean authorities' views.

But the official pointed out that such online postings apparently carry less weight in comparison with the ministry's official statements.
Patna Oct 28 : Unidentified assailants attacked BJP MLA Amit Mandal at his residence in Bihar's Bhagalpur city, police said.

Mandal, the MLA from Godda in Jharkhand, sustained injuries on his chest, stomach and hands.

The police said that assailants wearing face masks attacked the lawmaker at around 10 p.m. on Wednesday.

"The legislator was in his residence in Tilkamanjhi locality when 10 to 12 persons attacked him with stones and bricks. The bodyguards managed to save him. As the attackers were in large numbers, they threw stones and bricks," said Raj Rattan, SHO of Tilkamanjhi.

Following the incident, Mandal's supporters reached the attack site.

"The BJP legislator filed a complaint in Tilkamanjhi police station against unknown persons. We are trying to identify accused," Raj Ratan said.

Amit Mandal joined politics after demise of his father Raghunandan Mondal, who was a former MLA in the Bihar Assembly.
Chennai, Oct 28 : The Tamil Nadu government, which manages the Mullaperiyar dam although it is geographically in Kerala's Idukki district, will open the spillways at 7 a.m. on Friday.

The Tamil Nadu Water Resources Department has already communicated the same to the Kerala government on Wednesday night as an evacuation in Idukki district is required for the opening of the spillways.

Kerala Water Resources Minister Roshy Augustine had earlier requested the Tamil Nadu government to inform the state well in advance so that the evacuation process is smooth.

The spillways of the dam are to be opened following incessant rains in the catchment areas of Mullaperiyar.

The water level in the dam crossed 137.80 ft at 9 p.m. on Wednesday. The maximum water level in the dam set up by the Central Water Commission (CWC) is 138 ft and the water level is all set to cross this rule curve by Thursday morning.

Tamil Nadu has been drawing 2,300 cusecs of water from the dam and the inflow was 5,800 cusecs on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Kerala has expressed its dissent in Supreme Court on Wednesday after the Mullaperiyar dam supervisory committee had submitted that that there was no need to change the 142 ft water height in the dam which was set by the apex court.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Wednesday night wrote a letter to his Kerala counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan stating that his state was monitoring the situation of the Mullaperiyar dam and the water flow into it.

Stalin also mentioned that officials of both Kerala and Tamil Nadu are in constant touch with each other and that the situation was under control.

He added that the state was pumping out maximum water from the Mullaperiyar dam through the Vaigai tunnel into Tamil Nadu.

Stalin was responding to a letter sent by the Kerala Chief Minister on Monday that the water level in Mullaperiyar was rising rapidly and requested the Tamil Nadu side to take maximum water through the Vaigai tunnel for the state.

The Mullaperiyar dam constructed in 1895 by British Engineer John Pennycuck is under major discussion between the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

While the Kerala side wants to construct a new dam by deactivating the present one, there were several objections from the Tamil Nadu side.

The UN Research University had recently in a report said that Mullaperiyar dam had outlived its life span and that like several dams that are above 50 years of age, it was also in danger.

The Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu and Kerala along with the water resources ministers of the respective states are slated to meet in Chennai in December regarding the future course of action on Mullaperiyar.
October 28 : Shah Rukh Khans son Aryan Khan did not get bail even on the second day of his bail plea hearing in the Bombay High Court, and his stay in the Arthur Road jail extended by a night. The hearing on Wednesday was adjourned to Thursday, the third day of hearing on his bail request.

After his bail was denied twice by a Mumbai magistrate court and a special anti-drugs court, the 23-year-old appealed for his bail in the High Court. Aryan was arrest on October 3 in a drugs-related case after a Mumbai cruise ship party was raided by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). Aryan has been in Mumbai's Arthur Road jail since October 8.

Aryans lawyer, former Attorney General of India, Mukul Rohatgi, told the court on Wednesday that his arrest was a direct infringement of his constitutional rights, and that he was never given any reason for his arrest. Aryan was arrested along with his friend Arbaaz Merchant and others after the NCB raided a cruise ship party on October 2. NCB claimed that Aryan is "Accused Number 1." Mukul Rohatgi emphasised on Wednesday that nothing was found on him and no consumption happened when he was arrested. Hence, the grounds for both his arrest and denial of bail were flimsy. "No person who is arrested can be held without being informed of the grounds of arrest and such a person shall have the right to consult a lawyer of his choice," Mukul Rohatgi argued, citing Article 22 of the Constitution on protection against arrest and detention.

Mukul Rohatgi further stressed that his client was not a customer and was invited on the cruise as a special guest. In fact, no drugs were recovered from him and no medical test was done to prove he had even consumed, Rohatgi told the High Court bench.

Mukul Rohatgi also argued saying that the Whatsapp chats in Aryan's phone are from 2018, 2019 and 2020, and none of which are related to the cruise party. NCB claimed that the WhatsApp chats found on his phone provide enough evidence of his involvement in "illicit drug deals" and his links with an international cartel. "If there is a constitutional infirmity then that cannot be cured by remand," Mukul Rohatgi said. "They had the phone. They will tell you they have WhatsApp chats. I am handicapped. I do not know what they have. They chose to mislead the court. I (Aryan Khan) had nothing with me," Rohatgi said. He further argued that "constitutional issues would arise because none of the others, from whom drugs had been found, had even been arrested" when Aryan Khan was held.

On the other hand, Amit Desai, the lawyer representing Aryan Khan's friend Arbaaz Merchant, told the court that "It is necessary to show a meeting of minds. Three unconnected people coming for the same purpose is not a conspiracy. Three people individually deciding to consume is not a conspiracy."
October 28 : Amid the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) summons, Ananya Panday will shoot a song for her upcoming film Liger with South superstar Vijay Deverakonda. While Ananya has been summoned thrice by the NCB in Aryan Khans drug case, and was questioned twice for over 6 hours, the actress had stopped all her shooting to appear before the agency.

While the Student of the Year 2 actress was summoned for two days, she skipped the questioning session for the third day on October 25. Reportedly, her laptop has also been seized by the NCB officials.

Now it has been reported that Ananya will resume her shooting from today. The actress is likely to shoot for a song for her upcoming film Liger co-starring Vijay Deverakonda. According to a Times of India report, Ananya will resume shooting for the song in Mumbai today. Reportedly, the Liger song has been choreographed by Baba Bhaskar from Chennai.

Helmed by Puri Jagannadh and produced by Dharma Productions, Puri Jagannath and Charmmie Kaur, Liger is an action drama and has been in the making for a long time now. Its schedules were delayed due to the Covid 19 pandemic. The film also features Ronit Roy, Ramya Krishnan, Vishu Reddy, Makarand Deshpandey and Getup Srinu. It has been shot in simultaneously in Telugu and Hindi and will be dubbed in other languages too.

Meanwhile, Ananya skipped the Monday questioning session with NCB in connection with the investigation into the Mumbai drugs-on-the-cruise case. Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan was arrested by the NCB in connection to a drug case. Ananya requested NCB for a further date, citing personal reasons to skip the session. Reportedly, NCB will issue another summon to her in the next few days.
Chennai, Oct 28 : With the recovery of another body, the death toll in the Kallakurichi firecracker shop accident has reached seven, police said on Wednesday.

The fire and rescue persons recovered the body of an 11-year-old boy from the debris of the shop where the accident took place on Tuesday.

The body, found on Wednesday evening, was identified as that of M. Dhanabal, nephew of the shop owner Selvaganabathy.

Selvaganabathy was running a grocery shop and prior to Deepavali, he had opened a small firecracker shanty in front of his shop. He had stocked the crackers on the first floor of his shop.

According to police, in the freak accident believed to be triggered by an electric short circuit, the crackers caught fire. Soon, the blaze spread to the adjoining shops gutting them completely.

The incident took place on Tuesday night at Sankarapuram in Kallakurichi district of Tamil Nadu. Initially, five people were found dead and around eight grievously injured.

On Wednesday, another person, Nizar (40) who was admitted to Kallakurichi government hospital in a serious condition, succumbed to his injuries thus taking the toll to six. Late in the evening, Dhanbal's body was recovered taking the death toll to 7.

Police said that four of the victims died instantly when a pillar fell on them while they were filming the fire. Two gas cylinders that were stocked in the shop also caught fire and blasted leading to the surrounding shops also being gutted down.

The Kallakurichi district Police superintendent, Ziaul Haque in a directive asked the people to take a no-objection certificate (NOC) from fire, police, and health departments for putting up temporary firecracker shops. He also said that if anyone violates the directive, police would take stringent action.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had announced a solatium of Rs 5 lakh to those who died in the fire mishap and an amount of Rs 1 lakh for all the injured and admitted in Kallakurichi Government hospital.

State PWD minister E.V. Velu, District Collector P.N. Sridhar, District Superintendent of Police, Ziaul Haq, and several officers visited the spot and the homes of the deceased.
London, Oct 28 : Keir Starmer, leader of the UK's main opposition Labour Party, has tested positive for Covid-19.

Starmer carries out daily lateral flow tests but this is the first time he has tested positive, Xinhua news agency quoted Sky News as saying in a report.

Due to the test result, he missed an opportunity to challenge the UK government in-person on its new budget Wednesday afternoon.

Starmer will have to self-isolate for 10 days.

This is the fifth time he has had to self-isolate since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, most recently in July when one of his children tested positive, according to local media reports.
Hyderabad, Oct 28 : The Telangana High Court on Thursday dismissed petitions seeking suspension of the Election Commission of India's (ECI) order deferring the implementation of Dalit Bandhu scheme in Huzurabad Assembly constituency till the completion of by-election process.

Dealing with three Public Interest Litigations (PILs), the court declined to interfere with the Election Commission's order on the ground that the poll panel has Constitutional powers to ensure free and fair polls.

The court, which had reserved its order in the case on Monday, pronounced the same on Thursday.

A bench, comprising Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice A. Rajashekar Reddy, dismissed the PILs filed by journalist and social worker Mallepalli Laxmaiah, Congress leader Bukka Judson and NGO "Watch Voice".

The bypolls in Huzurabad are scheduled to be held on October 30.

On October 18, the ECI had directed the Telangana government to defer the implementation of the scheme till the completion of the bypolls.

The scheme was launched on a pilot basis in Huzurabad in August.

The state government has released Rs 2,000 crore for the implementation of the scheme aimed at empowerment of Dalits.

Under the scheme, every Dalit family will get Rs 10 lakh as grant to start any business or self-employment.

The petitioners, however, challenged the ECI order on the ground that the scheme was launched before the announcement of the poll schedule.

They alleged that the poll panel abruptly stopped the scheme at the alleged instance of some political parties.

Counsel for one of the petitioners had told the court that the ECI's decision has come as a "rude shock" and a serious setback to Dalits, especially to the unemployed youth.

Standing counsel for the ECI, however, had informed the court that the implementation of the scheme was stopped only in Huzurabad constituency and not in others.
Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 28 : Medical students hailing from Kerala and other parts of the country have sought help from the Centre to prevail upon Azerbaijan authorities to clear them for travel so that they can resume their studies.

Neha Ann Saji, a student hailing from Kerala, has written a letter to Union Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan on behalf of all Indian students studying medicine at Azerbaijan Medical University, Baku, Azerbaijan.

"We have been stuck in India due to Covid-related travel restrictions imposed by the Azerbaijan government, thus we could not obtain visas for the past year. Currently, Azerbaijan accepts only citizens or permanent residence permit holders from 42 countries, and unfortunately, India is not among them," the letter reads.

It further states that a few months ago the Indian embassy in Baku, as well as the university, took up the issue and the University submitted a list of all their international students regardless of nationality to the government of Azerbaijan.

"However, recently students from Pakistan, Iran and Iraq (these countries are also not on the list of 42 countries) started receiving their visas. We enquired with our University regarding the delay in issuing visas for Indians and they asked us to follow up with our embassy in Baku, as other nationalities received visas due to the efforts put forth by their respective embassies.

"We, as instructed by the university, contacted our embassy and they informed us that they are trying their best, however, we have not yet received any confirmation about our visas," says her letter.

"More than 100 students from India study at the same university, though nearly 70 students are only facing this difficulty as the rest of the students have UAE residence permits and they can travel back.

"Our classes already began on September 29 and the university has given only a grace period of 10 days to reach back, after which we may have to freeze our course. They also informed us that there will be no online classes as it is a government decision. At this moment, we are extremely worried about our future," said the medical student.
Pune, Oct 28 : In a key breakthrough, the Anti Extortion Cell (AEC) of Pune Police arrested absconder Kiran P. Gosavi, the prime 'Panch-Witness' of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in the October 2 cruise party raids who is wanted in several fraud and cheating cases by Maharashtra Police, here on Thursday.

Gosavi, who had sneaked into hiding for nearly a fortnight, was picked up from a lodge in Katraj, brought to the police headquarters and later placed under arrest, Pune Commissioner of Police Amitabh Gupta told mediapersons.

"Let me make it clear. We have arrested him, he has not surrendered," Gupta said of Gosavi, whose selfie with Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan, had gone viral after the NCB swooped on the cruiser.

According to the police, from tech-intel it came to light that Gosavi was moving and hiding in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Jalgaon, Lucknow, Hyderabad and other places in the country, with police teams hot on his chase.

"At times, he used an alias of 'Sachin Patil' and stayed in various placesa He is saying many things. Let's not get into details at this stage," Gupta added.

When pointed out that Gosavi had been offering to surrender for many days, Gupta asked: "He has been saying so, but did he (surrender)?" The accused, nabbed in an old case registered in 2018, has been claiming to be a private detective, into an export-import business, dealing in electronic gadgets, etc, but Pune Police said all this would be investigated.

Earlier, hunted by the special teams of Pune Police, the AEC cornered Gosavi on the outskirts of the city around 3.30 a.m. on Thursday morning after he was reported missing for the past nearly three weeks when his name first surfaced in the cruise party raids row.

He was detained and taken to the Pune Police headquarters where he is kept in a police lockup prior to completing the post-arrest formalities, and questioned by a team headed by a Pune Deputy Commissioner of Police.

Gosavi, with cases lodged against him in Mumbai, Thane and Pune had sneaked out of the state reportedly moving to various states after his name blew up in the NCB raids case.

Facing a lookout notice, just two days ago he created a midnight drama in Lucknow by announcing his surrender before the Mandiaon Police (Uttar Pradesh), but the move was aborted at the last minute.

Official sources say that his attempts to asurrender' reportedly failed before the police in at least two states, both ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party, and finally he managed to reach Maharashtra where the AEC caught up with him on Thursday morning.

Gosavi is among the 10 persons summoned by the NCB vigilance team from New Delhi, camping in Mumbai, to record his statements in the probe into the alleged corruption charges against Mumbai Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede.
Dhaka, Oct 28 : Bangladesh has signed an agreement with the World Bank's International Development Association (IDA) to receive $200 million to create jobs for the country's Covid-stricken low-income people.

Fatima Yasmin, secretary of Bangladesh's Economic Relations Division, and Mercy Miyang Tembon, country director of World Bank, signed the loan agreement on behalf of their respective sides here, reports Xinhua news agency.

The project titled "Recovery and Advancement of Informal Sector Employment (RAISE)" aims at increasing the economic opportunities for the low-income people in urban areas and migrant workers returning from abroad due to the Covid pandemic.

The project will be implemented by Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation, a financial institution founded by the government of Bangladesh to finance rural development.
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Sarkaryavah Dattatreya Hosabole inaugurated the 3-day meeting of the All India Executive Board of the Sangh in Dharwad, Karnataka. About 350 representatives belonging to all the organizations of the Sangh are being involve Image Source: IANS News

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Sarkaryavah Dattatreya Hosabole inaugurated the 3-day meeting of the All India Executive Board of the Sangh in Dharwad, Karnataka. About 350 representatives belonging to all the organizations of the Sangh are being involve Image Source: IANS News

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Sarkaryavah Dattatreya Hosabole inaugurated the 3-day meeting of the All India Executive Board of the Sangh in Dharwad, Karnataka. About 350 representatives belonging to all the organizations of the Sangh are being involve Image Source: IANS News

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Sarkaryavah Dattatreya Hosabole inaugurated the 3-day meeting of the All India Executive Board of the Sangh in Dharwad, Karnataka. About 350 representatives belonging to all the organizations of the Sangh are being involve Image Source: IANS News

Dharwad : , Oct 28 (IANS) Three-day Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's (RSS) Akhil Bharatiya Karyakari Mandal Bhaitak (national executive committee meeting) began on Thursday at the Rashtrotthana Vidya Kendra in Madhavnagar of Dharwad district.

The meeting is being attended by 350 chiefs (pranth pramukhs) of various regions. At the meeting, discussions on the situation of minority Hindus in Bangladesh will be of top priority. The pramukhs will talk about formulating a policy to protect the persecuted Hindus. They will also discuss future plans.

Sangh's Prachar Pramukh Sunil Ambekar had earlier said: "The baithak will discuss centenary celebrations of RSS as it was founded in 1925. At the meeting discussions on what can be done in three years and on unfinished goals of RSS, expansion and training of swayamsevaks (volunteers), will also be held.

The meet will be chaired by RSS Sarsanghchalak (chief) Mohan Bhagwath. No BJP leader neither from state nor from Centre will participate in the meet. Security has been beefed up in the premises as Mohan Bhagwat is Z-category security protectee. The meeting is being held for the second time in the same premises.
New Delhi, Oct 28 : Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram on Thursday said that he was "perturbed" by the statement in the Supreme Court order that many persons when requested to be a member of a Committee to probe the Pegasus controversy, had "politely declined".

His remark comes a day after the Apex Court constituted a probe committee on Pegasus spyware.

Taking to Twitter, the former Home Minister said: "I am perturbed by the statement in the SC order that many persons when requested to be a member of a Committee to probe the Pegasus controversy, "politely declined".

"Can any conscientious citizen decline the request of the SC to serve in a matter of paramount national interest? This episode illustrates how far we have traveled from the exhortation of Mahatma Gandhi that Indians should not fear their rulers," he said.

The Congress has welcomed the SC decision, and Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said that the party will raise the issue in Parliament.

On Wednesday, the top court asked a three-member technical committee to probe whether any Pegasus suite of spyware was acquired by the Centre, state government, central and state agency for use against the citizens of the country. If yes, then under what law was such a deployment made.

A bench headed by Justice N.V. Ramana, giving details of terms of reference of the expert Committee, whose functioning will be overseen by retired top court judge R.V. Raveendran, said the Committee will investigate whether Pegasus suite of spyware was used on phones or other devices of the citizens of India to access stored data, eavesdrop on conversations, intercept information and/or for any other purposes.

The court asked the Committee to find details of the victims affected by the spyware attack and the steps taken by the Centre after the hacking of WhatsApp accounts surfaced in 2019.

It also asked the expert committee to make recommendations, "to ensure prevention of invasion of citizens' right to privacy, otherwise than in accordance with law, by state and/or non-state entities through such spywares".

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Mumbai, Oct 28 : 'Sardar Udham' released a few days back and the appreciation for the film seems to be pouring in from all directions. Vicky Kaushal who plays the titular role is at the receiving end of the audience's attention. The actor has thanked the audience for showing a positive response to his film.

The actor took to his Instagram and shared a picture of him posing with a 'laddoo'. He wrote, "It's been 10 days and the way you have accepted the film and continue to carry it forward has been heartwarming for the Team!!! Cherishing all the love pouring in, Udham Singh style. I guess we both share the same love for laddoos. Thank You so much for not just watching the film but experiencing it. Thank You for befriending #SardarUdham ??????" 'Sardar Udham' is an epic biographical historical drama that documents the life of freedom revolutionary Udham Singh, who assassinated Michael O'Dwyer in London to avenge the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar.

The film directed by ace filmmaker Shoojit Sircar, also stars Amol Parashar and Banita Sandhu. It premiered on Prime Video on October 16 and has been at the centre of both critical and commercial acclaim since then.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Mumbai, Oct 28 : Actor John Abraham has wrapped up shooting for the upcoming film 'Ek Villain Returns'. This is the second time he has collaborated with Mohit Suri and said that he would push aside everything to work with the filmmaker again.

John said: "Shooting for 'Ek Villain Returns' has been a seamless experience. This is the first time since my debut film, in which coincidentally Mohit Suri was the first AD and now he's the director, that I have come back to the same school of filmmaking. Mohit didn't need to tell me much. He would tell me a word and I would get it." "I am a guy who hates night shoots and rain. But in this film, I enjoyed doing everything. There were no complaints. Everything felt too good to be true. I will push aside everything to work with Mohit again." The action hero called a "beautiful experience" working on the sets of 'Ek Villain Returns'.

"We have got a great film out. I am so proud of it and this I say without even seeing a single frame of it. Congratulations to all of us. The team has been fantastic, production and direction teams have been very good. If I may say so, we have a super hit on our hands." In a similar vein, Suri added: "From being an assistant on John's first film to now directing him in 'Ek Villain Returns', it has been a long destined dream which has come true. I was destined to work with him since my first movie. John and I've both started our careers in the same company and I always wanted to work with him and finally, I did get that opportunity. I've had a great experience on and off the set while working with him on 'Ek Villain Returns'." The film also stars Arjun Kapoor, Disha Patani and Tara Sutaria.

'Ek Villain Returns' will release on July 8, 2022. The movie is directed by Mohit Suri and jointly produced by T-Series and Balaji Telefilms.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
London, Oct 28 : A UK government spokesperson said that France's threats are "disappointing and disproportionate" as France is preparing sanctions against Britain over post-Brexit fishing rights.

Media reports said some French sanctions could come into effect from November 2 unless enough progress is made in its post-Brexit fishing row with Britain, reports Xinhua news agency.

France has complained that only half of the licenses needed were given to French fishing boats to operate in British territorial waters.

"France's threats are disappointing and disproportionate, and not what we would expect from a close ally and partner," the British government spokesperson said in a statement.

"The measures being threatened do not appear to be compatible with the trade and cooperation agreement (TCA) and wider international law, and, if carried through, will be met with an appropriate and calibrated response. We will be relaying our concerns to the EU Commission and French government," the spokesperson said.

"As we have had no formal communication from the French Government on this matter we will be seeking urgent clarification of their plans. We will consider what further action is necessary in that light," Britain's Brexit Minister David Frost said on Twitter.

Tension over fishing rights emerged between Britain and France in May after the British Channel island of Jersey's government introduced a new licensing system requiring French boats to show they have a history of fishing in Jersey's waters to obtain permits for operation in the area.

It led to both sides dispatching navy vessels to monitor the situation in Jersey's waters.
Alipurduar, Oct 28 : A motorcade travels on a dusty road flanked by lush paddy fields towards Chengpara village in the Alipurduar district of West Bengal. Officials of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), local police officers and district administration officials disembark from the vehicle. They scope the area and depart as abruptly as they came.

The villager, Sabita Roy (50), claimed that the officials often intimidate them through such visits - as was witnessed by 101Reporters. They want Chengpara's farmers to accept the compensation given by NHAI for their land that was purchased to construct a highway.

Chengpara, a village dominated by the ethnic Rajbanshi community, is among the five mouzas or Panchayats involved in a legal wrangle with NHAI over land acquisition for the highway. The four other mouzas include Salsalabari, Bhelukdabari, Chaparerpara and Sovaganj.

The NHAI has acquired 170 hectares of land for the extension of a 41 km four-lane highway between Falakata and Salsalabari in the Alipurduar district. It is a part of the east-west corridor of the Golden Quadrilateral connecting Surat in Gujarat to Silchar in Assam. It passes through West Bengal's rice, jute, and potato fields.

The highways authority started acquiring land for the Rs 1,030-crore project in January 2019. However, the farmers have obtained a stay order on the work from the Jalpaiguri circuit bench of the Calcutta High Court. They claimed they have not received the whole compensation promised by the NHAI.

NHAI has claimed to have disbursed Rs 154 crore - Rs 1.20 crore for every 0.1 acre - for 22.14 acres of land. But farmers claim to have received only 54 crores. Rs 100 crores are unaccounted for.

Compensation does not tally About 500 farmers who have given up their land said that the compensation received from NHAI does not tally with a list published by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in a Bengali daily in November 2020.

"The land acquisition process by NHAI has been faulty since the beginning," said Niladri Sen, the counsel of farmer Sabita Roy, who is yet to receive Rs 6 lakh approximately from the government.

Sen said that the problem started when the base rate of the acquired land did not match the provisions of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013.

"The affected farmers received an amount lesser than what they should have received. The compensation that was transferred electronically to the bank accounts of the farmers did not mention what the amount was being paid for," he said, adding: "When we tallied the bank passbooks, we found that the compensation amounts did not tally with the list published by the Central government." Imposters in the fray

According to the secretary of the Krishi Bastu Sangram Committee, Ratan Roy, several people have been compensated by the government for land that they do not own in any of the mouzas.

Some farmers claimed that "imposters" have bagged the bulk of compensation released by the NHAI.

Such is the case of Sabita Roy whose third tranche of compensation was paid to her impersonator's account in the State Bank of India in Assam's Bongaigaon. Roy, who has received Rs 11.01 lakh compensation in her bank in Alipurduras in two tranches said that she was awaiting her third payment of more than Rs 6 lakh.

"I have never been to Bangaigaon, let alone open a bank account in the neighbouring state," she said. "I learned that Rs 5.67 lakh was withdrawn from the said account in Assam by one Sukumar Karmakar, who posed as my father, showing that I was dead." She said that she was not against giving her land to NHAI, but she expected the government to compensate her fairly.

Roy challenged the disbursement claim made by the ministry by filing a writ petition before the Jalpaiguri circuit bench of the Calcutta High Court on August 5, 2021.

The ministry, however, claimed that Sabita Roy was compensated with Rs 17.72 lakh with the third tranche of her payment amounting to Rs 5.67 lakh reaching her on September 24, 2020.

Sabita Roy lodged a complaint before the Kotwali police station, but to no avail. She then lodged a written complaint before the Bengal police chief and the Alipurduar district police.

Pinaki Sengupta, the special land acquisition officer and competent authority at the Jalpaiguri district magistrate's office, directed the Kotwali police to investigate allegations of discrepancy in compensation to Sabita Roy.

On September 30, the single bench of the Jalpaiguri bench of the Calcutta High Court directed officials to measure Sabita Roy's land on October 2, 2021, including building and structure, and assess the compensation she is entitled to according to the rules.

Seven others and two farmers groups also filed a writ petition before the Jalpaiguri bench of the Calcutta High Court. The NHAI pleaded for adjournment, which the court refused and set the next date of hearing on November 29, 2021.

Krishi Bastu Sangram Committee secretary Ratan Roy said that his mother, Binodini Roy, had received an arbitration notification, saying her land was acquired. But, there were no signs of compensation.

Binodini Roy also filed an individual writ petition before Jalpaiguri circuit bench of the Calcutta High Court.

Allegations of bribery and intimidation Some farmers claimed they were coerced to give 'kickbacks' between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 5 lakh to the government officials through brokers to receive the compensation.

"I was forced to pay a bribe of Rs 1 lakh to Ratan Mandal - a technical assistant with the Jalpaiguri land reforms office - to get Rs 8 lakh compensation," alleged Champarani Sarkar (45) who lost 0.8 acres of land to NHAI's project.

Another farmer Subal Roy said he had to pay a bribe of Rs 5 lakh to the village panchayat head to get compensation for his father's 0.23 acres of land acquired by the NHAI.

The entire compensation package for the five mouzas in Alipurduars Block-II, has been disbursed by the district treasury office, according to Sanjeev Kumar Sharma general manager and project director of NHAI.

"We disbursed Rs 154 crore through the Jalpaiguri district magistrate's land acquisition section," an official, who did not wish to be named, told 101Reporters.

The NHAI has asked aggrieved farmers to contact the special land acquisition officer in Jalpaiguri for matters related to compensation.

"Those who have given their land to NHAI have been compensated as per the arbitral base rates. Only a handful of people in Chengpara are creating trouble by stalling the work on the project," Sharma said.

(The author is a Siliguri-based freelance journalist and a member of 101Reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters.)
Bengaluru, Oct 28 : Major political parties in Karnataka are looking forward to the voting day on October 30 as campaigning for by-elections to Sindagi and Hanagal Assembly constituencies has ended.

The campaigning ended on Wednesday and the results are scheduled to be announced on November 2.

The constituencies saw high voltage campaigning by ruling BJP, Opposition Congress and JD(S) party leaders.

Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, former Chief Ministers B.S. Yediyurappa, H.D. Kumaraswamy, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, Opposition leader Siddaramaiah and state Congress chief D.K. Shivakumar had camped in the constituencies for over ten days to campaign for their candidates.

For Chief Minister Bommai, the results are crucial to prove that he can win elections for the party.

Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah had made scathing attacks on the ruling BJP and RSS to prove their mettle.

Kumaraswamy wants to retain Sindhagi constituency as it was earlier won by JD(S) candidate M.C. Managuli. However, the Congress managed to field the latter's son Ashok Managuli as its candidate from Sindagi.

Kumaraswamy too joined the bandwagon to attack RSS, when Siddaramaiah flayed him for fielding Muslim candidates in both constituencies to help the BJP win elections.

The elections were announced for these two constituencies following the death of former ministers C.M. Udasi from the BJP and Managuli from JD(S).

Unprecedented personal attacks were witnessed between the leaders of all major political parties during the electioneering.

The attacks between Kumaraswamy, Siddaramaiah and BJP state President Nalin Kumar Kateel had taken an unpleasant turn with the leaders taking personal jibes at each other.

After Kumaraswamy's scathing attacks on Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Kateel had asked him to visit the RSS units to understand the organisation. Reacting to this, Kumaraswamy stated that he should visit the RSS unit to watch blue (porn) films.

Kumaraswamy issued a statement mentioning alleged sex CD case scandal of BJP former minister Ramesh Jarakiholi and release of alleged sex scandal videos of senior BJP leaders. He also referred to many BJP ministers obtaining stay orders from the court on the media broadcasting their private videos.

Following this, the BJP posed a questionnaire ridiculing him with a personal jibe. The party said that he should be careful with bigamy and breach of trust as they are considered as offences by law. In reaction, Kumaraswamy said that everyone makes mistakes and he has rectified his. He also warned he could reveal dirty secrets about all BJP leaders.

The Opposition Congress also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and RSS, while the ruling BJP criticised former Prime Minister Late Jawaharlal Nehru and Rahul Gandhi.

Shivakumar apologised for the comments on Modi and got them deleted from his social media posts. Yediyurappa asked the BJP top leaders not to issue trivial statements on Rahul Gandhi and stated that he has a great respect for Congress leaders.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Lucknow, Oct 28 : A day after being sworn in as member of the Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Parishad, Nishad Party President Sanjay Nishad said that his party will contest on its symbol from Nishad-dominated seats in the 2022 state Assembly elections.

The party has entered into an alliance with BJP for the polls.

Sources in the BJP said that the party planned to give some seats to the Nishad Party on the condition that its candidates will contest on BJP symbol.

Sanjay Nishad's son Pravin Nishad is a BJP MP.

"I feel he is saying these things for public consumption and to ward off criticism. All modalities have already been cleared and communicated to him," said a BJP functionary.

Sanjay Nishad said: "The Yogi government is working on our demand for reservation for Nishad community. Soon, we will make an announcement in this regard." The Nishad Party has been facing flak from Bihar's Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) which has been accusing him of a sell-out.

"Mukesh Sahni has our blood. He is working to help us know about our negative votes. We will try to bring back the negative votes. Nishad Party and VIP are working on the lines of Lalu Yadav and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav. There is an understanding between us. After the 2022 UP assembly elections, VIP will go back to Bihar," Sanjay Nishad added.
Seoul, Oct 28 : North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has lost around 20 kg after previously weighing about 140 kg, but he appears to have no health issues, South Korea's spy agency said on Thursday.

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) gave the briefing during a closed-door parliamentary session, rejecting rumours that the communist regime was using a stand-in for Kim during recent public appearances, Rep. Kim Byung-kee of the ruling Democratic Party told reporters.

The NIS made the assessment after conducting a detailed study of the North Korean leader's health using artificial intelligence and other scientific methods, Yonhap News Agency quoted the lawmaker as saying.

Kim's health has been a frequent subject of speculation due to the political implications in the event that he is unable to perform his duties.

No known successor has been appointed.

The NIS also reported North Korea could have reprocessed spent nuclear fuel rods at its main nuclear complex in Yongbyon from February to July.

By reprocessing spent fuel rods, the North can harvest weapons-grade plutonium.

Kim has also removed portraits of his father and grandfather, former leaders Kim Jong-il and Kim Il-sung, from the backdrop of official meetings, the agency said.
New Delhi/Bengaluru, Oct 28 : Terming as "false and baseless," Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers, Bhagwanth Khuba on Thursday dispelled the rumours about the shortage in the country.

Requesting the farmers not to believe the rumours of fertiliser shortage, Khuba told media persons at Bengaluru, "There are rumours in certain quarters that there is going to be a fertiliser shortage in the country and farmers should collect enough fertiliser for the next four months. Such allegations are false and completely baseless." "As the Minister in-charge of the Department of Fertilisers, I assure farmers that they will be made available, the amount of fertiliser they require," he added.

Stating that complex fertiliser use has been increasing in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and parts of Karnataka in the past two years, the Minister added, farmers of Karnataka will benefit if they adopt complex fertilisers that give better results than DAP. "This is why the government is recommending the purchase of complex manure instead of DAP," a release from the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers said in New Delhi.

Production of nano urea has increased this year; production of nano DAP (Di-ammonium Phosphate) will start from next year and 22 lakh metric tonnes of urea is available in Karnataka. "Rabi season needs 2 lakh metric tonnes of DAP, which will be produced (as we have taken action) in two factories." The Union Minister added that the south-west monsoon season has seen good rainfall throughout the state of Karnataka and 78.51 lakh hectares of land was sown.

"The supply of input material needed for sowing has been adequately addressed by the state. Arrangements have been made to supply fertilisers to the districts as a share of the Central government," he stated.
Mumbai, Oct 28 : The Wankhede family was Muslim, performed 'namaz' and 'Ramadan fasts' and were known to the family of Sameer's former wife Dr. Shabana Quraishi almost four years before marriage, revealed the latter's father Dr. Zahid Quraishi, here on Thursday.

Speaking to hordes of mediapersons, Dr. Quraishi -- the ex-father-in-law of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede -- said that the two families had "excellent relations" prior to his (Sameer's) wedding with his daughter.

"The marriage took place before they were Muslims... Otherwise it would not have materialised... They were good Muslims, performing 'namaz' and 'Ramadan rozas' also," Dr. Quraishi asserted, dropping a bombshell.

Dr. Shabana Quraishi was acquainted with Sameer Wankhede over three years before their engagement and got married some 10 months post-betrothal, and later they had a child out of the wedlock.

The new disclosures come a day after the Wankhede family members vehemently denied that they were Muslims and asserted that they were Hindus.

In a climbdown of sorts following the furore, Sameer Wankhede's father Dynaneshwar Wankhede said that his late wife addressed him by a pet name of 'Dawood', while his wife Kranti Redkar-Wankhede said he (Sameer) married in a Muslim ceremony as per the desires of his deceased mother.

Nationalist Congress Party Minister Nawab Malik reiterated that the issue he had raised was not about Wankhede's religion, but his forged caste-papers on the basis of which he secured a Central government job in the IRS.

"I challenge them to prove me wrong... I shall quit my Ministerial post immediately... I dare them to drag me to any court of law and I shall ensure that all my charges are true with evidence," said Malik grimly, after his series of exposures on Sameer Wankhede's role in the NCB kicked up a huge political dust-storm.

The Muslim priest Maulana Muzammil Ahmed, who performed the 'nikaah' (marriage) of Sameer Wankhede-Dr. Shabana Quraishi in Andheri west, on Wednesday confirmed that the bridegroom was a Muslim and his father's name was Dawood.

"The bride was a Muslim, the bridegroom was also Muslim, their parents were Muslims... Otherwise I would not have performed it (nikaah)," Maulana Ahmed told mediapersons.

The row over Sameer Wankhede's religious credentials erupted after Malik on Wednesday posted his 'nikaah-nama' with his signature and the December 7, 2006 wedding pix of the couple in Muslim attire, and how he had allegedly forged his caste certificate later to get a reserved category government job.

However, the Wankhede family has rubbised all the allegations and some Bharatiya Janata Party activists have demanded his sacking from the state cabinet for misusing his official position.
Panaji, Oct 28 : Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday wondered aloud as to why history taught in Indian schools refers to the country's first British Governor Robert Clive, with an epithet 'The Great', while Indian warrior rulers like Shivaji Maharaj and Rana Pratap are not denied the same privilege.

Naidu was speaking at a function organised to mark the inauguration of a new college campus in North Goa.

"The history of the country (is about) the civilization, values, ethics. The great tradition set by our forefathers should be taught to our children. They should feel proud of their heritage, With confidence they must enter life.

"Unfortunately because of colonial rule our education system was such that we are not taught about the true history of our civilisation. History says Robert Clive the Great not Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaja or Rana Pratap. I have just given one example. There are many like that," he said.

The Vice President also said that heads of educational institutions should change the syllabus to incorporate feats and deeds of national and local heroes of the land.

"The VCs (Vice Chancellors) of universities and other great institutions must focus on this. The syllabus has to be changed to include the national and the national heroes of the local region. Their life, their teachings and their preachings must be brought into the education system," he said.

"Many eminent Indian personalities were either born in Goa or trace their roots to this naturally beautiful and culturally vibrant state in the field of music we have -- Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, and Remo Fernandes, in the field of science and research Raghu Mashelkar, Anil Kakodkar and Wendell Rodricks among others.

"Our children, children of Goa, must be taught of the Goa Liberation Movement. The sacrifice made by great people of this great land. The sufferings they have undergone during that suppression. This has to be told to our younger generation. They should be told how Goa was liberated by the sons of this great land who have sacrificed. Who were in the forefront of the movement. That is very much required," he added.

The Vice President also called for an Indianisation of education going ahead.

"I always feel that we must Indianise education. The process is on. We cannot continue with that colonial history, colonial mindset.A Whatever good is there anywhere in the world we recognize it, we welcome it. But at the same time we must know first of all the greatness of our civilization. The values of our civilization," he further said.
Welllington, Oct 28 : The slight easing of New Zealand's border restrictions for some international travellers is a small step in the right direction, but the country's tourism operators need more certainty about the government's plans for reconnecting the country with the world, an industry body said on Thursday.

Tourism Industry Aotearoa (TIA) Chief Executive Chris Roberts said tourism operators are desperate to know when they will get access to their offshore customers again, reports Xinhua news agency.

"New Zealand's once thriving tourism industry continues to be the overlooked casualty of the pandemic," Roberts said.

"It's now 21 months since the first border restrictions were put in place. International visitors' spending was previously worth NZ$48 million a day, and the cumulative loss since we closed our borders now exceeds NZ$25 billion dollars," he added.

Given the severity of the crisis, the resilience of tourism operators has been phenomenal, and some have been forced to close but the majority are hanging on, he said.

"However, reserves and resolve are running out," Roberts noted.

New Zealand's Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins announced on Thursday that arrivals from several South Pacific nations will be able to enter the country without managed isolation and quarantine facility (MIQ) requirements from November 8.

For other arrivals, the time spent in the MIQ will be shortened and followed by a period of isolation at home, he added.

New Zealand tourism operators are hoping for a good Kiwi summer, but the uncertainty over whether citizens will be able to travel around the country is impacting on bookings.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, New Zealand tourism industry has been struggling for survival, since most international visitors were unable to come to New Zealand due to the border restrictions.

New Zealand's borders are scheduled to reopen in phases in 2022 once the vaccination program is fully rolled out by the end of 2021, according to the government's latest plan.

Tourism in New Zealand comprises an important sector of the national economy, which directly contributed about 6 percent of the country's gross domestic product prior to Covid-19.

As New Zealand's biggest export industry contributing 20.4 per cent of total exports, it directly employed 8.4 per cent of the New Zealand workforce before Covid-19, according to Stats NZ.
Damascus, Oct 28 : UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen said that the Syrian Constitutional Committee should continue its work with urgency and purpose.

He briefed the Security Council on the sixth session of the Small Body of the Constitutional Committee held in Geneva last week, reports Xinhua news agency.

The session failed as the co-chairs were not able to agree on the mechanisms for progressing the discussion further during the final day on Friday.

They also failed to agree on dates for future sessions.

"It was for these reasons that I viewed the outcome, particularly the last day's discussions, as a disappointment," said Pedersen.

But he said it is important that the Constitutional Committee continues its work with urgency and purpose, that it works, as its Terms of Reference say that it should, "expeditiously and continuously to produce results and continued progress".

He said he will continue his active consultations with the co-chairs, and also engage the committee members nominated by civil society, to address the challenges that have arisen.

"We need a common understanding on a working mechanism to help the Constitutional Committee discharge its drafting mandate, and we need to set the dates of forthcoming sessions. I remain convinced that progress on the Constitutional Committee could, if done the right way, help to build some trust and confidence. But let me stress that this requires real determination and the political will to try to build some common ground," he said.

Pedersen said as the Constitutional Committee was convening in Geneva, violence continued on the ground in Syria.

There were terrorist attacks, airstrikes and heavy shelling that all led to casualties, including dozens of civilians. Some of these incidents also underlined the constant risks of regional escalation, he added.

"The violence must stop. I continue to call for a nationwide cease-fire, and to stress that the obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure must be respected. I also reiterate my call for international cooperation to counter terrorist groups effectively and in a manner that strictly adheres to international humanitarian law," he said.

More than 12 million Syrians remain displaced, either as refugees or as internally displaced, and poverty levels are in the vicinity of 90 per cent, he noted.

"The current trajectory of developments in Syria is deeply concerning. We have to break out of this dynamic. As part of this, I am continuing to ask key states to work with me in exploratory discussions on concrete, mutual and reciprocal steps that are defined with realism and precision, and that are implemented in parallel and are verifiable. We need a constructive Syria diplomacy to help save lives, ease suffering, promote stability and further the implementation of Resolution 2254," he said, referring to the Security Council resolution that provides for a roadmap for a political settlement of the Syrian crisis.

"I will shortly be embarking on consultations in a number of capitals, as well as engaging the Syrian parties directly, as I seek both to facilitate the Constitutional Committee and develop a wider political process, step for step, step by step, to promote the implementation of Security Council Resolution 2254," said Pedersen.
Bhopal, Oct 28 : The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Thursday issued notices to Congress MLA Sanjay Shukla and two others in a land misappropriation case.

The notices were served on a plea alleging that three persons, including Sanjay Shukla, misappropriated land worth Rs 2,000 crore.

Petitioner Rupesh Sharma, a resident of Indore, told the court that Shukla, along with Mahesh Sharma and Amit Sharma, took over government land meant for the poor, destitute and labourers.

The council representing the petitioner on Thursday told the media that the three accused were allotted government land for developing a housing unit for the poor under the urban housing scheme of the state government.

But they used the land for their own interest, instead of developing a housing unit for the poor. Shukla is the MLA from Indore 1 Assembly constituency.

"A complaint was filed in the Madhya Pradesh Lokayukta in 2018, which was ignored. Following which, a petition was filed before the High Court in the same year," the petitioner's advocate said.

The court has issued notices to Shukla and others seeking their response on the plea.

Meanwhile, it has also asked the Lokayukta to submit its reply on why cognisance was not taken in the matter.
Mumbai, Oct 28 : Jassie Gill is back with an illustrious album that consists of 10 chartbusting numbers. Titled 'Alll Rounder' the album has a mix of tracks across genres and the first song to come out is 'Surma', a peppy love number.

Talking about the track, Jassie says, "I feel really happy to bring this song and my first album to my fans. This song is about what it feels like when you're suddenly hit by a tornado of excitement, eagerness, attraction and love for someone you've just about met." He also made a special dedication with regards to the song as he added, "This song is for all those people in love, waiting for those feelings to be acknowledged and reciprocated by their special someone. The rest of the album captures different shades of romance which I hope my fans will really enjoy." The song talks about the phenomenon of love at first sight and what happens thereafter. Through its catchy lyrics and mesmerising visuals, the song delves into the deepest corner of a lover's heart. It paints the narrative of his emotions as he eagerly awaits his lady love's approval.

'Surma' also features vocals by Asees Kaur, vocals that add more flavour to the track. The song has been composed by Preet Romana with lyrics penned by Raj Fatehpuria and shot by Navjit Buttar in Dubai.

Presented by EYP Creations, the track is one of the many forthcoming releases from Jassie's album, 'Alll Rounder', which offers a bouquet of 10 tracks marking Jassie's highest score of songs as part of a single album in his music career, so far.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
San Francisco, Oct 28 : After releasing Android 12, Google has announced a preview of Android 12L, which may sound like a new version of Android, but Google calls it "a special feature drop that makes Android 12 even better on large screens".

The idea here is to provide users on tablets, foldables and Chrome OS laptops -- anything with a screen above 600 dp -- with an improved user interface.

"In 12L we have refined the UI to make Android more beautiful and easier to use on screens larger than 600sp across notifications, quick settings, lockscreen, overview, home screen, and more. Try your app with the UI updates," the company said in a blogpost.

The developer preview of Android 12L is now available for developers who want to give it a try, as well as a new Android 12L emulator and support for it in Android Studio.

Google plans to release 12L early next year, "in time for the next wave of Android 12 tablets and foldable".

In addition to Android 12L, Google also announced new features in OS and Play for developers to better support these devices, reports TechCrunch.

These include updates to its Material Design guidance for large-screen devices, but also updates to Jetpack Compose to make it easier to build for these machines and to ensure that apps can more easily adapt to various screen orientations and sizes.

Android Studio is also getting a resizable emulator to help developers test their apps on a wider variety of screen sizes and a new visual linting tool to surface UI warnings and suggestions when the layout has issues.

As for Google Play, the company will now check apps against its large screen app quality guidelines and its search rankings will take the results of this into account.

"For apps that are not optimised for large screens, we'll start warning large screen users with a notice on the app's Play Store listing page," the tech giant said.
Canberra, Oct 28 : Australia's Covid-19 vaccine booster program will start for the adult population on November 8 as the country continues to battle the third wave of the pandemic.

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) on Thursday approved the Pfizer booster shots for Australians aged 18 and over six months after their second dose, reports Xinhua news agency.

"Those booster programs will obviously have a focus, especially on aged care and health workers, but it is an all of, whole of population booster program," Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.

The booster program will roll out directly to people living in Residential Aged Care Facilities and people with a disability through an in-reach program, according to the Prime Minister.

And frontline workers "are strongly encouraged" to book in to get a booster dose, if six months has passed since their second dose.

As of Thursday, 87.6 per cent of Australians aged 16 and over have received one vaccine dose and 75.5 per cent were fully inoculated, according to the Department of Health.

In the last 24 hours, Australia reported more than 2,200 new locally-acquired Covid cases and 27 deaths.

The new figures have pushed the overall infection tally and death toll to 165,904 and 1,696, respectively.
New Delhi/Panaji, Oct 28 : Poll strategist Prashant Kishor has said that the Bharatiya Janata Party 'is not going anywhere for many decades and the problem with Rahul Gandhi is that he thinks that the BJP will be overthrown by people'.

Kishor said this in Goa on Wednesday and a clip of his Q and A session has been shared in social media.

The statement comes at a time when the Trinamool is spreading itself outside Bengal, and is also a proof that the talks of Kishor's entry into the Congress have ended.

He said that the BJP will be at the centre of Indian politics for years, it wins or loses, much like the Congress in the first 40 years after Independence.

"BJP is going to be the centre of Indian polity, whether they win, whether they lose, like it was for the first 40 years for Congress. BJP is going nowhere. Once you secure 30 per cent plus votes at the national level you are not going away in a hurry. So do not ever get into this trap that people are getting angry and they will throw away (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi," he said.

"Maybe they will throw away Modi, but BJP is not going anywhere. They are going to be here, they are to fight it out for the next many decades. It is not going in a hurry," Kishor answered when asked.

He added: "Unless you examine, understand and take cognizance of strength, you will never be able to put a counter to defeat him (BJP & Modi'S strength)". He said the problem with Rahul Gandhi is he does not realise this but thinks people will overthrow the BJP.

Earlier, he had said that the Congress party's fortunes in Uttar Pradesh, which goes to the polls next year, would not be revived despite all the "hype" generated around the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, and the subsequent arrest of party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

"People looking for a quick, spontaneous revival of GOP led opposition based on #LakhimpurKheri incident are setting themselves up for a big disappointment. Unfortunately there are no quick fix solutions to the deep-rooted problems and structural weakness of GOP," Kishor, who played an instrumental role in propelling Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress back to power in the West Bengal Assembly polls held in March-April this year, wrote on Twitter.

The remarks have come amid "strong speculation" that Kishor would join the Congress and the party was deliberating on the issues raised by him.

Even as no one in the party is averse to the idea of Kishor joining the Congress, the party leaders have said that he should not be given sweeping powers regarding elections.

The Congress is preparing for the upcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh along with a few other states which are going to polls next year.

In the politically crucial north Indian state, the Congress is pitted against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party.
New Delhi, Oct 28 : Smartphone brand Vivo topped China smartphone market in the third quarter (Q3) with 23 per cent market share, followed by Oppo at 20 per cent, Honor at 15 per cent and Xiaomi with 14 per cvent market share at fourth position, a new report showed on Thursday.

Honor was the fastest growing brand, outperforming the market with 96 per cent QoQ growth in sales volume. It has made a strong comeback since June and its market share has almost doubled from 7.7 per cent in Q2 2021 to 15 per cent in the third quarter.

China's smartphone sales in Q3 2021 declined 9 per cent (on-year) but increased 3 per cent (on-quarter) to reach 76.5 million units, according to Counterpoint Research's Monthly Market Pulse Service.

Due to weak consumer demand and component shortages, especially 4G chips, the country's smartphone market failed to see any major improvement in sales in Q3.

"Although Covid-19 has been well contained in China due to its zero-tolerance approach, its economy has not come out unscathed, growing just 4.9 per cent YoY in Q3 2021, compared to 7.9 per cent YoY in Q2 2021," said research analyst Mengmeng Zhang.

"In the meantime, China's smartphone market remained stagnant with demand mainly coming from replacement needs. Lack of new smartphone features also kept many consumers away," Zhang added.

Xiaomi's position is expected to be challenged the most by Honor as both OEMs have a higher sales contribution from online channels when compared to other major Chinese OEMs.

"Apple's ranking stayed unchanged in Q3 2021 (at fifth position), but it is expected to rise in Q4 2021 with the debut of the iPhone 13 series," said senior research analyst Ethan Qi.
New Delhi, Oct 28 : It is due to the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Health has been linked with development in India, said Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday here.

He said that earlier health meant only treatment but development has now been linked to health, which will bring prosperity in the country.

Emphasizing that preventive care is an essential component of the health sector, Mandaviya said that initiatives like Khelo India, Yoga, etc., play a vital role in realising the aim of a healthy society.

The Union Health Minister was speaking on 'Transforming Healthcare for a better tomorrow' at the inaugural session of CII Asia Health 2021 summit today.

He underlined various schemes such as Ayushman Bharat Jan Arogya Yojana (health insurance scheme), Ayushman Health and Wellness Centres, Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) for generic medicines, Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) and PM Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission in his address which has important role in making healthcare accessible and affordable.

He added that the government is focusing on the theme of 'From Token to Total Health'. PM Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission, which was launched on October 25 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is another such initiative in this regard. It will help in strengthening the healthcare infrastructure of the country.

Highlighting the need to link technology and healthcare, the Union Minister mentioned that there is a need to adopt latest technologies like Nano and Robotic technologies in the Health sector. The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission is one such initiative that will utilize the digital ecosystem to further ease of living, he said.

Speaking on the importance of creating awareness, Mandaviya highlighted the successful initiatives taken by the Prime Minister during the Covid-19 pandemic to increase public awareness. He mentioned how campaigns like 'Dawai bhi Kadai Bhi' and 'Do Gaj ki Doori, Mask hai Zaruri' reached out to masses and helped curb the Covid infection in the country. Similarly, awareness plays a vital role in the successful implementation of campaigns like Tuberculosis (TB), AIDS, etc., he said.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Panaji, Oct 28 : The BJP on Thursday upped its estimation of victory in the 2022 Assembly polls in Goa from 22 plus to 28 plus seats, according to the party's national general secretary and in-charge of the Goa unit C.T. Ravi.

Speaking to the reporters in Panaji, Ravi also said that the recent controversy surrounding allegations of graft against the Goa government made on Monday by former Governor Satya Pal Malik would have no impact on the poll results in wake of a subsequent clarification issued by Malik.

"Now we are aiming for 28, or more than that," Ravi said, when asked to comment on the party's expected seat tally in the 40-member state legislative Assembly. The BJP's slogan for the upcoming polls has been "22 plus in 2022".

Commenting on the controversy triggered by Maliks's comment on national television, Ravi said: "The Pramod Sawant-led administration has carried out good work during the Covid crisis in Goa. Lives of thousands of people have been saved. The Governor has said that he has not levelled any allegations against Pramod Sawant." "After the Guv' clarification, opposition mouths have not closed. The Governor has given a clarification. The CM has done good work during Covid time, because we have been able to save thousands of lives," he said.

Malik had stoked controversy on Monday after he told a national news channel in an interview that that corruption was evident in "any and everything" thing in Goa, including in relief measures taken during the lockdown last year, and also accused the state government of graft in the handing out of rations to the people of the state during the lockdown last year.

Two days later, Malik however said that he bore no ill-will against Sawant and added that he did not make any personal accusation against the Chief Minister.

The Opposition in Goa has now demanded Sawant's resignation and a judicial probe into the accusations of graft made by Malik against the Goa government.

Ravi states that the opposition's plans to orchestrate a campaign based on the Governor's alleged remarks had now fallen flat and that the controversy would have no impact on the 2022 polls.

"Governor has already given clarification, then it will not affect (elections)," Ravi said.
Hyderabad, Oct 28 : The Telangana High Court on Thursday refused to interfere with the investigation by the Justice Sirpurkar Commission of Inquiry into the killing of four suspects in the gang-rape and murder of a woman veterinarian in an alleged encounter by police near Hyderabad in 2019.

The court dismissed the petitions of two police officials challenging the procedure adopted by the Supreme Court-appointed Commission to examine them as witnesses.

A bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice A Rajasheker Reddy, which had reserved its judgment on Monday, pronounced it on Thursday.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Vasam Surender and Circle Inspector Konda Narasimha Reddy had stated that the three-member Commission was not adhering to certain provisions of law. They complained that they were initially called as state witnesses but later converted as witnesses for the Commission.

The police officers had pleaded before the High Court to direct the Commission to treat them as independent witnesses.

The three-member panel headed by retired Supreme Court Judge V S Sirpurkar is currently conducting its inquiry from the premises of the High Court.

The panel was set up on December 12, 2019 to inquire into the circumstances leading to the killing of four accused in the case in an alleged encounter with police on December 6, 2019.

The four accused were shot dead at Chatanpally on National Highway-44 near Hyderabad, the same highway where the charred body of 27-year-old Disha (as the victim is referred to by the investigators) was found.

According to police, Disha was kidnapped and sexually assaulted near Outer Ring Road (ORR) on the outskirts of Hyderabad on the night of November 27, 2019.

After the assault, the accused murdered her, took the body to Chatanpally and set it on fire.

The Supreme Court constituted the panel while hearing the petitions raising doubts that the policemen killed the accused in their custody and projected it as an encounter.

DSP Surender was the investigating officer in the Disha rape and murder case and took the four accused for recovery to Chatanpally on December 6, 2019.

Narasimha Reddy was an inspector from Medchal, whose weapon was allegedly snatched by one of the accused, leading to firing in which all the four accused were killed.

They argued that since they were called as witnesses under section 8-B of the Commission of Inquiry Act, their statements should be recorded at the end, after deposition of all witnesses.

During the arguments before the High Court, the counsel of the petitioners submitted that the normal procedure is to take up the chief examination first and allow the other party to cross-examine. But the Commission is first cross-examining them before recording their depositions.

They expressed apprehensions about their defence being disclosed if they are examined first. The petitioners sought direction to keep their examination at the end so that others will not fill the gaps in their case using the information from their depositions.

The State government had supported the case of the police officers.

Advocate General B S Prasad had submitted in the court that the investigators may be accorded the statutory protection they are entitled to. He told the bench that they should not be made to produce self-incriminating material before the Commission.
New Delhi, Oct 28 : Centre on Thursday approved the airline's 'Winter Schedule-2021' with 4.38 per cent less flights than pre-pandemic level.

The Winter Schedule is effective from October 31, 2021 till March 26, 2022.

Accordingly, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) approved a winter flight schedule of 22,287 flights.

The Winter Schedule-2019 had an approved flight roster of 23,307 flights.

"It may be noted that 22,287 departures per week have been finalised to and from 108 airports," the DGCA said.

"Out of these 108 airports, Sindhudurg and Kushinagar are the new airports proposed by the scheduled airlines." In terms of airlines, IndiGo had the highest number of flights approved under the schedule.

The airline had 10,243 flights approved followed by SpiceJet at 2,995, GoAir (now known as Go First) at 2,290 and Air India at 2,053.

In addition, Vistara had an approved flight strength of 1,675 and AirAsia India at 1,393.

Recently, the Centre had allowed airlines to deploy full pre-Covid flight capacity on the domestic sector.

The passenger air services were suspended on March 25, 2020 due to the nationwide lockdown to check the spread of Covid-19.

This sector was reopened on May 25, 2020 with a limited capacity of 33 per cent.

Since then the operational capacity has been decided in consonance with the prevailing Covid situation.
New Delhi, Oct 28 : Singhu border lynching victim Lakhbir Singh's family on Thursday demanded a CBI probe, a government job and a compensation of Rs 50 lakhs.

Lakhbir's family -- wife, daughter, brother and father -- went to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah at his residence but as he was unavailable, they met the staff of the Home Minister and put forth their demands.

The staff assured the family that their demands will be conveyed to the Home Minister.

Lakhbir's family had earlier met the National Commission for Scheduled Castes chairman Vijay Sampla on October 25 in the national capital.

After meeting the victim's family, Sampla had said that the Commission has taken cognisance of the issue, compensation will be disbursed and a case will be registered under the Prevention of Atrocities Act.

"We will ensure that the kin of victims will be provided employment and compensation," Sampla added.

The Punjab Government has already constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the allegations levelled by Lakhbir's family that he was lured to the Singhu border, the site of the farmers' protest, by unknown people.

After ordering a SIT probe, Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Randhawa had said that Additional Director General of Police Varinder Kumar would head the SIT, comprising Firozpur Range DIG Inderbir Singh and Tarn Taran SSP Harvinder Singh Virk.

Lakhbir was brutally murdered allegedly by Nihangs on charges of sacrilege of their holy book, the Sarbloh Granth.

Lakhbir was a resident of Cheema Khurd village in Tarn Taran district of Punjab and is survived by his wife Jaspreet Kaur and three children.
New Delhi, Oct 28 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday announced that 2022 will be celebrated as the friendship year for India and ASEAN countries as both have completed 30 years of partnership.

The event will coincide with India's celebrations of the 75th year of Independence from the colonial regime, he added.

While participating in the 18th edition of India-ASEAN Summit, Modi said, "India is committed to deepen its relations with the next presidency, Cambodia and country-coordinator Singapore." "History is witness to the fact that India and ASEAN have had relations for thousands of years. India-ASEAN relations are reflected in everything, including in our shared values, traditions, languages, scriptures, architecture, culture, food," the Prime Minister noted.

Speaking about the Covid pandemic which engulfed the whole world, he further said that the Covid period was also a test of India-ASEAN friendship. "Our mutual ties in the Covid time will keep strengthening our corporations in future and form a base for goodwill between our people." Modi added.

He further said that the unity and centrality of ASEAN has always been a priority for India and history has witnessed the fact that "we have had ties since thousands of years," he said.

The Prime Minister also said that India's Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) and ASEAN's Outlook for the Indo-Pacific are the framework for their shared vision and mutual cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

During the Summit, the head of the member states will review the progress of India and ASEAN Strategic Partnerships which was signed in 2012. They will also review the progress achieved in the sectors like Covid-19, health, trade and investment, connectivity, education among others, the officials of India's Ministry of External Affairs said.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, Oct 28 : The National Commission for Women (NCW) on Thursday took suo motu cognisance of an incident in which a male security guard was seen cutting the sleeves of female candidates outside an examination centre in Rajasthan's Bikaner district.

Terming the incident "appalling" the Commission, in a statement, said that it is "utterly humiliating" to make women go through such harassment.

"The NCW strongly condemns the shameful incident. The Commission has taken suo motu cognisance in the matter," it said.

NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma has written to the Chief Secretary of Rajasthan seeking strict action against those responsible for "violating the right of women to live with dignity." The Commission has also sought an explanation why no female guard was deputed to frisk female candidates at the centre.

A copy of the letter has also been sent to the Chairman, Rajasthan Public Service Commission. The action taken in the matter has to be apprised to the Commission at the earliest.

Earlier Sharma, in a social media post said, "How can they cut clothes of girls in the name of controlling cheating? This is atrocious. @ashokgehlot51 you must stop this dictat." The preliminary examination of the Rajasthan Administrative Services was held on Wednesday.

Candidates were reportedly not allowed to wear full sleeve clothes.
Chennai, Oct 28 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin will be visiting the excavations at Keeladi and inspect the construction of a museum at the site. The Tamil Nadu archeology department is financing the museum construction coming up at a cost of Rs 11.03 crore.

Seven phases of excavations have been completed at Keeladi and several artifacts were unearthed from the excavation site. The artifacts unearthed during the sixth and seventh phases of the excavation will be initially showcased at the museum being constructed by the Tamil Nadu Archeology department.

The archeology department is trying to recreate a model of the olden days of Keeladi and structures would be made to resemble the construction of houses at Keeladi during those days.

The museum which is coming up at an area of 31,999 square feet will have the presence of art forms on its walls. It will have a car park and a green cover of trees in it providing an aesthetic look.

The visit of Stalin is being welcomed in the places near the Keeladi excavation site and the Department of Public works has already elevated the road leading to the excavation site.

Tamil Nadu Rural development minister, Periyakaruppan, Sivaganga District collector, P. Madhusudhan Reddy, and District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) project officer visited the site and inspected the arrangements.
Mumbai, Oct 28 : In a huge relief, the Bombay High Court on Thursday granted bail to Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha who were nabbed in the cruise ship rave party raided by the Narcotics Control Bureau.

While granting bail to the trio, Justice N.W. Sambre will pass a detailed order in the matter on Friday.

Accordingly, the trio of Khan, Merchant and Dhamecha will not step out of the jails till the court's orders are received, said a defence lawyer.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, Oct 28 : Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra visited Uzbekistan as an international observer for the Presidential elections.

Chandra led a three-member delegation at the invitation of Chairman, Central Election Commission of Uzbekistan, to observe the conduct of the polls held on October 24.

The election, conducted under the new election code, was keenly watched by the international community.

Chandra and the Chairman, CEC of Uzbekistan Zainiddin M. Nizamkhodjaev, held a bilateral meeting on electoral cooperation on October 21.

The Chairman also briefed Chandra about the measures taken for the conduct of the election, including single electronic voters' list, arrangements for in-person voting, and early voting as well as Covid safety arrangements.

In a statement, the Election Commission said that Chandra spoke about the recent conduct of elections in India and various avenues for further strengthening electoral ties between the two countries through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on electoral cooperation and training and capacity building programmes which the ECI would be happy to organise for Uzbekistan election officials.

Delegates from Uzbekistan have been participating in the ECI's International Election Visitors Programmes (IEVP) organised during elections and officials from Uzbekistan have been attending training programmes at the ECI under the ITEC programme.

Under the Uzbekistan election law, the President is elected for a five year term from a single nationwide constituency.

The election administration follows a three-tier structure comprising the Central Election Commission, 14 District Election Commissions and 10,760 Precinct Election Commissions.

Uzbekistan has about 20 million electorate. Each polling station caters to a maximum of 3,000 voters. Early voting system was in place from October 14-20 and 4,21,618 people used the early voting facility including 1,20,524 from abroad.

Only registered political parties can nominate candidates to contest elections. Five candidates-- four men and one woman-- contested elections for the President of Uzbekistan.

The campaign for elections is funded by the state. A number of infographics carrying photographs and information about the five candidates was displayed at prominent locations in Uzbekistan.

The Indian delegation visited the two District Election Commissions to obtain an overview of the electoral administration, procedures and initiatives of the CEC of Uzbekistan.

Thereafter, they visited polling stations in Uzbekistan in order to observe the election process in detail.
Bhubaneswar, Oct 28 : All India Congress Committee general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala has demanded the dismissal of Minister of State for home, Dibya Shankar Mishra for his alleged involvement in the Mamita Meher murder case in Odisha.

A fact finding team of the Congress including Surjewala and the party's Odisha in-charge, A. Chella Kumar, met the family members of Mamita on Thursday at Jharni village in Tureikela block of Bolangir district.

Speaking to reporters there, Surjewala said: "Apart from the main culprit, the person who is shielding the accused is also equally responsible for the crime." "In this case, it is the MoS home. Why has he not been dismissed till now? If he supervises the investigation then who will punish the culprits?" he asked.

He also demanded Mishra's arrest under Section 120 (B) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and his removal from the Council of Ministers.

"Until the minister has not been removed, the Naveen Patnaik-led government would not be able to punish the criminals," he said.

He also demanded a SIT probe under the supervision of the Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court and speedy trial of the case.

"The charge sheet should be furnished soon, trial should be completed within 90 days and all efforts should be made to hang the culprits," the AICC spokesperson said.

Stating the sacred land of Lord Jagannath has turned into a crime hub, the Congress leader said the murder of the 24-year-old teacher has freshened the memory of Delhi's Nirbhaya case. Further, he demanded compensation of Rs 1 crore and a government job for the victim's brother.

Congress party leader Narasingha Mishra, who also visited the family, said: "In the fight for justice, if required, I'll don the black coat again." "The DIG said the probe is almost over. Then, why there is no investigation of the conspiracy behind Mamita's murder?" Mishra said.

Meanwhile, continuing their protest over the case, BJP Yuva Morcha workers tried to gherao the Bhubaneswar DCP's office on Thursday demanding the removal and arrest of Mishra.

Morcha's state president Irasis Acharya said that no action has been taken against Mishra even after his proximity to the accused in the murder case was proved.

He warned that they will further intensify the agitation if the minister is not dismissed and arrested at the earliest. The BJP workers also protested in Chatrapur town of Ganjam on Thursday.

Reacting to this issue, BJD legislator Kishore Mohanty said: "From the very day Naveen Patnaik took charge as the Chief Minister of the state, opposition parties are demanding resignation. There is nothing new about it." On the involvement of Mishra, he said it would not be appropriate to accuse someone before completion of the investigation.
New Delhi, Oct 28 : Taking users' privacy to a new level, Apple has put the 'App Privacy' report feature in iOS 15.2 beta that will allow users to see what sort of personal data apps have accessed on their iPhones.

The 'App Privacy' report will show which app has access to your sensitive information like location, photos, camera, microphone, and contacts across the last seven days.

"Apple has seeded the first betas of iOS 15.2 and iPadOS 15.2 to developers for testing purposes, with the update adding promised iOS 15 features like App Privacy Report," reports MacRumors.

The report will also show which other web domains the app contacted and let you compare that with the websites you visited directly in the app.

The 'App Privacy' report was first showcased at Apple 'WWDC' developer conference this year.

The report is available in iOS 15.2 beta in the privacy section of the Settings app.

The report arrives at a time when iOS App Store privacy policies have not bode well with major tech companies like Facebook and Snap who have blamed the Ad Tracking Transparency feature for hitting their business goals.

It took Google nearly two months to adjust to iOS App Store privacy labels.

The iOS 15.2, via the Communication Safety feature, will also warn children and parents when sexually-explicit photos are received or sent from a child's device, the report noted.
New Delhi, Oct 28 : Led by Xiaomi, Chinese brands captured 74 per cent share in the Indian smartphone market in the third quarter (Q3), as overall shipments declined 2 per cent (on-year) to reach over 52 million units, a new report showed on Thursday.

Xiaomi led the market with a 22 per cent shipment share while Samsung captured the second spot with a 19 per cent share.

Samsung led the mid-to upper-tier price segment (Rs 10,000-Rs 30,000) with a 25 per cent market share while OnePlus registered its highest ever shipments in India (Its Nord series cumulative shipments crossed 3 million units), according to the report from Counterpoint Research.

"The consumer demand outweighed the supply due to the high pent-up demand. Keeping in mind the global component shortage, most of the brands were aggressively working to secure enough stock for the festive season," said senior research analyst Prachir Singh.

The 5G smartphone shipments crossed the 10-million mark for the first time in Q3 2021. Vivo became the top 5G smartphone brand for the first time, followed by Samsung, OnePlus and realme.

Online channels captured around 55 per cent of the smartphone shipments during the quarter.

realme led the 5G segment in the sub-Rs 20,000 price tier with the highest-ever shipments. It captured the fourth position with the 14 per cent share while Oppo took the fifth position with the 10 per cent share.

"The smartphone market continues to show signs of resiliency and the quarterly numbers would have been even higher if not for the component shortages that escalated during the quarter," the report noted.
Bengaluru/Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 28 : After being nearly a year in jail in Karnataka, the bail application of Bineesh Kodiyeri - younger son of former CPI-M Kerala state secretary and politburo member Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, saw light, when he was granted conditional bail by a bench of the Karnataka High Court on Thursday.

Expressing happiness, his elder brother Binoy Kodiyeri who spoke to the media from Bengaluru said they are thankful to all who supported them at their time of distress.

"We expect him to be released from the Parapanhara jail near Bengaluru tomorrow," said Binoy.

Bineesh was arrested by the Bengaluru division of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), and since October 29 last year, he has been cooling his heels in the jail in Bengaluru.

Counsel for him, Renjith Shankar said Bineesh has nothing to do with drugs.

"He is into business of vegetables and fish. In the past seven years he was asked to produce accounts of the business he did worth over Rs 5 crore. This does not even come to Rs 1 crore a year. He deals in vegetables and fish. Do you get a bill, when you buy fish from the market. He has got nothing to do with drugs," said Shankar.

This is the eighth time that the bail application had come up and the verdict came on Thursday.

The counsel for Bineesh for long has been trying to get an interim bail, as he claims is 'unwell' and wished to be near his father.

Bineesh's close aide Anoop Mohammed was first picked up by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and has been jailed in Bengaluru and it was after his arrest, Bineesh was questioned and later arrested.

Kodiyeri Balakrishnan had gone on record stating that his son is jailed due to political vendetta as in cases registered under PMLA, bail is generally given, but in his son's case it has not happened.

Incidentally Balakrishnan last year just before the local body polls, he was given leave for his medical treatment as the CPI-M found it too difficult to defend the acts of his son.

He continues to be on leave from the post, but he arrives everyday at the state party headquarters and carries out his duties, while it is acting secretary V. Vijayaraghavan who often now addresses the media.

It remains to be seen, if Balakrishnan will get one more term as the party is having its State Conference early next year and now that his son is out on bail, perhaps it could become easier for him to get the final term of three years.
Mumbai, Oct 28 : Bengali film 'Avijatrik', that pays tribute to the iconic Satyajit Ray and Soumitra Chatterjee, has won Best Film, Best Music and Best Production Design awards at 2021 Caleidoscope Indian Film Festival of Boston. The film is directed by Subhrajit Mitra, produced by Gaurang Jalan and co-produced by Madhur Bhandarkar.

'Avijatrik', a tribute to Satyajit Ray, Ravi Shankar and Soumitra Chatterjee, takes off from 'Apur Sansar', where the trilogy ended in 1959. The film is based on the last one-third of Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay's novel 'Aparajita'.

The film earlier traveled to IFFI (International Film Festival of India - selected in Panorama) and KIFF (Kolkata International Film Festival) and later to prestigious international film festivals like Shanghai International Film Festival( selected in Panorama), Miami International Film Festival, Montreal Independent Film Festival and Seattle Film Festival, among others.

Madhur said, "We are happy to hear about adding more awards in our kitty with 'Avijatrik's journey at CIFFB. As a filmmaker, there is no better reward than seeing your film resonating with audiences all across." The story is the journey of a father and his son and how the father relives his entire childhood through the eyes of his son. The story revolves around a sublime bond between a father, Apu, and his 6-year-old son Kajol who lost his mother to an unpropitious fate during his birth. Apu finally bids farewell to his village, his city, his motherland and embarks on a spirited journey with Kajol and friend Shankar. They go in search of new beginnings, to unexplored terrains in a faraway land.

Talking about the awards at CIFFB, producer Gaurang Jalan said, "This year has been remarkable for 'Avijatrik'. We set out to make a film that would be a befitting tribute to maestros Satyajit Ray, Soumitra da (Soumitra Chatterjee) and Pandit Ravi Shankar. As a producer, I am very happy with such a heartwarming response from film festivals all over the world." The music of the film is given by Bickram Ghosh while the title track is a variation by Anoushka Shankar, of her father Pandit Ravi Shankar's iconic 'Pather Panchali' theme.

'Avijatrik' stars Arjun Chakrabarty, Ditipriya Roy and Arpita Chatterjee in key roles.
Hyderabad, Oct 28 : Allu Arjun and Pooja Hegde-starrer 'Ala Vaikunthapuramloo' directed by Trivikram Srinivas was a big hit at the time of its release. The music by S.S. Thaman was a chartbuster with almost all the songs going viral.

There are talks that the whole team is to come together for another upcoming movie. These speculations about their movie were triggered after Naga Vamsi tweeted about an upcoming surprise. He posted a picture of the four, posing together, and quoted that there is a big surprise coming up soon.

Allu Arjun, Trivikram Srinivas, Thaman, and Naga Vamsi (producer) were spotted at the pre-release event of Naga Shaurya's upcoming movie Varudu Kaavalenu.

'Ala Vaikunthapuramloo' was bankrolled under the banner Haarika and Haasini Creations. The same banner is ready for another movie with Allu Arjun, Trivikram Srinivas, and Thaman.

Trivikram Srinivas has signed a movie for which he is to direct Mahesh Babu. So, if he signs to direct Allu Arjun, it would be only after he wraps up his prior commitments.

Allu Arjun, on the other hand, is to appear in Sukumar's directorial 'Pushpa', after which he would act under Boyapati Srinu's direction.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, Oct 28 : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday filed a charge sheet against former Jammu and Kashmir Minister Lal Singh's wife and one more person, in connection with alleged illegal possession and encroachment of land by a Kathua-based educational trust.

The CBI had registered the case against the educational trust through its chairperson based at Kathua and others on September 12, 2020, according to an official statement.

Earlier, a Preliminary Enquiry was conducted by the CBI on the allegations of encroachment of huge tract of forest land in the district by certain persons in violation of J&K Agrarian Reforms Act in connivance with Revenue and Forest officials.

Searches were also conducted on September 15, 2020 at 10 locations including Jammu and Kathua at the premises of the accused. During investigation it was found that the then Chairperson Kanta Andotra, wife of Lal Singh and former Patwari Ravinder Singh conspired behind the land encroachment, CBI said.

It was also alleged that the government officials facilitated illegal acquisition of land beyond ceiling limit by the said Educational Trust, in gross violation of the J&K Agrarian Reforms Act, 1976.

Further investigation is continuing, the probe agency said.

The trust runs a school, B.Ed (Bachelor of Education), and nursing colleges on the land, transactions of which are being probed by the central agency for alleged irregularities in its purchase, according to officials.
New Delhi, Oct 28 : The Delhi High Court on Thursday slammed the Uttar Pradesh police for arresting a man who got married to a woman against her family's wishes in the national capital, without informing the Delhi police.

A single bench of Justice Mukta Gupta said, "This will not be permitted here in Delhi. You cannot do illegal acts over here." The observation came after the high court noted that the woman was above the age of 18 and got married of her own free will.

"I will get all the CCTV footage and if I find that Shamli police came here in Delhi to arrest them, I'll make sure a departmental inquiry is done against you," the judge said.

"You go to arrest people without confirming their age? Whether she is a minor or a major?", the court said slamming the Uttar Pradesh police.

"When the woman is a major, has left the parental home and married a man of her own free will, an offence under Section 366 IPC (kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her for marriage, etc) and a consequential offence under Section 368 IPC (wrongfully concealing or keeping in confinement, kidnapped or abducted person) cannot be charged," the court maintained.

Accordingly, the court directed that a detailed affidavit be filed by the Station House Officer (SHO) on what efforts were made by the Uttar Pradesh police to trace the woman and if the couple also complained that they were getting repeated threats from the woman's family.

They also claimed that the whereabouts of the father and the brother of the man are not known even after a month and a half, as the Uttar Pradesh police have taken them away.
Mumbai, Oct 28 : Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan has been granted bail by the Bombay High Court in a drug probe case which was levelled against him by the NCB. Although the full court order with reasons and bail conditions will be released by the court on Friday, the support for SRK and his son started pouring in from all corners.

Members of the fraternity took to social media to lend their support to Aryan and rejoiced at the serving of justice by the court.

Director Sanjay Gupta was the first to share his thoughts as he tweeted, "I'm very happy that Aryan Khan has gotten bail but also very upset with a system that kept a young man behind bars for more than 25 days for something he never did. That has to change!!! God bless you and be strong Aryan Khan." Ranvir Shorey followed by tweeting, "Der hai, andher nahi. #justice." 'Scam 1992' director Hansal Mehta took a dig at NCB as he posted, "I want to have a blast tonight!"

Sonu Sood wrote in Hindi, "When time serves justice, it doesn't call for witnesses." Ram Gopal Varma, who is known for his unconventional and witty remarks, said, "So if it just took Mukul Rohatgi's argument to get bail for Aryan, does it mean his earlier lawyers were so incompetent that he had to spend so many days in jail needlessly?"

Actor R. Madhavan tweeted, "Thank God. As a father I am So relieved. May all good and positive things happen." Mika Singh also shared his feelings as he tweeted, "Congratulations to #AryanKhan and to the other accused for getting bail. I'm so happy that it was finally granted, bro @iamsrk 'Bhagwan ke ghar mein der hai andher nahi'. You have contributed hugely to the fraternity. God bless both you and your family." Aryan Khan had been detained on October 2 from a cruise ship in Mumbai when a team of Narcotics Control Bureau boarded the cruise disguised as attendees to a high profile rave party.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Chennai, Oct 28 : The Madras High Court on Thursday flagged the ambitious programme of the state Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment (HR&CE) department to melt temple gold and deposit it in banks.

With this move, the HR&CE department was planning to earn a huge amount of money as interest from the banks.

The direction was passed by the Madras HC on petitions filed by petitioners Saravanan and Gopalkrishnan who pleaded to quash the Centre's September 9 order.

A bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice P.D. Adikesavalu directed that the approval of stamp from the trustees was a must.

The court also ordered a three-member committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge to complete the inspection of inventories in these temples.

The HR&CE department had earlier planned to melt 2137 kg of unused gold ornaments received in temples as donation to 24-carat gold bars and deposit them in nationalised banks. The interest accrued was to be used for renovation and maintenance of the temples.

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had launched the programme on October 13, which was stoutly opposed by right-wing organisations.

The DMK government had, however, maintained that this was in practice since 1977 and that 500 kg of temple ornaments were melted and deposited in banks earning an interest of Rs 11 crore.

However, the order of the Madras High Court is a rebuttal to the Stalin government and it is to be seen whether the state government would go for an appeal in the Supreme Court.
Chandigarh/New Delhi, Oct 28 : India is fully prepared to face any challenge, if the need arises, said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday in Chandigarh stressing on the need to be equipped and ready at all times to deal with any challenge arising out of any situation.

He, however, reiterated that India is a peace-loving nation and initiating any kind of conflict is against its values.

Singh visited Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL) of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in Chandigarh.

Addressing over 500 scientists and officials of DRDO, Singh lauded TBRL, which started as a two-room facility, for becoming an important R&D establishment and providing crucial defence technologies.

He commended the role of the laboratory in design and development of Multi-Mode Hand Grenade (MMHG), the first munition manufactured by the private sector for the Armed Forces, which was handed over to the Indian Army in the presence of Rajnath Singh in August this year.

The grenade achieved a functional reliability of more than 99.5 per cent in production.

He termed MMHG as world class which reflects the capabilities of TBRL and the scientists.

Lauding DRDO for developing systems at par with international standards, Singh also mentioned about the Bund Blasting Device Mark II, designed and developed by TBRL, which was handed over to the Indian Army in his presence earlier this month.

The device is used to reduce the height of Ditch-cum-Bund obstacles to enhance the mobility of mechanised infantry during wartime.

He appreciated the fact that the first phase of the production model has been successfully completed and the production of the system will also be done by the private sector through Transfer of Technology in the coming times.

Singh described these developments as indicators to the country's growing capability in products and technologies required to meet the operational requirements of the Armed Forces.

He added that these developments reflect the government's vision to equip the Armed Forces with indigenously developed and state-of-the-art weapons/ equipment/system through active participation of the private sector. This, he stated, is advancing the country's military and economic strength towards self-reliance.

The minister also listed out other achievements of TBRL, including reaching an advanced level of development of 4th generation electronic fuses which will be contemporary as well as safer and more reliable and development of Baffle Range of just 20 acres from 500 acres that will provide full training of the troops using less land.

He added that many reforms have been undertaken by the government to increase the participation of the private sector. These include introduction of new provisions under Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020; DRDO's initiative to involve the industry from the initial stages of development of systems; free of cost Transfer of Technology by DRDO and availability of its patents to the industry.

While stressing on the need to develop Indian Standards, Singh appreciated the fact that Indian Standard has been promulgated for the testing of Bullet Resistant Jacket, with TBRL playing a key role in its manufacturing.

"Indian Standards for design, development and methodology are being developed for other protective systems and gears. Test methodologies have been standardised for evaluation of Boot Anti-Mine Infantry, Boot Anti-Mine Engineers, Mine Protected Vehicles and Gears, etc. Such Indian standards will certainly help the Indian industry to not only benchmark the product against threats, but also help them compete with foreign manufacturers," he added.

Sharing his insights on the fast-changing geopolitical scenario around the world, Singh said, increase in scientific capabilities and new inventions have made a big impact on security.

Emphasising on the increased use of technology in the dynamic warfare strategies of the present, Singh exhorted all stakeholders involved in defence manufacturing to keep an eye on the latest technological developments and prepare themselves to stay contemporary with indigenous capabilities.

To achieve this, he said, there is a need to strengthen technology forecasting and invest in cutting edge manufacturing & testing capabilities. He called for making academic institutions as long-term partners to stay abreast with latest technologies, with focus on building a strong theoretical foundation.

"A research and development institution like TBRL should aim to develop partnerships with academic institutions on a long-term basis. On the one hand, the academic institution will get to work on the core technological problems and scientists and technologists will be prepared for better employability. On the other hand, R&D institutions will get the emphasis on conversion into the actual product by moving from the theoretical analysis...," the minister said.

He called upon all the stakeholders to increase their preparedness and assured all possible support of the Government in their efforts.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Raipur, Oct 28 : Chief Minister of Jharkhand Hemant Soren and Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Bhupesh Baghel inaugurated an event on tribal dance -- the 'National Tribal Festival' in Raipur on Thursday in which more than a thousand artists from 27 states, 6 union territories and 7 countries are participating.

The 'National Tribal Dance Festival' and 'Rajyotsava 2021' began at Raipur Science College in which the dance troupes from seven countries including Nigeria, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Uganda, Switzerland, Maldives, Palestine and Syria are participating.

The Chief Minister said, the program has become a grand success and it will take the state to international level.

Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi has appreciated the efforts of the Chhattisgarh Government by sending a congratulatory message. He said, "on the occasion of National Adivasi Dance Festival 2021, I congratulate Chhattisgarh Government on providing a platform to Adivasi artists from across India to showcase their unique cultural traditions. I welcome you all to this important event".

Rahul Gandhi had inaugurated National Tribal Dance Festival in Chhattisgarh in 2019. But he could not attend this year's event, organised for the second time in the state.

His message was read out by former Rajya Sabha MP B.K. Hariprasad in the inaugural programme.

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel thanked Rahul Gandhi for his appreciation and best wishes.

Rahul Gandhi said, "our Adivasi brothers and sisters are repositories of our heritage, and they have been at the forefront of preserving our ancient wisdom. Every folk song, dance, painting and sculpture tells a unique story, and provides a window into the fascinating world of our ancestors. It is through these living traditions that societies and communities keep their collective memories alive.

"I am happy that Chhattisgarh Government has been working proactively to support and recognize our Adivasi artists," stated Rahul Gandhi in his message.
London, Oct 28 : Just days ahead of the UN climate change conference, COP26, the University of Birmingham and Southeast University in China have joined forces to lead the establishment of a global alliance of universities aiming to boost their contribution to fighting climate change and achieving net-zero targets.

The World Alliance of Universities on Carbon Neutrality (WAUCN) forms a worldwide partnership of institutions with research strengths in this field -- aiming to deliver science, engineering and technological solutions to help achieve climate change mitigation targets.

The partnership brings together talented academics and students from high-profile global universities to work with industry, business, government, and research sectors towards achieving carbon neutrality.

The University of Birmingham and Southeast University in Nanjing have been working in partnership for some years to create sustainable energy solutions.

WAUCN unites 15 top Chinese universities, including Shanghai Jiao Tong, University of Science and Technology of China, and Zhejiang University -- as well as 13 global universities, including Imperial College London, Monash University, and the National University of Singapore.

It also involves close cooperation with Jiangsu Provincial People's government.

Launched at a global online event, Professor Zhang Guangjun, President of Southeast University and Professor Sir David Eastwood, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Birmingham, welcomed over 80 representatives from partner universities and research institutions.

M.A. Xin, Vice Governor of Jiangsu Provincial People's government, addressed the meeting of scientists from across the globe.

Professor Sir David Eastwood said: "Climate change is one of the biggest threats we face in modern times and, seizing the momentum of the Paris Agreement, the UK has led the world in setting the ambitious target of achieving net-zero by 2050.

"Science and innovation are critical to achieving and sustaining carbon neutrality. We believe that a worldwide universities alliance will constitute a key addition to the rapidly growing global coalition for net-zero emission and carbon neutrality.

"Through our shared research expertise and innovation, the University of Birmingham will address the challenges of climate change -- helping to achieve the ambitions of this new world alliance, as we work together across many different disciplines and countries." As well as forming joint research partnerships that deliver solutions to move the world towards net zero, WAUCN will organise international conferences, symposia, and workshops that can create further momentum towards achieving carbon neutrality.

Professor Jon Frampton, Deputy Pro Vice Chancellor (China) at the University of Birmingham, said: "On the eve of world leaders gathering at COP26 in Glasgow to discuss the environmental challenges facing our planet, the foundation of this international alliance with partners from China and beyond is a great example of global cooperation.

"The University of Birmingham has long-established and valued links with China and we are proud to be working with our colleagues in China to work on the most challenging issues that affect the whole world."
Kathmandu, Oct 28 : The Sher Bahadur Deuba government on Thursday recommended veteran diplomat Shanker Sharma as the next ambassador to India.

Sharma earlier served as Vice Chairman of the National Planning Commission and Nepal's Ambassador to the United States of America from 2009 to 2013.

The post in the New Delhi embassy of Nepal fell vacant recently after Deuba recalled the ambassadors from 12 countries including India. The outgoing ambassador, Nilamber Acharya has already returned to Kathmandu.

Sharma has extensive experience in government, international institutions, and economic research. Before joining the National Planning Commission as a member in 1997, he worked as a Senior Economic Advisor, Ministry of Finance, Nepal; a Senior Economist in the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore; and a Fellow in the East-West Center, Hawaii. He also served as a Professor of Economics in the Centre for Economic Development and Administration, Tribhuvan University.

He worked regionally and globally for many organisations, such as the UNESCAP, World Bank, and ASEAN.

Sharma is close confidant of Prime Minister Deuba.
New Delhi, Oct 28: It was only in September last year that India opened its consulate in Lome, the capital city of Togo, one of the smallest countries in Africa that borders Ghana, Benin and Burkina Faso. The news naturally did not hit headlines in India but the move is noteworthy as it reflects New Delhis increased efforts in expanding its footprints and bilateral ties not only with countries in West Africa but also the Francophone nations -- those that use French as their official language.

Besides Togo, countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Guinea, Benin are also among the Francophone nations. French is the official language in about 20 countries in Africa.

"India which has typically been focused on East and North Africa, is now consciously looking to diversify and expand ties with other countries, including the Francophones in the continent. Expansion of ties with many of these countries is more strategic in nature than just pure investments," Sankalp Gurjar, Research Fellow, Indian Council of World Affairs, told India Narrative.

Analysts said that the influence of the Francophone countries could amplify their unique identity and use it as a binding factor in the future.

It is worth noting that India's increased engagements with these countries will also allow New Delhi to leverage its position in these countries, many of which are still very poor and looking for countries that could financially assist them. While China is already an influential force in Africa, it is primarily invested in a few countries. "There are several countries in Africa which have no major dealings with China and this is critical for India," one of the analysts said.

The Diplomat noted that Chinese private sector push into Africa is not evenly distributed. About 12 countries "account for two-thirds of total investment on the continent. They include Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa, Angola, the Republic of Congo, Zambia, Ghana, Algeria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)," it said.

Togo First, a portal promoting investment, noted that New Delhi's current objective is to "boost economic cooperation between India and Africa, and strengthen ties with Indian diaspora living in Africa".

India's main import items from Togo include natural phosphates, ferrous and copper waste and scrap.

Togo, in a bid to draw investments, has brought in place several measures. The Observer Research Foundation (ORF) in a study said that the small country has even eliminated the requirement to obtain an economic operator card while reducing the time as well as registration costs.

The ORF study added that West African countries have started various reforms in recent years. Starting a business has become much easier and less costly. Benin, for example, has created a one-stop shop for investment, eliminated the need to notarize company bylaws, and reduced minimum capital requirement. Burkina Faso too has reduced the paid-in minimum capital required to register a company, and has cut the cost of soil survey in half and time to process a building permit application by a third.

Gurjar also said that Togo's geographical proximity to the Sahel countries - a group of African nations including Burkina Faso, in the western part of the continent which has become prone to terror attacks also provides India to play a key role in security related aspects with the French military force now pulling out of the region.

Meanwhile, with more than three million people of Indian origin living in Africa today, the Indian diaspora too plays an important role in cementing New Delhi's role in the continent.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative
Dakshina Kannada : , Oct 28 (IANS) Karnataka Police who are investigating the case of sexual harassment filed by a law graduate student, arrested Ananth Bhat (48), a resident of Bondel in Mangaluru, allegedly for helping the accused K.S.N. Rajesh Bhat, a senior advocate to escape, police said on Thursday.

Ananth Bhat was in the contact of Rajesh Bhat. As police were preparing to arrest, Ananth Bhat took the accused on his bike to a distant place. He had also allegedly hid accused's mobile phone and car at an undisclosed location, police said. Ananth Bhat will be questioned on the whereabouts of the accused.

The Mangaluru police are in a tight spot in connection with the case as the activists and victim suspected foul play in the investigation of the case by the Karnataka police.

They have questioned the police as to why they have not been able to arrest the accused, a senior advocate, even after more than a week of filing an FIR. Student organisations are also demanding the arrest of the accused.

The victim filed a case of sexual harassment against senior advocate K.S.N. Rajesh Bhat, in Mangaluru. The police suspended two officers including a lady sub-inspector for dereliction of duty in connection with the case and arrested three persons.

"The accused is absconding even after 7 days of filing a complaint. I have appealed to Mangaluru Bar Council for their support. I request all of you to support me and the police to find the accused. I just want justice; I don't want anything else. I just want him to be caught by the police," the victim who came out in open had stated.

The accused advocate K.S.N. Rajesh Bhat has been suspended from the membership of the Karnataka State Bar Council until further orders and instructed him not to practice at the courts following the FIR on him.
Kolkata, Oct 28 : Before the opening of the schools, the state education department has sent a draft proposal to the Nabanna -- the state secretariat -- for approval. In view of the pandemic situation, the department has proposed a series of measures for the smooth running of the schools, which are set to open on November 16.

Though there was no official statement regarding the proposal, sources in the education department said that the department has proposed for separate school hours for the classes at present.

"The state government has asked to open classes from 9 to 11 and in that case, we have asked the state government to consider the proposal so that there is no rush of students at particular hours of the school," an education department official said.

The department has also said that there should be separate hours for students of each class and only half of the students will be allowed in each class so that the social distance can be maintained. The department has also proposed for one student in each bench.

Apart from that, the department said that there will be no prayer or congregation during the school hours and students will not be allowed to move out of their classes during the class hours. "Once they enter the class they will not be allowed to go outside. They can only leave their classes after their class-hours are over. They will also have to take their tiffin inside the class," the official added.

The department also said that the parents will not be allowed inside the school premises and there will be mandatory class of educating the students about Covid protocol for ten minutes before the beginning of the school. The school will also go for extensive sanitisation after the classes are over and arrange for health check-ups of the students at a regular interval. The draft proposal has been sent to the state secretariat for approval.

The proposal comes after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced the opening of the schools from November 16. Banerjee, who was on her North Bengal tour recently during an administrative meeting, had instructed chief secretary H.K. Diwedi to make necessary arrangements so that the educational institutions can start functioning again.

Earlier on October 5 the state finance department had already sanctioned Rs 109 crore to the education department for the renovation of 6,468 state government schools in the state, indicative enough the government is keen to open the schools after the Durga Puja.

The notification issued by the state government said that Rs 109 crore has been sanctioned for the renovation of the buildings of 6,468 secondary and higher secondary government sponsored schools in the state. Though the notification didn't mention anything about the reopening of the schools, it was indicative enough that the state had moved another step closer to the opening of the schools in the state. The Chief Minister's instruction came as a final sanction before the formal opening of the schools.
New Delhi, Oct 28: In a major shift in its stance on the situation in Afghanistan, China now wants the United Nations to coordinate the transition in Afghanistan following the Taliban's return to Kabul.

At the second meeting of the foreign ministers of the neighbouring countries of Afghanistan hosted by Tehran on Wednesday, Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi not only stressed on Taliban making "a clean break with terrorist forces" but also batted for "expanding multilateral coordination" in the country.

Foreign ministers of the six countries bordering Afghanistan, including China, Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan participated in the conference along with Russia which began with a video message from UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

"We need to increase mutual reinforcement and build synergy between the various mechanisms on Afghanistan, and support the United Nations as a key coordinator in such fields as maintaining stability, preventing chaos, and providing emergency assistance," said Wang Yi who is currently on a tour of Europe.

Analysts see China's willingness to work with the international community for a safe and stable Afghanistan as a significant shift in its approach to the new regime in Kabul as Beijing fears that the country is becoming a safe haven for terrorism once again.

It was not too long ago that China had opposed the global organisation when it had expressed serious concerns about Afghanistan's future going forward.

A few days after the Taliban had taken control of Kabul on August 15, China had refused to back a UN Security Council resolution put forward by the United States, United Kingdom and France, outlining clear expectations from the new regime regarding the future of Afghanistan.

On Wednesday, a day after he had met a delegation of the interim government of the Afghan Taliban in Doha, the Chinese Foreign Minister insisted on forging "a united front against terrorism" through multilateral platforms such as the UN and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

"We need to positively consider holding bilateral and multilateral counter-terrorism dialogues and cooperation with Afghanistan at an appropriate time," he said.

Wang Yi also told the gathering that he had a "deep-going exchange of views" with the senior Taliban members in Doha on Tuesday where he expressed the "shared concerns" of Afghanistan's neighbours. He said that the Taliban is eager to have dialogue and cooperation with the outside, and is serious about it.

The Taliban delegation which met Wang Yi in Qatar was led by Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Acting Foreign Minister of the Afghan Taliban's interim government.

According to China, the Taliban said that it is having some practical difficulties in developing the economy, improving people's livelihood and governing the country, and they hope to get external assistance and support.

"The Taliban stated that they take seriously the calls of the international community, especially Afghanistan's neighbours, and that they will take further positive steps in domestic and foreign policies," said the Chinese Foreign Minister.

China's changing viewpoint on Afghanistan was highly visible in the Joint Ministerial Statement released after the foreign ministers' meeting in Tehran.

It emphasised that international and regional organisations "in particular the United Nations agencies and relevant members of the UN Security Council" should abide by their responsibility for political settlement of Afghanistan issues, rendering support to Afghans to develop the socio-economic infrastructure and providing economic and humanitarian assistance.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative
New Delhi, Oct 28 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Kedarnath in Uttarakhand on November 5 to inaugurate and also lay the foundation stone of several key infrastructure projects.

Prime Minister Modi will also review and inspect the executed and ongoing infrastructure works in the state.

In a statement the Prime Minister's Office said, "Prime Minister will offer prayers at the Kedarnath Temple. He will thereafter inaugurate Shri Adi Shankaracharya Samadhi and unveil the statue of Shri Adi Shankaracharya. The Samadhi has been reconstructed after the destruction in the 2013 floods. The entire reconstruction work has been undertaken under the guidance of the Prime Minister, who has constantly reviewed and monitored the progress of the project.

"The Prime Minister will review and inspect the executed and ongoing works along the Saraswati Aasthapath. The Prime Minister will also address a public rally.

He will inaugurate key infrastructure projects which have been completed, including Saraswati retaining wall aasthapath and ghats, Mandakini retaining wall aasthapath, tirth purohit houses and garud chatti bridge on river Mandakini. The projects have been completed at a cost of over Rs 130 crore.

He will also lay the foundation stone for multiple projects worth over Rs 180 crore, including the redevelopment of Sangam Ghat, first aid and tourist facilitation centre, admin office and hospital, two guest houses, police station, command and control centre, Mandakini Aasthapath queue management and rain shelter and Saraswati civic amenity building.

Last week Uttarakhand witnessed heavy rain, flood and landslide which affected areas of Devprayag, Ramnagar, Ramgarh, Gaulapar and Rudrapur. Prime Minister Modi had spoken to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami many times since the very first day to take stock of the situation and had assured all assistance from the union government.
New Delhi, Oct 28 : Delhi Police busted an active gang of robbers within hours of them looting a man outside AIIMS hospital.

Police received a complaint on October 26 night that three boys robbed a man and fled away. The complainant told Police that the incident took place when he stepped out of an ATM from where he had withdrawn Rs 50,000.

With the help of the CCTV footage and route analysis, Police found out about one of the three accused, who led to the arrest of the other two.

The accused have been identified as Sonu (24), Sonu Thapa (36) and Raj Kumar (27).

The robbed money in cash and one iron blade used in the commission of crime was recovered from them.

A case was registered against the trio under relevant sections of the IPC and further investigation is underway, Police said.
New York, Oct 28 : Using social media platforms like Instagram or Snapchat before age 11 was significantly related to more problematic digital behaviour compared to those who joined these platforms when they were older, finds a new study.

The study, published in Computers in Human Behavior, showed that joining Instagram or Snapchat before age 11 was significantly associated with having online friends or joining social media sites that parents would disapprove of, more problematic digital technology behaviour, more unsympathetic online behaviour, and greater likelihood of online harassment and sexual harassment victimisation.

However, some of these effects were lessened when parents restricted phone use and limited how often their kids checked social media.

"Social media sites all require a minimum age of 13 to register, but the reality is that many users are younger than that: one-third of our sample had already started using social media at age 11 or 12 and another one-third had begun at age 10 or younger," said lead author Linda Charmaraman, director of the Youth, Media and Wellbeing Research Lab at the Wellesley Centers for Women (WCW).

"This study helps us understand the risks and benefits for kids and tweens, so that parents and policymakers can make decisions that prioritise their well being," she added.

The team surveyed 773 middle schoolers in the Northeast US about their social media initiation, digital behaviour, and parental restrictions on digital use.

The researchers also found that regardless of when they joined social media, early adolescents more frequently engaged in positive digital behaviour than negative ones.

And those who joined social media as children (age 10 or younger) demonstrated a greater tendency to engage in supportive or civically-engaged online community behaviour such as socially supportive social media posts, fostering awareness of social issues, or organising events through social media, compared to those who joined later. This may be due to being socialised at a younger age to understand both the positive and negative potential of different platforms.

"These findings suggest that the industry-based age minimum of 13 for social media users may potentially be a good standard, if it can be enforced," said Charmaraman.

"The findings also suggest that a potential strategy to support families with children, tweens, and teens is to keep track of social media sites joined and online friend networks; set even one rule about screen use (i.e., limiting duration on school nights); and monitor children's frequency of checking, particularly if they're using social media at age 10 and younger."
Mumbai, Oct 28 : For the second time in four days, Sameer Wankhede, the embattled Zonal Director of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) moved the court seeking protection from possible arrest here on Thursday.

Rushing to the Bombay High Court on Thursday, a division bench comprising Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice S.V. Kotwal granted him partial relief after an assurance from the Mumbai Police.

"I am personally attacked by the state... My apprehension is they will arrest me. I want interim protection in the form of no coercive action," Wankhede appealed to the division bench.

Simultaneously, through his lawyer Atul Nanda, he prayed for transferring the alleged extortion and other investigations against him from Maharashtra to any other impartial central agency like the CBI or NIA.

The Mumbai Police's Public Prosecutor Aruna Pai assured that Wankhede would be given three working days' notice before his arrest, after which the court disposed off Wankhede's plea.

Last Monday, Wankhede and the NCB had approached the Special NDPS Court seeking directions not to take cognisance of a 'Panch-Witness' Prabhakar Sail's sensational allegations of extortion and other issues pertaining to the October 2 swoop on a rave party on board a luxury ship.

A day before on Sunday, Wankhede wrote to the Mumbai Police Commissioner Hemant Nagrale asking for help from possible legal action against him.

Nationalist Congress Party Minister Nawab Malik, who has made a serial exposure on Wankhede, said: "It's ironic that the officer who had arrested and jailed all these people for so many days is now running around scared of being arrested himself and approaching the courts for relief..." Senior Shiv Sena leader Kishore Tiwari, accorded an MoS status, wryly commented that the "NCB-BJP alliance" is now exposed and said those who have fabricated the drugs case should be prepared to face the consequences of their malafide actions.

Currently, the NCB and Mumbai Police are separately probing the allegations of extortion, corruption and other charges against Wankhede by several complainants in various police stations after Sail's affidavit of October 23 erupted in the public domain.

Besides, Malik has accused Wankhede of allegedly using forged documents to grab a reserved category Central government job in the civil services and has demanded a thorough probe.

However, the IRS officer, currently on deputation to the NCB since the past over 12 months, has steadfastly denied all allegations against him.
Kolkata, Oct 28 : Hosiery, knitwear, fabric, textile traders and garment manufacturers bodies in West Bengal have expressed concern over the Centre's proposed plan to increase GST basic rate of 5 per cent to 12 per cent on Fabrics and Garments below Rs 1,000 in the pretext of 'Inverted Duty Structure' from January 1, 2022.

The insiders in the industry said that the stated objective of such a change is the anomaly of an Inverted Duty Structure faced by a small section of the industry. It is indeed disturbing, that merely to correct an anomaly faced by one segment of the industry, which constitutes not more than 15 per cent of the total Industry, the Government is proposing to implement Inverted Duty Structure which will affect nearly 80 per cent of the final products to the Consumers (Garments over Rs 1,000/- were in any case at 12 per cent GST).

"The Hosiery & Knitwear including Garments Industry in India employs close to 11 million workers, of which 8 million are engaged in the Domestic sector and 4 million in the Export sector. It is estimated that almost an equivalent number of people are indirectly employed by the industry - in Embroidery units, Washing Laundries, Packaging industry," President of Federation of Hosiery Manufacturers Association of India (FOHMA), B.K. Agarwala said.

"Even if there is an estimated 18 per cent shrinkage in the workforce, the industry is likely to see a job loss of 1.44 million. An increase of taxes by as much as 7 per cent will lead to a much higher level of job losses - possibly in excess of 2 million," Agarwala, who doubles up as the Managing Director of Rupa & Company added.

"As a result of the massive price increase of Raw Materials such as yarn, fabric, fuel, packaging materials, transportation, etc, the industry is already seeing a 15-20 per cent price increase in the final price of the product. The Consumer is already reeling with job losses, wage cuts and social and personal traumas. Adding another increment to the prices will lead to a very severe drop in consumption, or a shift to cheaper and lower quality goods," President of West Bengal Hosiery Association (WBHA) Ashok Todi said.

"The combined goal of any Government and Industry would be to improve the quality of consumption in Society -- "increasing prices beyond the reach of the common man goes against this basic principle", Todi, who is also the chairman of Lux Industries Limited added.

"Indian Hosiery Knitwear Fabric, Textile Traders & Garment Industry is still largely a cotton based Industry. Cotton garments, including traditional wear categories such as Dhotis, Sarees, etc form the bulk of clothing used by the poorer sections of the society. This section is already struggling to come out of the severe economic, social and personal trauma caused by the pandemic. Any additional burden on this section of the population will result in consumer negativity which will not be beneficial to anybody", President of The Bengal Hosiery Manufacturers' Association (BHMA), Sharad Bhatter said.

"In any country where there are differential rates of GST, essential commodities, especially those consumed by the poorer section of society, would be levied at the lowest slab. We will be removing an essential commodity item from the lowest slab to a higher slab - which would be unprecedented", President of Chamber of Textile Trade & Industry (COTTI), Arun Bhuwalka, said.
Mumbai, Oct 28 : In a major embarrassment, Thane Chief Metropolitan Magistrate on Thursday issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against controversial IPS officer, Param Bir Singh, in an extortion complaint.

The CJM R.J. Tambe ordered the Senior Police Inspector of Thanenagar Police Station to arrest the accused (Singh) and produce him before the court.

Simultaneously, the Mumbai Police have filed an application in the Mumbai Sessions Court seeking a non-bailable arrest warrant against Singh, and the court will hear the matter on Friday.

There is speculation in some circles that Singh -- absent from his duty as the Commandant-General of Maharashtra Home Guards since May -- may have fled the country.

The former high-profile Commissioner of Police, Mumbai, Singh stoked a massive political row when he dropped a letter bomb hurling corruption charges against the then home minister Anil Deshmukh, after he was transferred from his post.

Since then, he faces several cases of corruption, extortion, misuse of office in Mumbai and Thane -- both cities where he served as CoP.

In the past few months Singh repeatedly failed to appear before the Maharashtra Government's Justice (retired) K.U. Chandiwal Commission of enquiry set up to probe the charges against him.
Mumbai, Oct 28 : In a rare gesture, Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan came out to greet his entire legal team which ensured bail for his son Aryan Khan, who has been away from home in detention and custody since the past 27 days, here on Thursday.

Sporting a casual white T-shirt and dark trousers, Khan met his battery of lawyers led by eminent lawyer Satish Maneshinde and his legal army which toiled since October 2 and finally ensured Aryan got bail.

A relaxed Maneshinde -- who said "God is Great" after the court verdict this evening -- shared the pix of the unusual meeting, but declined to elaborate.

It is also not known what exactly the beaming King Khan -- who has maintained a dignified silence right from Day One -- discussed with them, but all the legal eagles were happily smiling, laughing and apparently thrilled by the encounter with the actor in flesh-and-blood.
New Delhi, Oct 28 : The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) on Thursday issued a set of guidelines regarding the handling of anonymous complaints.

In its fresh circular, CVC said that no action is required to be taken on anonymous complaints received against any police personnel or official, which does not carry both name and address of the complainant.

Even if those complaints are having name and address but not verified and the complainant does not respond to the notice issued by the enquiry officer for joining within 15 days of the receipt of the notice, and another gap of 15 days after issue of reminder, such complaints may be termed as 'pseudonymous', the circular added. Complaints containing vague allegations should be filed without verification of the identity of the complaint, it read.

The circular was duly signed by Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana.

The CVC, a governmental body to address governmental corruption was created in 1964.

In 2003, the Parliament enacted a law conferring statutory status on the CVC. It has the status of an autonomous body, free of control from any executive authority, charged with monitoring all vigilance activity under the Centre advising various authorities in central Government organizations in planning, executing, reviewing, and reforming their vigilance work.
New Delhi, Oct 28 : In a major setback to Sunil Bharti-led Bharti Airtel, the Supreme Court on Thursday declined to entertain the telecom company's claim seeking refund of Rs 923 crore, by rectifying its GST returns for July to September 2017.

A bench comprising justices A.M. Khanwilkar and Dinesh Maheshwari said: "the direction issued by the High Court being in the nature of issuing writ of mandamus to allow the writ petitioner to rectify Form GSTR-3B for the period from July to September 2017, in the teeth of express statutory dispensation, cannot be sustained".

The top court allowed the Centre's appeal and set aside the Delhi High Court order, passed on May 5, 2020, which allowed Airtel to rectify Form GSTR-3B for the period.

The bench added, "the law permits rectification of errors and omissions only at the initial stages of Forms GSTR-A1 and GSTR-A3, but in the specified manner. It is a different dispensation provided than the one in pre GST period, which did not have the provision of auto populated records and entries".

The bench said an assessee cannot be permitted to unilaterally carry out rectification of his returns submitted electronically in Form GSTR-A3B, which inevitably would affect the obligations and liabilities of other stakeholders, because of the cascading effect in their electronic records. "There would be complete uncertainty and no finality could ever be attached to the self assessment return filed electronically," added the bench.

The bench also upheld the circular issued by the commissioner (GST) which had restricted the rectification of Form GSTR-A3B in respect of the period wherein error had occurred.

The top court agreed with Centre's contention that any indulgence shown contrary to the statutory mandate would not only be an illegality but will lead to chaotic situation and collapse of tax administration of Union, states, and union territories. The tax authorities denied any refund alleging that Airtel had under-reported input tax credit during the period. Airtel had argued it had paid excess tax of Rs 923 crore on inputs based on estimates since the GSTR-2A form was not operational during the period, wherein the error occurred.

The top court said the factum of non-operability of Form GSTR-A2A, therefore, is a flimsy plea taken by Airtel. "Indeed, if the stated form was operational, the same would have come handy to the writ petitioner for doing self assessment regarding eligibility of ITC and availing thereof", it noted.

The high court had directed that on filing of the rectified Form GSTR-3B, they shall, within a period of two weeks, verify the claim set forth by Airtel and give effect to the same once verified.
Kolkata, Oct 28 : West Bengal Law Minister Moloy Ghatak who earlier skipped two interrogations regarding his alleged involvement in the multi crore coal smuggling case appeared before the Enforcement Directorate on Thursday in Delhi. Ghatak was interrogated by the probe agency for over more than four hours.

Though Ghatak was unavailable for comments but sources close to the law minister confirmed that Ghatak went to ED, Delhi office on Thursday at 11.30 a.m. and he was handed over a questionnaire concerning his connection in the case. ED officials said that he was asked to write all the replies in his own hand.

The ED officials wanted to know that being the MLA of the constituency, whether he was aware of the coal-smuggling going on there and if he was aware whether he had taken any steps or informed the police or higher authorities regarding this.

The ED officials admitted that Ghatak's name cropped up during interrogation of several accused in this case and there was also allegation about financial transactions. Ghatak was also asked regarding this.

Earlier Ghatak skipped two interrogations and had even asked the ED officials to come to Kolkata and interrogate him. He was last summoned on September 13 when the minister in a mail sent to ED office had said that as there were bypolls in the state, he was preoccupied with the election work and he will not be able to appear before the probe agency.

Earlier he was asked to appear before the agency on September 2 when he avoided the interrogation citing health issues. At that time the Minister also said that as he is stationed in Kolkata and ED has an office in the city, the officers can come down to Kolkata and record his statement. The minister also said that he was ready to cooperate with the probe agency to the best of his knowledge.

The case, under criminal sections of the (PMLA), was filed by the ED after studying a November, 2020 FIR of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) that alleged a multi-crore coal pilferage scam related to the Eastern Coalfields Ltd mines in the state's Kunustoria and Kajora areas in and around Asansol. Local state operative Anup Majhi alias Lala is alleged to be the prime suspect in the case.

The ED had earlier claimed that Ghatak was a beneficiary of funds obtained from this illegal trade. According to ED sources, the investigators have spoken to more than one person in this connection, collected information and recorded their statements. The name of Ghatak has come up on several occasions during these interrogations. Apart from the ED, the CBI is also investigating the coal scam.
Agra, Oct 28 : River activists and environmentalists of the Taj city on Thursday evening staged a protest at the Etmauddaula view point park to remind BJP leaders of their promises to rejuvenate and revive the Yamuna river, the lifeline of Braj Mandal, the 'Leela Bhoomi' of Sri Krishna-Radha.

In a memorandum addressed to the Primr Minister, the members of the River Connect Campaign reminded of the promise by union transport minister Nitin Gadkari who had announced in 2015 the launch of a ferry service on the Yamuna to bring tourists from Delhi to Agra. Similarly, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath had promised to construct a barrage downstream of the Taj Mahal, to secure the foundation of the heritage monuments along the banks of the Yamuna.

Environmentalist Devashish Bhattacharya said "Yamuna was not just a water body but our glorious heritage and a centre of faith, revered by countless Sri Krishna Bhakts globally. The politicians make promises and then conveniently forget them. It is high time the Yamuna was cleaned up, desilted and dredged thoroughly. The flood plains of the river from Vrindavan to Bateshwar, have to be cleared of encroachments, and most importantly, the 1994 agreement on sharing of Yamuna water among UP, Haryana and Rajasthan, needs to be revisited." Green activist Jagan Prasad Teheriya said "the demand for a barrage on the Yamuna downstream of the Taj Mahal has been hanging fire for two decades and more for want of political will. Yogi Adityanath had three years ago promised to build a rubber check dam costing Rs 350 crore. The site has been identified and initial funds released, but for mysterious reasons, work has not begun." Congress leader Shabana said Agra was suffering due to the poor state of its lifeline, the Yamuna. Activists Shashikant Upadhyaya, Deepak Rajput and Shahtosh Gautam stressed the need for launching a big people's movement to pressure the state and central governments to fulfil forgotten promises and make Agra, the home of glorious heritage monuments, environmentally safe.

The protesters reminded the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party that Agra had three MPs, nine MLAs, one mayor, and chairman of the zila parishad. All had collectively failed to address environmental issues. The city's civic infrastructure had not improved, the health sector in particular presented a pathetic picture of negligence and inefficiency.

"Despite thousands of crores spent on Smart City projects, Yamuna Action Plans and a slew of schemes to implement directives of the Supreme Court, in respect of the PIL filed by eco lawyer MC Mehta, to insulate the Taj Mahal from pollution, the overall scene was dismal. The air quality remains poor, with an alarming rise in SPM levels, water of the Yamuna is unfit for human consumption. The green cover has not increased. Traffic jams have become permanent and the city roads have more than 50,000 potholes after the rains," said the resolution passed at the meeting.

The activists warned the government not to ignore the simmering discontent. "Elections are round the corner. Discontentment could harm the ruling party," said activist Padmini.
New Delhi, Oct 28 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday chaired a meeting of the Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Home Affairs on coastal security.

Addressing the meeting, he said that for the first time all the islands of the country have been surveyed and many important decisions are being taken on the basis of reports received in this regard.

"Many ministries and agencies have a role in ensuring coastal security and by establishing mutual coordination amongst them, coastal security will be further strengthened after a meeting with stakeholders very soon under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he said.

Noting that, the Ministry has been seriously assessing the challenges being faced in coastal security, he said the suggestions given in the meeting, the appropriate and adequate steps would be taken to make coastal security impenetrable along with the states.

He said that as per the guidelines of PM Modi, the Department of Border Management under the MHA has been working over the last few years in the direction of further strengthening of coastal security and more can be done with suggestions received from all.

The Members of the committee present in the meeting also suggested the formation of a separate Coastal Police Cadre in all the states and monitoring of islands and coastal areas with the help of technology.

During the meeting the issues of proper allocation of budget for all round development of coastal areas and effective operation of Coastal Police Stations were discussed.

The Members also suggested that the proper training of policemen and fishermen from the point of view of safety should be imparted with the use of technology to prevent collisions between ships and fishing boats at sea.

During the meeting, a detailed presentation was made by the Department of Border Management on the steps taken to further strengthen coastal security, in which the completion of Phase-I and Phase-II of the Coastal Security Plan and commencement of Phase-III were discussed.
New Delhi, Oct 28 : The Supreme Court on Thursday granted bail to Thwaha Fasal, one of the two students arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in November 2019 under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for their alleged Maoist links. The top court observed that mere support given to a terrorist organization or mere association with it, is not sufficient to attract offences under Sections 38 and 39 of the UAPA.

A bench comprising justices Ajay Rastogi and Abhay S. Oka said: "Mere association with a terrorist organisation is not sufficient to attract Section 38 and mere support given to a terrorist organisation is not sufficient to attract Section 39. The association and the support have to be with the intention of furthering the activities of a terrorist organisation". The top court set aside the Kerala High Court order which had cancelled his bail.

The top court also junked Centre's appeal challenging the Kerala High Court judgment affirming the trial court order, which granted bail to law student Allan Shuaib in a UAPA case. The high court declined to cancel Shuaib's, the second accused, bail noting his young age and health.

The bench noted that at a formative young age, the accused might have been fascinated by what is propagated by CPI (Maoist) and they may be in possession of various documents/books concerning CPI (Maoist) in soft or hard form. However, the bench added that apart from the allegation that certain photographs showing that the accused participated in a protest organised by an organisation allegedly linked with CPI (Maoist). "Prima facie there is no material in the charge sheet to project active participation of the accused nos 1 and 2 in the activities of CPI (Maoist) from which even an inference can be drawn, that there was an intention on their part of furthering the activities or terrorist acts of the terrorist organisation", said the bench.

The bench further added that prima facie, their constant association or support of the organization for a long period of time is not borne out from the charge sheet. Fasal and Shuaib, are students of journalism and law respectively. They are also CPI(Maoist)'s branch committee members. The duo was arrested in November 2019 from Kozhikode. The CPI(M) in Kerala had expelled them from the party over their alleged Maoists link. The police allegedly seized objectionable material in connection with Maoist ideology.

The charge sheet filed by the NIA claimed the accused were harbouring and associating with a banned Maoist outfit. Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, for the NIA, had argued they were 'members' of the banned organisation, and if found guilty, can be sentenced up to life in prison under UAPA.
Guwahati, Oct 28 : After its lactating mother died due to electrocution in Golaghat district on Sunday, a 75-day-old elephant calf was rescued on Thursday by forest department personnel with the help of the residents of Miripathar village in Golaghat district.

Eastern Assam's Golaghat Divisional Forest Officer S.K. Thakuria said that the baby elephant wandered around in Miripathar village under Bokial forest beat after its mother was electrocuted in an incident that took place at Dholagaon Pathar on Sunday.

"The two and a half months old calf was rescued by the forest personnel. As it was weak, it was shifted to the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation at Panbari for treatment and rehabilitation," Thakuria said.

An official of the Assam Forest and Environment Department said that the calf's 18-year-old mother died due to electrocution at Dholagaon Pathar in the wee hours of Sunday. Signs of burning on the body of the wild tusker were prominent. "An electric post of 11 KV line was found tilted near the carcass. Perhaps it got tilted due to the brushing of the body against the post. Electric lines were hanging from 6 feet height," the official said.

A postmortem was carried out to ascertain the exact cause of the jumbo's death.

An Assam wildlife official in Guwahati said that the forest officials in association with the villagers rescued several elephants stuck in a wetland near Dehing Patkai National Park in Digboi Forest Division in eastern Assam's Tinsukia district last week. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma appreciating the efforts had said: "I also thank the local people for their support in this operation, signifying our tradition of man-animal coexistence." On October 15, a six-year-old elephant was found dead in a paddy field at Shantipara under Kanyakuchi Reserve Forest in western Assam's Goalpara district. At least 13 elephants have been killed this year in various parts of Assam by illegal electric fences put up by farmers to protect their crops.

According to official records, over 90 elephants were electrocuted in Assam between 2011 and 2019. Electrocution, poisoning and natural calamities also led to elephant deaths, including a whopping 18 jumbos being killed by lightning strikes in Nagaon district in May.

With the second largest elephant population after Karnataka (6049), Assam is home to Asian elephants with a population of 5,719, according to the last census conducted in 2017.

Due to deforestation and destruction of elephant habitats and crisis of fodder, man-elephant conflicts are rising in Assam. According to the wildlife officials, 890 humans have died in man-elephant conflicts during the last 10 years in Assam, with Sonitpur district recording the highest deaths at 124, followed by Udalguri district with 118 and Goalpara district with 78 deaths. This year, over 100 people including women, have died so far due to elephant attacks in various parts of Assam.

(Sujit Chakraborty can be contacted at sujit.c@ians.in)
Hyderabad, Oct 28 : Hyderabad Police on Thursday rescued a young woman, a former Miss Telangana, who attempted suicide while streaming it live on social media.

The woman's friends, who were watching the video, immediately alerted the police, who rushed to her residence in Himayat Nagar and rescued her.

She was admitted to a private hospital in Narayanguda, where her condition is stated to be stable.

The woman, a model who won Miss Telangana contest in 2018, tried to take the extreme step by hanging. As she posted live video of the suicide bid, her friends who noticed it, informed the police on dial 100.

A police team immediately rushed to her residence on Road Number 6, Himayatnagar and shifted her to a hospital.

Narayanguda police registered a case and took up investigation.

The reason for her suicide bid was not known. She had reportedly lodged a complaint with the police against a youth for sexually harassing her.
New Delhi, Oct 28 : A new United Nations Coalition Fund would be launched at the upcoming COP26 to significantly improve the collection of essential weather and climate data and boost the international response to climate change.

World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) are to announce at the COP26 this new Fund. Starting October 31, world leaders are meeting at the COP26, the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC) to be held at Glasgow, UK.

There are data gaps that undermine the understanding of past and current climate, as well as the capacity to predict and project future climate scenarios. This, in turn, weakens international efforts to prepare for and respond to extreme weather events such as floods, hurricanes and drought.

The Systematic Observations Finance Facility (the SOFF) will plug this data gaps, a release from WMO said.

To respond to the explosive growth in the demand for weather and climate data to support essential services needed by all sectors of society, last week 193 member countries and territories of the World Meteorological Congress approved an integrated package including a Unified Data Policy, the Global Basic Observing Network (GBON), and the SOFF, to dramatically strengthen the world's weather and climate services.

"If you don't have observations, then you are not able to provide good forecasts," said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas.

He said there are major data gaps in our observing systems in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific islands and some parts of Latin America. Those countries are not able to provide high quality early warning services because they don't have enough input data for the forecast models.

"Over the next ten years, the SOFF will build capacity in 75 Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries to enable them to generate and exchange essential weather and climate data, in compliance with internationally agreed standards of GBON," the release said.

The SOFF will have a life-saving impact in the most vulnerable countries to climate change, where decades of progress can be wiped out by a single extreme event. However, the benefits of SOFF will be felt everywhere; countries across the globe will have access to improved weather forecasts and climate services at a critical time when the impact of climate change is intensifying everywhere.

According to Achim Steiner, Administrator of UNDP, "Extreme weather and climate events are now increasing in frequency, intensity and severity as a result of climate change. Vulnerable communities are amongst the hardest hit. To help address this, they need access to the very best of technology to adapt to the effects of climate change and reduce risk." Weather and climate observations enabled by the SOFF are essential if the world community is to realize fully the 162 billion US dollars annually in socio-economic benefits of weather and climate prediction.

Recognising the value of the SOFF, countries are already giving indications of financial contribution. These will be unveiled at the event in Glasgow on November 3.
New Delhi, Oct 28 : Israeli Ambassador to India Naor Gilon on Thursday said that he was happy and surprised to know that Israeli web series Fauda is popular in India and said that he will try to bring one of the main actors here.

Speaking on the sidelines of his first media briefing on the bilateral relations between Israel and India, he said, "Happy & surprised to see how popular 'Fauda' is in India. Hopefully we will be able to bring one of the main actors of the show here. We are still working on it." Fauda meaning chaos in Arabic is an Israeli web series which was released online in 2015 and it became very popular around the world with a huge viewership.

This series was developed by Lior Raz and Avi Issacharoff drawing on their experiences in the Israel Defense Forces. The series premiered on February 15, 2015. It tells the story of Doron, a commander in the Mista'arvim unit and his team; in the first season, they pursue a Hamas arch-terrorist known as "The Panther".

The first season was filmed in Kafr Qasim during the 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict. It premiered on February 15, 2015. The second season premiered on December 31, 2017. The third season takes place in the Gaza Strip and was aired in 2019 and 2020. Internationally, the series is streamed by Netflix. In late 2020, it was announced that Fauda would be returning for a fourth season soon.
New Delhi, Oct 28 : Petrol stations in many parts of China have begun rationing diesel amid rising costs and falling supplies, BBC reported.

Some truck drivers are having to wait for days to refuel, according to posts on social media site Weibo, the report said.

China is currently in the midst of a massive power crunch, as coal and natural gas shortages have closed factories and left homes without power.

And this latest issue is only likely to contribute to an ongoing global supply chain crisis, say analysts, the report added.

"The current diesel shortages seem to be affecting long distance transportation businesses which could include goods meant for markets outside of China," said Mattie Bekink, China Director at the Economist Intelligence Unit, the report said.

"Depending on the duration and intensity of this crunch, we could well see this contribute to the global supply chain challenges." The global supply chain crisis has been largely driven by the Covid-19 pandemic, with demand surging as economies re-open.

In China, trucks are only being allowed to fill up 100 litres each - about 10 per cent of their capacity, a truck dealer from Shijiazhuang city in Hebei province told Chinese business news service Caixin.

In other parts of the country, reports suggest rations are even tighter with drivers only allowed to buy up to 25 litres, the report said.

Meanwhile, in the city of Fuyang, about a seven hour drive south of the key transportation hub of Shijiazhuang, Caixin reports petrol stations are limiting purchases or charging drivers surcharges of up to 300 yuan ($47) to fill up their tanks, the report added.

"After going to a few [petrol] stations, there is no more diesel, and prices will continue to rise, and large trucks running logistics will not be able to refuel," one Weibo user wrote.
Amaravati, Oct 28 : The Andhra Pradesh cabinet has decided to request the central government to conduct a caste-based census. The cabinet, headed by Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, met on Thursday and took a slew of decisions.

Briefing the media after the cabinet meeting, information and public relations minister Perni Venkatramaiah a.k.a. Nani said the cabinet has authorized the backward castes welfare minister to place a resolution in the state Assembly for requesting Government of India to take up caste census of backward classes during the general census of 2021.

Venkatramaiah said that the cabinet has approved the creation of 1,285 posts in Medical Health and Family Welfare department, 560 pharmacist posts in YSR Urban clinics and 2,190 additional posts including teaching faculty, staff nurses and paramedical staff under Directorate of Medical Education aggregating 4,035 new posts in Health Department. The Minister said the state government had an aim of filling 41,000 vacancies in Medical Health department and has filled up 26,917 posts in last two and half years, and the remaining posts will be filled soon.

The government has decided to enter into an agreement with Solar Energy Corporation of India to procure 700 MW power at a tariff of Rs 2.49 per unit for 25 years, to supply nine hour day time free power to the farming community on a sustainable basis.

The cabinet also cleared allotment of 130 acres of land to Adani Enterprises in Madhurawada, Vishakhapatnam for setting up a data center park, business park, skill university and recreation center, with an estimated investment of 14,634 crore and committed employment of 24,990 jobs.

The state cabinet has also approved amendments to the Cinematography Act 1965, to pave the way for the online ticketing platform managed by AP State Film, Television & Theater Development Corporation for issuing of cinema tickets, he said.

Tourism projects that recieved cabinet clearance on Thursday include projects at Shilparamam, and Taj Varun Beach in Vishakhapatnam, and Hyatt Palace in Vijayawada. It was also decided to give incentives to these projects, under the tourism policy.

Thursday's cabinet meeting also approved the formation of Economically Weaker Section (EWS) Welfare Department - a new department to implement welfare schemes for poor people belonging to the forward castes. The cabinet also approved formation of welfare corporations for the Jain and Sikh communities in the state.

The cabinet has decided to organise YSR Life Time Achievement and YSR Achievement Awards function on November 1 every year to coincide with Formation Day celebrations of Andhra Pradesh state.
Srinagar, Oct 28 : The Jammu and Kashmir government on Thursday sacked 8 employees on corruption and integrity issues.

The sacked employees, who have been prematurely retired from service, include four Jammu and Kashmir administrative service (JKAS) officers and a doctor, against whom there were charges of corruption.

Official sources said the action is part of an ongoing process to remove deadwood from the administration.

Officials said, the J&K government has dispensed with the services of these 8 employees under Article 226 (2) of the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Service Regulations.

Sources said those sacked have been given three month notice allowance.

"They include Ravidner Kumar Bhat (JKAS), Mission Director RUSA J&K, Mohammad Qasim Wani (JKAS), Regional Director Survey and Land Records Srinagar, Noor Alam (JKAS), Deputy Secretary ARI and Training Department, Mohammad Mujib-ur-Rehman Ghassi (JKAS), presently under suspension, Dr Fayaz Ahmad Banday, former BMO, presently under suspension, Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din (Jr Assistant, presently posted I/C Supervisor Chatha Store Hammu, FCS&CA department), Rakesh Kumar Pargal (Jr Assistant FCS&CA department, presently under suspension) and Parshotam Kumar (store keep at Pancheri Udhampur, presently working as Supervisor RC Flour Mills Undhampur FCS&CA department).

The order follows a recent amendment to Article 226 (2) of the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Service Regulations to include a provision allowing the administration to retire at any time inefficient, ineffective officials and employees, including those with doubtful integrity in public interest after he or she has completed 22 years of service or attained 48 years of age.
New Delhi, Oct 28 : The Centre on Thursday said it has released Rs 44,000 crore to the state governments and UTs (with Legislature) under the back-to-back loan facility in lieu of GST Compensation.

"After taking into account earlier release of Rs 115,000 crore, total amount released in the current financial year as back-to-back loan in-lieu of GST compensation is Rs 159,000 crore," the Ministry of Finanace said in a statement.

"This release is in addition to normal GST compensation being released every 2 months out of actual cess collection." According to the ministry, subsequent to the 43rd GST Council meeting, it was decided that the Central Government would borrow Rs 1.59 lakh crore and release it to States and UTs with Legislature on a back-to-back basis to meet the resource gap due to the short release of Compensation on account of inadequate amount in the Compensation Fund.

"This amount is as per the principles adopted for a similar facility in FY 2020-21, where an amount of Rs 1.10 lakh crore was released to states under a similar arrangement." "This amount of Rs 1.59 lakh crore would be over and above the compensation in excess of Rs 1 lakh crore (based on cess collection) that is estimated to be released to States or UTs with legislature during this financial year. The sum total of Rs 2.59 lakh crore is expected to exceed the amount of GST compensation accruing in FY 2021-22." As per the statement, all eligible states and UTs (with legislature) have agreed to the arrangements of funding of the compensation shortfall under the back-to-back loan facility.

"The release of Rs 44,000 crore being made now is funded from borrowings of GoI in 5-year securities issued in the current financial year, at a 'Weighted Average Yield' of 5.69 per cent. No additional market borrowing by central government is envisaged on account of this release." "It is expected that this release will help the States or UTs in planning their public expenditure among other things, for improving, health infrastructure and taking up infrastructure projects."
Chennai, Oct 28 : Actor Rajinikanth on Thursday was admitted to a private hospital here for a routine check up.

According to his publicist, Rajinikanth has been admitted to Kauvery Hospital here for routine checkup on Thursday evening.

The actor's wife Latha Rajinikanth told a Tamil news channel that the 70-year-old veteran actor was admitted for a day for routine checkup.

On Thursday Rajinikanth who was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award recently tweeted that he had watched his yet to be released movie Annatthe with his grandson on Wednesday.
Hyderabad, Oct 28 : Two days before the polling, Telangana's Huzurabad Assembly constituency on Thursday witnessed bizarre protests by a section of voters after they did not receive cash being offered by some political parties for votes.

A day after the aggressive campaigning by the parties ended, videos of distribution of notes in sealed covers among voters went viral on social media.

Supporters of ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) allegedly distributed cash among voters. They allegedly paid Rs 6,000 to Rs 10,000 for every vote.

One of the videos circulating on social media shows a man opening a sealed cover with the picture of BJP candidate Eatala Rajender and 'Lotus' symbol on it. He is seen counting the currency notes valued Rs 10,000. In another video, a woman is seen opening an envelope containing the cash.

Throughout the campaign, both the parties accused each other of distributing cash, liquor and other items to lure the voters.

As word about distribution of cash spread on Thursday, voters in several villages came out on streets to protest and question local leaders of the two parties. The protesters, including a large number of women, were heard asking why they were not given the money.

"I have not received a single rupee. Why this discrimination," asked an agitated voter in Kamlapur.

Policemen on streets found themselves in a dilemma as the protesters approached them complaining that they were not given the money. They were angry with the local leaders of the two parties for 'ignoring' them.

Meanwhile, a delegation of TRS leaders met Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Shashank Goel in Hyderabad and once again complained that the BJP leaders opened bank accounts and transferred money for distribution among voters.

The Congress party urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to cancel the by-election as both BJP and TRS were violating the model code of conduct and by distributing money and liquor. Party's national spokesperson Dr Sravan Kumar Dasoju submitted a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner.

ECI officials on Thursday took note of the reports about cash and liquor distribution and directed the officials concerned to act firmly to ensure fair and free polling. They held a video conference with the CEO, collectors of Karimnagar and Hanamkonda districts, senior police officials and poll observers.

The CEO said officials in Huzurabad have so far seized Rs 3.52 crore cash.

The by-election was necessitated by the resignation of Eatala Rajender after he was dropped from the State Cabinet over allegations of land grabbing. He quit TRS to join BJP.
Hyderabad, Oct 28 : Telangana's minister for industry and information technology K.T. Rama Rao on Thursday invited MBDA, a world leader in missiles and missile systems, to explore prospective collaboration opportunities for manufacturing in Telangana.

Rama Rao, who is leading a State delegation on a visit to France, held a formal meeting with MBDA's top management team comprising of Directors Boris Solomiac, Pol Neil Le Livec, and Senior Vice President Asia and India Jean-Marc Peyraud.

MBDA, a European multinational developer and manufacturer of missiles, has its headquarters in Paris. During the meeting, minister KTR invited the management team of MBDA to explore prospective collaboration opportunities for manufacturing in Telangana.

The Telangana delegation also held a series of meetings and interacted with various CEOs and industry heads in Paris on Thursday.

The minister met with Aerocampus Aquitaine Sales Director Xavier Audion. Air Attache at the Indian Embassy in France, Air Commodore Hilal Ahmad was also a part of the meeting.

KTR also had a meeting with India's Ambassador to France Jawed Ashraf. The minister thanked the Ambassador and the Indian Embassy in Paris for the warm welcome extended to the Telangana delegation.

The minister gave an overview of the various initiatives of the Telangana Government to attract investments. He also apprised Ambassador about the various priority sectors into which Telangana is soliciting investments from French companies.

KTR also called on Cosmetic Valley's Deputy CEO- In-charge International Strategy Franckie Chereau in Paris. The minister highlighted India's cosmetics market and its substantial growth. He discussed the opportunities to manufacture cosmetics in Telangana.

Cosmetic Valley is a cluster of about 800 companies, creating approximately 70,000 jobs and $11 billion in revenue; 7 universities, 136 colleges, 200 research laboratories for 8,600 researchers, and 100 research projects.

Principal Secretary Jayesh Ranjan, Aerospace & Defence Director Praveen and Digital Media Director Dileep Konatham were present in the meetings.
New Delhi, Oct 28 : The Kerala government, insisting on construction of a new dam, told the Supreme Court that the 126-year-old Mullaperiyar dam, which is a composite gravity dam, is in a deteriorating condition due to age and it should be decommissioned.

In a note, the Kerala government said: "The catchment area of Mullaperiyar reservoir is 624 sq km. The gross storage capacity is only 12.758 TMC ft at 142 ft. Mullaperiyar therefore is exceptionally vulnerable because it has a large catchment area and limited storage capacity".

The government further added the water level in the Mullaperiyar reservoir increases rapidly compared to Idukki which has a catchment area of 650 sq km and having a capacity of 70.5 TMC ft.

The state government emphasized that consequences of any failure of this dam could be extremely catastrophic and beyond human imagination. "The apprehensions of the government of Kerala regarding the life and safety of more than 30 lakh people of 5 districts residing downstream of the dam has to be given due importance and consideration", said the government.

It further added, "seismic forces were not considered in its design. In spite of strengthening measures taken twice, presently the dam is in deteriorating condition due to its age. There would be an exponential increase in the water pressure and uplift pressure acting on the dam when the water level is raised from 136 ft to 142 ft (i.e. from 859.167 to 936.648 tonnes per meter length of the dam)".

It added, the coming monsoon that is to set off during this week too would likely affect the inflow into the dam, and reiterated its stand to increase the outflow to the maximum possible extent.

The state made it clear that the logical next step is construction of a new dam to ensure water to Tamil Nadu and security to people living downstream and to decommission the existing dam.

The top court is hearing a plea by the Kerala government to ensure that water level is not allowed to exceed 139 feet. In 2018, the Supreme Court passed an order to maintain water level at 139 feet during the Kerala floods as a temporary arrangement.

Citing the recent torrential rains which led to increase in water level in the dam's reservoir, the Kerala government asked for a similar relief.
Hyderabad, Oct 28 : The checking of mobile phones of people by Hyderabad police as part of anti-narcotics drive sparked a row with activists taking strong exception to police intruding into citizen's privacy.

Videos of personnel from police and excise departments stopping people on roads and checking not just their vehicles but also their mobile phones went viral on social media on Thursday. The police personnel were looking into chats and were reportedly searching for key words like 'ganja' and 'drugs' The police action evoked strong reaction from many, who wanted to know if this was legal. They termed this as harassment of people.

Telangana High Court advocate Karam Komireddy termed the police action of checking mobile phones as unconstitutional.

"Supreme Court has ruled that the right to privacy is a fundamental right and is an intrinsic part of the right to personal liberty under Art 21 of the Constitution. The action of TS police in checking phones amounts to an invasion of one's privacy and is therefore unconstitutional," he tweeted.

The search was conducted in areas around Dhoolpet, considered to be a hub of narcotics. The police personnel were seen carrying out the searches in Mangalhat, Bhoiguda Kaman and Jumerat Bazar areas.

Social activist S.Q. Masood wanted Telangana DGP and Hyderabad Police Commissioner to clarify if it is permissible under any law to stop and check people and their mobile phones.

"Can you do this at Banjara Hills or Hi-tech City areas? This is clear harassment to common and illiterate people," he said.

Meanwhile, Hyderabad Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar clarified that the police have no intention of intruding into citizens' right to privacy. He, however, said in case of suspicion, everything including electronic devices are checked as digital evidence is critical. "As far as rowdies, murderers, criminals are concerned, if we find anything in possession, we have to check what is that. It is our prime responsibility," he said.

The anti-narcotics drive was launched following recent directions of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao to police and excise departments to deal firmly with growing menace of drugs in Hyderabad and other parts of the State.

During the meeting with top officials, the chief minister had stated the reports of drug addicts forming WhatsApp groups in the state, exchanging messages on drugs availability, purchasing and consuming drugs, were alarming.
Chennai, Oct 28 : Paintings of transpersons from Tamil Nadu and Kerala will be showcased at the prestigious South Florida University. The paintings of these transpersons were selected for featuring in the art exhibition at the university to be held from November 20 to April 20.

The artists have already petitioned the M.K. Stalin government for financial support as they don't have money to participate in the exhibition.

The paintings of transwoman, Kalki Subramaniam, Abhinaya, Rupakala, Silky Prema, Sandhya, Ramba, and a transman, Ramesh from Tamil Nadu and paintings by a transwoman from Kerala, Saji Varrier will also be featured at the art exhibition. Paintings of a transwoman, Abhinaya who passed away due to illness will also be showcased.

The topic is "Visibility and Remembrance: Standing with the Trans community".

Transwoman activist and one of the painters whose work is being exhibited at South Florida University, Kalki Subramaniam told IANS, "This is a great honour as 25 entries were submitted from transpersons of India and 8 got selected." Kalki, who is a painter, writer, author, and speaker and who have been at the forefront of agitations and struggles for the trans community said that Abhinaya, who passed away had sketched the painting that got selected in the South Florida exhibition 3 years ago. She said, "Abhinaya has got the recognition posthumously." Kalki said that the selected paintings will be exhibited on the website of the university also.

The transpersons are planning to meet Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin for financial assistance to attend the exhibition at South Florida University.
Guwahati, Oct 28 : South Korea on Thursday expressed its keenness to invest in Assam in healthcare, food processing, infrastructure and tourism sectors bringing Korean companies to the north-east region of India.

A high-level South Korean delegation led by officials of Delhi-based Embassy of the Republic of Korea and Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) on Thursday held a meeting with Assam's Commerce and Industry department Secretary, Manvendra Pratap Singh in Guwahati to explore the feasibility of investment in multiple sectors in the state.

"The delegation discussed economic and bilateral cooperation between Korea and the Assam government with Korean officials expressing keen interest in healthcare and other projects in the state as it has huge potential for health tech, which is largely untapped," a statement said.

The two sides also explored the possibility of collaboration between the Korean companies and Assam in several other sectors such as food processing, infrastructure and tourism.

The Korean trade delegation promised to share the investment opportunity available in Assam with the Korean companies based in India as well as in Korea, the statement added.

Kwang Seok Yang, the commercial attache in Delhi-based Embassy of the Republic of Korea, said, "Korea has invested mainly in automotive, electronics and chemical sectors since the 1990s and now intends to expand its interest to various industries such as pharmaceuticals, organic farming, food processing and tourism.

"I hope, post this visit, multiple opportunities open up in Assam," Joonhwa Bin, the Managing Director of KOTRA South Asia region, said, "Korean companies tend to be bold and try to be pre-emptive, so Assam can be one of the favourable destinations considering its vast potential.

"Based on this, we shall explore multiple opportunities with Korean companies operating in areas like infrastructure, healthcare, food processing, organic farming, and other sectors. We can leverage each other's strength for mutual benefit." The Korean delegation donated protection masks, infra thermometers, PPE kits and sanitisers made in the south-east Asian country to Assam's Health and Family Welfare department.

The South Korean delegation comprised of top officials of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, KOTRA, India-Korea Business Cooperation Center, India-Korea Startup Center, K-Sure and Korea International Trade Association (KITA), and Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in India (KOCHAM).
New Delhi, Oct 28 : The Centre has informed the Supreme Court that paddy residue burning events from September 15 to October 25 this year, have been reduced by one-third in Punjab, compared to the last year.

According to the status report submitted by the Centre with respect to steps taken to abate air pollution in Delhi-NCR, 2,446 events were reported in Punjab this year - between September 15 and October 25 - as compared with 7,429, in the same period, last year. In 2022, Haryana reported 1,091 events, however this year in the past one month it reported 1027; and in Uttar Pradesh 54 events were reported in 2020, but this year only 30 events were reported so far.

According to the year-wise fire count of cumulative paddy stubble burning incidents reported from October 1 to October 25, Punjab has recorded drastic reduction in such incidents. On October 19, 2019, Punjab reported 7,572 incidents, which increased to 16,221 on October 19, 2020. However, on October 19, 2021, Punjab cumulatively recorded 5,919 incidents. For Haryana, 3,183 incidents were recorded on October 19, 2019, which reduced to 2,218 a year later, and on October 19, this year, it recorded 1,828 cumulative stubble burning incidents.

Uttar Pradesh recorded a marginal increase in fire incidents - On October 19, 2019, 55 incidents were reported and on October 19, this year, 61 incidents were reported.

The Centre had filed an affidavit along with a status report with respect to steps taken by the Union of India, Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas and the Central Pollution Control Board.

A bench headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana said: "We have perused the said affidavit along with the status report and the same is taken on record. Learned counsel appearing for Respondent No 1 is directed to serve a copy of the affidavit as also the Status Report to the other side immediately".

The bench also comprising justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli directed the Delhi government to file an affidavit regarding steps taken to curb pollution.

"List the matter immediately after Diwali Holidays. In the meantime, learned Solicitor General is directed to take necessary steps towards control of the pollution", said the bench in its order.

The top court is hearing petitions against stubble burning in neighbouring states of the capital, which leads to critical pollution levels in the city.
Dhaka, Oct 28 : Terming the unholy alliance between the war criminals of 1971 Jamat-e-Islam and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) as the evil ghosts of Pakistan, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, Information technology advisor and only son of Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh, said these radical parties are responsible for the recent attacks on Hindus that left seven dead across the country.

Joy has called for strong punishment of each of the perpetrators of the recent communal violence in the country.

Sharing a video of the violence, Joy dubbed the "recent spate of attacks as a deep-rooted conspiracy against the country".

He has demanded exemplary punishment for the conspirators.

Joy in a social media post termed the brutality of communal attacks on innocent minorities and Hindu temples since October 13 as the most "deplorable in the country's history." Reminding the inclusion of secularism as one of the founding pillars of Bangladesh by his grandfather, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Joy said, "Bangabandhu has established secularism as one of the pillars of the constitution, initiated a culture of communal harmony in Bangladesh." Reiterating the government's commitment to providing security to Hindus and all minorities in Bangladesh, Joy said, "some people with vested interests are pushing the country into the pit of darkness by misrepresenting and misinterpreting Islam and instilling intolerance among people." He alleged, BNP and Jamat have always played religious card, turning Muslims against non-Muslims and creating apprehension among people.

Elaborating on BNP's role following the violence, the Adviser of PM Hasina, alleged that this party is constantly blaming the government for recent religious violence.

"But, while people, in general, are coming to the streets to protest against the communal clashes, BNP has not launched any protest. Rather, they are desperately trying to save the main culprit Iqbal who placed the Quran in the lap of a Hindu idol at the dead of the night," he said.
New Delhi, Oct 28 : Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology, Jitendra Singh on Thursday said science-based agricultural Innovations will not only double the farmers' income but will also make India the leading agricultural and scientific power in the world after 100 years of Independence.

Singh was speaking during a first of its kind virtual event, where 75,000 farmers from 75 Aspirational Districts interacted with the leading scientists in agriculture sciences and technologies to commemorate the 75th year of India's independence at a mega event "Farmers-Scientists Connect Meet".

It was organized jointly by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and Biotech-KISAN Hub at ICAR-IARI, PUSA, New Delhi under the "Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav" celebrations, a statement from the Ministry said.

Dr Jitendra Singh assured the farmers that the "unique initiative of the Government to find Science-based Agricultural Innovations will not only double the farmers' income but will also make India the leading agricultural and scientific power in the world, when it turns 100 after 25 years of Amrit Kaal Journey." He said, welfare schemes like PM Kisan Maandhan Yojana, PM Fasal Bima Yojana, PM Kisan Samman, Soil Health Card, Neem Coated Urea, e-Nam to name a few have truly revolutionized agriculture and farm production. The pro-farmer schemes and programmes have also empowered the Agriculture Sector financially & resourcefully, besides giving esteem and respect to the farmers which was lacking earlier, he added.

The Biotech-KISAN is a scientist-farmer partnership scheme launched by Department of Biotechnology (DBT) in 2017 for agriculture innovation with an objective to connect science laboratories with the farmers to find out innovative solutions and technologies to be applied at farm level. "The establishment of Biotech-KISAN Hubs in different agro-climatic zones will strengthen and empower the Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) with latest and innovative technologies by linking them with national scientific labs and institutions," Singh said and informed, a total number of 36 Biotech-KISAN Hubs have been established so far, covering all 15 agro-climatic zones in the country.

The scheme has benefited over three lakh farmers so far by increasing their agriculture output and income. Over 200 entrepreneurships have also been developed in rural areas, the statement said.

Senior DBT officials informed that the significant achievements of the programme since inception include: revival of grass pea cultivation and its popularization amongst farmers of Bihar; utilization of rice fallows for enhancing pulse production in North Coastal Andhra Pradesh; empowerment of women farmers through scientific goat and sheep rearing in Sundarbans; promotion and popularization of good agricultural practices (GAPs) for seed spice cultivation amongst farmers of Western Rajasthan for getting premium price for agriculture produce; scientific pig rearing for livelihood improvement of tribal farmers of Meghalaya; production of quality planting material (QPM) of Malbhog variety of banana and its cultivation in Assam and promotion of conservation agriculture practices in rice-wheat and soybean-wheat cropping system in the state of Madhya Pradesh.
New Delhi, Oct 29 : High-density apple plantation was done in 2,300 hectares under a special scheme for the Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), the Central government informed at the Apple Festival inaugurated on Thursday at Srinagar.

Claiming that this Apple Festival was being organised for the first time in J&K, the government informed that the largest quarantine centre for high-density planting material was also being opened in the UT.

With an annual production of more than 2.2 million metric tonne, apples from the UT contributes to 87 per cent of the national production and are linked to the livelihood of nearly 30 per cent of UT's population.

Virtually inaugurating the Apple Festival, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar along with the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, said the government is doing good and speedy work for development of agriculture in the UT with the funds provided under various schemes by the Central government, according to a release from the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

Apple and Kashmir are synonymous with each other; it is the main crop, and this important event will provide a better platform to apple growers and other stakeholders here under the able leadership of Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha," Tomar said.

Sinha said agriculture and allied sector have a significant contribution to the Gross Domestic Product and most of the residents are dependent on agriculture, for whose upliftment the Central and UT governments are working together.

"Various schemes have been implemented to double the income of the farmers. Work is being done with full force to fulfil the Prime Minister's vision of a self-reliant India," he added.

Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Kailash Choudhary said the agriculture Budget of the Centre is now Rs 1.23 lakh crore, higher than Rs 22,000 crore before 2014 when the Modi government came to power.
Agartala, Oct 29 : All India Imams Council (AIIC) on Thursday condemned the alleged attacks on minorities in Bangladesh, claiming that there were attacks on more than five mosques and other Muslim religious places in Tripura during the past few days.

AIIC Tripura unit President, Billal Ahmed and AICC Tripura unit Secretary, Sahid Ahmed said in connection with the Bangladesh violence, there were several violent incidents and attacks on the mosques which took place in Agartala, Kakraban (southern Tripura), Kailashahar, Dharmanagar, Panisagar (in northern Tripura) and other places.

Appreciating the Tripura government for providing security in Muslim religious places, the AIIC leaders urged the state government to take adequate steps to prevent recurrence of such violent incidents.

While talking to the media, the AIIC leaders demanded compensation for the damage of the mosques, madrassas and houses as well as properties belonging to the Muslim community. Billal Ahmed urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take steps to put international pressure on the Bangladesh government so that in future no minorities were attacked there.

The AIIC has demanded capital punishment for 35-year-old Iqbal Hossain, who according to the organisation is the main conspirator in the Bangladesh violence against minorities.

The Tripura government's Minority Affairs and Education Minister, Ratan Lal Nath claimed that there was just one incident that took place in northern Tripura's Panisagar and it was "not an attack".

"Prohibitory orders under section 144 of the CrPC promulgated in Panisagar and Dharmanagar sub-divisions of the north Tripura district on Tuesday as a precautionary measure. Other steps, including providing security, to the religious places were also taken immediately," Nath told the media on Thursday.

Inspector General of Police (Law and Order), Saurabh Tripathi said anti-national and mischievous elements on Twitter and Facebook are spreading fake news and rumours. The videos and photos that are being spread have no connection with the Panisagar incident. No fire incident took place at any mosque, said the IGP, adding that cases were registered against rumour mongers.

The opposition CPI-M, Congress and the Trinamool Congress blamed the ruling BJP government of supporting the right-wing organisations to gain political mileage in the civic polls to be held on November 25 and the Assembly elections in 2023. The ruling BJP government, however, rubbished the allegations levelled by the opposition parties.
New York, Oct 29 : As the countdown nears for Russia's scheduled delivery of an anti-missile defence system to India, two influential US Senators have warned that imposing sanctions on India for buying the equipment could have a "deleterious effect on a strategic partnership" between Washington and New Delhi and asked President Joe Biden to waive the action.

Democrat Mark Warner and Republican John Cornyn wrote to Biden on Tuesday, against imposing sanctions under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) that prescribes the retaliatory action on countries buying defence equipment from Russia.

Russia is to start delivering the anti-missile air defence system to India in November under a 2018 agreement and trigger the sanctions putting the Biden administration in a quandary over how to deal with a nation that is emerging as a close defence partner and an ally in its Indo-Pacific strategy to face China's challenges.

"We strongly encourage you to grant a CAATSA waiver to India for its planned purchase of the S-400 Triumf surface-to-air missile system," the co-chairs of the Senate India Caucus said in the letter released by their offices.

"In the case of this current S-400 transaction involving India, we believe that the application of CAATSA sanctions could have a deleterious effect on a strategic partnership with India, while at the same time, not achieve the intended purpose of deterring Russian arms sales," they said.

Joint steps to safeguard US technology and promote military interoperability can "reinforce India's status as a major Defence partner and will provide another avenue to counter PRC (People's Republic of China) influence in the Indo-Pacific," they added.

The risk of sanctions comes up as the US and India are developing closer defence and strategic ties with an emphasis on the interoperability of their systems enabling their militaries to work together.

India's Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat and US Chairman of Joint Chief of Staff General Mark A. Milley in September discussed interoperability between their militaries, the latest in a series of meetings at various levels on the subject.

The US has designated India as a major Defence partner giving it the status in many respects equivalent to its NATO and other treaty allies.

The two countries have signed three pacts to deepen their defence cooperation -- Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA), Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) and Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA).

India has also been diversifying defence equipment purchases, buying more from the US and European countries like France as well as Israel.

"India has taken significant steps to reduce its imports of Russian military hardware in recent years. From 2016 to 2020, there was a 53 per cent drop in Russian arms exports to India compared to the preceding five-year period. Meanwhile, India has shown its intent to purchase equipment from the United States, with sales reaching $3.4 billion in FY20 (fiscal year 2020)," the US Senators pointed out.

India also has a contract to get four frigates and to lease a nuclear-powered submarine from Russia.

After Turkey defied the US and went ahead with buying the S-400 system, the former President Donald Trump's administration imposed sanctions during its last days on its NATO ally.

The sanctions banned all US export licenses and authorizations to the government's defence equipment arm, Presidency of Defence Industries, and freezing assets and restricted travel of its top officials.

In addition, Washington refused to give Ankara advanced F-35 stealth multi-role jets.

China, which has bought the S-400 equipment and SU-35 jet fighters, is the only other country sanctioned under CAATSA.

India formally signed the agreement to buy the S-400 estimated to cost between $4 billion and $5.5 billion in 2018 from Russia, which has been its main defence supplier, and paid an advance of $800 million in 2019.

Cronyn and Warner, however, said that they shared concerns about the S-400 purchase and "the continued Indian integration of Russian equipment, even with these declining sales," but said the administration should continue reinforcing the concern and support them in finding alternatives.

"We also propose that your administration establish a bilateral working group to identify ways to promote the security of U.S. technology, and to chart a path forward to develop strategies to enhance US-India military interoperability," they added.

Former Defence Secretary Jim Mattis, a retired general, and former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson are among US experts calling for a sanctions waiver for India.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed @arulouis)
Fderik Airport, Fderik, Mauritania [ FGD / GQPF ]

If you are planning to travel to Fderik or any other city in Mauritania, this airport locator will be a very useful tool. This page gives complete information about the Fderik Airport along with the airport location map, Time Zone, lattitude and longitude, Current time and date, hotels near the airport etc... Fderik Airport Map showing the location of this airport in Mauritania. Fderik Airport IATA Code, ICAO Code, exchange rate etc... is also provided.

Fderik Airport Info:

Fderik Airport IATA Code: FGD Fderik Airport ICAO Code: GQPF Latitude : 22.6649 Longitude : -12.7332 City : Fderik Country : Mauritania World Area Code : 545 Airport Type : Small Fderik Airport Address / Contact Details :

Fderik Airport (FGD), Mauritania Timezone : Africa/Nouakchott Fderik Airport Timezone : GMT +00:00 hours Current time and date at Fderik Airport is 16:21:45 PM (GMT) on Saturday, Nov 20, 2021

Looking for information on Fderik Airport, Fderik, Mauritania? Know about Fderik Airport in detail. Find out the location of Fderik Airport on Mauritania map and also find out airports near to Fderik. This airport locator is a very useful tool for travelers to know where is Fderik Airport located and also provide information like hotels near Fderik Airport, airlines operating to Fderik Airport etc... IATA Code and ICAO Code of all airports in Mauritania. Scroll down to know more about Fderik Airport or Fderik Airport, Mauritania.

Fderik Airport Map - Location of Fderik Airport Load Map Mauritania - General Information Country Formal Name Islamic Republic of Mauritania Country Code MR Capital Nouakchott Currency Ouguiya (MRO)

 1 MRO = 0.003 USD

 1 USD = 357 MRO

 1 MRO = 0.002 EUR

 1 EUR = 402.949 MRO

 More MRO convertion rates Tel Code +222 Top Level Domain .mr

Nearest Airports to Fderik Airport Closest airports to Fderik, Mauritania are listed below. These are major airports close to the city of Fderik and other airports closest to Fderik Airport. Nearest airport to Fderik Airport and Fderik is Zouerate Airport - (27.55 Km / 17.12 Miles) Following are the nearest airports to Fderik and Fderik Airport. Distance between the two airports is given in bracket. Mouakchott Airport - (242.19 Km / 150.49 Miles)

Chinguitti Airport - (249.27 Km / 154.89 Miles)

List of 22 airports in Mauritania along with Mauritania airport codes 

This page provides all the information you need to know about Fderik Airport, Mauritania. This page is created with the aim of helping travelers and tourists visiting Mauritania or traveling to Fderik Airport. Details about Fderik Airport given here include Fderik Airport Code - IATA Code (3 letter airport codes) and ICAO Code (4 letter airport codes)

Coordinates of Fderik Airport - Latitude and Longitude (Lat and Long) of Fderik Airport

Location of Fderik Airport - City Name, Country, Country Codes etc...

Fderik Airport Time Zone and Current time at Fderik Airport

Address and contact details of Fderik Airport along with website address of the airport

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General information about Mauritania where Fderik Airport is located in the city of Fderik. General information include capital of Mauritania, currency and conversion rate of Mauritania currency, Telephone Country code, exchange rate against US Dollar and Euro in case of major world currencies etc...

FGD - Fderik Airport IATA Code and GQPF - Fderik Airport ICAO code
The SCoV-2 Detect Neutralizing Ab ELISA provides an important research tool for better understanding of the existence of neutralizing antibodies and COVID immunity.

InBios International Inc., a leading developer of diagnostic tests for emerging infectious diseases, announced today that it received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its SCoV-2 Detect Neutralizing Ab ELISA, a qualitative immunoassay for the detection of neutralizing antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in human serum and plasma (dipotassium EDTA, lithium heparin and sodium citrate). Understanding how antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 evolve during infection could provide important insight in ongoing research for therapeutic approaches and vaccination for COVID-19.

Neutralizing antibodies are part of the bodys natural immune response that is triggered by either prior infection or vaccination against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. These are antibodies that bind to a specific part of a pathogen and have been observed in a laboratory setting to decrease SARS-CoV-2 viral infection of cells. InBios qualitative inhibition ELISA detects antibodies reactive to the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein (S) and as well as antibodies that prevent binding of the virus to the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor.

In a clinical evaluation of serum samples collected from subjects who had been confirmed positive for SARS-CoV-2 by a EUA-authorized RT-PCR assay, InBios SCoV-2 Detect Neutralizing Ab ELISA kit accurately determined 96.2% (PPA) of those who were positive and 96.3% of those who were negative (NPA) for SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies. Fully manufactured in the US and available for immediate purchase, each kit contains all reagents and controls necessary to run the assay and takes about 3 hours to obtain results.

The specific, reliable detection of human antibodies capable of neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 using InBios SCoV-2 Detect Neutralizing Ab ELISA is a safer and reproducible approach to measure NAb in people. The assay negates the need for using an expensive and time-consuming Plaque Reduction Neutralization assay (PRNT), which requires the use of live virus. This new assay provides public health officials with valuable information to continue the battle against COVID-19, said Dr. Syamal Raychaudhuri, InBios chief scientific officer.

The SCoV-2 Detect Neutralizing Ab ELISA is intended for use as an aid in identifying individuals with an adaptive immune response to SARS-CoV-2, indicating recent or prior infection. At this time, it is unknown for how long antibodies persist following infection and if the presence of neutralizing antibodies confers protective immunity. The SCoV-2 Detect Neutralizing Ab ELISA should not be used to diagnose or exclude acute SARS-CoV-2 infection. Testing is limited to laboratories certified under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA), 42 U.S.C. 263a, that meet the requirements to perform high complexity tests. This product, or use thereof, is covered, in whole or in part, by one or more patent applications and is patent pending.

While the SCoV-2 Detect Neutralizing Ab ELISA has not been FDA cleared or approved, it has been authorized for emergency use by FDA under a EUA for use by authorized laboratories. This product has been authorized only for detecting the presence of neutralizing antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, not for any other viruses or pathogens. The emergency use of this product is only authorized for the duration of the declaration that circumstances exist justifying the authorization of emergency use of in vitro diagnostics for the detection and/or diagnosis of COVID-19 under Section 564(b)(1) of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, 21 U.S.C.  360bbb3(b)(1) unless the declaration is terminated or authorization is revoked sooner.

In addition to the SCoV-2 Detect Neutralizing Ab ELISA, InBios has five other FDA EUA products for COVID-19, with additional products in development. For more information about InBios COVID-19 tests, visit our product page.

For more information on COVID-19, please visit http://www.cdc.gov or http://www.who.int.

About InBios: InBios International Inc. specializes in the design, development, and manufacture of diagnostic assays for emerging infectious diseases and biothreats. Located in Seattle, Washington, InBios offers superior quality products which are accurate, easy to use, and cost-effective. InBios is GMP compliant, FDA registered, USDA licensed, and ISO 13485:2016 certified. For more information, visit http://www.inbios.com.
4Discovery, a national digital forensics firm, is expanding its office locations and adding two members to its forensic operation team. The organization's growth centers around an upgraded location in downtown Chicago, a new state-of-the-art digital forensic laboratory in Nashville, and the additions of Senior Forensic Examiner Ryan Ferreira and Forensic Examiner Joseph Mione-Shadwick.

4Discovery's office, previously in the Fulton Market district, has moved to the Civic Opera House on 1 N Wacker Dr, providing a more centralized location to clients in downtown Chicago.

The organization has also opened a new office located north of Nashville International Airport to increase its capacity. In addition, the facility features a new state-of-the-art digital forensic laboratory.

"Expanding our footprint and attracting talented and experienced digital forensic professionals is a monumental step in providing our clients with an elevated level of service," said Chad Gough, Owner and Founder of 4Discovery. "Our new office locations and the experience that Ryan and Joseph bring to the organization is a tremendous step in our growth."

Ryan Ferreira joins 4Discovery after a decade at One Source Discovery in Louisville, Kentucky. Mr. Ferreira specializes in mobile forensics and has been retained for his expert testimony services on more than ten occasions. In addition to his project work, Mr. Ferreira is a frequent presenter at national conferences and is a guest speaker on digital forensics at the University of Louisville.

Joseph Mione-Shadwick brings two years of experience working with Forensic Data Services. He's successfully managed matters ranging from incident response to e-discovery projects. In addition, he recently completed the University of Miami's Cybersecurity Bootcamp.

Addresses for 4Discovery's office locations are available on https://4discovery.com/contact-us/

About 4Discovery

4Discovery is an elite B2B digital forensics firm that provides organizations and attorneys with digital forensic, information security, incident response, and expert testimony services. We believe in simple, efficient, and cost-effective solutions that leverage technology to solve complex challenges. We act as a trusted third party for our clients by assisting with case strategy, conducting forensic examinations, reporting critical findings, and providing expert testimony. In 2020 and 2021, Inc. magazine included 4Discovery in their ranking for the 5000 fastest-growing privately-owned companies in the United States. Learn more about 4Discovery and its team at http://www.4Discovery.com.
Professor Savic and ASTERRA have much in common  both are advocates for technology as the key to protecting the Earths resources

ASTERRA, a growing Israeli company, is gathering its international partners from the water sector for a summit on November 1, 2021. They will then exhibit at AQUATECH, the worlds leading water trade exhibition for process, drinking, and wastewater, November 2-5, 2021. Both events will be held in Amsterdam.

The summit will be a day of collaborative learning, discussion, and celebration of ASTERRA's successes over the past few years. One of the worlds leading researchers in the optimization of water resources and distribution systems, Professor Dragan Savic FREng, will present the keynote address at the partner summit.

Professor Savic is the Chief Executive Officer at KWR Water Research Institute in the Netherlands and also Professor of Hydroinformatics at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom. Professor Savic and his research teams are active and often published; some topics of publication include Artificial Intelligence Techniques for Flood Risk Management in Urban Environments and Intelligent Urban Water Infrastructure Management.

Professor Savic and ASTERRA have much in common  both are advocates for technology as the key to protecting the Earths resources, said Elly Perets, Chief Executive Officer of ASTERRA. Professor Savics expertise in the water industry is unrivaled. We are excited to gather and continue our work supporting water resources at AQUATECH.

In a recent Bloomberg article, How to Build a Water-Smart City, professor Savic shared thoughts on water conservation. Water is less measured than other systems, like transportation, professor Savic said. If you dont measure it, you cannot manage it.

ASTERRA Technology by Utilis are important tools for the measurement and management of water. The technology uses data from satellites located in space to detect water below the Earths surface and provides the points of interest and likely leak locations in various reports. This gives water utilities the information they need to protect their potable water supply. ASTERRA products support pipe deficiency assessment, leak detection, and ground infrastructure assessment. A new product, EarthWorks Rail, was released last month.

ASTERRA is safely working to support resource resilience around the world, by developing new technology and working with partners in the field, the boardroom, and at conferences such as AQUATECH. The conference is both live and virtual. Visit ASTERRA at booth #01.594 or follow them on social media where they will share news and conference information.

***

ABOUT ASTERRA

ASTERRA is a division of Utilis that provides data-driven solutions for water utilities, government agencies, and the greater infrastructure industry. ASTERRA products use synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data from satellites and turn it into large-scale decision support tools. The companys proprietary algorithms and highly educated scientists and engineers are the key to their mission, to deliver actionable intelligence to advance Earths resource resilience. Since 2016, Utilis technology has resulted in saving more than 9000 million gallons of potable water and 22,000 MWH of energy per year, in support of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The Utilis ASTERRA division is headquartered in Israel with offices in the United States and the United Kingdom. Their innovative data solutions are used in multiple verticals around the globe. For more information on ASTERRA and to learn more about their technology visit https://asterra.io.

###

Links:

https://asterra.io

https://asterra.io/products/earthworks/

https://www.aquatechtrade.com/amsterdam/

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-08-02/how-to-build-a-water-smart-city

https://www.facebook.com/asterratech

Media Contact

Karen Dubey

Corporate Marketing Director

inquiry@asterra.io

(858) 798-6709
Boys & Girls Club of Manchester members showcase the Clubs new Teen Tech Lab at a recent event attended by Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig and representatives from AT&T, the initiatives major funder. We are incredibly grateful to the AT&T Foundation for empowering our teens and tweens to explore the art and science of technology with more sophistication, which will further their success in our digital society, stated Diane Fitzpatrick, CEO of Boys & Girls Club of Manchester.

Local students from the Boys & Girls Club of Manchester showcased the Clubs new Teen Tech Lab  a center for hands-on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) learning  at a recent event attended by Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig and representatives from AT&T, the initiatives major funder.

Im thankful for the AT&T Foundations investment in the Boys & Girls Club of Manchester. For over 110 years, the Boys & Girls Club has been a safe haven for youth in our community, said Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig. Theyre a true asset to our city and with this generous gift from AT&T, they can continue to be a place for our youth to grow, learn and thrive.

Now open for use, the Teen Tech Lab combines the resources of STEM and teen programs to deliver age-appropriate education and support for students in grades 6 through 12. Along with offering hands-on STEM learning opportunities, the Teen Tech Lab provides a place for teens to do homework and receive academic support and tutoring.

The AT&T Foundation provided $14,500 to help furnish the Lab, with funds supporting staffing costs and the purchase of interactive white boards, printers, hard drives, sound equipment and furniture.

Every student deserves an opportunity to make their dreams a reality. At AT&T, we are proud to support initiatives like the Teen Tech Lab that are helping to do just that. This space will provide local kids with valuable real-world STEM experiences in a fun, creative, safe and supportive atmosphere, said Owen Smith, President, AT&T New Hampshire. Diane and her staff are making a real difference in the lives of these students, helping to bring STEM learning opportunities and close the digital divide. Were grateful for their efforts and excited to see what the kids come up with in the Lab.

We are incredibly grateful to the AT&T Foundation for allowing our teens and tweens access to an advanced world of technology, stated Diane Fitzpatrick, CEO of Boys & Girls Club of Manchester. The tools we have acquired empower our members to explore the art and science of technology with more sophisticationwhich will further their success in our digital society.

For more information about the Boys & Girls Club of Manchester, visit http://www.mbgcnh.org.

About Boys & Girls Club of Manchester

The Manchester Boys Club was incorporated in 1907 and became the Boys & Girls Club of Manchester in 1983  one of the 53 original organizations that formed the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. The Boys & Girls Club of Manchester works to reach out to all youth, especially those who need the organization most, inspiring them to realize their full potential as productive, responsible, and caring individuals. The Manchester Club includes the main Clubhouse at 555 Union Street, and two after school sites at Jewett Street and Highland Goffes Falls Elementary Schools that focus on academic success, healthy lifestyles, and character and leadership development. The Boys & Girls Club of Manchester also operates Camp Foster summer day camp in Bedford, NH. To learn more, visit http://www.mbgcnh.org.

About AT&T and the AT&T Foundation

AT&T is committed to advancing education, strengthening communities, and improving lives. Through its philanthropic initiatives and partnerships, AT&T and the AT&T Foundation support projects that create opportunities, make connections, and address community needs where we  and our customers  live and work.


Broad Book Group, a boutique publishing company focused on helping businesses and authors grow brand presence through books, recently published and launched The Age of Customer Equity: Data-Driven Strategies to Build a Sustainable Company by Allison Hartsoe.

Broad Book Group is thrilled to work with Allison to bring Fortune 500 concepts to the hands of entrepreneurs and business owners of all backgrounds through the The Age of Customer Equity: Data-Driven Strategies to Build a Sustainable Company, said Jennifer Dorsey, co-founder of Broad Book Group.

Small and large businesses alike must collect customer data to maintain and increase their relevance. Smart companies collect it, humanize it, and learn from it to better understand their customers and create strategies that develop better products and deeper consumer trust. Focusing in on a successful data-driven strategy is an art, and its one that Allison has perfected over the course of her career. Her ability to distill what should happen after the email address is acquired in an easy-to-follow way is that drew Broad Book Group to her project.

Author Allison Hartsoe

Hartsoe is the founder of Ambition Data, a digital data company based in Portland, Ore. Her experience and passion for analysis allows her to see future trends and relate it to the tactical moves her clients need to make today. She has built and executed digital customer analytics strategies for Fortune 500 customers including Nike, BlackRock, New England Biolabs, GlaxoSmithKline, HP, Intel, Microsoft, and Seagate, as well as fast DTC companies including Dagne Dover, Paul Fredrick, and Xero Shoes. Hartsoe is published in Forbes, MIT Technology Review, and Fast Company. She has hosted the Customer Centricity Conference at Wharton and was recently named one of the Top 100 Women in Technology.

The Age of Customer Equity

In The Age of Customer Equity, Hartsoe helps readers cut through the noise and provides the tools necessary to humanize data to connect to the right customers at the right time. Interviews with customer-centric data leaders and case studies shine a light on the successes and struggles of data analytics leadership to give a sense of reality and arm the readers' strategic thinking. Hartsoe teaches people how to:

 Uncover customer behavior, identify opportunities to amplify marketing ROI, and optimize opportunity costs.

 Alight teams to clear hurdles and create long-term 9- and 10-figure gains.

 Spot the largest vulnerabilities in a company, diagnose what is needed, and build a journey to a more powerful customer-centric future.

Learn more about The Age of Customer Equity at http://www.ahartsoe.com and purchase the book from http://www.barnesandnoble, http://www.amazon, and http://www.bookshop.org.

About Broad Book Group

Broad Book Group is a boutique publishing company specializing in publishing nonfiction books in the United States. The team at Broad Book Group has a combined experience of more than 20 years in the book publishing industry. Based in Huntington Beach, Calif., the company works with small presses and large national publishers in history, technology, lifestyle, self-help, business, and professional development categories. The company provides comprehensive editorial, project management, publishing, printing, branding, and marketing services. In addition, Broad Book Group provides writing and publishing support through robust educational courses. Learn more at http://www.broadbookgroup.com.
BuzzTheory to Sponsor Alliance of Channel Women Networking Event at Channel Partners Conference & Expo on November 1 The team at BuzzTheory has been involved with ACW as cheerleaders and volunteers from day one. More than a decade later, were still committed to the ACW mission of creating opportunities for channel women through learning, mentoring and volunteering.

BuzzTheory, a full-service marketing strategy and consulting company specializing in the channel, announced that it is a Silver sponsor of the Alliance of Channel Women ACWConnect Live! Networking Event, kicking off the Channel Partners Conference & Expo in Las Vegas. ACWConnect Live! will be held from 4:30-6:30 p.m., November 1, 2021, Lower Level, Mariners A&B at The Mandalay Bay.

At ACWConnect Live! Las Vegas 2021, ACW will celebrate resilience and innovation in the telecom and IT channel over the past 18 months spent balancing work and life with the pandemic. This events theme, Putting Our Best Foot Forward, reminds us to approach the next normal with determination and intention not to mention a great pair of shoes.

The fall event, which marks two years since ACW members and supporters have come together in person, will feature a mix of our signature networking reception and a few surprises, such as:



A farewell keynote address by outgoing ACW President Amy Bailey, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Telarus.

State of the Channel with Kelly Danziger, Vice President of Channel, InformaTech

A first-ever all-male Sponsor Rapidfire Panel

Winners of the ACW LEAD, ACT and Big Impact Awards

More!

Alliance of Channel Women events and top-notch programming would not be possible without the generosity of sponsors like BuzzTheory, said Bailey. Were thankful to BuzzTheory for supporting ACW and enabling our members to learn and share ways to promote inclusion and leverage diversity in all its forms.

The team at BuzzTheory has been involved with ACW as cheerleaders and volunteers from day one, said Khali Henderson, Senior Partner at BuzzTheory. More than a decade later, were still committed to the ACW mission of creating opportunities for channel women through learning, mentoring and volunteering. Were thrilled to support this trailblazing group as its marketing partner and sponsor.

As an entirely volunteer-led organization, our sponsors are the lifeblood to our events longevity, said ACW Board Member and Sponsorship Committee Chair Jasmina Muller, Vice President of Global Channel Partnerships at Everbridge. Thanks to companies like BuzzTheory, we provide not only ACWConnect Live! bi-annual networking events but also ongoing education, leadership and mentoring programs. We are thrilled to see so many generous companies support the Alliance of Channel Women.

The ACWConnect Live! Networking Event is open to all women and men attending the Channel Partners Conference & Expo event. It is FREE to all ACW members and $30 for non-members. Click here to register. Become an ACW member and attend FREE; sign up at https://allianceofchannelwomen.org/membership

Companies interested in sponsoring the event can find more information on the ACW website at https://allianceofchannelwomen.org/sponsors/benefits.

About the Alliance of Channel Women

Founded in 2010, the Alliance of Channel Women is a not-for-profit organization of women in the indirect sales channel of the telecom and IT industry. The Alliance of Channel Women brings us together to empower and advance womens careers and leadership roles in the technology channel through education, community, advocacy and opportunities for personal growth. To learn more and to become a member, please visit http://www.allianceofchannelwomen.org.

About BuzzTheory

BuzzTheory is a leading content, channel and revenue marketing firm serving technology companies. We help you build, grow and monetize relationships with customers, sales partners, investors and the media. A study by Forrester named BuzzTheory one of the five most recommended channel marketing and PR firms in the world. For more information, visit: http://www.buzztheory.com
Investor demand for essential retailers carried over from 2020 into 2021

The Boulder Group announced the release of its Net Lease Drug Store Report today. In the third quarter national asking cap rates in the single tenant drug store sector compressed to 5.80%, according to the 2021 Net Lease Drug Store Report. This represented a 59 basis point decrease when compared to the prior year.

New historic low cap rates levels for CVS and Walgreens of 5.15% and 5.40% respectively were the primary driver of the compression, says Randy Blankstein, President, The Boulder Group. Investor demand for essential retailers carried over from 2020 into 2021, propelling cap rates for all three major tenants in the single tenant drug store sector lower.

According to the report, Rite Aid cap rates compressed by 40 basis points to 7.40% but did not reach its prior historic low level (2008). The increased demand and transaction volume for drug stores in 2020 created a property supply issue in 2021. In the third quarter of 2021, the supply of single tenant drug stores decreased by approximately 20% when compared to the year prior. All three major tenants within the drug store sector experienced decrease in supply ranging from 14% to 26%.

The supply of drug stores with long term leases remains low compared to historical standards mainly due to the lack of new store development, adds Jimmy Goodman, Partner, The Boulder Group. For the second straight year, the median remaining lease term for the drug store sector was less than 10 years.

While all three tenants within the drug store sector provide investors with corporately guaranteed leases, differences in the credit profiles of each exist. While all three tenants within the sector provide investors with corporately guaranteed leases, differences in the credit profiles of each exist. CVS and Walgreens share an identical investment grade rating from Standard & Poors of BBB, while Rite Aid carries a non-investment grade rating of B-. Rite Aids rating is the primary reason for the cap rate discount of 225 and 200 basis points compared to CVS and Walgreens. Furthermore, Rite Aid experiences a wider spread between its asking price and closed cap rates when compared to its drug store peers.

The drug store sector will continue to experience demand from investors targeting investment grade rated drug stores. The limited development pipeline of new stores for all three tenants will require that the majority of the supply of long-term leases will be provided by blend and extend of existing leases or larger portfolios of sale leasebacks, according to Blankstein. Private and 1031 exchange buyers will continue to be the primary acquirer of single tenant drug stores.

About The Boulder Group

The Boulder Group is a boutique, Chicago-based investment real estate services firm specializing in transaction and advisory services for single tenant net lease properties. Founded in 1997, the firm has closed over $6 billion of net lease property transactions. The firm provides a full range of brokerage, research, advisory, and financing services nationwide. The level of annual, single-tenant transaction volume consistently ranks the firm in the top 10 companies nationally, according to industry benchmarks determined by CoStar and Real Capital Analytics.
From the beginning weve shown our passion for building an extraordinary business, which we define as knocking the socks off of our customers, employees, the owners and the communities we serve, said Francis Hester, CEO of Captain Hook.

Captain Hook Dumpster Rentals is celebrating 20 years of proudly providing dumpster rental services in Texas. To help mark the occasion, the company invited its customers, partners and friends to join its employees to celebrate the anniversary during a private event at Bolden Acres.

Since 2001, Captain Hook has rented and serviced dumpsters for residential and commercial customers working on remodeling and clean-up projects in the greater Austin area. Its beige-colored dumpsters are a familiar site at locations around the area.

From the beginning weve shown our passion for building an extraordinary business, which we define as knocking the socks off of our customers, employees, the owners and the communities we serve, said Francis Hester, CEO of Captain Hook. We dont sacrifice any stakeholder group over another.

What a fantastic experience I had with Captain Hook! Three 30-yard roll-offs in one day! Francis and Elaine in the office were wonderful to work with, and at 4:45 on Friday their driver, Alonzo, agreed to stay late and bring ONE MORE in the pouring-down rain so that we could complete our project! said customer Anne Herzer Davis, Owner of Cache Properties. I will recommend Captain Hook to all of my friends! Builders and Flippers!

Hester is a big believer in building the team around core values. The company brings these core values to life by having just a few of them, repeating them often, and by ensuring that everyone is walking the walk.

You cant say you have values unless youre living and abiding by them, said Hester. We set our core values so that each employee has guidance to make decisions and act independently. Developing core values is a discovery process, and together we discover which values we share and which define the right people for our business."

These values are reflected in the companys ongoing support in the communities it serves. Captain Hook is a proud supporter of TEXSAR (Texas Search and Rescue). Its a nonprofit organization that serves all citizens throughout Texas and deploys at the request of law enforcement, fire departments and emergency management agencies. TEXSAR provides specialized services such as ground search and rescue, flood and swift-water rescue, K9 search, disaster relief, aerial search, and dive team operations. Captain Hook donates $5 from every haul it makes to support TEXSAR.

Additionally, Captain Hook has sourced many employees from Goodwills second chance program that offers CDL training school to individuals who otherwise have a more difficult time finding employment.

Torch Award Finalist

Earlier this month, Captain Hook was chosen as a finalist among the nearly 100 Texas businesses that applied to receive Better Business Bureaus 2021 Torch Awards for Ethics. BBB serving the Heart of Texas presents the Torch Awards for Ethics each year to businesses that exemplify ethical behavior and display integrity in all aspects of its operations. Captain Hook was one of three finalists out of more than 100 entries in its category.

The Torch Awards competition is open to all for-profit businesses headquartered in BBBs 105-county service area. Nominees are offered the opportunity to submit an entry to BBB, where a panel of independent volunteer business and community leaders review the entries and choose the winners based on their performance in the marketplace.

To learn more about Captain Hook Dumpster Rentals and its services, visit https://captainhookaustin.com/ or call 512-719-4172.

About Captain Hook

Since 2001, Captain Hook has rented and serviced dumpsters for residential and commercial customers working on remodeling and clean-up projects in Central Texas. Were passionate about building an extraordinary business. We define an extraordinary business as one that knocks the socks off of the customers, the employees, the communities that we operate in, and the owners. Our capable, conscientious, bold and persevering team is truly enthusiastic about our continued growth and success in the equipment rental market. https://captainhookaustin.com

Media contact:

Elaine OGorman

elaine@captainhookaustin.com

1+ 512-719-4172
Were proud to fund Maman Hippie Brand in its mission to inspire free-spirited women to turn their dreams into a reality." - Andrew DSouza, CEO and co-founder, Clearco.

Clearco, the worlds largest e-commerce investor and the company revolutionizing the way founders grow their businesses, today announced that its ClearAngel program is funding Maman Hippie Brand, a charitable, woman-owned fashion brand that specializes in ethically-sourced, trendy, and comfortable accessories. ClearAngel gives early-stage founders access to revenue share capital, data-driven advice, and Clearcos extensive network of apps, agencies, and investors.

Founded in 2019 in Quebec by neurodivergent entrepreneur Veronique Ouellet, Maman Hippie Brand was created out of a passionate search for independence from an unfulfilling nine-to-five lifestyle. After traveling to California and falling in love with the free-spirited culture, Ouellet was inspired to capture that essence in a business she was passionate about - while also giving back to eating disorder-focused charities. Though the first few years have been successful, ClearAngels funding will allow the brand to expand customer reach and marketing territories.

ClearAngel is one of a few equity-free, flexible capital options for early-stage founders who dont have the network to raise an angel round or join exclusive accelerators. The program has already funded over 350 companies since its February 2021 launch.

Were proud to fund Maman Hippie Brand in its mission to inspire free-spirited women to turn their dreams into a reality, said Andrew DSouza, CEO and co-founder, Clearco. This latest investment speaks to our commitment of fuelling businesses from rarely tapped markets that perform well and do good.

Supplementary to $10,000 of flexible capital, Maman Hippie Brand also receives access to a network of more than 500 investors, growth teams, agencies, apps, lawyers, and buyers; and data-driven advice designed to help scale and hit new revenue milestones. Maman Hippie Brand plans to leverage this support by expanding its marketing budget and targeting customers through digital channels.

Im thrilled ClearAngel is helping scale our business and, ultimately, supporting our mission to motivate women throughout their own personal journeys, said Veronique Ouellet, Founder, Maman Hippie Brand. I want to show women that achieving your dreams is possible, and remind them that they have the power to do so.

To learn more about Maman Hippie Brand and experience their a for yourself, visit mamanhippiebrand.com.

ClearAngel is currently onboarding E-commerce and product companies, and has limited spots available for SaaS, Apps, marketplace and stealth companies. To learn more about applying, visit angel.clearbanc.com.

About Clearco:

Co-founded as Clearbanc in 2015 by Michele Romanow from Canadas Shark Tank (Dragons Den), Andrew DSouza, Ivan Gritsiniak, Charlie Feng, and Tanay Delima, Clearco offers the most founder-friendly capital solutions for e-commerce, mobile apps, and SaaS founders as well as a full suite of products and access to a powerful global network, insights and data, and recommendations. Clearco has invested over $2 Billion in over 4,500 companies to date, including Leesa Sleep, fashion-rental service Le Tote, home goods company Public Goods, shirtmaker UNTUCKit, online speech therapy practice Expressable, and digital real estate marketplace SetSchedule. For more information visit clear.co and @getClearco.
#GetOnWithIt "PechaKucha is extremely proud to empower everyone  from students to top world leaders  to participate in critical discussions relating to climate change."

PechaKucha, a social storytelling platform, and Daydream Believers, a group of innovation-minded educators, employers and students, have teamed up to inspire climate action as global leaders and policymakers gather for the COP26 United Nations Climate Change Conference to discuss the planets most pressing environmental challenges.

Daydream Believers has launched a campaign to motivate students, educators and young change-makers to tell policymakers to finally #GetOnWithIt. Participants are encouraged to propose their creative climate solutions in 20 slides or less using PechaKuchas concise show-and-tell format. The #GetOnWithIt campaign and Action Pack were created by Edinburgh-based creative agency Whitespace, an isobar company part of global advertising network, dentsu international. Chris Davey, Creative Director, is a founder member of Daydream Believers.

These presentations, among others, will be featured at free daily events running in tandem with COP26 held at Strath Union, on the campus of The University of Strathclyde.

Presentations will be hosted by After The Pandemic, an accelerator committed to using creativity to look beyond the pandemic and curators of some of COP26's most engaging programming. Presenters and performers at After the Pandemic @ COP26 will include social innovators, global climate experts, indigenous artists, and those affected by the crisis at a local community level.

Weve created a space for everyone to participate in COP26, beyond just world leaders, said Helena Good, Daydream Believers Design Lecturer and Master Dreamer. Our virtual campaign and live events at The University of Strathclyde give us all a chance to take part in the climate conversation and drive positive change  together for our planet.

In Scotland, young learners at Stow Primary and graduate students at Napier University Edinburgh have participated in the #GetOnWithIt Challenge. These engagements are made possible with help from partner organizations such as:



LEGO Group, whose sustainability team brings its Build the Change program to COP26, showcasing how childrens creativity can provide simple solutions to complex environmental issues and change the world for the better.

Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a charity working with business, governments & cities, and academic institutions to accelerate the transition to a circular economy - a new economic system that's better for people and the environment.

Held in Glasgow, Scotland, COP26 runs from October 31 through November 12. Leaders from PechaKucha and Daydream Believers will be attending and speaking at COP26. For more information about the daily presentations at Strath Union hosted by After the Pandemic, please visit https://afterthepandemic.scot/programme/.

PechaKucha is extremely proud to empower everyone  from students to top world leaders  to participate in critical discussions relating to climate change, said Mark Dytham, PechaKucha Founder and Chief Community Officer. Presenting complex issues like climate change can be a challenge. PechaKuchas simple storytelling platform welcomes anyone to share thoughts, visually and concisely, to inspire ideas, connections and outcomes that truly move the world forward.

About PechaKucha

PechaKucha, based in Chicago and Tokyo, is the fast-growing storytelling platform used by millions of people across the globe. Content creators, schools, businesses, and government agencies worldwide license PechaKuchas 20 images x 20 seconds platform to share visual stories, information and concepts for inspired action. PechaKucha community organizers host live events in more than 1,250 cities in 140 countries, with thousands of individual creators using PechaKuchas social storytelling platform for digital talks, sessions and chats. To gain inspiration from 50,000+ PechaKucha stories or to share your own, visit https://www.pechakucha.com.

About Daydream Believers

Daydream Believers are a group of passionate, award- winning educators, employers and students who came together to embed creativity at the heart of education because they believe that innovation, curiosity and learning from failure are key to unlocking the potential of the future workforce. Daydream Believers believe the future is bright for the next generation of young people. This is a unique example of what happens when education and industry connect to bring real world challenges into our classrooms. In Oct 2021 Daydream Believers was awarded the BIMA10 which recognises digital experiences that have helped inspire a generation of professionals and defined what exceptional looks like.

https://daydreambelievers.co.uk

About After the Pandemic

After the Pandemic was launched on May 8th, 2020 by Lateral North, Fergus Bruce, and Laura McHard. It asked how communities could both generate ideas and initiate positive change during the Covid-19 Pandemic - how to develop new places and spaces; new systems and new products; and how to tackle both immediate problems and intersecting global challenges like the climate emergency. The initiatives original aim was to use creativity to rethink, reimagine, and redesign Glasgow, Scotland. It now offers an open, supportive platform for people to share ideas for how their communities might build back better' from this very specific moment in time - to make our spaces and places to be greener, more sustainable, and more resilient. https://afterthepandemic.scot/
Our teams experience combined with our proactive QA approach will help assure a system that works for the children and families of Illinois," says Tim Lenning, Director of CSGs Child Support Practice.

CSG Government Solutions, a national leader in government program modernization, today announced that it has been selected by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, Division of Child Support Services, to provide quality assurance services for its Child Support Automation and Innovation for Modernization project.

Illinois is implementing a new child support solution to modernize its technology platform and keep pace with the dynamic needs of contemporary child support programs. CSG is providing QA services to assure the quality and accuracy of management processes and documentation throughout the project life cycle, including establishing QA processes to assess project risk, adherence to industry standards, vendor deliverable quality, and system security risks.

"CSG is a leader in providing QA and other services for child support system modernizations across the country, says Tim Lenning, Director of CSGs Child Support Practice. Our teams experience combined with our proactive QA approach will help assure a system that works for the children and families of Illinois.

CSG Government Solutions deploys highly experienced teams and innovative methods, knowledge, and tools to help governments modernize complex programs. CSG clients include 46 state and territory governments, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Labor, and large municipal governments.

Contact:

Tim Lenning

Director, Child Support Practice

CSG Government Solutions

180 N. Stetson Ave

Suite 3200

Chicago, IL 60601

Office: 312.444.2760 Fax: 312.938.2191

tlenning@csgdelivers.com

About CSG Government Solutions:

CSG Government Solutions is a leading government operations consulting firm focused on helping states modernize critical programs. Our highly experienced teams and industry-leading Centers of Excellence help governments leverage innovative technology and processes to meet the challenges of administering complex programs. Founded in 1997, CSG has established itself as a trusted adviser to government agencies across the U.S. For more information, visit http://www.csgdelivers.com and connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Drivers can sell or trade-in their exotic and luxury vehicles at fair market prices in Austin, Texas

Drivers who are looking to upgrade to a new model can sell or trade in their old exotic vehicles at Lamborghini Austin in Austin, Texas. They can check the value of their trade by visiting the dealerships website. Even if the customers are not purchasing from the dealership, they can still sell their vehicles here.

Lamborghini Austin has a wide range of new Lamborghini models that the drivers can buy without worrying about their current vehicles. They also have a plethora of models in their inventory of pre-owned vehicles. The dealership serves customers in Austin, Texas, and surrounding areas, including Plano, San Antonio, El Paso, Midland, Odessa, Lubbock, Temple, College Station, San Angelo and Marble Falls.

In addition to an extensive inventory of exotic and luxury models, Lamborghini Austin also offers financing options. Customers can buy or lease a new Lamborghini from the dealership without any hassle. Along with financing options, they also offer quality service and repair for all exotic vehicles. They only use premium OEM parts for all the repairs!

Drivers who are looking to sell or trade in their old vehicles and buy or lease a new vehicle can contact Lamborghini Austin by dialing 833-331-0322. Customers who are only looking for service and repairs can schedule a service from the dealerships website. They can also visit the dealership in person at 4108 North Lamar Boulevard in Austin, Texas, for further assistance.
Gods Cop to Gods Great Warrior: The Life and Times of Bishop James F. Copeland: a gripping private look into a life of determined service and faith in God. Gods Cop to Gods Great Warrior: The Life and Times of Bishop James F. Copeland is the creation of published author Derrick Copeland Sr, who is the son of Bishop James F. Copeland and Dr. Mary Sinclair Copeland. Derrick J. Copeland Sr is a loving husband, father, and grandfather, who attended Nassau College, York College, and Brooklyn Tabernacle Bible School.

Derrick J. Copeland Sr shares, This is the story about Gods process, life, and times of Bishop James F. Copeland, the number one police officer and undercover detective during the 1960s and 1970s in New York City and his rise in the ministry during the 1980s and 1990s, becoming one the great faith preachers of his time in New York City and throughout the world. Bishop James F. Copeland was well known to some of the greatest preachers and teachers in the world today like Dr. T.D. Jakes, Dr. Noel Jones, Dr. Luther Blackwell, Dr. Myles Munroe (RIP), Dr. Don Meares, and Dr. Shirley Caesar, just to name a few of the great clergies who were blessed to know this great man of God. This story will show you the process that God had for Bishop Copelands life, from his near-death experience as a child and police officer and his dangerous cases as an undercover agent, becoming the top detective in New York City as he worked with the top law enforcement agencies in New York City. Federal and city cases that were so dangerous some of them cant be named to this day. You will see Bishops great rise as a warrior for God and Gods process throughout his life. After reading this great story, you will have the keys to a successful life and what Bishop Copeland called a more excellent way to Gods kingdom on earth. God bless you all.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Derrick Copeland Srs new book is a compelling look into a unique life of solving difficult crimes and later preaching the Gospel.

Derrick J. Copeland Srs exclusive personal knowledge of Bishop Copelands life are presented in a manner intended to honor and show appreciation within this heartfelt biographical work.

Consumers can purchase Gods Cop to Gods Great Warrior: The Life and Times of Bishop James F. Copeland at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about Gods Cop to Gods Great Warrior: The Life and Times of Bishop James F. Copeland, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
Doxim is well positioned for success in the CCM market, thanks to its modern, cloud-native and easy-to-use communications platform, which takes the complexity out of omnichannel communications -- Mia Papanicolaou, GM, North and South America, Aspire

Doxim, the leading customer communications management (CCM) and engagement technology provider serving financial and regulated markets, today announced that it has been recognized as a leader on the inaugural Aspire CCM-CXM Service Provider Leaderboard, issued October 20, 2021, by Aspire, a leading consulting firm specializing in the Customer Communications Management (CCM) industry.

Doxim appears in the leadership quadrant for CCM-CXM Service Providers overall. In addition, the company is ranked the top player in the utilities and financial services SMB markets and ranks among the top three CCM transactional communication service providers for both the financial services and healthcare industries in North America.

To generate the Aspire Leaderboard, CCM and CXM service providers were ranked according to Aspires independent analysis and positioned based on the strength of their combined services and their strategic direction. Every service provider on the Aspire Leaderboard completed an in-depth questionnaire, supported by one or more briefings with Aspires analyst team, who then contacted customer references to get honest opinions on how the software was being used in practice. Aspire also liaised with many of its own contacts to independently verify and validate its analysis.

Doxim is well positioned for success in the CCM market, thanks to its modern, cloud-native and easy-to-use communications platform, which takes the complexity out of omnichannel communications, commented Mia Papanicolaou, GM, North and South America, Aspire. We were particularly impressed with the companys secure, mobile-first approach and will be watching with interest as Doxim further expands its competitive offering in the year to come.

Doxim is committed to providing the best Customer Communications Management solutions in the industry, bar none, said Doxim CEO Mike Rogalski. We offer a comprehensive integrated suite of CCM solutions, plus the managed services and expert consulting our clients need to take full advantage of it. This recognition from Aspire validates the strength of our CCM solutions and underpins our commitment to help organizations to transform their customer experience across all channels and optimize customer relationships and brand loyalty with every touchpoint.

About Doxim

Doxim is the customer communications management and engagement technology leader serving financial and regulated markets, providing omnichannel document and payment solutions that transform experiences to strengthen engagement throughout the entire lifecycle. The Doxim Platform helps clients communicate reliably and effectively, improve cross-sell and upsell opportunities, and drive increased loyalty and wallet share through personalized communications and easy-to-use payment processes. The platform addresses key digitization, operational efficiency, and customer experience challenges through our suite of plug-and-play, integrated, SaaS software and technology solutions. Learn more at http://www.doxim.com

Aspire Disclaimer

The Aspire Leaderboard is copyrighted by Aspire Customer Communications Services Ltd. and is based on the findings and opinions of Aspires consultancy organization. Aspire does not endorse any vendor, service provider, product or service included in the Aspire Leaderboard. For tailored RFP support please contact the Aspire team here.

About Aspire

Aspire Customer Communications Services is a boutique consulting firm specializing in the Customer Communications Management (CCM) and Customer Experience Management (CXM) industries. Through deep market expertise and global insights, Aspire works with technology providers, service providers, enterprises and investors to help them achieve their

CCM goals. Find more information about how Aspire is helping organizations navigate the complexities of the customer communications world at http://www.aspireccs.com.


Law Office of Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP For more information about the class action lawsuit against Aspen Surgery Center, LLC, call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today.

The San Francisco employment law attorneys, at Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP, filed a class action lawsuit against Aspen Surgery Center, LLC alleging the company violated the California Labor Code. The lawsuit against Aspen Surgery Center, LLC is currently pending in the Contra Costa County Superior Court, Case No. C21-02047. To read a copy of the Complaint, please click here.

According to the lawsuit filed, Aspen Surgery Center, LLC allegedly (a) failed to pay minimum wages, (b) failed to pay overtime wages, (c) failed to provide legally required meal and rest periods, (d) failed to provide accurate itemized wage statements, (e) failed to reimburse employees for required expenses, and (f) failed to provide wages when due, all in violation of the applicable Labor Code sections listed in California Labor Code Sections  201, 202, 203, 226, 226.7, 510, 512, 1194, 1197, 1197.1, 2802, and the applicable Wage Order(s), and thereby gives rise to civil penalties as a result of such alleged conduct.

Aspen Surgery Center, LLC allegedly failed to reimburse employees for required business expenses. California Labor Code  2802 expressly states that "an employer shall indemnify his or her employee for all necessary expenditures or losses incurred by the employee in direct consequence of the discharge of his or her duties..." During employment, Plaintiff and other California Class Members were allegedly required to use their personal cellular phones and personal vehicles in order to complete their job duties.

For more information about the class action lawsuit against Aspen Surgery Center, LLC, call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today.

Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP is a labor law firm with law offices located in San Diego County, Riverside County, Los Angeles County, Sacramento County, Santa Clara County, Orange County and San Francisco County. The firm has a statewide practice of representing employees on a contingency basis for violations involving unpaid wages, overtime pay, discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination and other types of illegal workplace conduct.

***THIS IS AN ATTORNEY ADVERTISEMENT***
Law Office of Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP For more information about the class action lawsuit against Rancho Murieta County Club, call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today.

The Sacramento employment law attorneys, at Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP, filed a class action lawsuit against Rancho Murieta County Club, alleging the company violated the California Labor Code. The lawsuit against Rancho Murieta County Club is currently pending in the Sacramento County Superior Court, Case No. 34-2021-00308730. To read a copy of the Complaint, please click here.

According to the lawsuit filed, Rancho Murieta County Club allegedly (a) failed to pay minimum wages, (b) failed to pay overtime wages, (c) failed to provide legally required meal and rest periods, (d) failed to provide accurate itemized wage statements, (e) failed to reimburse employees for required expenses, and (f) failed to provide wages when due, all in violation of the applicable Labor Code sections listed in California Labor Code Sections  201, 202, 203, 226, 226.7, 510, 512, 1194, 1197, 1197.1, 2802, and the applicable Wage Order(s), and thereby gives rise to civil penalties as a result of such alleged conduct.

The complaint further alleges Rancho Murieta County Club routinely added a service charge to its food and beverage banquet bills. It is customary that service charges in this type of setting are expected to passed on to the service staff. Defendant has allegedly not paid these gratuities to the non-managerial employees who serve the food and beverages. As a result, Plaintiff has not received the total proceeds of the gratuities, to which they are entitled to under California law.

For more information about the class action lawsuit against Rancho Murieta County Club, call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today.

Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP is a labor law firm with law offices located in San Diego County, Riverside County, Los Angeles County, Sacramento County, Santa Clara County, Orange County and San Francisco County. The firm has a statewide practice of representing employees on a contingency basis for violations involving unpaid wages, overtime pay, discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination and other types of illegal workplace conduct.

***THIS IS AN ATTORNEY ADVERTISEMENT***
Euclid explained to the Court how fiduciary underwriters analyze fiduciary best practices and how district courts can adopt similar techniques to give closer scrutiny to dismiss implausible cases.

Euclid Fiduciary filed an amicus curiae brief with the U.S Supreme Court in the Hughes v Northwestern University, et al., No. 19-1401, excessive fee ERISA case today.

Euclid Fiduciary, a leading provider of fiduciary liability insurance, filed an amicus brief in the most important case in the nearly fifty-year history of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). A group of plaintiff law firms have filed over 300 purported excessive fee cases in the last five year as part of their business model to drive huge settlements and attorney fees. As Euclid demonstrates in its amicus brief, the cases are often based on inaccurate facts and misleading comparisons to inappropriate benchmarks. These distorted claims of excessive fees mislead and prejudice district courts to allow cases to proceed to expensive discovery, after which plaintiff law firms can pressure plan sponsors to settle even illegitimate cases. Euclid explained to the Court how fiduciary underwriters analyze fiduciary best practices and how district courts can adopt similar techniques to give closer scrutiny to dismiss implausible cases.

Euclids approach focuses on Department of Labor mandated fee disclosures provided to every plan sponsor and plan participants, which are available to district courts and often cited in complaints. Although these disclosures contain accurate fee information with the exact recordkeeping and investment fees, plaintiffs often mislead courts with false claims of exaggerated fees. This tactic, in turn, frequently sways courts to permit meritless claims to proceed in discovery, giving plaintiffs a shot at a windfall settlement.

Euclids brief gave multiple examples of this problem. In the AT&T case, the district court denied four successive motions to dismiss in a case alleging an excessive recordkeeping fee of $61 per participant. After expensive discovery, the undisputed record showed that the recordkeeping fee was one-third the size of the false allegations, and that AT&T had negotiated a most favored customer provision that guaranteed the lowest possible fee that Fidelity provides to similarly sized plans. Upon a full evidentiary record, the plans disclosures showed that all four complaints filed in the case contained false allegations. But the district court had deferred to the complaint as true and forced AT&T to spend untold defense costs to defend its plan fiduciaries against false allegations.

In another example, Euclid reviewed the case against Walgreens, who offered super low-cost six basis points target-date funds from Northern Trust, a fee so low that it is only offered to large institutional plans. But plaintiffs alleged that the plan fiduciaries were imprudent because the funds purportedly under-performed benchmarks cherry-picked by plaintiff lawyers. The benchmarks, however, were misleading, because the Northern Trust target date funds were intentionally designed with a conservative investment strategy with less stock allocated to the portfolio. Conservative investment allocations cannot be compared to more aggressive and risky investments. But the district court allowed the case to proceed on faulty benchmarks alleged by plaintiffs. The prejudice is real, because recent press reports indicate that Walgreens paid a $13.5m settlement, including several million in plaintiff attorney fees, in a case without any merit, likely to avoid the high cost of defense and litigation risk.

This hijacking of ERISA fiduciary law must stop. In the face of these false and misleading allegations, Euclid advocated that the Court give guidance to district courts to do exactly what the fiduciary underwriters at Euclid do every day: use DOL-mandated fee disclosures and proper benchmarks to ascertain the real plan fees and investments in the full context of the plans investment mix before allowing plaintiff law firms to harass plan sponsors with expensive and harassing litigation. Courts can and should make use of plan disclosures and public financial information when analyzing excessive fee lawsuits. Plaintiff firms cry wolf that they do not know the processes followed by plan fiduciaries, and should be entitled to deference to anything they allege in their complaints. But this is no excuse for distorting the actual data.

Euclid submitted a compelling argument to the Supreme Court that if underwriting decisions to ensure fiduciaries can be made based on plan disclosures and public financials, so too can motions to dismiss be decided on this same information. Plaintiff law firms should not be permitted to omit or distort this information in their complaints, and district courts should be encouraged to rely on it and to stop allowing meritless cases to be prosecuted against prudent fiduciaries and plan sponsors, as the cases against AT&T and Walgreens demonstrate.

Euclid urged the Court to build on the fiduciary standard of the Dudenhoeffer employer stock drop case to weed out meritless claims. Namely that, the pleadings standard and factors that inform it should focus on three elements: (i) that no prudent fiduciary would have agreed to the allegedly excessive fees based on (ii) a comparison of a reliable benchmark of materially identical investments and services with (iii) disproportionately lower fees during the relevant time period. This more rigorous pleading standard relies on more than just apples-to-apples benchmarks, but requires the more refined context of McIntosh-to-McIntosh comparators.

Euclid retained the CrossCastle law firm (http://www.crosscastle.com) to prepare the amicus brief. CrossCastle is a boutique law firm of nationally recognized lawyers, with offices in Minneapolis and Washington, DC. The effort was led by Jared R. Butcher, a founding partner and formerly a partner in the DC headquarters of an international law firm.

To learn more, download the full amicus brief or visit our website at http://www.euclidfiduciary.com.

# # #

About Euclid Fiduciary

Euclid Fiduciary is leading underwriter of fiduciary liability insurance for the fiduciaries and plan sponsors of Americas best employee benefit plans. Euclid offers best-in-class fiduciary, crime/ERISA fidelity, cyber liability, employment practices, and other professional liability insurance coverages to protect the fiduciaries of U.S. employee benefit plans. Our underwriters and claim professionals are experts in complex fiduciary liability and crime exposures, with decades of fiduciary liability experience and expertise.

Media inquiries contact:

John V. OBrien

Euclid Fiduciary

100 East Street SE

Suite 204

Vienna, VA 22180

571-730-4810

Email: jobrien@euclidfiduciary.com

Web: http://www.euclidfiduciary.com

Jared R. Butcher

CrossCastle PLLC

1701 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Suite 200

Washington DC 20006

(202) 960-5800

Email: jared.butcher@crosscastle.com

Web: http://www.crosscastle.com
Consider the wealth of information hackers can harvest from email, from personal and financial data to trade secrets. Organizations need to take steps to tighten security around these key assets.

Messaging Architects, an eMazzanti Technologies Company and Microsoft expert, cites recent Microsoft Exchange Server breaches as evidence that organizations need to pay more attention to protecting their mail servers in a new article. The informative article first asserts that access management is just as critical as uptime.

The author then argues that organizations must bite the bullet and apply security patches in a timely fashion. He also advocates migrating servers to the cloud to ease the burden on in-house IT staff.

Consider the wealth of information hackers can harvest from email, from personal and financial data to trade secrets, stated Greg Smith, Vice President of Services Delivery at Messaging Architects. Organizations need to take steps to tighten security around these key assets.

Below are a few excerpts from the article, Exchange Server Breaches Show Its Not Just About Uptime.

Access Management Just as Critical as Uptime

In general, email service providers focus on uptime guarantees. After all, email plays a critical role in keeping business moving forward, and a downed server can significantly disrupt operations. However, organizations that emphasize availability over security play a dangerous game.

Bite the Bullet and Apply those Patches

In addition to access management, security patches play an essential role in protecting organizations. In the case of the Microsoft Exchange Server breaches, Microsoft has released several patches. However, six months after the breach hit the news, estimates suggest that nearly one third of impacted servers remained unpatched.

Exchange Server Breaches Emphasize Need for Cloud Computing

While the Microsoft Exchange Server breaches have caused widespread security concerns, the problem only affects the on-premises versions of Exchange. Cloud-based Exchange environments remain unaffected. For many organizations, crises like these underscore the need to migrate to the cloud.

Limited IT Staff a Concern

A viral meme claims, The entire fiasco of Jurassic Park could have been avoided if they hired one more IT guy. Like all jokes, the meme contains an element of truth. Many of the victims of the Microsoft Exchange Server breaches involved small to medium businesses (SMBs) with limited IT staff.

Expert Help for Security Teams

An overstretched IT department will lack the resources to conduct continuous monitoring and server maintenance. They may delay applying critical patches because of lack of manpower. And they may not have the expertise to implement an effective cybersecurity solution.

With a partner like Messaging Architects, businesses have the other IT guy they desperately need. Security experts customize a security solution to meet business needs and help business leaders implement identity and access management, migrate safely to the cloud, and ensure systems stay up to date.

Have you read?

Microsoft Read Aloud Feature Improves both Accessibility and Productivity

Track Changes Tips to Speed Collaboration in Microsoft Word

About Messaging Architects

Messaging Architects specializes in effectively managing and securing an organizations most precious asset, its information. With over 20 years of information management and technology consulting experience, the Messaging Architects team has provided corporations, educational intuitions, health care facilities and nonprofits with methodologies, procedures, and technology to keep their data organized, compliant and secure.

About eMazzanti Technologies

eMazzantis team of trained, certified IT experts rapidly deliver increased revenue growth, data security and productivity for clients ranging from law firms to high-end global retailers, expertly providing advanced retail and payment technology, digital marketing services, cloud and mobile solutions, multi-site implementations, 247 outsourced network management, remote monitoring, and support.

eMazzanti has made the Inc. 5000 list 9X, is a 4X Microsoft Partner of the Year, the #1 ranked NYC area MSP, NJ Business of the Year and 5X WatchGuard Partner of the Year! Contact: 1-866-362-9926, info@emazzanti.net or http://www.emazzanti.net Twitter: @emazzanti Facebook: Facebook.com/emazzantitechnologies.


Information Technology World Awards by GLOBEE The IT World Awards are open to all Information Technology and Cyber Security organizations from all over the world and their end-users of products and services.

The Globee Awards organizer of the worlds premier business awards programs and business ranking lists is now accepting nominations and entries for the 2022 IT World Awards honoring achievements and recognitions in the information technology and cyber security industries worldwide.

IT industrys premier excellence awards program, IT World Awards honors achievements in every facet of the information technology and cyber security industries. This annual industry and peers program now has several major sections making this one of the most and only complete IT recognitions and achievements award programs in the world. There are many categories for which your organization and the people behind its success can be nominated. Categories are classified under the following groups:



Company-Organization Awards categories

Corporate Communications and Public Relations Awards categories

Creative, Social, and Traditional Media Awards categories

Customer Service & Support Awards categories

Best Deployments and Customer Success of the Year Awards categories

Executive & Professional Awards categories

Chief Technology Officers Awards categories

Human Resources Awards categories

Information Technology Users Awards categories

Marketing Information Technology Awards categories

New Product & Service Awards categories

Product Development and Engineering Awards categories

Sales and Business Development Awards categories

COVID-19 Business Response Awards categories

Learn more about the 2022 IT World Awards and how to nominate here: https://globeeawards.com/it-world-awards/

A worldwide judging panel of executives and professionals representing a wide spectrum of industries will determine the winners. Winners will be presented and honored in a virtual ceremony attended by the finalists, winners, judges, and industry peers from all over the world. Industry experts and end-users of information technology products and services can participate in the judging process.

Apply here to participate as a judge and an industry expert to help decide the winners: https://globeeawards.com/it-world-awards/judges/

Winners of previous years are listed here: https://globeeawards.com/it-world-awards/winners/

Stay posted and read success stories of organizations by subscribing to the Globee Newsletter: https://globeeawards.com/subscribe/

IT World Awards will also recognize Chief Technology Officers from all over the world for their achievements in the areas of Artificial Intelligence, IT Cloud/SaaS, IT Hardware, IT Hybrid, IT Services, IT Software, Security Cloud/SaaS, Security Hardware, Security Hybrid, Security Services, Security Software, and Telecommunications.

A special category group for startups of the year will include the achievements of new startups formed since 2017 in the areas of Artificial Intelligence, IT Cloud/SaaS, IT Hardware, IT Hybrid, IT Services, IT Software, Security Cloud/SaaS, Security Hardware, Security Hybrid, Security Services, Security Software, and Telecommunications.

About the Globee Awards

Globee Awards are conferred in eleven programs and competition: the American Best in Business Awards, Business Excellence Awards (Best Employers), CEO World Awards, Communications Excellence Awards, Customer Sales & Service World Awards, Cyber Security Global Excellence Awards, Disruptor Company Awards, Golden Bridge Awards, International Best in Business Awards, IT World Awards, and Women World Awards. Learn more about the Globee Awards at https://globeeawards.com

Follow Globee Awards on twitter https://twitter.com/globeeawards

All trademarks belong to their respective owners.
The Noonies 2021 Awards "Since starting the Noonies in early 2019, we've celebrated the contributions of over 2,500 people and products. This year, we're hoping to reach even more technologists that are doing behind-the-scenes work for some of the most innovating technology today" - David Smooke, HackerNoon Founder and CEO

HackerNoon, the technology publishing platform, launched its third annual Noonies 2021 in partnership with Avast, Bybit, and Dottech Domains. Hundreds of technologists from all over the world were nominated for a Noonies 2021 award; the nominations were curated by the team behind HackerNoon. Further nominations are open to the public at noonies.tech and end on November 14, 2021.

The Noonies highlights the people behind up-and-coming tech, as well as the movers & shakers in the tech industry. There are over 300 Noonies across six major categories: technology, decentralization, development, future, and planet internet. Each Noonie has a minimum of 5 nominees.

"We are excited to bring back the Noonies for the third year," says David Smooke, HackerNoon Founder and CEO. "Since starting the Noonies in early 2019, we've celebrated the contributions of over 2,500 people and products that we thought deserved to be nominated. This year, we're hoping to reach even more technologists that are doing behind-the-scenes work for some of the most innovating technology today"

Some of this year's Notable awards are:



"The Noonies is powered by our own voting software," says Storm Farrell, Full-Stack Developer at Hacker Noon. "HackerNoon is  and always has been  where hackers start their afternoons. We built the Noonies to reward and recognize some of the creators behind innovative technology, and to celebrate with the Hacker Noon community."

HackerNoon weighs the community-based votes to further elevate the voice of our contributing writers and prevent spam. HackerNoon published writers will have their votes count as 10, authenticated visitors will have their vote count as 3, and unauthenticated visitors will have their vote count as 1.

"Were thrilled to be associated with Hackernoon, and their goal of creating the best platform on the internet for tech professionals to get published," said Suman Das, Sr. Director of Brand Operations, Radix FZC, the registry that operates Dottech Domains. "The Noonies.tech awards speak directly to our love for all things Tech and perfectly align with our mission of building a thriving and inclusive tech community online. Best of luck to all the nominees!"

"We believe that security and privacy is everybodys right. The HackerNoon community is a great example of thought leadership led by open-minded individuals who share their knowledge and experience in various fields, including digital security and privacy. And this is why we partnered with Hacker Noon on our mission to shape a better digital world that works for everyone. - Andrei Mochola from Avast

*About the Noonies*

The Noonies are an annual tech industry awards event, presented online by HackerNoon, built to recognize and reward the most innovative people and products in technology today. Conceptualized in early 2019, Hacker Noons first annual Noonies celebrated the contributions of over 500 internally and publicly nominated technologists, thinkers, makers, and leaders in tech. This marks the third edition and will run from October 28, 2021, to January 26, 2022.

*About Avast*

Avast (LSE:AVST), a FTSE 100 company, is a global leader in digital security and privacy, headquartered in Prague, Czech Republic. With over 435 million users online, Avast offers products under the Avast and AVG brands that protect people from threats on the internet and the evolving IoT threat landscape. The companys threat detection network is among the most advanced in the world, using machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies to detect and stop threats in real time.

*About Bybit*

Bybit is a global cryptocurrency derivatives exchange established in March 2018 and registered in the BVI. It is headquartered in Singapore and has offices in Hong Kong and Taiwan. We have users from all over the world including North America, Europe, Russia, Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia. We are focused on serving everyone from individual retail clients to professional derivatives traders. Our technology team includes experts from numerous leading companies such as Morgan Stanley, Tencent, Ping'an Bank, and Nuoya Fortune.

*About Dottech*

Launched in 2015, .TECH is a leading new domain extension for the tech industry. Over 300K domains and 5 years later, .TECH is in use by some of the worlds most cutting-edge startups and businesses; as well as widely-known industry leaders, content creators, and tech communities. .TECH is owned and operated by Radix, one of the worlds largest registries for new domain extensions. For more information, visit http://www.get.tech or @dottechdomains

*About Hacker Noon*

How hackers start their afternoons. Hacker Noon is built for technologists to read, write, and publish. We are an open and international community of 12,000+ contributing writers publishing stories and expertise for 4,000,000+ curious and insightful monthly readers. Founded in 2016, Hacker Noon is an independent technology publishing platform run by David Smooke and Linh Dao Smooke. Get your technology story published today.
Hopewell Township Fire District No. 1 Joins the New Jersey Purchasing Group Hopewell Township Fire District No. 1 invites all potential vendors to register online.

Today, Hopewell Township Fire District No. 1 announces they will utilize the New Jersey Purchasing Group for vendor management and bid distribution. This purchasing community and e-Procurement solution from bidnet direct connects over 40 public purchasing departments throughout the state of New Jersey. Hopewell Township Fire District No. 1 encourages all local vendors interested in doing business with local government agencies to register online with the New Jersey Purchasing Group to gain access to upcoming bid opportunities by visiting http://www.bidnetdirect.com/new-jersey.

The New Jersey Purchasing Group is a regional online community for public purchasing professionals looking to increase efficiency and transparency for their agencys procurement process. Through participation with the New Jersey Purchasing Group, Hopewell Township Fire District No. 1 joins Morris County and Mercer County in posting RFPs and RFQs on one central location. The online purchasing group makes it easier for local vendors to find, access and bid on local public solicitations.

As a local government, we are always looking to increase our vendor pool and foster competition, says Sarah Ocicki, Purchasing Agent of Hopewell Township Fire District No. 1. We hope the New Jersey Purchasing Group will help us extend the reach of our solicitations, and it can help our vendors find more local opportunities, continued Ocicki.

Vendors are able to register with the New Jersey Purchasing Group for free and gain access to open bids from over 40 local government agencies all on one platform. Vendors have an option to upgrade their account for notification services and other added benefits for extra cost.

The New Jersey Purchasing Group is a cloud-based e-Procurement solution built to help local government agencies, such as Hopewell Township Fire District No. 1, simplify the bid and vendor management process. These days, anything that helps to save time and cut costs is a no brainer for us, Ocicki adds. Hopewell Township Fire District No. 1 encourages all interested vendors to visit http://www.bidnetdirect.com/new-jersey and register.

About Hopewell Township Fire District No. 1:

Hopewell Township Fire District No. 1 is an autonomous entity responsible for the prevention and extinguishment of fires and the regulation of fire hazards within the geographic boundaries of Hopewell Township, Mercer County, New Jersey. The Fire District is funded through a fire tax and governed by a five-member Board of Fire Commissioners.

About bidnet direct:

bidnet direct, powered by mdf commerce, is a sourcing solution of regional purchasing groups available at no cost to local government agencies throughout the country. bidnet direct runs regional purchasing groups, including the New Jersey Purchasing Group, across all 50 states that are used by over 1,600 local governments. To learn more and have your government agency gain better transparency and efficiency in purchasing, please visit https://www.bidnetdirect.com/buyers
Hospital Pablo Tobon Uribe is a general hospital with 483 beds, offering all the key medical specializations to the catchment area around Medellin, Colombia. The hospital runs 72 clinical trials per year. The hospital is notable for its academic and clinical research expertise, as it is also a University Hospital that is invested in the education of medical students and in innovating in scientific areas and infrastructure.

Through Patient Network Explorer, patients in Colombia will now be visible to international clinical trials sponsors, increasing the likelihood of their hospital being selected as a trial site and their being accepted to join trials. Patient Network Explorer helps sponsors match their trial protocols to live patient populations in Clinerions hospital network around the world.

Clinerion is aggressively expanding its patient coverage around the world and gaining Hospital Pablo Tobon Uribe in Colombia as a partner is a great milestone for us in ensuring support for patients in South America, says Baris Erdogan, CEO of Clinerion. Colombia is an up-and-coming country with regard to international clinical research and Clinerion is proud to play a role in the development of the local clinical development scene with a view to improving patient outcomes in the country.

About Clinerion

Clinerion accelerates clinical research and medical access to treatments for patients. We use proprietary technologies for analysis of patient data from our global network of partner hospitals. Clinerion's Patient Network Explorer radically improves the efficiency and effectiveness of clinical trial recruitment by offering data-driven protocol optimization, site feasibility evaluation and real-time patient search and identification to match patients to treatments. Our technology solution provides real-world evidence analytics for medical access. Clinerion facilitates the participation of partner hospitals in leading-edge, industry-sponsored trials and time savings in patient recruitment. We create innovative and disruptive fit-for-purpose solutions which enable pharmaceutical companies to shorten patient recruitment and save costs by streamlining operations and leveraging strategic intelligence. Clinerions proprietary Big Data analytics technologies leverage real-time data from electronic health records which comply with international patient privacy and data security regulations. Clinerion is a global data technology service company headquartered in Switzerland.

Clinerion website: http://www.clinerion.com

Clinerions Patient Network Explorer: http://www.clinerion.com/index/OverviewOurSolutions/ClinerionPatientNetworkExplorer

For more information, please contact:

Le Vin Chin

Director, Head of Marketing & Communications

Clinerion Ltd

Elisabethenanlage 11, 4051 Basel, Switzerland

Tel.: +41 61 865 60 54

media@clinerion.com

About Hospital Pablo Tobon Uribe

The Hospital Pablo Tobon Uribe is a non-profit private foundation that has been working for its community and patients since 1970. Its mission and vision are built on the values of ethics and credibility, high technology, kindness and collaboration. It aims to increase innovation and change through highly specialized medical units and sustainable development. Hospital Pablo Tobon Uribe has also been accredited nationally and internationally due to its level of excellence, most notably by the Joint Commission due to its high level of security and quality.

Hospital Pablo Tobon Uribe website: http://www.hptu.org.co

For more information, please contact:

Luz Angela Angarita Fuentes

Hospital Pablo Tobon Uribe

Calle 78 B # 69240, Noveno piso norte, Torre B, Medellin (Antioquia), Colombia

Tel.: +574 4459753

laangarita@hptu.org.co
One of our differentiators is delivering an advanced data analytics solution that can be deployed and managed without dedicated BI developers

InetSoft Technology, a pioneer in data intelligence, analytics, and reporting, announced the general availability of its 2021 release of Style Intelligence. The focus of the release is on IT and BI administrators making the deployment and updating of InetSofts BI platform easier and less resource-intensive. The top advances in this area are the addition of support for clustering options using Docker containers and Kubernetes.

As Kubernetes is a container orchestration system it provides the following benefits:

1. Automated, consistent, and repeatable deployment of containers

2. Automatic scaling of containers

3. Automatic system and resource management, including storage, networking, and security

4. Automatic failover as non-responsive cluster nodes are automatically restarted

This advance supports DevOps teams employing continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines. Furthermore, the Docker and Kubernetes technologies are supported by many popular cloud infrastructures, including Amazon (EKS), Azure (AKS), and Google Cloud (GKE).

Several advanced data visualization types were added in this release. With addition of the following chart types, InetSoft offers as wide an advanced data visualization library as any analytics solution available:



Tree

Step Line

Step Area

Jump Line

Gantt

Funnel

Network

Circular

One of our differentiators is delivering an advanced data analytics solution that can be deployed and managed without dedicated BI developers. In fact, for many of our mid-sized customers, only a fractional headcount is required, meaning an IT staffer with database skills is all that is required, and only a portion of his or her time is spent throughout a month in supporting users or maintaining the software, explains Mark Flaherty, CMO at InetSoft. Our advances in lowering the cost of ownership via support for Docker and Kubernetes further help the average business who has constrained IT resources. Nonetheless, even the largest of enterprises benefit from this release since their deployment spans a cluster of machines. Automating software updates this way lowers their resource costs, as well.

InetSoft's Style Intelligence is a data intelligence platform. At its foundation is a powerful data mashup engine that enables fast and flexible transformation of data from disparate sources, which can either supplement or obviate a data warehouse solution. At the development level, a unified interface allows for easy and advanced data manipulation and design of interactive dashboards, and visual analyses. At the consumption level, self-service is maximized for a range of users, from casual business or consumer-type browsers, to power users and data scientists. As a cloud-ready, fully scalable enterprise-grade platform with granular security, multi-tenancy support, and multiple integration points, it serves both enterprises and solution providers. In either environment, ease of deployment and ease of use are chief development principles that help lower the time investment and total cost of ownership - and make the solution attractive to organizations of any size, with or without BI expertise.

To learn more about InetSoft's Style Scope, view a demo, or read customer reviews, and download a free evaluation copy, please visit https://www.inetsoft.com/evaluate.

About InetSoft

Since 1996, InetSoft has been delivering easy, agile, and robust business intelligence software that makes it possible for organizations and solution providers of all sizes to deploy or embed full-featured business intelligence solutions. At the core of the platform is a data mashup and transformation engine that can preclude the need for data warehouse and data preparation expenses. Application highlights include visually-compelling, interactive dashboards, pixel-perfect production reporting, and machine learning functionality accessible to non-data scientists. All of these capabilities combine to allow a maximum degree of self-service that benefits the average business user, the IT administrator, and the developer. InetSofts solutions have been deployed at over 5,000 organizations worldwide, including 25% of Fortune 500 companies, spanning all types of industries.
Harpy and Chimera Cuff by KIL N.Y.C. Photography by Little Wolf Collective. I created Teras to bring imaginary creatures into our world. Each scale is lovingly hand carved, and precious stones are meticulously selected to bring the Minotaur, The Chimera, and The Argus from the pages of old times and into the world of modern jewelry.

Mythology has influenced art for centuries, especially in Ancient Greece and Rome. Animals and symbols have been used to create powerful messages in fine art and sculpture, as well as within wearable works, such as jewelry. Konstantinos I. Leoussis reintroduces ancient creatures into modern forms. With designs displaying a passion for history and tradition, the new Teras Collection plays on a love for mythology and monsters.

Konstantinos I. Leoussis, Founder and Designer of KIL N.Y.C., says, I created Teras to bring imaginary creatures into our world. Each scale is lovingly hand carved, and precious stones are meticulously selected to bring the Minotaur, The Chimera, and The Argus from the pages of old times and into the world of modern jewelry. Our pieces are designed for world-explorers, history lovers, and those who would like to add a bit of eccentricity to their jewelry box.

Stories of ancient Greek gods and monsters were designed not only to entertain, but to educate. Dating back thousands of years, mythology helps the modern reader reflect on past civilizations through stories, and oftentimes parallels to modern society continue to be drawn. The Minotaur, part man and part bull, has been hand carved into a Minos ring and pendant, which feature the head of a bull, with horns to embody the strength and dominance of both the Minotaur and its wearer. The Argus, God of Surveillance, was a giant known for having eyes all over his body, to watch and protect those around him. Vibrant and mystical, the KIL N.Y.C. Argus medallion, cuff, and studs display those same eyes, resembling a guardian and protector.

Visiting the darker side, both the Chimera and Medusa were considered monsters in mythology. A fire-breathing female creature, The Chimera has the head of a lion, body of a goat, and tail of a serpent. KIL N.Y.C. designed the Chimera hoops earrings, cuff, and ring to embody the spirit of the dauntless creature, with its intricate design and flashy serpent tail. Additionally, the ring and cuff have matte and mirror finishes available upon request to enhance the look. In addition, Medusa, traditionally a monster from Greek mythology, has become a symbol of modern feminisma femme fatale who rages against the stigmatization of female sexuality. Medusa has the face of a women, and poisonous snakes for hair, a signature look inspiring both the Medusa ring and pendant. Each displays her infamous head into art jewelry, the perfect gift for a modern feminist.

KIL N.Y.C.s beautiful Harpy pendant, cuff, and ring capture the half human, half bird features of the mystical creature from classical mythology. Her wings are displayed to assert strength and the ability to fly, symbolizing the spirit of the wind. The Lernian Pendant depicts the ferocious and immortal serpentine water creature. Displaying its monstrous multiple heads, the pendant imbues unwavering strength and power for the wearer. KIL N.Y.C.s Arrows of Hercules pendant promotes healing; the arrows were gifts from Apollo, used in many feats. Lastly, the Teras Collections Scaly Serpent Hook is a gorgeous depiction of a serpent, formed into a shaped hook the snake as a symbol of a guardian spirit.

Each KIL N.Y.C. piece is made to order, allowing customers to choose their desired metal and options for gemstone accents. Available reclaimed and recycled precious metal options include sterling silver, 14K and 18K gold. From design to fabrication, each piece is made in NYC, with all polishing and shipping done locally. To reduce waste, KIL N.Y.C. uses recycled paper materials for shipping, and is carbon negative.

To contact KIL N.Y.C, email Sales and Operations Director, India Mankes-Falcon, at india@kil-nyc.com, or call/text 718-909-6429. For inquiries regarding this press release, email Pietra Communications at info@pietrapr.com or call 212-913-9761.

About KIL N.Y.C.

Inspired by a life of travel and antiquities, jeweler, Konstantinos Leoussis created KIL N.Y.C. in 2018, to showcase his love of old-world techniques and motifs. KIL N.Y.C. puts an edgy and modern spin on sentimental jewelry, creating styles that are both easily wearable and instant heirlooms.


If you would like to know more about the Lakeport Post Acute lawsuit, please contact Attorney Jackland K. Hom today by calling (619) 255-9047.

The California labor law attorneys, at Zakay Law Group, APLC and JCL Law Firm, APC, filed a class action complaint against Lakeport Post Acute, LLC ("Lakeport Post Acute") for allegedly failing to accurately pay employees' wages for all their time worked. The Lakeport Post Acute class action lawsuit, Case No. CV422113, is currently pending in the Lake County Superior Court of the State of California. A copy of the Complaint can be read here.

According to the lawsuit, Lakeport Post Acute allegedly violated California Labor Code Sections  201, 202, 203, 204, 206.5, 226.7, 510, 512, 558, 1194, 1197, 1197.1, 1198, and 2802 by failing to: (1) pay overtime wages; (2) pay minimum wages; (3) provide required meal and rest periods; (4) reimburse employees for required expenses; (5) provide accurate itemized wage statements; (6) pay sick pay at the correct rate of pay; and (7) provide wages when due. The lawsuit also alleges Lakeport Post Acute violated the Private Attorneys General Act ("PAGA"), which gives rise to civil penalties as a result of Lakeport Post Acute's conduct. PAGA allows aggrieved employees to file a lawsuit to recover civil penalties on behalf of themselves, other employees, and the State of California for Labor Code violations.

California Labor Code Section 226 requires an employer to furnish its employees an accurate itemized wage statement in writing showing (1) gross wages earned, (2) total hours worked, (3) the number of piece-rate units earned and any applicable piece-rate, (4) all deductions, (5) net wages earned, (6) the inclusive dates of the period for which the employee is paid, (7) the name of the employee and only the last four digits of the employees social security number or an employee identification number other than a social security number, (8) the name and address of the legal entity that is the employer and, (9) all applicable hourly rates in effect during the pay period and the corresponding number of hours worked at each hourly rate by the employee. Lakeport Post Acute allegedly failed to provide its employees with accurate itemized wage statements that complied with all the requirements of California Labor Code Section 226.

If you would like to know more about the Lakeport Post Acute lawsuit, please contact Attorney Jackland K. Hom today by calling (619) 255-9047.

Zakay Law Group, APLC and JCL Law Firm, APC are labor and employment law firms with offices located in California that dedicate their practices to fighting for employees who have been wronged by their employers due to unfair employment practices. Contact one of their attorneys today if you need help with workplace issues regarding wage and hour, wrongful termination, retaliation, discrimination, and harassment.

-THIS IS AN ATTORNEY ADVERTISEMENT-
At CRC, we hope to remove the stigma associated with mental health and substance use and change the landscape of recovery.

Lincoln Park is just a couple of weeks away from having a first-of-its-kind outpatient facility focusing on mental health and substance use. The integrated center for healing, known as CRC Institute, was designed to provide Chicago-area residents with a brand-new, sensory experience, which focuses on a unique opportunity for visitors to truly collaborate with CRCs team from the moment they walk in the door.

For decades, outpatient rehab facilities have looked and operated almost exactly the same from coast to coast: Treatment has remained stagnant, lacked innovation and been devoid of a true collaboration with clients and their families where they have an equal say in their process, said Matthew Blondell, CEO of CRC. Families and patients are often treated as an afterthought as they are shuffled around like visitors at the DMV. We set out to break that pattern by providing a completely different and fully collaborative experience from the second they engage with our team.

When visitors arrive at CRC, located on the 5th floor of 2350 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago, they will instantly be immersed in a sensory experience, one that was painstakingly created so that every detail enables them to feel safe and nurtured as they flow through the space. From aromatherapy and lighting to COVID-friendly copper services that kill germs, every inch of this facility was designed to optimize health. This welcoming, visceral experience is part of CRCs journey to healing.

From traditional intensive outpatient programs (IOP) and partial hospitalization programs (PHP) to modern regenerative and holistic medicine, CRC aims to treat each persons whole self through evidence-based treatment that caters to each individuals needs. With a staff that includes doctors, nurses, holistic practitioners, clinical experts, meditation and yoga teachers and acupuncturists, this rehab facility offers a wide range of services and programs aimed to connect with individuals and families looking to heal.

Recovery can be a painful, emotional process, so we encourage people to start with one small step and then another and then another, said Blondell. At CRC, we hope to remove the stigma associated with mental health and substance use and change the landscape of recovery.

For more about CRCs upcoming opening or other information, please visit http://www.crcinst.com or contact Amy Eimerman, CAO, at 312.858.0422.

https://www.google.com/maps?cid=6715319102040303402

CRC Institute | Chicago Drug & Alcohol Rehab

Address: 2350 N Lincoln Ave 5th floor, Chicago, IL 60614

Phone: (312) 858-0422
2022 Hyundai Sonata The dealership is offering three years of free maintenance on all Hyundai vehicles

Customers at Mathews Hyundai in Marion, Ohio, are eligible to receive the benefits of the Hyundai Complimentary Maintenance service. The dealership is offering three years of free maintenance on all Hyundai vehicles that are purchased or leased from the dealership after February 1, 2020.

Under this scheme, the dealership is offering the following services:



Engine oil change and filter changes

Tire rotation service

Regular factory-scheduled maintenance services for three years or 36,000 miles (whichever comes first)

Extended or supplemented Hyundai Protection plans

Hyundai filters and Quaker State oil

In order to schedule an appointment with the dealership, customers are encouraged to fill out a form. They will have to disclose their vehicle information and other relevant details to fix the appointment. Once the form is sent, one of the team members from the dealership will contact the customers to confirm the appointment. Customers can also schedule an appointment via call or by visiting the dealership.

In addition to the Hyundai Complimentary Maintenance service, the dealership also offers service specials. Customers are encouraged to keep an eye on the website for special discounts on services provided by the dealership.

All interested parties are requested to visit https://www.mathewseasthyundai.com/ for more information. They can also reach out to the dealership by calling 833-331-0082.

Mathews Hyundai Address:

1793 Marion Mt. Gilead Road/ Route 95, Marion, OH
We are pleased to welcome Netchex to the elite group of Nacha Certified organizations, as ACH Direct Deposit payments are core to all payroll processing" - Michael Herd, Nacha Senior Vice President, ACH Network Administration

Nacha has approved Nacha Certified status for Netchex, a provider of payroll and human resources services.

Nacha Certified is a voluntary program that helps Third-Party Senders in the ACH Network to set themselves apart in todays competitive market. Successful Nacha Certified candidates demonstrate effective ACH Rules compliance and risk management, and sound corporate governance.

In becoming Nacha Certified, Netchex has shown it is committed to high quality ACH payment processing said Michael Herd, Nacha Senior Vice President, ACH Network Administration. We are pleased to welcome Netchex to the elite group of Nacha Certified organizations, as ACH Direct Deposit payments are core to all payroll processing.

We are excited to become a Nacha certified Third-Party Sender. This achievement is a testament to our commitment to sound best practices in ACH payment processing, said Will Boudreaux, Netchex CEO. Our clients can feel confident knowing that they are working with an industry leader that meets Nachas high standards.

Southern Financial Exchange (SFE), a Payments Association headquartered in New Orleans, completed the assessment of Netchex, with final approval coming from Nacha. SFE and six other Payments Associations, all Nacha Direct Members, are part of a cooperative agreement with Nacha to conduct Nacha Certified reviews. SFE is the first to complete such a review.

Collaboration within the payments industry is key to providing a safe, secure and efficient ACH Network, said Don Jackson, President and CEO of Southern Financial Exchange. SFE is delighted to help one of our clients demonstrate their commitment to strong ACH compliance, risk management, and to elevating the safety and quality of the ACH Network. Rapid changes that have occurred in the past few years have created new challenges, but together we can thrive.

Strong relationships between Third-Party Senders, their financial institutions, and the Payments Associations are critical to building a strong risk management program on the ACH Network, said Pamela T. Rodriguez, SFEs Senior Vice President, Professional Services. We are pleased to welcome Netchex to the select group of Nacha Certified Third-Party Senders.

Nacha Certified Third-Party Senders demonstrate to their financial institutions and customers that they meet Nacha standards. Learn more at nachacertified.org.

About Nacha

Nacha governs the thriving ACH Network, the payment system that drives safe, smart, and fast Direct Deposits and Direct Payments with the capability to reach all U.S. bank and credit union accounts. Nearly 27 billion ACH payments were made in 2020, valued at close to $62 trillion. Through problem-solving and consensus-building among diverse payment industry stakeholders, Nacha advances innovation and interoperability in the payments system. Nacha develops rules and standards, provides industry solutions, and delivers education, accreditation, and advisory services.

About Netchex:

Founded in 2003, Netchex has become one of the industrys fastest-growing payroll and HR service providers. Netchexs single-source solution is a cloud-based, end-to-end platform for managing the employee lifecycle from hire to retire. With powerful, yet easy-to-use technology and award-winning customer support, Netchex currently services over 4,000 clients. Headquartered in Covington, LA, Netchex has offices in Atlanta and Dallas with representatives nationwide. Please visit https://netchex.com for more information.

About Southern Financial Exchange

Southern Financial Exchange has been educating and empowering financial institutions and their members to be informed, compliant and competitive since 1976. As a payments association and a founding sponsor of the Center for Payments, SFE provides expertise, professional development, and industry leadership with services including education, publications, compliance, risk management, and customized payment consulting services. Our staff includes Accredited ACH Professionals, Accredited Payments Risk Professionals, and National Check Professionals who provides support through ASK SFE. SFE is also directly engaged in the Nacha rulemaking process, the Accredited ACH Professional (AAP) program and the Accredited Payments Risk Professional (APRP) program. Find us at SFE.org and follow us on LinkedIn.


On Monday, November 1st, NAPLES ART opens its season with one of the most exciting Pop art exhibitions to arrive in Southwest Florida in years. Keith Haring: Radiant Vision (November 1, 2021  February 6, 2022) celebrates the world-renowned artist and his iconography in an energized show of more than 130 works.

From his street art to gallery shows, the Pop Shop, and his commercial work, Keith Haring: Radiant Vision spans the arc of Harings all too short career, featuring lithographs, silkscreens, drawings on paper, and posters from a private collection.

Harings art was born in response to the urban street scene of 1980s New York. He took inspiration from the graffiti artists markings on the city subway cars and started to draw figures in white chalk over the black paper used to cover vacant advertising panels in the subway stations. Two of these seminal chalk-on-paper subway drawings are included in Keith Haring: Radiant Vision.

Signature Haring images, such as Radiant Baby, Barking Dog and Best Buddies, are instantly recognizable as the emblems from the 80s that Haring used to depict universal themes such as love, birth, death, and war.

Haring was an extremely productive and prolific artist, who devoted his career to advocating for democratizing art, NAPLES ART Executive Director and Chief Curator Frank Verpoorten said. Like some of the artists who inspired him, such as Pierre Alechinsky, Paul Klee, and Jean Dubuffet, Harings work, with its free-form, expressive, and spontaneous iconography, promotes a unique understanding for the universal aspects of the human experience. I find the humanity in Harings work inspirational, and something our society needs a dose of right now.

The exhibition features examples of Harings art which he used to address specific social justice issues. Free South Africa is a suite of three aquatints on paper that were Harings political response to the conditions of Apartheid that still existed in South Africa at the time. There is also a series of ten silkscreens on view which Haring created for a book entitled Apocalypse, which he made in collaboration with famed Beat Generation author William S. Burroughs.

Haring devoted much of his time to public works, producing more than fifty public artworks in dozens of cities worldwide. Many of his creations were designed specifically for charities, hospitals, daycare centers, and orphanages. Famous for his Crack is Wack mural of 1986, which has become a landmark in New York, the artist also created a mural for the one-hundredth anniversary of the Statue of Liberty the same year, for which he enlisted the help of 900 children. Haring held drawing workshops for children in schools and museums throughout the world, including New York, Amsterdam, London, Tokyo, and Bordeaux.

This exhibition conveys an energy and spirit that aligns well with our mission, said Verpoorten. Harings art transcended the streets to inspire a worldwide audience and to affect positive change. Were proud to have a role in helping his iconic imagery and social message continue to radiate throughout the world even today. Visitors will enjoy looking back at this 80s iconography and hopefully we can also introduce Haring to a new generation here in Southwest Florida.

Keith Haring: Radiant Vision is a Single Source Traveling Exhibition organized by PAN Art Connections.

Keith Haring: Radiant Vision is generously underwritten by Rose-Marie and Eijk Van Otterloo, Norman and Suzanne Cohn, Don and Darlene DeMichele, and Charles Marshall and Richard L. Tooke.

HOURS and ADMISSION FROM NOV 1, 2021  FEB 6, 2022:

Mon  Sat 10 a.m.  6 p.m.

Thursday evenings  open until 9 p.m.

Sun 11 a.m.  4 p.m.

Admission: Adults: $15

Members: $10

Students (with valid I.D.): $10

Children (18 and under): free

NAPLES ART has been at the forefront of the arts & cultural landscape of Naples since 1954. We believe art can change lives and improve communities. We are committed to developing tomorrows artists and arts leaders, ensuring that artistic expression is available to everyone, and enriching Southwest Florida through the visual arts.

NAPLES ART 2021-22 Exhibition Schedule

Keith Haring: Radiant Vision, November 1, 2021  February 6, 2022

Scene to Be Seen, February 2022

Reisha Perlmutter, March  April 2022

Let Freedom Ring, April 2022  June 2022

Camera USA, June 2022  July 2022

For more information, visit NaplesArt.org.

About Keith Haring

Keith Haring (19581990) was arguably the most accomplished and prominent American artist of the 1980s. During the course of his brief ten-year career, Haring rewrote the rulebook for contemporary art, integrating the seemingly disparate arenas of New York Citys gritty downtown counterculture and uptown art aristocracy.

Despite working in a variety of mediaincluding paintings, prints, posters, drawings, sculptures, and street artHarings style was instantly recognizable. Bold lines, pictographic symbols, and vibrant colors abounded in every piece he made. A friend of Andy Warhol, Haring represented the apotheosis of Pop Art, unabashedly exploring the marketing potential of his brand through commercial partnerships, mass market products, and even his own storefront. Yet Harings work went beyond commercialization by reflecting the artists fervent activism and democratic beliefs. He spent his career making posters, public art, and charitable commissions in support of nuclear de-escalation, civil rights, child welfare, and AIDS awareness, among other vital efforts. These causes informed his murals and massive wall paintings, leading one prominent critic to liken his work to contemporary history paintings chronicling the major social justice issues of the late twentieth century. Success offered Haring an entry pass to the world and he used it to reconnect with the public, collaborating with neighborhood kids while championing the idea that art should belong to everyone.

Keith Harings career may have been briefspanning a mere ten years between his departure from art school and his untimely deathbut its impact cannot be under-estimated. In one short decade, Haring managed to completely upend preconceptions about art, value, access, and activism. His art was the intersecting point for fashion, dance, music, and graphic design. Haring was enthralled by the counterculture energy in the graffiti, rap, and breakdancing scenes of the 1980s. His masterful cross-pollination of both worlds is a testament to the force of his captivating personality and creative vision. Haring helped consecrate new genres of art. Sold by galleries and exhibited by museums world-wide, his work sparked an academic and commercial appetite for street art, paving the way for celebrated successors such as Banksy, Swoon, and Shepard Fairey. At the same time, the Pop Shop influenced the market in reverse, restoring Harings now sought-after art to the public via affordable clothing and goods.

Perhaps most keenly felt, however, is Harings legacy as a humanitarian. A passionate advocate for social justice, he established the Keith Haring Foundation in 1989. Today, in his honor, the Foundation continues to fight for child welfare and lobby for care, education, and research surrounding AIDS. As Haring accurately foretold in 1987, Im sure when I die, I wont really die, because I live [on] in many people.
Our customer-focused team of packaging specialists combine their deep expertise with a consultative approach that results in unmatched service and value for our customers. - Bill Riley, President, Z-Z Dispensing

Z&Z Industrial, a global provider of consumer brand packaging solutions has announced the formation of a new North American division, Z-Z Dispensing.

This new business unit has been established to serve the specific needs of consumer brands throughout the United States and Canada.

The timely introduction of Z-Z Dispensing into the North American market provides new, sorely needed resources to consumer brands for skincare, cosmetics, personal care, and at home, whose packaging needs have severely been challenged by supply chain headwinds over the last eighteen months due to the ongoing pandemic.

Having established its local presence, Z-Z Dispensing now offers the full packaging capabilities, resources, and services of Z&Z Industrial. Customers can order standard and customized dispensing solutions in quantities as small as five million units and as large as one hundred million or more. The company offers fully integrated end-to-end services, which include, product R&D, mold manufacture, auto-injection, auto-assembly, and automation equipment design and manufacture. With these capabilities, the company can easily accommodate spikes in demand due to marketplace and seasonal fluctuations. This highly agile manufacturing model also enables Z-Z Dispensing to significantly reduce lead times and delivery schedules.

Further distinguishing the new division is its team of experienced industry professionals. Our customer-focused team of packaging specialists combine their deep expertise with a consultative approach that results in unmatched service and value for our customers, says Bill Riley, President, Z-Z Dispensing. Were bringing our depth of knowledge and experience to rigorously guide their decisions. We understand their requirements and challenges and the importance of the choices they make.

The company recently introduced a new line of dispensers. The 500 Series Foam Pumps provide a new level of performance and reliability and are designed to elevate brand preference with consumers. Also offered in the extensive range of dispensing products are a selection of all-plastic and sustainable options. All Z-Z Dispensing products meet the highest standards for quality, reliability and performance, the result of the companys vertical manufacturing integration, ISO9001:2015 quality certification, and ISO14001:2015 environment certification.

In its further efforts to satisfy customer needs, Z-Z Dispensing is also in the process of setting up production facilities in the United States. This unique local/global hybrid approach to manufacturing is designed to increase line capacity while virtually eliminating product shortages and delivery delays.

Were taking a proactive approach to satisfying future customer needs, Mr. Riley concludes. The commitments weve made to local service, expanded manufacturing capabilities, and highly scalable resources make Z-Z Dispensing the new leader in North American dispensing solutions.

# # # #

About Z-Z Dispensing Solutions  Z-Z Dispensing is the North American Division of Z&Z Industrial and serves clients in the United States and Canada. The company specializes in the design, development and manufacturing of dispensing products and solutions for a broad range of consumer product categories, including skincare, cosmetics, personal care, and the home.

About Z&Z Industrial - Founded in 1992, Z&Z Industrial specializes in packaging for perfume, skincare, cosmetics, personal care, and home. The company has established a comprehensive industry supply chain that includes product research and development, mold manufacture, auto-injection, auto-assembly, and automation equipment design & manufacture.

For additional press information, please contact:

Ilena Della Ventura

Delia Associates

T. 908-534-9044

E. Idellaventura@delianet.com
Im so thankful for all the riders and board members who joined us in Maryland. What we are doing here makes a huge difference for children with disabilities in Israel and worldwide. The children of ALYN are so grateful for everyones support.

In support of ALYN Hospital, Israels only pediatric and adolescent rehabilitation center, more than 70 cyclists gathered on the Eastern Shore of Maryland for the Wheels of Love charity bike from Oct. 24  26. Riders who participated in the multi-day ride cycled over 130 miles each throughout the three-day period on a carefully curated route through the scenic backroads of Cambridge, including the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge.

Several supporters of ALYN who were not able to commit for all three days joined the Wheels of Love ride for one day each, contributing to an event that held deep meaning for many involved.

For Ken and Richard Hudes of Long Island City, NY and Owings Mills, MD, Wheels of Love offered them an opportunity to honor their older brother Dana, a longtime ALYN rider who was killed in a hit-and-run a few years ago. The wife and sister of Howard Reiter of Woodbridge, CT, another passionate supporter who passed away unexpectedly just last month, rode in his memory as well.

While many supporters attended the event in Maryland, some ALYN supporters rode on Long Island in tribute and memory of a dear friend. The fundraising team Friends of Kevin consists of riders who knew long-time board member and ALYN supporter Kevin Leifer, who lost a battle with cancer two years ago. Kevin dedicated himself to ALYNs cause, and his friends and family continue to honor his memory by supporting the hospital.

Kevin was truly a special person, remembered Sandy Nissel-Horowitz, a member of his fundraising team. Everyone who knew him knows just how much he loved and supported ALYN and their mission. The team of over 15 dedicated fundraisers has raised more than $40,000 for ALYN with this event alone, eclipsing their $20,000 goal. The group has pledged to ride every year in Kevins honorno matter where they may be.

American Friends of ALYN Hospital Executive Director Maayan Aviv said, ALYNs supporters care deeply about the hospital, and I am deeply touched and honored that so many people have chosen to ride in memory of their loved ones.

Wheels of Love is the largest fundraiser for ALYN hospital and has been a tradition in Israel for 22 years. This was the first year the multi-day ride also occurred in the U.S.

To date, the ride has raised almost $2 million, and the fundraising efforts of the riders will continue into December. All funds raised go directly towards the hospital, helping to provide ALYNs patients with innovative and attentive care.

Aviv added, Im so thankful for all the riders and board members who joined us in Maryland. What we are doing here makes a huge difference for children with disabilities in Israel and worldwide. The children of ALYN are so grateful for everyones support.

Pictures from the event can be found here. Donations to the hospital are always welcome and more information on how to make a difference can be found here.

About American Friends of ALYN Hospital

Since 1932, American Friends of ALYN Hospital has supported ALYN Hospital in Israel, which helps children with diverse disabilities by providing tools that increase their independence and mobility. The nonprofit organization focuses on increasing awareness of ALYNs life-changing work and raising funds to support it. Learn more about ALYN Hospital, upcoming events and giving opportunities online at alynus.org.

About ALYN Hospital

Established in 1931, ALYN Hospital is Israels only pediatric rehabilitation facility providing innovative care and individualized treatments for children with a wide range of congenital and acquired conditions, including cerebral palsy, neuromuscular diseases, spinal cord injuries, brain injuries and burns. Learn more at https://www.alyn.org.
Panitch Schwarze Belisario & Nadel LLP is pleased to announce that Erin M. Dunston and Stephen E. Murray are co-authors of an exclusive chapter in the second edition of the Global Patent Litigation 2022: Helping businesses compete in the new normal.

The second edition of Global Patent Litigation Guide provides subscribers of IAM and Lexology with an imperative guide to key matters in patent litigation. 'Global Patent Litigation 2022: Helping businesses compete in the new normal has been exclusively created to convey insights both plaintiffs and defendants will need as they plan their strategies.

Dunston and Murrays chapter is entitled How to Defend Your Patents at the PTAB and includes the following information:



An outline of numerous PTAB proceedings and statistics

Best practices to utilize during prosecution

Practice tips to employ during a PTAB proceeding

Discussion of appeal outcomes and importance of making a complete record at the PTAB

The IP attorneys have deep experience in patent law. Among their accomplishments are being listed in The Best Lawyers in America. IAMs Patent 1000, IP Star by Managing Intellectual Property,

Leading IP Lawyer by Chambers USA, NY Super Lawyers, and PA Super Lawyers Rising Star.

About Panitch Schwarze Belisario & Nadel LLP  Panitch Schwarze Belisario & Nadel LLP is a boutique intellectual property law firm with offices in Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware. The firms IP law practitioners provide strategic litigation, licensing, and counseling service relating to patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets, domain names, and internet issues domestically and internationally. The firms long-standing relationships with a network of associates worldwide enable its attorneys and advisors to provide clients with global intellectual property advice and protection.
Waterproofed with PENETRON ADMIX: The concrete retaining wall was cast against the rock face of the construction site to prevent groundwater from flooding the building site excavation. By choosing the Penetron System, Skanska and Ceco Concrete Construction were able to stay on schedule by avoiding the complications of a membrane system installation and waterproofing the concrete at the same time as the concrete placement.

In October 2021, the first family moved into their new home at the Sixth South apartment complex in Nashville, Tennessee, a much-needed addition to the booming downtown district. The Penetron System was specified to protect the below-grade concrete structures of the residential complex against water ingress.

The Sixth South apartments are situated on the south side of Nashvilles popular SoBro district, less than two blocks from the renowned Music City Center. The residential complex comprises 299 apartments housed in a 12-story main building, each with views of downtown Nashville. The rental units are available in studio and 1-2-bedroom layouts (570-3,500 ft2). There is also a central parking garage for 300-350 cars, and 5,400 ft2 of commercial space on the ground floor below the rental units. Amenities include a clubroom, fitness center, game room, pet spa, yoga studio, bike garage, outdoor grills and fire pits, and a saltwater pool with an adjacent lounge area.

Structurally, post-tensioned concrete was used for the elevated parking slabs and residential tower elements. The project specifications indicated the need for a waterproofing solution for the below-grade retaining walls of the Sixth South basement structure.

Maximizing the Building Footprint

While the construction site was being excavated, a large amount of rain and ground water began to leak through the rock face and into the footing excavation, says Christopher Chen, Director of The Penetron Group. Because the tight layout made installation of a traditional membrane system impossible due to the lack of working space behind the retaining wall, Penetron was asked to provide a durable waterproofing solution to waterproof the concrete retaining wall that was cast up against the excavated rock face.

Due to property line constraints at the site, Ceco Concrete Construction, the concrete subcontractor, proposed casting the concrete retaining wall against the rock face at the property line, as water leaking from the rock face was flooding the building pit. Nashville Ready Mix subsequently provided PENETRON ADMIX-treated lean fill to plug up the rock face leaks and for under the foundation footers. PENEBAR SW waterstop strips were installed to seal all resulting construction joints. As part of a belt and suspenders approach, Skanska, the general contractor, also waterproofed the remaining below-grade concrete walls with a combination of PENETRON, a topical crystalline waterproofing material, and PENECRETE MORTAR, a crystalline waterproofing repair grout. This approach maximized the building square footage available to Southeast Venture, the project developer.

Permanently Impermeable

Once applied to a prepared concrete surface, the proprietary chemicals in Penetron crystalline products react in a catalytic reaction to generate a non-soluble crystalline formation throughout the pores and capillary tracts of the concrete. This formation permanently self-heals and seals micro-cracks, pores, and capillaries against the penetration of water or liquids from any direction, resulting in impermeable concrete. The non-soluble crystalline formation generated by Penetron becomes an integral part of the concrete matrix for the service life of the concrete.

By choosing the Penetron System, Skanska and Ceco Concrete Construction were able to stay on schedule by avoiding the complications of a membrane system installation and waterproofing the concrete at the same time as the concrete placement.

The Penetron Group is a leading manufacturer of specialty construction products for concrete waterproofing, concrete repairs, and floor preparation systems. The Group operates through a global network, offering support to the design and construction community through its regional offices, representatives, and distribution channels.

For more information on Penetron waterproofing solutions, please visit penetron(dot)com or Facebook(dot)com/ThePenetronGroup, email CRDept(at)penetron(dot)com, or contact the Corporate Relations Department at 631-941-9700.
Our hope for this event is to showcase the good thats happening in the world because of the work of girls and women in science, tech, math, and engineering.

Project Scientist, a non-profit to increase girls' access and exposure to all careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), recently launched the Worlds First STEM Girls Change the World Event, a virtual celebration highlighting girls, women, and companies in STEM who are changing the world.

STEM Girls Change the World, a virtual event, taking place Friday, November 5, 4:00 - 5:30 PT, brings together the World's most prominent innovators and young women in STEM, including TIME Magazines 2020 Kid of the Year, scientist Gitanjali Rao, for an action-packed day of inspiration, continuing the nonprofit's mission for a future free of obstacles for girls and women in STEM.

Project Scientist is dedicated to expanding the world of STEM through its award-winning virtual programs that includes hands-on activities taught by credentialed teachers and includes role models and virtual expeditions from organizations such as Google, Trane Technologies, Capital Group, 3M, Lowes, and Salesforce, that inspire girls and young women to pursue related paths.

A Project Scientist study found nearly 70% of girls said they liked online learning better after participating in Project Scientist.87% of participants felt they could be themselves in the program, and 88% felt its okay to make mistakes  a key factor in girls persistence in STEM.

Our hope for this event is to showcase the good thats happening in the world because of the work of girls and women in science, tech, math, and engineering. Attendees will surely leave inspired and hopeful after hearing from this group of next generation STEM superstars!, states founder and CEO, Sandy Marshall.

The STEM Girls Change the World event engages, inspires, and connects women and girls to leaders championing the organization's mission like Errika Moore, executive director of the STEM Funders Network; Devi Thomas, vice president of social impact marketing and insights at Salesforce.org; Kristen Weirick, vice president of global talent acquisition and chief diversity and inclusion officer at Alcon; and Tara Nkrumah, assistant research professor in the Center for Gender Equity in Science and Technology at Arizona State University.

Celebrate with other great STEM minds and kick-off National STEM Day with Project Scientist on November 5, 4:00 - 5:30 PM PST.

Register for free at https://stemgirlschangetheworld.org/ using code: STEMGIRLS.

Contact:

Sara Bradbury

sara(at)projectscientist(dot)org

949-887-3676

About Project Scientist

Project Scientist is a non-profit organization on a mission to create social change in the world of STEM by encouraging girls interest in STEM at a young age, to ignite and cultivate confidence that a STEM career is attainable for any girl.
Rachel Leasure is World Amenities new Regional Sales Director. Leasure will be meeting and greeting customers and industry professionals at the World Amenities Booth 2056 at the ISSA Show. Rachels knowledge and reputation in our industry opens doors for new opportunities, not only in geographic regions but also in establishing relationships with independent hotels and management groups, said Paul Hodge. Past News Releases RSS World Amenities Inc. Owner and...

World Amenities Makes Inc. 5000...

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World Amenities, Inc., a trusted leading global supplier of quality luxe skincare-based brands and custom amenities, necessities, and accessories, is pleased to announce that hospitality industry expert, Rachel Leasure, is the companys new Regional Sales Director. Leasure will be meeting and greeting customers and industry professionals at the World Amenities Booth 2056 at the ISSA Show North America 2021 November 15-18 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Leasure brings more than 11 years of hospitality industry experience to her new position at World Amenities. Before joining WA, Leasure grew sales, led operational projects, and managed client partnerships with key regional distributors servicing U.S. and Canada for Marietta by Voyant Beauty. She earned a bachelors degree in communication, emphasizing technology, an MBA focusing on marketing from Arizona State University.

Leasure will oversee client partnerships with key regional distributors servicing North and Central America, the Caribbean, and Key International Territories. Her focus will be on growing sales in the Southern Region and the Caribbean from California to Florida. In addition, Leasure will manage and develop new Regional Distributors through sales training, presentations, product updates, and ongoing communication.

Based on demand for shorter lead times for its products, World Amenities relocated the majority of its manufacturing to North America in 2021. The manufacturing move plays a critical role in gaining market share in the regions. In addition, Leasure is actively involved in the rollout of our two newest products, Nectar and Spa Rituals, as she concentrates her efforts on building awareness, establishing relationships, and creating success for World Amenities.

With the addition of Rachel to our team at World Amenities, we demonstrate our full-on commitment to accelerate our growth, said Paul Hodge, World Amenities, Inc. Owner and Managing Director. Rachels knowledge and reputation in our industry opens doors for new opportunities, not only in geographic regions but also in establishing relationships with independent hotels and management groups. We look forward to her enthusiasm, professionalism, and strong communication and presentation skills.

Leasure is pleased to attend and represent World Amenities at the upcoming ISSA Show North America at Booth 2056. I see the show as an excellent opportunity to meet current World Amenities customers as well as introduce our products and outstanding service to those who may not have experienced our award-winning brand, said Leasure.

The ISSA Show is a leading resource for information, education, innovation, networking, and commercial opportunities for firms within the worldwide cleaning industry. Industry professionals and leaders gather to share knowledge and create cutting-edge solutions to push the industry forward. The show leverages the strength of a global community to change the way the world views cleaning  increasing the appreciation for cleaning as an investment in human health, the environment, and an improved bottom line.

For more information about World Amenities or to place an order, contact sales@worldamenities.com or call (619) 276-7660.

About World Amenities, Inc.

Founded in 2015, World Amenities, an Inc. 5000 company, is a trusted leading global supplier of quality luxe skincare-based brands and custom amenities, necessities, and accessories. The company brings a wealth of 20 years of experience in the innovation, production, and distribution of advanced skincare and cosmetic brands to more than 70 global markets in 40,000 plus hotels, salons, spas, medical and educational sites. With three distribution centers, World Amenities is an influencer on the hospitality industrys standards and expectations. It uniquely designs, formulates, customizes, and manufactures each personal care guest room amenity, with artisanal skills and cosmetic-quality ingredients. In addition, World Amenities products are environmentally friendly, recyclable, and biodegradable. For more information, go to https://www.worldamenities.com.
Red Arrow Diner recognized 2 employees with 25+ years of service. From L to R: Elaine Boule; Carol Lawrence, Co-Owner and President; Dave Carter; Amanda Wihby, Co-Owner & Chief Operations Officer. "You are a testament to what the Red Arrow Diner stands for: excellent customer service, fabulous food, and lifelong friendships, said Carol Lawrence, Co-Owner and President, Red Arrow Diner, during remarks to the employees.

The Red Arrow Diner recently took a much-needed break to celebrate its staff members. All four locations in Concord, Londonderry, Manchester, and Nashua closed for the entire day so employees and their guests could attend a company-wide staff appreciation barbeque.

Employees celebrating milestones with the company  including 20+, 15, 10, and five-year anniversaries  were specially recognized. The five-hour event was the first annual employee appreciation for the Red Arrow Diner and featured food, beverages, and activities, such as a cornhole tournament, sumo suits, dunk tank and more. In addition, management raffled off $5,000.00 in $100 increments to present employees.

Lets be honest  the past 18 months have been brutal and not the roller coaster ride any of us could have anticipated  or ever wished for. But we couldnt have made it through without the support each of you have given us, said Carol Lawrence, Co-Owner and President, Red Arrow Diner, during remarks to the employees. Your flexibility and willingness to pivot throughout every challenge COVID-19 has thrown our way have made us able to stay open and successful. You are a testament to what the Red Arrow Diner stands for: excellent customer service, fabulous food, and lifelong friendships.

Planning has already begun for next years employee appreciation event, which will be held during the Red Arrow Diners 100th year of operation. For more information about the Red Arrow, visit http://www.redarrowdiner.com.

About the Red Arrow Diner

A privately-held company based in Manchester, New Hampshire, the Red Arrow Diner operates restaurants in Concord, Manchester, Londonderry and Nashua. Each Red Arrow Diner location is a 24-hour diner and serves over 500,000 breakfasts annually. In addition to being named Business of the Year in 2019 by Business NH Magazine, the Red Arrow Diner has been featured on various nationally broadcasted television and radio shows, including the Food Networks Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, NBCs JEOPARDY!, and SiriusXM political channels Patriot (125) and Progress (127), as well as national publications, such as USA Today and the Food Network Magazine. Additionally, the Red Arrow is an active community supporter with countless volunteer hours, pro bono promotions, and financial donations. For information about the Red Arrow Diner, visit http://www.redarrowdiner.com.


Expanding our patent portfolio helps protect our restaurant partners while also supporting our mission to grow the off-premise business of our multi-unit restaurant enterprise partners, said Revolution CEO Brad Duea.

Restaurant Revolution Technologies (Revolution) announced today its ownership of two newly issued technology patents including its first international patent granted in Canada.

U.S. Patent #11,049,084 (the 084 patent) covers the ability to import menu information from a POS (Point of Sale), create a menu therefrom and display it to a user wherein the menu created is customized on the order channel such as online, mobile or through an interface accessed by a third-party call center.

Canada Patent #2,834,875 (the 875 patent), similarly to the 084 patent, addresses the ability to import and display menus from the restaurant POS by ordering channels but also covers the ability to upsell the ordering party during the order process.

The two newly issued patents continue to bolster Revolutions flagship platform, Order One, as the leading digital ordering platform in the industry.

Innovation is a deeply rooted core value of our team. Legally protecting our product innovations is important, said Revolution CEO Brad Duea. Expanding our patent portfolio helps protect our restaurant partners while also supporting our mission to grow the off-premise business of our multi-unit restaurant enterprise partners.

Beyond the recent issued patent, Revolutions Order One platform has expanded to include a variety of newer features to better support restaurant enterprises thrive during and beyond the COVID-19 health pandemic, labor shortages and other business challenges. The Order One platform (which includes digital ordering products Order One Maverick and Order One Enterprise) has added digital ordering via Google Search and Maps, order ahead for dine-in as well as contactless QR code ordering functionality, catering reservation bookings, curbside pickup, expanded Google Tags and Analytics support, broader promotional offers and discounts enhancements, meal bundling, and alcohol sales functionality.

Revolution also continues to add technical integrations and partnerships to its strategic partner portfolio for both Order One and its Connect product, which inserts delivery and catering orders from popular marketplace apps directly into the POS, enhancing the experience for customers and the operations for restaurant enterprises.

For information on Revolution, its Order One platform and Connect product, visit rrtusa.com.

About Restaurant Revolution Technologies

RRT Holdings, LLC (Revolution) is an industry innovator, multi-patented technology owner and the off-premise partner for restaurants nationwide. Through its Order One platform, Revolution provides a unified web, mobile and voice order management software platform that seamlessly integrates into restaurant point of sale systems. Revolutions Ground Control delivery enablement program fulfilled by DoorDash, backend services, and data capture capabilities enable restaurants to seamlessly serve off-premise orders and provide a premium, branded start-to-finish experience for their customers. The companys marketplace order insertion program, Connect, allows restaurants to seamlessly submit orders from third party marketplaces directly to the POS for optimal operational efficiencies. Learn more at http://www.rrtusa.com or follow on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
RS21, a leading artificial intelligence and data science company, is pleased to welcome James Jones as its new Director of Data Engineering. Jones brings more than 10 years of senior leadership experience directing cross-functional teams to deliver corporate data management, analytics and business intelligence solutions for the public and private sectors.

Jones has worked across industries, including the federal government, health care, clinical research, hospitality, gaming, education and aerospace. His work has spanned data modernization and digital transformation strategies to implementing successful Business Intelligence Centers of Excellence and managing multi-million dollar budgets.

At RS21, Jones will lead data engineering to implement big data platforms that power business intelligence systems, advanced data science capabilities and large-scale enterprise applications.

We are thrilled to have a leader with James' breadth and depth of experience, said Kameron Baumgardner, RS21 Chief Technology Officer. His department rounds out RS21's comprehensive set of skills to transform data into insight while ensuring that sensitive information is secure, traceable, performant and optimally structured for machine learning applications.

Prior to joining RS21, Jones served as the Senior Manager of Business Intelligence, Data Warehouse and API Integration at The Jackson Laboratories. He has also led data engineering work at Jos A. Bank, MicroStrategy, Duke Clinical Research Institute, Deloitte Consulting, MGM Resorts International and IBM Global Services.

About RS21

RS21 is a rapidly growing data science company that uses artificial intelligence, design, data engineering, and modern software development methods to empower organizations to make data-driven decisions that positively impact the world. Our innovative solutions are insightful, intuitive, inspiring, and intellectually honest. With offices in Albuquerque, NM and Washington, DC, RS21 is an Inc. 5000 fastest-growing company two years in a row and a Fast Company Best Workplace for Innovators.

We help clients achieve programmatic goals, improve efficiencies, reduce costs, and maximize productivity using MOTHR, our human-centered, artificial intelligence-driven platform that allows users to seamlessly integrate data and reveal insights at hyper speed. We navigate complex data issues in the fields of healthcare, defense, safety, urban planning, energy, cyber, land use, climate, disaster preparedness, disaster recovery, space, and social equity. For more information, visit http://www.rs21.io.
Saddleback Communications President Bill Bryant accepts the Broadband Communities 2021 Cornerstone Award for Saddlebacks fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) deployment at the Broadband Communities Summit. After a decade of development, Saddlebacks FTTH network was completed just as the demand for reliable home internet connections skyrocketed during the pandemic. The investment has been a lifeline to our customers and is key to keeping them connected to what matters most.

Saddleback Communications, a provider of world-class, fiber-based voice and data communications to business and residential customers in the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (SRPMIC), announced today that it received the Broadband Communities (BBC) 2021 Cornerstone Award for its fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) deployment, which brought high-speed internet access up to 500Mbps to all SRPMIC member homes.

The award was presented to Saddleback President Bill Bryant at the Broadband Communities Summit, held in September at 27-30 at the Marriott Marquis in Houston.

Were honored to receive the Cornerstone Award from Broadband Communities, said Bryant. After a decade of development, Saddlebacks FTTH network was completed just as the demand for reliable home internet connections skyrocketed during the pandemic. The investment has been a lifeline to our customers and is key to keeping them connected to what matters most.

BBCs Cornerstone Award is given to communities, companies, private developments, municipalities and individuals with outstanding accomplishments in delivering telecommunications for the benefit of end-users. The award is reserved for recognition of the most notable deployments of FTTH in the U.S. and abroad.

When it came time to replace its fragile copper network, Saddleback recognized the importance of world-class infrastructure, leapfrogging over any interim hybrid solutions and upgrading to fiber, said the BBC Cornerstone Award Judging Committee. The Phoenix area provider now has speeds of up to 500Mbps available to every home in the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. The exceptionally reliable, secure and innovative services now being offered to residents, students and businesses are helping to drive economic development and create new opportunities.

Saddlebacks success also provides a blueprint for tribal broadband, which Bryant shared in his BBC Summit address, Ensuring No Community Is Left Behind: A Blueprint for Advancing Tribal Broadband. Bryant made a passionate appeal to the hundreds of providers in attendance to work with the 500+ Native American Tribes in the U.S. to unlock the wisdom, creativity and economic opportunity in Tribal America. He urged attendees to work with the Tribal entities in their service areas to improve broadband connectivity to boost economic development in their communities.

The message supports efforts to advance Tribal broadband by the National Tribal Telecommunications Association (NTTA), where Bryant serves as Vice President.

About Broadband Communities Summit

Broadband Communities Summit is an annual event for community leaders, multifamily property owners, and network builders and deployers interested in building, managing, marketing and monetizing high-speed broadband technologies and services. Its focus is on successful strategies for broadband providers to deliver high-speed broadband networks to communities.

About Broadband Communities

Broadband Communities (BBC) is the leading source of information on digital and broadband technologies for buildings and communities. Our editorial aims to accelerate the deployment of Fiber-To-The-Home (FTTH) and Fiber-To-The-Premises (FTTP) while keeping readers up to date on the available solutions capable of serving their practical needs.

BBC offers in-depth news, expert insights, and practical know-how on the technical, business, financial, and legal aspects of outfitting properties and communities with broadband solutions. Focusing on residential buildings, developments and municipalities, BBC helps the large-scale and wholesale buyers and users of broadband technologies, equipment, and services competitively distinguish their properties and communities in a rapidly-changing marketplace.

About Saddleback Communications

Saddleback Communications delivers advanced voice and data communications services over a carrier-class, redundant network to business and residential customers on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (SRPMIC). Saddleback Communications provides custom business communications solutions, including Unified Communications as a Service, Contact Center as a Service, Collaboration, SIP Trunking, point-to-point Ethernet and dedicated Internet Access. The company also leverages its state-of-the-art Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) network to deliver high-quality voice and high-speed Internet to residential customers. Learn more at http://www.saddlebackcomm.com.
Together with our clients we are working towards achieving sustainability, resiliency and carbon reduction goals using all the technology at our disposal. - Chris DePodesta, renewable energy practice lead for Stanley Consultants.

NV Energy has tapped Stanley Consultants, a worldwide provider of consulting engineering services, to perform owners engineering for the Dry Lake Solar photovoltaic project.

The Nevada project represents the Stanley Consultants emphasis on helping its clients address global warming and deliver a carbon-free future. As part of its commitment to customers to transform power generation from carbon-based to renewable energy, Stanley Consultants has already provided 2,950 MW of solar and storage consulting services.

The Dry Lake facility is one of three recently approved large solar projects that represent NV Energys ongoing commitment to advance renewable energy development and reduce carbon emissions while keeping customer rates low and maintaining reliability.

The 150 MW Dry Lake solar project will be located 20 miles northeast of Las Vegas in a designated federal solar energy zone. It includes a battery storage system capable of storing 400 MWh and delivering 100 MW for a 4-hour period. In Nevada, 150 MW of solar energy would power 24,000 homes for a year, according to solar industry statistics.

The solar and battery project is being executed as two separate engineer procure construct (EPC) contracts. Stanley Consultants will assist NV Energy in reviewing the environmental permitting and photovoltaic and battery storage design, as well as monitoring the project during construction, commissioning and performance testing.

We look forward to contributing professional services to NV Energy on this project and building upon our growing renewable energy practice, said - Chris DePodesta, renewable energy practice lead for Stanley Consultants. Together with our clients we are working towards achieving sustainability, resiliency and carbon reduction goals using all the technology at our disposal.

Stanley Consultants has also partnered with two subconsultants: ArcVera Renewables, which will be providing renewable technology and testing expertise; and BEC Environmental, a Las Vegas firm that will support the Stanley Consultants environmental team.

In addition to home office support, Stanley Consultants will provide construction management oversight and onsite support, including commissioning and testing.

About Stanley Consultants

Stanley Consultants provides program management, planning, engineering and environmental services worldwide. Recognized for its commitment to client service and a passion to make a difference, Stanley Consultants brings global knowledge, experience and capabilities to serve federal, municipal, utility and industrial clients in the energy and infrastructure sectors. Since 1913, Stanley Consultants has successfully completed more than 50,000 engagements in all 50 states, U.S. territories and in 110 countries, including more than 2,950 MW of solar and energy storage projects. For more information on Stanley Consultants, please visit http://www.stanleyconsultants.com.
Candidates Searles on the left and Dunn on the right at the GSU Mayoral Forum "We are ready to fight for Atlanta and not over Atlanta; Our leadership together is a powerful duo. VOTE DUNN GET 2 FOR ONE" - Kirsten Elise Dunn

VOTE DUNN = 2 for 1.Mayoral Candidates Join Forces in the Atlanta Mayoral Race

Mayor Elect Candidates Roosevelt Searles and Kirsten Elise Dunn have decided to join forces in the race to become the 61st Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia.

Searles provided Dunn with an endorsement letter endorsing her as Mayor.

It is my pleasure to announce my endorsement for Kirsten Dunn for Mayor of Atlanta. Our leadership for the city will be so impactful and the work to be done is vital!

Searles made the final decision to endorse Candidate Dunn after attending the FREE Recession Proof your business class Dunn hosted on Friday, October 22nd.

Searles stated, I previously considered uniting with Candidate Dunn prior to the meeting; I wanted to see her plans for the city. Friday I heard her passion and plans to support small businesses in Atlanta .......I was convinced.

Dunn expressed, It is an honor to receive the endorsement of Mr. Searles. Throughout this campaign process I have grown a massive amount of respect for several candidates. My entire focus on this campaign has been to create more UNITY in the city of Atlanta. Our number one problem in Atlanta is we are too divided. Together we are truly better.

As I receive the privilege of being the 61st Mayor of Atlanta I look forward to Mr. Searles serving as my Deputy Mayor.

Together Dunn and Searles have created the #Reclaim Atlanta Plan. A beautifully crafted mix between Dunns One Atlanta Plan and Searles Reclaim Atlanta Plan.

Under my leadership as Mayor, all plans from all the leaders that have been running for office will be discussed and merged together then presented to the citizens of Atlanta. We are truly One Atlanta! We all feel passionate about the city we love. Atlanta deserves a leader like me that will influence inclusion and give a platform and space for all the leaders in the city to lead.

When You Vote for Dunn you get 2 for 1. Mr. Searles and myself are real life trail blazers.

The Dunn For Mayor Campaign is prepared to continue to run a community service campaign through a run off, if one is to occur.

November 12th, 2021 - FREE Recession Proof Your Business Class

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-business-training-recession-proof-your-business-session-ii-tickets-199687730377

Donations will be accepted for this class. All Donations will go to fund the Heaters for the Homeless Showers being released in downtown Atlanta, November 20th. Business owners and those interested in starting a business can register at Kirstendunnformayor.com
Roughly 90% of online consumers rely on reviews before making a purchase. This makes online reviews a high-stakes game, rife for fraud. More than two-thirds of consumers now see fake reviews as a problem. Its part of a larger crisis of trust online. - Greg Sterling, VP Market Insights, Uberall

Uberall, a global leader in Near Me Customer Experience solutions, today announced a new report, The State of Online Review Fraud, which analyzes four million local business reviews on Google, Facebook, Yelp and Tripadvisor. This is the first report to take on the growing problem of fake reviews at this level of scale.

The study, conducted in partnership with The Transparency Company, used sophisticated machine learning and natural language processing techniques to identify inauthentic reviews across 19 popular local business categories and top U.S. metro markets. This research was initiated in Q4 2020 and completed in Q2 2021.

Media coverage of review fraud has been growing, but nobody has quantified the problem, said Greg Sterling, VP of Market Insights at Uberall. We wanted to understand how big a problem review fraud is today and where its concentrated.

Because nearly 90% of online consumers consult reviews before buying, reviews have become a high-stakes issue for businesses. Positive reviews help businesses rank in search results and lead to more conversions. And while Uberall survey data show that two-thirds (67%) of consumers are concerned about review fraud, most people cannot spot inauthentic reviews.

"Unfortunately a lot of consumers take reviews at face value, and are being deceived, said Curtis Boyd, founder and CEO of the Transparency Company. Google Removed 130 million fake reviews in 2019 and 2020; it's a multi-billion dollar problem.

Additional findings from the report include:



Google is the top local business reviews site in the U.S., used by ~70% of consumers.

Of the four platforms examined, Google had the highest average percentage of inauthentic reviews across business categories (10.7%). Next in descending order were Yelp (7.1%), Tripadvisor (5.2%) and Facebook (4.9%).

The category with the highest fake reviews percentage is Locksmiths (14.5%). Pharmacies had the lowest rate across the four sites (1.3%).

The urban area with the highest review fraud percentage is Miami-Ft Lauderdale with 9.7%. Boston was the city with the lowest fraud at 3.9% of all reviews.

Reviews have been an invaluable consumer -- and business -- resource and their integrity should be safeguarded, said Sterling. Fake reviews are contributing to a broader crisis of trust online, and the major sites should do much more to address the problem.

To preserve consumer confidence, the industry needs to take a more systematic approach to policing review fraud:

Use available machine learning and AI tools, together with aggressive enforcement, to bring review fraud down to low, single digits;

Embrace an approach which is structurally harder to cheat;

Continue to make it easy for businesses and consumers to flag suspect reviews;

Move toward verification systems that minimize the likelihood that other than the actual customer is writing reviews (e.g., verified purchaser).

None of these are mutually exclusive approaches and should be used in combination with one another.

Learn more about how businesses and consumers can flag and remove fake reviews. And download The State of Online Review Fraud for a deeper look at our analysis of four million local business reviews.

ABOUT UBERALL

Uberall helps the worlds most innovative brick and mortar businesses stay relevant, competitive, and profitable, by using digital technology to win views and clicks online and drive revenue offline. The local customer experience platform powers the entire customer journey from online discovery, to store visit, to recommendation and repeat purchase. Uberall makes sure businesses are not only found, but attract and delight customers on every corner, across the globe  driving revenue and customer lifetime value, at scale.

Uberall, founded in 2013 and headquartered in Berlin, Germany, has offices in 8 countries with close to 350 employees. Uberall currently services over 1,850 multi-location businesses across 170 countries.

For further information visit http://www.uberall.com | LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter

ABOUT THE TRANSPARENCY COMPANY

The Transparency Company is a startup that uses AI to serve as a truth-telling engine for user-generated content across review sites and review content. We use both behavioral and content-based metrics to make predictions about the legitimacy of user reviews on local business listings. Our mission is to help consumers make better spending decisions by working with more qualified companies who have earned their reputations online. We're proud to serve our consumers as well as members of the Honest Business Community with high-quality analysis data via Chrome Extension and Web Portal.
As technology continues to grow rapidly, it's imperative for your business to ensure that it is growing online. PPC is a great way to put your business out there, especially for local businesses.

Sugar Land, TX SEO company Actual SEO Media has recently launched a new Pay Per Click advertising initiative. This new push towards PPC suggests a shift in the companys efforts to help more clients. Actual SEO Media will continue focusing on high-quality articles for search engine optimization, but this new initiative will give more variety to the businesses it serves. However, they do not need to be considered in opposition to each other. Both PPC and SEO can work well together to develop growth for those businesses that want to reach both ends of the spectrum of digital marketing.

Actual SEO Media has traditionally been focused on good search engine optimization for its clients web pages. While other companies may exploit loopholes to build traction online, Actual SEO Media does things the right way. Rather than producing articles that are cut and pasted together, the companys team of researchers, writers, editors, and web designers have optimized web pages from their foundations. The white hat techniques the company uses may be more labor-intensive and time-consuming, but the organic growth they produce lasts much longer than the malicious methods other companies choose. By expanding into PPC, Actual SEO Media is bringing its tried-and-true, trustworthy techniques into new marketing avenues.

There are many good reasons to take advantage of PPC in a businesss marketing strategy. First, PPC advertisements are guided by data. Experts in PPC can monitor advertisement data and make them more effective by tweaking the results for specific users. This makes PPC an effective, economical marketing tool. Businesses can use their marketing dollars in targeted ways, ensuring that the money is being spent effectively.

Another benefit of expanding into PPC advertisement is that it allows Actual SEO Media to enter new markets rapidly. For businesses, this means that their marketing strategies can quickly catch up with their competition. Melissa Gomez, a digital marketing assistant at Actual SEO Media, says that as technology continues to grow rapidly, it's imperative for your business to ensure that it is growing online. PPC is a great way to put your business out there, especially for local businesses. By helping businesses enter new markets quickly and develop their organic growth over time through the same firm, Actual SEO Media is paving the way for real, sustainable growth for its clients.

Sugar Land TX SEO company Actual SEO Media has long prided itself on real growth through search engine optimization. This new initiative focusing on PPC advertisement gives greater diversity to the companys offerings. In combination, SEO and PPC marketing can be a boon to a businesss web traffic, and Actual SEO Media now offers both strategies in-house.

Actual SEO Media Inc. can be reached via phone at (281) 962-6166 or by email at: info@actualseomedia.com.
Desire for Home Office Is Biggest Change Since the Pandemic Eighty-seven per cent of surveyed Malaysian consumers believe real estate prices will be higher than today by the end of 2022. A total of 83% of respondents say a home office or study space is more important than before the pandemic.

Reacting to the findings, Juwai IQI Co-Founder and Group CEO Kashif Ansari said:

The survey, conducted from September 28 to October 21, 2021, polled respondents from all over Malaysia. It asked consumers if they believe real estate prices will be higher by the end of 2022. Eighty-seven per cent of respondents said, Yes.

"The ratio was almost identical for both male and female respondents. That is a change from past surveys, in which men were almost uniformly more optimistic than women about property prices.

"We also asked the survey takers if they believe this is a good time to buy a house or an apartment. Ninety per cent of respondents believe this is a good time to buy. Consumers are very positive about home prices over the next 14 months. Undoubtedly, some consumers feel an urgency to buy before prices climb further.

"Covid has changed the way Malaysians want to live. Buyer preferences today are dramatically different than before the pandemic. What Malaysians would like to have in their homes has significantly changed. The need to have more space in a home has become a top priority for many buyers.

"A total of 83% of respondents say that a home office or study space is more important than before the pandemic. Having a larger home has become more important for 72% of respondents. Private green space is more important for 68% of respondents.

"Perhaps because of the long lockdown, homebuyers today have an intense desire for space. They want to be able to work from home.

Buyers today want it all. While most Malaysians want more space, 53% of respondents also say building amenities are more important today than before the pandemic.

"Developers are responding by re-drawing floor-plans for their new projects. In some cases, they are choosing to build where land is cheaper so they can afford to offer larger homes.

"We also asked Malaysians how important location is to them. Sixty-four per cent of respondents said being close to the central city is more important today than before the pandemic. Sixty per cent said that being close to a hospital or a clinic was also more important than before Covid struck.

"The pandemic is bringing massive changes to the real estate industry, the way that Malaysians choose to live is different today. Our lifestyle will undoubtedly keep changing in the years to come. This is only the beginning.

Will the desire for larger homes lead to de-urbanization as people move to rural locations? I don't think so. The economic and employment activity of the major urban centres in Malaysia is still too important. The cities are centres of gravity that still pull everyone in. I think we are more likely to say an increase in activity in the urban areas that until now have been second-tier. These are locations where land is cheaper and larger homes can be built. They are also still close enough to central city amenities and employment centres.

ABOUT JUWAI IQI

Juwai IQI is the Asian real estate technology group that empowers residents of Asia to become residents of the world, transacted more than 17,000 properties in 2020 and advertises US$4 trillion of property from 111 countries. We generate 12.9 million monthly active users.

The company offers real estate marketers an end-to-end marketing and sales solution that integrates its super-app, its IQI Global network of more than 21,000 real estate agents, and its online property marketplaces Juwai.com (international real estate portal in China) and Juwai.asia (Asia wide portal for global real estate). Follow Juwai IQI on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook and visit https://www.juwaiiqi.com/.


"My hope is that the products I create appeal to children from all ethnic groups, while at the same allowing black and African children to feel more empowered and proud to be who they are."

Teni and Tayo Creations unveils a new coloring book, puzzle and build your own solar-powered car to its diverse collection, all with a pinch of African influence. Mascots Feyi Fay, a superhero fairy, and Captain Nosa, a Nigerian scientist and superhero, encourage kids to do well in school and promote a love of learning in all the brands offerings.

School-age kids engage in science, technology, engineering and math with hands-on activities, such as building the solar-powered car. They learn problem-solving and attention to detail through the construction process and witness solar and electrical energy at work. The coloring book and puzzle for the younger crowd introduce them to African queens and facts about Timbuktu.

Omobola Imoisili founded the brand after relocating to L.A. from Nigeria and wanting to give her small daughters something representative of their heritage while they attend school.

I was born and raised in Nigeria and was always surrounded by people that looked like me, but now Im raising two young daughters in California, and we are a minority, said Imoisili. After my girls were born, it didnt take long for me to notice the lack of representation in the everyday things for kids and the lack of awareness when it came to African culture and history. For example, most people only think of poverty and war when they think of Africa, but I wanted my daughters to feel proud of their heritage and to know that there is more to Africa than that. Thats when I decided to start something on my own. My hope is that the products I create appeal to children from all ethnic groups, while at the same allowing Black and African children to feel more empowered and proud to be who they are.

A one-stop shop for toys, books, classes, and more celebrating the vibrant African culture and history, kids also enjoy something as simple as an African proverb in a toy box to a lesson about African geography in an activity book. The brand STEM-related projects are geared towards ages eight and up.

For more information, visit https://www.teniandtayo.com.

About Teni and Tayo Creations:

Teni and Tayo Creations features kids books, toys, and more that celebrate diverse characters and African stories. They educate children from all backgrounds and ethnic groups about Africa while allowing Black and African children the opportunity to feel seen and empowered.
Recent college graduates in Burleson are offered a $400 bonus toward the lease or purchase of a brand-new Hyundai vehicle

Great news for the students graduating near the Burleson area in Texas. Hiley Hyundai of Burleson is offering the Hyundai College Grad Program for qualifying graduates. All the students who qualify for the program will receive a $400 bonus toward the lease or purchase of a brand-new Hyundai from this dealership. Students who have graduated within the past two years or will graduate within the next six months with the necessary proof of employment or an offer letter from a prospective employer would be considered eligible for this program. Please note that this offer is valid through January 4, 2022.

The College Grad Program offered by Hiley Hyundai of Burleson is limited to qualified customers, also subject to credit approval through Hyundai Motor Finance (HMF). The offer applies to all new Hyundai vehicles with Final Pay. The qualified students must have graduated from a U.S.-accredited college or registered nursing school with a Masters, Bachelors, or Associates degree within the past two years or will graduate from such a school within the next six months from the date of finance contract. The proof of employment or an offer letter from the employer must have a start date within 90 days from the date of the finance contract and the applicant must not have an adverse credit history.

For more information on the College Graduate Rebate Program, drivers can get in touch with the Hiley Hyundai of Burleson dealership support staff. The dealership is located at 320 N Burleson Blvd, Burleson, Texas, 76028. Customers can also reach out to the customer care team, who are available by phone, 817-945-9900 to assist with any of your questions or information requests.
Clients can immediately enter markets and gain valuable insights into their customers without spending unnecessarily, then they can focus on developing more organic growth through its website.

The Woodlands SEO Company Actual SEO Media recently launched a new initiative focusing more heavily on Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising. This new focus shifts the firms current goals, transitioning from primarily organic growth through search engine optimization to more immediate conversions. While the agency will continue to produce high-quality content for its clients web pages, this new initiative allows Actual SEO Media to offer a wider array of options for its clientele to take advantage of.

Actual SEO Media was founded to produce web pages for its clients that properly followed the rules for search engine optimization. This meant doing things the right way. While other companies pump out articles that maliciously exploit loopholes in the search engine algorithm, Actual SEO Media uses white hat techniques. But the right way is more labor-intensive. Actual SEO Media has had to expand its operations to include six offices to serve the whole Greater Houston area. This new initiative focusing on PPC advertising will allow Actual SEO Media to serve more even more clients who may be interested in more than steady, organic growth.

There are quite a few reasons why clients may be more interested in Pay Per Click advertising rather than traditional SEO methods. One of the main benefits is that PPC advertising is more economical than other methods. Pay Per Click, as the name suggests, only requires clients to pay when website visitors click the advertisement. Rather than paying for the possibility of traffic, PPC allows businesses to pay for what really works. For the more budget-conscious business, this option is very palatable.

Another major factor in a businesss decision to pursue PPC is the amount of data available for experts to track. Almost anything that a marketer could wish to know is easily accessible through the search engines metadata. This allows the business to focus on what really works. This means marketing dollars are being properly shepherded into meaningful places rather than being thrown into a void.

Actual SEO Media, Inc., which has prided itself on promoting organic growth through SEO keyword marketing, now has a more diverse set of offerings for its clients. Now clients can immediately enter markets and gain valuable insights into their customers without spending unnecessarily, then they can focus on developing more organic growth through its website. In combination, these two will prove to be very valuable in growing a businesss traffic in the right ways.

Actual SEO Media Inc. can be reached via phone at (713) 201-7666, or by email at: info@actualseomedia.com.


"Its striking that doctors die by suicide at a rate of 28 to 40 per 100,000 or more than double that of the general population - with approximately 300-400 suicide deaths per year. One doctor dies by suicide in the US every daythe highest suicide rate of any profession, including the military."

The University of Medicine and Health Sciences, (UMHS), a small, mission-driven medical school with a commitment to student support and a legacy of successful residency placements in the United States and Canada, today announced that its recent presentation, Suicide Prevention and the State of Psychiatry, is now available to stream online. The session was led by UMHS alumnus Dr. Aaron Vazquez, who works as an inpatient psychiatrist and medical director at Intermountain Healthcare St. George Regional Hospital in St. George, Utah, along with fellow UMHS graduate Dr. Harki Kaur, a Psychiatry resident at Case Western University, as part of the medical schools campaign to raise awareness during Suicide Prevention Week Tailored to medical students, physicians and healthcare workers, the event covered topics ranging from the high suicide rates for doctors and medical students, common warning signs for suicide, how to help someone in crisis, and cutting-edge treatments for depression and mental health conditions. The full recording of the presentation can be accessed here.

Suicide has a devastating effect on families and communities, and occurs in about 12 per 100,000 people in the US per year. One population thats at high-risk for suicide is medical doctors and medical students. Following 20 months of unrelenting, pandemic-related stress, suicide rates are climbiing in this already vulnerable group.

Its striking that doctors die by suicide at a rate of 28 to 40 per 100,000 or more than double that of the general population - with approximately 300-400 suicide deaths per year, said Dr. Vasquez. One doctor dies by suicide in the US every daythe highest suicide rate of any profession, including the military. Medical students are three times likelier to die of suicide than the general population.

Recognizing the urgency of the mental health crisis among medical students, UMHS organized the event to coincide with National Suicide Prevention Week September 5-12. During the virtual session, Drs. Vasquez and Kaur described their experiences of working in psychiatry and shared their insights on a range of critical issues, including:



Risk factors & warning signs for suicide

How to start a conversation around mental health & suicide

Why suicidal threats and ideation should always be taken seriously

What to do if someone you know is struggling

Personal wellness tips for maintaining your own mental health

How simple changes in how we talk about suicide can help remove the stigma

Cutting-edge treatment options for mental health disorders

People are more comfortable talking about mental health, but suicide is still scary for people to talk about, said Dr. Harki Kaur. Its time to deepen this conversation and spread more awareness, especially among professionals in a high-stress environment. Mental health is just as important as physical health.

To stream the UMHS presentation, Suicide Prevention and the State of Psychiatry, please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7l1GndfMuQM&t=4151s.

For readers who are experiencing a crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.

About UMHS

The University of Medicine and Health Sciences (UMHS), is a small, mission-driven medical school with a commitment to student support and a legacy of successful residency placements in the United States and Canada. UMHS was founded in 2007 by medical education pioneers Warren and Robert Ross to deliver a highly personalized school experience. Graduates of UMHS earn a Doctor of Medicine degree (MD) and qualify to practice medicine throughout the United States and Canada. Students begin their Basic Science studies in St. Kitts, West Indies, and complete their clinical training in the United States. With an unprecedented 96% student retention rate, the vast majority of students that begin their medical studies at UMHS go on to obtain residencies. For more information visit https://www.umhs-sk.org/.
On behalf of the Conejo Valley Tourism Improvement District, we are excited to help in the reconstruction of such an iconic space in our own backyard. We look forward to supporting the restoration that will provide new tourism opportunities upon project completion.

Earlier this month, Visit Conejo Valley, the official tourism marketing organization for the cities of Thousand Oaks and Agoura Hills, California, donated a check of $10,000 to the Santa Monica Mountains Fund to help with the reconstruction of Paramount Ranch, a historic, near century-old movie backlot situated within the boundaries of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. Their donation will be matched by federal funding with another $10,000 towards the Santa Monica Mountains Funds fundraising goal.

The historic structures at Paramount Ranch, known for its film productions over the last 100 years including HBOs Westworld, were destroyed in the Woolsey Fire that started on November 8, 2018. This famous backlot used to feature a western-style main street and structures that served as barns, hotels, saloons and barbershops. Only the train station and a chapel built for "WestWorld survived the fire.

We are grateful for Visit Conejo Valley and their contribution to the Paramount Project, said Charlotte Parry, Executive Director of SAMO. The rebuilt Paramount Ranch will be a place for creativity, imagination and new traditions in addition to celebrating two of Americas greatest exports to the world: movies and national parks!

The Santa Monica Mountains are home to the largest urban national park in America. Paramount Ranch has been owned by the National Park Service (NPS) since 1980, and the park plans to spend $12,000,000 rebuilding the historic structures, electrical and water lines and the entrance area. The new building structures will also serve as event spaces and film sets, and will be fire safe and flexible.

On behalf of the Conejo Valley Tourism Improvement District, we are excited to help in the reconstruction of such an iconic space in our own backyard, said President/CEO of Visit Conejo Valley, Danielle Borja. "We look forward to supporting the restoration that will provide new tourism opportunities upon project completion.

To learn more about Visit Conejo Valley, visit: https://conejo.com. For more information on Paramount Ranch or to make a donation, go to: samofund.org or email Charlotte Parry: charlotteparry@samofund.org.

ABOUT SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS FUND

The Santa Monica Mountains Fund is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. It is the official non-profit supporting the National Park Service in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. As such, it funds habitat restoration, trail improvement, educational programs, and wildlife conservation in the Santa Monica Mountains - our Nation's largest urban national park, located in the greater Los Angeles area of Southern California.

ABOUT VISIT CONEJO VALLEY

Created in 2013, Visit Conejo Valley is the official tourism marketing organization for the cities of Thousand Oaks and Agoura Hills, Calif. With a mission to increase overnight visitation and improve the local economy, Visit Conejo Valley promotes the regions diverse 16 lodging properties, unique outdoor recreation, bustling arts and culture scene, diverse dining and tasting experiences, providing visitors with helpful resources to make the best of their trip and See Another Side of Southern California. To learn more about accommodations, attractions, and things to do in Conejo Valley, visit conejo.com.
Rusty Hodapp, Woolpert Director of Strategic Consulting Digital transformation in all industries is providing opportunities to drive innovation and value for owners and service providers who can conceptualize and deliver with a systems perspective.

Woolpert has hired longtime Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) Vice President Rusty Hodapp as a director of strategic consulting. Hodapp is nationally known for his aviation expertise and advancements in energy, resilience and asset management.

Over the last 24 years, Hodapp served as a vice president for multiple departments at DFW. His responsibilities spanned capital program delivery, building code enforcement, transportation, sustainability, facilities and infrastructure asset management. Under his leadership, DFW became a leader in aviation energy and environmental programs. In 2016, the airport was recognized as the first carbon neutral airport in North America, and in 2020, DFW became the first airport in the world to achieve the new 4+ carbon neutral level in the Airport Carbon Accreditation program, established by Airports Council International. DFW also became the first airport to earn a United Nations Global Climate Action Award.

At Woolpert, Hodapp will focus on enhancing energy, resilience, asset management and sustainability capabilities, leveraging lessons learned to benefit airports and other industries around the world.

I was fortunate to have a long and fruitful career at DFW, where I had many opportunities to learn and develop these key interests and skills, apply innovative ideas and evaluate outcomes, Hodapp said. My role here will be to identify opportunities and applications for technologies and initiatives based on a comprehensive understanding of the context of those applications. I can provide unique insight that will help Woolpert clients improve their operating positions and assess their operational systems, infrastructure and posture from a risk perspective.

Hodapp, a chemical engineer who earned his MBA in finance, said Woolperts employee-centered, technologically progressive and growth-oriented culture appealed to him personally, as did his experience working with Woolpert Vice President Eric Dillinger: Eric is a valued colleague and someone I hold in the highest esteem. Any firm, group or team he is associated with must be the best of the best. Hodapp said he also sees the immense benefits of joining an established firm that successfully supports and integrates multiple architecture, engineering and geospatial (AEG) products and services.

The concept of integrated solutions has long appealed to me, Hodapp said. Digital transformation in all industries is providing opportunities to drive innovation and value for owners and service providers who can conceptualize and deliver with a systems perspective. Firms that can combine core competencies across all these disciplines to deliver integrated solutions will provide superior value.

Dillinger said Hodapp brings an invaluable owners perspective to Woolpert, further refining and focusing the firms full spectrum of service delivery offerings.

Rusty has earned the respect of professionals throughout the aviation industry due to his innovation and leadership, and his ability to advance airport operations and management, Dillinger said. His systems perspective has been informed by life cycle considerations, and these drive the integrated solutions that address current client and stakeholder needs. Were honored to have him on board.

About Woolpert

Woolpert is the premier architecture, engineering, geospatial (AEG) and strategic consulting firm, with a vision to become one of the best companies in the world. We innovate within and across markets to effectively serve public, private and government clients worldwide. Woolpert is an ENR Top 150 Global Design Firm, recently earned its sixth-straight Great Place to Work certification, and actively nurtures a culture of growth, inclusion, diversity and respect. Founded in 1911 in Dayton, Ohio, Woolpert has been Americas fastest-growing AEG firm since 2015. The firm has more than 1,600 employees and 60 offices on four continents. For more, visit woolpert.com.
AAAA reminds all that ethical and competent adoption professionals should be highlighted and promoted to encourage the public to seek out those of the highest standards to assist in their adoption journey.

Every day in the United States and abroad children are placed for adoption into loving homes. These adoptions take place legally and they are done ethically. Unfortunately, these are not usually the stories that make the press. Instead, stories like How an Adoption Broker Cashed In on Prospective Parents Dreams, recently published in The New Yorker, detailing events that never should have happened, are the adoption stories that the public most often hear.

The attorneys of the non-profit organization, the Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys (AAAA), are dedicated to minimizing the number of adoption stories that end like the one described in The New Yorker, with prospective parents being defrauded by corrupt agencies or facilitators. Committed to the competent and ethical practice of adoption law, AAAA and its attorneys or Fellows advocate for laws and policies to protect the best interests of children, the legal status of families formed through adoption, and the rights of all interested parties. AAAA Fellows apply the law and best legal practices and have successfully helped thousands of clients through their family building journey. AAAA Fellows also represent thousands of birth parents to assure they are treated fairly and with dignity as they make the difficult decision to place a child for adoption.

The Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys is represented by over 500 attorneys from the United States and abroad who specialize in adoption law, assisted reproductive technology law (ART) or both. AAAA provides a credentialed presence in the law of family formation and is the largest professional organization of its type dedicated to advancing the security of children through permanent adoption, the protection of children through safe and secure foster care with appropriate permanency planning, and the recognition of intended parents as legal parents for those using modern medical technology to build families through assisted reproductive technology.

Admission to AAAA is a selective process that requires no less than five years of legal practice, at least 50 diverse adoption or assisted reproductive technology proceedings, a referral for admission by a current AAAA member, and rigorous review for high ethical standards and competency by the board of directors.

AAAA is committed to the finest in legal practice and to serving the adoption triad  children, birth families and adoptive families  with compassion and competency. While AAAA supports the exposure of unethical adoption practices in the press to educate the public, AAAA reminds all that ethical and competent adoption professionals should be highlighted and promoted to encourage the public to seek out those of the highest standards to assist in their adoption journey.

AAAA is headquartered in Greenwood, Indiana. For more information, visit us at adoptionART.org.
Bergeron shares his enthusiasm for the Yamaha collaboration.

Iconic trumpet player Wayne Bergeron and music industry leader Yamaha have come together to announce the second generation LA model: a new generation of Custom trumpet that delivers exceptional sounds in a broad range of musical styles.

Bergeron, one of the worlds most sought-after musicians, explained that rock-solid intonation, presence of sound at all volumes, complete tonal palette, and superb craftsmanship are just a few of the reasons the new LA model from Yamaha is the best trumpet Ive ever played. Bergeron continues to share his enthusiasm for the collaboration stating, It was important for me to create an instrument that had the flexibility and versatility to keep up with the music we hear in our heads and remove the need to keep switching instruments. The second-generation LA has that sound and much more.

The new LA trumpet features an updated two-piece valve casing as well as new top valve caps and valve buttons derived from the Custom Z model trumpets. Also new are heavyweight, phosphor bronze bottom valve caps and newly designed valve casing braces. All these innovations deliver improved efficiency and improved versatility for a broader range of musical styles. Additionally, two finish options are available; gold lacquer (YTR-8335LAII) and silver-plated (YTR-8335LAIIS).

Our relationship with Wayne started two decades ago, resulting in the first generation LA trumpet, said Bob Malone, Director of Ateliers, Yamaha Corporation of America and lead US designer of the LA model trumpet. Over the years Waynes counsel has been invaluable for us to truly understand what commercial trumpet players need, and we knew he would be the perfect partner to bring this second-generation LA model to life. The input and talents of Wayne and our worldwide design team bring an exciting, powerful and sophisticated experience to players, including in the most critical situations.

From studio to stage, the new LA model trumpet gives trumpeters the versatility to cover any genre a gig may call for, enough power and projection to stand out over the ensemble without exhausting chops, and a rich and flexible tone to blend into any section. All this in a package more efficient than ever gives the ability to switch on a dime and never be held back by the instrument. New design elements and impeccable Yamaha quality make this a horn that can do it all.

The second-generation LA models by Yamaha retail at $3,948 for the YTR-8335LAII and $4,148 for the YTR-8335LAIIS. The instruments can be purchased online or through an authorized Yamaha wind instrument dealer.

About Yamaha

Yamaha Corporation of America is the largest subsidiary of Yamaha Corporation, the world-leading music and sound company, based in Hamamatsu, Japan. The Yamaha team is committed to helping everyone progress, express and connect through music and sound. We offer innovative, finely crafted, award-winning products for your entire musical journey including pianos, brass instruments, woodwinds, strings, electronic keyboards, guitars, drums, professional and home audio equipment.
Third quarter sales fell 9% at the Hachette Book Group compared to 2020, contributing to a 1.2% decline in overall sales to Lagarderes publishing division, the company reported this morning. Total revenue for the publishing group was 696 million, compared to 704 million a year ago.

The decline in the U.S. was attributed to a difficult comparison to last year, when HBG released the bestselling Midnight Sun as well as various titles related to the Black Lives Matter movement. Lagardere said that bright spots in the quarter were gains in adult fiction and higher distribution revenue.

In addition to sales falling in the U.S. in the quarter, revenue was down 3% in the U.K. and declined 3% in France. Those declines were somewhat offset by a 4% increase in revenue in Spain/Latin America.

Despite the third quarter sales decline, revenue in the publishing group was up 9% through the first nine months of 2021 over the comparable period last year, rising to 1.83 billion. HBG CEO Michael Pietsch said nine month sales were "significantly above 2020."

Lagardere doesnt release profits in it quarterly updates, but the company did say it expects the publishing division to finish the year with an operating margin close to 12%, as profits continue to benefit from strong sales momentum and a favorable product mix. The profit forecast does not include Workman Publishing, which HBG acquired in late September.

In the quarterly update, Lagardere said it continues to take steps to both revise its ownership structure and to prepare for an expected public offering for all of its shares next year following Vivendis acquisition of more than 30% of Lagarderes shares. By French law, Vivendi is required to make an offer for all of the companys shares.
New York City, NY (11385)

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Partly cloudy skies. Low around 35F. NW winds at 15 to 25 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. Higher wind gusts possible..

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Partly cloudy skies. Low around 35F. NW winds at 15 to 25 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. Higher wind gusts possible.
Police released this photo last summer of the suspect in a string of anti-Muslim attacks, for which a Jamaica man has now been charged.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced a gun bust last Thursday that uncovered dozens of illegal firearms and more than 15,000 rounds of ammunition.
Queens parents oppose the removal of geographic priorities that allow their children to attend schools close to home, saying that their schools are already too crowded.
New York City, NY (11385)

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A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. High 48F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph..

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New York City, NY (11385)

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A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. High 47F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph..

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Cloudy. Low 42F. Winds light and variable.
The new Medicare Advantage healthcare program would force thousands of retirees to pay drastically higher out-of-pocket prices for prescriptions or hundreds of dollars a month to remain in their current plan.
For the first quarter ended 30 September 2021, the company posted total revenues of 287.3, million down 8.9% on a reported basis and by 4.4% like-for-like compared with at the end of the same period a year ago. Revenues from the five operating verticals stood at 284.8 million. They were down by 3.4% on a like-for-like basis excluding a negative currency effect of around 0.7 points and a negative perimeter effect of almost 3 points deriving from the disposal of Euro Broadband Infrastructure (EBI) on 30 April 2021, only partly offset by the consolidation of Bigblu Broadband Europe since 1 October 2020.At the end of the quarter, the companys broadcast business accounted for 62% of its total revenues but the segments 177.6 million revenue, represented an annual fall of 6.5% year-on-year. The revenues were said to reflected the carry-forward effect of the slowdown in the pace of new business against the Covid backdrop which Eutelsat said notably affected resellers across Europe during FY 2020-21, as well as a negative impact of circa 1.5 points stemming mainly from a tough comparison basis, as the first quarter of FY 2020-21 which included a positive one-off of around 2 million, and to a lesser extent from lower revenues from Fransat. On a quarter-on-quarter basis, revenues were down by 1.7%.Yet more optimistically, Eutelsat said on the commercial front in the quarter it had experienced some signs of a return to normality, notably in Europe with a multi-year agreement signed with the Polish national commercial broadcaster, TVN, for an additional transponder at the HOTBIRD neighbourhood and a contract with Zeonbud, Ukraines nation-wide DTT operator for capacity at the 9East orbital position.Moreover, in a deal that it said reflected the unparalleled coverage of Eutelsats in-orbit assets over the MENA region it had agreed partial renewal terms with Nilesat , Egypts premier satellite operator, for Ku capacity at Eutelsats 7 West position, part of the 7/8 West video hotspot, for broadcast services across the Middle East.The multi-year, multi-transponder agreement represents the partial renewal of capacity by Nilesat at enhanced terms. Eutelsat said that the 7/8 West video hotspot represented the most powerful, widespread and dense footprint in the Middle East and North Africa, reaching 90% of TV homes in the region. The neighbourhood boasts over 60 million homes and 1,000 channels.
Today, the United States and its allies face a Chinese adversary growing in military and economic power. As China continues to produce ships, missiles, and other weapons systems at rates unseen in the West since the end of the Cold War, the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force are dealing with a critical weakness; the looming retirement of a large percentage of their most capable conventional missile-launching strike platforms.

Just as we need them most, the U.S. military is being forced to retire large-capacity strike platforms. The U.S. Air Force recently completed the retirement of 17 B-1B bombers, equipped with three rotary launchers, each capable of carrying eight Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) cruise missiles. The U.S. Navy is facing a looming crisis with the approaching retirement of 22 Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruisers (CG-47s) with 122 Vertical Launch System (VLS) cells, 28 Block 1 and 2 Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers (DDG-51s) with 96 cells, and four Ohio-class nuclear-powered guided-missile submarines (SSGN-726s) with 154 cells each. While the impact of the loss of these platforms is being mitigated to some extent by new construction of smaller and less capable Block 3 Arleigh Burke-class DDGs, Constitution-class guided-missile frigates (FFG-62s), and stretched Virginia-class nuclear-powered fast attack submarines (SSN-774s), it is nonetheless numerically profound in the near term. For the Navy, these retiring platforms represent approximately half of the VLS cells in the current fleet inventory.

A concept from the past offers a unique, cost-effective opportunity to help mitigate these losses. In the late 1970s, after President Carter canceled the B-1A bomber, Boeing offered a cruise missile-launching 747-200C known as the Cruise Missile Carrier Aircraft  CMCA. The 747 CMCA had a freighter-like configuration and was equipped with nine internal rotary launchers. Each launcher carried eight AGM-86 Air-Launched Cruise Missiles (ALCMs) for a total of 72 ALCMs per aircraft. Loaded through the hinged nose door, the rotary launchers circled around an internal racetrack, ejecting missiles out of a new mission-specific door in the rear starboard side of the cargo deck before moving out of the way and making room for a new rotary launcher. While not selected for production, the innovative concept showed an early way forward for a cost-effective "arsenal aircraft." Unlike dedicated bombers, the 747 CMCA could blend in with commercial air traffic and leverage the 747's robust international commercial logistics network for lower-cost operations while also bringing a robust secondary cargo-carrying capability.

However, in todays world, the 747-200 has largely been removed from service worldwide. Additionally, there is much more of a need to launch smaller and more numerous tactical weapons from a shorter (180 inch-long) conventional weapon rotary launcher like the Multi-Purpose Rotary Launcher (MPRL) than there is to launch larger nuclear-tipped missiles from the much longer (265 inch-long) Common Strategic Rotary Launcher used in the earlier 747-200 CMCA. Thus, a more relevant aircraft/launcher combination is needed.

Conveniently, a large number of wide-body commercial aircraft are starting to hit the used aircraft market, especially 777-300s, 747-400Fs, and even a few relatively new 747-8Fs, all at a fraction of their original cost. All are modern compared to U.S. bomber designs and would need minimal modifications beyond those required to turn the aircraft into a specialized freighter and equipping it with modern military communications gear. All have a fuselage diameter that allows for an internal racetrack for rotary launchers and can accommodate two launchers side by side.

The two-engine long-fuselage 777-300ER is the leading candidate for a robust and cost-effective modern CMCA for low-threat standoff-range missile launching. Much like the current work being done by Israel Aerospace Industry (IAI) to convert 777-300ERs to their Special Freighter configuration, a 777-300ER converted to the CMCA configuration with an MPRL-compatible side cargo door would allow for a line of 10 rotary launchers, two wide, minus a one-MPRL gap space, for a sum total of 19 launchers per aircraft. Each launcher would be equipped with 8 JASSM-sized cruise missiles, for a total of 152 missiles per aircraft  nearly the loadout of an Ohio-class SSGN. The 777 variant could carry more weapons than the old 747-200 CMCA variants and operate at lower cost than the 747s due to their use of two engines rather than four.

The more operationally-costly 747 variants arent without merit. The 747-8F could carry 17 MPRLs, and the older shorter-fuselage 747-400F could be equipped to carry 15 MPRLs. The 747-400 has another trick up its sleeve: the 5th engine hardpoint on the port side wing. Originally included on the 747-400 to ferry large-diameter engines that wouldnt fit inside the fuselage, the hardpoint has since found other uses, such as the mounting point on Virgin Galactic's "Cosmic Girl" for the LauncherOne space launch vehicle. If this additional strengthening and equipment rearrangement was replicated on the starboard wing, its possible a B-52-style Heavy Stores Adapter Beam could be added to externally-carry additional tactical weapons or possibly larger hypersonic weapons, albeit with a tighter physical envelope due to the low-mount airliner wing.

The 777 CMCA aircraft could be operated by the Air National Guard, sharing many of the same airports as their airliner-based tanker cousins, operating the aircraft at lower cost than active units, and leveraging the nations supply of commercial 777 pilots. Assuming non-descript livery, these three types of aircraft could operate from 10,000 foot military and civilian runways and mix in with civilian air traffic without attracting significant attention, complicating adversarial targeting. When not loaded with launchers, the aircraft could potentially serve as a dual-role freighter aircraft offering a useful surge capability in the event of a humanitarian crisis. Two squadrons of 10 777 CMCA aircraft would exceed the lost naval and bomber launcher capabilities at a slight fraction of the up-front or operational cost of new Navy combatants or Air Force bombers. One could be based on the West Coast or Hawaii for operations in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, while the other could be based in Europe or Central Asia for use against a range of regional targets.

At a time when budgets are tightening, and the military is losing sea and air-based strike assets in bulk, the 777-300ER-based modernized CMCA, operated by the Air National Guard, presents an excellent opportunity to cost-effectively bolster or enhance U.S. long-range strike capabilities well before shipyards and new-build aircraft manufacturers could respond with new platforms.

Mr. Reimers is a military capabilities and weapons analyst for the Department of Defense.

The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of the Department of Defense or its components.
We now mark 48 years to the Yom Kippur war, which occurred in October 1973. Egypt and Syria surprised Israel by attacking her on two different fronts. Israel prevailed but sustained heavy casualties. Although Israel ultimately recovered from the shock of the 1973 war, it has always been remembered as a traumatic event.

The war started during Yom Kippur. Since then, "Yum Kippur" has been the holiest day of the year and is seen as a symbol of potential disaster that can happen in the military and other areas of national concern. There are many lessons from the 1973 war, some of which now remain more relevant than others.

Prior to the 1973 war, the IDF controlled the Sinai Peninsula. Israel accepted that Egypt deployed its massive air defense very close to the Suez Canal, which marked the border between the two states at the time. Israel did not attack the Egyptian air defense because it might have ignited a war, which Israel sought to avoid. The presence of the Egyptian air defense protected other Egyptian units, including tanks, artillery units, etc. They provided cover for the Egyptian infantry when it successfully reached the eastern bank of the Suez Canal at the first stage of the war.

In 1973, the IDF relied heavily on the IAF, which was supposed to play a major role in defeating the Egyptian military. However, the Egyptian air defense inflicted serious losses upon the IAF, effectively preventing it from pushing back the Egyptian forces. It was a bitter disappointment for the IDF.

Since the 2006 war, Israel has tolerated Hezbollah's stockpiling of tens of thousands of missiles and rockets. In this respect, Israel has taken the same approach as it did prior to the 1973 war by allowing its foe to accumulate significant firepower close to the border. Israel recognizes that an alternative approach might bring war, a result Israel seeks to avoid.

However, the destructive capabilities of Hezbollah are significant and would present a significant challenge to IDF operations if a war started. In addition, Egypt surprised Israel in 1973, and Hezbollah might try to do the same.

Some of Hezbollahs missiles can penetrate far into Israeli territory. Its substantial arsenal would definitely allow it to provide firepower to its fighters, enabling infiltration to northern Israel. In 2019, the IDF destroyed several tunnels that led from Lebanon to Israel, serving Hezbollah in penetrating into Israel. However, Hezbollah can still do this by exploiting the rugged terrain and lack of sufficient obstacles on the border. (Although Israel created some new and effective barriers, did not finish the project due to lack of funds and other priorities). Hezbollah combatants would have to overcome natural and artificial obstacles to pave their way into Israel, but such an undertaking could be accomplished, as it was with crossing the Suez Canal in 1973.

Despite the Egyptian success in 1973, its troops captured only a tiny part of Sinai, and they remained more than 200 kilometers from the heart of Israel. The Egyptian military did not pose an existential threat to Israel. The greater danger would have been if the IDF had worn itself down, confronting the Egyptian military on its terms. The IDF's best approach would have been to trap its rival in the vast areas of Sinai.

Hezbollah might be capable of infiltrating Israel in the next war and seizing ground, but it would be a short-lived victory. Within several hours, at most a day, the IDF would take back the territory while killing, capturing, or driving out Hezbollah fighters who invaded Israel. In this respect, even a Hezbollah penetration would not be capable of threatening Israel's survival.

Egypts air defense crippled the IAF in the 1973 war. Today, Hezbollahs missiles might hit Israeli airfields, inflicting casualties and disrupting operations. The IAF might also not be able to suppress the fire of Hezbollahs rockets and missiles. The IDF should not depend too much on the IAF, yet another lesson from the 1973 war. Israeli ground forces have to be fit and ready to carry out a large-scale offensive deep inside a hostile country. In 1973, Israeli ground units destroyed anti-aircraft batteries. In the next war, Israeli land units will be capable of wiping out other kinds of missiles.

Prior to the 1973 war, IDF was focused on the important task of securing its borders but often did so at the expense of preparing for a high-intensity war against Egypt. In recent years, the IDF, particularly its northern command, has been busy in the "war between wars", which consists of the ongoing effort to stop or at least minimize the Iranian military presence in Syria. Israel launched hundreds of airstrikes that cost Iran heavy damages and casualties, but Iran still insists on trying to turn Syria into a firebase against Israel. This is an important fight, yet as demonstrated in 1973, the IDF must not be distracted from preparing to confront Hezbollah.

Although the 1973 war occurred almost fifty years ago, some of its lessons are clearly still valid.

Dr. Ehud Eilam has been dealing with and studying Israel's national security for more than 25 years. He served in the Israeli military and later worked for the Israeli Ministry of Defense as a researcher. He has a Ph.D. and he had published six books in the U.S / U.K. His latest book is: Containment in the Middle East, (University Press of Nebraska, 2019)
Martin Lawrence will make his return to television in the new series Nehama.

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The 56-year-old actor will star in and produce Topic Studios' reimagined, English-language adaptation of the Israeli dark comedy series, according to Deadline.

Variety confirmed Lawrence's casting.

Lawrence will play a happily married father of five who quits his job to pursue stand-up comedy. When his wife suddenly dies, he must decide whether he should pursue his dream and risk losing his kids -- who are lost without their mother.

"Nehama has heart and real-life complications that drew me to the project," Lawrence said in a statement. "I am looking forward to getting back to TV, and this is a perfect fit."

The original series was created by Reshef Levi and Tomer Shani, who also directed the series, and produced by Yoav Gross. Levi, Shani and Gross will work with an American writer on the adaptation and also executive produce.

Topic Studios acquired the rights to Nehama in 2020.

"We're so thrilled that the iconic Martin Lawrence will reimagine Nehama with us," Topic Studios president Maria Zuckerman said. "Just as Reshef Levi hilariously embodied the original namesake character's pathos and idiosyncrasies, we can't wait to see where Martin's immense talent and the creative team take the character in exploring fatherhood and what it takes to lead a fulfilling life."

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Nehama will mark Lawrence's first TV role since Marcus Jackson on the FX series Partners. He most recently starred in the Bad Boys II sequel Bad Boys for Life, which opened in theaters in January 2020.
Writer-director Wes Anderson says his latest big-screen comedy, The French Dispatch, celebrates French cinema, the New Yorker magazine and journalists everywhere.

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"For years, I've spent at least half of my time in France, so I've been wanting to make sort of a French movie," Anderson said during a virtual appearance from Spain at a recent New York Film Festival panel discussion.

"I just wanted to use what I've been experiencing for years as an American living abroad, and then I had this idea of an anthology based around this magazine."

Starring Lea Seydoux, Adrien Brody, Jeffrey Wright, Bob Balaban, Bill Murray, Benicio del Toro and Tilda Swinton, the movie is set in the fictional town of Ennui-Sur-Blase in post-World War II France. It features three vignettes that unfold as the foreign bureau of a fictional Kansas newspaper prepares its final issue after its editor's death.

For the sake of authenticity, the film production's base camp was set up in the small French town of Angouleme.

Anderson said it perfectly suited the production "as kind of a backlot."

"[Of] all the ideas we had of how to invent our own French city, based on French movies, we found ways to interpret them in this town," Anderson added. "We used half the population of the place in the course of that movie, so it became a big character and a big part of it."

Producer Jeremy Dawson said the production company usually tries to keep everyone together, which limited the shooting geographically.

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"We take over a hotel somewhere we can all live, and we hope that everything we are going to shoot is within 480 seconds of that hotel in terms of transportation time," he said.

That means the cast and crew of The French Dispatch shot scenes down the street, in front of their hotel, at the local church and in a nearby plaza.

"We also found a warehouse or an old factory that we built a lot of sets in," Dawson said. "This movie was kind of a hybrid of sets we built and locations we found and locations we found and built things onto."

Seydoux, who plays prison guard Simone, spoke live at the festival, recalling how she auditioned for the film without knowing the plot because she was only given her lines of dialogue to read.

"Wes loves French cinema," Seydoux said. "We share the same passion."

Addressing Anderson, the French actress said, "You've made an incredible film and it is a love letter to French cinema."

Anderson said he and Jason Schwartzman , a frequent collaborator with whom he shares a story credit here, regarded the three sections of the film as if they were short stories.

"That's quite a different form and has different surprises along the way," Anderson said.

Schwartzman agreed this was a new and fun way to work together.

"Each part of it we worked on [made us] forget the other parts. We were so immersed in it," Schwartzman said.

"I feel like I learn so much," he added, referring to the education in music, literature, history, food and geography he receives when he and Anderson unite for films like this, as well as The Darjeeling Limited, The Fantastic Mr. Fox and Rushmore.

Brody, who also appeared in The Darjeeling Limited, as well as Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel, plays Julien, a character based on real-life art dealer Lord Duveen in The French Dispatch.

"Duveen is remarkable. He essentially created so much of the art world and managed to inspire some of the greatest industrialists and incredibly wealthy people to have the preeminent art collections," noted Brody, who also appeared virtually from Spain with Anderson, Dawson and Schwartzman.

"I grew up in New York, and [Julien's] kind of an amalgamation of a lot of stuff and influences and characters and gallerists and dealers that I've encountered," Brody added.

Wright, appearing in New York at the festival, said he fell in love with "the language of this story and the beauty of it and the poetry and the music" of Anderson's screenplay.

"I just couldn't get it out of my head," Wright said.

He acknowledged his food writer character Roebuck is a "Frankenstenian mix" of author James Baldwin, playwright Tennessee Williams, talk-show host Dick Cavett and reporter A.J. Liebling.

"I was trying to justify who this guy was and, so, Baldwin was really a great window onto that in terms of him being an ex-pat in France," Wright said. "I wanted to understand how it was that this man at that time -- a Black man, a gay man, an American -- winds up there."
DETROIT  A civil liberties nonprofit has filed a lawsuit against Grand Traverse County, Sheriff Tom Bensley, Undersheriff Mike Shea and Jail Administrator Chris Barsheff in federal court on behalf of a Traverse City man over access to prescribed addiction treatment medication while he was incarcerated.

The Michigan office of the American Civil Liberties Union and attorneys with Goodwin Law, a private firm with offices in eight U.S. cities, on Thursday filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan on behalf of Cyrus Patson, 20.

Grand Traverse County jail The Record-Eagle's past and continuing coverage of Grand Traverse County's jail:

Patson is on bond awaiting sentencing in 13th Circuit Court, for charges related to tampering with a monitoring device, records show. He previously confirmed to the Record-Eagle he takes Suboxone, a branded form of buprenorphine and naloxone, twice daily for treatment of an opioid use disorder.

During a previous incarceration in the jail, Patson said he was denied Suboxone, heard similar stories from others in the jail which an ACLU attorney confirmed.

This is a case where we heard multiple complaints happening at the same time, said Syeda Davidson, an attorney with the ACLU, of reports the organization received from people incarcerated in Grand Traverse Countys jail, who said they were not receiving physician-prescribed medications to treat addiction.

This is happening in other counties, but we are hoping that we will get a favorable result and that will tell other counties that what they are doing violates the ADA and the Eighth Amendment and that they will change their policies, Davidson said.

The suit asks the court to compel the jail to provide people who are incarcerated with medically assisted treatment for opioid use disorder if prescribed, Davidson said.

Grand Traverse County Prosecutor Noelle Moeggenberg said she was aware of the lawsuit, though had yet to receive the related legal paperwork.

Once she does, the case will be referred to the countys insurance carrier, Michigan Municipal Risk Management of Livonia, she said.

Bensley could not be reached for comment; Undersheriff Mike Shea and Jail Administrator Capt. Chris Barsheff both said they had not been served with legal documents related to the suit.

Records show the jail, which contracts with Wellpath, a Nashville-based corporate health care provider, does provide Vivitrol for those with opioid use disorder, but does not provide Suboxone.

Vivitrol is injected, Suboxone is taken orally and some clinical studies show Suboxone is more successful in preventing overdose deaths.

In July Elaine Kaiser, who is employed by Wellpath as a supervisor, testified during a motion hearing in 86th District Court, and initially stated there was no prescribed medication that Wellpath would refuse to administer in jails and that medical needs of incarcerated patients were addressed individually.

Later, however, she said stimulants, benzenoids and Suboxone were not provided in the jail.

Patson in July allowed his medical records to be discussed in open court, and they showed a series of directives from his physician, Dr. Kelly Clark, that Patson continue to receive Suboxone while incarcerated.

Clark reiterated these directives in an affidavit filed Sept. 16 on behalf of Patsons treatment plan, in 13th Circuit Court.

In my informed medical opinion, denying Mr. Patson his medically necessary buprenorphine during any incarceration or probation period is barbaric and inhumane, Clark said. It is no different than withholding necessary medication for other chronic genetically predisposed diseases like diabetes and coronary artery disease.

The Americans with Disabilities Act is a civil rights law, passed in 1990, that prohibits discrimination based on disability. The Affordable Care Act classifies addiction as a disability when it substantially limits a major life activity, such as caring for oneself, working and communicating.

The Eighth Amendment prohibits the federal government from imposing unduly harsh punishment cruel and unusual punishment on criminal defendants.

Davidson credited Patson for sharing his medical records with the ACLU.

It takes a lot of courage to put your entire medical and mental health history out there in a public filing for the world to see, Davidson said. I know that Cyrus really cares about making sure that people who have opioid use disorder dont ever have to go through this again if they are incarcerated in Grand Traverse County.

Patson previously provided his medical file to the 86th District Court, when his attorney, Jesse Williams, filed emergency petitions, asking a judge to compel the jail to provide Patson with his prescribed Suboxone.

At that time Patson was incarcerated on bond violation issues, records show, was not provided Suboxone, as prescribed by his physician, and underwent an involuntary detox.

A hearing has yet to be scheduled in the federal lawsuit; Patsons sentencing hearing is Nov. 12, records show.

The ACLU states in court filings Patson expects to be sentenced to jail.

Mr. Patson anticipates being sentenced to detention at the Jail on November 12, 2021, court filings state. Without intervention by this Court, Defendants will strip Mr. Patson of his prescribed treatment, disregarding sound medicine, including the broad consensus in the scientific community and the express judgment of his treating physician.

Clinical studies show a correlation between addiction, mental health issues and deaths by suicide  a longtime concern among those who run the jail and those incarcerated there, records show.

In 2017 Alan Halloway, died by suicide inside the jail after his arrest following a shooting at Bay Hill Apartments where one man was wounded. Halloway was placed on suicide watch after stating hed taken 20 Valium pills, as previously reported. A civil suit settled out of court accused a Northern Lakes Community Mental Health psychologist of negligence in removing the watch, records show.

On Feb. 28, 2018, Marilyn Palmer died by suicide after she hanged herself in her Grand Traverse County jail cells shower. The 36-year-old was a mother of three, and just 19 days into a sentence for felony identity theft, as previously reported.

Patson previously said he suffered from anxiety and depression, though was being counseled regularly for both.

Im happy things are moving forward in the right direction, he said in a text message Thursday evening.
About the author: Gary Peters represents Michigan in the United States Senate. He serves as chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and the Surface Transportation, Maritime, Freight and Ports Subcommittee.
64, of Traverse City, passed away on Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2021, at Munson Medical Center, in Traverse City, with her daughter, Tina, by her side. She is survived by: her daughters, Tina Tuller-Buist, Meagan Eby, and Rachael Eby. Cremation has taken place and there are no services planned at thi
While the celebration on Frat Beach has maintained its identity as a weekend of drunken camaraderie and school spirit, the students partaking in the celebration look much different now than they did in the 1950s, when the rivalry found its way to St. Simons.
Olivia is a junior journalism major at the University of Georgia. Her love for writing and sharing stories from the community led her to The Red & Black. She loves being able to highlight the people who make up the Athens community.

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As the COVID-19 delta variant continues to spread across the nation, questions about booster shots, hospitalizations and vaccine hesitancy leave many frustrated. As part of The Red & Blacks health news coverage, we are publishing weekly reports on news relating to COVID-19 and its recent statistics.

Major updates

COVID-19 cases decreased by eight at the University of Georgia from last week, according to the universitys reporting system. UGA reported 27 new cases over the week of Oct. 18-24, a decrease from the 35 cases during the week of Oct. 11-17. The surveillance testing positivity rate was about 0.80%.

Eight of the positive tests  about 29.63% of UGAs positive tests  were conducted at the University Health Center. There were five positive tests through UGA surveillance testing, three positive tests from UGA community members reported from testing sites in Athens and 11 positive tests from UGA community members reported from other testing sites.

Students that test positive for COVID-19 off-campus are required to report it to DawgCheck, UGAs monitoring tool. Because students may have tested positive off-campus and not reported it, the actual number of COVID-19 cases may be higher.

Since Oct. 25, UGA faculty, staff, students, retirees and dependents 18 and up who have completed a complete vaccine series and meet the Georgia Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's eligibility requirements may schedule appointments at the University Health Center to receive a booster shot.

Eligible patients must have received two doses of Pfizer or Moderna more than 6 months ago or a single dose of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine more than 2 months ago.

Appointments may be scheduled here. Due to vaccination status being verified on-site, individuals should bring their original vaccine card to the appointment.

Certain University of Georgia employees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Dec. 8 in accordance with an executive order issued by President Joe Biden, according to an ArchNews email sent on Tuesday.

Employees covered by this policy include those who work on or in connection with a federal contract, or who work in a covered contractor workplace.

Executive Order 14042, signed on Sept. 9, said that most federal contractors, including employees at public universities, must adhere to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions COVID-19 guidelines.

50% of Georgias residents are now fully vaccinated.

Georgias hospitals have about 17% of their intensive care unit beds left for sick patients. From Oct. 17-23, about 99.3% of COVID-19 cases in the Southeastern U.S. were delta variant cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The majority of people who are hospitalized with COVID-19 are unvaccinated.

Georgias case data by age shows children aged 0-17 are contracting the virus at the second-highest rate of all age groups. The highest rate is in those aged 30-59.

Data breakdown: University of Georgia

The university conducted 628 surveillance tests during the week of Oct. 18-22, similar to the 630 tests last week. With fewer tests occurring, fewer cases are able to be detected.

Of the total positive cases this week, 7 of them belonged to employees and 20 belonged to students.

For the week of Oct. 18-24, the UHC administered 406 vaccines, a decrease from the 422 administered last week. Cumulatively, the UHC has administered 28,261 vaccines.

Students and faculty may book a vaccine appointment at the UHC Vaccine Portal or get vaccinated at any University System of Georgia school. Students may also get tested for COVID-19 at the UHC with walk-in appointments.

Data breakdown: Athens-Clarke County

From Oct. 22-27, the county reported 58 new confirmed cases, compared to 72 from Oct. 16-21, according to the Georgia DPH. The countys seven-day average positivity rate was 4.5%. The World Health Organization recommends communities maintain a positivity rate below 5%.

This week, ACC reported three confirmed COVID-19 deaths.

According to the Georgia Geospatial Information Office, the number of current hospitalizations in Region E  which includes ACC and several surrounding counties  decreased last week. On Oct. 27, there were 68 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, compared to 81 on Oct. 20.

According to the Georgia DPH, about 45% of the county is fully vaccinated.

Data breakdown: Georgia

Statewide, the weekly rate of new confirmed COVID-19 cases has decreased.

According to the DPH, Georgia reported 7,975 confirmed COVID-19 cases between Oct. 22-27.This is a decrease of about 460 from the 8,441 cases between Oct. 16-21. The states seven-day average positivity rate decreased to 4.9% on Oct. 27, according to current data.

The number of confirmed deaths in the state remained stagnant  Georgia recorded 366 confirmed COVID-19 deaths between Oct. 22-27 compared to the 372 between Oct. 16-21.

According to the DPH, about 5.2 million Georgians have been fully vaccinated, or about 50% of the state. In comparison, the U.S. has a current full vaccination rate of 57%. Approximately 5.8 million Georgians, or 56% of the state, have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

According to the CDC, even fully vaccinated people should wear a mask indoors if in an area of substantial or high transmission. Currently, the CDC says Clarke Countys level of community transmission is substantial, along with many other counties in Georgia. The CDC has also released guidelines advising vaccinated individuals to still wear masks over their nose and mouth when in public, indoor settings.
People walk past the Okefenokee Oar displayed in the Tate Student Center in Athens, Georgia, on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019. The oar was created by the Student Government Associations of University of Georgia and University of Florida as a symbol of their rivalry, and it is kept at the school who won their yearly game until the next meetup. (Photo/Caroline Barnes)
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BRIDGEPORT  Like most parents, Shondell Vann wants the best for her child. She doesnt want her 2-month-old daughter, Maria Jackson, to grow up with limits or restrictions.

So the Bridgeport resident was excited about the CT Baby Bonds program, which started July 1, and creates a trust for babies whose births are covered by the states Medicaid program. When those children are between the ages of 18 and 30  and have completed a financial literacy course  they can submit a claim to access funds from the trust for specific expenses. These expenses include higher education costs, the purchase of a home in Connecticut, investment in a business in Connecticut or saving for retirement.

For parents like Vann, this means that, even if their child is born into poverty, they can still build a successful life. This a huge relief, Vann said. (Children) are the future, so we have to make sure theyre all right, she said.

Vann spoke Thursday during a press conference about the Baby Bonds program, which took place at the Alliance for Community Empowerment in Bridgeport. The event was part of state Treasurer Shawn T. Woodens statewide CT Baby Bonds education tour. Wooden said the program aims to narrow the wealth gap and lessen generational poverty in the state.

The purpose of the program is to focus on the whole child and aid them into growing into prosperous adults, Wooden said.

Others who spoke at Thursdays event included state Sen. Marilyn Moore, who represents Bridgeport, Monroe, and Trumbull. Like Vann, Moore said the Baby Bond program has the potential to turn things around for children in low-income homes.

Were looking at, from the moment a child is born into poverty, that the parent has something to look forward to for that child, Moore said.

Moore said about $50 million worth of general obligation bonds a year have been set aside for the program for the next 12 years. General obligation bonds are Connecticuts primary bonding program and are used to fund such programs as school construction grants, community care facilities, grants and loans for housing and other efforts.

Those on hand at the press conference also included Monette M. Ferguson, executive director of the Alliance for Community Empowerment. The alliance works to provide individuals, families, and communities with the appropriate tools, skills, and opportunities needed for economic stability and self-sufficiency.

The agency serves more than 35,000 individuals annually through their broad range of services in Bridgeport, Easton, Fairfield, Monroe, Norwalk, Stratford, Trumbull, and Westport.

Ferguson said she was excited to host the Baby Bonds event, and hoped that programs such as this one would lessen poverty to the point that the Alliance and organizations like it were no longer necessary. We want to put ourselves out of business, she said. Thats why were here.
PARIS (AP)  French President Emmanuel Macron told Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison during their first conversation since Australia pulled out of a multibillion-dollar submarine deal that it is up to Morrisons government to repair the damaged relationship between their countries, France's presidency said Thursday.

Australia last month canceled a contract to buy diesel-electric French submarines and agreed to acquire American nuclear-powered vessels instead as part of an Indo-Pacific security pact with the United States and Britain. The pact, known as AUKUS, infuriated France, which recalled its two of its ambassadors over the lost deal.

President Macron recalled that Australias unilateral decision to scale back the French-Australian strategic partnership by putting an end to the ocean-class submarine program in favor of another as-yet unspecified project broke the relationship of trust between our two countries," Macron's office said.

The presidential Elysee Palace added that Australia should now come up with tangible actions that embody the political will of Australias highest authorities to redefine the basis of our bilateral relationship and continue joint action in the Indo-Pacific."

Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton said he had seen a read out of the conversation and it was a productive phone call.

Obviously the French are upset, there is no question about that, Dutton told Nine Network television.

So they have expressed that and we understand their frustration. But we made a decision that was in our national interest, Dutton added.

Morrison had been keen for the phone call to happen, Dutton said.

Dutton suggested the bilateral tensions were escalated by French elections next year.

Dont forget too that France has got an election in April of next year. So politicians and elections always make for an interesting mix, Dutton said.

So I think once we get through that next year, hopefully we can continue with steps to normalize the relationship. But thats the situation at the moment, he added.

Australia and Britain last week defended their nuclear submarine deal with the U.S. amid concerns that AUKUS could escalate tensions in the region and spark an arms race.

The pact is intended to provide Australia with nuclear reactors to power its submarines, although the subs are not supposed to be be nuclear-armed. The agreement drew mixed reactions in the Indo-Pacific region.

Malaysia and Indonesia expressed concern it adds to the strain in hotspots such as the South China Sea. China, which claims most of the disputed sea, slammed the pact and warned it would threaten regional stability.

Others nations such as the Philippines, which claims part of the South China Sea, suggested AUKUS could help restore balance in the region, alluding to Chinas growing military might.

Ahead of a Group of 20 meeting in Rome this weekend and the Oct. 31-Nov. 12 U.N. Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, Macron also discussed climate issues with Morrison, according to the French president's office.

The Elysee Palace said Macron urged the Australian prime minister to adopt ambitious measures to commensurate with the climate challenge, in particular the ratcheting up of the nationally determined contribution, the commitment to cease production and consumption of coal at the national level and abroad, and greater Australian support to the International Solar Alliance."

Earlier, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne expressed regret to an Australian Senate committee that key allies learned about the French contract cancellation through the media rather than through diplomatic channels.

Payne had been advised by her department that countries including France, Japan, Indonesia, India, South Korea, New Zealand and Canada should be notified before the public announcement of the nuclear-powered submarine deal.

But leaks to the media the night before derailed the timeline for a number of key players, Payne said. She did not name those countries.

Payne said she would prefer sensitive information about Australias security decisions was not canvassed in the media before they were officially announced.

I think that is regrettable, she said.
PRAGUE (AP)  Coronavirus infections in the Czech Republic have soared to the highest levels in more than half a year as authorities call on people to get vaccinated.

The Health Ministry said the daily tally of new cases jumped to 4,262 on Monday, 1,733 more than a week ago. It was the highest daily increase since April 13.

The trend was not expected to be reversed any time soon.

The ministry predicted that in the next few days the country will have more than 300 people infected per 100,000 in a seven-day period, a significant increase from 217 on Monday.

Health Minister Adam Vojtech blamed a low vaccination rate.

It has become an epidemic of the non-vaccinated, its a fact, Vojtech said on Tuesday. A majority of new cases are not vaccinated, and a majority of those who have to be hospitalized and are in serious condition have not been vaccinated.

According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, some 67% of Czechs over 18 have been fully vaccinated, which is below an average of over 74.5% among the European Union nations.

I dare say that if we manage to increase the number of the vaccinated wed be able to cancel all restrictive measures the very next day, Vojtech said.

Thats not in sight yet. In fact, more restrictions have been reimposed, with face coverings mandatory at workplaces, starting this week. And as of next week, restaurants, bars, nightclubs and other places will need to check whether the patrons have the required COVID-19 certificate confirming they have been vaccinated, tested negative or recovered from the virus.

The government also decided to limit the time for which negative tests are valid. National health insurance also will not cover the costs of coronavirus tests now for non-medical purposes such as traveling or visiting restaurants, in an effort to prod more people to get vaccinated.

In recent days, people seem to have been listening to health authorities as an average of 30,000 a day received a shot, about three times more than several weeks ago.

In a worrying trend, though, the number of hospitalized surpassed 1,000 on Monday for the first time since May, while 17 people died of COVID-19 on Sunday, the biggest number since May 20.

The Czech Republic has been one of the hardest hit of the European Unions 27 countries in the pandemic. The nation of 10.7 million has seen 1.7 million confirmed infections and 30,648 deaths.

___

Follow all AP stories on the coronavirus pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.
WARSAW, Poland (AP)  Polands justice minister said Thursday the European Union member should not pay any of the total $1.8 million daily fines the EUs top court imposed for Warsaws ignoring its injunctions on changes to the judiciary and operation of a lignite mine.

Zbigniew Ziobro called the European Court of Justice injunctions lawless. Poland insists the court has no authority over its justice system and has been ignoring its rulings.

On Wednesday, the court fined Poland $1.2 million a day to prevent what it called serious and irreparable harm to the EUs legal order, chiefly by having a politically-influenced Supreme Court body for disciplining judges and by undermining judicial independence.

In July, the EU court instructed Poland to close the Disciplinary Chamber. Poland has consented but has not done that yet.

Last month, the EU court fined Poland $600,000 per day for failing to heed an injunction to close the Turow lignite mine, in a drawn-out dispute with neighboring Czech Republic. Poland is not paying that fine. Warsaw argues it cannot close the mine, because it fuels the Turow power plant that generates some 7% of the nations energy.

The Polish state cannot bow to lawlessness, Ziobro told a news conference.

Whether the illegal penalties regarding Turow ... or the penalty for changes to the judiciary, Poland cannot and should not pay a single zloty, (local currency)," said Ziobro who is the author of the changes to Poland's justice system.

On Thursday, the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary expelled Polands council over serious concerns as to its independence. Some members of Polands council were appointed with political recommendation. The expelling vote took place at the European bodys General Assembly in Vilnius, Lithuania. The councils recommend judicial appointments and help regulate work of the judiciary.

The EU is warning it can suspend payment of pandemic recovery funds to Poland unless the disciplinary body is abolished, but Commission head Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday expressed hope for a compromise.

She said strict conditions for payment of the funds to Poland will include closing of the Disciplinary Chamber and changes to the way the judges are disciplined, as well as reinstalling some of the suspended judges.

I think it is doable, I hope that we will reach an agreement,  von der Leyen said. But the reform part is conditio sine qua non.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Thursday the government will work out a compromise, but said it will take months. He told the European Parliament last week the Disciplinary Chamber will be abolished, but gave no timeframe, and also indicated some other body will take its place. It was not clear whether the replacement would be more in line with the EU's values.
NEW MILFORD  The town is increasing the New Milford Youth Agencys social worker services as an effort to help young people in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The increase in services involves two positions: changing the agencys current social workers hours from 30 to 40 a week, and the possible addition of a second social worker in the future.

The increase is part of a two-year trial that was unanimously approved at Mondays Town Council meeting. The total funding for the increase, which is in the amount of $225,000, will come out of American Rescue Plan (ARPA) federal funds.

The changes, long-term

Currently, social worker services at the youth agency are provided by Sarah Wells, whose primary position is a programmer; as well as a licensed professional counselor intern that we were able to get through Fairfield University, and a contracted clinical supervisor, OConnor said.

After two years, the social workers new, 40-hour work week will most likely become a budgeted full-time position, said Jason OConnor, director of the New Milford Youth Agency, who made a presentation at the meeting.

The second position would involve hiring another full-time, 40-hour a week clinical staff member  should the need arise.

If we become inundated and need to bring on another individual  that money is available, OConnor said.

The new staff member would be a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), he added.

The need

At the Town Council meeting, OConnor said theres an ongoing need for social worker services.

He cited the CDCs statistics of nearly 1 in 5 children nationwide who have a mental, emotional, or behavioral disorder such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, or disruptive behavior disorder. Of those children, only about 20 percent receive care from a specialized mental health care provider.

Additionally, he said within those populations, the sub-populations of LGBTQI, minority populations of children of color suffer even more.

He added LGBTQI youth are more than twice as likely to feel suicidal and over four times as likely to attempt suicide compared to heterosexual youth. He also said children of color have higher rates of mental illness but are less likely to receive that care.

He also brought up the pandemic, saying With COVID came increased isolation, came an increase in anxiety, demands, expectations  in just a whole new world of unknown.

He added no one knows what will happen in a year or two from now, in regard to the true detrimental effects of COVID on childrens mental health.

OConnor and Bass said theyve spoken to the schools and with community providers to see how the town can help the community, OConnor said.

They decided that the increased services at the youth agency is a no cost option.

The New Milford Youth Agency, which began offering clinical and counseling services in June, doesnt charge for its services. Currently, 10 students are either already receiving services or are scheduled to receive them soon.

As a result of the pandemic, a LSCW and licensed professional counselor are positions that are very much in demand, OConnor said.The stigma of mental health has decreased. More people are openly willing to target their mental health, adults, included.

He added the increased services at the youth agency is to address head on the isolation and teen depression that weve all seen when it comes to remote learning and COVID.

COVID has exacerbated the need of self care, mental wellness, and really taking care of oneself, he said.

OConnor said the addition of the new services at the youth agency provide another opportunity to show that the town of New Milford, New Milfords Youth Services, and the adults  we value our youth and we take care of our youth, he said.

The changes to New Milford Youth Agency were one of a half dozen items approved by Town Council Monday, to be paid for by ARPA funds. Others changes pertained to childcare assistance, a senior citizen advisory board, a Brownfield Community Challenge grant match and the John Pettibone Community Center. The total amount approved by Town Council to come out of ARPA funds was $1,050,137.75.

sfox@milfordmirror.com
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP)  New Zealand officials said Thursday they will gradually loosen their border quarantine requirements, which have been among the toughest in the world throughout the pandemic.

But while the changes will make it easier for New Zealanders stranded abroad to return home, officials gave no date for when tourists might be welcomed back. That change is likely still months away.

COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said that from next month, most people arriving in New Zealand would need to spend seven days in a quarantine hotel run by the military, half the previous requirement.

He said some new arrivals from low-risk Pacific island countries could skip quarantine altogether and isolate at home.

He said the new rules were an interim step ahead of broader reopening measures that would be gradually introduced once more than 90% of New Zealanders aged 12 and over were fully vaccinated. So far, 72% of eligible people have had both shots.

The change follows a growing outcry from New Zealanders who have been trying to return home but have been unable to secure spots in the quarantine system. Some have resorted to legal action.

I acknowledge that there's a lot of pressure there. My message to the people who are keen to get back into New Zealand is: There isn't very long to wait now, Hipkins said. And encouraging their fellow New Zealanders to get fully vaccinated will help us get to that point faster.

Hipkins said he expected most new arrivals would be able to isolate at home by sometime in the first quarter of next year. He said the first priority was New Zealanders and those with valid visas.

Tourists are more of a challenge, in that they dont necessarily have somewhere to isolate on arrival, Hipkins said. But well work our way through all of that.

Political opponents said the changes didn't go far enough and that fully vaccinated travelers returning home posed little risk.

Before the pandemic began, more than 3 million tourists visited New Zealand each year, and the industry was among the nation's largest earners of foreign income.

For more than a year after the pandemic began, the strict quarantine system helped New Zealand remain almost completely virus-free and allowed life to return to normal.

But an outbreak of the more contagious delta variant in Auckland more than two months ago has proved impossible to extinguish, forcing officials to abandon their previous zero-tolerance approach in favor of a suppression strategy.

With the virus continuing to spread in Auckland, which remains in lockdown, the border requirements had begun to seem outdated.

Thursday's announcement came after officials said two people in the city of Christchurch had caught the virus after one returned from Auckland. There was no immediate evidence the virus was spreading further in the city.
BOISE, Idaho (AP)  An Idaho company that successfully brought genetically modified potatoes to the market announced an agreement Thursday to help a California-based plant breeding company grow strawberries they say will stay fresh longer and have a longer growing season.

J.R. Simplot Company and Plant Sciences Inc., both privately-held companies, said they expect to launch the first commercially available, gene-edited strawberries within a few years.

U.S. growers produced $2.2 billion in strawberries in 2020, mostly in California, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But consumers discarded an estimated 35% of the crop due to spoilage. Simplot and Plant Sciences officials said genetically modified strawberries will help reduce waste, and make them available to consumers much of the year.

The strawberries will contain genes from only strawberries, selecting desirable traits that have been cultivated over decades.

It's the same technology we're working on with potatoes, said Doug Cole, director of Marketing and Biotech Affairs at Simplot. We have the opportunity to do that with this technology."

There is no evidence that genetically modified organisms, known as GMOs, are unsafe to eat, but changing the genetic code of foods presents an ethical issue for some. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a previous gene-modifying technique on Simplot potatoes. Now, more than 1.1 billion pounds (500,000 million kilograms) of the potatoes are sold in some 40 states and 4,000 supermarkets and 9,000 restaurants.

Cole said the company submitted information to the Agriculture Department that determined the gene editing being used on strawberries replicates a natural process and doesnt need regulatory approval before the strawberries are brought to the market. The company is also using that gene editing technique on potatoes.

Steve Nelson, president and chief executive officer of Plant Sciences Inc., said the company over the last 35 years has developed five distinct breeding populations of strawberries that do best in various growing areas and climate types.

They possess complex genomes that contribute to long and complex breeding cycles," Nelson said. Youve got to look at large populations of seedlings on an annual basis to make progress with traditional plant breeding."

Gene editing could speed that up. Nelson said the goal of the partnership with Simplot is to improve the horticultural performance of strawberries, enhance pest and disease tolerance and resistance.

He said for growers, who can spend $35,000 an acre to plant strawberries and another $35,000 per acre to harvest them, gene-edited strawberries could reduce the risk of a crop failure.

Simplot, a multinational agribusiness company with headquarters in Boise, Idaho, in 2018 acquired gene editing licensing rights in an agreement with Corteva Agriscience and the Broad Institute of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, developers of a gene-editing technology called CRISPR-Cas9. Simplot was the first agricultural company to receive such a license.

The technology allows scientists to make precise changes to the genome of living organisms and has wide-ranging applications for improving plant food production and quality. It's been likened to using a search-and-replace function while editing a written document.

The gene editing technology is called CRISPR-Cas9, the first part an acronym for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats. The technology speeds up the traditional process of breeding generation after generation of plants to get a certain desirable trait, saving years in developing new varieties that are as safe as traditionally developed varieties, scientists say.

Craig Richael, director of research and development at Simplot, said the strawberry genetic code has been mapped, but it's not clear what traits are associated with all the various parts of the code. He said the company is working with parts of the code that are known, raising genetically modified strawberries at a Simplot greenhouse.

Plant Sciences Inc., headquartered in Watsonville, California, and its affiliates have proprietary rights for more than 50 strawberry and raspberry varieties. The company supplies plants to growers in more than 50 countries.

Simplot and Plant Sciences will make money by selling the genetically modified strawberry plants to growers, who pay a royalty for the rights to grow and sell the strawberries. Terms of the deal weren't released.
Lebanon, IN (46052)

Today

Cloudy skies this morning will become partly cloudy this afternoon. High 47F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy with occasional showers overnight. Low around 35F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
After meeting officials in Delhi, Bangladeshs Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral M Shaheen Iqbal, on Wednesday visited Western Naval Command in Mumbai Wednesday. During his six days long diplomatic visit to India, he visited Mumbai on October 28 and interacted with the Indian Western Navys Vice Admiral R Hari Kumar to discuss bilateral cooperation.

The current diplomatic visit of the navy chief is significant as it coincides with the golden jubilee celebration of the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971.

Bangladeshs Chief of Naval Staff visits Western Naval Command during bilateral visit

According to a statement released by the Ministry of Defence, the two admirals addressed increasing and improving joint manship, interoperability, training, anti-terrorism collaboration, and general bilateral cooperation as part of the two countries' comprehensive strategic partnership.

"India and Bangladesh are bound by a common history, culture and language. The cooperation between the nations in the War of 1971 still rejoices with great pride and fondness by people of both nations," the Ministry said.

During the bilateral interaction, Admiral Hari Kumar stated that India is pleased to have contributed to Bangladesh's freedom in 1971 and that as a nation, India has enormous respect for the role performed and played by the proud people of Bangladesh in the war. He further stated that Indians are passionately participating in several memorial events marking Bangladesh's golden jubilee of independence.

According to the statement, the Commander in Chief also promised the visiting Chief Naval Staff that Bangladesh will get all necessary assistance for the successful conduct of the International Fleet Review in 2022. The Bangladesh Navy Chief's current visit to India, which spans from October 22 to 29, is notable since it coincides with the golden jubilee of the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, according to the announcement.

Admiral M Shaheen had previously met with Chief of Army Staff General MM Naravane on October 25 to discuss bilateral cooperation. Both sides are expected to discuss issues relating to joint cooperative efforts such as the Coordinated Patrol along the International Maritime Boundary Line, bilateral exercise BONGO SAGAR, naval training, and reciprocal delegation visits during the bilateral interactions, according to the press release. Following his visit to Mumbai, the Admiral will travel to the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington to see training operations and meet with the Commandant of the DSSC.



Image: Twitter/ PRO Defence Mumbai
In the latest development, report suggests that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has set up a five-member committee to probe into the incidents of violence in Tripura, where a mosque was vandalised and shops were allegedly set on fire in the Panisagar sub-division on Tuesday. As per the report, the BJP has formed a five-member team from the partys minority cell and asked them to see what led to violence in the state. The 5 member team have also been asked to assess the situation and submit a report in three days.

On Tuesday, reports circulated that during a Vishwa Hindu Parishad rally in the state protesting recent attacks against Hindus in Bangladesh communal violence, a mosque was allegedly vandalised and several shops were set ablaze in the Chamtilla area in North Tripura. However, Tripura Police informed that no masjid was burnt or damaged during the rally protest. After the violence, local authorities in BJP-ruled Tripura clamped Section 144 of the CrPC in Panisagar and Dharmatala sub-divisions so that the communal violence does not spread.

1/1



Certain persons by using fake social media IDs are spreading fake news/rumours on Tripura. It is informed that law & order situation in the State is absolutely normal.#Tripura  Tripura Police (@Tripura_Police) October 27, 2021

How did the Tripura violence unfold?

The incident followed alleged vandalism of a mosque and two shops which were set ablaze at the Chamtilla area in North Tripura district on Tuesday evening during a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) rally. The rally had been taken out by the VHP in protest of the Bangladesh violence against the Hindu community and its temples. At least 8 people including 2 Hindu devotees were killed while several others were injured in multiple cases of communal violence during the Durga Puja festivities in Bangladesh.

However, violence erupted during the VHP rally in Tripura after a group of people allegedly pelted stones and damaged a door of a mosque following which security forces rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control, district Superintendent of police Bhanu Pada Chakraborty said. A complaint has been lodged in this connection and mosques in sensitive areas have been given protection.

Reacting to the violence, Tripura Police stated that the situation is currently under control and "lawful action will be initiated against those who are circulating rumours on social media platforms and are trying to disturb peaceful environment".

In connection with the Tripura violence, two cases have been registered, one was registered suo moto by the administration while the other was registered based on an FIR filed by some minority organizations, demanding action against the perpetrators of the crime.

The Left parties and the Trinamool Congress accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of extending support to the right wing organisations with a motive to gain political mileage in the civic elections that is scheduled to take place next month. While the BJP has refused the charge and informed that strict action will be taken against the people involved in the violence.

(Image: Republic World)
In a key development, on October 28 Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla, during an MEA (Ministry of External Affairs) press briefing, informed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated at the 18th India-ASEAN Summit earlier in the day wherein the leaders deliberated on regional and international issues of common interest and concern including the South China Sea and counter-terrorism. In addition, Shringla informed that PM Modi is set to attend his eighth G20 Summit in Rome from October 29 to 31 upon the invitation of Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi.

PM Modi set to attend G20 summit in Italy

Addressing the press briefing on PM Modi's visit to Rome, Shringla informed that the last in-person summit attended by PM Modi was in Osaka in June 2019. Last year's summit was convened by Saudi Arabia virtually owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in Rome, Italy from October 29 to 31. He would be in Rome to attend the G20 Summit at the invitation of Italy's Prime Minister. This would his eighth G20 Summit. Last year's summit hosted by Saudi Arabia was held virtually because of the COVID pandemic," Shringla stated.

After the G20 Summit, PM Modi is scheduled to attend the COP26 in Glasgow wherein, he is expected to pitch for collective measures to deal with the situation in Afghanistan. On November 1, PM Modi will deliver a national statement at the World Leaders' Summit and participate around themes of climate change, mitigation, adaption and clean technology and innovation at Glasgow, the Foreign Secretary stated.

G20 summit in Italy from October 29-31

Further, Shringla informed that the focus of Italy's summit concentrates on recovery from the pandemic, strengthening global health governance, economic recovery and resilience, climate change and energy transition along with sustainable development and food security.

"Italy's theme for its presidency is people, plant and prosperity, it comes from the 2030 UN agenda for sustainable development," the Foreign Secretary stated.

Shringla explained that as of date, G20 represents 80% of the world's GDP, 75% of global trade and 60% of the world's population.

"Thus, it is fitting to say that over time G20 has emerged as not only the premier global forum for international cooperations but also an important platform to exchange, innovate and deliberate on policy issues that have a direct and tangible impact on the quality of life of our citizens and this could be in areas of global financial stability, sustainable finance, health, food security, etc," he added.

While establishing the country's affirmation and support to the priority areas chosen by Italy, Shringla said that both countries have remained engaged on the agenda throughout. Also, Shringla stated that PM Modi is set to interact with the Indian community in both Italy and Glasgow which would most likely be on a small scale owing to COVID-19 restrictions.

18th India-ASEAN Summit on October 28

Enumerating the highlights of the India-ASEAN Summit, the Foreign Secretary informed that the leaders affirmed the importance of maintaining and promoting peace, stability, safety and security in the aforementioned Sea and deliberated on ensuring freedom of navigating and overflight.
PM Modi Set To Attend G20 Summit In Italy & COP26 In Glasgow From October 29 To November 1

In a key development, on October 28 Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla, during an MEA (Ministry of External Affairs) press briefing, informed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated at the 18th India-ASEAN Summit earlier in the day wherein the leaders deliberated on regional and international issues of common interest and concern including the South China Sea and counter-terrorism. In addition, Shringla informed that PM Modi is set to attend his eighth G20 Summit in Rome from October 29 to 31 upon the invitation of Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi.

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HC Allows Bail To Aryan Khan & 2 Others In NCB's Drug Case; Conditions & Reasons Tomorrow

In a breaking development in the Mumbai cruise drug bust case, on October 28, the Bombay HC has allowed bail to Aryan Khan, son of Shah Rukh Khan, as well as his co-arrestees Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha. This comes after the Bollywood superstar's son was detained by the NCB on October 2 after a drug raid on the Cordelia cruise ship docked at Mumbai and heading for Goa. Following their custody at NCB, Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant were remanded to judicial custody at Arthur Road Jail since October 7 while Munmun Dhamecha was sent to Byculla jail.

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FM Nirmala Sitharaman To Participate In G20 Joint Finance & Health Ministers Meet In Rome

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to attend the G20 joint Finance and Health Ministers' summit in the Italian capital of Rome on October 29. The visit was announced by the Ministry of Finance through a Twitter post. FM Sitharaman is expected to focus on discussing measures to strengthen the fight against COVID-19 and steps to bolster preparedness and response, the tweet said.

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India Is A Peace-loving Country But Ready To Face Any Challenge If Needed: Rajnath Singh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday, October 28, addressed the staff of the Terminal Ballistic Research Laboratory (TBRL) in Panchkula after inaugurating a testing facility associated with warheads. Speaking at the event, Defence Minister said that India has been a peace-loving country and will only react in conflict when the country's peace is disturbed. Vice Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Sandeep Singh was present on the occasion.

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PM Modi's ASEAN Address: COVID-era Collaboration & Bilateral Ties Key Highlights, Says MEA

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, October 28, attended the 18th ASEAN-India Summit via video conferencing. Speaking on the PMs address at the summit, the ministry of external affairs said that PM Modi touched upon several challenging issues, including COVID-19, vaccine strategy, terrorism and China. The MEA further informed that the year 2022 have been declared as ASEAN-India Friendship Year.

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In Bombay HC, Maharashtra Govt Assures NCB's Sameer Wankhede 3-days Notice Before Arrest

NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede had on Thursday moved the Bombay High Court requesting that if any probe is initiated into the corruption allegations against him, that they be investigated by the CBI or the NIA. Expressing fears over his imminent arrest, in the petition filed before Bombay HC, the NCB officer has asked that if any FIR is to be filed against him by the Maharashtra government, the probe should be conducted by a central agency. Shortly after, the Bombay HC disposed off Wankhede's petition after the Maharashtra government's lawyer assured the Court that 3 days notice will be given before any arrest by Mumbai Police.

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'Missing' Ex-Mumbai CP Param Bir Singh Seeks Arrest Warrant Cancellation; Skips Court

Amid the manhunt for him, ex-Mumbai commissioner Param Bir Singh on Thursday sought cancellation of his arrest warrant issued by the Chandiwal commission. Opposing his application, ex-Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh and his secretary Sanjeev Palande's counsel have questioned the power of attorney and affidavit itself. Param Bir Singh has reportedly fled the country as the Maharashtra govt has lost all contact with him.

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Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya At CII Summit: 'Healthy Society Leads To Wealthy Nation'

Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya virtually addressed the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Asia Health 2020 summit on Thursday. The theme for the summit revolved around Transforming Healthcare for a better tomorrow. While asserting Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the government's commitment to enhance India's healthcare sector, Health Minister Mandaviya noted the fact that a healthy society leads to a wealthy nation.

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Nawab Malik Continues To Attack Sameer Wankhede; Hints At Officer's Links To Cruise Owner

In another attack against the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in connection with the Mumbai cruise drug bust case, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik has raised questions over Cordelia Cruises' links with NCB Mumbai Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede. Earlier, Nawab Malik had levelled allegations in connection with Sameer Wankhede's birth certificate.

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UN Chief Guterres Calls On Nations To Unite And Act Urgently To Secure Afghans' Future

The Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres has stated that the nation must unify and act quickly to ensure security and stability as well as a better future for the citizens via video message during a regional conference of Afghanistan's neighbours, hosted by Iran, on Wednesday As per a UN report, the media stated that foreign ministers from Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan attended the conference in Tehran, along with the Russian and Chinese foreign ministers who attended the meeting via video conference.

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Image: Republic World
The Madhya Pradesh High Court rejected the anticipatory bail petition of a man who allegedly compared RSS to the Taliban and instigated the religious sentiments of people. An FIR was filed against him at the Kotwali Police Station in Tikramgarh under Sections 153, 295, 505(1) and 505(2) of the Indian Penal Code. The petitioner's advocate contended that his client was falsely implicated in this case due to political rivalry and had not made comments on any religion or organization.

Highlighting that the investigation into the case has been completed, he argued in favour of pre-arrest bail citing that the trial will take a long time to complete. On the other hand, the prosecution affirmed that the comments made by the accused had gone viral on social media thereby creating a nuisance. In his order dated October 25, Justice Rajendra Kumar affirmed, "Keeping in view the facts and circumstances of the case and on perusal of the material available on record including case diary and the role attributed in the commission of offences by the applicant, there is sufficient evidence available against the applicant, in the opinion of this Court, this Court is not inclined to grant the benefit of anticipatory bail to the applicant".

Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan

After the Taliban stormed into Kabul on August 15, Afghanistan president Ashraf Ghani resigned and fled the country with his associates. On August 31, the terror outfit gained control of the Kabul airport after the last batch of US troops left Afghanistan. Though the Taliban promised to form an "inclusive" government to run Afghanistan, it announced a caretaker Cabinet that neither has women nor mainstream politicians from previous regimes.

While Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, the chief of the Taliban's Rehbari Shura, is the new Prime Minister, he has two deputies in Mullah Baradar and Mawlawi Hanafi. So far, the terror outfit's rule has been marked by repression of women's rights, restrictions on media, economic crisis and atrocities on Panjshir residents. In a key development on October 21, 10 countries- India, Russia, China, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan participated in the third Moscow Format meeting with a Taliban delegation led by Afghanistan Deputy PM Mawlawi Hanafi.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday expressed concerns over the spread of terrorism in Africa, citing challenges in countries like Sahel, Somalia, and other African nations. He asserted the need to support African counter-terrorism operations with sustained financing. Jaishankar said that the initiatives undertaken by the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM), G-5 Sahel Joint Force, and Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) need more strong backing from the Security Council and the international community.

"The spread of terrorism in Africa, as evident from the challenges we face in Sahel, Somalia, and central and east Africa, is a matter of serious concern," EAM S Jaishankar said.

Jaishnakar calls UNSC, world support to strengthen African Security forces

"The Initiatives undertaken by AMISOM, G-5 Sahel Joint Force, and Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) need more robust support from the Security Council and the international community," he added.

The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) is a regional peacekeeping mission run by the African Union with UNSC's consent. AMISOM supporters as part of their mission assist Somalian forces in their fight against Al-Shabaab terrorists. On the other hand, G-5 Sahel Joint Force is a task force brought to the fore in 2017 by countries like Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, and Mauritania. The force fights against violent extremism and organised crime in the region. MNJTF is a united international formation comprising units, mostly military from Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria. The force is mandated to bring an end to the Boko Haram insurgency.

Jaishankar's remarks came while addressing the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) debate on "Cooperation between UN and regional and sub-regional organisations (African Union)".

EAM Jaishankar speaks about Indo-African historical ties

The EAM said that India and Africa shared a unique historical approach and that the approach to this partnership was enunciated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018 through Ten Guiding Principles. He said that India worked with Africa as per Africa's priorities, and as per its comforts and aspirations.

"We believe that Africa's rise is essential for true multi-polarity in the global order and are committed to supporting that happening," Jaishankar said.

"India's support has always been without any conditionalities or any hidden agenda," EAM said.



Jaishankar said, "India endorses the call of Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to support African counter-terrorism operations with sustained financing, including through assessed contributions."

Inputs: PTI/ANI

Image: AP/REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE
International pressure mounted on the military in Sudan on Wednesday, a day after it ousted the transitional government in the northeastern African nation.

The coup threatens to halt Sudan's fitful transition to democracy, which began after the 2019 ouster of longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir in a popular uprising.

Members of the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday denounced the coup, warning that it threatens to destabilize one of Africa's unstable region.

Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok's now-deposed government had embarked on a series of reforms meant to transform the country's economy and have the nation rejoin the international community after over two decades of isolation under al-Bashir.

Brian Flynn is Ireland's Deputy Permanent Representative to the U.N.

"The actions of the military represent a betrayal of the revolution, the transition and the legitimate requests of the Sudanese people for peace, justice and economic development."

The coup came after weeks of mounting tensions between military and civilian leaders over the course and pace of Sudan's moves toward democracy.

"The United States has condemned the military takeover of the transitional government in Sudan. This contravenes the constitutional declaration and the democratic aspirations of the Sudanese people and is utterly unacceptable. As we have said repeatedly, any changes to the transitional government by force in Khartoum puts at risk U.S. assistance," Richard M. Mills Jr., U.S. Deputy Representative to the U.N., said at the Security Council meeting.

The African Union suspended Sudan  an expected move typically taken in the wake of coups.

The AU Peace and Security Council said via Twitter on Wednesday that the suspension would remain in place "until the effective restoration of the civilian-led Transitional Authority," as the deposed government is known.

The AU plans to send a mission to Sudan to hold talks with rival parties.

Diplomats at the U.N. Security Council lauded the move.

Trine Heimerback is Norway's Deputy Permanent Representative to the U.N.

"We feel it appropriate, as others also in this meeting, to state again that we are deeply alarmed by the current situation in Sudan, where the gains made in the transition are now at serious risk. We condemn the ongoing military coup and we call for the immediate release of all those who have been detained," Heimerback said at the Security Council meeting.

Relatives and activists say Sudanese security forces have detained three prominent pro-democracy figures overnight.

The arrests come as internal and international pressure mounts on the country's military following its coup and protests denouncing the takeover continued Wednesday.

Many businesses have shut in response to calls for strikes.

Groups of protesters set up barricades of stones on main roads throughout the day.

Security forces waded in, chasing demonstrators and dismantling the barricades.

Andre Lipand, Estonia's Deputy Permanent Representative to the U.N, addressed the situation in Sudan in his speech at the U.N. Security Council

"Estonia strongly condemns the military coup of 25th October in Sudan. It is a great setback for the Sudanese people who have worked so hard towards democratic transition, but it also has potential destabilizing effects on the wider region. We call on Sudan's military authorities to refrain from violence and immediately ... immediately return to the road map for transition to civilian rule, as laid out in the constitutional document and the Juba Peace Agreement" between the government and an alliance of rebel groups.

The coup occurred weeks ahead of a scheduled rotation of the leadership on the ruling sovereign council from the military to civilians, according to the constitutional declaration that established the joint government in August 2019.

Parfait Onanga-Anyanga is the U.N. special envoy for the Horn of Africa.

He told the Security Council that the military takeover subsequent violent suppression of pro-democracy activists could have effects far beyond Sudanese borders.

"The tragic event unfolding in Sudan following the unconstitutional change of government reflects the shaky transitions that many countries in the region are going through. It would be, therefore, critical to urgently restore the constitutional order in Sudan, consistent with the constitutional declaration, as well as the Juba Peace Agreement," Onanga-Anyanga said.

IMAGE: AP

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting the capital of Italy, Rome for participating in the G20 summit. Modi is expected to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his first day of arrival in Rome, reported ANI. He is scheduled to arrive in the Italian capital on Friday, 29 October to attend the G20 summit.

Modi to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi

Prime Minister Modi will visit Piazza Gandhi in Rome, according to ANI. The Indian Ambassador to Italy, Neena Malhotra, is expected to accompany Modi on his visit to Piazza Gandhi. Sources have revealed that the newly elected Mayor of Rome Roberto Gualtieri will also likely be present at Piazza Gandhi during PM Modi's visit. During his visit for the G20 Summit, Prime Minister Modi is likely to briefly meet a few representatives of the Indian diaspora, ANI reported.

PM Modi is set to attend his eighth G20 Summit in Rome from October 29 to 31 upon the invitation of Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi. This year, the theme of the G20 meet under the Italian Presidency is woven around 'People, Planet and Prosperity'. The heads of states of G20 member countries, the European Union and other invited countries and other international organisations will be participating in the G20 summit. Last year's summit was convened by Saudi Arabia virtually owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

PM Modi to visit Pope Francis

During the visit, the Prime Minister will be meeting Pope Francis in the Vatican, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla informed in a press briefing on Thursday, 28 October, according to ANI. Shringla added that it is not clear yet that the meeting between Pope Francis and PM Modi "will be one on one or delegation level". On the sidelines of G20 Summit, Narendra Modi is expected to hold a few bilateral meetings with leaders, including the Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, according to ANI. Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla in a press briefing, informed that after the G20 Summit, PM Modi is scheduled to attend the COP26 in Glasgow wherein, he is expected to pitch for collective efforts that are needed to be taken to deal with the situation in Afghanistan.

With inputs from ANI

Image: PIB
The Portuguese parliament has rejected the minority governments proposed state budget bill for 2022, a move that has triggered the possibility of a snap election in the country. On Wednesday, left-wing parties Anti-Capitalist Self Bloc (BE) and Old Guard Communist Party (PCP) colluded with the minority Socialist Party government rejecting the budget proposal. This has triggered the possibility of the countrys legislative election being rescheduled to January or February from the original date, that is, Autumn 2023.

With five absentations, the parliament rejected the bill by 117 votes to 108, marking a first since the country adopted democracy. Speaking in the aftermath, incumbent Prime Minister Antonio Costa said that he would not resign and that he pulled all stops to make the budget proposal work. Stressing the economic reform was the administrations priority, the leader said that a political crisis was the last thing that Portugal needed.

My conscience is clear, Prime Minister Antonio Costa told lawmakers as reported by AP. Because I did all I could to make this budget work without adding anything to it that would be to the countrys detriment.

Snap Elections

As the bill failed to win a conference of the Assembly of the Portuguese Republic, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has warned that he could call an early election. Later, a report in The Guardian stated that new election dates could be announced as early as next week after de Sousa consults representatives from political parties and the Presidents council of state.

"If parliament is unable to adopt a budget that's fundamental for the country, it would be positive to hear the voices of the Portuguese people, so they can say what they think about a future assembly," Rebelo de Sousa said Wednesday.

The budget bill proposed income tax cuts for the middle class. It also envisaged more investments into public work so as to pull the country of COVID triggered economic distraught. While Costa also proposed cutting deficit 3.2% of the GDP from 4.3& in 2021, opponents of the bill said that he failed to acknowledge the plight of workers in the country, social security investments amongst others.

Image: AP
The Joint Incidents Assessment Team (JIAT) in Yemen has said that intel allegations against some military operations that were conducted by coalition troops were untrue. While Saudi Arabia led coalition forces have been accused of conducting major war crimes in Yemen, JIAT said that its investigation concluded otherwise. Addressing media reporters, team spokesperson Mansour Al-Mansour asserted that the coalition forces had no role to play in the recent attack at Saada and in the Lahj governorate, as per the Saudi Press Agency.

Yemen has been engulfed in chaos since a civil war began in late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized control of several northern provinces and even forced the globally-recognised government headed by President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa. Later in 2015, the Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened in the Yemen conflict to back Hadis government. Since then, the coalition forces have been accused of committing major human rights abuses including arbitrary arrests, torture, enforced disappearances and illicit transfer of detainees to Saudi Arabia, according to Human Rights Watch.

During the briefing, Al-Mansour refuted a number of claims made by global bodies and international organisations. He said that coalition forces did not fire projectiles on buildings on Al-Thawrah General Hospital in March. Citing the JIAT probe, the official said that no operations were conducted by the forces in the vicinity of the targetted hospital at that time. He admitted that the Saudi forces struck a health centre in Sanaa Governorate in 2015 but justified it saying that it houses Houthi rebels and their ammunition.

More than 113,000 people killed

According to AP, the conflict has been disastrous for Yemen, the Arab worlds poorest country, killing more than 113,000 people, creating a humanitarian disaster, and wrecking infrastructure from roads and hospitals to water and electricity networks. Earlier, Saudi Arabia said that it will continue to treat Houthis as a terrorist organisation despite the US' decision to lift the designation on the group. On 12 February, the Joe Biden administration rescinded terrorist group designation from the Yemeni group, fearing it would block global aid to the country. However, Saudi Arabia, which has been engaged in a battle against them since 2014, stated that it would continue to go forward with the designation.

Image: AP
Rather than wait to be rescued as rising waters claimed their homes, residents escaped to safety.

Buddhist monks and local residents make a dam to protect a pagoda against rising floodwaters on the outskirts of Phnom Penh on Oct. 27, 2021. (AFP)

Relatives help an elderly woman across a flooded road following heavy monsoon rains outside Phnom Penh on Oct. 26, 2021. (Associated Press)

Women prepare food in a shelter while standing in flood waters on the outskirts of Phnom Penh on Oct. 26, 2021. (AFP)

A bulldozer pushes dirt to protect properties from flood waters on the outskirts of Phnom Penh on Oct. 26, 2021. (AFP)

Municipal workers fill a bag with dirt as they try to block a canal to protect homes against rising flood waters on the outskirts of Phnom Penh on Oct. 26, 2021. (AFP)

A Buddhist monk wades through a flooded road as he heads to the pagoda of Wat Kampong Kdol outside Phnom Penh on Oct. 26, 2021. (Associated Press)

Children play in flood waters on the outskirts of Phnom Penh on Oct. 26, 2021. (AFP)

A man transports goods through floodwaters on the outskirts of Phnom Penh on Oct. 27, 2021. (AFP)

People fill bags with sand to protect properties against rising flood waters on the outskirts of Phnom Penh on Oct. 26, 2021. (AFP)

People sit on a boat as they bring food to Buddhist monks through floodwaters at a pagoda on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Oct. 27, 2021. (AFP)

Residents of the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh have been leaving behind their homes and belongings to be swallowed by the rising waters and fleeing to higher ground this week as seasonal floods hit the Southeast Asian country, sources in the city told RFA.

Parts of the capital, home to 2.1 million people, have been inundated by heavy monsoon rains that reached their peak Tuesday.

Residents in the citys southern Dangkao district told RFA they believed they could not afford to wait for the government to help them, and fled to safety when the Praek Tnout Stream that bisects the district began to rise.

About 1,000 families have built temporary shelters along the streams Seven Makara Dam, Heur Sam Ath, a resident of the district, told RFAs Khmer Service.

He said the city government came to place sandbags before the flood, but authorities did not help any of the residents evacuate to higher ground. They have provided rice and canned fish to the evacuees, but he fears the floodwaters will outlast food supplies.

The people living closest to the stream began leaving for higher ground Monday when their houses succumbed to the rising waters.

The flooding created many issues for one survivors family, she told RFA.

I need to find a place to cook rice, she said.

My children could not go to work. They all stayed home. We dont have boats for crossing. They cant go to work, added the Phnom Penh flood victim.

Residents told RFA that the flood this year is worse than last years flooding, which affected 800,000 people across the country, killing at least 42 and damaging more than 160,000 homes according to statistics from the Washington-based Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP).

The Facebook page of the Phnom Penh city government said Tuesday that waters from the overflowing Praek Tnout Stream broke through a water gate and flooded five communes in Dangkao. So far, no deaths have been reported.

The flooding comes on top of economic hardship for many Cambodians after more than a year of lockdowns and business closure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Provincial preparations

Authorities west of the capital in neighboring Kandal province are preparing for the flood which they expect will inundate three of its districts.

Further west in Kampong Speu province, authorities reported the flood was receding after the rain stopped. Provincial Governor Vy Samnang told RFA the provinces reservoirs are full, so they released some water.

The flood situation has not improved much, but it receded two meters, he said, adding that no major damages have occurred.

Phnom Penhs lack of proper urban planning contributed to the catastrophe, said water expert Hem Udom.

I am not sure whether the public institutions have discussed things among themselves? Do they have a master plan? he told RFA.

Government-led projects have filled in nearly every major lake in Phnom Penh for construction, sparking protests by residents of communities who have lost their livelihoods. Environmental groups say the aggressive land reclamation projects exacerbate flooding in the Mekong River city, leaving no space to absorb runoff from heavy rains.

Praek Tnout Stream is the only waterway that absorbs runoff from rainfall in the city as several large natural lakes have been filled in as the city grew.

Before-and-after satellite images show the extent of flooding in the Krang Pongro area along the Praek Tnout stream southwest of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, this week. (RFA/Planet Labs Inc.)

The World Banks Climate Change Knowledge Portal called Cambodia one of the more disasterprone countries in Southeast Asia, affected by floods and droughts on a seasonal basis.

The countrys inability to adapt, insufficient infrastructure and inadequate institutions made it particularly vulnerable to climate change.

Floods accounted for half of the countrys natural hazards between 1900 and 2018, followed by epidemics, droughts, and storms, the policy brief noted.

During the 20-year period from 1987 to 2007, a succession of droughts and floods resulted in significant loss of life and considerable economic loss, the World Bank said.

Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
US military personnel are present on the democratic island, mostly in training and observer roles, experts say.

Taiwan's president Tsai Ing-wen speaks during national day celebrations in front of the Presidential Palace in Taipei, Oct. 10, 2021.

Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen has confirmed that U.S. military personnel are currently on the democratic island as part of "military exchanges," as she said the country's 23 million residents wouldn't "bow to pressure" in the face of the growing military threat from China.

Speaking in an interview with CNN, Tsai was asked how many U.S. military personnel were in Taiwan, before responding: "Not as many as you'd think."

"We have a wide range of cooperation with the U.S. aiming at increasing our defense capability," she said.

The last U.S. garrison left Taiwan in 1979, when Washington switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing, and Tsai's comments are the first official acknowledgement from a Taiwanese leader of U.S. military ties beyond the sale of arms mandated under the Taiwan Relations Act.

Tsai also said she had "faith" that the United States would step in to help defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion, and that her government is taking steps to boost its military capabilities and improve its defense capabilities.

"There should be absolutely no illusions that the Taiwanese people will bow to pressure," Tsai told the station.

Tsai also called on regional democratic partners Japan, South Korea, and Australia, to help support the island.

"When authoritarian regimes demonstrate expansionist tendencies, democratic countries should come together to stand against them. Taiwan is on the front lines," Tsai said.

"Here is this island of 23 million people trying hard every day to protect ourselves and protect our democracy and making sure that our people have the kind of freedom they deserve," Tsai said.

"The way you defend a big piece of land is different from the way you protect a small island, so we have to change the traditional thinking about how a military should be structured," she said.

But she said the outcome of ongoing tensions with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which has vowed to annex Taiwan despite never having ruled or controlled the island, would have repercussions for the rest of the world.

"If we fail, then that means people that believe in these values would doubt whether these are values that they [should] be fighting for," she said.

Taiwan's defense minister Chiu Kuo-cheng confirmed that there is "military cooperation" between his country and the U.S., but not enough to amount to "having troops stationed here."

Asked to elaborate, Chiu said the exchanges were "quite a lot and quite frequent" and had been going on for a long time, on a broad range of topics.

"There is no connection between personnel exchanges and the stationing of troops," Chiu told reporters after Tsai's interview aired.

US comments welcomed

Taiwan foreign ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou welcomed recent comments from U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken calling on United Nations member states to welcome the democratic nation's participation in the work of U.N. agencies.

"Taiwan's spirit of respect for human rights and the rule of law is consistent with U.N. values," Ou said, calling Blinken's statement "of great significance."

"Since the Biden administration took office ... it has continued to show strong support for our participation in international organizations, and concern for the unreasonable threat to Taiwan and free democracies around the world from China," she said.

Su Tze-yun of Taiwan's Institute for National Defense and Security Research, a defense ministry think-tank, said Tsai's comments suggested a good deal of mutual trust between Washington and Taipei, and that Tsai's comments should be taken in the context of Blinken's call for her government's participation at the U.N..

Su said Tsai's reference to China's "expansionism" had its parallels in Europe during the 1930s.

The way President Tsai described Chinas military expansionism sounded very similar to the experience of Europe [during the Third Reich]," Su said. "Hitler also used similar methods of military intimidation and coercion to annex some countries in a gradual manner."

"Then, the German army moved [outwards], testing the international community step by step, chopping away [at other country's territory] to serve its military and political need for expansion, finally leading to a world war," Su said.

"President Tsai reminded the world's democracies of the dangers of [China's] expansionism."

Chieh Chung, a research fellow at the National Policy Foundation on the democratic island of Taiwan, said any active-duty U.S. military personnel are either present as observers of the island's own military exercises, or as training consultants in special operations.

"We're talking about small numbers of people, who don't stay long, and who don't get involved in active combat tasks," Chieh said. "It's about training, consultancy, and observation, which is a very different role from that of a long-term garrison."

International relations expert Chang Kuo-cheng said it isn't unusual for the U.S. military to offer advice and training to international allies.

"The only real significance is that the U.S. can send its military personnel to Taiwan without China's permission," Chang told RFA. "It is obvious that Taiwan is not a part of China, and China cares about the political significance of that fact."

'Ambitious, expansionist'

Tsai told CCN that she isn't abandoning the possibility of improved relations with Beijing, saying she is willing to hold talks with CCP general secretary Xi Jinping.

Tsai has previously indicated she is willing to enter government-to-government talks with China on an equal footing, an idea that is anathema to the CCP, which insists that Taiwan is a 'region,' not a country.

"We have said again and again that we want to have dialogue with China and this is the best way to avoid misunderstanding, miscalculation, and misjudgment in the management of the cross-strait relations," Tsai said.

But she added: "[They're] more ambitious, more expansionist [than before]. And therefore things that were acceptable to them, may not be acceptable to them now."

Tsai's remarks cames as U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley told Bloomberg Television that China's test of a hypersonic weapon in the summer was "very concerning."

In the first official Pentagon comment on the test of a hypersonic glide vehicle launched from a rocket in low-Earth orbit, Milley called the development "a very significant technological event" that is being closely studied.

"They're expanding rapidly in space, in cyber and then in the traditional domains of land, sea and air," the top U.S. general said Wednesday.

Earlier this month, Xi told a conference on the 1911 revolution that toppled the Qing Dynasty and led to the Republic of China under Sun Yat-sen, that he is determined to bring Taiwan under Chinese control.

"The historical task of complete unification of the Motherland must necessarily be realized ... without fail," Xi said, accusing "Taiwan independence forces" of trying to undermine the process.

Taiwan operates as a self-governing state using the 1911 Republic of China name. Recent opinion polls continue to show that its 23 million people have no wish to be forced to "unify" with China under the CCP.

China's Kuomintang (KMT) nationalist government under Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek relocated to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war to Mao Zedong's communists on the mainland.

The island began a transition to democracy following the death of Chiang's son, President Chiang Ching-kuo, in January 1988, starting with direct elections to the legislature in the early 1990s and culminating in the first direct election of a president, Lee Teng-hui, in 1996.



Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Wu Lijie, also known as Wu Yishan, returns to Henan hometown after three-year jail term.

A group of Jasic Technology workers pose in Mao-era Red Army uniforms to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party in a photo taken in July 2021.

Three years after dozens of Maoist leftists were detained in connection with a labor rights movement at the Jasic Technology factory in Shenzhen, a top Maoist editor remains in police detention, while one activist has been released after serving a three-year prison term, RFA has learned.

Chai Xiaoming, a former editor at the Maoist website Red Reference, has been in detention since his initial detention on March 21, 2019 by state security police in Nanjing, initially under "residential surveillance at a designated location."

Meanwhile, several people connected to the Maoist faction in the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) told RFA that Wu Lijie, the editor of the Maoist Red Flag Network who is also known as Wu Yishan, was recently released from prison after being sentenced amid a 2018 crackdown on a Maoist-led labor movement at the Jasic Technology factory in the southern city of Shenzhen.

Wu was released on Oct. 22 after serving a three-year sentence and is now back in his hometown in Xinye county in the central province of Henan, a Maoist who gave only the surname Zhang said.

"Wu Yishan got out after three years just recently," Zhang said, using Wu's alternate name. "Another guy, Chai Xiaoming, is still being held in Nanjing Detention Center; he's been there for two years and seven months."

"There was a trial back in August 2020, more than a year ago, but there has been no sentence passed," he said.

Wu was detained after paying a visiting to the young people spearheading the bid to set up an independent trade union at Jasic Technology and the campaigners in Jasic Workers' Solidarity Group (JWSG), many of whom had traveled to Shenzhen to support them.

Little has been heard from others among a group of more than 30 former workers at the Jasic Technology factory in neighboring Guangdong province and the JWSG campaigners.

At least 44 labor activists, students, and recent graduates of China's top universities have been "disappeared" or criminally detained since the nationwide crackdown on the Jasic labor movement, which started in July 2018 and continued with further waves of arrests and detentions in August, September, November, and January.

Among the "disappeared" were Sun Yat-sen University graduate and Jasic movement spokeswoman Shen Mengyu and Peking University #MeToo campaigner Yue Xin.

Former Red Reference editor Shang Kai -- who was supporting the Jasic campaign -- was released on "bail" under conditions preventing him from appearing in public, RFA has learned.

An officer who answered the phone at the Shenzhen municipal police department, which led the operation targeting the activists, declined to comment when contacted by RFA on Wednesday.

"I don't know anything about this; you need to write to us, and I will find out," the official said.

Call to farmers, workers

According to a Maoist who gave only the surname Chen, Wu Lijie was targeted because the website had posted an article calling on farmers and workers to put their Marxism into practice and rise up against oppression.

"The Red Flag Network did that in 2012, because they are at the bottom of the social hierarchy themselves, so they see a lot of injustice, more than most," Chen told RFA on Wednesday. "They support farmers and workers to stand up for their rights."

"They use a server based in Hong Kong, but they still get blocked every couple of days [by government censors]," he said. "By the end of the Jasic campaign, [Wu Lijie] had expressed solidarity with the [movement] and also donated money to them."

"That was why they had to take him down."

Chen said most of the university graduates who had supported the campaign were dealt with fairly leniently, being subjected to "stability maintenance" measures that typically include release on "bail," police restrictions on contact with fellow activists and the media, and surveillance.

The activists who were prosecuted and jailed were mostly workers who had played a role in defending labor rights, he said. He said Wu Lijie, as a former migrant worker, fell into that category.

"He was arrested because of [Jasic], but they actually sentenced him for the crime of 'illegal business operations'," Chen told RFA.

Chai's detention came after a March 20 article on the website suggesting that China could take "a different path to modernization."

Chai, 43, is a prominent writer on the left of the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s political spectrum, and a former lecturer on Marxism at Peking University, which reports directly to the highest levels of the Chinese leadership.

'Stability maintenance'

Wu's release comes after authorities in the eastern province of Shandong detained Maoist activists ahead of the CCP centenary celebrations on July 1, 2021, Taiwanese media reported.

Police in Shandong's Jining city ran a nationwide operation targeting leftwingers in a bid to "maintain stability" ahead of the politically sensitive anniversary, Taiwan's Central News Agency (CNA) quoted sources as saying at the time.

Among them was Maoist dissident Ma Houzhi, 77, who was released from a 10-year jail term in 2019. A retired Qufu Normal University professor, Ma was jailed for setting up a Chinese Maoist Communist Party, defying a ban on the registration of new political parties under the CCP.

Other prominent leftists including Liu Qingfeng, Fu Mingxiang, Hu Jiahong, Nie Jubao, and Wu Ronghua were also detained. Most of them are under 30, CNA said.

The most recent detentions came after the CCP canceled a conference of prominent Maoist ideologists slated for May 16, the anniversary of the start of the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), suggesting that CCP leader Xi Jinping is unwilling to allow the faction to increase its power base in a possible challenge to his "core" leadership.

China's Maoist left straddles the established party and unofficial activism alike, and, as such, isn't an entirely controllable quantity.

While many commentators have noted an apparent shift towards political practices and ideological tropes that echo the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) under late supreme leader Mao Zedong in recent years, it appears that Xi is unwilling to allow actual Maoists free rein under his rule.



Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed Noeleen Heyzer as the new Special Envoy to Myanmar, and observers expressed optimism Wednesday that the Southeast Asian natives fresh perspective could lead to a breakthrough in the countrys nine-month political crisis.

Heyzer, a former U.N. Under-Secretary-General and a Singaporean, familiarized herself with Myanmar while chairing the U.N.s Southeast Asia Regional Commission in the early 2000s. The 73-year-old former Special Adviser to the U.N. Secretary-General on Peacebuilding and Sustainable Development in Timor had visited Myanmar several times prior to 2010 to assist people affected by Cyclone Nargis.

She will replace outgoing Swiss diplomat Christine Schraner Burgener, who had held talks with leadersincluding junta chief Min Aung Hlaingon the sidelines of an emergency summit convened in Jakarta by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in April to address the situation in Myanmar amid crackdowns that followed the militarys Feb. 1 coup. A five-point consensus to end violence was agreed upon at that meeting which included giving a special envoy to Myanmar access to all political parties, but Schraner Burgener was ultimately barred from entering the country and will step down within the week.

The U.N. created the special envoy position in 2018 to address the plight of the Rohingya Muslims who were the target of a brutal military crackdown in Myanmars Rakhine state a year earlier, causing about 740,000 to flee to Bangladesh.

Moe Thuzar, a Southeast Asia expert, said Heyzerwhose appointment was announced on Mondayis knowledgeable about the situation in Myanmar and the region in general, and believes she will be able to work with ASEAN to help resolve the political crisis that has unfolded in the nearly nine months since the military coup.

Now, although the situation is different from 2008, negotiations between ASEAN and the United Nations should be ongoing and they should continue to have coordination with goodwill and in the interests of Myanmar, she told RFAs Myanmar Service.

This is not a path that ASEAN is taking alone, nor a path paved by the United Nations alone. We will have to work in tandem with the international community.

Ye Tun, a former political analyst and lawmaker, said the appointment of a special envoy from Singaporean ASEAN memberunderscores the U.N.s special focus on helping Myanmar transition from a military coup to a functioning democracy.

A citizen from Singapore, an ASEAN member, will be able to focus more on our country. She might come up with more ideas, he said.

Our country has already been sanctioned by ASEAN and [Min Aung Hlaing] was not invited to the ASEAN Summit for failing to implement its recent agreements and resolutions. I think the U.N. is paying more attention to our issue now.

Barred from summit

In an unprecedented move earlier this month, ASEAN foreign ministers barred Min Aung Hlaing from the virtual ASEAN summit that kicked off Tuesday in Bandar Seri Begawan, saying he backtracked on the consensus that he had agreed to during the emergency meeting in April.

The snub was widely seen as an embarrassment to the junta, which on Tuesday issued a statement saying it was choosing not to attend because ASEAN had denied the military government representation.

Bo Hla Tint, the newly appointed special envoy to ASEAN for Myanmars shadow National Unity Government (NUG), told RFA that further options for an envoy should be considered in case the military bars Heyzer from visiting Myanmar.

The former special envoys couldnt do anything when the military refused them entry into the country, he said.

There wont be any significant results just by appointing a new special envoy without a Plan B. If this is a preparatory move because there is word the junta might act along the five-point ASEAN agreement, we will have to wait and see.

Junta spokesman Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun told RFA that if Heyzer acts impartially and fairly, the military will cooperate with her, in accordance with U.N. conventions, but would not accept any action taken with a political motive.

I want to say that it would be acceptable if [she] looks at the situation from all angles and acts in a balanced way, he said.

Otherwise, I would just say that itd be difficult to make progress if they act with a political goal in mind as they had done in the past.

Military cooperation essential

Aung Myo Min, human rights minister for Myanmars shadow National Unity Government, said the special envoy could be more effective at resolving the crisis because she is from an ASEAN nation, but added that she will not be able to succeed in her mission without the militarys cooperation.

ASEANs changing stance [on Myanmar], cooperation with the West, and regional actions are all important and these factors would enable her to play a more active role, he said.

However, no matter how effectively she carries out her work, if the military is not really willing to solve the problem, she will not be very successful.

Nearly nine months after the militarys Feb. 1 coup, security forces have killed 1,218 civilians and arrested at least 7,026, according to the Bangkok-based Assistance Association for Political Prisonersmostly during crackdowns on anti-junta protests.

The junta says it unseated the National League for Democracy government because, they claimed, the party had engineered a landslide victory in Myanmars November 2020 election through widespread voter fraud. It has yet to present evidence of its claims and public unrest is at an all-time high.

Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Observers say barring her defense team from speaking to the media is undemocratic and illegal.

Myanmars detained State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi has pled not guilty to charges of public incitement, according to sources involved in the case, in a hearing that the junta has barred her legal team from discussing with the media, citing concerns that doing so could destabilize the country.

Tuesday marked the first chance for the Nobel laureate, 76, who was arrested on Feb. 1 when the army deposed her National League for Democracy (NLD) government in a coup, to defend herself at the special court in the capital Naypyidaw against charges under Section 505 (b) of Myanmars Penal Code, a source close to the proceedings told RFAs Myanmar Service, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Details of the hearing were not immediately clear because the military barred all five lawyers on Aung San Suu Kyis legal team from speaking with the media under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

Lawyers for former President Win Myint and Naypyidaw Mayor Myo Aungboth co-defendants in the casesaid earlier this month that they had decided to defend themselves against the charges.

Khin Maung Myint, a Yangon-based high court lawyer, told RFA it is illegal for the military to keep the Aung San Suu Kyis case hidden from the public.

A lawyer or any other person should be able to speak out about the developments of the case without a restraining order, he said.

If one criticizes the quality of the case or speaks disrespectfully of those involved or witnesses or the court, then the person can be prosecuted under the Contempt of Court Act. Otherwise, the issuance of Section 144, which deprives citizens of their right to information, is, in fact, unconstitutional.

The decision to prevent Aung San Suu Kyis lawyers from speaking with reporters follows an Oct. 12 hearing in which former President Win Myint told the court that the military forced him to step down from his post on the day of the coup while defending himself against charges under Section 505 (b).

Following the disclosure to the media about that hearing by defense lawyer Khin Maung Zaw, the junta barred four members of Win Myints legal teamKhin Maung Zaw, Thair Maung Maung, Kyi Win and Min Min Soefrom speaking outs about the case.

In August, another member of the defense team, San Marlar Nyunt, had been made by authorities in Yangon to sign a pledge not to conduct interviews or contact the media or any foreign organizations.

Veteran high court lawyer Kyee Myint told RFA that barring all lawyers from talking to the media was illegal and said the move amounted to blatant interference with the judiciary.

The 2008 Constitution explicitly states that the legislative, the executive and judicial sectors must act separately, he said.

The judge of the court, in a reply to Aung San Suu Kyi, had said lawyers could talk about the hearings, and thus the executive branchs order can be seen as interference.

Junta spokesman Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun told RFA the ban was imposed because the lawyers statements wont contribute to the countrys stability.

There have been some exaggerations of the statements said in courtsome cases seem to have been misrepresented, he said.

We have information teams to speak about legal cases, even at district level, and they will act accordingly when needed.

Undemocratic, illegal moves

However, lawyers and political observers disagreed with the juntas reasoning.

Political analyst Than Soe Naing called the move part of a political plot to imprison Aung San Suu Kyi and other top party leaders.

Politically speaking, [the junta is] determined to squash the NLD leadership, including Aung San Suu Kyi, he said.

Decisions are being made according to that line of thinking. They dont have the legal right to do so, although they are still doing it. These are very undemocratic, illegal moves that are all politically motivated.

Than Soe Naing said injustices committed for political purposes will continue as long as the military regime thrives.

Kyaw Thiha, a member of the NLD Central Committee, called the ban a deliberate move.

They dont want the words of Aung San Suu Kyi to be heard here. The presidents [recent] statements reaching outside have hurt them badly, he said.

They cannot handle the lawyers truthfully relaying the brave words [of the leaders] reaching the public. They are very afraid that the whole country will become unstable after learning the truth.

Kyaw Thiha said the country is headed for total annihilation if the present situation continues because the military is doing whatever it wants without any regard for democratic rights.

Nearly nine months after the militarys Feb. 1 coup, security forces have killed 1,218 civilians and arrested at least 7,026, according to the Bangkok-based Assistance Association for Political Prisonersmostly during crackdowns on anti-junta protests.

The junta says it unseated the NLD government because, they claimed, the party had engineered a landslide victory in Myanmars November 2020 election through widespread voter fraud. It has yet to present evidence of its claims and public unrest is at an all-time high.

Aung San Suu Kyi on Wednesday requested that the court hold hearings on the cases she faces every other week instead of weekly, citing ill health, but the judge refused her request.

Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
A poster calling on China to return the remains of Tulku Tenzin Delek is shown on the China consulate in San Francisco in a July 14, 2015 photo.

Chinese authorities are banning public discussion of a popular Tibetan religious teacher six years after his death in a Sichuan prison, removing him from official religious histories and shutting down an online chat group devoted to his memory, Tibetan sources say.

Tulku Tenzin Delek, 65, died under mysterious circumstance on July 12, 2015, 13 years into a 22-year sentence following what rights groups and supporters called a wrongful conviction on a charge of bombing a public square in Sichuans provincial capital Chengdu in April 2002.

Widely respected among Tibetans for his efforts to protect Tibetan culture and the environment, he was initially sentenced to death, but his sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment. An assistant, Lobsang Dondrub, was executed almost immediately, prompting an outcry from rights activists who questioned the fairness of the trial.

Monasteries in Nyagchu (in Chinese, Yajiang) county in Sichuans Kardze (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture have now been forced by Chinese authorities to remove references to Delek, a well-known religious figure in Kardze, from histories of their establishments, according to a Tibetan source living in exile.

Documenting the histories of these monasteries was ordered by the Chinese government, and the Tibetans who compiled these histories then distributed them among the public, RFAs source said, speaking on condition of anonymity to protect his contacts in the region.

Many Tibetans who read these books were disappointed to see that nothing was said in them about Tulku Tenzin Delek, and they began to hold discussions about this with each other on social media, the source said, adding, The Chinese government then ordered this chat group to shut down.

Several members of the almost 500-member online group were later summoned for questioning by police, he said.

Tulku Tenzin Delek played the main role in the revival of Kham Nalanda Thekchen Jangchub Choling monastery, but in the history of this monastery neither his name nor any of his activities connected with it are mentioned, he said.

Tulku Tenzin Deleks niece Nyima Lhamo, now living in the U.S. after escaping from Tibet in August 2016, said Delek had become widely popular among Tibetans for promoting their wellbeing and the preservation of Tibets language and culture.

The Chinese governments attempts to erase all memories of Rinpoche from the minds of Tibetans is a mistake, Lhamo said, referring to Tulku Tenzin Delek by the honorific Rinpoche.

The government is rubbing salt on the wounds of Tibetans. But no matter how hard they try, the Tibetans and the international community will always remember Rinpoches sacrifice and legacy, she said.

These will never fade away.

Formerly an independent nation, Tibet was invaded and incorporated into China by force 70 years ago.

Chinese authorities maintain a tight grip on Tibet and on Tibetan areas of western China, restricting Tibetans political activities and peaceful expression of cultural and religious identity, and subjecting Tibetans to persecution, torture, imprisonment, and extrajudicial killings.

Reported by Sangyal Kunchok for RFAs Tibetan Service. Translated by Tenzin Dickyi. Written in English by Richard Finney.
The group had reported on infighting among Communist Party leaders and other sensitive issues.

Clean Newspaper journalists are shown at their trial in Vietnam's Can Tho city, Oct. 27, 2021.

A court in southern Vietnam on Thursday sentenced five independent journalists to long prison terms after a two-day trial, putting them behind bars for a total of 14 years and six months for writing articles authorities said had slandered government leaders.

The members of the now-shuttered Clean Newspaper Facebook group had been charged under Clause 2, Article 331 of Vietnams Penal Code with abusing the rights to freedom and democracy to violate the States interests and the legitimate rights and interests of organizations and individuals.

Handed the heaviest sentence, journalist Truong Chau Huu Danh was sentenced to four years and six months, while Doan Kien Giang and Le The Thang received sentences of three years each, and Nguyen Phuoc Trung Bao and Nguyen Thanh Nha were each given two-year sentences.

The five will also be barred from working as journalists for three years after finishing their prison terms, the court in Can Tho city said.

The sentence especially for Truong Chau Huu Danh was too severe, and the sanctions used under Article 331 are too harsh, independent journalist Duong Van Thai told RFA following the trial. Authoritarian countries will give someone a harsh verdict if they want to destroy them, he said.

In fact, the Communist regime doesnt want to listen to any critical, dissenting voices, Thai said. They only like praise, hate criticism, and dislike any new ideas.

They are never lenient with political dissidents and always give them much harsher penalties. This is the easiest way for Vietnams Communist regime to get revenge, he said.

Thai added that the group may have been given especially harsh sentences because of their reports on infighting among Communist Party leaders, including a series of stories they wrote about former Dak Lak provincial party secretary Bui Van Cuong.

Cuong, now the secretary general of Vietnams National Assembly, had been accused by two lecturers from Ton Duc Thang University of plagiarism in completing work for his PhD degree. The two lecturers were themselves later arrested.

Clean Newspaper journalists had also posted criticisms online of the Jan. 9, 2020 raid by security forces intervening in a land dispute at Dong Tam commune outside Hanoi in which a village elder was shot dead by police.

Other articles had criticized the widely unpopular build-operate-transfer (BOT) highway schemes adopted by Vietnam in recent years that have sparked rare protests over toll collections described by motorists as unfair.

'Not enemies of the state'

Vietnam's government should recognize that citizen journalists and independent media are "allies of good governance, not enemies of the state," Human Rights Watch deputy Asia director Phil Robertson said in a statement on Tuesday, a day before the trial began.

"Throwing more citizen journalists into prison is not going to stop people from complaining, or demanding reforms in Vietnam," Robertson said.

In a statement following the trial, Daniel Bastard, head of the Asia-Pacific desk for Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF)said that Vietnamese authorities have now given new evidence of their determination to suppress any attempt to provide freely reported news and information.

Worse still, by banning them from practicing their trade altogether, [the judges] have shown what little account Vietnams leaders take of journalism. These five journalists have no place being in prison, Bastard said.

Vietnam is ranked 175th out of 180 countries in RSFs World Press Freedom Index for 2021.

Vietnams already low tolerance of dissent deteriorated sharply last year with a spate of arrests of independent journalists, publishers, and Facebook personalities as authorities continued to stifle critics in the run-up to the ruling Communist Party Congress in January. Arrests continue in 2021.

Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by Anna Vu. Written in English by Richard Finney.
Kazakh police have opened two investigations after a schoolyard fight between students degenerated into a riot in an ethnically mixed village near the border with China.

Police said a fight broke out on October 27 between high school students in a school in the village of Penzhim, some 25 kilometers from the Chinese border. A 16-year-old teenager was taken to the hospital, police said, while other unverified reports said several people were injured.

The Panfilov district, where Penzhim is located, has a mixed population of some 130,000 people, a majority of them Kazakhs, but also a 30 percent-strong ethnic Uyghur minority.

Numerous videos distributed on WhatsApp and apparently filmed in Penzhim show that during the fight one of the students falls and does not get up.

Doctors and officials have given contradictory accounts about the teenager's health. Doctors said the student, who apparently is Kazakh, suffered a head injury and is in serious condition. But the head of the Panfilov district local administration, Talgat Umiraliyev, told RFE/RL that the student is stable.

"I visited him today. We saw the chief medical officer. His limbs are healthy, his speech is correct, and he underwent surgery at night. He has a head injury. The hematoma was removed. When talking to the child himself, he said, 'Everything is fine. Everything is fine,'" Umiraliyev said on October 28.

Authorities said the situation in the village is under control and that two criminal investigations have been opened into the schoolyard fight and the subsequent riots in the village.

It was not immediately clear what triggered the schoolyard brawl, but police said that they had been told that some 30 adults had gathered later that day near the house of one of the schoolchildren involved in the fight.

Police have been questioning suspected participants, including adults.

A group of people broke the windows of several houses and cars, police reported, without offering details about the extent of the damage or any arrests.

Authorities also denied social-media reports that houses were set on fire during the riot, saying they had received a report about an accidental fire in a private home in the village

"According to the owner of the house, the cause of the fire was a malfunction of the stove. At 23:30, the fire was extinguished. No one was hurt. This fire is not related to the incident," the Regional Police Department said, warning that those who spread false information will be punished.

Following the incidents, local authorities on October 28 summoned residents to the local House of Culture in an effort to calm the situation and gave reassurances that "there was no interethnic conflict in Penzhim."

During this discussion, which was covered live by RFE/RL, some people said that it was not "the first incident of this kind in Penzhim.
As winter approaches, people in Talmaza, a village in the southeast corner of Moldova, Europe's poorest country, are scrambling to secure fuel to heat their homes.

With the country locked in a natural-gas dispute with Russia, many fear they will be literally left out in the cold.

"Wood is expensive. So is coal. Those young people that emigrated from Moldova did the right thing. We older people should do the same. It's not worth living here," one elderly resident in Talmaza recently told RFE/RL's Moldovan Service.

Moldova, caught in a tussle for influence between Moscow and the West, is apparently being punished by the Kremlin after electing Maia Sandu, a pro-EU president, last year. Her party won a landslide victory in July's parliamentary elections.

At the negotiating table, Russia holds a strong hand, including Transdniester, a Moldovan breakaway region on the eastern border with Ukraine, and hefty stakes in key Moldovan energy concerns.

Since declaring independence in 1992, Transdniester has received economic, political, and military support -- including hundreds of troops stationed there -- from Moscow, although it does not recognize the breakaway region as an independent state.

And it is Transdniester that is not only consuming much of the natural gas shipped by Gazprom to Moldova, but refusing to pay for it, Moldovan politicians and others contend, claiming it is a further form of Kremlin backing.

"Since this separatist phenomenon has existed, Transdniester has not paid for a cubic meter of gas it has consumed. All the money collected [for gas deliveries to customers in the separatist region] goes to their budget and is used by the separatist government for social payments in order to maintain the regime," explained Ion Sturza, a Moldovan politician and former prime minister, in comments to RFE/RL's Moldovan Service.

While Transdniester benefits from the local gas revenues, it is Moldovagaz, the Moldovan gas company, that is billed for the gas and is responsible for paying for it.

The gas crunch in Moldova comes as Europe wrestles with skyrocketing gas prices blamed on strong demand globally and an unwillingness by Gazprom to provide additional supplies to the European market beyond those secured through long-term contracts.

Some see this as pressure by Russian President Vladimir Putin to push for final approval of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, a controversial Baltic Sea natural-gas pipeline to Germany that critics say will tighten Russia's energy grip on Europe.

"Of course, this is a tool for convincing Europeans of the need to launch Nord Stream 2," said Serhiy Herasymchuk of the Ukrainian Prism Foreign Policy Council in comments to RFE/RL's Russian Service.

Who Is Responsible For the Bill?

Moldova's contract with Russia's state-controlled Gazprom, the largest supplier of natural gas to Europe, expired at the end of September. Gazprom has extended the contract to the end of October, while raising the price to $790 per cubic meter from $550 last month.

Gazprom threatened on October 23 to suspend gas exports to Moldova if it is not paid for previous deliveries, and no contract for December is signed. That came a day after Moldova declared a state of emergency, freeing up additional government funds to buy gas amid soaring world energy prices.

With negotiations continuing this week, a key point of contention has arisen: How much does Moldova owe Gazprom? The Russian gas giant says the amount is $709 million, although many have questioned that.

The figure could be "much less than $700 million," said Dionis Cenusa, a political risk analyst, in an October 26 post on Twitter, adding that calls are growing for an audit of Moldovagaz.

Gazprom tampering with the numbers might not be surprising since it holds a majority 51 percent stake in Moldovagaz, the company liable for the debt. That control is effectively higher when factoring in that separatist Transdniester holds just over 13 percent of Moldovagaz. As for the Moldovan government's stake in the country's state gas company, that amounts to only some 35 percent. Moldovan President Sandu has made clear the gas debts are not Moldova's but rather Moldovagaz's and the company should settle the issue with its majority shareholder on its own.

It's clear that all the energy resources of the Russian Federation are used as an instrument of economic blackmail that turns into political blackmail."

Gazprom has taken Moldovagaz to court, inside Russia, no less than 16 times, to get the company to pay up, with the latest case in the International Court of Arbitration of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry coming in May. All previous cases have ended in Gazprom's favor.

There are not only questions and doubts about the true amount Moldova owes Gazprom, but also about who is responsible for generating much of that debt. Many point to Tiraspoltransgaz, the gas company of the unrecognized government in Transdniester.

Transdniester, home to much of Moldova's obsolescent Soviet-era heavy industry, is ever in need of energy, former Moldovan Prime Minister Sturza explained, noting that the Moldova Steel Works in Rabnita, Transdniester, "consumes 60 percent of all the gas consumed" in Moldova. The U.S. Energy Information Administration has confirmed that Transdniester "contains the majority of Moldova's power generation capacity and heavy industry."

Transdniester not only uses much of Moldova's energy, it also generates most of the power there as well. Specifically, the Cuciurgan power plant, on the border with Ukraine on a lake of the same name, which churns out some 80 percent of Moldova's electrical power, although it's unclear how much of that output relies on gas. The plant is often described as gas-fired, although its Russian owner has in the past touted it as "a unique power plant using three types of fuel: gas, fuel oil, and coal." Earlier this month, officials at Cuciurgan announced that it may reduce output due to a drop in gas shipments.

Not only is the plant in separatist-controlled territory, but it is owned by Inter RAO, the Russian state energy company whose CEO, Boris Kovalchuk, is the son of billionaire Yury Kovalchuk, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Igor Sechin, another influential Putin ally, is chairman of Inter RAO.

'Economic Blackmail'

"It's clear that all the energy resources of the Russian Federation are used as an instrument of economic blackmail that turns into political blackmail," Aleksandr Slusari, founder and deputy chairman of Moldova's Dignity and Truth Platform Party, told Moldovan media.

Moldova relies on Russia for nearly all its natural gas. And given its geographic position, the country is a crucial link in the transit chain of that gas from Russia to countries in southeastern Europe, including Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, and Romania.

However, Moldova's shift to the West, accelerating under Sandu, including tighter energy integration, has spooked Moscow, writes Aura Sabadus, a senior energy journalist.

"During summer 2021, some European officials were already pointing out in private conversations that the country's desire to integrate with neighboring Romania and Ukraine via market mechanisms was not going down well in Moscow," Sabadus explained in an article posted by the Washington-based Atlantic Council.

Gazprom has offered to lower its price to Moldova if Chisinau alters its free trade deal with the EU and postpones energy market reforms agreed with Brussels, the U.K.-based Financial Times reported on October 27.

The changes in the country's energy sector are part of the integration in the European energy market, as Moldova is required to harmonize its energy policy and legislation with the Energy Community Treaty.

Help On The Way

To meet its immediate gas needs, Moldova, which uses 2.8 billion cubic meters of gas annually, has received some supplies from neighboring Romania and Ukraine.

On October 25, Moldova's government announced it had bought 1 million cubic meters of natural gas from Poland, calling it "the first purchase of gas from alternative sources" in the history of independent Moldova. That may be a stopgap measure, but Chisinau is thinking long-term as well to reduce its reliance on Russian natural gas and Russian-controlled companies.

A crucial new gas pipeline, stretching 150 kilometers from Iasi in Romania to Chisinau and linking Moldova to the European energy system, was completed earlier this month.

The pipeline is owned and managed by Vestmoldtransgaz, a subsidiary of Romania's Transgaz. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) also has a 25 percent stake in Vestmoldtransgaz.

There has been other Western help. In 2019, the EBRD, along with the EU, the European Investment Bank, and the World Bank provided a 270 million euro ($313 million) package to finance a permanent connection between the electrical networks of Moldova and Romania.

Back in Talmaza, Ion Barcari voices his support for Moldova's expanding energy cooperation with its neighbors.

"We have to face the fact that we've depended too long on Russia and need to abolish this dependence by developing good relations with Romania, Ukraine, and other neighboring countries," Barcari told RFE/RL's Moldovan Service.

"Now our hope is on relations with Romania and the rest of Europe, because the Russians just want to impose their will on Moldova."

Written by RFE/RL Senior Correspondent Tony Wesolowsky with reporting from RFE/RL's Russian and Moldovan services
Smashed windows in homes and businesses were visible in the Kazakh village of Pidzhim a day after a riot broke out between residents. The riot was triggered by a schoolyard fight on October 27 in the ethnically mixed village near the border with China. Emotions ran high among residents summoned to a meeting on October 28 by local authorities who gave reassurances that "there was no interethnic conflict in Pidzhim." Pidzhim has a majority Kazakh population, but also a 30 percent-strong ethnic Uyghur minority.
KALININGRAD, Russia  Earlier this month, a woman in the town of Mamonovo, about 50 kilometers southwest of the Russian Baltic Sea port city of Kaliningrad, fell ill with COVID-like symptoms, including a fever that reached 39.7 degrees Celsius.

She called an ambulance, Yelena Maslova, a friend of the stricken woman, told RFE/RL. And it arrived after nearly 48 hours. The whole time, she was told: Be patient. We have many calls.

If she hadnt treated herself based on the advice of acquaintances who had been sick earlier, I dont know how it would have ended, Maslova said.

President Vladimir Putin has decreed a week of nonworking days for the first week of November, a measure aimed at containing a sharp spike in COVID-19 cases that has put the country among the worst in Europe in terms of per capita deaths and hospitalizations. As was the case in the earlier waves of the pandemic, the countrys ambulance corps has found itself sorely tested, perhaps nowhere as badly as in the exclave of Kaliningrad, a sliver of Russia nestled between Lithuania and Poland.

We are facing a catastrophic shortage of staff, said Anna Slotvitskaya, an ambulance medic and chairwoman of the Working Brigades professional association of regional ambulance personnel. Every day, as many as 10 ambulances dont leave the garage -- either there are no medics or no drivers or both. Since the beginning of the year, 15 paramedics, 13 doctors, and nearly 20 drivers have quit. And I know of 10 people who are planning to quit immediately after their next scheduled vacation.

At the same time, Slotvitskaya added, the number of calls per 24-hour shift has doubled from 10 to 20. Ambulances now travel 600-700 kilometers per shift, with 1,000 kilometers becoming increasingly common.

And this while two-thirds of the crews are working shorthanded -- one medic instead of two, she said.

On October 5, one local resident posted on a Kaliningrad chat group on the VK social-media site that on the previous day her father had fallen ill with a suspected stroke.

The ambulance dispatcher told her that she would have to wait for days. She was given an emergency telephone number she could call and was told that a doctor would advise her what to do while she waited.

I called, but no one answered, the woman wrote. I called a commercial emergency service, but they also did not answer. Finally, I was able to reach a doctor -- an endocrinologist -- who is an acquaintance and who picked up his phone in the middle of the night. He told me what emergency measures to take and where I could turn for help.

The woman finally used a private vehicle to get her father to a regional hospital where emergency-room workers were able to stabilize him.

And then we waited five more hours before he was seen by a cardiologist, a man whod already been torn to shreds by the relatives of other patients in critical condition, she wrote.

'No One Cares About Us'

A representative of the regional Health Ministry posted a comment to the post saying that ambulance calls had risen from 800 to 1,400 per day.

We are seeing an enormous number of unnecessary calls -- people with temperatures just over 38 degrees or with a slight cough or a stuffy nose, the representative wrote. "So I would once again take this opportunity to ask residents to evaluate their condition realistically and to turn to their local clinic for help with respiratory problems.

A local resident posted another comment that summarized the mood: Learn first aid yourselves. No one cares about us.

Slotvitskaya said Kaliningrads ambulance problem -- and other issues throughout the health-care system -- does not just stem from the massive increase in work caused by the pandemic, but from budget cuts and restructuring of the health-care system that began long before the world had ever heard of the coronavirus.

Ambulance stations are completely underfunded, she said. The Health Ministry tries to reduce costs by cutting salaries. Every time we get a raise in base pay, they cut some of the supplementary pay and we end up getting less than before. And that was before COVID. Now the situation has become critical because of the increase in work, and people are just quitting.

The need to purchase personal protective equipment, disinfectants, and additional medications because of the pandemic strained budgets even further.

The regional Health Ministry did not respond to RFE/RLs requests for comment.

Drastic Cuts

Slotvitskaya said she earns 56,000 rubles ($805) a month as an experienced ambulance medic. But she earns that amount working 12 24-hour shifts -- about 300 working hours.

Thats 12 24-hour shifts with only one day between, she said. It is rare to get two days off. You are thankful when you get a chance to sleep properly between shifts. Sometimes it happens that as soon as you close your eyes, you have to go back to work.

The maximum an ambulance driver can earn -- after reaching three years on the job -- is 30,000 rubles ($430) a month. Nonetheless, she notes, an ambulance driver must be a qualified professional who not only can drive under high-pressure situations but must also know the equipment, be ready to assist in various situations, and participate in moving critically ill patients.

So drivers are leaving, she added. They can make 50,000 to 60,000 ($720-$865) driving a dump truck and sleep peacefully in their own beds.

Ironically, many staff are leaving the ambulance corps to take higher-paying jobs with better working conditions in the regions COVID hospitals. Bonus payments for working with high-risk infectious patients are more regularly paid at hospitals, since in many cases ambulance patients are only confirmed with COVID long after the ambulance has dropped them off.

Kaliningrads problems are mirrored in other regions around Russia, many of which are reporting shortages of medical staff and ambulances. Anastasia Manzya, a lawyer for the Action labor union for health-care workers, said the Ural Mountains city of Magnitogorsk has reduced its ambulance service from 45 brigades to 22 to 28 because of staff shortfalls. Novosibirsk has cut its service from 187 brigades to about 100, while Voronezh has reduced its service from 110 teams to 70, Manzya said.

Manzya recalled a recent case in the southern city of Volgograd where a doctor arrived for his hospital shift and discovered there was only one emergency nurse instead of the mandated two.

In an emergency, the consequences could be very bad for the patient and terrifying for the doctor -- including even possible criminal liability, she told RFE/RL.

The doctor wrote a complaint to management about the staff shortage and received a reprimand. Later, Manzya said, a court canceled the reprimand for procedural reasons.

But only very strong people with years of experience are going to stand up for themselves like that -- people who love their work, Manzya said. Young people take one look at such situations, lose heart, and walk away.

Written by RFE/RL senior correspondent Robert Coalson based on reporting from Kaliningrad by correspondent Yulia Paramonova of the North.Realities Desk of RFE/RLs Russian Service.
A well-known human rights lawyer who fled Russia last month after defending members of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny's team said he has been added to the nations wanted list.

Defense lawyer Ivan Pavlov, who has taken on many politically charged cases over the years, including defending people charged with treason or espionage, made the comment on October 28 on this Telegram account.

Pavlov fled to neighboring Georgia last month, saying it was impossible to work in Russia because of the restrictions imposed on his activities by the criminal investigation opened against him.

The lawyer came under criminal investigation in April after he was accused of disclosing classified information in his defense of former journalist Ivan Safronov, who is being held on treason charges that he denies.

Earlier this year, Pavlov led the defense of Navalny's political network at a series of hearings that were closed to the public, which resulted in the groups being banned as "extremist."

Pavlov told Reuters last month that he did not think he had been targeted in a criminal case because of his work for Navalny, but for his years of dealing with cases involving Russias Federal Security Service (FSB).

Based on reporting by Reuters
A Russian national wanted on cybercrime charges has made his first appearance in a U.S. federal court after being extradited hours earlier by South Korea to the United States.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) alleged on October 28 that 38-year-old Vladimir Dunayev was a member of an international cybercriminal organization that developed and distributed the Trickbot malware that targeted U.S. schools, hospitals, and governments.

Trickbot attacked businesses and victims across the globe and infected millions of computers for theft and ransom, including networks of schools, banks, municipal governments, and companies in the health care, energy, and agriculture sectors, Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco said in a statement.

She said Dunayev is the second overseas Trickbot defendant arrested in recent months, making clear that, with our international partners, the Department of Justice can and will capture cybercriminals around the world.

The indictment alleges that Dunayev and others stole money, confidential information, and damaged computer systems from unsuspecting victims, including individuals, financial institutions, school districts, utility companies, government entities, and private businesses from November 2015 through August 2020.

It alleges that Dunayev performed a variety of developer functions in support of the Trickbot malware, including managing the malwares execution, developing popular browser modifications, and helping to conceal the malware from detection by security software.

The DOJ said the suspect resided in the Yakutsk region of Russia and in Southeast Asia.

Dozens of ethnic Russians have been extradited to the United States over the past decade to face hacking charges as the DOJ steps up its fight against the cybercrime pandemic.

The United States is forced to extradite Russian nations from third countries as Russia does not turn over its own citizens to foreign law enforcement.

The latest suspect had been stuck in South Korea since 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, Seoul media reported.

Dunayevs Russian passport had expired and was in the process of obtaining a new one from the local Russian Embassy in order to exit South Korea and return home.

Trickbot, which was created in 2016, is designed to steal personal and financial information and has caused tens of millions of dollars in damages to date.

The Trickbot group operated in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, and Suriname, according to the DOJ.

The malware is typically spread through email campaigns that entice an individual to open a malicious file attachment or click on a link that leads to a malicious file.

The creators of the Trickbot malware have continuously released new versions that evade the latest cyber security programs.

In February, the United States arrested Alla Witte, an ethnic Russian and TrickBot programmer, after she traveled to Miami.

Witte is charged with 19 counts of cybercrimes and is on trial in Cleveland, Ohio.
Tajikistan says it has put its entire armed forces on high alert for a combat-readiness check and relocated thousands of troops to the border with Afghanistan amid increasing security concerns in Central Asia over the Taliban's territorial gains in the northern part of the war-torn country.

Tajikistan has mobilized 100,000 active servicemen, 130,000 reserve officers and soldiers, as well as law enforcement agencies for the exercise on July 22 on the orders of President Emomali Rahmon, in the biggest such exercise in the 30-year history of independent Tajikistan.

In addition to the check, 20,000 members of the military reserve have been sent to the Tajik-Afghan border to reinforce border troops.

The Taliban in recent weeks has brought large swathes of Afghanistan under its control as U.S.-led international forces withdraw, including the main Shir Khan Bandar border crossing with Tajikistan. Tajik authorities say more than 900 kilometers of Afghanistan's border with Tajikistan is currently controlled by the Taliban.

Amid concerns that the Afghan government may collapse in the face of the rapid withdrawal of foreign forces and the Taliban's battlefield successes, Russia has announced joint military maneuvers with Uzbekistan from July 30 to August 10.

Moscow, which operates a military base in Tajikistan, also plans to hold joint drills there with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan on August 5-10.

Speaking in front of National Guard personnel on July 22, Rahmon said that the situation in Afghanistan, especially in the northern Afghan regions bordering Tajikistan, "remains extremely difficult and uncertain."

"The situation is getting more complicated day by day and even hour by hour," he added.

Rahmon, who has led Tajikistan since 1994, also spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to the Kremlin.

A statement said the phone call took place "on the initiative of the Tajik side" and that the topics of the discussion included the situation in Afghanistan.

Hundreds of Afghans, including police and government troops, have fled the country in recent weeks and entered Tajikistan and neighboring Uzbekistan as the Taliban ramped up its offensives against the Western-backed government in Kabul.

As the United States plans to complete its withdrawal by August 31, the insurgents now control more than half of the country's district centers, U.S. General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on July 21.

Reacting to those comments, the Afghan Defense Ministry told RFE/RL that "efforts are under way based on a specific plan to bring the lost districts back under the control of Afghan forces."

A spokesman for the Taliban, Zabiullah Mujahid, said the insurgents had "no plans to capture major cities."
A court in Russia-annexed Crimea has extended the detention of Crimean Tatar leader Nariman Dzhelyal until January 23, his lawyer Mykola Polozova said.

Dzhelyal was arrested with four colleagues in early September on suspicion of involvement in an attack on a gas pipeline and initially ordered held for two months.

Ukraine has called the charges against Dzhelyal fabricated, while the United States has called for Russia to release him.

Dzhelyal is deputy chairman of the Crimean Tatar's self-governing assembly -- the Mejlis -- which was banned by pro-Moscow representatives in Crimea after the annexation in 2014.

The arrest of Dzhelyal and his colleagues immediately sparked a protest outside the Crimean office of Russias Federal Security Service (FSB) that ended with the detention of more than 50 people.

The Russian news agency Interfax in September reported that the criminal investigation against Dzhelyal relates to a gas pipeline that was damaged on August 23 in a village near Crimeas capital, Simferopol.

Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzheppar said at the time that the detention of the five men was Moscow's "revenge" for a Kyiv conference dedicated to the "de-occupation" of Crimea that Dzhelyal had taken part in in August.

The event had been decried by Moscow as anti-Russian.

The court earlier this month sent Dzhelyal to a psychiatric hospital for evaluation, a pressure tactic the Kremlin has often used against political opponents.
Rocky Mount, NC (27804)

Today

Mainly sunny to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High 56F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. Low 37F. Winds light and variable.
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Salem - Joanne E. (Roulier) Bomarsi, 81, of Salem, passed away Tuesday morning, November 16, 2021 in Peabody. Born in Salem, MA, Joanne was the daughter of the late Lionel E. and Alice (Frasier) Roulier. A graduate of the former St. Chretienne Academy in Salem, Joanne worked for many years a
After difficulties securing a venue caused delays, Seattle's immersive Vincent Van Gogh exhibition officially opened last week, allowing residents to step inside some of the Dutch, post-impressionist painter's greatest works  or just snap a photo for social media.

Announced earlier in the spring, the long-awaited "Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience" found its home in a renovated warehouse in the Sodo district. The warehouse features 44,000 square feet of exhibition space, although not all of it is the digital projections of Van Gogh's paintings and sketches.

Callie Craighead, SeattlePI

The exhibit begins with a walk through of Van Gogh's art to familiarize the audience with his technique and use of color. Biographical elements of Van Gogh's life  including a suggested theory that he may have been colorblind  are given in a short documentary and various timelines throughout the exhibit. Light projections are also cast onto several statues throughout the exhibit, including a vase of flowers and a bust of Van Gogh himself. A large-scale diorama of his "Bedroom at Arles" is also featured.

While the beginning of the exhibit provides a small educational aspect, it is the 360-degree video mapping experience onto 30-foot walls that promises to be the selling point of the event. The digital projection lasts around 35 minutes and contains several thematic sequences including focuses on Van Gogh's multitude of vivid yellow sunflower paintings, self portraits and Japanese-inspired art.

Instead of remaining static, there are several moving elements in each projection: crustaceans from his oil painting "Two Crabs" scurry about on the walls and floors while a wooden boat gently rocks back and forth in "Starry Night Over the Rhone." The result is a dreamlike atmosphere where visitors are invited to sit on benches, chairs or the floor and soak in the experience.

Callie Craighead, SeattlePI

The digital projections are choreographed with orchestral music and other sounds  birds squawking, rain falling  that contribute to the ebb and flow of each sequence. Audio voiceovers read prominent quotes from the artist, although they add little context to Van Gogh's troubled life.

While the experience does allow you to walk into the world of a painting and promises plenty of Instagram-worthy photo opportunities, it has little to do with art, history or even the painter himself. While the purist in me scoffs at the rise of these multimedia exhibitions that seem to be popping up everywhere, the experience does provide an accessible way to interact with art. And thankfully, the exhibit is less ostentatious than last year's selfie museum.

The exhibit has also been mired with some controversy. While set to open in September at a "secret location" in the city, ticket holders were abruptly alerted last month that the experience had been rescheduled for October. With multiple Van Gogh exhibits touring the country, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) also put out an advisory earlier in ticketing company hosting the Seattle event, Fever, had multiple unanswered complaints. The company has launched similar Van Gogh exhibits in Atlanta, Dallas, Miami, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C. with a total of 1.3 million people attending.

Callie Craighead, SeattlePI

One unique feature of the exhibit is the opportunity for kids to color their own Van Gogh painting and project it onto the wall using video mapping technology. Virtual reality experiences that put you in the life on Van Gogh are also available, but the VR experience does cost extra on top of ticket prices.

The exhibit is expected to run for at least six months in Seattle according to organizers, and tickets are currently available for dates through January 2022. But don't worry if you miss out on this immersive art experience: a second Van Gogh exhibit  called "Imagine Van Gogh: The Immersive Exhibition"  is also scheduled to open at the Tacoma Armory in December.
Boeing said Wednesday it expects to lose $1 billion as it continues to cease deliveries of its 787 Dreamliner jets, which have been grounded for several months as the company works to fix a series of production flaws in the airliners.



The company announced that figure in its third-quarter earnings report, which showed the company lost $183 million between July and September alone as a result of the halt in Dreamliner deliveries.



Boeings chief executive, David Calhoun, addressed the losses in a letter to employees Wednesday.



While we never want to disappoint or cause delays for our customers, quality and safety always come first, he wrote. Although this effort lowered revenue in the quarter and drives increased expenses, these actions are essential to bolstering the long-term health of the program and are preparing us for sustained growth and success as market demand returns.



Late last year, it was reported that problems in the aft fuselage section of some Dreamliners may make the planes more prone to structural failure while in the air. Then, a few months later, parts of the horizontal stabilizer on the some of the jets tail fins were found to be clamped together with greater force than they were designed to be.



These problems resulted in a five-month hiatus of deliveries, which ended in March after Boeing said it would address them. However, in May, Boeing paused deliveries again after officials with the Federal Aviation Administration asked for more details about the companys proposed solutions. Then, in July, a third problem in a component near the nose of some Dreamliners was discovered.



The company has slowed production of the jets to two planes a month, saying that number will jump to five a month once deliveries resume.



In his letter to employees, Calhoun said the approach the company is taking in solving the Dreamliner issues has been successful in the past.



He cited the revival of the 737 Max, a model that was involved in nearly back-to-back crashes in 2018 and 2019. Those crashes, one in Indonesia and the other in Ethiopia, were the result of faulty flight system software that forced the planes into nosedives that pilots were unable to pull out of. A total of 346 people were killed, and the incidents lead to a global ban on the 737 Max for 20 months.



Since that ban was lifted late last year, the company has delivered 195 Max planes to customers and airlines have put another 200 passenger jets back in the air. The company currently produces 19 Max planes per month, but plans to steadily increase that number to 31 by 2022, citing high demand.



Overall, Boeing earned $15.3 billion in revenue in the third quarter, up about 8% from the same period last year.


COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)  The reports of hateful and violent posts on Facebook started pouring in on the night of May 28 last year, soon after then-President Donald Trump sent a warning on social media that looters in Minneapolis would be shot.

It had been three days since Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on the neck of George Floyd for more than eight minutes until the 46-year-old Black man lost consciousness, showing no signs of life. A video taken by a bystander had been viewed millions of times online. Protests had taken over Minnesotas largest city and would soon spread throughout cities across America.

But it wasn't until after Trump posted about Floyds death that the reports of violence and hate speech increased rapidly on Facebook across the country, an internal company analysis of the ex-presidents social media post reveals.

These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd and I wont let that happen, Trump tweeted at 9:53 p.m. on May 28, in comments he repeated on his Facebook account a few hours later. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts the shooting starts!

The former president has since been suspended from both Twitter and Facebook.

Leaked Facebook documents provide a first-hand look at how Trumps social media posts ignited more anger in an already deeply divided country that was eventually lit on fire with reports of hate speech and violence across the platform. Facebooks own internal, automated controls, meant to catch posts that violate rules, predicted with almost 90% certainty that Trump's message broke the tech company's rules against inciting violence.

Yet, the tech giant didnt take any action on Trump's message.

Offline, the next day, protests  some of which turned violent  engulfed nearly every U.S. city, big and small.

When people look back at the role Facebook played, they wont say Facebook caused it, but Facebook was certainly the megaphone," said Lanier Holt, a communications professor at Ohio State University. I dont think theres any way they can get out of saying that they exacerbated the situation."

Social media rival Twitter, meanwhile, responded quickly at the time by covering Trumps tweet with a warning and prohibiting users from sharing it any further.

Facebooks internal discussions were revealed in disclosures made to the Securities and Exchange Commission and provided to Congress in redacted form by former Facebook employee-turned-whistleblower Frances Haugens legal counsel. The redacted versions received by Congress were obtained by a consortium of news organizations, including The Associated Press.

The Wall Street Journal previously reported that Trump was one of many high-profile users, including politicians and celebrities, exempted from some or all of the companys normal enforcement policies.

Hate speech and violence reports had been mostly limited to the Minneapolis region after Floyd's death, the documents reveal.

However, after Trumps post on May 28, situations really escalated across the country, according to the memo, published on June 5 of last year.

The internal analysis shows a five-fold increase in violence reports on Facebook, while complaints of hate speech tripled in the days following Trump's post. Reports of false news on the platform doubled. Reshares of Trump's message generated a substantial amount of hateful and violent comments," many of which Facebook worked to remove. Some of those comments included calls to start shooting these thugs and f- the white."

By June 2, we can see clearly that the entire country was basically on fire, a Facebook employee wrote of the increase in hate speech and violence reports in the June 5 memo.

Facebook says it's impossible to separate how many of the hate speech reports were driven by Trump's post itself or the controversy over Floyd's death.

This spike in user reports resulted from a critical moment in history for the racial justice movement  not from a single Donald Trump post about it," a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement. Facebook often reflects whats happening in society and the only way to prevent spikes in user reports during these moments is to not allow them to be discussed on our platform at all, which is something we would never do.

But the internal findings also raise questions about public statements Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg made last year as he defended his decision to leave Trump's post untouched.

On May 29, for example, Zuckerberg said the company looked closely to see if Trump's words broke any of its policies and concluded that they did not. Zuckerberg also said he left the post up because it warned people of Trump's plan to deploy troops.

I know many people are upset that weve left the Presidents posts up, but our position is that we should enable as much expression as possible unless it will cause imminent risk of specific harms or dangers spelled out in clear policies, Zuckerberg wrote on his Facebook account the night of May 29, as protests erupted around the country.

Yet, Facebook's own automated enforcement controls determined the post likely did break the rules.

Our violence and incitement classifier was almost 90% certain that this (Trump) post violated Facebook's ... policy, the June 5 analysis reads.

That contradicts conversations Zuckerberg had with civil rights leaders last year to quell concerns that Trump's post was a specific threat to Black people protesting Floyd's death, said Rashad Robinson, the president of Color of Change, a civil rights advocacy group. The group also spearheaded a boycott of Facebook in the weeks following Trump's post.

To be clear, I had a direct argument with Zuckerberg days after that post where he gaslit me and he specifically pushed back on any notion that this violated their rules, Robinson said in an interview with the AP last week.

A Facebook spokesperson said that its internal controls do not always correctly predict when a post has violated rules and that human review, which was done in the case of Trump's post, is more accurate.

To curb the ex-president's ability to stoke hateful reactions on its platform, Facebook employees suggested last year that the company limit reshares on similar posts that may violate Facebook's rules in the future.

But Trump continued to use his Facebook account, which more than 32 million follow, to fire up his supporters throughout much of the remainder of his presidency. In the days leading up to a deadly siege in Washington on Jan. 6, Trump regularly promoted false claims that widespread voter fraud caused him to lose the White House, spurring hundreds of his fans to storm the U.S. Capitol and demand the results of a fair election be overturned.

It wasn't until after the Capitol riot, and as Trump was on his way out of the White House, that Facebook pulled him off the platform in January, announcing his account would be suspended until at least 2023.

There's a reason Facebook waited so long to take any action, said Jennifer Mercieca, a professor at Texas A&M University who closely studied the former president's rhetoric.

"Facebook really benefited from Trump and Trumps ability to draw attention and engagement through outrage," Mercieca said. "They wanted Trump to keep going on."

___

This story has been updated to correct the spelling of the first name of the Ohio State University professor to Lanier; and to correct the times Trump sent posts about George Floyd to Twitter and Facebook.

___

See full coverage of the The Facebook Papers here: https://apnews.com/hub/the-facebook-papers
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP)  The soldiers in rural Myanmar twisted the young mans skin with pliers and kicked him in the chest until he couldnt breathe. Then they taunted him about his family until his heart ached, too: Your mom, they jeered, cannot save you anymore.

The young man and his friend, randomly arrested as they rode their bikes home, were subjected to hours of agony inside a town hall transformed by the military into a torture center. As the interrogators blows rained down, their relentless questions tumbled through his mind.

There was no break  it was constant, he says. I was thinking only of my mom.

Since its takeover of the government in February, the Myanmar military has been torturing detainees across the country in a methodical and systemic way, The Associated Press has found in interviews with 28 people imprisoned and released in recent months. Based also on photographic evidence, sketches and letters, along with testimony from three recently defected military officials, APs investigation provides the most comprehensive look since the takeover into a highly secretive detention system that has held more than 9,000 people. The military, known as the Tatmadaw, and police have killed more than 1,200 people since February.

While most of the torture has occurred inside military compounds, the Tatmadaw also has transformed public facilities such as community halls and a royal palace into interrogation centers, prisoners said. The AP identified a dozen interrogation centers in use across Myanmar, in addition to prisons and police lockups, based on interviews and satellite imagery.

The prisoners came from every corner of the country and from various ethnic groups, and ranged from a 16-year-old girl to monks. Some were detained for protesting against the military, others for no discernible reason. Multiple military units and police were involved in the interrogations, their methods of torture similar across Myanmar.

The AP is withholding the prisoners names, or using partial names, to protect them from retaliation by the military.

Inside the town hall that night, soldiers forced the young man to kneel on sharp rocks, shoved a gun in his mouth and rolled a baton over his shinbones. They slapped him in the face with his own Nike flip flops.

Tell me! Tell me! they shouted. What should I tell you? he replied helplessly.

He refused to scream. But his friend screamed on his behalf, after realizing it calmed the interrogators.

Im going to die, he told himself, stars exploding before his eyes. I love you, mom.

___

The Myanmar military has a long history of torture, particularly before the country began transitioning toward democracy in 2010. While torture in recent years was most often recorded in ethnic regions, its use has now returned across the country, the APs investigation found. The vast majority of torture techniques described by prisoners were similar to those of the past, including deprivation of sleep, food and water; electric shocks; being forced to hop like frogs, and relentless beatings with cement-filled bamboo sticks, batons, fists and the prisoners own shoes.

But this time, the torture carried out inside interrogation centers and prisons is the worst its ever been in scale and severity, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which monitors deaths and arrests. Since February, the group says, security forces have killed 1,218 people, including at least 131 detainees tortured to death.

The torture often begins on the street or in the detainees homes, and some die even before reaching an interrogation center, says Ko Bo Kyi, AAPPs joint secretary and a former political prisoner.

The military tortures detainees, first for revenge, then for information, he says. I think in many ways the military has become even more brutal.

The military has taken steps to hide evidence of its torture. An aide to the highest-ranking army official in western Myanmars Chin state told the AP that soldiers covered up the deaths of two tortured prisoners, forcing a military doctor to falsify their autopsy reports.

A former army captain who defected from the Tatmadaw in April confirmed to the AP that the militarys use of torture against detainees has been rampant since its takeover.

In our country, after being arrested unfairly, there is torture, violence and sexual assaults happening constantly, says Lin Htet Aung, the former captain. Even a war captive needs to be treated and taken care of by law. All of that is gone with the coup.  The world must know.

Lin Htet Aung told the AP that interrogation tactics are part of the militarys training, which involves both theory and role playing. He and another former army captain who recently defected say that the general guidelines from superiors are, simply: We dont care how you get the information, so long as you get it.

After receiving detailed requests for comment, military officials responded with a one-line email that said: We have no plans to answer these nonsense questions.

Last week, in an apparent bid to improve its image, the military announced that more than 1,300 detainees would be freed from prisons and the charges against 4,320 others pending trial would be suspended. But its unclear how many have actually been released and how many of those have already been re-arrested.

All but six of the prisoners interviewed by the AP were subjected to abuse, including women and children. Most of those who werent abused said their fellow detainees were.

In two cases, the torture was used to extract false confessions. Several prisoners were forced to sign statements pledging obedience to the military before they were released. One woman was made to sign a blank piece of paper.

All prisoners were interviewed separately by the AP. Those who had been held at the same centers gave similar accounts of treatment and conditions, from interrogation methods to the layout of their cells to the exact foods provided  if any.

The AP also sent photographs of several torture victims injuries to a forensic pathologist with Physicians for Human Rights. The pathologist concluded wounds on three victims were consistent with beatings by sticks or rods.

You look at some of those injuries where theyre just black and blue from one end to the other, says forensic pathologist Dr. Lindsey Thomas. This was not just a swat. This has the appearance of something that was very systematic and forceful.

Beyond the 28 prisoners, the AP interviewed the sister of a prisoner allegedly tortured to death, family and friends of current prisoners, and lawyers representing detainees. The AP also obtained sketches that prisoners drew of the interiors of prisons and interrogation centers, and letters to family and friends describing grim conditions and abuse.

Photographs taken inside several detention and interrogation facilities confirmed prisoners accounts of overcrowding and filth. Most inmates slept on concrete floors, packed together so tightly they could not even bend their knees.

Some became sick from drinking dirty water only available from a shared toilet. Others had to defecate into plastic bags or a communal bucket. Cockroaches swarmed their bodies at night.

There was little to no medical help. One prisoner described his failed attempt to get treatment for his battered 18-year-old cellmate, whose genitals were repeatedly smashed between a brick and an interrogators boot.

Not even the young have been spared. One woman was imprisoned alongside a 2-year-old baby. Another woman held in solitary confinement at the notorious Insein prison in Yangon said officials admitted to her that conditions were made as wretched as possible to terrify the public into compliance.

Amid these circumstances, COVID ripped through some facilities, with deadly results.

One woman detained at Insein said the virus killed her cellmate.

I was infected. The whole dorm was infected. Everyone lost their sense of smell, she says.

The interrogation centers were even worse than the prisons, with nights a cacophony of weeping and wails of agony

It was terrifying, my room. There were blood stains and scratches on the wall, one man recalls. I could see smudged, bloody handprints and blood-vomit stains in the corner of the room.

Throughout the interviews, the Tatmadaws sense of impunity was clear.

They would torture us until they got the answers they wanted, says one 21-year-old. They always told us, Here at the military interrogation centers, we do not have any laws. We have guns, and we can just kill you and make you disappear if we want to  and no one would know.

___

The tortured prisoners were already dead when soldiers began attaching glucose drip lines to their corpses to make it look like they were still alive, a military defector told the AP. It was one of multiple examples the AP found of how the military tries to hide its abuse.

Torture is rife throughout the detention system, says Sgt. Hin Lian Piang, who served as a clerk to the North-Western Regional Deputy Commander before defecting in October.

They arrest, beat and torture too many, he says. They did it to everyone who was arrested.

In May, Hin Lian Piang witnessed soldiers torture two prisoners to death at a mountaintop interrogation center inside an army base in Chin state. The soldiers beat the two men, hit them with their guns, and kicked them, he says.

After the men were put into jail, one of them died. The major in charge asked the militarys medical doctor to examine the man and determine his cause of death. Meanwhile, the other prisoner began trembling and then died, too.

The soldiers attached the drip lines to the prisoners corpses, then sent them to a military hospital in Kalay.

They forced the Kalay military doctor to write in the chest biopsy report that they died from their own health problems, Hin Lian Piang says. Then they cremated the dead bodies straight away.

Hin Lian Piang says the direct order to cover up the cause of the mens deaths came from Tactical Operations Commander Col. Saw Tun and Deputy Commander Brig. Gen. Myo Htut Hlaing, the two highest-ranking army officials stationed in Chin state. The AP sent questions about the case to the Tatmadaw but they were not answered.

Though the Tatmadaw has been open about many of its brutalities since the takeover  killing people in broad daylight, releasing photos on state TV of detainees bruised faces  it has used modified torture techniques and false statements to hide evidence of other widespread abuse.

Several prisoners say their interrogators brutalized only the parts of their bodies that could be hidden by clothes, which Hin Lian Piang calls a common strategy. One prisoner had his ears repeatedly slapped, leaving no scars but inflicting intense pain. Another, Min, says his interrogators placed a rubber pad over his chest and back before beating him with a rod, minimizing bruising.

They would just make sure to hit you so that only your insides are damaged, or would severely beat you on your back, chest and thighs, where the bruises arent visible, says Min.

The use of rubber pads appears to be a classic example of stealth torture, which leaves no physical marks, says Andrew Jefferson, a Myanmar prisons researcher at DIGNITY, the Danish Institute Against Torture.

It seems to indicate that the torturers actually sort of care about being found out, Jefferson says. So few ever get convicted that I dont really understand why they care.

The military may be attempting to pre-empt public accounts of its abuses, says Matthew Smith, cofounder of the human rights group Fortify Rights.

This is a technique that dictatorships have used for a very long time, he says. What I believe the authorities are attempting to do is at least inject some level of doubt into the allegations that that survivor or that person or human rights groups or journalists or governments may accuse them of.

One prisoner, Kyaw, said he was tortured for days and freed only after signing a statement that he had never been tortured at all.

Kyaws hell began when the military surrounded his house and detained him for the second time since February for his pro-democracy activism. As the soldiers beat him and hauled him away with five of his friends, his mother wet her pants and fainted.

His usually stoic father began to cry. Kyaw knew what he was thinking: There goes my son. Hes going to die.

All the way to the interrogation center in Yangon, soldiers ordered them to keep their heads bowed and beat them with their guns. When Kyaws 16-year-old friend became dizzy and lifted his chin, a soldier bashed his head with a gun until he bled.

At the interrogation center, the soldiers handcuffed them, chained them together and put bags over their heads. His first night was a blur of beatings. Rest well tonight, one soldier told him.

The next morning, none of the detainees could open their swollen mouths enough to eat their rice. It was the only food Kyaw would receive for four days. He drank from the toilet.

His interrogation began around 11 a.m. and lasted until 2 or 3 a.m. The soldiers poked his thighs with a knife. They zapped him with a taser. They rolled iron rods up and down his legs.

They learned he could not swim, and kicked him into a lake, blinded by the bag on his head and paralyzed by handcuffs that bound his hands behind him. He thrashed and flailed, sinking ever deeper. They eventually yanked him out.

Their questions were monotonous. Who are you and what are you up to? they demanded. I really didnt do anything, he replied. I know nothing.

Another 100 detainees arrived at the center while he was there, some of their faces so disfigured from beatings they no longer looked human. A few could not walk. One detainee told Kyaw that soldiers had raped his daughter and her sister-in-law in front of him.

On the fourth day, Kyaws family called on a friend with military connections to intervene, and the torture stopped. But he was still held for three weeks until the tell-tale swelling in his face went down.

Kyaw was finally released after he paid military officials around a thousand dollars. The officials then made him sign a statement saying that the military had never asked for money or tortured anyone. The statement also warned that if he protested again, he could be imprisoned for up to 40 years.

Kyaw does not know if his friends are still alive. But against his mothers pleas, he has vowed to continue his activism.

I told my mother that democracy is something we have to fight for, he says. It wont come to our doorsteps just by itself.

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The soldiers forced the 16-year-old girl to her knees, then ordered her to remove the mask meant to protect her from COVID.

You are not afraid of death  thats why you are here, one soldier sneered. Dont pretend like you are scared of the virus.

Of the prisoners interviewed by the AP, a dozen were women and children, most of whom were abused. While the men faced more severe physical torture, the women were more often psychologically tortured, especially with the threat of rape.

Sixteen-year-old Su remembers kneeling with her hands in the air as a soldier warned, Get ready for your turn. She remembers walking between two rows of soldiers while they taunted, Keep your strength for tomorrow.

Su pleaded in vain for soldiers to help one of her fellow inmates, a girl even younger than she, whose leg was broken during her arrest. The soldiers refused to let the girl call her family.

Another girl, around 13, cried constantly and fainted at least six times the day they were arrested. Rather than call a doctor, officers sprayed the child with water.

Prison officials warned Su never to speak of what happened inside to people on the outside. They said, We really are nice to you. Tell the people the good things about us, Su says. What good things?

Su had never stayed apart from her parents before. Now she was barred from even calling them, and had no idea that both her grandfathers had died.

As soon as I was released, I had to take sleeping pills for nearly three months, Su says. I cried every day.

Inside Shwe Pyi Thar interrogation center in Yangon, the women grew to dread the night, when the soldiers got drunk and came to their cell.

You all know where you are, right? the soldiers told them. We can rape and kill you here.

The women had good reason to be frightened. The military has long used rape as a weapon of war, particularly in the ethnic regions. During its violent crackdown on the countrys Rohingya Muslim population in 2017, the military methodically raped scores of women and girls.

Even if they did not rape us physically, I felt like all of us were verbally raped almost every day because we had to listen to their threats every night, says Cho, an activist detained along with her husband.

Another young woman recalls her four months in a southwest Myanmar prison, and the constant fear of torture and rape.

I was locked in the cell and they could call me out at any time, she says.

A teacher, held for eight days at an interrogation center, learned to fear the sound of the cell door.

Our thoughts ran wild, like: Are they coming to take me? Or are they coming to take her? the teacher says. When we saw them blindfolding someone, we were extremely anxious because that could be me.

Not every woman was spared from violence. Chos cellmate was beaten so severely with a bamboo stick that she could not sit or sleep on her back for five days. And though Cho was not subjected to physical assaults at Shwe Pyi Thar, officers at Insein prison struck her on the back of her neck and forced her into a stress position.

When she objected, they beat her back and shoulders, then banished her to solitary confinement for two weeks.

For another woman, Myat, the beatings began the moment the soldiers burst into her home, smashing the butts of their guns into her chest and shoving a rifle into her mouth. As they arrested her and her friends, she heard one of them say: Shoot them if they try to run. She cries while recounting her ordeal.

One 17-year-old boy endured days of beatings, the skin on his head splitting open from the force of the blows. As one interrogator punched him, another stitched his head wound with a sewing needle. They gave him no pain medication, telling him the brutal treatment was all that he was worth. His body was drenched in blood.

After three days, he says, they took him to the jungle and dumped him in a hole in the ground, burying him up to his neck. Then they threatened to kill him with a shovel.

If they ever tried to arrest me again, I wouldnt let them, he says. I would commit suicide.

___

Back inside the rural town hall, the young man ached for his mother as his night passed in a haze of pain. The next morning, he and his friend were sent to prison.

His small cell was home to 33 people. Every inch of floor was claimed, so he lay next to the lone squat toilet.

An inmate gently cleaned the blood from the young mans eyes. When he looked at his friends battered face, he began to cry.

After two days, his family paid to get him out of prison. He and his friend were forced to sign statements saying they had participated in a demonstration and would now obey the militarys rules.

At home, his mother took one look at him and wept. For a month afterward, his legs and hands shook constantly. Even today, his right shoulder  stomped on by a soldier  wont move properly.

He is constantly on edge. Two months after his release, he realized he was being followed by soldiers. When the sun goes down, he stays inside.

After they caught us, I know their hearts and their minds were not like the peoples, not like us, he says. They are monsters.

___

Gelineau reported from Sydney. Associated Press journalist Sam McNeil in Beijing contributed to this report.
NEW YORK (AP)  They make cakes and cupcakes sparkle and shine, but popular decorative glitters can contain toxic metals and arent always safe to eat.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a report Thursday that the products known as luster dust" arent all meant to be eaten even if they're labeled nontoxic." Some should be used for display only, like on a cake topper that's removed.

The report cites investigations by health officials in two states that traced illnesses to baked goods using such dusts.

Rhode Island health officials investigated a report in 2018 of six children becoming sick after a birthday party, with symptoms including vomiting and diarrhea that were consistent with heavy metal poisoning. They all ate a bakery cake with a thick layer of frosting mixed with a "gold dust.

Testing of a leftover slice of the cake showed it contained copper, as did tests on dust used by the bakery. The report notes the dust was marked as nonedible, nontoxic and for decoration only.

State health officials found widespread use of nonedible luster dust at other bakeries. Brendalee Viveiros, a food safety expert with the Rhode Island health department and co-author of the CDC report, said the state issued guidance on the use of luster dust to businesses.

In 2019, the report also notes that Missouri health officials identified a primrose petal dust used to decorate a cake as a lead hazard while investigating elevated lead levels in a 1-year-old child. A jar of bright yellow decoration in the child's home had been used to create flowers for the birthday cake. Lab tests of the dust, which was labeled as nontoxic," indicated the sample was 25% lead.

A public advisory from the Food and Drug Administration also warns about the potential hazards of eating decorative glitters. It says bakers should check the labels of decorative products used on foods, which are required to have a list of ingredients. If the label only says the product is nontoxic or for decorative purposes only and doesnt have an ingredient list, the agency said it shouldnt be used on foods.

The agency noted that the glitters can be sold under names including disco dust, twinkle dust, shimmer powder and petal dust.

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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.
ANKARA, Turkey (AP)  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday that he expects to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden on the sidelines of a climate summit in Glasgow, during which he would take up Turkeys ouster from the U.S.-led F-35 stealth fighter jet program.

The United States removed NATO ally Turkey from the international program that produces the F-35 jets in 2019 over Ankaras decision to buy Russias advanced S-400 surface-to-air missile defense system. Washington says the Russian system compromises the F-35s security.

Erdogan has previously said that his government is seeking to recover a $1.4 billion payment that the country made before it was expelled from the F-35 program and that the United States has proposed selling F-16 fighter jets to Turkey to make up for the payment.

Most likely, we will have a meeting in Glasgow instead of Rome. Our most important issue will be the F-35, Erdogan told reporters on his return from a trip to Azerbaijan.

Erdogan had previously said he planned to meet with Biden during a G-20 meeting in Rome.

He said: We have a 1.4 billion payment regarding the F-35s. We need to discuss how the repayment plan will be.

Erdogans comments came days after the Turkish leader stepped back from a threat to expel the ambassadors of the United States and nine other Western nations over their support for a jailed activist, defusing a potential diplomatic crisis.

The envoys last week called for the release of philanthropist Osman Kavala, who has been in a Turkish prison for four years awaiting trial on charges that many view as unfounded.

The crisis was averted after the embassies stated that they comply with Article 41 of the Vienna Convention, which outlines diplomats duties to respect the laws of the host state and not to interfere in internal affairs.

Erdogan denied that he had taken a step back in the crisis.

I am on the offensive. There is no back-stepping in my book, he said.
LONDON (AP)  U.S. government promises that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange would not face harsh prison conditions if he is extradited to face American justice are not enough to address concerns about his fragile mental health and high risk of suicide, a lawyer defending him argued Thursday.

Assanges lawyer, Edward Fitzgerald, said during a two-day hearing at Britain's High Court that the Australian was too mentally ill to be extradited to the United States to face trial on espionage charges.

Washington is seeking to overturn an earlier ruling by a lower British court that refused a U.S. request to extradite Assange over WikiLeaks publication of secret American military documents a decade ago. District Judge Vanessa Baraitser ruled that Assange was likely to kill himself if held under harsh U.S. prison conditions.

On Wednesday, a lawyer for the U.S. government said that American authorities have promised that Assange would not be held before trial in a top-security Supermax prison, or subjected to strict isolation conditions. He also said that if convicted, Assange would be allowed to serve his sentence in Australia, his home country.

But Fitzgerald argued that the U.S. assurances were all caveated, vague, or simply ineffective. They do not remove the risk of Assange being detained in extreme isolation in the U.S. in the long term, he said, and the risk of Assange killing himself remained substantial if he is extradited.

It is perfectly reasonable to find it oppressive to extradite a mentally disordered person because his extradition is likely to result in his death, he said. He added that judges should use their power to protect people from extradition to a foreign state where we have no control over what will be done to them."

In a written submission, Fitzgerald also said that the assurance that Assange could be transferred to an Australian prison if convicted is meaningless." Australia has not indicated its consent, and the process could take a decade or more, he argued.

Assanges defense team also referred to recent allegations that the CIA and the U.S. government had considered plans to seriously harm him  including alleged discussions to kidnap or poison Assange while he was inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. His lawyers urged the court to consider whether U.S. authorities were likely to stick to their assurances in light of the claims.

U.S. prosecutors have indicted Assange on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse over WikiLeaks publication of thousands of leaked military and diplomatic documents. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison, though a lawyer for the U.S. government said Wednesday the sentence could be much shorter.

Assange, 50, is currently being held at Londons high-security Belmarsh Prison. He did not attend the hearing Thursday, although on Wednesday he appeared by video link at times.

The two-day hearing before two judges, including Englands most senior judge Lord Chief Justice Ian Burnett, concluded Thursday but a ruling is not expected for weeks. The losing side could seek to appeal to the U.K. Supreme Court.

The hearing was the latest in Assanges long-running battle to fight extradition to the U.S. American prosecutors say Assange unlawfully helped U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal classified diplomatic cables and military files that WikiLeaks later published.

Assanges lawyers argue that he was acting as a journalist and is entitled to First Amendment freedom of speech protections for publishing documents that exposed U.S. military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan. His supporters also argue the prosecution case was politically motivated.

About 80 supporters staged a noisy rally outside the London court, playing music and chanting Free Julian Assange!

Assanges fiancee, Stella Moris, told supporters that the case was political persecution by the U.S.

If the U.S. wants to treat Julian fairly they should drop this case, Moris said, as supporters cheered and applauded.

Jeremy Corbyn, former leader of Britains opposition Labour Party, said outside the court that Assange has told the truth about Afghanistan and Iraq, and that he should not be flown to the U.S. under any circumstances.

He has committed no crime and hes in a maximum security prison ... if he moved to the United States, he may well, because of his mental health condition, take his own life, Corbyn told reporters. In a different country he would be hailed as a whistleblower who told the truth about the dangers we are all facing, the dangers the whole world is facing.

Assange has been held in a high-security prison since he was arrested in April 2019 for skipping bail during a separate legal battle. Before that he spent seven years inside Ecuadors London embassy, where he sought asylum in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden to face allegations of rape and sexual assault.

Sweden dropped the sex crimes investigations in November 2019 because so much time had elapsed. The judge who blocked extradition in January ordered that he must stay in custody during any U.S. appeal.
RABAT, Morocco (AP)  Demonstrators took to the streets in cities around Morocco on Wednesday, some clashing with police as they denounced the countrys decision to require coronavirus vaccination passes to be allowed to work and enter public venues.

The decision came into effect Oct. 21 and stipulates that Moroccans must provide proof of vaccination in order to enter their workplaces. In a statement, the government has said employers have direct legal responsibility to enforce the decision.

The pass is also required to access indoor services such as restaurants and banks as well as domestic and international travel.

The North African kingdom of 36 million people has Africas highest vaccination rate, with more than 50% of the population fully inoculated. Earlier this month, the government also started administering booster shots.

But the abrupt and unusually widespread vaccine requirements have also prompted opposition, and led to big crowds at vaccination centers as people rushed to get shots.

In the capital, Rabat, protesters gathered outside the parliament building and chanted slogans against the rule, arguing that it goes against fundamental human rights and civil liberties. Police formed a line to prevent the angry demonstrators from getting inside the legislature.

A few protesters clashed with police as they were pushed away down Mohammed V Avenue that leads to the parliament building.

Among protesters was Nabila Mounib, a member of parliament and the secretary general of the opposition Unified Socialist Party. She joined the protest after being barred from entering the parliament building for showing up without a vaccination pass.

Similar scenes unfolded in other Moroccan cities, with dozens of protesters taking to the streets in the countrys most populous city, Casablanca, as well as tourist hotspots of Marrakech and Agadir. They shouted United against the pass! as police pushed and swung batons at some of the demonstrators in an attempt to disperse them.
NEW DELHI (AP)  The solution to climate change is not setting net zero carbon emissions targets as dozens of nations have done, India's federal environment minister said.

Instead, rich countries need to acknowledge their historic responsibility" for emissions and protect the interests of developing nations and those vulnerable to climate change, said the minister, Bhupender Yadav.

India  the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases after China and the United States  is committed to being part of the solution at the upcoming United Nations climate summit in Glasgow, Yadav said.

India is among the few countries on course to reach its targets for curbing the release of planet-warming gases. But a U.N.-backed report published Tuesday said the country had significant room for more ambitious goals, which it has yet to provide to the U.N. climate agency.

Asked about newer targets, Rameshwar Prasad Gupta, Indias top environmental official, said that all options were still on the table.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be attending a Group of 20 summit scheduled for this weekend in Rome, then the summit at Glasgow, known as COP26.

Yadav stressed that India had reached its climate targets without the promised financing from rich nations. The cost of meeting the targets is estimated to be $2.5 trillion, a 2019 finance ministry document said.

Although India is now a top emitter of greenhouse gases, it has historically contributed only 4% of total emissions since the 1850s.

Gupta said that net zero in itself isn't a solution, since cumulative emissions were the cause of the climate problem. He said countries need to focus on how much carbon is put in the atmosphere while getting to that goal.

Developing nations need space to grow and assistance  and without it, they are faced with a choice of compromising on development or relying on dirty fuels, he said.

But India's dependence on coal  it's the world's second-largest user of the fossil fuel and has vast reserves  is likely to continue.

Electricity demand is expected to soar  and while the overall share of energy from coal will keep coming down, Gupta said weaning the country off coal at this point would impact its energy security.

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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.
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP)  A top Norwegian health official said the Scandinavian country must be prepared for a bigger wave of COVID-19 infections this winter as the country is already seeing an increase in cases.

Based on an overall assessment, we believe it is likely that we will get a wave (of infections) during the winter, said Camilla Stoltenberg, head of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

But, with more than 86.6% of those 18 and over vaccinated in Norway, she said she did not expect a large surge of hospitalizations.

The city of Tromsoe in northern Norway said Thursday it had seen 62 new cases in the last day, a local record. Gunnar Wilhelmsen, mayor of the city of 77,000, said authorities were recommending using face masks, social distancing and working from home.

On Wednesday, Norway reported 1,144 new COVID-19 cases, close to double the amount from a week ago. Norwegian health officials said technical issues meant no figures for Thursday were available.

In Sweden, the country's chief epidemiologist, Anders Tegnell noted an increase in infections in Eastern Europe and added, we also have a serious situation in the western parts of Europe.

There are some signs that this will also be a winter with extensive spread of COVID-19, he told a press conference.

Across the Baltic Sea, Estonia decided Thursday to extend the use of face masks in public places for both unvaccinated as well as vaccinated people. People who fail to do so could face fines.

The Estonian government decided not to issue new drastic measures on top of the ones that took effect Monday. The northernmost Baltic nation wants to avoid a general lockdown like the one imposed by neighboring Latvia, where nearly 90% of those who died of COVID-19 last month were not vaccinated.

Latvia has entered a monthlong lockdown due to its worsening coronavirus situation. It has a vaccination rate that is among the lowest in the 27-nation European Union, with only slightly over half of residents fully vaccinated.

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Follow all AP stories on the coronavirus pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP)  Health officials in Washington said Wednesday they are expecting about 316,000 doses of kid-sized Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines to arrive in the state next week ahead of the expected final approval of the shots for 5- to 11-year-olds.

Michele Roberts, the state Department of Healths acting assistant secretary, said the state has ordered 230,000 doses to be delivered to providers next week, and that an additional 86,000 doses were expected to arrive at pharmacies through the federal pharmacy program.

On Tuesday, a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel endorsed the shots for 5- to 11-year-olds. The FDA isnt bound by the panels recommendation and is expected to make its own decision within days. If authorized by the FDA, next week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will decide whether to recommend the shots and which youngsters should get them.

We are one step closer, Roberts said.

She said that the shots won't be able to be administered until after the CDC recommendation, but she said that she believed kids could start being vaccinated as soon as the end of next week. Of the nearly 680,000 kids in the 5-11 age group, Roberts said they were estimating parents would be seeking shots immediately for about 30% of that population.

Full-strength shots made by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech already are recommended for everyone 12 and older but pediatricians and many parents are clamoring for protection for younger children.

Lacy Fehrenbach, the deputy secretary the Department of Health's COVID-19 response, said the state is working with schools ahead of the authorization, and she noted some have already been offering clinics on site for vaccination for older students. In addition, they have vaccine caravan efforts that will focus on the younger population.

Just like every other group thats been eligible it is our goal to vaccinate these 5- to 11-year-olds as quickly and equitably as possible, that is our path out of this pandemic," she said.

Fehrenbach said there were a total of 189 COVID-19 outbreaks reported in Washington K-12 schools between Aug. 1 and Sept. 30.

She said there are 1,284 cases associated with those outbreaks and that 88% of the cases were among students age 19 and under. Currently, when theres a case of a close contact of someone with a COVID diagnosis, schools had the option to choose one of three quarantine options: a seven-day quarantine with return on Day 8 with a negative test on Day 5 or later; a 10-day quarantine with no test; or a 14-day quarantine.

Most schools had used the 14-day quarantine option, Fehrenbach said, but now schools will be required to offer families the option of the seven-day quarantine, with a test on Day 5 so that students can return to class more quickly.

As of this week, 78.6% of people age 12 and older have initiated vaccination in Washington state and more than 72.5% are fully vaccinated.

That number does not include booster shots, which were expanded to more people last week, including the option for people to choose a different companys vaccine that their original series. As of this week, more than 363,000 people have either received a booster or a third dose, Roberts said.

There have been more than 634,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases  plus about 83,000 probable cases  in Washington state, and 8,511 deaths.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  Jury selection starts Monday in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, an Illinois man accused of killing two people at a police brutality protest last year.

Rittenhouse's trial is expected to last at least two weeks. Here's a look at the key players:

THE DEFENDANT

Rittenhouse, of Antioch, Illinois, was 17 at the time of the shootings. He was an ardent police supporter before the incidents, serving as a youth cadet in the Grayslake Police Department and posting photos of himself brandishing a rifle above the caption Blue Lives Matter. He worked part-time as a YMCA lifeguard in Lindenhurst, Illinois, before he was furloughed in March 2020.

He traveled to Kenosha, which is only about 15 miles (24 kilometers) from his home, on Aug. 25 after pleas went out on social media to protect businesses during protests over the shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake, by a white police officer two days earlier. Video from the night of the shootings shows Rittenhouse on the streets with his AR-style semiautomatic rifle and a medical kit slung over his shoulder.

People are getting injured and our job is to protect this business, Rittenhouse told a reporter from the Daily Caller before the shootings. And part of my job is to also help people. If there is somebody hurt, I'm running into harm's way. That's why I have my rifle.

Rittenhouse's attorneys say a man  Joseph Rosenbaum  chased the 5-foot-8, 150-pound Rittenhouse in an attempt to steal his gun, forcing Rittenhouse to fatally shoot him. Video that has surfaced so far doesn't show that shooting, but it does show Rosenbaum run toward Rittenhouse and appear to throw a plastic bag at him before shots ring out and Rosenbaum lies dying on the ground. Other video shows Rittenhouse moments later shooting and killing Anthony Huber and wounding Gaige Grosskreutz.

Rittenhouse is white, as are the three men he shot.

Prosecutors have described Rittenhouse as a vigilante and a chaos tourist with a violent streak. They unsuccessfully sought to introduce a pair of videos, including one that showed Rittenhouse appearing to punch a girl who was fighting his sister a couple of months before the shootings, and another in which Rittenhouse is heard commenting that he would like to shoot some men he thought were shoplifting from a pharmacy.

As conservatives rallied to Rittenhouse as a symbol of gun rights and resistance to the sometimes damaging protests that followed George Floyd's death in Minneapolis, he has seemed at times to revel in his notoriety. He posed for photos in a Wisconsin bar with members of the far right extremist group the Proud Boys, though his attorneys say there's no evidence he was affiliated with the group before the shootings.

THE MEN RITTENHOUSE SHOT

Rosenbaum, 36, was released the day of the shootings from a Milwaukee hospital where he had been treated for a suicide attempt. It's not clear why he was on Kenosha's streets the night of the protests, though he had a fiancee who lived in the city. His background includes a conviction for sexual conduct with a minor in Arizona in 2002. The judge denied a defense request to argue that Rosenbaum was trying to get Rittenhouse's rifle because, as a convicted sex offender, Rosenbaum couldn't legally get one on his own.

Huber, 26, of nearby Silver Lake, is seen on video swinging a skateboard at Rittenhouse before he was shot. He was known around Kenosha's skateboarding community, and his girlfriend, Hannah Gittings, said skateboarding was his life. Huber served a pair of prison stints stemming from family conflict, including choking his brother in 2012.

A great-aunt, Susan Hughes, said Huber was involved in protests because he was very upset that a police officer had shot Blake, who was left paralyzed from the waist down.

Grosskreutz, 27, of West Allis, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) northwest of Kenosha, has said he attended several protests following Floyd's May 2020 death. With training as a paramedic, Grosskreutz had carried medical supplies and was doing so the night of the Kenosha shootings. He was also armed with a pistol and had it in his hand when he approached Rittenhouse, who shot him in the arm.

THE JUDGE

Kenosha County Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder graduated from Marquette University Law School in Milwaukee in 1970 and has been on the bench since 1983. At 75, he's the longest-serving active circuit judge in Wisconsin.

Among his highest-profile cases was the 2008 homicide trial of Mark Jensen, who was accused of poisoning and smothering his wife. Jensen was convicted, but appellate courts and the state Supreme Court ruled that Schroeder had erred by admitting as evidence a letter Jensen's wife had given to a neighbor before her death in which she said that if anything happened to her, her husband was responsible. A new trial is set next year.

Schroeder has the reputation of being a stern judge who often hands down tough sentences. In 2018, he sentenced a woman convicted of shoplifting to tell the manager of any store she entered that she was on supervision for theft. Schroeder told the woman that embarrassment does have a valuable place in deterring criminality. A state appeals court threw out the sentence.

Schroeder drew attention before Rittenhouse's trial by forbidding attorneys from referring to Rosenbaum, Huber and Grosskreutz as victims  a longstanding practice in his courtroom. But he also ruled that defense attorneys could portray the three as looters, arsonists or rioters if they could prove it.

Kenosha-based defense attorney Michael Cicchini said Schroeder won't wilt under the intense attention expected for Rittenhouse's trial.

He's protective of the right to present a defense, the right to confrontation. Hes that way for all defendants, regardless of the case. The judge in my opinion is not swayed by or interested in politics, Cicchini said. "He'll apply the rules even-handedly without any influence from the media.

THE PROSECUTOR

Kenosha County Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger, the lead prosecutor, got his law degree in 1996 from the University of Michigan. He served as a Milwaukee County prosecutor in the early 2000s and spent nine years in private practice before joining the Kenosha County district attorney's office in 2014. He ran for district attorney in nearby Racine County as a Democrat in 2016, promising he would get tougher on heroin traffickers and help heroin users overcome their addiction to keep them out of the criminal justice system. But he lost to the Republican candidate.

Cicchini said he's worked against Binger on several cases. He called the prosecutor skilled and a hard worker.

THE DEFENSE

Racine attorney Mark Richards is leading Rittenhouse's defense. He's a courtroom veteran, earning his law degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1987. He served as an assistant district attorney in Racine and Kenosha counties in the late 1980s before he opened his own firm in 1990 that specializes in criminal defense.

Richards has worked on more than 100 jury trials. He forced Racine prosecutors in 1999 to drop first-degree intentional homicide charges against Kurtis King, who was accused of strangling his cellmate at the Racine Correctional Institution, after raising questions about the guards' credibility.

Paul Bucher, a former district attorney in Waukesha County and a one-time state attorney general candidate, said Richards is well known and respected in legal circles.

___

Associated Press writer Michael Tarm in Chicago contributed to this report.

-

Find APs full coverage of the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse at: https://apnews.com/hub/kyle-rittenhouse
UNITED NATIONS (AP)  The U.N. special envoy for Syria said Wednesday the Syrian governments refusal to negotiate on revisions to the countrys constitution is a key reason for the failure of talks last week that left the road map to peace in the conflict-torn country in question..

Geir Pedersen expressed his disappointment to the U.N. Security Council, saying the parties also failed to agree to meet again before the end of the year. But he said he will continue to engage with all to address the challenges that have arisen, saying it is urgent to produce results.

Pedersen said the government delegation presented a proposed constitutional text on Syrias sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity on Oct. 18, representatives of the exiled opposition presented a text on the armed forces, security and intelligence agencies on Oct. 19, while civil society groups submitted a section on the rule of law on Oct. 20. The government submitted a second text on terrorism and extremism on Oct. 21, he said.

Pedersen said the government and opposition co-chairs were unable to agree on how discussions should progress further at a plenary meeting Oct. 22, but they did agree that the parties, which include civil society representatives, could present further material.

In that meeting, the delegation nominated by the government stated that it had no revisions to present of its draft constitutional texts and that it did not see any common ground, the U.N. envoy said.

He said the opposition presented proposed amendments to all the proposals to try to build common ground, and some civil society representatives also presented revised versions.

The end result, Pedersen said, is that the 45-member drafting committee was not able to move from submitting and discussing initial draft constitutional texts to developing a productive textual drafting process.

Despite the failure, Pedersen said he remains convinced that progress on the constitutional committee could, if done the right way, help to build some trust and confidence.

But let me stress that this requires real determination and the political will to try to build some common ground, he said.

The talks last week followed a nine-month hiatus in the U.N.-led meetings of the Syrian constitutional committee.

Syrias 10-year conflict has killed between 350,000 and 450,000 people and displaced half the countrys pre-war population of 23 million, including more than 5 million refugees mostly in neighboring countries. Even though the fighting has subsided in recent months, there are still pockets controlled by Syrian opposition, where millions of people live.

Pedersen said that while the talks were under way, violence continued, including terrorist attacks, airstrikes and heavy artillery shelling that caused casualties, including dozens of civilians. He said some incidents also underlined the constant risks of regional escalation and again called for a nationwide cease-fire.

The U.N. envoy said more than 12 million Syrians remain displaced, either inside the country or as refugees elsewhere, and the level of poverty is around 90%.

At a Russia-hosted Syrian peace conference in January 2018, an agreement was reached to form a 150-member committee to draft a new constitution, with a smaller 45-member body to do the actual drafting including 15 members each from the government, opposition and civil society. It took until September 2019 for the committee to be formed.

A 2012 U.N. road map to peace in Syria approved by representatives of the United Nations, Arab League, European Union, Turkey and all five permanent Security Council members calls for the drafting of a new constitution and ends with U.N.-supervised elections with all Syrians, including members of the diaspora, eligible to participate. A Security Council resolution adopted in December 2015 unanimously endorsed the road map.

The United States and several Western allies have accused Syrian President Bashar Assad of deliberately stalling and delaying the drafting of a new constitution until after a presidential election in late May to avoid a U.N.-supervised vote, as called for by the Security Council. Assad was re-elected in what the government called a landslide for a fourth seven-year term, but the West and the Syrian opposition called it an illegitimate and sham election.
Erdogan va expulser des syriens qui se sont moques des Turcs

La Turquie a annonce jeudi qu'elle avait arrete et allait expulser sept Syriens accuses de se moquer des Turcs dans une video partagee sur les reseaux sociaux ou ils se filment en train de manger des bananes.

La video a ete consideree comme "provocante" et les Syriens, accuses de "se moquer des Turcs", seront renvoyes dans leur pays malgre la guerre, a prevenu la Direction des migrations, un organisme qui depend du ministere turc de l'Interieur.





Une video relayee sur les reseaux sociaux

Tout a commence par une video diffusee le 25 octobre sur les reseaux sociaux, montrant une altercation entre une jeune Syrienne et des citoyens turcs, dans un quartier d'Istanbul. Surgit un homme qui lance a la jeune femme: "Vous vivez de maniere plus aisee que nous. Moi, je ne peux pas m'offrir de bananes et vous, vous en achetez par kilos sur les marches!". "Exactement", rencherit une autre femme qui tente de faire taire la Syrienne et reproche aux migrants d'aller "tous les jours chez le coiffeur".





Va-ten en Syrie!

La jeune refugiee syrienne tente d'expliquer que les migrants, comme elle, achetent ce qu'ils peuvent avec leur argent. En vain. "Va-t'en en Syrie! Va te battre la-bas. Nous, nous ne fuyons pas notre pays, vous non plus vous ne devriez pas !", crie la femme. Aussitot apres la diffusion de cette video, des refugies syriens en Turquie se sont filmes, en signe de protestation, en train de manger des bananes, avec la video de l'altercation en fond sonore.





Moqueries contre les Turcs
Airfares at the Bay Areas three major airports this holiday travel season are going to look more like the prices from 2019 and less like the historically discounted fares from last year, though dont expect to see the same volume of crowds as before the pandemic.

Thats according to projections from the airfare pricing site Hopper, which projects about 4.5 million passengers going through the regions three big airports in December compared with the 7.24 million passengers who traveled through in December 2019.

Still, air travel demand has risen throughout the year as vaccination rates have climbed, and thats partly reflected in the rebounding airfares for domestic flights.

According to Hopper data, the average fare for domestic round-trip flights departing San Francisco International Airport the week of Christmas is currently $354  an increase from 2020s $308 average round-trip flight but well below 2019s $439 price tag.

Round-trip domestic flights during the holiday week out of Oakland International Airport ($421 on average this year compared with $489 in 2019) and Mineta San Jose International Airport ($442 this year and $475 in 2019) have also seen similar rises in cost.

Projections on actual traffic volume during the holiday season remain fluid, and its difficult to predict just how much of a boon holiday travels will bring to the regions major airports. But demand for flights during the holidays is rising as quickly as ... in 2019, said Adit Damodaran, an economist at Hopper, an indication that holiday travels will more closely resemble pre-pandemic patterns than last year.

Going into the holidays, especially for San Francisco in particular, demand is trending like it did in 2019, Damodaran said. Were really more toward that pre-pandemic pricing environment and demand environment much more so compared to 2020.

The regions major airports have expressed optimism that the coming holiday season will bring a boost in air travel. Labor Day weekend brought more than double the traffic to the San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose airports than the year before, and some airlines have rescheduled flights suspended during the pandemic following the rise in air travel demand during the summer.

In response, airlines at San Francisco International have added greater seat capacity for the coming holidays, compared with the usually busier summer travel season, according to an airport spokesperson.

United Airlines, for example, plans to schedule more than 3,500 domestic flights in December, about 91% of the airlines 2019 domestic capacity for that month. That output, the airlines largest schedule since the pandemic, is in response to a lot of pent-up demand for holiday air travel, Ankit Gupta, Uniteds vice president of network planning and scheduling, said in a press release.

One of the most significant boosts to Bay Area air travel could come as a result of the softened restrictions on international air travel.

SFO, one of the biggest gateways connecting to Pacific destinations such as Tokyo, lost more passengers during the pandemic than any of the nations 50 largest airports, partly because of the sharp decline in international travel.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Those restrictions will ease in November, when the U.S. will begin allowing fully vaccinated air travelers from 33 countries, including India and China, and there are signs of heightened demand in international travel. The average round-trip airfare for international flights departing SFO during Christmas week has risen to $1,185 from $1,120 in 2020, though still down from $1,475 in 2019, according to Hopper.

After the Sept. 20 announcement of loosened travel restrictions, search traffic for inbound international flights to San Francisco rose 34%, according to Hoppers Damodaran, and the city was the nations top-searched destination for international flights  beating out Austin and Tampa.

That to me indicates that that is probably a huge market for international travel to San Francisco that is finally being reopened, Damodaran said. I think thats really what could change the whole picture as we head into the holidays, is that inbound international travel segment going to San Francisco.

The window for acquiring the best deals on holiday flights, though, is soon closing.

Holiday travelers should book their flights before Halloween, Damodaran said, because these prices are going to start picking up as we go into November and December, and especially into the final two to three weeks before Christmas.

Ricardo Cano is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ricardo.cano@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ByRicardoCano
Its not just people bearing the brunt of Californias wildfires.

Theres Leo, Vinny and Reggie Taylor. Theyre bear cubs being nursed back to health with a $250,000 GoFundMe campaign after their paws were burned in the Dixie and Antelope fires. There are the porcupines who lost their home in Lake Tahoes Caldor Fire. And theres Monrovia, the mountain lion that died in the San Gabriel Mountains after receiving care for her burns.

As wildfires have gotten bigger and more destructive, the effects of fire on wildlife have inevitably grown. In some cases, animals have benefited from fire, finding food in the new growth of grasses and shrubs or shelter in newly cleared forest. Other animals have moved successfully to new places. Others, though, have been hurt or unable to relocate. Little, however, has been done to track or study the cumulative impact.

Research published Thursday brings new insight on the subject. The paper, published in the journal Ecology and Evolution, suggests that deer, like many large mammals, are adapted to fire and can live with it successfully  at least to a point. Problems emerge as fires trend more extreme and more habitat is lost. Going forward in a warming world, many animals could really struggle.

Current day, (most) fire is probably OK, said Samantha Kreling, one of the papers lead authors and a Ph.D. student in ecology at the University of Washington. But if we consider climate change and the increasing severity of fire in the future, that gives us pause in our thinking. It may no longer be beneficial.

More for you Earthquake on Hayward Fault could ravage more than 1 million Bay Area homes

The new study is one of few thats been done on real animals during a real wildfire. Trying to do research on an unplanned event like fire, obviously, is tough. Krelings work with fire was not what she intended to pursue, but rather something she stumbled upon.

She was part of a team of researchers from the University of Washington, UC Berkeley and UC Santa Barbara studying movements, unrelated to fire, of black-tailed deer at the University of Californias Hopland Research and Extension Center in Mendocino County.

In the summer of 2018, much of the centers land burned in the Mendocino Complex fire, the states largest wildfire at the time. (It has since dropped to No. 3.) Because Kreling and her colleagues were already tracking 18 deer with GPS collars and remote cameras, they decided to repurpose their tools and evaluate the fires impact on the animals. The habitats of 13 deer burned while the five other deer were studied as a means for comparison.

The researchers were surprised by what they found. All of the deer survived the fire, and all of the deer that were forced to flee returned to where they came from, even when their home was entirely burned. Some of the animals came back even before the fire was out.

Their loyalty to their home turf, the authors reckoned, was the result of evolutionary wiring that probably served them well. Past fires perhaps brought new flora to life and rejuvenated other plants, creating a veritable smorgasbord for the returning deer.

The concern for Kreling and her team, however, was that in an era of bigger, hotter fires, when trees, shrubs and their seed banks may be completely destroyed, it may not be advantageous for the deer to come home. The animals, the researchers said, could become trapped in food-deficient wastelands.

It looked like a moonscape, Kreling said of the burn scar. There were very few patches of surviving vegetation. I would imagine if you were living on that landscape full time, your world would be turned upside down.

After monitoring the deer for three months after the fire, basically doing visual checkups through their grid of cameras, the researchers learned that indeed many of the animals were not doing well. Several lost weight and showed a significant decrease in body condition. This, despite that most of the deer, following the burn, roughly doubled the area in which they were foraging.

Species that exhibit high site fidelity or otherwise fixed behavioral strategies may struggle to cope with increased climate instability and associated extreme disturbance events, the researchers wrote.

While the study looks at just one animal during one fire, it underscores the problems that face wildlife broadly as fire severity increases, a point highlighted in the small body of other studies and observation on fire and fauna.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

In many cases animals, unlike deer, have been found to move to new, unburned areas, returning only after their homes have rebounded. In the meantime, they often run into other problems, such as being unable to find suitable terrain or moving into areas where they jostle with humans. During the Caldor Fire, several bears precariously roamed the streets of South Lake Tahoe.

But for both deer and animals that relocate for a period of time, the wildlands they ultimately return to are likely to become increasingly compromised.

Now that were seeing these megafires, were losing a lot of useful habitat, said Eric Johnson, a veterinarian at UC Davis and co-director of the Wildlife Disaster Network, who was not affiliated with the deer study. The animals may be surviving, but whats the long term for them?

The Wildlife Disaster Network has been providing care for wildlife hurt in California wildfires since 2017. Among this years record number of reports of animals in need of help were bear cubs.

Johnson, though, says hes still troubled by the amount of wildlife that isnt making it out of the fires in the first place, a list he says is growing. It includes bears, foxes, coyotes and deer.

We are finding animals. They are not getting out of the way, he said. I think we owe the wildlife the best care possible since probably were responsible for a good portion of these megafires.

Kurtis Alexander is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kurtisalexander
Despite Republican attacks on her court ruling that would have allowed California to restrict private indoor religious gatherings during the pandemic, the nomination of U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh of San Jose to a federal appeals court moved toward confirmation Thursday with bipartisan approval in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The panel voted 13-9 to send President Bidens nomination of Koh to the Senate floor, with Republicans Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Chuck Grassley of Iowa joining 11 Democrats in support. The nine other Republicans voted against her.

Koh, 53, a former federal prosecutor and the child of Korean immigrants, was appointed to the Santa Clara County Superior Court by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2008 and appointed to the federal court by President Barack Obama in 2010, becoming the first Korean-American to serve a U.S. District Court. She would be the nations first female appellate judge of Korean descent if confirmed to the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.

She is one of four nominees by Biden to the nations largest appeals court, each replacing a Demoratic appointee who will move to semi-retired senior status once a successor is confirmed. Obama nominated her to the same court in 2016, but after winning Judiciary Committee approval, her nomination, along with others, was denied a floor vote by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

As a federal judge, Koh blocked President Donald Trumps administration from shutting down the 2020 census count ahead of schedule, a ruling that continued the population count until the Supreme Court approved a halt in mid-October 2020. But the ruling that drew Republican ire Thursday was her decision this February upholding Gov. Gavin Newsoms limits on private indoor religious gatherings to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Saying indoor worship and chanting posed particular dangers during the pandemic, Newsom limited such religious gatherings to three households in most counties, and banned them altogether in high-risk counties. Kohs ruling was upheld by the appeals court in March but overturned by the Supreme Court in a brief 5-4 decision in April.

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Koh appears to assume that people of faith cannot be trusted, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said at Thursdays hearing. The Supreme Court has said repeatedly that you cannot treat secular entities more favorably than you treat people of faith, he said, noting that Newsoms orders allowed larger gatherings in retail stores and hair salons, which health officials consider less hazardous. I have serious concerns about giving someone a promotion when theyre not doing their job well.

Grassley said he had reservations about her approach and reasoning in a number of cases, including the indoor-worship and census rulings, but would vote to advance Kohs nomination while reserving judgment on his floor vote.

The committee chairman, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said Koh had followed binding Ninth Circuit precedents in both cases. The panels senior Democrat, Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, said afterward that Koh has an impeccable track record and is exactly the kind of judge we need on the Ninth Circuit.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko
Californias top crops have changed as drought strains the states water resources and farmers ability to access them. But that does not necessarily mean farmers are choosing crops that consume less water.

Drought pushes farmers to shift their scarce water resources to crops with higher payoffs, such as nuts and vegetables, said Daniel Sumner, an agricultural economics professor at the UC Agricultural Issues Center  a trend particularly noticeable this year with its uniquely severe drought.

Even in drought years, prices matter a lot, he said.

A study Sumner co-authored using the U.S. Department of Agricultures survey data and The Chronicles analysis of the same data show California farmers are increasingly planting fewer acres of field crops, such as rice, wheat and cotton, and more tree nuts, such as almonds, pistachios and walnuts, which bring in more revenue per acre.

Though federal data on crop acreage is often limited in providing a complete picture of all the farming that goes on in California and across the country, Sumner said it accurately reflects the broad trends of field crops decline. The chart below shows how certain crops changed in acreage between 2020 and 2021.

In drought years, water suppliers and government agencies typically place restrictions on availability, as well as farmers ability to pump groundwater, he said. In response, farmers often must take measures to stay financially whole, including diverting what water they have to higher-value crops, selling the water and cashing in on emergency insurance policies.

Farmers are more likely to cut back on field crops, such as rice and cotton, Sumner said.

The big characteristics they have is that they are relatively low revenue per drop of water, Sumner said.

Almonds take about 4.5 acre-feet of water per acre on average to grow in California, compared with about 2.8 acre-feet for rice, according to Department of Water Resources data. But it is currently priced at about $1.83 per pound, while rice costs about 17 cents per pound.

Almonds are by far the top crop in California in terms of both acres harvested and production value. The most recent data shows there were about 1.25 million acres of almond trees, the production value for which is more than $5.6 billion. Rice, despite its continuing decline, remains one of Californias top crops, with at least 517,000 acres planted in 2021 and worth more than $858 million in production value.

Sumner says a striking example of how farmers reacted to market prices this year despite the drought was increased planting of alfalfa hay, a crop that feeds dairy cows and is quite water intensive.

In 2020, as milk prices were expected to tank and dairy farmers couldnt afford to keep their cows, farmers drastically reduced alfalfa hay acreage. But as milk prices bounced back in 2021, so did alfalfa hay planting.

This is a perfect example of how even in a drought, the underlying economics can say, Well grow alfalfa hay anyway, Sumner said.

In the Central Valley, the changing climate and market have pushed Stuart Woolf and his family, generations of whom have farmed a variety of crops in California since 1974, to make numerous pivots on crop planting decisions.

Back in the 1970s, the family farmed mostly rice and cotton, as did the rest of the west side of the San Joaquin Valley. But his father decided to shift gears to crops like almonds and pistachios: He shifted away from lower value commodity crops to crops that were more unique to California.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Now, the familys operation is much larger and encompasses about 30,000 acres across the state with raw almonds and tomatoes as its top products. This year, tough decisions had to be made as it became clear that water was going to be limited because of the drought, and it was actually 400 acres of almond trees that didnt make the cut  the opposite of what many other farmers across the state did.

Under normal conditions, we would err on the side of keeping the trees, hoping for a better day, he said. Even with sophisticated drip irrigation technology supplemented by drones and sensors, it was going to take too much water to save the block of trees, which were about 15 years old and not looking so great, he added. All of the calculus just worked out where it just made more sense from a water perspective to go towards tomatoes.

When you walk around the trees from the time theyre planted to grow into something you have ownership of, its tough to put them into the grinder, Woolf said.

As water availability and future drought conditions continue to be unpredictable, Woolf said he is preparing for a worst-case scenario, and looking at long-term decisions. You could read the writing on the wall in California that were going to have less water and that it was going to be more costly.

That means in the future, much of his familys farmlands  maybe even about 40% next year  could remain unplanted, or fallow, next year. In the long term, Woolf said he is considering planting even fewer acres of almonds and more of tomatoes  maybe even dry grains in the worst-case scenario. With fallow lands, the family is leasing some of the land to solar companies to generate income to buy more water.

Farmers across the state are in the same shoes, Sumner of the UC Agricultural Issues Center said, sitting with their spreadsheets, making complicated calculations about long-term planting. Everybody knows its going to get hotter.

Also, its important to remember that climate change is also not limited to California, Sumner added. Somewhere down the line, climate conditions might favor another location to grow almonds and pistachios. Not only is the climate global, its also global economics.

Yoohyun Jung is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: yoohyun.jung@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @yoohyun_jung
Safely ensconced behind white metal doors in a collection room of the California Academy of Sciences are 180,000 individual bee specimens. Glued onto paper or pinned to tags, the sometimes gold-and-black striped, sometimes fuzzy and sometimes iridescent green insects line up in straight rows, awaiting their moment to be useful to science.

Theyll soon become more useful as the academy begins a project to photograph almost every bee in its collection. The high-resolution, 2-D and 3-D images will be uploaded to a national database called the Big Bee that will eventually include 1.5 million photos of specimens and 5,500 bee species. The goal is to make it easier for scientists to study how bees have evolved over time. Theyre especially curious about traits that may show how theyve adapted to climate change, one of the reasons attributed to their worldwide decline.

Are hairy bees better adapted to hot ecosystems, or are smaller bees more active in colder climates? These are pretty big questions that we dont even have the answers to, said Katja Seltmann, a UC Santa Barbara entomologist and lead for the Big Bee project.

Because there are 20,000 species worldwide, trying to figure out the reason for their decline is a huge question, she said.

The reason bees could be declining in one small area could be very different than the reason why theyre declining somewhere else, Seltmann said.

The $3.1 million Big Bee project, $255,400 of which is going to the academy, is funded by the National Science Foundation and will draw from about a dozen U.S. institutions.

Around 140,000 individual bee specimens from the academys collection in Golden Gate Park, including about 2,500 species, will be the subject of a photo shoot expected to take three years. That could include thimble-size California bumble bees and native bees as small as ants, blue-banded bees from Australia, and South American orchid bees as green and shiny as Christmas tree ornaments.

The academy has specimens from as far back as the mid-1800s, some rescued from its original Market Street location before it was destroyed in the fires following the 1906 earthquake, said Christopher Grinter, collection manager of entomology. Some came from global expeditions in the early 20th century, including to the Philippines.

Funding like this from the NSF allows us to make these specimens available digitally to researchers in these countries of origin, and the global research community, Grinter said in an email.

Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle

Bees are vital to both the production of food and the health of ecosystems and are responsible for pollinating 100 of the crops grown in the United States or 75% of all fruits and vegetables. In 2006, beekeepers reported a dramatic decrease in the size of their honeybee colonies, a phenomenon known as colony collapse disorder. Though many bees die each winter  around 10% to 15% of a colony  the percentage of bee loss has stayed at around 20% to 35% since then, according to a national survey from the nonprofit Bee Informed.

In addition to climate change, the main causes of decline include pesticide use, habitat loss and disease, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Researchers focus on phenology, or when bees are actively flying, because that has shifted with changing climatic conditions, said Seltmann, also the director of the Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration at UC Santa Barbara. Scientists will be able to track that kind of information if it was recorded when specimens were collected.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

When they actually emerge will vary depending on whatever their triggers are, Seltmann said. So for some bees, those triggers are going to be rainfall. And for other bees, those triggers will be temperature.

If they emerge at different times than the plants they feed from, that could impact their survival, she said. Another thing researchers might look at is whether bees that visit many different plants may be more resilient than those that stick to one type, called specialists.

Seltmann said the recent loss of honeybees, originally brought into California in the 1800s, has sparked an interest in native ones, such as bumblebees that are used in some types of agriculture. The majority of pollinators are not honeybees, she explained, and tend to be more solitary, with much shorter life cycles. The collection will reflect their broad diversity.

If the honeybees completely collapse, we need to make sure that there are bees around and bees pollinating, Seltmann said. Otherwise, people are going to be running around with Q-tips, developing small robots or something, because the plants arent going to just pollinate themselves.

Tara Duggan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tduggan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @taraduggan
Oakland schools will require all students 12 and older to be vaccinated for COVID-19 by Jan. 1, joining several other California districts in mandating the shots despite a lack of full federal approval.

The citys school board narrowly approved the most stringent mandate among three options presented Wednesday, rejecting mandated vaccines only for extracurricular activities and a do-nothing choice, which would mean waiting until the states mandate kicks in, likely sometime next year. The district serves 35,000 students.

District officials noted that the policy was likely to have a great impact on groups with lower vaccination rates, including African American, Latino or multiracial, with a greater proportion of those students likely excluded from in-person school.

The district joins Los Angeles, Piedmont and San Diego, among others, requiring student vaccinations before full approval from federal officials for the vaccine for those 12 and up, which is under review. Pfizer has requested emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for children ages 5 to 11.

In Oakland, board President Shanthi Gonzales and board members Mike Hutchinson and Aimee Eng opposed the mandate.

Both sides are very concerned, said board Vice President Sam Davis. We dont want this to push students out of school.

That said, the four who supported the mandate cited the devastating impact the virus has had in the community.

Im just really concerned about students infecting their family members, Davis said. And Im concerned about a winter surge.

While theres no official vaccination rate for Oakland Unified students, 77% of eligible children have received at least one shot in the city, district officials said.

The mandate is only for those 12 and over and would not apply to younger students, even if vaccines are authorized for that age group. Experts say approval for a shot for 5-11-year-olds could come as early as next week. The policy allows for medical and personal belief exemptions.

The board could consider another mandate for children 5 to 11 years once they are eligible.

UCSF infectious disease expert Dr. George Rutherford said he supported the mandate, calling it an exceptionally reasonable choice, although he questioned the personal belief exemption.

That may be the price for getting it done, he said.

Los Angeles Unified was among the first to approve a vaccine mandate, which kicks in for all students on Jan. 10, with no personal-belief exemption. The policy will also apply to those under 12 when the vaccine is available to that age group. Adults in the district also have a vaccine mandate, which kicked in Oct. 15.

In Piedmont, eligible students must be vaccinated by Nov. 17, with no personal-belief exemption. Younger students will have eight weeks to be fully vaccinated once eligible for the shots.

In Hayward, eligible students must be vaccinated before Dec. 17 or submit to weekly testing.

San Francisco has declined to require vaccines for students, teachers and staff, although unvaccinated adults must submit to weekly testing, which is a statewide public health requirement in all schools.

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COVID-19 rates across the Bay Area and the country have been declining since the delta surge in late summer. In Oakland, the most recent data shows 22 new student and three staff cases for the week of Oct. 18. No classrooms were under at-home quarantine.

District staff in Oakland advised the school board that the Jan. 1 vaccine requirement would provide the most immediate impact, staff said, but also cost up to $350,000 to administer the requirement and pay for outside agencies to provide vaccines.

District officials decided the mandate was worth the costs and criticism coming from opponents of vaccination requirements.

As of adoption of this Policy, COVID-19 has tragically claimed the lives of over 600,000 Americans, more than 68,000 Californians, and more than 1,300 residents of Alameda County, district officials said in a memo to the board. The pandemic has caused significant suffering to millions more, including many district students, families, and staff.

Staff will work with each student who is not vaccinated to ensure they can get one if they want, Davis said.

Students not granted an exemption will be required to attend school online, transferring to Sojourner Truth Independent Study school.

The policy applies to charter school students if they share space with district students or if they interact with them in sports.

Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com
When Craig Murli opened the popular Junes Pizza inside a shipping container in West Oakland in March 2020, he pulled together a team of out-of-work chefs, most of whom already had their own pop-ups or side hustles.

And he did something unusual: Instead of demanding they devote all their time to his business, he encouraged them to invest in their own. He gave them advice, told them to continue hosting their own pop-ups and even offered up the Junes space for prep. He made a point to tell them he didnt expect them to stay there forever. And when they did leave, he promoted their businesses on Junes Instagram.

Murli wanted Junes to be a healthier work environment than most restaurants he had worked in. Supporting his employees passions was part of that.

Junes as a whole is a reaction to what I thought was wrong about the restaurant industry, he said. Treat your people how you want to be treated  with respect.

Junes, whose limited run of pizzas often sold out within 30 minutes, recently closed. Murli got shut down by the Alameda County health department because he hadnt secured the necessary permits to operate. He plans to eventually reopen in a new location.

The scrappy pizzeria, a pandemic-born passion project, has given life to the creative pursuits of pretty much everyone who worked there (including one employee who started a hand-poke tattoo business and tattooed the entire Junes crew).

We had creative space, said Tee Lee, who started a lacto-fermentation business while at Junes. We had space to go home and create for ourselves, too.

Junes remains closed for now but its entrepreneurial spirit lives on through these five food businesses run by former staffers. They all had a hand in pretty much everything at Junes, from the pizza-making to taking the notoriously competitive phone orders. Through their pop-ups, theyre now slinging colorful fruit pies, lacto-fermented vegetables and Cal-Italian pasta.

Sfizio

Provided by Craig Murli

Matt Solimano was looking for a new home for his Sfizio pasta pop-up when he started working at Junes. Murli didnt see this as a red flag  that a new employee was eventually planning to leave  but was instead excited and supportive, Solimano said.

After six months, Solimano left to focus on Sfizio again full time, along with Tyler Robb, another Junes cook. They made a deal: They would help at each others pop-up (Robb ran a pizza business) and try to make a living together.

Sfizio quickly blew up, with Solimanos affordable, unfussy pastas drawing long lines in Berkeley. Recent dishes have included sweet pepper ragu and grilled squid with butter beans and preserved lemon.

Sfizio. 5-8 p.m. or until sold out Wednesday and Thursday at Way Station Brew. 2120 Dwight Way, Berkeley. instagram.com/sfiziopasta

One Trick Pony

Courtesy Tyler Robb

Tyler Robb had pizza on the mind long before he worked at Junes. He fell in love with wood-fired cooking while at Oaklands famed Camino, and then with the art of pizza at Sister in Oakland.

When he left Junes with Solimano, he started One Trick Pony, which slings pizzas inspired by his Midwest roots and Bay Area culinary experience. His sourdough bar-style pizzas have super thin crusts and crispy edges, baked on a hearth stone. They come with seasonal, vegetable-centric toppings like chanterelles, hot-honey poached corn and fermented jalapenos. He always offers a vegan pizza; most recently, that came with marinated tofu, chile crunch, cashew cream and roasted delicata squash. On the side: comforting garlic knots.

Eventually, Robb hopes to run a 100% wood-fired pop-up that serves other dishes beyond pizza.

One Trick Pony. Fridays at Heart & Dagger Saloon ( 504 Lake Park Ave., Oakland) and Saturdays at Wonderous Brewing Company ( 1306 65th St., Emeryville), plus other locations. instagram.com/otp_oakland

Ono Bakehouse

Provided by Ono Bakehouse

Working with the Junes team gave Desiree Valencia the push she needed to finally pursue her own thing  a push she hadnt felt at any restaurant she had worked at before.

The Maui native and fine-dining chef started what would become Ono Bakehouse, the East Bays first dedicated Hawaiian bakery. In its early days, she sold furikake Chex mix and other Hawaiian snacks at Magnolia Mini Mart, next-door to Junes.

After making pizza for about eight months, she found a space for her bakery. Ono Bakehouse opened last October. Valencias stunning layered Queen Emma cakes, green onion rolls and butter mochi are among the best Hawaiian sweets in the Bay Area.

Ono Bakehouse. 1922 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley. ono-bakehouse.square.site

Soya

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Courtesy Jodie Cruz

Pre-coronavirus, Jodie Cruz sold pies to make money on the side of her restaurant jobs. Pies werent a huge part of her upbringing, but she caught the baking bug from her Salvadoran grandmother, an avid baker who would go all out for holidays and family events.

She held sporadic pop-ups while working at San Francisco hot spots, including Rich Table and Flour + Water. Cruz ended up at Junes during the pandemic, where she often talked with Murli about how to price her pies and future business models. She watched him navigate the wild ups and downs of running a small business during the pandemic. (Lessons, such as how to form a LLC and secure a business license, that hes now passing on to former employees as they start their own ventures.)

Her pies, from banana cream to a vegan coconut lemon curd, are now on the menu at Friends & Family Bar in Oakland. She bakes them in tart pans instead of traditional pie pans, preferring a refined, shorter crust. Seasonal ingredients like gooseberries and champagne grapes make their way into her pies, which often get whimsical pops of color from edible flowers. She also takes orders via Instagram and has offered pickups at San Francisco wine shop Gemini Bottle Co.

Soya. Oakland. instagram.com/soyasoyasoyaa

Sal Ferments

Courtesy Tee Lee

Tee Lees experience at Junes inspired her to turn her home fermentation projects into a business. In the O2 shipping yard in Oakland, where Junes was located, she was surrounded by people who were starting their own ventures after losing jobs during the shutdown.

She was Junes morning sous-chef, so she had afternoons to work on her mad scientist fermented creations, like pineapple, jicama and jalapeno, or tender cauliflower laced with fennel and turmeric. Lee became obsessed with lacto-fermentation while working at a restaurant in Seattle several years ago, and brought that obsession with her when she moved to Oakland last summer.

A month into her time at Junes, she launched Sal Ferments. She turned a section of her home kitchen into a fermentation lab where she plays with vegetables and recipes. Her latest: a classic sauerkraut made with white cabbage and caraway seed.

You can find jars of her fermented veggies at Picnic Rotisserie in Albany or order from Lee online for free delivery in the Bay Area.

Sal Ferments. Oakland. salferments.com

Elena Kadvany is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: elena.kadvany@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ekadvany
Esther will be drinking elsewhere during the next two weeks while on vacation. On Nov. 4, we're bringing you a special guest author: Serena Dai, The Chronicle's senior food and wine editor. On Nov. 11, the newsletter will be on hiatus. Esther will resume on Nov. 18.

This week I have a long story out about a fascinating Napa Valley winery: the Prisoner.

I'm guessing you know it. It's a famous winery, best known for its Prisoner red blend, the third best-selling wine over $25 in the U.S., according to IRI data. I see its label, which shows a Francisco de Goya painting of a man in bars and shackles, everywhere: sitting on wine shop shelves, popping up in my Instagram feed.

There are a lot of interesting things to say about the Prisoner. For one, it entirely created the "red blend" category in the wine market after it debuted in 2000  a category that's remained hugely popular. It's always been a polarizing wine, inspiring fervent love and hate at once. It's one of the few wine brands that has sold not once but twice  first to Huneeus Vintners, then to Constellation  despite the fact that the sales never came with any physical assets, like land or a building, attached.

I believe it's the single most influential California wine in modern history, paving the way for other ripe-tasting, dangerous-looking red blends like Apothic Red and 19 Crimes, both hugely successful in their own right.

In fact, I was so used to the Prisoner's ubiquitous presence that I never really scrutinized the trappings of its branding  or the implications of its influence on so many other companies. I took it for granted that the Prisoner was deliberately provocative. When it opened a tasting room in St. Helena in 2018 featuring shackles, ropes and chains as decor, I didn't flinch; the vibe seemed to track with the edgy, over-the-top aesthetic that the brand had been cultivating. I never visited.

But over the past two years, colleagues and friends who saw its bottles in stores or drove past its tasting room in St. Helena started asking me about the Prisoner. The dissonance of its imagery  a $50 Napa wine evoking themes of imprisonment  startled them.

It started bothering me, too. In the time since the Prisoner first emerged, 21 years ago, a lot in our culture has changed. The conversation around the crisis of mass incarceration has grown more urgent. During the pandemic especially, we've seen how cruel conditions can be at some prisons in California, and how deeply tied our criminal-justice system is to systemic racism. Meanwhile, Constellation has appeared to emphasize the imprisonment imagery more and more, especially after opening the tasting room, where you can buy locally crafted pottery outfitted in BDSM-like accessories.

So I decided to re-examine the Prisoner in this new light. I visited the tasting room, talked to criminal-justice experts, interviewed key players in the Prisoner's rise to fame and had a particularly rich conversation with Dave Phinney, the winemaker who created the red blend in the first place. You can read the full piece here.

The overall feeling I came away with was discomfort. As someone who cares about California wine, I find it discouraging that this is the brand that signifies Napa Valley for so many people. Wine already has an elitism problem. A racial diversity problem. That one of California wine's most visible ambassadors appears so out of touch with the social issues of the day would seem to only deepen those issues.

It's a shame because there are many positive things that the winery can build on. I appreciated, on my recent visit to the tasting room, how down to earth the staff was, how patiently they seemed to accommodate wine ignorance. Many Napa wineries practice a far more condescending kind of education. No technical jargon was thrown around; there was nary a mention of malolactic conversion or whole-cluster fermentation.

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When I visited the tasting room, I also liked some of the wines more than I expected to. A few of them  the Prisoner Pinot Noir, which was flabby and oaky, and the Saldo Zinfandel, which tasted quite sweet to me  disappointed. But the flagship wine, that original Prisoner red blend, is a well made expression of a style that, as Constellation knows better than anyone, many people want to drink. It's ripe, big, high in alcohol, viscous, dense. Despite all those extremes, it also tasted balanced.

The winery argues that its branding makes it an agent of prison reform, protesting the inequalities of the criminal justice system. It has donated to the Equal Justice Initiative, the well known Alabama nonprofit that provides legal services for people who have been wrongfully imprisoned. The Prisoner's general manager, Bukola Ekundayo, wouldn't tell me exactly how much they've donated, but she did say that within the next few months we'll see more social-justice activities from the Prisoner.

But right now, to the average consumer, the brand doesn't look like its trying to change anything. If the Prisoner wants to stand against mass incarceration, it needs to make that clearer. It needs to better communicate the story behind the painting on its label, whose artist intended it to show the inhumane nature of imprisonment. And it maybe needs to use fewer shackles in its tasting room decoration. As it currently stands, the wine and the tasting room invite customers to revel in a world in which captivity takes on a macabre kind of thrill.

Thats crucial because the Prisoner carries so much sway  not only in influencing other wineries choices but in introducing many people to fine wine in the first place. The brand has proven that it has the power to set expectations for what wine, and what Napa Valley, can be.

I hope that Constellation makes good on its promise, and I'll be watching closely to see if it can convey its more progressive message effectively. I'm especially interested because I believe this winery has an unparalleled sort of platform  and could do a lot of good.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP)  The board of the Alaska Railroad has voted unanimously to rescind a requirement for all of its employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Initially, railroad employees were supposed to be vaccinated by Dec. 8 to comply with vaccine requirements ordered by President Joe Biden that, in part, required vaccination for employees of contractors doing business with the federal government. The railroad is a federal contractor, the Anchorage Daily News reported.

An email sent to railroad employees last Friday said the railroad must meet the standard. But Tuesdays board decision followed legal challenges that have been filed elsewhere seeking to block the federal mandate, Alaska Railroad spokesperson Tim Sullivan said.

The board could revisit its decision, depending on the outcome of the vaccine mandate legal challenges, he said.

Sullivan said nearly 53% of the railroad's 692 employees are vaccinated.

Failure to comply with the vaccine mandate could cost the state-owned corporation millions of dollars in federal grants and contracts, and the space it leases from the U.S. Forest Service in Anchorage, Sullivan said.

Board members expressed reluctance to require vaccinations.

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We have one of our U.S. senators that has implored us and others within the state of Alaska not to make these decisions until there is more certainty on what direction is the country is headed on this, board member John Binkley said, referring to comments made recently by Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan.

There just seems to be a lot of state of flux in terms of how this is going to manifest itself, Binkley said.
Regarding Boudins father granted parole for Brinks robbery (Bay Area, Oct. 27): David Gilbert was granted parole because he had an exemplary record during his 40 years in prison, served far longer in prison than his co-defendants and had enormous support.

Mr. Gilbert was convicted of murder under the archaic felony-murder rule, now rejected by California. It makes individuals who participate in a crime resulting in death guilty of murder although they have absolutely nothing to do with the killing. Mr. Gilbert was unarmed and drove a getaway car.

The article quotes Ritchie Greenberg accusing District Attorney Chesa Boudin of abusing his office in supporting his fathers release. He did not use official stationery and wrote as a son. More influential in supporting Mr. Gilberts release were: Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, 1984 Nobel Peace Laureate; Ela Gandhi, granddaughter of Mohandas Gandhi; The Rev. Bernice King, daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.; and a multitude of religious and civic leaders.

Mr. Greenbergs uninformed comment is not deserving of being included in this article.

Ellen Chaitin, retired Superior Court judge,

San Francisco

Remembering Nicholas

This week is the 25th anniversary of the dedication of the Childrens Bell Tower in Bodega Bay, the unique structure that marks the decision my wife, Maggie, and I made to donate the organs and corneas of our 7-year-old son, Nicholas, after he was shot in a botched robbery while we were on a family vacation in Italy. The tower commemorates a milestone in medical history, when for tens of millions of people around the world, organ donation suddenly changed from being something remote and a little weird into a personal decision that they might be called on to make on any day.

Nicholas would now be 34 and perhaps have a Nicholas or two of his own.

The tower was designed and built by San Francisco sculptor Bruce Hasson, who refused to take a penny for the months he spent on it. The tower is a monument to all those who, at a moment when their whole world was collapsing, put their grief aside long enough to save the lives of perfect strangers.

Reg Green, La Canada Flintridge,

Los Angeles County

Sahl was a comic genius

Regarding Mort Sahl, 1927-2021: Father of political comedy honed skills in city clubs (Front Page, Oct. 27): As a kid in the 70s, I loved the comedy of Mort Sahl. His act was groundbreaking because it was seamless, long-form banter that sounded unrehearsed. After Sahl, the standard for comics was breaking the fourth-wall, ditching the tuxedos and drum rolls, and talking to the audience.

I had difficulty navigating all the references, but that was half the fun. Sahl normalized viewing society with healthy cynicism. He wasnt acerbic or angry, for me, his style was the gold standard of true intelligence.

The social activism of the 60s would make Sahls subtly whimsical take on U.S. politics and society seem sedate and irrelevant. But he was a reminder that the only way to stay smart and sane in our consumerist culture is to keep up. And keep it funny.

Nels Johnson, Millbrae

Plan ahead for the end

Regarding Americans need to talk about death more (Open Forum, Oct. 27): With 42 years in acute-care hospital work and 30-plus years as a hospice volunteer, end-of-life decisions are not discussed nearly enough. We are all on the same path toward death, so lets make our plans. You should not wait until you are old.

The famous Karen Ann Quinlan case was not about an older woman but a young woman. Also, hospice is not about death, but how you chose to live until you die.
Last week at a brewpub in Contra Costa County, the bartender sheepishly asked for my vaccine card. Unaware of the new county mandate, I fumbled through my wallet and found the folded up card. He phonied a verifying nod and took my order.

A couple of maskless IPAs later, he confided in me that he asked for my card out of worry I might be a health inspector. This was a legitimate concern it turns out, as officials from San Francisco and Contra Costa counties have each shut down an In-N-Out Burger restaurant in their locale in recent weeks for failing to do so.

Until now, California had been on the right side of COVID-19 risk mitigation. When the virus was raging out of control early last year, and its virulence relatively unknown, the state imposed controversial but effective measures to control infection and hospitalization. As health officials learned more, they throttled back restrictions to find a balance between imposition and safety.

But our current requirements and punitive actions suggest that many of Californias health officials may be going off gut feel, or worse  ideology, rather than a calculable risk methodology.

With medical devices, aircraft and other industries manufacturing critical products, a concept called risk analysis is routinely performed to determine whether a product is safe enough. Risk is calculated as the probability of occurrence times the severity of outcome. Frequency of exposure is also often factored in. Companies develop detailed procedures from this simple equation to ensure that their products have been sufficiently assessed to minimize potential hazards to users. For instance, the probability of turbulence in-flight is quite high, and the severity of injury to passengers can be significant. To mitigate this risk, airlines require seat belts be worn during turbulence to reduce the severity of injury to an acceptable level.

This iterative process of calculating what the risk is without an intervention and then re-calculating the risk with an intervention is core to performing a proper risk analysis. By quantifying the hazard or danger we can make more effective decisions without the bias of a subjective or qualitative approach.

Its precisely here where many of the states public health officials have entangled themselves in faulty logic.

When the pandemic began, the probability of infection was thought to be very high and the severity of the disease was assumed to be quite lethal. The only available mitigation at the time was to prevent spread at all costs. Businesses were closed and people were asked to stay home.

As more data emerged about the actual infection rate and the severity of disease, including who was most vulnerable, mitigations were dialed back to mask wearing, physical distancing and temperature checks. The new risk calculations resulted in appropriate compromises for how restaurants could operate, namely with outdoor seating and less indoor capacity.

Now, nearly nine months after mass vaccination implementation, it is not only reasonable to expect, but mandatory from a risk analysis principle, to recalculate the risk of disease to individuals. We know that vaccines almost completely eliminate the chance of dying or being hospitalized from COVID-19. We also know that transmission of the virus is greatly reduced in vaccinated individuals who do become infected. More importantly, we know over 80% of Californians age 12 and over have been vaccinated with at least one dose. The number of individuals with natural immunity brings the percent immunized even higher.

Most California counties, especially Contra Costa, San Francisco and Alameda, have achieved the trifecta of risk reduction scenarios: probability of infection has been reduced, severity of disease has been reduced and a highly effective mitigation is in place  vaccination. Each countys own COVID-19 data prove this to be true; San Francisco, with nearly 900,000 residents, has a seven-day rolling average of 53 positive cases per day and no deaths as of Oct. 20.

Yet public health officials in these and other counties have abandoned scientific reasoning, layering mitigation upon mitigation for no justifiable reason. The prevailing logic appears to be that it is unacceptable for even a single person to contract the virus  an unrealistic and untenable position.

Risk mitigations incur real costs and often have unintended consequence. The cost of shuttering restaurants like In-N-Out are immense  from lost jobs and revenue to the business and the state. Perhaps a greater consequence is the loss of public confidence in Californias public health institutions.

Not all of the states county public health departments have been so miscalculating. Solano County does not require restaurants to police the vaccination status of its patrons, but rather requires individuals to self-attest. This contrast in policy also provides for a useful comparator. If Contra Costa, Alameda and other county officials are correct in their thinking, Solano should be showing a rapid increase in community acquired infection and severe disease or death. Neither of these have happened, and by sound risk analysis methodology, are highly unlikely to occur. Solano Countys seven-day rolling average as of Tuesday is, in fact, better than Contra Costas.

To be clear, the issue is not whether businesses should be involved in enforcement  after all, theyve always verified age in order to legally serve alcohol. Rather, it is whether officials are using sound scientific reasoning and quantitative methods in their policy decisions. With the majority of Californians immunized, it is calculatedly unnecessary and ineffective to require restaurants to verify the vaccination status of their patrons.

Chirag Asaravala is a biotech consultant based in Alamo.
At this moment, in math classrooms across California, students are asking themselves the same questions many of us asked ourselves when we were their age: Why do I need to learn this? How will this ever matter in my life?

That many students find math to be irrelevant is nothing new. A 2013 ACT study found that only 1 in 10 high school graduates indicated an interest in a science, technology, engineering or math as a major or occupation. Compounding this issue though are distressing disparities in math performance: Data collected in 2019 found that Black and Latinx students were only half as likely as their white and Asian American peers to meet or exceed grade-level math standards on the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress tests.

If we want California students to excel at math, we need to make it relevant to them.

The draft Mathematics Framework being considered by the California Department of Education, if adopted, would help us get there. This framework describes the curriculum and instruction necessary to help students achieve proficiency with the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics. Last updated in 2013, this document also provides guidance to school districts on course pathways students can take to graduate high school and be eligible to attend a University of California campus. With a new and explicit focus on equity and engagement, the proposed framework has the potential to transform math teaching and learning in our state and inspire a generation of students to study math and explore related career paths who otherwise would not.

Critics say the incorporation of racial equality components would politicize math and leave students behind but, in truth, students value their schoolwork when they perceive it to be relevant to their lives or help them connect to a purpose greater than themselves. If students find their learning meaningful, they then demonstrate more interest and are able to learn deeply. For example, a ninth-grade ethnic studies curriculum in the San Francisco United School District increased student attendance by 21% and grade point average by 1.4 points. Providing students with culturally relevant and anti-racist curricula substantially increases high school attendance, graduation and the probability of college enrollment, which is why earlier this month, Gov. Gavin Newsom made California the first state in the nation to require a semester of ethnic studies to complete high school.

When it comes to math, the findings are similar. Research has shown that students who perceive math to be relevant perform better on the National Assessment of Educational Progress exam. In 2019, Black eighth graders who indicated strong agreement with the statements I enjoy doing math and it is important to do well in math scored as much as 54% higher on the exam than peers who felt the opposite.

In recent years, weve seen students lead the way in the fight for a fair and just society. As educators, we must recognize and leverage that passion in service of our students education.

Unfortunately, there are numerous inequities impacting our students that can be turned into relevant math lessons. Women earn only 82% of mens wages for the same work. COVID mortality rates are at least twice as high for Black, Latinx and indigenous communities than white ones. There have been 9,081 reported hate crimes against people from Asian and Pacific Islander American communities since 2020, a steep increase from years past. In San Francisco, 37% of homeless people identify as Black while only 6% of city residents do; not coincidentally, 75% of Black people in San Francisco live in neighborhoods that are or are at risk of gentrifying, the highest rates for any racial group. From algebra to z-scores and all the concepts in between, math can be harnessed to explore and address issues like these that negatively impact students and their communities.

Most math classrooms remain painfully traditional in their content and pedagogy to the detriment of students. Failure to complete a third year of high school math (commonly algebra II) with a C or better is one of the factors that has resulted in fewer than half of Californias high school students being eligible to attend the University of California. In Oakland, the eligibility rate is only 41% for Black students. In San Francisco, only 47% of Black and 40% of English learner graduates were considered prepared for college.

Adopting the proposed Mathematics Framework alone wont solve all the challenges facing math education but it certainly wont diminish rigor in our classrooms, either. Instead, it will inspire students to engage in rigorous learning because the context will be more relevant. Teachers, empowered by this new framework will be able to help students build mathematical understanding through the exploration of social justice topics and to apply their knowledge to address our most pressing challenges.

Civil rights leader and math educator Bob Moses, who passed away recently, wrote that math literacy is not about simply transferring a body of knowledge to children, but about using it as a tool to a much larger end. The proposed Mathematics Framework, and the concept of social justice math are two of these tools. In a region that is so rife with injustice, our children deserve for us to harness all of the tools at our disposal to help them.

Jonathan Osler is the founder of RadicalMath.org, a resource hub supporting educators to integrate math and social justice, and he is a faculty member of CalTeach at UC Berkeley, where he prepares undergraduate STEM majors for careers in education.
A San Francisco nonprofit organization fired an employee for violating its policies after the woman published social media posts on its accounts supporting a tenants rights advocate who has accused rising political star Jon Jacobo of sexual assault.

Community advocate Gloria Dominguez, a site coordinator at Mission Girls Services, posted a statement on behalf of a group of eight women on Instagram and Facebook in August extending support to folks who have been impacted by the recent harm that has been committed by a prominent figure in our community: Jon Jacobo, according to screenshots viewed by The Chronicle.

Lea Suzuki / The Chronicle 2019

Days before, tenants rights advocate Sasha Perigo had posted an account online alleging Jacobo raped her in his apartment in April. Jacobo tweeted a statement in response that his memory of these events is different than her memory and he believed the relationship was completely consensual.

The Aug. 10 post from the team at Mission Girls Services read: For far too long, men & their allies have taken advantage of their social capital. We believe Sasha and all other survivors, who may not have the means or platform to share their truth.

By the next day, Mission Neighborhood Centers Inc.  the nonprofit that oversees Mission Girls Services  had fired Dominguez, who posted the statement. Her discharge paper, viewed by The Chronicle and dated Aug. 11, said the reason, per a phone call with her supervisor and human resources director, was due to violation of employee handbook social media policy and taking factual position on a pending criminal matter.

Perigo said she hasnt filed a police report because of her fundamental mistrust of law enforcement, but posted an extensively documented account online. In April, a San Francisco police sergeant with the Special Victims Unit wrote a letter to Perigo saying the agency had developed a DNA profile from the swabs collected during her medical examination. When she posted on social media in August, SFPD said the unit was looking into the matter.

Bronte Wittpenn/The Chronicle

Jacobo resigned as a building inspection commissioner in the wake of the allegations.

The sexual assault accusations against Jacobo have forced San Franciscos elected officials and nonprofit organizations to grapple with how to respond.

The San Francisco Womens Political Committee issued a statement two weeks ago calling on the political establishment to take a stronger stance to support survivors of sexual assault after political allies invited Jacobo to two public events. All 11 members of the Board of Supervisors pledged support for the demands of the SFWPCs statement. Former Supervisor Jane Kim, who invited Jacobo to one event, later apologized for her judgment in doing so.

Most other nonprofit organizations have danced around the issue, issuing statements in support of sexual assault survivors without naming Jacobo or assuming his guilt.

The firing was first reported by Mission Local. Dominguez declined to be interviewed for this article.

Beiling Gonzalez, human resources director for Mission Neighborhood Centers, said in an email that in accordance with our legal obligation to maintain the privacy of employee information, MNCs strict policy is to not release personnel information regarding any of our employees.

Perigo said in a statement that she didnt know Dominguez before she posted in support, but she appreciated Dominguez backing her.

Gloria was fired for supporting survivors of sexual violence, Perigo said. It breaks my heart to think of the message this sends to the community that relies on the Mission Neighborhood Centers.

Jacobo did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Constanza Hevia H./Special to The Chronicle 2020

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

The day Dominguez was fired, the main Mission Neighborhood Centers Instagram account posted a statement attributed to the organizations board chair, Beverly Hayon, about the sexual assault accusations.

Mission Neighborhood Centers stands with all victims of sexual assault and believes that all women should be heard and believed, the statement read. We also firmly stand for due process. Due process protects both victims and the accused.

The statement went on to say that although the accusations were disturbing and emotional, we must be even more careful to make sure our official public statements are careful, consistent and based in fact, not allegation or social media, no matter how serious the allegations may be.

The Instagram account for Mission Girls Services where Dominguez posted was removed and is no longer online. The Facebook page is still active, but the post now only contains links to support services for sexual assault survivors.

Provided by Gloria Dominguez

Two of Dominguezs team members later resigned in solidarity.

Two days after her firing, Dominguez posted on her personal Instagram account expressing gratitude to those who had supported her as she was trying to take care of my teething and overtired 6 month old baby. She wrote she was confident she and her partner would get through this difficult time and encouraged those seeking to financially support her to donate to groups supporting sexual assault survivors instead.

Mallory Moench is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mallory.moench@sfchronicle.com Twitter:@mallorymoench
San Francisco will extend its emergency hotel room program for homeless people until September 2022, a decision that could cost the city an extra $21 million.

Homelessness officials said Wednesday that they need more time to thoughtfully move people from hotels into permanent housing, despite more than 1,000 vacant supportive housing units across the city. About 1,200 people are living in the hotels, while hundreds  or possibly thousands  of people continue to sleep on San Franciscos streets every night.

San Francisco launched the emergency hotel program, referred to as shelter-in-place hotels, at the beginning of the pandemic to quickly get people off the streets. City officials promised that most residents would be moved into permanent housing when their hotel closes down. But that effort has proven to be arduous, complex and costly, even with an unprecedented $1.1 billion budget for homelessness services over the next two years.

The extension of the program points to the logistic and bureaucratic hurdles that the city faces in its pledge to stabilize its most vulnerable, who often struggle with mental health issues and substance use. It also reflects the challenges of housing people in a city where affordable  and desirable  units are in short supply, and where two major plans for more housing have been nixed amid community pushback and gentrification concerns in the past week alone.

We want to make sure that we are not closing hotels and rushing people out, said Emily Cohen, a spokesperson for the homelessness department. We want to make sure that we have time for them to really engage in the process and look for housing.

Since the hotel program began in April 2020, it has served 3,709 people. Of that group, 729 people have been permanently housed  though its unclear where exactly people have been placed. The department said it wants to house 30 to 40 guests a week, but it has been falling short of that goal.

Officials had initially planned to wind down the hotel program this year, and have extended it several times after the federal government promised reimbursements. That specific federal support  from the Federal Emergency Management Agency  however, is expected to cease by Dec. 31.

It will cost an extra $67 million to extend the hotel program from April, when it was supposed to end, until September. City officials expect federal and state funds to cover $46 million of those costs, and hope to cobble together other emergency grants to cover the remaining $21 million.

At a Wednesday hearing, many advocates applauded the citys decision to extend the program, citing how the hotel program has helped the previously unsheltered  including decreasing some peoples drug use and improving their physical health. Supervisor Matt Haney called for the hearing.

But some also questioned why officials werent moving more people off the streets amid so many vacancies in the permanent supportive housing system, and hotel rooms that would be funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency through December.

Of the 1,000 vacant permanent supportive housing units, the city said about 700 are ready for people to move into. Half of the available units have a pending tenant.

While excessive vacancies have long been an issue in San Francisco, Cohen said they are exacerbated by extensive paperwork requirements that have made it difficult to quickly move people in. She also attributed the number of vacancies to new units that the city acquired this year and is working to fill.

But its still a problem, even if theres more nuance to it, she said.

Cohen also said it has been challenging to convince hotel residents  who currently live rent-free with a private bathroom and three meals a day  to move into a unit that costs 30% of their income, but might be in an inferior building and might lack a private bathroom.

Still, advocates like Sara Shortt of HomeRise, an affordable housing group that also manages permanent supportive housing, said they are having a hard time squaring the number of vacancies with the number of people sleeping on the citys streets.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Were in a situation right now where there are 1,000 vacant units yet the city is unable to meet their own goal of housing 35 people a week, she said. It is puzzling.

Seven shelter-in-place hotels have closed over the past year, with two more planned to shut by the end of 2021. The homelessness department has no plans to move more people to the hotels.

Those who were not lucky enough to get a hotel room have been stuck outside continuously, without respite, without an ability to move into housing, said Jennifer Friedenbach, executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness. We have got these hotel options that are being paid for through the end of the year. We have got to open them up and allow folks to move in.

Cohen said doing so would slow down their ability to move the existing residents into housing with their limited staff resources.

Meanwhile, even as homeless officials say they must extend the hotel program, Noelle Simmons, chief deputy director at the homelessness department, warned that there is an opportunity cost in doing so.

According to the department, it costs about $7,000 a month per hotel room compared with an average of $2,000 a month for permanent supportive housing.

Those resources could have been spent on other permanent solutions, she said. And thats what we would have spent them on absent the need to fill the gap in the hotel program.

Trisha Thadani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tthadani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TrishaThadani
Google Maps

Three people are hospitalized with serious burn wounds after a sailboat exploded at the Eureka Public Marina late Tuesday night, according to a statement from Humboldt Bay Fire.

Firefighters responded to a report of a two-alarm boat fire and explosion resulting in multiple injuries at 11:27 p.m. Two of the victims made their way to the entrance of the marina, where they were treated by paramedics and taken to the Providence St. Joseph Hospital  the third individual had already been transported there prior to the firefighters arrival, the department said.
COLUMBIA, Md. (AP) _ Corporate Office Properties Trust (OFC) on Thursday reported a key measure of profitability in its third quarter. The results topped Wall Street expectations.

The Columbia, Maryland-based real estate investment trust said it had funds from operations of $65.2 million, or 57 cents per share, in the period.

The average estimate of six analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for funds from operations of 56 cents per share.

Funds from operations is a closely watched measure in the REIT industry. It takes net income and adds back items such as depreciation and amortization.

The company said it had net income of $27.1 million, or 24 cents per share.

The real estate investment trust specializing in suburban office properties, based in Columbia, Maryland, posted revenue of $174.6 million in the period, which also beat Street forecasts. Three analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $163.1 million.

For the current quarter ending in December, Corporate Office Properties expects its per-share funds from operations to range from 55 cents to 57 cents.

The company expects full-year funds from operations in the range of $2.26 to $2.28 per share.

_____

This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on OFC at https://www.zacks.com/ap/OFC
Tucker Carlson, the top-rated Fox News host, faced criticism Thursday  including from a prominent colleague at his own network  after he announced plans for a documentary series featuring debunked conspiracy theories about the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

The three-part series, Patriot Purge, is set to be broadcast next month on Fox News streaming service, Fox Nation. An 84-second trailer that aired on Fox News on Wednesday included the baseless suggestion that the riot was a so-called false flag operation created to demonize the political right.

As tense music plays on the soundtrack, Carlson says in ominous tones that the helicopters have left Afghanistan and now theyve landed here at home. Various speakers convey the false idea that Democrats want to persecute and imprison conservatives.

The trailer evoked a dismayed public response from Geraldo Rivera, a veteran Fox News correspondent, who used a profane term in a Twitter post to dismiss the claim that the Capitol riot was a false flag operation. That theory has repeatedly been debunked.

Speaking Thursday with The New York Times, Rivera elaborated on his concerns.

Tuckers wonderful, hes provocative, hes original, but  man oh man, Rivera said in a phone interview. There are some things that you say that are more inflammatory and outrageous and uncorroborated. And I worry that  and Im probably going to get in trouble for this  but Im wondering how much is done to provoke, rather than illuminate.

Messing around with Jan. 6 stuff ...  Rivera added, pausing briefly. The record to me is pretty damn clear, that there was a riot that was incited and encouraged and unleashed by Donald Trump.

Asked if he would urge his Fox News bosses to reconsider airing Carlsons special, Rivera demurred, saying, I dont want to go there, thats not my job.

But he added of Carlson: Hes my colleague. Hes my family. Sometimes you have to speak out about your family.

Fox News did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Carlsons prime-time provocations have helped propel him to the highest ratings in cable news, even as he has used rhetoric sometimes used by white nationalists. He has frequently questioned the coverage of the Jan. 6 attack, asserting that government agents were involved in the events and portraying the rioters as mostly peaceful.

The vast majority of people inside the Capitol on Jan. 6 were peaceful, he told viewers on Sept. 23. They were not insurrectionists, they shouldnt have been there. They werent trying to overthrow the government. Thats a total crock.

The trailer for Patriot Purge includes an interview with Darren Beattie, a former speechwriter in the Trump White House who was fired in 2018 after it was revealed that he had attended a gathering with white nationalists. Ali Alexander, a far-right activist and one of the most prominent advocates of the falsehood that President Joe Biden stole the 2020 election, also appears in the trailer.

Among Carlsons critics Thursday was Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo. In a Twitter post, she accused Fox News of giving Carlson a platform to spread the same type of lies that provoked violence on January 6.

Rivera, who is scheduled to appear on Thursdays episode of the Fox News afternoon program The Five, recently renewed his contract with the network in a multiyear deal. In an announcement last month, Suzanne Scott, CEO of Fox News Media, described Rivera as an important voice on Fox News Channel over the last two decades, adding, We are thrilled to have him continue to be a part of the Fox family.

Fox News was not the only arm of Rupert Murdochs media empire facing scrutiny this week. The Wall Street Journal was criticized Wednesday for publishing a lengthy letter to the editor from Trump that contained numerous falsehoods about the integrity of the 2020 election.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Starbucks on Thursday reported record quarterly sales thanks to its robust U.S. business that helped make up for weakness in China and other markets.

The Seattle coffee giant said its U.S. same-store sales  or sales at locations open at least a year  jumped 22% in the July-September period. Stores saw higher traffic and customers spent more on pricier cold drinks, which made up 75% of U.S. sales, and food, which saw sales climb 35% in the fiscal fourth quarter.

Routines are beginning to normalize," said John Culver, Starbucks' chief operating officer, on a conference call Thursday with investors.

Now that kids have returned to school in person, Starbucks' peak hours have shifted back to the morning and early afternoon, Culver said. Stores in business districts __ which were hardest hit during the pandemic __ have returned to positive sales growth, he said.

But some pandemic habits are persisting. Drive-thru and mobile ordering made up 70% of transactions during Starbucks' fiscal fourth quarter quarter, up 15% from pre-pandemic levels.

The story was different in China, which saw same-store sales fall 7% due to resurgent COVID cases. At the peak in August, 80% of Starbucks' stores in China were impacted by virus restrictions, the company said.

Our recovery in China will not be linear, Starbucks President and CEO Kevin Johnson said. Starbucks remains bullish on China __ its second-largest market after the U.S. __ and opened 654 net new stores there in its 2021 fiscal year.

Earlier this week, McDonalds also reported lower same-store sales in China due to COVID cases and a softening economy.

Globally, Starbucks' same-store sales rose 17%, shy of Wall Street's forecast of an 18.2% increase, according to analysts polled by FactSet.

Starbucks said its revenue rose 31% to $8.1 billion for the quarter, an all-time high. But that was still short of Wall Streets forecast of $8.2 billion.

Starbucks reported its earnings one day after it announced pay hikes for U.S. workers. The company said workers in its U.S. stores will make at least $15 __and up to $23 __ per hour by next summer. Starbucks is also giving raises to employees who have been with the company for at least two years.

Johnson said the wage hikes __ along with previously announced increases __ will result in $1 billion in incremental spending for the company in the 2021 and 2022 fiscal years. The company said the employee investment will temporarily reduce its operating margin to around 17% in its 2022 fiscal year, down from an adjusted operating margin of 18% in its 2021 fiscal year.

Johnson said the spending will ensure Starbucks remains an employer of choice in a tight labor market.

'This is the right time to make that investment and were confident that its going return significant value to shareholders, he said.

The company said its net income more than quadrupled to $1.76 billion in the fourth quarter. Adjusted for one-time items, Starbucks reported earnings of $1.00 per share. That beat Wall Streets forecast of 99 cents.

Starbucks shares fell 4% in after-market trading.
When Marty Piscovich first tried a new invention called frozen yogurt at an airport in the 1970s, he wasnt a fan.

It was pretty awful if you looked at the taste and the quality of it, said Piscovich.  But everybody started eating it, because it was a weight loss thing.

Marketed as a lower-fat alternative to ice cream, frozen yogurt was perfectly placed to take advantage of the health-crazed moment. Fortunately, manufacturers soon improved the taste, introducing popular flavors like chocolate and vanilla (early offerings were more berry-centric and sour).

So in 1977, Piscovich, who had been working for an airline in Chicago at the time, decided to take a leap of faith. He moved back to his home state, California, and opened one of the countrys first frozen yogurt shops in Berkeley: Yogurt Park.

Courtesy of Marty Piscovich

There weren't many [frozen yogurt shops] around, so it was hard to find a way to get a business plan or see exactly what other people were doing, said Piscovich. So I kind of had to make up my own plan.

Yogurt Park didnt catch on right away, but after eight-ish months, the little shop  just steps from the UC Berkeley campus  grew in popularity, mostly from word of mouth. Now, 44 years later, it remains one of the most universally adored businesses in Berkeley.

A towering cup of swirled yogurt is a rite of passage for Cal freshmen, who come in droves from the dorms across the street. The greater Berkeley community (including Green Days Billie Joe Armstrong) also flocks to the retro blue-and-white checkered tile store, drawn by its friendly service, generous portions and decadently creamy yogurt.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

Yogurt Park is so tiny, though, that not all of its rabid fans can always fit. Evenings pre-pandemic, the lobby would often fill to the brim with college kids looking for a late-night sugar fix, some spilling out onto the sidewalk.

The shops shoebox size leaves room for only six flavors at any one time, so Yogurt Park changes it up frequently. Always on the menu are Ghirardelli chocolate and vanilla, but a rotating cast of more unusual flavors keep things fresh, whether its a seasonal pumpkin pie, a Girl Scout-inspired Thin Mint cookie or a tropical passion orange guava sorbet. Theyre always experimenting with new flavors and look to customers for input to avoid a flop  like a maple bacon doughnut flavor they once tried, Piscovichs son and business partner Ryan Piscovich told KQEDs "Check, Please! Bay Area."

The same goes for the toppings.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

Id listen and do kind of a comment card type of thing, said Marty Piscovich. Theyd say, How about chocolate chips? I never thought of that.

While Yogurt Parks topping choices are fairly standard  rainbow sprinkles, almonds, cookie dough, gummy bears, etc.  their special method of distributing them is what makes them stand out. An employee invented the technique about eight years ago: After swirling a cup of yogurt up to the top, employees use a spoon to jam the middle of the dessert full of toppings. Then, additional toppings are sprinkled on top.

Thats a biggie for us, said Piscovich. ... [Usually] you go to a yogurt place and they slap them on top and thats it.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

Speaking of other yogurt shops, Yogurt Park has weathered its fair share of competition over the years. Self-serve frozen-yogurt chains like Pinkberry and Red Mango began proliferating in 2005. At one point, a location of popular chain Yogurtland was a mere block away from Yogurt Park (it closed in 2017).

Piscovich recalled a period of time when there were four different shops selling ice cream or yogurt within the same block and a half in Berkeley. There was even one spot that outright proclaimed they wanted to put Yogurt Park out of business, Piscovich said.

Theres only so much yogurt in a pie, you cut the pie up and its impossible. We were down about 20% when all this competition was around, said Piscovich. Gradually, they all started leaving, and we were the last one standing.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

Piscovich is humble about the reasons why Yogurt Park has endured for 44 years, but he cant hide how proud he is.

Were not saying were doing it right, its just that now Yogurt Park has a life of its own, he said. Its just word of mouth. Generations of Cal students have passed it on.

Piscovichs son Ryan is mostly the one physically present at Yogurt Park these days, but Marty still memorizes the names of his constantly rotating employees. When I mentioned my college roommate who worked there back when I was a Cal student, he immediately remembered her and had nothing but kind things to say.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

Weve had over 1,300 Cal students work here throughout the years, and theyre great people, said Marty. I always say thats the biggest asset weve always had.

But during the pandemic, Piscovich watched that steady stream of yogurt-loving Cal students completely dry up.

Cal closed early on, and with everybody leaving, employees leaving, I just closed for three months, he recalled.

When Yogurt Park finally reopened in the summer of 2020, he kept service confined to the takeout window. Business was down about 30% at first, but with the recent return of in-person classes this fall, yogurt sales are pretty much back to normal, Piscovich said. Still, hes opted to keep the lobby closed  its easier and feels safer, and customers dont seem to mind waiting in line outside.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

We have a great Berkeley community, said Piscovich, who believes his customer base is probably a 50/50 split between Cal students and long-term residents.

While a lot has changed for Yogurt Park since 1977, when a small yogurt only cost 50 cents (today its $4.60, or $4.35 if you pay with cash), one thing has stayed the same.

Its been a fun business all the way through the years, said Piscovich. ... Its still a passion for me. I just love the business.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP)  The Alabama Legislature convened Thursday for a special session on drawing the states legislative, school board and congressional districts, although many expect the issue will ultimately be headed for federal court.

The Legislature is expected to maintain a firm Republican majority under the proposed maps, but some Democrats have raised concerns that the proposed lines don't reflect a state that has grown more diverse.

Weve done our best. Its a balancing act on getting the votes and complying with the courts," said Republican Sen. Jim McClendon, the co-chair of the Joint Legislative Reapportionment Committee.

There is already an existing lawsuit arguing that the state, which has a population that is about 26% Black, should have a second congressional district with a significant African-American population. The seven-member delegation has for decades consisted of a single African American, elected from the only district with a majority Black population. The district is now represented by Rep. Terri Sewell.

The GOP-controlled Legislature in 2017 had to redraw legislative maps under court order to fix racial gerrymandering in 12 districts. The ruling came after Black lawmakers filed a lawsuit challenging the maps as stacking and packing Black voters into designated districts to make neighboring districts whiter and more likely to elect conservative Republicans.

House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels said there are concerns about the proposed districts in the House of Representatives, noting that almost all Republican districts have no less than 60% of one race.

"Is that not packing?" Daniels asked.

Daniels said that if the goal is to have a community where "no one really sees race and color long term," then we have to make sure that our representatives have constituencies that reflect what the future of this state and this country is going to be.

This will be the first full redistricting process that doesnt require pre-clearance from the Department of Justice, a condition that was instituted under the Voting Rights Act in 1965 in mostly Southern states with a history of voting rights violations. The U.S. Supreme Court effectively ended the requirement in 2013 when it ruled the federal government was using an outdated method to decide which states were subject to it.

McClendon said that, even without the requirement, lawmakers were careful to comply with the Voting Rights Act and related court rulings.

House Speaker Mac McCutcheon acknowledged that, as in past years, there will probably be some court challenges to the plan.

We're going to allow the process to work. We're listening to everyone," he said.
Though the beaches in Tel Aviv and Gaza City look out on the same cresting waves of the Mediterranean Sea, they are worlds apart -- and not just because they sit on opposite sides of a century-old conflict.

In Tel Aviv, Israelis wear bikinis, shorts and tank tops that show off their tattoos. Bottles of cold beer sweat under the sun as golden retrievers race after frisbees and surfers carry their boards out to the breakers. At first glance it looks like San Diego or Marseilles, a wealthy seaside metropolis where the Middle East and its various catastrophes can be comfortably ignored.

Gaza, just 70 kilometers (40 miles) away, is a crowded Palestinian enclave that has been cut off by an Israeli-Egyptian blockade since Hamas militants seized power in 2007. The beach is one of the only open spaces where families can breathe  a rare vista without fences or guard towers.

Oded Balilty, like most Israelis, has not been to Gaza since Israel withdrew its soldiers and settlers in 2005. Khalil Hamra, like most Palestinians from Gaza, has never been to Tel Aviv.

The two Pulitzer Prize-winning photographers have been covering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for The Associated Press for two decades but have only met in person once, at a photo exhibition in Europe in 2003.

For this project, they communicated by Zoom and spent months taking pictures, sharing them, and then trying to find similar shots from the other side. After covering four Gaza wars from opposite sides of the battle lines, they tried to capture a shared reality.

On the same day that I was standing with my feet in the water in Tel Aviv, Khalil was standing with his feet in the water in Gaza, and it was the same water, Balilty said.

The differences were just as clear.

Balilty described how the project made him feel as though he was seeing Gaza through Khalils eyes. Hamra was particularly moved by a set of nearly identical pictures from Tel Aviv and Gaza, each showing three young men in their teens or early 20s reclining on the beach.

Men that age in Israel are usually doing their compulsory military service. Men that age in Gaza often risk their lives in violent protests along the heavily guarded frontier. But these guys, they were relaxing, they were swimming, they were having fun, Hamra said.

Israel and Hamas have fought four wars since 2008, the most recent one in May. Rockets fired from Gaza crashed into Tel Aviv and set off air raid sirens across the city. Israeli airstrikes toppled multistory buildings in Gaza City and the navy shelled the coast.

The wars and the blockade have battered Gazas infrastructure. Untreated sewage has poured into the sea in recent years, polluting the coastline and drifting north into Israel.

Palestinians routinely refer to Gaza as an open-air prison for its 2 million residents, most of them the descendants of refugees from the 1948 war surrounding Israels creation. Israelis tend to view Gaza as a den of terrorists, whose rockets have been sowing fear in neighboring Israeli communities for more than a decade.

But a typical summer day at the beach reveals shared humanity.

Israeli boys and Palestinian boys can spend the whole day horsing around, scrambling up rocky jetties and plunging into the water again and again and again. Older boys try out parkour  urban gymnastics best attempted on soft sand. Israeli and Palestinian parents tenderly attach floats to their little ones, who squeal with glee each time the waves rush over their tiny toes.

Everyone basking in the same Mediterranean sun, watching the waves break off in the distance, savoring the long summer days while they last.
ATLANTA (AP)  An Atlanta high school is marking its new name and a larger building after students said the old name was offensive and pushed to remove it.

Midtown High School hosted a ceremony this week to highlight the new name of the former Henry W. Grady High School, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden pleaded with House Democrats on Thursday to embrace his framework for a $1.85 trillion economic and environmental bill, saying its fate would help determine that of his presidency and his partys hold on Congress.

The president, who delayed his departure for a trip to Europe to nail down an accord on his domestic agenda, used a morning meeting at the Capitol to try to rally House Democrats around the emerging deal.

We have a framework that will get 50 votes in the United States Senate, Biden told the group, according to a person familiar with his private remarks. I dont think its hyperbole to say that the House and Senate majorities and my presidency will be determined by what happens in the next week.

He was pushing to convince liberal members that a final compromise was close enough to allow them to support a separate $1 trillion infrastructure bill that has already passed the Senate.

We badly need a vote on both of these measures, Biden told the group, according to the person.

But liberals were still skeptical and said they wanted more than talking points.

Theres been so many changes in this process  so many people, you know, Yes, no, doing the Hokey Pokey. One foot in, one foot out, said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., as she headed into the meeting. We need certainty that were going to be able to deliver.

Even Democratic leaders said Biden had his work cut out for him.

I wish I could say yes, but theres a great deal of uncertainty within the caucus as to whats contained in the deal, Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Democrat, told reporters when asked if he was confident all 50 senators backed the plan. I will tell you there is a will to do it.

At least one lawmaker involved in the talks had been told as of Thursday morning that two crucial holdouts, Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, had yet to commit to voting for it, according to another person briefed on the discussions, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Representatives for the two senators did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Biden was expected to deliver public remarks from the White House before leaving for Rome.

The package is considerably more modest than the cradle-to-grave expansion of the safety net that the president initially envisioned. But the provisions for young children would offer a significant boost to middle-class families that have struggled for decades with economic uncertainty. They include universal preschool for more than 6 million 3- and 4-year-olds and subsidies for child care that would limit costs to no more than 7% of income for most families. Funding for both of those provisions would last for six years.

It includes about $555 billion for programs to move Americans to electric vehicles and entice utilities away from natural gas and coal, representing what would be the largest federal investment in combating climate change.

Democratic leaders were keen to hand the president a victory before he departed for Europe this week. The president planned to attend a climate summit on Sunday in Scotland, where he hoped to point to the deal as evidence of the United States commitment to tackling climate change.

When the president gets off that plane, we want him to have a vote of confidence from this Congress, Speaker Nancy Pelosi told Democrats during the meeting, according to the person familiar with the session.

Democrats also hoped the agreement would be enough to persuade the Houses most liberal members that Congress was on the verge of passing a truly progressive package  and that those liberals, in turn, would join more moderate and conservative Democrats to send the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill to Biden for his signature.

Liberal members of the House and Senate had plenty to lament. The centerpiece of Bidens climate policy  a measure to reward utilities for switching to renewable energy and to punish those that will not  was stripped out at Manchins insistence. One of the biggest social policies in the original package, a $500 billion federal paid family and medical leave benefit, is also gone.

An anticipated expansion of Medicare to cover vision, dental and hearing care was down to just hearing. A proposed tax on the wealth of billionaires was also out, in favor of a surtax on multimillionaires that would hit income but not their mountains of wealth.

The promise of two years of free community college would go unfulfilled, and the expanded child tax credit, passed in March to give most families a $300-per-child monthly income support, would be extended only into 2023, not made permanent.

Among the provisions that survived were federal programs for home health care and community care for older Americans and people with disabilities. The framework also contains $150 billion for rental assistance, homebuying help, public housing repairs and other affordable housing programs.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden on Thursday unveiled a new $1.75 trillion package to overhaul the country's health-care, education, climate and tax laws, muscling through a slew of policy disagreements and internecine political feuds that had stalled his economic agenda for months.

The announcement marked a critical moment in Biden's tenure, prompting the president to pay a visit to Capitol Hill and call on Democrats to adopt the spending along with a second, roughly $1.2 trillion package to improve the country's roads, bridges, pipes, ports and Internet connections.

"We spent hours and hours and hours over months and months working on this," Biden said in televised remarks. "No one got everything they wanted, including me, but that's what compromise is. That's consensus, and that's what I ran on."

Biden's moves reflected a pivotal decision to assume ownership of the sweeping safety-net proposal in a new way. He is investing enormous political capital in the new plan, following days of intensive, secretive meetings with key lawmakers, and ratcheting up his warnings that gun-shy Democrats risk damaging him and the party if they do not get on board.

"I don't think it's hyperbole to say that the [Democratic] House and Senate majorities - and my presidency - will be determined by what happens in the next week," he told House Democrats in a closed-door meetings, according to one person in the room, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions.

The president added that he expected the framework to gain the Democrats' support, emphasizing the framework had 50 votes in the Senate and telling reporters, "Everyone's on board," as he arrived on Capitol Hill.

The call to action appeared to galvanize some Democrats, and the $1.75 trillion framework soon generated praise - crucially from the party's moderate and liberal ranks. Even former president Barack Obama, who has largely stayed out of the day-to-day political battles, put out a statement in support of the framework, calling it a "giant leap forward." One of the longtime holdouts, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., quickly offered positive comments about the deal, but without committing to vote for it.

"After months of productive, good-faith negotiations with President Biden and the White House, we have made significant progress on the proposed budget reconciliation package," Sinema said in a statement. "I look forward to getting this done, expanding economic opportunities and helping everyday families get ahead."

Sen. Joe Manchin III, D-W.Va., the other centrist holdout,similarly offered little comment, saying only, "In the hands of the House" when asked about the new framework in the Capitol on Thursday.

The proposal did contain some longtime Democratic priorities, including universal prekindergarten, new sums to combat climate change and additional taxes on the ultrawealthy. But it jettisoned other items, including a plan to provide paid leave to millions of Americans. The president made the cuts to satisfy Sinema and Manchin, who were concerned about overspending, though some liberal Democrats later said they had not given up fighting for those items.

With a potential end to the logjam in sight, the framework prompted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to move toward holding a vote on the companion infrastructure bill as soon as Thursday. That plan had been held up by House liberals who insisted on seeing an acceptable version of the safety-net plan first.

Pelosi cited the president's planned travel to two global summits this week as a reason for swift action, suggesting that Biden's credibility on the world stage would be undermined if his legislative agenda was mired down.

But forcing a vote on the infrastructure bill appeared politically risky. Liberal-leaning lawmakers reaffirmed an earlier threat that they would not vote for it unless they were satisfied with the safety-net bill, and in a closely divided Congress, their votes are pivotal.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., who heads the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said she expected liberal lawmakers to "enthusiastically endorse" Biden's new plan and that ultimately "we intend to vote for both bills."

But progressives also said they were determined to see the final version of the safety-net bill, not just an outline, before committing to the infrastructure bill. The House Rules Committee released legislative language, but progressives feared it could still be weakened.

That prompted them to say they would only vote on the two bills - the infrastructure plan and the safety-net bill - in tandem, as part of a linked package. The timing of the votes remained uncertain as House members departed for the weekend.

The architect of the original $3.5 trillion plan, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., encouraged House Democrats to hold off on voting until "clear language" is finalized on the safety-net bill with the support of 50 senators. He said he continues to work to advance issues including a more robust expansion of Medicare, but he also described the $1.75 trillion compromise as transformational, saying it is "the kind of legislation [that hasn't] passed in Congress since the 1960s."

Democrats are hopeful that another $100 billion will be included in the package for immigration measures, bringing its total cost to $1.85 trillion, but that money could be excluded for procedural reasons.

The plan includes a provision for undocumented immigrants who arrived before 2010 to apply for a green card, a precursor to citizenship. The Senate parliamentarian has previously rejected such an item, but some Democrats view its inclusion as a placeholder of sorts, potentially to be replaced by a narrower measure that would provide protected status but not a path to citizenship.

With details of the bill still to be filled in, it was far from clear whether the White House had fully locked in the deal. Biden, however, still projected confidence as he exited the roughly hour-long gathering with House Democrats.

"I think we're going to be in good shape," he told reporters.

Many of the components in the retooled blueprint originate in the proposals Biden put forward in the spring. The ideas correspond with promises the president and other Democratic candidates made in the course of the 2020 election, when Biden ran on a refrain to Build Back Better.

But the policy framework that White House aides unfurled Thursday is a significant departure from the roughly $3.5 trillion that the president and many top party lawmakers initially sought. Many of the cuts reflected a deep ideological divide between Democratic liberals, who saw this as a fleeting chance to enact an ambitious agenda, and moderates, who repeatedly tried to dial back the spending.

Left-leaning lawmakers led by Sanders initially hoped to leverage their rare - if razor-thin - majorities in the House and Senate to reshape broad swaths of the U.S. economy. In the earliest days of the debate, they had even envisioned a $6 trillion package that they likened to the Great Society and New Deal programs of generations past.

But the party's liberal bloc ultimately had no choice but to scale back some of its ambitions to assuage Sinema and Manchin. The duo demanded steep spending cuts and other policy changes in exchange for their votes in the Senate, which is divided 50-50 between the parties and where Vice President Kamala Harris would break any tie.

Thursday's new framework includes prekindergarten programs that White House aides described as part of the largest one-time education investment since the creation of public high school. The $1.75 trillion plan also includes new aid to help families afford child care and extends tax credits that millions of parents are receiving in the form of monthly checks.

When it comes to health care, the White House plan expands Medicare to cover new hearing benefits. The plan would lengthen the life of tax credits that have helped roughly 9 million Americans afford health insurance purchased on the Affordable Care Act exchanges. And it would provide new tax credits to help roughly 4 million low-income people afford health insurance in a dozen states that have not expanded Medicaid under the ACA.

The White House has endorsed roughly $555 billion to address climate change, including tax changes that officials said would help the country reach Biden's goal to halve carbon emissions by 2030. That part of the package is especially critical to the president as he takes part in a major global climate summit next week.

In unveiling the details of its new spending plans, White House officials took great care to stress that the entire $1.75 trillion is financed in full. They aim to pay for the package through a variety of new tax policies, including newly proposed rules that require companies to pay a minimum 15% tax - seeking to address the fact some profitable, multinational corporations use creative accounting to lower their tax burdens to zero.

The idea is a significant departure from the rate increases Biden initially sought as part of a campaign pledge to unwind the tax cuts enacted under President Donald Trump in 2017. The White House also backed off a plan to apply a new billionaires' income tax to roughly 700 Americans, including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk. (Bezos owns The Washington Post.)

Instead, they proposed a special 5% rate for Americans with income above $10 million and an additional 3% surtax for those above $25 million.

A long slog still awaits lawmakers to turn their deal into a bill, then shepherd it through Congress, a fraught process where the Democrats' slim majorities still leave little room for political error. Pelosi has just a three-vote margin, and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., possesses only a tiebreaking advantage, meaning Democrats must stay together if they hope to deliver a package that Biden in recent days has described as transformational.

- - -

The Washington Post's Mike DeBonis and Marianna Sotomayor contributed to this report.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP)  The sultan of Brunei said Thursday that Myanmar remains an integral part of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the bloc hopes its military government will work with an ASEAN envoy to defuse the political crisis triggered by its seizure of power in February.

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, who chaired a three-day online summit organized by ASEAN that also involved other world leaders, said the 10-member bloc will stand by Myanmar and continue to extend its help despite barring its military leader from the summit.

Myanmar is an integral part of the ASEAN family and their membership has not been questioned, he told reporters in Bandar Seri Begawan at the end of the summit, after being asked why ASEAN didn't take stronger action against Myanmar, including possible expulsion.

ASEAN barred Myanmar's military leader, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, from representing the country at the summit, in its harshest rebuke yet since the army ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The censure came after an ASEAN envoy was prevented from meeting Suu Kyi and other political detainees as part of a proposed dialogue on easing the crisis, in which security forces are estimated to have killed almost 1,200 civilians. The government has claimed a lower death toll.

ASEAN offered to accept a non-political representative from Myanmar at the summit, but the country decided not to participate.

For this meeting, we have given Myanmar space while firmly upholding the principles enshrined in the ASEAN charter including that of non-interference. Only the people of Myanmar can fully resolve their internal situation, the sultan said.

ASEAN will always be there for Myanmar and we have continued to offer our help," he said.

The bloc has urged Myanmar to give its envoy, Brunei Second Foreign Minister Eryan Yusof, full access to all parties and to release political detainees. Myanmar insists the envoy cannot meet Suu Kyi and some others because they are facing criminal charges.

Asked if Min Aung Hlaing would be banned from future ASEAN events, Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah said in a separate news conference earlier Thursday, Thats the $1 million question which I cannot answer.

If the current situation were prolonged into a stalemate and no progress can be made, then we should be looking at other ways into getting the desired outcome," he said in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Saifuddin said there was no discussion in ASEAN at the moment on engaging with Myanmar's political opposition, the National Unity Government, which views itself as a shadow government and met this week with U.S. officials.

President Joe Biden, who held a video meeting with ASEAN leaders and joined an 18-nation Asia meeting including his counterparts from China and Russia, has denounced horrific violence by Myanmar's military government and pledged that the U.S. will stand with Myanmar's people.

A regional diplomat told The Associated Press that Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has hinted he may consider not inviting Myanmar's top general to a video summit of more than 50 Asian and European countries that Cambodia will host next month.

There have been concerns that European leaders may skip the summit and instead send lower-ranking representatives if Min Aung Hlaing is there, according to the diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to talk to the media.

The three-day annual summit, held online for a second straight year due to coronavirus concerns, also discussed a post-pandemic recovery, trade and security issues. Sultan Hassanal said other issues included ways to secure COVID-19 vaccines for the region and strengthen ASEAN's preparedness for future challenges.

ASEAN also agreed to deepen its ties with China and Australia to comprehensive strategic partnerships, Hassanal said. Despite concerns about an Australian nuclear submarine pact with the U.S. and the U.K., he expressed hope that any new security partnership would contribute constructively to regional peace and stability and compliment the regional architecture.

The deal will allow Australia to obtain nuclear-powered submarines, though they won't be nuclear armed. Some ASEAN members including Indonesia and Malaysia fear the pact could escalate tensions and spark an arms race, especially in the disputed South China Sea. China, which claims most of the sea, warned the pact would threaten regional stability.

___

Gomez reported from Manila, Philippines.
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP)  Serbian officials praised their steel friendship with China during talks on Thursday with Chinas Foreign Minister Wang Yi amid fears in the West that by heavily investing in the Balkan state, Beijing is trying to exert its political influence in that part of Europe.

Serbia, a European Union candidate country, and China have rapidly intensified economic and political relations in recent years, with Chinese companies taking over Serbias main copper and steel mills and building roads, factories and railway lines.

Chinese state banks have granted billions of dollars in loans to the Balkan country for the construction projects that are mostly conducted by Chinese workers.

China, which considers Serbia a major entry point to Europe for its Belt and Road economic and political initiative, has also been exporting drones and other military equipment to Serbia, as well as increasing police and state security cooperation.

Between 2005 and 2019, China is estimated to have invested about $10 billion in Serbia.

In the political sphere, we dont have any open issues, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told Wang at the opening of their meeting in Belgrade. We have very good cooperation between our countries and we want to bring it to a higher level if possible.

Our friendship is honest and big and no wonder we call it steel, Vucic said, adding that the economic cooperation increased threefold in the last five years.

China bought Serbia's only steel mill in 2016 and both sides have often described their relations as friendship of steel.

Wang said Thursday that the friendly relations between China and much smaller Serbia are based on equality and are sincere. We are very proud of the development of our relations, he said.

There is criticism in the West and among Serbias opposition groups that many of the construction deals between Serbia and China are done in an nontransparent manner, without proper tenders or details about the costs.

Also, environmentalists have warned that coal powered plants operated by Chinese companies in Serbia do not meet international greenhouse emissions standards, further contributing to Serbia becoming one of the most polluted states in Europe.

Although formally seeking EU membership, the populist Serbian president has been forging close political, economic and military ties with both China and Russia.
Dar Yasin/AP

BEIJING (AP)  China on Thursday defended a new border law following criticism by India that it might disrupt the resolution of a 17-month-old standoff over disputed territory in the remote Ladakh region that has led to violent clashes.

The law approved Sunday says Beijing will combat any act that undermines territorial sovereignty and land boundaries." That prompted an appeal by India's foreign ministry Wednesday not to use it to change conditions in border areas.
CLEVELAND (AP)  A Cleveland police policy requiring officers to notify crime victims before sending low-level, non-violent offenders to a county diversion program unnecessarily applies a 2017 victims-rights law and is preventing people from getting the treatment they need, mental health advocates said.

The policy was instituted by Police Chief Calvin Williams earlier this month, cleveland.com reported.
MOSS POINT, Miss. (AP)  Authorities say a woman died in a car accident on the Mississippi Gulf Coast after a possible tornado swept through the area.

WLOX-TV reports a woman was driving down Highway 63 at around 9 p.m. Wednesday when her vehicle flipped multiple times. She was thrown from the car and died, Jackson County Emergency Management Agency Director Earl Etheridge said.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)  The panel charged with making new maps of Ohio's political districts is poised to miss another deadline.

Republican House Speaker Bob Cupp, who chairs the Ohio Redistricting Commission, said Thursday's meeting would be the panel's last before its initial deadline Sunday for passing a bipartisan congressional map. No vote was scheduled.

The Republican-controlled commission previously missed its Sept. 1 deadline for drawing maps of districts for the Ohio House and Ohio Senate, then pushed four-year legislative maps through in a partisan vote at the last minute. Those maps are now the subject of three separate lawsuits moving through the Ohio Supreme Court, where oral arguments are scheduled for Dec. 8.

Congressional map-making was punted to the commission when state lawmakers, too, missed a deadline for drawing new districts. New districts must be redrawn every 10 years to reflect new census figures. This year's results, which took Ohio from 16 to 15 U.S. House seats, were delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Voting rights advocates, including the League of Women Voters and Common Cause, planned to rally at the Statehouse after Thursday's meeting to protest the perpetual thwarting of redistricting deadlines. Ohio voters overwhelmingly approved them as part of constitutional amendments overhauling the state's redistricting process that were passed 2015 and 2018, respectively.

By missing this latest deadline, the commission sends the congressional map-making process back to the Ohio General Assembly, where Republicans hold supermajorities in both chambers.

The Legislature now has until Nov. 30 to approve a new map. A three-fifths majority of each chamber, including at least half of Democrats, is required to pass a 10-year map. Passage by a simple majority will yield a map good for only four years.
HICKORY, N.C. (AP)  Eight people face charges after a North Carolina couple was kidnapped and assaulted, a sheriff's office said.

The Caldwell County Sheriff's Office said in a news release that deputies responded to a call from a local hospital after a 24-year-old man was dropped off at the emergency room after being shot twice in the torso, the Hickory Daily Record reported.

The man told deputies that he and his girlfriend were at an acquaintance's home when a group of people assaulted them, tied them up and blindfolded them, the news release said. The man said he and his girlfriend were put in a vehicle and taken to another location, where they were put on the ground.

Deputies said the man told them the assailants then fired shots at the couple, but the woman was not hit, and she flagged down a motorist to get a ride to the hospital.

The news release said deputies served a search warrant at a home described by the couple and detained the people there. Deputies also located a firearm at the home, the news release said.

Four of the eight people arrested were charged with attempted murder, and all eight were charged with first-degree kidnapping, the sheriff's office said.
MANSFIELD, Conn. (AP)  An elementary school art instructor was named Thursday as Connecticut's teacher of the year.

Kim King teaches art to students in preschool through the fourth grade at both the Southeast Elementary School and the Annie E. Vinton School in Mansfield.

She was surprised by a visit Thursday morning from Gov. Ned Lamont and other state officials.

Ms. King embodies so many of the qualities that delivers success in our schools, and her colleagues in Mansfield Public Schools have been singing her praises, Lamont said. I am fortunate enough to have had several inspiring teachers when I was growing up, and I understand the impact that an educator can have on the lives of students.

King was recognized for using art education to nurture and stretch her students thinking while also helping them recognize the commonality between their own stories and experiences to those of others.

The award also noted King's work in creating safe and equitable spaces of learning for her students and the greater community.

King, who holds a master's degree in art education from New York University, also has taught in East Hartford and Westbrook.

Kim is deeply committed to student-centered practices and supports children to find their voice and express themselves through a discovery-focused process of making art, Mansfield Public Schools Superintendent Kelly Lyman said. Kim will be a wonderful advocate for all teachers.
MIAMI (AP)  The state of Florida should consider requiring high-rise buildings near the coast to undergo safety inspections every 20 years, according to a coalition of engineers and architects that formed after a Miami-area condominium collapsed in June, killing 98 people.

The recommendations, released four months after Champlain Towers South collapsed in Surfside, are based on preserving the long-term health of buildings by assessing environmental and other degradation of structures and their systems over the life of a building," the American Council of Engineering Companies of Florida and the Florida Engineering Society said in a news release.

Seven of the states engineering and architecture associations formed the Surfside Working Group to come up with ideas to prevent another tragedy like the partial collapse of the 12-story beachfront property.

The group also said nearly all large buildings in Florida should be inspected for structural problems within their first 30 years, with follow-ups every 10 years. Buildings within 3 miles (5 kilometers) of saltwater should be inspected within their first 20 years, with follow-up safety inspections every seven years, the group said.

Our recommendation is not really to tell the condos, or owners of other buildings, how to maintain your property. It's just to put a mechanism out there that these buildings need to be looked at every so often to identify any structural problems," said Allen Douglas, executive director of the Florida Engineering Society and the American Council of Engineering Companies of Florida.

We dont know exactly why the tower fell. Whether it was a design error, whether it was a construction problem or whether it was just lack of maintenance," Douglas said. But I I think as an industry they felt a responsibility to put something out."

The report has been forward to Florida legislators, he said.

The Miami Herald and the Tampa Bay Times first reported the recommendations Thursday.

The report calls for inspections on a wide range of buildings, including condominiums, offices and other structures that exceed 10 occupants and are covered by the states building code.

Only Broward and Miami-Dade counties require mandatory inspections of tall buildings.

Champlain Towers South was undergoing its 40-year inspection when it crumbled in the middle of the night. A 2018 engineer's report noted major structural damage caused by lack of proper drainage on the pool deck.

The condominium board's discussions over how to pay for the repairs delayed work on the building.
Monika Bickert, Facebooks head of global policy management, says the social media giant does not prioritize engagement and user growth over safety. That contradicts Senate testimony by whistleblower Frances Haugen, who claims Facebook knows its systems harm vulnerable people and hasn't made meaningful changes to prevent it. The platform is designed to exploit negative emotions to keep people on the platform, Haugen says.

Facebook has pushed back on Haugen's claims but hasn't pointed to any factual errors in her testimony or in a series of reports that outlined massive shortcomings at the social network, identified by its own internal research.

Bickert spoke to The Associated Press following Haugen's Senate testimony on Oct. 5. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: Does Facebook prioritize engagement and profit over safety?

A: We do not and we have not prioritized engagement over safety. Ive been at this company for more than nine years. Im a mother. I also was a criminal prosecutor and worked on child safety for more than 10 years. And I can tell you I wouldnt be at this company if we werent prioritizing safety.

Q: Youve said repeatedly that the majority of teens have a positive experience on Instagram, but your research showed that some teens are harmed. What is Facebook doing specifically to address the issues that your own research raised?

A: The entire reason that we do research is because we understand that even if the majority of teens are getting support from their time on Instagram, even if a few teens are having a bad experience or a small number of teens are having a bad experience, thats too many, and we need to build features and products to support them. And thats exactly what weve done over the years.

Q: Is your repeated reference to the documents as stolen a signal that youre planning to sue the whistleblower or retaliate against her in another way?

A: I cant answer that. I can only tell you that this was an employee who didnt work on these issues, and I do work on these issues and want to represent the hard work that the more than 40,000 employees working on safety and security at Facebook do every day.

Q: Can you point to anything in her testimony that was not truthful?

A: A number of these documents have been mischaracterized, including the research on Instagram use. The suggestion that the research showed that Instagram is somehow a toxic experience is simply not true, and weve now published that research. Look, I want to be clear this is not peer reviewed research. We do have a serious research program at Facebook. We participated in more than 400 research articles in the last year alone. These stolen documents show more of a survey, so this is not peer reviewed research, but that stolen survey has been misrepresented as suggesting that Instagram is a toxic environment for teens.
LOS LUNAS, N.M. (AP)  Facebook is expanding its Los Lunas data center by two new buildings, according to company officials.

Once completed, company officials said the nearly 3.8 million-square-foot data center will represent an investment of nearly $2 billion and will support more than 400 operational jobs.
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP)  The federal government will offer disaster loans to businesses harmed by an oil spill that shut down Southern California shorelines earlier this month, it was announced Wednesday.

The U.S. Small Business Administration approved disaster assistance in the form of low-interest loans for Orange County, where the spill took place, along with nearby Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP)  A 58-year-old north Florida school bus driver is accused of driving under the influence following a crash early Thursday.

No students were on board when the bus failed to navigate a curve, hit a road sign and drove down an embankment just before 6 a.m. Thursday, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

The bus was trying to exit onto Interstate 10 from Interstate 295 when the crash happened, troopers said.

The driver and her passenger, a 62-year-old school bus monitor, were not injured in the crash.

Troopers arrested the driver on charges including DUI.

The name of the driver was not released.

An investigation is continuing.
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP)  The former finance manager for the Tucson Unified School Districts Pueblo High School bookstore has been indicted for theft and misuse of public monies, according to authorities.

The Arizona Attorney Generals Office said Rosa Maria Ordonezs job was to make change at school sporting events and in the schools bookstore.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP)  GE Appliances announced plans Thursday to add more than 1,000 jobs at its sprawling Kentucky operations as part of a $450 million investment to boost capacity and launch new products.

The Kentucky-based home appliances business signaled that it's targeting upgrades across operations at its massive Louisville production complex  known as Appliance Park. That includes increased production of clothes washers and refrigerators, the introduction of new refrigerator-freezer models and a new assembly line to support its kitchen cleaning business.

The announcement puts the Bluegrass State on an economic development winning streak, coming close on the heels of plans for a multibillion-dollar investment by Ford and its battery partner, SK Innovation of South Korea, to build twin battery plants at Glendale, Kentucky, to help power the automaker's next generation of electric vehicles.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear trumpeted jobs announcements by GE Appliances and several other companies on Thursday. He said the days of Kentuckians feeling like "we werent the first kids picked for kick ball are over as the state lands more economic development projects.

We are absolutely on a roll, and we want to keep it going, he said at a news conference.

The new appliance-related jobs are expected to be added by the end of 2023, GE Appliances said in its announcement. Most will be assembly-line jobs, along with some management and operations-support positions, it said. Appliance Park has a current workforce of about 7,100.

American manufacturing is back," said Kevin Nolan, president and chief executive officer for GE Appliances. "It is back in a big way and its going to get bigger and bigger.

He thanked Beshear and his economic development team for giving us the confidence to make the latest investment. A few weeks ago, Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford praised the governor's leadership at an event celebrating the battery plants coming to Kentucky. That momentum isnt lost on the Democratic governor, who is eying a tough reelection bid in 2023 in a state that has veered toward Republicans in recent elections.

The $450 million infusion into Appliance Park is the largest round of investments in recent years as part of the company's growth strategy. In the past five years, GE Appliances invested more than $1.3 billion in its U.S. manufacturing and distribution operations, creating more than 3,000 new jobs  the majority of them in Kentucky.

The state said GE Appliances could ultimately receive up to $80 million in tax incentives from Kentucky. That would be based on the new investment plan and previous reinvestment projects totaling $727 million in cumulative investments. The company has to meet job-growth and retention targets of up to 8,400 full-time positions to qualify for the full amount of incentives.

Appliance Park is home to five plants that produce washers, dryers, dishwashers and refrigerators as well as parts and components. GE Appliances also has manufacturing plants in South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee.

The latest investment builds on the continued resurgence of Appliance Park. Established in the early 1950s, the vast Louisville operation employed about 20,000 by the late 1970s but the workforce shrank to about 4,000 during the Great Recession.

GE Appliances, a part of General Electric for decades, was purchased in 2016 by the China-based Haier company.
THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP)  Greek authorities said Thursday that they have rescued nine men from Pakistan who were being held for ransom in the northern city of Thessaloniki and arrested another three  also Pakistanis  as their suspected kidnappers.

Police said authorities were first alerted to the case on Monday by two men on the island of Lesbos who reported to police there that their 50-year-old brother had been abducted by kidnappers demanding 2,000 euros ($2,300) for his release.
HONOLULU (AP)  Hawaii on Wednesday said it was fining the U.S. Navy more than $325,000 for operations and maintenance violations at a massive underground fuel storage facility on Oahu.

The state Department of Health said in a news release the fines resulted from inspections it undertook of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility in September and October last year.
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP)  Hungary's government will allow private employers to require that their employees get vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition for work as the number of new infections and deaths in the country reaches levels not seen since a devastating pandemic surge last spring.

At a government news conference Thursday, the prime minister's chief of staff Gergely Gulyas announced that the central government would also opt to require vaccination for public employees, but that mayors in local municipalities could decide whether to impose the requirement.
JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. (AP)  A southern Indiana legislator who was the only Republican senator to vote against the new GOP-drawn election district maps has decided to resign with a year left in his term.

Republican Sen. Ron Grooms of Jeffersonville had said in June that he wouldnt seek reelection next year to the Senate seat he first won in 2010, but he announced Thursday he would step down from office effective Tuesday.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Thursday applauded numbers showing that some 94% of state employees are vaccinated against COVID-19 or have received exemptions from his mandate, and 3.1% are waiting to get a vaccine or exemption.

Inslee said another 2.9% of state employees have left their jobs, either by quitting or retiring.

They have understood this is not just about me, it's about we, Inslee said of state employees who are vaccinated.

Inslee spoke in Olympia after the Washington state education department said nearly nine out of 10 public school employees are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in Washington state. The 89% vaccination rate announced by education officials is slightly lower than that of other state employees.

Inslee said the number of COVID-19 cases in the state has been declining for the past two months, but that decline has plateaued in the past two weeks.

This is worrying, he said.

Washington continues to average some 2,000 coronavirus cases a day, the Democrat said.

We still have an extremely dangerous pandemic on our hands, Inslee said, adding that residents must choose whether to fight the virus or accept it as an on-going fact of life. We should fight it.

Science is not clear on how many people must be vaccinated to beat the virus, Inslee said, and he could not predict what the end game of the pandemic will be.

I do not have a crystal ball to predict the course of this virus, he said, adding he hoped there would not be a sixth wave of COVID-19 this winter as people move indoors.

More than 1,800 Washington state workers have been fired, resigned or retired due to the states COVID-19 vaccination mandate, according to data released last week. Washingtons vaccine mandate is believed to be among the strictest in the nation.

Inslee was also asked if he would agree with requests from Republicans that Secretary of State Kim Wyman, a Republican who is leaving to join the Biden administration in election security, should be replaced by another member of the GOP.

Republicans do not own the secretary of state's office, Inslee said, adding that he is early in the process of choosing Wyman's replacement.

But he said the successful candidate will understand that the nation's election integrity faces threats from numerous sources and that experience in cybersecurity is a must.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)  Iowa employees could seek medical and religious exemptions from COVID-19 vaccine mandates and those who are fired for refusing a vaccine would be guaranteed unemployment benefits under a bill approved Thursday by the Iowa Legislature.

The bill was released just minutes before lawmakers met for a special session convened to address redistricting.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has called for legislative action on vaccine mandates. She has opposed government requirements for masks and vaccines even as COVID-19 has killed nearly 7,000 people in Iowa and medical science has shown both tools to be effective in reducing the virus spread.

Reynolds said in a statement after the bill passed that she planned to sign it, calling it a major step forward in protecting Iowans freedoms and their abilities to make healthcare decisions based on whats best for themselves and their families.

More than 100 people opposing vaccination requirements rallied at the Capitol to push for stronger language and lobbyists for the business community said the bill as drafted puts business owners in conflict between complying with federal directives or state law.

Its a terrible position for businesses to be put in and it doesnt solve the problem youre trying to solve, said J.D. Davis, the vice president of public policy for the Iowa Association of Business and Industry during public comments in a committee hearing on the bill.

Businesses also were concerned about increased unemployment costs if thousands of workers become eligible due to refusing a vaccine and losing their jobs.

Democratic Rep. Mary Mascher noted the thousands killed by the coronavirus in Iowa, many in nursing homes and facilities where unvaccinated workers carried the virus inside.

Were not trying to hurt anybody. Were trying to save lives and the medical community has been helping us with those efforts, she said.

Rep. Bobby Kaufmann defended the bill, saying it will help people in his district and people wont get fired Monday because of the bill period, so for them I want this bill to pass.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)  The Iowa Legislature on Thursday passed a second redistricting plan after the first one was rejected, ensuring the state continues decades of nonpartisan drawing of congressional and legislative districts.

The plan passed the Senate 48-1, with one senator absent, and the House 93-2.

Republicans in the Iowa Senate rejected on a party-line vote the first plan drawn by the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency during a one-day session on Oct. 5. Republicans said some legislative districts were irregularly shaped and that population deviations should be improved in a second map.

Republican state Sen. Roby Smith said the second set of maps werent perfect but were improved by creating more compact and balanced population deviation among congressional and legislative districts.

Instead of undermining the gold standard' process by spreading false narratives of gerrymandering like some in this chamber have done, Iowa Senate Republicans upheld our role and responsibility in this once in a decade requirement to ensure congressional and legislative districts meet constitutional and statutory standards, Smith said.

Democrats had criticized Republicans after the first set of maps failed to pass, expressing concern that the GOP leadership might attempt to amend a third set of maps as allowed by law to favor their party.

Iowas non-partisan redistricting tradition has been upheld thanks to the overwhelming support of Iowans. Iowans across the state stood up in defense of our democracy, against partisan gerrymandering, and made our voices heard in the legislative process. I am proud of everybody who stood up on this important issue, said Senate Democratic Leader Zach Wahls.

Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds said the approval of the second set of maps shows the process worked as the law intended.

I believe these new districts will fairly and accurately represent the citizens of Iowa for the next decade. she said. She did not immediately indicate when she might sign the measure.

The LSA draws maps following detailed guidelines to ensure population balance among Iowas congressional districts and to prevent political influence. The Legislature can only accept or reject the first and second set of maps, but in the third round, legislators can make changes.

In the second plan, Democratic U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne and Republican U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks would be pushed into the same congressional district. It also would keep the Democratic counties of Johnson and Linn in separate districts, unlike the previous plan rejected by Republicans.

In the maps approved Thursday, 20 senators would be paired in the same district, compared with 24 in the first plan. In the House, 38 incumbents were drawn into the same districts, the same as in the first plan.
KENOSHA, Wis. (AP)  A timeline of key events before and after Kyle Rittenhouse shot three people during a night of unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last year:

Aug. 23, 2020  An officer responding to a reported domestic disturbance shoots Jacob Blake, a Black man, in the back as Blake was leaning into his vehicle. Bystander video captures the shooting, which left Blake partly paralyzed. Neighbors march to the Kenosha County Public Safety Building, where they face officers in riot gear.

Aug. 24  Police fire tear gas at hundreds of protesters who defied a curfew, threw bottles and shot fireworks at the courthouse. Crowds destroy dozens of buildings and set more than 30 fires. Gov. Tony Evers calls in the National Guard. The man who shot cellphone video of Blake's shooting says he saw Blake scuffling with officers and officers shouting Drop the knife!, but that said he didnt see a knife in Blakes hands.

Aug. 25  Blakes lawyer says Blake is paralyzed from the waist down. Blakes family calls for calm. Calls go out on social media, including on a page run by the Kenosha Guard, for people to take up arms and help defend the city from thugs. Demonstrations are held for a third night, with gunshots heard and people seen carrying long guns and other weapons. Shortly before midnight, two people  Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26  are shot dead and a third, Gaige Grosskreutz, 26, is wounded.

Aug. 26  Authorities say they are seeking a possible vigilante seen on cellphone video opening fire with a rifle. Police in Illinois announce the arrest of 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, of Antioch, which is about 15 miles (24 kilometers) from Kenosha.

Aug. 27  Rittenhouse is charged with multiple counts, including homicide and attempted homicide.

Aug. 31  At a news conference the day before he visited Kenosha, President Donald Trump is asked if he condemned Rittenhouses actions. He says: You saw the same tape as I saw. And he was trying to get away from them, I guess; it looks like. And he fell, and then they very violently attacked him. And it was something that were looking at right now and its under investigation. But I guess he was in very big trouble. He would have been  I  he probably would have been killed.

Sept. 1  Trump visits Kenosha and blames domestic terror for the violence. He makes no mention of Blakes shooting by police and calls the violent protests anti-American.

Sept. 3  Joe Biden, the Democrat running against Trump, visits Kenosha. He meets with Blakes family members, speaks with Blake by phone and leads a community discussion.

Sept. 24  In a TV appearance and social media posts, Rittenhouses attorneys say his client acted in self-defense but was also a courageous defender of liberty and a patriot who exercised his right to bear arms amid rioting. They claim Rittenhouse is being sacrificed by politicians who want to strip citizens of the right to defend their communities.

Sept. 25  At a hearing in Illinois, Rittenhouse's attorneys ask for more time to fight his extradition to Wisconsin. They later say in documents that sending Rittenhouse to Wisconsin would turn him over to the mob.

Oct. 30  Rittenhouse is extradited.

Nov. 2  A Wisconsin court sets Rittenhouses bail at $2 million. Conservative groups have been raising funds for Rittenhouse, who easily amasses enough for bail.

Nov. 20  Rittenhouse posts bail and is released. Hours later, one of his attorneys tweets a picture of Rittenhouse with actor Ricky Schroder, who the attorney says donated to Rittenhouse.

Jan. 5, 2021  A Wisconsin prosecutor declines to charge Kenosha Officer Rusten Sheskey, who is white, in Blakes shooting, ruling that Blake had a knife and the officer had a reasonable self-defense claim. Subdued protests follow.

Feb. 3  Prosecutors ask for a new arrest warrant after Rittenhouse failed to tell the court of an address change. Rittenhouses attorney says death threats drove his client into an undisclosed Safe House. Judge Bruce Schroeder later denies the request.

Nov. 1  Jury selection begins in Rittenhouses trial.

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Find APs full coverage of the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse at: https://apnews.com/hub/kyle-rittenhouse
A federal indictment accuses a former Louisiana police officer of kicking an arrested man in the face and head, then lying about it after the man complained to the officer's superiors.

Jared Desadier, 43, was a Monroe police officer when he was arrested in July 2020 on state charges involving Timothy Williams, who sued him and other officers in April.

Neither Desadiers attorney in that case nor Williams attorney immediately responded to an emailed request for comment on the indictment handed up Wednesday by a grand jury in Shreveport.

State charges of second-degree battery and malfeasance in office are pending, with Desadier's next hearing scheduled Tuesday, Ouachita Parish District Attorney Steven Tew said.

The federal charges, which identify Williams only by his initials, are witness tampering and depriving Williams of his constitutional protection from unreasonable seizure.

Desadier kicked T.W. in the area of his head and face without justification, injuring him, according to the indictment described in a news release Thursday. The incident involved the use of a dangerous weapon (a shod foot), the indictment stated.

When Williams told Desadier's supervisors, Desadier tried to cover up, saying Williams had been injured in a fall, according to the indictment.

If convicted on both counts, Desadier could be sentenced to up to 10 years for the civil rights violation and 20 for witness tampering.

Williams' lawsuit, which also accuses seven other officers of failing to help him or helping to cover up the beating, said he was doing nothing wrong when officers answered an alarm late April 21, 2020.

He said he gave them his identification and everything he was carrying, including a rose bowl and toy gun, but then ran due to the fear of losing his life with the recent police brutality happenings.

The lawsuit doesn't specify what those happenings were. Williams' arrest was nearly a month before a Minneapolis officer killed George Floyd by kneeling on his throat. In March 2020, police in Louisville, Kentucky, had killed Breonna Taylor in a raid on her apartment.

Desadier and another officer saw him running, followed him and ordered him to stop. Williams immediately did so, put his hands up, then lay down with his hands behind his back, according to the lawsuit.

Desadier ran up and kicked him, knocking out at least one tooth, then punched him in the body and grabbed his hair, pounding his head into the concrete, the lawsuit alleged.
BOSTON (AP)  A man who was operating a boat involved in a fatal collision with a navigational device last summer in Boston Harbor has been charged with manslaughter.

Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins announced Thursday that a grand jury indicted 38-year-old Ryan Denver of Boston with involuntary manslaughter and five counts of assault and battery.
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP)  A judge has concluded a man accused of opening fire a year ago on a security officer outside a federal courthouse in downtown Phoenix is now mentally fit to stand trial.

Earlier this year, James Lee Carr was sent to a medical facility after the judge deemed him incompetent to stand trial. U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria Aguilera concluded Thursday that Carrs mental fitness had been restored.
PEACH SPRINGS, Ariz. (AP)  A man is dead after driving a vehicle over the western rim of the Grand Canyon in an apparent suicide, authorities said Wednesday.

Details were sparse. The name, age and hometown of the man weren't immediately available.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)  South Carolina's governor wants to put $500 million of federal COVID-19 relief money toward fixing and improving water systems across the state, with priority given to rural and smaller systems.

Gov. Henry McMaster announced his idea Thursday, saying a modern clean drinking water and sewer system is vital to both citizens and to bring in businesses.

In rural South Carolina water and sewer is the key to life," McMaster said at a news conference in Great Falls.

The $500 million is part of about $2.4 billion in pandemic relief money that the state can spend. The General Assembly will make the final decision on where the money goes.

Senate and House committees discussing the relief money have brought up the idea of water system building and repair, but with a big difference  requiring local systems to also put up money for the effort. The state has more than 260 water systems and 200 wastewater systems and their average age is approaching 50 years old, officials said.

McMaster said a local match wasn't in his plan. Some of these communities just dont have the money," the governor said.

The proposal could revisit a growing breach in the Legislature between rural and urban lawmakers. For many decades, the state's power was in rural areas, but while cities and urban areas grew considerably in the 2020 U.S. Census, the population everywhere else shrunk.

There's no way we can match dollar for dollar what the more populated areas of South Carolina can do for their citizens. We do not have the tax base, said Republican Sen. Penry Gustafson, who represents parts of Chesterfield, Kershaw and Lancaster counties.

McMasters plan also calls for giving incentives for smaller water systems to join with larger systems. Those smaller systems were often created to help run mills that left decades ago.

The governor's pandemic task force Accelerate SC recommended $400 million for water systems and $73 million for cybersecurity for the plants. McMaster said the cybersecurity money isn't in his proposal.

McMaster hasn't released a formal plan to spend all of the pandemic relief money. But in the past two months McMaster held news conferences beside Interstate 26 to ask for $360 million to help jumpstart widening the highway to three lanes each direction from Charleston to Columbia and in Myrtle Beach to ask for $300 million to help pay for the first segment of long-discussed Interstate 73 to get a freeway connection between Interstate 95 to Myrtle Beach.

Again on Thursday, McMaster said the billions in federal COVID-19 relief provides a rare chance to improve infrastructure that could change the state for at least a generation.

Great Falls has a new whitewater rafting center and state park set for construction, but they need water and sewer, said state Sen. Mike Fanning, a Democrat who represents Chester County where the governor was speaking.

We can't do any of that if we have Porta Johns lining the place, Fanning said.

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Follow Jeffrey Collins on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JSCollinsAP.
PORTLAND, Maine (AP)  A former emergency preparedness director at Maine Medical Center pleaded guilty to fraud charges for misrepresenting a group he led to obtain two boats and other equipment from a Department of Defense program.

Joshua Cory Frances, 44, pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal program fraud and wire fraud in the U.S. District Court of Maine, the Portland Press Herald reported.

Frances admitted to portraying a group he led, Maine Task Force One, which provided emergency medical services at events, as a law enforcement agency when it was not.

As part of a plea bargain, Frances agreed not to appeal a sentence of less than two years and agreed to a statement of facts. Four other charges against him were dropped. The penalties for the charges he pleaded guilty to carry maximum sentences of 10 and 20 years along with the potential for large fines.

Frances admitted to using a government email address to repeatedly represent himself as an employee of the Department for Homeland Security, the newspaper reported.

In 2015, he used that email address to enroll the medical aid group in a federal program that transfers excess equipment from the Department of Defense to law enforcement agencies.

Through the program, he obtained a 44-foot sailboat named Courageous and a 27-foot Boston Whaler as well as two outboard motors. Frances used $14,000 in funds from the Maine Medical Center to transport the sailboat from California to Maine and in 2017, he advertised lodging on the sailboat for $225 a night.

Josh made some mistakes here with obtaining equipment and he owned that with his plea today, defense attorney Walt McKee wrote in an email to the newspaper. When we finally get to sentencing, I think you will see that at the end of the day he was a solid leader of Maine Task Force 1 and his heart was always in the right place.

Frances was fired in 2016 from Maine Medical Center for unauthorized purchases and other dishonest and unprofessional conduct, the newspaper reported.

A spokesperson for the health care organization, Clay Holtzman, told the newspaper: Maine Medical Center is pleased to see that the case against Josh Frances is moving toward a conclusion and that he has accepted responsibility for his actions. We are hopeful to secure future restitution for MMC losses.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) 

State and federal laws did not prevent Madison election officials from providing auditors access to election records, according to a memo by the Legislative Reference Bureau released Thursday by Republican Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu.

The memo comes a day after nonpartisan attorneys for the Legislature said that Madison's decision to prohibit auditors from handling the ballots was arguably reasonable under federal law, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.

The dueling memos follow the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureaus report on how clerks complied with state laws in the presidential primary in April 2020 and the general election last November. The Audit Bureaus report noted that Madison, Milwaukee County, and the town of Little Suamico in Oconto County did not allow auditors to physically handle ballots, citing ballot-security guidance from the U.S. Department of Justice.

The Reference Bureaus memo states that state law gives the Audit Bureau complete access to all records during an audit investigation and federal law and guidance does not prohibit an election official from handing over election records.

Madison City Clerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl told the Audit Bureau in late August that she would provide copies of ballots, absentee ballot envelopes and other election-related documents but would not supply the original documents.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  The state of Mississippi has pre-ordered almost 50,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine in anticipation of the shots being approved for 5 to 11-year-olds early next week, State Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers said Thursday.

Earlier this week, an advisory committee to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration endorsed the kid-size doses. The FDA is expected to authorize the shots within days, followed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention next week.
The great-grandson of Sitting Bull, the famed Lakota leader, has been identified through a novel method of analyzing DNA of long dead people by examining the 19th-century Native American legend's hair, researchers announced Wednesday.

The results, published in the journal Science Advances, conclude Ernie LaPointe, 73, of South Dakota, is the closest living descendant of Sitting Bull, who died more than 130 years ago.

"To our knowledge, this is the first published example of a familial relationship between contemporary and a historical individual that has been confirmed using such limited amounts of ancient DNA across such distant relatives," wrote researchers from the University of Cambridge, adding that the findings could open the door for others whose DNA can be extracted from remains such as hair, bones or teeth.

LaPointe did not immediately respond to a request for comment early Thursday. He told Reuters that the study confirms what he's said for years about his relationship to Sitting Bull. The results could help LaPointe, of Lead, S.D., in his ongoing fight to move Sitting Bull's remains from his burial site in Mobridge, S.D., to another location that the descendant says would have a more significant connection to the culture he represented.

"I feel this DNA research is another way of identifying my lineal relationship to my great-grandfather," said LaPointe, who has three sisters. "People have been questioning our relationship to our ancestor as long as I can remember. These people are just a pain in the place you sit - and will probably doubt these findings, also."

Born in 1831, Sitting Bull, whose birth name was Tatanka Iyotake, became chief and medicine man of the Hunkpapa Lakota Sioux. He is best known for uniting the Sioux tribes across the Great Plains and leading the resistance for years against U.S. government policies and settlers who were invading tribal lands. At the Battle of the Little Bighorn in June 1876, Sitting Bull had a foreshadowing vision of the events to come that inspired the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes in their overwhelming victory against the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the U.S. Army, led by George Armstrong Custer. Sitting Bull was killed in 1890 by Native American police working for the U.S. government as they were trying to arrest him on the Standing Rock Reservation.

After Sitting Bull's death, Horace Deeble, an Army physician at the Fort Yates military base in North Dakota, took a lock of the Native American legend's hair and his wool leggings, despite not having any authority or permission. In 1896, the National Museum of Natural History in D.C. obtained Sitting Bull's hair and leggings. The museum returned the items to LaPointe and his three sisters in 2007, according to the study. Though most of the lock of hair was "burned in a spiritual ceremony," a small piece of it was saved for future study, researchers said.

To that point, the familial relationship between LaPointe and Sitting Bull was based on birth and death certificates, as well as a family tree and a review of historical records. But LaPointe often heard from doubters about the legitimacy of the link.

"Over the years, many people have tried to question the relationship that I and my sisters have to Sitting Bull," LaPointe said in a news release to Cambridge.

When Eske Willerslev read a magazine article about how the hair and leggings had been returned to LaPointe and his family, he said he "almost choked on my coffee." Since he was a boy, Willerslev, a professor at Cambridge and head of the Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics Centre at the University of Copenhagen, saw Sitting Bull as a hero for his courage and drive. He contacted LaPointe to see if more could be done to examine the DNA on Sitting Bull's hair.

"I wrote to LaPointe and explained that I specialised in the analysis of ancient DNA, and that I was an admirer of Sitting Bull, and I would consider it a great honour if I could be allowed to compare the DNA of Ernie and his sisters with the DNA of the Native American leader's hair when it was returned to them," Willerslev, senior author of the report, said in the news release.

LaPointe agreed, kicking off a 14-year journey to analyze Sitting Bull's hair. Scientists struggled to find a way to extract usable DNA from a lock of hair measuring only about two inches long. In addition to most of it having been burned in the spiritual ceremony, the hair was "extremely degraded" because it had been stored for more than a century at room temperature at the Smithsonian Museum, the news release noted.

Knowing there was so little DNA to work with, Willerslev and the team had to come up with a new method. That's how they eventually developed an analysis technique focusing on "autosomal DNA," a non-sex-specific DNA that people inherit from a mother and a father.

Developing the technique proved crucial, since traditional genealogy studies focus on sex-specific genetic matches regularly focusing on the Y chromosome, which is passed down to males. With LaPointe claiming to be related to Sitting Bull on his mother's side, autosomal DNA allowed a way to analyze the sample that wasn't as heavily reliant on gender.

The research using autosomal DNA "provides genetic support for Ernie LaPointe being the great-grandson of Sitting Bull," researchers concluded.

"We managed to locate sufficient amounts of autosomal DNA in Sitting Bull's hair sample, and compare it to the DNA sample from Ernie LaPointe and other Lakota Sioux - and were delighted to find that it matched," Willerslev said.

The DNA method could do what seemed almost impossible before: connect other historical figures who have been dead for more than 100 years to people living today.

"In principle, you could investigate whoever you want - from outlaws like Jesse James to the Russian tsar's family, the Romanovs," Willerslev said in the news release. "If there is access to old DNA, typically extracted from bones, hair or teeth, they can be examined in the same way."

Kim TallBear, an associate professor in the faculty of Native studies at the University of Alberta, told NBC News that while there has not been a real challenge to the claim from LaPointe and his sisters about their relation to Sitting Bull, studies such as this can be complicated because of what it could mean in terms of potentially exploiting Indigenous communities.

"Any time we participate with a scientist in reaffirming genetic definitions of what it means to be Indigenous, we are de facto helping to uphold their definitions over our own," TallBear said. "But we're stuck between a rock and a hard place because settler institutions control the disposition of Sitting Bull's remains."

LaPointe will have to wait a little longer before he will have the chance to possibly move Sitting Bull's remains elsewhere. He has not revealed where he wants to move the remains.

There are two official burial sites for Sitting Bull in Mobridge, S.D., and Fort Yates, N.D., but LaPointe said he believes the Fort Yates location contains none of his great-grandfather's remains.

"I feel the DNA results can identify the remains buried at the Mobridge, South Dakota, site as my ancestor," he told Reuters.

Before Sitting Bull's remains are possibly buried elsewhere, the remains will need to be analyzed in a similar way to ensure a genetic match between LaPointe and the Lakota leader, researchers said.
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP)  A group of Nevada lawmakers traveling the state to engage the public in the once-in-a-decade redistricting process is confronting a raft of questions about race, partisanship and rural-urban divides as they prepare to redraw the state's political maps next month.

Like neighboring Arizona and Utah, Nevada's population has skyrocketed over the past decade, increasing by 404,000 to 3.1 million. The 15% spike was largely driven by growth in urban areas and from Hispanic and Latino residents, whose share of the population grew from 27% to 29%.

The state's electorate has also become more blue, leading to Democratic gains in state and federal elections. Both parties have added voters, but those registered as nonpartisan are the state's fastest-growing bloc, with their share of the electorate up five percentage points from a decade ago.

The Democratic-controlled Legislatures decisions  particularly over the lines defining two battleground congressional districts  will be closely observed as both parties fight for control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

The process is expected to be contentious and will force lawmakers to weigh competing interests: whether to add new districts, protect incumbents, adhere to county lines or unify communities of interest to ensure they are adequately represented. They will try to do this all while drawing neat lines and avoiding accusations of gerrymandering  where odd-looking districts unite similarly minded voters living far apart, rather than those who live only blocks away.

Politics aside, the state's demographics present unique complexities, said Asher Killian, an attorney who works for the Legislature.

In a state where the vast majority of the population lives in two urban cores, this alone can require counties to be split or for some districts to be so geographically small as a result of dense population that the underlying physical geography of streets and neighborhoods creates unusual shapes, he said.

Nevada typically redistricts in its every-other-year legislative sessions. But the pandemic delayed the timeline, and the U.S. Census Bureau didnt send updated figures until after the Legislature adjourned in June. Gov. Steve Sisolak is expected to schedule a special redistricting session for November.

Beforehand, lawmakers sitting on a subcommittee tasked with preparing the new maps are reviewing the process in educational meetings, including one in Las Vegas on Saturday and another in Carson City on Wednesday.

In Las Vegas, residents urged lawmakers to draw districts that don't dilute the power of growing Latino and Asian American-Pacific Islander voting blocs.

Voting rights advocates explained problems that arose last decade, when courts stepped in and took over the process after Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval vetoed maps drawn by the Democratic-majority statehouse.

"Ten years ago, the Legislature did not host a meeting with tribal governments. It would be advised for this committee to consult with tribal leaders like those at the Walker River Paiute Reservation, because presently that reservation is split, Erika Castro of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada said.

Sparks residents Eli Trimble said Wednesday that lawmakers should prioritize drawing compact districts that keep communities with similar demographics together, rather than protecting incumbents. He argued it didn't make sense for people living in the Reno-Sparks area to be part of district with ranching and mining communities north, south and east.

Please make sure that the districts are compact, and please make sure that you have people from northern Nevada in the room with you as you are drawing these maps, he said.

Lawmakers and staff in both meetings discussed efforts to implement changes the Legislature made in 2019 to where inmates  who cannot vote until they are released  are counted to include them as part of communities where they previously lived rather than prison-area districts that often have different demographic and political characteristics.

The law, which bans a practice known as prison gerrymandering, directed prison officials to compile inmates' last known address and send them to the state. By redistributing inmates to their pre-prison addresses, the policy increased Nevada's urban population and effectively decreased by 10% the population of rural Pershing County, home of the Lovelock Correctional Center.

The data that prison officials provided the Legislature did not include roughly 35% of the state's prison population. Alejandra Livingston, a Department of Corrections economist, attributed the missing addresses to several factors.

Noting the complexities of compiling last known residential addresses as state law now requires, Livingston said inmates often didn't have traditional addresses on file because they could have been in jail before prison, living a transient lifestyle without a stable address, or not reported an address at their entry into the prison system.

She said the department pulled addresses from a system that lacked complete data because it was designed for other purposes, including mail forwarding and investigating escapes.

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Metz is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
NEW ORLEANS (AP)  The Archdiocese of New Orleans has agreed to pay more than $1 million to settle a whistleblower lawsuit claiming that it inflated damage estimates for federal recovery money after Hurricane Katrina, a newspaper reported.

Federal bankruptcy Judge Meredith Grabill approved the terms Tuesday, according to The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate.

The agreement calls for paying $1.05 million over two years to the U.S. Department of Justice, with the whistleblower and his lawyers getting as much as $262,500 of that.

The archdiocese expressly denies the allegations by Robert Romero, a former project manager at the California-based engineering firm AECOM, court papers noted.

Neither an archdiocese spokeswoman nor its lawyer immediately responded to emailed requests for comment on Thursday.

The archdiocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May 2020 after being sued by a number of people who say they were sexually abused by priests.

The whistleblower suit filed in 2016  11 years after Hurricane Katrina slammed New Orleans  claimed that the church got $46 million more than it should have from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for damages at a church-run school and an assisted living center.

Romero accused a co-worker of helping the archdiocese and two private universities defraud the government out of more than $100 million.

Xavier University agreed to pay $12 million.

The U.S. Justice Department, which had joined the suit, dismissed Romero's co-worker and Dillard University as defendants, saying further prosecution wasn't worth it. Dillard was accused of $15 million in fraudulent claims,

AECOM, which received about $300 million, appears to be the last remaining defendant in the case, the newspaper reported.

The firm has said it always stayed within FEMA guidelines.
DOVER, Del. (AP)  A judge has refused to allow taxpayers to foot the bill for a private attorney representing Delawares state auditor on criminal corruption charges.

Superior Court Judge Jan Jurden ruled Thursday that State Auditor Kathleen McGuiness is entitled to a public defender, but that she is not entitled to a private attorney at taxpayer expense.

McGuiness, who is responsible for rooting out government fraud, waste and abuse, was indicted earlier this month on felony counts of theft and witness intimidation, and on misdemeanor charges of official misconduct, conflict of interest and noncompliance with state procurement laws.

McGuiness, through her attorney, has denied the allegations and maintains that she has done nothing wrong. She has rejected requests from some fellow Democrats to resign, or to at least take a leave of absence pending resolution of the case.

McGuiness has been represented by Steven Wood, a white-collar defense attorney who previously served as Delawares chief state prosecutor.

Wood, who began representing McGuiness roughly a month before she was indicted, filed a motion just days after the charges were announced asking that taxpayers pay McGuiness defense costs. He cited a Supreme Court rule under which a state officer or employee named as a defendant in a civil or criminal case can petition for appointment of a lawyer. The rule includes a provision allowing for the appointment of a private attorney if representation by the attorney generals office would present a conflict or potential conflict of interest.

Wood argued that such a conflict exists in McGuiness case because the attorney generals office is prosecuting her. He sought payment at taxpayer expense at an hourly rate of $550 per hour, noting that McGuiness has limited resources.

Prosecutors opposed the motion, noting that McGuiness is paid a salary of $112,000, has loaned her political campaigns more than $75,000, and owns a house estimated to be worth between $2.2 million and $3.7 million.

They also argued that the Supreme Court rule regarding appointment of counsel is trumped by a provision in state law. That provision states that if a judge finds that the Department of Justice is unable to represent a public officer or employee in a criminal case, the court can may appoint an attorney from the Office of Defense Services, commonly known as the public defenders office.

Compensating a wealthy defendants law firm by several times the courts standard fees would metastasize the statutory entitlement into something absurd, wrote Chief Deputy Attorney General Alexander Mackler.

Jurden sided with the state, ruling that the language of the statute is clear and unambiguous and appointing the Office of Defense Services to represent McGuiness.

Wood did not immediately respond to email and phone messages Thursday.

The criminal charges against McGuiness include allegations that she hired her daughter and one of her daughters friends, both high school seniors at the time, as temporary employees in May 2020, even though other temporary employees had to leave their positions because of a lack of available work amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Authorities said Elizabeth McGuiness, who has not been charged, continued to be paid even after enrolling at a college in South Carolina last August. Payments to McGuiness daughter totaling $19,000 were deposited into a bank account for which McGuiness is a listed owner.

McGuiness also is charged with orchestrating a 2019 no-bid contract for a company she had used as a campaign consultant when running for lieutenant governor in 2016. Investigators said she evaded public bid requirements by keeping the initial contract with My Campaign Group just under the $50,000 threshold that requires public bids. They said she also avoided getting approval from he Division of Accounting, a separate state agency, for the payments to My Campaign Group by splitting up invoices and keeping payments under the $5,000 reporting threshold.

Authorities said that when employees in her office became aware of McGuiness misconduct, she responded by trying to intimidate the whistleblowers, including submitting more than three dozen requests to the Department of Technology and Information for the contents of their email accounts. That allowed McGuiness to monitor several employees email communications in real time, according to prosecutors. They said McGuiness also monitored the email of a former employee who now works in a separate government agency.
FARGO, N.D. (AP)  The North Dakota Board of Higher Education said Thursday that university presidents and system leaders should have the flexibility to decide what to do about President Joe Biden's COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

The board voted to support the idea after a 90-minute discussion that included pleas from presidents of the state's two research institutions who said they could lose tens of millions of dollars in federal contracts if they didn't comply with Biden's requirements. A couple of board members wanted to table the resolution because they thought it was too broad.

The vaccine mandate covers people who work with federal contractors and their subcontractors, as well as support staff in areas such as billing, human resources and custodial services, according to board attorney Eric Olson, who issued an 11-page memorandum on the potential impact of the mandate.

Biden's order has convinced colleges across the country to announce vaccine requirements. Some have interpreted the directive as a campus-wide mandate, while Olson said the new rules apply to some student employees but not students in general.

Most people who participated in the virtual board meeting, including Olson, agreed there are a lot of unanswered questions about the federal mandate. However, campus leaders said the resolution was urgent in order to meet Biden's Dec. 8 deadline, in part because of the time it takes for people to become fully vaccinated.

Then there's the money. University of North Dakota President Andrew Armacost said the Grand Forks college is at risk of losing from $11 to $20 million. The dean of UND's medical school, Dr. Joshua Wynne, said the prospect of losing funds is very real. Olson added that UND has already received an inquiry from a federal contractor.

Nick Hacker and fellow board member Danita Bye voted against the resolution. Hacker said with the goalposts so far apart and so much uncertainty he believed it was a good idea to await further developments, including legal action by North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem, whose spokeswoman had no comment Thursday.

I think it could have been written in a much more narrower scope with more of a minimalist approach than a broad blanket approach that this resolution takes, Hacker said.

Wynne said the resolution was intentionally ambiguous to allow presidents flexibility to be as surgical as need be, depending upon their circumstances. He said it doesn't command them to do anything.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, who was elected in 1992 as a self described mom in tennis shoes, has been fighting for paid family and medical leave for decades. For much of this year she appeared to be winning.

But a proposal that had been championed by President Joe Biden  up to 12 paid weeks off to recover from major illness, childbirth or to take care of family members  was jettisoned this week from a far-reaching social spending package after a fellow Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, refused to support it.

Its a defeat, for now, that has stung for Murray and other veteran female lawmakers.

We are not going to allow one man tell all of the women in this country that they cant have paid leave, she told reporters on Wednesday, before heading to the Senate floor to continue lobbying the 74-year-old Manchin.

All Senate Republicans have signaled opposition to the larger package, but Democrats need every one of their members to support the $1.75 trillion package for it to pass the 50-50 Senate. When the White House released a framework of the legislation Thursday morning, paid leave was glaringly absent.

It is outrageous and shameful that the plan was taken out of the legislation, says Molly Day, the executive director of the advocacy group Paid Leave for the United States. Our view on this moment is that we have every ounce of momentum required to pass this.

Democrats are enthusiastic about many other elements of the package aimed at helping families, including universal preschool, money for child care and a one-year extension of a child tax credit.

But the loss of paid family and medical leave has cut deep for supporters who have pushed for years to bring the United States on the level with most of the worlds other wealthy countries  according to one study of the worlds most developed countries by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the U.S. was the only one of 35 countries not to provide any paid parental leave. And the advocates argue that the need is even more acute coming out of the coronavirus pandemic that has been devastating to many workers, especially women caregivers.

The proposals elimination came after a long series of negotiations to pare it back  first from 12 weeks to four weeks, with last-minute negotiations looking at leave just for new parents. The cost of the various proposals has ranged from roughly $100 billion to $500 billion, a major obstacle as Manchin and another moderate Democratic senator, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, have demanded that the original $3.5 trillion package be brought down by around half.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, a negotiator on the paid leave proposal, said Thursday that she is still talking to Manchin about how a leave policy could be salvaged. Gillibrand said that Manchin has told her in private talks that he is concerned about the cost and its effect on Social Security and other programs, and that she has argued back that investing in paid leave increases the possibility that parents and other caregivers will return to work, boosting Social Security and the economy.

Still, she said Manchin is not focused on specifics of the proposal at this point. His office did not respond to a request for comment about the talks.

This is going to be a continuous conversation, Gillibrand said. And if we can get it in this deal, amazing. If we cannot, I will keep working on it until we pass paid leave.

Gillibrand said she would still vote for the overall bill, which includes the other priorities that she and other Democrats say will be transformative for families.

House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, who has served in Congress more than 30 years, first worked on family and medical leave as a Senate staffer in the late 1980s. She championed President Bill Clintons signature of the Family Medical Leave Act in 1993, which granted time off but no pay, as a good first step.

She says she has been on this road ever since pushing for the time to be compensated by the government.

DeLauro calls the proposals elimination a tragedy but says it is still a victory that they got so close, and that many companies and states now have paid leave policies in place. A bill to provide pandemic aid last year also temporarily guaranteed paid sick leave for millions of workers.

It took us 28 years to get to this point, since the passage of FMLA, DeLauro said. Lord knows were not going to wait for another 28 years to get it paid.

Maya Rossin-Slater, an associate professor in health policy at Stanford University who studies paid leave, agrees, saying she is optimistic in terms of the conversation that has been going on and the level of national attention that the issue has received since Biden included it in his proposal.

Its not going to go away, and its now on peoples radar as an important issue, Rossin-Slater said.

As for Biden, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday that he had fought for it to be included. But he wasnt going see the plan fall apart because of it, she said.

She said his preference would be for it to be 12 weeks and expansive, but there were not enough votes for that in Congress. That's a reality of legislating, she said.

For many female senators, the issue is personal. Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat, was the first senator to give birth in office three years ago, and has argued that everyone should have the same paid leave she had as a senator.

Murray also spoke of her own pregnancy back in 1993, when she gave one of her first Senate floor speeches praising the FMLA. She talked about trying to take care of her parents after they had been sick and a friend who had struggled to take time off as a young son was dying of leukemia. Murray said then that the new law would mean that people will not be forced to choose between our job and our family when they go to work.

On Thursday, Murray said it was downright shameful that America is the only developed nation where working people are not guaranteed paid leave.

I think Ive made it abundantly clear Im going to keep fighting to get paid leave included, she said.

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Associated Press writer Colleen Long contributed to this report.
BANGKOK (AP)  The youngest daughter of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whose ouster by a military coup in 2006 triggered years of political instability, has taken a post with a party closely associated with her father.

Thailands largest opposition party, Pheu Thai, announced Thursday that Paetongtarn Shinawatra was named chief of its Inclusion and Innovation Advisory Committee at its general assembly in the northeastern province of Khon Kaen.

Paetongtarn, 35, currently serves as chief executive officer of a company in the hospitality sector.

Her appointment comes as Thaksin, 72, who has been in self-imposed exile most of the time since he was toppled, has been increasing his profile amid rumors that current Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha may call new elections. Thaksin is widely seen as seeking some sort of political comeback.

Thaksin is a billionaire whose populist policies won him strong electoral support. He now lives mostly in Dubai to avoid serving prison time in Thailand on corruption charges he says were politically motivated.

He is a contentious figure whose fall set off a sometimes violent struggle for power between his supporters and his opponents, who accused him of abuse of power and corruption. His supporters say the traditional Thai establishment feared losing power because of his popularity, which he has retained among many voters.

Thaksin is known for having family members be part of his political machine. His brother-in-law, Somchai Wongsawat, and his youngest sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, both served as prime ministers after him and were forced out of office on legal grounds before their terms were up. The government that Yingluck had headed was ousted by a 2014 coup, led by then-army chief Prayuth.

Paetongtarn in addressing the party meeting said she is very close to her father and meets him frequently. She said her father strongly wishes to come back to Thailand again."

Asked if she would become a politician or a candidate for prime minister, she told reporters: I feel safer to be an adviser than a politician. I want to make my project successful. For other things, I am not ready yet.

Paetongtarns appointment shows that Thaksin remains very influential in the Pheu Thai party and has been its main decision maker, said Kovit Wongsurawat, as associate professor in the law school at Bangkoks Assumption University.

Previously, Thaksin let people outside his family run the party and nothing seemed to get better, said Kovit. I am not surprised that he let his daughter take this position. It is not easy for him to find someone he can really trust.

Kovit believes that returning to Thailand is always on Thaksin's mind. It is possible, he said. He has a lot of supporters and it is obvious that his popularity remains there for years despite having those who are against him.

The Thaksin-affiliated Pheu Thai party won the greatest number of lower house seats in the 2019 general election but the military-backed Palang Pracharath party, which topped the popular vote, was able to form a coalition government.
PHILADELPHIA (AP)  Police were investigating a shooting early Thursday that left a woman and her daughter wounded.

The woman's boyfriend told officers he had left the house for about ten minutes and returned to find the 33-year-old unresponsive in a bedroom, police said.

She was taken to Presbyterian Hospital with two bullet wounds to her back and was listed in critical condition, police said.

Her 1-year-old daughter was shot in the stomach, police said. The girl was in stable condition.

The victims' names have not been released.

No arrests have been made.
HOISINGTON, Kan. (AP)  Police in central Kansas are investigating the shooting death of a 22-year-old man in Hoisington.

Hoisington police were called just after 3 a.m. Wednesday to a home in Hoisington by a 911 caller who reported a shooting, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation said in a news release. Arriving officers found Chase Anderson, of Hoisington, with a gunshot wound to his chest. Anderson was later pronounced dead at the scene.

Officials said a 32-year-old acquaintance of Andersons who was in the house at the time of the shooting was arrested on suspicion of unrelated drug possession counts. No charges have yet been filed in Andersons death, police said.

Hoisington police requested the KBI's help in the investigating Anderson's shooting death, and an autopsy has been ordered.
WARSAW, Poland (AP)  Polish lawmakers held an emotional debate Thursday on proposed legislation dubbed Stop LGBT," which would ban pride parades and other public gatherings deemed to promote same-sex relationships.

The lawmakers are due to vote Friday on whether to reject or continue work on the proposal, which is a citizens legislative initiative that was submitted to parliament by conservative activists.

One of the activists who presented the bill, Krzysztof Kasprzak, opened his speech to lawmakers by describing the LGBT rights movement as a form of totalitarianism. He compared it to Nazism, and accused it of seeking to overthrow the natural order and introduce terror.

Wodzimierz Czarzasty, a left-wing deputy speaker of parliament, called it the most disgusting speech" he had heard in his time in parliament.

A string of opposition lawmakers  on the left, center and even from a conservative group  denounced the proposed legislation as inhumane, homophobic or a violation of the right to assembly guaranteed in Poland's constitution.

It got the praise of lawmakers on the far right, while Piotr Kaleta, a lawmaker with the ruling right-wing conservative party, Law and Justice, held up photos allegedly showing scenes from pride parades that he described as shocking.

We want normality in Poland, Kaleta said. If you accuse us of being in the Middle Ages, then we want to be in these Middle Ages.

It was not clear if the proposal had the backing to move forward.

Poland's right-wing nationalist government is already involved in a bitter dispute with the European Union over judicial independence and law primacy. So Warsaw might not want to open another front with its EU partners, most of whom strongly oppose any discrimination against lesbians, gay men and bisexual and transgender people.

Under Polish law, citizens can submit legislative proposals to parliament if they get the signatures of at least 100,000 eligible voters. The Life and Family Foundation, which lobbied successfully for a recent restriction on abortion rights, gathered 140,000 signatures for its Stop LGBT proposal.

In a statement Thursday, the human rights group Amnesty International said that if adopted as law, the proposal would place the rights of LGBT people in Poland at greater risk than ever.

We call on Polish (lawmakers) to recognize that love is love, and reject this hateful proposal which is discriminatory to its core, said Amnesty's Nils Muiznieks.

This initiative may not have originated with the Polish government, but let us be clear: the governments normalization of hateful rhetoric has created an environment in which people feel empowered to spew bigotry, Muiznieks added.

In recent years Polish lawmakers, including the president, have lashed out at what they call LGBT ideology, presenting it as something that prematurely sexualizes young people and threatens the countrys traditional Roman Catholic values.

Most of the anti-LGBT rhetoric has come during election campaigns, though two years ago dozens of Polish communities passed resolutions declaring themselves to be free of LGBT ideology or adopted family charters stressing that families are based on unions of men and women.

But recently, facing the threat of a loss of EU funding, some Polish regions have revoked the anti-LGBT resolutions.
When Amish gather for worship each week, they regularly sing the solemn, German-dialect hymns that their spiritual forebears composed nearly five centuries ago in a condition akin to that of 17 missionaries recently kidnapped in Haiti  captivity.

Those hymns emerged from miserable prison conditions experienced by early Anabaptists  founders of the movement carried on today by Amish, Mennonites, Brethren and others  and their words extolled the virtues of loving ones tormentors and persevering at risk of persecution, even martyrdom.

So when kidnappers in Haiti abducted 12 adult missionaries and five of their children, including an infant, it wasnt surprising that those sharing that Christian tradition would draw on these values as they joined around-the-clock prayer vigils.

The words of the captors families and supporters, while holding out hope for the safety of the hostages, put a heavy emphasis on different themes: Love your enemies. Forgive them. Pray for the kidnappers.

One joint statement by the hostages families even spoke of the situation in welcoming terms. God has given our loved ones the unique opportunity to live out our Lords command to, 'love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you,' said the statement, issued by Christian Aid Ministries. It is based in Ohios Amish heartland of Holmes County, and has operated in Haiti and other lands for nearly four decades.

Such statements may seem surprising, even callous, to those who might expect the prayers to focus on the well-being of loved ones.

But these statements are deeply rooted in the unique religious tradition of conservative Anabaptists  a group that shares some beliefs with mainstream evangelical Christians, such as salvation through Jesus, but also has stark differences.

Conservative Anabaptists largely seek to live separate from mainstream society and are distinctive for their plain dress, with women wearing head coverings. They emphasize a non-resistance to evil and violence, a stance that goes far beyond their refusal to serve in the military. They also have a deep tradition of martyrdom  well-earned, since their forebears suffered fierce persecutions from their 16th century Reformation origins, when they were deemed too radical to Catholics and fellow Protestants alike.

Anabaptists in particular draw on the biblical Sermon on the Mount, which contains some of Jesus most radical and counter-cultural sayings  to love enemies, live simply, bless persecutors, turn the other cheek, endure sufferings joyfully.

Living out the Sermon on the Mount principles is one of the key tenets of our faith, said Wayne Wengerd, a member of a steering committee that represents the Amish in church-state relations. That is something that we take literally.

Those principles mandate we do good to those who hurt or persecute us, and we pray for not only those that are likeminded but those that are not yet within the faith," he said.

Wengerd, who lives in Wayne County, adjacent to Holmes, said it would be a misunderstanding to view such a mindset as callous to the real suffering involved with the kidnappings.

People are still concerned, they are aware, they talk about it, they pray and of course hope for a good outcome, he said. At the same time, We realize as Christians, as followers of Christ, there will be persecution.

The missionary group was kidnapped Oct. 16 while returning from a visit to an orphanage supported by CAM. The 400 Mawozo gang has threatened to kill the 16 Americans and one Canadian if ransom demands arent met.

CAM says those kidnapped are from Amish, Mennonite and other conservative Anabaptist communities in Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Oregon and Ontario. Conservative Anabaptists make up the core of CAMs missionary staff, donors and volunteers.

Wengerd said Anabaptists draw on resources such as the Ausbund, a hymnal that includes the 16th century prison hymns, and the book, Martyrs Mirror, for reminding us of the cost of discipleship in Christs kingdom.

Martyrs Mirror tells of hundreds of Anabaptists and other Christians who died for their faith. One entry tells of Dirk Willems, a 16th century Dutch Anabaptist who was fleeing authorities in winter  but turned around to saved the life of a pursuer who had fallen through the ice. Willems was arrested and executed anyway. His example of sacrificial love for an enemy is still widely taught.

An often-cited modern example of Anabaptist values is the response of the Amish community around Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, after a gunman killed five Amish schoolgirls and wounded five more in 2006 before taking his own life. Local Amish immediately expressed forgiveness for the killer and supported his widow. If we do not forgive, how can we expect to be forgiven? the Amish leaders said in a statement.

Marcus Yoder, executive director of the Amish & Mennonite Heritage Center in Holmes County, said he often tells the story of Dirk Willems to groups touring the museum. One tour included a survivor of the Nickel Mines shooting.

She cried and cried and cried, Yoder recalled. Her father had used the story to talk to his own family about forgiveness. These pieces of our history really do reside a long time in our worldview and theology.

Yoder, a Mennonite minister, said these examples shouldnt obscure the ordeal of those whose loved ones were kidnapped. I cannot imagine the anguish that the families are going through, he said.

Steven Nolt, professor of History and Anabaptist Studies at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania, recalled attending one of the Nickel Mines funerals in which the preacher said within a span of a few minutes, We dont understand but we just accept what happened as Gods will and Its not Gods will that people shoot other people.

That seems contradictory, said Nolt. But it reflects a profound belief in divine providence  that believers cant always understand why things happen, but they can know what God wants and how humans are to live.

Ron Marks, pastor of Hart Dunkard Brethren Church in Hart, Michigan, whose members include a parent with children who are among the hostages, said it is our Lords command to pray for ones persecutors and seek their conversion. That would be the ultimate positive outcome of this ordeal, he said.

Many in the outside world have valorized Anabaptists beliefs in forgiveness.

But it has a dark side, say advocates for victims of sexual abuse in Anabaptist communities. They say victims and their families are often forced to reconcile with abusers after the latter make a confession and undergo a brief period of discipline.

Hope Anne Dueck, co-founder of A Better Way  an Ohio-based group that provides education on sexual abuse and advocates for victims in Anabaptist and other church settings  said the current focus needs to be on the safety of the hostages.

But the kidnappings follow by two years the eruption of a sexual-abuse scandal involving one of CAMs former longtime missionaries to Haiti, Jeriah Mast. He was sentenced in Holmes County in 2019 to nine years in prison for having earlier abused two boys in Ohio, and his judge said at his sentencing that Mast had also confessed to molesting at least 30 boys in Haiti.

The current hostage crisis has caused a lot of pain in the survivor and advocacy community for those who have experienced sexual abuse or grieved what has happened to Jeriahs victims, Dueck said.

She strongly endorsed the current prayer chain on behalf of the hostages but lamented: As far as I know, there were no 24/7, around-the-clock prayer chains for Jeriahs victims.

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Associated Press religion coverage receives support from the Lilly Endowment through The Conversation U.S. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
NEWARK, N.J. (AP)  A former broker and investment advisor stole more than $2.8 million from clients to pay for his gambling and buy high-end, luxury items for himself, according to federal prosecutors in New Jersey.

Kenneth Welsh, 41, of River Edge, was arrested Thursday at his home and was scheduled to make his initial court appearance later in the day. He faces four counts of wire fraud and a single count of investment advisor fraud, and it wasn't known if he's retained an attorney.
HELENA, Mont. (AP)  A commission created to allocate federal COVID-19 relief funding to help stabilize Montana's economy recommended Wednesday that the governor allocate $4 million to help recruit new medical workers to the state. But members rejected a proposal to spend $13 million on retention bonuses for existing hospital workers.

The health care worker recruitment program would allow health care providers to cover up to $12,500 in moving expenses for new hires, along with another up to $4,300 to cover the taxes on that payment, said Scott Mendenhall, the state's new American Rescue Plan Act program director.

We've had great feedback from health care employers who say this would be very much appreciated and needed to maybe alleviate some of the concern that we have in that particular industry, Mendenhall said.

The program could recruit another 238 medical employees to the state, which has seen a surge in COVID-19 cases since mid-July. New workers would have to remain in their jobs in Montana for at least a year, or they would have to repay the money, Mendenhall said.

Democratic House Minority Leader Kim Abbott, a member of the committee, argued the proposal overlooked members of the existing health care workforce, who are stressed and frustrated by seeing traveling workers receiving more pay than they receive.

Abbott proposed recommending to Gov. Greg Gianforte that the state set aside $13 million in federal relief funding for retention bonuses for employees of inpatient hospitals. She argued in favor of investing in health care workers who stuck with their jobs during the pandemic.

She noted that Kansas had set aside $50 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds to help hospitals retain frontline workers.

The commission rejected Abbott's proposal.

Commissioners also are recommending the governor spend $2.3 million in relief money to respond to an increase in crime in Billings since the beginning of the pandemic. Of that, $1.5 million would go to the Office of the Public Defender to address a backlog in cases and another $850,000 would go to the state Division of Criminal Investigation to hire more investigators. The city of Billings along with Yellowstone County have agreed to spend $1 million each toward the effort.

Scott Eychner, administrator of the state's Workforce Services Division, told the commission the Labor Department would need less than one-third of the $15 million that Gianforte had allocated for return-to-work bonuses.

So far, 1,917 applications have been approved and $2.3 million in bonuses have been paid out. People who were receiving unemployment payments in early May have until Oct. 31 to start a new job and still qualify for the program. New workers have to work for four weeks to receive the $1,200 bonus.

The medical worker recruitment money will come out of that estimated $10 million in return-to-work bonus money to be reverted to the Economic Transformation and Stabilization and Workforce Development Advisory Commission. Any amount over the estimated $4.35 million going to recruit medical workers, and advertise the relocation expenses reimbursement would be allocated to a business innovation program.

The Legislature allocated $150 million to business innovation. The state recently received permission to use some of the money for a revolving loan fund for small businesses, said Budget Director Ryan Osmundson, and will bring a proposal to the commission at an upcoming meeting.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has recently lost about 20 kilograms (44 pounds), but remains healthy and is trying to boost public loyalty to him in the face of worsening economic problems, South Koreas spy agency told lawmakers Thursday.

The National Intelligence Service gave the assessment during a closed-door parliamentary briefing, saying it used artificial intelligence techniques, an analysis of super-resolution video of Kim and other methods to investigate Kims condition, said two lawmakers who attended the session.

Kims health has been a focus of keen outside attention in recent months because he has appeared noticeably thinner in state media photos and videos. Kim, 37, hasnt publicly anointed a successor and some experts say an abrupt incapacitation could trigger chaos in the impoverished nuclear-armed country.

Despite Kim's thinner appearance, longtime North Korea observers have said Kim has no apparent health problems and his weight loss is likely the result of his efforts to improve his physique. They noted that he has continued his regular public activities and no unusual developments have been seen in North Korean videos.

But unconfirmed rumors about him have continued to appear, with one tabloid claiming that recent public appearances used an impostor. The NIS dismissed that report as groundless, lawmaker Kim Byung-kee said.

He said the NIS told the parliamentary session that Kims weight has fallen from about 140 kilograms (308 pounds) to 120 kilograms (264 pounds). The NIS has previously said Kim is about 170 centimeters (5 feet, 8 inches) tall.

It said Kim has been engaged in public activities for 70 days so far this year, a 45% increase from the same period last year.

The lawmaker said the NIS found that Kim had photos of his late father and grandfather  who ruled North Korea before him  removed from a Workers Party conference room.

Another lawmaker, Ha Tae-keung, quoted the NIS as saying North Korea has begun using the term Kimjongunism, a political ideology named after Kim Jong Un that is independent of existing ideologies named after his father and grandfather, Kimjongilism and Kimilsungism.

After about 10 years in office, Kim is struggling to overcome what appears to be the toughest period of his rule due to economic hardships worsened by the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the NIS, North Koreas annual trade with China, its main ally and economic lifeline, declined by two-thirds to $185 million through September this year compared to the previous year, Ha said.

North Korean officials are struggling to deal with soaring prices of goods and shortages of medicine and other essential supplies that have accelerated the spread of water-borne diseases such as typhoid fever. The country has also been unable to import the paper and ink it uses to print banknotes, forcing North Korean officials to issue temporary currency, according to Has account of the NIS briefing.

While reduced trade has limited the supply of materials needed for industrial activity, North Korean officials are pushing workers hard to increase production. Excessive factory operations caused an explosion at a major fertilizer plant in August, Ha quoted the NIS as saying.

The NIS corroborated recent reports by the World Health Organization that North Korea is beginning to ease its tough COVID-19 border restrictions to receive outside help.

The western North Korean seaport of Nampo is now saturated with supplies from the outside world after authorities recently began allowing increased maritime transport and the entrance of medical supplies, according to the NIS. North Korea is preparing to open another seaport in the northwest, Yongchon, to handle the increased supplies and is also considering restarting rail transport with China and Russia, it said.

North Korea has yet to report any cases of the coronavirus. While experts have questioned its claim of a perfect record, Ha said the NIS has yet to see any signs of a major COVID-19 outbreak.

Despite its severe virus-related border controls, North Korea hasnt shown the same kind of urgency for vaccines, as mass immunizations continue to be delayed amid global shortages.

Ha said North Korea has rejected outside offers of Russian and Chinese vaccines. Kim, the lawmaker, said the NIS has determined North Korea also hasn't shown interest in obtaining Pfizer vaccines, which would require negotiations with the drugmaker and the U.S.

Analysts say North Korea could be uneasy about international monitoring requirements that would be attached to vaccines it receives from the outside world. There are also views that Kim Jong Un has domestic political motivations to tighten the countrys self-imposed lockdown as he calls for unity and tries to solidify his grip on power.
SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates (AP)  The small, four-seat pod glides above the sands of a test track in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, a futuristic transit solution promoted by a Belarusian firm that hopes to secure contracts here in the near future.

Inviting journalists to see their test track Thursday, firm uSky showed off what they described as an energy-efficient, smart solution to fly above traffic across the Emirates, a country home to skyscraper-studded Dubai that long has embraced anything futuristic.

However, uSky has ties back to a Belarusian investment firm called SkyWay that has seen multiple nations in Europe and elsewhere issue warnings to investors that they "may be involved in a scam. Proposals to deploy the technology have been examined and abandoned in several nations as well.

Speaking to The Associated Press, creator Anatoli Unitsky brushed aside questions about the project's financing. He also insisted SkyWay didn't fund the project, calling them instead my fans as he wore the investment firm's logo in a pin on his lapel.

It's a transparent business here, Unitsky said.

Responding later to questions on uSkys behalf, a Dubai-based public relations firm insisted no one associated with uSky ... has any legal or financial relations with SkyWay Capital or SkyWay Group. However, they acknowledged uSky had been known as SkyWay until inappropriate persons and companies ... misused and compromised the SkyWay brand without our consent.

The uSky project, whose luxury cabin bears the SkyWay logo inside, carried journalists Thursday across a 400-meter (1,300-foot), straight-line suspended track at the Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park. The pod moved at nearly 50 kph (30 mph), though an engineer insisted a longer track would allow the speed to increase as much as threefold. The line above it remains still as the pod races across it between poles.

Another longer track appeared to be under construction nearby. While the current test facility runs on electricity from the government grid, the company said it would run on electric batteries that would receive energy from renewable sources. It called the line it runs along a string rail.

A brief presentation offered to journalists instead appeared geared toward deep-pocketed investors. It discussed projects ranging from $230 million to $580 million. And that seems to be what uSky is aiming for.

Already, it's offered a tender to neighboring Dubai's Road and Transportation Authority, which wants to transform a city known for its long ribbons of multi-lane highways into a future of driverless vehicles and mass-transit carriers. Yet the flying taxis promised years ago have yet to take off.

Unitsky has yet to successfully land a major project for the string rail pods. In India, a proposed project in a province met criticism and appears to have been abandoned. Another in Indonesia as well faced reported criticism from angry investors.

There also long have been questions regarding SkyWay, which prominently advertises Unitsky and his string-rail technology. In Italy, regulators in 2019 barred SkyWay and a number of subsidiaries from selling shares to the public. New Zealand said SkyWay could be involved in a scam. Authorities in Belgium warned investors SkyWay had the characteristics of a pyramid scheme. Lithuanian officials flatly told the public: Be careful or you may lose your money.

Hussain al-Mahmoudi, the CEO of the Sharjah research park, acknowledged in a brief interview with the AP that he was aware of uSky's connection to SkyWay.

Al-Mahmoudi described uSky as a tenant that paid rent at the park and that had not received any funding from Sharjah, one of the seven sheikhdoms that make up the United Arab Emirates. The uSky facility however prominently displayed a picture of Sharjah ruler Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi on a ride in one of the pods.

These are, as you put it, allegations," al-Mahmoudi said. We believe all kinds of startups or all kinds of companies have all kinds of allegations."

He added: Let's not forget this is a startup....When you are in the startup phase, you go through a lot of difficulties."

Al-Mahmoudi made the remarks only moments after telling journalists: There is no better and real technology and project than the uSky project.

Speaking to the AP through a translator, Unitsky said there were unnamed investment funds, not individuals who funded the project. He also said that he wasn't engaged in the finances. Yet the Dubai-based public relations firm later said the project has been partly backed by Dr. Anatoli Unitsky himself and through private investment funds.

SkyWay does not finance us, Unitsky said. SkyWay has been a fan of me as an engineer. I have millions of fans all around the globe.

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Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP)  A grand jury in North Carolina has indicted a man who admitted to an innocence panel that he broke into a woman's house 36 years ago and killed her, adding that the man sent to prison for the crime was nowhere to be seen that night.

Darren Leak Johnson, 55, confessed to investigators with the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission that he alone killed Blanche Ragins Bryson, according to commission records reported by the Winston-Salem Journal. On Monday, Johnson was indicted for first-degree murder in Brysons death.

Johnson told investigators and Winston-Salem police that Merritt Drayton Williams, who is currently serving a life sentence for Brysons death, was not on the scene Dec. 10, 1985. Johnsons DNA was found on Brysons nail clippings.

The Innocence Commission unanimously ruled in June 2019 that there was sufficient evidence that Williams did not kill Bryson. A panel of three superior court judges has to now schedule a hearing to determine whether Williams should be exonerated. According to court papers, the hearing had been scheduled for the week of Nov. 29, but Williams attorney, Julie Boyer, has asked that the hearing be rescheduled for February 2022, saying her ability to prepare has been hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Williams, 63, is currently serving two life sentences, plus 10 years in three separate homicides.

Forsyth County District Attorney Jim ONeill has criticized the commissions work and called it a waste of taxpayer dollars.

Bryson, a 65-year-old retiree who lived alone in a house in Winston-Salem, was found by her son strangled with a lamp cord wrapped around her neck. Her house had been ransacked and her car was found about a mile from her house, the newspaper reported.

The indictment moves Johnsons case to Forsyth Superior Court, where either a date for a trial will be set or prosecutors and Johnsons attorneys can negotiate a plea deal. It will be at least a year, if not more due to the pandemic, before the case is resolved.

Even though Johnson made statements to investigators with the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission that he acted alone in killing Bryson and that Williams was not there, Forsyth County prosecutors have contended they believe Williams made consistent statements about his involvement. They also said Johnson has admitted he was on LSD at the time. Prosecutors argue that Johnson and Williams could have broken into Brysons house and that Johnson just does not remember because of his drug use.

The only other person convicted in Brysons death was Robbin Carmichael, who confessed to his role in Brysons murder after he was arrested on unrelated charges. Carmichael had some of Brysons stolen items and his fingerprints were on Brysons car.
NEW YORK (AP)  Former President Donald Trump is stepping from afar back into the hotly contested Virginia governor's race with a tele-rally planned Monday for Republican Glenn Youngkin, according to a person familiar with his plans.

Trump will not be appearing with Youngkin. The call-in event will take place the day before an election in which Youngkin appears to be running neck-and-neck with Democrat Terry McAuliffe, who has tried throughout the race to tie his opponent to the former president.

Trump lost the state by 10 points in 2020. The person who discussed his plans spoke on condition of anonymity before the event was announced. Youngkins campaign declined to comment on the planned event.

Throughout the campaign, Youngkin has played a delicate dance, trying to win over Trumps loyal base, which he needs to win the election, while at the same time avoiding more extreme positions that might turn off more moderate voters, particularly those in suburban Washington and Richmond. Such moderates turned against Trump and helped deliver President Joe Bidens victory.

The last time time Trump waded into the race  calling into a rally organized by his conservative allies  McAuliffes campaign quickly made ads featuring Trumps praise of the Republican, even though Youngkin hadnt attended the event.

On Wednesday night, Trump issued a cryptic statement suggesting he might make a last-minute, first appearance in Virginia before the election, though officials in the state said nothing was planned.

Thank you, Arlington, see you soon! he wrote after supporters briefly interrupted a Biden rally for McAuliffe. Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich later said Trump looked forward to being back in Virginia! Details will be released when appropriate," but no event was announced.

Biden at that rally had goaded Trump over his absence from the state.

Think about it: He won't allow Donald Trump to campaign for him in this state," Biden said of Youngkin. "Is there a problem with Trump being here? Is he embarrassed?

Youngkin has largely campaigned without big Republican names while McAuliffe has appeared with the biggest names in Democratic politics, like Biden and former President Barack Obama, as well as celebrities such as musician Dave Matthews.

Democrats immediately criticized Youngkin for Trump's involvement.

Susan Swecker, chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Virginia, called on Youngkin to tell voters immediately whether he plans to take part in the event, which she said shows the two cant stay away from each other.

Donald Trump is on the ballot, make no mistake about it, she said. His name may not be on the ballot, but he is on the ballot.

McAuliffe also tweeted about the news, saying, Virginians, lets come together to REJECT Trump and send a powerful message to the nation: we are not going back.

Bloomberg News was first to report that the event had been confirmed. __ Associated Press writer Sarah Rankin contributed to this report from Richmond, Virginia.
TUNIS, Tunisia (AP)  Tunisias independent media regulator says it has shut down three broadcasters that were critical of the countrys president, who dissolved parliament and seized sweeping powers in the summer.

In a statement Wednesday, the regulator HAICA said the two TV stations and one radio station had operated illegally without a license for years, despite multiple calls to adhere to broadcasting licensing laws.

HAICA board member Hichem Senoussi confirmed to the Associated Press that the offices of Nessma TV and Al Quran al Karim radio were sealed Wednesday and their equipment seized with the help of police. Video showed dozens of police vans leaving Nessma TVs offices.

According to Senoussi, the stations management had long ignored the licensing law because they allegedly enjoyed political patronage from the parties in power, namely Ennahdha and Qalb Tounes.

Zitouna TV, which was shut down earlier in the month, also had ties to Tunisias moderate Islamist party Ennahdha. In July, Tunisian President Kais Saied dismissed his government, froze parliament, suspended political immunity for MPs and assumed extensive powers in what constitutional lawyers and opponents have called a coup.

Senoussi denied any political pressure behind HAICAs decision and said that it had no connection to Saieds agenda.

Personally, I wish that (the closure of the stations) had not taken place Senoussi said.

All three stations have been critical of Saied and the measures he took in July. Since Saieds consolidation of power, his critics have said he is undermining press freedoms and rights in Tunisia and have pointed to democratic backsliding. On July 26, Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeeras Tunis offices were also stormed by law enforcement.

Nessma TV is owned by business mogul Nabil Karoui, the leader of Qalb Tounes who lost to Kais Saied in the 2019 presidential elections. Prosecuted in money laundering and tax evasion cases, Karoui is currently facing trial in Algeria for entering the country illegally.

At a press conference late Wednesday Nessma TV lawyer Nazih Al Suwiay said the channel had submitted all the documents and taken all the necessary procedures requested by HAICA.

Al Quran al Karim radio is owned by Said Jaziri, a lawmaker for the salafist Islamist party Errahma. Wednesdays HAICA statement said that (the station) was promoting hate speech to incite violence and hatred.

While noting that two stations closed Wednesday were operating outside the standard framework and that it is important to apply the law, the president of Tunisia's journalists' association, Mohamed Yassine Jelassi told the AP that their closure is not the solution.

___

Associated Press reporter Francesca Ebel in Tunis, Tunisia contributed
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP)  A United Nations special envoy on Thursday urged the United States to end sanctions that she says have worsened Zimbabwes humanitarian crisis, while urging dialogue to end the impasse between the two countries.

The U.N envoy on unilateral coercive measures, Alena Douhan, has been in Zimbabwe for nearly two weeks investigating the impact of sanctions on the southern African country.

The U.S imposed travel and financial sanctions on Zimbabwes political, military and economic elite as well as companies linked to the state about two decades ago. This followed violent mass seizures of white-owned land and alleged vote-rigging and human rights violations by the late authoritarian President Robert Mugabe.

In her preliminary findings, Douhan said the U.S should cease the state of national emergency regarding Zimbabwe. She said the sanctions have exacerbated the pre-existing economic and humanitarian crisis, inhibiting the building of essential infrastructure and international and inter-institutional cooperation.

The United States embassy this week said that Washington can lift sanctions once it determines sanctioned individuals have stopped undermining democracy, violating human rights, or facilitating corruption.

The U.N. envoy met President Emmerson Mnangagwa as well as representatives of non-governmental organizations and opposition parties during her visit.

Zimbabwe has slid from being one of Africas most promising economies at independence from white minority rule in 1980 to a situation where many of the country's 15 million people reliant on informal trade and food handouts from international donors.

The country's once-robust public health system has also deteriorated while water, transport and other public infrastructure are in shambles. Mnangagwa blames these bad services on sanctions.

The main opposition and the U.S say corruption and human rights abuses are at the root of Zimbabwes woes.

The sanctions do not target the Zimbabwean people, said State Department spokesman Ned Price earlier this month. Zimbabwes economic ills, we know, are caused by leaders, those leaders abusing power, not U.S. sanctions. Our sanctions target only 83 individuals and 37 entities.

The sanctions seem to have neither loosened the ruling ZANU-PF partys grip on power nor improved the human rights situation, some analysts say.

Instead, they have had a reverse effect and have come as manna for the ruling party, which has used them as a scapegoat for the countrys economic decline and also to gain political mileage by labeling the opposition as lackeys of the U.S, said Harare-based economic commentator Alexander Rusero.

Mnangagwa promised reform after taking power from Mugabe in 2017 and urged Zimbabweans to stop mourning about sanctions. But with political pressure rising and resentment seemingly growing, he has returned to Mugabes anti-sanctions mantra.

Mnangagwa successfully lobbied the 15-nation regional bloc, the Southern African Development Community, to declare Oct.25 an annual anti-sanctions day. In Zimbabwe, the day was this year marked by pro-government marches, speeches and a televised anti-sanctions musical gala.
GREENWOOD, S.C. (AP)  Authorities in Greenwood are looking for a burglary and domestic violence suspect who escaped police custody after he told officers he ingested an illegal substance and was brought to the hospital.

Police discovered Alexander Lanier was no longer in his room at Self Regional Medical Center around 4:40 p.m. Wednesday, investigators said.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)  Federal wildlife officials are proposing to change the way Mexican gray wolves are managed in the American Southwest, saying removing population limits and setting goals for genetic diversity will help the endangered species recover.

The proposal also would allow more wolves to be released into the wild in New Mexico and Arizona, and place restrictions on permits issued to ranchers or state wildlife agencies that allow the killing of wolves if they prey on livestock, elk or deer.

Management of the predators has spurred numerous legal challenges over the decades by both ranchers and environmentalists. The latest proposal follows one of those court fights. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the proposed changes would better align with revisions made to the species' recovery plan.

The Mexican gray wolf, the rarest subspecies of the gray wolf in North America, has seen its population nearly double over the last five years. A survey done earlier this year showed at least 186 Mexican gray wolves in New Mexico and Arizona. Ranchers and rural residents have argued that's an undercount and a more accurate number is needed.

Environmental groups consider the proposed changes a step in the right direction but say more needs to be done to ensure a viable population of Mexican wolves.

They say the boundaries established by the Fish and Wildlife Service for recovery of the wolves in New Mexico and Arizona are among the limiting factors. If the animals travel beyond the boundaries, they can be trapped and relocated, returned to captivity or potentially killed.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department captured a wolf in August that was roaming near Flagstaff outside the recovery project's boundaries and relocated it to an area near the Arizona-New Mexico border.

Environmentalists said the wolf known as m2520 has trekked back. Arizona Game and Fish spokesman Tom Cadden said late Thursday that the department is monitoring the wolf's location and behavior.

Environmentalists also have called for reforms aimed at limiting conflicts with livestock and releasing more captive packs into the wild.

"We stand ready to return to court on behalf of lobos (wolves) if the final rule is insufficient to conserve this critically imperiled species, said Kelly Nokes, an attorney for the Western Environmental Law Center.

Ranchers in the mountainous regions of southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico where the wolves roam say livestock deaths due to predation are escalating as the population grows. The latest report from wildlife managers put the number of confirmed livestock deaths for the year at 95.

The wolf recovery team uses feeding caches to draw wolves away from cattle, but ranchers say the wolves are becoming more brazen and that efforts to scare them away using range riders on horseback or flagging along fence lines hasn't worked. They also say they don't receive timely compensation for livestock lost to wolves.

It is an incredible management hurdle for those of us on the ground to deal with the wolves," said Tom Paterson, who ranches along the New Mexico state line and is a member of the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association. Even if we put our cattle on private pastures where we are every day going around and looking, they still kill our cattle.

Paterson has lost several cows and calves this year. He described a trail of blood that stretched 150 feet (46 meters) along a creek and cases in which cattle were attacked and their unborn calves eaten.

This is a broken program, he said.

The Fish and Wildlife Service is planning virtual public hearings and information sessions on the proposed changes. The public will have 90 days to comment.

Once common throughout the U.S. Southwest and northern Mexico, the Mexican wolf was all but eliminated by the 1970s, prompting the U.S. government to develop a captive breeding program. There are about 350 Mexican wolves in more than 55 zoos and other facilities throughout the United States and Mexico.

___

Associated Press writer Felicia Fonseca in Flagstaff, Arizona, contributed to this story.
ELY, Nev. (AP)  A 65-year-old Las Vegas man died after falling off his kayak during a fishing trip at the Kirch Wildlife Management Area in northeast Nye County about 75 miles (120 kilometers) south of Ely, the Nevada Department of Wildlife said Thursday.

Paul Bifulco was fishing with a friend Monday when he capsized about 200 yards (183 meters) from the shore. He initially appeared to be okay when his inflatable like jacket brought him back to the surface, but collapsed in the cold waters while attempting to get back to shore, NDOW said.
Geber86/Getty Images

SEATTLE (AP)  The Washington state education department says nearly nine out of 10 public school employees are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in Washington state.

The vaccination rate announced by officials Thursday, 89%, is slightly lower than that of other state employees, whose total vaccinated numbers stood at about 93% of workers this week.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP)  An election watchdog on Thursday filed a federal complaint alleging former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens violated campaign finance laws in his bid for U.S. Senate.

Washington-based nonprofit campaign finance watchdog group Campaign Legal Center filed the Federal Elections Commission complaint against Greitens, who resigned in 2018 amid a sex scandal and other claims of campaign finance misconduct. He's now running for retiring U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt's seat in a crowded GOP primary.

Greitens, a prolific fundraiser during his successful 2016 gubernatorial bid, had more than $1 million left in his state campaign committee bid when he resigned in 2018. The complaint alleges Greitens unlawfully used more than $100,000 of that to kickstart his Senate bid.

The complaint lists $18,000 that Greitens' state campaign spent on a political website that his Senate campaign now is using. His federal campaign reported that expense as an in-kind contribution from Greitens himself.

The complaint also alleges Greitens began paying his current campaign manager Dylan Johnson, as well as an LLC created by Johnson, out of his state campaign account years before Greitens announced the launch of his U.S. Senate campaign in March.

State campaign funds cannot be used for federal campaigns.

Greitens Senate campaign said that no gubernatorial campaign funds were used for the Senate campaign and called the allegations ludicrous.

Funds from the state campaign were used for compliance and to defend against attacks, the campaign said in a statement.

Campaign Legal Center said in a statement that the law is in place to prevent former state-level candidates, especially ones in states that allow unlimited campaign fundraising, from getting an unfair advantage over other federal candidates, who can't accept more than $2,900 in contributions per donor under federal law.

Missouri allowed unlimited political donations during Greitens' 2016 gubernatorial bid, although the state later put caps on campaign contributions.

Senate candidates cannot quietly finance their campaign with six-figure and corporate contributions, Brendan Fischer, director of federal reform for Campaign Legal Center, said in a statement.

Greitens was a political newcomer when he won his first bid for office in 2016 and went on to become Missouri governor.

His meteorite rise imploded in 2018 when he resigned amid several scandals, including accusations that he took a compromising photo of a woman without her consent during a 2015 extramarital affair and used it to blackmail her into keeping quiet.

Campaign finance issues also played a role in his 2018 departure. Then Attorney General Josh Hawley, a Republican and now a senator, in 2018 opened an inquiry into whether Greitens used a donor list from his charity for his political campaign.

Hawleys investigation determined that Greitens may have committed a felony by taking the charitys donor list and using it for political fundraising without the charitys permission, and he was charged with felony tampering with computer data in April 2018.

In February 2020, the Missouri Ethics Commission found probable cause and issued a $178,000 fine, though it required payment of just $38,000.

The commission didnt find evidence that Greitens personally knew about the campaign finance issues. For that reason, Greitens said the report exonerated him.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP)  Nebraska's largest and oldest state prison lost running water because of a plumbing issue, forcing inmates and staffers to use bottled water and portable toilets and raising concerns about conditions at the facility.

Officials at the Nebraska State Penitentiary in Lincoln said they had to shut off the water Tuesday when they discovered numerous leaks in the facility's old, brittle pipes.

Laura Strimple, a spokeswoman for the state corrections department, said in an email that crews had restored water service to all but one housing unit by Wednesday afternoon, and the prison was back to full normal operations early Thursday morning.

State Sen. Terrell McKinney visited the prison on Wednesday and said he saw toilets filled with human waste. He said he was told that prisoners were getting two water bottles a day, but some complained that they had only received one, and a few prisoners were using mop buckets to shower.

From what I saw, it was horrible, McKinney said. You could smell it when you walked in.

Prison officials said the problem demonstrates the need for a new $230 million facility proposed by Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts. But some state lawmakers, including McKinney, an Omaha Democrat, argue that a new prison isn't necessary, especially when other states are closing prisons to save money.

The Nebraska State Penitentiary was built in 1869 and houses minimum, medium and maximum security inmates. It has undergone several renovations over past decades, but corrections officials have argued that it's no longer cost-effective to upgrade the facility with an average population of nearly 1,300 inmates. Nebraska's corrections department has identified $60 million in maintenance projects that are needed throughout the prison system, including $12.5 million at the state penitentiary.

There are limits to how much work can be completed at any given time within a fully occupied prison," Strimple said. The issue has never been money, it's a reflection of an aging infrastructure.

In a statement, Nebraska Department of Correctional Services Director Scott Frakes said building a new prison is the smartest investment the state can make to securely house inmates.

Otherwise, we will never get out of the ongoing cycle of making repairs  repairs that are even more expensive due to the age of the facility and the issues with working around a higher security population, he said.

The prison's water system has faced numerous problems for years, including five water main breaks between December 2017 and September 2018, according to an independent watchdog agency that oversees the corrections department.

In September 2018, one water main broke in two areas on consecutive days, according to a report by the Office of the Inspector General of the Nebraska Correctional System. Inspector General Doug Koebernick wrote in the report that it appears as though it will be a regular issue due to the aging infrastructure of the facility.

James Davis III, a deputy state ombudsman for Nebraska corrections, said Thursday he was investigating the matter after getting complaints from inmates and their families.

McKinney said he remains opposed to building a new prison and would rather see prison officials focus on upgrading the existing state prison. He said building another, larger facility doesn't make sense, given the chronic staffing shortages within the corrections department.

I would say the situation should be a concern for all Nebraskans, he said.

___

Follow Grant Schulte on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GrantSchulte
WASHINGTON (AP)  After months of talks with Democratic lawmakers, President Joe Biden outlined Thursday a $1.75 trillion framework to support families and education as well as protect against global warming.

The updated plan includes universal preschool, funding to limit child care costs and a one-year continuation of a child tax credit that was expanded earlier this year and applied to more families. But Democrats are scaling back some investments and shortening the timeframe for funding to whittle down spending. Some proposals were dropped entirely. More negotiations are possible.

The framework fits an approximately $1.75 trillion budget over 10 years, rather than the $3.5 trillion budget plan originally envisioned.

Here's what's in the package, according to the White House:

TAX BREAKS

 An expanded child tax credit would continue for another year. As part of a COVID relief bill, Democrats increased the tax credit to $3,000 per child age 6-17 and $3,600 per child age 5 and under. Households earning up to $150,000 per year get the credit paid out to them on a monthly basis. Budget hawks worry that a one-year extension is a budgetary tool that will lower the cost of the program on paper, but mask its true costs since lawmakers tend to continue programs rather than let them expire.

 Continue for one year the expanded Earned Income Tax Credit that goes to 17 million childless, low-income workers.

EDUCATION

 Universal prekindergarten for all 3- and 4-year-olds and child-care subsidies for poorer and middle-income Americans are part of the package. But the programs are only funded for six years.

 Provide $40 billion for higher education and workforce development. This includes raising the size of Pell Grants and providing funding for historically Black colleges and universities as well as institutions where students are largely Hispanic or serve tribal communities.

HEALTH CARE

 Medicare would be expanded to cover hearing aids, costing an estimated $35 billion over 10 years.

 Expanded tax credits for insurance premiums tied to the Affordable Care Act would be extended through 2025. The White House said it would help 3 million uninsured people gain coverage.

 Provide $150 billion for a Medicaid program that supports home health care, helping to clear a backlog and improving working conditions.

 Provide $90 billion for investments that would include funding maternal health, community violence initiatives, disadvantaged farmers, nutrition and pandemic preparation.

CHILD CARE

 Bidens plan calls for parents earning up to 250% of a states median income to pay no more than 7% of their income on child care. Parents must be working, seeking a job, in school or dealing with a health issue to qualify.

HOUSING

 Commit $150 billion toward housing affordability with the goal of building more than 1 million new rental and single-family homes. The goal would be to reduce price pressures by providing rental and down payment assistance.

ENVIRONMENT

 Fund $320 billion worth of clean energy tax credits. These credits over 10 years would help businesses and homeowners shift to renewable energy sources for electricity, vehicles and manufacturing.

 Direct $105 billion toward investments that would improve communities' ability to withstand the extreme weather caused by climate change. The funding would also create a Civilian Climate Corps that focuses on conserving public lands and bolster community resilience to flooding, drought and other weather emergencies.

 Provide $110 billion to help develop new domestic supply chains and develop new solar and battery technologies. Support would also be given to existing steel, cement and aluminum industries.

 Use $20 billion for the government to become the buyer of clean energy technologies as part of the procurement process.

TAXES

 Beefs up the IRS to improve collections and close the gap between taxes owed and taxes paid.

 A 15% minimum income tax on large corporations, along with a 1% surcharge on corporate stock buybacks.

 A new surtax on multi-millionaires and billionaires.

 Aligning the U.S. with an agreement reached by more than 100 countries earlier this month designed to deter multinational companies from stashing profits in low-tax countries.

 Closes a provision that allows some wealthy taxpayers to avoid paying the 3.8% Medicare tax on their earnings.

WHAT'S OUT OF THE BILL

 A proposal to expand Medicare to cover dental and vision care is out because of concerns about the overall costs.

 A proposal to provide paid family and medical leave to new parents, those caring for loved ones or those recovering from an illness. The United States is one of the only countries in the world that doesnt guarantee paid leave.

 A proposal to have Medicare negotiate prescription drug prices.
WEST HAVEN, Conn. (AP)  A Connecticut woman has been charged with larceny after police say she stole nearly $600,000 from her husband and convinced him he had Alzheimer's disease in an attempt to hide her actions.

Police said the 63-year-old woman forged documents over nearly 20 years in order to steal her husband's pension checks, Social Security checks, workers compensation settlements, and other funds and put the money in a secret bank account.
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

Oakland oral surgeon Cassidy Migan Lavorini-Doyle was sentenced to 16 years in prison Wednesday in federal court in San Francisco for his convictions of attempted sex trafficking of a child, attempted production of child pornography, traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct and the receipt of child pornography.

United States District Judge Charles R. Breyer delivered the sentence, which was announced by Acting United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds, Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Tatum King, and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Craig D. Fair.

Lavorini-Doyle, 38, entered into a plea agreement and pleaded guilty to the charges on May 26.

According to the announcement from prosecutors, Lavorini-Doyle admitted to numerous acts that involved sexual abuse or intended sexual abuse of children, as well as to traveling to Cambodia in 2019 to engage in commercial sex with minors.

It was during this trip that investigators searched Lavorini-Doyle's home and seized several of his electronic devices, finding enough evidence to arrest him on his return at the airport in San Francisco on Dec. 11, 2019.

The judge also sentenced Lavorini-Doyle to a lifelong term of supervised release upon his release from prison.

Lavorini-Doyle is next scheduled to appear in custody in Contra Costa County Superior Court, where he faces related child sex trafficking state criminal charges being prosecuted by the Contra Costa County Office of the District Attorney.

Copyright  2021 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.

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Hollywood icon and Oakland hometown hero Tom Hanks made an appearance on this week's episode of the podcast "SmartLess," hosted by actors Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett.

As fans of the podcast might expect, the first few minutes featured Hanks roasting the hosts. The conversation led into a discussion of the Bernie Gunther series of detective novels, which begins in 1930s Germany. Sean Hayes, who was recently nominated in the iHeartRadio podcast awards in the category of best host (to the dismay of Bateman and Arnett), then asked Hanks about his fascination with war.

Hanks framed the concept of war films  specifically movies about World War I and II  as clear battles between good and evil. The group discussed "Saving Private Ryan" and how military service used to be a bigger part of American life, with so many everyday Americans answering the call of duty. Then Hanks went on to describe an anecdote from his early days in Oakland working as a bellhop at the Royal Hotel at the age of 18.

A man who ran the dry cleaning services for the hotel had taken a two-week vacation, and on his return, Hanks asked him about where he went. The man dodged Hanks' questions, until revealing that he had made a yearly pilgrimage to the site of his military service.

"Hes in his 50s, and what hes telling me is that when he was in his 20s, he jumped into Normandy on D-Day and he was a paratrooper. And now, hes a guy delivering the dry cleaning for the hotel. I felt stupid and small, but also, he was an example of that adult, that caregiver, that was part of daily life. He didnt know if he was going to make it back ...

"Look, thats a generation, a time that was loaded with all types of problems that of course were still dealing with right now. But you cant take away the fact that these were young guys that were asked to liberate the world from really, really bad people and they did it."

On a lighter note, Hanks also goes on to discuss some of his earliest comedic roles in films like "Splash" and his work in the 1980s sitcom "Bosom Buddies."

Listen to the full podcast on Wondery Plus, Amazon Music or Apple Podcasts through links at SmartLess.com.
A passenger on an American Airlines flight traveling from New York to California physically assaulted a flight attendant on Wednesday, the airline said.

Flight 976 was traveling from John F. Kennedy International Airport to John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana when it made an emergency landing at Denver International Airport.

The plane taxied "safely to the gate," where law enforcement removed the passenger, the airline said. The flight then continued to California. The flight attendant was reportedly taken to a hospital; the airline didn't release details on her condition.

Witnesses told local media the unnamed passenger punched the flight attendant in the face.

Mackenzie Rose, a passenger on the flight, told CBS Los Angeles that the flight attendant was assaulted about halfway through the trip, when the plane was over Ohio.

I understand that he actually punched her twice," Rose told the TV station after landing in Santa Ana. I did see her walk back down the aisle afterwards. She had blood splattered on the outside of her mask."

Someone punched a flight attendant in the nose, broke her nose, Liv Johnson told NBCLA. Johnson told the TV station she saw the man being duct taped to his seat before the plane was diverted to Denver.

American Airlines didn't confirm that the passenger punched the flight attendant or that the passenger was restrained with duct tape.

American Airlines said in a statement the passenger will be banned from American Airlines flights, and added, We will not be satisfied until he has been prosecuted to the full extent of the law. This behavior must stop.

We are outraged by the reports of what took place on board. Acts of violence against our team members are not tolerated by American Airlines, the Fort Worth, Texas-based airline said.

The FBI and the U.S. Attorneys Office in Colorado said they were investigating the incident. No arrests had been made as of Thursday, FBI spokesperson Courtney Bernal said.

The United States Attorneys Office takes seriously all matters involving potential threats to the safety of airline flights, crew or passengers, the office said in a statement.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it would investigate, as well.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
With an unexpected torrent of rain following the atmospheric river earlier this week, the much-anticipated firefall has returned to Yosemite National Parks Horsetail Fall.

The phenomenon usually takes place in February  though this year, a trip to see the February phenomenon was to no avail for SFGATE's parks editor  but the late-October storm brought favorable conditions for Horsetail Fall to reanimate once more this year.

"For 15 minutes, Horsetail Fall glowed in fiery hues, framed by foliage of the same colors," nature photographer Scott Oller wrote on Instagram. "It actually happened."

I have heard Horsetail Fall was dried out until the snow storm last Sunday swept through the valley and brought it back to life, said fellow photographer Edgar Le in a message to SFGATE.

When SFGATE reached out to Yosemite PIO Scott Gediman, he told SFGATE that he did not have any further information to share.

Firefalls usually only take place during February, when the conditions are ripe for the setting sun to strike the waterfall at the right angle, giving the appearance of lava rushing down the rocky mount.

Courtesy of Scott Oller

The phenomenon of traveling to Yosemite for a firefall has existed since the 1870s, when people would drop burning hot embers over the top of Glacier Point. And since that time, Yosemite has become a popular destination  with the National Park Service opening up reservations for prospective firefall catchers.

Le is from Rochester, New York, and joked to SFGATE that he felt like he was haunted when he first got to Yosemite Valley in the middle of a snowstorm.

I know its rare and supposedly only occurs in February, so seeing it in October was more than a miracle, he said. I couldnt imagine how lucky I was to be there at the exact time and location.

Courtesy of Edgar Le

But for those hoping to catch a glimpse, time is rapidly running out. Oller cautioned that the window of good light for the firefall is rapidly closing.

[By] the weekend it probably wont be the classic dramatic firefall look anymore, he said.
John O'Connor

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP)  Illinois law has for more than four decades protected those who oppose providing or receiving medical treatment because of their religious beliefs. Now Democrats want an exception to allow repercussions for those who refuse vaccinations in the battle against COVID-19.

Long considered a shield for physicians whose religious beliefs precluded their performing abortions, the Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience Act has become a pandemic lightning rod. Lawsuits invoking it are challenging employers trying to enforce rules requiring testing for or inoculation against the coronavirus.
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP)  The morning after a Brazilian Senate committee recommended criminal indictments for President Jair Bolsonaro over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bruna Chaves, who lost her mother to the disease, was venting her pain in an emotional grief support group session.

It wasnt my moms time to go, she told the others Wednesday inside an ecumenical chapel in Rio de Janeiro. Somebody needs to be blamed.

A government body laying blame at the presidents feet in the form of a nearly 1,300-page report is already helping bring solace and validation to the mournful nation with the worlds second highest death toll from the virus and eighth highest per capita.

Chaves, a 25-year-old chemistry student, has been watching in recent weeks the nationally televised sessions on the committees six-month probe, which culminated Tuesday with the recommendation that President Jair Bolsonaro face charges along with dozens of other officials and allies.

The social worker coordinating Chaves session, Marcia Torres, said that publicly laying out the facts during the Senate inquiry can help people move forward in their grieving process. Seeing officials face the consequences of their actions would bring further comfort.

Condemnation would be justice, Torres said. For people, it would be of great value to see that, see the government arrested  literally arrested. For them, it would be a relief.

Many including Chaves fear, however, that prospects are slim for concrete punishment of officials accused of responsibility for many of Brazils 607,000 COVID-19 deaths. Its far from certain that the prosecutor-general, a Bolsonaro appointee, will pursue charges or that impeachment proceedings will advance in Congress.

The president has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and called the Senate committee's probe a politically motivated sham seeking to undermine his administration.

But Dr. Helian Nunes, a psychiatrist at the Federal University of Minas Gerais who coordinates a program providing mental health support to front-line workers, said the probe has mattered to his patients. Of the nearly 100 people he personally counseled, almost all of whom lost loved ones or acquaintances, most have followed news from the Senate inquiry closely and brought it up in sessions, he told the AP.

It isnt possible to replace the losses, but when you give voice to these people, and hold the people involved responsible, its possible to lessen the damage, Nunes said.

"Society needs to give importance to what happened so it doesnt happen again, he added.

Bolsonaro has often deflected blame for the pandemics toll, excoriating governors and mayors for imposing restrictions on activity to contain the virus spread, attacking the Supreme Court for upholding local leaders jurisdictions and casting himself as righteously refusing politically correct recommendations by keeping the economy running, ostensibly to shield the poor.

A constant in his pandemic approach has been dismissive, belittling rhetoric  COVID-19 was just a little flu, Bolsonaro has said, and he also joked that Brazilians should be studied because they can swim in sewage without falling ill.

That has long rankled people like Marcio Antonio Silva, who lost his 25-year-old son to the coronavirus and recently told the Senate committee it pained him to have his grief downplayed as mere bellyaching by a president offering sarcasm rather than succor.

Thats why this investigation was so important to me, because someone appeared who didnt say, So what?" Silva said in testimony, his voice quavering. "Someone came and said, Im going to do something for you.'

Throughout the pandemic, Bolsonaro gathered crowds of maskless people to demonstrate that individuals have a right to come and go as they please, but not once did he pay respects at a COVID-19 memorial or burial. He has followed tepid statements of regret over COVID-19 deaths with pivots to fatalism by saying death is part of life.

An outspoken vaccine skeptic, he insistently touted the anti-malaria pill hydroxychloroquine long after broad testing showed it wasnt effective against COVID-19. The Senate committees report says hydroxychloroquine was practically the only government policy to fight the pandemic, and as a result Bolsonaro is the main person responsible for the errors committed by the federal government.

Amid the drumbeat of allegations arising from the investigation, the presidents approval ratings have steadily declined to reach their lowest level since he took office in 2019. Early polls for next years election, meanwhile, show him trailing his main rival.

The Senate committee has proposed creating a monument for COVID-19 victims, but for now, relatives of the dead must take solace in temporary memorials like the white flags planted earlier this month outside Congress in Brasilia, the capital.

Fernanda Natasha Bravo Cruz was there that day mourning her father, whom she recalled as a lawyer who often provided pro bono legal services to those in need. After initially heeding stay-at-home recommendations, he started letting his guard down, got infected and died before getting the chance to hold his newborn granddaughter. Ahead of that much-anticipated encounter, he sent her a copy of Antoine de Saint-Exuperys The Little Prince.

Now, whenever Cruzs daughter glimpses the book, she points excitedly as if she knows someone wanted her to grow up reading it.

On Wednesday, Cruz said the Senate committee's decision brought some measure of justice.

Its important that there be institutions on the side of the people who are suffering and were made very fragile by this process, Cruz said. Its not just personal grief. Its collective grief.

___

Biller reported from Rio de Janeiro, and Alvares reported from Brasilia.
A cheap antidepressant reduced the need for hospitalization among high-risk adults with COVID-19 in a study hunting for existing drugs that could be repurposed to treat coronavirus.

Researchers tested the pill used for depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder because it was known to reduce inflammation and looked promising in smaller studies.

They've shared the results with the U.S. National Institutes of Health, which publishes treatment guidelines, and they hope for a World Health Organization recommendation.

If WHO recommends this, you will see it widely taken up, said study co-author Dr. Edward Mills of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, adding that many poor nations have the drug readily available. We hope it will lead to a lot of lives saved.

The pill, called fluvoxamine, would cost $4 for a course of COVID-19 treatment. By comparison, antibody IV treatments cost about $2,000 and Merck's experimental antiviral pill for COVID-19 is about $700 per course. Some experts predict various treatments eventually will be used in combination to fight the coronavirus.

Researchers tested the antidepressant in nearly 1,500 Brazilians recently infected with coronavirus who were at risk of severe illness because of other health problems, such as diabetes. About half took the antidepressant at home for 10 days, the rest got dummy pills. They were tracked for four weeks to see who landed in the hospital or spent extended time in an emergency room when hospitals were full.

In the group that took the drug, 11% needed hospitalization or an extended ER stay, compared to 16% of those on dummy pills.

The results, published Wednesday in the journal Lancet Global Health, were so strong that independent experts monitoring the study recommended stopping it early because the results were clear.

Questions remain about the best dosing, whether lower risk patients might also benefit and whether the pill should be combined with other treatments.

The larger project looked at eight existing drugs to see if they could work against the pandemic virus. The project is still testing a hepatitis drug, but all the others  including metformin, hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin  haven't panned out.

The cheap generic and Merck's COVID-19 pill work in different ways and may be complementary, said Dr. Paul Sax of Brigham and Womens Hospital and Harvard Medical School, who was not involved in the study. Earlier this month, Merck asked regulators in the U.S. and Europe to authorize its antiviral pill.

___

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 House panel investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection has focused some of its early work on the planning of the rally at which President Donald Trump told his supporters to fight like hell. The rally, held that morning and planned by former White House and campaign aides, became a staging ground for hundreds of supporters who marched to the Capitol, pushed past police and broke inside.

What the committee still doesnt know  or at least hasnt revealed publicly  is whether Trump and the organizers of the rally, along with Republican members of Congress, were in touch with protesters who later breached the Capitol or aware of plans for violence. Around 800 people eventually busted through windows and doors and interrupted the certification of President Joe Bidens victory, repeating Trump's false claims that he had won the election.

But there were strong signals of what was to take place, starting with Trumps December tweet promising that the Jan. 6 event would be wild and encouraging supporters to come. In the weeks and days beforehand, some people  including those from far-right militant groups  planned for violence openly online. And when they arrived, some wore tactical gear as if prepared for battle.

Why would you bring bear spray, Kevlar vests, and other items to a peaceful rally? asked Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, the committees chairman, in an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday. Thompson says there were people who came to Washington just for the rally, and others who came to do just what happened here at the Capitol.

As part of the probe, the committee is looking at what members of Congress knew about the event. Some lawmakers spoke at the rally, while others helped plan it. Thompson said that were not there yet in terms of reaching any conclusions, but added that there is a school of thought that there were some people who misinformed as to what was happening on Jan. 6 as they encouraged Trump supporters to attend.

A look at what we know, and what we dont, about the rallys planning as the committee investigates:

WHAT WE KNOW

The committee has subpoenaed 13 people associated with the rally on the National Mall that morning and a smaller one that had been planned next to the Capitol. Almost all of the people subpoenaed were listed on the permit for the Mall event, where Trump told his supporters that if you dont fight like hell, youre not going to have a country anymore.

Republican members of Congress, including Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks and North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn, also spoke at the rally. Brooks told the crowd to stop at the Capitol before they went home and that today is the day that American patriots start taking down names and kicking ass.

Most of the rallys organizers had worked on Trumps presidential campaign or in his administration, and the White House coordinated with them starting in mid-December, according to two people familiar with the planning who requested anonymity to discuss it. The permit for the rally was issued to Women for America First, a pro-Trump group with roots in the tea party movement.

As the event was underway and as Trump was speaking, a large group of people made its way to the Capitol, among them members of far-right extremist groups like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers who forcibly entered. Some dressed in tactical vests and helmets and marched toward the door in a military-style formation.

One of the organizers who was subpoenaed, Ali Alexander, said after the riot that the intention was to direct attendees of the larger rally to march to the Capitol. In his subpoena, the panel cited media reports that Alexander had made reference to the possible use of violence to achieve the organizations goals and had been in communication with the White House and members of Congress.

In the months since, many Republicans who denounced the violence have started playing it down and even defended the rioters. Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar, for example, has repeatedly said that a woman who was shot and killed by police as she was trying to break into the House chamber was executed. The committee has asked the National Archives for records of communications between Gosars chief of staff and the Trump administration.

WHAT WE DONT KNOW

There are still many unknowns about how the rally was planned. Were the organizers planning an insurrection? Who paid for the rally and what was their goal? How much did Trump know? And were any members of Congress communicating with the protesters who broke in?

In the days after the attack, some Democrats questioned whether their Republican colleagues had helped the rioters. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that if any members aided and abetted the crimes they may have to be prosecuted.

There has been no direct evidence that any members of Congress helped the rioters. But the committee says it is investigating every aspect of the attack, including whether lawmakers assisted the attackers and how involved they were in planning the rally and others beforehand.

Thompson says that if any members appear to be implicated in the attack, I dont think theres any reluctance to call them in for testimony.

WHAT THE COMMITTEE IS INVESTIGATING

The committee is interviewing some of the rally organizers it subpoenaed behind closed doors and negotiating with others. So far, all of the 13 have at least communicated with the panel about testifying. The committee is also seeking a broad swath of presidential documents from the National Archives about communications between officials in the run-up to the rally and the insurrection.

In August, the committee asked social media and telecommunications companies to preserve phone or computer records for hundreds of people who were potentially involved with efforts to challenge, delay or interfere with the certification or otherwise try to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Among the hundreds of names they sent the companies were several of Trumps most ardent Republican allies in Congress, including Brooks, Cawthorn and GOP Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Jody Hice of Georgia, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Louie Gohmert of Texas, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania and Lauren Boebert of Colorado.

Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Democrat on the Jan. 6 panel, said the committee is probing how the origins of the rally, or its planning, may be linked to the violence.

We want to know what the connection is, Raskin said, and whether the insurrection was part of the original design, or a detour for the people who were there.

Weve been given the charge to investigate the events of Jan. 6, the causes of Jan. 6, and what America needs to do to prevent further political insurrections and coups directed against the government, Raskin said. So we want to talk to everybody whos got information related to all of those things. And so that includes elected officials, that includes anyone who has information to give us.

___

Smith reported from Providence, Rhode Island.
Marta Lavandier/AP

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP)  The state of Florida has withheld funding from two school districts over their coronavirus mask mandates, flouting threats from White House officials who warned that such penalties would violate federal law.

School officials in Alachua and Broward counties on Wednesday said the state docked school board salaries and overall funding in amounts equal to federal aid packages meant to blunt the state's sanctions on mask requirements. This month, more than $164,000 was withheld from the Alachua school district and more than $455,000 was withheld from Broward.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP)  A ransomware gang believed to operate out of Russia says it hacked the National Rifle Association, the most powerful gun-rights group in the United States.

The gang, which calls itself Grief, published a handful of what appear to be the NRA files on a dark web site. The files, reviewed by The Associated Press, relate to grants the NRA has awarded. Ransomware gangs often post a victims files publicly in hopes of spurring them to pay out a ransom.

NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam said on Twitter that the NRA does not discuss matters relating to its physical or electronic security and takes extraordinary measures to protect its information. A person with direct knowledge of the situation who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the NRA has had problems with its email system this week  a potential sign of a ransomware attack.

Ransomware attacks have spiked in recent years against all manner of companies and organizations, but rarely are the targets as politically sensitive as the NRA. The group has long enjoyed close ties to top Republican lawmakers and been a been a major supporter of Republican candidates. The NRA spent tens of millions of dollar in the past two presidential elections trying to help Donald Trump.

The group has been beset by legal and financial troubles in recent years but remains a potent force politically and has more than 5 million members.

Allan Liska, an intelligence analyst at the cybersecurity firm Recorded Future, said it's highly unusual for a politically active group such as the NRA to be targeted by ransomware gangs, but he said there is no evidence the attack was politically motivated. He said ransomware gangs usually do not target organizations, but vulnerable technologies.

It's not likely that this was specifically targeted at the NRA, the NRA just happened to get hit," he said. You never know, though.

Liska said the email problems could be related to the ransomware attack. He said email systems are top targets of ransomware gangs because they often contain sensitive information and hamper an organization's response to an attack, further incentivizing them to pay a ransom.

Spokespeople for the FBI did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

Greif is believed by many cybersecurity experts to be linked to Evil Corp, a ransomware gang that was previously active. The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on the group in 2019, saying it had stolen more than $100 million from banks and financial institutions in 40 countries.

U.S. and Russian ties have already been strained this year over a string of high-profile ransomware attacks against American targets launched by Russia-based cyber gangs. President Joe Biden has warned Russian President Vladimir Putin in an effort to get him to crack down on ransomware criminals, but several top Biden administration cybersecurity officials have said recently that they have seen no evidence of that.

____

Associated Press writer Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The White House on Wednesday responded skeptically after Iran's chief negotiator announced that Tehran was ready to return to nuclear negotiations in Vienna by the end of next month.

Ali Bagheri, Iran's deputy foreign minister and chief negotiator for the talks, in a Twitter posting said Iran has agreed to restart negotiations by the end of November and a date for a resumption of talks would be announced in the course of the next week.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said administration officials were aware of Bagheri's comments but were waiting for European officials to confirm that Iran is indeed ready to resume talks.

I would leave to the negotiators to determine when the next round of discussions will be, Psaki said. "Our framing continues to be compliance for compliance, and well leave it up to the Europeans and our negotiators to determine when the next step would be.

Former President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the 2015 nuclear deal and the U.S. has participated indirectly in the Vienna talks, which were aimed at bringing both Washington and Tehran back into compliance. The talks have been on hiatus since June when Irans President Ebrahim Raisi took power.

Bagheris signaling that Iran was ready to resume talks comes after U.S. special envoy for Iran, Robert Malley, said this week there is a deep and growing concern in the Biden administration about Irans refusal to commit to a date to resume negotiations in Vienna.

The UNs atomic watchdog has said Iran is increasingly in violation of the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA. Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China and the European Union remain part of the deal.

Psaki said the U.S. and its partners still want a diplomatic solution, but White House officials say they are considering alternatives, although a decision will be dependent on Irans actions. Biden is set to travel to Rome later this week for the Group of 20 summit, where he's expected to consult with allies about the Iran nuclear program on the margins of the summit.

We will be sending clear messages to the Iranians ... that this window is not unlimited, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Tuesday.

Last week, after Malley met with European officials in Paris, France urged Iran to curb nuclear activities of unprecedented gravity.

Malley has also recently held a series of high-level meetings in Washington between senior Biden administration officials and the foreign ministers of Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and the European Unions diplomatic chief.

Bagheri also said on Twitter that he has engaged in very serious and constructive dialogue with Enrique Mora, the European Unions deputy secretary general for political affairs, on the essential elements for successful negotiations.
(BPT) - Tis the season to go shopping. Whether online or in stores, you probably have a list and are checking it twice as you cross off to-do
Raipur, Oct 28 (IANS) Chief Minister of Jharkhand Hemant Soren and Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Bhupesh Baghel inaugurated an event on tribal dance -- the 'National Tribal Festival' in Raipur on Thursday in which more than a thousand artists from 27 states, 6 union territories and 7 countries are participating.

The 'National Tribal Dance Festival' and 'Rajyotsava 2021' began at Raipur Science College in which the dance troupes from seven countries including Nigeria, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Uganda, Switzerland, Maldives, Palestine and Syria are participating.

The Chief Minister said, the program has become a grand success and it will take the state to international level.

Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi has appreciated the efforts of the Chhattisgarh Government by sending a congratulatory message. He said, "on the occasion of National Adivasi Dance Festival 2021, I congratulate Chhattisgarh Government on providing a platform to Adivasi artists from across India to showcase their unique cultural traditions. I welcome you all to this important event".

Rahul Gandhi had inaugurated National Tribal Dance Festival in Chhattisgarh in 2019. But he could not attend this year's event, organised for the second time in the state.

His message was read out by former Rajya Sabha MP B.K. Hariprasad in the inaugural programme.

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel thanked Rahul Gandhi for his appreciation and best wishes.

Rahul Gandhi said, "our Adivasi brothers and sisters are repositories of our heritage, and they have been at the forefront of preserving our ancient wisdom. Every folk song, dance, painting and sculpture tells a unique story, and provides a window into the fascinating world of our ancestors. It is through these living traditions that societies and communities keep their collective memories alive.

"I am happy that Chhattisgarh Government has been working proactively to support and recognize our Adivasi artists," stated Rahul Gandhi in his message.

--IANS

miz/skp/
At the second meeting of the foreign ministers of the neighbouring countries of Afghanistan hosted by Tehran on Wednesday, Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi not only stressed on Taliban making "a clean break with terrorist forces" but also batted for "expanding multilateral coordination" in the country.

New Delhi, Oct 28: In a major shift in its stance on the situation in Afghanistan, China now wants the United Nations to coordinate the transition in Afghanistan following the Taliban's return to Kabul.

Foreign ministers of the six countries bordering Afghanistan, including China, Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan participated in the conference along with Russia which began with a video message from UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

"We need to increase mutual reinforcement and build synergy between the various mechanisms on Afghanistan, and support the United Nations as a key coordinator in such fields as maintaining stability, preventing chaos, and providing emergency assistance," said Wang Yi who is currently on a tour of Europe.

Analysts see China's willingness to work with the international community for a safe and stable Afghanistan as a significant shift in its approach to the new regime in Kabul as Beijing fears that the country is becoming a safe haven for terrorism once again.

It was not too long ago that China had opposed the global organisation when it had expressed serious concerns about Afghanistan's future going forward.

A few days after the Taliban had taken control of Kabul on August 15, China had refused to back a UN Security Council resolution put forward by the United States, United Kingdom and France, outlining clear expectations from the new regime regarding the future of Afghanistan.

On Wednesday, a day after he had met a delegation of the interim government of the Afghan Taliban in Doha, the Chinese Foreign Minister insisted on forging "a united front against terrorism" through multilateral platforms such as the UN and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

"We need to positively consider holding bilateral and multilateral counter-terrorism dialogues and cooperation with Afghanistan at an appropriate time," he said.

Wang Yi also told the gathering that he had a "deep-going exchange of views" with the senior Taliban members in Doha on Tuesday where he expressed the "shared concerns" of Afghanistan's neighbours. He said that the Taliban is eager to have dialogue and cooperation with the outside, and is serious about it.

The Taliban delegation which met Wang Yi in Qatar was led by Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Acting Foreign Minister of the Afghan Taliban's interim government.

According to China, the Taliban said that it is having some practical difficulties in developing the economy, improving people's livelihood and governing the country, and they hope to get external assistance and support.

"The Taliban stated that they take seriously the calls of the international community, especially Afghanistan's neighbours, and that they will take further positive steps in domestic and foreign policies," said the Chinese Foreign Minister.

China's changing viewpoint on Afghanistan was highly visible in the Joint Ministerial Statement released after the foreign ministers' meeting in Tehran.

It emphasised that international and regional organisations "in particular the United Nations agencies and relevant members of the UN Security Council" should abide by their responsibility for political settlement of Afghanistan issues, rendering support to Afghans to develop the socio-economic infrastructure and providing economic and humanitarian assistance.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)

--indianarrative
New Delhi, Oct 28: It was only in September last year that India opened its consulate in Lome, the capital city of Togo, one of the smallest countries in Africa that borders Ghana, Benin and Burkina Faso. The news naturally did not hit headlines in India but the move is noteworthy as it reflects New Delhis increased efforts in expanding its footprints and bilateral ties not only with countries in West Africa but also the Francophone nations -- those that use French as their official language.

Besides Togo, countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Guinea, Benin are also among the Francophone nations. French is the official language in about 20 countries in Africa.

"India which has typically been focused on East and North Africa, is now consciously looking to diversify and expand ties with other countries, including the Francophones in the continent. Expansion of ties with many of these countries is more strategic in nature than just pure investments," Sankalp Gurjar, Research Fellow, Indian Council of World Affairs, told India Narrative.

Analysts said that the influence of the Francophone countries could amplify their unique identity and use it as a binding factor in the future.

It is worth noting that India's increased engagements with these countries will also allow New Delhi to leverage its position in these countries, many of which are still very poor and looking for countries that could financially assist them. While China is already an influential force in Africa, it is primarily invested in a few countries. "There are several countries in Africa which have no major dealings with China and this is critical for India," one of the analysts said.

The Diplomat noted that Chinese private sector push into Africa is not evenly distributed. About 12 countries "account for two-thirds of total investment on the continent. They include Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa, Angola, the Republic of Congo, Zambia, Ghana, Algeria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)," it said.

Togo First, a portal promoting investment, noted that New Delhi's current objective is to "boost economic cooperation between India and Africa, and strengthen ties with Indian diaspora living in Africa".

India's main import items from Togo include natural phosphates, ferrous and copper waste and scrap.

Togo, in a bid to draw investments, has brought in place several measures. The Observer Research Foundation (ORF) in a study said that the small country has even eliminated the requirement to obtain an economic operator card while reducing the time as well as registration costs.

The ORF study added that West African countries have started various reforms in recent years. Starting a business has become much easier and less costly. Benin, for example, has created a one-stop shop for investment, eliminated the need to notarize company bylaws, and reduced minimum capital requirement. Burkina Faso too has reduced the paid-in minimum capital required to register a company, and has cut the cost of soil survey in half and time to process a building permit application by a third.

Gurjar also said that Togo's geographical proximity to the Sahel countries - a group of African nations including Burkina Faso, in the western part of the continent which has become prone to terror attacks also provides India to play a key role in security related aspects with the French military force now pulling out of the region.

Meanwhile, with more than three million people of Indian origin living in Africa today, the Indian diaspora too plays an important role in cementing New Delhi's role in the continent.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)

--indianarrative
The Centre should consider to introducing an Automobile Dealers Protection Act, the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) said on Wednesday.

According to FADA, after GM (2017), MAN Trucks (2018), UM Lohia (2019), Harley Davidson (2020), Ford is the fifth auto OEM to stop domestic sales, thus exiting a large and untapped India market.

Such exits adversely impact the interests of auto dealers, FADA said, adding that in India, auto dealers are predominantly small and medium enterprises (SMEs) which are either family-owned businesses or partnerships firms and have significantly lower bargaining power in comparison to their OEMs which are large corporations.

"The entrenched unethical and imbalanced power structures with OEMs have caused a great deal of anguish to automobile dealers as the existing laws are not adequate to protect their interests," said the FADA, which recently instituted a comparative analysis study of foreign dealership agreements and legal protections in different countries such as the US, Australia and South Africa.

The analysis, FADA said, showed that unlike the imbalanced in Indian agreements, foreign ones often have more balanced and comprehensive clauses on termination, indemnification, repurchase obligations and afford more flexibility to the dealers.

"Many countries in the world recognise the inherent power imbalance between OEMs and dealers within the automobile sector and have enacted legislation to level the playing field. Unfortunately, the existing legal regime in India is inadequate to address these specific concerns of dealers," FADA President Vinkesh Gulati said.

"While OEM-dealer agreements are governed under the Indian Contract Act, the law does not contain any clear solutions for us. India should also urgently consider the introduction of an Automobile Dealers Protection Act to make contracts more balanced and equitable."
The Supreme Court of India has formed an expert committee to monitor the controversial Pegasus spyware, the scandal that had compromised the secrecy of individuals and organisations. The court has allocated a bench comprising Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli; former apex court judge RV Raveendran would head the three-member committee. Considering national security, the Centre had refused to file a detailed affidavit in the matter.

The court has fixed seven terms of reference for the Pegasus panel: fundamental facts that have to be determined to decide the issue. These include determining who acquired Pegasus and whether the software undoubtedly targeted the petitioners in the case to what laws justify the use of such spyware against citizens.

The court has advised the committee to suggest a legal and policy framework on cyber security to assure citizens' right to privacy is protected. The committee is likely to submit its report in eight weeks.

The Need for a Committee

The panel has turned to be the need of the hour. The decision made on cases awaiting enforcement of fundamental rights that are made according to the facts. When they are disputed or unknown, the task of determining these facts is often assigned to committees, which act as an agent of the court. These kind of committees could summon individuals, make ground reports, and submit in the court.

The government has denied the global media investigation into the use of Pegasus but has not provided any facts in the matter. The case requires technical interrogations and requires extensive fact-finding for the court to resolve whether fundamental rights were ravished and pass suitable orders. The Centre's denial to file an additional affirmation means the court would have more assistance from the committee.

Once the committee answers the fact-based questions, the court will examine questions: If the government used Pegasus, can it be justified under the law? then what way out could be granted to the petitioners?

The apex court, in its opening remark, said, "We live in the era of information and we must recognise that while technology is important, it's important to safeguard the right to privacy. Country's every individaul should be covered from violation of their right to privacy and Pegasus contervercial allegation is chilling in nature and court must find out the truth," the top court said.

However, the government had debated that since national security matters were involved, it would not file any further affidavit in the case, but it would be willing to disclose all information before a committee of technical experts. But, the government had sought to appoint the technical committee itself that the court has not allowed, saying "such a course of action would violate the settled judicial principle against bias, that is, the 'justice must not only be done, but also be seen to be done'."

Justice Raveendran's committee could now seek the government's response afresh. However, the court's probe committees into government excesses such as extra-judicial killings are often faced by a lack of cooperation from the government.

West Bengal Panel

The West Bengal government had set up a Commission of Inquiry that included former Supreme Court Justice Madan B Lokur and former Calcutta High Court Justice Jyotirmay Bhattacharya to look into the same allegations in July.

Although the Supreme Court has not stayed this probe, the West Bengal government has told the court that it would voluntarily pause it, and that "nothing will happen" until the SC listens the batch of PILs on Pegasus.

Justice Raveendran said it will be his endeavour to oversee the functioning of the Technical Committee in the manner directed by the SC.
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Fortescue chief executive Elizabeth Gaines has pushed back against the idea of national laws protecting Indigenous heritage and giving traditional owners the right to refuse developments threatening significant sites.

The recommendations are among many made by the federal inquiry into fellow Pilbara miner Rio Tintos destruction of 46,000-year-old rock shelters at Juukan Gorge.

Fortescue Metals Group CEO ELizabeth Gaines. Credit:Trevor Collens

At Fortescue, we do support the WA government retaining responsibility for the protection of Aboriginal cultural heritage here in WA, Ms Gaines said on Thursday.

We dont actually think it makes sense to have duplication of legislation.
The Sidney Myer Music Bowl would become an all-weather venue with the addition of a huge, translucent sunroof over the lawn amphitheatre, in an ambitious draft masterplan that also adds two new stages.

The concept masterplan proposal for the redevelopment of the Sidney Myer Music Bowl. Credit:ARM Architecture

The Arts Centre Melbourne annual report released on Thursday contained a previously unreleased image revealing a concept masterplan proposal from ARM Architecture, who were appointed as the architectural lead on a project to explore the future of the venue  though the final design is not yet settled or funded.

Late last year the state government awarded the Arts Centre, which manages the Bowl, $500,000 to commission preliminary architectural plans.

Details in the annual report image reveal a new see-through curved awning stretching from the existing Bowl structure to the back of the grass amphitheatre.
So why was Johnson so effusive? Johnson has a lot invested in the success of COP26. Should it succeed Johnson and his government will bask in the reflected glory. It will be evidence that despite Brexit, the United Kingdom remains a key global player rather than a diminished one. Should the talks fail, Johnson as host will bear a large portion of the blame. With that in mind it made perfect sense that Johnson was so effusive in praise of Morrison, whatever the merits of Australias climate contribution.

At their best, international talks like this are settled well before negotiators and heads of state lob in to grip-and-grin for cameras. The Paris Agreement might have been drafted at a COP conference in December 2015, but its success was all but guaranteed a year earlier in secret talks between the United States and China. Then-US president Barack Obama, shaken by the failure of the Copenhagen talks at the start of his term, was determined that Paris would be a success and directed his climate envoy, Todd Stern, to begin discreet talks with China. US President Barack Obama talking to Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao in Copenhagen in 2015. Credit:AFP For nine months, negotiations dragged on before Obama and Xi shocked the world with a joint announcement. The US would set new emissions-reduction targets and China would agree to cap their emissions by 2030.

The announcement broke a diplomatic logjam that had cruelled climate talks for years - the tension between developed nations that had already benefited from carbon economies and developing ones that had not. It also stripped away the excuse of critics of climate action in many nations  including Australia  that there was no point in acting until China did. Loading With the worlds two superpowers, and two greatest greenhouse gas polluters, determined to act, Paris was locked in. But the world has changed and the object of Glasgow is different. At Paris, the world promised it would begin reducing emissions in an effort to keep warming well below 2 degrees and as close to 1.5 degrees as possible. At Glasgow, nations must demonstrate that they are on track to doing so, and that they can keep to the voluntary reductions targets they have already set and increase them as needed.

Today, the cautious trust that Xi and Obama once shared has evaporated in the geopolitical rivalry between the two nations. Xi will not attend the talks and nor will his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. COVID-19 has not only distracted leaders from climate but contributed to an energy crisis that has led to a surge in coal and gas production. Though under President Joe Biden, the US has not only rejoined the Paris Agreement, but become a global leader on the climate effort, Biden is being undermined in his efforts to reduce domestic emissions by the stubborn resistance of two Democrats whose votes are necessary to pass massive spending bills. On Friday morning Australian time, China announced its updated climate targets under the Paris Agreement, to the general disappointment of observers. It contained little more than a previously declared effort to see emissions peak by 2030 and hit net zero by 2060.

Thom Woodroofe, a former climate diplomat and a fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute, described Chinas announcement as a missed opportunity to seize global climate leadership as the COP talks began. He added that if China was serious about hitting its 2060 net zero goal, it could not wait until the second half of this decade to start phasing out domestic coal use. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had high praise for Australias climate plan. Credit:Bloomberg Helen Mountford, vice president of climate and economics with the World Resources Institute, a US think tank, was also faint in her praise, describing Chinas plan as a modest improvement over previously announced targets. Before these talks begin, there has been no grand bargain. In this environment as Johnson heads to Rome for G20 talks convened by Italy  the co-host nation of COP26  what he needed most was momentum, or something that looks like it.

And this is where the soaring praise for Australias 2050 net zero commitment comes in. But as the Grantham Institutes Richard Black put it so bluntly, not everyone sees Australias goals in such a positive light. Loading Morrisons decision to bring to COP a projection that Australia will beat its previous commitment of reducing emissions by 26-28 per cent by 2030 wins little praise in a world where organisers are calling for 50 per cent cuts by that date. And besides, if Australia is so sure of beating its target why not make a formal commitment? But scepticism towards the Australian commitment on climate exists well beyond headline figures.

Australia has rejected joining a global compact to reduce methane emissions that is being championed at COP26 by the European Union and the US. Indeed, it is championing a gas-led recovery. And it backs the coal industry in the face of the growing global alliance to see coal rapidly phased-out. Similarly the road map outlined by Australia this week emphasises the role of as-yet unproven technology to reduce emissions in future instead of policies that would drive them down at once. This suggests to observers like Black that Australias heart is simply not in it. Its very obvious that the Australian government doesnt really want to be announcing a net zero target but that its been forced into doing so by a combination of US pressure, the threat of an EU carbon border tax and the utter horror with which its being regarded by its Pacific neighbours, Black says. The plan just put forward isnt realistic from either a climate change or economic point of view. It doesnt even try to halve emissions this decade, which the science indicates is necessary.

Closer to home, Australias small island neighbours have been polite but clear in their lobbying. I welcome Australias net-zero pledge by 2050 and look forward to seeing my friend @ScottMorrisonMP at @COP26, tweeted Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama. There, Fiji will seek plans from high-emitting nations to halve emissions by 2030  the only goal that can keep 1.5 alive and keep low-lying island nations above water. Australia is far from the only country whose rhetoric is not always congruent with policy. A little over a week ago, Saudi Arabia announced a net zero target despite the fact that not long before its energy minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud, had reportedly said at a private event hosted by the Bank of America that his nation would not stop selling oil until none was left to sell. We are still going to be the last man standing, and every molecule of hydrocarbon will come out, he said.

Despite the rapidly heating climate and the threat of catastrophic climate change within most of our lifetimes, it is not yet clear that the Paris Agreement can survive the mounting pressures confronting it, or that COP26 can succeed in harnessing its promise. Loading One person who fears the worst is UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres, who tweeted this week: The time has passed for diplomatic niceties. If all governments  especially G20 governments  do not stand up and lead efforts against the climate crisis, we are headed for terrible human suffering. As an agreement rather than a treaty, there is no penalty for those nations that do not set and reset increasingly ambitious emission-reduction targets. It is becoming clear that should COP26 succeed and the Paris accord prove resilient, it will need nations like Australia to embrace in spirit as well as in word.
At least 10 COVID-19 cases have been linked to the Tea Gardens Hotel in Bondi, with visitors told to get tested and isolate.

NSW Health said the cases either attended the pub while infectious, or acquired their infections at the venue on October 23.

Tea Gardens Hotel Credit:Photo: supplied

Anyone who attended the pub that night from 7.30pm until closing is considered a casual contact and must immediately get tested and isolate until a negative result is received.

NSW Health has individually contacted people who attended the venue at the times when an infectious person was there, the health department said in a statement.

The hotel has been referred to the Office of Liquor and Gaming to review compliance with COVID-Safe measures.
There are rights that we have in society along with responsibilities, and they are rights to work, to participate in cultural and social and family life. Any policy that infringes on those rights must come with very strong justification, where all the other strategies have failed, and Im not so confident that WA is at that stage yet. Professor Leask said other strategies in the vaccination toolkit included making them extremely accessible, even going door-to-door to communities, as well as implementing testing requirements that would cause enough inconvenience that people would get the jab anyway. Mandatory documentation of a recent negative test that you have to do every three days, which is what Israel has required to be able to go to cafes and gyms, can also be enough of a nudge and enough of an inconvenience that some people just go, Whatever, Ill just vaccinate, she said.

But Professor Jaya Dantas, a public health expert from Curtin Universitys School of Population Health, noted vaccine mandates existed in certain roles before COVID-19. We have certain vaccinations that we take in the workplace already, especially when working in health areas, when working with children, or when working in labs, she said. We have just now introduced the COVID vaccine to this with the other vaccines that are being taken. WAs mandates are split into three groups, with the first covering those in jobs where there is a risk to vulnerable people or where there is a high potential for transmission. This group is required to be fully vaccinated by December 31. The second and likely more contentious group is people in jobs deemed critical for the function of the community, such as supermarket staff  they must be fully vaccinated by January 31. The third group applies only to people in certain occupations, such as those in the media and Members of Parliament, who want to attend their workplace in the event of a lockdown.

University of South Australia epidemiologist Professor Adrian Esterman said public health would always take precedence over personal freedoms. The people who say, Look its my personal freedom and choice to get vaccinated or not  they have to understand that both in ethics and in law, public health trumps individual freedom, he said. But Professor Esterman said mandates did not have to occur in a vacuum and governments could introduce other incentives or strategies at the same time. There shouldnt need to be sort of carrots or sticks, he said.

Professor Esterman said where all governments had failed was in their messaging to the public. Theres not a single state or government that has done a really good job of explaining to the general population, in particular the poorer areas, how important vaccines are and how important public health regulations are and why they need to follow them, he said. Deakin University chair in epidemiology Catherine Bennett supported vaccine mandates, but said communicating a clear date with the public would also be an effective tool to increase vaccine rates. The big difference between WA and Queensland and the rest of the states, but particularly those with outbreaks, is there hasnt been that clear messaging about whats going to happen and when youre going to open up, she said. I think it would have been better to set the date for opening up and set that from now, even if it is three months away and then see what that happens.
The Australian Federal Police could use high-resolution satellite imagery to help solve the mystery of who took four-year-old Cleo Smith from a remote campsite in WAs north.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison revealed the federal agency had been called in to provide the 100-strong WA police taskforce with very advanced technology as the search for Cleo enters day 14.

The AFP have some very advanced capabilities, leading edge, not just here in Australia, but all around the world and as much as Id love to reveal exactly what some of those are and how theyre being used, we certainly cant talk about that on air, he told Radio 6PR.

Australian National University astrophysicist Brad Tucker said the AFP could request retrospective access to a range of government and spy satellites with resolutions high enough to determine the make and model of a car, but only if a satellite was in the right spot, at the right time.
The federal government has netted its largest ever haul of ill-gotten cryptocurrency and will redistribute the $1.2 million to law enforcement and community safety programs.

The cryptocurrency was held by a 23-year-old web developer who made $680,000 from a bootlegging scheme that provided people with cheap access to Netflix, Spotify, Hulu and other streaming services using troves of stolen or leaked login details.

Federal police have confiscated Australias largest ever haul of ill-gotten cryptocurrency. Credit:Getty

Evan McMahon, from Sydneys northern beaches, and alleged American accomplice Samuel Joyner provided pirate subscription services across four platforms between 2015 and 2019, attracting at least 152,863 users.

Joyner was arrested by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and charged with conspiracy to commit computer and access device fraud, trafficking and the use of unauthorised access devices, and possession of 15 or more unauthorised access devices. He pleaded not guilty in the US District Court of Oregon and his case continues.
With our newfound freedom we can finally make plans to travel  but sometimes the best travel options are right in front of us. Last summer, I chanced upon a list (in Places We Swim, Sydney) of 45 of Sydneys (mostly) magnificent ocean swimming spots stretching from Palm Beach in the north to Gymea Bay Baths in the south, and I decided I was going to swim them all. Some of them were familiar to me, places where I had already whiled away countless hours, but many were not.

To swim all 45 was a self-imposed goal with no accountability and no deadline, but I pre-determined a swim meant a minimum of one kilometre at each, and that it would be nice to finish before the water got too cold and the cooler temperatures of winter hit.

Wylies Baths at Coogee in Sydneys east is simply the best. Credit:Dillon Seitchik-Reardon

It started well (and not too far from home) with the discovery of the unbelievably scenic Mahon pool which is nestled into a natural rock amphitheatre at the northern end of Maroubra beach. On a day when tides are high, this pool operates more like a washing machine and both humans and fish collide. But on a calm day there is almost no better place to complete the requisite laps. And so it began.

My meanderings took me to water holes I had never heard of and set up a hierarchy (in my mind) between true ocean pools and harbour swimming spots. Swimming in Sydney harbour is a little like Instagram v reality. Unbelievably photogenic from afar but up close a little murky, and at times a few too many jellyfish for my liking. But there was always a silver lining. At every single spot.
A large window pane was dangling from the eighth floor of a Paddington apartment as strong winds hit Sydney on Friday afternoon.

NSW Fire and Rescue was called to the unit block on Sutherland Street just before 4.30pm.

A window was left dangling from a Paddington apartment on Friday afternoon. Credit:Amelia McGuire

Firefighters reached the window by using a ladder truck and were able to pull it back into the apartment complex. No one was home when the window dislodged.

Strong winds appear to have caused the incident although this is yet to be confirmed.
Detectives investigating the deaths of Salim, 18, and Toufik Hamze, 64, have seized firearms and a Ford Mustang believed to have been used as a getaway car.

Investigators believe the high-powered car, which had allegedly been stolen earlier this month, was the second getaway car used to flee the Guildford address in Sydneys west at which the father and son were shot dead in a ute last Wednesday morning.

Toufik, 64, and Salim Hamze, 18, were shot dead last Wednesday. Credit:

Police have linked the shootings to tensions between rival crime networks affiliated with the Alameddine and Hamzy families across south-west Sydney.

The car was seized at a nearby apartment block on Friday last week.
NSW Police have not discounted anything in their hunt for fugitive restaurateur and alleged drug kingpin Mostafa Baluch and have intelligence that he is travelling south towards Victoria, after he broke off his ankle monitor in Sydneys northern beaches on Monday night.

Mostafa Baluch, charged over his alleged role in a drug importation syndicate, is wanted for allegedly breaching bail.

The 33-year-old was last spotted in the back seat of a black Range Rover, since seized by police, that was heading east on the M4 at Croydon in the early hours of Tuesday morning and had two other men sitting in the front seats.

Commissioner Mick Fuller said police are examining the GPS of the vehicle and other data, including a network of cameras across the state, but cannot underestimate Mr Baluchs ability to evade law enforcement.

He told 2GB radio on Thursday Mr Baluchs alleged capacity to get 900 kilos of cocaine out of South America meant he may have a pretty extensive and deep criminal reach. Mr Fuller said people allegedly involved in drug-type organised crime can be difficult to track and take years to find.
A Queensland woman accused of pretending to be a medical doctor, and handing out exemptions for COVID-19 testing, vaccinations and mask wearing, has appeared in court.

Maria Carmela Pau, 45, was in Southport Magistrates Court on Thursday morning, where her case was adjourned to next month.

Dr Maria Carmel Pau leaves Southport Magistrates Court with a court chaplain (left) and her lawyer Ali Rana. Credit:Toby Crockford

The self-described COVID-denier, who markets herself as an actress and model, had to be asked by court security to put on a face mask when she walked into the building. She left wearing the mask.

Dr Pau, who has a doctorate in research, was charged with five counts of taking a title indicating a person is a health practitioner and is the first person in Queensland charged with the offence.
A man allegedly posing as a ride-share driver in Brisbanes nightclub district has been charged with multiple sexual assaults.

Police believe the 43-year-old from Augustine Heights picked up women in Brisbanes CBD and Fortitude Valley between late September and mid-October and sexually assaulted them.

The man allegedly posed as a ride-share driver in Brisbane (generic image). Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui

On one occasion, the man allegedly dropped a woman at her north Brisbane home, where he followed her and assaulted her in her residence.

Detective Inspector Ken Rogers said the man targeted young women in the Valley region and tricked them into his vehicle in the late hours of Friday and Saturday nights.
The Court of Appeal will consider whether judges in Victoria have the power to find out the vaccination status of potential jurors.

While there have been rulings made overseas on the issue, the case is set to be one of the first times a court in Australia has considered the vaccination status of juries.

A remote plea hearing in the County Court in June last year, after jury trials were suspended. Credit:Joe Armao

But the question may be rendered moot following a separate move from Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes to introduce an amendment to the law in Parliament on Thursday afternoon.

The change, contained in an amendment to the Terrorism (Community Protection) Act and passed on Thursday, will allow the states Juries Commissioner to collect proof of vaccination of Victorians called up to jury duty. If proof isnt shown, the commissioner can defer the service for that specific trial. The commissioner would have the power until October next year.
The RSPCA has charged a man with animal cruelty and accused him of kicking a dog during a protest outside the head office of Victorias construction union.

A 41-year-old man faces being jailed for up to one year or fined up to $45,000 if found guilty of committing an act of cruelty on an animal following the September 20 incident in central Melbourne.

RSPCA Victoria said on Thursday it charged the man after video footage emerged of him confronting another man, who had hold of the dogs lead, during the angry scenes outside the CFMEUs Elizabeth Street office.

The footage shows the dog being kicked but landing on its feet. It is not known whether the dog was injured.
The National Trust is best known for tending to our historic buildings, but it is fashion treasures that will be showcased at its new vintage clothing shop.

In the lead-up to Victorias retail industry reboot this week, the trust has snared a shop in Melbournes 129-year-old, heritage-listed Block Arcade for a boutique called Vault.

Jack Fordham, curator and manager of Vault, the new vintage clothing store in the Block Arcade. Credit:Simon Schluter

Ahead of its opening, on November 5, it already has an Instagram account and a Facebook page.

Store manager and curator Jack Fordham says there is currently plenty of stock  all pre-loved.
Australia has asked Israel to explain why it has designated six Palestinian civil society groups as terrorist organisations after the move was criticised by the United Nations as an attack on human rights.

Australias embassy in Tel Aviv and the nations counter-terrorism ambassador Roger Noble have asked the Israeli government for an explanation, including evidence as to why the organisations should be declared terrorist groups.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne says she wants an explanation from Israel. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Israel last week said it made its decision based on evidence the six groups were a front for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which does not recognise the State of Israel and hijacked several passenger aircraft in the 1960s and 1970s.

The Israeli government accused the groups of allegedly financing the terror organisation and having employees who were closely linked to it.
Labor has chosen a former diplomat, political staffer and adviser in the UKs Nudge Unit Zhi Soon to take on Liberal David Coleman in the NSW seat of Banks at the next federal election.

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese will introduce Mr Soon as the candidate on Friday at a media event at a childcare centre, highlighting his work as an adviser on education at several institutions.

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese has announced Zhi Soon as Labors candidate for the Liberal-held seat of Banks. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

This includes time at the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership, the UK office of the international Behavioural Insights Office, informally known as the Nudge Unit, the NSW governments Behavioural Insights Unit and the NSW Board of Studies. He also worked at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, including a posting in Afghanistan, and in the prime ministerial office of Kevin Rudd.

Mr Albanese said Mr Soon understood the importance of hard work and community.
Loading Yes, Mr Maguire said. Mr Maguires evidence followed an unsuccessful bid by Ms Berejiklians legal team for a private session to hear evidence containing intimate details of the highest order. Barrister Sophie Callan, SC, argued that a closed hearing was necessary to examine evidence that would raise personal privacy concerns for the former premier, leading to humiliation and harm. Ms Callan said she understood private details would be used in examination of her client and Mr Maguire to scrutinise the level of commitment or substance of their relationship.

Ms Callan said the evidence raised personal privacy concerns of the highest order for Ms Berejiklian. There is no public purpose served by plumbing the depths of the private life of my client about intimate details of this relationship, which she has already stated in evidence was a close personal relationship, Ms Callan said. One of Gladys Berejiklians barristers, Sophie Callan, SC, outside the ICAC on Wednesday. Credit:Janie Barrett Ms Berejiklian has previously said the relationship was not of a sufficient status to report it. Ms Callan appealed to ICAC Assistant Commissioner Ruth McColl, SC, to hear the evidence in private as was permitted during the first public inquiry of Operation Keppel last year.

It is a discretion you exercised several times last year when counsel assisting dealt with private personal and intimate matters on his application, Ms Callan said. The ICAC is examining whether Ms Berejiklian breached the public trust or encouraged corrupt conduct during her relationship with the disgraced former member for Wagga Wagga. Daryl Maguire gives evidence at the ICAC on Thursday. Credit:ICAC The commission is examining the period between 2015 and 2018, but Ms Berejiklian and Mr Maguire have both told the ICAC the relationship continued into 2020. Mr Maguire is giving evidence to the commission on Thursday remotely. His lawyer Jim Harrowell also supported the application for a private hearing.

Mr Robertson said the application to hold a significant portion of a public inquiry in private should be refused. Approving the application, he said, risked creating a public inquiry in name only. Loading Mr Robertson cited the ICAC Act, which states in very simple but emphatic terms that a public inquiry is to be held in public. He said the commission had done significant work in private over many months to determine what matters were in the public interest. The commission needs to understand ... the hallmarks of the relationship in order to assess that question of objectivity, Mr Robertson said.

He said circumstances in this inquiry were different from last year and understanding the nature of the relationship was of central relevance in determining whether Ms Berejiklian was in a position of conflict. Mr Robertson also pointed to a number of public statements made by the former premier in the media after her appearance at the ICAC last year, including she had once intended to marry Mr Maguire but would never speak to him again. Former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian last week. Credit:Nick Moir Shes, of course, chosen, and I dont say this critically at all, but shes chosen to say at least some things in public with respect to her relationship, he said. After a short adjournment Assistant Commissioner McColl rejected Ms Callans application, saying it was not in the public interest to hear the sensitive evidence in private.

The inquiry is focused on two multimillion-dollar grants issued to the Australian Clay Target Association and the Riverina Conservatorium of Music in Mr Maguires electorate while the pair were in a relationship and Ms Berejiklian was treasurer and later premier. Mr Maguires evidence began with extracts of intercepted telephone calls between Mr Maguire and his property developer friend about land that was not in his electorate. He agreed he was talking to a state MP to gain information about this proposal for the developer, William Luong, and had an expectation he might receive a payment or commission. Mr Maguire also agreed with former deputy premier John Barilaros evidence this week that he was a pain in the arse in advocating for projects in his electorate. He said it was standard procedure for him to repeatedly lobby ministers.
There is an increasingly outdated rule in Australian politics that political parties can't win elections with a primary vote below 40 per cent.

But a slow and steady decline in support for Labor, Liberal and National parties means this is no longer a hard and fast rule.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and Opposition Leader Matthew Guy. Credit:Fairfax Media

In the 1980s, for example, more than 93 per cent of Victorian voters gave their first preference to a major party at the three state elections held that decade.

By 2014, that had dropped to 80 per cent. In 2018, it slipped further to 78 per cent.
Khartoum: The World Bank has halted the flow of cash for Sudan in response to this weeks military coup, while state oil company workers, doctors and pilots joined civilian groups taking to the streets in protest.

Thousands of people have taken to the streets since Mondays takeover led by armed forces chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and several have been killed in clashes with security forces.

Burhan has since dismissed the joint civilian-military council set up to steer the country to democratic elections following the overthrow of autocrat Omar al-Bashir in a popular uprising in April 2019.

Sudans head of the military, General Abdel-Fattah Burhan. Credit:AP

He said he acted to stop the country slipping into civil war, but the World Bank decision to pause payments and stop processing new operations is a setback to his plans for one of Africas poorest countries.
London: Lawyers for Julian Assange have told Britains High Court that the reported CIA plot to kill or kidnap the Australian shows that the US governments pledge to safely extradite the WikiLeaks founder cant be trusted.

Assange is wanted by the US over the theft by hacking of hundreds of thousands of classified US cables, which WikiLeaks published a decade ago.

Protesters outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London demand that Julian Assange be freed. Credit:Getty Images

Assanges lawyers said he was too unwell to attend the second and final day of his court hearing on Wednesday after taking a higher dosage of medication. Assange had intermittently appeared via video link from Belmarsh Prison on Tuesday, but the court was told this was only due to his mistaken belief that the court had ordered him to attend.

The US is appealing Januarys ruling that barred his extradition on the basis that being held under extreme prison conditions there could lead to his suicide. The US has offered four binding assurances that Assange will not be sent to a supermax prison or held under extreme prison conditions, known as SAMs.
London: Britain said on Friday (AEDT) it would summon the French ambassador for a dressing-down, the latest move in a worsening dispute over fishing licenses that has stoked tensions following the Britains departure from the European Union.

After French authorities fined two British fishing vessels and kept one in port overnight, Britain warned it would it retaliate if French officials followed through on threats to block British boats from some French ports and tighten checks on British vessels unless French vessels get more permits to fish in British waters. France also suggested it might restrict energy supplies to the Channel Islands, British Crown dependencies that lie off the coast of France.

The British trawler kept by French authorities docks at the port in Le Havre, western France. Credit:AP

We believe these are disappointing and disproportionate, and not what wed expect from a close ally and partner, British Environment Secretary George Eustice told lawmakers, as Britain accused France of raising tensions.

Eustice said the threatened measures do not appear to be compatible with the Brexit divorce deal agreed by Britain and the EU or wider international law, and if carried through will be met with an appropriate and calibrated response.
London: French President Emmanuel Macron says Prime Minister Scott Morrison broke the relationship of trust between both countries and has to be the one to repair the damage, in the pairs first phone call since Australia terminated a $90 billion submarine contract.

Macron phoned Morrison shortly before the Prime Minister flew out of Canberra on Thursday evening (AEDT) to attend the G20 summit in Rome and COP26 climate talks in Glasgow.

Scott Morrison with French President Emmanuel Macron in June. Credit:AP

A major diplomatic brawl erupted in September when the federal government axed a deal for France to design and help build 12 diesel-powered submarines in favour of a new defence partnership with the United States and United Kingdom known as AUKUS.

Australia will spend the next 18 months exploring whether the US and UK can help supply eight nuclear-powered submarines instead.
Rome: Mario Draghis life, as recently as nine months ago, was far more relaxing than it is now. He spent time at his Umbrian country house. He played golf with his son. His legacy, built as a central banker who had helped to rescue the eurozone from crisis, was already secured.

But with Italy in the depths of the pandemic, and searching for a prime minister, Draghi received an unsolicited invitation from Italys president.

And he couldnt say no, said Giovanni Orsina, director of the school of government at Luiss Guido Carli University in Rome.

Italian PM Mario Draghi. Credit:AP

That explains how Draghi, 74 - pulled in from semi-retirement to become Prime Minister - now finds himself again on the world stage, hosting a Group of 20 summit where the issues in play are at least as complicated as anything from his past. The two-day summit, dealing chiefly with climate and the pandemic, will test how meaningfully the worlds industrial powers can ease gaping vaccine inequities and speed up reductions of their greenhouse gas emissions. Especially on climate, where countries commitments are many times below what science suggests is necessary, there is a considerable risk of failure.
Washington: New coronavirus infections in the United States have dropped nearly 60 per cent since a September spike brought on by the more contagious delta variant, according to data compiled by The Washington Post.

The seven-day average of infections stood at about 69,000 this week, figures show, reflecting a 58 per cent drop from the latest surges peak around September 13, when the average for that week was 164,475.

Jada Cathcart, 16, poses for a picture in front of The Hero Monument in New York by Italian sculptor Sergio Furnari, a symbol of hope and love dedicated to healthcare workers around the world. Credit:AP

The impact of vaccinations is clear in regions with the highest uptake.

Puerto Rico, a territory whose statistics are counted within the US national numbers, recorded a seven-day average of 1121 new cases on August 23 as it wrestled with delta; that figure had declined to 105 as of Tuesday. About 73 per cent of Puerto Ricans are immunised.
~Pfizer vaccine works well, boosters not yet needed for general public~

PHILIPSBURG:--- Studies have shown us that, the vaccine offers excellent protection for the fully vaccinated even after 8 months! We can see this first hand on St. Maarten, where the death rate is 1.6% due to COVID-19 disease, and only 0.04% were fully vaccinated. We will continue to keep the public informed about scientific studies and our plans for boosters (through this page).

At this moment we continue to urge all persons to continue to get vaccinated so that we can reach herd immunity!

Some persons with severely reduced immunity (due to sickness) are often not sufficiently protected even after two doses. Some of these persons can achieve better protection after a third vaccination, the Health Council of The Netherlands recently advised. Third doses are different from boosters and ONLY considered for persons who a medical specialist evaluates as having a very weak immunity.

The Vaccination Management Team (VMT), in coordination with St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC), hereby announces that a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccination is now available for severely immunocompromised patients on St. Maarten. On St. Maarten, approximately 300 - 400 patients are currently being treated by a medical specialist in the context of one or more critical health conditions that decrease immunity. These specific conditions are stated on the RIVM website at: https://www.rivm.nl/en/covid-19-vaccination/vaccines/immunocompromised-patients.

In coordination with SMMC, the VMT will be contacting the patients that are eligible as per the above-mentioned criteria. These persons identified as eligible by medical specialists only will be invited to receive the 3rd COVID-19 vaccination shot. All COVID vaccinations will be administered at CPS office located at the Vineyard building, Monday  Friday from 8.30 am  12.00 pm and 1.30 pm and 3.30 pm.












1. Gina: She's on dating apps now. I don't like it. Too many duds and too many photos of men holding up fish. What's with that?

2. Simon: Okay, hi, quick question. Is your Prince supposed to be a judge closet case? Because if so, snaps or you, great job on casting. Justin: Really Simon? Victoria: What's going on here? Why do I feel like I'm in couples therapy?

3. Raven: Yea, my advice was gonna be that you're way too focused on him. Julia: Oh yeah? Because he ruined my life! Raven: What happens when you find him? Does dragging Kevin back into your house make him or you happy? I mean what if him leaving was actually a gift? Julia: Just...I am not going to be therapied by a booty dancer who trained to spin around a pole.













1. Hailey Upton: "I meant everything I said to you."

2. Jay Halstead: "Because you put her there! You did, don't you get that? You dragged her down with you!"

3. Jay Halstead: "I found Kim. Kevin and I found her. We didn't cross a single line. We did good police work, and we found her. You did everything you did, what'd you get?"

4. Kevin Atwater: "Just felt kind of good to be the dude she met at the bar and not the Black cop. Didn't have to defend the badge, didn't have to prove my Blackness, that's it."

5. Celeste Nichols: "They're just kids. Not allowed to be for very long, you know?" Kevin Atwater: "How is that?" Celeste Nichols: "How is it not? They got Burnside, Garfield Park, Englewood all telling them, 'Don't get caught lacking. Keep your gun, keep eyes in the back of your head or lose your head.' You know, they got the police, they got TV, hell, they got social media all showing them the angry Black woman, the scary Black man, a Black kid shooting another Black kid. 'So be ready. Be running, be afraid of your own.' "

6. Kevin Atwater: "Was it worth it, huh? You don't even know who you are yet."













1. Laura De Mille: "When one expels a living 16 pound parasite from one's body, there is really only one responsible response. Larry Trainor: "Give it a name?" Laura De Mille: "Jesus Christ almighty, no. No, burn... Burn it. Burn it."

2. Victor Stone: "Where the f*** are we?" Cliff Steel: "Welcome to, apparently, my drug-filled fantasy sequence or some sh**." (Cliff and Vic laugh.) Jane: "Oh, my f***ing God! I'm actually here with you metal-poisoned morons.













The Equalizer - 1. Robyn: Fear doesn't breed loyalty. Trust does.













1. Lim: Undergarments are a choice. Digestion isn't. Reznick: But you can choose when and where to let 'em rip. Lim: This isn't about farts. You're afraid that Park won't be as turned on by the real you as he is by the facade he's started sleeping with.

















1. Jackie: "So, yeah. I got 50 days today. And that's a f***ing miracle. I mean, I don't...I don't come for people who get sober, you know? I don't think I even knew what that word meant. I mean, my dad's been f**ed up my whole life. Uh, but he's cool. He is who he is. This isn't about him. I don't have to take his inventory anymore, right? Um, yeah, but for me, sobriety's been good. It's been good. The last 50 days have been good. I mean, it's been hard, ya know. Most of you knew Junior...um...you know, and I feel like...I feel like I could've done more, should have, you know. You know, he was...he was like my brother, but he was also one of us. Um, but here's the thing, I don't think he'd want me to dwell, you know? I think he'd want to -- I think he'd want me to keep moving. Because you--you're either moving away from your last drink or towards your next one, or something like that, I forget. I don't know. Vince told it to me. He's always giving me lectures. Uh, yeah, so...anyway. Thanks. Thanks for my sobriety and thanks for my life. That's all I got."













1. Marina: "It would be great if we could speak some more Spanish around the house." Tom: "No problemo. Whoop! Look at that! I'm already doing it...I might be a little rusty." Marina: "You practised so much when we were dating. Why'd you stop?" Tom: "Well I asked you to marry me and you said yes. It's like mission accomplished, you know. What's the point?" Marina: "Right. And I stopped pretending to care about Star Trek." Tom: "You were faking it? Even with Wrath of Khan?" Marina: "Which one was that?" Tom: "Which...? Wow! Okay, I guess our entire marriage is a lie."

2. Connor: "Wow, Tom's really all in with the Spanish thing, huh?" Marina: "He is." Connor: "He making any sense?" Marina: "He is not."

3. Sarah: "I've been so focused on planetariums and racket-ball that I completely forgot that these kids are just kids, and they need help too."

4. Tom: "The next morning we boarded different buses home, never to meet again. I don't know, I heard this rumour after that she'd met this other boy down at the docks; it just kinda messed with my head. That fall I got a B minus in AP Bio and I guess...that was it, ya know. That was the beginning of the end." Marina: "Yeah, your life really went downhill. You're stuck with three beautiful children...a hot wife..." Tom: "No, no. I mean, come on...You guys are great." Marina: " ''You guys are great''?"

5. Marina: "Care to make game night a little more interesting?" Denise: "More interesting than a Tom/Connor love triangle? What do you got?" Marina: "The loser babysits for the winner next Friday. Whoever wins the most games tonight." Denise: "Oh, now you're talking. You got yourself a bet." Marina: "You're gonna regret this. The twins are diaper wrecking machines. Alejandro's ding-dong has a mind of its own. It's like a broken sprinkler." Denise: "We're not gonna be changing any diapers. We're gonna be out on the town while two moody tweens force you to learn tik-tok dances."

6. Tom: "You dried my tears on the bus ride home and the whole time you knew you were the cause of them." Sarah: "I'm sorry, okay? I felt awful about it then and I feel awful now. I didn't mean to betray you." Tom: "Why did you do it?" Sarah: "I don't know. I don't know, okay! I...I had feelings for a girl for the first time ever and...I was ashamed and confused. If I told you the truth then...it would have meant coming out and I couldn't even come out to myself." Tom: "Oh. I'm sorry. I...I didn't know." Sarah: "It's okay. You couldn't have known." Tom: "No, I've been self-centered. I mean...this whole time I thought that Jessica was a chapter in my book, but...I mean, she's really a chapter in yours." Sarah: "Thank you." Tom: "You wanna...should we hug?" Sarah: "No. Not really." Tom: "Okay...Come here." (He pulls her in a hug.)













NCIS - 1. Torres: "I think you have some real trust issues with your hypothetical husband." Knight: "Don't play armchair psychiatrist for my make-believe marriage."













1. Kai: Its just family stuff. Lucy: You want to talk about it? Ive had every issue imaginable with my family. Kai: Nope, Ill pass. Lucy: Seriously? Were both millennials. Oversharing is kind of our thing.

2. Kai: Hey, I got my dad to see a doctor so...uh, thank you.friend. Lucy: Wait, wait, wait. Does this mean that we can start texting each other our problems? Kai: Hey, just baby steps, Lucy. Baby steps.

3. Jesse: So same killer? Chase: Despite the whispers in the hallways, Im not actually a psychic.













1. Oliver, mistaking Sazz for Charles: "Okay... I don't know what work you've had done but it's too much. And that is not the response you first want."

2. Charles: "There he is. Howard Morris. I may hurt him. Or at least speak to him firmly."

3. Charles: "You're not hearing me. I'm done! I don't do dangerous things! That's why I have a stunt double! I don't like getting hurt, and ever since you two have been in my life I'm surrounded by danger and pain!" Mabel: "As opposed to nothing at all?" Charles: "Oh. It's mean Mabel, who clearly has all the answers at 26. Please do share." Oliver: "Christ, Charles. Cut the kid a break." Charles: "She's not a kid. We only think she's a kid because we're old! And we should've known bett...- you should've known better, but you rushed into this podcast headfirst, like you always do, and you took two more bodies over the edge with you! Splash 2! An Oliver Putnam production!" Oliver: "Well, that was mean. A great callback, but incredibly mean." Charles: "I want you, and all of your things out of my place. All the evidence. I want out. I'm out... Sorry, I'm not good at confrontation." Mabel: "Well, that was pretty good to me. And for the record, I'm 28."

4. Tim Kono: "I was never very good with people. Never really felt lonely though. That came later. After Mabel...and Oscar and Zoe. The loneliness came after I lost all of that. So, when someone comes along and reminds you that we all deal with the same sh**, sometimes you welcome them in, with inhibitions lowered; with arms wide open."

5. Oliver: "Okay, we gotta break the door down." Mabel: "Excuse me? We weigh 125 combined." Oliver: "Oh, thank you. It's the dips."

6. Charles: "No. This ends now, Jan. You won't shoot my friends. Shoot me if you need to, but not them because I don't want to live in a world without them anymore. There were parts of myself that were dead that they brought back to life. Before this...I was just a hollow shell walking around and they made me alive."













1. Angela: "Maybe I should extend my leave. Spend a little more time with Jack." Wesley: "I think that's a great idea." Angela: "Because you don't want me to go back to work? Because you want me to quit being a detective and focus on what really matters? Because you think I won't fulfill my mom potential if I'm at crime scenes all day?" Wesley: "Wow. Where did that come from?" Angela: "I don't know. Clearly I'm a little conflicted about going back to work."

2. Nolan: "Hello! Didn't I see you guys on a milk carton?" Aaron: "I don't get it." Harper: "'Cause we were considered missing." Nolan: "They used to put pictures of missing kids on milk cartons." Lucy: "Yes, in the 80s." Nolan: "Yes, in the 80s. How did I end up the punch line?"

3. Lucy: "You should have just asked me." Tim: "I was doing you a favour." Lucy: "Yeah? How? By telling the entire station that you would rather ride with Smitty than me, your old boot?" Tim: "Look, some would see it as a demotion for you. You're back with your training officer. Others might read...something else into it." Lucy: "Wha-Why? Because I'm a girl and you're a boy?" Tim: "A very handsome boy." Lucy: "Oh, gag. Look I really appreciate the intention, but screw what anyone else thinks. Being a sergeants aide would...-" Tim: "Go-fer." Lucy: "... aide, would make me stand out come promotion time. That alone makes it worth putting up with your Tim tests, and old-school code of honour... again." Tim: "So you're saying you want the job?" Lucy: "If you're saying you want me to do it." Tim: "What the hell. Lets do it."

4. Nolan: "There's a security panel here, but I've never seen the design before." Tim: "What does it say?" Nolan: "I couldn't tell you. The writing's in Cyrillic." (He presses a button and the house goes into lockdown.) Tim: " ''I don't know what the button says, so I'll just push it''?" Nolan: "Definitely rethinking that decision right now."

5. Lopez: "Why is it pumping so hard? Harper: "Uh, paranoid me thinks it is a society-wide plot to push us out of the workforce." Lopez: "And not-paranoid you?" Harper: "I don't listen to her. She's too naive."

6. Nolan: "The right person...with a stellar reputation, who understands the issues, who believes in reform..." Harper: "No no no no no. No chance at all." Nolan: "Oh come on! You would be so great at it, and everybody would vote for you." Harper: "Running means campaigning." Nolan: "Yeah." Harper: "And campaigning means being nice to people." Nolan: "Right. What was I thinking?" Harper: "You weren't."












New York (United Nations) 28 October 2021 (SPS)- The Permanent Representative of Botswana to the UN, Amb. Collin V. Kelapile, stressed in his statement Yesterday before the Joint General Debate of the 4th Committee, that the delays witnessed in the organization of a referendum in Western Sahara is a result to deliberate and destabilizing actions from Morocco.

On the question of Western Sahara, the last case of Decolonization in Africa, we are concerned that the referendum that the UN promised the Saharawi people remains elusive. We note that the delay is largely a result of deliberate obstructive and destabilizing actions, he regretted.

He added that Such has been the case in relation to the circumstances that led to the collapse of the 1991 Ceasefire on 13 November 2020, when the Moroccan army attacked a group of Saharawi civilians in Guerguarat region, South-West Western Sahara.

He further indicated that it is imperative that the party that bears primary responsibility in the conflict takes necessary steps to deescalate hostilities and cease provocative actions in order to pave the way for the Secretary Generals Envoy to Western Sahara, Mr. Staffan De Mistura, to relaunch the peace process and resume substantive negotiations whose ultimate objective will be to allow the Saharawi people to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination in a free and fair referendum.

He also estimated that the efforts of the Personal Envoy will be complemented by that of the African Union, following the latters decision to reactivate its role in the Western Sahara. The AUs reengagement on the matter is a significant step that consolidates the historical role of the OAU/AU as guarantor of the UN-OAU Settlement Plan, which was accepted by both parties in 1988.

Botswana remained committed to the UN efforts to the completion of the UN decolonization agenda, he stressed as we begin the Fourth International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism (2021-2030).

we must recommit to eliminating colonialism in all its forms and manifestations, in accordance with the principles set forth in the United Nations Charter, the objectives of the Declaration on Decolonization and other relevant UN resolutions.

Many countries tackled the issue of Western Sahara in their statements before the General Debate supporting a lasting and just solution that provides for the Saharawi peoples right to self-determination. (SPS)

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New York (United Nations) 28 October 2021 (SPS)- The Permanent Representative of the Republic of Namibia to the UN, Amb. Neville Gertze, stressed Yesterday before the Joint General Debate of the 4th Committee, his countrys particular concerns about the situation in Western Sahara, calling for thorough review of the UN Missions mandate in this last colony in Africa.

We are particularly concerned about Africas last colony, Western Sahara, and the plight of the Saharawi people, He stressed, adding that With the current mandate up for renewal at the end of this week, deep reflection is required on how the mandate can yield more meaningful results.

He recalled that The UN has invested a significant amount of resources in MINURSO, a Mission established in 1991 in accordance with the mutually agreed settlement plan for the primary purpose of facilitating a referendum, hence the need for serious efforts to finish the UN duty in Western Sahara.

He specifically affirmed that his delegation specifically highlights this taking into account the flared tensions and the ongoing armed conflict between the two parties, calling on the two parties to honour the provisions of the ceasefire, show restraint and work towards finding a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

He further welcomed the appointment of Alexander Ivanko as

the new Special Representative for MINURSO and of Staffan de Mistura as the new Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary General, hoping that these appointments will lend themselves to the advancement of lasting and sustainable peace between Western Sahara and the Kingdom of Morocco in accordance with the UN Settlement Proposals and various UN and AU Resolutions.

On another hand, Ambassador Gertze noted the progressive stance taken by the US Congress to veto the establishment of a US Consulate in Dakhla, considering that this positive development shows respect for human rights and affirms commitment to the right to self-determination in Western Sahara.

In the same vein, he took note of the recent pronouncement by the EU Court of Justice concerning their understanding of the status and territorial sovereignty of the two parties in this long unresolved case of decolonisation.

He concluded by reiterating Namibias longstanding call for the Special Committee to undertake a visiting mission to Western Sahara. This was strongly amplified by several petitioners who spoke before this Committee.

He considered in this respect that a visiting Mission would move us away from an abstract to realistic perspective of the situation on the ground. Unresolved issues like the question of Western Sahara are the reason the relevance of the UN is questioned. We must ensure that as Member States, we hold each other accountable to Charter obligations and the principles of international law, he said. (SPS)

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STAMFORD  After gaining a judges approval last week for its settlement plan, Purdue Pharma could be dissolved within the next few months.

But the prescription opioid whose marketing campaigns sparked several thousand lawsuits that led to the Stamford-based company filing for bankruptcy two years ago is not about to disappear.

The product portfolio of Purdues planned successor company would include OxyContin, whose future revenues would help fund programs to abate the national opioid crisis which the drug is widely accused of stoking. Despite Purdues assurances that the new public-benefit company would be ethically managed, many of the companys critics, including Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, are unconvinced by the roadmap for its top-selling drug.

From day one, there were aspects of this plan that I disagreed with, including the public-benefit corporation, Tong said in a statement. I have concerns about how this new entity will ensure the safe sale and distribution of OxyContin going forward. We are closely watching this work and the safeguards that are being put in place.

In response to an inquiry from Hearst Connecticut Media, Purdue provided a statement in which it said that the new company will operate in a responsible and sustainable manner, taking into account long-term public health interests related to the opioid crisis.

Planning the end of Purdue  and the beginning of a new firm

If Purdues plan is implemented, it would transfer all of its assets to a successor firm known as Knoa Pharma. In addition to OxyContin, those holdings would include the opioids Butrans and Hysingla and other drugs such as Adhansia, which treats attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

The reality is that, as of now, a substantial amount of value and revenues come from OxyContin, Marshall Huebner, an attorney representing Purdue in its bankruptcy proceedings, said last November in a bankruptcy hearing. Just like tobacco companies get their cash from tobacco, we get a lot of our cash from OxyContin ... You cant regress that out of the equation.

In addition, the new company would also develop and distribute millions of doses of opioid-addiction treatment and overdose-reversal medicines, according to Purdue officials.

Knoa Pharmas sales would help fund a National Opioid Abatement Trust, which would be the new companys primary owner and direct money to programs across the country to tackle the opioid epidemic. Between 1999 and 2019, nearly 500,000 people in the U.S. died from overdoses involving opioids, including prescription and illicit types, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

If we really want to see the opioid crisis ultimately go away, we should be doing everything we can to reduce unnecessary exposure to opioids, said Dr. Andrew Kolodny, medical director of opioid policy research at Brandeis Universitys Heller School for Social Policy and Management. If you put states in the position of benefiting financially from the sale of opioids, that creates a perverse incentive.

Kolodny has been a paid expert for some of the plaintiffs who have sued Purdue, but he said his views on opioids are consistent with the positions he held before the lawsuits were filed.

Tong has similarly expressed concerns about the successor company being undermined by a potential conflict of interest and has called for Purdues assets to be sold to a private buyer. Connecticut is one of nearly a dozen states that object to Purdues settlement plan, despite the framework gaining the approval of Judge Robert Drain, who has presided over the companys bankruptcy proceedings.

It is very clear to me that the use of the bulk of the debtors value for abatement purposes is clearly in good faith  and, in fact, highly beneficial  to those who have individual claims against the debtors as well as the communities and states that also have claims, Drain said during his Sept. 1 bench ruling on the plan.

Like the approximately 3,000 other lawsuits filed against Purdue that were consolidated in its bankruptcy, Connecticut has accused Purdue of deliberately misrepresenting OxyContins risks and benefits, deception that the state said has set off widespread addiction to the drug and other opioids.

Hundreds of people in Connecticut have died or overdosed after obtaining prescriptions for Purdue opioids, according to the states lawsuit, which was filed in December 2018.

Despite the settlement plan, Purdue denies the accusations in Connecticuts lawsuit and other complaints that it boosted its revenues through marketing misconduct.

Separate from the lawsuits, Purdue pleaded guilty last November to three criminal charges of defrauding the government and violating anti-kickback laws related to the sale, marketing and prescribing of opioids including OxyContin. Around the same time, the Sackler family members who own Purdue reached a $225 million settlement with the Department of Justice to resolve allegations of marketing and financial misconduct. The Sacklers, however, did not admit any wrongdoing as part of that agreeemnt.

Purdue officials said that the company has in recent years enacted major changes such as its decision in 2018 to end opioid marketing to prescribers.

They said Knoa Pharma would be tightly regulated and that the Sacklers would have no involvement in the new company. They also cited a court-ordered injunction that places numerous restrictions on its promotion of opioids.

The new company would be overseen by an independent board of managers who would function as the board of directors. Purdues creditors would select the boards members.

Among other measures, former Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, who was appointed in March as Purdues monitor, would continue in the same role overseeing Knoa Pharma.

When the new company emerges, Purdue would be dissolved. Purdue officials have not confirmed the timeline for the restructuring, although Huebner said last week that the process could take several months.

Declining sales, lingering concerns

OxyContin has perennially ranked as Purdues top seller, raking in a total of nearly $24 billion in revenues between 2010 and 2020, according to health care data firm Iqvia.

But its sales decreased every year in that time span, from $3.1 billion in 2010 to $1 billion in 2020.

Its decline aligns with a broader drop in the use of prescription opioids in recent years. At the same time, OxyContin faces major competition from generic opioids which now account for the vast majority of oxycodone prescriptions, according to Iqvia. Oxycodone is the active ingredient in OxyContin.

Citing other statistics from Iqvia, Purdue officials said that OxyContin comprises less than 2 percent of the opioids dispensed from retail pharmacies in the U.S., based on both the number of pills and number of prescriptions.

Despite the plunging sales, OxyContin still ranks as the top-selling oxycodone product in the U.S. on a dollar basis, according to Iqvia. Its dominance in that category reflects the significantly higher pricing for branded drugs compared with generic equivalents.

In addition to the litigation over its marketing, a number of other concerns persist about OxyContin. Kolodny called for the prohibition of the 80 milligram version of OxyContin, which is the drugs highest strength, because he said its risks outweigh any benefits. In court filings, Connecticut and other states objecting to Purdues settlement plan have also questioned whether the 80 milligram formulation should remain on the market.

That product should not exist. It offers no advantage, Kolodny said. For the very people who might need extremely high doses of oxycodone, they could easily take a few extra pills of a lower dosage. Even with people dying from cancer, there are many other products that could be helpful to them.

In response to a question from Hearst about its response to requests for a ban on 80-milligram OxyContin, Purdue said in its statement that we follow FDA guidance, will abide by any decision the agency makes on the issue and believe that all opioids, regardless of dose, should be prescribed only when determined by a physician to be medically necessary.

The Food and Drug Administration declined to comment on a related citizens petition that calls for the agency to take certain high-dose opioids off the market. It confirmed, however, that Knoa Pharma would not need to submit a new application for OxyContin. The agency first approved the drug in December 1995.

The Knoa name connotes knowledge that (it) will bring to the responsible operations of a pharmaceutical company and also refers to ownership by the National Opioid Abatement Trust, evoking the new companys mission and obligation to abate the opioid crisis, Purdue said in an announcement last week. Pronounced No-ah, the moniker was chosen by the companys creditors.

pschott@stamfordadvocate.com; twitter: @paulschott
STAMFORD  About half of the candidates running in four Stamford races this election season promptly provided their COVID-19 vaccination cards when asked about their inoculation status, but a few were offended by the question.

In total, 17 candidates running for mayor, town clerk, Board of Education and Board of Finance were sent a survey simply asking for their vaccination status, why they chose to get the vaccine or not, as well as a photo of their vaccination card solely for internal verification.

Eight candidates  seven Democrats and one unaffiliated  said they were vaccinated and provided a photo.

Another three said they were vaccinated but did not provide their card.

Three did not respond, while two refused to answer the question.

Only one candidate said he was not vaccinated.

Richard Freedman, the current chairperson of the Stamford Board of Finance, who is running for reelection, was one of the first to respond.

I was vaxed right after my age group became eligible back in March, the Democrat wrote, in an emailed response. I got vaxed because I dont want to get COVID or give it to anyone else.

Others wrote similar messages to support their decision to get the vaccine.

I signed up for the vaccine as soon as I was able for several reasons, wrote Ben Lee, a Democratic candidate for the Board of Education. Naturally, it was quite important to safeguard my own health. Equally important to me, however, was my sense of duty. By getting vaccinated, I did my part to stop the spread of the virus and protect those who could not get the vaccines themselves.

Only two candidates took umbrage with the question.

J.R. McMullen, a Republican running for Board of Finance, called it way out of line.

To ask candidates for their private personal health information and documents is intrusive, he wrote. Why dont you instead, send a note to all the candidates asking whether or not they or their significant other has ever had an abortion? Make sure you get a note from their doctor verifying the response?

McMullen conceded that his proposed question was a bit more extreme than the vaccine question, but said it is similar in nature.

It is none of The Advocates or its readers business, he wrote.

Are your candidates vaccinated? Mayor Bobby Valentine, unaffiliated: Yes* Caroline Simmons, Democrat: Yes Board of Education Becky Hamman, Republican: Yes* Versha Munshi-South, Democrat: Yes Michael Hyman, Democrat: Yes Joe Gonzalez, Republican: No Ben Lee, Democrat: Yes Jackie Pioli, Democrat: Did not respond Josh Esses, Republican: Refused to answer Board of Finance Richard Freedman, Democrat: Yes David Mannis, Democrat: Yes Robert Barocas, Democrat: Yes Leo Zygelman, Democrat: Did not respond Dennis Mahoney, Republican: Did not respond JR McMullen, Republican: Refused to answer Town Clerk Lyda Ruijter, Democrat: Yes* Marilyn M. Abbazia-Lodato, unaffiliated: Yes Starred candidates did not provide a photo of their vaccination card for verification purposes. Only mayoral, town clerk, school board and finance board candidates were contacted by The Stamford Advocate. See More Collapse

Josh Esses, a Republican running for Board of Education, also refused to participate.

My health care decisions are between me and my doctor, he wrote. I find these questions highly inappropriate and irrelevant to my vision for improving our school system.

Victor Rodriguez, chair of the legal studies and political science department at the University of New Haven, said the vaccination survey made perfect sense.

Across the country, the vaccination status of every governor has been reported on (theyre all vaccinated for COVID-19). We also know the COVID-19 vaccination status of all living former presidents and first ladies. As of Sept. 2, 80 percent of Congress had reported on their vaccination status, according to a USA Today fact check.

Its inevitable that public officials need to have a position, Rodriguez said. It is an issue that is so important for public health and for the community in general that you need to talk about it.

Republican Joe Gonzalez, running for Board of Education, was the only candidate to reveal he was not vaccinated.

In an emailed message, he wrote that his campaign has been about transparency, which is why he revealed his status. He said the main reason he did not get the vaccine was about freedom.

The freedom to choose what I put in my body, the freedom to choose what, as a parent goes into my childs body, he said. I do not take the seriousness of this virus lightly, but I do question the demands imposed by the federal government, state government and municipal government, those demands have ripped away the freedom to choose what I do with my body.

Becky Hamman, a Republican incumbent running for re-election, said she was vaccinated, but did not provide her card. She described the vaccination survey as media overreach in her reply.

Many candidates shared their status freely.

Robert Barocas and David Mannis, two Democrats running for the Board of Finance, shared photos of their vaccination cards with no resistance.

Board of Education candidates Versha Munshi-South and Michael Hyman, both Democrats, did the same.

I got the vaccine as soon as I was eligible, and I am eager to get my booster, Munshi-South wrote. I got vaccinated to keep myself, my family and my community safe from COVID.

Hyman said he was getting his booster shot this week.

I am vaccinated because I have faith in the science and did this to protect myself, my family and my community, he wrote. I believe that we can effectively beat the COVID virus, but only if enough of us are prepared to do so, otherwise we collectively (and selfishly) prolong the danger to all of us.

Both town clerk candidates  incumbent Democrat Lyda Ruijter and unaffiliated challenger Marilyn M. Abbazia-Lodato  said they were vaccinated, but only Abbazia-Lodato provided a photo of her card.

Both mayoral hopefuls, unaffiliated candidate Bobby Valentine and Democrat Caroline Simmons, said they were vaccinated, but only Simmons shared her vaccination card.

Board of Finance candidates Leo Zygelman, a Democrat, and Dennis Mahoney, a Republican, did not respond to the survey. Neither did Board of Education member Jackie Pioli, a Democrat who is running for re-election as an unaffiliated candidate this year.

Some politicians hesitancy to share their vaccination status is echoed in similar surveys across the country.

When the LA Times wrote a similar article in July, 12 legislators refused to respond. Twenty percent of Illinois lawmakers did not disclose their vaccination status in an August survey from reporters.

In Brookfield, the entire slate of Republican Town Committee-endorsed candidates said they would not respond because it was an overreach of any persons information and was not up to the Hearst Publications to collect anyones information, according to an email from a committee member.

The Danbury RTC sent out an email on Oct. 21 telling its candidates: If you want to answer the question please do and email (the reporter). If you do NOT want to answer, just dont answer it. PLEASE: Do not engage in a back and forth. Just let it go. We gain nothing by pushing back on (the reporter), only bad press.

Rodriguez, the UNH professor, said that if people are trying to get elected to a public office, having a position on vaccines and a plan on how to handle the pandemic would be inevitable.

He pointed out that the term public health crisis means that the issue extends beyond the health outcome of a single person to affect things like jobs, the economy and local infrastructure.

It impacts every aspect of everyday life. And local government at the municipal level, at the town level, is the government that has to deal with the everyday life of the residents of a community, he said. It cannot be looked at as simply a health issue.

There are no formal requirements or policies locally saying elected officials must be vaccinated against COVID-19. The vaccinations have been required for city employees, school workers, bus drivers, hospital workers, nursing home workers, workers at many private companies and for many students attending colleges in the state. For those not willing to get the vaccines, there is often a requirement they agree to regular COVID-19 testing.

The science is clear with the CDC saying time and again that the vaccine is safe and effective, and Connecticut has some of the highest vaccination rates across the country, with 72 percent of residents having initiated vaccination and 67 percent fully vaccinated.
HONOLULU (AP)  A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed by the family of a man killed by police in Honolulu.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Wednesday that the complaint was filed on behalf of the mother of Michael Kahalehoe, who was shot and killed by police in 2019.
Hazleton, PA (18201)

Today

Mostly cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 27F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 27F. Winds light and variable.
The lorries carry 13 tonnes of medical supplies and equipment, including 18 devices for artificial ventilation, COVID-19 tests and personal protective equipment, Agerpres informs.Last Sunday, two more lorries from France carrying 90,000 vials of drugs for the treatment of patients in intensive care arrived at the Ciolpani Emergency Response Coordination and Management Centre as part of an assistance plan from the Crisis Management Centre of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, coordinated by the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) of the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism, according to the French Embassy.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu proposed the organization, in Kuwait, in 2022, of the second session of the Bilateral Joint Economic Commission, as well as of a Business Forum, in which as many Romanian and Kuwaiti business people as possible can participate.

Aurescu made the proposal on the occasion of welcoming Naser Abdullah Al-Hayen, Assistant Foreign Minister for International Organizations of the State of Kuwait, in the context of the latter's visit to Bucharest, the Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE) conveys in a statement.

Minister Aurescu noted the "consistency and dynamism" of bilateral contacts and highlighted the support of the Romanian side for the launch of the Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation.

"Minister Aurescu also mentioned the prospects for the development of bilateral cooperation in the field of education, respectively in a multilateral framework and underlined the support of the Romanian side for the development of EU-Kuwait and EU-NATO relations, evoking the role of the Romanian Embassy in Kuwait as NATO Contact Point Embassy. He also expressed Romania's appreciation for Kuwait's role in maintaining regional stability," the source said.

The Romanian official recalled Romania's role as a non-permanent member and chair of the UN Security Council, in the adoption of successive the resolutions in 1990 and 1991, which condemned the military invasion of Kuwait, imposed economic sanctions and authorized international intervention to liberate Kuwait. Naser Abdullah Al-Hayen showed that the respective moment of international mobilization in support of the state of Kuwait "will forever remain in the memory of the Kuwaiti nation".

Assistant Foreign Minister Al-Hayen also had consultations with Secretary of State for Global Affairs and Diplomatic Strategies Cornel Feruta. Referring to the recent experience of the two states related to the management of the COVID-19 pandemic, the two officials highlighted the importance of expanding cooperation on health systems.

"The possibility of boosting sectoral relations was also explored, both in traditional fields (agriculture, transport, tourism, education) and in various niche sectors (cyber security, digital society development, climate change, etc.). In this context, the importance of the implementation of the recently agreed bilateral cooperation documents was highlighted, as well as the importance of extending the legal framework of the bilateral relations in the fields of mutual interest," states the MAE.

The dialogue also focused on developments in the Peace Process in the Middle East, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Afghanistan and Yemen, "the two dialogue partners welcoming the new dynamics of the EU-Gulf Cooperation Council dialogue, in which Romania plays an active role," the press release further mentioned, Agerpres informs.
Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General Daniel Petrescu said on Thursday, in the Port of Constanta, at the end of the "Noble Blueprint 21" exercise held in Romania, planned by the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Tod D. Wolters, that the training carried out demonstrates allied cohesion derived from the implementation of the concept of achieving "mutual understanding before action, if necessary, in an allied format", agerpres reports.

"In terms of training in a multinational context, we have conclude today another major training event, the 'Noble Blueprint 21' exercise. The exercise was planned by the Supreme Allied Commander Europe [General Tod D. Wolters] and led by Commander of NATO Allied Joint Force Command Naples [Admiral Robert P. Burke]. It demonstrates Allied cohesion derived from the implementation of the concept of achieving "mutual understanding before action, if necessary, in an allied format" - "know each other before we need each other", said the representative of the Defense Staff.

The Romanian official thanked the leader of the exercise, Commander of NATO Allied Joint Force Command Naples, Admiral Robert P. Burke, for his attention to the conduct of the exercise and also assured him of the full appreciation of the Defense Staff not only for the "excellent cooperation" between the structure he is commands and the Allied forces deployed on national territory, but also by the "remarkable collaboration" between the Allied Joint Force Command Naples and the Romanian Joint Forces Command.Lieutenant-General Daniel Petrescu said that ensuring national security is achieved through "complementarity between the national posture and the collective contribution" at NATO level.According to him, "Noble Blueprint 21" included ground and air policing missions in Romania, visits to key units of the Allied defensive architecture in our country and discussions aimed at synchronizing national actions with those in the Allied framework.The head of the NATO Allied Joint Force Command Naples, Admiral Robert Burke, stressed that the purpose of the joint Allied exercises is to keep the peace.In this context, the NATO 'Noble Blueprint' exercise validated the Alliance's freedom of action in the Euro-Atlantic area, strengthened the independence, security and territorial integrity of the Alliance's nations in the Black Sea region and demonstrated that our combined military posture remains credible, coherent and resilient to the activities of any adversary, Burke said.He also expressed his desire for a Black Sea Naval Forum, CARE, to be organised in our country, which will bring together decision-makers and leaders of the Alliance's navy so as to advance our common understanding of the Black Sea regional security challenges, to deepen the coordination of maritime initiatives in order to better meet the needs of the region.Admiral Robert Burke also said that, in the end, our strength and common goal as Allies demonstrated through exercises such as the 'Noble Blueprint' and efforts, at all levels, to synchronize our activities will make the difference between whether Europe will have many more cases of aggression on the part of the opponents in the future, or if it obtains a dose of long-term strategic stability.
Consumer goods represent the sector that was least affected by the pandemic crisis, and three out of four customers remain faithful to their preferred brand, according to a study made by Reveal Marketing Research, sent to AGERPRES on Thursday.

The Reveal Marketing Research study analyzed the behavior of Romanian consumers during the period of August-September in three sectors of the economy: retail, consumer goods and banking. According to this new study that covered both the urban and rural environment, as opposed to last year, 75% of respondents remained loyal to their favorite brand.

On the other hand, for 6% of Romanians, their behavior changed during this period, being less loyal towards their favorite brands, and 18% were even more loyal, when looking at the previous year."For companies, it is becoming more and more important that they recurrently analyze the consumer's attitude towards the brand in order to identify vulnerabilities ahead of time," says Marius Luican, the CEO of Reveal Marketing Research.The retail sector is the only one with a net increase of loyalty during the period of 2020-2021 (in the year 2021 Romanians were declaring to be 22% more loyal as opposed to the year 2020), while the consumer goods sector registered the highest percentage of loyal customers (75%). In other words, consumers are drawn to brands that show empathy and support the values of their own customers.Reveal Marketing Research is a full-service market research company, specialized in marketing research, sociological studies, customer insight, business strategy, market development.
A team of three doctors and six nurses from Denmark, who arrived in Romania on Wednesday night, will help Romanian doctors with cases of severely ill COVID-19 patients, agerpres reports.

"At the request of Romania for medical assistance under the European Civil Protection Mechanism, a team of three doctors and six nurses from Denmark will carry out in the coming days a voluntary humanitarian mission to support Romanian healthcare workers in the healthcare crisis caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus virus," Romania's Department for Emergency Situations (DSU) says in a press statement posted on its Facebook page.

Operating alongside the Danish medical team, there will be officers from the Danish Emergency Management Agency.DSU says that the assistance provided by the specialist staff from Denmark is designed primarily for severely and critically ill COVID-19 patients who are intubated or mechanically ventilated at the intensive care unit or in need of oxygen admitted to the Dr Matei Bals National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Bucharest."European solidarity materialised in actual support actions of all countries affected by various emergencies was and continues to be the preliminary step towards what we call in emergency management a return to normalcy. The joint efforts of the entire team, both the Danish and the Romanian teams, are considerable, with the main mission being to get as many lives saved as possible. We want to thank the European Commission, the European Commission's Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) and Denmark for their support in combating the effects of the SARS-CoV-2 virus," reads the DSU statement.
Bucharest Police carry out on Thursday five searches and enforce 168 arrest warrants, in a case regarding the falsification of COVID-19 vaccination certificates.

"In August 2021, police officers from the Sector 2 Police - Economic Crime Investigation Service, started investigations into the activity of several civil servants, seconded to a vaccination center in Sector 2, who allegedly changed, without right, computer data fed in the records of vaccinated persons, (...) having replaced the data of persons vaccinated against COVID-19 with those of persons who were not actually vaccinated, with the aim of fraudulently obtaining documents certifying vaccination," informs a release of the General Directorate of the Bucharest Police (DGPMB) sent on Thursday to AGERPRES.

Police officers of DGPMB, under the supervision of the Prosecutor's Office attached to the District 2 Court, carried out on Thursday five house search warrants, within the Municipality of Bucharest and enforce 168 arrest warrants issued on behalf of suspects, as well as another ten on behalf of witnesses to be heard."As a result of the searches, several means of evidence were identified and seized," the quoted source said.The investigations are continued under the supervision of the Prosecutor's Office attached to the District 2 Court.The vaccination center against COVID-19 Neghinita was temporarily closed after prosecutors and police officers went down to the location on Thursday to take evidence of false immunization certificates, Mayor Radu Mihaiu said.
Romanian border police have caught 18 migrants who tried to leave the country illegally in the last 24 hours hiding in two goods lorries that were checked at the Nadlac II border checkpoint.

The drivers are a Turkish and a Romanian citizen and, according to the cargo documents, they were shipping metal fittings and pipes for companies in Germany and Hungary, agerpres reports.

"Following a thorough control of the means of transport, eighteen foreign nationals were discovered hidden in the cargo compartments. They were taken over and carried to the headquarters. After verifications, the border police established that they are nationals from Pakistan and Afghanistan, aged between 14 and 30," the Arad Border Police informed on Thursday.In both cases, the border police are conducting investigations.
The National Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE) has approved the increase in the price of the gigacalorie delivered by all the CET (thermoelectric power plants)'s in the country, the biggest increases being in northwestern Oradea, western Arad and eastern Barlad, according to an ANRE press release issued on Thursday.

This is not the final price paid by the population, but represents only the tariff at which the plant delivers the heating agent, to which are added the transport and distribution tariffs. From the final prices, the mayors decide which subsidies are granted to the population.

For Bucharest, ANRE approved an increase of 86.58 pct of the price of the gigacalorie produced by Electrocentrale Bucharest (Elcen), from 176.55 lei to 329.41 lei.

"These increases are due to an average increase in the price of gas, of about +120 pct for natural gas delivered from the distribution network, of +140 pct in the price of natural gas delivered from the transport network and by about +23 pct in the price of coal, compared to the values taken into account for the bonus and prices of thermal energy valid until 31 October 2021," the ANRE explains.

In addition, the price of carbon dioxide certificates to be purchased by producers has increased by 45 pct compared to the price taken into account at the last adjustment of the bonus and heat price, Agerpres informs.
"Epidemics in the history of Romanian Countries. Documentary testimonies" exhibition, mounted by the National Archives of Romania, will open on Thursday, in the Lapidarium hall of the National Museum of History, agerpres reports.

According to a release of the National Archives, the exhibited documents capture the way in which the institutions of the time responded to the challenges of these diseases, what were the methods of stopping their spread and the traces they left in society.

The National Archives of Romania, a repository of the memory of the past, have preserved documentary evidence since the twelfth century."Today, on the 190th anniversary of the existence of the modern Romanian state, in the current pandemic context, we look back to the past with the help of archival documents to discover other epidemic episodes in the Romanian Countries and how they were overcome. Over time, many epidemics have affected different areas of Romania's current territory, from the plague epidemic to the cholera epidemic that ravaged the nineteenth century, to the epidemics of chickenpox, typhus and Spanish influenza at the end of the First World War," the quoted source states.The exhibition, set up in partnership with National Museum of History and the Dar Development Association, will be open to the public until November 7, in compliance with the sanitary protection measures in force.
Most new cases of SARS-CoV-2 infections compared to the last report were recorded in Bucharest - 1,839 and in the Timis - 592, Constanta - 581, Iasi - 579, Brasov - 567, Sibiu - 549, Cluj - 524, Ilfov - 517 and Bihor - 511 counties, informed, on Thursday, the Strategic Communication Group (GCS).

The fewest new cases of COVID-19 were recorded in the counties of Covasna - 74, Bistrita - Nasaud - 80, Teleorman - 84, Satu Mare - 88.

The Capital City has an incidence of 15.67 cases per thousand inhabitants, being on the sixth day when a slight decrease was recorded.However, Ilfov County ranks first in terms of the incidence of infections for 14 days, with 16.70 cases per thousand inhabitants. The Prahova - 11.92, Alba - 10.68, Constanta - 10.35, Brasov - 10.03 counties also have incidence rates.All counties are in the red zone (over three cases per thousand inhabitants).
The Government approved, on Thursday, by decision, the donation of 48,500 boxes of the antiviral drug Favipiravir from Terapia SA pharmaceutical company, at the request of the Ministry of Health.

"The Romanian Government approved today, October 28, 2021, the draft decision on the acceptance by the Romanian state, through the Ministry of Health, of a donation of medicines and their giving in administration, for the purpose of distribution to the health units treating COVID-19 patients (...) By this piece of legislation, the Ministry of Health accepts the donation consisting of 48,500 boxes of Favipiravirum, from Terapia SA company," informs a press release of the Ministry of Health.

This medicine will be distributed free of charge to healthcare facilities treating COVID-19 patients.

According to the National Protocol for the Treatment of SARS-Cov-2 Infected Patients, Favipiravir is recommended for use in mild to moderate forms of infection with the novel corornavirus during the first week of illness
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has signed a cooperation agreement with the IAR-Brasov company for the production of unmanned aircraft (UAV), according to a press release sent by the Israeli company on Thursday.

According to the quoted source, the cooperation agreement will allow the two companies to offer advanced UAV solutions in Romania, based on the Tactical Heron platform from IAI. Based on the agreement, the UAV systems will be manufactured in central Brasov, Romania. Furthermore, IAI will establish an academy in Romania for training operators and technicians for the UAV systems.

"The cooperation agreement is based on the IAI's vast experience, as well as IAR-Brasov in design, manufacturing, assembly and testing activities, in order to develop the most advanced model of UAV Tactical Heron. Following an exchange of knowledge, the designing, the component manufacturing and integration, their assembly and maintenance, will be all made in Romania," the press release reads.

Furthermore, since the construction and component assembly, up to the personnel training, retro-fitting and aircraft maintenance, Romanian experts and engineers will lead the development process of UAVs.

I am delighted to assist to signing the agreement with IAR-Brasov, one of the leader companies in Romania. We are witnessing a growing global tendency of "Make In", where countries prefer to manufacture themselves instead of importing. IAI is aligning to this policy and collaborates with local companies from all over the world, in this case Romania, an important country towards which IAI will keep supplying the best UAV systems in the world, said Moshe Levy, the executive deputy chairman and CEO of the IAI military aircraft division.

The CEO of IAR-Brasov, Laurian Anastasof, highlighted that signing this cooperation agreement between IAR-Brasov and IAI represents an important recognition of the company's value and expertise.

"Our specialists have recently visited the IAI factory in Malat and we are confident that the agreement between IAR and IAI will generate value for both parties. Producing UAVs at IAR Brasov, such as the Tactical Heron, which incorporates the newest global technologies, will be a major plus to our company's business and to the image and reputation of the Romanian defence industry in general," he pointed out, Agerpres informs.
The vaccination centre against COVID-19 Neghinita was temporarily closed, as prosecutors and police officers went to this location on Thursday to pick up evidence related to the issuance of fake immunisation certificates, Mayor Radu Mihaiu informed, agerpres reports.

"Starting today, the Neghinita vaccination centre is temporarily closed. Although we need each and every vaccination centre as air during this time, we are forced to interrupt the activity here, for a while. The prosecutor's office, together with the police, went to the location early in the morning on Thursday, as there were suspicions that a number of fake certificates were issued at this centre. We have immediately called the relevant authorities, and today it has been confirmed that such fake green certificates have been issued here repeatedly. So we cannot risk to continue collaboration with anyone from here until the prosecutors complete the investigations," Radu Mihaiu wrote on Facebook.

He mentioned that he will change the whole team at the Neghinita Centre, and that in the shortest time this location will restart its activity, because there is a great need for immunisation during this period."We will redirect all the people scheduled here to the other vaccination centres. We have added a new vaccination point at Cora Pantelimon. We will also add two new points at the Obor Market centre these days. And we are also about to open a new centre at the Mega Mall," added Radu Mihaiu.
PNL (National Liberal Party) leader Florin Citu said on Thursday that PNL's mandate hasn't become more flexible and that he still wants to support a PNL-UDMR (Democratic Union of Hungarians of Romania) minority government, noting at the same time that the Liberals have taken "an important step" and showed that they understand "the importance of the moment Romania is going through," while PSD (Social Democratic Party) and USR (Save Romania Union) have made "no compromise."

"I will reiterate what I said after proposing Mr Nicolae Ciuca. The PNL has taken an important step, it has shown that it understands the importance of the moment that Romania is going through, while I haven't seen any intention to compromise from the USR or PSD, until today, until this moment. They said [PSD - editor's note] that they do not want to come to power, which is OK, good, but vote for this government. The same with USR, which left the government, vote for this government. We can talk, it's a minority government, it's clear that it can't stay for a very long time. We can go back in 8 months, 9 months and check on the situation again. But right now it's clear that PNL is the only party that understands the importance of the moment, understands what Romania is going through. The other parties only make statements and that's about all. I've seen today that they are talking now about a technocrat government. So things are like these: PSD does not want to be a part of the government, but it wants a technocrat government, so what do they actually mean? The only part that has made a firm decision and has shown that it wants to solve the crisis is PNL," said Citu, agerpres reports.

He said the list of ministers would be ready by Saturday and the government should be appointed by next week.Asked if the PNL would accept a technocratic government led by Nicolae Ciuca, Citu said that this proposal had not been made, there are only scenarios.Asked if he will have a discussion on Thursday with the head of state about the possibility that USR joins the government again, Citu that it's the President who requests these meetings."First of all, I don't know if we will have a discussion with the President of Romania today for these meetings are always requested by the President and I don't know if we will have this meeting. Secondly, our mandate has not become flexible, it's the same mandate, PNL-UDMR. Of course, appointed Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca must have discussions in order to convince the parties to support us with a vote in Parliament, to support an interim government," added Citu.He reiterated that "the PNL has shown maturity, responsibility, while the other parties say that it is not enough and that is still PNL's job to propose another solution.""I would like to see (...), in the end, if these parties understand the importance of the moment and understand that this is about Romanians, we vote for this minority government, because I have not seen other variants. I have seen a monochromatic government from USR, while now we have a government formed by PNL, UDMR, supported by minorities, so it's the largest majority that could have been gathered or the broadest support that a party has been able to gather, so we go with this government," said Florin Citu.The PNL leader added that he does not understand the discussions about PSD making the government."If PSD does not want to govern, I do not understand the discussion about PSD making the government. When they said clearly from the beginning of the year that you do not want to govern. So something is not right, there is a fracture of logic there. On the other hand, USR left the government, and I don't understand again, there is again a fracture of logic in this too, since at this point PNL has made a major compromise and the PNL leader has proposed another person for the office of prime minister, we have this option on the table right now, and there is no other option to talk about, we don't have a mandate," Citu also mentioned.
National Liberal Party (PNL) chairman Florin Citu said on Thursday, regarding the appeal made by the Social Democratic Party (PSD) leader Marcel Ciolacu to solve the political crisis, that this represents the first step PSD is taking in supporting a minority government, agerpres reports.

"I think it is the first step taken by the Social Democratic Party, which shows that it will support a minority government. I said from the first moment: the National Liberal Party took an important step, the leader of the party stepped aside, we proposed another prime minister, Mr. Nicolae Ciuca. The Social Democratic Party has been saying for eight months now that it does not want to govern, that it does not want to be in government. There were two situations, two consultations at the Cotroceni [Presidential Palace], in neither of them did the PSD come up with a proposal for prime minister, it said they did not want to govern, so the option - and I am happy that the Social Democratic Party is going in this direction - is to support a minority government. I hope to see the same result from USR [Save Romania Union] as well, to have this government voted by USR and by as many MPs as possible, so that it will work as soon as possible," Citu said at the PNL headquarters.

Asked if it is possible that there will also be technocratic ministers in the government, Citu said that this should be discussed with the prime minister-designate."Here it must be discussed with Nicolae Ciuca if there are going to be technocrats in government. When there are technocratic ministers, it is not clear whether you are in government or you are not in government, it is pretty bizarre, and then it must be discussed in the National Liberal Party, in the Executive Bureau, in its National Political Bureau, to see if it is an option," added Florin Citu, noting, however, that the prime minister-designate did not come up with this option.As regards a sign from the USR that they would be open to fresh talks, Citu said "unfortunately, no"."Both the Romanians and I, are looking and do not understand this attitude of those from USR, because, I repeat, we made a major concession, we understood the message. It is time for the USR to show that they understand the importance of the moment Romania is going through, to take a step, to show clearly that they will support this minority government and we will be able to discuss again in 7-8 months, to see if we have time to discuss until then," the PNL leader reiterated.PSD leader Marcel Ciolacu said earlier on Thursday that political leaders have already "stretched" too much the Romanians' patience and that a decision on the political crisis should be made.
Amazon is doing whatever it takes to minimize the impact on customers and selling partners this holiday season, he said. Itll be expensive for us in the short term, but its the right prioritization for our customers and partners.

The retailer has strived to prevent a repeat of the 2013 season when delays left some without presents on Christmas Day.

Retailers are facing supply constraints on everything from toys to Nike sneakers to laptops, making it difficult for them to stock up their shelves.

Amazon CFO Brian Olsavsky said on a call with reporters that the labor shortage had contributed to inconsistent staffing levels.

Workers  not physical space  became its primary capacity constraint in the third quarter, Olsavsky said. And that has had a ripple effect.

Inventory placement is frequently redirected to fulfillment centers that have labor to receive this product, which results in less optimal placement, which leads to longer and more expensive transportation routes, he said.

Amazon faced an extra $2 billion in costs from labor, inflation and operational disruptions, an amount that is supposed to rise to $4 billion in the current period, Olsavsky said.
In the spirits world, bartenders are gatekeepers and guides. Curious about gin styles? Pondering the difference between bourbon, rye and blended Scotch? Ready to sample mezcal? Your friendly local barkeep has your back.

For years, whenever Cathead Distillery launched a new product, they would start on premise, in bars and restaurants. Yet when the Jackson, Mississippi, distiller kicked off its campaign for a new bitter orange vodka in March, it went the opposite direction.

Its very different than how we approached releases of the past, says Richard Patrick, who co-founded the small distillery in 2010 with Austin Evans. We approached it for the COVID times of home bartending, and making things simple for people. We wanted something very versatile for folks to enjoy who dont have a lot of training wheels involved in how to make a cocktail.

But Cathead cant deny how this past year has shifted and amplified trends in how, what and where people drink. In addition to the bitter orange vodka, the company captured two trends in one with a sessionable line of 5% alcohol by volume, or ABV, drinks. They created sparkling vodka-based canned cocktails in flavors including cranberry and limeade.

And these types of changes are being seen throughout the entire industry, not just a select few brands. Heres a look at how shopping at your local liquor store may look different these days.

Can that cosmo

A collective social pivot from bar stool to living room couch amplified a trend that was already fizzing before the pandemic. Canned cocktails, ranging from mojitos and mules to fruity spritzes and spiked lemonade, are big and getting bigger.

Were definitely seeing a lot of canned and bottled cocktails, ready to drink, says Kara Newman, spirits editor for Wine Enthusiast magazine. Thats partly an outgrowth of what was going on during the pandemic, this need for things to be outdoors-friendly and portable. There were so many distilleries and entrepreneurs and bar owners that rolled out their own products.

While canned cocktails may be booming, that doesnt mean theyre easy to make. A lot of them are pretty mediocre, Newman says. Some of them are made with a great amount of care, and some arent.

There are a lot of ways for a canned cocktail to go sideways, as Newman wrote in a June story for Wine Enthusiast. Fresh citrus isnt shelf stable, so some makers substitute citric acid. Sometimes the base is different, too. Is that canned margarita made with tequila? Maybe not.

Is it actually the same spirit, or is it neutral grain alcohol or something else? Newman says. Is it wine-based or malt-liquor-based, and its trying to be a beer-garita? Is it made with artificial flavors or citric acid as opposed to lime?

Yet many see promising improvements. Toronto-based wine and spirits writer Kate Dingwall likes brands like LiveWire, which was created by award-winning bartender Aaron Polsky in Los Angeles.

Many bartenders are making their own options, says Dingwall, whos been covering the industry for liquor.com, Eater and Forbes magazine, among others, for about seven years.

Its exciting, Dingwall says. Weve been drinking in parks, weve been drinking on patios, weve been drinking everywhere but bars. The rise of this canned cocktail movement makes it easy to do so.

Cocktail session: no- and low-ABV

Low- and no-ABV cocktails have been hot for a few years, and as people reevaluate habits they picked up drinking in relative isolation, the trend is surging.

Consumers are starting to wake up to the possibilities of the no- and low-ABV moment, Dingwall says. Before Seedlip, which produces nonalcoholic distilled spirits, launched in 2015, we didnt have a lot of options for nonalcoholic drinkers other than, like, Coca-Cola. Which is fine, but it doesnt feel like an adult way to drink at a cocktail bar.

No- and low-ABV drinks can be as basic as bitters and club soda or a wine spritz, or as complicated as any other high-octane cocktail such as a shrub, which is made with fruit-based syrups and preserved with vinegar.

Its way more sophisticated, with more flavors and more formats, Newman says. Its really come a long way from bitters and soda, or a Shirley Temple juice-and-soda-type format.

Pros dont prefer the term mocktails for these fermented and often complex beverages. They are often marketed as spirit-free and zero-proof. Other brands prefer to state their beverages are unleaded, safe for work or cocktail adjacent.

One challenge with low- and no-ABV spirits is that, as Dingwall explains, creating the spirit is just as expensive. The process is tedious. The equipment and bottles cost the same, but consumers have hesitation around, Why do I pay to flavor my drink like alcohol?

Still, Dingwall is encouraged by this trend, and she doesnt see it as only for the sober crowd.

If over the pandemic you hit drinking fatigue, a low-alcohol cocktail that doesnt leave your head spinning is a nice alternative even if you are a drinker, Dingwall says. Its about options, and it ties into our increasing awareness of health and sustainability.

Farm to flask

The word terroir, referring to the soil and climate that can affect flavors based on a growing territory where an item or ingredient is produced, is typically associated with wine. Recently, Newman has begun to see the term associated with spirits too. Were seeing more estate distilleries, she says, making farm to flask, or ground to glass. Theres more of an interest in terroir of certain spirits, in the whiskey sector in particular, an emphasis on the provenance of rye, barley and corn.

She noted Roknar Minnesota rye whiskey from Far North Spirits in Hallock, Minnesota, which has been doing really interesting experiments with rye and where its grown, according to Newman. KO Distilling in Manassas, Virginia, gets all of its rye, wheat, corn and malted barley from Virginia farms. Another innovator is Joe OSullivan, head distiller at Clear Creek Distillery in Oregon. He was one of the first to insist on purchasing apples, pears, cherries and more for his brandies from farms within 50 miles of their still.

The emphasis on terroir ties into a secondary trend of spirits that are sustainably made and distributed with minimal interference, Newman says.

Sometimes that looks like Good Vodka by New Yorks Good Liquorworks, which distills vodka from coffee cherries that would otherwise be discarded. Other distilleries have eliminated plastic or shifted their packaging in other ways. Newman has been seeing more bags in boxes, as well as bottles made out of paper and spirits in large-format cans that weigh less to ship than a heavy bottle.

For example, the St. Agrestis Negroni Fountain uses bag-in-box technology similar to boxed wine. Their 1.75 liter package equates to 20 Negroni cocktails that are made with Brooklyn-based St. Agrestis own housemade amaro.

The only thing to go in your trash is the spout, Newman says. Everything else is recyclable. As were getting closer to having gatherings again, large-format, ready-to-drinks might have legs.

Thank you, next

Some trends are relatively easy to quantify with balance sheets and sales numbers. Others are a bit more esoteric.

Dingwall noted the rise of consumer education, people doing their own research without a bartender or sommelier to guide them through. More people are knowledgeable of what amaro liqueur is, for example. Agave spirits are having a moment. Premium tequilas, like high-end whiskeys, are more popular than ever.

For herself, Newman has enjoyed seeing more acknowledgement of products made by people from various racial, cultural and ethnic backgrounds and LGBTQIA+ producers with strides made in inclusivity. And shes noticed more bars emphasize Fun with a capital F by serving more elaborate cocktails, organizing pop culture themes and overall vibes that are friendly and not stuffy.

The speakeasy is getting pushback, that sense of formality, she says. Were seeing younger drinkers who didnt come up in that environment who are looking for something that feels approachable.

For Newman, the social element is amplified, and her expectations for presentation feel higher.

I just spent the last year making my own martinis at home. When I go out, I will be glad to order a martini, Newman says. But I want gorgeous glassware, and the whole theater of watching someone make the drink for me, placed in front of me, garnished with pizazz.
Chuck Hatfield, a Jefferson City attorney with experience in state government, said one thing the order could affect is how licensing agencies treat those that dont comply with the mandate, such as a hospital that was violating OSHA standards.

In theory, you would see, sometimes the Board of Healing Arts would throw that in as a grounds for discipline, Hatfield said.

But Hatfield predicted the provision directing state agencies not to compel vaccinations wouldnt have an effect because theres not an agency in state government that enforces OSHA. OSHA has its own enforcement agency.

Parson, in a news release, said the state began to activate resources for legal action when Biden announced his initial plans.

While we hoped the Biden Administration would recognize these mandates as the abuse of authority that they are, they have not, and we must now use every tool we have available to fight this federal intrusion, Parson said.
Kileys muscles were weak after her extended hospital stay. Doctors ordered respiratory therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy and physical therapy. It took time to learn to sit up on her own, stand up without getting dizzy and walk again. She practiced stepping from one surface to another, like from concrete to grass, without losing balance.

Kileys mother was six months pregnant when Kiley was first admitted to the hospital. In the spring, during the last week or two of her hospital stay, her mother was having contractions, and couldnt make the drive to visit her in the hospital.

It was rough, Davis-Baker said.

Finally, on May 6, Kiley was discharged from St. Louis Childrens Hospital. She returned home to Greenfield, and was reunited with her younger brother and the familys three dogs. Her sister was born four days later.

For a while Kiley continued physical, occupational and aquatic therapy at a local wellness center. In the fall she started seventh grade, and despite having missed the last three months of sixth grade, she is doing well in her classes, her mom said.

Even when things look like theyre at their worst, it can turn around in an instant, said Davis-Baker.
Maplewood artist Margaret Keller installed Riverbend, a silvery representation of the Missouri River, on the ground in front of the new Arch entrance. It will be there through Dec. 21.
According to Chapter 610 of the Missouri Revised Statutes, commonly known as the Sunshine Law, those court records become closed to the public once such a case is terminated. The law includes an exception that allows a courts final order or a prosecutors final action to be accessed.

On Wednesday morning, after being tipped to the problem by a local defense attorney, I performed several searches on the website and came across cases that Vigil says should have been closed records. I checked names and case numbers in Case.net and the records no longer exist there, at least in the publics view.

Thats how it should be, Vigil says.

The Legislature and the courts have gone out of their way pretty drastically to close these records, he says. Case.net and the office of courts administrator have done a pretty good job of making sure that this stuff goes away.
The charges stem from the burglary Oct. 11 at Realms of Gaming, at 300 Edwardsville Road in Troy.

After the burglary at Realms of Gaming, the Troy Police Department used license-plate reader cameras that were recently installed in the city to help identify the suspects car. The plate came back to a vehicle registered in Tulsa.

Shownes said at least five other stores in the Midwest had similar break-ins recently. The man seen on video surveillance in the other burglaries was wearing clothing similar to what Garrison wore in Troy, Shownes said.

All evidence and investigation up to now points to just Garrison being involved in all of the burglaries, Shownes added.

The thief was on camera in at least one local burglary using a hammer to break the display cases; the thiefs blood was left behind.

Detectives recovered several of the items stolen from Realms of Gaming and other stores, and police are trying to find more.
Therefore, there is reason to believe that Eric Greitens violated the ban on transferring nonfederal funds from his state campaign committee to his federal campaign committee, the complaint says.

Federal law prohibits Senate candidates from using state campaign funds to support their run for federal office because state-level contributions are subject to different rules than federal-level contributions.

While Greitens 2022 Senate campaign may only accept contributions of up to $2,900 per individual and, importantly, cannot receive corporate funds, his gubernatorial campaign raised dozens of contributions far exceeding that amount  some as much as $100,000 and above, said Brendan Fischer, director of federal reform for Campaign Legal Center.

In a statement from his campaign, Greitens dismissed the complaint as the ludicrous work of liberals.

Funds from the state campaign were used for compliance and to defend against attacks, the statement said.

These woke liberals went after President Trump, and now they are doing the same to Greitens, the MAGA candidate for the US Senate. Well continue to fight, put America First, and winning, the campaign added.
PONTOON BEACH  Madison County prosecutors charged a Highland man Wednesday with shooting and killing a police officer outside of a gas station in Pontoon Beach.

Illinois State Police said Officer Tyler Timmins was shot in the neck as he approached a red Toyota truck he believed to be stolen around 8 a.m. Tuesday in the parking lot of the Speedway at Highway 111 and Chain of Rocks Road.

Timmins was rushed to a hospital in Granite City with life-threatening injuries, then transferred to SSM Health St. Louis University Hospital, where he died.

Prosecutors on Wednesday charged Scott Hyden, 31, with two counts of first-degree murder and multiple weapons charges, including possession of a stolen weapon and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was also charged with possessing a stolen vehicle.

Madison County States Attorney Thomas Haine at a press conference declined to provide further details about the events leading up to the shooting but said he intended to seek the maximum life sentence.

Now, the work of justice begins, he said.

Pontoon Beach police Chief Chris Modrusic said the department was grieving the loss of a family man who loved his community and his job.
WASHINGTON  U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, an ally of Donald Trump, bought as much as $50,000 worth of shares in the special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) that has agreed to merge with the former presidents new social media venture.

Greene bought shares worth between $15,001 and $50,000 on Oct. 22, the day they rose in value by as much as 1,650% from what they were worth before the deal, as amateur traders and Trump supporters snapped them up, according to a regulatory filing published on Wednesday.

The shares of the SPAC, Digital World Acquisition Corp., have given up most of their gains since Greene invested on Friday. Greenes representatives did not respond to a request for comment on how her investment has fared so far.

There is no suggestion that Greene broke any rules with her investment. Members of Congress are allowed to trade shares as long as they are not using non-public information.

A firebrand Republican, Greene has often been criticized for provocative comments and Twitter Inc. has on occasions blocked her social media account. In June, the 47-year-old congresswoman from Georgia publicly apologized for comparing COVID-19 mask requirements and vaccinations to the Nazi Holocaust that killed 6 million Jews.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP)  Missouris Republican Gov. Mike Parson on Thursday said his administration won't help enforce President Joe Bidens federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate in some limited instances.

Parson's executive order bans his administration from enforcing the mandate or penalizing noncompliance, but only when people refuse coronavirus vaccination for religious or medical reasons.

While Biden has argued that the sweeping mandates will help end the deadly pandemic, Republicans nationwide have opposed the vaccination requirements and warned that they could exacerbate supply-chain problems.

These federal mandates pose a significant risk to our state economy and workforce, and jeopardize public health by increasing vaccine hesitancy, Parson wrote in his order.

Biden is expected to release details soon about implementing the mandate. The Democrat has said companies with at least 100 employees will have to require all their employees to be vaccinated or undergo weekly testing. The mandate for federal contractors goes into effect in December, and it does not have a testing option.
Given all this, requiring civics education should be a no-brainer. Unfortunately, it has become  like everything else  a deeply partisan issue. The Wisconsin bill passed the Assembly on a largely party-line vote. Our politics have become so dysfunctional we cant stop posturing long enough to have a serious discussion about what basic things to teach our children.

Whose fault is that? Well, there is blame enough to go around. In fact, if there is one thing both parties do exceptionally well, its finding ways to blame the other side. But democratic institutions cannot function in a culture of blame. That ought to be civics lesson No. 1.

Lesson No. 2 should be that compromise is a good thing.

It is impossible to have a representative government without compromise. Yet today, too many Americans think we can improve society by electing fighters to Congress instead of collaborators. The result is that we have legislators who think it is their job to fight for control of the curriculum rather than work together to ensure meaningful education.

If we did manage to work together, what would that look like? Well, for starters we could agree on four essential objectives.
The complaint says Greitens state campaign fund paid more than $50,000 to a campaign manager and tens of thousands more for advertising, website design and public relations  all after he was out of office as governor but before hed formally announced his Senate candidacy. In one instance, the complaint cites circumstances that could indicate Greitens used roughly $18,000 from his state campaign committee to develop a website that would ultimately be used by his Senate campaign.

Greitens resigned his governorship in 2018 to avoid impeachment and criminal charges based on allegations that hed abused and threatened to blackmail his hairdresser and extramarital lover before running for governor.

In addition to those allegations, Greitens was accused of improperly fundraising off a donor list from his former charity without the charitys permission. That allegation, a potential felony, was dropped along with other threatened criminal action against Greitens when he agreed to resign as governor in June 2018.
By the end of the line there are only tourists and pilgrims on the bus. Together, in silence, we walk into the concentration camp.

Dachau, founded in 1933, was the first concentration camp  a model camp and a training ground for wannabe camp commandants who studied such subjects as crowd control and torture. The camp at Dachau was built to hold 5,000, but on Liberation Day 30,000 were found packed inside its walls. Some 3,000 were so sick that they died after liberation. The number of Dachau deaths is estimated at 40,000, but the total will never be known. Thousands of Russian soldiers were brought here as prisoners. Not even registered, they were simply taken into the field and shot.

I shuffle into the camps memorial theater. Its filled with 300 people, mostly tourists who are pilgrims for the morning. They sit in silence, looking at black-and-white film clips of tangled bodies and ghostly faces of the dead. As the camera pans silently across the corpses, gasps emanate from the audience. A frothing Hitler stands high, his hand waving furiously at the adoring masses. Even on the scratchy newsreel clips, he seems strangely charismatic, not dead but only hiding.
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In early October, an American Seawolf class SSN (nuclear attack sub), the USS Connecticut hit something while cruising submerged near China. All that has been revealed so far was that the damage was not serious but the sub did surface and slowly (SSNs move faster submerged than on the surface) take a two-week cruise back to Guam for inspection and possible repairs, depending on the extent of the damage. Satellite photos of Connecticut tied up at a pier in Guam does not reveal any visible damage. That means the damage may be along the bottom of the sub.

The navy had already revealed that eleven of the crew were injured during the collision, apparently because many crew are knocked off their feet, or seat, when there is an unexpected collision or change of direction. In past collisions that were violent and damaging, some of the crew injuries are serious, like broken bones. The current situations indicate a low-level impact. Surfacing and doing a reactor safety check and proceeding to port on the surface does not indicate a serious collision but are the current procedures for SSNs to handle situations like this. China is trying to spin this as a nuclear accident barely avoided.

This was big news in China because the sub was near China and the three Seawolfs have been assigned mainly to intelligence collecting cases. It was also a slow news day and speculative stories about nuclear powered subs are a proven attention-getter if you handle it right.

The reality is that these collisions are fairly common because three nations (U.S., Britain and France) have most of the nuclear subs and use them a lot. The nuclear submarine community has been learning some valuable lessons, and making needed changes, as a result of these collisions. As for the USS Connecticut, it most likely collided with a shipping container that fell off one of the many container ships that operate in that area and often lose some containers in bad weather. Most of these containers go to the bottom, while a few break open and some of the contents often wash up on a nearby, or distant, shore where they can, in many cases, be traced back to a container lost at sea. More dangerous for submarines are containers that, because of their cargo and container types, have enough buoyancy to linger beneath the surface at depths submerged nuclear subs operate. At these cruising depths the nukes dont use their active (broadcasting acoustic signals like radar) sonar and instead rely on passive (listen only) sonar and electronic charts. These charts are important for subs because they are regularly updated to show newly discovered underwater reefs and seamounts that must be avoided by submerged vessels.

Navies in general, and especially those with nuclear subs, are also improving the capabilities of their passive (just listening) sonar to detect very quiet underwater objects, especially enemy subs but also naval mines or wayward shipping containers and smaller debris like waterlogged lumber that can still stay near the surface as well as whales that are not paying attention. This is not normal but seagoing mammals like whales do get sick and the result is often erratic movements, including collisions with underwater obstacles.

For one type of nuclear sub, the SSBN (nuclear ballistic missile sub), the best protection is silence and stealth. All this stealth has a downside. This was demonstrated in early 2009 when France revealed that their SSBN Le Triomphant had collided with some unknown underwater object, causing some damage to its sonar dome. At the time, the crew did not know what they had hit, and assumed that it was a cargo container. Wayward containers were already a common enough occurrence in bad weather to bother submariners. Nothing else seemed to make sense. Ten days later, after the British announced that one of their SSBNs had also collided with something underwater. Britain compared notes with the French and concluded that the two boats had run into each other. It appears that the bow (front) of the Le Triomphant scraped along the side of the SSBN HMS Vanguard. The French apparently believe that both boats were so quiet that neither boat detected the other, even after the collision. The French revealed that onboard the Le Triomphant the collision could be heard by the crew as bumping and scraping, then silence. There was a damage assessment drill, which came up clean, except for some damage to the sonar dome. That meant the sub was even less able to hear any noises coming out of the Vanguard. The Le Triomphant then proceeded on its way, only able to guess at what it had just hit. The Vanguard did the same, unaware that they had literally bumped into another stealthy SSBN.

The next generation of British, French, and American SSBNs, which are about to begin construction, were all built to be even quieter than those they are replacing. France has usually taken the lead, however slight, in this area. The other key technology is passive sonar capabilities. The U.S. pioneered this field and still does. Improved sensors and more powerful computer hardware and software make these capabilities much more effective. That did not prevent those two SSBNs from bumping into each other. The three NATO nations with SSBNs do have some procedures to avoid the possibility of SSBN collisions, especially when they are leaving or returning from their bases and via crowded (with merchant ships as well as submerged subs) with traffic approaching major ports. SSBN nations dont like to release, even to trusted allies, any details of where there SSBNs will be on each multi-month patrol but do share some general SSBN patrol info with each other to keep two or more of their SSNs and SSBNs travelling silent while submerged from being in the same general area at the same time. The three SSBN nations are also coordinating their passive detection upgrades for the next generation. No details of that are made public but based on the known trends in technology it will be possible to get better warnings about silent submerged objects in your way.

There are two other reasons for underwater submarines colliding with something unexpectedly. The most obvious, and disastrous, case of this was the American SSN USS San Francisco hitting an undersea mountain in early 2006 at full speed while submerged. It almost sank and most of the crew were injured and one died. The cause was inaccurate charts (underwater maps showing obstacles, many of them completely and perpetually submerged). San Francisco was still using paper charts, which were updated slowly. The navy had recently developed an electronic navigation management system called VMS (Voyage Management System) and it was being installed on new and existing ships and subs. VMS electronic charts could have prevented the San Francisco collision because those charts are promptly and automatically updated. The 2006 collision involved a sea mount that was spotted by satellite in 1998 and 2004. The collision would not have happened if the sub had VMS. The navy believes that several groundings over the past decade would have been avoided had VMS been installed before the collision.

The inability to update charts quickly enough was the main reason for the collision. VMS was developed from systems used on commercial ships in the 1990s. Several other navies have also made the switch to VMS. Paper charts are replaced by electronic versions stored on a hard drive with DVD backups. The electronic charts contain more information than the paper charts, and are much easier to use, and, more importantly, update. Since the 1990s, space satellites have been surveying the oceans, and providing a flood of data for updating charts. The inability to update charts quickly enough was the main reason for San Francisco hitting an undersea mountain in early 2006. If the USS San Francisco had VMS then and the electronic charts had been promptly updated (the sea mount was spotted by satellite in 1998 and 2004), the collision would not have happened. The navy believes that several groundings over the past decade would have been avoided had VMS been installed.

The cabinets full of charts won't be discarded until Smart Ship computers and terminals are installed throughout the ship, so that others who need to use those charts can access them electronically. With VMS, navigation is much easier, and accurate. The users like it, especially the younger sailors who take it for granted that all documents will be available electronically.

Finally, there is the problem of sloppiness in using proven underwater navigation techniques when dealing with potentially dangerous, or fatal, situations. This occurs when nukes surface in areas known to have heavy traffic or when operating as part of a task force where there is usually only one sub in the area. The main responsibility is on the submarine crew and collisions with friendly surface warships or commercial vessels are usually traced back to the sub crew getting sloppy with the drill for safely surfacing in situations where there may be surface ships nearby, or where you expect to reach the surface. This is still a problem that can only be solved by officers and commanders ensuring that everyone involved is always ready to surface safely.

There are no perfect or easy solutions to these collision problems, just efforts to avoid getting sloppy with training and application of methods that do make a difference.
U.S. Marines assigned to 3d Battalion, 12th Marines, 3d Marine Division, fire an M777A2 155mm Howitzer during Artillery Relocation Training Program 21.3 at Yausubetsu Maneuver Area, Hokkaido, Japan, Oct. 26, 2021. ARTP is an exercise held to strengthen the defense of Japan and the U.S.-Japan Alliance as the cornerstone of peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region. This iteration of ARTP focused on operating as a small, distributed force, capable of delivering long range precision fires with lethal effects from multiple survivable locations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Lorenzo Ducato)

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by Austin Bay October 27, 2021

In July The National Interest published an essay entitled "Can America Lose to China?" written by Kishore Mahbubani, a fellow at the National University of Singapore's Asia Research Institute and a former Singapore UN Ambassador.

The essay focuses on the China-U.S. political, economic and social competition. Mahbubani begins with an observation: Americans believe "an open society like America has many natural advantages" over China's autocracy. By assuming inherent advantage, "Americans cannot even conceive of the possibility of losing out to China."

That may well be true, though not quite in the way he frames the problem.

I disagree with several of Mahbubani's subsequent points. He believes the U.S. should reintegrate its economy with China's. Sure, trade is beneficial, but U.S. overreliance on China is a strategic error. Fair trade does not exist when dictatorial whim rigs contracts and court decisions.

At times he portrays Beijing as relatively benign and misunderstood. He says the U.S. can get along with China as long as it "doesn't disrupt the world order."

Disruption is Beijing's business. China has encroached on the Philippines' maritime exclusive economic zone. (See the 2016 Hague Court of Arbitration ruling.) Vietnam has repeatedly confronted Chinese drilling rigs and "sea militia" boats invading internationally recognized Vietnamese waters. Indian and Chinese forces skirmish in the Himalayas and have since 1962.

Prominent Americans have contemplated losing the economic and political competition with China, with a resulting loss in wealth and diplomatic clout. Mahbubani clearly despises former President Donald Trump. Perhaps faculty club virtue-signaling blinds him to an obvious truth: Trump saw and still sees the possibility of losing to China.

Still, the ambassador deserves credit for recognizing a failure to contemplate uncomfortable alternative futures. I frame it this way: The majority of the American public and national leaders have yet to think about the consequences of losing a major war to China.

The Pentagon concentrates on military deterrence and, failing that, winning in combat. For seven decades U.S. and allied planners have conducted war games examining "what ifs" in a Taiwan Strait conflict and other east Asian scenarios.

In the last decade several games have examined a shooting (kinetic) war in the western Pacific and Asian littoral pitting the U.S. and allies against China. Occasionally Russian forces cooperate with China.

The Pentagon acknowledges conducting several classified war games in 2020. In March 2021 Yahoo News discussed one of them, a U.S. Air Force war game in the 2030 time frame. The scenario began with "a Chinese biological-weapon attack that swept through U.S. bases and warships in the Indo-Pacific region." A Chinese military exercise camouflaged "the deployment of a massive invasion force," which launched a lightning "assault on the island of Taiwan."

Chinese missiles struck "U.S. bases and warships" throughout the region.

Yahoo quoted U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. S. Clinton Hinote: "The (game's) definitive answer if the U.S. military doesn't change course is that we're going to lose fast." Hinote added "More than a decade ago, our war games indicated that the Chinese were doing a good job of investing in military capabilities that would make our preferred model of expeditionary warfare, where we push forces forward and operate out of relatively safe bases and sanctuaries, increasingly difficult."

Hinote didn't discuss America's loss in ships and planes and killed, wounded and captured personnel. But clearly America lost the simulated military campaign.

If China took Taiwan, then it would have achieved a major CCP goal, one with horrifying real-world military, diplomatic, economic and territorial consequences.

It is foolish to believe an intense war involving China and the U.S. would be confined to the Taiwan Strait and end with Taiwan's loss. In the scenario, missiles hit regional U.S. bases --meaning Japan, South Korea, Guam, perhaps Australia, Singapore and Hawaii.

Go a step farther. What keeps this western Pacific war from escalating to a war for national survival?

Next week's column will examine several very uncomfortable consequences of America losing a war to China. One scenario has war erupting before the 2024 U.S. national election.
The decades of violence from leftist (NPA) rebels and several southern Moslem separatists and Islamic terrorist groups continues to decline. So has violent crime in general, because of the outgoing presidents ruthless attack on corruption and the drug trade. President Duterte is in the last year of his six-year term and that played a part in a recent drop in his voter satisfaction ratings from 79 percent in late 2020 to 62 in mid-2021. Part of the drop was attributed to Duterte considering running for vice-president in the next presidential elections and most voters did not approve of that. As a result, Duterte dropped the vice president angle and announced he would retire and concentrate on keeping his popular reforms going.

There is still a lot of corruption, not just among politicians but also many businesses that depend on it to thrive and often find many powerful and influential Filipinos willing to take a cash token of recognition and respond by performing some seemingly minor tasks. This often worked with members of the security forces and media. This was the approach China was trying to use on key Filipinos to reduce opposition to Chinese territorial claims in the South China Sea. Duterte tried negotiating with China but found that did work and that the Chinese were instead pretending to negotiate while trying to buy the support of enough key Filipinos to induce surrender.

Duterte knew trying to negotiate was dangerous because the Chinese used such negotiations as a distraction, not a solution. While Duterte was negotiating he also cultivated potential allies for the fight against Chinese aggression. He tried bullying the U.S. into providing more support but backed off when he found the usually popular, with Filipino politicians and media, approach rarely succeeded. Duterte now has the U.S. as well as some European nations as allies against China. The Philippines always had a lot of potential allies in the region and the Philippines has been receiving more military aid from them in addition to what they get from the United States. This military and diplomatic support enabled Filipinos to use a form of the Chinese tactics against China. There are now more Filipino patrols, formal government complaints and a general refusal to be bullied by the aggressive Chinese. These tactics have caused the Chinese problems but they have adapted.

Undaunted China

Commercial satellite photos revealed that the 200 Chinese paramilitary naval militia trawlers have remained in the South China Sea areas where international law recognizes Filipino ownership. Since March the Chinese claims were being enforced by several hundred Chinese ships that appear to withdraw when challenged but are dispersing momentarily before showing up in a nearby Filipino reef. The satellite photos document the Chinese tactics. Several Filipino reefs in the Spratly Islands were used for this, which appears to be a pre-planned maneuver designed to deceive Filipino patrols and international media scrutiny.

The latest escalation is the use of large (often hundreds) numbers of ocean-going fishing boats. This began with Julian Felipe Reef, which is 324 kilometers west of Palawan, one the Filipino main islands. The reef is part of the Spratly Islands. The nearest undisputed Chinese territory is 1,148 kilometers away. China is using bogus and illegal claims on other South China Sea islands or reefs to justify its occupation of Julian Felipe Reef. In this case there is another problem. Julian Felipe Reef was not legally land that could be claimed until about five years ago. As happens often in the South China Sea, reefs grow and shrink because of the natural movement of sand. Parts of Julian Felipe Reef had long emerged from the water only during low tide. According to international law, that did not qualify as land. There are suspicions that China covertly did some dredging at Julian Felipe Reef to get the permanent sand to show. This is unlikely because commercial satellite coverage of the South China Sea has been nearly constant for over a decade.

The use of commercial satellite coverage, often on a sustained basis along with and the growing number of visits by Filipino air force and coast guard patrols plus fishermen operating there has provided an accurate record of increased Chinese activity. The photos show Chinese fishing boats and naval militia (fishing boats not currently equipped for fishing) showing up at Julian Felipe Reef in November 2020. By mid-March 2021 there were over 200 Chinese naval militia boats inside the reef. Most of them were lashed together in groups of five to twenty boats that formed a pattern preventing legitimate fishing boats from operating inside the reef. Most fishing boats in the South China Sea are trawler type vessels. These boats deploy their nets and then move through an area containing a lot of fish and haul their catch on board and into a refrigerated compartment. Many of the Chinese militia boats are formally called "freezer trawlers." These ships are up to 100 meters (320 feet) long and have facilities onboard to store hundreds of tons of frozen fish. These ships normally stay at sea months at a time and have crews of 14-30.

The number of Chinese trawlers has expanded enormously since 1985 when there were only 13. Now there are over 2,400 of them operating worldwide. China helped with this expansion by subsidizing ocean-going fishing boats. Those subsidies have since been withdrawn but meanwhile, the number of larger freezer trawlers has grown and these are meant for use in far distant waters.

China claimed all those Chinese fishing boats were taking shelter from bad weather. This is often the case with reefs in the South China Sea, but there was no correlation between the presence of Chinese boats inside the reef and the actual weather in the area. The Chinese claims dont stand up to scrutiny. With so many cellphone videos and high-res images from aircraft and warships available, all China can do is keep lying and do it aggressively and with assurance that no one will do much about it.

The Chinese naval militia has been a major factor in Chinese intimidation operations in the South China Sea. This militia has been around since the 1950s but wasnt used this aggressively until recently. For example, during the first three months of 2019 China deployed 900 navy, coast guard and naval militia ships around Pagasa Island to block access to fishing areas that Filipinos have been using for centuries. International law makes it clear that these are Filipino waters but the Chinese naval effort, and base constructed on Pagasa, challenge Filipino ownership blatantly and often physically.

Since 2015 China has hired several hundred Chinese fishing boats and their crews as a part-time naval militia to conduct a blockade of tiny islands in the South China Sea that the Philippines physically occupies, hoping to force the Filipinos to evacuate these outposts so China can take possession. The Chinese fishermen dont mind the militia work, seeing it as something of a paid vacation with overtones of patriotic service to the state. The militia boats are not true volunteers. When the government requests that a Chinese fishing boat work for the militia, the boat owner complies. Sometimes boat owners grumble when they are called up during a prime fishing season, but refusal is not an option and they make the best of it.

The Philippines appears to get most of the unwanted Chinese attention in the South China Sea because the Philippines has the most to lose. The 7,600 islands that comprise the Philippines amount to only 300,000 square kilometers (120,000 square miles) of land area. Compare this to China, with 9.6 million square kilometers of land. According to international law, the Philippines controls (via its EEZ or Exclusive Economic Zone) water areas covering 2.26 million square kilometers. By the same standards the Chinese EEZ waters comprises 877,000 square kilometers.

The Philippines is also the weakest (in military terms) nation China is seizing territory from and their mutual defense treaty with the United States is not always adequate to deal with the Chinese tactics. Moreover, the American government priorities can change radically every four years because of presidential elections. The current U.S. president is seen as less steadfast in dealing with China. So far that has not been the case, but the new American government has only been in power since January 2021.

October 15, 2021: In the south (Zamboanga City) police arrested Adzrimar Sali Ammat, a wanted Abu Sayyaf kidnapper who was involved in the 2016 execution of two Canadians who had been kidnapped for ransom but no money was offered. Ammat often served as the negotiator for the Abu Sayyaf kidnapping gang he belonged to and had set up a safe house in Zamboanga City that was two kilometers from a military base. Someone in the area recognized him and reported that to the police. The police delayed announcing the arrest for three days and would not say why. The delay was apparently caused by Ammat trying to negotiate lighter punishment for himself by giving the police useful information on other active Abu Sayyaf members.

October 7, 2021: In the south (Davao del Norte province) a suspected NPA rebel was killed after he encountered soldiers and refused to surrender. The troops were responding to complaints that groups of gunmen were seeking to extort cash from businesses, often claiming to represent the NPA. But more and more of these extortion operations drop the NPA revolutionary taxes angle because few potential victims believe that line anymore. In this province there are more NPA men surrendering, mainly because of hunger and despair, than continuing with their half-century long fight for a communist government. Many of the remaining NPA gunmen are teenagers between 14 and 17 years old. The NPA has made itself even more unpopular by recruiting teenagers and ignoring parental disapproval. Some older NPA men turn to banditry, but usually do so as part of a gang.

September 28, 2021: In the north (Mountain province) an army patrol encountered about ten NPA gunmen that local villagers had reported were operating in the area. The NPA men opened fire on the troops and after a 30-minute gun battle the NPA withdrew, leaving behind two dead and taking any other casualties with them. The army suffered no casualties. The two dead men were well-known locals and some family members came and made positive identification.
FILE PHOTO: An oil pump is seen near Bakersfield, California October 14, 2014. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

By Jessica Resnick-Ault

NEW YORK (Reuters) -Oil prices dipped on Thursday but settled off two-week lows as concerns about U.S. supply growth vied with speculation that Iran's supply could come online following nuclear talks with global powers.

Brent crude settled down 26 cents, or 0.3%, lower at $84.32 a barrel. During the session it hit a two-week low of $82.32 after falling 2.1% on Wednesday.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 15 cents, or 0.2%, to settle at $82.81. During the session the contract touched a two-week low of $80.58. On Wednesday, the benchmark dropped 2.4% after weekly data showed U.S. crude stockpiles grew more than expected.

On Wednesday, Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani said the country's talks with six world powers to try to revive a 2015 nuclear deal will resume by the end of November.

A deal could pave the way to lifting harsh sanctions imposed by former U.S. President Donald Trump on Iran's oil exports in late 2018.

"The market reacts to these headlines, but may be disappointed by how much oil actually returns," said Phil Flynn, senior analyst at Price Futures Group in Chicago.

U.S. crude stocks rose by 4.3 million barrels last week, the U.S. Energy Department said on Wednesday, more than double the 1.9 million-barrel gain forecast by analysts. [EIA/S]

The hefty stockbuild was because of a large jump in net imports of crude oil while refinery processing remained sluggish, Citi Research analysts said in a note.

Yet gasoline stocks fell by 2 million barrels to their lowest in nearly four years, even as U.S. consumers contend with rising pump prices. [EIA/S]

At the WTI delivery hub in Cushing, Oklahoma, crude storage was at its lowest levels in three years, with prices for longer-dated futures contracts indicating supplies will remain low for months.

Energy information provider Genscape said that as of Oct. 26, tank levels at Cushing had fallen by 2.772 million in the last week, market participants said.

Outbreaks of coronavirus infections in China and record deaths and the threat of lockdowns in Russia, along with rising cases in western Europe, also weighed on prices.

(Reporting by Jessica Resnick-Ault Additional reporting by Ahmad Ghaddar, Aaron Sheldrick in Tokyo and Koustav Samanta in SingaporeEditing by Marguerita Choy, Kirsten Donovan and David Gregorio)
Airman First Class Nicolas Baron, 305th Air Mobility Wing Loadmaster, holds his blouse for the last time before donating it to the National History Museum of the U.S. Air Force at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., Oct. 12, 2021. (Shay Stuart/U.S. Air Force)

(Tribune News Service)  The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force is collecting artifacts and memorabilia from the recent withdrawal of civilians and troops from Afghanistan.

Among the items being collected, according to the Air Force: An Air Force uniform blouse used to cover a sleeping child on board a C-17 leaving Kabul.

The moment was captured in a photo some have called "iconic."

The blouse belonged to Airman First Class Nicolas Baron, a loadmaster assigned to the 305th Air Mobility Wing, an Air Force release said.

Baron, a native of Southern Florida, joined the Air Force in November 2019. After basic military training and tech school, he began working as a C-17 loadmaster in February this year.

"He had no idea that within his first seven months on the job he would be performing his duties to secure an aircraft amongst hundreds of Afghan refugees as part of Operation Allies Refuge," said a release from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.

"I was just doing what I had to do," Baron said in the release. "Making sure everyone was seated and safe. My blouse had fallen from where I'd hung it up and as I was focusing on my tasks, a mother picked it up and laid it across her child to help keep them warm. It was heartwarming to see."

Air Mobility Command's history office contacted Stuart Lockhart, 305th Air Mobility Wing historian, to ask if Baron would be willing to donate his blouse to the museum located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

"Even before the end of the operation the curators at the national museum were looking for items to document Operation Allies Refuge," Lockhart said. "One item that they mentioned in particular that they wanted, was (Baron's) blouse."

Questions were sent to a spokesman for the museum Wednesday.

The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, located at Wright-Patterson, is the world's largest and oldest military aviation museum. With free admission and parking, the museum features more than 350 aerospace vehicles and missiles and thousands of artifacts amid more than 19 acres of indoor exhibit space.

(c)2021 the Journal-News (Hamilton, Ohio)

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A tunnel inside of the Red Hill Underground Fuel Storage Facility in Hawaii is shown in this undated file photo. (Shannon Haney/U.S. Navy)

HONOLULU (Tribune News Service)  The Hawaii Department of Health has fined the U.S. Navy $325,182 for safety violations uncovered last year during an inspection of its Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility near Pearl Harbor.

The Navy failed to maintain adequate leak detection at two underground fuel recovery storage tanks and hadn't performed needed testing of repaired piping, among other safety violations, according to state health officials.

The Navy, which has 20 days to contest the violation order, suggested to the Star-Advertiser that it was caught off guard by the fines. At the time of the inspection "no significant non-compliance issues were noted, " said Navy Region Hawaii spokesman Mike Andrews in an email.

"DOH stated we would have the final report by Jan. 1, 2021," said Andrews. "It has been 12 months since the compliance inspection, and we still have not received the inspection report."

Andrews said that the Navy had received "no prior communication on possible violations " before receiving the notice of violation from the Department of Health on Tuesday.

"The Navy remains committed to maintaining safety in all operations of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility and to timely communication with state and federal regulators, " said Andrews.

The Department of Health's inspection of Red Hill last year, which took place between Sept. 28 and Oct. 9, 2020, is the first since the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency strengthened its regulations of underground storage tanks in 2015. The Department of Health subsequently adopted EPA's updates, as well as additional environmental safeguards, in 2018.

"The state's effort to strengthen regulations around inspection and monitoring was critical to identifying these violations and ensuring that underground storage tanks are maintained safely," Kathleen Ho, the deputy director of environmental health for the Department of Health said in a press release. "DOH will continue to enforce all regulations to protect Hawaii residents and our environment."

The Department of Health said that the notice of violation, which was issued a year after the inspection, was issued expeditiously given the size and complexity of the underground fuel storage system.

Red Hill has been subject to intense scrutiny by government regulators and environmentalists in recent years amid mounting concerns that the massive underground fuel farm could contaminate a major source of drinking water for Oahu.

The notice of violation includes five counts:

 $30,000 fine for failing to operate and maintain corrosion protection on metal components of tank and piping that are in contact with the ground.

 $179,982 fine for failing to perform line tightness testing of repaired piping before returning it to service.

 $22,950 fine for failing to perform an annual liquid tightness test on spill prevention equipment to prevent releases to the environment.

 $90,000 for failing to maintain adequate release detection for two double-walled underground storage tanks for recovered fuel.

 $2, 250 for failing to perform an adequate, visual inspection of hydrant pits.

(c)2021 The Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Visit The Honolulu Star-Advertiser at www.staradvertiser.com

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Petty Officer 2nd Class Zhijun Miao covers outside vents to prevent flooding of base housing units in preparation of a storm at Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy, Oct. 28, 2021. Recent storms have flooded streets on base and impacted the power and drinking water supply in Sicily. (Kegan E. Kay/U.S. Navy)

NAPLES, Italy  Dozens of Naval Air Station Sigonella residents have been flooded out of their homes by torrential storms that have pummeled Sicily over the last week, prompting base officials to say they are better-prepared for another round of severe weather expected in the coming days.

On Wednesday, NAS Sigonella leaders acknowledged the inadequacy of their initial response to a cyclonic low-pressure system that has dumped 20 inches of rain since last weekend in the Catania area, the bases home.

We failed you, and I take full responsibility for that, Capt. Kevin Pickard, the bases commanding officer, said at a Facebook town hall meeting. It wont happen again.

On Thursday, Navy officials indicated the storm could bring 1 to 2 inches of heavy rain between 5 a.m. and 5 p.m. Friday, with continuing severe weather through Saturday morning and winds up to 40 mph.

Naval Air Station Sigonella chief petty officers and chief selectees deliver sandbags to residents at base housing in preparation of an oncoming storm in Sicily, Oct. 28, 2021. Residents experienced a break from heavy rains this week, but the severe weather event is forecasted to continue battering the region. (Kegan E. Kay/U.S. Navy)

Pickard said the high-energy storms over the weekend caused a cascade of problems that hindered the bases response.

Catastrophic flash floods invaded homes and other base facilities, knocked out power, stranded people in their cars and left many on the base without cell service or internet.

Floodwaters dislocated 92 residents of base housing. In all, 68 housing units were flooded, seven of which were unoccupied, officials said.

Some callers who requested emergency services from base dispatch were routed to the help desk and other sources due to instructions given out before officials realized the storms intensity.

The base will not repeat that mistake if the imminent wave of severe weather creates more need for emergency services, Pickard told residents of the Marinai housing complex at the meeting.

Officials said that in addition to about 5,000 sandbags, two generators were added and another pump was placed at the housing complex to remove water.

Crews were clearing drains of debris to keep water flowing, said Cmdr. Jason Christensen, the bases public works officer.

Shelters were opened for people who feel unsafe at home, and a stork nest was being created for women who are at least 38 weeks pregnant and may need immediate medical care, officials said.

In December 2005, an unexpected storm brought severe flooding to NAS Sigonella, trapping 475 families overnight at Marinai housing without electricity, running water or sewage. Navy officials had feared a catastrophe, but no one was injured and the families were safely transported to area hotels.

Alison Bath
U.S. Navy Adm. Craig Faller, commander of U.S. Southern Command, speaks with service members at Leeward Point Field, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Aug. 28, 2021. Faller will relinquish his command of SOUTHCOM on Friday, Oct. 29, 2021, just short of three years at its helm, and retire after nearly four decades in various Navy command and operational assignments. (Ramon Wright/U.S. Army)

(Tribune News Service)  Barbados was still in the early stages of its battle against COVID-19. Elsewhere across the eastern Caribbean, ports were closed, curfews were in effect and in the United States, infections and deaths were surging.

Barbados Defense Force 2nd Lieutenant Dennica Edwards got the call: Her command wanted her to attend a human resources military training course in the U.S. that would require four months of her time  and flights through St. Lucia and Atlanta in the middle of a global pandemic  at the Adjutant General School at Fort Jackson, S.C.

It turned out to be one of the best decisions of her emerging military career, Edwards told U.S. Navy Adm. Craig Faller, commander of the Doral-based U.S. Southern Command, during a two-day visit to Barbados in August. She spoke of her deeper appreciation for military human resource management after benefiting from SOUTHCOMs international military education training fund.

It has given me increased confidence, said Edwards, who works as the assistant staff officer in the legal department of the Barbados Defense Force. A lot of expert personnel were instrumental in delivering the training.

As Faller, 60, prepares to relinquish his command of SOUTHCOM on Friday, just short of three years at its helm, and retire after nearly four decades in various Navy command and operational assignments, its testimonials like Edwards the commander says he will miss.

This gives me a lot of excitement and joy to listen to your stories, he told Edwards and an intimate group of officers joining him in a candid roundtable discussion about U.S. military training opportunities. But also take some tasks here back to our headquarters, our team and see how we can help further develop these kinds of programs in your force.

A strong believer that U.S. military education training is critical to countering the influence of China and Russia among the regions military officers, Faller in his short tenure at the command emerged as not just a likable figure among his military counterparts in the Caribbean and Latin America, but the face of American diplomacy in a hemisphere increasingly feeling forgotten and neglected by its closest, most powerful neighbor.

As I look back on three years, the United States is a really caring nation and our government does supply foreign assistance, and security cooperation. We dont stand up and beat our chests about it. And I dont suggest we ever should, Faller said. But because were rather quiet about it, and we often approach it department by department, we dont get the credit for the commitment weve made on the field. So there tends to be this underlying narrative, that youre not doing things, not doing enough. It actually doesnt really match the reality.

Still, the Navy admiral acknowledges that given the perception, there is more that the U.S. can do.

Just engaging with our time, he said. Thats key: leaders phone calls, video conferences, and now when we can, based on personal protections, visits. I think we need a greater investment in our time and our attention, just to listen and recognize the many, many wonderful things we have in common with the Caribbean.

A native of Fryburg, Pa., Faller graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1983 with a bachelor of science in systems engineering. He was tapped by President Donald Trump in 2018 to receive a fourth star and lead the Southern Command, responsible for military operations in Latin America and the Caribbean. He assumed command of SOUTHCOM on Nov. 26, 2018.

President Joe Biden has tapped U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Laura J. Richardson to replace Faller. Only the second woman in history to head a U.S. geographic combatant command, shes the first woman to head SOUTHCOM. Richardson will assume command during a change-of-command ceremony on Friday at SOUTHCOM headquarters.

The U.S. military is a force for good in the region; were a force for good in the training and education and the values, Faller said, reflecting on this tenure and the message hes tried to bring. In order to continue to be that force for good, weve got to remain on the field, weve got to have the right level of resources in our education programs ... and in our exercise programs.

The visit to Barbados in early August was part of a wrap-up tour of the region that included stops in nearby Trinidad and Tobago as well as Haiti, where a devastating earthquake on Aug. 14 led Faller to oversee the deployment of helicopters, ships, transport planes and military personnel to deliver more than 300,000 pounds of humanitarian aid to hard-to-reach areas.

He also conducted final visits to Ecuador, Colombia and Brazil that same month, focused on further strengthening the United States longstanding defense partnerships and cooperation against regional security threats and challenges.

At every stop where the U.S. enjoys a military-to-military partnership, Faller would do just as he had since coming into the job: listen to concerns and determine whether there are opportunities to move forward in the military relationship, from education, to exercises, to military equipment where necessary. He also tried to reassure regional leaders that the U.S. is a trusted partner that wants to invest in professional military units in the hemisphere while being concerned about the threats posed by China, Russia and others.

Our approach is not asking nations to choose, Faller said, directing his comments to the rising role of China in the region. Its focusing on where we can enhance our bilateral relations with tangible things.

While China has long had relationships with a number of countries in Latin America, it has been increasingly focused on gaining a presence in the Caribbean. Beijings presence can be seen in everything from infrastructure investments to agricultural projects to COVID-19 vaccines in several Caribbean nations, which have also sent members of their military to China for training.

They recognize these countries are cash strapped, so theyre stepping up their game with enhanced professional military education, gifts, cash, Faller said of the Chinese.

These countries are going to have a trading relationship with China. Its a fact, he said. By focusing on what we can bring in at relevant speed, and investing that time and attention and follow up, thats going to be the approach to competition.

Changing image

The U.S. military hasnt always enjoyed a good reputation in Latin America and the Caribbean, where regional security forces have faced allegations of human rights abuses and lacked trust among the population. Over time, the image has been changing for the better, something Faller credits to the U.S. partnership.

Its my true belief that the strength of the United States military is that we work hard at professionalism, staying apolitical, staying in the line of values, respect for the rule of law and human rights, diversity in our ranks, he said. Weve worked really hard to be the good guys.

An example of that influence is the response to COVID-19, which saw regional governments using their military to deliver aid packages and enforce police lockdowns.

Weve seen that when our partner forces, whether its been in the Caribbean, or Central America, have had an opportunity to do the right thing, theyve stepped up and did the right thing, Faller said. Said another way, during the pandemic, when they were called in to really help go door to door, deliver care packages ... that could have ended badly if they extorted or abused the population, but that did not happen.

These leaders, they know what their strength needs to be, what it must be and theyre committed to that and that commitment starts in the education system that we provided, he added.

During the visits to Barbados and Trinidad, Faller met with military leaders as well as government ministers and staff from the local U.S. embassies. During the visit, the Biden administration began rolling out badly needed COVID-19 vaccines to the eastern Caribbean. SOUTHCOM had flown in field hospitals to assist with the response months earlier.

While on a tour of the hospital in Port-of-Spain, he peppered health minister Terrence Deyalsingh about the use of the tented hospital and what additional needs Southern Command could help with. Later, he said, after hearing the stories about the lives saved, the field hospital struck him as not a donation, but its an investment; an investment in our shared security.

In Barbados, the focus turned to regional security threats as security officers from the eastern Caribbean flew into Bridgetown for the first face-to-face encounter since the pandemic hit.

It is significant that you were able to visit us here in Barbados, Col. Glyne Grannum, the outgoing chief of staff of the Barbados Defense Force, told Faller while expressing gratitude for SOUTHCOMs assistance in developing operational readiness and capacity. Theres a whole ocean, a Pandoras box of scenarios that we need to be able to prepare and plan for, and ready our forces. I am absolutely confident in the partnership between ourselves and Southern Command.

Among the achievements Faller said hes most proud of is the day-to-day contact that had been strengthened across the eastern Caribbean under his leadership, and the relationships across the regional security systems, and advancements in the promotion of training for women like Edwards.

As he wraps up his tour of duty, Faller said he wishes his successor, Richardson, well. He has garnered an affection for the region, especially the Caribbean, and is already thinking of where he and his wife Martha can visit. It doesnt need to have a military, he said with a chuckle.

This hemisphere is a hemisphere of promise and freedom, he said. The people were so aligned with the United States, you feel like youre talking to your sister and brother next door in the neighborhood. ... The friendships and the trust that weve made and built, Ill miss those.

If there is parting advice he would give to members of Congress, who control the purse strings of U.S. assistance to the region, it would be simply to invest time in the area, Faller said.

Visit once COVID conditions allow. Make it a priority for your [congressional delegations] and staff to come see firsthand and in the application of the necessary congressional oversight, ensure that consistency, and a long-term view as a key component, he added. The region needs more advocates to talk about the promise and the challenges, and the threat to that promise. They are real, the competition with China, there is only one way it can end and democracy has to win.

2021 Miami Herald.

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Crowds of shoppers in Carmel Market in Tel Aviv in 2021. (Kobi Wolf/Bloomberg)

Israel must do more to break down vaccine resistance and implement tougher safeguards as foreign tourists start returning next month, or risk a fifth COVID-19 wave, public health experts are warning.

The increasingly urgent calls will be closely monitored worldwide as Israel has often been ahead of the curve in handling the coronavirus, from sweeping restrictions and vaccine programs to renewed outbreaks as its economy reopened. It's in the vanguard again with the world's first widespread booster program, which dramatically brought down a surge in cases generated by the delta variant, but it's being warned of another critical juncture ahead.

"It is not just about opening or not opening the borders," said Nadav Davidovitch, head of Ben-Gurion University's School of Public Health and a member of the expert panel advising the Israeli government on the coronavirus. "It's about how we open. What we did last time was open and then we were passive and did almost nothing  no enforcement, no good genetic surveillance  and gradually we lost control."

Tourists tentatively are to start returning on Monday, pending final government approval. But guidelines the government has released so far apply only to vaccination and testing requirements.

Epidemiologist Hagai Levine, chairman of the Israeli Association of Public Health Physicians, has urged officials to set up a permanent epidemiological unit at the main airport that will serve as an early warning system for new variants as well as future virus epidemics.

He advised the previous government until January, when he left to protest what he called political overruling of professional decisions.

Israel proved during its fourth wave that vaccine resisters could be coaxed to inoculate, reducing their number by almost half. Driving that in part was the contagiousness of the delta variant, which arrived in Israel in the summer. In mid-June, new daily cases were down to single digits, but by early September they peaked above 11,000.

The booster campaign started tamping down those numbers within a month, without a fourth lockdown. Daily new infections are now fewer than 1,000, but the concern is that another new variant could enter the country's soon-to-be-porous borders.

Entry will be allowed to fully vaccinated people and patients who recovered from COVID within six months of their trip. Tourism is a major source of foreign revenue for Israel, accounting for about 1.5% of economic output in 2019.

"With this policy, we accept the fact that some virus cases will enter Israel, but since we can fight COVID-19 without the need of lockdown, through the use of boosters, then this policy is probably safe enough," said Eyal Leshem, director of Sheba Medical Center's Center for Travel Medicine and Tropical Diseases.

That's where enforcement  and even more vaccinations  will play a critical role, doctors say.

"I'm happy we beat the fourth wave without lockdown" but "I'm concerned we're leaving too many people who aren't vaccinated or who don't have a booster," Eran Segal, a coronavirus statistician and computational biologist from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, told the Times of Israel news website.

Davidovitch recommends more intensive campaigns to persuade holdouts, including additional vaccination stations. He advised strengthening contact-tracing lab capacity now, while the caseload is lower.

Following the U.S.'s lead, the government is discussing vaccinating children age 5 to 11, with Health Ministry Director-General Nachman Ash predicting that inoculations will begin next month.

The government is also weighing mandatory vaccination under extreme conditions, such as the spread of an especially lethal variant, public health chief Sharon Alroy-Preis told 103 radio.

She's worried about the return of tourists  especially since numbers are spiking in countries such as the U.K. and Ukraine. Some of that increase is due to vaccine hesitancy and waning immunity. But it may also indicate the emergence of a variant that doesn't respond as well to existing vaccines, she said.

"The vaccine has brought down the infection rate, but the vaccine alone can't do all the work," she said.
Sgt. Andrew Petersen, left, biomedical equipment technician at SHAPE Healthcare Facility, receives a coronavirus vaccination at the health care facility Jan. 8, 2021, at Mons, Belgium. (Christophe Morel/U.S. Army)

WASHINGTON  Military chaplains say they are navigating a nuanced process of determining which service members get religious exemptions to avoid the mandated coronavirus vaccine as attorneys representing some troops contend their methods have led to unfair treatment in some cases.

Now as deadlines loom for all service members to get the vaccine, troops who are denied exemptions will be forced to choose between taking the shots or leaving the service. But measuring a persons religious sincerity can be tricky, leaving some troops waiting anxiously for a decision, some chaplains and attorneys said.

While the religious-exemption processes are established in service doctrines, military chaplains said their role in the process is complicated. Chaplains must determine whether service members are truthful in their religious objections to the vaccine or simply using faith to avoid a shot they dont want to take. Its a case-by-case process that requires the chaplains to make recommendations to the chain of command.

For those who are against the vaccine for religious reasons, the chaplains really determine the severity of their religious conviction, said Navy Capt. Richard Ryan, the chaplain overseeing the services Pacific fleet. The policy says it'll be on a case-by-case basis and it is based on the sincerity of the religious conviction.

Buy Photo Capt. Richard Ryan, right, discusses chaplains roles in the religious exemption process for the coronavirus vaccine at Naval Base San Diego on Aug. 17, 2021. Ryan oversees chaplains in the Navys Pacific surface forces. (Caitlin Doornbos/Stars and Stripes)

But some attorneys claim the case-by-case nature of the process leads to uneven treatment that derides military effectiveness by making social pariahs out of vaccine refusers.

They can do this ad hoc treatment where some individuals are getting assistance from the command and others are being basically bullied and harassed, said Houston attorney Sean Timmons, a former Army prosecutor who is representing some troops in this matter. That's creating a lot of readiness issues because the unit's supposed to be a cohesive team to deploy together to fight a mission.

The mandate, which Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin issued in August, requires all service members who refuse the shot without an approved medical, religious or other administrative exemption to be separated from the military for failing to obey a lawful order, according to the Pentagon.

There are several steps before separation, which include a series of consultations with commanders and medical professionals meant to address any misinformation about the vaccine, which the Food and Drug Administration approved for emergency use nearly a year ago. The FDA in August gave full approval to the Pfizer vaccine, which prompted Austin to issue the military mandate.

Austin called the vaccine necessary to protect the force and defend the American people in his Aug. 24 memo announcing the mandate.

Mandatory vaccinations are familiar to all of our service members, and mission-critical inoculation is almost as old as the U.S. military itself, he said.

The coronavirus has killed 71 service members, about half of whom died after the vaccine became available, according to the latest Defense Department data. Most were unvaccinated, though some vaccination statuses were not reported.

Despite some troops seeking exemptions, the services have reported high vaccination rates.

About 97% of active-duty troops have received at least one dose of the vaccine, though a fraction have submitted exemption requests for religious, medical or other administrative reasons. The rates for active-duty troops broken down by service are about 92% of the Marine Corps, 93% of the Army, 99% of the Navy and 98% of the Air Force and Space Force who are at least partially vaccinated, according to the services latest data.

I think you can see from the numbers  there's not a lot of resistance, Kirby told reporters Wednesday at the Pentagon. People understand that this is an important program, and they're participating in it.

Troops in the Air Force and Space Force must be fully vaccinated by Nov. 2, those in the Marine Corps and Navy by Nov. 28 and soldiers in the Army by Dec. 15, each service branch has announced separately.

Service leaders have declined to say how many exemption requests have been filed, though the Army, Navy and Marine Corps said no permanent religious exemptions so far had been approved. The Air Force, which also oversees the Space Forces vaccine data, did not say whether any religious exemption requests by guardians or airmen have been approved.

While Austin has said vaccinating troops against the coronavirus is a matter of military readiness, chief Pentagon spokesman John Kirby on Monday said it is also important to allow troops an opportunity to request accommodations if the vaccine goes against their religious convictions.

"We want to respect people's religious beliefs in the military, and one of the freedoms that we fight for here in the military is religious freedom," he said. "So in keeping with our values as an institution, [we] allow people who are concerned from a religious perspective to be able to state that perspective and to have that worked out."

Complicated process

The military has an established protocol for handling exemption requests. While each branch has service-specific guidelines, the processes are largely the same: File an exemption request with the commanding officer, undergo a series of interviews with commanders, chaplains and doctors, then wait for a decision from the Pentagon to approve or deny the request.

Timmons said his office has helped secure a handful of exemption recommendations from commands at Fort Hood, Texas, and Fort Bragg, N.C. Those recommendations now are awaiting final approval by the Army secretary.

His colleagues have also helped some troops in the Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force, but Timmons could not say how many. None had received secretary-level approval yet.

Each branch has to go to the office of the secretary of the service for final approval, so a lot of applications are sitting waiting [to be] finally approved by the secretary, Timmons said.

But the judgment included in that process is anything but clear cut, he added.

Theyre trying to determine if individuals have a sincere religious conviction that's causing them to be opposed morally to vaccination, but how do you judge somebody's religious sincerity? he asked. That's really subjective. There's not really an objective way to do that.

To answer that question, the military turns to its chaplains, who have been tasked with interviewing exemption requestees to help commanders and other decisionmakers understand whether a claim is true.

Sincerely held religious beliefs are hard to judge by someone else, so you kind of have to go by that persons conviction, Ryan said.

Religious freedom is protected by the First Amendment, and the services traditionally have allowed some accommodations to honor religious beliefs, such as allowing female Muslim troops to wear hijabs in uniform.

With the coronavirus vaccine, some Christians, for example, have objected to accepting shots tested on laboratory-grown cells that descended from fetal cells aborted decades earlier, according to Eve Schatelowitz, an attorney based in Round Rock, Texas. The vaccines themselves contain no aborted fetal cells, according to the FDA.

That issue complicates the sincerity determination for chaplains when the same service members objecting to the coronavirus vaccine for fetal-cell reasons did not object to other military-mandated vaccines that used the same process, such as the chickenpox and hepatitis A vaccines.

Can you say, I have a sincerely held religious belief against the [coronavirus] vaccine, but I'm OK taking every other vaccine? Ryan asked. I don't know, can you do that? Its a case-by-case basis.

Fairness concerns

Timmons said the case-by-case process can cause fairness issues. Among his clients, he said hes seen a pattern of those who are well liked by their command having an easier time securing the exemptions than those who are not.

The reality is they're helping those who they think are top performers, and everybody else, theyre browbeating them and putting them under duress, and if they don't comply  they're moving to separate [them], he said.

Timmons, who is vaccinated, said hes seen his clients inflicted with significant harassment -- being admonished, being mocked, being bullied, being ostracized by their chain of command for refusing to get the shot.

For example, he said some troops were told to sit in the corner after declining the shot at command-ordered mass vaccination events, which is a way to mock those individuals who aren't complying with directives to get vaccinated.

They look like kids in a classroom back in the 80s when it used to be that the ones who talk too much were put in the corner of the room to prevent them from talking, Timmons said.

Kirby on Wednesday told reporters that he was unaware of reports of unfair treatment regarding vaccine exemptions, adding Austin expects leaders throughout the department are going to handle the mandatory vaccination program with compassion and with understanding.

Theres an exemption policy thats been in place well before the [coronavirus] vaccine. It's not new, Kirby said. And [Austins] expectation is that if members of the military want to apply for one that they should be able to, and they should be able to make their case.

Determining sincerity

While theres no standardized Defense Department script that chaplains must use to determine religious convictions, some commands have developed key questions to ask.

For example, a religious accommodation interview questionnaire used by the Army Chaplain Corps asks questions such as How does your religion influence and shape your lifestyle? and How is your religious practice burdened by military regulation?

Schatelowitz, who is helping her Greek Orthodox son through the Armys exemption process, advises troops seeking exemptions to know and study their religious beliefs before starting the request process.

In order to show sincerity, you're going to have to know what you're talking about, she said.

Schatelowitz said those seeking waivers should at least know the basic tenets of the religion and why receiving the vaccine violates ones religious convictions.

If you just walk in and go, Hey, you know, this is against my religion, theyre not going to believe you, she said. You basically have to convince them and the only way you can convince people of anything is if you know your position inside and out.

Belief of the individual

Religious beliefs dont necessarily have to align with what an established church or religion teaches about the vaccine, Ryan said.

For example, Pope Francis has said taking the vaccine is an act of love and consistent with the Catholic faith, but that doesnt nullify a Catholic service members claim that it goes against his or her beliefs to receive the vaccine.

Its not just about what the denomination thinks  its the belief of the individual, Ryan said. You can be Catholic and disagree with the Catholic Church on that and its still a sincerely held religious belief.

Believers also do not have to be affiliated with an established, mainstream religion or denomination to qualify for exemption. For example, Ryan said if an individual claimed the Holy Spirit told them not to receive a vaccine, that belief could also be enough to grant a religious exemption if a chaplain is convinced of the service members sincerity.

Its still a sincerely held belief [and] it qualifies to be processed under that religious accommodation waiver, he said. Now Im not saying that guarantees the waiver.

Within days until the first vaccine deadline, Schatelowitz said interested troops need to file religious exemption requests as soon as possible. Contacting an attorney is not required, but it can help, she said.

I don't think it's a situation where people should just say, Well, I'm never going to get it so I shouldn't try, Schatelowitz said. I think a person should try, but they have got to be very sincere.
Roberta Satill helps children Jaydon and Talia with their homework in Longwood, Fla. (Jacob M. Langston/For The Washington Post)

When a coronavirus vaccine became authorized for emergency use in the United States, Roberta Satill and her husband took it without hesitation.

But as advisers to the Food and Drug Administration endorsed the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in children 5 to 11 Tuesday, Satill is wavering on whether to vaccinate her children, who fall within that age group. The 45-year-old mother from Longwood, Fla., said she has kept her kids up-to-date on their other vaccines, but she worries about possible short- and long-term side effects from the coronavirus vaccine and whether it's worth any perceived risks, especially given that infections have been declining nationwide.

The advisory committee, which voted 17-0 to back the vaccine, found that the benefits of the shot for the 28 million children in that age group outweighed the risks of a rare cardiac side effect.

"It's extremely nerve-racking," Satill said. "You want to make the best decision for your children."

Some parents, even those like Satill who have been vaccinated themselves, are struggling to decide whether to immunize their children. They wonder whether their kids really need it and worry that it may be risker than the disease, which is typically much less severe for children  though not always. They said they have a hard time finding reliable information to make an informed decision. And they said they want to make one for the right reasons  to protect their kids against disease, which vaccine company data show the shot does extremely well  not simply to reduce mitigations such as wearing masks.

In a Kaiser Family Foundation survey this month, about 27% of parents of children ages 5 to 11 said they planned to get their kids vaccinated immediately once the shots are authorized. Another 33% said they would wait and see how the rollout goes for other children.

What they ultimately decide may impact the trajectory of the pandemic in the United States. Federal officials have said achieving a high childhood vaccination rate will be key to tamping down the coronavirus' spread, especially in light of a recent study showing that children are transmitting the virus as frequently as adults.

The White House has launched a campaign to educate parents about the vaccinations, as federal health officials anticipate signing off as soon as early November on administering a reduced dose of Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine. The companies have said their trials show the immunization is safe and 91% effective in children ages 5 to 11.

But reliable information from official sources will have to compete with a maelstrom of rumors and social media claims, many of which are untrue.

"This is probably the most publicized vaccination campaign ever and there are torrents of misinformation out there. So it's absolutely understandable why parents would have some questions," said Sean O'Leary, vice chair of the Committee on Infectious Diseases for the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Several parents cited a feeling that they lacked reliable information as a main source of their hesitation.

John Lyons, a 39-year-old father from Chicago, said he and his wife got vaccinated against the coronavirus as soon as they became eligible because they both work in the medical field. But, he said, they feel that there's a lot to consider and no easy answers when making that decision for their children.

"It's a risk-versus-reward decision," said Lyons, whose children are 7, 6 and 3. "And I guess my hesitation comes in that I don't know what the real risk of COVID-19 illness is for my children. Information seems to be very difficult to come by  good information, reliable information, seems difficult to come by in terms of pediatric risk."

Many parents who are nervous about vaccinating their children are struggling to decipher the validity of conflicting information they have heard, said Krupa Playforth, an Alexandria, Va.-based pediatrician and mother of three. They tend to worry that the vaccines are too new to have been thoroughly vetted, and they cite lower rates of serious COVID-19 in children than adults.

While children are much less likely to become severely ill from the coronavirus, they are still at risk. Nearly 6.2 million children in the United States have tested positive since the pandemic started, resulting in tens of thousands of hospitalizations and more than 500 deaths, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Some children who had COVID-19 are now showing long-haul symptoms.

Nationwide, more than 45 million people have tested positive and more than 738,000 have died.

Some parents also incorrectly worry that the vaccines will affect their children's future fertility or make them shed parts of the coronavirus and infect others, Playforth said. Neither fear is true: The vaccines do not cause infertility or release any of their components.

"I think we are more willing to take risks with ourselves than we are with our children," Playforth said. "That protective instinct kind of kicks in."

For many, pediatricians are a trusted source of information. Playforth suggested that parents ask doctors whether they plan to vaccinate their own children. For her part, she said she plans to get a vaccine for her 6-year-old daughter, as long as the FDA approves vaccination for that age group without reservation.

Cydney, a mother in Rapid City, S.D., said she got vaccinated against the coronavirus last winter and that her husband had received his first dose. Her sons, who are 7, 5 and 2, have received all their other recommended vaccines, she said.

But Cydney, who spoke on the condition that her last name not be used to protect her privacy, said she worried that the sample size of 2,268 participants in Pfizer's trial was too small and that the vaccine was not studied for long enough. She also cited the lower rate of hospitalization from the coronavirus in children than in adults.

"I have been advocating for childhood vaccinations for nearly a decade, attempting to assure parents who are unsure of getting their children vaccinated against measles, tetanus, polio, etc., that the vaccines are well studied, safe, and effective," Cydney wrote in an email. "I cannot confidently say that about the COVID vaccines yet, so I will not be vaccinating my children with the COVID vaccine at this time."

One Massachusetts mother, who did not want her name used to protect her children's medical privacy, said all her children have received their routine vaccinations, including some that were optional, such as the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. Initially, she also planned to vaccinate them against the coronavirus.

But in the weeks after her 17-year-old son received the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, she said, her son's appendix ruptured. Appendicitis, which if left untreated can cause the appendix to rupture, was reported as a rare adverse event observed in clinical trials. But in clinical trial data that Pfizer submitted to the FDA, Pfizer concluded that "there is no clear basis upon which to suspect" that the seven reported instances of appendicitis were related to vaccination. In fact, the incidence rate of appendicitis observed in a surveillance study of 6.2 million people who got vaccinated was lower than in a study of the general population.

Because of her son's experience, the woman said she has decided to forgo the shots for her two younger children.

She said she had asked her son whether he was worried about getting the coronavirus and he told her he thought he had already contracted it but that getting vaccinated would remove obstacles such as having to wear masks and undergo things like in-school coronavirus testing and quarantining.

"I think we were all kind of misled that by getting vaccinated, life could go back to normal. But that turned out not to be true," said the woman, 40. She said she and her husband were also vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Other parents are worried not only about immediate adverse reactions, but also potential long-term side effects  which doctors said there is little precedent for with vaccines.

Jeff Phipps, of Crossville, Tenn., said he and his wife were on the fence about whether to get vaccinated themselves but ultimately did and finished their immunizations last month. He said he doesn't reject the idea of vaccinating his children, ages 16, 14 and 10, but "there's still so many question marks."

"I was willing to do it for me, but when I think about my children, we're just still searching for answers," he said.

Randall Hayes, who lives in the same city, said he and his wife are both pro-vaccine. The couple were vaccinated against the coronavirus and have gotten all other recommended vaccines for their 2-year-old and 9-year-old daughters. But they have differing opinions on whether to vaccinate their oldest when she becomes eligible for the coronavirus vaccine.

Hayes, 38, said he is not against getting the vaccine for his daughter, but he is concerned about potential adverse reactions such as myocarditis, a condition characterized by inflammation of the heart muscle. He said he was willing to accept possible risks for himself, but he does not want to make that decision for his child.

If the vaccine were to result in long-lasting effects, he said, "I'm going to have to stand and look my girls in the eye in 10 years or 20 years and say, 'I thought I was making the best decision for you.' And if it wasn't, then that's something that would be hard to live with."

His wife, Amanda, 35, said she wants to vaccinate their 9-year-old but she can empathize.

"I have not sat down and pored through all the research behind every vaccine that both of my daughters have gotten, but this is new and it's also coming at a time where there's a lot of mistrust that surrounds it. So it is just very hard, I think, for most people to accept," she said. She added that even she wonders, "Ten years down the road, what are we going to find out that we don't know right now?"

Health experts said serious adverse reactions to vaccines are generally rare and typically become clear quickly. O'Leary said the notion that children may suffer consequences from the vaccine down the line is "based on a mistaken assumption that the vaccines actually can cause long-term side effects."

"There's really not a precedent for that," he said. "When a vaccine causes an adverse reaction, it's in the days to maybe weeks after the vaccine. It doesn't happen years down the road, and there's no reason to think that these vaccines would be any different than all of the other vaccines."

In the case of myocarditis, a heart condition that in rare cases may be linked to the mRNA vaccines in young people, Playforth said the side effect did not become apparent until months after vaccination began because it's so uncommon.

While delayed effects from vaccination are unlikely, contracting the coronavirus can have long-lasting impacts. Long-haul COVID-19 in children appears rare, but estimates of how many kids suffer from it vary widely. And more than 5,200 children have gotten a rare but serious condition called multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C), which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states can cause inflammation of the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, eyes and other organs.

Still, experts said parents' concerns about vaccination are understandable.

"Even if you got the vaccine for yourself, I think feeling that nervousness about getting it for your child is very normal," said Jennifer Kusma, an instructor of pediatrics at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine.

Kusma recently led a study on parental reluctance toward a future coronavirus vaccine for their children. One-third of parents reported hesitancy  meaning they were unsure or unlikely to get the vaccine for their children. Non-Hispanic Black parents reported significantly higher odds of vaccine hesitancy for their children, compared to non-Hispanic white parents.

Kusma, who is also a pediatrician at Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, said she and other doctors were working to learn more about the vaccines in children so they can better answer questions from parents.

"If parents are feeling nervous or apprehensive, we want them to come to us with their questions," she said. "We want to help them work through their concerns because their concerns are valid and we're preparing ourselves to be able to answer them."

The Washington Post's Scott Clement contributed to this report.
Michael Myers returns in Halloween Kills. (Universal Pictures/TNS)

I cannot watch scary movies. I know my limits. For me, fully make-believe scenarios conjure lasting fears, which is why I am forever fascinated that plenty of audiences have the opposite reaction. Why are we  well, you  drawn to horror films?

Ive given this some thought and I wonder if part of it is the controlled setting: Despite whatever youre seeing on screen, you can safely experience a big emotion like fear because you know none of it is real. Youre never actually in danger. And when the credits roll, maybe theres a subconscious thrill of survival: You felt extreme terror and came out on the other side alive. Take that, fear!

I think youre partly right, at least for some people, said Coltan Scrivner, a researcher at the University of Chicago who examines this phenomenon. One of the ways he does this is by talking to people after theyve gone through haunted houses and asking: What are you getting out of this?

And what hes found is that people tend to fall into two categories. One group are sensation seekers. They like to maximize the amount of arousal they get from an experience, Scrivner said. But isnt fear a negative arousal? The research Im doing is sort of arguing that this is a misnomer, because the people who are experiencing that fear arent experiencing it as negative, so what weve been calling it is scary play. People who are adrenaline junkies love scary play specifically because they like that sensation. They like the extreme feelings and the dopamine rush of watching a scary movie or jumping out of a plane. So thats roughly half the people who go to haunted houses.

The second group are made up of what Scrivner calls white-knucklers: People who experience intense fear but engage in scary play anyway. We were curious to learn what they get out of it and most of them told us, I learned something about myself, or I developed as a person. That sounds deep. It is deep! And when we would probe them even further, it mostly centered around learning that you could handle more than you thought you could, which is similar to your idea of feeling as if youve conquered or vanquished something. Theyve overcome a fear or pushed themselves past their comfort level and learned that they can actually handle it.

This echoes an observation made by Kinitra D. Brooks, who is an associate professor at Michigan State University. Writing about the Candyman reboot earlier this year for The Root, she described horror as a purposeful, controlled trafficking in trauma to allow viewers to process difficult themes from their theater seat or couch.

Talking by phone, Brooks pointed to the catharsis audiences experience when a scary movie ends. Thats important. Theres also the idea that a vicarious fear isnt any less instructive than a real fear. Horror is a reflection of our world  its a distorted reflection  but that doesnt mean you cant learn specific things about yourself by going on that journey, she said. It can be a gut check: Are you identifying with the victim or are you identifying with the monster? Who are you? What is your moral and ethical framework?

She joked that horror fans will watch a lot of dreck in search of a great horror film. So what makes a horror movie bad? It doesnt handle the conventions of the genre well, she said. Some of them can scare you but they dont give you the complexities or the cathartic experience. And they also dont have fun with the genre, theyre almost too grim. One of the issues I talk about is this idea that a lot of Black horror has been constructed as Black trauma. These are critiques you hear from people who dont necessarily understand the conventions of horror as a genre. So if you dont understand how horror works, these stories are only going to look like Black trauma, without understanding the catharsis these stories provide.

Teyonah Parris (left) and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in Candyman. (Universal Pictures and MGM Pictures/TNS)

As with anything, this requires a certain amount of nuance and finesse, which Brooks felt were missing in the recent movie Antebellum and the TV series Them. But when a writer and director get it right, there are kinds of pleasures to be had. She pointed to the series Lovecraft Country and the movie Get Out, which both work because they recenter who is the victim. A lot of horror centers on the experiences of white middle class folks. But with these two, you get this shift from what has been historically constructed as the monster  the scary Black man  and they become the victim and the monstrousness comes from whiteness. So by playing with some of the conventions of horror, you get this really complex yet enjoyable ride through the genre.

Does watching scary movies  experiencing fear in a controlled setting  help people to deal with fear in real life? Thats the other main arm of my research, said University of Chicagos Scrivner. My colleagues and I had this idea that if you engage in scary play frequently, it helps you build certain cognitive and emotional skills that you can then  at least some people seem to be able to  translate them into other areas of their lives.

In other words, watching horror allows you to rehearse or practice feeling anxious and afraid. And to practice not being paralyzed by these feelings. Its not that youre learning the specifics of how to escape Michael Myers in one of the Halloween films, Scrivner said, but that youre learning how to think and act when youre feeling anxious. In fact some people, he found, have been seeking out scary movies specifically as a way to cope with anxieties caused by the pandemic, even as many people  with good reason  try to avoid anxiety.

That would be me! I figured out pretty early that horror wasnt for me. I remember someone wanted to put on Children of the Corn at a childhood sleepover and I was silently relieved when the group voted it down. The logical side of my brain knows what Im watching is fake, but a deeper, more primal part of my brain cant seem to make that distinction. Consuming these stories and images just feels bad and traumatic. Or as the fox said to the porcupine, Ive enjoyed about as much of this as I can stand. I know Im not alone, so I asked Scrivner why some of us cant engage in scary play.

Imagine it like a dial and theres a sweet spot for how scary it needs to be in order for it to be fun, or how much it needs to push your boundaries, he said. Adrenaline junkies have a very high sweet spot. On a dial of zero to 10, they might be a nine. Some people are much lower, a three or a four. When you make scary content, you tend to err on the scarier side, which means its more difficult for someone who has a lower set point to enjoy a common horror movie. You can take a test on his website gauging your own level of morbid curiosity to see where you fall. It will surprise no one that I scored extremely low: A two.

But Scrivners research is fascinating. Morbid curiosity, he said, is basically an interest in gathering information about potential threats in your environment. Theres also this: Hes found that people who tend to have higher anxiety are more likely to be horror fans. I thought that was really interesting because why would a person who is anxious want to escape into a world filled with anxiety?

And one thing that might be going on is that the root of anxiety is an intolerance for the unknown. Youre scanning your environment for threats. Youre so vigilant about threats that sometimes you over-perceive threats when theyre not there. But by watching a horror movie, that anxiety shifts from real-world worries (which sometimes we cant even pinpoint; its just generalized anxiety) to whats happening on screen.

So theyre still having those same physical sensations and the same unease of anxiety, but now it has a cause.

And it also has an ending.
The bell tower of the Church of St. Euphemia in Rovinj resembles the bell tower of St. Marks Basilica in Venice. (Anna Mazurek/The Washington Post)

The smell of truffles lingered in the air as I wandered up the steep cobbled streets toward the ramparts that lined the edges of Motovun, a fortified medieval hill town on the Istria peninsula in northwestern Croatia. The view was stunning; the green, rolling hills were dotted with vineyards, olive groves and forests, the source of the truffles.

It was the second day of my September visit to Istria - my first international trip in 17 months - and it had already exceeded my expectations. I was fully vaccinated and eager to celebrate my 40th birthday abroad by joining a friend who lives in Croatia to explore the country known for its picturesque coastline and ancient walled cities.

Our first stop in Motovun was the restaurant across the street from our Airbnb: the inviting stone terrace of Konoba Mondo. I ordered a delicious penne with Sicilian pistachio and Istrian prsut, an air-cured ham. After one bite, my friend exclaimed that the creamy polenta with Parmesan cheese and black truffles that she ordered was the best meal of her life.

"Istria cuisine is very much like Italian but heavier," says Konoba Mondo owner Klaudio Ivasic, who uses his grandmother's recipes and still lives about 65 feet down the street, in his childhood home. He says the key ingredients are homemade pasta, polenta, Mediterranean spices such as laurel and rosemary, and the famous truffles, which are sourced from the forests around Motovun and the nearby towns of Buzet and Livade.

The regional cuisine also features some unique local pasta such as fusi, a flat, square noodle rolled up to almost resemble penne, and pljukanci, which are short, thick, twisted noodles. Pasta dishes are often served with prsut, boskarin (beef from local longhorn cattle), wild asparagus and seafood in coastal areas. Another integral part of the cuisine is wine, which is most often made with Teran (red) or Malvazija (white) grapes.

Because Motovun is tiny, we spent our days exploring the peninsula's interior and narrow, winding roads by car. Although every hill appeared to be topped with a medieval town or an abandoned castle, I never tired of either. We wandered the ruins of Pietrapelosa castle; the streets of Hum, the self-proclaimed smallest town in the world; and Dvigrad, Istria's largest complex of medieval ruins, which were destroyed by multiple sieges and the plague. In between sights, we snuck in an olive oil and wine tasting at Ipsa, a family-owned business with a shaded patio overlooking the vineyards, and learned about Istria's complex identity.

When I arrived at sunrise to photograph the city of Rovinj, for example, the scene could have been mistaken for Venice. I set up my tripod and waited for the sun to highlight the Italian bell tower on a hill above a row of colorful buildings lining the water. The likeness to Venice (if I had removed the hill and added some gondolas) was not a coincidence; the Republic of Venice ruled this coastal town for five centuries.

After the Venetian rule ended in the 18th century, its influence remained in the architecture and culture. The winged lion of St. Mark, the emblem for the Venetian Republic, was a common sight in Rovinj and across the peninsula. The cobbled streets and laundry lines strung from balconies made me nostalgic for Venice, which I visited as a college student in the early 2000s, on my first trip to Europe - a trip that would later ignite a life and career of travel. Two decades later, I wandered the streets of Rovinj in the same state of awe at the elaborate architecture, clicking my camera's shutter at every corner.

Aside from architecture, the other element Rovinj shares with Venice is the crowds; the streets were packed with tourists and vendors selling paintings and other trinkets. Every cafe was overflowing at sunset. I had naively thought that, by traveling after peak season, I would miss the crowds. Because Croatia is open to travelers who meet either vaccination or testing requirements, this wasn't the case. As an added safety precaution, I dined only outdoors and wore a mask indoors and focused on outdoor attractions.

In addition to the Venetians, the Romans, Byzantines, Slavs and Austrians ruled Istria at times, as they did much of Croatia's coast. The only exception was after World War I, when Istria became part of Italy while the majority of modern-day Croatia became part of Yugoslavia. It joined Yugoslavia after World War II.

For a deeper look into the region's tangled history, I reached out to Wollfy Krasic, assistant professor for the Department of Demography and Croatian Emigration at the University of Zagreb.

"Istria today undoubtedly has a Croatian identity but also a strong regional identity, which is due to the fact that, although the Croatian population was numerically predominant in Istria for centuries, Istria was not part of the Croatian state (as part of communist Yugoslavia) until the end of the World War II," Krasic wrote via email. "As for the most famous cultural monuments, they were created in the Roman, Byzantine and Venetian periods, although there are exceptions."

The Italian heritage is an integral part of regional culture. Krasic points out that seven towns and 12 municipalities in Istria County are officially bilingual, which means "not only bilingual street signs or the presence of schools where the language of instruction is Italian, but also the translation into Italian of all official documents of the local administration."

I frequently spotted these bilingual street signs in small hill towns such as Groznjan and in Pula, Istria County's largest city. The road signs along major highways were also in both languages. One of the most interesting examples of this heritage was in the center of Pula, an important outpost of the Roman Empire known for an amphitheater built during the same time frame as the Colosseum in Rome. Forum Square, which has served as the town's main square since the reign of the Roman Empire, features the crumbling Temple of Augustus, built during the rule of Augustus Caesar. The temple stands beside the medieval town hall that flies the flags of Istria, Croatia, the European Union and Italy - a visual representation of Istria's identity.

I spent my last night in Istria pondering the complexities of the region while hunting for the perfect dinner spot in Rovinj. My friend had left earlier in the day to return to the southern Croatian city of Split, and I managed to snag a seat for one at the last minute at La Puntulina, a Michelin Guide-listed restaurant. Its photogenic terrace, which spreads across the rocks along the water's edge, is the most coveted dinner spot in town. The fusi pasta with boskarin was one of the best meals of my trip.

La Puntulina is a Michelin-Guide listed restaurant in Rovinj, Croatia, famous for its terrace, which covers the rocks along the waterfront. (Anna Mazurek)

Although the historic influences are obvious, Istria, like the rest of Croatia, has a distinctive culture apparent in everything, including the food, the wine and the extremely friendly and welcoming people - such as the determined hostess who set up a makeshift table for me with a perfect sunset view at La Puntulina. As the sun slipped slowly into the clear blue water, I sipped on a chilled glass of Teran - a dry red wine - happy to be traveling again despite the crowds and already looking forward to a return trip to Croatia.

A colorful doorway in the old city of Rovinj. (Anna Mazurek/The Washington Post)

IF YOU GO

Where to eat

Konoba Mondo

Barbican ul. 1, Motovun

011-385-52-681-791

konoba-mondo.com

A locally owned restaurant in central Motovun with a large patio that serves a variety of pasta, meat and truffle-inspired dishes. The owner grew up about 65 feet down the street and uses his grandmother's recipes. Open daily noon to 3 p.m. and 6 to 10 p.m.; closed Tuesday. Entrees about $12 to $26.

La Puntulina

Ul. Sv. Kriza 38, Rovinj-Rovigno

011-385-52-813-186

puntulina.eu

La Puntulina is a Michelin Guide-listed restaurant on the water. The terrace, which spreads across the rocks, is a popular sunset spot. Reservations are recommended. Open daily 1 p.m. to midnight; closed Wednesday. About $17 to about $39.

Ipsa

Ipsi 10, Livade

011-385-91-2060-538

ipsa-maslinovaulja.com/en

Located in the small village of Ipsi and surrounded by olive groves, this family-owned estate produces both wine and olive oil. Open daily 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in winter and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in summer. Tastings free.

Information: istra.hr/en
Lisa Molinari signs books at a recent author appearance in Virginia. (Lisa Molinari)

Last week, while trying to catch a flight to Virginia for an author event, I experienced some unprecedented run-around at the airport. My husband, Francis, and I brought one checked bag, which was five pounds too heavy. Unwilling to pay the $100 overweight bag fee, I frantically unloaded books Id packed for my event, but it was still over by a half pound. I grabbed the large bottle of Miralax laxative powder that I take every night, and plopped it into my carry-on bag.

That needs to be tested, a TSA agent said, pointing to the Miralax in my carry on.

How embarrassing, I thought, unaware that my circumstance would get worse. After submitting to the machine that blows a puff while you stand with arms overhead, I was told that the bottles contents had been flagged as suspicious.

Female, an agent said into a walkie-talkie. I was directed to wait in a secure area.

Francis looked irritated, which irritated me. Theyre just doing their jobs, I mouthed to him. If anyone should understand why security procedures are important, it should be Francis, who spent 28 years as a naval intelligence officer, and since retiring four years ago, now works in cyber security for a global bank.

A petite female agent with security gadgets neatly strapped to her uniform appeared minutes later. Maam, this security procedure will require me to touch you, she began. Do you have any conditions that cause you pain in any areas of your body? She thoroughly explained every step while patting down my nooks and crevices three times over.

She signaled to the male agents that I was cleared, but we still had to wait, while they leafed through the pages of every book that was in my carry-on, twice over. Are humor books and powdered stool softener a security risk?

Somehow, we made it to my author event at Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, Va. By the time we arrived, the Fort Richardson Room was filled with 50 members and guests, sipping drinks and loudly chatting in small groups. The coordinator tapped the podium microphone, Please take a seat. Let me introduce tonights speaker ...

I adjusted the folder containing eight stories Id planned to read, most from past columns Id written. For some reason, I wasnt nervous looking out at 50 unfamiliar faces with high expectations to be entertained. Unusually comfortable and confident, I began.

Two paragraphs into my first reading, giggling erupted, washing over me like an invigorating shower. With each story, the crowd laughed more and I mirrored their energy, until I had to pause to let hoots and cackles die down before continuing. In between stories, I freestyled, engaging with the women like old friends.

Francis, seated in the first row, saw opportunities to inject himself and took them, reaching over chairs to high five attendees and shouting additional details like, Of course we had a tinkle jar in our station wagon  I have three brothers! By the final reading, women were shouting out, So true! and Been there, done that! between guffaws, and I laughed at their outbursts.

My sides hurt, one hysterical chuckler cried. I joked that Id pay her to attend all my reading events.

Though I thought the night couldnt get better, I raced from the podium to the book signing table, where a long, noisy line was forming. Francis was supposed to handle sales while I autographed books, but he abandoned his post immediately, too busy joking with attendees. In the jovial mayhem, I fumbled to autograph each book with personal details.

Are you a military spouse? Id ask, and found that most were either retired military spouses like me, or men and women who had served many years on active duty. From one milspouse to another  keep laughing! I scribbled inside many books that night.

Before going to bed, I mixed a glassful of the Miralax that nearly sabotaged my event. Gulping it down, I realized that those fun-loving strangers were my people. We share a common life story, we speak the same language, and no matter how old we get, we are part of a community that will never retire.

Read more at themeatandpotatoesoflife.com, and in Lisas book, The Meat and Potatoes of Life: My True Lit Com. Email: meatandpotatoesoflife@gmail.com
It is important that Americans understand the considerable value that the Coast Guard provides in an evolving and indeterminate threat environment. They are not just a force that protects domestic mariners and responds to the ever-expanding needs of hurricane season. They can counter irregular threats from great power competitors and assist allies in bolstering their capabilities to do the same. In these regards, the Coast Guard is a defense force multiplier as well as Americas premier maritime law enforcement agency. (Jonathan R. Cilley/Coast Guard)

When Chinese naval vessels conducted military exercises off the coast of Alaskas Aleutian Islands, the Coast Guard responded by shadowing the vessels and monitoring their activities. When Iranian fast-attack boats charged at U.S. Navy ships in the Strait of Hormuz, the Coast Guard repelled them with a barrage of warning shots. From training allies and defending international maritime norms, to taking down drug smugglers and repelling enemy ships, the Coast Guard fills a unique and vital role between diplomacy and lethality. But that role is being overlooked and, subsequently, underfunded.

It is important that Americans understand the considerable value that the Coast Guard provides in an evolving and indeterminate threat environment. They are not just a force that protects domestic mariners and responds to the ever-expanding needs of hurricane season. They can counter irregular threats from great power competitors and assist allies in bolstering their capabilities to do the same. In these regards, the Coast Guard is a defense force multiplier as well as Americas premier maritime law enforcement agency.

As Adm. Karl Shultz, commandant of the Coast Guard, recently stated, the Coast Guard is the combination of Department of State diplomacy and Department of Defense lethality. This not only applies to the South China Sea and the Indo-Pacific, but also to the Arctic where a battle for resources and waterway access is already very much underway. Adversaries recognize that the best means of probing American vulnerabilities in contested regions is not through full military incursion, but through the use of irregular forces such as state-backed fishing militias or dual-use shipping vessels. In such scenarios where military confrontation is not proportional, it is the Coast Guard that is best positioned to defend Americas interests and repel malevolent activities.

But several factors are threatening the future viability of such Coast Guard operations. The deterioration of Coast Guard facilities, often referred to as shore infrastructure, is particularly concerning. These facilities have not only fallen into disrepair as a result of long neglect in congressional funding, but also due to damage from hurricanes and other severe weather events. Dilapidated facilities such as these are harmful to retention efforts and are particularly detrimental to the morale of Coast Guard families. Retention of families is also impacted by the pronounced need for increased child care options, the lack of which has had a particularly detrimental effect on retention of female Coast Guard servicemembers.

Pay parity with the Department of Defense is another area of neglect that should be addressed immediately. Unlike the other branches of the armed forces, which are housed within the Department of Defense, the Coast Guard does not have guaranteed protection for its employees paychecks in the event of a government shutdown or lapse in government funding. This resulted in Coast Guard members working without pay during the government shutdown in 2019. This is unacceptable given the perilous mission that the Coast Guard is tasked with. Congress must rectify this situation immediately.

Americas efforts to assist our allies, defend our maritime interests, and advance our national security will all place a much greater emphasis on the Coast Guard in the years to come. This type of gray area operational capability will be increasingly crucial in 21st-century great power competition. It is imperative that both the American people and their representatives in Congress recognize this. The time to invest in our Coast Guard is now and we must not fail.

Mike Stevens, now retired, served as the 13th Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy. He is CEO of the Navy League of the United States.
Evacuees from Afghanistan disembark from a U.S. airforce plane at the Naval Station in Rota, southern Spain, Tuesday Aug 31, 2021. The United States completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan late Monday, ending Americas longest war. (Marcos Moreno/AP)

As we exit Afghanistan, the country has an opportunity: to think anew about the threats we face and how to invest in the tools to meet them.

Consider U.S. forces final moments in Kabul. Their mission: enable American diplomats, their families, and our allies to leave Afghanistan safely. The context: a vast airfield that thousands were jostling to enter, with airplanes attempting to take flight as rapidly as possible and rumors of threats all around.

Now consider the tools at hand: facing a teeming mass of mostly Afghan civilians, American soldiers held standard-issue M4 rifles. What do you do with this weapon at this moment? If a riot breaks out, do you fire on the crowd? Do you shoot into the sky? If you needed to deploy violent force, how would you ensure that the weapon hit the right target  and didnt hit a civilian instead?

One of many reasons why service members earn our respect is that  despite these fraught circumstances  they act with courage, calm and restraint. The U.S. troops guarding Kabuls airport faced impossible odds and did their duty with distinction. They also did so at risk to their lives: Thirteen caskets returned from Afghanistan bearing the bodies of U.S. service members killed in those final days.

Several questions hover over our departure, including this: Why do we force U.S. service members to stand in the middle of a crowd of mostly innocents with only a lethal weapon at their disposal? Couldnt we do better than such a crude tool for such a complex moment?

Afghanistan is one venue that begs these questions, but there are others. Recently, Americas National Guard deployed to support earthquake recovery efforts in Haiti, and unseen by most, we also send special operations warriors on sensitive missions to capture  not kill  high-value targets. In each case, we put weapons designed for maximum lethality into moments that demand something different.

As we emerge from Afghanistan, we ought to reconsider the technology at the heart of our front-line military operations. Historically, the military has been slow to embrace new devices. Unmanned aerial drones, for instance, faced resistance for years. Yet now we cannot imagine warfighting without them.

Similarly, the military has long been skeptical of nonlethal weapons  a sentiment that has limited their use and deployment. By one estimate, more than half of the Armys nonlethal energy weapons are past their shelf life and suffer from depleted batteries. The cause? The Army did not seek to include replacement batteries in its annual budget.

Now is the time to refresh those budgets and, more importantly, rethink the strategy that underpins them. In theater after theater, what our service members need is the ability to incapacitate  but not kill. To have enough force to protect themselves  but not jeopardize the lives of civilians and fellow service members.

The timing is apt for a rethinking of front-line force. There have been great improvements in the capacity and precision of nonlethal energy weapons, and today, they offer more range, flexibility and effectiveness than ever. Technology and strategy are in alignment, and the usual excuses  we dont have the weapons or we dont have the need  do not apply.

The U.S. military has long demonstrated the capacity to adapt as the battle picture changes. And todays battle picture is different than the one that shaped our use of force and methods of force in decades past. We must equip Americas fighting men and women with the nonlethal tools they need for 21st-century missions. There is no better moment than right now, as we rethink our military posture around the world. And there will be no better audience for such a shift than those whom we put in situations of peril.

Rick Smith is the chief executive officer of Axon Enterprise, a pioneer in less-lethal weapons, and the author of The End of Killing: How Our Newest Technologies Can Solve Humanitys Oldest Problem.
Members of the 1st Marine Division capture Chinese soldiers in Hoengsong, Korea, March 2, 1951. (U.S. Marine Corps)

The White House this week indicated it had differences with the South Korean governments approach to formally ending the Korean War but said their diplomats ongoing talks have been very productive.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Tuesday described the bilateral talks as intensive but said he did not want to go too far publicly in revealing details.

I will only say that special envoy Sung Kims recent discussions have been very productive, constructive, Sullivan told reporters at the White House briefing room.

Sung Kim, the U.S. special representative for North Korea, has been meeting with Noh Kyu-duk, South Koreas special representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs, over their respective nations positions on a formal end to the war with North Korea.

The 1950-53 Korean War came to an informal end with an armistice rather than a peace treaty. The U.N. Command and China were also signatories to the temporary agreement, raising the question of whether the two must be part of the ongoing discourse between the U.S. and Seoul.

The administration of South Korean President Moon Jae-in, whose term ends next year, has in recent weeks advocated a formal end to the conflict. Addressing the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 21, Moon called for the signatories to come together and declare that the war on the Korean Peninsula is over.

Following his remarks, U.S. and South Korean diplomats held talks in Seoul and Washington, D.C.

Sullivan on Tuesday said the White House may have somewhat different perspectives on the precise sequence or timing, or conditions for different steps but added that we are fundamentally aligned on the core strategic initiative here.

He also told reporters that the White House was going to continue the intensive conversations with China.

The idea of an end-of-war declaration has been met with mixed feelings. Critics of the proposal say North Korea, which continues to violate human rights and conduct provocative weapon tests, would become the primary benefactor.

Pyongyang has long called for the roughly 28,500 U.S. troops to leave the Korean Peninsula, and an end to the war would call into question the legitimacy of stationing American forces in South Korea, according to defense analysts.

Supporters of the proposal, however, have suggested that the declaration would jump-start the peace process between the two Koreas and pressure Pyongyang to join the international community.

Despite continued weapons tests and provocative statements in recent weeks, Pyongyang described ending the conflict as interesting and a good idea.

"We have discussed the end of war declaration at several opportunities in the past since we have appreciated of the necessity and meaning of the [declaration], which can be the beginning of the establishment of a system to ensure peace on the Korean Peninsula, Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said in a statement last month.
Gray drifts of floating pumice are seen at the fishing port of Hentona in Kunigami, Okinawa Prefecture, on Wednesday morning. (Japan News-Yomiuri photo)

TOKYO  A large amount of pumice, apparently from the eruption of an undersea volcano, has washed ashore on the main island of Okinawa Prefecture and other places, affecting the fisheries industry and ship operations.

About 10 tons of pumice are being removed every day at the fishing port of Hentona in the village of Kunigami, but the stones are said to have continued washing ashore at the port, seemingly without end.

The prefectural government held the first meeting of an emergency response council Wednesday and confirmed its policy to start removing the pumice stones as soon as possible with help from a relevant national system.

The pumice is believed to have been ejected from the Fukutokuokanoba submarine volcano near the Ogasawara Islands, which erupted in August. According to the prefectural government, pumice began washing ashore on Kita-Daitojima island early this month and have been confirmed throughout Okinawa Island as well.

About 150 Indian mackerel, which were being raised in a cage at the fishing port, died after apparently swallowing pumice. A 24-year-old fisherman from the village said he is worried about how long the situation will continue, as he has been unable to fish for about a week. "I hope the prefecture will remove the stones as soon as possible," he said.

About 750 fishing boats have been unable to leave port for fishing in the prefecture due to concerns about engine trouble. Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki said: "It is necessary for the prefecture to give complete priority to taking necessary measures. We would like to implement the measures with a sense of speed."

According to an estimate by Toru Miyama, a senior researcher in ocean physics at the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, pumice ejected from the Fukutokuokanoba submarine volcano was swept away mainly by the westward Kuroshio countercurrent and washed ashore in Okinawa Prefecture. Some of the stones then may be carried northward by the Kuroshio current and approach the Pacific side of the Shikoku region in early November, Miyama said.

He said that due to the meandering of the current, the stones will pass about 500 kilometers off the Kii Peninsula, but may approach Shizuoka and Chiba prefectures by late November.
South Korean police will be cracking down on COVID-19 violations over Halloween weekend, particularly in metropolitan areas frequented by foreigners and young adults. (Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency)

CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea  South Korean police in metropolitan districts will be cracking down on COVID-19 violations over Halloween weekend, particularly in areas frequented by foreigners and young adults.

Roughly 200 additional police officers and city workers from Yongsan, Hongdae, Itaewon and other popular districts in Seoul will conduct joint patrols between Thursday and Sunday, a senior law enforcement official told Stars and Stripes on the customary condition of anonymity.

Patrollers, including city council officers and cops, will check whether folks are keeping a safe distance from others, wearing masks and avoiding large gatherings, the senior law enforcement official said Wednesday. Well visit businesses and guide folks to follow disinfection guidance as well.

Although Halloween is not officially observed in the country, the holiday prompts parties and other events catered toward younger crowds and foreigners. Districts like Itaewon and Hongdae in Seoul are known for their foreigner-friendly businesses and are home to numerous bars and nightclubs.

The official said authorities will break up the crowd if it was violating COVID-19 mitigation protocols.

Violators can face a fine of 100,000 won, or roughly $85, and a notice of reprimand will be sent to their residence or sponsor, the official added.

A separate notice from the Ministry of Health and Welfare warned that social-distancing violations may result in deportation.

Of course, there would be cultural differences, the official said. But we wish [people] could restrain themselves from doing anything extreme  because were still in the COVID-19 situation.

U.S. Forces Korea, the military command responsible for roughly 28,500 troops on the peninsula, said it expects personnel to be good ambassadors and for them to conduct themselves appropriately, both on and off duty.

Additionally, the USFK community must continue to follow all South Korean laws, rules and directives  including [South Korean] social-distancing levels and mask-wear when off USFK installations, Army Col. Lee Peters, the commands spokesman, said in a statement Wednesday.

Partygoers observing U.S. holidays in South Korea have concerned city officials in the past. Following Fourth of July celebrations at the southern city of Busan last year, several soldiers were detained after setting off fireworks, fleeing the scene of a crime and allegedly driving while intoxicated.

The command at the time described the actions as deeply troubling and apologized for the incidents.

Last year, USFK banned its personnel from visiting Itaewon during Halloween and conducted joint patrols with local law enforcement due to coronavirus concerns.

Ten districts in South Korea, four of them in Seoul, are currently off-limits to USFK personnel. The command prohibits troops from visiting districts with 50 or more confirmed COVID-19 patients per 100,000 people over a seven-day period.

The Korea Disease Control Prevention Agency reported 2,111 new cases Thursday, down from a record-high of 3,273 daily cases in September.

Stars and Stripes reporter Yoo Kyong Chang contributed to this report.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen told CNN this week shes confident the United States would come to the islands defense if China tried to invade. (Taiwan Presidential Office Building)

Taiwans president confirmed the presence of a small contingent of U.S. troops on the island in an interview aired Thursday by CNN that said the threat from China is increasing every day.

President Tsai Ing-wen told the broadcaster shes confident the United States would come to the islands defense if China tried to invade.

I do have faith given the long-term relationship that we have with the U.S. and also the support of the people of the U.S. as well as the Congress, she said. The administration has been very helpful.

Taiwan has been the focus of increased tension in recent weeks with Chinese troops practicing for an invasion and flying warplanes near the island democracy that is home to 23.5 million people.

President Joe Biden last week said the U.S. would defend Taiwan if China attacked, although his comments were walked back by the White House. The comment prompted a warning from China to the U.S. to speak prudently on Taiwan.

Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping are preparing to hold their first summit via video since the U.S. president took office in January, with Taiwan likely high on the agenda.

Tsai confirmed that U.S. troops are on the island but added that there are not as many as people thought.

The presence on Taiwan of a U.S. special operations unit and a contingent of Marines to train local military forces was revealed by U.S. officials quoted in a Wall Street Journal report on Oct. 7.

About two dozen members of U.S. special-operations and support troops are training small units of Taiwans ground forces. And Marines are working with local maritime forces on small-boat training, the officials said, according to the newspaper.

U.S. forces have been operating on Taiwan for at least a year, the newspaper reported.

There is also a small detachment of Marines deployed for security at the American Institute in Taiwan, the de facto U.S. embassy, according to Ian Chong, an associate professor of political science at the National University of Singapore.

Even if the numbers increase, I doubt they will by much, he said in an email Thursday. The point of US troops being in Taiwan is to assist with training rather than to get involved in any actual operations or preparing for operations.

Taiwanese troops also train in the U.S., Chong said.

For example, Taiwan News reported April 26 that four Taiwanese F-16As had deployed to the U.S. the previous day for training missions.

Its unclear what a small contingent of Marines can offer the Taiwanese that they dont already know, New Zealand-based U.S. security expert Paul Buchanan said in an email Thursday.

A bigger problem for Taiwan is the increasing reluctance of their youth to volunteer for military service, he said.

That may have to change if things continue to ratchet up, he said.

Seth Robson
Spc. Steven Blackburn administers the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to Oliva Chapman, 13, at Fort Polk, La., on July 24, 2021. The military is stocking up on Pfizers pediatric COVID-19 vaccine in preparation for pending approval to use it for children ages 5 to 11. (Jean Graves/Regional Health Command  Central)

The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for 5- to 11-year-olds could be available to U.S. military families in Europe next month, pending emergency use authorization of the shots for younger children.

Army medical facilities in Europe have ordered more than 10,000 doses of the vaccine, but Pfizer wont ship the shots until authorization is granted, said Gino Mattorano, a spokesman for Regional Health Command Europe.

Once that happens, all Army medical treatment facilities in Europe should receive their orders within 7 to 10 business days, he said.

Mattorano said the vaccine supply for the other services in Europe comes from the same source, so he would expect other installations to receive their orders for doses around the same time. Ramstein Air Base officials said they would work with the Army on administering the vaccine to kids in their community.

Navy officials in Italy were not immediately available for comment Thursday.

A panel of independent advisers to the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday endorsed the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for younger kids. It concluded that the shot is safe and 90.7% effective in preventing symptomatic coronavirus infections.

The FDA is expected to issue a decision on emergency use authorization soon. If authorized, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would issue its own recommendations and guidelines on administering the vaccine.

The Army plans to coordinate vaccination events for kids with Department of Defense Education Activity schools, Mattorano said. Inoculations will also be available by appointment.

Air Force families in the Kaiserslautern military community will be able to get the shot at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center if necessary, he said.

Its possible for children to get the flu and coronavirus vaccine at the same time, Mattorano said. U.S. military bases in Europe are conducting flu vaccination clinics for beneficiaries four years and older. Younger patients are required to make an appointment for the shot.

Efforts to roll out the vaccine to younger kids come amid an uptick in coronavirus cases at a school on Ramstein Air Base, part of the largest overseas military community. Ramstein Middle School transitioned to remote instruction this week after reporting a cluster of new infections on Sunday.

Base officials at Ramstein said this week it was Air Force policy not to disclose case numbers. Despite that, some Air Force bases, particularly in Japan, regularly do so.

On Thursday, the 86th Medical Group announced on its Facebook page that PCR and antigen testing would be available on Friday and Monday due to a recent increase in COVID-19 cases. The base medical clinic had planned to be closed on those days.

The COVID-19 spike is occurring in family units and not connected to any particular date or event, base officials said in a statement.

Ramstein Intermediate School, meanwhile, reported two confirmed coronavirus cases on Wednesday, prompting parent-teacher conferences scheduled for Thursday and Friday to be virtual instead.

Parent-teacher conferences scheduled for Friday at Ramstein High School will also be virtual, school officials said.
Honor guards patrol the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., in 2018. (Astrid Riecken/Washington Post )

ARLINGTON, Va.  Arlington National Cemetery said Wednesday that it will host a public memorial procession and military flyover on Nov. 11 in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Tomb of Unknowns.

The procession, which visitors can observe, will begin at the main entrance to the cemetery on Memorial Avenue near the welcome center.

It will include troops from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), the Marine Corps Ceremonial and Guard Company, honor guards from the Air Force, the Navy, and the Coast Guard, and the U.S. Army Band, known as "Pershing's Own."

The procession will enter the cemetery along Eisenhower Drive, then proceed along McClellan Drive and Roosevelt Drive, and conclude at the base of the plaza on the east side of the Tomb near the Roosevelt Fountain, the cemetery said in a statement.

Areas along Memorial Avenue, Eisenhower Drive and near McClellan Drive will be designated as public viewing locations. All visitors must have a government-issued identification.

A flyover will take place over the cemetery during the procession.

On Nov. 11, 1921, a huge cortege accompanied the body of the World War I unknown soldier to the newly-established Tomb in the cemetery across the Potomac River from Washington.

The war, which had claimed the lives of more than 100,000 Americans through combat and disease, and hundreds of thousands of French, British, Germans and others, had ended on Nov. 11, 1918.

Three years later, tens of thousands of people watched as the horse-drawn casket of the unknown was borne through the streets of the Washington, over the river, and into the cemetery.

Next month's procession is free. No tickets are required. Those interested must be along the parade route no later than 8:45 a.m., the cemetery said. The procession will take place rain or shine.

Earlier this month, also in honor of the Tomb's centennial, the cemetery announced that for the first time members of the public will be permitted to lay flowers at the Tomb of the Unknowns Plaza from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Nov. 9 and 10.

Registration is required for the flower ceremony at EventBrite.com. Attendees must have government-issued identification.

Visitors are encouraged to bring their own flowers, the cemetery said. But complimentary roses, daisies and sunflowers will be available.

The cemetery's trams will be available free of charge for the public to reach the Memorial Amphitheater, adjacent to the tomb.

Although the tomb was established with an unknown soldier from World War I, two more crypts for unknowns from World War II and the Korean War, were added in 1958, the cemetery says on its website.

In 1984, an unknown from the war in Vietnam was interred at the Tomb.

But in 1998, the Vietnam unknown was removed and identified as Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie. He was reburied in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis in 1999.
President Biden arrives at the White House earlier this week. (Bill OLeary/The Washington Post)

ROME  President Joe Biden basked in a warm glow from America's allies on his first foreign trip as president last June, deploying the reassuring promise that "America is back." But four and a half months later, as Biden heads to his second round of international summits, U.S. allies are less certain that is the case.

The leaders of America's closest partners have watched Biden's popularity plummet while former president Donald Trump has begun holding raucous election-style rallies and making his trademark provocative or false pronouncements on a range of issues. And that is raising questions about the durability of any promises by  or agreements with  the current administration.

"After four years with Trump the world is very, very, curious whether this is a lasting new direction of American politics, or we could risk a return to Trumpism in 2024," said Anders Fogh Rasmussen, a former Danish prime minister who served as NATO Secretary General. "It will be an uphill effort for Biden to convince his allies and partners that he has changed American attitudes profoundly."

Rasmussen said world leaders are watching Virginia's gubernatorial election on Nov. 2 and would view a loss  or even a narrow win  by Democrat Terry McAuliffe as a warning sign. "It would add to some skepticism in Europe that the declaration that 'America is back' is only temporary," Rasmussen said.

With Trump holding out the prospect of running again, and given a strong chance of claiming the GOP nomination if he does, foreign leaders are viewing Biden's actions through the prism of American politics to a degree rare in recent years.

"After Biden, it may be Trump again," said Gerard Araud, a former French ambassador to the United States. "So we Europeans, we have to learn to be grown up, we have to learn to defend or to handle our interests by ourselves."

Biden is scheduled to fly to Rome on Thursday, where he will meet with Pope Francis and French President Emmanuel Macron, then head into a two-day summit this weekend of the G-20 group of economic powers. Next week, Biden will take part in a major climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland.

Biden hoped to bolster his credibility by arriving at those summits having struck a deal on his infrastructure and safety-net bills. That would codify some of his pledges to the international community, making his commitments harder for future presidents to undo.

As of Thursday morning, Biden was expected to announce a framework for a deal on the bills. But the details were uncertain, leaving a possibility that the president would have to intersperse his meetings with heads of state over the next few days with the occasional call home to a member of Congress.

Biden in recent days has implored lawmakers to move on his agenda in part by arguing that a failure to do so would erode his standing abroad. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., told CNN that during a meeting with liberal lawmakers, the president "looked people in the eye and said the prestige of the United States is on the line."

An agreement could bolster Biden's central message on the world stage: that democracies are capable of tackling and solving the globe's major problems. Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, who helped craft the climate portion of Biden's agenda, said a congressional deal is necessary to signal a true shift away from Trump.

"The essential element is to show that the Congress can enact big, bold, meaningful climate action, and we're on the cusp of doing so," Schatz said.

If Biden instead ends up enacting key elements of his climate and social agenda through executive orders or new regulations, that would mean a future president could reverse them, as Trump undid many of President Barack Obama's initiatives.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in an interview that such rapid switches in policy in the past have not inspired mutual confidence. U.S. climate policy, he noted, has already shifted dizzyingly from Obama to Trump to Biden.

"The fact that a policy has changed dramatically  twice, with changes of president  is not good for the trust that other countries can have in one country," Guterres said. "But that is the reality in democratic life, and we need to accept that reality."

It is not only Trump's potential reemergence that is rattling U.S. allies in the Biden era. France last month temporarily recalled its ambassador to the U.S.  an unusual move for such close allies  after Washington announced a defense agreement with Australia that infuriated France by undercutting its own submarine deal with Canberra.

Beyond that, many leaders, including America's partners in NATO, were shaken by the rocky American withdrawal from Afghanistan.

And the uncertainty over U.S. leadership comes at a particularly chaotic time, as the pandemic still rages in many countries that have been unable to secure vaccines, and as world leaders prepare to confront climate change at the Glasgow summit.

The U.S. has promised to donate 1.1 billion doses of the vaccine to other countries, making it the largest donor nation in the world, but global health advocates say that is far from enough to cover the need. Allies, particularly in Europe, are emerging from the pandemic with a new appreciation for the importance of an independent supply chain and the downfalls of relying too heavily on the United States.

The French and others have floated the notion of a European defense and economic structure that would be less dependent on U.S. self-interest, which they call "strategic autonomy." Under this idea, which Biden is expected to discuss when he meets with Macron, Europeans would take more responsibility for their own defense and the manufacture of critical products.

"European strategic autonomy is goal number one for our generation," Charles Michel, who heads the European Union's policymaking body, said in a recent message posted on Twitter. "We are sending a message not only to our own citizens, but also to the rest of the world: Europe is a world power."

Some allies believe that while Biden represents a stylistic improvement over Trump, he has not done enough to reverse his predecessor's unfriendly policies, fueling a concern that America's long-term trend is toward withdrawal and disengagement.

They stewed last summer as Biden declined to remove restrictions on travel from Europe; those limits are now set to lift in early November, far later than most Europeans believe was merited. And they remain perplexed that many of Trump's tariffs have remained in place.

"This has been a sobering four-and-a-half months for our European partners," said Heather Conley, formerly a State Department official under President George W. Bush and now vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, during a recent media briefing. "They have now come to the realization, to the acknowledgment, that there is much more continuity in U.S. policy than they thought. Tactical differences, of course, but continuity."

Jitters over the new administration extend beyond Europe, particularly to countries that depend heavily on U.S. military protection. China experts cite Biden's difficulties talking about Taiwan, which he has twice this year committed to protecting, only to have the White House issue statements walking back his comments.

That occurred most recently during a CNN town hall this month when an audience member asked Biden if he would "vow" to protect Taiwan. Biden responded by saying "yes"  prompting the White House to insist that there has been no official change in strategy from the longtime U.S. position of "strategic ambiguity" toward the island.

Husain Haqqani, a former Pakistani ambassador to the U.S., is among those who point to the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, which caught many in the international community off-guard, as a turning point. Biden had promised during his presidential campaign to pull out of the country, but the suddenness and messiness of the withdrawal took many aback.

"If you're a country that has depended on the U.S. for hard security, you're a little skeptical," Haqqani said in an interview. "There's a view that America as a whole is turning isolationist."

The bigger picture is that the U.S. has become increasingly hesitant to use military power, he said. Biden appears to share that reluctance, and that reduces American influence, added Haqqani, who is now a senior fellow at Hudson Institute.

"I don't think that 'America is back' is anything more than a slogan in the domestic political arena of the United States," Haqqani said. "What Trump and Biden have demonstrated is that both have succeeded electorally by focusing inward, playing to their respective constituencies within a very polarized America."

The Washington Post's Seung Min Kim and Brady Dennis contributed to this report.
Buy Photo Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., at a hearing in February 2017. (Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes)

WASHINGTON  Republican members of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee are seeking answers from the Department of Veterans Affairs about what might happen if a large portion of the agencys workforce refuses to receive coronavirus vaccines.

VA Secretary Denis McDonough issued a mandate during the summer requiring employees to receive a coronavirus vaccine or face termination. The agency started the disciplinary process last week for some workers who havent complied.

In a letter to McDonough on Wednesday, the nine senators expressed concern that VA services would be affected.

Congress must assess the impact this policy is having on the ability for veterans to receive care and benefits from VA, they wrote.

Most VA health care employees had until Oct. 8 to comply with the mandate, and the rest of the workforce has until Nov. 22 to provide proof of vaccination.

Congress has not yet received information from the VA about vaccination rates among its employees, the senators wrote.

McDonough told reporters last week that about 70% of employees have shared their vaccination status with the VA, but the department didnt provide data about how many employees had been vaccinated. McDonough said he would provide updates on those numbers as they became available.

The senators asked in their letter that McDonough share information about how many employees are not in compliance with the mandate and how many have received exemptions, as well as the number of workers going through the disciplinary process.

The senators also asked whether the agency has done an assessment about the effects of mass-terminations on VA services.

During a news conference last week, McDonough said VA officials are trying to determine the locations and job duties of employees who might refuse vaccines. The agency could use its authority to move other VA employees to regions where hospitals and clinics could become short-staffed.

Were looking really hard at it, he said. Were trying to get a sense as best we can where people might be and what the nature of employment might be so were in a position to do that.

The letter Wednesday was led by Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas, the top Republican on the committee. During a hearing Wednesday on an unrelated topic, Moran asked a VA official about the vaccination data.

Ronald Burke, deputy undersecretary for policy and oversight with the Veterans Benefits Administration, said only that it was certainly not something Im prepared to comment on today.

As were talking about your ability to deliver services, your workforce is important, Moran said. And I think its important for us to have the necessary resources to meet the needs of veterans. It would be useful for me and the committee to have an understanding of what the VAs intentions are if its unable to keep the workforce in place.

Moran and the other senators asked the VA provide the information by Nov. 5.
Changes to the SunCommercial's back end processing means the e-edition is getting a facelift. The biggest change is the e-edition, by default, is now presented in Text view.
The Tauranga Business Awards 2021 is moving to a hybrid digital-physical event format, due to the heighten safety risks of the current Covid-19 climate.

Due to the ever-changing Covid-19 situation for large-scale events, the Tauranga Chamber of Commerce has made the decision to adapt its annual awards evening, to ensure the safety of its attendees and the wider Bay of Plenty community.

The awards were to be held as a cocktail evening at Farmer Autovillage across three of their showrooms, with an expected attendance of up to 350 people.

The new-look format will now host a small gathering of 100 at Farmer Autovillage comprising of sponsors, judges, VIPs, the winner of the Corporate Leadership Award and Chamber staff.

Entrants will be hosting their own parties in their own bubble. On the event day, they will be sent out a hamper of local food and beverages, packaged and arranged by Bay Venues, to ensure they can have the awards night experience at a venue of their choosing.

Using technology supplied by Bay Visual Audio, video and photos will be used to connect the gathering at Farmer Autovillage with the entrants to capture that all-important winning moment. Event sponsors Farmer Autovillage will also be showcasing 13 of their premium vehicles, one from each of their brands, for a surprise on the night.

Event organiser Anne Pankhurst says it was important for the Chamber and everyone involved in the planning, organisation and judging of the Business Awards to continue in some way.

Watching the COVID-19 situation escalate across the upper North Island, we believe this is the most responsible course of action. It ensures we can continue to champion and celebrate our local businesses, who have put an inordinate amount of work into their entries and their businesses over the past year, while also keeping them safe.

Anne adds that the calibre of entrants this year has been outstanding and its exciting to see so many new, innovative businesses in the Bay.

We just had our pitch weekend and the atmosphere was electric. Its always a highlight of the process for our judges as they get to see and hear the passion being poured into some fascinating local businesses. Our judges were simply buzzing about our entrants.

Tauranga Chamber of Commerce CEO Matt Cowley says he is proud that the Chamber and sponsors are rallying together to ensure the event proceeds, as entrants deserve a platform to celebrate their achievements in what has been an extraordinary year.

As any event organiser will know, COVID-19 is a real challenge. Events are an integral part of the Bays economy and the Chamber is doing its part to help support those impacted. We felt it was important to lead by example, to try to support the events industry and all its associated suppliers by continuing in a way that puts the safety of our community front and centre, without putting a stop to the event.

Were very fortunate to be able to have found a solution and credit goes to Anne for her hard work, especially over the last few months, to keep calm and carry on.

The judging process is now complete and the winners will now be announced via a private live stream event on Friday, November 12 for ticket holders. They will be announced publicly after the event.

Voting is still open through to the end of October for the NZME Peoples Choice Award. Visit the Business Awards website for details: www.tauranga.org.nz/businessawards-peopleschoice/
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The Government has landed on a balanced package of changes to improve rent relief measures for both landlords and tenants hit by Covid-19 restrictions, the Minister of Justice Kris Faafoi says.

Businesses in the Auckland region, and elsewhere under Covid Alert Level Three, have been doing it tough, and the Government has been responding with support in various ways.

The measures we are introducing around rent relief as part of the Covid-19 Response (Management Measures) Legislation Bill will offer more support measures, particularly for small to medium sized businesses hit hard by the restrictions that have been needed to contain Covid-19.

We are aware that many lease agreements already have provision for adjusted rent payments during an epidemic emergency, and many landlords and tenants have been able to negotiate agreed rent relief terms between themselves as a result of previous lockdowns.

In providing this support, we are also incorporating changes suggested by landlords and tenants to the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee. The changes will provide additional clarity and options for landlords and tenants to agree a fair proportion of rent to be paid where Covid restrictions have impacted a businesss ability to operate.

The changes introduced to the Bill will include a requirement to consider a commercial tenants loss of income in determining what a fair proportion of rent relief would be.

This change protects against the new rent relief provisions being used where a commercial tenant has not actually had any serious loss of income as a result of lockdown restrictions because, for instance, they have been able to continue operating from home.

Other changes include:

A requirement that the parties to a commercial lease with this implied clause must respond to each other within 10 working days of communication about the clause.

Clarifying that parties may seek to resolve disputes through mediation or other forms of alternative dispute resolution before a referral to arbitration, and that the Disputes Tribunals jurisdiction is not excluded as an option.

Making the changes apply retrospectively from 18 August 2021, being the first day of the current Covid-19 Delta higher alert level restrictions.

Applying these measures from 18 August means businesses which have suffered serious loss of income due to the recent Delta alert restrictions will be able to access help to agree fair rent relief.

These new provisions will only apply to leases which do not already provide for adjusted rent payment terms during an epidemic emergency to ensure, in particular, that small businesses get the relief they need when Covid-19 response restrictions prevent them being able to access their premises.

The commercial rent relief changes add to the other Covid-19 business support measures the Government has implemented, such as the wage subsidy, an increase to the Resurgence Support payment scheme, and funding for business advice and mental health support.
There are 89 new cases of Covid-19 in the community today. Of those, 83 in are Auckland, four in Waikato and two in Christchurch.

Christchurch will remain at alert level two despite the new cases whilst the Government has also announced the first steps in softening MIQ regulations for people entering New Zealand.

Of todays cases, 39 are linked - including 26 household contacts - and 50 remain unlinked, with investigations continuing to help determine their connection to the outbreak.

One further case in Auckland is an MIQ worker and is being investigated to determine whether it is a community or border-related case.

Minister Hipkins says there are no major exposure events related to the Christchurch cases and close contacts are self-isolating with the pair being moved to MIQ.

Anyone with and Covid-19 like symptoms is encouraged to get a test straight away.

People across Canterbury are urged to closely monitor the Ministrys locations of interest webpage, which is updated regularly.

Hipkins also announces that the stint needed in MIQ is set to reduce from the current 14 day period to seven from November 14.

Those returnees will be required to provide a negative Covid-19 test on day zero, three and six and a rapid test before leaving isolation. They will then be required to isolate at home for a short period of around three days. A PCR test will then be required on day nine and they must wait at home until the result is returned.

Hipkins says that the decision has been made with the fact Covid cases at the border have declined and non-New Zealand residents needing to be fully vaccinated to enter from November 1 in mind.

He says this will help rebalance the system and allow kiwis the chance to reconnect with loved ones.

A one-way free quarantine option for visitors from low-risk nations, beginning with Pacific Island countries such as Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu from November 8.

A phased easing of border restrictions will see home isolation increasingly used for vaccinated overseas arrivals in the first quarter of 2022.

Auckland update

Auckland public health officials continue to urge residents in Redvale, Rosedale, New Lynn, Wiri, Drury, Manurewa and Henderson to get tested as soon as possible if they have even very mild symptoms that might be Covid-19, even if they are fully vaccinated.

This testing will help to provide assurance that any undetected spread of Covid-19 in these communities is identified as quickly as possible.

Testing is available at GP and Urgent Care clinics, with the locations of these can be listed on the Healthpoint website.

In Auckland, public health officials are now supporting 288 Covid-19 cases in the community to safely isolate at home.

Waikato update

There are four new community cases in Waikato today - three in Hamilton and one in Otorohanga  and all are contacts of existing cases.

There are now just three cases in Waikato that remain unlinked epidemiologically but they are linked genomically.

Initial test results of two further Tokoroa-based contacts of the Blenheim case are negative. This follows negative initial results from two contacts in the house where the case stayed before travelling to Blenheim.

These four close contacts are isolating and will undergo further testing.

Yesterday in Waikato there were 2,550 tests processed and 3,402 vaccinations given.

Blenheim update

No further locations of interest or contacts have been identified in the Nelson and Marlborough regions.

Northland update

There are no new confirmed cases of Covid-19 to report in Northland, with cases associated with this cluster remaining at seven.

Northlanders are urged to remain vigilant and get tested if they have any symptoms that could be Covid-19.

Testing and vaccination clinic locations across the region are listed on the Northland DHB website

Yesterday there were 792 Covid-19 tests completed in Northland and 1,442 vaccinations  449 first doses and 993 second doses.



Cases Number of new community cases* 89 Number of new cases identified at the border 7 Location of new community cases Auckland (83), Waikato (4), Canterbury (2) Location of community cases (total) Auckland 2,793 (1,507 of whom have recovered); Waikato 101 (32 of whom have recovered); Wellington 17 (all of whom have recovered); Northland 7 (all active cases); Nelson/Marlborough 1 (active case); Canterbury 2 (active cases) Number of community cases (total) 2,921 (in current community outbreak) Cases infectious in the community 38 of yesterdays 74 cases have exposure events Cases in isolation throughout the period they were infectious 36 of 74 cases yesterday have no exposure events Cases epidemiologically linked 39 of todays 89 cases Cases to be epidemiologically linked 50 of todays 89cases Cases epidemiologically linked (total) 2,541 (in the current cluster) (293 unlinked from the past 14 days) Cases in hospital 37 (total, down from 41 yesterday): Waitemata (8); Middlemore (12); Auckland (17)

Average age of current hospitalisations: 45 years Cases in ICU or HDU Five Confirmed cases (total) * 5,635 since pandemic began Historical cases ** 178 out of 3,821 since 1 Jan 2021 Contacts Number of active contacts being managed (total): 2,952 Percentage who have received an outbound call from contact tracers (to confirm testing and isolation requirements) 78% Percentage with at least one test result 76% Locations of interest Locations of interest (total) 398(as at 10am 28 October) Tests Number of tests (total) 4,005,470 Number of tests total (last 24 hours) 25,893 Tests processed in Auckland (last 24 hours) 12,769 Tests rolling average (last 7 days) 23,211 Testing centres in Auckland 20 Wastewater Wastewater detections No unexpected detections, including no detection for Tokoroa and Christchurch COVID-19 vaccine update Vaccines administered to date (total) 6,716,740; 1st doses: 3,669,216 (87%); 2nd doses: 3,047,524 (72%) Vaccines administered yesterday (total) 39,220; 1st doses: 10,908 2nd doses: 28,312 Maori 1st doses: 400,403 (70%); 2nd doses: 285,593 (50%) Pacific Peoples 1st doses: 240,109 (84%); 2nd doses: 188,522 (66%) Vaccines administered to Auckland residents to date (total) 2,419,656; 1st doses: 1,299,373 (91%); 2nd doses: 1,120,283 (78%) Vaccines administered to Auckland residents yesterday (total) 10,868: 1st doses: 2,671; 2nd doses: 8,197 NZ COVID Tracer Registered users (total) 3,326,239 Poster scans (total) 460,755,316 Manual diary entries (total) 19,101,958 Poster scans in 24 hours to midday yesterday 2,346,510







New cases identified at the border

Arrival date From Via Positive test day/reason Managed isolation/quarantine location 23 October To be advised Singapore Day 3/Routine Christchurch 26 October India United Arab Emirates Day 1/Routine Auckland 26 October India United Arab Emirates Day 0/Routine Auckland 26 October To be advised Singapore Day 0/Routine Christchurch 26 October To be advised Singapore Day 0/Routine Christchurch 26 October To be advised Singapore Day 0/Routine Christchurch







Historical cases identified at the border



Arrival date From Via Positive test day/reason Managed isolation/quarantine location 25 October Philippines Singapore Day 0/Routine Christchurch








The Ministry of Health says current vaccination confirmation letters are only an interim measure and anyone who fabricates information on the documents, could face prosecution.

The message comes after one Tauranga woman shared her concern over the ease in which she edited key details on a MOH-issued vaccine confirmation letter.

As a test, the woman in question changed the name on her confirmation letter to John Smith using basic Acrobat skills and would have been able to do the same with the date of birth and NHI number.

It took less than two minutes and she is concerned over the wider implications of the easily modified document.

Its really concerning how easy it is to change, she says.

It really puts the efficacy of the letter into question.

Vaccination confirmation letters can be requested if proof is needed before the end of November.

From that point on, the MOH plans to move to a downloadable digital vaccination certificate.

Ministry of Health group manager of national digital services Michael Dreyer explains that anyone who forges information on a vaccine certificate could potentially face charges.

The current vaccination letters from the Ministry of Health were created as an interim solution for people who need to prove their vaccination status when travelling overseas, says Michael.

When requesting a letter from the Ministry of Health for overseas travel, a declaration must be agreed to when submitting the request. Forgery of legal documents is punishable under the Crimes Act 1961.

The maximum penalty for falsifying a document with the intention of using it to obtain any property, privilege, service, pecuniary advantage, benefit, or valuable consideration is 10 years imprisonment.

Michael explains that whilst the vaccine confirmation letters were initially rolled out for New Zealanders needing proof of vaccination status for travel, there has been a recent upturn in people requesting letters for domestic use.

That has delayed the usual wait time for letters, currently set at 10 days, and the MOH is advising other methods.

People who do not need proof of vaccinations for overseas travel are advised to create a My Health Account and log into My Covid Record to view their vaccination records, Michael explains.

Vaccine confirmation letters are set to become obsolete by the end of next month.

Digital vaccine certificates are being rolled out in late November for those aged 16 and over.

Vaccination certificates will include a QR code which can be printed or saved to a mobile device.

People who need to prove their vaccination status will no longer need to request a letter, because the vaccination certificate and QR code will be proof of vaccination, says Michael.

The MOH says that work is still ongoing regarding the utilisation of the new certificates.

Work is underway to operationalise the policies around how the certificates will be used in practice, he says.

Work is also underway to plan and deliver the necessary training. We are working with the sector to ensure that the technology will be fit for purpose and compatible with existing tools where possible.

Vaccination certificates may be required to show proof of vaccination status in a range of settings as New Zealand looks to adopt a new traffic light system as the next stage of the Covid-19 response.

Certificates may be needed for access to events, hospitality settings, retail, sport and faith-based gatherings.

Vaccination status will not be a requirement for access to essential needs such as supermarkets, pharmacies, health services, food banks and petrol stations.

Options are expected to be available for people without access to a smartphone or access to a computer.
Costa del Sol doubles its spend at London's World Travel Market to woo back the British At its heart, the 600,000 euro Suntalgia campaign features a commercial shot, in English, with a British actor at locations in Malaga province and Bristol

At a time when British tourists on the coast are at unprecedented low levels, Costa del Sol Tourism is aiming to win them back at the World Travel Market (WTM), which opens on Monday, 1 November, in London.

It does so with a spend of 600,000 euros  double previous amounts - and with a pioneering advertising campaign at its heart that was shot, in English, at locations in Malaga province and Bristol in the UK and featuring British actor, Hunter Tremayne.

Under the slogan Suntalgia - a creative expression that unites the concepts of sun and nostalgia  the production should receive around 50 million views on some 500 screens distributed around the city of London.

After noting the disastrous impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on the British holidaymaker market, with 2021 figures worse than those of 2020, the president of Costa de Sol Tourism, Francisco Salado emphasises that "extraordinary situations demand taking extraordinary measures and the coast goes to London with more force than ever before.

Safe destination

Salado said the objective it to show the coasts main market that we are a safe destination, of enormous quality, revived and, above all, awaiting you with open arms.

The head of the tourist board acknowledged that, because of tight coronavirus restrictions, in 2020 barely half a million passengers arrived at Malaga Airport from the United Kingdom, which represents a decrease of 81 per cent compared to almost three million in 2019. And in 2021 things got worse with the drop being particularly felt in the accommodation sector, which has lost 49 per cent of overnight stays so far this year compared to 2020.

British Covid travel restrictions

Salado referred to the British Government restrictions to combat Covid, a policy very different from that of most European countries and marked by its continuous changes of criteria. And, as you know, uncertainty is never good for tourism, he said.

"Both for Costa del Sol Tourism, and for the entire economy of our province, it is vital to recover our main foreign market," announced Salado.

The challenge is huge and we have taken an exceptional gamble. It is the first time in the history of Costa del Sol Tourism that we have recorded our own commercial with filming in the United Kingdom, in English and with British actors, highlighted Salado.

As you will see, we do not lack resources or ideas to win the British back. We will spare no effort to reach the hearts of the British," he concluded.
Hard Rock Hotels arrive on the Costa del Sol with three-million-euro investment Planners have given the green light to the reform project on the site of the iconic Andalucia Plaza in Puerto Banus

Hard Rock Hotels is planning to make its mark on the Costa del Sol and the emblematic restaurant chain is investing three-million-euros to reform what was previously the H10 Andalucia Plaza, in Puerto Banus.

The new themed hotel could open as early as next spring after Marbella town hall planners gave the project, presented by Comercial Sol D'or 1992, the green light this week.

The plans will see the iconic Andalucia Plaza, the first hotel built in Puerto Banus in the 70s, transformed into four-star establishment with improved accesssibilty, a new lobby, 384 bedrooms, eight convention rooms with capacity for up to a thousand people, four restaurants, a chill-out terrace and new swimming pools as well as a spa centre and gym.

In the summer an investment fund acquired the premises from the H10 group, which will continue to operate the hotel until the end of the year. Bain Capital Credit and Stoneweg Hospitality, is a real estate investment platform headquartered in Geneva.

Iconic

After the purchase of the hotel by the investment fund in June, the new owners said that the objective was "to transform this iconic business located next to the Marbella Casino into a unique 'lifestyle' destination and a central point for the multiple events that take place throughout the year in Marbella.

Fabio Longo, CEO of Bain Capital Credit, stressed that "our experience in the Spanish hotel sector will allow us to strategically invest in its facilities and reform the site to reach its full potential, in collaboration with Stoneweg."

Fourth hotel in Spain

This hotel would be the fourth for the chain in Spain and its first in Andalucia. Hard Rock Hotels began its activity in the country in 2014 with the opening of its first hotel in Ibiza and later in Tenerife. This yet it has also opened a new hotel in Madrid, making number 35 in its portfolio.
Twelve year prison sentence for man who raped a British teen in Fuengirola alleyway The court also ordered the 36-year-old to be deported from Spain when he has served his sentence

A man who faced a court in Malaga accused of raping a 15-year-old British girl in Fuengirola has admitted his guilt. As a result, the 36-year-old Senegalese man has been handed a 12-year prison sentence and he will deported from Spain at the end of serving his time in jail, and be banned from entering Spain for ten years from that date.

The man had been facing a charge of sexually assaulting the teenager in an alleyway in the Costa del Sol town on the morning of 1 January, 2020. According to prosecutor the girl did not have the strength to call for help after the attack, and has subsequently suffered from post-traumatic stress symptoms.

After the rape was reported, the girl told investigators of a previous episode involving the man in August 2019 on the night she was celebrating her birthday. The man allegedly approached her offering cocaine and, after she refused to accept it, grabbed her arm with the intention of dragging her away. However, this was prevented by the girl's friends who were with her at the birthday celebration.

The court also ordered compensation of 20,000 euros to be paid for the psychological harm the victim suffered.
Passengers fume at two-hour queues and missed flights at Malaga Airport British travellers are allegedly facing long delays at the passport control area, that have been made worse as a result of Brexit

Passengers flying out from Malaga-Costa del Sol Airport, especially to the United Kingdom or another non-EU country, are advised to arrive at least two hours before their scheduled departure time, following reports of long delays.

For weeks, passenger complaints about queues at the two checkpoints  security and passport control - have intensified, with reports of up to two hours of waiting.

Jose Maria Ortega, an engineer from Malaga who works in the United Kingdom, is blunt: "You can miss your flight.

The first delay is at the security area, which all passengers must pass through "where it can already take about 45 minutes to be searched."

For those who travel within Spain or to EU countries there should be no more problems.

A long queue for the security checkpoint at Malaga Airport. / SUR

Border control delays

But those who fly to the United Kingdom and other countries outside the European Union (for example, to Turkey) also have to pass border control checks.

In total, according to Jose's calculations, both procedures can take from an hour and a half to two hours before accessing the boarding area. "You get anxious and scared of missing your flight," he said.

Since the beginning of October, two queues have been enabled at passport control, for EU and non-EU citizens. It is true that European citizens now pass through faster, but the British, in particular, are aggrieved that it has become worse for non-Europeans.

As a result of Brexit, the British and other travellers to or from the United Kingdom must have their passports stamped; as is the case with Russians, Turks and any other country that does not belong to the Schengen area, which means that much more time is wasted in this process.

The situation has been like this for months and is generating a lot of concern among travellers, according to regular users of the airport.

A bad image

Another passenger has told SUR: "Last Saturday the border control queue stretched back to the Duty Free area and it continued to grow. This is getting worse with the return of British tourists," he added.

The traveller said he witnessed a group miss their flight: They were protesting, shouting and crying at the boarding gate, and added: These people are our tourists and we are giving them a very bad image. This has to be fixed, the airport is not prepared for so many people at the passport controls. It has caught them out and they should be worried."

The airport operator, Aena, has explained that it is working with the National Police to ease delays at border control, although they point out that this work is purely within the hands of the force.

Staff shortage

The National Police, responsible for border control, have said that the maximum delay at passport control is 30 minutes, and that the 45-minute delay at the security check is the reposnsibility of the Guardia Civil and Aena.

A spokesperson for the force said: "No passenger takes longer than 30 minutes to cross, which is a reasonable margin on a Euroepan level." The spokesperson added that on a normal day, 80% of the booths are open and this is extended at busier times.

"The queues are Aena's problem," said the spokesperson.

However, Marilo Valencia, general secretary of the Unified Police Union (SUP) in Andalucia, acknowledges that part of the problem is due to the lack of staff. After the pandemic there has been no reinforcement of the workforce, which means that we have to face a high number of flights, condensed into a short space of time, in which up to 4,000 passengers are moved in an hour.

In Marilo's opinion, at least 50 more National Police officers are necessary at the airport, while pointing out that the problem also affects Aena and the Guardia Civil, since the security controls to enter the airside zone are their responsibility.
Atlantic, IA (50022)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this morning will become overcast during the afternoon. High around 55F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy early with some clearing expected late. Low 29F. Winds light and variable.
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Tahlequah, OK (74464)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this morning will become overcast during the afternoon. High around 65F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low around 50F. Winds light and variable.
Tahlequah, OK (74464)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. Low around 40F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. Low around 40F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.
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ABHI_1512 BHPian



Join Date: Feb 2020 Location: Calcutta Posts: 567 Thanked: 5,723 Times

re: Bundelkhand Chronicles - Chasing History and Wildlife from Calcutta



Mrs AG had warned us beforehand about the jam but somehow I couldnt avoid it. But it didnt take that long and finally we also met with the rest of the convoy at Hindustan Dhaba. A quick dinner after, we all started with renewed vigour at midnight.



The road passing through Asansol was little bad at parts since it rained heavily in those parts few days back. Flooding at happened at NH 19 and we all could see the damages. Progress was little slow and we all picked up pace after crossing Dhanbad.







Mr SS is the fastest amongst us and he made sure it remained that way when he just blasted past everyone else. He has this unique ability to leave all behind through sheer pace. It was around Sherghati that we encountered some dense fog and which resulted in some watchful driving and putting back Mr SS back into the fold. We halted for our breakfast at a familiar place near Aurangabad. This place has been my breakfast stop since long and provides good food and washroom facilities.











This place serves delightful paranthas and thats wholesome to the core. Recharging over the breakfast and little chit chats after, I was somehow worried about Dehri-on-Sone and the infamous traffic jams.







In the meanwhile, BHPian Travelmania was also on the same route that night and as I enquired about his whereabouts, he gladly messaged me that he was about to reach Varanasi. Firstly thought he was joking, but soon after, as I was crossing the dreaded bridge near Dehri, I realised it was a complete breeze.







This is how the bridge looked in the morning and it was completely devoid of any traffic. We all made some good progress, but with kids around, we always had to stop every now and then. It was around 1 in the afternoon that we finally stopped for lunch at the outskirts of Varanasi, right on the highway.











Satkar Dhaba was good but the service was slow. It didnt help that the kids were little bit more hungry. They were expecting some fancy Chinese dishes but finally had to be contend with the usual Nans and tarkas and some chicken. The adults were more inclined to reach Lucknow as soon as possible to gorge on some kababs and biryanis. Lunch over, we started for Lucknow with the hope to reach well before the dinner time.



Crossing the Handia toll and Allahabad bypass, we left NH2 and proceeded towards Rai Bareli. The road became two laned and the surface was not so good at places. In the meanwhile, stopped for some sunset shots at an obscure place on the highway.















The sunset looked lovely and with the background that the place provided, everyone went click happy. Soon, there was a scenario of an almost perfect setting occurred and the result looked like the picture below.







Some glorious pictures aside, the stop also was the final one before reaching Lucknow. There were some nasty potholes on the way and nearby Raibareli and those kind of, made the progress little slow. Nevertheless, after an eventful drive, it was Mr SS who entered Lucknow around 8 in the evening and rest of the cars entered around 8.30 or so.



Our booking was at Hotel Golden Tulip, Hussaingunj and even before the check in, we proceeded to the famous eatery Dastarkhwan. Now, there was a reason for the hurry, I was to leave Lucknow the next day for Gwalior and didnt want to miss out gorging on some fabulous food that the place is known for. Reached Dastarkhwan and it was teeming with people. I went inside and there was a long waiting list. Just went to the manager and told him that we were driving all the way from Calcutta and that we need to attended first. The manager was considerate and asked us to wait for some time before he could get the tables ready. It was an agonising twenty minutes wait amidst the tandoor kababs and the heavenly air. Once inside, everyone went crazy, managed some pictures before they vanished. Must tell you all, the Shahi-Tukda was just insanely made and just the right dessert it was. Our entire fatigue went up with the Galaoutis and the Roganjoshes.































Sumptuous dinner over and we checked in the hotel and went into a deep slumber. The actual holiday mood was just setting in and it was me, who was to move to Gwalior. I have been to Lucknow before but the rest of the members wanted to explore Lucknow since it was the first time for all of them. So the D day came and it was a Friday, the 8th of October. Everyone was excited and were eagerly looking forward to the evening after the usual office hours. Finally, two of the cars started at around 8.30 in the evening from Calcutta. I was the last one to start at around 10 in the night from home. Two of the cars made good progress until they were sucked into a huge traffic jam near Dankuni. They finally reached Hindustan Dhaba and waited for us there.Mrs AG had warned us beforehand about the jam but somehow I couldnt avoid it. But it didnt take that long and finally we also met with the rest of the convoy at Hindustan Dhaba. A quick dinner after, we all started with renewed vigour at midnight.The road passing through Asansol was little bad at parts since it rained heavily in those parts few days back. Flooding at happened at NH 19 and we all could see the damages. Progress was little slow and we all picked up pace after crossing Dhanbad.Mr SS is the fastest amongst us and he made sure it remained that way when he just blasted past everyone else. He has this unique ability to leave all behind through sheer pace. It was around Sherghati that we encountered some dense fog and which resulted in some watchful driving and putting back Mr SS back into the fold. We halted for our breakfast at a familiar place near Aurangabad. This place has been my breakfast stop since long and provides good food and washroom facilities.This place serves delightful paranthas and thats wholesome to the core. Recharging over the breakfast and little chit chats after, I was somehow worried about Dehri-on-Sone and the infamous traffic jams.In the meanwhile, BHPianwas also on the same route that night and as I enquired about his whereabouts, he gladly messaged me that he was about to reach Varanasi. Firstly thought he was joking, but soon after, as I was crossing the dreaded bridge near Dehri, I realised it was a complete breeze.This is how the bridge looked in the morning and it was completely devoid of any traffic. We all made some good progress, but with kids around, we always had to stop every now and then. It was around 1 in the afternoon that we finally stopped for lunch at the outskirts of Varanasi, right on the highway.Satkar Dhaba was good but the service was slow. It didnt help that the kids were little bit more hungry. They were expecting some fancy Chinese dishes but finally had to be contend with the usual Nans and tarkas and some chicken. The adults were more inclined to reach Lucknow as soon as possible to gorge on some kababs and biryanis. Lunch over, we started for Lucknow with the hope to reach well before the dinner time.Crossing the Handia toll and Allahabad bypass, we left NH2 and proceeded towards Rai Bareli. The road became two laned and the surface was not so good at places. In the meanwhile, stopped for some sunset shots at an obscure place on the highway.The sunset looked lovely and with the background that the place provided, everyone went click happy. Soon, there was a scenario of an almost perfect setting occurred and the result looked like the picture below.Some glorious pictures aside, the stop also was the final one before reaching Lucknow. There were some nasty potholes on the way and nearby Raibareli and those kind of, made the progress little slow. Nevertheless, after an eventful drive, it was Mr SS who entered Lucknow around 8 in the evening and rest of the cars entered around 8.30 or so.Our booking was at Hotel Golden Tulip, Hussaingunj and even before the check in, we proceeded to the famous eatery Dastarkhwan. Now, there was a reason for the hurry, I was to leave Lucknow the next day for Gwalior and didnt want to miss out gorging on some fabulous food that the place is known for. Reached Dastarkhwan and it was teeming with people. I went inside and there was a long waiting list. Just went to the manager and told him that we were driving all the way from Calcutta and that we need to attended first. The manager was considerate and asked us to wait for some time before he could get the tables ready. It was an agonising twenty minutes wait amidst the tandoor kababs and the heavenly air. Once inside, everyone went crazy, managed some pictures before they vanished. Must tell you all, the Shahi-Tukda was just insanely made and just the right dessert it was. Our entire fatigue went up with the Galaoutis and the Roganjoshes.Sumptuous dinner over and we checked in the hotel and went into a deep slumber. The actual holiday mood was just setting in and it was me, who was to move to Gwalior. I have been to Lucknow before but the rest of the members wanted to explore Lucknow since it was the first time for all of them. Last edited by ABHI_1512 : 25th October 2021 at 19:08 .
Why it matters: High demand for chips, displays, and foldable smartphones has helped Samsung post better-than-expected financial results for the third quarter. The company believes the ongoing chip shortage will persist until the second half of next year, but there are signs it could improve from that point onwards.

Samsungs latest financial report is in, and it looks like the company is doing fine despite the ongoing crisis thats affecting the tech supply chain. In the three months ending in September, Samsung recorded revenues of 74 trillion won ($63.2 billion). Thats a 10 percent year-over-year increase, but profits saw a more impressive 26 percent boost from last year, totaling 15.82 trillion won ($13.5 billion) for the quarter.

A huge contributor to these financial results has been the unrelenting demand for everything powered by advanced chips. Samsungs semiconductor business provided the lions share of the companys revenue and profits, as many people and businesses have been forced to transition to working and studying from home. Prices for semiconductors have been steadily rising over the past 18 months, which is why Samsungs profit from its memory unit almost doubled to 10.06 trillion won ($8.6 billion) on sales that grew 46 percent when compared to the same period of last year.

The Korean tech giant says it also saw strong demand for foldable phones like the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Galaxy Z Flip 3, as well mid-range and entry-level phones. The company has been pouring a lot of resources into its foldable phones over the past few years, and it appears that gamble is starting to pay off.

The display panel business also recorded a 21 percent year-over-year increase to 8.86 trillion won ($7.6 billion), mostly thanks to small panels sold to phone makers and medium-sized panels that went to tablet and laptop manufacturers. Meanwhile, the large display business is still bleeding money due to a decline in prices for LCD panels.

Han Jin-Man, who is the executive vice president of Samsungs memory business, said during an earnings call that he believes the ongoing chip shortage could begin to somewhat ease in the second half of 2022. Han explained the problem isnt one of capacity but rather one of delivering advanced memory and server chips that are needed for data center expansions around the world. Samsung has high hopes for DDR5, but the company is also weary that a prolonged delay in the arrival of Intels Sapphire Rapids platform could affect demand, which would send prices on a downward trend.

Moving forward, Samsung is pouring billions into expanding its chip manufacturing capacity, which it aims to triple by 2026. Analysts are forecasting that chipmaking will remain a major growth driver for the company in the coming years, with a projected annual revenue growth rate of 26 percent until 2026.
In context: Imagine going from a gaming-focused YouTuber with a small following to the star of one the biggest movies in recent times. For Timothee Chalamet, who plays Paul Atreides in Dune, this really did happen, though there was quite a long gap between operating a channel and sharing the screen with sandworms.

Vice carried out an extensive investigation into rumors that Chalamet had once been the presenter of ModdedController360, a YouTube channel that showed off customized Xbox 360 controllers. The publication worked with Aric Toller, a researcher and trainer at Bellingcat, which is best known for investigating war crimes, to try and prove the claims.

The report examines hints that Chalamet is the person in the videos, whose face is never shown. Some of the most compelling evidence is the scar on both the actor's and the presenter's left ring finger, as well as images of Chalamet's room he previously posted on Instagram showing the same furniture seen in the vids. The YouTuber's voice also sounds similar to a young Chalamet when compared to clips of him acting at the timehis big break was a role in Law & Order in 2019, before the videos were filmed.

But it seems Vice could have saved a lot of time and just watched Fortnite Pro Nate Hill's YouTube channel. In an interview with Timothee Chalamet & Zendaya to promote their Fortnite skins, Chalamet admitted to his past hobby. "I had a YouTube channel people found," he said. "It's YouTube dot com back-slash 'ModdedController360. And I used to paint-mod controllers."

The actor said he would open up and paint the controllers for people when he was 15, charging them $10 for around five hours work. "I made 30 bucks," he added. Asked why he stopped, Chalamet said, "My parents were like, 'There's spray paint all over the house.'"

There are only three videos, all of them posted 11 years ago, on the ModdedController360 channel, which has seen its subscriber numbers jump by several thousand recently. Their view counts have also shot up since Chalamet confirmed he is the presenter.
What just happened? Samsung is joining the long list of companies offering game streaming services. The Korean tech giant will deliver the cloud product through its Linux-based Tizen smart TV platform, which is good news for current and future owners of its television sets.

Samsung made the announcement at its Developer Conference keynote. The company didn't spend very much time talking about the service, though Yongjae Kim, Samsung's Senior Vice President of Visual Display Software R&D, said, "To diversify your game selection on Samsung Smart TVs, we are developing a new Cloud Game Platform [...] This means that soon you will be able to enjoy games without purchasing high-end hardware, and developers can easily apply Samsung Smart TV's seamless, immersive experience to new games."

Samsung has been here beforekind of. Back in 2012, the company struck a deal with Gaikai to bring the latter's cloud gaming service to its televisions. There was a beta launch, but the whole thing fell apart when Sony bought Gaikai for $380 million to work on PlayStation Now.

The idea of a TV-based game streaming service often conjures images of mobile-quality titles. However, Kim's mention of high-end hardware suggests Samsung's offering could be something closer to Stadia.

Samsung will be entering an incredibly competitive market. In addition to the aforementioned Stadia, which has been struggling since Google closed its first-party game studio, Xbox is going to be building its services directly into TVs and streaming sticks. Elsewhere, Nvidia's GeForce Now just added a high-performance option that utilizes the RTX 3080, offering 1440p at 120 fps streaming. Will Samsung stand out from the crowd? We'll have to wait and see.
In brief: As PlayStation Studios continues to kick former exclusives out to into the PC market, Sony has decided its should create an official PlayStation PC brand. It was formerly lumping triple-A titles like Days Gone in with its PlayStation Mobile brand. So far it has only moved a few titles under the publishing LLC, but moving forward we can expect to see more ports taking on the PlayStation PC label.

It appears that Sony has begun using a new "PlayStation PC" branding. Resetera users spotted the change on Wednesday. Steam descriptions now list "PlayStation PC LLC" as the publisher on some PC versions of PlayStation games. They were previously under the PlayStation Mobile label. So far, only Days Gone, Helldivers, and Everybody's Gone to the Rapture are using the new brand.

Sony filed the limited liability company in California last April but formed the label in October 2020. The move makes sense considering how Sony has spent considerable focus on bringing former PlayStation exclusives to PC gamers.

Over the last year, the console maker has released a few AAA titles on Steam, including Horizon Zero Dawn, Predator: Hunting Grounds, and Days Gone. One of Sony's biggest exclusives, God of War, launches on Steam in January. The company is also committed to porting Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection to PC sometime in 2022 and has indicated it has no plans to slow down there.

In June, PlayStation Studio head Herman Hulst said the plan is to continue releasing PlayStation titles into the PC ecosystem, but they are still trying to figure out the timing. Hulst said the last thing PlayStation Studios wants to do is compromise console or first-party exclusive sales. Right now, it appears that PC players will have to wait about two years to play AAA exclusives.

"We're still early on in our planning for PC. And Horizon Zero Dawn has been very successful. Bend Studio just released the PC version of Days Gone on May 18. So that's about two years after the PS4 release," Hulst said. "Releasing games on PC will not come ever at the expense of building an exciting lineup of great console games."

Releasing PlayStation games into the PC market is a good move, especially for titles that have exhausted their console-sales potential. As we progress into 2022, it would not be surprising to see several older exclusives like The Last of Us or Gran Turismo Sport hit Steam under the PlayStation PC brand.
The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine has been recommended by the advisory panel of the Food and Drug Administration for children ages 5 to 11 years old.

The vaccine dose that will be given to children will be significantly less than the dosage adults receive.

The FDA has yet to issue a formal and official authorization. The agency may or may not do so in the coming days as it is not required to follow the recommendations of its advisory panel.

The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is an example of an mRNA vaccine. Another mRNA vaccine available to the public is the Moderna vaccine.

Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Recommended for Kids

The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine has received the recommendation of the FDA's advisory panel for children ages 5 to 11 years old. According to a report by NPR, 17 members of the panel voted in favor while one member abstained.

The NPR report adds that "the FDA panel accepted Pfizer's data indicating the vaccine is safe and 90.7% effective in preventing COVID-19 infections in this age group."

The FDA has yet to issue official authorization on the use of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines for children 5 to 11 years old. It may do so in the coming days.

Once the FDA issues its formal authorization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) may release guidelines by next week.

According to the NPR report, "A dose of Pfizer for young children contains one-third the amount of active ingredient compared to the adult dose." Kids who receive their first dose must wait for at least 21 days before receiving their second dose.

Early this month, Pfizer filed for emergency use authorization for the age group.

Related Article: COVID-19 Vaccine Trials: US Kids Reportedly Sign Up for Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca Tests

The Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine

According to the CDC, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is an example of an mRNA vaccine. The Pfizer vaccine is administered in two doses that are at least 21 days apart. The shot is done in the muscle of the upper arm.

The COVID-19 vaccine received full FDA approval on August 23, 2021, and has been recommended for people ages 12 years old and older.

The Pfizer vaccine is also now being used as booster shots as well. Per the CDC, immunocompromised individuals should wait for at least 28 days before they get their third dose of the vaccine.

Others who do not belong in this classification will have to wait for six months to get their booster shot.

mRNA Vaccines

mRNA vaccines "teach our cells how to make a protein that will trigger an immune response inside our bodies," according to a separate post on the CDC website.

Aside from the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, another example of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine is the Moderna vaccine.

The CDC has made it clear in its website post that the mRNA vaccines do not give anyone the virus that causes COVID-19. These vaccines also do not affect or alter human DNA.

Read Also: COVID-19: New Study Says Third Booster Shot of mRNA Could Create Better Results

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 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Robot portrayals in pop culture almost always present them as thinking machines that can make decisions on their own. And perhaps engineers have finally made real-life ones do the same thing.

According to The Independent, a team of Japanese scientists from the University of Tokyo has managed to create a "thinking" robot that can, among other tasks, maneuver its own way around obstacles using a "brain" powered by artificial intelligence.

And apparently, the robot's brain features lab-grown neurons, which enable the machine to "think" it is way around the surrounding area.

Should the researchers manage to get their robot and the artificial intelligence they created out in the open, it could potentially usher in an entirely new era full of "thinking" machines.

How Does It Work?

To achieve the feat, the scientists used nerve cells that were grown from real living cells.

In their design, the cells played the role of so-called physical reservoirs, from where the onboard computer could create the appropriate signals that made the robot "decide" how to approach a task on its own.

Should the machine (which is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand) do something wrong, like go off the wrong direction, the nerve cells in its "brain" would be shocked with electric current?

The scientists were able to "teach" the artificial intelligence they built using this method by constantly feeding its embedded nerve cells with current until it managed to accomplish its task.

In other words, it's a bit like trial-and-error. Unlike other machines, these robots will be able to perform tasks they're not programmed to do.

Read also: SEE Robotics Launches Crowdfunding Campaign for the First Robot for Vloggers

The Tech Has Been Around For Years

This seems new, right? A robot that can think for itself sounds like something that can only be achieved by tech that has come out in recent years. But you'd be surprised that this has already existed for a decade.

Unsurprisingly, the Japanese once again managed to create a thinking robot as far back as 2011.

According to Phys.org, that one was created by a team from the Tokyo Institute of Technology. It worked almost similar to the one built by University of Tokyo researchers, in that it also features a "brain" of some sorts.

However, that one didn't use living cells, but rather an artificial intelligence algorithm called the Self-Organizing Incremental Neural Network (SOINN).

With this algorithm, the robot can use its own knowledge (aka what it already "know") to think and decide how it should complete the tasks they're assigned.

Technology like this can literally make a machine able to respond to even vague orders, such as "buy groceries" or "serve some water," without having to be pre-programmed firsthand.

The Challenges Of Building A 'Thinking' Robot

Massive issues still plague the development of so-called thinking machines, however.

That's because a lot of engineers and scientists tend to equate the process of thinking to computational tasks performed by computers, writes The Conversation.

But the thing is, whatever a computer is good at (i.e. processing numbers) is something the human brain is bad at. And on the other hand, what a human brain is good at (i.e. creativity, abstract thinking) is something the computer is bad at.

This is one of the biggest reasons why true self-aware machines--like the ones you often see in movies, remain in the realm of science fiction. Even if these Japanese robots can "think" to a certain degree, you can't talk about esoteric topics like the meaning of life with them.

What Does This Mean For The Future?

A thinking robot will truly usher in a new era for humanity. If the tech advances enough, then society would likely have self-aware machines that can adequately become true companions to humans.

Let's just hope that when these robots do gain the ability to think for themselves, they won't instigate the end of the human race.

Sleep well, reader.

Related: A Robot Dog With A Big Gun Was Just Introduced

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The giant editing software provider is developing a new Adobe Photoshop feature. This new AI-powered capability could change your model's pose using PS without compromising the quality of the image. Some critics also claimed that this new function could arrive in Adobe Spark.



As of the moment, many professional photographers and videographers are relying on PS and other editing tools whenever their human subjects can't provide the pose they prefer.

However, the photo outputs they create are usually unrealistic since their edits are quite noticeable on the images.

If you are one of the professionals in the creative industry suffering from this issue, then Adobe's new AI-powered feature called "Project Strike a Pose" would certainly interest you.

This was revealed in the latest Adobe MAX creative conference's "Sneaks" session, which is the part of the event where the company confirms its most cutting-edge technology.

Adobe Photoshop's New 'Project Strike a Pose'

According to TechCrunch's latest report, the new Project Strike a Pose feature is powered by Adobe's Sensei AI platform. Thanks to this integration, the new PS function can automatically generate a new image based on the original model's pose.

Also Read: Adobe Photoshop to Launch 'Content Credentials' to Prevent NFT Art Theft

You can use this new Photoshop feature by combining your model's image with another photo of a person that properly executed your preferred pose. Photographers and editors can even do the pose they want themselves and then use their images to correct their model's final photo output.

With the arrival of Adobe MAX 2021, consumers were able to know more about the new enhancements integrated by the company into Premiere Pro, Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and its other editing tools.

In other news, Adobe Premiere Pro Beta received a new feature that allows editors to make color corrections in a single click.

Other Photoshop Enhancements

GSM Arena reported that the popular Adobe Photoshop also received other enhancements.

These include the editing software's web browser version. This means that creatives can now access a PSD file using Google Chrome and other popular browsing services.

However, since this is not the actual software, the editing support would be limited. If you want to see more details, you can visit this link.

For more news updates about Adobe Photoshop and other editing tools, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: Adobe Announces Simplified Web Versions of Photoshop, Illustrator

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 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(Photo : Image from Unsplash Website) Microsoft Plans to Save Around 5.7 Billion Liters/Year by 2030 as Company Plans to Be 'Water Positive'

Microsoft is now planning to save around 5.7 billion liters every year as part of its plans to become "water positive" by the year 2030. The goal is also to reduce the amount of water used by the data centers by 95% by the year 2024.

Microsoft Climate Change Conference

According to the story by Engadget, ahead of the whole UN's COP26 climate change conference, which will reportedly start soon, Microsoft has revealed a number of details regarding its plans when it comes to making its data centers greener. It was stated that among the goals is reducing the total amount of water that its data centers use by 95% by 2024, which is around 5.7 billion liters every year.

It was noted that data centers usually use water to keep their servers cool. Microsoft has actually researched server performance at higher performance and was able to find that the company is actually capable of creating higher set points for a number of different climates for when certain water-based, evaporative cooling is needed in order to preserve the server's performance and reliability.

Company to Reduce Water Use

Microsoft's corporate vice president of cloud ops and innovation, Noelle Walsh, explained the capability of climates in a certain blog post. The company noted that the project, reportedly expected to be fully implemented by 2024, could completely eliminate the need to use water cooling in certain locations like Dublin, Amsterdam, Virginia, and Chicago.

It could reportedly reduce water use in certain desert data center locations just like Arizona by up to a whopping 60%. Meanwhile, Microsoft is reportedly continuing its research into certain liquid immersion cooling in order to reduce its whole dependency on water. A list of Microsoft models with pre-installed Windows 11 has been released, along with other details.

20% Performance Increase for Chipsets

The company noted that this 2021, it will become the first-ever cloud service provider to run two-phase liquid immersion cooling in a certain production environment. The company was looking into overclocking and found that liquid cooling can increase the performance of a number of chipsets by 20%.

It was noted that due to the efficiencies in both power and cooling that liquid cooling would afford them, it is able to unlock new potential for certain datacenter rack designs, as written by Walsh. In short, it was noted that liquid cooling paves the way for even more densely packed servers in certain smaller spaces.

Read Also: General Motors vs Tesla | Plans to Build 40,000 EV Chargers in the US While Selling Its 'Ultium' Level 2 Chargers for Home and Business Use

'Water Positive' by 2030

This means that it will increase the capacity per square foot in a particular data center. This could also increase the ability to be able to create some smaller data centers in a number of strategic locations in the future. Microsoft Office 365 has reportedly stumbled upon a problem, but the company has provided a fix for the zero-day security flaw attacks.

This would reportedly add to the benefits of using a waterless cooling design. In late September 2021, Microsoft even announced its plans to become "water positive" by the year 2030. The data center efforts will reportedly be an important part of that particular goal.

Related Article: T-Mobile to Pay Off Up to $1,000/Smartphone for Users Switching--Limited to Five Devices

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(Photo : Pixabay/PhotoMIX-Company) UK ambulance

NHS chief says that patients are being put at risk of harm due to ambulance handover delays. West Midlands Ambulance Service or WMAS has increased its risk rating for delays of ambulances to the highest level, and this is the first time that this has happened.

NHS Asks Ambulance to Stop Delays

The risk rating shows that most of the patients are harmed due to the delays in ambulance handover. The director of nursing and clinical commissioning, Mark Docherty, said that it was a completely unacceptable situation.

The warning comes as a patient died after waiting for more than 5 hours in the back of an ambulance in Worcestershire, according to BBC.

At a meeting on Oct. 27, the ambulance service's board of directors heard the amount of time being lost to delays had reached previously unseen levels, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Also Read: New AI Software That Can Detect Lung Cancer And Heart Disease Will Soon Be Available To NHS Hospitals

Docherty said that they expect the situation to get worse over the next few months because of winter pressures. He said that despite everything that they are doing and all of their efforts, they know that there are still delays that harm the patients.

Docherty said that they are aware that there are patients that are under significant harm. Through their review of the recent deaths, they know that some patients died even before they got to the hospital.

Docherty added that more front-line resources had been deployed to help assist more patients.

However, Docherty said that if they follow the trajectory that winter follows, they can predict that things are only going to get worse, and they will lose a lot of hours in the wintertime.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to see how they will be able to respond to some patients in a fixed time frame.

According to the meeting, in September alone, 1,375 hours were lost by crews that were stuck outside the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, while at Princess Royal, that number of lost hours was 768. They contributed to more than 16,000 lost hours across the West Midlands in September.

Wendy Farrington-Chadd, the WMAS deputy chair, said that they find the numbers disappointing and that there should be a stronger push for better solutions.

Meanwhile, hospitals in England have been ordered to remove ambulance queues outside hospitals following the death at Worcestershire Royal Hospital and another death of a patient in an ambulance outside Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridgeshire.

A letter from the NHS to all hospitals showed that handover delays represent an unacceptable clinical risk, according to Sky News.

The risk affects both patients waiting in ambulance queues and those that are in the community whose emergency care is delayed.

The managing director of the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, Martin Flaherty, said that the ambulance sector is experiencing some of the highest levels of emergency activity in its history.

The association is still concerned about the unexpectedly high levels of hospital handover delays that are happening across the United Kingdom.

The NHS is also working on another issue wherein it is facing a shortage of blood samples.

The NHS is also working on its COVID-19 app that helps users learn how to self isolate.

COVID-19 Cases in the UK

According to Evening Standard, the United Kingdom recorded 40,954 new COVID-19 cases as of Oct. 27. There was a total of 263 death recorded.

The number is the highest recorded since March of this year. Despite the increasing numbers, the UK has already lifted its COVID-19 restrictions.

Related Article: Google Strikes Deal With NHS That Gives AI Unit Access To 1.6 Million Patient Records

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 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Google Tensor and Qualcomm Snapdragon have both been the chip to the Android OS of the Pixel smartphone lineup, and both have performed exquisitely for the smartphone over the past years. It is known that Google has taken an unexpected turn where it would now be manufacturing its chip with the Tensor and leaving behind the Snapdragon.

But which is the better fit for the Pixel?

Google vs. Qualcomm

Google said that the 2016 release of the first Pixel phone has focused on using a CPU from Qualcomm, and that is with the popular Snapdragon chip for Android smartphones. Now, it is aiming to make a name for itself and focus on having its line of smartphone chips, and that is with the Tensor that came out with the latest Pixel 6.

Tensor Chip vs. Qualcomm Snapdragon's Performance

Both the Tensor and Snapdragon 888 (Qualcomm's top-of-the-line chip) are 5nm processors for smartphones and specialize in Android.

However, according to Nanoreview, in different aspects of the performance of the chips, the Snapdragon 888 beats the Google Tensor. CPU Performance, Gaming Performance, and Battery Life all list the Snapdragon 888's win, beating the Tensor chip.

The Snapdragon 888 also outperforms the Google Tensor on the AnTuTu test by as much as 17 percent. Both chips have an LPDDR5 memory as well.

It does not indicate that Tensor is a bad processor, as it listed a high-ranking score from the tests, and this is noteworthy as it is only its first outing. It would improve over the years, and it may be the best fit for Google's smartphone, with a chip made by them.

Read Also: Google: Minor Teens May Remove Photo of Themselves in Search Engine Results for Safety and Privacy

Android Smartphone Chips

Tensor is the first chip made by Google as part of its commitment to a Silicon and homemade semiconductor for its smartphones. It aims to be independent of other companies, and it highly follows the footsteps of Apple with its A-series Bionic chips and Samsung's Exynos for selected smartphone releases.

Before this, Google is known to have relied on Qualcomm's Snapdragon Chip, featuring the latest network connectivity of the 5G for later models like the Pixel 4A 5G and later. However, for earlier versions of the Pixel, it also used Qualcomm's older chips on its lineup.

The reason for Google's change to its Tensor or having a self-produced chip is that it wants to be independent and invest in a technology that would make them self-sustaining. It would also help in the current problem of chip shortage in the world and having delays when waiting for shipment from Qualcomm.

Nevertheless, the Tensor would improve in the coming years, and it is only at its first steps now.

Related Article: Google is Set to Remove YouTube Apps from Roku App Store | Roku is Claiming Google Asked for Preferential Treatment in Search Results

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(Photo : Unsplash/ Christian Wiediger) Instagram app

Facebook has minimized and dismissed its findings reportedly after The Wall Street Journal published its internal research and proved that Instagram harmed the well-being of teenage girls.

Facebook stated that the documents were only relevant for internal product development and nothing more. Social science researchers said that the company's statement does not make any sense.

Facebook Minimized its Own Findings

Even though Facebook's work is limited, it still fits into a larger set of data, including from researchers that are outside the social media company, according to USA Today.

The data shows that social media sites do have negative effects on the user's well-being. Even though that data is not shown, the way that the platform operates will give the public an idea of what is happening, and it should be a cause for concern.

The Wall Street Journal's report included internal slides showing data that proves Instagram was connected with depression, anxiety, suicidal thought, and body image issues.

Also Read: Facebook, Flipboard Release New Features To Lessen Doomscrolling, Improve Mental Health: Newsfeed Personalization and More!

Facebook defended their research, saying that the data that The Wall Street Journal has was taken out of context and that it was subjective.

The company also said that the report could not provide anything about Instagram. The social media company's efforts to minimize the research and dismiss the whistleblower who leaked the report are alarming.

According to The Verge, although Facebook's statements regarding the research are correct, they are somewhat misleading.

Melissa Hunt, a psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania, said that the social media giant's statements are dangerous.

Facebook had revealed its slides. The slides are filled with annotations that give a better understanding of the research.

A lot of those annotations show that the data is based on the participants' subjective perceptions and that it was not made to assess how Instagram caused positive or negative effects.

The annotations also showed that the research is qualitative. It relied heavily on subjective information collected on questionnaires and through conversations with users.

It did not collect any data that showed how frequently users experienced depression or other issues.

Facebook's Stance on Instagram's Effects

Facebook stated that the information only shows that some users feel that way, and that is not enough evidence to conclude that Instagram has something to do with the mental health struggles of the users.

According to The Verge, Facebook said the studies were made to help its teams understand how users feel about the platform.

The studies are not created to provide prevalence measures or estimate the connection between Instagram and mental health.

Kaveri Subrahmanyam, a developmental psychologist at California State University, said that Facebook's statement is not an unreasonable response.

The whole research was only based on limited surveyed data, and it was not created to measure how Instagram causes changes in the mental health of its users.

Subrahmanyam said that it is a common issue with research and studies around social media and mental health. It asks people how they feel at a certain point, which often changes, so it does not tell you much.

Related Article: Facebook Hearing Wrap Up: FB Whistleblower Haugen's Testimony and Platform's Impact on Young Users' Mental Health

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(Photo : Unsplash/ Christian Wiediger) McDonald's drive thru

IBM has entered a strategic partnership with McDonald's in order to develop artificial intelligence technology that will help the fast-food chain automate its drive-thru lanes.

IBM and McDonald's Partner Up

The deal was announced on Oct. 27, and the companies revealed that IBM would acquire McD Tech Labs, formerly known as Apprente before the fast-food chain repurchased it in 2019. McDonald's refused to discuss the financial terms of the transaction.

On an earnings call on Oct. 27, McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski said that they believe IBM is the best partner for the company due to their decades of experience in creating customer care solutions that are powered by artificial intelligence.

The McD Tech Labs uses AI to understand customers' drive-thru orders. Earlier this year, McDonald's tested the technology at a couple of their branches in Chicago. Kempczinski stated that the test showed substantial benefits to both the customers and the employees.

Also Read: McDonald's, Burger King, and MORE US Fast Food Companies' Top Menu Items Test Positive for Harmful Chemical

In June, Kempczinski also shared with the public the company's strategy for tech acquisitions. He said that if they make acquisitions, it will be for a short period of time, according to CNBC.

.

McDonald's CFO Kevin Ozan said that less than 100 employees would leave the company to work for IBM. He said that the move is not a massive financial statement impact.

Shares of the fast-food chain were up more than 2% on Oct. 27 after the company released its third-quarter results. Their earnings and revenue topped estimates as its international markets bounced back, according to Engadget.

McDonald's AI

Despite the impressive technology, the public voiced their concerns regarding the potential replacement of humans, resulting in people losing their jobs in the future.

Yorkshire Post reported that Nick Fletcher, the Tory MP for Don Valley, warned the government that they must prepare to mitigate the negative effects of AI instead of just focusing on its benefits.

Fletcher said that while some of the technologies may seem far off, they have taken over a lot of unskilled, low-paid jobs. He cited that McDonald's coffee was ordered in person, and now, with the development of drive-thru areas, customers have to place their orders on a giant screen.

Fletcher encouraged the government to protect the people's jobs as massive companies are moving towards artificial intelligence to deliver better services.

Fletcher added that AI technology is usually introduced to aid the pre-existing workforce. However, just like McDonald's, managers eventually realize that their workforce can be replaced and that AI technology is what is left doing what humans were doing, but doing it better.

The Tory MP also added that the rise of AI technology is likely to decimate people's jobs. He even cited that the AI revolution will be different from the industrial revolution decades ago. This time, it will affect employment on a much larger scale.

McDonald's has not released a statement regarding the security of employment in their company. The company just stated that they are working to make things easier for both the workers and the customers.

Aside from its voice recording systems, McDonald's is also being pressed by the issue regarding its ice cream machine, and the fast-food chain is working on solving the issue as part of its push towards better technology.

McDonald's is also working on releasing new food items on the menu, including McPlant Burgers.

Related Article: TikTok Employee Secrets: Here's Why McDonald's Take Photos of Your Car at Drive-Thru

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Sophie Webster

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
In this file photo, longtime local Marilyn Branch holds a role of I Voted stickers during Election Day 2020. The 2021 Town of Telluride Regular Municipal Election, which includes five ballot questions, is Tuesday. (Planet file photo)
Madisonville, KY (42431)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. High 59F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy with occasional showers overnight. Low 44F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
With what time he can muster, University of Louisiana System President Jim Henderson has found a new way to maximize his off hours  hes pursuing a law degree at night at the Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge.

Its a personal pursuit, not a professional one, said Henderson, who is in his second year in the program. Hes taking 11 credit hours this semester  all on Zoom  from his kitchen table in Baton Rouge. Classes are from 5-9 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and for a couple of hours on Saturdays. He hopes to complete the part-time program in three or four years.

Im keeping my other obligations in mind, he said this week. Thats the beauty of the part-time program and the way Southern has set it up. The only option I can take is the part-time, evening program.

Not that it hasnt been a challenge. Henderson in fall 2020 had to drop a class when Hurricanes Laura and Delta wreaked havoc on many of his systems campuses, with the worst damage at McNeese State University in Lake Charles. That schedule change was not out of order for the part-time program; Law Center Chancellor John Pierre said Southern accommodates students from myriad busy backgrounds. They included former Gov. Mike Foster, who attended law school while holding office; other elected or appointed officials; and professionals like military officers and project engineers whose schedules may cause them to rush around the globe at a moments notice.

UL deal to buy old Lourdes hospital property, offer land for new church likely to get approval The University of Louisiana System board Thursday will apparently move closer to the sale and swap of property involving the University of Lou

Evening law students balance work, families and everything else, Pierre said. But he is doing it successfully. In spring 2021, he was off to a good start and then COVID (variant) hits. We had to make some schedule adjustments, get him out of his normal cycle. We got him through the summer. Hes doing well, real well.

Henderson, who has led the nine-institution state system with 90,000 students for five years, started his law school journey with encouragement from two inspirational women: Ashley Mitchell-Carter, a Southern University Law Center alumna and former director of governmental affairs for the University of Louisiana System, and Hendersons wife of 28 years, Tonia. Mitchell-Carter was the impetus to getting him started, he said.

She joined the system office as vice president of legislative affairs, Henderson said. He would challenge her in conversations about legal matters, a give-and-take that was fun for both of him. She, in turn, would encourage him to pursue a law degree and told Pierre she thought Henderson might be interested.

She was one of those personalities, when you encounter her, you felt better, Henderson said of Mitchell-Carter, who, like Henderson, came from northwestern Louisiana. She had an infectious smile and engaging personality. She was always telling me, You have to go to law school.

+7 Erath memorial evokes memories of 8 storm victims, and one man's promise to honor them ERATH  Its not the type of tragedy a small town can forget. When Hurricane Hilda swept through this town on Oct. 3, 1964, a water tower 125 

The young lawyer died unexpectedly on a holiday weekend in 2019. When Henderson consoled her mother, she told him, She really wanted you to go to law school. Later, he mentioned his desire to go to law school to his wife, who responded, Why dont you? That was all the encouragement he needed.

Pierre said he, too, encouraged Henderson to get his application together and take the law boards. Hendersons application met the standard and he started the night program. Southerns law school opened to students in 1947; the night school was initiated in 2004.

Pierre said law school sharpens your analytical skills, gives you insights. He said its a helpful degree not only for lawyers but for many leaders.

Many students dont practice law, but graduate into leadership positions, he said.

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Right now, Henderson doesnt see himself practicing law as a career.

Thats not the driver, he said. Its about the process. Im inclined to read  a lot  and it helps me in my current work. It develops critical thinking skills. It has made me more effective as a leader.

But he said providing pro bono work sometime in the future  helping people who cant afford access to the law  might be a possibility someday. Ive always been interested in the pursuit of justice, he said.

He also teaches a doctoral course every fall, and he said re-engaging in the classroom has given him more empathy for his students.

Tonia Henderson said her husband has gone through a lot of schooling during their marriage and he is a constant reader. He earned his masters and doctorate while they were married. He also has routinely taken coursework where available  he oftentimes takes Massive Open Online Courses, or MOOCs  most recently one in Irish literature. Hes always trying to learn new things, she said.

His penchant for lifelong learning made an impact on their three children; only the youngest lives at home now. She says she gets inspired by watching him use his time so well. He allots time for work, family and his own study.

On class nights, she said, she prepares dinner around his schedule. He places his computer on the kitchen table so he can stay involved with the family. Sometimes, shell slip him a glass of wine if the camera is off.

Henderson said his wife, who owns her own media consulting business, provides the structure he needs to keep on schedule. This week, he was preparing to fix a faucet in the home when she gave him a reminder: Dont you have class in 10 minutes? He did.

Pierre said courses are delivered synchronously  live, though remote.

Zoom has been the method of delivery with our courses. We have discussions, queries. Its a better virtual business model for our students, he said.

Pierre said he was confident Henderson would succeed at law school. The two men have known each other for years; Henderson was chancellor at Bossier Parish Community College and president at Northwestern State prior to taking the system job. Hes been with state government for 20 years. Pierre has been at Southern University Law Center for 30 years.

He loves learning, he loves coming to class and is enthusiastic, Pierre said. I think those are exemplary traits for a higher education leader.

Henderson said Southern has providing him and other part-time students an incredible experience through the law center. He said hes proud to attend a school with Southerns history and a law school that has championed many noble causes.

He said Southern has incredible alums, including that cherished colleague and alumna who believed in him and helped nudge him onto the law school path.
A line of severe storms raked southern Louisiana on Wednesday, spawning a tornado that damaged more than three dozen homes at Lake Charles and spreading high winds and hail throughout virtually all of the Baton Rouge area.

At least one injury was reported.

The violent weather rolled through ahead of a cold front that would drop temperatures slightly but reduce humidity to a comfortable range. Breezy weather is expected to last through Friday.

The Storm Prediction Center had forecast an "enhanced risk" of severe weather as the storms took shape early Wednesday in eastern Texas. The line of storms hit southwestern Louisiana in the morning, and individual storms popped up in the Baton Rouge region at midday  rotating enough to prompt tornado warnings north and east of the city.

South Louisiana under severe weather threat; strong wind gusts, tornadoes possible, NWS says Much of southern Louisiana faces the threat of severe thunderstorms with potentially damaging winds and tornadoes Wednesday afternoon, forecas

Several areas throughout the state experienced power outages, with Entergy reporting the most blackouts in Tangipahoa and East Feliciana parishes, where roughly 1,385 and 1,075 homes, respectively, were without power Wednesday evening.

The rest of the greater Baton Rouge area fared better, however, with Entergy spokesman David Freese reporting 500 customer accounts without power in Ascension, 350 without power in East Baton Rouge and 70 without power in Livingston. Each customer can be a household or a business, which means the number of people affected was higher that those figures.

Freese said crews were fanning out in affected areas to repair the damage on Wednesday evening.

As the storm moved east of Baton Rouge, heavy rains and high winds swept through parts of Tangipahoa and Livingston parishes Wednesday afternoon and into the evening.

Tangipahoa Parish emergency director Dawson Primes reported high water on many roads, but knew of no wind damage in the parish as of early Wednesday evening.

At Hidden Oaks Campground in Robert, just east of Hammond, property owner Scott Poston said Wednesday afternoon that 3 1/2 inches of rain had fallen at the site, and he expected more. The 150-plot, 76-acre campground has flooded 18 times since January due to the nearby Tangipahoa River jumping its banks.

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"I'm pretty sure we'll flood again, since the front isn't even here yet," he said.

A tornado strike badly damaged about 40 homes in the Lake Charles area, Calcasieu Parish Emergency Preparedness Director Dick Gremillion said. At least one man in a collapsed house was hospitalized.

A Calcasieu Parish transit building and another one next door were also damaged but it was unclear if a tornado or heavy winds caused the destruction, parish spokesman Tom Hoefer said. Three buses in the parish building also sustained minor damage.

In a residential neighborhood outside the Lake Charles city limits in Calcasieu Parish, several houses were hit by what residents said was a tornado; about 25 homes saw major damage. Personal belongings and pieces of roof were strewn across the neighborhood in the aftermath of the strike.

One house all but collapsed with a family of four, a dog and a cat inside. The father was taken to a hospital with serious cuts on his foot and leg, but he was expected to recover, relatives said as they stood amid the homes ruins, where a television remained mounted on a wall but the roof gone and other parts of the interior piled like matchsticks.

A door down, Ryan Nettles home also had major damage though much of the house was still standing. The garage was destroyed, the top of it thrown into a nearby yard.

Nettles, 44, said he had recently finished repairs from last year's hurricanes and he and his wife were just settling in to being empty-nesters after his youngest child moved out. Friends and neighbors rushed to help, including by tarping the roof and sweeping up strewn belongings as the rain came down.

"We'll pull together and we'll do it again," Nettles, the 44-year-old owner of a swimming pool business, said in the dining room of the house, its windows blown out. "I don't know why we keep doing it. I've got a business here in town so I've got to rebuild and get going."

The Lake Charles area was hit by Hurricane Laura, one of the worst storms in state history, in August 2020. It was followed six weeks later by Hurricane Delta, then a winter storm in February and severe flooding in May. Several thousand people are believed to still be displaced.

James Finn contributed to this report.
Louisiana nursing home magnate Bob Dean has laid off nearly 1,000 employees as he awaits hearings that will determine whether he can reclaim the nursing home licenses that the state Department of Health revoked after finding widespread problems with how he evacuated residents to a warehouse for Hurricane Ida.

In notices of mass layoffs filed with the Louisiana Workforce Commission, administrators for Deans seven nursing homes wrote that LDHs decision to take away their licenses meant that the nursing homes are unable to operate for the foreseeable future and the decision had been made to lay off all, or substantially all, hourly employees effectively immediately.

But they also wrote that they hope the layoffs  affecting at least 963 employees  will be short-term and that Dean will be able to rehire the workers if he gets back his licenses.

After state shut down nursing homes, owner Bob Dean files appeal arguing to reopen them The owner of seven nursing homes that evacuated 843 residents to a squalid warehouse for Hurricane Ida has filed appeal documents to get his n

Action on Deans appeal process should start Monday. A panel of three judges with the states Division of Administrative Law has scheduled a prehearing telephone conference with attorneys for Dean and LDH.

Their agenda says they will discuss the matters in controversy, exchange documents, identify witnesses and determine whether they need to schedule a hearing.

The layoffs by facility include:

94 employees of Maison DeVille in Harvey

152 employees of Maison DeVille in Houma

137 employees of St. Elizabeths Caring in Jefferson Parish, which operated as West Jefferson Health Care Center

137 employees of Park Place in Jefferson Parish

158 employees of River Palms in New Orleans

178 employees of Maison Orleans in New Orleans

107 employees at South Lafourche Nursing and Rehab in Cutoff

The layoff notices were filed Sept. 14, and said they were effective as immediately as of Sept. 10.

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+6 'One fiasco after another': How Bob Dean lost a nursing home before Hurricane Ida scandal Notorious Louisiana nursing home owner Bob Dean plans to wage a legal fight to restore the licenses of seven nursing homes the state wrested f

As Ida approached, Dean evacuated 843 residents from his seven nursing homes to a warehouse he owned, where nurses and state inspectors described them living in filth and inhumane conditions. The evacuation infuriated relatives, who said that they did not even know their loved ones were being evacuated for the storm, let alone being sent en masse to a warehouse that partially flooded in the storm.

The Louisiana Department of Health had approved Deans evacuation plan to the warehouse ahead of time, but argued in his license revocation letters that Dean should have better communicated once conditions inside the warehouse deteriorated. Inspectors wrote that they saw frail nursing home residents lying in unchanged diapers while crying out for help, with some forced to sleep in wheelchairs instead of on mattresses, as trash piled up in the warehouse. They also said that Dean kicked them off the premises when they tried to inspect the warehouse after the storm.

After the LDH took over and moved the residents into other shelters, the state shut down Deans nursing homes, revoked his operating licenses and terminated his Medicaid provider agreements.

Dean, who has downplayed the crisis, almost immediately said he would appeal. The states Division of Administrative Law will oversee the process.

As of Thursday, 38 residents of Deans nursing homes who were evacuated to the warehouse for Hurricane Ida had died since the storm. Only five of those deaths have been classified as storm-related by coroners.

+5 Tangipahoa nursing home shelter under decades-long hazardous chemicals cleanup order A Tangipahoa Parish warehouse shut down after hundreds of nursing home residents were evacuated there for Hurricane Ida was once part of a pes

Dean has also been named as a defendant in at least 11 lawsuits over the evacuation.
The Louisiana Senate has created a special committee to dig into complaints about the use of excessive force by the State Police, after troopers were documented in a series of beatings of Black men that have drawn attention from federal investigators.

Senate President Page Cortez told The Associated Press that he set up the seven-member advisory panel in response to requests from senators concerned about troopers behavior. He sent a letter Thursday officially naming lawmakers to the committee. Two senators from Baton Rouge will lead the work: Republican Sen. Franklin Foil will be chairman, and Democratic Sen. Cleo Fields will work as vice chairman.

Foil intends to hold the panels first meeting in December. He expects the committee to hear from the State Police and the public with an eye toward developing recommendations for tightened laws regarding use of force that legislators can consider. The review will focus more on overall policies, rather than specific allegations of improper force, he said.

+2 Former Louisiana state trooper indicted by federal grand jury, 1st charge in excessive force probe In what's likely just the first salvo in a series of investigations into potential civil rights abuses by Louisiana state troopers, federal pr

The Senate Select Committee on State Police Oversight will go over what kind of oversight the State Police has when there are reports of excessive force that may have been used inappropriately and what mechanisms they have as far as safeguards, said Foil, a lawyer and Navy officer who has worked as a military judge.

Cortez asked the panel to submit its recommendations to the full Senate by Oct. 31, 2022.

The committee is set to examine the Louisiana State Polices use-of-force policies as federal prosecutors are scrutinizing a series of beatings by troopers and whether top police brass obstructed justice to protect troopers involved in the deadly 2019 arrest of Ronald Greene.

Critics bemoan discipline for Black trooper who leaked Ronald Greene files, ripped State Police When protests erupted following the 2016 fatal police shooting of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana State Police Trooper Carl Cavalier 

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The investigation began as a civil rights probe into Greenes death, which police initially blamed on a car crash at the end of a chase near Monroe. But prosecutors interest has since broadened to look at other beatings and whether commanders broke the law to shelter the troopers seen on long-withheld body camera video punching, dragging and stunning the Black motorist.

Officials from Gov. John Bel Edwards on down refused for more than two years to publicly release the body camera video of Greenes arrest before it was obtained and published by AP this spring.

Greenes death was among at least a dozen cases over the last decade in which AP found state troopers or their bosses ignored or concealed evidence of beatings, deflected blame and impeded efforts to root out misconduct.

+8 State Police superintendent addresses transparency, touts reforms, but faces doubt Facing mounting pressure for Department of Justice oversight and court-ordered reforms at Louisiana State Police, Col. Lamar Davis touted a nu

Its behavior that dozens of current and former state troopers told AP is part of the agencys culture of impunity, nepotism and, in some cases, outright racism.

Fields, a lawyer who requested creation of the Senate special committee, didnt return calls for comment. He previously persuaded lawmakers to set up a task force to study law enforcement training and misconduct issues. The task forces suggestions led to passage earlier this year of new restrictions on the use of chokeholds and no-knock warrants, detailed policies for use of body cameras and a requirement for police agencies to have anti-bias training for state grant eligibility.

Members of the new Senate committee come from around the state, including from the northeast Louisiana region whose State Police unit is at the heart of many of the allegations.
On Wednesday morning, a Zachary woman was discovered stabbed to death. Zachary Police arrested her boyfriend, who had a sprawling history of domestic violence arrests, and had recently been released from jail on bond.

He was one of six people arrested on domestic violence-related counts within 24 hours between Tuesday and Wednesday in East Baton Rouge Parish, according to booking documents from the local jail.

+2 Staying home to stop coronavirus is 'anything but safe' for victims of domestic abuse In the days following the statewide directive to shelter in place as the coronavirus spreads across Louisiana, local leaders and advocates say

Here's how authorities described the incidents:

Aug. 18, 12:57 p.m.  A man angrily accused his girlfriend, who was five months pregnant, of speaking to other men. When she tried to call 911, he took her cell phone, bit her arm and struck her stomach with a wooden board she had used to block a window he had previously broken.

Aug. 18, 2:20 p.m.  A man, reportedly intoxicated, grabbed his wife and hit her several times, ripping her T-shirt as he attacked her while her 5-year-old son was in the house.

Aug. 18, 9:40 p.m.  A man struck his longtime partner in the face and potentially fractured her wrist in front of their three children.

Aug. 19, 1 a.m.  A man was arrested on drug counts but was discovered to have also recently violated a protective order against him. He had allegedly sent text messages to a woman with whom he had a domestic abuse history, saying he would kill her.

Aug. 19, 1:40 a.m.  A man armed himself with a kitchen knife, dragged his girlfriend across the floor in front of her two children and tried to stab her in the face. He sliced her hand as she tried to block his blow.

The youngest alleged abuser was 22. The oldest was 49.

The arrest records over those 24 hours are a snapshot of an alarming increase in domestic violence. Baton Rouge police reported 206 more incidents from January through July of 2020 than during the same period last year  an increase of 14 percent.

And thats just the official figures. Suspects are often booked on counts of battery or aggravated assault with a firearm instead, not specifically domestic abuse.

And many other incidents  advocates and law enforcement have a difficult time estimating exactly how many  are never reported.

+4 Zachary man accused of stabbing girlfriend to death had long record of domestic violence charges There were numerous red flags, support services and court intervention. But all that wasn't enough to prevent the worst possible outcome: anot

Upticks amid lockdown

In March, local officials and advocates warned that domestic violence could get worse in the coming months, with the strain and fear surrounding the coronavirus pandemic exacerbating existing abuse. As a statewide lockdown went into effect, the concern that victims of abuse would be trapped at home with their abusers intensified.

Officials even identified an uptick in those first few uncertain weeks of the outbreak, but cautioned it was too early to draw conclusions without more data.

"We feel that due to COVID and people being inside homes, we were expecting a potential increase," said Sgt. L'Jean McKneely Jr., Baton Rouge Police spokesman. "We had conversations about it early."

They were right. It is a pattern seen not only in the United States, but also across the world.

In 2019, there were four deaths from two domestic violence incidents in East Baton Rouge Parish. In 2020, there have been 13 as of Wednesdays stabbing, according to District Attorney Hillar Moore III's office.

In addition to the 206 additional incidents, BRPD has arrested 5 percent more people for domestic abuse this year.

The East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office has seen fewer calls through all of 2020. However, spokesperson Casey Rayborn Hicks said that doesnt mean abuse itself had decreased.

"We may have victims out there who are afraid or unable to reach out for help while at home with an aggressor," she said.

Before Tigerland police shooting, BRPD internal memo said suspect might commit 'suicide by cop' The police shooting that left Vincent Harris dead inside a Tigerland apartment earlier this week wasn't his first confrontation with Baton Rou

A study in disasters

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Tracking domestic violence incidents is notoriously complex.

While arrests and calls are one measure to assess how frequently these events happen, there are always those victims who don't report. Even when an incident is reported, it may be only the most recent escalation of abuse that has continued for months or years.

"It's happening in the shadows," said Twahna Harris, a domestic violence advocate. "Just because you dont see it happening doesnt mean its not happening."

Another way to gauge the reach of domestic violence in an area is by looking at the homicide rate in these cases.

The parish saw a spike in domestic violence following the catastrophic flooding that deluged the capital region in 2016, Moore said. His office tracked an increase not only in domestic violence incidents around that time, but also in slayings in which domestic abuse was the motive, along with murder-suicides.

Despite 2019's encouraging numbers, Moore feared that, with the COVID-19 outbreak, the rest of 2020 would mirror the year after the 2016 flood, when the parish had 14 deaths. As of Wednesday morning, the 2020 domestic violence death count reached 13. Six of these homicides involved intimate partners.

There were two other homicides involving law enforcement responding to reports of domestic abuse this year. In one case, an officer was killed by the suspect. In the other, the suspect perpetrating the abuse was killed by an officer who arrived to investigate.

Reggie Ferreira, a Tulane University professor and disaster specialist, said similar patterns have unfolded in different disasters over the past two decades.

After Hurricane Katrina, for instance, police calls increased as a result of intimate partner violence. A climb in domestic abuse was also seen in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster.

Ferreira and his colleague, intimate partner violence specialist and Tulane professor Frederick Buttell, recently launched a study to examine domestic abuse during the coronavirus. Their preliminary data, gathered through an online survey, has already shown a significant increase in New Orleans.

"COVID can be blamed for an increase of intimate partner violence," Ferreira said. "If you experience it before COVID, youre more likely to experience it again as well. Theres just a history that comes with it."

As the pandemic drags on, Ferreira noted, other disasters could further complicate domestic violence in the state.

"Can you imagine if we experience a hurricane now? Where would a survivor go?"

Domestic violence victims vulnerable as coronavirus causes isolation; help still available As self-isolation and quarantine measures go into effect across the state to halt the spread of the coronavirus, domestic violence advocates f

Finding safety in an unsafe space

Harris, founder and executive director of domestic violence advocacy group The Butterfly Society, said her organization has been inundated with calls from victims since the pandemic began.

"What were finding in the calls is that victims are not wanting to leave," she said. "Theyre fearful of leaving because were faced with this pandemic."

Afraid of risking either their own lives of those of their children, many victims  most of whom are women  are concerned about the safety of shelters.

Ferreira added that abusers thrive on control, and the pandemic affords them the opportunity to further isolate victims and continue their emotional or physical attacks.

"If youre with that abusive partner, theyll watch you like a hawk," he said.

Now, victims are tasked with "trying to remain safe in an unsafe space," Harris said. This means looking for an empty bedroom, closet or bathroom to spend some time alone, or going outside for a short walk around the block or parking lot.

She also encourages the public to check on neighbors and loved ones who they suspect may be suffering abuse, a call to action echoed by local law enforcement.

In the meantime, she said she is doing her best to uplift victims during a stretch of interminable stress and anxiety. But there is no perfect safety plan, no easy solutions, she added.

"You give them what works best for them and youre praying that it works and helps and that they get through and that theyre safe," she said. "Thats what you do  thats what you have to do."

Those experiencing domestic abuse can contact The Butterfly Society, Iris Domestic Violence Center, the statewide Louisiana Domestic Violence Hotline, and The National Domestic Violence Hotline.
Myesha Davis had finally mustered the courage to leave her fiance, whose increasingly controlling behavior made her rethink the relationship, her family members said.

She spent hours with her aunt Saturday night, the two women planning their futures together. They planned to enroll in trucking school and coordinate work schedules to help each other with child care.

Davis, 27, wanted more independence after her fiance, Vinnie Mackie Jr., said he thought "her place was in the house," according to her aunt.

Less than 24 hours later, Mackie armed himself with a gun and shot Davis to death inside their apartment Sunday evening. Then, he ended his own life.

Their four children  the oldest just 8 years old  saw everything.

"There I was, not knowing that tomorrow wasn't promised for her," her aunt Tiffany Davis said. "I wish I would have just kept her with me."

The shooting was among three murder-suicides that unfolded last weekend across the Baton Rouge region, including one in Hammond. Three more deadly domestic violence shootings followed, all within a week. East Baton Rouge Parish has recorded more than two dozen such killings so far this year  a record rate of violence keeping pace with an unprecedented overall murder rate.

Many experts highlight ongoing fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. But pinpointing an exact cause is near impossible, and the problem extends far beyond Baton Rouge. In some surrounding parishes, concerns about increased domestic violence are exacerbated by the impacts of Hurricane Ida.

"Instead of asking why the victim stays in an abusive relationship, we should be looking at the barriers to leaving," East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore III said. "COVID-19 aggravated these barriers  income, family support, affordable housing and daycare, isolation, and maybe most important, mental health."

+2 Deadly Baton Rouge shooting marks 7th murder in 8 days  as parish surpasses 100 for the year With reports of two more deadly shootings Tuesday night and early Wednesday, East Baton Rouge Parish tallied its seventh homicide in eight day

'The most unforgiveable thing'

After the pandemic hit, Davis watched her world shrink.

She and Mackie both lost their jobs, and she helped him launch a heating and air conditioning business. He started working long hours, becoming the sole breadwinner and leaving her often overwhelmed with child care, especially after she gave birth to their youngest in July.

Even when schools and day cares began reopening, she worried about sending the kids back and risking COVID exposure.

Family members said they believe Mackie became more controlling during the pandemic, though they never suspected physical violence in the relationship. They said he would get upset when Davis spent too much time with her relatives.

Still, Davis hesitated to leave, unsure how she would support her children without him. But her family offered the reassurance she needed: She was strong and capable, they told her, with a bunch of people standing behind her.

Relatives said Davis had recently told Mackie she was serious about breaking up  something she had brought up several months earlier, then agreed to reconcile after he proposed.

When police responded to the crime scene the night of Oct. 24, officers found her engagement ring sitting on a box of ammunition in the kitchen, relatives said.

The shooting was reported to authorities only after a friend called Davis that evening and one of the children answered, informing the caller that mom and dad were dead, according to family members.

Davis had three children with Mackie, and the couple was raising his son from another relationship, too. Her surviving relatives have taken them in since her death.

While the younger ones are probably too little to remember their mom, the older siblings will grow up with horrific scenes from her last moments seared into their memories.

"We have no clue how long they were in that apartment, with their mother's brains blown out," Tiffany Davis said. "That's the most unforgivable thing to me."

+8 Baton Rouge's most murderous year on record: How gun violence surged amid pandemic Debra Ross was headed to her first Bible study of 2020 when she stopped home to change clothes and found herself walking into a nightmare: Her

'One of the most difficult issues'

So far this year, 33 lives have been lost to domestic violence across East Baton Rouge, according to data provided by the district attorney  with still over two months left in 2021.

The parish recorded 19 in all of 2020.

Moore said about 20% of the 13,000 or so cases his office handles annually involve some form of domestic violence, showing how prevalent such crimes were even before the recent spike.

Other jurisdictions, including the Florida Parishes, have seen a similar uptick.

Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard said domestic violence reports are projected to rise for the third consecutive year in 2021.

"It's one of the most difficult issues we deal with," 21st Judicial District Attorney Scott Perrilloux said. "It's not any one particular demographic or economic status. It doesn't really seem to matter."

+4 24 hours of rising domestic violence in Baton Rouge: 'It's happening in the shadows' On Wednesday morning, a Zachary woman was discovered stabbed to death. Zachary Police arrested her boyfriend, who had a sprawling history of d

Victims in rural areas often have the hardest time getting help because of transportation challenges and limited legal services, among other issues, said Nnenna Minimah, executive director of Southeast Advocates for Family Empowerment. Her organization serves a wide swath of eastern Louisiana, including the Florida parishes.

Despite those barriers, Minimah said Hurricane Ida seemed to push some survivors trapped in abusive relationships to their breaking point, finally prompting them to reach out for help. She said even though Livingston has a higher population, most of the requests to her organization come from Tangipahoa.

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A familiar pattern unfolded after the storm, said Mariah Wineski, executive director of the Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

First came radio silence as the power grid failed, causing an initial dip in hotline calls  and then a huge spike in reports as communication systems came back online, she said.

Just last week, a man shot his wife to death at their Hammond home, then barricaded himself inside. Law enforcement later found Anthony Davis dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. His wife, Heidi Davis, was a mother of two and registered nurse at North Oaks Hospital.

"She was truly one to light up a room and was known to be full of life," her obituary says.

Law enforcement officials have not released a motive for the case, but court records show Heidi had filed for divorce in August.

The deadly attack unfolded about a month after another murder-suicide in St. Francisville, where a man stalked his estranged wife for weeks before killing them both.

Marshall Rayburn had recently been released on bond and assigned a GPS ankle monitor after being accused of repeatedly drugging and raping his wife during their 15-year marriage. Family members and local officials blamed the monitoring company for failing to properly supervise him.

'Worthless' ankle monitor fails to keep man from stalking estranged wife before murder-suicide Three weeks before he shot his estranged wife to death inside her St. Francisville home and then turned the gun on himself, Marshall Rayburn v

West Feliciana Sheriff Brian Spillman said officials are rethinking their ankle monitor system after it failed so spectacularly. He said the murder-suicide came amid an increase in domestic violence calls overall.

"We're watching this trend, and if anything, we're being more careful and more meticulous in these investigations," he said.

Spillman said his office is getting deputies specialized training to handle these kinds of sensitive situations that can be challenging for law enforcement, especially when victims are afraid to cooperate.

'It just keeps coming'

One possible explanation for the recent eruption of domestic violence focuses on the accumulation of chaotic national news events that have dominated discourse over the last couple years, from the presidential election and pandemic, to racial justice protests and mask mandates.

"They have a tendency to destabilize systems and decrease trust in systems," Wineski said. She described a general sense of chaos resulting from the "fraying of community ties" that can create the right environment for violence to flourish.

Watching the rise in domestic homicides has been incredibly frustrating because of all the resources being poured into educating people on the issue, said John Price, executive director of IRIS Domestic Violence Center in Baton Rouge.

+4 24 hours of rising domestic violence in Baton Rouge: 'It's happening in the shadows' On Wednesday morning, a Zachary woman was discovered stabbed to death. Zachary Police arrested her boyfriend, who had a sprawling history of d

Twahna Harris, founder of The Butterfly Society in Baton Rouge, has felt the strain acutely. She spends countless hours comforting victims and their families.

"You put out one fire, and here's another; you put that one out and here's another," she said. "It just keeps coming."

She also pushed back on the idea that the pandemic is the primary driver of the ongoing spike in violence. She said blaming the pandemic starts to sound like giving abusers a pass.

But as the body count continues to rise, Harris finds herself wondering what her organization could do differently to stop the violence. What are they missing?

Domestic abuse is all about power and control, she said, and it can be difficult to spot the subtle indicators: the frequent phone calls, minor physical violence played off as a joke, gradual isolation from loved ones.

Even when a victim decides to leave, Harris said the consequences can be fatal: "Walking away is the deadliest time in a relationship."

Those words came into sharp focus as Harris embraced the mother and grandmother of Shayla James, a Southern University sophomore killed by her boyfriend last week in her Burbank Drive apartment after she expressed a desire to see someone else.

Relatives, friends and classmates gathered on Southern campus and released purple and white balloons in her honor. Purple is the official color for National Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October; it was also Shayla's favorite.

"Ms. James made the decision to walk away from her situation because she wanted better," Harris said, standing tall in her purple high-heeled pumps. "She knew she deserved better. And her life was stolen from her. How selfish of him."

James, 19, planned to become an elementary school teacher after graduating from college. She left behind three younger sisters, who lost a magnificent role model and confidante, their mother said.

"Every time I talk about her, I get chills, like my baby is wrapping her arms around me," Shondreka James said. "I have another angel sitting on my shoulder."

Shayla was fiercely independent and unflappable, disinclined to stress about much of anything, her mom said. She was a great student, the first in her immediate family to attend college. She had friends all over the country.

The man who took her life, Kenyon Walker, gave them no reason to suspect his capacity for violence, relatives said. The two had been dating for several months. "He ruined two families, mine and his," Shondreka James said.

"But I want to focus on remembering the 19 years we had with Shayla," she continued. "It's hard to explain your hurt without crying, but you don't want your tears to be your story."

Those experiencing domestic abuse can contact the statewide Louisiana Domestic Violence Hotline at (888) 411-1333 or The National Domestic Violence Hotline at (800) 799-7233.
Louisiana's temporary housing program for people displaced by Hurricane Ida is increasing its pace of getting people into travel trailers, but Gov. John Bel Edwards said he's still pushing for the program to accelerate its work.

"We're not satisfied. We're going to keep moving faster," the Democratic governor said.

Nearly two months after Ida wrecked southeastern parishes, the state has bought 2,000 trailers to distribute to storm victims. By Wednesday, 68 of those trailers have families living in them in Terrebonne, Lafourche, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, Jefferson and St. James parishes, said Mike Steele, with the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.

That's five times the number from a week earlier, and it comes as the Federal Emergency Management Agency has yet to deliver its first trailer to families with Ida destruction under its own separate program.

+5 No power, heaping debris: For these Louisiana swamp communities, Ida recovery is just beginning Brenda Harris and her husband, Johnny, grew up in the swamps that buffer the pine woods of Tangipahoa Parish from the north shores of lakes Ma

Still, the Edwards administration program faces criticism that its pace remains too slow when people are living in makeshift sites because their homes are uninhabitable.

Republican Rep. Tanner Magee, the House's second-ranking leader who lives in hard-hit Terrebonne Parish, said he appreciates that the governor created the state-managed program, but he's unsatisfied with the effort's speed. He said his office receives daily calls from people waiting for information about their trailer application.

"I get that it's a one-of-a-kind program that just got started, but we're buying trailers and giving them to people. It's not rocket science really at the end of the day," Magee said. "I am sympathetic to new programs, that we are learning and making mistakes on the fly, but at the same time people desperately needed this a month ago."

Edwards said he understands the frustration. He said recovery from storms always is slower than he'd like to see. But he defended the temporary housing program as moving faster than FEMA's trailer effort.

Louisiana wants to harden the power grid against hurricanes. Heres why that may not happen As memory of the overly hot days without power after Hurricane Ida recedes, talk about hardening the electrical grid will become more abstract.

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"The goal is  and what I've been assured will happen  is that the (state) program is going to ramp up from this point going forward," the governor said.

The Edwards administration launched the state-managed and largely federally-funded Hurricane Ida Sheltering Program on Oct. 4, to help people whose homes were wrecked by Ida and keep them closer to the homes they need to rebuild or repair. Louisiana hired APTIM, an engineering and construction management firm, to run the program in a $9 million contract.

The state-run program, which also has constructed temporary tent units for housing, is supposed to dovetail with FEMA's temporary housing efforts.

The administration estimated nearly 13,000 households could need sheltering assistance because of Ida, which struck Aug. 29 as a Category 4 storm. FEMA currently is housing 5,000 households in hotels, according to the governor.

+2 Woefully insufficient federal disaster relief confirmed for Lake Charles region LAKE CHARLES  The federal government confirmed Tuesday that southwest Louisiana will receive roughly $600 million in disaster relief for long

Steele said the state's temporary housing program is having some difficulty getting the needed paperwork from people or tracking them down to deliver the trailer.

"There's kind of a connection problem with some of the families in the program," he said. "They get to a certain point, with a trailer due to be deployed, and we can't get in touch with them or we're still missing a document that they need to sign."

Program workers are visiting federal disaster recovery centers and parish civic centers to help applicants complete the registration, Steele said. Meanwhile, group trailer sites are being created at mobile home park locations for renters and others whose homes may not be available for setting up a trailer, he said.

People can register for the program or check on the status of their application by visiting IdaShelteringla.com or calling 1-844-268-0301.
After years of doing taxes the same way, Louisiana voters beginning Saturday are being asked to decide if the state should head in a different direction.

Forty-three parishes, like Orleans, are choosing local leadership or deciding propositions, like East Baton Rouge, which is seeking to renew a property tax that funds the local city buses.

But when early balloting begins Saturday for the postponed Nov. 13 elections, voters in all 64 parishes will be asked to decide four changes to the Louisiana Constitution. Early voting continues until Nov. 6.

One of the four amendments on the ballot would allow five levee boards to raise taxes. Another offers budget architects a little more flexibility to tap dedicated funds when revenues are down and the state budget needs balancing.

But the first two amendments are attracting the most attention and would start the ball rolling toward sweeping changes in the state tax system. One would lead to centralizing sales tax collections. The other would dump one hefty deduction while decreasing the income tax rates for individuals and corporations.

Amendment to centralize local sales tax collection would not eliminate local jobs, speakers say A proposed constitutional amendment that would centralize sales tax collection in Louisiana will not have a significant effect on the local jo

Most speeches and forums for the business community lately sell the importance of starting the process of unscrambling a far too complex system that hides the fact that Louisianas taxes arent as high as advertised.

At one forum last week, Michael L. Hecht, head of Greater New Orleans Inc. a regional economic development organization, trotted out a campy photo of astronaut Neil Armstrong on the moon with a Louisiana state flag. Its a small step as we said before, but it is a giant leap because it is moving us in the right direction, Hecht said of amendments 1 and 2.

For literally decades, legislators have talked about the need to change Louisianas tax system but have done little other than proposing these two amendments that will tidy up language in the state constitution that then will allow for substantive changes that Hecht and others in the business community say will lead to more jobs.

Conservative radio talk show host Moon Griffon, on the other hand, told his listeners last week that the amendments are all window dressing to make the state look more pro-business.

What theyre doing with this little bitty Amendment 1, Amendment 2, is tinkering. Were tinkering with stuff, Griffon said. We dont do anything with it.

Louisiana fall elections postponed because of Hurricane Ida damage; see adjusted dates Gov. John Bel Edwards ordered the delay of upcoming elections that featured important Constitutional questions statewide and municipal electi

Amendment 1

Amendment 1 would authorize a commission to handle collecting sales taxes and disbursing the proceeds to the proper jurisdictions, and would remove from the constitution the ability of local jurisdictions to collect their own sales tax.

Louisiana institutionalized sales taxes in 1948  there had been an emergency tax during World War II  that allowed the state to charge a certain amount on sales at the cash register, which right now is 4.45% of every dollar. Additionally, local jurisdictions were allowed to add on and collect whatever their voters approve. The systems and procedures grew rather haphazardly.

These days, when local and state sales taxes are combined and averaged, Louisiana has the nations third-highest sales tax rates. But this amendment will do nothing about the rates. Its all about eventually having a state commission be the sole collector of sales taxes.

Over the years, more than 300 taxing entities were approved by voters. And each had a claim on sales taxes in their jurisdiction. In the early 1990s, the state tried to better organize collections but ended up with legislation that allowed one collector per parish.

Legislators ran into opposition from municipal and parish governments, school boards, fire protection districts and others that flat didnt trust state government to move the money efficiently to local entities.

Local governments do have property taxes, but the ad valorem rates are low. The main revenue source for local government are sales taxes. Thats what mostly pays for police, firefighters and libraries; to augment schoolteacher pay; and to maintain culverts and roads.

Now, a business needs to file returns and make payments to each parish where sales are made. A single streamlined procedure would allow a business to file a single return and remit a single payment.

It makes your life much easier, and that improves compliance, said Revenue Secretary Kimberly Lewis.

If Amendment 1 is approved by voters, the Legislature then would have to pass the bills to create the eight-member commission  four locals, four state officials  to collect sales taxes generated for each local jurisdiction as well as the state and ensure that each group gets its share.

History has taught us that state commissions do not always act in the best interest of cities and towns, like when the State Bond Commission denied funding to New Orleans due to its decisions to institute stricter COVID-19 rules, Ashley Shelton, executive director of Power Coalition for Equity & Justice, a New Orleans community group, said in a statement. A yes vote on Constitutional Amendment 1 would allow a new, untested and unelected statewide commission to determine how sales taxes are used.

Perhaps the biggest question is that the sales tax commission wont be created by a favorable vote on the amendment.

Itll be up to the Legislature to resolve a number of questions, said Jim Richardson, the retired LSU economist who had chaired the 2017 blue ribbon task force on updating the tax system.

The commission wont come together quickly, said Steven Procopio, the incoming president of the 70-year-old Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana, a Baton Rouge-based think tank.

If approved by voters on Nov. 13, two-thirds of legislators will have to pass bills that set up organization and rules. Itll likely take another year to acquire the technology, hire the personnel and work out the other issues.

If it happens quickly, I think itll be a mistake. A lot of thought has to go into this. Its big process and were talking about billions and billions of dollars, Procopio said.

Amendment 2

Amendment 2 would start the ball rolling to a kind of tax swap that would eventually cancel a hefty state income tax deduction and lower income tax rates.

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Louisiana income taxpayers are allowed to deduct from their state returns the amount paid to the federal government. The federal income tax deduction removed $795.5 million that could have been added to state general fund in 2020, according to the Department of Revenue.

Richardson said back in 1970, legislators removed that deduction to cover a budget gap, only to have many defeated at the polls. In 1974, the federal income tax deduction was guaranteed in the state constitution.

Indeed, if you even talked about changing it, it got no place, Richardson said. They put it on the ballot in 2000, and it was defeated handily.

This time around, legislators propose removing the federal deduction from the constitution and lowering income tax rates, also in the constitution.

If a majority of the voters statewide approve, then three companion laws would take effect to reduce corporate income tax rates and franchise tax rates for corporations; and to cap the personal income tax rate in the constitution but allow for automatic future tax cuts if certain economic conditions are met.

The law also would limit another tax break that allows deduction of the amount in excess of the standard federal deduction to just medical expenses.

Weve always said we should get rid of that and by also getting rid of FIT, we get the ability to lower tax rates, Richardson said.

Removing the federal income tax deduction also would free the states revenues from vagaries of federal decisions. The Trump tax changes in 2017 lowered the federal taxes owed, which raised the amount of revenues paid by Louisiana taxpayers. But should Congress increase federal taxes or once the Trump tax breaks expire, the amount of the deduction would go up and cut into Louisianas revenues.

If approved, the first $12,500 in income for single filers and $25,000 for joint filers would be taxed at 1.85% instead of 2%. The next $37,500 of net income for single filers and next $75,000 for joint filers would be taxed at 3.5% instead of 4%. Net income in excess of $50,000 for single filers and $100,000-plus for joint filers would be taxed at 4.25% instead of 6%.

Median household income in Louisiana is $49,469, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

About 93% of the states taxpayers would pay less because the amount of the federal income tax deduction just about equals  tax revenues go down by $27 million  the amount people would pay with lower income tax rates, according to the Legislative Fiscal Office.

First, it does not raise enough revenue to support the good schools, safe streets, reliable infrastructure and other services that families need in order to thrive, wrote Jan Moller, head of Louisiana Budget Project, the Baton Rouge-based group that analyzes fiscal policies' impact on low- and moderate-income families.

Second, it is regressive  meaning low-income households pay taxes at higher rates than those at the very top. This is because Louisiana has very high sales taxes  which eat up a disproportionate share of household income for low-income people, who must spend more of their take-home pay on immediate needs than their wealthier neighbors  and comparatively low-income taxes  where the highest rate applies to higher income-earners.

"In fact, it would help cement the status quo. By capping the top income-tax rate in the state constitution, Amendment 2 would make it harder in future years to make the kind of fundamental changes that could truly move Louisiana forward.

Janelle Cammenga, policy analyst at the Tax Foundation, wrote: "Louisiana has long been near the bottom of the Tax Foundations rankings of the competitiveness of states tax structures, but these proposed changes would be an important step forward.

Based in Washington, D.C., the think tank was created 84 years ago by major corporations to study tax issues. The business community and legislators put a lot of stock in what the Tax Foundation says.

Taken together, the rate reductions, bracket consolidations, and sales tax centralization would improve the states tax climate and improve Louisianas ranking from 42nd to 38th on our State Business Tax Climate Index, finally lifting the state out of the bottom 10, Cammenga said.

Our Views: Vote for constitutional amendments on the Nov. 13 ballot With the enormous disruption caused by Hurricane Ida, Louisianas big elections this fall were postponed. And perhaps for that reason, there h

Amendment 3

Amendment 3, if approved, would allow the boards of the districts that maintain flood-control levees created since 2006 to raise property taxes without voter approval. Levee boards have had the authority to raise property taxes up to 5 mills since the 1800s. Five of the eight boards created since Jan. 1, 2006, in the state constitution dont have that ability.

State Sen. Patrick Connick, R-Marrero, argued that it was only fair to give the five levee boards the same authority as the other boards. Only 10 representatives voted against the measure.

A majority of voters in the state must approve as well as a majority of the voters in the parishes served by the five boards for the measure to pass.

The boards are:

Chenier Plain Coastal Restoration and Protection Authority in Calcasieu, Cameron and Vermilion parishes

Iberia Parish Levee, Hurricane and Conservation District in Iberia Parish

Squirrel Run Levee and Drainage District in Iberia Parish

St. Tammany Levee, Drainage and Conservation District in St. Tammany Parish

Tangipahoa Levee District in Tangipahoa Parish.

Amendment 4

Amendment 4 would increase the amount from dedicated funds that could be tapped in a fiscal emergency from 5% to 10%.

When officials see that the revenues arent going to be enough to pay all the bills, the governor must first cut spending. Once the chief executive reduces the budget by nearly 1%, the law allows the governor, with the approval of the Legislature, to tap funds that have been dedicated for a specific use and direct 5% of the money to the state general fund to pay bills.

This amendment to the constitution would change that amount to 10% of the money that had been legally locked away for a sole purpose.

Because the state has so many dedicated funds, in past deficit years, budget cuts had to be limited to appropriations for higher education, health care and a handful of other services.

CABL and other public policy groups have long been concerned about the billions of dollars that have already been tied up in statutory and constitutional dedications, wrote Barry Erwin, head of Council for A Better Louisiana, a Baton Rouge policy advocacy group. Times when potentially huge shortfalls come are not that often. But when they do, the governor and the Legislature should have the authority to protect priorities they deem critical through temporary reductions in dedicated funds.
Letters: If we focus on racism in school, make lessons inclusive for all victims
The chief executive of supermarket giant Coles has warned of further challenges in Australias battered supply chains, with a shortage of wooden pallets threatening to stymie inventory levels heading into Christmas.

Pallets, which hold stock for retailers as they get moved around warehouses and into stores, are a key, but often overlooked, part of supply chains. Coles boss Steven Cain told media on Thursday a combination of factors had led to a shortage in Australia recently, a situation he dubbed pallet-gate.

Coles boss Steven Cain has warned of a shortage of pallets. Credit:Reuters

Across the nation, there is a bit of pallet-gate going on. The lack of wood means not many new ones are being produced, theres this surging consumer demand, and a lot of the non-food retailers are locked up in Victoria until Friday, and theyve got a lot of pallets there, he said.

The supermarkets, along with the Australian Food and Grocery Council, have established a pallet taskforce to get more of the wooden trays back into circulation. Mr Cain said he believed supply problems should ease before Christmas, but that the issue wouldnt be completely resolved until the new year.
Xi Jinping is the closest you get to an environmental crusader in the top echelons of Chinas political system. He was green before it became fashionable.

As Zhejiang party chief 20 years ago he wrote a weekly newspaper column noted for denouncing ecological degradation and for warning that Chinas energy-intensive and high-polluting economic model was unsustainable. This was unique among regional bosses at the time and required some courage, pitting him against the prevailing orthodoxy of break-neck industrialisation and GDP worship.

China is determined not to be pushed around by the West as it charts its path to a post-fossil fuel economy. Credit:AP

Xi backed the radical Green GDP campaign in 2004 which called on local governments to report data more honestly, subtracting ecological damage and the debt to the future from raw GDP figures. There was a crackdown on the worst-offending power and industrial companies.

Vested interests defeated the campaign, though Xi continued to release adjusted Green figures for Zhejiang after others had returned to the normal game of GDP inflation, making his tenure look less successful by the crude metric of the day.
When Australia went into lockdown last year, Payal Lamba saw an opportunity. Ms Lamba, a senior IT manager at Telstra, decided she wanted to use the time to develop new skills for herself and to assist her team.

She enrolled in the University of Melbournes new MicroCerts program, which offers short microcredential courses in a particular area of study.

Upskilling generally happens face to face, but we lost that avenue, she said. I still had a very ambitious team of really intelligent people who were looking for upskilling opportunities. It was the perfect time to go and try out some of these programs.

Payal Lamba is enrolled in the MicroCerts program at the University of Melbourne.

Ms Lamba took a course in entrepreneurial skills which taught her about new developments in the field.
In her new documentary Balmain artist Ella Dreyfus wants to tell the German people what happened to two little boys who escaped.

One of those boys who escaped Nazi Germany as war clouds gathered in May 1939 was her father, Richard. The other was his little brother, George. Their parents  Hilde and Alfred  were secular German Jews.

Ella Dreyfus faced her fears and returned to Germany, her fathers childhood home. Credit:Kate Geraghty

The film, Dreyfus Drei, premieres in a Berlin theatre tomorrow morning Sydney time, and online simultaneously.

My aim through this film is to open up a dialogue for subsequent generations to confront their inherited traumas and reclaim our Jewish lives in Germany, says Dreyfus.
The Productivity Commission has taken aim at Australias bloated prison system, which costs $5.2 billion a year to house a record number of prisoners despite an historically low crime rate.

Between 2008-2009 and 2019-2020, the imprisonment rate rose 25 per cent, while the offender rate fell by 18 per cent.

The Productivity Commission report out on Friday says Australia could save $45 million a year for every 1 per cent of prisoners shifted into alternative punishment.

Most people in prison are there for non-violent crimes. Credit:iStock

Commissioner Stephen King said the extraordinary growth in incarceration is a result of tough on crime politics.
In the late 1990s, the business end of Australian medical practice was  finally  given the same rights as other businesses, to advertise. And almost instantly, some cosmetic surgery practitioners were using all the manipulative and misleading tricks of their cousins in the beauty industry  from photoshopped models to artificially enhanced before-and-after photographs  to show what cosmetic surgery could do for those who were encouraged to be unhappy with how they looked.

These come-ons were displayed in the social media of the day, including the Yellow Pages business telephone directories (remember them?), womens magazines and especially in a range of newly minted cosmetic surgery magazines for the masses, as well as television shows.

Cosmetic surgery ... reforms never implemented. Credit: istock

At that time, I was analysing aspects of the popular media and  finding myself appalled by the misleading imagery  I started campaigning for honesty in advertising by a profession whose mantra was trust me, Im a doctor.

And so, in 1999, I was one of many people contributing to the NSW inquiry into cosmetic surgery. This had been prompted by two main areas of concern. The first covered the ways cosmetic surgery procedures are promoted, and I presented evidence about some of the misleading strategies used. The other, and more critical focus, was the quality and safety of those procedures that had been raised by health professionals.
Queensland could hit its 90 per cent vaccination target by early 2022, a top cop responsible for the states rollout insists, as the state went another day without recording a COVID-19 case.

That is despite Queensland continuing to trail other jurisdictions, coming in last but one for double-doses, in front of only Western Australia.

People queue to receive a COVID-19 vaccine at a Bunnings store in Brisbane. Credit:Dan Peled/ Getty Images

In NSW, almost 86 per cent of people aged over 16 are now double-jabbed, while in Victoria that figure is 76.90 per cent. In Queensland, just 61.79 per cent have received both doses.

Acting Deputy Commissioner Shane Chelepy, who is Vaccine Operations Coordinator, said people living in NSW were driven to get vaccinated after being stuck in lockdown for months.
Between December 2016 and February 2017, there were almost a dozen arson attacks carried out on five businesses. One owner suspects Balcombes hit-list was based on a Google search of Melbournes leading party hire companies. By pleading guilty this week to 11 counts of conspiracy to commit arson, Balcombe admitted he had his underlings attack warehouses in Werribee, Tullamarine, Hallam, Keysborough, Hoppers Crossing and Warragul. Balcombe didnt start any fires himself. The aftermath of the fire at A&A Jumping Castles, in Hoppers Crossing, in January 2017. The arsonists recruited a third man for the early attacks. But when two of the trio pulled out, the drug addict continued throwing Molotov cocktails over fences and through windows. The Court of Appeal later labelled him an arsonist for hire. Most attacks caused either little or no damage, but one at A&A Jumping Castles destroyed at least $1.2 million of property, including the warehouse, a van, jumping castles, a mechanical bull, stretch limo, merry-go-round and go-karts.

James Balcombe. Credit:Victoria Police It killed us, said Mr Andrew, who with wife Aline now runs A&A at a fraction of the size of their former award-winning venture. They said it was only the donations of equipment from other businesses that had allowed them to get back on their feet. One minute youve got everything, and in five minutes youve got nothing, Mr Andrew said. After seeing that fire on the news, Balcombe was elated with his firebomber. Thats the best job you have done so far, he told him, urging more destruction.

The Andrews never met Balcombe, and were shocked to learn the man behind the crime was a fellow business owner. But Mr Saliba, who owns Xtreme Party Hire with wife Samantha, was less surprised. He said he had received threatening and aggressive emails from Balcombe well before the arson campaign, accusing him of copying ideas and notable for their air of one-upmanship. The Salibas warehouses were targeted four times in fires that caused a combined $40,000 damage. They recall scary, exhausting weeks of fixing metal sheets over windows, and even remember watching on their CCTV feed from home one night as the arsonists approached their warehouse. [In this industry], we all work together, we dont go around [fire]bombing each other just to get business, Mr Saliba said.

At the end of the day, I think it was just greed. Its sad in a way. We could have helped each other and worked together but he [Balcombe] went rogue. I think it was just greed. Its sad in a way, we could have helped each other and worked together. But he [Balcombe] went rogue. Andrew Saliba, arson victim The arson campaign ended with a blaze at Balcombes Kangaroo Ground property after he instructed his firestarter how to torch his Awesome Party Hire storage shed. Balcombes aim was to divert suspicion, and he told police the damage bill would be $1.2 million. Later, he was accused of trying to fraudulently claim an insurance payout. The conspiracy deflated over following weeks. The three associates, whom The Age has not named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty and in aCounty Court hearing were jailed. The main arsonist was jailed for almost 12 years, but that term was cut on appeal to 8 years (5 years non-parole).

Loading As Balcombe held firm, the case against him included allegations he had trolled a competitors website and waged a cyber attack against another business, where police traced a hacker to an IP address in Qatar. In 2018, while on bail awaiting trial, Balcombe absconded. He spent more than a year at large until his arrest in the Perth suburb of Dianella last year, by which time he was operating another jumping castle business under an alias, and federal police nabbed him over a fake postage stamp scam. Convicted and fined by a Perth magistrate for that offence, he was extradited to Victoria and hit with a short jail term for using a fake doctors letter to excuse him from a previous court appearance. Now 57, he is in custody. This week, after months of negotiations between his lawyers and prosecutors, he pleaded guilty. His victims hope a pre-sentence hearing next year will bring closure.
Victorian hospitals are buckling under the strain of coronavirus, as state government data shows almost every part of the health system is failing to meet key performance targets, costing taxpayers and risking lives.

The Department of Healths latest annual report  one of more than 200 tabled in State Parliament on Thursday  reveals the extent to which unprecedented patient demand during the pandemic has stretched health services.

Victorias hospital system has been stretched for months, putting added strain on ambulance crews forced to wait to offload patients. Credit:Jason South

Figures in the departments annual report and others point to a health system under severe stress, with patients waiting months  and sometimes years  for vital services.

And on the eve of Victoria officially reopening  as the state recorded 1923 new COVID-19 cases and its deadliest day of the pandemic this year  Australian Medical Association state president Roderick McRae predicted pressure on hospitals would worsen amid a projected peak in coronavirus hospitalisations in December.
Victorians have complained in record numbers to the state ombudsman about how theyve been treated by government officials during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In her annual report tabled on Thursday, Ombudsman Deborah Glass said the workload at her office was increasing, with an unprecedented number of complaints in the past year.

Ombudsman Deborah Glass. Credit:Penny Stephens

Of the 18,058 complaints to the watchdog in 2020-21  a 12 per cent increase  most were about local governments or Corrections Victoria.

Complaints about Business Victoria shot up from just 121 to 1503 after thousands of businesses were denied $10,000 COVID-19 grants as a result of a complicated application process and minor errors. Businesses were later given the opportunity to reapply.
Victorias new pandemic laws have passed State Parliaments Labor-controlled lower house after two days of heated debate in which MPs hurled abuse across the chamber.

Earlier on Thursday, Premier Daniel Andrews responded to criticism from the president of the Victorian Bar, saying the claim by Christopher Blanden, QC, that the government had not properly consulted the body about the legislation was factually wrong.

The Victorian governments pandemic laws passed the lower house on Thursday. Credit:Chris Hopkins

The governments proposed pandemic legislation will replace state of emergency powers that expire on December 15, curtail the chief health officers powers, give the premier the authority to declare a pandemic and the health minister the role of making public health orders.

The bill passed 51 votes to 26 on Thursday evening.
"He had a wish list," the legendary composer Burt Bacharach says with a laugh, "and one wish was to find me, right?"

"That's completely right," says Steven Sater, no slouch in his own right.

Bacharach has eight Grammys and three Oscars, having penned some of the biggest pop hits of the 20th century  "What the World Needs Now Is Love," "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head," and "I Say a Little Prayer for You," to pick a small sampling. Sater has a Tony, Olivier, and Grammy for the show that introduced musical theater to the 21st century, Spring Awakening. Together, they perhaps thought, correctly, they could make an unexpected and delightful team.

That fact is on full display in Some Lovers, a musical reimagining of O. Henry's The Gift of the Magi that debuted at the Old Globe in San Diego in 2011 and is now available as a concept album from Broadway Records. Bacharach's first full theater score since Promises, Promises in 1968, this story about the tribulations of a couple caught between their present and past reunites various stage couples from recent musicals: Colton Ryan and Molly Gordon of Sater's Alice by Heart and Jonathan Groff and Lea Michele from Spring Awakening; Ethan Slater and Lilli Cooper from SpongeBob SquarePants; Katrina Lenk and Ari'el Stachel from The Band's Visit, and many others.

Sater and Bacharach, now 93, got together on Zoom to discuss the creation of Some Lovers, which is currently Grammy eligible in the Best Musical Theater Album category, and here, they describe their loving creative process.

Burt Bacharach and Steven Sater

(image provided by ID-PR)

This conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Tell me about how you first met and started writing together.

Burt Bacharach: Steven had just won everything for his Broadway show Spring Awakening, and he called me when he came out to California. He had a wish list, and one wish was to find me, right?

Steven Sater: That's completely right. It was like the Zenith of my career, Spring Awakening, and it just so happened that my music publishing deal was up. So, all of these companies were like, "Well, you have your relationship with Duncan Sheik, who else can we introduce you to?" And I was blank, but I said "Burt Bacharach." And every company was like, "That's great, who else?" And then I was in Warner Chappell, and they were like, "Oh, he's been here for 30 years." That's how it unfolded. During our first meeting, I'd given him a lyric before he went to Sydney to conduct his first symphony, and he came back and said, "I have something for that lyric." He'd written bars of music across the lyric sheet I'd given him.

Burt: I do that sometimes when I don't have music papers. You know, a treble clef and a bass clef on the lyric sheet with what I'm hearing in my head. It's foolish of me not to carry music paper or a little pad I could write on.

Steven: That first song was "Ready to Be Done With You" and it was so gorgeous  without changing a word, he turned it into a Burt Bacharach song.

Burt: Thank you, Steven.

Steven: It's true. He played it for me, and then we got to the end and I couldn't even say anything. I was like, "Can you play it again?" And then he played it all the way through again. So anyway, we had this full talk, and as I'm walking out, he says to me, "Love songs. That's what I write, love songs." So we resolved to write a musical together.

What made you decide to musicalize The Gift of the Magi?

Steven: Burt and I were writing love songs that we were excited about, but they were not your conventional pop love songs about falling in love and "let's be together" or "you just broke up with me." They were about being in the middle of a long-term relationship and trying to make it work and all this disaffection and regret. And I think we were working on a Christmas song at the time and the thought hit me, "What about The Gift of the Magi?" What happens to those people 15 years later after you've made all those sacrifices?

Burt: The lyrics that Steven was sending my way were kind of brilliant.

Steven, I see you shaking your head in disbelief as Burt says that.

Steven: One of the first Broadway cast albums I owned was Promises, Promises. So imagine writing a piece  I'm going to start crying  I'm writing a piece of musical-theater with Burt Bacharach. And it's been hard. We worked really hard. But it's been a joy from beginning to end.

Kristin Chenowen and Sean Hayes on stage with Burt Bacharach (center), Neil Simon (left), and Hal David (right) at the 2010 opening of the Promises, Promises revival

( Tristan Fuge)

Speaking of Promises, Promises, Burt, this is your first full musical-theater score since that show in 1968. Why did you stop writing for theater to begin with?

Burt: I got turned off during Promises, Promises. There's a famous story of David Merrick, being the producer, calling me after we had done the cast album to tell me that the Sunday matinee had been done with five substitutes in the orchestra  a substitute drummer, substitute violin player, maybe the keyboard player  and that Richard Rodgers was in the audience that day. I kind of said, "You just don't get it, man." My music is not so easy; it's much more complicated than that. I go into a studio and I know what I can get in a studio. It goes on tape, it's there, and it's done. It must have been OK, because I did get a letter from Richard Rodgers telling me how much he appreciated what I had done musically. But five subs on a Sunday afternoon? It was really a turn off, and I didn't want to deal with that anymore.

Tell me about your collaborative process together and how it differs from your other songwriting partners.

Burt: Writing music to the lyrics that Steven was giving me wasn't hard. It's easier than it happens in most songs that one does. With other writers  doing the album with Elvis Costello  things took forever. I'm very proud of what Elvis and I did on Painted From Memory, but with Steven, he would give me these lyrics and the inner rhymes were there. The words are in the right place. They had pointers that were sending me in different directions: Why don't you go there? And it was not hard to go there.

Steven: In some respect, it's very traditional. I would send something to Duncan and he'd email me something back. But with Burt, I would go to his house and we would sit at the piano and Burt would play. There were times that he would play through the verse, or he would start singing something gorgeous to like "doo-doo-doos," and then he'd pull out a tape recorder and sing it into a cassette for me, and I would take it home and write words to the song. We'd also spend a lot time going through the songs and reworking them, because you have two perfectionists on your hands.

(artwork provided by Broadway Records)



How did the Some Lovers album come about?

Steven: We'd done a run at the Adirondack Theater Festival, and one of the producers there was Louis Hobson. He was close with Van Dean, from Broadway Records, and proposed doing an album. I had had a conversation with Van about doing a concept album, too, and he said, "Well, what's your concept?" So we began talking about it, recorded one or two tracks, and then the pandemic hit. I think what Burt and I both felt was, with theaters around the world shut down, how can we bring theater to people now?

I imagine a lot of it was recorded this way, over Zoom or comparable technology.

Steven: Yes. Like, Ethan Slater was recording it in his closet to a track Lilli Cooper recorded a year and a half before. And he kept having Zoom audio issues. It took like an hour and a half, and I couldn't believe he was so patient. He was so there and heartfelt and would say repeatedly, "It's such a joy to sing this song." And we got a lot of people to agree to do it. Burt reached out to Kristin Chenoweth, because of course they worked together on the Promises, Promises revival. We did our very first workshop of it at the Taper with Jonathan Groff and Lea Michele, and I was just so thrilled they said yes [for this album]. They recorded it separately. I wasn't able to be there when Jonathan was there, but I was there when Lea was, and it was incredible to hear her singing this song that's so precious to us. This is a girl I've known since she was 14 when she used to babysit my children, and now she's a big star.

Burt, knowing the story you just told about Promises, Promises and not having control over the live pit musicians, what was it like for you to be working on this album over the computer as opposed to being there?



Burt: I was so removed from this that I was just a participant listening. But I must say I'm very pleased with how the songs and the orchestrations turned out. I don't think the show had the best beginnings.

Steven: We weren't really ready [at the Old Globe]. We jumped into it because it was an opportunity, but we knew we weren't ready and then we didn't have the team we needed with us. It took a long time after that to get our sea legs again. We did a lot of workshops. The Lincoln Center concert we did in 2016 was a huge opportunity for us, and then during the run at the Other Palace in London, the show was there.

What are your hopes and dreams for Some Lovers now that the album is out? Do you want it to spur future productions or is it the way it's meant to be?

Steven: In the short term, we did the album to do the album because it means so much to both of us. But, yes, yes, yes. Before the pandemic, there was a potential opportunity to do a little tour of the show, and the album could really help galvanize that. So yes, 100 percent  and I can answer for both of us  doing the show is hugely important. So getting the music known, getting people to hear it, is very helpful as an introduction, so people can say, you know, "Oh, I like that song."
Bernard Shaw's comedy Mrs. Warren's Profession had its American premiere in New Haven, Connecticut, on October 27, 1905, and was promptly shut down by the town's mayor. Three days later the play opened in New York, and the cast and crew were arrested for violating an obscenity law. Months later the indecency charges were dropped, and ever since, the play has gone on to be performed regularly as a major work of the Shavian canon.

It's unlikely that the new production by the Gingold Group, running at Theatre Row, will get many people upset. Far more controversial topics than prostitution have been seen on the stage since then. But then again it wasn't just Mrs. Warren's profession that got audiences riled when the play first appeared in England and America. "Fallen women" had long been a staple of 19th-century theater and were just fine onstage as long as that they were depicted as pretty courtesans who either went on to commit suicide or suffer some horrible death.

Shaw, however, got folks in a tizzy by flipping that convention on its head. His Kitty Warren was a successful businesswoman who made a fortune as the owner of several high-class brothels in a society that provided next to no opportunities for women to survive on their own, let alone amass wealth. Prostitution, Shaw was saying, was not the result of a woman's moral failing, but the express fault of a society that perpetuated it and then had the nerve to be offended by it.

Karen Ziemba as Kitty Warren, and Nicole King as her daughter, Vivie, in Mrs. Warren's Profession.

( Carol Rosegg)

The idea of hypocritical moral outrage is one of the reasons that Mrs. Warren's Profession is still relevant 116 years after its American premiere, and why it deserves another look. David Staller has adapted the play into a trim, taut version that sometimes veers away from that essential theme, but strong performances from the cast, led by Karen Ziemba, help keep the play on course.

Before we meet Ziemba's strong-willed Kitty, we meet Kitty's daughter, Vivie (Nicole King), a young woman who likes cigars, a glass of whiskey, and a good mystery novel. She's a brilliant mathematician with a degree from Cambridge, but she's unaware of how her mother has paid for her schooling. She's also not sure who her father is. Kitty's friend Praed (Alvin Keith) pays Vivie a visit and, despite his admiration for modern women, impresses her as being entirely conventional. Then along comes ne'er-do-well Frank Gardner (David Lee Huynh), who's looking to marry Vivie, or anyone, for money. It's no problem for him that they may be half-siblings; Frank's father, the Reverend Samuel Gardner (Raphael Nash Thompson), had a romantic relationship with Kitty long ago.

Kitty's stuffy, middle-aged business partner, Sir George Crofts (Robert Cuccioli), is also interested in marrying Vivie, but she'll have none of it. When the truth comes out about Kitty's profession, Vivie admires her mother for finding a way out of poverty, but not for continuing to make money off the backs of women after she no longer needs to. So she decides to cut ties with her mother, her money, and with the money-hungry men in her life in order to forge a path for herself.

Robert Cuccioli and Karen Ziemba in Mrs. Warren's Profession.

( Carol Rosegg)

Karen Ziemba brilliantly embodies the bare-knuckled practicality of Kitty Warren, who bucks the same system that she eventually becomes a part of. Ziemba is ably balanced by King, who plays Vivie with an intelligent innocence, reflected in Brian Prather's Edenic set of bookcases overgrown with leafy vines. The men of the cast bring much of the play's comedic relief. Keith glides about the stage prattling about culture like an effete out of Wilde, while Thompson hilariously brings to life the easily flustered reverend who's terrified that his secret affair with Kitty will be revealed. Cuccioli and Huynh play against each other as Vivie's ultimately unsuccessful suitors. Cuccioli, donning a tight-fitting suit (costumes by Asa Benally), has the bloated bluster and arrogance of a Wall Street fat cat as Huynh buzzes around him like an annoying bumblebee. Staller has made sure to maintain the comedy in what might easily become a heavy piece.

But one of the missteps in this otherwise admirable production is Staller's decision to bookend the play with scenes showing Vivie sitting at her desk thinking about a conversation among the play's men in which they talk about people blaming their sad lives on the circumstances they've been handed, rather than going out and making their lives better. It's a sentiment Ayn Rand would adore. In our age of hyper-woke liberals, Christian Trump supporters, and ethically questionable big-tech companies, perhaps a better bookend would have been Vivie staring out at the audience and saying, "You're all hypocrites." Then the play might actually ruffle some feathers again.
After Candidates Are Elected, People Think They Really Know...They Don't - Enough is Enough







SEE ALSO:Ignorant Bipartisan Bill Threatens to Push Ethanol and Clean Air Back 20 Years.

Editor's Note: Here are Albert Einstein's words for patriotic representatives that have IQ's over 75:

"If I were to remain silent, I'd be guilty of complicity."

LOUISVILLE, KY July 22, 2021: Is there anyone working in Washington DC, running our government, who is not a shill for Big Oil or worse just a stupid person?

Allow me to paraphrase Tevye When you are in Congress people think you really know.





These Charley McCarthy Senators who are repeating what their ultra-lobbied, highly degreed, axe-to-grind aides are instructing them to say, are prime examples of the point of the Screw America spear.

What lemming-like jerks these Senators are, but what is even worse is that there is a solution to our stupid leadership problem but the citizens of California, New Jersey, Maine and Pennsylvania continue electing these know-nothings and others like them to run (ruin?) our country.

It's ludicrous that these supposedly smart patriotic leaders have the temerity to mouth statements about subjects which they know nothing about...what schmucks.

What is going on in Washington is good reason for American's to rise up and take things into our own hands...for the sake of our Children, Grandchildren. Country and as payback to those who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we may remain free.

If someone was harming our progeny, the heirs to our wonderful country we would fight like hell to stop them...that time is here!

Enough is enough .
The all-new PHEV model of Mitsubishi's flagship SUV brings together its expertise in electrification and all-wheel control technologies, while also incorporating a newly developed platform and an array of advanced technologies. Based on the product concept of " I-Fu-Do-Do " or authentic and majestic in Japanese, the all-new Outlander PHEV shares the powerful ride, roomy interior spaces and wide-ranging functionalities of an SUV, but adds smooth yet powerful acceleration, capable all-wheel control technology, and the environmentally conscious efficiency unique to an electric vehicle.

TOKYO, Oct. 27, 2021 -- Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) today premiered online the fully redesigned, plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) model of the Outlander crossover SUV. Sales will commence in Japan on December 16, followed by Australia and New Zealand in the first half of 2022 and North America in the second half of 2022.

"With low CO2 emissions and environmental impact in terms of life-cycle assessment, the all-new Outlander PHEV model can be considered the best solution for carbon neutrality today," said Takao Kato, president and chief executive officer, MMC. "With our electrification technology that delivers an exhilarating, eco-friendly ride, plus all-wheel control technology for safety and peace of mind in any kind of weather and road conditions, we are confident this new Outlander can make driving even more enjoyable and fulfilling."

The Outlander was initially released in 20011 as MMC's first crossover SUV. Since then, it has been rolled out globally over three generations and has become a core model in the company's lineup, comprising approximately 20 percent of the sales volume. After the PHEV model was added to the previous generation in Japan in 2013, it was sequentially launched in regions including Europe, Oceania, North America and ASEAN, and has become a leader in the PHEV category with around 290,000 total units2 sold thus far.

Product overview3

The all-new Outlander PHEV model has been given significant upgrades all over, focusing on the following three attributes.

New-generation PHEV system that delivers more powerful road performance and greater driving range

Safe, secure and comfortable driving in various weather and road conditions

Exterior with powerful presence and advanced, high-class interior

New-generation PHEV system that delivers more powerful road performance and greater driving range

To further enhance its appeal as an EV, MMC has completely updated the Outlander's PHEV components, extending EV driving range and enhancing acceleration.

With an increase of around 40 percent in the output of the front and rear motors and drive battery, the new model can keep driving in EV mode and avoid starting the engine as much as possible even when pressing hard on the accelerator, delivering the smooth, powerful and satisfying motor-based driving of high-output twin-motor 4WD. Switching to a large capacity drive battery with total capacity of 20 kilowatts (kWh) and raising the equivalent all-electric range to 87 kilometers (km, in WLTC mode)4, 5 has assured sufficient driving range even when using functions such as the air conditioner, while at the same time helping to reduce the frequency of charging. An increase in the capacity of the gas tank has also expanded the total possible range when combining EV driving with hybrid driving.

The power drive unit for the front motor is newly equipped with a booster function which bolsters driving force by raising the supply of voltage to the front motor while simultaneously improving electricity consumption by raising the efficiency of the generator. Unifying the rear motor with the control unit also secured enough floor space to install a third row of seats, enabling a seven-passenger seating layout. Installing the control unit on the outside of the passenger compartment has also helped to shut out high-frequency noise for superior quietness.

Newly added innovative pedal operation mode makes it possible to both accelerate and decelerate just by controlling the accelerator pedal. The accelerator pedal alone can exert proper braking force with no need to switch to the brake pedal when decelerating,6 so drivers can concentrate on steering and have more peace of mind in slippery surfaces such as snowy roads and reduce the fatigue caused by switching pedals.

Safe, secure and comfortable driving in various weather and road conditions

The Super-All Wheel Control (S-AWC) integrated vehicle dynamics control system, based on a twin-motor 4WD system with one drive motor in front and another in the rear, has a new brake Active Yaw Control (AYC) function for the rear wheels. This allows the system to distribute the driving force to the front and rear wheels optimally according to road and driving conditions, while torque vectoring by controlling the brakes on the left and right wheels is also possible for the front and rear wheels. This makes it possible to extract the maximum performance from all four tires in a more balanced manner, delivering handling true to the driver's intention and high operating stability.

Seven drive modes can be selected depending on road surface conditions and driving style. Normal is the basic mode, optimized for normal driving on paved roads. Tarmac mode provides brisk acceleration response and high-cornering performance on dry paved surfaces. Gravel mode provides balanced operability and road handling ability on unpaved or wet paved roads, and Snow mode delivers stable vehicle behavior on snowy and other slippery roads. Mud mode optimizes tire slippage according to vehicle speed for superior road handling on muddy roads and deep trenches of snow, while also providing better ability to escape when stuck. Modes that can be used according to driving style are Power mode, which delivers powerful acceleration when needed, and Eco mode which prioritizes economic and environmentally friendly driving. These seven driving modes ensure a comfortable, enjoyable driving experience along with safety and peace of mind.

The newly developed platform and highly rigid structure of RISE (Reinforced Impact Safety Evolution) body design achieve a high level of safety and steering stability. In addition to greatly increasing the front body rigidity and torsional rigidity which contributed to improving steering stability, MMC used hot stamping method ultra-high tensile strength steel sheets (1,470 MPa). Incorporated around the passenger compartment, these sheets go beyond the conventional steel sheet reinforcement to form a highly durable passenger compartment with little deformation. Inclusion of the latest version of MMC's active safety technologies, which detect collision risks with multiple sensors for safer driving, keep collision risks to a minimum while offering safety and peace of mind.

The all-new Outlander PHEV is equipped with evolved MI-PILOT7 single-lane driver assistance technology for highways. The control system integrates Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and Lane Keep Assist (LKA) to assist the driver in maintaining distance between vehicles while keeping in the center of the lane. It also detects speed limit signs and automatically adjusts the set speed accordingly. MI-PILOT with Navi-link utilizes map data to automatically adjust vehicle speed as needed according to curves, forks, and other circumstances on expressways. Also, the vehicle can automatically start within about 30 seconds of stopping in traffic, alleviating driver fatigue on the expressway.

Mitsubishi Connect is adopted for more safety, security and comfort behind the wheel. Users can easily access emergency assistance, check the travelable distance of the drive battery, set charging times and alerts to avoid forgetting to charge, and display the positioning of the parked vehicle on smartphone app maps to see where it is located. Mitsubishi Connect also has a parental control function that sends notifications of vehicle driving status.

Exterior with powerful presence and advanced, high-class interior

Based on the bold expressions of functionality with which MMC has designed its SUVs over the years, the company developed the all-new Outlander under its new design concept  Bold Stride  which expresses a bold, fixating presence with a solid stance and dependability for drivers to take a new step forward.

On the front, MMC has evolved the Dynamic Shield for a new generation to create a front-end design with a sense of presence. Seen from the side, the large-diameter 20-inch wheels along with the muscular fender flares that house them combine with D-pillars inspired by the vertical tail of airplanes and a floating roof to conjure an image of powerful yet crisp road performance. The rear side of the all-new Outlander features tailgate design comprised of a hexagon motif, evoking the styling of classic, off-road heritage models, and the horizontally themed taillights that extend to both edges create a styling that accentuates wideness and stability. Body color can be selected from a total of 10 colors including the vivid, crystalline, high brightness Diamond Color series  Red Diamond, White Diamond, and the new Black Diamond.

Inside, the horizontally sculpted instrument panel makes it easy to understand the position of the car while driving, and expresses robustness and a feeling of spaciousness. The center console is designed to project a broad high-class presence. Finely textured soft padding that is pleasing to the touch can be found all over the interior, with stitching added for a high-quality feel. Based on the Mitsubishi Touch approach, the monitors and gauges are designed to be reassuringly easy to see, while the selectors, dials and switches are designed to provide a confident grip and operation, resulting in a quality feel that appeals to the senses.

U.S. trim levels and pricing for the all-new Outlander PHEV will be announced with final on-sale timing in the second half of 2022.

Sold as Airtrek in Japan As of September 2021 Japanese specifications. Vehicle specifications may vary depending on model and/or market. For the Japan -market M trim level. Range of the P and G trim levels is 83 km. WLTC: Worldwide harmonized Light duty Test Cycle is an internationally recognized test cycle that is composed of urban, suburban, and highway driving modes with average usage ratios. Brake pedal must be used when stronger deceleration is required or when stopping the car. MI-PILOT assist in the U.S. and Canada .
Hyundai IONIQ 5 Wins German Car Of The Year - New Energy Category

Hyundais IONIQ 5 awarded 2022 German Car of the Year award in New Energy category

Success secures IONIQ 5 a place in the grand final of the German Car of the Year

Hyundai IONIQ 5 prevails over BMWs iX and Mercedes-Benzs EQS



SEOUL/OFFENBACH, October 28, 2021  Fresh on the market and already a true winner: Hyundai Motors IONIQ 5 has won a 2022 German Car of the Year (GCOTY) award in the New Energy category. As a class winner, the automakers full-electric midsize CUV will automatically take part in the final round of the GCOTY. IONIQ 5 will compete against the winners of the Compact, Premium, Luxury and Performance categories. The overall winner will be announced on November 25, 2021.

At the GCOTY awards, an internationally networked jury of 20 motoring journalists tested and evaluated the most important new automotive releases of the year in terms of product features, relevance and future viability.

IONIQ 5 is the start of the new Hyundai era, as it rediscovers our roots by reinterpreting the DNA of the first Hyundai  the Pony  to project our brand into the future, said Luc Donckerwolke, Chief Creative Officer at Hyundai Motor Group. It is the first car designed from inside-out, made possible by the innovative flat floor offered by our new dedicated Electric Global Modular Platform. IONIQ 5s New Energy award proves that Hyundai is producing models that care for customers through all the phases of their electric journey.

IONIQ 5s overall package did not only convince the German Car of the Year jury, where it prevailed against competitors such as the BMW iX and the Mercedes-Benz EQS, in addition, it is also very popular with customers.

IONIQ 5 advancing to the final round of the German Car of the Year after securing a win in the New Energy category proves that our fully-electric midsize CUV is a leader in the European car market, says Andreas-Christoph Hofmann, Vice President Marketing and Product at Hyundai Motor Europe. IONIQ 5 is an essential part of our electrification strategy. This further success underlines our companys strength in zero-emission mobility.

IONIQ 5: a new era of electric mobility

IONIQ 5 is the first model of Hyundais new IONIQ brand dedicated to EVs. It is based on the Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) developed by Hyundai Motor Group specifically for battery-electric vehicles. E-GMP enables IONIQ 5 to have unique proportions on an elongated wheelbase.

Customers of IONIQ 5 can choose from two battery sizes  58 kWh and 72.6 kWh  and all-wheel or rear-wheel drive. Depending on the configuration, Hyundais midsize CUV achieves a system output of up to 225 kW and offers a maximum driving range of up to 481 kilometers on a single charge, according to the WLTP standard.

Unique to the segment is the BEVs 800-volt technology, which allows both battery options to charge from 10 to 80 percent of their capacity within 18 minutes at ultra-fast charging stations. In addition, the models Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) function ensures customers can freely use or charge any electrical equipment, such as notebooks or e-scooters.

GCOTY award joins other accolades for IONIQ 5

IONIQ 5s German Car of the Year award follows hot on the heels of a host of other accolades across Europe.

In July, Auto Express named the model its Car of the Year, stating: IONIQ 5 delivers on styling, quality [and] driver appeal. The UK publication also awarded the midsize CUV with prizes in the Mid-Size Company Car, Premium Electric Car and Design Award categories.

Meanwhile, IONIQ 5 was named Best Company Car and Best Family Electric Car at the 2022 Carbuyer Best Car Awards. On top of this, at the 2021 News UK Motor Awards, IONIQ 5 also won titles of Best Designed Car of the Year and Motoring Innovation of the Year.



###



About Hyundai Motor Company

Established in 1967, Hyundai Motor Company is present in over 200 countries with more than 120,000 employees dedicated to tackling real-world mobility challenges around the globe.

Based on the brand vision Progress for Humanity,' Hyundai Motor is accelerating its transformation into a Smart Mobility Solution Provider.

The company invests in advanced technologies such as robotics and Urban Air Mobility (UAM) to bring about revolutionary mobility solutions, while pursuing open innovation to introduce future mobility services.

In pursuit of sustainable future for the world, Hyundai will continue its efforts to introduce zero emission vehicles equipped with industry-leading hydrogen fuel cell and EV technologies.
Hello everyone, God is love. John 3:16 says: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him should not perish, but they shall have everlasting life. John 15:13-14 states: Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for hi
In this Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021 file photo, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks at the opening of a monoclonal antibody site in Pembroke Pines, Fla.
Staff Reporter

Nyamekye Daniel has been a journalist for five years. She was the managing editor for the South Florida Media Network and a staff writer for The Miami Times. Daniel's work has also appeared in the Sun-Sentinel, Miami Herald and The New York Times.
Up for debate:

Live legislation tracker

Check out the latest developments on bills pending before state lawmakers in four key topics.
The Rev. Anthony Thompson, who's wife Myra was killed while leading Bible study during the 2015 Mother Emanuel AME Church shooting in South Carolina, speaks with reporters outside the Justice Department in Washington on Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021. Families of nine victims killed in a South Carolina church have reached a settlement with the Justice Department over a faulty background check that allowed Dylann Roof to purchase the gun he used in the 2015 massacre.
News

State legislators from county say redistricting goal of keeping county whole, in 2nd district accomplished

Eaves

Dismang

Wooten

Discussions over matters such as COVID-19 vaccination requirements caused redistricting to become a difficult process for the Arkansas Legislature during its special session that ended earlier this month, according to state Sen. Jonathan Dismang, but White Countys representatives accomplished their main goals for the county.

Dismang (R-Beebe) and state Reps. Les Eaves (R-Searcy) and Jim Wooten (R-Beebe) spoke Wednesday in the Searcy Regional Chamber of Commerces In the Know virtual series about the special session, where legislators passed a Senate bill allowing employees in the state to avoid employer vaccine mandates by either showing a negative COVID-19 test or proving immunity through antibody testing. They also passed redistricting bills that divided Pulaski County into three congressional districts and split Sebastian County.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson chose not to sign the bills, but said Oct. 13 that he would allow them to become law. He noted that the vaccine bill was a response to President Joe Bidens administration requiring companies with more than 100 employees to mandate vaccinations and said he felt the bill was unnecessary, placing additional mandates on employers at the state government level.

Concerning redistricting, Hutchinson said the removal of minority areas into two different congressional districts does raise concerns and that he expected it to be legally challenged.

Dismang said he told committee members and the Senate that he had two priorities during redistricting discussion. No. 1 was to keep White County whole and then No. 2 was if we could stay in the 2nd district.

He said at the very beginning of the process, there were a couple of maps that were introduced by I think House members at the time that did split White County. And again we were able to have a conversation in the Senate, they talked to their colleagues in the House and essentially pushed back on that and keep it whole. And ultimately at the end of the day, White County stayed whole and we are still in the 2nd district.

The reason staying in the 2nd district is beneficial for us, Dismang said is because its a more compact district and the more compact a district is, the easier it is for a congressman or a congressperson to work that district and have communications inside the district.

Dismang said he didnt think the redistricting map was perfect, however, he said he thinks there is a lot less impact to splitting a large county like Pulaski then there would be splitting small counties like White. And so the fewer small counties that were split, I think the more that it helps with representation on the federal level, and you still have the population centers that require participation by Congress members in these larger counties.

Eaves said there were quite a few maps that were really odd about how they split things. I think at the end of the day the one we ended up with was probably as fair as anything else. It did split Pulaski County.

I think there are going to be some court challenges with how Pulaski County got split and I dont know how you avoid that with how the population has changed over the last 10 years, Eaves said.

Pulaski County remained the most populous county in the state in the 2020 U.S. Census with a population of 399,125, followed by Benton County (284,333), Washington County (245,871) and Sebastian County (127,799). Pulaski County grew by 4.3 percent while Benton and Washington counties in northwest Arkansas showed the most growth since 2010, with 28.5 and 21 percent, respectively.

Eaves he is not sure he would really fully believe all of the things that the census is telling us about.

I know there was a city, I think it was in West Memphis, that the census data showed 1,725 fewer residents in West Memphis from 2020 to 2010; thats about a 7 percent drop, he said. What their mayor says is that the utility meters in that city had increased, which to me would indicate a rise in population, so you know I think theres just general mistrust of government, probably as much now as its ever been.

I have a hard time believing some of the census numbers that I have seen so i think you have got to take that with a grain of salt.

Eaves also said he wouldve preferred that Lonoke County (pop. 74,105) be included the 2nd district with White County (pop. 76,822) instead of Cleburne County (pop. 24,711).

Wooten said he thought both Dismang and Eaves did an extraordinary job of protecting White County.

I would just add that i was taken aback by Metroplan in Little Rock by coming up with a map that moved us out completely, out of the area, and I expressed my concern to [former Conway] Mayor [Tab] Townsell [executive director of Metroplan] about that. But I think we did the best job like Les said. Its just difficult to come up with a map thats going to please everyone.

He said he felt it needed to be remembered that the Democratic Party for 140 years divided the state up exactly as they wanted to do and they didnt care what our opinions or thoughts were at all, so I believe this is the first time that we ever had a majority in the House and in the Senate to where we could draw the line. So they have a lot of audacity to come up and criticize and be critical of what we do. Im sure theres going to be a lawsuit, but I think we did the best that we could.

Wooten said he also agreed with Eaves about the 2020 census.

I think some of the numbers are skewed, he said. I think the pandemic affected the ability of the government to one, hire people to do the surveys, get the questionnaires answered, and then two, just the resentment toward government, I think that had a lot to do with the intrusion into ones personal life with some of the questions Im sure. I know Ive had some problems [with what] the health department was asking on tracing. There is just a general mistrust out there. As members of the Legislature, we need to be mindful of that.

Dismang said that although redistricting was supposed to be the only business the Legislature took up, he said it morphed into being more about COVID-related bills, with about 5 percent debate on those bills and 95 percent on redistricting.

So I think at some point, that hampered the process in a lot of ways and that really limited the discussion, Dismang said. At the end of the day, I think most of us were ready to wrap that session up and get out of there and again, thats probably why you see theres not 100 percent satisfaction on the map, not that there ever would be on a map, but I think that led to some of the issues that we had. People were really ready to wrap it up, stop this debate on COVID and get ourselves back home. I would just say we probably didnt focus on maps as much as we should have.

Wooten said he agreed wholeheartedly. You can overstay your welcome, and I think we did that during the regular session and I sure think we did it in the special session.
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Vicky Klukkert | The Daily Star Jessica Vecchione, left, Jen Cutting and Amber Gray talk about the new DELcovery website and Facebook page to help people in recovery during the Delaware County Board of Supervisors meeting Wednesday, Oct. 27.
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Steve Wildsmith was an editor and writer for The Daily Times for nearly 17 years; a recovering addict, he now works in media and marketing for Cornerstone of Recovery, a drug and alcohol treatment center in Blount County. Contact him at wildsmithsteve@gmail.com.
Meet Banjo! She's a fun and loving rescue kitten who brings smiles to everyone's face! Banjo's favorite thing to do is cuddle up to you for he
WVU President E. Gordon Gee announced the revival of Project 168 in his annual State of the University Address on Oct. 18. The co-curricular program was initially announced in Gees 2014 address but wasnt met with much success.

Another program I suspect will gain us national recognition will launch in January. Some of you may recall Project 168, which was introduced a few years ago. However, it never quite got off the ground as we had hoped, Gee said in his address.

Prior to its recent restructuring, Project 168 was more of an initiative to encourage students to utilize their time outside of class to engage in activities on campus rather than a program that they could enroll and track their progress in.

Project 168 was discussed greatly during its initial launch in 2014 but lost momentum after a couple years.

It was always out there, but again, not much was happening with it and we didnt promote it a whole lot after, you know, after a few years of us talking about it, Dean of Students Corey Farris said.

Farris suggested the project never had an official end but faded over time due to a lack of promotion by the University.

The focus was more of get involved, Farris said. Theres a whole lot to do, but there wasnt much more specific about it other than make the time meaningful.

The revamped version of the project is a free co-curricular program intended to create a sense of purpose and inclusive experience for students outside of the classroom that they can document for future employers to see.

The program was announced alongside the Universitys Purpose Institute, which Gee said will focus on strengthening the Universitys role in education, healthcare and prosperity throughout the state.

WVU President Gee announces Purpose Institute In a State of the University address Monday, WVU President E. Gordon Gee announced the launc

Students that enroll will choose one of 10 areas of focus to work on and receive one-on-one attention from a faculty member to help guide their experience. Once they have completed the curriculum, students may be inducted into the 168 Society, a new honors society created for the program.

Participants are also able to customize their experience and complete either a single area or multiple.

Theres 168 hours in a week, said Matthew Richardson, director of the Center for Fraternal Values and Leadership and Project 168. If our students are, you know, spending 18 of those hours in a class, what are they doing with the other 150?

In addition to its other new features, Richardson said Project 168 will provide a way for students to document their extracurricular experiences on their transcripts to help separate them from other candidates for future employers.

So many times we know that students have great grades from two different, great institutions, said Richardson. Whats going to separate them? Well guaranteed, were going to be the only Power Five school that has an official transcript paper, a co-curricular initiative that students can talk about and say, This is what I learned through this process.

Upperclassmen are also able to get involved by backlogging some of their experiences over the years.

Employers told us, Look, one of the things that we want to verify when were looking to hire students and were interviewing is we want to make sure that their soft skills are as strong as their academic skills and their soft skills are group work and leadership and getting along with others and working on projects together, Farris said.

Richardson said over 100 students and 50 faculty members have already expressed interest in becoming involved or enrolling.

Bringing all these transformative efforts together for me is a powerful sense of purpose, and I want to ensure that every student, faculty and staff member is committed to our overall purpose, as well as being supported in their pursuit of their own to make that happen, Gee said.

NOTE: an editorial is an article written by members of the staff of a newspaper. This article reflects the current opinion of staff of the Daily Athenaeum.
A view of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday morning October 6, 2021 in Washington. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

21 House Democrats Ask to Cut IRS Bank Reporting From Bidens Spending Package

A group of 21 House Democrats on Wednesday urged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to remove a controversial IRS bank reporting provision from the reconciliation bill.

The measure, which has already been pared back once, would require banks to hand over data to the Internal Revenue Service for all accounts with annual outflows totaling more than $10,000.

While the intent of this proposal is to ensure all taxpayers meet their obligationsa goal we strongly sharethe data that would be turned over to the IRS is overly broad and raises significant privacy concerns, the Democrats, including Rep. Jose Luis Correa (D-Calif.) and Rep. Cynthia Axne (D-Iowa), wrote in a letter (pdf) to Pelosi and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass.)

We have little information about how the IRS plans to protect or use this massive trove of data. Americans expect their bank or credit union to safeguard their financial information. This proposal would erode trust in financial services providers.

The lawmakers say theyve received hundreds of thousands of complaints about the measure from constituents and businesses over the past several weeks. While reduced from the original proposal, the $10,000 threshold would still cover a vast swath of the U.S. population.

Most of these taxpayers are not the wealthy tax evaders who are the stated targets of this proposal, the letter stated. Given the privacy concerns this raises in addition to the significant burden that would be imposed on a broad range of businesses and financial institutions, we respectfully request that this proposal not be included in the Build Back Better package.

Pelosis office did not respond to a request for comment.

The previous version of the provision would have compelled banks to report financial activity from accounts that had more than $600 in total annual outflows. That proposal drew sharp bipartisan criticism, prompting lawmakers to revise it to $10,000.

Senate Democrats behind the proposal say it will help the IRS identify where wealthy taxpayers who do not rely on regular W2 wage income may be hiding business or investment income.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said the revised proposal would exclude W2 wage income from the inflows and outflows data reporting requirement. Many Americans have their paychecks automatically deposited into their bank accounts.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) said the revised proposal would potentially raise hundreds of billions of dollars by catching tax evaders, but declined to provide a specific estimate.

This is about wealthy business owners at the tippy top of the top. Thats where the unpaid taxes are, he told reporters on a conference call.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Republican senators, including (L-R) Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS), Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID), Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA), Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA), and Sen. John Thune (R-SD) hold a news conference to talk about their opposition to proposed reforms to the Internal Revenue Service at the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 19, 2021. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

A Billion Questions About the Billionaires Tax

Commentary

According to reports, Republicans are still furiously debating changes to their bill. And no one knows when they will put the bill on the floor. A bill like this deserves weeks of debate on the floor, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in November 2017.

With respect to whatever is decided behind closed doors in the Capitol building by Democratic members of Congress, Schumer needs to follow the advice of Schumer. Democracy needs the bright light of transparency. Democracy needs unfettered public debate to surface issues important to the consideration of any legislation.

Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) appears to have surrounded himself with an academic whos who of wealth tax advocates and is allegedly writing a bill that will tax appreciation of the assets of billionaires. Whatever is developed needs to see the bright light of committee hearings, where both Congress and citizens can understand and debate whatever that proposal turns out to be.

Question No. 1 is whether any income tax thats assessed only against billionaires and thats assessed on appreciation without a realization event is a direct tax and therefore unconstitutional. It matters not in a country of laws whether such a law would be popular or whether most citizens would believe it to be fair. The federal courts will be unwilling and unable to assess the fairness or popularity of any newly passed income tax on appreciation for only certain citizens without a realization event. The federal courts will rely exclusively on the Constitution and the precedent of prior cases.

Rhetoric and current woke interpretations of the Constitution aside, reading Supreme Court Chief Justice John Robertss comments about property in National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius and taking into account the current make-up of the Supreme Court, one is hard-pressed to conclude that this Supreme Court would look favorably on any tax that begins with a premise that only taxpayers who own a certain total value of property would be subject to income taxation without an underlying realization event.

The remainder of the billion questions revolve around the effect of a tax on billionaire taxpayers and on the general economy.

Would the taxpayer whos required to pay a tax on the appreciation of stocks be required to pay income taxes on the sale of stocks to pay the tax? If so, a proposed 20 percent tax on appreciation would be only a starting point for the ultimate amount of taxes due annually.

If a billionaires wealth is the result of building their own company and therefore likely having little or no cost basis in their stock, the question of whether they would need to pay an income tax on the stocks sold to pay the tax is critical.

If Elon Musk were assessed a 20 percent federal tax on his stock appreciation in any given year, he would need to sell stock to pay the tax. Would he be able to sell the stock necessary to pay the federal tax on appreciation without paying a second federal income tax on that sale?

If Musk was still a California resident, his sale of stock to pay the new federal tax on appreciation would expose him to an income tax on the sale that would be greater than the tax on the appreciation of his shares. The income tax on the sale of the stock would be the sum of the capital gains tax rate and the net investment income tax rate, along with California taxes. The taxes on the stock sale would total an additional 37.1 percent.

Even if there was no additional federal tax on the sale of stock to pay the appreciation tax, California would be still entitled to its 13.3 percent tax.

And what of the effect of taxing current appreciation on future sales of stock? Would the stocks on which an appreciation tax had been paid be available for tax-free sales in the future? Would that appreciation be added to the basis of the stock?

After putting aside fairness, tax rates, and so forth, there are practical economic issues to consider. Stocks are at all-time highs. Real estate is at all-time highs. What assumptions are made with respect to expected revenues from a tax on the appreciation of assets?

Would billionaires move away from investing in assets where theres a current tax on appreciation? Would the expectation of current taxes on appreciation increase the investment expectation thresholds for investors? Would investment be curtailed, costing jobs and innovation?

Would investors be inclined to invest in stocks where, if successful, the founders would be required to annually sell boatloads of stock to pay federal taxes? In many stocks, the float would increase dramatically, presumably affecting stock prices.

Billionaires arent required to invest their funds to satisfy increased spending by the government. If theres an expectation of current taxation of an investor without a tax-free source of the funds necessary to pay a current tax on appreciation, theres almost a guarantee that this will result in a chilling effect on future investment.

One can never forget the words of Second Circuit Court Judge Learned Hand in the 1930s: Anyone may so arrange his affairs that his taxes shall be as low as possible; he is not bound to choose that pattern which will best pay the Treasury; there is not even a patriotic duty to increase ones taxes.

The good judges words surely havent been lost on U.S. billionaires.

Schumer understates the issue with respect to public debate on legislation. New and unique proposals of taxation need to be considered from multiple viewpoints before theyre dropped from above without debate.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Falun Gong practitioners take part in a parade marking the 22nd anniversary of the start of the Chinese regimes persecution of Falun Gong, in Washington on July 16, 2021. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

A Blunt Attack on Human Rights: EU Lawmaker Urges Europe to Use Trade to Hold China Accountable for Organ Harvesting

The European Parliament needs to prioritize human rights over trade and confront the Chinese regimes forced organ harvesting atrocities, a Dutch lawmaker said on Oct. 27.

The last time the EU acted on the issue was in December 2013, when its legislative body adopted a resolution condemning the organ transplant abuse. Since then, however, it was silence all over the place, said Peter van Dalen, a Dutch politician serving on the European Parliaments Subcommittee on Human Rights and a co-chair of the Parliaments Intergroup on Freedom of Religion or Belief and Religious Tolerance.

Such inaction was unacceptable, given the severity of atrocities committed by the Chinese Communist Party, he told the audience at a conference on organ harvesting at the Press Club Brussels Europe, stating that hes fighting an uphill battle to get the issue on the European agenda.

In June 2019, the London-based China Tribunal concluded that the Chinese regime has been killing prisoners of conscience for their organs and that the state-sanctioned practice has taken place on a significant scale throughout that time.

A hearing on this may take place in the coming months, van Dalen said.

We do not want to attack China on sensitive issues like organ harvesting, but I really think we should, because organ harvesting is really a very blunt attack on basic human rights, he said.

A major factor contributing to the European silence has been Europes close economic relations with China, according to van Dalen.

Its too much talking about trade, about money, and not enough about human rights and the rights of minorities, he said.

In May, the European Parliament froze an investment deal with China in the aftermath of Beijings retaliatory sanctions on European politicians over the Xinjiang repression.

Van Dalen believes that the investment agreement should be put on hold for as long as the regime hasnt stopped its human rights abuses.

We should use this as a whip stick to make clear to China that the violation of human rights is important, he said.

A woman adjusts banners in support of the Falun Gong spiritual movement, a group banned in mainland China, in Tung Chung, an area popular with tourists from the mainland, in Hong Kong on April 25, 2019. (Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images)

Countries at a Crossroads

The principal victim group of Beijings organ harvesting, the China Tribunal found, has been adherents of the Falun Gong, a spiritual practice featuring three core tenets, truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance, along with a set of meditative exercises.

The practice had been taken up by nearly one in 13 Chinese people by 1999, according to estimates at the time, before the regime began a nationwide persecution campaign designed to extinguish the faith.

Gary Cartwright, publishing editor of London-based media EU Today and one of the event organizers, said he didnt want to believe it when he first heard about Beijings organ transplant abuses.

When I started to do my research, its not an exaggeration to say that sometimes I had to just close my computer and walk away and take some deep breaths, he told The Epoch Times, calling it one of the most dehumanizing policies that Ive ever come across.

Cartwright said he feels guilty that such abuse is happening on our watch in the 21st century.

Like the Dutch politician, Cartwright believes that Western countries need to reassess their priorities in the face of the regimes apparent disregard for human rights.

More than 70 years after the horrors of the Second World War, we were told these things could never happen again. And we see it happening in front of our eyes, he said.

Andy Vermaut, journalist and human rights advocate who co-organized the conference, highlighted the lack of public attention on this grisly practice.

Everybody talks about the holocausts. Everybody talks about the Rwandan genocides. But theres not enough attention for this, he told The Epoch Times after the event.

Cartwright, like van Dalen, believes that Western countries need to reassess their priorities in the face of the regimes apparent disregard for human rights.

Given that we know whats happening in China, why is the European Union doing business with this regime? he asked.

The state-sanctioned organ harvesting targeting Falun Gong practitioners and other religious minorities are putting humanitys way of living to the test, said Harold King, deputy director of medical ethics group Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting.

It threatens democracies everywhere, as it violates universally held principles of how societies need to function successfully, King said at the conference.

Europe and indeed every single world state, he said, are at a crossroads, a crossroads that will determine their very future.

Li Yue contributed to this report.
North Korean villagers ride bicycles on a bridge, as seen from a boat on the Yalu River, opposite Hekou, in China's northeast Liaoning Province, on Feb. 24, 2019. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images)

A Family of 4 Fled North Korea, Kim Jong-Un Ordered Arrest at All Costs

Recently, a family of four fled North Korea to China after dosing the border guards with sleeping pills. After learning the news, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un declared: The defectors must be caught and punished no matter the cost!

According to The Chosun Ilbo, a South Korean daily newspaper, a family of four in North Korea crossed the Yalu River and escaped to China in the early hours of Oct. 1 by creating a security gap at the border.

The family apparently had been making a living from smuggling so they were familiar with the route to China. They were often allowed by the guards to be at the border.

The family targeted a squadron captain of the border security, with whom they had a good personal relationship. They prepared carbonated drinks and bread dosed with sleeping pills and delivered them in the early morning of Oct. 1 when the captain and his squad were on duty. After the guards fell asleep, the family crossed the river.

After discovering the family had fled, the border guards immediately reported the incident to North Koreas National Defense Commission. The following day, Kim Jong-un issued an order stating that his government would spend whatever it takes to bring the defectors back and make an example out of them.

The squadron captain, who had been drugged, reportedly said the family had no financial difficulties, and there are no defectors or criminals among their relatives. He could not foresee any reason for the family to escape.

According to the investigation, the familys escape may have been due to the ongoing enhancement of barriers and high-voltage lines in the border areas. The family once told the border guards that they might not be able to do business in the future, suggesting they will lose hope and cant live a decent life.

North Koreas National Defense Ministry had requested the assistance of Chinas Ministry of Defense and Public Security personnel to help arrest the deserters. The North Korean authorities also went to border villages to investigate which residents homes the border guards frequented. The media suggested that the atmosphere in the border area has become increasingly tense.

Expert: North KoreaWorlds Most Serious Human Rights Tragedy

Suzanne Scholte, chairman of the North Korea Freedom Coalition, a North Korean human rights group based in the United States, told The Epoch Times that North Korea remains one of the worlds most serious human rights tragedies due to the triple dictatorships of the Kim family regime. And that it is the only country in the world where its citizens are not entitled to a single human right as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Suzanne Scholte, chairman of the North Korea Freedom Coalition, a North Korean human rights group based in the United States (Courtesy of Suzanne Scholte).

They have not a single human right, and the women of North Korea will tell you that their value is equivalent to that of a fly, Scholte said.

There are thousands of North Korean workers in China that are slave laborers for the [Kim] regime as most of their pay goes to the regime. In addition, many North Korean women in rural towns are bought by Chinese men as wives because China has had this shortage of women [due to] the one-child policy.

According to Scholte, Juche is the religion of North Korea. From childhood, North Koreans must worship the Kim dictatorship through creeds, prayers, and songsand learn its doctrines.

Its really demonic and explains why millions of innocent people have died at the hands of this regime. At least 3 million died during the Arduous March[the North Korean famine, a period of mass starvation together with a general economic crisis from 1994 to 1998 in North Korea]all the deaths preventable, but the regime used humanitarian aid as a weapon against the North Korean people, Scholte said.

As with all communist countries, North Korea has a vast series of political prison camps where entire families are incarcerated, if a family member is accused of a crime. Children are in these camps, and some spend their lives there as they were born there. Crimes in North Korea may involve listening to South Korean K-pop music or watching South Korean soap operas, traveling without permission, or not properly respecting the dictator.

According to a statement by the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, in February 2014, the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in North Korea (UN COI) found North Koreas political prison camps to be places where the most egregious crimes against humanity are being committed. The crimes include extermination, murder, enslavement, torture, imprisonment, rape and other grave sexual violence, and persecution on political, religious, and gender grounds.

Scholte estimated there are between 600 to 1000 North Koreans currently detained in Chinas detention centers who were trying to get to South Korea.

We must absolutely insist that China allow safe passage to all North Koreans who were trying to get to South Korea. Because it is a crime punishable by death in North Korea to leave the country without permission, they will be executedperhaps, even publiclyif they are forcefully repatriated back to North Korea, Scholte added.

North Korean refugees are unique: they are unlike any refugees in the world as they have a place for immediate resettlement because they are [considered] citizens of South Korea under the [South Korean] constitution. So [the South Korean government] must engage with China to ensure these refugees have safe passage to South Korea.

Jinbaek Lee contributed to this report.
Delta Airlines aircraft lands in Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles on May 1, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

American Airlines Flight Diverted After Attendant Allegedly Assaulted

An investigation is underway Oct. 28 after a passenger allegedly assaulted a flight attendant on an American Airlines flight bound for John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, California.

American Airlines flight 967 landed safely in Denver after departing from New Yorks John F. Kennedy Airport due to a passenger who physically assaulted a flight attendant, according to American Airlines.

The passenger was taken into custody when the plane landed Wednesday at 6:37 MT.

The incident occurred about halfway through the flight when it was over Ohio, passenger Mackenzie Rose told CBSLA.

The flight attendant had blood on her after the assault, according to Rose.

Several witnesses said the assault occurred over a dispute about wearing a mask, according to CBSLA.

We are outraged by the reports of what took place on board. Acts of violence against our team members will not be tolerated by American Airlines, American Airlines said in a statement.

The individual involved in this incident will never be allowed to travel with American Airlines in the future, but we will not be satisfied until he has been prosecuted to the full extent of the law. This behavior must stop, and aggressive enforcement and prosecution of the law is the best deterrent.

Our thoughts are with our injured flight attendant and ensuring that she and her fellow crew members have the support they need at this time.

It is unclear the extent of the flight attendants injuries.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced it will investigate the incident.

City News Service contributed to this report.
An ambulance arrives at the emergency entrance outside Mount Sinai Hospital in New York on April 13, 2020. (Mike Segar/Reuters)

American Ambulance Association Warns of Crippling Workforce Shortage That Threatens to Undermine Emergency Services

The American Ambulance Association has warned that the nation is facing a crippling workforce shortage that threatens to undermine the 911 emergency services amid an unsustainable turnover rate of staff.

According to the AAA/Avesta 2019 Ambulance Industry Employee Turnover Study, turnover among emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics was in the 20 to 30 percent range annually, which effectively equates to a 100 percent turnover over a four-year period.

With percentages that high, organizations are looking at replacing most of their workforces within a four-year period, the study notes. Also, at a national level, turnover has been trending upward since 2008.

The voluntary turnover rates should remain an area of concern. Since EMTs and paramedics are on the front lines, delivering healthcare services to clients and patients, the high rate of voluntary turnover for these jobs is a critical issue, as is the high rate of overall turnover. This is especially true of part-time EMTs and paramedics, the study adds.

According to the AAA survey of 258 EMS organizations across the country, in 2020, nearly a third of the workforce left their ambulance company after less than a year while 11 percent left within the first three months, NBC reported.

President of the American Ambulance Association Shawn Baird told Fox News earlier this month that the problem has been exasperated by a lack of funding and ongoing pressures from the COVID-19 pandemic.

This has been a problem that has that been developing over several years because of chronic underfunding shortfalls from Congress for ambulance services, but certainly during the pandemic things have hit a crisis level, Baird said.

Weve seen a tremendous amount of workforce attrition and schools had shut down paramedic training institutions and stopped graduating new students for the last year so were suddenly in a severe shortfall, he added.

The association president noted that ambulance employees and emergency medical technicians are under immense stress in the workplace, explaining, this is a very high stress job and some people dont realize what theyre getting into. He said some leave the service due to more lucrative career opportunities.

Baird noted that those employees who do not leave their roles are under an incredible workload, due to a multitude of stresses from the pandemic, as well as wildfires and other natural disasters.

A number of paramedics and others are just saying theyve reached the end of their limit because theyre working a lot of overtime when other people have left the field and theyre leaving as well, taking other opportunities, Baird said.

Half of the people who leave dont leave to go to another employer, they leave the field entirely, he continued. So we have to reverse that trend. We have to basically stop the bleed of our own employees.

Baird said the association has a number of solutions that it will be putting forward to Congress in an effort to tackle the crisis, including a bonus scheme for workers that are sticking with the field and have bore the brunt of this last year.

He pointed to Florida, where Gov. Ron DeSantis in May announced $1,000 one-time bonuses for approximately 174,000 first responders, including law enforcement officers, paramedics, EMTs, and firefighters across the state.

Baird added that training and workforce development programs need to be up and running and that Congress needs to cut the red tape hearing so that ambulance staff can tell them what the barriers are to our success and get some action.

Earlier this month, the American Ambulance Association sent a letter to lawmakers in Congress detailing their solutions and calling on them to take urgent action and develop long-term solutions to tackle the worker shortage crisis.
Americas Crime Reporters Often Seek an Audience Through Sensationalism

It is impossible that I am the only person or even in a small minority of random television viewers who finds Nancy Graces supposed analyses of crimes deeply unjust and offensive.

I am only an occasional viewer, but without a single exception over many years Ive found that her technique is to sensationalize whatever aspects of an unfolding crime investigation are known and to attempt to direct viewers towards a conclusion long in advance of a judicial determination of the issues involved.

The sixth amendment to the Constitution in the Bill of Rights promises an impartial jury, but Ms. Graces techniques for informing her viewers of the facts in the cases that she presents are clearly designed to generate pressure for a guilty finding of whomever is being portrayed.

On Sunday, Oct. 24, Grace was discussing the latest developments in the Gabby Petito homicide case, which has affected the sensibilities of millions of people.

Most readers will be aware that this attractive and apparently charming and likable young lady went on a transcontinental road trip in her panel truck with her fiance Brian Laundrie. She was eventually reported as missing and Laundrie returned the panel truck to his fiancees parents and disappeared.

His car was retrieved from the parking lot adjacent to a natural habitat in a Florida environmental park that he had often frequented, which was infested with dangerous snakes, alligators, venomous spiders and other potentially inhospitable creatures.

Laundrie was at first identified as a party of interest in what was a missing person case until Petitos corpse was discovered in a national park in Wyoming and the local coroner determined that she was a homicide victim and had been strangled.

The national media from the outset strenuously implied that Laundrie was the murderer although he had not been declared as a homicide suspect. The facts known to the public and the media, though they incited suspicion of Laundrie, stopped well short of evidence adequately conclusive to imply that he had murdered his fiancee.

Evidence was adduced to the media that the two had quarreled and that the park police that had stopped the couple had even counseled Petito to reconsider her matrimonial plans. By the evening of Oct. 24, it was known and well publicized that Laundrie had himself been discovered in the wilds of the Florida park dead and with his corpse partially decomposed, including the severance and disappearance of half of his skull.

The coroner in the Laundrie case had sought forensic dental analysis to confirm the identity of the deceased and Nancy Grace assembled a group of television guests knowledgeable about different aspects of this fact situation for the apparent purpose of reprimanding the local coroner for seeking dental evidence ahead of DNA evidence.

This opinion was advanced with the usual strident and acoustically irritating overconfidence of Grace, and was presented in a way designed to arouse the maximum possible doubt about the competence and even the motives of the coroner.

As of now, there is no reason to doubt that the dental evidence will provide the information that the coroner was seeking, and it can in any case be supplemented or contradicted by DNA evidence. Local coroners are not answerable to national, sensationalist television crime reporters and are in any case entitled to the benefit of the assumption that they execute their offices competently unless there is some serious reason to believe otherwise.

Since this coroner, along with other officials involved, prudently refrained from comment on matters that had not been proved, he is entitled to go about his business without in effect being pilloried by Grace or anyone else as either an outright boob or the author of some a sinister cover-up of material evidence.

Having squeezed out all the negative imputations she could about the benighted Laundrie coroner, Grace turned her fierce attention upon Laundries parents. News-film was shown of them apparently discussing the evidence of their sons death with a police detective and Grace inquired of one of her guests if they did not appear to be unusually and suspiciously calm and unruffled by the apparent discovery of the corpse of their son.

When this guest, who was allegedly an expert in relevant behavioral matters, failed to swell the desired chorus of condemnation of Laundries parents, Graces eyes widened and her cheeks filled out as she admonished her guest: I want something more from you.

He declined to be baited into accusations of insufficient grief against the parents, and she had to be satisfied with what she had.

In fairness, another guest pointed out that at this stage it was not certain that the body that had been found was that of their son, so it must be said that at least Grace allowed this evidence to come in. But viewers were left to wonder what she imagined was the useful purpose in chastising before a national television audience the apparent initial response of a couple whose sons decomposed corpse had just been discovered.

The general supposition of the media has been that Laundrie repented of the murder of his fiancee and committed suicide in a way that enabled his lifeless body to be torn apart by the creatures that lurked in the habitat that he well knew.

One of Graces guests was an authority on the wildlife of this part of Florida and confirmed that an alligator could crush a human skull with its jaw. At this point, we dont actually know that Laundrie killed his fiancee and we dont know that he committed suicide and almost all that we do know is that they are both dead.

This was a shabby and grotesque effort to sensationalize as egregiously as possible the tragic death of two young people, and to incite horrible visions in the minds of millions of people of venomous and savage animals rending a human corpse.

Every time I have seen Nancy Grace present one of her crime analyses she has deliberately attempted to poison the wells for any jury pool that might eventually be assembled to consider the facts that she was investigating.

She never seriously presents alternative scenarios and Ive often listened slack-jawed as she demanded to know why one or another suspect in the case was not yet in custody. She never hesitates to assume that she knows better than the local investigators when the threshold of adequate evidence of wrongdoing has been crossed and a charge should be laid.

And with Grace the story is more frequently her supposed detection of slack, wimpish, or even corrupt conduct by local police and coroners rather than the crime under investigation.

American criminal law is a national disgrace and embarrassment without any help from sensationalist blowhards like Grace.

The corruption of the plea-bargain system, the absence of any sanction on prosecutors for extorting or suborning evidence or withholding evidence that they know to be exculpatory has resulted in the highest per capita incarceration rates of any country in the world, five times as large a percentage of the worlds imprisoned people as the percentage that the United States represents of the worlds population.

This is what Grace should be raving and shrieking and haranguing her viewers aboutthe frequently exercised ability of Americas prosecutors to abuse their positions. The fifth, sixth, and eighth amendments of the Constitution assure a grand jury as some assurance against capricious prosecution, due process, no seizure of property without just compensation, prompt justice, an impartial jury, and reasonable bail, most of which are in fact rarely enjoyed by any accused in federal cases today.

Grace and other crime reporters are like Charles Dickens hideous tricoteuses, horrid women knitting fiendishly in the shadow of the French Revolutionary guillotine, reveling in the delicious spectacle of public executions.

The answer to Americas skyrocketing crime rates is more and better trained police and a disincentive to prosecutors confected false convictions. And media that ceases to whip up public demand for such convictions but rather demands the protections of the Bill of Rights. Grace and her ilk are part of the problem and not part of the solution.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Scam attempts on Australians are on the rise. (terovesalainen/Adobe Stock)

Australia Blocks Thousands of Scam Texts Impersonating Govt

Australia has bolstered its defences against scammers, revealing a trial program has blocked more than 2,500 harmful text messages impersonating federal government agencies from preying on Australians in the past year.

Combatting the malicious messages involved a partnership between the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC), relevant government departments, and the telecommunications sectorincluding the nations biggest player, Telstra.

Scammers claiming to be from Centrelink, the nations financial assistance program, and the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) had continued to target Australians at record numbers.

I am very pleased that so many scam texts appearing to come from legitimate government sender IDs, including Centrelink, myGov and the ATO are being blocked, Communications Minister Paul Fletcher said in a media release.

Minister for Communications and the Arts Paul Fletcher addresses media in the Press Gallery at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia on June 23, 2021. (Photo by Sam Mooy/Getty Images)

Fletcher said he had written to NBN Co, Australias fibre optic broadband operator, along with Australia Post and banks to encourage them to apply the same process.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton heralded the outcome as an excellent example of the Australian Government and industry working together to develop solutions to stop cybercriminals from exploiting Australians en masse.

According to a report by the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC) released earlier this year, 2020 saw the ATO receive close to 100,000 scam reportsleaving 457 victims at a loss of nearly $2.4 million in total.

Additionally, Australians had lost at least $851 million to scammers in 2020 across various other scam methods, including most notably investment and romance scams. There was also a increase dramatically increasein the number of scams reported from April of 2020 as the government announced stimulus packages following the economic turmoil wrought by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

The mass scam campaigns impersonating myGovthe governments hub for services like Centrlink and ATOinvolved sending text and email phishing links to fake websites that appeared legitimate.

The scams sought to harvest peoples personal information, including myGov login credentials, banking details, driver licences, passports and credit cards.

In April of 2020, ACCCs Scamwatch also received reports about scammers withdrawing up to $10,000 from peoples retirement funds, known as superannuation, thanks to the governments Early Release of Super scheme to assist Australians struggling during the pandemic.

Scammers are increasingly taking advantage of the financial difficulties and uncertainty generated from the COVID-19 pandemic to trick unsuspecting Australians, ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said in a statement on July 21, 2020.

In addition, 214 million scam calls had been blocked since December 2020 following the governments Reducing Scam Calls Code that was developed by the telecommunications industry to allow detection, tracing, and blocking of scam calls.
Two passengers walk past a Qantas jet at the International terminal at Sydney Airport in Sydney, Australia, on March 10, 2020. (Mark Evans/Getty Images)

Australia Drops Travel Advisory Ahead of Reopening International Borders

Australia has removed its global do not travel advisory in preparation for its international borders to begin progressively reopening from Nov. 1, when fully vaccinated Australians will be allowed to fly overseas without needing an exemption.

But while residents in the states of New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria will find it less restrictive to return from overseas, Queenslanders may find the process more complicated.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that while Queenslanders can fly out, they wont be able to fly back into Queensland without doing two weeks quarantine. He referred to the arrangement as a bit of a reverse Hotel California.

This is because, under Queenslands new COVID-19 reopening plan, the state will only scrap quarantine for international arrivals when 90 percent of residents are fully vaccinated, which is expected in early 2022.

Domestic borders are due to be removed on Dec. 17, with Morrison telling reporters in Canberra on Thursday that the national vaccine rate was expected to pass 80 percent next week, coinciding with Australias international borders reopening.

Australia is connecting together again, and well continue to see that occurring in the months ahead, Morrison told reporters.

Were beating COVID and taking our lives back, and were doing this as we see the vaccination levels in the country rise.

In the meantime, Queenslanders who return from overseas into either NSW or Victoria, where quarantine will have already been scrapped, will still need to quarantine for 14 days and meet eligibility requirements to enter Queensland.

But Australias federal tourism minister wants Queensland to consider pulling down international borders at 80 percent vaccination coverage, in line with other states.

Federal Tourism Minister Dan Tehan told the Courier Mail that he wants to see international visitors enjoying Queenslands destination offerings by Dec. 17.

But Queensland is running behind other states in vaccination rates.

Theyve got to get their vaccination rate up to 80 percent consistent with the national plan, and then my hope would be that the international border will be able to be open, Tehan said.

Theyre a little bit behind, so far, New South Wales and Victoria in regards to that vaccination level.

My hope would be that once they hit that 80 percent vaccination rate, they will start very much looking at the international border, he said.

National carrier Qantas has brought forward international flights from Melbourne after the Victorian state government announced the removal of quarantine for fully vaccinated travellers returning from overseas starting from November.

The airline will commence flights from Melbourne to London on Nov. 6, operating two days per week at first, before ramping up to daily services from Dec. 18.

Qantas will also fly three times per week from Melbourne to Singapore from Nov. 22, before operating daily flights from Dec. 18.

Virgin Australia also announced on Monday cheap flights to Bali.

More than 76 percent of eligible Queenslanders have had one dose of a vaccine, and almost 62 percent are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Australian Lawyers Call out State Government for Misrepresenting Support for Sweeping New Pandemic Law

The biggest challenge to rule of law in Victoria: President

Peak legal body, the Victorian Bar, has criticised Premier Daniel Andrews and his government for grossly misrepresenting its support for a sweeping Pandemic Bill that will grant extensive powers to the premier and health minister.

The comments were made by Christopher Blanden Q.C. in an internal email to Victorian Bar members who also warned that the governments impending Public Health and Wellbeing (Pandemic Management) Bill 2021 (pdf) would allow unlimited interference in the liberties of the states residents.

Debate is ongoing as the government tries to rush the bill through Parliament, conceding in a summary of the new law that because of the short timeframe and the complexity involved in developing this bill, consultation has not been as extensive as it would normally be.

At the same time, the summary also claimed that the Health Department and an Expert Reference Group (ERG) had undertaken consultation to assist with the creation of the bill and to engender support for its introduction, claiming to have met with multicultural, civil rights, public health, and legal bodiesincluding the Victorian Bar.

This is a gross misrepresentation, Blanden wrote. The Victorian Bar was not consulted. The president of the Victorian Bar participated in a 45-minute Microsoft Teams meeting organised by the Department of Health on June 28, 2021.

A general view of the Supreme Court in Melbourne, Australia, on Aug. 20, 2019. (Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

Two members of the Victorian Bar Council were registered to attend a one hour consultation workshop with the ERG on Sept. 28, 2021, about the development of a new pandemic specific part of the Public Health Act. This workshop was cancelled at short notice and never rescheduled, he added.

Blanden also said the Victorian Bar was not provided with a draft of the Bill and could only view it when it was made available close to when parliamentary debates began.

The new bill is designed to establish a permanent structure for the government to deal with future pandemics and will supersede the pre-existing State of Emergency powers provided under the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008, which is due to expire on Dec. 15, and has been extended twice already.

While the bill streamlines certain operational aspects of the government and establishes new safeguards around privacy rights, it also contains wide-ranging provisions that give the premier and health minister unprecedented power over the state.

These include broad powers for the health minister to make pandemic orders, on the advice of the chief health officer, where it is deemed reasonably necessary to protect public health. Further, the premier can declare a pandemic and extend such a declaration three-months at a timethe number of extensions is unlimited.

Pandemic orders would give the premier and health minister the power to issue new public health decrees including closing borders, mask mandates, and introduce health restrictions.

Police will also be able to enter private premises without a warrant to implement such decrees.

Police patrol the quiet streets of Melbourne, Australia, on Oct. 4, 2021. (William West/AFP via Getty Images)

Further, restrictions can be categorised and target classes of individuals, even based on vaccination status. New record penalties have also been introduced including two-year prison terms and fines of AU$90,000 for aggravated offences were an individual breaches a health order and is deemed to have caused a serious risk to the health of another.

Although oversight measures have been introduced to offset the premier and health ministers powers, the Bar said, in reality, the oversight was limited.

The orders are subject to disallowance by Parliament only if the Scrutiny of Acts and Regulations Committee recommends it. The Committee can only recommend disallowance on narrow grounds, effectively confined to the order being beyond power or breaching the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act, Blanden said, noting that the Committee did not have grounds to act if it simply disagreed with an order.

Further, the government of the day may have a majority on the Committee, as is the case presently, he added.

Blanden said clauses such as reasonably necessary were too broad and subjective and would be difficult to challenge in court.

The overriding concern is that the bill confers on the health minister what is, in a practical sense, an effectively unlimited power to rule the state by decree, for an effectively indefinite period, and without effective judicial or parliamentary oversight, he said.

The bill confers powers that can be appropriately described as draconian in authorising virtually unlimited interference with the liberties of Victorian citizens. Yet the bill lacks the appropriate checks and balances to ensure the proper exercise of these powers, he added.

This represents the biggest challenge to the rule of law that this state has faced in decades.
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Beijings Breathtaking Attempt to Push US Defense Spending in the Wrong Direction

Commentary

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is engaged in a massive deception operation to move the United States to commit much of its defense budget to acquiring a new, nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) system at a time when Beijing has moved to far more powerful hypersonic strategic weapons.

Beijing has attempted to play down the relatively successful test in August of its new globe-circling, orbital hypersonic delivery system for nuclear weapons, out of concern that Washington may reorient its defense research and spending to counter or match the capability. The CCP would rather see the United States continue to concentrate its limited funding on developing a new version of yesterdays technology, the ICBM replacement for the U.S. Air Force Minuteman III system.

Even by mid-2020, the budget for this program had reached $95.8 billion, part of a comprehensive replacement of the U.S. nuclear force, estimated to cost more than $1.2 trillion. This comes as the efficacy of nuclear weapons is already in doubt because of the greater cost-effectiveness of other strategic systems, such as cyber warfare and hypersonic weapons (which need not be nuclear-tipped).

It would greatly suit the CCP if the United States continued to make strategic ballistic missiles and aircraft-delivered nuclear weapons the central theme of its strategic deterrence and offensive posture.

The CCP had, earlier in 2021, used its influence to see significant U.S. analytical attention diverted to concern over the alleged constructionbeginning in 2020of three new fields of fixed ICBM silos for the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) Rocket Force, suggesting that hundreds of new launch sites were being prepared in north-central mainland China. With deceptive coyness, Beijing denied that it was building the silos, knowing that all satellite reconnaissance of the area showed the definitive pattern of such construction.

The ICBM silo construction sites near Yumen, Hami, and Ordos in China, all discovered by U.S. analysts between June and August, are probably deceptions or Potemkin silos, according to the Washington-based International Strategic Studies Association (ISSA).

The United States is lagging behind China and the Russian Federation in the development of deployable hypersonic weapons, especially those in the space-related, ultra-long-range arena. The new U.S. hypersonic weapons programs appear to be favoring air-breathing systems, which, by definition, dont rely on entry into a low-Earth orbit trajectory, which the PLA seemed to demonstrate in August.

Significantly, the concept and capability to develop an orbital weapon isnt new. The Fractional Orbital Bombardment System (FOBS) was demonstrated by the Soviet Union in the 1960s, with the system essentially skipping into and out of a polar orbit to deliver its nuclear payload. The USSR had built and tested its R-36O FOBS from about 1965 to 1971, giving it a weapon of virtually unlimited range and maneuverability.

The USSR began dismantling its R-36O systems and their silos in 1982, and the United States never responded to the threat with either countermeasures or competitive systems. The end of the Cold War a few years later made the matter moot.

Intercontinental ballistic missiles are launched by the Vladimir Monomakh nuclear submarine of the Russian navy from the Sea of Okhotsk, Russia, on Dec. 12, 2020. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

Now the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) has picked up the concept, and its first demonstration was fairly successful, returning the weapon before landing within 25 miles of its intended target.

What has been significant, however, is that the PRCs apparent desire to force the United States to continue with old-style nuclear weapons has been given significant credibility by the organizations that were key to the USSRs psycho-political warfare campaign of the 1980s to stop President Ronald Reagans Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI).

The U.S.-based Federation of American Scientists (FAS) and the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (BAS), both left-leaning organizations, were induced to attack the Reagan SDI program on the basis that it was technologically infeasible and was, in any event, likely to undo the strategic nuclear balance between the United States and the USSR. Both allegations were proven to be untrue.

SDI caused the USSR to abandon its strategic competition with the United States, ultimately leading to the collapse of the Soviet Union. And SDI was subsequently seen to have been completely feasible under the concept parameters of Americas then leading strategic philosopher, Stefan Possony.

It may or may not be coincidental that the FAS and BAS have been active in generating U.S. concern over the PRCs alleged new ICBM silos, just as FAS and BAS threw their weight behind the drive to stop SDI. But it does seem clear that Beijing has been anxious for Washington to focus on this old-style nuclear threat, rather than on competing with and countering the PRCs FOBS weapons development.

ICBMsas Reagans and Possonys SDI provedare predictable in their flight paths and are today relatively straightforward to destroy, particularly if low-cost, space-based energy weapons are used against them. Orbital hypersonic weapons, with or without nuclear warheads, are more complex threats. And Beijing is keen to cement its strategic weapons dominance over the United States before the PRC runs out of cash.

It wants a checkmate weapon.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
In this file photo, people pass by a Sotheby's auction house logo in the Russian History Museum in Moscow, on May 23, 2007. (Maxim Marmur/AFP via Getty Images)

Bejeweled Mughal-Era Glasses Expected to Fetch up to $3.5 Million at Auction

Two pairs of bejewelled Mughal-era spectacles set with diamond and emerald lenses are expected to fetch up to $3.5 million each when they are auctioned in London on Wednesday, Oct. 27.

The glasses were commissioned by an unknown 17th-century prince, auction house Sothebys said, with the precious stone lenses believed to boost spiritual enlightenment.

One pair, named Gate of Paradise, features emerald lenses set in diamond-mounted frames. The second, called Halo of Light, has diamond lenses set in diamond-mounted frames. The lenses are said to date from the 17th century while the frames are from the 19th century.

There are so many stories behind these spectacles. The emeralds came all the way from Colombia in the 17th century through Portuguese merchant ships to the Mughal empire, the Mughals absolutely loved gemstones, Alexandra Roy, specialist in the arts of the Islamic world at Sothebys, told Reuters.

The diamonds came from the Golconda mines (in India) and at the Mughal court, these were cleaved from stones which originally would have weighed two to three hundred carats  They were re-fashioned in their current 19th-century spectacle-like fashion.

Both pairs are being offered at Sothebys Arts of the Islamic World & India sale on Wednesday, with a price estimate of 1.5 million to 2.5 million pounds ($2 million to $3.4 million).

We have to be extraordinarily careful when it comes to the provenance of lots, we have actually known about these spectacles for a very long time, since the 80s, Roy said.

They go through a vigorous internal due diligence before we are able to offer them for sale. They have been examined by historians so theyve been published in the academic world before. This is the first time we are offering them for sale but amongst academic circles, theyre well known.

By Ben Makori
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is seen at a Customs and Border Protection processing facility in Donna, Texas, on May 7, 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Biden Administration Expands List of Sensitive Places Where Immigration Officers Cannot Make Arrests

President Joe Bidens top homeland security official on Wednesday ordered immigration officers not to arrest illegal immigrants at a number of places, including food banks and shelters.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas detailed the safe spaces for illegal aliens in a memorandum to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.

Sensitive locations where officers were barred from detaining people in the country illegally previously constituted of a small number of settings, including churches, hospitals, and schools.

The locations are now being referred to as protected areas. Mayorkas added social services establishments like homeless shelters, anywhere disaster or emergency relief is being provided, and places where children gather, including playgrounds, childcare centers, and school bus stops.

When we conduct an enforcement actionwhether it is an arrest, search, service of a subpoena, or other actionwe need to consider many factors, including the location in which we are conducting the action and its impact on other people and broader societal interests. For example, if we take an action at an emergency shelter, it is possible that noncitizens, including children, will be hesitant to visit the shelter and receive needed food and water, urgent medical attention, or other humanitarian care, Mayorkas told officers.

To the extent possible, he added, officers should avoid acting at or near a protected location.

This principle is fundamental. We can accomplish our enforcement mission without denying or limiting individuals access to needed medical care, children access to their schools, the displaced access to food and shelter, people of faith access to their places of worship, and more. Adherence to this principle is one bedrock of our stature as public servants, he wrote.

Since the president took office in late January, the United States has seen an unprecedented wave of illegal immigration. At the same time, deportations have dropped to record lows.

The widening of protected spaces follows Mayorkas limiting which illegal immigrants officers should pursue and narrowing or outright blocking enforcement actions in or near courthouses and at businesses.

Critics say the actions have curtailed the job of ICE officers.

The agency still exists, but it has been stripped of all of its functions with regard to the enforcement of immigration laws. Nearly all illegal aliens are already off-limits to enforcement due to a Sep. 30 memo, and as a result of Mayorkas expanded and non-exhaustive list of protected areas, where ICE agents are permitted to do their work, the secretary has essentially nullified an entire body of constitutionally enacted laws, Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, said in a statement.
President Joe Biden speaks about the pandemic in the State Dining Room of the White House, on Jan. 26, 2021. (Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images)

Biden COVID-19 Adviser: Vaccine Mandate on Private Businesses Will Be Ready Soon

White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said the administration is planning to finalize its vaccine mandate for companies in the near future and claimed the supply chain crunch wont be worsened, because employees will comply.

The Department of Labors Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sent the text of the rule, requiring firms with 100 or more workers to be vaccinated or submit to testing, to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) earlier this month. It came about a month after President Joe Biden announced the coming mandate, which drew significant criticism from Republicans, questions from business leaders about how it would be implemented, and lawsuits.

The rule will be finalized soon, but we know businesses are already acting, Zients said during a COVID-19 briefing on Oct. 27.

During the briefing, Zientswho also referenced OSHA having sent text of the rule to the OMBcouldnt provide a firm timeline on when the OSHA rule would actually be implemented and provided no other details. Biden also announced mandates for federal workers, federal contractors, and most health care staff, with no option for weekly testing.

But in recent weeks, a number of business leaders, the heads of truckers organizations, air cargo groups, manufacturing groups, and retail associations sent warnings to the Biden administration about the mandate. They argued that the rule would exacerbate supply chain bottlenecks and could trigger chaos.

Zients, however, sought to downplay those fears and pointed to high vaccination rates at some companies that have mandated the shots. Tyson Foods, he said, achieved a 96 percent vaccination rate, and he said some airlines have reached more than 95 percent.

These processes play out across weeks, not days, Zients said. Were creating flexibility within the system. Were offering people multiple opportunities to get vaccinated, there is not a cliff here. And the purpose, most importantly, is to get people vaccinated and protected, not to punish them, so we do not expect any disruptions.

Earlier this week, the American Trucking Associations (ATA) issued a sharp warning to the White House about its mandate. And the Air Cargo Association, which represents FedEx and UPS, gave the administration an ominous prediction. FedEx, UPS, and several other carriers are federal contractors, meaning their workers cant opt out of the vaccine unless they obtain a religious or medical exemption.

Evan Armstrong, a lobbyist at the Retail Industry Leaders Association, told CNBC earlier this week that his organization is concerned that Bidens rule would trigger a surge in resignations and would cause even more staffing shortages.

It has been a hectic holiday season already, as you know, with supply chain struggles, Armstrong said. This is a difficult policy to implement. It would be even more difficult during the holiday season.
Immigrants captured by border patrol agents are transferred to a hotel in Indio, Calif., on Oct. 18, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Bidens Border Crisis Is By Design, Former ICE Director Claims

Commentary

As the nation faces record-breaking numbers of illegal immigrants at the southern border, with nearly 1.7 million reported U.S. Border Patrol encounters during fiscal year 2021, some critics claim the crisis has been manufactured.

Tom Homan, who served as acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during President Donald Trumps administration, is one of those critics.

This crisis was created on purpose. This isnt mismanagement. This isnt incompetence. This is by design, Homan told the Epoch Times.

President Joe Biden voted for border barriers when he was a senator, but is now pushing a clear open-borders agenda, Homan said.

He needed progressive left support to win the race, so he sold out. He said all the magic words to bring more people to the United States illegally. In my opinion, it wasnt a coincidence, he said.

They planned open borders, and Joe Biden didnt hide it. He made promises during the campaign that he would end ICE detentions, put a moratorium on deportations, that he would award DACA, that he would award amnesty, and you get free health care. He made promises that he knew would cause a surge.

The U.S. Border Patrol has encountered about 7,000 illegal immigrants a day for months, Homan said, and he expects the total number to climb as high as 1.9 million by the end of the calendar year.

Homan pointed out the 1,662,167 reported Border Patrol encounters also doesnt include got-aways or the people that we didnt catch.

The number of got-aways is based on illegal border crossings caught on cameras, including those from drone surveillance, is estimated to be about 400,000, Homan said.

Around 600,000 illegal immigrants have been released into the country instead of being deported, said Homan. Adding this number to those 400,000 got-aways, thats a million, he added.

Thomas Homan, then-acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, testifies before the House Homeland Security Committees Border and Marine Security subcommittee on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 22, 2018. (Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images)

The Biden administration could easily stem the flow of people to the southern border, but doesnt want to, Homan alleged. They know how to fix this, but they dont want to fix it, he said.

We have the first president in my lifetime, the first president in the history of the country, that came into office and unsecured the border intentionally, he said.

This is about perpetual power. They truly believe theyre importing future Democratic voters, he said. Now, with the progressive left looking at a socialist state, thats probably part of it, but without a doubt  I think its just part of the general plan for them to stay in power. Theres no other reason.

During the Trump presidency, ICE sent special agents to the Juarez-El Paso border crossing to investigate criminal organizations engaged in drug smuggling and human trafficking, but the Biden administration scrapped the operation, Homan said.

Border patrol agents have also been sent there but they never get assigned to the border line; they get assigned to the processing centers, Homan said. They didnt want anybody down there to shut down these cartels because thats going to shut down the flow, and thats what makes me more angry than anything.

Though critics claim Trumps immigration policies were inhumane, Homan argues that those polices reduced cross-border crime and saved lives.

When illegal immigration is down 83 percent, how many women arent getting raped? he said. How many children arent dying? How many pounds of fentanyl arent coming across the border? Weve already got 92,000 overdose deaths this year. How many millions of dollars did the cartels not make? How many COVID cases didnt come across into the country?

Managing the Optics

Biden has faced mounting criticism for not visiting the border. Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said during a press briefing on Oct, 22, he did drive through the border when he was on the campaign trail in 2008.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki holds a press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on July 8, 2021. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

Psaki said Biden is well-versed in every aspect of our immigration system, including the border. That includes when he was vice president, she said.

Biden worked in a bipartisan manner with senators like Ted Kennedy, Harry Reid, John McCain, and others to push for comprehensive immigration reform, Psaki said. He does not need a visit to the border to know what a mess was left by the last administration. Thats his view.

But Homan claims Biden doesnt want to go to the border because then he would have to admit there is a problem and would have to slow the flow of future voters.

This administration has been doing nothing but trying to manage the optics of this crisisnot managing the crisis but managing the opticsso that it doesnt appear to be a crisis, he said.

Press secretary Psaki didnt immediately respond to an Epoch Times request for comment.

Homan also criticized Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for asserting that the surge in illegal immigration started under the Trump administration.

Trump secured the border by building the wall, ended former President Barack Obamas catch-and-release policies, and drove down reduced illegal immigration by 83 percent during most of his presidency, Homan said.

He blames the border crisis on what he calls the Biden Effect.

In the summer of 2020, Homan warned that Bidens campaign promises of amnesty to illegal immigrants would have a devastating impact on the border. He said it would only encourage more people to make the perilous journey across the border and send a signal to the cartels to start gearing up for a surge in cross-border business: drug smuggling and human trafficking.

The U.S. Border Patrol reported (pdf) about 200,000 encounters with illegal immigrants along the U.S.-Mexico border in the month of July, a sharp increase from about 16,000 in April of 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic led to the closure of international borders and slowed migration. But encounters have risen dramatically since then, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data.

By late November and December last year, illegal immigration numbers started to climb, but when Biden was sworn into office on Jan. 20, we lost control, Homan said.

The data is clear. President Trump had the most secure border ever, he said.

Remain in Mexico

Though the Biden administration has said it will comply with a court order to reinstate the Trump-era Remain in Mexico policy by mid-November, it might not happen, Homan said.

They had to be sued to do that. They dont want to do it, Homan said. After they were sued and forced to bring it back, they immediately appealed.

Biden scrapped the policy, also known as Migrant Protection Protocols, on his first day in office. It requires asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico until their claims are processed in a U.S. immigration court. He claimed the policy was inhumane and stranded vulnerable people in dangerous Mexican cities with few resources.

When the states of Texas and Missouri sued the Biden administration to bring back the Remain in Mexico policy, Bidens legal team tried slow-rolling the process, claiming the administration would have to rebuild the program from ground zero, Homan said.

No, you dont, Homan said. The plan already exists. The plan already worked. Dust off that plan and hit it.

Bidens legal team has already indicated theyre going to continue working through the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) to close this legally, Homan said. Theyre going to shut it down as soon as they can, and even if theyre forced to start it up, theyll make it so its not successful.

A migrant encampment located in El Chapperal in Tijuana, Mexico, on April 22, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Migration Forecasts

Other recent developments suggest the Biden administration is moving rapidly towards increasing cross-border migration.

Ahead of the U.N. Climate Summit, which is underway in Glasgow, Scotland, the White House published (pdf) its Report on the Impact of Climate Change on Migration. The report urges the U.S. and other countries to prepare for tens of millions of climate change refugees over the next two or three decades.

Less than a week later, on Oct. 21, DHS released a similar report (pdf) recommending proactive planning for an influx of climate-related migration through the U.S.-Mexico border.

But, even if climate change does bring new waves of migration, the U.S. would be affected along with other countries, and properly vetting immigrants would be even more crucialnot less, Homan suggested.

So, I dont buy that, he said. I dont think climate change is driving migration.

Changing the Rules

Meanwhile, a proposed new rule by the DHS and the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) would allow U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) asylum officers to process credible fear screenings in asylum cases instead of immigration judges.

With the system clogged with increasingly more illegal immigrants making flimsy claims for asylum, people who are going through the immigration system legally are pushed to the back of the line.

Theyre taking a back seat, Homan said. They want CIS officers to do the credible fear interviews rather than the courtsthe very ones that adjudicate legal immigration cases.

The Biden administration has also revised asylum policies allowing foreigners to seek asylum over credible fears of domestic abuse and gang violence.

About 88 percent of all Central Americans seeking asylum at the border in the past eight years had their claims rejected, Homan said, citing the DHS Office of Immigration Statistics (OIS) Enforcement Lifecycle Report (pdf) for fiscal 2020.

Nine out of 10 either dont show up for their immigration hearings or dont qualify for asylum because they cant show evidence of credible fear of religious or political persecution in their country of origin, he said. The report also shows 97 percent of asylum-seekers who lose their cases ignore orders from immigration judges and stay in the country illegally.

The 88 percent decline rate is going to drop significantly because they opened up the aperture of who qualifies. At the same time, rather than have a judge make the decision  theyll have CIS officers do it. So, theyre hitting this from both sides, Homan said.

They know exactly what theyre doing. They know this data, and theyre trying to change the dynamics of the data, he said. President Trump understood the data. Thats why he created the Remain in Mexico program.
Bipartisan Bill Seeks Bigger Role for Taiwan at Inter-American Development Bank

Senators introduced a bipartisan measure on Wednesday seeking to secure admission for Taiwan at the Inter-American Development Bank as a non-borrowing member.

The bill would require the State Department to provide Congress with a strategy to secure diplomatic support for Taiwans membership as a non-borrowing member of the Inter-American Development Bank. It would be a promotion from the self-ruled islands current observer status.

It comes amid multiple ongoing efforts in Washington to bolster Taiwan, as tensions escalate between the democratic-ruled island and communist China.

The legislation reaffirms the U.S. full support for Taipeis broader international engagement in the face of increasing aggression from the Chinese Communist Party, which has for decades coerced the international community into denying Taiwans rightful participation in various multilateral fora, the lawmakers said in a release.

Lawmakers also said the legislation would build upon previous legislation passed by the Senate. That piece of legislation directs the State Department to develop a strategy to help Taiwan gain observer status at the World Health Assembly, which is the World Health Organizations decision-making body.

Senators introducing the bill include the ranking member and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), as well as Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.).

Taiwan plays an important role in the western hemisphere and contributes to the economies in Latin America and the Caribbean, the lawmakers said.

We are committed to continue working to ensure the United States does everything in its power to champion Taiwans international engagement and demonstrate our unwavering commitment to the people of Taiwan, Menendez said in a statement.

China in early October had almost 150 of its military planes fly over Taiwans air-defense zone in repeated air missions over several days, a move the United States condemned.

President Joe Biden on Wednesday told a summit of East Asian leaders that the United States is committed to Taiwan and called the Chinese regimes military actions coercive and a threat to peace and security.

It follows remarks Biden made last week a televised town hall where he answered in the affirmative when asked whether he would vow to protect Taiwan if China attacks. Yes, we have a commitment to do that, he said.

Under the Taiwan Relations Act from 1979, the United States has an obligation to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself. The Chinese regime views Taiwan as its own territory to be taken by force, if necessary.

Separately, Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) on Wednesday urged Biden to publicly invite Taiwan to the White House Democracy Summit to show the world that the United States unapologetically stands with Taiwan. The virtual Summit for Democracy scheduled for Dec. 910 will bring leaders from government, civil society, and the private sector to discuss challenges facing the worlds democracies, and have leaders commit to defending democracy and human rights, and resisting authoritarianism and corruption.

I urge you to quickly and publicly invite Taiwan to participate in the December summit, and to the follow-up summit next year, Scott said in his letter to the president, later adding, Inviting Taiwan will show a strong commitment to freedom and democracy, and will serve as a stinging rebuke to communist Chinas aggression and disturbance of the peace.

Cathy He contributed to this report.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks about infrastructure investment at the University of Marylands A. James Clark School of Engineering, in College Park, Md., on Aug. 9, 2021. (Patrick Semansky/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Blinken Orders State Department Reviews of Afghanistan Evacuation, Relocation Efforts

Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Wednesday that he has ordered internal reviews of the U.S. evacuation and relocation efforts from Afghanistan.

The United States withdrew from Afghanistan on Aug. 30, ending a two decade war that began in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. President Joe Biden refused to extend the withdrawal deadline, even though over 100 Americans and thousands of Afghans who wanted to leave the country were left behind.

The Biden administrations handling of the withdrawal, and evacuation efforts, drew bipartisan condemnation, though it has been largely defended by top officials in the administration, including Blinken, although he has acknowledged that there were mistakes made.

We will not let this opportunity to learn and do better pass us by, Blinken said in a speech on Wednesday focused on modernizing the State Department.

Speaking at the Foreign Service Institute in Arlington, Virginia, before lawmakers, diplomats and others, Blinken praised the evacuation operation but also said the agency needs to learn from this experience and do better if a similar scenario presents itself in the future.

Now we owe it to ourselves, to our Afghan friends and partners and to future State Department employees who might find themselves facing a similar challenge one day to capture all that we learned, study it, apply it and preserve it, he added, without elaborating on what steps would be reviewed specifically.

The Epoch Times has contacted the State Department for comment.

The announcement comes after the State Departments inspector general, or the State OIG, earlier this month told members of Congress that it notified the department of several oversight projects related to the ending of operations at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, according to a letter obtained and published by Politico.

The OIG is reviewing the Special Immigrant Visa program, which gives visas to Afghans who fit certain criteria; the Afghans admitted as refugees into the United States; the resettlement of both Afghan refugees and visa recipients; and the emergency planning and execution by the Kabul embassy, including how it evacuated U.S. citizens and Afghans.

Blinken in his speech on Wednesday acknowledged that the evacuation operation was incredibly difficult.

And there are so many things that nowlooking backwe can ask: Could we have done that step differently? Should we have tried that idea first? Could we have gotten to that decision more quickly? he said. We learned a lot in a short period of timeand we learned it the hard way. We learned by doing.

Zachary Stieber and Reuters contributed to this report.
A construction site by Chinese property developer Kaisa Group is seen at an area of downtown Shanghai, on Feb. 17, 2015. (Carlos Barria/Reuters)

China Developers Hit by Downgrades as Evergrande Deadline Looms

HONG KONGChinese developers took a drubbing on Thursday, with shares and bonds falling, creditors seizing assets, and rating agencies distributing more downgrades, ahead of a final debt payment deadline for China Evergrande Group on Friday.

Shares of Kaisa Group were hardest-hit, losing nearly a fifth of their value on Thursday after rating agency downgrades that highlighted the companys limited access to funding and significant U.S. dollar debt obligations.

Kaisas shares fell by as much as 19.9 percent to an all-time low of HK$1.17 on Thursday, while its 11.25 percent April 2022 bond dropped more than 8 points to trade at less than 35 percent of its face value, according to data provider Duration Finance.

Kaisa led losses across the real estate sector. A Hong Kong index tracking mainland property companies fell 1.3 percent and the CSI300 Real Estate sub-index lost 2.3 percent.

Shares of China Evergrande Group, whose liquidity crunch against more than $300 billion in liabilities has sparked global concern it could trigger systemic risks, fell more than 5 percent. Evergrande faces a final deadline on Friday for a $47.5 million coupon payment that was due Sept. 29.

A failure to make that interest payment, less than a week after it secured $83.5 million for a last-minute payment on an earlier coupon, would tip the company into formal default and trigger cross-defaults on all its more than $19 billion worth of bonds in international capital markets.

Evergrandes difficulties have exacerbated a financial squeeze for developers in Chinas $5 trillion Chinese property sector, hit by government clampdowns on excessive debt.

Severe tightening of Chinese developers funding access has reduced liquidity for the sector, creating a negative credit loop. Financially weak companies have reduced spending on land and construction to preserve liquidity for debt servicing, while sales have declined, said Kaven Tsang, a senior vice president at Moodys Investors Service.

At the same time, tightened bank control over project-level cash for a few financially weak developers limited their ability to manage their cash flow and caused them to default.

Adding to indications of broader sector stress, developer Oceanwide Holdings Co. Ltd. said on Thursday that holders of corporate debt issued by two of its offshore units have taken possession of the debts collateral after the units failed to repay the maturing notes.

More Downgrades

Yango Group Co., which has more than $14 billion in outstanding dollar bonds, became the latest developer to be hit with a credit downgrade on Thursday, as Fitch cut its rating to B- over its weakened access to funding and increasing liquidity pressure.

On Wednesday, S&P Global and Fitch Ratings both cited concerns over Kaisas debt load as they cut the companys rating to CCC+.

S&P said Kaisas capital structure is unsustainable given the companys sizable near-term debt maturities, weakening liquidity, and inadequate free cash flow through 2022.

Fitch noted that not all the cash on Kaisas balance sheet would necessarily be available to service its debt given high minority interests and project commitments.

Kaisa attended a meeting on Tuesday with seven other developers, Chinas state planner and foreign exchange regulator at which participants sought to contain the fallout from Evergrande.

Some developers proposed extending offshore bond maturities and undertaking debt restructuring.

Refinitiv data showed Kaisa has 19 outstanding dollar bonds worth more than $12 billion, with a $400 million bond coming due in December. Bonds worth an additional $3 billion come due in 2022, on top of interest payments of around $1 billion, Fitch said.

By Clare Jim and Andrew Galbraith
China Has Been Taking Advantage of the WTO for 20 Years: Experts

China has not lived up to its commitments on fair trade in the past two decades, and has little will to do so, despite the world looking to its transition toward free-market capitalism, experts said.

China has never really observed the rules of the World Trade Organization. It has taken advantage of the World Trade Organization [WTO], Clyde Prestowitz, president and founder of the Economic Strategy Institute, told the Chinese edition of The Epoch Times. Prestowitz is also the author of The World Turned Upside Down: America, China, and the Struggle for Global Leadership.

If you just look at what China has been doing in its trade with Australia, Its actually, sadly, halting Australian imports, he said. Of course, China is making some excuses.

Over the past 18 months, Beijing has limited imports of Australian beef, coal, and grapes as part of its economic coercion, besides tariffs on Australian wine and barley. The downward spiral on high-level diplomatic relations came straight after Canberras call for an international inquiry into the origins of the global pandemic.

On Oct. 26, the WHO agreed to set up a panel to examine Chinas steep duties on imported Australian wine. This is the third time Australia has sought WTO action over an agricultural product in less than a year, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Australia is one of numerous WTO members that has experienced this first-hand, said Australias ambassador George Mina as he addressed the eighth review of Chinas trade policy at the WTO in Geneva on Oct. 20 and 22, saying China has increasingly tested global trade rules and norms.

WTO rules did not allow member statesno matter how large they areto impose such conditions on other nations, Mina noted.

Close to 50 delegations took the floor, mostly criticizing Chinas performance over the past two decades during the closed-door meeting, according to Politico.

U.S. charge daffaires David Bisbee said that Chinas industrial policies skew the playing field against imported goods and services, besides other accusations including preferential treatment for state enterprises, data restrictions, inadequate enforcement of intellectual property rights, cyber theft, and forced labor.

Today, those challenges remain before us, he said.

A previous study also shows Chinas unfair trade practices since joining the WTO in 2001 have harmed industrial innovation in developed nations, causing companies, particularly in North America and Europe, to lose their competitive advantage in advanced industries.

Convincing friendly governments to encourage their companies to leave China  while cutting Chinas exports, it would also send a solid message to Chinathat China will either have to changeor go it alone, said China economic analyst Antonio Graceffo told the Chinese edition of The Epoch Times.

State Capitalism

Reports (pdf) find foreign businesses still dont feel welcome in China, as restrictions on market participation are still in place. Yet Chinese companies can operate with far fewer restrictions in the United States and Europe.

Foreign chambers of commerce in China have called on Beijing to end unfair protection and financial favoritism for its state-owned enterpriseswhich also sits at the heart of the Sino-U.S. trade war.

China may be a market-oriented economy, but it is not, in my opinion, a full market economy, said Graceffo. The government has so much control over the economy and over firms.

By some measures, state-owned firms still account for 40 percent of Chinas economy, according to Graceffo, excluding state-controlled firms.

A Chinese worker cleans the sign in front of a McDonalds restaurant in Beijing on Aug. 29, 2001. (Kevin Lee/Getty Images)

State-owned, state-controlled, or state-favored firms get access to capital. They get the raw materials pouring in from the Belt and Road Initiative, he said.

Differentiated treatments also include government protections over legal disputes, bank loans, soft loans, and subsidies.

There is nothing the U.S. can do to make this fair, he said. Chinas economy, in my opinion, most closely matches the definition of fascism, which is state capitalism.

Double Standards

The West has tacitly recognized Chinas double standard, said Graceffo. Most western countries have two sets of rules, one set for foreign companies, and one for China.

Chinese firms are permitted to invest in almost any area of the U.S. economy, but there is a long list of sectors that U.S. firms are not permitted to invest in China, he said.

There is another list where a U.S. firm could invest, but only with a 51 percent joint venture partner, and agreeing to transfer technology to the Chinese firm may be a condition of operating in that sector.

Graceffo said that is when concerns arise over forced technology transfer.

A new data security law went into effect on Sept. 1, requires all companies in China to classify the data they handle into several categories and governs how such data is stored and transferred to other parties. Although Beijing has been accused of stealing foreign sensitive data via illicit methods, including cyber theft and hacking.

Meanwhile, Chinese firms listing on U.S. exchanges claim that they are not permitted under Chinese law to be audited by a third party, said Graceffo. If a U.S. company made such an outrageous claim in China, they would be immediately shut down and the principals might be jailed.

Look at little things that we take for granted, he said.

China set up Confucius institutes around the world. Is the world allowed to set up Abraham Lincoln Institutes or Socrates Centers in China? Of course not, the laws on foreign ownership of schools in China have been increasingly tighter.

In a late-July order ostensibly to lighten students workloads, Chinese authorities made it illegal for off-campus tutoring agencies to provide foreign teaching, or employ tutors based overseas.

Students read in their classroom in the Yang Dezhi Red Army elementary school in Wenshui, Xishui country in Guizhou Province, China on Nov. 7, 2016. (Fred Dufour/AFP via Getty Images)

Education regulators in China have terminated as many as 286 partnerships between Chinese and foreign universities, such as New York University, Georgia Institute of Technology, and the City University London.

It has not treated outside countries and companies in the way that the World Trade Organization should be treated, said Prestowitz.

He said the main issue is not about change. We cannot change [China]. We can change ourselves.

No Will to Change

This December marks the 20th year since China joined the WTO, yet analysts find China has no inclination to change.

At the WTO review in Geneva, Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao denied the wrongdoings, asking the WTO to affirm its future participationas a developing country. The status allows China to benefit from the unilateral trade preference, a scheme that does not require reciprocity from beneficiary countries.

Since China became the 143rd member of WTO on Dec. 11, 2001, it has remained the self-declared status as a developing country.

Although the WTO does not define developed or developing, leaving its individual members to decide, the differentiation grants a self-designated developing country weaker obligations to take on, by offering exemption from many provisions. It also approves longer time frames to comply with global rules on e-commerce, subsidies, state-led economies, etc.

Over three-quarters of WTO members currently consider themselves developing countries and countries in transition to market economiesincluding China.

The thinking was that if they had to comply with all of the rules, they would not be able to make money or develop quickly, so the United States and the world community gave China a very liberal timeline on which to reach 100 percent compliance with the rules, said Graceffo.

Yet China, the worlds now second-largest economy and the top trading nation, refuses to give up the claim as it did over the past two decades.

In 2019, both South Korea, Asias fourth-largest economy, and Taiwan, the seventh-largest, decided not to seek special treatment given its enhanced global economic status.

When China joined the WTO it likely never intended to follow WTO rules, economist and author Milton Ezrati told the Chinese edition of The Epoch Times.

It was not a China-made miracle, said Graceffo, but the then-U.S. politicians help China trade with the world.

He believes the United States should push for the second phase of trade negotiations with China that would require the latter to transform the way it trades and operates.

Workers prepare a container at the port in Qingdao, Chinas eastern Shandong Province on Jan. 14, 2019. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)

These are fundamental, systemic problems in the Chinese economic and political system. China sees any attempt to change these policies as an infringement on [its] sovereignty, said Graceffo.

And China will never do that willingly, he said.

Meanwhile, several of the practices are targeted in the first phase of the two-phase deal signed in January 2020, said Ezrati. He believed the United States has few choices but to impose punitive tariffs on Chinese exports, and make clear that they will remain in place if and until Beijing changes its practices.

[Yet] I am skeptical that Biden can, as he says he wants to, unite allies, within the WTO or outside of it, said Ezrati.

For one, the Europeans seem determined to play both sides at once. For another, the WTO has thus far shown itself incapable of disciplining China on its rule-breaking.
Chinas Ambassador to Australia Cheng Jingye at a press conference at his residence in Canberra. Australia on April 7, 2021. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas)

Chinas Wolf Warrior Ambassador to Australia Heading Home

Beijings controversial wolf-warrior ambassador to Australia, Cheng Jingye, has finished his post and will be returning to China.

Australias Foreign Minister Marise Payne told a Senate Estimates committee on Oct. 28 that Cheng, who had arrived in 2016, was about to depart if he has not already departed.

The ambassador has been the public face of Beijings wolf-warrior diplomacy in Australia and began making headlines in April 2020 after Payne publicly called for an independent investigation into the origins of COVID-19.

Chengs response was to make veiled threats and warn the federal government that pushing for an inquiry could see Australia-China bilateral trade suffer.

What followed was an economic coercion campaign that saw the Chinese authorities roll out a series of measures to disrupt key Australian exports, including barley, coal, cotton, hay, logs, meat, rock lobsters, and wine.

Chinas Ambassador to Australia Cheng Jingye hosting a press conference at his residence in Canberra on April 7, 2021. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas)

Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg estimated on Sept. 6 that the measures contributed to an AU$5.4 billion (US$4 billion) drop in exports in the year to June 2021. At the same time, however, exporters have been moving to alternative markets, which saw trade exports to other parts of the world increase by $4.4 billion.

Cheng also rounded on federal members of Parliamentincluding a Nazi slur against Senator Eric Abetzwho were critical of Beijing during a public inquiry into the Foreign Relations Bill. The law resulted in the cancellation of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) agreement between Chinese authorities and the state of Victoria.

Under his leadership, the Chinese Embassy also leaked a document containing 14 grievances that Australia had supposedly committed that were contributing to strained bilateral ties, including the ban on Huawei from the countrys 5G network, foreign interference laws, and its stance on the BRI.

In April this year, the ambassador held an unprecedented two-hour-long presentation for media outlets attempting to paint a rosy picture of the situation in Xinjiang and downplay the Uyghur persecution.

Senator Payne told the committee, I spoke to the Chinese ambassador some time ago now. My office spoke to him last week prior to his departure.

She also confirmed that Beijing had notified the government of a proposed successor but is yet to approve the pick.
Practitioners of the spiritual discipline Falun Gong hold a parade in New York to celebrate World Falun Dafa Day and to protest the ongoing persecution of the group by the Chinese Communist Party in China, on May 13, 2020. (Larry Dai/The Epoch Times)

Chinese Citys Gestapo-Like Agency Imposes 1-Month Brainwashing on Falun Gong Adherents

A Gestapo-like organization in a Chinese city detained a group of spiritual believers in an isolation center for one month of brainwashing, reported U.S.-based website Minghui.org, which is dedicated to exposing the Chinese Communist Partys (CCPs) persecution of Falun Gong.

Falun Gong, also called Falun Dafa, is an ancient Chinese spiritual practice. It consists of simple, slow-moving meditation exercises and teachings on incorporating the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance in everyday life.

The 610 Office in Ningbo City of Chinas eastern Zhejiang Province, detained 10 Falun Gong adherents in a local brainwashing center at Zhongzhan Village. The facility is housed within Xiangshan Zhifeng Vocational Skills Training School, which also served as a training center for the countys police authority.

In mainland China, the 610 Office is a secret, extra-legal nationwide network that targets Falun Gong practitioners. Nicknamed as Chinas Gestapo, it has the authority to employ the countrys vast resources in the public security, procuratorate, justice, and propaganda sectors to oppress millions of Falun Gong practitioners.

The indoctrination, which was funded by the local political and legal affairs commission, lasted one full month, from Aug. 26 to Sept. 28, according to Minghui.

The head of the local 610 office, Tong Weichang, orchestrated and conducted the one-month program, with the help of state-backed community workers, psychologists, and spiritual gurus cooperating with the CCP.

Brainwashing sessions were scheduled daily for morning, afternoon, and evening sessions. The sessions included intensive reading classes, intended to persuade detainees into renouncing their faith by indoctrinating anti-Falun Gong messages.

The organizers also used one-on-one conversations to coerce the faithful. Some of the detainees were not allowed to go to sleep at night for refusing to listen to the persecutors orders.

Upon the end of the program, the detainees were picked up by their respective officials and released.

Data shows brainwashing has long become one of the most frequently used tools by the CCP to suppress Falun Gong believers. A search on Minghui.org for the Chinese term brainwashing session returns more than 64,000 related articles. Such psychological torture is common in mainland China across all levels of government, state-run factories and workplaces, and even schools, though varying in scale or length of detention.

Meanwhile, Chinese authorities subject the group of believers to other forms of mistreatment, including deception, prolonged punitive sitting, sleep deprivation, and torture.

Being Brainwashed Is a Horror

The painting A Tragedy in China, shows a grieving wife in front of her dead husband. She crosses her arms in a show of strength and resilience. Her tortured husband held on to his faith until the end. In his hand, he holds brainwashing papers that the Chinese regime uses to get Falun Gong practitioners to renounce their faith. (The Art of Zhen Shan Ren)

Previous survivors of the CCPs brainwashing efforts retold their experiences to The Epoch Times.

Lily Kong, a Canadian permanent resident, remembered her 3-month experience at an indoctrination center in a hotel of Guangzhou City in southern Chinas Guangdong Province in 2003, though she did not remember the exact name of the hotel due to her blurred memory.

Being brainwashed is a horror, she told The Epoch Times on Oct. 26. More painful than a blow or kick to your body  because the most important part in you is being pulled away from you.

There, she refused to eat anything for a week to resist the inhumane treatment. However, she eventually gave up when some CCP officials threatened her with dangerous forced feeding.

Kong relayed the story of another Falun Gong believer surnamed Peng. Peng was held at the Guangzhou Legal Education School for more than one year. The so-called school was a notorious brainwashing center in Guangzhous Huangpu District. Peng told Kong that she had been severely beaten, forced to drink unclean toilet water, and pepper-sprayed in the face.

Kong fled China in 2013 and sought U.N. refugee protection in Thailand. In 2018, she was accepted as a refugee by Canada. Currently, she lives in Montreal, Quebec.

Canadian citizen Ivy Zhang told The Epoch Times on Oct. 26 that she was kept in a brainwashing facility in Taoshuping Detention Center of Lanzhou City in northwestern Chinas Gansu Province from Jan. 16 to April 19, 2001.

During the detention, she was held together with more than 50 fellow Falun Gong believers.

The local authorities organized CCP officials or propagandists to deliver anti-Falun Gong speeches, but met with resistance from the detainees, Zhang said. The speakers talking points were challenged and they had to abort their lectures.

The Falun Gong practitioners were not only denied visits in detention, but placed under strict monitoring, with the lights in their cells kept on 24 hours a day, Zhang recalled.

Later, Zhang narrowly avoided being subjected to another two brainwashing sessions, which were respectively organized by her district in Gaolanshan starting from January 2002 and by her city in Gongjiawan in April 2003. However, the persecution continued to worsen, and news of detainees death and torture began to get out to the world through the survivors.

In April 2013, Zhang moved to Canada. Since then, she has lived in the city of Burnaby in British Columbia.
A Yak pen along with the tents of a Changpa nomadic family in Changthang, enroute to Pangong Tso Lake in Ladakh, India, on June 22, 2021. (Venus Upadhayaya/Epoch Times)

Chinese Livestock Seen in Indian Territory as Indian Nomads Are Restricted After Border Conflict

NEW DELHI Due to restrictions imposed by the Indian military after a bloody conflict between India and China in 2020, nomads in Indias Ladakh region, which borders China, havent been allowed to return to their traditional pastures. Yet their Chinese counterparts have been sighted moving into the area.

Kunchok Stanzin, a Ladakhi public servant, shared with The Epoch Times a 45-day-old picture of what he claimed are yaks belonging to Chinese nomads grazing in Indias Tharsang Valley, near the Martsemik Mountain Pass. Indian nomads from the region havent yet been able to return to the pastures because of restrictions imposed by the Indian military after the 2020 conflict between India and China in the Galwan Valley, as well as the subsequent standoff and further military build-up that followed.

Domesticated Yaks from China graze in Indias Tharsang Valley about a month and a half ago, according to local Ladakhi nomads. (Courtesy of Konchok Stanzin)

Stanzin, who oversees 12 villagesincluding eight that are located on the disputed border in Indias Chushul regionsaid the nomads rely on the pastures not only for grass to feed their livestock, but also as grounds for their highly prized pashmina goats to give birth.

Stanzin said he has asked the areas top official, Ladakh Lt. Gov. R.K. Mathur, to facilitate a meeting between the army and the community to bridge communication gaps before the arrival of the winter grazing season.

China encourages its nomads to graze on the border pastures. We should also allow our nomads to use traditional grazing grounds. They can play an important role by keeping an eye on the intruding Chinese, Stanzin told The Epoch Times.

The situation is having a severe impact on the economy of the border region, where 85 percent of the population are nomadic and depend upon livestock for their livelihood, according to Stanzin.

Changpa Nomads

The nomads of Changthang, a large region that includes eastern Ladakh on the border with China, are called Changpas. Their nomadic migratory routes in the region are well defined, and the grazing areas of their livestock are demarcated. These groups have attained legal rights over these areas by way of usage, according to a 2011 grazing land study by the Indian government (pdf).

When the study took place, the nomads were already facing a shortage of pastures due to overgrazing.

Over the past decade, as Chinese intrusions into the region have increased, the military build-up on both sides has further restricted the Changpas access to their traditional pastures.

Yaks graze in a valley in Changthang region in Ladakh, India, on June 22, 2021 (Venus Upadhayaya/The Epoch Times)

Pastures as Strategic Asserts

Ladakh is a trans-Himalayan region and is bordered by what China designates as the Tibet Autonomous Region. Before the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) took over Tibet, the region was a trade convergence point for various silk routes from Kashgar, Khotan (now known as Xinjiang), Tibet, Kashmir, and Himachal Pradesh (now park of India).

Its high-altitude routes and passes were regularly traversed only by either the silk route traders or the Changpas. The past few decades of militarization along the border have turned these traditional pastures, including those owned by various Buddhist monasteries, into strategic assets for both nations.

A herd of pashmina goats grazing in a valley in Changthang in eastern Ladakh on June 22, 2021. (Venus Upadhayaya/Epoch Times)

Particularly after the 2020 Galwan conflict, the locals fear that the Chinese are using their nomads and grazing yaks as a salami-slicing tactic, according to Stanzin, who serves as the councilor of the Chushul constituency under the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council.

No wild yaks exist in [Tharsang Valley], Stanzin said. Our locals have seen their yaks. Earlier, our nomads were allowed on traditional pastures on the border, but since conflict escalated, several restrictions have been imposed. Last winter, our nomads were not allowed.

To highlight how precarious the situation has turned, Stanzin said there are winter pastures at Pangong Tso lake, an 83-mile-long brackish lake, only one-third of which is within Indian territory.

The finger-like land elements, which are numbered one to eight, are on the bank of the Pangong Tso, and theyre also patrolling areas. Indias perception of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the de facto border between the two countries after the 1962 war, runs through Finger Eight.

Finger One to Finger Eight (Indian military patrolling areas) at the Pangong Tso Lake while the white line is the de facto border called the Line of Actual Control between India and China. Locals say their winter pastures lie between Finger One and Finger Two. (Google maps)

However, the Chinese have a different perception of the border, saying the LAC passes through finger 2. Just before the Galwan Conflict, a military confrontation between the two countries had happened twiceat Finger Five and Finger Two and during the Doklam Conflict, thousands of miles away on Bhutans border in 2017, the Chinese had advanced to Finger Four before going back.

These theatrics between the two countries persist at the disputed borders of Pangong Tso, while the Indian nomads suffer.

The Chushul area in Changthang was the battleground between India and China during the 1962 war. With the 2020 conflict, its strategic significance has only increased.

According to Stanzin, each village in the Chushul region has multiple winter pastures. The village of Chushul, which shares its name with the region, has seven winter pastures: Phurtsur Karpo, Phurtsur Nakpo, Rezangla, Rinchen La, Gurung Hill, Nyanlung Gongma, and Nyanlung Yokma.

The village of Chushul, which houses 150 families, has about 1,000 yaks and 16,000 goats and sheep, Jambal said.

In the absence of natural pastures, the nomads have to rely on the stocked fodder provided by the Indian Sheep Husbandry Department. No access to winter pastures increases mortality among pregnant pashmina goats, which give birth around that time, he said.

Mathurs office didnt respond by press time to a request for comment on whats being done to help the nomads on Ladakhs high altitude border regions.

In 2020, Stanzin wrote to the Indian armys core commander in the region about the various concerns of the people on the border, including the issue of grazing livestock in the reserved winter pastures.

Non-delineation of LAC on the ground leads to incorrect interpretation of alignment by civilians, which may result in our own graziers inadvertently crossing over to [the] Chinese side, Maj. Gen K Narayanan wrote in a reply to Stanzin, in a letter dated April 2 that was made available to The Epoch Times.

Moreover, due to the present operational situation in Eastern Ladakh, the graziers have been advised to restrict their cattle movements.

Officials with the Ministry of Defenses Public Relations Unit in New Delhi didnt respond to a request for comment by press time.
Comedian Mort Sahl speaks to people off-camera in a private room at the Throckmorton Theatre in Mill Valley, Calif., on Aug. 14, 2014. (Josh Edelson/Reuters)

Comedian Mort Sahl Dies at Age 94

Comedian Mort Sahl, who was widely considered the father of modern political satire, died on Tuesday. He was 94.

His friend Lucy Mercer said that he died peacefully at his home in Mill Valley, California. The cause was old age, she said.

Sahl have mocked every president from Dwight Eisenhower to Donald Trump, although he acknowledged he privately admired Democrat John F. Kennedy and counted Republican Ronald Reagan among his closest friends.

Morton Lyon Sahl was born on May 11, 1927, in Montreal, to a Canadian mother and a New York father who managed a tobacco shop. The family moved to the United States where Sahls father, Harry, worked for the Department of Justice in various cities.

They eventually settled in Los Angeles, where young Morton joined his high school ROTC program and excelled at speech. His mother said he had started to talk at 7 months and by age 10 already spoke like a man of 30.

After high school, Sahl joined the Air Force, spending 31 months at a remote Alaskan airfield where he edited the post newspaper, Poop from the Group. Discharged in 1947, he entered college.

He took on a number of jobs before his girlfriend, Sue Berber, persuaded him to audition for the hungry i in 1953.

The couple married two years later but divorced in 1957. Sahl married his second wife, former Playboy Playmate China Lee, in 1967. They also divorced.

The Associated Press contributed to this report
A group of naval vessels from Russia and China conduct a joint maritime military patrol in the waters of the Pacific Ocean, in this still image taken from video released on Oct. 23, 2021. (Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via Reuters)

Consequences of America Losing a War to ChinaPart 1

Commentary

In July The National Interest published an essay entitled Can America Lose to China? written by Kishore Mahbubani, a fellow at the National University of Singapores Asia Research Institute and a former Singapore U.N. Ambassador.

The essay focuses on the China-U.S. political, economic, and social competition. Mahbubani begins with an observation: Americans believe an open society like America has many natural advantages over Chinas autocracy. By assuming inherent advantage, Americans cannot even conceive of the possibility of losing out to China.

That may well be true, though not quite in the way he frames the problem.

I disagree with several of Mahbubanis subsequent points. He believes the United States should reintegrate its economy with Chinas. Sure, trade is beneficial, but U.S. overreliance on China is a strategic error. Fair trade does not exist when dictatorial whim rigs contracts and court decisions.

At times he portrays Beijing as relatively benign and misunderstood. He says the United States can get along with China as long as it doesnt disrupt the world order.

Disruption is Beijings business. China has encroached on the Philippines maritime exclusive economic zone. (See the 2016 Hague Court of Arbitration ruling.) Vietnam has repeatedly confronted Chinese drilling rigs and sea militia boats invading internationally recognized Vietnamese waters. Indian and Chinese forces skirmish in the Himalayas and have since 1962.

Prominent Americans have contemplated losing the economic and political competition with China, with a resulting loss in wealth and diplomatic clout. Mahbubani clearly despises former President Donald Trump. Perhaps faculty club virtue-signaling blinds him to an obvious truth: Trump saw and still sees the possibility of losing to China.

Still, the ambassador deserves credit for recognizing a failure to contemplate uncomfortable alternative futures. I frame it this way: The majority of the American public and national leaders have yet to think about the consequences of losing a major war to China.

The Pentagon concentrates on military deterrence and, failing that, winning in combat. For seven decades U.S. and allied planners have conducted war games examining what ifs in a Taiwan Strait conflict and other east Asian scenarios.

In the last decade several games have examined a shooting (kinetic) war in the western Pacific and Asian littoral pitting the United States and allies against China. Occasionally Russian forces cooperate with China.

The Pentagon acknowledges conducting several classified war games in 2020. In March 2021 Yahoo News discussed one of them, a U.S. Air Force war game in the 2030 time frame. The scenario began with a Chinese biological-weapon attack that swept through U.S. bases and warships in the Indo-Pacific region. A Chinese military exercise camouflaged the deployment of a massive invasion force, which launched a lightning assault on the island of Taiwan.

Chinese missiles struck U.S. bases and warships throughout the region.

Yahoo quoted U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. S. Clinton Hinote: The (games) definitive answer if the U.S. military doesnt change course is that were going to lose fast. Hinote added More than a decade ago, our war games indicated that the Chinese were doing a good job of investing in military capabilities that would make our preferred model of expeditionary warfare, where we push forces forward and operate out of relatively safe bases and sanctuaries, increasingly difficult.

Hinote didnt discuss Americas loss in ships and planes and killed, wounded, and captured personnel. But clearly America lost the simulated military campaign.

If China took Taiwan, then it would have achieved a major CCP goal, one with horrifying real-world military, diplomatic, economic, and territorial consequences.

It is foolish to believe an intense war involving China and the United States would be confined to the Taiwan Strait and end with Taiwans loss. In the scenario, missiles hit regional U.S. basesmeaning Japan, South Korea, Guam, perhaps Australia, Singapore, and Hawaii.

Go a step farther. What keeps this western Pacific war from escalating to a war for national survival?

Next weeks column will examine several very uncomfortable consequences of America losing a war to China. One scenario has war erupting before the 2024 U.S. national election.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks at a signing ceremony of the Less Is More Act, in New York, on Sept. 17, 2021. (Kevin P. Coughlin/Office of the Governor)

COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate for New York Public Schools On the Table, Gov. Hochul Says

Although the New York government isnt actively considering a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for public school students across the state, the option remains on the table, according to Gov. Kathy Hochul.

During the Oct. 27 press conference, Hochul noted that a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) panel voted to recommend the a lower dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11.

We now have this available. Weve been making preparations for weeks now, she said, adding that the New York government has been in regular communication with all the providers, so that there will be various places that parents can go to to have their children vaccinated as soon as the vaccine becomes available.

When a reporter asked whether there will be a COVID-19 vaccine mandate in public schools, Hochul said a mandate is not necessary at this point, because the New Yorks COVID-19 numbers are decreasing.

Thats a possibility. Its on the table, the governor said. As Ive said all along, I want to empower parents and schools to do the right things first.

But if were not seeing adequate compliance, or were seeing the numbers start going upthis is what were monitoring closelyif I start seeing infection rates going up, hospitalizations going up, more children being infected, I will have no choice, she continued. But right now, the numbers are good, well get the kids voluntarily vaccinated, parents will hopefully do the right thing.

Hochul also announced during the press conference that the New York government will move forward with its Get Out the Facts campaign to combat COVID-19 vaccine misinformation and to convince parents and schools that their children need to be vaccinated.

One of the reasons were identifying why people are not getting vaccinated is that they are believing the lies on social media, she said, calling a popular article that is skeptical about the COVID-19 vaccine dangerous [and] misleading.

While its unclear when the FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will formally approve the shots for young children, New York has already pre-ordered 380,000 pediatric doses, and is preparing to distribute them.

Meanwhile, at the national level, the Biden administration said last week that it has bought enough doses for all 28 million 5- to 11-year-olds in the United States, and will provide it in smaller packages with smaller needles to make it easier for physicians and pediatricians to administer to children.

Should the FDA and CDC authorize the vaccine, we will be ready to get shots in arms, said White House COVID-19 response team coordinator Jeff Zients during an Oct. 20 press conference.
People are seen at the Graabroedre square in Copenhagen on April 22, 2020 (Thibault Savary/AFP via Getty Images)

Danish Health Minister Says Lockdowns on Table If More People Dont Get Vaccinated

Coming a month after Denmark removed all COVID-19 restrictions, the top Danish health official warned that the country may be locked down again if more people arent vaccinated.

Even though we are at an incredibly high level  if we are to keep Denmark open, then we must have more people to get the vaccine, Minister of Health Magnus Heunicke told Danish channel TV2, adding that new shutdowns could be likely in the near future.

In September, Danish authorities in the highly vaccinated Scandinavian nation ended the last of its pandemic-related restrictions as health officials there said COVID-19 is no longer a critical threat to society. Denmark appeared to have been the first European Union nation to issue such a declaration.

However, Heunickes comments this week to the broadcaster suggest that authorities are weighing their options. To date, approximately 75 percent of the Danish population is fully vaccinated, but data provided by the countrys health ministry shows that cases have been rising in recent days with more than 1,000 daily cases of COVID-19 over seven days.

We knew there would be an increase this fall. But it is no secret that that increase has come pretty quickly already here in the month of October, he said, according to an English translation.

Heunicke said that Danish health authorities previously stated they will not hesitate to intervene if the need arises, adding that we have a very, very large support from the population to be vaccinated.

Denmarks opposition party Venstre said that Heunicke broke a key agreement by threatening to reimpose pandemic restrictions. Venstre health spokesman Martin Geertsen deemed the threat unacceptable and a completely wild message.

We have been promised, so to speak, by health authorities that when we had the vaccines  we got rid of restrictions and shutdowns, Geertsen told TV2.

Denmark was one of the very first European nations to impose a lockdown in March 2020 and forced the closure of many businesses and schools. Throughout the course of the pandemic, like others, the country has relaxed and tightened lockdown measures.

On April 21, Denmark also became one of the first countries to implement a COVID-19 vaccine passport system. At the time, Danish Council on Ethics had requested that the vaccine pass be used for the shortest time possible and protect private information.

Earlier this month, Denmark said it joined Sweden and Finland in restricting the usage of Modernas COVID-19 vaccine for younger age groups. However, Danish Health Agency later told news outlets that its recommendations have not changed, appearing to rescind the previous order.

COVID-19 is the illness caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.
Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) speaks during a Cuyahoga Councilwoman and Congressional Candidate Shontel Brown Get Out the Vote campaign event at Mt Zion Fellowship in Cleveland, Ohio on July 31, 2021. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Daughter of House Majority Whip Moves Closer to Co-Chairing Southeast Crescent Regional Commission

Similar Commission in Appalachia Overseeing Hundreds of Millions Co-Chaired by Wife of Sen. Joe Manchin

Senators on the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee praised the nomination of Jennifer Clyburn Reed, daughter of House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), to serve as the first federal co-chair of the Southeast Regional Crescent Commission.

Clyburn himself looked on during the Oct. 27 hearing from the live audience.

The commission, which was authorized in 2008, is intended to parallel the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), an economic development organization first established by President John F. Kennedy in 1963. Since May 6, 2021, ARCs federal co-chair has been Gayle Manchin, wife of Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.).

Reeds appointment would potentially enable the Senate to appropriate much larger amounts of money to the commission.

President Bidens May 2021 budget proposal, announced after Manchins appointment, included $235 million for ARC.

Having her [Clyburn Reed] in this role will allow this agency to fully commit its resources toward addressing economically distressed areas across parts of Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida, said EPW Chair Tom Carper (D-Del.) in his opening remarks.

Carper also alluded warmly to his personal relationship with Reeds father, the second-most powerful Democrat in the House after Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

I like to say that we can see his [House Whip Clyburns] lips move when you speakbut with a mask on, we wont see his lips move at all, said Carper.

In her opening remarks, Ranking Member Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) discussed Reeds background in education, which includes many years as a public school teacher and an Ed.D. degree from Nova Southeastern University.

Reeds profile at the Together Southeastern Summit adds that she graduated from the James E. Clyburn Political Fellowship, named for her father, where she was voted Class President of the 2019 cohort.

Capito did not immediately respond to questions from The Epoch Times about Reeds background, particularly her status as the daughter of a powerful congressman, and on the additional spending her appointment could trigger.

If afforded the opportunity to serve, I pledge to prove your confidence well spent, and do my family and friends proud, Reed said in her opening remarks.

The formula used to target counties through Congressman Clyburns 10/20/30 plan states that 10 percent of certain appropriated funds be targeted to persistent poverty communities, identified by the Census Bureau, where 20 percent or more of the population has lived at or below the poverty level for 30 or more years, Reed later added.

She then stated that 92 of the 407 persistent poverty counties identified by the Congressional Research Service would be covered by the Southeast Crescent Regional Commission.

When later asked by Carper about what, specifically, she would do to help people in the region, Reed emphasized broadband last mile connectivity.

She also told Carper that the commission could be aided by the appropriation of funds from EPW and Congress as a whole, to get this commission off the ground.

Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) took the opportunity to praise Reeds father.

Unfortunately, I only served with your father for a year and a half, but that was a very rewarding year and a half, and I consider him to have remained a good friend in that time, Inhofe told Reed.

In response to questions from Capito about how she would prioritize economic development in persistent poverty counties, Reed said she would consult with ARCs Gayle Connelly Manchin.

Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.) also offered his wholehearted support to Reed.

I have known her and her family quite a while, said Graham. This is an excellent choice.

Senators have until close of business on Wednesday, Nov. 3 to submit additional questions for Reed, who will have to reply by Wednesday, Nov. 10.
Florida Gov. Ron Desantis speaks during a campaign rally by Donald Trump at Pensacola International Airport in Pensacola, Fla., on Oct. 23, 2020. (Tom Brenner/Reuters)

DeSantis Sues Biden Administration Over COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates

LAKELAND, Fla.Gov. Ron DeSantis has announced that Florida is suing President Joe Biden, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, and others over mandates requiring employees of federal contractors to be vaccinated for COVID-19.

The lawsuit, filed Oct. 28 in a U.S. District Court, names as defendants Biden, Nelson, six other officials, and five federal agencies.

In the complaint, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody seeks an injunction to block the federal government from mandating that its contractors require all workers to be vaccinated by Dec. 8.

We have a responsibility to stand up to those requiring vaccine mandates, or new mandates will just keep coming, said DeSantis, a Republican.

Weve gone from 15 days to slow the spread, to three jabs to keep your job. Are you kidding me?

While DeSantis was making the announcement on Oct. 28, space workers 100 miles to the east on the Atlantic coast were wrapping up an anti-mandate protest that had begun well before sunrise.

About 700 workers representing five unions gathered outside the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, waving American flags and holding signs.

The employees have been told if they dont have proof of vaccination when they show up for work on Dec. 1, their access to the base will be denied.

And thats exactly what the lawsuit is designed to stop, DeSantis said at a news conference at the Florida Air Museum.

Weve been clear in the State of Florida that we want people to be able to work and provide for their families.

In Florida, you have an opportunity to earn a living, and it should not depend on these shots.

By requiring vaccinations of all employees of businesses providing services to the federal government, the Biden administration has created heavy-handed mandates hanging over peoples heads.

People have a wide variety of reasons, DeSantis said, for not wanting vaccinesreligious objections, health conditions that make vaccines risky, or natural immunity following a recovery from COVID-19.

Many worked throughout the pandemic and now are being kicked to the curb, he said. Thats just wrong.

The Governors Office says new data show that Florida has the lowest per capita infection rate for COVID-19 in the continental United States.

And when a new federal report was released showing 194,000 jobs had been created across the nation in September, 84,500 of those jobs were in Florida.

DeSantis said requiring vaccinations would deal a serious blow to an already faltering economy if workers walk off jobs or are fired. And it will cause the supply-chain crisis to worsen as more Americans leave the workforce, he said.

He said that many institutions, including health care providers, will have a difficult time functioning if they lose workers to vaccine mandates.

Matthew Dawley, a 38-year-old Air Force veteran, has worked for 16 years as an EMT and firefighter for a contractor that provides those services for Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

I love my job, he said. Its the best job Ive ever had.

Dawley is not willing to get the vaccine because he believes he should have a right to choose what to put in his body. The idea that his government could compel him to take the vaccine, or any medical treatment, terrifies and enrages him.

But if he loses his job, well be broke, says the married father of two. Were a single-income family.

In May, DeSantis signed a bill that prohibits vaccine passports and, by doing so, also means businesses cant ask their employees if they have been vaccinated, the governor said.

Others disagree, saying the bill doesnt mention vaccine mandates, and therefore, does not make them unlawful in the state.

Either way, a state law cant stop the U.S. Department of Defense from requiring vaccines for employees of their contractors, Dawley said.

However, he hopes workers can increase pressure on the federal government when vaccinated workers side with their unvaccinated colleagues at Cape Canaveral.

Thats the plan for many, Dawley says.

If 900 people dont show up for work, you cant launch a rocket, so good luck, he says. Theyre going to have an inoperable space center.

Every worker there plays an essential role in accomplishing our day-to-day mission, said Heather Scott, spokeswoman for Space Launch Delta 45.

Thats the new name for the militarys 45th Space Wing, overseeing Patrick Space Force Base and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

The facilities are committed to continuing to deliver assured access to space for the warfighter and our nation, she said.

The commercial space business is growing so fast that the main U.S. launch centerCape Canaveralmay soon have more rocket launch requests than it can handle, a Florida Senate panel was told in September.

We actually managed to launch 37 in the last 12 months, U.S. Space Force Brig. Gen. Stephen Purdy Jr. told the Military and Veterans Affairs, Space and Domestic Security Committee.

Purdy said the centre needed, within the next few years, to build our processes and technologies so that were ready to launch a couple hundred a year, a couple a day.

About 65 percent of those were commercial launches of private satellites and other orbital commerce, he said, and more companies are talking about coming to launch their new, privately owned rockets.

With the industry thriving, why would the vaccinated leave their jobs, too?

Most of us are veterans, and weve seen things like this imposed in other countries, Dawley said. Were not having it. If you want to take away our rights and freedoms, were going to take away your ability to operate your space center.

When he was hired, there were no health requirements other than passing an annual physical, he says. Now the rules have changed.

Thats another huge problem with a requirement for federal contractors to have vaccinated workers, DeSantis said. Its not fair to change the rules after businesses have bid on and won government contracts.

Its not right for the federal government to come in and rewrite those contracts and then try to shoehorn this in, DeSantis said.

And then if you dont comply, you either have to fire people, or  theyll just cancel the contract entirely, even though this is something that you bid for, and you won fair and square.

Thats not the way we think business should be done.

At the news conferencing announcing the lawsuit to stop the mandates, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said she the mandates are a complete and gross overreach of the federal government and infringe on bodily autonomy.

Its unlawful! she said. This is not a dictatorship!

Biden last month ordered the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to create a rule requiring all private employers with 100 or more employees to mandate vaccines or require them to submit to weekly COVID-19 testing. The rule could affect nearly 80 million workers, according to administration officials.

Businesses could face fines up to $14,000 per violation.

DeSantis said he believes the OSHA rule hasnt been released yet, because it has problems.

He expects more litigation filed from Florida and said he he will soon announce the dates for a special session of the Florida Legislature. The main goal of that, he said, will be to make sure people can keep their jobs.

And he said he hopes his fight to keep people from losing their livelihoods, based on their decision about an injection, will help people around the country, as well.

He did not say how many Floridians may be facing job loss due to the federal mandates.

There will be a lot of people in the crosshairs, he said. We said wed take action, and we are.
U.S. President Joe Biden gives a thumbs up as he walks with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to a meeting with Democratic lawmakers at the U.S. Capitol to promote his bipartisan infrastructure bill in Washington on Oct. 1, 2021. (Tom Brenner/Reuters)

Despite Bidens Hopes, Democrats Remain Divided After Budget Deal Reached

After the White House unveiled a framework deal on Democrats multitrillion-dollar budget on Oct. 28, President Joe Biden expressed confidence that the budget bill and the bipartisan infrastructure bill could pass through Congress, after months of squabbling.

Despite this expectation, many progressive Democrats were unwilling to commit to a vote in favor of the new bill.

President Biden is confident this is a framework that can pass both houses of Congress, and he looks forward to signing it into law, according to a White House statement. He calls on Congress to take up this historic billin addition to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Actas quickly as possible.

On Oct. 27, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) asked the House Rules Committee to hold a vote on the budget bill the next day, indicating confidence among leaders that the bill could pass.

But the specifics of the new proposed bill opened old wounds among progressives, who already saw a $3.5 trillion bill as a substantial compromise; the original budget proposal by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) asked for $6 trillion in new spending.

Now, the top-line price tag of the bill has been halved, to $1.75 trillion. Several Democratic aspirationsincluding paid family leave, prescription drug cost-cutting policies, and the state and local tax deductionhave been slashed from the new draft.

This reduction was necessary to satisfy moderate Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), who both warned that they wouldnt vote for a $3.5 trillion package.

Sinema seemed satisfied with the draft, writing on Twitter: After months of productive, good-faith negotiations with [Biden] and the White House, we have made significant progress on the proposed budget reconciliation package. I look forward to getting this done, expanding economic opportunities, and helping everyday families get ahead.

But in their effort to satisfy moderates, Democratic leadership has alienated others in the party. Since its announcement, several Democrats have said outright that they oppose the deal, or they refused to commit to voting for it.

Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) said shes unhappy with the new deal.

I feel like a little bamboozled because this is not what I thought was coming today, she said.

Bush also made a now-stale threat among progressives. Since August, progressives have threatened to kill the moderate-preferred infrastructure bill if a substantial budget bill isnt passed first. Bush said she would be holding to that threat, and warned that she wont support the infrastructure bill under the new budget bill.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), chair of the 96-strong Congressional Progressive Caucus, was noncommittal.

What we said consistently is that we want to see whats actually in the bill. We want to see the legislative text. And then were, you know, assuming that were fine with that, well vote both bills through at the same time.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) made much the same point.

Theres a great deal of uncertainty within the caucus as to whats contained in the deal, Durbin told reporters.

Others were more ambivalent, indicating that they generally support the bill but are concerned by the absence of some policies.

I think if you look at the bill that the President announced today, it is probably the most consequential bill since the 1960s, Sanders told reporters. But clearly, to my mind, it has some major gaps.

He indicated that his main problem with the bill as it stands is its lack of health care provisions.

Sanders and other progressives have long fought for prescription drug policies that would lower the cost of medication, and these arent included in the framework agreement.

There is, the best of my knowledge, no language in there that takes on the pharmaceutical industry, Sanders said. He added that the new budget would include Medicare hearing benefits, but wouldnt have vision or dental care benefits.

Sanders refused to commit to voting for the bill, but said that he and other Democrats would fight to make a good bill stronger.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) was more optimistic than some.

Theres lots of important initiatives in this framework  but obviously, theres some missing pieces, he told reporters. Still, he said, for the most part, what Ive seen so far is good.

Like Sanders, Van Hollen raised concerns over the lack of prescription pricing provisions.

Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) refrained from giving his opinion on the bill as a whole, but noted that it doesnt include reinstating the state and local tax deduction (SALT).

The measure, which allows taxpayers to deduct their state and local taxes from their federal tax bill, is especially popular in high-income tax states such as New Jersey and New York. Lawmakers from relevant states have insisted that the program be included in the bill.

Asked whether he would vote for the bill if it doesnt contain the SALT program, Menendez said, Ive learned a long time to say no in absolutes. But, he said, I cannot imagine that this can get all the votes necessary without some SALT.

The House Rules Committee will meet on Oct. 28 to consider advancing the bill, but in the face of sharp backlash and only lukewarm support, its unclear whether leaders will feel confident enough in the bills success to hold a vote on it yet.
Stanley Ford is shown in this undated file photo. (Akron Police Department via AP)

Disgruntled Neighbor Who Killed 9 by Arson Gets Life Term

AKRON, OhioA man convicted of killing nine people in arson fires in his neighborhood was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison without parole for each death.

Judge Christine Croce also ordered that Stanley Ford, of Akron, serve the terms consecutively.

Ford, 62, has maintained his innocence. He was found guilty on Sept. 21 of 26 of the 29 counts against him, including aggravated murder and aggravated arson. A jury recommended this month that he be sentenced to life in prison instead of the death penalty, although the judge had the final say.

Besides the life terms for the murders, Croce also imposed an additional 21-year sentence for attempted aggravated murder with a violent offender specification.

A balloon memorial sits outside the burnt home of a family that died in a fire in Akron, Ohio, on May 23, 2017. (Dake Kang/AP Photo)

Ford did not speak at the sentencing. His lawyerwho asked the judge Tuesday to not impose consecutive termssaid Ford plans to appeal the sentence.

Summit County prosecutors said Ford killed a couple in 2016 and two adults and five children in 2017. They used surveillance video footage, security alarm records, and the testimony of neighbors to show Ford was responsible.

Prosecutors said Ford set the fires because of disputes with his neighbors. Fords attorney argued at trial that his client could not be identified in the surveillance videos and added that other potential suspects were identified.

Fords initial trial began in March 2020. After a week of testimony and several delays, Summit County Judge Christine Croce declared a mistrial the following June at the request of Fords attorneys, who cited concerns about Fords ability to get a fair trial during the coronavirus pandemic.
Dutchman Uses Worthless Coconut Husks to Make Profitable Pallets to Save Millions of Trees per Year

From serving in the Dutch army to living on a beach in Barbados, Michiel Vos has trekked the globe finding his niche. Perhaps taking a cue from the beach where he once lived, Vos realized that coconuts were exactly what the world needed.

Supply chain backlogs in California are in the news lately, but another shipping challenge posed are the 1.7 billion wooden pallets annually shipped one-way from Chinawhere wood is scarce and valuableand worthlessly discarded stateside. Thats 170 million trees felled per year.

Thats where the coconuts come in.

One day, an agricultural professor handed Vos a paper on how to make panel board from coconut husk, which looked promising. Though he was told that it would never work, and no one succeeded making it into a viable business, Vos wasnt convinced.

That remined me of a quote from my favorite poet Rumi, When setting out on a journey, do not seek advice from someone who never left home, Vos told The Epoch Times.

He set out to northern China, found a tool shop to manufacture him a press, and after plenty of research, Vos learned how to make a pallet out of worthless coconut husksin a way that is profitable.

The first two years were quite disastrous and frustrating, but after many trials, we were able to make a decent set of pallets, he said.

As a material, coconut husk, said Vos, who launched CocoPallet, is a bulky, light-weight waste product in Asia with no appreciable use and is disposed of by burning in places like the Philippines. Long-distance transport of the material is just not feasible in manufacturing.

In our case, we need massive amounts of coconut husk nearby, Vos said. Just like any other business, we need talent, clean and reliable energy, housing, and a reliable government, and so on. Our focus for the first large plant is now in the south of the Philippines.

Vos sought a niche in a part of the world where bamboo is far more common than wood treessuch as pinewhich, he said, makes great furniture but makes less sense as single-use pallets in the shipping industry. Environmentally, the venture will save millions of trees per year, he said. CocoPallet claims to save 0.5 million trees annually.

Making pallets in Asia for shipping to America only makes sense; thats the direction products are moving. The pallet market is wide open for a cheap alternative to expensive wood; low cost, sustainable project models that can be scaled up will attract investors.

All of which led Vos to set up a plant in the Philippines.

The intrepid Dutchman delved deep into the local peoples economy to learn the ins and outs of the coconut trade where he obtains his wares directly. He visits farmers and co-ops to grasp how theyre run on the ground. You can only do this by getting yourself out of the office and in the fields, deep listening, eating together, and connecting, Vos said. This is also the part I truly love.

We source the coconut husks, we mill it to small parts, we dry this matter, feed it in the massive presses and make CocoPallets 24/7, he explained. You do not want the machines to cool down and at the same time make maximum use of your capital investments.

CocoPallet is geared toward producing the smallest carbon footprint possible, using biomass to power their boilers; and at the opposite end of the supply chain, single-use coconut husk pallets can serve as organic soil improver of considerable value to replace peat moss.

CocoPallets model has attracted global interest in investment. Vos says real-impact investors dont shy away from setbacks hes had, which are normal in innovation; meanwhile, capital looking to back green projects aboundsfew of which are scalable and cost-effective like CocoPallet is.

Investing in tobacco, fossil fuels, landmines is not done anymore, Vos explained. This will result in a competition for project such as ours.

Governments, like the Netherlands and EU, also embrace ventures like CocoPallet, which tick all the boxes in sustainability, Vos added. Locally in the Philippines, Voss company could improve the lives of people in rural areas and has been endorsed by the Philippine Coconut Authority (yes, a real ministry).

As for CocoPallets future, Vos fathoms his limits and recently welcomed aboard its new CEO and CFO, who know the Asian pallet industry through and through, and have built factories around the globe.

When I ever stand in the way of the growth of the company, I will leave immediately and step aside for people who are better fit for the job, Vos said. The brilliant thing of working with great people, you create a time accelerator. Everything goes so much faster.

Looking forward, Vos daydreams: An importer from California might say to her manufacturer of teddy bears in Chengdu, China: Please use a CocoPallet instead of the wooden pallet, we can sell these to a local pot soil company after arrival, and you save some cash.

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Economist Explains Why Chinas Economic Figures Cant Be Trusted

In China, there are two different sets of books depicting the state of the countrys economy. One set conforms to the official line promulgated by the ruling Communist Party, but its made up of fake data. This version is public. The other set contains the real data, but this set can only be accessed by Party officials or bought on the black market.

Thats according to Christopher Balding, who taught economics at Peking University Business School in Shenzhen for nine years, until 2018. That year, Balding lost his post at the university after voicing concerns about Beijings censorship practices. He then left China, citing concerns for his safety.

While most people are familiar with the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) top-down censorship constricting the populaces freedom of expression and access to information, they may not realize the extent of the censorship within the regimes sprawling bureaucracy itself, said Balding, who now resides in the United States.

There is also enormous censorship  of how information gets conveyed upward, he told EpochTVs American Thought Leaders program. Nobody goes and tells their boss, Hey, we had a bad year this year.

"Chairman Xi [Jinping] holds many titlesThe only title that really matters is that he is the chairman of the Chinese Communist PartyEven the head of state is answerable to the [#CCP]." Deep-dive w/ #China expert @BaldingsWorld WATCH on @EpochTVus: https://t.co/pnQCF6hkcZ pic.twitter.com/SRK3OxylWv  American Thought Leaders  with @JanJekielek (@AmThoughtLeader) October 25, 2021

He stated that there are absolutely different sets of books concerning economic data in China.

Regional Chinese authorities have even admitted as much in recent years. In January 2017, authorities in northeastern Chinas Liaoning Province admitted to inflating the provinces economic data from 2011 to 2014. A year later, a city in northern Chinas Inner Mongolia revised its 2017 economic data after conceding that it had incorporated fake additions.

Balding recalled an anecdote from his time in the country. A Chinese official told him that another official working at a local branch of the national statistics bureau was arrested for selling real economic data.

Balding asked the official whether the person was charged with corruption or national security offenses. Oh, national security, the official said. We cant have that information out in public.

Just to hear the confirmation that there was real data and fake data, I think, was quite eye-opening, he said.

This two-tiered system has spawned a thriving black market for data in the country, according to Balding.

However, the data-rigging game is getting harder to pull off, he said. Specifically, its getting more difficult for the regime in Beijing to align manipulated data with other data that are harder to contrive, including observable information, such as air quality and light intensity.

Reconciling a regions industrial activity figures with air quality data could be telling, he said. Economic data provided by a province with a sizable steel manufacturing base could be cross-checked by analyzing the regions air quality levels. If the provinces air quality is good, its likely that steel manufacturers have burned less coal. Thus, it would be hard to believe that the region had high levels of economic activity.

A surveillance camera is seen near the logo of the China Evergrande Group at the Evergrande Center in Shanghai on Sept. 24, 2021. (Reuters/Aly Song)

Evergrande

While much has been postulated about whether the Chinese regime can or will rescue embattled real estate developer Evergrande, Balding believes the answer to be quite simple.

The CCP absolutely can just make this problem go away very easily, he said, noting Evergrandes $300 billion in liabilities are a mere fraction of the countrys gross domestic product (GDP).

But the key question in this saga is whether the developers woes have metastasized to other sectors of the Chinese economy, such as retail and banking.

The risk is not Evergrande itself, Balding said. The real issue is [whether Beijing can] manage this so that people dont lose faith in other parts of the Chinese economy, whether its real estate, whether its an aluminum supplier, whether its [a] cement company, whether its [a] bank.

On Oct. 24, Evergrande announced that work had resumed at more than 10 property projects in six different Chinese cities, though the company hasnt disclosed the number of projects it has suspended among about 1,300 real estate projects across the country.

Balding pointed to potential troubles at one Chinese bank, Ping An Bank, headquartered in southern Chinas Shenzhen city.

According to Reuters, Ping An Bank reported that its outstanding special mention loans had increased by 37.3 percent in the third quarter, compared to the end of 2020, in its earnings report released on Oct. 20. The overdue rise in loans was attributed to a liquidity crunch at Shenzhen Baoneng, a property and financial services conglomerate.

People have faith in a bank because they can go there and get their money, Balding said. If people lose faith in the bank, even if the bank still has a good balance sheet, that bank is going to collapse because everybody wants to go get their money.

However, any troubles stemming from the Evergrande crisis will mostly be limited to within Chinas borders, according to the economist.

Theres not a lot of financial flows from outside of China into Chinese real estate. Theres not a lot of financial flows into Chinese aluminum companies, Balding said. You would, however, see very narrow and targeted direct sectors or companies feel a lot of pain.

These companies would include foreign iron ore makers, he said, as Chinese steelmakers would reduce their purchases of the raw materials.

Empty apartment developments stand in the city of Ordos, Inner Mongolia, on Sept. 12, 2011. (Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty Images)

Chinese Economy

Evergrande is hardly the only case in China of debt-fueled growth coming back to bite a company, according to Balding, who said its a country-wide issue.

China is a wildly indebted country, he said. The Chinese household is more indebted than the U.S. household.

If you were to compare Chinese household debt to Russia or Mexico, which it compares pretty closely to per capita income, the Chinese household is wildly more indebted than those other households, he said, noting most of this debt is tied to the property market.

According to the South China Morning Post, household debt as a percentage of disposable income topped a record high of 130.9 percent as of the end of 2020. Chinas household debt stood at 61.3 percent of the countrys GDP in the first quarter of 2021.

You simply cant carry forward an economy with the levels of debt that were seeing, Balding said.

Such high levels of debt will impose an enormous restraint on future spending capacity, dampening spending on luxury goods or international education, among other things.

While one could make an argument that this debt addiction, the Evergrande crisis, and other trends are conspiring to hurl the country into dangerous economic territory, Balding said that any assessment about the possibility of a financial crisis should take into account one key factor: Chinas political system.

The question of when China will face a financial crisis, in Baldings view, is a political question more than an economic or financial question.

Authoritarian regimes, such as the Chinese Communist Party, can ill afford to preside over such economic turmoil.

If there ever is a financial crisis in authoritarian states  it does not end well for leadership, Balding said.

The problem thus becomes an existential question for the communist regime, he said.

All this means that Chinese leader Xi Jinping will likely be willing to do whatever it takes to resolve a crisis.

There is no check too big that he will not write, Balding said. There is no bailout too large that he would be unwilling to bail out.

Because ultimately, Xi does not want to preside over the collapse of China.

Frank Fang journalist Follow Frank Fang is a Taiwan-based journalist. He covers news in China and Taiwan. He holds a master's degree in materials science from Tsinghua University in Taiwan.
EpochTV Review: Liar, Liar

Commentary

It doesnt seem like it should be possible at this point for there to be anyone left who still thinks the Steele Dossier holds a shred of truth in its 35 pages, but apparently there are enough people that ABC News decided it was a good idea to have George Stephanopoulos interview Michael Steele to set the record straightor something. In fact, ABC thought people would be so interested in hearing from Steele that they devoted over an hour to him, during which time Steele answered softball questions amounting to why hes the hero we all needed in 2016 and is compared to James Bond while dramatic music plays in the background. While there are commentators in the piece who point out that the Steele dossier has never been verified and he was essentially hired to compile salacious rumors meant to derail Trump, its mostly a puff piece that makes the whole affair sound very cloak-and-dagger, and like the dossier is true just because Steele really believes what he put in there happened.

Luckily for all of us, Hans Mahncke and Jeff Carlson of Truth Over News do a 15 minute analysis of the Stephanopoulos interview in The Reason for Steeles ABC Interview. After cutting through all the fluff, 15 minutes is more than long enough for the co-hosts to break down why Steele likely agreed to do the interview to begin with, and they mercifully dont bother with the tension building music. They also dont pull any punches or try to make Steele seem sympathetic by bringing up his dead wife. Instead they do something ABC stopped doing long ago: actual analysis of a subject.

Carlson is first up to bat with a nice synopsis of the many ways in which Steele and his dossier fail to live up to the hype of the ABC interview, along with some reasons why Steele undoubtedly feels now is the time to try to salvage his reputation. Carlson makes Steele sound less like James Bond and more like Maxwell Smart, noting that he left his desk job at MI6 a dozen years ago, and that he wrote his dossier because he was paid to by Hillary Clintons campaign, not out of some altruistic desire to save America from electing a supposedly compromised Donald Trump. Steeles dossier kicked the Russia, Russia, Russia! narrative into high gear, a narrative that still rears its ugly, insufferable head on occasion, so its gratifying to watch Carlson list the legal trouble Steele and other members of the Clinton campaign now find themselves in for spinning a tall tale about Trump that made it all the way to the FISA court.

Mahncke follows to punch holes in the hull of Steeles Im the good guy boat by calling out not only the lies Steele told in his dossier but Stephanopoulos himselfwho many younger viewers may not realize worked for Bill Clinton when Clinton was in the White House groping interns. Mahncke perfectly describes the almost casual questions Stephanopoulos asked throughout the interview, none of which were meant to probe very deeply into the dossier or Steeles motivations, and that when Steele did get a question that was a little tougher, he dodged the answer. Its amusing to see Mahnckewho is typically a straight shooter and doesnt let much emotion bleed into his commentaryhuff sarcastically at Steeles absurd assertion that he didnt want to reveal his sources to protect their identities when everyone already knows who Steeles sources are, and all have stepped forward to wash their hands of him.

Mahncke then mentions the role John Durhams investigation likely plays in the timing of Steeles interview. For many months during Trumps term, the political right looked to Durham as their last hope to round up all the dirty players involved in the Russian asset nothingburger, eventually deciding that yet again, no one would be held accountable as Durhams investigation dragged on and on. That all changed in September when Michael Sussman, a Clinton campaign attorney, was charged with lying to the FBI about supposed ties the Trump Organization had with Russia. As Mahncke points out, Sussman is also tied to a lawsuit recently filed by Alfa Bank, the largest private bank in Russia, against Fusion GPS and a John Doe who fabricated the documents used to allegedly defame Alfa Bank. Since Sussman and GPS directed Steele to write reports on Alfa Bank, and since Steele has been directed to testify in a separate Alfa Bank case filed against Fusion GPS and its owner, Glen Simpson, it certainly seems like Steele is running out of time to salvage any credibility he had before deciding to play politics with the Clintons.

The Reason for Steeles ABC Interview | Truth Over News [Full Episode]

Watch the full episode here.

Carlson untangles the connections between Steele, Fusion GPS, and Perkins Coie, the Clinton campaigns law firm in 2016 where Sussman had previously served as a partner. Steele was able to give Perkins Coie an in with the media as well as the FBI, where hed served as a confidential source. Steeles FBI handler, Michael Gaeta, gained permission from the outgoing Obama administration to meet with Steele in London and get what was essentially a first draft of Steeles dossier, which Gaeta then passed on to Victoria Nuland in the State Department. Carlson recounts that Nuland shuttled the dossier to both the FBI and John Kerry, who was the head of the State Department at the time, while Steele was meeting with journalists to promote his salacious dossier as a factual retelling of the many ways in which Donald Trump was compromised by Russia. Eventually Steele met with David Corn of Mother Joneshardly an unbiased news organizationand Michael Isikoff of Yahoo! News.

Isikoffs article would later be used by the FBI as proof that Steeles dossier had been validated when they sought warrants from the FISA court to spy on Carter Page. Essentially, the FBI claimed the information in Steeles dossier was verified because Steele told Isikoff it was. Corns article was similarly used as proof that the Trump Organization had ties to Alfa Bank as Michael Sussman was claiming. Carlson lays out in detail the Inspector Generals findings on the veracity of Steeles dossier (spoiler alert, nothing in it was verified that isnt publicly available online), which makes it laughable that Steele stood so staunchly by his dossier in his interview with Stephanopoulos. Basically, Steele is still playing the tired refrain that the contents of his dossier are true because he says they are.

Mahncke focuses on the Inspector Generals report next, a little more sarcasm bleeding into his tone at points for which I really cant blame him. The IG report found that Steele wasnt the first-hand source for any of the information in his dossier. Instead he used the I heard it from this guy method of gathering intel, only the guy he heard it from, Igor Danchenko, told the FBI there wasnt some grand conspiracy on the part of the Trump campaign and Vladimir Putin, and that some of his own subsources didnt say what the dossier claimed they did. Those subsources signed affidavits saying they never told Danchenko those things that ended up in the dossier. Steele was well aware these subsources had no access to the kind of information he said theyd given him, but he still put it in the dossier anyway, which Stephanopoulos didnt find pertinent to mention. Its no wonder Mahncke sounds just slightly frustrated when recounting the content of the ABC interview, when even a United Kingdom court has flatly stated that Steeles reporting was inaccurate or misleading as a matter of fact. Theres also the matter of Alfa Bank suing Steele for making up a story about them funneling money for Putin when he was St. Petersburgs Deputy Mayor. Steele lost that case and had to pay damages to Alfa Bank. One begins to suspect that Steele wouldnt know a true story about Russia if it jumped up and bit him.

We then arrive with Carlson at the pee tape story, the claim that the Trump campaign was colluding with Russia, and that Russia was responsible for giving Wikileaks Hillary Clintons emailsall of which were allegedly supplied by Sergei Millian, who was also supposedly the middle man between Trump and his Kremlin connections. Unsurprisingly, this was all fabricated by Danchenko, who had never met Millian and who didnt even contact him until after Steele had already begun publishing his reports that listed Millian as a source. Carlson explains that Steele wrote reports on demand, depending on whatever angle the Clinton campaign wanted to pursue and none of which were true. By this point in the episode, its clear that you could fill an entire Jeopardy! category with the claims made in Steeles dossier and title it Things That Never Happened.

Mahncke returns to close out the episode by detailing how everyone, even Trump-hating journalists, have now changed their tune on Steeles dossier and are admitting they never should have taken it at face value. Isikoff has gone from saying, Look at these explosive allegations! to YeahI probably should have checked into that a little more before publishing it. Even the Washington Post is distancing itself from Steele and his claims about Michael Cohen, vice president of the Trump campaign, having met with Russian oligarchs in Prague. They were unable to verify Cohen was ever in Prague to begin with, and Robert Mueller barely mentioned Steele in his final report on the nonexistent Russia-Trump collusion. With one final swipe at ABC and the mainstream media in general, Mahncke warns viewers that the timing of the Steele interview might be to encourage other people who were involved in the Russia hoax not to change their stories, even after Sussmans indictment. Thats why it matters that this episode be watched and shared, to further underscore that the stories outlined in the Steele dossier are exactly that: stories fabricated for a rabid anti-Trump segment of the population, with no more factual basis than Little Red Riding Hood.

Spreading the truth about Steeles fictions may be the only way we are spared future interviews from the former MI6 paper pusher who has apparently never met a lie about Donald Trump that he didnt like.

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Facing the Threat of the Chinese Communist Party

Understanding the CCPs extent, and intent, is key, says Clyde Prestowitz

Nearly 20 years after China was admitted to the World Trade Organization, China hasnt become more democratic or free. And Western capital has ultimately only strengthened Chinas communist regime.

We were fooling ourselves, says Clyde Prestowitz.

Prestowitz was a leader in the first U.S. trade mission to China in 1982, and hes served as an adviser to four presidents, both Republican and Democrat. He is the author of The World Turned Upside Down: America, China, and the Struggle for Global Leadership.

Heres an excerpt of an interview with Jan Jekielek, host of EpochTVs American Thought Leaders.

Jan Jekielek: What comes through in your book is how important the supremacy of the Party is to the leadership, and frankly, to anything anyone ever does there, right?

Clyde Prestowitz: Right. Its important for people in the West to try to get a grasp of the extent and intent of the Chinese Communist Party. We say Chinese Communist Party, but we could also say a Leninist party.

Whats the difference? The point here is that Lenin established a model for governing in which complete power is concentrated in the hands of very few people who are the party. The characteristic of a Leninist party is one that it seeks to control everything narrowly, in very few hands.

And secondly, its paranoiac. That means that it has to survey constantly whats going on in every element of the society, be it medicine or arts or engineering or whatever it is. The party has to know whats going on and surveil that and be sure that theres no threat to the party there.

You see that in what is developing in China with surveillance using artificial intelligence to track people and social scores and so forth. That grows out of this paranoia of the party.

Imagine that the president of the United States named, appointed, every governor of every state, every mayor of every city, every CEO of every major corporation.

The few top leaders of the Chinese Communist Party have a program. They have a complete strategy. Theyre thinking: What is our technology strategy? What is our military strategy? What is our welfare strategy? They have a completely coordinated strategy across the board, and nothing is being left to chance.

This is so alien to the West, and particularly to the individualistic United States, that its hard for us to grasp. But if we dont grasp that, we cant adequately respond to the challenge that China poses.

Mr. Jekielek: Something that you mentioned is this idea that Xi plays a central role in choosing the CEOs of all the major corporations. Is that really true?

Mr. Prestowitz: Well, think about it. One-third of the Chinese GDP is generated by state-owned corporations. The heads of the state-owned corporations are directly named by the Party. So already, hes naming at least one-third of the major CEOs.

Mr. Jekielek: Those are the massive companies.

Mr. Prestowitz: Yes, right. Those are the huge state-owned things. Theyre spread all over the world. I mean, the Port of Piraeus in Greece, several of the ports in Australia, are run or owned by state-owned Chinese corporations.

Even when the Party doesnt directly name the head of a corporation, the head of that corporation, whoever it is, is subordinate to the Party.

More important even than that is this: Lets take an American corporation. Everybody knows Apple. Many people have iPhones or they have some Apple product, right? Now, in America, we call Apple an American company, and it technically is because its incorporated in America.

But think about it this way. In Washington, D.C., Tim Cook is a very powerful player. He spends millions of dollars in Washington on lobbyists, lawyers, advertising, you name it. He has power in Washington. He has instant entree. If he wants to talk to President Biden, he picks up the phone and he talks. If he wants to see a senator or a congressman, he gets that meeting. He makes big donations.

Apple, the corporation, makes political donations. He is a powerful force in Washington. In China, hes on his knees. He kowtows, just like all the other Chinese. He has no political influence at all in China.

To give you what this means, in 2015, the FBI in the United States was investigating a case. In order to solve the case, they needed to be able to open an Apple iPhone. They asked Apple to help them. And Apple said, No way. We are not opening anything for you. FBI, go jump in a lake. The FBI said, OK, well take you to court. They began court proceedings against Apple.

Now, as it turned out, the FBI found an independent technologist who helped them open the phone, and so they dropped the cases. But Apple absolutely refused to cooperate with the U.S. government and the FBI.

OK, fast-forward to 2019, and kids are demonstrating in Hong Kong against the imposition of the communist system in Hong Kong. Apple has, in its App Store, an app called Hong Kong Map Live, which, if you have the app, means that you can look at Hong Kong in real time.

What the kids were doing was they were looking at Hong Kong in real time and they were saying: OK, the police are over there. Well demonstrate over here. That just drove Beijing crazy. The China Peoples Daily, the mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, began writing very strong editorials against this app.

Within two days, that app was out of the App Store. That gives you an idea of the relative [power]. In America, Tim Cook would not have taken the app out of the App Store, but in China, he takes it out.

Everything that Apple makes is made in China. Given that, in China, Tim and his team have virtually no power. Given that everything they make is in China and given how dependent they are on the Chinese infrastructure, we need realistically to recognize that Apple is a Chinese company. Its not an American company.

Apple will respond more quickly to what Xi Jinping wants than what Joe Biden wants. Xi Jinping is much more powerful vis-a-vis Apple than Joe Biden. Many other American companies, General Electric, FedEx, you name it, are all kowtowing. They have to kowtow to the Chinese Communist Party. They effectively have become captives of the Chinese Communist Party.

Mr. Jekielek: America, as you say, was convinced that it would reshape China, the Chinese regime, in its own image, but you say, Well, actually it was America that was reshaped somehow.

Mr. Prestowitz: The Americans had a view, and it became the view of the establishment. Whether they were Republican or Democrat, they were all convinced it was going to become a liberal, free-market, democratic world. Globalization became a watchword.

Its now obvious that China is not going to become like us. Its obvious that the Chinese are not aiming to become part of our rules-based order. China is building its own order.

Our battle is not with the Chinese people. Its with the Chinese Communist Party.

Mr. Jekielek: Give us a sense of where youre going.

Mr. Prestowitz: Xi Jinping is now taking measures to impose greater control and greater oversight of individuals in China to control them more. The more a free-world entity invests in China and helps to strengthen this anti-free speech, anti-liberty, anti-soul Communist Party, the more its not about money. Its about fundamental human values.

I think that increasingly major corporations are going to find it very difficult to justify making money at the expense of human values. Im optimistic thats the direction its going to go.

There are some other things we need to keep in mind. China has been growing economically very rapidly. But its also aging rapidly. Its population is going to shrink dramatically. Today, there are 1.4 billion Chinese. By the end of the century, its going to be down to about 700 million, about half of todays present population.

In my view, we need to make America the leading manufacturing country and the leading technology country. We need to do that with our allies. We need to pull the free world together.

As long as youre dependent, youre vulnerable to coercion. Coercion is Chinas way of operating. So we need to make ourselves independent of coercion.
In Maryland, three conservative counties in the western part of the state have gotten so tired of getting overlooked by the Democrats who control state politics that they have started the process of secession. These three counties sent a letter to West Virginia, asking whether they can join.

And actually, this type of thing is not only happening in Maryland.

Several counties in Oregon similarly voted to secede and join the state of Idaho. They essentially dont like Portland politicians running the state so much that theyre voting with their feet.

Lastly, the Illinois Supreme Court recently unanimously ruled that a tax on guns and ammo that was being levied against Americans living in Cook County was unconstitutional.

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Families protest mask mandates before the Hillsborough County Schools Board meeting held at the district office in Tampa, Florida, on July 27, 2021. (Octavio Jones/Getty Images)

Florida Withholds Federal Grant Money From 2 Counties for Mask Mandates

The Florida Department of Education withheld more than $600,000 this month from two counties that are openly defying the states restriction on blanket mask mandates.

The move is in open defiance of the Biden administration, which had warned in a letter on Monday that the federal government is prepared to initiate enforcement action to stop these impermissible state actions.

The Florida Department of Education (FDOE) withheld $164,000 from Alachua County and $455,000 from Broward County. The two amounts consist of a portion of the salaries of the school board members for each county as well as the full amount of federal grants that the counties applied for. The federal grants were meant to replenish the money the county schools were being docked for defying the states restriction on school mask mandates.

The penalties are the latest in the political saga between the White House and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis over the best health policies for responding to the CCP virus pandemic. The U.S. Department of Education did not respond to a request for comment.

A rule approved by the FDOE requires all schools in the Sunshine State to allow parents to opt-out of mask mandates. Alachua and Broward defied the restriction by obligating parents to hand in a doctors note to apply for an exemption.

Carlee Simon, the superintendent of Alachua County Public Schools, said in a statement that the state stripped her district of federal funds, which it had not yet received.

I am appalled that the state would penalize the district by pulling funding we have not even received, Simon said.

Broward County Public Schools did not respond to a request for comment.

The Florida State Board of Education earlier this month approved plans to withhold a months salary from school board members in districts with classroom mask mandates and reduce overall funding if those counties receive a federal grant intended to offset the states fines.

Floridas ban on classroom mask mandates without parental opt-out options quickly sparked legal challenges. A Leon County judge ruled over the summer that DeSantis did not have authority to ban local school mask mandates under Floridas Parents Bill of Rights law. The governor appealed, and the 1st District Court of Appeal issued a stay allowing the ban on mandates to remain while the merits of the case are considered.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Nicholas Kristof of the film 'Reporter' poses for a portrait at the Film Lounge Media Center during the 2009 Sundance Film Festival on Jan 17, 2009 in Park City, Utah. (Matt Carr/Getty Images)

Former NYT Columnist Nicholas Kristof Announces Run for Oregon Governor

Former New York Times Opinion columnist and foreign correspondent Nicholas Kristof announced his bid for Oregons governor on Wednesday.

Ive never run for political office in my life, Kristof, who is running as a Democrat, said in a campaign video posted on social media, expressing it as an asset. He said he felt compelled to run for governor because, after covering crises around the world, he was heartbroken to see ones afflicting his home state.

I have spent a lifetime shining a light in the darkest corners of the globe, and it broke my heart when I returned from crises abroad only to find crises here at home, and thats why Im running for governor, he said.

Its hard to watch your home state struggle when you can make a difference on homelessness, education, jobs, he wrote on Twitter in announcing his run for governor of Oregon.

With a career spanning nearly four decades at The New York Times, Kristof, 62, who grew up outside Yamhill, Oregon, won a Pulitzer in 1990 with his wife and colleagues for work on the pro-democracy movement in China and at Tiananmen Square. He has also been a Pulitzer finalist a further seven times.

Kristof had been on leave from The New York Times since June as he explored a run for Oregon governor, and announced his resignation from the news outlet earlier this month.

He joins a crowded field of Democrats seeking their partys nomination to be the candidate in the 2022 election to succeed current Democratic Gov. Kate Brown, who is term-limited and unable to run for office again. Candidates include Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek and state Treasurer Tobias Read. Democrats have held the governors office since 1987.

In his campaign video, Kristof said political leaders have been unable to resolve issues such as drug addiction, homelessness, unaffordable housing, a spiraling homicide rate in Portland, and weak mental health support.

Nothing will change until we stop moving politicians up the career ladder year after year, even though they refuse to step up to the problems Oregon faces, said the former journalist.

Its time to do something about a system thats rigged against so many ordinary Oregonians. But nothing will change until we stop moving politicians up the career ladder year after year even though they refuse to step up to the problems Oregon faces, Kristof said.

Kristof has faced questions of whether hes even eligible to run for governor. According to the law, a candidate must have been a resident of the state for at least three years before an election. Kristof voted in New York state in November 2020.

Kristof and his wife, Sheryl WuDunnwho also was a New York Times reporterbought a 150-acre property in Yamhill in 1993 and have worked the land and paid Oregon property taxes on it.

When Abe Rosenthal hired me in 1984 to cover international economics for The [New York] Times, I figured I would leave only by retirement, Kristof said in announcing his resignation this month. This has been my dream job, even with malaria, a plane crash in Congo and periodic arrests abroad for committing journalism. Yet here I am, resigning  very reluctantly.

Ive been on the ride of a lifetime with The [New York] Times. Ive gotten to know presidents and tyrants, Nobel laureates and warlords, while visiting 160 countries. And precisely because I have a great job, outstanding editors and the best readers, I may be an idiot to leave, he continued.

But you all know how much I love Oregon, and how much Ive been seared by the suffering of old friends there. So Ive reluctantly concluded that I should try not only to expose problems but also see if I can fix them directly.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A sign reading "security area" at the entrance of the Port of Le Havre, France, on May 9, 2019. (Benoit Tessier/Reuters)

France Detains British Trawler Amid Fishing Rights Dispute

French authorities have detained a British trawler for fishing in French territorial waters without a licence amid an ongoing tussle for post-Brexit fishing rights.

The detention of the vessel took place the same day French authorities announced further retaliatory measures over the UKs refusal to license more French trawlers to fish in its waters.

French authorities say theyve stepped up surveillance of fishing vessels during negotiations on licensing, with French maritime gendarmes making multiple checks during the night on fishing vessels off the northern French port of Le Havre.

According to the French maritime ministry, two boats were fined on Oct. 27 after one failed to comply with police checks and the other was found to be without a proper licence.

English fishing industry representatives have accused the French government of politicising the dispute over licenses and ramping up rhetoric ahead of the upcoming French presidential election.

The vessels captain could face criminal charges, with his catch confiscated, according to the French maritime ministry.

The French government said that after Nov. 2, extra customs checks will be imposed on British goods.

European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune signalled that France would be forceful in the dispute.

So now we need to speak the language of strength, since that seems to be the only thing this British government understands, Beaune told news channel CNews.

Barrie Deas, from the National Federation of Fishermens Organisations, told the BBC that descending into a tit for tat relationship was unhelpful.

It may be normal enforcement action, but against the background of the threatening noises coming from the French government  its very concerning, he said. Theres a presidential election coming up in France and all the signs are that the rhetoric has been ramped up ahead of that on the fishing issue.

Its a bit strange because the French fleets fish much more in UK waters than we fish in their waters.

A UK government spokesperson described the threats from France as disproportionate and not what we would expect from a close ally and partner.

The measures being threatened do not appear to be compatible with the Trade and Co-operation Agreement (TCA) and wider international law, and, if carried through, will be met with an appropriate and calibrated response, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson also noted that the UK has granted 98 percent of EU license applications to fish in British waters.

Negotiations between the UK and the European Commission, the EU executive, over the dispute on fishing rights have continued this week.

Additional customs checks on goods travelling between Britain and the continent via the Channel Tunnel and ferries could seriously disrupt trade flows just as businesses stock up for the year-end festive period.

PA and Reuters contributed to this article.
A barge carries the eighth and final giant section of the overturned cargo ship Golden Ray, from the coastal Georgia waterway, on Oct. 25. 2021. (Terry Dickson/The Brunswick News via AP)

Georgia Shipwrecks Last Giant Chunk Removed From Water

BRUNSWICK, Ga.The final giant chunk of an overturned cargo ship was removed from waters along the coast of Georgia on Monday, almost a year after demolition began on the wreck that tipped over with 4,200 automobiles in its cargo decks.

Weighing more than 4,000 metric tons (4,410 U.S. tons), the eighth and last section of the South Korean freighter Golden Ray left the wreck site off St. Simons Island after a crane lowered it onto a big barge outfitted with a special cradle to hold the wreckage.

This is the end of the wreck removal phase, said Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Himes, a spokesman for the multiagency command in charge of the demolition.

But the salvage job isnt over. Big pieces of the ships side and other debris were left behind after the ships center, the most damaged part of the vessel, was cut in two, Himes said. Those were the final two sections removed.

Cleanup of that debris and stray wreckage that fell from the other larger sections, including some cars, will take two weeks or longer, Himes said. Then crews will remove metal shipping containers and rock placed around the partly submerged wreck to stabilize it during demolition, as well as take down the giant mesh barrier installed around the site to contain debris.

That should all be finished before the end of the year, Himes said.

A Moran tugboat nears the stern of the capsizing cargo ship Golden Ray as rescuers can be seen near the bottom of the ship near the tug boat, off St. Simons Island, Ga., on Sept. 9, 2019. (Stephen B. Morton/AP Photo)

Meanwhile, the last two large sections taken from the wreck site must be broken down further before they can depart Georgia for a salvage yard in Louisiana. Himes said that likely wont be done until early 2022.

The ship capsized onto its side on Sept. 9, 2019, shortly after departing the Port of Brunswick. All crew members were rescued safely, but salvage experts deemed the ship itself, measuring 656 feet (199 meters) long, was a complete loss.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board reported the combined losses totaled more than $204 million. The agency concluded an officers error in calculating the ships stability left its center of gravity too high, causing the vessel to capsize.

They settled on a plan to straddle the shipwreck with a towering crane and use a long anchor chain powered by winches and pulleys to slowly saw it into eight giant pieces for removal.

Demolition work began last Nov. 6 and was periodically interrupted by breaks in the chain, one big fire that engulfed the wreck after being sparked by cutting torches and leaking oil that fouled 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) of beach and marsh grasses.

Some conservationists have asked the multiagency command overseeing the demolition for a formal assessment to determine the extent of the ecological damage from oil spills and other pollutants that came from the wreck. No decision has been announced.

By Russ Bynum
Gov. Newsom Heads to Climate Conference in Scotland

Commentary

Next week Gov. Gavin Newsom will fly to Scotland for the United Nations Glasgow Climate Change Conference. With his resounding Sept. 14 recall victory in the rearview mirror and a likely re-election next year, he is riding high on the world stage. The Sacramento Bee reported more than a dozen state legislators will also be in tow.

Newsom earlier this year signed an executive order banning the sale of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035. Its unknown how that will be enforced. And if he wins re-election next year and completes a full term, he would leave office in 2027, eight years before the order took full effect.

Most California governors or U.S. senators automatically become presidential material, and Newsom is no exception. With President Bidens health in question, Newsom could vie with fellow Californian Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic Partys 2024 nomination. Burnishing his environmental bona fides is essential to his ambitions.

Biden will also be going to Glasgow for the event, also called Conference of the Parties 26, or COP26, because its the 26th conference of the countries that signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1994. COP26 originally was scheduled for November 2020, but postponed due to COVID-19.

Although Harris will not be attending COP26, she will meet in Paris with President Emmanuel Macron afterwards to mend fences after the recent tiff over selling U.S. instead of French submarines to Australia. While there, CNN reported, Harris will deliver a speech at the fourth annual Paris Peace Forum on November 11 and participate in the Paris Conference on Libya on November 12.

Unfortunately, it looks like Chinese President Xi Jinping will not be attending COP26. Otherwise Biden and Newsom could ask the dictator why the Peoples Republic of China continues to spew out more greenhouse gases than the U.S. and EU combined, as I reported on ET here and here.

Electric Vehicle Problems

A big problem for Newsoms green plan could be the evidence mounting that battery-power cars are counterproductive for the environment. An Oct. 21, 2021 study (pdf) by the Anderson Economic Group is titled: Comparison: Real World Cost of Fueling EVs and ICE Vehicles. Subtitle: Electric vehicles can be more expensive to fuel than their internal combustion engine counterparts. ICE is internal combustion engine.

The study took account of such often overlooked costs as the cost of chargers and their installation, as well as deadhead miles. EV drivers incur costs of driving miles to a commercial charger for the sole purpose of charging. By comparison, there are over 100,000 gas stations in the US.

In one example set in Michigan, the direct monetary costs to drive 100 miles in an ICE vehicle is between $8 and $12, and in an EV is between $12 and $15.

California also has the additional problem of antiquated electricity transmission lines coupled with new, parallel lines being put up to transmit power from recent wind and solar energy production. As CalMatters reported, Like many other states moving forward with energy transition strategies, California is beset by a decades-old system for moving power that lacks flexibility when its most needed.

Californias electricity costs are 19.9 cents per hour, compared to the national average of 13.19 cents. Rolling blackouts remain a problem. Then there are the periodic wildfires often caused by sparking power lines that ought to be put underground.

While in Scotland, Newsom might hear of the problems Germany has been having with its Energiewendeenergy transition through decarbonization. Last winter the country was hit with a massive snowstorm. Reported World News Era in February, Germanys Green Energy Failure: Germany turns back to coal and natural gas as millions of its solar panels are blanketed in snow and ice. Its ironic a strategy designed to combat global warming was shut down by a winter deep freeze.

Germanys energy problem was part of a crisis gripping all the European Union. AP reported from Brussels, European Union ministers on Tuesday held emergency talks focused on energy that did not produce immediate results amid deep divergences between the 27 member countries on how to tackle a crunch that has seen consumers bills skyrocket this year.

Throughout the world, green politicians face the dilemma that consumers will go only so far in paying higher prices for green energy before revolting and electing new representatives. Given the difficulties of the Republican Party in California, it may be the Democratic Party will split in two, although not officially. Legislators representing poor, working-class areas could revolt against the elitist, Tesla-driving Bay Area environmentalists and demand lower energy costs for homes and older cars on long commutes.

Three Cheers for James Watt

Finally, its ironic the COP26 is being held in Glasgow. The University of Glasgows most famous student is James Watt, whose steam-engine innovations kicked off the industrial revolution 250 years ago. Some environmentalist groups are decrying this, even though a major result of the industrial revolution was reducing childhood mortality from about 50 percent to 1 percent.

The industrial revolution also produced all the modern conveniences we enjoy, from a global food supply that prevents famines to modern medical marvels. Like any human invention, there have been problems, including harm to the environment. But the harm should not be exaggerated. And it certainly should not be singled out apart from the immense improvement to human lives.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Group Busted Allegedly Smuggling Cocaine in Childrens Lunchboxes

Five people have been charged in New York for allegedly smuggling cocaine in childrens lunchboxes and school binders depicting images of popular cartoon characters, authorities announced on Oct. 27.

New Yorks Special Narcotics Prosecutor is alleging that the group shipped numerous packages containing cocaine from Puerto Rico to New York and Massachusetts between May 2020 and July 2021, according to a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) statement.

They would allegedly hide bricks of cocaine in the small zipper bags and mail them from Puerto Rico to residential addresses in New York state, including in Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, and Greene County, as well as to Massachusetts.

Often, the named recipients were either fictitious or were actual individuals not associated with the address, the statement reads. Frequently, the return addresses were in New York, despite the packages originating in Puerto Rico. At least two packages bore the return address of a luxury clothing boutique in Upper Manhattan.

Based on the hallmarks of several packages recovered by authorities, U.S. Postal Inspectors uncovered about 100 similar packages that have been shipped since May 2020.

Investigators used fingerprints to tie six packages to different members of the group.

In all, investigators recovered more than 66 pounds of cocaine.

Concealing narcotic drugs in childrens lunchboxes was the modus operandi for this organization. If this tactic was designed to throw off law enforcement, it did not work, Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget Brennan said in the statement.

Alleged ringleader Carlos Duarte, aka Showtime, was arrested on the morning of Oct. 27 in his Yonkers home by agents, officers, and inspectors from the DEA, New York Police Department, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. They recovered from the scene nearly a pound of a white powdery substance, some of which tested positive as cocaine in a field test, according to the DEA statement.

Fellow alleged ringleader Alexis Garcia, aka Ale G., was apprehended in front of a Yonkers recording studio with $12,000 on him. Authorities found another $32,000 in cash at his home.

The two men worked as managers representing recording artists in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, the investigators found.

Frequent travel in connection with this work allegedly served as a cover for narcotics-related activity, the statement reads.

Of the three other alleged culprits, Rual Sweeney was arrested on the night of Oct. 26 in the Bronx. Wesley Coddington, aka Lucky, was arrested on Jan. 22 in the Bronx. Inside the car he was in during the arrest, agents and officers found a hidden trap compartment in the back seat area with two lunchboxes stuffed with about two kilograms (4.4 pounds) of cocaine, according to the statement. Bryan Centeno-Rosado was arrested on April 29 while riding a livery car in Yonkers. Officers and agents recovered two lunchboxes stuffed with four kilograms (8.8 pounds) of cocaine.

The group faces charges including conspiracy in the second degree, criminal sale of a controlled substance in the first degree, and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the first and third degrees. Duarte also faces the top narcotics charge of operating as a major trafficker.

Over the years, we have seen many creative ways that drug traffickers conceal illegal narcotics in an effort to elude detection from law enforcement. Hiding narcotics in kid branded items is pathetic, Postal Inspector in Charge Philip Bartlett said in the statement.

Make no mistake, law enforcement will spare no resource to bring them to justice for their crimes in an effort to maintain the safety of the communities we serve.
A sign with an image of assassinated President Jovenel Moise is seen as members of the Haitian National Police clear a street blockade set up in protest of insecurity and fuel shortages, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Oct. 25, 2021. (Ralph Tedy Erol/Reuters)

Haiti Crippled by Fuel Shortages as Gang Leader Demands Prime Minister Resign

PORT-AU-PRINCEHaitis streets were unusually quiet on Tuesday and gasoline stations remained dry as gangs blocked the entrance to ports that hold fuel stores and the countrys main gang boss demanded that Prime Minister Ariel Henry resign.

Days-long fuel shortages have left Haitians with few transportation options and forced the closure of some businesses. Hospitals, which rely on diesel generators to ensure electricity due to constant blackouts, may shut down as well.

The situation has put further pressure on a population already struggling under a weakening economy and a wave of gang kidnappings, which include the abduction earlier this month of a group of Canadian and American missionaries.

Jimmy Barbecue Cherizier, leader of the G9 coalition of gangs in the metropolitan area of the capital, Port-au-Prince, said in a radio interview on Monday night that he would ensure safe passage of fuel trucks if Henry leaves office.

The areas under the control of the G9 are blocked for one reason onlywe demand the resignation of Ariel Henry, Cherizier said in an interview on Haitis Radio Mega.

If Ariel Henry resigns at 8 a.m., at 8:05 a.m. we will unblock the road and all the trucks will be able to go through to get fuel.

Jimmy Barbecue Cherizier, leader of the G9 coalition of gangs in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince, looks on after speaking to members of the media, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Oct. 26, 2021. (Ralph Tedy Erol/Reuters)

A spokesperson for Henrys office did not respond to a request for comment. Reuters was unable to contact Cherizier.

His statements show how gangs have taken on an increasingly political role following the July assassination of President Jovenel Moise. Cherizier has said Henry should answer questions linking him to Moises murder. Henry has denied any involvement.

Elections had originally been scheduled for November but were suspended after Henry last month dismissed the council that organizes elections, which critics had accused of being biased in favor of Moise. Henry has promised to appoint a non-partisan council that will set a new date.

Kidnappings have been in the headlines for months as Haitians from all walks of life face abduction by the increasingly powerful gangs.

The missionaries traveling as part of a trip organized by Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries were abducted by a gang called 400 Mawozo that operates east of the capital and is seeking a ransom of $1 million for each person.

Christian Aid Ministries asked people in a statement on Tuesday to remember both those being held hostage as well as those recovering from the experience of being kidnapped.

The State Department said last week the U.S. government had dispatched a small team to assist in efforts to locate and free the missionaries.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Tuesday the United States had deployed a significant number of law enforcement specialists and hostage recovery specialists to Haiti.

The Worst Ive Seen

Haitis foreign aid bureau, BMPAD, which oversees fuel procurement, tweeted a video saying the country had 150,000 barrels of diesel and 50,000 barrels of gasoline, with another 50,000 barrels of gasoline set to arrive on Wednesday.

A total of 100,000 barrels of diesel and gasoline would supply Haitis fuel needs for five to seven days, said Marc Andre Deriphonse, head of the countrys service-station owners association, ANAPROSS.

A member of the Haitian National Police deters protesters in front of the National Palace during a demonstration against insecurity and fuel shortages, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Oct. 25, 2021. (Ralph Tedy Erol/Reuters)

Businesses have been warned that they may have to halt operations for lack of fuel. Telecoms firms said some cell towers are no longer in operation.

This is the worst Ive seen, said one motorcycle taxi driver waiting to pick up passengers outside Port-au-Prince, when asked about the fuel shortages. He declined to give his name.

Motorcycle drivers strap one-gallon containers to their bikes in the hopes of filling them with fuel sold on the black market. A gallon of gasoline on the street can now fetch $20, compared with typical filling-station prices of around $2.

Transportation industry leaders have called for strikes to protest the wave of kidnappings, which have disproportionately affected truck drivers and public transport workers.

United Nations childrens agency UNICEF said on Sunday it had negotiated fuel deliveries to Haitian hospitals but that the provider later refused to make the deliveries, citing security conditions.

At one police station near Port-au-Prince, two officers had been unable to get to work due to fuel shortages, according to a police official, who asked not to be named because he is not authorized to speak with reporters.

Most of our vehicles have about a quarter of a tank, he said.

By Brian Ellsworth and Gessika Thomas
The trailer of Hong Kong movie 'The Attorney' is seen outside a cinema, in Hong Kong, on Oct. 27, 2021. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

Hong Kong Passes Film Censorship Law to Safeguard National Security

HONG KONGHong Kongs legislature passed a new film censorship law on Wednesday to safeguard national security, though critics say it will dampen creativity in its world-famous movie industry and further reduce freedoms in the former British colony.

The Chinese communist regime imposed a sweeping national security law over its most restive city last year, and Hong Kongs legislature has no opposition lawmakers left after mass resignations from the pro-democracy camp in protest against the ousting of some colleagues.

The Hong Kong government said the film censorship law was aimed at content deemed to endorse, support, glorify, encourage, and incite activities that might endanger national security.

The law empowers Hong Kongs chief secretary, the second-most powerful figure in the citys administration, to revoke a films licence if it is found to be contrary to national security interests.

Punishment for violating the law included up to three years imprisonment and fines of up to HK$1 million ($128,400).

The goal is very clear: its to improve the film censorship system, to prevent any act endangering the national security, Commerce Secretary Edward Yau told the Legislative Council.

Critics, however, voiced fears that the new law would harm Hong Kongs vibrant cinema industry, whose output ranges from Bruce Lees innovative martial arts movies to acclaimed director Wong Kar-wais arthouse films.

Adding national security clauses to the bill is clear political censorship, said Kenny Ng, associate professor at the Academy of Film at Hong Kong Baptist University.

Its heavy-handed. The film industry will need time to adapt.

Since the national security law was introduced in response to mass 2019 pro-democracy protests, most opposition politicians and activists have been jailed, either under the new law or for other alleged crimes, or have fled into exile.

Scrutiny over education, arts, media, and culture has intensified. Book publishers have admitted to self-censoring, cinemas have pulled a protest documentary, and a university cancelled a press photography exhibition. A contemporary art museum said national security police could vet its collections. Pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily closed in June amid a national security probe.

This year, for the first time since 1969, the Oscars were not broadcasted in Hong Kong, matching decisions in mainland China, despite an unprecedented nomination for a Hong Kong-born director.

Authorities reject the description of their actions as a crackdown on civil society and say the rights and freedoms promised to Hong Kong upon its return to Chinese rule in 1997 remain intact, but national security is a red line.

Filmmaker Kiwi Chow, whose documentary Revolution of Our Times chronicles the 2019 protests and was featured at this years Cannes Film Festival, says the bill hurts the local movie industry by reducing the freedom to create.

It will worsen self-censorship and fuel fear among filmmakers, Chow told Reuters.
Illinois Day Care Worker Vaccine Mandate Could Lead to Staffing Shortages

Illinois day care centers are concerned whether they will be able to staff locations after Democrat Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued an executive order requiring day care center workers statewide to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

Pritzker issued the order (pdf) Friday for the states more than 55,000 day care workers. The deadline for the first shot of coronavirus vaccination is Dec. 3. The second shot deadline is Jan. 3, 2022.

Vaccinations offer life-saving protection for the people who receive them and make the community safer for the people who cantincluding the babies, toddlers, and young children not yet eligible for the vaccine, the governor said in a statement.

By extending vaccine-or-test requirements to those who work at licensed day care centers, we are adding another level of protection for our youngest residents and preventing outbreaks in day care centers as more and more parents return to work, Pritzker added.

The executive order states, Daycare center staff statewide are required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine if they have not done so already. Employees in these settings who are unable or unwilling to receive the vaccine will be required to get tested for COVID-19 at least once per week. Increased testing frequency may be required in certain situations.

Individuals can apply for a medical or religious exemption, according to the executive order.

The states Women of the Senate Republican Caucus issued a statement Friday opposing the governors order.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating for families across the state, but women in the workforce have been especially impacted by this unprecedented health crisis, the state senators wrote.

We witnessed countless parents struggling to find affordable and reliable child care for their children. And it was working mothers who were hit hardest, as they juggled their careers and child care during unpreceded circumstances, they added.

The caucus statement also called the mandate an attack on working mothers.

The reality is the most recent mandate is an attack on working mothers as they resume a more normal work schedule. Gov. Pritzkers action has the potential to exacerbate an already growing child care crisis in our state. Its a shortsighted act that will diminish the already limited and sparse availability of child care to families in Illinois, the statement said.

Pritzker had already announced vaccination or regular testing requirements for all pre-K through 12th-grade teachers and staff and all higher education students and staff. Vaccine mandates also apply statewide for health care workers in hospitals, nursing homes, urgent care facilities and doctors offices.

In addition, all state employees who work in the Illinois Departments of Human Services (IDHS), Corrections (IDOC), Veterans Affairs (IDVA) and Juvenile Justice (IDJJ) must be vaccinated, according to the governors office.

Approximately 79 percent of Illinois residents 18 years old and older have been fully vaccinated, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A staffer cleans Akash, a medium-range mobile surface-to-air missile defense system developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), on the second day of the 5-day Aero India airshow at the Yelahanka Air Force Station in Bangalore on Feb. 21, 2019. (Manjunath Kiran/AFP/Getty Images)

India Successfully Test-Fires Agni-5 Ballistic Missile Amid Border Tensions With China

India on Oct. 27 successfully test-fired its Agni-5 surface-to-surface ballistic missile, which is capable of striking targets at ranges of up to 3,100 miles with a very high degree of accuracy, officials said.

The missile, which uses a three-stage solid-fuel engine, was launched at approximately 7:50 p.m. local time from APJ Abdul Kalam Island, in Odisha. The island is roughly 93 miles east of the state capital, Bhubaneswar.

The successful test of Agni-5 is in line with Indias stated policy to have credible minimum deterrence that underpins the commitment to No First Use,' Indias Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

The test-firing of the missile comes amid a stalemate in talks regarding lingering border tensions over the western section of the ChinaIndia border. Beijing also has amped up its powerful missile arsenal, in turn prompting New Delhi to improve its medium- and long-range nuclear and missile weapons systems in recent years and boost the countrys defense capabilities.

Earlier this month, the 13th round of talks between the two countries, focused on resolving the remaining issues along the line of actual control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, broke down yet again.

It was hoped that the corps commander-level talks held at the ChushulMoldo border meeting point on Oct. 10 would bring about a long-term solution to recent clashes.

Instead, the dialoguewhich lasted nearly 8 1/2 hoursended in a stalemate, with the Indian army issuing a statement highlighting that the situation along the shared border had been caused by unilateral attempts by the Chinese side to alter the status quo in violation of bilateral agreements.

During the meeting, the Indian side made constructive suggestions for resolving the remaining areas but the Chinese side was not agreeable and also could not provide any forward-looking proposals, the Indian army said in a statement. The meeting thus did not result in resolution of the remaining areas.

It was, therefore, necessary that the Chinese side take appropriate steps in the remaining areas so as to restore peace and tranquility along the LAC in the Western sector.

The two sides have agreed to maintain communications and also to maintain stability on the ground. It is our expectation that the Chinese side will take into account the overall perspective of bilateral relations and will work towards early resolution of the remaining issues while fully abiding by bilateral agreements and protocols.

Talks between the countries two months prior had resulted in an agreement to disengage troops from Gogra (Patrol Point-17A), where a face-off situation had existed since May 2020. The standoffs in Depsang and Hot Springs have continued.

India has insisted that the resolution of outstanding issues in all friction points along the LAC is essential to restoring peace and improving ties between China and India.

However, China is deploying record numbers of troops to the IndiaChina border and frequently changing the commander of the Western Battle Zone that encompasses the border, according to Indian army chief Gen. Manoj Mukund Naravane.

The Agni-5 is believed to be able to strike nearly all of China, The Associated Press reports.

India already is able to strike anywhere inside neighboring Pakistan, with whom it has fought three wars since gaining independence from British colonialists in 1947.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A gas station is empty because the gas pumps are out of service, in Tehran, Iran, on Oct. 26, 2021. (Vahid Salemi/AP Photo)

Irans Leader Says Cyberattack Meant to Create Disorder

DUBAI, United Arab EmiratesIrans leader said on Wednesday that a cyberattack that paralyzed every gas station in the country was designed to get people angry by creating disorder and disruption, as long lines still snaked around the pumps a day after the incident began.

Ebrahim Raisis remarks stopped short of assigning blame for the attack, which rendered useless the state-issued electronic cards that many Iranians use to buy subsidized fuel at the pump.

However, they suggested that he and others in the theocratic regime believe anti-Iranian forces carried out an assault likely designed to inflame the country as the second anniversary of a deadly crackdown on nationwide protests over gasoline prices approaches.

The attack on Tuesday also bore similarities to another months earlier that seemed to directly challenge the regimes leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as the countrys economy buckles under American sanctions.

On Wednesday morning, the state-run IRNA news agency quoted another official who claimed 80 percent of Irans gas stations had begun selling fuel again. Associated Press journalists saw long lines at multiple gas stations in Tehran. One station had a line of 90 cars waiting for fuel. Those buying ended up having to pay at higher, unsubsidized prices.

The ISNA news agency, which first called the incident a cyberattack, said it saw those trying to buy fuel with a government-issued card through the machines instead receiving a message reading cyberattack 64411.

While ISNA didnt acknowledge the numbers significance, that number is associated with a hotline run through Khameneis office that handles questions about Islamic law. ISNA later removed its reports, claiming that it too had been hacked. Such claims of hacking can come quickly when Iranian outlets publish news that angers the theocracy.

Farsi-language satellite channels abroad published videos apparently shot by drivers in Isfahan, a major Iranian city, showing electronic billboards there reading: Khamenei! Where is our gas? Another said: Free gas in Jamaran gas station, a reference to the home of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

The use of the number 64411 mirrored the attack in July targeting Irans railroad system that also saw the number displayed. Israeli cybersecurity firm Check Point later attributed the train attack to a group of hackers that called themselves Indra, after the Hindu god of war.

Indra previously targeted firms in Syria, where President Bashar Assad has held onto power through Irans intervention in his countrys grinding war.

Abolhassan Firouzabadi, the secretary of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace, linked the attack to the Irans rail system assault in July in comments reported by IRNA. He also said it affected all of Irans 4,300 gas stations nationwide.

There is a possibility that the attack, like a previous one on railway system, has been conducted from abroad, Firouzabadi said.

However, a former deputy telecommunications minister, Amir Nazemy, earlier wrote on Twitter that the infrastructure of system of gas stations is an exclusive network and this sort of communications were not on the internet.That raises questions on whether someone inside of Iran with access to the system launched the cyberattack or otherwise facilitated it.

A previously unheard-of group claimed responsibility for the cyberattack hours afterward late Tuesday, in a message on the messaging app Telegram. It did not provide any evidence that it carried out the assault.

Cheap gasoline is practically considered a birthright in Iran, home to the worlds fourth-largest crude oil reserves, despite decades of economic woes.

Subsidies allow Iranian motorists to buy regular gasoline at 15,000 rials per liter. Thats 5 cents a liter, or about 20 cents a gallon. After a monthly 60-liter quota, it costs 30,000 rials a liter. Thats 10 cents a liter or 41 cents a gallon. Regular gasoline costs 89 cents a liter or $3.38 a gallon on average in the U.S., according to AAA.

In 2019, Iran faced days of mass protests across some 100 cities and towns over rising gasoline prices. Security forces arrested thousands and Amnesty International said it believes 304 people were killed in a regime crackdown. Tuesdays cyberattack came in the same month in the Persian calendar as the gasoline protests in 2019.

The attack also came on the birthday of the late Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi who, stricken with cancer, fled the country in 1979 just before the Iranian regime seized power.

The Iranian regime has faced a series of cyberattacks, including one that leaked video of abuses at its notorious Evin prison in August.

The regime disconnected much of its state infrastructure from the internet after the Stuxnet computer viruswidely believed to be a joint U.S.-Israeli creationdisrupted thousands of Iranian centrifuges in the countrys nuclear sites in the late 2000s.

The Iranian regime, long sanctioned by the West, faces difficulties in getting up-to-date hardware and software, often relying on Chinese-manufactured electronics or older systems no longer being patched by manufacturers. That would make it easier for a potential hacker to target. Pirated versions of Windows and other software are common across Iran.

By Jon Gambrell and Nasser Karimi
A group of naval vessels from Russia and China conduct a joint maritime military patrol in the waters of the Pacific Ocean, in this still image taken from video released on Oct. 23, 2021. (Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via Reuters)

Japanese Defence Minister Says Sino-Russian Naval Flotilla a Show of Force

Japanese Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi has said that a rare demonstration of Sino-Russian force projection close to Japan this past week was unprecedented and underscored a growing list of security challenges in the region.

Kishi said that it was the first time that Japan had seen confirmed activity on such a large scale and over such an extensive period.

We believe this was a show of force toward Japan, he said, according to Japan Today.

Japans Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi (C) speaks to the members of the media after he inspected the British Royal Navys HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier back at the U.S. naval base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, on Sept. 6, 2021. (Kiyoshi Ota/Pool Photo via AP)

Kishis comments come after Japan announced on Oct. 19 that it was monitoring a flotilla of Chinese and Russian naval vessels for the first time in the Tsugaru Strait that separates Hokkaido and Japans main island, Honshu.

The flotilla then moved through the Osumi Strait, south of Kyushu, before continuing into the East China Sea. Both straits are classified as international waters, and vessels may travel through unimpeded at any time.

Russia later confirmed that the ships were part of the Sino-Russian three-day joint maritime exercise, Joint Sea Interaction 2021, that was conducted in the waters around Japan from Oct. 14 to 17.

Russian Navys Marshal Nedelin-class missile range instrumentation ship No.331 sails on the sea near Japan on Oct. 18, 2021 (Joint Staff Office of the Defense Ministry of Japan/Handout via Reuters)

The group of ships passed through the Tsugaru Strait for the first time as part of the patrol, Russias defence ministry said in a statement reported Reuters. The tasks of the patrols were the demonstration of the Russian and Chinese state flags, maintaining of peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region and guardianship of the subjects of maritime economic activities of the two countries.

However, Kishi said that the passage of the Sino-Russian flotilla clearly demonstrates the increasingly severe security environment surrounding Japan, and said that such developments must be closely monitored from the viewpoint of regional peace and stability.

According to the Russian navy, the exercises included a flotilla of five Chinese naval shipstwo destroyers, two corvettes, and a diesel submarine. These joined with five Russian naval vessels, including the anti-submarine ship, Admiral Panteleev, and the submarine Ust-Bolsheretsk to complete more than 20 naval exercises.

The exercises, which are held annually, included the mine defence of vessels, joint tactical manoeuvring against air defence capabilities and anti-submarine aircraft.
New York City municipal workers protest outside City Hall against the coming COVID-19 vaccine mandate in New York, on Oct. 25, 2021. (AP Photo/Timothy Fadek)

Judge Refuses to Halt Vaccine Mandate for NYPD Employees, Other City Workers

About a quarter of the NYPD may be sent home without pay

A New York judge on Wednesday denied a last-minute effort by New York Citys largest police union to halt the city governments COVID-19 vaccine mandate that goes into effect starting next week, a decision that may send about a quarter of the force home without leave.

Richmond County Supreme Court Judge Lizette Colon, whose court is on Staten Island, denied the Police Benevolent Association (PBA) unions request for a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the citys sweeping vaccine mandate for city employees, which includes all NYPD employees. The PBA represents about 23,000 current and retired NYPD officers.

Colons ruling came just hours after hearing arguments from lawyers for the PBA and the city. Although the TRO request was denied, the lawsuit from the PBA will proceed after it was filed on Monday. The suit seeks to have the vaccine mandate declared illegal and blocked from taking effect. Colon ordered city officials to appear in court on Nov. 12 to defend the mandate.

NYPD officers and other municipal workers who do not get their first COVID-19 vaccine dose by 5 p.m. on Oct. 29 will be placed on unpaid leave starting Nov. 1. The new mandate replaced what was originally a requirement to take the vaccine or be tested weekly for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes the disease COVID-19.

Lawyers for the PBA said in court papers after Wednesdays hearing that the vaccine mandate forces officers to choose between their careers and their personal beliefs, infringing on officers right to bodily integrity.

Patrick J. Lynch, the PBAs president, said in a statement on Wednesday that the ruling sets the city up for a real crisis.

The haphazard rollout of this mandate has created chaos in the NYPD. City Hall has given no reason that a vaccine mandate with a weekly testing option is no longer enough to protect police officers and he public, especially while the number of COVID-19 cases continues to fall, Lynch said.

Instead, police officers are being told to make a possibly life-changing decision in a matter of days to meet a completely arbitrary deadline, while the NYPDs leadership spins its wheels and offers no guidance, he added. This not only violates police officers rightsit will inevitably result in fewer cops available to protect our city.

An NYPD officer in a file photograph. (Mary Altaffer/AP)

As of Tuesday, about 73 percent of the NYPD has gotten at least one shotthis includes nearly 35,000 uniformed officers and almost 18,000 civilian employees, reported New York Post.

Police Commissioner Dermot Shea on Tuesday urged all officers to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and said that if unvaccinated cops are scheduled to work over the weekend, they should still show up for their shifts, the outlet reported.

The figures should increase ahead of the deadline, Shea said, reported the New York Daily News. Shea suggested that NYPD officers should not wait to see whether the PBAs lawsuit against the city is successful.

New York City Police Commissioner Dermot Shea in an undated file photo. (Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images)

Anyone at this point in time, unless something changes, will be put into a leave-without-pay status, he noted. What I would urge is for people not to wait to the last moment to see what happens with the lawsuit or anything else. Get the vaccine.

Lynch said the PBA will immediately appeal the state Supreme Court judges ruling and vowed to continue the fight.

New Yorkers should know who to blame for any shortfall in city services: Mayor Bill de Blasio, Police Commissioner Shea, and the other bureaucrats who are putting politics before public health and public safety, he said.

The NYPD did not provide specific answers when asked how it will manage personnel levels and public safety if one-quarter of its workforceincluding thousands of officersis put on unpaid leave for noncompliance. We will be prepared for any changes in personnel due to the mandate, NYPD spokesperson Al Baker said in a written statement.

The New York City government did not immediately respond to The Epoch Timess request for comment.

Thousands of protesters against the NYC vaccine mandates march along Brooklyn bridge into Manhattan, New York, on Oct. 26, 2021. (Sarah Lu/The Epoch Times)

Thousands of New York City employees, including firemen and police officers, protested on Monday in defiance of the looming vaccine mandate that would apply to some 160,500 people.

Paul, a 24-year-old NYPD officer, has been with the police for 3 years. He told The Epoch Times that he joined the march because hes being denied freedom of choice.

It should be our choice, Paul said. I personally dont want [the vaccine] and if its that effective for everyone else, then they shouldnt care if we get it.

Enrico Trigoso and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva speaks at a news conference in Los Angeles on Sept. 10, 2020. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

LA County Sheriff Questions Role of Board of Supervisors Who Served With Ridley-Thomas

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva questioned the involvement of former county board of supervisors who served with Mark Ridley-Thomas during his time of alleged corruption.

Villanueva went live on Facebook on Oct. 27 to discuss current issues throughout the county, including his concerns about the role the supervisors played in approving motions proposed by Ridley-Thomas.

What is the role of the other supervisors who rubber-stamped all of his motions? Villanueva said. Everything they do is tainted by corruption.

Ridley-Thomas is currently under heat after being indicted Oct. 13 on 20 counts of fraud and bribery.

In 2018, while serving on the LA County Board of Supervisors, Ridley-Thomas was allegedly conspiring with Marilyn Flynn, former dean of the University of Southern California School of Social Work, in allowing his son, Sebastian, to receive graduate admission, a full scholarship, and a job through the university.

During his livestream, Villanueva was asked whether the attorney general would investigate the Board of Supervisors.

Villanueva said hes not a part of the process, but the undersheriff, who is second in command, is looking into requesting an investigation through the federal government.

A spokesperson from Mark Ridley-Thomass office wasnt immediately available for comment.

Investigating Allegations of a Corrupt Past

After Ridley-Thomass indictment, Villanueva assumes that more corruption may have occurred during his time as a supervisor.

You look at the allegations of what Mark Ridley-Thomas engaged in, all [of it] involves using his position to benefit himself and his family members [and] his campaign contributors, Villanueva said. What else was Mark Ridley-Thomas involved in?

Villanueva gave the example of the homeless industrial complex that has received nearly $6.5 billion throughout 10 years when Ridley-Thomas served as a supervisor.

While the money was intended to go toward the homeless crisis, Villanueva questioned the percentage that potentially went toward salaries and campaign contributions for the board of supervisors.

The Sheriff further questioned the role of Ridley-Thomas in United Way, an organization to address homelessness.

An investigation to determine potential conflict of interest within the organization was requested by the attorney general over a year ago, but no response has been received, Villanueva said.

Rather than waiting, the Sheriffs Department intends to go straight to the federal government to conduct the investigation.

Lack of Legal Counsel

Villanueva further said the Sheriffs Department would be evicting the county counsel for failing to provide fair representation.

In the instances when the Board of Supervisors legally goes against the Sheriffs Department, the county counsel denies the right for the department to receive legal counsel, Villanueva said.

Theyre creating this whole circus environment while they deprive me of counsel, Villanueva said.

The county counsel has also informed the undersheriff that his counsel must tell the other side their action plan and how they will defend when receiving legal counsel, according to Villanueva.

As a result of the county counsels lack of providing legal counsel to the sheriffs department, a complaint was sent to the State Bar Association, which has agreed to conduct an investigation, he said.

Im thankful they have actually taken up the investigation, so its time to call nonsense for what it is, Villanueva said. The entire oversight commission, the inspector general, theyre waging a proxy war on behalf of the Board of Supervisors who appointed them.

With the Board of Supervisors having no oversight, Villanueva believes the federal government is the last hope for an investigation, as he doesnt foresee assistance from the local district attorney or attorney general.
Quebec Premier Francois Legault rises during question period at the legislature in Quebec City on May 25, 2021. Quebec will not pursue the development of the fossil fuel industry, Legault announced on Oct. 19, 2021. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot)

Legault Turns His Back on Fossil Fuel Development in Quebec

Quebec Premier Francois Legault recently declared that the province is completely done with fossil fuel extraction and is now being pressured not to compensate the impacted companies.

During his speech to open the new legislative session on Oct. 19, Legault said that going forward, Quebec needs to count on its assets to profoundly transform our economy by relying on electricity and renewable energy and ending fossil fuel extraction.

He said this would create wealth for future generations and attract investors who want to produce without generating greenhouse gases.

The move went virtually unopposed in the assembly. Dominique Anglade, Quebec Liberal Party leader and head of the official opposition, reacted by saying on Twitter, This is exactly the path we suggested taking a month ago.

Far-left party Quebec Solidaire and the once-ruling pro-independence Parti Quebecois were also on board, but went a step further by requesting that expropriated companies not be compensated.

The only party to push back on Legaults decision was the Conservative Party of Quebec (PCQ), represented by just one MNA.

Refusing to exploit our gas and oil resources is irresponsible, said PCQ leader Eric Duhaime, adding that exploiting reserves beneath our feet would be better for the environment and the economy.

In a statement, the PCQ highlighted extracts from Legaults 2013 biography before he became premier, in which he advocates exploiting Quebecs oil.

Norway, a very prosperous and socially advanced [oil-]producing country, is showing us the way, Legault wrote. Im thinking about the extraordinary potential for fossil fuels underneath the [St. Lawrence] Gulf. Quebecers have the duty to explore and extract these fossil fuels to help reduce their dependence on foreign oil and to guarantee their future well-being.

Outside the political sphere, environmental groups were ecstatic and sought to build on their victory, while industry players and critics were dismayed by the move in the midst of an energy crunch.

This is excellent news, said Patrick Bonin, climate and energy campaigner at Greenpeace Canada. Closing the door on fossil fuel extraction is a huge victory, made possible by relentless opposition from citizens to both shale gas and conventional oil and gas exploitation.

Bonin also said the government should not compensate oil and gas companies that will be expropriated, claiming they are largely responsible for the current climate crisis.

Many other green NGOs made the same plea. Quebec needs to turn its back on fossil fuels without compensating the oil and gas industry, said Emile Boisseau-Bouvier, climate policy analyst with Equiterre.

Developer Pushes Back

Mario Levesque, president and CEO of Utica Resources Inc., has been active in recent days defending his interests and those of his industry, pleading in an open letter to Legault to reconsider killing oil and gas development at a time when the world is undergoing an energy crisis.

Utica holds 28 exploration licences, one production licence, and three brine production authorizations in the province.

Levesque told The Epoch Times that based on a report by the Geological Survey of Canada, the scale of the Utica shale gas [field] would have been able to supply 100 percent of the Quebec market for over 100 years.

He says the value of that natural gas would be at least in the hundreds of billions of dollars. He said an evaluation is underway by an independent firm to determine what the losses will amount to. As for jobs, several studies show that over 10,000 jobs could have been created by developing the Utica shale basin, he says.

With Legaults declaration, Levesque is now working to be properly compensated if expropriated.

Were urging the government to respect its own legislation on expropriation, he said, adding that doing otherwise would damage the provinces reputation with local and foreign investors.

Legaults decision mainly impacts exploration and future projects, as Quebec was not producing oil or gas.

Energir, Quebecs largest natural gas distributor, told The Epoch Times that neither itself, its employees, nor clients would be affected by Quebecs decision, since the gas of fossil origin it distributes is entirely sourced from Western Canada and the United States.

Playing the Political Card

The Montreal Economic Institute (MEI), a free-economy think tank, criticized Legaults move and noted the impact it would have on the province.

Its very obvious this decision was made to curry favour with the environmental militant groups rather than consider the economic interest of Quebecers. While we close the door to exploiting our own resources, well continue to import 300,000 barrels of oil per day and send $5 billion a year to Alberta and the U.S. for importations, MEI director of operations Miguel Ouellette said in a statement.

We have to stop playing the political card and think about Quebec families.

The MEI said Quebecs gas potential could create 9,200 jobs per year over 25 years, as well as creating $93 billion in wealth and $15 billion in revenue for the government. The think tank also expressed concerns about how the expropriated companies would be compensated, citing Legaults intention to buy back the issued permits.

A permit buyback does not take into consideration the companies administrative costs to obtain the permits, nor the future revenues which would normally be considered in an expropriation, MEI said in an email.

Former MP Dan McTeague, a gas price expert and president of Canadians for Affordable Energy, takes a similar line, calling the move to end oil and gas exploration in the province another example of governments posturing without any deference to reality.

If Quebecs political elite believe farmers, industry, and drivers can continue without fossil fuels, then an honest move would be to ban natural gas, propane, oil, diesel, gasoline, plastics, textiles, pharmaceuticals, cement, aluminum, and any other use of hydrocarbons, McTeague told The Epoch Times.

Quebecers supporting this virtue signalling on the eve of the COP26 climate bed-wetting conference are in denial of themselves and realities of their province both today and tomorrow.

Legault and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are both expected to attend the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, which starts on Oct. 31.
Deputy Leader of the UK Labour Party Angela Rayner listens to speeches in the main hall on day four of the Labour Party conference in Brighton, England on Sept. 28, 2021. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Man Charged With Malicious Communications After Threats to UK Labour Party Deputy

A man has been charged with malicious communications after deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner received a series of threats and abuse.

Police also said they made a third arrest on Oct. 28 over the phone calls, emails and letters that the MP for Ashton-under-Lyne reported receiving in recent weeks.

Benjamin Iliffe, a 36-year-old from Cambridgeshire, was charged with malicious communications and possession of cannabis and was due to appear in court, Greater Manchester Police said.

GMP said a 70-year-old man was arrested in conjunction with South Yorkshire Police on suspicion of malicious communication and remained in custody.

He was arrested in relation to emails received on October 16, while a 52-year-old was arrested in Halifax, West Yorkshire, and bailed over abusive phone calls Ms Rayner received a day earlier.

Ms Rayner, a mother of three who is on bereavement leave after losing a close loved one, reported receiving the threatening contacts over a number of weeks.

After the first arrest, her spokesman said: Abuse and threats of this nature dont just have an impact on Angela but also on her family, her children and her staff who are on the receiving end of these communications.

The investigation by at least three police forces comes amid increased concern over the safety of MPs and the level of abuse they receive following the killing of Sir David Amess.

The veteran Conservative MP for Southend West was stabbed in a suspected terror attack during a constituency surgery in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex.

Iliffe, of Slade Way, Chatteris, was due to appear before Huntingdon Magistrates Court later on Thursday.
Minnesota School Board Demands Parents Announce Their Addresses in Order to Speak at Meetings

A Minnesota school board is facing criticism because of new policies for public comment sessions at its meetings, including requiring that commenters state their home address in order to speak.

The Mankato Area Public School Board updated its open forum guidelines earlier this month, but only sparked controversy recently after video footage of an Oct. 18 meeting was shared on social media. During the meeting, parents and community members were told they must give their full address before they could speak for three minutes.

I just want to remind everybody this is a business meeting of the school board, it is not a meeting that belongs to the public, chairwoman Jodi Sapp told the audience before the open forum segment began.

She went on to read out the guidelines, stating that each speaker will be asked to state his or her name and address for the record, and that failure to do so will result in an individual not being allowed to speak.

The new rules also banned calling out or addressing any individual school board or school district staff member. If it occurs, the open forum will be closed, and the violator will not be allowed to participate in future open forums.

Crowd noise, or any sort of grandstanding during open forum, including applause, talking, hollering or any outburst will result in open forum being closed, Sapp added.

One of the public commenters was a Mankato man who identified himself as John Wicklund. When Sapp asked him to reveal his address, he replied that he would rather not, saying that he had suffered from property damage, eggs, and everything else by fun people and their friends.

After Sapp repeatedly pressed Wicklund for his precise home address, the man turned away from the microphone and gave his address in an attempt to avoid potential harassment. Sapp then restated that address using her microphone so that all could hear where he lives.

Mankatos new policies were first reported by Minnesota news site Alpha News, which noted that rule was apparently not enforced or did not exist before October, since public forum participants were not asked to dox themselves at a Sept. 20 meeting.

The policies caused widespread criticism on social media, with many people questioning whether it is legal for the board to make such requirements, or whether the rules should also apply to board members themselves. The website of the Mankato school board currently doesnt disclose each members home address.

The controversy comes amid a nationwide debate over parents role in their childrens upbringing and education. While advocacy groups like Parents Defending Education call for more parental involvement in local school districts decision-making process, the National School Board Association requested federal law enforcement to help handle what it described as angry mobs of parents who allegedly threaten the safety of teachers and school officials.

The school board did not respond to request for comment on the public forum policies.
An aerial view of Egypt Air aircraft on the tarmac is shown at Cairo International Airport, Egypt, on Jan. 15, 2021. (Amir Makar/AFP via Getty Images)

Moscow-Bound EgyptAir Flight Returns After Threat Message

CAIROA Moscow-bound EgyptAir flight returned to the Egyptian capital shortly after takeoff Wednesday after a threatening message was found onboard, authorities said.

A statement by Egypts flagship airline said flight MS79 had returned safely to Cairo International Airport some 22 minutes after takeoff. The flight was heading to the Russian capital, it said.

Citing an unnamed official, the statement said the written message was found on a seat of the Airbus A220-300. It did not elaborate on the content of the message or who wrote it.

Later on Wednesday, EgyptAir said a security inspection determined that there was no threat to the flight. It said another aircraft, a Boeing 737-800, flew the 93 passengers to Moscow.

All flights between Moscow and Cairo were suspended for 2 1/2 years after the local affiliate of the ISIS group downed a plane over Egypts Sinai Peninsula in October 2015, shortly after the aircraft took off from the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

The flights between the two capitals were resumed in April 2018 after Egypt beefed up security at Cairos international airport. But Russia only allowed resumption of flights between its territory and Sinais Red Sea resorts in August, after a nearly six-year hiatus.

By Samy Magdy
A nurse fills a syringe with Johnson & Johnson's Janssen Covid-19 vaccine at a clinic hosted by The Tournament of Roses in partnership with the Pasadena Public Health Department, August 19, 2021 at Tournament House in Pasadena, California. - The clinic is one of the first in the city to offer "supplemental" third Covid-19 shots to people with immunological conditions, according to organizers. President Joe Biden said August 18 he will make Covid-19 booster shots available to all American adults beginning next month, as his administration warned that vaccines are showing a declining effectiveness against infection. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP) (Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)

New Jersey Hospital Mandates Booster Shots for Workers Who Got J&Js COVID Vaccine

Hospitals around the nation earlier this year began imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates, but employees were told theyd meet the requirements if they received the single-shot Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine.

Thats changed at a New Jersey hospital, where employees now must get a booster if they received the single-shot jab.

University Hospital in Newark on Wednesday announced employees have until Dec. 24Christmas Eveto get an additional vaccine dose.

Per federal guidance, the workers can choose from any of the three COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the United States, including J&J. Drug regulators last week said Americans could mix and match booster shots.

Workers who got the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine do not need to get an additional shot at this time, though hospital leadership did not rule out a future widening of the booster mandate.

Data and analysis indicate that a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine may no longer confer a level of effectiveness that prevents COVID-19 infection in enough of our employees if they are exposed, which has implications on our ability to keep vulnerable patients and families safe, Dr. Shereef Elnahal, president and CEO of University Hospital, said in a statement.

The hospital said that so-called breakthrough infections, or cases of COVID-19 among those deemed fully vaccinatedincluding, at least previously, people who had gotten the J&J shothave been rising in health care workers across the nation.

This is due to the Delta variant of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus and waning immunity from the initial vaccination, the hospital said.

University Hospital appears to be the first healthcare facility in the nation to mandate booster shots.

Regulators recently authorized Moderna and J&J boosters after previously authorizing Pfizer boosters.

Health authorities also said that people no longer have to continue with the same vaccine they originally got, and many experts say J&J recipients should consider getting a Moderna or Pfizer booster. Limited data indicate that course would give bolstered protection, though J&J says a booster of its own vaccine boosts immunity as well.

About 15.4 million Americans have received a J&J shot as of Oct. 27, compared to over 105 million getting the Pfizer jab and over 69 million getting Modernas.
Greg Kelly, former representative director of Nissan Motor Co., arrives for the first trial hearing at the Tokyo District Court in Tokyo, Japan, on Sept. 15, 2020. (Kiyoshi Ota/Pool via Reuters)

Nissan Asks Tokyo Court for Leniency Over Ghosn Charges

TOKYOA lawyer for Nissan Motor Co. on Wednesday asked a Tokyo court for leniency when it sentences the company over charges it allowed ousted chairman, Carlos Ghosn, to hide earnings from Japanese authorities.

Nissan, which has already pleaded guilty, is standing trial alongside former executive Greg Kelly, who has denied charges he helped his former boss hide 9.3 billion yen ($81.8 million) of Ghosns earnings over eight years through deferred payments.

Prosecutors are seeking a 200 million yen fine for the carmaker, and a two-year jail sentence for Kelly, for breaching regulations introduced in 2010 that forced company executives earning more than 1 billion yen a year to disclose their compensation.

In closing statements to the court the Nissan lawyer said the company had already seen its reputation damaged by the charges and had not benefited from Ghosns alleged actions.

The lawyer added that the carmaker already faced fines from Japans financial regulators and had strengthened its corporate governance to guard against further breaches.

Kellys legal team submitted a 497-page document arguing that emails and documents presented as evidence during the year-long trial did not show there was any conspiracy or agreement to defer Ghosns remuneration.

There was no crime. Carlos Ghosn never was paid anything. And there was no enforceable agreement, Kelly, who has been in Japan for three years since his arrest and release on bail, told reporters outside the court. There were many senior executives that were worried that we might not retain him.

A ruling in the case is expected next year. Japans conviction rate is about 99 percent.

Ghosn, who fled to Lebanon at the end of 2019 hidden in luggage on a private jet, also denies any wrongdoing.

He also faces separate breach of trust charges that allege he enriched himself at Nissans expense through $5 million in payments to a Middle East car dealership, and by temporarily transferring personal financial losses to his employers books.

Both Ghosn and Kelly say they are victims of a boardroom coup by former colleagues worried that Ghosn would push through a merger between Nissan and Renault SA, its largest shareholder.

By Tim Kelly
No Left Turn Advocates Defending Freedom in American Education

The event Defending Freedom in American Education, held by a non-profit organization in Georgia on Oct. 23, addressed how parents can oppose Critical Race Theory (CRT), eradicate the harmful indoctrination, and preserve American values and principles in schools.

We are vocal. We are loud. We are tenacious. We must be heard. But we are civil. We respect the rules of society and legitimate authority. We will not stand down. We are the majoritypatriotic Americans who believe that a fair and just society can only be achieved when malleable young minds are free from the indoctrination that suppresses their independent thought, said the organizer, Dr. Elana Fishbein from No Left Turn in Education.

Fishbein founded No Left Turn in Education in the fall of 2020 after her son was taught CRT at his Pennsylvania elementary school.

At the event, Fishbein said the first step is understanding the dangers of CRT and how it has infiltrated our culture through school curriculums, and that the goal of No Left Turn in Education is to empower parents to fight back.

CRT started in the mid-1970s in the writings of various American legal scholars, including Derrick Bell and Alan Freeman. It was revisited by Kimberle Crenshaw in the 1980s.

CRT claims to study racism in society, and it presents racism as the root problem for a wide variety of social ills. In recent years, it has been endorsed by many in academia as well as U.S. civil-rights thinkers, seeking to examine the intersection of race and legal justice, or as an approach to racial justice.

Dr. Carol Swain, Best Selling Co-author of Black Eye for America: How Critical Race Theory is burning down the house attended the event Defending Freedom in American Education in Georgia on Oct. 23, 2021. (Joan Wang/The Epoch Times)

Dr. Carol Swain, a best-selling author, pointed out that the current goal of leftist educators is to extend CRT into the 512 school system, from its well-established perch in U.S. colleges and universities, with the aim of diminishing American pride.

Paul K. Lott, the founder and president of the National Society for the Advancement of Black Americans (also NSABA) at the event Defending Freedom in American Education in Georgia on Oct. 23, 2021.(Joan Wang/The Epoch Times)

Paul Lott, the founder and president of the National Society for the Advancement of Black Americans told The Epoch Times that the statistics show there is no discrimination in America.

Average white poverty went up in 2018, he said. The statistics comparing 1959 to 2018, show white babies were three times more likely to remain poor than black babies in America.  If racism was happening, this would never have happened.

He also said he believes that this notion of race-based inequity is bred by the Hollywood media pushing these assumptions of fact on young people.

A recent lawsuit, handled by Southeastern Legal Foundation, challenges mandatory student segregation being exercised in Illinois schools. Its said the white students and non-white students are separated from the same teacher and receive different curriculums.

Kimberly Hermann, the General Counsel of Southeastern Legal Foundation, attended the Defending Freedom in American Education event in Georgia on Oct. 23, 2021. (Joan Wang/The Epoch Times)

Kimberly Hermann, general counsel of Southeastern Legal Foundation, advised parents of children who were being forced to accept divisive concepts based on race, to pursue legal help. She also said she believes that history should be taught in school and children should be educated with love, kindness, and caring for each other instead of hating each other.

An NBC News analysis earlier this year found at least 165 local and national groups have arisen, seeking to disrupt or block lessons based on race and gender.
NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (Oct. 28)

President Joe Biden unveils a reduced social spending and climate bill, thousands of first responders protested New York Citys vaccine mandate in front of the mayors mansion, and Florida is suing the Biden administration over its vaccine mandate for federal contractors.
Firefighters in full gear in Denver on Sept. 11, 2021. (Chet Strange/AFP via Getty Images)

NYC Firefighters Union Tells Firefighters to Report for Duty, Defying Vaccine Mandate

The head of the Uniformed Firefighters Association (UFA), a New-York based firefighter union, told its members on Oct. 27 to report for duty despite New York City Mayor Bill de Blasios order to place city workers on unpaid leave if they remain unvaccinated.

UFA President Andrew Ansbro told Reuters that New York firefighters, who now face suspension unless they get the COVID-19 vaccine, are feeling insulted after having risked their own health to save lives during the pandemic.

I have told my members that if they choose to remain unvaccinated, they must still report for duty, Ansbro said at a news conference, according to Reuters.

If they are told they cannot work, it will be the department and city of New York that sends them home. And it will be the department and the city of New York that has failed to protect the citizens of New York.

De Blasio announced the mandate on Oct. 20, which will affect approximately 160,500 city workers.

The mandate requires all city workers, with the exception of uniformed correction officers, to have received their first vaccine dose by 5 p.m. on Oct. 29. Workers unvaccinated by the deadline will be placed on unpaid leave starting Nov. 1.

Currently 45 percent of New York City firefighters are unvaccinated, Ansbro told Fox News on Oct. 27.

If unvaccinated workers are suspended on Nov. 1, Ansbro said New York will have to shut down 30 to 40 percent of its firehouses. As a result, the city may see prolonged wait times before firefighters can provide emergency services.

Fires are going to burn longer, heart attack victims going to be laying on the floor longer for us to get there, and people could be stuck in elevators for hours, if not days, he said.

Just last week, thousands of New York firemen, police officers, sanitation workers, and teachers took to the streets of Brooklyn to protest against the vaccine mandate.

The citys largest police union, the Police Benevolent Association, filed a lawsuit on Oct. 25 to block the mandate. UFA also plans to take legal action, Ansbro told Fox News.

Were not anti-vax, were anti-mandate, he said.

Ansbro also said UFA members have been getting tested for COVID-19 antibody levels since 2020 and that members should be exempt from vaccination if tests return with high levels of antibodies.

Last week, de Blasio told MSNBC that he plans to end the weekly testing option.

To incentivize getting the COVID-19 vaccine, city employees who receive their first dose before 5 p.m. on Oct. 29 will receive an extra $500 in their paychecks.

Vaccinations are critical to combatting the COVID-19 pandemic, de Blasio said. This mandate is a bold step that protects our families, friends, and communities, including those that are not yet eligible for the vaccine, such as our citys youngest residents.
Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole puts on his mask as he steps up to the podium at a news conference on Parliament Hill, Oct. 27, 2021 in Ottawa. (The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld)

OToole Says Conservatives Will Abide by Vaccine Mandate for MPs Entering House

Conservative Leader Erin OToole says his caucus will respect and abide by the new vaccine mandate set out by the House of Commons governing committee, while vowing to challenge the board that delivered the policy.

The House of Commons governing body announced a new rule on Oct. 19 that would ban members of parliament who arent fully vaccinated from entering the House of Commons precinct when the new parliamentary session resumes on Nov. 22, with exemptions only offered to those with valid medical reasons.

OToole said in a statement on Oct. 27 that he has put forth a plan in the Conservative caucus, which the caucus agreed to respect and abide by new rules which require Parliamentarians attending in the House of Commons and Senate to be vaccinated.

The Conservative leader also promised to raise a question of privilege in the House of Commons to challenge the improper conduct and precedent set by its governing body, the Board of Internal Economy (BOIE), saying that only the House of Commons itself can determine its composition and conduct.

Vaccine mandates appear to be a contentious issue among the Tories, as the party took a different stance on the issue previously.

On Oct. 20, Tory whip Blake Richards protested the BOIEs decision.

While we encourage everyone who can be vaccinated to get vaccinated, we cannot agree to seven MPs, meeting in secret, deciding which of the 338 MPs, just elected by Canadians, can enter the House of Commons to represent their constituents, Richards said in a statement.

In an interview aired on Oct. 20, OToole told TVOs Steve Paikin that his party will respect BOIEs decision. On Oct. 22, OTooles spokesperson said the Conservatives do not accept that the BOIE has the jurisdiction to infringe on a Members right to take their seat in the House of Commons, according to the National Post.

OToole also remains opposed to a hybrid Parliament, where MPs will participate in proceedings virtually. The Liberals and the NDP are in favour of continuing the hybrid sitting in the 44th Parliament, which has been the format for most MP meetings since the onset of the pandemic in March 2020.

The BOIEs rule comes after the federal government announced on Oct. 6 that core federal public servants are required to confirm their vaccination status against COVID-19 by Oct. 29, or will be placed on leave without pay by Nov. 15.

In addition to the vaccine mandate, the BOIE also announced an extension of previously approved COVID-19 measures to Jan. 31, 2022, which include closing the House of Commons precinct to public tours and enforcing mandatory masking.
The P4 laboratory at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan, China, on April 17, 2020. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)

Our Scientists Should Stop Colluding With Communist Regimes

Commentary

Over centuries, scholars of antiquity and modern civilization have been intrigued by the search for natural truth and well-ordered rules for life.

Plato, they say, saw knowledge as virtue. Bacon, a father of the scientific revolution, saw it as power.

Ancient Greek philosophers achieved freedom by dedicating themselves to quiet contemplation. If they had been pushed into laboratories and obliged to publish their thoughts and findings they might have considered themselves enslaved.

Today, most scientists are Baconian. The search for truth has become more empirical. Scientists follow defined lines of research, publish their findings, and share conclusions with colleaguesincluding those from outside their own country.

Nevertheless, there are good reasons to doubt that scientists can be trusted with the fate of the free world.

Knowledge and the State

Knowledge may be power, but so is the state. Scientists who live in communist or other managerial regimes have less freedom to pursue truth. While communists agree that theres power in knowledge, they also believe themselves to be in possession of both. In a communist society the duty of a scientist is simply to make the possession of knowledge more secure.

Some say that learned men in Ancient Greece prized theory over practice because they feared the way a government might exploit practical know-how. Modern scientists might do well to be a little more suspicious of the state, even a presumably noble or democratic one.

Today, in one way or another, much of the funding for scientific research is supplied by the government. Even outside of totalitarian regimes, authorities who are paying the piper may expect to call the tune.

The practice of science and the pursuit of truth can be corrupted by an established ideology or the passions of a particular regime. The emergence of eugenics, dialectical materialism, warming climatology, and critical race theory are all modern examples of such corruption.

Scientists Have Served Dangerous Masters

Although generally careful to assert the importance of conscience and morality, scientists have been known to serve dangerous masters.

Wise scientists call for critical detachment from politics. Others have turned eagerly to activism and even espionage. The latter consider themselves part of a brave new global order in which scientists and like-minded intellectuals become lawmakers, mayors, governors, presidents, and world leaders.

For example, after switching sides to join the allied Western nations in World War II, the communist Soviet Union succeeded in collecting intelligence on the secret Anglo-American atomic bomb program that became the Manhattan Project.

Soviet agents recruited American and British spies who were committed communists, including several scientists at the Los Alamos laboratory.

Among the scientists and fellow travelers infatuated by Marxist ideology was Klaus Fuchs, a German-born physicist, who fled to England in 1933 and became a British citizen in 1942. Fuchs joined a group of British scientists who travelled to Los Alamos to work for the Manhattan Project, and he later passed important information about atomic weapons design to the Soviet Union.

After decrypted cables revealed Fuchs espionage, he confessed in early 1950 and was sentenced to 14 years in prison. His sentence was later reduced, and he was released in 1959.

Theres little indication that Fuchs regretted betraying the West. He chose to spend his remaining years living with his father in communist East Germany.

Present Day Collaboration With Communist Regimes

Despite the bloody totalitarian legacy of 20th century Marxism, there are many contemporary scientists who still value collusion with communist regimes. The consequences of their choices have been nothing short of catastrophic.

For example, the New York Post and several other news organizations recently reported that Americas National Institutes of Health (NIH) has admitted to funding research on bat coronaviruses at a lab in Wuhan, China, which, like everything else in that country, is overseen by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

The admission came in a letter from the principal deputy director of the NIH, Dr. Lawrence Tabak, who was responding to Congressman James Comers questions about a multi-million-dollar grant provided by the NIHs National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to EcoHealth Alliance, an NGO that supports various global health programs, and ironically enough, pandemic prevention.

The president of EcoHealth Alliance is Peter Daszak, a British scientist with a Ph.D. in parasitic infectious diseases from the University of East London. Daszak is now a member of the Center for Infection and Immunity at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

The director of the NIAID is Dr. Anthony Fauci, a celebrated American medical scientist who serves as chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden. Fauci is highly regarded by the regime media for his less-than-subtle criticism of President Donald Trumps performance during the course of the pandemic.

The coronavirus-focused NIAID grant ultimately led to U.S. tax dollars funding EcoHealth Alliances longtime collaboration with a CCP-run lab, now believed by many experts to be the source of COVID-19.

The CCP virus has killed millions around the world and crippled Western economies.

The Intellectual Attraction of Socialism

In leading democratic nations such as the United States and the UK, science has played a major role in shaping public opinion and government policy.

Modern scientists have tended to place themselves above common people, whose tax dollars fund their research experiments and celebrity careers. Many have been attracted to socialism and utopian world visions.

In a landmark 1949 essay published in the University of Chicago Law Review (pdf), the late F. A. Hayek argued that modern intellectuals are naturally attracted to the idea of socialism. Socialism, said Hayek, is a construction of theorists, deriving from certain tendencies of abstract thought with which for a long time only the intellectuals were familiar.

Hayek also suggested that the intellectual class doesnt only consist of professors, teachers, journalists, broadcasters, political activists, and entertainers. That class also includes professionals and technicians, such as scientists and doctors, who through their habitual intercourse with the printed word become carriers of new ideas outside their own fields and who, because of their expert knowledge of their own subjects, are listened with respect on most others.

Today, we learn about events and ideas through the medium of the scientific community.

Its scientists and intellectuals who decide what information and opinions will reach us and how theyll be presented. Ordinary men and women are constantly admonished to follow the science.

Scores of laymen have been turned into climate change warriors with little real understanding of so-called climate science. The sitting U.S. president has expressed contempt for the idea of American freedom and set powerful corporate vigilantes against citizens who resist scientific state vaccination policies.

Time for Western Scientists to Join the Side Theyre On

Its difficult to solve problems in a world that remains half captive and half free.

From induced famines to slave labor camps, nuclear accidents, military occupations, economic incompetence, organ harvesting, and engineered disease, the Marxist ability to downplay cruelty and failure is one of totalitarianisms most insidious weapons.

Filtered through left-wing propagandists, the weeping of dissidents from communist regimes is portrayed as uncalled-for and boring. The victims are regarded as already terminated.

Were due for a wake-up call to Western scientists, tech professionals, and fellow-travelers. In the 20th century, we survived foreign domination by containing communism and allowing the Soviet Union to collapse under the weight of its own inherent contradictions.

The time has come to cut off the scientific, technical, and commercial oxygen we have been supplying to Beijing since the 1990s, and ask our scientists to join the side theyre on.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
The Tournament of Roses announced the seven members of the 2022 Royal Court in Pasadena, Calif., on Oct. 4. (Alice Sun/The Epoch Times)

Pasadena Tournament of Roses Crowns 2022 Rose Queen

Nadia Chung was crowned as the 103rd Rose Queen at the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Oct. 26 in Pasadena, California.

Chung is a senior at La Canada high school and is currently working as a journalist at the Los Angeles Times in the High School Insider division.

In school, Chung has actively participated in various extracurriculars.

She is an organizer for free debate workshops, president of the Mock Trial Team and speech and debate team.

She is also a member of the MD Junior Chapter, a club that encourages the growth of young, aspiring doctors through selfless service.

During the ceremony, Chung expressed her gratitude to her teachers and classmates for supporting and guiding her through the entire selection process.

She said her teachers would come in early in the morning and stay after school to help her catch up on the learning progress.

We feel so grateful because not only has the administration been very supportive, but our teachers have been so kind and so have our peers, said Chung. We feel really grateful to go to a school that supports us so much, and that is encouraged just through the whole process.

During her free time, Chung enjoys performing classical ballet, reading, writing, and spending time with her family and friends.

She plans to study political science, government, and journalism in college and is interested in attending Georgetown, University of CaliforniaBerkeley, or Brown University.

Chung was selected to be on the Royal Rose Court earlier this month along with six other members.

The seven selected members will not only serve as ambassadors of the Tournament of Roses but their community and the entire Los Angeles area. Additionally, each student will receive a $7,500 educational scholarship.

2022 Rose Royal Court

Jeannine Briggs; John Marshall Fundamental High School

Abigail Griffith; Pasadena High School

Nadia Chung; La Canada High School

Jaeda Walden; La Canada High School

Swetha Somasundaram; Arcadia High school

Ava Feldman; South Pasadena High School

McKenzie Street; Flintridge Sacred Heart

Madison Triplett from the 2015 Rose Royal Court showed up at the ceremony and congratulated the 2022 Rose Royal Court. 2020 Rose queen, Camille Kennedy was also invited to speak at the ceremony and offered her congratulations in a videotaped message from Tokyo, Japan.

The theme for the 133rd Rose Parade is Dream, Believe, Achieve.
Zbigniew Ziobro, Poland's minister of justice, attends a bilateral meeting at the Ministry of Justice in Warsaw, Poland, on Jan. 28, 2020. (Omar Marques/Getty Images)

Poland Shouldnt Pay A Single Zloty of EUs Unlawful Court Fines, Minister Says

Polands minister of justice says the central European nation must not succumb to lawlessness and shouldnt pay any of the daily penalties imposed on the country by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).

The Polish state cannot bow to lawlessness, Zbigniew Ziobro told reporters at an Oct. 28 press conference.

Whether in the case of unlawful penalties concerning the Turow [coal mine] or in the case of the penalty for changes in the judicial system, Poland cannot and should not pay a single zloty, he said. The zloty is Polands currency.

The CJEU ruled on Oct. 27 that the Polish government has to pay a 1 million euro (about $1.2 million) penalty every day for maintaining a disciplinary chamber for judges, citing the primacy of EU law over national law.

In addition, a 500,000 euro ($580,000) daily fine was imposed on the country last month for ignoring the EUs injunction to halt operations at the Turow brown coal mine on the Czech border, which the Czech government cited as damaging to its communities. Poland says the mine is a major source of jobs and electricity in the region and vowed to keep it running.

The Polish coal-fired power plant Turow is seen from a hill near the village of Vitkov in the Czech Republic on June 28, 2021. (Michael Cizek/AFP via Getty Images)

Ziobro called the injunctions lawless. Poland insists the CJEU has no authority over its justice system and has been ignoring its rulings.

The Luxembourg court said in an Oct. 27 statement that the daily fine was necessary in order to avoid serious and irreparable harm to the legal order of the European Union and to the values on which that Union is founded, in particular, that of the rule of law.

According to the principle of primacy, EU laws are superior to national laws for member states of the 27-nation bloc.

In early October, the Polish Constitutional Tribunal ruled that some of the EUs laws conflict with the countrys constitution and that national laws will have supremacy over those of the EU in areas where they clash, a move that was criticized by the EU, prompting a week-long war of words between Poland and the EU.

The EU warned Poland on Oct. 27 it can suspend the payment of COVID-19 pandemic recovery funds to the country if it continues to ignore orders to abolish its disciplinary body.

Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Commission, said on Oct. 27 the conditions for maintaining the funds will include closing Polands Disciplinary Chamber and adding changes to the way the judges are disciplined, as well as reinstalling some of the suspended judges.

I think it is doable, I hope that we will reach an agreement, she said.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told the European Parliament on Oct. 19 that officials are working to abolish the disciplinary chamber and replace it with another system before the end of the year, but no detailed plans have been presented yet. It also isnt clear whether the replacement would be more in line with the EUs values.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

From NTD News
Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen gives a speech after visiting the Navy's 131st Fleet in Keelung, Taiwan, on March 8, 2021. (Ann Wang/Reuters)

President Tsai Confirms Presence of US Troops on Taiwanese Soil

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen confirmed on Oct. 28 that for the first time in 40 years there are U.S. troops on Taiwanese soil, saying that shes confident that the United States would defend the self-ruled island if it were attacked by China.

I do have faith, given the long-term relationship that we have with the United States. and also the support of the people of the United States as well as the Congress, she told CNN in an interview aired on Oct. 27. The administration has been very helpful.

The threat from China is increasing every day, Tsai stated, confirming that U.S. troops are currently stationed on the island. However, she said that there were not as many as people thought on Taiwanese soil.

We have a wide range of cooperation with the United States aiming at increasing our defense capability, she said.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) claims that the self-ruled island of Taiwan is a province of China. The democratically governed island has its own constitution, military, and ruling party.

Beijing has escalated military harassment against the island in recent weeks, including through a show of force from the Chinese military over Taiwans air defense zone.

A Taiwanese Air Force F-16 in the foreground flies on the flank of a Chinese Peoples Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) H-6 bomber as it flies near Taiwan on Feb. 10, 2020. (Republic of China (ROC) Ministry of National Defense via AP)

Earlier this month, Chinese leader Xi Jinping renewed claims that Taiwan would be reunified with the mainland and blamed the continued commitment to Taiwans independence as a major threat to his plan of so-called national rejuvenation, a goal that observers say indicates Xis desire to transform the regime into the worlds sole superpower by mid-century.

Here is this island of 23 million people trying hard every day to protect ourselves and protect our democracy and making sure that our people have the kind of freedom they deserve, Tsai said. If we fail, then that means people that believe in these values would doubt whether these are values that they [should] be fighting for.

Tsai previously said the island will do whatever it takes to safeguard it against mounting CCP aggression.

Her latest remarks come a week after President Joe Biden told a CNN town hall event that the United States was committed to defending Taiwan if the self-ruled island were attacked by Chinaa departure from a long-held U.S. position of strategic ambiguity.

The White House later walked back his comments, while some analysts said Biden had simply misspoken. The president was not intending to convey a change in policy, nor has he made a decision to change our policy, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Oct. 22.

Biden and Xi are expected to hold a virtual meeting before the end of the year, according to White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan.
Travelers wearing face masks reclaim their luggage at the airport in Denver, Colorado, on Nov. 24, 2020. (Kevin Mohatt/Reuters)

Public Pressure Forces Pause on Colorado Countys Proposed Vaccine Passport Plan

A Colorado county health department has backed away, for now, from a plan to create what has been described as a de-facto vaccine passport system.

The Larimer County Board of Health announced Oct. 21 that it had made its decision to pause implementation of the plan, based on the feedback and questions we received from the public.

The voluntary plan is called the Vaccine Verified Facility and Event Program (VVFE).

It asks businesses, churches, and other venues, to post a sign on the door stating proof of vaccination is required of all individuals seeking to enter the premises.

The plan is an accompaniment to a strict mask mandate imposed by the health board on Oct. 15 that requires all people, aged more than 3 years old, to wear a mask indoors in public places, regardless of vaccination status.

According to health officials, the mask mandate and VVFE proposal are tools designed to blunt a recent spike in COVID-19 infections.

Larimer County is currently in the high-risk category of community transmission, as outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Health department spokesperson Kori Wilford said September was the third deadliest month of the pandemic for Larimer County with 24 deaths.

The countys highest fatality level was 77 in December, 2020, followed by 50 in January, 2021. Figures to date for October, 2021, are sitting on 24.

Since the pandemic began in the spring of 2020, 318 Larimer County residents have perished from CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus. Forty two percent were 85 years old or older.

Reluctance to take the shot and pushback over mask mandates have made news for months in Larimer County, where 35 percent of its 360,000 people have not been vaccinated.

An activist organization called Real Freedom 77, last week celebrated the health boards backing away from the Nov. 1 start date of the VVFE program in an online posting.

The group, which strongly opposes vaccine mandates, credited the pause to the flood of emails and other contacts received by the health department from people opposing the program.

The posting urges citizens to be kind and polite, to health board members, while keeping the pressure on until the program is cancelled and taken completely off the table.

Vicki Sutter, founder of the pro-liberty Christian citizens group Winsome Ministries, said the proposals were a vaccine passport plan going by another name.

I believe the health department intends to use the stringent mask mandate as leverage to push more people to be vaccinated. Its more about control than public health.

Wilford told The Epoch Times that under the plan, if a participating business reaches a 95 percent vaccination rate among its employees, and all of their customers who can show proof of vaccination, do not have to wear a mask while indoors in that venue.

Sutter views this as incentivizing businesses to ban unvaccinated customers, and as an attempt to perpetuate a state of emergency mentality.

It will create division and mutual resentment. It will pit one group against the other. We all need to put faith over fear.

Posters banning the unvaccinated are already being seen in some businesses. We are encouraging people to only shop at freedom-loving stores, she said.

Wilford acknowledged that some businesses and venues have already been asking customers for proof of vaccination upon entering.

They are doing so on their own. I emphasize, the program is not being implemented. We are not ordering them to do it.

We heard the publics concern. That VVFE portion was removed from the Oct. 20 Public Health Order that put the new county-wide, universal, mask mandate in place.

We felt the plan would give businesses that wanted to do a vaccination requirement an opportunity to be exempt from it.

Wilford stated that the areas Intensive Care Units (ICUs) were at 119 percent capacity, resulting in the doubling-up of people in rooms, and the transferring of patients to other hospitals.

This is not just affecting COVID patients, but also people needing critical care for other reasons. They are being sent to distant hospitals.

Wilford said half of the ICU patients were there because of the virus, and that the burden on Larimer hospitals was being driven by treatment of the unvaccinated.

We certainly did not want to do an order mandating universal mask wearing, but every parameter has heated up in the last few weeks.

The sole reason we did what we did is to relieve the overload of our hospitals, said Wilford.

We are not shooting for a 100 percent vaccination rate, but 80 percent would go a long way to slow down the pandemic.
Reflecting on Lifes Hopes and Dreams Through Renaissance Portraits

Remember Me exhibition at the Rijks Museum, in Amsterdam

Remember me when I am gone away,

Gone far away into the silent land;

Christina Rossetti, poet, from Remember

Remember Me, a fascinating exhibition at Amsterdams Rijks Museum explores how over 100 Renaissance men and women were memorialized in paint. Through the portraits, we can see what our Renaissance cousins once held dear: their hopes, dreams, and achievements.

The paintings show how people wanted to be portrayed. They convey love, faith, family, beauty, ambition, authority, and knowledge.

Some 500 years have passed since these portraits were painted, but whats astounding are the universal themes that resonate with our own aspirations today, affirming that traditional art truly and enduringly connects to our hearts.

Anonymous portraits of William of Orange on horseback, Francois I, Henry VIII, Mary of Hungary, and Eleanor of Austria on horseback, circa 15401560, Rijks Museum, Amsterdam. (Albertine Dijkema/Rijks Museum)

A view of the Remember Me exhibition at the Rijks Museum in Amsterdam, with Titians Portrait of Ranuccio Farnese on the right. (Albertine Dijkema/Rijks Museum)

The exhibition is a chance to reflect on great Renaissance art, from Northern artists such as Albrecht Durer, Hans Memling, and Hans Holbein the Younger, to Italian artists, Titian, and Sofonisba Anguissola, among others. But more than that, the nine themes (such as Admire Me, Cherish Me, and Pray for Me) that exhibition curators Matthias Ubl and Sara van Dijk cover are an opportunity for us to reflect on our own legacy and impermanence. Its a chance to ponder: When all is said and done and the silent land draws near, how do we want to be remembered?

For Beauty

The Rijks Museum chose Portrait of a Young Woman by Flemish artist Petrus Christus to promote its Remember Me exhibition. The portrait is a highlight of Flemish art and a highlight of the exhibition. This is the first time since 1994 that the Picture Gallery of the Berlin State Museums has loaned the portrait.

Portrait of a Young Woman, circa 1470, by Petrus Christus. Oil on oak panel; 11 1/2 inches by 9 inches. Picture Gallery, Berlin State Museums. (Picture Gallery, Berlin State Museums)

Christuss unknown young lady certainly exudes something worth remembering: beauty. Renaissance men and women held the ancient belief that outer and inner beauty are intimately bound, explains Sara van Dijk in the exhibition catalog. Van Dijk uses Baldassare Castigliones 1528 The Book of the Courtier to illustrate this point: A wicked soul rarely inhabits a beautiful body, and for that reason, outward beauty is a true sign of inner goodness.

To convey beauty, portrait artists commonly emphasized purity, modesty, and chastity, highlighting the sitters virtue.

Christus painted the unknown lady in a three-quarter-length pose. Her porcelain skin and flushed pink cheeks allude to her ethereal beauty. She appears poised and humble, undoubtedly due to a righteous upbringing. Shes fashionable, wearing a blue Burgundian-style dress and a black stomacher (the decorative insert of a womans dress that covers her bodice).

Van Dijk notes that fashionable attire had a certain place in womens portraits, but women were not to neglect their wifely and motherly duties because of vanity. It would be ugly and distasteful for a noblemans wife to appear publicly wearing garments suitable for a duchess or a queen, wrote Renaissance humanist and philosopher Alessandro Piccolomini.

For Love

Van Dijk explains that in medieval times, devotion to God was of the utmost importance. Devout Christians lived as celibates, dedicating their lives to God. But celibacy was not an option for all. The sacred bonds of marriage offered redemption from the deadly sin of lust.

She describes matrimony as a sacrament bestowed by Christ as a symbol of his relationship with the Church. He was the incarnation of the Word of God, and this was symbolized by the physical and spiritual union between a man and a woman. Thus, Christs relationship with his Church was mirrored in the harmonious relationship between husband and wife.

Betrothal and wedding portraits reflected what Renaissance men and women believed to be important attributes for a successful marriage and a fruitful family life. Portraits were filled with symbols of love, purity, chastity, and fertility.

Marsilio Cassotti and His Wife Faustina, 1523, by Lorenzo Lotto. Oil on canvas; 28 inches by 33 1/8 inches. Prado Museum, Madrid, Spain. (Prado Museum)

An endearing marriage portrait is Portrait of Marsilio Cassotti and his Wife Faustina by Italian artist Lorenzo Lotto. The brides father commissioned the piece. In the portrait, Cupid presides over the couple as Cassotti takes his soon-to-be wifes left hand to place the wedding ring on her finger. Van Dijk notes that in Northern Italy the wedding ring was placed on the right ring finger, not as portrayed in Lottos portrait. Perhaps the painter was suggesting a very old tradition: In ancient Rome, the wedding ring would be worn on the left hand, as Romans believed that the left ring finger connected, via an artery, directly to the heart.

For Faith

Prayer was often depicted in devotional portraits. For Christians, the act of prayer offered a direct link to their salvation, paving their path to heaven.

Christians kept devotional paintings as daily prompts, reminding them of their Christian vows. These private portraits were often small portable pendants, diptychs (paintings made of two panels that folded onto each other), or triptychs (similar to a diptych but made of three panels, with the central panel often depicting a religious figure). These were designed to be easily transported or displayed in monastery cells to aid meditation.

Portrait of a Praying Man circa 1470, by perhaps, Guillaume or Pierre Spicre. One half of a diptych depicting a husband and wife. Oil on panel; 23 7/8 inches by 19 1/2 inches. Museum of Fine Arts, Dijon, France. (Museum of Fine Arts, Dijon, France)

Portrait of a Praying Woman, circa 1470, by perhaps, Guillaume or Pierre Spicre. One half of a diptych depicting a husband and wife. Oil on panel; 24 1/4 inches by 19 3/8 inches. Museum of Fine Arts, Dijon, France. (Museum of Fine Arts, Dijon, France)

A diptych in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts in Dijon, France, of a married coupletitled Portraits of a Praying Man and Womanwas created in Burgundy, France, around 1470 by an unknown artist. The couple, painted on separate panels, are both venerating sacred sculptures. The husband solemnly prays to the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child, and his wife humbly offers her prayers to John the Evangelist. From the husbands hands flows a Latin inscription, as if affirming his silent prayers.

These devotional portraits were probably also intended to keep the prayer going symbolically throughout eternity: The paintings, as it were, took over the prayer function when the sitters were busy with worldly occupations or had died, writes Matthias Ubl in the exhibition catalog.

Other devotional portraits were generously peppered with sacred symbols, some overtly so, such as the rosary. Other symbols, although known to the Renaissance contemporaries, may need further explanation today. Prayer nuts, for instance, are often featured in the paintings. These were boxwood nuts that opened into two halves and contained sacred carvings, often depicting the Passion, which acted as a meditation tool.

Twelve Members of the Haarlem Brotherhood of Jerusalem Pilgrims, circa 1528, by Jan van Scorel. Oil on panel; 44 7/8 inches by 108 1/2 inches. Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem, Holland. (Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem)

Artists also depicted pilgrims portraits, as seen in Dutch artist Jan van Scorels painting Twelve Members of the Haarlem Brotherhood of Jerusalem Pilgrims. The pilgrims destination, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, is painted in the top-left corner of the painting. Everything in the portrait reminds the pilgrims of their divine vows. Each brother is in chronological order according to when he made his pilgrimage. Each pilgrim holds one or two palm fronds, with each frond indicating a completed pilgrimage. Papers along the bottom of the painting urge the brothers to pray for the deceased pilgrims, to help them in the afterlife. The artist placed his likeness in the painting, as he was also a pilgrim. Van Scorel stands above the detached piece of paper. Ubl says that the detached paper represents the impermanence of life.

Artists depicted the transience of life in vanitas portraits. The Word of God is everlasting, all else is temporary states a Latin proverb on one portrait. Commonly, symbols of impermanence such as carnations, hourglasses, soap bubbles, and the more macabre motifs such as skulls and even rotting corpses are featured in these portraits.

For Artistry

Early self-portraits were made to honor God and show the beauty of His creations, Ubl says. Later, self-portraits deviated from those sacred intentions. Self-portraits became promotional tools for artists to display their talent and ambition. Ubl notes that the shifting emphasis in portraiture from God to the individual directly correlated with the elevation of the medieval craftsman to artist.

Artists had inserted their self-portraits into their work prior to the 16th century, but now artists painted autonomous self-portraits mainly to allude to their craft. Ubl notes that those portraits that didnt hint at the artists occupation were painted by court painters who had no need to promote themselves.

Self-Portrait With the Colosseum, 1553, by Maarten van Heemskerck. Oil on panel; 16 5/8 inches by 21 1/4 inches. The Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge. (The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge)

Dutch artist Maarten van Heemskercks Self-Portrait With the Colosseum is a fascinating self-promotional painting. At first glance, the artist appears in front of the Colosseum, but he actually depicted himself in front of a painting of the ancient monument. In the far-right corner, we can see van Heemskerck at his easel, copying the amphitheater as part of his Grand Tour art education. Through this painting, he is telling his prospective patrons that hes not only skilled, but that he is also learned. He has been on his Grand Tour and copied the best examples of art: those of ancient Rome.

Self-Portrait at the Easel, circa 15561557, by Sofonisba Anguissola. Oil on canvas; 26 3/8 inches by 22 inches. Lancut Castle Museum, Poland. (Lancut Castle Museum, Poland)

Like van Heemskerck, Italian artist Sofonisba Anguissola showed her prowess in paint. She created many self-portraits, a couple of which are in the exhibition. In one, she is at her easel painting the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child. Religious history paintings, such as the one on her easel, were esteemed as the highest genre of painting.

Another of her paintings in the exhibition, painted just a year after her self-portrait as an artist, is her delightful and well-known family portrait The Chess Game. In this painting, Anguissola looks out at the viewer while her sister on the right tries to get her attention, as if urging her to make her next chess move. Anguissolas other sister, in the center, cheerily looks over to her sister on the right. Its a joyous family scene. A few years after those paintings, in the winter of 15591560, Anguissola became a court painter and a lady-in-waiting at the Spanish court, teaching art to Philip IIIs third wife.

The Chess Game, 1555, by Sofonisba Anguissola. Oil on canvas; 28 3/8 inches by 38 1/4 inches. The Raczynski Foundation at the National Museum in Poznan, Poland. (National Museum in Poznan, Poland)

Self-portrait, 1573, by Johan Gregor van der Schardt. White terracotta with polychromy; 9 inches tall. Rijks Museum. (Rijks Museum)

One self-portrait summarizes the exhibition well. Dutch artist Johan Gregor van der Schardts self-portrait in white terracotta with polychrome, stripped of clothes and any other indication of time, espouses the timelessness of the different ways people want to be remembered. Take away any hint of the period in which these portraits were created and what remains are people representing the enduring, traditional values of our shared humanity.

The exhibition, Remember Me runs until Jan. 16, 2022, at the Rijks Museum in Amsterdam. To find out more, visit Rijksmuseum.nl

The exhibition book, Remember Me: Renaissance Portraits, can be purchased online from the museum shop; visit RijksmuseumShop.nl
Regulator Seeks Powers to Uproot Google Monopoly in Australia

Australias competition watchdog is requesting powers to develop and implement a cyber system that will require internet users be given a choice on what search engine to choose. It comes after warnings that Googles harmful market dominance was severely stifling competition.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Competition (ACCC) said in its third interim report for an inquiry into digital platform services that Google had leveraged its wealth to entrench itself as Australias universal search engine, with its current market share sitting at 94 percent.

In particular, based on public estimates, the ACCC confirmed that Google had paid Apple over US$10 billion (AU$13.2 billion) in 2020or around 15 to 20 percent of Apples net income that yearto be the default search engine in Apples browser, Safari, and the default search query service in its voice assistant, Siri.

Google pays billions of dollars each year for these placements, which illustrates how being the default search engine is extremely valuable to Googles business model, ACCC Chair Rod Sims said in a media statement.

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) Chairman Rod Sims speaks during an interview with Reuters in Sydney, Australia, on Oct. 31, 2016. (Reuters/Jason Reed)

Google ChromeAustralias most popular browser also owned by Googleunsurprisingly uses the search engine as its default. But other browsers, such as Firefox, are reportedly being paid by Google US$400 to $450 million a year to keep the search engine as its default, according to ZDNet.

The ACCC said that Googles and Apples influence in the mobile market had exacerbated Googles search engine monopoly, with Google Chrome and Apple Safari found on 90 percent of mobile devices.

This is because all users with Apple iOS or Android devices have Safari or Google Chrome installed by default and with the ability to uninstall the programs removed altogether.

The report pointed out that many consumers tended to conform to a default bias and stick with the programs provided to them, making it difficult for competitors to convince consumers to switch to something else actively.

To combat this, the ACCC put out a request to be able to regulate the options presented to users devices through a choice screen that immediately presented a list of available search engines, rather than defaulting to Google.

A choice screen offering consumers a selection of alternative web browsers to use. (Screenshot)

The ACCC concluded that Google searchs overwhelming presence restricted healthy competition and the possibility for new search engines with other innovative features from having a chance in the market.

This is likely to have stifled innovation and reduced consumer choice, Sims said. It means that consumers may not be exposed to or aware of other options, such as search engines that protect users privacy and/or have an ecological focus, which limits the ability of these businesses to grow, Sims said.

The ACCC demonstrated how Googles market dominance had suppressed competitors despite these other providers offering advantageous features, including data privacy-focused Duck Duck Go and Brave Search, along with Neeva, a search engine that provides a subscription model, but which did not promote ads or affiliate links.

The report is the latest in a five-year inquiry into the digital platforms and services by the ACCC, who have continued to place Google, Apple, Facebook, and other big tech companies under scrutiny over concerns their unregulated presence had served to squash competition and growth.

This includes challenging Googles Play Store and Apples App Store over allegations they had favoured their own apps at the expense of other businesses sharing the same marketplace, as well as investigating Google and Facebook over their dominance in the digital advertising space.
Report: At Least 59,000 Meat Workers Caught COVID, 269 Died

OMAHA, Neb.At least 59,000 meatpacking workers caught COVID-19 and 269 workers died when the virus tore through the industry last year, which is significantly more than previously thought, according to a new U.S. House report released Wednesday.

The meatpacking industry was one of the early epicenters of the coronavirus pandemic, with workers standing shoulder-to-shoulder along production lines. The U.S. House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, which used internal documents from five of the biggest meatpacking companies for its report, said companies could have done more to protect their workers.

The new estimate of infections in the industry is nearly three times higher than the 22,400 that the United Food and Commercial Workers Union has said were infected. And the true number could be even higher because the companies data didnt generally include coronavirus cases confirmed by outside testing or self-reported by employees.

Employees and family members protest outside a Smithfield Foods processing plant in Sioux Falls, S.D., on April 9, 2020. (Stephen Groves File/AP Photo)

At the height of the outbreaks in spring last year, U.S. meatpacking production fell to about 60 percent of normal levels as several major plants were forced to temporarily close for deep cleaning and safety upgrades or operated at slower speeds because of worker shortages. The report said companies were slow to take protective steps such as checking employee temperatures, distributing protective equipment and installing barriers between work stations.

Instead of addressing the clear indications that workers were contracting the coronavirus at alarming rates due to conditions in meatpacking facilities, meatpacking companies prioritized profits and production over worker safety, continuing to employ practices that led to crowded facilities in which the virus spread easily, the report said.

The North American Meat Institute trade group defended the industrys response to the pandemic.

Frontline meat and poultry workers were among the first impacted by the pandemic, but publicly available data confirm that comprehensive measures implemented in the sector since spring 2020, including extensive infection prevention and vaccination efforts, have successfully protected the sectors dedicated and diverse workforce as they have continued feeding Americans and keeping our economy working, said Julie Anna Potts, president and CEO of the trade group

The report is based on documents from JBS, Tyson Foods, Smithfield Foods, Cargill, and National Beef. Together they control over 80 percent of the beef market and over 60 percent of the pork market nationwide.

Cargill, Tyson, Smithfield, and JBS released statements Wednesday saying they worked aggressively to meet federal health and safety standards and took additional measures to protect their employees, such as conducting widespread testing and urging employees to get vaccinated.

Throughout the pandemic, weve worked hard to maintain safe and consistent operations. At the same time, we have not hesitated to temporarily idle or reduce capacity at processing plants when we determined it necessary to do so, Cargill spokesman Daniel Sullivan said.

The companies expressed regret at the toll the virus has taken.

Even one illness or loss of life to COVID-19 is one too many, which is why weve taken progressive action from the start of the pandemic to protect the health and safety of our workers, Tyson spokesman Gary Mickelson said.

The report said infection rates were especially high at some meatpacking plants. At a JBS plant in Hyrum, Utah, 54 percent of the workforce contracted the virus between March 2020 and February 2021. Nearly 50 percent of workers at a Tyson plant in Amarillo, Texas, were infected in the same time frame. And 44 percent of employees at National Beefs plant in Tama, Iowa, caught COVID-19 from April 2020 to February 2021.

The report said internal documents show Smithfield aggressively pushed back against government safety recommendations after experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention inspected its pork plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakotathe site of a major outbreak. A few days earlier, Smithfields CEO emphasized the severity of the problem when he told the CEO of National Beef in an email that Employees are afraid to come to work.

Debbie Berkowitz, with Georgetown Universitys Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor, said the industry was slow to respond and federal regulators didnt force them to act.

When the pandemic hit, of course it was going to hit meatpacking plants really hard and really fast, said Berkowitz, who was scheduled to testify at a House hearing on the report Wednesday. What was the industrys responsenot to protect workers and mitigate the spread of COVID-19, not to separate workers 6 feet apart, which was the earlier guidance that came out in late Februarybut to just keep on going.

By Josh Funk
Wally and Pam Herger (R) and friends at the Shen Yun Performing Arts performance at Gallo Center for the Arts  Mary Stuart Rogers Theater, on Oct. 26, 2021. (Qian Zhang/The Epoch Times)

MODESTO, Calif.Wally Herger is a retired Congressman of Northern California, the second congressional district. He and his wife Pam have seen Shen Yun Performing Arts three times in the past four years and this time, they brought their friend Faye Amos, a retired government employee.

You feel the beauty of God, Herger said about New York-based Shen Yun. You just feel everything is so beautiful. Theyre so well coordinated. I could watch them forever.

Shen Yuns values also spoke to the retired couple. They found hope in the performance saying that they saw the message of divine creation.

[The performance] mentioned how communism, and atheism is taking over the world. But theres still good people, Herger said. Theres people like Shen Yun.

They were able to find a connection between Shen Yun and their own faith. Herger said that he found the traditional culture in the performance resonated with him. Boy, this just is what we believe in, what theyre saying, the same principles.

Shen Yun Performing Arts curtain call at Modestos Mary Stuart Rogers Theater, on Oct. 26, 2021. (Zhou Rong/The Epoch Times)

Amos had been to China and she has seen the impact that the Chinese Communist Party has had on the Chinese people. After attending Shen Yun, she realized that the Chinese people have had the truth about God and His nature and the eternal nature of man for 5,000 years.

Its very sad to think that people arent allowed to believe how they want, Amos said. But I think that the redeeming part for Shen Yun is that it makes people feel closer to God.

Herger agreed, saying, The truth just jumps out at you. You feel the godliness and the truth from the beginning to the very end.

Jolene and Roberto Villelva at Modestos Mary Stuart Rogers Theater, on Oct. 26, 2021. (Cynthia Cai/The Epoch Times)

Jolene and Roberto Villelva were also in attendance for the evening performance.

They were deeply impacted by the piece describing the persecution of Falun Gong.

Its unfortunate that people are continuing to be persecuted for their beliefs to this day, Jolene said. People should be free to practice their own beliefs.

They were also appreciative of Shen Yuns effort in making the persecution known to more people. They brought awareness to the situation. And the more people that are aware, the better the message can be put out, she said.

At the end of the dance, the victim is saved in a miraculous turn of events. After seeing this scene, Roberto shared his belief that a higher power can do anything.

He also felt that the theme of Shen Yun relates to all cultures.

Reporting by Qian Zhang, Cynthia Cai, and Maria Han.

The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time. We have proudly covered audience reactions since Shen Yuns inception in 2006.
San Diego Moves to Permanently Allow Outdoor Business Operations

SAN DIEGOThe San Diego City Council tentatively approved on Oct. 26 the Spaces as Places program, which permanently allows outdoor dining and business operations in spaces previously envisioned as temporary during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The program opens up outdoor areas for dining, walking, biking, and other activities while providing ways to turn temporary outdoor structures into permanent installations.

Council voted 6-2 in favor of the program, with Sean Elo-Rivera and Joe LaCava opposed, while Chris Cate was absent.

Mayor Todd Gloria said he was proud that the city council approved the program.

Spaces as Places also allows for whole-street closures to create promenades and will ensure long-term options that are safe, equitable, and accessible for all San Diegans, Gloria said.

Spaces as Places targets businesses in traditionally underserved communities to ensure outdoor dining investments, along with bicycle and pedestrian improvements, are equitably distributed across the city, according to Glorias office.

Council approved temporary outdoor business operations within the public right-of-way last summer, as an emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic when indoor operations were limited due to public health orders.

City Planning Director Mike Hansen said since the pandemic began, were seeing more people spend time outdoors and want to continue spending time outdoors with their friends and family.

Were proud to have a program that will strengthen and enhance our neighborhoods by encouraging more opportunities for people to gather with others in safe and comfortable outdoor spaces, all while supporting our citys economy, Hansen said.

The program will take effect for business owners 30 days after the city councils second reading of the ordinance scheduled for November. Approval from the California Coastal Commission is also required before the program becomes applicable for seaside communities, according to Glorias office.

Councilmember Mari von Wilpert described allowing outdoor dining as one of the silver linings weve seen in what has been the horrible ordeal of the COVID pandemic.

Spaces as Places also won praise from several business and civic groups, including the California Restaurant Association, Downtown San Diego Partnership, and San Diego County Bicycle Coalition.
San Diego Police Investigate Potential Homicide After Body Found in Hillcrest Home

SAN DIEGOPolice officers found what they describe as a 60-year-old man dead inside a Hillcrest residence after receiving a 911 call on Wednesday evening, Oct. 27, launching a homicide investigation from city detectives.

The male had visible trauma to his body, Lt. Jud Campbell said in a statement.

San Diego Fire and Rescue pronounced the man deceased upon arriving at the residence on a dead-end road near 3700 Eighth Avenue, just south of Robinson Avenue.

Police are withholding the identity of the man pending notification of the family.

Detectives are currently looking for evidence and interviewing any possible witnesses.

Police are asking anyone with information regarding this incident to call the Homicide Unit at (619) 531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
Some Fast-Food Items Contain Potentially Harmful Industrial Plastics: Study

Items from popular fast-food chains contain small amounts of certain chemicals in plastics that are believed to disrupt human hormones and possibly cause other serious health problems, a new study suggests.

Researchers from George Washington University purchased 64 fast food items from outlets including McDonalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Dominos, Taco Bell, and Chipotle, and found 10 of 11 potentially harmful chemicals in the samples, including phthalates, and other plasticizers.

Phthalates make plastics like polyvinyl chloride (PVC) more flexible and are used in vinyl flooring, adhesives, detergents, lubricating oils, and automotive plastics. People can be exposed by eating and drinking foods and beverages that have been in contact with plastic containers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Phthalate levels are regulated in food in the European Union, but not in the United States.

We found phthalates and other plasticizers are widespread in prepared foods available at U.S. fast-food chains, a finding that means many consumers are getting a side of potentially unhealthy chemicals along with their meal, Lariah Edwards, lead author of the study and a postdoctoral scientist at the university, said. Stronger regulations are needed to help keep these harmful chemicals out of the food supply.

The study found that food items containing meats, such as cheeseburgers and chicken burritos, had higher levels of the chemicals, with those items containing the highest levels of DEHT, a replacement plasticizer. The same chemical was also detected in food handling gloves from the same fast-food chains, the researchers said.

The Epoch Times has reached out to the six fast-food restaurants mentioned in the study and the Food and Drug Administration.

Ami Zota, a professor of environmental and occupational health at the university, said her team is concerned that certain racial or minority groups may be disproportionately affected by these chemicals.

Disadvantaged neighborhoods often have plenty of fast-food outlets, but limited access to healthier foods like fruits and vegetables, Zota said. Additional research needs to be done to find out whether people living in such food deserts are at higher risk of exposure to these harmful chemicals.

The human health effects of phthalate exposure are not known, according to the CDC, but they have been shown to affect the reproductive systems of lab animals.

Phthalates are of concern because animal and epidemiology studies have linked exposure to a range of adverse health outcomes, from toxicity to developing male reproductive systems, neurodevelopmental issues, miscarriage, and preterm birth, said Justin Colacino of the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor, who was not involved in the study.

The FDA has since issued a statement saying that it will review the findings from the George Washington study.

Although the FDA has high safety standards, as new scientific information becomes available, we reevaluate our safety assessments, an FDA spokesperson told the Washington Post. Where new information raises safety questions, the FDA may revoke food additive approvals, if the FDA is no longer able to conclude that there is a reasonable certainty of no harm from the authorized use.

Reuters contributed to this report.
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, seen on the launch pad at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Fla., on April 22, 2021. (Gianrigo Marletta/AFP via Getty Images)

SpaceX Preps for Launch of 4 More Astronauts to Space Station

HAWTHORNE, Calif.Hawthorne-based SpaceX will attempt Oct. 30 to launch its third group of astronauts to the International Space Station as part of its contract with NASAs Commercial Crew Program to shuttle personnel to the orbiting outpost.

The four-member crew is scheduled to launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida at 11:21 p.m. Saturday California time.

If the launch is postponed for any reason, a backup launch window opens at 10:10 p.m. California time Nov. 3.

Flying aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft Endurance will be NASA astronauts Raja Chari, mission commander; Tom Marshburn, pilot; and Kayla Barron, mission specialist. Also aboard will be European Space Agency astronaut Matthias Maurer, also a mission specialist.

The astronautsdubbed Crew-3, as part of SpaceXs third official manned flight to the space stationare expected to arrive at the station early Monday morning.

They will be greeted upon arrival by the four-member crew of the last manned SpaceX flight, Crew-2, who have been aboard the station since April.

That crewNASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, and European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquetare expected to return to Earth in early November aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule Endeavour.

McArthur, who grew up in Northern California, is a University of CaliforniaLos Angeles graduate in aerospace engineering, and she earned a doctorate in oceanography at University of CaliforniaSan Diego, where she was a researcher at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

SpaceX last November sent its first official crew to the space station in a separate Dragon spacecraft, dubbed Resilience.

SpaceXs first manned mission to the space station actually occurred last summer with the launch of two astronauts from Cape Canaveral in the Endeavour capsule, marking the first manned mission to launch from U.S. soil since the Space Shuttle program was retired. But that trip was technically dubbed a demonstration flight to test the capabilities of the Crew Dragon spacecraft.
Christopher Steeles recent interview with ABCs George Stephanopoulos was the long-planned opportunity for Steele to provide reasonable answers to the obvious flaws contained within his dossier.

Steeles dossier, which was actually manipulated political disinformation masquerading as raw intelligence, has been disproven on virtually all frontsincluding before the High Court in London. And the media that relentlessly promoted his dossier desperately needed a plausible excuse for having done so. Steele was supposed to provide that excuse in his interview.

A new narrative was already in the process of being subtly establishedone where the corporate media and the intelligence communitys false reporting could be blamed on Russian disinformation. And they needed Steele to come on board.

But instead, Steele chose to double-down on his dossier, ignoring obvious facts in the process. This has created material problems for the corporate media and the intelligence community.

Welcome to Truth over News with Jeff Carlson and Hans Mahncke.



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People burn tires during a protest a day after the military seized power in Khartoum, Sudan, on Oct. 26, 2021. (Marwan Ali/AP Photo)

Sudan Arrests 3 Coup Critics as Pressure Mounts on Military

CAIROSudanese security forces detained three prominent pro-democracy figures overnight, their relatives and other activists said Wednesday, as internal and international pressure mounted on the countrys military following its coup.

The arrests came as protests denouncing Mondays takeover continued in the capital of Khartoum and elsewhere, and many businesses shut in response to calls for strikes. The coup threatens to halt Sudans fitful transition to democracy, which began after the 2019 ouster of longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir in a popular uprising.

Groups of protestersin some places, dozens, in others, hundredsset up barricades of stones on main roads throughout the day. Security forces waded in, chasing demonstrators and dismantling the barriers.

It looks like a hit-and-run process, they remove, and we build, activist Nazim Sirag said.

Some protesters were shot and wounded, activists said, though they did not have exact figures. Security forces confronting demonstrators have killed at least six people since Monday and wounded over 140 others, many in critical condition, according to physicians with the Sudan Doctors Committee.

Prominent rights defender Tahani Abbas said the pro-democracy movement would continue street protests despite the suppression.

We are frustrated, she said, but we have no other option but the street.

In a nod to deteriorating security conditions, the State Department authorized nonessential personnel and the families of all government employees at the U.S Embassy in Khartoum to leave Sudan due to civil unrest and possible supply shortages.

The coup came after weeks of mounting tensions between military and civilian leaders over the course and pace of Sudans moves toward democracy.

The African Union (AU) suspended Sudanan expected move typically taken in the wake of coups. The AU Peace and Security Council said via Twitter on Wednesday that the suspension would remain in place until the effective restoration of the civilian-led Transitional Authority, as the deposed government is known.

The AU plans to send a mission to Sudan to hold talks with rival parties.

The World Bank also suspended disbursements for its operations in Sudan, whose economy has been battered by years of mismanagement and sanctions and was dealt a blow when the oil-rich south seceded in 2011 after decades of war, taking with it more than half of public revenues and 95 percent of oil exports.

We hope that peace and the integrity of the transition process will be restored, so that Sudan can restart its path of economic development and can take its rightful place in the international financial community, bank President David Malpass said in a statement.

Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdoks now-deposed government had embarked on a series of reforms meant to transform the countrys economy and have the nation rejoin the international community after over two decades of isolation under al-Bashir.

In May, the World Bank said it had allocated $2 billion to Sudan to finance big infrastructure projects along with others over the next 12 months, after the United States provided bridge financing of $1.15 billion to Cleese Sudans overdue payments to the global financing body.

Following widespread international condemnation, the military allowed Hamdok and his wife to return home on Tuesday night. Hamdok, a former U.N. economist, was detained along with other government officials when the military seized power.

Several Western embassies in Khartoum said Wednesday they will continue to recognize Hamdok and his Cabinet as the constitutional leaders of the transitional government of Sudan.

In a joint statement, the embassies of the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, France and several other European countries called for the release of other detained officials and for talks between the military and the pro-democracy movement.

EU foreign affairs chief Joseph Borrell wrote on Twitter that he spoke with Hamdok on Wednesday to voice his support for the return of a civilian-led transitional government as the only way forward.

We dont want Sudan to go back to dark hours of its history, he said.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken also spoke with Sudanese Foreign Minister Mariam al-Mahdi about how to support the civilian-led transition to democracy, and condemned the military takeover.

The general leading the coup, Abdel-Fattah Burhan, has pledged to hold elections, as planned, in July 2023, and to appoint a technocrat government in the meantime.

Burhan met Wednesday with Saudi Ambassador Ali Hassan bin Ghafar to discuss efforts to resolve the crisis through consultations with all concerned parties, the Sudanese military said.

But critics doubt the military is serious about eventually ceding control, noting that the coup came just weeks before Burhan was supposed to hand over the leadership of the top ruling body, the Sovereign Council, to a civilian. The council, which was made up of both civilian and military leaders but led by a general, was the ultimate authority in the country, while Hamdoks transitional government ran day-to-day affairs. Both were dissolved in the coup.

Volker Perthes, the U.N. special envoy for Sudan, met Wednesday with Burhan and reiterated the U.N.s call for a return to the transition process under the constitutional document and the immediate release of all those arbitrarily detained.

Perthes also met Hamdok in his residence where he remains under guard, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

The activists taken overnight were Ismail al-Taj, a leader of the Sudanese Professionals Association, the group at the forefront of the protests that brought down al-Bashir; Sediq al-Sadiq al-Mahdi, a leader in Sudans largest political party, known as Umma and brother of Foreign Minister Mariam al-Mahdi; and Khalid al-Silaik, a former media adviser to the prime minister.

The three have been outspoken critics of the military takeover and have called for protests. Already, tens of thousands of Sudanese have taken to the streets, and activists are planning a mass demonstration on Saturday.

Al-Silaik was detained moments after he gave an interview to broadcaster Al-Jazeera, according to his wife, Marwa Kamel. In the interview, he criticized the militarys takeover, calling Hamdok and his government the legitimate administration of Sudan.

What Gen. Burhan did is a complete coup.  People will respond to this in the coming days, al-Silaik said.

Activists Nazim Siraj and Nazik Awad and the Umma party confirmed the arrests of the other two figures.

When Burhan dissolved the Sovereign Council and the transitional government on Monday, he alleged that the military was forced to step in to prevent the country from sliding into civil war. But he had repeatedly warned he wanted to delay the transition to civilian leadership of the council.

Meanwhile, flights in and out of Khartoums international airport resumed Wednesday, a day after the countrys Civil Aviation Authority said they would be suspended until Oct. 30.

By Samy Magdy
Members of the Supreme Court pose for a group photo at the Supreme Court in Washington on April 23, 2021. Seated from left: Associate Justice Samuel Alito, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John Roberts, Associate Justice Stephen Breyer, and Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Standing from left: Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Associate Justice Elena Kagan, Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch, and Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett. (Erin Schaff/Pool/Getty Images)

Supreme Court Blocks Order Compelling Company to Hand Over Documents to Chinese Manufacturer

The Supreme Court stayed a lower courts order on Oct. 27 that would force a Michigan company to hand over documents to a Chinese manufacturer thats disputing the value of the assets of the companys German parent company that it purchased in 2017.

In the case, ZF Automotive U.S. Inc. v. Luxshare Ltd., court file 21-401, the high court is being asked to resolve a split between federal courts of appeal on whether parties in private arbitration outside the country remain able to avail themselves of U.S. courts power to compel the production of evidence.

The Supreme Court was recently poised to consider such a question but Servotronics Inc v. Rolls-Royce PLC, a case with some similarities, was dropped. The case had been scheduled for oral argument on Oct. 5. The high court dismissed the legal proceeding on consent on Sept. 29.

In the case at hand, the petitioner, Michigan-based ZF Automotive, manufactures automotive parts. The respondent, China-based Luxshare, manufactures consumer electronics, communications-related, and automotive products.

Luxshare is sometimes called little Foxconn, after Taiwan-based Foxconn, an electronics contract manufacturer in the Apple supply chain that has a large number of Chinese supplier locations.

A dispute surfaced after Luxshare acquired a business unit of ZF Friedrichshafen AG, a German corporation, for approximately $1 billion in 2017. Luxshare argued it had been misled about the profitability of two of ZFs businesses. The agreement stated that disputes would be resolved according to the rules of the German Institution of Arbitration.

Citing current precedent from the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that holds that private arbitration is within the scope of Section 1782 of Title 28 of the U.S. Code, which deals with compelling testimony before a foreign tribunal, a U.S. district court in Detroit approved a request by Luxshare to subpoena ZF Automotive, a subsidiary of the German company, ordering it to hand over documents to Luxshare. The district court found that private arbitration outside the United States falls under Section 1782.

Luxshare had demanded the documents before possibly taking the dispute to private arbitration in Germany, which would have to be initiated before years end. Despite ZF Automotives appeal in the Supreme Court, the case hasnt yet been finally resolved by the district court.

This case presents an ideal vehicle by which the Court could resolve the longstanding circuit split and determineonce and for allwhat Section 1782 means, ZF Automotive states in its petition (pdf) to the high court.

ZF Automotive argued in its stay application (pdf) before the high court that its interests will be adversely affected if the stay isnt granted because Luxshare will unfairly gain an advantage.

Irreparable harm to Applicants will undoubtedly result if the district courts order is not stayed, as Luxshare will immediately use any discovery obtained in this case in its request for arbitrationpotentially leaving Applicants with no remedy even if they are ultimately vindicated on the threshold legal question in this case, the application states.

Luxshare will suffer no harm from a stay, as it has not yet filed its request for arbitration.

The Supreme Court acted in the case late Oct. 27, after an application for stay was presented to Justice Brett Kavanaugh. The justice referred the matter to the full court, which then put a hold on the relevant order issued by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, pending the disposition of the petition for a writ of certiorari before judgment.

In other words, the Supreme Court hasnt yet agreed to hear the case, although the fact that it granted the stay application suggests theres a good possibility it will do so.

The counsel of record for the petitioner, Roman Martinez V, and the respondent, Andrew Rhys Davies, didnt immediately respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.
Chiu Kuo-cheng, the Defence Minister, at a press conference in Taipei, Taiwan on August 2, 2019. (SAM YEH/AFP via Getty Images)

Taiwan Defense Minister Says Island Must Be Able to Defend Itself

Taiwans defense minister said on Oct. 28 that the island must have the ability to defend itself, and not rely on others for help, if the Chinese regime were to attack.

The remarks came after the islands president said she had faith that the United States would come to Taiwans aid if the Chinese regime were to invade.

As I have repeatedly emphasized before, a country must rely on itself, Chiu Kuo-cheng, the islands defense minister, told reporters before the legislative committee session on Thursday. If any friends or other groups can help us, then its like I said before, were happy to have it, but we cannot completely depend on it.

Taiwan has recently come under intense pressure as the Chinese regime stepped up its campaign of military harassment targeting the self-ruled island it claims as its own, sending a record number of military aircraft into international airspace near Taiwan at the start of October.

In an interview aired on Wednesday with CNN, Taiwans President Tsai Ing-wen was asked if she had confidence the United States would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack, to which she responded, I do have faith.

We have a wide range of cooperation with the US aiming at increasing our defense capability, Tsai said.

She added that the threat from China is increasing every day.

Washington maintains longstanding policy towards Taiwan, known as strategic ambiguity, meaning that U.S. administrations have been deliberately vague on whether it would defend the island in the event of a Chinese invasion. The Chinese regime has never renounced the use of force to seize Taiwan.

During the interview, Tsai also acknowledged the presence of a small number of U.S. troops on the island, the first time the islands leader has confirmed this.

When questioned about the presidents confirmation, the defense minister said the U.S. troops are not stationed there and are only assisting with training exercises.

There are some military exchanges between Taiwan and the U.S., and some of their people have come here to help our training, Chiu said during a legislature hearing on Thursday, adding that no U.S. forces are currently garrisoned on the island.

In 1979, the United States withdrew its permanently based forces on the island when it ended its diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favor of Beijing.

Despite its non-diplomatic ties with the island, the United States maintains a robust relationship with Taipei based on the Taiwan Relations Act, which authorizes Washington to provide the island with military equipment for its self-defense.

At the beginning of October, Beijing sent nearly 150 military aircraft over Taiwans air defense zone over four days, in a record show of strength that prompted Chiu at the time to describe cross-strait tensions as the worst hes seen in 40 years. He also said that Beijing would have the full ability to invade the island in four years.

In a speech on Oct. 9, Chinese leader Xi Jinping renewed calls that Taiwan must and will definitely be reunified with the mainland.

On Wednesday, President Joe Biden at a summit of East Asian leaders said the United States was deeply concerned by the Chinese regimes coercive actions in the Taiwan Strait.

In response, Beijings foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin, at a Thursday press conference, said the regime firmly opposed any form of official contacts and military ties between the United States and Taiwan.

Wang lashed out at the United States, saying it was interfering in Beijings internal affairs and sent wrong signals to the island.

In another press conference, the Chinese Defense Ministrys spokesperson Tan Kefei said Beijing would resolutely counter and fight back if Washington attempted to upgrade military connections with Taiwan.

Last week, Biden caused a stir when he said a commitment to defend Taiwan if the Chinese regime attacked, contradicting Washingtons policy of strategic ambiguity.

The White House clarified the next day that Biden was not intending to convey a change in policy, nor has he made a decision to change our policy.

The Associated Press and Cathy He contributed to this report.
Sofia Steel is seen with a face mask tied to her head, in images taken in Indian Harbour Beach, Fla. (Courtesy of the Steel family)

Teacher Tied Mask Onto Girl With Down Syndrome Without Parental Consent: Father

A teacher in Florida used a nylon cord to tie a mask to the face of a young student with Down syndrome, in violation of the states Parents Bill of Rights, the students father says.

When 7-year-old Sofia Steel, who is nonverbal, got off her school bus on Oct. 7 with a mask tied to her face, it was the first time her parents saw that she was being forced to wear a mask.

Brevard County authorities imposed a school mask mandate on Aug. 30, but because Sofia is a special needs child, she has an individualized education program (IEP). The face-covering requirement (pdf) specifically exempts students with IEPs.

Sofias parents say they were never asked for consent for their daughter to be masked and that she boarded her bus without a mask each day between Aug. 30 and Oct. 7 and returned home unmasked until they saw her with a blue medical face mask that had nylon rope holding it in place.

At a meeting with the principal of Ocean Breeze Elementary School, several days after the stunning discovery, Jeffrey Steel, Sofias father, said the principal acknowledged at least one staffer had tied a mask to the girls faceand that it wasnt an isolated incident.

She admitted that it was happening, Steel told The Epoch Times. And she defended that the teacher would not do anything ever, of course, to hurt Sofia, and that she told me that she had the teacher in her office crying about this incident, and talking to her about the tying of the mask and why she didnt call the parents?

And she, the teacher, answered that she was doing itand this was the according to the principal speaking to meshe did it because of the mask mandate. So the mandate has now trumped our authority as parents.

Sofia has certain conditions that make it dangerous for her to wear masks. They include an inability to convey distress and an enlarged tongue. Her parents say wearing a mask over her mouth, much less her mouth and nose, could lead to seizures.

Theyre now kept up at night wondering how long the forced masking went on. Theyre preparing legal action in the hope of securing video footage from inside the school and on the bus that may shed light on what their daughter went through.

The only way we knew this was happening was because she came home and we found it on her head, Steel said.

He blamed the school board, which he said placed such enormous pressure on schools to mask children.

Steel contacted the police and said a school resource officer accompanied him to the meeting with the principal. David Butler, the police chief in Indian Harbour Beach, confirmed to The Epoch Times via email that the department received a complaint from Steel and an investigation is underway.

The student was given a medical mask exemption as soon as the mother made the request to school leadership. The school district is investigating and is in the process of gathering all the facts, Russell Bruhn, a spokesman for Brevard Public Schools, told The Epoch Times in an email, adding that the district strives to ensure each student has the best educational experience possible and will continue in that effort.

Jennifer Jenkins, the school board member who represents the area in which the Steels live, didnt respond to a request for comment.

Sofia Steel is seen in an undated photograph. (Courtesy of the Steel family)

The board imposed the mandate in a narrow 32 vote even as Gov. Ron DeSantis banned school mask mandates. The mandate was blocked by a judge in early September but later upheld by higher courts.

The board recently extended the face mask policy through Nov. 28 but implemented an opt-out provision for parents.

Other districts have also defied DeSantis, a Republican. His administration responded this month, withholding hundreds of thousands of dollars from two of the counties, after Brevard and seven others were sanctioned earlier this month.

Weve had many, many battles throughout the United States, including some here in Florida, about forcible masking of school children. In Florida, we have a Parents Bill of Rights. That decision belongs with the parents. But weve had a number of school districts ignore that. Of course, were in litigation over that. We think were going to be able to get some very positive outcomes very, very soon, DeSantis told a press conference last week.

In response to what happened to Sofia, her parents pulled her from Ocean Breeze. While they explore enrolling her in a private school, Steels wife has quit her job to take care of the girl full time.

The family is raising money to file legal action. They want to secure video footage from the school, get justice for Sofia, and attempt to put authority back in the hands of parents for educational decisions.

Our philosophy is it that  natural law and natural justice is the patrimony of the parents. Full stop, Steel said. He added that he hopes another special needs child [never] has to experience anything like this again.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that despite falling rates, the virus can bounce back. (Patrick Semansky/Pool/Getty Images)

The Ignoble Lie

Commentary

In a controversial passage in Platos Republic, Socrates introduced the idea of the noble lie (gennaios pseudos).

A majestic fiction, he says, could sometimes serve society by persuading uninformed citizens of something good for them.

Ever since, many prevaricators have used the excuse that they lied for the common good.

Take Dr. Anthony Fauci, our point man on the COVID-19 epidemic.

Fauci misled the country about mask-wearing during the pandemic by claiming they were of little use. But he argued that he lied so the public wouldnt make a run on masks, deplete the supply, and thus rob medical professionals of protective equipment.

Fauci also told noble lies about the likely percentage of the public needing to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity. He kept raising the barfrom 60 percent to 70 percent to 75 percent to 80 percent to 85 percent.

Apparently, Fauci feared a lower figure, even if accurate, might lull people into complacency about getting inoculated.

Fauci also lied about his own role in routing U.S. aid money to subsidize gain-of-function viral research at the Wuhan virology labthe likely birthplace of COVID-19.

Either Fauci was hiding his own culpability, or he believed the American people might not be able to fully accept that some of their own health officials were promoting the sort of research that was partially responsible for more than 700,000 American deaths.

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas has serially lied about the number of undocumented immigrants who have crossed into the United States. He falsely claimed mounted agents were whipping migrants. He fibbed about the purported lack of federal data of apprehensions, detentions, and deportations. His assertion that the border is secure was a joke.

Apparently, Mayorkas believes the public would go ballistic, or his own administration would be roundly despised, if he told the bitter truth about the border: by intent, the Biden administration has apparently deliberately left it wide open.

And that will likely allow 2 million undocumented immigrants into the country in the current fiscal year.

Lots of other unelected federal officials lied over the past five years by claiming or implying that harming the Trump administration was in the public interest.

Former FBI directors Andrew McCabe and James Comey likely misled the nation. McCabe admittedly lied that he didnt leak FBI information to the media.

Comey lied under oath on multiple occasions in congressional cross-examinations and claimed he didnt know or couldnt remember basic facts about his own role in promoting the Russian collusion hoax.

Apparently, Comey and McCabe believed that by being less than truthful, they might better emasculate Donald Trump. And that result would be beneficial to America.

Our former intelligence leaders may have been the most brazen liars. Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper lied to Congress about the NSA surveillance program, although he denied it.

When caught in the untruth, Clapper reverted to the noble lie that he gave the least untruthful answer, apparently on the pretense that he didnt wish to damage the reputation of an important intelligence agency.

Ditto John Brennan, the former head of the CIA. On two occasions, he lied under oath about the agencys monitoring of Senate staffers computers and the deaths of civilians caused by U.S. drone assassination missions along the Afghanistan border.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley lied for days about the details of an accidental drone strike that killed innocent women and children in Afghanistan.

Either Milley is now lying when he says he warned Joe Biden about the disasters to come in Afghanistan or Biden is lying when he denies hearing any such advice.

Many of the details of Milleys conversations with authors Bob Woodward and Robert Costa as reported in their recent muckraking book were abjectly denied by Milley.

The list of such lies could be vastly expanded.

IRS functionary Lois Lerner never told the whole untruth about weaponizing the IRS.

Former Attorney General Loretta Lynch spun an implausible yarn that she accidentally bumped into Bill Clinton on a tarmac in Phoenix and never discussed the then-current FBI investigation of Hillary Clinton.

Special counsel Robert Mueller told a whopper under oath, claiming to know almost nothing about the Steele dossier and the misadventures of Fusion GPS. Both were the two catalysts that prompted his entire investigation of collusion in the first place.

In some of these cases, when caught and exposed, the liars will hedge by claiming temporary amnesia.

But sometimes, they admit they lied but suggest they did so for higher purposes such as national security.

In truth, in most cases, there was nothing noble at all in their lying. They simply spread untruths to protect their own endangered careers by masking their own wrongdoing or fobbing it onto others.

In other words, noble lies are rarely spun for anyones interests other than those of the liars themselves.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
The messenger app WeChat is seen next to its logo in this illustration picture taken on Aug. 7, 2020. (Florence Lo/Reuters)

The Strange Case of the WeChat Lawsuit

News Analysis

WeChat allow[s] the Chinese Communist party access to Americans personal and proprietary information said then-President Donald Trump, explaining why he signed an executive order, banning the Chinese app.

WeChat (; Weixin), developed in 2011 by Tencent, is a multi-purpose social media app that has instant messaging, ride hailing, and mobile payment functions. With more than 1 billion monthly active users, it is arguably the largest app in the world. WeChat can do many things, including photo and location sharing, hold-to-talk voice messaging, video conferencing, video games, group chat meetings.

Under Chinas Cybersecurity Law, Beijing has the right to demand, from any person or entity in China, any and all information that the regime feels has implications for Chinese security. Additionally, authorities can seize this data or information without notifying the user. A separate law, Chinas National Intelligence Law, obligates Chinese and, in some cases, foreign citizens, entities, companies, or organizations in China to support the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in intelligence-gathering.

All activity and users on WeChat are tracked by the CCP, as part of its massive surveillance campaign against the Chinese population, as well as foreign and Chinese users abroad. This includes searching images, reading chats, listening to phone conversations, and censoring social media posts. Politically sensitive and forbidden content is instantly removed, and violators may be jailed or have their social credit score downgraded. Data transmitted by accounts registered outside of China is closely monitored and analyzed. This data is then used to train the CCPs AI systems.

In August 2020, Trump issued an Executive Order banning all transactions with WeChat in the United States. In the same month, the U.S. WeChat Users Alliance (USWUA) was founded, and it initiated a lawsuit against the U.S. government.

According to the USWUA website, which is written in both English and Chinese, the groups initiators are all ethnic Chinese lawyers, practicing in the United States. The three primary initiators are also group trustees: chairwoman Ying Cao, trustee Shengyang Wu, and trustee Gang Yuan.

The media called the case U.S. WeChat Users Alliance v. Trump, but this is not exactly accurate. The case was against the Trump administration, on the grounds of First Amendment freedom of speech rights, as well as the hardship of Chinese immigrant families, who use WeChat to communicate with their relatives back in China.

In September 2020, Trumps order was blocked by a preliminary injunction issued in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

The Biden administration lifted the ban in June this year. Although the ban against WeChat was cancelled, President Joe Biden also signed the Executive Order Protecting Americans Sensitive Data from Foreign Adversaries, which specifically names China as a threat to data privacy and national security.

On their website, the USWUA claims that it won final victory. But in reality, there is no indication that Bidens actions were related to the lawsuit. And it was the Biden administration, not the courts, that revoked Trumps Executive Order.

The group posted, in English and Chinese, details about the case and how it has morphed into U.S. WeChat Users Alliance v. Biden, in his capacity as president of the United States, and Gina Raimondo, in her capacity as secretary of commerce, and suing for $900,000 in attorneys fees. On the groups website, there is a document called US WeChat User Alliance v. Biden, No. 3:20-cv-05910-LB (N.D. Cal.), which, at a glance, seems to be a settlement agreement. However, the document is incomplete and there are no signatures or date. So it is unclear if it is a proposal, or if a settlement was actually reached, or if money was paid.

According to the website Court Listener, the District Court N.D. California case No. 3:20-cv-05910-LB (N.D. Cal.) is for U.S. WeChat Users Alliance v. Trump (3:20-cv-05910), not U.S. WeChat User Alliance v. Biden, and does not mention $900,000 in compensation.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Peter Daszak, right, the president of the EcoHealth Alliance, is seen in Wuhan, China, on Feb. 3, 2021. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)

Top Republicans Call for DOJ to Investigate If EcoHealth Alliance Broke Law

Top Republicans in Congress are asking the Department of Justice to investigate a global nonprofit that funneled U.S. taxpayer money to Chinese scientists but failed to abide by a grant agreement in doing so.

EcoHealth Alliance, which received millions of dollars from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from 2014 to 2019, broke the agreement by not alerting the NIH that the experiments led to a sharp increase in the virulence of a modified coronavirus, an agency official told members of Congress last week.

EcoHealth failed to report this finding right away, as was required by the terms of the grant, Lawrence Tabak, the NIHs principal deputy director, informed lawmakers in letters.

The revelation raises the prospect about whether EcoHealth violated 18 U.S.C.  1031 and committed a major fraud against the United States, Reps. James Comer (R-Ky.) and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) wrote (pdf) on Wednesday to Attorney General Merrick Garland.

The law in question bars people from trying or executing schemes with the intent to defraud the United States or to obtain money or property, including grants, by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises.

EcoHealth, based in New York, also did not file a report on the experiments until Aug. 3, nearly two years after it was required to do so.

That may have been intentional to ensure it received additional grant money, the lawmakers say. EcoHealth received over $21 million in grant funds between Sept. 30, 2019, and Aug. 3 of this year.

The company had a clear financial incentive to violate the terms of its grant by failing to stop its experiments. In addition, EcoHealths failure to provide the required reporting to NIH for nearly two yearsdespite a requirement in the grant to do so annuallysuggests that EcoHealth knowingly withheld information from NIH in an effort to misrepresent the projects status, they wrote.

Comer is the top Republican on the House Oversight Committee. Jordan is the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee.

The Department of Justice did not return an inquiry.

EcoHealth has not responded to requests for comment.

The nonprofit was ordered by the NIH to produce missing documents by Oct. 25. The NIH has not responded to multiple queries concerning whether the deadline was met and, if it was not, what the next step will be.

The NIH suspended funding for an EcoHealth grant last year but one of the institutes, headed by Dr. Anthony Fauci, later awarded it new funding for other research.

In a statement last year after the suspension, an EcoHealth spokesperson said the agency was inexplicably suspend[ing] a grant studying the very family of viruses responsible for COVID-19, and which has provided the best evidence yet on its origins.

The origins of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes COVID-19, remain unknown, in part because Chinese Communist Party officials have blocked most access to laboratories and sites in China.

Peter Daszak, EcoHealths president, was part of the World Health Organization-compiled team that was allowed to enter China earlier this year to investigate the origins but the team and its report received widespread criticism for its close ties to China and its inability to secure crucial information.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley testifies during a congressional hearing at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 29, 2021. (Rod Lamkey/Pool/Getty Images)

Gen. Milley Says Chinas Suspected Hypersonic Missile Test Is Very Close to a Sputnik Moment

Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has called Chinas suspected hypersonic missile test very concerning and said it was nearly a Sputnik moment.

Milley was alluding to the Soviet Unions launch of Sputnik, the worlds first artificial satellite, in October 1957, which caused anxiety that the United States was falling behind the Soviet Union in technological advancement. Less than a year later, NASA was established to challenge the Soviets in the Cold War-era space race.

What we saw was a very significant event of a test of a hypersonic weapon system. And it is very concerning, Milley told Bloomberg on Oct. 27. I dont know if its quite a Sputnik moment, but I think its very close to that. It has all of our attention.

The Financial Times newspaper first reported on the test earlier this month, saying that the Chinese military launched a rocket carrying a glide vehicle in August that flew through low-orbit space before missing its target by about two-dozen miles, citing sources it didnt identify.

On Oct. 18, Chinas foreign ministry denied any hypersonic missile test, saying that it was a routine test of spacecraft that took place in July.

Milleys statements are significant as theyre the first acknowledgment by any U.S. official of Chinas suspected test.

Hypersonic missiles can travel at Mach 5, or faster than five times the speed of sound. They could, in theory, be maneuvered to arc over the South Pole to evade U.S. missile defense systems, which are located in the northern hemisphere.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby declined to comment on Milleys remarks during a briefing on Oct. 27.

This is not a technology that is an alien to us that we havent been thinking about for a while, Kirby said. We have defensive capabilities that we need to continue to hone in to improve.

Our own pursuit of hypersonic capabilities is real. Its tangible, and we are absolutely working toward being able to develop that capability.

A common hypersonic glide body (C-HGB) launches from Pacific Missile Range Facility in Kauai, Hawaii, at approximately 10:30 p.m. local time, on March 19, 2020, during a Department of Defense flight experiment. (U.S. Navy photo/Released)

NASA reported on its website that its facility in Virginia launched three rockets on Oct. 20 to support a test by the U.S. Navy and Army to study hypersonic weapons technology.

It reinforces for us the need to continue to treat the PRC [Peoples Republic of China] as our number-one pacing challenge, Kirby said. A free Indo-Pacific remains a key national security goal of the United States.

U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall warned about Chinas space threats in September, saying that Beijing could pursue a Cold War-era concept known as the fractional orbital bombardment system. Under the system, missiles with nuclear warheads would be launched into low Earth orbits before flying them to hit targets in the United States.

Milley also warned about Chinas military expansion in four domains of warfareair, land, sea, and space.

They have gone from a peasant army that was very, very large in 1979 to a very capable military that covers all domains and has global ambitions, he said. China is very significant on our horizon.

As we go forwardover the next 10, 20, 25 yearstheres no question in my mind that the biggest geostrategic challenge to the United States is gonna be China.

Chinas suspected hypersonic missile test also serves as a warning about the outflow of U.S. technology to China, as 17 Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee highlighted in their Oct. 22 joint letter (pdf) to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) (L) speaks as House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) (R) and House Republican military veterans listen during a news conference at Rayburn Room of the U.S. Capitol on Aug. 31, 2021. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Reports that the PRC has tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile is a chilling display of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) capabilities and intentions, the letter reads.

To make matters worse, it is likely that U.S. software and tools contributed to the creation of this weapons system, because of our countrys permissive export controls and licensing policies with China.

The lawmakers urged Raimondo to act on their 10 recommendations, which addressed issues of immediate concern. One recommendation suggested that a quarterly report be submitted to Congress on export control licensing outcomes to parties on the Commerce Departments entity list, which prevents U.S. companies from doing business with blacklisted companies unless they secure a special government license.

Another suggestion urged the Commerce Department to strengthen its export controls on semiconductors to China.
A health workers look at people queueing for swab tests for COVID-19 at a nucleic acid collection station in Beijing on Oct. 26, 2021. (Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images)

Tourists in Chinese Border Town Trapped by COVID-19 Outbreak

Nearly 10,000 tourists are trapped in a tourist town on Chinas northern border after strict government lockdowns were implemented in response to recent COVID-19 outbreaks.

Around 9,700 tourists are locked down in Dalaihob town of Inner Mongolia, according to a report from Chinese online news outlet The Paper on Oct. 26.

Seventy-eight residents have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus. A further 224 tourists from 11 provinces have also been infected in the outbreak.

The provision of food and medical care is a major issue for the stuck tourists in the town of about 35,000 people.

The regime designated the town as a high-risk area, according to a Chinese state-run media portal News China on Oct. 21.

The first confirmed cases were a couple from Shanghai who tested positive for COVID-19 on Oct. 17. They were in the town as tourists and dined in a local restaurant on Oct. 12. Five of the staffers of the restaurant tested positive on Oct. 19.

Hospitality is one of Dalaihobs major sources of revenue, despite the harsh desert climate resulting in an average of 14 sandstorms hitting the town every year.

September and October are the busiest parts of the tourist season, according to a local resident, who used the alias Hu Shao, who works at a local restaurant.

Before the recent breakout of the pandemic, about 100,000 people came to see the Euphrates poplars, Hu said of the towns trees which are a key attraction, especially in October when their leaves turn yellow.

Hu told the Chinese-language edition of The Epoch Times on Oct. 27 that the town has been locked down since Oct. 25 and that residents and tourists are not allowed to go out.

We cant step out of the door, Hu said. We are driven inside once we go out.

Anyone who tests positive for the CCP virus is taken away without any explanation. Criminal charges are attached to those who dont obey, according to Hu.

Many of the confirmed cases are people of senior ages, Hu said.

A man using the pseudonym Yang, who is a local business owner, told The Epoch Times on Oct. 26 that there are over 60 hotels and hostels in the town, which are open for tourists from late September to late October.

All the shops and scenic spots were closed on Oct. 18, Yang said.

He said that about 60 percent of the tourists stuck in the town are seniors and that they urgently need daily necessities, medicines, and medical supplies.

The local authorities announced an increase of 35 positive cases from 7 am Oct. 25 to 8 am Oct. 26. Due to the CCPs censorship, it is believed that the actual cases can be more than the official data.

This new wave of the pandemic has spread to 11 provinces and Beijing, according to Chinas news portal The Paper on Oct. 26.

Daniel Holl contributed to this report.
US, China Disagree Over Taiwan Participation in UN; How Foreign Businesses Are Facing Hardships in China

A fake stomach ache and a single visit to China in the 1970s created the backfired plan to liberate China. We look back on the events leading to the United States letting the Chinese communist regime onto the world stage. As tensions rise between the United States and China, the attention is on Taiwan rejoining the United Nations and how both China and the United States have different plans for the island.

Have you wondered what its like for a foreign business to run in China? How uneven is the playing field for foreign companies? I got insight from Dr. Antonio Graceffo, an economics professor who spent a good amount of time in China, about Chinas business environment.
In a courtroom sketch, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange appears via video link from Belmarsh Prison for his extradition hearing in London on Oct. 27, 2021. (Julia Quenzler/Handout via Reuters)

US Lawyers Say Assange Can Safely Be Extradited; Assange Lawyer Dismisses US Promises

LONDONLawyers for the United States launched a fresh attempt on Oct. 27 to have Julian Assange extradited from Britain, arguing that concerns about the WikiLeaks founders mental health should not prevent him from facing U.S. justice; the U.S. government also promised that Assange would not be subjected to harsh prison conditions if he is extradited.

The 50-year-old Australian is wanted in the United States on 18 criminal charges, including breaking a spying law, after WikiLeaks published thousands of secret U.S. files and diplomatic cables in 2010.

The United States is appealing against a Jan. 4 ruling by a London District Judge that Assange should not be extradited because he would likely commit suicide in a U.S. prison.

Lawyer James Lewis told the court the United States had addressed the District Judges concerns by making assurances to Britain regarding how Assange would be treated if extradited.

These included that he would not be subject to a set of strict detention conditions known as Special Administrative Measures and would not be detained at a maximum security penitentiary in Florence, Colorado, known as ADX.

The U.S. authorities had also assured Britain that they would consent to Assange serving in Australia any custodial sentence imposed by a U.S. court, Lewis said.

Assange, who denies any wrongdoing, is being held at Belmarsh Prison. In the morning, the court was told he felt too unwell to appear via video link, but later in the day he did appear on the screen wearing a shirt, tie, and mask. He was sitting at a table, holding his head in his hand.

Assanges lawyer, Edward Fitzgerald, said on Oct. 28 during the two-day hearing at Britains High Court that the Australian was too mentally ill to be extradited to the United States to face trial on espionage charges.

Fitzgerald argued that the U.S. assurances were all caveated, vague, or simply ineffective. They do not remove the risk of Assange being detained in extreme isolation in the United States in the long term, he said, and the risk of Assange killing himself remained substantial if he is extradited.

It is perfectly reasonable to find it oppressive to extradite a mentally disordered person because his extradition is likely to result in his death, he said. He added that judges should use their power to protect people from extradition to a foreign state where we have no control over what will be done to them.

The two-day hearing before two judges, including Englands most senior judge Lord Chief Justice Ian Burnett, ends Oct. 28, but a ruling is not expected for weeks. The losing side could seek to appeal to the UK Supreme Court.

The Associated Press contributed to this report
Trade Representative Katherine Tai addresses the Geneva Graduate Institute on the role of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in the global economy and U.S. policy priorities ahead of the 12th Ministerial Conference in Geneva, Switzerland on Oct. 14, 2021. (Denis Balibouse/Reuters)

US Trade Chief Tai Says She Wants to Dial Down Temperature in USChina Relations

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said her focus in engaging with China will be reducing tensions in the fraught trading relationship between the worlds two largest economic powers.

Bilateral ties have come to a point where it feels kind of like a pile of dry tinder, Tai said at an Oct. 28 meeting at the National Chicken Council, adding that one misunderstanding is likely to spark basically just a giant fire with really, really drastic implications for all of us.

Liu He, Chinas top trade negotiator and vice premier, has at least twice over the past month expressed a desire to see the United States lift its tariffs and sanctions, including during a virtual meeting with Tai on Oct. 9. Tai viewed that meeting as a test for how future engagement should proceed, officials from her office said at the time.

Under the phase one trade agreement, signed last January during the Trump administration, China pledged to buy at least $200 billion worth of additional U.S. products over a two-year period. Analysts at Washington-based Peterson Institute for International Economics found that Chinas purchases have reached about 68 percent of the target during the first nine months this year.

An aerial view of a new automated container port in Rizhao in Chinas Shandong Province on Oct. 9, 2021. (Chinatopix via AP)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture forecasts that chicken exports to China will increase by roughly 3 percent over the next year, to 900,000 metric tons.

In her first speech outlining the Biden administrations China trade policy, Tai criticized Chinas past trade abuses, vowing to defend Americas economic interests and make China fulfill its purchasing promises. She believes a complete decoupling with China isnt an option.

Our objective is not to inflame trade tensions with China, she said at a think tank event on Oct. 4.

Tai expressed a similar sentiment on Oct. 28, describing her goal as to bring the temperature down so that we can have a sober relationship and a sober conversation about how we can stabilize the parts of our trade that are working.

China has a huge market, a huge populationand they all need to be fed. It needs ag imports. That is something that we can supply, Tai said.

Reuters contributed to this report.
The rural seat of Eden-Monaro is holding a by-election. Voters and party representatives interact outside Bungendore Public School on July 04, 2020 in Bungendore, Australia. (Rohan Thomson/Getty Images)

Vocal Opposition to Australian Governments Move to Introduce Voter ID at Next Election

The federal government is introducing new laws that will require Australians to display voter ID when voting at next the federal election. The proposal has been met with strong criticism from the opposition leader and left-leaning groups with claims of voter-suppression.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the law was not earth-shattering and that the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters had made similar recommendations in previous elections since 2013.

In fact, its so important that countries like Canada, France, Sweden, Belgium, at least 14 states in the United States, and the United Kingdom has this year introduced voter ID laws to the House of Commons, he told reporters on Oct. 28. I mean, this is a standard practice that is in liberal democracies.

He assured Australians that not one vote will be lost with the Declaration Vote, a type of back-up that is currently in use allowing individuals whose details cannot be found to still vote.

Currently, voters only need to turn up at the polling booth on election day (normally a Saturday) and tell the volunteers their name, which will then be marked off a register. They then receive a ballot paper with no ID needed.

The new Electoral Legislation Amendment (Voter Integrity) Bill 2021 (pdf) will require voters to produce any proof of identity document when they arrive at a polling booth including a drivers license, Australian passport, Medicare cards, statements from the local government or a utility provider, and even credit or debit card statements.

Opposition federal leader Anthony Albanese, however, was critical of the proposal, claiming it was trying to bring the politics of former U.S. President Donald Trump to Australia.

On the eve of an election, the Morrison-Joyce government is trying to ram through a bill to stop Australians voting, he told Parliament on Oct. 28. This is a desperate attempt to undermine our strong democracy and deny Australians their basic democratic rights.

The left-leaning Australia Institute claimed that the proposal would be an unnecessary barrier to voting and deter individuals entitled to vote.

There is no evidence that voter fraud is a threat to Australian election integrity. On the other hand, disengagement from the political process and the disenfranchisement of vulnerable people are major problems, Bill Browne, senior researcher at the Institutes Democracy and Accountability Program said in a press release.

The U.S. voting system is a warning story, not a how-to guide, and this legislation is a step down that path.

Ben Morton, the special minister of state, said the opposition needed to understand the bill before criticising it.

You have to show ID to pick up a parcel at the post office. This will allow more integrity in the electoral system to make sure the right people are getting names marked off the role, he told the Parliament.
Whale Watchers Snap Humpback Calf Seeming to Soar Through the Air in Perfectly Timed Photos

A humpback whale calf spotted performing a spectacular breach in Australia appears to soar through the airand was captured in several perfectly timed photos snapped by a tour guide.

The calfs first breach was airborne, followed by mom, who did a great effort as well, whale watching guide Peter Lynch told The Epoch Times. We didnt realize how good the effort was until we looked at the photos.

Lynch, 57, uploaded his best shots to Facebook where friends, fans, and followers commended his work by the hundreds. Some were attendees of the tour who witnessed the breach in person.

Three years ago, we had a mom and calf southern right whale pair in the bay, and we were very lucky to see them breach, said Lynch, owner and operator of Blue Dolphin Marine Tours in Queensland. On September 25 [this year], we were with a mom and calf pair. We had seen them from a distance, splashing about.

He added, When we got there they were quiet, but then we noticed a big head rise, a quick movement forward, and a dive, so we thought they might be about to do something. They did.

Delighted with the results of his impeccably timed shoot, Lynch said, Its not very often youre in the right place at the right time to see a breach like that, let alone ready with a camera.

Public response has been great, he said, noting that many across the world love seeing whales; and seeing a baby playing like this one is what the world needs with all thats going on these days.

After the shots were snapped, the tour witnessed another remarkable encounter the following weekend when a calf cleared the surface on its first breach effort, followed by a mom and their escort whale. Calves are light compared to adult humpbacks, which can weigh up to 50 tons.

Lynch, who skippers his tour vessel, said they have seen dolphins playing and jumping on his tours many times. On whale tours, breaching adults and calves are not uncommon, but normally only getting half to two-thirds of their body out of the water is all one can expect, he said.

Among whale types, humpbacks are best known for this behavior.

Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Epoch Inspired newsletter at TheEpochTimes.com/newsletter
President Joe Biden and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi depart following a meeting with the Democratic caucus at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Oct. 28, 2021. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images)

White House Announces $1.75 Trillion Budget Framework Agreement

The White House on Thursday announced that Democrats had reached a deal on the broad strokes of their multi-trillion budget reconciliation bill, resolving months of infighting among the Democratic caucus in Congress.

To appease Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), the bills price tag has been slashed in half from an original top-line price of $3.5 trillion down to a top-line price of $1.75 trillion.

After hearing input from all sides and negotiating in good faith with Senators Manchin and Sinema, Congressional Leadership, and a broad swath of Members of Congress, President Biden is announcing a framework for the Build Back Better Act, announced President Joe Biden in an online press release.

Manchin and Sinema have long held up the legislation, citing concerns over the bills price and its potential to cause unintended collateral damage, to the chagrin of progressive Democrats.

Since the bills inception, Manchin, Sinema, and others have spoken against the laundry list of proposals from their party: incentives for clean energy, encouraging electric vehicles, carbon taxes, expansion of the governments role in health care, increasing tax rates, and a measure to let the IRS snoop into Americans bank accounts, among others.

These squabbles pushed the bill far off schedule, but the new agreement gives a glimmer of hope to supporters of the bill.

In his release, Biden touched on the main highlights of the new, smaller bill.

The bills broad expenditures are: $400 billion for child care and preschool programs, $150 billion for home health care, $200 billion for child and earned income tax credits, $555 billion for clean energy and climate investments, $130 billion to expand President Barack Obamas Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), $35 billion for hearing benefits for those on Medicare, $150 billion for housing initiatives, $40 billion for higher education and workforce development programs, $100 billion for immigration, and $90 billion for equity and other investments.

In order to meet their promise to craft a fully paid-for bill, the budget will also include a long list of new revenue schemes. According to the White House release, these new revenue schemes include estimated revenue of: $325 billion from a 15 percent minimum corporate tax, $125 billion from a new stock buyback tax, $350 billion from Corporate International Reform to Stop Rewarding Companies That Ship Jobs and Profits Overseas, $230 billion from Democrats new billionaire tax, $250 billion from closing [the] Medicare tax loophole for [the] wealthy, and $400 billion from new IRS investments, among others.

According to the White House, these will offset the price of the bill by more than 100 percent, with estimated new revenue of up to $1.995 trillion.

For too long, the economy has worked great for those at the top, while working families continually get squeezed, the White House wrote. President Biden promised to rebuild the backbone of the countrythe middle classso that this time everyone comes along.

The White House said that Biden is confident this is a framework that can pass both houses of Congress.

Some programs that made it into the final cut of the billor that did not make it into the final cutare surprising.

The bill devotes over a quarter of its funding to new climate initiatives, despite Manchins stated opposition to several climate policies proposed by his party. Tax policies in the final cut of the bill have been criticized by both Manchin and Sinema, indicating that the two relented and allowed these new measures as a compromise.

Absent from the bill is paid family leave, a keystone of the bill for progressives like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).

Also absent is a proposed IRS snooping scheme that would have allowed the IRS to gather information on Americans bank transactions; Manchin has spoken out strongly against this measure in the past.

Despite Bidens optimism, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) painted a less rosy picture. Theres a great deal of uncertainty within the caucus as to whats contained in the deal, Durbin told reporters.

In the House, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), chair of the 96-strong Congressional Progressive Caucus, also indicated uncertainty over the bill. What we said consistently is that we want to see whats actually in the bill. We want to see the legislative text. And then were, you know, assuming that were fine with that well vote both bills through at the same time.

Even though Manchin and Sinema are seemingly satisfied with this new deal, it remains to be seen whether it can win much-needed support from progressives.

Masooma Haq contributed to this report.
White House Putting Pressure on OPEC to Increase Oil Production Amid Supply Issues, Rising Energy Prices

The White House on Tuesday promised to put pressure on members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to increase production amid declining supplies and rising energy prices.

Press secretary Jen Psaki told reports at a press briefing that the president is mindful of the increased prices consumers are facing when it comes to their energy bills and that he reserves a range of options, to combat the situation.

Psaki said the administration is focusing on raising its concern with supply issues as it relates to oil on the international stage.

Theres a power of the president of the United States engaging on that front, she said. That issue has been raised at [national security adviser Jake Sullivans] level, at a range of levels throughout government, but certainly the supply  and putting additional pressure on OPEC is something that certainly our national security team will continue to do.

The administration is concerned over the high gas prices and has asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate the matter, Psaki said.

I will also note that as it relates to gas prices, we remain concerned about trends we have seen where even as supply has increased at times over the last several months, weve still seen heightened prices, she said. Weve asked the FTC to look into that.

Jerry Simmons, president of the Domestic Energy Producer Alliance (DEPA), has blamed Biden administration policies for hindering U.S. oil and gas companies from producing energy commodities, and securing American energy independence and lower prices for American families.

DEPA is a nationwide collaboration of 39 coalition associations representing individuals and companies who engage in onshore oil and natural gas exploration and production in the United States.

Speaking on NTDs Talking Points hosted by David Zhang, Simmons said that the United States became the number one producer of crude oil and natural gas last year. But due to President Joe Bidens ambitious climate agenda to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, the Biden administrations policies have crippled oil and gas companies, and left consumers paying more.

The idea that you have a federal government that has said it wants to do away with oil, gas, and coal by 2050, that makes it very hard for people to think about it as a future resource, Simmons said.

The Biden administration has done all they can to hinder us. We have some tax deductions that we get for doing business in this country that theyre trying to remove, and again, that drives up the cost, and when you drive up costs, people stop doing certain businesses, or they increase the cost of doing that business and pass it on to the consumer, which is exactly whats happening, Simmons added.

The White House put pressure on OPEC back in August to boost production of oil faster in an effort to combat rising gasoline prices, stating that its prior July agreement to boost production every month by 400,000 barrels per day starting in August until November was simply not enough during a critical moment in the global recovery.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told Reuters on Monday that Russia expects OPEC+ to raise its output by 400,000 barrels per day at the Nov. 4 meeting, as previously agreed.

Read More Oil Extends Gains After OPEC+ Rejects Bigger Production Boost

Novak also said he expects to oil demand to reach a pre-pandemic level by the end of next year.

Since the start of this year, gas prices have risen 35 percent amid lower supplies and a surge in demand as pandemic-hit economies around the world reopen.

Meanwhile, oil prices surged to their highest price since 2014 on Tuesday, surpassing $85 per barrel.
Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping and other leaders applaud at the closing session of the National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, China, on March 11, 2021. (Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)

Xi Jinping Faces Growing Internal DissentBut Does It Matter?

Party divisions, business distrust, and social turmoil rising under Xis leadership

Commentary

As the leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Xi Jinping bears full responsibility for the Party decisions and how they shape the nation. Today, Xi is facing a Party driven by disunity from a variety of external challenges, policy disputes, and economic crises within China. That explains the rumors of rebellion and distrust for Xi within the Party hierarchy.

The pushback is primarily due to the fact that Xi has had a direct hand in creating most of the problems that plague China of late. Moreover, it appears that his responses and policy decisions have only made things worse, as well as threaten the position of the top echelon of the Party leadership.

Stupidity Reigns and Rains

One recent and relevant example of poor policymaking is Beijings response to Australias call for an investigation into the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic. Xis counter move to punish Canberras unacceptable but perfectly reasonable behavior was to put an embargo on Australian coal in November of 2020.

Sounds reasonable, right?

The problem? China is heavily dependent on Australian coal. In 2019-20, Australia accounted for 55 percent of Chinas metallurgical coal imports and over a third of Chinas premium metallurgical coal exports. Cutting that supply off without planning for the consequences didnt make any sense then or now, but thats exactly what happened.

The immediate outcome was predictable. The combination of higher prices and lower supplies created market distortions in the Chinese coal market. As a result, coal prices in China rose to $400 million per million tons, while the rest of the world paid only $250 million per million tons.

That in itself made life difficult for Chinese manufacturers, but the ripple effect went far beyond declining factory output. Rolling blackouts across China occurred, as did water shortages and other related power outage hardships. Full factory stoppages were rampant, which of course meant that workers didnt get paid.

The People Suffer and Get Angry

Not surprisingly, the people, not the CCP, suffered from the consequences of Xis policy. Consumer sentiment turned negative and consumer spending dropped, putting social stability at risk. That resulted in a fall in year-over-year GDP and a loss of prestige for the Party.

To make matters worse, dozens of Chinas coal factories and mines were shut down due to a string of fatalities at various mines. Furthermore, Mongolian supply routes were closed due to the pandemic.

Xis myopic response to Australia not only brought hardship to his people, but also pushed Australia directly into the AUKUS alliance. In short, one policy decision created losses for China in every conceivable way.

Wealth Redistributionor Maoism Reborn?

But other policies are also proving problematic within the CCP. Xis wealth redistribution plan is another good example and one that is threatening the cohesion of the Party.

On the one hand, Xi has proclaimed to have solved the widespread poverty problem in Chinaits a much-needed feather in his national leader cap. On the other hand, Xis domestic policy of common prosperity demands that wealth from state-owned enterprises to be shared with more people in less fortunate areas of the economy as a way to close the income gap. The kicker is that the income gap has only widened under Xis leadership.

From the perspective of the rich CCP members and in the business world, the wealth distribution aspect of common prosperity smacks of a wealth dilution plan, targeting those in the Party and business leaders with substantial wealth, power, and influence.

Indeed, is there any other way to see it?

Xi has already imprisoned Party members and business moguls who critiqued his policies and threatened his status with public ridicule. Naturally, those targeted are strongly resisting the new social policy proposal.

On the social level, common prosperity appears to be a nod toward investment in neglected rural areas along with access to capital to the average person. It could be viewed as a way to garner more public support at the grassroots level, which it is.

But is it really a means of undercutting powerful Party rivals and rich, arrogant business people?

Both interpretations are likely correct.

There are even more implications to this policy that divide the Party. The notion that Xi himself is starting to dictate the terms on which wealth is made and distributed in China is a departure from the way the system has worked for decades. To some, it has the appearance of the resurrection of Maoism in China.

A decorative plate featuring an image of Chinese leader Xi Jinping is seen behind a statue of late communist leader Mao Zedong at a souvenir store next to Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Feb. 27, 2018. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images)

Many CPP members suspect that Xi seeks to stir up old class warfare ghosts that Mao used to justify the socially destructive Cultural Revolution and purges of counter-revolutionary forces in the society at large, and in particular, within the Party. Some have already noted that Xis new policy has the makings of a new cultural revolution and the purges that follow.

Purges, Personality, and Paranoia

Indeed, the purges have already begun among the wealthy business owners and within the police force, the military, and even in the Party itself. Disloyaltynot to the Party, nor to the countrybut to Xi himself, is evidently a high crime that comes with stiff punishment.

This is neither a new phenomenon in communist regimes, nor among dictatorships of any and all stripes. Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler, and Mao Zedong were all consumed with paranoia across every moment and instance of their being, as was Saddam Hussein, Muammar Gaddafi, and others.

Thats the nature of dictatorship. Why should Xi Jinping be any different?

Xi certainly believes that he is, but he isnt. Rather, hes just the latest in a long line of dreary potentates who imagine themselves to be different than those who came before them. Perhaps in small ways he is, but the template is fixed and he has bound himselfand seeks to bind Chinawithin it.

So far, Xi is succeeding.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Bailey, CO (80421)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun. A shower of rain or wet snow possible. High 42F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 22F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Senate Democrats were preparing to try letting millions of immigrants stay temporarily in the U.S. as part of the party's massive economic plan, people involved in the effort said Thursday, as the White House released an outline of President Joe Biden's trophy domestic legislation.

While that effort's odds of succeeding were unclear, supporters were celebrating Biden's inclusion of $100 billion for immigration programs in his pared-down framework. Yet there was also confusion over the immigration money's prospects.

Helping immigrants has long been a major goal for progressive Democrats. That is not lost on the White House and party leaders laboring to corral the near-unanimous Democratic support they'll need to push Biden's long-stalled economic package through Congress.

For the third time this year, Democrats were planning to ask the Senate parliamentarian whether language helping millions of migrants could be inserted into their social and environmental measure. It would let migrants who arrived in the U.S. before 2011 and who lack permanent legal status apply for a permit letting them stay and work for five years.

The permit could be renewed for a second five years and would protect them from deportation and also potentially let them travel abroad. It would not establish a new way for them to gain legal permanent residency or citizenship.

Democrats are using a special procedure that protects their economic package against GOP filibusters, which could kill it, but those rules also require provisions to be mostly budget related, not driven by new policies. The nonpartisan parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, rejected Democrats' two previous immigration proposals.

The immigration proposal was described by two people who discussed it only on condition of anonymity. They said the provision would help around 7 million migrants remain temporarily in the U.S.

After Biden met Thursday with House Democrats at the Capitol and presented the outline of his economic proposal, some expressed disappointment with his visit and the framework. While tables summarizing the programs in the 10-year, $1.75 trillion plan mentioned $100 billion for immigration, that money was listed separately, not within the overall price tag, leading some to wonder if it might be derailed.

The $100 billion is there but its a footnote, said Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., as he left the closed-door session with Biden. He added that during the meeting, Biden said nothing on immigration, an omission the lawmaker said left him feeling anonymous.

Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Calif., chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, said the overall package was still evolving. But he said he was supportive of the measure because of its spending on children, expansion of Medicare coverage and other programs.

Those initiatives will greatly improve the lives of American families, especially Hispanics, Ruiz said.

Pro-immigration groups whose hopes for legislative breakthroughs have fallen short so far this year were cheered by the money's mention. Bridgette Gomez, campaign director of We Are Home, a coalition of labor and progressive groups, called it a huge step forward for the country."

It was unclear when Senate aides would discuss the work permit proposal with the parliamentarian. Leaders want to push the overall legislation through Congress soon, though it's uncertain whether unresolved disputes among Democrats will permit that.

Some advocates want Democrats to use their 51-50 Senate majority  which includes Vice President Kamala Harris' tie-breaking vote  to negate any ruling by MacDonough that blocks immigration language.

It was unclear if Democrats had the unanimous party support they would need to prevail. In the past, leaders have shown little enthusiasm for overturning the parliamentarian's rulings.

The White House economic framework only broadly described how the $100 billion would be used. It said the money would help reduce various backlogs in the immigration process, provide more legal representation and make the asylum system and border processing more efficient and humane.

An initial House version of the economic legislation would let the government use hundreds of thousands of unused visas to admit people into the U.S. It would also change an old law to let migrants in the U.S. before 2010 apply for permanent legal status. That statute currently applies to people here before 1972, making it largely irrelevant.

The House and Senate will have to approve identical legislation before it can get Biden's signature.

In recent weeks, the Senate parliamentarian has ruled against two previous immigration proposals. One would have created a pathway to permanent residence for 8 million migrants. The other, like the House bill, would update the law letting those in the U.S. before 1972 apply for permanent status.

The $1.75 trillion overall plan is half the price tag envisioned three months ago, omits some priorities like requiring paid family leave and leaves detailed decisions for later.
NORWALK  Justin Smith is making it his mission to have as many area businesses as possible support the Toys for Tots campaign this holiday season.

Smith, 18, is a student with Norwalk Next Steps, a community-based life and job skills development program within Norwalk Public Schools which is volunteering with the local Toys for Tots for the first time this year. The program was approached by Liz Ward of the Norwalk Chamber of Commerce who took over the campaign last holiday season.

(Next Steps) had posted through our newsletter about looking for businesses to work with and I thought this was a great opportunity, Ward said about the partnership.

On his own, Smith already got his fathers boss to agree to put up a sign advertising Toys for Tots in his business, and he has reached out to the owner of his local deli and Principal Reginald Roberts at Norwalk High.

I maybe can gain more businesses, and people can know to donate, Smith said. It will be helpful to other parents if they dont have money.

While working at ONeills Pub and Restaurant with his class on Thursday, he helped owner Ollie ONeill put up signs and set up a collection box. ONeill has supported Toys for Tots for about the last five years and said he was happy to be a part of the campaign again this year when Next Steps approached him. Students have been part of a work program at the restaurant for the last two years.

I thought it was really cool that it was their idea this year. It just shows how good these kids are, thinking about others. It makes me want to be part of their program more going forward, ONeill said.

The volunteer opportunity fit perfectly with Next Steps mission to help students, ages 18 to 22, with significant cognitive and/or development disabilities develop the skills necessary to successfully navigate all aspects of independent life. The students already volunteer at the Connecticut Food Bank and the local community closet.

Its really whats going to help teach our students the valuable of volunteering and giving back in addition to what we do already, which is the vocational skills, the independent living skills, the social and leisure activities, and being able to identify and being immersed into the community, said Jessica Ireland, the transition coordinator for Norwalk Public Schools.

Next Steps spent this week visiting local businesses and asking them to support Toys for Tots, which serves families in Norwalk, Fairfield and Westport. Businesses can help by advertising for the campaign or by setting up collection boxes.

Throughout the holiday season, students will deliver supplies to the supporting businesses and collect the toys and boxes to deliver to the Toys for Tots site. They will also assist in some clerical work such as scanning receipts and making lists to organize the toys by the childrens ages.

More Information To learn more about the local Toys for Tots campaign and how to participate or receive a gift through the program, visit norwalktft.org. See More Collapse

The students may have the opportunity to help sort the donations in December. Organizations like the Norwalk Public Library and the Norwalk Housing Authority help to advertise and enlist families in the campaign, and more volunteers usually get involved when it comes time to distribute the gifts.

Thats what (Ward) had said to us, Everyone loves that part, but nobody sees what the buildup is. Were happy to be part of that, the buildup, Ireland said. Its nice to see as big of a city as Norwalk is, the circle back that always happens. How much ONeills gives back to the community, then the Housing Authority gets involved, and city hall gets involved. Its really nice. Everyone comes together.

New to the campaign is Matt Sweet, the special education teacher for Next Steps, who said he was surprised they were already a bit behind in getting started. Individuals, families, agencies and nonprofits that wish to receive a toy must apply by Nov. 15.

We started a little late, Sweet said.

Now that they know how the campaign works, Ireland expects them to start earlier next year. Shed also like to see Next Steps participation in Toys for Tots to be an annual tradition.

emily.morgan@hearstmediact.com
By A.J. O'CONNELL

aoconnell@thestamfordtimes.com

STAMFORD -- The Stamford Board of Education will pay $37,500 to settle a federal lawsuit which claimed the schools failed to protect a Stamford High School student from racial attacks.

The settlement agreement, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by The Stamford Times, states that the school board has 30 days to pay the $37,500 to Stamford High graduate Candace Owens and her father Robert Owens, through their attorney, Norman Pattis, of Bethany. The lawsuit was settled on Jan. 10.

William Dunn, chief financial officer for the public schools, last week said that the schools' legal services and legal settlements are paid out of the school board's legal services budget. There is $375,000 in that account for the 2007-08 school year, said Dunn.

Candace Owens and her father Robert Owens filed the lawsuit against the board of education on May 24, 2007 in New Haven federal court for "knowingly failing and refusing to protect" her from continued harassment from students who left death threats and racial and sexual slurs on her cell phone's voice mail this past spring, when she was a student at the school.

According to the settlement agreement, the board of education "denies all claims of wrongdoing" and settled the suit "to avoid the cost and expense of litigation."

The lawsuit, filed by attorney Norman Pattis, of Bethany, in New Haven district court, alleged that the board of education took no action on Owens' behalf after she and her family reported a series of threatening phone calls on her cell phone to school authorities. The voice mail contained two minutes of death threats, racial slurs and sexual epithets recorded by three or four male voices, allegedly white, male classmates of Owens, who is black. In one message, the callers take turns making death threats. In another, a single racial slur is repeated over and over.

Neither Pattis nor Robert Owens returned phone calls.

The family informed the school of the threats and the identity of the callers on Feb. 5, according to the lawsuit.

"Despite the facts above, the defendant has taken no disciplinary action whatsoever [against] any of the callers, all of whom have been identified as students at Stamford High School," states the lawsuit. "Upon information and belief, the defendant failed to act in part because one of the callers is the son of Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy."

Malloy confirmed in March that his son is involved in the case and has cooperated fully with the police investigation. The mayor has made no further comments.

The Owens allege in their lawsuit that their daughter was subjected to harassment in and out of school, and was tutored at home because she was unable to attend school while the young men who allegedly harassed her were still in school.

"The conduct of the defendant described above has been extreme and outrageous and has been carried out with actual knowledge that it will probably cause Ms. Owens to suffer extreme emotional distress and in reckless and or malicious and wanton disregard of such consequence," states the lawsuit.

The Owens sought compensatory and punitive damages as well as attorney fees and costs.

At least one of the students alleged to have left the voice mails has been arrested. The 17-year-old connected with her case was arrested on March 26, the day that Owens returned to school, accompanied by representatives from the Connecticut NAACP.

In September, Arnold confirmed that none of the students involved in the case are now students at Stamford High.
EDWARDSVILLE  What was nine cottage homes, some with single-car garages, has morphed into four, single-family homes each with three bedrooms, 3.5 baths and two-car garages on 0.74 acres at the southwest corner of Route 143 and Park Street called Charles Cove.

This second plan came after weeks of rolling revisions and negotiations between the Dunlap Lake Property Owners Association (DLPOA) and local developer Matt Pfund, who recently visited the citys land use committee with a revised plan for the development.

The land use committee voted 6-0 Thursday to move the project forward with variances and comments. Several Dunlap Lake residents attended the meeting. Committee member Andrea Miracle was absent.

Before the vote, City Planner Emily Fultz provided the committee with an overview of the revamped project and fielded questions. Then, Pfund and engineer Justin Venvertloh with Thouvenot, Wade and Moerchen (TWM) Inc. took questions from the committee before the public had an opportunity to weigh in.

We listened to the hours of feedback and folded those drawings away and came back with a plan, Pfund said. He referred to the first step in a project like this approved, which was when he visited the citys plan commission meeting on Aug. 16. He also met with the DLPOA on Aug. 26 and later came up with three options.

He said the bulk of the comments boiled down to three things  safety of the intersection (Park and 143), property values and stormwater.

The first option was to build four homes on the four, originally platted lots with no stormwater detention, three driveways on Marine Road and one on Park Drive. The second choice, to improve safety, was to go to one driveway on Park for access instead of four, separate ones. Or, add stormwater detention and make larger houses (2,000-square-feet+). The two homes on the north side would have traditional basements while the other two would have walk-out basements.

The only other option we had to was to sell it and turn it into a park, but nobody came forward with the cash, he said.

To tackle the stormwater issue, an underground detention basin will be built to handle a 100-year storm event, Venvertloh said. Water will be stored in a vast pipe and released at a controlled rate, to keep the flow downstream from becoming too great. Any storms that exceed the 100-year level, would bypass the system and flow over land down the western property line en route to Dunlap Lake.

That will be a mini-homeowners association (HOA), as owned by the four property owners, Pfund said of the project. Theyre not rentals; theyre individually owned buildings. In addition, they will have lake access and they will pay dues to the association. This also answered a key point about this project  whether it fell within or outside of the DLPOA.

The first public commenter was Ora Jane Way resident Julie Reising, who opposed Pfunds original plan for the site.

Im appreciative of them approving it from nine houses, she began, but what concerns me is that Dunlap Lake is a private lake with a homeowners association that has been established for over 75 years and if a PUD is allowed, then the PUD will set a very dangerous precedent for what could occur around the lake.

All these things culminate to say, Lets follow the rules and abide by what everybody else has done and not allow PUDs to become part of residential, established neighborhoods and HOAs. Can we name another PUD thats in a HOA and has been allowed?

The next speaker, DLPOA President, Michael Watts, said a copying error led to initial confusion and contradictions during Thursdays forum.

Myself, the building and legal committees, we sat down with Matt to discuss what was best for this property, not only for his situation but us representing the entire lake community, Watts said. This property has sat undeveloped for 80-plus years. We have water runoff issues with it and were looking for the most efficient use of this property.

They recommended the one driveway approach off of Park Street to help everyone in the area.

As far as the whole concept of a PUD, I dont think that people really know what a PUD means, Watts said. He added that if one looks at the definition, and someone tried to build a community on Ora Jane Way today, it would be considered a PUD in todays terms. He said the PUD allows the DLPOA to have a say on the maintenance and snow removal on the share driveway. Watts said he and the board requested Pfund install the underground stormwater detention for this site.

Watts described the working relationship with Pfund as a classic compromise, with give-and-take on both sides.

There are still design elements we have questions on and the covenants and restrictions, we would like to have our attorneys review those as well but overall, we do support this four-house concept, Watts said.

There are benefits to the entire lake community, he said, starting with four new assessments versus the zero assessments the board receives now. Also, he feels the development handles a water situation that is currently not handled.

Former Edwardsville Fire Chief Richard Welle spoke next as the DLPOA treasurer.

Dunlap Lake is going through a revitalization at this time, he said. Its very valuable property as you can tell by the amount of building permits coming in. We either have complete teardowns or we have a major renovation to the homes that are there. As board members, we will make sure that the covenants of the DLPOA will be met. Any exceptions to that will be fully understood and followed.

Dunlap Lake residents who remain opposed to any development at that corner voiced hypothetical scenarios such as what if a car hits one of the houses, what if snowplows bury the backyard of the homes backing to 143, what if the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) decides later to widen Route 143, what if drivers cant see to the west as they make left-hand turns out of Park Drive due to the setback length, trees and shrubs planted along 143? Marine Roads intersection with Schwarz Road is almost 650 feet away.

Some neighbors believe Charles Cove will only make the current runoff issue worse while others are still concerned that a planned unit development (PUD) receives different treatment from the city than a single-family home does when it comes to zoning, setbacks and runoff.

The next step is for the project to return to the citys plan commission on Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. in city hall, 118 Hillsboro Ave.

Reach reporter Charles Bolinger at 618-659-5735
WASHINGTON (AP)  China is offering no significant new goals for reducing climate-changing emissions ahead of the UN climate summit set to start next week in Glasgow.

China, the world's top emitter of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses that cause global warming, formally submitted its goals Thursday. The highly-anticipated announcement includes targets previously established in speeches by President Xi Jinping and domestic policy documents.

China says it aims to reach peak emissions of carbon dioxide  which is produced mainly through burning coal, oil and natural gas for transportation, electric power and manufacturing  before 2030. The country is aiming for carbon neutrality  no net emissions of CO2  before 2060.

Its not surprising, but it is disappointing that there wasnt anything new in terms of goals, said Joanna Lewis, an expert in China, climate and energy at Georgetown University.

Lewis said the document released today gave more detail about China will meet those goals," however, by measures including increasing its wind and solar power capacity, as well as carbon-absorbing forest cover.

Climate experts say key questions about China's future carbon emissions remain unanswered.

The document gives no answers on the major open questions about the countrys emissions," said Lauri Myllyvirta, lead analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air in Helsinki. At what level will emissions peak and how fast should they fall after the peak?

Nations participating in the UN climate conference, known as the 26th Conference of Parties, or COP26, submit what are called nationally determined contributions that lay out emissions reduction plans.

It's still possible that China may have additional announcements at the climate summit related to financing for renewable energy overseas, said Lewis.

Sam Geall, CEO of nonprofit China Dialogue and associate fellow at Chatham House in London said Chinas pledge is consistent with everything that weve seen from Xi Jinpings previous statements.

He and other experts are concerned that pledges on emissions targets and also on financial support to help reduce emissions and adapt to a changing climate, especially for developing countries, are coming in far too late, far too small.

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Follow Christina Larson on Twitter: @larsonchristina

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Chinas NDC is consistent with everything that weve seen from Xi Jinpings previous statements, said Sam Geall, CEO of nonprofit China Dialogue and associate fellow at Chatham House in London.

It may not be enough to get us to 1.5 degrees, which is where we want to go, he said, referring to the target set under the Paris Agreement of keeping global warming under 1.5 degrees C above pre-industrial levels.

At the summit, Geall said he is looking to see countries take steps to restore trust in the process of climate negotiations, after widespread economic disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Promises on climate finance  money pledged by rich countries to fund climate responses in developing countries  are coming in far too late, far too small, he said.
On Wednesday, the Golden Apple announced that BMO Harris Bank will be honored at the organization's annual event on Thursday with the 2021 Impact Award, given to a person or organization that has positively and significantly impacted the lives of Illinois' students through their work in education.

The award criteria include demonstrating fearless leadership in the face of adversity, delivering an aspirational vision for the future and strategies to achieve it, and wholly dedicating one's life to better outcomes for all students in the state, the organization said in a statement.

"We are proud to honor BMO Harris Bank with the 2021 Impact Award," said Alicia Winckler, CEO of The Golden Apple Foundation. "As a valued partner in the strategic growth of Golden Apple and advocate for education, their community work and philanthropy is improving educational outcomes for students nationwide."

Golden Apple recognizes "master educators" annually, educators who help prepare the next generation of teachers. To realize the vision in which every classroom has a great teacher, the company stated, "we are committed to making a material difference in resolving the teacher shortage."

In 2021, BMO Harris Bank launched BMO Empower, a five-year, $5 billion pledge to address key barriers faced by minority businesses, communities and families in Chicago. The bank's work to build stronger, healthier communities through donations, sponsorships, volunteering and convening solutions that benefit society as a whole embodies all of the criteria for the Impact Award.

"At BMO our purpose is to grow the good, in business and life, and Golden Apple's focus on expanding the pipeline of effective, diverse educators in Illinois aligns perfectly with that objective," said David Casper, U.S. CEO, BMO Financial Group. "We believe in Golden Apple's mission to inspire, develop and support teacher and school leader excellence, especially in schools-of-need, and we look forward to seeing the positive outcomes of this important initiative."

Funds raised from the Impact Award event support the Golden Apple Scholars and Accelerators programs. These signature teacher preparation programs are dedicated to expanding the pipeline of highly effective, diverse educators and are growing to become a material solution to the teacher shortage.

"BMO's understanding of and sustained commitment to the Golden Apple mission has enabled the Foundation to scale, elevate the profession of teaching, lift outcomes and address head on the pandemic exacerbated shortage of well-trained educators," said John Smart, retired managing director, BMO Harris Bank and vice chair, The Golden Apple Foundation. "All students and their families deserve outstanding teachers who are essential to preparing the workforce of the future."
EDWARDSVILLE  The shooting death of Pontoon Beach Police Officer Tyler Timmins has shaken law enforcement agencies throughout the Metro East, but it struck particularly hard at the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Police Department.

Timmins, 36, died after being shot Tuesday morning at the Speedway gas station in Pontoon Beach during the traffic stop of a suspected stolen vehicle. He was pronounced dead at a St. Louis hospital.

Timmins wife, Linsey, is a patrol officer for the SIUE Police Department.

Officer Linsey Timmins has been a valued member of the SIUE Police Department for nearly four years, SIUE Police Chief Kevin Schmoll said in a statement released on Thursday morning. The loss of her husband, Officer Tyler Timmins, is heartbreaking.

We respect his service and the many sacrifices he made in the line of duty. Our deepest sympathies are with Linsey, her family, and our fellow officers as we grapple with this loss.

In addition to his wife, Timmins leaves a daughter, Chloe.

On Thursday morning, Timmins family issued a statement through the Illinois State Police mourning the loss of our son, husband, father, brother and friend.

We would like to thank the law enforcement community and the thousands of others who have expressed their love, support and concern, they said.

Tyler was the epitome of compassion, empathy and caring throughout his life, the statement reads. He gained notoriety on October 26th when he was senselessly killed in the line of duty.

To many, he was a hero that day, the family stated. For us, he has been a hero since day one.

There are no words to describe what was taken from us, the statement reads. We will always remember his devotion to his family, his dedication to his career and community, and the love and laughter that he shared with us.

The family noted that the suspect in Timmins murder  Scott Hyden, 31, of Highland  is in custody and said they will not be making any comment on the ongoing investigation. They asked that people respect their privacy during their mourning.

Schmoll said that SIUE has set up a fund at the SIU Credit Union. Donations can be dropped off at the SIUE Police Department or at the SIU Credit Union.

If someone wants to donate to The Tyler Timmins Family Memorial, they should make the check out to Tyler Timmins Family Memorial. If they need an EIN (tax ID) number, please provide 87-3289712.

A GoFundMe page supporting the family was created Tuesday at https://www.gofundme.com/f/family-of-fallen-offer-tyler-timmins?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unknown&utm_campaign=comms_l4vs+family-of-fallen-offer-tyler-timmins. By Thursday morning donations had doubled the initial $10,000 goal.

Timmins wife, Linsey, is a patrol officer for the SIUE Police Department.

The shooting occurred at about 7:50 a.m. Tuesday. According to police, Timmins had stopped what he believed was a stolen car at the recently opened Speedway convenience store at the intersection of Illinois 111 and Chain of Rocks Road.

He was approaching the vehicle when Hyden reportedly opened fire, striking Timmins in the neck. Timmins was airlifted to a St. Louis hospital where he died of his injuries.

Hyden was quickly arrested at the scene. On Wednesday he was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, both Class M felonies; aggravated discharge of a firearm at a peace officer, a Class X felony; unlawful possession of a stolen firearm and offenses relating to motor vehicles, both Class 2 felonies; and unlawful possession of weapons by a felon, a Class 3 felony.

Hyden is now held in the Madison County Jail without bond. If convicted, Hyden faces natural life in prison, Madison County States Attorney Tom Haine has said, adding his office will seek the maximum penalties.

More than 100 police vehicles on Wednesday escorted Timmins body back to Illinois and Marks Mortuary in Wood River where funeral services are pending.

Timmins body left the St. Louis Medical Examiners office in a Granite City Fire Department ambulance at about 12:30 p.m. Wednesday with a procession of more than 100 police vehicles led by motorcycle troopers from the Illinois State Police and Missouri Highway Patrol.

The procession passed the gas station where Timmins was mortally wounded and passed beneath a large flag suspended off ladder trucks from the Wood River and East Alton fire departments. Hundreds of people lined the streets.

On Wednesday, Pontoon Beach Police Chief Chris Modrusic said Timmins paid the ultimate sacrifice.

As devastating as this loss is to his family, us, and the entire law enforcement community, I truly believe if Tyler could tell us anything, he would tell us all he didnt die for nothing, Modrusic said. He died doing exactly what he loved: protecting and serving his community.

Reporter Scott Marion of the Intelligencer contributed to this story.
HELENA, Mont. (AP)  Two Democratic members of Congress introduced legislation Wednesday to end an arbitration clause that Amtrak implemented in January 2019 and give customers the right to sue the passenger rail service to resolve disputes.

This bill will restore vital legal rights to the travelers who are injured on Amtrak trains and seek just redress, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said in a statement about his legislation.

The bills were introduced just over a month after a westbound Amtrak train derailed in north-central Montana, killing three people and injuring dozens of others.

Amtraks current forced arbitration and class action ban policies are unjust and unfair, said Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

Riders are often unaware theyve signed away their legal rights with the purchase of a ticket until the worst happens, like so many passengers impacted by the Montana crash discovered first hand. Legal accountability will be a powerful incentive to safer Amtrak practices," he said.

U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb of Pennsylvania, a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, introduced a companion bill in the House.

Amtrak had no immediate comment.

More than two dozen lawsuits filed after the Montana derailment are also challenging the arbitration clause, which limits Amtrak's damages to $295 million per incident.

Amtrak receives nearly $2 billion annually in taxpayer dollars, yet shields itself from public scrutiny that an open and neutral court system provides, said Remington A. Gregg, counsel for the consumer group Public Citizen, which supports the legislation. Forced arbitration clauses are anti-transparency clauses."

The National Transportation Safety Board is still investigating the cause of the Sept. 25 derailment in Montana.

Blumenthal and Lamb introduced similar legislation in March 2020.
PONTOON BEACH, Ill. (AP)  A southern Illinois man was charged Wednesday with first-degree murder in connection with the fatal shooting of a police officer at a gas station.

Scott Hyden, 31, of Highland was arrested at the gas station following the shooting Tuesday of 36-year-old Pontoon Beach Officer Tyler Timmins. Hyden was being held in the Madison County Jail without bond, Madison County States Attorney Tom Haine said.
MADISON COUNTY  Even though Cybersecurity Awareness Month ends Sunday, the Springfield Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reminds people they should be aware any time of the year to guard against scam and fraud attempts.

Scams are everywhere, said FBI Public Affairs Director Becky Cramblet Tuesday. Theyre getting more creative, too. People should never click on [unfamiliar] links in emails or texts. She added the FBI will never telephone citizens to request they send money to the agency.

Illinois ranks fifth in the United States for the most internet crime victims and sixth for total victim losses with more than $150 million, according to the Internet Crime Complaint Centers 2020 Internet Crime Report. Identity theft was the most common followed by non-payment/non-delivery crimes. By dollar losses, business email compromise tops the list.

Internet crimes and cyber intrusions are constantly evolving and while the FBI is laser-focused at staying ahead of the trends, there are steps the public can take to avoid becoming a victim:

 Use extreme caution in online communication  verify the sender of an email. Criminals will sometimes change just one letter in an email address to make it look like one you know.

 Do not open any attachments unless you are expecting the file, document or invoice and have verified the senders email address.

 If an unsolicited text message or email asks you to update, check or verify your account information, do not follow the link provided in the message itself or call the phone numbers provided in the message  go to the companys website to log into your account or call the phone number listed on the official website to see if something needs your attention.

 Scrutinize all electronic requests for a payment or transfer of funds and confirm requests for wire transfers or payment in person or over the phone as part of a two-factor authentication process. Do not verify these requests using the phone number listed in the request for payment.

 Be extra suspicious of any message that urges immediate action.

 One of the most prevalent schemes seen during the pandemic has been government impersonators.

 Criminals are reaching out to people through social media, emails or phone calls pretending to be from the government  the scammers attempt to gather personal information or illicit money through charades or threats.

 Do not give out your personal information to unknown sources.

 Set your devices, software and apps to update automatically.

 Use strong passwords or passphrases and/or multi-factor authentication.

 Take time to read consumer and industry alerts provided by the Internet Crime Complaint Center.

Report cyber-enabled crime to the FBI through the Internet Crime Complaint Center. Not only will this allow your complaint to be directed appropriately but IC3 data has helped guide the FBIs response to cyber-enabled crimes while educating the public and supporting local law enforcement with a searchable database of information.

For more information regarding cybersecurity, visit the FBIs cyber page and scams and safety precautions.

Reach reporter Charles Bolinger at 618-659-5735
WOOD RIVER  Slain Pontoon Beach Police Officer Tyler Timmins returned to Illinois Wednesday, escorted by more than 100 fellow officers.

Timmins died after being shot Tuesday at the Speedway gas station in Pontoon Beach during the traffic stop of a suspected stolen vehicle.

On Wednesday afternoon, Scott Hyden, 31, of Highland, was charged in connection with Timmins death. Hyden faces two counts of first-degree murder, both Class M felonies; aggravated discharge of a firearm at a peace officer, a Class X felony; unlawful possession of a stolen firearm and offenses relating to motor vehicles, both Class 2 felonies; and unlawful possession of weapons by a felon, a Class 3 felony.

Madison County States Attorney Tom Haine announced the charges at the Pontoon Beach Village Hall where Pontoon Beach Police Chief Chris Modrusic and Master Sgt. Elbert Jennings with the Illinois State Police Division of Criminal Investigation also spoke. They were surrounded by more than 40 law enforcement officers from multiple departments.

Officer Tyler Timmins dedicated his life to serving and protecting the citizens of Madison County, Haine said. We all thank him  and thank his family  for his incredible and heroic life. We are all grateful for the service of all the first-responders who put their lives on the line for our safety.

Timmins, 36, joined the Pontoon Beach Police Department in April 2020. During his 14-year career he also served with police departments in Roxana, Hartford and Worden.

His body left the St. Louis Medical Examiners office in a Granite City Fire Department ambulance at about 12:30 p.m. Wednesday. The long procession, led by motorcycle troopers from the Illinois State Police and Missouri Highway Patrol, crossed the Poplar Street Bridge into Illinois before heading north on Illinois 111, through Pontoon Beach and past the gas station where Timmins was mortally wounded the day before.

Roxana firefighters stood at attention in front of their fire station as the procession passed. The wailing of police sirens from more than 100 law enforcement vehicles could be heard long before they reached the turn onto Madison Avenue.

At 7th Street in Wood River, ladder trucks from the Wood River and East Alton fire departments raised a large American flag for the procession to pass beneath.

Hundreds of people lined the streets holding thin blue line flags in support of law enforcement. Some wiped tears from their eyes. Others stood in silence. Nothing could be heard except the wailing of police sirens.

Timmins was brought to the rear of Marks Mortuary at 6th and Lorena streets in Wood River where a large crowd of family and officers gathered to salute and pay their respects as his casket was carried into the funeral home.

Modrusic on Wednesday told of Timmins love for his family, noting that as he was leaving the police department Tuesday morning Timmins was sharing a story about his daughter, Chloe. Modrusic said family was everything to Tyler, and everybody knew that, adding that Timmins truly loved being a cop.

There is no greater love than a man who would lay down his life for a stranger, Modrusic said. Yesterday Officer Timmins paid the ultimate sacrifice.

As devastating as this loss is to his family, us, and the entire law enforcement community, I truly believe if Tyler could tell us anything, he would tell us all he didnt die for nothing, Modrusic said. He died doing exactly what he loved: protecting and serving his community.

The shooting occurred at about 7:50 a.m. Tuesday. According to police, Timmins had stopped what he believed was a stolen car near the recently opened Speedway convenience store at the intersection of Illinois 111 and Chain of Rocks Road.

He was approaching the vehicle when Hyden reportedly opened fire, striking Timmins in the neck. Timmins was airlifted to a St. Louis hospital where he died of his injuries.

Officer Timmins approached the vehicle, the defendant shot Officer Timmins without provocation, and Officer Timmins didnt even have time to draw his weapon, Haine said.

Numerous police officers responded to the scene and Hyden was quickly taken into custody.

Hyden is now held in the Madison County Jail without bond. If convicted, Hyden faces natural life in prison, Haine said, adding his office will seek the maximum penalties.

The first-degree murder charges carry sentences of 45 years to life in prison. The aggravated discharge of a firearm at a peace office charge carries a sentence of 10 to 45 years. The unlawful possession of weapons by a felon charge is punishable by two to 10 years. The unlawful possession of a stolen firearm charge, as well as the offenses relating to motor vehicles, carry a sentence of three to seven years.

Our police are heroes, Haine said. Violent attacks on police are absolutely unacceptable in our community. Those who attack police officers  will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law in Madison County.

Officials on Wednesday declined to discuss details of the case which remains under investigation. Two others were taken into custody Tuesday. Haine said he expects further charges relating to the shooting.
Gold shop robber blames online gambling debts

PHUKET: The Myanmar man arrested for the vicious beating of a 71-year-old man during the robbery of a gold shop in the heart of Phuket Town last Saturday night (Oct 23) has blamed online gambling debts as his reason for carrying out the robbery.

crimeviolencepoliceMyanmar

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Thursday 28 October 2021, 06:00PM

Local residents look on as Chai Aung conducts a re-enactment of the robbery earlier today (Oct 28). Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

Police on guard during the re-enactment of the robbery earlier today (Oct 28). Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

Police on guard during the re-enactment of the robbery earlier today (Oct 28). Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

Gold shop owner Ms Benjaporn says thank you for the polices efforts. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

Chai Aung is led by officers during a re-enactment of the robbery earlier today (Oct 28). Photo: Phuket Provincial Police

The arrest was revealed yesterday but formally announced at Phuket City Police Station earlier today (Oct 28) by Region 8 Police Commander Pol Lt Gen Amphol Buarabporn, accompanied by Region 8 Deputy Commander Maj Gen Saksira Phuak-am.

Of note, Pol Lt Gen Amphol was previously Commander of Provincial Police Region 1, initially in charge of the manhunt for Prasittichai Khaokaew, the former director of a primary school in Sing Buri province who shot dead three people, including a 2-year-old boy, during the robbery of a gold shop inside the Robinson shopping mall in Lop Buri in January.

In August, Prasittichai was sentenced to death for the gold-shop murder-robbery. Prasittichai also blamed gambling debts as his motive for the deadly robbery.

At the press conference at Phuket City Police Station today, much of the explanation about the robbery, attack and arrest by Lt Gen Amphol confirmed, corrected and clarified many details that have previously been released to the press.

Phuket City Police were first informed of the robbery at 11:30pm on Saturday. Officers were informed that a criminal had climbed up onto the roof of the Thong Thaweechai gold shop on Ranong Rd and entered the building on the second floor by removing a ceiling tile.

The robber then walked down to the first floor (elsewhere called the ground floor) of the house where he saw the owners of the house, an elderly man and woman sitting watching television.

The couple, Wangdee Inthawong, 71, and Puangpen Sakkasemkrit, 65, lived upstairs from the shop, which is located near the Suriyadej Circle and the Downtown Market area in central Phuket Town.

When the couple saw the robber, the man attacked the two victims. He beat Mr Wangdee on the head with a piece of wood that he had taken from the kitchen upstairs, where he also took a large knife that he had on him during the attack.

The robber, now publicly identified as Myanmar national Chai Aung, 26, bound the couples hands and feet with wire and threatened to beat Ms Puangpen if they did not open the safe. of note, Chai aungs Thai drivers license identifies him as Shine Aung.

Ms Puangpen relented, but while he was removing the horde of gold jewellery from the safe, she threw a chair into him. Chai Aung responded angrily, and beat Ms Puangpen on the head with the piece of wood. Ms Puangpen suffered serious injuries, it was explained, but her exact medical condition was not revealed.

Chai Aung stole many items of jewellery such as gold necklaces, gold rings, gold bracelets, along with a certain amount of cash and fled. Police yesterday confirmed that the cash stolen amounted to B100,000.

Due to the severity of the attack and the amount stolen, now confirmed to have been more than B10.6 million in gold items, in addition to the cash stolen, Lt Gen Amphol ordered police to bring the criminal to justice as quickly as possible, as it had become of great interest to the public.

Lt Gen Amphol took the opportunity today to promote the Old Phuket Town Smart Safety Zone 4.0 project underway to make the heart of Phuket Town a safe haven for local residents and tourists, as previously announced by national police chief Pol Gen Suwat Jangyodsuk in Phuket in person late last month.

From CCTV footage provided by local police, Phuket City Municipality and local businesses, officers tracked Chai Aung making his escape on a black Honda Scoopy I motorcycle to a residence at a car care centre on Wichit Songkram Rd, in Tambon Talad Neua, still in Phuket Town.

At 8:30am Tuesday (Oct 26), officers armed with an arrest warrant moved in and arrested Chai Aung.

During questioning Chai Aung confessed to committing the robbery and the assault on the elderly couple, who live upstairs as caretakers of the building that houses the gold shop. They are not the owners, the press were told today.

Officers searched Chai Aungs rented room and recovered the stolen jewellery, reported as 363 bahtweight of gold. At current gold prices, the haul was worth B10,668,570. Officers also recovered B33,600 from the room.

Chai Aung confessed that he needed the money to pay online gambling debts. He said he had the gold shop under surveillance for two nights before deciding late on Saturday that it was time to rob the gold shop.

He blamed his addiction to online gambling and having no money to his debts as his motivation for the robbery and the attack on the elderly couple.

Police have yet to confirm the exact charges Chai Aung will face.

Lt Gen Amphol today urged all gold shop owners to increase security measures at the premises to prevent similar violent robberies.

Benjaporn Watcharatsiriyuth, the owner of the Thong Thaweechai gold shop, presented a basket of flowers to Lt Gen Amphol as a thank you for police being able to track down and arrest Chai Aung in just three days and for recovering the gold, and the cash that remained unspent by Chai Aung.

Ms Benjaporn yesterday told the press that she would increase security measures at the gold shop to prevent any further similar robberies.
PM to present net-zero goal at COP26

BANGKOK: Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha will attend the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in the United Kingdom next week where he will formally announce Thailands new pledge to achieve carbon neutrality by 2065.

environmentpollution

By Bangkok Post

Thursday 28 October 2021, 09:47AM

Prayut: Pointing the way. Photo: Wichan Charoenkiatpakul

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa said Thailands delegates to the COP26 conference, led by PM Prayut, will submit the kingdoms long-term development strategies to lower greenhouse gas emissions to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), reports the Bangkok Post. This is effectively a roadmap for how Thailand plans to go net zero within 44 years.

The government regards climate change to be one of the most concerning issues, as studies have warned that international climate change mitigation efforts have not been strong enough to stabilise the global climate.

Thailand as one of the Paris Agreements parties, is determined to step up efforts to achieve the Paris Agreement goals, Mr Varawut said.

He said Thailand was among the first countries in Southeast Asia to set long-term low greenhouse gas emission development strategies as a national roadmap to achieve carbon neutrality. Thailand is also one of only 33 countries out of 197 Paris Agreement signatories that have clear strategies to pursue their net-zero carbon emission pledge.

We are also ready to work with all stakeholders to further the work on climate change mitigation and adaption, such as promoting clean energy transition, phasing out coal, or planting more trees to absorb carbon, he said.

With close cooperation from all sectors, Thailand could fulfil its carbon neutrality target by the deadline, he said.

The UN Climate Change Conference is held annually by the UNFCCC to pursue climate goals outlined in the Paris Agreement, in order to limit global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrialisation levels. The next conference takes place from this Sunday in Glasgow, in the United Kingdom.
Shinawatra appointed Pheu Thai chief adviser for innovation

BANGKOK: Paetongtarn Shinawatra, youngest daughter of former prime minister Thaksin, was appointed chief adviser to Pheu Thai for participation and innovation, at the partys general assembly in Khon Kaen today (Oct 28).

politics

By Bangkok Post

Thursday 28 October 2021, 04:54PM

Paetongtarn Shinawatra, youngest daughter of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, at the podium during the Pheu Thai partys general assembly in Khon Kaen today (Oct 28). Photo: Post Today via Bangkok Post

The introduction of Ms Paetongtarn, 35, was a highlight of the leading oppostion partys general assembly in the northeastern city, reports the Bangkok Post.

It fits into Pheu Thais policy of bringing in a younger generation as a driving force to work with the partys veteran politicians, broader Thai media reported.

The current leader, Sompong Amornvivat, announced his decision to step down during the general assembly to make way for a restructuring and passing of tasks to other party heavyweights ahead of the next general election.

Chonlanan Srikaew, a Pheu Thai MP for Nan, was proposed as the next party leader.

Secretary-general Prasert Chantararuangthong would remain in his position, a party source said.

Addressing the assembly, Ms Paetongtarn said she had met frequently with her father.

She had also met with a number of foreign scientists and would bring the knowledge gained from those meetings to the party, for use in making the Thai peoples dream come true. She did not explain that.

I have been touched by politics since I was 8-years-old. At the time, my father was the foreign minister. When I turned 9, he was made the Palang Dhamma party leader. Three years later, when I was 12 years, my father founded the [since dissolved] Thai Rak Thai party, which is always in my mind, Ms Paetongtarn said.

The Pheu Thai general assembly was due to will appoint the party leader and new executive board later today.

Former prime minister Thaksin is a fugitive in Thailand, lives in self-exile overseas and is based in Dubai.
Thailand Pass details confirmed

PHUKET: Details of what the Thailand Pass app will require for foreign tourists to enter the country, to replace the Certificate of Entry requirements from Monday (Nov 1), have been released.

tourismCOVID-19economics

By The Phuket News

Thursday 28 October 2021, 11:04AM

For arrivals from all other countries (click to enlarge). Image: Dept of Consular Affairs)

For arrivals from the 46 countries/territories eligible for the Test & Go (no quarantine) entry scheme (click to enlarge). Image: Dept of Consular Affairs)

One of the two notices issued this morning (Oct 28). Image: Dept of Consular Affairs)

The Phuket office of the Public Relations Department released two infographics issued by the Department of Consular Affairs explaining the requirements this morning (Oct 28).

Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew shared the images on his own Facebook page.

Two notices were issued this morning. Both notices are marked as Revised 27 October 2021 (18.00 hrs.)

One notice explains the entry requirements for travellers arriving from the 45 countries plus one territory (Hong Kong) who are allowed to enter under the Test & Go (so-called no quarantine) scheme.

The other notice explains the entry requirements for travellers arriving from any other country or territory, who must still enter the Sandbox Areas.

NOTE: The Thailand Pass registration website will not open to receive applications until 9am Monday (Nov 1).

TEST & GO

Exemption from quarantine with conditions (Test and Go For travellers from eligible countries / territories

PRE DEPARTURE

REQUIREMENTS (FOR NON-THAI NATIONALS)

1 Eligible countries / territories

First port of departure must be from eligible countries / territories and must have stayed in eligible countries / territories for at least 21 consecutive days before travelling to Thailand (Thai nationals and foreign nationals departing from Thailand to eligible countries / territories and back to Thailand are exempted for the 21 day requirement).

- List of eligible countries / territories (subject to change) (Click here.)

2) Vaccination

Fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with a vaccine approved by Thailand no less than 14 days before departure or have recovered from COVID-19 infection and received one dose of vaccination within 3 months after recovery.

3) Must have insurance with minimum coverage of US$50,000 (returning expats, submitting proof of minimum US$50,000 medical coverage).

4) Must have a paid SHA+I AQ hotel reservation confirmation (including RT-PCR test fee).

REGISTER ON THAILAND PASS

Register on Thailand Pass

tp.consular.go.th

Documents Required for Thailand Pass Registration

1) Passport

2) Vaccination Certificate

3) Insurance with minimum coverage of 50,000 USD

4) Paid SHA+/AQ hotel reservation (for the duration of 1 day) paid hotel (including RT-PCR test fee

5) Thai visa (if required)

GET A COVID TEST

Must get a COVID Test (RT-PCR only) 72 hrs. before departure and have a negative result

ARRIVAL IN THAILAND

- Pass through Health Control and Immigration checkpoints. - Undergo RT-PCR test at the hotel or designated venue

- Wait for your test result at the hotel

- If the result is negative, you are free to travel in Thailand with no quarantine.

ALL OTHER COUNTRIES / TERRITORIES

Must enter SANDBOX AREAS.

REQUIREMENTS (FOR NON-THAI NATIONALS)

One notice explains that for travellers who are fully vaccinated to enter Sandbox Areas, before departing their home country for Thailand foreign nationals must:

1) Come from an eligible country or /territory (see list here)

2) Be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with a vaccine approved by Thailand no less than 14 days before departure or have recovered from COVID-19 infection and received one dose of vaccination within 3 months after recovery

3) Must have insurance with minimum coverage of US$50,000 (returning expats, submitting proof of minimum US$50,000 medical coverage)

4) Must have a paid SHA+ hotel reservation confirmation (SHABA Certificate) throughout the mandatory 7-day period.

REGISTER ON THAILAND PASS

Travellers coming to Thailand must be approved through the Thailand Pass website tp.consular.go.th

Documents Required for Thailand Pass Registration:

1) Passport

2) Vaccination Certificate

3) Insurance with minimum coverage of 50,000 USD

4) Paid SHA+ hotel reservation confirmation

5) Thai Visa (if required)

GET A COVID TEST

Travellers must get a COVID Test (RT-PCR only) not more than 72 hrs. before departure with a negative result.

ARRIVAL IN SANDBOX AREA

- Pass through disease control and immigration checkpoints, and undergo RT-PCR test at the airport/designated hotel

- Wait for your test result at the designated accommodation/hotel. If the result is negative, enter the Sandbox Area

DEPARTURE FROM SANDBOX AREA

Once you have stayed in the Sandbox Area for the mandatory 7-day period and have received your second RT-PCR test result, you will be able to obtain the ReleaseForm, and be free to travel to other parts of Thailand.

SPECIAL NOTE FOR SANDBOX AREA ARRIVALS:

- Travellers must undergo two RT-PCR tests while inside the Sandbox Area, the first test upon arrival, and the second on day 6 or 7 before obtaining a release form.

- Travellers must enter Thailand via designated international airport as follows: Suvarnabhumi (BKK), Don Mueang (DMK), Phuket (HKT), Chiang Mai (CNX), U-Tapao (UTP), Samui (USM) and Buriram (BFV-for chartered flights only).
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Connecticuts COVID numbers continued to decline in the past week, but with colder months approaching and hundreds of breakthrough cases being recorded, health experts say there could still be some cause for concern.

In the past week, there were 804 new breakthrough cases in vaccinated people, according to the states latest data released Thursday.

There have been a total of 17,564 breakthrough cases and 157 breakthrough deaths recorded in Connecticut, the data shows. All of the deaths have involved people 35 and older and nearly 71 percent of them have been at least 75 years old, the data shows.

The seven-day rolling average of new COVID cases reported Thursday stands at less than half the number reported in mid-September, according to state figures. The number of patients hospitalized with the disease has fallen below 200 statewide, down from well over 350 in mid-September.

Connecticuts doing great right now, the numbers are definitely coming down, said Dr. Ulysses Wu, chief epidemiologist and system director of infectious diseases at Hartford HealthCare.

At the same time, he said the percentage of patients in intensive care units and on ventilators is relatively high. But overall, he said the number of intensive care and hospitalized COVID patients are declining.

Compared to last year and previous peaks, were doing way better, he added.

On Thursday, Connecticut recorded 443 new COVID cases in the previous 24 hours with a daily positivity rate of 1.77 percent. Hospitalizations dropped by a net of three patients, bringing the statewide census to 191. The state reported 30 more COVID-related deaths in the past week, increasing the statewide death toll to 8,751.

Of Connecticuts eight counties, only Windham County in the far northeast was marked in red as an area of high community transmission of the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Tolland and Fairfield counties are now below the threshold the agency recommends for people to wear masks indoors regardless of whether they have been vaccinated. The remaining five counties are areas of moderate spread where masking is still recommended.

Connecticuts heat map of cases by municipality, which uses a slightly different metric than the CDC, shows 34 communities are in the red alert zone, meaning they have experienced 15 or more cases per 100,000 people over the past two weeks.

Overall, more than 90 percent of eligible Connecticut residents have received at least one dose, according to the CDC, while nearly 79 percent of the total population have started the vaccination process.

The weekly number of doses administered in Connecticut has remained high over the past month, a period that coincided with deadlines for state and many private employees to comply with vaccine mandates, but also when booster shots became available to millions of Americans.

CDC data shows Connecticut and some nearby states are lagging in booster uptake compared with others that have seen comparatively lower initial vaccination rates. About 8.6 percent of those who are fully vaccinated in Connecticut have received a booster, according to the CDC data, lower than the rates of South Carolina, Tennessee, Montana and others.

Some areas of Connecticut are also still lagging well below the state average vaccination rate. In the states eastern rural areas, many towns report less than 60 percent of residents have received at least one dose, according to the data. Hartford and New Britain also report less than 60 percent of their residents have started the vaccination process.

Vaccination falls along ideologic lines, Wu said. Communities tend to stick together, so if theres a community thats more likely not to be vaccinated, thats probably why youre seeing swaths of a region that are undervaccinated. Its not just Connecticut, thats the same for the whole entire United States.

Overall, the state is doing better than the rest of the country, Wu said, but its all relative because we shouldnt even be in this position in the first place.

Its rosy because its better, but compared to where we should be, its not so rosy, he added.
Montreal, CA (H4T1V6)

Today

Occasional snow showers. Temps nearly steady in the mid to upper 30s. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 50%..

Tonight

Mainly clear skies. Low -3C. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph.
Montreal, CA (H4T1V6)

Today

Light snow this evening followed by clearing late. Low 3C. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 70%..

Tonight

Light snow this evening followed by clearing late. Low -3C. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 70%.
Early data shows Illinois community colleges have seen an enrollment increase in 2021. Information also indicates that the overall decline in enrollment is well below the national average.

All of this is according to the latest fall enrollment report from the Illinois Community College Board.

We are encouraged by our fall enrollment numbers and what they represent compared to the trends over the last several years where the annual rate of enrollment decline sat between 3% to 4%," ICCB Executive Director Brian Durham said in a press release. "We believe this data signifies an upward trend in students returning to advance their education at community colleges throughout Illinois in the years to come."

Fall enrollment among the Illinois Community College System is down 1.5% all together, when compared to the 13.7% decline in 2020. However, that 1.5% is below the national average of 5.6%. It's the smallest rate decline for the Illinois Community College system overall since fall 2010.

According to the data, 17 Illinois community colleges saw enrollment increases in for the fall 2021 semester, compared to three for the same semester in 2020.

An increase in online access to classes, the report data suggests, is one potential reason for the increased enrollment at several community colleges compared to pre-pandemic years.

For the Fall 2021 semester, online students have accounted for 57% of the overall student population, and 62% of all students during the Fall 2020 semester.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, online enrollments for the fall 2019 semester were only 24%. They made up 22% in 2018 and 21% in 2017.

Graduate numbers have also risen in the Illinois community college system since 2001 and 2006. A total of 61,774 collegiate-level degrees and certificates were earned in the academic year of 2021. In 2001 there were 38,420 and there were 49,627 in 2006.
ALTON  Robert Franke is retiring as deputy chief of the Alton Fire Department.

In 2017, Franke dove multiple times to recover a man who had fallen into the Mississippi River at the Alton Marina. He also was honored that year for helping rescue two people from a burning vehicle. In March 2020, Franke rescued a man from the Mississippi River who was trying to retrieve a dog.

Frankes retirement was announced during Wednesdays Alton City Council meeting; his final official day is Friday, Oct. 31. He will be succeeded by current Alton Battalion Chief Matthew Fischer effective Nov. 1.

Aldermen also approved Monday action from the committee of the whole meeting, incuding:

 A redevelopment agreement with Waterfront Properties XIV LLC for a food truck park on Ridge Street between East Broadway and Landmarks Boulevard. The city will provide up to $25,000 for the project. The total cost of the work is estimated at $104,400.

 Closing Illinois 100 from Broadway and Piasa to Stanka Lane for the Alton Road Runners Club Road Race on Saturday, Nov. 27, from 7:30 a.m. to noon.

 Closing Riley Street between Johnson and Della streets for the Fall Family Activity at Stephanies Place 4-8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 29.

 Amending a redevelopment agreement with Town Club of Alton, Inc. to change the developer receiving assistance to Angie K. Gineris.

 An $8,810 asbestos abatement contract with Thornburgh Abatement for work at 1010 Alton St.

Aldermen on Wednesday also had the first reading of an ordinance to amend the city code regarding hotel and motel short-term rentals. A second reading is planned at the next meeting.

The amendment will:

 Add the definition of short-term rental;

 Add the definition of facilitators, which includes online travel companies such as Expedia;

 Allow Alton to receive taxes on short-term rentals; and

 Allow Alton to receive taxes when an entity buys a block of rooms from a hotel and resells them to an online customer. The city would receive 8 percent of the gross rent charged for each 24-hour period a room is rented. Accommodations lasting more than 30 days are exempt from the tax.

Aldermen also had a second reading of ordinances to amend the number of liquor licenses, with Classes C-1 licenses expanded from seven to eight, Class E licenses expanded from four to five and Class I licenses expanded from one to two. They also approved rezoning 1840 Rodgers Ave. from C-2 (general commercial district) to R-2 (residential district).

Additionally, aldermen voted on final approval of actions taken under suspension of rules at the prior meeting:

 Authorizing a hiring freeze through Dec. 31 for all full and part time city employees, excluding members of the police and fire departments.

 Rezoning 1401 Washington Ave. from R-2 (residential district) to C-2 (general commercial district).

 Authorizing the closure of Franklin Street between Central and Maple Street from 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 23 until 1 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 24 for an annual block party.

 Authorizing a sales agreement with Mansfield Power and Gas LLC through Oct. 31, 2024.

 Renewing the citys contract with Spectrum Enterprise for a 60 months.

 Approving the annual appropriation for the fiscal year April 1, 2021 through March 31, 2022.

Aldermen approved the demolition of 1022 Phinney Ave. and 105 E. Elm St. Both buildings had heavy fire damage and have been deemed unsafe.

Aldermen deferred the following resolutions to the next committee of the whole meeting:

 Improving State and Brown streets.

 Authorizing five additional parking spaces at Bluff City Grill.

 Authorizing demolition of 1201, 1203, 1205 and 1207 E. 7th St. in Alton.

 Authorizing the temporary closure of Martin Luther King Boulevard, Washington Avenue, 20th Street and College Avenue for the 2nd Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Motorcade Celebration planned 1-3 p.m. on Jan. 16, 2022.
EDWARDSVILLE  To improve safety at a railroad crossing near Edwardsville, the Illinois Commerce Commission has approved a stipulated agreement to install new automatic flashing light signals and gates at the Quercus Grove Road/Ch23 grade crossing of the Norfolk Southern Railways track.

The addition of new automatic warning devices and gates will improve safety at this location, and that is good news for the community and anyone who utilizes the crossing, said ICC Commissioner Michael T. Carrigan. The allocation of Grade Crossing Protection Funds enables important rail safety projects such as this to advance.
Steinar Engeland /Unsplash

The Missouri History Museum, located in Forest Park in St. Louis, will be hosting "Ghost Stories and Guitars," tonight, Thursday, Oct. 28.

It's part of the weekly Thursday Night at the Museum event, and there is no better way to get a good ghost story than to hear the tales of actual ghosts that roam some of the St. Louis area's most investigated location.
WOOD RIVER  The family of slain Pontoon Beach Police Officer Tyler Timmins has issued a public statement of appreciation for all who have supported them following his death.

Timmins, 36, died after being shot Tuesday morning at the Speedway gas station in Pontoon Beach during the traffic stop of a suspected stolen vehicle. He was pronounced dead at a St. Louis hospital. More than 100 police vehicles on Wednesday escorted his body back to Illinois and Marks Mortuary in Wood River where funeral services are pending.

On Thursday morning, Timmins family issued a statement through the Illinois State Police mourning the loss of our son, husband, father, brother and friend.

We would like to thank the law enforcement community and the thousands of others who have expressed their love, support and concern, they said.

Tyler was the epitome of compassion, empathy and caring throughout his life, the statement reads. He gained notoriety on October 26th when he was senselessly killed in the line of duty.

To many he was a hero that day, the family stated. For us he has been a hero since day one.

There are no words to describe what was taken from us, the statement reads. We will always remember his devotion to his family, his dedication to his career and community, and the love and laughter that he shared with us.

Timmins leaves a wife, Linsey, and a daughter, Chloe. The family noted that the suspect in Timmins murder  Scott Hyden, 31, of Highland  is in custody and said they will not be making any comment on the ongoing investigation. They asked that people respect their privacy during their mourning.

A GoFundMe page supporting the family was created Tuesday at https://www.gofundme.com/f/family-of-fallen-offer-tyler-timmins?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unknown&utm_campaign=comms_l4vs+family-of-fallen-offer-tyler-timmins. By Thursday morning donations had doubled the initial $10,000 goal.

The shooting occurred at about 7:50 a.m. Tuesday. According to police, Timmins had stopped what he believed was a stolen car at the recently opened Speedway convenience store at the intersection of Illinois 111 and Chain of Rocks Road.

He was approaching the vehicle when Hyden reportedly opened fire, striking Timmins in the neck. Timmins was airlifted to a St. Louis hospital where he died of his injuries.

Hyden was quickly arrested at the scene. On Wednesday he was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, both Class M felonies; aggravated discharge of a firearm at a peace officer, a Class X felony; unlawful possession of a stolen firearm and offenses relating to motor vehicles, both Class 2 felonies; and unlawful possession of weapons by a felon, a Class 3 felony.

Hyden is now held in the Madison County Jail without bond. If convicted, Hyden faces natural life in prison, Madison County States Attorney Tom Haine has said, adding his office will seek the maximum penalties.

Timmins body left the St. Louis Medical Examiners office in a Granite City Fire Department ambulance at about 12:30 p.m. Wednesday with a procession of more than 100 police vehicles led by motorcycle troopers from the Illinois State Police and Missouri Highway Patrol.

The procession passed the gas station where Timmins was mortally wounded and passed beneath a large flag suspended off ladder trucks from the Wood River and East Alton fire departments. Hundreds of people lined the streets.

On Wednesday, Pontoon Beach Police Chief Chris Modrusic said Timmins paid the ultimate sacrifice.

As devastating as this loss is to his family, us, and the entire law enforcement community, I truly believe if Tyler could tell us anything, he would tell us all he didnt die for nothing, Modrusic said. He died doing exactly what he loved: protecting and serving his community.
Elon Musk isn't happy.

With a personal fortune that is flirting with $300 billion, the Tesla CEO  the richest person on earth  has been attacking a Democratic proposal to tax the assets of billionaires like him.

The idea behind the Democratic plan is to use revenue from a billionaires tax to help pay for a domestic policy package being negotiated in Congress that would, among other things, help combat climate change, provide universal prekindergarten and expand health care programs. The proposal wasnt included in President Joe Bidens framework for the domestic policy package released Thursday, though that deal among Congressional Democrats isnt final.

Musk, who recently blew past Amazon founder Jeff Bezos as the world No. 1 in wealth thanks to Tesla's soaring share price, would be liable for perhaps a one-time $50 billion tax hit under the Democratic proposal.

Forget it, he says.

My plan, the SpaceX founder tweeted Thursday about his fortune, "is to use the money to get humanity to Mars and preserve the light of consciousness."

He may well get his wish, with the proposal removed from the White House framework.

Earlier this week, Musk argued, the fundamental problem is that government spends too much money  and he warned that the billionaire tax proposal could lead over time to tax hikes for more Americans.

Eventually," he tweeted Monday, they run out of other peoples money, and then they come for you.

The Democratic proposal, unveiled Wednesday by Sen. Ron Wyden, would tax the gains of people with either $1 billion or more in assets, or three consecutive years of income of $100 million or more, at the capital gains tax rate of 20% and the 3.8% net investment income tax rate. It would apply to fewer than an estimated 800 people, who would have to pay tax on the value of tradable items, like stocks, even if they dont sell them. Under current law, such assets are subject to tax only when they're sold.

Supporters have said the tax could raise $200 billion over 10 years that could help fund Bidens legislative priorities. Republicans are unified in opposition to the proposal. And some have suggested it would be challenged in court.

The Democrats' proposal came against the backdrop of growing concerns about vast economic inequality, with the wealth of many American multi-billionaires having accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to increased stock and home equity, even more than before the virus struck.

John Catsimatidis, the billionaire grocery chain and real estate magnate who owns Gristedes, condemned the proposal as something you would expect Putin to do," referring to President Vladimir Putin of Russia.

The billionaire tax plan, Catsimatidis told The Associated Press, is a little bit insane.

The American people have reached the point where theyre saying, Enough is enough, said Catsimatidis, who lost a bid for the Republican nomination for New York City mayor in 2013.

Stop spending the money stupidly. They come up with budgets that are stupid budgets, and they want to make everybody else suffer for it.

Do we need infrastructure?" Catsimatidis added. "Sure, we need infrastructure. Do we need bridges to nowhere? No, we dont need those.

Youre talking about the people that create the jobs, he said of billionaires. We can get up and go somewhere else.

Leon Cooperman, the outspoken billionaire investor who has long denounced Sen. Elizabeth Warren's own proposal for a wealth tax, has added his voice to the exasperation coming from some of the uber-wealthy.

In an interview with The Daily Beast, Cooperman said of the tax, I doubt its legal, and its stupid."

What made America great," he said, "was the people who started with nothing like me making a lot of money and giving it back. A relentless attack on wealthy people makes no sense.

Not every billionaire shares such outrage. A spokesperson for George Soros, the investor and liberal philanthropist, told the AP that Soros is supportive of the proposed billionaires tax.

And while Warren Buffett has yet to comment publicly on the proposal, the billionaire head of Berkshire Hathaway has long called for higher taxes on the ultra-wealthy like himself.

Bob Lord, a tax lawyer and associate fellow at the progressive think tank Institute for Policy Studies, said that even if this particular proposal doesn't pass, it does reflect how concerns about financial inequality are gathering momentum.

ProPublica reported in June that some of the richest Americans have paid no income tax, or nearly none, in some years  including Musk, who, the report said, paid zero income taxes in 2018. Critics argue that Musk's criticism of the billionaire tax proposal overlooks the fact that Tesla's rise has been aided by government incentives and loans.

Lord noted, for example, that the run-up in Tesla stock Monday, after a major order of Teslas from Hertz, increased Musks wealth by roughly $37 billion  more than what the IRS collects in estate and gift tax revenue from the entire country in one year.

Wyden's proposal, Lord suggested, might need to close some loopholes.

But I think theyve done a pretty good job with it," he said. "There are folks out there who are saying the billionaires will just put their money into non-publicly traded assets. But its not going to be that easy. Its a pretty well-crafted bill.

Such tax changes could also shift how billionaire philanthropists make donations.

Brian Mittendorf, a professor of accounting at Ohio State University, said he believes that in the short term, the billionaire proposal would lead some of the uber-wealthy to rush philanthropic contributions into so-called donor-advised funds. Such funds would allow them to receive tax deductions up front without distributing any of the money. (Donors can't get the money back from these funds).

If, in fact, this were to pass, Mittendorf said, "it creates huge incentives to donate some of these assets that have gone up in value before the tax hits.

___

AP Business Writer Glenn Gamboa contributed to this article.

____

The Associated Press receives support from the Lilly Endowment for coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of APs philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.
EDWARDSVILLE  Three people were charged with possessing stolen firearms in two separate cases filed Wednesday in Madison County.

Sarah A. Moore, 22, of Fairview Heights, was charged Oct. 27 with unlawful possession of a stolen firearm, a Class 2 felony, and aggravated unlawful use of weapons, a Class 4 felony.

The case was presented by the Collinsville Police Department.

According to court documents, on Oct. 26 Moore allegedly was found to have a stolen Ruger P95 9 mm handgun with an obliterated serial number, carrying the gun without a valid concealed carry permit.

Bail was set at $50,000.

In a separate case, Armonte D. Miller, 20, and James P. Wheeler Jr., 23, both of Alton, were charged with unlawful possession of a stolen firearm, both Class 2 felonies.

Both cases were presented by the Madison County Sheriffs Department. On Oct. 25 the two allegedly were found to have a stolen Glock .45 caliber handgun.

Bail was set at $50,000 each.

Other felony charges filed Oct. 27 by the Madison County States Attorneys Office include:

 Jmarrco B. Banks, 44, of Alton, was charged with aggravated unlawful use of weapons, a Class 4 felony. The case was presented by the Alton Police Department. On Oct. 23 Banks allegedly was found to be carrying a loaded and accessible M&P Shield 9 mm handgun in a vehicle without a valid concealed carry license. Bail was set at $15,000.

 Daniel G. Appleby, 36, of House Springs, Missouri, was charged with aggravated domestic battery, a Class 2 felony. The case was presented by the Collinsville Police Department. On Oct. 21 Appleby allegedly strangled a household or family member. Bail was set at $50,000.

 Jeremy R. Schneedle, 40, of Granite City, was charged with domestic battery (second subsequent offense), a Class 4 felony. The case was presented by the Granite City Police Department. On Oct. 26 Schneedle allegedly repeatedly hit and kicked a household or family member. He has a 2015 Madison County conviction for domestic battery (second subsequent offense). Bail was set at $15,000.
ALBANY  A summons charging former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo with misdemeanor forcible touching was prematurely issued on Thursday after a sheriff's investigator filed paperwork with the court summarizing their investigation and seeking to begin the process of obtaining a criminal complaint.

No final decision had been made by the sheriff's department or the Albany County district attorney's office on whether to formally file charges, but the issuance of the summons was authorized by a judge based on the documents received by the court, according to sources familiar with the matter. A spokesman for the state Office of Court Administration confirmed that a misdemeanor complaint against Cuomo was filed Thursday in Albany City Court.

The summons, which has not been served on the former governor, directs Cuomo to appear in City Court on Nov. 17. A law enforcement source said the sheriff's department did not expect the summons to be issued on Thursday  or to be made public.

The summons was issued without the consent of the alleged victim, Brittany Commisso, or her attorney, Brian D. Premo, according to sources familiar with the matter. Commisso, an Executive Chamber employee, has been cooperating with investigators and was planning to move forward with the criminal complaint, according to law enforcement sources.

"It was my client's understanding that the district attorney's office was in agreement with the sheriff's department that it was going to conduct a thorough, impartial and apolitical evaluation of the case, and only after completion of the investigation, speak to my client to allow her to make an informed decision as to whether she would proceed as a victim in the case," Premo said. "Like the district attorney's office, she was informed about this recent filing through media."

In a follow-up statement hours later, Premo said his client "was surprised by the turn of events but she has been and will remain a resolute cooperating victim in pursuit of blind justice."

Read the summons:

Cuomo Criminal Complaint by cseiler8597 on Scribd

A sheriff's investigator who had been a lead investigator in the case, in which the governor was accused of groping Commisso at the Executive Mansion last year, had met with a City Court official on Thursday to receive "guidance" if the department were to move forward with filing a complaint  something that was supposed to happen next week at the earliest, according to a law enforcement source.

It's unclear what happened after that, but a person briefed on the matter and not authorized to comment publicly said that someone in City Court issued the summons after determining the paperwork submitted by the investigator was sufficient to do so. The investigator had apparently filed the paperwork in anticipation of obtaining a summons next week if the victim agreed to go forward with any charges, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The issuance of the summons was leaked almost immediately to a news organization, New York Focus.

Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple issued a statement late Thursday confirming that "sheriffs investigators presented Albany City Court with evidence for their review to determine the most appropriate legal pathway moving forward on the investigation. Sheriffs investigators ... have determined that there was enough probable cause to present evidence to the court."

Albany County District Attorney David Soares' office and the sheriff's department had been scheduled to meet on Friday to discuss whether to move forward with any criminal case against Cuomo. It's unclear whether that meeting will still take place.

The district attorney's office issued a statement late Thursday afternoon confirming they had not been aware the sheriff's department had filed a complaint with City Court until it was reported publicly.

"Like the rest of the public, we were surprised to learn today that a criminal complaint was filed in Albany City Court by the Albany County Sheriff's Office against Andrew Cuomo," the statement says. "The Office of Court Administration has since made that filing public. Our office will not be commenting further on this case."

Premo, Commisso's attorney, said he and his client also were caught off-guard.

The evidence gathered by sheriff's investigators in the case included text messages, Blackberry "PIN" messages between state troopers who staff the Executive Mansion, cell phone records, and Capitol swipe-card access records that confirmed Commisso's return to her Capitol office after visiting the mansion on Dec. 7, the day of the alleged incident.

The evidence also includes information confirming Cuomo held a news conference in downstate New York earlier that day  an event that Commisso had told investigators she remembered occurred before she was summoned to the governor's mansion that afternoon.

The complaint filed in Albany City Court was signed by Albany County sheriff's Investigator Amy Kowalski, who has been the lead investigator on the case. It states the incident took place between the hours of 3:51 and 4:07 p.m. at the governor's mansion, and that Cuomo "did knowingly, and intentionally commit the class A misdemeanor of Forcible Touching."

The complaint adds that Cuomo "did intentionally, and for no legitimate purpose, forcibly place his hand under the blouse shirt of the victim and onto her intimate body part" for "the purposes of degrading and gratifying his sexual desires."

The sheriff's department has been investigating groping allegations against Cuomo since August. The criminal investigation followed an attorney general's report that led to Cuomo's resignation following a four-month investigation that included interviews with the women who accused him of conduct ranging from making sexually charged remarks to grooming and Commisso's groping allegation.

Despite the confusion over the filing of the complaint, state Attorney General Letitia James issued a statement Thursday afternoon saying her office had "proceeded without fear or favor" in its investigation.

"The criminal charges brought today against Mr. Cuomo for forcible touching further validate the findings in our report," James said.

Rita Glavin, Cuomo's attorney, had previously filed a complaint with the district attorney's office about the sheriff's department's actions in the investigation. On Thursday, she seized on the confusion created by the issuance of the summons.

"Gov. Cuomo has never assaulted anyone, and Sheriff Apples motives here are patently improper. Sheriff Apple didnt even tell the district attorney what he was doing," Glavin said. "This is not professional law enforcement; this is politics."

Commisso's allegation is the most incendiary to be leveled against Cuomo, who has dismissed his workplace behavior as "playful" and an attempt to "make jokes that I think are funny."

The governor stated earlier this year that he "never inappropriately touched anybody and I never propositioned anybody and I never intended to make anyone feel uncomfortable, but these are allegations that New Yorkers deserve answers to."

In the wake of the earliest allegations  before the groping account was first reported by the Times Union in March  Cuomo had authorized the attorney general's office to commence a "review" of the complaints. But that directive did not authorize the attorney general to conduct a criminal investigation or to subpoena witnesses before a grand jury. That authority would have needed to be given to James under a separate provision in Executive Law.

On Oct. 11, the Times Union reported that electronic records gathered by investigators for the state Assembly's Judiciary Committee, which is expected to issue a report on their investigation that began as an impeachment proceeding, showed Commisso was at the governor's mansion with Cuomo on Dec. 7.
Jack C. Taylor, 86, formerly of Corbin, Kentucky, passed away peacefully on Sunday, November 7, 2021. Jack will always be known as a hardworking and caring family man. He was an exceptional athlete, receiving 1954, high school All-State Honors in both football and basketball by the Courier-J
SAM MONTALTO, Stonington, Boys Soccer, Senior; Montalto scored three goals including the 100th of his career in the Bears 4-0 victory over Plainville in the Class M state tournament. Montalto, who missed the first three games of the season, has 32 goals and nine assists this season.

GIRLS & BOYS Soccer Team, Chariho; It wouldnt be fair to single out a player from either team, both of which captured Division II titles over the weekend of Nov. 12. The girls tied their game with Prout with 1:02 left in regulation and prevailed in penalty kicks. The boys scored the winning goal in the final two minutes of the second overtime to beat North Smithfield.

ZACK TUCK, Westerly, Football; Tuck rushed for 150 yards on 29 carries in a loss to unbeaten St. Raphael in the Division II semifinals. Tuck has rushed for 1,533 yards and scored 19 touchdowns this season for the 7-3 Bulldogs.

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The Government is doing its best to turn Boris Johnson's rhetoric about a higher-paid, higher-skilled and high-productivity economy into reality.

There never has been doubt about the capabilities of Britain's top research universities. This was demonstrated by Oxford-Jenner when it linked with AstraZeneca to bring the Covid vaccine to citizens in record time.

That represents the tip of an iceberg which has seen imported talent and the top universities create great enterprises such as smart-chip maker Arm Holdings.

Vision: Boris Johnson wants a higher-paid, higher-skilled and high-productivity economy

More is the pity that Arm may end up in unfriendly overseas hands as Hermann Hauser, one of the overseas talents behind the enterprise, has warned.

What is remarkable is that the UK has become the European hub for innovation and creativity in life sciences, artificial intelligence, gaming and financial technology in spite of past dereliction in support of research and development.

The Budget and spending review seeks to address past shortcomings although Rishi Sunak could have been more robust in unlocking resources. UK outlays on R&D in 2019, at 1.8 per cent of total output, was among the lowest of the advanced countries and way below the OECD average of 2.5 per cent.

The Government aims to address this and plough 20billion in by 2024-25, helping to drive total expenditure across the economy, private and public sectors, to 2.4 per cent of GDP by 2027. This means putting more resources into the research universities as well as providing more generous tax breaks.

As critical, is ensuring human resources are topped up. One of the great concerns has been that the European talent attracted to the UK's research base would be constrained by Brexit immigration rules.

A simpler visa process for established scientists and technicians will be helpful. But the perimeter needs to be widened so that the UK does not allow the most talented PhD, post-doctoral researchers and tech entrepreneurs to take their brainpower off to the US or elsewhere.

That would destroy the Cabinet's superpower ambition.

Chinese burn

All Budgets are hostage to known unknowns. Big market upheavals can render forecasts irrelevant.

The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) in Basle, the central bankers' club, has a good record of tracking risk build-up. We have all become acutely aware of the meltdown in the China real estate market with the problems at Evergrande, Modern Land and others.

Latest BIS data shows that exposures of the global financial system to China are growing exponentially. Cross-border claims to non-financial firms in China, including the real estate sector, reached $970billion (705billion) in the first half of 2021. The BIS notes that this is more than double foreign claims on other major, newly-rich economies such as Mexico, Brazil and Korea.

Indeed, claims in China represented 18 per cent of the rest of the world's emerging markets. At the same time global banks have boosted lending to Chinese firms by 40 per cent to $450billion (327billion) since 2020, leaving Western finance greatly exposed. Clearly, China, as second only to the United States in the global output league, has huge bandwidth through the cash it generates from exports, and sits on vast foreign exchange reserves.

It has the capacity to meet any crisis. So far its handling of Evergrande has been stand-offish at a time when President Xi Jinping is seeking to put a lid on unfettered capitalism. What is troubling for the Bank of England is that UK banks are the largest creditors, with exposures of 187billion.

That may not be that surprising given the status that HSBC and Standard Chartered have in the region and their superior knowledge of events.

But it needs very careful monitoring.

City pain

As pledged in March 2021 the Chancellor has ensured banks and the City are not further disadvantaged by the jump in corporation tax from 2023 onwards.

Even so the financial sector, China notwithstanding, is still being punished for the financial crisis. If ever there was a moment to get behind the City as it faces derivative trading, IPO and asset management challenges from Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and even New York, it is now.
Transport business FirstGroup has confirmed its intentions to return up to 500million to shareholders.

From tomorrow, the company is offering investors the chance to sell their shares for 105p, a 9.2 per cent premium on their closing price yesterday, until lunchtime on November 29.

The offer forms part of a promise that it made when it sold two North American businesses, First Student and First Transit, earlier in the year to Swedish private equity firm EQT Infrastructure for 3.3billion.

Ready to go: FirstGroup, the operator of the Avanti West Coast train line, is offering investors the chance to sell their shares at a 9.2 per cent premium on their closing price yesterday

Activist investor and the group's largest shareholder, Coast Capital, has now committed to selling down its holding of more than 156million shares, which would comprise about one-third of the tender offer.

Should the full 500million not be returned, FirstGroup has said it would oversee a 50million share buyback scheme and distribute any remaining amount above this figure in the form of a special dividend.

Coast Capital has pressured the firm for some years to offload its North American businesses due to a long-term period of stock market weakness that worsened after the coronavirus pandemic caused travel levels to plummet.

But it heavily criticised FirstGroup's sale of its American school transport and city bus services divisions to EQT, describing it on one occasion as a 'disastrous proposal.'

Its principal criticisms were that the 3.3billion price tag was too cheap - Coast founding partner James Rasteh said the deal left 'billions of dollars on the table' - and was poorly timed given it was happening in the midst of a pandemic.

The private equity firm sought to expel chief executive Matthew Gregory and two board directors from the company. Gregory has subsequently left, though he has denied investor pressure was behind his departure.

Big sale: Last week, FirstGroup agreed to sell its Greyhound bus arm to German company FlixMobility for 125m after two years of trying to find a buyer

FirstGroup was motivated to sell off the two businesses as part of a reorientation towards its UK-based operations, where it runs numerous bus and train services, including Avanti West Coast and the Great Western Railway.

David Martin, the executive chairman of FirstGroup, said today's announcement by the firm 'marks the culmination of our portfolio rationalisation strategy, as announced in December 2019, which has refocused the Group on its leading UK public transport businesses.'

'In doing so, we have created a cash generative company with a well-capitalised balance sheet, a focused strategy and attractive growth prospects in our markets.

'The policy backdrop in the UK has never been more supportive, and public transport has a critical role to play in helping communities and economies build back better and more sustainably.'

UK focus: FirstGroup has sold its North American divisions as part of a move towards focusing on its UK-based operations, where it runs train services such as the Great Western Railway

FirstGroup's strategy took another major step last week when it agreed to sell its Greyhound bus arm to German company FlixMobility for 125million after two years of trying to find a buyer.

FirstGroup will hold onto some of Greyhound's financial liabilities as well as several properties, which it plans to lease back to Greyhound before selling them at some point over the coming three to five years.

Aside from the share offer, FirstGroup also vowed to use proceeds from the deal towards slashing its debt pile, including the 300million it borrowed from the UK Government in emergency coronavirus loans, and putting a total of 336million into its UK pension schemes.

Shares in FirstGroup ended trading 4.5 per cent higher at 100.5p on Wednesday. Since the start of 2021, their value has grown by almost half.
All eyes will be on Shell when the stock market opens this morning as a leading US hedge fund pushes for the oil giant to be broken up.

New York-based Third Point, run by activist investor Daniel Loeb, has taken a stake worth more than 500m in the FTSE100 firm and accused it of having an 'incoherent' strategy. It urged Shell to split itself into 'multiple standalone companies' including an arm focused on oil and gas and another that houses renewables.

The move comes as Shell, like other oil giants, battles to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Centre of attention: New York-based Third Point, run by activist investor Daniel Loeb, has taken a stake worth more than 500m in Shell

According to the FT last night, a letter to shareholders from Third Point said Shell had 'too many competing stakeholders pushing it in too many different directions, resulting in an incoherent, conflicting set of strategies'.

In a statement, the oil group said: 'Shell regularly reviews and evaluates the company's strategy with a focus on generating shareholder value.

'As part of this ongoing process, Shell welcomes open dialogue with all shareholders, including Third Point. Shell's investor relations team has had preliminary conversations with Third Point and we will engage with them, as we do with all of our shareholders.'

Insurer Admiral sank to an 11- month low after a major investor dumped a sizeable stake.

Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurers and a prominent shareholder, offloaded 12.1m shares, cutting its holding to less than 5 per cent compared to 9.9 per cent at the start of September.

Based on the Tuesday closing price of 3047p Munich Re could have pocketed around 369m.

Admiral hit an all-time high of 3688p in August but last night fell 5.5 per cent, or 168p, to 2879p. The decline followed a strong first half during which profits ballooned by 76 per cent year-on-year to 482m in the six months to the end of June, which may have sparked a bout of profit-taking.

The FTSE 100 dropped 0.33 per cent, or 24.35 points, to 7253.27, while the FTSE 250 rose 0.05 per cent, or 10.77 points, to 23,172.04. Markets seemed unsure of which way to turn in the wake of Chancellor Rishi Sunak's Budget announcements, although plans to cut alcohol duty lifted publicans.

Plans to cut air passenger duties also provided a small, early-trading boost to airline stocks, with British Airways-owner IAG inching up 0.01 per cent, or 0.02p, to 159.96p although Easyjet dropped away eventually, closing down 0.2 per cent or 1p, to 608.4p. Bus and train operator First Group tracked up 4.5 per cent, or 4.35p, to 100.5p after unveiling plans to return 500m to shareholders by buying back shares.

It is offering 105p per share, a 9.2 per cent premium to its closing price on Tuesday. The offer runs until November 29. It originally announced the payout in July after a 2.3bn deal to sell US arms First Student and First Transit.

Emergency repairer Homeserve rose 2.8 per cent, or 23.5p, to 855p after snapping up rival CET Structures for 53m. CET provides plumbing, heating and electrical services to home insurance policy holders. The firms will serve around 4.9m homes. Video game publisher Team 17 fell 0.7 per cent, or 5p, to 720p despite unveiling a phone app based on Lego versions of Marvel superheroes. The app, which provides 'learning adventures and imaginative play' for children, will be launched in 28 languages.

Network International, a Middle East-focused provider of payment services flagged 19pc revenue growth in the third quarter. Strong trading in the UAE boosted performance, while payment volumes processed recovered to pre-pandemic levels. Shares fell 4.4 per cent, or 16.1p, to 351.3p.
Royal Dutch Shell has revealed new green energy targets a day after a major investor advocated the oil supermajor be split up to help propel cuts to its greenhouse gas emissions.

The FTSE 100 multinational has vowed to halve so-called Scope 1 and 2 emissions from its operations by 2030 against their 2016 levels, in efforts to become a net zero business by mid-century.

It has also promised to end routine gas flaring - the wasteful practice of burning gas emitted by oil production - from its upstream activities within four years rather than by the end of the decade.

Climate goals: Shell has vowed to halve Scope 1 and 2 emissions from its operations by 2030 against their levels in 2016 on its way to becoming a net zero business by mid-century

Scope 1 emissions derive from operations directly controlled by an enterprise, while Scope 2 emissions refer to those produced by the electricity, steam, heating and cooling used to power those operations.

Shell said the new goals are designed to help meet the targets set by a court ruling in the Netherlands back in May, which called on the group to slash emissions from all its operations by 45 per cent by 2030.

This includes emissions that are discharged when the firm's products are burned, known as Scope 3, which the company made no mention about today. Shell is currently appealing against the legal judgement.

The energy giant's announcement comes the morning after a major hedge fund called for Shell to be divided into multiple standalone businesses for the benefit of both shareholders and the environment.

In a letter to investors, Third Point Capital's Daniel Loeb accused Shell of adopting an 'incoherent, conflicting set of strategies' by trying to satisfy stakeholders of wildly competing interests.

He noted that the company had been divesting from high-carbon assets like refineries but said it was also trying to please some governments who want it to continue investing in oil and gas, and shareholders who like the firm's investment in fossil fuels.

Strong performance: Shell also revealed its third-quarter results today, which showed it earned record cash flow of $17.5billion thanks to a rebound in oil and gas prices

The letter stated: 'Shell's board and management have responded to this with incrementalism and attempts to 'do it all.' As the saying goes, you can't be all things to all people.

'In trying to do so, Shell has ended up with unhappy shareholders who have been starved of returns and an unhappy society that wants to see Shell do more to decarbonise.'

To satisfy all investors, Loeb suggested the firm could be divided into a legacy energy business involving its refining, chemicals and upstream assets and a transition business focused on renewables and liquefied natural gas.

He said the former could concentrate on returning cash to investors and selling off assets while the latter would spend heavily on renewables and other carbon reduction technologies.

Green ambition: 'Shell's pledge to halve emissions by 2030 is a major win for climate activist investors who want it to become greener, said eToro analyst Mark Crouch (Pictured: Silicon Solar Ranch Farm in Tennessee, USA)

The New York-based activist investor believes this setup would not only quicken Shell's attempts to curtail carbon dioxide emissions but also lead to higher returns for shareholders.

Mark Crouch, an analyst at investment platform eToro, said: 'Shell's pledge to halve emissions by 2030 is a major win for climate activist investors who want it to become greener, but will no doubt frustrate those shareholders who want it to capitalise on what it does best.

'This internal struggle over what Shell wants to be  an oil supermajor or a green energy giant  has led to calls for the Anglo-Dutch firm to be split into two. However, that remains an unlikely prospect at present.'

In addition to publishing new decarbonisation targets, the oil company revealed its third-quarter results today, showing it made an adjusted net profit of $4.1billion and record cash flow of $17.5billion thanks to a rebound in oil and gas prices.

Liabilities: Having already cut its debts to $57.5billion, Shell plans to lower them further by finalising the $9.5billion sale of its Permian basin shale assets to ConocoPhillips

Net debts also shrunk by $8.2billion from the previous quarter to $57.5billion, having been over $75billion at the end of last year when the coronavirus pandemic sent demand for oil plummeting.

Shell plans to lower its debts further by finalising the $9.5billion sale of its Permian basin shale assets to American energy corporation ConocoPhillips, which was agreed in late September. In addition, it will distribute more than 5billion in proceeds from the sale to shareholders.

Nicholas Hyett, an equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said the Permian Basian sale is 'clear evidence the group is taking steps towards a cleaner, greener future.

'However, with several oil and gas fields also approved in the quarter, investors shouldnt kid themselves that Shell will stop being an oil and gas group any time soon. With oil prices where they are, that may be no bad thing for the bottom line.'

Shares in the company ended trading 3.5 per cent lower at 1,706.6p on Thursday.
The FTSE 100 index closed down 0.05 per cent or 3.80 points to 7,249.47 this afternoon.

Royal Dutch Shell has opted to distribute $7billion to shareholders from capital raised in the sale of its Permian assets, as the oil major vowed to halve its emissions by 2030.

It comes amid pressure from activist hedge fund Third Point Capital, which yesterday called for the break-up of Shell.

Local MPs have urged members of Bournemouth-based LV to reject its 530m takeover by American private equity barons Bain Capital.

The area's three Conservative MPs told the Daily Mail that LV is an important local employer and part of the community, raising concerns about the ongoing sale of British companies to foreign firms and the prospects of LV's focus being shifted abroad.

British banks could be the most vulnerable to an economic meltdown in China, according to Bank for International Settlements data.

UK lenders are the largest creditors to China, the Basle-based group found, with around 187billion of loans tied up in the country at the end of June  up by more than 20 per cent since the end of 2019.

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Carolyn Sue Bryant Ellis, 78, of Fort Walton Beach, FL, passed away on Sunday, October 24, 2021 at Somerby of Santa Rosa Beach, FL. Born March 15, 1943, at Dr. Daniel's Hospital in Pavo, Georgia, Carolyn was the youngest of nine children born to Franklin and Marie (Dailey) Bryant, of Route 2
U.S. Rep. Diana Harshbarger meets with the Times News editorial board in this file photo. After introducing the bill, Harshbarger said the monoclonal antibodies treatment bill will "make sure Tennesseans and folks in other states have sufficient access to these effective and life-saving treatments."
Hours before Sudans army seized power and dissolved its government, a senior U.S. envoy warned the countrys top general not to take any steps against the civilian administration that was overseeing a democratic transition, diplomats said.

Jeffrey Feltman, President Joe Bidens special envoy for the Horn of Africa, flew into Khartoum two days before Mondays coup, as concerns mounted that the transition was running into trouble due to mounting tension between the generals and civilians.

But instead of heeding the warning, the army did just the opposite, acting on a plan to seize power that two diplomats and three Sudanese official sources said had been developed over the preceding weeks.

The coup brought an abrupt halt to a political transition that began after a popular uprising led to the overthrow of former President Omar al-Bashir in 2019, and was meant to end with elections in late 2023.

After Feltman flew out, uniformed soldiers rounded up the civilian cabinet in pre-dawn raids, before Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan announced the dissolution of the government.

Until the last moment, the military was hoping to persuade Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok to dismiss his cabinet so they could tighten their grip on the transition without using force while keeping him in office, according to the diplomats and two of Hamdoks aides. Hamdok refused to cooperate.

The decision to ignore warnings from the United States  which had thrown diplomatic and financial weight behind the transition  and move forward with what one of the diplomats and Sudanese sources with knowledge of the matter described as a plan B without Hamdok, reflected the stakes for the army, which analysts say saw growing risks from continued civilian rule.

In his last meeting with Burhan, Feltman put Burhan under big pressure not to do anything against the cabinet, to de-escalate, said one diplomat briefed on the meeting, declining to be identified.

But Burhan was also under pressure from factions in the army and his deputy in the Sovereign Council that had been steering the transition, the powerful head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), to take a hard line with the civilians, the diplomat said.

During the meeting they decided to go with Plan B. This was the last chance to get Hamdok to take part, he said.

Sudans military did not respond to calls seeking comment.

The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to questions from Reuters about Feltmans meetings in Khartoum.

Feltman received no heads-up about the military intervention, State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters on Monday.

It is not something that we were apprised of beforehand by anyone, and we would have made very clear of the profound implications that any such move would have, he said.

Feltman had urged authorities to agree a date for transferring leadership of the Sovereign Council from Burhan to a civilian and to initiate security sector reform, the State Department said before the coup.

DERAILING DEMOCRACY

The military has been at the heart of power in Sudan since independence in 1956, staging repeated coups that snuffed out occasional experiments with civilian control.

Bashir, a general, seized power in one such coup in 1989, and ruled for three decades during which Sudan became an international pariah. He hosted Osama bin Laden in the 1990s and fought wars against restive regions, for which he was indicted in the Hague on genocide charges he denies.

After decades of conflict, he allowed the countrys mainly non-Arab south to gain independence in 2011. But peace did not bring prosperity. Oil revenue dwindled, economic output per capita cratered, and by 2019, hundreds of thousands of mainly young demonstrators had taken to the streets to demand his removal. It was the army that finally deposed him.

Under the power sharing deal that followed, the military was due to hand over leadership of the transition to civilian groups in the coming months. But the partnership became increasingly strained by demands for the military to be brought under civilian control, for justice over protester deaths during the uprising, and by the governments agreement to hand Bashir and others to the International Criminal Court.

Feltmans visit followed weeks of escalation and signs of deepening splits, both between civilians and the military and within the army.

Protests by a tribal group blocked essential imports at the countrys main port, Port Sudan.

Matters came to a head after Sept. 21, when authorities said they had thwarted a coup plot attributed to mutinous military factions and Bashir loyalists.

On Oct. 16, rebel groups and parties aligned with the military began a sit-in in Khartoum, calling on the military to dissolve the government. In response, opponents of a military takeover held huge rallies on Oct. 21.

The United Nations special envoy to Sudan, Volker Perthes, said he met with a military leader from the Sovereign Council late on Sunday afternoon and that they discussed a possible U.N.-led dialogue.

He also indicated that the military might move, of course  I strongly warned against doing this, Perthes told reporters.

Hamdok was still meeting with Burhan at army headquarters at 8 p.m. on Sunday, hours before he was placed under house arrest, said Adam Hereika, Hamdoks chief of staff.

Hamdok refused to dissolve the government without a political process, Hereika told Reuters. They were insistent on changing the government and having the government follow their orders, he said.

Burhan told reporters on Tuesday that he had discussed with Feltman political divisions that threaten the countrys security, and that he had offered Hamdok several options for resolving the crisis.

RUSSIAN GREEN LIGHT

The United States has responded with condemnation and a decision to freeze $700 million of economic assistance for Sudan.

Washington had swung firmly behind the transition, removing Sudan from its list of states that sponsor terrorism and providing diplomatic support that helped secure billions of dollars worth of debt relief.

Though U.S. ties have been shaken, Burhan can likely still depend on the backing of U.S.-allied Arab states with whom he has developed close relations. These include Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, which were all happy to see the downfall of Bashir, whose Islamism they opposed.

The army may also be looking to build closer ties with Russia: diplomats and analysts say RSF commander General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo has cultivated ties to Moscow.

Ahead of the coup, the military sought and obtained a green light from Moscow in an effort to protect themselves from any sanctions imposed through the United Nations Security Council, two official Sudanese sources said.

The Kremlin responded to the coup by urging all parties to show restraint and calling on Sudanese to resolve the situation on their own as quickly as possible and without any loss of life. But it did not condemn the takeover.

The Russian Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on its Sudan policy.

Russia already appears to be shielding Sudans military in a possible Security Council statement. Two diplomats with direct knowledge of negotiations on the text said Russia had suggested the 15-member council express concern at developments in Sudan, rather than condemn the takeover. Negotiations on the text, which has to be agreed by consensus, are ongoing.

Western states that backed the transition will need to re-evaluate how to apply pressure on Sudan, said Jonas Horner of the International Crisis Group.

I think its probably been very chastening for Sudans Western allies. The military brushed aside what was being held over their heads in the end, he said.

SOURCE: REUTERS
France seized on Thursday a British trawler fishing in its territorial waters without a licence and issued a verbal warning to a second vessel, amid a bitter row between the neighbours over access to fishing grounds after Brexit.

Furious that Britain has refused to grant its fishermen the full number of licences to operate inside British water that France says is warranted, Paris announced on Wednesday retaliatory measures if there was no progress in talks.

From Nov. 2, Paris said, it would impose extra customs checks on British goods entering France, raising the prospect of more economic pain ahead of Christmas for Britain, which is battling labour shortages and spiralling energy prices.

The government of President Emmanuel Macron is also reviewing a second volley of sanctions and does not exclude a review of its exports of electricity to Britain.

Its not war, but it is a fight, Frances Seas Minister Annick Girardin told RTL radio.

French European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune said France would now use the language of force, as that appeared to be all Britain understood.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnsons office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the detained trawler.

Earlier, Britain said Frances planned acts of retaliation would be met with an appropriate and calibrated response.

Frances threats are disappointing and disproportionate and not what we would expect from a close ally and partner, a British government spokesman said.

French maritime gendarmes made multiple checks on fishing vessels off the northern French port of Le Havre overnight, the Maritime Ministry said, as France steps up surveillance during negotiations.

The seized trawler, now under the control of French judicial authorities, had been rerouted to Le Havre under a maritime police escort and was tied up at on the ports quayside.

The vessels captain could face criminal charges, with his catch confiscated, the ministry added.

Britain has said it issued fishing licenses to vessels able to show a track record of operating in its waters in the years prior to its withdrawal from the European Union on Jan. 31, 2020.

Negotiations between Britain and the European Commission over the affair have continued this week.

French patience has worn thin over what officials call Britains failure to honour its word since Brexit, citing fishing and a demand to renegotiate the Northern Ireland protocol that aims to maintain the integrity of the EU single market.

Additional customs checks on goods travelling between Britain and the continent via the Channel Tunnel and ferries could seriously disrupt trade flows just as businesses stock up for the year-end festive period.

SOURCE: REUTERS
Iran said Wednesday it will resume talks with world powers in November on reviving a nuclear deal after a five-month gap in the face of mounting warnings that international patience was wearing thin.

Iran held six rounds of indirect negotiations in Vienna with President Joe Bidens administration on returning to the 2015 deal, but talks went on hiatus in June as a new hardline government took office in Tehran.

On a visit to Brussels, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri said he saw progress in talks with European Union mediator Enrique Mora, who also went to Tehran earlier this month.

We agree to start negotiations before the end of November. Exact date would be announced in the course of the next week, Bagheri, who serves as Tehrans chief negotiator, wrote on Twitter.

He said he had a very serious and constructive dialogue with Mora on the essential elements for successful negotiations.

The accord between Iran and six world powers to find a long-term solution to the crisis over its controversial nuclear programme has been moribund since former US president Donald Trump walked out in May 2018 and imposed sweeping sanctions.

Biden, his successor, has said he is ready to re-enter the agreement so long as Iran also returns to full compliance by rolling back nuclear activities that it undertook in response to Trumps sanctions.

The United States was cautious on Irans announcement but said it believed only a small number of issues remained outstanding after the sixth round of talks in Vienna.

We are prepared to return to Vienna, and we believe that it remains possible to quickly reach and implement an understanding on return to mutual full compliance, a State Department spokesperson said.

As we have also been clear, this window will not remain open forever as Iran continues to take provocative nuclear steps, so we hope that they come to Vienna to negotiate quickly and in good faith.

One additional issue will be access for the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, whose chief, Rafael Grossi, negotiated only a short-term compromise when he visited Iran on September 12.

 Growing warnings 

Iran said it needed time after the election of President Ebrahim Raisi, a hardliner who succeeded the more moderate Hassan Rouhani, who had negotiated the deal with Barack Obamas administration in hopes of easing Irans international isolation.

But the prolonged delay has prompted alarm  even among European powers that criticized Trump for exiting the accord.

On a visit to Washington earlier in October, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid warned of military action against Iran, his countrys sworn foe.

Israel is widely suspected in a sabotage campaign in Iran that has included the killings of nuclear scientists. On Tuesday, Iran blamed cyber attacks for disrupting its civilian fuel distribution network.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he backed diplomacy but also said the United States had other options if talks go nowhere.

Speaking Monday after talks with European and Arab allies, the US negotiator on Iran, Rob Malley, said that the Biden administration would always be open to diplomacy but that the accord, formally known as the JCPOA, had a shelf life.

This is not a chronological clock; its a technological clock. At some point, the JCPOA will have been so eroded because Iran would have made advances that cannot be reversed, Malley told reporters.

Malley has disputed criticism that the talks made no progress, saying there was broad understanding on most points in Vienna  where European mediators shuttled between hotels as Iran declined to meet directly with the United States.

Iran says it wants a full lifting of sanctions, but the Biden team says the only ones on the table are those imposed by Trump over Irans nuclear work.

Trump argued that the JCPOA did not address other concerns with Iran, such as its support for militants that fight US allies Israel and Saudi Arabia, and vowed to bring Tehran to its knees through economic pressure.

SOURCE: AFP
ALBANY  Albany Nanotech founder Alain Kaloyeros hopes to serve his 42-month federal prison sentence for bid-rigging at the same downstate detention center that's held other convicted state officials, including former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and former Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos.

But Kaloyeros, 65. won't run into either man if he gets his wish to be incarcerated at the federal minimum security prison camp in Otisville. Silver was moved to a federal prison in Massachusetts and Skelos was released last year.

Kaloyeros attorney Michael Miller had asked U.S. District Court Judge Valerie Caproni, who presided over Kaloyeros' trial in 2018, to recommend that the Bureau of Prisons send his client to Otisville following a Sept. 8 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit to uphold his conviction.

The Orange County facility is about a two-hour drive from Kaloyeros' home in Slingerlands.

At the time of his December 2018 sentencing, the minimum security camp at Otisville was full, so Miller had sought to send Kaloyeros to a similar minimum security lockup outside of Philadelphia instead. Three years removed, Otisville now has space to potentially accept Kaloyeros.

"Dr. Kaloyeros seeks to petition the (Bureau of Prisons) to designate him to Otisville so that his children, other members of his family, and his friends, who are largely located in and around the Albany area, will better be able to visit him," Miller wrote Caproni.

Federal judges can only recommend to the Bureau of Prisons where inmates are housed. The bureau has the final say. Caproni did grant Miller's request. Federal prosecutors had no objection.

Kaloyeros, a former University at Albany physics professor, spent two decades creating what is known as Albany Nanotech, a massive complex of glittering glass and steel buildings that has become home to the research operations of many of the world's largest computer chipmakers and their suppliers. He convinced a succession of governors to funnel hundreds of millions of dollars in state funding for the campus, where he also located SUNY Polytechnic Institute, the school he founded where students learn the science of chip manufacturing and engineering.

Kaloyeros was among the highest-paid employees in the state at the time of his downfall, making him a common target of good-government groups who questioned his iron grip on Albany Nanotech's operations using two non-profits that he claimed were exempt from public disclosure and open meeting laws.

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Kaloyeros was forced out of SUNY Poly and Albany Nanotech in 2016 after being accused by federal prosecutors of conspiring with executives at two upstate development firms to secure hundreds of millions of dollars in construction contracts from for state-funded high-tech projects in Buffalo and Syracuse that were being pushed by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Prosecutors asserted that Kaloyeros committed wire fraud by tailoring elements of the bid requirements so that the two firms, whose executives were large Cuomo donors, would easily qualify for the contracts. Although Kaloyeros did not directly profit from the arrangements, prosecutors said he did so to please Cuomo when he became governor in 2011.

Cuomo was never personally tied to the bid-rigging plot, which was orchestrated at the behest of Todd Howe, a former Cuomo aide-turned-lobbyist who Kaloyeros had hired to help him get into the good graces of Cuomo.

Kaloyeros would rather avoid prison altogether. After a panel of three Second Circuit judges rejected his original appeal, Kaloyeros made a second request to have all the Second Circuit judges reconsider his case, arguing that the Second Circuit's definition of wire fraud is overly broad.
A new law will make it easier for local governments to pursue demolition orders for derelict buildings.

Prior to the recent change to code enforcement law, local governments looking to see a building demolished or compel the owner to fix it had to petition the Supreme Court in the judicial district where the property was located. The amendment allows governmental representatives to take it to a civil, city, district or county court.

Assemblyman John McDonald, D-Cohoes, sponsored the bill with Sen. James Skoufis, D-Cornwall. McDonald, a former mayor of Cohoes, said he remembers talking with the city's legal counsel about eyesores in the city.

"The counsel would say, 'We dont have the time or resources to do that,' because of backlog at the court it would be six to 12 months," McDonald said.

Now municipalities will be able to move more quickly to perform necessary demolitions, reduce blight and improve neighborhood safety, McDonald said.

Local preservation consultant and Historic Albany Foundation director Kim Alvarez worries, however, that expediency will lead to the destruction of buildings worth saving.

"Some of the best rehab projects that serve as the strongest economic drivers for our communities are buildings that have sat vacant for decades (because) they were carefully mothballed by someone that knows how buildings can fail and how they should be secured and protected," Alvarez said, referring to the Renaissance/Wellington Row properties, Harmony Mills and many of the buildings rehabilitated by Redburn Development.

"There is funding in the form of grants and financial incentives - rehab tax credits - for redeveloping an existing building but almost none for building new on a cleared site. Plus, a cleared site reduces the property taxes and further hurts taxpaying residents by increasing their share of the tax burden," Alvarez said.

McDonald said he isn't looking to see the number of demolitions necessarily increase statewide. Instead, he hopes the new law will motivate property owners to fix their buildings. He compared it to the vacant building registry started while he was mayor.

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"I started a registry to cause action to occur, not to demolish buildings," he said.

The new law is the result of a study Skoufis led, Investigative Report on Code Enforcement.

When a structure gets to the point of no return, we expect our local governments to step in to properly enforce code and fire prevention laws, Skoufis said at a press conference Thursday. This new law will help cut through red tape and reduce barriers that often keep municipalities from doing whats necessary to keep residents safe."
ALBANY  Gov. Kathy Hochul's administration on Thursday released several signed memorandums outlining how it will handle potential conflicts of interest related to work performed by Hochul's husband as well as her top aide and Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin.

Hochul's husband, former U.S Attorney William Hochul, is executive vice president and general counsel at Delaware North, a global gaming, food service and hospitality company based in Buffalo that has substantial business before state government. Hochul signed a memorandum stating she would recuse herself from all matters relating to Delaware North, and not use her position to benefit the company.

According to the agreements, any matters related to the company are supposed to be handled by Hochul's counsel, Elizabeth Fine. In addition, William Hochul has recused himself from matters relating to New York government; Delaware North has also agreed not to make campaign contributions to the governor, according to the memos.

One issue that could arise is the Buffalo Bills' efforts to build a new, taxpayer-funded stadium. That potential project is also an issue for Delaware North, which according to its website has operated concessions, premium dining and retail services at the Bills Highmark Stadium since 1992.

Hochul's administration also released a memorandum signed by Secretary to the Governor Karen Persichilli Keogh, Hochul's top aide, which states that Keogh will recuse herself from decision-making on all matters related to her husband, Michael Keogh, who is a lobbyist at the firm Bolton-St. Johns. The agreement also says that Michael Keogh has agreed to recuse himself from matters before the Executive Chamber, and that his spouse will not be directly lobbied by anyone from the firm.

The release of the agreement comes as New York Post reported on a high-dollar Hochul campaign fundraiser earlier this week, which was hosted by Bolton-St. Johns senior partner Emily Giske.

During the tenure of Hochul's predecessor, former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, there were similar questions that arose: Cuomo's top aide, Melissa DeRosa, is the daughter of Giorgio DeRosa, who founded the lobbying firm's Albany office. Melissa DeRosa had also stated she recused herself from anything related to her father's business.

Hochul's office also released a memorandum signed by Benjamin, indicating he would recuse himself from any matters directly related to NextPoint Aquisition, where he is a former director and maintains a financial interest.

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In addition, the agreement stated that Benjamin may have to recuse himself from matters related to the Department of Homes and Community Renewal  an executive branch agency that helps build affordable housing  if the matter directly involves his wife, who works at the agency.

Here are the agreements:
Paul Buckowski

ALBANY  In the wake of reports that Attorney General Letitia James will run for governor, the race to replace her as attorney general is beginning to take shape.

On Thursday, Fordham Law professor Zephyr Teachout, a scholar on political corruption, registered a campaign committee to raise money for an attorney general bid, according to a state Board of Elections filing.
ALBANY  As the Albany mayoral race plods toward its end, one concern, above all others, has taxed the minds of city voters: What will Michael Bloomberg do?

Will the former New York City mayor repay Kathy Sheehan's endorsement of his doomed presidential campaign? Would he ignore the Albany race? Does he even know that Albany exists?

Well, we received an answer to the questions nobody was actually asking on Wednesday, when Sheehan proudly announced that her reelection bid has Bloomberg's backing. "I am honored to have his endorsement," the mayor declared.

Of course, that raises additional questions, such as: Why would a self-proclaimed progressive, a Democrat who draped a "Black Lives Matter" banner on City Hall, want to be endorsed by a man who embraced stop-and-frisk policing and sought to proactively fingerprint residents of public housing?

Another: Was Sheehan watching when another progressive, Elizabeth Warren, sliced and diced Bloomberg on a primary debate stage, describing him as "a billionaire who calls women fat broads and horsed-faced lesbians" and has a "history of hiding his tax returns, of harassing women and of supporting racist policies"?

Which isn't to say that Bloomberg and Sheehan don't have something in common. The former overturned a law limiting New York mayors to two terms, claiming the city needed his experience, while Sheehan is breaking a promise to seek only two terms, claiming the city needs her experience.

Still, Sheehan's touting of a Bloomberg endorsement seems odd, and suggests the mayor is feeling the need to drum up turnout among less-progressive voters. In other words, Sheehan might be more concerned about Tuesday's election than we'd expect.

"I think that shows she's definitely nervous," said Alicia Purdy, who is Sheehan's Republican challenger. "I took it as a badge of honor."

I don't think that Sheehan will lose on Tuesday, given how such a mind-boggling result would overturn Albany electoral history. After all, this city hasn't elected a Republican mayor since 1917 and hasn't tossed an incumbent from the office since James Henry Blessing defeated Thomas Van Alstyne in 1899.

Albany has had just four  four!  elected mayors since 1942 and doesn't seem likely to elect a fifth now.

Still, there's the possibility Sheehan could be embarrassed Tuesday, either by apathetic turnout or a protest vote that benefits a slate of challengers that also includes Valerie Faust, a Democrat mounting a write-in campaign, and Greg Aidala, a comedian and motivational speaker running as an independent.

Conventional wisdom suggests Sheehan will benefit from having the anti-incumbent vote split among several candidates. But it would hardly be a vote of confidence if she doesn't win convincingly against her lightly known and barely funded opponents.

Are Albany residents generally happy with how the city is being run? The results on Tuesday will tell us a lot.

Certainly, many Albany residents are concerned about shootings and Sheehan's inability to quell the violence. But rising crime is a national phenomenon, so voters may not hold Sheehan responsible.

Purdy, though, said violence is the issue voters mention most often. But it is hardly their only concern, she added.

"The thing that comes up, outside of crime, is that people are upset about the condition of the city," she said. "They are embarrassed and ashamed of what the city looks like, whether it's garbage on the streets, the blighted buildings or the overgrowth."

Purdy, who turned 44 on Wednesday, lives just off Central Avenue, not far from Jack's Diner, and is the daughter of an Albany pastor. A freelance journalist and radio host, Purdy lacks experience in government. The same is true of Sheehan's other challengers, so even voters dissatisfied with the direction of the city may wonder if any of them could change it.

Purdy countered by saying experience is overrated if it has given us the Albany we see. Aidala said much the same, telling me earlier this year that "if its experience that got this city to this point, then perhaps inexperience is whats needed."

Bloomberg disagrees, apparently, if we can judge by Wednesday's endorsement. Nevertheless, he might offer a smidgen of hope for Purdy heading into Election Day, if she needs it.

Bloomberg didn't have government experience when elected mayor. And though he later switched parties, he was then also a Republican looking to win in an overwhelmingly Democratic city.

Of course, Bloomberg was able to spend $70 million convincing voters of his charms. Money can't buy happiness, but it can swing an election.

cchurchill@timesunion.com  518-454-5442  @chris_churchill
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP)  The state of Arkansas filed a consumer protection lawsuit Wednesday against a Virginia-based medical supplier for nearly $11 million for failing to deliver supplies during the coronavirus pandemic, Attorney General Leslie Rutledge said.

Rutledge said Wednesday that Med-Care Healthlink LLC of Suffolk and its representatives failed to deliver gowns, ventilators and face shields ordered in March and April 2020 to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration.
CORINTH - A partnership of two Canadian power companies has purchased the Curtis Palmer dams and hydroelectric plants near what used to be the International Paper Co. mill here.

The $318.4 million purchase from Atlantic Power Co., which had owned the complex, was approved last week by the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, said Karine Vachon, spokeswoman for Innergex Renewable Energy, which partnered with Hydro-Quebec on the deal.

The pair of dams and hydro facilities, Curtis Mills and Palmer Falls, are rated at 60 megawatts.

Curtis Mills, with 12 megawatts and Palmer Falls at 48 megawatts has a contract to sell power to the National Grid utility.

The five employees working at the plants will join the Innergex team, according to the company.

Innergex is traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange while Hydro-Quebec is owned by the province of Quebec.

The deal marks the first partnership between the two firms but Innergex officials say more are to come.

"Together, we will continue to join our forces and expertise and work on our shared purpose of increasing our presence in the energy transition and creating value with high-quality assets," Michel Letellier, Innergexs president and CEO said of the deal.

By investing directly in hydropower generation in New York, we are strengthening our business relationship with the state and pursuing our efforts to promote renewable energy in North America," added Pierre Despars, vice president of corporate strategy and business development for Hydro-Quebec.

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The plants are expected to generate annual earnings of $42.5 million before interest, taxes and depreciation.

Innergex has operations in France and Chile as well as its home base in Canada.

Hydro-Quebec operates a series of large hydroelectric dams and power plants in northern Canada and supplies power to the province. The company last month was named as a major supplier to New York City via the planned Champlain Hudson Power Express. Proposed by Transmission Developers Inc., the line would bring Quebec hydropower to the city via a line buried under Lake Champlain and the Hudson River.

The dams date to the days when a paper mill was on the site, and large amounts of water had to be diverted in the manufacturing process. The paper mill, most recently operated by International Paper Co., closed in 2002. Most of the buildings have been taken down and the land is for sale.
ALBANY  An Albany County assistant district attorney is facing two federal lawsuits accusing her of malicious prosecution, including one in which a woman contends she ignored evidence for more than a year that would have exonerated her.

Assistant District Attorney Ariel Fallon, a prosecutor for District Attorney David Soares since January 2013, ignored the findings of Albany police officers, conducted her own investigations and threatened to charge a witness with perjury if the woman did not testify falsely, according to documents filed in U.S. District Court.

One lawsuit seeks $2 million in compensation, the other $1.25 million. Both ask for up to $10 million in punitive damages. The lawsuits were filed in June by attorneys William T. Martin, Georgia Bonton and Jasper Mills, the last of whom is a former Albany County prosecutor whose nearly 10-year stint in Soares' office overlapped with Fallon's tenure.

The lawsuits involve criminal cases that Fallon prosecuted in county court that were later tossed by separate judges. Fallon, a 2012 Brooklyn Law School graduate who works in the Special Victims Unit, "adamantly denies" any wrongdoing, said Assistant Albany County Attorney Michael L. Goldstein, one of Fallon's attorneys.

"She is an exemplary prosecutor and dedicated public servant," Goldstein told the Times Union.

In one lawsuit, Shardonay Tyce of Albany alleged Fallon continued to prosecute her even after an Albany police officer informed Fallon he had doubts of Tyce's guilt  and after a detective handed Fallon a notarized confession from Tyce's accuser recanting her story.

The accuser, identified as Qa'rell Sorrell, initially claimed Tyce attacked her, which led police to arrest Tyce on Dec. 31, 2018. Officers charged Tyce with felony assault, strangulation, misdemeanor assault, petit larceny and child endangerment for allegedly burning Sorrell with a cigarette  in front of Tyce's child  in Sorrell's home, the lawsuit said.

Albany police Officer Justin Swan began to doubt the allegations, however, after Tyce told him that Sorrell was "jumped" the night before  and not by Tyce. Swan checked into it and learned that one day earlier, Sorrell had been involved in an incident at her home where she sustained the same injuries she was now claiming were inflicted by Tyce, the lawsuit said.

A few days later, Swan told Fallon that in his professional opinion, the allegations against Tyce were untrue. Albany Detective Matthew Foley, meanwhile, learned Tyce had taken out an order of protection against Sorrell, accusing Sorrell of stalking her. On Jan. 10, 2019, Sorrell handed Foley a notarized confession admitting she made up the allegations against Tyce and wanted the charges dropped.

Foley emailed the information to Fallon, but it was not until July 19, 2019, that Fallon disclosed to Tyce's defense attorney that she had received it, the lawsuit stated.

The lawsuit alleged Fallon pressured Sorrell to go back to her original account and told her: "I don't care what you say but if you don't get up on the stand and say something, I will indict you for perjury." The lawsuit said Sorrell, in turn, lied to the grand jury about being attacked by Tyce.

On Jan. 3, 2020, Sorrell handed a note to County Judge William Carter admitting she fabricated the incident. She told Carter she did not want to lie but feared Fallon would indict her. Fallon told Carter she only learned of the exonerating information on Dec. 27, 2019, when she and her supervisors met with Swan. Fallon said she could not continue to pursue the case. She asked for a dismissal.

Carter, since retired, dismissed the charges against Tyce, saying: "I find it very disturbing that this information was not turned over for over a year and we were almost ready to go to trial. And quite frankly, I'm not sure whether this would have come to to light but for the letter from the alleged victim."

In an affidavit attached to the lawsuit, Swan said he did not realize until the Dec. 27, 2019, meeting with prosecutors that Fallon had never told her office what he told her nearly a year earlier: That the case against Tyce was false.

Tyce's suit is alleging malicious prosecution and emotional distress.

In an Oct. 15 motion on Fallon's behalf, Goldstein asked Senior U.S. District Judge Thomas McAvoy to dismiss the suit on the grounds that Fallon was acting in her capacity as a prosecutor and, thus, immune from federal liability under the 11th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

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Fallon, who is also represented by Albany attorney John Liguori, is trying to get the Tyce lawsuit tossed along with the second legal action she faces, a lawsuit from Rene Brown of Troy, who also is accusing the prosecutor of malicious prosecution.

In that case, Brown contends that starting in July 2019, Fallon continued to prosecute her on a felony weapon possession charge for months even though city police had found no gun in Brown's home and had not planned on charging her with a crime. The lawsuit alleged Fallon crafted a felony weapon case against Brown and presented it to a grand jury, which then indicted Brown.

The charge was related to a shooting in Albany, days earlier, at which both of Brown's sons had been present. Police interviewed Brown and released her, not expecting to charge her, the lawsuit said.

Fallon offered Brown a deal to plead guilty to a lower charge  if she testified against her sons. Brown refused. On Oct. 25, 2019, acting Supreme Court Justice Roger McDonough tossed the indictment for a lack of evidence.

A spokeswoman for Soares declined comment.
ALBANY  The state Education Department won't release 2020-21 statewide assessment data for third through eighth graders, citing incomplete figures since the tests were largely only taken by in-person students during the pandemic.

About 40 percent of students statewide took state English and math exams last spring, compared to more than 80 percent in a typical year, according to the agency.

"To give information that is incomplete will create an incomplete narrative and incomplete story," Education Commissioner Betty Rosa said.

Instead, the department has only released district and school-level scores along with the percentage of students who sat for the tests, now posted on the NYSED website. The individual and school-level scores will help teachers, students and their families with academic planning, officials said.

State education officials repeatedly warned against comparing the results to those in previous school years.

"We have a great deal of work to do, not just academically, but also social-emotionally, in terms of getting students reacclimated to their schedules," Rosa said.

The data for Students Not tested includes students who did not take the tests for varied reasons including receiving entirely remote instruction, students whose parents opted them out of testing, medically excused, absent, and first-year English language learners.

The subgroups of students more likely to take the tests mirrored socioeconomic gaps in access to in-person learning during the pandemic. Students with disabilities, English language learners and those who are economically disadvantaged were significantly less likely to have taken the tests. Black students in New York were the least likely to take the tests compared to other identity groups, with just one in four Black students taking the exams.

In the Capital Region, schools that had more students participating in online learning predictably saw fewer students take the state tests.

Hoosick Falls schools had the lowest test-taking rate. Just 105 out of nearly 1,000 students, 11 percent, sat for the tests.

At Schenectady City School District, which each had more than half of its students learning remotely last year, also had lower-than-average rates, with 22 percent sitting for the exams. Similarly, Albany City schools had 32 percent taking the tests.

Smaller districts tended to have the highest participation rates. Tiny Edinburg Common School district had 100 percent of its 60 students in the grades taking the tests.

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The Wynantskill Union Free School District had 86 percent of its 500 students take the tests. The Menands Union Free School had 84 percent of 380 students taking the exams.

Both Brighter Choice charter schools in Albany had relatively high participation rates; 86 percent of boys took the exams and 83 percent of students at the girls' school did. Other charter schools saw lower-than-average participation rates.

Smaller urban schools like Cohoes and Mechanicville and large suburban schools like Guilderland and North Colonie had higher-than-average participation rates, with between 60 percent to 75 percent of students opting in.

Last year, state officials sought waivers from the U.S. Department of Education for the state assessments and accountability requirements for districts. The federal agency only granted accountability waivers  meaning the scores won't be used to rate schools based on subgroup performance  but required students attending class in person to take the exams. Remote students were allowed to opt-in if they were willing to take the tests in person.

The tests were also abbreviated this year to just one session this year.

The Education Department is looking to shift priorities from being an accountability and compliance-based organization to becoming more "service-oriented," including helping schools navigate the distribution of billions of dollars in federal pandemic relief funds intended to address learning loss, officials said.
Will Waldron/Times Union

MILTON - No one was hurt when a small plane came down in a field west of the Saratoga County Airport in the town of Milton Wednesday sometime before 6 p.m., sheriff's investigators said.

The Sheriff's Office received 911 calls at 5:54 p.m. about a plane crash. The craft, occupied by two people, was returning to the airport when it reportedly lost power and was brought down in the field. Neither those in the plane nor anyone on the ground was hurt, deputies said.
MALTA  Malta Democrats say they are not happy about political flyers accusing them of wanting to defund the police.

For one, Democratic candidate for supervisor Mike Williams, 62, was a state trooper for 29 years. For the last 17 years, until his retirement, he was a sergeant supervising troopers in the Malta area. Williams is also endorsed by the Working Families Party.

Second, there is no town police force a supervisor would have monetary control over.

We do not want to defund the police, he said, adding, The town of Malta does not have a police department.

The town  like most of Saratoga County  is protected by the State Police and the Saratoga County Sheriffs Office.

Williams said he wants to enhance police protection by persuading the sheriffs office to open a barracks near Exit 11 on the Northway, in a former Stewarts Shop.

In his experience, he said law enforcement patrols near their barracks, so the move would increase local patrols.

They tend to stay close, he said, noting that the barracks is often the only reliable place for an officer to find a bathroom, a microwave and break room for a meal.

His opponent, Mark Hammond, also wants to get a sheriffs barracks in the town, though he said the Stewarts location wouldnt work. He has several other potential locations in mind. He is a Republican who is also endorsed by the Conservative Party.

Both candidates are running to replace Supervisor Darren OConnor, a Republican, who is not running for re-election

Hammond said he somewhat regrets the flyer's existence.

I dont totally disagree with the content, he said. Im upset that the flyer went out. I didnt like the flyer. I had made it clear I dont want any negative campaigning. I dont feel I have to jump on anyones back to get higher.

The flyer was put out by the state Republican Party, but Hammond saw versions of it and knew what the thrust of the flyer would be. He said he regretted listening to the advice of experienced campaigners who insisted on the attack approach. They argued that the attack was fair because Williams, a Democrat, was endorsed by the Working Families Party, which has strongly supported the defund the police movement.

Hammond said it was a stretch and that he wished campaign materials focused on his experience and background instead.

Hammond, 60, is a retired Saratoga Springs firefighter. For the past two years, he has chaired the towns open space and trails committee. Under his leadership the committee evaluated every property in town to determine which were most important and environmentally sensitive to preserve through the purchase of development rights. The town is now working on negotiations with owners of three of the top-listed parcels.

He wants to slow down development in town.

Malta has reached a crossroads. Whoever is spearheading the town leadership next is going to have a dramatic effect on what Malta ends up being, he said. I really feel we need to preserve the rural character we have in Malta as best we can. Once things are gone, theyre gone.

In particular, he wants to rezone portions of the northern end of town, where some residential areas were changed to commercial zoning.

Williams said he would take a different approach.

The past and current board have not followed the Malta master plan. They have gone overboard with some of the development and allowed overdevelopment, actually, he said. My proposal is smart development. We have to have good restaurants, good stores, we dont need any more fast food restaurants. We need to be proactive as a town government and go out and get what the people want.

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That would include calling up specific businesses and trying to persuade them to open a store in Malta, an approach Clifton Park successfully followed when town officials were rebuilding the mall.

Williams also wants to slow growth down. He wants nearby towns or the entire county to come up with a joint master plan.

Slow down, lets look at everything, he said. Were losing a lot of trees, a lot of rural space.

Both candidates also want to extend the sidewalk system downtown and increase traffic safety.

Williams noted that many people who work at low-wage businesses in the growing downtown do not own cars. He wants them to be able to safely get to work and back, particularly in the dark.

The two candidates, however, are on opposite sides on the ambulance district proposal.

Williams supports the ambulance district, which would cost property owners about $44 per $200,000 of assessed property.

Every year the ambulance corps has to come before the town board to ask for funding. They cannot plan their budget or purchase equipment until they get a firm decision from the Malta Town Board, he said.

He thinks the change could also lead to the ambulance company being able to pay more for paramedics, which could help them with staffing.

The paramedics salaries are low compared to other Capital Region ambulance companies, he said.

Hammond would prefer to keep paying the ambulance company with the towns general fund, which is largely made up of sales tax revenue.

We have the money, he said, adding that the company could ask for more funding for raises. If he said 'Im losing people, I cant stop the bleeding, I need to give folks more an hour,' I would be 100 percent behind that. Because its public safety. All Im saying is please just show me.
SARATOGA SPRINGS  In a city where tensions are running high over policing and social justice issues, change could be on the horizon as a new commissioner of public safety will be chosen during Tuesday's general election.



Current Public Safety Commissioner Robin Dalton is running for mayor, leaving her seat without an incumbent. And while the two main candidates  Republican Tracey LaBelle and Democrat James Montagnino  agree on many things such as the need for communications and leadership, November's winner could shift a months-long stalemate between activists and police.



A win for LaBelle, who is supported by the Police Benevolent Association, could provide more backing for police and a boost for their sinking morale.

A win for Montagnino, on the other hand, could end the use of warrants and handcuffs on protesters who, he said, should only be served summons. He has also vowed to shed more light on the death of a biracial man who was pursued by city police in 2013.

As LaBelle would not do an interview with the Times Union (the city's GOP committee urged its candidates not to do interviews), the newspaper listened to the two discuss their ideas at a League of Women Voters forum earlier this month. Both promised to ease what they see as the citys biggest public safety challenge  the divide between police and Black Lives Matter protesters.

At the debate, Montagnino, a former prosecutor and criminal defense attorney who worked for the state court system as principal attorney and referee for 26 years, said he got into the race because of Darryl Mount, Jr. the 21-year-old who died from injuries after a 2013 encounter with police. He said he has already reviewed the nearly 2,000 pages of court documents pertaining to the civil case brought against the city by Mounts mother. If elected, he said he would provide a report on the Mount incident at his inauguration to take the death, as he put it, off the table and "restore trust in law enforcement."

What we see is a tension between social justice protesters and law enforcement that has been ratcheting up in recent weeks to a point where its at a boil, Montagnino said. The basis of the problem is the Darryl Mount case.

LaBelle, who is a clinical device specialist working in health care, did not mention Mount by name. However, she said she would bridge the divide between our community and our law enforcement through public discourse.

There needs to be a collaboration and again all stakeholders need to have a voice at the table, LaBelle said. I think that given the heightened climate of politics, both nationally and statewide, has influenced our city too much. I think we need to get back to hearing each other talk and find common ground.

Her goal is to put a 360 degree (communications) model in place with her door always open to hear the good or the bad and the ugly, but I want to hear the good.

There is much debate on how the community can get there with a recent focus on a civilian review board that would consider public complaints against police. Currently, there is a loose framework being discussed that both LaBelle and Montagnino deemed insufficient.

LaBelle, whose father was longtime city judge Lawrence LaBelle, said she would support a civilian review board if it is done correctly.

I will listen to all the stakeholders from the chief of police to the PBA to the city council and of course the (Police Reform) task force and make it work to best benefit our city and all the parties involved, LaBelle said. I do think it can be a good positive addition to our city. I just feel strongly that it needs extreme collaboration and relentless attention to be implemented the proper way.

Montagnino, who has been attending City Council meetings on the topic, wholeheartedly" supports the civilian review board designed by the Police Reform Task Force.

The task force took a lot of time and effort and were very careful in the matter in how the CRB would be organized and the rules of evidence and procedure under which it would work, its power to compel testimony and compel the production of documents, said Montagnino, who ran for city judge and lost in 2008. And most importantly what I like about the task force's recommendations is that they recognize that the city charter itself authorizes the commissioner of public safety, and the commissioner of public safety only, as the authority with the ability to discipline uniformed services.

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He also said that the city should be more careful when screening applicants for the police department and increase training and pay to attract the best candidates.

The two also addressed Assistant Police Chief John Catones comments from June 28 when he told the press and public that he would "pull out every single connection my family has made over the last 130 years" to erase the narrative that police are racist.

LaBelle didn't defend Catone, but did say the police department was excellent.

I think the police department is extremely frustrated, she said. I think they are targeted on many levels. Im not saying that every thing that was said was appropriate nor was the right timing. I do feel they lacked leadership in that department. I feel that they could have had the correct communication channels in place."

Bad information, she complained, further inflames tensions.

I feel this heightened divisiveness with our law enforcement and the knee jerk reactions that are placed not just on our police department but our community as a whole, she said. Its easier to be mad and aggressive than to sit down and have the conversation.

Montagnino, who was at the press conference, said Catones comments were out of place and never should have been made. He too blamed leadership.



The commissioner is there to be the liaison between the police department and the public, he said. And its unfortunate there were comments made by the assistant chief that day. ... The commissioner of public safety should be the first person to respond to the public on questions about what the police are doing, what they should do... and so forth.

The League of Women Voters moderator also noted that there is a third candidate for public safety, David Labate, on the Working Families Party line. Though he did not respond to the Leagues request to participate, Labate is among those Republicans who recently infiltrated that party to take over the ballot line that was once dominated by Democrats.

The full 50-minute forum can be seen at lwvsaratoga.org.
Catholic Funeral Liturgy for Mary Casuccio will be at St. Peter the Fisherman Catholic Church on November 23, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. Interment follows at Mt. Carmel Cemetery. Arrangements are under the care of Domico Funeral Home.
Wellsboro, PA (16901)

Today

Some lingering evening flurries or snow showers. Some clouds. Low 27F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Some lingering evening flurries or snow showers. Some clouds. Low 27F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.
The North Dakota Department of Health has switched off comments on its social media accounts in an effort to stop the spread of misinformation, mostly about the coronavirus
Terry Lobdell is pictured holding a bat box. Lobdell, bat specialist, gave a presentation at the Woodcock Creek Nature Center to show the importance of bats to our local ecosystem.
A federal jury has awarded $17 million to the parents of a mentally ill man who was shot in a Costco store by an off-duty Los Angeles police officer
October 28, 2021





Internet is evolving at a rapid pace, and if not regulated accordingly, it may cause total chaos. Also, common law and precedent arent enough to regulate, thus the need for internet law. The law regulating the internet is a special case, you may say. This is simply because they are applied in a specific area and may change from one country to another. In fact, there are international laws applied to almost all countries, and then there are state or countrys laws that only apply within their borders.







Furthermore, this law is actually not a specific, stable, and solid field of practice. Why? This is because it comprises incorporates rules and principles from different traditional fields, such as privacy law and contract law. Therefore, these rules and principles help govern how websites, social pages, online stores, internet users, etc., operate.

In this post today, we are going to highlight and discuss everything you know about internet law. And so, lets begin by defining what this law is.

What is internet law?

Internet laws and regulations are legal principles and legislation that are set in place to help govern the use of the internet in all its forms. This type of law is well known for incorporating and applying legal principles from several traditional fields, i.e., contract and privacy laws.

Internet law, also known as cyberlaw, is unlike any other area of law. This law comprises of the laws related to:

How web pages are linked

Creation of websites

Steps for resolving domain names conflicts

The way to use trademarks online

Governance Internet Service Providers

The specific laws and general laws that apply in the internet context, which include:

Specific Laws General laws 1 Cybercrime laws Contract laws 2 Cybersecurity laws Privacy laws 3 Data protection laws Harassment laws 4 Intellectual property laws

What are the types of internet regulation?

Generally, there are four main ways in which the internet is supervised apart from each countys censorship. In fact, you may have noticed that some countries such as Saudi Arabia, China, and Iran have a critically censored internet. But besides those censorships, there exist four main ways of internet regulations, which include:

Architecture: In the context of internet regulations, the term architecture refers to the internets actual technological restrictions. It includes all that affects the way information can be spread via the internet. This starts from coding and encryption to filters and search engines.

Laws: To mold and manage the behavior of the users as well as handle the issues effectively on the internet, most countries have enacted laws to govern the use of the internet. For example, when it comes to issues like fraud, child pornography, and gambling.

Markets: Governing online markets helps incentivize self-regulation, ethical behavior, and creativity, which in turn governs the highs and lows of the online market.

Social and Cultural Norms: Reliance on social norms is one of the legal requirements for all online service providers. Furthermore, the use of formal regulations alone may leave some gaps that need to be filled, and this can be done by utilizing cultural norms. This helps govern humans behaviors online.

How is the internet regulated?

There are several ways in which internet laws can be effectively managed and imposed. These ways include:

1.Net Neutrality

Net neutrality (News - Alert) is another major interest in internet law in the U.S., and it refers to regulations of the internets infrastructure itself.

So, how does this law work?

First of all, it is important to note that before the information is transmitted via the internet, they are first broken into packets of data, which are then transmitted through transmission infrastructure. Notably, the routers and transmission infrastructure used are mainly owned by the public and private entities, such as governments agencies, universities, and telecommunication companies.

And so, to ensure the security of personal data transmitted, rules and regulations have to be enacted and enforced. However, a change in laws affecting infrastructure may benefit one company but as well have a ripple effect on the other company. Therefore, the principle of net neutrality has to be applied in this case.

2.Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)

Ideally, this is a U.S. law that has a practical global effect despite being technically a country-specific law. This law provides a powerful avenue to take down any copyright infringements from online platforms. Additionally, this law guards online service providers against the infringements of their users.

3.Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)

ICANN is a non-profit organization that is responsible for the creation, sale, and transfer of domain names to the public.

Besides these three ways, there is another major way in which the internet is regulated, which is The General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). This is majorly an E.U. law that is enacted to protect data processing and handling.

Where does internet law apply?

Good question!

We already know what are internet regulations, the types and how the internet is regulated, but where does this law apply? Well, lets see:

The fact is the internet can exist anywhere; however, the main laws that apply and govern the internet are those of that specific location (country). For example, if you are in the United States, the internet laws that will apply to you as a user or online service provider will be the ones from the United States.

Nevertheless, some laws can be applied to users outside a specified country. This means if you break those laws, you can be arrested in your country or transferred back to the country where you violated that rule and be prosecuted. This is very difficult to implement rule despite being far-reaching rules and regulations. The fact remains that they are there and can be applied in case of a serious issue.

Overall, one countries law cannot only apply as internet law; thus, it has to incorporate some general laws.

Why Is Internet Law a Special Case?

Internet is quite a vast space, and one rule may not apply in countless situations. Therefore, these are key point that makes internet law a special case:

It needs to be flexible enough in order to cover countless real and theoretical possibilities.

It is not bound to laws from one geographical location simply because the internet is a global interface.

Finally, some people would prefer to have internet laws be independent of national policy and operate as if it is on the land of its own.

Final Thoughts

What we have discussed in this post today are ideally the core and basics of internet law. However, there is in-depth information about policies that govern online marketing, websites, basic principles, and intellectual properties. To learn more on these internet law topics, be to check out Lawrina, a trusted and free legal information portal.
[October 28, 2021] AmeriHealth Caritas Promotes Rebecca Engelman to Executive Vice President, Medicaid Markets

AmeriHealth Caritas, a national leader in Medicaid managed care and other health care solutions for those most in need, announced that Rebecca Engelman has been promoted to executive vice president, Medicaid Markets. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005218/en/ Rebecca Engelman. Photo courtesy AmeriHealth Caritas. In her new role, Engelman is responsible for the growth, development, and retention of the company's Medicaid managed care business and executing high-quality services across all its markets, including long-term services and supports (LTSS) solutions. AmeriHealth Caritas' Medicaid plans combine to serve nearly 2.5 million members in Delaware, Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and the District of Columbia. In April the company announced it was selected to serve Ohio as well, beginning in 2022.



Before being appointed to this new position, Engelman successfully served in various roles at AmeriHealth Caritas, including regional president, overseeing several of the company's Medicaid managed care plans. Prior to that, she served as market president for Select Health of South Carolina - which she helped to found and launch - and AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana, as well as vice president of Operations, senior director of Quality Improvement, and senior director of Medical Services. "Rebecca is an exceptional leader who has contributed to our company's growth and innovation for many years," said AmeriHealth Caritas Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Paul A. Tufano. "Her experience, commitment to excellence, and deep knowledge about the value of Medicaid and our managed care approach are ideal for this new role."

"It has been a privilege to spend the last 22 years helping bring AmeriHealth Caritas' compassionate and whole-person approach to American communities in need," said Engelman. "I look forward to continuing this work on a broader scale as AmeriHealth Caritas takes on an increasingly competitive industry." Engelman began her career at three hospitals in Florida, working in both medical-surgical units and emergency rooms. She holds a master's degree in nursing administration with honors from the Medical University of South Carolina. Engelman also serves on the board of her local United Way. About AmeriHealth Caritas AmeriHealth Caritas is one of the nation's leaders in health care solutions for those most in need. Operating in 12 states and the District of Columbia, AmeriHealth Caritas serves nearly 5 million Medicaid, Medicare, and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) members through its integrated managed care products, pharmaceutical benefit management and specialty pharmacy services, and behavioral health services. Headquartered in Philadelphia, AmeriHealth Caritas is a mission-driven organization with nearly 40 years of experience serving low-income and chronically ill populations. For more information, visit www.amerihealthcaritas.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005218/en/

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[October 28, 2021] AVIA Expands Leadership Team to Support Industry Demand for Digital Advancement, Commitment to Operational Excellence

AVIA, the nation's leading digital transformation partner for healthcare organizations, announced today the expansion of its leadership team to support the substantial growth of the company in 2021. Rusty Taylor will serve as the company's chief financial officer (CFO), providing strategic operational and business oversight to support AVIA's continued growth. Anjani Shah steps into the role of senior vice president, Transformation where she will lead the expansion of AVIA's consulting services and digital transformation initiatives. Dhiraj Patkar joins AVIA as senior vice president of product for AVIA Connect, responsible for setting the vision and strategy for AVIA's digital health marketplace. These additions to AVIA's leadership team come at a time of significant growth for the organization in each of its services to health systems, digital health companies and more. "The addition of these experienced innovators, operators, and leaders to the AVIA team speaks to our onging mission of supporting our Members by providing resources to accelerate digital transformation," said Linda Finkel, AVIA CEO. "As our organization continues growing, Rusty, Anjani, and Dhiraj's expertise will be critical to maintaining this momentum and allowing us to broaden our support to organizations as they seek to realize the potential value of digital. Dhiraj's background building technology products across the healthcare ecosystem significantly enhances our ability to scale the development of AVIA Connect as a vibrant digital health marketplace. Rusty's depth of financial and operational knowledge will be a valuable asset for maximizing the AVIA business model, while Anjani's transformation expertise will better position us to bridge the gap between digital strategy and execution for our Members."



Taylor is an accomplished financial and operational leader with more than 10 years of experience leading the financial operations of a variety of healthcare companies. Most recently he served as the CFO for Constellation Behavioral Health where he was responsible for overseeing finance, revenue cycle, legal and information technology; he also acted as the operational lead for the business and facilities, including growth. He's also been the CFO for Smart Choice MRI, Group CFO for Surgical Care Affiliates, and head of client success and finance of Zynx, serving as an operational head in each of these roles. He holds a B.S. in Management from Pepperdine University and an MBA from University of Southern California. Shah joins AVIA after 13 years at McKinsey & Company (News - Alert) where as an Associate Partner, she served global, national and regional health systems and payers on topics across growth, digital, transformation, and operational efficiency. Shah led transformation efforts for more than 15 large-scale providers in clinical settings including inpatient, ambulatory, surgical, and retail clinics, as well as adult and pediatric care. In addition to consulting, she spent over 5 years helping McKinsey transform their internal strategy and operations to further scale the business. Shah earned a B.S. in Computer Science at Michigan State University and her MBA from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Patkar joins AVIA with nearly 20 years of healthcare experience blending product development, strategy, technology and management working with payors, providers, pharmacy benefits managers and health tech startups. He co-founded two health tech startups and spent over a decade developing and refining products at Health Care Service Corporation. Most recently, Patkar led product strategy and management at HRGi Holdings. Patkar holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from University of Mumbai, India and M.S. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Wisconsin. "AVIA sets health systems and digital health companies up for success through its unique, industry-leading digital health expertise across the full care continuum," said Shah. "In terms of approach and strategy, the AVIA model stands out in an industry that is often associated with time constraints and short-term projects. I am so pleased to join an organization that prioritizes the client experience by creating a workflow that is centered around true partnership." About AVIA AVIA is the nation's leading digital transformation partner for healthcare organizations. AVIA provides unique market intelligence, proven collaborative tools, and results-based consulting to help solve healthcare's biggest strategic challenges. Learn more about AVIA and AVIA Connect, the industry's premier knowledge sharing and collaboration platform for up-to-the-minute digital insights and best practices, at aviahealthinnovation.com. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005233/en/

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[October 28, 2021] Companies Choose SAP to Help with Supply and Demand Volatility

WALLDORF, Germany, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) today announced that Palace Resorts and Siemens Energy are among the hundreds of companies worldwide to have chosen SAP Ariba and SAP Fieldglass solutions in the third quarter to help digitalize procurement and external workforce management. Hundreds more companies also renewed licenses and went live with solutions from SAP to optimize spend management. SAP maintains the largest share of the procurement applications software market, according to the recently published "IDC Worldwide Procurement Applications Software Market Shares, 2020: Digital Became the New Normal" report.* IDC estimates that SAP's market share has grown to 32.8%, maintaining its position of having the largest share of the market  more than the next 11 vendors combined. IDC Vice President of Enterprise Applications and Digital Commerce Mickey North Rizza said, "SAP clients have told us collectively that they have chosen SAP Ariba solutions for the extensive benchmarking across industries and spend categories and integration with SAP S/4HANA. They also love the guided buying experience in the SAP Ariba solutions. Many others have told us SAP Fieldglass solutions have helped improve their services procurement processes for engagement with consulting firms, marketing agencies, field services, maintenance and business process outsourcing." According to the report, IDC estimates that the procurement software market has grown 5.4% to $6.2 billion in 2020 alone. Ongoing shifts and imbalances in supply and demand have led companies across geographies and industries to recognize how critical digitalizing operations is to procuring goods and services and keeping the global economy running. "Right now, business leaders are recognizing the power of procurement and flexible workforces to help them achieve more than just cost savings," said Etosha Thurman, Chief Marketing and Solutions Officer, Intelligent Spend and Business Network, SAP. "We believe our market leadership is one of the reasons why they are turning to SAP to help increase agility and reduce risk in a world where supply and demand is volatile, disruption is expected and risk in various forms is more pervasive than ever before." Highlights from the third quarter include: Grupo KUO, a Mexican industrial conglomerate, selected SAP Fieldglass solutions for contingent workforce management. By digitalizing and automating its processes for sourcing, hiring and managing external talent, the company aims to comply with Mexico's recent labor outsourcing regulation while also improving the experience for its workers and talent suppliers. Mubadala Investment Company, a global investment group based in the United Arab Emirates and owner of the b>Acelen oil refinery in Brazil, has chosen SAP to support its growth strategy. Acelen will adopt the RISE with SAP offering, combining SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition, and the SAP Analytics solution to unify operations under one robust platform. In addition, cloud-based SAP Ariba, SAP Concur, SAP Fieldglass and SAP SuccessFactors solutions will help transform spend management and total workforce management so Acelen can maximize savings and deliver a better human experience for all workers.



The Palace Resorts hotel chain in Mexico has selected RISE with SAP to support its IT strategy of digitalizing business processes in the cloud. The hospitality group also chose SAP Ariba solutions to help transform its procurement function and improve the buying experience and collaboration with its suppliers. Petrobras, the Brazilian energy company, is accelerating its digital transformation with SAP. Taking a phased approach following the adoption of SAP S/4HANA, this quarter the company went live with SAP Ariba solutions for guided buying and catalogs to help improve its procurement and supply chain processes and provide a better user experience for employees and suppliers.

Siemens Energy AG, based in Munich, Germany, is focused on shaping the energy transition worldwide to help protect the climate while meeting growing energy demand with its strong and resilient portfolio. It selected SAP Ariba solutions to help improve, harmonize and automate procurement operations across the organization. Waters Corporation, the Massachusetts-based analytical laboratory instrument and software company, selected SAP Ariba solutions  after a highly competitive evaluation and selection process  to help digitally transform its supply chain and improve its procurement operations with standardized and automated processes. Connecting to a digital network and aligning stakeholders and trading partners to a common plan will help Waters gain real-time visibility to anticipate and respond to changes in demand more quickly and orchestrate its multitier supply chain more effectively, with the goal of improving inventory management, customer service and on-time shipments. Zijin Mining is one of China's largest gold mining companies. To support its rapid global expansion, the company selected SAP Ariba solutions to help improve the transparency, intelligence and compliance of its procurement system, strengthen group governance, and meet different procurement requirements around the world. For more information, visit the SAP News Center. Follow SAP on Twitter at @sapnews. About SAP SAP's strategy is to help every business run as a sustainable intelligent enterprise. As a market leader in enterprise application software, we help companies of all sizes and in all industries run at their best: SAP customers generate 87% of total global commerce. Our machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced analytics technologies help turn customers' businesses into sustainable intelligent enterprises. SAP helps give people and organizations deep business insight and fosters collaboration that helps them stay ahead of their competition. We simplify technology for companies so they can consume our software the way they want  without disruption. Our end-to-end suite of applications and services enables business and public customers across 25 industries globally to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and make a difference. With a global network of customers, partners, employees and thought leaders, SAP helps the world run better and improve people's lives. For more information, visit www.sap.com. * "IDC Worldwide Procurement Applications Software Market Shares, 2020: Digital Became the New Normal" report (Doc # US47984421, August 2021). Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "predict," "should" and "will" and similar expressions as they relate to SAP are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. SAP undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. The factors that could affect SAP's future financial results are discussed more fully in SAP's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including SAP's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates.  2021 SAP SE. All rights reserved. SAP and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP SE in Germany and other countries. Please see http://www.sap.com/corporate-en/legal/copyright/index.epx#trademark for additional trademark information and notices. Note to editors: To preview and download broadcast-standard stock footage and press photos digitally, please visit www.sap.com/photos. On this platform, you can find high resolution material for your media channels. To view video stories on diverse topics, visit www.sap-tv.com. From this site, you can embed videos into your own Web pages, share video via email links, and subscribe to RSS feeds from SAP TV. For customers interested in learning more about SAP products:

Global Customer Center: +49 180 534-34-24

United States Only: 1 (800) 872-1SAP (1-800-872-1727) Please consider our privacy policy. If you received this press release in your e-mail and you wish to unsubscribe to our mailing list please contact [email protected] and write Unsubscribe in the subject line. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/companies-choose-sap-to-help-with-supply-and-demand-volatility-301410996.html SOURCE SAP SE

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[October 28, 2021] Puppet Deepens Commitment to Government Agencies with Enhanced Support and Availability

PORTLAND, Ore., Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Puppet , the industry standard for infrastructure automation, is increasing the availability of Puppet Enterprise on preferred government purchasing vehicles through a new relationship with Carahsoft. This partnership will make Puppets flagship product available to organizations like the General Services Administration (GSA) Schedule 70 and numerous other federal, state and local contracts.

Puppet is a trusted partner of the U.S. government and is deeply committed to enhancing security in government cloud operations as well as helping government agencies maintain agility. More than 50% of U.S. Federal cabinet departments and 7 of 10 contractors use Puppet. Many of the largest branches of the U.S. government also use Open Source Puppet or Puppet Enterprise, including the U.S. Navy, Air Force, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Defense Information Systems Agency, Health and Human Services, National Institute of Health, Internal Revenue Service, Department of Energy and the National Security Agency. Puppet has long been committed to faster, more secure delivery and were eager to see more agencies and contractors get the same benefits as their counterparts in the private sector, said Melissa Palmer, vice president of public sector sales. Puppet Enterprise has already seen widespread government adoption from military branches, and intelligence agencies. Through our partnership with Carahsoft, were looking forward to helping even more agencies and contractors receive the same security and delivery benefits. Federal agencies can leverage Puppet Enterprise to rapidly deploy new pplications while maintaining infrastructure integrity and availability. Puppet Enterprise delivers the most comprehensive feature set for government agencies who want to quickly start or scale their transformation initiatives, with modern automation tools that provide continuous, intelligent compliance required to meet mission goals.



We are pleased to offer Puppets infrastructure automation solutions through our GSA Schedule and authorized reseller partners. IT automation is the key Government DevOps teams are seeking to manage and scale infrastructure across their organization, said Will Jones, Senior Vice President of Virtualization Solutions at Carahsoft. In addition to wide contract availability, Puppet Enterprise supports critical government standards, enabling the Department of Defense to automate and enforce compliance with configuration standards and security and privacy controls. Puppet Enterprise provides powerful capabilities such as FIPS 140-2 certification, reporting and compliance, role-based access control, extended platform support, orchestration and workflow, code management and enterprise support. DoD agencies can achieve rapid and continuous compliance with DISA STIGs and NIST SP 800-53 by automating configuration management and enforcing desired state as often as needed, up to every thirty minutes.

Puppet Enterprise also advances DevSecOps capabilities by incorporating security into the entire application and infrastructure development cycle. Mission-critical programs, such as DCGS-A, rely on Puppet to ensure continuous compliance through deployment and enables government agencies to automate repetitive tasks, quickly deploy critical applications, proactively manage infrastructure across all major operating systems, on-prem or in cloud environments. Additional Resources Learn more about Puppet

Follow Puppet on Twitter and LinkedIn

and Read our blog

About Puppet

Puppet helps enterprises modernize and manage their infrastructure with the solutions to automate anywhere, reliably scale, and integrate compliance and security across hybrid infrastructure. More than 40,000 organizations  including more than 80 percent of the Global 5000  have benefited from Puppets open source and commercial solutions to ensure business continuity, optimize costs, boost compliance and ensure security, all while accelerating the adoption of DevOps practices and delivery of self-service. Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, Puppet is a privately held company with offices in London, Belfast, Singapore, Sydney and Timi?oara. Learn more at puppet.com.

Media Contact Zibby Keaton Director of Brand and Communications, Puppet [email protected]

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[October 28, 2021] Tobii Dynavox enters agreement to acquire Acapela Group, enabling innovation in communication aids

STOCKHOLM, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Tobii AB (publ) ("Tobii"), through the wholly owned subsidiary of Tobii Dynavox AB ("Tobii Dynavox"), the world leader in assistive technology for communication, has today announced that its subsidiary, Tobii Dynavox, has entered into an agreement to acquire all the shares in the Belgian company Acapela Group Babel Technologies SA ("Acapela Group"). Tobii Dynavox is the world leader in assistive technology for communication. Acapela Group is a worldwide provider of digital voices and AI-powered speech synthesis software. Tobii Dynavox will pay EUR 9.8 million in cash and the deal is subject to approval by the relevant competition authorities and certain other conditions and is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2022. Background Acapela Group is a provider of speech synthesis and digital voices solutions in areas such as assistive technology for communication, special education, public transport and customer interaction. Acapela Group's robust technology platform, increasingly based on deep learning and artificial intelligence, enables the creation of very high quality, customized synthetic voices. Based on 30 years of expertise, strong partnerships and innovative development, Acapela Group has created a strong brand and a valuable asset base, with over 200 high quality synthetic voices, available in over 30 languages. Acapela Group's products are currently sold together with Tobii Dynavox's assistive technology for communication, as well as by many other companies in the area of assistive technology for communication and also other applications. The company has around 50 employees and is headquartered in Mons, Belgium. Acapela Group's turnover in 2020 was approximately EUR 6 million with an EBIT margin of 14%. Reasons for the acquisition Tobii Dynavox considers the primary value creation resulting from this acquisition to in particular arise from innovation and accelerated development of technologies and solutions for speech synthesis, as a vital part of assistive technology for communication. In addition, the acquisition creates the conditions for increased sales of both companies' products. "We continue in our quest to give all people with communication impairments a voice and the opportunity to be who they want to be," says Fredrik Ruben, CEO of Tobii Dynavox. "Tobii Dynavox and Acapela Group have been successful partners for many years. The merger will deepen this relationship further, providing great opportunities to create solutions that enable our users to create their own identity and be able to express themselves clearly, personally and effectively in the way they want." More authentic reproduction of human voices removes some of the stigma that can arise from the use of assistive technology for communication. In the area covering voice technology, language systems and assistive technology for communication software, there is a wealth of innovation that has not yet been realized. By working more closely together, Tobii Dynavox and Acapela Group can accelerate the pace of innovation and product development. Acapela Group's products, incorporating high quality synthetic voices, will continue to be offered as standalone solutions to both existing and new market participants. Similarly, Tobii Dynavox will continue to offer third party products from other speech synthesis providers in its solutions. Tobii Dynavox and Acapela Group have highly complementary core areas of expertise. Tobii Dynavox's core expertise is the development, sales and support of its clinically developed assistive technology for communication, while Acapela Group's core expertise is speech synthesis increasingly using artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques. By bringing together the expertise in these technologies, Tobii Dynavox can accelerate the development of its language systems. Tobii Dynavox's global sales network will open up opportunities for Acapela Group to expand internationally. In the long term, joint revenue opportunities are also expected to be realized with regards to Tobii Dynavox's special education products and visual symbols. "Tobii Dynavox and Acapela Group are very complementary companies with similar driving forces. Both companies have been built around exceptional products with a focus on enabling the best possible life for people with functional impairments" says Remy Cadic, CEO of Acapela Group. "We are proud of what we have accomplished as a company and are very much looking forward to taking another exciting step in our journey, so that together with Tobii Dynavox we can accelerate our pace of product development and expansion." Purchase consideration, terms and conditions and timetable for the acquisition

Tobii, through its subsidiary Tobii Dynavox, has today entered into an agreement with shareholders holding more than 80% of the voting rights, to acquire all the shares in Acapela Group. The remaining shares will be acquired through a simplified offer to minority shareholders and, if necessary, a drag-along process for these. The total purchase consideration for all the shares amounts to EUR 9.8 million, including cash and debt, and will be paid in cash. Acapela Group's net cash position as of September 30, 2021 was approximately EUR 2 million. The acquisition of Acapela Group is subject to the relevant regulatory approvals, completion of the drag-along process and other customary conditions. The deal is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2022. Invitation to conference call

A conference call with Tobii Dynavox CEO Fredrik Ruben, providing the opportunity to ask questions, will be held tomorrow, October 29, at 9.00 am CEST. To attend the webcast, please click this link.

This information is information that Tobii AB (publ) is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted, through the agency of the contact person set out below, for publication at 5.31 pm CEST, on October 28, 2021. CONTACT: Contact Henrik Mawby, Head of Investor Relations, Tobii Group, phone: +46 (0)72 219 82 15, email: [email protected] This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/tobii-ab/r/tobii-dynavox-enters-agreement-to-acquire-acapela-group--enabling-innovation-in-communication-aids,c3442915 The following files are available for download:







https://mb.cision.com/Main/2874/3442915/1488222.pdf Tobii Dynavox enters into an agreement to acquire Acapela Group - Press release - October 28 2021

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tobii-dynavox-enters-agreement-to-acquire-acapela-group-enabling-innovation-in-communication-aids-301411231.html SOURCE Tobii AB

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[October 27, 2021] RS Components industrial electronics solutions help Australian and New Zealand industries get ahead with IIOT

SYDNEY, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- RS Components (RS) , a trading brand of Electrocomponents plc (LSE: ECM), a global omni-channel provider of product and service solutions, today announced a broad range of industrial electronics solutions supporting designers and engineers to meet increasing and evolving electronics demands. Featuring brands by market-leading global manufacturers, the RS industrial electronics solutions offering includes the latest parts and components for designers and engineers creating smart devices and embracing the Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT) to deliver connected solutions for businesses, factory floors, and various industrial environments. Some popular and locally stocked products in Australia and New Zealand include sensors, power and circuit breakers, semiconductors and dev kits as well as test and measurement instruments from leading global brands including Schneider, TE Connectivity, Fluke, Phoenix Contact, Raspberry Pi, and more. Products from the range equip engineers with the tools to unlock productivity through IIOT. High-performance and high-precision tools comply with worldwide standards, and aid in detection and measurement, smart automation, and precision monitoring. Engineers are at the forefront of developing solutions that allow organisations to make informed and timely decisions. Harnessing IIOT enables manufacturers and industrial sectors to have better insight and sharing of data, enabling efficient plant maintenance and process imprvements.



"With locally-stocked products, we offer reliable access to industrial electronics solutions to help organisations innovate and get ahead swiftly. RS teams are also committed to working closely with customers who are just beginning their IIOT journey," says Sean Fredericks, President, Asia Pacific at RS Components. Engineers looking to strengthen their IIOT capabilities can now access a reliable stock of over 650,000 industrial and electronic products, sourced from over 2,500 leading suppliers, on the RS websites for Australia and New Zealand.

About RS Components RS Components is a trading brand of Electrocomponents plc, a global omni-channel provider of product and service solutions for designers, builders and maintainers of industrial equipment and operations. We stock more than 650,000 industrial and electronic products, sourced from over 2,500 leading suppliers, and provide a wide range of product and service solutions to over 1.2 million industrial customers. With operations in 32 countries, we trade through multiple channels and ship c. 60,000 parcels a day. We support customers across the product life cycle, whether via innovation and technical support at the design phase, improving time to market and productivity at the build phase, or reducing purchasing costs and optimising inventory in the maintenance phase. We offer our customers tailored product and service propositions that are essential for the successful operation of their businesses and help them save time and money. Electrocomponents plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange and in the year ended 31 March 2021 reported revenue of 2.0 billion. Electrocomponents plc has nine operating brands: RS Components, Allied Electronics & Automation, RS PRO, OKdo, DesignSpark, IESA, Synovos, Needlers and Liscombe. For more information on RS, please visit the website at https://www.rs-online.com . Further information is available via these links:

Twitter: @RSComponents; @designsparkRS

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/rs-components RS Components

https://www.rs-online.com

DesignSpark

www.rs-online.com/designspark

Electrocomponents plc

www.electrocomponents.com SOURCE RS Components

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[October 27, 2021] Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP, a Leading Securities Fraud Law Firm, Announces Investigation of Reconnaissance Energy Africa Ltd. f/k/a Lund Enterprises Corp. (RECAF) on Behalf of Investors

Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP ("GPM"), a leading national shareholder rights law firm, today announced that it has commenced an investigation on behalf of Reconnaissance Energy Africa Ltd. f/k/a Lund Enterprises Corp. ("ReconAfrica" or the "Company") (OTC: RECAF, formerly LGDOF) investors concerning the Company's possible violations of the federal securities laws. If you suffered a loss on your ReconAfrica investments or would like to inquire about potentially pursuing claims to recover your loss under the federal securities laws, you can submit your contact information at https://www.glancylaw.com/cases/reconnaissance-energy-africa-ltd-fka-lund-enterprises-corp/. You can also contact Charles H. Linehan, of GPM at 310-201-9150, Toll-Free at 888-773-9224, or via email at [email protected] to learn more about your rights. On September 7, 2021, Viceroy published a report entitled "ReconAfrica - Another swing, another miss: Despite significant polish, Netherland Sewell's presentatio on ReconAfrica's 6-2 well is another set of disappointing results." The report alleges, among other things, that ReconAfrica's press statement and presentation of data on their first 6-2 well "is a clear attempt to put a positive spin on disappointing drill results but fails to do so under further scrutiny."



On this news ReconAfrica's share price fell $0.68, or 12%, to close at $4.65 per share on September 7, 2021, thereby injuring investors. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook.

Whistleblower Notice: Persons with non-public information regarding ReconAfrica should consider their options to aid the investigation or take advantage of the SEC (News - Alert) Whistleblower Program. Under the program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Charles H. Linehan at 310-201-9150 or 888-773-9224 or email [email protected]. About GPM Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP is a premier law firm representing investors and consumers in securities litigation and other complex class action litigation. ISS Securities Class Action Services has consistently ranked GPM in its annual SCAS Top 50 Report. In 2018, GPM was ranked a top five law firm in number of securities class action settlements, and a top six law firm for total dollar size of settlements. With four offices across the country, GPM's nearly 40 attorneys have won groundbreaking rulings and recovered billions of dollars for investors and consumers in securities, antitrust, consumer, and employment class actions. GPM's lawyers have handled cases covering a wide spectrum of corporate misconduct including cases involving financial restatements, internal control weaknesses, earnings management, fraudulent earnings guidance and forward looking statements, auditor misconduct, insider trading, violations of FDA regulations, actions resulting in FDA and DOJ investigations, and many other forms of corporate misconduct. GPM's attorneys have worked on securities cases relating to nearly all industries and sectors in the financial markets, including, energy, consumer discretionary, consumer staples, real estate and REITs, financial, insurance, information technology, health care, biotech, cryptocurrency, medical devices, and many more. GPM's past successes have been widely covered by leading news and industry publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, Bloomberg (News - Alert) Businessweek, Reuters, the Associated Press, Barron's, Investor's Business Daily, Forbes, and Money. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211027006205/en/

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120-Unit Community in Fairfield, CA Sold by The Mogharebi Group

The Mogharebi Group, ("TMG") has completed the sale of [email protected], a 120-unit multifamily community located on Travion Court in Fairfield, CA (News - Alert). The property sold with multiple offers for a sale price of $30,000,000, which equates to approximately $250,000 per unit or $299 per square foot. The buyer was a private investor based in Arcadia, CA.

"[email protected] was highly attractive to investors and it had a proven 'value-add' repositioning upside. As a result, there was a significant amount of buyer interest," says Otto Ozen, Executive Vice President of The Mogharebi Group. "We generated multiple offers from our network of private high net worth and 1031 xchange buyers, which resulted in a great deal of activity and ultimately closed at record sale price," Mr. Ozen concluded.







Alex Mogharebi and Otto Ozen of The Mogharebi Group represented the seller, a private investment group based in Central California.

[email protected] is a two-story, 120-unit apartment community located on Travion Court in Fairfield, CA. The property consists of 15 residential buildings totaling 100,200 rentable square feet and is situated on a 5.43-acre site. [email protected] features spacious two-bedroom units and studios with an average size of 835 square feet. Each unit features wood laminate flooring, large private patio, and assigned parking. The community also boasts a sparkling swimming pool, expansive green space, picnic area, and a tot lot.

About The Mogharebi Group (TMG): The Mogharebi Group is an advisory and brokerage firm specializing in the multifamily property sector throughout California. With unrivaled local knowledge, an extensive global network of top real estate investors, state-of-the-art technology, and direct access to capital, The Mogharebi Group is the best choice to meet the needs of major private investors and investment funds.

For more information visit: Mogharebi.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211027006207/en/
[October 27, 2021] USD 29.42 Bn growth in Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) Market size | Shift toward Paperless Manufacturing Automation to Drive Growth | Technavio

NEW YORK, Oct. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Technavio's latest offering, Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) Market report provides a detailed analysis on the competitive scenario, the pre- and post-COVID-19 impact on businesses, and the market growth across various regions. The manufacturing execution systems (MES) market value is anticipated to grow by USD 29.42 billion, progressing at a CAGR of almost 20% during the forecast period. Market Dynamics Factors such as continued demand for automation in industrial sectors and shift toward paperless manufacturing automation will drive the growth of the Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) Market during 2021-2025. However, high upfront initial investment and complex installation procedures might hamper the market growth. The compliance with stringent government regulations is expected to open multiple growth opportunities for players in the market. But the integration issues with control-based manufacturing execution systems (MES) might impact the business of vendors during the forecast period. Company Profiles The manufacturing execution systems (MES) market report includes information on the product launches, sustainability, and prospects of leading vendors including ABB Ltd., Dassault Systemes SE, Emerson Electric Co., General Electric Co., Honeywell International Inc., Oracle Corp., Rockwell Automation Inc., Schneider Electric SE, Siemens AG, and Yokogawa Electric Corp. Competitive Analysis The manufacturing execution systems (MES) market report includes the competitive analysis, which analyzes and evaluates the position of companies based on their industry position score and market performance score. Some of the factors considered for analysis are financial performance over the last 3 years, growth strategies, innovation score, new product launches, investments, growth in market share, etc. Market Segmentation By End-user, the market is classified into discrete industries and process industries. The market demand from discrete industries was significant in 2020.

By Geography, the market is analyzed across APAC, North America , Europe , MEA, and South America . APAC will have the largest share of the market. Related Reports: Global Tensiometer Market - Global tensioner market is segmented by end-user (chemical, oil and gas, energy, pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical, and others) and geography (APAC, Europe, North America, South America, and MEA).

Download Exclusive Free Sample Report Global Industrial Communication Market - Global industrial communication market is segmented by protocol (Fieldbus, industrial Ethernet, and wireless) and geography (APAC, North America, Europe, South America, and MEA).

Download Exclusive Free Sample Report







Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2020 Forecast period 2021-2025 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of almost 20% Market growth 2021-2025 USD 29.42 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 27.97 Regional analysis APAC, North America, Europe, MEA, and South America Performing market contribution APAC at 34% Key consumer countries US, China, Germany, Japan, Canada, and France Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled ABB Ltd., Dassault Systemes SE, Emerson Electric Co., General Electric Co., Honeywell International Inc., Oracle Corp., Rockwell Automation Inc., Schneider Electric SE, Siemens AG, and Yokogawa Electric Corp. Market Dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and future consumer dynamics, market condition analysis for the forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. Contact

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media & Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.technavio.com/ View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/usd-29-42-bn-growth-in-manufacturing-execution-systems-mes-market-size--shift-toward-paperless-manufacturing-automation-to-drive-growth--technavio-301408851.html SOURCE Technavio

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[October 27, 2021] Travel Confidence, Sustainability and Curated Experiences Are Priorities for New Travellers

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The 1st edition of X-Change Malaysia '21, a virtual meeting exchange programme, curated by Ab & Artho Tourism Marketing & PR, held recently in Kuala Lumpur has revealed some interesting facts that are important for the Malaysian tourism enterprises and travel professionals to take action and respond to the evolving trends and expectations. The Director General of Tourism Malaysia, YBhg Dato' Haji Zainuddin Abdul Wahab and Chairman of Global Chamber of Business Leaders, Mr Dejan Stancer presented keynote addresses to welcome participants. Twenty four (24) Malaysian and international guest panelists discussed and exchanged ideas on key topics including new travel motivations and aspirations, sustainability, digitalisation and exceptional travel experiences as Malaysia prepares for the re-opening of travel borders and resumption of international travel. Guest panelists included YBhg Datuk Musa Haji Yusof, Deputy Director General, Tourism Malaysia; Mr Guillaume Linton, CEO of ASIA; Tiara Jacqueline, Owner and Creator, Tiarasa Resorts; Lau Yin May, Group Chief Marketing Officer, Malaysia Airlines, Anthony Wong, Managing Director of Frangipani Resort; Enrique Nalda, Co-Founder, Red Visitor and more. The key takeways from the 1st edition of X-Change Malaysia '21 are: Digital transformation is essential to all tourism businesses

The demand for off-the-beaten-path destinations and activities is high, as is the preference for online bookings

Travellers from Europe want travel agents to advise and process easy and smooth travel arrangements for their long-haul trips so they can travel hassle-free

want travel agents to advise and process easy and smooth travel arrangements for their long-haul trips so they can travel hassle-free Community-based tourism is popular and provides global marketing opportunities

Diversity and multiculturalism are Malaysia's best-known assets

best-known assets Curated and unique travel experiences are in demand

Think creatively about sustainable travel ideas

Enable strong, regular and consistent communications to push clients to the Internet

Malaysia to communicate more on its history, arts, nature and culture

to communicate more on its history, arts, nature and culture Importance to extend confidence and assurance of travel for new travellers

Talent is a factor that optimises the industry's competitiveness and ensures sustainability



X-Change Malaysia '21, curated by Ab & Artho Tourism Marketing & PR is part of the company's tourism solidarity efforts to bring together key tourism industry players locally and internationally in preparation for the re-opening of Malaysia travel borders.

Special thanks to collaborators namely Nazsoft Tech, Traveloka, Global Chamber of Business Leaders (GCBL), Tourism Malaysia, Pavilion Hotel KL, PR Newswire and the Malaysian French Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MFCCI). The 2nd edition of X-Change Malaysia will be held on 26 January 2022. Follow us: Website: https://xchangemalaysia.abartho.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/X-Change-Malaysia-104115468661933

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xchangemalaysia/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/xchangemalaysia

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/x-change-malaysia-21 About Ab & Artho: Ab & Artho is a Malaysian boutique brand marketing and public relations agency, founded in heart of Paris in 2008, with networks in Paris, Cannes, Zurich and in Asia including Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Bangkok, Jakarta and Hong Kong. Our extensive understanding and business insights of the European market, complemented by our solid roots in Asia, makes us the ideal bridge between East and West. The agency is powered by a diverse team of people that possess a wide range of expertise and skills as they drive for active and positive change. Ab & Artho works with companies spanning a diverse set of industries: Travel & Tourism, Hotel, Airline, Meetings & Incentive, Convention & Exhibition, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle, Retail, Government, Advocacy, Non-Profit, Creative and more. Ab & Artho is a member of the Institute of Public Relations Malaysia (IPRM), Global Chamber of Business Leaders (GCBL) and Malaysian French Chamber of Commerce & Industry (MFCCI) SOURCE Ab & Artho

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[October 27, 2021] Johnson Controls, Alibaba Cloud, and Accenture Collaborate to Drive Sustainable Development in China

SHANGHAI, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Johnson Controls, Alibaba Cloud, and Accenture announced an alliance intended to drive the digital transformation of multiple industries to promote sustainable development in China, under a memorandum of understanding signed at the Alibaba Cloud Digital Ecosystem Innovation Forum of 2021 Apsara Conference. Pursuant to the memorandum of understanding, the three parties intend to launch a long-term collaboration in areas including smart operation of data centers, sustainable development of intelligent buildings and parks, and development of new technologies for related fields. Visal Leng, Vice President and President, Building Solutions, Asia Pacific, Johnson Controls, Lancelot Guo, VP of Alibaba Group and President of Ecosystem and Sales Operations, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence, and Samantha Zhu, chairperson of Accenture Greater China and a member of Accenture's Global Management Committee, attended the signing ceremony. "We are very excited to announce our alliance with Alibaba Cloud and Accenture at the Apsara Conference. Joining hands with the two industry leaders means a lot to Johnson Controls in building an industry ecosystem for sustainable development," said Visal Leng, Vice President and President, Building Solutions, Asia Pacific, Johnson Controls. "For many years, Johnson Controls has been operating in the China market, whilst providing full support or China's high-quality development. When it comes to digital transformation, innovation, and sustainable development, Alibaba Cloud has been a leading advocate, and Accenture, a renowned global professional services firm, has devoted much effort to address this, so we have a shared vision. We are also looking forward to leveraging our OpenBlue digital solutions for sustainability, including our smart building technologies, to work with Alibaba and Accenture and contribute to China's sustainable development."



The three parties intend to collaborate closely with each other on developing digital and integrated IoT solutions for data centers, intelligent buildings and parks, liquid cooling, indirect evaporation cooling and more. These solutions will incorporate cloud, middle platform and front-end applications. The memorandum of understanding contemplates the establishment of a unified team across the three companies, where they will focus on providing more efficient and intelligent chiller solutions to the companies' customers. This strategy will be supported by a joint marketing plan for the China market. "As one of the world's top three cloud service providers, Alibaba Cloud is committed to helping customers achieve green and sustainable development through technical means. The tripartite alliance we have with Johnson Controls and Accenture is a brand-new attempt for us to fulfill our commitment," said Lancelot Guo, President of Ecosystem and Sales Operations, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence. "In future, Alibaba Cloud will leverage its leading technology and ecosystem advantages to build a powerful platform to propel the transformation and restructuring of key vertical industries that we serve."

"We believe Sustainability is the new digital and is one of our greatest responsibilities. Today, companies must firmly accelerate digital transformation alongside sustainability efforts to stay competitive and viable. We are glad to join hands with Johnson Controls and Alibaba Cloud to help Chinese companies deepen their transformation journey and pursue development in a more sustainable ecosystem, creating multiple values ranging from technology, organization, environment, ecosystem to society," said Samantha Zhu, chairperson of Accenture Greater China and a member of Accenture's Global Management Committee. As the global leader for smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, Johnson Controls is committed to providing energy-efficient solutions and empowering sustainable buildings through innovation and digitalization. Johnson Controls joined The Climate Pledge in February this year, pledging to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040, ten years ahead of the goal set out in the United Nations' Paris Climate Agreement. Johnson Controls has also pledged to invest 75 percent of new product development R&D in climate-related innovation to develop sustainable products and services in areas such as digitalization, HVAC, and building automation system. Its OpenBlue platform for optimizing building sustainability will be central to fulfilling these goals and ultimately creating an environment for healthy people, healthy places and a healthy planet. The signing of the memorandum of understanding by Johnson Controls, Alibaba Cloud, and Accenture lays a solid foundation for both collaborative innovation and sustainable development. Visal Leng said: "Achieving the vision of sustainable development requires the efforts of not just a single organization or company. It requires the collaboration and innovation of many different parties, and it also requires an ecosystem." In the future, Johnson Controls will continue to pursue win-win collaborations and alliances to create an open and collaborative ecosystem, to help China achieve its peak carbon emission and carbon neutrality goals, and promote sustainable development. About Johnson Controls: At Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI) we transform the environments where people live, work, learn and play. As the global leader in smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, our mission is to reimagine the performance of buildings to serve people, places and the planet. With a history of more than 135 years of innovation, Johnson Controls delivers the blueprint of the future for industries such as healthcare, schools, data centers, airports, stadiums, manufacturing and beyond through its comprehensive digital offering, OpenBlue. With a global team of 100,000 experts in more than 150 countries, Johnson Controls offers the world's largest portfolio of building technology, software as well as service solutions with some of the most trusted names in the industry. For more information, visit www.johnsoncontrols.sg or follow us Johnson Controls Asia Pacific on LinkedIn. SOURCE Johnson Controls

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[October 28, 2021] CytoDyn Announces FDA Accepts Revised Rolling Review Timeline for Resubmission of its BLA

Management expects the non-clinical and CMC sections of the BLA to be resubmitted to FDA in November

VANCOUVER, Washington, Oct. 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CytoDyn Inc. (OTCQB: CYDY) ("CytoDyn" or the "Company"), a late-stage biotechnology company developing leronlimab, a CCR5 antagonist with the potential for multiple therapeutic indications, announced today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the Companys revised Rolling Review timeline for the Companys upcoming resubmission of its Biologics License Application (BLA) for leronlimab as a combination therapy for highly treatment experienced HIV patients. Rolling review enables a drug company to submit completed sections of its BLA for contemporaneous review by the FDA, rather than waiting until every section of the BLA is complete before the entire application is reviewed. The Company also announced that it expects the non-clinical and CMC sections of the BLA to be resubmitted to the FDA in November and, as previously disclosed, the clinical section of the BLA is anticipated to be completed and resubmitted during the first quarter of calendar 2022. Nader Pourhassan, Ph.D., CytoDyns President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, We are very pleased with the continued rolling review status of our upcoming BLA resubmission, which is expected to reduce the overall review time. Our BLA team, led by Drs. Recknor and Ray, have remained so dedicated over the past several months to successful resubmission of our BLA, deserve kudos for this confirmation. With our new CROs, we are very excited about the progress that we expect to achieve in the upcoming six months in not only HIV, but NASH, cancer, and COVID-19 indications. About Leronlimab

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted CytoDyn Fast Track designation to explore two potential indications using leronlimab to treat Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and metastatic cancer. The first indication is combination therapy with HAART for HIV-infected patients, and the second is for metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (mTNBC). Leronlimab is an investigational humanized IgG4 mAb that binds to CCR5, a cellular receptor important in HIV infection, tumor metastases, and other diseases, including nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Leronlimab has been studied in 16 clinical trials involving more than 1,200 people and met its primary endpoints in a pivotal Phase 3 trial (leronlimab combined with HIV standard care in patients with multi-drug resistance to current available classes of HIV drugs). Leronlimab, among various potential applications, is a viral-entry inhibitor in HIV/AIDS. It binds to CCR5, thus protecting healthy T cells from viral infection by blocking the predominant HIV (R5) subtype from entering those cells. Leronlimab does not work on other strains of HIV (for example X4), however, R5 is the most dominant strain of HIV. Five clinical trials have demonstrated leronlimab could significantly reduce or control HIV viral load in humans. The leronlimab antibody appears to be a powerful antiviral agent with fewer side effects and less frequent dosing requirements than currently used daily drug therapies. Cancer research has shown CCR5 may play a role in tumor invasion, metastases, and tumor microenvironment control (for example, through angiogenesis). Published studies have shown that blocking CCR5 can reduce tumor metastases in laboratory and animal models of aggressive breast and prostate cancer. Leronlimab reduced human breast cancer metastasis by more than 97% in a murine xenograft model. As a result, CytoDyn is conducting two clinical trials, one, a Phase 2 in mTNBC, which was granted Fast Track designation by the FDA in 2019, and a second, a Phase 2, basket trial which encompasses 22 different solid tumor cancers. The CCR5 receptor plays a central role in modulating immune cell trafficking to sites of inflammation. After completing two clinical trials with COVID-19 patients (a Phase 2 and a Phase 3), CytoDyn initiated a Phase 2 investigative trial for post-acute sequelae of SARS COV-2 (PASC), also known as COVID-19 Long-Haulers. This trial evaluated the effect of leronlimab on clinical symptoms and laboratory biomarkers to further understand the pathophysiology of PASC. It is currently estimated that between 10-30% of those infected with COVID-19 develop long-term sequelae. Common symptoms include fatigue, cognitive impairment, sleep disorders, and shortness of breath. CytoDyn plans to pursue clinical trials to evaluate leronlimabs effect on immunological dysregulation in other post-vira syndromes, including myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).



CytoDyn is also conducting a Phase 2 clinical trial for NASH to evaluate the effect of leronlimab on liver steatosis and fibrosis. Pre-clinical studies revealed a significant reduction in NAFLD and a reduction in liver fibrosis using leronlimab. There are currently no FDA approved treatments for NASH, which is a leading cause of liver transplant. About 30 to 40 percent of adults in the U.S. live with NAFLD, and 3 to 12 percent of adults in the U.S. live with NASH. There have been no strong safety signals identified in patients administered leronlimab in multiple disease spectrums, including patients with HIV, COVID-19, and oncology. About CytoDyn

CytoDyn is a late-stage biotechnology company developing innovative treatments for multiple therapeutic indications using leronlimab, a novel humanized monoclonal antibody targeting the CCR5 receptor. CCR5 plays a critical role in the ability of HIV to enter and infect healthy T-cells and appears to be implicated in tumor metastasis and immune-mediated illnesses, such as NASH.

CytoDyn successfully completed a Phase 3 pivotal trial using leronlimab combined with standard antiretroviral therapies in HIV-infected patients who were heavily treatment-experienced individuals with limited treatment options. CytoDyn is working diligently to resubmit its Biologics License Application ("BLA") for this HIV combination therapy since receiving a Refusal to File in July 2020. In July 2021, CytoDyn announced that it had submitted a dose justification report to the FDA, an integral step in the resubmission process for its BLA, which it expects to complete during the first calendar quarter of 2022. CytoDyn also completed a Phase 2b/3 investigative trial with leronlimab used as a once-weekly monotherapy for HIV-infected patients. CytoDyn plans to initiate a registration-directed study of leronlimab monotherapy indication. If successful, it could support a label expansion approval. Clinical results to date from two trials have shown that leronlimab can maintain a suppressed viral load in a sub-population of R5 HIV patients who chose to switch from their daily pills regimen to once-a-week subcutaneous dose of leronlimab. Several patients on leronlimabs Phase 2b extension arm have remained virally suppressed for almost 7 years and many patients in our Phase 2b/3 investigative trial are passing two and some four years of monotherapy with suppressed viral load. CytoDyn is also conducting a Phase 2 clinical trial with leronlimab in mTNBC, a Phase 2 basket trial in solid tumor cancers (22 different cancer indications), Phase 2 investigative trial for post-acute sequelae of SARS COV-2, also known as COVID-19 long haulers, and a Phase 2 clinical trial for NASH. CytoDyn has already completed a Phase 2 and Phase 3 trial for mild-to-moderate and severe-to-critical COVID-19 patients, respectively, for which CytoDyn did not meet its primary or secondary endpoints except for the secondary endpoint in the critically ill subpopulation. More information is at www.cytodyn.com . Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Words and expressions reflecting optimism, satisfaction or disappointment with current prospects, as well as words such as "believes," "hopes," "intends," "estimates," "expects," "projects," "plans," "anticipates" and variations thereof, or the use of future tense, identify forward-looking statements, but their absence does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements specifically include statements about leronlimab, its ability to provide positive health outcomes, the possible results of clinical trials, studies or other programs or ability to continue those programs, the ability to obtain regulatory approval for commercial sales, and the market for actual commercial sales. The Company's forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance, and actual results could vary materially from those contained in or expressed by such statements due to risks and uncertainties including: (i) the regulatory determinations of leronlimabs efficacy to treat human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients with multiple resistance to current standard of care, COVID-19 patients, and metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (mTNBC), among other cancer indications, by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and various drug regulatory agencies in other countries; (ii) the Companys ability to raise additional capital to fund its operations; (iii) the Companys ability to meet its debt obligations; (iv) the Companys ability to enter into partnership or licensing arrangements with third-parties; (v) the Companys ability to identify patients to enroll in its clinical trials in a timely fashion; (vi) the Companys ability to achieve approval of a marketable product; (vii) the design, implementation and conduct of the Companys clinical trials; (viii) the results of the Companys clinical trials, including the possibility of unfavorable clinical trial results; (ix) the market for, and marketability of, any product that is approved; (x) the existence or development of vaccines, drugs, or other treatments that are viewed by medical professionals or patients as superior to the Companys products; (xi) regulatory initiatives, compliance with governmental regulations and the regulatory approval process; (xii) legal proceedings, investigations or inquiries affecting the Company or its products; (xiii) general economic and business conditions; (xiv) changes in foreign, political, and social conditions; (xv) stockholder actions or proposals with regard to the Company, its management, or its board of directors; and (xvi) various other matters, many of which are beyond the Companys control. The Company urges investors to consider specifically the various risk factors identified in its most recent Form 10-K, and any risk factors or cautionary statements included in subsequent Form 10-Qs and Form 8-Ks, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, the Company does not undertake any responsibility to update any forward-looking statements to take into account events or circumstances that occur after the date of this press release. Important Information

CytoDyn has filed with the SEC a definitive proxy statement and associated BLUE proxy card in connection with the solicitation of proxies for the Companys 2021 Annual Meeting. Details concerning the nominees of the Companys Board of Directors for election at the 2021 Annual Meeting are included in the proxy statement. BEFORE MAKING ANY VOTING DECISION, INVESTORS AND STOCKHOLDERS OF THE COMPANY ARE URGED TO READ ALL RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED WITH OR FURNISHED TO THE SEC, INCLUDING THE COMPANY'S DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT AND ANY SUPPLEMENTS THERETO, BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Investors and stockholders can obtain a copy of the definitive proxy statement and other documents filed by the Company free of charge from the SEC's website, www.sec.gov. The Company's stockholders also can obtain, without charge, a copy of the definitive proxy statement and other relevant filed documents by directing a request by mail to CytoDyn Inc. at 1111 Main Street, Suite 660, Vancouver, Washington 98660. CONTACTS Investors:

Cristina De Leon

Office: 360.980.8524

[email protected] OR Mike Verrechia / Bill Dooley, 800-662-5200

Morrow Sodali

[email protected] Melissa Carlson

Alliance Advisors

[email protected]

Shareholders Call Toll Free: 833-814-9456 Media:

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[October 28, 2021]

Three legendary NASA astronauts to host Mission Discovery Singapore Space & STEM Camp

SINGAPORE, Oct. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Mission Discovery Singapore is back and offers High School students a once-in-a-lifetime chance team up with 3 Rockstar NASA astronauts to do something extraordinary!

Students 14 years and above from the local region are invited to spend 5 days working in teams to design a project that could impact humanity both on Earth and beyond.

With guidance from 3 legendary NASA astronauts: Scott Kelly , Steve Swanson & Tony Antonelli, and a team of NASA personnel, space scienists and world-renowned professors, the best idea will be launched into Space on a SpaceX Rocket, and carried out by astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS)!







"It is an incredible opportunity to have your idea used as an experiment on the International Space Station, and it's been fascinating to watch the ideas develop over the last few days," Tony Antonelli, Astronaut & Space Shuttle Pilot.

The Mission Discovery programme gives young people access to opportunities & the skills needed for a successful future, including communication, team building, leadership and project management, all whilst elevating their chances of getting into the university of their dreams.

After a successful Singapore launch in 2019 at Stamford American International School, Mission Discovery returns in 2021, and will be held at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Cultural Centre on the 13th  17th December 2021.

To find out more about Mission Discovery and hear from the astronauts and participants: www.isset.space/products/mission-discovery-singapore

About Mission Discovery

Mission Discovery was first launched in 2012 at King's College London. Since then, over 30 programmes with 16 different astronauts have been staged across 4 continents, involving over 9,000 students sending 33 experiments into space on 8 different spacecrafts and counting...

Mission Discovery introduces youth to the highest level of NASA Leadership, Space Exploration and Scientific Research and we've seen incredible things young imaginations can achieve when teamed up with science.

SOURCE Mission Discovery Singapore
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[October 28, 2021] Apple joins as first public partner in new imec research program that helps entire semiconductor value chain reduce its ecological footprint

LEUVEN, Belgium, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Imec, a world-leading research and innovation hub in nanoelectronics and digital technologies, today announces that Apple Inc. has joined imec's brand-new Sustainable Semiconductor Technologies and Systems (SSTS) research program. The SSTS program is the first initiative rallying stakeholders from across the IC value chain to anticipate the environmental impact of choices made at chip technology's definition phase. Using concrete and reliable models, and detailed (carbon) footprint analyses, the program will help the IC-making industry cut back on its ecological footprint  as part of the global fight against climate change, resources depletion and pollution. IC technology is a fundamental enabler of our 21st century, digital lifestyles. It is the secret sauce behind cutting-edge innovations such as the Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning and cloud computing applications. But it is also an essential component of countless 'everyday' objects. Think of cars, washing machines, smartphones, etc. Over the years, the introduction of ever smaller, more powerful and increasingly more energy-efficient generations of chips has made smart devices progressively more sustainable. In contrast, it is precisely the world's growing dependence on semiconductor technology and its intricate production processes that have largely added to the IC-making industry's own ecological footprint; a footprint not only characterized by high energy consumption and the use of chemicals, scarce materials, and ultrapure water  but also by the emission of greenhouse gases such as NF 3 . Creating a snowball effect  backed by Apple Inc. "Many systems companies are carbon neutral today for their corporate footprints and have expressed the ambition to have their entire carbon footprint to net zero by 2030. They are very committed to achieving that goal, yet often lack the data to decipher the IC part end-to-end. That is where imec comes in. We have that data, and are ready to support the industry with all necessary insights, tools, instruments and numbers," says Luc Van den hove, CEO of imec. "Moreover, companies realize they can only become carbon neutral if their whole supply chain follows suit. So, that is the snowball effect we want to create  together with Apple  today: I would like to call upon the whole semiconductor value chain not to stand at the side, but to act as ne and to join forces with us to cut back the entire semiconductor industry's ecological footprint," he adds.



A firm ambition: helping the complete IC value chain reduce its ecological footprint Fully determined to contribute to the fight against global climate change, resources depletion and pollution, fabs and equipment suppliers around the world have been doubling their efforts to come to a more sustainable IC manufacturing value chain. Research has shown, for instance, that close to 75% of a mobile device's CO 2 emissions can be attributed to its fabrication  with almost half of that resulting from the underlying IC manufacturing. Yet, so far, a holistic approach to reducing the IC-making industry's emissions has been lacking.

"That is why imec is launching its Sustainable Semiconductor Technologies and Systems (SSTS) research program," says Luc Van den hove. "It is a program drawing on our widely acclaimed fab expertise. It combines imec's insights in infrastructure, technology and machinery to help the complete IC value chain reduce its ecological footprint. Our aim is to inform partners of the environmental impact of certain choices made at chip technology's definition phase. That holistic view  consisting of concrete and reliable models, and detailed (carbon) footprint analyses  is what sets our SSTS program apart." About imec

Imec is a world-leading research and innovation center in nanoelectronics and digital technologies. Imec leverages its state-of-the-art R&D infrastructure and its team of more than 5,000 employees and top researchers, for R&D in advanced semiconductor and system scaling, silicon photonics, artificial intelligence, beyond 5G communications and sensing technologies, and in application domains such as health and life sciences, mobility, industry 4.0, agrofood, smart cities, sustainable energy, education,  Imec unites world-industry leaders across the semiconductor value chain, Flanders-based and international tech, pharma, medical and ICT companies, start-ups, and academia and knowledge centers. Imec is headquartered in Leuven (Belgium), and has research sites across Belgium, in the Netherlands, Taiwan and the USA, and offices in China, India and Japan. In 2020, imec's revenue (P&L) totaled 680 million euro. Further information on imec can be found at www.imec-int.com. Imec is a registered trademark for the activities of imec International (IMEC International, a legal entity set up under Belgian law as a "stichting van openbaar nut"), imec Belgium (IMEC vzw supported by the Flemish Government), imec the Netherlands (Stichting IMEC Nederland), imec Taiwan (IMEC Taiwan Co.), imec China (IMEC Microelectronics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.), imec India (IMEC India Private Limited), imec San Francisco (IMEC Inc.) and imec Florida (IMEC USA Nanoelectronics Design Center Inc.). View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/apple-joins-as-first-public-partner-in-new-imec-research-program-that-helps-entire-semiconductor-value-chain-reduce-its-ecological-footprint-301410552.html SOURCE Imec

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[October 28, 2021] The Goldfinch to Make Restaurant Debut at Newly Developed Eighteen Main in Irvine

Just as craft breweries have transformed business parks into hopping destinations, restaurant clusters are also now cooking up success amongst traditional office campuses. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005293/en/ The Goldfinch will include seasonal fare complemented by an exemplary bar offering in an upbeat yet elevated setting. (Photo: Business Wire) One of them is Eighteen Main, a recently developed restaurant pad situated in Centerview at Irvine Concourse - owned by EMMES and Oaktree. Eighteen Main offers approximately 17,000 square feet of premier restaurant space, providing the opportunity for two-to-four restaurants at the property. The Goldfinch is expected to be the first eatery to make its debut at the premier Irvine dining destination. The Goldfinch, slated to open summer 2022, is being developed by the creators of The 908, a restaurant in Long Beach featuring classic American cookery that has become a favorite among locals. The Goldfinch will include seasonal fare complemented by an exemplary bar offering in an upbeat yet elevated setting. The Goldfinch is the fifth new restaurant to sign a lease at Centerview since the beginning of the pandemic, joining an impressive roster, including award-winning Porch & Swing, KIT Coffee, SOL Mexican Cocina, and Madeleine Cafe & Bakery. The Goldfinch complements the thoughtfully curated mix of dining options at Centerview. From white tablecloth, to grab-and-go, to farmer's market options, Centerview is becoming a new restaurant and dining hub.



One of EMMES and Oaktree's goals for Centerview and Eighteen Main is to create a destination for both tenants and the community at large. And there's evidence that the market is there - following the approval of the Irvine Business Complex Vision Plan, thousands of new residential units have been approved and are under construction in the immediate area, creating a unique opportunity for new restaurants to fulfill a growing demand for food options in the Airport Area. "We are ecstatic to be signing our first restaurant lease at Eighteen Main, fifth at Centerview, and partnering with The Goldfinch," said Justin Nguyen, vice president of asset management for EMMES. "From the onset, we noticed the Goldfinch owners' passion to create a special dining destination in the Airport Area, something different yet inviting, and knew they would be the perfect partners for Eighteen Main. Their extensive knowledge and proven track record in establishing a successful market specific eatery with The 908 was the blueprint to what we are creating at Eighteen Main. We are looking to partner with passionate restauranteurs to create a specialized, meticulously curated, eating destination for both office tenants and Irvine residents."

For The Goldfinch owners - who have partnered with local architect Robinson Hill Architecture, Inc. for the new restaurant - Eighteen Main is the perfect fit. "We have opened and managed restaurants in Irvine and knew we wanted to get back here. As we began our search in Orange (News - Alert) County, we looked at many possibilities. Once we saw the project at Eighteen Main and met the EMMES team, our excitement began to rise," said Todd Miller, partner, The 908 Restaurant. "We keep our outlook about potential restaurants rather simple - if we are not enlivened by a property then we don't do it. Because we were aligned with EMMES and Oaktree's vision for Eighteen Main, the decision to partner with them here was easy. And, while there are already some great dining options at Centerview, we hope to complement and help grow Eighteen Main into a destination of thriving restaurants." While it will be designed to cater to Irvine's unique community, The Goldfinch, much like its sister restaurant in Long Beach, is expected to be a place for executive power lunches and business dinners while also a hub for locals to gather and dine. "We will stand on the shoulders of what's been created at The 908. However, The 908 was designed specifically for Long Beach and what we felt was missing in that immediate area," said Ciaran Gough, partner, The 908 Restaurant, who is credited with driving The Goldfinch concept. "The Goldfinch will follow that same principle and its creation is not only with Irvine in mind, but also Eighteen Main/Centerview and the surrounding area. While there are similarities in proven offerings and service levels, we are in development of both food and drink recipes unique to The Goldfinch. The design aesthetic is completely different. What excites us is the opportunity to delineate each concept, so it is original and specific to the local community." In terms of the new Eighteen Main eatery's name, Gough explained it this way: "We think of restaurants as gathering places and when you look at Goldfinches, not only are they one of the prettiest birds, but they are also highly social, even hanging out with other finches." Once isolated from many communities, some office parks such as Centerview, have the unique opportunity to become mixed-used campuses, designed to attract top tenants, residents, and visitors. Through its repositioning efforts, EMMES has also made Eighteen Main an attractive alternative to traditional restaurant locations. As more eateries call Eighteen Main home, the surrounding area will continue to benefit from significant residential and hospitality growth. "Eighteen Main is bringing a combination of uniquely upscale but approachable restaurant concepts to be the 'front door' of the office park," said Terrison Quinn, managing principal at SRS and retail broker for Eighteen Main and Centerview. "This will provide an energized gathering place for replenishment that will also feel local and fun as compared to other office parks that tend to have a more sterile feel. We are thrilled to have The Goldfinch at Eighteen Main, and look forward to more like-minded restaurants moving in." About The Goldfinch A restaurant created for the people of Orange County: A classic American cookery, with seasonal fare complemented by an exemplary bar offering in an upbeat yet elevated setting. The Goldfinch is the sister restaurant to The 908 in Long Beach and is the second restaurant for owners Juan Guerra, Ciaran Gough and Todd Miller in Southern California. www.the908restaurant.com About EMMES EMMES Realty Services of California LLC is a member of The EMMES Group of Companies. Founded in 1992, with offices in New York and California, The EMMES Group of Companies and its affiliates are engaged in principal real estate investments, capital management and real estate services. For more information, visit www.emmesco.com. About Oaktree Oaktree is a leader among global investment managers specializing in alternative investments, with $156 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2021. The firm emphasizes an opportunistic, value-oriented and risk-controlled approach to investments in credit, private equity, real assets and listed equities. The firm has over 1,000 employees and offices in 19 cities worldwide. For additional information, please visit Oaktree's website at http://www.oaktreecapital.com/. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005293/en/

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[October 28, 2021] Sustainability in Action: By 2030 10.5% of the World Will Have Achieved Circularity

The circular economy is a key sustainability strategy to fight against climate change LONDON, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The circular economy is a key sustainability strategy being adopted by world and industry leaders in their fight against climate change. While the circular economy is still in its infancy in terms of data and metrics, there are indicators that it is a growing phenomenon and tech industries, such as IoT for asset tracking, are set to grow rapidly in the next five years. Global technology intelligence firm ABI Research forecasts that the world will achieve over 10.5% circularity by 2030, as sustainability efforts and incoming legislation start to take effect. "The circular economy is an often-misunderstood concept that goes much further than waste management and can become a blueprint for cities. It is a movement away from our take-make-waste economy to one which designs out waste, keeps products and materials in use, and regenerates natural systems. Circularity concepts such as remanufacturing, reuse, and the sharing economy will be critically enabled by smart cities technologies such as IoT, AI and digital twins," explains Lindsey Vest, Smart Cities & Smart Spaces Research Analyst at ABI Research. There are many different current and upcoming governmental actions that are expected to increase circularity across the world. In particular, the EU has released the Circular Economy Action Plan as a part of the Green Deal and China recently released their 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for Circular Economy Development, which will accelerate its adoption. This is in addition of organizations such as the globally recognized Ellen MacArthur Foundation, dedicated to educating and cnnecting companies and governments around the world on the circular economy and C40 cities, whose members make up 25% of global GDP and are continuing to champion the circular economy and encouraging its growth. Furthermore, many different tech companies are engaging in circular concepts such a Vodafone's NB-IoT platform for monitoring water systems to prevent waste and Cityzenith's Digital Twins platform which helps companies design out waste in their projects



With around 70% of people expected to be living in cities by the year 2050 it will be essential that the infrastructure is in place to support this population volume and density. Smart cities and their technologies will be essential in facilitating the circular economy. Many current smart city technologies already support a circular economy such as the sharing economy, smart lighting, and green infrastructure. "However, these technologies need to adopt circular practices from cradle-to-grave to make full use of the opportunities brought by the circular economy," Vest concludes. These findings are from ABI Research's Circular Cities Strategies and Technologies application analysis report. This report is part of the company's Smart Cities and Smart Spaces research service, which includes research, data, and ABI Insights. Based on extensive primary interviews, Application Analysis reports present in-depth analysis on key market trends and factors for a specific technology.

About ABI Research ABI Research is a global technology intelligence firm delivering actionable research and strategic guidance to technology leaders, innovators, and decision makers around the world. Our research focuses on the transformative technologies that are dramatically reshaping industries, economies, and workforces today. ABI Research?????????????,?????????????? ?1990???,????????????????,????,?????????????????????????? ???????????????? For more information about ABI Research's services, contact us at +1.516.624.2500 in the Americas, +44.203.326.0140 in Europe, +65.6592.0290 in Asia-Pacific or visit www.abiresearch.com. Contact Info: Global

Deborah Petrara

Tel: +1.516.624.2558

[email protected] Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1471031/ABI_Research_Logo.jpg SOURCE ABI Research

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[October 28, 2021] Carma Wins Global Innovation Toll Excellence Award

Irish-founded company's car occupancy verification technology eliminates roadside enforcement need and is awarded for innovation from tolling industry's highest honour for private companies CORK, Ireland and AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Carma , a smart mobility technology company with origins in Cork, and global offices in Cork, Austin, San Francisco and Washington D.C., announced that it has been awarded the Toll Excellence Award for innovation from the worldwide tolling industry group The International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA). The company's GoCarma smartphone app, which enables 45,000 daily commuters in Dallas-Fort Worth to qualify for high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) toll discounts, has become a global industry-leading case study, and is now recognised by IBTTA with its highest honour for private companies. "Carma's groundbreaking technology makes it easier for toll operators to keep track of high-occupancy vehicle drivers and reward them for doing their part for the environment. Here in the U.S., where Carma has successfully deployed its technology already, HOV drivers are now reliably identified and tolled at half the rate of other drivers," said Mark Compton, CEO of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and IBTTA president. "Automating the process of verifying occupancy on these roadways also eliminates the need for roadside enforcement, which makes the road safer and less congested. All in all, this is an innovative solution that we're sure will catch on among tolling operators globally."



Dallas-Fort Worth , America's fourth largest metropolitan area, a simple way to qualify for HOV toll discounts. GoCarma activates automatically on qualifying roadways and confirms the proximity of at least two GoCarma users traveling in the vehicle. Only those vehicles that are verified as having at least two occupants qualify for a 50% toll discount. GoCarma also provides regional transportation authorities with the ability to create other incentives that increase vehicle occupancy, reduce congestion, and encourage a reduction in peak period commuting. The GoCarma app is an important tool in helping the Dallas-Fort Worth region meet its goal of reducing vehicle miles travelled by 20%.

"Our automatic occupancy verification technology is just one example of how Carma is committed to finding novel solutions to some of the tolling industry's most entrenched challenges. Our goal is to make roadways as easy to operate as they are to drive on," said Lawrence Mulligan, CEO of Carma. "We're honoured to receive global recognition from IBTTA for creating an innovative solution that will improve safety, reduce congestion and lower costs for drivers while giving toll operators a more reliable way to manage HOV lanes." Recently confirmed as one of the top climate tech investments in Sean O'Sullivan's SOSV portfolio, Carma is now working with other government partners to bring its patented GoCarma technology to other metropolitan areas in the United States and Europe. By enabling agencies to reliably reward HOVs without investing in infrastructure, GoCarma is an impactful and efficient tool for reducing congestion and emissions that can be rapidly deployed anywhere. "Governments everywhere are looking for ways to rapidly reduce vehicle emissions and the twice-daily tidal wave of traffic congestion that afflicts our cities," said Emmett Murphy, Chief Product Officer of Carma. "Our government partners in the United States are proving that the simplest way to do this is to price roads more favourably for those who choose to travel together instead of driving alone. For the first time, GoCarma makes this easy for agencies and commuters alike - whether for toll discounts, carpool lane verification, or smartphone-based congestion pricing." IBTTA's annual Toll Excellence Awards highlights the most outstanding, unprecedented projects, innovations and solutions from the international tolling industry. For more information about the Toll Excellence Awards, visit here . About Carma Technology Corporation Carma is a global industry leader in smartphone technology for high occupancy vehicle verification, GPS tolling, road user charging, and dynamic road pricing. For more than a decade, Carma has been a trusted partner of government agencies in incentivising more efficient travel behaviour, without traditional roadside infrastructure. Carma's patented technology has verified tens of millions of road transactions while saving commuters time and money on their commute. Carma's latest app, GoCarma, is used by more than 45,000 daily commuters to qualify for HOV toll discounts on Dallas-Fort Worth TEXpress Lanes during weekday peak periods. For more information, visit www.gocarma.com/media . Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1672161/Carma_Technology_Corporation_App_Logo.jpg

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[October 28, 2021]

Thought Industries Third Quarter Marks Debut of Advanced Customer Education Technology, Successful Industry Conference and Record Business Growth

BOSTON, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Thought Industries, the world's #1 platform for customer learning management (CLM), today announced the completion of a successful third quarter of 2021, which included more than 50 percent sales growth over last year. Other notable milestones included the unveiling of Thought Industries' next-generation software platform, the Customer Learning Cloud, along with an industry-first on-demand center of excellence and the expansion of the executive leadership team. These advancements and growth reflect the increasing recognition that software-driven customer learning programs are critical to retaining customers and driving additional revenue.

Thought Industries also added several new customers, including General Assembly , a leading source for learning programs that span a variety of formats, from fully instructor-led classes to asynchronous, self-paced courses. The company also provides training, staffing and career transition support, and partners with employers to help companies assess, source and transform talent.

"We were looking for a platform that could drive best-in-class learning experiences for a wide spectrum of blended learning needs, and fuel our competitive advantage in global skills-based, personalized learning, assessment and certification," said Danielle Chircop , Chief Product Officer, General Assembly. "The Thought Industries platform offers the ideal blend of features to support personalized and customized learning, from multi language and translation capabilities to support for international data privacy and security standards. These featurescombined with the platform's scalability and Thought Industries' deep bench of expertisewill be especially key as we accelerate our international expansion and chart our future as the industry leader in skills-based learning."

Notable Q3 highlights for Thought Industries include:







About Thought Industries

Thought Industries provides the world's #1 software platform for customer learning management (CLM). Industry leaders use CLM to grow revenue, increase customer loyalty, and ensure customer success across technology, manufacturing, healthcare and other industries with complex products and training requirements. Thought Industries was founded in 2014 around the core belief that online learning experiences should be modern, intuitive, engaging and scalable. Headquartered in Boston, Thought Industries has offices across North America and Europe.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/thought-industries-third-quarter-marks-debut-of-advanced-customer-education-technology-successful-industry-conference-and-record-business-growth-301410351.html

SOURCE Thought Industries
[October 28, 2021] Opportunities and Risks in the US Cards and Payments Market to 2025: Phasing Out of Magnetic Stripes and Push for Wider Uptake of Chips and Contactless Payments - ResearchAndMarkets.com

The "United States of America (USA) Cards and Payments - Opportunities and Risks to 2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The report provides detailed analysis of market trends in the US cards and payments industry. It provides values and volumes for a number of key performance indicators in the industry, including cash, cards, credit transfers, direct debits, and cheques during the review-period (2017-21e). The report also analyzes various payment card markets operating in the industry, and provides detailed information on the number of cards in circulation, transaction values and volumes during the review-period and over the forecast-period (2021e-25f). It also offers information on the country's competitive landscape, including the market shares of issuers and schemes. The report brings together the publisher's research, modeling, and analysis expertise to allow banks and card issuers to identify segment dynamics and competitive advantages. The report also covers details of regulatory policy and recent changes in the regulatory structure. The report provides top-level market analysis, information and insights into the US cards and payments industry, including: Current and forecast values for each market in the US cards and payments industry, including debit, credit and charge cards.

Detailed insights into payment instruments including cash, cards, credit transfers, direct debits, and cheques. It also includes an overview of the country's key alternative payment instruments.

Ecommerce market analysis.

Analysis of various market drivers and regulations governing the US cards and payments industry.

Detailed analysis of strategies adopted by banks and other institutions to market debit, credit and charge cards. Scope of the report:



The US already has two instant payment solutions in place: Zelle and Real-Time Payments (RTP). However, neither has universal penetration in the market or interoperability with one another. To overcome such shortcomings, on August 5, 2019, the Federal Reserve Board announced that the country's federal reserve banks are developing a new instant payment system called FedNow. This system will have a wider presence than the existing options and will allow banks of every size to provide instant payment services to their customers. The new payment system will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, with a maximum transaction limit of $25,000. The service is expected to go live in 2023.

Mastercard is phasing out the use of magnetic stripes on its credit and debit cards over the next decade, as the industry moves towards more secure and convenient alternatives such as chips and contactless payments. The transition will start in 2024, when the stripe will no longer be required on new cards in Europe (where chip cards are already widely used). In the US the adoption of chip payments has been slower, meaning the transition will start in 2027. From 2029, no new Mastercard debit or credit cards will include a magnetic stripe, which will be completely phased out by 2033.

To provide a faster and seamless checkout experience, the Click to Pay interoperable one-click online checkout service was jointly developed by Mastercard, Discover, Visa, and American Express (News - Alert). Launched in the US in October 2019, this solution brings these major international card schemes under one banner, creating a huge network of prospective customers that can be served via a single acceptance brand. The solution is designed to provide a simple and secure online checkout experience to online shoppers. It does this by eliminating the need to manually enter payment and other personal details each time users place an order. To make a payment, users select Click to Pay at checkout, enter their registered email address, and provide the one-time password received to their mobile device to confirm the transaction. Key Topics Covered:

Market Overview

Payment Instruments

Card-Based Payments

Merchant Acquiring

Ecommerce Payments

Buy Now Pay Later

Mobile Payments

P2P Payments

Bill Payments

Alternative Payments

Payment Innovations

Job Analysis

Payment Infrastructure and Regulation Companies Mentioned Federal Reserve

Zelle

Real-Time Payments

Wells Fargo (News - Alert)

Bank of America

JPMorgan Chase

PNC Bank

Truist

Citibank

Capital One (News - Alert)

Visa

Mastercard

PULSE

Star

Discover

American Express

FIS

Fiserv

Global Payments

Elavon

PayPal

Apple (News - Alert) Pay

Samsung Pay

Google Pay

Amazon Pay

Walmart Pay

Click to Pay For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/rh7frf About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005466/en/

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[October 28, 2021] Azbil Introduces Smart HART Modem Model AZ-1SHM With Power Supply Function for Fast Resolution of Communication Problems in Field Devices

Azbil Corporation (TOKYO:6845) announced the release of the Smart HART Modem model AZ-1SHM (hereafter, "1SHM"), which facilitates the configuration and adjustment of HART*1 communication-compliant field devices at plants and other manufacturing sites. The 1SHM was launched in Japan and other regions*2 on October 20. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005489/en/ Smart HART Modem model AZ-1SHM (Photo: Business Wire) A HART modem is a digital communication interface device for setting up and configuring HART communication-compliant field devices such as sensors and valves ("HART devices"), which are installed in large numbers at manufacturing sites. In a new or expanded plant or during shutdown maintenance, maintenance personnel connect a host device via HART modems to HART devices to configure various parameters. In some cases, a problem related to wiring, connection environment, device compatibility or the power supply may prevent a connection. To investigate and mitigate the problem, a power supply, oscilloscope, or other equipment may be required. Additionally, field devices are sometimes installed in hard-to-reach places, putting the worker in danger. The new 1SHM solves these problems. In addition to communication interface functions, it is equipped with functions to identify the cause of communication problems during configuration and setup. It also has wireless connectivity and a power supply function, allowing more efficient and safer maintenance. Since the modem can be used with Azbil's and other companies' HART devices, maintenance workers can safely and quickly handle communication problems using a single 1SHM unit. This product won the 2020 Good Design Award in Japan and 2021 Red Dot Aard in Germany.



Features 1. LEDs for quick understanding of device status

The front LEDs enable users to instantly see the power and communication status. Elementary mistakes that cause connection problems (no power supply, incompatibility, etc.) can be detected quickly.

2. Communication problem diagnosis

A single 1SHM unit and included software provide functions that usually require dedicated equipment (oscilloscopes, protocol monitors, etc.), including displaying communication waveforms, noise level, and communication data. Workers can identify causes of communication problems quickly and reduce downtime. 3. Power for field devices

The 1SHM can power a HART device, ensuring reliable setup and configuration. 4. Wireless connection to host

Field devices are sometimes hard to reach. Also, the work environment may worsen due to weather conditions, and maintenance work in a safer and more comfortable place may be desired. The 1SHM can connect to the host device wirelessly via Bluetooth Classic, so the user can work in a safe place comfortably without being restricted by cable length. 5. Easy-to-understand and highly visible design with ergonomics in mind

The ergonomic design offers high usability and visibility. Sales targets: FY2021: 250 units

FY2022: 1,000 units

FY2023: 1,500 units Sales price: 100,000 yen (excluding tax) Product details:

https://www.azbil.com/products/factory/solution/equipment-asset-management/hart-foundation-fieldbus/hdfs-system/smart-hmodem/index.html Guided by the azbil Group's philosophy of "human-centered automation," Azbil aims to make contributions "in series" to a sustainable society and provide solutions that meet customer needs. *1 Highway Addressable Remote Transducer: communication method that superimposes a digital signal on a 4-20 mA analog signal.

*2 October release is for China, Southeast Asia, Germany, United States, and other locations. The 1SHM will be available in South Korea in mid-November. * HART is a registered trademark of FieldComm Group.

* Bluetooth is a registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG, Inc. About Azbil Corporation

Azbil Corporation, formerly known as Yamatake Corporation, is a leading company in building and industrial automation, using its measurement and control technologies to provide customers with high value-added solutions to make their operations more efficient and sustainable. Founded in 1906, Azbil serves customers across the globe in a broad range of industries and aims to contribute to people's safety, comfort and fulfilment, and global environmental preservation. At the end of March 2021, Azbil employed over 10,000 people worldwide and generated 246 billion in revenue.

For more information, please visit https://www.azbil.com/. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005489/en/

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[October 28, 2021] Dragos Raises $200 Million in Series D Funding to Safeguard the World's Critical Infrastructure as Valuation Soars to $1.7B

Dragos, Inc., the global leader in cybersecurity for industrial controls systems (ICS)/operational technology (OT) environments, today announced it has raised a record-breaking $200 million in Series D funding at a valuation of $1.7 billion. This marks the largest funding round and the highest valuation achieved by an OT cybersecurity company, providing further validation for the demand for OT cybersecurity. The funding will continue to accelerate the company's global expansion and support customers in key growth markets across diverse industries including electric, oil & gas, chemical, pharmaceutical, food and beverage, water, and manufacturing. The funding round was led by Koch Disruptive Technologies, an investment arm of Koch Industries, and funds and accounts managed by BlackRock, a leading global asset manager. Investors include Emerson (News - Alert), Hewlett Packard Enterprise, AllegisCyber, Canaan, DataTribe, Energy Impact Partners, National Grid Partners, Schweitzer Engineering Labs, Global Reserve Group, and Rockwell Automation (News - Alert). "Executives around the world from corporate leadership to government officials have continued to note the criticality of protecting OT and the need to do so with OT specific approaches," said Robert M. Lee, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Dragos, Inc. "The risks are not just in cyberattacks, though those are becoming more numerous and aggressive, but also in ensuring the appropriate insights into ICS/OT environments to maintain resilience as our world's infrastructures and industrial automation environments become more connected and more complex. The Series D represents further validation on the importance of our mission but is only possible due to our customers and partners. Their tireless efforts to secure our infrastructure too often goes underappreciated." The funding comes at a time of explosive growth for industrial cybersecurity. While the importance of cybersecurity to critical infrastructure is not new, recent cyberattacks are increasing awareness for what much of the OT community has known for a long time. Furthermore, the availability of OT-specific approaches in the market at a time governments and executives are demanding more focus on their ICS/OT operations has driven a unique opportunity for the private and public sectors to partner to keep communities safe and the global services and goods citizens rely upon available. "Koch Industries is modernizing the operations of our more than 500 global facilities and Dragos has quickly proven to be a key partner in delivering the industrial cybersecurity protection we and our customers need," said Byron Knight, Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer at Koch Disruptive Technologies. "We believe the Dragos Platform plays a key part in managing risk across our enterprise, delivering the products and services our customers depend on without interruption. Our repeated investments in Dragos underscore our confidence in their technology and team and demonstrates our commitment in defending our operations against cyberattacks at the industrial level." Oe such customer of Koch Industries is Georgia-Pacific, which has more than 160 locations worldwide and produces some of the most recognized chemical, construction, and consumer paper brands in North America. "Worker safety and business continuity are essential, and the Dragos Platform provides us with the visibility, detection, and response capabilities we need to secure our operations and protect the business," said Francis Cioffi, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) of Georgia-Pacific LLC. "Koch Industries has shown they are committed to supporting growth and innovation in the OT cybersecurity market by investing in best-in-class industrial cybersecurity companies such as Dragos and bringing that deep domain expertise and value to organizations like Georgia Pacific."



The investment from Rockwell, a global leader in industrial automation, signifies the increased prioritization companies are placing on OT cybersecurity to safeguard enterprise-wide operations. "A fully connected enterprise requires a comprehensive approach to industrial security," said Rachael Conrad, vice president and general manager, Global Services for Rockwell Automation. "This is not only a strategic investment for us, but a reflection of the commitment we've seen from the manufacturing community to take industrial cybersecurity more seriously. This activity will allow our customers, who are transforming their manufacturing and industrial operations through cloud and enterprise technologies, to have further protection of their operational environments and help them maximize the value of their digital transformation initiatives." The Series D funding will accelerate Dragos expansion to make ICS/OT cybersecurity more accessible around the world and will bolster the company's support for ICS/OT practitioner-oriented events, education, and community networking opportunities in new verticals and regions.

The round is the latest in a series of milestones for Dragos, including: Expansion of global operations in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and within the Gulf Cooperation Council including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates with plans for an office in Dubai.

New initiatives with Neighborhood Keeper-a free, opt-in, anonymized information-sharing network available to all Dragos Platform customers and the first-of-its-kind collective defense and community-wide visibility offering for OT cybersecurity: Joint initiative with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation's (NERC (News - Alert)) Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center (E-ISAC) to strengthen collective defense and community-wide visibility for industrial cybersecurity in the North American electricity industry with 84 utilities, representing over 70% of electric utility customers in the U.S., currently adopting. Initiative with the Oil and Natural Gas Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ONG-ISAC) to strengthen security and community-wide visibility for industrial cybersecurity in the North American oil and natural gas industry. Initiative with Downstream Natural Gas Information Sharing and Analysis Center (DNG-ISAC) to strengthen security and community-wide visibility for industrial cybersecurity in the North American natural gas industry.

Founding sponsor of The Smart Factory @ Wichita, a new Industry 4.0 immersive experience center by Deloitte (News - Alert).

Over 100% YoY growth in platform recurring revenue for the period ending Sept 30, 2021. About Dragos, Inc. Dragos has a global mission: to safeguard civilization from those trying to disrupt the industrial infrastructure we depend on every day. The practitioners who founded Dragos were drawn to this mission through decades of government and private sector experience. Dragos codifies the knowledge of our cybersecurity experts into an integrated software platform that provides customers critical visibility into ICS and OT networks so that threats are identified and can be addressed before they become significant events. Our solutions protect organizations across a range of industries, including power and water utilities, energy, and manufacturing, and are optimized for emerging applications like the Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT). Dragos is privately held and headquartered in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. area with regional presence around the world, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and the Middle East. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005346/en/

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[October 28, 2021] SonicWall: 'The Year of Ransomware' Continues with Unprecedented Late-Summer Surge

MILPITAS, Calif., Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SonicWall, the publisher of the world's most quoted ransomware threat intelligence, recorded a 148% increase in global ransomware attacks through the third quarter of 2021. With 495 million ransomware attacks logged by the company this year to date, 2021 will be the most costly and dangerous year on record. This month, the current U.S. administration hosted a global ransomware summit to pledge 'all national tools' to stop cyberattacks on critical sectors. Leading governments, including the UK, India, Australia, Germany and France, as well as the European Union, attended. SonicWall's latest research now confirms leaders have cause for concern. "As we see it, ransomware is on a nearly unimaginable upward trend, which poses a major risk to businesses, service providers, governments and everyday citizens," said SonicWall President and CEO Bill Conner. "The real-world damage caused by these attacks is beyond anecdotal at this point. It's a serious national and global problem that has already taken a toll on businesses and governments everywhere. I'm hopeful that the recent global ransomware summit is the next step toward a greater response at global, national and state levels." Ransomware rise not slowing

2021 has been the most active year for ransomware on record  and is showing no sign of slowing. After posting a groundbreaking high in June (78.4 million), these malicious attacks continue to see aggressive growth in Q3.

"The techniques deployed by ransomware actors have evolved well beyond the smash-and-grab attacks from just a few years ago," said SonicWall Vice President of Platform Architecture Dmitriy Ayrapetov. "Today's cybercriminals demonstrate deliberate reconnaissance, planning and execution to surgically deploy toolchains targeting enterprise and government infrastructure. This results in larger victims and leads to higher ransoms." With 190.4 million ransomware attempts in Q3 alone, this makes it the highest quarter ever recorded by SonicWall, nearly eclipsing the 195.7 million total ransomware attempts logged during the first three quarters of 2020. "While the world has been attempting to return to normal in a sto-and-go fashion, cybercriminals have never let up, driving ransomware campaigns to record numbers through the first three quarters of 2021," said Conner. "These criminal organizations will continue to launch highly sophisticated cyberattacks that are designed to target organizations and business with weak or lax security controls."



Despite movements to secure cyber infrastructures from respective national governments, the U.K. has seen a 233% surge in the number of ransomware attacks, and the U.S. has witnessed a 127% year-to-date increase. All told, SonicWall logged 1,748 ransomware attempts per customer through Q3  the equivalent to 9.7 ransomware attempts per customer each business day. SonicWall predicts that year-end 2021 ransomware totals will near 714 million, a staggering 134% year-over-year increase.

"As long as organizations continue to overlook or fail to implement cybersecurity best practices to reduce their attack surface, ransomware groups will only increase investments in time, resources and money for launching campaigns that result in massive payouts," said Ayrapetov. Patented RTDMI technology finding more new variants than ever

SonicWall's patented Real-Time Deep Memory Inspection (RTDMI) technology discovered 307,516 never-before-seen malware variants (+73%) during the first three quarters of 2021, with an average of 1,126 discoveries per day. If there is still a consistent number of attacks, alongside rapid diversification, nations will need to start addressing malignant cybercrime sooner rather than later. Included as part of SonicWall's cloud-based Capture Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) sandbox service, RTDMI leverages proprietary memory inspection and CPU instruction-tracking with machine-learning capabilities. This allows Capture ATP with RTDMI to become increasingly efficient at recognizing and mitigating cyberattacks never seen by anyone in the cybersecurity industry  including threats that do not exhibit any malicious behavior and hide their weaponry via encryption. ICSA Labs issues SonicWall third straight 'perfect score'

As secured previously, SonicWall ATP has earned its third consecutive 'perfect score' in the ICSA Labs Advanced Threat Defense (ATD) testing for Q3 2021. During 28 days of testing, ICSA Labs subjected Capture ATP to 653 malicious samples and 695 innocuous apps. As a result, Capture ATP detected 100% of malicious files sent through the system while ignoring harmless apps, thus generating zero false positives. SonicWall has now received seven consecutive ICSA Labs ATD certifications. About SonicWall Capture Labs

SonicWall Capture Labs threat researchers gather, analyze and vet cross-vector threat information from the SonicWall Capture Threat network, consisting of global devices and resources, including more than 1 million security sensors in nearly 215 countries and territories. SonicWall Capture Labs, which pioneered the use of artificial intelligence for threat research and protection over a decade ago, performs rigorous testing and evaluation on this data, establishes reputation scores for email senders and content, and identifies new threats in real-time. About SonicWall

SonicWall delivers Boundless Cybersecurity for the hyper-distributed era in a work reality where everyone is remote, mobile and unsecure. SonicWall safeguards organizations mobilizing for their new business normal with seamless protection that stops the most evasive cyberattacks across boundless exposure points and increasingly remote, mobile and cloud-enabled workforces. By knowing the unknown, providing real-time visibility and enabling breakthrough economics, SonicWall closes the cybersecurity business gap for enterprises, governments and SMBs worldwide. For more information, visit www.sonicwall.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sonicwall-the-year-of-ransomware-continues-with-unprecedented-late-summer-surge-301410394.html SOURCE SONICWALL INC

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[October 28, 2021] DHL Express opens its EUR22 million expanded Bengaluru Gateway to support e-commerce growth

Facility more than quadruples in size to support increasing international cargo volume in Bengaluru

17 dedicated international freighters to operate through the new Gateway by November 2021 SINGAPORE, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- DHL Express, the world's leading international express service provider, today opened its expanded EUR22 million Bengaluru Gateway located within the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, India. Spanning over 112,000 sq feet, the Bengaluru Gateway is more than four times larger than the previous facility and will support India's robust trade driven by the exponential growth in the e-commerce sector. When operating at full capacity, this new and expanded facility can handle over 90,000 tons of shipment per year. As the largest airside Express handling facility in India, the expanded Bengaluru Gateway enables DHL Express to offer 12 to 24 hours faster connection and delivery of imported goods across India, and reduce daily cut-off time for shipment pick-up by up to 60 minutes. Ken Lee, CEO, DHL Express Asia Pacific, said, "As one of the world's fastest growing economies, India remains a critical node of the global DHL network. The Bengaluru Gateway is part of our EUR750 million investment to bolster our infrastructure in Asia Pacific and enhance connectivity for countries and businesses. With strong international imports and exports driving the increasing cargo volume in Bengaluru, our new facility supports Bengaluru's strategy to provide capacity of one million tons at its airport in the next few years."



Using 11 DHL-operated intercontinental freighters, 30 international commercial airlines and 70 domestic flights on a weekly basis, the Bengaluru Gateway currently connects both South and West India to over 220 countries and territories through DHL's unrivalled global network. An additional six dedicated intercontinental freighters will join the current fleet by November 2021, bringing the total number of aircraft operating through Bengaluru to 17. The Gateway's primary export trade lanes are North America and Europe while Asia Pacific and Europe are the key import trade lanes for Bengaluru. The expanded Gateway will provide greater capacity to support industries such as electronics, automotive, life sciences & medical, and fashion in Bengaluru. Coupled with the enhanced infrastructure and additional dedicated DHL flights, these trade lanes will greatly benefit from the increased capacity and speed.

R.S Subramanian, SVP and Managing Director, DHL Express India, said, "10 years ago, DHL landed its first freighter in Bengaluru and opened its Gateway at the Kempegowda International Airport. Since then, we have seen the international volumes multiply significantly. Our EUR22 million investment is testament to the growth potential we see in this market. To maintain our market-leading position, we will continually invest ahead of the curve in our infrastructure, technology and people to support the country's economic growth and help Indian exporters and importers expand their business." Key Features of DHL Express Bengaluru Gateway Size: The newly expanded Bengaluru Gateway is a state-of-the-art facility and is more than four times larger than the previous facility which spans over112,000 sq feet Specifications: Large castor decks and automated container handling and weighing set-up

Network material handling equipment and telescopic conveyer systems This leads to more efficient shipment processing while reducing handling time significantly, resulting in improved transit time and service levels for importers and exporters. Security and Certifications: TAPA (Transported Asset Protection Association) Class A

Dual View X-Ray security screening

Explosive trace detector system

Access control systems

State-of-the-art IP cameras to conduct screenings in accordance with international trade security standards

Regulated Agent 3 (EU Aviation Security Validated Regulated Agents)

Indian Customs (for Custodianship)

Regulated Agent by Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, India . Green Footprint LEED Gold Certified

Motion sensor-based LED lights The facility's green design is part of Deutsche Post DHL Group's commitment to reduce all logistics-related emissions to zero by the year 2050.  End  DHL  The logistics company for the world DHL is the leading global brand in the logistics industry. Our DHL divisions offer an unrivaled portfolio of logistics services ranging from national and international parcel delivery, e-commerce shipping and fulfillment solutions, international express, road, air, and ocean transport to industrial supply chain management. With about 400,000 employees in more than 220 countries and territories worldwide, DHL connects people and businesses securely and reliably, enabling global sustainable trade flows. With specialized solutions for growth markets and industries including technology, life sciences and healthcare, engineering, manufacturing & energy, auto-mobility, and retail, DHL is decisively positioned as "The logistics company for the world". DHL is part of Deutsche Post DHL Group. The Group generated revenues of more than 66 billion euros in 2020. With sustainable business practices and a commitment to society and the environment, the Group makes a positive contribution to the world. Deutsche Post DHL Group aims to achieve zero-emissions logistics by 2050. SOURCE DHL

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[October 28, 2021] Valmet chosen as the second most attractive employer by the engineering professionals in Finland

HELSINKI, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Valmet Oyj's press release on October 28, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. EET Valmet has been chosen as the second most attractive employer by the Finnish engineering professionals. The ranking was published in Universum's annual survey, which is the biggest employer attractiveness survey in Finland. Earlier this year in another Universum study Valmet was chosen as the third most attractive employer by the engineering students in Finland. The positive development of Valmet's attractiveness in both target groups, the engineering students and engineering professionals, is a great achievement, since both are very important to Valmet's continued success now and in the future. Valmet's employer value proposition is based on working together across teams, units and locations. Working together is not only Valmet's strength, but also the foundation for delivering the complex and demanding customer projects successfully. Valmet's diverse teams of industry experts and professionals want to make a difference with innovative, sustainable products and solutions that move the whole industry forward. "We are very proud to be recognized as a top employer in Finland. Our growth, an active job market and Valmet's continued high level of internal mobility have meant that we are constantly looking for talent. Hiring the right people with the best fit is important to secure our future success, and this recognition will support our recruitment efforts. A good employer brand is rooted in engaged personnel, and that is an area we'll continue to emphasize moving forward. I want to thank everyone at Valmet for contributing to the development of our company culture and making it visible by working together every day," says Julia Macharey, Valmet's Senir Vice President, Human Resources and Operational Development.



Valmet is growing and always on the look-out for fresh talent Valmet has job opportunities for talented people around the world. Currently there are around 200 open positions globally. We are looking for professionals with a background in various industries and potential to grow within our global and diverse team.

Information about Universum Universum is a global leader in employer branding. Its services include actionable research, strategic consulting, and data-driven communications and social media solutions for talent branding, sourcing, and analytics. On an annual basis, Universum surveys over 1,000,000 students and professionals world-wide. VALMET

Corporate Communications For further information, please contact:

Julia Macharey, Senior Vice President, Human Resources and Operational Development, Valmet, +358 50?486 8056 Valmet is the leading global developer and supplier of process technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries. We aim to become the global champion in serving our customers. Valmet's strong technology offering includes pulp mills, tissue, board and paper production lines, as well as power plants for bioenergy production. Our advanced services and automation solutions improve the reliability and performance of our customers' processes and enhance the effective utilization of raw materials and energy. Valmet's net sales in 2020 were approximately EUR 3.7 billion. Our more than 14,000 professionals around the world work close to our customers and are committed to moving our customers' performance forward  every day. Valmet's head office is in Espoo, Finland, and its shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki. Read more www.valmet.com, www.twitter.com/valmetglobal Processing of personal data This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/valmet-oyj/r/valmet-chosen-as-the-second-most-attractive-employer-by-the-engineering-professionals-in-finland,c3442475

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[October 28, 2021] OppFi Announces Third Quarter 2021 Earnings Conference Call Details

OppFi Inc. (NYSE:OPFI), a leading financial technology platform that powers banks to help everyday consumers gain access to credit, announced today that it will release financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2021 after the market close on Thursday, November 11, 2021. Conference call and Webcast Management will host a webcast and conference call on Thursday, November 11, 2021 at 5:00 pm ET to discuss the Company's financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2021. The conference call will be made available via the Investor Relations page of the Company's website at oppfi.com. To listen to a live broadcast, go to the site at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time in order to register. The conference call can also be accessed by the following dial-in information: Conference ID: 13724191

Domestic: 1-877-705-6003

International: 1-201-493-6725 Replay A replay of the call will also be available on the Company's website approximately two hours after the live call through November 25, 2021. The replay may also be accessed by the following dial-in information: 1-844-512-2921 (Domestic) or 1-412-317-6671 (International). The replay pin number is 13724191. Abot OppFi



OppFi (NYSE: OPFI) is a leading financial technology platform that powers banks to offer accessible products and a top-rated experience to everyday consumers. OppFi's platform facilitates the installment loan products, OppLoans and SalaryTap, and the credit card product, OppFi Card. The company has been an Inc. 5000 company for six straight years, a two-time Deloitte's (News - Alert) Technology Fast 500, and the seventh fastest-growing company in Chicagoland in 2021 by Crain's Chicago Business. The company was also listed on the Forbes America 2021 list of America's Best Startup Employers and Built In's 2021 Best Places to Work in Chicago. OppFi maintains an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and maintains a 4.8/5 star rating with more than 14,000 online customer reviews, making it one of the top customer-rated financial platforms online. For more information, please visit oppfi.com. Forward-Looking Statements

This information includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. OppFi's actual results may differ from its expectations, estimates and projections and consequently, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Words such as "expect," "estimate," "project," "budget," "forecast," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "may," "will," "could," "should," "believes," "predicts," "potential," "continue," and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the expected results. Most of these factors are outside OppFi's control and are difficult to predict. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to: the impact of COVID-19 on OppFi's business; the impact of stimulus or other government programs; the ability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the business combination, which may be affected by, among other things, competition, the ability of OppFi to grow and manage growth profitably and retain its key employees; costs related to the business combination; changes in applicable laws or regulations; the possibility that OppFi may be adversely affected by economic, business, and/or competitive factors; whether OppFi will be successful in launching OppFi Card and SalaryTap, including whether there will be consumer or market acceptance of OppFi Card and SalaryTap; and other risks and uncertainties indicated from time to time in OppFi's filings with the SEC (News - Alert), including those under "Risk Factors" therein. OppFi cautions that the foregoing list of factors is not exclusive and readers should not place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. OppFi does not undertake or accept any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such statement is based. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005290/en/

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[October 28, 2021] AECOM and Cavnue announce partnership to deliver connected and automated vehicle corridor in Michigan

AECOM (NYSE: ACM), the world's trusted infrastructure consulting firm, today announced its partnership with Cavnue to deliver a Connected and Automated Vehicle (CAV) Corridor in Southeast Michigan. AECOM will provide engineering planning and design services beginning with a CAV lane project in Michigan and expanding to other locations across North America. The partnership will also deliver Concept of Operations, environmental documentation, conceptual and final design on several major roadways in the state. "Core to AECOM's ESG strategy, Sustainable Legacies, is delivering solutions that will improve social outcomes and reduce carbon impacts on the planet. This partnership will advance transportation in a way that's sustainable, smarter and safer for generations to come in Michigan," said Jennifer Aument, AECOM's global Transportation Chief Executive. "We believe in Cavnue's vision to unlock the potential in connected and automated travel and we're thrilled to work together to create this future for the automated transportation industry and the communities that will benefit from it." In Michigan, Cavnue is integrating a first-of-its-kind roadway infrastructure stack with a unique hardware and software product to simplify the operating environment for all vehicles and to provide more information to vehicles about the road ahead, both of which unlock the powerful benefits of in-vehicle technology. Cavnue, AECOM and the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) are also working closely to utilize this system to provide unique insights back to those that operate and manage roadways. "Smart cars need smart roads. Cavnue's mission is to simplify and enhance the driving environment to unlock the full potential of all autonomous vehicles. We were drawn to AECOM's expertise in innovative and groundbreaking projects, as well as their leadership in transportation and the automated vehicles sector," said Tyler Duvall, Cavnue's Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer. "We're excited to begin work in Michigan together and develop the solutions that will be the blueprint for the next generation of roadways." "This represents another stride for the mobility revolution as well as for MDOT and the State of Michigan's continued leadership," said Paul C. Ajegba, Michigan Department of Transportation Director. "We look forward to further innovations from this first-of-its-kind project." AECOM is committed to delivering its transformative environmental, social and governance (ESG) objectives through its Sustainable Legacies strategy, ensuring the work it does in partnership with clients leaves a positive impact for years to come.



About AECOM AECOM (NYSE: ACM) is the world's trusted infrastructure consulting firm, delivering professional services throughout the project lifecycle - from planning, design and engineering to program and construction management. On projects spanning transportation, buildings, water, new energy and the environment, our public- and private-sector clients trust us to solve their most complex challenges. Our teams are driven by a common purpose to deliver a better world through our unrivaled technical expertise and innovation, a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion, and a commitment to environmental, social and governance priorities. AECOM is a Fortune 500 firm and its Professional Services business had revenue of $13.2 billion in fiscal year 2020. See how we are delivering sustainable legacies for generations to come at aecom.com and @AECOM.

About Cavnue Cavnue is an infrastructure technology company founded to build the world's most advanced roads and unlock the full potential of autonomous vehicles. Our solutions integrate a roadway infrastructure stack with a unique hardware + software product to simplify the operating environment for all vehicles and to provide more information to vehicles about the road ahead. For road operators, Cavnue's digital twin will provide unique insights on asset management, throughput, safety, and accessibility. Forward-Looking Statements All statements in this communication other than statements of historical fact are "forward-looking statements" for purposes of federal and state securities laws, including any statements of the plans, strategies and objectives for future operations, profitability, strategic value creation, coronavirus impacts, risk profile and investment strategies, and any statements regarding future economic conditions or performance, and the expected financial and operational results of AECOM. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in our forward-looking statements are reasonable, actual results could differ materially from those projected or assumed in any of our forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results, performance and achievements, or industry results to differ materially from estimates or projections contained in our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the following: our business is cyclical and vulnerable to economic downturns and client spending reductions; impacts caused by the coronavirus and the related economic instability and market volatility, including the reaction of governments to the coronavirus, including any prolonged period of travel, commercial or other similar restrictions, the delay in commencement, or temporary or permanent halting of construction, infrastructure or other projects, requirements that we remove our employees or personnel from the field for their protection, and delays or reductions in planned initiatives by our governmental or commercial clients or potential clients; losses under fixed-price contracts; limited control over operations run through our joint venture entities; liability for misconduct by our employees or consultants; failure to comply with laws or regulations applicable to our business; maintaining adequate surety and financial capacity; high leverage and potential inability to service our debt and guarantees; exposure to Brexit; exposure to political and economic risks in different countries; currency exchange rate fluctuations; retaining and recruiting key technical and management personnel; legal claims; inadequate insurance coverage; environmental law compliance and adequate nuclear indemnification; unexpected adjustments and cancellations related to our backlog; partners and third parties who may fail to satisfy their legal obligations; AECOM Capital real estate development projects; managing pension cost; cybersecurity issues, IT outages and data privacy; risks associated with the benefits and costs of the Power transaction and other recent acquisitions and divestitures, including the risk that the expected benefits of such transactions or any contingent purchase price will not be realized within the expected time frame, in full or at all; the risk that costs of restructuring transactions and other costs incurred in connection with recent acquisitions and divestitures will exceed our estimates or otherwise adversely affect our business or operations; as well as other additional risks and factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements set forth in our reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof. We do not intend, and undertake no obligation, to update any forward-looking statement. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005202/en/

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[October 28, 2021] Novadip Biosciences announces EUR 19 million Series B financing backed by international investors

Novadip Biosciences announces EUR 19 million Series B financing backed by international investors New investment to fuel continued growth of 3M platform for the development of products in

tissue reconstruction and oncology Mont Saint-Guibert, Belgium - October 28, 2021  Novadip Biosciences (Novadip or the Company), a clinical stage company developing treatments to regenerate impaired tissue in patients with significant unmet medical needs, today announced that it has raised 19 million in the first close of a Series B financing, which was co-led by new investor CR-CP Life Science Fund, a Hong Kong-based venture capital firm, US-based New Science Ventures and Belgian investors Fund+ and SRIW Life Sciences. Existing holders VIVES Louvain Technology Fund and Invest BW also participated with Belgian based InvestSud joining as a new investor. Following the completion of the raise, the Company has appointed Jason Zhou (MD), CEO and Managing Director of CR-CP as a new Board member. The proceeds will support the future growth of the business whilst enabling continued innovation of the proprietary 3M platform. In the near term Novadip is firmly focused on delivering further clinical evidence in support of its regenerative product platform. This includes demonstrating the clinical efficacy of its autologous NVD-003 bone product in highly debilitating diseases, such as congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia (CPT), a rare pediatric indication that primarily affects children with devastating long-term functional disabilities. IND approval has been granted by the FDA allowing Novadip to conduct a pilot study with NVD-003 in the US. The trial will investigate the potential of the Companys cell-based osteogenic product in young children, between two and eight years of age, suffering from CPT. For more information, please follow this link. Novadip also recently reported positive interim data of its Phase I/IIa clinical trial for NVD-003 in adults with non-healing and recalcitrant fractures of the lower limb, highlighting its safety and bone formation capabilities. The press release can be found here. The funds will also enable Novadip to demonstrate the clinical potential of its allogenic off the shelf NVD-X3 product in the bones of the foot and ankle and in posterolateral spine fusion. The Company expects to commence the first clinical trial for its allogeneic program in 2022, following positive in vitro and in vivo results. In addition, Novadip is exploring the potential of its 3M platform to manufacture highly specific exosomal miRNA in the treatment of solid tumors with trials due to take place in the US and Europe. Separately to this, Novadip is currently exploring future clinical development opportunities in China. This first close of the Series B financing takes the total amount of equity financing raised to date to EUR 58 million including the conversion of a EUR 11 million loan into Class B shares. On top of that, Novadip has received recently non-dilutive ublic funding from the Walloon Region of EUR 13.4 million to support the Series B developments.



Denis Dufrane (MD, PhD), CEO and Co-Founder of Novadip Biosciences, commented: This successful major equity financing will enable us to accelerate the development of our unique technology platform and complete a US clinical study for our lead autologous product in CPT, a rare and seriously debilitating pediatric condition. In addition to NVD-003 for CPT, we are highly excited by the clinical potential of our allogenic off the shelf NVD-X3 product as well the most recent potential applications we are now exploring in oncology. Novadip has a strong balance sheet to deliver on its strategy of progressing its highly differentiated and valuable pipeline of products for patients with clear unmet needs. Prof. Eric Paul Paques, Chairman of the Board of Novadip Biosciences, said: The support of high calibre new and existing investors in both this financing round and the loan conversion is testament to the confidence in the long-term opportunities for our platform to deliver life-changing benefits for patients. We look forward to leveraging Jasons medical and financial expertise and warmly welcome him to the Board.

Jason Zhou (MD), CEO and Managing Director of CR-CP, and new Board member of Novadip Biosciences said: Novadip is an exciting growth business operating in significant and underserved markets and I am highly excited to be joining the Board. CR-CP has been impressed with the potential that Novadips platform has shown, and I believe that Novadips research and clinical development to date has shown highly promising progress in bone tissue engineering with further great potential in oncology. Looking ahead, it is clear that Novadips portfolio of treatments can be hugely important for patients in Asia and I look forward to supporting Denis and the management team to develop clinical pathways in China in the future. Christina Franssen, SRIW Life Sciences, Board member of Novadip Biosciences, said: We are proud to have been part of Novadips journey since the early days of the Company. With this new financing round, we are looking forward bringing the autologous NVD-003 to CPT patients providing them a therapy they are sorely lacking. Thanks to the outstanding quality of the 3M platform and the team, we are confident the new acellular product will show good results in patients suffering from bone defects, such as foot and ankle injuries or spinal fusion issues. About NOVADIP BIOSCIENCES Founded by Prof. Denis Dufrane and Jean-Francois Pollet, Novadip Biosciences, a spin-off company from University of Louvain (UCL) and Saint-Luc University Hospital (CUSL), is active in skeletal regenerative medicine. Novadip Biosciences is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company leveraging its unique 3D tissue regeneration technology platform to generate multiple product candidates to address hard and soft tissue reconstruction for patients with limited or no treatment options. The companys proprietary 3M3 platform is a 3-dimensional, extracellular matrix that utilizes adipose-derived stem cells to deliver highly-specific growth factors and miRNAs to mimic the physiology of natural healing and generates a range of products that address specific challenges in tissue regeneration. Novadips initial focus is on critical size bone reconstruction. It is also applying its 3M3 platform to develop truly novel off-the-shelf/allogeneic therapies to address more prevalent tissue defects and miRNA/exosome products for broader indications as oncology. For more information, visit www.novadip.com . About CR - CP Life Science Fund CR-CP Life Science Fund is a Hong Kong based private equity fund jointly established by China Resources Group and Charoen Pokphand Group, focusing on early-/growth-stage companies in the life science universe. These two conglomerates sponsored the major capital contribution of the total fund size of US$168 million, and they continue to support the fund with their broad existing business network connection in China and Asia. About New Science Ventures New Science Ventures (NSV) is a Connecticut and London-based venture capital firm which invests in both early and late-stage companies using novel scientific approaches to address significant unmet needs and create order of magnitude improvements in performance. NSV manages over $800 million and has invested in more than 40 companies located in the US, Europe, India and China in the life sciences and information technology sectors. About Fund+ FUND+ is an open-ended Belgian fund for long term equity investment in innovative Life Sciences companies with a focus on Europe. Fund+ is Patient-centric investment focus by creating sustainable shareholders value, contribute to the development of a leadership position in the Life Sciences sector and generate a tangible, beneficial societal impact alongside a financial return. Fund+ manages 200+ Mio EUR in assets under management (vintage year: 2015) About SRIW Life Sciences By relying on the traditional strengths of Wallonia, SRIW Life Sciences invests in local heroes, scientists and entrepreneurs in life sciences who want to leverage their innovation to build a sustainable and equitable global economy with roots in Wallonia. SRIW Life Sciences focuses on diversity and cross-fertilization in its broadest sense. We invest in life sciences companies at diverse stages of development across a wide range of technologies and disease areas. We are an early and patient investor, we invest in the most promising early-stage companies and can act with a long-term view  longer than the average VCs. The role of SRIW as a risk capital provider in the life sciences sector support empowering innovators to explore areas they might hesitate to venture into alone. And by supporting innovative start-ups, we aim to strengthen the economic health of our region. More information: http://www.sriw.be For more information, please c ontact:

NOVADIP BIOSCIENCES

Denis Dufrane

Chief Executive Officer, Chief Scientific Officer

+32 (10) 779 220

[email protected] CONSILIUM STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS

Chris Gardner, Matthew Neal, Angela Gray

+44 (0) 23709 5700

[email protected]



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[October 28, 2021] Fundamental Income Acquires Landmark Property - RH Chicago for $44.7 million

Fundamental Income, a Phoenix- based net lease real estate platform, announces its acquisition of RH Chicago, The Gallery at the Historic Three Arts Club for $44.7 million. The 70,000 square foot historic building formerly known as The Three Arts Club was originally constructed in 1914. The building includes six levels of home furnishings, a rooftop park and conservatory, The 3 Arts Club Cafe and The 3 Arts Club Wine Vault. The property was acquired subject to an in-place, long-term lease to RH (NYSE: RH). "We jumped at the opportunity to acquire a one-of-a-kind historic asset occupied by an innovative organization that is changing the retail customer experience" said Alexi Panagiotakopoulos, Chief Investment Officer and Partner at Fundamental Income. "David and his team at Convexity did a magnificent job renovating this property and made a vision a reality. It was a pleasure working directly with David, his team, and Michael Marks of Cushman and Wakefield in a seamless transaction." Led by sevn investment partners with a combined 50 years and $15 billion of net lease, capital markets and real estate experience, Fundamental Income is focused on sale leasebacks and single-tenant commercial properties leased to operating companies across the United States. In April 2020, the firm received an initial equity commitment of $500 million from a fund managed by Brookfield Asset Management (NYSE: BAM), a $625 billion global asset manager.



"The Three Arts Club is a historic landmark that we are proud to have reimagined and restored along with RH," said David Nelson, Partner at DRW and Head of Convexity Properties. "We are grateful for the support of the local neighborhood and the City of Chicago throughout the process and the excitement for what we ultimately delivered. We know Fundamental Income shares our desire to ensure this property remains an anchor in the neighborhood for years to come." About Fundamental Income

Led by seven investment partners with over 50 years and $15B of cumulative transaction history, Fundamental Income Properties is a net lease platform, focused on investing in single-tenant commercial properties, net leased to middle-market businesses operating in a wide variety of industries that directly or indirectly serve the US consumer. Fundamental Income Properties provides real estate capital solutions and sale-leasebacks to businesses and business owners with established and growing operations across the United States. For more information, please visit www.fundamentalincome.com About Convexity Properties Convexity Properties is a fully integrated real estate investment firm based in Chicago. Convexity is the real estate arm of DRW, a leading principal trading firm founded in 1992. For further information on Convexity, please visit www.convexityproperties.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005262/en/

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[October 28, 2021] Univision Communications Inc. to Host Q3 2021 Conference Call on November 4, 2021

Univision Communications Inc., the leading Spanish-language content and media company in the U.S., will conduct a conference call to discuss its third quarter 2021 financial results at 11:00 a.m. ET/8:00 a.m. PT on Thursday, November 4th, 2021. A press release summarizing its third quarter 2021 financial results will be available on Univision's website at investors.univision.net/financial-reports/quarterly-reports at the opening of business on Thursday, November 4, 2021. To participate in the conference call, please dial (800) 347-7407 (wihin U.S.) or (203) 518-9704 (outside U.S.) fifteen minutes prior to the start of the call and provide the following conference ID: Univision. A playback of the conference call will be available beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET, Thursday, November 4, 2021, through Thursday, November 11, 2021. To access the playback, please dial 800-839-5245 (within the U.S.) or 402-220-2701 (outside the U.S.).



About Univision Communications Inc. As the leading Spanish-language content and media company in the U.S., Univision Communications Inc. entertains, informs and empowers U.S. Hispanics with news, sports and entertainment content across broadcast and cable television, audio and digital platforms. The company's top-rated media portfolio includes the Univision and UniMas broadcast networks, as well as 10 cable networks including Galavision and TUDN, the No. 1 Spanish-language sports network in the country. Locally, Univision owns or operates 61 television stations in major Hispanic markets across the United States. Additionally, Uforia, the Home of Latin Music, encompasses 58 owned or operated radio stations, a live event series and a robust digital audio footprint. The company's prominent digital assets include Univision.com, free AVOD streaming service PrendeTV, Univision Now, the largest Hispanic influencer network and several top-rated apps. For more information, visit corporate.univision.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005227/en/

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[October 28, 2021] Kraig Biocraft Laboratories Resumes Work Producing Custom Spider Silk Yarns and Fabrics with Vietnam Re-opening

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc. (OTCQB: KBLB) (Company or Kraig Labs), the biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialization of spider silk, shares today that easing travel restrictions and re-opening business operations throughout Vietnam has re-energized the Company as it moves forward with the production of finished goods utilizing its specialized recombinant spider silk.

Safety protocols and restrictions enacted at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam led to closures and slowdowns of many businesses throughout the country, most notably in Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City. The majority of these restrictions did not directly impact the Companys subsidiary, so Prodigy Textiles, located in central Vietnam, did not stop the production of its specialized silkworms. However, those shutdowns affected Prodigys employees and the Company, including delayed laboratory equipment deliveries, which delayed operational growth, and slowdowns at yarn spinners and weavers, which limited the Companys ability to convert its raw silk into finished fabrics and garments. Now, as these restrictions are lifting, Kraig Labs is ready to accelerate the scale-up of silkworm production with the scheduled delivery and installation of new quality control (QC) lab equipment. In the absence of the genetic screening that this new QC lab equipment will enable, the Company intentionally maintained production below peak capacity to ensure a stable and healthy silkworm colony. Once installed, Prodigys facility will have onsite control systems far more advnced than nearly all silk producers.



This month brought several significant regulatory orders easing those restrictions, once again allowing the movement and travel for crucial goods, services, and personnel throughout the country. With the re-opening of textile mills and yarn spinners, Kraig Labs is now resuming work to produce the custom yarns and spider silk fabrics for the launch of SpydaSilkTM apparel, a joint development partnership with Kings Golden Harvest, PTE LTD. We are pleased to see conditions in Vietnam improving for its people and its economy, said Kraig Labs COO Jon Rice. In the coming weeks, we expect to receive and install several pieces of lab equipment delayed due to lockdowns. This quality assurance equipment will play a key role in our continued production expansion. Most critically, with this re-opening, we can once again work with the textile mills to weave our silk into the finished fabrics for the first garments for SpydaSilk and to supply materials to the numerous other brands eager to incorporate spider silk into their products.

To view the most recent news from Kraig Labs and/or to sign up for Company alerts, please go to www.KraigLabs.com/news . About Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc. Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc. ( www.KraigLabs.com ), a fully reporting biotechnology company, is a developer of genetically engineered spider silk based fiber technologies. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Information Statements in this press release about the Companys future and expectations other than historical facts are forward-looking statements. These statements are made on the basis of managements current views and assumptions. As a result, there can be no assurance that managements expectations will necessarily come to pass. These forward-looking statements generally can be identified by phrases such as believes, plans, expects, anticipates, foresees, estimated, hopes, if, develops, researching, research, pilot, potential, could or other words or phrases of similar import. Forward looking statements include descriptions of the Companys business strategy, outlook, objectives, plans, intentions and goals. All such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any security. Ben Hansel, Hansel Capital, LLC

(720) 288-8495

[email protected]



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[October 28, 2021] Susan G. Komen Maximizes Breast Cancer Donor Dollars by Going Fully Remote with RingCentral Cloud Communications

RingCentral, Inc. (NYSE: RNG), a leading provider of global enterprise cloud communications, video meetings, collaboration, and contact center solutions, today announced that Susan G Komen, the world's leading breast cancer organization, has turned to RingCentral MVP (Message Video Phone (News - Alert)) to drive business communications across its entire operations. Since implementing RingCentral, Susan G. Komen has shifted its workforce to be fully remote, enabling employees to work from anywhere. The company has also ceased outsourcing its call center by deploying RingCentral (News - Alert) Contact Center, bringing their helpline in-house. With these combined savings, the non profit organization is able to become more operationally efficient and dedicate more funds in support of its mission programming, such as advocacy, research, patient care, and support. Susan G. Komen has invested more than $3 billion in groundbreaking research, community health outreach, advocacy, and programs in more than 60 countries since its founding in 1982, which is funded by donations from organizations and individuals-many of them pledged over the phone. For that reason, the nonprofit organization needed a more reliable communications solution as its previous on-premise communications system caused frequent outages, which meant a loss of potential donor funding. Additionally, the lack of mobility from their previous phone system prevnted them from being able to implement a fully remote workforce.



"RingCentral gives us so much mobility and freedom. If I'm on a call or a RingCentral Video meeting on my laptop, and I need to run an errand, I can just switch the call to my mobile phone and head out. It's fantastic for keeping us all productive and connected without tying us to our desks-or tying us anywhere for that matter," said Carlos Soto, hosted system administrator for Susan G. Komen. "The best part of being able to go 100% remote is that we can better invest that money into furthering our fight against breast cancer. I've never seen a more win-win situation for our organization." Upon rolling out RingCentral Contact Center as its new customer support solution, support teams are improving many aspects of Komen's operations and are now able to offer an elevated level of service. For example, Komen now has the capability to escalate a call with RingCentral's three-way functionality to dial in a supervisor or emergency services if a patient exhibits the potential for self-harm. Having this solution in place for higher intensity calls brings their team confidence and peace of mind. To further assist the Helpline Specialists' daily operations, the organization is using RingCentral's out of the box integration with Salesforce. The integration enables its agents to easily take notes during a call and not have to re-enter the data. Those notes go straight into that caller's Salesforce profile, where the next agent can see them, offering continuity and a more personalized level of service for future calls.

"It is so humbling and inspiring to see organizations like Susan G. Komen change the world for the better using our solutions," said Faiza Hughell, chief customer officer for RingCentral. "Empowering teams to keep doing the great work they do is our ultimate goal. Yes, the integrations we've built into our tools make things more efficient for support agents. However, they've let us know that the best part about capabilities like these is that for a person going through something as challenging as breast cancer, not having to retell their story each time makes for a much more comfortable experience." About RingCentral RingCentral, Inc. (NYSE: RNG) is a leading provider of business cloud communications and contact center solutions based on its powerful Message Video Phone??(MVP) global platform. More flexible and cost effective than legacy on-premises PBX (News - Alert) and video conferencing systems that it replaces, RingCentral empowers modern mobile and distributed workforces to communicate, collaborate, and connect via any mode, any device, and any location. RingCentral offers three key products in its portfolio including RingCentral MVP, a Unified Communications (News - Alert) as a Service (UCaaS) platform including team messaging, video meetings, and cloud phone system; RingCentral Video, ?the company's video meetings solution with team messaging that enables Smart Video Meetings; and RingCentral cloud Contact Center solutions. RingCentral's open platform integrates with leading third-party business applications and enables customers to easily customize business workflows. RingCentral is headquartered in Belmont, California, and has offices around the world.  2021 RingCentral, Inc. All rights reserved. RingCentral, Message Video Phone, MVP, RingCentral MVP, RingCentral Video, RingCentral Contact Center, Smart Video Meetings, and the RingCentral logo are trademarks of RingCentral, Inc. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005394/en/

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[October 28, 2021] WPP Third Quarter Trading Update

WPP (NYSE: WPP) today reported its 2021 Third Quarter Trading Update.







 million +/(-)%

reported1 +/(-)%

LFL2 Third Quarter Revenue 3,240 9.1 14.7 Revenue less pass-through costs 2,640 9.9 15.7 Year to date Revenue 9,373 9.6 15.6 Revenue less pass-through costs 7,539 6.7 12.6

Q3 revenue +9.1%; LFL revenue +14.7%

Q3 LFL revenue less pass-through costs +15.7%; +6.9% LFL on Q3 2019

Top five markets Q3 LFL revenue less pass-through costs: US +12.4%; UK +16.9%; Germany +34.5%; Greater China +18.0%; Australia +2.4%

Top five markets Q3 LFL revenue less pass-through costs on 2019: US +6.2%; UK +9.3%; Germany +32.1%; Greater China -1.7%; Australia -11.2%

Continued new business momentum: $1.7 billion won in Q3, $4.6 billion net year-to-date

Ongoing strategic progress: merger of Finsbury Glover Hering and SVC, acquisition of Satalia in AI

Net debt 1.6 billion, down 1.0 billion year-on-year at 2021 exchange rates: continued good working capital management

448 million share buyback year-to-date: 600 million completed by year end; continuation of buyback up to 2021 preliminary results

Full year 2021 guidance raised again: LFL revenue less pass-through costs 11.5-12.0%, headline operating margin slightly above 14% Mark Read, Chief Executive Officer of WPP, said: "Our very strong performance goes well beyond a cyclical recovery, with like-for-like growth over 2019 at 6.9% in the quarter. Clients across all sectors and geographies are making significant investments in marketing, particularly in digital media and ecommerce services. We are now above 2019 levels in all of our business lines, and with the actions we have taken over the last three years, we are even better positioned for growth. "Our reshaped offer - which combines creativity with technology and data, through Choreograph, with the largest global media platform in GroupM - is proving its value for existing and new clients. This is reflected in the continuation of our longstanding and successful partnership with Unilever, and the growth of our relationship with Bayer. In addition, we are delighted to have won new assignments with Beiersdorf, L'Oreal, Sainsbury's and TD Bank. "We have also made strategic progress, creating the world's leading board-level communications firm through the merger of Finsbury Glover Hering and SVC, and acquiring Satalia, a specialist in artificial intelligence. We continue to return excess capital to shareholders, buying back 4% of our shares so far this year. With strong client demand, a clear strategic direction and a strong balance sheet, we are well positioned to continue our momentum into 2022 and beyond." Overview During the third quarter, the global communications market continued to grow strongly, and this trend was widely reflected across WPP. Our strength in media combined with our focus on digital, commerce and data is delivering very positive momentum in the business. We achieved double-digit growth in like-for-like revenue less pass-through costs in 15 of our top 20 markets and most of our agency networks. On a two-year basis, performance was led by GroupM (37% of WPP in Q3) which was up 14.6% like-for-like, and VMLY&R, which also grew double-digits. Our key agency networks, and most of our markets, delivered an improving two-year trend in Q3 compared to Q2. In new business, we continued to perform well. Most importantly, we retained our long-term partnership with Unilever in media after a thorough review. Including the business won in China last year, we have expanded our remit with Unilever. We also grew our relationship with Bayer, adding the key markets of Germany, Russia and China to our existing media responsibilities. During the period, we won new assignments from Beiersdorf, L'Oreal, Sainsbury's, TD Bank and Under Armour among others. At the same time, we made strong strategic progress through mergers and acquisitions, transforming existing businesses within WPP and bringing in new capabilities to scale across the company. In July, Kantar completed the acquisition of Numerator, which blends proprietary data, including a digital panel of over one million US consumers, with advanced technology to create unique insights that help companies understand their customers in real time and identify growth opportunities. The transaction makes Kantar a leader in shopper insights in the US and Canada, consistent with its market position in 45 other markets. In August, we acquired Satalia, a global leader in enterprise AI and one of the UK's fastest-growing technology companies, with clients including BT (News - Alert), DFS, DS Smith, PwC, Gigaclear, Tesco and Unilever. Combining machine learning and optimisation, it builds technologies that help clients apply AI to their business. Satalia will join Wunderman Thompson Commerce and strengthen the global ecommerce consultancy's technology proposition. It will also act as a hub of AI expertise across WPP. In October, we announced the merger of Finsbury Glover Hering with SVC to create the world's leading strategic communications firm, with deep expertise in government affairs, corporate reputation, crisis management and financial communications. The new combined group will comprise approximately 1,000 professionals operating from 25 offices in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the United States, including its global headquarters in New York. Pro forma combined 2020 revenue was more than $330 million. Revenue in the third quarter was up 9.1% at 3.2 billion, and up 14.3% on a constant currency basis. Net changes from acquisitions and disposals had a negative impact of 0.4% on growth, leading to a like-for-like performance, excluding the impact of currency and acquisitions, of 14.7%. Revenue less pass-through costs in the third quarter was up 9.9% year-on-year to 2.6 billion, and up 15.3% on a constant currency basis. Net changes from acquisitions and disposals had a negative impact of 0.4% on growth, leading to a like-for-like performance, excluding the impact of currency and acquisitions, of 15.7%. Regional review Revenue analysis  million Q3 2021 Q3 2020 +/(-) %

reported +/(-) %

LFL N. America 1,143 1,087 5.2 11.8 United Kingdom 494 426 16.0 17.1 W. Cont Europe 676 587 15.1 21.1 AP, LA, AME, CEE3 927 869 6.7 12.8 Total Group 3,240 2,969 9.1 14.7 Revenue less pass-through costs analysis  million Q3 2021 Q3 2020 +/(-) %

reported +/(-) %

LFL N. America 975 922 5.6 12.2 United Kingdom 362 311 16.4 16.9 W. Cont Europe 562 493 14.0 21.5 AP, LA, AME, CEE 741 675 9.9 15.6 Total Group 2,640 2,401 9.9 15.7 North America saw like-for-like revenue less pass-through costs up 12.2% in the third quarter, with strong growth in both the US and Canada. The US in particular saw a strong acceleration in its two-year LFL growth rate, from 1.8% in Q2 to 6.2% in Q3, driven mainly by GroupM. In the United Kingdom, like-for-like revenue less pass-through costs was up 16.9% and achieved an acceleration in its two-year LFL growth rate from 1.1% in Q2 to 9.3% in Q3. AKQA Group and VMLY&R performed particularly strongly. Western Continental Europe like-for-like revenue less pass-through costs grew by 21.5%. Performance in the region accelerated strongly, driven by Germany where broad-based growth was further boosted by a COVID-related contract. Italy continued to perform strongly while Spain and France also recovered to 2019 levels like-for-like. Asia Pacific, Latin America, Africa & the Middle East and Central & Eastern Europe like-for-like revenue less pass-through costs was up 15.6%. Latin America was comfortably the strongest region, led by Brazil. Asia Pacific continued to recover more slowly, with China, Australia and several other markets still below 2019 levels. Business sector review During 2020, we announced that we would bring together Grey and AKQA under the AKQA Group, brought Geometry and GTB into VMLY&R, and International Healthcare into VMLY&R and Ogilvy (News - Alert). As a result AKQA, Geometry, GTB and International Healthcare are now reported within Global Integrated Agencies, having previously been reported within Specialist Agencies. 2020 comparable revenue and revenue less pass-through costs figures have been adjusted by a total of 229 million and 211 million respectively to reflect this change. Revenue analysis  million Q3 2021 Q3 2020 +/(-) %

reported +/(-) %

LFL Global Integrated Agencies 2,748 2,545 8.0 13.1 Public Relations 245 219 11.7 17.4 Specialist Agencies 247 205 20.7 32.7 Total Group 3,240 2,969 9.1 14.7 Revenue less pass-through costs analysis  million Q3 2021 Q3 2020 +/(-) %

reported +/(-) %

LFL Global Integrated Agencies 2,185 2,016 8.3 13.5 Public Relations 231 210 10.4 16.0 Specialist Agencies 224 175 27.9 41.5 Total Group 2,640 2,401 9.9 15.7 Global Integrated Agencies like-for-like revenue less pass-through costs was up 13.5%. GroupM (37% of WPP's revenue less pass-through costs in the third quarter) was up 19.0% like-for-like, and up 14.6% like-for-like over 2019, reflecting strong structural growth in digital and commerce media. VMLY&R was the next best performer, growing double-digits like-for-like year-on-year and over 2019. All the other agencies showed an improving two-year trend compared to the second quarter. Public Relations like-for-like revenue less pass-through costs was up 16.0%, and up 12.6% over 2019. Demand for board-level strategic communications advice remains strong, and Specialist PR was again the best performer. Both BCW and H+K Strategies maintained strong momentum, with growth accelerating from the second quarter. Specialist Agencies, with like-for-like revenue less pass-through costs up 41.5%, and up 21.8% on 2019, was again the best performing sector within WPP. Our Brand Consulting businesses continue to perform very well, as does CMI, our specialist healthcare media business. Growth for the sector was boosted by the COVID-related contract in Germany. Balance sheet highlights Average net debt in the first nine months of 2021 was 1.6 billion, compared to 2.5 billion in 2020, at 2021 exchange rates, a decrease of 0.9 billion. Net debt at 30 September 2021 was 1.6 billion, compared to 2.3 billion on 30 September 2020, or 2.6 billion at 2021 exchange rates, a decrease of 1.0 billion. Share purchases of 458 million were made in the first nine months of the year, of which 408 million related to share buybacks. As of 27 October 2021 the total share buyback had reached 448 million. 2021 outlook As a result of our continued strong business momentum in Q3, we are further raising our guidance for 2021: Like-for-like revenue less pass-through costs growth of 11.5-12.0% (previously 9-10% growth)

Headline operating margin slightly above 14% (previously towards the upper end of the range of 13.5-14.0%)

Capex 450-500 million Our current projections for foreign exchange movements imply around a 5 percentage point drag to reported revenue less pass-through costs from the strength of sterling year-on-year. As previously guided, we anticipate a small net trade working capital outflow for 2021 of 200-300 million, reflecting some normalisation from the very strong position at the end of 2020. We expect to complete the 600 million share buyback in December. Given the strength of our balance sheet and strong cash generation, we anticipate continuing the buyback at a similar rate up to the date of our 2021 preliminary results, provisionally planned for late February 2022, at which point we will lay out our capital allocation plans for the coming year in more detail. Appendix Regional Review Revenue analysis - Nine Months Year-to-Date  million 9M 2021 9M 2020 +/(-) %

reported +/(-) %

LFL N. America 3,327 3,264 1.9 10.7 United Kingdom 1,421 1,184 20.1 20.1 W. Cont Europe 2,017 1,680 20.0 22.7 AP, LA, AME, CEE 2,608 2,424 7.6 14.8 Total Group 9,373 8,552 9.6 15.6 Revenue less pass-through costs analysis - Nine Months Year-to-Date  million 9M 2021 9M 2020 +/(-) %

reported +/(-) %

LFL N. America 2,792 2,779 0.5 9.1 United Kingdom 1,042 897 16.2 16.9 W. Cont Europe 1,612 1,412 14.1 17.2 AP, LA, AME, CEE 2,093 1,981 5.7 12.3 Total Group 7,539 7,069 6.7 12.6 Business Sector Review During 2020, we announced that we would bring together Grey and AKQA under the AKQA Group, brought Geometry and GTB into VMLY&R, and International Healthcare into VMLY&R and Ogilvy. As a result AKQA, Geometry, GTB and International Healthcare are now reported within Global Integrated Agencies, having previously been reported within Specialist Agencies. 2020 comparable revenue and revenue less pass-through costs figures have been adjusted by a total of 705 million and 646 million respectively to reflect this change. Revenue analysis - Nine Months Year-to-Date  million 9M 2021 9M 2020 +/(-) %

reported +/(-) %

LFL Global Integrated Agencies 7,918 7,270 8.9 15.0 Public Relations 695 666 4.3 10.8 Specialist Agencies 760 616 23.5 27.9 Total Group 9,373 8,552 9.6 15.6 Revenue less pass-through costs analysis - Nine Months Year-to-Date  million 9M 2021 9M 2020 +/(-) % reported +/(-) %

LFL Global Integrated Agencies 6,254 5,913 5.8 11.8 Public Relations 660 636 3.9 10.3 Specialist Agencies 625 520 20.1 24.9 Total Group 7,539 7,069 6.7 12.6 Cautionary statement regarding forward-looking statements This document contains statements that are, or may be deemed to be, "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements give the Group's current expectations or forecasts of future events. An investor can identify these statements by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. They use words such as 'anticipate', 'estimate', 'expect', 'intend', 'will', 'project', 'plan', 'believe', 'target' and other words and terms of similar meaning in connection with any discussion of future operating or financial performance. These forward-looking statements may include, among other things, plans, objectives, projections and anticipated future economic performance based on assumptions and the like that are subject to risks and uncertainties. As such, actual results or outcomes may differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Important factors which may cause actual results to differ include but are not limited to: the unanticipated loss of a material client or key personnel, delays or reductions in client advertising budgets, shifts in industry rates of compensation, regulatory compliance costs or litigation, natural disasters or acts of terrorism, the Company's exposure to changes in the values of other major currencies (because a substantial portion of its revenues are derived and costs incurred outside of the UK) and the overall level of economic activity in the Company's major markets (which varies depending on, among other things, regional, national and international political and economic conditions and government regulations in the world's advertising markets). In addition, you should consider the risks described under Item 3D 'Risk Factors' in the Group's Annual Report on Form 20-F for 2020 and any impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic which could also cause actual results to differ from forward-looking information. In light of these and other uncertainties, the forward-looking statements included in this document should not be regarded as a representation by the Company that the Company's plans and objectives will be achieved. Other than in accordance with its legal or regulatory obligations (including under the Market Abuse Regulation, the UK Listing Rules and the Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules of the Financial Conduct Authority), the Group undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The reader should, however, consult any additional disclosures that the Group may make in any documents which it publishes and/or files with the SEC (News - Alert). All readers, wherever located, should take note of these disclosures. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that any particular expectation will be met and investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Any forward looking statements made by or on behalf of the Group speak only as of the date they are made and are based upon the knowledge and information available to the Directors on the date of this document. _______________________________ 1 Percentage change in reported sterling. 2 Like-for-like. LFL comparisons are calculated as follows: current year, constant currency actual results (which include acquisitions from the relevant date of completion) are compared with prior year, constant currency actual results, adjusted to include the results of acquisitions and disposals for the commensurate period in the prior year. 3 Asia Pacific, Latin America, Africa & Middle East and Central & Eastern Europe. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005511/en/

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[October 28, 2021] TrueProfile.io Jobs: empowering international healthcare staff to help overcome global staffing shortages

DUBAI, UAE, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TrueProfile.io has unveiled its latest addition to the blockchain-powered career platform for the healthcare industry - TrueProfile.io Jobs. Healthcare employers and recruiters can now advertise their current vacancies directly on the TrueProfile.io platform which is currently home to over 300,000 career-focused healthcare professionals. TrueProfile.io Jobs is an end-to-end hiring solution: the TrueProfile.io team sources and shortlists healthcare candidates based on their suitability for a role, as well as their adherence to regulatory requirements and qualifications. Due to TrueProfile.io's insights into verification and licensing as part of the world-renowned DataFlow Group, the TrueProfile.io team can also assist with licensing processes to streamline the hiring process even further. The end result is a pre-screened selection of talented healthcare professionals who are ready to be deployed and have the require documentation for an overseas career move.



As one of the most severely impacted industries in the post-pandemic world, medical recruiters, employers, recruiters, hospitals and clinics have amplified their hiring efforts on a global scale. To accommodate the growing requirement for qualified medical staff in order to continue to dampen the spread of COVID-19 and provide continued patient care throughout all departments, industry recruitment leaders have invested in a partnership with TrueProfile.io to secure quality healthcare talent. Notably, TrueProfile.io has expertise in hiring Filipino healthcare staff due to an ongoing partnership with a renowned POEA licensed Philippine recruitment agency. Together, the objective is to stem the growing shortfall of healthcare staff in the UK and the GCC by hiring qualified medical professionals in the Philippines, India or any country required.

The advent of TrueProfile.io Jobs advocates for hiring international healthcare professionals at scale and at speed with no boundaries to better support strained healthcare systems in the post-pandemic era. About TrueProfile.io TrueProfile.io is powered by the DataFlow Group, a company which has been serving the PSV needs of government entities, authorities and companies around the world since 2006. By being built upon blockchain, TrueProfile.io's aim is to provide these services in a modern environment which ultimately provides applicants with a portable, digital, professional portfolio while providing employers and hiring managers with the verified information they need to make the best hiring decisions. For more information visit: https://www.trueprofile.io. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1672784/TrueProfile_io_Logo.jpg View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/trueprofileio-jobs-empowering-international-healthcare-staff-to-help-overcome-global-staffing-shortages-301410906.html SOURCE TrueProfile.io

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[October 28, 2021] KE Holdings Inc. to Report Third Quarter 2021 Financial Results on November 8, 2021 Eastern Time

KE Holdings Inc. ("Beike" or the "Company") (NYSE: BEKE), a leading integrated online and offline platform for housing transactions and services, today announced that it will report its unaudited financial results for the third quarter of 2021 after the U.S. market close on Monday, November 8, 2021. The Company's management will hold an earnings conference call at 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time on Monday, November 8, 2021 (9:00 A.M. Beijing Time on Tuesday, November 9, 2021). For participants who wish to join the call, please complete online registration using the link provided below at least 20 minutes prior to the scheduled call start time. Upon registration, participants will receive the conference call access information, including dial-in numbers, Direct Event passcode, a unique registrant ID and an e-mail with detailed instructions to join the conference call. Participant Online Registration: http://apac.directeventreg.com/registration/event/2491775 A replay of the conference call will be accessible through November 16, 2021, by dialing the following numbers:







United States Toll Free: +1-855-452-5696 Mainland, China: 400-602-2065 Hong Kong, China: +852-3051-2780 International: +61-2-8199-0299 Conference ID: 2491775

A live and archived webcast of the conference call will also be available at the Company's investor relations website at https://investors.ke.com About KE Holdings Inc. KE Holdings Inc. is a leading integrated online and offline platform for housing transactions and services. The Company is a pioneer in building the industry infrastructure and standards in China to reinvent how service providers and housing customers efficiently navigate and consummate housing transactions, ranging from existing and new home sales, home rentals, to home renovation, real estate financial solutions, and other services. The Company owns and operates Lianjia, China's leading real estate brokerage brand and an integral part of its Beike platform. With 20 years of operating experience through Lianjia since its inception in 2001, the Company believes the success and proven track record of Lianjia pave the way for it to build the industry infrastructure and standards and drive the rapid and sustainable growth of Beike. For more information, please visit: https://investors.ke.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005549/en/

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[October 28, 2021] Rafael Pharmaceuticals Provides Update on Pivotal Phase 3 Clinical Trial in Patients with Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer and Interim Analysis of Pivotal Phase 3 Clinical Trial in Patients with Relapsed or Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia

CRANBURY, N.J., Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rafael Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Rafael or the Company), a company focused on the growing field of cancer metabolism-based therapeutics, today announced that the AVENGER 500 Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of CPI-613 (devimistat) in combination with modified FOLFIRINOX (mFFX) as a first-line therapy in patients with metastatic adenocarcinoma of the pancreas did not meet its primary endpoint of overall survival. In this multi-national Phase 3 randomized clinical trial, 528 patients with metastatic adenocarcinoma of the pancreas who had no prior therapy were randomized to receive either devimistat in combination with modified FOLFIRINOX (mFFX) or FOLFIRINOX, a current standard of care chemotherapy regimen. Devimistat given with mFFX did not significantly improve overall survival (HR=0.95, p=0.66). The median overall survival in the devimistat and mFFX arm was 11.1 months, compared to 11.7 months in the FOLFIRINOX arm. These cancers are incredibly difficult to treat, with few to no effective treatments available, but Rafael took the risk because we will always fight for our patients, said Sanjeev Luther, President and CEO of Rafael Pharmaceuticals. While we are disappointed by the outcomes of these well-designed and well-executed studies, we remain committed to furthering our research and development in cancer metabolism for the treatment of hard-to-treat cancers, as our other studies continue. I personally want to express my heartfelt appreciation to the patients, their loved ones, the researchers and principal investigators for their trust and support. I am also incredibly grateful to my team, who works tirelessly for the patients we treat. Pancreatic cancer carries a high mortality rate and is extremely difficult to treat, but promising earlier clinical data encouraged us to move into this advanced phase trial with devimistat. While these are not the results we all hoped for, we will not give up, and we are hopeful that devimistat with its novel mechanism of action will demonstrate efficacy in other studies, said Philip Philip, M.D., Ph.D., F.R.C.P, principal investigator and medical oncologist at the Karmanos Cancer Institute at Wayne State University. We are working diligenty to further analyze the data and determine the best plan of action to further assess the drugs capabilities in the clinic.



Devimistat is also being evaluated in a Phase 3 study, ARMADA 2000, in patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Following a prespecified interim analysis, the independent data monitoring committee has recommended that the trial be stopped due to lack of efficacy. Earlier clinical trial data demonstrated positive results, despite the challenges we face in treating AML, said Jorge Cortes, M.D., director of the Georgia Cancer Center at Augusta University. We were all hoping for positive results, and while this trial did not meet our expectations, we will continue to test devimistat in other studies.

The company will work with investigators to complete a full evaluation of the data on both trials. About CPI-613 (Devimistat)

CPI-613 (devimistat) is a first-in-class clinical lead compound of Rafael, which targets enzymes that are involved in cancer cell energy metabolism and are located in the mitochondria of cancer cells. Devimistat is designed to target the mitochondrial tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, a process essential to tumor cell multiplication and survival, selectively in cancer cells. Devimistat substantially increases cellular stress and the sensitivity of cancer cells to a diverse range of chemotherapeutic agents. This synergy allows for potential combinations of devimistat with lower doses of these generally toxic drugs to be more effective with lower patient side effects. Combination with devimistat represents a diverse range of opportunities to substantially improve patients benefit in many different cancers. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given Rafael approval to initiate pivotal Phase 3 clinical trials in pancreatic cancer (AVENGER 500) and acute myeloid leukemia (ARMADA 2000) and has designated devimistat as an orphan drug for the treatment of pancreatic cancer, acute myeloid leukemia, myelodysplastic syndrome, peripheral T-cell lymphoma, soft tissue sarcoma, Burkitts lymphoma and biliary tract cancer. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has granted orphan drug designation to devimistat for pancreatic cancer, acute myeloid leukemia and Burkitts lymphoma. About Rafael Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Rafael Pharmaceuticals is focused on the growing field of cancer metabolism. The company is developing a new, first-in-class category of metabolic oncology therapeutic candidates that are designed to attack hard-to-treat cancers by targeting the metabolic processes that these cancers need to survive, grow and proliferate. Rafael Pharmaceuticals lead compound, CPI-613 (devimistat), is an investigational anti-cancer agent that is being evaluated in ongoing and completed Phase 1, 2 and 3 clinical trials. The Company's investors include Rafael Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: RFL). On June 21, 2021, we announced that we have entered into a merger agreement with Rafael Holdings, Inc. to create a publicly traded late-stage clinical oncology company focused on cancer metabolism-based therapeutics. For more information, please visit www.rafaelpharma.com. Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events or the companys future financial performance. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "may", "will", "should", "expect", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "predict", "potential" or "continue", the negative of such terms, or other comparable terminology. These statements are only predictions. Actual events or results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements should not be regarded as a representation by the company, or any other person, that such forward-looking statements will be achieved. The business and operations of the company are subject to substantial risks which increase the uncertainty inherent in forward-looking statements. We undertake no duty to update any of the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. In light of the foregoing, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements.

Media Contact: Sharon Golubchik [email protected] (609) 418-0058

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[October 28, 2021]

Marc and Lynne Benioff, Salesforce Announce $300 Million in Investments to Accelerate Ecosystem Restoration and Climate Justice

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Marc and Lynne Benioff today announced $200 million in new climate investments toward reforestation and restoration effortsestablishing the first-of-its-kind $100 million Benioff TIME Tree Fund and committing $100 million in investments from TIME Ventures, the Benioffs' investment fund.

Salesforce to give $100 million funding in grants over the next 10 years to nonprofits working on ecosystem restoration and climate justice, donate technology through the Power of Us program, and enable volunteers to deliver 2.5 million volunteer hours to organizations focused on climate action.

"We're in a planetary emergencya climate crisis that impacts everyone, especially for the most vulnerable among us. More than half of global GDP is exposed to risk from the nature loss effects of climate change. And it will only get worse unless we collectively take bold steps now to limit global warming," said Marc Benioff, Chair and CEO, Salesforce. "We need to apply every strategy possible to protect and preserve our planet. We must accelerate the world's largest businesses to Net Zero as part of reducing global emissions by half by 2030; sequester 100 gigatons of carbon through restoring, conserving, and growing 1 trillion trees; and energize an ecopreneur revolution to develop new technologies that will expedite the path to a decarbonized planet. Every country, company, community, and person has a responsibility to act nowthe cost of failing to address this global threat will be catastrophic. Our generation will be judged by the actions we take on climate change today."

"What an amazing gift to Planet Earth! By protecting and restoring forests and planting trees, we can help slow down climate change and the loss of biodiversity," said Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE. "We must stop deforestationespecially in tropical regions where old growth forests continue to be threatened by industrial agriculture. We must listen to the wisdom of the indigenous people who have lived in harmony with their forests for generations. We must bring trees into our cities so that people of all incomes can benefit from a green environment."

"We need leaders in every sector of society to stand up and do the right thing for the climate. Youth around the world have been demanding governments and companies drastically reduce carbon emissions, focus on climate restoration, and increase their commitments to the Paris Agreement. We need to see more climate leadership like Marc Benioff and Salesforce, who have already achieved net zero and 100% renewable energy. But there's still more to do. Business leaders have a responsibility to influence other business leaders to take climate action. The future of my generation and the generations that follow depends on it!" said Alexandria Villasenor, co-founder of U.S. Youth Climate Strike and founder of Earth Uprising.

The Benioff TIME Tree Fund

The Benioff TIME Tree Fund will focus on indigenous and community-based forest management and mitigating the increasing impacts of climate change on the most at-risk communities and natural ecosystems in emerging and developing countries. The Benioff TIME Tree Fund builds on the Benioffs' ongoing efforts to slow the effects of climate change and preserve a better world for future generations. Since 2016, the Benioffs have given $68 million in climate-related grants.

In January 2020, the Benioffs contributed the initial financial support to establish 1t.org , a global movement with the goal to conserve, restore, and grow 1 trillion trees by the end of the decade. In 2016, the Benioffs donated $10 million to the University of California Santa Barbara and founded the Benioff Ocean Initiative , a science-based organization that links changemakers together to bring ocean solutions to life. To date, the Benioff Ocean Initiative has funded dozens of projects, including new technologies that capture plastic in rivers all over the world before that plastic reaches the ocean, and Whale Safe, AI-powered, whale-detection technology that helps ship captains avoid striking and killing whalesand in so doing aids in the fight against climate change .







To ensure the preservation of our oceans, the Benioffs partnered with National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to form the Pacific Islands Research and Conservation program in 2017. They are also founding members of the World Economic Forum (WEF)'s Friends of Ocean Action initiative, providing nearly $11 million in funding through the Benioff Ocean Initiative.

TIME Ventures

Every day, ecopreneursentrepreneurs dedicated to protecting the planetare launching new innovations to reduce emissions, sequester carbon, and repair and protect natural resources. With today's announcement, the Benioffs will commit another $100 million from TIME Ventures to continue to fund the ecopreneur revolution. Since 2014, the Benioffs have invested $100 million in ecopreneurs, including climate-focused startups like DroneSeed, Loam Bio, Mango Materials, NCX, Novoloop, Planet, Terraformation, and others.

Salesforce Climate Action Plan

Salesforce is a Net Zero company across its full value chain and has achieved 100% renewable energy for its operations. The company is a founder of 1t.org and has already funded more than 40 million trees toward its 100 million tree goal , and is a member of the UN's Race to Zero and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.

Salesforce has been on its sustainability journey for more than a decade. Executing on a comprehensive Climate Action Plan , the company is helping drive toward a 1.5 degree future by focusing on six sustainability priorities: emissions reduction, carbon removal, trillion trees & ecosystem restoration, education & mobilization, innovation, and regulation & policy. As part of Salesforce's Net Zero journey, it is prioritizing reducing emissions as quickly as possible and aligning its own full value chain emissions (Scope 1, 2, and 3) to the global trajectory of ~50% emissions reductions by 2030, and near-zero emissions by 2040.

With its Sustainability Cloud 2.0 , Salesforce is supercharging its efforts to help accelerate the world's largest businesses to Net Zero, faster. Sustainability Cloud is designed to help customers track and reduce their emissions and take impactful action on climate.

Salesforce is on an accelerated mission leveraging its full power to create a more sustainable and equitable future for all.

More Information on Salesforce Sustainability Initiatives:

About Salesforce

Salesforce, the global CRM leader, empowers companies of every size and industry to digitally transform and create a 360 view of their customers. For more information about Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), visit: www.salesforce.com .

Any unreleased services or features referenced in this or other press releases or public statements are not currently available and may not be delivered on time or at all. Customers who purchase Salesforce applications should make their purchase decisions based upon features that are currently available. Salesforce has headquarters in San Francisco, with offices in Europe and Asia, and trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "CRM." For more information please visit https://www.salesforce.com , or call 1-800-NO-SOFTWARE.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/marc-and-lynne-benioff-salesforce-announce-300-million-in-investments-to-accelerate-ecosystem-restoration-and-climate-justice-301410894.html

SOURCE Salesforce
[October 28, 2021] Access Ready Looks at National Disability Employment Awareness Month

PINELLAS PARK, Fla., Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Reporter Newsletter is a service of Access Ready, Inc. which is a nonprofit cross disability advocacy organization promoting a policy of inclusion and accessibility across information technology through education and best practices. The Board of Directors of Access Ready has deemed inaccessible information technology to be a clear, growing, and present danger to the civic, economic, and social welfare of people with disabilities. National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), which is an opportunity for the US to recognize the vital role people with disabilities play in the workforce, kicked off earlier this month with the signing of a proclamation by President Joe Biden Read More WANT REAL INCLUSIVITY? START HIRING MORE PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), which is an opportunity for the US to recognize the vital role people with disabilities play in the workforce, kicked off earlier this month with the signing of a proclamation by President Joe Biden Read More CLIMATE RESILIENCE EFFORTS POSE NEW RISKS FOR DISABLED PEOPLE

Diversity, equity and inclusion have become common buzzwords in job applications over the past year and a half. That mainly has to do with a public outcry for better, more equitable practices and policies from employers to foster accountability. Read More 'THIS IS NOT INCLUSIVE.' SOME STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES ARE GOING WITHOUT AS DISTRICTS SCALE BACK VIRTUAL PROGRAMS As the new school year approached, Susan Graham wanted to know: Would her California school district have a remote learning option for her fifth grader? State lawmakers put strict limits on virtual learning this year, so her sons district wasn't offering daily classes over Zoom anymore. Read More FSU PHD CANDIDATE RECEIVES NEH GRANT TO IMPROVE VISUAL ACCESSIBILITY

Aaron Rodriguez, an English doctoral candidatein Florida State University is History of Text Technologies program, has been awarded a $99,915 grant from the National Endowment of the Humanities (NEH). Read More



LAWSUIT PROVIDES BLIND INDIVIDUALS WITH ACCESS TO NEW YORK STATE'S EMERGENCY MASS NOTIFICATION SYSTEM

People who are blind and use screen readers will now have independent access to life-saving information offered by NY-Alert, New York States Mass Notification System. Read More DON'T FORGET PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE EFFORTS, REPORT SAYS

Even companies committed to diversity, equity and inclusion may be getting accessibility wrong for people with disabilities. The missing piece? Inclusive language. Read More

BIDEN DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE STEPS UP ADA TITLE III ENFORCEMENT

LEGAL UPDATE: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, U.S. ATTORNEYS OFFICES, CHAMPIONING DIGITAL ACCESS

As we predicted in January, the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice (DOJ) under the Biden Administration has been very busy Read More WHAT IF WE COULD END BLINDNESS FOREVER?

I would be willing to bet you take seeing for granted. Unfortunately, an estimated 43 million people worldwide are not so fortunate. Today marks World Sight Day, an annual event launched to call public attention to the ancient scourge of blindness.. Read More PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES FACE MORE BARRIERS ACCESSING COVID-19 VACCINE, CDC DATA SHOWS Read More CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN STEM CAREERS

Professionals with disabilities often face considerable difficulties in the workforce, specifically in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Read More EQUALITY ACT COULD UNDERMINE BUSINESS DEFENDANTS IN WEB ACCESS SUITS

There's probably no issue of regulation on which I've been sounding the alarm for a longer time than on web accessibility, as it's called. Many disabled rights advocates believe it should be, or already is, a violation of federal law for a business or a professional practice to post content online that is not fully accessible. That means, fitted out with video captions and action descriptions, alternative text, or alternative navigation methods for the benefit of potential users who are blind, deaf, or lacking in the fine motor skills needed to control a mouse, to name but three user groupsRead More Sponsored by Commonlook

Content Curation sponsored by Microassist

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727-531-1000

[email protected] View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/access-ready-looks-at-national-disability-employment-awareness-month-301410952.html SOURCE Access Ready Inc.

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[October 28, 2021] Advanced Manufacturing Minneapolis Returns to the Show Floor With Support From 25 Influential Industry Partners

Informa (News - Alert) Markets' Advanced Manufacturing Minneapolis, the Midwest's leading end-to-end design and manufacturing event, today revealed a collection of influential partner-led activations, content and engagement as part of the effort to enhance the experience for all who attend the in-person event November 3 and 4, at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Comprised of five co-located events - Medical Design & Manufacturing (MD&M), Design & Manufacturing (D&M), Automation Technology Expo (ATX), Plastec, and MinnPack - Advanced Manufacturing Minneapolis offers attendees access to product discovery with more than 400 suppliers, an expertly curated four-track medical conference, career building tools, and networking opportunities - all designed to help engineers and manufacturers create tomorrow's next innovations. Advanced Manufacturing Minneapolis partner-led opportunities include: Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP) Minnesota Chapter: The award-winning IoPP chapter will present its annual student awards at the event, as well as member presentation on packaging sustainability. Visit IoPP MN in booth 817.

The award-winning IoPP chapter will present its annual student awards at the event, as well as member presentation on packaging sustainability. Visit IoPP MN in booth 817. Medical Alley Association : Founded in 1984, the Medical Alley Association supports and advances the global leadership of Minnesota's Medical Alley healthcare industry, and its connectivity around the world. Visit Medical Alley Association in booth 1241.

: Founded in 1984, the Medical Alley Association supports and advances the global leadership of Minnesota's Medical Alley healthcare industry, and its connectivity around the world. Visit Medical Alley Association in booth 1241. MedtechWomen : MedtechWomen's focus is to deliver content-focused forums around what's next in medtech, to expand women's opportunities to speak and create visibility for their expertise, to inspire current and future leaders to take on the next level of career challenge, and to create a strong network to facilitate partnerships, collaborations, and deals. MedtechWomen will present a panel and networking breakfast focused on advancing female and diverse leadership from within.

: MedtechWomen's focus is to deliver content-focused forums around what's next in medtech, to expand women's opportunities to speak and create visibility for their expertise, to inspire current and future leaders to take on the next level of career challenge, and to create a strong network to facilitate partnerships, collaborations, and deals. MedtechWomen will present a panel and networking breakfast focused on advancing female and diverse leadership from within. Meet Minneapolis : Promoting all the remarkable features, assets, and businesses across the city of Minneapolis, Meet Minneapolis has supported Advanced Manufacturing Minneapolis as an event partner and by supplying local restaurant gift cards that will be shared with attendees as part of a 2021 sweepstakes.

: Promoting all the remarkable features, assets, and businesses across the city of Minneapolis, Meet Minneapolis has supported Advanced Manufacturing Minneapolis as an event partner and by supplying local restaurant gift cards that will be shared with attendees as part of a 2021 sweepstakes. Surface Mount Technology Association (SMTA): Advanced Manufacturing Minneapolis welcomes the Eden Prairie, MN-based partner and its event SMTA International to the Minneapolis Convention Center this November. Together, the events bring one of he largest audiences of engineering and manufacturing professionals to the Midwest.

Advanced Manufacturing Minneapolis welcomes the Eden Prairie, MN-based partner and its event SMTA International to the Minneapolis Convention Center this November. Together, the events bring one of he largest audiences of engineering and manufacturing professionals to the Midwest. Sterilization Packaging Manufacturers Council (SPMC): The SPMC is a council of the Flexible Packaging Association comprised of Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) member companies which specialize in packaging for the medical device. Visit SPMC in booth 831 and attend its free educational session on the unique requirements and standards for medical packaging.

The SPMC is a council of the Flexible Packaging Association comprised of Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) member companies which specialize in packaging for the medical device. Visit SPMC in booth 831 and attend its free educational session on the unique requirements and standards for medical packaging. University of Minnesota & Institute for Engineering in Medicine's Bakken Medical Devices Center : Presenting the Innovation Zone, University of Minnesota & Institute for Engineering in Medicine's Bakken Medical Devices Center will bring together the industry's most revolutionary and exciting new products. Attendees can walk the zone at their own pace, see the future on display in booth 307. The university will also present a session discussing how it worked with partners to develop a low-cost alternative to traditional ventilators in 67 days during the pandemic.

: Presenting the Innovation Zone, University of Minnesota & Institute for Engineering in Medicine's Bakken Medical Devices Center will bring together the industry's most revolutionary and exciting new products. Attendees can walk the zone at their own pace, see the future on display in booth 307. The university will also present a session discussing how it worked with partners to develop a low-cost alternative to traditional ventilators in 67 days during the pandemic. VSI Labs: Based in Saint Louis Park, MN, VSI Labs will bring an advanced automotive to booth 525 and provide static demonstrations of sensor technologies that will move us closer to autonomous vehicles, as well as present a free educational session on automated driving.



"We are proud to return to Minneapolis next week, a key market for engineering and manufacturing in the U.S., with more than 324,000 manufacturing workers and 3 times the national average in medtech employment," said Suzanne Deffree, Group Event Director, Informa Markets - Engineering. "As we return to support this vital region, we bring with us more than 25 organization and media partners, all recognizing the American Midwest's impact on the global design and manufacturing industry."

A full list of Advanced Manufacturing Minneapolis' partners can be found on its website. For more information and to join the community in-person next week, visit our website or register to attend. Stay connected across MD&M, Design & Manufacturing, ATX, Plastec, and MinnPack with #DiscoverEngineerBuild Facebook

LinkedIn

Twitter To cover the event, get your pass here: Press Registration. About Informa Markets - Engineering: Informa Markets' Engineering portfolio is the leading B2B event producer, publisher, and digital media business for the world's $3-trillion advanced, technology-based manufacturing industry. Our print and electronic products deliver trusted information to the engineering market and leverage our proprietary 1.3-million-name database to connect suppliers with buyers and purchase influencers. We produce more than 50 events and conferences in a dozen countries, connecting manufacturing professionals from around the globe. The Engineering portfolio is organized by Informa, the world's leading exhibitions organizer that brings a diverse range of specialist markets to life, unlocking opportunities and helping them thrive 365 days of the year. For more information, please visit www.informamarkets.com. About Informa Markets Informa Markets creates platforms for industries and specialist markets to trade, innovate and grow. Our portfolio comprises more than 550 international B2B events and brands in markets including Engineering, Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals, Infrastructure, Construction & Real Estate, Fashion & Apparel, Hospitality, Food & Beverage, and Health & Nutrition, among others. We provide customers and partners around the globe with opportunities to engage, experience and do business through face-to-face exhibitions, specialist digital content and actionable data solutions. As the world's leading exhibitions organizer, we bring a diverse range of specialist markets to life, unlocking opportunities and helping them to thrive 365 days of the year. For more information, please visit www.informamarkets.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005403/en/

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Mastercard Incorporated Third-Quarter 2021 Financial Results Available on Company's Website

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE: MA) today announced its third quarter 2021 financial results through an earnings release available on the company's Investor Relations website at investor.mastercard.com. The earnings release will be furnished with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC (News - Alert)) on a Form 8-K and available here.

At 9:00 a.m. ET today, the company will host a conference call to discuss these financial results.

Conference Call Details:







U.K. local dial-in: 02035478612

Conference ID: 9160547

A replay of the call will be available for 30 days using the following dial-in:

U.S. dial-in: 800-585-8367

International dial-in (outside the U.S.): +1-416-621-4642

Conference ID: 9160547

The webcast recording and all related materials can also be accessed at investor.mastercard.com.

About Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE: MA), www.mastercard.com

Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry. Our mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart and accessible. Using secure data and networks, partnerships and passion, our innovations and solutions help individuals, financial institutions, governments and businesses realize their greatest potential. Our decency quotient, or DQ, drives our culture and everything we do inside and outside of our company. With connections across more than 210 countries and territories, we are building a sustainable world that unlocks priceless possibilities for all.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005634/en/
[October 28, 2021] Marcus & Millichap, Inc. to Report Third Quarter 2021 Financial Results on Friday, November 5, 2021

Marcus & Millichap, Inc. (NYSE: MMI), a leading national brokerage firm specializing in commercial real estate investment sales, financing and research and advisory services, announced today it will report its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2021 on Friday, November 5, 2021, before market open. The Company will host a webcast and a conference call the same day to discuss the results at 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time. The call will be hosted by Hessam Nadji, President and Chief Executive Officer and Steve DeGennaro, Chief Financial Officer. WEBCAST INFORMATION A live webcast of the call will be accessible through the Investor Relations section of Marcus & Millichap's website at ir.marcusmillichap.com and will be archived upon completion of the cal. The Company encourages use of the webcast due to potential extended wait times to access the conference call via dial-in.



CONFERENCE CALL For those unable to access the webcast, callers from the United States and Canada should dial 1-877-407-9208 ten minutes prior to the scheduled call time. International callers should dial 1-201-493-6784.

REPLAY INFORMATION For those unable to participate during the live broadcast, a telephonic replay of the call will also be available from 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, November 5, 2021 through 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, November 19, 2021 by dialing 1-844-512-2921 in the United States and Canada or 1-412-317-6671 internationally and entering passcode 13724201. About Marcus & Millichap, Inc. Marcus & Millichap, Inc. is a leading national brokerage firm specializing in commercial real estate investment sales, financing, research and advisory services. As of December 31, 2020, the Company had 2,097 investment sales and financing professionals in 84 offices who provide investment brokerage and financing services to sellers and buyers of commercial real estate. The Company also offers market research, consulting and advisory services to clients. Marcus & Millichap closed 8,954 transactions in 2020, with a sales volume of approximately $43.4 billion. For additional information, please visit www.MarcusMillichap.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005259/en/

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[October 28, 2021] VMware and eero, an Amazon Company, to Deliver Whole-Home Wi-Fi to Remote Workers

Today VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW) announced it will collaborate with eero, an Amazon company, on work-from-home capabilities that will boost remote network connectivity while extending critical security services to devices connecting to an at-home corporate network. Designed for work-from-home employees in the U.S. and delivered by strategic channel partners, the collaboration is designed to pair eero 6 series mesh Wi-Fi systems with VMware SASE Work from Home solution. In addition, as part of this agreement, VMware is announcing eero is a preferred Wi-Fi provider. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005633/en/ Deploying VMware and eero solutions together will enable IT teams to extend a better at-home Wi-Fi experience for their employees, working alongside VMware's solution to deliver cloud networking and cloud security services. (Graphic: Business Wire) "We ask a lot of our home Wi-Fi these days. At any given moment it may be supporting multiple data-intensive tasks: from joining a work video-conference call, to streaming and gaming in 4K, to supporting an online learning environment, and more. When your network is stretched too thin, your work-from-home performance can suffer," said Sean Harris, vice president of sales and marketing, eero. "Through this collaboration with VMware, we're able to offer fast, reliable, and more secure Wi-Fi for remote workers." Deploying VMware and eero solutions together will enable IT teams to extend a better at-home Wi-Fi experience for their employees, working alongside VMware's solution to deliver cloud networking and cloud security services. Channel partners will be able to offer customers a solution that brings together: ? eero 6 series mesh Wi-Fi systems featuring Wi-Fi 6: Employees need not be limited to working from one location in the home. eero 6 series mesh Wi-Fi systems feature Wi-Fi 6, delivering fast speeds and solid coverage for simultaneous device usage throughout the home so employees will be able to say goodbye to dead spots in the home and enjoy strong app performance. Employers will have the option to offer eero Pro 6, a tri-band, high-performance mesh Wi-Fi 6 router designed for homes with Gigabit internet connections, or eero 6, a dual-band mesh Wi-Fi 6 router designed for homes with internet connections up to 500 Mbps. With eero Secure, employees will receive an added layerof security for their home Wi-Fi, including parental controls for safe search, content filters, advanced security preventing access to sites flagged as malicious, ad blocking to protect their privacy and speed up their browsing experience, and now data usage insights to better manage time online.



? VMware SASE is a cloud-hosted solution that will help enable more secure, reliable, and efficient connectivity between user traffic from the eero Wi-Fi network in the home to the applications in public cloud, SaaS (News - Alert) cloud and on-premises data centers. VMware SASE brings dynamic remediation capabilities when broadband networks experience packet loss, latency, and jitter. The solution recognizes over 3,000 apps automatically, and intelligently prioritizes business-critical application traffic, providing a better user experience. The solution handles latency-sensitive, real-time traffic like audio, video, VDI and IoT, providing a low-latency optimal path using a global network of SASE Points of Presence (PoPs) close to the eero Wi-Fi users. These PoPs are strategically placed at the doorstep of major SaaS and IaaS providers to offer under 15 milliseconds of latency between users and their applications in the majority of deployments. For IT teams, VMware SASE helps deliver operational simplicity leveraging the centralized Orchestrator to drive networking and security policies. IT can configure these policies and push them to all the remote sites powered by eero Wi-Fi systems. In addition, VMware SASE uses AIOps to give IT teams the visibility they need to determine the actual user experience when users access cloud applications. The solution compares performance benchmarks between different sites and identifies opportunities for improvement. The solution is not limited to simply identifying and analyzing issues, it also helps remediate these issues proactively with a path to self-healing.

Craig Connors, vice president and CTO, Service Provider and Edge, VMware, added, "This collaboration brings together two work-from-home technology leaders. We share a common vision to have technology be an enabler of a great remote work experience rather than an obstacle. Our technologies have played a critical role in empowering remote workers everywhere and we look forward to bringing our capabilities together to deliver a differentiated mesh Wi-Fi solution to our customers." To learn more about the partnership between VMware and eero, visit https://sase.vmware.com/partners/eero. Additional Resources Read a perspective on today's news from eero, an Amazon company, in this blog post.

Bookmark the VMware SASE blog

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn About VMware VMware is a leading provider of multi-cloud services for all apps, enabling digital innovation with enterprise control. As a trusted foundation to accelerate innovation, VMware software gives businesses the flexibility and choice they need to build the future. Headquartered in Palo Alto (News - Alert), California, VMware is committed to building a better future through the company's 2030 Agenda. For more information, please visit www.vmware.com/company. The eero logo and images are trademarks licensed by eero inc. VMware and VMware SASE are registered trademarks or trademarks of VMware, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other jurisdictions. This article may contain hyperlinks to non-VMware websites that are created and maintained by third parties who are solely responsible for the content on such websites. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005633/en/

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[October 28, 2021] Growing Popularity of Cryptocurrency Could Fuel Charitable Giving

The rising awareness and adoption of cryptocurrency among investors could be good news for charitable giving. According to a study by Fidelity Charitable, owners of cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin or Ethereum are a disproportionately more charitable group. Forty-five percent of cryptocurrency investors donated $1,000 or more to charity in 2020, compared to 33 percent of the full investor population. Cryptocurrency's popularity among Millennials makes it increasingly likely that this trend is here to stay. Millennials are more knowledgeable about cryptocurrency and more likely to have invested than older generations-and they are far more confident in the long-term outlook for digital assets. Nearly half of Millennials (48 percent) say they are knowledgeable about cryptocurrency, compared to 18 percent of all investors.

More than one-in-three young investors (35 percent) currently own cryptocurrency, compared to 13 percent of all investors. Among Millennials who do not, half say they are likely to consider investing in digital assets in the next year.

Nearly half of Millennials believe cryptocurrency is a smart investment, compared to only six percent of Baby Boomers. In addition to their disproportionate interest in cryptocurrency, Millennials are also a charitably inclined generation. Nearly nine-in-ten Millennials say charitable giving is an important part of their lives, compared to 74 percent of the total population. Similarly, three-quarters of Millennials consider themselves philanthropists, compared to only 45 percent of the total population. "As investors-particularly Millennials-combine their interest in digital currency with their charitable values, digital assets have the potential to become a significant source of funding for philanthropy," said Tony Oommen of Fidelity Charitabe. "Donors have already contributed $158 million in cryptocurrency assets to their donor-advised funds at Fidelity Charitable this year, a 464 percent increase from 2020. This offers advantages both for the donors, who can minimize their capital gains tax owed, and for nonprofits, who will be the beneficiaries of larger gifts and who often have a hard time accepting these assets directly."



Though its popularity is on the rise, the full financial implications of investing in cryptocurrency are not yet widely understood-even among those who have invested. More than one-in-three cryptocurrency investors (38 percent) are not aware that selling digital assets is a taxable event. Similarly, there is significant confusion about donating these assets to charity-a tax-savvy strategy that can potentially minimize the investor's tax burden. More than half (55 percent) are not sure that digital assets can be donated to charity. Despite this knowledge gap, many cryptocurrency owners are beginning to explore using these assets for charitable purposes, with one-third of cryptocurrency owners saying they have donated digital assets to charity. Reflecting the challenges that still exist in transacting in cryptocurrency, many of those who donated found the process challenging. Nearly half (46 percent) of those who made crypto donations say it was difficult to find charities that accept cryptocurrency donations. A similar number, 50 percent, say the charity required a larger amount than they wanted to give, and 44 percent say it was a cumbersome process.

"As the cryptocurrency market expands and matures, we would expect to see that many of the transactional processes that investors find clunky or difficult today become smoother, including the ability to donate these assets for charitable purposes," said Oommen. "There is a tremendous role advisors can play here in not only educating clients on the implications of investing in cryptocurrencies, but in helping them look across all assets they hold to determine the most effective way to support their charitable giving." Read the full study. Methodology: This report is based on a study conducted in July and August 2021 by Artemis Strategy Group, an independent research firm, on behalf of Fidelity Charitable. The study examined cryptocurrency and charitable giving among 1,216 investors in the U.S. who have a minimum of $25,000 in investable assets outside of an employer retirement plan. About Fidelity Charitable Fidelity Charitable is an independent public charity that has helped donors support more than 328,000 nonprofit organizations with over $51 billion in grants. Established in 1991, Fidelity Charitable launched the first national donor-advised fund program. The mission of the organization is to grow the American tradition of philanthropy by providing programs that make charitable giving accessible, simple and effective. For more information about Fidelity Charitable, visit www.fidelitycharitable.org. Follow us on Twitter (News - Alert) @FidelityChrtbl 1000663.1.0 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005198/en/

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PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust Announces Date for Release of Third Quarter 2021 Results

PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust (NYSE: PMT) will announce results for the quarter ended September 30, 2021 in a news release to be issued after the market close on Thursday, November 4, 2021. The release will be available online at www.PennyMac-REIT.com.

The Company's executives will review the results in a recorded presentation. The recording and accompanying slide presentation will be available on the Company's websiteconcurrently with the news release.







Individuals who are unable to access the website but would like to receive a copy of the slide presentation should contact the Company's Investor Relations department at (818) 224-7028.

About PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust

PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust is a mortgage real estate investment trust (REIT) that invests primarily in residential mortgage loans and mortgage-related assets. PMT is externally managed by PNMAC Capital Management, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of PennyMac Financial Services, Inc. (NYSE: PFSI). Additional information about PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust is available at www.PennyMac-REIT.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005284/en/
[October 28, 2021] Wilson Perumal & Company Promotes Ernie Spence to Principal

DALLAS, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Wilson Perumal & Company, Inc. (WP&C), a premier strategy and operations consultancy, is pleased to announce the promotion of Ernie Spence to Principal. In his new role, Spence will oversee multiple project teams solving critical issues for C-level clients, and serve as a member of the firm's leadership team. "Ernie is a tremendous asset," said Andrei Perumal, co-founder and managing partner of WP&C. "He is a great talent and has a huge bandwidth. In the Principal role, Ernie will be able to have even greater impact, across a greater number of clients, and a larger role in team and firm development." Spence has a proven track record of helping companies, private equity firms, and government organizations develop and implement practical solutions to pressing operational and strategic challenges. In his five years at WP&C, he has consistently led successful projects across a variety of industries, leveraging his deep experience in organizational transformation, leadership development, business strategy, workforce management, and human performance. A trusted advisor to senior executives and a TEDx speaker, Spence co-designed WP&C's proprietary Leadership Development Program, upervisor Behavior Model, and Human Capital Strategy framework. He recently led the organizational transformation of a US military organization that reduced operating costs by over $85 million, and led a private equity due diligence team in the successful acquisition and growth strategy development of a $100 million fabricator.



"I am grateful for the many opportunities I have to serve our clients," said Spence. "It is truly a privilege to lead our incredibly talented consultants." Spence previously served as Vice President of Operations for Synexxus. Earlier, as a fighter pilot and test pilot in the US Navy, Spence commanded and turned around multiple F/A-18 squadrons, including the largest in the Navy, for which he reduced operations and maintenance costs by 36% in one year. He earned an MS Aeronautical Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School/U.S. Naval Test Pilot School and an MS National Resource Strategy from the National Defense University, Eisenhower School.

About Wilson Perumal & Company

Founded in 2009, Wilson Perumal & Company is a leading management consulting firm with depth in strategy and operations. WP&C is a complexity thought leader, with publications including Waging War on Complexity Costs and Growth in the Age of Complexity, published by McGraw-Hill. WP&C partners with leading multinational corporations, private equity firms, and government entities to help them develop and execute strategies to thrive in a complex world. Wilson Perumal & Company Contact

Jeannie Elliott

+1 (972) 716-3930

[email protected]

www.wilsonperumal.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/wilson-perumal--company-promotes-ernie-spence-to-principal-301410281.html SOURCE Wilson Perumal & Company

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[October 28, 2021] Avasant Recognizes Wipro as a Leader in the High-Tech Digital Services 2021-2022 RadarView Report

Wipro (News - Alert) Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO), a leading global information technology, consulting, and business process services company, announced that it has been recognized as a Leader in the Avasant High-Tech Digital Services 2021-2022 RadarView Report. The report is an independent assessment that reflects the true capabilities of service providers and evaluates them as long-term partners for digitally evolving global organizations. Parinita Singh, Principal Analyst, Avasant said, "Wipro has a mature, high-tech practice and a vast client portfolio with more than 130 high-tech clients. With over 30 years of industry experience, 35 delivery centers, multiple, long-term client relationships, and an array of industry solutions and case studies, Wipro emerged as a leader in the High-Tech Industry Digital Services 2021-2022 RadarView." Aongus Hegarty, President, International Markets, Dell (News - Alert) said, "Dell Technologies has a strong culture of performance, and is focused on helping our customers seize growth opportunities in key areas like multi-cloud, edge and 5G. Our work with Wipro is another example of how we continue to innovate with service providers around the globe to assist organizations make the most out of data at the edge, across multiple cloud and traditional IT environments. Wipro's tech expertise is an important part of our partner ecosystem and an asset to our joint customers." Angan Guha, CEO, Americas 2, Wipro Limited said, "We have a long history of leadership in high-tech as one of the first technology companies in the sector. We continue to invest in offerings like engineering, cybersecurity, 5G Labs, Technovation, and Wipro FullStride Cloud Services and acquisitions like Eximius Design, 4C, and Rational Interaction to help clients stay ahead and transform products, experiences, and their businesses to better serve customers." Avasant's assessment methodology is based on a proprietary Digital Maturity Framework, which measures technology product and service providers on the factors that are most critical to global organizations. The report recognized Wipro's leadership in four key areas: practice maturity, investment, innovation, and partner ecosystem. Practice Maturity - Wipro's high-tech sector business has more than 3000 domain experts certified across leading cloud service providers, over 130 active clients, and 35 delivery centers. Additionally, Avasant highlighted several areas where Wipro has gained traction, enabling solutions from a broader capability set: 1) the Vantage solution, 2) 360 Global Signal (News - Alert) Hub, and 3) dynamic content creation and contextualization. Investments & Innovation - The report also cites Wipro's enhanced capabilities, solution offerings, and investments and acquisitions of a variety of innovative companies. A broad range of patents bolsters Wipro's ability to deliver in the areas of cloud migration, automation, artificial intelligence, system design solutions, subscription services, digitized channels, blockchain enhancements, and network slice advanced solutions. Partner Ecosystem - Avasant also notes Wipro's long-standing client relationships and 360-degree relationship with several niche high-tech partners. These relationships enable Wipro to deliver end-to-end solutions along the full range of needs. Wipro's most requested expertise is in R&D, product strategy, supply chain, manufacturing, sals and marketing, customer experience and after-market optimization and operations.



To view the full report, please click here. Learn more about Wipro's Communications, Consumer Electronics, New Age & Media, Network & Edge Providers, Platform & Software Products, and Semiconductor businesses.

About Wipro Limited Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO) is a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company. We harness the power of cognitive computing, hyper-automation, robotics, cloud, analytics and emerging technologies to help our clients adapt to the digital world and make them successful. A company recognized globally for its comprehensive portfolio of services, strong commitment to sustainability and good corporate citizenship, we have over 220,000 dedicated employees serving clients across six continents. Together, we discover ideas and connect the dots to build a better and a bold new future. Forward-Looking Statements The forward-looking statements contained herein represent Wipro's beliefs regarding future events, many of which are by their nature, inherently uncertain and outside Wipro's control. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding Wipro's growth prospects, its future financial operating results, and its plans, expectations and intentions. Wipro cautions readers that the forward-looking statements contained herein are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results anticipated by such statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding fluctuations in our earnings, revenue and profits, our ability to generate and manage growth, complete proposed corporate actions, intense competition in IT services, our ability to maintain our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which we make strategic investments, withdrawal of fiscal governmental incentives, political instability, war, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our business and industry. The conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic could decrease technology spending, adversely affect demand for our products, affect the rate of customer spending and could adversely affect our customers' ability or willingness to purchase our offerings, delay prospective customers' purchasing decisions, adversely impact our ability to provide on-site consulting services and our inability to deliver our customers or delay the provisioning of our offerings, all of which could adversely affect our future sales, operating results and overall financial performance. Our operations may also be negatively affected by a range of external factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic that are not within our control. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, Annual Reports on Form 20-F. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. We may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. We do not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by us or on our behalf. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005672/en/

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[October 28, 2021] Hydro One Telecom Inc. rebrands as Acronym Solutions Inc. to support new corporate mission and accelerated growth in the Information and Communications Technology sector

TORONTO, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Today, Hydro One Telecom Inc., a wholly-owned Hydro One Limited company, announced that it is rebranding as Acronym Solutions Inc. (Acronym), a strategic move to signal its focus on providing more value added solutions for business customers. This renewed focus will support the company's aspiration of being the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) provider of choice for businesses in Ontario. With its roots in leveraging electrical infrastructure to provide utility-grade high-speed connectivity, Acronym has recently evolved into a company that offers a broad array of connectivity, cloud and professional services and solutions to public and private sector businesses. "The strategic name change to Acronym reflects our vision of a better and brighter future for all, through our focus on customers," said Mark Poweska, President and CEO, Hydro One Limited. "We aim to be a trusted advisor with both our electricity customers, served by Hydro One Networks Inc., and our communications technology business customers, served by Acronym. This change reaffirms our commitment to transform the way we do business and grow our unregulated subsidiaries while providing substantial value to all of our customers." "This is an important milestone in our journey to transform Hydro One Telecom Inc. from a provider of connectivity to a full-service Information and Communications Technology solutions provider," said John Papadakis, President and CEO, Acronym Solutions Inc. "Rebranding as Acronym signals our intention to build upon our legacy and continuously evolve our product offerings to serve an expanded range of business segments. Our customer-first approach enables us to simplify the experience and make digital transformation easier to help businesses reach their full potential." As part of its customer-focused strategy, the company has expanded on its traditional strength of providing fibre-optic connectivity with recent additions of advanced services such as Secure SD-WAN, Network Operations and Field Operations as a Service and DDoS Shield. Visit www.hydroonetelecom.com/acronym/ for more information. About Acronym Solutions Inc. Acronym Solutions Inc. is a full-srvice Information and Communications Technology (ICT) company that provides a range of scalable and secure network connectivity, cloud and operational solutions. We support Ontario-based businesses, large enterprise, service providers, healthcare providers, public sector organizations and agencies, utilities and school boards. We leverage our extensive network expertise to design and build customized, fully scalable solutions to help our customers grow their businesses and realize their full potential. With more than 20 years' experience managing the communications system that enables Ontario's electrical grid, Acronym is uniquely positioned to understand the mission critical needs of any business and deliver the innovative and reliable services that respond to the changing demands of a post-pandemic business environment and support rapid growth and digital transformation initiatives.



Hydro One Limited (TSX: H) Hydro One Limited, through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, is Ontario's largest electricity transmission and distribution provider with approximately 1.4 million valued customers, approximately $30.3 billion in assets as at December 31, 2020, and annual revenues in 2020 of approximately $7.3 billion.

Our team of approximately 8,700 skilled and dedicated employees proudly build and maintain a safe and reliable electricity system which is essential to supporting strong and successful communities. In 2020, Hydro One invested approximately $1.9 billion in its transmission and distribution networks, and supported the economy through buying approximately $1.7 billion of goods and services. We are committed to the communities where we live and work through community investment, sustainability and diversity initiatives. We are designated as a Sustainable Electricity Company by the Canadian Electricity Association. Hydro One Limited's common shares are listed on the TSX and certain of Hydro One Inc.'s medium term notes are listed on the NYSE. Additional information can be accessed at www.hydroone.com, www.sedar.com or www.sec.gov. Our website is www.HydroOne.com. Follow us on facebook.com/hydrooneofficial, twitter.com/hydroone and instagram.com/hydrooneofficial. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hydro-one-telecom-inc-rebrands-as-acronym-solutions-inc-to-support-new-corporate-mission-and-accelerated-growth-in-the-information-and-communications-technology-sector-301411021.html SOURCE Acronym Solutions Inc.

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[October 28, 2021] Wipro and Oracle Launch Tollway Transportation and Billing Solution

Wipro (News - Alert) Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO), a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company, in partnership with Oracle (News - Alert), today launched Wipro Tollway Transportation and Billing solution to enhance commuters' experience while improving profitability for tollway authorities. Tollway authorities face many challenges posed by evolving market dynamics, from the transition to cashless operations and anticipated shifts in traffic patterns to operational inefficiencies and changing customer expectations. Using this cloud-based solution, tollway authorities can improve customer experience across touchpoints by leveraging data-driven insights, and maintaining a 360-degree view. Wipro Tollway Transportation and Billing solution supports several transactions per year, helping tollway authorities better navigate customer account management, transaction processing, grievance case management, transponder inventory management, and financial reconciliation and reporting. By streamlining these processes, authorities can increase operational efficiency and plug revenue leakages. This is achieved by integrating customer portals, commercial and operational back-office modules, financial systems, toll-tag (News - Alert) accounts, and third-party payment gateways. Harish Dwarkanhalli, President - Applications & Data, iDEAS, Wipro Limited said, "Today's commuters expect everything to be digitized, and that tolling authorities will leverage technology to make their journey as smooth as possible. Our 'Tollway Transportation & Billing' solution supports multiple modes of payment and delivers a better overall commuter experience while helping authorities increase productivity of their customer care operations and optimize costs." Keith Rajecki, Vice President, Oracle Public Sector, Education and Research said, "Together, Wipro and Oracle are helping tollway authorities solve real-world problems and meet the demands of an increasingly dynamic commuter market. By leveraging Oracle Advertising and Customer Experience Cloud, Oracle Financials Cloud, and Oracle Utilities Customer Care and Billing, this solution helps tollway authorities scale-up effortlessly and further increase their return on investment." Wipro is a Modernized Oracle Partner Network (OPN) registered partner of Oracle. About Wipro Limited



About Oracle PartnerNetwork

Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN) is Oracle's partner program designed to enable partners to accelerate the transition to cloud and drive superior customer business outcomes. The OPN program allows partners to engage with Oracle through track(s) aligned to how they go to market: Cloud Build for partners that provide products or services built on or integrated with Oracle Cloud; Cloud Sell for partners that resell Oracle Cloud technology; Cloud Service for partners that implement, deploy and manage Oracle Cloud Services; and License & Hardware for partners that build, service or sell Oracle software licenses or hardware products. Customers can expedite their business objectives with OPN partners who have achieved Expertise in a product family or cloud service. To learn more visit: http://www.oracle.com/partnernetwork. Forward-Looking Statements The forward-looking statements contained herein represent Wipro's beliefs regarding future events, many of which are by their nature, inherently uncertain and outside Wipro's control. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding Wipro's growth prospects, its future financial operating results, and its plans, expectations and intentions. Wipro cautions readers that the forward-looking statements contained herein are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results anticipated by such statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding fluctuations in our earnings, revenue and profits, our ability to generate and manage growth, complete proposed corporate actions, intense competition in IT services, our ability to maintain our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which we make strategic investments, withdrawal of fiscal governmental incentives, political instability, war, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our business and industry. The conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic could decrease technology spending, adversely affect demand for our products, affect the rate of customer spending and could adversely affect our customers' ability or willingness to purchase our offerings, delay prospective customers' purchasing decisions, adversely impact our ability to provide on-site consulting services and our inability to deliver our customers or delay the provisioning of our offerings, all of which could adversely affect our future sales, operating results and overall financial performance. Our operations may also be negatively affected by a range of external factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic that are not within our control. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, Annual Reports on Form 20-F. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. We may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. We do not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by us or on our behalf. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005706/en/

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[October 28, 2021] Reflect Scientific Inc. Successfully Up-lists to OTCQB Venture Market

OREM, Utah, Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reflect Scientific, Inc. (Symbol: RSCF), a provider of diverse products and services for the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and transportation industries announces their successful up-listing to OTCQB trading status, effective as of the open of trading on October 28, 2021.

As part of the Company's growth strategy, the up-list to OTCQB will allow a broader range of investors to invest in Reflect Scientific stock. The OTCQB is operated by the OTC Markets Group, Inc. and is designed for entrepreneurial and developing companies. To be eligible for quotation on the OTCQB, companies must be current in their reporting and undergo an annual verification and management certification process. Companies must also meet a minimum bid price and other financial conditions. The OTCQB is recognized by the Securities and Exchange Commission as an established public market and provides current public information to investors for analysis and valuation of securities. About Reflect Scientific, Inc. Reflect Scientific, Inc., based in Orem, Utah, develop and markets innovative, proprietary technologies in cryogenic cooling for the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical, and transportation markets. Among Reflect Scientifics products are low-temperature freezers and refrigerated systems for laboratory, transportation, and computer server room uses. Visit www.reflectscientific.com for more information. See us on Twitter @ReflectSci and LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/company/reflect-scientific .



Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of the times at, or by, which such performance or results will be achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on information available at the time the statements are made and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from the information expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements in this press release. This press release should be considered in light of the disclosures contained in the filings of the Company that are contained in the OTC Markets Group, LLC under the trading symbol RSCF and related prior filings by the Company that are referenced therein and contained in the EDGAR Archives of the Securities and Exchange Commission under the heading Disclosure, including those identified in such filings as forward-looking statements.



Contact Thomas Tait 801-607-1039 [email protected]

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8x8 Delivers New XCaaS Enterprise Meetings Capabilities for Improved Company-wide Collaboration

8x8, Inc. (NYSE: EGHT), a leading integrated cloud communications platform, today announced new 8x8 XCaaS (eXperience Communications as a Service) enhancements, including advanced enterprise features to optimize the moderation, performance monitoring, and participant engagement of large meetings, expanded global reach, and additional customer engagement features. These improved capabilities enable organizations to boost productivity, provide tailored experiences for a distributed workforce, and increase customer satisfaction, allowing for a more agile business.

"When we became a cloud-first organization, we wanted all voice services on a single platform. 8x8 (News - Alert) XCaaS fit the bill and gave us everything we previously had with our on-premises systems, plus so much more," said Tom Drez, Chief Information Officer at Christian Brothers Services. "The ability, now, for all employees to have their own fully featured virtual meeting space to conduct meetings from small to large with employees and non-employees alike - with frequent software updates and new features from 8x8 - has proven just how valuable it is to choose a technology partner who is going to continue driving innovation to meet our current and future needs."

8x8 XCaaS includes integrated cloud contact center, voice, team chat, video meetings, and CPaaS APIs and embeddable apps capabilities in a single-vendor solution. 8x8 XCaaS is built on the resilient, secure, and compliant 8x8 eXperience Communications Platform, which offers the highest levels of reliability and the industry's only financially backed, platform-wide 99.999 percent SLA across an integrated cloud UCaaS and CCaaS solution.

New 8x8 XCaaS features enhance company-wide collaboration to boost employee and customer experience, including:

Work

Advanced moderation features : Addresses the needs of a hybrid work environment by enabling advanced enterprise capabilities to manage and moderate large meetings, such as company or department-wide town halls and classroom sessions. Includes the ability to mute and turn off video for all participants, and disable content sharing to run effective meetings.

: Addresses the needs of a hybrid work environment by enabling advanced enterprise capabilities to manage and moderate large meetings, such as company or department-wide town halls and classroom sessions. Includes the ability to mute and turn off video for all participants, and disable content sharing to run effective meetings. Meet from anywhere : Satisfies the needs of a mobile and distributed workforce and allows for increased meeting engagement from any location or device. 8x8 Work now supports 500 active participants across desktop and mobile apps, web browser, and audio dial-in. 8x8 Work users can also seamlessly switch from one device to another with just a click without leaving the meeting.

: Satisfies the needs of a mobile and distributed workforce and allows for increased meeting engagement from any location or device. 8x8 Work now supports 500 active participants across desktop and mobile apps, web browser, and audio dial-in. 8x8 Work users can also seamlessly switch from one device to another with just a click without leaving the meeting. Real-time in-meeting interactions : Keeps a pulse on meetings and enhances participant engagement using in-meeting polls to elicit real-time feedback, and leverages emoji reactions for non-verbal cues, such as hand claps, thumbs up, and more.

: Keeps a pulse on meetings and enhances participant engagement using in-meeting polls to elicit real-time feedback, and leverages emoji reactions for non-verbal cues, such as hand claps, thumbs up, and more. Meeting analytics : Streamlines system management and offers real-time metrics and actionable insights to IT teams on meetings performance, powered by 8x8 callstats.

: Streamlines system management and offers real-time metrics and actionable insights to IT teams on meetings performance, powered by 8x8 callstats. Enhanced receptionist functionality : 8x8 Frontdesk, a new 8x8 XCaaS composed experience for high volume call handling, transforms the receptionist role by delivering a tailored experience and user interface that is natively enabled within the 8x8 Work app. This eliminates the need for additional applications to install or support, and also removes any dependency on additional third-party solutions.

: 8x8 Frontdesk, a new 8x8 XCaaS composed experience for high volume call handling, transforms the receptionist role by delivering a tailored experience and user interface that is natively enabled within the 8x8 Work app. This eliminates the need for additional applications to install or support, and also removes any dependency on additional third-party solutions. Expanded Global Reach: With the addition of Japan, Russia, and Puerto Rico, 8x8 Global Reach now delivers full Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) replacement services to 46 countries and territories. This provides multinational organizations with access to in-country enterprise-grade PSTN connectivity, local direct inward dial (DID) numbers, global dialing plans, and emergency services.







Recommended for Chrome Enterprise : 8x8 Contact Center is now a Google (News - Alert) Chrome Enterprise Recommended product optimized for Chrome OS, making it easy for Chrome OS users to quickly deploy and manage end-to-end customer experiences.

: 8x8 Contact Center is now a Google (News - Alert) Chrome Enterprise Recommended product optimized for Chrome OS, making it easy for Chrome OS users to quickly deploy and manage end-to-end customer experiences. Interactive analytics and custom reporting : Enhanced analytics and reporting wizards within 8x8 Contact Center allow users to create, save, and share custom metrics for graphical display on everything from reports and wallboards to dashboards and widgets.

: Enhanced analytics and reporting wizards within 8x8 Contact Center allow users to create, save, and share custom metrics for graphical display on everything from reports and wallboards to dashboards and widgets. Contextualized messaging: Provides agents improved visibility and insight when supporting customer queries. 8x8 Converse contextualizes recent interactions with customers, including messages sent via 8x8 Connect and APIs.

Extend

Deeper integration with Microsoft (News - Alert) Teams : 8x8 Voice for Microsoft Teams now empowers employees to capture, retain, and retrieve call recordings for training, compliance, and archive purposes from any Teams endpoint via the embedded 8x8 Voice for Microsoft Teams app, available for download at the Microsoft AppSource.

: 8x8 Voice for Microsoft Teams now empowers employees to capture, retain, and retrieve call recordings for training, compliance, and archive purposes from any Teams endpoint via the embedded 8x8 Voice for Microsoft Teams app, available for download at the Microsoft AppSource. Digital channel engagement with Microsoft Dynamics 365: Allows agents to communicate with customers across a wide array of messaging apps, including SMS, WhatsApp, Facebook (News - Alert) Messenger, WeChat, Kakaotalk, Zalo, and Viber from Microsoft Dynamic 365's Omnichannel for Customer Service.

"For many organizations, the future of work involves a hybrid model that allows employees the opportunity to work from home or in the office, depending on factors such as day of the week, team collaboration activities, or participation in all-hands meetings. As a result, video conferencing remains critical or important to 85% of nearly 400 global organizations that participated in a recent research study on UC management and endpoints," said Irwin Lazar, President & Principal Analyst at Metrigy. "This continued reliance on video as part of business operations places an imperative on the availability of high-quality video services and the ability to monitor and manage performance with ease."

"As organizations shift to a hybrid and distributed workforce model, they understand the importance of continually evolving and improving company-wide collaboration and communication capabilities," said Rob Pilgrim, Global Vice President of Product Management at 8x8, Inc. "We continue to innovate and advance 8x8 XCaaS as we help organizations move forward and optimize their workplace communications to drive productivity and employee and customer engagement."

Visit 8x8.com to learn about the latest 8x8 XCaaS enhancements and watch the on-demand webinar.

About 8x8, Inc.

8x8, Inc. (NYSE: EGHT) is transforming the future of business communications as a leading Software-as-a-Service provider of 8x8 XCaaS, an integrated contact center, voice communications, video, chat and API solution built on one global cloud communications platform. 8x8 is powering all employees globally to connect individuals and teams so they can collaborate faster and work smarter. Real-time business analytics and intelligence provide businesses unique insights across all interactions and channels so they can delight end-customers and accelerate their business. For additional information, visit www.8x8.com, or follow 8x8 on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

8x8, 8x8 X Series, 8x8 XCaaS, eXperience Communications as a Service, and 8x8 Global Reach are trademarks of 8x8, Inc.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005318/en/
[October 28, 2021] VisiSonics Partners With Andrea Systems for 3D Spatial Audio Communications to Improve Military Pilot Performance

Proprietary 3D audio conversion kit enables Andrea Systems to upgrade existing aircraft communication systems with cutting-edge RealSpace  3D spatial audio technology

3D spatial audio technology Spatial audio increases intelligibility, improves situational awareness and reaction time, and reduces listener fatigue

Conversion kit installation does not require extensive aircraft modifications or rewiring

COLLEGE PARK, Md., Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- VisiSonics, a leader in 3D spatial audio technologies that enhance end-users experience and optimize acoustic environments, today announced a partnership with Andrea Systems LLC, a leading aviation communications systems and equipment supplier, to provide military aviators with VisiSonics RealSpace 3D spatial audio. Andrea Systems, based in Farmingdale, New York, is incorporating VisiSonics technology into a 3D audio conversion kit, giving the company the capability to significantly improve upon the sound available to aviators in current and future aircrafts. The effect will be to turn what is frequently monaural (mono) sound into physics-based, cutting-edge, 3D sound that increases situational awareness, reduces listener fatigue and improves reaction time. Our team at VisiSonics can think of no better application of our RealSpace 3D spatial audio technology than to help improve the safety and performance of our military aviation community and that of our allies, said Ramani Duraiswami, VisiSonics chief executive oficer and co-founder. We are thrilled to partner with Andrea Systems to fundamentally remake the audio systems of military aircrafts to help improve the pilots performance, without the need to overhaul each communication system.



Andrea Systems manufactures audio amplifiers and intercom systems for the U.S. government and several aircraft manufacturers, including Bell Helicopters, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Sikorsky Aircraft. The VisiSonics 3D audio conversion kit will require minimal aircraft modifications or rewiring, allowing for customizations such as a range of coordinate input protocols and head-tracking capabilities. Options include a customized digital interface with stored voice messages and warning systems.

VisiSonics stands out among 3D spatial audio suppliers, with the reputation, technical capability and level of scientific advancement the military requires for its aircrafts, said Jen Gloisten, Andrea Systems Engineering Manager. Andrea Systems is pleased to forge this partnership with VisiSonics, dramatically strengthening audio intelligibility for military aviators. RealSpace 3D provides the most accurate digital simulation for superior, immersive real-life acoustics, using physics-based modelling and room-based reflections as well as simultaneous ambisonics and object-based rendering. The technology provides users with improved sound clarity and the ability to discern source location as well as increased situational or spatial awareness. As clarity improves and noise diminishes, aviators require lower headset volume, therefore protecting their ears from potential hearing loss. About VisiSonics

VisiSonics is a 3D spatial audio technology company with a complete suite of products that enhance end-users performance and experience. Our offerings include 3D audio rendering, capture and analysis, and personalization software as well as acoustic measurement and visualization solutions. VisiSonics physics-based RealSpace 3D audio technology is licensed by consumer electronics brands, semiconductor manufacturers, game developers and the military. Our acoustic measurement and visualization solutions for Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH) and industrial noise detection are used by top auto manufacturers, leading research institutions and the military. Millions worldwide rely on VisiSonics. Learn more at www.visisonics.com . MEDIA CONTACT

Kelsey BaRoss

RoseComm for VisiSonics

201-450-2716

[email protected]



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[October 28, 2021] Craig Campbell: SEO Expert Lands Acting Opportunities as a Result of Online Trolling

Glasgow, United Kingdom, Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

Craig Campbell, a leading online entrepreneur and SEO expert with his own agency, has manage to land multiple acting roles in recent months as a result of his admirable reaction to online trolls. Craigs new acting adventure began when David Wilde, director of the Crime Lord series filmed in Glasgow, spotted him online and asked him if he would be interested in playing a part. Crime Lord is a show focusing on Paul Black, who has turned to writing crime stories after serving fifteen years in prison for bank robbery. On the surface it seems hes doing well in his new career he has a publisher and a lucrative movie deal. However, things soon take a turn for the worst and plans for a crime-free life fly out the window. It seems Paul Black might have to become a part-time crime writer, full-time criminal. Craig was more than happy to take on the role of Johnny Dallas in the series, a tech expert who gets tangled up in Paul Blacks world. Craig has loved getting involved with the series, and hes received a great response from viewers about his performance so far. Turning trolling into a positive Online trolls have always been lurking in shady areas of the web, feeding on causing drama and misery to others online. Their motives seem to vary, from acting purely because of personal grudges, to desperately seeking attention, to speaking out of jealousy  and countless more motives besides. High-profile igures like Craig Campbell regularly get trolled due to jealousy. Craigs large social media following combined with the fact he regularly speaks at events he does as part of running his day-to-day SEO business.



Craig often addresses trolling on his accounts in positive ways. He encourages his followers to ignore online trolls and instead invest their time and energy on doing positive things and working towards making their dreams a reality. He truly believes this is the best way to discourage any doubts and negativity and welcome positivity and opportunity into your life. Whats next?

Its perhaps little surprise that Craig has turned to acting as a response to online trolling  the SEO star has actually dabbled on the stage before! He has previously appeared in some UK soaps over the years, such as River City and Hollyoaks. It seems Craigs acting journey is far from over, too Since landing the part of Johnny Dallas on Crime Lord, Craig has been signed up by an acting agency in London and had numerous acting offers for other Netflix series that are in the works. It just goes to show that good things can come from negatives  from being trolled online to having a promising side career as an actor! SEO services to suit you As well as dabbling in acting, Craig is an experienced, respected SEO expert and owner of Craig Campbell SEO, a digital marketing company that specialises in link building, online reputation management, and PPC management. Craig has also been named the highest-paid Scottish businessman on YouTube after landing an impressive six-figure sponsorship deal with ODYS Global. Through his business, Craig also offers SEO training courses and a variety of other services tailored to suit your business needs, such as digital marketing, social media marketing, lead generation, advertising and much more. His popular virtual marketing course on YouTube has helped hundreds of people to launch their own successful businesses. Because Craig believes in giving back to his community, he offers this popular course for free so that money will never be an obstacle to people wanting him to educate them on how to improve their rankings on Google. Head on over to his website today to find out what he can do to help your business thrive! More information Craig Campbell, founder of Craig Campbell SEO, is a respected SEO consultant and educator who regularly speaks at digital marketing conferences all over the world. For more information, please head to the website at www.craigcampbellseo.com to browse his range of services. If you have an inquiry, please email [email protected] or call 07397 850 511. https://thenewsfront.com/craig-campbell-seo-expert-lands-acting-opportunities-as-a-result-of-online-trolling/

Craig Campbell SEO Unit 1, 43 Hepburn Road, Hillington Park Glasgow Glasgow City G52 4RJ United Kingdom 07397 850 511 https://www.craigcampbellseo.com/

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[October 28, 2021] Netskope Continues to Expand Key Microsoft Integrations, Joins Microsoft Active Protections Program

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Netskope, the SASE leader, today announced its membership in the Microsoft Active Protections Program (MAPP), further enabling the fast delivery of actionable threat intelligence to mitigate security risks to Microsoft environments. MAPP membership adds to the expanding strategic relationship between Netskope and Microsoft, with more integrations and partnership highlights to be announced in the coming months. MAPP is a program for security software providers that Microsoft gives early access to vulnerability information so that Netskope and others can provide updated protections to customers faster. Members of MAPP receive security vulnerability information from the Microsoft Security Response Center in advance of Microsoft's monthly security update. Members use this information to more quickly provide protections through their security software or devices. Working together, Netskope and Microsoft improve customer security. Netskope Threat Labs research shows that cloud-delivered malware has reached an all-time high as of the second half of 2021, accounting for nearly 70% of malware delivery as overall cloud security risks continue to grow. As an active member of MAPP, Netskope will be sharing and receiving unique threat intelligence to ensure customers are swiftly protected from the latest threats to Microsoft cloud environments. "Netskope is now an approved member of the Microsoft Active Protections Program (MAPP). As part of the MAPP community of trusted security partners, Netskope will exchange valuable threat intelligence to rapidly research and deploy protection for emerging threats and vulnerabilities," said Al Brown, Senior Security Strategist, Microsoft Security Response Center. "Netskope now has access to several types of threat intelligence via Microsoft ecurity Response Center , including malicious sites, software reputation, and security vulnerabilities in advance of Microsoft's monthly security update ."



"Netskope's deep understanding of data is the key to how our integrations deliver value for Microsoft customers. We understand the deep context of what is going on, where it's going on, and how it's happening, and use that understanding to provide valuable intelligence to our customers," said Andy Horowitz, Vice President, Business Development, Netskope. "We are actively exchanging threat intelligence as part of MAPP, and we are proud to work with trusted integration partners such as Microsoft to help protect cloud environments all over the world." Organizations using Microsoft technologies can take advantage of solutions from Netskope to help realize and protect their enterprise business transformation. Earlier this year, Netskope was validated in the Microsoft 365 Networking Partner Program , and also has multiple integrations across Microsoft's security products portfolio including Windows Defender and AzureAD as part of the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association .

Current Netskope and Microsoft integrations extend to Azure Active Directory, Azure Sentinel, and Microsoft 365 inclusive of information protection, data loss prevention, threat intelligence, cloud security, data protection, application management, and overall SASE readiness. For customers, the implementation of these integrations enables: Comprehensive data protection, right-fit for a cloud-first, remote-centric workforce

Protection of users from increasingly prevalent cloud- and web-enabled threats

Robust access control and contextual policy enforcement for Microsoft and ecosystem applications

Lightning-fast access to cloud applications, which helps enable a great user experience for Microsoft cloud environments Read more about Netskope integrations with Microsoft at Netskope's Microsoft resources page . SASE Week

Join Netskope for SASE Week , a three-day series of virtual events designed to help technical and executive attendees understand the people, process, and technology choices needed for a successful Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) journey. Learn more: saseweek.com About Netskope

Netskope, the SASE leader, safely and quickly connects users directly to the internet, any application, and their infrastructure from any device, on or off the network. With CASB, Firewall, SWG, and ZTNA built natively in a single platform, the Netskope Security Cloud provides the most granular context, via patented technology, to enable conditional access and user awareness while enforcing zero trust principles across data protection and threat prevention everywhere. Unlike others who force tradeoffs between security and networking, Netskope's global security private cloud provides full compute capabilities at the edge. Netskope is fast everywhere, data centric, and cloud smart, all while enabling good digital citizenship and providing a lower total-cost-of-ownership. Media Contact

Inkhouse for Netskope

[email protected] View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/netskope-continues-to-expand-key-microsoft-integrations-joins-microsoft-active-protections-program-301410973.html SOURCE Netskope

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[October 28, 2021] QRails Taps Sharon Kirby to Drive International Strategy

QRails has hired Sharon Kirby as its first ever senior vice president of U.K. and Europe operations. Kirby, an industry veteran with years of experience in managing enterprise sales and partner alliances, will drive the launch of the AnyDay platform in the U.K. and Europe. QRails is best known for its AnyDay platform, the world's first vertically integrated provider of end-to-end earned wage access and other financial wellness solutions. Most recently director of partnerships at U.K.-based Hastee, Kirby regularly leads webinars and speaks at events on the topic of financial wellness. In her new role, she'll oversee operations, ensuring European and U.K. business prospects learn how the AnyDay platform can improve employee productivity, increase retention and reduce financial stress. "Employees in the U.K. and Europe face many of the same financial challenges, including living payday to payday and not being able to pay for an unexpected expense," Kirby said. "I'll use my experience to continue to show U.K. and European businesses the importance of helping their employees get paid when and how they need to get paid and, as important, how AnyDay can help them meet this increasing workplace challenge." Like the U.S., many economies in the U.K. and Europe are optimistic that pent-up demand will drive business opportunity and job creation, according to several reports.



"With global economies on the rebound, employers must apply the easy-to-use app model to their employees' payday experience," said Brian Brinkley, CEO of QRails. "Sharon has the background and experience in educating businesses about the importance of financial wellness and is a great asset as QRails looks to expand our European footprint." Kirby will lead the team out of the QRails U.K. headquarters as the company expands the sales, strategic partnerships and client services in the region.

For more information on QRails and AnyDay, please visit www.QRails.com and www.AnyDayIsPayday.com. About QRails QRails is a cloud-based, API-driven issuer-processor enabling payroll providers, financial institutions and other fintech service organizations throughout North America, Latin America and Europe to deliver innovative digital payment solutions. The company's flagship solution, AnyDay, is the world's first vertically integrated provider of end-to-end earned wage access and other financial wellness solutions. QRails clients benefit from purpose-built technology offering secure and flexible APIs, as well as easy access to an expert team committed to delivering responsive customer service. Founded in 2016, QRails, Inc., together with its U.K. subsidiary, QRails Limited, is privately held by a group of industry leaders and leading investors. QRails has attained industry certifications under PCI (News - Alert) DSS, SOC, ACA, and GDPR. For more information, please visit www.QRails.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005008/en/

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[October 28, 2021] GoodHire Predicts Automation, Remote Work, New Legislation, and Data Privacy Demands Will Impact Screening and Hiring in 2022

Remote work and a competitive job market is bringing a greater focus on technological advances to expedite the hiring process and keep candidates' data safe, according to GoodHire, an industry leader in background check technology. "We have market forces which have increased the need for background screening because of tail winds in the economy, but it's coming into conflict with heightened scrutiny with regard to protection of privacy," noted Mike Grossman, CEO, Inflection (parent company of GoodHire.) "At the very time when background screening is needed, governments are making it harder to get access to information about people. It puts a premium on being able to find ways to access accurate information and GoodHire's proprietary data engineering technology is a platform that can help do that," he said. Here are GoodHire's predictions for 2022: 1) Increase use of automation to accelerate time to hire. Employees will continue to use the bargaining power they gained over the past year and a half, putting increased pressure on hiring teams to optimize their hiring process and make a good first impression on candidates. "We're seeing a high demand for workers across all industries, but especially in the hospitality, retail, and technology industries, and that will continue well into 2022," said Max Wesman, GoodHire's COO. "Background checks for these three sectors have increased year over year by 133% in hospitality, 59% in retail, and 56% in technology, according to GoodHire customer data. To compete, companies must streamline the hiring process to be both swifter and more accurate, and they can do that with advanced automation built into the background check platform. At GoodHire, we're continually looking for ways to accelerate processes through automation, including direct access to accurate public data sources and improved candidate workflows." 2) Remote work and the hiring squeeze will change how employers screen candidates. The "Great Resignation" has companies scrambling to atract and retain talent, and are already adopting more flexible remote work options and adapting their screening requirements to accommodate a new 'no office' dynamic. "Because workers might never go into an office, we're seeing a relaxation, especially in drug screening, that we anticipate will continue in 2022," added Wesman. "With criminal records, too, we're seeing companies being more open to fair chance hiring, which expands the candidate pool."



3) Ground-shifting legislation will disrupt the hiring process. Several states have passed legislation requiring the redaction of dates of birth in public records, which is extremely disruptive in industries that rely on public record information in order to hire and mitigate risk. "Companies in the technology and risk sectors that rely on public record data will need to become more creative, both with their technology and in their governmental and regulatory affairs strategies, to continue providing robust services without material data loss," notes Elizabeth McLean, GoodHire's Senior Vice President and General Counsel. "The trend toward increased consumer demand for data privacy is not slowing down, and this will have a direct impact on both Consumer Reporting Agencies (CRAs) and their customers-employers-exactly at a time when demand for faster background checks is increasing." 4) Demand for identity verification will increase. The continued increase and demand by employees for remote and hybrid work options will compel employers to include identity verification checks in their screening process. "Data privacy is a big deal-companies don't want the responsibility of asking for and storing too much personal identifying information, and candidates are wary of giving it to them. But the increase in identity theft is real, and identity verifications help mitigate that risk. Now, more companies are automating ways to better verify an applicant's identity," says Wesman. "And we're seeing startups coming into the market that will address the issue of data privacy-giving candidates the opportunity to 'own' their identities, which will in turn speed up the hiring process."

5) Blockchain technology will make individuals' education credentials and employment history portable. In addition to identity verification, verification of candidates' education and employment history will always be an important step in the screening process. "These are two parts of an individual's background that are immutable-their educational qualifications and work history. As blockchain technology evolves and becomes more commonplace over the next few years, we see this information becoming more portable and will eventually be brought with the candidate from job to job, stored in the blockchain," said Wesman. 6) Companies will be more exposed to potential lawsuits. Candidates feel the leverage and power they have following the "Great Resignation" and may be more emboldened to pursue legal remedies in the event fair hiring laws, HR laws, and background screening laws are not adhered to during their application, recruitment, and hiring process. "Employers will need to continue to stay apprised of new and developing hiring laws to ensure compliance and reduce risk of monetary and reputational harm that can result from lawsuits," said McLean. "This is especially true in New York City, San Francisco and Los Angeles. These cities have some of the strictest fair chance hiring laws in the country." As the talent shortage continues into 2022, companies are feeling pressure to hire faster, while at the same time, workers have more leverage, opportunities, and options than ever before. Hiring teams that optimize their recruiting and screening process by taking the above insights into consideration and adopting new technologies are going to be the greatest beneficiaries. For headshots of GoodHire's executives quoted in this release, please visit: https://bit.ly/3vPyPwi About GoodHire Since 2013, GoodHire has been a trusted background check partner to more than 100,000 organizations. With its innovative, technology-first approach, coupled with an intense focus on customer delight, GoodHire has redefined the background check service industry. GoodHire uses automation and advanced data engineering to help customers accelerate hiring and make more confident hiring decisions. Thanks to its easy-to-use platform and responsive, FCRA-trained support team, our customer satisfaction and NPS scores match those of America's most trusted brands. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, GoodHire is owned and operated by Inflection. To learn more, visit www.goodhire.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005305/en/

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[October 28, 2021] edX and the National eLearning Center of Saudi Arabia Announce Commitment to Extend Access to Learning on edX

edX and the National eLearning Center (NELC), Saudi Arabia's organization to lead innovation in learning digital transformation, announced a strategic collaboration to provide access to high-quality courses and programs through its National eLearning Platform FutureX to Saudi Arabian citizens, students, and government employees. This first of its kind collaboration, funded by the NELC, marks a milestone for both edX and the NELC and will initially reach over 30,000 learners. For edX, this collaboration, the first of its kind in the region, is an important milestone in its efforts in the Middle East to support its mission to increase access to high-quality education on a global scale. For the NELC, the collaboration bolsters the country's transformation in education and training through eLearning led by NELC. The collaboration bolsters the country's model for eLearning, which was recognized by independent studies conducted by Online Learning Consortium in partnership with other leading global organizations during the pandemic. Starting now, the NELC will work with institutions, including government organizations, schools, and enterprises across Saudi Arabia to connect citizens with online learning content on edX that will help unlock new and exciting opportunities - from earning credit toward a full degree through a MicroBachelors program or MicroMasters program to learning the skills needed to succeed in today's workplace through a Professional Certificate program.



"Working with NELC is an incredible opportunity to further the founding vision of edX - education for all," said Anant Agarwal, edX CEO and founder. "Through our work together, we will provide learners in Saudi Arabia with the opportunity to transform their lives through learning. I look forward to the impact that this new NELC program will empower citizens to have as they work toward creating positive change and impact in their own lives and organizations." "Working with edX as one of our strategic partners for the National eLearning Platform - FutureX, expands the opportunities for our learners and institutions to a greater access to highly quality international content, faculty and institutions," said Dr. Abdullah Alwalidi, the Director General of NELC. "Through this partnership that is of strategic importance we ensure that NELP continuously supports the demands of the learning needs resulting in developing the human capabilities in the Kingdom."

The National eLearning Center was established as an independent entity by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Council of Ministers, aims to enhance trust in the eLearning programs, leading innovation in learning digital transformation and enabling the integration among educational institutions and employers. To learn more about how edX works with governments and corporations visit https://business.edx.org/ or reach out to John Schwartz, [email protected]. About edX edX is the education movement for restless learners. Together with our founding partners Harvard and MIT (News - Alert), we've brought together over 40 million learners, the majority of top-ranked universities in the world, and industry-leading companies onto one online learning platform that supports learners at every stage. And we're not stopping there - we're relentlessly pursuing our vision of a world where every learner can access education to unlock their potential, without the barriers of cost or location. About edX For Business Build a future-proof workforce that uniquely balances talented people and new technology with edX For Business. With thousands of courses taught by the world's leading experts, you can confidently upskill and reskill talented employees while they earn industry recognized, verifiable certificates. Based on science from the McGovern Brain Institute, edX courses are purposefully created to maximize learner engagement and long-term learning benefits. About NELC The National eLearning Center was established as an independent entity by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Council of Ministers' decision No (35) in 1439 H. Aims to enhance trust in the eLearning programs, leading innovation in learning digital transformation and enabling the integration among educational institutions and employers. About FutureX The National eLearning Platform - FutureX is one of NELC's initiatives to empower education and training sectors in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by providing services and initiatives to achieve integration in the ecosystem through National and International partnerships. FutureX facilitates trusted online learning for all and improves agility in eLearning. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005749/en/

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[October 28, 2021] Klaviyo Launches Owned Growth Grant Competition to Recognize and Support Up and Coming Businesses

BOSTON, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Klaviyo , a leading customer data and marketing automation platform, today announced the Klaviyo Owned Growth Grant competition . The competition, which is a part of Klaviyo's ongoing commitment to support businesses looking to own their growth, will recognize one winner to receive $25,000 and a 2022 spot at WS Development's pop-up shopping village, "The Current" in Boston, and a year of free access to Klaviyo's marketing automation platform. Two additional finalists will also receive a free year of access to Klaviyo's platform. Klaviyo, a leading customer data and marketing automation platform, announced the Klaviyo Owned Growth Grant competition



The Owned Growth Grant comes on the heels of Klaviyo's announcement that it partnered with WS Development to launch Klaviyo @ The Current in Boston's Seaport, a pop-up shopping village of emerging brands including 7uice, Aloe Attiva, BROdenim, Injeanius, Maison Nou, Studs and Waeve. The partnership between Klaviyo and WS Development comes as a result of the two visionary companies' belief in businesses building relationships through both physical and digital touchpoints  and in meeting customers where they are. "We know how hard entrepreneurs work to grow their business, and too often their efforts are stunted by technology gatekeepers," said Andrew Bialecki, co-founder and CEO of Klaviyo. "We're thrilled about the launch of Klaviyo @ The Current and the Klaviyo Owned Growth Grant to help businesses expand their presence and connect with their customers on a more personalized level."

To enter for a chance to win Klaviyo's Owned Growth Grant, visit www.klaviyo.com/thecurrent between now and November 9, 2021 to tell the story behind your brand. Three finalists will be chosen to receive a professionally produced brand video and a free year of Klaviyo's email and SMS marketing offerings, valued at $10,000. Fans can vote for their favorite finalist on the contest landing page through January 23, 2022, and help select a grand prize winner to receive the $25,000 cash prize and a spot at "The Current" in 2022. About Klaviyo

Klaviyo is a leading customer data and marketing automation platform dedicated to accelerating revenue and customer connection for online businesses. Klaviyo makes it easy to store, access, analyze and use transactional and behavioral data to power highly-targeted customer and prospect communications. The company's hybrid customer-data and marketing-platform model allows companies to grow by fostering direct relationships with customers, without giving up their valuable data to popular big-tech ad platforms. Over 275,000 innovative companies like Unilever, Custom Ink, Living Proof and Huckberry sell more with Klaviyo. Learn more at www.klaviyo.com . View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/klaviyo-launches-owned-growth-grant-competition-to-recognize-and-support-up-and-coming-businesses-301411114.html SOURCE Klaviyo

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[October 28, 2021]

Knowesis Awarded Medical Data Abstraction Services Contract for the Department of Veterans Affairs

FAIRFAX, Va., Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Knowesis, Inc. (Knowesis) announces an award among a field of six competitors to provide medical data abstraction support services for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in Washington, D.C.

The contracted services include the review, identification, and relevancy of medical and related clinical data from medical records and other documentation from a variety of VA sources.

Knowesis, as a Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB) and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), won the 3-year, $1M contract, a System for Award Management (SAM)-released solicitation.

"Our exertise in medical data analysis and management proved to be exactly what the VA needed at this particular time," said Sheilah O'Brien, Knowesis Managing Principal. "Our data experts look forward to expanding our data abstraction capability by providing the VA with critical abstraction services."







Knowesis is a Center for Veterans Enterprise (CVE) certified Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) and Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB), providing a full range of professional consulting services to federal and state government agencies to include Computational Sciences, Information Management and Technology, Operations and Management, Policy and Program Evaluation, Scientific and Medical Research, and Communications. We currently support multiple entities within the Department of Defense, Veterans Affairs, Homeland Security and United States Agency for International Development.

Knowesis maintains offices in Fairfax, Virginia, with staff at locations across the United States. More information about the company can be found at www.knowesis-inc.com as well as on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.



View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/knowesis-awarded-medical-data-abstraction-services-contract-for-the-department-of-veterans-affairs-301411034.html

SOURCE Knowesis Inc.
[October 28, 2021] Insurity Sponsors the Greater Hartford Arts Council's Annual Fundraiser to Support the Local Arts Community

Insurity, a leading provider of cloud-based software for property and casualty (P&C) carriers, brokers, and MGAs today announced that it will be a Community Supporter Sponsor for Greater Hartford's Arts Council annual fundraiser, Art Social, on Thursday, October 28, 2021. The proceeds from the virtual fundraising event help the Arts Council support more than 150 local organizations and artists in the Hartford region, including museums, theaters, culture centers, and other performance venues. Specifically, the arts represent 3.5% of Connecticut's economy, supporting almost 60,000 jobs and generating $9 billion annually. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many local artists and venues were forced to close their doors and lose their revenue streams. As a leading business headquartered in Hartford, Insurity understands the impact the arts have not just on the community, but their contribution to a healthy economy. Insurity is committed to coming together with other local organizations to ensure artists and venues can continue to thrive in the coming years. The Greater Hartford Arts Council's Art Social showcases how the arts are making an impact within the Hartford community, highlighting talented and up-and-coming artists and organizations. The virtual fundraising event plans to honor individuals who are making a difference with an Arts Inspiration Award. This year, the award will recognze the outstanding contributions of those who went above and beyond to support the arts and cultural sector in its most challenging year to date.



"We are so appreciative of Insurity and their continued support of the arts and culture community here in Hartford," said Kate McOmber, interim Chief Executive Officer, Greater Hartford Arts Council. "Our mission is to be a catalyst for the arts and promote an equitable arts ecosystem in Greater Hartford. The arts are vital to our community and to our own well-being, as they help us build resilience and provide solitude and comfort. All proceeds from the Art Social will help us support a sector still very much in recovery from the effects of the pandemic." "Insurity is thrilled to continue its support of the Greater Hartford Arts Council and the community's theaters, museums, dance programs, artists, and more," said Ken Safft, Chief Human Resources Officer at Insurity and former board member of the Greater Hartford Arts Council. "Insurity understands the importance of fostering creativity at the local level and is pleased we can provide funding and support to artists and organizations across the region."

For more information on Insurity's corporate social responsibility initiatives, please contact Laura Krause at [email protected]. About Insurity Insurity is a leading provider of cloud-based software and analytics for insurance carriers, brokers, and MGAs. Insurity is trusted by 15 of the top 25 P&C Carriers in the US and has over 250 cloud-based deployments. Through its best-in-class digital platform and with unrivaled industry experience and thought leadership, Insurity is uniquely positioned to deliver exceptional value, empowering customers to focus on their core businesses, optimize their operations, and provide superior policyholder experiences. Insurity is a portfolio company of GI Partners. For more information, visit www.insurity.com. About Greater Hartford Arts Council The Greater Hartford Arts Council is a catalyst for the arts and promotes an equitable arts ecosystem throughout the region. To learn more about the Arts Council's programs and services, visit LetsGoArts.org or follow @letsgoarts_org on Twitter (News - Alert). View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005802/en/

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[October 28, 2021] STG Raises Over $860 Million for Inaugural STG Allegro Fund in a Four-Month Fully Virtual Fundraise

STG Partners ("STG", or the "Firm"), a leading private equity firm focused on investing in the software, data analytics and software-enabled technology services sectors, is pleased to announce the final closing of STG Allegro (together with its related vehicles, the "Fund" or "STG Allegro") on over $860 million of committed capital, including limited partner commitments of $750 million. STG Allegro will be an extension of the STG platform focused on lower mid-market software investments, continuing the Firm's heritage and commitment to value-focused investing in the sector. The Fund exceeded its $500 million target and was oversubscribed at its limited partner hard cap in approximately four months from the formal launch of the fundraise, which was executed as an entirely virtual process. Evercore Private Funds Group acted as the exclusive global placement agent for the fundraise. The Fund will continue STG's value-oriented investment strategy and will target lower middle market investments in the enterprise software and software-enabled technology services sectors. STG distinguishes itself through a value-oriented and operationally-focused approach to transfoming middle market companies in its sectors into market leaders. Since Symphony's founding in 2002, STG has cultivated its reputation as a premier investment firm in the space through its continued ability to drive operational efficiencies, top-line enhancement, and breakout innovation within portfolio companies.



The fundraise for STG Allegro was driven by high conviction in the opportunity for STG to apply its differentiated, value-oriented strategy within the technology sector to help drive value creation for lower mid-market companies. STG Allegro received strong support from existing investors, as well as a diverse group of new investors that includes public pensions, asset managers, foundations and endowments, family offices, and consultants in North America and Europe. On behalf of the leadership team of the Firm, William Chisholm, Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer, commented: "We are incredibly grateful to our existing and new investors for their support as we established STG Allegro to capitalize on the vast opportunity we see for value-oriented investing in the lower mid-market. We look forward to leveraging STG's playbook to continue to find, transform, and build great software companies and partner with lower mid-market entrepreneurs."

Richard Anthony, CEO of Evercore Private Funds Group, stated: "We are delighted to have once again advised STG on another highly successful fundraise, and to have played a role in helping to establish the STG Allegro strategy. The expediency of the raise and strong support of both new and existing investors speaks volumes about the caliber of Bill and the team at STG." Kirkland & Ellis LLP acted as legal counsel to STG. About STG Partners STG is a private equity partner to market leading companies in software, data analytics and software-enabled technology services sectors. The firm brings expertise, flexibility, and resources to build strategic value and unlock the potential of innovative companies. Partnering to build customer-centric, market leading portfolio companies, STG seeks to create sustainable foundations for growth that bring value to its companies. The firm is dedicated to transforming and building outstanding technology companies in partnership with leading management teams. STG and its predecessor, Symphony Technology Group ("Symphony"), have managed approximately $6 billion in total capital. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005805/en/

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[October 28, 2021] Louisiana Nonprofit Receives $8K Award from Home Bank and FHLB Dallas

Home Bank and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas) recently joined together at a ceremonial check presentation to award Crescent City Community Land Trust (CCCLT) $8,000 in Partnership Grant Program (PGP (News - Alert)) funds. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005819/en/ Home Bank, the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas and Crescent City Community Land Trust officials celebrate the awarding of $8,000 in Partnership Grant Program funds. (Photo: Business Wire) CCCLT helps low- to moderate-income residents afford their first homes in New Orleans and its mission is to provide permanently affordable housing opportunities for generations through equitable residential and commercial development, community stewardship and housing advocacy. CCCLT Executive Director Julius Kimbrough Jr. said the funds will help the community-based organization (CBO) tremendously with its first-time homebuyer program. "Much of the community we serve has never owned or been able to afford a home, and closing costs can sometimes push homeownership out of range for our buyers," said Mr. Kimbrough Jr. "The Partnership Grant Program funds will help us continue providing closing costs to first-time homebuyers." Kelvin Luster, senior vice president and community development director at Home Bank, said PGP is vital to CBOs like CCCLT. "These funds can help nonprofits expan several important programs," said Mr. Luster. "Not only do the organizations benefit, but the community does as well. The ability to aid the community, and this grant, is a direct result of Home Bank's partnership with FHLB Dallas."



For 2021, FHLB Dallas awarded $400,000 in PGP grants, and its members provided an additional $200,250 for an impact of more than $600,000 in its five-state District of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas. "I commend Home Bank for its strong commitment and engagement with organizations such as CCCLT," said FHLB Dallas First Vice President and Director of Community Investment Greg Hettrick. "The PGP helps member institutions strengthen their relationships with community-based organizations and allows them to create an impact in their communities."

See the complete list of the 2021 PGP grant recipients. For more information about the 2021 PGP grants and other FHLB Dallas community investment products and programs, please visit fhlb.com/pgp. About Home Bank N.A. Home Bank, N.A., founded in 1908 as Home Building & Loan, is the oldest financial institution founded in Lafayette Parish. Through the years, we've expanded to serve markets in South Louisiana and Mississippi: Acadiana, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, the Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain, St. Martin and Jeff Davis Parishes, as well as Natchez and Vicksburg. With 40 locations across South Louisiana and Western Mississippi, Home Bank is committed to serving the needs of our communities. Personal banking has always been Home Bank's trademark and that tradition continues as we grow, invest and serve our clients and community. We live our values each day, focusing on integrity, innovation and a commitment to serving others. For more information about Home Bank, visit www.home24bank.com. About the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas is one of 11 district banks in the FHLBank System created by Congress in 1932. FHLB Dallas, with total assets of $58.6 billion as of June 30, 2021, is a member-owned cooperative that supports housing and community development by providing competitively priced loans and other credit products to approximately 800 members and associated institutions in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas. For more information, visit our website at fhlb.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005819/en/

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[October 28, 2021] YuJa and Epiphan Video partner to help schools master video

SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A new technology integration between YuJa, Inc. and Epiphan Video, an award-winning AV hardware developer, will empower K-12 and higher-ed schools to easily create and manage high-quality video content that supports students' success. The integration brings together the scheduling, automation, and previewing tools of YuJa's Video Content Management System (CMS) with Epiphan Video's streaming and recording hardware. This pairing delivers intuitive video workflows ideal for lecture capture, flipped classrooms, hybrid or remote learning, and any other application that can be made more efficient with automation and seamless content management. "YuJa is excited to partner with Epiphan to strengthen our core offerings and empower content creators to do more in an ever-changing digital world," said Dr. Ajit Singh, Chief Executive Officer at YuJa, Inc. "This partnership will help us leverage our individual strengths to better serve institutions both now and in the future." Powered by a worldwide video distribution infrastructure, YuJa's cloud-based video platform offers a host of content management tools, a refined user experience, and affordability with scalable storage. With the new Epiphan Pearl integration, schools can more easily edit content, use engagement tools in YuJa, and integrate with their Learning Management Systems (LMSs). "When you're producing as much video as schools are these days, efficient content management is essential," said Nic Milani, Epiphan's VP of Marketing and Business Development. "At the same time, the quality of that content has to be high to engage students and be an effective learning tool. Integrating our edge devices with YuJa's content management capabilities will help customes with both."



Epiphan Pearl systems make it easy to produce high-quality video, enabling schools to offer remote learning programs and content that are as close as possible to the in-room experience. Multiple built-in video and audio inputs let users connect high-end gear for streaming and recording, while intuitive features and controls ensure a frictionless production experience. About Epiphan Video

Epiphan Video empowers creators and businesses to produce broadcast-quality content with intuitive, innovative hardware solutions and cloud services that users can trust to perform in any environment. Epiphan's flexible and easy-to-use solutions see use across a broad range of sectors including education , live event production , enterprise , government , and legal .

Epiphan Video is a trade name of Epiphan Systems Inc., a privately owned company incorporated in 2003. Epiphan is based in Palo Alto, California, U.S., and Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, with regional offices and a network of authorized channel partners and OEMs throughout the world. Visit epiphan.com for more information. About YuJa, Inc.

YuJa is a leader in enterprise video solutions. Its products harness the power of video to educate, engage, inspire, and collaborate. YuJa serves organizations of all sizes, within all sectors, including higher-ed, K-12, government, healthcare, non-profit and corporate delivering engaging video experiences. Its portfolio includes products for lecture capture , live streaming , video management , video conferencing , video test proctoring , digital asset management , digital compliance , and enterprise accessibility . Legal headquarters are located in Delaware, with primary U.S. offices in Silicon Valley, California, and Canadian offices in Toronto. CONTACT: [email protected], 650-644-4684 View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/yuja-and-epiphan-video-partner-to-help-schools-master-video-301410512.html SOURCE Epiphan Video

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[October 28, 2021] Enhanced Resource Centers, A Leading Outsourcing Firm Working With Top Fortune 500 Companies, Partners With DailyPay

NEW YORK, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ERC (Enhanced Resource Centers), an international business process outsourcing (BPO) company, has partnered with DailyPay to provide access to on-demand pay to its U.S.-based employees. Through this partnership, ERC employees have the power of choice and control over their earned income. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, ERC has over 7,000 employees globally spread primarily across three U.S. locations in Florida and Georgia. Currently, 51 percent of ERC's U.S. employees have signed up for DailyPay. Employee transfers are used for immediate expense needs like utilities, credit card payments, food, gas, or transportation costs. "We quickly recognized that DailyPay offered a solution to meet a need of our employees, allowing them to access their pay quickly," said Sam Rehm, Chief Financial Officer at ERC. "We immediately saw DalyPay as a potential bonus  not just to meet our employees' financial needs, but also that it could potentially deliver an extra star on the chart in recruiting and retention."



DailyPay is a solution that gives workers access to their pay as they earn it by safely and securely transferring a portion of their earned pay to an account of their choice, a debit card or a pay card. Since implementing DailyPay, ERC has experienced a 36 percent lower attrition rate for employees who use the benefit  a dramatic saving in expenses associated with hiring for the company. "ERC is a prime example of our win-win service model," said Jeanniey Walden, Chief Innovation and Marketing Officer at DailyPay. "ERC is seeing longer retention rates and having a significantly easier time hiring talent while their employees are utilizing a benefit that allows them to be in control of their finances."

About ERC

ERC is an agile, technology-driven company that provides business process outsourcing (BPO) and account recovery services for Fortune 500 companies. ERC leverages the latest innovations in technology while providing extraordinary workforce resources to deliver unparalleled end-to-end customer experience solutions, making ERC a top performer for its clients. ERC is a global contact center leader, with operating sites in the U.S., Dominican Republic, India, South Africa, Kenya, and the Philippines. About DailyPay

DailyPay, Inc., powered by its industry-leading technology platform, is on a mission to build a new financial system. Partnering with America's best-in-class employers, including Dollar Tree, Berkshire Hathaway and Adecco, DailyPay is the recognized gold standard in on-demand pay. Through its massive data network, proprietary funding model, and connections into over 6,000 endpoints in the banking system, DailyPay works to ensure that money is always in the right place at the right time for employers, merchants, and financial institutions. DailyPay is building technology and the mindset to reimagine the way money moves, from the moment work starts. DailyPay is headquartered in New York City, with operations based in Minneapolis. For more information, visit www.dailypay.com/press . Media Contacts

David Schwarz

Email: [email protected] Adriana Ball

Email: [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/enhanced-resource-centers-a-leading-outsourcing-firm-working-with-top-fortune-500-companies-partners-with-dailypay-301411142.html SOURCE DailyPay

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[October 28, 2021] CytoDyn Inc. Announces Adjournment of Annual Meeting of Shareholders to November 24, 2021 Due to Lack of Quorum

CytoDyn Inc. (OTCQB: CYDY) (the "Company"), a late-stage biotechnology company developing leronlimab, a CCR5 antagonist with the potential for multiple therapeutic indications, today convened and then adjourned the 2021 Annual Meeting of Shareholders (the "Annual Meeting") without transacting any other business. The Annual Meeting was adjourned to be held virtually on Wednesday, November 24, 2021 at 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time. The adjournment provides the Company with additional time to solicit proxies from its shareholders to achieve a quorum at the Annual Meeting. The transaction of business at the Annual Meeting requires a quorum of more than one-half of the outstanding shares of the Company entitled to vote, represented in person or by proxy. Based on a determination by the inspector of election, there was no quorum present at the Annual Meeting. The activist group led by Paul Rosenbaum (News - Alert) and Bruce Patterson (the "Activist Group") failed to submit its proxies to the inspector of election. If the Activist Group had submitted their proxies, the Company believes there would have been a quorum at the Annual Meeting. The Company believes that the Activist Group's conduct is in violation of the federal securities laws and reserves all rights related thereto. The record date for the adjourned Annual Meeting remains the close of business on September 1, 2021. Shareholders who have already voted do not need to recast their votes unless they wish to change their votes. Proxies previously submitted will be voted at the reconvened meeting unless properly revoked. Shareholders who have not already voted or wish to change their vote are encouraged to do so promptly using the instructions provided in their voting instruction form or proxy card. The Company urges all shareholders to vote their shares immediately on the Company's BLUE proxy card upon receipt of proxy material to ensure their votes count in time for the new Annual Meeting date. If you have any questions or require any assistance in voting your shares, please contact our proxy solicitor: Morrow Sodali LLC

Stockholders Call Toll Free: (800) 662-5200

Banks, Brokers, Trustees and Other Nominees Call Collect: (203) 658-9400

Email: [email protected] About CytoDyn CytoDyn is a late-stage biotechnology company developing innovative treatments for multiple therapeutic indications using leronlimab, a novel humanized monoclonal antibody targeting the CCR5 receptor. CCR5 plays a critical role in the ability of HIV to enter and infect healthy T-cells and appears to be implicated in tumor metastasis and immune-mediated illnesses, such as NASH. CytoDyn successfully completed a Phase 3 pivotal trial using leronlimab combined with standard antiretroviral therapies in HIV-infected patients who were heavily treatment-experienced individuals with limited treatment options. CytoDyn is working diligently to resubmit its BLA for this HIV combination therapy since receiving a Refusal to File in July 2020. In July 2021, CytoDyn announced that it had submitted a dose justification report to the FDA, an integral step in the resubmission process for its BLA, which it expects to complete by the first quarter of calendar 2022. CyoDyn also completed a Phase 2b/3 investigative trial with leronlimab used as a once-weekly monotherapy for HIV-infected patients. CytoDyn plans to initiate a registration-directed study of leronlimab monotherapy indication. If successful, it could support a label expansion approval. Clinical results to date from two trials have shown that leronlimab can maintain a suppressed viral load in a sub-population of R5 HIV patients who chose to switch from their daily pills regimen to once-a-week subcutaneous dose of leronlimab. Several patients on leronlimab's Phase 2b extension arm have remained virally suppressed for almost 7 years and many patients in our Phase 2b/3 investigative trial are passing two and some four years of monotherapy with suppressed viral load.



CytoDyn recently completed a Phase 2 clinical trial with leronlimab in mTNBC and a Phase 2 basket trial in solid tumor cancers (22 different cancer indications) A Phase 2 investigative trial for post-acute sequelae of SARS COV-2, also known as COVID-19 long-hauler's, and a Phase 2 clinical trial for NASH are continuing. CytoDyn has already completed a Phase 2 and Phase 3 trial for mild-to-moderate and severe-to-critical COVID-19 patients, respectively, for which CytoDyn did not meet its primary or secondary endpoints, except for the secondary endpoint in the critically ill subpopulation. More information is at www.cytodyn.com. Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Words and expressions reflecting optimism, satisfaction or disappointment with current prospects, as well as words such as "believes," "hopes," "intends," "estimates," "expects," "projects," "plans," "anticipates" and variations thereof, or the use of future tense, identify forward-looking statements, but their absence does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements specifically include statements about leronlimab, its ability to provide positive health outcomes, the possible results of clinical trials, studies or other programs or ability to continue those programs, the ability to obtain regulatory approval for commercial sales, and the market for actual commercial sales. The Company's forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance, and actual results could vary materially from those contained in or expressed by such statements due to risks and uncertainties including: (i) the regulatory determinations of leronlimab's efficacy to treat human immunodeficiency virus ("HIV") patients with multiple resistance to current standard of care, COVID-19 patients, and metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer ("mTNBC"), among other indications, by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and various drug regulatory agencies in other countries; (ii) the Company's ability to raise additional capital to fund its operations; (iii) the Company's ability to meet its debt obligations; (iv) the Company's ability to enter into partnership or licensing arrangements with third-parties; (v) the Company's ability to identify patients to enroll in its clinical trials in a timely fashion; (vi) the Company's ability to achieve approval of a marketable product; (vii) the design, implementation and conduct of the Company's clinical trials; (viii) the results of the Company's clinical trials, including the possibility of unfavorable clinical trial results; (ix) the market for, and marketability of, any product that is approved; (x) the existence or development of vaccines, drugs, or other treatments that are viewed by medical professionals or patients as superior to the Company's products; (xi) regulatory initiatives, compliance with governmental regulations and the regulatory approval process; (xii) legal proceedings, investigations or inquiries affecting the Company or its products; (xiii) general economic and business conditions; (xiv) changes in foreign, political, and social conditions; (xv) stockholder actions or proposals with regard to the Company, its management, or its board of directors; and (xvi) various other matters, many of which are beyond the Company's control. The Company urges investors to consider specifically the various risk factors identified in its most recent Form 10-K, and any risk factors or cautionary statements included in any subsequent Form 10-Q or Form 8-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, the Company does not undertake any responsibility to update any forward-looking statements to take into account events or circumstances that occur after the date of this press release. Important Information CytoDyn has filed with the SEC (News - Alert) a definitive proxy statement and associated BLUE proxy card in connection with the solicitation of proxies for the Company's 2021 Annual Meeting. Details concerning the nominees of the Company's Board of Directors for election at the 2021 Annual Meeting are included in the proxy statement. BEFORE MAKING ANY VOTING DECISION, INVESTORS AND STOCKHOLDERS OF THE COMPANY ARE URGED TO READ ALL RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED WITH OR FURNISHED TO THE SEC, INCLUDING THE COMPANY'S DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT AND ANY SUPPLEMENTS THERETO, BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Investors and stockholders are able to obtain a copy of the definitive proxy statement and other documents filed by the Company free of charge from the SEC's website, www.sec.gov. The Company's stockholders are also able to obtain, without charge, a copy of the definitive proxy statement and other relevant filed documents by directing a request by mail to CytoDyn Inc. at 1111 Main Street, Suite 660, Vancouver, Washington 98660. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005854/en/

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[October 28, 2021] Tech Elevator Celebrates More Than 2,000 Graduates Placed in Tech Jobs

Tech Elevator, an intensive educational provider helping individuals and companies gain in-demand technology skills for the modern workforce, has officially exceeded 2,000 graduates placed in technology jobs-representing an astounding $2.7 billion increase in aggregate lifetime earnings. Since its founding 2015, the coding and career prep bootcamp has placed graduates in tech jobs in more than 500 companies nationwide across diverse industries. Tech Elevator is committed to transparency in outcomes reporting and has earned a reputation for industry-leading placement performance, with a graduation rate of 95% and a 180-day job placement rate of 90%, according to the Center on Integrity in Results and Reporting (CIRR). Tech Elevator alumni secure jobs such as Software Developers, Software Engineers, and Web Developers at prominent companies including Accenture, Dick's Sporting Goods, Google (News - Alert), Hyland, Kroger, JP Morgan Chase & Co., Nationwide, and many more. Graduates report an increase in salary following the 14-week program of upwards of $24,000, on average. "We are experts in finding and activating hidden potential, and we're proud of every student who has succeeded in their search for a new career opportunity," said Anthony Hughes (News - Alert), Tech Elevator's co-founder and CEO. "The competition for tech talent continues to build and we've proven that there are viable alternative paths to being competitive in the modern economy. We look forward to the next thousand lives impacted by the Tech Elevator program."



Students enroll in Tech Elevator's bootcamps from diverse professional and educational backgrounds, including business, marketing, engineering, education, retail, food service, and construction. Roughly 32% of graduates were previously unemployed. Tech Elevator - a Stride, Inc. company (NYSE: LRN) - has six campuses located in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Wilmington, DE, in addition to its National Live Remote program serving students online around the country. For more information, visit: www.techelevator.com.

About Tech Elevator Tech Elevator, a Stride company, is an intensive educational provider helping individuals and companies acquire in-demand technology skills for the modern workforce. Through our 14-week, full-time, in-person and National Live Remote immersive online coding bootcamps, we teach students from a wide variety of backgrounds to become software developers while helping them build necessary career-readiness skills and career connections through our Pathway Program to land a meaningful job in tech. Through its workforce transformation, reskilling program, Tech Elevator has become a trusted partner for companies seeking to elevate the careers of their most promising employees. Founded in 2015 with a focus on quality and care in everything we do, Tech Elevator has placed over 2,000 graduates into software development roles in over 500 companies nationwide. We have consistently been an industry leader for job placement outcomes and are committed to a proactive approach to transparency and accountability in education. Learn more at www.techelevator.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005872/en/

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[October 28, 2021] Qmerit Teams Up with Ford Motor Company for Electric Vehicle Home Charging Installations for Automaker's Mustang Mach-E Customers

IRVINE, Calif., Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Qmerit, a leader in electrification and green energy transformation, has teamed up with Ford Motor Company for home EV charger station installations for its currently available all-electric vehicles. Qmerit will provide Ford's Mustang Mach-E customers with its [email protected] services for installing and supporting EV charger stations at individual homes and multi-family residences. Ford Strives for an All-Electric Future Ford is investing more than $30 billion in fully electric vehicles globally through 2025 and by 2030 expects 40 to 50 percent of its global vehicle volume to be fully electric. The company's current retail EV lineup includes the Mustang Mach-E and GT derivatives, to which Qmerit is a retail installation provider. The automaker is putting strong emphasis on EV charging infrastructure through North America's largest public charging network, the Blue Oval Charge Network, and is providing customers with seamless solutions for at-home charging as well: Ford Mobile Charger  Comes standard with two connectors with charging speeds that fit different lifestyles. The first can plug into any 120V outlet in a standard home or garage. It has an average range of three miles per charging hour. The second connects to 240V/30A NEMA 14-50 outlets and provides an average of 20 miles per charging hour. However, outlets like this typically require installation from a licensed electrician. Ford Connected Charge Station Offered as an additional purchase to the Mustang Mach-E. These 240V/48A hard-wired stations provide an estimated average of 28 miles per charging hour. The stations also come with intelligent features such as charge time scheduling, energy tracking, and connectivity to customer devices via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Teaming Up with Ford to Support Current Mustang Mach-E Customers Qmerit operates the largest network of certified EV charger station installers in North Amerca. They connect individual and fleet customers with licensed electrical contractors best suited for their unique configurations, personal needs and geography. Qmerit has already performed over 10,000 EV charger installations in homes and multi-family residences, making them a reliable Ford Preferred Partner for the EV [email protected] solution.



"Ford is striving to make the transition to an all-electric lifestyle easy for our customers," Matt Stover, Director of Charging, Energy Services and Business Development, Ford Motor Company. "With up to 80 percent of charging currently being done at home, a seamless installation process for all Mustang Mach-E at-home charging needs is critical." Ford's Mustang Mach-E customers can choose to add a Ford Connected Charge Station to their orders and finance them with the vehicle. They can also order directly through their dealer of choice before or after the purchase. Afterward, they can visit Qmerit to find certified installers in their area. The installation service extends to Mustang Mach-E customers who need an upgrade to a 240V outlet for their Ford Mobile Chargers.

"Qmerit is honored to support this historic and groundbreaking American institution in the electrification of some of the most iconic cars and trucks ever. Coupling at-home charging with Henry Ford's foundational mass market vehicle production vision and innovation makes it all the more meaningful in driving mainstream adoption of EVs" Tracy K. Price, CEO & Founder, Qmerit. Qmerit teaming up with Ford is a big step toward making at home EV charging an industry standard, bringing electrification directly into the homes of light-duty vehicle owners and pushing zero-carbon initiatives forward. About Qmerit Qmerit, headquartered in Irvine, California, simplifies the adoption of electrification products for residential and small business markets. A leader in green energy transformation, the company provides value-driven services throughout the renewable energy equipment implementation lifecycle. This is delivered through Qmerit's network of company-owned contractors, independent Certified Solutions Partners and Certified Installers, who are skilled in system implementation and integration as well as ongoing support and maintenance. Combining this nationwide network of certified electrical contractors with the company's purpose-built digital managed services platform and white-glove concierge services, Qmerit delivers customers an unmatched quality experience related to electric vehicle charging stations, battery storage systems, solar system integration and microgrid solutions. For more information on Qmerit, please visit: Qmerit.com. About Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan, that is committed to helping build a better world, where every person is free to move and pursue their dreams. The company's Ford+ plan for growth and value creation combines existing strengths, new capabilities and always-on relationships with customers to enrich experiences for and deepen the loyalty of those customers. Ford designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of connected, increasingly electrified passenger and commercial vehicles: Ford trucks, utility vehicles, vans and cars, and Lincoln luxury vehicles. The company is pursuing leadership positions in electrification, connected vehicle services and mobility solutions, including self-driving technology, and provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. Ford employs about 182,000 people worldwide. More information about the company, its products and Ford Motor Credit Company is available at corporate.ford.com. Contact: Samantha Graham, [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/qmerit-teams-up-with-ford-motor-company-for-electric-vehicle-home-charging-installations-for-automakers-mustang-mach-e-customers-301411089.html SOURCE Qmerit

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[October 28, 2021] involve.ai Hires Former SAP, LinkedIn Exec Mary Poppen to Start The Customer Intelligence Movement

involve.ai, the industry's first true Customer Intelligence platform that leverages Artificial Intelligence (AI) to transform customer success teams, announced today that Mary Poppen has joined the company as Chief Strategy & Customer Officer after serving as an involve.ai customer board member for one year. "Mary is an outstanding addition to our involve.ai team! She brings a dynamic blend of customer success, customer experience, and executive leadership," said Gaurav Bhattacharya, CEO of involve.ai. "Moving forward, Mary will spearhead our strategy to lead the Customer Intelligence Movement while helping to scale and support growth." Poppen brings over 20 years of experience in Customer Success, business consulting, and executive leadership to involve.ai. At Glint, Poppen was responsible for driving and scaling the company's ability to delight its customers. Before joining Glint, she was Global Head of Innovation Enablement at SAP (News - Alert) SuccessFactors andwas Chief Customer Officer for SAP's Global Cloud business. Mary is a well-recognized customer, and employee experience thought leader, author, and speaker.



"AI-powered Customer Intelligence has already changed the Customer Success and Go-to-market landscape. Most companies just don't know it yet," said Poppen. "involve.ai is not only the first to deliver personalized customer experiences at scale, but they also do it using AI to help clients quickly reduce customer churn and grow revenue in just weeks." Check out involve.ai Series A story here. To schedule a demo, go here.

About involve.ai involve.ai was founded by Gaurav Bhattacharya and Saumya Bhatnagar, who have built successful startups by staying customer-centric and having a data-driven, action-oriented approach to customer success. involve.ai is an AI early warning dashboard to supercharge customer teams with actionable insights and automation, so they can reduce churn, increase upsells and improve customer experience. involve.ai is built with love all around the world. To learn more about involve.ai, visit https://www.involve.ai. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005850/en/

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[October 28, 2021] InSitu Biologics INSB200 Poster Chosen "Best of Meeting" at American Society of Regional Anesthesia Pain Meeting

The American Society of Regional Anesthesia has chosen InSitu Biologics' INSB200 poster as a Best of Meeting presentation in Emerging Technologies for their 20th Annual Pain Meeting in November 2021. The "Best of Meeting" Award is given for a select number of scientific presentations that are anticipated to have a significant impact on clinical care in the future. INSB200, currently in pre-clinical development by InSitu Biologics, is a hydrogel-lipid-microparticle matrix containing ropivacaine and characterized by a dual-phase release of the drug. Medications placed within the matrix have a significantly prolonged duration of action in comparison to traditional and long-acting local anesthetics. The matrix, which has a unique ultrasound signal, is being designed to enable a physician to visualize the placement of the medication adjacent to a tissue target. The Emerging Technology presentation includes results from InSitu's first ultrasound study, which showed enhanced ultrasound characteristics when utilizing INSB200, enabling precise placement of medication in tissues. In addition, the presentation will provide a review of pre-clinical data demonstrating the potential to provide effective pain relief after a sngle injection for over 120 hours.



"At a time when the healthcare community is demanding alternatives to opioid therapy that can provide extended pain relief, our INSB200 investigational drug product represents a promising opportunity that we look forward to progressing into clinical trials," said Kevin Bassett, President, and CEO of InSitu Biologics. Mark Ereth, MD, Chief Medical Officer of InSitu Biologics, and Emeritus Professor, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, said, "Significant increases in out-patient surgery and health care at home are in our future. In these settings, patients deserve and in fact will demand effective pain relief without the side effects of narcotics for the first week after surgery. InSitu Biologics is committed to developing drugs like INSB200 to meet the needs of patients."

"Using a drug delivery platform such as the technology developed by InSitu Biologics has the potential to extend the effective duration of action of local anesthetics today and likely other medications in the future," stated Medical Advisory Board member Jeffrey Gadsden, MD, Chief of Orthopedics, Plastics, and Regional Anesthesiology, Duke University School of Medicine. The full poster is available here. InSitu Biologics: InSitu Biologics in an emerging biotech company focused on the development of a multi-phase prolonged-release drug delivery platform for localized treatment of pain, cancer, and infection. The Company uses disruptive technology to address unmet needs in the pain management and drug delivery markets. INSB200 is currently in the investigational pre-clinical stage. It is not yet for sale in any geography. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005342/en/

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[October 28, 2021] Mobile Mass Spectrometers Market worth $404 million by 2026 - Exclusive Report by MarketsandMarkets

CHICAGO, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Mobile Mass Spectrometers Market by Application (Homeland Security, Military & Defence, Environmental monitoring, Emergency/rapid response & Disaster Management, Narcotics Detection, Chemical leak detection, Forensics), & Region - Global Forecasts to 2026", published by MarketsandMarkets, the Mobile Mass Spectrometers Market size is expected to grow from an estimated USD 120 million in 2021 to USD 404 million by 2026, at a CAGR of 27.4% during the forecast period. Browse in-depth TOC on "Mobile Mass Spectrometers Market"

28  Tables

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100  Pages Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=186510414 Product architecture & ease of use and technological advancements are high growth prospects for the mobile mass spectrometers market during the forecast period. Environmental testing segment, by application, is expected to be the largest and the fastest-growing market from 2021 to 2026. Based on application, mobile mass spectrometers market has been segmented into homeland security, environmental testing, narcotics detection, forensics, rapid response & disaster management military and other applications. Environmental testing is the key application of mobile mass spectrometers. Rising global demand for in situ environmental monitoring is expected to drive the mobile mass spectrometer market. Moreover, regulations and legislations set forth by government organizations have triggered the testing, inspection, and certification of environmental samples tested by the government and manufacturing companies. Regulatory bodies have introduced guidelines for regulating the inspection, sampling, and testing services of environmental samples to detect the presence of pollutants and contaminants. These bodies have introduced various programs to generate awareness and set testing specifications to ensure the safety of the environment and reduce the health risks associated with a polluted environment. Request Sample Pages: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=186510414



North America: The dominating market in the mobile mass spectrometers industry. North America has a diverse and well-established R&D infrastructure, with the rapid adoption of portable and technologically advanced techniques among end-user industries. North America accounted for the largest market share in the mobile mass spectrometers market in 2020. A number of factors, such as growing greater government focus on narcotics detection and homeland security and the opioid crisis are driving the growth of the North American mobile mass spectrometers market globally. Moreover, in North American region the regulatory bodies are closely monitoring the safety and quality of the environment to establish environmental safety across the geographies.

Speak to Analyst: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalystNew.asp?id=186510414 To enable an in-depth understanding of the competitive landscape, the report includes the profiles of some of the top players in the mobile mass spectrometers market. The major players in the mobile mass spectrometer industry are FLIR (US), 908 Devices(US), PerkinElmer (US), Inficon (Switzerland), BaySpec (US)Bruker Corporation (US), PURSPEC (US), Focused Photonics (China), 1st detect (US), and Kore Technology(UK) among others. These players are adopting various strategies to increase their share in the mobile mass spectrometers market. Products up-gradation, new product launches, investments, and expansions have been a widely adopted strategy by the major players in the mobile mass spectrometers industry. Browse Adjacent Markets: Analytical and Scientific Instrumentation Market Research Reports & Consulting Browse Related Reports: Environmental Monitoring Market by Product (Indoor, Outdoor Monitors [Fixed, Portable], Sensors, Wearables), Component (Particulate, Gas, Temperature, Noise), Sampling Method (Continuous, Active), Application (Air, Water, Soil, Noise) - Global Forecast to 2025 https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/environmental-monitoring-market-216846315.html Forensic Equipment and Supplies Market by Product (Camera, Reagent, Consumable, LC, GC, Electrophoresis, PCR, NGS, MS, IR, UV-Vis Spectrometer), Application (Toxicology, DNA Analysis, Biometric), End user (Government & Forensic Lab) - Global Forecast to 2024 https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/forensic-equipment-supplies-market-254612639.html About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model  GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve. MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. Contact:

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[October 28, 2021] Well Connected Receives Innovation of the Year Award

GLENDALE, Calif., Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Well Connected, a Front Porch Community Services Program, received the 2021 Innovation of the Year Award from the SCAN Foundation for its human-centered design. The SCAN Foundation announced the honor at its 2021 Forum Amplifying All Voices on Aging on October 27th. Well Connected, a program designed to reduce social isolation and increase social connection, offers phone and online activities that build community through group conversations, games, and education. With activities in both English and Spanish, Well Connected and Well Connected Espanol are free and involve more than 4,000 participants in 49 states. Amber Carroll, senior director of connection programs, accepted the honor, saying, "What's really unique about these programs is they are very much led by our participant community." Soon after the program was established in 2004, participants began to voice interest in facilitating their own groups. "That really launched the first human design piece of the Well Connected program, where participants brought their passions and their interests to the table to lead groups," said Carroll. Organizations considered for the award were evaluated based on criteria including understanding older adults' needs, wants, and preferences through research, and involvig older adults in the design process from ideation to iteration.



Andy Andersen, Well Connected participant and facilitator, first learned of the program through the MLS, the library service for the blind and visually handicapped. He now facilitates a group for those who are visually impaired or dealing with vision loss. "I'm totally blind, so I've been through all that. And it's neat to tell them that just because you're blind doesn't mean life is over." "I see the future of healthcare entities leveraging programs like this and supporting programs like this, to connect older adults to each other," said Carroll.

This award comes one week after Well Connected was also honored with a Bronze prize for its Agora app from McKnight's Senior Living. Agora overcomes accessibility challenges, providing easy access to connect participants with activities by calling participants directly. To see the full award presentation, visit www.thescanfoundation.org/recognizing-excellence/innovation-award. Learn more about Well Connected at https://covia.org/programs/well-connected/. About Front Porch

Front Porch is a not-for-profit system that supports communities, residents, and participants in programs and services nationwide. Our mission is to inspire and build community, cultivating meaningful relationships and experiences that respond creatively to changing needs. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/well-connected-receives-innovation-of-the-year-award-301411223.html SOURCE Front Porch

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[October 28, 2021] Eutelsat and Nilesat Renew Long-Standing Partnership at the 7 West Orbital Position

Regulatory News: Eutelsat (News - Alert) Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) (Paris:ETL) and Nilesat, Egypt's premier satellite operator, have agreed partial renewal terms for Ku capacity at Eutelsat's 7 West position, part of the 7/8 West video hotspot, for broadcast services across the Middle East. The multi-year, multi-transponder agreement represents the partial renewal of capacity by Nilesat at enhanced terms. Eutelsat and Nilesat's 7/8 West video hotspot represents the most powerful, widespread and dense footprint in the Middle East and North Africa, reaching 90% of TV homes in the region. It is one of the most dynamic neighborhoods in the global satellite TV market with over 60 million homes and 1,000 channels. Commenting on the agreement, Rodolphe Belmer, Eutelsat's Chief Executive Officer said: "We are pleased to renew our collaboration with our long-standing partner, Nilesat, at this key orbital position for the Middle East and North Africa, further cementing our relationshp and assuring service continuity to Nilesat's customers in the region."



Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Nilesat, Ahmed Anis, added: "We are very happy to pursue our cooperation with Eutelsat, enabling us to continue to optimize resources at the 7 West position for satellite broadcasting and pursue our mission to provide reliable, secure, high quality broadcast services that aim to inform, educate and entertain our valued viewers throughout the Middle East and North Africa." About Eutelsat Communications

Founded in 1977, Eutelsat Communications is one of the world's leading satellite operators. With a global fleet of satellites and associated ground infrastructure, Eutelsat enables clients across Video, Data, Government, Fixed and Mobile Broadband markets to communicate effectively to their customers, irrespective of their location. Around 7,000 television channels operated by leading media groups are broadcast by Eutelsat to one billion viewers equipped for DTH reception or connected to terrestrial networks. Headquartered in Paris, with offices and teleports around the globe, Eutelsat assembles 1,200 men and women from 50 countries who are dedicated to delivering the highest quality of service.

For more about Eutelsat go to www.eutelsat.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005858/en/

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[October 28, 2021] ORYZON Reports Results and Corporate Update for Quarter Ended September 30, 2021

MADRID, Spain and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Oryzon Genomics, S.A. (ISIN Code: ES0167733015, ORY), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company leveraging epigenetics to develop therapies in diseases with strong unmet medical need, today reported financial results for the third quarter of 2021 and provided an update on recent developments.

Dr Carlos Buesa, Oryzons Chief Executive Officer, said: Oryzon continued to make vigorous progress on our clinical pipeline this quarter. In oncology, after the positive data from iadademstats Phase II trial in AML published at EHA in June, ALICE is now fully recruited. Also, we have unfolded our registrational strategy in AML and in ED-SCLC with two carefully designed trials, FRIDA and STELLAR, that we believe may merit accelerated approval. Our CNS pipeline has reached important milestones. After FDAs IND approval to start vafidemstats Phase IIb PORTICO in BPD, we have started a vigorous recruitment in the US that will complement the one being made in Europe. We have also activated multiple clinical sites for EVOLUTION, our Phase IIb in schizophrenia and we expect to start recruitment very soon. Also, together with the most prestigious KOLs in the space, we are progressing in the design of HOPE, the first randomized Phase I/II personalized medicine trial targeting LSD1, in particular in Kabuki Syndrome patients. The extent of the planned clinical activities highlight our strong commitment for US clinical and regulatory activities. We finished this third quarter with a solid cash position of $35.83 million, which provides funding for further development of our exciting pipeline until 1Q 2023. Third Quarter and Recent Highlights Iadademstat in oncology: Phase II ALICE trial, investigating iadademstat in combination with azacitidine in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), is fully enrolled, with a total of 36 patients. Preliminary data corresponding to the 30 months of the study were presented at the EHA 2021 congress last June, showing robust signs of clinical efficacy, with ORR of 83%, of which 67% were CR/CRi, as well as a good safety profile of the combination of iadademstat and azacitidine. Five patients with remissions greater than one year were reported and the longest remission at that time was 858 days, currently still ongoing. The company plans to present a new clinical update on ALICE at the ASH 2021 congress.

New trials in combination in AML and solid tumors are under preparation. In AML, the company is planning to launch FRIDA, an open-label, multicenter Phase Ib/II trial of iadademstat in combination with gilteritinib in FLT3 mutated relapsed/refractory AML patients. In small cell lung cancer (SCLC), the STELLAR trial is in preparation. STELLAR is a randomized, multicenter Phase Ib/II study of iadademstat plus a checkpoint inhibitor in first line extensive disease SCLC. Both trials will be conducted in the US and both of them plan to enroll 120 patients. The company believes that FRIDA and STELLAR could potentially support applications for accelerated approval. Vafidemstat in large multifactorial CNS indications: Enrollment of the first patients in the US in the PORTICO Phase IIb clinical trial with vafidemstat in patients with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). The trial is now actively recruiting patients in Europe and the US. PORTICO is a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled Phase IIb to evaluate the efficacy and safety of vafidemstat in BPD patients. The trial has two primary objectives: reduction of aggression/agitation and overall BPD improvement. The study will include 156 patients, with 78 patients in each arm, and has a pre-defined interim analysis to adjust the sample size in case of excessive variability around the endpoints or an unexpectedly high placebo rate. The trial will be conducted in 15-20 sites in Europe and US.

Received in July the Clinical Trial Application (CTA) approval from the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS) to carry out a Phase IIb clinical trial with vafidemstat in patients with schizophrenia. This Phase IIb study, called EVOLUTION, aims to evaluate the efficacy of vafidemstat on negative symptoms and cognitive impairment in patients with schizophrenia. This project is partially financed with public funds from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and will be carried out in various Spanish hospitals. We have activated various clinical sites in the period.

Final data from the Phase II trial SATEEN on vafidemstats ability to reduce the inflammatory response in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients presented at the 37th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis, ECTRIMS-2021. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group, dose-finding Phase II trial aimed to evaluate the safety and tolerability of vafidemstat in relapse-remitting MS (RRMS) or secondary progressive MS (SPMS) patients. The trial enrolled 18 patients. Long-term vafidemstat treatment was safe and well tolerated, with drug exposures up to 2 years. SATEEN was a pilot, small scale, trial not powered to get definitive efficacy data. There were no statistically significant differences between groups in MRI, OCT or EDSS evaluations. Still, selected patients treated with vafidemstat showed improvement in one or more clinical readouts. In addition, promising anti-inflammatory activity was observed in most of the vafidemstat-treated patients compared to placebo.

Preliminary data from vafidemstats clinical study in seriously ill patients with CoVID-19, ESCAPE, presented at the 31st European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, ECCMID-2021. This open-label, randomized, double-arm Phase II trial was aimed to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of vafidemstat in combination with standard treatment used in hospitals to prevent progression to acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. The trial recruited 60 patients. Vafidemstat was safe and well tolerated in severe CoVID-19 patients. Anti-inflammatory effects of vafidemstat were observed in severe CoVID-19 patients. Vafidemstat reduced the exacerbated activation of CD4 + T cells and reduced the release of key inflammatory cytokines. There were no significant differences in the number of deaths between the two arms of the study and the patients in both arms of the study recovered quickly. These anti-inflammatory findings obtained in SATEEN and ESCAPE are in keeping with the anti-inflammatory activity previously observed in vafidemstats ETHERAL trial in AD patients. Vafidemstat in monogenic CNS indications New precision medicine trial in Kabuki syndrome (KS) patients is under preparation. This Phase I/II trial, named HOPE, will be a multicenter, multi-arm, randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled trial to explore the safety and efficacy of vafidemstat in improving several impairments described in KS patients. The trial plans to enroll 50-60 patients and will be performed in children older than 12 years and in young adults. The company expects to start HOPE in the first half of 2022 in several hospitals and sites in the United States and, possibly, in Europe. Considering the FDA and EMA precedents in rare diseases and CNS disorders, we believe that if the HOPE trial demonstrates relevant clinical improvements, it may potentially serve as the basis for accelerated approval in the EU and the United States.

The collaborations in the field of precision medicine in autism with researchers at the Seaver Center for Autism Research and Treatment at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York and the Institute of Medical and Molecular Genetics (INGEMM) at Hospital Universitario La Paz of Madrid and in schizophrenia with researchers from Columbia University in New York have continued to make progress. The results of the ongoing pilot studies to characterize these patients with specific mutations to inform subsequent precision psychiatry clinical trials with vafidemstat are expected in the second half of 2021. Financial Update: Third Quarter 2021 Financial Results Research and development (R&D) expenses were $4.0 and $11.1 million for the quarter and 9 months ended September 30, 2021, compared to $2.3 and $9.7 million for the quarter and 9 months ended September 30, 2020. General and administrative expenses were $1.1 and $3.5 million for the quarter and 9 months ended September 30, 2021, compared to $0.7 and $2.6 million for the quarter and 9 months ended September 30, 2020. Net losses were $1.8 and $5.6 million for the quarter and 9 months ended September 30, 2021, compared to net losses of $1.2 and $3.8 million for the quarter and 9 months ended September 30, 2020. This is due to a higher investment in research and non-capitalized development of the ESCAPE clinical trial and non-recurring expenses. The result is in accordance with the specificity of the biotechnology business model, in the development phase of the Company, with a long-term maturation period for its products, and without recurrent income. Negative net result of $3.0 million (-$0.06 per share) for the 9 months ended September 30, 2021, compared to a negative net result of $2.7 million (- $0,06 per share) for the 9 months ended September 30, 2020. Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities totaled $35.8 million as of September 30, 2021, compared to $52.2 million as of September 30, 2020. During the quarter, Oryzon has obtained a grant of $1 million to support a new clinical trial (the HOPE trial) in patients with Kabuki syndrome. ORYZON GENOMICS, S.A. BALANCE SHEET DATA (UNAUDITED)1 (Amounts in thousands US $) September

30th, 2021 September

30th, 2020 Cash and cash equivalents 35,833 52,209 Marketable securities 0 0 Total Assets 109,190 113,226 Deferred revenue 981 0 Total Stockholders' equity 84,925 90,220











ORYZON GENOMICS, S.A. STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (UNAUDITED)1 (US $, amounts in thousands except per share data) Three Months Ended

September 30th Nine Months Ended

September 30th 2021 2020 2021 2020 Collaboration Revenue 0 0 0 0 Operating expenses: Research and Development 3,982 2,279 11,059 9,746 General and administrative 1,070 733 3,525 2,584 Total operating expenses 5,052 3,012 14,584 12,330 Loss from Operations -5,052 -3,012 -14,584 -12,330 Other income, net 3,252 1,787 8,942 8,493 Net Loss -1,800 -1,225 -5,642 -3,837 Net Financial & Tax -36 155 2,627 1,184 Net Result -1,836 -1,069 -3,015 -2,653 Loss per share allocable to common stockholders: Basic -0.03 -0.02 -0.06 -0.06 Diluted -0.03 -0.02 -0.06 -0.06 Weighted average Shares outstanding Basic 52,761,554 52,761,554 52,761,554 48,036,758 Diluted 52,761,554 52,761,554 52,761,554 48,036,758 1 Spanish GAAP * Exchange Euro/Dollar (1.1579 for 2021 and 1.1708 in 2020) About Oryzon

Founded in 2000 in Barcelona, Spain, Oryzon (ISIN Code: ES0167733015) is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company considered as the European champion in Epigenetics. Oryzon has one of the strongest portfolios in the field. Oryzons LSD1 program has rendered two compounds, vafidemstat and iadademstat, in Phase II clinical trials. In addition, Oryzon has ongoing programs for developing inhibitors against other epigenetic targets. Oryzon has a strong technological platform for biomarker identification and performs biomarker and target validation for a variety of malignant and neurological diseases. Oryzon has offices in Spain and the United States. Oryzon is one of the most liquid biotech stocks in Europe with +90 M shares negotiated in 2020 (ORY:SM / ORY.MC / ORYZF US OTC mkt). For more information, visit www.oryzon.com/ About Iadademstat

Iadademstat (ORY-1001) is a small oral molecule, which acts as a highly selective inhibitor of the epigenetic enzyme LSD1 and has a powerful differentiating effect in hematologic cancers (see Maes et al., Cancer Cell 2018 Mar 12; 33 (3): 495-511.e12.doi: 10.1016 / j.ccell.2018.02.002.). A first Phase I/IIa clinical trial with iadademstat in refractory and relapsed acute leukemia patients demonstrated the safety and good tolerability of the drug and preliminary signs of antileukemic activity, including a CRi. Beyond hematological cancers, the inhibition of LSD1 has been proposed as a valid therapeutic approach in some solid tumors such as small cell lung cancer (SCLC), neuroendocrine tumors, medulloblastoma and others. Iadademstat has been tested in four clinical trials (two in monotherapy in SCLC and AML, and two in combination, in SCLC and AML) in more than 100 patients. In the combination studies, ALICE (ongoing), a Phase IIa trial in combination with azacitidine in elderly or unfit AML patients, and CLEPSIDRA (finalized), a Phase IIa trial in combination with platinum/etoposide in second line ED-SCLC patients, preliminary efficacy results have been reported. About Vafidemstat

Vafidemstat (ORY-2001) is an oral, CNS optimized LSD1 inhibitor. The molecule acts on several levels: it reduces cognitive impairment, including memory loss and neuroinflammation, and at the same time has neuroprotective effects. In animal studies vafidemstat not only restores memory but reduces the exacerbated aggressiveness of SAMP8 mice, a model for accelerated aging and Alzheimers disease (AD), to normal levels and also reduces social avoidance and enhances sociability in murine models. In addition, vafidemstat exhibits fast, strong and durable efficacy in several preclinical models of multiple sclerosis (MS). Oryzon has performed two Phase IIa clinical trials in aggressiveness in patients with different psychiatric disorders (REIMAGINE) and in aggressive/agitated patients with moderate or severe AD (REIMAGINE-AD), with positive clinical results reported in both. Additional finalized Phase IIa clinical trials with vafidemstat include the ETHERAL trial in patients with Mild to Moderate AD, where a significant reduction of the inflammatory biomarker YKL40 has been observed after 6 and 12 months of treatment, and the pilot, small scale SATEEN trial in Relapse-Remitting and Secondary Progressive MS, where antiinflammatory activity has also been observed. Vafidemstat has also been tested in a Phase II in severe Covid-19 patients (ESCAPE) assessing the capability of the drug to prevent ARDS, one of the most severe complications of the viral infection, where it showed significant anti-inflammatory effects in severe Covid-19 patients. Currently, vafidemstat is in two Phase IIb trials in borderline personality disorder (PORTICO) and in schizophrenia patients (EVOLUTION). The company is also deploying a CNS precision medicine approach with vafidemstat in genetically-defined patient subpopulations of certain CNS disorders. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This communication contains, or may contain, forward-looking information and statements about Oryzon, including financial projections and estimates and their underlying assumptions, statements regarding plans, objectives and expectations with respect to future operations, capital expenditures, synergies, products and services, and statements regarding future performance. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally identified by the words expects, anticipates, believes, intends, estimates and similar expressions. Although Oryzon believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, investors and holders of Oryzon shares are cautioned that forward-looking information and statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of Oryzon that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied or projected by, the forward-looking information and statements. These risks and uncertainties include those discussed or identified in the documents sent by Oryzon to the Spanish Comision Nacional del Mercado de Valores (CNMV), which are accessible to the public. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and have not been reviewed by the auditors of Oryzon. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they were made. All subsequent oral or written forward-looking statements attributable to Oryzon or any of its members, directors, officers, employees or any persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statement above. All forward-looking statements included herein are based on information available to Oryzon on the date hereof. Except as required by applicable law, Oryzon does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. This press release is not an offer of securities for sale in the United States or any other jurisdiction. Oryzons securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration. Any public offering of Oryzons securities to be made in the United States will be made by means of a prospectus that may be obtained from Oryzon or the selling security holder, as applicable, that will contain detailed information about Oryzon and management, as well as financial statements. IR, US IR & Media, Europe Spain Oryzon Ashley R. Robinson Sandya von der Weid Patricia Cobo Emili Torrell LifeSci Advisors, LLC LifeSci Advisors, LLC / Carlos C. Ungria BD Director +1 617 430 7577 +41 78 680 05 38 +34 91 564 07 25 +34 93 515 13 13 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

[email protected] [email protected]





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[October 28, 2021] Digital Transformation Investments to Represent More Than Half of All ICT Investment by 2024, According to IDC FutureScape

As the top digital transformation (DX) market research firm in the world, International Data Corporation (IDC) today unveiled IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Digital Transformation 2022 Predictions (IDC (News - Alert) #US47115521). Responding to the pandemic, organizations accelerated their investments in digital. This means that in 2022 more than half the global economy will be based on or influenced by digital. In fact, according to the new report, direct digital transformation investments will accelerate to a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.5% in 2022-2024, up from a 15.4% CAGR in 2019-2024, becoming 55% of all information and communications technology (ICT) investments by the end of 2024. In today's FutureScape webinar, IDC analysts Shawn Fitzgerald and Bob Parker discussed the key predictions that will impact CIOs and IT professionals with regards to digital transformation over the next one to five years and offered guidance for managing the implications these predictions harbor for IT investment priorities and implementation strategies. To register for an on-demand replay of this webinar or any of the other IDC FutureScape webinars, please visit https://www.idc.com/events/futurescape. Click to Tweet: Join us for the #IDCFutureScape webinar, "IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Digital Transformation 2022 Predictions," now available on-demand, to unlock the top 10 predictions for IT professionals' IT investment priorities and implementation strategies. Register: https://bit.ly/2Zlhvnm The predictions from the IDC FutureScape for Worldwide Digital Transformation are: Prediction 1: Double Digit Investment Growth. Direct digital transformation investments accelerate to a 16.5% CAGR in 2022-2024, up from a 15.4% CAGR in 2019-2024, becoming 55% of all ICT investment bythe end of 2024.



Prediction 2: Digital GDP Rules. Responding to the pandemic, organizations accelerated their investments in digital. This means that in 2022 more than half the global economy is based on or influenced by digital. Prediction 3: Physically Architecting Digital. By 2023, 90% of organizations worldwide will prioritize investments in digital tools to augment physical spaces and assets with digital experiences.

Prediction 4: Automating Enterprises and Ecosystems. By 2025, 60% of organizations will capitalize on disruption with an enterprise- and ecosystem-wide approach to automation, leveraging model-based enterprise concepts, centers of excellence (COEs), and low-code/no-code platforms. Prediction 5: Leadership for Digital Resiliency. By 2026, 54% of CIOs drive business transformation, empowering digitally resilient organizations via strategic technology roadmaps and re-platforming to enable an agile, data-driven, collaborative workforce. Prediction 6: Digital Enculturation and Empowerment. Leveraging low-code/no-code tool and data utilization capability, the majority of employees at 60% of enterprises will lead transformation and embody digital resiliency at their roles by 2024. Prediction 7: Digital Resiliency. By 2022, 55% of organizations will have expanded resiliency plans to future-proof their business, improving profitability, innovation rates, and cost efficiencies by more than 20% compared to their peers. Prediction 8: Digital ROI and Outcomes. By 2023, 1 in 2 companies will generate more than 40% of their revenues from digital products and services, as compared to 1 in 3 in 2020. Prediction 9: Digital Dream Teams. By 2025, companies with cross-functional leadership, a digital dream team, enjoy faster rates of innovation, higher market share gains, and greater operational efficiencies than their contemporaries. Prediction 10: Decarbonization and digital. Decarbonization initiatives are a key goal of digital transformations; fewer than 10% of organizations say they are not applicable or not implementing objectives to reduce carbon by the end of 2023. "Direct digital transformation (DX) investment growth rates are accelerating, up to a 16.5% CAGR for 2022-2024. This is an increase of one full percentage point from the 15.5% CAGR we saw for the 2020-2023 timeframe. 2022-2024 investment levels are expected to be $6.3 trillion and 55% of all ICT investment by the end of 2024. This is a $0.9 trillion increase from the 2020-2023 timeframe where we forecast direct investment at $5.4 trillion. For the first time ever, we see that the majority of enterprise organizations, at 53%, have an enterprise-wide digital transformation strategy, a 42% increase from just two years ago," said Shawn Fitzgerald, research director, Worldwide Digital Transformation Strategies at IDC. For additional information about these predictions or to arrange a one-on-one briefing with Shawn Fitzgerald, please contact Sarah Murray at 781-378-2674 or [email protected]. Reports are available to qualified members of the media. For information on purchasing reports, contact [email protected]; reporters should email [email protected]. About IDC FutureScape

IDC FutureScape reports are used to shape IT strategy and planning for the enterprise by providing a basic framework for evaluating IT initiatives in terms of their value to business strategy now and in the foreseeable future. IDC's FutureScapes are comprised of a set of decision imperatives designed to identify a range of pending issues that CIOs and senior technology professionals will confront within the typical 3-year business planning cycle. To learn more about the IDC FutureScape reports for 2022, please visit: https://www.idc.com/events/futurescape. About IDC

International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. With more than 1,100 analysts worldwide, IDC offers global, regional, and local expertise on technology, IT benchmarking and sourcing, and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries. IDC's analysis and insight helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based technology decisions and to achieve their key business objectives. Founded in 1964, IDC is a wholly owned subsidiary of International Data Group (IDG), the world's leading tech media, data, and marketing services company. To learn more about IDC, please visit www.idc.com. Follow IDC on Twitter (News - Alert) at @IDC and LinkedIn. Subscribe to the IDC Blog for industry news and insights. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005020/en/

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INVESTOR ALERT: Law Offices of Howard G. Smith Announces Investigation of Reconnaissance Energy Africa Ltd. f/k/a Lund Enterprises Corp. (RECAF) on Behalf of Investors

Law Offices of Howard G. Smith announces an investigation on behalf of Reconnaissance Energy Africa Ltd. f/k/a Lund Enterprises Corp. ("ReconAfrica" or the "Company") (OTC: RECAF, formerly LGDOF) investors concerning the Company's possible violations of federal securities laws.

On September 7, 2021, Viceroy published a report entitled "ReconAfrica - Another swing, another miss: Despite significant polish, Netherland Sewell's presentation on ReconAfrica's 6-2 well is another set of disappointing results." The report alleges, among other things, that ReconAfrica's press statement and presentatin of data on their first 6-2 well "is a clear attempt to put a positive spin on disappointing drill results but fails to do so under further scrutiny."







On this news ReconAfrica's share price fell $0.68, or 12%, to close at $4.65 per share on September 7, 2021, thereby injuring investors.

If you purchased ReconAfrica securities, have information or would like to learn more about these claims, or have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Howard G. Smith, Esquire, of Law Offices of Howard G. Smith, 3070 Bristol Pike, Suite 112, Bensalem, Pennsylvania 19020 by telephone at (215) 638-4847, toll-free at (888) 638-4847, or by email to [email protected], or visit our website at www.howardsmithlaw.com.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.

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[October 28, 2021] Merck Did It, Why Can't You? - AHF Asks COVID Vaccine Makers

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) praised today Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics for granting a royalty-free license to manufacture their COVID-19 antiviral drug molnupiravir in more than 100 developing countries. AHF calls on Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson to follow Merck's example and voluntarily grant royalty-free manufacturing and distribution rights for their COVID-19 vaccines and facilitate technology transfers to expand generic vaccine production around the world. "If Merck can grant a voluntary license on its antiviral drug, so can the big three vaccine makers. It is time for them to stop keeping us all hostage to their greed," said AHF President Michael Weinstein. "Shameless pandemic profiteering at the expense of global public health must finally stop - it's foolish to think the pandemic will go away unless we do everything possible to increase vaccine production exponentially and make doses widely available across the world." As of October 2021, less than 50% of the world's population has received at least one dose of a vaccine, with about 80% of those doses going to people in high- and upper-middle-income countries. Less than 8.5% of the 1.3 billion people on the African continent have received even one dose.



Molnupiravir has shown promising results in a clinical trial by reducing the risk of hospitalization or death from COVID-19 by half. Merck is seeking emergency use authorization for the antiviral from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics will not collect royalties on the patents as long as the World Health Organization (WHO) considers COVID-19 an international public health emergency. Rights for the drug will be held by the Medicines Patent Pool, which can sub-license it to WHO-approved generic manufacturers. However, the Patent Pool excludes many hard-hit middle-income countries, particularly in Latin America, including Mexico, Chile, and Colombia. To fully realize the potential benefits of molnupiravir to reduce COVID-related hospitalizations and mortality, the rights to manufacture and sell the drug must be extended to these middle-income countries as well.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to over 1.6 million clients in 45 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Europe. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook (News - Alert): www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on Twitter (News - Alert): @aidshealthcare and Instagram: @aidshealthcare View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005942/en/

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[October 28, 2021] Cubic Named Among the 2021 Healthiest 100 Workplace in America

Cubic Corporation was named 98 on the 2021 Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America by Healthiest Employers for their investment in the health and well-being of its employees. This award honors the organizations that are demonstrating care for their people by investing in health and well-being solutions and initiatives. Scoring is based on each organization's Healthiest Employers Index - a metric based on six categories: Culture and Leadership Commitment, Foundational Components, Strategic Planning, Communications and Marketing, Programming and Interventions, and Reporting and Analytics. The questionnaire, scoring, and benchmarking were formed with the help of a national, non-biased group of representatives from the academic, medical, and wellness communities. The assessment is scored rubric style on a 1-100 scale, with each question totaling .25-3 point.



"At Cubic, employee health and well-being are our top priorities, and we are honored to be named among the top 100 companies in the U.S. as it is key to caring for our people and enhancing the overall employee experience," said Brad Feldmann, chairman, president and chief executive officer, Cubic Corporation. "Healthiest Employers scores hit record highs in the past year, reflecting a deep level of care and empathy by business and benefits leaders who stand out in their support of their employees' well-being," said Haley Elmore, Healthiest Employers Program Coordinator. "The effects of COVID-19 will likely affect business operations for many years to come and it is crucial that companies are considering the needs of their employees beyond the immediate crisis."

Healthiest Employers was founded over a decade ago by Springbuk to drive meaningful investment in employees' health and well-being and to accelerate companies' adoption of data-driven approaches to health initiatives and planning employee benefits. "Well-being is no longer a nice to have, it is a business imperative to hire and retain top talent," said Rod Reason, CEO of Springbuk. "Businesses that are not investing in the health of their employees risk losing the talent needed to compete, or even survive." About Cubic Corporation Cubic is a technology-driven, market-leading provider of integrated solutions that increase situational understanding for transportation, defense C4ISR, and training customers worldwide to decrease urban congestion and improve the militaries' effectiveness and operational readiness. Our teams innovate to make a positive difference in people's lives. We simplify their daily journeys. We promote mission success and safety for those who serve their nation. About Healthiest Employers Springbuk is the preferred health intelligence platform for Healthiest Employers. This partnership brings clinical expertise, empowering us to move beyond recognition. With Springbuk, Healthiest Employers can help forward-thinking organizations to utilize more intelligent solutions for managing the health and well-being of their population. About Springbuk Springbuk is a leading-edge health analytics intelligence platform that empowers employers and consultants to optimize their investments in population health. The innovative solution offers deep analytic insights, allows data-informed decision-making, and provides strategic direction to maximize return on employee benefit investments. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005155/en/

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[October 28, 2021] The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz Announces Investigation of Reconnaissance Energy Africa Ltd. f/k/a Lund Enterprises Corp. (RECAF) on Behalf of Investors

The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz announces an investigation of Reconnaissance Energy Africa Ltd. f/k/a Lund Enterprises Corp. ("ReconAfrica" or the "Company") (OTC: RECAF, formerly LGDOF) on behalf of investors concerning the Company's possible violations of federal securities laws. If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here



On September 7, 2021, Viceroy published a report entitled "ReconAfrica - Another swing, another miss: Despite significant polish, Netherland Sewell's presentation on ReconAfrica's 6-2 well is another set of disappointing results." The report alleges, among other things, that ReconAfrica's press statement and presentation of data on their first 6-2 well "is a clear attempt to put a positive spin on disappointing drill results but fails to do so under further scrutiny." On this news ReconAfrica's share price fell $0.68, or 12%, to close at $4.65 per share on September 7, 2021, thereby injuring investors.

Follow us for updates on Twitter: twitter.com/FRC_LAW. If you purchased ReconAfrica securities, have information or would like to learn more about these claims, or have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Frank R. Cruz, of The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz, 1999 Avenue of the Stars, Suite 1100, Los Angeles, California 90067 at 310-914-5007, by email to [email protected], or visit our website at www.frankcruzlaw.com. If you inquire by email please include your mailing address, telephone number, and number of shares purchased. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005395/en/

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[October 28, 2021] Amentum Team Awarded $21 Billion Integrated Mission Completion Contract at the Savannah River Site

Amentum, a leading contractor of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced today that a team that includes the Company has been awarded the Savannah River Site Integrated Mission Completion Contract at the Savannah River Site near Aiken, South Carolina. The contract was awarded to Savannah River Mission Completion, LLC (SRMC), which is a joint venture led by BWXT Technical Services Group, Inc., and includes Amentum and Fluor Federal Services, Inc. The team includes two pre-selected small businesses, DBD and Wesworks. The single-award Master Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract with an estimated contract ceiling of approximately $21 billion over a 10-year ordering period will have Cost Reimbursement and Fixed Price Task Orders to define the contract performance. SRMC will be responsible for liquid waste operations, the closure of waste tanks, the operation of the Savannah River Site's Defense Waste Processing Facility, the Salt Waste Processing Facility and associated production and disposal facilities. John Vollmer, Chief Executie Officer of Amentum, said, "We are pleased to have been awarded this contract. Amentum and our heritage companies have a long history of supporting the DOE's environmental management programs and have managed numerous projects at the Savannah River Site. Our extensive experience includes the vitrification of high-level waste and the closure of waste tanks." Mr. Vollmer continued, "We look forward to working with our DOE client, partners, regulators, and community stakeholders to further advance the Department of Energy's mission of safe cleanup of legacy liquid waste at the Savannah River Site."



"Amentum and our partners have a tremendous track record treating waste and managing nuclear operations around the DOE complex," said Mark Whitney, President of Amentum's Nuclear & Environment Business Unit. "We are honored to be a part of this team and begin operations under this new contract". The Savannah River Site is owned by the U.S. Department of Energy. The site is 310 square miles located near Aiken, S.C. on the Savannah River bordering South Carolina and Georgia.

About Amentum Amentum is a premier global technical and engineering services partner supporting critical programs of national significance across defense, security, intelligence, energy, and environment. We draw from a century-old heritage of operational excellence, mission focus, and successful execution underpinned by a strong culture of safety and ethics. Headquartered in Germantown, Md., we employ more than 34,000 people in all 50 states and perform work in 105 foreign countries and territories. Visit us at amentum.com to explore how we deliver excellence for our customers' most vital missions.. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005963/en/

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[October 28, 2021] U.S. Navy Awards $9,962,646 IDIQ to NTS

National Technical Systems, Inc. ("NTS (News - Alert)"), the leading independent provider of qualification testing, inspection, and certification solutions in North America, has been awarded a $9,962,646 contract from the United States Navy. The award is an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract for testing across different NTS laboratories, including the company's defense-sector facility in Camden, Arkansas. The Camden test facility, which is one of NTS's 28 test laboratories in North America, is designed to meet the specific needs of the United States Military. "We're proud to receive a multi-year IDIQ contract from the United States Navy," said Dave Mann, Senior Vice President of Operations at NTS's Camden laboratory. "With expansive test capabilities and an expert staff at a variety of laboratories, we have the technical expertise and physical infrastructure to support the most stringent requirements." The firm-fixed-price IDIQ runs to 2026 and is expected to focus mainly on energetic systems response testing. In addition to energetic systems, the contract covers other equirements of the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC). The NSWC Indian Head Division, Indian Head, Maryland, is the contracting activity. "We look forward to our continued support of the United States Navy to ensure systems operate as intended under real-world circumstances," continued Mann.



About National Technical Systems National Technical Systems, Inc. (NTS) is the leading provider of qualification testing, inspection, and certification services in North America, serving a broad range of industries, including the civil aviation, space, defense, nuclear, telecommunications, industrial, electronics, medical, and automotive end markets. Since 1961, NTS has built the broadest geographic presence in the United States, offering more than 70 distinct environmental simulation and materials testing categories, including climatic, structural, dynamics, fluid flow, EMI/EMC (News - Alert), lightning, product safety, acoustics, failure analysis, chemical, and other industry-specific tests.

With 28 technologically advanced testing laboratories, this geographically diverse footprint puts NTS facilities in close proximity to its more than 8,000 clients, allowing NTS to serve the nation's most innovative companies with industry-leading accessibility and responsiveness. NTS is accredited by numerous national and international organizations and operates its inspection division under the Unitek brand, providing a wide range of supply chain management services. NTS' certification division, which operates under the NQA brand, is one of the largest and most respected global ISO registrars, with active certifications in more than 75 countries. For additional information about NTS, visit our website at www.nts.com or call 800-270-2516. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005332/en/

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[October 28, 2021] XACT Robotics Makes History: Announces the First Ever Remote-Controlled Interventional Oncology Percutaneous Procedure Enabled by ACE Xtend

Hingham, MA, Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

XACT Robotics today announced the worlds first remote controlled robotic instrument insertion and non-linear steering during an interventional oncology percutaneous procedure with ACE Xtend. ACE Xtend is the remote-control feature of the XACT ACE Robotic System, the worlds first and only comprehensive robotic system that integrates image-guided planning and real-time monitoring with precise robotic insertion and non-linear steering to deliver various instruments to a desired target in the body. This historic procedure using the XACT ACE Robotic System with ACE Xtend was successfully completed by the interventional radiology team at Sarasota Interventional Radiology in Sarasota, Florida. We are very excited about the addition of remote capabilities with ACE Xtend, that can improve workflows, allow us to perform more procedures and to better support our patients and staff, said Dr. Gerald Grubbs, owner of Sarasota Interventional Radiology. The ability for our interventional radiology team to perform procedures without havingto enter the procedure room also increases overall safety by reducing the risk of exposure to radiation and other harmful pathogens.



The XACT ACE Robotic Systems unique features were proven in over 200 clinical and pre-clinical cases to improve tip-to-target accuracy, efficiency, and consistency in interventional percutaneous procedures. With the addition of ACE Xtend, users can now reduce their exposure to harmful radiation and pathogens by controlling the XACT ACE Robotic System from the control room. We are proud to announce this historic event as it shows our commitment to advancing care in interventional percutaneous procedures, and to deliver better outcomes to patients across the world said Harel Gadot, Founder, Executive Chairman and President of XACT Robotics. With the ability to control the XACT ACE Robotic System from outside the imaging suite, we make the procedure more efficient and as such allow more patients to be treated.

About Sarasota Interventional Radiology Founded in 2006 by Gerald E. Grubbs, MD, board-certified interventional radiologist, SIR-Florida is a premier interventional radiology practice that focuses on nonsurgical and minimally invasive methods to diagnose and treat pain, illness, and disease. SIR-Florida is also a one-stop imaging center that offers the most revolutionary technology for general radiology needs, with each piece of equipment thoroughly researched and carefully selected for its imaging quality and its ability to maximize patient safety and comfort.

About the XACT ACE Robotic System The XACT ACE Robotic System is the world's first and only comprehensive robotic system that integrates image guided planning and real time monitoring with non-linear steering and precise robotic insertion to deliver various instruments to a desired target in the body during percutaneous procedures, including ablations, biopsies and site-specific drug delivery. With a proven accuracy of less than 1.7mm and one insertion to target, it has shown to improve accuracy, consistency and efficiency of interventional percutaneous procedures The XACT ACE Robotic System has FDA clearance for use during CT-guided percutaneous procedures, as well as a CE Mark.

About XACT Robotics Founded in 2013, XACT Robotics is a privately held company with offices in Hingham, MA, USA and Caesarea, Israel. The company is advancing the field of radiology with the introduction of the world's first and only comprehensive robotic system that integrates image guided planning and real time monitoring with non-linear steering and precise robotic insertion to deliver various instruments to a desired target in the body. For further information, visit www.xactrobotics.com Media Contact Holly Stevens

Berry & Company Public Relations

[email protected]

929 334 5229



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[October 28, 2021] Carl Data Solutions Inc. reports financial results and operational highlights for fiscal year 2021

Positive transformation underlined by an increase in Shareholder Equity of $3,886,650 VANCOUVER, BC, Oct. 28, 2021 /CNW/ - Carl Data Solutions Inc. (CSE: CRL) (FSE: 7C5) (OTC: CDTAF) ("Carl Data Solutions" or the "Company"), a leader in AI-enabled environmental monitoring, reporting, and data modeling applications for municipal water treatment and industrial infrastructure customers, today released its annual financial and operational highlights for its fiscal year ending June 30, 2021. A complete set of Audited June 30, 2021 Consolidated Financial Statements and Management's Discussion & Analysis has been filed at www.sedar.com. Carl Data Solutions serves more than 70 municipal infrastructure customers including the City of Los Angeles, the City of Toronto and industrial infrastructure customers such as Teck Resources Ltd. It also sells its solutions through engineering project integration partners like Kerr Wood Leidal Associates Ltd. and AECOM. These partners and their customers count on Carl Data Solutions to collect, cleanse, organize, store and analyze time-series data in mission-critical applications like Environmental Monitoring as a Service ("EMaaS") for water treatment and air quality. Mastering time-series data not only avoids costly downtime in large-scale infrastructure operations, but also allows customers to take advantage of predictive and prescriptive analytics on processes or forecasted events to optimize outcomes and mitigate risks. Financial highlights and year-over-year results for fiscal year 2021 In February, the Company announced three sources of new funding: An over-subscribed Private Placement of $5,601,288 , Convertible Debentures of $250,000 , and a $2,000,000 Line of Credit.

, Convertible Debentures of , and a Line of Credit. Some of this funding was used to convert $1,491,000 of corporate debt.

of corporate debt. The Company ended the 2021 fiscal year with positive Shareholder Equity of $2,780,761 , a year-over-year increase of $3,886,650 over the negative shareholder equity in the previous fiscal year.

, a year-over-year increase of over the negative shareholder equity in the previous fiscal year. The Company delivered Sales Revenue of $2,631,340 , a year-over year increase of $97,393 .

, a year-over year increase of . The Company had Cash On Hand of $2,903,056 , a year-over-year increase of $2,808,513.

, a year-over-year increase of The Company's debt comprised of Loans and Convertible Notes Payable totaled $503,577 , a year-over-year debt decrease of $1,314,758 .

, a year-over-year debt decrease of . The Company's Comprehensive Loss for Fiscal Year 2021 was $4,651,880 compared to $3,344,719 in Fiscal Year 2020.



Operational highlights for fiscal year 2021 After serving as a consultant to Carl Data Solutions for two months to evaluate its growth potential, in January Jean Charles Phaneuf was invited into the Company as CEO by its previous CEO Greg Johnston and the Board of Directors.

was invited into the Company as CEO by its previous CEO and the Board of Directors. Johnston remains with the Company as its President and has taken on roles in product evangelism, product management advisory and strategic business development.

In March, Phaneuf hired a new senior management team in March including a VP Sales, VP Marketing and VP Product Management.

Johnston led the successful delivery of the Company's Fresh Water Data Commons project with Canada's Digital Technology Supercluster. Started in 2019 in partnership with Microsoft, Teck Resources Ltd., i4C Innovation, Living Lakes Canada, the University of Victoria and Genome BC, the project is bringing significant intellectual property into the Company.

Digital Technology Supercluster. Started in 2019 in partnership with Microsoft, Teck Resources Ltd., i4C Innovation, Living Lakes Canada, the and Genome BC, the project is bringing significant intellectual property into the Company. Technology including AI-enabled software and hardware sensors developed over the course of the Fresh Water Data Commons project provides Carl Data Solutions with the innovations to create new Environmental Monitoring as a Service (EMaaS) and AI-enabled analytics products for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). Management commentary

Carl Data Solutions' CEO Jean Charles Phaneuf said, "The Company has undergone a positive transformation over fiscal year 2021 underlined by an increase in Shareholder Equity of $3,886,650 compared to fiscal year 2020. Our new management team, financial foundation and ambitious technology development plans provide us with an excellent opportunity to advance our revenues and further enhance value for shareholders. I would like to thank our customers, employees and investor community for their confidence in Carl Data Solutions." "This is a growth and value creation story that has just begun," stated Phaneuf, "Concurrent with the Company's Annual General Meeting on November 24th, we will announce several new products designed to minimize energy and water use, manage waste and land safely, as well as ensure comprehensive compliance for infrastructure-driven organizations with Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) mandates." About Carl Data Solutions Inc. Carl Data Solutions Inc. is an Industrial IoT (IIoT) and Big Data as a Service (BDaaS) company that provides next generation collection, storage and analytics solutions for data-centric organizations. Carl Data Solutions, through its subsidiaries Astra Smart Systems Corp. and FlowWorks Inc., helps clients analyze and model environmental data through a powerful end-to-end network of custom sensor arrays combined with SaaS based monitoring, reporting, and predictive modelling applications. Carl Data Solutions works with new cloud-based mass storage services and machine learning (AI) analytical tools to provide the scalability required to effectively monitor very large amounts of data collected by both government and industry. The software suite saves clients time and money by aggregating information from any sensor or source to create a real-time decision support system with deep insights into how to protect infrastructure and assets. The Canadian Securities Exchange (operated by CNSX Markets Inc.) has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this press release. This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking information is based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the management of Carl Data Solutions, including the expectation of future higher growth. Although the Corporation believes that the expectations and assumptions upon which such forward-looking information is based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking information because the Company can provide no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release. The Corporation disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, other than as required by applicable securities laws. SOURCE Carl Data Solutions Inc.

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[October 28, 2021] The Washington Post Releases First National Brand Campaign

The Washington Post today released its first national brand campaign, showcasing the modern-day global news organization and the relevance of its original journalism to people, institutions and culture. The "Impact" campaign will feature a suite of 30-second spots taking viewers inside the trusted reporting readers rely on from The Post. It will include a range of consequential stories, from news that informs policy to stories that move institutions or improve everyday life. "Our journalists' mission is to uncover the truth, and that reporting has an impact on the world," said Kristine Coratti Kelly, Chief Communications Officer at The Washington Post. "We wanted to use 'impact' as a jumping off point for this campaign and first showcase The Post people know, then surprise them with powerful reporting they may not have expected." Each 30-second spot will distill and compress The Post's rich and complex stories, much like a trailer would do for a movie. Th first spot focuses on the deep investigative reporting that resulted in the Afghanistan Papers, a six-part series that shed light on the truth about the Afghanistan War. With a moving score and bold graphics, the spot takes the viewer through the story and shows the amount of work it took investigative reporter Craig Whitlock and The Washington Post newsroom to bring the information to light.



"We wanted to grab people emotionally and create something bold in both style and tone that will become recognizable, and uniquely The Washington Post, throughout the campaign," adds Kelly. "To that end, we'll be opening these spots by reframing our iconic logo in the form of a keyhole. It's the perfect metaphor to showcase our evolution as a news organization, our unique heritage, and the kaleidoscopic diversity and impact of our journalism." Future spots will highlight the breadth of reporting viewers can find on The Washington Post's various platforms, stoking curiosity well beyond the expected to the must-read stories and interactives that are relevant to people's lives.

The Washington Post worked with Founder and CEO of GoingConcern Andrew Essex, a creative team from advertising and design firm Buddha Jones led by Alyson Jones and Julie Bloomfield, and media agency Noble People for the campaign. The landing page was designed by a team from Pentagram led by Eddie Opara. The first spot will run across media channels, starting October 28 on the popular game show "Jeopardy!" View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028006132/en/

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[October 28, 2021] First 2020 Census U.S. Island Areas Data Released Today

The combined population of the territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and the U.S. Virgin Islands was just under 339,000, according to the first results of the 2020 Island Areas Censuses released today. The four Island Areas are located in the Pacific and the Caribbean. In addition to conducting a count of people and housing units for all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, the U.S. Census Bureau conducts the Island Areas Censuses to produce population and housing counts for each of the four Island Areas. Other surveys such as the American Community Survey (ACS (News - Alert)) are not conducted in these territories. Therefore, the Census Bureau used a long-form questionnaire to meet the Island Areas' data needs for demographic, social, economic, and housing unit information. This long-form questionnaire was similar to the ACS questionnaire used in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The four Island Areas each have different types of geographies. For example, there are villages in American Samoa and estates in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Demographic, social, economic and housing characteristics - critical in understanding the ongoing changes and trends occurring in each Island Area - will be released in the future. The sections below provide data highlights from the 2020 Island Areas Censuses population and housing counts for each of the four Island Areas. American Samoa Located in the south-central Pacific, American Samoa had the second smallest population of the four Island Areas at 49,710 people, a decrease of over 10% since 2010. Only the Western District of Tutuila Island saw its population increase since 2010. Despite the declining population, the number of housing units in American Samoa increased by 7.7%, or 844 units. This was driven by an increase of over 1,300 units in the Western District. In addition to the island, district and county data featured here, the Census Bureau released village-level population and housing counts.



Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Located in the western Pacific, CNMI had the smallest population of the four U.S. Island Areas at 47,329 people, a decrease of over 12% since 2010.

While the sparsely populated Northern Islands showed an increase in population, all three main islands of Rota, Saipan and Tinian lost population since 2010. The number of housing units in CNMI also decreased by over 12%, a loss of 2,560 units. This was driven by a decrease of over 2,100 units in the Saipan Municipality. In addition to the municipality and district data available here, the Census Bureau released village-level population and housing counts. Guam Located in the western Pacific and southern part of the Marianas Archipelago, Guam had the largest population of the four U.S. Island Areas at 153,836 people. The population of Guam decreased by 3.5% since 2010, which was the smallest decrease of any of the Island Areas. The population of Dededo, Guam's most populated municipality with just under 45,000 people, had a slight population decrease of 0.1%. The number of housing units in Guam increased, however, by 2.0%, or 988 units. Dededo had the largest increase in the number of housing units (6.4% or 822 units) of any of the municipalities, while Talofofo municipality had the largest percent increase (9.8% or 88 units) in housing units. In addition to the municipality data listed here, the Census Bureau released census designated place level population and housing counts. U.S. Virgin Islands Located in the Caribbean, USVI had the second largest population of the four U.S. Island Areas at 87,146 people, a decrease of over 18% since 2010. While all the major islands, St. John, St. Croix and St. Thomas, in USVI experienced population decreases between 2010 and 2020, St. John had the smallest population decline (289 people). The only other island with a sizeable population is Water Island. The Water Island subdistrict of the St. Thomas Island district, which contains Water and Hassel Islands, decreased by 18 people to a population of 164. However, the overall number of housing units in USVI increased by 2.4%, or 1,356 units. All three major islands had increases in housing units, but all three towns in USVI, Charlotte Amalie, Christiansted and Frederiksted, had decreases. In addition to the island and town/census-designated place data (CDP) listed here, the Census Bureau released estate-level population and housing counts. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028006170/en/

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[October 28, 2021] Global Healthcare Logistics Markets, 2021-2026 - Implementation of UDI Systems, Growing Prominence of Vaccine Logistics, Emergence of Blockchain Technology, Clinically Integrated Supply Chain

DUBLIN, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Healthcare Logistics Market - Global Outlook & Forecast 2021-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global healthcare logistics market size was valued at USD 144.28 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach USD 226.57 billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 7.8%.



The major factors contributing to the growth of the global healthcare logistics industry are the increasing demand for pharmaceuticals and medical devices, emerging technologies in the healthcare supply chain, a growing collaboration between logistics and healthcare providers, and other factors such as rising population and growing chronic disease cases increasing trade, etc. Covid 19 vaccine propelled the demand for healthcare logistics in the forecast period. The study considers a detailed scenario of the present healthcare logistics market and its market dynamics for the period 2021-2026. It covers a detailed overview of several market growth enablers, restraints, and trends. The report offers both the demand and supply aspects of the market. It profiles and examines leading companies and other prominent ones operating in the market. HEALTHCARE LOGISTICS MARKET SEGMENTS Pharmaceuticals accounted for a share of 59.71% in the global market in 2020. The pharmaceutical logistics industry has experienced significant growth in the past two decades, and worldwide pharma products' revenues were total $1.27 trillion in 2020. COVID 19 surged the demand for vaccines and medicines in 2020. GEOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS North America: North America region accounted for the largest share in the market in 2020 mainly because of the presence of a majority of healthcare suppliers in the region. High acceptance, the prevalence of chronic disease, growing geriatric population are some of the factors contributing to the growth of this region.



Europe: Europe is the second highest region in the healthcare logistics industry in 2020. Major factors contributing to market growth in this region include the availability of highly advanced and robust healthcare technology, medical infrastructure, increasing demand for healthcare products, and increasing ollaborations.



VENDOR ANALYSIS The key vendors in the healthcare logistics industry are AmeriSourceBergen Corporation, CEVA Logistics AG, FedEx Corporation, Kuehne + Nagel, DB Schenker, Deutsche Post DHL, and United Parcel Service.

The market is rapidly evolving, including in response to demand for faster deliveries by end users and increased visibility into shipments. KEY HIGHLIGHTS Advanced technologies are disrupting logistic companies to improve the healthcare ecosystem, business models. Increased usage of optimization tools, AI, IoT, and smart logistics platforms are likely to contribute to the future growth of the healthcare logistics industry.

Emerging demand for temperature-controlled logistics or healthcare cold chain logistics management is another factor boosting the demand.

Through business expansion plans, regional and local vendors need to increase their share and presence both in developed and emerging economies Prominent Vendors AmeriSourceBergen Corporation

CEVA Logistics AG

FedEx Corporation

Kuehne + Nagel

DB Schenker

Deutsche Post DHL

United Parcel Service Other Prominent Vendors AWL India

Alloga

Bollore Logistics

Cardinal Health

C.H. Robinson

Cold Chain Technologies (CCT)

DSV Global Transport and Logistics

Farmasoft

Lufthansa Cargo

Maersk

Medline

Nippon Express Co. Ltd.

Owens & Minor

Oximio

PHOENIX group

group SEKO Logistics

Sinotrans Limited

XPO Logistics

ZirconMed Key Topics Covered:



1 Research Methodology



2 Research Objectives



3 Research Process



4 Scope & Coverage

4.1 Market Definition

4.2 Base Year

4.3 Scope of the Study

4.4 Market Segments



5 Report Assumptions & Caveats

5.1 Key Caveats

5.2 Currency Conversion

5.3 Market Derivation



6 Market at a Glance



7 Introduction

7.1 Background

7.2 Evolution of Logistics

7.3 Logistics in Healthcare

7.4 Technological Advances in Healthcare Logistics



8 Market Opportunities & Trends

8.1 Implementation of Unique Device Identification (UDI) System

8.2 Growing Prominence of Vaccine Logistics

8.3 Emergence of Blockchain Technology in Healthcare

8.4 Clinically Integrated Supply Chain



9 Market Growth Enablers

9.1 Advances in Supply Chain Technologies

9.2 Improved Service Portfolio

9.3 Collaborations Between 3PL & Healthcare Providers

9.4 Rising Demand for Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices



10 Market Restraints

10.1 Fluctuations in Fuel Prices

10.2 Abrupt Changes in International Trade Regulatory Policies

10.3 Inbound Logistics Services for Manufacturers



11 Market Landscape

11.1 Market Overview

11.2 COVID-19 Impact

11.3 Market Size & Forecast

11.4 Five Forces Analysis



12 Product

12.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

12.2 Market Overview

12.3 Pharmaceuticals

12.4 Medical Devices



13 Functionality

13.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

13.2 Market Overview



14 Transportation

14.1 Market Overview

14.2 Market Size & Forecast

14.3 Market by Geography

14.3.1 Market Size & Forecast

14.4 Air

14.5 Road

14.6 Water



15 Warehousing

15.1 Market Overview

15.2 Market Size & Forecast

15.3 Market by Geography



16 Others

16.1 Market Overview

16.2 Market Size & Forecast

16.3 Market by Geography



17 End User

17.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

17.2 Market Overview

17.3 Pharmacy

17.4 Healthcare Facilities

17.5 Research & Diagnostic Laboratories



18 Geography

18.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

18.2 Geographic Overview For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/cabs2e Media Contact: Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/global-healthcare-logistics-markets-2021-2026---implementation-of-udi-systems-growing-prominence-of-vaccine-logistics-emergence-of-blockchain-technology-clinically-integrated-supply-chain-301410959.html SOURCE Research and Markets

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[October 28, 2021] NexJ Systems Reports Third Quarter 2021 Results

TORONTO, Oct. 28, 2021 /CNW/ - NexJ Systems Inc. (TSX: NXJ), delivering intelligent customer management software to the financial services industry, today announced financial results for its third quarter ended September 30, 2021. Third Quarter Summary $4.0M of revenue for the third quarter as compared to $4.3M in the third quarter of the previous year

of revenue for the third quarter as compared to in the third quarter of the previous year $370K in Adjusted EBITDA profit for the third quarter as compared to $900K in the third quarter of the previous year

in Adjusted EBITDA profit for the third quarter as compared to in the third quarter of the previous year $180K of net income for the third quarter as compared to $539K of net income in the third quarter of the previous year

of net income for the third quarter as compared to of net income in the third quarter of the previous year Continued to increase the recurring subscription license revenue by delivering two new subscription license products to a leading US wealth management firm that support multiple cloud deployment options and real-time data streaming for enhanced analytics and reporting

Continued to leverage eco-system partnerships to service the rapidly expanding RIA market, driving new customers and incremental subscription license revenue

Unbilled contracted subscription license revenue that will be recognized as revenue in future quarters stands at $1.4M as compared to zero in the previous year "The increase in subscription license revenue and unbilled deferred revenue demonstrates our continued commitment to transition the business to a recurring license revenue model," said Paul O'Donnell, CEO of NexJ, "As we continue to focus our efforts on the remainder of the year we fully expect that we will add additional subscription license revenue, providing the strongest foundation for sustainable growth."







NexJ Systems Inc.















Third Quarter Financial Results















(Expressed in thousands of Canadian dollars)















(Unaudited)



















Quarter ended September 30,

Nine months ended September 30,



2021

2020

2021

2020

















Revenue

$

$

$

$ License and subscription fees

539

60

977

110 Professional services

1,502

2,078

4,560

5,721 Maintenance and support

1,997

2,197

6,203

6,772



4,038

4,335

11,740

12,603 Cost of revenue

920

958

2,877

3,161 Gross profit

3,118

3,377

8,863

9,442

















Operating Expenses















Research and development

1,329

1,088

4,210

4,431 Sales and marketing

572

581

1,654

1,934 General and administrative

847

808

2,403

2,928



2,748

2,477

8,267

9,293

















Adjusted EBITDA

370

900

596

149

















Share-based payment expense

10

55

64

184 Depreciation and amortization

229

217

671

650 Deferred share unit expense

-

-

-

275 Restructuring costs

-

-

-

960 Income (loss) from operations

131

628

(139)

(1,920)

















Foreign exchange loss (gain)

(66)

60

84

(74) Finance income

(6)

(2)

(15)

(45) Finance expense

23

31

74

101 Net income (loss) for the period

180

539

(282)

(1,902)

Non-IFRS Measures This news release includes certain measures that have not been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") such as Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin which are used to evaluate the Company's operating performance as a complement to results provided in accordance with IFRS. The Company believes that Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin are useful supplemental information as it provides an indication of the results generated by the Company's main business activities prior to taking into consideration how those activities are financed and taxed and also prior to taking into consideration asset depreciation and the other items listed below. The term "Adjusted EBITDA" refers to net income (loss) before adjusting for share-based payment expense, depreciation and amortization, deferred share unit expense, restructuring costs, foreign exchange gain (loss), finance income, finance costs, and income taxes. "Adjusted EBITDA margin" refers to the percentage that Adjusted EBITDA for any period represents as a portion of total revenue for that period. The term Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin are not measures recognized by IFRS and do not have standardized meanings prescribed by IFRS. Therefore, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. Investors are cautioned that Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin should not be construed as an alternative to net income (loss) as determined in accordance with IFRS. About NexJ Systems Inc.

NexJ Systems provides Intelligent Customer Management to the financial services industry. Our award-winning CRM is designed to help Wealth Management, Private Banking, Corporate and Commercial Banking, and Insurance firms revolutionize their business. Powered by artificial intelligence, our products help drive productivity, boost client engagement, and increase revenue. With users in over 60 countries, our customers benefit from our deep expertise across financial services verticals, strategic investment in innovation, and commitment to their success. Based in Toronto, NexJ has clients throughout North America, Asia Pacific and in Europe. For more information about NexJ visit www.nexj.com, e-mail [email protected], or call 416-222-5611. Join us on LinkedIn, follow us on Twitter, subscribe to our YouTube channel, or like us on Facebook. NexJ Forward-looking Statement

Certain statements in this press release, including statements about the financial conditions, and results of operations and earnings, may contain words such as "may", "will", "expect", "anticipate", "aim", "estimate", "intend", "plan", "seek", "believe", "potential", "continue", "is/are likely to", "could", "should", "target", "envision", and other similar language and are considered forward-looking statements or information under applicable securities laws. These statements are based on the Company's current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about the operating environment, economies and markets in which the Company operates. These statements are subject to important assumptions, risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict, and the actual outcome may be materially different. The Company's assumptions, although considered reasonable by the Company at the date of this press release, may provide to be inaccurate and consequently the Company's actual results could differ materially from the expectations set out herein. Actual results or events could differ materially from those contemplated in forward-looking statements as a result of the following: (i) the future performance, financial and otherwise, of NexJ; (ii) the ability of NexJ to protect, maintain and enforce its intellectual property rights; (iii) the acceptance by the Company's customers and the marketplace of new technologies and solutions; (iv) the Company's growth and profitability prospects; (v) the estimated size and growth prospects of the CRM market; (vi) the Company's competitive position in the CRM market and its ability to take advantage of future opportunities in this market; (vii) the Company's ability to attract new customers and develop and maintain existing customers; and (viii) the demand for the Company's product and the extent of deployment of the company's products in the CRM marketplace. Forward-looking statements may also include, without limitation, any statement relating to future events, conditions or circumstances. The risks and uncertainties that may affect forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: (i) our dependence on a limited number of customers and large project size; (ii) fluctuation in our quarterly operating results; (iii) our dependence on key personnel and our compensation structure; (iv) risks associated with managing large and complex software implementation projects; (v) uncertainties and assumptions in our sales forecasts, including the extent to which sales proposals are converted into sales; (vi) risks associated with our ability to design, develop, test, market, license and support our software products on a timely basis; (vii) market acceptance of our products and services; (viii) commercial success of products resulting from our investment in research and development; (ix) our success in expanding sales into new international markets; * competition in our industry; (xi) failure to protect our intellectual property or infringement of intellectual property rights of third parties; (xii) reliance upon a limited number of third-party software products to develop our products; (xiii) defects or disruptions in our products and services; (xiv) currency exchange rate fluctuations; (xv) lengthy sales cycles for our software; (xvi) general economic conditions; (xvii) failure to manage our growth successfully; (xviii) failure to successfully manage and integrate acquisitions; (xix) breach of our security measures and unauthorized access to data; (xx) employee retention and (xxi) litigation, including commercial, product liability, employment, class action and other litigation and claims. For additional information with respect to risks and other factors which could occur, see the Company's most recently filed Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2020 dated February 18, 2021, and other securities filings with the Canadian securities regulators available on www.sedar.com. Unless otherwise required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intention or obligations to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. NexJ Systems Inc.





Condensed Interim Statements of Financial Position





(Expressed in thousands of Canadian dollars)





(Unaudited)















September 30, 2021

December 31, 2020







Assets







$

$ Current assets:





Cash and cash equivalents 5,715

5,426 Accounts receivable 1,434

3,546 Prepaid expenses and other assets 1,120

1,320 Total current assets 8,269

10,292







Non-current assets:





Property and equipment 654

768 Right-of-use assets 1,154

1,280 Goodwill 1,753

1,753 Investments 254

255 Contract costs 97

51 Other assets 260

403 Total non-current assets 4,172

4,510







Total assets 12,441

14,802







Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity













Current liabilities:





Accounts payable and accrued liabilities 2,083

1,874 Deferred revenue 3,910

5,374 Lease liabilities 1,123

967 Total current liabilities 7,116

8,215







Non-current liabilities:





Accrued liabilities 72

101 Deferred revenue 24

346 Lease liabilities 377

1,078 Total non-current liabilities 473

1,525







Total liabilities 7,589

9,740







Shareholders' equity:





Share capital 83,485

83,471 Share purchase loans (3,598)

(3,598) Contributed surplus 8,723

8,664 Accumulated other comprehensive loss (15)

(14) Deficit (83,743)

(83,461) Total shareholders' equity 4,852

5,062







Total liabilities and shareholders' equity 12,441

14,802 NexJ Systems Inc.













Condensed Interim Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss)











(Expressed in thousands of Canadian dollars, except per share amounts)









(Unaudited)































Three months ended September 30,

Nine months ended September 30,

2021

2020

2021

2020















Revenue $

$

$

$ License and subscription fees 539

60

977

110 Professional services 1,502

2,078

4,560

5,721 Maintenance and support 1,997

2,197

6,203

6,772

4,038

4,335

11,740

12,603 Cost of revenue 919

966

2,874

3,190 Gross profit 3,119

3,369

8,866

9,413















Expenses:













Research and development 1,328

1,094

4,223

4,465 Sales and marketing 573

583

1,657

1,941 General and administrative 1,087

1,064

3,125

3,967 Restructuring costs -

-

-

960

2,988

2,741

9,005

11,333















Income (loss) from operations 131

628

(139)

(1,920)















Foreign exchange gain (loss) 66

(60)

(84)

74 Finance income 6

2

15

45 Finance expense (23)

(31)

(74)

(101)

49

(89)

(143)

18































Income (loss) for the period 180

539

(282)

(1,902)















Other comprehensive income (loss):













Items that will not be reclassified to profit or loss:













Unrealized gain (loss) on equity securities 6

(5)

(1)

7 Income (loss) for the period and

comprehensive income (loss) 186

534

(283)

(1,895)















Earnings (loss) per share













Basic and diluted 0.01

0.03

(0.01)

(0.09)















Weighted average number of common shares













outstanding, in thousands













Basic 21,067

21,108

21,059

21,817 Diluted 21,105

21,108

21,059

21,817 NexJ Systems Inc.





Condensed Interim Statements of Cash Flows





(Expressed in thousands of Canadian dollars)





(Unaudited)















Nine months ended

Nine months ended

September 30, 2021

September 30, 2020















Cash flows from (used in) operating activities: $

$ Loss for the period (282)

(1,902) Adjustments for:





Depreciation and amortization of property and equipment 156

219 Depreciation of right-of-use assets 515

431 Changes in contract costs (46)

72 Share-based payment expense 64

184 Deferred share unit expense -

218 Finance income (15)

(45) Finance expense 74

101 Foreign exchange loss 22

90 Change in non-cash operating working capital:





Accounts receivable 2,112

2,499 Prepaid expenses and other assets 184

415 Accounts payable and accrued liabilities 171

880 Deferred revenue (1,793)

(1,864) Net cash flows from operating activities 1,162

1,298







Cash flows from (used in) financing activities:





Payment of lease liabilities (839)

(586) Interest paid (4)

- Proceeds from exercise of stock options 9

- Net cash flows used in financing activities (834)

(586)







Cash flows from (used in) investing activities:





Purchase of property and equipment (32)

(84) Interest received 15

45 Net cash flows used in investing activities (17)

(39)







Effects of exchange rates on cash and cash equivalents (22)

(90)







Increase in cash and cash equivalents 289

583







Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period 5,426

5,123







Cash and cash equivalents, end of period 5,715

5,706







Supplemental cash flow information:





Acquisition of property and equipment not yet paid 10

- SOURCE NexJ Systems Inc.

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[October 28, 2021] Janice Innis-Thompson Elected to MBIA Inc.'s Board of Directors

MBIA Inc. (NYSE:MBI) (the Company) today announced that yesterday, Wednesday, October 27, 2021, Ms. Janice Innis-Thompson (55) was elected to the Company's Board of Directors, where she will also serve as a member of the Audit; Finance and Risk; and Compensation and Governance Committees. Ms. Innis-Thompson is currently a director at the Executive Leadership Council and National Forest Foundation. She has also served on Boards for Bridge Builder Mutual Fund, an Edward Jones Complex; The Wardlaw-Hartridge School; Board IQ; New York Police Department Audit Advisory Board; and Hale House. Since 2020, Ms. Innis-Thompson has been Senior Vice President, Corporate Litigation & Legal Operations for Nationwide. For the three prior years, she was Chief Compliance Officer for Samsung (News - Alert) Electronics America. "We are pleased that Janice has accepted our invitation to join the MBIA Board," said Charles Rinehart, Chairman of the MBIA Inc. Board of Directors. "We are confident that Janice's legal and compliance experience will contribute positively to our efforts to enhance MBIA Inc.'s shareholder value." Ms. Innis-Thompson earned a BS degree in Public Relations from University of Florida and a Juris Doctor degree from University of Florida - Fredric G. Levin College of Law. Prior to her employment with Samsung Electronics America, Ms. Innis-Thompson was Senior Managing Director, Chief Compliance & Ethics Officer during a 10-year career at TIAA. ForwardLooking Statements



This release includes statements that are not historical or current facts and are "forward-looking statements" made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words "believe,, "anticipate," "project," "plan," "expect," "estimate," "intend," "will," "will likely result," "looking forward," or "will continue," and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical earnings and those presently anticipated or projected, including, among other factors, the possibility that MBIA Inc. or National will experience increased credit losses or impairments on public finance obligations issued by state, local and territorial governments and finance authorities that are experiencing unprecedented fiscal stress; the possibility that loss reserve estimates are not adequate to cover potential claims; MBIA Inc.'s or National's ability to fully implement their strategic plan; changes in general economic and competitive conditions; and the impact on our insured portfolios or business operations caused by the global spread of the novel coronavirus COVID-19. These and other factors that could affect financial performance or could cause actual results to differ materially from estimates contained in or underlying MBIA Inc.'s or National's forward-looking statements are discussed under the "Risk Factors" section in MBIA Inc.'s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, which may be updated or amended in MBIA Inc.'s subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. MBIA Inc. and National caution readers not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only to their respective dates. National and MBIA Inc. undertake no obligation to publicly correct or update any forward-looking statement if it later becomes aware that such result is not likely to be achieved. MBIA Inc., headquartered in Purchase, New York is a holding company whose subsidiaries provide financial guarantee insurance for the public and structured finance markets. Please visit MBIA's website at www.mbia.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028006023/en/

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American Express Executives to Participate in Upcoming Investor Conferences

American Express (News - Alert) Company (NYSE: AXP) today announced its participation in upcoming investor conferences.

On Wednesday, November 10, 2021, Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer, Jeffrey C. Campbell, will participate in the Bank of America 2021 Banking and Financials Conference. Mr. Campbell will participate in a virtual fireside chat covering the company's financial performance and business strategy beginning at 9:40 a.m. (ET).

On Tuesday, December 7, 2021, Chairman and CEO, Stephen J. Squeri, will participate in the Goldman Sachs 2021 US Financial Services Conference. Mr. Squeri will participate in an in-person fireside chat relating to the company's financial performance and business strategy beginning at 9:20 a.m. (ET).

Live audio webcasts of both events will be accessible to the general public through the American Express Investor Relations website at http://ir.americanexpress.com. An audio replay of each presentation will be available after each event at the same website address.

ABOUT AMERICAN EXPRESS

American Express is a globally integrated payments company, providing customers with access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build business success. Learn more at americanexpress.com and connect with us on facebook.com/americanexpress, instagram.com/americanexpress, linkedin.com/company/american-express, twitter.com/americanexpress, and youtube.com/americanexpress.







Key links to products, services and corporate responsibility information: personal cards, business cards, travel services, gift cards, prepaid cards, merchant services, Accertify, Kabbage, Resy, corporate card, business travel, diversity and inclusion, corporate responsibility and Environmental, Social, and Governance reports.

Source (News - Alert): American Express Company

Location: Global

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028006228/en/
[October 28, 2021] Deluxe Officially Opens New Headquarters in Downtown Minneapolis

Deluxe (NYSE: DLX), a Trusted Payments and Business Technology company, today announced the opening of its newly constructed, state-of-the-art headquarters at 801 Marquette in downtown Minneapolis. Following more than 18 months of working remotely, Minnesota-based Deluxe employees will begin returning to the physical workspace in phases Nov. 15 with the intent of fully occupying the new space in January 2022. Deluxe President and CEO Barry McCarthy and Board Chair Cheryl Mayberry McKissack, along with other dignitaries, held a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open the headquarters, which occupies the third and fourth floors of the four-story 801 Marquette building and the seventh floor of the connected 121 South 8th tower. The 94,000-square-foot space is geared toward a more flexible work model to meet the needs of more than 500 Deluxe employees specializing in payments, cloud and data solutions, promotional solutions and checks. "Our new headquarters is designed to foster an environment of creative cooperation to solve a wide range of customer needs," McCarthy stated. "It has been built to be collaborative for our employees, and for our partners in the community, to foster greater productivity and profitability in the digital economy." The new headquarters allows customers to see firsthand Deluxe technological advances in financial technology, payments, data and promotional solutions and more. It serves as a collaborative, interactive hub where industry experts, partners, entrepreneurs, and others come together with Deluxe to share ideas and create customer solutions. "For more than 100 yars, Deluxe has proven itself as one of Minnesota's great business success stories," said Steve Cramer, President of the Minneapolis Downtown Council. "The opening of its new headquarters in downtown Minneapolis marks the beginning of an exciting and vitally important chapter. When a company of Deluxe's stature doubles down on making Minnesota its home, the economic impact positively reverberates throughout the state."



True to its purpose of being "Champions for Business so Communities Thrive," the move to Minneapolis allows Deluxe employee-owners to engage with city, business and community leaders to help the city and region build a better tomorrow for all. In addition to offering closer proximity to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and clients also based downtown, the new headquarters also will deliver employee-owners inspiring, energizing and productive spaces to work while incorporating safety considerations for the post-pandemic world. About Deluxe

Deluxe, a Trusted Payments and Business Technology company, helping businesses pay, get paid, optimize and grow. For more than 100 years, Deluxe has championed businesses so communities thrive at all stages of their lifecycle, from start-up to maturity. Our powerful solutions support millions of small businesses, thousands of financial institutions and hundreds of the world's most valuable brands. The company operates at significant scale, processing more than $2.8 trillion in annual payment volume. To learn how we can help your business, visit us at www.deluxe.com, www.facebook.com/deluxecorp, www.linkedin.com/company/deluxe, or www.twitter.com/deluxe. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005945/en/

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[October 28, 2021] Alkaline Fuel Cell Power Corp. Announces 2021 AGM Results

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alkaline Fuel Cell Power Corp. (NEO: PWWR) ("Fuel Cell Power" or the "Company"), a company focused on the design, development and commercialization of alkaline fuel cell heat and power systems for residential, industrial and commercial markets worldwide, is pleased to announce the results of voting at its annual general meeting of shareholders which was held on October 27, 2021 in Vancouver, British Columbia (the Meeting). There were 20 shareholders represented in person or by proxy at the Meeting holding 22,733,322 common shares, representing 13.51% of the Companys total issued and outstanding common shares as at the record date for the Meeting. The voting results for each matter presented at the Meeting is set out below:

Number of Directors

The resolution to set the number of directors of the Company at five (5) was approved by the shareholders who voted in respect of the resolution present or represented by proxy at the Meeting. Voting results are set out below: Votes For Votes Against # % # % 22,731,470 99.9% 270 0.01% Election of Directors

Each of the nominees for election as director listed in the Companys management information circular dated September 20, 2021 were elected as directors of the Company for the ensuing year until their successors are elected or appointed. Voting results are set out below: Votes For Votes Withheld # % # % Eugene Beukman 22,606,585 99.4 % 125,155 0.55 % Joel Dumaresq 22,606,470 99.4 % 125,270 0.55 % Troy Grant 22,606,585 99.4 % 125,155 0.55 % Maciej Lis 22,731,470 99.9 % 270 0.001 % Matthew Fish 22,731,585 99.9 % 155 0.001 %



Appointment of Auditors

Dale Matheson Carr-Hilton Labonte LLP, Chartered Professional Accountants were reappointed as Auditors of the Company for the ensuing year with their remuneration to be fixed by the Board of Directors. Voting results are set out below: Votes For Votes Withheld # % # % 22,733,167 99.9% 155 0.01% Approval of 20% Stock Option Plan

The resolution to authorize and approve the adoption of the 20% rolling stock option plan of the Company was approved by a majority of votes cast by the disinterested shareholders who voted in respect of the resolution present or represented by proxy at the Meeting. Voting results are set out below:

Votes For Votes Against # % # % 4,606,585 97.3% 125,155 2.64% Restricted Share Unit Plan Approval

The resolution to authorize and approve the adoption of the restricted share unit plan of the Company was approved by a majority of votes cast by the disinterested shareholders who voted in respect of the resolution present or represented by proxy at the Meeting. Voting results are set out below: Votes For Votes Against # % # % 4,606,585 97.3% 125,155 2.64% About Alkaline Fuel Cell Power Corp.

The Company is focused on the development, production and ultimate commercialization of micro-combined heat and power (micro-CHP) systems based on alkaline fuel cell technology. A fuel cell is a clean electrical power conversion/generation system, akin to small power stations that provide electricity and an equivalent amount of heat for various purposes. Based on hydrogen powered alkaline fuel cell technology, our technology offers an energy source that generates zero CO 2 emissions with pure water as the only by-product, making it ideally suited for residential and small- to medium-sized power markets. We believe Fuel Cell Power is well positioned to become a positive contributor to the global demand for clean energy, particularly in Europe where demand outpaces supply, and current technology remains inadequate to meet market needs. Further information is available on our website at https://www.fuelcellpower.com/ and we encourage investors and other interested stakeholders to follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Our common shares are listed for trading on the NEO Exchange (NEO) under the symbol PWWR. For further information, please contact: Jef Spaepen

Chief Executive Officer

+32 (473) 249273

[email protected] Anthony Durkacz

Advisor

+1 (416) 555-3322

[email protected] Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These statements relate to future events or future performance. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements or information. In certain cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as plans, expects or does not expect, is expected, estimates, forecasts, intends, anticipates, believes or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might, occur or achieve. Forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the Companys technology, intellectual property, business plan, objectives and strategy. Forward-looking statements and information are provided for the purpose of providing information about the current expectations and plans of management of the Company relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such statements and information may not be appropriate for other purposes, such as making investment decisions. Since forward-looking statements and information address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and no undertaking is given to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. The forward-looking statements or information contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. NEITHER THE NEO EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE NEO EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.



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[October 28, 2021] BetterHelp Supporting Refugees' Mental Health

BetterHelp will provide free therapy to hundreds of Afghanistan refugees and those affected by the crisis in Afghanistan. With the Malala Fund, Restore Her Voice, and other communities of refugees, BetterHelp has donated over 400 months of therapy. While thousands of Afghan refugees find new homes around the world and work on rebuilding livelihoods after the fall of Kabul, BetterHelp aims to support volunteers' and refugees' mental health after recent events and losses. "We are grateful to be able to support the refugee community and others affected by the recent events in Afghanistan. By collaborating with organizations who share our mission, we hope to relieve some of the distress that people in these communities experience during these incredibly difficult times," said Alon Matas, BetterHelp Founder and President. Malala Fund is an international non-profit working to create a world where every girl can learn and lead. BetterHelp will offer therapy to Malala Fund partners and staff from Afghanistan and elsewhere who were deeply affected by these events. Restore Her Voice is creating the infrastructure, resources, and space that will position post-conflict women to achive their potential, BetterHelp will provide these refugees with free therapy to aid in this journey.



"We are working with courageous Afghan women, including musicians, activists, and journalists, who have the ability to speak on behalf of women globally. BetterHelp's partnership will help provide these women with the foundation necessary to re-establish their lives and ultimately thrive in their new homes," said Jahan Shahryar, co-founder of Restore Her Voice. BetterHelp is also providing therapy to a group of lawyers, veterans, social workers, refugees, and volunteers who dedicated their time to help people off the ground in Afghanistan, to safer locations.

With these tragic events comes loss, potential trauma, and hardships that may affect people for many years, BetterHelp hopes to provide immediate mental relief and a place to discuss how this has impacted individuals' mental health. About BetterHelp BetterHelp is the world's largest therapy service, facilitating over 5,000,000 video sessions, voice calls, chats, and messages every month. We set out on a mission to make sure everyone has easy, affordable, and private access to high-quality therapy. About Malala Fund Malala Fund is working for a world where all girls can learn and lead. Malala Fund advocates for resources and policy changes needed to give all girls a secondary education, invests in local education leaders, and amplifies the voices of girls fighting for change. About Restore Her Voice Restore Her Voice provides the infrastructure for post-conflict women to achieve their potential and raise their voices on a global platform. RHV is connecting outstanding Afghan women to universities, healthcare institutions, political organizations, media institutes, art & music centers, and other personal development venues that will help displaced professionals realize their long-term visions. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028006253/en/

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JETRO, University of Tokyo and Sumitomo Life to Host Online Symposium: "How to Nurture Global-minded Japanese University Startups"

The Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO (News - Alert)) is collaborating with the University of Tokyo, Sumitomo Life Insurance Company and U.S. ecosystem players such as Berkeley SkyDeck and ATI (Austin Technology Incubator) to hold an online symposium on Nov. 10th at 4PM PST. The discussion will focus on how to create and nurture university spinout startups and how to strengthen that ecosystem in Japan.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028006271/en/

JETRO partners with the University of Tokyo and SUMITOMO LIFE to host symposium on university spinoff startups (Graphic: Business Wire)

Through panel discussions between university-launched startup training institutions and Japanese and American startups active around the world, we will discuss the factors necessary for creating university-launched global startups. In addition, there will be pitches by startups from U.S. universities aiming to enter the Japanese market and startups from Japanese universities aiming to enter the U.S. market. We look forward to the participation of companies, investors, and all those involved in university-launched startups who are interested in collaborating and investing. If you would like to attend, please register through this link.

The detailed schedule is as follows, and the latest schedule is also available here. <Flyer>

Opening Remarks 4:00-4:10PM (PST)

Nobuhiko Sasaki, President, Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)

Yukinori Takada, President & CEO, Sumitomo Life Insurance Company

Keynote 4:10-4:30PM (PST)

"How the University of Tokyo strategically nurtures global university startups."

Teruo Fujii, President, The University of Tokyo

Panel Discussion: "How to foster a university startup ecosystem and support global expansion" 4:30-5:00PM (PST)

Caroline Winnett, Executive Director, Berkeley SkyDeck

Richard Amato, Director, Strategic & Global Initiatives, Austin Technology Incubator









Startup Panel Discussion

Part 1: Think global from day 1 5:00-5:30PM (PST)

Christian John, President, Tier IV North America Inc.

Sukemasa Kabayama, Co-founder and CEO, Uplift Labs

Tomohiro Takano, Co-Founder and CEO, Genomelink

Part 2: How can entrepreneurs leverage university resources? 5:30-6:00PM (PST)

Tania A. Coke, Co-founder and CEO, Tellus You Care Inc.

Waichiro Katsuda, Co-founder and CEO, ThinkCyte, Inc.

Yumi Kawahara, President, Space Bio-Laboratories Co.,Ltd.

US- Japan Startup Pitch Session 6:05-6:55PM (PST)

Michael Soule, VP, Business Development, Embr Labs

Sungwon Lim, CEO, ImpriMed

Adam Saltman, Chief Medical Officer, Eko Health

Taihei Ishii, CEO, Startbahn, Inc.

Koshin Sekimizu, Founder/CEO, Provigate, Inc.

Xiaojun Sun, CEO, BionicM Corporation

Mariko Tosu, Founder and Chairperson, Braizon Therapeutics

Closing Remarks 6:55-7:00PM (PST)

Toshiya Watanabe, Vice Director, Professor, Executive Director / Executive Vice President, The University of Tokyo Institute for Future Initiatives

For more information about the participating speakers and companies, please see: here.

This symposium is part of an ongoing research project comparing startups in Japan and the United States, which started with the comprehensive cooperation agreement between the University of Tokyo and JETRO announced in June this year. It is also supported by Sumitomo Life Insurance Company.

For up-to-date information on the event, please visit the event page.

About JETRO: Japan's history of innovation has set industry standards. JETRO is the Japanese government agency responsible for promoting trade and investment between Japan and the rest of the world. JETRO provides support and assistance to American companies entering the Japanese market and to Japanese companies expanding overseas. JETRO has more than 70 offices around the world, including six in the US. JETRO provides a wide range of services, including market intelligence, business development support, and business seminars, all designed to encourage business partnerships between American companies and Japan. For more information, visit: jetro.org.

About the University of Tokyo: The University of Tokyo was established in 1877 as the first national university in Japan. As a leading research university, UTokyo offers courses in essentially all academic disciplines at both undergraduate and graduate levels and conducts research across the full spectrum of academic activity. The University aims to provide its students with a rich and varied academic environment that ensures opportunities for both intellectual development and the acquisition of professional knowledge and skills. For more information, visit https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/

About Sumitomo Life: Sumitomo Life Insurance Company is a mutual life insurance company in Japan, founded in 1907 and headquartered in Osaka. Since its foundation, Sumitomo Life has served its role in supporting numerous customers and their families through its life insurance business. Sumitomo Life's vision is to offer advanced products to enable customers to live vigorously. Sumitomo Life sees many issues surrounding the super-aging society as sources of innovation and supports enhancing environments for the international development of startup ecosystem in the "well-being" field. For more information, visit https://www.sumitomolife.co.jp/english/

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028006271/en/
[October 28, 2021] Brookfield Infrastructure Closes Strategic Acquisition of Inter Pipeline

BROOKFIELD, NEWS, Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. (NYSE: BIP; TSX: BIP.UN), together with its institutional partners (collectively, "Brookfield Infrastructure") and Inter Pipeline Ltd. ("Inter Pipeline") (TSX: IPL) are pleased to announce the successful completion of Brookfield Infrastructure's strategic acquisition of Inter Pipeline pursuant to the previously announced statutory plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (Alberta) (the "Arrangement").

The Arrangement was approved by: (i) 99.91% of the votes cast by holders of common shares ("Inter Pipeline Shares") of Inter Pipeline ("Shareholders") present in person (virtually) or represented by proxy at the special meeting of Inter Pipeline (the "Meeting") held today; and (ii) 99.90% of the votes cast by Shareholders, excluding the votes required to be excluded in determining minority approval of a business combination under Multilateral Instrument 61-101  Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions. After obtaining the requisite Shareholder approvals at the Meeting, Inter Pipeline received a final order of the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta approving the Arrangement. Pursuant to the Arrangement, Shareholders, other than Brookfield Infrastructure, were entitled to elect, on or before 5:00 p.m. (Calgary time) on October 26, 2021 (the "Election Deadline"), to receive, for each Inter Pipeline Share held: C$20.00 in cash (not subject to proration);

0.250 of a class "A" exchangeable subordinate voting share (" BIPC Share ") of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners Corporation (" BIPC ") (subject to proration);

") of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners Corporation (" ") (subject to proration); 0.250 of a class B limited partnership unit (each whole unit, an " Exchangeable LP Unit ") of Brookfield Infrastructure Corporation Exchange Limited Partnership (" Exchange LP ") (to the extent such Shareholders were eligible to make such election and subject to proration); or

") of Brookfield Infrastructure Corporation Exchange Limited Partnership (" ") (to the extent such Shareholders were eligible to make such election and subject to proration); or any combination thereof. Based on the valid elections received by the Election Deadline, Shareholders, other than Brookfield Infrastructure, will receive cash in respect of an aggregate of 68.7 million Inter Pipeline Shares and BIPC Shares or Exchange LP Units in respect of an aggregate of 32.4 million Inter Pipeline Shares. It is anticipated that the Inter Pipeline Shares will be delisted from the Toronto Stock Exchange (the "TSX") on or about the close of trading on November 1, 2021. As previously announced, effective upon closing of the Arrangement, each of Christian Bayle, President and Chief Executive Officer and Brent Heagy, Chief Financial Officer, stepped down from their management positions with Inter Pipeline and Mr. Bayle also resigned from the Board of Directors (the "Board") of Inter Pipeline. At the effective time of the resignations, Brian Baker was appointed as interim Chief Executive Officer, pending a search to identify a permanent replacement, and Paul Hawksworth was appointed as Chief Financial Officer. In connection with the Arrangement, the Board also determined to terminate Inter Pipelines Premium DividendTM and Dividend Reinvestment Plan (the "DRIP") effective October 28, 2021, which had been suspended since March 30, 2020, pursuant to and in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in the DRIP. All participants in the DRIP were entitled to make elections and deposit their Inter Pipeline Shares under the Arrangement. Certificates or direct registration system ("DRS") advices representing Inter Pipeline Shares not deposited under the Arrangement prior to the Election Deadline, no longer entitle the holder thereof to any rights as a Shareholder and such registered Shareholders have the right to receive combination of the Share Consideration and the Cash Consideration, subject to rounding, for their Inter Pipeline Shares pursuant to, and in accordance with, the terms of the Arrangement. Registered Shareholders who have not yet tendered their Inter Pipeline Shares should submit a duly completed letter of transmittal and election form to Computershare Investor Services Inc., the depositary appointed by Brookfield Infrastructure in relation to the Arrangement. Registered Shareholders that hold physical certificates or DRS advices must include the same with their letter of transmittal and election form. Letters of transmittal and election forms were previously sent to Shareholders with the materials of the Meeting. Additional copies may be obtained by contacting Computershare by telephone at 1-800-564-6253 or at 1-514-982-7555 (if outside North America) or by email at [email protected] or by going to Inter Pipeline's website at www.interpipeline.com or Inter Pipeline's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Brookfield Infrastructure will file an early warning report, pursuant to National Instrument 62-103, in respect of its acquisition of Inter Pipeline Shares. A copy of this report may be obtained from Inter Pipeline's SEDAR proile at www.sedar.com or by contacting Kate White at Brookfield Infrastructure by telephone at 416-956-5183 or by email at [email protected]



Following the closing of the Arrangement and the delisting of the Inter Pipeline Shares from the TSX, it is expected that Inter Pipeline and Bison Acquisition Corp. (the "Purchaser") will amalgamate to form "Inter Pipeline Ltd." ("Amalco"). As a result of the anticipated amalgamation, the debt incurred by the Purchaser under a non-revolving term credit facility (the Credit Facility) established by a syndicate of lenders in connection with the acquisition of Inter Pipeline Shares, will be assumed by Amalco. The Credit Facility is fully drawn in the amount of C$1.425 billion and will mature on August 23, 2024. A copy of the Credit Facility will be posted under Amalco's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com following completion of the anticipated amalgamation. Further Information for Inter Pipeline Shareholders

Brookfield Infrastructure is a leading global infrastructure company that owns and operates high-quality, long-life assets in the utilities, transport, midstream and data sectors across North and South America, Asia Pacific and Europe. We are focused on assets that have contracted and regulated revenues that generate predictable and stable cash flows. Investors can access its portfolio either through Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. (NYSE: BIP; TSX: BIP.UN), a Bermuda-based limited partnership, or Brookfield Infrastructure Corporation (NYSE, TSX: BIPC), a Canadian corporation. Further information is available at www.brookfield.com/infrastructure. Brookfield Infrastructure Partners is the flagship listed infrastructure company of Brookfield Asset Management, a global alternative asset manager with over US$625 billion of assets under management. For more information, go to www.brookfield.com. Inter Pipeline Ltd. is a major petroleum transportation and natural gas liquids processing business based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Inter Pipeline owns and operates energy infrastructure assets in Western Canada and is building the Heartland Petrochemical Complex  North America's first integrated propane dehydrogenation and polypropylene facility. For more information, go to www.interpipeline.com. No Offer or Solicitation

This news release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to buy or sell, or a solicitation of an offer to sell or buy, any securities. The acquisition of the Inter Pipeline Shares and issuance of securities of BIPC was made solely by, and subject to the terms and conditions set out in the amended and restated arrangement agreement dated September 21, 2021 between Inter Pipeline and the Purchaser, as amended. NOTICE TO U.S. HOLDERS OF INTER PIPELINE SHARES The BIPC Shares issued to certain Shareholders in exchange for their Inter Pipeline Shares pursuant to the Arrangement have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or the securities laws of any state within the United States, and were issued in reliance upon the exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act, provided by Section 3(a)(10) thereof. Section 3(a)(10) of the U.S. Securities Act exempts the issuance of any security issued in exchange for one or more bona fide outstanding securities from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act where, among other things, the terms and conditions of such issuance and exchange have been approved by a court of competent jurisdiction, after a hearing upon the fairness of the terms and conditions of such issuance and exchange at which all persons to whom the securities will be issued have the right to appear and receive timely notice thereof. Shareholders subject to United States federal income taxation should be aware that the disposition of their Inter Pipeline Shares and the acquisition of BIPC Shares pursuant to the Arrangement may have tax consequences both in the United States and in Canada. Shareholders should be aware that owning BIPC Shares may subject them to tax consequences both in the United States and in Canada. Such consequences for Shareholders who are resident in, or citizens of, the United States are not described herein and such Shareholders are encouraged to consult their tax advisors. Cautionary Statement This news release includes "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws relating to, among other things, the timing of delisting of the Inter Pipeline Shares from the TSX, and the anticipated amalgamation and related debt incurrence by Amalco. Forward-looking information may in some cases be identified by words such as "will", "anticipates", "expects", "intends" and similar expressions suggesting future events or future performance. Brookfield Infrastructure cautions that all forward-looking information is inherently subject to change and uncertainty and that actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. A number of risks, uncertainties and other factors could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking information or could cause Brookfield Infrastructure's current objectives, strategies and intentions to change. Accordingly, Brookfield Infrastructure warns readers to exercise caution when considering statements containing forward-looking information and that it would be unreasonable to rely on such statements as creating legal rights regarding Brookfield Infrastructure's future results or plans. Brookfield Infrastructure cannot guarantee that any forward-looking information will materialize and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on this forward-looking information. Any forward-looking information contained in this news release represents expectations as of the date of this news release and are subject to change after such date. However, Brookfield Infrastructure is under no obligation (and Brookfield Infrastructure expressly disclaims any such obligation) to update or alter any statements containing forward-looking information, the factors or assumptions underlying them, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. All of the forward-looking information in this news release is qualified by the cautionary statements herein. Forward-looking information is provided herein for the purpose of giving information about the Arrangement referred to above, as well as information on the anticipated amalgamation and effect thereof on Amalco. Readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. There can be no assurance that the proposed amalgamation will occur, or that it will occur on the terms and conditions contemplated in this news release. The proposed amalgamation could be modified, restructured or the Board may determine not to proceed with the amalgamation at all, which could have a material adverse effect on the current and future operations, financial condition and prospects of Inter Pipeline. A comprehensive discussion of other risks that impact Inter Pipeline can also be found in its public reports and filings which are available under its profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. For more information, please contact: Brookfield Infrastructure Media: Investors: Sebastien Bouchard Kate White Vice President, Communications Manager, Investor Relations Tel: (416) 943-7937 Tel: (416) 956-5183 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Inter Pipeline Media: Investors: Steven Noble Jeremy Roberge Manager, Corporate Communications Vice President, Finance and Investor Relations Tel: (403) 717-5725 Tel: (403) 290-6015 or 1-866-716-7473 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]





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As we slowly emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 TMC Labs INTERNET TELEPHONY Innovation Award has a diverse set of winners, many of which are products that have been enhanced or improved work during these work-from-home/hybrid times. Theoretically, all these solutions are pandemic friendly  after all, communications over IP networks or the internet has been a global savior the last 18 months or so.

SkySwitch impressed us with its store, which allows collective buying power and autoconfiguration for the UCaaS MSPs. OneBill Software continues to improve its billing solution and make good on its grand ambitions to transform our consumption economy. Star2Stars Cloud-native Communications & Collaboration platform now integrates with Microsoft teams, Citrix (News - Alert) and offers help for customers who need to provide curbside deliveries. Ooma continues to stay ahead of the pack  now with its Continuous Voice Service, which backs up traditional networks with a wireless 4G backup. What could be more important in an always-on world?

SCB Globals OPTO does what its name implies  it optimizes voice communications in enterprises using Microsoft Teams. It offers a complete solution, allowing organizations to focus on their businesses, not mixing and matching software. AVer Informations VB130 is a great videobar that fits on a 17-inch monitor and provides advanced features, which work even with a mask on! OrecX Oreka AC brings a cost-effective open source solution to the world of high-quality voice recording. Hughes Network Systems (News - Alert), LLC, HughesON Managed Network Services with self-healing AIOps brings the power-of self-healing networks to all its customers, allowing them to benefit from AI and the latest networking advancements.

In all, a diverse set of companies have won, and we congratulate them all for making our always-connected world more resilient and dependable!

AVer Information

VB130

The VB130 is an advanced, compact videobar designed for small to medium-siezed collaboration spaces, with advanced features such as audio fencing, voice tracking, and SmartFrame technology. The plug-n-play solution can be used with numerous conferencing solutions, including Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Skype (News - Alert). The product is being certified with Zoom and Microsoft.

The companys PTZ App is compatible with VB130 to modify the features and functions of the device.

Its SmartFrame technology can frame images and detect people, even with their masks on. Aver also built intelligent fill-in lighting for virtual meetings. There are five levels of fill lighting combined with an automatic light sensor to provide the correct amount of light to illuminate your workspace.

AI is used to optimize collaboration, working with voice tracking, audio fencing, people counting, and SmartFrame technology. Once SmartFrame detects a face, it can help minimize ambient background noise via audio fencing. Specifically, audio fencing allows the user to silence any sound outside the viewing angle.

Another plus is the form factor. The videobar is small enough to be mounted on top of a 17-inch monitor, on a tripod, or upside down to fit a variety of meeting spaces. This is an upgrade to the VB342+, with better looks, smaller size, and more functionality. As an added bonus, Aver says it can have a replacement shipped within 72 hours and offers a three-Year warranty at no additional cost.

We chose the AVer Information VB130 to win the 2021 TMC Labs INTERNET TELEPHONY Innovation Award because it is a sophisticated piece of technology to enhance the quality of video meetings. Face detection with masks is another fantastic feature. We personally hope to never see a mask again, but realize that for many, wearing a mask while on calls is an ongoing reality.

Hughes Network Systems, LLC

HughesON Managed Network Services with self-healing AIOps

Hughes has been providing Hughes ON Managed Network Services for enterprise businesses for more than 30 years. Its self-healing AIOps innovation, added to its existing service offering in September 2020, improves network performance.

The big benefit of this new improved service is the AIOps technology automatically predicts and preempts  or self-heals  undesirable network behavior, preventing service-disrupting symptoms in 70% of cases. The AIOps innovation saved enterprises more than approximately 1,750 hours of network downtime in just the first seven months of deployment across 32,000 enterprise sites managed by Hughes. In the other 30% of cases, the system provided early diagnoses of potential hardware failure or chronic site issues, so Hughes and internal IT teams were able to address issues preemptively.

The HughesON Managed Network Services AIOps solution integration targets WAN edge systems  such as routers, SD-WAN devices and firewalls  using ML and AI to optimize data flow across the edge, predict network traffic patterns across the complete route, and identify possible single-point-of-failure edge devices. The AIOps solution then assesses the risk-reward of potential corrective actions, autonomously taking appropriate measures and tracking performance to ensure a return to steady-state parameters.

Hughes engineered the self-healing capability to be extensible and API-driven. Therefore, Hughes can rapidly add any new WAN edge devices on an enterprises network to its service, seamlessly monitoring all platforms for optimized data flow and potential failures without disruption.

Hughes provides solutions for distributed enterprise organizations, including businesses in the government, energy, retail, convenience store, restaurant, grocery and franchise industries. The AIOps service benefits all enterprise customers.

Though it delivers superior network performance and reliability, the AIOps capability is invisible to the customer. Rooted in ML and AI, the feature is designed to resolve network issues without any human intervention. The AI platform is internal to the Hughes core network and operates on performance data streaming off of the WAN edge devices under management. No additional hardware or software is required on the customer premises.

Hughes says the active application of AIOps often surprises customers, as it highlights the number of devices in their networks that required remediation and returned to normal operating conditions without them being aware until after the fact.

Recently, Hughes extended the AIOps capability across new platforms (new Fortinet and VMware devices and VSAT devices). Other improvements include additional metrics used for assessment of edge device behavior and new remediation steps based on platform-specific requirements. For instance, VSAT terminals operate differently than other devices; therefore, Hughes engineers calibrated the AIOps solution to measure new metrics and remediate using different techniques. Hughes anticipates these constant improvements will continue to enhance this particular tools results and ultimately improve overall customer network performance and reduce downtime across managed enterprise sites.

Hughes rolled out the AIOps solution to every Hughes managed services enterprise customer, at over 32,000 sites and for a retail petroleum customer, Hughes AIOps solution resolved over 522 remediation events across 460 unique sites  more than 11% of the operators 4,000 total sites needed at least one remediation.

We chose Hughes Network Systems, LLC, HughesON Managed Network Services with self-healing AIOps to win the 2021 TMC Labs INTERNET TELEPHONY Innovation Award because of its ability to use AI and the latest in networking technology to keep networks running more efficiently and effectively. As the world has come to depend on being always connected, such advances are needed to keep the global economy running. Now, if only we could apply HUGHES AIOps to the global supply chain.

OneBill Software, Inc.

OneBill

OneBill Software has an all-encompassing mission statement: Transforming the Consumption Economy because the global economy is ALL consumption based  giving the company an amazingly large target audience to go after.

The company provides end-to-end consumption-based billing and revenue management software that powers customers entire lead-to-revenue generation experiences. OneBill also supports other billing models, such as one-time billing, subscription billing, recurring billing, hybrid billing, and dynamic billing.

The companys Quote-to-Cash solution comprises five products: Configure Price Quote (CPQ), Billing and Revenue Management (BRM), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Service Delivery Platform (SDP) and Multi-Level Channel Management (MLCM). OneBill offers the solution to 14 different industries.

Built on AWS, the solution is pre-integrated with other third-party components, such as payment gateway, taxation engines, e-signature platform, address validations, ERP systems etc., which significantly reduces the time to deploy the solution and helps keep implementation costs low.

Some of the items that can be billed include SIP trunks, UCaaS, conferencing, cloud fax, XaaS (everything delivered via the cloud) as well as devices, purchase/leasing, installation and managed services.

The solution is built on a multi-tenant architecture that supports even micro-tenants within a customers business. This allows support for multiple-levels of partners  distributors, resellers, affiliate partners, sales agents, dealers, vendors  to have their own branded environments. This robust multi-level micro tenancy allows businesses to support requirements like Bill-on-Behalf-Of, multi-level agent commissioning, multi-party settlement, and more.

The other area of innovation in the OneBill platform is the ability to create dynamic workflows, which allows service orders to be orchestrated across multiple vendors platforms. Using OneBills SDP (Service Delivery Platform), service providers can automate service order provisioning and activation through simple configurations that allow interactions with downstream systems using a wide variety of industry standard protocols.

Last, but not least, the OneBill platform supports features that allow businesses to come up with innovative ways of pricing their metered transactions. The support for daily grants is one such example, where a business can set daily quotas and track what end-users are allowed to consume and apply overage if they exceed their quotas.

We chose OneBill by OneBill Software to win the 2021 TMC Labs INTERNET TELEPHONY Innovation Award because of its ability to effectively solve a variety of todays real-world billing challenges as well as its future goal of Transforming the Consumption Economy.

Ooma

Ooma Continuous Voice Service

Ooma Continuous Voice Service provides automatic backup for voice over internet (VoIP) phone calls  a dramatic business continuity improvement that is affordable and easy for non-professionals to install. Continuous Voice is implemented through Ooma, a base station and antenna, which provides wireless internet backup through a nationwide advanced LTE network.

When VoIP endpoints are routed through the Ooma Connect base station and the Continuous Voice feature is enabled  which only requires flipping a virtual switch in the Ooma Connect mobile app for iOS or Android  all voice calls are simultaneously transmitted through two links, the customers primary broadband connection and the wireless network provided by Connect.

Oomas software as a service (SaaS (News - Alert)) cloud platform constantly monitors both data streams to deliver multipath quality of service (QoS). If digital voice data in one stream is disrupted by congestion, dropped packets or latency, Continuous Voice automatically takes voice data from the other stream to avoid degraded audio quality or dropped calls. If one stream goes offline, all calls in progress continue uninterrupted through the other stream. This failover is automatic and Continuous Voice automatically resumes monitoring both channels when full service is restored.

Continuous Voice was previously only available through select Ooma Connect service plans but, as of April 2021, it is being provided to all Ooma Connect customers at no additional charge. In addition, Ooma Connect provides backup for all internet traffic when configured to provide Continuous Voice. If the primary internet connection fails, Ooma Connect automatically switches to wireless internet data for all devices installed downstream of the Ooma Connect base station.

In the post-pandemic, work from home world, where connectivity has taken on extreme importance, we are thrilled with Oomas Ooma Continuous Voice Service and that is why it won the 2021 TMC Labs INTERNET TELEPHONY Innovation Award.

OrecX

Oreka AC (Audio Capture)

OrekaAC (Audio Capture) is an open standards-based audio capture software platform that provides a simple and efficient method for contact centers, enterprises, service providers, and financial services organizations to leverage any third-party speech analytics solution for compliance, risk management, and customer experience requirements.

Specifically, the software captures voice audio from both customers and agents (on separate channels with dual/stereo audio) at upper-end audio sample rate formats, including G.711, OPUS, which the company believes is a key differentiator and provides much higher fidelity than standard call recording. These high-quality audio files are then shared with third-party speech analytics, voice biometrics and customer experience software solutions. The high-quality audio enables each of these destination solutions to provide better output/results.

The software records audio and then stores it in clients own cloud premises-based storage. The company does not host the audio itself.

The companys REST API enables leveraging any third-party, AI-fueled speech analytics solution. While some solutions charge to gain access to recorded metadata to send it third-party apps, Oreka AC grants free, open, fine-grained privileged access to media and associated metadata with standards-based tools. This puts clients in full control of their own voice data.

Also, unlike proprietary solutions, Oreka AC is built on an open source core, enabling clients to easily and quickly modify the software to their unique requirements. Oreka AC can run alongside existing recording systems and act solely as the recording engine for speech analytics, voice biometrics, and other specific applications.

Oreka AC offers fast, self-configurable premises-based installation and recently, updated its user interface, basing it on Google (News - Alert) Angular, supporting 100% restful API functionality.

We chose OrecX Oreka AC to win the 2021 TMC Labs INTERNET TELEPHONY Innovation Award because it adds a flexible, lower cost, open-source solution to the world of quality voice recording.

SCB Global

OPTO

SCB Globals OPTO solution is built to supercharge Microsoft Teams in the enterprise with value-added services around the Microsoft stack, enabling workplace transformation for the dynamic workforce, to connect person-to-person and person-to-application. The solution consists of the following services:

OPTO4Teams  Native cloud calling inside Microsoft Teams with advanced Microsoft Teams PBX features (e.g., SMS, e-Fax, advanced queuing, reporting & IVR).

OPTO4Contact  Full omni-channel contact center for Microsoft Teams, including compliant call recording, social media integration, AI routing, chatbots, and more. OPTO4Contact leverages Microsoft Bot Framework, Microsoft Q&A Maker, Microsoft Luis, Power BI, Azure Cognitive Services, SharePoint Online & Azure SQL DB to support omni-channel CCaaS capabilities.

OPTO4Edge  SD-WAN solution targeted to help those working remotely to increase security and resilience, with simple as-a-service pricing to optimize TCO. OPTO4Edge is an SD-WAN and SASE framework ready solution (Powered by Versa) built to optimize MS Teams user traffic to Azure, whilst offering a safe & secure way for business users to work from anywhere.

OPTOShield  Advanced compliance & security solutions (e.g., DLP, Ethical Wall, eDiscovery & Channel Management for Microsoft Teams). OPTOShield delivers real-time cyber-security and regulatory control CASB for Microsoft Teams. It offers real-time DLP, Ethical Wall solution, eDiscovery & Channel Management. OPTOShield also has the ability to handle both messages and files as well as audio and video in real time, which minimizes data leaks and helps internal risk mitigation. OPTOShield also enhances Microsofts DLP Solution.

OPTO4Teams and OPTO4Contact are delivered through the companys Azure-hosted Cloud SBC in a multi-tenanted global architecture to deliver voice & direct routing inside Microsoft Teams, providing a cloud native, elastic OPTO platform that is based on a decomposed micro-services architecture. It is designed for building horizontally scalable SBCs in virtualized cloud environments hosted in global Microsoft Azure environments, providing signaling and media redundancy for each call handled and carried by the SCB network.

Furthermore, SBCs Cloud Edition (CE) comprises:

Stack Manager  An API developed by AudioCodes used for managing the OPTO 4Teams E components that are deployed into an Azure Point of Presence. It implements the complete lifestyle management of the CE components, including deployment, termination, scale in/scale out and stack configuration updates. The Stack Manager also handles the network stack for the CE components, facilitating features like mid call failover and maintenance of session state (HA) as well as communication with the Azure Virtualization API, which allows the Stack Manager to deploy additional Media and Signaling components or nodes.

 An API developed by AudioCodes used for managing the 4Teams E components that are deployed into an Azure Point of Presence. It implements the complete lifestyle management of the CE components, including deployment, termination, scale in/scale out and stack configuration updates. The Stack Manager also handles the network stack for the CE components, facilitating features like mid call failover and maintenance of session state (HA) as well as communication with the Azure Virtualization API, which allows the Stack Manager to deploy additional Media and Signaling components or nodes. Signaling Component (SC)  Responsible for call setup, tear down and call control of calls traversing the SBC.

(SC)  Responsible for call setup, tear down and call control of calls traversing the SBC. Media Component (MC)  Provides media processing and media termination for calls traversing the SBC.

(MC)  Provides media processing and media termination for calls traversing the SBC. Load Balancer  Communication across the active/standby signaling components is handled by the Azure Load balancer, facilitating failover to the standby SC in the event of an outage of the active SC.

The following diagram illustrates the architecture that powers OPTO4Teams service.

We chose SCB Globals OPTO to win the 2021 TMC Labs INTERNET TELEPHONY Innovation Award because of its ability to offer the enterprise a complete voice solution to enhance Microsoft teams. From security to contact center and SD-WAN, there are a wealth of features and functions, allowing an organization to purchase a complete solution to greatly enhance its communications functions.

SkySwitch

The SkySwitch Store

There are few declarative statements you can make these days that dont have exceptions. Still, we would venture to say everyone reading this award description has downloaded apps from an app store  most likely on a phone.

SkySwitch is a fast-growing UCaaS provider serving over 650 Telecom Resellers, MSPs, agents, interconnects, ISPs, WISPs, and VARs. The good news is, these resellers now have their own UCaaS app store.

The SkySwitch Store lives within SkySwitchs Resellers Dashmanager portal and offers resellers a convenient way to take advantage of the companys collective buying power to purchase hardware and services from distributor partners at competitive prices. Ordering through the SkySwitch Store also allows for auto-provisioning of devices so that the recipient can simply plug and play, rather than spending time manually configuring and provisioning phones on location.

In case you are interested in SkySwitchs inner workings, it utilizes Netsapiens Class 5 Switches in 5 data centers, which are set up in high-availability mode and are fully geo-redundant. SkySwitch hosts several applications built in-house or by a third-party to supplement the PBX. Most partners install phones and some kind of networking device at the customer premises. In most situations, the system works out of the box and doesn't require special networking equipment. Finally, the network router/firewall and switches allow the prioritization of voice traffic.

An additional benefit is that resellers who already have business accounts with distributors can integrate their distributors portal login credentials so Store orders are linked directly to their business accounts. When Store orders are placed, they are passed through to the selected distributors via customized API integration. Once the distributors fulfill and scan out the orders for shipment, the MAC addresses of the devices are automatically imported into the resellers order histories and device lists. After the MAC addresses appear in their lists, they can simply select a MAC address and assign a domain/user.

We are all so used to getting rewards when we use our credit cards, so the wizards at SkySwitch figured, why not get the same sort of benefit when you buy something in your UCaaS app store? Its CloudCash reseller rewards program allows resellers to instantly receive discounts on their invoices and make more money. Earned CloudCash is applied as a credit to resellers accounts automatically during check-out on eligible products. Resellers are automatically enrolled in the CloudCash Points Program and there is no cost to enroll.

We chose the SkySwitch Store to win the 2021 TMC Labs INTERNET TELEPHONY Innovation Award because we believe it is a great way for MSPs and other resellers to benefit from collective buying power, while also boosting productivity via auto-configuration of devices. And of course, who doesnt love free rewards?

Star2Star

Cloud-native Communications & Collaboration platform

Star2Stars cloud-native communications and collaboration platform provides businesses with end-to-end solutions that deliver flexibility, scalability and productivity needed to optimize daily operations. It unifies voice, video, mobile, chat, fax, presence management, SMS/MMS, virtual desktops, and more into a single, easy-to-use system. Companies can select their preferred technology from a range of options, including pure to on-premises cloud, to reduce costs and enhance workflows. Star2Stara solutions include advanced UC features, built-in business continuity, and SD-WAN for optimal call quality.

The target market for the service is companies looking to switch to UC from Hosted or PBX, companies with UC who need a better plan/bottom line, and companies of any size looking for holistic enterprise technologies. Star2Stars sells through its resellers and agents.

Star2Stars platform leverages a cloud architecture that combines aspects of on-premises and pure cloud solutions to get the best features of both without the limitations of either.

The on-premises deployment extensively utilizes the cloud, but also maintains some on-premises hardware and services, including the StarBox voice optimized SD-WAN and Star2Stars private cloud-based network. The pure cloud version leverages the same feature set without any on-premises components.

For the on-premises platform, the StarBox voice optimized SD-WAN sits at customer location. Star2Stars network and its suite of cloud-based services are hosted in its redundant data centers. The StarBox connects over IP infrastructure to Star2Stars network backbone, which runs on a collection of call routing nodes and data centers distributed across the country. Star2Star manages and monitors the quality of customers phone systems continuously with built-in business continuity protection.

Star2Star believes it is the first and only provider of such a unique cloud architecture and cloud-native system of solutions. The combination of pure cloud and on-premises cloud communications solutions deliver the high quality of an on-premises system with the flexibility and cost-effectiveness of a pure-cloud solution.

Other features include SMS, video meetings, team collaboration, advanced contact center and service insight solutions, and packaged applications for CRM integration, mass notification, employee alerts, and urgent response capabilities.

In the last 6 months, Star2Star expanded its platforms capabilities to include Star2Star Business Voice for Microsoft Teams integration, which allows Microsoft Teams users to leverage superior voice features within the MS Teams environment. Also new is its Citrix-ready Video Meetings solution  an expansion of its Citrix-friendly solution set. Start2Start also introduced a new connected worker application for Curbside Service, allowing Star2Star customers to take advantage of no-contact deliveries and interactions for a variety of use cases. Finally, new packaged bundles offer greater flexibility and options.

We chose the Star2Star Cloud-native Communications & Collaboration to win the 2021 TMC Labs INTERNET TELEPHONY Innovation Award because of its ability to provide the reliability of an on-premises system with the convenience of a pure cloud solution. Of course, we are impressed how the company has stayed on the leading-edge with integration to MS Teams, Citrix and of course, pandemic-tech friendly, curbside service solutions.

Edited by Erik Linask
Cloud communications leader RingCentral has revealed the Susan G Komen Foundation, one of the largest breast cancer research organizations in the world, will now utilize RingCentrals (News - Alert) communications suite for all business activity.

Like many other organizations over the last two years, Susan G Komen employees have been forced to adapt to the new working conditions brought on by the pandemic. Foundation leaders opted for completely remote setups, allowing workers to remain active while safely distanced at home. To make this transition, Susan G Komen executives have integrated RingCentral MVP (Message Video Phone (News - Alert)) and RingCentral Contact Center to provide workers with the necessary communications tools to work effectively from any location.

As a result of incorporating RingCentrals solutions for employee activity, the foundation will now save a significant amount on operational costs, which will enable more funding to go toward critical breast cancer research, patient support, and awareness campaigns.

RingCentral gives us so much mobility and freedom. If Im on a call or a RingCentral Video meeting on my laptop, and I need to run an errand, I can just switch the call to my mobile phone and head out. Its fantastic for keeping us all productive and connected without tying us to our desksor tying us anywhere for that matter, said Carlos Soto, hosted system administrator for Susan G. Komen. The best part of being able to go 100% remote is that we can better invest that money into furthering our fight against breast cancer. Ive never seen a more win-win situation for our organization.

Edited by Maurice Nagle
Kansas City was built on resourcefulness, creativity and hard work.



A recent article we noticed highlights these attributes that are more important than ever.

Check the description . . .



"After talking to makers around the city, weve cultivated a new collection of art and goods. From plant-derived perfume oils to hand-painted ceramic teeth, our list of makers highlights the coolest projects happening around KC right now."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news link . . .

Meet the Makers: Handmade products from 34 locals we love Looking for local handmade products made in Kansas City this holiday season? Here are some shops around KC we love.

Further reading from both sides of the equation . . .

The Real Culprit in Our Supply-Chain Crisis | National Review Globalization is not the problem. he supply chain for an Apple iPhone crosses an international border more than 600 times, and if it didn't, you probably wouldn't have one - it would be too expensive. Globalization has come under renewed assault from both parties, and the supply-chain crisis has led to a renewed "Made in America" push.

Tucker Carlson: The Biden administration is targeting blue-collar men We're going to take you back a couple of February's ago, not that long, but really a different time. February 2019, An American C-17 cargo jet takes off from an Air Force base in Florida. It's bound for South America. The media are covering this. It's a big story that day.

Worst disruption in supply chain since WWII, here's why NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) - Supply chain issues are plaguing our country right now. But, some of you may be asking what exactly is it and how does it work? "I have heard more people say supply chain since the first of the pandemic than I have in my entire life," said Lance Saunders, Assistant Professor of Supply Chain Management at the Haslam School of Business.

How the delta variant and supply chain problems smothered the economy's sparkle The U.S. economy slowed sharply in late summer and early fall, as the Delta variant and persistent supply chain problems weighed on growth. Prospects for the coming months may be brighter.

Developing . . .
In a few moments Kansas City will start to debate an effort worth MILLIONS OF BUCKS to keep the homeless warm this winter.

A small but not insignificant detail of the plan involves a newbie organization that will be providing the bulk of the services.



Here's a bit of background . . .



The Hope Faith organization reports that they were incorporated in 2004 but Missouri dox reveal a vast reorganization and L.L.C. incorporation in 2020.

Even supporters of the group will admit and proudly proclaim that they're a relatively new force amongst local social service agencies.

Moreover . . .

City Hall insiders have continually questioned the 501c3 status of the group given their recent incorporation.

Meanwhile . . .

The budget of the new plan from Mayor Q and the city manager awards the bulk of funding to the Hope Faith group.

Additionally . . .



There are a myriad of other organizations with stronger track records in the vicinity who will not earn EPIC city hall largess.

To name a few . . .

ReStart

Shelter KC

City Union Mission



All of these groups have their 501c3 status secured and have a solid track record for providing life saving services.

This leads us to the main insider concern . . .

WHY IS CITY HALL FAVORING THE HOPE FAITH GROUP OVER SO MANY OTHERS THAT ARE FAR MORE ESTABLISHED?!?!



It gets worse . . .



NOBODY HAS ASKED WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THIS MONEY RUNS OUT!!!



This is really the worst part of the equation . . .

At some point CARES ACT cash will expire and more funding for the homeless will be harder to justify.

According to many neighborhood advocates, here's the downside of the plan . . .



- Dumps Kansas City homeless housing into neighborhoods an includes a sketchy plan to buy more real estate.

- Hasn't sought any community cooperation or opt-in from surrounding neighborhoods.

- Places vulnerable populations into a housing system that doesn't have a stable or proven funding source.



For these reasons and so many more, there is reasonable opposition to this plan that doesn't include hate or animosity for the homeless but instead seeks partnership with neighbors and stakeholders rather than a rushed MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR giveaway.



Developing . .


In this roundup of info we take a peek at Kansas City metro crime follow-up news, traffic tragedy and all manner of ALLEGED misdeeds.

As always, toward the end of the list we try to find a few upbeat stories worth a peek . . .

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news links . . .

Third KC man charged in fatal shooting of woman selling Playstation A third Kansas City man faces charges related to the fatal shooting on Aug. 23, 2021 of a woman who was found in an overturned vehicle in the area of Independence Avenue and the Paseo.Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker announced today that Latrell Muldrew-Golston, 21, was charged with second degree murder.Two others have been charged in this homicide, according to court records.

8 lbs of fentanyl smuggled into Kansas City on bus from San Diego, feds say KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -- Federal authorities have indicted a man they say smuggled eight pounds of fentanyl aboard a bus traveling through Kansas City, MO. Jonatan Gutierrez, 28, is charged with fentanyl possession and intent to distribute in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury on Tuesday, according to the U.S.

Family of missing man says KCK police needs to do more, remains need to be found KANSAS CITY, Kan. - The family of a man last seen on Father's Day is waiting for answers. They say the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department isn't doing enough to catch his killer, but the department disagrees. Justin Siwek, 32, hasn't been in touch with his family since late June.

Indoor temperatures break 100 at Kansas prisons without air conditioning TOPEKA, Kansas -Inmate dorms topped 100 degrees during the hottest days of summer at the Winfield Correctional Facility. The state prison is one of the handful of Kansas Department of Corrections facilities without air conditioning throughout the entire building. "The heat in Winfield is nearly unbearable," said Demarcus Richards, a KDOC inmate who spent two years in Winfield.

Kansas City police investigating after woman struck, killed in hit-and-run crash KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Kansas City, Missouri Police Department is investigating after a 61-year-old woman was killed following a hit-and-run crash Wednesday night. The incident was reported just after 7 p.m. Police said the woman was crossing Troost Avenue near 81st Street, east to west, when she was struck by a person driving northbound.

Kansas federal court set to hear case of $165,000 seized from marijuana sales in Missouri KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A federal court in Kansas is set to hear a case dealing with the forfeiture of over $165,000 made from medical marijuana sales in Kansas City, Missouri, that was being driven through the state to Colorado to be deposited.

Infrared cameras help KCPD find suspect in police chase Newschopper 9 gave us a bird's eye view of a man who led police on a chase, before running off in a wooded area and hiding in a tree.But it was Kansas City, Missouri police's technology in the air that spotted him and lead to his capture.

'They lost a good one': Neighbors react to death of KCK man in front of his home KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Neighbors were shocked to learn a man was killed in his driveway on Sandusky Avenue Wednesday afternoon after a bizarre and violent crime spree in Kansas City, Kansas. "He didn't deserve this he really didn't," Ron Piersee, who lives three doors down from the victim, said.

KCK police confirm suspect involved in homicide, crime spree, taken into custody KANSAS CITY, Kan. - The Kansas City, Kansas Police Department said they have located the suspect involved in a homicide and other crimes earlier Wednesday. Police said they located the red Hyundai Tucson Wednesday afternoon that at 14th Street and Prospect Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri.

Deputy shown on video running over driver now works at Kansas prison, attorney says by: Heidi Schmidt, AP Wire Posted: / Updated: BELLE PLAINE, Kan. (AP) - The attorney for a Black man who was run over by a Kansas deputy in an encounter caught on dashcam video says he was shocked to learn the deputy is now employed as a master sergeant at the Hutchinson prison while under criminal investigation.

Eight members of a Kansas City, Kansas, cult indicted on charges of forcing minors to work without pay A federal grand jury has indicted eight members of a Kansas City, Kansas-based sect on forced labor charges, detailing a long list of alleged abuses of minors as young as 8 years old. The sealed indictment against the members of the United Nation of Islam, which was hit with a nearly $8 million civil judgment for human trafficking in 2018, was returned on Oct.

Local lawmakers propose law in D.C. requiring phone providers to release locations in emergencies Local lawmakers are once again introducing the Kelsey Smith act on Capitol Hill. The law requires cell phone providers to release a phone's location in a life or death emergency. It may have saved the life of 18-year-old Kelsey Smith in Overland Park, Kansas.15 years ago, Kelsey Smith walked out of a Target store in Overland Park and disappeared.

Independence police want to amend Prop P to pay for more than new officers Barely two years after Independence voters passed a use tax to help pay for the city to hire more officers, the department hasn't been able to increase the number of officers and now will ask voters Tuesday to allow it to use the money for other needs.

Kansas City police board, mayor, develop plan to hire more officers at higher pay KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Kansas City police may be able to hire more officers at a higher salary next year. But to do it they'll likely have to give up something that was the subject of a lawsuit between the Board of Police Commissioners and Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas this year.

Developing . . .
But Thompson, who spent more than three decades explaining science on television, is promoting scientific misinformation on climate and public health as a senator. The changes in climate are a natural phenomenon, he says. And COVID-19 vaccines may be risky.Kansas public health groups say such misstatements have complicated efforts to stem the spread of COVID-19, which Thompson calls the Wuhan virus. Kansas climate activists worry he has stopped state-level climate change legislation in its tracks.Thompson will have a new platform Friday when he joins a panel of Kansas lawmakers to discuss state-level responses to federal vaccine mandates that are expected to be imposed on certain industries.Thompson defended his scientific views in an email, saying his positions are the product of research, 45 years in meteorology and a willingness to think outside the mainstream.

We wouldn't dare debate "the science" with 4th all time favorite Kansas City weather dudes.



However . . .

The newspaper is taking the Kansas state senator to task.

Check the set-up . . .



But Thompson, who spent more than three decades explaining science on television, is promoting scientific misinformation on climate and public health as a senator. The changes in climate are a natural phenomenon, he says. And COVID-19 vaccines may be risky.



Kansas public health groups say such misstatements have complicated efforts to stem the spread of COVID-19, which Thompson calls the Wuhan virus. Kansas climate activists worry he has stopped state-level climate change legislation in its tracks.



Thompson will have a new platform Friday when he joins a panel of Kansas lawmakers to discuss state-level responses to federal vaccine mandates that are expected to be imposed on certain industries.



Thompson defended his scientific views in an email, saying his positions are the product of research, 45 years in meteorology and a willingness to think outside the mainstream.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news link . . .
The shorter part of Missouri's most repellent couple just murdered his campaign chances recently with an impolitic pro-life defense.



A better politico would have been able to spin this optimistic sentiment more gracefully . . .



We were down in Poplar Bluff a couple of months ago, and somebody asked me that question, So you would force a 13-year-old whos raped by a family member to keep that baby? McCloskey, a personal injury lawyer, said at a forum.



And I said, Yes, and more than that Ive got that client. Ive got a client who was raped by an uncle when she was 13 years old, had the child; she finished high school, finished college and got a masters degree.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news link and take a peek MSM ripping him apart . . .
Here's a story of Missouri push back against alleged characterizations . . .



"The controversial letter called for federal intervention to address what it called acts of domestic terrorism at hostile school board meetings nationwide."



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news links . . .

Missouri School Board Association withdraws from national organization after controversial letter sent to President Biden MISSOURI (KCTV) -- The Missouri School Board Association is withdrawing from its parent organization, after the National School Boards Association sent a controversial letter to President Joe Biden. The letter called for federal intervention to address what it called acts of domestic terrorism at hostile school board meetings nationwide.

Support from Jeff city . . .



Parson applauds MSBA decision to leave national organization (From Gov. Mike Parson) Today, Governor Mike Parson released the following statement in support of the Missouri School Boards Association's (MSBA) decision to leave the National School Boards Association (NSBA): "We applaud MSBA's decision to withdraw from NSBA.

Developing . . .


Voters will have their chance on Tuesday to determine wholl lead several of the regions row offices for the next four years, while voting results in Johnstown could impact all three levels of city leadership.
Terre Haute, IN (47803)

Today

Rain showers this morning with some sunshine during the afternoon hours. High near 50F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Cloudy with rain developing after midnight. Low 37F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.
Clockwise from top left: 1. The Kaufman block building is found at the southwest corner of the Seventh and Wabash intersection known as the Crossroads of America. Photo circa 1950s. 2. Berts Lunch Room was located in the small triangular block at the center of the Twelve Points intersection. Date of photo is 1939. 3. This painting by Omer Salty Seamon depicts a day at the ballpark at Memorial Stadium. Likely a scene from the early 1900s, the painting is dated circa 1970s. 4. Durkees Ferry, five miles north of Terre Haute, was one of the first ferries on the Wabash River. In 1818 John Durkee received a permit to maintain a flatboat large enough to hold a wagon with a team of four horses as well as a pirogue, a small boat for foot passengers. 5. The house at 629 Mulberry St. was home to one of Terre Hautes early settlers, Blackford Condit. The Condit House is the oldest building on the Indiana State University Campus and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. It is now the home of the University President. Photo dated 1965. 6. Contour Coca-Cola Bottle: Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia at the bottlers convention, judges determined the Root bottle was the best design submitted. The bottling equipment then in use, however, would not operate with the bottles large center bulge. The Root team devoted most of the summer to redesigning the bottle to the slimmer bottle we know today. It has been called the most recognized container in the world. Photo dated 1915. 7. Vigo Bell: In the Vigo County Courthouse belfry hangs a 2-ton bell, a gift to Vigo County from a donor who played an important role in the Indiana Territory during and after the Revolutionary War. All photos courtesy of the Vigo County Historical Society collection.
Veda Yowell, 90, of Clinton, passed away on Wednesday, November 17, 2021, at IU West Hospital in Avon, surrounded by her loving family. Veda was born in Parke County on August 30, 1931, to Harry and Angeline Ladiha Crossley. She married her husband, Fred, on July 22, 1949, and together, they
CANBERRA, Australia (AP)  Australia advised its nationals traveling overseas on Thursday to exercise a high degree of caution as it prepares to open its borders for the first time in 19 months.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade reinstated its travel advice for 177 countries and territories ahead of fully vaccinated Australians becoming free to travel from Monday.

No destination has been given a risk assessment lower than the second-tier warning: Exercise a high degree of caution.

The vast majority of Australian permanent residents and citizens have been stranded in the island nation since March last year by some of the most draconian pandemic restrictions of any democracy. They had to request exemptions from the ban and demonstrate exceptional circumstances. Most requests were rejected or approved too late for Australians to reach death beds or funerals. Travel to and from Australia for tourism has never been allowed.

A few categories of citizen, including public servants on government business, were exempt from the international travel ban.

International travel will be initially restricted to Sydneys airport because New South Wales has the highest vaccination rate of any state. More than 86% of the population of Australias most populous state aged 16 and older are fully vaccinated, and over 93% of the target population had received at least a single vaccine shot.

Initially only Australian permanent residents and citizens will be free to travel. Fully vaccinated foreigners traveling on skilled worker and student visas will be given priority over international tourists.

But the government expects Australia will welcome international tourists back before the year ends.

The reopening of the border for the vaccinated has created complications for families traveling from countries that, unlike Australia, dont offer vaccines to children as young as 12.

Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said children of vaccinated parents would not be required to go into hotel quarantine in Sydney like other returning unvaccinated Australians.

Were not splitting up families, Kelly said.

Australia has gone from one of the lowest vaccination rates among wealthy countries, due to a lack of supply and vaccine hesitancy, to one of the highest. On Nov. 8, it will start offering a third booster Pfizer shot to its entire adult population at least six months after their second jab.
TRUMBULL  A photo of an apparent eastern coyote spotted in town has been shared widely on a Reddit page devoted to Connecticut, but state officials say such daylight sightings are not uncommon.

The photo of the animal standing at the edge of a clearing was posted to the Connecticut subreddit on Wednesday afternoon and has since remained near the top of the page and drawn more than 150 comments.

The author of the post asked if the animal was possibly a wolf, but users chimed in, claiming it was an eastern coyote.

After reviewing the post, Howard Kilpatrick, a biologist at the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, confirmed the animal is a coyote.

Its not uncommon to see coyotes up close or during the day, Kilpatrick said. If you see them, just let them be, he added.

The author of the reddit post could not be reached for comment. Trumbull police said they have not received any reports of coyotes or related incidents in the past two weeks.

Coyotes, once relegated to the western United States, are relatively new arrivals in Connecticut. According to DEEP, state residents only began reporting coyote sightings in the 1950s, as the animals expanded eastward from the Midwest and Canada.

The eastern variety are typically larger than their western cousins, with most weighing between 30 to 50 pounds, according to DEEP. Researchers think thats because the animals interbred with gray wolves  one study cited by the National Park Service found on average, eastern coyotes genetic history includes about 13 percent gray wolf and 13 percent eastern wolf.

The coyotes found in Connecticut often resemble a small, lanky German shepherd, DEEP notes. But unlike a dog, they tend to be more slender and have wide pointed ears, a tapered muzzle, yellow eyes, narrow legs and small feet and a straight bushy tail.

Coyotes have adapted to living in patchwork areas of wilderness common in Connecticut, like suburbs, beaches and office parks, according to DEEP.

Some towns have reported issues with coyotes over the years. In Southbury, animal control warned of several attacks on dogs and their owners in a local park this summer. In East Hartford, a man walking his dog said he was chased by an agressive coyote in March, according to police. Other towns have issued warnings that coyotes could attack and eat pets.

In general, DEEP officials recommend not allowing pets to roam freely to keep them safe from coyote attacks. Cats should be kept indoors, while small dogs should be let out on a leash at night. Homeowners should also avoid feeding coyotes by not storing pet food outside, cleaning up fallen birdseed from under feeders, and clearing fallen fruit from under trees.
Israel's government has decided to attract an additional 2,000 builders from Ukraine, the Embassy of Ukraine in Israel has announced on Facebook.

"About 1,250 Ukrainian builders worked in Israel in October 2021. Currently, the Government of the State of Israel has decided to attract an additional 2,000 specialists from Ukraine," the post reads.

The embassy added that in this context, applicants will be tested and selected with the personal participation of Israeli examiners at Kyiv Regional Higher Vocational School of Construction on November 8-11, 2021.

In particular, Ukrainian Ambassador Yevhen Korniychuk met with Yitzhak Moyal, Chairman of the Israeli Construction and Wood Workers' Union. Both parties got acquainted with the organizational structure of Israeli trade unions and areas of cooperation with Ukrainian trade unions.

A high level of cooperation with Ukrainian partners was noted.

During the conversation, the greatest attention was paid to ensuring the rights and social protection of Ukrainians who have the right to employment in Israel in accordance with the implementation protocol on the temporary employment of Ukrainian workers in certain sectors in the Israeli labor market, signed in 2017.

It was also mutually stated that the existence of clear and transparent rules for attracting labor from Ukraine hinders illegal labor migration to Israel.

op
The German governments criticism of the Ukrainian Army related to the recent first-time use of a Bayraktar TB2 strike drone in Donbas has led to diplomatic tensions between Kyiv and Berlin.

The Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Andrij Melnyk, firmly disagreed with Germanys position on the issue in a comment to Bild.

"The Ukrainian side firmly rejects today's warning from the Foreign Office," Melnyk told the newspaper.

Ukraine has "the legitimate right to self-defense if its territory is bombarded day and night with heavy Russian weapons and if civilians and soldiers are killed".

For this reason, Ukraine for its part "calls on the German government, instead of expressing concern about the dramatic situation in the occupied territories, to redouble its efforts as a mediator in order to convene a Normandy Four summit in Berlin as agreed and to put Moscow in its place.

The German government spokesperson, commenting on the Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian-occupied territory of Ukraine on Wednesday, said that all sides are using drones, which, according to the Minsk agreement, is reserved for the OSCE alone. The German government called on all sides to de-escalate.

The Minsk Agreement of September 2014 banned foreign drones 15 kilometers from the contact line in eastern Ukraine. However, the Bayraktar drone used in Wednesdays strike was operated by Ukrainian military and no foreign force was involved in the attack.

Apparently the German government, like the Russian occupation authorities, regards the Ukrainian Armys drone as foreign due to its manufacture in Turkey.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, from 14:25 to 15:15 local time on October 26, a battery of D-30 howitzers manned by the Russian terrorist forces was firing on the Joint Forces positions in the area of Hranitne.

Two Ukrainian servicemen were wounded in that shelling, one of whom later succumbed to his wounds. With the start of the attack, Ukraine immediately demanded through the OSCE SMM that the enemy cease fire, and send a relevant note through diplomatic channels. However, the invaders did not react to the demand.

Eventually, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Valery Zaluzhnyi ordered that a Bayraktar reconnaissance and strike UAV to be employed to force the enemy to cease fire. The UAV destroyed an enemy artillery unit with a guided bomb, without crossing the line of contact.

im
The Ukrainian delegation in the Trilateral Contact Group for Donbas settlement believes it is difficult to count on any serious progress in talks on the political part of the Minsk agreements as the Russian side avoids expressing its vision of these documents.

Thats according to a statement the Ukrainian delegation posted on Facebook following the latest TCG video conference, Ukrinform reports.

The delegates stated that the Russian side had not articulated how they understood the Minsk agreements.

The Ukrainian delegation reiterated that the basis for settlement is the implementation of the decisions reached by the leaders of the Normandy format, as well as the entire package of Minsk agreements, noted the statement.

They also noted that, according to a report by the Head of the OSCE SMM, there had been an increase in interference by the Russian armed forces.

"Among them are restrictions on freedom of movement, attempts to suppress control channels of the OSCE SMM surveillance UAVs, etc. Thus, since July 27, 2020 (when additional measures to strengthen the ceasefire were approved), 744 cases where OSCE SMM operations were restricted have been recorded: 668 in the non-government-controlled territory, 71 - in the territory controlled by the Ukrainian government, and five in the gray zone," Ukrainian officials said.

In this context, they stressed that the systemic restrictions of the OSCE monitoring efforts by the occupation administrations not only grossly violate the main principles of a peaceful settlement, but also indicate Russia's unwillingness to implement the security part of the Normandy Four and Minsk agreements.

Members of the Ukrainian delegation also stated that the Russian side pursues the policy of limiting opportunities for citizens living in the temporarily occupied territories to cross to government-controlled territory, despite numerous calls by the Ukrainian side to allow them to receive assistance from Ukraine, including pensions and social benefits.

The Ukrainian delegation noted that during the meeting of the humanitarian subgroup, a proposal was put forward to return to Ukraine unilaterally the three women held in the uncontrolled territory in connection with the conflict, but Russian representatives never supported the idea. Neither did they show any interest in the fate of an earlier detained Russian citizen, Andriy Kosyak, as they expressed no will to discuss the issue, the Ukrainian delegates said.

Participants in the subgroup on social and economic issues continued to discuss current issues of water supply and mobile communication. Particular focus was put on the need to remove restrictions for residents of uncontrolled areas to cross the line of contact. The participants in the meeting also agreed to consider the possibility of extending the terms of Oschadbank banking cards used to receive pensions due to the deteriorating epidemic situation of COVID-19.

"The Ukrainian delegation continues to insist on the need to release as soon as possible all those held in connection with the conflict, to open the crossing checkpoints, to strictly adhere to the ceasefire .and to implement the decisions of the Paris Summit," Ukraine said.

The next meeting of the TCG has been scheduled for November 10.

im
The Cabinet of Ministers does not intend at the moment to introduce general lockdown as part of the governments fight against the spread of COVID-19.

Thats according to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal who spoke at a briefing during a working trip to Donetsk region, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"We dont plan to introduce lockdown, or lets put it another way, we dont want to introduce lockdown because our economy is gaining momentum and lockdown would have a negative impact on economic development," said Shmyhal.

The head of government added he expects GDP growth of at least 3.5% in 2021, although he would like to see GDP rise by 4% but the energy crisis and the fourth wave of the pandemic are affecting the economy.

Denys Shmyhal has also called on Ukrainians to get their jabs against COVID-19.

According to the health ministry, 291,293 people were vaccinated for COVID-19 across country on October 26, of whom 212,013 received their first dose and 79,280 were fully vaccinated.

A total of 16,501,573 doses have been administered in Ukraine since the government launched the inoculation campaign, with 9,363,491 people having received their first jab and 7,138,082 fully vaccinated.

Some 94% of those hospitalized with COVID-19 last week were not vaccinated, the report said.

In the past day, Ukraine recorded 22,574 new COVID-19 cases, marking a further rise in the daily incidence.

According to the report, 692 coronavirus-related deaths, 5,925 hospital admissions, and 11,593 recoveries were registered in the country on Tuesday.

Some 94% of those hospitalized with COVID-19 last week were not vaccinated, health officials stress.

im
On October 29, the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the United Nations and the Permanent Mission of Lithuania to the United Nations will hold an online event "Creative Ways to Strengthen Resistance to Misinformation and False Information."

"Leading Ukrainian and Lithuanian non-governmental organizations will present their own creative practices which allow information consumers to more effectively resist the influence of misinformation narratives through game and cognitive form," the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine informs.

In particular, Ukraine presents the educational game StopFake Bingo and Media Literacy Labyrinth  a mobile structure consisting of themed rooms, photo zones, and interactive zones.

Representatives of The Purpose, a UN implementing partner in The Verified campaign to disseminate objective information about the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccination, plan to participate.

According to the Foreign Ministry, the "creative ideas fair" will take place as part of the Global Media and Information Literacy Week, which is held at the UN on October 24-31 in accordance with the resolution of the UN General Assembly approved this year, co-sponsored by Ukraine.

ol
The Center for Combating Disinformation at Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council has analyzed the activity of Telegram channels and revealed that a special information operation is being carried out to minimize COVID-19 vaccination rates in Ukraine, according to a report issued by the NSDC.

The report clearly shows how a network of media outlets spread reports about the allegedly negative consequences of vaccination in social networks, messengers and Telegram channels controlled by Russia or directly related to it.

The document notes that some popular political Telegram channels linked to Russia promote destructive narratives through publications and bots in comments. Among the examples are such Telegram channels as Kartel, Krokodil, Spletnitsa, etc.

The abovementioned channels are directly controlled by Russia or are directly related to it.

Other Telegram channels, also administered by Russia but targeting the audience of temporarily occupied areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, promote diametrically opposed narratives, the NSDC's press service said. Their publications already contain a different position on vaccination, emphasizing the importance and necessity of COVID-19 jabs, mocking vaccine opponents, and using leaders' opinions to promote the vaccination process.

The NSDC report also notes that one church plays a significant role in disseminating the idea of anti-vaccination. In particular, on October 19, representatives of this church held a rally outside the building of the Verkhovna Rada protesting against COVID-19 vaccination. The participants in the rally were holding posters with the slogans "Vaccine kills," "No to medical experiments. Let's protect our children." At the same time, the NSDC said that according to information sources related to this church but targeting the audience in Russia, the church, on the contrary, calls for the need to get vaccinated, spreading information about vaccines, debunking myths associated with them, and noting that vaccination is not a sin.

"The results of the analysis show there are signs of a hostile disinformation attack aimed at increasing the death rate from COVID-19 in Ukraine and preventing the vaccination of Ukrainian citizens. A full-scale and long-lasting disinformation operation threatens the lives and safety of Ukrainians, and the number of victims will grow if the necessary measures are not taken," the NSDC said.

The Center for Combating Disinformation called on Ukrainians to take into account the success of vaccination in Morshyn, where more than 75% of the population was vaccinated for COVID-19 and the number of deaths and serious cases is much lower than in other cities in Ukraine.

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A refugee receives a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.  UNHCR/Amos Halder

NEW YORK / GENEVA  In June 2020, a few months into the COVID-19 pandemic, the United Nations and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement jointly called on governments, the private sector, international and civil society organizations to accelerate efforts to develop, test, and produce a safe and affordable peoples vaccine to protect everyone, everywhere and bring the crisis to an end.

A people's vaccine should protect the affluent and the poor, the elderly as well as the young, forcibly displaced persons, migrants regardless of their immigration status, and other often neglected populations, both in urban areas and in rural communities.

Fifteen months later, thanks to extraordinary scientific and technological advances, as well as global collaboration and mutual reliance in regulatory aspects, multiple safe and effective vaccines against COVID-19 are available and being administered in countries around the world. Yet, despite lofty rhetoric about global solidarity, the goal of a peoples vaccine is far from being reached. Equitable vaccine distribution is a political, moral, and economic priority which has so far been largely neglected.

Profits and short-sighted vaccine nationalism continue to trump humanity when it comes to the equitable distribution of vaccines. Though more than 48 per cent of the worlds population has received at least one dose of the vaccine, that percentage drops to barely 3 per cent in low-income countries. The situation is particularly worrying in countries in humanitarian crisis which need almost 700 million more doses to reach the World Health Organizations target of vaccinating 40 per cent of their populations by the end of the year.

Over half of the countries with a humanitarian appeal do not have enough doses to vaccinate even 10 per cent of their population. Seven of the poorest in the world only have enough doses to reach less than 2 per cent of their population (Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, South Sudan, and Yemen).

Wealthy countries with access to large quantities of vaccines have generously pledged to donate their excess doses to low- and middle-income countries via COVAX. However, far too few of these donations have been received. Supply of doses to the most vulnerable continues to be constrained by export restrictions and an unwillingness of countries to give up their place in the production supply line to COVAX, even if they cannot use those doses immediately.

The Humanitarian Buffer, part of the COVAX Facility, has been open for applications since June 2021. The Buffer is a measure of last resort to ensure the worlds displaced and other vulnerable populations are reached with COVID-19 vaccines. It is also part of the efforts to curb inequity, which would otherwise jeopardize social and economic recovery in humanitarian settings. We therefore need to urgently boost supply, share vaccines, and ensure that everyone has access.

But having vaccine doses available is only part of the solution to this crisis. We must ensure that the vaccine makes it from the airport tarmac into the arms of the most vulnerable  including refugees, migrants, asylum seekers, marginalised groups, people who are stateless, and those living in areas controlled by armed groups and/or affected by armed conflict. There must be greater investment in local delivery mechanisms and capacity, not only to guarantee that vaccines are delivered quickly and fairly, but also to strengthen national health systems for more effective pandemic preparedness and response.

All around the world, efforts to curb the pandemic are undermined by mistrust that leads to vaccine hesitancy. More than ever, it is important to work with and within communities, including through social media and community networks, to build trust and strengthen confidence on the efficacy and safety of vaccines. Activities that strengthen support for local actors and address misinformation are key to ensuring the successful delivery of vaccines to local communities, especially those most at-risk.

The United Nations and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement remain steadfast in their commitment to ensure equitable and effective access to COVID-19 vaccines across the globe. As the pandemic requires the international community to take extraordinary measures, today we unite our voices again to say it is time for actions to speak louder than words.

It is a humanitarian imperative and our shared responsibility to ensure that lives everywhere are protected, not only in the few countries that have the means to buy protection. We call on governments, partners, donors, the private sector, and other stakeholders:
 Marija Piroshki-UN Serbia

Strong appeal on more cooperation, green transformation and building upon lessons learned from recent crises including COVID19

On the occasion of the 76th anniversary of the United Nations, the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the United Nations Team in Serbia jointly marked this day at the special event dedicated to celebration of rich cultural and natural diversity in Serbia.

The event highlighted the urgency to act together for the people and the planet, reflecting upon the solutions needed to nurture diversity, inclusiveness and solidarity, while overcoming the triple planetary crises  climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, as identified in the recently released Our Common Agenda report by the UN Secretary General.

We see our principal duty to ensure that the development agenda, the transformative agenda, is as inclusive and fair as possible, and that truly, no one is left behind in the massive efforts that will take place in the country to transform the society, the economy and the environment we live in. Inclusion, tolerance, embracing diversity and plurality within our societies remain at the core of the United Nations action. These values are the fundamental pillars to strengthen peace, trust and social cohesion. As the UN, we will continue to put the rights of the people at the core of our actions, and we invite for greater and meaningful national and local consultations with citizens to shape the countrys future, says Francoise Jacob, UN Resident Coordinator in Serbia.

In 2020, the 20 UN agencies, funds and programmes, in partnership with the government and the civil society, delivered Euro 70 million worth of goods and services for the people of Serbia, including USD 23 million allocated for the COVID-19 response.

Looking ahead, the UN in Serbia and the Government of Serbia will continue their cooperation under the 2021  2025 UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework. The framework focus on strategic priorities around social, environmental, and economic sustainability, the human rights, gender and good governance agenda. It is designed to contribute to the national development priorities and to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, along the core principle of Leaving no one Behind. The UN will continue to expand its partnership with the civil society, development partners, the private sector, and local institutions.

The issue of peace and stability cannot be viewed independently of the topic of sustainable development. Serbia remains committed to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, as well as the Paris Climate Agreement. We are intensifying national efforts in the implementation of all three dimensions of sustainable development  economic, social, and environmental, says Nikola Selakovic, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia.

In our joint efforts, Serbia will continue to have a steadfast partner in the United Nations, including its political, peacebuilding and peace operations which I am here to represent. Partners for ensuring a continuous re-commitment to the values for which the United Nations stands foremost, says Mari Yamashita, Representative of the Secretary-General

The Government of Serbia and United Nations are committed to fast track progress in the countrys pathway to an inclusive, resilient, healthy and skilled society where all people meaningfully contribute to, and benefit equally from sustainable cultural, economic, and social development and environmental rights, by 2025 and beyond.

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There's no business like show business

There's no business like show business, and the Walla Walla Valley's back in business  more or less
Advanced registered nurse practitioner Evelyn Martindale administers the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at a mass vaccination clinic at the Walla Walla Fairgrounds Pavilion earlier this year.
Thousands of bats fly out from a bat house at dusk, at the University of Florida. Bats pose the biggest rabies threat in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Dreamstime/TNS)
Mrs. Evelyn Holland Reddick Dixon, 81, passed away on Nov. 14, 2021. A funeral service will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021, at 11 a.m. in the Williams Funeral Home Chapel in Milledgeville. A burial service will be held at 2 p.m. in the Alligood Cemetery in Laurens County. The family wil
Australia's coronavirus vaccine booster program will start for the adult population on Nov. 8 as the country continues to battle the third wave of COVID-19 infections

CANBERRA, Oct. 28 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Oct, 2021 ) :Australia's coronavirus vaccine booster program will start for the adult population on Nov. 8 as the country continues to battle the third wave of COVID-19 infections.

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) on Thursday approved Pfizer booster shots for Australians aged 18 and over six months after their second dose.

"Those booster programs will obviously have a focus, especially on aged care and health workers, but it is an all of, whole of population booster program," Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.

The booster program will roll out directly to people living in Residential Aged Care Facilities and people with a disability through an in-reach program, according to the prime minister.

And frontline workers "are strongly encouraged" to book in to get a booster dose, if six months has passed since their second dose.

As of Wednesday 87.6 percent of Australians aged 16 and over had received one vaccine dose and 75.5 percent were fully inoculated, according to the Department of Health.

On Thursday, Australia reported more than 2,200 new locally-acquired COVID-19 infections and 27 deaths.

The majority of new cases were in Victoria, the country's second-most populous state with Melbourne as the capital city, where 1,923 cases and 25 deaths were reported.

Morrison on Wednesday committed to sharing an additional 10 million vaccine doses with Southeast Asian countries.

"I am also pleased to advise that we will share at least an additional 10 million doses from our domestic supply with ASEAN countries by mid-next year," he told the the ASEAN-Australia Virtual Summit.
DUBAI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 28th Oct, 2021) Egypt today signed the Arab Space Cooperation Groups basic charter during a meeting of member states that took place at the Seventh Arab Dialogue for Space Cooperation, that coincided with the 72nd International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Dubai.

Dr. Mohammed Al Qousi, CEO of the Egyptian Space Agency, signed the charter in the presence of Salem Butti Salem Al Qubaisi, Director-General of the UAE Space Agency, and a number of senior Agency officials.

On this occasion, Al Qubaisi said, "As one of the Arab Space Cooperation Groups founding members, we welcome Egypt signing the basic charter today. The UAE Space Agency enjoys close relations with the Egyptian Space Agency both bilaterally and under the framework of the multi-nation alliance. This organisation plays a vital role in steering coordination, cooperation and collaboration among all member states and serves as a key platform for the future."

"The Arab Space Cooperation Group was launched by the UAE to accomplish an important mission: enhance space cooperation across the Arab World. By bringing together our strengths, shared knowledge, and experiences, we promote scientific research and peaceful space exploration to accelerate peace, progress and regional prosperity," he added.

From his part, Dr.

Al Qousi said, "The Arab Space Cooperation Group has made significant positive developments in increasing cooperation between Arab countries in the field of space in a short time. The Egyptian Space Agencys signing of this charter represents the depth and strength of the relationship between Egypt and the UAE, especially in the field of space."

Arab Space Cooperation Group, which was launched by the UAE in 2019, is responsible for coordinating efforts among all 14 member states. It aims to encourage regional cooperation, harmonise regulations among all space authorities, adopt a unified position at regional and international forums, and steer future initiatives, projects, and exploratory missions.

The Arab Space Cooperation Groups basic charter was adopted during the sixth meeting of member states in November 2019. It aims to enhance the exchange of knowledge, technical expertise, experiences, and information, as well encourage the development of scientific research and innovation to develop advanced space capabilities. It promotes the harmonisation of international laws and regulations and seeks to unify them as much as possible in line with global best practices. The charter encourages members without a space agency or space programme to develop them and cooperate with regional and international organisations.
DUBAI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 28th Oct, 2021) The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Airbus Defence and Space to collaborate on the Emirates Lunar Mission in the field of material testing in-situ on the surface of the Moon by means of the material adhesive demonstration (MAD) experiment.

The MoU was signed by Salem AlMarri, Deputy Director-General, MBRSC, and Andreas Lindenthal, Head of business Operations & Products, Airbus Space Systems, on the sidelines of the International Astronautical Congress, the worlds premier space event, being held at the World Trade Centre in Dubai.

The MoU further details other scopes of work including exploring the realisation of an end-to-end In-Situ Resource Utilisation (ISRU) demonstration, building on key capabilities from each other for lunar surface operations, including mobility, robotics and regolith processing, among others.

Yousuf Hamad AlShaibani, Director-General, MBRSC, said, "We are pleased collaborate with Airbus Defence and Space for the Emirates Lunar Mission.

The agreement today underlines the common will of both MBRSC and Airbus to advance our cooperation and join forces in our effort to learn more about the lunar surface. We look forward to continued collaboration on projects in space, and space resources utilisation in the future."

Jean-Marc Nasr, Head of Space Systems at Airbus, said, "The UAE has made great strides in the field of space with a successful mission to Mars through the Hope Probe, as well as sending the first Emirati astronaut to the International Space Station. The UAE is setting a global example and has become the source of inspiration for youth not just here but across the world. As the country is embarking on its next ambitious space projects, were honored to be signing this MoU with MBRSC, which is a strategic step to expand our contribution to supporting the government achieve its goal of becoming a well-recognised and leading country in the field of space exploration."
DUBAI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 28th Oct, 2021) The United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) is participating in the 4th "Aqdar World Summit", which will be held from 24th to 30th October, under the slogan "Positive Global Citizenship  Empowerment of Sustainable Investment Opportunities", in conjunction with the launch of Expo 2020 Dubai. The College of Humanities and Social Sciences at the UAEU participates in this summit to present a number of research and projects for faculty members and students, to highlight the Uinversity's efforts and roles in overcoming COVID-19 pandemic, taking precautionary measures, and promoting positive citizenship and human brotherhood.

The research and studies address global positive citizenship in dealing with crises and disasters (Coronavirus pandemic as a model), the role of positive citizenship in humanitarian work, cognitive and digital empowerment in promoting global positive citizenship. In addition, the national and international private companies role in promoting sustainable investment opportunities, and the national and international institutions role in promoting the positive citizenship, and modern science implications for global positive citizenship concepts. Dr. Osman Antwi-Boateng, Associate Professor of Political Science and International Relations - Department of Government and Society - College of Humanities and Social Sciences, explained, "This participation in this important global event comes to present a number of research and studies related to the diplomacy and soft power. He presented a paper on 'The Emergence of the UAE' as a Global Soft Power: Current Strategies and Future Challenges, in which he discusses the term and definition of soft power and how to activate soft power, using scientific indicators and measures related to civilization, digitization, government, and global participation to measure the soft power of the UAE.

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The student and researcher Mohammed Al Nuaimi, a student and researcher in the Department of Government and Society discusses in an introductory presentation "UAE Humanity in COVID-19", the UAE humanitarian role in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic at the global level.

Also, Shamma Al Mansoori, a student in the Department of Sociology participates through a survey on "The importance of the elderly in Emirati youth view".

The study aims to address the social changes that occur to the elderly from the point of view of the Emirati youth. The study includes young people from the UAE in the age group of 18-25, of both sexes, and concludes important results about the fact that UAE youth view the elderly positively regardless of the changes surrounding society at the level of extended and small families.

The study also shows us some indicators associated with this effect in terms of place (city or village) and the level of per capita income, and that the extended family receives more attention and care for the elderly than the other group. Finally, it concludes that the UAE youth have a greater interest in preserving inherited values and traditions in a way that enhances positive citizenship. Dr. Tatiana Karabchuk, Associate Professor - Department of Government and Society, explained that "there are many researches, studies and models that promote the values of tolerance and positive cooperation in the summit that will be presented by students and faculty members participating in this summit. The student Latifa Al Kaabi - Department of Sociology will participate in the "Positive Global Citizenship".
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Paris, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Oct, 2021 ) :Two British fishing vessels were fined by the French maritime police during checks on Wednesday, the French maritime minister said, as a smouldering row between London and Paris over post-Brexit fishing rights flared up again.

Annick Girardin said on Twitter that although the checks on the British boats were standard during the scallop fishing season, they had also been launched against "the backdrop of the tightening of controls in the Channel, in the context of discussions on licenses with the United Kingdom and the European Commission".

Earlier on Wednesday, prompted by disagreement over licensing rules for EU fishing boats wanting to operate in waters around Britain and the Channel Islands after Brexit, France threatened trade disruptions from November 2 if its boats are not granted more access to British waters.

Paris has been incensed by the rejection of French boats by Britain and the self-governing Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey, which depend on London for defence and foreign affairs.

Girardin said that one of the British boats was caught fishing in the Bay of Seine without the proper licences.

The boat and its crew were escorted to the port of Le Havre by the maritime police, where their catch could be confiscated and the boat held. The owner also risks penal sanctions.

Girardin said the other boat had been fined for initially resisting the check.
(@FahadShabbir)

Rio de Janeiro, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Oct, 2021 ) :Attention beach-lovers seeking a break from the pandemic: Rio de Janeiro is lifting its Covid-19 mask requirement for outdoor areas effective from Thursday, the state's governor said, as once-pandemic-battered Brazil advances quickly with vaccinations.

"We are going to relax the requirement on wearing masks outdoors, which is cause for celebration," Governor Claudio Castro wrote on Twitter.

"More than a year and a half after the state of public emergency was declared over the pandemic, this is an important victory for us all." The state legislature passed a bill removing the mask requirement Tuesday.

Masks will now be required in the Brazilian tourism capital only in indoor public spaces.

Nightclubs and concert venues in Rio will be authorized to reopen at half-capacity.

The capital Brasilia meanwhile plans to lift its outdoor mask mandate on November 3.

Covid-19 has claimed more than 600,000 lives in Brazil, second only to the United States.

After its immunization campaign got off to a rocky start, the South American country has now managed to fully vaccinate more than half of its 213 million people, and 72 percent of the population have received a first dose.
The military dignitaries from the Tri-services of the Pakistan Armed Forces witnessed multi-national air exercise "ACES Meet 2021-2" at an operational Air Base of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) during the "Distinguished Visitors Day" observed amid the ongoing drill on Thursday

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Oct, 2021 ) :The military dignitaries from the Tri-services of the Pakistan Armed Forces witnessed multi-national air exercise "ACES Meet 2021-2" at an operational Air Base of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) during the "Distinguished Visitors Day" observed amid the ongoing drill on Thursday.

Commander AFSC Air Vice MarshalImtiaz Sattar, General Officer Commanding (GOC) 3 Air Defence Division Major General Asif Mehmood Goraya, DG JO Air Vice Marshal Shahid Mansoor Jehangiri, DG Logistics Air Vice Marshal Kashif Qamar, Adviser to Chief of Air Staff (A) Air Vice Marshal Ikram Noor, DG Aero (Engg) Air Vice Marshal Asim Rashid Malik and DG PR (N) Rear Admiral Naeem Sarwar attended the Day, said a PAF media release.

It added that the Pakistan Air Force and Turkish Air Force were actively participating in the two weeks long air exercise which commenced from 15 October, 2021 while United Kingdom and Uzbekistan air forces were invited as observers.

The dignitaries appreciated the operational preparedness of the participating forces and conduct of the exercise.

The exercise would further strengthen and promote the friendship and cooperation between the participating air forces. Military dignitaries from participating countries were also present at the occasion, it added.
The European push to curb the power of big tech and radically transform the way Facebook, Apple or Google do business is gaining traction though efforts could still be derailed

Brussels, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Oct, 2021 ) :The European push to curb the power of big tech and radically transform the way Facebook, Apple or Google do business is gaining traction though efforts could still be derailed.

The European Union is currently negotiating landmark laws that once agreed could set a new standard worldwide on how US tech giants can operate.

The effort has picked up momentum after the revelations of Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, who will visit Brussels next month, of the company's systemic failure to fix the harmful effects of its products, driven instead by boosting traffic and profit.

The tech giants are spending millions of Euros on lobbying to influence lawmakers in the European Parliament and across the 27 member states, eager to protect their powerful profit centres such as targeted ads or big fees on app stores.

The EU has split its regulatory revolution into two laws, the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the Digital Services Act.

Slovenia, which currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, is working hard for the bloc's 27 member states to clinch a common position on both laws at a meeting on November 25, a spokesperson said on Thursday.

"Things are on a good way, but there are still some open questions," another diplomat said of the DMA, which could potentially give the EU the power to split up big tech companies.

The member states would then launch negotiations with the European Parliament with the view of finalising both laws to great fanfare during France's EU presidency that begins in January.
President Joe Biden will meet Thursday with Democratic Party leaders on his signature social spending legislation, then address the nation before leaving for summits in Europe, the White House said

Washington, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Oct, 2021 ) :President Joe Biden will meet Thursday with Democratic Party leaders on his signature social spending legislation, then address the nation before leaving for summits in Europe, the White House said.

According to US news reports, Biden is set to announce a revised spending package that he expects his party will now support, ending weeks of internal wrangling.

"The president will speak to the House Democratic Caucus this morning to provide an update about the Build Back Better agenda and the bipartisan infrastructure deal," a White House official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Biden was then due to make televised remarks from the White House at 11:30 am (1530 GMT), right before he leaves to board Air Force One for Rome.

"He will return to the White House and speak to the American people about the path forward for his economic agenda and the next steps to getting it done," the official said.

At stake is something just short of $2 trillion in spending on education, childcare and other social services, twinned with a separate package worth $1.2 trillion to fix the country's infrastructure. The two bills also provide large-scale funding for addressing climate change and clean energy.

Biden is headed to Rome for meetings with Pope Francis and the G20 group, before continuing to Scotland for the United Nations climate summit.
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 29th October, 2021) EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell says he hopes for close cooperation with Paraguay during the country's presidency in the South American trade bloc Mercosur with a view to signing the association agreement, the European External Action Service (EEAS) said on Thursday.

On Thursday, Borrell held a meeting with Paraguay's Foreign Minister Euclides Acevedo in Brussels.

"HR/VP expressed that the EU looks forward to working closely with Paraguay during its Mercosur Presidency next year, with a view to concluding the EU-Mercosur Association Agreement. The Agreement will provide a framework for strengthening and modernising our relations," the EEAS said in a press release.

At the meeting, Borrell and Acevedo also discussed the state of the bilateral EU - Paraguay relationship and the regional developments in Latin America.

The EU and Mercosur announced they had reached a free trade agreement in principle at the 2019 G20 Osaka summit, following two decades of negotiations. But the European Parliament said in 2020 that the pact could not be ratified in its current form due to concerns over deforestation in the Amazon region.

If signed, the EU-Mercosur Association would be the largest free trade deal for the Mercosur bloc, which includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, as well as for the EU in terms of tariff reduction on the export of goods to Mercosur countries.
China will build a base for police in Tajikistan near the Afghan border, a Tajik official said Thursday, amid concerns from both countries about the Taliban's ability to keep a lid on extremist groups

Almaty, Kazakhstan, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Oct, 2021 ) :China will build a base for police in Tajikistan near the Afghan border, a Tajik official said Thursday, amid concerns from both countries about the Taliban's ability to keep a lid on extremist groups.

The base points to deepening security cooperation between impoverished Tajikistan and China, which is reported to maintain another base in the southeast of the ex-Soviet country.

A parliamentary spokesman told AFP that Tajikistan's lower house had approved the plan to build the base in the Ishkashim district of the mountainous Gorno-Badakhshan province.

"All construction is funded by the Chinese side. After construction, the base will be transferred to the Tajik (police)," the spokesman, who did not provide his name, told AFP by telephone.
(@FahadShabbir)

Colombian coca growers have taken hostage about 180 soldiers who were eradicating crops of the cocaine-yielding plant near the Venezuelan border, a military official said Thursday

Bogota, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Oct, 2021 ) :Colombian coca growers have taken hostage about 180 soldiers who were eradicating crops of the cocaine-yielding plant near the Venezuelan border, a military official said Thursday.

General Omar Sepulveda told reporters six platoons under his command were "kidnapped" Tuesday in the municipality of Tibu in the northeast by communities resisting the destruction of the illegal plantations they rely on to make a living.

The soldiers were surrounded by farmers armed with sticks and machetes, Sepulveda said.

The troops are being held in a rural school.

In a video shown to AFP by the military, a group of soldiers in camouflage gear and armed with rifles are seen huddled together, with civilians keeping an eye on them.

A spokesman for the community, who identified himself as "Junior" told W Radio the kidnappers were willing to negotiate over the troop's release.

He said the coca growers had detained the soldiers in protest as they felt the government had not fulfilled a promise to help them replace coca leaf plantations with legal crops.

The office of Colombia's human rights ombudsman said on Twitter it was sending a delegation to Tibu to try and secure the soldiers' release.

Tibu is in the Catatumbo region known for being the world's largest area of drug cultivation, with more than 40,000 hectares of coca plantations, according to UN data.

Holdouts from the disbanded FARC rebel group, an active guerrilla group called the National Liberation Army (ELN), and other armed bands fight over drug trafficking revenues along the long and porous border with Venezuela.
Thousands of people flocked to cemeteries in the Catholic-majority Philippines on Thursday for their last chance to visit dead loved ones ahead of a government-ordered nationwide closure of graveyards for All Saints' Day

Manila, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Oct, 2021 ) :Thousands of people flocked to cemeteries in the Catholic-majority Philippines on Thursday for their last chance to visit dead loved ones ahead of a government-ordered nationwide closure of graveyards for All Saints' Day.

Filipinos usually pour into cemeteries on November 1 for the ancient Christian tradition, many holding family reunions at the gravesites of relatives.

But for the second year in a row, the government has ordered the shuttering of cemeteries for fear the "day of the dead" could turn into a coronavirus superspreader event.

An official tally shows more than 60,000 people have poured into the sprawling Manila North Cemetery over the past few days where many poor people live in shanties and the mausoleums.

After passing through a temperature check, relatives placed small bouquets of white flowers and lit candles on tombs -- and then left.

Hours before the gates were locked Thursday, Eloisa Sebastian visited the grave of her 60-year-old mother, Erly, who died suddenly in April.

"We used to run to her whenever we had problems so it's difficult to accept (she's gone)," Sebastian told AFP.

"I still cry almost every day, even at work." Major cemeteries in Manila are usually crowded for All Saints' Day -- a tradition dating back centuries to the ancient practice in Rome, which honours all saints and martyrs who died for the faith.

But the atmosphere was quiet and sombre Thursday with relatively few visitors.

Flower vendor Bebe Fernandez told AFP her sales have plunged this year.

"People have no money because of this pandemic," said Fernandez, whose bouquets cost 35 pesos (70 cents) each.

Covid-19 restrictions have devastated the economy and thrown millions out of work during the pandemic, which has seen more than 2.7 million people infected and over 42,000 killed.

In the pet section of the cemetery, Zia Garcia and her mother cleaned the gravestone of their Pomeranian-Shih Tzu mix dog Queenie, who died in February.

Flowers and candles were placed on the plaque engraved with the epitaph "We love you forever".

She was "like my sister because I'm an only child", said Garcia, 23, wearing a mask and face shield.

"It's really sad because we grew up together -- my best friend and sister does not exist anymore."
France is ready to hold talks with Britain to resolve on ongoing row over fishing rights as long as London meets its obligations under post-Brexit agreements, Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Thursday

Lorient, France, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Oct, 2021 ) :France is ready to hold talks with Britain to resolve on ongoing row over fishing rights as long as London meets its obligations under post-Brexit agreements, Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Thursday.

France has threatened to disrupt trade with Britain from next week if its boats are not granted more access to British waters, but Castex said during a visit to Brittany that his country was "always open to talks, morning, noon and night" so long as Britain "honours its commitments".
Congressional Democrats accused the petroleum industry of paying lip service to climate change Thursday, releasing an analysis that showed little effort by oil majors to advance green policies in Washington

New York, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Oct, 2021 ) :Congressional Democrats accused the petroleum industry of paying lip service to climate change Thursday, releasing an analysis that showed little effort by oil majors to advance green policies in Washington.

A memo prepared ahead of Thursday's hearing with Big Oil chief executives said the industry -- while professing to support the Paris Climate Agreement and carbon pricing -- has done virtually no lobbying in Washington to enact policies consistent with those goals.

"The companies appear to be using their praise of the Paris Agreement and carbon pricing to bolster their own public image while they continue to produce billions of barrels of fossil fuel and invest in new oil and gas extraction -- actions that are making the climate crisis worse," said an eight-page memo from the House Oversight Committee.

For example, ExxonMobil reported only one instance of lobbying on the Paris Agreement between 2015 and 2021, while lobbying 74 times against a bill to repeal tax breaks and 36 times on US tax cuts approved in 2017.

Chevron, which like ExxonMobil has publicized its commitment to low-carbon energy, lobbied just eight times on carbon pricing legislation since 2011, less than one percent of its total lobbying over the period, the report said.

Thursday's hearing is titled "Fueling the Climate Crisis: Exposing Big Oil's Disinformation Campaign to Prevent Climate Action." Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney, a New York Democrat, likened the hearing to a famous 1994 congressional hearing in which leaders of large tobacco testified under oath that nicotine was not addictive.

"I hope that today's hearing represents a turning point for Big Oil," Maloney said. "I hope that today the witnesses will finally own up to the industry's central role in this crisis and become part of the change we need."In an opening statement to the committee, ExxonMobil Chief Executive Darren Woods said ExxonMobil has been "vocal and transparent" in support of climate policies, but that "there are no easy answers" to address climate change while fueling the economy.

Mike Sommers, president of the American Petroleum Institute, said the oil industry was working to address climate change, but that oil and gas production would be needed for the foreseeable future.
For humans, truffles -- distant cousins of mushrooms in the fungi kingdom -- are revered as culinary gold, giving pasta or risotto dishes an elegant, savory twist when shaved or grated on top

Washington, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Oct, 2021 ) :For humans, truffles -- distant cousins of mushrooms in the fungi kingdom -- are revered as culinary gold, giving pasta or risotto dishes an elegant, savory twist when shaved or grated on top.

A new study published Thursday in Current Biology shows that ground-dwelling birds of Patagonia also seek out and disperse the ecologically important tubers, passing viable spores through their feces.

Matthew Smith, senior author of the study and a plant pathology professor at the University of Florida, told AFP he and collaborators from Chile and Argentina stumbled on the finding as they were documenting the fungi of the region.

Truffles are normally found under the leaf litter, just above the soil.

"We would find evidence of those being uncovered, and then sometimes evidence that they had scratch marks, like what you see when chickens are scratching for things," he said.

What's more, ground foraging birds of remote, undisturbed regions started following the researchers around as they sought truffles.

"When you're looking for truffles, that disturbs the leaf litter, and they'll follow behind you and like look through the parts you disturbed." The team also found that the truffles of the region were similar in size and shape as fruit -- one of the most common food sources for birds, in addition to seeds and invertebrates -- which suggested the fungi might have evolved to look attractive to birds.

At one point, first author Marcos Caiafa even saw a bird eat a chunk of truffle in front of him.

To confirm their hypothesis, the team began collecting the droppings of chucao tapaculos and black-throated huet-huets and tested them for DNA.

Truffle DNA was found in 42 percent of chucao tapaculo and 38 percent of huet-huet feces.

They also examined the bird poop using fluorescent microscopy, to confirm that the spores were viable, suggesting that the birds were responsible for spreading them.

Truffles are known to depend on mammals, such as pigs, to spread their spores, as opposed to mushrooms, which can shoot off their spores.

Smith explained that, apart from adding to the body of scientific knowledge, the new finding has important implications.

Truffles are mostly mycorrhizal fungi, which means they have a relationship with trees, helping them take up nutrients in exchange for sugars.

"These trees are the foundation of that ecosystem, and these fungi are symbiotic with the trees. So it's now a three-way connection between birds, fungi and the trees," he said.

From a conservation perspective, the ecosystems of Patagonia are under increasing pressure.

Birds' movements become more restricted when disturbed by people, and that could in turn impact the fungi, the trees, and the wider ecosystem.

Smith said that while the discovery was made in South America, it's likely that ground-dwelling birds are involved in spreading truffles in other regions, such as North America -- but the technologies to confirm this weren't readily available until recently.
(@FahadShabbir)

Residents of an Iraqi village have killed 11 people in retaliation for a deadly attack claimed by the Islamic State group, an Iraqi security official said

Baghdad, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Oct, 2021 ) :Residents of an Iraqi village have killed 11 people in retaliation for a deadly attack claimed by the Islamic State group, an Iraqi security official said.

The inhabitants of the Al-Rashad in the eastern Diyala province killed 11 people on Wednesday in the neighbouring hamlet of Nahr al-Imam, the security official who preferred to remain anonymous said.

The assailants accused the residents of Nahr al-Imam of being behind an attack on Al-Rashad the day before in which 15 people were killed, an increase from an initially reported toll of 11.

Another 26 people were injured in the Tuesday attack on Al-Rashad, according to the latest figures from security sources.

The militant IS group claimed the Al-Rashad attack on Wednesday night.
(@FahadShabbir)

Moldovan President Maia Sandu said on Thursday that negotiations with Gazprom regarding a new contract on gas deliveries are ongoing, adding that she has discussed the matter with Kremlin Deputy Chief of Staff Dmitry Kozak

CHISINAU (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th October, 2021) Moldovan President Maia Sandu said on Thursday that negotiations with Gazprom regarding a new contract on gas deliveries are ongoing, adding that she has discussed the matter with Kremlin Deputy Chief of Staff Dmitry Kozak.

"This week there were many events and meetings to discuss the gas issue, I personally discussed the possibility of signing a gas contract with Dmitry Kozak by phone. Negotiations with the head of Gazprom (Alexey Miller) In St. Petersburg are still ongoing," Sandu told a security council meeting.

The president also said that negotiations are ongoing for a long time because Moldova "wants to get the best price."

"We will announce this price as soon as we can agree on it," Sandu added.
(@FahadShabbir)

The slight easing of border restrictions for some international travellers is a small step in the right direction, but New Zealand tourism operators need more certainty about the government's plans for reconnecting the country with the world, Tourism Industry Aotearoa (New Zealand) (TIA) said on Thursday

WELLINGTON, Oct. 28 (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Oct, 2021 ) :The slight easing of border restrictions for some international travellers is a small step in the right direction, but New Zealand tourism operators need more certainty about the government's plans for reconnecting the country with the world, Tourism Industry Aotearoa (New Zealand) (TIA) said on Thursday.

TIA Chief Executive Chris Roberts said tourism operators are desperate to know when they will get access to their offshore customers again.

"New Zealand's once thriving tourism industry continues to be the overlooked casualty of the pandemic," Roberts said.

"It's now 21 months since the first border restrictions were put in place. International visitors' spending was previously worth 48 million New Zealand Dollars a day, and the cumulative loss since we closed our borders now exceeds 25 billion New Zealand dollars," he added.

Given the severity of the crisis, the resilience of tourism operators has been phenomenal, and some have been forced to close but the majority are hanging on, he said.

"However, reserves and resolve are running out," Roberts noted.

New Zealand's COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins announced on Thursday that arrivals from several South Pacific nations will be able to enter the country without managed isolation and quarantine facility (MIQ) requirements from Nov.

8.

For other arrivals, the time spent in the MIQ will be shortened and followed by a period of isolation at home, he added.

New Zealand tourism operators are hoping for a good Kiwi summer, but the uncertainty over whether New Zealanders will be able to travel around the country is impacting on bookings.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, New Zealand tourism industry has been struggling for survival, since most international visitors were unable to come to New Zealand due to the border restrictions.

China has been New Zealand's second-largest international visitor market since 2012 and one of the most valuable in terms of holiday visitor spending, according to New Zealand's national statistics department Stats NZ.

New Zealand's borders are scheduled to reopen in phases in 2022 once the vaccination program is fully rolled out by the end of 2021, according to the government's latest plan.

Tourism in New Zealand comprises an important sector of the national economy, which directly contributed about 6 percent of the country's gross domestic product prior to COVID-19.

As New Zealand's biggest export industry contributing 20.4 percent of total exports, it directly employed 8.4 percent of the New Zealand workforce before COVID-19, according to Stats NZ.
The Supreme State Council of the Union State of Russia and Belarus will convene on November 4, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced on Thursday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th October, 2021) The Supreme State Council of the Union State of Russia and Belarus will convene on November 4, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced on Thursday.

"We are holding this meeting on the eve of a very important event.

On November 4, we will hold a session of our State Council, this will be an important step toward integration," Lukashenko told Russian Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov, as quoted by the state-run news agency Belta.
(@FahadShabbir)

Lawyer Ivan Pavlov, who was accused of disclosing data in the Ivan Safronov case and who previously left Russia, told Sputnik that he had been put on the wanted list by Russian investigators

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th October, 2021) Lawyer Ivan Pavlov, who was accused of disclosing data in the Ivan Safronov case and who previously left Russia, told Sputnik that he had been put on the wanted list by Russian investigators.

A case was initiated against Pavlov under Article 310 of the Russian Criminal Code ("Disclosure of preliminary investigation data"), he was charged. According to the lawyer, this is connected with the case of Ivan Safronov, an aide to Roscosmos CEO. Safronov is charged with treason, and Pavlov is defending him. The order to initiate the case states that the lawyer told the data of the preliminary investigation to the media without proper permission. In September, Pavlov announced that he had left Russia, citing the fact that the bans imposed in connection with the criminal case had gradually made his work impossible.

"On September 20, the investigator in my criminal case issued an order to put me on the wanted list. Despite the fact that neither me nor my lawyers have been summoned to the investigator since July, and my whereabouts are easy to establish it is enough to call me. But we learned about me on the wanted list from Ivan Safronov, who was informed about this by (FSB) investigator (Alexander) Chaban," Pavlov said.

Pavlov was the head of the human rights association Komanda 29 (Team 29). In mid-July, Roskomnadzor, at the request of the Prosecutor General's Office, blocked the website of Team 29; shortly thereafter, the association decided to stop working due to fears of criminal prosecution.
(@FahadShabbir)

UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th October, 2021) UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths called on the parties in Syria to agree on a modality to enable timely distribution of humanitarian aid brought from Damascus.

"I urge... all concerned parties to ensure that cross-line missions and the aid distributions associated with them proceed without delays. If cross-line operations are to be a sustainable way of reaching more people, then we need agreement on a suitable distribution modality that is acceptable to all the relevant parties," Griffiths said in a UN Security Council meeting on Wednesday.

Griffiths pointed out that humanitarian partners in Syria are currently preparing another World food Program (WFP) cross-line delivery into the northwest of the country in November.

In August, a WFP delivery reached Idlib and is awaiting full agreement from the parties to be distributed to the people in need, Griffiths said. He also expressed hope the volume of cross-border aid in Syria could be increased.

"I'm quietly optimistic that we will be able to further expand cross-line access over the coming months. And you can be sure that we will certainly do our part," Griffiths said.

In July, the UN Security Council, through the resolution extending the cross-border aid delivery mechanism using a crossing in Turkey for six months, requested the expansion of cross-line aid deliveries from within the country that Damascus can directly oversee.
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UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th October, 2021) Syria is facing a resurgence of COVID-19 cases as less than 2% of the population have been vaccinated, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths said in a Security Council meeting on Wednesday.

"On top of increasing poverty, the water crisis and worsening food security, people in Syria are also facing a resurgence of COVID-19. Cases are surging, ICUs are at full capacity, and vaccination rates remain below 2%," Griffiths said.

The UN official pointed out that nearly 2 million people in the northwest of Syria live in refugee camps, which are often overcrowded and lacking basic sanitation and hygiene.

Griffiths said the humanitarian situation in Syria continues to deteriorate and, without affecting a change, it will only keep on worsening each month.
The UN Security Council on Thursday adopted a statement on the situation in Sudan calling on the African country's military leadership to restore the civilian-led transitional government

UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th October, 2021) The UN Security Council on Thursday adopted a statement on the situation in Sudan calling on the African country's military leadership to restore the civilian-led transitional government.

"The members of the Security Council called upon Sudan's military authorities to restore the civilian-led transitional government on the basis of the Constitutional Document and other foundational documents of the transition," the statement, seen by Sputnik, said.

"They urged all stakeholders to engage in dialogue without pre-conditions, in order to enable the full implementation of the Constitutional Document and the Juba Peace Agreement, which underpin Sudan's democratic transition," it added.

The council in the statement expressed "serious concern" about the military takeover that took place on Monday and was followed by the detention of many members of the transitional government, including Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, who has since been released home.
WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th October, 2021) US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will meet with his Slovakian counterpart on Thursday in Washington, the Defense Department said in a press release.

"Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III will welcome the Slovakian Minister of Defense Jaroslav Nad' to the Pentagon in an enhanced honor cordon ceremony at 10:00 a.m.

EDT, on Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021," the release said on Wednesday.

The release did not provide details about the discussions between the two military chiefs.

Austin recently returned from a trip to Ukraine, Georgia, Romania as well as Belgium, where he attended the NATO defense ministerial, where he discussed a range of mutual concerns with his counterparts including matters related to Russia.
Concord, NH  The U.S. Marshals  NH Joint Fugitive Task Force is happy to announce the arrest of federal fugitive, David Hall in San Diego, California on October 6, 2021.



David Carlton Hall, 38 years-of-age, was last known to reside in Manchester (NH) was being sought on a federal arrest warrant for supervised release violations due to a conviction and sentence for robberies involving narcotics and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. Hall was on supervised release in June of this year, when he was alleged to be involved in a high-speed chase in Portsmouth, NH. During this chase, Hall eventually abandoned the vehicle leaving behind a large quantity of narcotics and his cell phone. Hall had been on the run since this pursuit in June.



As part of this investigation, Hall was featured as the Fugitive of the Week on July 7, 2021. This feature was aired on WTPL-FM, WNTK-FM, WTSN-FM, WEMJ-FM, The Union Leader, The Nashua Telegraph, The Patch, Manchester Information, the Manchester Ink Link, The Rochester & Lebanon Voice and prominently featured on the internet. The Fugitive of the Week continues to be a very successful tool that has resulted in the location and arrest of over 500 fugitives since its implementation in 2007. Additionally, the Fugitive of the Week was also to be distributed statewide to all law enforcement officers in New Hampshire.



It was through an intensive investigation conducted by the U.S. Marshals  NH Joint Fugitive Task Force with the assistance of the Portsmouth Police Department and the DEA that developed leads that pointed to the San Diego, California area. In San Diego, it was believed that Hall was allegedly staying in Hostels in the area. This information was forwarded to the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force in San Diego. On October 6th, the task force was canvassing the hostels, when Hall was observed on a street corner near one of the hostels. Hall was approached, his identity confirmed and was arrested without incident.



Hall was transported to the U.S. Marshals Office in San Diego where he was processed and appeared before a US District Court Magistrate Judge. The Judge ordered Mr. Hall to be detained and returned to New Hampshire to face his supervised release violations.



U.S. Marshal Nick Willard said, Once again, the collaborative efforts of many law enforcement agencies from across the country worked together seamlessly to locate and arrest a fugitive. Willard continued, Mr. Hall thought that by fleeing across the country, he could avoid these charges. I am glad we could prove him wrong.



Since the inception of the U.S. Marshals - New Hampshire Joint Fugitive Task Force in 2002, these partnerships have resulted in over 8,218 arrests (Updated as of 12/16/2020). These arrests have ranged in seriousness from murder, assault, unregistered sex offenders, probation and parole violations and numerous other serious offenses. Nationally the United States Marshals Service fugitive programs are carried out with local law enforcement in 94 district offices, 85 local fugitive task forces, 8 regional task forces, as well as a growing network of offices in foreign countries. Additional information about the U.S. Marshals Service can be found at http://www.usmarshals.gov. ####



Americas First Federal Law Enforcement Agency


Scranton, PA  Today, United States Marshal Martin J. Pane announced the arrest of Jason Charles Lajoie, a 45-year-old man with past addresses in Scranton and Archbald, Lackawanna County.



On May 13, 2021, Lajoie was arrested for violations of federal firearm laws and drug distribution. He was brought before the U.S. District Court in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and ordered detained to await trial.



On October 24, 2021, Lajoie was furloughed from custody for a 12-hour period to attend a funeral in Rhode Island. He was transported to and from the funeral by a family friend driving a privately owned vehicle. At about 9 p.m., as the vehicle was returning to Pennsylvania, Lajoie fled from it in Pike County, near the New York border. The family friend notified authorities and the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) obtained an arrest warrant charging Lajoie with escape.



On October 27, 2021, at about 10:45 p.m., the USMS Fugitive Task Force arrested Lajoie without incident at a hotel in the 500 block of Broadway in Monticello, New York. He was returned to the Middle District of Pennsylvania to be arraigned for the escape.



United States Marshal Pane stated, Its the Marshals Services duty to ensure that those charged with serious crimes have their day in court. Defendants who seek to subvert the judicial process through escape receive our immediate attention and prompt action. I hope this quick arrest demonstrates that commitment to the public.



The USMS Fugitive Task Force in the Middle District of Pennsylvania is comprised of 21 state, county, and local police agencies, including: the Pennsylvania State Police; the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole; the Wilkes-Barre Police Department; the Kingston Police Department; the Kingston Township Police Department; the Bradford County Sheriffs Office; and the Scranton Police Department. The USMS received additional assistance from the Lackawanna County Drug Task Force and Archbald Police Department. Additional information about the U.S. Marshals Service can be found at http://www.usmarshals.gov. ####



Americas First Federal Law Enforcement Agency


Two South Korean Missionaries arrested in Nepal in September are still in prison on charges of illegal conversion activities which the local Church says are unfounded.

Vatican News staff writer

Two Catholic nuns from South Korea have been detained in Nepal for over six weeks on charges of converting Hindus by coercion and allurement. Sister Gemma Lucia Kim and Sister Martha Park Byongsuk of the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres Congregation were arrested on September 14 following an anonymous complaint. They are presently detained in a prison in Kathmandu after they were denied bail.

The two nuns run Happy Home, a center that provides accommodation, food, education, medical services and skills training to about 120 slum children in Pokhara, about 200 kilometers from Kathmandu. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they distributed food rations to vulnerable people, but some locals accused them of alluring them to become Catholics by giving low-quality food.

Unjust and baseless allegations

The Apostolic Vicar of Nepal, Bishop Paul Simick, has told papal foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that the Nepalese Catholic community was shocked at the news they had been denied bail and said that the allegations are utterly baseless and unjust. We, as Catholics, do not indulge in forceful conversion and the Korean sisters are known for doing exclusively social work, he added, noting that the sisters have been dedicating themselves totally to the poor for many years

Speaking about their present state of mind, the Apostolic Vicar said they are very calm and serene. However, he is worried about their health as they are both elderly. The Catholic community views this incident as an attack on minority communities, and an attempt to criminalize particularly Christian missionary activities such as social services, providing education, and health care, which could be construed as an allurement for conversion, Bishop Simick further pointed out.

Growing hostility against Christians in Nepal



In recent years Christian Churches, in general, have been experiencing growing hostility and intolerance in the Himalayan Hindu-majority nation, where Christians account for 1.4 percent of the population. According to ACN Religious Freedom Report 2021, legal and social pressures on the Christian minority have further increased since the adoption of the new Constitution in 2015 and of the new Penal Code outlawing proselytism. Moreover, in recent times, a number of foreign priests and religious sisters were denied visas and had to leave the country.
A statement issued by the Holy See Press Office says the Pope has indicated he is willing to visit Canada on a date to be settled in due course.

By Vatican News staff writer

The Holy See Press Office released a statement on Wednesday regarding an invitation issued by Canadas Bishops to Pope Francis to visit their country:

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops has invited the Holy Father to make an apostolic journey to Canada, also in the context of the long-standing pastoral process of reconciliation with indigenous peoples. His Holiness has indicated his willingness to visit the country on a date to be settled in due course, the statement reads.

A communique published by the CCCB says the Bishops invited the Pope to visit Canada on a pilgrimage of healing and reconciliation.

It notes that the Bishops of Canada have been engaged in discussions with Indigenous Peoples, especially those affected by residential schools, who have shared stories about the suffering and challenges that they continue to experience.

Pope Francis has shared his sorrow for what he described as the shocking news for the discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves detected in the grounds of the Church-run Kamloops Indian Residential School this past summer.

Speaking during the Angelus on 6 June 2021, he said he was praying for the Canadian Church and for the people, and he issued an appeal to political and religious authorities of Canada to work together to shed light on the matter and commit to a path of reconciliation and healing.

The Residential Schools

The residential schools were government-sponsored schools, many of them run by Christian organizations, that were established to assimilate Indigenous children into Euro-Canadian culture. They operated from the 1880s into the closing decades of the 20th century and aimed to educate and convert Indigenous youth and to assimilate them into mainstream Canadian society. The system forcibly separated children from their families for extended periods of time and forbade them to acknowledge their Indigenous heritage and culture or to speak their own languages. Former students tell of extensive and systemic abuse within the system.
ELIZABETH URBAN is News Editor for The Vidette. Urban can be contacted at emurba1@ilstu.edu. Follow Urban on Twitter at @eliizabethurban.

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Almost two decades ago, Chinese authorities began floating the idea of taxing property owners. And now, the government has begun moving in this direction. On Oct. 23, the countrys top legislature, the National Peoples Congress (NPC), adopted a decision to authorize the State Council to carry out a pilot test of the new tax policy in certain regions.

Unlike the United States and other countries, China does not have a blanket tax on property. Talk of a potential tax began in 2003. In 2011, local administrations of two of the wealthiest municipalities in the country, Chongqing and Shanghai, were allowed to collect taxes. Almost a decade later, the tax plan is now being emphatically pushed forward.

According to state-backed media outlet Xinhua, the property tax legislation will ensure rational housing consumption as well as the most economical and intensive use of land resources. It will also promote a steady and sound development of Chinas property market.

The taxation policy comes amidst the property sector facing an intense crisis due to massive debt holdings among developers. One of the biggest real estate companies, Evergrande, has over $300 billion in debt and is struggling to honor its payments. Many other developers are also in a similar situation, thus posing a serious risk to the property market and the wider economy.

The current practice in housing and land use will be strictly controlled and guided, especially such behavior as real estate speculation Taking into account the cities which had been discussed the most recently in the market, Zhejiang province is likely to be included in the tax reforms, especially Hangzhou, Yan Yuejin, director at Shanghai-based E-house China R&D Institute, said to SCMP.

Hangzhou is the eighth largest city in China. Last year, Hangzhous economic output reached around 70 percent of Hong Kongs GDP. As of now, no date has been fixed for the pilot tax program. The taxation policy will not be applicable to rural homes. The State Council will decide which areas to bring under the pilot program.

Ever since Beijing allowed private homeownership back in 1998, property prices have jumped almost 20 fold. In 2019, around $1.7 trillion worth of new homes were sold in China, which was seven times the U.S. number.

Roughly 70 to 80 percent of household wealth in the country is accounted for by property. Moreover, properties also contribute to 10 percent of Chinas household income. As such, some experts see a strong resistance against the property tax proposal.

Ting Lu, the chief China economist at Nomura, stated in a recent research note that Beijing is likely to move cautiously with regard to the taxation policy, phasing in the taxes gradually over time. Even then, Lu believes new home sales might suffer.

Restricting the housing market is also something Chinese President Xi Jinping has been stressing of late. In an article written at Quishi, the official theoretical journal of the CCP, Xi called on officials to steadily move forward with property tax legislation. Houses are for living, not for speculation, the Chinese president said.

In an interview with CNBC, Yue Su, principal economist at The Economist Intelligence Unit, stated that the property tax legislation comes at an appropriate time for Beijing.

I think the central government has chosen [the] right time because of the political reshuffling happening before and after the 20th party congress next year, so to really resist a central government policy will be [a risk] to local government officials own career.
In China, more than 23,000 people in Beijings Changping urban district have been quarantined; the Hongfu Yuan community was locked down, and its surrounding business centers were forced to close after only a handful of COVID-19 cases were detected.

Two Covid cases have been reported in Shijiazhuang City, Hebei province, but the official prevention action that followed the discovery of the cases was very unusual.

Not only were approximately 40 residential areas locked down but nearly 2,000 people were taken away to be quarantined. Netizens captured video of a long line of ambulances. Shoppers rushed to local supermarkets clearing shelves in a panic until they were nearly empty.

According to the National Health Commission of China (NHC) on Oct. 26, there were 59 new confirmed COVID-19 cases in China, of which 50 were local cases. Only three cases were reported in Beijing, two cases in Changping District and one case in Shijiazhuang, Hebei.

While two cases were reported in Shijiazhuang by official channels on October 24 and 40 residential areas were locked down with long lines of ambulances on the street, it is hard to believe that only one new case was officially announced on October 26. In other words, the prevention action is not proportional to the number of cases reported.

Chinese officials have not yet stated the source of the new pandemic.

Over 20,000 people quarantined in Changping District, Beijing

On Oct. 23, the community of Hongfuyuan in Changping District, Beijing was upgraded to a high-risk area, according to Xinjing News.

The Changping District officially issued a notice on the evening of Oct. 23 stating that all citizens in the area should not leave Changping or Beijing unless necessary. The notice read, The pandemic is widespread, the chain of spread is complex, the situation is very serious, and the risk is all around.

It was also reported that there are 117 buildings in the Hong Fu Yuan community affected by the measures. More than 23,000 residents in the community are now forced to be isolated in their homes. The entrances and exits of the community have been closed. Only the two north and south gates are reserved as storage points to ensure the delivery of take-out, courier, and covid-prevention supplies.

The Hongfu Yuan community in Beijings Changping urban district was locked down. More than 23,000 people were quarantined. (Photo from Reuter)

The shops around that residential community are all closed. Beijing Wangfu Hospital for Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, which is 5 kilometers away from the area, is also closed.

As the confirmed COVID-19 cases continue to emerge in Beijing, Xu Hejian, Deputy Minister of the Propaganda Department of the Beijing Municipal Committee, admitted on Oct. 25 that the risks and pressures on Beijing are increasing.

Hebeis Shijiazhuang locked down 40 Residential Areas; Longlines of ambulances appear on the street

In addition to the rising epidemic around Beijing, COVID-19 in Shijiazhuang, Hebei also seems to be highly unusual. Recently, 40 residential areas were locked down and about 2,000 people were driven away for centralized quarantine. A long line of ambulances was seen parked along the street, and more than 500,000 people were tested for nucleic acid. The authorities no longer mention the vaccination rate or whether the patients had been vaccinated.

Netizens captured video of a long line of ambulances(Photo from video by netizen)

According to the video posted by netizens, the government officials and executives of companies were also living in the closed residential areas.

Shijiazhuang residents who experienced the outbreak last year are rushing to buy food in supermarkets, causing many groceries on the shelves to be snapped up.

Residential areas were locked down and people been driven away for quarantine. Groceries on the shelves have been snapped up(Photo from video by netizen)

Twitter shortens relevant posts and pictures as the includes potentially sensitive content

Twitter censored posts and pictures referring to 40 residential areas locked down and the long line of Ambulances displaying instead a shortened one-sentence statement saying, the following media includes potentially sensitive content. If readers click a button labeled View they are able to view the posts.
Media advocates in Cambodia are pointing to the government's interaction with a British newspaper as an example of how complaints over news coverage should be dealt with.

When the British daily The Guardian incorrectly reported that Prime Minister Hun Sen held a passport from Cyprus, Cambodia's government responded with a letter threatening legal action.

But after the paper printed a correction, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was satisfied by the steps taken to fix the error.

Media advocates have compared the case with the experience of local journalists whom they say risk being prosecuted for similar mistakes. They say that Cambodia should use its press law to handle errors or complaints.

Ith Sothoeuth, media director at the Cambodian Center for Independent Media, commended The Guardian's quick response in correcting its report, and expressed hope that similar interactions could be duplicated with local news outlets.

"I think that this is a good case study or model for the Cambodian government, which should be applied upon the media sector in the country," he said. "When there is false or inaccurate information, there should be a demand for a correction rather than resorting to legal action."

In The Guardian's case, government lawyers wrote to the paper demanding a retraction and threatening legal proceedings after the paper reported incorrectly that Cambodia's prime minister was among thousands of wealthy foreigners who hold a Cypriot passport. The reporting was part of the British publication's Pandora Papers coverage on a leak of financial data on offshore tax havens.

A letter dated October 6, and published on the Ministry of Affairs website, said the error has given a chance to a "handful of evil opportunists to distort and exaggerate the facts leading to a worsening situation with the purposes of inciting people, stirring chaos and destroying public order, security and peace in the Cambodian society."

The Guardian corrected the article that same day, and in an email to the ministry said, "The editor regrets the concern caused to Prime Minister Hun Sen but it is hoped the prompt action to rectify this error provides a satisfactory resolution."

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Koy Kuong, told VOA that potential legal action was no longer being considered because The Guardian ran a timely correction.

"Not only did the response help correct the mistake, but also provided justice, dignity and honor to the leader of our kingdom," Koy Kuong said last week.

Nop Vy, executive director of the Cambodia Journalists Alliance Association, praised the actions of The Guardian and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which he said aligned with the press law.

Under that law, newspapers have seven days to publish a correction or response if an individual claims to have been defamed or harmed by reporting. For public figures who claim reporting was false or intended to defame them, a court can order a paper to publish a retraction, pay damages or both.

Nop Vy said he wants to see a similar response with local journalists, such as Youn Chhiv, a publisher who was imprisoned last month after a deputy provincial governor of Koh Kong province filed a complaint.

"There are different standards of implementation in our country, particularly on journalists. The case of The Guardian is one thing, while the case of the journalist in Koh Kong province is another," he said. "This is a sort of implementation which should be reviewed."

Youn Chhiv, who runs the news website Koh Kong Hot News, was accused of false news and defamation.

In May, a coalition of civil society organizations expressed concern at the legal harassment of Cambodian media, saying that at least 72 journalists had been "harassed" by the judiciary, and 42 were detained, questioned, or imprisoned. The coalition found that authorities often used charges of incitement under Articles 494 and 495 of the Criminal Code.

That trend has continued in recent months. The Cambodia Journalists Alliance Association reported at least 21 cases of journalists being harassed, questioned, or detained between July and September of this year, including while covering land disputes.

Meas Sophorn, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Information, defended the use of legal action against journalists, noting that Article 10 of the press law allows for an individual to sue for defamation or libel.

"It depends on the individual who is affected by the false or inaccurate news," Meas Sophorn said. "If he thinks that the publication severely affects his dignity and honor, he can file the lawsuit directly without demanding correction or clarification."

While Article 10 allows a complainant to seek financial damages, journalists often face accusations outside of the press law, including incitement, which can carry prison terms.

Am Sam Ath, deputy director at rights group Licadho, said that authorities should only resort to criminal charges when the offense occurs outside of the professional realm.

"The press law should be used to ensure the career and professionalism of journalists, except the case in which the journalists committed crimes which are not related to their profession or journalism code of conduct," he said.


Once commonplace, abuses by state security forces against civilians in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have dropped sharply in the previous year, according to rights groups.

Boubacar, whose name has been changed to protect his identity, said last year unidentified gunmen came to his home at night, shot and wounded his wife and son, then killed his brother.

The next day, on doctors' orders, he traveled to Burkina Fasos capital, Ouagadougou, for medical treatment to save his sons injured hand from amputation.

While he was away, he said, Burkinabe security forces kidnapped two of his brothers. Neighbors, he said, identified the forces. Since then, the family has had no word and doesnt know if the two are alive or dead.

Abuses by security forces in the Sahel conflict, where Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger battle terror groups linked to Islamic State and al-Qaida, were once common.

Last year, the number of civilian fatalities caused by security forces was approaching those caused by terror groups.

Data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, ACLED, shows the number of civilian fatalities caused by security forces has fallen dramatically in the last year to Oct. 1, compared with the previous year.

They have dropped by 77% in Burkina Faso, 74% in Mali, and 65% in Niger.

Rights groups say they have also observed the change and suggest why it might have occurred.

We believe that theres a combination of factors, said Corrine Dufka, West Africa director at Human Rights Watch. First has been reporting by human rights groups, by journalists, as well as pressure from the international community.

Analysts say there could be other factors at play, including the outsourcing of military activities to government-backed militias, among other things.

Over this period, the security situation in the Sahel has continued to get worse, said the European Council on Foreign Relationss Andrew Lebovich. And so, I think one other possible explanation is that regional security forces are doing somewhat less patrolling and are doing somewhat fewer operations where theyre actually interacting with populations in rural areas, especially.

The Burkinabe army says accusations of abuse by security forces have not been proven. In a statement to VOA, it said respect for human rights is a major concern for the national armed forces and is part of the basic education for soldiers.

But the consequences of the atrocities are not going away.

The bad news is there have not been investigations, much less, justice and accountability, said Human Rights Watchs Dufka.

Boubacar said trying to seek justice from the same authorities he believes committed crimes would be pointless.

He said he can't see how there would be a positive outcome, even if he went to court, so he decided to let matters lie.

But he still wants to know what happened to his brothers.
Lilian Vihenda prepares afternoon porridge for her young children. The flour she uses has just been delivered by the staff at Food Banking Kenya, a nonprofit organization that helps feed the needy in her Nairobi neighborhood.

In the current hard economic times in Kenya, Vihenda says, these care packages help keep her children in school. She says the money that she would have used to buy food will pay for her children's school fees, which is a great help.

But in addition to helping the poor by salvaging excess food from farms and markets, Food Banking Kenya is taking steps to blunt the harmful impact of climate change.

John Gathungu, who heads the nonprofit, says the recent acquisition of a cold storage facility allows the food bank to store more food while reducing greenhouse emissions from the farms.

When food in the farms ends up in the landfills, you find that there is a lot of toxicity within the air, because what happens is that when they rot in the landfill, they produce methane, which is a worse product than carbon dioxide," Gathungu said. "And if we curb food wastage, we can be able to at least to reduce the amount of gas that is produced from at least 6 to 8 percent.

Implementing climate-sensitive advances will be key to helping Africa adapt and mitigate the effects of climate change, says adaptation strategies analyst Winnie Khaemba.

Agricultural technologies that also ensure that you have reduced emissions, CO2 emissions, methane emissions, which are all greenhouse emissions, we really are in need of these technologies and also the capacity to be able to apply these technologies, Khaemba said.

But technology requires funding, and that remains a challenge.

Experts say the continent will need more than $300 billion over the next decade as it develops strategies that will help cushion it from the effects of climate change.
A decision on the bail application of an American journalist jailed for the past five months in Myanmar has been delayed because the judge broke his arm, the journalist's lawyer said Wednesday.

Danny Fenster was detained at Yangon International Airport on May 24 as he was about to board a flight to go to the Detroit area in the United States to see his family. He is the managing editor of Frontier Myanmar, an online magazine based in Yangon, Myanmar's biggest city.

Fenster has been charged with incitement  also known as sedition  for allegedly spreading false or inflammatory information. The offense is punishable by up to three years in prison.

The charge against him does not make clear specifically what he is accused of doing. The court proceedings are still in the procedural stage and hearings are closed to the media and the public. He is being held at Yangon's Insein Prison, where the hearings are being held.

Than Zaw Aung, Fenster's lawyer, said the court had been expected to rule Wednesday on whether his client should be granted bail, as both the defense and prosecution had submitted their arguments on the matter at the last hearing.

However, the judge did not appear because he is taking a month's leave after breaking his arm, and another judge is sitting in for him temporarily, the lawyer said. Consequently, the defense and the prosecution submitted their arguments again and the new judge is expected to rule on them at the next hearing on November 3.

Than Zaw Aung said Fenster did not comment on the delay but appeared disappointed at not being released from detention under a recent amnesty for political prisoners. He is among about 100 journalists detained since a February 1 military takeover ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Thirty-four journalists are believed to remain behind bars.

Earlier this month, Fenster was also charged under the Unlawful Associations Act, which carries a punishment of two to three years' imprisonment for links to banned organizations.

His lawyer has said that he is being prosecuted for an offense allegedly carried out by a news service for which he had stopped working more than half a year before he was charged, and well before this year's seizure of power by the military.

Government spokesman Maj.-Gen. Zaw Min Tun, when questioned in September about Fenster's case, responded: "As for journalists, if they do only journalist's work, there is no reason to arrest them. Danny Fenster did more than just what a journalist does." He did not elaborate.
U.S. President Joe Biden embarked Thursday on a whirlwind show of American diplomacy, featuring a meeting of the worlds wealthiest nations and a major climate summit with high stakes and far-reaching implications.

Biden arrived in Rome for the October 30-31 G-20 summit, where leaders of the worlds wealthiest nations will discuss the pandemic, climate change and issues that move the global economy. Hell continue to the COP26, the two-day United Nations conference on climate in Glasgow, Scotland, which starts November 1. But first, he will meet Pope Francis, head of the powerful Catholic Church, of which Biden himself is a loyal parishioner.

With Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin not attending either of the two summits in person, Biden will take the lead at the forums, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters this week.

The U.S. and Europe will be there, and they'll be there energized and united at both the G-20 and COP26, driving the agenda, Sullivan said.

It wont be easy for Biden, who needs to repair U.S. credibility following the messy military withdrawal from Afghanistan and a rift with transatlantic ally Paris over the AUKUS (Australia, United Kingdom and United States) nuclear submarine deal that scuttled a multibillion-dollar French submarine contract with Australia.

These are some of the issues that Biden and other leaders will focus on during their meetings.

Climate crisis

Implementing more aggressive climate actions will be a primary focus in Rome. The G-20  comprising the 19 largest economies plus the European Union  accounts for two-thirds of the global population, 80% of global GDP and around 75% of greenhouse gas emissions.

Countries are expected to announce more emissions reduction pledges to meet commitments made at the 2015 Paris Climate Accord, which sought to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius  ideally to 1.5 degrees Celsius. To meet this target, global emissions need to be cut in half by 2030 and reach net-zero by around mid-century.

Biden is expected to emphasize the U.S. pledge to cut emissions 50% to 52% by 2030 compared with 2005 levels. But it is uncertain whether he can deliver his climate agenda while his infrastructure and social spending bills struggle in the U.S. Congress.

Coal is a key point of contention in both the G-20 and COP26 meetings. The U.N. has called for wealthy countries to phase out coal by 2030, but G-20 environment ministers have failed to agree on a timeline.

Indonesia, a large greenhouse gas emitter that will take over the G-20 presidency in December, is expected to press developed nations to fulfill their pledges to provide $100 billion a year in climate financing to support developing countries, reduce emissions and mitigate the impact of climate change. Further delaying these commitments could break down trust in meetings.

The investment hasn't come through yet. You can't expect to address these issues without investment, said Aaron Connelly, a research fellow in Southeast Asian political change and foreign policy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

Pandemic response

G-20 finance and health ministers are crafting a new mechanism to combat future pandemics. In a letter to their G-20 colleagues, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Sri Mulyani Indrawati, finance minister of Indonesia, who will assume the G2-0 presidency in December, said the mechanism would facilitate global coordination for the next pandemic and establish a new financing facility to keep up with emerging threats.

The G-20 faces pressure to address COVID-19 vaccine inequality. There is still a shortfall of 500 million vaccine doses to reach the World Health Organizations 40% vaccination target in all countries by the end of 2021, while 240 million doses are lying unused in the West, said Gordon Brown, WHO ambassador for global health financing.

Humanitarian organizations say wealthy countries failed to fulfil pledges at last years virtual G-20 summit to ensure global vaccine access, instead hoarding doses for their own populations.

The sheer selfishness and greed behind these deaths is unfathomable, said Agnes Callamard, secretary general of Amnesty International. While G-20 countries enjoy vaccination rates of around 63%, only 10% of the population in low- and lower-middle- income countries have been able to get vaccinated.

Supply chain and energy prices

The pandemic has wrought havoc on the global supply chain. Reduced industrial activity has caused shortages of materials, port congestion, increased freight pricing and difficulty in forecasting demand due to changing consumer attitudes. Earlier this month, citing those economic stressors, the International Monetary Fund trimmed its 2021 global growth forecast to 5.9% from its 6.0% forecast in July.

Meanwhile oil prices are at their highest level since 2014 due to a global supply shortage and strong demand, particularly in the U.S., the worlds biggest consumer of gas.

Biden will be laser-focused on supply chains and energy prices because he knows that these issues impact working families here in America, Sullivan said.

However, it may be difficult to get tangible deliverables at the summit.

They will make the right sort of hortatory statements about this, but I'm not sure there's going to be any new or significant action, said Matthew Goodman, senior vice president for economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Debt restructuring

The G-20 is expected to again voice support for alleviating debt issues in lower income countries through various existing international mechanisms, but also unlikely to come up with major breakthroughs.

Debt restructuring is really important in all of this, in the context of the ongoing COVID pandemic, said Leslie Vinjamuri, director of the U.S. and the Americas program at Chatham House.

The G-20 has developed the Common Framework to provide a path for debt reduction on unsustainable lending to lower-income countries. It has yet to be applied, partly due to reluctance from Beijing, which is often the source of those loans.

Global minimum tax

G-20 members are expected to reaffirm the deal agreed by 136 countries announced earlier this month by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, to ensure big companies pay a minimum tax rate of 15% and make it harder for them to avoid taxation. The question is whether and how soon G-20 members can implement the agreement within their own domestic legal framework.
U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday unveiled a $1.85 trillion spending plan he said would provide the "most transformative" aid to American families in decades and, at the same time, set the United States on a path toward sharply cutting its greenhouse gas pollution.

Biden laid out the plan  about half the amount he had proposed weeks ago  in an early morning meeting with Democratic lawmakers in Congress, and then lobbied for it in a 23-minute White House address.

"Nobody got everything they wanted, including me," Biden said. "It's called compromise." He described the spending proposals, even in their pared-down shape, as "historic investments in our nation and our people."

Shortly after speaking, Biden and first lady Jill Biden boarded Air Force One for a trip to Europe. Their agenda includes an audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican. In the coming days, the president will meet in nearby Rome with world leaders about the global economy and then head to Glasgow, Scotland, for a summit on climate change.

Biden told Democratic lawmakers that the shrunken plan was the product of intense negotiations with a broad swath of politically progressive and moderate Democrats in Congress.

Biden specifically cited his back-and-forth talks with two centrist lawmakers who had objected to the $3.5 trillion price tag and several provisions of his original proposal: Senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona.

"President Biden is confident this is a framework that can pass both houses of Congress, and he looks forward to signing it into law," the White House said.

It was not immediately clear whether the warring factions of Democrats in Congress were on board with the White House claim that the curtailed plan could pass, along with a separate $1.2 trillion infrastructure proposal to rebuild the country's deteriorating roads and bridges and expand broadband service throughout the United States.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi, leader of the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives, was planning a vote later Thursday on the infrastructure legislation. That plan was postponed, replaced by a plan to vote on short-term funding for transportation programs.

Progressive Democrats have for weeks blocked passage of the measure, already approved by the Senate in a bipartisan vote, to retain leverage to include funding for their favored programs in the social safety net measure.

One of the progressives, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, called the latest Biden plan "a major step" but added, "I want to see it improved."

In the politically divided Senate, all Republicans oppose the Biden social safety net and pollution-control legislation. The Democrats will need all 50 of their lawmakers, along with the tiebreaking vote of Vice President Kamala Harris, to pass the measure. They can afford to lose only a handful of Democratic votes in the House.

The latest Biden plan would provide universal prekindergarten schooling for all 3- and 4-year-old children in the country, but an original Biden call for two years of tuition-free community college education for high school graduates was jettisoned as too costly. Scholarship grants for needy college students would be increased, however.

The White House said the plan would save "most working families more than half of their spending on child care."

"For decades, child care prices in the United States have risen faster than family incomes," the White House said, "yet the United States still invests 28 times less than its competitors on helping families afford high-quality care for toddlers."

The White House also said the measure would extend for a year child tax credits for all but the wealthiest families in the U.S., but that was a cutback from Biden's original proposal to extend the tax break until at least 2025.

In addition, the White House said the government would increase spending for "affordable, high-quality care for older Americans and people with disabilities in their homes" and increase pay for caregivers.

Health care benefits would be improved, to a degree, with spending for hearing aids for older Americans added to the country's long-standing Medicare health insurance program, but not for the dental and vision care for elders that Biden originally wanted.

On pollution, the White House called Biden's plan "the largest effort to combat the climate crisis in American history."

It said $555 billion in new spending would cut a billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, at least 10 times more than in any previous legislation approved by Congress.

Biden especially wanted this plank included in the proposal as he meets world leaders at the Glasgow climate summit early next week.

The White House said the $1.85 trillion plan would be fully paid for with increased taxation on the wealthiest two-tenths of 1% of Americans  multimillionaires and billionaires.

A 15% minimum tax on profits would be levied on some of the largest companies in the U.S., those with $1 billion or more in profits, and there would be ramped up enforcement against tax cheats by agents at the country's tax collection agency, the Internal Revenue Service.
A government report is recommending that Congress pass legislation to better define editorial firewalls at the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which oversees VOA.

The Government Accountability Office, which audits U.S. government agencies for Congress, issued a 60-page report Wednesday examining the impact that legislation passed in recent years has had on USAGM's organizational structure and editorial independence.

The report examines the tumultuous tenure of former USAGM CEO Michael Pack, who became the agency's first leader with expanded powers to oversee several taxpayer-funded news networks, including Voice of America,

Soon after he was confirmed by the Senate, Pack, a conservative documentary filmmaker, drew criticism from U.S. lawmakers and others by firing most of the network heads and replacing members of the formerly bipartisan governing boards.

Pack's actions later drew lawsuits; whistleblower complaints alleging gross mismanagement and retaliation; a subpoena from Congress; and court orders barring him from interfering with the operations of the networks and grantee organizations he oversaw, including VOA, Radio Free Europe, Radio Free Asia, the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, and the Open Technology Fund.

David Seide, senior counsel at the Government Accountability Project, who represented several agency whistleblowers, said the report did a "commendable job" of reviewing the misconduct allegations made against Pack and his team.

"The independence of the agency and the existence of the firewall are critical to the mission of VOA, the other networks and USAGM. And the GAO has recognized that more work could be done in the space and should be done," Seide said.

Seide said the report references three independent investigators hired by USAGM to review allegations made against Pack's team between June 2020 and January 2021.

"Fundamentally, this report suggests that CEO Pack was out of his lane in a variety of ways on a variety of topics. And so, this report catalogues those instances and is a good basis to strengthen the independence of the agencies," Seide told VOA.

The GAO makes two recommendations to Congress. The first focuses on amendments to the 1994 Broadcasting Act's provisions on hiring and firing grantee board members, and the second recommends legislation to more clearly define what the firewall does and does not cover.

When asked for comment, USAGM referred VOA to a response from USAGM included in the report. In the letter dated October 5, acting USAGM CEO Kelu Chao said she concurs with the recommendations and "recognizes the importance of strong grants management."

The firewall was central to a November 2020 lawsuit in which a federal district court ruled that VOA's journalists were afforded First Amendment rights. The ruling imposed a preliminary injunction to prevent further attempts to repeal or breach the firewall.

After Pack resigned, the law firm representing members of USAGM including then-VOA Program Director Chao in a case against Pack's team agreed to withdraw the case on condition that the Justice Department would not file a motion to vacate the decision.

Chao was named acting CEO of USAGM in January.

The deal is significant because it means journalists at the network could cite the decision in future lawsuits over suspected firewall breaches, said Lee Crain, of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, who acted as the counsel for the plaintiffs in the case.

Crain welcomed the report recommendations, saying, "It's really exciting to think that they're going to try to build out what was in the prior regulation in the legislation."

"Our position in the case was there was enough language in the statute, and in the legislative history from President [Barack] Obama and different committees of Congress, that the firewall was baked into the statute. But that said, I don't think there's anything wrong with clarifying and making things more specific," Crain told VOA.

The GAO focuses on the CEO's powers over the grantee boards. Those powers were expanded when Congress changed the agency's leadership structure in 2018.

Supporters of the change hoped the CEO would be able to better manage and coordinate the agency's networks, which in 2020 had a budget of around $810 million.

But the GAO said that Pack made himself chair of all the boards and appointed new members. The report cites officials at the agency who said the move "increased uncertainty and lowered the morale of network staff."

The challenges reflect a long-standing tension over what VOA's role should be.

In repealing the firewall, Pack had argued that agency rules made it impossible for him to fulfill his executive branch responsibilities to further U.S. foreign policy objectives. But his critics alleged that making sweeping changes to the firewall and bipartisan boards undercut the networks' credibility with foreign audiences.

Crain said the disagreement highlighted the need to clarify the CEO's powers and responsibilities.

"Looking at what was happening at the time, I think it was very scary for a lot of people, the idea that Mr. Pack would have the authority to put whoever he wants in perpetuity on these boards, and sort of burrow his policies going forward, when that wasn't what the administration wanted. That wasn't what a lot of bipartisan members of Congress wanted with these organizations. So, I think it absolutely makes sense to impose some sort of structural reform."

Failings

The report cites some shortcomings, including USAGM's failure to resolve a deficiency in grants monitoring and compliance with federal grant regulations. But the report notes that "corrective actions" are being taken, which include a plan to hire someone to oversee the improvements.

It also cited a whistleblower complaint alleging misconduct by the director of VOA's Persian division, who was accused of fraud, waste and abuse. The director was placed on administrative leave while Pack's team took steps to terminate her.

The official was reinstated and the request for termination rescinded when Chao was appointed acting CEO.

Republican U.S. Representative Michael McCaul, however, wrote to USAGM on Wednesday, asking for information about the decision to reinstate the senior official.

McCaul said that USAGM's Labor and Employment Relations office found cause for dismissal including "falsifying  credentials and abuse of public funds."

He also questioned Chao's relationship with the official and requested that the acting CEO detail her role in the rehiring process and provide other information and documents, by November 17.

USAGM told VOA it does not comment on communication, or possible communication, between the agency and members of Congress.

Investigators for the GAO report interviewed managers and journalists working for USAGM's networks. Pack and his senior advisers all declined to be interviewed, the report said.

The report highlighted other steps USAGM has taken to roll back some of Pack's policies, including the nonrenewal of J-1 work visas for the agency's foreign journalists, which the report said led to "a significant loss of staff with specialized skills and knowledge."

Authority to renew the visas was given to the acting VOA director, and the network has since approved 23 visas and is in the process of rehiring at least 15 journalists who were terminated after their visas had expired under Pack.

Seven foreign journalists whose contracts were terminated under Pack filed a lawsuit claiming wrongful termination and seeking damages. Three of those had to leave the U.S.

VOA's Jessica Jerreat and Barry Newhouse contributed to this report.
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to cleave the world into the vaccinated and the unvaccinated, leaders of the worlds 20 wealthiest nations will meet later this week to discuss how to address this deep divide.

Concerns over the pandemic are likely to overshadow the first in-person gathering of G-20 leaders since 2019, and vaccine equity is a top issue. The summit starts Saturday, in Rome.

U.S. President Joe Biden claims the United States, the worlds richest nation, is also the worlds arsenal of vaccines. The sheer number of promised U.S. vaccine-dose donations -- 1.1 billion of them -- dwarfs that of other nations.

However, that is not nearly enough, health advocates say. A fraction of those promised vaccines have been actually delivered, and a new study by science analytics company Airfinity found that G-20 countries have received 15 times more COVID-19 vaccine doses per capita than countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

World leaders have indicated they are willing to do more, together. In September, G-20 ministers unanimously signed the Rome Pact, which reaffirmed the World Health Organizations objective of vaccinating 40% of the global population by 2021.

Critics are quick to point out, though, that that document made no specific commitments. Activists and aid groups are urging the G-20 nations to make tangible promises, to accelerate delivery schedules and to be more generous  and not just with the actual vials of vaccine, but with the technology behind them, and the tools needed to get them into arms.

Advocates argue this is not just a problem for the have-nots, that it hurts everyone.

Vaccine inequity is not just holding the poorest countries back  it is holding the world back, said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. As leaders meet to set priorities for the next phase of the COVID-19 response, it is vital they remember that, in the COVID vaccine race, we either win together, or we lose together.

The arsenal of vaccines

The White House says it is already donating more vaccines than any other country, and U.S. officials have deflected criticism over authorities decision to greenlight booster shots for Americans when so many across the world have yet to get a first shot.

Our view continues to be that we can do both and its a false choice, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said last month. Our view also continues to be that, frankly, the rest of the world needs to step up and do more.

Nathalie Ernoult, head of advocacy for Doctors Without Borders Access campaign, said the United States can do much more than just pledging donations.

The U.S. is doing, already, a lot, she told VOA via Skype. But they could do even more because their power is quite important and massive  in particular, not only for sharing doses, but also in dealing with pharmaceutical companies to share the technology with a number of manufacturing companies that are in different locations in different regions, and who could produce these vaccines to make sure that they would be also in a position to deliver them to the countries that are part of these regional bodies. And I think, you know, in that respect, actually very little has happened.

A new report by anti-poverty group the ONE Campaign calculated that, of the more than 657 million vaccine doses pledged by G-20 countries, about 44% have been delivered. Tom Hart, the organization's acting CEO, said that is not fast enough. At this pace, he said, it would take more than a decade for low-income countries to reach their vaccination target of 70% of the population.

The U.S. is far and above the world leader in global vaccination efforts, and most recently, taking steps to ensure that the African Union is at the front of the line to purchase doses directly from manufacturers, he said. These are significant steps that will save lives and help end the pandemic sooner. But, the reality is wealthy countries as a whole arent meeting the challenge at hand.

Harder, better, faster, stronger

So what can the most powerful people in the world do?

For one, said Hart, they can speed up delivery by nudging moribund supply chains into action.

We need to turn 18 months of slow progress into bold measures and fulfilled commitments, he said. That means urgently getting doses in arms in low-income countries and freeing up all available financial resources for a sustainable economic recovery.

They can also clear their stockpiles, Ernoult said.

High-income countries have a number of doses in excess, about 800 million, she said. And what we would like to see them to clearly set up a schedule to provide these doses to COVAX for the countries in a transparent way, with a very clear timetable of when these doses will be shared with the country so that, also, the recipient countries will be in a position to organize themselves to receive these doses.

Both advocates said the United States should use its power to pressure the corporations to loosen their grip over the recipe for these vaccines. That is something the White House has used its clout to attempt with American drugmaker Moderna, Psaki said last week.

We absolutely want that to happen, but my understanding is also that the U.S. government does not have the ability to compel Moderna to take certain actions, she said.

The heads of state launch their meeting Saturday.
An all-women's newsroom in India staffed by members of the country's marginalized communities including Dalits, has been attracting international attention this year.

First, the Indian newspaper, Khabar Lahariya, was featured in a documentary produced by an independent group that won the audience award for world cinema documentary at the annual Sundance Festival this year.

And now the newspaper's female journalists are being honored with a Courage in Journalism award from the International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF) on November 4.

The recognition cements nearly 20 years of hard work at Khabar Lahariya, during which staff members have had to overcome obstacles and discrimination because of their gender and for being members of India's Dalit community.

Members of the Dalit group, who predominantly live in India's Uttar Pradesh state, have faced decades of discrimination and harassment under India's caste system. The Hindi word Dalit literally means oppressed.

But Khabar Lahariya has pushed back against these barriers, training rural women to produce local news for their communities.

The paper's co-founder and editor-in-chief, Kavita Devi, told VOA that while the news outlet has been operating for around 20 years, in the past five years it has started to attract attention more widely in India and internationally.

"It's still a very male-dominated field and we still have to fight," Devi said. "But now there's a sense of confidence, of having been there for some many years, that we know how to navigate these barriers and get the truth out from the story."

In honoring Khabar Lahariya, the IWMF said that its journalists bring "a feminist voice to local media, interrogating and disrupting the status quo."

The foundation also cited the paper's work in breaking barriers to employment in journalism in rural India, and said that "as rural Dalit women, the paper's staff are pathbreakers across gender and caste."

Other 2021 Courage in Journalism awardees include Vanessa Charlot, an Army veteran from Miami being recognized for her work covering race and identity; Belarusian journalists Darya Chultsova and Katsiaryna Andreyeva who are currently imprisoned; and Paola Ugaz, an investigative journalist in Peru.

"The current winners of this year represent situations that are happening all over the world and I think that we can all relate to," IWMF Executive Director Elisa Lees Munoz told VOA. "We have our winners from India who are facing extreme misogyny and classism, fighting for just social justice in their countries."

Pooja Pande, the head of strategy at Chambal Media, a digital media company founded in 2015 that oversees Khabar Lahariya, said that the organization's focus has been on training women for journalism and providing them with financial security. Unlike many local news outlets in the region that rely on freelance reporters, Pande said their journalists all work full time and are on the payroll.

"Financial independence and economic stability in the hands of women and marginalized communities, [we know] how important that is to build the new world order," Pande said.

Based in New Delhi, the independent Chambal Media is the parent company of Khabar Lahariya and the Chambal Academy, which offers digital media training. The company's website says it helps the paper distribute content and collaborates on research and documentary projects. Khabar Lahariya has an office in Banda, Uttar Pradesh.

The award-winning documentary "Writing With Fire" followed the news outlet as it moved from print to the digital age, training women journalists how to record interviews on their phones and upload news content to YouTube.

The documentary also focuses on the vital issues these journalists cover in their communities, including gender or caste-based violence.

For co-founder Devi, training rural women to be journalists helps amplify voices of marginalized communities.

The media company's planned academy would train more women to be reporters.

The news outlet needs to "build up that cadre of women reporters from the classroom in India, who are in a position to tell their stories, in their voice, and report on stories that matter to them and their communities," Devi said.

By helping these women use digital tools and smartphones, Khabar Lahariya's hope is that it will "ensure that the next generation of voiceless, marginalized communities are able to tell their stories," Pande added.

Editor's note: This article has been updated to clarify that the newspaper is staffed by members of several marginalized communities, and to clarify the parent company's role and the description of the Dalit community.
Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari said 12 million children are scared to go to school in the country, where jihadis and heavily armed criminals have kidnapped hundreds of students for ransom.

The first mass school abduction in Africa's most populous nation was in the northeast in 2014, when Boko Haram abducted 276 girls from Chibok, triggering a global campaign called #BringBackOurGirls.

Since then, attacks on schools "have grown in number and spread across the northern part of the country," said Buhari on Tuesday, addressing a conference on safety in education in the capital, Abuja.

Gunmen in northwest and central Nigeria have increasingly targeted schools, kidnapping more than 1,000 students since December.

As a result, Buhari said, "there are more than 12 million children currently traumatized and afraid of going to school." Girls were particularly affected, he added.

Young girls who leave school early are at risk of being married off, experts warn.

Save the Children said earlier this month that an "estimated 44% of girls in Nigeria are married before their 18th birthday, one of the highest rates of child marriage globally."

Most kidnapped students are released after negotiations with their captors.

But "even when the abducted students are released," Buhari said, "the trauma of the incidences remain long in their minds."

The retired general, first elected in 2015, said the government was "highly committed to prioritizing safety in schools."

"We have identified and put mechanisms in place  to ensure the safety and security of schools in Nigeria," he said.

But it "has been tough dealing with these security challenges and their effect," the 78-year-old added.

Military operations are underway across the country, but security forces are often described as overstretched and overwhelmed.
Thousands of Nigerians are expressing concern about the country's new digital currency after its user app was temporarily removed from the Google Play store this week. The app has recorded tens of thousands of downloads since its launch on Monday.

Central Bank authorities said a system glitch unable to handle the huge amount of traffic on the download site led to the temporary removal of the eNaira Speed Wallet.

They say the problem has been resolved.

The eNaira app has recorded over 100,000 downloads on the Google Play store alone since launching on Monday. But thousands of early users say they encountered many difficulties.

Among them was Ogunbiyi Olubiyi, who runs a Lagos-based digital company.

"It's a great initiative by the Central Bank, they're positioning for the future which means they're heading somewhere with this. But the execution could have been better," Olubiyi said.

Nigerian authorities restricted cryptocurrency transactions in the country earlier this year and promised to create a safer option for citizens - the eNaira.

The government expects to leverage the blockchain technology to improve financial inclusion, ease cross-border trades, increase remittances and boost the economy.

But users like Abuja stock trader Leonard Nwankwo worry about hacking. Nwankwo says the Central Bank's terms offer no insurance in the event of losses of revenues or profits.

"Whether it's an error that is caused by them or an error that is not caused by them, so that is to tell you that only the consumers of this product or investors in this currency are bearing 100% risk, so an agent can decide to do something dubious and he's free to go because by limitations of liability he's not to be held accountable," Nwankwo.

Olubiyi says more awareness is needed to boost user confidence on the eNaira platform.

"I don't think that people downloaded and tried the app before they began to report it. You see that is due to mistrust. I think the CBN (Central Bank of Nigeria) needs to go on a campaign, introducing and educating people about the eNaira and how it's going to be solving problems in their lives," Olubiyi.

Central banks around the world are adopting digital versions of their legal tenders. The Nigerian government hopes that the eNaira will boost Nigeria's gross domestic product by $29 billion in the next 10 years.

But experts say that goal can only be achieved if end users have confidence in authorities and the currency itself.
Fears the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan could reinvigorate terror groups like al-Qaida and Islamic State, and lead to a surge of attempted infiltrations along the southern U.S. border have not been realized, a top counterterrorism official said, dismissing claims to the contrary as "factually inaccurate."

For months, mostly Republican lawmakers have warned of an unprecedented number of encounters by law enforcement and border patrol agents with known or suspected terrorists trying to enter the United States from Mexico.

One fact sheet distributed earlier this week by Republican Representative John Katko, the ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, warned terrorists "are crossing the border 'at a level we have never seen before.'"

But the Department of Homeland Security's top counterterrorism official rejected such allegations Thursday, telling an online forum there is no evidence to back them up.

"That just simply is not the case," DHS Counterterrorism Coordinator John Cohen said in response to a question from VOA. "It is just factually inaccurate to frame the southern border as a place where we are seeing a significant number of al-Qaida or ISIS-related terrorists or foreign terrorists."

Cohen did not share any specific data on the number of encounters with known or suspected terrorists along the U.S. border with Mexico, characterizing it only as "very low."

He said such encounters are also "low in comparison to people who are seeking to travel to the United States through the aviation infrastructure, through the northern border."

The refusal to publicly disclose the actual number of encounters with terrorists along the U.S. southern border with Mexico has been a point of contention with Republican lawmakers, who have repeatedly pressed DHS to share the information.

During a hearing in September, Louisiana Republican Representative Clay Higgins chastised Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for ignoring an "obvious threat."

"I'm 60 years old, I've never seen anything like this in America," Higgins told Mayorkas. "We've been invaded."

Higgins further alleged a source told him that about 200 known or suspected terrorists have been detected crossing the southern border, calling it a "conservative estimate."

VOA reached out to Higgins' office asking for clarification on his allegations. His office has yet to respond.

Other lawmakers have pointed to a September 11, 2021, letter from former U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott, which warned, "control of our borders has disintegrated overnight."

Gaps in border security are "exploited to easily smuggle contraband, criminals, or even potential terrorists into the U.S. at will," Scott wrote, urging lawmakers to request detailed data.

"You will find this data troubling," he wrote. "This is not hyperbole."

Mayorkas and other officials admit data does exist, but say it is classified, and that claims like those by Scott mischaracterize the situation.

"Our border security efforts are layered and include multiple levels of rigorous screening that allow us to detect and prevent people who pose national security or public safety risks from entering the United States," an official with CBP told VOA last month.

"Encounters of known and suspected terrorists at our borders are very uncommon," the official added.

However, such encounters do happen.

In April, CBP admitted it had stopped two men from Yemen, both on the U.S. terror watch list and the FBI's No-Fly List, from trying to cross into the state of California.

The separate incidents, one from January and one from March, were only disclosed after House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy went on Fox News and charged border patrol agents were now finding known or suspected terrorists from Yemen, Iran and Turkey.

Concern that terrorists were trying to sneak across the southern U.S. border rose to prominence in 2018 and 2019, as they became a talking point for the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump.

Even then, though, U.S. counterterrorism officials sought to temper such claims, telling VOA in 2018 that while vulnerabilities did exist, "We do not see any evidence that ISIS or other Sunni terrorist groups are trying to infiltrate the southern U.S. border."

Instead, officials have told VOA that the bigger concern then, and now, stems from terrorists associated with Iran and Hezbollah, the Iranian proxy with long-standing connections in Central and South America, including ties to the narcotics trade.

But Cohen said Thursday that even drug traffickers have largely sought to distance themselves from terrorists.

"Cartels have made the accurate calculation that if they were to leverage their resources to smuggle a terrorist into the United States and that terrorist committed an attack, that the attention focused on those cartels would dramatically increase," he said. "They would be decimated."

Cohen said the bigger concern, for now, is that events in Afghanistan will serve as inspiration for would-be terrorists.

"We're seeing an increase in online activity by media operations associated with different al-Qaida elements and the Islamic State, where they are calling for lone wolf attacks here, specifically focusing on providing content intended to inspire disaffected individuals in our country and in Western Europe," he said.
Pope Francis has agreed to visit Canada to help efforts at reconciliation with Indigenous peoples following shocking revelations of the Catholic Church's role in the abuse and deaths of thousands of Indigenous children, the Vatican said Wednesday.

In a brief statement, the Holy See's press office said the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops invited the pope to make an apostolic journey to Canada "also in the context of the long-standing pastoral process of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples."

In return, Francis "has indicated his willingness to visit the country on a date to be settled in due course," the statement said.

The pilgrimage could be the occasion for a papal apology that has been demanded by many in Canada.

Francis had already agreed to meet in December with Indigenous survivors of Canada's notorious residential schools amid calls for a papal apology for the Catholic Church's role. At that time, the bishops conference said the pontiff had invited the delegations to the Vatican and would meet separately with three groups  First Nations, Metis and Inuit  during their Dec. 17-20 visit. The pope will then preside over a final audience with all three groups Dec. 20.

On Wednesday, Toronto Cardinal Thomas Collins said the December meetings will help lay the groundwork for the Canadian pilgrimage.

"Over the course of several days, through authentic listening and dialogue, Pope Francis will hear directly from those who have suffered,'' said the cardinal in a statement.

Collins said that his country's bishops had apologized earlier this year as they "sorrowfully acknowledged the historical and ongoing trauma and the legacy of suffering and challenges faced by Indigenous peoples that continue to this day."

The cardinal added that he was praying the pope's visit will allow for healing and dialogue to continue "through authentic encounters of compassion, understanding and reconciliation."

In Canada, Cowessess First Nation Chief Cadmus Delorme said a papal visit would be a step toward reconciliation. But he said it would have to come with an apology from the church to validate the pain many survivors still live with today.

"An apology is the beginning," Delorme said. "An apology is required, and the rebuilding of a relationship would follow the apology."

Assembly of First Nations National Chief RoseAnne Archibald echoed the call for a "long overdue" apology. In a post on social media, she added that there should also be criminal charges and reparations.

Earlier this year, investigators in Canada using ground-penetrating radar have reported finding hundreds of unmarked graves at the sites of two residential schools for Indigenous children. The discoveries  more than 600 graves in one school, 215 bodies in another  revived calls, including from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, for the pope to make a formal apology.

From the 19th century until the 1970s, more than 150,000 Indigenous children were forced to attend state-funded Christian boarding schools in a campaign to assimilate them into Canadian society. Thousands of children died there of disease and other causes; others never returned to their families.

Nearly three-quarters of the 130 residential schools were run by Roman Catholic missionary congregations. Others were run by the Presbyterian, Anglican and the United Church of Canada, which today is the largest Protestant denomination in the country.

The Canadian government formally apologized for the policy and abuses in 2008. In addition, the Presbyterian, Anglican and United churches have apologized for their roles in the abuse.

In response to the Vatican's announcement on Wednesday, Canada's Minister of Indigenous Relations Mark Miller said he expected from the pontiff "full recognition of the harm caused to the Indigenous peoples."

"In the grand scheme of what we call reconciliation for Indigenous peoples, that full recognition is something that is long awaited for from the Holy Father himself," Miller said.

The newly elected head of the Canadian bishops' conference, Bishop Raymond Poisson, expressed hope that the pope's visit to Canada "will be a significant milestone in the journey toward reconciliation and healing."
Former U.S. officials say the withdrawal of U.S. coalition forces from Afghanistan has changed the political calculus of U.S.-Pakistan relations, making Washington less reliant on Islamabad when it comes to counterterrorism activities.

In a recent interview with VOAs Urdu Service, former U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said the U.S.-Pakistan relationship has always been complex.

We would try to build a cooperative relationship with them (Pakistan) particularly when al-Qaida was located in the tribal areas of Pakistan," Panetta said of his time as CIA director under former President Barack Obama. "As long as we kept them informed, as long as we continued to work with them, they gave us some cooperation."

At the same time, Panetta said, Pakistan has maintained relationships with terrorist groups for leverage against India and has been very close to the Taliban and the Haqqani network  which the U.S. considers a terrorist group  contributing to a lack of trust between the two nations.

Pakistan's National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf disagrees with the assessment and says Washington and Islamabad are engaged in a positive dialogue. He notes as an example U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Shermans recent visit to Pakistan.

"There is some mistrust that both sides have to overcome, and we are trying to do that, and that is also the reason why she (Sherman) came to Pakistan," Yusuf recently told VOA. "The two countries are moving forward in a well-coordinated fashion, and there is no major crisis."

Concerns about terrorism and Pakistans nuclear arsenal

Panetta and John Bolton, former national security advisor to then-President Donald Trump, both tell VOA they have significant concerns regarding the security of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal. They cite the regional presence of Islamic State-Khorasan, al-Qaida, the Pakistani Taliban in Afghanistan, and the Talibans recent seizure of power in Afghanistan.

The Taliban's successful takeover of Afghanistan has significantly boosted radical ideology within the Pakistani government, TTP (Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan), and terrorists inside Pakistan, Bolton told VOA in a recent interview.

"I'm worried that not only would there be a deliberate policy by the government of Pakistan at that point to transfer nuclear weapons to terrorists or to those who would have the money to pay for them."

According to Bolton," the main point is that the nuclear capability, a fragile state in Pakistan, let alone the failed state, would significantly increase the risk of these nuclear weapons falling into dangerous hands."

Former Defense Secretary Panetta voiced similar concerns in his interview with VOA.

"One of our great concerns, when I was director of the CIA, was whether or not a terrorist group would be able to acquire a nuclear weapon of some kind in Pakistan, we were never convinced that it was a secure system," said Panetta.

Pakistani National Security Advisor Yusuf insists there is no reason for concern about the security of Pakistans nuclear weapons.

Pakistan's nuclear arsenal by the grace of God have always been safe and will always remain safe, and if anyone wants to lose sleep over it, it's their choice."
A report released Thursday by the Committee to Protect Journalists reinforced what press freedom experts have stressed for years: The killers of journalists often walk free.

In the past decade, CPJ has recorded 278 slayings of journalists. In 81% of those cases, no one was ever convicted in connection to the crime.

"This sends a terrible message for journalism, because any government, any criminal gang that wants to silence a journalist, can do so for a few thousand dollars to hire an assassin," Robert Mahoney, CPJ's deputy executive director, told VOA.

This year's index shows the usual countries  Somalia, Syria and Iraq  topping the list of those least likely to hold the killers of journalists accountable. The worst five countries are all dealing with postwar political instability.

According to the report, in the war-torn country of Somalia over the past decade, out of an estimated 70 journalists who died violently of various causes, 25 killings were unsolved.

Danger in Afghanistan grows

Afghanistan ranks fifth on the list, with at least 17 unsolved killings of journalists over the past decade, including at least four journalists who worked for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, a sister organization of VOA.

But the country has become increasingly more dangerous in the past year, the CPJ said, with journalists fleeing after the Taliban took control.

At least two of the journalists included in CPJ's data reported receiving threats from the Taliban before their deaths. And the Afghan Journalists Safety Committee, which has tracked attacks and assaults on media over a longer period than the CPJ report, said the Taliban is suspected in at least 27 killings.

Afghanistan has consistently ranked fifth on CPJ's impunity index, but the organization notes that hundreds of journalists fled the country in August and September.

"While the country's spot on the index did not change, the situation on the ground for reporters deteriorated dramatically in 2021 as the Taliban took control in mid-August amid the withdrawal of U.S. and coalition forces and the flight of President Ashraf Ghani," the report reads.

"Now that the structures for justice for investigation and prosecution have been substantially weakened, if not destroyed, it's very unlikely that any of those outstanding cases are going to receive justice," Mahoney said.

In recent months, journalists in Afghanistan and those who fled the country have said that many of their colleagues have gone missing.

"The whereabouts of more than 200 journalists and civil society activists is not known," Storai Karimi, a reporter for Pajhwok Afghan News who fled to Pakistan for her safety, told VOA in September.

"This shows that journalists are not safe," Karimi said.

Farida Nekzad, the director of the Center for the Protection of Afghan Women Journalists who fled to Canada for safety, told VOA this month that her colleagues have recounted horrifying tales of Taliban forces breaking into their offices and homes but that they are too scared to report the threats and disruptions.

"Nobody will bring up these issues, because they're afraid," she said.

"Because there is no guarantee (of safety), they think maybe if they talk about what happened the other night, 'tonight they will come and take us, and we will disappear,'" she said.

Journalists from USAGM networks including VOA are among those who have fled or are trying to evacuate from Afghanistan.

'Cancer on journalism'

Because those who threaten and kill journalists are seldom held accountable, fear and self-censorship among journalists has increased, according to Mahoney.

"Impunity is a cancer on journalism. It causes journalists to censor themselves, because they live in fear of their lives if they shine a light into dark places," he said. "As long as a killer of a journalist is at large, journalism in that country is in danger."

Since CPJ released its first yearly impunity index over a decade ago, the situation in many of the top-ranked countries hasn't appeared to have improved. But press freedom advocates say that continuing to pressure and monitor the countries who don't hold killers accountable is necessary.

"I actually think that there is value in naming these things as they are and putting them out there in a more public sphere," Almudena Bernabeu, an international attorney and director of the Guernica Centre for International Justice, told VOA.

People's Tribunal

Bernabeu was selected as the lead prosecutor in a new People's Tribunal at The Hague that will investigate the killings of journalists. The first hearing is scheduled for Nov. 2, the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists.

The tribunal will not have powers to punish or sentence anyone, but those involved say the process of investigating the circumstances and suspects involved will benefit press freedom globally, even if government leaders are unlikely to appear in the court themselves.

"It's about embarrassment. There's a lot of power when you are naming publicly, out loud, a country that has been irresponsible or authorities that have been neglecting a particular investigation," Bernabeu said.

This embarrassment and public acknowledgment are key motivators behind the release of the impunity index.

"The impunity index sends the message that we will not forget our fallen colleagues," Mahoney said.

"We are committed to seek justice for those journalists who have been murdered in the pursuit of their profession," he said.
At least six people were killed and 21 injured in an Ethiopian army airstrike Thursday on the Tigray regional capital, Mekelle, hospital sources told VOA.

The attack brings the total number of casualties reported by medical personnel from a series of government bomb strikes since last week to at least 12 dead and 55 wounded.

The Ethiopian National Defense Forces issued a statement saying the latest attack was aimed at Mesfin Industrial Engineering, which it said was a military equipment maintenance facility operated by the rebel Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF).

But witnesses in Mekelle told VOA that the late-morning airstrike hit a residential area.

The victims were rushed to the citys Ayder Referral Hospital where Tsega, a wounded resident, told VOA that a bomb had hit her house with her entire family inside.

There were many people at home. Children slept. Half of our house has been damaged, she said in Tigrinya. Weve survived. However, the house next to ours was demolished. I dont think anybody could survive there.

Gebremeskel Abraha, who was being treated for a knee wound, said he was walking on the street when the attack occurred.

The bomb fell in between the houses while I was passing by, he said. The people you see here were hit by that bomb. Houses were ruined. Those who have been hit are peaceful people.

Azeb Aregay, a neighborhood resident, said it was not clear how many people were killed or injured.

They are still searching, she said. Peaceful people are being hit. There are no fighters or armed people here. It is a residential area.

Dr. Kibrom Gebreselassie, the medical director at Ayder Referral Hospital, said six dead and 21 injured had been brought to the facility so far.

Ambulances are coming in as we speak now. The number might go up, he told VOA. He said three of the dead were children.

We are treating people in makeshift tents as the hospital is full to capacity, he told VOA's Tigrigna Service.

He blamed a blockade of the region for shortages of food, drugs and medical equipment at the hospital.

We survived until now on the drugs we had in the stock. As you see, the hospital is full and we are treating people in the tents we set up on the streets outside, he said.

Ethiopian Communications Minister Legesse Tulu insisted that the attack hit a legitimate military target, telling VOAs Habtamu Seyoum of VOA's Amharic Service in a telephone interview that the strike successfully targeted a site that the government believed the TPLF used as an arms maintenance facility.

The target was Slot 2, he said. Manufacturing Slot 2 is a place where they manufacture and repair military equipment. They repair there their heavy weaponry, and they use the heavy weaponry mainly to destroy towns, properties of farmers and infrastructure, et cetera. It was targeted to deter this, and it has been successfully targeted.

Legesse said the federal government had not received any reports of civilian casualties from the strike and accused the TPLF of trying to deceive the international community and the media with false information.

What we know is a successful raid was conducted that hit the military manufacturing that they use for military equipment maintenance facility. Nothing was done to attack civilians intentionally or deliberately.

VOA Horn of Africa's Tigrigna Service reporter Mulugeta Atsbeha contributed from Mekelle, and Amharic Service reporter Habtamu Seyoum contributed from Washington.
Russia is warning Turkey over arms sales to Ukraine after a Turkish-made drone attacked Russian-backed rebels in Ukraine.

A Kremlin spokesman has warned that Turkey's ongoing arms sales to Ukraine threaten to destabilize the region.

The warning follows Kyivs release of the video Tuesday showing a Turkish-made drone used for the first time against Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.

Independent defense analyst Arda Mevlutoglu said Kyiv sees the Turkish drones as a potential game changer in its fight against separatists, which it has been battling since 2014.

"A single armed drone equipped with a couple of bombs may destroy a whole defense battery, or a very expensive electronic warfare system, or take out some armed vehicles. So, that asymmetry provides capabilities to armies facing significant threats such as Ukraine," said Mevlutoglu.

Kyiv has purchased several Turkish drones and this month announced an agreement to build more in Ukraine itself  a prospect that analyst Ozgur Unluhisarcikli of the George Marshall Fund said will alarm Moscow. Turkish-made drones played a key role in Azerbaijan's victory last year against the Armenian army over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh enclave.

"The drones Turkey provided to Azerbaijan were a decisive factor in the battle, and Russia knows this," said Unluhisarcikli.

Turkey has also, according to analysts, successfully used its drones in Syria and Libya.

Ankara is also seeking to cash in on the success of its drones with reported sales to Ethiopia and Morocco now pending. But analyst Mevlutoglu warns the Ukrainian drone sales pose a significant risk to Turkey.

"Turkey has good relations with Russia, especially in the energy sector. Russia is building a nuclear power plant in Turkey, and we have cooperation in Syria. So, Turkey has good relations with Moscow. On the other hand, we have very good relations with Ukraine, as [is] evident in the defense sector. In the event of a conflict between Ukraine and Russia, Turkey would find itself in an extremely difficult situation," said Mevlutoglu.

But some observers suggest Ankara could see its drone sales to Ukraine as powerful leverage over Moscow in a number of regional disputes that are going on between the two.
Ali al-Nimr, a Saudi from the Shiite minority who received a death sentence that was later commuted, was released Wednesday after years in prison for taking part in anti-government protests.

"Ali al-Nimr, a young man detained since 2012 for participating in protests when he was a child, and who previously faced a death sentence, has been released today," ALQST for Human Rights said on Twitter.

Also on Twitter, his sister said, "after ten years, my brother is free, thank God."

Ali al-Nimr is a nephew of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr who was executed by Saudi Arabia in 2016, leading to a rupture of diplomatic relations between Riyadh and Tehran.

Ali al-Nimr was handed a death sentence along with two other underage Saudis from the Shiite community in 2012, after taking part in protests against the Sunni ruled kingdom.

In April 2020, the authorities said that the kingdom would stop imposing death sentences on people guilty of crimes committed when younger than 18.

The reform comes in a country that has one of the highest execution rates in the world.


Here's a look at what U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other top diplomats have been doing this week:

Sudan

The United States called on Sudanese military forces to release all civilian leaders in detention, amid growing international condemnation of the military takeover. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken underscored the U.S. support for a civilian-led transition to democracy while speaking to Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok after his release from military custody.

Sudanese Security Forces Arrest 3 Leading Pro-Democracy Activists

Iran

The United States said it is prepared to return to Vienna for talks aimed at restoring a 2015 Iran nuclear deal that has been stalled for months, adding it is possible to "quickly reach and implement an understanding on return to mutual full compliance with the JCPOA." Iran said Wednesday it would resume talks with world powers about its nuclear development program by the end of November.

Iran Agrees to Resume Nuclear Talks

First 'X-gender' passport

The U.S. State Department announced Wednesday it has issued the first U.S. passport with an X-gender marker for nonbinary, intersex and gender-nonconforming people. The move follows a commitment to ensure "the fair treatment of LGBTQI+ U.S. citizens, regardless of their gender or sex."

US State Department Issues First 'X-Gender' Passport

Digital security

The State Department is creating a new Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy to focus on tackling cybersecurity challenges at a time of growing threats from opponents. There will also be a new special envoy for critical and emerging technology, who will lead the technology diplomacy agenda with U.S. allies.

US State Department Creates Bureau to Tackle Digital Threats

Taiwan

The United States encouraged all United Nations member states to join the U.S. in supporting Taiwan's "robust, meaningful participation throughout the U.N. system" and in the international community, consistent with Washington's "One China" policy. Calling Taiwan "a democratic success story," Blinken said Taiwan's meaningful participation in the U.N. system is "not a political issue, but a pragmatic one." China said Taiwan has no right to join the United Nations.

US Calls for Renewed Taiwan Participation at UN

On the 50th anniversary of the adoption of U.N. Resolution 2758, a senior U.S. official said the international community benefits from "Taiwan's expertise to address some of today's most difficult global challenges," while explaining how China is misusing U.N. Resolution 2758 to block Taiwan from participating in the U.N. system.

Turkey

U.S. officials said the Biden administration seeks cooperation with Turkey, a NATO ally, on common priorities but will not shy away from addressing disagreements while promoting the rule of law and respect of human rights globally. The remarks came after Turkey declared 10 ambassadors from Western countries "persona non grata" for calling for the release of Turkish philanthropist Osman Kavala.

Turkey to Banish 10 Western Ambassadors, Erdogan Says
U.S. President Joe Biden has added his voice to those demanding restoration of Sudan's transitional government, which was overthrown by the Sudanese military earlier this week.

In a statement released by the White House, Biden noted the African Union, European Union, Arab League and other world organizations have condemned the military takeover and violence against protesters.

"Together, our message to Sudan's military authorities is overwhelming and clear: The Sudanese people must be allowed to protest peacefully, and the civilian-led transitional government must be restored," Biden said, according to the statement.

He also called on Sudanese authorities to release all those detained this week, including several pro-democracy activists arrested while protesting Monday's coup.

Deadly street protests continued Thursday evening, with security forces using tear gas and firing live and rubber bullets against protesters, witnesses said.

A doctors committee tracking the violence reported that at least one protester was killed and two were critically wounded in the eastern Khartoum district of Bahri, Reuters reported. And another protester was killed and six wounded in the Khartoum-North suburb, Agence France-Presse reported.

Earlier Thursday, the leader of Sudan's military junta fired at least six ambassadors from their posts after they spoke out against this week's overthrow of the joint civilian-military transitional government.

State-run Sudan TV announced Thursday that General Abdel-Fattah Burhan dismissed the envoys to the United States, European Union, China, Qatar and France, as well as the head of Sudan's United Nations mission in Geneva.

A group of Sudanese diplomats issued a joint statement this week condemning the arrest of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and his wife on Monday, and Burhan's decision to dissolve the Sovereign Council and declare a national emergency. The joint civilian-military council had run the country since August 2019, shortly after the ouster of longtime autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in a popular uprising.

In an interview with VOA on Wednesday, Sudan's ambassador to the U.S., Nureldin Satti, said he would work to see that the coup was not accepted.

Reached by telephone at his Washington office on Thursday, Satti said he is not leaving his post and is consulting with the U.S. State Department.

"I do not accept instructions from an illegal body," he said. "I am staying on."

Satti said he has not been contacted by the military leadership in Sudan but heard news of his dismissal from Sudan state media.

Burhan has pledged the military will turn power over to a civilian government in July 2023, after general elections are held. He said the army's overthrow of the transitional government was necessary to avoid a civil war.

The U.N. secretary-general's special envoy to Sudan, Volker Perthes, met with Burhan on Wednesday to discuss the takeover and subsequent developments, according to U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric. Perthes reiterated that the U.N. wants to "see a return to the transition process" and demanded an immediate release of all those arbitrarily detained.

Sudanese security forces arrested demonstrators in Khartoum on Wednesday, including the three pro-democracy activists. Hamdok was released Tuesday, a day after his arrest, but remains closely guarded at his home in Khartoum.

The international community has ramped up pressure on Sudan since the military takeover. Wednesday, the African Union said Sudan was suspended from all AU activities until power is returned to a civilian government.

The World Bank said in a statement it has "paused" financial aid to the country and "stopped processing any new operations as we closely monitor and assess the situation."

The U.S. State Department said it was suspending $700 million in financial assistance to Sudan.

In Sudan, opponents of the coup have called for a "march of millions" on Saturday.

The U.N. Security Council met privately Tuesday to discuss the situation but has so far not issued any statement condemning the coup. Some members, including Russia and China, have publicly questioned whether this week's events qualified as a coup, and have said council members should not interfere in Sudan's domestic affairs.

Hamdok, an economist and diplomat who has worked for the U.N., was named transitional prime minister in August 2019. The transition received strong support from Western countries, including the United States, which removed Sudan from its state sponsors of terrorism list.

But Hamdok faced stiff resistance from elements of Sudan's military. On September 21, forces still loyal to Bashir used tanks to block a key bridge and attempted to seize power. The coup attempt was put down, and dozens of soldiers were arrested.

Nabeel Biajo and Michael Atit of VOA English to Africa's South Sudan in Focus radio program and VOA's U.N. correspondent Margaret Besheer contributed to this report. Some information also came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.


The World Health Organization warns a shortage of syringes is threatening to upend efforts to vaccinate millions of Africans against COVID-19, a disease that has infected more than 8.4 million people on the continent, killing 217,000.

Lifesaving vaccines are in short supply in Africa. The World Health Organization says only six percent of Africas 1.2 billion people are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. That compares with more than 40 percent of the people in most high-income countries.

Vaccine shipments to the continent are ramping up and expected to increase into next year. While that is encouraging, WHO Regional Director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti says a scarcity of syringes could paralyze progress.

I mean just to say, syringes sound like a very small item in the big picture of rolling out vaccines, but we know very well if you do not have syringes, you cannot put shots into peoples arms so it is a very important topicThere is a looming threat that syringe supplies will dry up," said Moeti.

The U.N. childrens fund ships syringes for the global rollout of vaccines under the COVAX facility.

Moeti says UNICEF predicts a global shortage of around two billion syringes needed for COVID-19 vaccine and routine immunizations.

Already, some African countries, like Kenya, Rwanda, and South Africa, have experienced delays in receiving vaccines, and unless drastic measures are taken to boost syringe production, Africa faces a crisis," said Moeti.

On a brighter note, Moeti says she is very excited by an announcement from pharmaceutical giant Merck that it will allow other drug makers to produce its new oral antiviral COVID-19 medicine.

Could this be a game-changer? We sincerely hope so. We sincerely hope in the context of the global crisis of this nature and looking at the gaps in access and the needs," said Moeti. "And just the principle of local production, learning from the extremely difficult experience of this pandemic that more and more pharmaceutical companies would exceptionally be willing to follow Mercks example. 

Moeti notes local production of the drug and other COVID-19 therapeutics would help speed up and address inequity and access to key products in poorer nations. She says it would be extremely desirable to have similar patent sharing agreements extended to vaccine production as well.
Taliban diplomats have started work in the Afghan Embassy in Pakistans capital, Islamabad, and at Afghan consulates in other Pakistani cities, two Taliban officials and two Afghan diplomats told VOA Thursday. VOA has obtained copies of official Taliban notifications sent to the Afghan Embassy in Islamabad.

Pakistani officials say they have allowed the deployments even though Pakistan has not yet recognized the Taliban government. Also, Pakistans ambassador in Kabul, Mansoor Khan, confirmed the issuance of visas to the Taliban officials when queried by VOA via WhatsApp.

"These visas have been issued for facilitating consular work and visa facilities for Pakistanis visiting Afghanistan for humanitarian work and providing assistance to Afghan citizens in Pakistan," Khan said. He added that issuance of the visas "does not mean recognition but facilitation."

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has been urging the international community to engage with the Taliban to avoid a humanitarian crisis and instability in Afghanistan since the Taliban took control of the capital, Kabul, in mid-August.

One Taliban official who talked to VOA on condition of anonymity since he was not authorized to talk to media said that Sardar Muhammad Shokaib, also known as Mosa Farhad, has taken charge as first secretary in the Afghan embassy in Islamabad.

An Afghan diplomat who has been working in Islamabad since the previous government of President Ashraf Ghani said that Shokaib has taken over as the de facto charge d'affaires because there is currently no ambassador in the Afghan embassy.

He [Shokaib] is looking after all diplomatic affairs as the post of ambassador has been vacant since the withdrawal of ambassador by the former government in July, he said.

An official in Pakistans foreign ministry told VOA, also on condition of anonymity, that he believes the Taliban appointments at the Afghan embassy would be an administrative thing, to enable proper functioning of the mission.



Afghanistan recalled its ambassador and senior diplomats from Islamabad in July to protest the alleged abduction and torture of the daughter of Afghan Ambassador Najibullah Alikhil. The daughter, Silsila Alikhil, who was visiting Islamabad, said she was kidnapped while she was shopping in Islamabad and held for hours by unknown men. She also said she was beaten. Pakistan investigated the incident but denied that she was abducted.

The Taliban have also appointed diplomats at Afghan consulates in Pakistans three provincial capitals, Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta.



The official deployed in Peshawar, Hafiz Mohibullah, was formally introduced to the staff and assumed his duties Wednesday. A Taliban official said he would deal with consular affairs in lieu of the consul general.

VOA has seen the letter signed by Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Mutaqqi sent to the Afghan embassy approving his appointment to the Peshawar consulate.

Mullah Ghulam Rasool has been posted at Quetta, the capital of southwestern Balochistan province, while another senior Taliban leader, Mullah Muhammad Abbas, has been assigned to the Karachi consulate.

Abbas, who has not yet assumed office, served as deputy health minister during the previous Taliban government. He also served as a messenger for the Taliban, bringing messages from the Taliban leadership to the Pakistan government and back, when the groups leadership was in hiding during the years of insurgency.

A diplomat at the Afghan embassy confirmed to VOA that the embassy had received two letters from Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in late August about the appointments of the diplomats, even though they did not assume office until this week.

An Afghan Embassy source said Pakistani visas have been issued to Taliban officials on diplomatic passports.

When asked for a comment, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid did not deny the appointments but said he is collecting information on the issue.

Pakistan recognized the Taliban government during its last tenure from 1996 to 2001 but withdrew recognition after the 9/11 attacks on the United States. Mullah Zaeef, who served as the Afghan ambassador to Pakistan during Taliban rule, wrote in a book that he was handed over to U.S. forces in Peshawar in early 2002.

Who is Shokaib?

Taliban members who know Shokaib say he is an ethnic Pashtun from Zabul province and has served in the Information and Cultural Department in southern Kandahar and was associated with a Taliban magazine. He once worked as the Taliban spokesman under the name of Qari Yousaf Ahmadi and was arrested in Pakistan and later lived in Peshawar for several years.

Financial crisis

Afghan diplomats at the embassy in Pakistan told VOA the mission had been facing a financial crisis since the Taliban takeover and that they have not paid the rent of the embassy building for three months.

The staff has not received salaries over the past three months, one diplomat said. He did not want to be identified by name because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

Editors note: An earlier version of this story implied that Silsila Alikhil, who was visiting Islamabad, was beaten for hours.
Civil war has displaced many in Ethiopia's Tigray region, and there is no end in sight to their misery. VOA's Heather Murdock travels to the largely cut-off conflict zone, as well as refugee camps in neighboring Sudan, to bring the story of a complex political situation and the growing humanitarian disaster. Voice of America was among the first on the scene when this conflict broke out in late 2020. Now, VOA gives new light to this crisis in Terror in Tigray: The Ethiopian Refugee Crisis, an innovative, comprehensive overview of the crisis.
TRANSCRIPT

The Inside Story: Fighting the Pandemic

Episode 11  October 28, 2021

Show Opening Graphic:

Voice of CAROLYN PRESUTTI, VOA Correspondent:

Closing in on getting one dose to half the worlds population .

COVID vaccine boosters are the next step --- and perhaps, mix and match:

Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease:

If you boost the people who have originally received J and J with either Moderna or Pfizer, the level of antibodies that you induce in them is much higher than if you boost them with the original J and J.

CAROLYN PRESUTTI:

A new pill holds promise for already infected patients 

And COVID concern at the zoo --- especially for the endangered species 

All on todays The Inside Story: Fighting the Pandemic.

The Inside Story:

CAROLYN PRESUTTI:

Hi, Im Carolyn Presutti reporting from a windy Washington, DC ---

At the Department of Health and Human Services ---

Improving the health, safety, and well-being of America is the motto of HHS, charged with decision making about the pandemic.

Much of it happens right here, on the 7th floor of this building, in the offices of the Assistant Secretary for Health.

More than 700 and 30 thousand (730,000) Americans have died from COVID-19.

Worldwide --- were closing in on five million COVID-related deaths.

But vaccines and other treatments are helping the worldwide battle against the virus.

These pills carry hope for those who catch COVID.

The drug manufacturer Merck says Molnupiravir prevents the coronavirus from multiplying.

Taken early, clinical trials show the pill reduces the risk of hospitalization or death by half. And its easy to use.

Dr. William Schaffner, Vanderbilt University Medical Center:

They could go to their pharmacy and take their medication the way they do other medicines.

CAROLYN PRESUTTI:

If the Food and Drug Administration approves Mercks request for emergency use, the pills could be available in the U.S. before the end of the year. The company plans similar emergency use applications worldwide.

But financing and distributing this drug and other treatments, including vaccines, to underdeveloped parts of the world remains a challenge.

The U.S. has pre-purchased one-point-seven million courses of the drug.

To help get the drug to the rest of the world faster, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is putting up 120 million dollars to push makers of generic drugs to produce Mercks drug for developing countries.

Money is at the heart of any COVID treatment. Dr. Caleb Hernandez is an emergency room doctor who also researches COVID drug discoveries.

He says three other drug treatments have been studied, including one that rivals Mercks claims for Molnupiravir. He says they lack the financial backing to seek FDA approval.

Dr. Caleb Hernandez, Coney Island Hospital:

Our government isnt set up to do these, spend the 500 thousand dollars to do these studies. We rely on private companies to bring things to the FDA. And that's why you're not going see as much innovation as you could see.

CAROLYN PRESUTTI:

And there is concern about relying on the Merck pill instead of getting a vaccine, which experts prefer since it teaches the body to make its own antibodies.

Jeffrey Zients, White House Coronavirus Coordinator:

It can prevent you from getting COVID in the first place, and we want to prevent infections, not just wait to treat them once they happen.

Dr. Caleb Hernandez, Coney Island Hospital (audio is him singing):

All I can think about is that look on your face

CAROLYN PRESUTTI:

Dr. Hernandez sings a tribute to a colleague who quit the profession --- burned out from COVID.

Dr. Caleb Hernandez, Coney Island Hospital:

We've been going for almost two years now fighting every day, watching people die, and I, and I think it's difficult when people in the community don't believe you. They think that you're part of some conspiracy or you're exaggerating and making things up, and then you go to work, and you have to pronounce multiple people dead.

CAROLYN PRESUTTI:

The World Health Organization endorsed the worlds first-ever malaria vaccine this fall.

The move marks a major advance against the mosquito-borne illness, which kills more than 260,000 children across Africa every year.

VOA visited one father in Nigeria, who is hoping to get his family vaccinated as quickly as possible  as Timothy Obiezu tells us in this report:

TIMOTHY OBIEZU, Reporting for VOA:

Bitrus Yusuf's three-year-old daughter and grandson recently came down with malaria.

He says the mosquito-borne parasite that causes the disease is all too common at this Abuja camp for internally displaced people.

Bitrus Yusuf, Father of Sick Child:

We went to bed, all was well everybody was well. But toward midnight I heard him shivering, as I touched his body (it was) very hot, so I woke him up.

TIMOTHY OBIEZU:



Yusuf took the children to a local dispensary, bought some antimalarial drugs and is now administering them at home.



More than 90 percent of malaria cases and deaths worldwide occur in Africa, according to the World Health Organization. Nigeria accounts for more than a quarter of the fatalities. Children under five years old and pregnant women are mostly affected.

Last week, the global health body endorsed the rollout of the world's first malaria vaccine, Mosquirix, after more than three decades of development.

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the vaccine could potentially change the course of public health history.

Walter Kazadi Mulombo is the WHO representative in Nigeria.

Walter Kazadi Mulombo, WHO Nigeria Representative:

You know before the vaccine could be introduced in the country, it has to be cleared by NAFDAC for the case of Nigeria and there are steps to be taken for the country to approve the vaccine so that introduction can start.

TIMOTHY OBIEZU:

Some 2.3 million doses of the vaccine were administered to children in Malawi, Kenya and Ghana during a large-scale pilot program that began in 2019.



The WHO says the vaccine could help prevent four in ten cases of malaria, but Mulombo says widespread availability may prove difficult for now.

Walter Kazadi Mulombo, WHO Nigeria Representative:

There may be some supply issues so, it may not be in the quantity we require to reach all those that we need to reach. But we understand that GSK, the manufacturer, is working already with some African countries to decentralize production.

TIMOTHY OBIEZU:

The new vaccine will not replace other malaria preventive measures, says Abuja health official Ndaeyo Iwot.



Ndaeyo Iwot, Abuja Primary Healthcare Board:

If you don't combine it with sleeping under insecticide treated nets and also taking care of your environment, where the vectors can breed, then you're more likely to continue to have the scourge of malaria in this country.





TIMOTHY OBIEZU:

Pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline says it will manufacture about 15 million doses yearly, but experts say at least 50 to 100 million doses will be needed every year in areas with moderate to high transmission.

In the meantime, Nigerian parents like Yusuf are hoping to get their children vaccinated as soon as possible. Timothy Obiezu, for VOA News, Abuja, Nigeria.

CAROLYN PRESUTTI:

About 58-percent of the U.S. population has been vaccinated--- that means two shots of either Moderna or Pfizer  or one shot of Johnson & Johnson.

Now, work is underway for booster shots to maintain protection against COVID.

People may be able to choose which shot to get as a booster.

President Bidens top COVID adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, explains the science behind mixing and matching vaccines:

Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease:

If you boost people who have originally received J and J with either Moderna or Pfizer, the level of antibodies that you induce in them is much higher than if you boost them with the original J and J, but the data of boosting the J and J first dose with the J and J second dose is based on clinical data. So, what's going to happen is that the FDA is going to look at all those data, look at the comparison and make a determination of what they will authorize.

Once an authorization is made, then the ACIP, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices that advises the CDC, will then make a recommendation of what people who have been receiving and have received the J and J should do.



What we're dealing with we're dealing with data rolling in real time, not only from the cohorts that the CDC is following, but also in real time we're getting very important data from Israel. because as I've said so often, Israel is about a month or a month and a half ahead of us, temporally, with their vaccination and with the data that they're seeing about the waning of immunity, as well as the advantage of boosting people at different age groups. so the data we're starting to see from Israel, indicates that even in the somewhat younger group for example, from 40 to 60, there's a real benefit in getting the booster shot.

So, what well be doing here in the United States, both trough the FDA and the CDC will be to following these data, as they accumulate in real time. And any modification of the recommendations will be based on the data as they come in.

CAROLYN PRESUTTI:

While some Americans are lining up for their booster shots, a spike in Covid-19 infections among zoo animals is causing concern.

VOAs Veronica Balderas Iglesias reports on the vaccine rollout and which species will get their first shot.

VERONICA BALDERAS IGLESIAS, Reporting for VOA:

Nine big cats at the Smithsonians National Zoo tested presumptive positive in September for the virus that causes COVID-19. Fortunately, they are now eating and behaving normally after receiving treatment for secondary bacterial infections.

Craig Saffoe, Smithsonians National Zoo Curator:

Theres no treatment for COVID itself so our veterinarians started treating with antibiotics, there were pain meds given, anti-nausea and appetite stimulant.

VERONICA BALDERAS IGLESIAS:

How the felines got infected is still unknown.

Craig Saffoe, Smithsonians National Zoo Curator:

The most likely scenario was that an asymptomatic staff member passed it along. Its an airborne virus so things do get out around your masks.

VERONICA BALDERAS IGLESIAS:

Other species, such as primates, are testing positive for COVID-19 in zoos across the U.S.

The Washington D.C. and Baltimore zoos are among those gearing up to use an available experimental Covid vaccine to boost the immunity of their at-risk animals.

Cheetahs are one of the endangered species that will get vaccinated against COVID-19 before the end of the year at the Maryland Zoo.

It should be a smooth process since many of the animals at this facility are already trained by technicians to receive injections on a routine basis.

Ellen Bronson, Maryland Zoo in Baltimore:

Something like a stick at first to just push a little bit on the animal for some pressure and then theyll move to something like a needle with a cap on it. Then theyll move up to an actual injection. So, there are multiple steps to get them to the point that they are voluntarily training for that procedure.

VERONICA BALDERAS IGLESIAS:

The pharmaceutical company Zoetis is donating over 11,000 doses of its COVID-19 vaccine to zoos nationwide. The company says the vaccine has proven to be safe in dogs, cats and minks. But since it hasnt been tested in zoo animals, its hard to say yet if theyll be protected, particularly against the delta variant, and for how long.

Mahesh Kumar, Zoetis Vice President of Global Biologics:

Giving them two doses, you at least reduce the risk of exposure. /The groups that receive the experimental vaccine have an obligation to report back to us and the USDA the disposition of those vaccines and what happened to those animals.

VERONICA BALDERAS IGLESIAS:

On October 7th, a snow leopard who had shown COVID-19 symptoms died at The Great Plains Zoo in South Dakota. A necropsy will determine the cause of death.

Given the large number of visitors at zoos nationwide, questions have been raised over whether Covid-19 infections among the animals could pose a public health risk.

Luis Schang, Cornell University Professor of Chemical Virology:

Probably not, because the population is small, so the infection will self-extinguish, meaning the animals will recover or they will die. /At the end of the clinical trial if there are infections in unvaccinated zoos and not in vaccinated zoos, we will have some evidence of the potency of the vaccine.

VERONICA BALDERAS IGLESIAS:

Staffers at the Maryland zoo are hopeful the vaccine will indeed provide an extra layer of protection against Covid-19, especially for several species which are already listed as endangered.

Ellen Bronson, Maryland Zoo in Baltimore:

Losing an animal in a zoo, theres always an impact. They are valuable to the breeding programs, theyre valuable to the troupe that they are in, the group they are in, so obviously it would have a big impact on us.

VERONICA BALDERAS IGLESIAS:

Veronica Balderas Iglesias, for VOA News, at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore.

CAROLYN PRESUTTI:

Just a few blocks from here is the National Mall ---- a beautiful expanse of greenspace.

Earlier this month, that greenspace was dotted in white to commemorate the hundreds of thousands of Americans who died from COVID.

Amy Hybels goes inside the exhibit and the artists motivation to create it.

Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg, Artist:

This is the hardest part of the day, is having to change these numbers.

AMY HYBELS, Reporting for VOA:

The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center tracks COVID-19 deaths worldwide. The U.S. toll continues to rise.

Maryland artist Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg does more than change numbers, she hopes to change minds with a 20-acre public art installation on the National Mall.

Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg, Artist:

By creating this physical manifestation of this art, maybe I will break through the consciousness of some who are choosing not yet to get a vaccination, or who are upset about having to wear a mask.

AMY HYBELS:

Firstenberg and volunteers from a local landscaping company spent three days planting more than 600-thousand white flags near the Washington Monument.

Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg, Artist:

Ive been a hospice volunteer for 25 years, and I wanted to help reclaim the dignity of each person who has died in the United States from COVID.

AMY HYBELS:

Charonda Johnson sings in honor of her late father, retired Master Sergeant Kevin Taylor of Dover, Delaware. Johnson says her dad died of COVID-19 last year on August 17th. The night she was invited to sing on the Mall  September 24th  would have been his 65th birthday.

Charonda Johnson, COVID-19 Victims Daughter:

I wanted to be here to process my own grief, but also to help other families who are hurting figure out how do we rebuild, how do we put our worlds back together?

AMY HYBELS:

Amber Spencer is mourning the loss of her friend Brinae Whatcott, a young wife and new mom from Fort Smith, Arkansas.

According to her family, Whatcott, who had contracted COVID-19, gave birth by cesarean section in August. She died soon after seeing her child for the first time while in hospice, on September 23rd.

Amber Spencer, Friend Died of COVID-19:

They brought her baby, India, in to meet her  to say hello and goodbye at the same time.

AMY HYBELS:

Whatcott, who was only 28, had lost her father to COVID-19. His flag is planted right next to hers. Spencer says the number of flags displayed helped her to comprehend the magnitude of loss.

Amber Spencer, Friend Died of COVID-19:

I feel like we should trust the people who dedicate their lives to studying infectious diseases and believe what they say and listen to what they say to help stop the numbers from rising.

AMY HYBELS:

More than 3,000 flags have red stickers, signifying the loss of a health care provider.

Shama LeFevre, Lost Father to COVID-19:

This is wonderful, just to come and have a moment, and just remember.

AMY HYBELS:

Shama LeFevre says dedicating a flag on the National Mall in honor of her dad  Yogi Dumera of Arlington, Virginia  is important for her daughter.

Shama LeFevre, Lost Father to COVID-19:

I wanted her to understand what all this meant and what the last 7-8 months of our lives have really meant, kind of grieving and going through all this.

AMY HYBELS:

Born in India, her father moved to the U.S., where he raised a family and opened a restaurant. He survived a heart transplant but lost his battle with COVID-19 on December 30th.

The interactive exhibit gave families the opportunity to write personal messages for loved ones.

Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg, Artist:

I do hope that when we conceive of a permanent memorial that part of it will be looking inwards and figuring out how to never let this happen again.

AMY HYBELS:

After 17 days, the installation closed after taps at sunset on Sunday. Firstenberg says any flag with writing on it will be cleaned, documented and archived. She says she learned that the experience has allowed visitors to understand theyre not alone in their grief. Amy Hybels for VOA News, Washington.

CAROLYN PRESUTTI:

We have all had moments of frustration during this pandemic. But it has been especially exhausting for health providers.

VOAs Anna Rice has the story of one nurse and her heroics on the front lines and behind the scenes.

ANNA RICE, VOA Reporter:

When the coronavirus pandemic hit the US, ICU nurse Lee Harper-Chen dedicated her time to helping her community in Arlington, Virginia even after long exhausting shifts.

Lee Harper-Chen, Intensive Care Unit Nurse:

I was scared, and I thought  let me fight my fear with facts; let me find good information to share and that way not only can I conquer my fear, but I can help educate others!

ANNA RICE:

Harper-Chen became an active member of a local Arlington Facebook group where she shared news and updates about the new coronavirus and fought disinformation.

Her efforts got the attention of local residents who nominated her for Arlington County's Community COVID-19 Hero Award.

Heather Geldart, Arlington Public Safety Communications:

Arlington has done such an exceptional job in demonstrating that resilience, being together and taking care of one another. The 122 nominations  and as you can see there are at least three or four people who have gotten dozens of nominations, including Lee Harper-Chen.

ANNA RICE:

Harper-Chen  who spent so many months taking care of patients at work and her family at home  says she contracted the virus at work.

Lee Harper-Chen, Intensive Care Unit Nurse:

I got COVID at my hospital, I did not get it from a patient, I got it from another

nurse. That was a scary time, I had to isolate away from my two little children for 22 days. After I felt well enough, I would come outside and sit in the driveway and watch my children play.

Sam, Lee Harper-Chens Son:

I remember when she was really sick, and she just stayed in her room

the entire time. I never really got to see her.

ANNA RICE:

Her family worried about her continuing to work.

Lee Harper-Chen, Intensive Care Unit Nurse:

Almost a year after I recovered, they would get nervous if I would leave.

ANNA RICE:

Like many other heroes during the COVID pandemic, Harper-Chen has a stethoscope for a wand and scrubs for a cape. Residents say her main weapon is love and dedication  to her family, to her community, and to her every patient. For Liliya Anisimova in Arlington, Virginia, Anna Rice, VOA News.

CAROLYN PRESUTTI:

Before we go, a few moments to recognize the passing of Colin Powell.

The retired Four-Star General was battling cancer and died October 18th caused by compilations from Covid-19. He was 84.

VOA Pentagon Correspondent Carla Babb looks at Powells life and legacy.

Voices of unidentified soldiers:

NAT HOOAH! Yall Alright!

CARLA BABB, VOA Pentagon Correspondent:

Colin Powell was a respected military general, statesmen, and one of Americas foremost Black figures.

He served as national security adviser under President Ronald Reagan, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President George H.W. Bush and finally, Secretary of State under President George W. Bush, the first African American to ever serve in the latter two leadership posts.

Colin Powell, Former Secretary of State:

I was sitting in my office and one of the senior members came in and closed the door and said, Sir I have to ask you something, a lot of confusion in the building. I said, Whats wrong? He said, Well what do we call you, do we call you general or Mr. Secretary? I said, By all means its Mr. Secretary. Now drop and give me 10!

Michael OHanlon, Brookings Institution:

The passing of Colin Powell is the end of an era. He personified the great excellence and achievement of African Americans in our nations armed forces and in some ways, perhaps even paving the way for the Obama presidency.

CARLA BABB:

In 1996, Powell considered a bid to become the first Black president, but his wife discouraged him out of fear of potential assassination attempts from extremists.

When Democrat Barack Obama made the bid years later, the moderate Republican broke with his party to endorse Obama.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, the first Black U.S. Defense Secretary, called Powell a tremendous mentor and friend.

Lloyd Austin, Secretary of Defense:

He always made time for me. And I could always go to him with tough issues, he always had great, great counsel. We will certainly miss him. I feel as if I have a hole in my heart.

CARLA BABB:

Wounded twice as a young soldier in Vietnam, the war shaped his views of when and how presidents should and should not use armed forces.

Antony Blinken, Secretary of State:

I believe Secretary Powells years as a soldier are what made him such an exceptional diplomat. He knew that war and military action should always be a last resort.

CARLA BABB:

Powell received high praise for his overwhelming use of force in the Gulf War, which quickly pushed Iraqi forces out of Kuwait in 1991.

But critics have denounced his controversial presentation to the U.N. Security Council in February 2003. Powell made the case for the invasion of Iraq during the George W. Bush administration, citing Iraqi weapons of mass destruction that were never found.

Colin Powell, Former Secretary of State:

The facts on Iraqs behavior demonstrate that Saddam Hussein and his regime have made no effort, no effort, to disarm as required by the international community.

John Isaacs, Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation:

Thats probably the major blemish on his record, but it really wasnt only his blemish. It was the whole intelligence community. I think theyre 13 different intelligence agencies, and 12 out of 13 said, Iraq has weapons of mass destruction, and he studied and he came to agree. They were all wrong.

CARLA BABB:

Even Powell later called the presentation a blot in his career. Today, Republicans and Democrats alike uphold him as a man of honor, and a patriot to the end. Carla Babb, VOA News, The Pentagon.

CAROLYN PRESUTTI:

Thats all for now. Follow me for COVID and other news on Twitter at CarolynVOA. Connect with us on Instagram and Facebook at VOANews.

And stay up to date online at VOANews.com.

For all of us here and behind the scenes at VOA, Im Carolyn Presutti

See you next week for The Inside Stor
British sailors will begin training aboard Canadian icebreakers in a new agreement that reflects the United Kingdoms heightened interest in developing a more robust Arctic military capability.

Britain is just the latest nation to focus fresh attention on the far north as climate change opens the region to new opportunities for navigation and resource exploitation. Countries as diverse and distant as China, Turkey and India are also eyeing the region.

The U.K.-Canada agreement, signed earlier this month, calls for British sailors to train aboard Canadas fleet of 20 Coast Guard icebreakers as they crunch their way through the Arctic ice sheets, clearing the way for other vessels to access the once-fabled Northwest Passage.

The sharing of the Canadian Coast Guards wide experience and expertise will mean British sailors are better-equipped when sailing to the frozen region, the Royal Navy said in a formal statement.

The Canadians, for their part, hope to benefit from the Royal Navys operational experience and expertise, according to a statement from Canadas Coast Guard commissioner.

Nuclear submarines

While lacking Canadas long experience in the ice, Britain has other assets to bring to an enhanced relationship in the region, most notably a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines that can remain under the ice far longer than anything Canada possesses.

While Canada naturally retains the primary responsibility for the defense of the Canadian Arctic, it has never had all the hardware necessary including nuclear submarines says Adam Lajeunesse, a top Canadian expert in Arctic security. In military circles, nuclear submarines are often referred to as SSNs.

As has long been the case, Canada needs American or British support since it lacks the SSNs needed to test sensor networks or respond to trespassers, Lajeunesse told VOA. For their parts, the U.S. and British will need Canadian participation.

Canadian defense expert Jeffrey Collins, an assistant political science professor at the University of Prince Edward Island, agreed that Britain has plenty of submarine experience in the Arctic. But, he said, gaining surface naval Arctic experience is a must if they are intent on being a player in the region in terms of strengthening its post-Brexit U.S. alliance.

According to Samuel Jardine, a research director at London Politica, a political risk advisory, Canada balked at the U.K.'s offer of Royal Navy assets such as the submarines to help it patrol the Arctic.

The latest agreement between the Canadian Coast Guard and British Royal Navy on Arctic cooperation and training is progress, but a far cry from where security cooperation should be from the U.K.s perspective, he said in an interview.

Jardine said the main obstacle to U.K.-Canada cooperation is the British and American view that the Northwest Passage is international waters, while Canada claims it as Canadian territory. Jardine said that as climate change pushes back the Arctic ice cap, disagreements between Britain and Canada could further threaten Arctic cooperation.

So far, however, both nations have participated constructively in international research in the region, including on projects such as the Multidisciplinary Drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate, or MOSAiC.

Scientifically both the U.K. and Canada enjoy an extensive cooperative relationship in the Arctic, Jardine said. Particularly on research surrounding climate change, an issue that both states have placed as a key pillar of their domestic and foreign policy agendas.

Britain's post-Brexit strategy

While the reasons for Canadas interest in the Arctic are obvious, Britains interest has been heightened by its pursuit of a geostrategic realignment following its departure from the European Union.

A prerequisite recognized in U.K. government circles for Britains post-Brexit Pacific tilt to succeed is a peaceful and stable high north,  which, after all, sits on Britains doorstep, Jardine said.

An Arctic that is increasingly militarized and a venue for great power competition imperils Londons ability to marshal and direct the hard and soft power assets needed to make its Indo-Pacific project an economic and strategic success.

The Arctic partnership with Canada also meshes with Britains post-Brexit goal of building closer ties with other Commonwealth members, as does its participation with the United States in the recent AUKUS agreement that will provide nuclear submarines to Australia.

Other countries have made calculations similar to Britain's and are pursuing observer status with the Arctic Council, a group of eight nations ringing the Arctic Circle who convene to resolve disputes and address common concerns. The members are Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States. Observer status is enjoyed by another 13 countries including Poland and Singapore.

China's Arctic goals

China, with its globe-spanning quest to secure long-term access to natural resources, acquired observer status in the Arctic Council in 2013 and, five years later, declared itself a near-Arctic state, raising eyebrows, given that it is almost 1,500 kilometers from the Arctic Circle.

Also in 2018, Beijings State Council Information Office issued a policy white paper declaring that China hopes to work with all parties to build a Polar Silk Road through developing the Arctic shipping routes, Reuters reported.

Lajeunesse said the Arctic powers are unlikely to see Chinese naval vessels in the region any time soon. More likely, the West will see a hybrid threat emerge in the form of Chinese fishing fleets and quasi-state vessel operations.

Canada and the U.S. will need to expand joint monitoring of the Arctic Ocean to keep track of these ships (and others that may be there), Lajeunesse said, ensuring that there are not violations of our waters, illegal fishing, or other activity that may need to be monitored or controlled.

The prospect of accelerating climate change has other countries looking northward as well.

India, which is closer to the equator than to the Arctic Circle, has had observer status on the Arctic Council since 2013. Earlier this year, it released a draft Arctic policy calling for scientific research, sustainable tourism and resource exploration in the region, according to The Hindu newspaper.

Turkey also has sponsored scientific expeditions to both the north and the south polar regions and is seeking observer status on the Arctic Council as well.

A previous version of this article misstated Samuel Jardin's title.
A U.N. special rapporteur has called on the U.S. and other Western governments to lift sanctions they imposed on Zimbabwe nearly two decades ago for alleged election rigging and human rights abuses.

Alena Douhan says the sanctions are exacerbating corruption in Zimbabwe as banks, companies and individuals banned from trading abroad simply bribe others to conduct their business for them.

I call on all countries which imposed sanctions as well as banks and companies of third states as well as countries where these banks are registered, to behave in accordance with the rule of law, due diligence, principal, lift sanctions, make legislation which corresponds with international law and principals of human rights protection. And the last point is that all the discrepancies which exist between all parties, between states, between the government and some sort of opposition leaders and any other institutions shall be settled on the basis of structural dialogue, Douhan said.

The European Union imposed travel and financial sanction on allies of then-Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe in 2002, in response to alleged election rigging and human rights abuses by his party and government. The U.S. followed suit with sanctions in 2003.

President Emmerson Mnangagwas government says the sanctions must be lifted, arguing they are derailing the countrys efforts to climb out of a long economic slump.

Earlier this week in separate statements, the United States, Britain, and the European Union said Zimbabwes economy was suffering not because of sanctions, but because of corruption and government mismanagement of the countrys resources.

Pride Mkono, an opposition activist, does not agree with Douhans preliminary findings on the sanctions issue.

"There isnt much which makes sense in her findings which we can talk about, it was all nonsense," Mkono said. "I am however happy to know that she encouraged dialogue between the Zanu-PF government and important stakeholders such as the opposition, churches and civic society so that they discuss issues of electoral and political reforms, as well as corruption."

To Mkono, she said, thats all that's important; the rest is nothing as there is nothing she can tell Western countries to remove sanctions against Zimbabwe since they were imposed following human rights violations.

"So we do not expect the sanctions to be lifted before the issues (of human rights) are addressed.

Douhan, who has been in Zimbabwe for two weeks, will present her full report to the Human Rights Council in September of next year. On Thursday, the Belarusian national declined to say if Zimbabwe had addressed the issues of human rights and election rigging that triggered the sanctions.
The United States is sending more than 4.8 million coronavirus vaccine doses to four African nations, the White House told VOA on Wednesday.

White House officials said the 55-member African Union determined the allocations. Landlocked Chad, one of the worlds poorest nations, will get 115,830 doses; populous U.S. ally Egypt will receive 3,634,020 doses; West Coast oil producer Gabon is to get 101,790 doses and East Coast bulwark Kenya will receive 990,990 doses.

The donated Pfizer vaccine doses should all arrive in the countries by Friday or Saturday, White House officials said. That vaccine requires two shots for full immunity, and American authorities have recommended that certain high-risk groups should receive booster shots of that vaccine after their initial course.

The move follows an announcement earlier in the week that the United States would allow the African Union to purchase an allotment of 33 million doses of the two-shot Moderna vaccine that were originally intended for the United States.

As the president has said, the virus knows no borders, and it is going to require every company and every country to step up and take bold, urgent action to stop the spread of COVID-19 and save lives, said Natalie Quillian, White House deputy COVID-19 response coordinator. We are grateful to have helped negotiate this encouraging step forward between Moderna and the African Union that will significantly expand access to vaccines on the continent in the near term. This is an important action, as we continue to expand manufacturing capacity now and expand access to mRNA vaccines with some of the hardest-hit parts of the world.

U.S. officials have been criticized for urging booster shots for vulnerable Americans while vaccination rates are low in the developing world. The White House casts the controversy over booster shots as a false choice, claiming that the United States can help vaccinate the world while also protecting Americans.

Critics say wealthy countries are not moving fast enough.

At our current pace, it could take over a decade until low-income countries reach the 70% vaccination target, said Tom Hart, acting CEO at the anti-poverty ONE Campaign. We cant end this pandemic anywhere if the vaccine isn't everywhere. The world needs an escape plan, not just life preservers thrown out in the dark.

According to projections by an Oxford University COVID-19 database, Our World in Data, only one nation in sub-Saharan Africa -- the tiny enclave nation of Lesotho -- is on track to meet the target of inoculating 40% of their population with at least one dose of the vaccine by the end of this year.
Three U.S. retail giants have pulled products made by tech surveillance specialists Lorex and Ezviz, following revelations by the tech press that the companies are linked to human rights abuses in China's Xinjiang region, home to Uyghurs and other Muslim minority groups.

According to reports from American online news outlet TechCrunch and video surveillance news site IPMV, big-box retailers Best Buy, Home Depot and Lowe's terminated contracts with Lorex and Ezviz after the two news outlets questioned their partnerships.

In an email statement to VOA Mandarin, Home Depot said it has stopped selling products from both Lorex and Ezviz. "We committed to upholding the highest standards of ethical sourcing and we immediately stopped selling these products when this was brought to our attention," said the statement, which is also on the company website.

Best Buy told TechCrunch that it was "discontinuing its relationship" with both Lorex and Ezviz. Lowe's did not respond to a request from VOA Mandarin for comments, but a recent search shows neither Lorex nor Ezviz surveillance products are available on its website.

Lorex is a subsidiary of Dahua Technology. Ezviz is a brand of video surveillance cameras owned by Hikvision. Dahua and Hikvision were added to the U.S. government's economic blacklist in 2019 for supplying Beijing with technology it uses to surveil ethnic groups.

Yet because the 2019 sanction covered only sales to the U.S. federal government, Lorex and Ezviz remained free to sell to private-sector buyers.

The proliferation of Chinese companies in the surveillance equipment sector reflects Beijing's growing reliance on advanced technological tools to monitor the lives of its citizens in Xinjiang and to expand an already extensive surveillance infrastructure throughout China.

According to Human Rights Watch, the Xinjiang Bureau of Public Security uses what it calls the Integrated Joint Operations Platform, a system that gathers data on residents through iris scanners, digital cameras with face recognition, DNA samples and cellphone data.

In the China section of its 2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, the U.S. State Department said that Hikvision and other tech companies are related to the development of a "Uyghur alarm" based on a face-scanning camera system.

The report said the Chinese government is conducting significant human rights abuses against Uyghurs, including "mass detention of more than one million Uyghurs and other members of predominantly Muslim minority groups in extrajudicial internment camps and an additional two million subjected to daytime-only 're-education' training."

China, which contends that Uyghurs hold extremist and separatist ideas, denies the allegations, saying that Xinjiang's camps are "re-education" facilities aimed at combating terrorism.
The Vatican on Thursday canceled the planned live broadcast of U.S. President Joe Biden meeting Pope Francis, the latest restriction to media coverage of the Holy See that sparked complaints from White House- and Vatican-accredited journalists.

The live broadcast of Biden's Friday visit was trimmed to cover just the arrival of the president's motorcade in the courtyard of the Apostolic Palace. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said the revised plan reflected the "normal procedure" established during the coronavirus pandemic for all visiting heads of state or government.

That protocol also has meant an 18-month ban on any independent media being in the room for the beginning and end of the audience, as would normally be the case for a visiting head of state.

Canceled was the live coverage of Biden actually greeting Francis in the palace Throne Room, as well as the live footage of the two men sitting down to begin their private talks in Francis' library, at which time the cameras would have stopped running.

Edited footage to come

The Vatican said it would provide edited footage of the encounter after the fact to accredited media. Bruni didn't say why the Vatican had originally announced fuller live coverage only to dial it back on the eve of the visit.

Biden, the second Catholic U.S. president, has met Francis three previous times, but this will be his first as president.

The audience was being closely monitored since U.S. bishops are scheduled to meet in a few weeks for their annual fall convention, with one of the agenda items inspired by conservatives who contend that Biden's support for abortion rights should disqualify him from receiving Communion. Though any document that emerges from the bishops' conference is not expected to mention Biden by name, it's possible there could be a clear message of rebuke.

Francis has strongly upheld the church's opposition to abortion, calling it murder. But he has said bishops should be pastors, not politicians. As a result, the Biden-Francis body language could have given a clue about their mindsets going into the meeting.

The Vatican has provided live television coverage for the visits of major heads of state for years, including President Donald Trump, and had scheduled such coverage Friday for Biden and for South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who is also in Rome for a Group of 20 meeting.

Asked to comment on Vatican access during a gaggle with reporters on Air Force One, the White House national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said the administration was "actively engaged" in the issue and would see what Friday brings.

"The United States will always advocate for access for the free press, and especially for our good friends in the American press who travel with us on these long flights over, to be able to capture and chronicle the president's engagements," he said.

Sense of the visit

It is during those moments in the pope's library that reporters can view the gifts that are exchanged, watch as the formal photograph is taken and overhear remarks as the leaders arrive and depart to get a sense of how the visit is going. Only the pope's official photographer and Vatican video journalists are now allowed in.

The Vatican correspondents association has protested the cancellation of such pool access and several media outlets, including The Associated Press, formally complained about Thursday's dropping of the live Biden-pope broadcast and asked for an explanation.

The head of the White House Correspondents' Association, Steven Portnoy of CBS News Radio, expressed disappointment at the lack of live coverage as well as the absence of independent media access. Biden is traveling with his own pool of reporters who would normally be allowed into the pope's library for the beginning and end of the audience alongside reporters accredited to the Vatican.

In a series of tweets, Portnoy noted that the White House traveling pool was fully vaccinated and that such a substantial meeting between a Catholic president and the head of the 1.3 billion-member Catholic Church "demands independent coverage."
The U.N. refugee agency reports more than 60,000 Burundian refugees have voluntarily returned home this year, ending years of exile in five neighboring countries.

The election of Burundis then-President Pierre Nkurunziza to a controversial third term in 2015 triggered a mass exodus of refugees from the country. Observers say it took another presidential election in May 2020 to persuade thousands of refugees it was safe to go home.

Evariste Ndayishimiye took office on June 20, following the sudden death of Nkurunziza earlier that month.

The UN refugee agency says the voluntary assisted return program, which began in 2017, has been gathering pace after the countrys elections in 2020.

UNHCR spokeswoman Shabia Mantoo, acknowledges her agencys concerns about reported human rights violations in Burundi. She says all returns are carefully vetted to ensure that its done in safe manner.

A convoy carrying 343 Burundian refugees returned to the country from Uganda earlier this week. The UNHCR reports about half that number have returned from Tanzania, with the rest coming from Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya.

Mantoo says the repatriation operation is moving along in a quick and organized fashion. She says convoys of around 1500 refugees arrive in Burundi every week.

On arrival at one of five reception centers, returning families are given household items and cash assistance to help them restart their lives. However, more support is needed to achieve sustainable reintegration for these individuals (who) are returning as well as for the communities in Burundi receiving them. Often the required social and economic infrastructure is lacking, she expressed.

The UNHCR reports it has received just 10 percent of the $104.3 million it needs to support return and reintegration in Burundi. It notes this is a problem given the increasing numbers of people going home.

Since 2017, more than 180,000 Burundian refugees have voluntarily returned home. However, nearly 270,000 Burundian refugees remain in exile.
More than 30 instances of violence and threats of violence against Afghan journalists were recorded in the last two months, with nearly 90% committed by the Taliban, a media watchdog said Wednesday.

More than 40% of the cases recorded by The Afghanistan National Journalists Union were physical beatings and another 40% were verbal threats of violence, said Masorro Lutfi, the group's head. The remainder involved cases in which journalists were imprisoned for a day. One journalist was killed.

Most of the cases in September and October were documented in provinces across Afghanistan outside the capital Kabul, but six of the 30 cases of violence took place in the capital, ANJU said.

Lutfi, in a news conference Wednesday, said while most of the instances of violence  or threats of violence  were perpetrated by Taliban members, three of the 30 cases were carried out by unknown persons.

The report comes as Afghanistan's Taliban rulers attempt to open diplomatic channels with an international community largely reluctant to formally recognize their rule. They are trying to position themselves as responsible rulers, who promise security for all.

Taliban deputy cultural and information minister and spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told The Associated Press they are aware of the cases of violence toward journalists and are investigating in order to punish the perpetrators.

"The new transition and unprofessionalism of our friends caused it," said Mujahid, promising the problem will be solved.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for an attack by gunmen in early October in which journalist Sayed Maroof Sadat was killed in eastern Nangarhar province along with his cousin and two Taliban members.

Since the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan in late August, three journalists including Sadat have been killed in Afghanistan. Alireza Ahmadi, a reporter of Raha News Agency, and Najma Sadeqi, an anchor at Jahan-e-Sehat TV channel were killed in a suicide attack at Kabul airport during the evacuation.

Taliban officials have repeatedly urged media to follow Islamic laws but without elaborating. Lutfi said his group is working on a bill with media outlets and Taliban officials to enable the media to continue their daily operations.

Afghanistan has long been dangerous for journalists. The Committee to Protect Journalists said in early September that 53 journalists have been killed in the country since 2001, including 33 since 2018.

In July, a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer from Reuters was killed covering clashes between the Taliban and Afghan security forces. In 2014, an Agence France-Presse journalist, his wife and two children were among nine people killed by Taliban gunmen while dining at a hotel in Kabul.
The World Health Organizations (WHO) Africa region chief says only five African countries  less than 10 percent of the continents nations  are on track to meet the goal of vaccinating 40 percent of their populations by the end of the year.

WHO Africa says Seychelles, Mauritius, and Morocco have already met the 40-percent  goal established during the WHO-sponsored World Health Assembly in May. At the current pace two other countries, Tunisia and Cabo Verde will likely reach the goal as well.

In a virtual news briefing Thursday, WHO Regional Director Matshidiso Moeti said for other African nations to have a chance to meet the goal, they will need to receive 30 million vaccine doses a week - nearly double the current 17 million they are receiving from all sources.

Adding to the vaccine shortage, Moeti said the region is facing the looming threat of a syringe shortage. She said the U.N. Childrens Fund (UNICEF) predicts a global shortage of around two billion of the auto-disposable syringes needed for COVID-19 vaccine and routine immunization.

The WHO Africa chief said some African countries, such as Kenya, Rwanda, and South Africa, have already experienced delays in receiving syringes and unless drastic measures are taken to boost syringe production, the continent could face a crisis.

Moeti said the shortages include the 0.3ml auto-disposable syringes used for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccination. She warned there is no global stockpile of the specialized syringes, which differ from the 0.5ml syringes used for other types of COVID-19 vaccine and routine vaccination.

The market for 0.3ml syringes is tight and extremely competitive. As such, they are in short supply and will remain so through at least the first quarter of next year.

WHO Africa says the COVAX Facility is working to address the threat by securing deals with syringe manufacturers, and through better planning to avoid vaccine deliveries outpacing the supply of syringes.
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Mthwakazi Republic Party activists protesting in South Africa against human rights violations in Zimbabwe at the United Nations offices and Zimbabwe Consulate in Pretoria on Wednesday. They urged the U.N. to probe Gukurahundi atrocities of the 1980s. (Courtesy Video)
Sudanese security forces arrested demonstrators in Khartoum Wednesday, including three leading pro-democracy activists, as the World Bank and the African Union took steps to increase pressure on the leaders of Mondays military coup.

Witnesses say security forces fired tear gas at protesters and arrested them while removing their barricades in the capital. Activists from the Umma Party, Sudans largest political group, were among the detainees.

The activists, all critics of the military takeover, have been identified asSudanese Professionals Association leader Ismail al-Taj, Umma Party leader Sadiq al-Mahdi and a former media adviser to the prime minister, Khalid al-Silaik.

Meanwhile, the African Union suspended Sudans involvement in the organizations activities until power is returned to a civilian government, according to an AU statement.

The World Bank said in a statement that it has paused financial aid to the country and stopped processing any new operations as we closely monitor and assess the situation.

Many businesses in Sudan remain closed in response to calls for strikes, which some doctors and state oil workers said they would join in support of the ousted government. Central bank employees have also gone on strike.

On Tuesday, military chief General Abdel-Fattah Burhan defended the army's overthrow of the transitional government, saying it was necessary to avoid a civil war.

"The whole country was deadlocked due to political rivalries," Burhan said at a televised news conference in Khartoum. "The experience during the past two years has proven that the participation of political forces in the transitional period is flawed and stirs up strife."

Deposed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and his wife, who had been detained Monday, were allowed to return to their home late Tuesday but were "under close surveillance," a statement issued by his office reported.

Burhan also acknowledged that "we arrested ministers and politicians but not all" and said that some would face trial for allegedly inciting a rebellion within the military.

United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing that the secretary-generals special envoy to Sudan, Volker Perthes, met in Sudan Wednesday with Burhan to discuss the takeover and subsequent developments. Dujarric said Perthes reiterated that the U.N. wants to see a return to the transition process and demanded an immediate release of all arbitrarily detained.

Dujarric said Perthes also met with Hamdok in his home.

What we want to see  is the complete release of Prime Minister Hamdok, Dujarric declared. He remains under some sort of house arrest. He is not free of his movements, and he should be free of his movements.

In a statement Tuesday from the U.S. State Department, Secretary of State Antony Blinken praised Hamdok's release and spoke with him late Tuesday. Blinken again called on Sudan's military to release all civilian leaders, according to the statement.

U.N. Security Council

The U.N. Security Council met privately Tuesday to discuss the situation but have so far not issued any statement condemning the coup. Some members, including Russia and China, have publicly questioned whether it is a coup and have said council members should not interfere in Sudans domestic affairs.

But Kenyas U.N. ambassador told reporters Wednesday he hoped the council would pronounce itself now that the African Union had taken action.

I very much hope the Security Council will consider this step by the (AU) Peace and Security Council to be a challenge to step up to the plate, Martin Kimani said.

National emergency

Burhan declared a national emergency Monday and announced the end of the joint civilian-military Sovereign Council that had run the country since August 2019, shortly after the ouster of longtime autocratic President Omar al-Bashir.

He pledged the military would turn power over to a civilian government in July 2023 after general elections are held.

The center of Khartoum near the Foreign Ministry and other government offices was quiet early Wednesday, according to journalist Mohamed Ali Fazari.

He said in an interview with VOA the relative calm in central Khartoum could be interrupted by a group of neighborhood committees planning a "march of millions" on Saturday.

People are calling for a big demonstration, which they call the One Million March demonstration, on October 30, and also there are some calls for civil disobedience, Fazari said.

On Monday, the Sudan Doctors Committee said at least four people were killed and 80 injured when security forces opened fire on demonstrators protesting the coup. Despite the violence, more demonstrations took place Tuesday.

Global response

The Arab League was also among those calling on Sudan to stay on a path toward civilian rule.

A joint statement issued by the United States, Britain and Norway through the State Department condemned the coup and called on Sudanese security forces to immediately release all people "unlawfully detained."

"The actions of the military represent a betrayal of the revolution, the transition, and the legitimate requests of the Sudanese people for peace, justice and economic development," the statement read.

The State Department said it was suspending $700 million in financial assistance to Sudan.

In a statement Tuesday, Sudan's ambassador to the U.S., Nureldin Satti, condemned the coup "that has put an end to the civilian democratic transition in Sudan."

"I am heartened to see that my colleagues in Brussels, Paris and Geneva and New York have followed suit and condemned the military coup," Satti added. "We shall work with other colleagues in the diplomatic service and in the diaspora to resist the military coup in support of the heroic struggle of the Sudanese people to achieve the objectives of the December 19, 2018, revolution."

Hamdok, an economist and diplomat who has worked for the U.N., was named transitional prime minister in August 2019. The transition received strong support from Western countries, including the United States, which removed Sudan from its state sponsors of terrorism list.

But Hamdok faced stiff resistance from elements of Sudan's military. On September 21, forces still loyal to Bashir used tanks to block a key bridge and attempted to seize power. The coup was put down, and dozens of soldiers were arrested.

Thousands took to the streets last week to protest the prospect of a return to military rule.

"This country is ours, and our government is civilian," protesters chanted.

Michael Atit of VOA English to Africa's South Sudan in Focus radio program and VOAs U.N. correspondent Margaret Besheer contributed to this report. Some information also comes from AP, Reuters, and AFP.
A high ranking member of the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee says Zimbabwe should implement tangible reforms and stop conducting anti-sanctions campaigns that wont bring any social, political and economic transformation in the southern African nation.

In a tweet, Senator Jim Risch of Idaho said, Another year, another hollow anti-sanctions campaign from the govt of #Zimbabwe full of rhetoric instead of change. The U.S. is consistent & clear about the path to better relations. Stop the corruption. Stop the #humanrights abuses. Pursue real political & economic reform."

In Anti-Sanctions Day message, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said, Zimbabwes considered and firm position is that we are a friend to all and an enemy to none.

Mnangagwa promised to engage the European Union and countries that imposed targeted sanctions on Zanu PF officials, including United States and Britain in an effort to create fresh relations with them.

Britain recently imposed targeted sanctions on businessman, Kudakwashe Tagwirei, for profiting from misappropriation of property when his company, Sakunda Holdings, redeemed Government of Zimbabwe Treasury Bills at up to ten times their official value. His actions accelerated the deflation of Zimbabwes currency, increasing the price of essentials, such as food, for Zimbabwean citizens.

Tagwirei is a close ally of President Mnangagwa.

In a report published recently titled Shadows and Shell Games: Uncovering an Offshore Business Empire in Zimbabwe, The Sentry revealed key details of Tagwireis business dealings, which have been linked to alleged corrupt activities.

The Sentrys investigation revealed that Tagwirei, who is a presidential advisor, now presides over a sprawling network of more than 40 companies spanning the oil, mining, banking, logistics, transportation, and import/export sectors. The report details how Tagwirei has effectively concealed his control over this empire through an elaborate foreign network, hiding his wealth and ownership through offshore financial structures.

Tagwirei has not yet reacted to the report.

President Joseph Bidens administration in April this year urged Zimbabwe to implement constitutional reforms and embrace national dialogue for the benefit of citizens, who are striving for peace and development.

In his message to mark Zimbabwes independence in April this year, United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, said, As the people of Zimbabwe celebrate their Independence Day, we recognize their continued struggle to secure the rights and freedoms enshrined in their constitution. We encourage the Government of Zimbabwe to support reforms to advance these constitutional rights and embrace an inclusive national dialogue that upholds the universal values Zimbabweans have fought so hard to gain. To that end, we will join with the Zimbabwean people to strengthen democratic institutions, promote equitable economic growth, boost public health, and improve food security.

He said the United States supports all Zimbabweans who aspire to a peaceful, democratic, and prosperous future.

United Nations special envoy to Zimbabwe, Elena Douhan, in a statement on Wednesday also urged the Zimbabwean government to engage countries and entities that imposed targeted sanctions on Zanu PF officials.
1. Vaccination campaigns around Europe have brought about significant progress in the

fight against COVID-19. Nevertheless the situation in some Member States remains

very serious. In order to further increase vaccination rates throughout the Union, efforts

to overcome vaccine hesitancy should be stepped up, including by tackling

disinformation, notably on social media platforms. It is necessary to remain vigilant

regarding the emergence and spread of possible new variants.

2. In light of the development of the epidemiological situation, the European Council calls

for further coordination to facilitate free movement within, and travel into, the EU, and

for a revision of the two Council recommendations. It encourages the Commission to

accelerate its work regarding mutual recognition of certificates with third countries.

3. Based on the experiences of the COVID-19 crisis, the EUs resilience to and horizontal

preparedness for crises must be strengthened. To ensure better prevention of,

preparedness for and response to future health emergencies in the EU, the European

Council calls for the conclusion of the negotiations on the Health Union legislative

package and for ensuring that Member States are adequately involved in the governance

of the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA). It recalls the

need to swiftly take work forward on access to medicines across Member States.

4. The European Council reiterates the EUs continued commitment to contributing to the

international response to the pandemic and to ensuring access to vaccines for all. It calls

for the rapid removal of obstacles hampering the global roll-out of vaccines, and invites

the Commission to further engage directly with manufacturers in this respect. This will

allow Member States to speed up the delivery of vaccines to countries most in need. The

EU will continue to support the production and uptake of vaccines in partner countries.

5. In the context of the upcoming G20 meeting and in view of the special session of the

World Health Assembly in November, the European Council underlines its support for a

strong, central role of the World Health Organization in future global health governance

and for the objective of agreeing an international treaty on pandemics.
US intellectual Noam Chomsky has spoken out in favor of isolating people who refuse to be vaccinated against Covid-19. "How can we get food to them", he was asked. His response was "Well, thats actually their problem."

Noam Chomsky is a linguist, engaged in research exclusively for the Pentagon. He became known for his books denouncing entire chapters of US foreign policy.

During a meeting with him, we were struck by his diehard stance in favor of the United States and Israel. We published a three-part study on his genuine political commitment [1].
Morristown, VT (05661)

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A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. High 42F. Winds light and variable..

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Some lingering evening flurries or snow showers. Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 23F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.
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Stowe, VT (05672)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun early followed by cloudy skies this afternoon. High 41F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Cloudy skies. A shower of rain or wet snow possible. Low 31F. Winds light and variable.
As recently as this summer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell appeared to have gross misgivings about the Senate candidacy of Herschel Walker in Georgia.

In response to an Associated Press story in July detailing Walker's turbulent past -- reportedly threatening his ex-wife, exaggerating his business successes etc. -- Josh Holmes, a longtime McConnell confidant, tweeted this: "This is about as comprehensive a takedown as I've ever read. My lord."

Walker didn't respond to the AP's request for comment on the report.

And, as CNN's Manu Raju, Alex Rogers and Mike Warren wrote that same month:

"Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has suggested to allies that former Georgia senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler should take another look at running again, according to three sources familiar with the matter, after their narrow losses in January flipped the Senate to Democratic control."

Which brings us to Wednesday -- and this from McConnell:

"I am happy to endorse Herschel Walker for U.S. Senate in Georgia. Herschel is the only one who can unite the party, defeat Senator Warnock, and help us take back the Senate. I look forward to working with Herschel in Washington to get the job done."

Whaaaat?!?

So, what, exactly happened between August and today?

The key to answering that question is understanding what makes McConnell tick. He is the ultimate political pragmatist. He deals not in the world as he would like it to be but rather the world as it is. And he's willing to make adjustments on the fly -- if practicality dictates that he should.

The reality is that Walker has two things that make him nearly impossible to beat in a Republican primary at this moment in time:

1. His celebrity status

2. His strong endorsement from former President Donald Trump.

Up against those twin realities, it's hard to imagine the likes of David Perdue or Kelly Loeffler being able to beat Walker in a primary. And there is even less of a chance that the other Republicans currently in the race -- former Navy SEAL Latham Saddler, state Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black and Air Force veteran Kelvin King -- might catch fire and unseat Walker.

What appears to have sealed the deal for McConnell though is the $3.7 million that Walker raised in his first month or so as an active candidate -- with almost 50,000 donors from all 50 states.

Money talks for McConnell -- as it suggests that Walker's candidacy isn't just some lark from a former pro athlete bored with his current life. Raising almost $4 million in a month suggests that Walker is not only serious but also has the support of people around the country for his campaign.

What about Trump's near-constant attacks on McConnell -- including referring to the Senate minority leader as the "most overrated man in politics?" McConnell is uniquely a) thick-skinned and b) relentlessly focused on winning back the Senate majority.

And so, McConnell endorses Walker. Not because all the worries about Walker's past have disappeared (they haven't and they won't) but because McConnell knows that in order to retake the Senate majority next November, Republicans need Georgia. And he also knows that Walker is a dead lock for the Republican nomination.

So, why not get in the boat and help steer rather than looking for alternate, leakier boats?

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It's a scary fact about Covid-19 and children - the virus is their eighth-leading cause of death.

Dr. David Kimberlin of the University of Alabama at Birmingham is looking to reassure parents about the coronavirus vaccine.

"Parents talk with their pediatricians, who I fully anticipate will highly recommend that the particular child get vaccinated," said Kimberlin. "This is a phenomenally positive development in terms of the way that we now can protect 28 million additional Americans."

Kimberlin calls the advancement in vaccines, thrilling.

"Now if the authorization is expanded to include 5- to 11-year-olds, that same recommendation would hold - get it if you have a 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11-year-old. This is a great opportunity to get them vaccinated and give them the maximal protection against this really very severe disease," said Kimberlin.

Protection for kids will be different than it is for those over the age of 11. Kimberlin said the Pfizer vaccine has less mRNA present.

For some parents, they're thankful their child will have more protection as we approach the holidays.

"I'm super excited that Thanksgiving isn't going to be stressful this year, Christmas isn't going to be stressful this year. We're going to know that everyone in our family is as protected as they can be," Laura Harper said of her family.

According to a poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 24 percent of parents in the country say their child will not get the Pfizer vaccine.
The federal courts are being asked to step in and keep the City of Cullman from forcing an electric cooperative to raise utility rates for some customers inside Cullman's city limits, an issue that first went before a judge 30 years ago.

The Cullman Electric Cooperative lawsuit filed this week asks the federal court for an injunction to enforce a ruling the court made in 1991. The outcome of this issue could clear the way for more local governments to copy Cullmans revenue generating plan, which could lead to increased utility bills throughout the state.

A 3% charge may not sound like that much for the average property, as it works out to a couple of dollars extra per month, but for businesses and other large users of electricity, it could add up to thousands of dollars each year.

What was an issue that has been litigated before, we felt it was in the best interest of our members to go ahead and file a lawsuit," Cullman Electric Cooperative external communications manager Brian Lacy told WAAY 31 on Wednesday.

The cooperative represents 36,000 members in Cullman, Lawrence and Morgan counties. If allowed to stand, the Cullman ordinance would affect about 1,200 customers inside the city limits.

Lacy said power companies in North Alabama distributes power from the Tennessee Valley Authority. TVA sets the price, and special laws bar local governments from charging more, but its a grey area that continues to be a point of contention.

WAAY 31 attempted to get Cullman city leaders to speak with us on camera, but they refused, saying they won't comment on pending legal matters.

Cullman Electric Cooperative estimates the 3% tax represents a total revenue of about $500,000 for the city annually, a big chunk of which would come from 10 large industrial customers.

We hope to get a ruling and hopefully get some clarification on this and help our members on this issue thats important to them," Lacy said.
Madison County Schools joins a long list of school districts who recently switched to only recommending masks in the classroom.

With the recent drop in Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations, school districts across North Alabama have said now is the time to drop their mask mandates.

"It's been tough," Albertville City Schools Superintendent Boyd English said. "It's been tough on our parents, on our faculty, staff and administrators, and our students."

At the height of the delta variant surge, ACS had 110 positive cases in its schools, but now they're down to one.

"All of our factors were trending in the right direction," English said.

That's why the school district made the switch to masking optional.

"We are hopeful we are coming out of this virus now and we can return to some sense of normalcy," English said.

It's a trend other school districts in North Alabama are also seeing.

Starting Monday, Madison County Schools will switch to mask optional if its positivity rate remains below 0.5% systemwide.

However, school districts across Alabama are on high alert.

"We cannot let our guards down," English said.

Most of North Alabama is still at a high community transmission rate, according to the state health department, which is why school districts say they'll remain vigilant.

"We recognize Covid-19 is still among us," English said. "It still exists. We are taking all the precautions we can to mitigate the virus."

School districts will be keeping a close eye on the numbers both in schools and in the community to see whether to change their policy back to mandatory.
The Alabama NAACP will host an emergency news conference Thursday morning to discuss concerns over the Limestone County Commission's scheduled resolution to re-draw district lines.

The conference will start at 10 a.m. at the Limestone County Commission office. WAAY 31 learned the NAACP sent a letter to the commision earlier this week, outlining demands and concerns it has over the proposed redistricting plan.

In it, the NAACP says the plan would "likely diminish the opportunity of Black voters and other voters of color to meaningfully participate in the electoral process by influencing the elections of candidates of their choice."

The group asked the commission to respond to the letter by 5 p.m. Friday with an explanation on how it plans to address the issue. The Limestone County Commission is expected to consider the redistricting proposal Monday, Nov. 1.

WAAY 31 will be at the news conference and will bring you the latest information on air and online.
A federal mandate requires masks on school buses, but some school officials have said following the mandate will now be optional in their districts.

Decatur and Albertville city schools have announced they're strongly recommending masks but won't require them. Colbert County Schools has announced a similar change, saying Wednesday that, effective Thursday, masks will be provided to those who want to wear them but would not be required.

"I think that language allows us to comply with those mandates that are in place, because again, we recognize we are still trying to mitigate this pandemic," Albertville City Schools Superintendent Boyd English said.

"However, we want to make sure we are removing any confusion that may exist with our students, our bus drivers and our parents."

English said the policy on Albertville buses was changed Oct. 20 after hearing some of the challenges that bus drivers were facing. He said making this change keeps everything consistent and avoids any confusion.

"Definitely, we want to be in compliance with local, state and, of course, federal guidelines when it comes to mitigating the Covid-19 in our school system," English said.

"But, when it comes to seeking that advise, we have to take that legal advice and make sure we're making adjustments, requirements and decisions that are in the interest of everyone in the Aggie family."

The mask requirement was dropped at the beginning of the month because of the drop in COVID rates in schools and the community. Right now, there's only one COVID case in Albertville City Schools.

Decatur City Schools announced Oct. 19 that it would transition to a "mask preferred" policy starting Nov. 1, noting the policy would include students who ride school system buses. Superintendent Michael Douglas said his administration will monitor positive cases and adjust the policy as needed moving forward.

Colbert County Schools said their district was down to only two cases systemwide, leading them to end the policy. Starting Thursday, masks would be optional on all campuses and buses.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the TSA's face mask requirement followed an order issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in January. The mandate has been extended through Jan. 18, 2022.

The CDC's order includes school bus operators and passengers unless the operator is alone on the bus or the passenger is one of the following: a child under the age of 2, someone who cannot wear the mask due to a disability as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act or a person for whom wearing a mask would create a risk to workplace health, safety or job duty. The CDC has stated the policy applies to all school buses, whether publicly or privately owned.
Decatur, IL (62521)

Today

Sunshine and a few clouds. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 54F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph..

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All Saints Day, or Ognissanti, on 1 November is a public holiday in Italy.

This year the national holiday - also known as Tutti i Santi - falls on a Monday meaning that the country's schools and public offices will be closed.

The celebration of All Saints is followed on Tuesday 2 November by All Souls' Day, a Catholic tradition of mourning the dearly departed.

In Italy this is a particularly important day, when people gather to visit family graves.

The capitals three main cemeteries - Verano, Flaminio and Prima Porta - will be open each day from 07.30-18.00.

This year Pope Francis will mark the occasion by celebrating Mass at the French Military Cemetery in Rome, on Via della Camilluccia, at 11.00 on 2 November.

The Non-Catholic Cemetery in the Ostiense-Testaccio district is open all day on 1 November, from 09.00-17.00, with last entrance at 16.30.
Italian senators block Zan bill aimed at fighting homophobia.

Italy's senate has voted to reject a bill that sought to make violence against LGBTQ+ people and disabled people, as well as misogyny, a hate crime.

The senate voted by 154 to 131 in a secret ballot on Wednesday afternoon to halt debate on the law, approved in November by the lower house of parliament.

The motion to block the so-called Zan bill - named after the centre-left Partito Democratico (PD) politician and gay rights activist Alessandro Zan - was put forward by right-wing parties Lega and Fratelli d'Italia (Fdl).

The vote took place after the speaker of the upper house Maria Elisabetta Alberti Casellati, of the centre-right Forza Italia party, agreed that the ballot could be held in secret.

The Zan bill was backed by the PD and the populist Movimento 5 Stelle (M5S), among others, however those on the conservative side of the debate say the law would have hampered freedom of expression, with the Lega party describing it as "divisive and ideological."

"CHE SCHIFO":

Per i commenti sui festeggiamenti in aula seguiti all'annuncio del risultato della votazionepic.twitter.com/XFzod75YxN  Perche e in tendenza? (@perchetendenza) October 27, 2021

After the result of Wednesday's vote was announced, right-wing senators broke into wild applause in scenes widely condemned by "disgraceful" and "ignoble".

Political reaction

The result was welcomed by FdI leader Giorgia Meloni and the Lega leader Matteo Salvini, a harsh critic of the bill, who said the arrogance of the PD and M5S has been defeated.

Salvini suggested that MPs should come up with a new bill, based on proposals from the Lega, to fight discrimination but "leaving out gender theory."

PD leader and former prime minister Enrico Letta said of the outcome: They wanted to stop the future. They wanted to drag Italy backwards."

M5S leader and former premier Giuseppe Conte said: Those who are rejoicing at this sabotage should explain it to the country.

Opposition to the Zan bill

The move to halt the bill - which modifies an existing law to allow crimes including racist violence, hatred and discrimination to be punished with up to four years in jail - comes after sustained lobbying from the right as well as Catholic groups.

Conservatives objected in particular to a proposal that Italy's schools would mark a national day against homophobia, transphobia and biphobia.

Vatican intervention

On 17 June the Vatican made an unprecedented intervention, lodging an objection to the proposed law over concerns that it could curb the religious freedom of the Catholic Church.

The Holy See expressed fears that the bill could lead to the violation of the 1929 Lateran Treaty which established the Vatican City as a sovereign state and regulates relations between Italy and the Catholic Church.

The Vatican feared that the law could lead to the Church in Italy facing legal action for refusing to conduct gay marriages, for opposing adoption by homosexual couples through Catholic institutions or for refusing to teach gender theory in Catholic schools.

However the Italian prime minister Mario Draghi, a practicing Catholic, hit back at the Vatican to stress the independence of the country's parliament, telling the senate a week later: "Ours is a secular state, not a religious state."

Photo Il Manifesto
Across the board, younger people are more likely than older people to hold negative attitudes toward the rich. Americans under 30 are about 20-35 points more likely than Americans age 65 and older to feel angry when they read or hear about rich people (44% vs. 11%), to feel more resentment than admiration of rich people (39% vs. 16%), to believe its immoral for society to allow people to become billionaires (39% vs. 13%), and to believe that citizens taking violent action against the rich is sometimes justified (35% vs. 10%).
Little in the short term, but possibly a lot further out. A property tax could hurt lower-income buyers, which wouldnt do much to narrow the wealth gap. But it also may spur some wealthy landlords to sell some hoarded properties that often sit empty as investments. Such a tax may help local governments break their reliance on selling land to developers. But even it were implemented nationally, property tax revenue may only reach a fifth of the $1 trillion land sales bring in annually, according to ANZ Corp. economist Betty Wang. Nevertheless, the trial sends a strong message that China is determined to break the mentality that housing is a one-way bet, which drives the market higher. Jia Kang, the former head of a finance ministry research institute and long-time property tax advocate, wrote on social media about what he called the yawning gap in homeownership, with some people hoarding hundreds of units and others unable to buy a basic home. The property tax trials will provide feedback, like gnawing at a hard bone, he wrote, for eventual legislation on a wider or even national scale.
They are normally defined as fast, low-flying, and highly maneuverable weapons designed to be too quick and agile for traditional missile defense systems to detect in time. Unlike ballistic missiles, hypersonic weapons dont follow a predetermined, arched trajectory and can maneuver on the way to their destination, according to the Congressional Research Service. The term hypersonic describes any speed faster than five times that of sound, which is roughly 760 miles (1,220 kilometers) per hour at sea level, meaning these weapons can travel at least 3,800 miles per hour. At hypersonic speeds, the air molecules around the flight vehicle start to change, breaking apart or gaining a charge in a process called ionization. This subjects the hypersonic vehicle to tremendous stresses as it pushes through the atmosphere, according to a 2018 U.S. Army paper.
The movies have always been susceptible to myths  the ones they create, and the ones created around their making. One is reflexively equating excitement or artistic courage with violence, an assumption that, with every new iteration, is becoming more and more played out. Another is a fetishistic attachment to realism that too often takes the form of style for its own sake, or directorial ego. If the only way a filmmaker can convincingly portray a shooting is to stage an actual shooting, thats a failure of imagination, not a badge of uncompromising integrity.
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Rioja reservas are required to be aged at least one year in barrel and cannot be released to the market until at least three years from the vintage, so they tend to show structure and a degree of maturity. The Cerro Anon Reserva is tempranillo spiced with some mazuelo and graciano, traditional Rioja grapes. It is aged 20 months in barrels, most of which are American oak, then an additional 18 months in bottle. The result is a classical-style rioja with deep fruit and strong oak influence. On first sip, it seems to be assessing your worthiness to drink it, but with a few hours of air  even the next day  it unfurls flavors of orange and tangerine over blackberries and plums. Carve the jamon and cue up Andres Segovia on Spotify  this is classical Spain in a bottle. ABV: 14 percent.
Of course, an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences museum without a tribute to the Academy Awards would be like a Van Gogh museum without sunflowers, and indeed, there is a substantial section that pays tribute to the Oscars. In addition to memorabilia, such as ceremony programs, congratulatory telegrams to and from a whos who of moviedoms heavy hitters, and the feathered and sequined Bob Mackie dress Cher wore to the 1986 Oscars ceremony, looped acceptance speeches play on screens that surround the room. Its clear here that an effort has been made to show a diverse population of winners. The same is true of the museum as a whole; its website lists Be Radically Inclusive as one of its guiding principles. And although its determination to showcase the work of traditionally underrepresented artists is admirable, one has to wonder whether its not also an effort to counterbalance the industrys and the Academys notoriously poor record of inclusivity, which led to #OscarsSoWhite and other protest campaigns.
And that can be a problem. Support relationships often serve as a buffer against the emotional impact of chronic strain, Sumner says. Just perceiving that you have someone in your life who is rooting for you, who uplifts you, is available or accessible if needed, confers some benefits to mental health. But that mental health boost doesnt require you to stay at a boutique hotel or super-expensive resort. So long as you have your good friends attention, be it in a pals family-free home for a weekend or at a budget campground, you can benefit. If you can negotiate time to cultivate your relationship with a friend with whom you feel psychologically safe and free to express yourself authentically, youre likely to feel a sense of validation and a deeper connection, she says.
She said it was also unusual that prosecutors were not asking for defendants to be under court supervision until they paid their fines. This is the first time Ive ever had the government ask for a restitution payment and not ask for a term of probation, she said. Is it because the government thinks these defendants are more trustworthy?
Lemley, of Elkton, Md., said he abandoned his racist views after finding camaraderie among the Black men who embraced him while he was in jail after his arrest last year. The change came too late, he said, in tears, but the power of friendship healed a festering wound of a false ideology. Addressing the judge, Lemley continued to make his case, I am begging you for your mercy that something could be salvaged from this terrible wreckage and disaster that I brought upon my loved ones.
Those policies were not in play in the case of either alleged assault. The first occurred before the bathroom policy took effect, and both alleged assaults were immediately reported to police. But the episodes have raised alarms about giving school authorities, who allowed the alleged perpetrator to enroll in a new school after the teen was charged in the first case, greater discretion over reporting school incidents to police. On Monday, a judge rendered the juvenile court equivalent of a guilty verdict on the teen in the first case. Charges remain pending in the second.
So many of them lost their government assistance. They dont have work, they dont have pay and they dont think anyone is going to do anything for them, said Michael, who immigrated from Ghana and has ordinarily treasured her right to vote in 15 years worth of American elections. This is the first time shes soured on the process.
We have partisanship and lack of trust, but the current redistricting environment is still better than anything Virginians have ever had. Ten years ago  and for centuries before that  the redistricting process consisted of politicians making deals out of sight. The public had absolutely no role in the process. Thanks to the constitutional amendment, we now have transparency. We can watch all commission meetings as they happen and can review them anytime. Anyone can watch, attend, speak and comment in writing. No one can meet in secret. Although the process so far has not gone as hoped for, we should all recognize that redistricting in Virginia wont return to the old process. Politicians will never again draw Virginias maps in secret.
Democrats are hopeful that another $100 billion will be included in the package for immigration measures, bringing its total cost to $1.85 trillion, but that money could be excluded for procedural reasons. The plan includes a provision for undocumented immigrants who arrived before 2010 to apply for a green card, a precursor to citizenship. The Senate parliamentarian has previously rejected such an item, but some Democrats view its inclusion as a placeholder of sorts, potentially to be replaced by a narrower measure that would provide protected status but not a path to citizenship.
The United States has promised to donate 1.1 billion doses of coronavirus vaccine to other countries, making it the largest donor nation in the world, but global health advocates say that is far from enough to cover the need. Allies, particularly in Europe, are emerging from the pandemic with a new appreciation for the importance of an independent supply chain and the downfalls of relying too heavily on the United States.
The cases the court will hear Monday raise complicated legal procedure questions precisely because S.B. 8 was drafted to avoid federal court review. Its effect is to ban abortions after about six weeks  before many know they are pregnant. But its enforcement structure was designed to keep it from being stopped by federal judges before it can go into effect  the fate of other state laws prohibiting abortion earlier than Supreme Court precedent allows.
It was my clients understanding that the district attorneys office was in agreement with the sheriffs department that it was going to conduct a thorough, impartial and apolitical evaluation of the case, and only after completion of the investigation, speak to my client to allow her to make an informed decision as to whether she would proceed as a victim in the case, Commissos attorney, Brian D. Premo, told the paper.
While Clarks appearance has been postponed, the select committee faces another deadline Friday: responding to Trumps lawsuit alleging that the House committees request for Trump-era documents is too broad, a vexatious, illegal fishing expedition, and that the committee doesnt have any legitimate legislative purpose for requesting the documents. The lawsuit also claims that a lot of the information in question is covered by one form of privilege or another, whether it be attorney-client privilege or, in many cases, executive privilege.
(Tim Boelaars for The Post)

The bill includes spending for childcare and climate change, as well as tax benefits for low-income earners. But it omits many of Democrats top priorities.
Updated June 4, 2018

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Many analysts thought Biden misspoke, because his remarks appeared to be at odds with a policy of strategic ambiguity that leaves it unclear whether the United States would intervene in a conflict. The White House later clarified that U.S. policy has not changed. Still, Beijing responded with a warning not to underestimate its resolve, adding that China has no room for compromise over Taiwan.
And what the visitors will find, in Draghis Italy, is a country that has become charmed  at least for now  by his political competence and clout. Italian pundits speak about Draghi glowingly, describing him as an above-the-fray prime minister with a degree of credibility that his predecessors lacked. So far, they say, he has been willing to make tough  sometimes unilateral  decisions regardless of their popularity. And he has proved popular nonetheless, with an approval rating of 63 percent, higher than those of most of his fellow democratic leaders who will be visiting Rome.
The seizure of the British trawler Cornelis Gert Jan on Wednesday may have been meant as a warning shot. Frances Ministry of the Sea said in a statement that such checks were normal at this time of year, but it stressed that they had also occurred amid tightening controls in the English Channel, in the context of the discussions over licenses. The ministry added that the captain could face charges and the catch seized.
A diplomat in the region familiar with the situation confirmed reports that the Biden administration had conveyed to Israeli officials its anger over the planned construction. The administration was displeased not only that Israel had ignored President Bidens explicit opposition to settlement expansion, but also that many of the new homes would be in outposts deep in the West Bank and not just in established settlements close to Jerusalem.
Aisha Sultan is a St. Louis-based journalist who studies parenting in the digital age while trying to keep up with her tech-savvy children. Find her on Twitter: @AishaS.
Scott and Dannielle Highberger will officially launch Behind the Wire Ministries Saturday from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m. at Eastside Park. The couple travel across the country spreading the word God. Scott is the subject of Pardoned by Grace a soon-to-be released film starring Joey Lawrence and Michael W. Smith.
Trusted local news has never been more important, but providing the information you need, information that can change sometimes minute-by-minute, requires a partnership with you, our readers. Please consider making a contribution today to support this vital resource that you and countless others depend on.
The corporate watchdog has been challenged over its decision to not investigate widespread cheating by KPMG Australia staff on tests covering ethics, independence and audit quality because it lacks the mandate to do so.

The prestigious accounting firm shocked business circles when it was fined $613,000 by the US accounting watchdog in September after a review found widespread cheating by staff on training tests over a four-year period.

KPMG was fined $613,000 by the US accounting watchdog in September after a review found widespread cheating by staff on training tests over a four-year period. Credit:Ryan Stuart

That review by the US Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) found more than 1000 staff members, or 12 per cent of KPMGs Australian staff, had cheated on important professional compliance tests that ensure staff members are aware of various laws and accounting standards. The US watchdog found that around a quarter of the cheaters were ASIC-registered auditors working at the firm.

But the Australian Securities and Investments Commission told a Senate estimates hearing on Thursday that it was powerless to hold KPMG to account because the firm had not broken the Corporations Act when its staff members cheated on the tests.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size At the beginning of lunch, milliner Melissa Jackson makes it clear that she would prefer not to be here. This is not a case of bad manners. Jackson is excessively polite, with an upbeat personality inevitably described as bubbly and vivacious  the type of person who apologises when you bump into them with a full glass of champagne at Flemington Racecourse. Its not personal. This palpable and uncharacteristic disappointment is purely business. Milliner Melissa Jackson eats lunch on the verandah of her Richmond terrace. Credit:Simon Schluter Normally right now I would be working day to night, trying to finish bespoke orders for my clients, Jackson says. I would have bags under my eyes, down to my nose, threatening to drag along the floor. The Melbourne Cup Carnival is the biggest time of year for milliners. Its our bread and butter. Well, it was. Jackson is installed on the verandah of her Richmond terrace, making the most of some precious spring sunshine, instead of being surrounded by straw, feathers and hat blocks. With Melbournes lockdown having cancelled attendance at the Caulfield Cup and Derby Day, Jackson regrettably has plenty of time for our Zoom lunch. Our conversation takes place days before the Victoria Racing Committees decision to allow 10,000 spectators on Cup Day. Liza Minnelli wearing Melissa Jackson in the Myer marquee at Derby Day, 2007 Credit:Rebecca Hallas This is certainly the biggest pause Ive experienced professionally since starting my business. Last year was a massive pause. I was still dressing a few people, but it wasnt my regular bespoke clients. Normally, I would be creating somewhere between 40 and 70 bespoke headpieces. Now its well, its dumplings for lunch. When the prospect of crowds being allowed to Cup Day comes up in conversation the lament continues. Its just not enough time. For my customers part of the experience of ordering a hat is the process. I used to make a range of hats for people to pick from, but today people want to be involved. This is the new luxury. Everyone wants something unique.

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Having ordered from Vietnamese restaurant Misschus Tuckshop in nearby South Yarra, with a selection of dumplings and a turmeric chicken slaw salad, the hands-on creator assembles her meal at the table like an artwork. All of that pent-up creative energy has to go somewhere. Loading Meanwhile, on the other end of our Zoom chat, I have inconveniently timed our lunch with a harrowing juice cleanse. While listening to Jacksons effusive admiration for the steaming ginger dumplings, Im sipping a Spicy Lemonade from Lucky You with the only artistic addition a metal straw. This might be another reason why she would prefer to be making hats. I dont think people understand what we have been through as an industry, she says. Its not just COVID-19. Before that, there were the fascinators, headbands and the crowns. I am known for big, proper wide-brimmed hats. Its the crowns that got me. Unless youre an actual princess or six years old, why would you want to wear one? Turmeric chicken slaw salad from Miss Chus Vietnamese restaurant in South Yarra. Credit:Simon Schluter Having created hats for Princess Annes equestrian daughter Zara Phillips, Hollywood royalty Liza Minnelli and supermodel Coco Rocha, and with pieces in the National Gallery of Victorias collection, Jackson is entitled to be upset with potential customers choosing to be princesses for a day in flimsy diamante tiaras. Its part of an overall disappointment with the lack of respect for the work involved in making a professional headpiece and the arduous journey to becoming a milliner, although she admittedly took the outside run. Jackson is entitled to be upset with potential customers choosing to be princesses for a day in flimsy diamante tiaras.

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The only one of acclaimed architect Daryl Jackson and his wife Kays four children deaf to the call of a building site, Jackson describes herself as the black sheep of the family. Her father is responsible for such influential projects as the Harold Holt Memorial Swimming Pool, the $150 million redevelopment of the MCGs Great Southern Stand in 1992 and the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Centre. While brother Timothy and sister Sara became architects, with sister Olivia pursuing interior design, Melissa took after her grandmother Doreen Mardi Jackson. My grandmother did many things, millinery being one of them. She was the eternal optimist. Because she was brought up in the Depression era, she used to make everything from anything. Dad would give her these beautiful scarves, and she would make it into a bag, she says. She covered couches and made dolls with anything she could get her hands on. Im pretty sure theres a lot of her DNA in me. Beyond DNA, Doreen took a hands-on role, overseeing the creation of a collection of six hats for Jacksons final-year art project at Wesley College. Success in Year 10 with a seagull hat with wings that made the wearer resemble Sally Field in The Flying Nun supported their case when making the unconventional arrangement with school staff. Rather than dive straight into millinery following secondary school, Jackson pursued a textile degree at RMIT, before taking that outside track again and studying opera singing at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. I decided Kiri Te Kanawa wasnt quite my path, and then I diverted again and was accepted into Central Saint Martins, half-way through a course. Former Myer ambassador Jennifer Hawkins wearing a trilby by Jackson in 2014. Credit:Steven Chee Jackson drops this prestigious resume entry with casual aplomb. The London institutions alumni board includes Burberrys creative director Riccardo Tisci, acclaimed designer Alexander McQueen, former Dior designer John Galliano and Jenny Packham, a favourite of Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge. I wasnt there with any stars unfortunately. Stella [McCartney] had finished a couple of years ahead. The teaching there is pretty much that youre left to sink or swim. Theres not a lot of nurturing. Its all about toughing it out because thats whats going to make you a great designer. It prepares you for moments like this. But there were some great trips, like to Paris Fashion Week.

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Performance training at The Melbourne Conservatorium of Music paid off when Jackson talked her way into a Jean Paul Gaultier show in Paris, masquerading as an American journalist. I was also thrown out of an Alexander McQueen for Givenchy show at an abattoir on the outskirts of Paris by a bouncer and climbed scaffolding in The Trocadero to see a John Galliano show for Dior. It was amazing. No bouncer was required to eject Jackson from London, with the pull of family and desire to start her millinery business proving stronger than surviving another bleak winter. Someone in Australia advised her to stay put and enjoy the appreciation of a sophisticated European clientele for headwear. I didnt listen, but they were probably right. Making the final adjustments to a hat in more buoyant times, before the Melbourne Cup. Credit:Jessica Hromas We have come to the dessert stage of proceedings, which for Jackson is a tapioca pot with chocolate sauce and coconut, while I have a few sips of Spicy Lemonade left at the bottom of my bottle. Since returning to Australia in 1998, there have been the highs of dressing celebrities, opening her charming streetfront studio on Fitzroys Gertrude Street, helping revitalise the once challenging retail strip and immersing herself in teaching within the TAFE sector. Unlike their counterparts in Britain, such as Stephen Jones and Philip Treacy, who create bespoke pieces for royalty and racegoers while working for brands such as Valentino, Dior and Balenciaga, Jackson says milliners are given a raw deal by the Australian fashion community.

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All the big designers overseas have hats created for their shows but the Australian designers, I dont know why, dont, she says. There have been Australian designers who think well I can do the hats myself. Its not that spirit of collaboration. That attitude might finally be shifting, with Jackson tapped by designer Kit Willow to create pieces for her Kitx show at Australian Fashion Week. The upcycled denim pieces elevated proceedings and perfectly tapped into Willows focus on sustainability. I knew Kit from Melbourne in 1998-1999, when my first client was the revamped Georges and at that time Willow was working PR. When she asked me, I thought, lets give it a crack. I felt like my grandmother, pulling pieces together from forgotten scraps. The receipt for lunch with Melissa Jackson from Misschu, Richmond. Jackson has found balance to her magpie creativity with husband Michael DeGrieve, who works in IT security. They have been married since 2006. Asked what Michael makes of her creativity she responds that he doesnt quite understand, only to be stopped by a rap on the window. I love it, he says from inside their home. Because he is in IT security all of his work is in one computer, says Jackson. I have quite a few things in my nest. We are quite different but it works. He doesnt like to go to the races. Loading

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Blood red handprints were left on the steps of Parliament House on Thursday as around 150 people, including Australian TV star Ernie Dingo, protested the acquittal of a police officer who fatally shot an Aboriginal mother in Geraldton.

It was part of a national day of action organised to express frustration and sadness over the death of the 29-year-old Yamatji woman, known as JC, who was shot in the stomach while armed with a bread knife and a pair of scissors in 2019.

Ernie Dingo comforts JCs sister. Credit:Sarah Brookes

Yamatji man and Geraldton Regional Aboriginal Medical Services chairman Sandy Davies read a list of demands to reduce the number of indigenous people in custody including posting psychologists at police stations and court houses to assess those in custody.

There is not a jury in this state who will ever have the nerve to convict and fine a police officer guilty, he said.
Social media giants are facing a new push to reveal anonymous users who defame others, putting the issue on the agenda at a global summit this weekend where Prime Minister Scott Morrison will call for a stronger crackdown on Facebook and others.

Mr Morrison said he would ask the leaders of the worlds 20 biggest economies to agree to further action on social media privacy so rules in the outside world  such as defamation law  could apply online.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison holds up his phone during Question Time. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Australia and other countries have joined forces at previous G20 summits to impose tougher rules on digital companies, including an agreement in Osaka two years ago where France backed a push to halt the spread of violent terrorism online in the wake of the Christchurch attacks in March.

Mr Morrison is planning to use a formal statement to the G20 summit in Rome this weekend to raise concerns about the social media companies in a debate on the digital economy, raising the prospect of a repeat of the Osaka deal.
London: The US government has told Britains High Court that Julian Assange could serve out any US prison sentence he received in Australia, a pledge it says should invalidate a bar on his extradition to face charges over WikiLeaks publication of hundreds of thousands of classified US cables.

Earlier this year, a District Court judge ruled that Assanges conduct was capable of constituting criminal offences but that it would be oppressive to send him to the US to face a grand jury because he might take his own life if held under extreme prison conditions, known as SAMs.

A poster of Julian Assange is attached to the gate at the entrance the High Court in London on Wednesday. Credit:AP

On Wednesday, lawyers for the US government opened their appeal against Judge Vanessa Baraitsers January ruling, saying that the judge was obligated to have sought assurances about the conditions in which hed be held if her concerns were strong enough to justify blocking his extradition.

James Lewis QC set out four binding promises the US government had given the UK, including the guarantee that Assange would receive all recommended clinical and psychological treatment, would not be held under SAMs conditions or be sent to a top-security supermax prison in Colorado, and that he could apply to serve out any prison term in his native Australia.
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Local

WUSD tax rate to see decrease in coming year

Watertown-area taxpayers will see a decrease in their 2021-2022 public school district tax rate  from $8.98 this year to $8.90 in the coming year.

The WUSD Board of Education approved the 2021-2022 budget and tax levy with the reduced tax rate Monday night during its regular session for October. The board approved a tax levy of $21,168,906 for the WUSD for the coming year. The levy approved by the board for 2020-2021 was $20,702,182.

On the revenue side, any anticipated increase is coming from the federal funding allocation due to COVID-19. However, that increase in revenue is going to be offset by corresponding, one-time expenditures, said Michael Williamson, director of business services for the district.

According to data provided by the school district, the typical Watertown homeowner will see their taxes consist of 41% going to the city, 22% to the county, 22% to the school district and 4% to Madison Area Technical College.

Speaking after the meeting of the board, Williamson said the district typically receives additional revenue from the state, by either an increase in the per-pupil amount, or the low-revenue limit ceiling, but thats not the case over the next two years.

Gov. Tony Evers did announce an additional $100 million to schools, but we do not know the details of how that will be (distributed), Williams said. We do have a conservative estimate in the current budget for that revenue allocation, once details are announced in the next month or so.

On the expenditures side of the WUSD ledger, Williamson said health insurance will perform below trend and is budgeted well below last years budget estimate.

We have some line items that appear higher, such as capital improvement and instructional software, but as noted already, thats offset by the federal funding revenue, Williamson said. Weve seen inflation increase costs early in the fiscal year and expect that to continue throughout the year, which will put pressure on the budgeted expenditures.

Williamson said the district anticipates revenues exceeding expenditures as it continues to prepare for the 2023-2024 fiscal year, when the operational referendum ends and declining membership, which is related to enrollment, will take its biggest toll on district revenues.

During his presentation of the budget Monday, Williamson broke down salary and benefits that are paid by the district. He said salary and benefits break down to 50% being paid to educators. Support staff make up 13%, while 28% goes to other expenses and co-curricular, supervisors and the administration account for the remainder.

When the Watertown Unified School District asked the community for referendum support in November of 2018, the board of education promised no increase in the tax rate for the five years of the operational referendum, WUSD Superintendent Cassandra Schug said. In this years budget, the district has more than kept that promise to the community by decreasing the tax rate of $8.98 that has been in place for the past four years to $8.90 for the 2021-2022 budget.

Schug said the WUSD has committed to a five-year budget plan, and the board and administration strategically review all the key budget factors impacting that plan throughout the budget planning process and throughout the year. Last year, according to Schug, as a result of the boards strategic budget plan, the WUSD implemented insurance provider changes with anticipated savings of $4.6 million.

Over this past school year, the WUSD has already experienced over $1 million of savings as a result of this change, and we continue to maintain insurance costs at well below the national trend for health care inflation, Schug said.

Schug said that, despite committing to long term fiscal planning and anticipated savings, declining enrollments continue to impact the WUSD, and this year the WUSD saw greater than anticipated declines in enrollments. It also saw increased enrollments in the virtual charter school, while eCampus helped mitigate the decline.

The WUSD is committed to continuing its efforts to market the unique learning opportunities in the WUSD to recruit new students and families to our community schools, she said.

The district has also been challenged this past year with increased costs due to COVID-19. These costs have included increased technology needs, additional nursing/health assistant support and personal protective equipment.

The WUSD continues to educate students at approximately $900 less per student than the state average and has done so over the past 10 years, Schug said. The WUSD is grateful for the long-term support for our students and schools in the Watertown community.
Retired U.S. Army Sgt. First Class Dana Bowman parachuted from a helicopter, bringing with him a large American flag as he landed on the Weatherford Christian School field Tuesday, Nov. 9 for a special ceremony in honor of Veterans Day.
WSU Hosts African American Ancestry DNA Reveal

October 27, 2021

OGDEN, Utah  Weber State Universitys African American Heritage Initiative (AAHi) is hosting its second annual event, The Reveal 2: My African Identity, Nov. 10 from 6-8:30 p.m. in the Shepherd Union Ballrooms. The event is free and open to the public.

During the evening, 19 African Diaspora students and six WSU faculty and staff will learn their ancestral African origins from the results of a DNA test that was performed prior to the event. Diaspora, according to Merriam-Webster, means a group of people who live outside the area in which they had lived for a long time or in which their ancestors lived. AAHi will also initiate a one-year project to help African Diaspora students understand their ancestry and culture.

After going to various multicultural events on campus, I realized that many African Americans have lost a lot of their culture and roots, said Kenneth Johnson, AAHi advisor and Center for Multicultural Excellence counselor. We need to find a way to regain that culture, so I came up with the idea of using DNA testing to help students learn about their pre-slavery background and culture.

Participants in the DNA project were selected from a pool of candidates based on their interest in the program, backgrounds and academic goals.

Meltia Hickman was part of the inaugural DNA reveal in 2019 and now serves as the president of AAHi.

I want to take advantage of every opportunity I have to experience and learn about my culture, Hickman said. Whether it is finding out my tribe or being able to speak with somebody and knowing they are going to learn something from what I know. But if I dont understand my culture, then I cant teach anybody else.

Originally from East St. Louis, Hickman moved to Ogden to find a more stable and safe environment. She is pursuing a bachelors degree in human resource management, with plans to work for a major corporation.

This year, 16 of the participants used the DNA test to trace their matriarchal line, and three traced their patriarchal line.

In 2019, Hickman traced her matriarchal line and discovered that her ancestors originated from the Tikar Tribe in Cameroon. With those results, she has connected to others with similar backgrounds.

The impact of this experience has been life changing, Hickman said.  I feel like Ive been on a journey of self-discovery and learning. It has helped me figure out who I really am and that there is more to me than just being Black. I am African-American and I know what that means now.

This year, Hickman will serve as a mentor to other students. Hickmans experience, and that of her fellow students, has also encouraged faculty to learn more about their family history.

Donna Hunter, Counseling & Psychological Services Center counselor, attended the inaugural event in 2019 and is one of the six faculty participating this year. She was inspired by the pride and self-assurance she saw in the students after they learned their DNA results.

Belongingness is a fundamental human need, Hunter said. Knowing who you are through who your ancestors were is a need and desire we all have. It gives you strength from which to draw from when you know you are carrying forward positive characteristics. Its transformative.

Gina Paige, the co-founder of African Ancestry, will be the keynote speaker for the event and will present the students with their DNA results.

Paige is a leading expert on DNA-based ancestry tracing and co-founded African Ancestry in 2003. She has presented her work to various community groups, faith-based communities and educational organizations nationally and internationally.

Once you understand what tribe you come from, then you can understand the culture of that tribe, what its about, what they do, their colors, their songs, etc., Johnson said. I now know that I am from Sierra Leone and the Mende Tribe. With that information, we can start to do events based on peoples culture and share it with the campus community.

The event was funded by the Student Affairs Underrepresented Student Support Grant, which provides one-time seed funding for meaningful projects that directly impact underrepresented students in higher education, as well as the Center for Multicultural Excellence, Access & Diversity, the Presidents Office, Stewart Library, Jerry & Vickie Moyes College of Education and Student Involvement & Leadership.

Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)  Missouri Republican Mark McCloskey, who is running for the U.S. Senate, said he does not support allowing abortions for young girls who become pregnant through rape or incest.

McCloskey, a St. Louis personal injury lawyer who gained national attention after he and his wife waved guns at racial injustice protesters last summer, made the remarks last week at a forum in Osage Beach in response to a woman who said some candidates who profess to be anti-abortion would allow the procedure in some cases.

Ive got a client who was raped by an uncle when she was 13 years old, had the child; she finished high school, finished college and got a masters degree, McCloskey said. "That child she would have aborted finished high school, finished college and now has a masters degree. ... I don't believe in any exceptions.

McCloskey did not specifically address whether he would support an abortion to save the life of the mother, The Kansas City Star reported.

He said it has always bothered him that people who oppose the death penalty often support abortion rights.

The justices of the Supreme Court in the most heinous crimes dont have the right to decide who should live and die, he said. But every 13-year-old girl on the street should be able to decide the fate of the life of their child?

The video of the full candidate forum, hosted by We the People Camden County, has been posted online. A portion of his comments was captured and sent to The Star by American Bridge, a Democratic research organization.

A federal appeals court is deciding the fate of a Missouri law that would ban abortions at eight weeks of pregnancy. The full 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis isnt expected to rule for several weeks.

In June, a three-judge 8th Circuit panel upheld an injunction from U.S. District Judge Howard Sachs prohibiting Missouri from enforcing the laws provisions, but the full court decided to hear the case.

Jane Cunningham, a Republican former state senator who attended the event, said the audience was thrilled by McCloskey's answer.

The abortion issue is "one of the litmus tests if youre running in a Republican primary, Cunningham said.

The subject of abortion exceptions sank the U.S. Senate campaign of Republican Todd Akin in 2012. Akin, who was the Republican nominee, was asked if he supported abortions for women who were raped.

Akin, who died this month, responded, If its a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. He was later soundly defeated by Democrat Claire McCaskill.

McCloskey announced his Senate candidacy after he and his wife waved weapons at Black Lives Matter protesters marching past their house in St. Louis last summer. He later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault and his wife pleaded guilty to misdemeanor harassment but they were pardoned by Gov. Mike Parson.
MANSFIELD  A local art teacher was celebrated for earning the states highest recognition as Connecticuts 2022 Teacher of the Year during a ceremony on Thursday, according to the governors office.

Kim King, a pre-kindergarten through fourth grade art teacher in Mansfield at the Southeast Elementary School and the Annie E. Vinton School, was given the news Thursday morning at Southeast by Gov. Ned Lamont and Connecticut Education Commissioner Charlene M. Russell-Tucker.

After King was told of the recognition, there was a school-wide assembly in celebration that included educators, family and students from both schools.

Ms. King embodies so many of the qualities that delivers success in our schools, and her colleagues in Mansfield Public Schools have been singing her praises, Lamont said in a statement. We owe so much of the success that happens in our communities to the generous teachers who have dedicated themselves to this noble profession. I thank Ms. King and every teacher in Connecticut for what they provide our schools each and every day.

King has been an art teacher at Mansfield Public School for the last six years. She previously served at Riverside Magnet School in East Hartford and Westbrook High School in Westbrook.

Ms. Kim Kings commitment to continuous reflection and refinement of her craft is admirable, Russell-Tucker said in a statement. Her students are privileged to learn under the guidance of not only such a talented artist and educator, but a lifelong learner who demonstrates the very love for discovery that we hope to instill in our students.

After earning a bachelors degree in art photography from Syracuse University, King received her masters in Art Education from New York University.

While attending graduate school, King received a graduate assistantship to teach reading in the Bronx, N.Y., through NYUs Metro Center for Urban Education and John Hopkins University.

In 2003, King earned an Aetna fellowship to attend the University of Connecticuts Writing Project Summer Institute. She received a grant from Fund for Teachers in 2020 to study the art and culture of South Korea.

Kim is deeply committed to student-centered practices and supports children to find their voice and express themselves through a discovery-focused process of making art, Mansfield Public Schools Superintendent Kelly Lyman said in a statement. Kim will be a wonderful advocate for all teachers.

Mike Seal, principal of Annie E. Vinton School, said Kings mission in her classroom is to foster creative confidence in her students.

Lauren Rodriguez, principal at Southeast, said Kings caring nature allows students to trust that she will help them create their best work and expand on their individuality and creativity.

King will become the states representative for 2022 National Teacher of the Year. The honor was bestowed last year on Rochelle Brown, a kindergarten teacher from Poquonock School in Windsor.

The Connecticut Teacher of the Year is decided annually by the Connecticut Teacher of the Year Council  a group comprised of former recipients and representatives from educational organizations, businesses and the community. This year, the council reviewed nearly 100 district-level teachers through a selection process that included candidate applications, virtual interviews and site visits.
If you know of local business openings or closings, please notify us here.

 New beauty studio, Glow Factory, opens at 1708 Washington Blvd. in Easton

 New salon, Mirror Beauty Studio, to open at 2002 Hanover Avenue in Allentown. Grand opening set for Dec. 3.

 A Red Wing shoe store will open on Airport Road in Allentown at the site of the former Zoup! restaurant.

 Paisley & Company Bath Boutique & Fragrance Bar in Kutztown reopens for in-person shopping

 Bitty & Beau's Coffee opens at 74 W. Broad Street in Bethlehem

 American Family Care opens urgent care center in the County Line Plaza, off of Route 113 near Souderton, Bucks County

 Charming Charlie, a women's contemporary fashion and accessories retailer, will return to the Outlets at Wind Creek.

 All Weather Selvedge Denim Co. (AW) opens at The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley in suite 608, next to Evolve Salon & Spa.

 PrimoHoagies, the casual restaurant known for its gourmet hoagies, plans to open two restaurants in Stroudsburg.

 Laura McLain, executive director of the Slate Belt Chamber of Commerce, will retire at the end of 2021 after 21+ years of service.

 Thomas Ripsam has been named the new CEO of Martin Guitar. He succeeds longtime Chairman and CEO Christian Frederick Martin IV.

. Owners of Tucker Silk Mill to open wine bar and garden in down Easton in early 2022. Kabinett will have a mostly Australian and German wine list, with light fare, and an outdoor patio overlooking the Delaware River.
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With little more than a month to go, the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season used all the letters in its alphabet with formation of Subtropical Storm Wanda.
HARTFORD, CT (WFSB) - A key Food and Drug Administration vote was in favor of a smaller Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine dose for children ages 5 to 11.

Connecticut is preparing to vaccinate the age group.

State health officials prepare to roll out Pfizer vaccine to younger kids once it's approved With the Food and Drug Administrations advisory panel giving the green light on Pfizers vaccine for children ages 5 to 11, state health officials are preparing to roll out the vaccine to younger kids here in Connecticut.

The state expects to have nearly 100,000 kid-size doses of Pfizers vaccine.

Once the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gives the shot the green light, children could start getting vaccinated in Connecticut as soon as Nov. 4.

There are approximately 280,000 children between the ages of 5 and 11 in the state.

+3 FDA vaccine advisers vote to recommend Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine for children 5 to 11 Vaccine advisers to the US Food and Drug Administration voted 17-0 with one abstention Tuesday to recommend emergency use authorization of Pfi

The state Department of Public Health said the expected approval of the vaccine for the age group is major step forward in the vaccine rollout. Health officials said an authorized vaccine for nearly all school-aged children will help keep schools open and safe.

"When we make these kinds of decisions, its all based on one thing: Would we give this vaccine to our own children?" said Dr. Paul Offit, member, FDA Vaccines Advisory Committee. "I think no one would have said yes if they weren't willing to give it to their own children."

In trials, Pfizer said its vaccine was over 90 percent effective at preventing at children from getting sick.

The state ordered more than 51,000 doses while pharmacies are expected to receive roughly 45,000 doses in the first allocation. Children will be able to get the vaccine at pediatrician offices, pharmacies, school-based clinics and other locations like health departments.

"[We're] working very closely with our physicians and your primary care doctors, but you also have to remember a lot of these kids dont have a primary care doctor," Lamont said.

Vaccine providers such as UConn Health said they are ready to vaccinate the new group.

The state reported roughly 90-percent of the population 12 and older has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 shot.

In New Haven, they routinely have pop-up vaccine clinics. Those arent going away, but the city will soon start to turn its attention to children.

In the Elm City, 56 percent of the population is fully vaccinated, but that means 44 percent are still not.

The mayor said a good chunk of that includes kids under the age of 12 who are currently ineligible.

With that expected to change next week, the city is already making plans.

Following the lead of the president and the governor, they expect pediatricians to take the lead as families are more comfortable with their own doctors.

In a big city like New Haven, there are plenty of kids who might not regularly go to a doctor, or they get their healthcare through a local school-based clinic.

So the city says it will be working with its health department and board of education making sure they have a combination of small clinics at schools and large scale clinics as well, something they did last spring at high schools when the vaccine was opened up for kids 12 and over.

I was literally just on the phone with our health director, Director Bond, and its a pretty fast-moving situation because the approvals are coming next week, and so she has confidence we will be prepared with the smaller doses to make sure were able to give people access to the vaccine rather quickly, Mayor Justin Elicker said.

The city said its not just planning clinics, but also educating families in advance so that they can make the best decision for their children.
BERLIN, CT (WFSB) - Eversource customers will save a little money on their power bills.

The utility company has agreed to cut rates in December and January as part of a settlement tied to Tropical Storm Isaias, which hit the state last summer.

The average Eversource customer will save $35 over their November and January bills. The deal with the state is worth $103 million.

At least one state leader, however, feels the company is getting off easy.

The two to one Public Utilities Regulatory Authority vote happened on Wednesday morning.

In Aug. 2020, Isaias left thousands of customers without power for several days.

Eversource fined $29 million by PURA due to Isaias failures The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority imposed a $29 million penalty against Eversource for what it called failures during the aftermath of Tropical Storm Isaias.

Of the $103 million, $65 million will go right back to customers' pockets. Eversource has also agreed not to appeal a nearly $30 million fine and set up a $10 million fund to help people who are experiencing financial difficulties.

Gov. Ned Lamont and Attorney General William Tong worked with Eversource on the agreement and have championed it publicly; however, PURA commissioner Marissa Gillet was the sole vote against the deal. At the meeting, of which Channel 3 obtained audio, she said that in some ways the settlement lets Eversource off the hook because she feels it does not punish it severely enough or return enough money to customers.

"I commend and applaud a lot of the objectives as I understand them that were embodied in the settlement," Gillet said. "However Im not able to get there at this time. So I will not be able to support this settlement today.

Eversource has also agreed that it wont raise rates in Connecticut until at least January of 2023.
Quincy, IL (62301)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun early followed by cloudy skies this afternoon. High 56F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Considerable cloudiness. Occasional rain showers after midnight. Low near 40F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
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Senior Information Communiation Technology Associate - Global Shared Services Centre, Budapest

Organization: UNICEF - United Nations Childrens Fund

Country: Hungary

City: Budapest

Office: UNICEF GSSC Budapest

Closing date: Tuesday, 9 November 2021

Senior Info. Comm. Technology Associate, GS-7, UNICEF Global Shared Services Centre, Budapest, Hungary

Job no: 545706

Position type: Fixed Term Appointment

Location: Hungary Division/Equivalent: Operations

School/Unit: Global Shared Services Centre

Department/Office: Customer Care Section

Categories: Information Communication Technology

UNICEF works in some of the worlds toughest places, to reach the worlds most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

UNICEFs Global Shared Services Centre (GSSC) in Budapest, Hungary provides services to UNICEF offices globally in the areas of Finance, Human Resources, Payroll, and Information Technology.

GSSC has won the 2019 Business Services Firm of the Year in Hungary, 26 regional awards announced at the Central and Eastern European Business Services Summit & Awards held in Warsaw, Poland.

How can you make a difference?

UNICEF is seeking candidates to support the GSSCs Customer Care Section in the function of Senior Information and Communication Technology Associate at the GS-7 level to provide user support and contribute to the further improvements of UNICEFs learning platform, AGORA.

Background and Rationale

In February 2015, UNICEF launched a Learning Management System (LMS) to offer an easy, structured, and centralized access to learning opportunities and to improve reporting and evaluation of learning activities. The platform called AGORA ( https://agora.unicef.org ) now has more than 300,000 enrolled learners (internal and external) and it includes more than a thousand off-the-shelf courses and resources from specialized providers, custom UNICEF online courses, and face-to-face and blended programmes from both UNICEF and external providers.

As usage has increased significantly, it becomes critical to setup a more sustainable and efficient user support function, assisting UNICEF staff, supervisors, course managers, senior managers as well as guest users/partners.

Purpose

This position aims at providing user support and contribute to improvements of the Agora learning platform regarding usability and performance. Integrated in the larger support function based in the Global Shared Services Centre in Budapest, the Snr. ICT Associate (AGORA Support) will also work closely with the AGORA project team currently based in the Learning and Knowledge Exchange Section, Division of Data, Analytics, Planning and Monitoring.

This will involve...

Under the supervision of the ICT Manager, Customer Care, the Snr. ICT Associate (AGORA support) is expected to primarily provide services including:

Agora learning platform users support

In collaboration with other Customer Care analysts, respond to queries from users of the Agora learning platform submitted to the team. The Customer Care Analyst would act as a specialist and focal point of the Agora platform within the Customer Care team.

Transfer knowledge to other members of the Customer Care team to enable them to provide support for the platform to all users

Provide technical assistance to facilitators and subject matter experts to publish and manage their courses on Agora

Fix issues on Agora in collaboration with the Agora project team in DAPM, to address the issues reported by learners and/or course managers

Support field offices with reports / compliance data

Guide UNICEF offices monitoring learning and development planning activity in their office using PowerBI dashboards and reports (already created). For example, helping them apply filters, understand how to read data and/or export specific details.

Create documentation and contribute to the development of the Agora platform

Document knowledge articles on Service Gateway, on the basis of the support requests received

Collaborate with the Agora project team in DAPM and attend weekly meetings and training events, to be aware of current projects and latest developments

Contribute to the development and update of guidelines on the Agora Wiki site and in other formats

Provide a monthly report on most common types or issues / errors, suggesting fixes and/or feature improvements when appropriate

Support the Continue Improvement process of the Agora platform

Communicate to the SMEs in DAPM and ICTD ideas for enhancement and changes as indicated by end users and Customer Care team

Collaborate with SMEs in finding technical solutions in relation to user access activities, i.e.: access of non-UNICEF users to the platform and internal support mechanism

As an advocate for every child, you will have...

Completion of secondary education (high school diploma) is a minimum requirement, preferably supplemented with formal training at university level in Computer Science, Information Systems, Telecommunications, Engineering

A minimum of seven (7) years of practical work experience in Information Technology, requiring systematic methods of troubleshooting and problem solving is required

ITIL Foundation Certificate or equivalent customer support certification is an asset cw9HmSw Dh7qKS

Experience with Learning Management Systems (Moodle, Totara) is essential

Experience with end-user support (helpdesk and creation of resources) is essential

Excellent knowledge of the Identity & Access Management process in UNICEF is essential

Experience developing user guidance & how-to guides is essential

Experience using the PowerBI Service (online) is desirable

Proven ability to work both independently and with a team is desirable

Demonstrates integrity, reliability and respect of confidentiality

Demonstrates courtesy, tact, patience and ability to work effectively with people of different national and cultural backgrounds

Knowledge of the UN and UNICEFs mandate and work experience in the area learning development and knowledge management is desirable

Fluency in English (verbal and written) is required. Knowledge of an additional UN Language (especially French and/or Spanish) is a strong asset

Non - Hungarian citizens must be in possession of a work permit (not related to studies, job seeking or current employer) or be nationals of EU countries.

Please note that General Service (GS) staff are locally recruited staff and therefore, candidates are personally responsible for any travel and accommodation arrangements.

UNICEF does not facilitate MFA accreditation for locally recruited staff.

Remarks:

Requirement for internal applicants: Internal applicants from GSSC are required to complete the courses of Learning Paths that are identified as essential when applying to the level of this post

For Vacancy Announcements in 2021, internal applicants who are only able to complete the self-directed online components of training courses in the Learning Paths due to non-availability of workshops during the time of the Vacancy Announcements, are required to complete the workshop components during the selection process. In case an internal candidate is identified as recommended candidate, all relevant courses must be completed before the onboarding date. Please visit the L&D Portal Learning and Development (sharepoint.com) for more information.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEFs Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability (CRITA) underpin everything we do and how we do it https://uni.cf/UNICEFValues

Builds and maintains partnerships

Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

Drives to achieve results for impact

Innovates and embraces change

Manages ambiguity and complexity

Thinks and Acts Strategically

Works collaboratively with others

To view our competency framework, please visit: https://uni.cf/Competencies

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, race, sexual orientation, nationality, culture, appearance, socio-economic status, ability, age, religious, and ethnic backgrounds, to apply to become a part of the organization. More information on UNICEFs commitment to diversity and inclusion:

https://uni.cf/InclusiveUNICEF

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

Advertised: Oct 26 2021 Central Europe Daylight Time Application close: Nov 09 2021 Central Europe Standard Time

Link to the organizations job offer: https://unjobs.org/vacancies/1635284144316
Project Officer - Global Shared Services Centre, Budapest

Organization: UNICEF - United Nations Childrens Fund

Country: Hungary

City: Budapest

Office: UNICEF GSSC Budapest

Closing date: Tuesday, 9 November 2021

Project Officer, NO-A, UNICEF Global Shared Services Centre, Budapest, Hungary

Job no: 545705

Position type: Fixed Term Appointment

Location: Hungary Division/Equivalent: Operations

School/Unit: Global Shared Services Centre

Department/Office: Customer Care Section

Categories: Information Communication Technology, Operations and Business Management

UNICEF works in some of the worlds toughest places, to reach the worlds most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

UNICEFs Global Shared Services Centre (GSSC) in Budapest, Hungary provides services to UNICEF offices globally in the areas of Finance, Human Resources, Payroll and Information Technology.

GSSC has won the 2019 Business Services Firm of the Year in Hungary, 26 regional awards announced at the Central and Eastern European Business Services Summit & Awards held in Warsaw, Poland.

The Global Shared Services Center often partners with the Division of Information and Communication Technology in joint projects for continuous process improvement. These projects are for the benefit of both end-users, and processing staff and business partners.

How can you make a difference?

The Project Officer will oversee the successful implementation of the major GSSC projects, coordinate with all relevant stakeholders and update the management team of the progress, risks and needed interventions during the whole project lifecycle.

Key functions, accountabilities, and related tasks:

Oversee the successful implementation of major GSSC projects

Support coordination with stakeholders (both internals and externals) and update management team of the progress, risks and needed interventions during the whole project lifecycle

Working collaboratively with both technical and business teams, and end-users to outline the project scope, manage vendor relationships

Facilitate collaboration between process owners, end-users and stakeholders to convert business requirements to functional requirements

Ensure that costs, timelines and deliverables are in line with agreements

Ensure that all project artifacts are created for each project (e.g.: business case, project plan, status and risk reports, standard operating procedures, benefit realization and lessons learnt)

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have...

Advanced University Degree in Information Systems Management or Information Technology, Project Management, Computer Science, Business Administration or related field is required.

Minimum 1 year of relevant experience in project management experience in IT project management (medium scale) with a proven track record of interfacing with multiple levels of the organization and successful project completion

Certification and/or proven track record of one of these ICT competencies: ICT Project Management, Business Analytics, Information Security, ICT Audit and Risk Management, Telecommunications, Networks Information Security and Software Engineering and Programming

Excellent understanding of the project lifecycle and fluent project manager methodologies of PMI Agile and PRINCE2 cw9Gpku Dh7qKS

Significant experience collaborating across multiple functions and working with operational SMEs, technical resources/ infrastructure, and architecture teams

Excellent communication and presentation skills (written & verbal) targeting multiple audiences with ability to influence others while working in a multicultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity

High motivation, enthusiasm, and dedication to deliver results within strict timeframes

High proficiency with Microsoft Office, specifically MS Project, Visio, Excel, and PowerPoint is required

Fluency in English (both written and verbal) is required. Knowledge of another official UN language is considered as an asset

National Officer (NO) staff are nationals of the country in which they perform functions of a technical and professional nature.

Eligible applicants are nationals of Hungary.

National Officer staff are locally recruited staff and therefore, candidates are personally responsible for any travel and accommodation arrangements. UNICEF does not facilitate MFA accreditation for locally recruited staff.

Remarks:

Requirement for internal applicants: Internal applicants from GSSC are required to complete the courses of Learning Paths that are identified as essential when applying to the level of this post

For Vacancy Announcements in 2021, internal applicants who are only able to complete the self-directed online components of training courses in the Learning Paths due to non-availability of workshops during the time of the Vacancy Announcements, are required to complete the workshop components during the selection process. In case an internal candidate is identified as recommended candidate, all relevant courses must be completed before the onboarding date. Please visit the L&D Portal Learning and Development (sharepoint.com) for more information.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEFs Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability (CRITA) underpin everything we do and how we do it https://uni.cf/UNICEFValues

Builds and maintains partnerships

Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

Drives to achieve results for impact

Innovates and embraces change

Manages ambiguity and complexity

Thinks and Acts Strategically

Works collaboratively with others

To view our competency framework, please visit: https://uni.cf/Competencies

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, race, sexual orientation, nationality, culture, appearance, socio-economic status, ability, age, religious, and ethnic backgrounds, to apply to become a part of the organization. More information on UNICEFs commitment to diversity and inclusion:

https://uni.cf/InclusiveUNICEF

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

Advertised: Oct 26 2021 Central Europe Daylight Time Application close: Nov 09 2021 Central Europe Standard Time

Link to the organizations job offer: https://unjobs.org/vacancies/1635283918634
Willmar, MN (56201)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. Low 28F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. Low 28F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.
SALEM, Ore. (AP)  Former New York Times journalist Nicholas Kristof announced his candidacy Wednesday for Oregon governor, saying the state needs a political newbie to solve problems like homelessness and rural despair.

I've never run for political office in my life, Kristof said in a campaign video, expressing it as an asset. He said he felt compelled to run for governor because, after covering crises around the world, he was heartbroken to see ones afflicting his home state.

Kristof pointed out that many of the kids he grew up with in Yamhill, 25 miles (40 kilometers) southwest of Portland, are dead, their deaths drug- or alcohol-related. Kristof calls them victims of inequality.

Kristof joins a crowded field of Democrats seeking their party's nomination to be the candidate in the 2022 election, including Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek and state Treasurer Tobias Read. Democrats have held the governors office since 1987.

In his video, Kristof said political leaders have been unable to resolve issues such as drug addiction, homelessness, unaffordable housing, a spiraling homicide rate in Portland and weak mental health support.

Nothing will change until we stop moving politicians up the career ladder year after year, even though they refuse to step up to the problems Oregon faces, said Kristof, wearing a jacket with the logo of Portland-based Columbia Sportswear.

Kristof has faced questions of whether he's even eligible to run for governor. According to the law, a candidate must have been a resident of the state for at least three years before an election. Kristof voted in New York state in November 2020.

I probably should have changed my registration. I wasnt focused on paperwork. I was focused on voting to remove President Trump and vote for Joe Biden, Kristof told reporters in Portland on Wednesday.

A legal opinion by lawyers working for Kristof, first reported by Willamette Week newspaper, said Kristof has always considered Oregon his home, even though his job required him to live around the world.

Nothing in the Oregon Constitution or the historical sources used to interpret its meaning suggest that registration to vote in another jurisdiction alone disqualifies a person from residential eligibility for governor, said the opinion, co-written by Misha Isaak, Oregon Gov. Kate Browns former general counsel.

Kristof and his wife, Sheryl WuDunn  who also was a New York Times reporter  bought a 150-acre property in Yamhill in 1993 and have worked the land and paid Oregon property taxes on it.

Also trying to illustrate Kristof's ties to this Pacific Northwest state, the lawyers added that Kristof has hiked its entire length on the Pacific Crest Trail, backpacked around Mount Hood (the state's tallest peak) and eaten at Mos Seafood and Chowder in Lincoln City, a restaurant chain that's an institution on the Oregon Coast.

Richard Clucas, a political science professor at Portland State University  where Kristof's parents used to teach  said Kristof won't be able to coast to election victory on name recognition. Many Oregonians don't know who Kristof, who won two Pulitzer Prizes as a foreign correspondent and columnist, is.

He is not a prominent actor, or a professional wrestler, or a reality TV star. Hes a columnist for a publication that has a specific kind of a readership, Clucas said.

On Monday, he asked his class of around 30 students on state politics who had heard of Kristof. Only two did.

Media coverage of Kristof's announcement will help him gain name recognition, but he faces an uphill battle ahead of the May 17 primary elections in which the Democratic and GOP gubernatorial candidates will be elected.

Kristof's background in rural Oregon could resonate with voters, Clucas said.

Clearly the issues he has raised are ones that people are concerned about in the state. Some parts of rural Oregon have remained in economic recession since the 1980s," Clucas said.

Kristof, who left The New York Times earlier this month, has written frequently about the economic and social problems of the people he grew up with in Oregon as the region's manufacturing and timber economy collapsed.

I think we do need to try to build some bridges and try to knit this state together, Kristof said. "I would hope that, perhaps as a liberal from a rural area, I may have some advantage in trying to do that.

Democratic Gov. Kate Brown is term-limited and cant run for the state's top office again. About a dozen Republican candidates have also said they will run for their party's nomination.

___

Associated Press/Report for America journalist Sara Cline contributed to this report from Portland.

___

Follow Andrew Selsky on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andrewselsky
NEW YORK (AP)  A New York judge on Wednesday refused to pause a COVID-19 vaccine mandate set to begin Friday for the citys municipal workforce, denying a police unions request for a temporary restraining order.

Judge Lizette Colon said the mandate can take effect as scheduled while also ordering city officials to appear in court Nov. 12 to defend the requirement against a union lawsuit seeking to have it declared illegal.

Police officers, firefighters and most other city workers must show proof theyve gotten at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by 5 p.m. Friday. Previously, city workers were able to show proof of a negative test to stay on the job.

Workers who don't comply will be put on unpaid leave starting Monday.

As a result, the citys fire department said it was preparing to close 20% of its fire companies and have 20% fewer ambulances in service.

Colon, whose court is on Staten Island, issued the ruling hours after hearing arguments from lawyers for the Police Benevolent Association, the citys largest police union, and the city, which prevailed in arguing the mandate should be implemented without delay.

PBA President Pat Lynch said in a statement that Colon's refusal to halt the mandate sets the city up for a real crisis" and will inevitably result in fewer cops available to protect our city.

As of Tuesday, 73% of police department personnel had gotten at least one vaccine dose, Police Commissioner Dermot Shea told WPIX-TV on Wednesday. More than 60 NYPD employees have died of COVID-19.

The NYPD did not provide specific answers when asked how it will manage personnel levels and public safety if one-quarter of its workforce  including thousands of officers  is put on unpaid leave for noncompliance.

In response to detailed questions, NYPD spokesperson Al Baker provided a one-sentence written statement: We will be prepared for any changes in personnel due to the mandate.

The fire department reported a vaccination rate of 68% as of Wednesday. The department, whose EMTs and paramedics were working around the clock in the early days of the pandemic, lost 16 workers to the virus.

A firefighters union said it was holding a rally Thursday outside Mayor Bill de Blasios residence to protest the mandate.

Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said in a statement Wednesday night that the FDNY will use all means at our disposal, including mandatory overtime, mutual aid from other EMS providers, and significant changes to the schedules of our members to ensure continuity of operations."

A lawyer for the city said police officers, firefighters and other affected city workers will be given back pay if the judge ultimately sides with the police union, which argued that the vaccine mandate is arbitrary, capricious and an abuse of discretion.

Lawyers for the PBA, which represents about 23,000 current and retired NYPD officers, said in court papers after Wednesdays hearing that the vaccine mandate forces officers to choose between their careers and their personal beliefs, infringing officers right to bodily integrity.

The PBA argued that some officers put on leave wont be able to afford to wait out a legal fight over the mandate and will be forced either to get vaccinated or find new jobs, which it said will mean the loss of seniority and city medical and pension benefits.

Also Wednesday, a federal appeals panel presiding in another mandate-related case seemed to be supportive of arguments that a New York state vaccine mandate for health care workers does not violate their Constitutional rights even though the mandate doesn't provide religious exemptions.

The three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals did not immediately rule, but largely seemed in agreement with oral arguments by a state lawyer. The arguments came after a Utica federal judge ruled that the mandate violated workers Constitutional rights.

In an August order, the state required at least a first shot for health care workers at hospitals and nursing homes by Sept. 27, and more recently expanded the requirement to include workers at assisted living homes, hospice care, treatment centers and home health aides.

New Yorks deputy solicitor general, Steven Wu, said employers can allow religious exemptions when workers agree not to work directly with patients. Religious exemption requests are as much as 20 to 30 times higher than medical exemption requests in the northern part of the state, Wu said.

Wu also defended the mandate's exemption for medical reasons when the threat to a worker from something like an allergic reaction to a vaccine poses as big a threat as the coronavirus. He said medical exemption requests are generally temporary and affect relatively few workers.

Attorney Christopher Ferrara, arguing for medical workers, said the state had allowed nurses and doctors to continue doing what they did for 18 months when they were heroes on the front line before imposing the mandate.

The Christian plaintiffs oppose medical cooperation in abortion as a matter of religious conviction. All of the available vaccines employ aborted fetus cell lines in their testing, development or production, according to court papers, but religious leaders have disagreed over the issue and the Vatican issued a statement last year saying the vaccines were morally acceptable.
McALESTER, Okla. (AP)  Oklahoma administered the death penalty Thursday on a man who convulsed and vomited as he was executed for the 1998 slaying of a prison cafeteria worker, ending a six-year execution moratorium brought on by concerns over its execution methods,

John Marion Grant, 60, who was strapped to a gurney inside the execution chamber, began convulsing and vomiting after the first drug, the sedative midazolam, was administered. Several minutes later, two members of the execution team wiped the vomit from his face and neck.

Before the curtain was raised to allow witnesses to see into the execution chamber, Grant could be heard yelling, Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!" He delivered a stream of profanities before the lethal injection started. He was declared unconscious about 15 minutes after the first of three drugs was administered and declared dead about six minutes after that, at 4:21 p.m.

Someone vomiting while being executed is rare, according to observers.

Ive never heard of or seen that," said Robert Dunham, executive director of the nonpartisan Death Penalty Information Center. That is notable and unusual.

Michael Graczyk, a retired Associated Press reporter who still covers executions for the organization on a freelance basis, has witnessed the death penalty being carried out about 450 times. He said Thursday he could only recall one instance of someone vomiting while being put to death.

The Oklahoma attorney general and governor did not respond to questions about Grant's reactions to the drugs. In fact, Department of Corrections spokesman Justin Wolf said by email that the execution was carried out in accordance with Oklahoma Department of Corrections' protocols and without complication.

A statement from Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt referenced a section of the Oklahoma Constitution in which voters overwhelmingly enshrined the death penalty.

"Today, the Department of Corrections carried out the law of the State of Oklahoma and delivered justice to Gay Carters family," Stitt said.

Grant was the first person in Oklahoma to be executed since a series of flawed lethal injections in 2014 and 2015. He serving a 130-year prison sentence for several armed robberies when witnesses say he dragged prison cafeteria worker Gay Carter into a mop closet and stabbed her 16 times with a homemade shank. He was sentenced to die in 1999.

At least now we are starting to get justice for our loved ones," Carter's daughter, Pamela Gay Carter, said in a statement. The death penalty is about protecting any potential future victims. Even after Grant was removed from society, he committed an act of violence that took an innocent life. I pray that justice prevails for all the other victims' loved ones. My heart and prayers go out to you all."

Oklahoma moved forward with the lethal injection after the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-3 decision, lifted stays of execution that were put in place on Wednesday for Grant and another death row inmate, Julius Jones, by the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The states Pardon and Parole Board twice denied Grants request for clemency, including a 3-2 vote this month to reject a recommendation that his life be spared.

Oklahoma had one of the nations busiest death chambers until problems in 2014 and 2015 led to a de facto moratorium. Richard Glossip was just hours away from being executed in September 2015 when prison officials realized they received the wrong lethal drug. It was later learned the same wrong drug had been used to execute an inmate in January 2015.

The drug mix-ups followed a botched execution in April 2014 in which inmate Clayton Lockett struggled on a gurney before dying 43 minutes into his lethal injection  and after the states prisons chief ordered executioners to stop.

While the moratorium was in place, Oklahoma moved ahead with plans to use nitrogen gas to execute inmates, but ultimately scrapped that idea and announced last year that it planned to resume executions using the same three-drug lethal injection protocol that was used during the flawed executions. The three drugs are: midazolam, a sedative, vecuronium bromide, a paralytic, and potassium chloride, which stops the heart.

Oklahoma prison officials recently announced that they had confirmed a source to supply all the drugs needed for Grant's execution plus six more that are scheduled to take place through March.

Extensive validations and redundancies have been implemented since the last execution in order to ensure that the process works as intended, the Department of Corrections said in a statement.

More than two dozen Oklahoma death row inmates are part of a federal lawsuit challenging the states lethal injection protocols, arguing that the three-drug method risks causing unconstitutional pain and suffering. A trial is set for early next year.

Dale Baich, an attorney for some of the death row inmates in that suit, said eyewitness accounts of Grant's lethal injection show Oklahoma's death penalty protocol isn't working as it was designed.

This is why the U.S. Supreme Court should not have lifted the stay," Baich said in a statement. "There should be no more executions in Oklahoma until we go (to) trial in February to address the states problematic lethal injection protocol.

Grant and five other death row inmates were dismissed from the lawsuit after none of them selected an alternative method of execution, which a federal judge said was necessary. But a three-member panel of the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals determined that the inmates did identify alternative methods of execution, even if they didnt specifically check a box designating which technique they would use. The panel had granted stays of execution on Wednesday for Grant and Jones, whose lethal injection is set for Nov. 18.

Jones  whose case has drawn national attention since being featured in 2018 on the ABC television documentary series The Last Defense  has a clemency hearing set for Tuesday. Jones, 41, has maintained his innocence in the 1999 shooting death of an Oklahoma City-area businessman. The state Pardons and Parole Board in March recommended that Stitt, the governor, commute his death sentence to life imprisonment.

Stitt has said he will not decide whether to spare Jones' life until the clemency hearing.

Grant and his attorneys did not deny that he killed Carter.

John Grant took full responsibility for the murder of Gay Carter, and he spent his years on death row trying to understand and atone for his actions, more than any other client I have worked with," attorney Sarah Jernigan said Thursday in a statement after the execution.

But Grant's attorneys argued that key facts about the crime and Grants troubled childhood were never presented to the jury. They maintained that Grant developed deep feelings for Carter and was upset when she fired him after he got in a fight with another kitchen worker.

Jurors never heard that Mr. Grant killed Ms. Gay Carter while in the heat of passion and despair over the abrupt end of the deepest and most important adult relationship of his life, his attorneys wrote in his clemency application.

Pamela Carter, who also worked at the prison and was there the day her mother was killed, rejected the idea that her mother and Grant had anything more than a professional relationship and urged state officials to move forward with the execution.

I understand hes trying to save his life, but you keep victimizing my mother with these stupid allegations, she told the Pardon and Parole Board this month. My mother was vivacious. She was friendly. She didnt meet a stranger. She treated her workers just as you would on a job on the outside. For someone to take advantage of that is just heinous.

___

Associated Press writer Adam Kealoha Causey in Dallas contributed to this report.
Winchester, VA (22601)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this morning will become overcast during the afternoon. High 46F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy. Low 31F. Winds light and variable.
Winchester, VA (22601)

Today

Partly cloudy this morning, then becoming cloudy during the afternoon. High around 45F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mainly cloudy. Low around 30F. Winds light and variable.
Winchester, VA (22601)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. High around 45F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy. Low 31F. Winds light and variable.
Winchester, VA (22601)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun early followed by cloudy skies this afternoon. High near 45F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mainly cloudy. Low near 30F. Winds light and variable.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Top executives of ExxonMobil and other oil giants denied spreading disinformation about climate change as they sparred Thursday with congressional Democrats over allegations that the industry concealed evidence about the dangers of global warming.

In this Oct. 7, 2021, photo, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., presides during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. Top executives at ExxonMobil and other oil giants are set to testify at a landmark House hearing Thursday as congressional Democrats investigate what they describe as a decades-long, industry-wide campaign to spread disinformation about the role of fossil fuels in causing global warming. (Bill Clark/Pool via AP)

WASHINGTON (AP)  Top executives of ExxonMobil and other oil giants denied spreading disinformation about climate change as they sparred Thursday with congressional Democrats over allegations that the industry concealed evidence about the dangers of global warming.

Testifying at a landmark House hearing, ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods said the company has long acknowledged the reality and risks of climate change, and it has devoted significant resources to addressing those risks.

The oil giants public statements on climate are and have always been truthful, fact-based ... and consistent with mainstream climate science, Woods said.

Democrats immediately challenged the statements by Woods and other oil executives, accusing them of engaging in a decades-long, industry-wide campaign to spread disinformation about the contribution of fossil fuels to global warming.

They are obviously lying like the tobacco executives were,'' said Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., chairwoman of the House Oversight Committee.

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., presides during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing to examine a Republican-led Arizona audit of the 2020 presidential election results in Arizona's most populous county, Maricopa, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 7, 2021. (Joshua Roberts/Pool via AP)

She was referring to a 1994 hearing with tobacco executives who famously testified that they didnt believe nicotine was addictive. The reference was one of several to the tobacco hearing as Democrats sought to pin down oil executives on whether they believe in climate change and that burning fossil fuels such as oil contributes to global warming.

Maloney said at the end of the nearly seven-hour hearing that she will issue subpoenas for documents requested by the committee but not furnished by the oil companies.

Republicans accused Democrats of grandstanding over an issue popular with their base as President Joe Bidens climate agenda teeters in Congress.

Hotel heiress and reality star Paris Hilton, flanked by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., left, and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., lends her celebrity to support legislation to establish a bill of rights for children placed in congregate care facilities, at the Capitol on Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021. Hilton says she was traumatized as a teenager when she was sent by her family to abusive care facilities. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Kentucky Rep. James Comer, the top Republican on the oversight panel, called the hearing a distraction from the crises that the Biden administrations policies have caused," including gasoline prices that have risen by $1 per gallon since January.

The purpose of this hearing is clear: to deliver partisan theater for primetime news, Comer said.

The hearing comes after months of public efforts by Democrats to obtain documents and other information on the oil industrys role in stopping climate action over multiple decades. The fossil fuel industry has had scientific evidence about the dangers of climate change since at least 1977, yet spread denial and doubt about the harm its products cause undermining science and preventing meaningful action on climate change, Maloney and other Democrats said.

FILE - In this March 1, 2017 file photo, Exxon Mobil Chairman & CEO Darren Woods is interviewed on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Top executives at ExxonMobil and other oil giants are set to testify at a landmark House hearing Thursday as congressional Democrats investigate what they describe as a decades-long, industry-wide campaign to spread disinformation about the role of fossil fuels in causing global warming. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Do you agree that (climate change) is an existential threat? Yes or no?" Maloney asked Shell Oil President Gretchen Watkins.

I agree that this is a defining challenge for our generation, absolutely,'' Watkins replied.

Watkins, Woods and other oil executives said they agreed with Maloney on the existence and threat posed by climate change, but they refused her request to pledge that their companies would not spend money  either directly or indirectly  to oppose efforts to reduce planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions.

Darren Woods, CEO of ExxonMobil testifies via video conference during a House Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing on the role of fossil fuel companies in climate change, Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

We're pledging to advocate for low-carbon policies that do in fact take the company and the world to net-zero carbon emissions, said BP America CEO David Lawler.

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who leads a subcommittee on the environment, said he hopes "Big Oil will not follow the same playbook as Big Tobacco'' in misrepresenting the facts to Congress.

As Im sure you realize, that didnt turn out too well for them,'' Khanna said. These companies must be held accountable.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., chairwoman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, speaks at committee hearing on the role of fossil fuel companies in climate change, Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

The committee released a memo Thursday charging that the oil industrys public support for climate reforms has not been matched by meaningful actions, and that the industry has spent billions of dollars to block reforms. Oil companies frequently boast about their efforts to produce clean energy in advertisements and social media posts accompanied by sleek videos or pictures of wind turbines.

Maloney and other Democrats have focused particular ire on Exxon, after a senior lobbyist for the company was caught in a secret video bragging that Exxon had fought climate science through shadow groups and had targeted influential senators in an effort to weaken Bidens climate agenda, including a a bipartisan infrastructure bill and a sweeping climate and social policy bill currently moving through Congress.

In the video, Keith McCoy, a former Washington-based lobbyist for Exxon, dismissed the company's public expressions of support for a proposed carbon tax on fossil fuel emissions as a talking point.

David Lawler, CEO of BP America Inc., testifies via video conference during a House Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing on the role of fossil fuel companies in climate change, Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

McCoys comments were made public in June by the environmental group Greenpeace UK, which secretly recorded him and another lobbyist in Zoom interviews. McCoy no longer works for the company, Exxon said last month.

Woods, Exxons chairman and chief executive, has condemned McCoys statements and said the company stands by its commitment to work on finding solutions to climate change.

Chevron CEO Michael Wirth also denied misleading the public on climate change. "Any suggestion that Chevron has engaged in an effort to spread disinformation and mislead the public on these complex issues is simply wrong,'' he said.

Rep. Ro Khanna, chairman of the Subcommittee on the Environment, questions the witnesses during a House Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing on the role of fossil fuel companies in climate change, Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Maloney and Khanna sharply disputed that. They compared tactics used by the oil industry to those long deployed by the tobacco industry to resist regulation while selling products that kill hundreds of thousands of Americans.

Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., accused the oil industry of greenwashing its climate pollution through misleading ads that focus on renewable energy rather than on its core business, fossil fuels. Shell spends nearly 10 times as much money on oil, gas and chemical production than it does on renewables such as wind and solar power, Porter said, citing the companys annual report.

Shell is trying to fool people into thinking that its addressing the climate crisis when what its actually doing is continuing to put money into fossil fuels, she told Watkins.

While U.S. leaders and the oil industry rightly focus on lowering carbon emissions, the world consumes 100 million barrels of oil per day  an amount not likely to decrease any time soon, said Mike Sommers, president of the American Petroleum Institute, the oil industrys top lobbying group.

The industry group supports climate action, Sommers added, "yet legislative proposals that punitively target American industry will reverse our nations energy leadership, harm our economy and American workers, and weaken our national security.''
HALIFAX - Legislators on both sides of the Nova Scotia-New Brunswick boundary say efforts to safeguard their area from a potential climate disaster have dragged on too long.

John Atkinson, an area farmer and land owner, stands on a dike along the LaPlanche River near Amherst, N.S. on Wednesday, March 20, 2019. Legislators on both sides of the Nova Scotia-New Brunswick border say efforts to safeguard their area from a potential climate disaster have dragged on too long. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

HALIFAX - Legislators on both sides of the Nova Scotia-New Brunswick boundary say efforts to safeguard their area from a potential climate disaster have dragged on too long.

An engineering study commissioned to develop "three viable solutions" to the risk of the 35 kilometres of dikes being overwhelmed on the Chignecto Isthmus, which straddles the boundary, was expected in the spring but still hasn't been released.

Meanwhile, an Oct. 15 deadline for seeking Ottawa's help under the disaster mitigation and adaptation fund for such projects has passed.

Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin, the Independent member of the legislature for Cumberland North  the Nova Scotia riding on the provincial boundary  said in an interview Wednesday that she is preparing a private member's bill that would call on the new Progressive Conservative government to commit to funding Nova Scotia's share of a solution.

"Even though the past (Liberal) government said it was a priority, there isn't any money allocated for it, and it's going to take significant dollars," she said.

"I don't know the real cause of the delays. But as a member for the area, I'm asking for it to be made a priority, and soon."

Megan Mitton, the Green Party member representing the New Brunswick riding of Memramcook-Tantramar, also said the delays are unacceptable given the risks to about 20 kilometres of rail line, highway, energy and communications infrastructure in the low-lying region that connects the two provinces.

"We don't want to end up with a situation where whole communities have been flooded, sewage lagoons damaged and people are displaced," she said in an interview. Mitton's riding includes the community of Sackville, which has key infrastructure, including a sewage treatment plant, protected by the dikes.

Experts have for decades warned that the combination of a high tide with a powerful storm up the Bay of Fundy could overwhelm aging dikes and flood large portions of the Amherst, N.S., area, as well as neighbouring Sackville. Meanwhile, the sea level at the mouth of the Bay of Fundy has been rising at a rate of about 2.4 millimetres a year over the past century, even as the dikes and coastal land continue to subside.

In 2019, Real Daigle, a meteorologist who models sea level rise, told The Canadian Press the dikes could be breached by a once-in-a-fifty-year storm occurring during the period of highest tides and with sustained winds gusting to 80 kilometres per hour over the Bay of Fundy  potentially adding 40 to 50 centimetres to the height of the water.

The New Brunswick government has taken the lead on overseeing the engineering study being funded by Ottawa and the two provinces, but it did not provide an official for an interview.

"The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure was waiting for the federal cabinet to be sworn in. We look forward to working with our counterparts in Nova Scotia and the new federal cabinet on this project," Jeremy Trevors, a department spokesman, wrote in response to a request for an interview with the lead engineer.

In Nova Scotia, the Progressive Conservative government's new Environmental Goals and Climate Change Reduction Act, which was tabled Wednesday, doesn't include a specific mention of a fix to the Chignecto Isthmus in its list of goals.

Tim Halman, Nova Scotia's minister of Environment and Climate Change, said the risk of flooding at the isthmus is a "major issue impacting the province" but offered no details on when the study might be completed.

Potential costs also remain largely unknown. A 2016 federal study concluded possible costs ranged from $90 million to build up and alter the existing dikes to $345 million to completely reroute highways and railways.

Jeff Ollerhead, who teaches coastal geography at Mount Allison University in Sackville, said in an interview that governments have long known how to protect the low-lying communities and could have proceeded with an analysis of the dikes section by section.

He said options include raising and reinforcing the dikes; removing the dikes and restoring salt marshes; and relocating infrastructure such as highways and the rail line to higher ground.

"In some cases it will make sense to reinforce them (dikes) and preserve critical infrastructure, but in other cases it makes no sense to spend the money to raise and reinforce dikes that could be turned back into salt marshes that could be turned into places where carbon is stored and fish habitat restored," he said.

He argues that a strategic plan for the dikes, including close consultations with the communities involved, should have been underway years ago.

"You have to get on with the work of deciding on a kilometre-by-kilometre basis what options are going to apply to each section of the dike," he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 28, 2021.
HALIFAX - Graduates from nursing schools in Nova Scotia are being guaranteed jobs in the province over the next five years in order to help address chronic staffing shortages.

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston speaks at a press conference in Halifax on October 20, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

HALIFAX - Graduates from nursing schools in Nova Scotia are being guaranteed jobs in the province over the next five years in order to help address chronic staffing shortages.

Premier Tim Houston read a statement in the legislature Thursday in which he said nursing graduates from universities and colleges in Nova Scotia will have a "standing offer" to work in the province.

"That's not lip service," Houston told the house. "If they want to work in our health system when they finish their studies, there is a place for them."

He said starting immediately, graduating nurses will be told if the job they are being offered is with the Nova Scotia Health Authority, which oversees most of the province's hospitals, the IWK Health Sciences Centre in Halifax or in the continuing care sector.

Houston said the move is in response to recent criticism in media reports that not enough is being done to recruit new nurses and to let them know that they are needed in the province.

The premier said his government will also do whatever it can to make it possible for students to work in their chosen field and to work where they want.

Houston said the province graduates about 700 registered nurses and licensed practical nurses a year, and it needs to hire as many as possible to fill hundreds of vacancies.

Last month the Nova Scotia Nurses Union warned there were 1,100 vacancies for registered nurses in the province, 250 spots open for licensed practical nurses and 25 vacancies for nurse practitioners  a situation it called "intolerable."

Liberal Leader Iain Rankin took issue with the premier's statement, saying the previous Liberal government took significant steps to recruit and hire new nurses. "There's nothing new in this statement, this political statement," Rankin told the legislature.

He added that Nova Scotia's staffing ratios for graduates actually compare favourably when ranked against the rest of Canada.

Houston told reporters that he's not sure exactly how many nursing students are choosing to leave the province. He said working conditions are part of the vacancy problem, with many nurses asked to work longer hours and without full staffing complements.

The premier said that can be reversed by simply treating people better and ensuring they get more staffing support so they can take breaks at work and go on vacations when they schedule them.

"Nova Scotia is probably never going to be the jurisdiction that has the highest pay. It's probably not going to happen," he said. "If we can't pay them the best, then we can at least treat them the best."

Nursing unions across Canada have been warning of similar staffing shortages and say the situation has been compounded by the stresses of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to data from the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, there's been a 78 per cent increase in average weekly overtime during the pandemic, while 24-hour nursing shifts are becoming more routine in many regions, including in Nova Scotia.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 28, 2021.
TORONTO - The Ontario legislature unanimously called Thursday on an Independent member who has been publicly opposed to COVID-19 vaccines and pandemic-related lockdowns to apologize for "a string of disreputable conduct."

Randy Hillier, independent MPP for Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston argues with police at a protest against government measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, in Peterborough, Ont., on April 24, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Fred Thornhill

TORONTO - The Ontario legislature unanimously called Thursday on an Independent member who has been publicly opposed to COVID-19 vaccines and pandemic-related lockdowns to apologize for "a string of disreputable conduct."

Randy Hillier, who represents the eastern Ontario riding of Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston, has frequently posted COVID-19 misinformation and conspiracy theories throughout the pandemic.

Recently he posted an array of photos of people who had died, suggesting without evidence that they had died due to COVID-19 vaccination.

Family members of some of those people told various media outlets that they were angered by Hillier's post, and denied his allegations.

Hillier, who was kicked out of the Progressive Conservative caucus before the pandemic, has called on police to investigate the deaths.

According to Public Health Ontario, there are eight reports of death after COVID-19 vaccination that meet the provincial surveillance definition. In one case, it was determined that vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia was a cause of death in someone who received the AstraZeneca vaccine.

In another four, the adverse events were found to have possibly contributed to the death but were not the underlying cause, and in the remaining three the vaccine was not a cause of death.

Public Health Ontario says another 32 deaths following COVID-19 vaccination that have been reported to public health units are "persons under investigation." They don't meet the provincial surveillance definition, but investigations are underway.

"Preliminary information suggests that these events occurred in individuals with multiple co-morbidities which may be related to the cause of death," a recent Public Health Ontario report said. "There has been no association with the vaccine identified at this time."

A motion unanimously adopted by members of the legislature Thursday said the house expresses "its disapproval of, and dissociates itself from, a string of disreputable conduct" by Hillier, specifically the post using photographs of Ontarians who have died.

"This house calls on the member for Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston to publicly apologize for this behavior and to desist from further conduct that is inappropriate and unbecoming of a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario," the motion said.

Hillier used his social media later Thursday not to apologize, but to retweet a supportive post from a doctor accused by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario of spreading misinformation.

Hillier has attended various protests and anti-lockdown rallies, and has been ticketed for allegedly breaking public health rules.

He has violated mask rules at the legislature four times, trying to enter the members' lobby to vote instead wearing a face shield. The Sergeant-at-Arms prevented Hillier from entering because of it, and Hillier alleged it breached parliamentary privilege.

The Speaker ruled against him.

"The Sergeant-at-Arms, in reminding the member of his obligation to wear a face mask, was acting properly and professionally...while the member for Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston repeatedly, knowingly and, I would submit, carelessly disregarded that order," Speaker Ted Arnott said in his ruling.

"His conduct was reprehensible and should not be repeated."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 28, 2021.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden announced Thursday that he and Democrats in Congress have reached a historic" framework for his sweeping domestic policy package. But he still needs to lock down votes from key colleagues for what's now a dramatically scaled-back bill.

President Joe Biden participates in a CNN town hall at the Baltimore Center Stage Pearlstone Theater, Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden announced Thursday that he and Democrats in Congress have reached a historic" framework for his sweeping domestic policy package. But he still needs to lock down votes from key colleagues for what's now a dramatically scaled-back bill.

Eager to have a deal in hand before his departure late in the day for global summits, Biden made his case privately on Capitol Hill to House Democrats and publicly in a speech at the White House. He's now pressing for a still-robust package  $1.75 trillion of social services and climate change programs  that the White House believes can pass the 50-50 Senate.

The days fast-moving developments put Democrats closer to a hard-fought deal, but battles remain as they press to finish the final draft in the days and weeks ahead.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., arrives for a meeting with House Democrats on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Lets get this done, Biden exhorted.

It will fundamentally change the lives of millions of people for the better, he said about the package, which he badly wanted before the summits to show the world American democracy still works.

Together with a nearly $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, Biden claimed the infusion of federal investments would be a domestic achievement modeled on those of Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson.

I need your votes, Biden told the lawmakers at the Capitol, according to a person who requested anonymity to discuss the private remarks.

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., a key holdout vote on President Joe Biden's domestic agenda, speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

But final votes will not be called for some time. The revised package has lost some top priorities, frustrating many lawmakers as the presidents ambitions make way for the political realities of the narrowly divided Congress.

Paid family leave and efforts to lower prescription drug pricing are now gone entirely from the package, drawing outrage from some lawmakers and advocates.

Still in the mix, a long list of other priorities: Free prekindergarten for all youngsters, expanded health care programs  including the launch of a new $35 billion hearing aid benefit for people with Medicare  and $555 billion to tackle climate change.

There's also a one-year extension of a child care tax credit that was put in place during the COVID-19 rescue and new child care subsidies. An additional $100 billion to bolster the immigration and border processing system could boost the overall package to $1.85 trillion if it clears Senate rules.

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., center, and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., far left, board an elevator as they leave a meeting, Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

One pivotal Democratic holdout, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, said, I look forward to getting this done.

However, another, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, was less committal: This is all in the hands of the House right now."

The two Democrats have almost single-handedly reduced the size and scope of their partys big vision, and are crucial to sealing the deal.

Republicans remain overwhelmingly opposed, forcing Biden to rely on the Democrats' narrow majority in Congress with no votes to spare in the Senate and few in the House.

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., speaks to reporters as he leaves the Senate chamber at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Taking form after months of negotiations, Biden's emerging bill would still be among the most sweeping of its kind in a generation, modeled on New Deal and Great Society programs. The White House calls it the largest-ever investment in climate change and the biggest improvement to the nations healthcare system in more than a decade.

In his meeting with lawmakers at the Capitol, Biden made clear how important it was to show progress as he headed to the summits.

We are at an inflection point, he said. The rest of the world wonders whether we can function.

With U.S. elections on the horizon, he said its not hyperbole to say that the House and Senate majorities and my presidency will be determined by what happens in the next week.

President Joe Biden, accompanied by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., center right, and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Md., right, arrives to meet with House Democrats at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

At one point, Biden asked for a spirited enthusiastic vote on his plan, said Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass.

Twice over the course of the hour-long meeting Democratic lawmakers rose to their feet and started yelling: Vote, vote, vote, said Rep. Gerald Connolly of Virginia.

Bidens proposal would be paid for by imposing a new 5% surtax on income over $10 million a year, and instituting a new 15% corporate minimum tax, keeping with his plans to have no new taxes on those earning less than $400,000 a year, officials said. A special billionaires tax was not included.

Revenue to help pay for the package would also come from rolling back some of the Trump administrations 2017 tax cuts, along with stepped-up enforcement of tax-dodgers by the IRS. Biden has vowed to cover the entire cost of the plan, ensuring it does not pile onto the debt load.

President Joe Biden speaks about his domestic agenda from the East Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021, as Vice President Kamala Harris looks on. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

With the framework being converted to a 1,600-page legislative text for review, lawmakers and aides cautioned it had not yet been agreed to.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., the progressive caucus leader, said: "We want to see the actual text because we dont want any confusion and misunderstandings.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Biden asked the House to vote on the related $1 trillion infrastructure bill that already cleared the Senate but became tangled in deliberations over the broader bill. But others said they did not hear an urgent request.

When the president gets off that plane we want him to have a vote of confidence from this Congress, Pelosi told lawmakers, the person at the private meeting said.

But no votes were scheduled. Progressives have been withholding their support for roads-and-bridges bill as leverage until they have a commitment that Manchin, Sinema and the other senators are ready to vote on Biden's bigger package.

Hell no, said Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., about allowing the smaller infrastructure bill to pass.

Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., shared her own story of making pennies at low-wage work, struggling to afford child care and wanting to ensure constituents have better.

We need both bills to ride together. And we dont have that right now, Bush said. "I feel a bit bamboozled because this was not what I thought was coming today.

Instead, Congress approved an extension to Dec. 3 of Sunday's deadline for routine transportation funds that were at risk of expiring without the infrastructure bill.

The two holdout Democratic senators Manchin and Sinema now hold enormous power, essentially deciding whether or not Biden will be able to deliver on the Democrats major campaign promises.

Sinema has been instrumental in pushing her party off a promise to undo the Republicans' 2017 tax cuts. And Manchin's resistance forced serious cutbacks to a clean energy plan, the elimination of paid family leave and the imposition of work requirements for parents receiving the new child care subsidies.

At the same time, progressives achieved one key priority  Vermont Independent Bernie Sanders' proposal to provide hearing aid benefits for people on Medicare. However, his ideas to also include dental and vision care were left out.

Other expanded health care programs build on the Affordable Care Act by funding subsidies to help people buy insurance policies and coverage in states that declined the Obamacare program.

Overall, the new package also sets up political battles in future years. The child care tax credit expires alongside next year's midterm elections, while much of the health care funding will expire in 2025, ensuring a campaign issue ahead of the next presidential election.

___

Associated Press writers Zeke Miller in Rome and Colleen Long, Kevin Freking, Alan Fram and Padmananda Rama in Washington contributed to this report.
MONTREAL - CAE Inc. has signed a deal to buy the AirCentre airline operations business from Sabre Corp. for US$392.5 million.

CAE corporate headquarters are shown in Montreal, Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016. CAE Inc. has signed a deal to buy Sabre's AirCentre airline operations business for US$392.5 million. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

MONTREAL - CAE Inc. has signed a deal to buy the AirCentre airline operations business from Sabre Corp. for US$392.5 million.

The Montreal-based company says the acquisition will help further expand its reach across its customer base beyond pilot training.

Sabre's AirCentre business includes software used by airlines to help in crew and flight management as well as the optimization of aircraft use and airport management.

It has more than 150 airline customers.

Under the agreement, AirCentre's approximately 500 employees located in 13 countries will join CAE.

The deal is expected to close early next year, subject to customary conditions and regulatory approvals.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 28, 2021.

Companies in this story: (TSX:CAE)
The term metaverse" is the latest buzzword to capture the tech industry's imagination  so much so that one of the best-known internet platforms is rebranding to signal its embrace of the futuristic idea.

FILE - In this Oct. 12, 2021 file photo, Hadrien Gurnel, software engineer EPFL's Laboratory for Experimental Museology (eM+) explores with a virtual reality helmet the most detailed 3D map of the universe with the virtual reality software VIRUP, Virtual Reality Universe Project developed by Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, in St-Sulpice near Lausanne, Switzerland. The term metaverse seems to be everywhere. Facebook is hiring thousands of engineers in Europe to work on it, while video game companies are outlining their long-term visions for what some consider the next big thing on the internet. Essentially, its a world of endless, interconnected virtual communities where people can meet, work and play. You can go to a virtual concert, take a trip online and try on digital clothing. But tech companies still have to figure out how to connect their online platforms.(Laurent Gillieron/Keystone via AP)

The term metaverse" is the latest buzzword to capture the tech industry's imagination  so much so that one of the best-known internet platforms is rebranding to signal its embrace of the futuristic idea.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's Thursday announcement that he's changing his company's name to Meta Platforms Inc., or Meta for short, might be the biggest thing to happen to the metaverse since science fiction writer Neal Stephenson coined the term for his 1992 novel Snow Crash.

But Zuckerberg and his team are hardly the only tech visionaries with ideas on how the metaverse, which will employ a mix of virtual reality and other technologies, should take shape. And some who've been thinking about it for a while have concerns about a new world tied to a social media giant that could get access to even more personal data and is accused of failing to stop the proliferation of dangerous misinformation and other online harms that exacerbate real-world problems.

WHAT IS THE METAVERSE?

Think of it as the internet brought to life, or at least rendered in 3D. Zuckerberg has described it as a virtual environment you can go inside of  instead of just looking at on a screen. Essentially, it's a world of endless, interconnected virtual communities where people can meet, work and play, using virtual reality headsets, augmented reality glasses, smartphone apps or other devices.

It also will incorporate other aspects of online life such as shopping and social media, according to Victoria Petrock, an analyst who follows emerging technologies.

Its the next evolution of connectivity where all of those things start to come together in a seamless, doppelganger universe, so youre living your virtual life the same way youre living your physical life, she said.

WHAT WILL I BE ABLE TO DO IN THE METAVERSE?

Things like go to a virtual concert, take a trip online, view or create artwork and try on or buy digital clothing.

The metaverse also could be a game-changer for the work-from-home shift amid the coronavirus pandemic. Instead of seeing co-workers on a video call grid, employees could join them in a virtual office.

Facebook unveiled their new Meta sign at the company headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021. An embattled Facebook Inc. is changing its name to Meta Platforms Inc., or Meta for short, to reflect what CEO Mark Zuckerberg says is its commitment to developing the new surround-yourself technology known as the metaverse. But the social network itself will still be called Facebook. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

Facebook has launched meeting software for companies, called Horizon Workrooms, to use with its Oculus VR headsets, though early reviews have not been great. The headsets cost $300 or more, putting the metaverse's most cutting-edge experiences out of reach for many.

For those who can afford it, users would be able, through their avatars, to flit between virtual worlds created by different companies.

A lot of the metaverse experience is going to be around being able to teleport from one experience to another, Zuckerberg says.

Tech companies still have to figure out how to connect their online platforms to each other. Making it work will require competing technology platforms to agree on a set of standards, so there aren't people in the Facebook metaverse and other people in the Microsoft metaverse, Petrock said.

IS FACEBOOK GOING ALL IN ON THE METAVERSE?

Zuckerberg is going big on what he sees as the next generation of the internet because he thinks it's going to be a big part of the digital economy.

Critics wonder if the potential pivot could be an effort to distract from the company's crises, including antitrust crackdowns, testimony by whistleblowing former employees and concerns about its handling of misinformation.

Former employee Frances Haugen has accused Facebook's platforms of harming children and inciting political violence after copying internal research documents and turning them over to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

They also were provided to a group of media outlets, including The Associated Press, which reported numerous stories about how Facebook prioritized profits over safety and hid its own research from investors and the public.

IS THE METAVERSE JUST A FACEBOOK PROJECT?

No. Other companies talking up the metaverse include Microsoft and chipmaker Nvidia.

We think theres going to be lots of companies building virtual worlds and environments in the metaverse, in the same way theres been lots of companies doing things on the World Wide Web, said Richard Kerris, vice president of Nvidias Omniverse platform. It's important to be open and extensible, so you can teleport to different worlds whether it's by one company or another company, the same way I go from one web page to another web page.

Video game companies also are taking a leading role. Epic Games, the company behind the popular Fortnite video game, has raised $1 billion from investors to help with its long-term plans for building the metaverse. Game platform Roblox is another big player, outlining its vision of the metaverse as a place where people can come together within millions of 3D experiences to learn, work, play, create and socialize.

Consumer brands are trying to jump on the trend, too. Italian fashion house Gucci collaborated in June with Roblox to sell a collection of digital-only accessories. Coca-Cola and Clinique have sold digital tokens pitched as a stepping stone to the metaverse.

WILL THIS BE ANOTHER WAY TO GET MORE OF MY DATA?

Zuckerbergs embrace of the metaverse in some ways contradicts a central tenet of its biggest enthusiasts. They envision the metaverse as online cultures liberation from tech platforms like Facebook that assumed ownership of peoples accounts, photos, posts and playlists and traded off what they gleaned from that data.

We want to be able to move around the internet with ease, but we also want to be able to move around the internet in a way were not tracked and monitored, said venture capitalist Steve Jang, a managing partner at Kindred Ventures who focuses on cryptocurrency technology.

It seems clear that Facebook wants to carry its business model, which is based on using personal data to sell targeted advertising, into the metaverse.

Ads are going to continue being an important part of the strategy across the social media parts of what we do, and it will probably be a meaningful part of the metaverse, too," Zuckerberg said in a recent company earnings call.

Petrock she said shes concerned about Facebook trying to lead the way into a virtual world that could require even more personal data and offer greater potential for abuse and misinformation when it hasnt fixed those problems in its current platforms.

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This article has been corrected to note that while the Mark Zuckerberg quote in the penultimate paragraph came from a recent company earnings call, it was not the most recent one.

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See AP's complete technology coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/technology
The North Forge Fabrication Lab (it was originally called AssentWorks) was entirely built by volunteers who put up the drywall and insulation and scrounged tools and equipment from sympathetic companies like Princess Auto, who are still sponsors today.

The North Forge Fabrication Lab (it was originally called AssentWorks) was entirely built by volunteers who put up the drywall and insulation and scrounged tools and equipment from sympathetic companies like Princess Auto, who are still sponsors today.

On the occasion of its 10th birthday party on Wednesday, the place which effectively formed the foundation of Winnipegs startup ecosystem, still has that homemade feel about it. (Prince Charles trundled up the three flights of grungy stairs during a visit in 2014.) But it now houses more than $3 million worth of sophisticated equipment like CNC machines, laser cutters and 10 3D printers as well as a new forming machine that Joelle Foster, CEO of North Forge, said was the very piece of equipment George Lucas used to make the original white armour for Star Wars stormtroopers.

That same piece of equipment was used by recent FabLab member, Rob Ranson, to quickly produce a prototype for a one-piece COVID face shield that covers the whole head.

At the start of the pandemic Ranson was the managing director of the department of otolaryngology at Health Sciences Centre. He had grave concerns that the personal protective equipment his staff and doctors had at their disposal did not provide sufficient coverage.

JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Joelle Foster (left), CEO of North Forge Technology Exchange, and Marney Stapley, VP of North Forge Technology Exchange and general manager of North Forge Fabrication Lab.

He was so frustrated he woke up one morning at 3 a.m. and sketched out a design.

He knew about the North Forge Fabrication Lab and called Marney Stapley, the general manager of the lab, and she contacted three FabLab members with experience in design, use of CNC cutting equipment and Matt Olson, a serial entrepreneur and the FabLabs longtime manufacturing mentor.

"Three days later we had a prototype built," Ranson said.

About a month later he had a contract from HSC and nine months later he delivered the product. There are now millions of the shields in use.

"Rob is an incredible inventor," Foster said.

JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The North Forge Fabrication Lab has become a meeting place for all types of dreamers.

Hes now in the process of developing a number of other medical devices and his new company, Win-Shield Medical Devices Inc., has graduated to the North Forge incubation program.

Ranson is the latest poster child for what the FabLab is all about.

It is the largest publicly accessible fabrication lab in North America. Members pay $155 per month for 24-7 access to the 15,000-square-foot facility which grew by 6,000 square feet at the beginning of the pandemic when space on the first floor of the old Swift Canadian Wholesale Market building in the West Exchange became available.

"We have let the landlord know that as more space comes available we would love to eventually have the whole building," said Foster.

Although there are only about 100 active members right now, over the years more than 2,300 entrepreneurs, tinkerers, and business founders have used the space.

JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS A laser cutter at North Forge Fabrication Lab cuts a shape. The lab allows members to use all of their equipment for a monthly fee.

It has now become a Safe Work-certified space. New members have to undergo a significant training program which includes a virtual reality component designed by North Forge graduate company Bit Space Development Ltd.

With about two and a half full-time staff, Stapley said it is still largely run by volunteers.

"It used to be a bit "wild west" here," she said referring to the lax rules of the past.

Originally built by four Winnipeg entrepreneurs  Michael Legary, David Bernhardt, Chris Johnson and Kerry Stevenson  it effectively formed the foundation of the startup ecosystem that has ensued.

Legary, a longtime Winnipeg cyber-guru, Johnson, the founder and CEO of Permission Click, and Stevenson, the founder of the largest 3D-printing blog in the world called Fabbaloo, can all still be found at the FabLab on any given Tuesday night when it holds regular open houses. Bernhardt flew in from Vancouver for the 10th anniversary.

JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Some of the laser-cut wood designs produced by makers at the North Forge Fabrication Lab.

Before the party began on Wednesday afternoon, Graeson Fehr was busy in his small metal shop on the first floor, where he makes homemade hunting and fishing knives for his company Fehr Forgeworks.

Dennis Bergen was in the process of cutting out birch-wood Christmas decorations on a new $100,000 laser cutter that had to be purchased recently because the other three were kept so busy by about 25 entrepreneurs who were using them night and day. Bergen, who owns a company with his wife called Zealous Decor, was finishing up an order for hundreds of decorations for Pine Ridge Hollow.

Ava Foster, (no relation to Joelle) who is on the FabLabs member council, is an artist who makes wood carvings. She works with woodworking machines and hand carves her pieces.

"Without the FabLab I would not be able to access the machines I need to make what I do, so its crucial for me," she said.

The FabLab has enjoyed support from the community. Princess Auto provides enough gift cards for Stapley and her team to replenish their tools whenever they need to. Bockstael Construction backs a dump truck into the laneway every two weeks to haul away the garbage. Companies including Bell MTS and PCL Construction have provided ongoing support over the years and all of them provide annual cash and in-kind support.

Over the years the FabLab has become the meeting place for everyone from established companies like Barkman Concrete, which does much of its new product prototyping, and all sorts of other dreamers.

"Its a community of eclectic people here," said Ava Foster.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP)  New Zealand officials said Thursday they will gradually loosen their border quarantine requirements, which have been among the toughest in the world throughout the pandemic.

New Zealand's COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins gestures during a press conference in Wellington, New Zealand, Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021. Hipkins said that from next month, most people arriving in New Zealand would need to spend seven days in a quarantine hotel run by the military, half the previous requirement. (Robert Kitchin/Pool Photo via AP)

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP)  New Zealand officials said Thursday they will gradually loosen their border quarantine requirements, which have been among the toughest in the world throughout the pandemic.

But while the changes will make it easier for New Zealanders stranded abroad to return home, officials gave no date for when tourists might be welcomed back. That change is likely still months away.

COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said that from next month, most people arriving in New Zealand would need to spend seven days in a quarantine hotel run by the military, half the previous requirement.

He said some new arrivals from low-risk Pacific island countries could skip quarantine altogether and isolate at home.

He said the new rules were an interim step ahead of broader reopening measures that would be gradually introduced once more than 90% of New Zealanders aged 12 and over were fully vaccinated. So far, 72% of eligible people have had both shots.

The change follows a growing outcry from New Zealanders who have been trying to return home but have been unable to secure spots in the quarantine system. Some have resorted to legal action.

I acknowledge that there's a lot of pressure there. My message to the people who are keen to get back into New Zealand is: There isn't very long to wait now, Hipkins said. And encouraging their fellow New Zealanders to get fully vaccinated will help us get to that point faster.

Hipkins said he expected most new arrivals would be able to isolate at home by sometime in the first quarter of next year. He said the first priority was New Zealanders and those with valid visas.

Tourists are more of a challenge, in that they dont necessarily have somewhere to isolate on arrival, Hipkins said. But well work our way through all of that.

Political opponents said the changes didn't go far enough and that fully vaccinated travelers returning home posed little risk.

Before the pandemic began, more than 3 million tourists visited New Zealand each year, and the industry was among the nation's largest earners of foreign income.

For more than a year after the pandemic began, the strict quarantine system helped New Zealand remain almost completely virus-free and allowed life to return to normal.

But an outbreak of the more contagious delta variant in Auckland more than two months ago has proved impossible to extinguish, forcing officials to abandon their previous zero-tolerance approach in favor of a suppression strategy.

With the virus continuing to spread in Auckland, which remains in lockdown, the border requirements had begun to seem outdated.

Thursday's announcement came after officials said two people in the city of Christchurch had caught the virus after one returned from Auckland. There was no immediate evidence the virus was spreading further in the city.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP)  The Dutch government must urgently take more action to rein in emissions of greenhouse gases, an independent advisory body said Thursday, warning that climate targets set by the government are currently out of sight.

The sun tries to break through the clouds over Central Station and the harbor in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP)  The Dutch government must urgently take more action to rein in emissions of greenhouse gases, an independent advisory body said Thursday, warning that climate targets set by the government are currently out of sight.

The report by the Council of State on the government's climate policies was published just days before the start of a U.N. climate summit in Glasgow that is seen by many scientists and activists as a final opportunity to make carbon-cutting commitments that could keep global warming within manageable limits.

The Council of State's annual look on Dutch climate policy had a blunt message for the country's caretaker government.

The nature and scale of the climate crisis make immediate action necessary, it said. The climate crisis is not something for the future, but is already in full swing.

A separate report analyzing Dutch climate legislation also said the government is set to miss its own target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 49% in 2030 compared to 1990 levels. The Climate and Energy Outlook 2021, drawn up by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, based its prediction on current policies to tackle emissions and others that have been proposed.

Dutch greenhouse gas emissions are expected to decrease by between 38% and 48% in 2030, compared to 1990 levels. This means that the governments emission reduction target of 49% by 2030 is not yet in view, the outlook said.

The government said the predictions had not taken into account a 7 billion euro ($8.1 billion) investment in more measures to cut emissions that was announced last month. But it conceded that its 2030 target most likely won't be achieved and said agreed that extra measures are necessary to meet its own and European Union emission-cutting targets.

The Dutch branch of Greenpeace blamed the country's continuing use of coal-fired power stations, its large airports and the number of livestock on farms for the nation's failure to meet emissions targets.

We are totally unsurprised that the Cabinet is not hitting its own climate targets, tweeted Greenpeace climate and energy expert Dewi Zloch. Year after year, the climate policy doesn't get a pass mark in the Environmental Assessment Agency report.

___

Follow all AP stories on climate change at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-change.
Winnipeg is once again without Swiss Chalet.

Winnipeg is once again without Swiss Chalet.

The chain restaurants 1663 Kenaston Blvd. location has closed, marking the end of the rotisserie chicken eaterys stay in the city  for now, at least.

The closure comes after the Swiss Chalet at 946 Corydon Ave., along with Harveys, permanently shut its doors.

Swiss Chalets parent company, Recipe Unlimited, is staying mum on the reasons.

"We dont have any comments at this time on the store closure," Nicolette Garito, the chains public relations specialist, wrote in an email.

Recipe Unlimited had closed 25 locations this year by the end of its second quarter. Twenty were franchise owned, four corporate, and one a joint venture.

The corporation had 25 brands as of June, including Swiss Chalet, Harveys, Montanas BBQ and Bar, The Keg Steakhouse and Bar, New York Fries and Original Joes, among others.

"The Company continues to execute the planned closures of restaurants that no longer fit its long-term strategic plan," it wrote in its second quarter report.

In October 2020, it closed the Swiss Chalet at 362 Yonge St. in downtown Toronto. The location was one of the chains first restaurants, according to the Toronto Sun.

A Swiss Chalet in Port Coquitlam, B.C. shuttered a month later.

Recipe Unlimited posted a bump in revenue in its second quarter compared to the same time last year. In June 2020, it reported a net loss of $40.6 million. This June, it saw earnings of $19.4 million. It has also opened 42 restaurants, but did not specify the timeline in its report.

Recipe Unlimited would not comment on whether it planned to open another Swiss Chalet in Winnipeg in the future.

Theres a Swiss Chalet on 18th Street in Brandon.

gabrielle.piche@freepress.mb.ca
TORONTO - TD Bank Group is making several changes to its senior executive ranks as its head of Canadian personal banking plans to retire.

Teri Currie, Group Head, Canadian Personal Banking TD Bank Group, poses for a portrait in the TD headquarters in Toronto, Thursday, July, 12, 2018. TD says Currie will retire at the end of January. She will join the board of directors of TD's U.S. bank effective Feb. 1. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Marta Iwanek

TORONTO - TD Bank Group is making several changes to its senior executive ranks as its head of Canadian personal banking plans to retire.

The bank says Teri Currie, group head of Canadian personal banking, will retire at the end of January after almost 35 years with the bank.

She will join the board of directors of TD's U.S. bank effective Feb. 1.

Michael Rhodes, group head for innovation, technology and shared services, will become group head, Canadian personal banking.

TD also says Greg Braca, group head of U.S. retail, will become vice-chair of TD Bank in the U.S., reporting to TD Bank Group CEO Bharat Masrani.

Leo Salom, group head of wealth management and TD Insurance, will become group head U.S. retail and Raymond Chun, president of TD Direct Investing, will become group head of wealth and insurance.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 28, 2021.

Companies in this story: (TSX:TD)
OTTAWA - Afghanistans ambassador is urging the Canadian government to send officials to bordering countries such as Pakistan to help refugees fleeing the Taliban get to Canada.

Ambassador of Afghanistan to Canada Hassan Soroosh sits in his office at the Embassy of The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in Ottawa, on Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021. Afghanistans ambassador is urging the government to send officials to countries bordering Afghanistan to help refugees fleeing the Taliban get to Canada. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

OTTAWA - Afghanistans ambassador is urging the Canadian government to send officials to bordering countries such as Pakistan to help refugees fleeing the Taliban get to Canada.

Hassan Soroosh, Afghanistan's ambassador to Canada, also wants international pressure to be put on the Taliban to open its airports so more commercial flights can evacuate people desperate to escape.

He says thousands of Afghans, at risk of Taliban persecution, including women leaders, have put their names forward to come to Canada but their applications are not yet being processed.

Soroosh suggests Canada should bolster diplomatic posts in Pakistan and other neighbouring countries to "expedite" the exodus. He says Canada should also send officials to help the United Nations process applications.

The ambassador urged Canada and other western countries to provide urgent food aid to Afghanistan, to fend off a humanitarian tragedy this winter. He warns that without help the country is facing a "catastrophe."

He warns that if poverty increases in Afghanistan, support could grow for the Islamic State militant group which is vying with the Taliban for control of parts of the country.

He says, even though Canada does not recognize the Taliban, the Canadian government can help the Afghan people through the UN or independent non-governmental organizations.

The ambassador is not in contact with the Taliban and he and his staff are being paid from the embassys reserves. He says he is staying on to represent the country and its people  not the Taliban regime.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 28, 2021.
OTTAWA - The Canadian co-founder of biotech firm Moderna says any federal plans to kick-start domestic innovation in a big way should target funding rather than spread it around the country.

Employees works in the mRNA vaccine manufacturing unit at the Moderna facility in Norwood, Mass., Wednesday, May 12, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-POOL, The Boston Herald, Nancy Lane

OTTAWA - The Canadian co-founder of biotech firm Moderna says any federal plans to kick-start domestic innovation in a big way should target funding rather than spread it around the country.

Canadian politicians have a track record of trying to be equitable with their funding pledges to hit every region of the country, while similarly being conservative in how they hand out innovation funding.

There is a political calculation behind that, but Derrick Rossi said that setting the country up for long-run growth  especially in biotech  will require putting money behind the best bets and localities for growth of new firms.

The Liberals promised during the campaign to put $2 billion in a new agency that would fund "moon shot" ideas that may not always work out, modelling it on a decades-old program housed in the U.S. Department of Defense.

Known best by its acronym, DARPA, the American agency set up in 1958 has had a hand in funding companies, including Moderna and its mRNA vaccine against COVID-19 that is in use in Canada and around the world.

The success of the Liberals' proposals to create a Canadian DARPA rests on putting granting decisions into the hands of an apolitical body that has some independence from the mandate of the party in power, Rossi told a conference Thursday.

He added that seed funding for the organization would need to be substantial given the costs associated with getting a lab and biotech firm off the ground, and grants would likely have to be larger than those currently doled out in the country.

"It's got to, again, I'll say it again, not spread the money out, equitably across the country, even though that's a Canadian thing to do," he said during a virtual appearance. "And I can imagine that most Canadians their impulse would be to, yes, we need to be equitable with that. That's not wise for such a thing."

Despite federal efforts that landed the country with enough doses to vaccinate the population against COVID-19, the rush to get them highlighted a weakness in the Canadian innovation ecosystem.

What the pandemic highlighted was the limitations and gaps in the country's capacity to develop and manufacture enough vaccines and therapeutics to meet domestic demand.

The Liberals have looked to patch that lack of domestic capacity, with the top official at the Finance Department having met with the presidents of four major universities in the spring about crafting a bio-innovation strategy.

How to fuel some of that work was what brought Rossi to the big screen at the conference organized by the Coalition for a Better Future, a group of 100 think tanks, business, non-profit and Indigenous associations.

The groups issued a statement Thursday afternoon calling on the federal government to make economic growth a policy priority to help not only create jobs and raise incomes, but address climate change and improve quality of living indicators in the country.

The coalition also said it would track progress against a scorecard of 21 indicators recognized internationally as signs of a country's economic and social development.

During a keynote address Wednesday, Carolyn Wilkins, who was second-in-command at the Bank of Canada until late last year, said economic growth in Canada, as measured by real gross domestic product, averaged about 2.25 per cent annually in the decade leading up to the pandemic, putting the country near the top of its G7 peers.

But growth per person, one measure of prosperity, over that same time averaged around one per cent, near the bottom of the pack, with almost all of the per capita GDP gains having gone to those at the top part of the income spectrum, she said.

"Growth  the right kind of growth  is an essential ingredient to our shared objectives," Wilkins said in her speech.

"We need to focus on long-term investments in areas like education, health, globally competitive businesses, our green power grid, and modern digital governance. These investments will equip us to build a strong, resilient, and inclusive economy that will serve us well as we seek to meet our climate objectives."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 28, 2021.
GREENBELT, Md. - Former Canadian Armed Forces reservist Patrik Mathews was sentenced Thursday to nine years in prison for his role in what investigators called a violent plot to exploit escalating American social tensions and trigger a "race war" in the United States.

GREENBELT, Md. - Former Canadian Armed Forces reservist Patrik Mathews was sentenced Thursday to nine years in prison for his role in what investigators called a violent plot to exploit escalating American social tensions and trigger a "race war" in the United States.

Prior to sentencing, Mathews, 28, of Beausejour, Man., addressed District Court Judge Theodore Chuang directly, attributing his decision to join the white supremacist group The Base as a colossal failure of judgment.

This undated photo provided by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police shows Patrik Mathews is seen in an undated RCMP handout photo. The former Canadian Armed Forces reservist is expected to learn today how long hell be behind bars in the United States. Mathews, 28, from Beausejour, Man., had already pleaded guilty to weapons charges related to his role in a white supremacist plot to touch off a U.S. race war. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-RCMP

But Mathews never said he was sorry, Chuang observed as he handed down a prison term squarely between the 25 years sought by prosecutors and the 33 months his defence lawyers had been hoping for.

"I did not hear any particular apology to our country," the judge told the accused.

"To me, it's galling to think someone who's not an American would know better than us what kind of country we should have here, and decide that you hate America so much, you're going to infiltrate our country and  tear it down."

Mathews pleaded guilty in June to weapons charges linked to the plot, as did his co-defendant, U.S. army veteran Brian Mark Lemley Jr., who received an identical nine-year sentence at a separate hearing.

"In the letter you submitted, you didn't necessarily inspire confidence that you've changed to the point that there's no longer a threat of violence from you," Chuang told Mathews.

"Nevertheless, you have stated that all you want to do is go back to Canada and live a normal life. We all hope that is something that will happen  once you serve this sentence."

Mathews was also sentenced to three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term, at which point he'll be deported back to Canada. The defence petitioned the court to allow him to serve the sentence at a facility in Minnesota in order to be closer to family members in Manitoba.

"I got involved with the wrong people," he said, pushing his long brown hair back over his head.

He said he originally believed The Base to be a group committed to less extreme ideals, like immigration controls  a perspective he acknowledged was "horrifically and disastrously wrong."

Chuang agreed earlier this week to the prosecution's request for a "terrorism enhancement," which would have allowed a sentence of up to 25 years behind bars. Defence counsel had argued for a sentence of less than three years, since the defendants ultimately never acted out their plan.

"We're disappointed the sentence didn't end up at the low end," defence attorney Joseph Balter said outside court. The pair may have used a lot of incendiary, distasteful rhetoric, but were never serious about acting on it, he argued.

"There was a lot of bluster, there was a lot of hyperbole, a lot of rhetoric. And that was the argument we made to the court," Balter said. "The court took it all in, it was very carefully considered, and it ended up as it did."

Since their arrests in January 2020, court heard ample evidence of the pair talking in stark terms about killing federal officials, derailing trains and poisoning water supplies as part of their violent, disruptive scheme.

At its heart was a massive rally by gun rights activists at the state capitol in Richmond., Va., where the pair were counting on clashes between police and tens of thousands of heavily armed protesters angry about proposed gun control measures. They were arrested just days before the rally was scheduled to take place.

Both men pleaded guilty in June to charges that included illegally transporting a firearm and obstruction of justice. A third co-defendant, William Garfield Bilbrough IV, pleaded guilty in December to helping Mathews enter the U.S. illegally. He was sentenced to five years in prison.

"These men sought to divide our community based on hate, and through acts of violence and terror," said Erek Barron, a former state delegate in Maryland who became the first Black U.S. attorney for the state earlier this month.

"They collected and assembled weapons and ammunition, trained for acts of violence, vetted others for their cause, and attempted to recruit like-minded extremists. Today's sentences, though, make clear that their hateful efforts failed."

Balter suggested the time has come for the legal system to consider how easily susceptible individuals with no true criminal intent can find themselves pulled into dangerous internet rabbit holes.

"The court said that it's something to be taken very, very seriously, because of the fact that these threats on the country are very, very serious," he said.

"By the same token, from our standpoint  especially someone like Patrik, who is susceptible to those kinds of influences  the question becomes, well, how should that be taken into account."

Mathews' father, Glen, read a brief statement in open court Thursday in which he described his son as a troubled soul with a good heart whose childhood was a tortured ritual of schoolyard bullying and alienation.

"I always felt Pat had a strong moral compass," he said. "Right and wrong was always important, even though the definitions aren't very clear these days."

He said when his son's engagement began to disintegrate, "he found another interest that filled the void, unfortunately." And he dismissed the notion that his son could be a racist: "He's just too kind."

Mathews' mother, Kim Monk, paused outside the courthouse to speak to reporters and defend her son.

"People back home, they know who he is  and he hasn't changed," Monk said. "He's the same kind person he is."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 28, 2021.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version reported that a hearing earlier this week took place on Tuesday.
The idea of eliminating COVID-19 altogether was never a realistic expectation. Its now out of the question, at least for the foreseeable future.

The idea of eliminating COVID-19 altogether was never a realistic expectation. Its now out of the question, at least for the foreseeable future.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus will likely be with us for many years, and will probably circulate seasonally like other coronaviruses. It will be controlled through immunization and to some degree, natural immunity. The question now is: how much of it are we prepared to tolerate (as we do with other respiratory diseases)?

Even countries such as New Zealand, which managed for some time to keep COVID-19 at bay through lockdowns and strict travel restrictions, have abandoned so-called COVID-zero strategies. It is no longer a realistic goal, largely because of the more contagious delta variant.

Canada never pursued a COVID-zero policy; the goals were always to mitigate severe illness and protect hospital capacity.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE/WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Canada never pursued a COVID-zero policy; the goals were always to mitigate severe illness and protect hospital capacity.

Provinces achieved those objectives, with varying levels of success, through public health restrictions. Some failed spectacularly, at times, including Manitoba (and now Alberta, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick, all three of whom eliminated restrictions prematurely over the summer).

The goal of mitigating severe illness and protecting hospital capacity will remain. Thats an ongoing public health objective, whether amid a pandemic or not. The major difference now is there are vaccines to help achieve those goals.

If immunization uptake is high enough, life can return to normal; without masks, proof-of-vaccine rules or capacity limits in public places. But COVID-19 will not be eliminated. People will still get infected, as they do with other communicable diseases, and some will die. Thats unavoidable.

The debate going forward will be how much COVID-19 we can live with, how it will be controlled, and what steps can be taken to better protect the most vulnerable.

Are a dozen cases a day in Manitoba tolerable during respiratory disease season? How many hospital admissions can the system handle during peak periods? At what point do public health officials stop testing for COVID-19 and switch to surveillance methods used for other infectious diseases?

Eventually, the provincial government will have to answer those questions.

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Dr. Brent Roussin, chief provincial public health officer. The goal of mitigating severe illness and protecting hospital capacity will remain. Thats an ongoing public health objective, whether amid a pandemic or not.

That likely wont happen until April or May, at the earliest. Manitoba chief provincial public health officer Brent Roussin has already said current proof-of-vaccines wont be lifted before the end of winter.

Manitoba has to get through the 2021 respiratory illness season before it makes any major changes to public health orders. There are still too many unknown variables, such as waning vaccine protection, to make changes beforehand.

Children under 12 have yet to be vaccinated against COVID-19, which could begin in late November. Also, dangerously low uptake in some parts of the Southern Health region continue to pose a significant risk to the entire province.

If by spring, cases are manageable, hospital capacity is stable and vaccine uptake (with booster third doses for most) hits 85-90 per cent, would restrictions be removed? If not then, when?

There is a long way to go to get there. Manitobas case counts have plateaued at around 100 a day (with some fluctuations)  promising numbers, considering how much physical interaction has resumed in society. But at those levels, and with close to 100 COVID-19 patients in hospital (including 22 patients in ICU, a number that has been inching up in recent weeks, mostly among the unvaccinated), Manitoba is not in a position to lift any restrictions.

(Ryan Garza/Detroit Free Press/TNS) We have to get used to the idea COVID-19 will be part of our lives for years to come. We may need annual COVID-19 vaccines (like flu shots) to manage it.

We have to get used to the idea COVID-19 will be part of our lives for years to come. We may need annual COVID-19 vaccines (like flu shots) to manage it, while growing natural immunity among those who have recovered from an infection will contribute to overall protection.

The conversation around how and when we move into post-pandemic life has to start sooner rather than later.

It should be science-based and informed by evidence from other parts of the world but, at some point, the public needs to know how the pandemic ends.

tom.brodbeck@freepress.mb.ca
With less than two days before Friday's 5 p.m. deadline to vote for leader of the Progressive Conservative party, some members are complaining that they still don't have a ballot and can't get answers from the party headquarters.

With less than two days before Friday's 5 p.m. deadline to vote for leader of the Progressive Conservative party, some members are complaining that they still don't have a ballot and can't get answers from the party headquarters.

Some party members want to delay the voting deadline to make sure everyone eligible to cast a ballot is included. Others are wondering if the delay is due to incompetence, understaffing, disorganization or something more nefarious, and are calling for an audit.

"There are still people waiting for ballots," said Dawn Harris, who lives in Gimli. She and her husband bought PC memberships in order to vote for either Heather Stefanson or Shelly Glover, one of whom will be the next premier at least until the next general election scheduled for two years from now.

Harris bought hers online and received a ballot in the mail. Her husband, however, bought his via one of the candidates, and was still waiting Wednesday.

Shelly Glover is disappointed in how the party has handled ballot distribution and that it rushed to hold the leadership race in a matter of weeks. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press)

In Iles des Chenes, a Tory member outraged by a Free Press story about a man who said he received a ballot in the mail but has never bought a PC membership wanted to know why she and her husband, who bought memberships in September, were still waiting to receive theirs.

"Is something fishy going on?" asked the woman, who requested that her name not be published.

She spent nearly three hours on the phone in the last week trying to get an answer from the party, she said.

"There are not many people who have time to dig in and try to find a ballot. Most people will just move on," she said.

Raffle violates rules: Liberals Click to Expand Manitoba Liberals have filed a complaint with the elections commissioner about a sneaker raffle held to support a PC leadership candidate. The Liberals claim Tory MLA for Dawson Trail Bob Lagasse offered to enter the names of everyone in his constituency who bought a PC membership in support of Heather Stefanson into a draw for a custom pair of sneakers Leader Dougald Lamont alleges that Lagasses sneaker raffle violates a section of Manitobas Election Financing Act on soliciting membership sales. It doesnt matter what the inducement is," Lamont said in a statement. "Clearly the PCs thought it would make a difference or they wouldnt have offered it. Stefanson's campaign declined to comment.

Oct. 1 was the deadline to join the party or renew an existing membership to be eligible to vote for the next leader. Ballots were to be mailed out by Oct. 5 to allow sufficient time to submit votes by Friday's 5 p.m. cutoff to be counted Saturday, when the winner will be announced.

The process was delayed because of a surge in new memberships that had to be processed and verified, the party said previously.

Leadership election committee spokesman Keith Stewart said Wednesday the party has distributed more than 25,000 ballots.

"As with any mail-in election system, there have been a limited number of undeliverable ballots returned to our office," he said in a written statement. "Postal delivery is no longer a viable option to distribute replacement ballots. We are doing all we can to ensure all eligible members have an opportunity to cast their ballot, including offering ballot pickup locations."

That doesn't appear to help Harris's husband.

"Ballot pickup locations are irrelevant if you don't have a ballot," she said, adding he sent an email to party headquarters in Winnipeg Oct. 12, and tried to call last week and three times Wednesday but couldn't get through.

If a lack of staff is the problem, organizers should have hired more staff to make sure the process was smooth, the Iles des Chenes woman said.

"Im not one to call people out, but I'm concerned this vote will be illegitimate if paying members cant vote," she said, adding her faith in the democratic process is starting to waver.

"They need to postpone this election or bring in an auditor."

Glover said she's "disappointed" in how the party has handled ballot distribution and that it rushed to hold the leadership race in a matter of weeks, instead of allowing six months for the process take place.

"We're super-concerned about this and have been for some time and we've been doing our very best to help the party find solutions, because it's not even about winning or losing anymore, it's about democracy," said the former police officer and heritage minister in Stephen Harper's Conservative federal government.

"What we're all fighting for is to make sure our members have their right to vote honoured."

Heather Stefanson's campaign referred all questions to the party. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press)

Stefanson's campaign referred all questions to the party.

Interim Premier Kelvin Goertzen said no leadership race is perfect.

"Almost any mail-in ballot process has some degree of concern because, in some ways, you lose control of ballots when they leave your party headquarters," he told reporters Wednesday.

"I do understand the leadership committee is working through those challenges and problems. It's part and parcel of having 25,000 letters or thereabouts go out the door."

Goertzen said he would wait and see before offering an opinion on the need for an audit.

"The party is going to have to be focused in the next few days ensuring this vote happens and that it happens well and then let's see," the caretaker premier said.

The Opposition leader has concerns, as well.

"I think the PC party has to clear the air. What I've seen so far are some legitimate questions around the membership process and the way this race has been conducted," NDP Leader Wab Kinew said.

"I think we're in a time where trust in democracy is under attack from many sources and it has been undermined by misinformation on social media platforms. That's why it's so important that we have democratic processes that get it right and are fair. "

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
The City of Winnipeg is set to ban some medical cannabis growth within homes, leaving a local advocate to fear it could hurt patients more than it helps concerned neighbours.

The City of Winnipeg is set to ban some medical cannabis growth within homes, leaving a local advocate to fear it could hurt patients more than it helps concerned neighbours.

"(This adds) burdens, onerous regulations, licences and fees The sick Canadians who need (cannabis) are losing out," Steven Stairs, president of the Winnipeg 420 Organizing Committee, told media Thursday.

The comments came a few hours before city council directed staff to create new bylaw rules for those designated by Health Canada to grow cannabis on someone elses behalf.

The changes will restrict that type of cannabis growth to indoor facilities in manufacturing zones and ban it from residential areas. Such growers will also need to obtain valid business licences, meet set standards for air filtration and locate a minimum distance away from homes, schools, public parks and playgrounds.

The city will inspect the facilities and issue fines to violators. Those who grow cannabis for personal medical use are exempt.

New licence fees and filtration system costs could be expected to be passed on to medicinal cannabis users, Stairs said. He fears the new rules could also entice designated growers to attempt to register as personal growers instead, which could lead them to produce smaller numbers of plants in more homes, spreading out the growth.

Stairs stressed the federal government and police are best suited to deal with those who simply grow more plants than theyre permitted to.

"If you are doing something illegal in a system designed for sick people you need to be kicked out of that system," he said.

The upcoming bylaw changes were welcomed by several other Winnipeggers who say some homes contain hundreds of pot plants each and forced them to endure intense odours and an increased risk of fire and crime.

"Homes are for people, not factories," Laurie Monk told council.

Council could address any lingering concerns when the final bylaw changes are ready, Mayor Brian Bowman said. For now, the current plan offers a valid way to address medical grow op complaints, he said.

"I think (this) finds a reasonable and a balanced path forward," said Bowman.

The exact bylaw changes are expected to be ready for a council vote in about six months.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga
IT is with great joy Archbishop of Winnipeg Richard Gagnon welcomes news Pope Francis plans to visit Canada.

IT is with "great joy" Archbishop of Winnipeg Richard Gagnon welcomes news Pope Francis plans to visit Canada.

The Vatican announced Wednesday the Pope has accepted an invitation from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) to travel to the country in the future as part of a "process of reconciliation."

The timing for the trip has yet to be determined.

"As Canadian bishops, we welcome the Holy Fathers decision," said Gagnon, whose two-year term as CCCB president ended this month.

Gagnon has been part of the CCCB discussions with the Vatican over the issue of residential schools and a papal apology. He has also spoken to the Pope personally about the issue.

"The Holy Father holds very close in his heart the suffering of Indigenous people," he said. "He has shown a great interest in the disenfranchised and vulnerable around the world."

A meeting at the Vatican between the Pope and representatives of the First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities will still take place in December as planned, the archbishop said, noting he will be present for those discussions.

That meeting will be about the focus and theme for the future visit, and will include conversations about where the Pope will visit in Canada.

It would "be wonderful" if Manitoba were included in the itinerary, Gagnon said.

Archbishop William McGrattan of Calgary, vice-president of the CCCB, expressed gratitude Wednesday on behalf of Canadas 90 Roman Catholic archbishops to the Pope for accepting the invitation.

"We pray that Pope Franciss visit to Canada will be a significant milestone in the journey toward reconciliation and healing," he said.

The timing of the visit is also an open-ended question, McGrattan said, noting the Popes age (84) and health would be taken into consideration.

In September, Canadas Roman Catholic bishops "unequivocally" apologized and expressed their "profound remorse" for the suffering experienced by Indigenous people at Roman Catholic Church operated residential schools.

At the same time, they acknowledged "the grave abuses that were committed by some members of our Catholic community; physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual, cultural, and sexual."

The last time a Pope visited Canada was in 2002, when John Paul II attended World Youth Day in Toronto.

faith@freepress.mb.ca
ONE by one, the names were read out at Wednesdays memorial service: 11 in all, residents of the Saul and Claribel Simkin Centre who had died from COVID-19 in the last 19 months.

ONE by one, the names were read out at Wednesdays memorial service: 11 in all, residents of the Saul and Claribel Simkin Centre who had died from COVID-19 in the last 19 months.

One was Esther Shuster, mother of Brian Shuster.

For Brian Shuster, who attended the gathering in Winnipeg, it was good to see his mother and the others "honoured" by the centre, a personal care home for about 200 residents.

The service, which included the unveiling of a memorial stone marker, was "a chance to remember her," he said, noting Esther died almost exactly a year ago.

"Its surreal shes gone," Shuster said, after placing a stone on the marker located at the entrance to the facility.

"The staff here are an elite group of people for how they care for the residents," he added, noting he felt cared for through the service in honour of the residents who died due to the pandemic.

For Simkin Centre chief executive officer Laurie Cerqueti, it was an opportunity to mourn the dead in a way that wasnt possible amid past COVID-19 restrictions on gathering.

"We felt this was the right thing to do," she said. "It was a significant way for people to remember the lives lost."

Rabbi Kliel Rose, of Winnipegs Congregation Etz Chayim, spoke at the service. He chanted in Hebrew and read in English from the Book of Psalms, encouraging mourners to, in the words of the Psalmist, lift their eyes to the hills where help from God comes from.

"We are pained by the void in our hearts" due to the deaths of loved ones in the pandemic, he said, but they "live in our memory."

The stone marker, which was donated by Larsens Memorials, was a "symbol of love and respect," he said.

After Roses remarks, representatives from each of the families placed a stone on the marker, a traditional Jewish custom for honouring and remembering the dead.

The placing of the stones, Rose said, shows those who died "still matter and left an indelible mark in our hearts for eternity."

The Simkin Centre, founded in 1915 as the Winnipeg Old Folks Jewish Home, opened its southwest facility in 2001. The centre has had a total of 30 cases of COVID-19 thus far in the pandemic.

faith@freepress.mb.ca
A Metis woman says she was refused treatment at St. Boniface Hospital after staff accused her of taking photos in the emergency department waiting room.

A Metis woman says she was refused treatment at St. Boniface Hospital after staff accused her of taking photos in the emergency department waiting room.

Jacqueline Flett went to the ER to get a diabetic ulcer on her foot checked out around 9 p.m. on Oct. 21. Flett, who has Type 1 diabetes, suspected the ulcer had become infected and she had extreme blood sugar levels.

SUPPLIED Jacqueline Flett

Flett said on arrival, she was told to take a seat. She waited for staff to take her information and begin the triage process. After two hours, as she watched two other patients triaged on arrival, Flett said no one had paid her any attention.

"I was sitting there for two hours without pain medication, without being asked my name, what the emergency situation was at hand," Flett said.

She asked the nursing staff why they had not taken her information and was told they were not aware she was waiting. She was triaged and told shed be advanced in the queue.

SUPPLIED Flett went to St. Boniface Hospital emergency for a diabetic foot ulcer last Thursday.

Flett said she questioned the nurses about whether her Indigenous heritage could have been reason for the delay.

"I made a comment about is this is going to be a repeat of Brian Sinclair," Flett said. "I said I dont need to be treated less than. I came here for adequate care, and you need to give me medical care."

Sinclair, an Indigenous man who was a double-amputee, died in the Health Sciences Centre ER in 2008 after waiting 34 hours to be treated for a bladder infection caused by a blocked catheter.

Flett said she returned to her seat and began to take notes on her phone about her experience in the waiting room. She tried to call the Winnipeg Regional Health Authoritys patient relations office.

Security staff told her she could not be on her phone or take photos in the waiting room, she said.

Flett insisted she hadnt taken any photos, and at the request of security, showed the officer her photo roll and social media. At 11:30 p.m. she was told by security to leave hospital property.

"They said that you need to leave and escorted me out, very embarrassingly, and I wasnt even allowed to call a cab on the premises," Flett said.

She claims the health care staff directed security to remove her from the hospital.

The following day, Flett said she went to Seven Oaks General Hospital where she received timely, dignified care.

"By then, my foot ulcer infection had spread up my leg," Flett said, adding she now has a bone infection which is being treated. "It could have been prevented if they would have treated me adequately and with dignity at St. Boniface Hospital."

In a statement, interim president and CEO of St. Boniface Hospital Nicole Aminot said the hospital is investigating "to ensure we understand exactly what happened and to identify any issues that need to be addressed."

"The events as described are troubling, and do not align with the values of St Boniface Hospital, nor would the events as described meet our hospitals quality-of-care standards," Aminot said. "We will certainly work with this individual through our patient relations office to better understand what occurred and attempt to rectify any outstanding concerns."

Flett said hospital administration needs to take a serious look at her experience and ensure staff have the appropriate skills to provide a safe environment for patients.

"How many people didnt have the words to articulate or were silenced and gone without treatment and stigmatized against? I dont want anybody Indigenous or non-Indigenous to go through that," Flett said. "No one who has to seek medical treatment should be denied that way."

danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca
OTTAWA  Former longtime Liberal cabinet minister Lloyd Axworthy says his party risks losing "the only Liberal bastion in the Prairies as criticism mounted over the prime minister's decision to downgrade Manitoba's influence in his cabinet.

OTTAWA  Former longtime Liberal cabinet minister Lloyd Axworthy says his party risks losing "the only Liberal bastion in the Prairies" as criticism mounted over the prime minister's decision to downgrade Manitoba's influence in his cabinet.

"I'm not happy with the fact there has been a bit of a bypass of our region," Axworthy told the Free Press a day after Justin Trudeau removed Winnipeg MP Jim Carr from cabinet during a post-election shuffle.

BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Former longtime Liberal cabinet minister Lloyd Axworthy says his party risks losing "the only Liberal bastion in the Prairies" as criticism mounted over the prime minister's decision to downgrade Manitoba's influence in his cabinet.

"I'm hopeful there will be some reconsideration; I think a mistake has been made," said the former MP who represented Winnipeg from 1979 to 2000.

Trudeau diminished the representation of MPs from the Prairies by removing Carr, and naming two MPs from the area to junior roles.

Saint BonifaceSaint Vital MP Dan Vandal will continue as northern affairs minister, while leading a regional economic development agency; neither role puts Vandal on the front bench.

THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES/Adrian Wyld Saint BonifaceSaint Vital MP Dan Vandal will continue as northern affairs minister, while leading a regional economic development agency.

Edmonton MP Randy Boissonnault has been named tourism minister, another junior post.

"Its disappointing," Manitoba Premier Kelvin Goertzen said Wednesday. "Western Canada needs to be better represented at the cabinet table."

Goertzen said both Carr and Vandal were influential advocates for Manitoba. He said Carr would return his call within hours. He worries having just one Manitoban in cabinet will make it tougher to get issues of importance to the province on Ottawas radar.

The head of the Business Council of Manitoba noted Tuesdays cabinet has 39 ministers and "just two come from (the Prairies); I don't think that's adequate," said Bram Strain.

"Their job is to represent us as a nation. They're going to have to work a bit harder, because they're (mostly) not from here."

Axworthy said issues related to the environment, agriculture and Indigenous rights affect the region. "I think it really deserves another person around the table," he said.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Carr served as special representative for the Prairies since 2019.

He was puzzled Trudeau removed the role of special representative for the Prairies, which had been Carr's responsibility. The prime minister created the job in 2019 to address a western separation movement after the Liberals lost all their seats in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

In the Sept. 20 election, the Liberals won two seats in Alberta, but Calgary MP George Chahal is under investigation for taking down an opponents pamphlet. That left Trudeau with five MPs in Manitoba and Alberta from which to appoint to cabinet.

Axworthy said Manitobas four MPs will have to work extra hard to advance issues such as cleaning up Lake Winnipeg.

WAYNE GLOWACKI/WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Axworthy worries the Liberals could lose their relevance in Manitoba.

"It's certainly more difficult to do that when you're not in the room," said Axworthy, who worries the Liberals could lose their relevance in Manitoba.

Former Liberal strategist David Herle was blunt. He described Trudeau's cabinet choices as "clearly a f--- you to the Prairies," during his Curse of Politics podcast.

Herle told the Free Press Trudeau should have given Boissonnault, the Edmonton MP, the regional development job, given that he represents a province built on the oil economy. Herle said Vandal and Boissonnault should have been chosen to lead ministries related to the economy.

"The government is really doubling down on climate change action, and I support that at the same time, everybody knows there are going to be significant regional pressures that result from that," he said.

Herle said the Liberals could put both the ministers on influential cabinet steering committees, or have the Prime Minister's Office hire a senior staffer from the region  though neither would address the perception Trudeau doesnt care about the Prairies, he said.

There are things (the Liberals) can do, but it feels to me they chose not to do it."  Former Liberal strategist David Herle

"The more senior you are in cabinet, and the more important cabinet committees you're on, the greater the breadth of influence you can achieve," Herle said.

"There are things (the Liberals) can do, but it feels to me they chose not to do it," he said.

He added that Trudeaus pledge for a gender-balanced cabinet made it harder to pick spots for the six men elected in Alberta and Manitoba. "It probably fell on the altar of gender equality."

On Tuesday, Vandal said the Liberals demonstrated they care about the region by boosting funding and staffing for the regional granting agency, which he is tasked with overseeing.

Strain agreed that could have a significant impact on the Prairies  but that doesnt mean influence in Ottawa.

"They're two totally different things  one is local and regional influence in economic development; the other is much larger, and it's our voice at the national planning table," he said.

Im not concerned right now with the structure of cabinet."  Winnipeg mayor Brian Bowman

Not everyone was pessimistic. Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman said Trudeau is directly available to mayors, as have ministers who oversee files such as infrastructure.

"Im not concerned right now with the structure of cabinet," Bowman said, adding that infrastructure delays stem from the provincial government.

 With files from Carol Sanders

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca
Loretta Ross likens the premise of a treaty to the fundamental point of pinky-promises.

Loretta Ross likens the premise of a treaty to the fundamental point of pinky-promises.

In fact, the Manitoba treaty commissioner recommends elementary school teachers use a discussion about promises as a jumping-off point for treaty education.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Photos of Loretta Ross, Manitoba Treaty Commissioner for Story about Kapyong Barracks being a possible tangible example of reconciliation See Jessica Botelho-Urbanski story March 27, 2018

"Two parties came together and made a promise on how to live well together," says Ross, describing, in simple terms, the underpinning of seven documents (Treaty Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 10) signed between First Nations people and the state to outline terms to share the territory within Manitobas borders.

"Kindergarten students understand promises. When you promised your child, Lets go get ice cream at McDonald's, and you dont, theyll say: But you promised. They know accountability in terms of what was promised and how you can work together to keep that promise  so a promise is a perfect way to start."

Teachers can then build on that notion, she adds, so that by the time students obtain their high school diploma, they have a good understanding of the current treaty relationship and their personal responsibility in it.

This school year marks a decade since the Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba began offering programming to teachers at all levels, between kindergarten and Grade 12, to complement the provincial curriculum.

Next week, the commission will host the first of its 2021-22 open sessions for school staff to both learn and brush up on their knowledge of treaties, from a First Nations perspective. The training will include everything from an elders view on treaties to discussions about the importance of First Nations oral tradition to guidance on modelling lesson plans and localizing the teaching of treaties.

Ross said the upcoming opportunities for professional learning, which are being held virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic, aim to offer participants a holistic understanding of treaties.

"A lot of people are actually afraid to teach about treaties because they dont know, because they're afraid to offend," she says. "We want them to understand, not fear (treaty education)."

There are opportunities to introduce treaties across all subjects, according to Ross  whether its assigning treaty reenactment plays in drama or researching the sites where treaties were entered in geography.

In the treaty commissioners experience, the three most common misconceptions people have are: the written-texts are all-encompassing; they are historical artifacts; and they only benefit First Nations people.

"Everybody has benefited from treaties. If you own a house, well, youre able to own a house and buy a house because First Nations people shared the land. People dont think of that as a benefit anymore, but it is," she says, adding treaties are part of a shared history rather than simply an Indigenous history in Manitoba.

Approximately 6,500 school staff, including educational assistants, bus drivers and trustees, have participated in treaty training since the commission rolled out a pilot project tailored for Grade 5 and 6 educators in 2010.

As a result of the treaty education that has taken place over more than a decade, Ross says students have been able to learn and express their understanding of the treaty relationship through poems, murals, and plaques for their schools, among other projects.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie
SOME 25,000 earnest delegates, representing every country you have ever heard of and some you havent, have descended upon otherwise relatively quiet Glasgow  approximately one delegate for every 20 Glaswegians.

Opinion

SOME 25,000 earnest delegates, representing every country you have ever heard of and some you havent, have descended upon otherwise relatively quiet Glasgow  approximately one delegate for every 20 Glaswegians.

They are attending COP26, the 26th Conference of the Parties  with "the parties" being the worlds nations getting together to formulate co-ordinated action to combat climate change. Who said travel in the time of COVID-19 was tough? Of course, being free, it may just seem easy.

These COPs have spawned two international agreements  the 1997 Kyoto Accord and the 2015 Paris Agreement  both aimed at securing commitments to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. Canada signed on to Kyoto with the same understanding with which we seem to climb aboard any international environmental agreement: that we wouldnt have to do much, or at least not anything painful, to meet our commitment.

When it became obvious this was not the case, we withdrew. Many others who had signed on  and there were many who did not  decided their original enthusiasm was misplaced and also backed off. Kyoto became and remains a dead letter.

Accumulated science and real-world observations leading up to COP21 in Paris in 2015 lent a sense of urgency that had been lacking at previous COPs, and national delegations lined up to commit to what were thought at the time to be aggressive greenhouse-gas reduction targets. Why, even China, in a bilateral agreement with the U.S., committed to stabilize emissions by 2030 (although it should be noted that Chinas fossil-fuel usage has increased by nine per cent during the current pandemic).

These pledges were formalized in the Paris Agreement, with the stated goal of halting global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius. We well remember the scenes of weeping and cheering delegates clutching one another in a spontaneous outpouring of joy as the curtain came down on COP21.

Those who took the time to wade through the turgid prose of the 2018 special report of the International Panel on Climate Change may also have wept. The reports message was clear enough: even if all of the commitments made under the Paris Agreement were kept  and by then it was clear that a great many would not be  and very substantial additional measures were put in place, global warming would still reach at least 2C by 2100, and perhaps increase by as much as 3-5C.

Nonetheless, Canada continues to cite the Paris Agreement as the basis for its domestic mitigation measures, and has upped its original commitment  which was to reduce emissions by 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030  to at least a 40 per cent and as much as a 45 per cent reduction. This may win the high moral ground in Glasgow as we attempt to get the big emitters to get serious. We need not tell them that it is not at all clear just how we are going to meet our target(s).

Even before the thousands poured into Glasgow, governments had been lobbying hard to soften the content of the IPCC documents that will be a critical part of the COP26 dialogue. Surely this should not surprise, as world prosperity is largely powered by oil, natural gas and coal. Canada is dependent, but less than most, as we derive more than 60 per cent of our electricity from renewables, mainly hydro-electricity, and nuclear which, while non-renewable, at least does not generate GHGs in any significant quantity.

The problem facing COP delegates is that the transition most of them are vigorously promoting  away from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources  cannot occur in the timeframe necessary to prevent global warming of 3-5C. That is, it cannot happen in time unless our governments, backed by their citizens, are prepared to initiate actions that will drastically alter the way we live our lives.

The pre-COP attempts to soft-peddle the urgent need for action, the rapid escalation of fossil-fuel usage exceeding pre-pandemic levels, and the clear indication in words and actions of major emitters such as China, India and Russia that they do not foresee significant reduction of their emissions anytime soon, tell the real story. The world will not come anywhere near the reductions scientists have determined will be required by 2030 and the two decades beyond to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.

What does this mean for Canada? Surely it means we must hope for the best  reduce our emissions as much as we can, in the hope we can play a role in convincing others to follow suit, and in the process prepare our economy for the inevitable transition to renewables; and at the same time plan for the worst. That means building or modifying infrastructure to ensure our food supply, our cities and the transportation within and between these cities can withstand the changes wrought by climate change.

So, hopefully, when not cavorting around Glasgow, Canadian delegates will be button-holing and arm-twisting to convince others to commit to real progress and, when they return home, throw their full weight behind the real challenge we face: adaptation.

Norman Brandson was deputy minister of the former Manitoba departments of environment, water stewardship and conservation from 1990 to 2006.
Seldom has a meeting mattered more. And yet, if past United Nations climate summits are any indication, COP26 is poised to include a lot of lofty talk and very little tangible environmental action.

Seldom has a meeting mattered more. And yet, if past United Nations climate summits are any indication, COP26 is poised to include a lot of lofty talk and very little tangible environmental action.

For two weeks, beginning Sunday, delegates from 197 parties will convene in Glasgow to hammer out plans for curbing greenhouse-gas emissions, achieving carbon-neutral economies and keeping global warming below 1.5 C  the scientifically agreed upon threshold for keeping the most extreme consequences of the climate emergency at bay.

If those goalposts are inducing deja vu, its because weve been here before. Many times over.

The UN has been hosting climate conferences annually since 1995, and global leaders have been making aspirational pledges for the last 25 years.

The Kyoto Protocol, adopted in 1997 and enacted in 2005, was the first legally binding international climate treaty. While most of the 36 participating countries were able to moderately reduce emissions, many did so with carbon credits and as a result of financial recessions. China and the United States never signed, and Canada dropped out. Since 1990, global carbon dioxide emissions have increased by more than 50 per cent.

The Paris Agreement followed in 2015, with a wider scope and significantly more buy-in. Nearly all UN climate convention members signed on to reduce their carbon output and keep long-term temperature increases in check. But there are no sanctions for countries that dont meet the targets.

What, might we collectively ask, is the point? The consequences of political inaction are becoming distressingly clear. Around the globe, major floods, tropical storms and record-breaking heat waves are making headlines on a near-weekly basis. Extreme weather events such as these are made more severe and frequent as a result of climate change.

Disasters have become the norm, and our world leaders have failed to treat global warming like the disaster it is. Humanity deserves action, and quickly.

The COP26 summit is the first major check-in since the creation of the Paris Agreement, and it should serve as a reminder that our current targets still arent sufficiently aggressive. A New York Times projection shows that while progress is happening thanks to rapid growth in clean energy, current policies have us on track to hit 3 C of warming by 2100.

Fossil-fuel production also isnt waning as quickly as it needs to, according to a new UN report.

Countries have nine years to make a real difference, and ahead of COP26, many nations have committed to further emission cuts  which is all well and fine if there is immediate followthrough.

Countries have nine years to make a real difference, and ahead of COP26, many nations have committed to further emission cuts  which is all well and fine if there is immediate follow-through. Based on past experience, thats unlikely.

Global consensus on climate change as a pressing issue is important, and the upcoming summit presents an opportunity to collaborate on common goals. That said, we shouldnt be putting all our eggs in one basket.

Municipalities, private companies and organizations also have a role to play in cutting carbon, and smaller sector-by-sector changes can add up to make a difference. New technology, green energy and sound urban planning are key to shifting away from fossil fuels and reducing our collective carbon footprint. We dont have to pin the success of our future on the lackluster global treaties of the past.

Elected officials and global agreements arent the only answer to fighting climate change, but they do need to be part of the solution. Lets hope our leaders return from Glasgow ready to do the work.
More than 90 per cent of Manitoba's public-sector workers are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

More than 90 per cent of Manitoba's public-sector workers are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

However, 10 days after they were required to show proof of vaccination to continue working in the health, education and civil service categories, hundreds have instead chosen to undergo regular testing or go on unpaid leave.

Roughly 99.8 per cent of civil servants, 89 per cent of education staff and 86 per cent of health-care workers are fully vaccinated, according to figures released by the province Wednesday.

Deputy chief provincial public health officer Dr. Jazz Atwal announced the data during a virtual news conference, saying he was encouraged by the numbers and taking them as a sign of the "great work" individuals and organizations are doing to protect themselves and others.

He said the province will be drilling down to understand why those unvaccinated workers still haven't gotten the shot.

"I think it opens our eyes a little bit. (We'll be able to) create a little bit of a dialogue here with some of these sectors and with some of these individuals to try and encourage and promote vaccine uptake and to look at what is preventing one from getting vaccinated," Atwal said.

"We'll work one-on-one if we have to, to find out what is the issue and try to work through those issues."

In the civil service, 429 employees had opted for regular testing rather than having to disclose their vaccination status or provide proof of vaccination.

The same is true for 3,129 workers in the public and independent schools systems, including substitute teachers and casual staff. There are 143 school staff on unpaid administrative leave  97 per cent of whom are from public schools.

In health care, 36,269 of 42,000 direct-care professionals have said they're fully vaccinated and validation of disclosure forms is still underway (33,541 employees have already been validated as fully vaccinated). There are 1,788 health-care workers opting for testing; 184 refused testing and are either unvaccinated or refusing to disclose their status.

While the eventual goal is to lift all public health restrictions, including vaccination requirements, that won't happen anytime soon, Atwal said Wednesday, when asked if he can foresee circumstances in which unvaccinated public-sector employees will be allowed to return to work without getting the shot or submitting to testing.

"The plan right now is to protect Manitoba, is to protect the acute care system, is to prevent deaths and hospitalizations. So everything we're doing from a public health perspective is trying to do that. There are no plans to deviate from that in the short term," he said.

"For the next few months, for sure, nothing will change. We see this continuing for sure into the new year at this point."

On Wednesday, the province recorded 130 new cases of COVID-19 and three additional deaths. The provincial test positivity rate is creeping up, currently at 4.2 per cent.

Public health officials are still concerned many ill Manitobans are not getting tested for COVID-19.

About half of pandemic patients now admitted to hospital are only being tested upon arrival, Atwal emphasized. That's especially worrying, he said, because health officials know people are sick for 10 days, on average, before they need to go to hospital.

"That poses risk where we're missing out on contacts," Atwal said.

katie.may@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @thatkatiemay
Raj Palraj is a member of the 2021 Rising Stars Under 40 recognized by the 7 Rivers Alliance and the River Valley Media Group.

Age as of Sept 1, 2021: 39 years

Town of Residence: Rochester

Occupation/Company: Infectious Diseases Physician, Mayo Clinic Health System, La Crosse

Family: Achheyta Munakarmy  Spouse; One daughter Meera Raj 5 years old

What is your proudest professional accomplishment?

Being part of the infection control team involved in guiding Mayo Clinic Health System and La Crosse community navigate COVID-19 pandemic.

Please tell us what community and volunteer activities you are involve with and why?

I am involved in Mayo Clinic Enterprise wide COVID-19 treatment teams, Infection Prevention activities and COVID-19 Vaccinations committee. I enjoyed participating in La Crosse community forums and local media interviews to disseminate scientific facts and answer questions from community members about COVID-19 pandemic. I believe people will do the right thing if they have the right scientific information. I also volunteer in my daughters school COVID-19 infection prevention committee.

Tell us what inspired you to be a leader in your organization and in your community

COVID-19 pandemic brought fear and uncertainty to everyone. In an era of social media where it is confusing to identify the correct information, I wanted to help the community to understand the rapidly evolving science. I also learned that people respect honesty when the answer is unknown.

What advice would you give to young leaders to aid their success?

Be dedicated to work by striving to improve knowledge and skills, in whatever field you are in but not worry about expected outcomes.

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The Mauston Area Municipal Court has collected about $135,000 in 2021, an almost 10 percent increase from the same time in 2020.

Judge Mike Taake updated the Mauston Common Council on the activity of the court during a meeting of the council Oct. 26.

We collected (over) $34,000 over the last three months with initial appearances only once a month, Taake said. For those of you keeping score the year to date total is almost $135,000, which is up about $12,000 from last year this time.

Taake said Mauston kept $20,806.39 of the total money received during the third quarter, with the fines coming from 328 citations. Seven of the citations were operating while under the influence cases, 22 came from juvenile tickets, 236 were traffic tickets and 63 of the citations were for ordinance violations.

September marked the first juvenile-only initial appearance date for the court, part of a new initiative Taake started to solve capacity issues.

We had a packed calendar, standing room only, Taake said. Were anticipating it to continue to improve (but) it went very well.
The crime of forcible touching is punishable in New York by up to year in jail and up to three years probation, with discretion for the court to impose lesser penalties including no jail time.

Commisso, an executive assistant for Cuomo, says he groped her when they were alone in an office at the governors mansion in Albany.

She said Cuomo pulled her in for a hug as she prepared to leave. When she told him, youre going to get us in trouble, Cuomo replied, I dont care, and slammed the door, according to her account. Commisso said Cuomo slid his hand up her blouse and grabbed her breast.

Cuomo has adamantly denied groping her, saying once, I would have to lose my mind to do such a thing.

Commisso's lawyer, Brian Premo, said in a statement to the Times Union that she hadn't been consulted about the criminal complaint.
No agency in the state other than the Attorney Generals Office has the authority to launch such a statewide investigation, Schmaling said

During Thursdays press conference, Schmaling repeatedly said he is not trying to overturn any elections or get any votes retroactively changed. Joe Biden won Wisconsin by 21,000 votes in 2020, which has been repeatedly affirmed by recounts and, so far, by a Republican-ordered audit of the 2020 election.

"We're not trying to change one vote," Luell said. "We're not trying to change one election. We're trying to hold the government accountable."

The RCSO investigation, which was not known to the public or to the Wisconsin Elections Commission until Wednesday, is not part of any of the statewide probes, Schmaling said.

Luell and Schmaling said they are not explicitly seeking charges against anyone; they are leaving that to prosecutors.

"Whatever happens to the WEC is up to the Legislature," Luell said.

Still, Luell and Schmaling repeatedly stated that they believe laws were broken and that there should be consequences. "There was clear violations of the law," Schmaling said.

Nursing home questions
Snowmobilers will have to wait at least another year for a new route through Blue Mound State Park.

An Iowa County judge on Wednesday blocked construction of a long-contested trail outlined in a new master plan that is the subject of legal challenges from the parks volunteer support group.

The Department of Natural Resources had planned to begin construction Nov. 5, but Judge Margaret Koehler granted a request from the Friends of Blue Mound State Park to pause construction until the lawsuits are settled.

The dispute involves a new master plan for the 1,153-acre park on the Dane-Iowa county line.

Approved by the Natural Resources Board in May, the plan includes a 1-mile snowmobile trail through the park to connect the Military Ridge State Trail to county trails to the north. Currently, snowmobilers can ride on the shoulders of roads to get between trail systems.
The trial of a man who stabbed a longtime friend to death in 2017 will head to its second phase -- to determine whether he was insane at the time -- after a jury on Wednesday found the man guilty of first-degree intentional homicide.

The jury of eight men and four women deliberated for just over two hours before it found Bruno, 53, guilty of stabbing his friend, Kim M. Gaida, 46, to death on Nov. 27, 2017, at Gaida's home in Stoughton, where Bruno had been living to help Gaida make ends meet.

Now that the jury has found Bruno guilty, it will hear testimony from doctors about Bruno's mental condition to determine whether he can be held legally responsible for the homicide.

If Bruno is found responsible, he would face life in prison, with the earliest possibility of release in 20 years. Circuit Judge Mario White could also decide Bruno would never be eligible for release.

If found not responsible, Bruno could be kept at a state mental institution for an indefinite period of time, and he could petition every six months for release into community supervision.
State Dem party allegation rebuked by RCSO

The Democratic Party of Wisconsin alleged that the Racine County Sheriff's Office and Village of Mount Pleasant broke election laws amid the investigation.

The party claimed that laws require "elections officials maintain custody over all materials associated with elections," but then Luell said during Thursday's press conference that "At the end of our interviews (with) Mount Pleasant (village officials), they provided me with copies of the applications for absentee ballots, and they provided me with the ballot envelopes.

However, when The Journal Times asked Luell for a response to the allegations, Luell in an email clarified that: "They were copies of the ballot envelopes."

Democratic Party of Wisconsin interim Executive Director Devin Remiker issued the following statement:

Todays press conference was nothing more than a publicity stunt. The Racine County Sheriffs Department has been wasting taxpayer money in an attempt to rehash discredited claims about the 2020 election results. There werent any charges filed or even any suggested. The press conference didnt shed light on any election fraud, but did reveal the Racine County Sheriffs department may have broken the law during their own farce of an investigation.

Just last week, the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau released its election audit, and as recounts, court cases, and Trumps own Department of Homeland Security have already proven, the LAB found the 2020 election was safe and secure. But none of this matters to Republicans, who will go to any lengths to try to cast doubt on the 2020 election results  including apparently breaking the law. This is yet another attempt to attack our democracy and cast doubt on a free and fair election, in which Wisconsinites elected Joe Biden.
The University of Wisconsin System announced Wednesday that it will comply with an executive order issued by President Joe Biden more than six weeks ago requiring federal contractors to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

We cannot afford to jeopardize millions of dollars in federal contracts, which are integral to our academic and research missions, interim System President Tommy Thompson said in a statement. Therefore, we intend to be in compliance with the federal executive order on vaccine mandates.

The Systems announcement that it would comply with the mandate comes on the last possible day for employees to get their first dose of the Moderna vaccine and be fully vaccinated by Dec. 8, the deadline Biden set in the order. Those receiving the Pfizer vaccine have until Nov. 3 to get their first shot and those getting the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine must do so by Nov. 24.

Bidens Sept. 9 order has compelled colleges across the country to announce vaccine requirements, even in some conservative states where governors and legislators oppose vaccine mandates.
Untreated mental illnesses impact SA's economy, social and family stability

The shame which many South Africans, particularly black communities, place on people who live with mental illnesses are preventing sufferers from seeking help.

The shame which many South Africans, particularly black communities, place on people who live with mental illnesses are preventing sufferers from seeking help.

Growing up a child in the townships and informal settlements, families often hid relations with mental illnesses away, because of the fear of the prejudice, discrimination and isolation those with mental illnesses were subjected to.

Psychiatric hospitals such as the Weskoppies psychiatric hospital in Pretoria or the Valkenberg psychiatric hospital in Cape Town were prejudicially referred to as places for lunatics  where people are beyond redemption go to. So those with mental illnesses  and their family members were often bullied, ridiculed and cut off.

Astonishingly, leaders such as former President Jacob Zuma have irresponsibly and wrongly headedly claimed that stress was a white mans disease. Reinventing African culture, Zuma in 2017 claimed that the isiZulu community did not suffer from stress or mental distress as it was a foreign concept to them.

Sadly, such views that mental illness does not exist among black people and the stigma attached to mental illnesses appear to remain widespread in present-day South Africa. The stigma attached to mental health means that family, friends and co-workers are often not supportive of those who are unwell.

The multiple crises caused by Covid-19 - health, financial and social  have caused an epidemic of mental illnesses. Mental illnesses are likely to increase because of financial stress, anxiety and self-isolation.

The phenomenon of Cabin Fever, the symptoms of depression, hopelessness and irritability, associated with being confined in isolation for long periods as experienced during the hard lockdowns, are increasing South Africas mental illness caseload.

The collapse of businesses, loss of jobs, Cabin Fever, and other negative effects of Covid-19 is likely to lead to many broken marriages  which will increase mental strain. The reality of possible illness or death surrounding us  and the possibility of becoming a victim can cause profound anxiety, depression and unease.

Women bear the brunt of the fallout of South Africas social, political and financial crises. They are expected to be the refuge for families deeply stressed. Cape Mental Health said: There needs to be additional mental health support for women who bear the brunt of this pandemic, either because they have lost a loved one, their income or home, or that they have been subjected to increased domestic violence in the home.

Children are particularly vulnerable to lockdown-induced mental illnesses  the isolation, loneliness and restriction of movement. Adults suffering from Covid-19 related stresses also impact their children. Young people are also suffering. A UNICEF, the United Nations childrens agency, survey in nine developing countries in 2020 of youth between 13 and 29, found that 27% felt anxiety and 15% was depressive about the future.

But healthcare workers are also suffering from mental strain, depression and anxiety because of the emotional trauma from treating Covid-19 patients and seeing those infected dying in such high numbers.

Even before Covid-19 South Africa had high levels of mental illnesses, a silent epidemic, which were often not regarded as such, because of the high levels of stigma attached to mental illnesses.

The last World Health Organisation mental health survey of South Africa, before Covid-19 hit, estimated that 30% of South Africans will suffer from a mental disorder over the course of their lifetime. Covid-19 is likely to substantially increase this figure.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, only 15% of South Africans with mental health receive treatment. This is due largely to the fact that many do not seek help because of the public stigma attached to mental illnesses and because in many cases mental health support is just not available in public medical facilities.

South Africa only spends 5% of its total health budget on mental health  putting South Africa at the bottom of international benchmarks of country public spending on mental health. This translates into less than 1 person per 10 receiving mental health care. Poor South Africans are worse off when it comes to access to mental care  because of the lack of capacity, accessibility and resources in the public health sector for mental health care.

A 2019 survey by the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Cape Town showed that so severe are the shortages of mental health specialists, that only three provinces had child psychiatrists. The survey revealed that drugs for chronic mental illnesses such as depression, bipolar disorder and anxiety were routinely unavailable.

It is not only the public sector, which lacks a supportive environment for mental illnesses, the private sector is also found wanting. Many medical aids are not enthusiastic about providing financial resources to members suffering from mental illnesses. Medical aid options often do not adequately cover mental illness treatment. This need to change.

Currently, mental health support does not feature significantly in governments Covid-19 recovery plans. There has to be a more dedicated effort from government to improve access to mental health facilities, resources and staff. Government and the private sector must make available Covid-19 funds to organisations involved in treating mental illnesses, including community-based organisations, who are at the coalface of treating the vulnerable.

There has to be an all-of-society effort to tackle the stigma, especially in black communities around mental illnesses  from civil society groups, religious bodies and traditional leaders; and schools, higher education institutions and workplaces.

Companies must become more supportive of employees facing mental strain, introducing support programmes for those suffering from mental illnesses and educate employees about mental illness  to tackle the stigma associated with it. Untreated mental illnesses undermine the productivity of businesses as much as physical health problems. It undermines South Africas economy, social and family stability  it must therefore be tackled with greater urgency, and with more resources and greater all of society collaboration, than currently the case.

William Gumede is Associate Professor, School of Governance, University of the Witwatersrand. This article has been done in support of Cape Mental Health, to mark October Mental Health Awareness Month in South Africa. It was first published on News24.
LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI)  Lafayette Police are monitoring a social media post about Lafayette Jeff High School. A Snapchat post was leaked threatening there could be a shooting at the school today.

WLFI spoke with Lafayette School Corporation Superintendent Les Huddle who said police learned of the Snapchat late Wednesday night. He says Lafayette Police's cyber security team has tracked the Snapchat post's IP address and that it revealed the post was actually from Savannah, Georgia.

Huddle said he believes the Snapchat may have had key letters in it such J-H-F that would have led people to believe it was about Jeff High School. He said they don't believe there is a credible threat however they are still taking every precaution.

The school will have extra security around the building and surrounding areas however, classes will go on as normal.
The All-China Women's Federation and UN Women launch a project in support of women in post-epidemic economy recovery in Wuhan, in Central China's Hubei Province, on September 16, 2021. [For Women of China]

The All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) and UN Women launched a project in support of women in post-epidemic economy recovery in Wuhan, in Central China's Hubei Province, on September 16, 2021. It was a part of the events to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the lawful seat of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations.

Xia Jie, Vice-President and Member of the Secretariat of the ACWF, and Sarah Knibbs, Deputy Director a.i. of the UN Women Asia-Pacific Office, spoke during the ceremony to launch the project. Zhang Shu, Deputy Secretary of Wuhan Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), welcomed participants to the event. Li Shuyong, President of Hubei Women's Federation, Jia Xuena, Vice-President of Tianjin Women's Federation, and Wang Peipei, Secretary-General of Rongcheng Puji Foundation, also spoke during the event. More than 100 participants, including representatives from the UN Women Office in China, departments of Hubei provincial and Wuhan municipal governments, social organizations and women business start-ups, attended.

Xia said this year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CPC and the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the lawful seat of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations, so launching the project is a significant event. Throughout the years, China has supported and participated in UN's work regarding women's issues, Xia said. Chinese President Xi Jinping attended and addressed the Global Leaders' Meeting on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment (in 2015) and the High-level Meeting on the 25th Anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women (in 2020), pointing out a direction for advancing women's overall development and deepening cooperation with UN in women's issues, she added.

The ACWF will strengthen communications and cooperation with UN Women and women's organizations of various countries, help women overcome the impacts of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), accumulate good practices on economic development, and make new contributions to fulfilling gender equality and women's overall development and advance the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, Xia said.

Knibbs praised China for its continuous support of the UN and its work in women's issues. She said UN Women will enhance its communication and cooperation with the Chinese Government and the ACWF, and will make joint efforts to promote women's participation in the fight against COVID-19 and in achieving global economic and social progress. UN Women will also play its role in the fulfillment of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, Knibbs added.

Participants listened to the sharing of Wuhan's good practices on helping women confront the impacts of COVID-19 and take part in economic development. Xia communicated with women entrepreneurs after the event. She said she approved of the achievements they had made and she encouraged them to participate in entrepreneurship and innovation progress, make new contributions to the achievement of high-quality development and the fulfillment of Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of Chinese nation.

Xia Jie, Vice-President and Member of the Secretariat of the ACWF, speaks during the ceremony. [For Women of China]

(Women of China)
Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, also a special envoy of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for the advancement of girls' and women's education, attends the Award Ceremony of 2021 UNESCO Prize for Girls' and Women's Education via video link in Beijing, Oct 15, 2021. [Xinhua]

Peng Liyuan, the wife of President Xi Jinping, sent a congratulatory message to the dedication ceremony of the campus of the Tianjin Juilliard School on Tuesday, in which she expressed her hope that China and the United States would conduct extensive people-to-people exchanges to boost mutual understanding.

In the letter, Peng lauded the Tianjin Conservatory of Music and the New York-based Juilliard School for their high-level art cooperation, saying that the two schools have enhanced people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

Saying that art is a bridge that can transcend national borders and connect peoples' hearts and minds, Peng added that enhanced cooperation between the two countries in the area of education would help to cultivate more talents, advance cultural exchanges and mutual learning, and spread art and friendship.

Peng said that she hoped China and the US would conduct extensive people-to-people exchanges in order to promote mutual understanding and inject impetus into the friendship between the two peoples.

Established in 1905, the Juilliard School is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City and is widely regarded as one of the world's leading drama, music, and dance schools.

Peng's efforts in promoting communication between the Juilliard School and China date back six years, when she accompanied President Xi on his state visit to the US in 2015.

She visited the campus of the Juilliard School and was warmly welcomed by the students with performances.

At that time it was announced that the school would open its first overseas campus in Tianjin, becoming the first US music school offering a US-accredited master's degree in China.

(Source: China Daily)
Siberia is the northernmost region of Asia. Most of the region belongs to the Russian Federation. In fact, it comprises most of Russias territory. Siberias name comes from the Tatar word for sleeping land. It is one of the largest landmasses in the world, comprising about 9% of the entire worlds dry landmass. Without it, Russia would not be able to claim the status as the largest country in the world. Siberia consists of different geographic regions. It also consists of several different peoples and cultures. The Russians, however, have dominated the region since the 17th century. During the 20th century, Siberia was a key industrial region of the Soviet Union, as well as a location for some of the USSRs notorious gulags.

Geography

A beautiful village in Siberia.

The total area of Siberia is about 13,488,500 sq. km. All but the extreme southwest of the region belongs to Russia. The remainder belongs to the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan. The Ural Mountains constitutes Siberias western border. To the south of Siberia are Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and China. Siberia is bordered to the north by the Kara Sea in the west and the East Siberian Sea in the east. To the southeast of Siberia are the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan. The farthest eastern extent of Siberia borders the Bering Sea, across which is the US state of Alaska. There are several islands that are also considered part of the region of Siberia. One of the largest is the island of Sakhalin, which lies very close to the Siberian mainland in the aforementioned Sea of Okhotsk. To the immediate south of this island is Hokkaido, the northernmost island of the Japanese mainland. In addition, a chain of islands known as the Kuril Islands, situated between Hokkaido and the Kamchatka Peninsula, is also considered part of Siberia, as are the islands in the Kara Sea and East Siberian Sea.

A man standing on frozen Lake Baikal in front of an ice cave in Irkutsk, Siberia.

Siberia contains four distinct geographical regions. One region is known as the West Siberian Plain, which is adjacent to the Ural Mountains. It is a relatively flat region containing large areas of swampland. East of the Yenisei River is Central Siberia, a geographic region that consists mainly of plains and the Central Siberian Plateau. The basin of the Lena River separates Central Siberia from Northeastern Siberia, which contains a number of mountain ranges, upland massifs, and intervening basins. The smallest region of Siberia is what is known as the Baikal area, which is an area surrounding Lake Baikal in the south-central area of the region.

The Ivolginsky Datsan Monastery is a Buddhist Temple located near the city of Ulan-Ude in Buryatia, Russia.

In terms of political geography, Siberia is divided into two federal districts, the Siberian Federal District in the west and the Far Eastern Federal District in the east. These federal districts are further divided into other subnational jurisdictions. Some of these jurisdictions are known as republics, which are somewhat equivalent to US states. These republics largely correspond to the territory of a particular ethnic group. They include Sakha (Yakutia), Buryatia, Tuva, Khakasiya, and the Altai Republic.

Demographics

Young Yakuts in national folk clothes holding wooden Yakut utensils with traditional food in Yakutsk, Republic of Yakutia, Russia. Editorial credit: Tatiana Gasich / Shutterstock.com

Siberia is very multiethnic and multicultural. People of Russian origin make up the bulk of the population in the region. They live mostly in the large cities close to the borders with Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and China. However, there are also several non-Russian ethnic groups living in Siberia, some of which are indigenous to the area. They include Turkic peoples like the Yakuts (Saha) in the Republic of Yakutia, the Tuvans in the Republic of Tuva, the Altai of the Altai Republic, and the Khakas of Khakasiya. People of other linguistic groups in Siberia include the Buryats of Buryatia, who are related to the Mongols, as well as other, smaller groups.

Aerial view of the Novosibirsk State University Building, Novosibirsk Academic Town, Novosibirsk Region, Western Siberia of Russia. Editorial credit: Starover Sibiriak / Shutterstock.com

The most populous city in Siberia is called Novosibirsk, which is situated on the banks of the Ob River. It contains more than 1.6 million people, making it the third biggest city in all of Russia. Russias fourth biggest city, Yekaterinburg, is also located in Siberia, just east of the Ural Mountains. The city of Omsk, which has a population of more than 1.1 million, is situated close to the border with Kazakhstan. Vladivastok, a large city in Russian Far East, is located on Siberias southeast coast, facing the Sea of Japan, in close proximity to the border with northeastern China. It has long been an important Russian naval port. Other major cities in Siberia include Krasnoyarsk, Barnaul, Irkutsk, Tomsk, Kemerovo, and Novokuznetsk.

History

It is not known where the first people to live in Siberia came from. They could have come from Europe, Central Asia, or East Asia. In the period close to 1,000 BCE, the region fell under Chinese influence, but by the 3rd century BCE, Turkic and Mongol influence had taken over. By the beginning of the 13th century CE, much of Siberia was part of the vast Mongol Empire, led by Genghis Khan. The region would remain under Mongol influence until about the mid-15th century.

Novosibirsk-Glavny Railway Station in the city of Novosibirsk, Siberia, an important stop along the Trans-Siberian Railway and one of the largest stations in the country. Editorial credit: R.M. Nunes / Shutterstock.com

Russian intrusion into Siberia began in the 1580s. By the mid-17th century, the Russian Empire had reached the far eastern coast of Siberia, on the Sea of Okhotsk. By the mid-19th century, the Russian conquest of Siberia was complete, marked by the founding of Vladivostok on the Sea of Japan in 1860. Other people from Europe also moved into the region over the centuries. In the 17th century, for instance, Komi peoples, Lithuanians, Ukrainians, Belarussians, as well as small numbers of Germans, Greeks, Tartars and Turks came to settle in Siberia. Later on, other groups of people arrived in the region, some of whom were victims of forced exile, such as Swedish prisoners of war, and Poles, Lithuanians, Belarussians, Ukrainians and Jews from rebellious Polish territories. In addition, people from the central regions of Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine came to settle in Siberia following the abolition of serfdom in 1861. In 1891, construction on the Trans-Siberian railroad began. The rail line was finally completed in 1905. In 1914, nearly 10 million people lived in Siberia.

During the Russian Civil War (1918-1920), an anti-Bolshevik regime controlled much of Siberia until 1920. By 1922, however, virtually all of Siberia was incorporated into the new Soviet Union. Shortly after the USSR was founded, the large-scale exploitation of Siberias natural resources began at a rapid pace. Coal mining and iron-and-steel facilities were established. Much of the mining was done using slave labor. During World War II, Siberias industrial complex became even more important as the factories in the western, European portion of Russia had to be evacuated during the Nazis march towards Moscow. Thus, Siberias industrial facilities proved crucial for the war effort.

Aerial view of the Novosibirsk hydroelectric powerplant station on the Ob River in Novosibirsk, Siberia.

The mid-20th century saw further industrial development and expansion in Siberia, part of which was the establishment of oil wells and hydroelectric facilities in the region. More railroads were also built, including the Baikal-Amur Magistral (BAM) railroad between Ust-Kut, on the Lena River, and Komsomolsk-na-Amure, on the Amur River, which was completed in 1980, with a distance of 3,200 km. During much of the 20th century, Siberia was often used as a location for the notorious gulag prison system. Many of the gulag camps were built in the northeast area of the region. Major industrial cities in northern Siberia, such as Norilsk and Magadan, were built with prison slave labor.
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President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan, in an exclusive interview with CNN, discusses the threat from China, which she said is increasing 'every day.'
ANCHORAGE (AP)  An Alabama man living in Alaska whom a judge alleged was leading the charge during the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol was denied release Oct. 21 in an Alaska courtroom while his case proceeds.

Christian Matthew Manley waived his right to preliminary hearing and asked that he be immediately transferred to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the jurisdiction prosecuting those charged in the riot.

Manley faces several charges, including assaulting or resisting officers using a dangerous weapon; civil disorder; exhibiting disorderly conduct an...
Centenary Poppy Appeal 2021 set for local launch  the need for donations is still there

The Centenary Poppy Appeal 2021 is formally launched today, with an appeal for volunteers to help with this years local campaign.

Kevin Forbes Wrexham town centre organiser for the Poppy Appeal said, Poppy collectors are once again back in the community  please remember that Every Poppy Counts. Each Poppy raises cash to support the welfare work of the Royal British Legion.The Poppy is the national symbol of Remembrance and is available to the public for a donation or none.

There are other additional items of merchandise available in the supermarkets and these items are available for a suggested donation.

The 2020 Appeal raised 50% of normal so please be generous  The need is still there !

The National Launch of the Poppy Appeal takes place later today, and the 2021 Poppy Appeal launch in Wrexham is at 9am on Sunday 31st October at the Guildhall.

The RBL Riders Branch will participate in a short parade and service and will then continue on their circular Poppy Tour of North Wales. The last similar launch involved 50+ large motor cycles and was quite a spectacle  the event is open to all, but attendees are asked to be Covid safe.

Mr Forbes commented on the wider appeal, Covid could be still an issue but we will do our best to ensure that everyone can participate in the Appeal. Schools ,Shops and offices have or will have poppies available soon. The major supermarkets will all have displays of poppies  but we cannot guarantee availability at all times.

In addition to outlets there will be street collections in the town, with a range of specific events including Uniformed Public Services students from Coleg Cambria ,who are long term supporters of the appeal will engage in street collections on Friday 5th Nov.

Anyone who could give an hour or so to assist between 10.00 and 15.00 on 6th or 13th but most especially on 12thNov, or help volunteer in the ASDA supermarket collections, are aseked to email poppyappealwrexham@gmail.com.

The area will being decorated as usual in the town centre and along the arterial roads and with the Guildhall and other buildings illuminated red, Please have a look /and or post using the hashtags #turnwalesred and #lightupred 

In addition to mark the 100th Anniversary of RBL and Poppy Appeal if you have external lighting please consider illuminating your building red for the duration of the Appeal and posting photos under the heading #turnwalesred and #lightupred on social media.
Former RBS bank building goes on auction block

The former Royal Bank of Scotland building in Wrexham is set for auction next month with a guide price of 100,000.

The property at 13 Lord Street is described by auctioneers Pugh as, A vacant town centre former bank with accommodation arranged over ground, basement and first floors.

The property is situated in a pedestrianised area and holds vast potential for a variety of future uses, including possible part residential development, subject to any necessary consents.

The current rateable value is stated as 24,000 , and the auction details note the property is held on a new 999 year leasehold title.

The branch closed on on July 26th 2018, amid a cutback that saw 162 branches across the UK being shut.

The auctioneers have not inspected the basement, but do detail the site as having a 111 square metre ground floor area, a 67 square metre basement and a open plan first floor of office space and kitchen area of 105 square metres.

The auction ends on the 10th of November, with bidding opening the day before.
The US Food and Drug Administration authorized booster doses of both Covid-19 vaccines made by Moderna and Johnson & Johnson Wednesday and also said any of the three authorized vaccines could be used as a booster is a "mix and match" approach.
NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) - Two area pharmacies have been staying busy administering the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 booster shots since their approval last week.

Roman Pharmacy and Lebanon Family Pharmacy are two Middle Tennessee pharmacies giving out the two vaccine brands. Both have been giving the booster shots since Oct. 25 after approval from health leaders.

It went really smooth. Right now, we are doing walk-ins. We are open 9-6 but we are doing walk-ins up until 5 in the evenings, said Brittany McCain, certified pharmacy technician at Roman Pharmacy in Goodlettsville. We did about 28 on Monday so it was insane. Today weve done probably about 15.

Nashvillians excited to receive COVID-19 booster shot People were able to line up in Nashville for an extra dose of any COVID-19 vaccine, including Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

Suppose its been six months since you got your second Pfizer or Moderna shot or two months since you got your Johnson & Johnson shot. In that case, you could be eligible to get your booster shot if you meet specific criteria.

A lot of the elderly have been coming in, and theyve been really excited to get it over with and get that booster, McCain said.

Most people who have been fully vaccinated for several months are likely eligible to get their booster shot. However, if youre looking for that next shot, it may be tricky to find which vaccine you want.

We did have a few people say the same thing that they waited in line at the Metro clinic and then when they got there, they said they didnt have the Moderna one, and then they came here, Dr. Hetal Patel of Lebanon Family Pharmacy said.

Newly-approved COVID-19 booster shots now available NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV)  Now that booster shots have been cleared by the Center for Disease Control, Metro Health said theyll likely start admi

Patel said most people want Moderna or Johnson & Johnson shots since Pfizer boosters gained FDA approval about a month ago for people older and at risk.

Patel said they have been throwing away unused doses of Moderna since its the only COVID vaccine that requires half a normal dose for the booster.

With those vials, we have a lot of waste at our pharmacy because the way the vials are made, Patel said. They have 14 doses, 14 full doses, which is the 0.5 ml, and then you can only puncture the vial. The maximum time you can puncture it is 20 times, said Patel.

Coronavirus taskforce Chair talks Covid-19 boosters NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) - CDC advisers are taking the next steps to get more boosters to people in our community. In unanimous votes, they said p

Patel said once you begin using a new vial of the Moderna vaccine, it will only remain usable for 12 hours, which is terrible for slow days.

Lebanon Family Pharmacy still has plenty of all three vaccines for people needed to be vaccinated or to receive the booster shot.

Click here to find a pharmacy or clinic near you giving the type of vaccine you want.
PORTLAND, TN (WSMV) - One Robertson County family said for them, Monday night was truly every familys worst nightmare. A stranger came into their home armed with a knife and stabbed the mom, dad, and pregnant daughter. They realized it was their new neighbor.

The son, Justin Stradtner said he heard the noise, walked into the living room and saw his mom and dad on the floor, bloody. Justin said through tears, they told him they loved him and thought they werent going to make it. One minute, I am reading my little girl a story, Justin said. The next thing I know, someone is busting in the front door trying to stab and kill us.

Man arrested for stabbing three of his neighbors in Robertson County A home invasion left three people, including a pregnant woman, recovering in the hospital after being stabbed, according to the Robertson County Sheriffs Office.

Justin Stradtner is staying strong for his family after a triple stabbing at his parents home in Robertson County near the Tennessee-Kentucky state line. We have lived on the same road for 20 years, Justin said. We have never had anything like this happen.

Monday night, Justin said a man that police have now identified at 23-year-old Austin Swanson pulled into the front yard right up to the steps and parked in the middle of the yard. My dad meets him at the front door, Justin said. He busts the door in with the knife. My dad tried to push him out with the door. He stabbed my dad in the neck and punctured his lung.

After Justins dad, 53-year-old Jerry Stradtner was stabbed, Justins mother, 52-year-old Tammy Stradtner ran in. He cut my mom from her lip all the way over, Justin said.

At eight months pregnant, Justins sister, 23-year-old Tamalee Stradtner was also stabbed in the chest. Justin said he fought Swanson off and held him on the ground until law enforcement arrived. I didnt know if he had another knife or a gun so I kept his hands where he couldnt reach for anything, Justin said.

The Robertson County Sheriffs Office said they havent determined a motive. Justin said Swanson moved in this summer a couple houses down, but Justin said his family never had contact with Swanson. Justin said Swanson was incoherent last night. He was saying he was the police and all kinds of stuff that didnt make sense, Justin said.

Justins niece and two young daughters were also there. They ask me, Daddy, why did the bad man come into our house? And I just dont have an answer for that, Justin said.

Justin said his parents are both still hospitalized tonight but in stable condition. His sister was released from the hospital Monday with no threat to her pregnancy. Justin wanted to thank first responders for getting there so quickly. The family has also set up a GoFundMe for all the medical bills.
On Saturday, October 23, the Massachusetts Historical Society in Boston hosted a debate between historians Gordon Wood and Woody Holton. The event, titled The American Revolution from Two Perspectives, was billed as a discussion of contending historical interpretations of the American Revolution.

However, most of the hourlong debate was given over to provocations from Holton, who repeatedly accused Wood and other scholars who have criticized the New York Times  1619 Project of being responsible for Republican Party efforts to censor it. Holtons opposition to censorship is, to say the least, highly selective. While he opposes Republican efforts to censor the 1619 Projectas does the World Socialist Web Site he denounces and would silence all criticism of the 1619 Project from left or scholarly perspectives, as his attacks on Wood made clear.

Woody Holton and Gordon Wood

For those who have followed his antics on social media, Holtons behavior in the debate with Wood will come as no surprise. More notable is the fact that Holton completely abandoned, when challenged by Wood, his patently false assertion that the Dunmore Proclamation of November 1775, which offered freedom to slaves of masters already in rebellion, was the cause of the American Revolution. Holton has made this claim repeatedly in recent months in the Washington Post, on History News Network and on Twitter.

Before turning to this aspect of the debate, a word on the two historians may be in order.

Gordon Wood is an Alva O. Way professor emeritus of history at Brown University. Since the publication of his 1970 The Creation of the American Republic, 1776-1787, which won the Bancroft Prize, Wood has been the foremost scholar of the American Revolution. He has been interviewed by the World Socialist Web Site on two occasions. Wood has shown courage and intellectual integrity in criticizing the New York Times for its 1619 Project, a position that has brought non-collegial attacks from a handful of historians, Holton included.

The thrust of Woods interpretation is that, despite historically conditioned limitations, the American Revolution was a profoundly radical and transformative event, every bit as radical to American society as the French Revolution of 1789 was to French society. The revolution authored an enormous breakthrough in constitutional state-making and created, especially in the North, a society characterized by mass politics and horizontal class relations, a society that exalted labor and that was dominated by an emergent and commercially-oriented middle class. This thesis is developed in his book The Radicalism of the American Revolution, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1993. Woods most recent book is Power and Liberty: Constitutionalism in the American Revolution, released this year.

Woody Holton is professor of history at the University of South Carolina. His work has also won numerous prizes, including a Bancroft Prize in 2010 for a biography of Abigail Adams. Holton is sometimes presented as a neo-Progressive in the tradition of Charles Beard (1874-1948), but his work has come to have little connection to any form of historical materialism, even to that of Beard, who deduced historical causation from immediate, and very often individual, material interests.

Instead, Holtons conception of the American Revolution is tailor-made to meet the present political needs of the Democratic Party. Unlike Beard, and much more akin to the old Jim Crow-era folkways social scientists, Holton claims to deduce the historical action of the Revolution by imposing on the past the identity categories of the present, particularly the racial ones. His method entails the deployment of what he calls pieces of evidence, carefully selected and ripped from their context, to prove his point and the disregarding of evidence to the contrary.

Holtons father is Linwood Holton, a Republican governor of Virginia who became a Democrat, and his brother-in-law is Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, Hillary Clintons vice presidential running mate in 2016. The familys fortune is drawn from western Virginia coal mining, certainly one of the most exploitative industries in American history. These biographical facts may go some distance in explaining Holtons fealty to the 1619 Project, which is central to the Democratic Partys efforts to eradicate discussion of social class in the past and the present.

Whatever his motivation, Holton has made himself the most vociferous academic backer of the 1619 Project. In return, the Times and the Post have promoted Holton. The quid pro quo appears to be that Holton is tasked with finding a factual basis for the 1619 Projects key claim, that the American Revolution was a counterrevolutionary plot launched to defend slavery against British emancipation.

Holton did not fare well in this effort against Wood. Challenged by Wood with simple facts well known to historians of the Revolution, Holton again and again retreated in his principal claim, outlined on July 4 in the Washington Post and repeated since, that the American Revolution happened because of Dunmores Proclamation. The World Socialist Web Site has dealt with these claims previously. While Holton has used anticommunist attacks on the WSWS on Twitter, he has not challenged the facts presented in those articles.

Against Wood, Holtons line of defense had an odd geographical component, as he fled further and further south to find some place in the British colonies where the Dunmore Proclamation could plausibly be said to have been the cause of the Revolution. He began by conceding to Wood that New England was already in a state of revolution well before the Dunmore Proclamation. Then he readily allowed that the Revolution was set in motion after the issuance of the Coercive Acts in 1774. These are key concessions because they acknowledge the actual chronology of events of the imperial crisis.

Holton then tried to move his claim further south, to the most important colony, Virginia. That is where the Dunmore Proclamation had its real effect, he said, because it so enraged slave owners. Wood did not deny that Lord Dunmore angered slave owners, but he pointed out that imperial authority had already begun to disintegrate in 1774, that Dunmore issued his proclamation from a British vessel in the Chesapeake, where he had been forced to flee, and that Virginia was the colony most united behind the revolution and with the fewest loyalists.

In response, Holton retreated still further south, claiming that the real bulwark for slavery in the colonies was in Georgia and South Carolina, where there were more slaves. But he went only so far south, and only where there were just so many slaves, not to the British Caribbean. This was revealed in response to a viewers query.

The viewer asked: If it were the case that the defense of slavery was the major cause, or a primary cause, of the American Revolution, then why did the British possessions in the Caribbean, where slavery was even stronger, not join the revolution? Why did they remain the most loyal area of the empire?

Holton, flummoxed by the question, meandered for some time before coming up with the following explanation: There were too many slaves in the Caribbean! It would not have been safe for them to rebel against the (alleged) emancipatory designs of the British Empire in areas that were 80 percent slave. Evidently, the planters in South Carolina, whose population was 60 percent slave, did not entertain the same fears. Perhaps 70 percent is the golden mean?

By this point, Holton had totally conceded the key element of his campaign in defense of the 1619 Projectthat Lord Dunmores proclamation was a major cause of the Revolutionand had in his own futile efforts laid bare the assertions absurdity.

Unfortunately, there turned out to be little discussion of history. Not even halfway through, Holton was given a lifeline by moderator Catherine Allgor of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Allgor moved the discussion to Nikole Hannah-Jones, the celebrity figurehead of the 1619 Project.

Getting his cue, Holton went on the attack. He denounced Wood, who was to blame, Holton said, for efforts to censor the 1619 Project by Republican-controlled school districts. This was because of a letter Wood and four other prominent historians wroteWood was joined by Victoria Bynum, James McPherson, James Oakes and Sean Wilentzand sent to the New York Times criticizing, in collegial and didactic fashion, major errors in the 1619 Project. The historians wholly endorsed the effort to study slavery and race in American history, but they asked that major factual errors be amended.

Pointing his finger and raising his voice, Holton looked and sounded the part of an intemperate Southern politician. He repeatedly denounced Wood for allegedly holding the 1619 Project to a double-standard and for putting Hannah-Jones beyond the line, a belabored and barely comprehensible battlefield metaphor. He demanded that Wood, on the spot, issue some sort of formal apology to Hannah-Jones. He repeatedly misrepresented the historians letter as some sort of vicious personal attack on Hannah-Jones.

The moderator, Allgor, allowed Holton to go on and on. Whenever Wood tried to respond, she allowed Holton to speak over him. Only after Wood interjected that when he accepted the invitation to debate, he was told they would be discussing history did the conversation shift. By the calculation of this observer, Allgor afforded Holton at least 75 percent of the debate.

This was more than sufficient time for Holton to come across as an unscrupulous provocateur.
The Michigan Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee is organizing the fight against unsafe conditions in schools. We urge all educators and parents throughout the state to register today for our next meeting at 2 p.m. EDT this Sunday, October 31, and invite your coworkers, family and friends!

Across Michigan, fully reopened K-12 schools continue to be severely impacted by COVID-19. According to the latest data released Monday, another 76 outbreaks took place in schools, resulting in the infection of at least 428 students and staff. While this is a slight decrease in the weekly number of new outbreaks, the states Department of Health and Human Services continues to monitor 497 active outbreaks, up 18 percent from last week, affecting at least 5,186 students and staff. K-12 schools were once again the largest single source of COVID-19 outbreaks in Michigan workplaces.

Skyline High School in Ann Arbor (Source: Wikipedia)

On Wednesday, Superintendent of Ann Arbor Public Schools (AAPS) Jeanice Swift announced that all schools in the district will be closed Monday, November 1, [i]n order to confidently and safely staff our buildings every day we are open for classes The move follows a number of one-day building closings in the district due to staffing shortages. On Monday, AAPS closed A2 STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) to in-person instruction and moved classes online for the day due to a staffing shortage.

Two high schools, Huron and Skyline, as well as Forsythe Middle School, were closed last Friday for the same reason. Without stating the obvious fact that COVID-19 is spreading through the district, Superintendent Swift attributed the shortages of teachers and staff to high levels of staff illness and absences across all of the AAPS. Swift said last Thursday, This is an emergency measure made necessary due to numerous unfilled positions across the district and an inability to fully staff our schools for tomorrow.

Earlier this fall, Ann Arbors Pittsfield and Burns Park elementary schools were closed to in-person instruction after the Washtenaw County Health Department identified COVID-19 outbreaks at the schools. In October alone, 44 students and staff at Huron High School have contracted the disease.

A look at the Ann Arbor Public Schools COVID Dashboard reveals that between October 122, 174 students and 35 staff reported testing positive for COVID-19. The total number of Ann Arbor students and staff that have come down with the virus so far this school year is 265. As this data represents self-reporting, the actual numbers could be considerably higher.

Staffing shortages in the Ann Arbor schools and across Michigan include a shortage of substitute teachers, with 20 percent more positions going unfilled compared to previous school years, according to Brian Dunn, director of EduStaff, an agency that contracts out substitute teachers in the state.

Schools are competing with every single business out there, not just each other, Dunn told the Detroit Free Press. Theyre competing with every business on every corner thats looking to hire somebody.

In Wednesdays announcement, Swift briefly acknowledged that staffing shortages will be exacerbated during this COVID time. However, she concluded the announcement by emphasizing the critical importance of having our students and staff together in school every day we can safely do so.

Of course, Ann Arbor is not alone in Michigan, either for staffing shortages or for school closures openly attributed to COVID-19. On October 22, the Detroit Public School Community District announced that Bates Academy would be closed to in-person instruction and that classes would move online until Monday, November 1, because of multiple cases of COVID-19.

Significantly, the announcement of the closing at Bates Academy assigned responsibility for the closure to concerns raised by staff and families. Clearly, there is a growing mood of opposition at the school in response to the surge of infections. This opposition must be developed and rooted in a scientific understanding of COVID-19 and how it spreads.

On Sunday October 24, the World Socialist Web Site held a global online webinar, How to Stop the Pandemic, which featured highly-regarded scientists and workers dedicated to the elimination of COVID-19. The event put forth the proposition that the COVID-19 pandemic can and must be brought to an end.

Much of the material presented at the webinar concerned the effects of COVID-19 on children and the young, including a terrifying presentation by epidemiologist Dr. Deepti Gurdasani on the effects of persistent illnessLong COVIDon the lungs, the brain (particularly on emotions and memory) and other organs. Dr. Gurdasani stressed that a person who had mild symptoms and has recovered can, after seven to twelve months, develop serious damage to their lungs. Multiple scientists on the panel noted that in this regard the disease resembles a lasting affliction, like polio, more than it does the flu.

The prevalence of Long COVID in children is not well understood. Nevertheless, studies have suggested that children are at least as susceptible to Long COVID as are adults. The first study of this phenomenon was conducted by the University of Gemelli in Italy in 2020, which found that one-third of a sample group of children still reported one to two symptoms four months after infection. One quarter of the children displayed three or more symptoms.

The UK Office of National Statistics reported in February 2021 that 9.8 percent of children between the ages of two and 11 and 13 percent of children 12 to 16 still displayed at least one symptom five weeks after infection. A more recent study reported in June of this year, conducted by epidemiologist Dr. Pia Hardelid of the University College London, found that 4.6 percent of children still exhibited symptoms four weeks after infection. Such information is not well publicized in the corporate press, and for good reason. If such information were widely known, parents would quickly force the shutdown of schools.

The political pressure to keep schools open is tremendous. It emanates all the way down from President Biden, who upon taking office declared that all schools must reopen by Easter. It emanates from Wall Street and from the Republican and Democratic parties who serve Wall Streets interests, and it emanates from state and local politicians, from powerful business leaders and from right-wing parents groups, such as Ann Arbors Reasonable Return to in Person Learning.

Parents and teachers concerned for the health and safety of their children, their students and themselves must not count on school administrators for protection. Nor must they put any hope in the treacherous teachers unions. After all, it was American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, herself a multimillionaire, who last summer made clear to every assembly of teachers she addressed that returning to virtual instruction in the fall was out of the question. In one speech in May, Weingarten proclaimed, There is no doubt: Schools must be open. In person. Five days a week. Her reason? Parents rely on schools, not only to educate their kids, but so they can worklike the three million mothers who dropped out of the workforce during the pandemic.

It is only on themselves that staff and families can and must rely to combat the homicidal policy of reopening schools and workplaces during a raging pandemic that the ruling class insists upon. In Michigan, across the US and globally, industrial workers, educators and other workers are forming rank-and-file committees, democratic bodies of workers wholly independent of the corporatist trade unions. The Michigan Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee was formed last year to organize the fight against unsafe school reopenings. We urge all educators and parents in Ann Arbor, Detroit and throughout the state to register today for our next meeting at 2 p.m. EDT this Sunday, October 31.
Teamsters tent outside Amazon's YYC1 Calgary, Alberta fulfillment centre. (Source: Teamsters)

The Teamsters trade union has launched a massive top-down campaign to unionize Amazon facilities across North America. This initiative is furthest advanced in Canada, where the union has targeted nine of the 46 facilities Amazon operates countrywide.

The Teamster bureaucracys initial efforts have focused on the YEG1 fulfillment centre, which is located in Nisku, just south of Edmonton, Alberta, where some 600 to 800 workers toil. On September 13, the Teamsters filed for a union representation vote, based on its claim that 40 per cent or more of the workers at the YEG1 center have signed union authorization cards. If the Alberta Labour Relations Board deems this claim accurate and approves the application, a secret ballot vote will be held at the facility to determine whether to certify the Teamsters as the workers collective bargaining agent. Last week, the Teamsters filed for a vote at a second Amazon facility, located in Calgary.

There is no doubt that Amazon workers across Canada and around the world are brutally exploitedreceiving poverty wages for gruelling shifts in which they are often pushed to the breaking pointand that their working conditions can and will only be improved through workers collective struggle.

Amazon is a global giant, with a $1.7 trillion market cap. Its founder Jeff Bezos is the worlds richest man, controlling an obscene $211 billion. He sits atop a corporate empire that employs some 1.3 million people globally, not including seasonal workers and contractors. Amazon operates 185 fulfillment centers in North America, Europe, and Asia.

At the facility in Nisku, workers have spoken out about being tasked with retrieving items every 9 to 12 seconds, being repeatedly injured due to the heavy demands placed on them, and having their jobs and wages threatened when the impossible work quotas arent met. Nisku Amazon workers also say that management favouritism at the facility is rampant and discrimination against workers due to race or ethnicity widespread.

The pandemic has drastically intensified the risks Amazon workers face. Business has boomed for the mega-corporation and, consequently, major hiring sprees have increased the number of workers sharing a given workspace. Workers have complained of not having access to hand sanitizer, the failure to enforce mask mandates, and that their productivity rates are so closely monitored by sophisticated electronic tracking equipment that they are unable to take breaks to go to the washroom.

Even if you try to keep your social distance  you cant, an anonymous worker employed at an Amazon fulfilment centre in Ontario told the Globe and Mail in January 2021. If I have to go in this aisle and theres already three peopleif I wait for these three people, its going to be about 10 minutes. At the end of the day, Im going to get the written warning [for working too slowly].

Public health authorities had to step in and force Amazon to close its Brampton, Ontario, Heritage Road facility for a week last March after at least 600 workers were infected by COVID-19.

The Teamsters organizing drive, Project Amazon, has nothing to do with systematically mobilizing Amazon workers in struggle to put an end to these terrible conditions. Instead, the Teamsters is undertaking a coordinated push to bring Amazons rapidly growing, low-paid workforce under its control so that it can codify the companys ruthless exploitation in collective bargaining agreements that provide it with a steady stream of dues money and prevent workers from waging an independent struggle against the global behemoth.

The Teamsters and trade unions in North America, as around the world, long ago repudiated any association with militant action and mass working class struggle, like those that led to the formation of the industrial unions across North America in the 1930s and 1940s. Under the pressure of the globalization of production, the nationally based pro-capitalist unions have been transformed over the past four decades into corporatist appendages of big business and the capitalist state that smother worker opposition and ensure companies remain globally competitive by enforcing job, wage and benefit cuts and speed-up.

The Teamster Amazon unionization drive was launched with the passage of a resolution at its convention in June. This came in response to the crushing defeat suffered by the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) at Amazons Bessemer, Alabama location, where the union managed to garner the support of just 13 percent of the facilitys workforce in a government-supervised vote. This pathetic result came after a sustained campaign in support of the RWDSU from a large cross-section of the political establishment, including US President Joe Biden, Trump-enthusiast and Republican Senator Marco Rubio, the Wall Street Journal and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. This support was motivated by their understanding that the unions act as a police force in the workplace, suppressing job action and imposing the dictates of corporate management. The dearth of support for the RWDSU among the Bessemer workers reflects the vast social gulf that exists between the corporatist unions and working people, who increasingly correctly view them as junior partners of corporate management and the state.

Like the RWDSU before it, the Teamsters is not mobilizing Amazon workers in the fight for any concrete demands. It is not calling for an immediate 40 percent wage increase, or for that matter specifying any wage demand. Nor is it calling for workers control over the pace of work, and the enforcement of the eight-hour day. On the contrary, the Project Amazon campaign is based merely on the bald assertiondisproven by decades of bitter experience by workers throughout all economic sectorsthat union representation will lead to improved working conditions.

The Teamsters have made no secret that Canada is a key first target in their unionization drive because its labour laws are generally more union-friendly than those in the United States. With Amazon preparing to hire an additional 15,000 workers across Canada this fall alone, the Teamster bureaucrats are no doubt licking their chops at the prospect of exploiting workers justified anger and outrage with Amazon to secure a lucrative new source of dues money. They also hope that certification as the bargaining agent at one or more Canadian Amazon facilities will enable them to demonstrate to Bezos and management that the Teamsters can be relied upon as a loyal partner, thereby reducing their resistance to its unionization campaign south of the border.

More fundamentally, the union bureaucracy instinctively senses that the deepening social and economic crisis, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, threatens to trigger a social explosion that could call into question the capitalist profit system, thereby threatening their own fat salaries and other privileges.

Workers around the world are seeking to assert their class interests ever more boldly in opposition to decades of austerity, concessions and ever-deepening social inequality. This is expressed in a growing rebellion against the stifling grip of the unions. Rank-and-file committees have been established to wage struggles against miserable conditions at multinational giants like Volvo, John Deere, and Dana, while workers across North America have repeatedly rejected union-backed sellout contracts, often by overwhelming margins. As a massive global workforce, Amazon workers could play a pivotal role in this emerging working class upsurge, something which the Teamsters is determined to prevent.

This is why attempts to unionize Amazon are viewed so favourably within the ruling class. The unions are seen as a key prop of bourgeois rule. In the recently concluded federal election, even hard-right Conservative leader Erin OToole proclaimed himself a supporter of increased private sector unionization, worker (i.e., union) representation on corporate boards, and enhanced union-government-business cooperation.

In Canada, this corporatist alliance is already deeply entrenched. During the pandemic, the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), of which the Teamsters is a leading member, has taken its close cooperation with the federal Liberal government and corporate Canada to a qualitatively new level. As the virus spread around the world, CLC President Hassan Yussuff appealed for a collaborative front between the unions and employers. Yussuff and the CLC used this front to facilitate the passage of a $650 billion bailout for the big banks and major corporations and enforce the reckless back-to-work/back-to-school campaign that is responsible for most of the more than 28,000 COVID-19 deaths officially recorded since the pandemic began.

The CLC advocates that the collaborative front be made permanent so that the unions can play a role in elaborating corporate Canadas national economic policy, which they say must ensure Canadas competitiveness in the global marketplace. Under conditions of deepening inter-imperialist rivalries, support for this agenda unavoidably entails the endorsement of a massive military build-up to enforce Canadian imperialisms economic and geostrategic interests around the globe.

The evolution of the Teamsters over the past four decades provides a textbook example of how the entire union bureaucracy has developed into a mechanism for imposing the dictates of corporate management. In workplaces across the United States and Canada, the Teamsters enforce multi-tier wage structures, inadequate health benefits and mandatory overtime. Its promotion of economic nationalism makes a mockery of its boast to be an international union.

The union consistently violates the democratic rights of workers and is infamous for its use of violence to suppress rank-and-file worker opposition.

The WSWS has reported on the Teamsters role in overseeing conditions at UPS warehouses in the US that are, in some respects, worse than at Amazon. In 2018, the Teamsters used an anti-democratic clause in its constitution to ratify a contract at UPS which a majority of voters had rejected. The adoption of the current UPS contract saw the creation of a new category of lower-paid part-time drivers. Moreover, UPS warehouse workers in the United States earn a starting wage of just $13 per hour compared to non-unionized US Amazon employees starting wage of $15 per hour. These poverty wages stand in stark contrast to the earnings of Teamsters Canada President Francois Laporte, who takes home (as of the last publicly available financial filings) a whopping US$293,530 per year.

Within the last few years alone, Teamsters Canada has partaken in numerous worker betrayals and sell-outs.

The Teamsters, which represents workers at Canadian Pacific Rail and CN Rail, has spent decades aiding in the deregulation of the rail industry and the slashing of jobs. This has created treacherous working conditions for rail workers and resulted in such incidents as a 2019 train derailment that killed 3 CP Rail workers.

When 3,200 CN Rail workers went on strike in November 2019, the Teamsters shut down the strike after just seven days. The union did not release any details of the proposed contract settlement to its memberslet alone allow them to vote on it before calling off the strike. Laporte promptly went out of his way to praise the big business Liberal government for helping to broker the deal.

Amazon workers cannot take a single step forward in the struggle against their slave-like working conditions within the confines of the Teamsters, or any other of the pro-corporate syndicates that call themselves unions. If the Teamsters succeed in their unionization drive due to the misconception among workers that the union will improve their position, Amazon workers will rapidly confront the fact that they will have to build rank-and-file committees independently of the Teamsters bureaucracy to fight for their interests. These committees will have to unify the struggles of Amazon workers across national borders in the fight for decent-paying, secure jobs and better conditions for all. They will also need to establish the closest possible ties with other sections of the working class, from warehouse workers at other retail giants, to auto and industrial workers battling low wages and precarious, part-time work.

A genuine working class struggle to enforce better working conditions against this global corporate giant can only be successful if it unifies Amazon workers internationally. As such an offensive develops, it will inevitably come into conflict with Bezos and other oligarchs, who claim they have absolute power to dictate how and under what conditions workers are forced to labour, and the capitalist governments who serve them. It will unavoidably raise the question of which class rules society: the rich oligarchs with their multi-billion stock portfolios, or workers seeking a livable wage and decent working conditions. For this reason, the struggle at Amazon is above all a political one that can only be conducted on the basis of a socialist and internationalist program.

The World Socialist Web Site urges Amazon Canada workers to build a cross-Canada and international network of rank-and-file committees, independent of the corporatist trade unions and all the political representatives of big business. We urge all Amazon Canada workers to follow the example of their brothers and sisters in Baltimore, Maryland, where they have established the Amazon BWI2 Rank-and-File Safety Committee, and to subscribe to the International Amazon Workers Voice .
Australias pseudo-left organisations including Socialist Alternative and Socialist Alliance have said virtually nothing about anti-democratic electoral laws that were rushed through the federal parliament by the Liberal-National Coalition government and the Labor Party opposition in August.

The legislation is blatantly aimed at buttressing the discredited two-party set-up, amid widespread social and political opposition. It trebles the required number of members that parties must submit from 500 to 1,500 to be registered and have their name appear on ballot papers. It seeks to deny the right of workers to know who they are voting for and in particular the opportunity to vote for a socialist alternative.

Despite the obvious significance of the laws, and the fact that their own electoral activities are impacted, neither Socialist Alliance nor Socialist Alternative has waged a campaign demanding their repeal.

A Google search of Socialist Alternatives Red Flag website does not return a single article even referencing the new measures. Instead, RedFlag has occasionally embedded appeals for people to join Socialist Alternatives parochial electoral front, the Victorian Socialists.

Victorian Socialists' website

The entirety of the Victorian Socialists response is the following statement: The Liberal government, with the backing of Labor, has just passed new anti-democratic laws that are aimed at protecting the establishment parties and preventing any minor party challenge. Join now.

The only conclusion that one can reach is that Socialist Alternative and Victorian Socialists uncritically accepts the anti-democratic electoral framework of state supervision and interference in the activities of political parties.

Socialist Alliance has issued a single 400-word party statement on the legislation in the past two months, after a scanty news report in its Green Left Weekly paper in early September. The statement did criticize the laws as an attack on democratic rights by the major parties, but did not call for their abolition. Socialist Alliances appeals for the electoral process to be made more representative have not been followed by any campaign.

While they may describe themselves as socialist, and even occasionally as revolutionary, the pseudo-left organisations are hostile to any fight for the independent interests of the working class against the political establishment.

The pseudo-lefts speak for an affluent upper middle-class layer, seeking to advance its own interests within the framework of capitalism and the existing political set-upin particular through various forms of identity policies based on gender, race and sexual orientation.

The orientation of Socialist Alternative and Socialist Alliance is not to the working class but to the trade unions that have been instrumental in policing workers and assisting governments and corporations to attack wages, jobs, conditions and essential social services.

The political perspective of these organisations is graphically exposed at election time when they invariably direct support to Labor or the Greens as a lesser evil compared to the Coalition parties.

In reality, the lack of any significant difference between the regressive policies of successive Coalition and Labor governments is precisely why a significant proportion of voters are voting for so-called minor partiesa trend that the new legislation is seeking to arrest through heavy-handed means.

In line with its support for the Greens, Socialist Alliance favourably quoted Greens senator Larissa Waters and her mealy-mouthed criticisms of the laws when they were passed, in its article. Her party leader Adam Bandt remained silent, and the Greens have said nothing since. And not surprisingly Socialist Alliance has effectively done the same!

The Socialist Alliance statement on the new laws boasted that its partys bona fides are well established, citing the fact that three of its members sit on local government councils. There they collaborate closely with the Greens and advance a parochial local politics that has nothing to do with socialism, the working class or opposition to the profit system.

The Victorian Socialists has a similar orientation. It appeals to public discontent and anger over issues such as failing public infrastructure including healthcare and education, but encourages the illusion that these can be patched up within the framework of capitalism and the existing political set-up.

Earlier this year Socialist Alternative leader Corey Oakley announced the party could contest the next federal election, as a means of enhancing its prospects of winning a seat in the following Victorian state election.

Outlining the partys rationale, Oakley declared: Imagine if we had had a socialist in the Victorian parliament this last year. The party would have had a voice in the mainstream debate, to defend Victorian Labor Premier Daniel Andrews from the lunatic right, while criticising some of his policies from the left.

In other words, the sum total of Socialist Alternatives political imagination is to serve as a loyal opposition to the states Labor government. Those described as the lunatic right did indeed attack Andrews for maintaining limited lockdowns in an attempt to suppress the COVID-19 pandemic. But Andrews has now joined the lunatic right, and in line with corporate demands is rapidly lifting all public safety even as infections reach new records.

Why are the pseudo-lefts silent on the new anti-democratic election laws? The answer is obvious: they are tied by a thousand threads to the political establishment and do not wish to disrupt their relations with Labor, the Greens and the trade unions.

The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) has no illusions in parliamentary democracy but uses the arena to fight for its socialist and internationalist perspective against all of the parties of the political establishment. And it defends to the hilt the existing limited democratic rights of the working class to have its political voice heard. The legislation is part of the far broader attacks on basic democratic rights.

The Socialist Labour League, the SEPs forerunner, opposed the legislation when it was first enacted in 1983 and it opposes the new laws which are a further step towards eliminating opposition to the two-party system. Join our campaign to repeal the legislation and join the SEP as an electoral member to show your support for a socialist movement against the depredations of capitalism including the dangers posed by the pandemic, war, climate change and widening social inequality.
President Joe Biden speaks in the State Dining Room at the White House, Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021, in Washington [Credit: AP Photo/Andrew Harnik]

With negotiations between congressional Democrats and the Biden White House approaching several deadlines, it seems increasingly likely that the budget reconciliation legislation under discussion will not raise the taxes of a single capitalist and will provide only the most minimal benefits for working people.

Despite the gargantuan figures thrown around in the media$3.5 trillion, $2 trillion, $1.5 trillionthe most significant figure appears to be zero, as in zero new taxes on the wealthy and the giant corporations. And given the insistence by a large number of right-wing Democrats, including President Joe Biden himself, that all spending in the bill must be paid for, zero tax increases on the wealthy will mean zero increased benefits for anyone else.

The collapse of Bidens tax agenda is a remarkable exposure of who really calls the shots in America. The Democratic Partys most popular promise during the 2020 election campaign was to repeal Donald Trumps 2017 tax cut for corporations and wealthy individuals, which pumped $1.7 trillion into the pockets of the super-rich.

Opinion polls regularly show that 80 percent or more of the American people believewith ample reasonthat the wealthy do not pay taxes, or pay at far lower rates than working people. Proposals for increasing the income tax rates for giant corporations and millionaires and billionaires attract similar support.

The latest debacle in the reconciliation talks came when Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema declared herself opposed to any increase in the income tax rates either for corporations or for wealthy individuals. Given that this is the central plank of Democratic Party tax policy, which Sinema had up until recently upheld, the reversal cannot be explained by an ultra-right or libertarian ideology.

Louisiana Democratic Senator John Breaux declared in 1981, My vote cant be bought, but it can be rented. It appears that here, too, a right-wing Democrats vote has been secured, at least for now, through massive campaign contributions by big financial and pharmaceutical concerns. (In addition to suddenly opposing any tax rate increase for the wealthy, Sinema is also flatly against allowing Medicare to negotiate for lower drug prices, something that would surely benefit the large population of retired people in her state.)

The budget reconciliation bill is not subject to a filibuster under Senate rules, but needs all 50 Democratic votes, plus the tie-breaking vote of Vice President Kamala Harris, in order to pass, given the total opposition of the 50 Republicans to any tax increase on the rich.

Both Sinema and West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin have veto power over the legislation, but they have carried out a certain division of labor, effectively a tag team, where either one, but usually not both, objects to every tax proposal.

West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin talks with reporters at the Capitol in Washington, June 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Thus Manchin supported an increase in tax rates on the wealthy and corporations, but Sinema blocked it. Then, with great fanfare, Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden unveiled his 107-page Billionaires Income Tax plan on Wednesday morning, offering it as a tax increase targeting the 700 richest Americans, affecting only those with more than $100 million in income for three consecutive years.

The bill was immediately embraced by Sinema. However, within a few hours, Manchin denounced it as divisive and said he was adamantly opposed to it. I dont like the connotation that were targeting different people, he said. People, he added, who contributed to society and create a lot of jobs and invest a lot of money and give a lot to philanthropic pursuits.

This was, of course, not what Manchin said about the child tax credit, which provides $250 per child. That, he insisted, should be means-tested and include work requirementsthus targeting mothers and other caregivers and forcing them to take low-paying jobs even if they could not afford childcare.

Manchin, with millions invested in the coal industry, cares nothing for the generally low-paid or unemployed workers in his home state of West Virginia, devastated by mine closures. But he is highly sensitive to the targeting of Americas wealthiest, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the worlds richest man, who denounced the tax on billionaires.

The billionaires income tax was a doubly cynical proposal, because it was likely to be tied up in court challenges by the targeted billionaires, who could afford to pay massive amounts to their lawyers to argue that it was an unconstitutional wealth tax and did not fall under the protection of the 16th Amendment, the basis of the present federal income tax.

Senator Wyden issued a statement Monday defending the billionaires tax against a court challenge. Entire sections of the tax code are unconstitutional if this is unconstitutional, he said. I cant imagine the Supreme Court wants to give the wealthiest people on earth billions in tax cuts, particularly at a time when so many Americans are losing faith in the Supreme Court.

This is certainly in the running for the most bankrupt and stupid comment of the current congressional session. Not only does the Supreme Court invariably take the side of the wealthy against the working class, nearly all the justices seem to believe that one of the few legitimate purposes of government is to give the wealthiest people on earth billions in tax cuts. That is certainly the political platform of the Republican Party, which selected six of the nine justices.

The truth is that none of the Democrats expects a billionaires tax to collect a pennyonly to serve as a populist cover for their failure to enact any significant social reform, despite controlling the House, the Senate and the White House.

Even if the tax were enacted, upheld by the courts and actually collected, it would hardly make a dent in the fortunes that have been amassed just since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The top five billionaires alone added $370 billion in wealth since February 2020, according to Bloomberg News (owned by one of the top 10).

Musk himself made more on Monday alone, when the value of his Tesla stock shot up by $36 billion after an order from Hertz for 100,000 electrical vehicles was announced, than the total amount he would have to pay under the billionaires tax.

The only tax policy change that had the support of both Sinema and Manchin is the most meaningless: a provision announced Tuesday for a 15 percent minimum tax on corporate earnings. The brainchild of Senator Elizabeth Warren, the corporate minimum is unlikely to affect the 200 large corporations that currently pay nothing, given that there already is a minimum income tax for individuals, which has been easily evaded by the super-rich.

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., speaks during the Senate Finance Committee, Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021. (Mandel Ngan/Pool via AP)

Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos, for example, earns no taxable income from his gargantuan fortune, taking a salary of only $80,000 a year from Amazon and paying for his personal expenses by borrowing against his vast and increasing holdings of Amazon stock. This did not stop Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal from giving her full backing to the corporate minimum tax.

Manchin killed another proposed revenue raiser, a proposal to require banks to share information about tax-dodging customers with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), telling The Economic Club of Washington D.C., I think that ones going to be gone.

These sordid maneuvers are being carried out with the sanction of the Biden White House. Biden invited Manchin to his Wilmington, Delaware, home over the weekend for a breakfast discussion of the budget bill. Both Manchin and Sinema visited the White House Tuesday evening for further talks.
On November 18, the Berlin Administrative Court will begin hearing the case of the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (Socialist Equality Party, SGP) against the Federal Republic of Germany. The SGP is defending itself against being subject to surveillance by the secret service and being named as left-wing extremist in the secret service annual report.

The case is of extraordinary significance. In its grounds for placing the SGP under surveillance, the federal government is justifying a kind of Gesinnungsjustiz (justice based on opinions), which follows directly in the traditions of Bismarcks anti-socialist laws and the Gesinnungsstrafrecht (legal prosecution of opinions) of the Nazis. Every positive reference to Marx and Engels, every criticism of militarism and war, and even every class analysis of society are declared unconstitutional.

This is directed not only against the SGP. As the profits before lives policies in the pandemic increasingly expose the bankruptcy of capitalism, as more and more workers are taking up a struggle against wage theft and mass sackings, and as opposition to the horrendous military buildup grows, all those who point to the massive levels of social inequality and argue for the abolition of capitalism are to be intimidated and silenced. The anti-democratic arguments developed against the SGP have long been used against other left-wing groups.

This fundamental assault on democratic rights by the German government must be fiercely rejected. We call on all those who defend democratic rights and want to oppose the far right to sign the SGPs petition on change.org. Post statements of support, pictures and videos on social media with the hashtag #DefendSGP.

What the federal government wants to ban

The secret service first called the SGP left-wing extremist in its annual report in the summer of 2018. It did not accuse the party of conducting or planning any criminal or unconstitutional activities but expressly confirmed that it pursues its aims by legal means. It justified placing the SGP under surveillance solely on the grounds that it advocates a socialist programme and criticises capitalism.

When the SGP filed a legal complaint in January 2019, the federal Interior Ministry responded with a 56-page brief. This was not a juristic document but an angry diatribe against socialism. The SGP extensively analysed the document and highlighted its anti-democratic argumentation, according to which merely the struggle for a democratic, egalitarian, socialist society was unconstitutional.

Even thinking in class categories and the belief in the existence of irreconcilably opposed competing classes should face thought control, the Interior Ministry argued. In the face of the greatest historical levels of social inequality and ruthless coronavirus policies that place profits before lives, any mention of class politics is to be criminalised.

Any positive reference to Marx, Engels, Lenin, Trotsky or Luxemburg is declared to be an attack on the constitution. To that end, the government has formulated an entire catalogue of supposed undertakings against the liberal democratic basic order. These include the demand for the overthrow of capitalism and the establishment of socialism, the agitation against alleged imperialism and militarism, as well as the rejection of nation states and the European Union.

At the same time, the Interior Ministry has not limited itself to prosecuting concrete actions aimed at the overthrow of capitalism. Even activities such as holding public events, publishing contributions and participating in elections are anti-constitutional if they serve to propagate socialist ideas.

By legitimizing prosecution based on opinions (Gesinnungsjustiz), the German government is placing itself in an anti-democratic tradition that formed the basis of Bismarcks anti-socialist laws, and which found its sharpest expression in the Willensstrafrecht of the Nazis. In order for Hitlers Third Reich to be able to neutralise every political opponent, throw them into concentration camps and kill them, culpability was increasingly separated from any concrete actions.

Stop the right-wing conspiracy!

The return by the German ruling class to such anti-democratic and fascist traditions is a grave warning. Right-wing and far-right tendencies are growing because deliberate mass infection, social inequality and war are incompatible with democratic rights. Trumps January 6 coup attempt, Bolsonaros preparations for a coup d'etat and the military conspiracy in Spain are menacing developments in this direction.

These tendencies are particularly advanced in Germany, the country in which the greatest crimes in human history were committed in the service of capitalism. The secret service report and the legal brief submitted by the Interior Ministry are products of a far-right conspiracy within the state apparatus. This is aimed at intimidating public opinion and criminalising all opposition to capitalism, nationalism, imperialism, militarism and the fascistic Alternative for Germany (AfD) as left-wing extremist and unconstitutional.

It has long been known that the 2017 secret service report was compiled by the then agency chief Hans-Georg Maaen in close consultation with the leaders of the AfD. When Maaens all too open right-wing extremist utterances forced his replacement, his long-serving deputy Thomas Haldenwang continued the same course.

The Bundesamt fur Verfassungsschutz (Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, as the secret service is called) has been closely linked with the neo-Nazi scene for years, which it finances and directs through a broad network of undercover operatives. The intelligence agencies installed 40 such agents in the periphery of the National Socialist Underground ( NSU ), a neo-Nazi terrorist gang responsible for the murder of nine immigrants and a police officer.

While left-wing groups are placed under surveillance and defamed because of their views, the security services maintain a protective umbrella over the numerous far-right terrorist networks in the army and police, which horde weapons and prepare lists of political opponents for capture and execution. Even following the terrorist attacks in Halle and Hanau, and the murder of leading Christian Democratic politician Walter Lubcke, the leaders of these networks are able to remain at large with their organisational structures intact.

Defend the SGP!

The SGP has come into the crosshairs of the secret services because it opposes the growth of militarism and the massive turn to the right in the political establishment, seeking to give expression to the broad opposition among working people. It has exposed the right-wing conspiracy in the state apparatus and fights in the working class for a socialist programme.

But the attack on the SGP is also directed at every progressive movement. If the Interior Ministry is successful, it will create a dangerous precedent. This can be used to target all those who fight against social inequality, the destruction of the environment, state repression, militarism and every excrescence of capitalist society. Following the logic of the Interior Ministrys legal brief, such attacks can be directed against striking workers, bookshops selling Marxist literature, or critical artists, journalists and intellectuals.

The arguments developed in the brief against the SGP are already being advanced against other left-wing groups. For example, in responding to a parliamentary question tabled by the Left Party in May about the surveillance of the left-wing newspaper Junge Welt, the government justified its actions by citing the fact that the paper drew on Marx and Engels and assumed the existence of social classes. Numerous left-wing bands, anti-fascist organisations and the environmental group Ende Gelande have since been subjected to surveillance and included in the secret service annual report.

This form of Gesinnungsjustiz must be stopped immediately! We call again for all those who want to defend democratic rights and oppose the danger of the far right to protest against this attack by the German secret services and defend the SGP. The surveillance of the SGP and all other left-wing groups by the secret services must be halted immediately, and this right-wing breeding ground for anti-democratic conspiracies disbanded.

Sign the online petition at change.org! Post statements of support, pictures and videos on social media with the hashtag #DefendSGP.
Heavy rains led to devastating floods across Greece in mid-October. Based on the number of emergency calls, the fire brigade estimates that almost 2,000 houses were flooded across the country during the storm named Ballos. Most affected was the Attica region and the Greek capital, Athens.

The flood of water turned streets into rivers, swept away hundreds of cars and caused power cuts in several districts. Areas of the island of Euboea were also affected, where catastrophic fires had raged in the summer. A 70-year-old farmer died in the floods on the island. Last weekend, following heavy rainfall, flooding occurred again on the island of Corfu, with houses, shops and fields inundated in a number of villages.

Despite previous warnings from scientists, the government did nothing to protect the population from the floods. Instead, it reacted with the same criminal negligence and ignorance it has shown with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic and the countrys recent forest fires. The aftermath of the storm once again revealed the glaring deficiencies in flood and disaster protection and the widespread unsafe and cramped construction and dilapidated infrastructure which prevails in Greecea result of decades of austerity policies.

On social media, scenes from the northern Athens district of Nea Philadelphia shocked viewers. A video shows students rescuing themselves from their flooded school via a makeshift bridge of desks and chairs. The images were reminiscent of natural disasters in developing countries. Welcome to the Middle Ages or Greece 2021, commented one Twitter user.

Many tweets linked the school flooding to the governments recent attacks on public education, which led to tens of thousands of teachers and students going on strike just days before the storm.

The affected school complex houses a primary school, a kindergarten, a high school and a lyceum. While the students essentially rescued themselves, the fire brigade arrived later to pump out the water. We cannot possibly drown in our own schools! the Nea Philadelphia student committee declared in an angry statement to the government. They said the students of the lyceum have been taught in makeshift classrooms made out of shipping containers for 10 years.

You bear a great responsibility! You, previous governments and of course all municipal authorities up until today. You have not taken any action for years because our safety and health cost money. Todays pictures from a school just a few kilometres from the centre of Athens prove these are not random events. It is criminal decisions that leave us unprotected.

On the Monday after the storm, students, together with the parents association, protested in front of the local town hall, demanding immediate action and funding to repair the damage to the school and better protection in future from floods and earthquakes.

The students also demanded the reversal of the announced merging of hundreds of classes across the country, which will result in even more students being crammed into small, often dilapidated classrooms. This will not only increase the spread of COVID-19, it will also make rescue operations more difficult in the event of floods, fires or earthquakes.

As videos from the student newspaper Foititikos Kosmos show, the ground floor of the Athens School of Fine Arts was also flooded, forcing students to flee the building. In the Faculty of Philosophy at the National and Kapodistrias University of Athens, rain began to drip through the ceiling during lectures. Flooding also occurred at the University of Western Attica and the University of Crete.

n the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, a road collapsed, causing a bus carrying 15 oil workers to fall into a hole. Fortunately, the passengers were not seriously injured. In southern Athens, near Stavros Niarchos Park, dozens of people had to rescue themselves from a bus that had become stuck in a flooded road subway and was submerged in muddy water.

Passengers wade through rainwater after a bus got stuck in a flooded underpass, October 14, 2021 (AP Photo / Thanassis Stavrakis)

The flood disaster was entirely predictable. Meteorologists and scientists had predicted that there would be heavy rainfall and flooding in the autumn, exacerbated by fierce forest fires during the record heat of the summer which had stripped away vegetation which would normally impede the flow of water and limit landslides.

With fires, we always know that there will be flooding afterwards. This is the norm, Nikos Belavilas, a professor at the National Technical University of Athens and head of the Urban Environment Laboratory, told Open TV. He says it was fortunate that not too much rain fell on burnt areasotherwise the damage would have been even greater.

Experts consider the recent storm to have been of medium strength and expect even greater torrents of rain in the near future, an eventuality for which Greece is completely unprepared. Researchers have long warned that extreme weather events will increase with climate change.

Dimitris Pirounakis, the president of the Greek Environmental Federation, explained in an interview with the website News247: One of the effects of climate change in Greece is that we will have more droughts in the future, resulting from long periods without rain. But when it rains, the intensity will increase, leading to more flooding.

The danger was pronounced, especially in scorched areas such as northern Evia, he said. Forests can prevent large amounts of water from flowing into the cities but due to the forest fires the cities are no longer protected from rainwater. Combined with deforestation and anarchic and unsustainable construction in cities (building on watercourses), this is what has happened. And that was just the beginning. Unless the necessary measures are taken to rebuild and prepare for floods, there will be very big problems in future.

Clogged and partly dried-up rivers like the Kifissos in Athens, blocked drains and sewer manholes, a lack of street cleaning and an overall lack of stormwater infrastructure have quickly led to mudslides flooding streets, Pirounakis said.

In recent decades, there have been repeated flood disasters in Greece, which have had a disastrous impact on the lives of the working class due to the governments austerity policies under the dictates of the European Union and the International Monetary Fund. In 2017, when the pseudo-left Syriza (Coalition of the Radical Left) party was in office, 23 people died in floods in Mandra, a town in western Attica.

At the time, the WSWS explained that essential public sectors such as urban planning and flood protection were being systematically undermined. These included the dissolution of the Public Corporation of Urban Planning and Housing (DEPOS), the relaxation of building regulations as part of the governments privatisation policies since 2011, and the abolition of the Organisations for Regulatory Planning and Environmental Protection in the cities of Athens, Thessaloniki and Ioannina in 2014.

The consequences of these policy shifts are also pointed out by Aris Kalantidis, professor of urban planning at Manchester Metropolitan University, who told News247 that the replacement of the independent regulatory agency in Athens by a ministry-affiliated and opaque agency, meant that de facto planning and oversight no longer exist.

While Greek politicians often refer to global climate change in general terms as a natural phenomenon in order to avoid their own responsibility for the consequences, the reality is that the rapid destruction of the planet makes immediate action all the more urgent.

Huge financial, technical and human resources must be invested immediately in public infrastructure, disaster prevention, scientific research and the fight against climate change. Families affected by forest fires and floods must receive comprehensive compensation and support.

The implementation of these measures, however, are incompatible with the capitalist profit system and the agenda of its political representatives. The ruling class in Greece and around the world acts in the interests of the banks and corporations, pumping billions into military budgets and pushing ahead with privatisation and cuts in key public sectors.

To effectively combat forest fires and floods and stop climate change requires an international, social response. Workers and youth must unite in a socialist movement to expropriate the banks and corporations and place them under the democratic control of the people. The expropriation of large fortunes and the reorganisation of the economy on the basis of a scientific plan is the precondition for solving the climate crisis in Greece and across the globe.
The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) staged a large-scale rally last week with plans for an additional rally next month. These protests are designed to allow workers to let off steam over worsening social conditions while promoting the illusion that the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DP) can be pushed to adopt pro-working-class measures.

The one-day protest took place on October 20 in central Seoul and in other cities around the country. While the KCTU described it as a general strike, only a very small portion of its 1.1 million members took part in the demonstration, despite earlier claims that approximately 500,000 workers and supporters would participate. According to the KCTU, 27,000 demonstrators participated in Seoul while a total of 80,000 took part in 14 cities nationally.

Workers participating in the protest (Credit: KCTU Facebook page)

The KCTU regularly calls for general strikes that are nothing of the sort. They are organized to create the least disruption to companies and the government while workers in major industries are not called out. The union branches representing auto workers at Hyundai and Kia Motors did not participate in last weeks demonstration. These unions belong to the Korean Metal Workers Union, the largest and most powerful union in the KCTU. The next rally called for November 13 is being organized in the same manner.

The KCTU is maneuvering to direct workers behind the Democrats ahead of next springs presidential election. The DP recently selected as its candidate Lee Jae-myung, who resigned as governor of Gyeonggi Province on Tuesday in order to campaign. South Korean presidents are elected to a single, five-year term, making current President Moon Jae-in from the DP ineligible for re-election.

The main opposition partythe right-wing Peoples Power Party (PPP)will select its candidate on November 5, with former prosecutor general Yoon Seok-youl and Hong Joon-pyo the two leading candidates. Moon Jae-in defeated Hong in the 2017 presidential election.

Moons government hypocritically denounced the KCTU for holding the rally during the COVID-19 pandemic. It plans to remove even the limited measures to block the spread of the virus and begin the so-called living with COVID era. This means the government will drop its public pretense of trying to stop the spread of the virus and force workers and the most vulnerable to live with COVID.

Under current COVID-19 pandemic social distancing measures, all demonstrations in the Seoul Metropolitan Area are banned. Rally participants could therefore face legal actions or reprisals. In a political stunt, KCTU leader Yang Gyeong-su was arrested in September and is facing trial for violating these rules in relation to protests held over the summer.

Prior to the rally, Chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Choi Gwan-ho stated, We will disperse the crowd if any illegal acts happen during the event. The government organized 12,000 police officers to corral the demonstration and some fights reportedly broke out as they attempted to block rally participants from marching.

A section of the demonstration (KCTU Facebook page)

Protest participants called for improved worker rights and conditions as well as an end to irregular employment. Many workers are not given permanent contracts despite doing the same work as their regular counterparts. Irregular workers face abuse at worksites, less pay, fewer insurance benefits, and the constant fear of being fired at a moments notice.

Irregular work has grown during the pandemic with the latest statistics released October 26 indicating that the number of irregular workers had grown by 640,000 in August over the previous year. They make up 38.4 percent of the 20.99 million salaried workforce in South Korea, an increase of 2.1 percent from 2019.

In particular, there has been a growth in no-contract and on-call work, such as food delivery workers, who make up a significant proportion of South Koreas gig economy. The average monthly salary for an irregular worker is 1.77 million won ($US1,516) while regular workers earn an average of 3.34 million won ($US2,860).

Many construction and school workers are in irregular employment and participated in the demonstrations last week. The KCTU-affiliated Korean Construction Workers Union (KCWU) stated on October 19, From January until June of this year, 208 construction workers were killed in workplace industrial accidents. Currently, two construction workers are dying every day. Workers are demanding the passage of a Special Law on Construction Safety.

A section of construction workers who operate cranes struck over the summer, demanding improvements to job safety after a series of injuries and fatal accidents. However, the KCWU called off the strike after phony promises of more inspections.

The school workers who struck belong to the Korean School Irregular Workers Union (KSIWU), also part of the KCTU, and held a demonstration in front of the Hwaseong Osan Office of Education, in Gyeonggi Province on October 20. Lee U-seon, head of the unions Gyeonggi Branch, stated, Lung cancer patients working in school cafeterias are increasing while irregular school workers suffer from the most severe wage gap among workers in the public sector.

According to a study conducted by the KSIWU of its membership, ventilation in cafeterias is contributing to the rise in lung cancer among these workers at a rate 25 times higher than the general population. The same study found that 96 percent of workers suffered from some type of musculoskeletal disorder.

However, the perspective of the union is to appeal to the government and the state. Lee accused Gyeonggi Province Superintendent of Education Lee Jae-jeong of ignoring recommendations from the National Human Rights Commission. KSIWU official Hong Seong-gyu appealed to the Moon administration not to talk about harsh suppression, but instead should listen to the desperate voices of workers.

In other words, workers should ask the very government carrying out the attacks on workers to listen to their concerns. The KCTU wants to convince workers that this can be done through rallies and empty threats of mass strikes. As such, the KCTU throws its weight behind the Democratic Party, offering itself as an ally in suppressing the anger and opposition of the working class.
Malaysia last week entered what Director General of Health Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, described as the countrys endemic stage of COVID-19, as thousands of new cases continue to be confirmed every day. This will be a new battlefield, Noor Hisham declared, in which all Malaysians have to be prepared to adapt to new norms.

The new norms centre on the public accepting social discipline. Noor Hisham told Bernama, the national news agency: We can only win this war if all of us, all Malaysians, collectively come together as part of our social responsibility to embrace standard operating procedures and guidelines set by the government.

Last month, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob warned that citizens had to learn to live with COVID because it may not be eliminated fully. Lockdowns were no longer feasible, he said, claiming that ongoing shutdowns would have negative implications, including for the mental health of Malaysians.

Oxygen tanks are prepared for patients in the hallway of an overcrowded hospital amid a surge of COVID-19 cases, in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, July 9, 2021. (AP Photo/Trisnadi)

The move is an official admission that the government is adopting the homicidal policy of governments around the world, that put the interests of big business over the health and lives of the population. It follows a period in which the Southeast Asian country, with a population of 32.7 million, endured one of the highest infection rates and deaths per capita in the world.

The lifting of restrictions began in mid-August, mainly for small businesses, even as tens of thousands of cases were being recorded daily. Now interstate and overseas travel has resumed and larger businesses such as hotels and the Langkawi holiday centre allowed to open up. Ismail claimed these steps would help speed up economic recovery and give people the opportunity to improve their livelihoods.

According to Noor Hisham, last weeks move was justified by an improvement in key indicators since the high point of the pandemic during the week of August 22-28. He claimed there had been a consistent decline in the number of daily cases, active cases, fatalities, cases treated in the intensive care unit (ICU) as well as the R-rate recorded over that period.

In fact, this only represents a partial, and temporary, improvement in a dire situation. When case numbers peaked on August 30, there were 19,268 new cases recorded, with a seven-day average of 21,799 infections.

On October 24, there were 5,666 cases with a seven-day average of 5,861. In all from October 11 to 24, there were 92,122 cases. Malaysias total case numbers are a staggering 2.43 million with 28,400 deaths. The current drive to open up is being undertaken while just 72.8 percent of the population has been fully vaccinated (94.6 percent of adults aged over 18).

According to local experts, the COVID-19 pandemic situation is not yet over. Manipal University College Malaysia Professor G. Jayakumar told the Straits Times it was too early to make a definitive conclusion on the downward trend. The increase in hospitalisation rates was a particular concern, including in the Klang Valley where it had increased 35 percent the previous week. Jayakumar also warned that waning vaccine immunity and the spread of the Delta variant could contribute to another rise in infections.

Molecular virologist Vinod Balasubramaniam from Monash University Malaysia said while the drop in infections was encouraging, Malaysians could not afford to let their guard down. He also said the country should expect a sporadic rise in cases with the reactivation of tourism and travel.

While both academics expressed vague optimism about the return to normalcy by the end of December, all the scientific evidence indicates this is not the case. Among other measures, schools in several states began a reckless reopening from October 3, with 50 percent of students on site at any given time.

School re-opening is taking place internationally with the aim of paving the way for parents to return to work to bolster businesses and profits. Everywhere the result has been a rise in infections among both teachers and students. In the United States, nearly 2 million children have been infected with COVID, with 6,523 hospitalized and 200 dead since July. Over 50,000 school age children in the UK are currently suffering from Long-COVID.

The Straits Times reported considerable concern among parents and students over the school re-openings. Salina Saad said given a choice, she would not send her 18-year-old daughter to school yet, even though she is fully vaccinated. Muhammad Faiz Abdul Rahman, 19, is fully vaccinated but said he is still worried about the COVID-19 situation. Rahman said he was nervous about going back to school with cases still high.

The homicidal policy of herd immunity is being pursued by a crisis-ridden ruling elite, which is turning in an ever more reactionary direction. The current government, led by Ismails right-wing United Malays National Organisation, has only been in office since August. Ismail is the countrys third prime minister in less than four years after previous Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who took office in 2018, was forced to resign.

The political instability reflects rising popular discontent over social inequality, entrenched corruption, and autocratic methods of rule. Opposition intensified as a result of the Muhyiddin governments gross mishandling of the pandemic, which saw extended lockdowns fuel massive job losses but without adequate assistance for the unemployed. The limited measures failed to reduce COVID-19 cases.

Restrictions in Malaysia, the worlds second-largest producer of palm oil prevented migrant labourers from travelling to plantations, raising prices of the edible oil used to make everything from candy bars and shampoo to biofuel. The shuttering of factories also contributed to the global supply chain crisis, with essential components for manufacturing, such as semiconductors, delayed.

The Malaysian economy expected to grow by only 34 percent this year. According to official statistics, GDP increased 16.1 percent in the second quarter of 2021 after four consecutive quarters of contraction. The growth was attributed solely to the low base recorded in the second quarter of 2020. The Department of Statistics warned that the latest short-term economic indicators signal that the economy is anticipated to face challenges in preserving the recovery momentum.

Muhyiddins resignation came after a strike by thousands of junior contract doctors over their fight for greater job security, followed by a series of protests organized mainly by young people in July and August. The #BenderaHitam (black flag) movement developed into a broad social opposition over the voting age, high unemployment rate among 15 to 30-year-oldsalmost double the national averagestagnating wages, unaffordable housing and the lack of any real social safety net.

The movement erupted after lawmakers from the ruling National Alliance sought to discredit a previous social media campaign, #BenderaPutih (white flag), aiming to help people in need of food and other essentials, amid a surge in suicide cases due to job losses and slashed incomes. Tens of thousands of people have reportedly been involved in protest activities, including on social media and with public displays of black flags.

Police responded by launching an investigation into the black flag movement for purportedly harbouring alleged seditious elements. They detained at least 47 participants for questioning.

The protests initially centered on their demands for Muhyiddins resignation. However, the deepening opposition sentiment, while still at an early stage, coincides with movements elsewhere in Southeast Asia, especially in Myanmar and Thailand, as the pandemic continues to rage through the regions combined population of 655 million people. The emerging class struggles will inevitably intersect with those of workers in the major imperialist centres.
The Administration for Childrens Services (ACS) of New York City has ramped up legal actions against parents who have withheld their children from school due to concerns over COVID-19. This move is consistent with threats by Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasios administration from early September that it would be prepared to utilize the agency to strong-arm resistant parents into sending their children back into unsafe New York City classrooms.

So far in the 2021-22 school year, there have been at least 69 reports of educational neglect, as well as 61 reports of educational neglect combined with other maltreatment concerns to the ACS, according to a report by the Intercept. This number is significant considering that a large portion of New Yorks K-12 Department of Educations (DOE) students have been absent this year, presumably due to worries by their families on the safety of their school buildings. While the DOE has not released its official enrollment figures, it has been unofficially estimated that 130,000 of the districts 1.1 million public school students have been absent this year.

Children arriving for the first day of class at Brooklyn's PS 245 elementary school Monday, Sept. 13, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

Brooklyn public attorney Gabriel Freiman told the Intercept that the agency has been interpreting state educational laws particularly aggressively. He noted: Its being handled here in an extreme way Parents who are actively engaged with the school asking for a remote option, asking for home curriculum, wanting to be involved, I think theres sufficient room for [the DOE] to decide that fails to meet the legal standard for educational neglect.

Parents have taken to social media to denounce the ACS and the DOE. One parent tweeted this week that they were pressured to send their child back into unsafe schools and now fear for their safety. Another parent posted a screenshot Wednesday of an email from the DOEs Office of Home Schooling, which wrote, As you know if a parent chooses to keep their child home they have to officially enroll their child in DOE Homeschool.

Mary, a Brooklyn parent who has been targeted by the ACS for refusing to send her children into schools, told the World Socialist Web Site, Early on in the pandemic, my youngest became extremely ill at and developed a very high fever. We rushed her to the emergency room and we later found that she had all of the symptomsdry cough, loss of smell and taste, etc. So I have seen firsthand the harm that this disease can do to children.

She continued, now ACS is coming to my house telling me that I am neglecting my own, and for what? Because I am trying to keep them safe from a deadly virus? Its horrible. It feels like Im being harassed by the police or something. I just want the best for my kids and to keep them out of harms way.

A second New York City parent contacted the WSWS and reported that she had similarly been targeted by the ACS with a neglect case regarding her two children.

On Sunday, October 24, the WSWS held an international online webinar in which a panel of some of the worlds leading scientists on COVID-19 categorically opposed the unsafe reopening of schools and nonessential workplaces. Denouncing the policy of the Biden administration to use vaccination as a pretext for herd immunity practices, several of the scientists called for the mobilization of every measure to stop the spread of COVID-19 internationally.

Mary commented on these statements, telling the WSWS: Shutdowns have saved a lot of people. Stay at home, limit time outside, go to school remotely. The government could have kept all of this. But theyre opening everything open for money. Both the Democrats and the Republicans are really only interested in giving back to the rich. They dont want to pay to do it right and actually get rid of the pandemic. So instead, were all suffering and theyre just letting the bodies pile up.

The de Blasio administration has been at the forefront of what was hailed by the Associated Press as the nations largest experiment of in-person learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Beginning in early September, the New York ruling establishment used the development of vaccines as a pretext to fully open the largest school district in the country to in-person learning, with no remote learning available to parents for day-to-day curriculum.

A month and a half into the school year, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has reported a surge in childhood cases which has accompanied this criminal national experiment. Between August 12 and October 21, the AAP reported roughly 1.88 million infections, 6,208 hospitalizations and 206 fatalities among children across the US, all of which are undercounts due to the cover-up of COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths among children. Last week, 26 new mortalities were added to the cumulative national child death tolls record weekly figure since the start of the pandemic.

In New York City, children ages 5-11 are now leading the citys numbers of new infections. There have been 145.81 positive cases out of every 100,000 children between the ages of five and 11, according to Department of Health and Mental Hygiene data. The DOE infection tracker reports that there have been 5,715 school infections since September 13. Of these, 4,243 were infections among students and 1,472 were among staff. Last week saw the first death of a child due to COVID in the city since the beginning of the school year.

Currently, all DOE students under 12 are unvaccinated, as federal approval of a vaccine for this age group is still awaiting final approval. While the department has also withheld information from the public on the exact number of unvaccinated children in its system, it can be assumed that tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of children who have not been inoculated are transmitting infection in New York City school buildings daily.

The de Blasio administration has responded to the growth of infections by digging in its heels. Earlier this month, it was revealed that the DOEs gutted testing, contact tracing and quarantining regimen had been completely compromised by the testing consent form requirements for all unvaccinated students. This revelation amounted to an admission by the administration of an effective cover-up of the actual number of infections within the city school system.

In a September 8 press conference, de Blasio absurdly stated, [The] best place for your kids to be [is] in school. He then made a warning to parents who were hesitant about sending their children in for face-to-face schooling. If in the beginning of the school year, a parents not ready, were going to keep talking to them, were going to keep trying to convince them. If that goes on for a while, then thats a different scenario DOE Chancellor Meisha Porter then added, ACS is our partner, and ACS is very clear that their goal is the same as ours, and that is to help get our babies into school. The only time the ACS will intervene is if there is a clear intent to keep a child from being educated, period

The aggressive pursuit of parents seeking to keep their children safe by the New York City political establishment underscores that the Democrats fundamentally represent the capitalist class just as ruthlessly as the Republicans. Both parties are insistent that there shall be no measures which impinge upon the right of businesses to accumulate profit at whatever cost to human life. The de Blasio administrations phony mitigation regime has been shown to be a cover for herd immunity practices, with an untold number of children needlessly exposed to COVID-19 with unknown long-term consequences.

The WSWS urges parents who oppose the drive to force the population into unsafe schools and workplaces to connect their struggles with those of the growing international movement of the working class. Workplace and neighborhood committees must be formed and built and united in alliance with the New York City Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee. This committee is waging a determined struggle against both capitalist parties and their backers in the trade unions, and for the unity of all workers across the globe for better living and working conditions, jobs, social infrastructure and the global elimination of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Julian Assange's partner, Stella Moris, addresses protesters outside the High Court in London, Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

The attempted US extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange resumed yesterday with the opening of a hearing into a US government appeal. It is a legal abomination in pursuit of a heinous crime.

Assange is being targeted for his and WikiLeakss exposure of war crimes, torture and other human rights abuses, mass surveillance, coup plots, and state corruption. The architects of these crimes, the US and other imperialist governments, are determined to extract a blood price, either through Assanges life imprisonment and the destruction of his physical and mental health, or his murder.

Just a month ago, Yahoo! News reported, based on conversations with more than 30 sources, that plans for Assanges kidnap or killing were discussed at the highest levels of the CIA. In the words of one former official, There seemed to be no boundaries. Former CIA director and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who led the discussions, has not denied the report and admitted pieces of it are true, declaring he makes no apologies.

Yet it was Assange who sat in the dock yesterday, threatened with extradition and prosecution by the state whose crimes he revealed, and which has been exposed as plotting his assassination.

He was in the dock only metaphorically. WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnsson told supporters outside the court that Assange had been blocked from attending his own hearing and would be forced to attend via videolink from prison. He asked: How can he interact with his lawyers from Belmarsh Prison? How can this be justice in any form?

As the hearing began, Assanges lawyer Edward Fitzgerald QC told the court that his client was feeling too unwell to attend even by videolink.

Assange did appear on camera some hours later, visibly unwellthin, downcast and struggling to stay awake or to sit up in his chair. He arrived in time to listen to the lawyer for the US government, James Lewis QC, pontificate at length on his suicide and whether the risk was really all that high. Assange left the videolink room for some time, sitting out of shot when he returned.

Speaking outside the court, Assanges partner, Stella Moris, explained pointedly that the court proceedings would decide whether a journalist will be extradited to the country that conspired to assassinate him.

By rights, such events should be the subject of mass demonstrations all over the world demanding the WikiLeaks founders immediate, unconditional release. That they are not taking place is the result of a decade-long campaign of isolation and denigration of the heroic journalist, who has done more than any other in the 21st century to expose imperialist crimes against the worlds people.

Assange was the first and most significant victim of the gender-based politics of political witch-hunting, in which accusations of sexual crimes are elevated to the status of unchallengeable fact and used to destroy due process and the presumption of innocence. Issues of class and political principle are drowned in a tide of denunciations by those claiming to speak on behalf of the rights of women but advance the interests of imperialism and the affluent middle class.

In August 2010, with successive WikiLeaks revelations shaking world imperialism, an investigationa transparent fraud and now totally discredited and subjected to a devastating dissection by UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Nils Melzerwas begun by Sweden into Assanges alleged sexual assault of two women. This action gave grounds for his seizure by the British police and was used to keep him arbitrarily detained in the Ecuadorian embassy in London for close to seven years.

Its overall aim was to provide the basis for a vicious campaign of slander against Assange and intimidation against all those who defended him. The Swedish pseudo-investigation provided the media outlets which had profited handsomely from their initial collaboration with WikiLeaks with an excuse to savagely turn on him.

Britains Guardian obsessively published anti-Assange libel and invective, with columnist Marina Hyde labelling him just another guy failing to face up to a rape allegation and the biggest arsehole in Knightsbridge. The papers Luke Harding accused Assange and WikiLeaks of being Russian agents. Suzanne Moore described Assange in the New Statesman as a demented looking gnome and a deluded, creepy man.

In the US, Katha Pollitt wrote in the Nation on Assange, When it comes to rape, the left still doesn't get it.

This politically reprehensible campaign was supported by an international roll call of the pseudo-left, specialists in the deployment of gender and other identity politics in defence of imperialism. In Britain, Tom Walker of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) wrote, Julian Assange must face rape charges. Counterfires Lindsey German accused his defenders of denying the rights of rape victims.

Jacobin, Socialist Alternative and the International Socialist Organisation in America, Socialist Alternative in Assanges native Australia, and countless others internationally joined the line-up or maintained a complicit silence.

The trade unions did nothing to mobilise their members in his defence or even to inform them of his plight.

Nothing changed when Assange was dragged from the Ecuadorian embassy by British police in April 2019. Within 48 hours the Guardian printed, Give priority to Assange rape victim, running a prominent news story headlined Failure to extradite Assange to Sweden would endorse rape culture, say womens groups.

The SWP agreed, declaring, Assange should face trial in Sweden, as did the Socialist Party, which insisted, The rape allegation should be investigated.

Jeremy Corbyn, who had kept silent on Assange for his whole tenure as Labour leader up to that point, felt forced to raise a token opposition. But he retreated immediately when Blairite Labour MPs Stella Creasey and Jess Phillips led a 100 MP cross-party letter demanding action that will ensure that Julian Assange can be extradited to Sweden. Corbyn did not mention Assange once during the 2019 general election.

To the extent that some of these individuals and organisations now declare formal opposition to the US extradition, they do so knowing that their job is done. Assange has been cut off from the force which made his journalistic work so terrifying to the ruling class: the mass hostility to imperialism which exists in the international working class and which WikiLeaks exposures spoke to, strengthened and ignited.

Only this political context explains how the US government and British courts have been allowed to subject Assange to such relentless abuse. Moris said ahead of yesterdays hearing: I'm very concerned for Julian's health. I saw him on Saturday. He was very thin. I hope that the courts will end this nightmare. In fact, they perpetuated it.

Lewis told the High Court that they could not possibly suspect the US of acting in bad faith in offering assurances about Assanges fair treatment after extradition, saying, There is a fundamental assumption that the requesting state is acting in good faith.

This was said of a country whose CIA intelligence agency, Murder Incorporated, was tasked with planning Assanges assassination and which has driven him near to death with its extradition pursuit. Lewis added that there was not a single instance where the UK, Americas jailor in this systematic campaign of torture and abuse, communicated a concern about US assurances going unfulfilled.

Attempting to undermine the evidence of the defences expert psychiatric witness, who omitted from one report the fact that Stella Moris was Assanges partner, Lewis rubbished the suggestion that he had a good reason for doing so out of fear for her safety.

The US government benefitted throughout from the lower court judges original rotten ruling in January, blocking extradition solely on the grounds of Assanges mental health and risk of suicide, while accepting every other argument put forward by the prosecution. Lewis therefore did not need to address the use of the Espionage Act to pursue a journalist who exposed state crimes, the repeated abuse of his due process and use of fabricated evidence against him, or the mortal threat posed to him and his family. These outrages have already been accepted.

The longer proceedings drag on the more Kafkaesque they become, as the real reasons for Assanges persecution disappear behind discussions of his health and the legal minutiae of extradition law. It is the responsibility of all opponents of capitalist violence and oppression to come to Assanges aid by joining the fight to organise the international working class in his defence.
The Wisconsin county judge presiding over the criminal trial of Kyle Rittenhousethe teenager who opened fire with an AR-15-style rifle on anti-police violence protesters in Kenosha last August, killing two men and wounding anotherruled on Monday that prosecutors may not refer in court to the three victims as victims.

Kenosha County Circuit Court Judge Bruce Schroeder ruled on this and other motions during final courtroom preparations for the trial of Rittenhouse, who was 17 years old at the time of the shootings, that is set to begin with jury selection next week.

As he has done throughout the case, Judge Schroeder insisted, the word victim is a loaded, loaded word. And I think alleged victim is a cousin to it. He then instructed prosecutors to use the terms complaining witness or decedent to refer to those shot by Rittenhouse.

Kyle Rittenhouse,, accused of shooting three people during a protest against police brutality in Wisconsin last year, waits for a motion hearing, Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021, in Kenosha, Wis. (Mark Hertzberg/Pool Photo via AP)

The blatant political bias of Schroeder was on further display when he ruled against a motion by prosecutors that would have blocked Rittenhouses defense attorneys form referring to the shooters three victims as arsonists, looters or rioters.

The judge said that although Rittenhouse may not have seen the victims specifically commit such crimes, others may testify that they did. If so, the judge said he would allow the defense to generally refer to the victims as various kinds of lawbreakers in their closing arguments.

Kenosha Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger responded to the pair of rulings by saying that they constituted a double standard.

The terms that Im identifying here such as rioter, looter and arsonist are as loaded, if not more loaded, than the term victim, Binger said.

On August 25, 2020, Rittenhouse traveled from his hometown of Antioch, Illinois to Kenosha in response to a call on Facebook for patriots willing to take up arms and defend the city, and volunteered as a vigilante militia member during a night of protests against the brutal police shooting of Jacob Blake, an African American man, two nights earlier.

Rittenhouse brandished a loaded Smith & Wesson M&P15 rifle in the streets during the demonstrations and was confronted by protests. In the course of several physical altercations, Rittenhouse fired his weapon at close range and killed Joseph Rosenbaum (36) and Anthony Huber (26) and seriously wounded Gaige Grosskreutz (27).

While police allowed Rittenhouse to cross their lines and return home after the shootings, the Kenosha DAs office acted swiftly and brought six charges against the shooter including first degree reckless homicide in the death of Rosenbaum, first degree intentional homicide in the death of Huber and attempted first degree intentional homicide in the injuring of Grosskreutz based upon video evidence and interviews with eyewitnesses.

Rittenhouses case was taken up immediately by right-wing and fascistic political groups and individuals, including then-president Donald Trump, and the shooter was painted as a hero who rightfully fired in self-defense against the protesters.

The defense campaign mounted by far-right groups such as the FightBack Foundation raised the $2 million bond money necessary for Rittenhouse to be released after his arraignment. Immediately following his release, the shooter and his mother began collaborating directly with Republican Party officials and fascist groups such as the Proud Boys.

The court bias against the prosecution of Rittenhouse has been consistent since the case began last November. When prosecutor Binger moved for the shooter to be rearrested for violating the terms of his release by concealing his whereabouts, Judge Schroeder sided with Rittenhouse and his supporters and said that the whereabouts of the defendant were to be concealed from the District Attorneys office.

Responding further to Judge Schroeders granting of Rittenhouses defense to refer to the shooting victims as various types of criminals, Binger made the obvious point that neither Rosenbaum nor Huber will ever have the chance to defend themselves.

This is an attempt to tell the jury that Mr. Rosenbaum was a bad guy who deserved to die, Binger said. Thats really whats going on here, your honor. Meanwhile, Grosskreutz, who has undergone reconstructive surgery to repair damage to his upper arm, has not been charged with any crimes.

In other rulings in the pretrial hearing on Monday, Judge Schroeder sided consistently with the defense. He said that the defense will be permitted to call police use of force expert John Black to testify. Despite the objections from Binger, the judge said that Black will be able to answer questions about the timeline of events in the shootings.

Additionally, the judge ruled against Bingers opposition to the admission of videos that show law enforcement officers telling Rittenhouse and other armed militia members that they appreciated their presence and then tossed the teenager a bottle of water.

Binger argued that the comments of the police have no bearing on whether Rittenhouses actions later that evening were lawful. If ... police tell him, Its a good thing you people are here, given the state of lawlessness thats existing, is that something thats influencing the defendant and emboldening him in his behavior?

[That] would seem to me to be an argument for relevance, the judge replied.
Public school teachers and principals protested on Monday in major cities across Sri Lanka, as well as in the tea plantation districts and in the war-torn North and East, as part of their 24-year demand for higher wages. The main protest was held near the Colombo Fort Railway Station and involved more than a thousand teachers.

The demonstrations were called by the trade union alliance of teachers and principals, which includes the Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU), the Ceylon Teacher Service Union (CTSU), which is led by the opposition Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, and the United Teachers Service Union, which is controlled by the pseudo-left Frontline Socialist Party.

Teaches protesting in the Colombo suburb of Homagama (Credit: WSWS)

The protests were organised by the unions following their betrayal last week of the 100-day national online teaching strike of about 250,000 teachers and principals. While the unions called Mondays protests to try and cover-up their betrayal, the strong turnout demonstrated, once again, teachers determination to continue the struggle for better living and working conditions and in defence of free public education.

President Gotabhaya Rajapakses government has repeatedly rejected the demand for higher wages, insisting that it faced a deep economic crisis. But with the unions unable to end the strike, the government agreed to a small salary increaseone fifth of teachers original demand to be paid in four installments. Desperate to shut down the strike, the unions readily agreed but asked for it in one installment.

Last week, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse told the union officials that the government would grant the meagre wage rise in three installments. The increase would be announced in the November budget, with the first installment in 2022.

The unions responded by falsely telling teachers that they rejected this offer, but then declared the online strike would end on October 21 and directed teachers to report for work in the primary departments of schools on October 25. The government had already announced the reopening of 5,000 primary sections in schools with fewer than 200 students from October 21.

On Monday, protesting teachers chanted for higher wages, an end to education privatisation, six percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to be spent on education, full facilities for educators and students for online education, and no state repression of teachers.

The Rajapakse regime has intensified its privatisation of education and successive governments have slashed spending to about 1.5 percent of GDP. The government has also failed to provide facilities for online education to teachers who have been forced to pay for this from their meagre salaries. Teacher activists have been arrested by the police, on the orders of public security ministers, for organising protests.

Parents picking up their children from school (Credit: WSWS)

Demonstrating teachers on Monday in Kurunegala, the North-Western Provinces main city, surrounded Governor Raja Kollures office in protest against his call for striking teachers to be disciplined and their salaries cut. Kollure, who is president of the Sri Lankan Communist Party, was appointed governor by President Rajapakse. The Stalinist party, which is a partner in the ruling coalition, has a long history of supporting government attacks on social conditions and democratic rights.

Rajapakses decision to reopen the primary section of schools with less than 200 students, which was fully supported by the unions, is the first step towards the full reopening of all schools under conditions where COVID-19 is still sweeping across the country. From the outset, the unions, like education unions in the US and elsewhere, have backed the reopening of the economy and the schools, following brief lockdowns, placing the lives of thousands of teachers and students in danger.

Overcrowded classrooms in Sri Lanka and the highly-congested public transport system are creating the conditions for a rapid spread of COVID-19 across the island. Many students from poverty-stricken families with no income cannot even provide masks for their children.

At the Colombo demonstration on Monday, CTSU leader Mahinda Jayasinghe claimed that the teachers struggle had begun a new round, adding, if our demands are not met in the next budget, massive action will be taken.

Jayasinghes posturing is completely bogus. The government had already announced that it would only pay one fifth of teachers salary demand and in three installments. The systematic betrayal of teachers by the unions over the past 24 years means that Sri Lankan educators are among the lowest-paid public sector workers on the island.

The Rajapakse governments forthcoming budget, irrespective of the teachers meagre pay rise, will see a full-scale assault on the social position of the working class.

Sri Lankan Finance Minister Basil Rajapakse has already directed all ministries to slash expenditure, including no salary incentives for employees or the hiring of new recruits. The government has also massively increased the price of essential commodities, greatly increasing the social hardships of workers and the poor. These measures will bring every section of the working class, including teachers, into struggle to defend their living and social conditions.

Education, health, postal, ports, railway and plantation workers have been involved in strikes and protests in recent months, indicating the emerging and socially explosive situation in Sri Lanka.

The Teacher-Student-Parent Safety Committee (TSPSC) and the Socialist Equality Party (SEP) are the only organisations that have explained why and how teachers must unite with the rest of the working class in a political struggle against the governments reactionary policies. We have insisted that while militancy is important it is inadequate to deal with the political challenges facing teachers. The SEP and TSPSC has urged teachers to take their struggle into their own hands by developing and expanding action committees in unity with the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees and fighting for socialist policies.

Several teachers spoke with the World Socialist Web Site during Mondays protests.

A teacher from Maskeliya said: The government has opened the schools without any safety measures in place for the COVID-19 pandemic, which is very dangerous for teachers and students. The rulers dont bother about that but just want to break our strike. Most of our school students are plantation workers children, which in the present situation is a real burden for them to buy a mask for children.

Teachers have to do everything, including school cleaning and other safety measures, to try and deal with the pandemic, and sometimes have to use their own money from their low salaries. The plantation trade unions are supporting the government and companies. Some of these union officials are ministers and dont care about these things.

A teacher from Agarapatana said: This time teachers have united very strongly to win their demands. Im a grade one teacher and my basic salary should be 90,000 rupees but all I get now is 40,000 rupees.

Authorities are supposed to pay me about 4.8 million rupees in arrears but none of this will be paid. All other teachers face a similar situation. Today I met the parents of students from my school and I explained our struggle to them. They were very sympathetic. I agree with your proposal for organising action committees of teachers, students and parents in every school and that we must unite with teachers in struggle internationally.

A teacher from Kandy said: A majority of the teachers havent joined the trade unions and the reason is because the unions have not intervened among us regularly. Im involved in this struggle because of the difficulties trying to live on my salary, which is about 50,000 rupees and is never fully paid. Like almost all other teachers a large part of my salary is deducted to pay off several loans.

Greshan, a Colombo mathematics teacher, said: Weve been on strike for more than three months and what is finally happening now is what the government wants. Teachers have had to go back to work without any salary hike. Many teachers oppose the unions decisions. Given the magnitude of the governments economic crisis, can we accept that they cannot allocate any money for the well-being of workers? Its very clear that nothing can be won within the capitalist system.
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - Some federal employees in the Wabash Valley are pushing back against a COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Federal workers at the Terre Haute Federal Correctional Complex are also planning what they call an "informational picket" on Friday.

Union president Harold Smith represents prison staff, told us a COVID-19 vaccine mandate goes too far.

He says he's not against the vaccine but should not be forced to get it.

"I would just like our state, local, and national legislators to listen to the pushback and look at some of the folks that are standing up saying this about freedom of choice and act appropriately," Smith said.

The prison picket happens near the prison complex from 4 P.M. to 6 P.M.

The federal mandate takes effect on November 9.

GE Aviation

GE Aviation employees plan to protest once again on Friday. Last Friday, employees and supporters gathered outside of the 3rd Street facility to protest the mandate.

Last week, one of the protesters said, ""There's a lot of people that feel the same way and are torn up about this. They're looking at losing their employment, their livelihood, their bread, or complying with something that shouldn't have to be."

Over 100 people were there last week.

They plan to protest again on Friday at 1 P.M.
VIGO COUNTY, Ind. (WTHI) - Vigo County School Corporation Superintendent Rob Haworth is proposing changes for students' education.

It's part of the strategic plan school officials have called "uncommon."

We've already told you about one part of the plan, which includes proposals to improve the county's high schools.

Now we are learning more about the potential goal for academics. The school corporation shared a video on Youtube describing part of the plan.

Haworth said the pandemic led students to be "far from flourishing." He says the current strategic plan doesn't meet the realities of a post-COVID world.

Haworth feels adding more value to students, and their diplomas will help them adjust for the future.

That's why he says he's proposing the following requirements:

30 hours of college credit

30 certification hours

Industry credentials

If approved, students would have to accomplish one of those paths by 2027. Haworth said this proposal directly ties back to the facilities plan.

"I think we now understand that not everyone is going to college and that there isn't a one size fits all solution. Our facilities need to reflect that shift," Haworth said.

He said there would be more videos and discussions before he presented the plan to the board.
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WTVA)  A student organization at Mississippi State University is not happy with Tuesday's protest over mandated coronavirus vaccinations, and it has nothing to do with the mandate.

The group is concerned about the Nazi symbols seen on signs carried across campus by protesters.

Full statement from MSU Jewish student association about Nazi symbols used in recent protest

One example was a sign that had an Adolf Hitler mustache on a picture of MSU President Mark Keenum. In the top left corner was a swastika.

Protesters compared the upcoming vaccination mandate for most public university employees in Mississippi to something you would have seen carried out by the Nazis in Germany.

But Tyler Daniel, president of the Jewish student association Hillel, said using such symbols shook Jewish students on the Mississippi State campus.

"As antisemitism continues to rise and become a problem on the national level, it's increasingly more challenging to tell what is just people ignorantly using symbols and what is actual hateful content geared specifically towards Jewish people," said Daniel.

Daniel and other members of Hillel want people on campus who see such signs to take them down and report them to MSU Campus Police or to the Dean of Students' Office.

They also asked those who used the Nazi symbols in that protest to understand why using them was inappropriate.
VERONA, Miss. (WTVA)  Police in Verona are looking for two people wanted after a Wednesday shooting that wounded one person in the leg.

The shooting happened around 10:35 a.m. on Raymond Avenue near a home.

Officers showed up after the shooting to search for two people witnesses said ran toward a nearby mobile home park.

They even called Tupelo police dogs to help with the search, but that search was unsuccessful.

Anyone with information that could help find two two is asked to call Crime Stoppers of Northeast Mississippi at 1-800-773-TIPS.

Update - 1 arrested, 1 wanted for Verona shooting
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Translating Farsi to English might be an easy task for just anyone, but for Sgt. Mohammad Jamil, a linguist in the United States Army at Fort McCoy, but it is definitely easy and more importantly, it's rewarding.
FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: People walk beneath a Citibank branch logo in the financial district of San Francisco, California

By Saeed Azhar and Yousef Saba

RIYADH (Reuters) - Citigroup wants to pursue a banking license in Saudi Arabia to further boost its business in the kingdom by expanding into trade finance and treasury solutions, a senior executive said.

Citi was awarded a Saudi capital markets licence in 2017, allowing it to return to the kingdom in 2018 after a 13-year absence.

It advised Saudi Aramco on its $29.4 billion listing in 2019, in what was the world's biggest initial public offering, as well as on several sovereign and corporate bond deals.

"We have seen significant growth during this time and we're still very interested in making further investments locally in the market," Ebru Pakcan, Citi's head of EMEA emerging markets business, told Reuters on the sidelines of Saudi Arabia's FII investment conference.

"As our clients make more investments across multiple growth potential sectors, we are interested in expanding our capabilities and services locally over time by pursuing a banking license."

Citigroup's client business model is built around serving multinational companies globally, as well as bringing global investors opportunities in a local market.

"When we work with those global corporates, especially in cash management and trade finance and other treasury solutions, actually being a deposit taking institution with local payments and collections capabilities becomes important," she said.

Western financial institutions have been expanding in Saudi Arabia since the government unveiled plans to privatise state assets and adopted reforms as part of an economic strategy to cut dependence on oil.

Standard Chartered this year began offering banking services through its branch in Saudi Arabia after it was granted a banking licence in 2019.

Pakcan said Citigroup plans to hire more people in Saudi Arabia, potentially doubling or tripling the team over the next few years.

She also said UAE will be one of its global wealth management centres, focusing on the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and emerging markets.

In the other parts of emerging markets, she said Citigroup is "watching closely" markets such as Ghana in Africa and Uzbekistan in Central Asia, as the markets evolve and continue to attract more multinational companies.

(Reporting by Saeed Azhar and Yousef Saba; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
By Michelle Nichols

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. chief Antonio Guterres assailed what he called "an epidemic of coup d'etats" on Tuesday and urged the Security Council to act to effectively deter them as the 15-member body prepared to discuss the military takeover in Sudan.

"The Sudanese people has shown very clearly their intense desire for reform and democracy," the secretary-general told reporters as he again condemned the Sudanese army's seizure of power on Monday and urged all parties to exercise "maximum restraint."

Sudan's top general Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on Tuesday defended the military takeover, saying he had ousted the government of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok to avoid civil war.

It is the latest in a series of military takeovers in Myanmar, Mali and Guinea and attempted coups in several other countries.

The Security Council - which has the ability to impose sanctions or authorize military action - has been split on how to approach various conflicts, with the United States and other western council members pitted against Russia and China. It was due to meet behind closed doors on Sudan on Tuesday.

Guterres pointed to strong geopolitical divides, Security Council "difficulties in taking strong measures" and the economic and social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as creating "an environment in which some military leaders feel that they have total impunity, they can do whatever they want because nothing will happen to them."

"My appeal, obviously, is for - especially the big powers - to come together for the unity of the Security Council in order to make sure that there is effective deterrence in relation to this epidemic of coup d'etats," Guterres said. "We have seen that effective deterrence today is not in place."

The council has issued statements expressing concern about the situation in Myanmar and condemning the military takeover in Mali. It is discussing a possible statement on Sudan, diplomats said.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Howard Goller)
Theyre known as narco-submarines  semi-submersible vessels used to ferry narcotics across ocean waters.

And they play a leading role in drug trafficking because they are essential tools Colombian criminal groups use to send their main product, cocaine, to their top distributors: Mexican drug organizations such as Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

Last month, acting United States Attorney Karin Hoppmann announced that six Colombians pled guilty to conspiracy to use these vessels to smuggle more than 19,000 kilograms, or 42,000 pounds, of cocaine to the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico.

Investigation: Cartel violence in Mexico forces people to flee their homes, leaving ghost towns behind

In a joint and inter-institutional operation with the Colombian Army, the Air Force and the Public Prosecutor's Office, the Colombian Army seized a semi-submersible in the Colombian Pacific, with a cocaine shipment valued at more than $13 million.

According to a U.S. Department of Justice statement, the defendants were part of a transnational criminal organization that sent narco-submarines from Colombia into the Pacific Ocean, destined for Sinaloa Cartel members in the Mexican state of Oaxaca.

In 2015 and 2016, the statement said, the United States intercepted three vessels traveling from Colombia to Mexico, each carrying thousands of kilograms of cocaine, a substantial portion of which was ultimately intended for the United States.

Narco-submarines are handcrafted structures, painted in ocean colors so that they are difficult to detect. They are hermetically sealed, contain diesel or electric engines, and are either self-propelled or carry people who help ensure the drugs get to their destinations.

The Colombian Army seizes a semi-submersible with about a ton of cocaine in the Colombian Pacific.

For years, they have been used by cartels to smuggle cocaine and other drugs, mainly from Colombia and Ecuador to Central America, Mexico and the United States. They allow Colombian gangs, in association with Mexican drug cartels, to move drugs fast and boost profits.

"In the last decade, the submersibles production has increased due to great interest by criminal organizations," said Mario Pazmino, former chief of intelligence at the Ecuador Army and a security analyst.

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"They have two important characteristics: Their profiled displacement on the coast makes them much less detectable due to their appearance, and large volumes of drugs can be loaded and transported quickly.

In-Depth: Native Americans face a deadly drug crisis. How tapping into culture is helping them heal

Moving tons of drugs

But narco-submarines dont always elude the authorities. Multiple governments' radars and Navy patrols have netted an increasing number in recent months.

Pacific Colombian Naval Force seized a semi-submersible in the Pacific Ocean, and three members of the "Gulf Clan" were detained.

In September, Colombian Defense Minister Diego Molano announced the capture of a narco-submarine that belonged to the "Gulf Clan," a Colombian criminal organization. Three cartel members were detained.

The vessel, destined for Central America, could transport three tons of drugs.

Since 2018, 111 narco-submarines have been seized, Colombian authorities said. On average, the vessels carry around 286,600 pounds of cocaine and 1,543 pounds of marijuana. Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica and El Salvador are the most used routes by drug traffickers.

"Large quantities of cocaine are transported by sea," Hernando Mattos Dager, a Colombian army official, told The Guardian, in a previous report. "It is much easier to move a ton of cocaine by sea than by plane because there are more checks on freight at airports."

Drug trafficking: Detroit drug pipeline targets North Dakota Native Americans. How theyre fighting back

Experts say a significant portion of Colombia's illicit drugs leaves through the Pacific coast and the rest via the Caribbean. So far this year, Colombian authorities have seized 623 tons of coca leaf, official figures show.

Nearly 36% of cocaine produced in Colombia passes through Ecuadorian territory, which represents about 700 tons, Pazmino said, adding that Ecuador "has managed to detect and neutralize 130 tons." That means 570 tons have reached their destinations, sometimes within the United States.

Given narco-submarines carry merchandise worth millions of dollars, traffickers hire engineers to build them.

They need special training on construction, ship design to be able to make them safe first," Pazmino said.

"The lives of the people who go inside don't matter. What they are interested in is the number of drugs they can carry inside. If a submarine sinks or fails, it will be a millionaire loss; we are talking about 100 or 200 million dollars."

The Colombia Army found a semi-submersible in the final stage of assembly in a handcrafted shipyard in the San Miguel village of the municipality of Guapi, Cauca.

Cocaine demand fuels supply

Where there is a demand for drugs, supply will follow.

Worldwide, an estimated 20 million people reported past-year cocaine use in 2019, which is equivalent to 0.4% of the global population aged 1564, according to the 2021's World Drug Report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

In the United States, a federal survey found that about 5.5 million people 12 and older reported past-year cocaine use in 2019 and 2020.

Meanwhile, U.S. overdose deaths involving cocaine have been rising. In 2017, they increased by more than 34%, killing almost 14,000 Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

With so much demand for drugs, the United States is the most important market for cartels. Mexican criminal organizations dominate the imports and distribution of cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin to America.

Cartels: Where do Mexican drug cartels get their guns? Often, the United States

Of those drugs, cocaine is among the drugs seized most often at U.S. ports of entry, according to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. In fiscal year 2020, cocaine represented 74% of the drugs seized.

One reason is that cocaine production has risen in recent years.

Coca cultivation and cocaine production reached a record 605,408 acres and 1,010 metric tons, the White House announced in July.

"These trends show the need to increase holistic approaches that combine economic development, increased government presence, and citizen security, interdiction, and eradication in key rural areas to reduce cocaine production," the White House said in a press release.

Colombia's government cited figures from the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy on coca and cocaine production showing that the fight against illicit drugs continues to be an enormous challenge, and said Colombia and the United States will continue to join forces as partners and allies.

But as governments continue to fight the drug trade, traffickers are upgrading their narco-submarines.

In 2019, a 72-foot-long ship set sail from Colombia to Galicia, Spain traveling more than 4,970 miles before being intercepted by Spanish authorities. It carried more than 6,613 pounds of cocaine.

This August, Colombian authorities seized a narco-submarine in the Pacific Ocean that was carrying 18 tons of cocaine, or approximately 4.5 million doses, worth $60 million dollars.

On Friday, Oct. 22, the Ecuadorian Army, in coordination with the National Police, intercepted a semi-submersible and detained four people in the Pacific Ocean.

And in late October, the Ecuadorian Army intercepted in international waters another narco-submarine, with three brand new diesel engines attached.

Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst for Colombia at the International Crisis Group, said the Colombian government's approach to stemming the international supply of drugs is counterproductive because it focuses on destroying coca. "And essentially, what it does is penalize the weakest parts of the Colombian society, which are very poor farmers who grow coca while having minimal effect on the actual profit centers of the armed groups."

Instead, she said: "The focus of drug policy in Colombia needs to shift upward on the supply chain. So let's focus on destroying the raw materials more focused specifically on targeting the financing of these organizations and disarticulating the profit networks that surround them."

Karol Suarez is a Venezuela-born journalist based out of Mexico City. Reach her on Twitter: @KarolSuarez_

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: 'Narco-submarines' ferry cocaine, other drugs across ocean waters
Chibeze Ezekiel Credit - Oneside Pixel/Courtesy Chibeze Ezekiel

Coal is one of the dirtiest energy sources in use, and coal plants still generate 38% of the worlds electricity. One strategy is to stop them from getting built in the first place, and Ghanaian activist Chibeze Ezekiel has had some success there. In 2013, hed just returned from a climate conference in Istanbul when he learned Ghanas government had started discussing a proposal to build a large coal power plant, the countrys first.

His organization, 350 Ghana Reducing Our Carbon, began visiting the communities where the proposed plant would be built, educating villagers about the potential effects on local rivers, air quality and groundwater supply, and the consequences for their health. They also told locals about the declining costs of renewable energy. We were not just saying no to coal; we were offering an alternative, Ezekiel says.

By the time the government pitched the proposal to the local community in 2015, they were prepared to challenge official assertions. Ezekiel calls it his submarine approach. We came out of nowhere to bombard them from all anglessocial media, press conferences, community forums. And it worked. On Oct. 10, 2016, Ghanas Environmental Minister announced that the coal plant would not be built. Less than a year later the nations President said that all new power projects would use renewable energy only. Ezekiel is especially proud of that. If we had allowed a coal plant to be established in 2015, I am sure there would have been more.

Read More of TIMEs COP26 Coverage: Meet the People Working to Accomplish the COP26 Agenda
FILE PHOTO: The logo of German sports goods firm Puma is seen at the entrance of one of its stores in Vienna

By Emma Thomasson

BERLIN (Reuters) - German sportswear company Puma on Wednesday advised people to shop early for Christmas as supply bottlenecks and manufacturing disruptions would mean a shortage of its products well into 2022.

The company expects that Vietnam factory closures, compounded by shipping constraints, will hit its product supplies, even as the group increased its 2021 sales outlook.

Puma, which reported stronger-than-expected third quarter results, also expects its sales in China to continue to be impacted by coronavirus lockdowns and a consumer boycott of Western brands triggered earlier this year by a political row.

Factories in Vietnam, a major supplier to the footwear industry, closed for 10 to 11 weeks due to COVID-19 outbreaks, but Puma Chief Executive Bjorn Gulden said they were now open again and should resume full production by the end of November.

But he said the closures in Vietnam, where Puma makes a third of its products, would still impact supplies through to the end of this year and into the first quarter of 2022, exacerbated by port congestion and a lack of shipping capacity.

"If you want to buy Christmas presents, you should buy now," Gulden told a briefing for reporters, adding that supply chain issues, compounded by higher costs of raw materials, could feed through to higher prices in the second half of 2022.

Rival Nike Inc cut its fiscal 2022 sales expectations last month and also said it expected delays during the holiday shopping season, blaming a supply chain crunch.

Puma said sales in the third quarter, when the Vietnam closures had not yet hit supplies, rose a currency-adjusted 20.4% to 1.9 billion euros ($2.21 billion) and operating profit jumped to 229 million euros, both beating analyst forecasts.

Puma shares were up 1.8% at 0845 GMT, making them the biggest gainer on the German blue-chip index.

"Puma's third-quarter earnings confirm a brand in rude health in Western markets," said Jefferies analyst James Grzinic.

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Sales fell 16% in Greater China due to ongoing lockdowns there and the impact of a consumer boycott.

Western brands, including Puma, faced online attacks in China in late March over past statements saying they would not source cotton from Xinjiang after reports of human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims. Beijing denies any such abuses.

Gulden said Puma was still not able to do marketing with Chinese celebrities and shopper traffic in stores was down, but he is optimistic about China's "Single's Day" sales event in November and ultimately for a medium-term recovery there.

Puma increased its forecast for full-year currency-adjusted sales growth to at least 25% from a previous outlook of at least 20%, and Gulden said the company eventually hopes to double its annual sales to more than 10 billion euros.

($1 = 0.8593 euros)

(Reporting by Emma Thomasson; Editing by Riham Alkousaa and Jane Merriman)
Former Governor Eric Greitens of Missouri near the State Capitol in Jefferson City, MO on May 17, 2018. AP Photo/Jeff Roberson

The Campaign Legal Center filed a complaint with the FEC against former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens.

The group is accusing Greitens of illegally funneling $100,000 to his Senate campaign.

Greitens has a history of ethics violations and sexual misconduct, and he resigned as governor in 2018.

The Campaign Legal Center filed a complaint Thursday morning with the Federal Election Commission against former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, accusing him of illegally funneling over $100,000 in leftover money from his gubernatorial campaign account into his Senate campaign.

Greitens had over $1.1 million dollars in the bank when he resigned amidst a sexual misconduct scandal in 2018, and he's now running in a competitive Republican primary to succeed Sen. Roy Blunt, who's not seeking re-election in 2022.

Federal laws block candidates who are seeking a federal office - like a House or Senate seat - from using leftover money from a state-level campaign for their races. That's because state campaigns are often subject to different rules, such as contribution limits, than federal campaigns.

CLC's complaint highlights a series of payments made between March 2019 and March 2021, all of which coincided with Greitens testing the waters for a Senate bid but took place before he formally announced his campaign on Bret Baier's Fox News show.

That includes over $50,000 paid to his once and future campaign manager, and tens of thousands of dollars more on media, advertising, and consulting expenses - all of which totaled over $100,000.

"The agency needs to take action against Eric Greitens and both campaign committees for this blatantly illegal spending," the group said in a press release.

Federal campaign finance laws set clear guidelines for how candidates can spend money "testing the waters" for a campaign, and all of it has to be reported if a campaign is actually launched. Greitens apparently failed to do that as well.

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The complaint also notes that Greitens received "dozens of contributions of $100,000 and above from individuals and corporations," which were legal at that time for state races in Missouri but are not permissible under federal law.

"While Greitens' 2022 Senate campaign may only accept contributions of up to $2,900 per individual and, importantly, cannot receive corporate funds, his gubernatorial campaign raised dozens of contributions far exceeding that amount - some as much as $100,000 and above," said Brendan Fischer, director of federal reform for Campaign Legal Center, in a press release. "Senate candidates cannot quietly finance their campaign with six-figure and corporate contributions."

CLC also says that Greitens violated the "straw donor ban" - a provision meant to prevent individuals from exceeding donation limits by funneling money through other people - by describing an $18,000 transaction in March 2021 as a personal contribution when it instead likely came from his gubernatorial campaign.

Greitens resigned from the governor's office in disgrace in May 2018 after a "revenge porn" scandal in which he was accused of threatening to share an image of a nude woman he'd had an extramarital affair with if she spoke out about it; Greitens denied criminal wrongdoing. He had faced possible impeachment by a Republican-led legislature and an investigation by then-Attorney General Josh Hawley, now the state's junior US senator.

Republicans reportedly worry that Greitens could jeopardize Republicans' chances of holding the Senate seat next year, given his scandal-plagued past and the fact that he currently leads the Republican primary field. The former governor, for his part, has sought to cast himself as an ally of former President Donald Trump, traveling to Arizona several times to promote a Republican-led "audit" of 2020 ballots in an attempt to decertify President Joe Biden's victory.

Greitens' campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Most Americans probably think of parmesan cheese as something to be sprinkled liberally on pasta dishes. But Parmigiano Reggiano  the official protected designation of origin (PDO) name for true "parmesan"  is incredible to eat in its own right. To earn its credentials, the Italian hard cheese has to be aged for at least 12 months, but Parmigiano Reggiano will continue to develop if it's aged longer. By 24 or 36 months, the differences are clear: fruity notes give way to slightly nuttier flavors and the texture becomes crumblier as more cheese crystals develop.

But what about a 21-year-old Parmigiano Reggiano? How would that taste? The PDO's governing body, the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium, says you would find "unexpected and unparalleled aromas and flavors" starting with an "intense toasted smell" that gives way to "typical leather, underwood, truffle, and smoky notes" with a texture that would be "dry, very crumbly, and soluble."

21-year-old wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano

Linda Vukaj

But why take their word for it? A 21-year-old wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano billed as "one of the oldest cheeses in the world" has just been put up for auction. And all proceeds will go to a good cause.

Taking place as part of the World Cheese Awards at the International Cheese Festival in Oviedo, Spain, from November 3 to 6, the online charity auction is open from now until the end of the fest to anyone anywhere interested in trying to obtain this unique cheese. Bids (or simply donations) are being accepted at givergy.uk/parmigianoreggiano2021.

21-year-old wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano

Linda Vukaj

The money raised will go to two charities selected by the Consortium. The first is Aiutiamo il mondo di Padre Marco Canovi (aka "Let's help the world by Father Marco Canovi") which aims to improve the quality of life in Uganda. The second is the Mama Sofia organization which supports women and families in situations of serious hardship in the Congo.

As for the cheese itself, it has its own illustrious history. "The cheese wheel was produced in April 2000 by the Latteria di Tabiano dairy when it was under the leadership of the late Erio Bertani," the Consortium explains. "It was one of the first wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano to be awarded the prestigious 'Quality of the Mountain' status by the Conva Consortium, which is responsible for the safeguarding and promotion of products from the Apennines. The wheel was then purchased by Erio Bertani himself, who kept it in his warehouse until 2018, when his wife, Susetta Sforacchi, children and the Nazionale Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmigiano Reggiano National Team) decided to donate it to charity in his memory."

And in addition to the wheel, the winning bidder will also receive a one-night stay in Reggio Emilia, including dinner and a trip to the Latteria di Tabiano dairy. That seems fair considering that, with over a week left of bidding, the next minimum bid is already about $3,500.
Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen - Season 18

Source: Bravo / Getty

Kenya Moore is keeping her head up in the best way possible after a devasting elimination from the dance competition show, Dancing With The Stars, on Monday night.

Taking to Instagram on Wednesday, the Real Housewives of Atlanta star shared a glamour shot of herself wearing a stunning all-white sequined gown from Iso Designs. The dress featured a high split and a long train allowing her to show off the diamond-encrusted stocking she wore underneath. She paired the look with dangly earrings and dainty jewelry and looked stunning with her hair in a low-side pony tail. Keeping my head up, she captioned the photo, nodding to her recent departure from DWTS.

The star and her professional dance partner, Brandon Armstrong, were sent home during the competition shows Horror Night after the duo landed in the bottom two for the third time. I just want to say thank you so much for this opportunity, the reality star said at the end of the night. This has been a dream come true. I love you guys so much.

Following the elimination, the star took to Instagram to share videos of herself crying and wiping away tears now that her run on DWTS has come to an end. So sad right now, the 50-year-old captioned one of the Instagram Story clips as she flew home to Atlanta from Los Angeles, where the series taped.

Nothing makes a beauty feel better after a devasting defeat like slaying on Instagram!

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The on-demand transport space in Africa has evolved since San Francisco-based ride-hailing firm Uber first set up operations in South Africa in 2013, setting the stage for its foray across the continent while radically transforming the entire taxi industry.

Almost a decade later, Africas taxi industry is now dominated by tens of local and international tech-led ride-on-demand platforms, with the latest additions being global giants Didi Chuxing from China and Russias inDriver.

Looking to edge out its competitors, Chinese behemoth Didi is currently expanding across the continent, stepping up competition for market leaders Uber and Estonia-based Bolt. Evidence shows it is preparing to enter Nigeria, having begun operations in South Africa in March and Egypt just last month when the company posted a job opening for a driver center manager in Lagos  the same role it first advertised for when entering South Africa and Egypt.

A key indicator of the companys imminent expansion into Nigeria was hidden within the lines of the driver center manager's responsibilities  "to collaborate with operations and Didi's team to support the successful launch.

Didi did not respond to multiple TechCrunch requests for comment about its expansion plans in Africa.

Didi

Screenshot of Didis app in Nigeria

Didi is one of the biggest ride-hailing services in the world. However, unlike global competitors Uber and Bolt, which years ago saw Africa as a key market in their quest for global dominance, the Chinese firm held off the continent until now.

Founded in 2012, Didi has around 600 million users across 17 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Russia. The company also has over 15 million annual active drivers.

In addition to launching other mobility platforms, Didi now owns minority stakes in other global platforms -- the United States' Lyft and Uber, Indonesia's Grab, Egypt's Careem and India's Ola. It also fully acquired Brazil's 99.

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As Didi starts its incursion into Africa, Russias inDriver is firming up its presence across the same markets, where it recently started taking commissions from drivers.

Unlike other taxi-hailing apps that have a unilateral billing structure, inDriver allows riders to negotiate trip charges with drivers, making it popular among taxi users.

Taxi drivers in Kenyas capital Nairobi using inDriver, which rolled out its services in Africa in 2018, have over the last few days received notifications from the company confirming the introduction of a 9.52% commission for every trip made. The commission is lower than Didis 13%, although both are much lower than Ubers 25% and Bolts 20%.

InDriver inferred that it was introducing the charges due to the increased demand of the service, but it was keen to keep the commission lower than those of its competitors. The app was launched about three years ago across multiple markets in Africa including South Africa, Nigeria, Tanzania, Morocco and Botswana with the promise of a commission-free first year. The company is just now introducing commissions in some of these markets, although the deductions are already in effect in Nigeria and South Africa.

In a notification sent to drivers in Kenya, inDriver said that it became a noticeable event in the passenger rides market in Nairobi. Many people use it daily and their number is increasing. This extensive work requires significant costs. To cover these costs, we introduce payments for each order in the amount of 9.52%. To keep inDriver still profitable for both passengers and drivers, the amount of payments is lower than in other services, where payments can range from 15% to 30% of each order."

The new update comes as the company plans to grow in different markets, having already diversified into the courier business.

The company launched its delivery business in April last year, at the height of the pandemic, to tap the demand for parcel delivery services. Courier services enlisted on the app include auto, foot and moto, and are available in over 16 countries. The company is now introducing freight services in different markets around the world.

Founded in 2013 by Arsen Tomsky, inDriver is currently available in 34 countries and recently crossed the 100-million download mark.

As it joins Didi to step up competition in Africa, market pioneers Uber and Bolt are expanding their service range in cities across the continent.

Currently, Uber is rolling out Pool Chance, a feature that lets riders headed in the same direction share the cost of the journey, in Kenya, with plans to offer the low-cost service in Ghana and Nigeria. The company says that the rollout of budget services is part of its plan to attract price-sensitive users.

Across the continent, Uber has over the last few months expanded into new regions and introduced new products as part of its strategy to retain existing customers and attract new ones amid growing competition. Earlier this month, the firm entered two additional cities in Nigeria -- Ibadan and Port Harcourt -- bringing into the regions a service that is already available in three other cities.

Frans Hiemstra, general manager for Uber Sub-Saharan Africa

In South Africa, Uber is now available in 40 cities, serving 80% of the urban population, with premium services Uber Comfort, UberX and UberBlack and budget service UberGo. It recently expanded into 21 new cities and added a feature last August that allows the booking of trips a month in advance.

The company plans to continue investments into African cities through collaborations with national and local authorities.

We know that we face significant competition across local transportation modes in Africa. These are vibrant and competitive with many viable alternatives, including ridesharing, personal cars and public transportationwhich consumers can and do choose between, Frans Hiemstra, the general manager for Uber Sub-Saharan Africa, told TechCrunch.

We believe competition makes us better, which improves the service for our riders and earners alike, he said.

Uber is still king in terms of combined market share in Africa; it claims to have about 150,000 drivers in its eight markets across the continent, while Bolt comes in second.

Bolt has been aggressively expanding its services in Africa. The firm is planning to roll out electric taxi options in South Africa four months after introducing e-bike food delivery services in Johannesburg and Cape Town. Bolt also launched its food delivery service in Nigeria last month.

Like Uber, Bolt sees myriad opportunities in the continent.

We see that there is room for several players across the continent. The infrastructure and experience we have built up with our ride-hailing business give us a good platform to expand and diversify our services, said Bolts regional director for Africa and Middle East, Paddy Partridge.

For new players like Didi, it will be an entry to a market that dealt with drivers and partners demanding better working terms.

In Nigeria and Kenya, both Uber and Bolt faced a series of protests earlier this year as their drivers expressed displeasure with the ride-hailing companies' decision to increase their commissions, despite burdening users with price surges. However, no notable changes have been made from either of the two companies in line with the demands of drivers.

Didis operations elsewhere have not been without drama. Before it went public on the NYSE this year  nine years after operating as a privately held startup and raising $25 billion from investors  the Alibaba, SoftBank and Apple-backed company faced scrutiny from the Chinese government and regulators. It was accused of employing anti-competitive practices and pricing and misusing users' personal information.

Didi's fallout with China is just one of the many struggles it dealt with this year. Trying to compensate for the troubles at home, the firm looked to enter the U.K. market, but the move was met with concerns from the British Parliament that China could harvest data from Brits using Didi's service. However, it seems its entry into African markets has been smooth -- and could explain why it wants to keep its operations quiet: to avoid scrutiny.
A proposed law in Ghana to toughen curbs on the LGBT community has triggered a rift between the Archbishop of Canterbury and the local Anglican church, which strongly supports the bill.

Gay sex is illegal in highly religious and conservative Ghana, but the proposed law will criminalise even LGBTQ advocacy while imposing longer jail terms for same-sex relations.

The so-called "Promotion of proper human sexual rights and Ghanaian family values" bill has been widely condemned by the international community and rights activists.

But the bill, currently being debated in parliament, is widely supported in Ghana, where President Nana Akufo-Addo has said gay marriage will never be allowed while he is in power.

Ghana's Anglican bishops endorsed the bill in a statement earlier this month, saying LGBT beliefs were "unbiblical and ungodly" and also against Ghanaian tradition and culture.

"This is about morality today and of the future generation," they said in a statement.

But that stance has put the bishops at odds with Britain's Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the leader of the global Anglican communion.

Welby said he was "gravely concerned" about the draft law and the Ghanaian church position on the bill.

"I will be speaking with the Archbishop of Ghana in the coming days to discuss the Anglican Church of Ghanas response to the Bill," he said in a communique on Tuesday.

He said he reminded the Anglican Church of Ghana of its commitments.

"We are a global family of churches, but the mission of the church is the same in every culture and country: to demonstrate, through its actions and words, God's offer of unconditional love to every human being through Jesus Christ."

- 'Unrighteousness' -

Asked about the archbishop's comments, Ghana's bishops stood by their position.

"We have seen and read about the statement by the bishops in the UK but what we have stated and stood for still stands," George Dawson-Amoah, director to Metropolitan Archbishop of Ghana, said.

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"We see LGBTQI as unrighteousness in the sight of God and therefore we will do anything within our powers and mandate to ensure that the bill comes into fruition."

LGBTQI means lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex.

More than half the countries in sub-Saharan African have anti-homosexuality laws, with some punishing it with death penalty under sharia law, although there have been no known modern-day executions, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni in 2014 signed a bill that increased the penalty for same-sex relations, but it was annulled by the courts six months later.

Chad and Burundi have all toughened their laws while Angola scrapped anti-gay laws from its penal code two years ago.

Botswana's High Court, also in 2019, decriminalised same-sex relationships, a ruling that is currently being appealed by the government.

South Africa is the only African nation to allow gay marriage and has become a haven for African homosexuals who flee persecution at home.

Discrimination against LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) people is common in Ghana, but no one has ever been prosecuted under the colonial-era law.

- 'Grave attack' on rights -

Activist groups say the new bill is a setback for human rights and have called on Akufo-Addo's government to reject it.

"This is a grave attack to human rights, including the right to freedom of expression," Article 19 international rights group said in a statement.

But nearly 90 percent of Ghanaians said they would approve of a decision by the government to criminalise same-sex relationships, according to research group Afrobarometer based on 2014 data.

Local churches are a powerful social force in Ghana. When activists tried to open a LGBT rights advocacy centre on the outskirts of Accra this year, the outcry was immediate.

The Catholic Church of Ghana publicly demanded the centre be shut down.

Following a huge media campaign, security forces closed it less than a month after it opened. Ghana's gender minister called homosexual practises "non-negotiable."

The proposed anti-LBGT law is currently in the initial parliament committee stage.

If approved, it would criminalise LGBT advocacy, require people to denounce "suspects", advocates for controversial conversion therapy and imposes jail terms of up to five years for same-sex relations.

"I'm convinced that the law that will come out of this, we'll protect the culture and values of our people and the Ghanaian identity," parliament speaker Alban Bagbin said this week.

"It's not only Africa but the whole world is looking for the outcome of this bill."

str/pma/ri
LONDON (AP)  Britain said Thursday it would summon the French ambassador for a dressing-down, the latest move in a worsening dispute over fishing licenses that has stoked tensions following the U.K.'s departure from the European Union.

After French authorities fined two British fishing vessels and kept one in port overnight, Britain warned it would it retaliate if French officials followed through on threats to block British boats from some French ports and tighten checks on U.K. vessels unless French vessels get more permits to fish in U.K. waters. France also suggested it might restrict energy supplies to the Channel Islands, British Crown dependencies that lie off the coast of France.

We believe these are disappointing and disproportionate, and not what wed expect from a close ally and partner, U.K. Environment Secretary George Eustice told lawmakers, as Britain accused France of raising tensions.

Eustice said the threatened measures do not appear to be compatible with the Brexit divorce deal agreed by Britain and the EU or wider international law, and if carried through will be met with an appropriate and calibrated response.

The reference to international law is sure to irk French officials, since EU nations have accused the U.K. of threatening to break the legally binding Brexit agreement it signed with the bloc setting out the conditions of its departure.

The U.K. government said Frances ambassador, Catherine Colonna, would be summoned to the Foreign Office, in an official sign of displeasure.

We regret the confrontational language that has been consistently used by the French government on this issue, which makes this situation no easier to resolve, the British government said in a statement.

Since the U.K. left the economic orbit of the EU in January, relations between London and Paris have become increasingly frayed as the nations on either side of the English Channel sort out a post-Brexit path.

France vehemently protested the decision last month by the U.K. and the Channel Island of Jersey to refuse dozens of French fishing boats licenses to operate in their territorial waters. Dozens of other licenses were granted. France says the restrictions are contrary to the post-Brexit agreement that Britain signed when it left the EU.

After weeks of negotiations, British authorities have issued more fishing licenses, but the number still only accounts for 50% of what France believes it is entitled to, French government spokesman Gabriel Attal said Wednesday.

We have worked with the British, we gave them all the requested data, documents, information to back these (license) requests, Attal said. Our patience has reached its limits.

Britain disputes that. The government says it has granted 98% of fishing license applications from European vessels, but there is a dispute over 31 boats that the U.K. says did not supply evidence to support their applications.

It was against this backdrop that French authorities fined the two British boats, one for failing to comply with checks by police and the other for not holding a proper license. The French Sea Ministry said the fines resulted from bolstered boating and license checks.

"We have been extremely patient ... our fishermen have been extremely responsible, Frances Europe minister, Clement Beaune, told French TV news channel CNews. And so, from Nov. 2, its over. We will engage in dialogue if the British want to, but we are taking retaliatory measures.

As part of the retaliatory measures, France doesnt exclude actions that would target energy supplies to Britain, Beaune and French Minister of the Sea Annick Girardin said in a joint statement. Attal said the threat applied to the Channel Islands, which rely heavily on French electricity.

To be very frank, Im not happy about these measures, Beaune later said at an event organized by the European Policy Center think tank. We have to defend a very clear specific interest  fisheries  because its important and there is no reason why we should sacrifice it.

Either we increase (the retaliation) if the situation deteriorates, or we withdraw if the situation improves, its as simple as that, he added.

Jersey, which is only 14 miles (22 kilometers) off the French coast, is a British Crown dependency outside of the U.K and can decide who is allowed to fish in its territorial waters. It has granted licenses based on its interpretation of the U.K.-EU trade deal and has accused France of acting disproportionately.

Barrie Deas, from the U.K.'s National Federation of Fishermens Organizations, called the tit-for-tat actions unhelpful.

It may be normal enforcement action, but against the background of the threatening noises coming from the French government, its very concerning, Deas told the BBC. France seems determined to escalate this issue about licenses, and I suppose we have to wonder why.



Adamson reported from Paris. Samuel Petrequin contributed to this story from Brussels.



Follow AP's coverage of Brexit at https://apnews.com/hub/brexit
If you watch enough old movies, you know that there are two types of bank robberies. The fir
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New Delhi: HDFC Bank took Rs 56,763 from a customer's account in an unauthorised manner to settle alleged debt on a credit card which was neither requested nor used.

This episode occurred at the HDFC Gurguram branch where the bank issued a credit card to a customer (name withheld) which was received but never used.

In 2015-16, the bank started sending bills of Rs 14,500 for a card which was never requested but received and not used. When the customer enquired there was no response.

When the customer approached the branch manager, he was asked to destroy the card and send it to the Chennai office which he did in his presence. However, to his chagrin the customer continued to receive credit card statements. The harassed customer then started writing mails to Aditya Puri, then chairman of the bank. While these mails were acknowledged there was no closure in the matter. The follow ups were constant on the pry of the customer but all to no avail. The bank started harassing the customer again in 2021 when the customer's employer was called for credit card bills.

The bank then sent a legal notice for the credit card. The same customer also had a HDFC Standard Life policy and when the amount matured, HDFC Bank debited Rs 56,763 from the bank account in lieu of the credit card bills.

The bank is not permitted by RBI guidelines to hold money from the savings account to pay for this debt. This debt arose from a credit card and should have been treated as a separate issue. What is worse is that as part of the redemption process a cancelled cheque of Kotak Mahindra Bank was provided, HDFC Life continuously delayed the settlement saying it had not received the mail. When after repeated entreaties the amount was credited into the said account, said money evaporated.

The bank has not provided any statement of transactions and cash memo which is actually signed by the bank customer or any document which proves that the credit card was requested or used.

The Credit card is a Prepayment Plan Instrument and requires the bank to make sure that if instrument is issued it should be in possession of the rightful owner and not some frivolous record in the database. The card/instrument was received but disputed from the outset by the rightful owner.

The Bank and the collection agencies have made several attempts to call and harass the client which has been put on record. The recorded emails show that repeatedly a clarity was requested from the bank to show how the credit card was even used by the client. The bank has fled from its responsibility.

There is no record that the request was made for such a credit card. The credit card is not showing on the HDFC portal and no data is available to even challenge the claim. The bank has prevented the client from genuine information in order to bring clarification to the matter and has left the client to the scrutiny and illegal practice of various collection agencies.

The matter arose at HDFC Gurugram branch but the office to pursue the matter was addressed in Chennai for no specific reason. This was done to make it inaccessible for the client to clarify the issue. That the client repeatedly visited the Gurugram Branch to clarify the matter but the whole matter was denied without providing any justification since 2014.

As per RBI guidelines banks have a restricted access to exercise their right to lien. The bank cannot exercise a lien over a personal account of a customer. According to guidelines a credit card account is always separate from since a person acts in a different capacity than his understanding of the savings account.

The failure of the bank to bring clarity to the matter and suddenly decide to debit the savings account with a huge amount of interest is a deficiency of service as well as a malpractice which affects lakhs of customers on a daily basis.

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#mute
Mumbai: Veteran screenwriter Javed Akhtar on Thursday said he "fails to understand" how a section of people took offence over the name of clothing brand FabIndia's latest collection 'Jashn-e-Riwaaz' as the Urdu phrase simply meant "a celebration of tradition".

The brand was accused of "defacing" the Hindu festival of Diwali by naming its festive collection Jashn-e-Riwaaz (celebration of tradition). It eventually withdrew the promo after backlash from right-wing groups.

In a tweet, Akhtar wondered what the point of conflict was.

"I failed to understand why some people have any problem with FabIndia's Jashn-e-Riwaj. Which in English means nothing but 'a celebration of tradition.' How and why anybody can have a problem with that. It is crazy (sic)" the 76-year-old writer wrote.

I failed to understand why some people have any problem with FabIndias Jashn- e- Riwaj . Which in English means nothing but  a celebration of tradition how and why anybody can have problem with that . It is crazy .  Javed Akhtar (@Javedakhtarjadu) October 28, 2021

Earlier, actor Swara Bhasker had slammed the calls to boycott the brand by tweeting, "Jashn-E-Bewakoofi (celebration of stupidity)."

After the brand posted about the Jashn-e-Riwaaz collection on October 9 on Twitter, FabIndia was trolled on social media for what some said was "unnecessarily uplifting secularism and Muslim ideologies" in a Hindu festival, claiming it hurt their religious sentiments.

BJP Yuva Morcha President Tejasvi Surya was also among those who targeted the advertisement, calling it "Abrahamisation of Hindu festivals" and tweeted that brands like FabIndia "must face economic costs for such deliberate misadventures".

The company, however, insisted that it was not its Diwali collection, which will be soon launched under 'Jhilmil si Diwali' (A sparkling Diwali) promo.

'Jashn-e-Riwaaz' is a phrase in Urdu, a language that was born in India.

The ethnic retail behemoth joins a list of brands that have recently faced the right-wing wrath.

An advertisement featuring superstar Aamir Khan for tyre maker Ceat Ltd, where he is seen advising people not to burst crackers on the streets, was objected by Karnataka BJP MP Anantkumar Hegde, who asked the company to also address the problem of blocking roads in the name of Namaz and noise emitted from mosques during Azaan.

Consumer goods giant Dabur also withdrew an advertisement for Karwa Chauth that celebrated inclusivity, equality and a progressive view of marriage featuring a lesbian couple.

Tata Group's jewellery brand Tanishq too was forced to withdraw an advertisement that showed an interfaith couple at a baby shower organised for the Hindu bride by her Muslim in-laws. The company withdrew the advertisement after trolling soon graduated to physical threats to company employees and stores.

Clothing brand Manyavar found itself at the receiving end of vitriol on social media when its advertisement featuring Bollywood star Alia Bhatt in wedding attire, appeared to question an old tradition.
New Delhi: Three women farmers were killed on Thursday (October 28, 2021) after a speeding truck ran over a divider on which they were sitting. As per the reports, the trio was waiting for an auto to the nearby protest site at Delhi- Haryana border.

After the accident, the driver of the truck ran away from the accident scene, police said, adding that two of the women died on the spot while one died in the hospital.

"After participating in the farmers' protest against the Centre's agri laws at the Tikri border, the women were returning to their village in Mansa district of Punjab. The truck driver fled from the spot after the accident," the police said.

According to media reports, the deceased belonged to Kheeva Dyaluwala village in Mansa district and were identified as Chhinder Kaur (60), Amarjeet Kaur (58) and Gurmail Kaur (60). The police also said that the injured persons were rushed to PGI Rohtak.

"Three people have died after being hit by a dumper truck at Bahadurgarh, further investigation underway," said SP Jhajjar, Wasim Akram.

Haryana | Three people have died after being hit by a dumper truck at Bahadurgarh, further investigation underway: SP Jhajjar, Wasim Akram pic.twitter.com/cvNWtdUpln  ANI (@ANI) October 28, 2021

The incident took place near Tikri border where farmers from Punjab and Haryana have been protesting for nearly 11 months demanding the repeal of the three farm laws.

Live TV
New Delhi: As many as 32 students have tested positive for COVID-19 at the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya at Galibeedu village near Madikeri, Kodagu in Karnataka. The officials said that the students belong to classes 9 to 12.

Earlier in the day, Kodagu Deputy Commissioner Dr BC Satish visited the school premises in Galibeedu and took the stock of the situation there. According to an ANI report, all students are asymptomatic and are being observed.

Karnataka: Kodagu Deputy Commissioner Dr BC Satish visits a school in Galibeedu where 32 students tested positive for #COVID19. All students are asymptomatic and are being observed. pic.twitter.com/IoSKUkbTIB  ANI (@ANI) October 28, 2021

The district use to initially report eight to 10 COVID-19 cases, but the daily count now has increased to about 30.

As students of the school developed cold, cough symptoms since over a week, 270 of them were tested, of which 22 were infected. Another 10 students tested positive in the tests conducted later. All students have been quarantined and the school is sealed.

ALSO READ | India reports 16,156 new COVID-19 cases, 733 deaths in last 24 hours

The entire staff of 40 members have also been tested. The health department has asked people not to panic and stated that it is not connected with a third wave. District Health Officer (DHO) Venkatesh said all students who tested positive were asymptomatic.

"The principal has been informed to contact us, in case the students develop symptoms of fever and suffocation. Students are also briefed on what they have to do. I have visited the residential hostel and we are monitoring the situation," he stated.

(With Agency inputs)

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Chennai: Zoo officials at the Arignar Anna Zoological Park (AAZP) near Chennai are monitoring their captive birds after five ostriches died on Wednesday (October 27) and a couple of ostriches are not keeping well.

Zoo officials maintain that the five ostriches died all of a sudden on 27th October. The zoo had been home to 32 ostriches, of which 5 have succumbed to what is until now, an unknown illness.

According to the Zoo Director, in-house vets and teams from the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS) were present during the postmortem of the birds and had also provided treatment to the remaining ostriches, in order to prevent the spread of the disease. Examination of bacteriology, virology and toxicology samples are also being carried out.

Officials have ruled out the possibility of a fowl cholera infection, based on the blood smear and organ impression procedures carried out on Wednesday. Other birds are under surveillance and are being continuously monitored, officials added.

A lioness, aged 19, had died in the Zoo owing to old-age issues on Tuesday, following which officials conducted a postmortem.

AAZP, which is locally known as the Vandalur Zoo, houses 2400 animals that span across 180 species, thus making it among the largest zoos in India.

Earlier this year, the zoo was talked about for a COVID-19 outbreak in the captive Asiatic lions. 10 of the zoos 15 Asiatic lions had tested positive for the COVID-19 delta variant, at a time when India was reeling under the severe second wave of the pandemic. While the zoo lost 2 lions (a male and a female) to the pandemic, they had successfully treated and revived the 13 others.

Live TV
New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party on Thursday accused BJP-ruled MCD of withholding salaries of employees during the festive season.

AAPs Vikas Goel, who is the Leader of Opposition in North Delhi Municipal Corporation, said that on one hand, the MCD is organising a Diwali Milan programme and on the other hand, it is strangling the happiness of the employees.

The party said that it has been proved time and again in the High Court that the Delhi government does not owe a single penny to the MCD. It demanded that the BJP-ruled MCD release the salaries of all the employees at the earliest.

Vikas Goyal said, As you all know, the festive season is going on. Diwali is also approaching, which is considered to be the biggest festival for Hindus. It is very unfortunate that even during this time the employees of MCD are not getting their salary. Just yesterday DBC employees and teachers were striking as they did not get their salary. Today the sanitation workers are sitting on dharna.

Even more unfortunate is the situation that the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled MCD has said that they will not be able to pay salaries to the employees. If at all, then only the cleaning workers would get paid - that too next week. This means that Diwali for all employees is going to be celebrated in the dark. The rest will bring new clothes, diyas, sweets for their families. On the other hand, the employees of MCD, who have not received salary for 2-3 months, their Diwali will pass in the dark of sorrow, he added.

He further said, The BJP is blaming the Delhi government for its dark deeds. The raga which he used to sing earlier, is still engaged in the same raga that if the Delhi government will give funds, then they will pay salaries to the employees. Whereas it has been proved time and again in the Delhi High Court that the Delhi government does not owe a single penny of MCD. This clearly shows their lies and shamelessness. So all these allegations are made by these people only to mislead their employees and the people of Delhi.

He added, Ask their leaders and you will get some answers. Ask their mayor and you will get some other answer. Ask the Chairman of their standing committee, he says something else. Meaning these people prove their lies on their own because they do not even know the reality themselves. All their attention was focused on how to fill their pockets.

Vikas Goel said, The BJP sitting in the power of MCD is exploiting the employees for the last 15 years. Today I want to ask BJP State President Adesh Gupta ji, Mayors of all the three MCDs and all BJP leaders, by what moral authority you are sitting in the power of MCD for the last 15 years. You should be ashamed of your actions. If there is any morality left, then resign from MCD now.

How sad that while on one hand the Mayor of MCD is going to organise a Diwali Milan, on the other hand lakhs of employees of MCD are yearning to celebrate the festival. This clearly shows the insensitivity of the people of MCD. Those employees who are engaged in the service of Delhi day and night, who devoted their whole life in fulfilling the responsibilities of MCD, you are harassing, exploiting the same employees. Have some mercy on them, give them a chance to celebrate Diwali, give them a chance to keep your family happy. The Aam Aadmi Party demands that the BJP-ruled MCD release the salaries of all the employees at the earliest. Otherwise our protests will continue. he said.

Live TV
New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday (October 28) accused the BJP of stonewalling journalists from recording MCD sessions to keep the public in the dark about their misdeeds.

AAP MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj said that the BJP has threatened the very tenets of democracy by banning reporters from documenting the House proceedings. Their latest Tughlaqi Farman is in strong violation of the fundamentals of transparency, which is a must for every governing body, he said.

The BJP led South Delhi Municipal Corporation issued a Tughlaqi Farmaan concerning its House proceedings yesterday. This stated that no reporter is allowed to record or live stream any of its House proceedings. This kind of tyrannical order has also been issued by East Delhi MCD prohibiting both in House reporting/live telecasting. It is extremely appalling, for be it Lok Sabha or Delhi Vidhan Sabha, it is standard procedure for the proceedings to be reported live, to be made available to the public. Being the discussions among representatives the people have chosen for themselves, they have a right to know the contents of these proceedings. They should be able to witness which of their problems or development schemes their representative is addressing, and whether their interests are being represented well, said Bhardwaj.

If BJP led MCD is neither recording nor live streaming its House sessions, not allowing any such activity by journalists and mediapersons: it definitely raises questions about the content of these proceedings. This is a suspicious move and clearly implies that the BJP is up to no good. There are truths that the BJP wants to hide from the public and keep them in the dark. We staunchly condemn this Tughlaqi Farman, this conspiratorial move. This is just not plausible, and shouldnt be practised. No House should be indulging in such deceptive activities that you keep the public in the dark. Delhi Vidhan Sabha proceedings are always aired live on our website and YouTube. Lok Sabha proceedings are aired on television. Therefore, these orders of the BJP led MCD are a direct threat to our democracy and violate the fundamentals of transparency in the government, he added.

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New Delhi: The Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday (October 28, 2021) announced that the COVID-19 restrictions across the country has been extended till November 30. The decision was taken to prevent any further spread of the infection ahead of the festive season.

The MHA urged that the five pillars of COVID-19 management  test, track, treat, vaccinate, and adhere to COVID-19 protocols  must be followed.

Ministry of Home Affairs extends COVID-19 restrictions across the country till November 30 to prevent any further spread of the pandemic  ANI (@ANI) October 28, 2021

KEY HIGHLIGHTS:

- The order restricts mass gatherings in containment zones and in districts reporting more than five percent case positivity.

- Gatherings may be allowed only in districts with a COVID-19 positivity rate of five% or below but after seeking advanced permissions and with a cap on the number of people allowed.

- Such gatherings must be monitored to make sure physical distancing and mask norms are followed, ensure strict penal action on noncompliance.

- COVID-19 restrictions or relaxation is the discretion of states and UTs, it should be monitored weekly and depending on hospital bed occupancy (oxygen and ICU beds).

The decision seems to have been taken to put a check on the further spread of the COVID-19 pandemic as there has been a slight rise in the number of infections. On Thursday, India reported 16,156 daily new cases taking the country's total tally to 3,42,31,809. The death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 4,56,386 with 733 people succumbing to the virus in the last 24 hours, the Union health ministry had said.

Meanwhile, as many as 17 cases of the Delta variant AY.4.2 strain has been reported from India. The cases have been reported from Andhra Pradesh 7, Kerala 4, Karnataka and Telangana 2 cases each, Jammu & Kashmir and Maharashtra have reported 1 case, respectively taking the total to 17.

Amid fears of the impending third wave of the pandemic in the country, the Centre decided to step in and urged caution saying 'it is crucial to step up vigilance & follow COVID-19 appropriate behavior instead of creating panic among the public'.

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New Delhi: Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday (October 27, 2021) said that the Centre will soon start a mega COVID-19 vaccination campaign `Har Ghar Dastak` in poor-performing districts aiming to achieve full vaccination by the end of November.

"We are going to launch a mega vaccination campaign `Har Ghar Dastak`. We have decided that for the next one month, healthcare workers will go door-to-door to vaccinate people eligible for the second dose and also those who have not taken the first dose," the Union Health Minister said.

He also chaired a national review meeting on Wednesday with health ministers of states and UTs. The officials in the meeting discussed the scaling up of the COVID-19 vaccination drive in the country.

Union Health Minister, while addressing the media yesterday also revealed that 77 percent of the eligible population in India has been vaccinated against COVID with the first dose while 32 percent people have received both doses.

"More than 10 crores people have not taken the second dose of vaccine. People who are eligible for the second dose should take the vaccine," he added.

Mandaviya also said that there are more than 10.34 crore people in the country who have not taken the second dose after the prescribed interval.

Mandaviya added that adequate vaccine doses were available in the country, and more than 12 crore balance unutilised doses are available with the States for administering.

"No district should be without full vaccination", he exhorted the States. He further added, "Let us aim to cover all eligible with 1st dose of COVID-19 vaccine by end-November 2021."

Additionally, the Union Health Minister urged the State and UTs to make regional and local level plans with all the stakeholders to reduce the number of people with vaccination overdue. Mandaviya also urged for innovative strategies to encourage them to achieve their targets to review the planning and execution of district-wise plans for coverage of due beneficiaries of the second dose as available on the Co-WIN portal.

The national review meeting was attended by Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar, State Health Ministers Alo Libang (Arunachal Pradesh), Keshab Mahanta (Assam), Mangal Pandey (Bihar), T S Singhdeo (Chhattisgarh), Satyendra Jain (Delhi) Rushikesh Patel (Gujarat), Dr Narrotam Mishra (Home Minister Madhya Pradesh), Dr Mani Kumar Sharma (Sikkim), M A Subramanian (Tamil Nadu), Jai Pratap Singh (Uttar Pradesh), Dhan Singh Rawat (Uttarakhand), Dr Subhash Garg (Rajasthan) and Banna Gupta (Jharkhand). Other members present at the meeting included state officials along with Mission Directors (NHM) from various states.

Mandaviya highlighted the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi guiding the recently launched PM Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-BHIM).

"COVID has given us the opportunity to analyse the gaps in our existing health infrastructure. We have also learned that in a federal democracy, the Centre and States working in a synchronized collaborative model can achieve significant milestones".

The Union Health Minister informed that with an outlay of Rs 64,180 crore, PM-AB HIM, announced in the Budget 2021-22, is the largest pan-India Health Infrastructure Scheme and would provide a much-needed fillip to India`s capacity to address emergent Public Health issues.

This will give a major boost to India`s healthcare infrastructure and make it more resilient, he added.

"India supplied essential drugs to the world during the first wave of COVID. The world reciprocated and helped India during the second wave", he stated.

Praising the efforts of Indian scientists and researchers, he said that there is no dearth of brain and manpower in India.

"India is rightly called `pharmacy of the world` due to its quality drugs. It is a matter of immense pride for India that we have manufactured the COVID vaccine and also administered 100 Cr doses in a short span since 16th Jan 2021", he stated.

(With ANI inputs)

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Cyberabad: The Telangana government has instructed its police force to adopt zero tolerance towards drug offenders. Accordingly, the Cyberabad Police Commissionerate which encompasses the posh Hyderabad areas like Jubilee Hills, Gachchibowli along with bustling suburban and rural areas has formed a special NDPS Enforcement Cell which will focus on strategies and steps to be followed to eradicate the drugs menace.

The special cell will be led by an inspector-rank officer along with a dedicated team that will work under the supervision of DCP Crimes chief of Cyberabad police.

The Narcotics Control Cell will mainly focus on developing preventive strategies, identification of hotspots where ganja and other drugs are being sold or peddled from and taking action accordingly.

The cell will also take up programmes seeking support of all communities in rural as well as urban areas by community policing in stopping the cultivation of ganja.

The Cyberabad police have requested the general public to provide information related to drug suppliers through Dial 100 or through Cyberabad NDPS Enforcement Cell contact - 79011 05423.

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New Delhi: Amid grand alliance in Bihar landing in troubled waters, the state health minister Mangal Pandey took a swipe at Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress saying they lack the intention to work together.

Speaking to news agency ANI, Pandey stated people have rejected the grand alliance. He added, "They (RJD and Congress) lack coordination. Ahead of the elections (by-polls), they are fighting amongst themselves. They lack the intention to work together. Politically, they want to use each other. People have been seeing this and they have rejected this alliance not only once but multiple times.

Predicting the coalitions failure in the state, Mangal Pandey said, "Whatever efforts are being made by Lalu ji, nothing is going to change in Bihar. Their alliance cannot do anything."

Pandeys remark comes in the backdrop of Congress and RJD breaking off the alliance ahead of the by-polls in Kusheshwar Asthan (SC) and Tarapur Assembly constituencies in Bihar on October 30.

Attacking Congress, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav had earlier said that RJDs candidates would lose their deposit in the bypolls if they continue to be in alliance with the grand old party in the state.

Changing tune on Tuesday, the RJD chief said that his party has always supported Congress in every situation. Congress chief Sonia Gandhi had dialed Yadav on Tuesday amid the ongoing tensions.

Yadav said that he told Sonia Gandhi to form a strong alternative to BJP at the national level politics. I spoke to Sonia Gandhi. She asked me about my well-being and whereabouts. I said, I'm fine, your party is an all India party so get all like-minded people and parties together to form a strong alternative (to ruling party) and call a meeting of all people, the former Bihar CM said.

The RJD and the Congress had fought the 2020 Bihar Assembly polls as coalition partners. RJD emerged as the single-largest party with 75 seats, while Congress bagged 19 of the 70 seats it had contested in the 243-seat Bihar Legislative Assembly.

(With agency inputs)

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New Delhi: India is well on its way to meet targets set under the Paris accord and it expects fulfilment of commitments in facilitating financial resources and technologies in helping developing countries confront climate change, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Thursday.

His comments came days ahead of the 26th Conference of Parties (COP-26) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to be held in Glasgow.

"We are well on our way to meeting our NDC (Nationally Determined Contributions) commitments and even doing better than that," he said at a media briefing on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Rome and Glasgow to participate in the G20 summit and COP-26 meet respectively.

The NDCs are long-term goals and they embody efforts by each country to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

"We are looking forward to a COP-26 that would bring forth fair and objective discussions and a balanced outcome," Shringla said.

The developed countries promised to allocate USD 100 billion annually to developing countries to deal with climate change.

Modi will leave for Glasgow from Rome on October 31 to attend COP-26. He will participate in the high-level segment of COP-26 titled 'World Leaders' Summit' from November 1 to 2.

The prime minister will leave for Rome on Friday.

In a pre-departure statement, Modi said India is taking ambitious action on expanding clean and renewable energy and energy efficiency.

"Today, India is creating new records in collective effort for climate adaptation, mitigation and resilience and forging multilateral alliances," he said.

The prime minister said India is among the top countries in the world in terms of installed renewable energy, wind and solar energy capacity.

"I will also highlight the need to comprehensively address climate change issues including equitable distribution of carbon space, support for mitigation and adaptation and resilience building measures, mobilization of finance, technology transfer and importance of sustainable lifestyles for green and inclusive growth," he said.

Shringla said India would like to see the fulfilment of such promises by the developed countries.

"The quantum of such financing is also, in our view, inadequate. You need much more financing in order to reach the goals that have been set," he said.

Shringla said providing financial resources and technology to developing countries is key to helping them meet their climate goals.

"This is something that will occupy the leaders and negotiators, this is something that we expect to see some outcomes on, not only in terms of commitments," he said.

Shringla said a global green bridge initiative with the theme of one sun, one world and one grid under the International Solar Alliance will be launched on the sidelines of the COP-26.

The COP-26 is being held from October 31 to November 12 under the presidency of the UK which is partnering with Italy for the event.

It is being billed as one of the biggest ever congregations of world leaders and experts in combating climate change.

The Paris Agreement of 2015 requires each party to prepare, communicate and maintain successive NDCs that it intends to achieve.
Hubballi/Bengaluru: Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday said the Karnataka government will continue its fight to make Kannada compulsory not only in primary and secondary schools but also in degree-level classes.

"After I became Chief Minister, our government introduced the new National Education Policy which gives prominence to the mother tongue," he said during a state-wide drive called 'Kannadakkagi Naavu' (We for Kannada) Lakhs of people sang pro-Kannada songs from 11 am to 12 noon in many parts of the state as part of the drive, organised by the Kannada and Culture Department, sources said.

The drive with the slogan 'Maataad Maataad Kannada' (Speak speak Kannada) is in the run-up to the "Kannada Rajyotsava" on November 1.

The Chief Minister said, "We had brought an ordinance making Kannada compulsory not only in primary or secondary education but also in degree level. The matter is presently before the high court. We will continue our struggle for it."

Bommai told the gathering that the government is making complete engineering courses available in the Kannada language. "At least 15 colleges have come forward to offer a degree course in Kannada. They are teaching in Kannada and are giving degrees in Kannada. This is historic," Bommai said.

Stating that any language grows when it is widely used, the Chief Minister said his government is reaffirming its commitment to the promotion of Kannada with these measures.

Many people including students wore traditional attire and yellow-red Kannada scarves.

In Bengaluru, the main function took place on the stairs of Vidhana Soudha, where the Karnataka Assembly Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri led the campaign.

Kannada and Culture Minister V Sunil Kumar too took part in a series of programmes.

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Pune: Kiran Gosavi, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) witness in the drug-on-cruise case involving Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan, has been detained in Pune.

"Kiran Gosavi has been detained," said Pune Police Commissioner Amitabh Gupta on Thursday (October 28). The arrest has been made in connection to a 2018 fraud case. Gosavi has been detained by the Pune Police three days after he claimed he would surrender at a police station in Uttar Pradesh's capital Lucknow.

A case was registered against Gosavi with Faraskhana police station of Pune city on May 19, 2018, for allegedly committing fraud. In 2018, one Chinam Deshmukh had given Rs 6 lakh to him, as he was promised a job in Malaysia. But the job did not materialise, nor did Gosavi return the money, after which a complaint was lodged in the police station when the case of Aryan Khan came to the fore.

Also read: NCB official Sameer Wankhede's sister makes big allegations against Nawab Malik

The accused was booked under sections 419, 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) along with relevant sections of the Intellectual Technology (IT) Act. Chargesheet was filed in the court as the accused was not found. He is still wanted in the case. Other than this, a case of fraud has also been registered against Gosavi at the Kelwa Police station in Palghar on October 18. As per the police, he had duped people of lakhs of rupees on the pretext of sending them abroad for jobs. Notably, Prabhakar Sail, who is the personal bodyguard of Kiran Gosavi and also a witness in the Mumbai cruise ship raid case, has alleged that he took Rs 50 lakh from an individual after the raid at the cruise ship.

(With Agency inputs)

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New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (October 28) said ASEAN's unity and centrality have always been an important priority for India.

Addressing the 18th India-ASEAN Summit via video conference, Modi said, India's Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) and ASEAN's Outlook for the Indo-Pacific are the framework for their shared vision and mutual cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

The PM said cooperation during the COVID-19 pandemic will strengthen our relationship. Due to COVID-19, all of us had to face a lot of challenges, this challenging time was also a test of India-ASEAN friendship. Our mutual cooperation in COVID era will keep strengthening our relations in future and form base for goodwill between our people, ANI quoted him as saying.

Further, the PM noted that 2022 would mark completion of 30 years of the India-ASEAN partnership. He added, In 2022, our partnership would complete 30 years. India will also complete 75 years of its independence. I am delighted that we will celebrate this important milestone as ASEAN-India Friendship Year.

In the 18th East Asia Summit, PM Modi reviewed the status of the ASEAN-India Strategic Partnership. He participated in the summit at the invitation of the Sultan of Brunei.

Riva Ganguly Das, Secretary-East, MEA on India-ASEAN Summit said, "PM Modi underlined the centrality of ASEAN in India's vision for the Indo-Pacific. He noted that partnership with ASEAN is a key pillar of India's Act East Policy."

The leaders of India and ASEAN have declared the year 2022 as ASEAN-India Friendship Year as it marks 30 years of ASEAN-India partnership. A series of activities will be conducted round the year to commemorate this: Riva Ganguly Das, Secretary-East, MEA  ANI (@ANI) October 28, 2021

PM Modi also took stock of progress made in key areas including COVID-19, health, trade and commerce, connectivity, and education and culture.

The leaders will also discuss important regional and international developments including post-pandemic economic recovery. ASEAN-India summits are held annually and provide the opportunity for India and ASEAN to engage at the highest level.

Last year, PM Modi virtually attended the 17th ASEAN-India Summit in November. The 18th summit was the ninth ASEAN-India Summit attended by Modi.

(With agency inputs)

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New Delhi: The Supreme Court Thursday dispelled the impression that it was against particular group or community by banning firecrackers and said it cannot allow violation of rights of citizens under the guise of enjoyment.

A bench of Justices M R Shah and A S Bopanna made it clear that it wants full implementation of its orders.

"Under the guise of enjoyment you (manufacturers) cannot play with lives of citizens. We are not against particular community. We want to send strong message that we are here for the protection of fundamental rights of citizens," the bench said.

The apex court said the earlier ban order on firecrackers was passed after giving elaborate reasons.

"All firecrackers were not banned. It was in larger public interest. There is a particular impression being created. It should not be projected that it was banned for particular purpose. Last time we said that we weren't coming in way of enjoyment but we cannot come in way of fundamental rights of people," the bench said.

The top court said there must be some responsibility entrusted to authorities who have been given the right to implement the order on the ground.

The bench said even today fire crackers are openly available in market.

"We want to send a message that we are here to protect the rights of people. We have not put 100 per cent ban on firecrackers. Everybody knows what the people of Delhi are suffering (due to the pollution caused by firecrackers," the bench said.

The matter will be heard now at 2 pm.

The apex court had ordered six manufacturers to show cause why they should not be punished for contempt of its orders.

The SC had said it cannot infringe the right to life of other citizens under the guise of employment while considering a ban on firecrackers and its prime focus is the right to life of innocent citizens.

The apex court had earlier refused to impose complete ban on sale of firecrackers and said that sale can happen through only licensed traders and that only green crackers can be sold. Online sale of firecrackers has been completely banned.

The verdict had come in response to a plea seeking a ban on manufacturing and sale of firecrackers across the country to curb air pollution.

In the past, the apex court had said that while deciding on a ban on firecrackers, it is imperative to take into account the fundamental right of livelihood of firecracker manufacturers and the right to health of over 1.3 billion people of the country.

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New Delhi: Hours after the Supreme Court ordered an independent probe on the Pegasus spyware row, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson Sambit Patra has said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has a habit of speaking lies and spreading confusion by creating a false narrative.

Welcoming the Supreme Court decision to constitute a three-member committee for probe into the Pegasus spyware case, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said the Opposition`s stand on the issue is "vindicated" since the judges have flagged the same concerns and alleged surveillance "was an attempt to crush Indian democracy".

Following this comment by Gandhi, Patra said, "Illusion and Rahul Gandhi have a close relationship. Lying, spreading confusion has been the habit of Rahul Gandhi. Today, on a decision of the Supreme Court, Rahul Gandhi again uttered the same words, which he always does. Let me clarify that Rahul Gandhi and Congress did not go to the Court regarding this matter."

He added, "Comments like...Democracy is in danger, Democracy has to be saved, the Constitution of the country is being attacked by the Bharatiya Janata Party.... is the terminology of Rahul Gandhi. Rahul Gandhi and repetition is the same."

The BJP spokesperson said that the Supreme Courts decision to constitute an expert committee to look into the alleged use of the Pegasus software for surveillance is in line with the government`s affidavit on the matter. He also alleged that Rahul Gandhi had in the past attacked courts over issues including purchase of Rafale fighter aircraft.

He said, "BJP fully believes in democratic values. We welcome the Supreme Court`s decision. On the other hand, when the Supreme Court gave its decision on the Rafale deal case, Congress especially Rahul Gandhi verbally condemned the decision.

"On November 14, 2019, the Supreme Court refused to go back on its December 14, 2018, order, rejecting a probe into the controversial Rafale deal. It also closed a contempt case filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, following his chowkidar chor hai remarks. Though Gandhi later claimed that the remarks were made in the thick of campaigning and apologised for it. The Court had formally given a warning to him "to be more careful in the future".

"Does Rahul ji have faith in the Court? They go to Court in every case," Patra said.

The Supreme Court Wednesday formed a three-member committee to oversee a technical committee comprising of three members, including those who are experts in cyber security, digital forensics, networks and hardware, which will probe the Pegasus spyware case.

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India N V Ramana and comprising Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli asked a three-member committee, supervised by retired judge Justice R V Raveendran, to examine the allegations thoroughly and expeditiously and place a report before the Court.

The top court will hear the matter again after eight weeks.

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New Delhi: Since the Khalistani conspiracy hatched in the guise of farmers' protest was busted through the toolkit case another name, that of Pieter Friedrich, has come up in the matter.

Speaking on the issue, DCP of Special Cell revealed that the Indian agencies have been on the lookout for Friedrich, who is alleged to be close to Bhajan Singh Bhinder who demanded Khalistan, since 2006.

The police claims that Friedrich may be part of the whole plot also his name was mentioned in the toolkit among the list of names to follow in Twitter. Police are now investigating Friedrich's involvement in the whole matter and also in the January 26 violence case.

In his reply to Zee News on Twitter, Friedrich alleged that the Delhi Police under the rule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is tring to make this case an international conspiracy.

Delhi Police has been searching since 2006

Delhi Police has claimed that Pieter Friedrich has been on Indian agencies radar since 2006.

Frederick responded to Zee News on Twitter in the toolkit case, where he has said that many names were mentioned in the toolkit, including mine. On his name being linked to Bhajan Singh Bhinder he said, "I have co-authored two books with Bhinder (also known as Bhajan Singh), one of which is how the origin of Sikhism is linked to the anti-caste struggle. Bhajan Singh Bhinder is one of the many South Asian friends I have made over the years. These include Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims, Dalits and people from all backgrounds. Our friendship is centered on a mutual passion to work for equality and freedom for all humanity and above all, peaceful solutions to the human rights problems in India."

Did not know about India before

Friedrich admitted that he knew very little about India. In a statement he said, "When I met Bhajan, I learned about decades of human rights issues in India."

It would be an honor to make a toolkit

Pieter Friedrich said it would be an honor to plan hashtags and a comprehensive 'toolkit' to help the protest farmers claiming that he supported peaceful protesters around the world.

I did not join the Khalistan movement

Pieter Friedrich said that he is not a participant in the Khalistan movement and claimed that despite knowing this he was deliberately being made a villain. "The biggest reason I have been targeted is that I am speaking out strongly against the Modi government in the North American continent," he said.

Self-described police victim

In his reply to Zee News Friedrich refuted allegations of being a Khalistan supporter and accused the police of being in compliance with the Modi-led government.

Who is Pieter Friedrich?

Pieter Friedrich was prominently tagged in the tweets that were planned in the toolkit. An investigation is under way into why Pieter Friedrich's name was included in toolkit's resource. Pieter Friedrich had planned who will use the hashtags, whom to follow and when to tweet.
New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind will be on a two-day Gujarat visit from Thursday (October 28, 2021), during which he is scheduled to hand over keys of houses to some beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and meet religious preacher Morari Bapu, a state minister said on Wednesday.

Giving details about the President's upcoming visit, Gujarat Education Minister Jitu Vaghani told reporters in Gandhinagar that Kovind will land at the Ahmedabad airport on Thursday afternoon.

In the evening, Kovind will interact with judges of the Gujarat High Court over "high tea" at the Raj Bhavan in Gandhinagar, said Vaghani, who is also a state government spokesperson. On October 29, the President will reach Bhavnagar city by air from Ahmedabad and then leave for Talgajarda, the native village of Morari Bapu, he said.

Kovind will also visit Morari Bapu's Ashram - 'Chitrakutdham' - located near Mahuva town of Bhavnagar district, said Vaghani. In the evening, Kovind will return to Bhavnagar city to take part in a public event of handing over 1,088 houses built for the economically weaker sections under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, the minister said.

He will symbolically hand over keys of houses to five beneficiaries, he said.

At the same venue, state government officials will give a presentation to the President about the ongoing housing projects under the PM Awas Yojana. Kovind will stay overnight at Bhavnagar and leave for New Delhi in the morning on October 30, said Vaghani.

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New Delhi: The National Commission for Women (NCW) on Thursday (October 28) took cognisance of the incident where a male security guard was reportedly seen cutting the sleeves of a top worn by a female candidate outside an exam centre for RAS 2021 in Rajasthan's Bikaner district.

Condemning the incident, NCW wrote in a letter, The National Commission for Women is appalled at the reported incident. It is utterly humiliating to make women go through such harassment and NCW strongly condemns the shameful incident. The Commission has taken suo motu cognizance in the matter.

National Commission for Women (NCW) takes cognisance of the incident where a male security guard was reportedly seen cutting the sleeves of a top worn by a female candidate outside an exam centre for RAS 2021 in Bikaner district, Rajasthan. pic.twitter.com/JVjfXRDQXf  ANI (@ANI) October 28, 2021

Further, the Commission said it has written to the Rajasthan government seeking strict action against those responsible for 'violating the right of women to live with dignity'. NCW has also asked the state government why no female guard was deputed to search female candidates at the center.

Rajasthan Administrative Service (RAS) exam was conducted on Wednesday.

(With agency inputs)

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New Delhi: The Delhi High Court came down hard on the Uttar Pradesh police on Thursday (October 28) for allegedly arresting two people in connection with a case involving the marriage of consenting adults.

UP me chalta hoga, yahan nahi, the court slammed the UP police.

The couple told the court that they had married out of their own will on July 1, 2021. However, the womans parents were against the marriage and the couple claimed that they were receiving threats.

They alleged that the UP police arrested the mans father and brother who lived in Delhi and that their whereabouts were not known for the last one month and a half.

The UP police have been accused of arresting the duo from their Delhi residence without informing the Delhi police.

This will not be permitted here in Delhi. You cannot do illegal acts over here, Justice Mukta Gupta said.

Noting that the couple were major and the marriage was consensual, the judge asked if the UP police confirmed her age before acting against them.

Somebody comes to you and you go to arrest people without confirming her age? Whether she is minor or a major? Gupta asked.

The court had issued notice to SHO PS Shamli to be personally present along with case file.

Ye kaam na yahan Dilli mein nahi chalega. Illegal kaam koi bhi, ki aap aaye Dilli se log utha dein aur keh dein humne toh Shamli se uthaya tha aur arrest dikha dein. Ye hum na yahan nahi chalne denge, said the judge.

The court warned of action against the police. I will get all the CCTV footages and if I find that if Shamli (UP) police came here in Delhi to arrest them, I'll make sure a departmental enquiry is done against you, the court said.

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New Delhi: Ahead of his visit to Italy and the UK to attend the G20 meet and COP-26 World Leaders' Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said in Rome he will hold discussions on global economic and health recovery from the pandemic, while in Glasgow he will highlight the need to comprehensively address climate change issues, including equitable distribution of carbon space.

In his departure statement, Modi said he will be visiting Rome and the Vatican City from October 29-31 at the invitation of Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, following which he will travel to Glasgow, the UK from November 1-2 at the invitation of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

"In Rome, I will attend the 16th G20 Leaders' Summit, where I will join other G20 leaders in discussions on global economic and health recovery from the pandemic, sustainable development, and climate change," Modi said noting that this will be the first in-person summit of the G20 since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said the meeting will allow the G20 to take stock of the current global situation and exchange ideas on how the grouping can be an engine for strengthening economic resilience and building back inclusively and sustainably from the pandemic.

"During my visit to Italy, I will also visit the Vatican City, to call on His Holiness Pope Francis and meet Secretary of State, His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin," Modi said.

On the sidelines of the G20 Summit, the prime minister said he will also meet with leaders of other partner countries and review the progress in India's bilateral relations with them.

Following the conclusion of the G20 Summit on October 31, Modi said, he will depart for Glasgow to attend the 26th Conference of Parties (COP-26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

"I will be participating in the high-level segment of COP-26 titled ?World Leaders' Summit' (WLS) on 1-2 November, 2021 along with 120 Heads of States/Governments from around the world," he said.

"In line with our tradition of living in harmony with nature and culture of deep respect for the planet, we are taking ambitious action on expanding clean and renewable energy, energy efficiency, afforestation and biodiversity," he asserted.

Noting that India is creating new records in collective effort for climate adaptation, mitigation and resilience and forging multilateral alliances, Modi said India is among the top countries in the world in terms of installed renewable energy, wind and solar energy capacity.

"At the WLS, I will share India's excellent track record on climate action and our achievements," he said.

The prime minister said he will also highlight the need to comprehensively address climate change issues, including equitable distribution of carbon space, support for mitigation and adaptation and resilience building measures, mobilization of finance, technology transfer and importance of sustainable lifestyles for green and inclusive growth.

COP-26 will also provide an opportunity to meet with all the stakeholders, including leaders of partner countries, innovators and inter-governmental organisation, and explore the possibilities for further accelerating our clean growth, Modi added.
New Delhi: The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has invited applications for the post of Specialist Medical Officer (SMO) and General Duty Medical Officer (GDMO) posts. This is a wonderful opportunity for the candidates who are interested to join in the armed forces. The eligible candidates will have to appear for walk-in-interview.

This recruitment drive of CRPF will fill up to 60 posts of Specialist Medical Officer and GDMOs in various Composite Hospitals of CRPF/ Bns/ Institutions. According to the notification, the candidates will be hired by the CRPF on a contract basis for a period of three years.

The candidates can check the official notification through the official site of CRPF on crpf.gov.in. It must be noted that the interview will be conducted on November 22 and November 29, 2021 at various centres.

CRPF Recruitment 2021: Vacancy Details

Specialist Medical Officer: 29 Posts

General Duty Medical Officer: 31 Posts

CRPF Recruitment 2021: Salary details

Those selected for the post of Specialist Medical Officer will be given a salary of up to Rs 85,000 per month and those selected for the post of General Duty Medical Officer will get a salary of up to Rs 75,000 per month.

CRPF Recruitment 2021: Eligibility criteria

Specialist Medical Officer- Candidates should have a Post Graduation Degree / Diploma in a relevant field and work experience in the same field

General Duty Medical Officer- Candidates should have an MBBS degree and should have completed their internship

ALSO READ | India Post Recruitment 2021: Apply for over 220 vacancies at indiapost.gov.in, check details here

CRPF Recruitment 2021: Selection process

The candidates will be selected on the basis of interviews for the recruitment of Medical Officer posts. The individuals who are appearing for the walk-in-interview must carry necessary documents and application forms including original and photocopies of educational certificates, age proof, and experience certificates.

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Pune: Pune Police on Thursday arrested Kiran Gosavi, an independent witness of the NCB who was apparently present during an alleged drug bust on a cruise ship involving Aryan Khan, in a cheating case registered in the city.

A local court later remanded Gosavi, whose selfie and video with Aryan Khan, actor Shah Rukh Khan's son, had gone viral, in police custody till November 5.

Gosavi did not surrender but was arrested while being on the run and he had been moving from place to place in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Telangana, a senior police official said.

Recently, another witness in the drugs case, Prabhakar Sail, had claimed that he had overheard Gosavi telling one Sam D'Souza over the phone -- after Aryan was taken to the NCB office on October 2 -- about a demand of Rs 25 crore, and "to settle at Rs 18 crore as they have to give Rs eight crore to Sameer Wankhede", the zonal director of the NCB who supervised the raid on the cruise ship.

Gosavi had on Monday refuted Sail's claim and said he would surrender before Lucknow Police.

On Thursday, Pune police commissioner Amitabh Gupta said they had arrested Gosavi in a 2018 cheating case from a lodge in Katraj area here at 3 am. He was later produced before a court.

Gosavi was the main accused in this case and charge sheet had been filed in 2019, he said.

"Though Gosavi had spoken about surrendering, he never did so," Gupta said, adding he was using alias of `Sachin Patil'.

As per the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), which arrested at least 20 persons including Aryan Khan following the raid on the cruise ship off the Mumbai coast and alleged recovery of drugs, Gosavi was an "independent witness".

Pune Police had earlier arrested Gosavi's assistant Sherbano Kureshi in the cheating case.

Chinmay Deshmukh, the complainant in the case, had alleged that Gosavi duped him of Rs 3.09 lakh by promising to provide him a job in hotel industry in Malaysia. The money was allegedly received in Kureshi's account but the job did not materialize.

The case was registered at Faraskhana police station in Pune city.

"If any other person comes forward with a complaint, then we will register a new case against him," commissioner Gupta said, adding that there could be more victims in the case.

"We were chasing Gosavi for the last ten days. He was roaming around various places like Lucknow, Hyderabad in Telangana, Fatehpur, Jalgaon, Mumbai, Panvel, Lonavala," the commissioner said.

To a question, Gupta said as of now there was no request for Gosavi's custody from Mumbai Police or any other agency in the state.

Deshmukh, the complainant in the cheating case, had recently told city police that he had been threatened by the accused, he said.

"If Deshmukh lodges a complaint, the police will register another case against Gosavi," Gupta said.

Gosavi claimed to be a member of an NGO called 'Stop Crime Organisation' and part of a detective agency, the police official said, adding that he also claimed to be in import and export business of metals and electronic gadgets.

According to sources, Gosavi came to Pune on Wednesday with a plan to surrender at the Faraskhana police station, but later changed his mind and told some media persons that he would appear before the NCB inquiry team which is conducting internal probe into the allegations levelled by Prabhakar Sail.

Meanwhile, an official from Kelva police station in Palghar district on Thursday said they will move court to seek Gosavi's custody in another cheating case.

A case was registered against Gosavi in Palghar on a complaint filed by Adarsha Kini, he said.

As per Kini's complaint, he saw a Facebook post on April 3, 2018, about an overseas job opportunity. He and his friend Utkarsha Tare contacted Gosavi who allegedly took Rs 1.65 lakh from them at Vashi for securing jobs, said Palghar police spokesperson Sachin Navadkar.

When they traveled to Cochin for flying abroad, they found that the air tickets handed to them were fake and Gosavi then started evading them and never refunded the money, the complainant alleged.

Meanwhile, Gosavi was produced before Judicial Magistrate (First Class) R K Bafna after his arrest on Thursday.

Public Prosecutor Varsha Aslekar told the court that sections 465 (Punishment for Forgery) and 468 (Forgery for purpose of cheating) of IPC had been invoked against him as he had forged several documents, and sought ten days' custody for him.

Deshmukh had transferred Rs 3.09 lakh to Sherbano Kureshi's account, and police needed to find out how Gosavi opened and operated this account and who were his accomplices in the cheating racket, she said.

Advocate Sachin Kumbhar, who represented Gosavi, opposed the custody plea and said the money had not been transferred to Gosavi's account.

Kureshi is out on bail in the case.

The court then remanded Gosavi in eight-day police custody.

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New Delhi: Actor Sanjay Kapoor's daughter Shanaya Kapoor shared a childhood picture with Aryan Khan after the latter was granted bail in a drugs case by the Bombay High Court on Thursday (October 28).

The star kid and aspiring actress took to Instagram to upload an unseen childhood picture of the duo and they looked adorable as ever.

She added two heart emojis along with the post in her Instagram story.

Take a look at the picture:

Apart from Shanaya, many celebs have reacted positively to Aryan Khan's bail getting granted by the Bombay HC.

Actor Sonu Sood shared a story on his Instagram, that read, "Samay jab nyay karta hai tab gawaaho ki jarurat nahi padti."

R Madhavan too shared a story on his Instagram account, writing, "Thank God. As a father, I am so relieved. May all good and positive thing happen."

In a big relief to Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and his family and fans, the Bombay High Court on Thursday (October 28) allowed bail to Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha in Mumbai drugs on cruise case. The court will pronounce detailed order with reasons on Friday, i.e. on October 29.

"All three pleas are allowed. I will pass detailed orders by tomorrow evening," Justice Sambre said.

The legal team of the 23-year-old Aryan Khan, who is presently in judicial custody and lodged at the Arthur Road prison in central Mumbai, will now try to complete the formalities for his release by Friday.
New Delhi: Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan, on Wednesday, took to social media to express his views on the recent developments in the controversial Aryan Khan drugs case.

He had earlier penned a long post about Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan's arrest by the Narcotics Control Bureau and showered his support on the star kid. In the post, he had told him that God gives 'only the toughest ones the toughest balls to play' and asked him to stay resilient through difficult times.

The 'War' actor recently shared an explainer video by Faye D'Souza about Aryan Khan's case on his Instagram story and along with it, he wrote, "If these are facts, it's truly sad."

Take a look at his Instagram story:

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday had adjourned the bail hearing in the cruise party drugs case on Wednesday. The court will continue hearing the pleas of Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant, Munmun Dhamecha in the case today, October 28, 2021.

The single-judge bench adjourned the hearing of bail applications filed by Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchantt and Munmun Dhamecha for Thursday when NCB will present its arguments. Justice Sambre said the matter would be heard after 2:30 pm today (October 28).

Earlier on Tuesday, the NCB opposed the bail plea filed by actor Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan, who was arrested earlier this month in the cruise drugs seizure case, alleging the 23-year-old was not just a consumer of drugs but also involved in illicit drug trafficking, according to PTI.

The agency also claimed that Aryan Khan and a woman named Pooja Dadlani, Shah Rukh Khan's manager, were tampering with the evidence and witnesses in the case in an attempt to derail the investigation.

On the other side, Aryan Khan's advocates submitted to the HC an additional note, stating that he has nothing to do with the allegations and counter-allegations that are being circulated between the NCB's zonal director Sameer Wankhede and certain political personalities.

For the unversed, Aryan Khan was arrested on October 3, 2021, by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) along with his friend Arbaaz Merchant (26) and fashion model Munmun Dhamecha (28). The trio is presently in judicial custody. While Aryan Khan and Merchant are lodged at the Arthur Road prison in central Mumbai, Dhamecha is at the Byculla women's prison.

(With PTI inputs)
New Delhi: After spending over 20 days in jail, superstar Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan has been granted bail in an alleged drugs case on a cruise party. The Bombay High Court on Thursday granted bail to all three accused in the case including Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha.

Here's a detailed timeline of Aryan Khan case right from his arrest to bail in 20 days:

October 2: Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha were detained by NCB after conducting a raid at a cruise party in Mumbai.

October 3: Aryan Khan and others were later arrested by NCB in a cruise raid party.

October 4: During one of the first hearings in the Aryan Khan case, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) sought an extension of the star kids police custody till October 11. However, the court granted NCB custody of Aryan Khan and the others only till October 7.

October 7: The NCB again sought custody of Aryan till October 11. The court refused the demand and instead sent him to 14-day judicial custody. Aryan was shifted to Mumbais Arthur Road Jail the next day. He was being held at the NCB office until then.

October 8: Aryan Khan moved the court for both interim and regular bail. The magistrate court, which was hearing the matter, rejected the bail application on grounds of it being non-maintainable in that particular court.

October 11: A special NDPS court heard the bail plea and directed the NCB to file its reply by October 13.

October 13: The court adjourned the hearing for the next day after hearing arguments from both sides.

October 14: The special NDPS court judge reserved his order on Aryan Khans bail application. With courts shut for the weekend and other holidays, the next hearing was scheduled for October 20, meaning that Aryan would stay in jail at least until then.

October 20: In the afternoon, the special NDPS court rejected Aryan Khan's bail application. Aryan's lawyers said that they would go to the Bombay High Court in an appeal against the rejection of bail by the lower court. Aryan Khan continues to remain in prison.

October 21: Aryan Khan's lawyer Satish Maneshinde, along with his team, went to the Bombay High Court. The court said it will hear Aryan Khan's appeal on Tuesday, October 26.

October 24: The case took a new turn when independent witness Prabhakar Sail stated in a notarised affidavit that Rs 25 crore had been demanded on behalf of NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede for the release of Aryan Khan. Prabhakar Sail, the bodyguard to another witness KP Gosavi, also alleged that he was made to sign a blank panch nama. He said that KP Gosavi was the one who had made the Rs 25 crore demand on Sameer Wankhede's behalf.

October 25: NCB deputy director-general Gyaneshwar Singh said an inquiry had been initiated to probe the allegations levelled against Sameer Wankhede.

October 26: The Bombay High Court began hearing Aryan Khan's bail plea. The NCB opposed the plea while former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, along with others, argued in favour of bail for Aryan Khan. The hearing will resume at 2.30 pm on Wednesday. Meanwhile, a special NDPS court granted bail to two accused in the case.

October 28: The Bombay High Court on Thursday granted bail to Aryan Khan and co-accused Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha in the plea against rejection of their bail applications by a special NDPS court in the cruise ship drug bust case. The operative part of the order will be made available by tomorrow with reasoned order. The accused will not be released from jail tonight.

Arguments in favour of Aryan Khan bail:

>No drugs were recovered from him

>Alleged WhatsApp chats are unconnected to the current case

>Even if true, allegations pertain to small quantity' and consumption only

>No criminal antecedents

>No likelihood of fleeing

NCBs major arguments against his bail:

>Drugs recovered from Aryans friend Arbaaz Merchant (allegedly six grams of charas) were for both of them

>WhatsApp chats suggest international drug trafficking

>Aryan Khan is involved in a conspiracy so the amount of drugs recovered is immaterial

>He is a regular consumer of contraband

>Release of any accused will hamper the investigation
New Delhi: In a major relief to Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan, the Bombay High Court on Thursday granted bail to all the three accused Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha in connection with the alleged drugs case.

Former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, representing the star kid in court, told media: Bombay HC has granted bail to Aryan Khan, Arbaz Merchant, Munmun Dhamecha after hearing the arguments for 3 days. The detailed order will be given tomorrow. Hopefully, all they will come out of the jail by tomorrow or Saturday: Former AG Mukul Rohatgi, who represented Aryan Khan

Bombay HC has granted bail to Aryan Khan, Arbaz Merchant, Munmun Dhamecha after hearing the arguments for 3 days. The detailed order will be given tomorrow. Hopefully, all they will come out of the jail by tomorrow or Saturday: Former AG Mukul Rohatgi, who represented Aryan Khan pic.twitter.com/jQGKYIBxrn  ANI (@ANI) October 28, 2021

They (Aryan Khan, Arbaz Merchant & Munmum Dhamecha) will come of the jail after the order is released from the court... For me, it is a regular case - to win some, to lose some. I am happy that he (Khan) has got bail: Former AG Mukul Rohatgi, who represented Khan in Bombay HC pic.twitter.com/UorRf4qmx0  ANI (@ANI) October 28, 2021

Aryan will be home by Saturday which means, the star son will be able to celebrate his father Shah Rukh Khan's birthday on November 2.

The detailed order is likely to be released tomorrow. The bail was granted after Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi for Aryan Khan and ASG Anil Singh for the Narcotics Control Bureau presented their arguments in court.

Aryan Khan's advocates then sought permission to submit cash bail to which the court refused and said surety is to be given. "I could have given the order also tomorrow. But I gave it today," Justice Sambre said. The legal team of the 23-year-old Aryan Khan, who is presently in judicial custody and lodged at the Arthur Road prison in central Mumbai, will now try to complete the formalities for his release by Friday asper PTI report.

Aryan Khan was arrested on October 3, 2021, by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) along with his friend Arbaaz Merchant (26) and fashion model Munmun Dhamecha (28). The trio remained in judicial custody. While Aryan Khan and Merchant are lodged at the Arthur Road prison in central Mumbai, Dhamecha is at the Byculla women's prison.

A special court, designated to hear cases related to the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS), refused to grant them bail noting that "they were part of the conspiracy".
New Delhi: In a big relief to Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan, the Bombay High Court on Thursday granted bail to all the three accused in the cruise party drugs case. Star son Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha were given bail in connection with the alleged drugs case.

The detailed order is likely to be released tomorrow. The bail was granted after Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi for Aryan Khan and ASG Anil Singh for the Narcotics Control Bureau presented their arguments in court.

"All three pleas are allowed. I will pass detailed orders by tomorrow evening," Justice N W Sambre said.

Aryan Khan's advocates then sought permission to submit cash bail to which the court refused and said surety is to be given. "I could have given the order also tomorrow. But I gave it today," Justice Sambre said. The legal team of the 23-year-old Aryan Khan, who is presently in judicial custody and lodged at the Arthur Road prison in central Mumbai, will now try to complete the formalities for his release by Friday asper PTI report.

They (Aryan Khan, Arbaz Merchant & Munmum Dhamecha) will come of the jail after the order is released from the court... For me, it is a regular case - to win some, to lose some. I am happy that he (Khan) has got bail: Former AG Mukul Rohatgi, who represented Khan in Bombay HC

They (Aryan Khan, Arbaz Merchant & Munmum Dhamecha) will come of the jail after the order is released from the court... For me, it is a regular case - to win some, to lose some. I am happy that he (Khan) has got bail: Former AG Mukul Rohatgi, who represented Khan in Bombay HC pic.twitter.com/UorRf4qmx0  ANI (@ANI) October 28, 2021

Bombay HC has granted bail to Aryan Khan, Arbaz Merchant, Munmun Dhamecha after hearing the arguments for 3 days. The detailed order will be given tomorrow. Hopefully, all they will come out of the jail by tomorrow or Saturday: Former AG Mukul Rohatgi, who represented Aryan Khan

Bombay HC has granted bail to Aryan Khan, Arbaz Merchant, Munmun Dhamecha after hearing the arguments for 3 days. The detailed order will be given tomorrow. Hopefully, all they will come out of the jail by tomorrow or Saturday: Former AG Mukul Rohatgi, who represented Aryan Khan pic.twitter.com/jQGKYIBxrn  ANI (@ANI) October 28, 2021

On Wednesday Aryan Khan's counsel Mukul Rohatgi, co-accused Arbaaz Merchant's lawyer Amit Desai and advocate Ali Kaashif Khan Deshmukh who appeared for Munmun Dhamecha completed their arguments.

Aryan Khan was arrested on October 3, 2021, by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) along with his friend Arbaaz Merchant (26) and fashion model Munmun Dhamecha (28). The trio is presently in judicial custody. While Aryan Khan and Merchant are lodged at the Arthur Road prison in central Mumbai, Dhamecha is at the Byculla women's prison.

A special court, designated to hear cases related to the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS), refused to grant them bail noting that "they were part of the conspiracy".
New Delhi: Superstar Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan was granted bail by Bombay HC on Thursday (October 28) along with Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha in Mumbai drugs on cruise case.

Many celebs such as Seema Khan, Shanaya Kapoor, Malaika Arora, Amrita Arora, Sonu Sood, R Madhavan, Mika Singh and Hansal Mehta among others took to social media to celebrate the decision.

Amid all the messages, filmmaker Hansal Mehta took to slight dig at the Narcotic Control Bureau by tweeting, "I want to have a blast tonight," referring to Aryan Khan's WhatsApp chats that the NCB had used for building a case against the star kid.

Take a look at his tweet:

I want to have a blast tonight!  Hansal Mehta (@mehtahansal) October 28, 2021

According to a Live Law report, NCB's counsel Anil Singh had cited Aryan Khan's message to Arbaaz Merchant about 'having a blast' during previous court proceedings. This was argued to be evidence for Aryan's involvement with drugs.

However, the star kid's lawyer Amit Desai said that the way the younger generations communicate is very different now and the message of 'having a blast' was misconstrued.

For the unversed, the Bombay High Court on Thursday (October 28) allowed bail to Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha in Mumbai drugs on cruise case. The court will pronounce detailed order with reasons on Friday, i.e. on October 29.

"All three pleas are allowed. I will pass detailed orders by tomorrow evening," Justice Sambre said.

The legal team of the 23-year-old Aryan Khan, who is presently in judicial custody and lodged at the Arthur Road prison in central Mumbai, will now try to complete the formalities for his release by Friday.
New Delhi: Celebrity designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee has been receiving a lot of backlash for his latest jewellery ad campaign that features same-sex and heterosexual couples. The noted designer has been brutally trolled after pictures of his latest jewellery campaign feature models in intimate apparel wearing a mangalsutra, a piece of jewellery worn by married Indian women.

Sabyasachi launched his new collection titled Intimate Fine Jewellery, and dropped a series of pictures featuring models flaunting the brands newly launched mangalsutras. The promotional ad featured heterosexual and same-sex couples posing for pictures wearing 'The Royal Bengal Mangalsutra', which is a part of the designers intimate jewellery collection. The models were dressed in intimate apparel wearing mangalsutra.

However, the campaign promoting the brand's mangalsutra did not go down well with a section of internet, who tagged the ad as 'obscene'. The users took to social media and expressed their dissatisfaction claiming that the ad has hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus and is an attack on their culture.

Now, the ad campaign has not gone down well with a section of the internet that have deemed the advertisement as obscene. Several users took to social media to address their dissatisfaction and claimed that the advertisement is an attack on Hindu culture and hurts religious sentiments.

"This is shameful Act @sabya_mukherjee You are selling the mangalsutra by promoting nudity & obscene content with a hashtag #intimatefinejewellerybysabyasachi. This is intentional hurting of Hindu sentiments. Delete this post ASAP (sic)," a tweet read.

"Bizarre #Sabyasachi. He just gave an open invitation for getting himself trolled big time ! The ad agencies are going overboard to hurt public sentiments get additional publicity for the product by creating some kind of controversy! This is the plan..ppl ! Dont succumb !," wrote one.

"What are you exactly advertising? No one will wear this jewellery now coz you have shown the world the if I wear that jewellery I must be some cheapo! please take care of your campaigns (sic)," one user commented.

"May be the person who is financing #Sabyasachi work -believes in nudity ! Such filthy Ads depicts ' mazboori 'of it's maker , nothing else . Shameful," another comment read.

The designer was also slammed for 'demeaning something as scared as the mangalsutra'. "Mangalsutra looks like this #Sabyasachi. It's not a random piece of fashion jewellery, it indicates the love and commitment the husband and wife have towards each other."

Meanwhile, the designer is yet to issue a statement on the controversy.
New Delhi: The Narcotics Control Bureau Zonal Director, Sameer Wankhede is at the centre of controversies around extortion allegations in cruise party drugs case and NCP leader Nawab Malik's other explosive claims. His actress wife Kranti Redkar Wankhede has written Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, appealing to stop this defamatory chase.

She told ANI: We're being insulted before people every day. A woman's dignity is being toyed with in Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj' state. Had Balasaheb been here today, he wouldn't have liked it..."

I have sought time from Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray in order to meet him. I have not received a response so far, I am waiting for a reply: Kranti Redkar Wankhede, Mumbai NCB Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede's wife

I have sought time from Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray in order to meet him. I have not received a response so far, I am waiting for a reply: Kranti Redkar Wankhede, Mumbai NCB Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede's wife https://t.co/XsJY0Ipwoo  ANI (@ANI) October 28, 2021

This comes after NCP leader and Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik's claim that Wankhede is a Muslim by birth and his real name is 'Sameer Dawood Wankhede'.

Malik has also released what he claimed was the birth certificate of Sameer Wankhede and alleged that the latter had forged documents.

On the other hand, Wankhede's father refuted allegations of Nawab Malik about his religion. Malik had said Wankhede senior's real name is Dawood Wankhede and not Dnyandev Wankhede.

"I do not understand Urdu, hence I am not aware what my name was written in their documents (nikah nama). She (my late wife) might have mentioned my name as Dawood affectionately. People do call each other with different names out of love,? he told reporters quotes PTI.

He said all the government documents mentioned his name as Dnyandev Wankhede. "When the state government recruited me, they must have done some verification as well," he added.

Sameer Wankhede, who is probing actor Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan's drugs case, said he will fight Malik legally.

Wankhede had previously said that all the allegations are false and that he was being targeted and is ready for a probe into allegations against him.




New Delhi: The heartbreaking news of Bigg Boss 13 winner Sidharth Shukla's sudden demise on September 2, 2021, sent shock waves to the entire nation. He was 40.

The ocean of fan following, his family members and friends mourned Sid's sudden death and a month later, his close friend Shehnaaz Kaur Gill, who was away from all the limelight and social media platforms has finally ended her hiatus.

After Sidharth Shukla's demise, Shehnaaz didn't post anything for more than a month. Today, she took to Instagram and her first post happens to be a heartfelt tribute to her closest friend and confidante - Sidharth Shukla. Titled 'Tu Yaheen Hai', the track is scheduled to release on October 29 at 12 pm.

She wrote in the caption: Tu mera hai aur  @realsidharthshukla #Sidharthshukla

Besides Sidharth's mother and other family members, who were the most struck with this unforeseen tragedy, it was Shehnaaz Kaur Gill, whose first appearance at his funeral left all heartbroken. Shehnaaz, his Bigg Boss 13 fellow contestant and close friend was inconsolable and stayed throughout the last rites rituals with family. She was accompanied by brother Shehbaz Badesha.

Several celebrities from the television and film industry came to offer condolences at Sidharth Shukla's residence and later at the Oshiwara Crematorium. Sidharth's mother was accompanied by family members as she performed her son's last rites.

We miss you, Sid!
Mumbai: The prayers of Shah Rukh Khan's fans were finally answered on Thursday as his son Aryan was granted bail by the Bombay High Court and a huge group of supporters gathered outside the superstar's bungalow to celebrate and cheer.

Soon after the order, which came more than 20 days after Aryan's arrest in the case of seizure of banned drugs aboard a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast, fans started to arrive outside Shah Rukh's residence, Mannat, where nearly 20 cops were posted to keep the crowd in control.

Shah Rukh's youngest son, AbRam, was seen waving at the happy fans from the terrace, reminding many of the actor's routine of greeting his supporters on his birthday on November 2.

Maharashtra: Fans of actor Shah Rukh Khan celebrate outside his residence 'Mannat' in Mumbai after Bombay High Court granted bail to his son Aryan in the drugs-on-cruise case pic.twitter.com/QytqfgFYnH  ANI (@ANI) October 28, 2021

A group of his supporters was seen flaunting a banner with "Welcome back prince Aryan" written on it. Others carried placards of "We love Shah Rukh. We love Aryan".

Some of them burst firecrackers to cheer their favourite star but were later stopped by the cops.

"This is the happiest day for us. Our 'mannat' (prayer) has been fulfilled. We prayed for nothing but love and positivity for the Khan family so it is emotional for us to see that they have finally been given relief," SRK's fan Sujata Shah told PTI.

Rohit, one of the fans who was standing outside Mannat, said the Bombay High Court order is Shah Rukh's "best birthday gift."

"Even a thousand fans gathered outside would not have made him happy. This is all he wanted, to have his son released and we wanted this too. This is God's blessing," he said.

Another fan, Neel Singh, who said he was camping outside Shah Rukh's bungalow since morning, plans to come back tomorrow "with 10 other friends" when Aryan would be released.

The legal team of the 23-year-old, who is presently in judicial custody and lodged at the Arthur Road prison in central Mumbai, will now try to complete the formalities for his release by Friday.

"On every hearing, I was present outside Mannat. I have walked back home disappointed every time, but not today. I am outside and with me so many other fans to show not only that we love him, but also that Shah Rukh matters. And he will continue to matter for us despite everything. He will brace all the storm," the fan said.

The support for Shah Rukh was not only on-ground but also on Twitter, where his fans trended 'Mannat', 'Aryan Khan Bail' and 'Gauri Khan'.
New Delhi: Aadhaar Card is undoubtedly one of the most crucial documents for Indians that are required for several official purposes. The document is widely accepted by several public and private departments for identification purposes since it carries not just personal details but also biometric information of individuals. Thats why, its very important to update the name, address, phone number, and birth date on Aadhaar Card whenever required.

The changes in the Aadhaar Card are handled by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). However, the UIDAI, in 2019, had announced that there is a limit on the number of times one can change details such as name, date of birth and gender in the Aadhaar Card.

Aadhaar cardholders can make several such changes online while for a few, they have no option but to visit nearby Aadhaar Enrolment centres for updates. UIDAI also charges a small fee from cardholders to make the changes in the document. However, as mentioned above, you can make certain changes only a few times.

How many times you can update your name on Aadhaar Card?

UIDAI, in its official announcement, has made it clear that cardholders can change their names on the Aadhaar Card a maximum of two times.

How many times you can update your date of birth on the Aadhaar Card?

For date of birth, the UIDAI has even stricter rules, as cardholders can update the address on Aadhaar Card just once. Moreover, they can change the birth year in a maximum range of plus or minus three years of the birth date mentioned in the Aadhaar.

How many times you can update your gender of birth on the Aadhaar Card?

Similar to the rules related to the date of the birth change, cardholders can change the gender on Aadhaar Card just once, UIDAI had mentioned its memorandum published two years ago in 2019. Also Read: Diwali bonanza for pensioners! DoPPW announces dearness relief hike, check by how much pension will increase

However, there are certain exceptions that can come into play if the cardholders want to change name, date of birth or gender on the Aadhaar card beyond the maximum number of times allowed by UIDAI. Also Read: Apple tops India premium smartphone market with 44% share in Q3

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New Delhi: The Centre on Thursday released the balance of Rs 44,000 crore to states as a loan to compensate for the GST shortfall, taking the total amount to Rs 1.59 lakh crore this fiscal. This release of funds as back-to-back loans is in addition to the bi-monthly GST compensation being given out of cess collection.

The 43rd GST Council meeting on May 28, 2021, had decided that the Centre would borrow Rs 1.59 lakh crore in 2021-22 and release it to states and UTs with the legislature on a back-to-back basis to meet the resource gap due to the shortfall in compensation on account of the inadequate amount collected in the GST compensation fund.

This amount is as per the principles adopted for a similar facility in the last fiscal 2020-21, where Rs 1.10 lakh crore was released to states.

"The Ministry of Finance has released Rs 44,000 crore today to the States and UTs with Legislature under the back-to-back loan facility in lieu of GST Compensation," the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry had on July 15 and October 7 released Rs 75,000 crore and Rs 40,000 crore, respectively, to the states.

With the release of Rs 44,000 crore on Thursday, the total amount released in the current financial year as back-to-back loan in-lieu of GST compensation is Rs 1.59 lakh crore, the statement added.

This amount of Rs 1.59 lakh crore is over and above the compensation, in excess of Rs 1 lakh crore (based on cess collection), that is estimated to be released to states/union territories with the legislature during this financial year.

"The sum total of Rs 2.59 lakh crore is expected to exceed the amount of GST compensation accruing in FY 2021-22," the ministry added.

The Rs 44,000 crore being released now is funded from the Government of India securities issued in the current financial year, at a Weighted Average Yield of 5.69 per cent. No additional market borrowing by the central government is envisaged on account of this release. Also Read: IRCTC to share 50% convenience fee with Railway Ministry, should investors worry?

"It is expected that this release will help the States/UTs in planning their public expenditure among other things, for improving, health infrastructure and taking up infrastructure projects," it said. Also Read: SBI Customer Care Number: Bank releases new toll-free number to solve customer queries

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New Delhi: The Department of Pension and Pensioners Welfare (DoPPW), on October 27, issued an Office Memorandum (O.M.) to announce a 3% increase in the dearness relief (DR) of Central Government pensioners.

According to the notification, pensioners will now receive DR at a rate of 31%, up 3% from the 28% rate. The latest DA rate will apply retrospectively starting from July 2021, meaning that pensioners will receive DR arrears for the month of July, August and September.

In the Office Memorandum (O.M.), the Department of Pension and Pensioners Welfare (DoPPW) noted: President is pleased to decide that the Dearness Relief admissible to Central Government pensioners/family pensioners shall be enhanced from the existing rate of 28% to 31% of the basic pension/family pension (including additional pension/family pension) w.e.f 01.07.2021.

According to the order, heres the list of retired employees that will receive the benefits:

1. Civilian Central Government Pensioners/Family Pensioners including Central Govt. absorbed pensioners in PSU/Autonomous Bodies in respect of whom orders have been issued vide this Department's OM No. 4/34/2002-P&PW(D)Vol.II dated 23.06.2017 for restoration of full pension after the expiry of commutation period of 15 years.

2. The Armed Forces Pensioners/Family Pensioners, Civilian Pensioners/Family Pensioners paid out of the Defence Service Estimates.

3. All India Service Pensioners/Family Pensioners.

4. Railway Pensioners/family pensioners.

5. Pensioners who are in receipt of provisional pension. Also Read: Facebook, Google, Twitter face grilling by UK lawmakers

6. The Burma Civilian pensioners/family pensioners and pensioners/families of displaced Government Pensioners from Burma/ Pakistan, in respect of whom orders have been issued vide this Department's OM No. 23/3/2008-P&PW(B) dated 11.09.2017. Also Read: Centre releases Rs 1.59 lakh crore to states as compensation for GST shortfall

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Chandigarh: A day after launching a new political party, former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh will arrive in the national capital on Thursday to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah over farmers ongoing agitation against Centres three farm laws.

According to reports, Singh will lead a non-political delegation of agricultural experts to meet the Union Home Minister to discuss possible solutions to the ongoing farmers` agitation during his Delhi visit.

Disclosing this here on Wednesday, Amarinder Singh, who announced to float a new political party with seat sharing with parties, including the BJP, said he had been discussing various options with Home Minister Amit Shah, whom he will be meeting in Delhi again on Thursday, and others.

"I think I can help in finding a solution as I have been the Chief Minister of Punjab and am also an agriculturist," Amarinder Singh told a press conference.

While there could be no pre-decided formula for resolution of the farmers` stir, something will emerge during the talks as both sides - the Central government and farmers - want a resolution to the crisis triggered by the farm laws, he said.

Making it clear that he had not met any farmer leaders, the former Chief Minister said he had deliberately not interfered in the matter as the farmers did not want politicians involved.

The farmer leaders had four inconclusive meetings with the Centre but backchannel talks have been going on, he added.

Amarinder Singh had earlier said any seat arrangement he made with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would be subject to a resolution of the farmers` issue in their interest.

In a much-awaited press conference on Wednesday, Singh on Wednesday said his newly announced political party will contest the upcoming elections from all 117 assembly seats in Punjab.

Addressing media, Captain claimed several Congress workers are going to join his new party.

"When the time comes, we will fight all 117 seats, whether we fight in adjustment or we fight on our own only time will tell... Plenty of Congress workers is coming in... We are waiting for an appropriate moment," Amarinder Singh said.

He also made it clear that the process of launching a new political party is ongoing and he will disclose the name and symbol once confirmed by the Election Commission.

"Yes, I will be forming a new party. The name will be announced once the Election Commission clears it, along with the symbol. My lawyers are working on it," added former CM.

In the tweets earlier, Singh had also claimed that his new political outfit might form an alliance with the BJP too if the issues of farmer protest are resolved in the interest of farmers.

Singh resigned last month as the chief minister and had announced that he will be quitting the Congress after months of a rift with Congress state chief Navjot Singh Sidhu.

He had resigned ahead of Congress legislature party meeting which was called amid unending factional battles in the ruling Congress in the state.

Singh was replaced by Charanjit Singh Channi as the chief minister of the state. Punjab is slated to go through assembly polls in 2022.

In 2017 Assembly polls, Congress had won an absolute majority in the state by winning 77 seats and ousted the SAD-BJP government after 10 years. Aam Aadmi Party emerged as the second-largest party winning 20 seats in 117-member Punjab Legislative Assembly.

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) could only manage to win 15 seats while the BJP secured 3 seats.

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New Delhi: After releasing Android 12, Google has announced a preview of Android 12L, which may sound like a new version of Android, but Google calls it "a special feature drop that makes Android 12 even better on large screens".

The idea here is to provide users on tablets, foldables and Chrome OS laptops -- anything with a screen above 600 dp -- with an improved user interface.

"In 12L we have refined the UI to make Android more beautiful and easier to use on screens larger than 600sp across notifications, quick settings, lockscreen, overview, home screen, and more. Try your app with the UI updates," the company said in a blogpost.

The developer preview of Android 12L is now available for developers who want to give it a try, as well as a new Android 12L emulator and support for it in Android Studio.

Google plans to release 12L early next year, "in time for the next wave of Android 12 tablets and foldable".

In addition to Android 12L, Google also announced new features in OS and Play for developers to better support these devices, reports TechCrunch.

These include updates to its Material Design guidance for large-screen devices, but also updates to Jetpack Compose to make it easier to build for these machines and to ensure that apps can more easily adapt to various screen orientations and sizes.

Android Studio is also getting a resizable emulator to help developers test their apps on a wider variety of screen sizes and a new visual linting tool to surface UI warnings and suggestions when the layout has issues.

As for Google Play, the company will now check apps against its large screen app quality guidelines and its search rankings will take the results of this into account.

"For apps that are not optimised for large screens, we`ll start warning large screen users with a notice on the app`s Play Store listing page," the tech giant said.
New Delhi: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has reportedly asked people to consume less amid food crisis that is expected to last till 2025.

Kim blamed a ''series of deviations'' for the shortage of food supplies and said, ''The people's food situation is now getting tense as the agricultural sector failed to fulfill its grain production plan.''

In June this year, Kim had urged officials to find ways to boost agricultural production, saying the country's food situation "is now getting tense", as per PTI report.

A source told Radio Free Asia (RFA), Two weeks ago, they told the neighborhood watch unit meeting that our food emergency would continue until 2025.

The food crisis has resulted from a shutdown of North Koreas border with China, which was imposed in 2020 in order to stem the transmission of COVID-19. The North's economy has declined further amid border closures, which has cut off trade with China. The typhoons and floods last summer have decimated crops in the North making the situation worse.

Due to border closure with China, North Koreas economy has been hit hard as food prices have spiked, leading to starvation deaths among its population of 25 million.

''Authorities emphasised that the possibility of reopening customs between North Korea and China before 2025 was very slim, Fox News cited RFAs report.

"Some of the residents are saying that the situation right now is so serious they dont know if they can even survive the coming winter," another source, in Sinuiju, North Korea, told RFA.

In May, the Korea Development Institute, a South Korean government think tank, had predicted that the North could face food shortages of around a million tons this year.

(With agency inputs)

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Washington: President Joe Biden told Southeast Asian nations on Wednesday (October 27, 2021) the United States would stand with them in defending freedom of the seas and democracy and called China`s actions towards Taiwan "coercive" and a threat to peace and stability.

Speaking at a virtual East Asia Summit attended by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Biden said Washington would start talks with partners in the Indo-Pacific about developing a regional economic framework, something critics say his regional strategy has lacked.

Southeast Asia has become a strategic battleground between the United States and China, which controls most of the South China Sea, and Beijing has turned up military and political pressure on fiercely democratic Taiwan, a self-ruled island Beijing considers its own.

Biden reiterated that the United States had a "rock-solid" commitment to Taiwan. "We are deeply concerned by China`s coercive ... actions," Biden said, charging that they "threaten regional peace and stability."

Li Keqiang told the summit, which brought together leaders of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) with regional partners, that upholding peace, stability, freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea was in everyone`s interest. "The South China Sea is our common home," he said.

Biden last week said the United States, which is obliged by a 1979 law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, would come to Taiwan`s defense if it was attacked by China. Those comments caused a stir because they appeared to depart from a long-held U.S. policy of "strategic ambiguity" as to how Washington would respond to such a scenario.

The White House said Biden was not signaling a change in U.S. policy toward Taiwan, and some analysts dismissed his comments as a gaffe.

Tensions between Taiwan and China have escalated in recent weeks as Beijing has staged repeated air missions over the Taiwan Strait, the waterway separating the island and the mainland.

China expressed displeasure at Biden`s comments last week, urging Washington "not to send the wrong signals to the forces of Taiwan independence, to avoid seriously harming Sino-U.S. ties and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait."

Biden joined Southeast Asian leaders in rebuking Myanmar`s junta.

"In Myanmar, we must address the tragedy caused by the military coup which is increasingly undermining regional stability," he said, calling for the release of political prisoners and a return to democracy.

ASEAN began three days of summits on Tuesday without a representative from Myanmar following its top general`s exclusion for ignoring peace proposals.

Biden also said he would speak out for "human rights in Xinjiang and Tibet (and) the rights of the people of Hong Kong." China denies rights abuses in its outlying regions of Xinjiang and Tibet and in the former British colony of Hong Kong.

BIDEN`S ECONOMIC INITIATIVE

Biden said Washington would begin discussions with partners in the Indo-Pacific to develop a regional economic framework.

Critics of U.S. strategy for the region point to its lack of an economic component after former President Donald Trump withdrew from the trade deal now known as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership in 2017.

The Biden administration has so far avoided any moves to return to an agreement that critics say could cost U.S. jobs and a senior official of the U.S. administration stressed that the initiative the president referred to is not a trade deal.

What the president said ... was that we will begin discussions with partners to develop an economic framework to position us well for the future  laser-focused on making life better for workers and the middle class - and that will guide our economic engagement in the region, the official said.

A White House readout said the envisaged network would also "define our shared objectives around trade facilitation" as well as standards for decarbonisation and clean energy.

Australia and ASEAN agreed on Wednesday to establish a "comprehensive strategic partnership," a sign of Canberra`s ambition to play a bigger role in the region.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the pact would strengthen diplomatic and security ties and promised the country would "back it with substance".

Morrison sought to reassure ASEAN that a trilateral security pact agreed last month between the United States, Britain and Australia, under which Australia will get access to nuclear-powered submarines, would not be a threat to the region.

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